1003
Albums Rated
3.22
Average Rating
92%
Complete
86 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
How you rate albums
Rating Timeline
Average rating over time
Ratings by Decade
Which era do you prefer?
Activity by Day
When do you listen?
Taste Profile
2010s
Favorite Decade
Metal
Favorite Genre
UK
Top Origin
Perfectionist
Rater Style ?
43
5-Star Albums
29
1-Star Albums
Taste Analysis
Genre Preferences
Ratings by genre
Origin Preferences
Ratings by country
Rating Style
You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Third | 5 | 2.43 | +2.57 |
| Tarkus | 5 | 2.78 | +2.22 |
| Heavy Weather | 5 | 2.98 | +2.02 |
| Microshift | 5 | 3.03 | +1.97 |
| Tubular Bells | 5 | 3.1 | +1.9 |
| Fisherman's Blues | 5 | 3.2 | +1.8 |
| Chicago Transit Authority | 5 | 3.2 | +1.8 |
| American Beauty | 5 | 3.25 | +1.75 |
| S&M | 5 | 3.26 | +1.74 |
| Cross | 5 | 3.28 | +1.72 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garbage | 1 | 3.38 | -2.38 |
| Raw Power | 1 | 3.32 | -2.32 |
| Queens of the Stone Age | 1 | 3.29 | -2.29 |
| Fever To Tell | 1 | 3.29 | -2.29 |
| Goo | 1 | 3.23 | -2.23 |
| Loveless | 1 | 3.17 | -2.17 |
| The Good, The Bad & The Queen | 1 | 3.03 | -2.03 |
| Killing Joke | 1 | 2.99 | -1.99 |
| Superfuzz Bigmuff | 1 | 2.94 | -1.94 |
| Damaged | 1 | 2.87 | -1.87 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Metallica | 4 | 4.75 |
| Pink Floyd | 4 | 4.5 |
| Led Zeppelin | 5 | 4.2 |
| Beatles | 6 | 4 |
| Yes | 3 | 4.33 |
| Frank Sinatra | 3 | 4.33 |
| Deep Purple | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| My Bloody Valentine | 2 | 1 |
| Sonic Youth | 5 | 2 |
| Mudhoney | 2 | 1.5 |
| Pere Ubu | 2 | 1.5 |
| The Stooges | 3 | 2 |
| The Fall | 3 | 2 |
| PJ Harvey | 4 | 2.25 |
Controversial Artists
Artists you rate inconsistently
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Air | 2, 5 |
5-Star Albums (43)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Doves
3/5
There's some interesting sounds and effects used at the beginning of this album. It was a pretty unique and relaxing album until Catch The Sun which felt extremely out of place. It feels like an emo Foo Fighters song that was created to be a radio hit.
Reprise was a lovely little number.
This album had an interesting back and forth of being really relaxing and calm, to have unsettling ends of songs.
This album feels like it has some legs to get to a 4, but I don't see myself revisiting this one anytime soon.
8 likes
CHIC
4/5
Perfectly funky and groovy.
Didn't really like At Last I Am Free, but the rest of the album had me boogieing.
2 likes
Nirvana
4/5
Definitely some bangers on here that will always get me rocking out. I thought this album was just going to have 2-3 hits, but it's probably 6-7 which impressed me.
However, the last couple songs leave a lot to be desired.
Endless, Nameless is a good exhibit of what I don't like about grunge. Drums are awesome in it though.
The last two songs were so bad that I almost went to rate this a 3, but I went back and listened to a couple other songs back and realized that wouldn't be fair.
1 likes
Bad Company
3/5
This is a poster child for 3 stars. Solid music, but ultimately pretty forgettable. Seagull was probably my favorite track.
1 likes
The Damned
4/5
Feels like some of these songs could be in any Tony Hawk game. Some of the songs had weird jumps in tempo that were honestly a little confusing -- I had to check my phone to make sure the song didn't skip. There are a handful of songs that are definitely poppy, I'm surprised I have never heard any before.
I'm still trying to put my finger on what makes music punk. I did enjoy this album more than most other punk albums we have gotten, especially 70's and 80's British punk.
I oftentimes can't hear different accents when people sing in English; this is not one of those cases. It sounds like they are pretending to be Bri'ish.
Bonus points for names like Captain Sensible and Rat Scabies.
I enjoyed listening to this album. It feels like a stretch to give it a 4, but I'm gonna do it.
1 likes
1-Star Albums (29)
All Ratings
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
v chill album! a good morning listen
Cypress Hill
3/5
It's eye opening that people in 1991 were rapping about the same things they are rapping about now when it comes to police brutality.
The Kinks
4/5
Run-D.M.C.
5/5
Fun to put an artist to a song I have heard thousands of times (It's Tricky)
I can't believe Aerosmith ripped these guys off (Walk this way)
Run DMC could be honorary Beachy Boys members.
I really like this late 80's early 90's hip hop sound and the variety of beats they were able to produce with horns, scratching, and the sounds that remind me of playing Tony Hawk Pro Skater.
I appreciate that we got Cypress Hill just before this to get a better understanding on the East vs West coast rap debate that I know was prevalent back then. Lyrics aren't as heavy as the ones on Cypress Hill, but the beats are more fun!
Great album, would listen again.
Johnny Cash
4/5
Interested to know the history on this album. How did Folsom Prison get Johnny Cash to come there? I do appreciate a live album being on this list.
Dirty Old Egg-Suckin' Dog has to make a place in my vocabulary.
There's a song named Jackson, 5 stars.
I think I overlooked Johnny Cash just because I know his hits, but there's some good singin' here, nothing too crazy instrumentally, though. Great stage presence though. Do all of the solo musicians of this era have that molasses sounding voice like Johnny Cash, or does Johnny Cash sound like all the others?
Television
3/5
The song Marquee Moon is a great jam, I have a great appreciation for this song.
Overall a solid album, but didn't do anything special for me. I have a feeling this is an album that was cutting edge at the time, but doesn't seem that special to us nowadays because a lot of artists use Television's style and technique. Just a hunch.
Wasn't paying too much attention while listening to this album, could use a re-listen.
David Bowie
4/5
Listened to in the car to Vermont. Will listen again
Cyndi Lauper
3/5
The Doors
4/5
I liked it! A good mix of tempos. Some songs were bluesy, some were psychedelic. I put this album off for a while because we were skiing. I'm glad I did because this is not a skiing album.
The Adverts
3/5
More British Punk! Wow! Better than most punk I've heard on this list, but still not great. At least the songs are discernable from one another
Kid Rock
2/5
Really funny if you look at this as an ironically funny album. If I didn't know who Kid Rock was I would think this is just some wannabe rapper who grew up in a upper middle class neighborhood. I love some of the radio edit censorship in this album.
Welcome 2 the Party is a lyrical masterpiece
Suicide
2/5
Pretty decent start to an album. Not a great finish.
I usually don't like hearing a strange man moan and ejaculate in high def while I'm trying to work, and "Girl" was no exception to that rule.
Dire Straits
5/5
Album starts off with 3 certified bangers. Money for Nothing and Walk of Life specifically are legendary songs.
The next couple songs definitely tone down the explosiveness and tempo, but are very nice songs to listen to regardless. A lot of good variety with the introduction of some brass.
The riffs Ride Across the River could be a song in Final Fantasy 9 or Crash Bandicoot.
I've heard the hits on this album hundreds of times, but the other songs on it are exceptional in their own right. I could argue the middle of the album feels a bit disjointed, but I think I really appreciate the variety of instruments, styles, and tempos Dire Straits employ here. Definitely not an album where "every song sounds the same".
This album makes me appreciate how available music is to us today. It'll be interesting to see if this album has songs that my kids and grandkids will listen in their day because there is no way that Money For Nothing ever dies.
Belle & Sebastian
4/5
Kinda reminds me of Spoon or Barenaked Ladies.
These are fun, upbeat songs. Electronic Renaissance is different, but I really like it.
Overall an album I enjoyed and would listen to again. After reading about it on Wikipedia I don't really understand why it's on this 1001 albums list. Something about the record label's success, maybe?
The Saints
3/5
This is one of the better punk albums on this list so far. I really like Know Your Product. Singer's voice is good, but the iconic punk guitar sound just feels like it's the same song throughout.
Beatles
4/5
I need to listen to the Beatles more.
Prince
4/5
Some duds like Dorothy Parker, but lots of winners.
Slow Love is fantastic.
If Prince was my girlfriend then he'd be a pedo.
It's Gonna be a Beautiful Night is a certified JAM.
I wish I could see Prince perform live.
Some good songs, some great songs, some actual duds. Doesn't have me dying to listen to this album again any time soon.
Some absolute bangers to start the album. I feel like this album falls into one of those "every song sounds the same" categories.
Overall a good listen!
Garbage
1/5
Not digging it. Some of these songs I can't believe someone heard the lyrics/moaning and said "Yup, that's a good song!"
Too much angst for this boy.
Stupid girl < Dumb du du dumb dumb Girl
Tears For Fears
4/5
Kate Bush
2/5
This album feels like it's supposed to be a musical, but not a musical I would watch.
Night of the Swallow is probably the best song.
Lots of screaming.
The beginning of the last song feels like it's going to be great, but then the screaming starts.
Hee Haw Hee Haw Hee Haw
LL Cool J
3/5
Solid to start, trails off at the end. There's something about 80's/90's hip hop beats and scratches that just make me happy.
Lyrics are kinda silly (Milky Cereal) with some serious themes (Illegal Search). Overall I would call this album "just for fun". Not dying to listen again, but not upset by any means.
The Allman Brothers Band
4/5
Another live album! Excited to listen. Will probably end up comparing it to Folsom Prison.
Never really listened to Allman Bros, but I understand how they got to their level of reputation. Good band, good performance.
They've got a good dose of that southern rock that I like. Coincidentally they are from Jacksonville, just like Lynard Skynard. I wonder if they got some influence from them.
I will be giving this 4 stars. I think David Burt would give it 5 stars.
Drive-By Truckers
3/5
Starts out on a seriously emo note.
Like Pearl Jam, but you can understand the singer.
Three Great Alabama Icons reminds me of A7Xs Welcome to the Family.
One of the singers sounds like Jake Cinninger
These guys love talking about Lynard Skynard
This album is long. Not my cup of tea, but the guitar parts are good, like most other southern rock.
Scott Walker
2/5
Sounds like a movie soundtrack for a movie that was on the cutting edge of technicolor.
Did Bo Burnham write "Next"?
I could see a lot of these songs (Next / Girls and the Dogs) being in a Frank Sinatra Jr. Family Guy Episode with how crude/humorous some of the lyrics are.
Good voice, but I don't really understand the album.
Paul Simon
4/5
Paul Simon fucking rocks. We've got nice, folky guitar riffs followed by some funky bass and a legendary voice.
Not as good as Graceland, but these are all really good songs.
I think if everyone listened to Paul Simon, we would eliminate world anger.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
4/5
Oh fuck yeah, it's that band that the Drive-By Truckers wouldn't shut up about!
Tuesday's Gone? Banger.
Gimme Three Steps? Banger.
Simple Man? Banger.
Free Bird? Banger.
Lol I looked up Lynard Skynard on wikipedia and found this nugget: The Drive-By Truckers dedicated their album Southern Rock Opera (2001) to Lynyrd Skynyrd.[citation needed]
Patti Smith
2/5
Not for me.
4/5
Never heard of MC5 before this. Great opening song, great closing song.
This is some good old fashioned rock and roll!
Bob Dylan
3/5
Great song writing, I would like to go back and listen again while looking at all of the lyrics. Not the greatest voice in my opinion, but overall a solid listen. Never listened to much Bob Dylan before, and this album is not strong enough to change that.
Steve Earle
4/5
Goodbye's All We Got Left to Say is good!
Love the guitar in Fearless Heart
Overall a pretty solid classic album that could go toe to toe with some Tom Petty or John (Cougar) Mellencamp albums.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
A lot of these songs are great! Great voice, background singers, good composition of songs. I would say a lot of this is "sing talking", but it's really enjoyable. Feels like this album belongs to a movie or musical.
Not sure how I've never heard of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds before, but I feel like he could go toe to toe with Tom Petty and other similar artists.
This album is almost a 5 for me.
Leftfield
4/5
Had no clue what this album was going to be like, wasn't expecting eletronic.
Melt is great - reminds me of playing Terraria.
A lot of these songs are good, although a bit repetitive. These songs would make very memorable songs for games on AddictingGames.com
There is a lot of influence from this album I can hear in some electronic songs today; especially in Inspection (Check One).
Overall I like the sounds of this album a lot, it is a bit repetitive like most early electronic. I think that if you compare it to most early electronic, though, it has a lot of fresh sounds.
This is a 3.5 stars at face value, but I'm giving it a nudge because it feels so original.
The Undertones
3/5
I feel like when I hear Bri'ish punk I can just skip it and give it a 3 for sounding good, but homogenous.
There's actually some good variety here relative to other punk.
I would probably give this a 3.5 stars, but rounded down because it's definitely not 4 worthy.
John Coltrane
4/5
I'm surprised my headphones didn't catch on fire with how hard Mr. Coltrane was going during Pt. III.
It was nice to get some jazz as a change of pace from the rest of this album list.
Sparks
4/5
First two songs start out great! Originally I thought it was not in English.
I'm surprised this is from the 70's; it sounds like late 90s early 00s pop with some solid guitar mixed in.
The rest of the songs sounds more like rock.
Really unique and enjoyable album!
Ramones
2/5
I don't think punk is my jam. All of these songs sound the same. Blitzkreig Bop is a bop.
Tangerine Dream
3/5
Reminds me of the soundscapes that Gabe from The Office creates. I definitely recommend headphones or a good stereo system for this album.
I kinda like these songs as like a background sound to a weird art exhibit or halloween, but 2 AND A HALF HOURS???
Seeing as this is from 1974 I feel like this is probably one of the first uses of the synthesizer, and thus the forefront of electronic music as a whole.
I honestly like the music, but the length of it all would require some psychedelics to keep my attention. Not really a good album to listen to while working. Maybe this could be the soundtrack to some abstract film that I wouldn't watch.
Rod Stewart
3/5
Solid album, but nothing special to my ears. I feels like a lot of the classic/southern rock albums are blending together. I really like Rod Stewart's voice. It's talented singing meets pack a day smoker. Kinda reminds me of Brent Mydland's singing.
Afrika Bambaataa
2/5
Not the best old school hip hop album so far, but definitely still a fun album. Another early electronic album, which I have respect for.
Renegades of Funk!! (Rage version is better)
I think I wanted to like this album more than I did.
Album cover reminds me of Bill & Teds Excellent Adventure.
Willie Nelson
4/5
Never really listened to Willie Nelson. I really like how unpolished the songs are from a production standpoint. His voice shines because when you hear the smallest flaws, you realize his raw voice is just that good.
Down Yonder was a great little ragtime intermission.
I enjoyed this album!
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
4/5
I really enjoyed this album. I enjoy salsa as a whole, but don't listen to it often. This album is very easy going and flows incredibly well.
Pedro Navaja was probably my favorite song.
This album definitely makes me want to listen to some more salsa.
Stan Getz
4/5
This is a delightful album to listen to. Incredibly calming background music while working. Gotta remember Stan Getz next time I have a dinner party with some new friends so I can pretend like I listen to classy music all the time.
All jokes aside, I think Evelyn would like this album the most.
Moby
3/5
I have definitely heard Porcelain sampled in another song (or vice versa), can't wait to forgot completely about this and then hear the song 4 years later, bringing back memories of the first time I listened to Moby.
Starts off kinda emo. It has an enjoyable sound to it that reminds me of The Matrix that I can't quite describe. Songs are pretty repetitive
The hard switch into Bodyrock was a bit jarring, but it made me pay attention again. Interestingly; the second half of Bodyrock samples a song from Planet Rock: The Album.
I did not listen to all of the B-sides, but I enjoyed this album enough. I can hear the influences it had on techno and other electronic music. Probably not going out of my way to listen to this album again, though.
Killing Joke
1/5
Punk, Post Punk, who gives a shit?
I understand the important political aspects of punk and post-punk, but the music is not really my cut of the jib.
It's kind of funny to see the transition of punk from the 60's into the 90's and how much of a turn it makes entering the 00's.
Not for me
The Jam
4/5
ALL KEV CONS
Another punk album. How broad of an umbrella is punk?
Another 1001 Albums cross over with David Watts!
I really enjoyed this album. It has almost beach rock feel to it; great for a sunny 70 degree day. I would definitely listen to this album again or other works from The Jam.
Dusty Springfield
4/5
Holy hell! I saw "In Memphis" and was expecting some honky tonk southern drawl. What a pleasant surprise to get a voice like this!
I feel like there is a Spanish influence on this album with the drums, soft guitar, and maracas, especially in "Windmills of your Mind" and "Land of Make Believe"
Great album. I'm not sure that it's music I'll more regularly seek out, but I certainly enjoyed it!
Aretha Franklin
4/5
Another great album. We are on a hot streak!
Great voice across all songs, I really appreciate the range of powerful, energetic songs that flow well with more melodic, softer songs.
Apart from Aretha holding down the songs with her voice, I think the rest of the band on this album deserve credit; especially the brass and backup singers. Wish I could give this 4.5 stars.
Never really listened to Aretha Franklin much before. I understand where all of the respect for her comes from. Another reason I appreciate this 1001 albums challenge.
The Prodigy
3/5
Not feeling it right off the bat. I liked the middle/middle-end of Break & Enter.
Repetitive, Repetitive, Repetitive. At least there is some creativity with sound design so each song, while repetitive, is actually distinct from other songs.
I started to enjoy this more in the second half of the album as I was tuning it out more. Not sure if that's a good thing necessarily.
Overall, I thought I was really going to hate this album and was pleasantly surprised by it. Definitely fits the bill of 90's edge. Probably pairs well with Adderall and Finals Week.
Lightning Bolt
1/5
Album art is pretty cool at least.
Radiohead
4/5
Not in love with Thom Yorke's singing voice. I do really love the guitar, bass, and drums though.
I bet you could convince people that Weird Fishes / Arpeggi is a U2 song. Regardless, it is a certified jam.
All I Need is another certified jam. Love the entire crescendo at the end especially drums and keyboard.
Videotape is a great way to end this album. It's unsettling in a good way.
I definitely grew to appreciate Thom Yorke's falsetto more as another instrument in the whole ensemble as the album went on. The technical skill and variety of the guitar and drums are what really stood out to me. This album was good, but does not inspire me to get a silly mouse tattoo.
I wonder if this is the latest album that will be on this list.
Red Snapper
2/5
The first two songs were pretty rough to listen to. Almost wrote off the whole album. Shellback and Don't Go Nowhere saved this album from being a 1 star. Alaska Street and Belladonna were pretty good too.
I really disliked the voice effect that was used in this album. Had some cool hip hop/funk rhythms which I appreciate, but it feels like they didn't build enough on top of that. This album felt disjointed and repetitive, it could have been shortened to 30 minutes and still been the same.
Overall this album wants to be a good mix of genres, like how peanut butter and chocolate is a good mix, but it feels more like peanut butter and kiwi; probably not terrible, but definitely not aiming to satisfy.
Elis Regina
3/5
This is a fun album. Good singer, some elements of funk. Pretty solid all around.
The Blue Nile
3/5
I'm liking this strong baseline. Great to listen to on a rainy morning.
I appreciate the emphasis on the singing, but I think Paul Buchanan's voice is *just* good, not great. I also really like another early adopter of synthesizers/electronic elements, especially these chime-y, whimsical sounds. It must have been so cool to listen to these sounds in the 80's.
Really pleasant album. I would like to give it a 3.5, but I'm rounding down to 3 because I don't feel like I'll listen to this one again for any reason.
Beatles
3/5
This album is good, and it's hard not to directly compare it to Revolver, which is just a superior album in my opinion.
A lot of good songs on this album, but doesn't feel like any stuck with me. Pairs well with making homemade pasta for your roommates Last Supper.
Eels
2/5
Pretty weird and sad lyrics. Not the worst album I've listened to, but certainly not the best. Album art is freaky, but I kind of dig it.
Blue Cheer
3/5
Immediately reminds me of Jimi Hendrix and Deep Purple. Overall a pretty solid album and I can definitely hear the early heavy metal sounds that this album helped discover.
Enjoyable listen, but not too much more than that for me.
The Cure
2/5
Started off good, but quickly started to lose interest in the album. A lot of the songs sounded the same. I enjoyed the piano, as well as some guitar and bass parts, but I could really do without the singing in almost every song.
The Damned
4/5
Feels like some of these songs could be in any Tony Hawk game. Some of the songs had weird jumps in tempo that were honestly a little confusing -- I had to check my phone to make sure the song didn't skip. There are a handful of songs that are definitely poppy, I'm surprised I have never heard any before.
I'm still trying to put my finger on what makes music punk. I did enjoy this album more than most other punk albums we have gotten, especially 70's and 80's British punk.
I oftentimes can't hear different accents when people sing in English; this is not one of those cases. It sounds like they are pretending to be Bri'ish.
Bonus points for names like Captain Sensible and Rat Scabies.
I enjoyed listening to this album. It feels like a stretch to give it a 4, but I'm gonna do it.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
1/5
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
More punk. The curator of this list must really hate The Man.
This album was the worst parts of punk mixed with the worst parts of jazz mixed with a bad acid trip.
Did not like.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
2/5
First two songs were good. This album feels like one where the juice is in the lyrics, but I had trouble paying attention to lyrics. Besides that, a pretty mediocre album, but not awful.
Last song was pretty good.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
Solid rock and roll. Nothing very special stood out to me. Good background music.
Madonna
3/5
Has the same kind of rhythm as Brothers in Arms where it starts off with some bangers/upbeat songs, then really slows down which I don't quite understand. I really like these poppy songs though, I could certainly boogie this album.
Dear Jessie sounds like every Disney song ever (not a bad thing).
One of my biggest knocks is the album felt disjointed from song to song.
Pray for Spanish Eyes was probably my favorite after the first 2 songs.
Pink Floyd
5/5
I think this might be my first time listening to this album in earnest....
Happiest Days of Our Lives is a great interlude. Mother is an immediate standout to me as well.
In the Flesh is also great.
The sheer amount of variety that this album hits on is incredibly well done. From instruments and intensities to singers and solos; it all comes together nicely and kept me interested throughout.
I can't believe I went this long in my life without listening to this album in it's entirety. Definitely happy I read about the concept while listening to understand the songs greater meanings; Comfortably Numb especially.
Metallica
5/5
When I saw this pop up as the next album it made my eyes light up. I can instantly give this a 5 because it's one of my favorite albums of all time. Not complaining about an excuse to listen to this album at 11am on a Tuesday though.
I listen to this album at least twice a year; once on family vacation at the beach and once during the fantasy football draft (who was that chick?).
Incredible composition and energy from start to finish, I would give my left nut to be at this show. At least we live in a time where so much music is available on demand.
A very thoughtful fusion of orchestral music and metal. Someone could do something like this to make a badass movie score with little to no dialogue.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
Wasn't sure what I was getting into at the first song, but I was pleasantly surprised.
A very interesting album clearly focusing on death and life. It's not super depressing throughout; I appreciate the matter of fact view he has on death. It also hits harder knowing he died 17 days after the release of this album at the age of 82.
The focus is clearly on the lyrics, like poetry, and it does a good job making sure lyrics are clear and powerful. I would like to listen to this again while reading the lyrics instead of working.
Steer Your Way was a standout to me.
This album has taken the throne for latest album at 2016! (previously held by In Rainbows)
The Afghan Whigs
3/5
First song was not very good... Singer is kinda rough, like a budget Chris Cornell. Guitar solo in Gentleman was great.
I like the effect on the guitar used throughout. Lyrics remain angsty.
Overall, not bad, not great. Not going to listen to this band anymore, but didn't feel like they wasted my time.
Roxy Music
4/5
Bitter Sweet reminded me of Nightmare Before Christmas. I like the dude's voice a lot. A cool variety of instruments as well. I would definitely listen to this album again.
Elbow
4/5
I like that this album has an almost whimsical tone to it. I also appreciate the depth in the tracks with the background vocals, horns, and strings.
Love the use of "holy cow" in One Day Like This. The whole song is very triumphant
This album feels like a 3.5. I feel like Tim would really like it.
Robbie Williams
3/5
Life Thru a Lens and Ego Agogo were bops, even if the lyrics are stupid.
This album is shades of that Kid Rock album with South of the Border. I'd argue the music is better, but the lyrics and singing are pretty garbage. Kinda whiny.
Big Black
1/5
First song is ROUGHHHHHHHHH, hard to continue the album after that one, but I have been pleasantly surprised before on this list.
Second song starts just as rough. I had to double check that the video I'm listen to this album on isn't terrible quality. Nope, it's just the songs sounding like barbed wire and sand!
I feel like there is actually some decent music behind the "rawness" of this album, but it sounds like they are mixing the audio with the sounds of a paper shredder trying to shred aluminum foil.
I would be interested to see King Gizz do a noise rock album.
Fiona Apple
3/5
This is a good album, Great singer and the songs aren't repetitive or overly formulaic. No real highs or lows, but consistently good through the album. Love the choice of instruments.
Feels like a 3.5 stars kinda album. I liked it a lot, but there were no homerun moments that will push it into the 4 star rating. Sorry Fiona.
Britney Spears
3/5
Poppy and catchy; no surprise there. I enjoyed this more than I expected to.
Little Richard
4/5
Another album like Lynard Skynard's where it's just banger after banger after banger. How the hell is anyone supposed to sit still when listening to there jams? Great voice, great instrumentals, great energy.
Amy Winehouse
4/5
I understand the hype around Amy Winehouse after this album. It's a great album, and listening to it early on a Sunday morning while making breakfast and coffee is a home run time to listen.
This felt like a good R&B album with some jazz and soul thrown it; great combo. It didn't feel like this had highs and lows, it was consistently great from start to finish.
Definitely reaching for more Amy after this.
Green Day
4/5
Another album that is absolutely riddle with bangers. The trifecta of Lynard Skynard, Little Richard, and Green Day is complete.
Seriously, this is one of the best pop-punk albums/bands ever. I give this genre a lot of grief because it's so copy and paste; but these guys started it all, and only did it with a slightly whiny voice.
Longview has such an iconic baseline.
Feels like another 3.5 star album, but I'm giving it the Nostalgia Bump to 4 stars.
Orange Juice
4/5
This is a very interesting album. It feels very experimental, and I definitely like their science.
A Million Pleading Faces is a bop.
Breakfast Time feels like it needs to be made into a terrible short horror movie.
I bet Orange Juice had a lot of fun making this album.
Feels like yet another 3.5 album, but I'm going to bump it up to 4 because it felt so unique. We are on a streak of good albums.
Elvis Costello
3/5
This is a music album.
Janis Joplin
5/5
I have never picked up Janis and I regret that after today. This album is incredible. Cry Baby, A Woman Left Lonely, and Buried Alive in the Blues were all incredible. I immediately listened to this album a second time after finishing. It's not often you listen to an album for the first time and it becomes a favorite; Pearl did that.
Frank Ocean
3/5
Glad to get some modern day R&B, excited to listen to this one again. This album gets you hooked with some nostalgia bait right from the get go.
Frank's voice is great.
One gripe is the intermittent audio that's from movies or videos, kinda takes me out of the whole album.
Super Rich Kids is a bop.
The drop in Pyramids got my amped up.
I like the overall variety and beats on this album, and I think it was a very good album; but I think I went into this one thinking I would like it more. I know it's critically acclaimed, but I think a lot of juice is in the lyrics, which I am not always paying attention to. I'm sure I'd give it higher marks if I was reading along with the songs.
Brian Eno
3/5
First song isn't great.
I like St Elmo's Fire, The Big Ship, and Little Fishes.
So far it feels like there are some good songs, one or two nothing songs, and some average songs. Every song sounds so different it feels like I'm shuffling a random playlist.
The short interludes were interesting.
I think this is one of the most engaged I've been on an album so far because I'm really trying to determine if I like it or not.
I would say this is an enjoyable listen. I appreciate the originality, but I'm not going to listen to this one again.
Fela Kuti
4/5
Right off the bat, this album cover makes me feel like I'm about to listen to people have a lot of fun jamming out for an hour.
OH boy was I right; you should judge a book by its cover.
Got some cool American Jazz fused with some African beats. Just some dudes jamming out big time. What's not to love?
Yes
5/5
Judging this album by it's cover I thought it was going to be some gloomy, droning songs; was not looking forward to it. I certainly did not expecting the first song to come out swinging like that. Certified jam right out of the gate.
Listen to this one with headphones cause they really like to play with stereo.
Some songs on here that I have definitely heard before like "I've Seen All Good People"
This album rocked from start to finish. Encapsulates classic rock, but has a unique sound with a variety of instruments and a great voice.
DJ Shadow
2/5
This is a very original sounding album with tracks that sound like they are definitely from the 90's, but then there are tracks that sound like they came out this year.
I am giving praise for the variety in this one, but it doesn't flow very well and sometimes it feels like a song changed abruptly which I don't like.
Had some lows, a lot of middling songs, and a high or two. What Does Your Soul Look Like Pt. 1 was really good, but not so good to listen to the whole album ever again.
2.5 rounded down on this one.
Ella Fitzgerald
4/5
I listened to "The Very Best of the Gershwin Songbook" before I realized it was a 4 disc set that I don't plan on listening to.
Some good morning tunes from a legend of American music. I have a lot of respect for early Jazz artists for practically giving American music an identity.
Mostly listened to this as background music in the morning, and it made for a very enjoyable morning.
The War On Drugs
4/5
Great alternative album. Guitar shreds, keyboard slaps, and the voice is great. Has a lot of highs in the beginning and end, and is solid throughout.
Grizzly Bear
3/5
Southern Point could easily be the best song on the album right from the hop.
I have heard Two Weeks several hundred times in my life, always fun to discover song names/artists after knowing the song forever.
Another good alternative/folk/indie album. Unfortunately it became a bit ho-hum after the great start. Good album to follow yesterdays Follow the Dream.
3.5 stars with Southern Point, 3 stars without it.
Derek & The Dominos
4/5
This is some David Burt music. Eric Clapton rocks.
Supergrass
4/5
Interesting album that feels like a fusion of pop-punk, alternative, and some classic rock.
There are a lot of unique sounds in this song that all work really well together. Sometimes I Make You Sad is a stand out in this regard.
There are definitely some middling songs throughout that I start to tune out a bit, but this album feels so unique and their experimental sounds are all incredible while not straying too far from a traditional rock band sound.
Easy 4 star album. Interesting enough to listen to again.
David Bowie
4/5
Another good Bowie album. Definitely a unique artist that I need to listen to more of.
Thundercat
4/5
Next album to top the "latest album" list at 2017, surpassing You Want it Darker. This is great because Thundercat is a god on the bass.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
I like this Leonard Cohen fella. Good voice, good lyrics, some interesting sounds/instruments used in this one.
Keith Jarrett
4/5
Nothing like listening to a man tickle the ivories for an hour. Good stuff.
Sly & The Family Stone
3/5
Good background music while working. Some good funk and soul to start the day.
Queens of the Stone Age
1/5
Power chords for days. Super repetitive and just drones on. Singer doesn't even sound like he wants to be there, his voice is so sterile and emotionless.
Had to take a break during this album and couldn't wait to finish.
Donald Fagen
4/5
This is just such a cool album. Lots of unique, jaunty sounds in here. Listened to this one twice. It feels like a 3.5, but I think it has just enough uniqueness and chutzpah to push it into the 4 star realm.
King Crimson
5/5
Starting off with the sample to a Kanye song, very neat!
21st Century Schizoid is a certified jam.
Singer's voice is amazing.
Very interesting mix of heavy metal, classical, and jazz(?), reminds me of S&M. This album sounds like it could have been released today.
This album is amazing. I like the story-telling aspect to it, reminds me of Rime of the Ancient Mariner. The Moonchild interlude goes a bit long, but that's the only blemish I could point out. I love this list for albums like this where I have never heard of the band. There are a lot of masterpieces to discover.
The Strokes
3/5
The Strokes are solid, but the singer (Mr. Stroke) doesn't have much inflection to his voice which makes so many of the songs sound the same, despite some of the guitar and bass parts being really cool.
Decent album, but not too exciting. Not getting out of bed for this one.
Soft Cell
2/5
Tainted Love is another of those songs that I have heard hundreds of times but never knew who sings it.
This feels like stereotypical 70's/80's electronic/synth. I wouldn't be surprised if these guys started it.
Lyrics are a bit uncomfortable, but the rest of the music is pretty damn good.
I guess it's hard to complain about the weirdly sexual lyrics when the name of the album is an Erotic Cabaret...
David Bowie
3/5
Eh, kinda forgot I was listening to this album. Still appreciate the variety that David Bowie brings.
Green Day
3/5
I feel like Green Day has to be my favorite pop punk band for a genre I generally don't love. Lots of classics on this one with some lyrics that are more politically charged than most pop punk.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Harmonica is cool. A lot of these songs sound the same. Good album, but no stand outs. Overall I appreciate Dylan's writing, but I wasn't paying too much attention to the lyrics while working.
Nine Inch Nails
2/5
There were a couple times during this album I could feel myself getting into the chaos that NIN was slinging, but for the most part it's not my cuppa tea.
Reminds me of Twisted Metal.
Is this Math Rock?
Duran Duran
3/5
Absolute classic of a first song.
Has some fun pop/synth sounds that just screams 80's to me.
Nothing crazy about this album.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3/5
These honkies can play! Got some 60's beach rock vibes in this album.
This album was an interesting mix of upbeat rock, some love songs, and some other slow songs.
Some pretty cool songs in here. Feels like a 3.5.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
This is an interesting album that definitely had mental breakdown written all over it.
Games Without Frontiers and Lead a Normal Life were the two standouts to me.
Peter Gabriel has an all time singing voice.
Elliott Smith
3/5
There are some good songs at the beginning and end. Can't Make a Sound and Son of Sam to name names.
Overall some pretty unique sounds and instruments on this album which I appreciate, but overall was a pretty average sounding album.
Bad Brains
2/5
Singer reminds me of Jake Cinninger. Pretty meh album. Not bad though.
The White Stripes
3/5
Couple shining moments in this one. It's better than most rock from the early 2000's from a technical standpoint, but a lot of songs felt pretty repetitive and similar. Overall this probably warrants a re-listen just based on Jack White's ability.
The White Stripes
3/5
The The White White Stripes Stripes
I didn't know "We're Going to Be Friends" was a Stripes song.
Other than that this album had some interesting variety. I think it edges out Elephant just a bit, but still just an average album on first listen.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Pretty damn good album! Factory Girl and the end of Salt of the Earth were some standouts.
Ian Dury
3/5
This was a weird album. I really liked the guitar, but really hated the guys voice. The middle of the album was really good, but the end turned into some garbage punk? I would give all my favorite parts of this album a 4, but the last two songs + his voice on every song takes it down to a 3.
Common
4/5
I love this style of hip-hop. Really good album. Looks like the first song is a tribute to Fela Kuti who had that baller jam album a few weeks ago.
I like the beginning and the end of the album a bit more than the middle.
I like the story and how it's kind of a concept album.
There's a good amount of homophobic lyrics, but I get that 2000 was a bit different in that regard.
R.E.M.
4/5
The singer of R.E.M. has such a distinct voice. I honestly didn't think he was American.
I've never listened to R.E.M. outside of their hits.
Guitar and the mandolin/ukelele are on point in "You Are The Everything" and "The Wrong Child". Reminds me of Eddie Vedder.
Orange Crush rules.
Rod Stewart
4/5
Another good Rod Stewart album. This one had more of the hits than Gasoline Alley. Overall I liked this album more.
Didn't know Rod Stewart was British, because his music just sounds so American. Not sure if other people think the same or if that's just ignorance on my part.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
4/5
I was not expecting peaceful, orchestral music from the get go. Definitely settles more into a jaunty big-room style of music that I love.
Some parts remind me of Final Fantasy.
This was a very unique album. I really love the genres that it covered. I want to give this one a 4.5, but will settle for a 4.
Super Furry Animals
3/5
Didn't do the best job listening to this one. Was having the stop and start a bunch so I might need to listen again. Felt like punk and alternative put together, but not in your face about it.
I enjoyed a lot of the guitar solos.
Feels like a 3.5 that deserves another listen.
The Who
4/5
Underture was awesome. Pete Townshend and Keith Moon are awesome. Lots of classics that just keep bringing up Mr. P. Wizard.
Never realized how fucked up the story of this album was until reading about it.
Great listen.
Cocteau Twins
3/5
This feels like an album Kevin would like a lot. I also like this album a lot. It's early pop music that isn't overly poppy.
It got a little repetitive toward the end, but overall was enjoyable. Probably won't listen to this one again, but happy I listened once :).
Rage Against The Machine
4/5
These guys stole our group name >:(
Killing in the Name will always go hard till the day I die.
Some songs I never heard before. Take the Power Back was a favorite.
I think this album falls into the category of the songs being so lyrically driven, but I don't pay attention to the lyrics word for word, so a lot of the purpose of the album gets lost on me.
Tim Commerford has now entered my brain as a great bassist, based off this album.
Definitely an impactful album socially. Simple repetition of some phrases is effective.
The Smiths
4/5
Pretty cool rhythm and bass in the first song.
Liked the guitar in The Thorn Sided Boy.
I have heard of The Smiths, but never listened to them. With a name like that I expected some bland style of post-punk. I am pleasantly surprised by these lads; especially the bassist.
Not the strongest 4 on this list, but it warrants the 4 for the surprise factor as well as the variety of instruments working so well together.
Malcolm McLaren
4/5
Was not expecting a serene soundscape to start this album.
Oh it's hip hop.
Oh it's world music.
I really like most, if not all of the songs on the album. Unfortunately it doesn't really sound like an album to me. It feels more like a playlist. I guess that's what you'll get from travelling the world in one album.
Definitely was grooving to a number of these songs
Little Simz
4/5
Oh baby another album coming in to usurp the title of latest album at 2019! Looks like Willow Smith on the album cover.
Damn this girl has flow. This is a really good rap album. I really liked Flowers.
Kings of Leon
3/5
Has an interesting folky/southern twang to what I expected to be a more generic rock album. Seems like they found some success with commercial alternative rock and ran with it, which is the Kings of Leon that I know.
Pretty solid album. Not quite what I was expecting, but it is good.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Great album with hit after hit. I always think about how I don't listen to Led Zeppelin enough (since I don't listen to their albums often), but every time I go to listen to an album I recognize nearly every song.
Great vocals, guitar, drums, and bass. I love the inclusion of organ and some other instruments in there as well.
Minus 1 star for having a lot of rip offs on this album. NOT Cool Led Zeppelin!
Hüsker Dü
3/5
This album sounded like an AI generated album that was guaranteed to be commercially successful. The white bread of music.
Neneh Cherry
3/5
This album definitely influenced a lot of 90's pop/hip hop. There's some cool beats in this album, but overall not really my cuppa tea. I appreciate getting different genres than rock though. I'd probably give this one a 2.5 if I could.
White Denim
4/5
First couple of songs remind me of Unknown Mortal Orchestra. Back at the Farm is a jam.
I was already starting to hear shades of King Giz, then the flute came out in "River to Consider".
I could see this band slowly making it into my rotation.
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
3/5
I think I expected to like this album more than I did. I generally like older American music from a history standpoint. While I enjoyed listening to the album from that perspective, I was never too invested in the music itself.
The Charlatans
4/5
I liked this album!
Alice In Chains
3/5
The hits are great. Most of the other songs are a little ho-hum. Not in love with grunge, but I like the heavy metal riffs.
I don't know if it's intentional, but the singers voice keeps fluctuating from good to terrible as he sometimes just drones and moans when he isn't singing.
Overall; the hits buoy this album for me. Wouldn't choose to listen to this one again, but I know I'll be listening to The Rooster for the rest of my life.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Tons of hits of this one. Really like how short this one is. Guitar shreds. Little to complain about on this one.
The Verve
3/5
Bittersweet Symphony could be in my personal top 100 songs. Sonnet is a pretty good song too. The middle of the album gets pretty boring. Lucky Man was pretty good amidst the boring. I actually liked the ending a good bit too. All in all it ends up squarely as a 3.
It's way too long as well.
David Ackles
3/5
Another album that sounds like to belongs in a musical. That's not necessarily a knock, but it just stands out to me.
Fairly pleasant album to listen to, no real highs though.
ABBA
4/5
A fun pop album that is helped by the fact it has songs on one of the most well known movie soundtracks. I expected to enjoy the songs from Mamma Mia and have everything else be average. I was pleasantly surprised by how good the overall album is. Fun lyrics, good singing, and not overly repetitive like a lot of pop is. Happy Hawaii is a great song to end it all on
Joanna Newsom
3/5
Her voice and the flow/cadence is really throwing me off. It feels like she is singing in a different time signature.
I am interested in the fact that this is not a traditional song structure with choruses and verses, but is instead more freeform; like a poem or a story
I think this album took some getting used to, but I really think it got better as it went along. That being said; it took me about 40 minutes to get to this point.
The instrumental composition is great in this album. The lyrics and song structure are interesting. I don't love her voice and cadence, however.
All in all, I was prepared to give this a 1 after the first song. Glad it got better, because it is fairly long. Another reason this album list is fun to go through, you get some genres you would never think of listening to.
The Doors
4/5
Lotsa classics on this one. Didn't realize it was all from the 60s.
Some cool psychedelic sounds going on in here.
I felt like the later part of the album turned more into a story. The End was a cool song to end it. I'd probably listen to this one again.
Nick Drake
4/5
Never heard of Nick Drake before. Great intro song; love me some folky jams in the morning.
Overall a nice easy listening album that I really enjoyed. I would definitely listen to this one again, but mostly as background music. Good job, Nick Drake!
Talking Heads
2/5
I like Talking Heads in small doses. Listening to the whole album at once just feels disjointed and random. I generally appreciate how unique Talking Heads is, but it's a bit much for me and less enjoyable in long form.
Crosseyed and Painless and Once in a Lifetime are standouts to me.
There's some highs and some lows on this album. The Overload is kind of a dull song to end on.
I think I biasedly want to give this a 3, but I'll pretend I've never heard of Talking Heads and give it a 2.
Arrested Development
3/5
Good hip hop album. Really good beats for background/working music. Unfortunately (once again) I was not listening too closely to the lyrics.
Overall I enjoyed listening to this album like most of the early 90s hip hop that is on this list. Might give this one a more earnest listen sometime in the future because I think it deserves it. Until then; 3 Stars, 5 Possible, and 2 Left to Earn...
Boards of Canada
4/5
Another great working album primarily made up of great beats. The first couple songs remind me of The xx. The Color Of The Fire was a cool song that reminded me of some of the interludes in Griz's Rainbow Brain.
Telephasic Workshop is a standout for sure.
Kinda funny that I mentioned Rainbow Brain because that album also has a song called "Roygbiv".
Kind of a long album that gets a little stale through the middle.
Finishes strong with One Very Important Thought and Happy Cycling.
Overall a pretty interesting early electronic album. Really enjoyable as background music.
The Police
2/5
I didn't really like The Police before listening to this album. Not much has changed since listening to it.
The title track was pretty good, as well as the chorus in Walking On The Moon.
Besides that I find this album (and The Police) to be a pretty boring, uninspired, and nasally listen.
I probably had some bias going into this one, but I was never really excited listening to this album.
G. Love & Special Sauce
3/5
Started out fairly solid, and never really deviated from solid. Some cool hip-hop sounds to begin and moved a bit more towards blues.
Good listen, nothing spectacular to me though.
De La Soul
2/5
There's some cool beats in here to start; but it overall feels pretty boring and not very well produced. The game show interludes didn't really make sense to me either. The main rapper has a cool voice, but there isn't much else that he brings to the table. It got a bit better at the end, but nothing to write home about.
It's a shame because I generally like this era of hip hop, but this wasn't quite it.
Eye Know was a standout for this one.
My Bloody Valentine
1/5
Off beat and moaning, like a crackhead faking an orgasm.
The best thing I can call this album is generic.
Motörhead
4/5
THE ACE OF SPADES!!! What a song.
I've never really listened to Motorhead so I'm excited.
Mr. Motorhead must have chronically sore vocal cords, because his voice is fairly guttural in a good way.
A lot of these songs sound the same, but they all shred, so I'm not complaining.
A Motorhead concert seems like it would be a real clambake!
TV On The Radio
4/5
I love the beat switch in Halfway Home. There are a lot of unique sounds in this one; each song is fairly distinct.
Golden Age was cool listen.
Overall this album was very unique, I loved how everything was different without being discombobulated. I really did enjoy the album, but I don't think I'll ever go back to it.
Beastie Boys
4/5
These are more of the 90's hip hop sounds that I like. Drums and scratches are nostalgia inducing.
Lol @ 5-Piece Chicken Dinner
I like that I didn't recognize any songs on this album, but still really enjoyed it.
Billy Joel
5/5
The classics on this album are certified bangers: Good Die Young, Italian Restaurant, and Movin' Out are all going to outlive me.
All of the other songs I haven't heard before are also great pieces. Great voice, lyrics, piano, and brass in this album.
The Clash
3/5
Went into this expecting it to be bland British punk. Left thinking this was actually pretty solid and a little less bland than most other punk we have listened to so far. The guitar solos were pretty dang good throughout.
Cheat was the best song, loved the effect at the end.
Overall I think the last half of the album was a bit better than the first half, but not enough to push it to a 4 star.
fIREHOSE
4/5
dAMN tHIS iS a gOOD aLBUM. Guitar, bass, and vocals are all great together. Short and sweet. Doesn't have the gravitas that a 5 star album would normally have, but everything else is there. I would give this a 4.5, but I'm rounding down because it's just hard to call this a 5 star. Really enjoyable listen though!
The xx
5/5
Awww yeah, excited to listen to this one after loving The Boards of Canada. Intro is an all time song. Overall this is more indie/folky than BoC, but it just feels similar.
If Elon Musk could create a band he would name it The xx.
This is such a chill album. I would hypothetically take mushrooms and listen to this on the beach in North Carolina next week.
I haven't listened to this album in full before, but I certainly recognized many songs from it. This album is great, no real low points and plenty of high points. It's also a unique album in that I wouldn't really put it on for a group of people, but it's a great solo listen.
Stars to end the whole album is perfect. It has incredible production with those booming bass notes.
This is a sneaky 5.
Nirvana
4/5
Love me a live album. I've actually never listened to this one despite being recommended it numerous times. Lotsa classics, loved hearing it acoustic. Nirvana is good, but they aren't necessarily my favorite. 4 stars for the gang though.
Primal Scream
2/5
This is like electronic noise rock. Noisetronica if you will.
Star was a pretty good song. Stuka was not.
The singer reminds me of The Verve. Some of the experimental aspects remind me of Radiohead.
Idk about this one. Found myself headbopping a couple times, but spent more time waiting for the album to finish up.
The Specials
3/5
This is a nice sounding album right out of the gate. A little reggae/punk? A good combo in my eyes.
Feels like some beach rock. It's easy to listen to, but gets a little bit monochromatic throughout the album. Overall was an enjoyable listen, but didn't have much variety to send it to 4 stars.
I could see this whole album playing on repeat at a place like Mackey's on a Tuesday afternoon.
Sam Cooke
4/5
Short, sweet, and to the point. This performance is a real clambake. It sounds like this show was done in a very small, intimate club which would have been a blast to be at.
Love these old soul/jazzy songs and the energy and swagger that Sam Cooke possesses here. Could definitely start my day with this album every morning.
Soul II Soul
2/5
Not really feeling this one too much. African Dance is the first song that really got me going. There are some pretty cool beats and rhythms in here, especially Happiness. The beat in Back to Life was definitely a headbopper.
Not necessarily bad, but not quite my taste and a bit boring. There are a couple good patches, but I would not want to be in a club that was playing these classics for very long.
The Stooges
1/5
I hate the mixing on the first tack. Why do the guitars sound so flat and muted? Not looking forward to the rest of the album after this first song.
There were a couple cool guitar parts I guess. Overall this is a no from me dog. Punk is not good music.
Gang Starr
3/5
I was mowing the lawn while listening to this one so I don't have a song by song recap. I love these 90's hip hop albums, definitely head bopping and grooving at the beginning on this album. Mr. Starr has pretty good flow. Some of his lyrics are better than others. He doesn't have very much change in his tone though which causes the album to turn a bit bland.
Overall it started out well, but I kinda checked out later in the album. Could have been shorter. I could maybe give this one 3.5 stars, but I'm rounding down.
Funkadelic
4/5
Pretty solid funky album. My favorite was P.E.Squad, Doo Doo Chasers ('Going All-The-Way Off' Instrumental) which was one of the bonus EPs. All of the songs were good though.
I enjoyed this one! A soft 4.
Suzanne Vega
3/5
The intro to Straight Lines sounds like a Rush song. A solid folky album. Didn't love it, didn't hate it.
The Temptations
3/5
This was a nice album to listen to. Don't have much else to say about it. Probably in the 3.5 range, but not a 4.
Tracy Chapman
4/5
Great voice, good songs, enjoyable listen. A solid 4.
Kraftwerk
4/5
This was a album starts out great with a whimsical song. Kometenmelodie 1 felt a bit listless, but not necessarily bad.
Kometenmelodie 2 sounded like a song out of Terraria, which is one of my all time favorite video games.
Mitternacht was not as much of a song as I would have liked, but at least it was short.
Finishing the album with pianos and flutes was a fun juxtaposition to the rest of the album.
Overall this album was really enjoyable. I was expecting the album to be super techno like their song Kernkraft. I was pleasantly surprised!
Frank Zappa
4/5
This album was cruising to a 5 star rating with stand outs of Peaches En Regalia and Son of Mr. Green Genes. I really liked the variation in each song, and how each song was an absolute jam. The back half of Gumbo and the entirety of Camel were just a little too loose for my liking. Don't get me wrong; I still liked those songs, but they just weren't good enough to give it a 5 star. 4.49 stars for this album.
Elvis Presley
3/5
Some classics on here. Overall a good album. It's cool to listen to the earliest of rock and roll. Blue Suede Shoes and Tutti Fruitti (Little Richard version is better) were good ones off the album.
Feels like a 3.5 because it is Elvis and is the foundation for rock and roll, but I'll give it a 3 after I take that bias away.
Pixies
2/5
This album was alright. Some punk sounds to it, but not entirely punk. Some parts shred, some parts didn't. Didn't listen to this one too closely. Tony's Theme would be a great song to listen to if you have a friend named Tony who warranted a theme song. TOE - NAY!
Blondie
3/5
Didn't know what to expect out of this one. Had more rock n' roll than I expected. Fun songs that are good. A little beach rocky and poppy. A little too monochromatic to be a 4, but it's in the 3.5 range.
Frank Sinatra
5/5
A legendary musician playing some legendary music. I always enjoy big band and this is no exception. I feel like Frank Sinatra was the smoothest mfer during his time. He probably made so much whoopee.
The album starts to feel a little bit samey towards the end, but I don't care because it's so great.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
This album starts with a bit of a southern/country twang, and then it falls into a more fantasy-esque sound with the mandolin from Battle of Evermore until Going to California. Afterwards it switches back into that rock n' roll style.
I like this album more than Led Zeppelin I. I already dinged that one a star for having stolen songs, but I won't do it here.
Tom Waits
4/5
Love this jazz. An interesting live album where he's having some conversation with the audience. Some story telling, some straight comedy. An enjoyable listen, and would be cool to be there in person.
We're on a bit of a hot streak lately, not too many misses.
Doves
3/5
There's some interesting sounds and effects used at the beginning of this album. It was a pretty unique and relaxing album until Catch The Sun which felt extremely out of place. It feels like an emo Foo Fighters song that was created to be a radio hit.
Reprise was a lovely little number.
This album had an interesting back and forth of being really relaxing and calm, to have unsettling ends of songs.
This album feels like it has some legs to get to a 4, but I don't see myself revisiting this one anytime soon.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
2/5
There is no doubting that these songs are beautiful, but 46 minutes of acapella is not really engaging to me. Took me 3 days to listen to this in parts.
A lot of these songs would be cool as interludes in a non-acapella album.
Fun note; it was produced by Paul Simon!
Overall takeaway: good album objectively, but subjectively I was ready for it to be over after 2 songs because acapella was just not my jam.
Arcade Fire
4/5
Never really listened to Arcade Fire besides Wake Up. Glad it's on this album because it's a top 100 song for me.
This album so far is a unique intersection of rock and folk with a touch of emo. I love the beat switches in their songs.
Rebellion is also a familiar song.
Good album, will probably listen again.
The Triffids
3/5
Never heard of this band, no clue what to expect.
It feels like that genre of 80's rock that was a bit softer like Bonnie Taylor or Genesis. Has a bit of southern twang to it at points
Pretty solid album. Nothing I'll go back for though.
Billy Bragg
3/5
I enjoyed the musical aspects of this album. I didn't listen much to the lyrics (again) but I feel like this is an album where the lyrics are most important. Feels very patriotic/anti-establishment.
I actually listened to this one twice because I forgot to rate it after the first listen. Probably won't listen to this one a third time, but I have really enjoyed it. It's classified as punk, but doesn't suck!!
Kate Bush
2/5
Trying not to let the last Kate Bush album cause too much bias here.
I know "Running Up That Hill" topped Billboard recently because of Stranger Things, but it wasn't that special of a song...
Waking the Witch certainly got my attention.
Jig of Life was solid too.
This album is better than The Dreaming. Still wasn't anything great. Points for originality as well. Maybe 2.5 for this one...
The Byrds
3/5
Nice beachy, old school rock n roll album. Easy and pleasant to listen to! CTA - 102 was interesting, and I thought it was going to mark a drastic change in the style of the album, but then it just went back to its regular sound.
Nothing too crazy about this one, but it was good.
Jurassic 5
3/5
One of those albums that likely wasn't appreciated properly because I listened while working and couldn't pay full attention to the lyrics.
The start of the album was a bit average, but I started getting into the groove around the middle.
Last song is pretty good.
Depeche Mode
3/5
Some cool trippy sounds going on in this one. Singer sounds like Bo Burnham.
Didn't love the front half, but started getting into the groove later in the album.
I think this album had some 3.5 star material in it, but it was outweighed by repetitive, emo sounds. Would probably be a 2.5 star for me.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Wasn't listening to the lyrics all that much, but man can this guy shred the harmonica. Decent background music, probably better with some active listening.
Van Morrison
3/5
Pretty good album. Don't have too much to say about it though. I like the voice, and the whole album has good flow.
Throbbing Gristle
1/5
???
Red Hot Chili Peppers
4/5
Funky! The bass and drums go hard in this album from start to finish.
Definitely has some RHCP classics, as well as plenty of great deeper cuts. I know a lot of people say this is the Chili Peppers best album, but I don't quite agree. Probably has to do with when I grew up.
Great album nonetheless.
Boston
5/5
This is one of those automatic 5 albums for me. One of my favorite albums of all time. Every song is a banger.
Best selling album of all time when it first came out. I think my mom has said something along the lines of "Of course I have that album, everybody had that album!"
This is also an incredible album to be a band's first.
Love this album, glad I got to listen again.
ZZ Top
4/5
ZZ Top shreds. Love the southern twang of their catalogue. Wasn't paying the greatest attention (like most albums), but this was a solid, raw, guitar heavy album. Probably a 3.5 for me, but I'm in a good mood and ZZ Top have great beards.
Nico
3/5
Nico sounds a bit like Moira from Schitt's Creek. Jackson Browne was the guitarist on this, that's cool.
I think I recognize "Chelsea Girls" and "I'll Keep It With Mine".
Overall this album is good musically, I enjoyed the strings and flute. However, it wasn't a very engaging listen to me.
I think it's objectively a better album than I am giving it credit for, but it's not really my cuppa tea. Soft 3 here.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
Short and sweet. Delightful folk rock by none other than Paul Simon. Cant be sad listening to this album until the 7 O Clock News.
Arcade Fire
4/5
I didn't expect two Arcade Fire albums on this list.
A pleasant, triumphant sounding album. I enjoy the seamless transition from one song to the next.
I like the electronic/strings mix in Half Light II, feels very much like an Arcade Fire song.
There is a lot of variety in this album. When Sprawl II came on, I thought the album had ended and went to a random artist.
I was tuning in and out on this album, but I think it certainly deserves another listen. It had a distinct sound to it, and I didn't recognize any songs on it.
Kraftwerk
4/5
WE ARE DA RrrOBOTS!
Great beginning and middle of an album, but it kind of trailed off toward the end. I was bumping to this one with some energy all the way through!
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
I don't really listen to Jimi's albums, and that is going to have to change.
I don't want to overstate this, but this guy can play the guitar.
A cool funky, psychedelic, and bluesy mix of rock. I'm here for it.
Voodoo Chile is a certified jam.
I didn't know Watchtower was a cover.
There is some really raw sounds, especially in the guitar, but it sounds well produced.
This album is 75 minutes long, and I'm not mad about that at all.
Wild Beasts
3/5
I really thought the intro to the first song was awesome and this album was going to go place, then the singer started singing. Not a fan of the voice.
The singers voice gets more tolerable over the course of the album, but the songs all feel very similar.
Feels like some pretty standard indie music. I like the pluckiness of the guitar.
Overall there were a couple bright spots in this album, and very few lows, but most of it was average or so. This album is pretty solidly in the 3 category.
John Martyn
4/5
This album is an interesting one. A lot of variation between songs that all fit nicely together. I was a bit off put by John Martyn's voice, and overall think it detracts from the instrumentation in each song.
The album really picked up with Big Muff, Couldn't Love You More, Dancing, and Small Hours.
I enjoyed this album to the tune of 3.5 stars, but I think the uniqueness and flow of this entire album brings it squarely into the 4 category.
Slipknot
3/5
There's definitely aspects on Slipknot that I enjoy. The drums, bass, and guitar are enjoyable. The singing is not. I have never been a fan of the edgy nu-metal bands singers, but if you eliminated vocals, this would be an awesome album to listen to.
Gehenna was a change of pace, but I didn't like that song, so it doesn't get brownie points.
Snuff was another change of pace, although a bit too emo for my tastes. It sounds like a buzz ballad.
All Hope is Gone is probably my favorite off the album. Good message, great drums, and I appreciate the beat switches throughout.
Overall I love the energy that this album showcases. I also understand the message that this album is trying to get across, but it's not expressed in the way that I find appealing; which is why I feel like Slipknot and bands like them are popular across "misunderstood" people. This album is in potential 4 star territory for me, but I really have to knock it down for how off putting the singing is and how long the album goes. Definitely some bright spots that I really like in this album, though.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Paint it Black is an all-timer, although it doesn't seem to fit very well into the rest of the album.
Feels a little bit like surf rock at time, but then there are other times that have a bit of ragtime piano to them. Not really what I was expecting, as I don't listen to the Stones very often.
This album was fine, not really that interesting to me though.
Black Sabbath
4/5
This album really starts out with the bangers that are associated with Black Sabbath.
Great early heavy metal, no real low points in this one. Lots of highs. I'm sure lots of people will give this one a 5, but it's a 4 for me!
The Kinks
3/5
Nothing really stands out about this album. Maybe because I'm listening to it right after Aftermath and it just exudes 60's rock.
Another one of these albums right around a 3.
Common
3/5
The beats on this album are definitely my favorite part. There are some high points with the lyrics, but once again, I'm not listening that closely while working so a lot of the message gets lost on me.
Overall this is a fine album. It had me head bopping a few times. If this was Album of the Week I would definitely spend more time active listening to these albums.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Standing in the Doorway sounds like Dire Straits :)
I like this album more than the other Bob Dylan albums we have gotten so far, but I am firmly in the camp that Bob Dylan is not really my type of music.
This one is a 3.5 but, like most Bob Dylan we have heard, I am rounding down because it feels like a lot of the same throughout the album. Not too exciting.
Traffic
4/5
This album just sounds great! Almost sounds like Grateful Dead in a way. Love the keyboard and the vocals. Never hit a low point in this album. Nice variety throughout the album. I would definitely listen to this one again.
Kanye West
4/5
Fuck Kanye
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
Some really good basslines in this album. Better than I expected from Elvis Costello since I wasn't crazy about the other albums that we have review by him.
Definitely a poppy sound to this album. This one approaches 4 territory, but it would be a stretch to put it there.
Paul Simon
4/5
A nice, calm, folky album for a gloomy day. Pretty good combination.
Not a lot of songs that I recognize on this album except for Julio which is one of his bangers.
I like a lot of Paul Simon's music, especially his voice and lyrics. Might not be the best music of all time, but it always puts me in a good mood when I listen to Paul Simon. This is a 4 with some bias helping out.
Morrissey
3/5
This feels like a story in an album but, as always, I am working while listening so it's hard to follow.
Didn't love Morrissey's voice in the first couple songs as it was moaning and whiny. It either got better or I got used to it and it was fine.
This feels like a very technically advanced album with a tone that I don't really resonate with. Maragaret on the Guillotine was good as was Suedehead, with the latter being a bit of a poppy change to the whole album.
Didn't know what to expect from this album except I think I have heard that Morrissey is an exceptional guitar player. I would say that the guitar in this album is above average, but I may not understand what a good guitarist sounds like.
Some highs could convince me to give this a 3.5, but its a bit more square in the 3 department for me.
4/5
This is such a pleasant album! I didn't listen to the Beatles growing up so I feel like I don't have as much familiarity/nostalgia associated with it. It is still a terrific album with tons of variety and crystal clear production. I like the variety of instruments and singers that are used throughout.
The album feels simple and complex all at once. It is easy to throw on as background music, but there is also a lot of nuanced instruments and vocals that are layered throughout.
Good stuff, Beatles!
The Fall
2/5
This sounds like it'll be grungy right from the start. Hopefully it doesn't stay that way.
I like Barmy. Paintwork was fine relative to the rest of the album. I'm really looking for some highs here. Rollin' Dany was good too.
This album doesn't feel like it has a message or anything.
Tirelessly repetitive and boring. Punk is bad.
1.5 stars? Rounded up because it isn't blatant garbage like some other albums we have encountered.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
Pretty good funk music. I listened to this one a couple of times because I kept forgetting to write a review. It definitely got better the more I listened to it, and it gets better throughout. There are some serious jams in here. It also works really well as a background album. A soft 4 for me.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
Some solid reggae that is more suited for casual listening. I honestly expected more out of this album. Didn't hate it by any stretch of the imagination, but I would hope this is the worst Bob Marley album that we listen to, because Exodus was great.
Norah Jones
3/5
Pretty chill album that doesn't really have highs or lows. Her voice is fine, but nothing special. I think the other instruments do a lot to make this album as good as it is. Once again I listened to this mostly as background music, but Nightingale caught my ear; there's some good depth to this song.
Arctic Monkeys
3/5
Didn't love the start of this album. It felt like generic rock that wanted to be punk. I've said it before, but it's hard to hear an artists accents, so it's hard to tell where in the world they are from. Not the case here, these Monkeys really emphasized the fact that they are English.
Overall, the album got better as it progressed, but it still feels just like a rock album. Mardy Bum was a stand out and the basslines were pretty solid throughout.
This one is pretty squarely a 3 for me.
Nas
4/5
Listened to this one a couple times as well. The beats and flow on this album are unmatched. Definitely had me head bopping all the way through. I didn't know "The World is Yours" was Nas, but that song rocks.
Rap still isn't really my cup of tea, but I appreciate this one more than most other 90's rap.
Fleet Foxes
4/5
My sister introduced me to Fleet Foxes with the album so I'm excited to listen to it again. It certainly has a wanderlust vibe to it. If "Into the Wild" needed a new soundtrack, this album would be a perfect fit. Wish I had enough time to see them at Roo. I also think the rise of Fleet Foxes and the comeuppance of Hipsters is not a coincidence
I really like this album, and it gets bonus points when listening to it in fall weather. The singer has a great voice and I enjoy the songs that have beat switches in their midst. The songs do sound a bit samey which is generally a knock on albums, with no exception made here.
Overall this album starts out really strong in the 4 star category, but slowly declines into the 3 star territory when songs start to blend together. There's still enough great songs on here to keep it as a soft 4.
T. Rex
3/5
Not sure what to expect on this album. I like the strings on Cosmic Dancer.
Feels like they got a ton of inspiration from The Beatles.
Bang a Gong is a song that I had never looked up the artist for. Disappointed by the lack of gong in this number.
Another ho-hum album.
American Music Club
2/5
Some folky/country music to start us off which I can totally get behind.
Is the last 2 minutes of Laughingstock just silence?
Lonely wasn't great songwriting.
I feel like I am constantly changing the volume on the songs so I can hear. I am listening on YouTube though so maybe that has something to do with it.
Blue and grey shirt was pleasant, but very much a white bread song.
Bad Liquor is sporadic and loud all of the sudden? Doesn't really fit in.
Overall not terrible music, but it really just seemed so lackluster and felt like they just wanted to appeal to 80% of white Americans. I don't think I would enjoy having a beer with these guys.
I want to give this a 1 star so badly, but it is objectively better than the 1-stars I have given out.
Soft 1.5
Black Sabbath
4/5
Guitar shreds, Bassist shreds, Ozzy shreds the vocs. The Wizard is great. Whole album good, not many words needed.
Van Morrison
4/5
Van Morrison's voice is distinguished and talented. A nice upbeat folky/bluesy album that is probably best listened to while not at work.
Moondance is a great jazzy number. The songs start to sound similar throughout, until the intro to Everyone to catch your attention.
Solid 4!
Steely Dan
3/5
This has a nice calm vibe to it that I am really enjoying. A lot of piano and almost beachy guitar riffs that remind me a bit of Santana.
I enjoyed this one enough to be about 3.5 stars, maybe close to 4, but I doubt I'll ever come back to this album. Good listen though!
Barry Adamson
2/5
Interesting album that could be interpreted as a movie with just a soundtrack. There are definitely some highs to this, but overall I don't really understand the style of album it is trying to be. Most of the songs blend together so it's hard to remember which songs were the standouts, but there are a couple of them sprinkled throughout.
The Man with the Golden Arm was a solid end.
It's not all that bad, but I wouldn't do drugs and listen to this album.
Kendrick Lamar
4/5
The production on this album is insane. I really enjoy the overall story being portrayed as well about a kid growing up in the streets and how he is influenced by different members of the same community.
There's obviously some hits that I recognize to varying degrees, but Compton may have been my favorite song and a great one to go out on.
I'm glad I focused while listening to this one, because I got a lot out of all of the lyrics and features.
Overall I enjoyed this about as much as I expected. I want to reiterate how much I enjoyed the production/mixing in my headphones. This is an album that likely gets better with more listens as you get to unpack the lyrics more and more. After one listen, this one is a strong 4.
Faith No More
3/5
Epic was another song where I have heard the song a thousand times (maybe from GTA San Andreas?) but have never heard of Faith No More.
This is a good album to listen to while cutting grass. They really accentuate some basslines which is cool.
Pretty decent metal album, but nothing too special in my eyes. War Pigs cover was cool, but they didn't really do much to it. Probably good enough for a 3.5, but rounding down because not much stuck out to me besides the songs I recognized. Good for what it is, but I'm not clamoring for more.
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
1/5
I'm 30 minutes in and I'm ready for this to be over. So boring. Is this shoegaze?
This album and American Music Club back to back was a terrible waste of time.
You can go ahead and 'Skip' this album if you want to keep an hour of your time.
The Last Shadow Puppets
4/5
I love the orchestral nature of this album, almost like Sinatra Jr. The organ makes it very Halloween appropriate. A couple of the songs sound a bit like Vampire Weekend as well.
Very unique album. The way it is produced had me thinking it was from 1985. I didn't realize it was released in 2008 until I was almost finished.
I would listen to this one again for sure.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
I really liked the first song. After the first song I was expecting a sneaky 4, maybe 5 star album to come out from this.
Unfortunately I kinda zoned out for this one while working. It all starts sounding similar. That being said, I liked her voice and it was never bad.
Probably deserves another listen, but I'll call it as I see it after one listen for this one.
Doves
2/5
Starts out as pretty generic sounding alternative; a bit reminiscent of U2.
The middle, starting with M62 Song, takes a turn down a street that I'd prefer not to be on as it becomes more like a soundscape album.
I started this expecting it to be average at best after a song or two, and it kind of underperformed in my eyes.
Nothing special, not terrible.
Einstürzende Neubauten
1/5
I was just thinking the other day how we have only had English and Spanish albums.
Oh crap, this is the lowest rated album globally on this list. Buckle up!
Obligatory "would not do drugs" comment.
Jet'm has an actual instrument!
I could see this being the soundtrack to a movie that is just the "Lust" part of Se7en for an hour.
Spionagedub and Rivieradub aren't terrible. If more of the album was like that then I could take it more seriously.
There's already too much music to listen to, I don't think I need to listen people push the boundaries of what can be considered "music".
Iron Maiden
5/5
Excited to listen to this one again. Going into this a bit biased because I'm expecting to give it 4 or 5, and just have to decide between the two.
Yup, this is a good album.
Every song is shreds, and Bruce Dickinson's voice in legendary.
I love albums that are only 6-8 songs, they tend to blend together less in my opinion.
Kendrick Lamar
4/5
During the start of this album I was thinking it was better than Good Kid maad City, but the middle of the album started to fall off a bit for me. Luckily the end of the album brought me back, especially with Blacker the Berry and i.
I listened to this one a few days before actually writing the review so I don't have much detail here.
Mike Oldfield
5/5
What a cool album. There were shades of Final Fantasy in this album. It was a cool touch to introduce all of the instruments as they were added. This feels like a world music album with the variety of instruments, including bagpipes and Spanish guitar.
I'm only reviewing based on Tubular Bells pt 1 and 2.
Such a pleasant album I'll likely listen to again. I thought the album was going to be very simple and repetitive due to the first few minutes. The only real downside of this album was the weird moaning in Pt. 2. Everything else was a high throughout the entirety. I enjoyed the fact that it was just 2 long songs that gave Mr. Oldfield room to draw out and experiment during songs, almost like a jam band.
Would pair nicely with a day at the Renaissance Festival.
This album is a sneaky 5 in my opinion. I was in between 4 and 5, but the uniqueness of the album and the fact that it elicited joy while I was deep cleaning the bathroom pushes it into 5 territory.
Paul McCartney and Wings
4/5
First two songs are classics. Rest of the album is good. I haven't listened to this one before, but there's not too much to say. Really good classic rock.
Ray Charles
4/5
The title of this album sounds like a biography or a documentary; it's funny that he named it himself. Big brain stuff, Ray.
This is nice pleasant album to listen to with practically zero flaws. That being said, it was a steady level of high throughout this album, but no real peaks that especially resonated with me.
This album sniffs 4.5 stars for me, but didn't quite do enough for me personally. Good listen for sure though.
Dr. John
2/5
The combo of the album art, the name Dr. John, and the first song being named Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya means we are in for a weird 33 minutes and 20 seconds.
Feels like a group of guys and gals smoking some hasheesh and playing around with their various instruments for a bit and recording it.
Not terrible, but I can't say it was good. I feel like we could probably make an album equal in quality to this ourselves.
Iron Maiden
4/5
Listened to this twice. It's pretty good as far as metal goes, but I was hoping for a bit more from Iron Maiden. Maybe because it's their first album? Either way it was still an enjoyable listen. 3.5 rounding up because it shreds
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Love the sax, love the keyboard, love the harmonica, love the voice. This album is a jam; I really enjoyed Stop Breaking Down.
The southern rock tune combined with Jagger's voice reminds me of Van Morrison.
Not much of a Stones guy, but I think this album changed my mind, the boys be jammin.
Parliament
3/5
I appreciate funk as much as the next guy, but nothing about this album really stood out to me. It was a solid album that had me bumping at points, but overall it was pretty homogenous.
Good not great.
Grateful Dead
3/5
I expected to like this a lot more. The feedback song to end the album doesn't really make sense to me. I can deal with dissonance in small doses, and when properly timed its a great way to build tension, but this one wasn't it.
I don't think this album would get someone to be a fan of the Dead.
The Cramps
2/5
This all felt the same. There was one good jam towards the end, that was about it for me.
Prince
4/5
All time intro song on this album.
Overall I think the singles do a lot of the heavy lifting on this album (seeing as 5 of the 9 songs are singles). I wish this was a deeper/more consistent album.
Although the message of Purple Rain matches the rest of the album, but the tempo/style is kind of a mismatch. Still a banger of a song though.
Overall I really enjoy the style of Prince with banging guitar solos mixed with some early electronica, but the middle of this album is kinda forgettable when you listen to it more critically.
I feel like we are not far from some new musician gaining popularity by emulating and refining Prince's style.
This is a 3.5 album, but I'm biasedly rounding it up because of how much I like the singles. If you got rid of the rest of the non-singles on this album I would have this in the 4 or 4.5 range.
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
Very short, pretty bland. Love me some Paul Simon but this one can stay on the shelf.
Teenage Fanclub
2/5
Not my favorite. Pretty repetitive. Is This Music was a redeeming end to the album, but that was about it.
Beck
2/5
Oh man I was disappointed by this album. I thought Beck would be better.
Points for being experimental, no points for being bad.
There are like two good songs on this album.
I thought the album has ended when it got to Ramshackle because it was so different.
Couldn't really follow this one.
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
1/5
Pretty boring album. The last two songs had some legs though. Those two songs brought this album from a 1 to a 1.5 for me.
Shoegaze?
Grateful Dead
5/5
Not a huge Dead listener, but I feel like this album is comprised of their highly popular songs. I recognized almost all of them. Good stuff.
This album is so chill and feel good. Steadily great throughout. This is what I was hoping for when we got Live / Dead.
The Everly Brothers
3/5
This album is white bread. Nothing special, but solid. You can bring it to the beach for lunch and you'll have no complaints. Don't feed white bread or this album to ducks, choose oats instead.
Pearl Jam
4/5
A good warmup album for our trip to Seattle.
Oceans was a good one that I haven't heard before. The songs I already know on this album are all fantastic.
Don't care for Release to end it all.
Overall it's a good album, although I don't love grunge as a whole.
Giving this one a soft 4 to be honest. The hits on this one help out a lot. Would be better if it was named Mookie Blaylock.
Love
4/5
Not at all what I was expecting out of this album.
Starts sort of whimsically, and continues through the album with jam after jam.
Solid and easy-listening!
Carole King
4/5
Well done album! Carries a similar energy to Janis Joplin. Great singing voice with heavy piano backings. Very simple and well executed throughout.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Good voice. Not really my style of music though. Not bad though.
Travis
3/5
I think 15 year old Jackson would have liked this more.
Not very exciting. Not bad.
The Waterboys
5/5
Initial thoughts:
1. This album is way too long if it's actually 1:42.
2. The mandolin and violin go ballistic in the first song. If this energy is carried throughout, we are going to have a proper good time.
We just missed these guys come to the 9:30 Club on October 22, 2013... damn.
I ended up having my last song be "This Land is Your Land" for the purposes of this review as that's the last track according to Wikipedia. I will probably continue to listen to the rest of the songs.
There's definitely some really high highs in this album. The mandolin and violin continued to go hard, but I appreciated some of the more mellow parts of the album.
I had a proper good time.
The Byrds
4/5
I really enjoy old country music and have been waiting a while for an album like this.
There is something about this album that just makes you feel good. The album is a bit homogenous, but I think it is really well done and doesn't really have any low points.
I really prefer 60s albums like this compared to bands like the Everly Brothers.
3.5 rounding up
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
Solid album. No real standouts for me, honestly. Just solid play throughout. Guitar, drums, and bass all slap. They all get their time to shine which I like.
I honestly expected to like this a bit more, especially because I listened during a run where I can focus a bit more.
King Crimson
4/5
Love the intro going from soft and slightly discordant to a booming, heavy metal riff.
Exiles is a standout to me, I appreciate the variety of instruments and improvised sounds.
I have bashed certain albums for being too experimental that it isn't really music anymore. I would like to point those albums to this album as an exhibit on how to do experimental. The sounds are unique, but familiar, the rhythms/tempos don't get too far out of whack, and the rest of the album is actually good.
Overall this album isn't quite as good as The Court of the Crimson King, but that's a high bar to surpass. I think this one is closer to a 3, but then I listened to the bonus tracks which brings it to a soft 4.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
Don't have too many thoughts on this one. Good basslines. No real highs or lows.
Public Enemy
2/5
The name of this album and the intro made me think this was a going to be a very serious, hard hitting album. Then Cold Lampin' with Flavor played...
I think Griz has played the saxophone sample from "Show 'Em Whatcha Got" at concerts before.
The transitions between songs aren't very great. I had to double check I wasn't on shuffle a couple of times.
This album is too long and none of the songs are particularly good. I was ready for it to end about 15 minutes in.
This is teetering into the 1 star category.
Randy Newman
4/5
Good whimsical album with an iconic voice. This is just a happy album that I could definitely see popping on during a weekend morning.
Probably a 3.5, but I'll round up.
Iggy Pop
3/5
Hole
3/5
Pleasantly surprised by this one. I was expecting some edgy garbage tunes. Enjoyed the listen, not quite enough for a 4, but I considered it a couple of times.
Ice Cube
2/5
Feels like a generic rap album. Didn't get much from it. There were some good beats, but they were that 90s style where they're too prominent while also being too repetitive.
There was some good flow especially at the beginning.
Dolly Parton
4/5
I really like this era of country. The bassist was doing a good job which is not something I usually equate with country music.
Short and sweet and I like Dollys voice and cadence.
Depeche Mode
2/5
Not a bad album, I just didn't really like it.
Nothing was probably my favorite.
Pimpf is boss music.
Listening to the last couple songs while driving alone at night in the rain seemed appropriate.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Lovely album to listen to the morning before Thanksgiving while I pretend to be working.
No More Trouble was a song I haven't heard before, but certainly enjoyed.
Nothing too crazy going on with this album, but really great for what it is.
I'm rating this before the Jamaican versions of songs on the 50th Anniversary edition of this album.
Alice Cooper
4/5
This had a lot more electronic and blues to it than I anticipated. I was expected straight up rock n' roll with some hair metal.
First song is a classic. At one point in your life you listened to School's Out while leaving school for summer for the last time and never got to leave school for summer ever again :(
The rest of the album had tons of variety and fun elements that I was not expecting. Alma Mater and Grand Finale was a great way to end things.
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
First couple songs were cool, then it kinda faded to the background.
The Replacements
4/5
This was an interesting album for sure. It definitely feels like punk most of the time, but there was a good variety in the instruments and the composition of the songs. Even songs like Unsatisfied showed the vocal range of the singer.
The latter half of the album started fading out as I was working, but there were riffs in every song or two that would catch my ear. This feels like a 3.5 that probably earned a re-listen.
Fugees
3/5
Another album that isn't necessarily bad, I just didn't car for it. Too slow for my tastes. I appreciated all of the different voices that are featured throughout.
As with most rap, I tend not to be able to focus on the lyrics which I know is very important to their albums.
That being said, this one fought for a 3 star for my personal tastes. Probably a 2 from my gut, but I have to recognize that it is a pretty good album despite my tastes.
Taylor Swift
4/5
T Swizzz!
Pretty great pop for what it is. Loads of bangers in this one especially Shake it Off and Welcome to New York.
The songs themselves are pretty repetitive, but this is pop music so it's understandable. If you like singalongs, this is right up your alley.
The last couple songs started to lose me, but it was so solidly a 4 before those songs that it didn't really move the needle for me.
I enjoyed cooking dinner and listening to this one. I think I might listen to Taylor's version next.
Prince
2/5
Poppy, repetitive album with no real exciting moments besides the very beginning (1999) and about 30 seconds of Lady Cab Driver.
This album could have been 30 minutes long and had the same impact. All of the songs are way too long for how little they actually provide.
Definitely the worst of the Prince albums we have had so far.
Talking Heads
4/5
No real low points on this album. Uh-Oh is a good start to an album. The Book I Read and First Week / Last Week are favorites; love the xylophone/marimba on First Week/Last Week. Psycho Killer obviously we all know.
Overall I like David Byrnes mannerisms. The guitar and piano parts are great throughout the album as well.
Soft 4 here.
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
Three.
Weather Report
5/5
Absolute firecracker of an album.
Starts out hot as a fireball and quickly switches to a cooler tempo with A Remark You Made and then builds and builds back up to super hot fire before ending with Havona.
The Orioles need to get the rights to Birdland and make an 80s themed hype video using it and use it around the ballpark to get the fans jazzed up.
This album is incredible. Every instrument had time to shine and took full advantage of the spotlight. The drummer deserves a special accolade because that man kept driving the beat without a single hesitation or slip up.
Metallica
4/5
Heavy metal \m/!
Album starts out swinging, but after "One" it starts to feel very homogenous, although still good.
To Live is To Die brings it back to the feeling of "One" with a few tempo switches that I really enjoy.
Dyer's Eve is a good finish.
Overall this is a solid 4. Blackened, And Justice, and One are obvious favorites.
OutKast
3/5
Not my favorite. The classics slap, but I didn't really find any other gems in this album except for maybe B.O.B which sounded like Flux Pavilion produced it.
The album Kinda reminded me of Prince's 1999, especially with how sexual it is.
It's also entirely too long, it felt like I was slogging through.
Maybe this deserves another listen? Idk not really in my wheelhouse.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
4/5
I've done some reading about Eric Clapton since my last review (Derek and the Dominos) and boy he is a piece of shit.
Great musician though. 4 stars.
Terence Trent D'Arby
3/5
Had to find this one of Youtube, which I don't normally love. However, I liked watching some of videos. Terence had some superstar energy with the hair and the dance moves.
Dance Little Sister was my favorite. Let's Go Forward was solid too.
His voice is good and has a good range, but nothing about this album really encapsulated me.
Michael Jackson
3/5
Started off strong, fell into a lull in the middle. Burn This Disco Out was a good, fun finish. This one probably warrants a re-listen, but for now it gets a 3.
Van Halen
5/5
Fun, up tempo album with loads of memorable riffs. Love David Lee Roth's voice and their use of backup vocals.
Commendations are also in order for this being a debut album.
I feel like this is a rare album where the "deep" tracks are better than some of the hits. Ice Cream Man being one of those songs.
I had high expectations coming into this one and they were surpassed. Hard to find a flaw in this album. Every song is good and it doesn't really run together at all.
This 5 isn't completely out of left field, but it definitely wasn't a slam dunk going into the album. Very pleased with this one.
Ali Farka Touré
2/5
Kinda boring. Couple bright spots though. Kinda gets the same review of Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
I feel like I take Led Zeppelin for granted. No matter what album comes on, I recognize at least 50% of the songs on them, but I have rarely every listened to Led Zeppelin albums before.
This album is long, but is very solid from cover to cover. Probably could have listened more intently, but there weren't any blemishes that I heard.
AC/DC
3/5
Never been a huge AC/DC guy. Not much changed for me here.
The Vines
2/5
Really like the album cover right off the bat.
Really hate this guy's voice right off the bat.
There ended up being a couple of OK songs, but this album was fighting an uphill battle the entire way and lost.
Punk bad.
Santana
5/5
Perfect way to start a morning. Seamlessly transitions from the chillest beats to some some hot guitar solos. I love how Santana has a such a distinct sound, but without all of his songs sounding the exact same.
One of my favorite stories my mom tells is about the time she blacked out at a Santana concert at Merriweather.
The Temptations
3/5
Good voice. Liked the drums. Nice for a chilled out day. That's about it. Decent funk, Okay soul. I probably won't think about this album again.
Cream
4/5
Need to listen to this one back, but it's a strong 3.5 on the first pass.
The middle of the album really felt like Hendrix which isn't that surprising.
Hope we get more Cream!
Björk
2/5
This album felt all over the place while also sounding like it came from a children's TV show. Everything was super basic sounding, and I don't really care for her voice.
The Mothers Of Invention
2/5
This album did drugs and listened to me. WTF were some of these ramblings???
The lows were LOW and the highs were good.
I think if they took out all of the junk, this would be a very solid 15 minute album.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
I have always appreciated Springsteen's voice and the energy of his tracks. This album did not fail to deliver on those.
The the greatest album of all time, but an enjoyable listen for sure.
The Cure
2/5
Boring goth music. Similar to Depeche Mode but worse.
Nothing really exciting in this album except for a couple cool guitar parts that I picked up on. Other than that I was hoping for redemption from their last album because I know The Cure is extremely popular. I can't figure out why after 2 albums.
The Beach Boys
3/5
Enjoyable listen, but didn't blow my socks off.
George Harrison
4/5
Had something longer written out but erased it, here's the gist:
Long album. Spotify has the track listing all messed up. Really good music. Nothing innovative, but a very high level of musicianship in each and every song. Faded to the background a bit.
3.5 rounded up because this is a flawless, albeit not too exciting album. Probably too long for me to ever re-listen, but I feel like this really earned 4 stars.
Shivkumar Sharma
3/5
Not really anything that I would reach for again. Not bad, but this would definitely classify as background music. Fairly peaceful for working. I hear some similarities to American folk.
I could envision a short film having this as the soundtrack. Something like Into the Wild.
The Beau Brummels
3/5
Didn't hate the length. Interesting mix of country into some more whimsical style, almost like psychedelia.
Started to fall into the 2 star range in the middle, but the last song saved it. I think I would give this one another listen because it's unique and short, but nothing really grabbed me after just 1 listen.
1/5
In my professional opinion, they should have played better so that this album would have sounded better.
I hate John Zorn more than I hate Jim Zorn after listening to this.
Steely Dan
4/5
This album I had chilling in the background, but I really enjoyed it. It was an especially nice reprieve from Spy vs Spy.
Short and sweet which is nice when you are trying to catch up.
I should throw Steely Dan on more often.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
3/5
Started off as a pretty jaunty album, but quickly faded into background folk.
Maybe a 2 here because it was pretty boring, but I'm going true neutral for this average and inoffensive album.
Mj Cole
3/5
The techno beat to start caught me a little off guard, but I enjoyed it for a bit. Then it just got repetitive.
This album oozes early 2000's. It reminds me of the Music Choice channels on TVs.
British people rapping will always amuse me. It has such a Caribbean influence and the slang is hilarious.
All in all, pretty long and boring album, but I've heard worse. 2.5 rounding up.
Various Artists
4/5
Some absolute classics here. I'm not a huge Christmas music person, but you never want to go a year without listening to a small dose of this stuff.
Probably a 3/3.5 without context, but it's the holidays and I'm no Grinch.
The Thrills
3/5
Middle of the road indie album. Not super inventive. I enjoyed One Horse Town for the bells/xylophone and Big Sur for their synth. The harmonica in the last song was a nice way to end.
This one started to drift into 3.5 star territory, but I really don't feel like it was exciting enough to warrant a 4.
Donovan
3/5
This album was fine. Pretty middle of the road 3.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
3/5
Some interesting stuff in this album. Some interesting lyrics for sure.
There were some parts I really liked, but other than that it feels like a pretty forgettable album.
The Who
3/5
Pretty damn long and pretty mid. Some solid classic rock sounds throughout with no blemishes. However, nothing really stood out to me. It felt like they played out of rhythm a ton, which I assume was done on purpose.
Not nearly impactful enough to warrant the length.
System Of A Down
2/5
There's a couple cool moments in this album, with Spiders and Sugar being the standouts. However, the speed and energy that is the clear upside of this album doesn't feel very cohesive.
Little too screamo for me.
Charles Mingus
3/5
I really appreciate the idea of improv jazz, but it seems so difficult to execute with each instrument being so bold. These guys seemed to have much better cohesion when they sped up, but as the songs slowed down I started to feel disinterested in the dissonance.
It got better toward the end. I think Track C and Medley: Mode D-Trio were a step above Tracks A and B.
The easiest comparison to make is to John Coltrane, which was easily a start better than C. Mingus in my eyes.
Songhoy Blues
3/5
This certainly has a bluesy, southern rock twang to it that I enjoy. I also enjoy that it's not in English, because I barely pay attention to the lyrics anyway.
Pretty middle of the road album though. Nick was a standout.
Reading the story of this band is pretty enlightening, but it's not influencing my rating on the album too much. Apparently they were influenced by Ali Farka Toure who we just listened to recently.
Stereo MC's
4/5
This album is what I expected Beck to be more like. Such a chill, head-bopping album.
Nothing crazy exciting, but I was nodding along the whole time to the beat. The interspersed sax, guitar, and piano are great touches. The lyricist has great flow.
Definitely thought this was a strong 4 star right out of the gate, but it slowly drifted down to 3.5.
This one gets the nudge to 4 stars because I was certainly grooving the whole time and so that it can be my 1,000th star.
The Mothers Of Invention
3/5
This album is hilariously trippy. Who ARE The Brain Police?!?!
The end of the album certainly went off the rails...
I was actually more entertained by this album than by other albums with similar eccentricity to them. The psychedelic stuff was good, and the weird stuff wasn't assaulting.
Probably did enough for a 3.5, but I'm rounding down because there's no way I listen to this one again.
The Dictators
2/5
This is one of the blandest things I have heard. I'm going to have some plain white toast for breakfast to spice up my morning after this.
The last song actually wasn't bad, albeit a bit shallow.
Handsome Dick Manitoba is the coolest thing about this album.
Pretenders
3/5
Too much punk on this list! It all sounds the same. Luckily it has been a while since we had a lot of punk, but now we get two in a row...
This album was much better than I anticipated, but certainly a far cry from punk, especially in the latter half.
The Wait was one album that stood out to me with the nice basslines.
I could even venture giving this a 3.5 if there were half stars. But there ain't, sorry Pretenders!
Brian Eno
2/5
Experimental, noodley album. Nothing too exciting. Too long and boring to ever go back to. There were a couple bright spots like Solo Guitar w/ Tin Foil, Jezebel Spirit, and Mea Culpa.
Probably a 2.5 here, rounding down based on length.
SAULT
3/5
The production quality and the beats are very solid on this album, especially during Only Synth in Church and Monsters. Feels good to listen with headphones on.
It does get a bit repetitive though and the lyrics aren't doing much for me.
The Offspring
3/5
I generally like this era of punk with The Offspring, Green Day, and Sum 41. The speed of this album is certainly engaging. The Offspring have some seriously iconic hooks in their discography, with Come Out and Play being one of them.
This is another album that is very homogenous so it gets stale by the end. I have a hard time giving this one any higher than a 3.5 with a pretty heavy nostalgia bias. Enjoyable, but I'm not clamoring for more Offspring after this.
Buena Vista Social Club
3/5
Nice relaxing tunes to work to. Another album that really benefits from headphones. The bass, drums, and soft guitar all sound great and it feels like the musicians are in cruise control working together.
All in all, this did run together but it worked very well as background music. This is a pretty square 3.5 for me. Rounding down just because I probably won't replay this one ever again.
Someone get me mojito and some sunshine!
The Beach Boys
4/5
All time song as the leadoff track. Beatles-esque throughout.
Sloop John B was another standout to me.
Very pleasant, easy listening album with very few if any lows. I could see myself revisiting this album.
Eagles
4/5
If you don't like my music get your own fucking cab!
Pretty solid classic rock with a handful of hits. Exactly as expected from The Eagles. Not the strongest 4, but a 4 nonetheless.
OutKast
4/5
There is a lot going on in this album, but I don't really have the capacity to write a length review because this bad boy was loooooong.
As far as 2+ hour albums go, this one was very good. I still don't love super long albums, but this one had plenty of variety and depth to entertain me from start to finish. A ton of cool features on the rap tracks.
As much as I love Hey Ya, it did not feel like it belonged in the album at all. Maybe it's because I have heard it 1000 times before, but it just felt like a radio hit in an otherwise deep cut album. Roses played well with the rest of the album though.
I'm currently typing this during My Favorite Thing which is really giving me the rhythm to keep typing.
I likely won't listen to this one ever again just because of the length, but I really enjoyed it.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
5/5
Definitely love the synth and the vocals. The lyrics remind me of certain Iron Maiden songs in a way that sounds like a legend is being told.
Also reminds of of King Crimson in the structure of the whole album.
This is a strong strong 4.5 that I was really looking for something to push it into the 5 star realm. Then I saw the album cover again after finishing.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
CCR hits are always welcomed by me. I didn't know much else besides their hits on this one, but I really loved Ramble Tamble and Ooby Dooby.
Another southern rock album that impressed.
Eagles
3/5
Not as good as their first album. Barely a 3 here.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
1/5
There are definitely a couple parts in this album that are pretty good, but I'm barely giving that any weight because the rest was just not music.
This is another album where they are just being "random" for the sake of being weird.
I don't have the capacity to try and scrounge a 2 star out of this album.
Sisters Of Mercy
2/5
As soon as I saw the album cover I knew I was in for a Depeche Mode type album.
This Corrosion and Flood II were standouts. Otherwise this gets a similar review to Depeche Mode where I don't think the album is bad, I just really dislike this emo 80s era personally. That being said, this wasn't as bad as I expected, just really repetitive. This could warrant a 2.5, but I'm rounding down because I'm feeling spiteful today.
R.E.M.
2/5
There's something about REMs vocals that sound cheesy to me.
A couple of songs I recognized, but pretty boring honestly. The last song was a pretty lame song to end the whole thing on.
Seemed like this album had some doom & gloom themes to it that I didn't really jive with.
Was disappointed in this one.
4/5
Very solid album! Probably my favorite Bowie album so far. I was honestly expecting more (knowing how highly it is rated) but I still enjoyed it a ton.
I still don't think I quite understand the David Bowie hype. I think this is our fourth Bowie album and I have just been whelmed by him.
Ziggy Stardust was my favorite song to play on Guitar Hero. I played it so much that I could play the first ~30 seconds with my eyes closed.
Joan Baez
2/5
Good voice. That's about the only thing I really liked about the album. Everything else was just not in my personal taste. Not very exciting as it's really just a guitar and a voice for an hour.
This one is falling under a similar rating to Depeche Mode where I think the music is objectively good, but it doesn't resonate with me personally.
Another plus to this album is that it was recorded in 1960 and it sounds flawless. That is impressive especially because there is no mention of remastering.
Snoop Dogg
3/5
This album cover radiates early 90's and I love it.
I am enjoying the transitions/interludes on this one.
Beats and flow are on point.
Not entirely my taste, but I enjoyed this for the most part. The earlier part of the album had more sticking power than the back half. This is a 3.5 that could go either way, but because I don't feel like I'll come back to this one, I'm gonna round down.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
5/5
All time intro riff to start this thang. Great basslines throughout. One of my favorite bands and oldest known albums so some decent bias here.
There's a mix of really raw sound and polished sound in this album that I have never really paid attention to before this listen.
I can understand why people don't like RHCP/Anthony Kiedis in particular, but I do.
I like dirt.
George Jones
4/5
Solid old school country. This one is solidly a 3.5. Pretty inoffensive, but I really like the tempo of the whole album. The upright bass will always be one of my favorite parts of country/Americana.
Tom Waits
3/5
I had a bit more of a review that I accidentally deleted but here goes:
First song sounds like an R-rated Disney tune.
This is not the Tom Waits that I remember...
This is an album that likely gets a lot of praise from its lyrics. It feels like the music surrounding the lyrics on this album aren't great sounding, but that's the purpose. It sounds like this album is about economic disparity, especially among immigrants.
This album definitely warmed up on me as it continued. Climbed all the way from a 1 to a low 3. I'm sure if I was reading the lyrics as I listened I would enjoy this a lot more, but that's not how I listen to music so it doesn't gain that benefit.
Diamonds and Gold and Hand Down Your Head were standouts to me.
The Beta Band
4/5
One of the cooler album covers so far.
This album had a ton of variety that I appreciated. Very unique sound without being overboard on randomness.
Pure For was a great end, especially with those bass kicks.
Fleetwood Mac
4/5
I have been looking forward to this album! This is like that Lynard Skynard album where every song is just hit after hit.
Very solid album from start to finish. I expected this to nail a 5 star from the hop, but it never quite got there for me personally. Lots of variety in the songs, different talented singers, each instrument had time to shine, but there was never that rock out moment that I was looking for.
Very high 4 that doesn't quite crack 5 stars when I put it toe to toe with Janis Joplin or other 5 star albums.
Dirty Projectors
2/5
Really loved the intro to the first song, but it fell off a bit when the vocals came in.
I can't tell if this is in a weird time signature that I just can't pick up, or if the instruments just felt discordant from the vocals the entirety of the album.
A couple pluses about this album was using multiple singers and having some unique sounds in the instruments. Other than that, I never really got into a groove with this one.
I was really looking forward to the album after the intro to the first song, but that seems to be the high point of the whole thing. Only about 20 seconds of a high point at the very beginning does not make for a great album.
The Libertines
3/5
Pretty solid album that was made better by reading the story behind it. Not much else to say except I was expecting some crap punk and I'm happy it wasn't that.
What Katie Did was a standout.
Willie Nelson
4/5
Little bit slower and more deliberate than Red Headed Stranger, but we all need to slow down every once in a while! Very peaceful, clear vocals that I appreciate.
Great singer/songwriter for a genre that I generally am not giving rave reviews on.
If I had to say, I enjoyed Red Headed Stranger more, but they can both belong right here in the 4 category.
Nirvana
4/5
Definitely some bangers on here that will always get me rocking out. I thought this album was just going to have 2-3 hits, but it's probably 6-7 which impressed me.
However, the last couple songs leave a lot to be desired.
Endless, Nameless is a good exhibit of what I don't like about grunge. Drums are awesome in it though.
The last two songs were so bad that I almost went to rate this a 3, but I went back and listened to a couple other songs back and realized that wouldn't be fair.
Dusty Springfield
5/5
Hell yeah, Dusty's last album was awesome. Looking forward to this one.
Fantastic voice and nice instrumentals throughout. Such an enjoyable, uplifting listen.
Went into this hoping to match Dusty in Memphis, but this surpassed it (from what I remember).
Lovelight Starts Shining is an absolute bop.
Listened to this twice in a row as I couldn't decide if it deserved the bump from 4 to 5. I think Dusty deserves it.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Good, but definitely a slow and heavy album. Not exactly what I'm looking for on a Friday. No doubt Nick Cave has a wonderful, clear voice with strong lyrics.
Not quite as good as I remember the last Nick Cave album, but still enjoyable for what it is.
Marvin Gaye
3/5
Short and sweet with one of the most well-known intros in the world.
There's some good vocals and all going on in this album which leads me to a 3.5, but I personally didn't hear much to ever really hook me in, despite being such a short album.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
3/5
Absolutely no subtlety in the messaging on this album, and I understand why they chose to be so blunt. Not beating around the bush at all. I appreciate the artistic choice, even if it makes for some rather boring beats.
This one gets a strong 4 for really hammering in the message about discourse with America and not getting pretty with it. Unfortunately from a musical perspective I see it more in the 2 range because frankly, it is boring beats and vocals. I understand that messaging/politics is a cornerstone of music, but I also like to bop to my tunes. I'll average these takes out to a 3.
John Lennon
2/5
This album was pretty boring and simple, never really finding a groove. Now I'm on Well Well Well and Goose is making weird faces at the speaker.
John still has a great voice and I feel like that is carrying this album. Everything else about this album seemed not good. Definitely gets an extra knock because it's John Lennon and id expect him to write a better album than this.
Sigur Rós
3/5
This is my type of album! Incredible production and a beautiful listen on headphones. To top it all off, it's in a foreign language so I don't have to try and understand the lyrics and I can just enjoy the voice as an instrument ala Radiohead.
Sigur Ros now sits firmly as my second favorite Icelandic artist in between Dadi Freyr and Bjork.
I don't know if it's because I listened to Bittersweet Symphony this morning, but this sounds similar to The Verve in spots.
This album started off as a solid 4, but slowly drifted into a very average album as it progressed.
Definitely a handful of songs I really liked especially at the beginning and Olsen Olsen, but I can't imagine I'll pick this album up again in the future.
Tina Turner
4/5
What an impressive head of hair on the album cover! Homegirl was making sure she was tall enough to ride all of the rides at Six Flags.
I don't understand why there is a US order of songs and an International order, but I queued it up to follow to US order. USA! USA! USA!
Love this plucky, synthy, energetic 80's sound right off the bat.
Fun album full of energy that is right up my alley. Enjoyed every song. Very high 4 on here.
The Boo Radleys
3/5
Starts out a bit all over the place with some scratchy garage rock, some of that reggae guitar sound, into an emo/whimsical tune in I Wish I Was Skinny, which happened to be a standout.
This album definitely doesn't sound the same throughout with all the random instruments they throw in, I have to give it points there.
Thinking of Ways is another standout that starts and finishes with a cacophony of new instruments.
I'm at Spun Around and I don't really know what to make of this album. It is unexpected at every turn and there are times I think it hits, and other times it misses. I'm happy, at least, that it's not just bland from start to finish.
Back to the reggae sound with Lazarus. Also happened to be a standout for me.
This one fluctuated between a 2 and 3 throughout. So I'll split it down the middle and round up for their arsenal of random instruments that they employed.
Bad Company
3/5
This is a poster child for 3 stars. Solid music, but ultimately pretty forgettable. Seagull was probably my favorite track.
Radiohead
2/5
Definitely dark and gloomy. There were a couple moments in this album that sounded really beautiful. I appreciate the dreamy sounds in this one accompanied by a prominent baseline. However, these moments were few and far between so I never really got sucked into this album. How To Disappear Completely was by far my favorite. The ending of Tree fingers was good too.
I can understand the love for Radiohead, as they have a very unique and melancholy sound, but it's just not the stuff for me.
I really tried to justify a 3 here for Kev, but I couldn't find it in this album.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
3/5
Great music, but didn't necessarily need 2 hours of it. However, of all albums to be 2 hours, this one I welcome most as it is very easy listening and makes the work day go by a bit faster.
Probably a 3.5, but I'm gonna round down for length and homogeneity
Lucinda Williams
2/5
IDK about this one. There is something about her voice that irritates me. Maybe there is something about the tempo of these tracks that is throwing me off. The guitar work is pretty good, but for some reason this is just a struggle to get through. This just feels like cheesy emo music with a country twang.
I think my final take on this is I was probably irrationally angry at it and it deserves another shake, but I can't actually see myself ever listening to this one again. I don't know anything about Lucinda, but it feels like disingenuous pandering to wannabe cowboys.
Song named Jackson redeems it all.
Beatles
4/5
14 songs in 33 minutes is pretty impressive.
Short and sweet. Sounds more like the Beach Boys with a surfer pop rock sound.
I think this one falls around the 3.5 range, but it gets the Beatles Bump. I think I take a lot of The Beatles for granted, but I'm sure this was awesome in 1963.
UB40
4/5
Incredibly solid reggae/electronic fusion that is right up my alley. Great for easy listening. No extraordinary highs and certainly no low points. I could day drink at Seacrets with this album on repeat and have no issues.
Tortoise
3/5
Interesting album here that felt like a bit of a jam. Some pretty cool stuff going on in this one that could warrant a 4, but not ever really exciting enough to bring it there.
New Order
2/5
These songs are heavy on the synth effects. Some of these songs sound like the soundtrack to some random platformer video games for the PS1. Then we get into that 80's dark electronic sound like Depeche Mode that I don't care for at all.
High 2!
Arcade Fire
3/5
Love Arcade Fire's use of choir singing and beat switching in their songs. It gives it a uniquely triumphant sound to their songs. No Cars Go was a standout.
Overall not the best Arcade Fire album, and I'm not really sure why we have gotten 3 AF albums so far. Cool album cover though.
This one ultimately fell into the background for me. Nothing exceptional, but good indie/alternative tracks.
4/5
I was expecting this to be a really heavy, blunt rap album similar to Hypocrisy is the Greatest Luxury.
City, Country, City was a bop.
Good album 👍
Sinead O'Connor
2/5
snooooooze.
I think it's pretty telling that her most successful single (Nothing Compares 2 U) is a cover. Her next highest praise in the Wikipedia page is that "The single 'Emperor's New Clothes' found moderate success".
I usually reserve 1 star for things that are arguably not music. This is a low 2. We are talking 1.5000001 stars.
Violent Femmes
2/5
It is an instinctive reflex to clap or drum those 4 notes in the first song.
Rest of the album isn't great. Some cool basslines, but other than that it is a boring, droning album.
I can't tell if I'm in a bad mood, but I have been giving a lot of 2s and 3s lately.
Ms. Dynamite
3/5
Nice flow, solid beats. Loved the guitar in the beginning.
As extensive as my knowledge of female British rappers goes, this is squarely my second favorite album by that demographic.
Danger is a bit of a switch to a bit more speed, flow, and the rappers switch to a more pronounced African accent which sounds pretty cool. Definitely a standout song for me.
This has been a pretty solid album, not exactly blowing me away, but I'm bopping along. I'd say this is close to the 3.5 range, but I am going to round down because I think it is a clear step down from Little Simz's GREY Area.
Bonnie Raitt
3/5
Can't wait to talk to Kev's mom about Bonnie Raitt when I see her next. She has a pretty good college-aged story about meeting Bonnie Raitt that I'll have her tell me again.
Love Letter is a jam!
Definitely errs on the side of folk, but there is definitely that 80's electronic sound in a lot of songs
Came out to a hot start, but settled into a standard album for me. Kinda forgot I was listening tbh.
Tom Waits
2/5
Not really vibing with this one. It is very raw and his voice doesn't really jive with me. I get that some of it is exaggerated, but I don't really understand the gravelly voice. Is that his natural voice? Is he trying to sound like that?
A Little Rain was actually good
I would be upset to see Tom Waits show up on this list a 4th time.
Eminem
3/5
Eminem is truly a unique lyricist. Incredible flow and rhyming capabilities, but he chooses to rap about some weird shit.
All time intro song. Other than that, it's not really my cup of tea from a music perspective. It is definitely an interesting way to go about the album with the skits and the storyline that is followed throughout.
Wanted to like this one more.
The Divine Comedy
4/5
Pleasant and unique album. This sounds like the lovechild of Frank Zappa and Randy Newman.
Elton John
4/5
Another pleasant album that is nearly flawless. Bennie and the Jets is kind of an annoying song, but just for the "BENNIE" parts. The rest of it is a jam.
Mr. John certainly knows how to tickle the ivories.
A good mix of classic piano with some electronic mixed in which I wasn't expecting.
This one flirts with 5 star territory. I will likely listen to this one back.
N.W.A.
4/5
Good flow, great beats. Love the scratching.
If It Aint Ruff is a real treat to listen to on headphones.
Rap's not usually my game, but this is one of the better ones I have heard on this list so far.
The Cardigans
3/5
Good poppy jaunt. Idk how to explain this, but it feels like this album should be in sung in French.
It's been a while where I have been blindsided by a song that I have heard a million times when Lovefool came on.
Really solid poppy album. A strong 3, but not getting out of bed for this one.
XTC
4/5
Skylarkbunting.
Frank Sinatra
4/5
One of the smoothest voices of all time. Easy to listen to, but made me a bit sleepy. Didn't like this quite as much as Swingin' Lovers, but still got the job done.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
3/5
Is this the shortest album we have had? 21 minutes is shorter than a TV episode.
Peaceful tunes with a good harmony between the boys.
Another strong 3 album, but nothing spectacular to warrant a 4.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
3/5
First couple songs were good, including the beginning of Scorpio. Unfortunately Scorpio went on too long.
I think I wanted to like this one more. Couple of hits that are good, the rest of the album is fine too. Didn't really do much for me.
Talking Heads
4/5
Solid album that isn't carried by it's big hits like I have experienced with other Talking Heads albums.
Was listening to this one while bouncing inside and outside while grilling so I don't have any real stand outs or details to share, but I was always grooving to this one.
Bill Evans Trio
4/5
Lovely soft jazz to start a day. Very easy to listen to. Not really sure why there's two takes for each song, but it barely made a difference in an album like this.
Pretty much as square of a 4.0 as you could get. No blemishes, but not a ton of wow factor.
Thelonious Monk
4/5
b2b jazz!
This one certainly has a different feel than the Bill Evans Trio. I really like that this album gives each instrument time to shine and it isn't too chaotic like some Jazz.
Dinosaur Jr.
2/5
Nice album cover!
Singer bad!
Music is fine!
Mixing isn't great!
Barely a 3!
NEVERMIND I JUST TURNED ON DON'T!
The Electric Prunes
3/5
Sounds a little like the Beatles. Pretty solid. Don't have too many details to discuss on this one. Could probably reach a 4 on a re-listen, but I doubt I'll ever do that.
Good band name.
Gorillaz
3/5
I enjoyed this number a good deal. Reminds me a bit of Radiohead in the experimental/gloomy aspect. Not quite as weird or dark as RH, but that's where my head is at.
Double Bass was a standout for me.
Couple of hits on here I recognized. The album is a bit all over the place. There's certainly a couple of 4 star songs on this album, but the album as a whole doesn't quite get there for me.
Adele
5/5
I have never listened to Adele besides her radio hits, so I am really excited for this one because I truly think she is one of the best singers of this generation.
I really like how the instrumentation is simple and bold, allowing Adele's voice to shine.
Water Under the Bridge was probably my favorite off this one.
I really enjoyed this album. I think her bravado and emotion paired with the orchestra is putting this album into the 5 star discussion. Low 5 for this one.
Beastie Boys
2/5
I like the hip-hop and funk aspects of this album, but some of the rap and punk aren't great. The whole album feels kind of muddy to me, with something nice catching my ear maybe once every song or two.
Futterman's Rule was great, Sabotage was great, Ricky's Theme was great.
Overall kinda reminds me of Gorillaz with how the album is all over the place genre-wise.
IDK... I like some of the songs, but I really dislike the chaotic makeup of the album as a whole. Let's put this one in the 2.5 range. Rounding down to 2 to send a message.
The Who
5/5
Baba O'Riley is another one of those all time songs. Fitting that it opens up this album.
The Who sounds so American.
This reminds me of that Lynard Skynard album where it is just banger after banger after banger. Hard to find any criticisms of this album.
Butthole Surfers
1/5
This album name and band name duo does not spark optimism that this album will be very good. Hopefully I'm wrong.
Goddammit I hate being right.
Mudhoney
2/5
I expected this to be kinda funky based on the artist name. Kinda feels like a better version of the Butthole Surfers as we come right off from that ride.
Move Out was probably the best.
Grunge still continues to be toward the bottom of my list of favorite genres, but this one wasn't terrible, but it wasn't good either.
Paul McCartney
4/5
Folky!
Momma Miss America is a jam. I'm fairly certain Gramatik must have sampled this song. I'll have to track down which song it is.
Singalong Junk is a peaceful number.
This album felt a bit lackluster to begin (for Paul McCartney) but really shaped up toward the end to square away the 4 stars that I wanted to give it.
Deep Purple
4/5
Highway Star will always remind me of Rock Band.
Fun live album with some good jams. I like their use of the synth. It gives me a little hint of prog rock which I enjoy.
4/5
Loved The Yes Album. Excited for this one.
Definitely a good album, but strictly compared to The Yes Album there is something missing from making it great.
And You and I sounds like a Led Zeppelin song.
Dire Straits
4/5
Wonderful guitar work. Nice and buttery with a few shreddy bits that I can get down with. A nice southern sounding voice.
Sultans of Swing kinda sounds like a Dire Straits song.
I feel like we have had a lot of close 5s recently which is nice. This one is another close one, but it doesn't quite have that chutzpah that would push it over the edge. Really enjoyable listen though!
Led Zeppelin
4/5
I've said it before and ill say it again: it's insane how many LZ songs I have heard a hundred times without ever really choosing Leddy Z.
Lots of really good rock with that whimsical sound that they can weave in and out of their tracks. This one didn't have thoss fantasy style interludes that I really liked in the last one we listened to.
Solid album start to finish, but again, doesn't have the chutzpah for a 5.
Electric Light Orchestra
4/5
Night in the City needs more cowbell.
The Whale was trippy, liked it!
Overall a really good album that has a electronic uniqueness to it that I have always enjoyed about ELO's hits. First time listening to an album all the way through and it certainly lived up to what I expected.
Fishbone
3/5
Funky ska with some guitar shredding? Sure!
Pretty decent music. Can't really find any flaws, but no songs really stuck out either.
Sounds like a band that you kind of know 2 of the members from high school or college and you like one of their songs and every time in comes on when you are playing music you can say "yeah I went to high school with these guys. Smoked weed with one of them one time. They aren't the greatest, but they played the afternoon slot at a beer festival I was at one time."
Solomon Burke
3/5
Short and sweet. Good pipes. Good rhythm. A strong 3.
2/5
Slow, grungy, and boring. Not my cup of tea.
ol' Thommy getting some features!
Rush
4/5
Don't need to say much about the opening track, will always be a favorite of mine.
I love the whispery bits in The Twilight Zone.
Lessons has a bit more of a folky vibe which is a change up to the rest of the album, before getting right back into the rock.
I really expected to give this one a 5 when it popped up, but besides 2112 being an all time song, the other songs were right in that 4 category. Maybe it's because I have listened to this album a bunch before, maybe because I think Moving Pictures is better, idk.
All said, high high 4.
Brian Eno
3/5
Oh boy another Eno album, time to buckle in because I have no clue how weird this'll get.
Took two songs to get into some Teletubbies sounding BS with a nice racially charged song title to boot.
Definitely some weird songs, but honestly I was vibing with it a bit more today. The end of Dead Finks Don't Talk made me consider giving this a 2, but it was short lived. Warm Jets was a great close out song.
The White Stripes
3/5
Great album name.
My Doorbell was fun.
Everything else was just some alternative rock to me.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Nice album to listen to on a rainy morning. Don't have too many notes on this one except that it was enjoyable, but nothing special to me. The singer/songwriter style has never been my favorite, so I'm not entirely surprised that I didn't fall in love with this one.
Skunk Anansie
3/5
Dang, I usually don't care for this slow, grungy style of rock, but this one was a fairly enjoyable listen from start to finish. It didn't all feel the same and it wasn't whiny. The vocals are powerful without being overbearing. The instrumentation has a good variety and doesn't get boring.
This is one where I would give it a 4 if you compared it to others in its genre, but it's still just a 3 for me in the grand scheme of The List.
B.B. King
4/5
Love these live albums where you can hear the artists hamming it up with the audience. Really good music on top of this. It's easy to see why B.B. King is so revered.
A real jumping album. Sounded like a real clam bake.
Dude probably caught so much tail.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
2/5
Maybe the most generic album I've listened to.
Powderfinger and Hey Hey, My My sounded so different (production wise) from the rest of the album that I thought I had changed artists.
Not impressed.
Slipknot
4/5
Really love the drumming and the overall energy that Slipknot brings. I have never really been a fan of their lyrics or their vocals, but the vocals are a lot more bearable than I remember from All Hope is Gone.
I wasn't sure if this was worthy of 4 territory just because it's not my personal taste, but I was definitely vibing to it so it definitely gets that push over the line. The drums are truly the focal point for my admiration of this album. Don't know if I'll ever listen to it again, but I enjoyed this dance. I also love the idea of listening to Slipknot while grinding away at Excel on a Tuesday morning. Just the way they intended for it to be listened to.
Christina Aguilera
3/5
Her voice starts off pretty good, but then it kinda falls into a more average pop voice.
Not too impressed halfway through and I am not thrilled that this is well over an hour long.
The last half picked up a good bit once "Beautiful" hit. I'd say this brought it up to a soft 3. Wasn't my favorite listen, especially how long it went, but there was some stuff to like in here.
Beatles
5/5
Every song is a banger. Every member gets a moment to shine, especially in The End which I love. Carry That Weight is a favorite of mine, especially with the transition into The End.
Octopus's Garden is another favorite.
It's crazy how many Beatles songs are so familiar when I have never really done a deep dive on them.
I feel like you could put this on during any road trip with any human and they will enjoy it.
Ride
3/5
There's some stuff I like in this album, like Dreams Burn Down, Vapour Trail, and Unfamiliar. There's other stuff I dislike about the album, like Nowhere.
Sennen is an odd one because I do like it, but I think the guys voice takes away from it.
Either way, none of it was good or bad enough to sway me either way. Ultimately this is on the boring side for me, but there's a world where I could really get behind this. Maybe if they upped the tempo a skosh. Would be better if the singer wasn't there I think.
Fatboy Slim
4/5
A lot of memorable songs that I didn't know were Fatboy Slim. A lot of interesting looping techniques used here. It doesn't feel like the greatest DJing/looping, but I also think this has to be on the forefront of that technique. I am enjoying it so far, despite it's repetitive nature.
Wearing headphones during the intro to Kalifornia feels like the song is inside my brain.
This has enough hits and depth to cruise to a comfortable 4. Really enjoyable listen that I could see revisiting and it and I feel like this album is a good poster child for this 1001 albums list as it is a different take on traditional music.
Michael Kiwanuka
4/5
I missed calling out the SAULT Untitled (Black Is) for latest album (June 2020), but this one fits into second place at November 2019. I wouldn't be surprised if this is the last time I make a mention of latest albums over the next ~600 albums.
This is a terrific album. Beautiful voice with clean, chill backing instrumentation. Feels like it's somewhere between Gary Clark Jr and Jungle.
Easy 4
GZA
3/5
There's definitely beats that get my head bopping throughout. Flow is good too. Nothing really exciting here for me though. Just a rap album with a cool album cover.
Nothing earth shattering here either good or bad.
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
2 hours. Buckle up. At least it is a reputable band and not someone unheard of so it's a bit easier to prepare for this.
Album feels like a bit of a grab bag with some whimsical sounding songs and some grungy songs.
Definitely some of their more popular songs sprinkled in here as well.
As with most albums, they tend to lose points for me when they are this long.
The singer's voice is not that wonderful, but the instruments go!
Tales of a Scorched Earth was pretty bad. As was XYU.
I think there is a lot of good stuff in this album and I really like the variety, but I feel like as it gets longer I start to pick up more on the songs I don't like. It's like they're cutting their product with filler. The musicians should leave that practice to the cartels.
Definitely has a some high 4 potential, but it slowly crept into the 3.5 category and then I was just happy for it to be over. Side 1 was significantly better than Side 2.
Sade
3/5
Enjoyable listen that had me going in and out of paying attention while working. A nice jazzy number is always welcome in my headphones. Definitely caught some 4 star moments in here, but ultimately I was tuned out for too much of it to really warrant a 4. Definitely a high 3 though.
Steely Dan
4/5
Another good one from Steely Dan. Has some nice jazzy tones to it while providing some bangers.
Hopefully this isn't the end of Steely Dan (being the third album we have gotten). It certainly won't be the end of my listening to them.
Germs
2/5
Thought this was gonna be a long one being 16 songs, but like some other punk songs we have listened to, it is only about 2 mins per song.
Pretty terrible way to start the morning. Basslines are pretty sweet though.
Singer sucks and is constantly off beat. Take him out and we maybe have a 3 star album? Strange Notes actually goes hard and then he just spews some incoherent noise all over the track.
The mixing in Our Way sounds like the band is underwater. idk what's up with that.
low 2. the voice was irredeemably bad.
Holger Czukay
3/5
Very interesting album here. I really like how forward the doohickey is in the mix. The contraptions are certainly going in on some of these songs. Could have used more thingamajig throughout, since it really shone in Oh Lord, Give Us More Money.
Honestly though, this started out a bit hectic but really settled in the second half. Maybe not so good to get all the way into 4 stars, but I was grooving for a good portion of this.
Chicago
5/5
Big band, jazzy, funky rock n' roll? Nails all my favorites. I would love to listen to this on a day where I'm feeling a bit more spry, but it has all the makings of a 5 star album right out of the gate.
Didn't love Free Form Guitar much, but that's gotta be the only blemish on this one. All other guitar shredding songs on this album make up for this though.
I think this one deserves a re-listen because I'm a bit distracted at work, but I am erring on the side of "fuck yeah this album was awesome" that will hopefully be even better after a second listen.
The Notorious B.I.G.
3/5
Definitely some classics on this album that even I have heard plenty of times.
GIMME THE LOOT!
I didn't appreciate the porn blasting in my headphones while mowing the lawn.
The beat in Unbelievable is top notch.
Not generally a rap fan, and this honestly didn't do much to change that. He's got some serious flow and the lyrics are full of emotion, but I just doubt I'll ever listen to this again.
That being said, the hits are great, the beats had me bopping, and I enjoyed it more than I expected to. It just takes some active listening to appreciate everything.
High 3 personally.
The Cult
3/5
Pretty mid.
The Black Keys
4/5
The bass and drums sound so clean and clear in the headphones.
Black Mud is great.
I really liked the stretch from Black Mud -> Ten Cent Pistol.
Never was a huge fan of The Black Keys hits, but there is a lot more depth to this album than I would have expected.
Baaba Maal
3/5
A pleasant sounding, but repetitive album. The guitar players aren't the most precise players by any means, but they had plenty of good riffs throughout the album.
This has to be my favorite Senegalese album of all time.
Nightmares On Wax
4/5
This is an album to put on if you just need to chill tf out. Nice bassline to keep you grooving, nice and relaxed beats. It's a bit repetitive, but not overly so; just enough to sound a touch predictable before they throw a small change in the beat or background. Really great for focusing.
Trails off a bit toward the end, but I thought it was still pretty dang solid.
Marty Robbins
3/5
Sure. Definitely feels like a 50's album. As I was finishing I was like "I have totally heard El Paso somewhere". It turns out I heard it about 20 minutes earlier.
Idk there's nothing really wrong with this to make it less than a 3, but I can't really warrant giving it a 2.
Louis Prima
4/5
Nice uptempo jazz to give you a shot of energy in the morning.
Definitely has some funny old-timey lyrics like Banana Split for my Baby. Otherwise it is really good jazz that makes you want to dance.
Night Train was terrific.
4/5
I was expecting more of a Frank Zappa type album from a band named Spirit with this album name, but I was pleasantly surprised. It is a lot closer to generic classic rock, but with a bassline that flows well and dips into some psychedelic tuneage without going overboard.
Don't care for the alternates for Animal Zoo and Morning Will coming before the final song on Spotify, but that's just a small complaint that won't really knock any stars.
Ended up being a bit of a background album, but I really enjoyed it and will likely come back to this one. It's a bit too hot today, but this album would be perfect for a nice spring day with the windows open.
Just like someone who is missing a finger, I give this a high-4
Elliott Smith
3/5
Perfectly fine album, nice and short. Made me a bit sleepy.
Meat Loaf
4/5
Holy hell, if the rest of the album can match "Bat Out of Hell" then this has all the makings of a 5 star album. I was expecting some garbage punk with a name like Meat Loaf.
Loving the keys, the sax, and the vocals; both lead singer and chorus.
All Revved Up with No Place to Go scratched that same itch from the intro song.
I have definitely heard Paradise before.
Settled into a 4 by the end of this one.
Scott Walker
3/5
Great voice, Scott! Has a bit of a bossa nova feel to the album with a grooving bassline.
This one is definitely better than Scott 2.
Bert Jansch
2/5
We are certainly in a older, folky, singer/songwriter groove right now.
Just not really my jam, kinda just sounds the same. Could have been 20 minutes shorter.
This is one of those ones where there is nothing wrong with the music to bring it down, but I feel like a 3 would be overstating my personal enjoyment of the album.
Culture Club
2/5
hahaha what an all time song to be the intro to this album.
This certainly has the cheese.
Kinda odd that it went from bubbly dancey pop music to a slower ballad of Victims.
I was enjoying the first couple songs of this album for what they were, but it feels a bit long as it falls off through the middle of the album.
Melting Pot brought it back to what I was expecting the whole album to me.
I think I might be irrationally harsh here with how much I disliked the structure of this album. Liked the pop and cheese. Disliked the ballads. Hated that they were all mashed into one incoherent album.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
3/5
Pretty chill album that was nice to vibe to during work. There were a couple samples that I recognized, but I wasn't keeping track of any of the titles during this one.
One or two songs I really liked on this one, otherwise was pretty middle of the road.
We'll call this one a 3+.
Mike Ladd
2/5
A couple standouts like Airwave Hysteria and To the Moon's Contractor that I really enjoyed on this one.
Otherwise, not my jam.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
1/5
Maps is a Rock Band classic and the lone bright spot on this album. It also is feels so out of place on this album being that it is a good song.
Booker T. & The MG's
3/5
Never heard of this band or this album, but I have definitely heard Green Onions a hundred times in my life.
Loads of organ-forward jazz to start and then it switches into more of a surf rock style.
Overall I liked the sound, but it was pretty samey the whole way through with nothing too exciting going on.
Definitely teeters on a 4, but I'll pull out another 3+ for this.
The Streets
1/5
Lol wtf is this first song. It sounds like a song you'd fine on YouTube in 2008. The vocal mixing is awful. The beat goes pretty hard though.
The rappers lack any flow or emotion. It's like if an Elmer's gluestick could rap. Maybe if the guy didn't bet so irresponsibly on the footy, we wouldn't be in this spot.
These beats are also so repetitive. It's like they took one or two sets of 4 measures for each song and spliced them together.
What Is He Thinking might have been the best song? Maybe Empty Cans?
Bill Callahan
3/5
Good voice, calm tunes, nice strings.
High 3.
3/5
90's alt-rock in a can.
Champagne Supernova is an all-timer.
David Bowie
3/5
This is a fine enough album. I still don't think I understand why Bowie has such renown. I get his personality/ies, but after 5-6 albums on this list, it never feels incredible to me.
Bebel Gilberto
4/5
Really enjoyed this laid back sound. It definitely felt pretty homogenous, but there was just enough variety, especially in some of the soundscapes that were present in the background. 40 minutes was a bit longer than I needed for an album like this. I wouldn't say it was too long, just that I had gotten my fill about 25-30 minutes in.
The Flaming Lips
5/5
Love this album. It's pretty much incredible from start to finish. I gained a deeper appreciation for Yoshimi Battles pt2; song fucks. The whole album has a perfect amount of psychedelia to it and I love the sound design to include things like bird calls in the background.
I will always remember winning tickets to see these guys at The Anthem and all of their balloons, inflatables, and robot bird toys.
Richard Hawley
3/5
I think this is another one in that 3-4 range. I think I'll go with a 3 because ultimately I was pretty happy for this one to end even though it was an appropriate length of an album. I only need like 2-4 of these types of songs to get my fill.
Jeff Beck
4/5
The Modern Lovers
3/5
slightly whiny, monotone voice. Repetitive rhythms. Some nice shreddy moments.
Not bad for punk.
The Cure
3/5
Secrets is a good tune.
A lot less of the singer on this album, which I appreciate. It feels like a gloomy soundscape which I can appreciate, but it isn't really my cuppa.
A Forest is another good tune that has a nice guitar section throughout.
Still don't understand The Cure, but this is the best of the 3 albums we have had so far.
Robert Wyatt
2/5
Feels like the whole first song is offbeat. Math rock, perchance????
waawaawaaaaawawawaaawaaaWAAWAA
Kinda weird, some bright spots, but also some scratchy bad tuneage in there.
Youssou N'Dour
3/5
25 albums later and I have a new favorite Senegalese album of all time!
My one (very surface level) note is that this feels a lot more Latin inspired or Latin adjacent than I expected. I was expecting heavier African and French sounds.
Pretty solid, all things considered. I enjoyed this enough, but it's generally repetitive and doesn't feel super complex. Nice background music, but probably won't think of this one again unless we get more music out of Senegal.
Johnny Cash
4/5
So does Johnny Cash just play in prisons or....?
Excited for this one, because after re-listening to Folsom I regret only giving it a 4.
The censorship is definitely throwing me off lol (non-Legacy edition)
I enjoyed the banter on this one again, but because the whole album is only 34 minutes, it felt like he only played music for about 20 minutes.
This one I am giving a soft 4. Folsom is better.
Fairport Convention
3/5
I like the lady's voice. Besides Matty Groves, there wasn't another standout to me.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
3/5
About as inventive as I can expect an album from 1957 to be. Nothing really bad about this one, but there was also nothing special about it.
Adele
4/5
Another great Adele album that really showcases her pipes. This one had a bit more going on in the background than "25", but it still hit similar highs for me.
The Undertones
3/5
Hilarious album cover.
Kinda feels like punk meets beach rock.
Kevin = Cuzzo #1. So perfect. So golden.
Scritti Politti
3/5
Funny artist name that I have never heard of.
Lotsa cheese on this one.
I like the cheese, but I have heard better cheese.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
Jam after jam after jam after jam.
Honestly no stand outs, but just solid throughout. Gaye is definitely going to be more heavily involved in my weekend mornings going forward.
Spiritualized
3/5
Before even starting, this is a great album name. It sounds like something the Flaming Lips would name a song or an album.
A rather mellow, symphony-esque album. Kind of a cruising 3 that gets points for uniqueness. Very spacey and trancey.
Last song was a cool journey. High 3!
Coldplay
3/5
I really like Coldplay so there may be some bias in here.
I enjoy that this has a bit of an unplugged sound compared to their more recent stuff. Very solid indie rock. The fact that this came out in 2000 makes me think that this album influenced a lot of the '00s indie.
Overall though, while it is a very solid album, there weren't too many standouts. Nothing about this album blew me away, especially since I'm fairly familiar with their catalog so I know they have better albums.
High 3 :)
k.d. lang
4/5
An interesting blend of honky-tonk style country, but mixed in with some jazzy notes. Kinda had this one on as background music so I didn't catch much in the way of lyrics, but the voice is great and the music is great for background.
It felt rather repetitive and I probably won't listen to this one again, but I enjoyed it for what it is!
Saint Etienne
3/5
Started out fairly reminiscent of Boards of Canada.
The beginning was definitely a bit better. The back half wasn't bad, but it felt like it moved to a bit more of a poppy sound. The songs are a bit repetitive, but for an album like this, that's kind of the point.
Maybe a song or two in here were 4 star quality, but the rest was solidly a 3.
Jean-Michel Jarre
4/5
Sounds like the soundtrack to a space-faring indie video game.
Obligatory "would take drugs and listen to this album".
I really enjoy electronic albums like this and this was no exception.
Roxy Music
3/5
Editions of you was sweet.
Kind of a weird album with how they treated the vocals, but I was definitely grooving at points.
D'Angelo
4/5
Jonz In My Bonz is a great title.
Me and Those Dreamin' Eyes of Mine put some boogie in my bones while I was making lunch.
Not my normal cup of tea, but certainly enjoyable. Basslines were bumping!
I think this one is a 4, but it definitely got a nudge for being something that is better than I expected. Probably won't listen to this again cause it's not really my style, but it was good one.
Mudhoney
1/5
Great album name, but I am not excited to listen to more Mudhoney.
This album is actively stressing me out because I hate it, but it's not as overtly bad as something like Kollaps so I am trying to find good things to say about it. So far the only thing I really like is how crisp the bass kicks are on the drum.
A much much worse Alice in Chains.
Def Leppard
3/5
Definitely listened to a lot of Def Leppard when I was younger playing games like Runescape, Guild Wars, and Kal Online.
Album art reminds me of Yu-Gi-Oh.
Wish I could have listened to this in the middle of Virginia on my way to Charlotte during the longest solo roadtrip of my life.
One thing that I can't quite shake is that this sounds very commercial. Idk if it's a characteristic of this glam rock genre, but it feels like it has little authenticity. Kind of like pop rock I guess?
Living Colour
3/5
Cult of Personality was a GTA staple.
This feels like some standard heavy metal/rock, but it oddly has a few songs that feel like pop songs? The bass lines made me think of Primus at times.
A fine album.
Lou Reed
2/5
Kinda folky, kinda emo, kinda boring.
Last song was pretty interesting. It felt like a happy and triumphant song even though it was a "sad song". Maybe something about the lady finally finding peace after razoring her arms?
Probably could get a lot out of this album if I listened again and more in-depth, but overall not really doing anything for me.
Ray Charles
4/5
It's just great music.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
2/5
Like a mix of Depeche Mode and Kollaps at points. Definitely didn't care for most of the album, but the end of the album did have some redeeming qualities.
Eric Clapton
3/5
Er🤢 👏 ton
The Only Ones
3/5
Singer's voice is dull, but otherwise this album was okay.
Kraftwerk
3/5
I think this is my least favorite of the 3 Kraftwerk albums so far although I still enjoyed it. Definitely like their cut of the jib though. Recommended to listen with good headphones, since my running earbuds weren't really cutting it for the first couple songs.
This is maybe a 3.5, but it is notably worse than the other two albums, so I am rounding down.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
3/5
I gotta say that this is a delightful album except for the discordant parts. I think I understood the back and forth, but I still don't really care for it. Probably tops out at a 4 for certain songs, but the lows are equal to the highs, so I think it averages right as a square 3.
The Roots
3/5
Couple of good songs on here, but no real duds. The beats early on were pretty dry, but they seemed to get better as the album went on.
I liked that there seemed to be a few high profile features and you can really hear the influence on each song form the features.
Not really my jam, but it was fine.
3/5
Nothing crazy about this one. Some decent basslines and energy, but feels like a punk album in the sense that it's repetitive and the singer's voice is whiny. Low 3.
Tito Puente
3/5
A nice lively jaunt to end the work day. Sounds damn good for being released in 1958.
High 3.
Underworld
4/5
Not the hugest fan of straight up techno, but it certainly helped me crush some spreadsheets!
Definitely repetitive (by nature), but I actually enjoyed many stretches of this album. I think the vocals, while not bad, detracted from the album. IT feels like the vocals are just trying too hard to be edgy and cool (not unusual for the 90s).
Can't say I would listen to this one again, but I wouldn't be mad if Underworld came up on this list again.
Low 4 when doing tedious computer work, probably a 3 in most other atmospheres.
Madonna
3/5
I have never really listened to Madonna, but I didn't expect the 90's techno beats. I really enjoyed the first song.
Although the middle of the album has fallen off a bit, one thing remains consistent and that is her voice being fantastic and I like the beats.
Sky Fits Heaven was another good one.
After all was said and done, meh. Thought we might have had a sneaky 5 at the beginning
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
idk if I'm in a slump, but all of these albums are sounding so mid to me lately.
Skepta
4/5
I have such a soft spot for British rap because it just sounds hilarious. Big tings and such.
The interludes were pretty dumb, but the beats, flow, and energy are all there.
A couple blemishes, but a really solid 4 otherwise!
Jefferson Airplane
3/5
Reminiscent of the Beatles a bit. Not nearly as good though. High 3.
The La's
3/5
Air
2/5
Some songs like Dead Bodies and Ghost Song were pretty good. I think all of these songs are a bit better individually or would do better in they were put into other full albums as a sort of interlude.
As a whole album, though, this was pretty boring to listen to.
Flamin' Groovies
3/5
The name "Flamin' Groovies" sounds like a band I would love. The album art immediately makes me think this is going to be some low budget punk or garage rock.
Kinda folky though.
Nothing spectacular about this one, but nothing bad either.
The B-52's
2/5
Rock Lobster has some incredible animal limitations.
Other than that this is some fairly basic rock music and the girls voice sucks.
1/5
Entirely too repetitive and never really exciting. Maybe if you were at a dance club on acid this album would be good.
Peter Frampton
4/5
Absolute guitar shredder. Peter Frampton is one of those artists where I have heard their songs a million times, but I couldn't really name a Peter Frampton song.
I feel like live albums are always going to get a half star bump.
George Michael
4/5
Nice pleasant AM album. Great voice from Mr. Mike along with a nice variety of smooth instruments.
We have been on a stretch of so many mid albums that this is a nice breath of fresh air.
ZZ Top
3/5
Man I didn't realize how similar ZZ Top songs sound to each other. Couple of legendary hits on this one. TV Dinners was a funny one. I like ZZ Top and figured this would be a 4, but I never really felt like this album deserved that.
Gang Of Four
3/5
Sure. One of the better punk/post-punk albums thus far.
James Brown
3/5
Lots of screaming.
Merle Haggard
3/5
One of those albums that are just a solid 3. I feel like a lot of these older country albums are just good music, but that's about it. Happy it wasn't any longer than ~30 mins.
Earth, Wind & Fire
4/5
Exactly as good of an album I would expect from EWF. Africano was a favorite, as was See the Light
5/5
Odd naming convention for an album, but it reminds me of the movie Birdman (Or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) and PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation
^^ That is probably the most words I have written before even listening to a second of the album
This album has the GROOVE!
It started out as a very solid first half, and only got better from there.
Similar sounds to The Beatles which makes sense.
Australia was one of my favorites and I liked the use of the harpsichord all around.
Around the halfway point of the album I was trying to figure out if this just *felt* like a 5 compared to a lot of our recent catalog. Now that I'm at the finish I can confidently say this is a 5. I could listen to this album just about any day.
The Shamen
2/5
Not my fave. There are definitely some cool aspects of this album, but for the most part it seemed just like jumbled sounds. 666 Edit being the hallmark of that comment.
Jimmy Smith
4/5
A nice and smooth ride all the way through. Perfect amount of time. Would definitely put this on as background music for a function.
Django Django
4/5
A great flowing album with tons of different techniques being used. Great start to the day.
Suede
3/5
This album is pretty much just an album that kept swinging between a 2.75 and a 3.25 stars.
The Asphalt World was incredible. If the whole album was like that we'd be looking at a 5 star for sure.
Great ending to the album that makes me want to re-listen, but after a first pass it has to settle for a 3.
Khaled
4/5
The rendition of Imagine was awesome!
Kinda poppy, but I'm really grooving to this one.
Really liked El Bab, too. Has a Caribbean/reggaeton sound to it.
A little long for my tastes, but the album was very solid to have on while working to tune out a bit while still jamming a bit.
New Order
4/5
A better Depeche Mode.
Badly Drawn Boy
3/5
Guitar noodly and voice droney.
This Song almost made me sick listening to it with headphones on holy fuck. I hated this song, but I kinda appreciate the capability to give me vertigo.
Overall there were a couple times where this album flashed 4 star potential and my ears perked up, but there were also plenty of times where the songs just came and went without much of a thought.
An interesting album that I have no interest in revisiting.
Goldfrapp
3/5
Couple of good songs, but I don't care for the breathy vocals. Low 3.
Aerosmith
4/5
Really good choice for a morning run with it's high energy, simple beat structure, Steven Tyler screaming in my ear, and a couple hits to sing along to.
First half or so of the album feels very much the same, then Janie's Got a Gun starts and it turns the corner into a bit more variety.
Steven Tyler should definitely be dead already cause I think he did dumpster loads of cocaine, which naturally means he will probably live to be like 93.
Honestly, this felt like the poster child for American classic rock at the beginning which would have been a square 3, but as the album continued it just got better and better.
Lupe Fiasco
3/5
I like the energy and tempo of the beats, but unfortunately it feels like most songs have beats with very little variety.
All time song with Kick Push.
This feels like a good album to demonstrate the transition from 90's-00's hip hop into the '10s hip-hop.
I think this is a pretty good album, I just cant bring myself to hit that 4 button.
Public Image Ltd.
1/5
Radio 4 was the best song by far and it gets the benefit of being the end of this charade of an album.
This was pretty awful.
Shoegaze???
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Another good morning run album, but for different reasons than Aerosmith.
Smooth tracks with few real standouts (Superstition is obviously a hit), but also never any low points at all.
Brian Wilson
2/5
Acapella, more like acapell-NAWWWW
Mrs. O'Leary's Cow was a trip.
Interesting concept, didn't care for the execution. Definitely grew on me towards the end though.
Pentangle
2/5
Not very exciting. Not bad though. Not sure why there's 3 copies of Sally Go Round on the album.
Was ready for this one to wrap up after about 15 minutes. 2.5 here that I definitely want to round down.
Spacemen 3
2/5
2 hours?! Fuck that. Especially for an album like this...
I only listened to the original releases and that was already too long.
I get the concept of this album and I could appreciate bits and pieces of this album, but it was just not enjoyable.
Shoegaze???? I bet Kev and Brandon liked this one.
Low 2.
Laibach
2/5
The first half was pretty enjoyable and I wholeheartedly had it cruising to a 3 star review.
Unfortunately it took a turn toward not being music anymore and just being some industrial percussion BS.
Standouts were Opus Dei and The Great Seal.
I wanted this to hold onto a 3 so badly, but the end wasn't really music anymore.
Mariah Carey
2/5
Production is clean and I can recognize that she has a great voice, but I can't stand the breathiness and excessive moaning.
Not a bad album, but definitely not one that enjoyed. This is surprising because I definitely think 28 year old straight white males is Mariah's exact target demographic.
The Velvet Underground
3/5
Solid first half of the album. Fell off toward the end around Heroin.
The singer reminds me of Nude Party
Todd Rundgren
4/5
Interesting album cover. I can only imagine how this album is about to go.
That's about what I expected.
Landed right around the 3.5 mark. I'll give it the bump up for being the right kind of weird for me (take notes, Zappa).
The Crusaders
4/5
This album rocked. So clean and smooth. Another good Sunday morning album.
One of those albums that is just so damn close to a 5 star, but it is just missing that small, unquantifiable "it" factor. Definitely coming back to this one though.
Aerosmith
3/5
This is rock.
TV On The Radio
3/5
Gotta give it to them for having some unique music without being overboard on straight weirdness. But otherwise was kind of a boring album. Low 3
Tom Tom Club
2/5
Love getting random songs that are sampled in more recent music, like with Genius of Love. One of my favorite parts about this 1001 albums jaunt.
Kind of spacey pop, but nothing special.
High 2 I guess.
Kacey Musgraves
3/5
Pretty average album. Kinda country kinda pop. Not my wheelhouse, but it wasn't bad.
Public Image Ltd.
3/5
This album was a variety show! Some good punk, some bad punk, some shreddy bits. Overall not my favorite listen, but had its moments.
Sonic Youth
1/5
Bad punk. Very samey. Noisy.
Sex Pistols
2/5
Why is there so much punk? I'm tired, pops.
Bon Jovi
4/5
Unapologetically 80's power ballads with some fairly shallow lyrics. That being said, I enjoyed this album for what it is. High energy, easy to listen to, and pretty much the right length.
Feels like a good album to listen to while drinking 3 dozen beers in a van in October...
Missy Elliott
2/5
Found myself randomly jamming a couple times, but not enough to check any songs to specifically call out. Other than that, it was pretty slow and boring. Kinda feels like the whole thing is on some Xanax. Definitely felt like 90s rap.
Barely a two here.
David Holmes
3/5
Not really sure what to think of this one. Trippy electronica I guess? I liked the first half a bit better and was solidly grooving to it, but it just got a bit lackluster as time went on. I'll give this a generous 3, because it was subjectively a better listen than Missy Elliott with the main drawback being its length.
The Psychedelic Furs
3/5
This was fine. Pretty fuzzy, pretty pop. Had this on in the background, so maybe there was more to it, but it felt like generic British punkish album to me.
The Fall
2/5
Another grungey/punky album... This guys voice is not that great.
There were some interesting effects used as well as a good variety of instruments, but there was also a lot of droning repetition with below-average vocals.
Past Gone Mad was the best song and the album cover is pretty cool.
Roxy Music
3/5
No notes.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
Feels like a poppier Talking Heads with a dash of Depeche Mode. A fine enough album, on the higher side of 3
Eminem
4/5
Very real and very raw album. Definitely a weird one to listen to at 8am on a Tuesday.
I'm happy Eminem is as real as he is because I feel like if he wasn't well adjusted he would be saying some absolutely off the wall stuff in the media these days.
The Youngbloods
4/5
Very pleasant album. Had a good amount of variety as well.
Scissor Sisters
4/5
Liked the singers voice for the most part. Interesting album that felt like a melting pot of a lot of sounds. I hear some disco, punk, rock n' roll, alternative, folk.
Overall this lands at a 3.5.
Beck
3/5
I can appreciate the experimentation that Beck employs, but I just don't really enjoy the music to a high degree. Points for his technical skills, but he doesn't really pass the ear test for me personally.
Pulp
3/5
A bit of and odd one. Not bad though. Not really sure how to classify this one, but the singer hits that Depeche Mode vibe that I don't love. The end had a nice triumphant sounding finish that reminded me of some band that I can't quite put my finger on.
Ending pulled it from a low 3 to a regular 3.
Joan Armatrading
4/5
Hell yeah. Best singer/songwriter album on this list so far? Cruising on a nice day with the windows down may have helped this one a bit, but I still think it would be a 4 regardless. A good mix of energy and musical styles.
The Who
4/5
This one probably could have used a closer listen because there aren't really any hits on it and I was knee deep in work.
Still felt like this had some solid "Who" sound, but it felt like they went goofy style on it intentionally.
I want to re-listen to this one because I feel like I missed a lot of the tongue in cheek jokes that were going on. I will give it a 3.5 rounded up for its potential
Neu!
4/5
Wonderfully peaceful beginning makes me want to play Minecraft for hours on end on a rainy day.
Hero was not a great track with whatever the vocals were supposed to be. Instruments were fine, but this track was so different from what I was getting from the first half of the album. I am glad that E-Musik got the album back on track. After Eight felt out of place too, but I liked it a lot more than Hero.
Honestly without Hero and After Eight this is a high 4 for me. I still think it gets the 4, but I feel like it was such a cohesive album before listening to those songs.
3/5
For the most part I like the woman's voice. Has a kind of country/folky tone to it. Sometimes it sounds a bit whiny, but that's on par for punk.
Happy with the length of this one. Standard sounding punk that I feel like moves toward a more palatable sound compared to British punk. Maybe started influencing pop punk a bit?
Small Faces
3/5
Not sure what Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake means, but it sure is provacative.
Fuzzzzzy to start this album. I listened to the Stereo version and they went a bit too hard on the stereo effects at some points, but for the most part it was well done.
Overall felt like a mix of Beatles, Jimi, and even Led Zep at points.
This felt like a 3.5, but a round down because it never truly captured my attention. I would give this a relisten though to see if it improves.
Brian Eno
4/5
Fitting that I am listening this right before going to the airport.
Not something I would like to listen to in the airport, unless this was the score for a movie that I am in where I am having an introspective/melancholy flight.
This is something I would listen to early in the morning to feel peaceful and focused during work though (exactly what I am doing now).
Very beautiful album that I will likely never listen to again. Maybe my favorite Eno album so far? It's very different from his other 37 albums that are on this list.
The Zutons
3/5
Pretty good music, but ultimately pretty bland and inoffensive. Picturesque 3 stars.
The KLF
3/5
This is exactly what a 1991 electronic album would sound like if someone asked me to describe it.
I feel like the 90's rave scene must have been absolutely wildin' to some very average music.
Low 3 here
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
Definitely was catching a groove on this one, especially during Sex Machine.
Soft 4 here, but I'd be happy to get more Sly on this list.
Van Halen
3/5
Hot for Teacher always a fun listen. Girl Gone Bad is a jam that I haven't heard before.
This album as a whole feels significantly flatter than "Van Halen". Maybe I wasn't listening to it loud enough.
High 3
Machito
3/5
This would be perfect music to listen to in a restaurant. Fairly repetitive and easy to fade into the background. Can't deny that I enjoyed each song, but all the songs sounded pretty much the same. Another 3.
Feels like we are on a stretch of short albums which I really appreciate as I claw my way back to being caught up (I am behind by 35 at this writing)
Recognized Stay With Me.
Memphis has a great second half and I enjoyed Too Bad.
I may not have been paying great attention, but as far as this style of rock goes, it is just a notch above average. Pretty jammy, but nothing really stood out to me.
Last song had some distortion and some steel drums (?) that felt like they came out of nowhere.
Gene Clark
3/5
Old country is so different than new country and I always really enjoy it. I feel like this one landed in the 3.5 realm, but if I listened to it in the right atmosphere it would get the bump.
David Gray
4/5
Please Forgive Me is a classic. That thumping bass at the end is such a pleasant sound. Also the song was in Scrubs.
The album as a whole wasn't necessarily my favorite, but I can't deny how powerful his voice is, how clean the instruments are, and how the whole thing is produced. I think there is a lot more in the lyrics than I picked up on. Feels a bit like Citizen Cope.
3/5
Starlight and Knights of Cydonia are all-timers. City of Delusion was a good one that I hadn't heard before.
This was a unique album that isn't "all over the place" but it definitely doesn't stay directly in one lane. There is some regular rock, some grunge, and some electronic/ethereal sounds. Reminds me a bit of Arcade Fire in that sense.
Never listened to Muse besides their hits before this. There were some bright spots, and few low spots, but it never really hooked me. This was close to a 4, but there's something missing that I was expecting.
Fred Neil
4/5
Fred Neil
Johnny Cash
3/5
Holy hell this is Johnny Cash's 67th album. Lotta covers though.
There is something about the mixing of his vocals that is irking me. It almost sounds like one of those commentary albums where the voice is just so far on top of the track.
Personal Jesus was a pretty meh cover.
Hard to hate the voice or the strums of the guitar, but there isn't one I would come back to. Still enjoy the Cash though.
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
Feels like pretty standard early 00's alternative rock. Seeing as this is from 1996 I can see why its on this list. They used a fair amount of effects and let the guitarist do his thing a number of times which was neat, but ultimately this is just an album that I listened to and that's about the extent of my feelings toward it.
The Specials
4/5
Pearl's Cafe having the line "When I saw you I thought you were a wet dream come true" is absolutely unhinged. I can't wait to use it myself.
Talk about a variety hour!
Holiday Fortnight sounded like a pina colada tastes.
International Jet Set was just oozing cool.
Not the highest of 4's, but in no way could I hit the 3 button on this one. Loved the variety and laid back nature of it.
The Icarus Line
2/5
There were a couple decent songs in the first half even though this isn't my favorite type of music. The end fell off pretty hard with White Devil and Meatmaker.
2Pac
3/5
Good beats, good flow. Never been a huge rap fan and this doesn't really change much for me. The wikipedia page is definitely interesting with all the events surrounding the release of this album.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
This album came and went. I feel like you could listen to this whole thing on shuffle and it would sound the exact same.
Horns and strings are definitely a favorite of mine to be included, but this album just had too much of it.
All that being said, Come on Eileen is a certified banger.
Pavement
2/5
Listened to pavement while running on pavement.
Don't care for the singers voice.
Had a bit of a groove in the third quarter of this album, but then we got back to whiny voice. Was trending toward the "low 3" category, but after the last two songs it confidently hits the "square 2" category
Guns N' Roses
3/5
Speed! Tempo! Energy!
Pretty sure that Paradise City was the coolest song in the world when I was a kid.
Sweet Child o Mine will be forever recognizable.
Everything else about this album was just fine.
Dolly Parton
4/5
Great album. Feels good to listen to. Good pipes and a chill guitar.
The Young Rascals
3/5
They really took full liberty on the use of stereo at the beginning. I almost had to switch to the mono version.
Had some hints of Beatles and some Jimi in there, but it was still pretty mid.
Cool album art
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
Absolutely solid album. Can't hate on Jimi tunes.
Bold as Love is one of the best last songs on album holy hell.
The Human League
3/5
Sounds like a poppier Depeche Mode. Some of the electronic work is really enjoyable in this album, but I can't get over the singers voice and the lyrics. It just sounds like a hopeless romantic stalking a girl.
Low 3, saved by the nuggets of electronic goodness
The Pretty Things
4/5
Fairly raw sounding. Love the psychedelia and the singers voice. Got a bit gritty at times.
Big props for this being done in the 60s.
This one hits the 3.5 star range, but I'm rounding up for the sheer fact that I feel like I have been giving out way too many 3s lol.
Black Flag
1/5
Bad, boring album.
TV Party was funny! Glad this was a shorter album and had one good song.
Pulp
2/5
This Common People song has been on a playlist of mine for probably 10 years. Always odd to hear songs like that in the wild.
Other than that song this album didn't really feel like much.
The only song that made me perk up was the first song that autoplayed after the album ended.
Sheryl Crow
4/5
This is a pleasant pop album with a country/folky twang. I like Sheryl's voice on top of that so this album was just a solidly good listen. She also played at Bonnaroo when I went and, even though I didn't see her, she reminds me of that festival.
Ice Cube
3/5
More good flow from Ice Cube. Beats were solid as well. Feels like a 4 in the rap world, but in the multi-genre world, it doesn't quite get there. I enjoyed this more than the last Ice Cube album apparently.
Tim Buckley
4/5
Chill, peaceful, and a song about munching box. What more could you ask for?
Raekwon
3/5
Another solid rap album, but nothing really special to me. It is a notch below the recent Ice Cube album.
Q-Tip
4/5
Like the funky beats and flow in this one.
The first half of "Move" was pissing me off with that vocal sample.
Lost me a bit in the middle-end, but came through strong to finish with Believe and Shaka.
The xx
4/5
Not quite as good as their other album, but that's a high bar to surpass. Still enjoyed it a fair bit, but if I'm feeling like The xx I'm just going with xx. Low 4 for me.
Beastie Boys
4/5
Not sure if the "point" of this album was to sample a ton of other songs as a riff off the "licensed" naming of the album, but I like the songs they chose to sample.
I always appreciate BBs rapping style of switching off words with one another.
Do the Beastie Boys make the best music in the world? No.
Do I enjoy the high energy funky beats with lyrics that don't take themselves too seriously? You're damn right.
Foo Fighters
3/5
Don't know if I have ever listened to this one from start to finish. I believe every instrument on this one was done solely by Dave.
Weenie Beenie was an interesting turn with an interesting track name.
I thought the first half was pretty good with Big Me being a favorite of mine. The second half felt a little less inspired.
This feels like a 3.5, but I'm going to round down because I'm sure I am biasedly enjoying it a bit more because I listed to FF a lot. Also rounding down because Dave went ahead an sired a child out of wedlock which is kinda fucked up dude.
David Bowie
2/5
Not for me. Didn't really understand it and nothing jumped out at me.
The Band
4/5
Love this. Definitely moments where I was thinking 5, but I think the ending just fell a little too low for me. Loved the variety with some classic folkiness, some electronics, some ragtime-esque sounds. Plenty of depth with a couple of hits too. Great stuff.
The Black Crowes
3/5
Good sound, but pretty uniform from start to finish. Liked the energy, but nothing special. Enjoyed the album on just one listen, but it doesn't have me clamoring for a re-listen or more Black Crowes. High 3
Morrissey
3/5
Solid, nice voice, nothing crazy. If this is singer/songwriter then it's high up there for singer/songwriter albums.
Don McLean
3/5
American Pie (the song) is an all timer that does a lot of heavy lifting here. The rest of the album has no surprises. I have never listened to Don McLean, but it all sounded like American Pie. This is on the high side of 3
New York Dolls
3/5
On the better side of mediocre. A bit more variety than I was expecting, but never heard anything special
The Pharcyde
4/5
Really enjoyed the beats and the flow. The beats hit those 90's beats that get me grooving as a walk around the house perfectly and the flow is reminiscent of Tribe.
Biggest blemish on this album is some of the crazy skits that are like Eminem's odd ass skits.
Remove all of those skits and this gets 5 star considerations.
Sonic Youth
2/5
I really try to not let first impressions weigh too heavily on the rest of an album, but this one only took 5 seconds for me to think that it was going to be a 2 star album. Hopefully it gets better, but it started in the hole.
Sugar Kane was fine. Purr was fine. These songs saved this from being a 1.
Silver Jews
3/5
Sure. Not really my taste, but sure.
Reminds me of Leonard Cohen.
Bob Dylan
4/5
This album is getting me to understand why people hold Bob's songwriting in such high regard. Very unique song structure.
Looking back at all of the other Bob Dylan albums we have listened to I have given every single one a 3. This is one that falls into the 3.5 category, but this time I am rounding up because I listened to it on a chilly, sunny October morning while walking Goose. This album was in the right place at the right time.
Sepultura
3/5
Like: the speed and energy
Dislike: the vocalist, the fact that it all sounds the same.
Enjoyable shallow listen, but that's about it.
Jane's Addiction
4/5
Is the guy running this doing these things on purpose? Foo Fighters right after Dave Grohl news and then Jane's Addiction right after their fight? Would be a crazy coincidence if it's not intentional.
Never really listened to JA, but it reminds me a bit of Alice in Chains, just a little less metal and a little more alternative. They still have some fairly punchy basslines, but the album as a whole is a bit lighter in tone.
Good album.
David Bowie
4/5
I can't believe the actor from Zoolander has had so many albums on this list.
Moss Garden was a brilliant change of pace.
Was this my favorite Bowie album? Probably.
Is it because it was the album I was most focused for? Probably.
Buzzcocks
3/5
Fine enough punk. A little longer than most punk albums. Has a lot of the same criticisms where it sounds like a lot of the same, but I feel like this album had a bit more variety.
Still didn't wow me in any sense.
Tricky
2/5
This started out like a whiny boring album, but Brand New Your Retro was a good change of pace. Then we went back to boring and whiny.
Not for me.
Fairport Convention
3/5
Singer reminds me of Joni Mitchell's Court and Spark that we got almost a year ago.
Absolutely nothing wrong with this album.
Mylo
4/5
Yeah I can get down to this. Especially Valley of the Falls, Destroy Rock & Roll, and Ottos Journey. Sunworshipper was good, but that vocal sample was repeated 2 more times than needed.
Feels a bit meta to listen to Destroy Rock & Roll list off this entire list.
Gives me slight Boards of Canada vibes, but more dancey. Not quite a 5, with a couple of minor duds, but there are a couple songs that push it that direction.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Exactly what I would expect from Stevie Wonder.
Is this version of Higher Ground the original or a cover? Either way it's good.
Had this on in the background while cooking dinner which I highly recommend.
Orbital
4/5
Certain albums have 80s cheese. This album has 90s electronic cheese.
It took a second for me to settle into this one, but if you throw on some headphones and just get shit done around the house, this is a good album to pick. Obviously repetitive given the nature of the genre, but I think they did really well with the sound design and variety to keep it fresh.
I listened to this in two parts and I'll tell you it feels very different at 7pm compared to 7am.
Don't know if I would deep dive Orbital again, but I could see myself throwing this album again to focus.
My third high four in a row.
Maxwell
3/5
This is like the exact opposite of Orbital 2. I get sucked in immediately, and then settled in for the ride. Another great fall morning walk album. Sumthin' Sumthin' has an especially thumping baseline that I love. Probably the highlight of the album.
Don't care for the breathy, falsetto singing. Reminds me of Mariah Carey.
I think ultimately this one started out hot, but went a little too long. I started to get a bit bored. The Suite Theme was nice and chill.
I had high hopes for this one at the beginning, but it lost me along the way. High 3.
The The
2/5
This falls right into that Depeche Mode realm. Couple of cool bits, but has a darker tone to it.
Hope that guy in the global review with AIDS is doing alright.
2 bordering on 3.
Dizzee Rascal
2/5
While British rap makes me laugh, this feels a lot like M.I.A's album where it's very simple beats backing some average/mediocre lyrics and flow. Way too long as well.
M.I.A.
2/5
I'm seven songs in and it seems like she is just talking about herself the entire time.
Hombre had me bumping.
This was nothing special.
The Incredible String Band
3/5
This is an album I'd expect to hear at the Renaissance Festival. Definitely had it's moments with the harp. Paired nicely with a walk in the woods.
The United States Of America
3/5
I only listened through The American Way of Love as that is the original release. I also didn't like it enough to go through another 30 mins of bonus tracks.
Fine enough album. Some of the effects/random instruments were good, but for the most part they just felt chaotic. I don't think I understood this album. Probably a politically charged or satirical album. Maybe it made more sense living during the Cold War.
Os Mutantes
2/5
Kinda weird and random, felt like a Portuguese "The United State of America".
Very few actual thoughts on this album cause it never really grabbed me.
Lambchop
3/5
This is exactly what I think of when I see the words "countrypolitan" and "chamber pop".
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
I remember not caring for the last Echo album. This one was fine. Higher side of 3, but definitely not a 4.
Guided By Voices
1/5
I think there was like 1 or 2 decent songs in here. 28 songs in 41 minutes is crazy talk. Some of these aren't even songs. They're just a few lines and maybe a short guitar lick.
The mix makes everything sound so flat and fuzzy.
John Martyn
2/5
Little jazzy which I liked, but there really wasn't anything special about this album at all. I listened to 4 more songs after the album ended before I realized.
Singer didn't do it for me. 2-3 territory, but I'm feeling spiteful for no reason.
1/5
As far as noise rock goes, this is the best I've heard. That being said, it's still noise rock which I don't love.
I liked "They Don't Want Your Corn" the best probably. Thought maybe it would bring this album up to a two, but it wasn't THAT good.
The Young Gods
2/5
Was not expecting this French to sound so German.
Not the worst thing I have ever heard, but I would not say I enjoyed it.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
Significantly better than the other YYY album.
Skeletons sounds like an Odesza song.
Felt like a stronger first half than the second. I want to give this a 4 because I hated the other YYY album so much, but that would be a bit biased. High 3, though.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
2/5
Nothing about this is really bad, but it just feels like the same thing over and over again. Basic song structure + repetitive chanting is pretty much it.
Beck
3/5
Very different Beck album compared to his others. This one reminded me a lot of Radiohead; maybe Kid A?
Gloomy for sure, not quite my cut of the jib, but I enjoyed it as a whole. Could see this being a 4 in the right environment, but it'll settle for a 3 today.
Genesis
3/5
This is prog rock so I'm sure it'll rank low globally.
I enjoyed this album, but the runtime was fairly long. It doesn't match the same love I have for albums like Tarkus or Yes, but it was a nice, high energy listen. High side of 3 for me.
Herbie Hancock
4/5
A bit odd at the start, but settled in nicely. I like that it's just 4 songs.
Vein Melter is a great name for a song.
3/5
Short and sweet. Nothing great. This is in that 2-3 range and I'll round up for its brevity.
Stephen Stills
4/5
Feels very classic rock a lot of the time, but it dips a bit into a jazzier and more prog rock sound at parts in the beginning while rounding into a bluegrassy/country sound at times, especially toward the end.
Little long for an album, but the changes in sound throughout had me checking to see if the album had ended.
Björk
3/5
Once again I do not care for her voice.
Aurora and Frosti were pretty cool.
Started out in the 1-2 range but started getting a bit ~~wavey~~. Really just don't like her voice. The last half really saved this one.
Abdullah Ibrahim
3/5
A cozy album!
High side of 3. Very pleasant, but this is more sleepy jazz than morning jazz. Decent as calming background music, but I need a nap now!
X-Ray Spex
3/5
Out of all of the punk we have listened to, this has got to be in the top 5 albums.
There were definitely some 4 star songs on this one, but the album didn't quite put it all together to get into that realm for me.
Muddy Waters
4/5
Da Bluez!!
One of the few albums I allow myself to listen to on speakers instead of headphones. I feel like Muddy deserves to be played to a room and shared with people.
Absolutely brings the energy. This gets near the 5 star territory, but it just is a bit too repetitive. Would be a great album to listen to while drinking a dozen Miller Lites in the Northwest Mutual field parking lot on a perfectly fall afternoon with David Burt.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Beach rocky blues! Cool to listen to the first Stones album. Crazy that they are still alive and motoring 60 years later.
Enjoyed this more than I expected cause I'm not a huge Stoner.
David Bowie
3/5
Another perfectly fine Bowie album. I think this is the eighth Bowie album we have listened to so far.
I feel like I need to give his albums 3-4 listens over. So far there just isn't anything about Bowie's music that really resonates with me. Maybe that'll be a project for after this project.
Wilco
3/5
Interesting mix of indie, folk, and a touch o' country. Reminiscent of Beck.
I liked the variety of the music a good deal. I think I heard some organ and maybe a harpsichord?
High 3 here! I think it was not quite good enough for how long it was to warrant a 4, but I did consider it.
Def Leppard
3/5
I like this one more than Hysteria. The Rock of Ages intro always gets me because I expect Pretty Fly to come on.
Foolin' and Die Hard the Hunter are other stand outs.
Better than Hysteria, but still not quite a 4.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Stevie Wonder is the man. I love that this is the third album from him in ~4 months. Hopefully we get more. I will likely listen to more of him going forward regardless.
This album had a different feel than his other 2 we have listened to. Sounds like they went more soulful with a bit more electronic/synthy sound. I would say this is my least favorite of the 3 we have listened to, but mostly cause it's different than what I expect out of Stevie Wonder. Still liked it a lot, and don't hate that he chose to go a different direction musically.
Devendra Banhart
3/5
Solid folk. Not much else to say. No low points. Started out pretty good and just stayed in that lane the whole time. A bit repetitive if anything.
The 13th Floor Elevators
3/5
I do not care for the vocals at any point. The rest of the band does a good enough job with jamming. No lows or highs to really speak of. Some of the persisting background effects were neat. This album kinda came and went.
The Lemonheads
3/5
Allison did happen to me.
Drive Like Jehu
2/5
Didn't expect to like it after the first song, but honestly it was manageable. It wasn't good though. And way too long.
This is math rock! Don't care for it.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
Listening to In Your Eyes wants me to make this a 4 so badly. Great song. Otherwise I'm pretty whelmed on the whole album. Definitely a unique voice and I really like how punchy the drums are.
Cheap Trick
3/5
As far as live albums go, this one was probably my least favorite that has been on the list. The last couple sounds are definitely the hits though. High 3.
Hugh Masekela
3/5
Solid background jazz. Felt like a lot of the same though and for quite a long time. Very solidly a 3
Nick Drake
4/5
Really enjoyed the last Nick Drake album and I think Kev mentioned that if I liked Five Leaves Left by Nick Drake, then I would probably enjoy Pink Moon by Nick Drake even more.
I really like Nick Drake's voice. Kinda reminds me of Colin Hay.
I really liked the guitar work on Which Will. It felt like the guitar strings were loosened. It gave it nice, fat sounding notes but still very precise.
I would say that this Nick Drake album is on par with the last Nick Drake album. Good job, Nick Drake!
Death In Vegas
3/5
First couple songs were angsty/grungey and I was not looking forward to the rest of the album. That changed after Flying - Aladdins Story which was a great stretch.
Didn't care for Broken Little Sister, but I liked the songs to close it out.
Half of the songs belong in the high 4 range, but the songs I didnt like are squarely in the 2 range.
Feels fair to make this an interestingly high 3 star album.
Duke Ellington
4/5
Perfectly fitting that I am in New Orleans while listening to this album.
Nothing but great jazz, not sure what else to say about the good things in this album. It's pretty much exactly what I expected. A little long as for most albums, but the fact that this is a live album it's perfectly fine with me.
I am a bit confused on Spotify's Disc 1 and Disc 2 since it has some of the same songs on each. I listened through Mood Indigo on Disc 2 because that's when they say good night to everyone.
Ali Farka Touré
2/5
Same thing as last Ali Farka Toure review. Fine enough, but certainly not very engaging.
Rocket From The Crypt
3/5
On a Rope was pretty catchy. Rest of it was above average punk.
Elvis Presley
3/5
This gets a very similar review to Savane. Not bad, just really not an engaging listen for me. Luckily there's a bit more going on in this album so it'll get a 3, but it's not very high.
The Stooges
2/5
This album has fuzz. The songs were average at best and the singer sounded like he was on heroin or something.
R.E.M.
3/5
Nothing crazy on this one. REM is fairly middle of the road for me as is. Catapult and Shaking Through were some of my favorites as they had a unique sound to them. The singers voice is fairly recognizable without being overly good or bad.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Great album to listen to while flying around in outer space in Outer Wilds.
Not much to say about this album except that it nails just about everything. I especially love the backing vocals throughout.
Christina Aguilera
4/5
Not usually my cup of tea, but you cannot deny the talent on this album. Zero songs that I knew going into this and I really enjoyed it from start to finish.
This is one of those ones that I enjoyed, but I just don't know when I would pick it to listen again.
The The
3/5
Better than the last The The album. Still get Depeche Mode vibes from the singer, but this one was a little more lighthearted and eccentric. Kinda like Talking Heads.
Strong 3 for this one, especially when my expectations were low coming in.
Ravi Shankar
3/5
Dude can definitely shred. Not really my type of music, and I don't think I needed a tutorial album for it. That being said, there was nothing wrong with this as some working background music.
Sonic Youth
2/5
Writing my review about a week late so it's not very detailed.
Feels like this alternates between noise rock songs and decent psychedelic/grunge. Some songs I thought were pretty good, but not enough to balance the bad.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
Pretty atmospheric. Unique album for sure. Headphones recommended. Interesting that it was more of a narration than singing, didn't hate that!
3.5 for straight up enjoyability with the bump for unique.
Gotan Project
4/5
I expected this to be a rather homogenous dance album which would have been fine, but I was pleasantly surprised by the electronic twang that this album has. The variety was unexpected as well.
Reminded me a lot of Gramatik; that coffee shop electronica.
Primal Scream
4/5
This album is not what I was expecting. It fell a bit into the background, but it was more alternative/classic than I was expecting.
Maybe a 3.5, but this warrants a re-listen so if I give it a 4 it'll show up again
Happy Mondays
3/5
I did not need to listen to this album before I died.
The Sabres Of Paradise
3/5
Trip Hop? Really did not get along with many of these songs as they felt noise rocky. Tow Truck was an exception though, really enjoyed that one. Same with Theme.
THERE IS A PLANET D
Overall, not an album I loved, but it did have redeeming qualities. The beginning really soured me, but I grew to enjoy it as the album carried on. Would be interested to listen to this group more if this is one of their earlier works.
Interesting we have this album, Gotan Project, and upcoming Portishead as it pertains to trip hop. Kev must be happy!
This is on the low side of 3. A few 1 star songs at the beginning, followed by a couple 4 star songs, then a bunch of 3s to finish. Definitely wanted to give this a bump to 3 for keeping me engaged for better or worse.
Grant Lee Buffalo
3/5
This album was a perfectly fine album. Good-to-great guitar work. Little bit down tempo, almost country-esque. Otherwise it never really hooked my attention. mid-low 3
Syd Barrett
2/5
Didn't really like this. It feels like The Beatles but with no depth.
I think it was fine at best, and headache inducing at worst. Maybe this album caught me at a bad time.
Portishead
2/5
Listened to Portishead 5-6 years ago on recommendation from my foreman at work who was definitely a hard drug enjoyer.
Didn't like it then, don't really like it now.
I think I understand trip hop as a genre a bit better today than I did 5-6 years ago, but this still just isn't for me. Too slow with decent but boring grooves. Singer being monotone is also a minus.
Maybe on ketamine.
Gillian Welch
3/5
A nice relaxing album. Pretty voice, simple structure, no surprises or anything. Perfectly middle of the road as far as albums go.
Not the most exciting, but there's no real flaws with this one.
Neil Young
2/5
Pretty boring album that didn't really feel like it went anywhere with a singer who felt flat the entire time.
Nothing about this album stood out to me. Low 2
Aimee Mann
3/5
A perfectly fine album. Little folky/country for the first half which was like a low 3. Then we got to the second half of the album starting with Jacob Marleys chain where I think it achieved high 3 status. This leads me to average it out to a square 3.
Not the best album to run to, but I've had worse.
The Isley Brothers
5/5
Funky, groovy, great singing. Shades of Chicago or Weather Report
Summer Breeze was sampled by Griz for Summer '97 and this is the first time I have heard it. Love finding those nuggets on this list. If I had any doubts of giving this a 5 before this song, they were just wiped away.
Circle Jerks
2/5
This is about what I expected from the "Circle Jerks"
Bonus points for being short. Most punk albums should be this long.
Ministry
3/5
Had low expectations on this one at the beginning, but it settled into a perfectly fine album. Overall this would have been better suited for a run or playing something like DOOM, not general housework.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
Bring on da funk! Smooth as butter.
Really liked "Think" as a standout to an already great album.
Funkadelic
4/5
Another good funk album. Comparing it to Superfly and 3 + 3 as those are all very recent. I like that they all had distinctly different styles. This one was definitely a lot jammier which lead to being more of a background noise album, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
No real standouts, but very solid stuff.
Dion
4/5
Some great classic rock from a guy I have never heard on. Reminds me of Jackson Browne a bit.
Ash
3/5
First song absolutely rocked, kinda made me disappointed the rest of the album until the last song.
Would have liked more shredding and less singing. Felt very average besides that first song.
Japan
2/5
I liked the start. Depeche Mode type singer which I don't like. Pretty ho hum album.
High 2
The Band
4/5
The Review
The Pogues
4/5
This album makes me want to drink a pint or 6.
This one had plenty of energy and plenty of fun instruments. Pretty simple review, but I wasn't listening too closely.
This one hits the 3.5 star mark very well for me. Giving it a bump cause of the Celtic energy.
Basement Jaxx
2/5
Early electronic stuff definitely paved the way for what we have today, but it is not so glamorous listening back on it.
Definitely had me bopping as house music has a tendency to do, but I don't think I enjoyed it as a whole. The songs lacked cohesion that I would expect out of an album. The lyrics are very much from 1999. There's some cool sound design, but it never really got put together.
A 2.5 is in order for this one. Probably giving it more credit for being early electronic, but I am rounding down based purely on enjoyment.
Aphex Twin
4/5
Sound design is definitely top notch on this album. Song construction leaves a bit to the imagination though. I was definite grooving at points during this album and I appreciate listening to it with good headphones.
This is an album where I enjoy bits and pieces, but as a whole it just doesn't quite do it for me. I understand why this is "your favorite DJs favorite DJ", but it wasn't quite there for me.
This hits that 3-3.5 realm for me, with a biased bump up knowing that Aphex Twin influenced so much EDM that I love + the sound design is incredible.
The Coral
4/5
Pixies
3/5
This album notably had no bossanova tracks.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
Started off a bit slow, but then got right into the Paul Simon that I know and love. Perfect for a snowy day. Calm for the most part, but has some more up tempo "bangers".
Pantera
3/5
I like the energy that Pantera brings, but this one divulged into a slower style that went on for just a bit too long. This album almost feels like it has shades of jam band in it. I felt like I got in a rhythm a lot of times when it had my attention.
3.5 but I'm rounding down for length and the fact that I likely won't listen to this one again.
The Monkees
3/5
Gee Willikers! These Monkees and their Rock n Roll is really something! I can't wait to share a malt with my sweetie while listening to an 8-track of these Monkees!
Daft Punk
4/5
Feels like a pretty raw sounding electric album with loads of memorable hooks that I was certainly bopping to. Definitely falls into that early electronic category of some of the most repetitive music of all time, but they did a good job with innovative sound after innovative sound.
Ice T
4/5
Really enjoying the bouncy, clean production in the beats that really nail that 90's hip-hop sound. I also really like Ice-T's flow and annunciation.
The interludes with the girl interviewing/presenting a report is pretty funny.
Bitches 2 was a standout for the story it told and the beat had me dancing while making coffee.
Easy 4, thought about a 5 but it was a bit long and fell into the background until that rock song came on. Very enjoyable album and one of my favorite gangster rap albums we have listened to on this list.
Rush
5/5
Love Rush and I also have all but one of these songs on a playlist somewhere (sorry Red Barchetta, not sure why you didn't make the cut).
Tom Sawyer, YYZ, and Limelight are all incredible songs. The rest of the album is a solid 4 if we were to exclude those songs.
I am amazed at how much I like all of the components of Rush. Geddy Lee's vocals are great, though I could see how someone would not like them. Neil Peart really shows off why he is arguably the best drummer in the world (RIP).
Honestly I thought this was going to be a slam dunk 5, but I did deliberate giving this a 4 toward the end of the album because it starts to sound a bit samey. Then I listened to the first couple songs again and remembered the highs.
Femi Kuti
4/5
Loved this. Brought me back a bit to St. Lucia with the afrobeats. Another high 4. I would love to listen to Femi (and Fela) Kuti on at any beach bar at any time.
Janet Jackson
2/5
Kind of a snooze fest and a long one at that. Very typical pop beats that I would expect out of the early 90s where it is moving away from the 80's "cheese", but not completely leaving it in the rearview as it still has bits of that.
Alice Cooper
3/5
Expected hair metal, got some rock opera.
3.5 stars probably until Sick Things. That and I Love the Dead felt like Disney songs.
Decent album, high 3
Robert Wyatt
4/5
Good album cover, good album. Sounded like Nick Cave in a way where it was "sing-talking". Sometimes the mix too heavily favored the vocals, which were not wonderful at times. However, the lyrics, the cadence, and the rest of the instruments were a real treat. Weird at times, but not top the degree of a Frank Zappa.
The Beach Boys
3/5
This has been one of my favorite Beach Boys/BB-adjacent albums. Still don't really love this old pop rock quite too much and I'm happy it was mostly left in the 60's.
Shuggie Otis
4/5
This is a weird one on Spotify because it looks like it might be two albums smushed together. I am deferring to Wikipedia on this one and am listening through "Not Available".
Shuggie Otis is an incredible name.
This is some great walking funk. Never really hit any notable highs, but it is just a consistently good groove that had me bopping for 30 mins. It feels like the opposite of Beach Boys where even if it's not my favorite funk/soul, I love the genre so much that it's hard to dip below a 4.
I decided to listen to a bit past Not Available and it stayed great. Still not happy with Spotify on this one.
Incredible Bongo Band
4/5
Not sure what to expect going into this one.
Damn that's a lot of bongos.
In all seriousness I did not expect this to be so proggy/funky but I liked it a lot. Felt like Fela Kuti/Ginger Baker at times and Emerson/Lake/Palmer at other times.
A couple knocks on this album is it feels very long and very homogenous for what I would really like in an album. Sure some of these solos rock, but hearing them straight for an hour makes them get a bit tired.
The bad didn't nearly outweigh the good though. Pretty much brought it from a mid/high 4 to a mid/low 4.
The Zombies
3/5
Saw "The Zombies" and expected The Cranberries. Was a bit confusing for a minute.
Cool album cover. Album left a bit to be desired. Hits right around a 2.5/5. I'm going to call it a rare "low 3".
Isaac Hayes
4/5
Smooth and enjoyable! The last song has me scared it was just going to be an 18 minute diatribe, but it really came together as a great way to end the album.
Hookworms
5/5
A+ album cover.
This album rocked. Felt like a mix of Arcade Fire, MGMT, and Kraftwerk. Was especially bumping to "Opener".
Boxing Day and Reunion took me out of it a bit because I was on a run listening to this, but Shortcomings brought it right back.
Contemplated a high 4, but this album deserves a 5 because I certainly want to come back to it at some point.
Definitely on a heater right now!
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
Holy fuzz!
You know, for punk/punk-adjacent, I kind of liked this. A little bit moany on the lyrics, but there was something about this album that must have hit me just right, cause I feel like I would normally hate this. High 3, thought about a 4 just cause it's punk.
Klaxons
3/5
A perfectly fine album. I listened to this one twice because I was a bit distracted the first time, but it fell into the background a bit in the second listen as well.
High 3.
Suede
3/5
A very generic rock album. Not a single thing stood out to me, but it was a fine listen.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
3/5
Looking at this album cover I was expecting some noise rock or some avantgarde punk bs (think Captain Beefheart and The Magic Trout or whatever). One could argue that this is nearly the opposite.
Nice set morning diddies while getting some work done. Short and sweet. Somewhere in the high 3 realm. Could feasibly see this as a 4, but I don't think I'll grab this one again.
Fever Ray
4/5
Another one that sits right between a 3 and 4 for me. Very atmospheric and punchy. A little more down tempo than I usually go for, but it kept my interest the whole time.
Biggest knock would be the homogeneity that I always like to mention.
Biggest ups goes to just the general production. Very clean and felt like the focal point with the vocals being complimentary.
I was going to round down, but I really enjoyed Coconut and I'm in a good mood.
4/5
For all the butt rock I listened to on Likewise/iTunes/Grooveshark, I never listened to much Limp Bizkit.
Thought this was going to be some hyper butt because of the name, but I thoroughly enjoyed this album. Impressive blend of heavy metal, rap, and pop punk that paired nicely with a freezing run. They definitely got some big names to feature on this album.
Good album, cringey name.
10cc
4/5
Love the bass and keys on this one. Really feels like a late 60's album but a bit more polished. Production feels so sharp.
Lenny Kravitz
4/5
Lenny Kravitz is one of those names I have always been familiar with, but have never listened to.
Psychedelic and bluesy for sure. Lands somewhere in the 3.5 range for me, but we're gonna keep this heater train rolling with another 4.
Radiohead
3/5
No denying the technical prowess and wide array of instruments used in this one. His voice is better in this one than most others, but still a bit whiny.
Overall I think Radiohead is "good", I just don't think it's my personal jam.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
Wasn't expecting an n-bomb.
Perfectly good album. 3-3.5
Finley Quaye
3/5
Nothing wrong with some nice chill reggae. At least one of the songs had an electronic funk to it that reminded me of Gramatik. A couple of the songs were 4 star songs, but most of the album fell comfortably into a solid 3.
The Birthday Party
1/5
It's a no from me dog.
Listened to this for about 10 mins during a run and had to change it.
Had a laugh or two during the album. More laughs than stars I'd like to give this.
Meat Puppets
3/5
Had to listen to this one twice because I quite liked the beginning, there was some out of place punk in the middle, then it just fell flat at the end.
I was intrigued by the really good songs kin Aurora Borealis and I'm a Mindless Idiot. Unfortunately the good didnt outweigh the bad here and it'll find itself in as a square 3.
Crowded House
3/5
A pleasant listen! High 3.
Super Furry Animals
4/5
Mostly chill album with some odd but enjoyable electronic dips.
Loved "No Sympathy"
Aretha Franklin
3/5
Great voice. Perfectly fine album. No notes.
Iron Butterfly
4/5
Interestingly short album where the title track is almost half the entire album.
Overall it sounds like a progressive Hendrix project.
Hole
3/5
Don't love the grunginess. There's some good music in here, but it quickly gets wiped away with repetitive screaming. 2.5 stars.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Probably my least favorite Led Zeppelin so far on this list, but it was still awesome. Guitars shred.
3/5
I still think the term "blue-eyed soul" is objectively funny.
I always enjoy an album with strings and brass and this fits the bill. Very high 3, but didn't ever catch my attention enough to warrant a 4.
R.E.M.
4/5
This definitely sounds like an REM album. The singers voice is so recognizable, but the backtracking is also pretty distinguishable. That said, I liked this REM album. I think in past albums I have mentioned how it isnt anything special, but this album seems to be my favorite so far.
John Lee Hooker
4/5
Dang this is some really amazing blues. The first half has the energy that I certainly love and the back half settles into the softer side of blues.
Lots of great features here as well, especially Santana.
Very nearly a 5 here, but the back half lulled just a bit more than I would like.
Obligatory David Burt shoutout.
Neil Young
3/5
Good album. I guess I don't really know why Neil Young is so well-known. His music is fine, but I just don't see how this is a person whose name I have known pretty much my whole life.
The Teardrop Explodes
3/5
At times this felt like Talking Heads. I enjoyed the beginning a lot more and the end seemed to get a bit lost/bland toward the end.
Miles Davis
3/5
Definitely would take drugs and pee my pants to this album.
Nice smooth jazz that operates really well as background music. Not sure if I liked it as much as other jazz, but it lands right around the 3.5 mark with no intention of coming back to this particular album.
Morrissey
3/5
Another Morrissey 3. Kinda poppy, kinda rocky. That's about it.
Frank Sinatra
4/5
Love the soft steady guitar paired with the smooth and steady voice. Really liked the intro and outro songs tying the whole things together.
This album makes me want to smoke a cig inside while drinking a martini.
Soft 4 here.
MC Solaar
3/5
Flow was solid throughout, but it was pretty standard rap that happens to be in French.
There was a short background vocal sample in Armand est mort that I have heard elsewhere. Wonder where that's from.
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
I know I rated the last DMC album as a 5, but that was like the third album we got and I was excited.
That said, I really like the duet style rapping where they alternate who is saying the lines. The beats here are relatively basic sounding that don't get me too excited. I would say that their rapping is kinda cheesy as well for some of the topics they rap about.
Thinking about a 2 here, but I went back and listened to some of the start again and that saved me.
Metallica
5/5
Metal in ya face!
I feel like I have only listened to this album in its entirety a time or two in my life. It definitely rocks out. Damage Inc was a great way to end it.
Hard to find any reason to go below a 5 here.
U2
4/5
U2 does a great job of evoking feeling of triumph and sorrow in the same album. I have always enjoyed U2 and this album strengthens that stance. Definitely a high 4 here.
Les Rythmes Digitales
4/5
Disco II Disco WAHHHHHHHHH
I listened to this while running and didn't think it was anything special. Listened to part of it again with proper headphones and I could certainly hear a difference.
This album definitely has its moments, but is fairly repetitive with few standouts. Mid-low 3.
EDIT: Listened to this with better headphones and it was significantly better than earbuds. Easy 4; I was jamming around the kitchen
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
Tons of piano and a solid voice. Possibly my favorite Costello album we have had.
High 3.
John Cale
4/5
A well-balanced mix of beautiful, jaunty, and shreddy. Had just the right amount of energy along with a nice voice while also hitting some of the softer parts really nicely.
Radiohead
3/5
More whining from Mr. Thom and this one never quite got me in a groove.
Backdrifts was a standout.
Best thing about Radiohead is the production. Otherwise, they aren't really my style.
Buck Owens
3/5
Perfect length for an album like this. Good voice and overall just a pleasant album.
Sugar
3/5
This was an above-average but still generic radio rock album. Sounds like some royalty free music you could put into a coming of age movie.
Enjoyable enough listen, but nothing special. 3.25
Joni Mitchell
3/5
Sure. Good for a singer/songwriter album, but isn't anything more than that.
Harry's House/Centerpiece was the best on this album.
Jamiroquai
4/5
This album is the bee's knees and that's without Canned Heat on the track list.
This could be an everyday listen with how in the groove I got. Very high 4 with a potential of being a 5 in the perfect circumstance.
Jazmine Sullivan
3/5
Listened to this one twice. Great voice. Beats and production are solid. Interludes were fine at best. Even though this was 32 minutes it felt longer..
Anderson Paak was a good feature.
High 3 here. Thought the second listen would get it to a 4, but it wasn't quite there for me.
January 2021 puts this at the latest release so far!
The Smiths
3/5
Morrissey and co have done it again with another perfectly fine album. Maybe a 3.5 stars here, but definitely not a 4.
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
Hell yeah Block Rocking Beat.
Definitely has its moments, but is a pretty noisy album.
This one is a 2.5, but I'm going to round up because even though I didn't love it, I was engaged with what was going no the whole time. Great process, but not a great result in my eyes. Last track also saved it. Heater.
Morrissey
3/5
Mr. Consistent.
Maybe my favorite album by him? Not a high bar to surpass or anything.
The Flaming Lips
4/5
Another very pretty and psychedelic album from the Flaming Lips. Race for the Prize is possibly my favorite song by them and it really starts the album off with some heat.
It's hard not to compare it to Yoshimi because that album is excellent. This album is a lot more serene and spacey.
This was the first time I listened to this album in its entirety. I think it is a very high 4 which could climb to a 5 with some more familiarity. But for now I just don't think it gave me the "5" feeling.
Steely Dan
5/5
Steely Dan does it again with another terrific, possibly their best album so far.
Listened to this one thrice and each time was just as good as the last. The biggest revelation about this 1001 albums project is how much I enjoy Steely Dan.
Caetano Veloso
4/5
Short, enjoyable listen. Absolutely nothing wrong with an album like this. Fun quasi-psychedelia.
This is a 4 star that I am unlikely to revisit. Was thinking 3.5 stars, but the fact that this is from 1968 is incredible. I figured it was from the 80's or 00's before I checked.
Beyoncé
3/5
XO was one of my favorites. Execution was fine on this album, but nothing else really stood out to me.
Spiritualized
3/5
🛸 SpAaAaCeY 🛸
Album art is great (not just because of alien boobs)
Kind of a tough listen while running, but I would certainly come back to this one. Possible edit in the future after listening with some good headphones and an edible.
Angel Sigh really hooked me, but it sucks that the hook came in the third to last song.
This is a 3 with reservations to edit after a proper listen.
Bee Gees
4/5
This is not at all what I expected out of the Bee Gees. I was thinking 60s pop/beach rock. This felt more like a rock opera or movie score.
Seven Seas Symphony was great.
Country Joe & The Fish
3/5
Very middle of the road. No real surprises for this one. The standout was the whispers of "L....S....D" in my earholes.
Bauhaus
2/5
Good bassist. Whole album was a little lackluster and dreary for me.
Random reggae song was something.
Two five
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
3/5
Quintessential classic rock. American Girl = banger. Wasn't super excited about much else.
Giant Sand
2/5
Slow and depressing. Reminds me of a worse Nick Cave.
Was pretty much ready for this one to end once I started it.
Radiohead
3/5
Great album art. Okay album.
The Auteurs
2/5
Blandest alt rock I've probably ever heard.
Wu-Tang Clan
4/5
Love this style of rap/hip hop. From the punchy, bouncing beats to the collaborative style of having multiple artists on tracks; similar to Tribe.
First time listen and I'm happy to give this a high 4. Would definitely come back to this one and look forward to more Wu.
Sabu
2/5
Fine music, but not something I need 40 minutes of.
Rhapsodia Del Maravilloso was a favorite.
2.5 here. Repetition was the downside. Rhapsodia and Tribilin Contore gave it that extra 0.5.
Deee-Lite
3/5
Kinda fun, high energy, poppy. No real standouts, but no real low notes. Repetitive, but not overly so.
Mid-low 3. A nice change of pace when comparing to Sabu.
Wire
2/5
Same thing over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.
Another punk album that somehow averages like 90 seconds per song. Could have been half the amount of songs and I'd still think it's too long.
You'd think a band only wanting to have songs be 45 seconds would have more creative shit going on and just fail to make it all cohesive. Would not like to see these guys live. It's like they're allergic to groove.
Solange
3/5
Good voice and good production. Some lovely R&B through and through.
High 3 territory on this one. Not my personal fave, but I respect it.
Can
2/5
Started off fine. Ended bad weird.
Low 2. Kinda made my day worse.
The Doors
3/5
Love the keyboard throughout. That's certainly the highlight.
Riders on the Storm was a good one to listen to on this rainy day.
This one veered toward 3.5 at times, but it kind of came and went most other times.
Tom Waits
2/5
It's like a bad Randy Newman.
Hawkwind
4/5
Solid from start to finish. Reminded me a bit of the Deep Purple live set with a skosh of acid.
Dr. Dre
4/5
Although I still am not the hugest rap fan in the world I understand why this is one of the greats. Really enjoyable listen with plenty of energy. Gonna give this one a 4 for now and I'll likely relisten at some point in my life.
Tim Buckley
4/5
Went in thinking Americana, left feeling satisfied with some good funky funky. Not world class by any means, but a nice 40 minute hit to brighten the day a bit.
Low 4
Magazine
3/5
Was pleasantly surprised at the beginning of this album based on the derangement of the album cover. About half way through though it settled into more of what I was expecting with the weirdness and punkiness.
Stereolab
4/5
Electro groooooove. This one had me in the pocket all the way through.
I bet Kevin likes this cause it's French.
The Bees
4/5
A pleasant groovy number. A bit spacey. A nice album to just chill tf out to.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
3/5
Wow this album is significantly better than the previous Captain Beefheart album.
The beginning was mixed weird or something cause the vocals felt very off to me. The whole album settled in quite nicely as the instrumentals started hitting.
Very very solid 3 here. I feel like I am very biased because I expected this to suck eggs. Had some moments I thought it was a 4 and some moments that I thought it would be a 2 so those kinda cancel out.
A Tribe Called Quest
3/5
I like this album a lot for similar reasoning to Wu Tang; great flow, fun beats, and the Collab nature is great.
While each song on this album was good in it's own right, I feel like the album had some oddly abrupt transitions from song to song; maybe it was a Spotify thing, but it was off-putting.
Ham N Eggs was a fun but admittedly cheesy number.
I went into this with high hopes. Most of the songs definitely had me grooving, but the lack of true standouts + the choppiness of transitions between songs brought this from a 4 to a very high 3.
Brb gonna go listen to Electric Relaxation.
David Bowie
3/5
This felt different than most Bowie albums we have had so far (this is the ninth album holy hell).
This one felt more like an atmospheric adventure, especially in the second half.
I think I have heard Sound and Vision before.
I sincerely don't think I need any more Bowie. At least he's better than Morrissey.
3.5 here.
Burning Spear
3/5
This album is reggae.
That's my whole takeaway.
Adam & The Ants
2/5
This one was eccentric and certainly was not one of my favorites. It was never awful though, I was just ready to be done with it after 2-3 tracks.
This one has more of a "high 2" energy compared to a "low 3". I can't really quantify it, but I'm sure you guys understand the difference.
Todd Rundgren
4/5
This is a long album. It better be good.
Feels like an anthology of well known artists. One song sounds like Talking Heads, then a song sounding like Jackson Browne, then one sounding like Steely Dan/Masayoshi Takanaka, then one sounding like The Beatles.
Good bit to put "Intro" in the middle. I actually liked the sound/recording lesson.
Good album. Still a bit longer than I usually like, but it made the most of it. Had a bit of everything and was executed at a high level.
Emmylou Harris
4/5
Its a point that I have made numerous times during this project, but real country music is awesome. The instruments and energy are incredible and you throw a great voice like this and you have me tapping my sole.
Really good stuff. I don't know exactly when I would listen to this again, but I would be perfectly happy to do so.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
3/5
This was a good album, but it really just came and went. Anytime I was tuned in it was perfectly fine, but I often forgot I was listening to anything.
3.5, but never really caught my attention so I'll round down
PJ Harvey
3/5
Not too much to write about this one. I liked the vocals. Pretty album. High 3.
Written on the Forehead was a favorite.
Bobby Womack
3/5
Another high 3. I really enjoy this genre of music, but comparing to other soul music it is just solid/average. Great voice and groove, but nothing truly stood out to me about this album.
50 Cent
4/5
Anytime we get a rap album like this I'm always curious to know how much gangster stuff the rapper actually has been a part of. I know 50 Cent got shot, but I'm curious about rappers as a whole, especially after they have successful music careers.
That being said this album was a good one. Solid beats with understandable lyrics is always good. Some of the beats felt like they got reused on the album though, not sure if that's intentional or not.
It was entertaining that all of the songs were about guns and crime and cars and status and then there's "21 Questions" where all of the sudden he gets sappy, then it goes right back to the gun stuff.
Cornershop
3/5
Getting strong Barenaked Ladies vibes from this. Middle of the album was a curveball.
This album kept losing my attention and seemed to be a bit disjointed as well as lacking in overall energy. However, it had some interesting bits and pieces and overall had a bit of a groove. Pretty standard, if not a little bit low 3.
Frank Black
2/5
Thought this was gonna be punk, but it settled into a chill album. This album feels like an early 00's album even though it's from '94. I know that's not so far ahead of its time, but maybe it was a bit of an influence.
Oh nvm it keeps going back to punk-adjacent.
Too long for being so mid. I didn't enjoy this, but I don't think it was bad. High 2 I guess.
k.d. lang
3/5
Good voice and good composition. Not quite my type of music normally, but it was a pleasant listen, if not a bit boring.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
Love Solsberry Hill, one of my all time favorites.
Other than that this felt like a very discombobulated album, like it was supposed to be a greatest hits album or something. I enjoyed it for the most part, but it really didn't feel like an album to me.
High 3. Maybe I was expecting too much being Peter Gabriel and all.
The Magnetic Fields
4/5
Nice.
The original Book of Love version! Scrubs' finale episode uses a covered version of this song.
For being 3 hours, I actually enjoyed this for the most part. It is still entirely too long, but I never felt like it was droning on.
This is easily in the 3.5-4 star range. The length itself is a negative, but I think in this case I commend The Magnetic Fields for filling it out as well as they did, definitely not easy to have a 3 disc album that doesn't really get stale.
Soft 4 after all of that.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Thanks Bruce. Little too close to pop country for me, but no real complaints.
Barry Adamson
4/5
Something Wicked This Way Comes is an absolute gem.
It's Business As Usual is well done, but it felt like I was listening to an adaptation of Se7en.
Not at all surprised that Nick Cave worked on this album.
Alternating from jazzy, noir songs into uneasy songs certainly kept me focused.
After the second song this was on a 5 star trajectory. This album really felt like listening to a movie. Really enjoyed the actual songs. I also enjoyed the interludes, but not nearly as much as some of the songs. Overall this settles into a 4 with no real expectation that I'll come back.
Elton John
4/5
Great keys, great voice.
Public Enemy
3/5
According to my last Public Enemy review I really didn't care for them. I think a lot of the same sentiment is back this time. Felt kind of all over the place. It had a pretty clear message though throughout. Not the best, not the worst.
Moby Grape
4/5
Nice morning album.
The Byrds
4/5
Another pleasant '60s album with a touch of psychedelia.
Low 4.
Dagmar Krause
2/5
Not bad, but not really sure what it was. Musical? Not my jam.
Kings of Leon
3/5
I wouldn't have guessed this was Kings of Leon if you gave me 1000 guesses.
High 3.
The Mars Volta
3/5
Great album cover.
Good energy and unique sounds. At first I was thinking it was just some run of the mill emo/alt rock that was popular around that time, but Cicatriz Esp was a real standout on what sounds they could achieve.
This album has some characteristics of a really good album, but there is that whiny/punky sound that I really dislike. I think this is very squarely a 3.5, but I am rounding down just because the last song really emphasized the parts that I don't like about the album. Could be a 4 on the right day.
Justice
5/5
Excellent production. Waters of Nazareth made my ears feel funny in a good way.
Great mix of dance and glitch which is a favorite of mine.
The hits certainly hit on this one and the rest of the tracks support them splendidly.
10 weeks till Bonnaroo.
Laura Nyro
3/5
Nothing wrong with this one. Feels like it could be a 4 with another listen. Second half was either better than the first half, or that's when I just was paying more attention.
Good voice, good groove.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
Cheesy! Pretty solid listen that was broken up by various calls during my work day so I might have unfairly lost some flow, but I still enjoyed it enough. High 3.
Orbital
4/5
Another Orbital album! In my last review I said I might come back to Oribtal 2 and I certainly did. I have probably listened to that album another 5-6 times so I am happy to get more Orbital.
Feels like a very similar album with maybe a little bit more variety in sound.
Kein Trink Wasser is a winner.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Very good album with an absolute classic of an ending song. Was bordering in the 3.5 realm until You Cant Always Get What You Want which is really up there for favorite songs of all time. No real blemishes on this one either.
Judas Priest
4/5
Liked it!
Isaac Hayes
4/5
Grooooovy.
Loved every second of this. High 4.
Ghostface Killah
4/5
Really enjoyed this one especially when it caught stride right around the middle starting with Crack Spot and Whip You With A Strap. It definitely fell into a more R&B style toward the end which I'm certainly not criticizing.
Overall I would come back to this one for a few more listens. Pretty square 4 for me.
Billy Bragg
4/5
Fun that this is done with Wilco.
Listened to this one twice. First listen hit around that 3.5 realm, but another listen definitely bumped it up to that low/mid 4. An interesting blend of a great country voice with some folky/alternative vibes to keep it upbeat when needed.
Gram Parsons
2/5
Another country/Americana album that is just ho-hum. Cool to see Emmylou Harris on here. Wasn't super excited at the start but it was an easy album to get through. No real complaints. One song sounded like a Jackson Browne track. High 2/low 3 here.
Love
2/5
Another folky type singer-songwriter album. Cool album cover and a cool name.
This album is almost like sing talking. My feelings toward it are very similar to Gram Parsons which we just listened to an album before. Probably could be a 3, but I enjoyed Gram Parsons a smidge more.
Harry Nilsson
2/5
This one is right in line with the Love and Gram Parsons of feeling like just nothing happened in the album. Not necessarily bad, but the drumming bit in Jump Into the Fire was the only thing that caught my attention.
Same as the previous two: could be a 3, but I liked it less than Love and Gram Parsons so its in the High 2 range.
The National
3/5
We're on a folky kick and maybe I'm not in the mood for folk or I just need my head checked. This one had some spacey/shoegaziness to it that reminded me of Radiohead at times.
This one will land in the forgettable list when I look back at this project. Low 3.
Nina Simone
3/5
Pretty solid, but honestly I didn't even realize it ended.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
Right in there with the rest of the singer/songwriter albums. Not bad, but not for me.
CHIC
4/5
Perfectly funky and groovy.
Didn't really like At Last I Am Free, but the rest of the album had me boogieing.
William Orbit
3/5
Feels a lot like Boards of Canada with the electronic jams. Good, not great. I will say I will relisten to this one and then never do it.
John Lennon
3/5
Started out hot with one of the greatest songs of all time. Nothing else about this album particularly wowed me. I'm sure there's some lore behind this album that I don't know.
Jerry Lee Lewis
3/5
Good energy. Nice and short. Pretty homogenous.
AC/DC
3/5
Never been a huge AC/DC guy and this didn't change my perception too much. Obviously there are some hits I am super familiar with. Feels very much the same from start to finish though. Although I like Brian Johnson's voice, it pretty much sounds the exact same on every track here.
Erykah Badu
4/5
I liked this one a lot. Great voice with an overall smoothness to the album that makes it an easy listener. I was surprised this was released in 2000. I was expecting 2018 or so.
Had a bit more oomph in the first half that had me holding out hope for a sneaky 5, but it settled nicely into a 4.
Queen Latifah
3/5
Not usually my jam, but I was bopping to the first few songs. It definitely started to drag a bit to the point where I was ready for it to be over just about halfway through. Low 3
The Beta Band
3/5
Listened to this one on my ear pods so I'm hoping it wasn't another Les Rythmes Digitales situation where I was missing a lot of the depth of the album.
Felt like a slower, electronic singer/songwriter album almost. I didn't like it as much as the other Beta Band album we got. Pretty middle of the road here, will re-listen if I figure out that it is better with headphones.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
4/5
Love a nice jazzy album to end my work week. Has a driving bassline and pleasant array of instruments that works beautifully as background music.
The beginning of Kathy's Waltz gives me Severance vibes but in major key.
High 3/low 4, giving it the bump because it's Friday and I have been in a pretty sour mood on my last few reviews.
Calexico
4/5
This album went to a few interesting places while overall being a more laid-back a grooving album.
I really liked Attack El Robot! Attack.
Definitely want to revisit this one. It was fairly unique, chill, and great for a rainy work day.
Goldie
3/5
Another unique album. I feel like we have gotten a good dose of 90's electronic/techno but not too much in the DnB realm. Interested to have a listen as DnB is making its way back into popularity in the EDM space.
State of Mind stood out to me as a soft and pretty track after the previous two harder tracks.
Overall this one had its brighter moments and no real lows. It was a tad long, but no real complaints after all was said and done. Was thinking low 4 at a point, but it kinda drifted at the end. Happy to give this one a high 3.
Michael Jackson
3/5
This one falls into a very similar realm to most pop albums where the hits are great and everything else just falls flat. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I have heard some of these songs hundreds of times.
Sufjan Stevens
4/5
This one had some Vampire Weekend vibes to it. Unique and whimsical throughout. Definitely have heard Chicago before.
Definitely got interrupted a fair bit during this one so I think it deserves a relisten in full. Despite that it had a lot of beauty and airiness to it that I liked. I also like the album cover and the song titles, but that doesn't move the needle much for a review like this.
Can
4/5
This album was a fun little ride! Not much to say expect I was jamming start to finish.
Yes
4/5
Yes has a lot more hits that I always thought were Led Zeppelin songs lol. Looking back at Close to the Edge I also mentioned them sounding like Led Zeppelin
Another strong album from Yes.
Blur
3/5
I'm still trying to figure out the exact difference between "all over the place" and "good variety", but this one is more in the "all over the place" category.
Never really got hooked by this one, but never really hated it either.
Portishead
3/5
Didn't care for the last Portishead album.
Silence had me in a bit of a groove, but I didn't care for the abrupt change into Hunter.
The rest of the album was fine. Some of the effects and technical aspects were impressive, but musically it's just not there for me. Giving this one a low 3.
Janelle Monáe
3/5
Good voice and had some moments that caught my attention, but this is otherwise just another album that came and went. I feel like a lot of the artists in this time/genre had albums that are a little too long.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Pretty standard dad rock.
Born in the USA is a decent anti-war song that is heightened by the general misunderstanding that it is ultra-patriotic.
Dancing in the Dark is my favorite off of this one. It feels like every song wants to be like this song though.
The Go-Betweens
4/5
Good folky alt album. Sounded a bit like U2 at the beginning, but then seemed to find their own sound. This is close to a 4 already and it was pleasantly accompanied by a walk in Columbus, IN so it definitely gets a 4 for just being a short, sweet album.
Joy Division
2/5
Not a very joyous album. Felt like I was in a graveyard.
High 2
Michael Jackson
5/5
Most recognizable album cover in history? Probably third to Abbey Road and Dark Side of the Moon, but it has to be up there.
Funky groovy hits, exactly what I expected.
Don't love that most pop albums always feel the need to have ballads on them. I really just want the catchy tunes to be honest.
Pretty Young Thang is one that I have never really heard (I'm sure it's been played somewhere I was listening in my life) but it was a great "deeper" cut if you can call it that. Feels like it could be on Random Access Memories.
Cruisin' to a 5
N.E.R.D
2/5
Not a huge fan of this. Feels like this style has legs, but it's lacking a lot of polish. The falsetto voices aren't doing it for me.
A lot of the later songs sound like a precursor to Anderson Paak.
Joy Division
2/5
It's funny when we get the same artist in quick succession. This is another very recognizable album cover and then one I associate with Joy Division.
I guess I like this one better than Closer, but I really don't care for Joy Division after these two. Very Depeche Mode.
I'll give this a higher 2.
My Bloody Valentine
1/5
To Here Knows When is a 1 star song.
I Only Said was fine for 2 minutes, but it was just the same thing over and over.
A sludgier, worse Joy Division. To Here Knows Why tanked the rating, but the rest of the album didn't do it any favors. This might be the highest 1 I will give. It's not the worst thing I have ever heard, but I just know it's not a 2.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
We did not need another Dexy's album on this list.
I don't remember much about the other DMR albums except for lots of horns. This might be the best one we have had? The bar isn't exactly high...
Carpenters
4/5
Not my usually jam, and I likely won't come back to this one ever, but it was really enjoyable! Beautiful voices and just a pleasant sound all around. I'm a sucker for the harpsichord too.
Not the highest 4 ever, but I had a good time.
Lorde
3/5
Supercut was a favorite. Not much else about this album for me. I like Lorde's voice and it's very well produced.
Higher 3
3/5
Reminds me a bit of Talking Heads at points.
This one finds itself on the low side of 3.
Coldcut
2/5
Gotta give it to them on creativity and the mixing/production of this one. They did miss the mark on making good songs that I want to listen to though.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
This one gets a similar review to The Carpenters. Not really my jam and have never been a listener of Neil Young. This album won't really change things, but it was a good listen. A low 4 that I won't come back to.
Haircut 100
4/5
This is a speedy and funky number. Makes me hopeful that we get Masayoshi Takanaka at some point.
All in all this one has nice groovy highs, and the lows are that of some solid classic rock.
Jack White
4/5
This has been my favorite work from Jack White/White Stripes so far. Definitely a bit more out there with the different instruments than I was expecting.
Gil Scott-Heron
4/5
First song really tried to break my brain right out of the gate with the stereo manipulation.
Recorded in Silver Spring, that's kinda cool.
Love the bluntness at the end. No subtlety to his ideals.
Dr. Octagon
3/5
Interesting DJing, but the flow could use some work. There were times I was absolutely grooving to this and other times I was ready for it to be over. It is a touch long at 65 minutes anyway.
Beats were good, but the tempo wasn't really my style. Good for a lowish 3.
Coldplay
4/5
I've always really liked Coldplay so this has a bit of bias going in.
I feel like there is a lot of raw emotion coupled with simple and impactful melodies as well as excellent lyrics.
High high high 4.
Sleater-Kinney
3/5
Not usually a punk fan, and her voice mostly wasn't great, but I found myself not wanting to skip every track. The bar is low for punk for me... I kinda liked this! Probably a 2 in a vacuum, but since it's acceptable punk I'll give it a bump.
Iggy Pop
2/5
I had medium-low expectations going into this and those expectations were met perfectly.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
2/5
Meh.
Talk Talk
3/5
I like the dude's voice. Kinda close to Depeche Mode , but not bad.
The Police
3/5
There's just something about The Police I don't like. They have that creepy sound to them that I don't like, but they also have some really catchy tunes (Wrapped Around Your Finger) that I can't help but singalong to.
Better than the last Police album.
The ending clap on this album was exactly how I felt.
Miles Davis
3/5
This feels like an album that I should really like and real musicheads would love, but it just wasn't my cuppa.
There's no denying the talent, but this is the type of jazz where it's so technically good, but it is so loose that it less appealing to the untrained ear even though it takes incredible skill to do what they are doing.
I really like the echoing effect that is used that gives an eerie feeling of loneliness in a big city in the middle of the night.
All in all this is *just* a high 3 on a first listen. I would certainly like to come back to this one to take another crack at it and try to appreciate it a bit more.
Deep Purple
4/5
Hell yeah prog rock.
Child in time was great.
High 4
Marianne Faithfull
3/5
This is one of the 1000 albums that you can listen to before you die.
Massive Attack
4/5
Not at all what I was expecting from this album cover and an artist name like "Massive Attack" I expected punk or grunge or industrial.
Best trip hop album that I have listened to. Very polished and well produced. It felt amazing on my ears, almost like it was comfy and cozy. Soft but powerful beats.
Queen
4/5
Would never have guessed any of these songs were Queen besides Killer Queen.
A good mix of rock opera and heavy metal. A lot heavier than expected.
Soundgarden
3/5
Accessible grunge.
Spoonman great.
High 3.
The Slits
2/5
Kinda boring and samey. No stand outs, but it wasn't a punishment listening to this.
High 2.
Gene Clark
3/5
Good ol' folk country. Always like to give these albums a nod for not being pop country.
Right down the middle as a perfectly fine album.
Sepultura
2/5
Was enjoying the actual shredding in this album, but the vocals just got worse and worse as it went on.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
I liked just about everything about this album. Looking back at my other reviews of Nick Cave this is right up here with the rest of them. Definitely not my every day music, but damn if it isn't great.
Stephen Stills
4/5
A real good follow up to Henry's Dream. Nice and bluesy and energetic.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
4/5
Love a live album. Love the keyboard jamming. Would have enjoyed being at this show.
Mercury Rev
4/5
Started off strong and flattened out a bit. Singer reminds me of Arcade Fire.
While I say flatten out it was never bad, but it took it from solid 4 to low 4 -- 4 sure.
Nick Drake
4/5
Another goodie from Nick Drake!
Peaceful and beautiful album that worked well as background music to work to.
This had no blemishes that I could discern and I could listen to this practically any time any day and be pleased.
Sebadoh
2/5
This album has some pretty decent songs, but there's also a lot of chaff that got included. Pretty comfortable giving this one a 2 because some songs are just awful and the ones that are good aren't great.
I don't listen to much Primus, but this had shades of Primus.
Waylon Jennings
3/5
Solid country. Not much else to say.
Neil Young
4/5
My favorite Neil Young album thusfar.
Megadeth
4/5
Hangar 18 is a great one. Nice solid metal that has no issues at all. Good one to run to. Thought about giving it a 4, but it's not quite there. Enjoyed it for sure!
EDIT: Gave it the 4. I originally held it back because I was grading it on the metal scale. One I listened to Waylon Jennings and debated giving that a 4 I realized that Megadeth > Waylon Jennings
Dwight Yoakam
3/5
We are on a country run. Another solid one with few notes. Not something I'm putting on for myself, but still enjoyable enough of a listen.
John Grant
4/5
Pretty solid soft rock. I really enjoyed Outer Space and Jesus Hates Faggots.
JHF was certainly one of the blunt, in your face type songs that I think a lot of people need to listen to in their lives.
Really enjoyed the back half of this a lot, and the first half wasn't bad either. Seems to be a lot of introspection on how terrible life was growing up and how backwards his parents and friends beliefs were/are.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
I've had enough of Elvis Costello. Sounds a bit like Tom Petty though, tbh.
Low 3
The Sugarcubes
2/5
uhhhh, no thanks!
TLC
3/5
Had a couple songs I really liked and the vocals were really great all the way through. Ultimately though this falls into the same bucket as all other 90's hip-hop where it's fine/good, but it's just too long and never really excites me outside a couple songs.
Liz Phair
2/5
Don't expect to like this very much.
Canary felt like a Brian Eno Airport song -- really pretty.
Didn't like this very much.
2/5
None of this clicked for me. The guitar was perfectly good, but his voice is not good at all. It sounds like he's trying to speak in Gaelic or something. The harmonica is a bit heavy as well.
Disc 1 had 1 star potential.
Second half saved it. I still don't "get" Bob Dylan
Peter Tosh
3/5
This album could be a 4 if I had my piggies in the sand with a Red Stripe in my hand.
I had neither of those things while listening to this.
Björk
2/5
Bjork certainly has an interesting and unique sound, I'll give her that.
This is close to a 1, but her voice is just good enough at times and I respect the uniqueness enough to give a it a 2.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
4/5
Funny album cover!
Solid rock with just a dab of psych. Kinda has a country twang as well.
Not the best album to run to, but I enjoyed it nonetheless!
Beatles
4/5
I don't listen to a ton of Beatles so take this with a grain of salt. This feels like a very clean, straightforward album with just pure musical talent opposed to their later stuff that has a lot more post effects to amp up the psychedelia.
I really enjoyed this, but because I didn't grow up on The Beatles, I don't think I quite understand Beatlemania.
I will always love the opening riff to In My Life.
Not a single thing wrong with album, but nothing that particularly wowed me besides it's consistency in production.
Cocteau Twins
2/5
Beautiful at times, but not really my jam. Singer reminds me of Bjork where the talent is there, but the execution is mostly off for my liking; lots of breath. High 2.
Slint
2/5
Best part was the breakdown toward the end of Washer. However, 30 seconds of good doesn't outweigh the rest of the bore.
Grungy snoozefest.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
Another 3 for the girl.
Serge Gainsbourg
1/5
Get out of my ear, Frenchie!
Christine and the Queens
4/5
Really nice bubbly electro dance here. The production is clean and not repetitive.
Had a chuckle every time the male voice just came in with "Chris".
Really high 4 here. I could see myself giving this a 5 after a handful of listens. Really funny to have a terrible French album and then a really good one right after.
Get in my ear, Frenchie!
Pere Ubu
1/5
A bad album to listen to first thing in the morning. Probably bad to listen to at most times of the day.
A couple of moments had me thinking the album was going to make a good turn like with Chinese Radiation, but the bad severely outweighed the good.
If this was supposed to be bad, they succeeded.
Justin Timberlake
3/5
Another late 90's/early 00's pop album that is an hour long for no reason. Maybe they were still on the high of changing from cassette to CDs?
I've heard of blue-eyed soul. Is this blue-eyed R&B? Rhythm & Blue Eyes?
Not bad, but didn't really enjoy it. Low 3? 2 feels a bit harsh.
The Velvet Underground
2/5
Fuzzy and raw, like a kiwi.
Not very good, unlike a kiwi.
Girls Against Boys
2/5
Recorded in Baltimore, cool!
That was the coolest thing about this grimy drag of an album.
The last 10-15 albums have been a rough stretch. Very low 2.
Le Tigre
2/5
Slideshow At Free University was a banger, I wish more of the album was like that.
Another disappointing entry. Singing was very rough.
The Monks
3/5
Nice energy and all, but nothing spectacular.
File this away as "unremarkable"
Soft Machine
5/5
Wow at 2 hours in length with a very rough first few minutes, I thought I was in for some torture. I couldn't have been more wrong. This album had everything great about jazz in it. Plenty of grooves to go in and out of, plenty of experimentation with instruments and effects, just the right amount of vocals, and just the right amount of discordance.
This one got interrupted a few times during work which more heavily effects an album like this compared to most other albums. Even with that, I am comfortable giving this a 5 with plans to come back to it uninterrupted.
Pere Ubu
2/5
I was very scared going into this one.
Much better than the last Pere Ubu album so that's something.
Fleetwood Mac
4/5
Nice relaxing album. Pretty long, but I had no complaints once it got rolling. Listened to this one on speakers which I don't normally do, but I'd like to come back to this one on headphones one day.
The Mamas & The Papas
4/5
Never heard of this album or band, but have certainly heard a couple of the songs on here. Spanish Harlem caught my ear.
Short and sweet album. Low side of 4, but it was nice and pleasant.
Jorge Ben Jor
3/5
Nothing wrong with this one, but it really just came and went. Had a decent beat to for focusing, but I was ready for the next album after a couple songs.
The Stooges
3/5
Had some pretty cool moments in this one, but was pretty middle of the road from start to finish.
Cee Lo Green
3/5
Pretty good at times and pretty average at times. His voice annoys me a little. Couple of the songs had me tuned in a bit more than most, but this one was pretty average through and through.
The Darkness
3/5
An interesting blend of hair metal and a bit of punk.
Pretty generic sounding all in all. No notes.
Ryan Adams
3/5
Nothing wrong with a bit of soft rock on a morning walk.
Taylor Swift
3/5
Listening to this the day Taylor Swift announced her engagement. Congrats Taylor!
Pretty soft, not generally my cup of tea. However, her voice is really great and the production is spotless.
Really enjoyed 'closure'
Not my favorite TSwift album. High side of 3 for this one.
The Who
3/5
Solid, but nothing special here. High side of 3, but I don't feel like I needed to sit through this whole thing. Some of the interludes were pretty funny and the songs were perfectly good.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
This one was a music album for sure. Not a single thing stood out about this album. There were some moans and groans which was noticeable.
Eurythmics
3/5
It's been a while since we had a cheesy album like this. No strong feelings on this one.
Throwing Muses
3/5
sure!
not good, not bad. If this counts as punk it's on the better side of punk.
Megadeth
4/5
Good thrash metal make me run fast.
The Associates
2/5
First song was a ripper. Rest of the album had me pretty much waiting for the end. There were a couple bright spots, but I was constantly checking how many more songs I had left.
Ozomatli
4/5
Really enjoyable mix of rock, latin, and hip hop. Not only was it an enjoyable listen, it was a nice unique album on top of it all. Had me grooving plenty.
Black Sabbath
4/5
Funny how the first track starts like they were in the middle of the song when they hit record.
Changes reminds me of Bigmouth, didn't realize it was a Black Sabbath song.
Laguna Sunrise was great.
High 4 for Volume 4!
Aerosmith
3/5
I had a Limewire version of Walk This Way 20 years ago that had a skip in the middle of the song and I still anticipate that skip to this day.
Sweet Emotion still rocks.
Rest of the album felt incohesive, but was fine.
Ryan Adams
3/5
The slower songs reminded me a bit of Jackson Browne. Had a bit of that southern twang otherwise.
Going with a high 3 on this one.
Milton Nascimento
3/5
This is the album equivalent of a base hit. Perfectly fine, but I don't really have the patience for it in this day and age. I feel like we have been getting a lot of hour long albums that aren't spectacular.
Hanoi Rocks
3/5
This music album had some songs that I listened to.
Fiona Apple
3/5
This felt a bit like spoken word/poetry. Didn't hate it even though it is certainly not something I usually gravitate toward. Very powerful. High 3.
Fats Domino
3/5
Good short jaunt for a morning. Nothing remarkable, but its impressive for the 50's.
:)
Lou Reed
3/5
Like Vicious a lot. Didn't know Walk on the Wild Side would be this dude. Overall this album came and went with few notes.
Pixies
3/5
Kinda started like 😩😩😩
But then ended like 😫😫😫
Genesis
4/5
Another solid Genesis album. No real notes, but it was good. Their style is unique for sure.
Turbonegro
4/5
As much as I harp on punk, it goes really well with playing a video game about driving a train full of demons back to hell while fighting against heavenly creatures.
Not sure how good this album would have been any other time, but it certainly hit me at the right moment.
Roni Size
3/5
I really like this album for what it is, especially disc 2. However, it is entirely too long for what it is.
Disc 2 is probably closer to a 4, and Disc 1 is squarely a 3.
Metallica
5/5
I don't think I have listened to this one start to finish before. Looking at the tracklist though I had to make sure it wasn't a greatest hits album cause that's what it looks like at a glance.
It's kind of strange that a self-titled album is the band's fifth album.
Doesn't matter though, this one fucks.
Ute Lemper
3/5
This feels a bit like Fetch the Bolt Cutters. Almost operatic. Kinda felt like if Disney made a soundtrack for an R rated movie.
Overall I was certainly engaged in this one, not necessarily my favorite, but it was a good listen. High 3 with no intention of coming back, but I'm sure I'll remember this one when we get to the finish line.
The Residents
1/5
??????????????????????????????
Muddy Waters
3/5
Short and sweet.
Paul Weller
3/5
Just a decent album that picked up a bit in the second half. Felt pretty jammy. High 3
Sarah Vaughan
3/5
Fun listening to her talk with the crowd. Pretty solid otherwise. Another high 3.
Ananda Shankar
4/5
This album rocked. Metamorphosis and Sagar were incredible.
Richard Thompson
2/5
Kinda country, not the worst, but I was certainly bored by the end of it all. High 2? Idk it wasn't bad
Otis Redding
4/5
Hard to hate an album with a bunch of covers of well known hits done in expert fashion.
Had me grooving for sure.
PJ Harvey
2/5
Sludgy 😩😩😩 music
Traffic
4/5
Another great entry by Traffic. I left a note in my last Traffic review to listen to them again. Love the keys and the vocals.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
A perfectly expected album by Leonard Cohen. Pretty much falls right into the same review as all of his other stuff. Good voice, good music, good review. High 3.
The Soft Boys
3/5
Thought this jaunt was 2.5 hours which was way too long. Got through the first set of bonus tracks before realizing. This was a fine album but it was going to be way too long. Still was just a fine album at it's normal length.
High 3. Might be a 4 with a re-listen at the right length. There are definitely some neat tracks in here when you take a hard listen. Nothing flashy, but there's some good technical work in here.
PJ Harvey
2/5
Dear PJ,
Please remove me from your subscriber list.
Thanks,
Jackson
Lana Del Rey
3/5
Pretty solid for singer songwriter
Jacques Brel
3/5
Oui Oui
The Byrds
3/5
Beatles-esque. Good stuff. Easy listener.
FKA twigs
3/5
There were a number of things to like in this album from the production to the voice. Overall though it just never got me in a groove like most trip hop. Low end 3 on this one.
Mekons
2/5
Psycho Cupid was an odd changeup to the whole vibe of the album. Maybe I was missing something in the lyrics prior to that song.
Otherwise this didn't do much at all for me when normally I love the use of a violin in albums like this.
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
Looking forward to this one. Haven't given LCD Soundsystem a real listen before.
A bit of noise in some of the beginning songs.
Really liking the danciness of 'how do you sleep?'. This is the sound I think of when I think LCD Soundsystem.
Enjoyable album with a beautiful finish.
Buffalo Springfield
3/5
lol I thought this was Dusty Springfield going into it and was a bit confused.
I guess this is Stills and Young before Crosby and Nash.
High 3. Could probably be improved with a more intent listen, but who I am kidding, I'm not coming back to a 3 star.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Masterpiece. Might be my favorite of the Pink Floyd albums.
Especially love the backing vocals on Diamond.
Dennis Wilson
3/5
Time ruled. Wasn't blown away by much else. Just a quick folky, singer-songwriter album.
Didn't realize he was in the Beach Boys. Didn't ever get a hint of that.
James Taylor
4/5
Did not expect to like this as much as I did going into this.
Never really listened to James Taylor but I expected more of a Bob Dylan vibe. It's definitely in that realm, but his voice is incredible and the rock aspect of it all was great on top of it all.
This album flew by in a good way.
Might have to start calling my brother Sweet Baby Van Vechten
The Hives
3/5
As far as punk goes this gets a 👍
Miles Davis
4/5
Started off hot and then certainly settled into a more relaxed tone. The whole thing was flawless though. Really easy listening.
When I think of smooth jazz, this is exactly where my head goes.
Screaming Trees
4/5
Vocals and drums were quite alright on this one. There were a couple butt rock sounding songs, but I have never heard of this band. Reminded me a bit of Audioslave.
Nitin Sawhney
4/5
There were moments where I thought this would land at a 5, but toward the end of the album the atmospheric aspects (Homelands, Tides) that I enjoyed seemed to fade away.
This album paired nicely with a chilly overcast day.
a-ha
3/5
About exactly what I expected from a-ha. Unapologetically 80s with a single hit.
Lauryn Hill
4/5
Standouts are "Doo Wop" and "Forgive Them Father".
Great voice, great beats. Not much wrong about this album! Not really my favorite genre, but had a good ride.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Exactly what I expect out of the Stones.
Big Star
3/5
Started out like some Deep Purple, kinda just turned into a band toward the end. Nothing special here.
The Dandy Warhols
3/5
Definitely has some cool psych elements to it, but there was also a lot of emptiness in this album that was pretty forgettable.
Beth Orton
3/5
Singer-songwriter stuff is similar to punk for me where it's just not really my vibe. That said, I did enjoy this one a fair bit more than most singer-songwriter stuff we have had so far. On the SS scale it would be a 4, but because we are on a regular scale it'll have to settle for a 3. Nothing exciting, but she's got a good voice.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
2/5
Siouxsie is quite the tragadeigh
Punk is bad. Water is wet. Cowboys suck.
Sonic Youth
2/5
That was a whole lot of droll
The Fall
2/5
Mother - Sister! had me tuned in. Otherwise there was more mid than good in this one. Higher side of 2, but certainly not a 3.
Bob Dylan
3/5
His voice can be so cheesy at times, but it wasn't too bad on this album.
Guitar work on display for sure. Still nothing that makes me really understand why he is so renowned. Good album though.
Baaba Maal
3/5
This one definitely had some jaunty tunes in Hamady Borio, Gidelam, and Lem Gi.
Singer also sounded like he could be in Genesis. Senegis, if you will.
Nirvana
3/5
The hits are solid, but everything else is too grungey and noisy for me.
Never been a huge Nirvana fan tbh and this hasn't changed much for me.
John Prine
2/5
John Prine.
Didn't hate it at first, but it's just the same thing over and over again. So boring.
Elvis Costello
2/5
Hopefully this is finally our last Elvis Costello album. Six albums is far too many.
Thought he would skate by with all 3s, but I couldn't find a 3 anywhere in this album.
David Crosby
4/5
hell yeah this rocked
Shack
4/5
Nice lil softie album. Definitely sounds like the 90s. I liked the strings and horns included in here.
High 3 low 4, but well bump it up cause I'm in a good mood
Animal Collective
4/5
My Girls is a top 100 all time song.
This album has some good lore.
Shoutout Merriweather.
Cool album cover.
Steve Winwood
4/5
Another singer who sounds like he is in Genesis.
Kinda falls into the low 4 category, but it's definitely better than Shack, so it gets a seat at the table.
Julian Cope
4/5
I listened to this over a week before actually reviewing it. I really enjoyed this and it subverting my expectations in sound and quality.
Don't have any detailed notes because I just skimmed it to make sure I had actually listened to it.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
I have really enjoyed Nick Cave, but the albums are all so similar and I think I'm ready to be done with him.
Great voice, unique style, more of a storytelling style. Definitely some weird bits in here, but overall just another really good Nick Cave album that I wouldn't listen to with company.
Billie Holiday
3/5
9/22/2025 happy birthday Silas and Nolan 😁
Really pretty voice, no real flaws. Not quite enough for a 4 personally, but could easily see how this would land there for people.
Queen
4/5
This album had a lot more hits than the other Queen album we had. Definitely proggy and opera-y (no surprise).
Just a good old fashioned rock out!
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
Fun and energetic. Not my absolute favorite, but it was great as background music. Could see this on a Tony Hawk soundtrack.
Missy Elliott
3/5
Pretty much exactly what I expected out of a 2000s hip hop album. Maybe expected a bit more from Missy, but this is about as 3 as a 3 can be.
Talking Heads
3/5
Another Talking Heads album where I really like the hits and the rest of the album is just kinda meh to me. I Zimbra, Life During Wartime, and Cities all being good hits (and I think are all featured on Stop Making Sense).
Tim Buckley
3/5
It seems like I enjoy this Tim Buckley fella. Would love to go camping and just listen to this guy for a couple hours and feel like I'm in a movie.
High 3 for this one.
Madonna
3/5
Not at all what I expected when I think of Madonna.
Very interesting beats and style. Good enough for me!
The Byrds
3/5
Right on the nose for a rock album that was released in the late 60's.
Nothing to write home about on this one.
Randy Newman
3/5
Still absolutely love Newman's voice. It's so cheesy, but so nostalgic and just great. Maybe growing up on Toy Story had something to do with that.
As for the rest of the album, it was perfectly good.
The Stranglers
4/5
Went in this one feeling pretty meh, but left it pleasantly surprised. The deep sludgy bassline made me think it wasn't going to be my speed, but the keyboards and the overall tempo really produced an enjoyable listen for me.
Heaven 17
2/5
This one had it's moments, but ultimately I was ready to be done with it. Didn't feel like I listened to anything at all, really. The production or songwriting felt like it was missing something entirely and the singers voice was subpar. 2-3 range.
Happy Mondays
4/5
Upbeat and groovy. This one was a good one from start to finish. I particularly liked Dennis and Lis, Step on, and Holiday.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
I have to say that this may have been my favorite Bruce album that we have had. Still really don't care for his voice at all. What I do enjoy is the overall energy of the album with the piano, organ, and occasional sax.
I can definitely see how he translates well to a live setting.
This album would be a 4 when comparing to other Springsteen albums, but I think it'll have to settle for a high 3 because I am comparing it to all other albums.
The Verve
2/5
Pretty bland and whiny tbh. Paired well with a rainy day, but overall not very enjoyable and no Bittersweet Symphony to bail it out.
High 2
Supergrass
3/5
Not much to say except I definitely recognized Alright.
Destiny's Child
4/5
This album was a great listen. As far as Late 90's Early 00's R&B goes, this has to be my favorite that we have had so far.
Still funny that all of these albums near the 1 hour mark, but I had no issues with this one being that long.
Oasis
4/5
Never been much into Oasis, even with their recent reunion. Idk if it's a generic sound or if their sound permeated into other group's sounds. This one doesn't feel like a strong 4, but it definitely feels higher than a 3 which means I am giving this one a B-.
The Yardbirds
3/5
Roger is actually an Optometrist.
Miles Davis
4/5
Nothing like a 2 song album (3 if you count Shhh / Peaceful as 2 songs).
Pleasant listen, no flaws. I liked the second half a bit more than the first.
U2
3/5
Another plus album by U2. This one is a bit heavier especially with one of their most popular and political songs in Sunday Bloody Sunday.
I am always happy to see U2 come up and this one is a stronger 3.
Björk
3/5
Ctrl C + Ctrl V my other Bjork reviews.
This one might have been my favorite of hers. Not a high bar, but the production is super cool
Elvis Presley
3/5
This is a pretty cool album. Another one where I would love to be able to hear it as if it were actually 1960 and it was the bee's knees.
Very unique sound with a great voice. Don't think it's quite enough to get it to a 4, but I can understand why Elvis was such a huge deal after listening to this album just once.
Madness
3/5
Fastball down the middle. Our House was funny. Thought I got a commercial somehow.
Fela Kuti
4/5
These are good tunes. Reminds me of seeing Cimafunk at Roo. Fela Kuti impresses again.
Faust
4/5
Enjoyed this quite a bit during a chilly fall dog walk. Giggy Smile was great.
I feel like this is an album I don't normally enjoy. It was a bit shoegazey at times, but I feel like overall it just had more energy.
Low 4, with some really bright moments
Sonic Youth
3/5
My favorite of the Sonic Youth albums we have had so far.
Low 3.
Emmylou Harris
3/5
I enjoy her voice a lot and was really enjoying this one on a chill fall morning. Like most singer/songwriter albums I start to get a bit tired of them. High 3 for sure
Blur
2/5
Pretty punky and noisy, but had its moments.
This one was bordering between 2-3 the whole time. Then Essex Dogs came on to finish.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
Some fun beats that get a bit funky at its best and a bit Depeche Mode at its worst. The singers voice is a net negative on the whole album.
Meh 3
The Jam
3/5
This album is perfectly fine, but we are at album 962. I feel like this we are going to miss a handful of really great albums in exchange for all of these mid British punk albums from the 1980s.
Kanye West
4/5
Very angry album.
"Eating Asian pussy all I need is sweet and sour sauce" is quite a line.
Definitely a lot of unhinged lines on this album. Great production and sampling which is expected out of any Kanye album.
Starts and ends with bangers in Black Skinhead and Bound 2.
Minutemen
3/5
I like this album cover. This guy has a secret for sure. Or he's riding high as hell.
I definitely enjoy some of the noodly, jammy parts. Other parts are pretty punky and lame. Sounds somewhat like Primus at times.
The Jackass theme song was a funny surprise.
A good amount of stuff to like in this album, but it certainly lost me many times. At 80 minutes and 43 songs, the good is not enough to bring this to 4 territory, but it was enjoyable overall.
The Pogues
4/5
A fun listen. Reminded me of a more basic version of the Waterboys. I am not critically acclaiming this album, but it was entertaining for sure. Low 4.
Tori Amos
3/5
Good voice, triumphant sounds. Pretty good listen for singer/songwriter.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
5/5
Awesome awesome album. Love Janis Joplin, an artist I didn't listen to before this project.
Incredible energy and pipes. Not a single miss. Welcome back to the 5 star club, Janis and Co.
Anthrax
4/5
SPEEEEEEEED.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
This album had tons of hits holy moly
Pastime Paradise was hilarious because I had no idea it was the original for Gangster's Paradise.
Plenty to like in this album, especially because it clocks in at 1:45 which is really the only downside of this whole album. The entirety of it is full of great songs. High 4, but could easily be condensed down to an hour.
Cowboy Junkies
3/5
Sounds like a band that would play in a bar that allows smoking inside. Great voice.
Fatboy Slim
4/5
Happy to see another Fatboy Sim album after the last one.
10th and Crenshaw vocals sounds like RFK Jr.
Without relistening to We've Come A Long Way I would say this one is slightly less hit oriented, but all of those same techniques are there to make a truly head bopping album.
Neil Young
4/5
Not surprising that Neil Young is on this list this many times, but I have been surprised with how much he has grown on me. Just a smooth album.
Simply Red
3/5
This album had an interesting progression in sound. Sometimes jazzy, and sometimes Police-esque pop. High 3
MGMT
5/5
So happy this album is on here. Certainly some nostalgia goggles going into this one, but I haven't listened in a couple years so I'm excited.
This album has absolutely zero misses. Every song is filled with character. The first half has the stronger songs, but I think they might just get more air time as singles.
Electric Feel is a top 100 song. Kids might even be, too. Actually Time to Pretend might be better than both of those.
Perfect mix of spacey electronic and indie jamming.
Wish I could listen to this one for the first time again.
Elastica
3/5
Sure! Good energy, good voice, seems like it influenced alternative rock that followed it.
Pavement
2/5
Fuzzy, moan-y, not my style.
Kelela
3/5
Went into this with high expectations seeing "electro R&B" as the genre. Left feeling pretty whelmed. Singer has a good voice, production is pretty good too, if not a little over produced at times. A little longer than I'd like on top of all of that.
Miriam Makeba
3/5
Mbube has lyrics that are definitely in the In the Jungle song from Lion King. Further research says it's originally from a song in 1939, covered by Miriam, then covered again for Lion King.
Rest of the album is perfectly pleasant. Nothing really outstanding.
Franz Ferdinand
4/5
Went into this thinking it would be standard indie, but it had an interesting tinge of punk as well as really strong bass the whole time. Kinda expected to just know Take Me Out and that be it. Pleasantly surprised at how good the entire album is.
The Louvin Brothers
3/5
Yeehaw!
About what I expected from a 50's country album.
The Clash
3/5
Wow a good punk rock album. High 3
Deep Purple
5/5
One of my biggest takeaways from this project is how awesome I think Deep Purple is. Absolutely grooving to this album and it's fusion of heavy metal and prog rock in the early 70's where I assume it was leading the charge in both of these genres.
Definitely teetering on the 4/5 line here. Think it gets the bump because I want more 5s on my list.
Ray Price
2/5
This is very odd album cover at first glance. Looks like the dude is watching a couple get it on.
Pretty standard country album. Nothing wrong, just boring. Glad it wasn't very long.
4/5
Very jovial album, almost like a Randy Newman album.
Many different instruments and techniques are used throughout.
Greenman and Fruit Nut were pretty fun
This album definitely held my attention the whole time with the sheer variety while still somehow staying anchored by the singers voice and cadence staying the course the whole time.
The Avalanches
4/5
Really enjoyable mix. Sounds like a live mix you'd find on Soundcloud. Reminds me a lot of Gramatik as well. Would really vibe well in a coffee shop.
Sampledelia and plunderphonics are new words I learned today.
Big fan of this genre honestly. Nice relaxing, focus-inducing listen.
I don't always line up with Brandon's taste in music, but I think this album is firmly in the overlapping portion of our Venn diagram. I hope he actually liked it or else I'm going to look like a clown.
The Divine Comedy
3/5
Very operatic. Certainly is short. Not much else to say really.
Deerhunter
3/5
Pretty cool indie album, I expected this to be some punk BS.
Helicopter sounds like an MGMT song.
Gonna stand with a 3 here as I listened to this while working, but I could see a 4 being possible with another listen or two. Definitely got better in the second half.
Air
5/5
Very cool album cover. Didn't really know what to expect here, by La femme d'argent really started off on a strong note.
This album kicked off great and never really let go. Calm and spacey. A really delightful listen. Would definitely come back to this one.
Let's call this a low 5 cause I'm in a good mood today.
Korn
4/5
Korn is da bomb - Carly Hamill, pencil on drywall, 2003
Great energy. Not sure how to describe the bass sound, but it sounds like the strings are super loose which I like. Definitely heard some Limp Bizkit adjacency to it, then Fred Durst came on a track lol.
Overall really nice metal with great production on top to give it a uniqueness without being cheesy.
LTJ Bukem
4/5
The Wikipedia track list doesn't match what is on Youtube Music, but I found a playlist that matches the Wiki track list so I listened off that.
I really enjoy the atmosphere created in this album and is really nice to put on during work to just grind in excel. I stopped part way into Disc 2 because I got the gist and was ready for something else.
I definitely get why this isn't everyone's cuppa, but this is something I can get down to in the right environment. Wouldn't put this on for a crowd though.
The Chemical Brothers
4/5
Hell yeah this rules. Can't help but compare it to LTJ Bukem because we just had that, but this was better beats, had more direction, and was a more appropriate length.
Great album to lock in to
Tom Waits
3/5
Feels like we have had a lot of Tom Waits and by the looks of it I have had a declining opinion on his albums as we have progressed through them.
This one falls in the 2/3 range. Re-reading my previous reviews I had a certain level of disdain for this guy. Didn't really feel that in this album; just a couple thoughts of "what the hell is he talking about?".
Lowest of 3s for The Waiter
Public Enemy
3/5
Angry and energetic. Good stuff. I think I liked this the most of the Public Enemy albums we have had.
Method Man
3/5
Really enjoy the Wu Tung universe where they all went solo and still feature on each others tracks. Good flow, beats are solid but nothing special. High side of 3 for sure on this one. Good to bop to while working.
Rahul Dev Burman
3/5
Interesting that we have a whole movie soundtrack as an album. Don't know if there is something special about this movie and why it's included, but it makes me wonder why Hans Zimmer or John Williams don't get considerations to be on here.
That being said I actually really liked this album. Definitely not one I would put on ever again, but it was up beat, goofy at times, and just had a solid progression. Thinking about giving it a 4, but not quite there.
Joe Ely
3/5
Weird that we have had 3 honky tonk albums in the last 3 weeks. Its like they procrastinated it till the very end.
That said, this is the best honky tonk of the three (Lourvin Brothers, Ray Price). Could certainly see myself goofin' boots to Joe while on Broadway.
Pink Floyd
3/5
I have never even heard of this album, makes sense that it's a debut.
Not my closest listen, but not exactly what I would expect out of Pink Floyd. Maybe that's why I haven't heard of the album. Definitely a bit more random/noisy in a way.
All in all, not my fav, but there wasn't much wrong with it.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
4/5
This one sounds a lot like Genesis at times. Has a good amount of cheese to it and an overall great energy.
Anita Baker
4/5
Love me some "quiet storm".
Beautiful vocalist with some incredible support to boot. Basslines go crazy on some songs.
This is about what I expected from an 80's R&B album -- maybe a little less cheese than I expected.
Gary Numan
4/5
Listening to Observer thinking it sounds so much like another synth pop hit that I don't know the name of. I now know that song is Cars which came two tracks later.
Sounds like Kraftwerk a lot at times. Really nice album to round out 1,000 albums!
Supertramp
4/5
I thought Breakfast in America would have been the album to be on this list. Forgot that this album is the one with all of the bangers though.
Dreamer and Bloody Well Right are great tunes.
Thumbs up Supertramp
Minor Threat
3/5
Less is more when it comes to punk and this album definitely checks that box.
Every one of these songs could be in a Tony Hawk game.
Pretty much your run of the mill punk album, but it might be top 3 punk album on this list because it's so short. Good job, high 3 lol
The Style Council
4/5
Sophisti-pop sounds so pretentious.
This was a fun and funky adventure. Lotsa different sounds had me grooving.