1025
Albums Rated
3.13
Average Rating
94%
Complete
64 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1970s
Favorite Decade
Metal
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
52
5-Star Albums
4
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Reign In Blood
Slayer
|
5 | 2.96 | +2.04 |
|
Honky Tonk Heroes
Waylon Jennings
|
5 | 3.14 | +1.86 |
|
S&M
Metallica
|
5 | 3.26 | +1.74 |
|
Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
Dead Kennedys
|
5 | 3.27 | +1.73 |
|
Live At The Star Club, Hamburg
Jerry Lee Lewis
|
5 | 3.28 | +1.72 |
|
Achtung Baby
U2
|
5 | 3.3 | +1.7 |
|
Garbage
Garbage
|
5 | 3.38 | +1.62 |
|
Odessey And Oracle
The Zombies
|
5 | 3.42 | +1.58 |
|
Tres Hombres
ZZ Top
|
5 | 3.42 | +1.58 |
|
...And Justice For All
Metallica
|
5 | 3.43 | +1.57 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Rumours
Fleetwood Mac
|
2 | 4.46 | -2.46 |
|
Graceland
Paul Simon
|
2 | 3.74 | -1.74 |
|
Grace
Jeff Buckley
|
2 | 3.72 | -1.72 |
|
Moondance
Van Morrison
|
2 | 3.71 | -1.71 |
|
Justified
Justin Timberlake
|
1 | 2.68 | -1.68 |
|
A Grand Don't Come For Free
The Streets
|
1 | 2.67 | -1.67 |
|
Transformer
Lou Reed
|
2 | 3.67 | -1.67 |
|
Born To Run
Bruce Springsteen
|
2 | 3.64 | -1.64 |
|
Hard Again
Muddy Waters
|
2 | 3.62 | -1.62 |
|
The Velvet Underground & Nico
The Velvet Underground
|
2 | 3.62 | -1.62 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Metallica | 4 | 5 |
| Beatles | 7 | 4.57 |
| Johnny Cash | 3 | 4.67 |
| Queen | 3 | 4.67 |
| Black Sabbath | 3 | 4.67 |
| AC/DC | 2 | 5 |
| Steely Dan | 4 | 4.25 |
| Led Zeppelin | 4 | 4.25 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 3 | 4.33 |
| Marvin Gaye | 3 | 4.33 |
| David Bowie | 8 | 3.88 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 3 | 2 |
| Kanye West | 3 | 2 |
| Elvis Costello & The Attractions | 4 | 2.25 |
5-Star Albums (52)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
The Streets
1/5
going into this challenge, i knew there would be “filler”. i mean, 1001 is a LOT of albums. but sometimes i feel as if the person who compiled this list is playing a joke on us with some of these albums… thus we get entries like the streets’ 2004 album “a grand don’t come for free”.
where do i begin? as i had stated on a previous album in this challenge, something about rapping with Ana english accent that just doesn’t work. not only do you have a primary vocalist who is gratuitously bri ish, every time he raps or “sings” (yes he does both for some reason), it seems as he is about half a second behind the beat. and this becomes even more evident when there are multiple singers concurrently.
and from what i could tell, this seems to be some sort of concept album about something or other… but i really couldn’t care less about any of it. as i have stated on a review of a previous concept album (pink floyd’s “the wall”, i think), concept albums are meant to be listened to as an entire work, and you couldn’t pay me enough to listen to this piece of shit again.
while it’s not the worst album on this challenge that i have encountered so far, it’s definitely up there. do yourself a favour and avoid this one. it is borderline unlistenable.
10 likes
Marilyn Manson
4/5
american conservatives have a long history of making popular musicians scapegoats for society’s moral “failures”. in the 70’s, alice cooper was a main target. in the 80’s, it was ozzy osbourne. and in the mid-late 90’s, their subject of ire was marilyn manson.
taking a page from the alice cooper playbook, marilyn manson was the name of the lead singer as well as the name of the band, with each band member drawing their first names from popular female pop culture figures and their last names from notorious serial killers. it was an act of social commentary based on the yin-yang theory… both good and evil exist in all humans as well as the idea that we are all just products of a fucked up society.
while the band had existed for a few years prior, in 1996 they released the album Antichrist Superstar. you can’t tell the story of the 1990’s pop culture/political landscape without talking about this album. the fact that an album with this title was in the mainstream was just too much for many prominent conservatives, but as we all know one thing about anything in the entertainment industry… controversy sells. in fact, the relationship with conservatives and manson was mutually beneficial: politicians and political pundits were thrust in the limelight as was manson. hell, one of manson’s more prominent critics, senator joseph lieberman rode the wave of notoriety and almost became vice president in 2000.
if you hadn’t heard of him before 1996, you had definitely heard of him after this album came out. he was interviewed by multiple people over the ensuing decade.
this album is pretty intense. two pretty obvious influences you can hear are david bowie and nine inch nails. tis a concept album influenced by german philosopher friedrich nietzche as well as a critique of the fascistic tendencies of the religious right. it is a fascinating listen, not just in a “time capsule” sense, but as a look into a brilliant, albeit troubled, mind.
highlights:
“the beautiful people”,
“tourniquet”,
“mister superstar”,
“the reflecting god”.
7 likes
Belle & Sebastian
2/5
well, i finally found it… the cure to my insomnia. this album bored me to sleep. good night.
3 likes
Giant Sand
2/5
the album would have been better if the guy actually sang, but most of the album he did the “speak singing” thing, which i am not a fan of. it comes across as gimmicky and makes it seem as if the singer can’t really sing very well. not for me.
3 likes
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
2/5
i will never get this sixty four minutes of my life back. wtf…
3 likes
1-Star Albums (4)
All Ratings
Michael Jackson
4/5
solid record by the king of pop. although a musical star already, this album launched him into the stratosphere and made him a household name. the album contained nine songs, of which seven(!) were singles. impressive. in fact, this album is the top selling album of all time.
highlights:
“wanna be startin’ somethin’ “
“billie jean”
“PYT (pretty young thing)”
John Prine
4/5
this album is amazing. top tier songwriting (how can you hear “sam stone” and not beat affected?), and a solid voice. this man was clearly born to be a storyteller, and it shows on this one.
highlights:
“sam stone”
“your flag decal won’t get you into heaven anymore”
“six o’clock news”
Red Hot Chili Peppers
5/5
this was not the first album by RHCP. in fact, it was their fifth. they had been around a few years and had some success with radio airplay, but this… this album was different.
full of that funky bass that has been flea’s calling card, this album was an amalgamation of tales of drug abuse, relationships, sex, and trying to find personal meaning. and all tied together by the genius producer rick rubin. it made them into superstars and they never looked back.
a complicated album that is sometimes serious, usually fun, but never ever boring.
highlights:
“the power of equality”
“breaking the girl”
“the righteous and the wicked”
“blood sugar sex magik”
Röyksopp
2/5
as with most music in this genre, redundant and boring.
Ray Charles
3/5
even at the tender age of 29, ray charles’s voice was already so soulful and rich. and what a voice it was. this one is a good listen.
highlights:
“let the good times roll”
“ ‘deed i do”
“don’t let the sun catch you cryin’ “
New York Dolls
4/5
top notch down and dirty rock and roll with a punk twist and a glam aesthetic with the raw and gritty vocals of david johansen (a.k.a. buster poindexter) at the forefront of this aural assault. good times…
highlights:
“frankenstein”
“bad girl”
“pills”
Bob Dylan
4/5
second album from the legendary bob dylan, who was already in fine form by the time this album was released. themes of race relations, antiwar sentiments, and interpersonal relationships. a fine outing indeed.
highlights:
“blowin’ in the wind”
“masters of war”
“don’t think twice, it’s alright”
“talkin’ world war III blues”
Bad Company
4/5
solid debut album by paul rodgers and the boys. plenty of rock to go around with this one. in fact, one could say “i can’t get enough”.
highlights:
“can’t get enough”
“ready for love”
“bad company”
Talvin Singh
2/5
King Crimson
4/5
very different, but enjoyable
Guns N' Roses
5/5
axl, slash, izzy, duff, and steven, known collectively as “guns n’ roses” would take the world by storm in the late 1980’s with their debut album: appetite for destruction. here is my review:
“welcome to the jungle”- what can be said about this song that hasn’t already been said? this was the world’s introduction to gnr, and they weren’t ready for it. solid lead song for the album.
“it’s so easy”- another great song with a driving beat. great bass line and signature axl attitude.
“nightrain”- catchy song about getting loaded and not worrying about the consequences.
“out ta get me”- a song about being mad at the world and wanting to fight. signature axl braggadocio.
“mr. brownstone”- has there ever been a catchier hard rock song about heroin addiction? i think not.
“paradise city”- catchy and fun.
“my michelle”- sad song about a woman with a tragic past addicted to drugs with seemingly no future. however, the chorus is catchy as hell.
“think about you”- i hate this song. most of the other songs on this album is about how much of a badass axl is and then they throw in this sweet sappy song about “loving that will last forever”. it sucks. and speaking of songs that don’t really fit in on this album…
“sweet child o’ mine”- i’m sorry, but it needs to be said. this song is terrible. every time it comes on the radio, i can’t switch it off fast enough. another sappy song, but this one was a radio hit (for some reason) with a cheesy riff.
“you’re crazy”- back to axl with attitude, complete with a few uses of “fuckin’ “ as an adjective.
“anything goes”- catchy song about axl being horny and having wild sex with his girl. good times.
“rocket queen”- legend has it that the woman heard moaning about halfway through the song is actually steven adler’s girlfriend who axl got on tape while he was having sex with her. wild stuff.
it’s no wonder this is one of the greatest selling debut albums of all time. at the time of its release, there was nothing like it in mainstream culture. it definitely wasn’t hair metal (at the height of the hair metal movement), it was more bluesy hard rock with a punk attitude played by guys that you probably didn’t want to meet in a dark alley.
A Tribe Called Quest
3/5
interesting, but a bit redundant. hip hop over a repetitive drum track with a scant few other instrumentations. very talented vocalists and good lyrics.
Suede
3/5
generic 90s alternative rock sound. not great, but not terrible either.
Joe Ely
3/5
nothing special here. it was just ok.
David Bowie
4/5
ethereal and sublime. bowie is his typical unique self with interesting lyrics and haunting vocal delivery. three instrumentals (in a row) is a bit much. overall, however, an enjoyable experience.
Orbital
2/5
ah, the 90’s. electronic dance music was one of the trends, with the likes of bands like the prodigy and orgy. while i do like disco, this type of music seems to be some sort of modernized take on it that i just couldn’t get into.
The Zombies
5/5
top to bottom a magnificent album. late 60’s british rock perfection.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
great example of the more bluesy
Cypress Hill
2/5
the main problem i have with this album the same problem that i had with the orbital album from a few days ago. very redundant. so redundant that it is almost trance inducing. the rappers rely on a sample track that keeps looping while they perform over it. that’s not to say that they’re not good at what they do. they’re very talented, just not my thing. and b-real’s vocals are unique and ok in small doses, but are like nails on a chalkboard after a while. certainly an acquired taste.
R.E.M.
2/5
got to be honest, never really got into REM that much. this was pretty boring, in my opinion.
Beatles
4/5
upbeat album with infectious rhythms and their signature harmonies. a few highlights: “all my loving”, “roll over beethoven”, and “you really got a hold on me”. very catchy album and enjoyable to listen to.
The Black Keys
4/5
down and dirty blues based garage rock with a retro sound. great use of distortion in vocals and guitars. highlights include: “tighten up”, “she’s long gone”, and “sinister kid”. solid album, top to bottom.
Moby Grape
3/5
psychedelic rock with shades of the Grateful Dead, the Mamas and the Papas, the Byrds, CSNY. really well done sonically, although not really my thing. listenable, for sure, but didn’t really grab me. highlights include: “omaha”, “someday”, and “changes”.
Bebel Gilberto
4/5
hypnotic and soothing, her voice is like butter. songs mostly in spanish, but occasionally in english. i could listen to this and fall asleep (and i mean that as a compliment).
Bill Evans Trio
2/5
never really got into this type of music and not really a fan of instrumentals. i prefer vocals with my songs. the songs sound like they are the music in charlie brown cartoons or perhaps what you hear in the background at a golden corral.
Michael Jackson
4/5
i was surprised how much i enjoyed this album. very catchy hooks, infectious melodies. the number of radio singles is mind blowing. this was the michael jackson at the height of his powers, for sure. having said that, there was ample “filler” in this album (“liberian girl”, “just good friends”, “another part of me”).
there is something a little nostalgic about hearing every little “he he” and “hoo hoo” during the album. a solid effort by the king of pop. it was no “thriller”, but a fine undertaking, none the less.
highlights:
“the way you make me feel”,
“man in the mirror”,
“dirty diana”,
“smooth criminal”.
Willie Nelson
4/5
at this point in his career, willie took a left turn with an album of covers of pop/folk classics. i am a fan of when artists do covers and this is a great example of when it works well.
the songs aren’t necessarily covered in a “country” style, but slower, more subdued, laid back. much like a quality whiskey, this one goes down smooth and is good for the soul. not a clunker in the bunch.
highlights:
“georgia on my mind”,
“blue skies”,
“don’t get around much anymore”.
The Cars
5/5
ah, the cars. i love the cars and this is one of my favourite albums. to think that this was their debut album, yet had so many memorable songs is mind blowing. and who can forget the dream sequence at the pool in the movie “fast times at ridgemont high” with “moving in stereo” playing. catchy and upbeat, you can’t help but be in a good mood when you listen to this album.
highlights:
“good times roll”,
“just what i needed”,
“you’re all i’ve got tonight”,
“moving in stereo”.
The Who
3/5
sort of a concept album where songs are dispersed amongst product jingles under the guise of being played on a radio station. a fun listen, but not necessarily one i would revisit any time soon.
highlights:
“mary ann with the shaky hand”,
“odorono”,
“i can see for miles”,
“silas stingy”.
Barry Adamson
3/5
interesting mix of instrumental music, sound effects, and sound bites. various emotions evoked from the songs, including anxiety, suspense, and nostalgia. an adventure in listening.
highlights:
“on the wrong side of relaxation”,
“suck on the honey of love”,
“the most beautiful girl in the world”.
Cream
4/5
going into this, i’m ashamed to admit, i had never actually listened to this album. the only songs i was familiar with was the radio staple “sunshine of your love” and “tales of brave ulysses”, the latter of which chicago doom metal band, trouble, covered in 1984.
having said all of that, this album is a brilliant amalgam of psychedelic rock and blues. smooth vocal delivery (as well as amazing harmonies), flawless guitar work by eric clapton, bass duties held down by jack bruce, and ginger baker’s thunderous drumming tying it all together.
highlights:
“sunshine of your love”,
“tales of brave ulysses”,
“outside woman blues”.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
4/5
crosby, stills, nash and young… the intersection of southern rock and folk. gorgeous harmonies from the band and each of the four takes lead vocal duties on at least one song.
the beautifully haunting lead vocals by neil young stand out on the tunes “helpless” and “country girl”. an enjoyable listen.
highlights:
“almost cut my hair”,
“woodstock”,
“everybody i love you”.
Neil Young
4/5
this is a powerful album. themes of death, despair and addiction permeate within the songs. neil young’s voice, both his literal singing voice as well as his artistic voice, portrays vulnerability. i understand that his vocals may be an acquired taste for some, but his voice is what makes the songs sound authentic. they are from someone who has been through some shit.
highlights:
“tonight’s the night”,
“world on a string”,
“come on baby, let’s go downtown”,
“tired eyes”.
Aerosmith
4/5
growing up, my brother was the one into aerosmith, not me. methinks it had something to do with if he liked something, i felt like i shouldn’t. either that, or perhaps the fact that my musical palette wasn’t as expansive as it is in the present day. having said all of that, this album fuckin’ rawks.
hard rock with strong southern rock vibes, which is one of the things i remembered from its predecessor, “permanent vacation”. in fact, an argument could be made that “what it takes” is a southern rock song. joe perry rocks the slide guitar on multiple songs. good mix of slower songs and uptempo songs. steven tyler is a badass. the whole band cooks. solid album with “my girl” being the only clunker in the bunch.
highlights:
“young lust”,
“f.i.n.e.”,
“dulcimer stomp/the other side”,
“what it takes”.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
2/5
well, that was a thing. this album was so schizophrenic and all over the place that once you kind of got into a song, it took a weird left turn. and it was like that with most of the songs.
depending on where you were at in the album, you could get: what sounded like game show theme music; random harmonica; random wooden blocks played that imitated a galloping horse; a lead singer, who at times sounded to me like he was doing a bad impression of tom jones; and a random callback of the cream song “sunshine of your love” during an almost twelve minute instrumental.
to be honest, the only song that i particularly cared for was “spinning wheel”, which i really dig. everything else to me sounded terrible and non cohesive. i just don’t get it. i guess the song that i enjoyed the most was the last song, because then i knew this album was almost over.
Depeche Mode
5/5
dark and atmospheric. topics of alienation, interpersonal relationships, addiction. reminiscent of early nine inch nails with lyrics a little less bleak. this album is a masterpiece.
highlights:
“halo”,
“waiting for the night”,
“enjoy the silence”,
“clean”.
Gary Numan
4/5
this is an interesting album. new wave with industrial elements. you can definitely see the influence this album had on nine inch nails’ debut album “pretty hate machine”. i found it to be an enjoyable listen. i am impressed and now think i should delve further into gary numan’s catalog.
highlights:
“metal”,
“m.e.”,
“tracks”,
“cars”.
Steely Dan
4/5
steely dan is certainly a unique listen. top notch musicianship, a culmination of pop, rock, and jazz. smooth as silk vocals and soothing rhythms; i can’t help but be in a good mood when i listen to this album.
you never know where the song is going to take you, but you know it’s going to be interesting. for example, “pearl of the quarter” is steely dan’s take on a southern rock song… and there’s no other song on the album that sounds anything like it. at all. fascinating collection of tunes.
highlights:
“the boston rag”,
“show biz kids”,
“pearl of the quarter”.
Ryan Adams
3/5
i had heard of ryan adams, but never heard any of his music. let me start out by saying that he’s very talented. having said that, i only thought three songs were pretty good. other than that, just not into it. most songs were pretty slow and kind of boring, in my opinion.
highlights:
“to be young”,
“come pick me up”,
shakedown on 9th street”.
Herbie Hancock
3/5
once again, another album of strictly instrumentals. but, i have to be honest, it wasn’t that bad. i found myself actually getting into it a bit. not usually my thing, but was just ok.
Deep Purple
4/5
to me this sounds like if you mixed led zeppelin with yes. hard rock with progressive tendencies at times. going in i was admittedly not very familiar with deep purple, other than what i had heard on the radio (smoke on the water, highway star, hush, etc), and i liked those ok, so i wasn’t expecting much.
i know jimmy page gets a lot of love (and deservedly so), but for my money give me ritchie blackmore on lead guitar. straight badass. ian gillan is a solid frontman with strong robert plant vibes. anywho, this album kicks ass. so good.
highlights:
“bloodsucker”,
“flight of the rat”,
“hard lovin’ man”.
The Police
4/5
the police! sting, andy summers, stewart copeland are at the height of their powers on this album. solid musicianship and songwriting, this is just a fun album to listen to.
highlights:
“synchronicity II”,
“king of pain”,
“wrapped around your finger”.
Paul Simon
2/5
growing up, i distinctly remember gimmicky songs from the era:
“got my mind set on you” by george harrison; “don’t worry, be happy” by bobby mcferrin; and “you can call me al” by paul simon… and i thought they all sucked.
having said that, in my opinion the album graceland exemplifies much of that same hokey essence. tis odd and quirky and annoyingly so. it contains four(!) songs that inexplicably have an accordion? and i realize that mr. simon has a huge fan base as he has been in the music business for decades, but i just don’t get this album. there is something about his voice that i can’t stand.
Ella Fitzgerald
4/5
gorgeous vocals and hypnotic arrangements. dreamlike sounds that make you feel as if you are floating on a cloud. soothing. authentic emotions such as longing, nostalgia, and sadness permeate throughout this album. stunning work.
highlights:
“i got rhythm”,
“nice work if you can get it”,
“embraceable you”.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
other than a few songs, i really didn’t care to much for this album. it was mostly filler, in my opinion.
highlights:
“paint it, black”,
“under my thumb”,
“think”.
Terence Trent D'Arby
4/5
full disclosure, not to be “that guy”, but i own this on vinyl. a magnificent album with both upbeat and slower songs. definite michael jackson vibes throughout. this is another album that puts me in a good mood when i listen to it. just solid.
highlights:
“if you let me stay”,
“wishing well”,
“sign your name”.
John Martyn
2/5
the main problem i have with this album is that it’s too schizophrenic. is it soft gentle folk a la james taylor? is it psychedelic rock? is it bluesy? it tries to be all of these and succeeds at being none of these. it would actually be more listenable if it could pick one and stick with it. oh, and the fact that mr. martyn tends to have a serious case of mush mouth. case in point, on the title track, pretty much the only decipherable lyrics are the words “solid air”. however, that might be forgivable if he sang that way in every song… not even that is consistent. some songs you can understand the lyrics. twas a pretty frustrating listen, but that’s ok since it is now over.
Brian Wilson
3/5
as with anything associated with brian wilson (being either solo material or beach boys), those amazing harmonies with his signature falsetto are there. many of the songs sort of bleed into one another. layered experimental sounds, as with the phenomenal “pet sounds” album, though not nearly as good. still a fascinating listen.
The War On Drugs
3/5
while i had heard of this band, i had not actually heard any of their material. strong tom petty (wildflowers era) vibes. at times, the lead vocalist sounded like sting or don henley to me. interesting sound. solid effort.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
i had not listened to this album in its entirety before, but i was surprised how many songs i recognized. jimmy page is his usual stellar self. robert plant fulfilling his vocal duties alternately soft and sincere contrasted with his signature banshee tendencies… and he does it seemingly effortlessly. john paul jones holding down the low end. but for my money, the one who ties it all together, the true mvp in this band is drummer john bonham. if you don’t believe me, just listen to “in my time of dying”. simply incredible. and he is a beast on the entire album, knowing when to go full throttle and knowing when to pull back. overall, a classic rock masterpiece.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
1/5
i have a theory about records like this. i feel that this record was reviewed favourably by a well respected music critic (from rolling stone, for example), and because he/she is so well respected, other music critics will not admit that he is wrong. here we go…
the best thing about this album is the cover. unique and surreal. fun. the music within is a chaotic mess. the instruments sound like a random scattering of noise, often with no discernible rhythm or tune. the singer can’t really sing and the lyrics are like the ramblings of a crazy person on the street corner.
i have few regrets, but one of them is that i will never get that seventy eight minutes and fifty one seconds of my life back. complete and utter shite.
Beck
4/5
i was familiar with a few of these songs from radio airplay, which i liked, so i was expecting good things, and i was not disappointed at all.
hip hop beats and samples aplenty with enough bass to shake yo ass for days. beck’s voice is smooth and he seems perpetually laid back. he only seems to have one mode and that is relaxed, but with his music it works. great effort from this alt-rock king.
highlights:
“e-pro”,
“black tambourine”,
“hell yes”,
“go it alone”.
Isaac Hayes
2/5
let me start out by saying that under most circumstances, i am not usually a fan of songs over eight minutes in length. in my opinion, if it takes longer than that to get your message across, you’re probably being long winded. i state all of this because there are three songs on this album over eight minutes long. there’s only FOUR songs on the entire album. so, i kind of knew going in that i probably wouldn’t like this album.
isaac hayes has a great voice. it fits in with this music. effortlessly cool with a natural confidence. having said that, if the songs were on average half as long and there were instead twice as many songs on the album, it would probably be pretty good. however, the songs start to become redundant after a while. i really enjoyed the second song for a while, until i felt like it just kept going and going. if it was about three minutes shorter, it would have been great. the last song “by the time i get to phoenix” is a perfect example of this. he starts out the song with an intro of him telling some sort of backstory about the protagonist in the song. that’s cool. that intro lasted for over EIGHT AND A HALF EFFIN’ MINUTES.
bottom line: while i find isaac hayes to be immensely talented, i find this album to be self-indulgent garbage.
The National
3/5
this style of music seems to be a trend that has been going on for a while now. dreamlike vocals with guitar and drums often drowned out by atmospheric synths. while i have heard this style of music before (my wife likes it and i am admittedly not really a fan), i liked it better than the tunes she normally gravitates toward. to me the music almost sounds like sort of a cross between radiohead and depeche mode. the singer has a somber tone that’s not really monotone, but definitely has a limited range (that’s not a slight at him, it works for this type of music).
so, in short, i didn’t love it. i didn’t hate it. it was enjoyable enough when i listened to it, but i probably wouldn’t revisit this album.
highlights:
“terrible love”,
“little faith”,
“bloodbuzz ohio”.
The Boo Radleys
3/5
pretty eclectic album. distorted guitar sounds, solid bass lines, every once in a while i hear an americana influence. schizophrenic, but in a good way. to me, it sounds like a mashup of the beatles, beck, and the meat puppets with experimental elements. very interesting listen.
highlights:
“upon 9th and fairchild”,
“leaves and sand”,
“butterfly mcqueen”,
“if you want it, take it”.
The White Stripes
4/5
a modern day take on garage rock, this album slaps. a great mix of acoustic interludes with crunchy, driving guitar aplenty. if this music doesn’t get your heart pumping, you may in fact already be dead.
highlights:
“dead leaves and the dirty ground”,
“hotel yorba”,
“fell in love with a girl”,
“i can’t wait”.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
ever wanted to know what it would be like to hear neil young fronting a grunge band? well, look no further. i will be the first to admit that neil young’s voice is an acquired taste (in fact, i’m pretty sure I stated this on my review for CSNY. having said that, i really enjoy his unique voice. there is a tortured soul element that can only come from experience.
this album is pretty good, and now that collaboration with pearl jam in the 90s makes a lot more sense to me. although, a couple of songs are a bit long for my taste.
highlights:
“white line”,
“fuckin’ up”,
“mansion on the hill”.
Cee Lo Green
4/5
cee lo green is truly a master at his craft. he has flow for days and his songs are genuinely enjoyable to listen to (although the lyrics can be a bit misogynistic at times). all in all a fun album to listen to.
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
soft soothing vocals over noisy guitars with oodles of feedback (in a good way) and driving drums. catchy bass lines. there were a few clunkers, but overall, not a bad listening experience.
highlights:
“soft as snow (but warm inside)”,
“cupid come”,
“feed me with your kiss”.
Jeff Buckley
2/5
very interesting voice. androgynous. depending on what song you are hearing, it can sound like a high pitched male or a lower pitched female. certainly unique. other than that, the music is kind of generic. not a fan.
Peter Frampton
4/5
i know a lot of people don’t enjoy live albums, but i do. you get a certain energy that you don’t necessarily get listening to a studio album. peter frampton really delivers on this album, and it’s no wonder that it is one of the biggest selling live albums of all time. frampton’s music is unique in that most people’s introduction to him is through a live song, not a studio song. i know my first exposure to him was that. very enjoyable listen.
Happy Mondays
2/5
upbeat rock. sounded a bit like inxs to me. i didn’t like it, i didn’t hate it… it was just there. twas just ok.
The Flaming Lips
2/5
a few takeaways from this album: the songs made me sleepy… until the drums kicked in. the drums were WAY too loud in the mix for this album. i was only able to get through about four songs before i gave up. and the singer sounds like a cartoon character. not really into it.
Pixies
3/5
energetic and intense. quirky vocals and lyrics. i may need to visit more of their catalogue.
Baaba Maal
3/5
this was an interesting listen. tribal beats with an indigenous sound. rap, soft rock, and reggae/ska influences are also present on this album. certainly an adventure.
Can
2/5
eerie, avant-garde, chaotic. it honestly sounded like goblin, but i feel like goblin did it better. liked the third song ok and it sounded the most like a “normal” song… well, as “normal” as a band like this can sound. and it was the shortest song on the album, by far. go figure.
Sister Sledge
3/5
disco tinged melodies punctuated by prominent bass lines. this type of music isn’t normally my thing, although they are very talented. having said that, “easier to love” is pretty damn catchy.
R.E.M.
2/5
the song that i liked the most was “lightnin’ hopkins”. it has heavy guitar. fast. almost sounds punk. in other words, it sounds nothing like REM. i literally didn’t really like any other song. this tells you everything you need to know about my opinion of this band. all the songs on this album (with that notable exception) sound the same. and michael stipe has a whiny voice. annoyingly so. as with the last REM album i listened to for this project, not a fan.
Muddy Waters
3/5
old school blues in a live setting. this is quality shit. there’s even a song that does the blues standard “da da da da da” routine. nice.
highlights:
“i’m your hoochie coochie man”,
“baby, please don’t go”,
“i feel so good”.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
2/5
psychedelic tinged blues rock with a jam band sensibility. while they’re very talented, not my thing.
Sigur Rós
3/5
dark and haunting, yet beautiful and cathartic. a little long, though.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
interesting listen. you get what you expect with a led zeppelin album from this era… blues based heavy rock with robert plant’s signature howl. however, there are added bluegrass/country elements with plenty of acoustic guitars as well as a couple of songs with slide guitar. strong effort.
highlights:
“immigrant song”,
“since i’ve been loving you”,
“gallows pole”.
fIREHOSE
2/5
very disjointed. i liked certain songs ok, but then they will take a weird left turn. it almost sounds like primus, yes, and gin blossoms mixed together. depending on what song you’re playing, the band it sounds like most can change. certainly an interesting listen, though.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
2/5
i will never get this sixty four minutes of my life back. wtf…
Prince
4/5
pretty much every song on this album is just candy for the ears.
Elvis Presley
3/5
solid effort by one of the original true “rock stars”.
highlights:
“fever”
“the girl of my best friend”
“soldier boy”
Rush
2/5
rush is good, but after this album. not my cup o’ tea.
Incredible Bongo Band
3/5
fun listen. certainly a product of its time, plenty of disco/funk influence… and of course, bongos!
highlights:
“apache”,
“in-a-gadda-da-vida”,
“okey dokey”.
Beatles
4/5
note: this review is of the u.k. lp release.
ah, the beatles. the masters of the sub 3 minute pop song. catchy songs with infectious sing-along choruses.
you can definitely tell the difference between a john lennon song, which tend to be a little darker, and the other songs which tend to be a little more positive.
highlights:
“i should have known better”,
“i’m happy just to dance with you”,
“and i love her”.
Primal Scream
3/5
this wasn’t really my thing, but i can certainly see the appeal of it.
Tom Waits
2/5
dark, chaotic, apocalyptic, and disturbing. the voice takes a while to get used to, and i admittedly never really got used to it. not really into it.
Public Enemy
4/5
politically charged lyrics along with flavour flav’s signature nuttiness. samples a plenty. very high energy throughout. an unapologetic celebration of blackness. stone cold quality.
Bauhaus
4/5
just some good ol’ early 80’s goth rock by one of the pioneers of the genre. solid work.
Pink Floyd
5/5
disillusionment, isolation, addiction, war... this album has some heavy themes. rock solid musicianship.
it was one of my first introductions to a concept album and i have loved it ever since. as all concept albums, it is meant to be listened to at one setting. thoroughly enjoyed revisiting it.
highlights:
“mother”,
“goodbye blue sky”,
“nobody home”,
“run like hell”.
Gorillaz
3/5
entertaining mix of rock, rap, and pop over various music samples. was only familiar with “clint eastwood” before this listen. liked it more than i thought i would.
highlights:
“clint eastwood”,
“punk”,
“19-2000”.
Motörhead
4/5
rock and roll with a punk swagger. galloping instruments behind the whiskey soaked / smoke charred vocals of legendary frontman lemmy kilmister. the only band both rock and punk fans can agree on, it has been said. just fast, quality rock and roll.
highlights:
“ace of spades”,
“fast and loose”,
“dance”.
Pixies
3/5
as with any band, their strength is in their rhythm section. unfortunately, their main weakness is their vocalist, who often comes across as whiny and nasally. other than that, good songs and i can certainly see the appeal and the influence that this band has had in the alternative music world.
highlights:
“i bleed”,
“crackity jones”,
“there goes my gun”.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
soothing vocals, smooth delivery. would be nice background music.
highlights:
“last year’s man”,
“diamonds in the mine”.
Kings of Leon
3/5
an interesting mix of garage rock with a southern drawl. certainly an entertaining listen. not sure if i’ll ever revisit this, but glad i gave it a listen.
highlights:
“red morning light”,
“wasted time”,
“holy roller novocaine”.
Jurassic 5
3/5
high energy hip hop with plenty of cameo appearances. not necessarily my thing, but not terrible.
Dizzee Rascal
2/5
something weird about doing hip hop with a british accent. i made it three songs in before tapping out. not for me.
Lauryn Hill
3/5
nice blend of hip hop and r&b. beautiful voice. bass for days. i was impressed. this is what an album of this genre is supposed to sound like and it’s no wonder why it is so highly regarded.
highlights:
“to zion”,
“doo wop (that thing)”,
“every ghetto, every city”.
Prince
3/5
prince is an amazing talent. he plays all of the instruments on his albums and writes all of the songs. while the albums are certainly a showcase for his musicianship, his lyrics are a little redundant. we get it, you like sex.
if the lyrical content was on par with the musical content, it would be four stars. however, three stars it is.
Fleetwood Mac
2/5
i admittedly am not a fleetwood mac fan. i have always found them kind of hokey and overrated. i didn’t realize going in just how many of these songs i had already heard on the radio. however, this didn’t really change my opinion of the band. the only songs that i really like on this album are “the chain” and “gold dust woman”, and the rest i can honestly do without.
Caetano Veloso
3/5
very eclectic mix of sounds and genres, definitely a product of its time. fun album for background music. certainly an interesting and enjoyable listen.
Supergrass
2/5
couldn’t really get into it. not my thing.
3/5
wasn’t sure what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised. quality modern day britpop. catchy. not bad at all.
highlights:
“advert”,
“chemical world”,
“villa rosie”.
Queen Latifah
4/5
high energy hip hop. samples ahoy. she was a girl boss before that was a thing. unapologetically black and unapologetically female. solid effort.
highlights:
“latifa’s law”,
“wrath of my madness”,
“evil that men do”.
The Kinks
3/5
just good old fashioned pop rock, 60’s style. as with many other bands of the era, very reminiscent of the beatles. quality.
highlights:
“the village green preservation society”,
“village green”,
“wicked annabella”.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
3/5
big band goodness. this one satisfied my craving for upright bass, always a treat for me. just the right mix of upbeat numbers and slow songs. good stuff.
highlights:
“kid from red bank”,
“double-o”,
“whirlybird”.
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
interesting upbeat britpop. catchy. rocks out when it wants to, but slows it down when appropriate. was pleasantly surprised.
highlights:
“elvis impersonator: blackpool pier”,
“removables”,
“australia”.
The Young Gods
3/5
twas enjoyable enough. much of the album sounded like a french version of rammstein. however, rammstein did it better… and germaner.
Stephen Stills
3/5
quality folk rock. stephen stills, the overlooked member of CSNY, shines on this one. great voice. solid effort.
highlights:
“love the one you’re with”,
“old times good times”,
“black queen”.
Simple Minds
2/5
not a big fan of music like this. after a while most of the songs started sounding the same. not my jam, fam.
Neil Young
4/5
excellent album with neil young’s signature voice and folk/rock stylings. rock solid.
highlights:
“southern man”,
“oh, lonesome me”,
“birds”.
Carole King
4/5
an all time classic. the legendary carole king, a talented songwriter before she started putting out albums. she is a true badass.
fun fact: “i feel the earth move” is about her man giving her a big ol’ orgasm. so, there’s that.
highlights:
“i feel the earth move”,
“beautiful”,
“will you love me tomorrow”.
The Pogues
4/5
folk punk! upbeat and lively, tis a genre that is fun to experience in a live setting. shane macgowan and his signature accent, while often making the lyrics indecipherable, definitely adds to it he music’s charm. while i had sporadically heard a pogues song here and there, this was my first time to hear an entire album. great listen and i need to explore more of their catalog.
highlights:
“turkish song of the damned”,
“bottle of smoke”,
“sit down by the fire”.
King Crimson
4/5
progressive and pretty heavy at times. enjoyed this one.
highlights:
“book of saturday”,
“easy money”.
Beck
4/5
infectious beats interspersed with distorted guitars and beck’s signature weirdness. he makes that quirkiness seem effortlessly cool. so good.
highlights:
“devil’s haircut”,
“hotwax”,
“where it’s at”…
The Jam
3/5
upbeat. kind of reminded me of the clash. twas a fun listen.
Doves
3/5
Incubus
4/5
brandon boyd and the boys bring it with this one. i forgot how damn good this album is. crunchy guitars, driving bass lines, soaring vocals, and even a bit of record scratching every now and then (not normally my thing, but somehow it works). killer album, top to bottom.
highlights:
“privilege”,
“stellar”,
“make yourself”,
“pardon me”.
Eels
4/5
eels! the unique vocal stylings of “e”, somewhere between singing and speaking. dark lyrics. great album.
highlights:
“novocaine for the soul”,
“rags to rags”,
“your lucky day in hell”.
Judas Priest
4/5
while not my favourite judas priest album, certainly an important one in their catalog. after all, this album contains three of their biggest songs (“metal gods”, “breaking the law”, and “living after midnight”). all in all, a solid album, certainly one the band should be proud of.
highlights:
“rapid fire”,
“grinder”,
“the rage”.
Eminem
4/5
i consider myself a pretty open minded person and as i get older, my musical palate continues to expand. i am also a firm believer in free speech and the importance of the first amendment, which i believe to be our most important amendment.
when are people going to learn? controversy sells. the more you complain about something or rally against it, the more attention it gets, the more people discover it. tis a cycle that has existed way longer than myself. like giving oxygen to a fire.
having said that, this is my first foray into a complete eminem album. of course, i had heard a few songs here and there. and i was surprised by what i heard during my journey through this album, but not in the way you might think. going in, i was thinking that it would be shock value just for shock value’s sake. while there is plenty of shock value here, there is an underlying message throughout this work.
the message is this, our society is ugly. eminem is shining a light on our collective obsessions with sex, drugs, and violence and reflecting it back to us. what is more troubling, the fact that eminem talks about violence or that on any given day you can go to a movie theatre and pick from a handful of movies where you can SEE depictions of graphic violence? nobody bats an eye over the violence in movies, or in the news (“if it bleeds, it leads”).
no, the real reason that eminem was considered such a threat and harm to society according to the media and politicians who craved the spotlight was this: he exposed these ugly truths, but more importantly, this genre of music was becoming popular with suburban white kids, and that made suburban white parents uncomfortable.
does he say things that i wouldn’t say and i would probably deem “problematic”? absolutely. does he have a way of expressing things that gets your attention? indeed. but at the end of the day, he is an artist. these are just words. his tongue is planted firmly in cheek and the only thing he can really be guilty of is having a dark, twisted sense of humour.
to be at the top of your game in this genre, you have to be a master of the english language. eminem has indeed mastered his craft, not only as a rapper but as a social critic as well. i never thought i would ever write these words, but here we are…
eminem is a genius.
highlights:
“stan”,
“who knew”,
“the way i am”…
Fatboy Slim
2/5
this album is abundantly redundant. i suppose it is typical for this genre of music, but it is not for me.
CHVRCHES
2/5
the wifey enjoys synth-pop bands such as this… her husband, however, does not.
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
not a genre i normally listen to, but honestly pretty listenable as background music. would consider listening to it again. not bad.
Thin Lizzy
4/5
phil lynott and the boys ripping it up on stage. stone cold quality and i couldn’t get enough. minimal banter with the crowd, just thin lizzy doing what they do best… pounding you relentlessly with that sweet sweet rock and roll.
highlights:
“jailbreak”,
“rosalie”,
“johnny the fox meets jimmy the weed”,
“cowboy song”,
“warriors”.
Air
2/5
not a fan. having said that, daft punk did it better.
Arctic Monkeys
4/5
well, this was a pleasant surprise. i have heard of this band, of course, but had never listened to one note of this band. until today.
this album kicked ass. the band plays tight. the bass guitarist is prominent throughout, which i love. i can’t say enough good things about this album. great mix of faster and slower songs. just an all around good rock and roll record.
highlights:
“the view from the afternoon”,
“perhaps vampires is a bit strong but…”,
“from the ritz to the rubble”.
Manu Chao
3/5
upbeat and lively music with a mexican twist. i liked it well enough.
Slayer
5/5
FUCKIN’ SLAYER!!!
this album, to many, is their masterpiece and considered one of the greatest metal albums of all time. tom araya with his barking vocals. guitarists jeff hanneman and kerry king with their sick riffs and alternating chaotic leads. and of course dave lombardo with his lightning fast drumming, you’d swear the dude is an octopus.
this is the band’s classic lineup and the band is in top form with their trademark dark, angry energy. after all, what other band would put out a song titled “jesus saves” that mocks and questions christianity?
my personal favourite slayer album is south of heaven, but you certainly can’t go wrong with either of these slabs of thrash excellence.
highlights:
“angel of death”,
“alter of sacrifice”,
“jesus saves”,
“raining blood”.
Pretenders
3/5
80s retro rock with a punk attitude. chrissie hynde is not one to be fucked with.
highlights:
“precious”,
“the wait”,
“brass in pocket”.
Nightmares On Wax
3/5
eclectic mix of instrumental music and samples. perfect background music to record hip hop lyrics over. interesting listen.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
3/5
let me start out by saying that i love tom petty. hit after hit. going in, i was really looking forward to listening to this as i had never heard this entire album.
that being said, to be honest i was a little underwhelmed. other than the two hits “breakdown” and “american girl”, the rest of the album was kind of average.
Fugees
4/5
samples and ample amounts of bass. lyrics focusing on spirituality and social consciousness. two covers that are well done and they made their own.
lauryn hill is indeed the star of the show, and how she shines. in fact, this was the group’s last album, as hill branched out on her own and recorded a solo album, the critically acclaimed “the miseducation of lauryn hill”.
highlights:
“how many mics”,
“the beast”,
“killing me softly”…
Public Enemy
4/5
another great album filled with great samples, ample amounts of bass, and social commentary on the effects of u.s. governmental policies on black people. in fact, the song “by the time i get to arizona” calls out the politicians in the state directly for their lack of holding martin luther king day as an official government holiday (the album was released in 1991, a public vote was finally passed granting the holiday in november 1992, thus making arizona the last state in the u.s. to recognize the holiday). quality album with lyrics that pull no punches.
highlights:
“by the time i get to arizona”,
“1 million bottlebags”,
“bring tha noize”.
White Denim
2/5
a little too “jam band-ish” for me. not a fan.
FKA twigs
2/5
my wife likes music like this. but, not my thing. pass.
Jethro Tull
4/5
folk meets rock meets flute. commentary on religion and man’s relationship to it. solid album.
Todd Rundgren
2/5
this is a VERY schizophrenic album. all over the place, and not in a good way. not sure what the hell i just listened to, but i do know this… i won’t do it again. not for me.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
the greatness of CCR, swamp rock in all its delicious glory. john fogerty and the boys really bring it with this one. this album also contains an excellent cover of blues standard “the night time is the right time”.
highlights:
“green river”,
“bad moon rising”,
“lodi”,
“the night time is the right time”.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
catchy late 70s pop rock. elvis costello shines with sharp lyrics and catchy hooks. tight band behind him as well. the version i listened to was the 2021 remaster which contained “big tears” and “radio radio”, the later of which was a brilliant indictment of the radio broadcasting industry. quality stuff.
highlights:
“this year’s girl”,
“pump it up”,
“radio radio”.
Nirvana
4/5
“teenage angst has paid off well”.
this is the opening line of this album and from the gate you are punched in the face with kurt’s self deprecating humour.
this album had a dark mood around it and you could tell the spotlight was taking its toll on the frontman. “i miss the comfort in being sad” a recurring line in one of the songs.
this is my favourite nirvana studio album, as it exudes everything that nirvana was. heavy guitars, dark lyrics, loud drums, and a certain self awareness. it was also their final studio album as kurt cobain was found dead of a self inflicted shotgun wound in april 1994.
r.i.p. kurt.
highlights:
“scentless apprentice”,
“rape me”,
“frances farmer will have her revenge on seattle”,
“pennyroyal tea”,
“all apologies”.
Beastie Boys
4/5
hip hop beats with flow. the boys from NYC bring it once again. samples ahoy, hardcore elements. plenty of collaborations on this one, but the tracks that shine are the best ones with only the beasties. quality album with minimal filler.
highlights:
“sure shot”,
“root down”,
“sabotage”,
“alright hear this”.
Elliott Smith
2/5
i don’t know, i just couldn’t get into this album. i don’t know why.
Oasis
2/5
never really cared for oasis and until today was only familiar with their hits. always thought people tend to overrate them. but, i listened to the full album and gave them a fair chance.
now after listening to the album in full, i realize why i never cared for them. the band sounds great, but the vocals… too whiny, too nasally, and gratuitously bri ish. a different singer and i would probably really be into this album, but as is? meh…
Soundgarden
4/5
there were several bands to come from the seattle area in the late 80s, and many of them were lumped into the “grunge” category.
but one of these bands was not like the others… soundgarden. they were more metal, really. and they had the x factor that set them apart: perhaps the most gifted singer of the era, chris cornell.
this album, in my opinion, is their magnum opus. it has it all… slowed down doom style riffs, mid tempo numbers, and straight ahead balls to the wall scorchers… and a solo by a man who plays the spoons!
all in all, a magnificent album by a talented band. sadly, chris cornell was found unresponsive in his hotel room in may 2017, suicide by hanging, thus ending his life and the band.
highlights:
“fell on black days”,
“spoonman”,
“the day i tried to live”,
“kickstand”.
Slint
3/5
interesting listen. different. every song is a patchwork of musical pieces. certainly willing to give it another listen.
Frank Ocean
2/5
not for me.
The Smiths
3/5
upbeat pop rock with morrissey’s signature crooning. lyrics tinged with offbeat humour. certainly a quality listening experience.
The Byrds
3/5
an enjoyable listening experience.
KISS
3/5
i probably haven’t listened to this album in over 25 years, so i felt like i was coming into this with a fresh set of ears. this should be interesting.
first and foremost, KISS is a great live band. their stage show is indeed a sight to behold. case in point, the band was struggling early in until the release of KISS - alive! and then word started circulating about the power of their live show.
KISS is an example of a band that continued to put out albums in order to justify touring. there’s nothing necessarily wrong with that; in my opinion, KISS music just translates better in a live setting.
destroyer was the first studio album after the release of KISS - alive! and so it was bound to do well. this album is chock full of live staples (“detroit rock city”, “god of thunder”, “shout it out loud”, “beth”). and with bob ezrin producing, it was bound to make the band sound better.
one thing glaringly obvious: “paul songs” are much better than “gene songs”. gene simmons has always had an ENORMOUS ego, even in 1976 when the band was still trying to find its way. just listen to “great expectations” and try not to laugh at how full of himself he is and how hokey the song comes across.
KISS as musicians and songwriters are PAINFULLY average. paul is a decent singer, i guess. i can’t help but think it is merely a vanity project when gene takes lead vocals, because he really can’t sing. and the band playing their instruments just seem to go through the motions when playing.
to be honest, if it wasn’t for the reputation of their live shows and their decades of merchandising anything they can put their name on, i don’t know if they would still be around.
destroyer has a few decent songs with ample amounts of filler. to put this album on an “album you must listen to before you die” list seems a bit misguided. if you must represent KISS on this list, KISS - alive! would be the obvious choice.
The Temptations
3/5
catchy bass lines, infectious drum beats and smooth vocals. good stuff.
Bobby Womack
3/5
this was just ok. i liked the first half, but then i found myself losing interest the further i got into the album.
Meat Puppets
3/5
alt country meets garage rock. sounds like a weird combination, but it kind of works. i’m in for it.
The Killers
4/5
driving rock with infectious bass lines. the vocals are somewhere between singing and crooning. solid effort.
highlights:
“mr. brightside”,
“somebody told me”,
“andy, you’re a star”.
Frank Zappa
3/5
going into this, oddly enough, i was not really familiar with frank zappa’s music. sure, i had seen him in interviews and seen footage of him testifying at the PMRC hearings, so he became kind of a hero of mine. articulate as hell and seemed to share many of my viewpoints and very prophetic about the dangers of the alignment of evangelical chrisitanity and conservative politics.
this was a fascinating listen. it is somewhere between rock, free form jazz, and a jam band. zappa is a freakishly talented musician, no doubt. his band is amazing as well.
i would have to be in the right mood for this and am willing to explore more of his work as it is very schizophrenic at times, so not my normal everyday listen. but not bad at all.
Christina Aguilera
3/5
i enjoyed this a bit more than i care to admit. she is crazy talented. however, there are a few things that i could do without:
1. the collaborations lacked chemistry and seemed forced,
2. when she does what i call “vocal acrobatics” (when she sings a word and all of the sudden that word lasts for ten seconds and she hits like 23 different notes during that ten seconds),
3. when she “whisper sings” (a technique used during that era when women wanted to sound “sexy”… i just find it gimmicky and annoying).
other than that, great effort by a woman with a killer voice.
John Lennon
4/5
this album is pretty heavy as far as its subject matter… dealing with childhood trauma and self discovery. it’s clear that john lennon had a troubled childhood and this album was his way of dealing with it. great album.
Beatles
4/5
the upbeat mccartney songs are the perfect counterbalance to the dark, morose lennon songs. quality work.
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
a dark masterpiece. while i admit there is ample filler here (the album is over two hours long, so it was bound to happen), the parts that hit really hit. many consider this their magnum opus, and it’s hard to argue with that.
hard driving rock, bordering on metal at times, with billy corgan’s signature angst (both lyrically and vocally). it took me a while to get on the smashing pumpkins train, as corgan’s vocals are an admittedly acquired taste. however, the songs just wouldn’t sound quite right with a different vocal delivery.
highlights:
“tonight, tonight”,
“zero”,
“love”,
“where boys fear to tread”,
“thirty-three”,
“1979”.
Calexico
3/5
alt country. not sure why it’s on this list, as there are better examples of this genre out there. also, many of the songs are instrumental.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
psychedelic tinged guitar rock with a couple of ballads thrown in. easy to see why this one is on the list. solid.
highlights:
“manic depression”,
“hey joe”,
“fire”,
“are you experienced?”
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
dark and brooding. intense. piano, drums, bass, and that voice. depressing lounge music, but in a good way. great album.
highlights:
“lime tree arbour”,
“west country girl”,
“idiot prayer”,
“green eyes”.
Minutemen
2/5
weird, disjointed and too long. not into this at all.
The Afghan Whigs
3/5
this was ok. not great, not terrible. just ok.
John Lennon
4/5
john lennon taking on topics of interpersonal relationships, religion, war, and his fallout with the beatles. a crucial album where lennon carves his own path separate from his legacy with the legendary band.
The Doors
4/5
drug induced bluesy bar rock. good stuff.
highlights:
“love her madly”,
“crawling king snake”,
“riders on the storm”.
Small Faces
2/5
kind of a weird album. british rock interspersed with narration tha seems to tell some sort of story. different, but would have been better without the narration.
Violent Femmes
2/5
mostly acoustic music with occasional bouts into chaos. the vocals come across as the insane ramblings of a weirdo. honestly, i found much of it pretty unlistenable.
Simply Red
2/5
cheesy 80’s schlock. not for me.
Ali Farka Touré
3/5
fascinating mix of middle eastern music, folk, and tribal rhythms. very hypnotic at times.
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
ambient, ethereal music buried under distorted guitars for most of the songs. it was an interesting listen, to be sure.
B.B. King
3/5
some good ol’ quality blues in a live setting.
Steely Dan
5/5
in terms of audio excellence, it is difficult to find a band that can beat steely dan. this album is quality from start to finish. all killer, no filler.
highlights:
“aja”,
“deacon blues”,
“peg”…
Neu!
3/5
different. mostly instrumental tunes. honestly, most of it was very relaxing, almost to the point of being hypnotic.
The Cure
3/5
twas ok. sounded a little dated. you can definitely see the foundations of what the band would become.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
4/5
socially conscious lyrics. influential and essential album of early hip hop, particularly “the message”. an obvious choice for this list.
The Incredible String Band
1/5
at any point in this album you may hear: harmonica, a jaw harp, a harpsichord (i think), maracas, a piccolo. at one point, i’m pretty sure i heard a kazoo???
all of this music is played during nonsensical medieval-inspired lyrics. in other words, this sounds like a parody of a band that you would hear during scarborough fair. please, don’t ever make me listen to this again.
Suzanne Vega
2/5
pleasant voice, but the music became redundant. not my thing.
The Band
4/5
good quality folk rock. really enjoyable listen.
highlights:
“the night they drove old dixie down”,
“up on cripple creek”,
“look out cleveland”.
The Thrills
2/5
i found this album boring. in fact i almost fell asleep 47 times while listening to it. even during the more upbeat songs, something seems missing. and i just can’t with that guy’s voice.
Linkin Park
2/5
i never really got into the whole “nu metal” phenomenon. record scratching and heavy guitar riffs just don’t really go together in my opinion.
this album’s riffs are pretty good. however, the “rapping” is cringey and the singing comes across as whiny. and redundant. we get it. the whole album is the songwriter trying to self diagnose all of his neuroses, and after a while it was just tiresome. at least the album was under 40 minutes, so there’s that.
Elliott Smith
2/5
this album was boring, but i know what to listen to next time i have insomnia. the only, and i mean only, song with any balls was cupid’s trick, and that was song 10. too little, too late. well, at least it was a short album.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
classic album with the smooth soothing voices of art and paul and their unique take on folk music.
highlights:
“save the life of my child”,
“mrs. robinson”,
“a hazy shade of winter”.
4/5
first time listening to a muse album, and it did not disappoint. great listening experience. solid album with *hints* of radiohead every now and then. highly recommended.
highlights:
“starlight”,
“assassin”,
“city of delusion”.
3/5
the queen of country, loretta lynn, with an album full of songs about what a p.o.s. her man is. she pulls no punches with this one and i, for one, am here for it. a classic country… classic.
Adele
4/5
while not my favourite adele album (that would be its predecessor, the phenomenal “21”), this one is breathtaking.
adele is truly a once in a lifetime talent who shines with this album that displays both vulnerability and courage. her powerful voice captivates and carries the songs. this one is not to be missed.
Aimee Mann
3/5
beautiful voice. sounded like sheryl crow with better singing ability. not bad at all.
Mike Oldfield
2/5
going in, i recognized the opening song as the iconic theme to the movie “the exorcist”. however i was not aware that that song is 26 effing minutes long. in fact the album contains only two songs, and the other one is just over 23 minutes long. in other words, only one song per side on a vinyl record.
both songs are mostly instrumental and progress into stages. it’s almost as if each song can be separated into about half a dozen suites. it was not really my thing, but it was well crafted.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
a fascinating mix of rock, jazz, disco, gospel, with progressive elements. songs about love, social progress, race relations. just a gorgeous well crafted album. tis a solid choice for this endeavor.
highlights:
“village ghetto land”,
“sir duke”,
“pastime paradise”,
“joy inside my tears”…
Napalm Death
3/5
crucial album in the early days of grindcore, this album is critical of conservatism, capitalism, and religious dogma. with the short songs, fast beats, and politically charged lyrics it can be considered a really heavy punk record. good stuff.
Doves
2/5
i don’t know. i thought this was kind of boring. not for me.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
4/5
ah, southern rock. the beautiful fusion of rock and country. and for my money, lynyrd skynyrd are the kings of southern rock. one song even had a bit of ragtime thrown in for good measure. this album is a stone cold classic.
highlights:
“i ain’t the one”,
“gimme three steps”,
“things goin’ on”,
“free bird”.
Louis Prima
4/5
what a fun album! an abundance of old school swing music. and some of these songs have been covered by popular artists. nothing like a good cover tune.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
some great reggae jams to get through the day. good album.
The Teardrop Explodes
3/5
there were a lot of bands that sounded like this back in the 80s. synth heavy. i wasn’t really into it, but it was ok.
Talking Heads
3/5
upbeat. fun. quirky. everything you would love about a talking heads album.
Beth Orton
4/5
interesting mix of folk, lounge, and electronic music. gorgeous voice, somewhere between natalie merchant and sarah mclachlan. very nice.
Big Star
2/5
this album bored me to tears. i am crying right now and i blame big star. damn you, big star. damn you.
Björk
3/5
weird and ethereal. beautiful voice. when you listen to this , it makes you feel like you’re on drugs, but in a good way.
AC/DC
5/5
hands down one of the greatest hard rock albums of all time. all killer, no filler.
highlights:
“girls got rhythm”,
“beating around the bush”,
“shot down in flames”,
“if you want blood (you’ve got it)”.
Peter Gabriel
5/5
this is a magical album from the former voice of genesis. when most people think of genesis, they think of phil collins on vocals when the band went in a more mainstream direction. however, the band started with more of an art rock/progressive direction… and that was due to peter gabriel.
this is definitely more mainstream than his previous efforts and it shows with five(!) singles that received substantial radio airplay.
the album incorporates elements of pop, funk, dance, and tribal music. it is fun, quirky, and poignant.
highlights:
“red rain”,
“sledgehammer”,
“in your eyes”.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
socially conscious lyrics with a background of solid funk/rock. great album.
Eagles
2/5
i have never liked this band. in my opinion, you would be hard pressed to find a band more overrated than the eagles. and listening to this album did not change my opinion.
the music of the eagles is soulless corporate schlock. it is southern rock without the balls. and even when it tries to be “heavy”, like in the song “victim of love”, it falls short.
in fact, the only thing remotely interesting about this band is that it is mostly comprised of what used to be linda rondstadt’s backing band.
in short, if you want to listen to southern rock, listen to the real deal, bands like skynyrd and allman brothers. stay away from this shite.
Stereo MC's
3/5
fun and lively dance rock. i didn’t hate it.
The Human League
2/5
honestly sounded like a cheap imitation of early depeche mode at times.
2Pac
4/5
2pac had a way of telling stories to make you feel like you were there. and he had flow. there is a strange duality within this album that, depending on the song, he either seemed like he was glorifying life on the streets or cautioning against it. almost as if he was trying to escape his past, but it kept pulling him back in.
fascinating listen. i had never listened to any 2pac before (i’ve never considered myself much of a fan of rap music), but i totally understand the allure of this artist.
The Allman Brothers Band
3/5
always considered allman brothers southern rock, but this live album is a combination of southern rock, blues, and jam band. it was pretty good.
Sabu
2/5
lively and upbeat, but to be honest, most of the songs are pretty redundant.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
dark and brooding, but slow and plodding. electronic music with nick cave rambling nonsensically about who knows what? and when he hits a line that he thinks gets through, he repeats that line.
tis a shame that i didn’t care much for this album, as i quite liked the last album that i listened to by them, 1997’s The Boatman’s Call.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
ah, led zeppelin I, where it all began. the hard rock titans started their career as basically a heavy blues band, which is what their debut essentially is. but what a debut it was.
highlights:
“good times bad times”,
“babe i’m gonna leave you”,
“dazed and confused”,
“communication breakdown”.
Fairport Convention
2/5
this was just ok. however, i can’t help but think how bands like this helped bridge the gap from ethnic folk music to modern day folk rock/punk hybrid bands like flogging molly and dropkick murphys.
Sonic Youth
4/5
heavy guitars with ample amounts of distortion. some songs had a male vocalist, some had a female vocalist. all in all, a solid album.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
4/5
country and gospel standards given the bluegrass treatment. recorded live with a bevy of celebrity guest musicians. very well done.
highlights:
“dark as a dungeon”,
“tennessee stud”,
“black mountain rag”,
“honky tonkin’ “
“lonesome fiddle blues”,
“orange blossom special”,
“foggy mountain breakdown”.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
4/5
most good albums, in my opinion, have filler songs. it is very rare for every song on a good album to be quality. this album is no exception. flea shines on this one, as he usually does. the opening and closing tracks fall flat. that being said, most of the songs on this album are good to great. nice album overall.
highlights:
“parallel universe”,
“californication”,
“emit remmus”,
“right on time”.
Johnny Cash
5/5
johnny cash was a musical legend, but towards the end of his career he had fallen on hard times. his albums weren’t selling as well as they used to.
rick rubin, producer extraordinaire, had the idea of johnny in the studio with a stripped down approach with a few guest musicians, and it worked. it helped to revitalize his career. i would argue that the albums that johnny cash recorded for american recordings (there were six in total), were amongst the best of his career.
this particular album was the last album johnny released during his lifetime (the last two american albums were posthumously). it is mainly a covers album with songs that deal with love, loss, death, and mortality. the stripped down approach really brings forward the frailty in his voice and adds depth and authenticity to the words sung. it is a gorgeous album, the best of the american series in my opinion.
highlights:
“hurt”,
“bridge over troubled water”,
“i hung my head”,
“the first time ever i saw your face”,
“i’m so lonesome i could cry”.
Hanoi Rocks
2/5
hanoi rocks was sort of a b-list hair metal band in the early 80s. going in, literally the only thing i knew about them was that one of their members, razzle, was killed by vince neil in a car accident in which he was the passenger and vince was drunk.
there were far more “misses” than “hits” on this album. yes, you can see some signs that maybe there was something special there, but most of the album fell flat with me.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
3/5
enjoyable jazz album. smooth and very listenable.
The Magnetic Fields
2/5
there were some decent songs on here. it’s actually kind of impressive how eclectic this album is, so many different styles of music are represented. many of the songs are intentionally tongue in cheek, some more clever than others.
overall, this album was about 3x as long as it should have been, too much filler. it was too gimmicky to have an album that was almost 3 hours long full of love songs, 69 to be exact.
Dire Straits
4/5
blues influenced rock. so smooth you’d swear it was a quality single malt scotch. this is a good one, kids.
highlights:
“down to the waterline”,
“six blade knife”,
“sultans of swing”.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
quality funk. you can definitely hear his influence on modern day acts such as black pumas.
The Stooges
4/5
gritty and pretty heavy for its time. solid album from the early punk legends.
highlights:
“search and destroy”,
“your pretty face is going to hell”,
“raw power”.
Yes
2/5
this was an interesting listen. oddly enough, they sounded like crosby, stills and nash at times with their harmonies. definite folk music influences.
i didn’t necessarily love it, but didn’t hate it either. progressive music definitely has its place and this band is crazy talented, but i probably wouldn’t listen to this album again to be honest.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
3/5
southern rock with dashes of psychedelia and gospel thrown in. interesting album.
Cyndi Lauper
4/5
she may be unusual, but she can craft a great pop record. this one has solid hits, including one of the great pop songs of the 80s, “time after time”. from start to finish, this one is special.
highlights:
“time after time”,
“she bop”,
“witness”.
Giant Sand
2/5
the album would have been better if the guy actually sang, but most of the album he did the “speak singing” thing, which i am not a fan of. it comes across as gimmicky and makes it seem as if the singer can’t really sing very well. not for me.
Talking Heads
4/5
the talking heads. upbeat tunes with david byrne’s offbeat vocal style and quirky lyrics. kick ass bass lines. this album is a fun listen.
highlights:
“tentative decisions”,
“no compassion”,
“psycho killer”.
John Martyn
2/5
i don’t know, i just found this one kind of boring.
Green Day
3/5
green day is one of the bands that helped usher in the “pop punk” movement of the 1990’s. the early 2000’s brought uncertainty to the band with disappointing album sales, so they tried a different approach… a concept album with more rock influences.
while the punk influences are still there, they’re not as prevalent as previous albums. after all, songs over 9 minutes with distinct movements are definitely not “punk”. neither is the concept of deliberately trying to reach a mainstream audience.
having said that, “boulevard of broken dreams” and “wake me up when september ends” are two quality rock songs from the 2000’s. this is a solid effort and the album that helped launched the band further into the mainstream.
Q-Tip
3/5
Kanye West
2/5
this was my first time listening to an album by kanye west. i can understand the allure, the music is pretty catchy. but the lyrics? he comes across as an angry sex obsessed narcissist. and that’s in EVERY song.
case in point: in the song “blood on the leaves”, there is a song with a repetitive sample of nina simone’s rendition of “strange fruit”. “strange fruit” is a very powerful song, yet somehow kanye makes the song about himself and starts rapping about some beef he has with jay-z? it was just weird.
also, it seems as if he keeps saying the “n word” and “bitch” just for the sake of saying them.
i know some people consider him a genius, but if this is an example to point to for that, count me out. i don’t get it. there’s just no “there” there.
Steely Dan
4/5
steely dan, the kings of yacht rock. start to finish, a solid outing.
highlights:
“do it again”,
“only a fool would say that”,
“reelin’ in the years”.
Khaled
3/5
fascinating hybrid of dance, pop, and arabic music. very pleasing to the ear.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
this was a great listen. it reminds me of a dark folk/punk hybrid. pretty heavy for an acoustic album.
highlights:
“i had a dream, joe”,
“brother, my cup is empty”,
“john finn’s wife”.
Lana Del Rey
3/5
interesting listen. dark yet soothing vocals. not normally my thing, but i can see the allure. there were a few songs that i dug. didn’t hate it.
The Stone Roses
3/5
a mix of the beatles with gin blossoms and a *hint* of simon and garfunkel. good album. very listenable.
Joy Division
4/5
dark and intoxicating. quality album.
highlights:
“isolation”,
“colony”,
“a means to an end”.
Neneh Cherry
3/5
upbeat and catchy. not sure if it was her accent, but she actually reminded me of queen latifah.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
dark and gloomy early 80’s goth rock, and i am here for it.
highlights:
“spellbound”,
“monitor”,
“night shift”.
The Stooges
2/5
a few good songs here but nothing to write home about, for the most part. much of the album sounds pretty dated.
Queen
5/5
start to finish, this album is a masterpiece. this is when queen really started to hit their stride. this is my favourite era of the band (mid to late 70’s), and between this album and 1975’s “a night at the opera”, they are two of my favourite albums from the 1970’s.
this has everything you could want from a queen album: killer harmonies, otherworldly vocals, heavy guitars, piano. overall, an eclectic mix of songs.
this one is an all timer, kids.
highlights:
“killer queen”,
“flick of the wrist”,
“stone cold crazy”,
“bring back that leroy brown”.
The Band
2/5
i know that the band is supposed to be a big deal, but honestly i found most of these songs kind of unlistenable.
Al Green
3/5
smooth and effortlessly cool, the reverend al green. some hit more than others, but a pretty solid album overall, including a pretty good cover of the beegees’ “how can you mend a broken heart”.
highlights:
“let’s stay together”,
“i’ve never found a girl (who loves me like you do”,
“how can you mend a broken heart”.
The Electric Prunes
3/5
some good old fashioned psychedelia. quality stuff…
Sufjan Stevens
2/5
honesty, i just don’t get this guy…
Radiohead
3/5
ample uses of technology along with thom yorke’s signature warble. i know that his vocal delivery can come across as “lazy” and “off putting” to some, but to me it comes across as almost another instrument in the mix of sounds. his approach is not really meant to be sung along with.
Robert Wyatt
2/5
this seems to be one of those albums that music critics like just so they can act like they know more about music than you. it’s just weird.
however, about 90% of this album is unlistenable and the other 10% really isn’t very good. oof.
Shivkumar Sharma
3/5
exotic and soothing.
Metallica
5/5
the “big 4” of thrash metal… anthrax, slayer, megadeth, and metallica. to this day there is a debate amongst metalheads as to who is the best. three of the four of them (the exception being anthrax, just so you know) released their breakout album in 1986. all four bands have distinctive styles and have evolved their sound over the years.
today’s entry was metallica’s breakout album of 1986, the monster that is master of puppets. this is a thrash masterpiece and many consider it one of the greatest metal albums of all time and it’s kind of hard to argue with that.
themes of drug abuse, mental illness, war, and religion are all on the table. great songwriting, crunchy guitars with technical soloing, james hetfield’s classic growl, and a solid rhythm section holding it down.
so who do i think is the best of the big 4? well, i prefer either slayer or megadeth (in spite of dave mustaine’s political views). however, clearly the biggest of them turned out to be metallica, for what it’s worth.
fun fact: dave mustaine was one of the original members of metallica. in spite of the band being notorious drunks with fans lovingly referring to them as “alcoholica”, mustaine was fired from the band for being unreliable due to his “substance abuse” issues. go figure. after being fired, he regrouped and formed the band megadeth. mustaine has since buried the hatchet with the boys.
yet another fun fact:
after the death of cliff burton, bass players from all over tried out for the band, including les claypool of primus fame. the one who ended up with the gig was jason newsted, formerly of flotsam and jetsam.
highlights:
“battery”,
“the thing that should not be”,
“leper messiah”.
Fleetwood Mac
2/5
not a fleetwood mac guy and the only songs i find remotely interesting are the ones with stevie nicks on vocals. there’s just something about lindsey buckingham’s voice that i just can’t stand. and this one is WAY too long, clocking in at over 74 minutes.
N.E.R.D
3/5
upbeat and energetic. well produced. not necessarily my thing, but i didn’t hate it.
Tito Puente
3/5
upbeat and energetic. this album just makes you want to dance.
Wilco
3/5
Patti Smith
3/5
different. i liked some songs, other songs seemed a little too long.
Silver Jews
3/5
not bad. not bad at all.
4/5
early 70’s psychedelic rock. at times pretty heavy for its time. nothing bad to say about this one.
Rush
4/5
this was many’s introduction to this band (including yours truly) due to the success of a trio of radio singles: “tom sawyer”, “red barchetta” and “limelight”… and what an introduction it was.
i understand that geddy lee’s vocals are an acquired taste, but setting that aside, this album is a masterclass in musicianship. solid guitar work from alex lifeson. the aforementioned geddy lee on vocals, synths, and bass. and the greatness of neil peart on drums as well as main lyricist.
i don’t know if this is their best album, but it’s pretty damn good.
highlights:
“red barchetta”,
“limelight”
“witch hunt”.
Kanye West
2/5
as with any musical acts in this genre, you expect overinflated egos and an exaggerated sense of self importance, but kanye definitely goes above and beyond… and nauseatingly so.
he plays the hero in his own songs, but you don’t want to cheer for him because he is not likeable whatsoever. heroes, after all, are supposed to have some redeeming qualities. as other songs i have listened to by this artist, he just comes across as a sex obsessed narcissist.
i could probably listen to the songs if they were instrumentals because they beats are admittedly catchy but the lyrics just ruin them.
Def Leppard
3/5
chock full of classic rock radio staples. solid album that just falls of a cliff at the end, the last three songs are absolute filler.
highlights:
“rock! rock! (til you drop)”,
“stagefright”,
“foolin’ “…
Bob Dylan
5/5
an excellent mix of acoustic tunes with some more electric ones. while his previous works were more folk oriented, this album incorporates elements of blues as well. the theme of struggling is ever present within this album.
many people consider this his masterpiece, and honestly it is hard to argue with that.
highlights:
“maggie’s farm”,
“on the road again”,
“it’s alright ma (i’m only bleeding)”,
“it’s all over now, baby blue”.
The Streets
1/5
going into this challenge, i knew there would be “filler”. i mean, 1001 is a LOT of albums. but sometimes i feel as if the person who compiled this list is playing a joke on us with some of these albums… thus we get entries like the streets’ 2004 album “a grand don’t come for free”.
where do i begin? as i had stated on a previous album in this challenge, something about rapping with Ana english accent that just doesn’t work. not only do you have a primary vocalist who is gratuitously bri ish, every time he raps or “sings” (yes he does both for some reason), it seems as he is about half a second behind the beat. and this becomes even more evident when there are multiple singers concurrently.
and from what i could tell, this seems to be some sort of concept album about something or other… but i really couldn’t care less about any of it. as i have stated on a review of a previous concept album (pink floyd’s “the wall”, i think), concept albums are meant to be listened to as an entire work, and you couldn’t pay me enough to listen to this piece of shit again.
while it’s not the worst album on this challenge that i have encountered so far, it’s definitely up there. do yourself a favour and avoid this one. it is borderline unlistenable.
Thundercat
2/5
this sounds like a bastardized version of yacht rock. in fact, michael mcdonald is featured in one of the songs. but not even the king of yacht rock can save this album.
Cheap Trick
4/5
cheap trick… an intoxicating mix of rock, punk, and pop. they put on an excellent show, and this album is a great representation of them in a live setting.
highlights:
“big eyes”,
“ain’t that a shame”,
“i want you to want me”,
“surrender”.
Garbage
5/5
the 90’s was an era of female singers… they were all over the place. alanis, gwen stefani, jewel, liz phair, fiona apple. it was the era of the riot grrrl scene, with acts like hole, L7, bikini kill.
there was one female singer that stood out to me, and that singer was shirley manson. with bright red dyed hair and a smooth voice, she was equal parts seduction and attitude.
i love garbage and i love this album. quality from start to finish. and they still bring it live.
highlights:
“queer”,
“only happy when it rains”,
“vow”,
“stupid girl”.
Black Flag
4/5
seminal punk legends black flag with their debut with henry rollins. chock full of aggression and anti-conformity commentary.
this one’s a special one, kids. do not miss it.
highlights:
“rise above”,
“police story”,
“gimme gimme gimme”.
The xx
3/5
indie rock with soothing female vocals. very chill vibe. nothing wrong with this one.
Adele
5/5
songs of love, loss, and heartbreak. otherworldly vocals. in my opinion, she is the most gifted female vocalist in pop music today.
not my preferred genre, but i find her music irresistible. you really can’t go wrong with any of her albums, but this one is my favourite. a true masterpiece.
highlights:
“rolling in the deep”,
“turning tables”,
“lovesong”,
“someone like you”.
Tom Waits
3/5
tom waits is definitely an acquired taste. his voice goes from that of a beat poet to smooth crooning to almost a primal howl. sometimes all within the same song. but one thing present is always the signature gravelly
tone.
some songs were a little too much for me, but i actually enjoyed others.
Marilyn Manson
4/5
american conservatives have a long history of making popular musicians scapegoats for society’s moral “failures”. in the 70’s, alice cooper was a main target. in the 80’s, it was ozzy osbourne. and in the mid-late 90’s, their subject of ire was marilyn manson.
taking a page from the alice cooper playbook, marilyn manson was the name of the lead singer as well as the name of the band, with each band member drawing their first names from popular female pop culture figures and their last names from notorious serial killers. it was an act of social commentary based on the yin-yang theory… both good and evil exist in all humans as well as the idea that we are all just products of a fucked up society.
while the band had existed for a few years prior, in 1996 they released the album Antichrist Superstar. you can’t tell the story of the 1990’s pop culture/political landscape without talking about this album. the fact that an album with this title was in the mainstream was just too much for many prominent conservatives, but as we all know one thing about anything in the entertainment industry… controversy sells. in fact, the relationship with conservatives and manson was mutually beneficial: politicians and political pundits were thrust in the limelight as was manson. hell, one of manson’s more prominent critics, senator joseph lieberman rode the wave of notoriety and almost became vice president in 2000.
if you hadn’t heard of him before 1996, you had definitely heard of him after this album came out. he was interviewed by multiple people over the ensuing decade.
this album is pretty intense. two pretty obvious influences you can hear are david bowie and nine inch nails. tis a concept album influenced by german philosopher friedrich nietzche as well as a critique of the fascistic tendencies of the religious right. it is a fascinating listen, not just in a “time capsule” sense, but as a look into a brilliant, albeit troubled, mind.
highlights:
“the beautiful people”,
“tourniquet”,
“mister superstar”,
“the reflecting god”.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
pretty cool debut album from the classic rock titans. mostly cover tunes of r&b staples. fascinating look into the early stages of the band.
highlights:
“route 66”,
“i’m a king bee”,
“carol”,
“walking the dog”.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
while “what’s going on” was certainly a more impactful album and was about humanity and our relationship with earth, “let’s get it on” is more about interpersonal relationships and deals with love, loss, and lust.
marvin gaye was very in touch with his emotions and was a master at not just connecting through his lyrics, but also in his tone.
for my money, he was the best of his generation in his genre. a true legend taken far too soon.
Aerosmith
4/5
ah, the bad boys of beantown! not as familiar with their back catalogue as i honestly should be. of course, “back in the saddle” is an all timer, but i really dig the deep cuts.
very little filler on this album; in fact “home tonight” might be the only clunker in the bunch. it has the feel of a last minute “add on”. solid album.
highlights:
“rats in the cellar”,
“nobody’s fault”,
“lick and a promise”.
Ride
2/5
kind of sounded like a cross between sonic youth and the cure. twas ok, but not that impressed. a lot of the songs tended to sound the same.
Boston
5/5
one of the greatest classic rock albums of all time. tom scholz, brad delp and the boys kill it with their debut album and its revolutionary sound for the time.
side one might be my favourite three songs to open an album. if you hear “more than a feeling” playing on the touchtunes at the bar i am at, i played it.
fun fact: michael sweet of stryper was actually singing for boston for a hot minute. this was in 2008.
highlights:
“more than a feeling”,
“peace of mind”,
“foreplay/long time”,
“rock and roll band”.
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
influential act in the early days of rap. while some of the songs do provide social commentary, the lyrics for other songs are kind of goofy. a fun listen, albeit very dated sounding.
John Grant
3/5
weird and quirky. often stream of consciousness type lyrics.
The Prodigy
3/5
dark, uptempo dance music, essentially. wasn’t terrible, but as much music in this genre, the songs lasted about twice as long as they should have. often redundant.
Fela Kuti
3/5
pretty cool live album with none other than ginger baker on drums.
Holger Czukay
3/5
very experimental. a hodgepodge of genres all thrown together to form songs. not necessarily a bad listen, but definitely a weird listen.
Arcade Fire
2/5
while the band is admittedly very talented, this is not really my thing. i found most of the album to be kind of boring, honestly. nothing really stood out as interesting or worthwhile.
James Brown
2/5
while i do like james brown studio recordings, i just can’t get into his live songs. the songs tend to be redundant and he came across as a crazy person on the stage. he tries WAY too hard. twas grating at times.
Tortoise
2/5
an album with nothing but instrumentals… gross. seriously though, the first song is over TWENTY fuckin’ minutes! what the h?
much of this album sounds like a jam session of a college jazz band. a lot of experimental elements. it feels like the musicians are trying to do something profound, i guess, but it just kind of falls flat.
CHIC
2/5
pleasant music with a chill vibe. however, most of the songs on the album tend to be pretty redundant, and aggressively so.
case in point, the only song i knew from the album going in was “good times”. the version they play on the radio (the version i was familiar with) was under four minutes, whereas the album version is over eight minutes. oof. hell, the best song here is “can’t stand to love you” and it clocks in at just under three minutes.
Santana
4/5
latin influenced psychedelic blues rock. infectious rhythms. carlos santana was one of the noteworthy figures of the era. easy to see why this one is on the list.
highlights:
“black magic woman”,
“oye cómo va”,
“samba pa ti”.
The Cure
5/5
dour lyrics with infectious and prominent bass lines. top to bottom an 80’s goth rock masterpiece.
highlights:
“pictures of you”,
“lovesong”,
“fascination street”.
Blur
3/5
fun album. disco, rock, and punk influenced. strong vibes of the who. not a bad listen.
highlights:
“girls and boys”,
“tracy jacks”,
“clover over dover”.
Van Morrison
4/5
my brother has a theory about music, that no matter what musical act it is their music always sounds better live.
now i never really got into van morrison’s music. i found the few songs that i heard from the radio to be kind of boring. mad of course as he has gotten older, stories have come out about him being kind of a prick.
having said that, when van morrison is on stage, that MF has got SWAGGER. in abundance. i don’t know if my brother’s theory has anything to do with it, but i actually found myself enjoying this album. not all of the songs are great, but there’s plenty of good ones here with some solid covers too. as i have stated in the past, i am a sucker for a good live album, and this is definitely not one to miss.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
ample amounts of funk. introspective lyrics about interpersonal relationships and social inequity. this album will make you want to move.
highlights:
“tuesday heartbreak”,
“superstition”,
“big brother”,
“i believe (when i fall in love it will be forever)”.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
CCR helped popularize a genre called “swamp rock” which is a mix of rockabilly, blues, and soul.
this album is chock full of classics, a solid album top to bottom.
fun fact: the song “run through the jungle” is not about the vietnam war as many believe, but according to a 2016 interview with john fogerty (thank you wikipedia), it is about the proliferation of guns in america. proving once again that fogerty is a lefty from way back and a man ahead of his time.
highlights:
“travelin’ band”,
“lookin’ out my back door”,
“run through the jungle”,
“who’ll stop the rain”.
The Style Council
2/5
upbeat and eclectic. hard to nail down a genre with this one. certainly not the worst album on this challenge, but i can’t see myself listening to it again.
Baaba Maal
3/5
repetitive but not redundant… hypnotic but in a good way. not sure what any of the lyrics are (they are all in a foreign language), but the singing sounds almost like another instrument. an interesting listen, for sure.
The White Stripes
4/5
ah, the white stripes! jack white and first wife meg white in all their glory. “seven nation army” was most people’s introduction to this band, and it is a good gateway.
i personally consider jack white one of the most important musicians of our generation, as he not only helped usher in a resurgence of blues based garage rock, he has long been a champion of vinyl records and started his own record label.
all that said, this record slaps. blues based guitar heavy rock with elements of folk as well. great mix of slower songs and absolute scorchers. solid effort.
highlights:
“black math”,
“ball and biscuit”,
“the hardest button to button”,
“little acorns”…
2/5
i honestly have never understood how this genre became so popular. “nu metal” was everywhere from the mid 90’s to the early 2000’s.
after hearing this album, i have come to the conclusion that fred durst is playing a character, in that nobody is this obnoxious in real life. he comes across as a douchey college frat boy, and his use of the word “fuck” is as if he is a middle schooler that just learned the word. it is literally on this album dozens of times. *so edgy*
anyways, this album is not good. apparently durst had some sort of “beef” with trent reznor in the late 90’s, so of course there is a diss track in which durst sings about how much better he is than reznor (spoiler alert: he isn’t). and the album doesn’t get any better from there. when he is not talking about how much of a badass he thinks he is, he sings about how he doesn’t understand why people don’t like him. this proves that he has never listened to this album, for if he had, he would understand why people don’t like him.
The White Stripes
4/5
rock solid retro blues rock. some real killer tunes on here. a classic.
highlights:
“blue orchid”,
“my doorbell”,
“instinct blues”.
Various Artists
4/5
motown sounds of xmas classics. this isn’t just a great holiday album, it’s a great album, period.
Buffalo Springfield
3/5
folk and psychedelic rock with moments of country and bluegrass. a good listen.
highlights:
“mr. soul”,
“bluebird”,
“broken arrow”.
Laibach
2/5
dark and orchestral. grandiose. elements of industrial music. some lyrics are in german, some are in english, sung in a distinct and harsh style. an obvious influence on current day european bands such as rammstein. wasn’t necessarily my thing, but i can understand the allure.
Blue Cheer
3/5
garage rock meets psychedelic rock with heavy distortion. blue cheer is often credited with being one of the early architects of heavy metal, and you can definitely see it in this album.
highlights:
“summertime blues”,
“doctor please”,
“parchment farm”.
Neil Young
4/5
southern rock mixed with folk. the pain and anguish you hear in neil young’s voice is impossible to ignore. solid album with one of the most heartbreaking songs you will ever hear about drug addiction.
Radiohead
5/5
quality on top of quality from start to finish, this is one of the best albums of the 90s.
highlights:
“paranoid android”,
“karma police”,
“electioneering”,
“no surprises”…
Sonic Youth
4/5
crunchy guitars with distortion for days. some female vocals, some male vocals, depending on the song. this was pretty good to me. no complaints.
highlights:
“100%”,
“drunken butterfly”,
“youth against fascism”.
Duran Duran
3/5
new wave pop rock with infectious bass lines. a fun listen.
highlights:
“rio”,
“new religion”,
“save a prayer”.
Shack
2/5
most of the songs on this album sounded like an off brand version of oasis. and i don’t like oasis, much less a cheap clone. pass.
Def Leppard
4/5
def leppard was a band on the rise with the release of their album pyromania in 1983. and then december 31, 1984 happened. what happened on that date, you may ask? drummer rick allen was in a car accident where he lost his left arm. somehow he completely relearned how to play the drums WITH ONE ARM!
and how did the band respond? not only did they release the biggest album of their career, but it was also one of the biggest selling albums of all time.
hysteria was intentionally produced with a more commercial sound in mind. the album produced seven(!) hit singles, six of which took up the entire first side of the album, including (unfortunately) longtime strip club anthem “pour some sugar on me”.
for my money, the opening riff to “women” might be one of the coolest opening riffs to an album ever. also, the song “rocket” is about two minutes too long. oh, and the song “gods of war” is a pretty cool little anti-imperialist protest song they snuck in, just for good measure.
this is an absolute beast of an album. pop metal perfection. probably the greatest hair metal album of all time.
highlights:
“women”,
“armageddon it”,
“gods of war”,
“hysteria”.
The Modern Lovers
3/5
this wasn’t bad. it kind of reminded me of a mashup of iggy pop and the pretenders.
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
going into this challenge, the only song that i particularly like by springsteen was “born to run”. upon listening to this entire album, that hasn’t changed. i just don’t get it. always been more of a mellencamp guy.
Barry Adamson
3/5
another adventurous listen. mr. adamson seems to have invented a genre all to his own, that of pseudo soundtracks. multiple genres are displayed here along with soundbites of what seems to be a movie. pretty interesting and always a good listen when he is involved.
Manic Street Preachers
4/5
sounded like muse with elements of punk added for good measure. lyrics critical of politics and religion. overall, a pretty kickass album.
Talking Heads
3/5
another fun adventure with david byrne and crew. weird quirky lyrics and energetic beats.
Prince
4/5
the genius of prince. he was a prolific songwriter that wrote most of his own songs (as well as songs for other artists). he could (and did) play any instrument that you put in front of him on his albums.
this album is at the crossroads of pop, rock, and funk… really a perfect balance of each, none of which overshadow the others. a brilliant effort from a brilliant mind.
highlights:
“darling nikki”,
“when doves cry”,
“purple rain”.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
3/5
african tribal a cappella music. these guys are crazy talented. an enjoyable listening experience.
Rod Stewart
4/5
you can’t tell the story of rock music in the 70’s and 80’s without mentioning rod stewart. great voice for rock and roll. solid album.
highlights:
“it’s all over now”,
“cut across shorty”,
“you’re my girl “i don’t want to discuss it”.
Queens of the Stone Age
4/5
ample amounts of distortion and fuzz. the contrast of the distortion with the “clean” vocals really works. great album.
highlights:
“you would know”,
“mexicola”,
“give the mule what he wants”.
Belle & Sebastian
2/5
well, i finally found it… the cure to my insomnia. this album bored me to sleep. good night.
Anita Baker
3/5
80’s r&b by a talented voice. nothing too special, but a decent album.
Tears For Fears
3/5
synth pop album with social commentary. great listening experience.
Britney Spears
2/5
in the late 90’s, bubble gum pop was everywhere and the big debate was who was more talented, britney spears or christina aguilera. we’ll get back to that question shortly.
while this album does contain songs that have a “stickiness” to them that make successful pop songs, it also has everything that i hate about the genre from that era… breathy “sensual” vocals, drum machines a’plenty, vapid and empty lyrics. and it falls into the trap that most modern day pop music falls into, the singer does not write any of their songs. it’s literally putting someone else’s words in your mouth. it’s the textbook definition of inauthenticity.
anyway, going back to the question at the beginning of this review. while britney spears may have been more popular (from what i remember at the time), christina aguilera could sing circles around her. and it’s not even close.
Moby
3/5
combination of several styles into a very listenable album. although not my typical preference in music, i recognized three songs that received radio airplay back in the day.
quality stuff, albeit considering the genre, many of the songs became redundant.
highlights:
“south side”,
“bodyrock”,
“natural blues”.
The Crusaders
3/5
smooth jazz. enjoyable enough.
Little Richard
4/5
one of the architects of rock and roll, the incomparable little richard. quality rock and roll with all the energy and passion that you would expect from him. and his voice… his voice was made for rock and roll. this album kicks ass pretty much from start to finish.
highlights:
“tutti frutti”,
“slippin’ and slidin’ “,
“long tall sally”,
“jenny, jenny”.
Mudhoney
3/5
basically grunge before grunge was a thing. pretty cool to listen to an album that had obvious influence on a major musical movement.
highlights:
“chain that door”,
“no one has”,
“in ‘n’ out of grace”.
Sheryl Crow
2/5
early 90’s era female pop rock/folk hybrid. nothing too groundbreaking about this album. it was big when it came out, but it was kind of a product of its time.
Booker T. & The MG's
3/5
collection of instrumental tunes with an organ in the forefront. several covers. i have heard the title track countless times but didn’t know the name or the artist. overall, a fun listen.
Lorde
3/5
ethereal. hypnotic. well crafted electropop. and she wrote/cowrote all of the songs, which isn’t very common in modern day pop music. interesting voice. pretty good album.
highlights:
“liability”,
“writer in the dark”,
“perfect places”.
Gang Of Four
3/5
high energy post punk with plenty of social commentary. easy to see the influence this album had on rock music. good album.
highlights:
“ether”,
“damaged goods”,
“guns before butter”.
The Lemonheads
3/5
solid dose of alternative rock with most of the songs under three minutes. good album.
highlights:
“rockin stroll”,
“it’s a shame about ray”,
“alison’s starting to happen”,
“mrs. robinson”
The Smiths
3/5
ah, the smiths. morrissey delivers his signature crooning; light and ethereal, at times androgynous, the words seem to float above the music in a way. the vocals give the songs a certain hypnotic quality over the instruments. quality album, until the title track at the end, which is an instrumental.
highlights:
“what she said”,
“well i wonder”,
“barbarism begins at home”
The Divine Comedy
3/5
Slipknot
3/5
intro track, “.execute.”, with its distorted guitars and vocals, is very reminiscent of “in the beginning”, the intro track on the album shout at the devil by motley crue. great way to open the album and set the tone.
heavy and aggressive. dark lyrics. solid musicianship. a frontman who sings with passion and intensity. it’s everything you could want in a metal album… except one thing.
there’s a trend that started in heavy music a while back… not sure when. it’s when a singer alternates from harsh vocals to clean vocals in the same song. and i never was into it.
this album would be a solid “four stars” from me if it stuck to the harsh vocals. but they didn’t, so i had to deduct a star. having said that, “snuff” is a solid song.
Van Morrison
2/5
i’ve never really liked his music, to be honest. uninspired and kind of boring. and i can’t stand his voice. in short, not for me.
The Pretty Things
3/5
psychedelic rock, somewhere between late 60’s era beatles and cream. didn’t dislike it, but they didn’t do anything groundbreaking that hadn’t been done before.
Janis Joplin
3/5
let’s get this out of the way… janis joplin does not have a good singing voice. at times, in my opinion, it sounds like running fingernails on a chalkboard. having said that, she has something that you can’t learn, and that is intensity and emotion. she gave 100% on every song on this album, not holding anything back. that is what, in my opinion, made her successful. particularly in the blues rock style in which she sang. so while she may not have the greatest singing voice, you could feel the pain and longing in every song.
Björk
3/5
infectious dance music with alluring and soothing vocals. very different, but pleasing to the ears.
Public Enemy
4/5
solid album of politically charged hip hop with tons of samples and loops. some may say that they are a one trick pony, but they do it well… maybe the best of the genre in my opinion.
highlights:
“911 is a joke”,
“burn hollywood burn”,
“fight the power”
Isaac Hayes
2/5
this album suffers from what many soundtracks do, the fact that it is comprised of mostly instrumentals. i do enjoy the music of the album, don’t get me wrong, but it would be much more enjoyable if more of the songs had vocals.
Megadeth
4/5
dark and heavy. this is the sophomore effort by megadeth, and the anger and vitriol is still there. i forgot how prominent the bass guitar was in the mix, and i am here for it. this album over all has a great groove. and i realize that dave mustaine as a vocalist is an acquired taste, but with this band, it works.
highlights:
“the conjuring”,
“peace sells”,
“good mourning/black friday”
T. Rex
3/5
early 70’s glam rock. catchy songs. very strong bowie vibes at times. quality listen.
highlights:
“monolith”,
“get it on”,
“rip off”
Bert Jansch
2/5
boring and uninspiring. not for me.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
2/5
maybe it’s just me, but white guys shouldn’t play the blues. the ONLY white guy i’ve ever heard that could pull it off was SRV. this was bad and some of the songs were downright embarrassing.
New Order
2/5
some songs sounded kind of like depeche mode. other songs sounded like the cure. the music was similar to these bands without coming across as mere imitation. but this is just referring to the music.
the vocals… well, the vocalist just doesn’t have a very strong voice and seems to be out of tune a lot. one standout track to me was “elegia”, which sounded like it would belong in an 80’s era horror movie soundtrack. other than that, the rest of the album was pretty unremarkable to me.
Talking Heads
3/5
delightfully quirky and upbeat, as any talking heads album should be. a fun listen.
highlights:
“mind”,
“life during wartime”,
“heaven”
Adam & The Ants
3/5
at times it reminded me of the talking heads. at other times it reminded me of darker more goth type bands like siouxsie sioux and the banshees. certainly an interesting listen with all sorts of musical influences.
Big Star
3/5
twas ok for what it was. didn’t love it, didn’t hate it.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
brilliant album from a brilliant mind. the band runs on all cylinders and this one grabs you and doesn’t let go.
highlights:
“spanish castle magic”,
“you’ve got me floating”,
“little miss lover”
Television
4/5
solid album. nothing bad to say about it.
PJ Harvey
3/5
nice vocals. the music often reminded me of nick cave, at other times björk. interesting listen.
The Clash
5/5
legendary album full of politically charged punk. at times, you could hear influences of reggae and surf rock.
highlights:
“london calling”,
“spanish bombs”,
“lost in the supermarket”,
“koka kola”
Deep Purple
4/5
i do love live albums, it’s true. however, while this album does help showcase the band’s strengths, it falls prey to what live albums often do… the band goes into long winded tangents, often bordering on being masturbatorial. most of the songs are about twice as long as they should be (“space truckin’ “ about 3x as long as it should be). but i must say that the band fuckin’ cooks and are firing on all cylinders.
ritchie blackmore proves once again what a badass he is, ian gillan can shriek with the best of them, and the rest of the band is solid as well. kudos to jon lord for kicking ass on the organ. who knew you could kick that much ass on an organ? jon lord, that’s who.
highlights:
“highway star”,
“child in time”,
“lazy”
Funkadelic
4/5
psychedelic rock meets funk. classic album.
highlights:
“maggot brain”,
“hit it and quit it”,
“super stupid”
Tom Waits
3/5
as of the time of this writing this is (checks notes) the third time a tom waits album has been on the challenge. while i don’t really “get” his music, and that hasn’t really changed. but this one was a little different.
he has very specific references that clearly his crowd finds amusing and i would be lying if i said that i wasn’t entertained. the man clearly has a knack for storytelling in a sort of “beat poet” sense and that really comes across in a live setting. however, i just can’t with that voice.
Kendrick Lamar
3/5
not really my thing, but the guy is crazy talented.
The Mothers Of Invention
3/5
weird, quirky and avant-garde music with an offbeat sense of humor throughout. without frank zappa and the mothers of invention, you wouldn’t have bands such as ween, primus, and mr. bungle. certainly an acquired taste, and i admittedly would have to be in the right mood to listen to this type of music.
The Monkees
3/5
as much of the music of this era, this sounds a whole lot like early era beatles. but don’t get me wrong, there are some good songs on here.
highlights:
“you told me”,
“shades of gray”,
“early morning blues and greens”
Iron Maiden
4/5
“number of the beast” marked the beginning of the bruce dickinson era of iron maiden after two albums with vocalist paul di’anno. after two albums, di’anno was struggling to fulfill band commitments due to excessive drug abuse issues. the addition of dickinson, already a proven commodity with british metal band samson, opened up new possibilities for the band.
dickinson’s trademark screams and the band’s complex song structures led by legendary bassist and primary songwriter steve harris were the template for the band’s success from that point forward.
many consider this as one of the most important albums in the history of metal music, and honestly it’s hard to argue with that assessment. due to the controversy surrounding the album title and artwork, this album launched the band into the mainstream and helped to kickstart the hysteria of the satanic panic in the 1980s.
“hallowed be thy name” is one the greatest songs in the history of metal music and it showcases everything that fans love about the band.
it’s been a while since i have listened to this album, and it still packs a punch.
highlights:
“22 acacia avenue”,
“run to the hills”,
“hallowed be thy name”
Paul McCartney and Wings
4/5
solid album by one of the true members of rock royalty. sounds like a natural progression of what could have been a beatles album from that era.
highlights:
“band on the run”,
“let me roll it”,
“nineteen hundred and eighty-five”
Kid Rock
2/5
ah, late 90’s era kid rock… when the only thing shitty about him was his music. honestly, some of the songs are ok, i guess. he has some entertaining lines, but overall still a pretty cringe listen.
Kelela
2/5
this really isn’t for me, but she does have a nice soothing voice.
Radiohead
3/5
liked some of the songs, other songs not so much. not all radiohead albums are created equal… if you judge every radiohead album against “ok computer”, you will be disappointed.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
dark gothic folk rock. though this is not our first foray into this artist’s catalogue, it might be my favourite so far.
highlights:
“stagger lee”,
“where the wild roses grow”,
“death is not the end”
Guided By Voices
3/5
a very alternative rock sound. very eclectic. at times you hear sounds reminiscent of the beatles, the black keys, the gin blossoms, cream… all with a deliberate lo-fi production quality.
an adventurous listen in that you never knew what the next song would sound like. that’s ok because if you didn’t like the song you wouldn’t have to wait too long for the next one, in that most of the songs were under two minutes.
highlights:
“a salty salute”,
“watch me jumpstart”,
“closer you are”,
“striped white jets”
The United States Of America
2/5
i normally like music from this era. late 60’s psychedelic rock. eclectic, but not really in a good way, this album felt disjointed and schizophrenic. didn’t really enjoy this one.
4/5
a truly magical album from one of the greats when he was near the top of his game. nothing bad to say about this one.
highlights:
“moonage daydream”,
“starman”,
“ziggy stardust”,
“suffragette city”
Einstürzende Neubauten
2/5
TV On The Radio
3/5
The Rolling Stones
5/5
Metallica
5/5
wow. somehow the songs sound heavier when they are backed by a symphony. truly amazing and powerful album. this has been one of my favourite live albums since the first time i heard it.
highlights:
“the thing that should not be”,
“no leaf clover”,
“for whom the bell tolls”,
“one”…
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
4/5
upbeat salsa music. impossible to be in a bad mood after listening to this album. fun and lively.
The Smiths
3/5
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
3/5
solid album from one of the early architects of rock and roll.
Brian Eno
3/5
interesting, experimental, and a little weird. strong bowie vibes at times.
The Prodigy
2/5
essentially a dark techno album, and as any techno album, it is nauseatingly redundant. not for me.
David Bowie
4/5
another classic album by one of the masters of 70’s rock and roll.
highlights:
“golden years”,
“word on a wing”,
“wild is the wind”
Soul II Soul
3/5
an interesting album for background music, although i really can’t see myself listening to this again.
Mott The Hoople
4/5
great 70’s glam rock album. no issues with this one.
highlights:
“all the way from memphis”,
“whizz kid”,
“drivin’ sister”
Neil Young
3/5
another solid album from this classic rock legend.
Arcade Fire
2/5
to be honest, i was kind of bored with this one.
Metallica
5/5
thrash metal perfection. possibly my favourite metallica album, although there are several great ones. rock solid from start to finish.
highlights:
“one”,
“the shortest straw”,
“harvester of sorrow”
Red Snapper
2/5
not for me.
Jack White
4/5
an upbeat modern take on blues rock. quality from start to finish, don’t miss this one.
highlights:
“sixteen saltines”,
“weep themselves to sleep”,
“i’m shakin’ “
Youssou N'Dour
3/5
Tim Buckley
2/5
the backing band sounds pretty good, but with all respect to mr. buckley, the man can’t sing. he sounds like a weird mashup of tom jones, barry gibb, and just a *smidge* of jim morrison.
this album would be much more enjoyable with a different singer, but as is, it’s a chore to get through this one.
Pantera
4/5
the early 90’s was an interesting time in music. one of the genre’s that rose to prominence was referred to as “groove metal”, brought to us primarily through a band from texas called pantera. driving rhythms with harsh vocals and lightning quick solos. even when a song starts out sounding like more of a ballad (“this love”), by the time it gets to the chorus it’s heavy as hell. it really is amazing that a band this heavy was so popular in the mainstream at the time. solid album.
highlights:
"a new level”,
“fucking hostile”,
“hollow”
Johnny Cash
4/5
great album that showcases everything you would want in a live album… plenty of banter with the crowd, humour, and lively responses after every song. johnny cash always portrayed himself as the common man, and that shines throughout these tracks. he even plays one of the tracks again because he got such a great response from the crowd.
while i still prefer at folsom prison, this is still a killer live album start to finish.
highlights:
“starkville city jail”,
“san quintin”,
“a boy named sue”
Ute Lemper
3/5
dark and atmospheric. emotive and powerful voice. very much reminded me of a female version of nick cave. consider me intrigued.
Emmylou Harris
3/5
Crosby, Stills & Nash
4/5
psychedelic tinged folk rock with those classic CSN harmonies. good stuff.
LL Cool J
3/5
as much of the rap music from this era, the music sounds dated and the beats tend to be redundant. but as is, kind of average… not great, but not awful.
Taylor Swift
4/5
the title of this album is apparently a reference to her “rebirth” as an artist (as in 1989 was the year she was born). as her career started as more of a pop country artist, this album helped elevate her into the stratosphere and the start of her becoming a household name.
in this album, she is both timid and fierce, both longing for love and glad that it’s over, depending on the song. she is both fragile and über confident. this is a solid example of what modern pop music has become.
Buck Owens
3/5
fun album of 60’s era country with early elements of rockabilly. the galloping sound of the drums reminiscent of a horse is a nice touch.
DJ Shadow
3/5
driving rhythms through endless samples and loops. not normally an instrumental guy, but this is pretty good. solid effort.
Miles Davis
4/5
great example of an album that is excellent for background music. solid effort.
Sonic Youth
4/5
good contrast of driving guitars and subdued vocals. good album.
David Bowie
4/5
another masterful work by the king of 70s glam rock, including a great cover of the rolling stones’ classic “let’s spend the night together”. a fine effort all around.
highlights:
“drive-in saturday”,
“cracked actor”,
“the jean genie”
Soft Machine
2/5
this was not for me. mostly instrumental (i think one song had lyrics). the songs just kind of meander seemingly endlessly. the album only has four songs, but… none of the songs are under 18 minutes long.
M.I.A.
2/5
catchy beats, but mindless repetitive lyrics. singer has an aggressively bri ish accent that becomes more grating the longer you listen.
The Cardigans
3/5
soft and sultry vocals. interesting instrumentations. this was a pretty fun alternative pop rock album. they even threw a curveball with a cover of black sabbath’s “iron man”. no issues with this one.
highlights:
“heartbreaker”,
“lovefool”,
“losers”
Otis Redding
4/5
mainly covers of contemporary blues and r&b songs made famous by artists such as sam cooke and the rolling stones. otis redding had a great voice for this type of music and this one is pretty special.
highlights:
“change gonna come”,
“down in the valley”,
“my girl”
Grateful Dead
3/5
eclectic mix of folk, rock and country with a hint of psychedelia. top notch musicianship, but none of the vocalists are very good singers. other than that, an interesting listen for sure.
The Young Rascals
3/5
fun listen. i had heard the title track before, but never knew who sang it. pretty cool little album.
highlights:
“a girl like you”
“how can i be sure”
“groovin’ “
ZZ Top
5/5
good old fashioned blues filtered through a southern fried rock sound from “that little ol’ band from texas”. only clunker in the bunch being “move me on down the line”. anywho, billy gibbons is a bad, bad man.
highlights:
“jesus just left chicago”,
“precious and grace”,
“la grange”
Deerhunter
3/5
The Youngbloods
3/5
Chicago
4/5
going into this listen, i was only familiar with the radio hits. but this album is pretty great. while admittedly the songs on the album can be a little too long for my taste, it still packs a punch.
highlights:
“does anybody really know what time it is?”
“questions 67 and 68”
“south california purples”
De La Soul
3/5
fun album, but a bit too long. and i can do without the cheesy skits.
Bill Callahan
3/5
Burning Spear
3/5
nothing like some good old fashioned reggae to get the blood pumping.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
classic album by the titans of mid-60’s folk rock.
highlights:
“scarborough fair/canticle”
“the dangling conversation”
“7 o’clock news/silent night”
OutKast
4/5
fun hip hop album from a couple of guys who clearly don’t take themselves too seriously.
highlights:
“gasoline dreams”
“so fresh, so clean”
“ms. jackson”
“xplosion”
Dr. Dre
3/5
great production value. heavy parliament/funkadelic influences. this album was dr. dre’s official transition into a household name in the gangster rap community as a solo artist.
having said all that, the album does fall prey into what many gangster rap albums do… an endless sea of “n-words”, use of the word “motherfucker” and its various iterations. perhaps most of all, constant mentions of “dre”, by either the artist himself or other fellow rappers throughout the album. it becomes tiresome, to be honest. other than that, solid effort, but these things do heavily detract from the overall product.
The Stranglers
3/5
The Undertones
4/5
early punk with a great beat. the singer sounds like a mix of jello biafra of the dead kennedys and johnny rotten of the sex pistols.
The Slits
3/5
Mariah Carey
3/5
while she is crazy talented, obviously, she seems to have made popular the trend many female pop singers still utilize… what i call over singing.
other than that, a pretty solid pop album, although not a fan of when pop singers blend rap into the songs, which she tended to do during this period in her career.
The Fall
2/5
infectious bass lines. most of the songs get a pretty solid groove and then play that over and over. by the end of the song, you are ready for it to be over. would have been a better album if it weren’t for that.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
2/5
i don’t know… this one was kind of boring to me.
Culture Club
3/5
fun album. boy george comes across as a more flamboyant poor man’s version of george michael. didn’t love it, but didn’t hate it either.
Radiohead
4/5
everything you would expect from early radiohead… crunchy guitars, ethereal sometimes indecipherable vocals. good mix of quieter songs and guitar driven songs. a masterful album.
highlights:
“the bends”
“high and dry”
“bones”
“just”
The Mamas & The Papas
4/5
feel good folk rock with admittedly dated references. however, the otherworldly harmonies, which are what the mamas and the papas are known for, are top notch. this one is a classic.
highlights:
“monday, monday”
“california dreamin’ “
“spanish harlem”
The Auteurs
3/5
Depeche Mode
4/5
dark and hypnotic. when i am in the mood for dark music but not necessarily metal, nothing scratches that itch like depeche mode. solid album through and through.
highlights:
“strangelove”
“little 15”
“behind the wheel”
Morrissey
4/5
solid album. good mix of upbeat and subdued songs, all punctuated with morrissey’s trademark crooning.
highlights:
“now my heart is full”
“billy budd”
“i am hated for loving”
Digital Underground
3/5
fun and quirky album. to me it sounds like a hip hop album filtered through a parliament/funkadelic lens. having said that, some of the songs are WAY too long.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
4/5
politically charged lyrics done in almost a spoken word style. reminiscent of public enemy meets gil scott heron. even includes an interesting cover of the dead kennedys’ classic “california uber alles”, complete with samples from the original.
was not familiar with this band before the listen, but this album is very well done with important social commentary throughout.
highlights:
“satanic reverses”
“television, the drug of the nation”
“everyday life has become a health risk”
Amy Winehouse
4/5
jazz/r&b with a retro flair. rich soulful voice, that, depending in the song, can be powerful or vulnerable. while not as polished as her follow up, 2006’s back to black, certainly an impressive debut.
sadly, in july 2011, she succumbed to alcohol poisoning at the age of 27.
r.i.p. amy.
highlights:
“fuck me pumps”
“what is it about men”
“amy amy amy”
Robert Wyatt
2/5
just because an album is weird and inaccessible doesn’t mean that it’s brilliant. case in point, an album previously reviewed for this challenge, captain beefheart’s trout mask replica. oof. i would certainly say that this album definitely falls into that category as well. many songs do not seem to carry a distinct rhythm or melody and the singer can’t carry a tune. it’s a dumpster fire of an album, but at least it clocks in under 40 minutes.
Common
3/5
the guy’s got a pretty good flow. quality hip hop.
The Shamen
2/5
electronic music that is VERY redundant, as most music seems to be in that genre. pretty unremarkable, to be honest.
The Dandy Warhols
3/5
pretty cool little album although it does sound a bit dated and has that mid-late 90’s sound that almost everyone had back then. having said that, a fun listen.
Bob Dylan
4/5
classic dylan. no complaints.
Hot Chip
2/5
not my thing.
Sugar
4/5
a lot of bands had this sound at this time, but to be fair, the music was catchy. i was not familiar with bob mould’s work… not this band nor his previous band hüsker dü, although i have heard both of those bands name checked before. i may need to do a deep dive into his other work. great album.
highlights:
“a good idea”
“the slim”
“slick”
Beatles
5/5
yet another all-timer by the fab four. they were light years ahead of any other band of that era and it’s no wonder that their music has stood the test of time.
stone cold quality from start to finish with styles ranging from rock and pop to dalliances into psychedelia. while not necessarily my favourite beatles album, i still consider it one of their best.
highlights:
“taxman”
“eleanor rigby”
“she said she said”
“and your bird can sing”
“tomorrow never knows”
Steve Winwood
4/5
yacht rock excellence.
highlights:
“while you see a chance”
“second-hand woman”
“night train”
Django Django
3/5
folk, pop, and psychedelia all mixed together. pretty cool little album.
The Icarus Line
4/5
solid album from start to finish. garage rock reminiscent of jack white.
highlights:
“up against the wall motherfuckers”
“caviar”
“kiss like lizards”
Nitin Sawhney
3/5
you wouldn’t think that mostly middle eastern inspired music mixed with dance music would work, yet here we are. not really my thing normally, but interesting album that i might use for background music.
Destiny's Child
3/5
not really my thing, but the harmonies are breathtaking. but i can do without the oversinging that they lean towards when they are singing individually. having said that, they are incredibly talented.
Alice Cooper
4/5
ah, the incomparable alice cooper. while not necessarily his best effort, this is still a good album to show that ol’ black eyes is so much more than his hits.
this album not only contains good old fashioned rock and roll, but also references to west side story, and even flirtations with jazz. the album focuses on teen rebellion and alienation, but also nostalgia… all wrapped up in alice’s songwriting.
highlights:
“school’s out”,
“luney tune”,
“my stars”,
“public animal number 9”…
Sly & The Family Stone
3/5
The Everly Brothers
3/5
the soft soothing sounds of the everly brothers and their sweet, sweet harmonies.
Public Image Ltd.
2/5
after the sex pistols broke up following the tragic death of bassist sid vicious, john lydon (a.k.a. johnny rotten) looked for a new way to channel his antiestablishment and anti commercialism views.
and while the sex pistols were admittedly deliberately not “for everyone”, lydon ratcheted that up a couple more notches… so much so that much of the debut album of public image limited, his new band, comes across as unlistenable noise. a couple of the tracks were pretty good, but most of the album was just not.
Miles Davis
3/5
long jazz instrumentals are typically not my jam, but the musicianship on this album is top notch. every band member shines. certainly impressive, but again, not really my thing.
Thelonious Monk
2/5
not really my thing. as with a lot of jazz that i have experienced, it meanders and goes on and on. and as a general rule, i don’t like instrumentals.
American Music Club
3/5
this was just ok. i have heard way better alt-country.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
another album with mr. cave’s unique take on what can best be described as gothic folk. dalliances in blues and even gospel. not his best, but still pretty solid.
Kate Bush
3/5
Joy Division
4/5
R.E.M.
3/5
while i never really got into r.e.m. for the most part, i respect their legacy as one of the pioneering acts of the “alternative music” movement. this album was not bad and “orange crush” is a legit great song.
50 Cent
2/5
overall, nothing groundbreaking here. other than “in da club” and “p.i.m.p.”, which were massive radio hits when they came out, there’s really not much to this album. generic gangster rap from that era.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
2/5
boring and weird.
The Doors
4/5
growing up, my brother was the one that was into the doors, not me. so i went into this album knowing a few of the songs on this album that i had heard on classic rock radio, but had never heard the whole album. this is where the story takes a turn…
the doors were a unique band that sounded like nothing i had ever heard. sure there were psychedelic bands with organs/keyboards, but jim morrison had a unique vocal delivery, often alternating between singing and spoken word, even crooning at times. he was at once both a charismatic rock star and a soft spoken poet.
this was a solid debut album full of great songs. i’m not sure if it is because the radio hits were played to death on the radio (“light my fire” in particular), but i prefer a lot of the deeper cuts on the album. also of note: while as a general rule i am not a fan of songs over seven minutes long, the final track, “the end”, is a stone cold classic, even though it is over ELEVEN minutes long.
this was a great reintroduction to this band, and i clearly need to revisit more of their catalog.
highlights:
“soul kitchen”
“alabama song (whisky bar)”
“end of the night”
“the end”
The Who
4/5
great album with two of my favourite classic rock tracks, “behind blue eyes” and “won’t get fooled again”.
highlights:
“my wife”,
“behind blue eyes”,
“won’t get fooled again”…
Led Zeppelin
4/5
heavy blues rock with a killer groove. this album is solid top to bottom and exemplifies the top notch musicianship from all four members of the band.
highlights:
“what is and what should never be”,
“ramble on”,
“moby dick”
Bad Brains
3/5
truly unique and eclectic album. very cool.
Stevie Wonder
3/5
Prefab Sprout
2/5
i don’t know, this shit was pretty boring to me.
D'Angelo
3/5
this almost sounded like a modern day version of stevie wonder. it was interesting, but i’m not sure i’ll listen to it again.
Justice
3/5
electronic dance music, kind of reminded me of daft punk. some songs were pretty good, others… not so much (“the party” was atrocious). overall, a mostly listenable album.
Iggy Pop
3/5
to many, iggy is considered to be the godfather of punk, but you would never know that listening to this album, as it sounds nothing like his output with the stooges. iggy and david bowie were friends and you can definitely hear bowie’s influences on his sound with this album. and while his version of china girl is not as polished as bowie’s, it’s just as good.
highlights:
“nightclubbing”
“china girl”
“tiny girls”
Milton Nascimento
3/5
i always have a good time when i listen to foreign language music. and this one was a fun one as well.
Dead Kennedys
5/5
an essential album for any punk fan, this album speaks truth to power like few albums have before or since. jello biafra is certainly an acquired taste on vocals, but he cuts to the heart of the matter in his engaging lyrics.
highlights:
“kill the poor”
“when ya get drafted”
“california über alles”
“holiday in cambodia”
Dr. John
3/5
down and dirty psychedelic blues rock with a creole twist. a fun listen.
The Roots
4/5
very listenable hip hop with great flow and hard hitting beats.
Fugazi
4/5
while i had heard of fugazi, for whatever reason i had never listened to any of their music before. it looks like i am going to have to take a deeper dive. great album.
MC Solaar
3/5
french hip hop. this guy has amazing flow. i didn’t understand a word of it, but it was very listenable.
Hole
3/5
going in, i had only heard the title track before, so i had an idea of what to expect. i love their previous album, live through this, but this one hits a little different. courtney love’s lyrics are still angry, but the vocal delivery is a bit more subdued. it’s definitely hole, but a more polished sound… not as rough around the edges.
highlights:
“celebrity skin”
“hit so hard”
“playing your song”
Lupe Fiasco
3/5
not bad. not bad at all.
Johnny Cash
5/5
johnny cash always had a special place in his heart for misfits and those with a “sordid past”. his empathy shines through, his songs often first person fictional accounts of criminal activities. he has the audience in the palm of his hand, they are fully engaged.
i can’t say enough good things about this album… in my opinion, it might be the greatest live album of all time.
highlights:
“folsom prison blues”
“cocaine blues”
“25 minutes to go”
“orange blossom special”
“jackson”
Queen
5/5
this album is a masterclass in musicianship. the band is firing on all cylinders, switching genres throughout the album with the greatest of ease. with “a night at the opera” freddie mercury solidified his legacy as one of the legendary vocalists of all time. brian may kills it on guitar, as usual. john deacon and roger taylor lay a solid foundation with the rhythm section.
mid to late 70’s is my favourite era of the band and this is my favourite queen album. a stone cold masterpiece and one of my top ten favourite albums of all time.
highlights:
“death on two legs (dedicated to…)”
“i’m in love with my car”
“love of my life”
“bohemian rhapsody”
System Of A Down
4/5
fast, heavy, and aggressive. the only “nü metal” band that i really cared for, to be honest. they have a distinct sound that stood apart from any other band, led by the incomparable serj tankian’s striking vocals.
this is one of the most angry albums that i have heard in a long time. topics of politics, religion, and genocide (all of the band members are of armenian descent). if you’re a fan of loud, angry music, don’t miss out on this one.
highlights:
“suite-pea”
“sugar”
“war?”
Antony and the Johnsons
2/5
the music is ok, but the vocals… this guys has WAY too much vibrato in his voice. i can’t. i just can’t.
Ravi Shankar
3/5
soothing sounds of the sitar. interesting listen.
Tim Buckley
2/5
weird album with gratuitous marimba. not for me.
Peter Tosh
3/5
a little reggae every now and then is good for you. this is quality.
Sebadoh
3/5
nothing noteworthy here. it’s a fun album that suffers from what a lot of bands did back in that era… a lot of 90’s bands kind of sounded the same.
Marvin Gaye
5/5
a gorgeous album full of themes involving humanity and finding our place in it. anti-war sentiments, love, racism, religion, the environment, police brutality… all delivered through gaye’s signature buttery smooth vocals.
this one is an all timer, kids. don’t miss out.
highlights:
“what’s going on”
“save the children”
“mercy mercy me (the ecology)”
5/5
a fine album from the boys from liverpool. a psychedelic journey brought to us by the fictitious sergeant pepper and his band. every single track on this album is listenable, a feat not often accomplished on this album challenge.
there’s a reason that this album is often listed as one of the greatest albums of all time, as it is magical from the first moment until the conclusion.
highlights:
“with a little help from my friends”
“fixing a hole”
“being for the benefit of mr. kite!”
“when i’m sixty-four”
Keith Jarrett
2/5
while the guy is freakishly talented, spending over an hour listening to instrumental piano music is just not my idea of a good time. not my jam.
The Undertones
3/5
fun pop/punk album from 1980. i enjoyed this one.
Orbital
2/5
high energy and repetitive.
high energy and repetitive.
high energy and repetitive.
The Flaming Lips
3/5
while i have dismissed the flaming lips in the past as being too weird, i will admit that this album has grown on me over time. it’s hard to explain, but this album has a certain groove to it, the rhythm section really cooks in a way that you wouldn’t necessarily expect with this type of music.
and while i still admit that wayne coyne’s vocals and lyrics are an acquired taste and he is beyond weird, the band in a live setting is quite the spectacle.
highlights:
“in the morning of the magicians”
“ego tripping at the gates of hell”
“do you realize??”
Tangerine Dream
2/5
dark and ethereal ambient instrumental music. it would be interesting if incorporated into a movie score, but by itself, it’s pretty boring, honestly.
Hole
4/5
themes of rage, anger, isolation. courtney love certainly had a difficult past and is not afraid of talking about it. this was an important album from the 90’s that had its fair share of female fronted acts. this one goes hard and doesn’t let go.
highlights:
“violet”
“asking for it”
“doll parts”
Waylon Jennings
5/5
legendary outlaw country artist waylon jennings with his signature baritone voice. what could be better? how about if you have another outlaw legend cowrite the entire album (sans one song)?
this album is fuckin’ amazing and a can’t say enough about it. stellar rhythm section and waylon’s voice, so emotive. he can go from tough guy to vulnerable at the drop of a hat. so good.
highlights:
“honey tonk heroes”
“old five and dimers like me”
“low down freedom”
“you ask me to”
“black rose”
Muddy Waters
2/5
let me start out by saying that I respect the blues. without the blues, there would be no rock and roll. it is literally the foundation of rock and roll. with that being said, most of the songs on this album are incredibly redundant.
the blues, at least on this album, are incredibly formulaic with the same themes and rhythms. the blues has its place in the history of music, but listening to it now it sounds undeniably dated.
Cocteau Twins
3/5
wasn’t amazing. wasn’t terrible. twas just ok.
Mike Ladd
2/5
nothing groundbreaking here. kind of underwhelming.
Fred Neil
3/5
kind of a weird album, to be honest. the music is ok, the voice is kind of strange. having said that, it’s not awful and it’s nowhere close to the worst albums i have heard on here.
Nick Drake
3/5
to me, the purest form of music is a vocalist and an acoustic guitar. most of this album is exactly that, although i think one song had a piano. nevertheless, this was certainly an interesting listen.
Kraftwerk
3/5
fun listen, albeit a bit redundant for much of the album. you can see their influence on electronic bands that would come later like depeche mode.
Queen
4/5
the first song is an instrumental intro to the album and from the first note you can tell it’s a queen album because of brian may’s tone. it’s one of the most recognizable guitar tones in the history of recorded music. of course, freddie mercury’s vocals are in fine form. and the rhythm section is top notch. in short, it has everything you would expect from a queen album… full of pomp and extravagance.
this was just their second album, yet it would lay the groundwork for queen albums to come.
highlights:
“father to son”
“the loser in the end”
“the march of the black queen”
“seven seas of rhye”
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
twas a good listen. sounded like thom yorke on 1.25 speed, although the music didn’t necessarily sound like radiohead.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
ah, the inimitable soothing sound of ol’ blue eyes. while some of the lyrics feel kind of hokey and dated, some of them are strangely specific (the lyric about orange juice in one of the songs comes to mind).
but my main takeaway from this listen is how depressing this album is… he seems so sad either about his woman leaving him or how he misses her. there’s a song where he sings about how she can always come back to him if it doesn’t work out with her current man.
but that voice. what a voice.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
ah, some good old fashioned funk. this was a good listen. quality from start to finish.
highlights:
“pusherman”
“no thing on me (cocaine song)”
“superfly”
Elis Regina
3/5
imagine listening to yacht rock with a charismatic female vocalist who sings in portuguese. well, that’s exactly what you get with this one. and i am here for it. the songs are intoxicating and she is a very gifted singer. great album.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
classic album full of bluesy swamp rock with the inimitable john fogerty on vocals. while not their best, it’s certainly a great album from that era.
highlights:
“born on the bayou”
“good golly, miss molly”
“proud mary”
Joanna Newsom
2/5
oof. swing and a miss.
The Jam
3/5
pretty fun little album.
The Isley Brothers
4/5
this album was really good. it had everything: sing along choruses, catchy bass lines, ample amounts of falsetto and FOUR covers. and if there’s one thing that i am a sucker for it is a well crafted cover song.
bravo, isley brothers. a fine effort, indeed.
highlights:
“that lady”
“listen to the music”
“sunshine (go away today)”
Flamin' Groovies
4/5
blues based garage rock. certainly a product of its time, this was a great listen from start to finish.
highlights:
“high flyin’ baby”
“teenage head”
“evil hearted ada”
David Bowie
5/5
timeless record. what made bowie great is that he made it cool to be weird. another thing i love about bowie is that during the early days of MTV he very publicly questioned why there were no black artists being played (even though michael jackson was literally the biggest act on the planet at the time).
this album might be my favourite bowie album. so much quality from top to bottom.
highlights:
“life on mars?”
“kooks”
“queen bitch”…
Leftfield
2/5
once again, this one falls into the trap that many albums of this genre do… music and effects are played in a loop and repeated. over and over. until it’s almost hypnotic. it’s really not my thing.
having said that, it’s well produced and if i were a fan of this type of music, i would probably be into this album.
Bob Dylan
4/5
solid album by the legendary singer/songwriter. not a bad song in the bunch.
highlights:
“like a rolling stone”
“from a buick 6”
“queen jane approximately”
Gillian Welch
3/5
somewhere between folk and bluegrass with soothing female harmonies. good listen.
Ms. Dynamite
2/5
while she is clearly talented and the production level is top notch, this really isn’t for me.
Meat Loaf
3/5
the debut album from meat loaf with heavy involvement from composer and frequent collaborator jim steinman. as anything steinman was involved with, the songs are grandiose and larger than life.
the album is a rock opera of sorts about teenage rebellion and trying to get laid. it’s kind of hokey at times but a fun listen… and it’s one of the top selling albums of all time, so there’s that.
highlights:
“bat out of hell”
“heaven can wait”
“two out of three ain’t bad”
SZA
2/5
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
i did not expect to like this album very much. however, when i listened, i was pleasantly surprised. this album sticks with you and doesn’t let go. quality stuff.
highlights:
“change yr mind”
“call the police”
“american dream”
Gene Clark
3/5
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
3/5
shit, another effin’ captain beefheart album… at least that was my reaction when i saw what the album would be today. trout mask replica was one of the worst albums in this entire challenge so far, so the bar was low.
however, i was pleasantly surprised. psychedelic blues rock infused with a touch of delta blues. it reminded me a little of dr. hook. it was pretty good, to be honest.
highlights:
“sure ‘nuff ‘n yes i do”
“dropout boogie”
“abba zaba”
The Cure
3/5
dark and gloomy. robert smith’s signature vocals and the catchy bass lines make this album a very listenable experience.
Paul Weller
3/5
Badly Drawn Boy
3/5
twas ok, but nothing groundbreaking.
Suede
3/5
parts of this reminded me of david bowie, other parts kind of reminded me of u2. mainly glam rock with other influences sprinkled in. over all, a pretty listenable album. no complaints here.
highlights:
“we are the pigs”
“new generation”
“the asphalt world”
Nick Drake
3/5
this was a pleasant listening experience. about 2/3 folk and 1/3 rock with a smooth vocal delivery. would listen to this again.
2/5
let me start out by saying that these guys are very talented. i do like rush and what i have heard from king crimson, so it’s not that i don’t like progressive music, but it’s that yes is just so… boring.
the album clocks in at just under 38 minutes. and there are only THREE songs, so i knew going in this would be a challenge.
the issue that many progressive bands have is that they tend to lean towards songs being long, grandiose epics full of masturbatory excess. any time a band separates a song into separate “suites”, that’s usually a bad sign. this is one of those albums. but like i said, they’re very talented.
Radiohead
3/5
thom yorke’s usual signature warbling vocals layered upon the ethereal sound of his band. basically what you would expect from this band, although a few of the songs had an industrial sound to them. good album.
George Harrison
4/5
of all the members of the beatles, perhaps george harrison was the most underrated. this album has it all: jam session type instrumentals, country-infused rock, songs that would fit right in on a late era beatles album, guest songwriting, even an ode to eastern religion that harrison had converted to (that became a huge hit, by the way).
all that being said, this album showcases the genius that is george harrison, and i am not surprised how legendary this album has become.
highlights:
“wah-wah”
“let it down”
“plug me in”
2/5
two of the cardinal rules for a musical act: don’t be boring and don’t be redundant. this album violates both of these.
U2
5/5
while u2 was already a critically acclaimed band at this point, achtung baby was where the band reinvented their sound and image to a more electronic dance/alternative influenced one. this was a gamble that paid off tremendously in that it launched the band into the stratosphere commercially.
i am admittedly mostly a casual fan of the band, but this is my favourite u2 album. it is brilliant from start to finish and one of the best albums of the 90’s, a decade full of great music.
highlights:
“even better than the real thing”
“one”
“mysterious ways”
“love is blindness”
Willie Nelson
4/5
stripped down, no frills country album. a man and his trusted acoustic guitar with occasional piano and harmonica. classic album from a legendary artist.
highlights:
“blue eyes crying in the rain”
“red headed stranger”
“can i sleep in your arms”
Marvin Gaye
4/5
fascinating look into the mental and emotional state of marvin gaye as he was going through the divorce from his first wife, anna. as the story goes, part of the settlement agreement stated that gaye was to give half of the royalties of his next album to anna, and so he wrote this very personal album as a farewell to the relationship.
Sex Pistols
4/5
great early punk album, many consider it one of the greatest punk albums of all time. johnny rotten with his sneering vocal approach condemning the political landscape of the u.k. in the 70’s. classic.
highlights:
“liar”
“god save the queen”
“anarchy in the u.k.”
“bodies”
Stan Getz
3/5
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
Erykah Badu
3/5
The 13th Floor Elevators
3/5
twas ok, but nothing particularly original or groundbreaking.
Sepultura
4/5
nothing like some good ol’ thrash to get the heart pumping.
highlights:
“arise”
“dead embryonic cells”
“meaningless movements”
Ian Dury
3/5
eclectic album that’s just fun to listen to.
The Who
3/5
with a couple of exceptions, most of the songs are pretty generic sounding for the time. they clearly hadn’t found their sound yet and it shows.
Pavement
2/5
this album sounds like literally a thousand others albums from this era. sounds kind of like grunge, but not really. distorted guitars, a guy who can’t really sing that well, but he seems to be passionate. nothing special here.
The Monks
3/5
sounds like the animals with more of a punk rock energy. and anti vietnam war messaging. quality listen.
Bonnie Raitt
3/5
blues rock with a hint of americana. smooth vocals. very polished sound.
Syd Barrett
3/5
this one is all over the map. some songs are ok, some sound like unreleased demos, and some are borderline unlistenable.
as the story goes, syd barrett was in pink floyd until he went crazy and they fired him from the band, and parts of this album do sound like someone who is going through some mental issues.
David Crosby
3/5
most of the songs sound like CSN 2.0. david crosby had a distinct singing style that stood out. not bad.
Beach House
3/5
ethereal and synth heavy. not bad, but i don’t think i’ll be listening to this again.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
3/5
2/5
man, was this album a piece of shite…
Sam Cooke
5/5
one problem that some live albums have is that many of them sound like studio albums. either the crowd sounds fake or you can only hear the crowd between songs or the songs sound a little too “perfect”. in short, they can sound too polished. not with this one.
this live album is astonishingly good. it does what i feel live albums should do, and that is to make you feel as if you are actually there. as i listened to this album through my headphones, i could actually hear the crowd DURING the song. it is considered by many to be one of the best live albums of all time, and honestly it’s hard to argue with that.
highlights:
“cupid”
“twisting’ the night away”
“bring it on home to me”
Ozomatli
3/5
sounds like a combination of 311, santana and sublime. and TONS of groove. a fun listen.
Massive Attack
2/5
not for me.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
ample amounts of distortion and gloomy vocals. not a bad album, if i do say so myself.
The Charlatans
3/5
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
garage rock often with punk rock vibes. great album.
The Black Crowes
4/5
southern tinged blues rock. stacked with radio singles. overall, an outstanding debut album, one that they should be proud of.
highlights:
“twice as hard”
“jealous again”
“hard to handle”
“she talks to angels”
Iron Maiden
4/5
one of the biggest bands of the NWOBHM era. lead singer paul di’anno does an admirable job, however, the band doesn’t come fully into their own until they bring along bruce dickinson for their third album.
having said that, there is something kind of cool about this album in that it’s much less polished and raw sounding.
highlights:
“remember tomorrow”
“phantom of the opera”
“iron maiden”
3/5
Randy Newman
3/5
going into this listen, the main song i associated with randy newman was “short people”, which has to be one of the stupidest songs i have ever heard. so, the bar was low.
most songs are pretty listenable, to be honest… however, most of the songs are PAINFULLY similar. and “rednecks” just seems like an excuse to write a song full of the “n word”. but over all, not a bad album.
Yes
2/5
yes = rush’s nerdier cousin
Jane Weaver
3/5
The Offspring
4/5
early 90’s punk album (there’s even a ska song!). other than the date rapey vibes of “self esteem”, which i have always been uncomfortable with, this is a solid album.
highlights:
“bad habit”
“come out and play”
“not the one”
Mj Cole
2/5
repetitive beats played behind repetitive vocals. once you got through the first fifteen seconds of a song, the rest of the song sounded exactly the same. and it was like that for EVERY song on the effin’ album. redundancy for redundancy’s sake.
Randy Newman
2/5
yet another album with every song sounding the same. randy newman gonna randy newman, i guess. at least this one doesn’t have gratuitous use of the “n word”, so there’s that.
Ramones
5/5
seminal album in the punk genre. this album is about 3/4 “punk” and about 1/4 “pop” style sing along melodies. and as many great punk bands do, they keep the songs short and sweet… only one song clocks in over two and a half minutes.
there’s just enough of a pop sensibility to make it accessible to the masses; it was certainly my, as well as many others’, gateway into punk. it stands as one of the most important punk albums of all time.
highlights:
“blitzkrieg bop”
“beat on the beat”
“now i wanna sniff some glue”
“havana affair”
Duke Ellington
3/5
normally i am not a fan of instrumentals. but i do love live albums and this is very listenable.
Common
2/5
gratuitous use of the “n word” and tons of misogyny… nothing new for this genre of music.
Happy Mondays
2/5
Radiohead
4/5
another great album by this great band. having said that, I like radiohead as much as the next guy, but by my count this is somehow the sixth radiohead album on this list (so far)?
Julian Cope
3/5
i actually quite liked many of the songs, but it seems that with most of them he just doesn’t know when to end them. according to wikipedia, this album is 75:44, but it would be a lot better in my opinion if it was about 50 minutes or so.
Drive Like Jehu
3/5
The Clash
4/5
important album in punk music. the clash stood out as definitely a punk band that didn’t sound like any other punk band that i can recall. this one’s a special one, kids.
highlights:
“janie jones”
“white riot”
“hate and war”
“cheat”
Germs
4/5
while i know many will dismiss this album as “unlistenable”, it is important to note that punk music by its very nature is not intended to be accessible to a mass audience.
fascinating listen. while darby crash had admittedly mostly indecipherable lyrics, they somehow fit into the chaotic music around him. the punk energy is palpable on this album; it grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go. the most fascinating thing about this band, however, has to be the fact that somehow guitarist pat smear eventually ended up in one of the biggest bands of the modern era, the foo fighters.
highlights:
“what we do is secret”
“richie dagger’s crime”
“manimal”
“the other newest one”
Raekwon
3/5
Steely Dan
4/5
another masterpiece from the kings of yacht rock.
highlights:
“rikki don’t lose that number”
“night by night”
“pretzel logic”
“with a gun”
The Hives
4/5
garage rock with punk energy. great album.
highlights:
“hate to say i told you so”
“supply and demand”
“mad man”
Kraftwerk
3/5
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
oddly enough, at times the singer’s voice sounded like robert smith of the cure. but i just couldn’t with this one. this was pretty unlistenable in my estimation.
Little Simz
2/5
the guy who compiled this list appears to love him some bri ish rap artists. the guy who is writing this review… not so much. although i will admit this one is better than the other offerings from bri ish rappers on this list so far. having said that, i’m still giving it two stars in that rapping in a bri ish accent will never not sound weird to me.
Grizzly Bear
2/5
i will write my review in the form of a haiku:
a terrible name
annoying and boring. sucks!
i do not like them
Roxy Music
3/5
delightfully weird and interesting. great listen.
highlights:
“strictly confidential”
“in every dream home a heartache”
“grey lagoons”
Laura Nyro
3/5
as odd as it sounds, she comes across as a more soulful karen carpenter to me.
Ice Cube
4/5
masterful storytelling by one of the originators of gangsta rap.
The Stooges
3/5
raw and primal. decent album by one of the forefathers of punk.
Black Sabbath
4/5
fantastic album by one of the seminal bands in the history of heavy metal. while this album’s predecessor “master of reality” is often credited with creating the genre known as stoner metal, this album doesn’t simply retread those grounds, but expands upon them; the distortion is still there but the guitars are not always as dense. just a fine effort from the entire band, really.
“you can only trust yourself and the first six black sabbath albums.” tis a quote attributed to henry rollins, and honestly it’s hard to disagree with that. you can’t go wrong with any of them.
highlights:
“wheels of confusion”
“changes”
“supernaut”
“snowblind”
Cat Stevens
3/5
smooth soothing folk. not a bad song in the bunch.
highlights:
“wide world”
“sad lisa”
“but i might die tonight”
Aphex Twin
2/5
there are three of the things that i absolutely hate in music… electronic music, overly long and redundant songs and instrumentals. this album has all three. a hard “no” for me.
David Holmes
2/5
another redundant electronic album. the only thing mildly interesting about this album is the sampled “vignettes” that are used as intros on several songs.
Death In Vegas
3/5
rock album with moments of electronic music, but just enough of both to keep things interesting. good album.
highlights:
“soul auctioneer”
“aisha”
“broken little sister”
Boards of Canada
2/5
nope
Scissor Sisters
4/5
somewhere between glam rock and disco, this was an energetic album. their sound is strongly influenced by the bee gees, elton john, and the pet shop boys. just an all around excellent listening experience and i can only imagine how fantastic their live show must be.
highlights:
“comfortably numb”
“tits on the radio”
“filthy/gorgeous”
“it can’t come quickly enough”
3/5
MC5 was a garage rock band with leftist leanings and often get credited with being an early originator of punk rock. this live album not only showcases their sheer power, but you can feel the energy of their live show through the speakers.
highlights:
“ramblin’ rose”
“kick out the jams”
“motor city is burning”
Aretha Franklin
3/5
equal parts intensity and femininity. what a voice. they didn’t call her the queen of soul for nothing.
highlights:
“chain of fools”
“(you make me feel) like a natural woman”
“ain’t no way”
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
his voice is whiny and grating.
don’t like his band very much, although there are some great bass lines.
EC has a very punchable face.
Finley Quaye
2/5
it’s kind of reggae but not really. i listened to the whole album and i still don’t know if i even liked it or not.
John Coltrane
3/5
nothing like a little jazz to brighten up the day. this one is very listenable and i found myself a toetappin’ on more than one occasion during this listen.
JAY Z
2/5
there seems to be an epidemic among rap artists… the nonstop talking about themselves. jay-z does this ad nauseam.
this album is about 85% jay-z loving him some him, about 5% about women, about 8% about “fuck them haters”, and 2% (one song) about family, which was nice.
this trend on the album of the non stop self aggrandizing of jay-z is frankly tiresome. the whole album was literally about jay-z and anyone jay-z adjacent.
tis not for me, and honestly tis one of the main reasons i don’t usually listen to rap…
Taylor Swift
3/5
mix of ethereal pop and folk. once again, the “stickiness” of the choruses are undeniable.
The Waterboys
3/5
folk rock and punk… a mix that i always enjoy. solid album.
Merle Haggard
3/5
not his best, but definitely a good one in the catalog.
The Fall
3/5
Primal Scream
3/5
Tom Waits
3/5
more shenanigans from tom waits. his delivery is certainly unique and while i wouldn’t say i love it, i don’t mind it. it’s different enough to where i would have to be in the right mood to listen to it.
having said that, if there’s one thing the man can do it’s paint a picture with his words. he’s a gifted writer for sure and the songs set a mood often feeling as if you’re actually there in the story. and i think that ultimately that’s the hook that draws people in; his weather worn voice combined with his lyrics have an authenticity that’s often lost in most music today.
The Only Ones
3/5
not bad. i quite enjoyed this one.
Scott Walker
2/5
cartoonishly campy crooning. while it probably stood out at the time for being provocative, it came across sounding like a two bit frank sinatra impression.
Elton John
4/5
you’d be hard pressed to find a bigger songwriting duo than elton john and bernie taupin. a fine album indeed.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
as much as the architect of this project wants me to like elvis costello, it ain’t happening.
Sleater-Kinney
3/5
very cool female fronted punk band. her voice kind of reminded me of belinda carlisle in weird way, so to me they almost sounded like a heavier version of the go-go’s.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
another day, another elvis costello album. SMH…
Elvis Costello
3/5
as much as i dislike elvis costello, this album actually wasn’t too bad.
Paul Simon
3/5
this was just ok. 70’s paul simon > 80’s paul simon.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
3/5
to me, this sounded like a mix of iggy pop and jack white. pretty cool.
Donald Fagen
3/5
“steely dan light” if you will. and as anything steely dan adjacent, of course you have top notch musicianship. not bad, not bad at all.
Morrissey
4/5
groovy little debut album from the former smiths frontman. signature crooning with sullen lyrics.
highlights:
“everyday is like sunday”
“bengali in platforms”
“suedehead”
“margaret on the guillotine”
Buena Vista Social Club
3/5
fun album
Stan Getz
3/5
Dire Straits
3/5
according to wikipedia, the vinyl version has “trimmed the fat” from the version on the CD… same amount of songs, but some were edited for length. and many of the songs needed to be as they were meandering and redundant. case in point: on “money for nothing” if you listen to the CD version, sting rambles on and on about wanting his MTV for over a MINUTE AND A HALF before the iconic riff kicks in.
having said all of that, the musicianship is top notch and the band creates a lush and diverse atmosphere of sound that is impossible to ignore.
all in all, a fun listen. but trust me, stick with the vinyl version.
highlights:
“so far away”
“walk of life”
Orange Juice
2/5
the music is ok, but most of the singing is atrocious.
AC/DC
5/5
in early 1980, ac/dc was at a crossroads. their previous album, highway to hell, was their most successful album to date. however, with the loss of their charismatic lead singer, bon scott, the band was unsure if they wanted to continue.
after being convinced by friends, they went through the process of auditioning singers and ultimately chose brian johnson, formerly of geordie. this turned out to be the perfect choice as back in black turned out to be not only the biggest album of their career, but it became one of the biggest selling albums of all time.
as much as i love bon scott as a frontman, it is hard to deny the sheer power of this album. it literally made ac/dc a household name and one of the biggest bands of the 1980s.
it is quite possibly the best blues-based hard rock album of all time.
highlights:
“shoot to thrill”
“back in black”
“you shook me all night long”
“have a drink on me”
Jacques Brel
2/5
for me to get into a foreign language album, it has to be something really special. and while this is pretty different, i just couldn’t get into it. having said that, the crowd seems REALLY into it.
Beastie Boys
4/5
Wild Beasts
2/5
man, this shit sucks
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
more reggae excellence from the legend himself. songs of spirituality and relationships. just a fun, quality listen.
Miriam Makeba
3/5
Weather Report
2/5
Leonard Cohen
3/5
the last album by leonard cohen released before his death. dark but introspective album dealing with themes such as mortality, spirituality, and relationships… all deliver in cohen’s mostly spoken word style. his grizzled, aged vocals add to the authenticity of the words. an intense journey.
highlights:
“you want it darker”
“if i didn’t have your love”
“it seemed the better way”
Talk Talk
2/5
kind of boring.
Mercury Rev
2/5
the singer’s voice reminded me of wayne coyne, kind of. meh.
Fela Kuti
3/5
energetic pop/rock filtered through african-inspired sounds. interesting listen.
The Cramps
3/5
psychobilly! weird, quirky vocal delivery, songs with dark themes about monsters and such, low fidelity recordings. this album sounds almost like a mix of the dead kennedys and the misfits. i dig it.
Killing Joke
4/5
pretty heavy album for 1980. you can hear the influence that this band had on bands such as ministry, nine inch nails, and rammstein. hell, even legendary metal titans metallica covered “the wait” on their early covers album garage days re-revisited.
overall, a pretty solid album of proto-industrial metal. seriously though, don’t miss out on “the wait”. it’s got a pretty intense groove to it.
highlights:
“requiem”
“the wait”
“complications”
ABBA
4/5
ah, the pride of sweden, ABBA! as i have said on many occasions, it is impossible to be in a bad mood while listening to ABBA. it’s just fun music that is impossibly sticky.
highlights:
“dancing queen”
“knowing me, knowing you”
“tiger”
XTC
4/5
quality pop rock album that is exceedingly bri ish. this was a great listen from start to finish.
Lou Reed
2/5
never really been a fan of lou reed, and this did nothing to change that. i have always found him kind of boring and thought he was vastly overrated.
Everything But The Girl
3/5
fun listen. she has a great voice.
The Beach Boys
5/5
magical and whimsical, this album is the magnum opus of the classic rock legends. “wouldn’t it be nice” is the perfect opener to this album as it encapsulates their next era sound magnificently.
there aren’t enough words to express how amazing this album is, topped off by what may very well be one of the most beautiful songs ever written, “god only knows”. this one is special.
highlights:
“wouldn’t it be nice”
“sloop john b”
“god only knows”
“i just wasn’t made for these times”
Lambchop
2/5
i feel like what they were trying to do with this album was to make it whimsical and grandiose… “pet sounds”-esque, if you will. and to me, it just falls flat. an album that takes itself a little too seriously.
Donovan
3/5
3/5
this album is all over the place, but in a good way. punk, rock, and rockabilly all swirled together in a fantastic mix. some songs with the female singer reminded me a lot of blondie, actually. fun album.
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
magnificent album by the titans of alternative music. although not their first album, this was many people’s first introduction to the band and their commercial breakthrough.
highlights:
“cherub rock”
“today”
“disarm”
Lenny Kravitz
3/5
nice mix of rock, funk, and psychedelia. am overall theme of spirituality seems to tie it all together. good album.
Deep Purple
4/5
many people credit deep purple as being one of the first “heavy metal” bands. deep purple was different though because of their prominent use of keyboards and organs.
like many, my introduction to the band was through “smoke on the water”. classic rock radio ruined that for me, so i didn’t really take a deep dive into them. apparently i made a mistake with that assessment because this album COOKS. the searing vocals of ian gillan, the guitar wizardry of ritchie blackmore, jon lord on the keys and hammond organ, the solid work with the rhythm section holding it down… quality record through and through.
highlights:
“highway star”
“pictures of home”
“space truckin’ “
The Chemical Brothers
2/5
endless loops and samples. man, i just don’t get this type of music.
The Go-Go's
3/5
fun album.
The Temptations
4/5
great funk infused album by the legendary artists. plus, it contains an all timer, “papa was a rolling stone”.
highlights:
“papa was a rolling stone”
“love woke me up this morning”
“the first time ever i saw your face”
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
smooth and soothing, but at some point it just got repetitive and boring.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
interesting album. all over the place stylistically.
a-ha
3/5
smooth synth pop by way of norway. in the vein of duran duran… but better, in my opinion.
highlights:
“take on me”
“hunting high and low”
“the sun always shines on t.v.”
Don McLean
3/5
Skepta
3/5
i don’t normally like guys that rap with an accent that is gratuitously bri ish, but this one wasn’t terrible.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
3/5
twas ok.
Mekons
2/5
this album is shite.
Stephen Stills
4/5
fantastic album full of elements of country, folk, and blues, even a little bluegrass. not usually a fan of albums that are this long, but this one is a keeper.
highlights:
“song of love”
“fallen eagle”
“how long”
“the love gangster”
“the treasure (take one)”
Jazmine Sullivan
3/5
a fascinating album about feminine sexuality and empowerment as well as the struggle some women have with self esteem thinking that men see them as commodities rather than people.
The Associates
2/5
nothing special here. it sounds like literally dozens of albums from this genre in this era.
Beatles
5/5
ah, the legendary beatles! as with most of their albums, this one is chock full of hits. as with many of their albums, lennon and mccartney write the lion’s share of the songs with ringo and harrison contributing to a few.
the band is firing on all cylinders with this one and while it may not be my favourite album of theirs (that is probably the “white album”), this one is still a standout effort.
highlights:
“something”
“i want you (she’s so heavy)”
“because”
“she came in through the bathroom window”
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
2/5
androgyny, hair spray, synthesizers. these things were commonplace in the 1980s with a plethora of bands. nothing special about this one, and i found it kind of boring to be honest.
Drive-By Truckers
4/5
pretty good album, though a bit lengthy. lynyrd skynyrd meets zz top by way of neil young. rockin’ good time from start to finish.
Goldfrapp
3/5
soothing and hypnotic. you could fall asleep to most of this album, but in a good way.
Missy Elliott
3/5
she’s kind of a badass and has great flow. good album.
Pere Ubu
2/5
some songs were ok. some songs were meh. overall i don’t think i’ll be listening to this one again.
Nina Simone
3/5
such an expressive voice. deep and soulful. when she sings the words, you can feel the pain in her voice.
John Cale
3/5
pleasant enough.
Iggy Pop
3/5
with the stooges, iggy is punk, but apparently when he is with his solo band, the music is more rock based. iggy pop was friends with david bowie and you can tell bowie’s influence with this album. good album.
highlights:
“lust for life”
“some weird sin”
“the passenger”
Spiritualized
2/5
to me, this album teetered between boring at times and at other times utter chaos. and not much in between.
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
3/5
some good old fashioned folk. nothing too fancy.
Iron Butterfly
3/5
dark, foreboding psychedelic rock. whether they knew it or not, iron butterfly helped lay the groundwork for heavy music with the title track to this album.
Kanye West
2/5
this was a tough listen, to be honest. and… still don’t like kanye.
Sisters Of Mercy
3/5
dark and atmospheric goth rock. there are songs on this album that you would swear lead vocalist andrew eldritch was indeed a vampire, with his deep baritone voice and his accent. this album may seem a little dated at times, but make no mistake that sisters of mercy did help lay the groundwork for the goth rock scene.
Blur
3/5
some good ol’ rock with crunchy guitars and bri ish vocals. quite enjoyed this one.
Pulp
4/5
this album was actually quite good. it reminded me of almost a hard rock version of david bowie.
Goldfrapp
4/5
dark and soothing. i am enraptured by her voice and i like this album more than the work of hers that was previously on this challenge (seventh tree from 2008).
George Michael
4/5
solo debut album from one of the guys from wham!, and what a debut it was. with sales totaling over 25 million, it became one of the biggest selling albums of all time and help cement george michael into one of the biggest selling acts of all time.
this is a great album. the album’s first side (the one with the lion’s share of the hits) is vastly superior to the second side. having said that, one of the biggest hits on the album, “i want your sex”, is entirely too long with the second movement of the song being completely redundant… so much so that the radio edit ends after the first movement.
don’t sleep on this one, kids.
highlights:
“faith”
“one more try”
“monkey”
Christina Aguilera
3/5
of the female pop vocalists who came to prominence in the early to mid 90’s, i.e. mariah carey, britney spears, christina aguilera… in my mind, christina aguilera was probably the most under appreciated. her voice is soulful without over singing, like carey. and she didn’t do the breathy thing that spears does when she sings.
this album is full of throw back retro music spanning jazz to show tunes as aguilera pays homage to her musical influences. its very well produced and her talents shine. this album is very listenable and blends vintage sounds with modern music… and some of the songs are even a little racy (“put your icing on my cake”… oh my).
highlights:
“back in the day”
“oh mother”
“nasty naughty boy”
“hurt”
Rahul Dev Burman
3/5
interesting album of indian music of the soundtrack to a film. it wasn’t terrible, but not amazing. probably wouldn’t listen to it again, to be honest.
Pixies
3/5
for whatever reason, the pixies never really clicked with me, but this album is pretty good.
Gram Parsons
3/5
smooth vocals of gram parsons, duets with young up and coming emmylou harris, this is a quality country rock album, start to finish. released posthumously after parsons’ fatal overdose in the tail end of 1973, this album has slower numbers as well as more upbeat songs all anchored by parsons and harris, whose voices work well together.
Country Joe & The Fish
3/5
ah, the late 60’s. it was a time when psychedelic music was all the rage, “tune in and drop out” was the order of the day, and it seemed like every popular act of the time had at least a couple of anti vietnam war songs.
it was indeed the era of the protest song when music actually had a message and artists actually wanted to make the world a better place. not only did country joe actually name check the president in the song “super bird”, later in the song he actually suggested LBJ should take some drugs to get a different outlook on life. and this was pretty commonplace in this era. what a time it must have been.
Kate Bush
2/5
weird and unsettling. not for me.
The The
3/5
eclectic and all over the place… but never boring.
Alanis Morissette
5/5
this album is full of contrasting concepts. anxiety vs. confidence. vulnerability vs. power. perception vs. reality. fragility vs. strength. pretty heavy stuff for a nineteen year old.
there is very little filler on this album. even with the album’s shortcomings (i know, there is no irony, ironically enough, in the song “ironic”), it really is a killer album.
let’s talk about “you oughta know”. regardless *who* the song is about, it really is a well crafted song. but if it is about dave coulier (as has been heavily speculated over the years)…
FUCK. THAT. GUY. she was nineteen when she wrote this album with the greatness of glen ballard, which means that coulier was (checks notes) thirty four. oof. that’s creepy and predatory. and he was clearly (assuming that was him the song was about) in another relationship. tis interesting that according to wikipedia, coulier was divorced in 1992, when morissette was eighteen, so there’s that. coincidence?
and for my money, i have yet to hear anything close to the venom behind her words “and are you thinking of me when you *ever so slight pause* fuck her”? do me a favour and listen to it again. trust me.
at the end of the day, this album launched alanis into the stratosphere. it transformed her from a teen bubble gum pop princess with marginal success in canada to an alt-rock goddess. she became a “girl boss” before that was even a thing. literally HALF of this album was on the radio and it has sold over 30 million albums worldwide. it is literally one of the top selling albums of all time.
highlights:
“you oughta know”,
“right through you”,
“forgiven”
Nico
2/5
boring music with vocals from a woman who can’t really sing. it was a struggle to get through this one, to be honest.
The Beau Brummels
2/5
this album at times tried to sound like bob dylan at other times tried to sound like a folk act you would hear at a renaissance festival… and not really sounding like either one of them.
this was bad, kids.
The Byrds
3/5
good album.
Jorge Ben Jor
4/5
top to bottom, this album slaps. i didn’t understand a word of it, but i loved every minute.
highlights:
“ponta de lança africano (umbabarauma)”
“o filósofo”
“xica da silva”
Arrested Development
3/5
socially conscious hip hop. a fun listen.
OutKast
3/5
back in my day, this would have been considered a quadruple album. hell, the album itself is divided into two parts… “speakerboxxx” and “the love below”. each part is the length of what would be a traditional double album. it was a slog to get through, being over 130 minutes long. but enjoyable nonetheless the less. could do without the moments of misogyny though.
it does seem that they missed an opportunity, though. when guns n’ roses put out use your illusion, they buy it out in two parts because each part was long enough to be a double album. outkast could have gone with this strategy and had way more album sales.
Jean-Michel Jarre
3/5
soothing and exotic. very relaxing and enjoyable.
Dion
2/5
yawn.
Deee-Lite
3/5
quirky and fun. two parts dance music to one part psychedelia.
The Replacements
3/5
pretty cool rock and roll album with a kick ass cover of “black diamond” by KISS.
Wilco
3/5
just some good ol’ alt country from one of the best bands to do it. a quality listening experience.
Japan
2/5
sounded like a slowed down great value brand duran duran. not for me.
Minor Threat
4/5
pretty cool EP by ian mckaye and the boys. this was apparently a pretty influential album in the straight edge movement.
Le Tigre
3/5
an eclectic album with elements of rock, pop, new wave, and dance… all with a punk attitude. at times, it reminded me of the go-go’s. interesting stuff.
The Mothers Of Invention
3/5
all the general zaniness you would expect from an album with frank zappa. this one is a social commentary on such topics as commercialism and conformity as well as popular bands of the day like the beatles. fun and interesting listen.
Korn
3/5
one of the biggest bands from the “nü metal” movement, korn’s driving beats and introspective lyrics really set them apart from the crowd. while most songs can come across as pretty dark (vocalist jonathan davis had a pretty dark past and had experience working in funeral homes), some songs come across as kind of goofy. (to be fair, any song with fred durst is going to be pretty ridiculous). anywho, it wasn’t awful, but wasn’t amazing.
Carpenters
4/5
there are few vocalists who can affect me the way that karen carpenter can. her voice is smooth and pure. this was a great example of her work. a fine listening experience indeed.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
what’s there to say that hasn’t been said about “ol’ blue eyes”? as with any sinatra album, the silky smooth vocals shine through. quality listening experience.
Bob Dylan
3/5
while this wasn’t bad, it wasn’t what i expected. i much prefer 60’s and 70’s dylan to this. having said that, “make you feel my love” is a gorgeous song.
Ryan Adams
3/5
mostly upbeat alt-country/americana. pretty good album, although clocking in at just over 70 minutes makes it a bit longer than i would have liked.
Alice Cooper
4/5
ah, the genius that is alice cooper. this was the album where the band was really coming into form… vaudeville style entertainment, equal parts drama, absurdity and shock value.
my favourite alice album is probably either killer or welcome to my nightmare, but this album is pretty special in its own right.
highlights:
“elected”
“no more mr. nice guy”
“generation landslide”
Scritti Politti
2/5
artificial and soulless. very appreciative that this was a short album because i hated every minute of this.
Butthole Surfers
2/5
much of this album just sounded like chaotic noise to me. nonsensical lyrics and often indecipherable vocals. on most of the songs it sounds like the band members are just learning how to play their instruments.
the butthole surfers have been around for a long time, so i know there have to be better albums than this. hell, i have heard a few of their songs on the radio and they sounded great, but i was pretty disappointed with this album.
Beastie Boys
4/5
this album was a fun ride from start to finish. the boys from NYC really brought their “A game” with this one and it shows. many people consider this to be their best album, and it’s hard to argue with that.
Pet Shop Boys
4/5
always a fun listen. light and ethereal. i put pet shop boys in the same category as abba… it is impossible to be in a bad mood when you listen to them.
Slipknot
3/5
much of the material in this album sounds like a mix between system of a down, faith no more and 2000’s era slayer. vocals often sounding like a psychotic person off their meds. sense of desperation is a common theme. vocalist often switches from “clean” vocals to “harsh” vocals within songs. certainly a wild ride and i would have to be in the right mood to listen to this.
Jerry Lee Lewis
5/5
this has anything you would want in a live album… both hits and covers, the crowd going crazy during and between songs, and most of all intensity and passion from the musical act.
in short, “the killer” was a bad, bad man. R.I.P.
Megadeth
4/5
often considered megadeth’s magnum opus and with one listen it’s easy to see why.
lightning quick guitar solos, a thunderous rhythm section, abrasive vocals. themes of politics, religion, nuclear proliferation, addiction. this is actually a pretty heavy album, not just musically but also thematically.
highlights:
“holy wars”
“hangar 18”
“tornado of souls”
Tom Tom Club
3/5
weird and quirky. basically just sounded like a female version of the talking heads for most of the songs. twas ok.
The B-52's
3/5
fun and quirky. music that will make you wanna clap ya hands and shake ya ass. but in regards to fred schneider and his presence on the album, less is more.
Black Sabbath
5/5
ominous lyrics with themes of war, nuclear annihilation, and addiction. one of the most important albums in the history of heavy metal.
highlights:
“war pigs”
“paranoid”
“electric funeral”
The Blue Nile
2/5
methinks the singer is trying a little too hard to be a modern day frank sinatra. not for me.
The xx
3/5
twas ok.
Paul Simon
3/5
good storytelling and a smooth delivery. good album.
G. Love & Special Sauce
2/5
an interesting concept. blues music with a hip hop vocalist. but the lyrics are nonsensical and redundant.
swing and a miss.
Jimmy Smith
2/5
an entire album of jazz instrumentals. four songs clocking in at just over 37 minutes with the shortest one being around seven and a half minutes. twas not for me.
The Sonics
3/5
quality mid-60’s garage rock album featuring both originals and covers.
William Orbit
4/5
strange, beautiful and hypnotic. to get the full effect, listen with headphones.
Fever Ray
3/5
The Vines
2/5
when i started this album, something strange happened. i couldn’t explain it, but even though i had never even heard of this band, the music sounded very familiar. a few songs in i realized why i felt this way… they sound like ANY GENERIC OPENING BAND FOR ANY ROCK SHOW I HAVE EVER BEEN TO.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
3/5
the short songs actually weren’t that bad. and parts of the title track opener were pretty good. as far as progressive rock goes, i would rate them higher than yes, but lower than rush.
Gil Scott-Heron
3/5
themes of social consciousness, family, addiction, politics. most of this album was just ok, but to me the best songs on the album were “the bottle” (that bass line slaps so hard) and watergate blues… and those sound nothing like the rest of the album.
Skunk Anansie
4/5
it’s pretty much standard alternative metal for that era. the first half of the album goes hard… very hard. the second half, not so much. i would call the second half more “radio friendly”.
but what sets this band apart from other bands of the genre is that the singer is a black female, and let me tell you, she is a certifiable badass. i’ll just say that i wouldn’t want to get on her bad side, because she can express rage like few others i have ever heard.
all in all, it seems as if i might need to take a deeper dive into this band. solid effort.
The Gun Club
3/5
fun little psychobilly album…
Foo Fighters
4/5
this album bridges what was left of the grunge movement after the death of nirvana guitarist/vocalist kurt cobain and the modern rock movement of today. while i have never really been a dave grohl fan (i think he is a massive attention whore), it’s hard to ignore how important this album was at the time.
highlights:
“this is a call”
“big me”
“for all the cows”
Gang Starr
3/5
twas ok.
Jefferson Airplane
3/5
not really into this one much, although it does contain two of the iconic songs of the psychedelic era, “someone to love” and “white rabbit”… so there’s that.
Supertramp
2/5
never been a fan of supertramp and listening to this don’t change my mind. i found this album tedious... the music is mostly boring and the singer’s voice is annoying.
Richard Thompson
3/5
this was pleasing to the ear. i rather enjoyed this.
The Notorious B.I.G.
4/5
storytelling from the streets. biggy smalls was an expert wordsmith with impeccable flow.
highlights:
“things done changed”
“juicy”
“big poppa”
The Who
3/5
some of the songs are ok, but the story is a little out there. this was ok but i don’t know if i would ever listen again.
Elton John
5/5
while elton john certainly had his share of hits before this release, this album made him into a superstar.
very eclectic, depending on the song you hear influences of glam rock, disco, reggae, and even a little country thrown in for good measure.
themes of mortality, the media’s role in celebrity worship, homosexuality, and addiction are explored.
it is one of my favourite double albums of all time and starts with my favourite 2 opening songs ever with “funeral for a friend” which morphs into “love lies bleeding”.
this one is an all timer, kids. do not miss out on this one.
highlights:
“candle in the wind”
“this song has no title”
“i’ve seen that movie too”
“saturday night’s alright for fighting”
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
3/5
Grant Lee Buffalo
3/5
this one is hard to pin down. is it country? is it rock? it’s definitely not upbeat enough to refer to it as rockabilly. wikipedia refers to this album as being “gothic country”, which works, i guess. it’s certainly different and i did enjoy it.
Kate Bush
3/5
otherworldly voice. certainly a product of its time, with all the synths and layered voices. didn’t hate it but probably wouldn’t go out of my way to listen to it again.
Saint Etienne
3/5
hypnotic and beautiful. wasn’t sure what to expect going into this one, but it was like ear candy. for the duration of the album i felt like i was in a trance.
Bon Jovi
2/5
i went through a bon jovi phase in middle school back in the late 80’s. i’m not proud of it, but it is true. it’s not that i don’t still like hair metal today, but there are much better bands from that genre that i still will listen to.
richie sambora is a mid-level lead guitarist at best and i can think of a handful of guitarists just off the top of my head from that era that can play circles around him (vito bratta, c.c. deville, george lynch, warren demartini, nuno bettencourt, mick mars). for some reason david bryan, the keyboard player, is shoehorned into songs that sound weird with keyboards (more on that later). the rhythm section is perfectly serviceable. and jon bon jovi comes across as the pretty boy in high school that had a very punchable face. with all of that out of the way, on to the album review…
side a
“let it rock” - the album opener and many people’s introduction to the band (they had two albums before this, but this was truly their commercial breakthrough). it opens with a keyboard solo that sounds like it was lifted straight from phantom of the opera. weird. anyway the song is about how they are here to rock and you’d better not get in their way.
“you give love a bad name” - the lead single and JBJ is PISSED. something about some girl broke his heart and he’s calling her out about it. he’s got millions in the bank and a very handsome (yet still punchable) face… i think he’ll be ok.
“livin’ on a prayer” - i do not, nor have i ever, gave a shit about tommy or gina, but richie does fiddle around with the talk box, so that’s pretty cool. next…
“social disease” - this one is a fun one, actually. i always liked this one.
“wanted dead or alive” - JBJ tries to rebrand himself as a badass cowboy on a “steel horse” with a “loaded six string on his back”. and in a genre full of cringe lyrics he utters “i’ve seen a million faces and i’ve rocked them all”. yikes.
side b
“raise your hands” - when i first heard this song, i thought it was the heaviest riff ever… again, i was in middle school. this song was featured in the movie spaceballs, so there’s that.
“without love” - this song is a total “filler” song.
“i’d die for you” - song about JBJ’s undying commitment to his girl of the week. i’m not convinced. oh, and more unnecessarily gratuitous keyboards.
“never say goodbye” - obligatory power ballad on the album. ol’ jonny and the girl who “lost more than that in his backseat” is certainly a more moving story that tommy and gina.
“wild in the streets” - for a song with “wild” in the title, it might be the most boring song on the whole album. and richie blatantly rips off “johnny b. goode” in the guitar solo. not cool.
there you have it. i hadn’t listened to this album in well over 30 years and hoping i’ll never have to listen to another bon jovi album again.
Frank Sinatra
4/5
ah, the smooth vocals of ol’ blue eyes. so good.
3/5
i consider myself a fan of mr. bungle, so i am somewhat familiar with this type of throw everything against the wall chaos, mixing genres that most wouldn’t consider would go together. but an entire album of this with no vocals? this is not for the faint of heart. an auditory adventure, indeed.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
not a big fan of bruce (i am more of a mellencamp guy), but i have to give props to this one. this album is blue collar through and through. and the fact that conservatives still think of this song as some sort of patriotic anthem is amazing considering that it is actually a critique of american foreign policy and how veterans are treated once they get back home. that’s pretty genius on springsteen’s part that he could pull that off.
the title track notwithstanding, this album sounds pretty dated with the over abundance of synths (to be fair, twas the early 80’s and that was the trend at the time).
James Taylor
4/5
ah, the smooth and silky voice of james taylor… the original JT.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
at times it sounded kind of like tom petty, pearl jam, or bob dylan… depending on the song. also, in a couple of songs there was middle eastern style sounds and even hip hop beats.
a pretty intense album, considering that it was released in response to the events of september 11, 2001. the emotional songs didn’t come across as being merely performative. in the song “paradise”, it actually sounds like he’s crying while singing the song, but it sounds genuine and heartfelt.
ladies and gentlemen, it seems as if i have finally found a springsteen album that i like. this one is a keeper, folks.
UB40
3/5
i do like reggae, but a couple of these songs are WAY too long.
Madonna
3/5
never been much of a fan, but i have immense respect for her and everything she has done. tons of talent and a trailblazer in her field.
i must say most of these songs are catchy as hell… except when she tries the country thing. it just kind of falls flat.
Janet Jackson
3/5
The Coral
3/5
this was pretty good.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
they call him the “godfather of grunge” for a reason. i am convinced that the grunge movement wouldn’t have existed if it weren’t for the seeds that neil young planted with his work with crazy horse.
Richard Hawley
3/5
smooth and soothing. this was so relaxing.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
debut album from this legendary artist. he often utilizes the “sing-speaking” style of vocals. good listen, although some of the songs seemed a little too long.
Janelle Monáe
3/5
a weird and eclectic album, but i didn’t hate it.
Pentangle
2/5
bands that classify themselves as “folk” tend to fall into one of two categories: more country adjacent or the type of music you might stereotypically hear at a renaissance festival. for the most part, this was the latter… and it was kind of a beating to get through, to be honest.
Big Black
3/5
Portishead
3/5
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
is the dude trying to sound like thom yorke? methinks the answer is “yes”. twas ok.
Lightning Bolt
2/5
chaotic noise. distorted vocals that sound like they were recorded through a megaphone. the songs would start out with an interesting groove but then repeat it over and over to the point of redundancy.
M.I.A.
2/5
as with most dance/pop albums, the songs are just a redundant mess.
Missy Elliott
3/5
Hugh Masekela
3/5
for an album of mostly instrumentals, this was a pretty fun listen.
Bob Dylan
3/5
another classic dylan album.
Pink Floyd
3/5
i consider myself a fan of pink floyd, although i am not that familiar with their work with syd barrett. and let me tell you, it was interesting but weird. very weird. not to say that i didn’t like it, but it was different.
Alice In Chains
5/5
alice in chains was considered one of the “big four” of the grunge movement of the early 90’s, although they seemed much heavier and darker than the other three. one needs no further proof than listening to this album.
AIC’s fantastic sophomore album that delves deep into the psyche of frontman layne staley’s struggle with heroin addiction. this album is powerful and horrifying on many levels, especially considering staley’s ultimate demise from an overdose.
highlights:
“down in a hole”
“dirt”
“hate to feel”
“would?”
Fatboy Slim
2/5
more redundant club music. hard pass.
Os Mutantes
3/5
this was an adventurous listen as psychedelic albums tend to be. liked some songs, didn’t care much for others. a mixed bag, really.
The Bees
2/5
pretty weird and boring album. the only song of note was a cover.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
literally a girl boss before that was even a thing. they called her the “queen of soul”, and for good reason. a deep, rich voice with feminist ideals (ahead of her time, in that regard).
Elastica
3/5
pretty cool album with lots of energy.
Kendrick Lamar
4/5
a master wordsmith with impeccable flow. socially conscious lyrics. a masterpiece of the genre.
Love
3/5
Harry Nilsson
3/5
fun piano driven rock.
ZZ Top
4/5
the biggest selling album from that “little ol’ band from texas” and it’s easy to see why. all the things you would expect from a zz top album, crunchy guitars, a driving rhythm section and that unmistakable bluesy swagger. great album.
A Tribe Called Quest
3/5
pretty fun album.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
this was ok.
N.W.A.
4/5
important album in the history of hip hop. one of the first “gangster rap” albums as well as the first album of the genre to reach platinum status. topics of street violence, social critiques of policing, and rampant sexism.
highlights:
“straight outta compton”
“fuck tha police”
“quiet on tha set”
The Kinks
3/5
pretty good.
The Byrds
3/5
good early era byrds album with the trademark harmonies typical of any band david crosby is involved in.
Lou Reed
2/5
never got into lou reed, although i will admit that i do like “walk on the wild side”. the guy can’t really sing and he tries to be profound and really isn’t.
Billy Bragg
3/5
always down for some folk punk. good listen.
Machito
3/5
i guess i’m a fan of “afro-cuban jazz”. who knew?
George Jones
4/5
fans of country music often refer to george strait as “king george”, but for my money “king george” is george jones. this is a fantastic album that showcases his seemingly effortless, but still emotive, singing style. i enjoyed every song on this album, which doesn’t happen often. george jones is a true legend of the genre.
highlights:
“the grand tour”
“the weatherman”
“she told me so”
“mary don’t go ‘round”
Green Day
4/5
i know that many don’t consider green day to be real punk music, throwing around the term “pop punk” almost as a perjorative, but the punk genre was never really meant to have mass appeal. by definition, if a band can sell over 20 million copies of one album (as this album has), it has popular appeal.
this album and this band are pop punk, and there’s nothing inherently wrong with that. it’s a fun album that definitely has punk elements, but it would be a mistake to label this as merely “punk” without also attaching “pop” to it.
Sparks
3/5
that was a fun ass album.
Nirvana
4/5
while i wouldn’t say that this was the first grunge album, this was the first album that brought grunge music to the mainstream. their output was extremely limited (nirvana only put out three studio albums), however their impact was huge.
sadly, kurt’s life ended in april 1994 from suicide. r.i.p.
highlights:
“smells like teen spirit”
“in bloom”
“lithium”
“something in the way”
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
The Sabres Of Paradise
2/5
instrumental album with some minor interesting moments, but mostly redundant and tedious as i usually find albums of this genre. this one was over 70 minutes, but it seemed like much longer.
Jane's Addiction
4/5
one of the most important bands in the alternative music movement in the late 80’s and early 90’s. fantastic debut album from the mercurial perry ferrell and the boys. unique vocals, insightful lyrics, crunchy guitars and a slid rhythm section. different, but never boring.
highlights:
“standing in the shower… thinking”
“mountain song”
“jane says”
Metallica
5/5
through the course of their first four albums, metallica’s popularity was climbing. the band’s fourth album “…and justice for all” brought the band their first video for mtv (the iconic anti-war song “one”), and things looked bright for the bay area thrash quartet.
enter producer bob rock.
rock brought a different outlook to the band, challenging them to expand their sound and lyrical approach.
the approach paid off well, as this album pushed them even further into the mainstream, gave them their first number one album on the billboard 200 and ultimately paving the way for the album to become one of the greatest selling albums of all time.
largely because of this album, today metallica is probably the biggest metal band in the world. while it’s not my favourite album in their canon (“…and justice for all” still holds a special place in my heart), it’s hard to deny this album’s impact. it has undeniably heavy songs, as well as more radio friendly songs.
i still remember someone from high school referring to “enter sandman” as “the song the whole world knows”… and when i was in high school in the early 90’s, that was a pretty accurate statement.
highlights:
“sad but true”
“wherever i may roam”
“nothing else matters”
“the god that failed”
Devendra Banhart
2/5
folk music is the music of the people. to me, it is either an interesting listen or it is boring. there is no middle ground. sad to say that this was the latter.
Brian Eno
2/5
people put on ambient music in order to fall asleep. after listening to this album, i can understand why.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
you can always count on bob marley to deliver quality reggae at a quality price.
Dusty Springfield
4/5
powerful and soulful voice that’s bursting with confidence. this album is a true classic.
Van Halen
4/5
ah, the 80’s… the era of big hair, spandex, and gratuitous use of synthesizers. the synths were pushed to the forefront on two of the biggest songs on this album, “jump” and “i’ll wait”.
to be honest i have gotten tired of “jump” and “panama”, as classic rock has played those ad nauseam. having said that this is a great album of classic VH with the trademark smirk and swagger of DLR and those sweet, sweet harmonies of bassist michael anthony. alex van halen doing an honorable job rounding out the rhythm section, and of course the greatness of brother eddie on the guitar and the synths (don’t forget the synths).
highlights:
“top jimmy”
“drop dead legs”
“hot for teacher”
“i’ll wait”
Soft Cell
2/5
other than “tainted love” nothing really stood out. meh.
Bee Gees
3/5
many people only think of the brothers gibb as a disco act, but they didn’t morph into that until relatively late in their career. in fact, they have more pre-disco albums in their catalog than disco ones.
for my money, i prefer the bee gees during their disco era. this album was ok, but nothing spectacular.
Daft Punk
2/5
i am not into this kind of music and yet this list continues to have such albums on this list.
Astrud Gilberto
3/5
the music is soothing. her voice is pleasant and the singing is good, but nothing extraordinary. however when you put the music with the singing it is whimsical.
Van Halen
5/5
dave, eddie, michael, alex. collectively they are known as van halen and they took the world by storm in their debut album. eddie van halen was a once in a generation talent and david lee roth was a charismatic frontman. this album is rock solid from top to bottom.
haven’t listened to this album in many years, but it still kicks ass. the only *minor* issue i have with it is the track order… it really seems like a missed opportunity that the album didn’t begin with “eruption” then “you really got me”. now THAT would have been the ultimate introduction into what probably felt like at the time to be someone from another planet.
van halen had massive success album after album, but this was where it all started, and they couldn’t have asked for a better debut.
highlights:
“eruption”
“ain’t talkin’ ‘bout love”
“atomic punk”
“ice cream man”
The Psychedelic Furs
3/5
this was a fun one.
Crowded House
3/5
an auditory kaleidoscope. a fun album.
The Cult
4/5
guitar based hard rock with riffs that have a kind of southern rock flair. ian astbury has a swagger and attitude that few frontmen have. this was a huge album for me back in the day and it was great to revisit it after all this time.
highlights:
“wildflower”
“lil’ devil”
“love removal machine”
Massive Attack
3/5
interesting listen.
Method Man
3/5
Pulp
4/5
very cool album. with many of the songs, the singer sounds like bowie.
The Mars Volta
2/5
i really wanted to like this album. i know that a lot of people are really into this band.
however, i am not one of those people. too weird and chaotic for me. and the singer’s voice is like fingernails on a chalkboard.
Tracy Chapman
4/5
fantastic folk album with introspective lyrics. great debut.
Rod Stewart
4/5
classic rock with folk elements. some people just have a natural voice for rock and that definitely applies to rod stewart. quality from start to finish.
highlights:
“every picture tells a story”
“maggie may”
“(i know) i’m losing you”
Dr. Octagon
2/5
weird album, and not necessarily in a good way. quirky lyrics and style. the “lyricist” tries to be clever and funny, of which he is neither. annoying is the best word to describe it.
4/5
a classic album.
Norah Jones
4/5
smooth music with a laid back vibe. norah jones has a gorgeous voice and it’s no wonder that this was such a huge debut album, eventually selling over 27 million copies worldwide.
highlights:
“don’t know why”
“come away with me”
“turn me on”
Peter Gabriel
3/5
Björk
2/5
weird and ethereal. i think that this might be the soundtrack for a patient at a mental institution.
Hawkwind
2/5
sounds like a mix of a jam band and stoner metal. the sound is interesting, but as with jam bands the songs get redundant after a few minutes into them. a nine minute song that repeats the same riffs over and over could be cut in half and be better.
The Beta Band
2/5
i hope you like the first song. if you don’t you’ll have a hard time listening to this one because EVERY SONG SOUNDS EXACTLY THE SAME.
The Byrds
4/5
an all time classic in the genre.
Kings of Leon
3/5
this was a pretty good album, although it did take a while for me to get used to the singer’s voice.
10cc
3/5
fun “yacht rock” style album.
Heaven 17
3/5
british synth-pop with political themes. good listen.
The Last Shadow Puppets
4/5
R.E.M.
3/5
not a big REM guy. some songs were ok, others were boring and redundant.
Dirty Projectors
3/5
weird and quirky… but not necessarily in a bad way. i much prefer the few songs with the female singer than with the male singer.
Lucinda Williams
3/5
first let’s get this out of the way… she’s not a great singer. i would describe her voice as four parts sheryl crow and one part courtney love. this was ok, but i wasn’t really blown away.
The The
3/5
Elvis Costello
3/5
Pavement
3/5
fun album.
Marianne Faithfull
3/5
this album was kind of a mixed bag. didn’t like some songs, really dug others. of note was her cover of “working class hero” by john lennon.
The Police
3/5
two of their best songs are on this album, “message in a bottle” and “walking on the moon”, but there’s a LOT of filler on this one.
The Zutons
4/5
interesting and fun album.
Nas
4/5
excellent wordsmith with seemingly effortless flow. this is how it’s done kids.
Roxy Music
3/5
Jane's Addiction
3/5
Super Furry Animals
3/5
fun and super eclectic.
Brian Eno
3/5
all over the place, but never boring. sounds like a mix of david bowie, pink floyd and the beatles.
Beatles
5/5
unquestionably one of the greatest double albums of all time. this one still holds up.
Coldplay
2/5
i don’t have enough estrogen to enjoy this album. hard pass.
Rocket From The Crypt
3/5
PJ Harvey
3/5
fierce and aggressive. i would not want to get on her bad side.
Fishbone
3/5
cool album. ska, punk, metal influences.
3/5
honestly, i have never liked this band. they come across as annoying, pretentious twats. the singing is whiny and nasally.
having said that, i found the songs that i wasn’t previously familiar with (the deep cuts, if you will) were better than the singles.
Sonic Youth
3/5
a lot of people go through a “goth phase” when they’re younger. apparently, sonic youth did too.
Suicide
2/5
i can see that this was an influential album, but it’s not for me.
The Beach Boys
3/5
you can start to see the transition from singing about surfing and cars to more weighty topics. more experimentation.
Wu-Tang Clan
4/5
wu-tang ain’t nothing to fuck with.
Paul McCartney
2/5
this album… it’s disjointed. many of the songs seem like “first drafts” rather than final products… half-assed and subpar products. hell, “singalong junk” was basically just an improved version of “junk”… a song earlier in the album. it seems as if mr. mccartney figured he could mail it in and people would buy it simply because he was a beatle.
Sepultura
4/5
brazilian thrash with tribal influences… aptly titled “roots”. this one goes hard and is heavy as hell.
SAULT
3/5
Serge Gainsbourg
3/5
the vocals were exclusively in french, and according to wikipedia it is a concept album about a man in a relationship with an underage girl… so there’s that. but if you can over look that, it has an interesting sound.
4/5
live folk rock done in the way only dylan can do.
Van Morrison
2/5
i am not a van morrison fan. in fact the only song i like on this album is “the way young lovers do”. tis the most upbeat song on the album and it doesn’t sound like any of the other songs, which to me all sound the same.
Rage Against The Machine
5/5
when rage against the machine hit the scene with their signature mix of rap, rock, and funk, there was nobody like them. they unabashedly expressed anti capitalist and leftist ideologies within their lyrics as well as their live shows causing a stir within the conservative media. they brought political awareness to a generation of fans through their music and activism, highlighting causes such as corrupt systems of government and the plight of leonard peltier.
this is one of my favourite debut albums and it helped jumpstart my interest in leftist politics.
“anger is a gift”
highlights:
“killing in the name”
“take the power back”
“wake up”
“township rebellion”
“freedom”
New Order
3/5
Derek & The Dominos
2/5
usually i can separate the art from the artist, but for whatever reason i can’t with clapton anymore. from everything i have seen or read about the man, he seems to be an insufferable prick, and apparently he’s always been that way.
many of the songs are too long and as crazy as it sounds, i think he’s kind of overrated as a guitarist.
Miles Davis
3/5
i dig it.
Dolly Parton
4/5
the inimitable voice (and style) of dolly parton. country with elements of folk and rock.
MGMT
4/5
i remember my daughter having this album back in the day and now i finally listened to it.
this album was pretty groovy. psychedelic with kind of a modern twist. maybe my daughter knew something that i didn’t back then. she’s always been the coolest.
The Doors
3/5
entertaining mix of rock, blues, and psychedelia. jim morrison is a great crooner, but he can get pretty intense as well. for my money, “roadhouse blues” might be my favourite doors track, but this album also includes great deep cuts like “you make me real”, “blue sunday”, and “maggie m’gill”.
Billy Joel
5/5
i fell in love with this album the first time i heard it, and it still holds up. equal parts nostalgia, hopeless romanticism and effortless cool. this is an all timer.
highlights:
“movin’ out (anthony’s song)”
“the stranger”
“scenes from an italian restaurant”
“only the good die young”
Kings of Leon
3/5
some songs were ok, some weren’t that great.
Michael Kiwanuka
3/5
Cowboy Junkies
3/5
Parliament
4/5
start to finish, this one is amazing.
“make my funk the p-funk, i wants to get funked up”
3/5
i like the kinks. i do. and i feel bad for saying this, but a lot of this sounds like they are trying to sound like the beatles. to be fair, a lot of bands from that era tried to sound like the beatles. and not all of the songs on this album are like that, but many of them are.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
dark and foreboding. intimate performance full of masterful storytelling. this one is special.
Fats Domino
3/5
fun album from the early era of rock and roll.
Public Image Ltd.
2/5
johnny rotten is a talented man. i dig the sex pistols. but for the life of me i just don’t get PIL. the songs drone on and on to the point of being redundant and boring. to me, there’s just no “there” there.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
2/5
an album of classical music covers performed live. not great, but not awful.
David Bowie
2/5
as with anything involving brian eno, synths are ever present. i normally am a bowie fan, but i just don’t get this album.
U2
4/5
early 80’s post-punk with a political edge to it. solid effort from one of ireland’s top musical exports.
Morrissey
4/5
ah, the sardonic and self deprecating crooner just being himself, and i am here for it. this one cooks.
highlights:
“america is not the world”
“i have forgiven jesus”
“how can anybody possibly know how i feel?”
Kraftwerk
2/5
i appreciate that they were very influential, but this album was a snooze fest. redundant and boring.
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
not bad. not bad at all.
The Who
4/5
now THAT is how you do a live album. it’s got everything you would want in a live album… crowd commitment, a cover, and a medley that starts with one of their biggest songs. pretty damn heavy for 1970, and a nice tight 37:43.
true greatness.
highlights:
“summertime blues”
“my generation”
“magic bus”
Tim Buckley
3/5
an amalgamation of folk, rock, and psychedelia. at times, reminded me of donovan.
Eminem
3/5
i do feel that eminem is a gifted lyricist and rapper, but i felt that whatever message he was trying to convey on this album was lost in the sheer cartoonishness of most of the songs. however, a couple of notable examples do come to mind: “if i had” and “rock bottom”. honestly, if it weren’t for those two songs, i would probably give the album two stars.
Stereolab
2/5
songs were formed from multiple loops of a variety of instruments… an album full of this and after the first song, it became tedious. this one was not for me.
The Adverts
3/5
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
Astor Piazzolla
3/5
Eagles
2/5
never been an eagles guy. i do love southern rock, but this doesn’t do anything for me.
Jungle Brothers
3/5
old school hip hop. while a fun listen, much of it sounds extremely dated.
The Birthday Party
3/5
this album sounds like if a punk band tried to put out a goth record. it’s interesting for sure. the low-fi recording was a nice touch.
Black Sabbath
5/5
one of the greatest debut albums ever and one of the foundational albums of metal. they changed the world of music and that is undeniable.
highlights:
“black sabbath”
“the wizard”
“n.i.b.”
Supergrass
4/5
fun album of brit pop with punk energy.
Franz Ferdinand
4/5
fun album. i loved it.
Tricky
2/5
weird and kind of boring, honestly.
2/5
the first couple of songs are pretty good, but after that this album falls off a cliff.
Ash
3/5
mid-90’s rock, and while it sounds dated at times, if you’re in the mood for it, it just might scratch that itch.
The Avalanches
2/5
this list sure does like dance/club music. the endless loops of redundancy are just not for me.
The Verve
2/5
many of the bands of the early to mid 60’s made a seemingly conscious decision to sound like the beatles because they were arguably the biggest band of the era.
fast forward to the mid 90’s. there seemed to be several bands that emulated the sound of oasis, one of the biggest bands of the 90’s. enter the verve. i don’t like oasis, and i damn sure don’t like an off brand knockoff version.
Sinead O'Connor
4/5
a tortured soul who was clearly uncomfortable with fame, sinéad o’connor never shied away from speaking out about injustices in the world. in fact she spoke out against the catholic church when literally nobody else was, a move that cost her dearly.
this album made her a household name, all due to her gorgeous cover of “nothing compares 2 u”, an obscure tune penned by none other than prince. the rest of the album is stellar as well, on the strength of songs such as “three babies”, “black boys on mopeds” and “the last day of our acquaintance”.
overall, poignant lyrics delivered by a unique, yet gorgeous voice.
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
this one was pretty good. “the boxer” is an all timer for me. i realize the title track is one of their biggest songs, but i could never really get into that one. solid album.
Robbie Williams
3/5
Buzzcocks
3/5
just sounded like pretty generic late 70’s punk to me. nothing wrong with that, honestly.
Motörhead
4/5
just what you’d expect from a live motörhead album… loud, chaotic and frenetic. and the crowd just can’t seem to get enough. this is how you do a live album, kids.
highlights:
“ace of spades”
“iron horse/born to lose”
“(we are) the road crew”
“motörhead”
The Residents
2/5
reminded me a lot of primus… but weirder and more annoying.
Steve Earle
3/5
pretty good debut album from alt country singer/songwriter steve earle.
Madonna
3/5
honestly, a pretty good album.
The Velvet Underground
2/5
some of the songs were ok, but most of them were kind of boring to me. i’m just not a lou reed guy.
Tori Amos
4/5
honestly, i was going to give this one a three… and then i heard “me and a gun”. in order for art to be truly effective, it needs to affect you in some way. few songs have affected me to the point of getting goosebumps quite like this song.
the rest of the album was good, but “me and a gun”, the song she wrote about the time that she was raped, left a lasting impression.
k.d. lang
4/5
a different take on country music, somewhere between country and pop with a sort of ethereal quality anchored down by lang’s unique vocal abilities. this one is special.
Abdullah Ibrahim
2/5
boring.
Ananda Shankar
2/5
interesting at times, but often redundant. the covers were pretty cool, but over all, not for me.
Portishead
3/5
dark and atmospheric. it’s strange… depending on the song, i can’t tell if she has an interesting, emotive voice or if she can’t really sing that well at all on this album. hard to explain, but a good album, nonetheless.
Fleet Foxes
2/5
holy shit was this boring.
The Verve
3/5
Can
2/5
psychedelic experimental rock, which is cool, but it often goes down the road of being redundant and mostly noise.
Super Furry Animals
3/5
The Byrds
3/5
one of the more prominent folk acts of the classic rock era. excellent harmonies and a handful of bob dylan covers, this one is pretty good.
The La's
3/5
The Louvin Brothers
4/5
a dark country album with haunting harmonies and murder ballads. pretty intense for the year 1956, and i am here for it.
Pet Shop Boys
4/5
not normally into dance-pop, but this one cooks.
highlights:
“one more chance”
“what have i done to deserve this?”
“it’s a sin”
Love
3/5
the first half of the album sounded pretty good. the last song, which according to wikipedia spanned the entire side two of the record, was an extended jam session basically. and if there’s one thing i really am not into, it is extended jam sessions. if side two was more like side one, i would probably give this a better score.
X-Ray Spex
3/5
some songs were more punk, others were more new wave. the saxophone was a nice touch. unique female vocals. different, but good. i had heard of the band and the vocalist poly styrene before and now i can definitely hear how influential they were.
Dagmar Krause
2/5
it almost sounds like a modern day opera. most of the songs are very short. the version i listened to had several songs in german. this was just not for me, honestly.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
3/5
dark gothic folk. not bad.
Pink Floyd
4/5
listening to a pink floyd album is always a unique experience, almost like an event. the various layers create an atmosphere that is honestly like no other.
highlights:
“welcome to the machine”
“have a cigar”
“wish you were here”
Billie Holiday
3/5
CHIC
3/5
fun album.
Ice T
3/5
while admittedly much of this album sounds dated, there are some pretty cool songs on here. “midnight” and “body count” particularly stood out to me, the latter of which kicked off his metal side project of the same name.
the rest of the album is what one might expect of a gangsta rap album, hyper misogynistic with over the top violence.
The Saints
3/5
while admittedly much of this album sounds dated, there are some pretty cool songs on here. “midnight” and “body count” particularly stood out to me, the latter of which kicked off his metal side project of the same name.
the rest of the album is what one might expect of a gangsta rap album, hyper misogynistic with over the top violence.
Fiona Apple
3/5
an interesting album from the mercurial miss apple. a tortured soul layering her poetry on tribal beats with staccato rap style vocals.
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
3/5
most of the songs were ok, but that first song was awful.
808 State
2/5
boring.
Circle Jerks
3/5
loud, fast, brash. and 14 songs in just over 15 minutes. everything you could want in a hardcore album.
Hookworms
2/5
some redundant shit right here.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
a pretty interesting listen. i think that the album would be better if it didn’t have the female singers.
Electric Light Orchestra
4/5
not my favourite ELO album, but definitely a classic.
Traffic
3/5
great upbeat album to listen to on a sunday morning.
Cornershop
2/5
it’s usually a bad sign when the best song on the album is a cover. the rest, frankly, was a snooze fest.
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
4/5
fascinating listen. modern sounds and retro sounds combine with the sounds of damon albarn sounding exceedingly bri ish, as he always does. pretty cool little listen...
Faust
2/5
boring.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
fun album
Tina Turner
3/5
solid album from one of the original “girl bosses” before that was ever a thing. her vocal delivery was soulful and seductive with a hint of rasp.
one could argue that going solo after all of those years with then-husband ike turner made her an even bigger superstar, which she deserved because ike was an abusive piece of shit.
highlights:
“what’s love got to do with it”
“better be good to me”
“private dancer”
Ray Price
3/5
sounded like generic early 60’s country to me. doesn’t stand out, but didn’t hate it.
David Bowie
4/5
different, but never boring. themes of mortality and isolation. this album was bowie’s swan song, as it was released literally two days before his death.
highlights:
“lazarus”
“girl loves me”
“i can’t give everything away”
Aerosmith
4/5
mid 70’s down and dirty blues based rock and roll. the bad boys from beantown have done it again with this one.
this one has it all: an obscure blues cover (“big ten inch record”), a staple of classic rock radio (“sweet emotion”), the fast talking staccato delivery of “walk this way”.
in my opinion the vocal delivery on “walk this way” could qualify the song as an early progenitor for the rap rock phenomenon that exploded in the mid to late 80’s. it totally makes sense why the band would partner with rap icons Run DMC about a decade later to re-record the track.
solid album from start to finish.
Earth, Wind & Fire
3/5
eclectic mix of soul, funk and disco with ample amounts of falsetto. nice balance of uptempo and slower songs.
Haircut 100
3/5
sounded like squeeze to me, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Travis
3/5
sounded like a cross between radiohead and oasis to me. interesting.
Wire
3/5
David Gray
2/5
this sounded like something you would hear at a starbucks. fake and inauthentic. this was not for me.
Liz Phair
3/5
intense. in a style i can only describe as courtney love meets tori amos. good album.
Slade
3/5
british glam rock with attitude. good stuff.
Bee Gees
2/5
i do love the bee gees in their disco phase, but this album was tedious and boring. when a musical act releases a concept album, it has the potential to either be really good or self-important garbage, and this album falls into the latter category.
Belle & Sebastian
2/5
not for me.
Girls Against Boys
3/5
distorted vocals, muddled guitars, driving rhythms. this album was an adventure, for sure.
highlights:
“rockets are red”
“bulletproof cupid”
“billy’s one stop”
Christine and the Queens
2/5
androgynous vocals with a pop sound. on some songs the singer kind of reminds me of a more feminine version of michael jackson. parts of it were interesting, but mostly not for me.
Sonic Youth
3/5
Billy Bragg
3/5
an album full of woody guthrie lyrics performed with alt-country stalwarts wilco… what’s not to like?
Grateful Dead
2/5
ok, here we go.
when i saw that today’s album was going to be a live grateful dead album, i cringed. i mean, i’m a sucker for a live album, but a live album by this band was going to be a beating. jam bands aren’t really my thing.
as i have stated before, if a song is over about six minutes, it’s usually too long, in my opinion. the first song is OVER 23 MINUTES. hell, the vocals don’t kick in until just over six minutes. now, don’t get me wrong, i think that the guys in the grateful dead were great musicians… however much of the album just comes across as band members improvising over and over, ad nauseam. it’s often as if they don’t know how to end a song.
Arcade Fire
3/5
Emmylou Harris
4/5
country with a touch of bluegrass at times. gorgeous voice, very listenable. all this and covers of the beatles and dolly parton.
Snoop Dogg
2/5
cartoonish muppet-like rapping filtered through parliament/funkadelic music. all of the songs are about either:
getting high,
getting drunk,
misogyny,
or violence.
this is the whole album in a nutshell, and frankly it’s kind of tiresome.
Malcolm McLaren
3/5
world music inspired hip hop with banter between songs to seem as if you were listening to a radio station complete with a d.j. and people “calling in”. certainly a unique listening experience.
Elbow
2/5
a couple of the songs were ok, but the rest kind of sounded like temu coldplay to me.
Eric Clapton
3/5
some of the upbeat songs were pretty good and “i shot the sheriff” is a classic jam, but the slower songs are pretty boring.
George Michael
4/5
while george michael had a recording career before he went solo (he was 1/2 of the pop group wham in the early 80’s), this was his second solo album. there is a phenomenon amongst musical acts referred to as “the sophomore slump”. it’s hard to follow up a successful debut album, that’s just how it is. as the saying goes “you have your whole life to write your first album and you have six months to write your next one”. and how do you follow up the monster of an album that “faith” was? well, he did it. this album was pretty good in its own right. twas a pleasure to listen to and no tracks that felt that i needed to “skip”. solid songwriting and amazing vocals.
highlights:
“freedom! ‘90”
“cowboys and angels”
“mother’s pride”
PJ Harvey
3/5
Faith No More
4/5
faith no more had already had a couple albums under their belt before they released “the real thing” in 1989. however, the addition of then new vocalist mike patton was the secret sauce that placed the band at the forefront of alternative rock. often credited with being a pioneer in the “rap metal” genre, faith no more became so much more than that. this album, while not my favourite from FNM, it is certainly a great listen.
highlights:
“epic”
“falling to pieces”
“surprise! you’re dead!”
Todd Rundgren
2/5
boring
Spiritualized
3/5
interesting listen. i wouldn’t recommend listening to it while driving, however. i swear that some of the songs put me in a trance.
Amy Winehouse
4/5
an amazing talent, a tortured soul, a brilliant album. gone much too soon, she was the victim of her own excesses.
r.i.p. amy.
highlights:
“you know i’m no good”
“me and mr. jones”
“back to black”
“love is a losing game”
Joan Armatrading
3/5
The Pogues
4/5
masterful storytelling and quality musicianship. you can practically smell the cigarette smoke and whiskey as you hear these songs.
my brother has been into the pogues for a long time, and if i remember correctly, this is his favourite album of theirs. great listen from start to finish.
highlights:
“the old main drag”
“a pair of brown eyes”
“and the band played waltzing matilda”
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
2/5
Air
3/5
this wasn’t bad. tis not amazing, but not awful either. the singles from the album are solid radio-friendly songs, and a few of the others were filler, which is to be expected from many albums, unfortunately.
David Bowie
4/5
i did not expect to like this as much as i did. bowie was one of those unique artists that could sing pretty much any genre. with this album, he experimented in “blue eyes soul”, and he crushed it, as the kids say.
highlights:
“young americans”
“fascination”
“fame”
Joan Baez
3/5
the queen of 60’s folk.
Kacey Musgraves
3/5
lovely voice. elements of pop, folk, electronica all swirled together. very eclectic.
TLC
3/5
this album delivered as promised… some songs are crazy, some songs are sexy, and some songs are cool.
Hüsker Dü
3/5
upbeat punk inspired rock. nothing wrong with this one.
Marty Robbins
3/5
old school classic country. smooth voice. “el paso” is definitely an all timer.
Morrissey
4/5
this one slaps.
Mylo
2/5
if this genre isn’t my least favourite, it’s definitely up there. ridiculously redundant.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
Fairport Convention
3/5
it’s not really for me, but it’s ok for what it is.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
old school hip hop perfection… with the exception of “dumb girl”. not sure what they were thinking with that one.
highlights:
“peter piper”
“it’s tricky”
“walk this way”
“proud to be black”
Ice Cube
4/5
old school gangsta rap from one of the voices of NWA. this one’s a classic.
highlights:
“when will they shoot?”
“it was a good day”
“we had to tear this mothafucka up”
Nick Drake
2/5
snooze fest.
Les Rythmes Digitales
2/5
yuck
Genesis
2/5
i really wanted to like this album, as i like 80’s era genesis, but this sounds way too much like yes to me.
Animal Collective
2/5
this mostly sounded like noise to me.
The Pharcyde
2/5
there are good albums, there are bad albums, and there are annoying albums.
you know how there are people you meet where they think they are clever and funny and they want everyone else to know how clever and funny they are… but they’re really not. that is the perfect encapsulation of this group. from the beginning, this album was insufferable.
Afrika Bambaataa
3/5
fun old school hip hop album, although very dated sounding.
there aren’t many voices more suitable for rock than rod stewart. add in ronnie wood on lead guitar, this album had to be great… and it is a gem.
highlights:
“stay with me”
“memphis”
“too bad”
Big Brother & The Holding Company
2/5
i have never really liked janis joplin’s voice. nails on a chalkboard to me.
Living Colour
3/5
some pretty good songs on here, but there is admittedly some filler as well.
Dinosaur Jr.
3/5
interesting. strong grunge vibes. redundant at times, but not terrible.
k.d. lang
3/5
hypnotizing smooth music. gorgeous voice. truly captivating.
Ministry
4/5
dark industrial metal… heavy distorted guitars and vocals, samples of audio clips, booming drums. themes of addiction, religion, politics. a classic.
highlights:
“NWO”
“just one fix”
“jesus built my hotrod”
Madness
3/5
Pearl Jam
4/5
debut album of one of the big four of the grunge movement of the early 90’s. pearl jam still tour to this day and have become arguably one of the biggest bands of that era. this one is a classic.
highlights:
“once”
“black”
“jeremy”
The Darkness
4/5
glam rock with heavily distorted guitars and a flamboyant charismatic frontman with falsetto for days. this was a fun album.
highlights:
“get your hands off my woman”
“i believe in a thing called love”
“friday night”
The Beach Boys
3/5
this one is pretty hit and miss. the trademark harmonies are still in many of the songs, but some of the songs fall flat. in fact much of the songs don’t sound like the beach boys at all.
Brian Eno
2/5
more ambient weirdness. let it be known, i am not a fan of this guy.
Shuggie Otis
3/5
pretty good little album.
Charles Mingus
3/5
not bad.
The Specials
3/5
fun old school ska album.
Gene Clark
3/5
ABBA
3/5
as i have stated before, i believe it is impossible to be in a bad mood when listening to ABBA. the harmonies, impossibly upbeat.
Basement Jaxx
2/5
The KLF
2/5
weird
Screaming Trees
3/5
don’t take this the wrong way, but i get strong “opening band” vibes from this album… and that’s not a bad thing. screaming trees was a good band, but they always kind of came across as a “b-list” type band in the grunge era. having said that, mark lanegan (RIP) had a great voice for rock music. good, but not great, album.
Roxy Music
4/5
i liked this a lot more than i thought i would have. upbeat and eclectic. a fun listen.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3/5
Ali Farka Touré
2/5
Coldcut
2/5
Frank Black
3/5
Coldplay
2/5
to me, this sounds like an album that a dentist who makes six figures would really be into… non-threatening adult-oriented rock. very boring. although, to be honest, “the scientist” is pretty dope.
Elvis Presley
2/5
i know elvis was referred to as “the king of rock and roll”, but you could probably make more of an argument for that title belonging to either little richard or chuck berry. elvis didn’t really do anything groundbreaking, honestly other than bringing music that already existed to a wider whiter audience.
the upbeat songs on this album were ok, but the slower ballads kind of fell flat to me. if this album was an example of how “great” elvis was, you lost me.
The Yardbirds
3/5
i know elvis was referred to as “the king of rock and roll”, but you could probably make more of an argument for that title belonging to either little richard or chuck berry. elvis didn’t really do anything groundbreaking, honestly other than bringing music that already existed to a wider whiter audience.
the upbeat songs on this album were ok, but the slower ballads kind of fell flat to me. if this album was an example of how “great” elvis was, you lost me.
Maxwell
3/5
just some good old fashioned booty music…
Teenage Fanclub
3/5
Jamiroquai
3/5
strong stevie wonder vibes, and nothing wrong with that.
The Dictators
2/5
sounds like early era alice cooper band (think “love it to death” era), but instead of alice singing, they recruited one of the sweat hogs from 70’s sitcom “welcome back kotter”. a couple of cover tunes. and the last song a parody of the beach boys.
a mixed bag, this one. overall, i like punk, but i didn’t really get much of a punk vibe from this album. i honestly didn’t “get it”.
Dolly Parton
3/5
three of the biggest names in pop country music, who also happen to be female. country, folk and bluegrass meld together with amazing harmonies. dolly, linda and emmylou are impressive on this one.
The Fall
3/5
interesting listen.
Ray Charles
3/5
a classic for sure.
Spacemen 3
2/5
weird, boring and redundant.
Jeff Beck
4/5
balls out blues rock with an array of guest musicians on various songs; a veritable “who’s who” of all time greats. this one goes pretty hard.
Michael Jackson
3/5
they call him the king of pop for a reason. these songs are impossibly catchy.
Sly & The Family Stone
3/5
good stuff
Joni Mitchell
3/5
Solange
3/5
themes of racial identity and struggle. interesting stuff.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
LTJ Bukem
2/5
Brian Eno
3/5
don’t particularly care much for brian eno… but this album with the genius of david byrne is pretty good.
Solomon Burke
3/5
The Strokes
4/5
this was a fun one
Justin Timberlake
1/5
during this challenge, there have been albums that once i see who the artist is, i knew it would be a task to get through the album. i had forgotten what an absolute douche this guy was, and boy did this remind me.
overproduced pop drivel from an era when there seemed to be an endless supply of it. he seems to be trying to channel michael jackson throughout the duration of this album, with absurd amounts of falsetto… you know, “for the ladies”, but it just comes across as lame. in fact, there are only two white acts that i can think of that had the ability to get away with it without their music becoming a joke… queen and the beegees. the ego on this guy. many referred to him during this time (he was pretty popular for a hot minute, for some reason) as “JT”. there is only one true “JT” in the history of pop music, and that of course is james taylor.
so in short, fuck this guy and the horse he rode in on. he has always been an egotistical prick who thinks that his shit doesn’t stink and has an extremely punchable face.
Traffic
3/5
Elvis Presley
3/5
not usually much of an elvis guy, but this one was pretty good. the bass player in particular shines.
Funkadelic
3/5
very weird, as anything in the george clinton universe typically is, but still entertaining.
Sade
3/5
Joni Mitchell
3/5
Sarah Vaughan
3/5
Ghostface Killah
3/5
David Ackles
3/5
The Divine Comedy
3/5
Nanci Griffith
3/5
Turbonegro
4/5
somewhere between glam metal and punk from norway. interesting listen.