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.

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”.

another redundant electronic album. the only thing mildly interesting about this album is the sampled “vignettes” that are used as intros on several songs.

i will never get this sixty four minutes of my life back. wtf…

top to bottom a magnificent album. late 60’s british rock perfection.

very different, but enjoyable

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.

interesting, but a bit redundant. hip hop over a repetitive drum track with a scant few other instrumentations. very talented vocalists and good lyrics.

generic 90s alternative rock sound. not great, but not terrible either.

nothing special here. it was just ok.

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.

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.

top to bottom a magnificent album. late 60’s british rock perfection.

great example of the more bluesy

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.

got to be honest, never really got into REM that much. this was pretty boring, in my opinion.

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.

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.

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”.

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).

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.

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”.

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”.

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”.

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”.

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”.

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 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”.

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”.

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”.

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.

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”.

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 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”.

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”.

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.

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! 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”.

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.

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”.

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”.

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”.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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”.

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.

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”.

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”.

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”.

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”.

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”.

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.

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.

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.

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.

energetic and intense. quirky vocals and lyrics. i may need to visit more of their catalogue.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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”.

psychedelic tinged blues rock with a jam band sensibility. while they’re very talented, not my thing.

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”.

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.

i will never get this sixty four minutes of my life back. wtf…

rush is good, but after this album. not my cup o’ tea.

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”.

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”.

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.

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.

just some good ol’ early 80’s goth rock by one of the pioneers of the genre. solid work.

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”.

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”.

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”.

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”.

soothing vocals, smooth delivery. would be nice background music. highlights: “last year’s man”, “diamonds in the mine”.

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”.

high energy hip hop with plenty of cameo appearances. not necessarily my thing, but not terrible.

something weird about doing hip hop with a british accent. i made it three songs in before tapping out. not for me.

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 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.

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.

very eclectic mix of sounds and genres, definitely a product of its time. fun album for background music. certainly an interesting and enjoyable listen.

couldn’t really get into it. not my thing.

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”.

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”.

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”.

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”.

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”.

twas enjoyable enough. much of the album sounded like a french version of rammstein. however, rammstein did it better… and germaner.

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”.

not a big fan of music like this. after a while most of the songs started sounding the same. not my jam, fam.

excellent album with neil young’s signature voice and folk/rock stylings. rock solid. highlights: “southern man”, “oh, lonesome me”, “birds”.

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”.

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”.

progressive and pretty heavy at times. enjoyed this one. highlights: “book of saturday”, “easy money”.

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”…

upbeat. kind of reminded me of the clash. twas a fun listen.

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! 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”.

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”.

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”…

this album is abundantly redundant. i suppose it is typical for this genre of music, but it is not for me.

the wifey enjoys synth-pop bands such as this… her husband, however, does not.

not a genre i normally listen to, but honestly pretty listenable as background music. would consider listening to it again. not bad.

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”.

not a fan. having said that, daft punk did it better.

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”.

upbeat and lively music with a mexican twist. i liked it well enough.

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”.

80s retro rock with a punk attitude. chrissie hynde is not one to be fucked with. highlights: “precious”, “the wait”, “brass in pocket”.

eclectic mix of instrumental music and samples. perfect background music to record hip hop lyrics over. interesting listen.

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.

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”…

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”.

a little too “jam band-ish” for me. not a fan.

my wife likes music like this. but, not my thing. pass.

folk meets rock meets flute. commentary on religion and man’s relationship to it. solid album.

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.

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”.

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”.

“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”.

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”.

i don’t know, i just couldn’t get into this album. i don’t know why.

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…

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”.

interesting listen. different. every song is a patchwork of musical pieces. certainly willing to give it another listen.

not for me.

upbeat pop rock with morrissey’s signature crooning. lyrics tinged with offbeat humour. certainly a quality listening experience.

an enjoyable listening experience.

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.

catchy bass lines, infectious drum beats and smooth vocals. good stuff.

this was just ok. i liked the first half, but then i found myself losing interest the further i got into the album.

alt country meets garage rock. sounds like a weird combination, but it kind of works. i’m in for it.

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”.

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.

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.

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.

the upbeat mccartney songs are the perfect counterbalance to the dark, morose lennon songs. quality work.

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”.

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.

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?”

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”.

weird, disjointed and too long. not into this at all.

this was ok. not great, not terrible. just ok.

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.

drug induced bluesy bar rock. good stuff. highlights: “love her madly”, “crawling king snake”, “riders on the storm”.

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.

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.

cheesy 80’s schlock. not for me.

fascinating mix of middle eastern music, folk, and tribal rhythms. very hypnotic at times.

ambient, ethereal music buried under distorted guitars for most of the songs. it was an interesting listen, to be sure.

some good ol’ quality blues in a live setting.

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”…

different. mostly instrumental tunes. honestly, most of it was very relaxing, almost to the point of being hypnotic.

twas ok. sounded a little dated. you can definitely see the foundations of what the band would become.

socially conscious lyrics. influential and essential album of early hip hop, particularly “the message”. an obvious choice for this list.

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.

pleasant voice, but the music became redundant. not my thing.

good quality folk rock. really enjoyable listen. highlights: “the night they drove old dixie down”, “up on cripple creek”, “look out cleveland”.

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.

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.

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.

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”.

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”.

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.

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.

beautiful voice. sounded like sheryl crow with better singing ability. not bad at all.

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.

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”…

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.

i don’t know. i thought this was kind of boring. not for me.

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”.

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.

some great reggae jams to get through the day. good album.

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.

upbeat. fun. quirky. everything you would love about a talking heads album.

interesting mix of folk, lounge, and electronic music. gorgeous voice, somewhere between natalie merchant and sarah mclachlan. very nice.

this album bored me to tears. i am crying right now and i blame big star. damn you, big star. damn you.

weird and ethereal. beautiful voice. when you listen to this , it makes you feel like you’re on drugs, but in a good way.

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)”.

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”.

socially conscious lyrics with a background of solid funk/rock. great album.

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.

fun and lively dance rock. i didn’t hate it.

honestly sounded like a cheap imitation of early depeche mode at times.

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.

always considered allman brothers southern rock, but this live album is a combination of southern rock, blues, and jam band. it was pretty good.

lively and upbeat, but to be honest, most of the songs are pretty redundant.

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.

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”.

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.

heavy guitars with ample amounts of distortion. some songs had a male vocalist, some had a female vocalist. all in all, a solid album.

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”.

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 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 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.

enjoyable jazz album. smooth and very listenable.

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.

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”.

quality funk. you can definitely hear his influence on modern day acts such as black pumas.

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”.

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.

southern rock with dashes of psychedelia and gospel thrown in. interesting album.

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”.

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.

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”.

i don’t know, i just found this one kind of boring.

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.

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, 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”.

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”.

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.

a mix of the beatles with gin blossoms and a *hint* of simon and garfunkel. good album. very listenable.

dark and intoxicating. quality album. highlights: “isolation”, “colony”, “a means to an end”.

upbeat and catchy. not sure if it was her accent, but she actually reminded me of queen latifah.

dark and gloomy early 80’s goth rock, and i am here for it. highlights: “spellbound”, “monitor”, “night shift”.

a few good songs here but nothing to write home about, for the most part. much of the album sounds pretty dated.

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”.

i know that the band is supposed to be a big deal, but honestly i found most of these songs kind of unlistenable.

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”.

some good old fashioned psychedelia. quality stuff…

honesty, i just don’t get this guy…

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.

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.

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”.

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.

upbeat and energetic. well produced. not necessarily my thing, but i didn’t hate it.

upbeat and energetic. this album just makes you want to dance.

different. i liked some songs, other songs seemed a little too long.

not bad. not bad at all.

early 70’s psychedelic rock. at times pretty heavy for its time. nothing bad to say about this one.

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”.

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.

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’ “…

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”.

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.

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… 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”.

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”.

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”.

indie rock with soothing female vocals. very chill vibe. nothing wrong with this one.

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 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.

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”.

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”.

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.

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”.

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.

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”.

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.

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.

very experimental. a hodgepodge of genres all thrown together to form songs. not necessarily a bad listen, but definitely a weird listen.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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”.

dour lyrics with infectious and prominent bass lines. top to bottom an 80’s goth rock masterpiece. highlights: “pictures of you”, “lovesong”, “fascination street”.

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”.

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)”.

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”.

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.

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.

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”…

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.

rock solid retro blues rock. some real killer tunes on here. a classic. highlights: “blue orchid”, “my doorbell”, “instinct blues”.

motown sounds of xmas classics. this isn’t just a great holiday album, it’s a great album, period.

folk and psychedelic rock with moments of country and bluegrass. a good listen. highlights: “mr. soul”, “bluebird”, “broken arrow”.

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.

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”.

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.

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”…

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”.

new wave pop rock with infectious bass lines. a fun listen. highlights: “rio”, “new religion”, “save a prayer”.

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 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”.

this wasn’t bad. it kind of reminded me of a mashup of iggy pop and the pretenders.

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.

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.

sounded like muse with elements of punk added for good measure. lyrics critical of politics and religion. overall, a pretty kickass album.

another fun adventure with david byrne and crew. weird quirky lyrics and energetic beats.

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”.

african tribal a cappella music. these guys are crazy talented. an enjoyable listening experience.

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”.

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”.

well, i finally found it… the cure to my insomnia. this album bored me to sleep. good night.

80’s r&b by a talented voice. nothing too special, but a decent album.

synth pop album with social commentary. great listening experience.

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.

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”.

smooth jazz. enjoyable enough.

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”.

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”.

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.

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.

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”.

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”.

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”

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”

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.

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.

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.

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.

infectious dance music with alluring and soothing vocals. very different, but pleasing to the ears.

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”

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.

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”

early 70’s glam rock. catchy songs. very strong bowie vibes at times. quality listen. highlights: “monolith”, “get it on”, “rip off”

boring and uninspiring. not for me.

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.

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.

delightfully quirky and upbeat, as any talking heads album should be. a fun listen. highlights: “mind”, “life during wartime”, “heaven”

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.

twas ok for what it was. didn’t love it, didn’t hate it.

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”

solid album. nothing bad to say about it.

nice vocals. the music often reminded me of nick cave, at other times björk. interesting listen.

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”

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”

psychedelic rock meets funk. classic album. highlights: “maggot brain”, “hit it and quit it”, “super stupid”

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.

not really my thing, but the guy is crazy talented.

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.

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”

“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”

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”

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.

this really isn’t for me, but she does have a nice soothing voice.

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.

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”

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”

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.

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”

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”…

upbeat salsa music. impossible to be in a bad mood after listening to this album. fun and lively.

solid album from one of the early architects of rock and roll.

interesting, experimental, and a little weird. strong bowie vibes at times.

essentially a dark techno album, and as any techno album, it is nauseatingly redundant. not for me.

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”

an interesting album for background music, although i really can’t see myself listening to this again.

great 70’s glam rock album. no issues with this one. highlights: “all the way from memphis”, “whizz kid”, “drivin’ sister”

another solid album from this classic rock legend.

to be honest, i was kind of bored with this one.

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”

not for me.

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’ “

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.

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”

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”

dark and atmospheric. emotive and powerful voice. very much reminded me of a female version of nick cave. consider me intrigued.

psychedelic tinged folk rock with those classic CSN harmonies. good stuff.

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.

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.

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.

great example of an album that is excellent for background music. solid effort.

good contrast of driving guitars and subdued vocals. good album.

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”

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.

catchy beats, but mindless repetitive lyrics. singer has an aggressively bri ish accent that becomes more grating the longer you listen.

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”

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”

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.

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’ “

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”

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”

fun album, but a bit too long. and i can do without the cheesy skits.

nothing like some good old fashioned reggae to get the blood pumping.

classic album by the titans of mid-60’s folk rock. highlights: “scarborough fair/canticle” “the dangling conversation” “7 o’clock news/silent night”

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”

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.

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.

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.

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.

i don’t know… this one was kind of boring to me.

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.

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”

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”

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”

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”

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.

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”

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”

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.

the guy’s got a pretty good flow. quality hip hop.

electronic music that is VERY redundant, as most music seems to be in that genre. pretty unremarkable, to be honest.

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.

classic dylan. no complaints.

not my thing.

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”

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”

yacht rock excellence. highlights: “while you see a chance” “second-hand woman” “night train”

folk, pop, and psychedelia all mixed together. pretty cool little album.

solid album from start to finish. garage rock reminiscent of jack white. highlights: “up against the wall motherfuckers” “caviar” “kiss like lizards”

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.

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.

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”…

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

boring and weird.

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”

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”…

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”

truly unique and eclectic album. very cool.

i don’t know, this shit was pretty boring to me.

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.

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.

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”

i always have a good time when i listen to foreign language music. and this one was a fun one as well.

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”

down and dirty psychedelic blues rock with a creole twist. a fun listen.

very listenable hip hop with great flow and hard hitting beats.

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.

french hip hop. this guy has amazing flow. i didn’t understand a word of it, but it was very listenable.

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”

not bad. not bad at all.

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”

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”

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?”

the music is ok, but the vocals… this guys has WAY too much vibrato in his voice. i can’t. i just can’t.

soothing sounds of the sitar. interesting listen.

weird album with gratuitous marimba. not for me.

a little reggae every now and then is good for you. this is quality.

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.

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)”

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”

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.

fun pop/punk album from 1980. i enjoyed this one.

high energy and repetitive. high energy and repetitive. high energy and repetitive.

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??”

dark and ethereal ambient instrumental music. it would be interesting if incorporated into a movie score, but by itself, it’s pretty boring, honestly.

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”

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”

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.

wasn’t amazing. wasn’t terrible. twas just ok.

nothing groundbreaking here. kind of underwhelming.

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.

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.

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.

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”

twas a good listen. sounded like thom yorke on 1.25 speed, although the music didn’t necessarily sound like radiohead.

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.

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”

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.

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”

oof. swing and a miss.

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)”

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”

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”…

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.

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”

somewhere between folk and bluegrass with soothing female harmonies. good listen.

while she is clearly talented and the production level is top notch, this really isn’t for me.

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”

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”

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”

dark and gloomy. robert smith’s signature vocals and the catchy bass lines make this album a very listenable experience.

twas ok, but nothing groundbreaking.

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”

this was a pleasant listening experience. about 2/3 folk and 1/3 rock with a smooth vocal delivery. would listen to this again.

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.

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.

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”

two of the cardinal rules for a musical act: don’t be boring and don’t be redundant. this album violates both of these.

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”

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”

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.

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”

twas ok, but nothing particularly original or groundbreaking.

nothing like some good ol’ thrash to get the heart pumping. highlights: “arise” “dead embryonic cells” “meaningless movements”

eclectic album that’s just fun to listen to.

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.

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.

sounds like the animals with more of a punk rock energy. and anti vietnam war messaging. quality listen.

blues rock with a hint of americana. smooth vocals. very polished sound.

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.

most of the songs sound like CSN 2.0. david crosby had a distinct singing style that stood out. not bad.

ethereal and synth heavy. not bad, but i don’t think i’ll be listening to this again.

man, was this album a piece of shite…

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”

sounds like a combination of 311, santana and sublime. and TONS of groove. a fun listen.

not for me.

ample amounts of distortion and gloomy vocals. not a bad album, if i do say so myself.

garage rock often with punk rock vibes. great album.

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”

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”

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 = rush’s nerdier cousin

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”

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.

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.

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”

normally i am not a fan of instrumentals. but i do love live albums and this is very listenable.

gratuitous use of the “n word” and tons of misogyny… nothing new for this genre of music.

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)?

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”

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”

another masterpiece from the kings of yacht rock. highlights: “rikki don’t lose that number” “night by night” “pretzel logic” “with a gun”

garage rock with punk energy. great album. highlights: “hate to say i told you so” “supply and demand” “mad man”

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.

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.

i will write my review in the form of a haiku: a terrible name annoying and boring. sucks! i do not like them

delightfully weird and interesting. great listen. highlights: “strictly confidential” “in every dream home a heartache” “grey lagoons”

as odd as it sounds, she comes across as a more soulful karen carpenter to me.

masterful storytelling by one of the originators of gangsta rap.

raw and primal. decent album by one of the forefathers of punk.

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”

smooth soothing folk. not a bad song in the bunch. highlights: “wide world” “sad lisa” “but i might die tonight”

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.

another redundant electronic album. the only thing mildly interesting about this album is the sampled “vignettes” that are used as intros on several songs.

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”

nope

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”

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”

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”

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.

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.

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.

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…

mix of ethereal pop and folk. once again, the “stickiness” of the choruses are undeniable.

folk rock and punk… a mix that i always enjoy. solid album.

not his best, but definitely a good one in the catalog.

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.

not bad. i quite enjoyed this one.

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.

you’d be hard pressed to find a bigger songwriting duo than elton john and bernie taupin. a fine album indeed.

as much as the architect of this project wants me to like elvis costello, it ain’t happening.

another day, another elvis costello album. SMH…

as much as i dislike elvis costello, this album actually wasn’t too bad.

this was just ok. 70’s paul simon > 80’s paul simon.

to me, this sounded like a mix of iggy pop and jack white. pretty cool.

“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.

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”

fun album

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”

the music is ok, but most of the singing is atrocious.

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”

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.

man, this shit sucks

more reggae excellence from the legend himself. songs of spirituality and relationships. just a fun, quality listen.

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”

kind of boring.

energetic pop/rock filtered through african-inspired sounds. interesting listen.

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.

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”

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”

quality pop rock album that is exceedingly bri ish. this was a great listen from start to finish.

fun listen. she has a great voice.

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”

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.

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.

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”

nice mix of rock, funk, and psychedelia. am overall theme of spirituality seems to tie it all together. good album.

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’ “

endless loops and samples. man, i just don’t get this type of music.

fun album.

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”

smooth and soothing, but at some point it just got repetitive and boring.

interesting album. all over the place stylistically.

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.”

twas ok.

this album is shite.

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)”

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.

nothing special here. it sounds like literally dozens of albums from this genre in this era.

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”

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.

pretty good album, though a bit lengthy. lynyrd skynyrd meets zz top by way of neil young. rockin’ good time from start to finish.

such an expressive voice. deep and soulful. when she sings the words, you can feel the pain in her voice.

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”

some good old fashioned folk. nothing too fancy.

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.

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.