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Tue May 16 2023
Are You Experienced
Jimi Hendrix
good songs, knew several already from rock band. favorites: purple haze, highway chile
4
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Wed May 17 2023
Feast of Wire
Calexico
3
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Thu May 18 2023
Dirt
Alice In Chains
dirt is great. i've listened to it at least once all the way through prior to now, and the singles are phenomenal and powerful grunge tracks. favorite songs: rooster, would?, them bones
5
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Fri May 19 2023
Dusty In Memphis
Dusty Springfield
listened to it twice since i didn't absorb much the first time while passively listening. nice, calming songs but not what i'd typically seek out or listen to frequently. favorite songs: the windmills of your mind, no easy way down
2
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Mon May 22 2023
Who's Next
The Who
4
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Tue May 23 2023
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Simon & Garfunkel
nice album to listen to, though the songs I had heard before seemed to be the only standouts on the album. favorite tracks: Cecilia, The Boxer
3
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Wed May 24 2023
Cheap Thrills
Big Brother & The Holding Company
discovering that janis joplin sounds like marge simpson with a bit of angus young at certain points was the highlight of my day. this was most noticeable to me on I need a man to love and summertime. beyond that, though, I'm not sure how many of these I'll come back and listen to. favorite tracks: summertime, piece of my heart
3
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Thu May 25 2023
In The Wee Small Hours
Frank Sinatra
some nice songs here but definitely a downer of an album through and through. frank has a great voice but this whole album isn't for me. favorite songs: in the wee small hours of the morning
3
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Fri May 26 2023
OK Computer
Radiohead
great album, so many cool and interesting tracks that combine into a cohesive whole. favorite songs: airbag, no surprises
5
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Mon May 29 2023
Toys In The Attic
Aerosmith
decent dad rock but nothing spectacular for me. the best songs on the album IMO I already knew. favorites: walk this way, toys in the attic
3
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Tue May 30 2023
You've Come a Long Way Baby
Fatboy Slim
always cool to see electronic music in its early forms, and I dig the use of samples on this album. some of the songs either don't really work for me or tend to drag on. favorites: the rockefeller skank, praise you
3
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Wed May 31 2023
Deloused in the Comatorium
The Mars Volta
this album slaps! i love the post-hardcore proggy sound, everything flows super well, and it's based on an interesting concept. favorite tracks: son et lumiere, inertiatic esp, roulette dares (the haunt of)
5
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Thu Jun 01 2023
Smash
The Offspring
pretty good punk rock album but it's never been one of my favorites from the Offspring. the Wikipedia page also compares it to Green Day's Dookie, which in my opinion is a far better album in most respects. still solid for the most part with a few standout tracks. i also like the reggae influence on what happened to you. favorites: nitro (youth energy), something to believe in, come out and play
4
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Fri Jun 02 2023
GREY Area
Little Simz
cool album! not what i'd normally listen to but I really liked the flow and lyrics. favorites: offence, venom, 101 fm
4
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Mon Jun 05 2023
Fulfillingness' First Finale
Stevie Wonder
i knew zero of these songs going in and despite listening to the album twice through, feel like I know zero of them still. that's the struggle with listening to music in the background while focusing on work, I guess. but I digress... this album was a great album for some feel-good Friday jams. good vibes only - thanks stevie! favorites: heaven is 10 zillion light years away, you haven't done nothin'
4
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Tue Jun 06 2023
Bat Out Of Hell
Meat Loaf
what a goofy, wacky album. i think another reviewer described this as "bruce springsteen for theatre kids" which feels pretty accurate. definitely thought this was going to be worse considering all the derision and groans meat loaf got in popular culture while i was growing up. favorites: you took the words right out of my mouth (hot summer night), paradise by the dashboard light
4
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Wed Jun 07 2023
C'est Chic
CHIC
not super impressed with this album. feels like a lot of funky filler. le freak is the only one I knew beforehand and liked. decent background music but all the songs are like two minutes too long. favorites: le freak
2
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Thu Jun 08 2023
Dig Your Own Hole
The Chemical Brothers
the album was fine but not very memorable to me. i knew block rockin' beats from mashups but nothing else jumped out at me. favorites: block rockin' beats, piku
2
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Fri Jun 09 2023
Deep Purple In Rock
Deep Purple
good album overall. i already know most of the big deep purple singles and enjoy the general wackiness plus technicality of 70s prog, so this album was a fun listen. speed king feels like highway star lite, and singing along to child in time is a great way to annoy everyone else in the vicinity. favorites: speed king, child in time, flight of the rat
4
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Mon Jun 12 2023
Oracular Spectacular
MGMT
i liked the chill vibes of this album, though none of the other songs beyond the three singles I knew jumped out at me after two listens. favorites: electric feel, time to pretend, kids (though I feel like I've heard it enough to last the rest of my lifetime)
4
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Tue Jun 13 2023
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
OutKast
this was an interesting listen. parts of it were really cool and flowed well, but there's going to be filler on a double album that lasts for the length of a blockbuster movie (2h15m!). i only knew the way you move, hey ya, and I think roses before going into this. also, I was shocked at how many guest appearances there were on this album that became huge names later on. favorites: hey ya, flip flop rock
3
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Wed Jun 14 2023
L'Eau Rouge
The Young Gods
What the heck did I just listen to...? some thoughts my fiancee and I sent back and forth on Discord while listening:
"I'm in an evil french depression"
"churning, dissonant strings and a french man yelling angrily... finally some good fucking music"
"it's like french tom waits in an abandoned factory"
"sort of a rammstein-in-paris vibe"
all in all, it was super weird but I didn't completely hate it. individual songs would go from parts I loved to parts that sounded insane and back again, but I get it. it was the 80s, these things happen.
favorites: (parts of) la fille de la mort and longue route?
3
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Thu Jun 15 2023
3 Years, 5 Months And 2 Days In The Life Of...
Arrested Development
i really liked this album! 90s hip-hop with an optimistic message. i had only heard Tennessee going into this and enjoyed most of the tracks on here, mr. wendal being a big standout. favorites: mr. wendal, people everyday, tennessee
4
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Fri Jun 16 2023
Fifth Dimension
The Byrds
a decent album, pleasant but forgettable overall. i don't think i knew anything by the byrds prior to this, though several of these songs are covers of traditional folk or popular 50s/60s songs, so i knew wild mountain thyme and hey joe. mr spaceman was good.
2-4-2 fox trot (the lear jet song) is one of the worst and most annoyingly grating songs I've ever heard. the instruments are hard-panned to the left channel, there's a bunch of like, scraping metal and mechanical aviation noises hard-panned to the right, and the center channel has the astoundingly repetitive vocals phrase. insane audio engineering choices here, even for the 60s.
the 17-minute song+interview at the end of the album on spotify ("John Riley - instrumental version 1") was wild. lots of weird/awkward pauses that seemed to be added in specifically for this track. highlights: around 9 mins in they start talking about aliens and around 10 mins in they're making plane noises. tbh i think this interview made me come around a bit on the rest of the album
favorites: wild mountain thyme, mr. spaceman
worst song of all time: 2-4-2 fox trot (the lear jet song)
3
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Mon Jun 19 2023
The ArchAndroid
Janelle Monáe
this album was super cool, I liked it! funky and fun. some of the tracks (especially Dance or Die) reminded me of Sonic Adventure 2 music that would play during Rouge's levels. Great stuff! Favorites: Cold War, Tightrope, Say You'll Go
4
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Tue Jun 20 2023
Tonight's The Night
Neil Young
meh. nothing here stuck out to me or made me want to listen again. the album was fine as background music but I don't think i'd ever listen to it again. shame because I really like some of neil young's other work, but yeah, this ain't it.
2
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Wed Jun 21 2023
Antichrist Superstar
Marilyn Manson
I was waffling between 1 and 2 stars for this album, but even trying to separate the artist from the art, I don't think this album is anything special. the songs are repetitive and overstay their welcome, as they're all just different tweaks of the same shock rock and (proto-)nu-metal-esque filler tracks. Shocked that some critics at the time hailed this as the best album of the 1990s or the album that killed grunge. Frankly embarrassing. favorites: I guess the beautiful people and cryptorchid
1
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Thu Jun 22 2023
Tuesday Night Music Club
Sheryl Crow
ah, another decent-but-not-memorable 1001-list album that doesn't hold any nostalgia for me so I may not fully appreciate all it has to offer. i knew All I Wanna Do going into this and that's definitely the highlight of the album. lot of snoozefest filler here in my opinion. favorites: all I wanna do, no one said it would be easy
3
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Fri Jun 23 2023
In Utero
Nirvana
while this isn't my favorite nirvana album, I think it's still excellent. the songs have an almost indescribable balance between being written, recorded, and produced well while still conveying a grungy, punky, DIY aesthetic. cobain's lyrics here are some of his best, and the singles from this album have very much stood the test of time. favorites: heart-shaped box, dumb, very ape, scentless apprentice
5
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Mon Jun 26 2023
The Village Green Preservation Society
The Kinks
i enjoyed this album! i didn't know anything on it in advance, except picture book sounded a bit familiar. the main riff from it also reminded me of Green Day's "Warning," which was fun. i liked how the character portraits of each song worked together and how this was basically just an early concept album of sorts.
favorites: the village green preservation society, picture book, village green, all of my friends were there
4
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Tue Jun 27 2023
Electric Ladyland
Jimi Hendrix
good vibes but few songs really made an impact. the ones i liked the most i knew going into it. all along the watchtower, though a cover, is seriously one of the greatest songs from this era. favorites: all along the watchtower, crosstown traffic
3
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Wed Jun 28 2023
Future Days
Can
interesting album, and finally something i can listen to in the background without feeling like i'm doing it a major disservice! the experimental soundscapes with more consistent music over the top were interesting, and i can appreciate music that pushes boundaries. nothing here that i personally plan to listen to repeatedly but still decent. favorites: future days, bel air
3
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Thu Jun 29 2023
In It For The Money
Supergrass
pretty good britpop. nice vibes and i enjoyed the wikipedia article that included a note about how the band recorded their own grunting sounds for Sometimes I Make You Sad. favorites: sun hits the sky, in it for the money
4
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Fri Jun 30 2023
John Barleycorn Must Die
Traffic
this was all right, though maybe i didn't listen closely enough to really enjoy any of the tracks. favorites: john barleycorn
3
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Mon Jul 03 2023
Talking Book
Stevie Wonder
uhhh honestly i didn't care for this one as much as fulfillingness' first finale, despite knowing nothing on that album. superstition is the only standout on this album to me, and the rest didn't make any impression. sorry stevie. favorites: superstition
3
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Tue Jul 04 2023
Cloud Nine
The Temptations
it was fine. i liked i heard it through the grapevine, though honestly not as much as marvin gaye or creedence's versions. album was nice but i'm not sure i'd seek it out again. favorites: i heard it through the grapevine, runaway child running wild
3
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Wed Jul 05 2023
The Beach Boys Today!
The Beach Boys
another album where i wish we had half-star ratings on this site! it was pretty solid and pleasant to listen to but the only real standout to me was do you wanna dance. i absolutely love the album cover though - listing out basically all the tracks and then relegating three to obscurity (though they could have just fit them all there) is an incredible move. but i'd expect nothing less from the genius behind like a dozen covers of shortnin' bread.
favorites: do you wanna dance, help me rhonda
3
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Thu Jul 06 2023
KIWANUKA
Michael Kiwanuka
this was a pleasant album to listen to. i had it on in the background while working and nothing particularly jumped out at me, though i did go back and listen to a few tracks again. favorites: you ain't the problem, solid ground
3
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Fri Jul 07 2023
Mermaid Avenue
Billy Bragg
another album that had a cool premise (two bands coming together to record songs that woody guthrie had written but never recorded) but i wish the album as a whole stood out more. even after multiple listens, nothing here gripped me beyond the general nice indie-folk-y vibes and some clever lyrics. favorites: walt whitman's niece, way over yonder in the minor key, ingrid bergman
3
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Mon Jul 10 2023
My Generation
The Who
pretty good album overall but not their best. my generation and the kids are alright make sense as the big hits to stand the test of time, but the other tracks were enjoyable enough. favorites: the kids are alright, la-la-la-lies, my generation
4
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Tue Jul 11 2023
Africa Brasil
Jorge Ben Jor
pretty cool but i don't speak portuguese. i got the gist of a couple songs I read through the lyrics on, but I was honestly too distracted throughout by all the weird noises they were making in the background.
meus filhos, meu tesouro had a little yappy dog, a few of them had screeching monkeys, and taj mahal had someone pushing and pulling a plastic straw through a soda cup lid over and over. this has led me to realize that more albums should have weird, annoying sounds as the basis of their instrumentation.
favorites: meus filhos, meu tesouro, taj mahal
3
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Wed Jul 12 2023
Hotel California
Eagles
well, i enjoyed this album (dads everywhere rejoice). solid tracks, though they were all about two minutes longer than they needed to be. still, would listen again. more albums should do instrumental reprises of the last track on side A to start side B.
favorites: hotel california, wasted time (reprise)
4
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Thu Jul 13 2023
Rock Bottom
Robert Wyatt
i really liked this album! it was pretty "out there" and musically experimental compared to others on this list. the first three tracks were great, and the backstory of Robert Wyatt's life at the time adds another dimension to this work. this felt like a crossover between radiohead and the replacements (minus the super creepy/unnerving vibes).
favorites: sea song, a last straw, little red riding hood hit the road
4
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Fri Jul 14 2023
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Arctic Monkeys
this album was cool, though the songs started to run together for me after the first handful of tracks. definitely a good debut for any band though I don't really have any nostalgia for it personally.
also, I never really looked closely at the album cover until now. obviously I knew this was not the case, but in my mind I just always assumed the guy smoking a cigarette on the cover was adam sandler. apparently I'm not alone in thinking this. do with that information what you will.
favorites: I bet you look good on the dancefloor, when the sun goes down
4
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Mon Jul 17 2023
Off The Wall
Michael Jackson
allegations aside, this album was fine. it's 70s/80s disco, which I'm somewhat lukewarm to overall, but I recognize the lasting contribution to American pop music that disco and MJ have had.
favorites: rock with you, burn this disco out
3
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Tue Jul 18 2023
Purple Rain
Prince
"this whole thing smacks of gender" -dril
what a great album! i had heard a handful of songs from this album previously, but the whole thing is a masterpiece. i listened to it three times and like half the songs are grade-A bangers. cool 80s vibes and exciting tracks all around
favorites: let's go crazy, darling nikki, when doves cry, i would die 4 u, purple rain
5
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Wed Jul 19 2023
Devil Without A Cause
Kid Rock
kid rock is a terrible person and rightwing conspiracy lunatic who writes songs about having sex with underage girls. this music maybe would've been passable as instrumentals but my god these lyrics are just awful. welcome 2 the party (ode 2 the old school) might be the worst on this album in that regard. skip it, nothing redeeming here. how did this crack the top 1001 albums list...?
favorites: bawitdaba i guess
1
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Thu Jul 20 2023
Imagine
John Lennon
i don't think this album has aged particularly well 50+ years later (nor has john lennon's legacy). it really seems like he needed the rest of the beatles there to prevent him from putting questionable stuff into his lyrics that the FBI couldn't torture out of me in a million years. the actual music in the songs is pretty lackluster and boring in my onion.
imagine is a pretty boring, overplayed song at this point in time, but certainly felt profound the first hundred times I heard it. given the context, controversies, and contradictions of john lennon's personal life, I wonder if he would still believe any of it if he were around today.
also is jealous guy just about him beating his wife? john, dude, you can't just put that in a song... and the paul mccartney diss track? wot
favorites: imagine? i guess? maybe oh yoko! meh
2
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Fri Jul 21 2023
Close To The Edge
Yes
i honestly didn't know any of the songs from this album (and I'm still unclear if I should've just listened to the first three or the full seven from the deluxe edition) but the prog was proggy and I'm here for it. imo this album was not nearly as catchy or fun as some of yes' other work, but definitely still enjoyable.
favorites: siberian khatru, close to the edge
4
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Mon Jul 24 2023
Bryter Layter
Nick Drake
this album was fine and pleasant background music. nothing here that i'd really seek out or revisit, personally. i had never heard of this guy before now and I'll probably forget his name in a week :\
favorites: one of these things first, at the chime of a city clock
3
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Tue Jul 25 2023
Eliminator
ZZ Top
i liked this one! i only knew sharp dressed man going into it but the album has a cool sound and some good tracks. nothing life-changing here for me but i'd listen to some of them again.
favorites: gimme all your lovin', got me under pressure, sharp dressed man, legs, tv dinners
4
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Wed Jul 26 2023
Ramones
Ramones
this is a classic punk album with simple, solid, short tracks that holds up pretty well half a century later. a lot of these songs have been covered to hell and back so in some cases I'm more familiar with those versions. as a result, some of the tracks here feel a bit stripped-down and basic all these years later, but that might just be from changing sensibilities in popular music. good album though.
favorites: havana affair, 53rd & 3rd, blitzkrieg bop, beat on the brat
4
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Thu Jul 27 2023
Colour By Numbers
Culture Club
woof. karma chameleon is a classic but the rest of this album is filler. terrible lyrics, boring music, strange but uninteresting instrumentation... just a big resounding meh across the board. come to think of it, karma chameleon isn't even that great of an 80s song either considering what it's up against...
favorites: karma chameleon
2
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Fri Jul 28 2023
S&M
Metallica
i'm not a huge metallica fan but I really don't get the hate for this album. a lot of the songs work well with symphonic arrangements and they're more interesting to me than many of the original album versions. stay mad, "REAL" metalheads
favorites: the ecstasy of gold, the call of ktulu, master of puppets, the thing that should not be, fuel, hero of the day, for whom the bell tolls, one
4
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Mon Jul 31 2023
Revolver
Beatles
Good album, solid tracks, Beatles are a great band, what do you want from me? I don't know if they deserve all the hype but there are good and fun tracks here, some of which I've been listening to for decades.
Favorites: Eleanor Rigby, Yellow Submarine, Taxman, Here There and Everywhere
4
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Tue Aug 01 2023
Live At The Harlem Square Club
Sam Cooke
at first i was like uhhh a live album??? we sure about this? but it's actually good. can't believe this was sealed away in the disney vault for 20 years before being released, I guess because the audience was having too much fun? wild
favorites: soul twist/introduction, feel it (don't fight it), chain gang, it's all right/for sentimental reasons
4
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Wed Aug 02 2023
Countdown To Ecstasy
Steely Dan
great album, some classics on here, good jazz/rock vibes, no notes. harmonix seriously needs to rewind bodhisattva for rock band 4.
favorites: bodhisattva, my old school, the boston rag
5
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Thu Aug 03 2023
Sheer Heart Attack
Queen
i've gotten more into queen over the past few years via Rock Band, so I enjoyed this album overall. after two listens, the songs I already knew remained my favorites, but I'll revisit this one from time to time.
favorites: killer queen, stone cold crazy, brighton rock
4
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Fri Aug 04 2023
Let England Shake
PJ Harvey
maybe i'm missing something but this album is... how do I put this... not good? at its best, it's just boring indie folk with bjork-esque vocals on top.
other tracks like the glorious land seem to go out of their way to be annoying with the weird-ass pikmin c-stick trumpet noises that don't fit with the key of the song at all. the ending of all and everyone showcases someone trying their best to blow a horn mournfully. the last track was my favorite because bjork let someone else take a turn singing and then it was over.
if England is shaking from this album, it's shivering with fear that another one like this is in the works.
favorites: written on the forehead? i guess...?
2
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Mon Aug 07 2023
Fever To Tell
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
ahh, yeah x3. very mixed feelings here. very high highs and astoundingly low lows. maps and date with the night were both in Rock Band, and maps is like, THE rock band 1 drum song for normies. it's an amazing song. unfortunately, that's about where my praise ends.
I think songs like maps with a straightforward vocal performance are best. the riot grrl shouting in the other tracks makes this feel like an unholy mashup between bikini kill vocals over black keys or kings of leon instrumentals, and that is simply not my vibe.
the last song, Yeah! New York, might be the worst song I've heard since yesterday's pikmin trumpet on PJ Harvey's album. not sure if this was a bonus track that was left off the original album release but after hearing it, it should've stayed left off. it's got all the makings of a classic:
- screaming and moaning
- lyrics that include phrases like "yeah! big apple!" and rhyming "pink eyes" with "pink thighs"
- white stripes-ass drum part
- terrible title
- repetitive one-note instrument parts
- lyrics that go nowhere and say nothing in the process
2
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Tue Aug 08 2023
Superunknown
Soundgarden
i consider myself a fan of early/mid-90s grunge, but this album just never clicked for me. to me it just feels dark and inaccessible, like it's that weird loner in the corner of the party that just truly Does Not Want to Be There.
with that said, spoonman absolutely slaps. love that song. black hole sun is a classic too. but the rest? ehhh not for me
favorites: spoonman (slaps), black hole sun (classic)
3
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Wed Aug 09 2023
Pretzel Logic
Steely Dan
another really great album, and only a week after the last steely dan album it generated for us! what a treat! the jazz-rock fusion works so well for SD's 70s output... i have no notes, keep doing your thing guys.
favorites: rikki don't lose that number, any major dude will tell you, pretzel logic, charlie freak
5
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Thu Aug 10 2023
Orbital 2
Orbital
i liked this more than some of the other electronic music albums on the 1001 list, but it's still not my first pick. i assume the music is much better when played at an illegal 90s rave with a copious amount of party drugs, so the sober experience was middling. i appreciate this album's existence and what it sets out to do, but i wouldn't put it on my top 1001 albums list or anything like that.
favorites: halcyon and on and on
3
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Fri Aug 11 2023
Pyromania
Def Leppard
pretty good overall. i wasn't born when def leppard were popular but I don't understand why they seem to get way more hate than other similar bands from the time. this album has a few classics and I didn't hate any of the tracks, so I guess that's notable for some of these 1001 albums. i'd definitely revisit this, which is why I'm giving it 4 stars (it's honestly a 3.5 like so many others to me)
favorites: foolin', rock of ages
4
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Mon Aug 14 2023
Lady Soul
Aretha Franklin
good album! aretha has an amazing voice and these songs are solid. i didn't really understand the "bonus selections" on the spotify album just being mono versions of the songs on the album that sounded the same to me, but I guess that's more spotify's fault than anything.
favorites: chain of fools, you make me feel like a natural woman
4
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Tue Aug 15 2023
To Pimp A Butterfly
Kendrick Lamar
cool album. i loved the instrumentation, the pastiches of the last 50 years of musical genres, and the production. several of the guests brought a lot to their tracks. the lyrics were very hit and miss to me. kendrick will go from a poignant song about institutional racism to a braggadocious song about sex or just repeating nonsense. another 3.5 star album to me but I liked enough of it to rate 4 stars here.
favorites: wesley's theory, for free, king kunta, momma
4
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Wed Aug 16 2023
Kid A
Radiohead
kid a is phenomenal. i listened to it three times yesterday and it's beautiful from start to finish. i hadn't heard this album much before now, but I did know five or six songs from Rodeohead and friends playing them beforehand. everything here flows well and the Kid A Mnesia experience that I checked out a few weeks ago has some context now. I've already put this one in my rotation moving forward.
favorites: everything in its right place, the national anthem, how to disappear completely, treefingers, optimistic, idioteque, morning bell
5
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Thu Aug 17 2023
Boston
Boston
what a great album! basically a greatest hits album for boston since all these tracks are solid (and they never really had any other huge hits except maybe amanda). this is another album i know primarily through Rock Band and it's baffling that we got only 7 of the 8 tracks in the game (sorry, let me take you home tonight, someone at harmonix has it out for you)
favorites: more than a feeling, peace of mind, foreplay/long time, smokin'
5
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Fri Aug 18 2023
Rattlesnakes
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
i had never heard of this band or album before now but this was a great listen. i think i played it through 4 or 5 times in the last 24 hours... it's good!! nice 80s indie/pop/rock/new wave style. adding this to the rotation.
favorites: perfect skin, rattlesnakes, charlotte street, are you ready to be heartbroken?
4
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Mon Aug 21 2023
Murmur
R.E.M.
R.E.M. has been one of my favorite bands for roughly 20 years so i was always going to like this album, but i confess i only knew the big songs off it. after listening through a few times, i think this album is a perfect encapsulation of R.E.M.'s sound in the 80s. jangly pop-rock guitars without the otherwise ubiquitous 80s synths, creative but obtuse lyrics that get muddled in the mix (so you really have to work to understand what michael stipe is saying), alternative rock drum beats, and driving basslines. all in all, a solid package of tracks that set the stage for their next several albums and some of their biggest songs yet to come.
favorites: radio free europe, laughing, talk about the passion, catapult, we walk
5
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Tue Aug 22 2023
Joan Armatrading
Joan Armatrading
the lyrics on this album are great, and the instrumentation is solid. however, the songs themselves just don't come together for me in a gripping and enduringly appealing way. i'm happy for everyone who loves this album but it's another 3.5 stars for me after about two listens.
favorites: down to zero, love and affection
3
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Wed Aug 23 2023
Southern Rock Opera
Drive-By Truckers
ok this might sound crazy considering all the other reviews on this album but I thought this was excellent. it's going to take a lot to convince me to pay attention to a 93-minute double album, but I thought the rock opera/concept album approach worked very well here. listening to each song and reading through the background/explanation and lyrics via DBT's website and Genius annotations really helped to contextualize what I was hearing.
obviously, you'll need to have a penchant for southern rock, lynyrd skynyrd, or late 20th century US history to get the most out of this album. but even without those, it still evokes a mood and time period very well. it handles a wide variety of concepts and themes in a moving and respectful way, and definitely deserves your time and attention.
favorites: about half of these honestly. in disc/track order, ronnie and neil through the southern thing, zip city, let there be rock through plastic flowers on the highway, angels and fuselage
5
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Thu Aug 24 2023
My Aim Is True
Elvis Costello
i think i listened to this album like three and a half times and it was pretty enjoyable. i only knew radio radio and pump it up before this, but this album apparently has basically all his solo hits. the new wave energy on this album is impeccable, but elvis veers off into punk, ska/reggae, power pop, and other genres effortlessly. I'll definitely listen to these tracks again.
favorites: welcome to the working week, alison, mystery dance, I'm not angry, watching the detectives
4
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Fri Aug 25 2023
British Steel
Judas Priest
another great album, and i feel like there's not a huge selection of metal/hard rock albums in this 1001 list (either that or the randomizer hates me). this might be my favorite priest album, but the only one I know more than a song or two from is screaming for vengeance.
the songs here are solid and there are definitely more hits than duds. it's not the best album ever but really lays the groundwork for future JP tracks and the metal genre at large. also, why oh why did Rock Band only get the crappy live version of this when the studio version is so much better?
favorites: metal gods, breaking the law, united, living after midnight, the rage, steeler
5
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Mon Aug 28 2023
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
i've never been a huge led zep fan, though I like a handful of their singles. this album was fine but didn't do much for me. the instrumentation seemed technically proficient but several songs in particular were like three minutes too long and didn't really go anywhere. the lyrics all being like "baby, baby, oooohhhh whoooooaaaa, baby be my woman tonight" were not exactly riveting.
favorites: good times bad times, babe I'm gonna leave you
3
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Tue Aug 29 2023
Bayou Country
Creedence Clearwater Revival
i like CCR a decent amount and know a handful of songs from their other albums, but not this one. I've heard born on the bayou and proud mary, and of course good golly miss molly. those are really the only standouts, as much as I wanted to like a song called "keep on chooglin'". we really didn't need three out of seven songs to be over 5 minutes long on this album, and they didn't really go anywhere in that time. meh
favorites: born on the bayou, proud mary, good golly miss molly
3
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Wed Aug 30 2023
Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
The Flaming Lips
wow, i really liked this album! i knew yoshimi battles the pink robots pt 1 and do you realize??, and just somehow never thought to check out the rest of this album. it's solid all the way through and visits some interesting places musically. I'll definitely revisit this one in the future.
favorites: fight test, one more robot/sympathy 3000-21, yoshimi pt 1, in the morning of the magicians, ego tripping at the gates of hell, do you realize??, all we have is now
4
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Thu Aug 31 2023
Closer
Joy Division
huh, the critics sure raved about this album 40 years ago but try as i might, i just cannot get into it, even after multiple listens. it sounds like the worst and most uncanny parts of early depeche mode and the residents combined, with a sad man half-singing, half-rambling over the top.
i wanted to like this and it's just not doing it for me, but i can respect what it means to the people who really enjoy it.
favorites: twenty four hours
2
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Fri Sep 01 2023
The Downward Spiral
Nine Inch Nails
good album! trent bangin out the tunes, 1994
favorites: heresy, march of the pigs, closer, hurt
4
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Mon Sep 04 2023
Highway 61 Revisited
Bob Dylan
pretty good, this one's got some classic bobby d tracks. dylan is definitely a great storyteller and a huge name in the american folk music scene, though not an artist i listen to that often. i'll revisit some of these highway 61 revisited tracks in the future for sure, though.
favorites: like a rolling stone, tombstone blues, ballad of a thin man, desolation row
4
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Tue Sep 05 2023
Blue
Joni Mitchell
this was a very pleasant listen. i didn't know any of the songs going into it but after two plays all the way through, i have some newfound respect for joni mitchell and would definitely listen to this again.
favorites: my old man, carey, river, a case of you, the last time i saw richard
4
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Wed Sep 06 2023
Stardust
Willie Nelson
as a native austinite, i [am mandated by law to] love willie nelson. he's an iconic figure in texas' history and mythology. he also has a great voice (in a kindly old grandpa sort of way, at least nowadays) and knows how to make a song enticing.
I'm more familiar with his newer covers like Just Breathe, The Scientist, Have You Ever Seen the Rain (well, a new cover of an old song) so this album just felt like a regular ol' collection of songs to me, but given the willie treatment. very pleasant to listen to.
it almost feels like I'm sitting around the campfire looking up at the stars (which, at least at night, are big and bright (but only deep in the heart of texas)) while willie strums away on his guitar. very nice.
favorites: stardust, georgia on my mind, all of me
4
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Thu Sep 07 2023
Vauxhall And I
Morrissey
i could go on for days about this man's extremely strange politics and convictions, possibly some of the craziest of any public figure i know, but i'm gonna go ahead and go on record saying that this guy is an ass. you know how sometimes you're so passionate about animals that you accidentally do a racism? morrissey knows.
anyway, the album itself was fine. there are some decent songs, though it's hard to feel sorry for ol' sad sack narcissist morrissey here. i also liked how he said he doesn't have many friends in the first track, and several songs later is telling us to hold onto them and not feel ashamed to have them??? who is ashamed to have friends, what kind of serial killer would write this
anyway, favorite songs: spring-heeled jim, billy budd, the more you ignore me the closer i get (it's got a good instrumental part even if the lyrics aren't great)
3
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Fri Sep 08 2023
Cosmo's Factory
Creedence Clearwater Revival
this is probably my favorite CCR album, and like half the songs are solid singles, even if a few of them are covers. the two longer songs definitely feel like a slog to get through but otherwise the album basically alternates between good singles and deeper cuts.
favorites: travelin' band, lookin' out my back door, up around the bend, who'll stop the rain
4
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Mon Sep 11 2023
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
i know neil young can write good songs but none of these grabbed me at all. this was an incredibly long and boring album that went nowhere for me. just a resounding meh.
favorites: cinnamon girl, i guess
2
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Tue Sep 12 2023
Brothers In Arms
Dire Straits
i listened to this twice while lying on the couch, exhausted from covid. it was kinda trippy, especially ride across the river's jazzy DK jungle beats. there's also a familiar sprinkling of synthesized 80s cheese over the top of the whole record, which was kind of comforting. the back half of the album definitely dragged on, but it was a good listen overall
favorites: money for nothing, walk of life
4
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Wed Sep 13 2023
Songs In The Key Of Life
Stevie Wonder
this was an enjoyable listen, even for a double album! stevie knocks it out of the park again with some amazing tracks here and solid musicianship throughout. i definitely liked the first half more, but nothing felt like a bad inclusion here.
favorites: sir duke, i wish, pastime paradise, summer soft, isn't she lovely
4
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Thu Sep 14 2023
Brilliant Corners
Thelonious Monk
this music was nice enough as background noise but i didn't really enjoy listening to any of the tracks actively. i wanted to like the album but it just didn't do much for me personally.
favorites: pannonica, bemsha swing
3
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Fri Sep 15 2023
New Boots And Panties
Ian Dury
this was a baffling inclusion but admittedly i think I'm just not the target audience. a lot of the references and subtleties went way over my head, and i wish i could appreciate it more. still, as i see it, it's a weird album for weird people, and there's nothing wrong with that.
this guy is an unapologetically horny brit, and i applaud his genre explorations from track to track. the lyrics don't do much for me, particularly the overtly sexual ones, but whatever. still not sure how this makes the 1001 list but there are worse albums on the list than this one by far.
favorites: sweet gene vincent, sex & drugs & rock & roll
3
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Mon Sep 18 2023
Band On The Run
Paul McCartney and Wings
meh, there are some okay singles here but knowing that paul is capable of writing and performing much more exciting songs with the beatles, this just doesn't cut the mustard. still the best of any ex-beatle's solo work, but that's not really saying much, is it?
favorites: band on the run, bluebird
3
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Tue Sep 19 2023
Green Onions
Booker T. & The MG's
green onions is a great track, but the rest of the album began to wear thin on me. the hammond organ works great for a track or two, but 35 straight minutes of it was a bit much. after a while it felt like i was at a very confusing baseball game or wedding being held in a liminal space.
favorites: green onions, twist and shout
3
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Wed Sep 20 2023
Elvis Is Back
Elvis Presley
this was enjoyable but nothing special. i didn't know any of the songs beforehand and this album doesn't really have any of his big hits. ehhhh we can do better
favorites: fever, dirty dirty feeling, such a night
3
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Thu Sep 21 2023
Fly Or Die
N.E.R.D
wow, i really wanted to like this album but it just... wasn't good. none of the songs ever really went anywhere. when i liked the instrumentation, the vocals sounded awful and vice versa. the lyrics weren't interesting for the songs i was reading along to. i listened to the album twice and change just to make sure.
the madden bros even made an appearance (it was 2004 so this is understandable) and just didn't add anything to that track. didn't even notice lenny kravitz and he was apparently on two tracks?? also i don't think you can call these hidden tracks if they're just... in the middle of the album??? what. just... baffling and mediocre all around
favorites: fly or die
2
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Fri Sep 22 2023
Sweet Baby James
James Taylor
i enjoyed this album and didn't really know any of it (beyond oh susannah, and not his version) beforehand. "sweet baby james" is kind of a ridiculous name for an album but i won't hold it against him. i also think he has a sort of matt mercer look/vibe on this album cover. good stuff.
favorites: sweet baby james, steamroller, oh susannah, fire and rain
4
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Mon Sep 25 2023
Hunky Dory
David Bowie
good album with some absolute bangers in changes and life on mars. i didn't know the others but they were enjoyable to listen to at least. this really feels like bowie finding his niche, and I'm here for it.
favorites: changes, life on mars?, queen bitch
4
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Tue Sep 26 2023
Horses
Patti Smith
interesting album. i've never really listened to patti smith beyond her covers and because the night (amazing song) so it was cool to hear her sort of proto-punk roots. with that said, i wish i had liked these songs more :D it was kinda like riot grrrl vocals over piano instrumentals... bikini kill-y joel. lyrics were great though
favorites: free money, my generation (live) (from the legacy edition of the album)
3
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Wed Sep 27 2023
Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul
Otis Redding
i liked this one. otis redding has a great voice and does some solid covers. I'll be coming back to these for sure.
favorites: respect, my girl, wonderful world, i can't get no satisfaction
4
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Thu Sep 28 2023
Spy Vs. Spy: The Music Of Ornette Coleman
John Zorn
well, they tried something different and while it's not particularly good or enjoyable, it's still a way more interesting inclusion in the overall 1001 list than the ninth fuckin' Neil Young album or whatever. I liked how about 22 minutes in, the album got much more listenable. I could swear I heard bits of the hawaii five-o theme in there too... interesting.
favorites: I'm not currently looking at the track list but I think it was called like feet music or some shit? what the fuck haha
2
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Fri Sep 29 2023
Drunk
Thundercat
after listening to this like one and a half times, i honestly still don't know what to think of it. it defies classification. some of these songs were well-written jazzy jams with clever lyrics and the rest just sounded like the worst hold music of all time (with some really crappy lyrics on top). i found myself stopping a few times and audibly asking anyone within earshot "what the FUCK are we listening to"
favorites: blackkk, tokyo (one of the songs with terrible lyrics though), them changes, where i'm going
2
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Mon Oct 02 2023
Sticky Fingers
The Rolling Stones
i didn't grow up listening to the rolling stones but this album was pretty solid. starts off super strong with the classic brown sugar (which admittedly hasn't aged super well, unless that's part of it). sway, wild horses, and can't you hear me knocking are also great tracks. it gets a bit boring after that, particularly toward the end of the album, but i can see how these have stood the test of time.
favorites: brown sugar, sway, wild horses, can't you hear me knocking
4
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Tue Oct 03 2023
Moondance
Van Morrison
this album sure was fine. pleasant enough but all the songs kinda just blended together. also i guess van morrison is an antisemitic anti-vaxxer now SO THAT'S GREAT
favorites: moondance, into the mystic (i know it was the 70s but cool g-slur bro)
3
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Wed Oct 04 2023
Repeater
Fugazi
this album was great and i really enjoyed it. the post-hardcore/punk sound leads to a lot of high-energy songs that are musically varied and interesting, in my opinion. i don't mind the vocals at all and the more i learn about fugazi, the more i admire their perspectives, politics, and DIY attitude.
i hadn't heard more than a handful of their songs before now, but these'll go into my regular rotation. i almost gave this four stars but i just rated rolling stones as four and this was so much better. five stars, dammit!
favorites: turnover, repeater, blueprint, sieve-fisted find, two beats off
5
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Thu Oct 05 2023
Kimono My House
Sparks
wow, i have no memory of this but apparently i liked seven of these songs on spotify as i was listening to this album at work yesterday? welp.
cool album, basically sounded like queen plus david bowie plus jukebox the ghost (and my fiancee said early of Montreal as well). basically just the ultimate mashup of glam and new wave sounds. I'll add some of these to the rotation, good find!
favorites: this town ain't big enough for both of us, amateur hour, hasta manana monsieur, talent is an asset, in my family, equator, barbecutie
4
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Fri Oct 06 2023
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
David Bowie
what is there to say about this album that hasn't already been said? it's basically the pinnacle of the 70s glam rock genre and bowie's best. the album flows well, has some genuinely great lyrics, and great sound. basically everything still holds up to this day and likely will for years to come. an absolute classic.
also, I'm a huge fan of ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, and Lady Stardust's opening sounds uncannily similar to The Summer of '91. I'm definitely onto something here.
favorites: five years, moonage daydream, starman, lady stardust, ziggy stardust, suffragette city
5
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Mon Oct 09 2023
Hail To the Thief
Radiohead
great album! i agree with the other commenters that this is a 5-star 1001-albums-album but like a 4.5/5 for radiohead themselves. it's no ok computer or kid a or in rainbows but it is pleasant and weird and enjoyable and complex like we've come to expect from thom and the boys.
favorites: 2+2=5, sit down stand up, sail to the moon, backdrifts, where i end and you begin, there there, myxomatosis, a wolf at the door
5
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Tue Oct 10 2023
Head Hunters
Herbie Hancock
this was a cool, funky jazz album. crazy that you can just put four songs on an album and call it a day, but herbie's just built different i guess (he's fully loaded). this was like 3.5 stars for me but i don't know how often I'll revisit it. gonna have to clear my schedule if i want to listen to all 16 minutes of chameleon. cool tracks though
favorites: chameleon, watermelon man
3
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Wed Oct 11 2023
New York Dolls
New York Dolls
this sure was fine. it sounded like the rolling stones and the ramones mashed up into one mediocre rock band. i guess there wasn't much music around in the 70s like this and that's why it influenced so many actually good musicians, but i don't think there's much here nowadays. not for me anyway. better than some albums on this list but mostly just average to me.
favorites: personality crisis, trash
3
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Thu Oct 12 2023
Honky Tonk Heroes
Waylon Jennings
i didn't know any of these songs going in but i really liked this album and listened to it twice in a row, then a bunch of other outlaw country. the story behind the album is great and the lyrics and instrumentation are spot on. my favorite line is probably "if my feet could fit a railroad track, i guess i'd been a train"
favorites: honky tonk heroes, ain't no god in mexico, black rose, we had it all
4
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Fri Oct 13 2023
Here Are the Sonics
The Sonics
i'm convinced the sonics were just the mediocre-er beach boys. how did this make the 1001 list...? there's just nothing interesting going on here, save for MULTIPLE SAXOPHONE SOLOS
favorites: money, strychnine
2
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Mon Oct 16 2023
Let's Stay Together
Al Green
well, i wanted to like this album but this guy has multiple allegations of domestic abuse against him so yikes. there's so much good music out there in the world that 1001 albums really shouldn't continue platforming people like this...
favorites: let's stay together, how can you mend a broken heart
2
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Tue Oct 17 2023
Either Or
Elliott Smith
pretty good overall, though a lot of the songs sound really similar. i ended up listening through the album four times just to try to differentiate between the songs and pick up on things i'd missed.
great lyrics, moody guitar, and hushed vocals come together to make a solid album. i can see how this would have a huge impact on people who discovered it at the right time in their lives. i didn't have any knowledge of or nostalgia for elliott smith prior to yesterday but still enjoyed it.
favorites: speed trials, Alameda, ballad of big nothing, between the bars, rose parade, angeles, say yes
4
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Wed Oct 18 2023
Born To Run
Bruce Springsteen
this album was solid and i can see why it's considered a classic but it didn't make a huge impact on me. born to run (the song) is one i already knew well and really enjoyed, and I'm sure i'd heard thunder road and tenth avenue freeze-out at some point. after two listens though, this album just sounded like the best and worst of billy joel and meatloaf blended together. the sax is cool though
favorites: thunder road, born to run, jungleland
3
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Thu Oct 19 2023
Shake Your Money Maker
The Black Crowes
another fine album that didn't really do much for me, even after two listens. the songs are all pretty samey and unfortunately the one song they wrote wasn't one i really cared for. i can definitely see how people would like this sort of music but i just don't think it's anything special.
the songs i knew going into it are still my favorites, and hard to handle is definitely the best one here.
favorites: hard to handle, she talks to angels
3
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Fri Oct 20 2023
KE*A*H** (Psalm 69)
Ministry
solid industrial album. not my favorite but certainly a unique sound compared with everything else in this list. production and mixing seemed really flat though... everything felt very compressed in terms of EQ and i think the album suffers as a result (even if this was a stylistic choice). songs are hit and miss but yeah, interesting stuff overall.
favorites: jesus built my hotrod, scare crow, psalm 69
3
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Mon Oct 23 2023
After The Gold Rush
Neil Young
meh, not interesting or engaging to me... like all the other neil young albums I've had generated so far. he has like three songs i like, i swear, i just haven't lucked into any of them yet D:
favorites: tell me why
2
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Tue Oct 24 2023
Highway to Hell
AC/DC
eh, i used to hate AC/DC but have come around on them a bit in recent years. they've got like eight good songs but unfortunately only one of them is on this album. after the title track, this album doesn't really go anywhere or do anything exciting, it just all sounds the same. if you really like the one 40-minute AC/DC song they wrote, then you'll love this album, but it was just ok for me.
favorites: highway to hell, touch too much
3
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Wed Oct 25 2023
Document
R.E.M.
i love rem and don't care who knows it. this album might be their best work of the 80s (though i've listened to green more) and it's just fun and well-done all the way through. finest worksong is a great opener and it just stays high from there. i know probably 95% of the words to it's the end of the world as we know it (and i feel fine) so i may not be an unbiased judge of character here. anyway this album is great, five stars.
favorites: all of it but if i have to pick a few, finest worksong, welcome to the occupation, exhuming mccarthy, ...end of the world..., the one i love
5
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Thu Oct 26 2023
Nilsson Schmilsson
Harry Nilsson
i liked this more than i expected to. he sounded like an american beatle so if you're into that then you're good to go. nice songs, interesting and varied music, and the song about the lime in the coconut - what more do you want?
favorites: gotta get up, without you, coconut, jump into the fire
4
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Fri Oct 27 2023
Opus Dei
Laibach
this was an interesting album. their whole shtick reminded me of the band Ghost, but like, the 80s german industrial version. i enjoyed the german queen covers. unfortunately, the novelty of the album wore off after a few tracks, leaving the last half of it a real slog to get through. also, the ironic fascism element probably hit different in 1987 than in 2023... :\
with all that said, i get why this is in the bottom 20 or so albums on this site, but I'll stand by my mantra. it's better to be weird and interesting and potentially off-putting than milquetoast. i'd rather listen to my ninth totally off-the-wall album than my ninth neil young album.
favorites: leben heisst leben, geburt einer nation, opus dei
3
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Mon Oct 30 2023
Remain In Light
Talking Heads
this album is one of my favorites. just the right amount of weird and interesting without sacrificing quality. once in a lifetime is one of my favorite songs ever, and the entire front half of this album is banger after banger.
favorites: born under punches (the heat goes on), cross-eyed and painless, the great curve, once in a lifetime
5
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Tue Oct 31 2023
Wild Is The Wind
Nina Simone
this was a pleasant listen though honestly not something i'd really seek out myself or listen to often. nina's deep and soulful voice is a highlight of the album and really sets her apart from the pack.
favorites: four women, lilac wine, wild is the wind
3
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Wed Nov 01 2023
Odelay
Beck
i normally love all sorts of "weird" music and sampling but for some reason beck never really clicked for me (beyond "loser" anyway). something about the composition just feels so haphazard and either meaningless or like I'm too stupid to understand what he's trying to accomplish. either way, doesn't feel great.
i do like the way beck careens into different genres left and right, even on the same track. still, i came into this only really knowing the two big singles and left the same way. i'd give this 3.5 stars if i could just because i like a lot of what it's doing but realistically I'm not sure how often I'll be coming back to these deeper cuts.
favorites: devils haircut, where it's at
3
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Thu Nov 02 2023
Kollaps
Einstürzende Neubauten
i truly don't think this deserves to be the lowest-rated album on the entire 1001 albums list. i mean i GET why people aren't going to like it on the surface level but it was definitely unique. some of it sounded like german nine inch nails, while other tracks sounded like someone falling down thirty flights of stairs with their entire drum kit falling after them. either way, it's better than the ninth neil young album on this list.
let's do our part to make sure kid rock and his sleazeball ilk fall to the bottom position on this list, yeah?
favorites: tanz debil, jet'm, kollaps
2
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Fri Nov 03 2023
Born In The U.S.A.
Bruce Springsteen
i know this album is iconic or whatever but it didn't make a huge impact on me. the lyrics painted a sad story about a crumbling America that had failed its people, which like, i can definitely get on board with, but the actual music just didn't really hit me beyond the surface level. i think i liked born to run more.
favorites: born in the USA, cover me, dancing in the dark
3
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Mon Nov 06 2023
Maggot Brain
Funkadelic
this was a great album and i really enjoyed it. funky tunes and great lyrics - power to the pussy indeed. i was planning to only give it four stars but really the only complaint i have is that two of the tracks are 10 minutes long, which isn't really a "problem" per se. good stuff here, I'll definitely revisit it in the future.
favorites: maggot brain, can you get to that, hit it and quit it
5
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Tue Nov 07 2023
Led Zeppelin IV
Led Zeppelin
i never really got into led zep and always found them to be a tad overrated but I'll freely admit that this is a good album. it has its ups and downs but the singles are solid and there are some bonafide classics here. also misty mountain hop sounded like suffragette city + 20th century boy, so if you're into those then you might like this track.
favorites: black dog, stairway to heaven, misty mountain hop, when the levee breaks
4
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Wed Nov 08 2023
Catch A Fire
Bob Marley & The Wailers
i enjoyed this album, though i didn't know any of the songs on it beforehand. like most people (i presume), i'm mostly familiar with the greatest hits collection and a handful of other tracks.
this album was great music to have on in the background while at work and i liked the message of the lyrics i heard. also i kept thinking Baby We've Got a Date was like the reggae version of Ring of Fire. cool stuff, definitely need to listen more in the future.
favorites: Concrete Jungle, Baby We've Got a Date, Stir It Up
4
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Thu Nov 09 2023
Sheet Music
10cc
honestly, nuts to the haters. this album was great. it was wild and wacky and all over the place, but in a fun, tongue-in-cheek way.
the biggest knock against it was the unnecessary sprinkling of racism across a few of the tracks. hotel, baron samedi, and maybe oh effendi all felt a bit unsettling to listen to in those sections, like hearing an uncle you always thought was kinda cool spout some nonsense at a family reunion. the use of AAVE (or i guess whatever the British equivalent is) just looks bad, especially 50 years later.
otherwise, the songs were fun and interesting. some felt like 70s classics, others could've been written in 2009. hotel sounds like a flight of the concords or vampire weekend song. clockwork creep is like freddie mercury singing in a musical showstopper. old wild men seems to be poking fun at bands like led zeppelin, which I'm always here for.
in summary, this is like steely dan + queen + meatloaf + talking heads + elvis costello + novelty records from the 50s + L + ratio + first single failed to chart. this feels like a band that john flansburgh of they might be giants would love. also their band name is bad.
favorites: basically everything. old wild men and baron samedi are probably my least favorites of the bunch
5
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Fri Nov 10 2023
Mama's Gun
Erykah Badu
eh, not the worst album on this list by a long shot, but pretty dull and uninspiring to me. the songs all smush together and don't really go anywhere. whenever i thought the music sounded ok, the vocals were there to bore me to death, and vice versa. lyrics were meh and had some secret "god is good" messaging which was an unpleasant discovery. the best compliment i can give it is it reminded me of Rouge's level music in Sonic Adventure 2.
also, surprised to see that no one's referenced any of the legal issues or controversies surrounding erykah "hitler was good actually" badu. she's not like, kid rock or marilyn manson level, but still, yikes
favorites: didn't cha know (i guess)
1
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Mon Nov 13 2023
All Directions
The Temptations
not sure how i feel about this album. the funky tracks were amazing but the slow, soft piano ballads didn't really hit home for me. i did have a minor heart attack when i saw that papa was a rollin' stone was nearly 12 minutes long and a third of the total album length, but man did they do it justice. that song slaps and i was wrong for prejudging it so. i don't really remember most of the later tracks but I'm sure they were pleasant enough. there's really nothing *bad* here.
favorites: papa was a rollin' stone, love woke me up this morning
3
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Tue Nov 14 2023
The Clash
The Clash
i've always liked the clash and their music a fair amount and while i didn't know the songs here super well, this album was no exception. solid early punk tunes with a clear message and fast, driving guitars and drums. i think they were still finding their footing here and some of the songs later in the album are a bit dull, but i really liked the first few. police & thieves is a decent cover too. overall, it's good, but it's no london calling.
favorites: janie jones, remote control, I'm so bored with the USA, white riot
4
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Wed Nov 15 2023
Two Dancers
Wild Beasts
boy, this one is hard to rate. on one hand, i really liked the music. 4-5 star instrumentals here, super cool late 00s indie vibes. however, the vocals were like a 1-2 and the lyrics were absolutely a 1. what the heck was happening with these lyrics...?
"disowned us daddies like the poopers of the party" really says it all. and that's from the same track talking about putting a boot up your asshole and a slipper in your bits. what
favorites: the fun powder plot, hooting & howling, all the king's men
2
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Thu Nov 16 2023
Done By The Forces Of Nature
Jungle Brothers
i liked this album! the "daisy age" of early 90s hip-hop was a fun time and i wish we could go back. the samples in this album are on point and i actually recognized a few of them without going to whosampled. good beats and good vibes, what more could you want?
favorites: beyond this world, feelin alright, what u waitin 4, good newz comin, doin our own dang
4
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Fri Nov 17 2023
Hot Shots II
The Beta Band
this album was pretty cool and i enjoyed listening to it. I'm not sure how "iconic" it is or anything, but it definitely fits the early 2000s vibe of up-and-coming alt/indie rock music i remember. maybe there's a world where these dudes hit it big instead of the killers or lcd soundsystem or something. squares is a jam and the other tracks are fine to good imo. definitely some weird and trippy stuff on here though.
favorites: squares, al sharp, human being, gone, eclipse
4
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Mon Nov 20 2023
The Man Machine
Kraftwerk
very cool songs for/about/by german robots. this sound would have absolutely blown my mind if i were alive and had heard it in 1978. each song felt really unique and interesting, and i enjoyed what each of them brought to the table. will listen again.
favorites: basically everything. metropolis was the weakest track in my opinion
4
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Tue Nov 21 2023
Buena Vista Social Club
Buena Vista Social Club
great album here, wonderful background music to have on while working. the songs are musically varied and interesting, and the lyrical themes were fun to work out with my intermediate spanish knowledge. I'll definitely listen to more of this in the future.
favorites: chan chan, de camino a la vereda, el cuarto de tula, dos gardenias
4
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Wed Nov 22 2023
The Trinity Session
Cowboy Junkies
This music was pleasant enough to have on in the background but didn't really move me or hold my interest for long. the covers are pretty good but i don't know how much of this i'd relisten to. it has a cool origin story though.
favorites: mining for gold, blue moon revisited, I'm so lonesome i could cry, sweet jane
3
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Thu Nov 23 2023
At Budokan
Cheap Trick
this album was fine and i'll concede it's notable/historic, especially for a live album. this version of i want you to want me is really the most iconic version in my opinion. i liked the songs i knew already, plus clock strikes ten had some interesting instrumentation going on. everything else felt like filler, and the live part didn't really add much to the experience for me. quality was also not stellar, but it's live and in the 70s so i get that.
favorites: hello there, i want you to want me, surrender, clock strikes ten
4
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Fri Nov 24 2023
Siembra
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
this was a cool album and i really enjoyed it. i like salsa as a genre well enough but i couldn't tell you a single song or artist name. it was cool to hear a lot of it all in one place and try to figure out the lyrics. cool west side story reference as well. the instrumentation and musicianship are just off the charts here.
favorites: plastico, buscando guayaba, pedro navaja
4
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Mon Nov 27 2023
Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Red Hot Chili Peppers
well that sure was an album. i didn't hate it but boy is there a lot of mediocre filler on here. the highs are very high (under the bridge) and the lows are oh so low (sir psycho sexy). i'm no prude but sir psycho sexy might be the worst and most generally disgusting/off-putting song i've listened to in 140 albums so far. it's just gross and feels super misogynistic. bleh.
before i listened to this album all the way through,, i really lamented that it got delisted from the rock band music store. now i'm pretty much at peace with it (though it'd be nice to have under the bridge back at least).
favorites: i could have lied, mellowship slinky in b major, give it away, under the bridge
favorites:
3
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Tue Nov 28 2023
Neon Bible
Arcade Fire
win butler sex pest controversies aside, this album was stellar. i never listened to it at the time but it absolutely evokes that late 00s indie rock vibe. everything has a bit of an ethereal quality to it, and some of these tracks are just hauntingly beautiful. the organ was a nice touch without feeling overdone (looking at you, green onions by booker t and the mgs). i really enjoyed this and will come back for more in the future!
favorites: keep the car running, black wave/bad vibrations, ocean of noise, (antichrist television blues), no cars go, my body is a cage
5
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Wed Nov 29 2023
Made In Japan
Deep Purple
while i enjoyed this album, i can absolutely see how it would not be appreciated unless you're already at least somewhat of a fan of deep purple's music. the 20 minute tracks, extended drum and guitar solos, and random high-pitched screams aren't going to be everyone's cup of tea. still, i thought this was an exceptionally well-made live album, especially for the 70s. after listening to cheap trick's at budokan last week, this blows it out of the water in every way - tight musicianship, incredible virtuosity, fresh improvisation, and high fidelity audio.
favorites: the ones i knew already (highway star, child in time, smoke on the water, and space truckin) plus the weird screams and bits on strange kind of woman and lazy.
4
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Thu Nov 30 2023
We're Only In It For The Money
The Mothers Of Invention
as everyone else has said, this album is extremely strange. it felt like a cross between they might be giants and the residents, both of whom were probably inspired by this anyway. i basically liked every other track on here though. some of them were probably pretty good satire 60 years ago and parts of that are surely lost to time. the weird skits and random samples really made me feel like i was turning the radio dial to desperately tune into a station with a real song. i definitely understand the dislike for this album but i thought it was a breath of fresh air compared to a lot of boring stuff on this list.
favorites: who needs the peace corps, mom & dad, bow tie daddy, what's the ugliest part of your body, absolutely free, flower punk, let's make the water turn black, mother people
4
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Fri Dec 01 2023
A Northern Soul
The Verve
meh. this was a pretty average mid-90s britpop/alternative affair and nothing really stuck out to me. certainly not as immediately recognizable or hooky as bitter sweet symphony or the other tracks from their 1997 album. i was going to give this 2 stars but i suppose it's not THAT bad, just a bit dull and uninspiring to me. or maybe I'm just not in the right mood to enjoy it. it was pleasant enough to have on in the background.
favorites: on your own, history
3
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Mon Dec 04 2023
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
in a not-at-all shocking move surprising no one, i thought this album was excellent and one of the best on 1001 albums so far (like 150 albums in). i've loved maiden for decades despite some boomery comments on social media and the first few albums being a bit rough around the edges.
with that said, the music is great here. you can really see how this laid the groundwork for their later albums and really the entire NWOBHM genre as a whole. the guitar harmonies are something maiden do extremely well and will become a staple of their songwriting moving forward. drums hit hard and everyone sounds good, though this is pre-bruce dickinson so not quite the same impact on the vocals front.
prowler is an amazing kickoff to the album and really sets you up for what's to come. remember tomorrow is fine but a little boring imo. running free has that iconic pounding drum part and a great singalong chorus. phantom of the opera might be the best track here, and really the first instance of a maiden epic. interesting musical variation between sections, "higher brow" lyrics based on literature and theatre, and a longer runtime would become staples for iconic similar tracks in the future. transylvania just straight up slaps. strange world was another one that didn't really make an impact on me, but they bring it back with charlotte the harlot. along with prowler, this makes two songs about women of the night on this album? closing it out, we have iron maiden by iron maiden from their seminal album iron maiden. solid track here, great music, lyrics are kinda goofy, but it's another song that's hella fun to sing along to.
favorites: basically everything here. remember tomorrow and strange world are the low points for me. best is probably phantom
5
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Tue Dec 05 2023
Music in Exile
Songhoy Blues
this album was awesome. naturally i'd never heard of the band or had a clue what they were saying in the lyrics, but this is part of why i love 1001 albums. very cool to see a newer band from africa playing blues rock that is clearly crafted with deep meaning and emotion behind it.
favorites: soubour, al hassidi terei, sekou oumarou
4
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Wed Dec 06 2023
Dirt
Alice In Chains
dirt is still great. it's dark and brooding and heavy which isn't always what I'm looking for, but it's a grunge classic and stands the test of time. the lyrics are poignant and when combined with the music, really make you feel a connection with the horrors of drug abuse, war, and depression. incredible stuff.
favorite songs: top songs for me are rooster, would?, them bones. after a few listens, i also like rain when i die, down in a hole, sickman, and dirt
5
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Thu Dec 07 2023
California
American Music Club
this album was pleasant but didn't seem particularly notable or groundbreaking, unless I'm missing something... the music sounded like a more subdued R.E.M., and the vocalist was kind of like a cross between Michael Stipe and Bruce Springsteen. certain songs like bad liquor were just annoying and since the album's not on streaming services, some of the tracks were terrible quality rips from youtube. now you're defeated was particularly bad, with noticeable artifacting on the cymbal hits.
favorites: somewhere, pale and skinny girl, jenny
3
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Fri Dec 08 2023
Tical
Method Man
i wanted to like this album but it just didn't grip me. i don't have any nostalgia for wu-tang clan and don't know a ton about rap and hip-hop (so not off to a great start) but these lyrics and production felt solid. the more musical tracks were entertaining, and i especially liked the gloria gaynor interpolation in release yo delf.
favorites: tical, bring the pain, release yo delf
3
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Mon Dec 11 2023
Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes
this album was very pleasant and enjoyable! i listened to it twice through and had a great time. to be honest, none of the songs particularly stuck out to me or sounded terribly unique within the context of the rest of the album, but i liked their one song well enough :)
favorites: sun it rises, white winter hymnal, blue ridge mountains
4
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Tue Dec 12 2023
Brothers
The Black Keys
this album was almost offensively dull. the first few tracks were fine but the blues-rock-for-white-people vibe got pretty stale after that. i'd rather listen to a car alarm for an hour than this annoying fuzzy guitar tone and artificially heavy drum sounds while some soulful white guy sings nothing of importance at me. it's honestly impressive that they managed to write the exact same song 15 times and not realize it.
favorites: everlasting light, tighten up, howlin for you
2
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Wed Dec 13 2023
All Hope Is Gone
Slipknot
i really liked this album, even more than i thought i would. i knew a handful of tracks from it beforehand but enjoyed most of what was going on here. tracks like psychosocial and snuff are some of slipknot's best, and this album strikes a good balance between really gritty, dark, heavy tracks and the nice but sad ballads.
with only one real exception, the songs were all in the neighborhood of 4-6 minutes long, which was a bit grueling for some of the less interesting tracks in the middle. in fact, i really enjoyed tracks 1-5 and 11-15, but the middle third of the album just didn't do much for me. still, that many good and varied tracks makes this an easy 5 star for this list.
favorites: tracks 2-5 and 11-15. especially sulfur, psychosocial, dead memories, snuff, and vermilion pt 2
5
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Thu Dec 14 2023
Public Image: First Issue
Public Image Ltd.
wow, uh, how do i put this... this album was not good. i like other PIL songs and saw them live like a decade ago and enjoyed them, so I'm not sure what's happening here.
my fiancee described the opening song, theme, as "if Jesus of Suburbia was really bad and only had one section" which i think is spot on. tracks 2 and 3 were just a high school atheist's anti-religion rant a capella and then set to weird music. at 2:45 or so, someone abruptly decides to start strumming what sounds like the high strings inside a piano or an autoharp or something. public image is actually a good, solid song, and it's a miracle they even gave us that. final shoutout to fodderstompf which is the 8-minute album closer and sounds like all four members of strong bad's teen girl squad singing at once.
this album is weird (which i like), but it's not good (which i don't like). two stars because i won't lie awake thinking about it like a 1 star and i don't see myself ever coming back to it like a 3 star. it's just terribly forgettable.
favorites: public image, low life
2
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Fri Dec 15 2023
Eagles
Eagles
eh. it didn't make me angry to listen to but after the first two tracks it was just a real nothingburger. happy for the people who like this but it's just more dull dad rock to me. take it easy is a pretty good song though
favorites: take it easy, witchy woman
3
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Mon Dec 18 2023
The Number Of The Beast
Iron Maiden
i love this album. it's got some absolutely iconic tracks on it like number of the beast and run to the hills, and almost all of the other tracks are legendary to fans like myself. in just two years from their debut, they've really nailed down what makes their band different from others at the time and sharpened their sound. hallowed be thy name has been my favorite maiden song for years and is just such a phenomenal album closer here.
favorites: children of the damned, the prisoner, 22 acacia avenue, the number of the beast, run to the hills, hallowed be thy name
5
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Tue Dec 19 2023
25
Adele
adele has a great voice but good gravy are these songs dull. it's honestly impressive how boring this album manages to be in under an hour. i only really knew hello going into this and it looks like it's going to stay that way. none of the instrumentation was interesting and the lyrics could've been written by a middle schooler going through their first breakup. i can see why they dropped this from the 1001 list a few years back.
favorites: hello, send my love
2
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Wed Dec 20 2023
Faith
George Michael
man, i did not care for this album. it felt too harsh to give it one star but there's just not anything interesting going on here. faith is a solid single but it all falls apart after that. the lyric writing is so clouded by utter horniness that it manages to say nothing at all. all the music sounds the same, that late 80s/early 90s peppy but a bit sleazy pop sound, and I'm just not into it.
favorites: faith
2
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Thu Dec 21 2023
Strangeways, Here We Come
The Smiths
i listened to this album twice yesterday and while all the tracks kinda blended together into a sad boy slurry, it was pretty decent. on the other hand, fuck Morrissey. after listening to girlfriend in a coma, I'm starting to think he actually did murder that poor woman. also these song titles are like mid-2000s length fall out boy/panic at the disco length and similarly unnecessary.
favorites: a rush and a push..., stop me...
3
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Fri Dec 22 2023
So Much For The City
The Thrills
meh. it's been real feast or famine on these album choices lately. not sure if this one survived more than one edition of the book but it's not interesting. just more nice enough indie music that doesn't really say anything (unless it's about california) and these guys are irish?? the lead singer sounds like the guy from drive-by truckers. what on earth. no more of this please
favorites: santa cruz, big sur
2
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Mon Dec 25 2023
Live At Leeds
The Who
fine i suppose. it's a 75-minute live album (yes i know it's iconic but still) with some decent hits and a bunch of random songs in between. it's a bit early in the who's career to have all the massive hits but there will be a few recognizable ones here. however, the live album format just doesn't really add anything. there's a bit of banter but that's about it. fine album but probably didn't need to be on this list.
favorites: heaven and hell, tattoo, summertime blues, shakin all over, magic bus
3
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Tue Dec 26 2023
A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector
Various Artists
nice, an album full of classic christmas songs. yes, phil spector is the worst, but he only appears at the end of the album so it's easier to listen to these other songs as they are. some true classic versions of songs here, sleigh ride being my favorite. probably not going to listen to this year-round and again, there is the whole specter of spector lingering over this, so... three stars?
favorites: white christmas, santa claus is coming to town, sleigh ride, christmas baby please come home
3
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Wed Dec 27 2023
Music From Big Pink
The Band
it's fine. the weight is a classic but that's pretty much all you get here. not sure how this made the list... most of the songs sound the same and bro's yappin about the same thing with his weird voice in every song. not the worst album on here but ehh. i just like the songs that are DLC in rock band.
favorites: the weight, chest fever
2
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Thu Dec 28 2023
The Sensual World
Kate Bush
this was nice enough as pleasant background music. i probably didn't "get it" and it just made me think of bjork, but it was fine. none of the bigger hits i'm familiar with were on here but it was kind of nice to tune back into the songs whenever something interesting started happening, new instruments came in, etc.
favorites: the sensual world, the fog, rocket's tail, this woman's work
3
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Fri Dec 29 2023
Bubble And Scrape
Sebadoh
weird album but i enjoyed it overall. pretty hit and miss in terms of individual songs, like it started out strong and then just went off the rails into experimental, less tonal nonsense after a few tracks. would listen to these again as i like some of the other lo-fi indie groups from this time but i have a feeling this will not bode well with the general listening public on 1001... can't wait to check the reviews after this!
favorites: soul and fire, two years two days, happily divided
3
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Mon Jan 01 2024
All Things Must Pass
George Harrison
geez louise george, give it a rest. this album goes on far too long and is far too boring on the whole. these are like beatles c-sides with only a few somewhat interesting tracks across the TRIPLE ALBUM on SIX SIDES that lasts OVER TWO HOURS. and has DUPLICATE TRACKS???? bro is yappin
though as george stated in 1971, "Music should be used for the perception of God, not jitterbugging." this music is about as dull as going to church so i'll give him that.
favorites: my sweet lord, what is life, awaiting on you all, art of dying
2
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Tue Jan 02 2024
The College Dropout
Kanye West
ugh. kanye is the absolute worst. this album was okay in spots and really dull in the rest, but it's gonna be hard to separate the mediocre art from the very outspoken artist on this one. i liked a few kanye songs before he went completely off the deep end, and none of them were from this album. also the 13-minute long track at the end was the most boring thing i'd heard since George Harrison's 12-minute long instrumental.
favorites: we don't care, school spirit, through the wire, two words, and family business were all fine
1
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Wed Jan 03 2024
Heartattack And Vine
Tom Waits
this album was fine. i know tom waits' voice is a bit of an acquired taste but i don't have strong feelings about it one way or the other. the songs are like AU bruce springsteen and i do like the lyrics on several of them. the ballads are probably my favorite part of this album, though honestly all of the songs could be like two minutes shorter and i'd be fine with that.
favorites: heartattack and vine, downtown, jersey girl, on the nickel
3
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Thu Jan 04 2024
Music for the Masses
Depeche Mode
pretty good for a 1001 album entry but not depeche mode's best. there are some good tracks here and a lot of darker 80s synth sounds that are kinda goofy in retrospect. definitely not "music for the masses" which I'm certain was their intent, but these other reviews may reflect that.
favorites: never let me down again, strangelove, little 15, behind the wheel
4
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Fri Jan 05 2024
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Elton John
i really enjoyed this album. on paper, opening with an 11-minute mostly-instrumental prog song was a bit... unorthodox, but on my second listen through i really enjoyed it. the following tracks are pretty much all huge bangers. then there's like 45 minutes of filler, then saturday night's alright for fighting, then 10 more minutes of filler. the filler is all fine, nothing terrible here (except maybe jamaica jerk-off lol) but the high points are SO good. i'll definitely come back to this in the future.
favorites: funeral for a friend/love lies bleeding, candle in the wind, bennie and the jets, goodbye yellow brick road, grey seal, saturday night's alright for fighting
4
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Mon Jan 08 2024
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Kanye West
pretty much a five-star album from a one-star man. just gonna split the difference here.
this album has some great production, samples, and guests, which results in an overall fun and enjoyable listen. some of the skits go on too long and kanye spends a lot of this talking about his sexual escapades, but otherwise it's solid. would listen again but kanye is such a terrible human now so ehhh
favorites: power, all of the lights, monster, runaway, blame game
3
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Tue Jan 09 2024
London Calling
The Clash
amazing album and one of my favorites! I've always liked tracks like London Calling, Lost in the Supermarket, and Koka Kola ever since I was a wee lad, but only fairly recently started listening to the others. The entire first half of this double album is pretty much just wall-to-wall bangers. They span basically every punk- or rock-adjacent genre, from rockabilly to ska to jazz to reggae. Everything's punchy and groovy and fun and just an incredible feat of lyricism and musicianship. I think the quality starts to dip around 75% through but ends on a high note with Train in Vain. Absolutely remarkable stuff though!
Favorites: London Calling, Jimmy Jazz through Spanish Bombs, Lost in the Supermarket through Koka Kola, Train in Vain.
5
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Wed Jan 10 2024
Hybrid Theory
Linkin Park
linkin park was one of my favorite bands growing up, so i was thrilled to see this on here. i think this album holds up pretty well and the production is slick, but at the same time it's definitely a product of its time. it flows well and has a bunch of amazing tracks, but there's definitely some filler here too.
one of my biggest gripes with linkin park now that I'm in my 30s is that their lyrics are just incredibly vague. maybe that helps them be relatable to more people like i thought in middle school, but they just don't really say anything. they're far from the only band at this time that had this problem, but they're one of the most prominent examples i can think of.
with that said, the music here is great. you can really get a sense for the variety of styles and backgrounds from the people who collaborated on these tracks. reanimation was my first linkin park album (which i bought as a young teen from barnes and noble back in probably 2004) and those are the versions of these tracks i knew the best for the longest time. while i enjoy the hybrid theory versions of most of them more, the creativity and new spins put on these songs for reanimation is exciting and fresh. it was really cool and inspiring to see a band constantly reinventing their sound and individual tracks at this time in my life.
favorites: papercut, one step closer, crawling, runaway, in the end, forgotten, pushing me away
5
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Thu Jan 11 2024
Red Headed Stranger
Willie Nelson
this was a very enjoyable album. i liked the concept album structure of it and honestly, the fact that nearly all the songs were under 3 minutes long was a breath of fresh air compared to some recent albums I've gotten here. nice, simple, soulful music that feels like an old friend recounting stories. would listen again for sure.
favorites: blue eyes crying in the rain, red headed stranger, down yonder, hands on the wheel, bandera
4
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Fri Jan 12 2024
Fragile
Yes
imo this is the best yes album and maybe the best 70s prog rock album? there are so many excellent tunes here, from the opening to roundabout until the closer, heart of the sunrise. each one takes you on a unique and inspiring sonic journey. the lyrics are creative and mysterious, the instrumentation lush and varied, the vibes immaculate. yes absolutely broke the mold with fragile.
favorites: roundabout, we have heaven, south side of the sky, long distance runaround, heart of the sunrise
5
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Mon Jan 15 2024
Rubber Soul
Beatles
saw someone saying this was the greatest album of all time, which, ok, no, slow your roll. it could be the best beatles album but idk, they've put out some solid releases and this album has some serious peaks and valleys. it starts strong with drive my car and norwegian wood, then there are like four meh songs before it really hits its stride. there's a bit more filler towards the end and it ends on a good note with run for your life.
john has some lyrics in run for your life about wanting to murder women which seem oddly prescient, and paul's diss track for his girlfriend at the time in I'm looking through you is super petty, but that song sounds really cool otherwise. what a strange collection of tracks.
favorites: drive my car, norwegian wood, Michelle, what goes on, girl, I'm looking through you, in my life, run for your life
5
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Tue Jan 16 2024
Beggars Banquet
The Rolling Stones
wow this was one classic single followed by nine filler tracks. i know the stones have hits but i guess they just put one on each album over 20 years so we end up with entries like this. did this really need to be on the list?
favorites: sympathy for the devil
2
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Wed Jan 17 2024
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
this was pleasant and a fine listen. i was most excited to see the cover that London Calling was inspired by, as there's not a lot else to be inspired by here. a now-infamous white guy doing covers of black musicians' songs? how droll.
favorites: the ones i knew already: blue suede shoes, tutti frutti, blue moon
3
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Thu Jan 18 2024
Psychocandy
The Jesus And Mary Chain
interesting album. i listened to it twice and must not have been paying much attention because every song just kinda faded to background noise. i liked a handful of them but some of the grating sound effects just didn't land for me.
favorites: just like honey, the hardest walk, taste of cindy
3
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Fri Jan 19 2024
Unknown Pleasures
Joy Division
like other reviewers, i wanted to like this more than i did. the moody and drab gothic rock feel just did not hit for me. everything's musically either a little too loose or too rigid and it all just comes off as amateurish and off-putting. eh
favorites: disorder, day of the lords, shadowplay
3
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Mon Jan 22 2024
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
this was an enjoyable listen. the songwriting is top notch and the music is nice and folky. i appreciate bob dylan's unique voice and harmonica chops so i guess that's a plus. kinda wild to see this baby of a man on the cover (looks like he was almost 23 when this was released) and hear the classic bob dylan voice, which always sounds about 70 years old to me.
some classics here and the rest are nice, evocative tracks as well.
favorites: blowin' in the wind, masters of war, a hard rain's a-gonna fall, don't think twice it's all right
4
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Tue Jan 23 2024
Is This It
The Strokes
pretty good overall and nice to see a more modern album on this list, but most of these songs were pretty average garage rock. oddly, i liked the middle of the album and didn't really care for the beginning or the end. the strokes have some good tracks and someday is easily my favorite of this album.
the sexy album cover also seems out of place and unnecessary? or maybe I'm just saying that because it's taking up most of the screen on my work computer. the alternate/US cover is way cooler imo. also i keep thinking julian casablancas and the strokes are british for some reason but i promise i didn't factor this into my rating.
favorites: someday, alone together, last nite, hard to explain
4
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Wed Jan 24 2024
When I Was Born For The 7th Time
Cornershop
this was okay, definitely outside of the norm for this list (which is refreshing). i saw 90s British rock and immediately conjured forth an image in my mind's eye, which this did not match up with.
however, after the first two tracks, nothing really captured my attention until the Norwegian Wood cover. somewhat strangely, the cover sounded almost identical to the original save for it not being sung in English. anyway brimful of asha is a banger in a repetitive 90s electronic music kind of way and the fatboy slim remix is a good listen.
favorites: sleep on the left side, brimful of asha, norwegian wood.
3
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Thu Jan 25 2024
Guero
Beck
it was fine. there are some good tracks here but boy is there a lot of filler. i know beck is capable of writing some absolute bangers, but most of the time he just decides not to? i don't even think it's a case of me not "getting it," i think he's just experimenting and it falls flat into something that's not very interesting. maybe I'm just not a beck fan.
favorite: e-pro, girl, black tambourine, earthquake weather
3
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Fri Jan 26 2024
Dear Science
TV On The Radio
this album was pretty cool. i didn't know any TVOTR other than wolf like me, so it was nice to hear more from them. the songs didn't all stick out individually but the overall sound was enjoyable and solid.
favorites: family tree, red dress, dlz
4
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Mon Jan 29 2024
Liquid Swords
GZA
another fine album that i probably wouldn't have sought out on my own. i like the martial arts movie clips/theme running throughout the album, that was pretty neat. the songs kinda blend together for me but the lyrics seemed well crafted. i might listen to a handful of these tracks again but it wasn't my favorite 90s rap/hip-hop.
favorites: liquid swords, 4th chamber, shadowboxin'
3
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Tue Jan 30 2024
Chirping Crickets
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
not sure how to rate this but it was a fun and quick little jaunt into 50s rock n roll. hard to hate anything on this album, and there are some certified classics here. i liked it!
favorites: oh boy, not fade away, that'll be the day
4
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Wed Jan 31 2024
This Is Hardcore
Pulp
this is a good and interesting album! the album starts off strong, with the first five tracks being bangers, though party hard is the weakest of the five. TV movie is the first boring one. a little soul sounded like the 90s britpop idea of what a bruce springsteen song sounded like. seductive barry was too long and weird. love how most of these songs have 1-3 million streams on spotify except for the day after the revolution, which only has 70k. what happened???
after two full listens, i still jammed to the first part of the album the most and the middle and end didn't really make an impact. still solid overall though.
favorites: the fear, dishes, help the aged, this is hardcore
4
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Thu Feb 01 2024
21
Adele
this album wasn't really for me, though i know it is for millions of other people. adele has a great voice but most of these songs are just uninteresting pop-soul music for white people.
i will say that having already listened to 25 during this 1001 albums run, 21 is far better. there are way more huge hits on this 21, along with the songs all sounding at least a bit different from each other.
also maybe it's just me but i can't believe she's still titling albums after her age when writing them. it was kind of a fun gimmick at first but now that 30 has dropped, it feels super corny to me.
favorites: rolling in the deep, rumour has it, set fire to the rain, lovesong, someone like you
3
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Fri Feb 02 2024
Make Yourself
Incubus
i really enjoyed this album! i had heard a few songs beforehand and always thought of incubus as kind of a weird, trippy rock band but they're a lot more nu-metal than i realized. this album gave me big alien ant farm vibes (which is a good thing to me). definitely putting some of these into regular rotation!
favorites: privilege, nowhere fast, the warmth, stellar, drive, pardon me
5
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Mon Feb 05 2024
Melodrama
Lorde
i honestly didn't expect to like this as much as i did. my fiancee is really into lorde so i was thrilled for her that we spun into this album, but there's a lot of depth and nuance to it. it opens strong with green light and sober, and is kind of a roller coaster after that. the ballads were a little dull but otherwise this album was great!
favorites: green light, sober, liability, hard feelings/loveless, sober ii (melodrama), supercut, perfect places
5
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Tue Feb 06 2024
Home Is Where The Music Is
Hugh Masekela
while listening to this, i realized that i don't really know how to evaluate jazz music. it was pleasant enough to listen to but since i had it on in the background while working, I'm sure i missed some important moments. the kinds of moments where people would politely clap afterward and i would jump in late to clap too since i didn't want to seem rude.
anyway i think this is good and like, technically proficient, but maybe not for me. uhhh three stars? sorry y'all /shrug
favorites: part of a whole, minawa, maseru
3
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Wed Feb 07 2024
Arrival
ABBA
hell yes!! i was so excited to see ABBA when i loaded the page! this album has some absolute classic swedish pop bangers, along with a few duds and a song about gettin it on with your teacher. as a 90s kid, was that just like, the cool thing to do in the 70s and 80s? yikes
i don't think i'd ever listened to an ABBA album that wasn't a greatest hits collection so this was neat. definitely some filler but overall, great.
favorites: dancing queen, knowing me knowing you, money money money, tiger, fernando
5
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Thu Feb 08 2024
The Bones Of What You Believe
CHVRCHES
damn, there are a lot of haters in the comments here. this album bangs and only really dips in quality when you get to the bonus tracks at the end. the mother we share is an absolute banger (and the only one i knew ahead of time, this time from the Harmonix game Dropmix) and the energy and vibes carry through the next six or so songs easily (which were apparently all released as singles? wild). more of this please!!
favorites: tracks 1-8, you caught the light
5
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Fri Feb 09 2024
Another Green World
Brian Eno
honestly didn't expect to like this one all that much but it was pretty neat. the songs have a lot of uniqueness and character to them despite just being little experimental pieces, and thankfully none of them are long enough to overstay their welcome. the ones with lyrics also stand out, and i really liked how the title track reminded me of some of the mellow electronic Minecraft music.
favorites: st. elmo's fire, the big ship, I'll come running, another green world, zawinul/lava
4
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Mon Feb 12 2024
Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
this is a decent 70s british punk album, but knowing that the clash are about to put out london calling in a few years, this looks pretty meh in comparison. there are a few solid tracks here but a ton of filler. also johnny rotten is a complicated person with some views i agree with and several prominent ones i do not.
favorites: holidays in the sun, god save the queen, anarchy in the UK, pretty vacant
3
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Tue Feb 13 2024
Master Of Puppets
Metallica
i was fairly familiar with the front half of this album going into it and it's great. this is thrash metal at its peak, and there's some cool prog influence here as well. the cover art is also iconic. metallica's 80s output is definitely a high water mark for metal, though later years may fail to impress. i don't consider myself a huge metallica fan or anything but they were really in their prime here.
favorites: tracks 1-4 and 6-7. disposable heroes is pretty good and damage inc was fine but the rest are absolutely stellar.
5
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Wed Feb 14 2024
Raw Power
The Stooges
this is the most three-star of all the three-star albums to ever grace this list. it's fine but uninspiring. lackluster but not frustrating. truly, unapologetically mid to the end.
favorites: search and destroy, gimme danger, penetration
3
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Thu Feb 15 2024
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
The Smashing Pumpkins
what a weird and cool album! it's perhaps the greatest thing William P. Corgan has ever made, though there's absolutely an air of art-house pretension to the whole thing. i mean it is a 2+ hour-long double album, but i dunno... it just kinda works.
it's hard to explain how billy's weird voice, lyrics that could've come from an eighth grader's spiral notebook, and a very rough "concept" album throughline combine to make something far greater than the sum of their parts, but this album is great. the musicianship is rock solid and the songs all feel unique while still contributing toward a cohesive whole. bullet with butterfly wings was definitely the first one i heard (probably in middle school) and i slowly discovered the other singles in the years following.
basically the entire first disc is good to great, starting off super strong and punctuated by highlights throughout. the second disc gets a bit lackluster in the middle/towards the end but finishes on a sweet note. it's a great listen overall, and I'll be returning to this one in the future.
oh and obligatory mention that billy corgan is like, the worst. not sure how he knocked it out of the park with this one but yeah
favorites: mellon collie and the infinite sadness, tonight tonight, jellybelly, zero, bullet with butterfly wings, galapogos, muzzle, thirty-three, 1979, farewell and goodnight
5
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Fri Feb 16 2024
Ananda Shankar
Ananda Shankar
interesting stuff and a neat concept for an album. unfortunately i didn't enjoy it as much as i had hoped i would, given the synopsis and message on the front cover. the 13-minute song was particularly not to my taste, and regrettably the only two tracks that really stuck with me were the covers. i did love the use of sitar + moog synthesizer in general though. not sure if I'll come back to the other tracks here honestly.
favorites: jumpin' jack flash, light my fire
3
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Mon Feb 19 2024
Sign 'O' The Times
Prince
i listened to purple rain for the first time as part of this 1001 albums list and it was phenomenal, intriguing, unique. this... was not. it tasted like a big old piece of 80s cheese with some curious little bits here and there, which, upon closer inspection, were revealed to just be mold.
these songs all just sound like someone left the generic 80s radio station on in the background and don't really have anything truly exciting or evocative going on. the double album seems completely unnecessary, as I'm not sure there are enough interesting ideas here to even carry a single disc. i was going to give this three stars since it's still prince and everyone else seems to love this album, and i even went back to relisten to many of the tracks just to make sure i wasn't way off base, but i honestly don't think i'd come back to any of these tracks so I'm talking myself into a two.
favorites: sign o' the times, play in the sunshine, starfish and coffee, i could never take the place of your man
2
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Tue Feb 20 2024
Hounds Of Love
Kate Bush
i really enjoyed this! very cool to see an 80s album that was doing its own thing and can stand the test of time. as some other commenters pointed out, these are less like regular radio singles and more like small bits of prose and poetry that are set to music. very evocative tracks with the music and lyrics working well together. definitely coming back to this in the future!
favorites: running up that hill, hounds of love, the big sky, cloudbusting, waking the witch, jig of life
4
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Wed Feb 21 2024
The Last Broadcast
Doves
this album was so inoffensive i've taken to calling them tepidplay.
the songs are all extremely average and abundantly fine. just generic-sounding early 2000s soft pop-rock, destined to be the background music of a grocery store or shopping mall. there's no meat on these bones, but the bones are all anatomically exact. does this make sense
the biggest mark against them (other than everything I've written above) is that the songs are all like 1-2 minutes longer than they should be. i mean honestly, the big single, there goes the fear, is just under 7 minutes???? why tho
favorites: words, there goes the fear, m62 song, pounding, last broadcast
3
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Thu Feb 22 2024
Parallel Lines
Blondie
full disclosure, i've been waiting for this album to pop up so i could finally listen all the way through and it was great. this album opens strong with (a great cover of) hanging on the telephone, segues into one way or another, and chugs along from there. it dips and pivots into various genres along the way, like rock, punk, new wave, and power pop to keep things exciting. heart of glass is a solid way to wind things down.
this is in my opinion blondie's best work and was worth listening to 2+ times all the way through yesterday. great stuff.
favorites: hanging on the telephone, one way or another, picture this, sunday girl, heart of glass, just go away
5
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Fri Feb 23 2024
Sweetheart Of The Rodeo
The Byrds
i honestly have no idea how to rate this, partially because I'm still reeling from the discovery that the byrds are also a country rock band?????
none of the individual songs really jumped out at me, but this album was pretty nice to listen to overall (which i did twice). I've also been thinking about the Fallout series a lot recently, and these songs honestly sound like they could have a home on any of the FO game soundtracks. fuck it, four stars.
favorites: you ain't goin' nowhere, i am a pilgrim, the christian life, hickory wind
4
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Mon Feb 26 2024
The Velvet Underground & Nico
The Velvet Underground
this is a classic album with iconic artwork. but is it a good album? the jury's still out on this. anyway, i wrote up some thoughts as i was listening to this at work:
sunday morning - good opener, liked this
waiting for the man - too long and too boring. more like “waiting for the song to end” am i right
femme fatale - a bit boring now but i guess cool for the 60s? nice to have a bit of a darker side to the lyrics. feels like the evil twin of the carpenters or something
venus in furs - kind of a creepy proto-residents vibe? i dig it
run run run - meh. the jangly guitar with tremolo picking gets pretty annoying by like a minute in and just keeps going from there. lyrics are interesting but use the g-slur so not great nowadays
all tomorrow’s parties - oops, was busy writing an email and didn’t really pay attention to this one. i don’t think i missed much.
heroin - cool track. the off-beat drumming and repetitive-into-crazy strings actually pair well with the lyrical content and make this an interesting song. it’s a bit long but i guess that gives you more time to get into it
there she goes again - kinda bob dylanesque
i’ll be your mirror - if tiny tim had any chill
the black angel’s death song - this is like the mountain goats but with insane, screechy violins
european son - ?????????
favorites: sunday morning, femme fatale, venus in furs
3
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Tue Feb 27 2024
Sound of Silver
LCD Soundsystem
eh. some of the songs were kinda cool, and i like that this album is pretty unique in the 1001 list as kind of an indie electronica thing. on paper it sounds perfect for me, but in practice it just kinda fell flat.
a lot of the sound effects and beats are annoying as hell and go on for basically the entire song with no changes. the songs are all way too long, with the average length around 6-7 minutes, and it all feels too samey. the album starts out decent but just gets more grating over time, and the only tracks i could see myself revisiting are the opener and the two short ones (only four minutes each!)
favorites: get innocuous, time to get away, watch the tapes
2
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Wed Feb 28 2024
Third
Soft Machine
this was... interesting. there were some parts of each song that i thought were really cool and musically captivating. but there were also many, many parts that were not. coupled with the tracks all being nearly 20 minutes long, woof. probably will not come back to this.
favorites: (parts of) slightly all the time, moon in june
2
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Thu Feb 29 2024
This Year's Model
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
i enjoyed this album! it's really more of a four-star album to me but one of the better ones on 1001 so kind of 4.5 range? elvis costello is at his best here with the power pop/new wave jams. the backing band sounds great, super locked in and punchy on all instruments.
i also discovered that there is a 2021 release called Spanish Model, which takes the same backing tracks and replaces Elvis' vocals with performances by spanish-language artists. interesting idea and there are some big names there!
favorites: this year's girl, pump it up, little triggers, i don't want to go to Chelsea, lip service, lipstick vogue, radio radio
4
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Fri Mar 01 2024
Billion Dollar Babies
Alice Cooper
finally, some 70s rock i actually enjoyed! recent transphobic comments notwithstanding, alice cooper is my favorite shock rocker. these songs are weird and cheeky, which makes for a fun listen overall. it was also cool to recognize so many of them from why must i be sad by they might be giants.
favorites: raped and freezin, elected, billion dollar babies, no more mr nice guy, i love the dead
4
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Mon Mar 04 2024
Court And Spark
Joni Mitchell
this was nice. good vibes and pleasant music. idk what else to say
favorites: court and spark, help me, down to you, twisted
4
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Tue Mar 05 2024
People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
A Tribe Called Quest
this is some good, fun 90s rap. I'm into it! the album was a bit on the long side but the songs were varied and interesting. cool use of samples (superstition was a fave) and there's a lot of good stuff here that I'll revisit in the future.
favorites: luck of lucien, i left my wallet in el segundo, bonita applebum, can i kick it, ham n eggs
4
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Wed Mar 06 2024
Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim
Frank Sinatra
i'm normally on board with whatever crazy mashup concept an artist suggests. metallica and a symphonic orchestra? sure. sitar and synthesizer? all righty. but this...? did this really need to exist?
frank "mr steal yo girl" sinatra is at it again, providing smooth vocals over some nice bossa nova instrumentation, but like... that's it. his presence doesn't really add anything to the music and the band is doing just fine on their own.
change partners was my favorite song because of how ridiculous it is. frank DEMANDS that this woman stop dancing with the man who is probably her husband so he can swoop in. read the room, frankie. just amazing.
favorites: the girl from ipanema, change partners
2
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Thu Mar 07 2024
One Nation Under A Groove
Funkadelic
what a great funk album, damn. the grooves and musicians are all locked in and sound amazing. i wish this album were on spotify so i could hear it more but at least they have maggot brain.
favorites: groovallegiance, into you, maggot brain/chant, lunchmeataphobia
5
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Fri Mar 08 2024
Night Life
Ray Price
this was a pleasant enough country album, though none of the songs were particularly gripping IMO. it reminded me of Fallout music, and i must've been onto something because apparently ol' Ray here did the first recording of Heartaches by the Number. not on this album, of course...
favorites: night life, sittin' and thinkin'
3
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Mon Mar 11 2024
Raising Hell
Run-D.M.C.
this album was great. i sorta knew some of the singles going into it but the whole thing was a fun time. the lyrics are funny and clever, and the beats are solid. definitely listening to more of this in the future.
favorites: peter piper, it's tricky, my adidas, walk this way, you be illin'
5
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Tue Mar 12 2024
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
this was pretty neat and i had only heard N.I.B. before. black sabbath is a super cool introduction to this album and the wizard sounds like the blues version of cities on flame with rock and roll. N.I.B. was the only other one that really grabbed me but the overall sound was cool. hard to believe this is the first heavy metal album... from humble beginnings, right?
favorites: black sabbath, the wizard, N.I.B.
4
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Wed Mar 13 2024
Want One
Rufus Wainwright
this was okay. it basically just serves to answer the question "what if radiohead was really boring?" rufus has a nice voice (that reminds me of thom yorke, but i may be alone in this) and the songs are pleasant enough, but pretty inoffensive and samey. this definitely feels like the kind of indie singer-songwriter sound that ended up being pervasive in the 00s but it's not really my thing.
favorites: oh what a world, i don't know what it is, go or go ahead
3
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Thu Mar 14 2024
Leftism
Leftfield
this was a cool album. i think my dad likes these guys. you definitely need to be in the right headspace to receive copious amounts of 90s british electronica, but if you are this is some good shit.
favorites: release the pressure, melt, original, space shanty, open up
4
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Fri Mar 15 2024
Elastica
Elastica
neat little album. feels like a big stew of bands and genres i enjoy, like a new-wave-y, punky, grungy, alt-rock-y mess (affectionate). certain songs sound like garbage (the band), eve 6, and even they might be giants. nothing overstays its welcome and the songs all sound pretty different from each other.
favorites: connection, car song, waking up, 2:1, stutter
4
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Mon Mar 18 2024
Green River
Creedence Clearwater Revival
another solid offering from CCR. i particularly enjoy the three bigger tracks but the rest are still nice to listen to, even if they don't really stick out in my mind. bad moon rising is an all-time jam for me, and tbh the lyrics for it would work great as a metal song. not sure why there aren't more covers of it in heavier styles but I'm on board!
favorites: green river, bad moon rising, lodi
4
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Tue Mar 19 2024
Crime Of The Century
Supertramp
i'm not really sure how to classify this album as it basically just had a little bit of everything that the 70s were known for. with that said, it was pretty enjoyable to listen to and i was definitely grooving to a few of the tracks. also for some reason i thought supertramp was a 90s band for years, they just have that kind of name/vibe to me i guess.
favorites: school, bloody well right, crime of the century
4
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Wed Mar 20 2024
Nebraska
Bruce Springsteen
while it was nice to hear a more emotional and plaintive side of bruce, a full album of it was a bit heavy. atlantic city is the only track i knew going into this (and one of my favorite songs by the boss) but after two listens, i picked up a few others i enjoyed. the songwriting is really evocative here but the actual presentation feels lacking. bruce's voice is gravelly and the rest of the E Street Band is nowhere to be found, so it's just you and him. also, lotta songs about cops for some reason? highway patrolman, state trooper, the mention of an off duty cop, etc.
favorites: nebraska, atlantic city, johnny 99
3
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Thu Mar 21 2024
Black Monk Time
The Monks
unfortunately i think the story behind this album is a lot more interesting than the music itself, but kudos to them for accidentally inventing punk music way back in the mid-sixties?? some of these tracks could've used a bit more time in the incubator but at least they were short and more interesting than most of the 60s stuff on here.
favorites: monk time, shut up, boys are boys girls are choice, cuckoo
3
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Fri Mar 22 2024
Graceland
Paul Simon
wow this was a weird "mainstream" album. it was about as 80s as it could be, minus the cheesy synths. but what it lacks in synths it makes up for with an amount of accordion that would make weird al blush. that was your mother comes off sounding almost like mariachi music with simon's strange instrumentation choices. all around the world also has that footloose drum sound from the beginning. shoutout to ladysmith black mambazo on this album too... like paul what are you even cookin here
with that said, you can call me al is an all-time banger (and ties back into the weird al accordion-measuring contest going on) but the rest of this album is somewhere between middling, weird, and fresh.
favorites: graceland, diamonds on the soles of her shoes, you can call me al
3
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Mon Mar 25 2024
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme
Simon & Garfunkel
another very nice, pleasant album. a lot of these songs sound very similar, but it's a good song they wrote twelve times. only a simple desultory philippic really stuck out to me, both in terms of sound and title. love how the album is a tight half hour though, all the songs are short and sweet.
favorites: Scarborough fair/canticle, homeward bound, 59th st bridge song, flowers never bend with the rainfall, simple desultory philippic
4
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Tue Mar 26 2024
1984
Van Halen
i'd never listened to this album all the way through but it kinda slaps. the songs are often cheesy and juvenile but they're also just plain fun. the album flows really well, like 1984 segueing into Jump, Jump leading into the first word of Panama being "jump", Panama flowing nicely into Top Jimmy (feels kinda like the daytime and nighttime versions of the same song to me), etc.
and of course, absolutely insane guitar and drums on this album. van halen are truly in their prime here. in terms of subject matter and lyrics, this album hasn't aged super well, but the music is still spot on.
favorites: jump, panama, top jimmy, hot for teacher, i'll wait
5
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Wed Mar 27 2024
Sound Affects
The Jam
man, i'm torn about this one. i really like the other songs by the jam that I've heard before (going underground and a town called malice) but these just fell flat to me. it was like listening to XTC and the clash combined into one band that was worse than either of them individually. the songs just didn't grab me or go anywhere interesting or say anything cool. with that said, the baseline quality for the songs was still higher than a lot of the dregs on this list, but i just know the jam is capable of much more. even after two full listens this just didn't hit for me.
favorites: that's entertainment
3
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Thu Mar 28 2024
Five Leaves Left
Nick Drake
my previous review of Bryter Layter from about 9 months ago:
"this album was fine and pleasant background music. nothing here that i'd really seek out or revisit, personally. i had never heard of this guy before now and I'll probably forget his name in a week :\"
applies perfectly again here now. though last time he got three stars and this time he gets two for not changing his schtick in the slightest.
favorites: i guess the popular ones? river man, day is done, Saturday sun. they're all basically the same though
2
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Fri Mar 29 2024
Warehouse: Songs And Stories
Hüsker Dü
why is it that every double album seems to have less to say than any regular album? this just didn't go anywhere or try anything interesting. it was listening to the same song twenty times over an hour and change. that one song was fine, i suppose, but an actual R.E.M. cover band would've been better. shame, too, as i like some other husker du songs I've heard before like Pink Turns to Blue from Zen Arcade.
favorites: these important years, ice cold ice
2
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Mon Apr 01 2024
Bringing It All Back Home
Bob Dylan
another good album. there's a lot of bob dylan on this list but it's all pretty fun and enjoyable. this might be my favorite of his that I've listened to so far.
favorites: subterranean homesick blues, maggie's farm, bob dylan's 115th dream, mr. tambourine man
4
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Tue Apr 02 2024
Doolittle
Pixies
not sure what i can say about this album that the other reviewers haven't already said, but *slaps album cover* this baby can fit so many weird tracks in it
also nothing goes harder than the end of the bridge in monkey gone to heaven where frank is screaming then GOD IS SEVEN
favorites: debaser, wave of mutilation, here comes your man, monkey gone to heaven, mr. grieves, no 13 baby, hey, gouge away
5
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Wed Apr 03 2024
Live At The Regal
B.B. King
i'll preface this by saying i've never been much of a blues fan, but this album definitely has that certain something. most live albums, especially from this era, would make me run screaming, but the banter and crowd noises really just amp this up to the next level. b.b. king is a master of his instrument and the guitar comes through as another wailing, plaintive voice. it's all solid.
favorites: every day i have the blues, sweet little angel, how blue can you get, you done lost your good thing now
4
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Thu Apr 04 2024
Bossanova
Pixies
well we just got Doolittle two days ago, so it was funny to see this pop up. sadly, with pixies' best album in the rearview, this one was doomed from the start. it's a solid album but it's no doolittle.
the songs on bossanova just don't have that same exciting and novel weirdness. it feels like the rushed next-year sequel to the critically-acclaimed summer blockbuster that ends up with a 65% on rotten tomatoes. it's fine and existing fans will eat it up, but it's just not gonna bring in the numbers. you feel me?
the they might be giants cover of havalina is great though, and that was my favorite song going into and coming out of this listen.
favorites: velouria, allison, ana, dig for fire, havalina
4
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Fri Apr 05 2024
American Idiot
Green Day
full disclosure: i am a millennial who loves green day and grew up with this album in middle school. this review may be a little biased.
this album is amazing. it was my first introduction to a concept album/rock opera and the songs work amazingly together. billie joe, mike, and tre are all at the top of their game here. the new looks, the anti-bush sentiment, the huge singles, it all came together to create a fresh green day for a new generation.
in the TWENTY years since this album came out, I've found myself gravitating away from the simpler and/or more ballad-y songs to the ones that still have new and exciting bits to discover. jesus of suburbia and homecoming are huge bangers, with the latter maybe being the track i disliked the most initially that I've done a complete 180 on.
honestly my biggest gripe with the album is them joining two largely unrelated tracks together into super long songs for no reason, like holiday / boulevard. those are separate singles! was that just so iTunes could get my $0.99 twice? jesus and homecoming work since the movement structures are intentional and flow well, but for the rest of them, why do i have to listen to three slower songs first before i can get to the exciting ones afterward?
also green day rock band was so important for a weird music nerd like me so thanks harmonix.
favorites: everything, but especially jesus of suburbia, holiday, st. jimmy, letterbomb, and homecoming
5
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Mon Apr 08 2024
Slippery When Wet
Bon Jovi
ok this album kinda slaps. this was a lot better than i expected, having only heard the three huge singles from this before now. the less-known tracks still pack a punch and have a great energy and sound to them overall. while i got Runaway vibes from it (my favorite JBJ song), my finacee said that the opening of I'd Die for You sounds like the original Pokemon anime theme song which is completely spot on. this is kind of a 4.5 for me but i so rarely give albums 5 stars on here, what the hey
favorites: you give love a bad name, livin on a prayer, wanted dead or alive, raise your hands, i'd die for you
5
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Tue Apr 09 2024
The White Album
Beatles
this is 93 minutes of music across two albums, but most of it is really solid and has stood the test of time. the first disc here is like wall-to-wall bangers until about the halfway point, and there are just so many iconic tracks here. the beatles are in their element and cranking out the hits, along with some super weird shit in between. there's definitely filler here, a lot of it on disc two (PSA: can we stop with the double albums already, they're just not worth it) but the sheer volume of classic singles is enough to make me give this a 5. definitely deserving of its spot on the list.
favorites: back in the USSR, dear prudence, glass onion, ob-la-di ob-la-da, the continuing story of bungalow bill, while my guitar gently weeps, happiness is a warm gun, blackbird, birthday, everybody's got something to hide except me and my monkey, helter skelter, savoy truffle
5
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Wed Apr 10 2024
Aha Shake Heartbreak
Kings of Leon
man, i don't know what to make of this album. it's just really, really, really not good. i like other kings of leon songs and thought they were decent overall but this album does not have It.
first of all, the lead singer has THE most incomprehensible voice singing some absolutely baffling lyrics. he's got marble mouth something fierce. i had to pull up the lyrics to confirm that he was, in fact, saying the girl would lend him her toothbrush. day old blues has the most annoying and repetitive vocals of maybe any track I've listened to in the last 200 albums I've generated from this list. when four kicks started, i legitimately thought he was just yelling gibberish sounds. completely perplexing stuff.
i guess it's ok as background music if you're really not focusing on it, but if you are it's enough to drive anyone mad. i don't give out a lot of 1-star reviews here (i mostly save those for the sex offenders with truly garbage albums) but this one comes reeeeeally close for me.
favorites: the bucket
2
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Thu Apr 11 2024
Private Dancer
Tina Turner
this was a fine listen overall, though a lot of the songs sounded generically 80s to me. tina turner is an icon who'd been through so much (RIP) and what's love got to do with it is definitely an enduring and classic song forty years later.
my favorite part of this album was when it shook things up a bit toward the end. steel claw, the very transformative cover of Help!, and 1984 were all rock solid tracks for me. i plan to come back to these later on, i just wish the others were more interesting.
favorites: what's love got to do with it, steel claw, help!, 1984
3
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Fri Apr 12 2024
Vivid
Living Colour
i only knew cult of personality going into this (thank you guitar hero 3) but i ended up really enjoying this album. it's funky, it's metal, it shreds hard, and has a good message. these guys have serious chops and a cool sound that's somehow simultaneously very unique and very 80s.
favorites: i ended up liking all of these on spotify. of those, the favorites are probably cult of personality, open letter to a landlord, what's your favorite color, which way to America, and should i stay or should i go
5
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Mon Apr 15 2024
Back To Black
Amy Winehouse
i'll probably be on the wrong side of history with this one but i just don't care for this. this album has all the trappings of a 60s motown/soul record but none of the legitimacy. i can't put my finger on it but it just all feels a bit fake and self-indulgent, like i'm at a theme park that's well maintained but doesn't do justice to the authentic world it's based on. does this make any sense
amy winehouse was definitely a troubled soul, but as i sit here listening to rehab (a song i feel like i've heard a thousand times on the radio and never really care to hear again), it's all just a little uncomfortable and unnerving, given what would become of her soon after. the inauspicious lines of "i said no, no, no" and "my daddy thinks i'm fine" are both haunting and yet blindingly obvious. if she's fine with her alcoholism, even celebrating it here and denying reasonable attempts to help, it really comes as no surprise that it would be the thing that ultimately does her in. i don't want to sound callous but like, yeah... of course, amy.
anyway the rest of this album has that kind of "i'm playing in the genre" vibe to me with songwriting that's hit or miss. back to black was an actually somewhat interesting song, and i liked tears dry on their own. but the rest of it is decidedly not for me. don't mean to yuck anyone's yum but i just don't get it i guess.
favorites: back to black, tears dry on their own
2
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Tue Apr 16 2024
Here's Little Richard
Little Richard
not sure how to rate this honestly. like, all the songs on their own individually are pretty solid and fun. little richard has a heckuva voice and style that I'm sure would've been absolutely wild to see live. he's of course an icon in the history of popular music and an inspiration to all of your favorite artists and bands.
the only problem is that basically every uptempo song from the 50s (and on this album in particular) is just the 12-bar blues progression. they're all about 2-2:30 long, often mention a woman's name, and are all pretty much interchangeable. i like the songs well enough but the album format here just falls flat. so uh, 3.5 stars? idk
also every time i hear the chorus of she's got it, i think it's going to segue into that shocking blue/bananarama song venus
favorites: tutti frutti, ready teddy, long tall sally (the thing), miss ann, rip it up, jenny jenny, she's got it
4
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Wed Apr 17 2024
Bongo Rock
Incredible Bongo Band
honestly i did not expect this to be good. 1001 albums loves including weird ideas that sound halfway interesting on paper but in execution always just fall flat. maybe it's because of the talent/session musicians behind this but it's kind of a jam.
some of the covers are pretty recognizable and transformative, like satisfaction and pipeline. the other tracks are all solid and enjoyable. this isn't the greatest album ever or anything but it's nice to see a weird idea actually stick the landing here. also thank god they didn't do the full version of in a gadda da vida
favorites: apache, in a gadda da vida, bongo rock, satisfaction, wipeout, pipeline, apache remix
4
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Thu Apr 18 2024
Step In The Arena
Gang Starr
i probably would've enjoyed this more had i paid closer attention to the lyrics, but in my defense they were not all available on spotify. this album was fine to me - i didn't really get much from it but the music and raps seemed solid. the title track reminded me of step up by linkin park, which was probably intentional on LP's side.
favorites: step in the arena, check the technique, lovesick
3
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Fri Apr 19 2024
E.V.O.L.
Sonic Youth
i guess if i had been a teenager growing up in 1986 this might've been the sort of thing i'd listen to, but it's not doing much for me as an adult in 2024. i know a few sonic youth songs and they're definitely an acquired taste. these tracks feel haphazard and everything's all over the place. certainly more interesting than some of the real blase "required listening" on this list but overall just kind of strange and baffling without a real point.
favorites: tom violence, shadow of a doubt, starpower, bubblegum
3
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Mon Apr 22 2024
Rock 'N Soul
Solomon Burke
this was pleasant music. a bit samey across the album but solomon has a powerful and emotive voice. it's about a 3.5 for me.
favorites: cry to me, can't nobody love you
4
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Tue Apr 23 2024
Figure 8
Elliott Smith
this is a very good album. i can't explain it but it just hit differently than so many others on this list. it starts off super strong for the first several tracks and is still good after that, though the songs kinda ran together for me after that. i think i listened to this like 2 1/2 times through and thought it was really solid and moving.
favorites: son of sam, somebody that i used to know, junk bond trader, everything reminds me of her, everything means nothing to me, easy way out
4
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Wed Apr 24 2024
For Your Pleasure
Roxy Music
meh. it started off as kind of a rocky horror/david bowie/meatloaf sort of sound and energy, but quickly fell apart after that. the tracks were all way too long and just not that interesting or enjoyable to listen to. the album cover is also kind of weird, especially knowing what the music contained therein sounds like - i expected hair metal or something with a cover like that, idk. not going to revisit this one.
favorites: do the strand, beauty queen, editions of you
2
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Thu Apr 25 2024
Shaka Zulu
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
this was pretty cool and unique for this list. the harmonies and arrangements sound great, even if the songs all feel pretty similar. love that these guys are world-renowned at this point, with highlights to me personally being paul simon's graceland, the lion king 2 soundtrack, and a mention in Mean Girls. the english songs here were pretty heavy on the Christianity which didn't do much for me but still solid stuff.
favorites: hello my baby, yibo labo, wawusho kubani, this little light of mine (bonus track)
4
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Fri Apr 26 2024
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age
well the album started out decent, with a few songs that felt like demos or prototypes of later QotSA tracks. after that though? just an endless desert of sound with only the occasional tumbleweed for interest.
the vocals, guitars, lyrics, songwriting, and basically everything else just felt like a tribute band for a big-name grunge act decided to try their hand at originals. it's rough, it's strange, and it's not particularly fun or interesting.
though maybe I'm not the most reliable source. i thought songs for the deaf was their first album... first good album, maybe. not sure how this horny juvenile dreck made it on the list over SftD or any of the later albums where they actually knew how to write and record compelling songs.
favorites: regular john, avon, if only
2
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Mon Apr 29 2024
A Girl Called Dusty
Dusty Springfield
this was nice enough, though maybe a bit underwhelming. dusty has a great voice and handles the varied genres of these covers well, but nothing sticks out to me as particularly impressive or interesting. another day, another chance to wonder why this album made the list.
i'm imagining the abe simpson meme with the text "we made a boring cover album, which was the style at the time"
favorites: mama said, you don't own me, wishin' and hopin'
3