Noisy, muddled and often unlistenable (e.g. "who sees you"), this is another one of those albums that seems to be the list simply because the band is from the UK. It is difficult to understand the vocals as the lead singer mumbles his way through the songs. "is this and yes" is another example of how awful things get. It's like one of those songs that the free streaming channels play on show breaks because they can't get anyone to advertise with them. Don't get me wrong, I love guitars and fuzz pedals but this was too much much fuzz. Even the vocals are fuzzy. Why so much fuzz? I couldn't wait for the album to end but it did. It was terrible.

Not my thing - overrated album in my view (for what *that's* worth). I often felt like the musicians were playing different songs at the same time. +1 because Fred has a pleasant voice. Oh and Harry Nilson did "Everybody's Talkin'" better.

Let’s see. This isn’t music that you would listen to in the background like jazz. This isn’t music that I would expect one would go to a nightclub in college and try to dance to. This isn’t music that is catchy that you would later find yourself humming to one of the tunes. This isn’t music to sing to because, by and large, there aren’t lyrics, although some songs do rap over the musical track. So, I find myself asking, “what is the purpose of this album and why is it important that I listen to it before I die”? I don’t normally look up artists that I am unfamiliar with when one is generated and presented to me but I did look up Mr. Holmes. I guess I could see some of this being used for soundtracks and apparently he makes a good living doing just that. Radio 7 is supposed to be one of the outstanding tracks on this album. It’s a mystery to me how sampling the Bond theme and laying a drum track over it passes for clever. Aren’t you just leaning on the work of others like a crutch? It’s not like when Johnny Cash made Trent Reznor’s “Hurt” his own. Or when Sinead O’Connor did the same with “Nothin Compares 2 U” when she covered Prince’s tune. From my point of view most (alll?) of the tracks are pointless and monotonous. This music doesn’t really seem to have a purpose. Without a movie or a show to assist, what is the artist trying to say? I’m not giving another moment of thought to try to answer that question.

I picked up this CD when it first came out. The album is full of haunting and seemingly autobiographical songs. In her biggest hit, Sinead takes Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” and makes it her own. I think “The Emperor’s New Clothes” was a single too. Really good album. I’m glad this came up to listen to when it did. Sinead recently passed and it was good to hear her once again. Incredible talent. So sad she was such a tortured soul. I hope she finds peace.

Dreamy, spacey electronic music. Some of the sounds are a little dated but overall it’s not a bad album. Easy to listen to and not repetitive like some songs on similar albums.

Oasis not quite at the top of their game. You can see hints of what's coming with their sophomore release, (What's the Story) Morning Glory? Best cuts: Rock 'n' Roll Star, Cigarettes & Alcohol, Side Away Worst cut: Shakermaker

I tend to like the Lindsay Buckingham songs best. My favorite is Not That Funny, I Know I’m Not Wrong and of course, Tusk. The Christine McVie stuff is mostly too mellow for me. Lovely songs - just too mellow. Exception: Brown Eyes. Of course, John McVie’s bass lines are impeccable. Having Peter Green on guitar doesn’t hurt. Stevie Nicks seems to be less of a presence on this album. They played the crap out of Sara on the radio but Angel is her standout track on this album. Buckingham and McVie dominate this album. In retrospect, I can see why they got together and toured later. It’s a departure from Rumours but in the end it can’t recapture the magic. If Rumours is a “5”, this has to be a “4”

Not my thing. Beyoncé is clearly talented but I found the songs monotonous with the thumping beat in what seemed like the time signature. Also did not see the point of the explicit lyrics on some songs. A good example is Partition. Leave nothing to the imagine or to interpretation. People have been singing about sex forever. It’s more interesting when veiled in euphemisms than coming right out and saying it. A waste of 90+ minutes

This album is very much a British Invasion album. Released in 1966, many of these songs could've been Beatles songs (Party Line) or songs by other British Invasion bands like Herman's Hermits (Dandy). Sunny Afternoon is the most popular hit from this album. It's amazing to compare the songs here with their earlier work with the bluesy/power chords of You Really Got Me and All Day and All of the Night. I would've expected this album to have preceded those releases where they took more of a rock approach vs jangly acoustic guitars. It's almost like two different bands. Overall, this is an album full of really solid pop songs and very enjoyable.

The “Wall Street shuffle” is a not so subtle indictment of Wall Street style capitalism. Next up is "The Worst Band in the World" which takes a bit of a poke at the music industry. Entirely sure about what the song “Hotel” is about. It sounds like they don’t like Americans and Americans’ tendency to buy the better things. They even want the Yankees to go home. All to a calypso influence “Old Wild Men is a melancholy, mellow ode to men, who apparently reached the end of their lives and, having seen better days are waiting to die. "Clockwork Creep" is frenetic and nonsensical. I have no idea what it’s about. “Silly Love” is a pretty rockin’ tune. And I guess it’s 10 cc attempt at doing a love song. If there was one good word to describe it would be silly... "Somewhere in Hollywood" predates Eagles’ "King of Hollywood" by 5 years while covering the same topic. "Baron Samedi" starts out as an uptempo since but then changes time signature about one minute in and then picks back up a minute later. Back and forth throughout. It’s just an odd song. It might be about a superhero. Or, I might be about a vampire. It’s a head scratcher. "The Sacro-Iliac" pitches a new dance for those who don’t want to. Not surprised that it never caught on. The album closes on a high note “Oh Effendi” as we move to the Middle East and oil based capitalism. 10cc was always very experimental. And making music for art sake is all well and fine but making records is usually a decision to make money as far as the music industry goes. I have no idea how this album ever got made. I can’t imagine a record executive thinking that this was ever going to produce even a single hit

Good album. Starts off slow but picks up by the 3rd song. Did not care for "Too High" and "Visions" at all. Arguably three best songs are also the three that probably received the most airplay" "Living for the City", "Higher Ground" and "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing." Most impressive: Stevie Wonder reportedly played all the instruments. Also, was surprised to read that this was his 17th album.

Most of the songs are immelodious and the guitars are discordant. “Good Flying Birds” was okay but all the songs leading up to that were awful. “Motor Away” was pretty good. “My Valuable Hunting Knife” sounded like an actual song in that the few instruments on the track were on the same page. “Alright” was so bizarre! It’s nearly three minutes long. Other than some ‘Alrights’ early on, there are no lyrics until there are 20 seconds left. Gratefully, the songs are short. Garage rock at its worst.

I picked up this CD when it first came out. The album is full of haunting and seemingly autobiographical songs. In her biggest hit, Sinead takes Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” and makes it her own. I think “The Emperor’s New Clothes” was a single too. Really good album. I’m glad this came up to listen to when it did. Sinead recently passed and it was good to hear her once again. Incredible talent. So sad she was such a tortured soul. I hope she finds peace.

Some catchy tunes. Some quirky tunes. I kind of had this playing in the background, and the only song that really stood out to me was “Slow Train To Dawn” with Neneh Cherry. Overall, just an okay album. I might give it another listen.

Enjoyed the Waterboys! After listening to Sinead O’Connor’s “I Do Not Want…” album, a Waterboys song played next as Spotify often chooses a related artist’s song. Well, they are Irish. And British. And Welsh. And Scots so… This album is a great amalgam of Irish folk tinged rock and roll. Favorite songs with “Fisherman’s Blues” (including the alternative version) "And a Bang on the Ear". Despite being awfully long, it’s a great album.

Very Beatle-esque but they still have their own distinct sound. Jangly guitars and 3 part harmonies though out. Some political commentary common to the music of the time Great use of stereo. Sounds great when listening with headphones. Why doesn’t anyone do real stereo anymore. It was cool listening to “Mr. Tambourine Man” and hearing guitar on the right channel and bass on the left! Favorites: “I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better” - cool intro. I like the use of repetition of the verse by the lead vocal by the background singers. “It’s No Use” - great guitar work and very upbeat. Alternate version adds some interesting lead guitar and makes it a much more rockin’ song. “Don’t Doubt Yourself, Babe” - love the drums and vocals. Dig the harmonic solo. This particular album version includes alternative versions of “I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better” and several other songs. It’s always interesting to hear a different song arrangement.

Let’s see. This isn’t music that you would listen to in the background like jazz. This isn’t music that I would expect one would go to a nightclub in college and try to dance to. This isn’t music that is catchy that you would later find yourself humming to one of the tunes. This isn’t music to sing to because, by and large, there aren’t lyrics, although some songs do rap over the musical track. So, I find myself asking, “what is the purpose of this album and why is it important that I listen to it before I die”? I don’t normally look up artists that I am unfamiliar with when one is generated and presented to me but I did look up Mr. Holmes. I guess I could see some of this being used for soundtracks and apparently he makes a good living doing just that. Radio 7 is supposed to be one of the outstanding tracks on this album. It’s a mystery to me how sampling the Bond theme and laying a drum track over it passes for clever. Aren’t you just leaning on the work of others like a crutch? It’s not like when Johnny Cash made Trent Reznor’s “Hurt” his own. Or when Sinead O’Connor did the same with “Nothin Compares 2 U” when she covered Prince’s tune. From my point of view most (alll?) of the tracks are pointless and monotonous. This music doesn’t really seem to have a purpose. Without a movie or a show to assist, what is the artist trying to say? I’m not giving another moment of thought to try to answer that question.

I hear hints of Bowie’s influence and I think that this band must’ve influenced The Darkness’ vocal stylings. Solid tunes and a good mix between slow songs and uptempo rockers. I don’t think I have any favorites off this album nor do I have any that I really dislike. I’ve always liked Justine Frischmann although I have to admit I knew her from her work with Elastica rather than Suede. I think her great guitar work is the highlight of this album rather than any given song. This album gets a 5 or 6 out of 10 for me.

This album was “Something Else” that’s for sure. I’m not sure what to make of it. There were some songs that were just awful like”Lazy Old Sun”, and “End of the Season”. Sometimes, like on “Tin Soldier Man”, I felt like they were trying to be Sergeant Pepper‘s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Other songs like “Afternoon Tea” felt like they were trying to capture a mood ala Queen’s “Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon” but this song was rejected by the band and the Kinks found it while rummaging through the trash. In any case, I did not enjoy this album at all and I’m not sure why it made the list.

At the risk of sounding like a certain political leader, The Band is a band full of members that make up The Band. I’ve never really understood why folks think that The Band is so influential. To me, the music sounds a lot like other rock music that was put out at that time. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good rock music but I just don’t see how The Band influenced the acts that succeeded them. But what do I know? I am sure that some music critic, who declared this album “one of the most influential albums of all time” knows. My favorite tracks are “Across the Great Divide” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”.

This album was a pleasant surprise! I knew of Jamiroquai by name, but never really paid much to attention them. Very funky and jazzy grooves. Very listenable!

Good album. Easy to listen to. k.d. lang has a beautiful voice. “Constant Craving” is the only song I have heard before.

Dreamy, lush and ethereal sounding. The songs are all roughly in the same tempo. I found the only real difference between one song and the next depended largely on who was singing. The instruments were often indistinguishable from one another, lost in a background of synthesizer. Not my thing but not unpleasant in any way. Just meh.

Based on “White Rabbit”, people seem quick to write Jefferson Airplane off as just a psychedelic rock band but I don’t think that description does them justice. They can do it all. They rock on “Somebody to Love”. With “Today” they prove they write a top notch ballad. “Coming’ Back to Me“ is beautiful in it’s simplicity. “3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds” sports some great electric guitar work. On “How Do You Feel” they give the Mamas & the Papas a run for their money with lush harmonies. “Embryonic Journey” is an upbeat acoustic instrumental. They tackle the blues “In The Morning”. Check out the spectacular bass lines on “Come Back Baby”. This production value is right up there with the best of that time period. I one of the first things that jumped out at me is the brilliant use of stereo. This is another album best listened to with headphones on. This is truly a great album. The musicianship is top notch, they make great use of harmonies and sophisticated lyrics and melodies. Will be listening again and again.

Full disclosure: I had this album on vinyl was it was released. I’m a big fame of the 80s New Wave movement. Even though synth pop bands like Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), Blancmange and Human League preceded them, to me the Eurythmics were different in that Annie Lennox can actually sing. The songs are well written and the arrangements are lush. "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" is the breakout hit but their cover of Sam and Dave’s "Wrap It Up" is really good. I also enjoyed "The Walk” due to the addition of horns. “This is the House” gets high marks for that wicked bass line (and horns!) There aren’t any *bad* songs on the album but “Jennifer” comes close. It’s subdued and repetitive. It’s just okay. Not sure who she is (maybe Annie’s aler ego?) or why she warranted over 5 minutes of attention although I do think she drowned. I’m going to put “The City Never Sleeps” in this category too. It’s a trip that never actually goes anywhere. Compared to their contemporaries, this album is probably a “5” but I am going hold my ground about not giving out many 5s (I already regret giving a 5 to the Waterboys). So 4 of 5.

Huh? What just happened here? The only thing I came away with from this album is the fact that I could be a lead singer in a band that somehow got a recording contract. Oh and even though you changed one note, nice job stealing the bass line from Talking Heads’ “Paycho Killer” on “Eid Ma Clack Shaw”

After listening David Holmes’ Let’s Get Killed, I did not have hoped for this album. I guess this trip hop too but it’s much more listenable. It’s still not my thing but I appreciate the production value and the fact that they have various vocalists, and less repetitive sounding tunes. I enjoyed “Safe From Harm” and “Unfinished Sympathy” with Shara Nelson on vocals. I enjoyed the tracks that only rapped the least.

When I saw that Goldfrapp was considered electronic pop, I thought, “Great! Maybe l’ll hear something like Yaz or the Eurythmics” but this album is very different than those bands. None of the songs moved me. Many of the songs felt like themes for James Bond. Color me underwhelmed.

I like Elvis Costello. I like this album. Do I think it is his best album? I do not (check out My Aim is True or When I Was Cruel or a half dozen others). But there is not a bad song on this one.

Long repetitive spacey guitar driven rock songs. Not for me.

Not impressed. Lots of what sounds like songs being played backwards. Some songs were okay when they finally started singing. I enjoyed “I Hang Suspended” and “If You Want It, Take It” but that’s about it. Overrated album imo.

I am not a jazz enthusiast by any stretch but I have been exploring the genre more and more. I found this to be a really good 50s style jazz album. Sara Vaughan sure can sing and her backing band is great. I listened to this on both loud speakers and headphones. If it wasn’t for the applause and the glitch at 4:03 of Willow Weep For Me” (a mic or something was knocked over), you might mistake this for a studio album. So charming the way she recovered and sang some improvisational lyrics making fun of what happened. The recording is so good, this one would be worth owning on vinyl.

Better than I thought it would be.

Imagine you are a musician with formal training. Now, imagine someone gave you a $40,000 Moog Synthesizer in the late 70s and told you to learn how to use it. So you spent a few days with it and decided to record what you learned down in your Mom’s basement. So then you dubbed it some guitars, bass and drums. And you invited some friends over to contribute to your recordings. And everyone just played whatever they wanted with little regard for melody, harmony, or rhythm. Then , just for fun, you’d lift some sounds of people talking and splice that in. Okay, I admit the part about Mom’s basement was unnecessary but if you did the rest of that, you’d have this album. And you’d be considered avant-garde and a pioneer for sampling.

I thought I never really liked John Lennon’s solo work based on the stuff that got airplay. But I really enjoyed this! I don’t think I have ever heard any of the tracks on this album before. Top picks for me are “Working Class Hero”, “Remember” and “Well Well Well”

First things first. The guy can sing. The songs vary between cabaret and 1970s variety show tunes. Just okay.

Solid album. Reminds me of college. While they played the crap out of “While You See a Chance”, “Arc of a Diver” is the stand out song to me. The album is remarkable, and that Steve Winwood plays almost all the instruments.

In general, I am not a fan of Kate Bush’s breathy, little girl soprano. She’s a terrific lyricist and, to me, many of her songs have this ancient Saxon feel to them. “Love and Anger” is a welcome departure from that. The album seems to go back and forth between songs that kind of rock (“Heads We’re Dancing”), songs that have a lot going on (“The Fog” starts out clear and becomes a muddled mess about halfway through.) and soft love ballads. “This Woman’s Work” is an outstanding example of the ballad. “The Sensual World” is an ode to what must have been some pretty hot sex. “Reaching Out” starts out with some lovely piano and left me wishing she had kept it simple throughout.

Big band jazz with Latin rhythms! What’s not to like?

The second Suede album on the list. Good album. The songs have a certain fuzziness to them. I guess that's a feature of their sound. Song-wise nothing really stands out to me though except "The 2 of Us" because it was so different than the rest of the album.

This album is considered to be electronica but with the addition of guitars and bass it’s really much more complex and layered and quite good. Very listenable. I enjoyed almost all of the songs but especially those with vocals: "Dirge", "Soul Auctioneer", "Aisha", and "Broken Little Sister". The choir arrangement on "Aladdin's Story" was very interesting too. The only song I did not care for was “Death Threat”. I was noisy and monotonous.

Great album. From Bon Scott’s tongue-in-check lyrics combined with Angus Young’s lead guitar riffs and solos, and Malcom Young’s rhythm work (whose timing that you could set a watch to) the album just rocks. The album doesn’t have a bad song on it. Aside from the hit title track, my favorites are “Touch Too Much”, “Beating Around the Bush”, “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It) and “Night Prowler”.

Their musicianship is undeniable. I don’t speak Spanish so I don’t know what they’re singing about but the music was pretty good.

Super mellow synth pop with some guitars and strings mixed in on various songs. Some songs have a bit of an R&B feel. Didn’t really do anything for me to be frank but I appreciate the production value and the songs are very well crafted.

His first and my favorite Elvis Costello album. This is one I would consider getting on vinyl (so I did!) My favorite tunes are "Alison" (love the guitar work), "Watching the Detectives" (is there a better lyric than “red dogs under illegal legs”?) and "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes".

Loud, frenzied riffs. The lead singer sounds like she is a female version of John “Johnny Rotten” Lydon. Interesting use of horns and sax though out.

I was just a kid when The Exorcist came out but I remember the hysteria around it all. As I recall , Part 1 was used as the theme for the movie. However, I had no idea until listening to the album here that it was over 26 minutes long (pretty sure the long version never made it to Top 40 radio haha). Impressive that he played almost all of the instruments. Extra credit for doing that at 19 years of age.

Good jazz album from 1958. Billie Holiday's voice had changed significantly by this point (listen to here earlier work to see what I mean) apparently from drugs, alcohol and illness (she died the next year) but it gave her voice so much character.

This is my second Byrds album (the first was Mr. Tambourine Man) on the list. I have to say, I enjoyed Mr. Tambourine Man more. Some good songs, jangly guitars (that often sound like sitars) and two instrumentals on this particular version of the album. There are also some songs that are kind of all over the place and guitar solos that just sound like someone playing as many notes as they could without regard to the underlying tune. Some standout tracks for me are "Why" (both versions), "Eight Miles High" (the only song I've heard before) and "John Riley". I think their version of "Hey Joe (Where You Gonna Go)" was good too - really different than the bluesy rock version by Jimi Hendrix or Wilson Pickett's soulful rendition.

Although I recognized the band's name, I never listened to them as I thought gothic rock is kind of dark. However, this album is surprisingly listenable! While the lead singer's voice sounds like many others in the genre, it works. I liked "Dominion"/"Mother Russia", "Lucretia My Reflection" and "This Corrosion". No real dislikes.

innocuous, laid back background music. I really couldn’t tell the difference between most of the songs. But it was good.

Pretty typical album of the 70s prog rock genre. Peter Gabriel is the vocalist on all but one of the tracks. Phil Collins sings on the other and, as a ballad, it is the least progressive in terms of style. Some songs are really long as prog rock songs tend to be. Phill Collins' drumming is pretty interesting. Steve Hackett contributes some cool riffs. Tony Banks' keyboard seem to dominate most songs. Overall, it's a good album if you like prog rock.

Really good! Easy to listen to. I really enjoy the lead singer’s vocals. I didn’t come away with a favorite song, but there weren’t any that I disliked.

Very good album! I had forgotten what a great songwriter George Harrison was. I really enjoyed the alternative versions of "What Is Life" (backing track/alternate mix) and "My Sweet Lord (2000)".

Interesting album. I’ve always thought of Talk Talk as a synth pop band. This album, while it employs synths, seems to have more emphasis on guitars, bass and non-synth keyboards. Favorite song: “Life’s What You Make It”.

This album holds up pretty well over the 50 years since its release.

Interesting album. “Jane Says” is the track that everyone has heard before but I found the rest of the album louder (in a good way) than I expected but a bit noisy at times. I enjoyed Dave Navarro’s guitar work. I am amazed by the album cover. My first thought was to wonder how the band got away with it in 1988 while the Black Crowes caused such a s-storm with their Amorica album cover in 1994. That said, I am pretty sure the twins had inplants. In the end, I just can’t get into Jane's Addiction as a whole. I just don’t care for Farrell’s voice - to me, a little Perry Farrell goes a long way. Listening to this album left me wondering just who is Jane anyway that she had a song written for her by a band named after her and her neuropsychological disorder?

Well, unfortunately, only “A Case of You” was available on Spotify so I wasn’t able to listen to this album. But Joni Mitchell’s voice is lovely and the song is lyrically beautiful. I found the whole album on YouTube. Weird to me that it is available but not Spotify. I guess she’s monetizing by playing commercials that you must dismiss after *every* song. Once I got to listen to it, it turned out to be a really good folk album. I think Joni Mitchell is a better songwriter than singer, but the album really doesn’t have any bad songs.

Typical punk rock. Good album if you are a fan of the genre. Think Sex Pistols vs Ramones

Never heard of them. Nice folk rock. Good harmonies. Super mellow and dreamy tunes. Easy to listen to.

Dang! The Stones do it all on this record: rock, blues and even a little country. Awesome album! Of course, you have "Gimme Shelter" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want" but my favorite is "Midnight Rambler".

The musicianship is good, and the lyrics are better and by lead singer's voice ruins it for me.

Spotify only had one song: "El Harba Wine". I'd characterize it as Middle Eastern Pop. It was nothing special so I am not going to chase down the other songs on YouTube or wherever. Not my thing but the guy can sing though so bonus point.

Whenever an album comes up on this list, I look at it from the perspective of why I must hear the album before I die. I'm drawing a blank on this one. The musicianship has some value and it sounds well produced but SZA seems like just another artist too reliant on autotune and explicit lyrics. There are seem catchy tunes but most of it was just run of the mill R&B with some hip hop mixed in. I've heard a bunch of albums that take me out of my comfort zone and make me want to give it another listen but this is not one of them.

Found the reviewed album on YouTube. High BPM drums. Some sampling. Repetitive. Sparse vocals. Innocuous music. High energy - might be good to run to. Or dance to if you were really high. Otherwise without value imo.

I find this to be a typical new wave synth-pop album in my respects. The musicianship/programming is top notch and the vocals are different than a lot of other bands of this period. Compare them to Human League, Heaven 17 or even Depeche Mode and you’ll find that the lead singer, Morten Harket, has a bit more range than those lead singers even if the top end of his range is falsetto. We’re not talking Jimmy Somerville/Bronski Beat falsetto, Harket uses it more sparingly. The best songs on this album are probably those that were released as singles. Made me want to see their videos. Interestingly, the video for “Take on Me” has over 1 billion views which is pretty rare. When I first saw it on MTV, I think it was the fist to use animation so kudos to whoever thought of that. All that said, I still think it is just a 3. Maybe 7/10.

90sAlternative. Familiar with the name but never heard their music. Why aren’t they more popular? Lots of overdriven fuzzy guitars and good pop sensibilities. Very catchy. Can hear the Beatles and Byrds influences. Totally underrated band. Will give another listen!

Too artsy and pretentious for me. I found Bryan Ferry's vocals especially annoying with that vibrato thing he does. I guess I am just not appreciative of the "avant-garde"

*Great* album. Tremendous mix of hard edged guitars, gritty vocals, heavy lyrics and perfectly designed rhymes. This album is so good, it’s hard to believe that it is the band’s first album. Every song is produced to perfectly blend heavy metal and rap/hip-hop. It’s hard to pick out a favorite, but "Cure for the Itch" feels like filler. The magic occurs when the lyrics, raps, scratching, samples and guitars all play off one another.

I get this album, see the name John Martyn and look him up. He’s described as a British folk singer-songwriter. I thought great, another Joni Mitchell album (folk is not my thing). Boy, was I pleasantly surprised! This is a good album!

Okay songs. Okay band. Okay singer. Okay album.

Let’s face it. Bowie is brilliant but weird. The songs on this album reflect that. There’s a reason that “Heroes” is really the only hit from this album. I found the rest of it mostly unlistenable avant-garde crap. But it’s Bowie so an extra star for that.

Thrash Metal. They seem to like long intros. The songs range from fast tempo to blazingly fast tempo often in the same song. There must be a dozen tempo changes in “Among The Living” on the track. Vocals are just okay. Lyrics are meh. Rhythm guitar work is tight. The bass and drums are amazingly in synch. Not my thing but I can appreciate the musicianship.

Dreamy, spacey electronic music. Some of the sounds are a little dated but overall it’s not a bad album. Easy to listen to and not repetitive like some songs on similar albums.

This was okay. In general, songs with vocals were better than the instrumentals. Some songs were just too long and monotonous.

Talking Heads is one of those bands that I did not appreciate when they first came out. I think many people see them as l've 'em or harte 'em. They've grown on me over the years. Glad to revisit this album. A wonderfully weird debut album. "Psycho Killer" is likely the only song most people have ever heard of. The rest of the album is very good too.

I dunno. I think The Velvet Underground is overrated. I find Lou Reed to be overrated. Frankly, Andy Warhol is overrated too. He certainly doesn’t deserve a bridge named after him in Pittsburgh. I’m not sure who Nico is or what songs he sings. All of the vocalists are mediocre. The album is pretty dark and covers some seedy topics. I am coming to the conclusion that “art rock” is not my thing.

It’s hard to believe this album didn’t get any love when it was first released. A little rock and a little folk with some country mixed in. Not at all like The Byrds. Well written songs and vocals. Very good!

Not to my liking but you can’t deny their talent and musicality.

Not bad. Not hip hop as I think of it. Interesting rhythms combined with some good melodies.

Meh. I don't see what all the hub-bub is about with Radiohead. Musically, this album seems very experimental. The vocals are boring. For me, it's just meh.

Easily the best Who album imo. Never listened to it with headphones before. The guitar work is sublime ;-)

Pretty good. Vocals remind of Oasis although this is more pop than rock.

Boring, monotonous, background techno. Don't see the appeal. People who use drum machines should figure out how to do fills and tempo changes.

The simple arrangements mark the period/time when musicians performed good, wholesome music. Beautiful harmonies and wholesome rock 'n' roll!

Did you ever notice you never saw Michael and Janet together at the same time? And since he passed away, Janet no longer performs? Coincidence? I think not. I'd rate this a "2" but there is some wicked guitar work mixed in throughout this album so +1.

This stuff is pretty catchy. The songs are in Spanish so I did not know what he is singing about but it was pretty good pop music. Easy to enjoy.

Noisy, muddled and often unlistenable (e.g. "who sees you"), this is another one of those albums that seems to be the list simply because the band is from the UK. It is difficult to understand the vocals as the lead singer mumbles his way through the songs. "is this and yes" is another example of how awful things get. It's like one of those songs that the free streaming channels play on show breaks because they can't get anyone to advertise with them. Don't get me wrong, I love guitars and fuzz pedals but this was too much much fuzz. Even the vocals are fuzzy. Why so much fuzz? I couldn't wait for the album to end but it did. It was terrible.

Long, seemingly pointless songs. Impressively synchronized playing by all three musicians. Progressive rock at its finest? I guess. Extra points for the armadillo tank.

Bruce got the band back together! Although, to be honest, there are several songs that sound like the E Street Band is not playing on The Boss' album at all. Then Clarence Clemons chimes in and all is well. It's a pretty somber album but pretty well executed.

Gabriel’s first album after leaving Genesis. Some songs are throwbacks to the progressive rock thing he did in Genesis. A few other songs that kind of rock. The radio friendly “Solsbury Hill” is here too. Not his best album in my opinion but pretty good for a debut.

Two Peter Gabriel albums in a row (1 and 3). I like 3 (aka Melt) better than 1. It's supposedly more experimental but I found it more listenable. Enjoyed "I Don’t Remember" and "Games Without Frontiers". "Family Snapshot" was very interesting (and disturbing).

I am not sure what to make of this album. It's not very musical. I would call it spoken word art if I had to pick a way to categorize it. There are some places were singing occurs but a lot of it was a guy with a cool voices telling a story. No effort to rhyme. But good imagery from the "lyrics".

Is it me or does all of this electronic music have the same beat? I was listening to this album and when it ended Spotify put on a similar artist and I swear that they had the same drum track. I guess this music would be good to dance to but otherwise I didn’t have much use for it.

A little soul, a little, old school, R&B, and even a little funk makes this a really good album. It’s too bad the entire thing was not available on Spotify because I really enjoyed it.

Not familiar with this artist. Thoughtful indie rock. Surprisingly good. Too bad he is no longer with us.

Never was a big Judas Priest fan but this is the band at its best. Strong songs, tight musicianship and high quality production shows how quintessential this album is.

Blues, pop and soul all come into play on this, Adele’s second album. It’s deeply personal as she wrote about the relationship troubles she was having at the time and her voice brings this all to life.

Lush harmonies. Sophisticated lyrics. More Simon than Garfunkel. ‘Nuff said.

The issue with Smith’s voice is that he has a very limited range, and that leads to many songs sounding very much the same.

More electronic dance music. It seemed to be more more varied than some of the other stuff that I have listened to on the list. Drum tracks varied. Synths varied. Some songs seemed awfully long. Blueski was different (which is why I looked to see what the name is) and short. It was okay. Extra credit for variety.

It's loud. Much what you'd expect from a punk rock album. Extra credit for the Germs being one of the first punk rock bands.

More like Non-Stop Erotic Karaoke. Pretty awful. Extra star because of Tainted Love

I don’t know how somebody writes a brilliant song like “Changes”, and then comes up with the rest of the stuff that’s on this album. Although “Queen Bitch” was pretty rocking and sort of amusing.

Okay album. The highlights here are “The Killing Moon” and “Seven Seas” The lowlight here is “Thorn of Crowns”.

Not a big Dylan fan. I think his voice is annoying and his harmonica playing is dreadful. That said, this is a pretty good album. No doubt about his songwriting. He can write.

Dreadful.

Van Morrison has one of coolest and most distinctive voices in rock n roll. This album is super mellow and the music is pretty stripped down. I don’t think the songs do him justice but his vocals are pretty great nevertheless.

Never listened to Marilyn Mason before. Never will again. Unless there is another album on the list. Then that will be the last album.

Great album. Although it is probably not fair to compare the 1972 version of the band with the 1976 version, if Hotel California is a 5, then this is a 4.

Good! Very jazzy and upbeat.

He can't play harmonica or sing but these are darn good songs.

All instrumentals. Classic rhythm & blues.

Never did get to see The Who live but, if this album is any indication, they are pretty good. Solid live album with really good recording quality.

Mid-tempo alt-rock from the 90s with slacker lyrics that pass for thoughtful. No bad songs but nothing really stood out either. Could have used a drum machine (maybe they did). Cover is pretty disturbing tbh

Pretty good. About what I'd expect from the genre and time period.

Very pleasant listening. Wikipedia says it is bossa nova but most of the songs sounded like more like jazz to me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Good album!

Really good album. The only song I did not enjoy was the title track. There is something dissonant about the way it sounded to me. Minus 1 for the severed penis haha

Good album - it's well written and Faithfull's is very expressive. I know I have heard the title track but did not realize it was done by Marianne Faithfull. Pretty sure I have heard Working Class Hero before too.

Madonna at perhaps her peak creative powers. Did not care for Act of Contrition but everything else was good.

Good album but totally over produced. MJ’s squeaks, gasps, woots and hee-hees wear thin quickly. I find it difficult to take his songs about women seriously given his reported proclivities and Speed Demon is just ridiculous. Still there are bunch of hits on this album, hence the score.

I’m not a big Lou Reed fan. But this album is okay.

This album is OK. It sounds like they had a lot of fun recording.

Classic. Compared to the schlock played these days, this album is a 5. I remember listening to this in high school. Even though it had been out for several years at that point, there was really nothing else like it.

The quintessential Johnny Cash album. Outrageous at the time. Who goes and plays a concert for convicts? The Man In Black. That’s who. Singlehandedly started the whole outlaw country genre imo.

I liked it. Energetic synth pop.

I had no idea what to expect. I heard the band's name mentioned but never heard their music. I did not care for it at first but it grew on me. Surprisingly good.

I don't know if it was just Spotify but this album was *long*. Good album if you like experimental, improvisational jazz... I don't. I much preferred Davis' Kind Of Blue album to this one. That said, the musicianship here was top notch. Still, I can rate it any higher than a 3.

My previous exposure to Joy Division was "Love Will Tear Us Apart". I've always thought that was a terrible song mostly due to lead singer Ian Curtis' inability to carry a tune. With that out of the way, this album was a pleasant surprise and better than I expected. I can definitely see how Joy Division became New Order.

Congratulations to Metallica for playing together with an orchestra 30 years after Deep Purple did it. And The Who who actually wrote a rock opera to be played with an orchestra around the same time. I'm sure there are others.

Kacey Musgraves has a very pleasant, pretty voice. It's a really good country pop album. Maybe a perfect pop album. Not a bad song on it. That said, I am not sure why it is among the 1001 Songs. Credit where credit is due: 7/10

This was better than I expected but still kind of hit and miss. It started off strong and went downhill from there. I don’t care for the Kim Gordon “vocals” all the much. I really liked Dirty Boots. Mildred Pierce was about 2 minutes too long.

Not my thing - overrated album in my view (for what *that's* worth). I often felt like the musicians were playing different songs at the same time. +1 because Fred has a pleasant voice. Oh and Harry Nilson did "Everybody's Talkin'" better.

What a weird and quirky album! Never heard it before. I kind of like it but will probably never listen to it again. I'm going to go read the review to find out what was going on when they recorded this because it is a very strange album.

I can’t say it better than this: We play short songs and short sets for people who don't have a lot of spare time. Tommy Ramone

I own this album on vinyl. It was my introduction to Miles Davis. I find it to be the perfect jazz album.

Great album! It's pretty rockin' - not really a bad song on it. Killer Queen is the hit here and is probably the first song I ever heard from Queen. My favorites are (in album order): Brighton Rock, Killer Queen, Tenement Funster, Flick of the Wrist, Now I'm Here, Stone Cold Crazy, and Misfire. I am ambivalent about Lily Of the Valley, Dear Friends, Bring Back That Leroy Brown and The Lap Of The Gods... Revisited. In The Lap Of The Gods is strange and the song I liked least.

An interesting melding of Eastern music and American Blues. I really did not care for it overall. I think the musicianship was fine but I did not care for the vocals. I liked "Soubour" and "Nick" but the rest of the songs were just meh. I feel like this album would not be included in the list if it weren't for the Band's backstory and the obstacles they overcame to create their music.

I know this is supposed to be their seminal album but it doesn't really do anything for me. It's just okay 1980s synth pop. I prefer Yazoo (Yaz), Blancmange, Erasure, Human League or Heaven 17 to OMD and New Order. 2/5

I remember some of these songs as singles when I was a kid. The whole album has that thin late 60s production sound. Album was just okay for me.

What an awful album. I kind of liked the first song “The Occasional Flicker” and then I realized it sounds a lot like “Come On Eileen”. It went downhill from there for me. The vocalist has the most annoying vibrato I think I’ve ever heard. As if that isn’t bad enough, most of the songs are too long (e.g. the 12+ minute “That is What She’s Like” - BTW, what’s with the pointless conversation in the beginning?) Others are unoriginal (“One of Those Things” rips off Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London”). It’s hard to believe that this is same band that came up with "Come On Eileen". DMR is clearly a one-hit-wonder and I found the album without any redeeming qualities. 1/10.

Overrated. Not sure why this album went double platinum - it came across as a hot mess to me. I always say “a little Perry Farrell goes a long way”. I can only take him in small doses. +1 for Dave Navarro‘s guitar work which is always tasty.

Soft, mellow and dreamy. Lana Del Ray has a nice voice but little range. The songs all sound very similar to the point that I mistook the first 3 songs ("White Dress", "Chemtrails over the Country Club" and "Tulsa Jesus Freak") as the same song. I enjoyed "Let Me Love You like a Woman" and "Wild at Heart". The rest of the album was just okay. Not enough variety for me to revisit this particular album.

Loud, edgy and primitive. Pretty good!

Interesting listen - for a genre that makes use of a repetitive 4/4 time signature, I found that there was enough varieties between songs that I did not feel like it was a 30 minute-long song. Not too bad overall!

The album consists of several instrumentals except the title track with is largely instrumental with some lyrics. A sample: Wir fahr'n, fahr'n, fahr'n, auf der Autobahn Wir fahr'n, fahr'n, fahr'n, auf der Autobahn Wir fahr'n, fahr'n, fahr'n, auf der Autobahn Wir fahr'n, fahr'n, fahr'n, auf der Autobahn for 22 minutes hahaha. Well, except the instrumental parts. Very industrial. Very German. I like it. I can see why it is thought of as the foundation and influencer of synth pop.

Ahh, 90s grunge. Or is it 90s alternative? Whatever you call it, it rocks. I think the only thing that makes it "grunge" is the timeframe it was released and the flannel shirts. It's a great album and has aged really well. I think you could release this today; it's not dated at all.

Old time country with fiddles, steel guitar and banjos. It's a collection of low tempo songs sung by three great voices with lush harmonies. Even if you don't like country, you have to appreciate how talented these ladies are.

I enjoyed the songs where she sings (she has a good voice) but the rap and hip-hop did nothing for me. I'm neutral on the reggae flavored cuts. Overall, just an okay listen for me. Kind of overrated. And way too long.

Blues based rock - great album! This may be my favorite Zeppelin. Brings back fine memories of high school.

Not sure why there are two Massive Attack albums on "The List". Subdued rhythms, guest singers and electronic sounds. I got Blue Lines lines in August 2023 and I don't really find any difference between the two albums. Had I died before hearing this, I don't think I would have missed much.

This is supposed to be an album by a super group? Super bad maybe. Just an awful album. 2/10. +1 for some interesting work by the rhythm section so round up to a "2"

I listened to Led Zeppelin in my high school years. My recollection of Led Zeppelin I through IV albums was that they were very good. I just reviewed Led Zeppelin I the other day and it was as good as I remembered. However, this album is not as good as I remember. I don’t think it’s very good at all.

I don’t really like Pink Floyd But this was surprisingly good. David Gilmour‘s guitar licks are fantastic. My main criticism would be that “Shine on you crazy diamond” song was awfully long.

Okay dance music, I guess. I find the music to be very formulaic. Start out with a synth line for one measure, add a bass line in the next measure, add symbols then drums in subsequent measures. Different lines, lyrics and sometimes different tempos so the songs don’t sound alike. Ho hum. Not impressed.

I’m okay with this musically but the vocals are awful. -1 because the vocalist ruined this for me.

Strange and not my thing but at the same time beautiful and haunting.

Pretty good dance music! Probably won't listen to it again but I did not hate it.

Rockin’! The guitarist has chops!!

Take some bluesy guitar work, add a whole bunch of funk and integrate it with some weird themes -= good stuff

Usually, when I ask myself "why is this on the list?", it's because the album is really bad. This is not bad at all. But the question remains: what is so important about a mid-90s punk rock album that it made the list? I have no answer...

Is this his greatest album? It may be. Even though there are a few snoozers, I feel like Elton John and Bernie Taupin were at height of their creative powers. 9/10.

This was good. But if “A Night at the Opera” (their Magnum Opus) is a 5 and I gave“Sheer Heart Attack a 4 then I can only give this a 3.

I knew of the New York Dolls but never paid them any attention. That was a mistake. I can hear (and see) how the Dolls influenced the early albums by KISS and you can hear how The Rolling Stones influenced the Dolls. About a zillion bands credit the Dolls as an influence. All influences aside, I really enjoyed this album and will probably listen to it again.

I thought I knew Beck based on some of the songs that were released and played on the radio that really doesn’t capture his weird, eclectic style. An enjoyable listen.

It's been quite a ride over the past three days. The New York Dolls on Sunday and the Cramps on Tuesday and Beck's Odelay in between. I didn't realize that I was a fan of punk. The Cramps throw in some rockabilly which I have always been drawn to. They have a spooky Halloween feel to some of their songs which seems appropriate since Halloween is a two days away. Good stuff!

Amazing album - I had no idea that Harry Nilsson was this good. I remember hearing "Without You" as a 9 year old kid. As an adult, I think it is one of the saddest songs ever written (and a Badfinger cover at that). Recently "Gotta Get Up" has bubbled into my consciousness from a commercial or something. To be honest, I thought it was a Billy Joel song. I'd give this album a 7 of 10. An unexpected gem that I will listen to again.

I have mixed feelings about this album. I’m sorry he passed away. Dennis Wilson cannot sing very well. +1 because… The Beach Boys

Good 1970s album.

Is there anyone in the last 25 years or so that is more prolific than Jack White? Between the White Stripes, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather and his solo work it seems like he was everywhere for a while. This was an interesting album. It is a bit all over the place in terms of musical styles and that's a good thing. Not a bad song on the album. Nothing to get too excited over either.

Imagine you visit London on a business trip. Your daughter is going to school there for the semester and you meet her for dinner. She convinces you to go with her to meet her friends who are going clubbing. You agree to go for one drink and one of those “friends” slips you some MDMA at the club and the drug kicks in. The next hour+ of your life sounds like this album. In all seriousness, I found the album to be pretty repetitive except "Setting Sun" and "Where Do I Begin" both of which had vocals. I did enjoy the bass lines in several of the songs but the drums were rather annoying throughout.

Good alternative rock - the Manics have a good sound. I don't think there is anything that differentiates them from other bands in this genre. To me, the most interesting thing about the band is the disappearance of their lyricist/rhythm guitarist Richey James. It's a solid album.

Why is Nick Cave so melodramatic? I don't care for his vocals. If the vocals are not there then I can't look past the alleged greatness of this album. 3/10.

This is a pretty amazing album. It's an hours and 46 minutes long. I looked it up and it was originally released as a 2 LP vinyl set. Released in 1976, it has held up very well. It does not sound dated to me. If you are familiar with Stevie Wonder at all, you'll recognize \"I Wish\", \"Sir Duke\" and \"Isn't She Lovely\". While those are hits, there aren't any bad songs. Wonder is just that talented. Little wonder (no pun intended) it is considered his best. It's pretty much a perfect record.

Ah, the 70s. Simpler times, simpler songs. Compared to lyrics written for songs today, these songs are filled with naive, almost childlike lyrics. It was just a more innocent time I guess. Many of the songs have the same feel as songs lifted from musicals (long before Mama Mia debuted on Broadway). The recording and production is first rate. Many hits: "Dancing Queen", "Fernando", "Knowing Me, Knowing You", and "Money, Money, Money" "Dum Dum Diddle" was kind of dumb, "Tiger" was pretty cheesy and I am not sure what's going on "When I Kissed the Teacher". Overall, this album was a 7/10 for me so I'll round up.

This was an amazing album! It was a lot more complex than I expected. I have listened to them in my youth but I can’t say that I am a Black Sabbath fan but I think this is worth listening to more than just once for this project.

It's jazzy piano, bass and drums. The bass solos are a little too improvisational for my liking but in general it's a pretty easy listen. The recording is excellent. I did not realize it was a live album until the audience clapped. Very good album.

I write this paragraph before listening to this album. Prior to this, I listened to four albums that were 4s in my book. Will this album make 5 in a row? Or will my 174th album reviewed break the streak and drop down below 4 or break the streak and achieve a rare 5. I have to admit that, based on the title (“Collapsing New Buildings” according to Brave's AI search), my expectations are not great. Having not read too much about the band beyond their name and their "experimental and avant-garde sound", I am hoping to be pleasantly surprised. After trying to listen to the album I can only rate this as awful. I only made it into the 6th song. I felt like I was walking through some modern art exhibit where this album was playing in the background. Dreadful. 1/10

Celtic/English tinged folk music set to electric guitars. Some songs have a country western feel to them. Guitar work is very good. I could take or leave Richard's vocals. I think Linda's voice is wonderful. This album was (too?) short even with the bonus live tracks. Good album.

Good country rock album. Ahead of its time, really.

Mostly unlistenable dreck - this strikes me as art for art's sake. That is to say it is without any discernible purpose. The best part of the album was the songs were, gratefully, short.

I thought this was awful. It reminded me of a technically proficient high school band of misfits whose singer owned the mics and PA so he got to be the vocalist.

What's the big deal with this guy? Neil Young is totally overrated. I was glad when the album was over so I could listen to something better (in this case, whatever arbitrary playlist of "similar" songs by "similar" artists that the Spotify algorithm came up with). Young has always been sub-par as a vocalist but this album takes it to new lows for me. He's frequently flat, his voice cracks in several places in multiple songs. The one song whose lead vocals that stood out to me, "Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown", isn't even sung by him. Does he write good songs? Yes, I guess so (although I can think of very few I like personally). So I am going to magnanimous here (how pompous of me) and give him a 3/10.

Good blues based rock and some good blues cover plus Rod Stewart on vocals is a 7/10 for me.

The B52's don't take themselves too seriously and that's part of the appeal. The lyrics are silly, vocals often over the top and the melodies are simple. The guitar work is my favorite part. It's just enough and fits in perfectly with the stripped down keyboards, solid drums and various noise makers like toy pianos and buzzers. Fun album!

Good album but somewhat unremarkable. It's a typical late 1960s psychedelic rock album in my view. Heavy on the organ and thin 60s style guitar work.

House music. Not my thing.

Ah, the classic Pink Floyd album. Classic cover. Classic prog rock. Two classic singles: "Money" and "Us and Them". It’s as good as I remember as a kid and I’m not even a Pink Floyd fan.

What a great blues album! Absolutely perfect in my view. Will get this on vinyl.

This album is very polished and well produced. Her vocals are soulful and sexy. She has such a lovely voice. It is a very easy listen.