Journey in Progress
Discovering music one album at a time
219
Albums Rated
3.02
Avg Rating
10
5-Star Albums
20%
Complete
870 albums remaining
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2.1
Per Week
723
Days Active
Reviews
219
Written
100%
Review Rate
vs Global
-0.31
Avg Diff
3.02
Avg Rating
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Average rating over time
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Which era do you prefer?
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2010s
Favorite Decade
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Harsh
Rater Style
4
1-Star Albums
Taste Analysis
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Ratings by genre
Origin Preferences
Ratings by country
Rating Style
You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orbital 2 | 5 | 2.69 | +2.31 |
| Smokers Delight | 5 | 2.91 | +2.09 |
| Fever Ray | 5 | 2.99 | +2.01 |
| 1989 | 5 | 3.27 | +1.73 |
| Music in Exile | 5 | 3.33 | +1.67 |
| Kenza | 4 | 2.58 | +1.42 |
| Moving Pictures | 5 | 3.59 | +1.41 |
| Dummy | 5 | 3.71 | +1.29 |
| Ananda Shankar | 4 | 2.82 | +1.18 |
| Disintegration | 5 | 3.85 | +1.15 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abbey Road | 2 | 4.46 | -2.46 |
| Daydream Nation | 1 | 3.3 | -2.3 |
| A Night At The Opera | 2 | 3.96 | -1.96 |
| The Doors | 2 | 3.95 | -1.95 |
| E.V.O.L. | 1 | 2.89 | -1.89 |
| (What's The Story) Morning Glory | 2 | 3.84 | -1.84 |
| Californication | 2 | 3.71 | -1.71 |
| Moondance | 2 | 3.71 | -1.71 |
| After The Gold Rush | 2 | 3.64 | -1.64 |
| Talking Heads 77 | 2 | 3.56 | -1.56 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums and high weighted score
| Artist | Albums | Avg | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pink Floyd | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
Least Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums and low weighted score
| Artist | Albums | Avg | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sonic Youth | 2 | 1 | 2.2 |
5-Star Albums (10)
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Popular Reviews
Fever Ray
5/5
This was an unexpected and delightful surprise, because when I saw the artist name, my brain mixed it up with, “Sugar Ray.” This is nothing like Sugar Ray.
The album is rich with atmosphere and kept me engaged the entire time. The track, Keep the Streets Empty for Me, was hauntingly familiar, and it painted a montage in my mind of an IRA cell preparing to strike, hoping to avoid collateral damage, and fully expecting they might not come back. I picture Sean Bean as one of the soldiers in their ranks, so their prospects are not good.
That track also marks a shift in the tone of the album. The remaining three tracks strike me as a requiem or sorts, as opposed to the subdued energy of the first 2/3 of the album. I will definitely be listening to this album again!
3 likes
Can
2/5
This album is bonkers, but I kind of enjoyed it. Track 4, 'Halleluhwah' and Track 7 'Bring Me Coffee or Tea' was 4 or 5 star worthy--a little psychedelic, certainly abstract, and good progressive development.
The rest of the album fluctuates between 1-2.75 territory for me. Track 6, 'Peking O' sounds like perhaps what Throbbing Gristle was trying to emulate later in "D.O.A. the Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle" except that Tago Mago actually loosely meet some of the characteristics of what defines the word "music."
1 likes
1-Star Albums (4)
All Ratings
Joy Division
2/5
The first track immediately made me think of Fred Armisen singing in "The History of Punk" skit, which I think speaks to the distinctive sound associated with punk (and SNL's ability to spoof it well.) Heading into track two, a bait and switch reveals itself... nothing else on this album is punk. The album is interesting to hear as part of the cutting edge of a New Wave of music, but I lost interest somewhere in the middle of the album. By the last few tracks I was hoping it would just end already and let me move on to some Brian Eno or something to clear my ears. I'd probably enjoy it more as an instrumental compilation.
Sorry, this is a solid, "meh" to me, but I offer the artists all respect for the road it paved for others.
The Smiths
3/5
I always assumed The Smiths were another folksy/country/family type deal, so I encountered several surprises: 1. They're nothing like The Carpenters, 2. They're British!
I wasn't feeling anything in this album until track 3's bass guitar, then I started to open up to it. I can enjoy some dark irony, and there's a few tracks here that scratch that itch. Track 5 sends me vibes of Duran Duran.
Musically, this album is fine.
Sigur Rós
4/5
I don't speak Icelandic, so my take on this album is purely sonic and not linguistic. Listening to the first part of this album is like laying out among the grass on a late summer day, looking up at the sky, watching the clouds go by as a gentle breeze cools off your body from the warm touch of the sun. It's relaxing, it coaxes you into reflecting back upon the summer—and the summers before it, but it's also melancholy—another summer is nearly over, and there just wasn't enough time to live.
The second part of the album hits, and it's back to school, back to the grind, and everything is overwhelming all over again. There's too many choices, too much information, everything is rushed, there's anger and disappointment. Maybe it's a few years later, and it's commuting to and from the office, or shuttling children between school and extra curricular activities. Grocery shopping, car repairs, rent—responsibilities. However, there's still the recent memory of the summer, and it creeps back in and offers encouragement—there is hope of new opportunities and unexpected possibilities. Maybe you meet some new friends, or that special someone. Maybe some of your old friends seem a little bit different, a little bit older, a little bit wiser. Maybe it's a new child , creating and enjoying new experiences with dear friends, or participating in an exciting profession or mission that is changing the world.
And then you arrive at the last track, and as you settle into that final shavasana as life fades away from your body, you realize what you knew all along: life wasn't just those summers, it wasn't just those highlights, it was all the bits and pieces in between that mattered, too.
This is solid music.
Sarah Vaughan
4/5
Fun, intimate recording, everyone is on point and in the groove, and that energy can't help but rub off on the audience—both then and now.
ABBA
3/5
Ever since I can first recall hearing “adult music”, there has always been ABBA—and even though I didn't know any of the artists' names at the time, they were right there along side Linda Ronstadt, Donovan, Gordon Lightfoot, Bread, Roger Whittaker, and Vangelis. But that experience has always been through individual tracks on a mix tape, on the radio, or through the compilation of a best-of album or, ahem, a certain movie.
This album is upbeat, carefree, and not quite disco. There are a couple tracks I'd never heard before, and I really enjoyed the titular track, Arrival—its regal, Gaelic influence stands apart from the rest of the album as brief intermission or something. There are some 4 and 5 star tracks on here that are also some of their biggest hits.
While reflecting on why this album may have been included on this list of 1001 albums, let me go back to that earlier description, "not quite disco." It makes me think, "What genre is this?" It's nothing like the folk music of the era. It's not rock and roll like Elvis or the Beetles in the generations before. It's not heavy metal like Black Sabbath, nor is it like the progressive/experimental rock that King Crimson and Genesis were making at the time. It's dance-able, but certainly not Soul, Jazz, Blues, or Country—and it's not funky enough to be Disco. The closest thing I can conclude is that, this is pop music. It's perhaps some of the earliest of the genre that would later assume that name. It's fun to listen to, easy to sing along with and dance to, has regular electronic/synthesizer accompaniment—it's catchy, and it sticks in your head.
Overall I don't see myself revisiting this complete album very much—not because there's anything wrong with it though. The issue with an album like this is perhaps how the music around it has matured. It is like that quality, comfortable, old paperback still sitting on your bookshelf: you hang on to it just in case the itch arises to revisit it, but you just never really need to because there are so many more contemporary options available that continue to satisfy.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
I listened to this 2.5 times. Half-way through the first listen, I was so annoyed by the audio engineering that I just had to stop—this should be about the music, and not the 1970's distain for any tones under 600Hz.
“I'mma fuck your ears raw—with sound.”
- Every 70s Audio Engineer
After recomposing myself and remembering that not EVERY 70s album is so... bright—Paranoid is so good, right?—and that there are many other redeemable attributes, I put on a good pair of headphones, turned the volume down, dug in, and braced myself for the next attack.
It opens with a funeral dirge and then jumps into some high energy, catchy tunes. From there, we wallow back and forth in a wonderful manic-depressive state from smooth coffeehouse jams to energetic revelry. (And, they finally let the bass open up a little bit as Baby drives away.)
First [next] impression: Okay, I'm digging most of the music, it's pleasant, emotionally moving, and it makes nice use of stereo separation. Also, yikes a lot of their long-time hits came from this album alone! Good on 'em. But, what the heck were the lyrics? I mean, they're probably important. I better listen again...
Second [point five] impression: Wow yep, they said words. I love the subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) layers they mixed down in these tracks, everything is crisp and clear, and dang that stereo mix creates a great atmosphere! It's a good thing I listened with headphones.
I thought I'd listened the album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme before, but after a review of that tracklist, nope! This was apparently my first time* with Simon & Garfunkel. If recent history is any indication, I'll be back around soon. And my ears will, too.
* Excluding compilations and best-of albums
The Byrds
3/5
I had only ever heard a few random hits from The Byrds before, and I never paid them much mind. I've got to say though—grainy cover art aside—this is an intriguing album. It's difficult to pin down the genre and the era that this fits into, and I completely understand that this isn't going to be for everyone.
It starts with a fairly normal sounding 60s era rock & roll number (with more untethered bass than a certain Simon & Garfunkel album, I might add... ahem). But you know what, including that trumpet and guiro is an interesting choice—that's not "normal" rock & roll. The next tracks kind of mellow in the 60s a bit longer before taking the listener back to the sounds of the 50s. And then BAM! What the heck is this—folk rock? And country rock? I think the message from the artists here are, "Stop trying to put us in a cage!"
[Tangent] In track six, Everybody's Been Burned, I can't help but wonder, did the Broccoli family fire some Byrdshot at them for using that cord progression?
Okay, next up, stuff gets weird. Like, what is this voodoo? As prog fan, this is kind of mind-blowing because I had no clue this type of experimentation and electronic modulation was happening in this era. Did these Byrds themselves excrete and scatter the seeds of giants to follow? Or, am I simply ignorant of others doing the same? Here's what I do know: lyrically and aurally Mind Gardens casts a spell that compels me to add Rush's Witch Hunt to the end of this playlist.
The rest of the album continues to hop back and forth between these sounds: folky, rocky, country... Byrdy.
This album is perhaps a bit much to digest all at once. I mean, I like pizza, and I like Mexican, and I like Lebanese, but I don't think I'm up to eating it in the same meal—at least not every day. But I'll be hot-danged if I don't try it from time to time.
Sonic Youth
1/5
I um... hummmm... ehhh... well... Track 2, Shadow of a Doubt, is almost palatable. Maybe this album is of historical value as a carin (or as carrion?) marking the way to the scenic trails of industrial and post-rock.
No. No, this album is not for me. No.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
I can't decide how I feel about this album and keep wavering between a 2 and a 4. There are elements of musical genius splattered all over this—smooth and funky riffs on the electric, interesting sequences on the bass, beautiful melodies, haunting vocals and fiddle—but the tracks combined don't necessarily feel like a cohesive piece to me. I feel like perhaps my brain is just missing something.
Down by the River and Running Dry are standout favorite tracks for me, with Cowgirl in the Sand as a moderate third. Based on these tracks alone, I think I'll be back to listen to this album several more times... and soon!
Louis Prima
3/5
This is fine. It's energetic background music. I'm curious what is so distinct about this album over any other big band/jazz/swing music of any time. I'm not so curious that I'll go track down the book or anything though.
Beatles
3/5
It's fine. Nice mix of instrumentation, there are sevel well know hits on here, exceptional audio mastering (at least in the 2022 mix) and recording quality that sounds like it could have been recorded today.
These are all relatively short tracks, with the longest clocking in at a whopping three minutes.
I've never been particularly hot for the Beatles. I can't say for sure that I've ever listened to a full album from them, but this listen-through helps give me a better respect for them. Tomorrow Never Knows may be my favorite track. I like the 1st take version released on the super deluxe re-release even better—one might describe the sound as industrial Egyptian rock.
Tim Buckley
4/5
This is an interesting mix of funk, country rock, even a little blues. It sounds like Mr. Buckley and crew are having a blast playing around, without a care in the world who is listening—they just be groovin'!
tldr; I'm overthinking it. I enjoyed the music and am perhaps too prudish to listen to this with other people around.
My first impression—taken from the very second line of lyrics—is that the album's primary theme relates to the title, if perhaps “L.A.” isn't referring to “the City of Angels,” but to “the Lower Abdomen.” [Tangent] I wonder if listeners in 1972 thought about this album similar to listeners in 2000 did of Shaggy's album, Hot Shot—a guilty pleasure that somehow acceptably loosens society's typically uptight chastity belt for a moment.
Get on Top carries the fun to the next level with a bunch of nonsense scatting and a great, upbeat groove. Once we get a little further into the album though, we get a glimpse that perhaps there's more to this than one's celebration of kinky, sexy times: There's Nighthawking, a dichotomically upbeat story about an encounter with an angry, drunk, possibly racist former soldier; Hong Kong Bar is a sharp contrast from other tracks, painting a mellow, bluesy atmosphere while signing about loss and making due with what one's got—it sounds reminiscent of a work song slaves in the US South might have sung; and Make it Right closes out the album by pairing a hitchhiker's masochistic daydream with some energetic Flamenco-like guitar picking and dramatic, sweeping violin strings.
Maybe I'm overthinking it, but is this album on the list because it is fun and has notably risque lyrics for the time period? Are these songs random vignettes of the subject's outré encounters and fondness for robust women? Or, is this more about the subject drowning out the pain of heartbreak, the horrors of war, the shame of society's rejection, in the only way they know how? Is the subject punishing themself for their own past transgressions? Are they lingering between numbness and fleeting ecstasy, feeling lost and without a map?
I find this album musically unique and quirky. Lyrically, I'm curious if there's something more lurking beneath the surface. It may not be frequent, but I will certainly revisit this album again.
Throbbing Gristle
1/5
Well, this is something. Experimental?
It is perhaps another example of a gateway piece that opened doors for others, that established a foundation that others built masterpieces upon.
In this time, and in this place, this album isn't for me. Perhaps it would have been in 1978. Now? I'll stick with Bass Communion.
Tom Waits
4/5
This is highly entertaining and distinctive. I will undoubtedly come back to this album.
Sonic Youth
1/5
While E.V.O.L. left a bad sound in my ears, I tried my best to listen to this album objectively. And, I'm happy to say that unlike the aforementioned album, this actually resembles music.
That being said, I don't care for 92.1% of this album. There are a few minutes here and there that exhibit interesting sounds, sounds foreshadowing something like modern day progressive rock: The first 30sec of Track 4, Cross the Breeze, and 30sec in the last 1/3; 40sec of into in Track 6, Total Trash; As a token of good will, I'll give them all 2min 41sec of ambient track 8, Providence; and 1min 9sec of intro of track 9, Candle. That's 330 seconds—5.5 minutes—out of 70 minutes of music that was palatable.
I struggled to finish listening to this album, and it's highly unlikely I will ever return to it.
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
Great beats, smooth rhymes, classic sound that makes me mentally picture Hammer pants and pastel colors
Props for using the word nincompoop!
Super Furry Animals
2/5
The general sound is upbeat and quirky, a little grungy, and little punky, and it sounds like music that could have been recorded in the 1970s. It seems to work for this album, but the album didn't seem to work for me.
It started to hold my interest around track 8 but then it disappeared again by the last track.
I was disinterested during most of the album, and it's highly unlikely that I'll return to it.
Nightmares On Wax
5/5
This is a great record that I have no problem spinning again, and again, and again. It's complex enough that one can listen to it intently without getting bored, but given it's rhythmic and audibly balanced nature, it can also meld comfortably into the background and still shine.
As a fan of music without words, this album has been a staple for many years.
The Cure
5/5
This is a wonderful album! Comprised of elements that could easily devolve into noise, the artists instead carefully craft them into something smooth and flowing. It's an audible dichotomy of hopefulness and sadness. Of nostalgia and heartbreak.
Any time I listen to this, my brain is usually enveloped by the music and doesn't even fully recognize the lyrics, but they are beautifully crafted as well. Reading them without musical accompaniment, they flow naturally as spoken word poetry—something that many artists fail to accomplish.
I wavered between giving this a 4 or a 5, because this isn't an album I'll just put on willy-nilly—I have to be in the right mood. But, when the mood is right, it always hits the spot. It's like commiserating with an empathetic friend about time lost, hopes unrealized, and then reminding each other that even if the present and the future aren't be what you used to expect, it's just how life is. Sometimes sitting back to recognize and accept that fact is what you need, not any false promises or new hopes that may later be dashed along the side of the street, too.
Michael Jackson
3/5
My appreciation for Michael Jackson's abilities as an artist has grown as I've gotten older. When he was alive, his music always seemed over-hyped and over-shadowed by his personal life—you know, things like allegations of assault and molestation against children. But, if I separate the art from the artist, it's difficult to deny how talented he and his bandmates were. I can't help but wonder what the scene would look like if he were still here creating music today.
Standout track moments for me include: Bad's bass throughout, Liberian Girl's subtle Xylophone accompaniment and smooth bass progression, and Dirty Diana's powerful electric riffs and solos. The synthesizer and sampling throughout the album are also nothing short of classic. And then of course, there's his signature scats, vocal tics, and flourishes—they may have been overused at the time of release, but they're fun and bring a smile to my face now.
I've listened to this album before, but there's several tracks I had no memory of—clearly a sign the entire album didn't make a huge impact on me. I'll probably listen to this again in a few years and think the same thing. While the aforementioned tracks stand out in their own way, the album seems to be a collection of independent songs, not anything cohesive.
The Notorious B.I.G.
3/5
Wow, I learned so much from this album! ;)
One More Chance - Epistaxis is apparently a normal response to sexual stimulation. Also, “cleanest, meanest, penis” is a brilliant linguistic accomplishment, a textbook example of slant rhyming if ever I heard one. Kudos for encouraging sexual hygiene—no one wants a UTI, especially when they're clearly dealing with several renal issues already. My understanding of “meanest” here is like that of an engine running really well—healthy—so clearly Mr. Biggie had a cutting-edge, quality health class in the NYC public school system. It's only within the last 15-20 years that we've begun to realize how much sexual dysfunction can serve as an early warning system of other health issues like: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, poor circulation, poor nutrition, and waning mental health. Extra kudos to him for celebrating a healthy lifestyle!
Fuck Me - Forget oysters and chocolate—fried chicken and V8 juice are the real aphrodisiacs!
Me and My Bitch - In some subcultures, performing fellatio on your friend's father is one subtle way of expressing a blossoming romantic interest in said friend. You can further endear yourself to them by equating the importance of your relationship to that of the longest-running symbiotic bond humans have ever known: Canids. Dating is so confusing these days!
Respect - Naomie Harris rapping as Tia Dalia is amazing, and I would listen to more of it! (Seriously... I'll have to track down some Diana King albums.) Also, don't scarf down watermelon when you have a sinus infection. First, you might asphyxiate. Second, you are going to trigger everyone around you with misophonia. Also, no means no.
Just Playing (Dreams) - With enough practice, the vasa deferentia may be controlled independently. This guy was a musician, philosopher, health advocate, relationship expert, and Tantric guru! Incredible.
Okay now, more seriously, the beats here are good, and it's hard not to get down to that. It's also well produced, but unconventionally paced. Transitions and skits between tracks are often jarring and layered. Also, headphones provide a superior experience, because there are several times there are concurrent vocals, and the clear stereo separation makes it easier to decipher.
The lyrics present such a vastly different life circumstance than my own that it's impossible for me to truly understand this album. From what I've read, this album, and this generation of East Coast rap, was in part a response to west coast rappers' tendency to celebrate a life of crime. Biggie wanted to lament the conditions and challenges he'd seen in his own life and those around him. A few tracks paint that picture very clearly. It's difficult for me to sustain empathy though when the very next track—perhaps even an outro to the current one—shifts the tone drastically from remorse or lament to participation and perhaps celebration of some abuse, assault, or other ill-conceived activities. Then again, maybe that is his point—just when you start to awaken and break free of self-destructive patterns, life just pulls you right back in.
Lyrically, this is rough content to listen to, full of f-bombs, n-bombs, violence, and sexually aggressive behavior. I can't tell if it really condemns the street crime lifestyle more than it celebrates it. This album is challenging to hear, but sometimes we need to be challenged. I don't know when, and it may not be soon, but I will probably revisit this album again.
Wire
2/5
It sounds like this band may have been an influence on The Black Keys. Overall, the album is too noisy for me, with one exception: I really like the track, “Strange.”
Michael Kiwanuka
4/5
This was really pleasant, and I will definitely be listening to it again! I wasn't sure what to expect going in, and I'm not entirely sure what I encountered going through, but I look forward to the next visit.
Elvis Presley
4/5
This is a great album! Other than an Elvis Christmas album, this is the first full record I've heard of his. The selection of songs seem to showcase and complement the range of his voice and musical styles—poodle dress rock and roll, a pop-like chorus-heavy number (my least favorite but still good), and a blues heavy, Reconsider Baby—one of my favorites on the record.
The recording and mastering on this is really good, too. In Such a Night and Reconsider Baby, I can almost feel the spittle coming through the reed in that sax, and the staging makes me feel like I'm right there with the band in a small, intimate venue. And the atmosphere of Fever is dare I say, neigh perfect. It's albums like this that make me think: 1. It's incredible to think that in thousands of years, people may still be able to hear this music so clearly as it might be live, and 2. This is why crappy engineering on a professional recording a decade later is so annoying—there's a night and day difference in the dynamic range in this album than Bridge Over Troubled Water.
Jethro Tull
4/5
I was excited to listen to this for the first time. It's a name and a cover that seemed to be etched in the back of my mind, always out of reach of enough of a memory to actually check it out. When I saw there was a recent Steven Wilson master of it, well that was just icing on the cake, and I listened to that one.
My first listen was a let down. The Intro to Aqualung sounded familiar, but not the rest. “This is just noise,” I thought. But, there were a few moments that were brilliant. I went back and listened the next day, and clearly something shifted, because that was a much different experience.
The instrumentation is fascinating, particularly in Mother Goose where it sounds like what, “progressive folk” music might have sounded like in the 14 Century. Also, the vocalist in it sounds like her could be a influence for Jack Black: I could hear Tenacious D playing this in my mind. Favorite tracks include this one, Cross-eyed Mary, and Up to Me, but the entire album is growing on me to the point that I've moved from a 2 to a four, because I'm certainly going to listen to this much more.
Radiohead
3/5
My experience with Radiohead (Pablo Honey, A Moon Shaped Pool, random top-hits) is usually described as this: a slow burn. And, that continues with this album. I don't hear anything specifically that I don't like, I like all of the ingredients, it's excellent as excellent as down-tempo, drone music, but my brain tells me it's worth more. It's like learning a foreign language—I need to immerse myself in it, and give it more time and it'll start making sense eventually.
All that being said, I'm not sure why this particular album is highlighted versus others from them. Favorite tracks: Weird Fishes / Arpeggi, All I Need, Reckoner, House of Cards.
Cream
3/5
Bluesey, sometimes groovy, obviously great guitar jamming (showing my ignorance, I didn't realize Clapton had anything but a solo career.) This is good. Favorites: Strange Brew, Tales of Brave Ulysses, Outside Woman Blues (only for that electric guitar lick and accompanying bass.)
Sepultura
3/5
Skilled artists, cool music, nothing particular stands out to me except some neat, ambient intros that sound almost like background music in an arcade fighter game. Listening to this made me want to go listen to the Batmetal trilogy. Favorite tracks: Altered State, Desperate Cry.
Cornershop
3/5
This is a fun album! Brimful of Asha was unexpectedly familiar, but I can't place where I heard it before—I guess the radio, many, many years ago. My favorite tracks are: Butter the Soul, and It's Indian Tobacco My Friend.
Otis Redding
3/5
It's Otis Redding, so what's not to like?! It's neat to hear his take on the cover songs, but I still prefer the originals. It's also fascinating to learn that his version of Respect came before Aretha Franklin's version. There's some interesting commentary about that song's history and development that I never otherwise would have been aware of.
Muddy Waters
3/5
That first track is a classic ! I'm surprised it was from 1977... It seems like it would have been earlier. This wasn't great to listen to in the car with the windows down—the vocals seemed to be mixed a little low. I'll give it another listen—for sure—in better listening conditions, but I don't think the lyrics will really change my opinion that much. Oh! My opinion? I'm so glad you asked.
This music is ar'ite. It's probably great when I'm in a bluesey mood, but I reserve that for special occasions.
Jane's Addiction
3/5
I've only listened to one other Jane's Addiction album, and my experience was very similar to this one—many of the tracks are interesting and nontraditional, and individually not in a noisy way. However, when played back to back in album format, it's an exhausting cacophony. I had to break my listening into two sessions. After listening to the second session, I realized that they added their own sort of break in there.
I fell like this may almost deserve a four, but since it's not something that I would frequently put on, so it falls to a three.
The Byrds
3/5
This was okay. A lot of the guitar playing seems technical and ahead of it's time. If I were alive back when this came out, I probably would have been a fan. As it stands, I think this is another example of an album that I might not come back to, simply because it doesn't offer anything that I can't get elsewhere in more modern music. Favorite tracks: Captain Soul, Eight Miles High.
Alice Cooper
3/5
Having only listened to one Cooper album before (his latest at this time, released in 2023), I wasn't sure what to expect. Nothing particular jumps out at me as really good or bad, so I guess it gets a solid “I enjoyed it” 3, but will likely not get a re-listen. There's no doubt these are skilled musicians, and it seems like they're having a blast playing. This album seems to capture the “classic rock” sound perfectly for a child of the millennial era. As a side note, I made the mistake of listening to the Expanded and Remastered release, a two hour loop of these tracks from different concerts or studio sessions, and now I never want to hear the song, “School's Out,” again. The live renditions of some tracks are pretty good though.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
This was good. I don't necessarily like the screechy vocals, but this is good music and a major advancement in technical guitar playing for the genre of rock. Favorite tracks are: Your Time is Gonna Come, and I Can't Quit You Baby.
Beatles
2/5
The genius of track one cannot be overstated, and track two is a solid entry, but I don't dig the rest of this album of choruses. Okay, the octopus one is kind of fun, too. I appreciate how enormous The Beatles are for the development of modern music, but it doesn't mean I'm going to listen to this album again.
Dolly Parton
3/5
I've never listened to a full Dolly album before, and reading a little history about this surprises me: I had no idea she started as a backup singer and always thought she was the solo powerhouse that she is now from the beginning! This is a decent collection of tracks, but they don't seem to flow together as a cohesive album. It goes from heartfelt quasi-biographical number to a fictional antecdote about Stacey's Mom from another perspective.
Fever Ray
5/5
This was an unexpected and delightful surprise, because when I saw the artist name, my brain mixed it up with, “Sugar Ray.” This is nothing like Sugar Ray.
The album is rich with atmosphere and kept me engaged the entire time. The track, Keep the Streets Empty for Me, was hauntingly familiar, and it painted a montage in my mind of an IRA cell preparing to strike, hoping to avoid collateral damage, and fully expecting they might not come back. I picture Sean Bean as one of the soldiers in their ranks, so their prospects are not good.
That track also marks a shift in the tone of the album. The remaining three tracks strike me as a requiem or sorts, as opposed to the subdued energy of the first 2/3 of the album. I will definitely be listening to this album again!
Giant Sand
2/5
This album is an interesting mix of genres—jazz, rock, country, folk—but it all has one thing in common (except maybe one track): it's all down-tempo. It seems like a great mix for background music at a coffee shop, or lounge, or bath, something to enjoy a good book and/or a glass of wine to. However, at least for me, listening to it straight was a little... boring.
I might bookmark this to try for one of the aforementioned purposes, but otherwise I probably won't revisit this album.
Amy Winehouse
3/5
This is my first time with any of her music. It's all right and has a decidedly late sixties, early seventies sound, with an occasional modern R&B-sounding vocal. Nothing really jumped out at me and wowed me, but I could see putting on a least some of these tracks in a mix again.
2/5
I um... hum. I feel like the music warrants maybe a three—its not bad, and I've always enjoyed some of their top hits from this record like Wonderwall, Roll With It, and Champagne Superno(r)va. However, the execution—that is the mixing, the vocals in particular, and the relentless, consistent “blah” in the sound throughout the whole album, is all ear-achingly screechy and downright exhausting. Maybe it was the remastered version that I listened to, but my car stereo volume goes from 1-50, and I had to listen to this album at no more than 8—with road noise—without blasting out my eardrums. At this whisper of a volume, I could still hear the vocals with crystalline clarity, but if I dared “crank” the volume up to 10 or 11—you know, to even attempt to hear the instruments—I risked suffering hearing loss and/or a mental break down from the wall of treble they compiled. For context, most music or audiobooks on this stereo I listen to between 20-40, so clearly this mix VASTLY prioritized the vocal tracks above all else. Also a mistake, this version of the album is three times as long as the original, and I started to listen to all of it. 40 minutes in to the extra two hours of tracks and I couldn't take it any longer, and I threw in the towel.
tldr; I'm fine with hearing ONE of their songs at a time mixed in with other top hits of the era, but to paraphrase the prophetic words of one Taylor Swift, I am never, ever, ever, listening to this album again. Like EVER.
Norah Jones
4/5
It's been years since I listened to this album, and I—ahem—don't know why. It was a great album then, and it is a great album now! Smooth and relaxing, Norah's breathy, soulful vocals round this out to an all-around superb listening experience.
Obviously Don't Know Why is a stand out track since it is basically her signature, breakout song, but after this listening, I am really digging a number I had no memory of: I've Got to See You Again. It starts with a bluesey piano and sorrowful fiddle, priming your brain as such, but that bass line is too... upbeat. Something doesn't seem quite right. Then a few moments later as she moves into the chorus, we hear the first key change, the bass drops, there's a little flourish on the ivories, and it all makes sense: this song is a tango! It's a beautiful, delicately balanced dichotomy between the sadness of the unobtainable and the erotic of the possibile.
1/5
This album at least has some semblance of music, unlike some other albums on this list (Throbbing Gristle), and leaves the impression that the listener is taking part in some kind of magick rite. That's the extent of anything interesting here, and I hear zero reason to ever return to this album.
Queens of the Stone Age
3/5
This album was okay. There were some moments that sounded a little Pearl-Jammy, some that sounded like other—I guess—stoner rock. I can't think of examples because it hit me as very generic. Perhaps this group pioneered the sound—I don't know—and if that's the case, I'm sorry that their work was diluted in a sea of copycats. Or, I'm happy for them for starting a trend?
I suppose my favorite tracks are the ones added at the end, Spiders and Vinegaroons (present on the rereleased version) and I Was a Teenage Hand Model. The electronic experimentation on the tracks stand out enough from the rest of the album that they at least strike me as interesting.
I didn't really dislike anything on this album, so I might come back to it one day.
Dire Straits
4/5
This is an excellent album with a distinctive and unmistakable sound that can be none other than Dire Straits. With their stripped down, country-rock vibe, this album showcases how engaging music can be without anything elaborate or particularly fancy: Their solid composition and tight electric, bass, and drum playing leaves no mistake that they know what they're doing as musicians. And while Knopfler may not have a traditional voice or a wide vocal range, he knows how to leverage it to great effect, adding to their signature sound. I look forward to listening to this again!
Favorite surprise tracks: I don't recall hearing In the Gallery before, and I dig the bluesy, funky vibes—the guitarists are all on point! And Wild West End hits me like waking up to a summer day with no responsibilities, no expectations, and the restrained excitement of heading out to exploring something new.
A Tribe Called Quest
3/5
The album was fine, and provides another example of excellent rhyming. There's a few tracks that seem like they were direct influences for (or directly copied by) other artists—such as Kid Rock's Bawitdaba (track 3, Rap Promoter) and the, “[so and so] is in the house” line in track 5, Verses From the Abstract, which reminds me of a section in Daft Punk's track, Teachers.
I didn't particularly dislike anything, so I might come back to this album some day.
The Associates
2/5
The era this album comes from is unmistakable. It is interesting to hear the generally upbeat instrumentation accompanied by the gothic-style vocals that I usually associate with darker works of David Bowie and Peter Murphy. Speaking of which, I'll defer to either of those artists to scratch that itch.
It's not that there's anything bad on this album, it just doesn't really grab my attention or keep me engaged, and I don't think I'll be listening to it again.
Judas Priest
3/5
Nothing particular about this album jumps out at me, but the tunes are good. It sounds like perfect car mechanic music. I can see listening to this again some time.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
3/5
Dense with political lyrics I'm going to have to look up to confirm I know what all the artist is talking about, there are good beats here and sometimes witty rhyming. There's enough here that I may listen to it again.
Daft Punk
3/5
Classic tracks abound on this album, such was the way of Daft Punk, RIP. When Around the World comes on, you can pretty much guarantee there's at least one person within ear shot that has mentally teleported to a discotech and is jamming out like it's the late 90s. It's basically the same effect for the 70s as when anything Earth, Wind, and Fire, or the Bee Gees come on. It doesn't matter if you like the music or not, as it ascends the conscious brain functions and simulates directly to the motor cortex.
I clearly enjoy this album, but it's not flawless. There are a few tracks that seem to linger on a little too long, where my brain says, “okay, I've heard that same pattern for 30 seconds too long, please end now.” If only those tracks, like Daftendirekt, added just a little more variety , an extra bridge or something, this album would transcend to the next level for me. The album was clearly designed with remixes in mind because there is often a slow build up of instruments, perfect for other DJs to grab samples and beat match tracks together.
Bob Dylan
2/5
I feel like there's something wrong with me while listening to this, because it's Dylan, and I should like it, right?! Well, I don't. I guess I'll just have to stick with some of his other albums. But don't worry, it's not him, it's me.
The recording is of fair quality, but the rawness of the performance makes me wonder if this would land better as a live album. It's almost as if I can hear the shape of the music coming from inside a club, but I can't feel it while I'm on the outside of the foggy window trying to look in. I picture the people inside having fun. I imagine their laughing and clapping. I get a sense that there's a strong exchange of energy between the audience and the band, and yet I remain outside—experiencing it for myself remains out of reach.
Thinking of it another way, the album strikes me as something I might feign liking, to impress a woman, timing the playback for while I'm doing dishes right before she comes in the door. I think the music probably deserves at least a three, but a two in my scale indicates, “not for me, likey won't listen again,” so that's what I'll give it.
Drive Like Jehu
3/5
When the first track started, my brain started preparing for an aural assault ala Sonic Youth or Liars, but it was surprisingly okay!
I noticed the quality of the playing and composition after a song or two, and then a couple tracks later I noticed that I was kind of getting into it! If nothing else, I think it may end up being good background music that I may come back to again.
Soft Machine
3/5
This was fine. Nothing particularly good jumped out at me. It was a little noisy sometimes—if there's noise rock, can there be noise jazz?
Everything But The Girl
3/5
If one doesn't like electronic music, they might not like this. I however DO like electronic music, and I like this.
It's interesting how the album kind of changed genre several times, starting as bold sexy-time music, moving to roller rink music (maybe still sexy-time for some?), settled into a not-quite-trance generic EDM feel, and then shifted to a folksy electronic tone akin to Dido (which is always a winning combo in my book.) To see it described by some as trip hop surprises me, because to me it feels more in the family of La Bouche or Real McCoy than Portishead or Massive Attack.
I wavered between three and four while rating this. While I like it, I don't love it, so I don't really want to elevate it as equal with other fours. But then, I am almost positive I will listen to this again—and soon—so that makes me lean toward a four.
The Verve
3/5
This album was fine, but nothing earth-shattering if you exclude how big track 1 became. There's only a few tracks I would go out of my way to listen to again—6, 8, 9, and 11. Listening to this does make me feel it's too bad some of their other songs didn't get much airtime on the radio back when this came out.
David Bowie
3/5
This album was fine, but not spectacular. Of course, I hit replay on Fame like three times because da' funk.
Suede
2/5
This album was fine, but unremarkable. There's nothing about it that makes me think I'll listen to it again. If I did, I wouldn't be opposed or anything.
The Flaming Lips
3/5
I enjoyed listening to this, but one day later I don't remember a single thing about it, even the genre of music, so I conclude that it was fairly unremarkable.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
Good beats. I'd listen again.
The Flaming Lips
4/5
I like it. Track 3 is of course well known and fun at the surface level, but it blew my mind to learn this came out in 2002—I always assumed it was from 30 years earlier! The entire album has a brightness and vibe that strikes me as an experimental 1970s alternative.
It was Track 5, In the Morning of the Magicians, that really sold me on this album. The synth work in that is great, and it's a beautiful track as it flips back and forth between the airy, dreamy, falsetto sequences.
I will most definitely return to this album!
U2
3/5
It was fine background music. I don't know if I'd ever listen to it again, but I might.
Dr. Octagon
2/5
1 for the lyrics
4 for the music / production
From a production standpoint, I really like this album. Vocals are crisp, instrumentation clean and well balanced. Effects are interesting, solid use of stereo separation, and I love it when there are story clips and low fi samples from other sources inserted here and there. I love the design and would give it a 4 if it were an instrumental album. However... I am not sure what message I just heard, so there's no way it's getting a 4 from me.
First off, at least 1/2 the lyrics are incomprehensible even after three listens. Like, I hear the words, but strung together as they are might as well be another language. Of the 1/2 I seem to comprehend, much of it seems to be related to abusive anal sex and dropping variations of the slang word, “dootie” as much as possible. I cast no judgement on those that want to partake in that activity as long as it's as Dr. Huberman would say, “Context appropriate, consent appropriate, species appropriate, and age appropriate,” but causing physical trauma that requires medical attention does not sound appropriate or caring to me.
Is the artist being crude for the sake of being crude? Is he condemning or making some commentary about society through sarcasm and extreme illustrations? Was there some big revolution in butt sex that happened in '96 that he's fascinated by? Is this just this guy's jam (it in there)? Or, is this some rorschach test to see what parts of the story presented are recognized by the listener?
Blur
2/5
Meh. This album wasn't bad, but I really see no reason to return to it.
Some highlights for me:
Song 2 is of course classic and I wouldn't be surprised if that single track is the only reason the album is on this list. Thanks Nissan and Toyota for popularizing the song.
Death of a party sounds like it channels Bowie and is kind of cool—gothic vocals, good guitar distortion and percussion.
I'm Just a Killer for Your Love has a nice funk line, but the rest falls apart. The Black Keys seem to dial in that distortion noise better in twenty years.
Essex Dogs was kind of cool.
Tangerine Dream
3/5
This album spent far more time in the genre that would become known as “ambient” than I expected. I've enjoyed the works of TD and their influence for many years, but it dawned on me while listening that this might be the first album I've listened to from beginning to end—certainly one of the earliest. While I enjoy some of their other works more in the traditional electronic or “space ambient” genres, this is still a serviceable piece for background, relaxation, and reflection. I may return to it one day, something to add additional variations in my rotation of ambient and meditative music.
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
This was fine. There's no doubting Hendrix's skill and how he influenced music, but this album disappeared into the background and nothing stuck in my head immediately after it ended other than Purple Haze and Foxey Lady since I was already very familiar with them.
Justice
2/5
As a fan of EDM, I'm surprised to say that I didn't really care for this album. It started off as a generic three, but as it moved along, track after track a growing sense of “I cannot wait for this to end” welled up inside of me. I found the vocal tracks particularly distracting because it sounded similar to Ke$ha's early vocal style, but without her energy, sarcastic delivery, and clever lyrics. Since † precludes her debut by three years, all I can assume is that perhaps Justice was a source of inspiration to her Animal/Cannibal duo.
There's some decent tunes in this album, but I don't dare trudge through the full thing again to earmark them.
Bebel Gilberto
4/5
Smooth and enjoyable the whole way through
Coldplay
4/5
This is a good album even though it generally evokes melancholy feeling. Some of the songs on it lack a little luster, but for as much play time as I've given this album, and for my own bittersweet memories associated with it, I'd be tempted to give this a five. However, since I think Mylo Xyloto is the superior album I have to give A Rush of Blood to the Head a four in order to provide ceiling space for it.
Faith No More
3/5
This album is okay, and fluctuates between tracks of 2-4 quality, but mostly 3-4. I didn't realize they were 80s since I've never heard any of their stuff except Epic. I don't think I'll likely come back to this album, but few tracks maybe, so I'll be nice and give them an “average” 3.
Some highlights:
Epic drives me crazy because it was so overused for commercials. It's too bad for an otherwise decent track.
Surprise You're Dead is a nice piece of thrash rock!
The Morning After lead cords are very nice, and the variations for bass and accompanying guitar are stellar.
Woodpecker From Mars is a fun Egyptian rock sounding piece that makes me think of Godsmack's tracks with eastern flair.
The best thing out of this album is their comsing reminder to listen to Paranoid more, because that entire album is incredible!
Jerry Lee Lewis
3/5
I've never listened to an album by Lewis before, but this was decent. It's clear he was a skilled musician and entertainer. As far as live albums go, it didn't really present anything of the audience, so it might as well have been recorded in the studio for a little higher quality.
If I am ever in a boogie-woogie mode and Little Richard isn't filling the need, I might come back to this album or artist.
Nick Drake
3/5
This was a pleasant folkie/coffee house chill album from an artist I had never heard of before. I can see coming back to this some time and checking out more from this artist.
Favorite tracks include: Things Behind the Sun, From the Morning, and maybe Know.
Songhoy Blues
5/5
I'm digging this album! Every track is smooth, bluesey, and engaging. Great recording quality, too!
Stephen Stills
4/5
Solid album. Enjoyable rock, funk, county all the way through. I'll come back to this album for sure.
Dennis Wilson
3/5
This album is interesting in how divergent it is from The Beach Boys, but I wasn't particularly impressed during my first listen on speakers. I was about ready to write it off as a loss, but as fan of the Beach Boys's early works with brother Brian Wilson, I did a little reading and several sources indicated that one really needs to listen to this with headphones. They were correct.
While not amazing musically or lyrically, the arrangement and pacing of these generally short tracks is attractive, and the album offers a generally interesting soundscape; rich, full, complex, and layered. It's energetically dark for most of the album. At times, it feels like previews of what's to come from Dire Straits. It feels ahead of its time—there was more than once where the thought passed through my mind, “Wait, was this in a episode of Miami Vice?”
Willie Nelson
3/5
Overall, I enjoyed this album! It's got a solid country western feel through-out, with a focus on slow melodies, simple arrangements of piano, guitar, bass, and harmonica. It feels like I should be sitting under the stars next to a campfire while listening. It's interesting to hear an album with a common storyline throughout. Instead of a rock opera, it's like a country opera.
The music-only interludes are interesting—a little gospel, and a little ragtime—and I'm not sure what to make of them in the context of the story.
Public Enemy
3/5
I paid near zero attention to the lyrics because I had this on in the background while doing deep work. I get the feeling they were talking about doing terrible things to other people and committing crimes, but the beats and samples were great. I'mma give this a 3 based on the lyrics not pulling in any interest from my brain, but it'd be a 4 if it were instrumental.
Supergrass
2/5
The instruments aren't bad, and I really liked the organ and modulated guitar in It's Not Me, but other than that, I really couldn't stand this album. This album was not even good as background music—it made it difficult to think abouting anything but counting down the minutes until the album ended.
Perhaps I found the vocals annoying—I'm not sure, I can't really put my finger of it. I only know for sure that I didn't like it and don't intend to listen to it again while still recognizing that someone else may like it.
Bob Dylan
3/5
It's Dylan, so of course the lyrics are clever and flow well. The instrumentation is good too. The mix of rock and folk through electric/acoustic guitar and harmonica flows smoothly and feels natural.
Hole
2/5
Grungy and raw. I certainly hear the similarities to Nirvana. It wasn't bad, but I don't see coming back to this album again.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
2/5
Even though I'm very familiar with their radio hits, this was my first time listening to a complete album from the RHCP. The hits are well deserved, and about 10x better than most of the other content on the album.
One stand-out for me among the non-hit tracks was, "I Like Dirt." It's childish drivel (aka devilishly fun!), dripping with innuendo, but it brings the funk!
I was surprised by how flat the recording sounds. It makes me think back to the sound of Simon and Garfunkle's Bridge Over Troubled Water, it's like they intentionally went out of their way to push the mid-tones and dampen the bass. The over-all effect probably provides extra airspace to hear the lyrics more clearly so it might be the correct call from an engineering standpoint, but it does make me want to play some tracks on a cheaper sound system with the EQ "boost" button enabled that pushes up the bottom and top frequencies.
It's clear that these guys are skilled musicians that have left a distinctive and permanent fingerprint in the annals of musical history. However, this album perhaps just wasn't for me, as the sum of individual parts seem to be greater than the sum of the whole piece.
Tracks I enjoyed: 3, 4, 6, 10, 15.
I'll gladly keep these tracks on a greatest hits rotation, but I cannot in good conscious rate this complete album any more than a 2
Beach House
3/5
I wasn't aware of this group, but it was a pleasant surprise. This album provides some solid chillwave tunes. Nothing about it strikes me as uniquely exceptional or influential, but I enjoyed listening to it and certainly wouldn't turn down the opportunity to listen to it again.
Muddy Waters
3/5
This was enjoyable, and I might come back to it again. I'd have loved to hear a little bit more of the energy from the audience, it didn't feel intimate... but that's not an easy feat, so I'm not going to hold it against anyone from the recording team.
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
This reminds me of elevator music—not offensive, but completely unmemorable. A few times I wanted to yell through the speakers to him, “Enunciate better, like Tom Waits!” This album does nothing for me, and I don't think I'll listen to it again.
Taylor Swift
5/5
It's difficult for me to look at this album objectively, because during the last decade since its release, I've probably listened to it at least 100 times. That may speak to it most succinctly though. I'm 100% sure that rate won't likely change during the next decade, so I have to rate this a five.
There's not a bad track on here, and there's only a few that aren't at least good. It's probably safe to safe to say that this album was the tipping point that guaranteed Taylor Swift has a place at the adult table at the music industry family dinner. Some childhood artists careers are like a fart in the wind, but her career seems like it's just getting started. Only time will tell.
Fela Kuti
4/5
I feel like there is no other album I've listened to thus far as part of this project for which it is most appropriate and most accurate to say, “I dig it!”
This is evidence that good music can transcends lyrics, not because there's anything wrong with these lyrics—I genuinely have no idea what they're saying, and it doesn't matter in the least. I would absolutely listen to more from this group!
Wild Beasts
3/5
I've never heard of this group before, but after this experience I would listen to more from them. I found this album musically interesting, but something about the vocals was distracting to my mind or ears. I think this would be a wonderful post-rock album, warranting a four star rating if it didn't have lyrics. As it is, it's closer to a 2.5, so it's getting a three from me—I hope to come back to it and either accept the lyrics and hear past them better, or perhaps find an undiscovered joy awaiting in them.
Neil Young
2/5
Nah, I don't need this in my life. Sorry Mr. Young, but I was waiting with baited breath for this album to end. There wasn't anything "bad" on here, only stuff that doesn't connect with me. I found a few tracks pleasant, but not so pleasant that it's worth me going through this album again to make note of them.
CHIC
4/5
Disco isn't usually my thing, but this album grooves! Somehow it feels more accessible, more timeless than some other notorious disco groups (i.e. Earth, Wind, and Fire.) It's slower, and leans a little more towards R&B and a little less towards funk.
Several tracks made me think of specific "throwback" disco tracks from later eras—and after reading about the band it makes complete sense: several members from Chic would go on producing and influencing music for decades to follow, collaborating with David Bowie, Madonna, INXS, Tina Turner, Duran Duran, Daft Punk, and many more.
I'm going to keep this album in rotation!
Neil Young
2/5
This wasn't quite as disappointing as his album, Tonight's The Night, but this is still a solid, "meh." If I stretch my imagination and picture that I might one day be in a very particular mood, I might put this album on again. However, if I'm ever in that type of mood, I still think I'd rather listen to something else.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
4/5
I recognized the track, "Take Five" as soon as it started, but I didn't specifically recall hearing any of the rest. This was nice, and I'm sure I'll come back to it again!
Pink Floyd
5/5
This is a phenomenal album! Perhaps I'm biased because I've already listened to it many times... but there's a reason for that.
First off, this is one that begs to be listened to as a complete album—I rarely put on simply one or two tracks from it in a mix—since each track melds into the next, each sets the stage for the opening of the next scene.
Second, this is so different from almost everything else that the album is timeless—I never even paid attention to the release date before this listen and was surprised to see it was released in 1973. The instrumentation, techniques, vocals, recording color, and general impact don't sound like anything from the 60s, 70s, or any other specific era—one exclusion being the track, “Any Colour You Like,” which is delightfully groovy.
Third, the recording quality is pristine, with every element beautifully captured: guitars, saxophone, organ, drums, sampled loops, synthesizer, vocals, and whatever else I might have forgotten to list are all crisp and clear, full-bodied and hitting the entire range of their auditory capacity naturally, and it's all assembled and layered together masterfully—nothing muddled together, every note ringing out crisp and clear for the listener.
Fourth, their use of the stereo sound stage is a masterclass in the art, creating interesting and hypnotic effects, placing the listener in a dark, blank room, surrounded by the band for a solo performance. Part of how they accomplish such clarity in the mix (going back to the previous point) is how they take advantage of the whole stage, all the way from the far right to the far left.
Fifth, I don't know if this is true or not, but it feels like their use of sound sampling left a permanent imprint on the industry—they don't use the samples only as effects to add atmosphere or texture on the side; they use them as instruments, as part of the melody themselves. I think others did similar things earlier, but it feels like everyone that does it now is starting with Dark Side of the Moon as their baseline.
I don't put this album on all the time because I feel it deserves the listener's full attention, but wow, I enjoy it more and more each time!
Aerosmith
2/5
I've heard about 1/2 of this album through the radio over the years, which I thinks speaks to the impact they've had on the industry. However, I never realized most of these were Aerosmith—it was always just, “Some classic rock band” in my brain. This album probably deserves at least a 3 or four for musical abilities, but I have to rank it a two because this album does nothing for me, and I spend the entire time counting down the minutes until it was over, so I know I'll likely never come back to it intentionally.
Ananda Shankar
4/5
There's really nothing I don't like about this album. I like the covers on this album more than the original tracks.
Beatles
3/5
This was a decent album full of tracks I mostly never heard before. I likely won't listen to it again, however compared to many of the two star albums I've listened to as part of this project so far, I'm far more likely to listen to this than to them.
Deep Purple
2/5
I believe my parents would call this, "noise," and I believe they would be correct. That said, it sounds like the audience and the band were having a lot of fun! I'm glad this exists, especially for fans of Deep Purple. For my sensibilities, I don't see ever returning to this album, but it was fine as some white noise in the background.
Orbital
5/5
Um, yeah, I dig it. This is pretty freaking incredible! Made back in the days we simply called it electronica or techno, this album stands beautifully tall even today. I will undoubtedly be coming back to this one!
Saint Etienne
3/5
This was generally enjoyable, nudging towards four star territory, pulled back by a few dull two star moments, coming out as a solid three star entry that I'll happily return to one day.
Thin Lizzy
3/5
This was fine. The crowd and the artists seemed to be enjoying themselves. As it started I expected an album of straight-up hair metal, a mode for which I wasn't in, but fortunately it balanced out with some bluesy, countryesque, even funky moments. None of the music was memorable for me—in one ear and out the other—but this was still a fun album!
Funkadelic
3/5
Bluesy and great! I'd love an alternative version of this that's full instrumental.
Derek & The Dominos
3/5
I'm disappointed to say that this was fine, not excellent. It contains good qualities, but two days after listening to it, I remember almost nothing about it—so clearly it didn't make much of an impact on me. I may go back to it one day, so I'll give it a three.
Khaled
4/5
Delightful! I enjoyed most of the tracks on this album. I don't understand the lyrics, but the language of the music shines through. It's a neat combination of what in my Westerner ears hear as a traditional Middle-Eastern sound with a modern hip-hop track laid down to accompany it. I look forward to coming back to this album again!
The Beta Band
2/5
Meh, I'll stick with their Three EPs set, which is phenomenal. This didn't do it for me.
Dr. Dre
2/5
This is musically solid—great beats. Lyrically, this is not for me. WTF
Yes
3/5
Meh this was okay, but there are other Yes albums that I like a lot more. I'm might come back to this in case my head wasn't in the right space.
Talking Heads
2/5
I was underwhelmed by this album and was perhaps expecting too much since I've liked some other pieces from Talking Heads. It wasn't bad, but it really doesn't do much for me, and I don't think I'll return to it.
3/5
This was decent. A couple of tracks were a little too repetitive or uninteresting, but over-all I enjoyed the album.
3/5
It wasn't bad, but nothing exceptional really stood out to me. Other than the track, "This Mess We're In" I don't really see coming back to anything on this album, but it's far better than many other two-star albums, so I'm going to give this a three.
Digital Underground
3/5
Good beats, classic hip-hop sound, lyrics match the content of the album title and don't match my tastes, seems a bit juvenile, but it sounds like they were having fun rapping (and daydreaming about the things they were wrapping about). I doubt I'd come back to this album... but... there's a chance if the mood is right, so I'll give it a three.
The Go-Go's
3/5
Middle of the road, nothing bad, nothing standing out as particularly good. I hear little reason to put it on again, but I wouldn't be opposed to it at all. A nice time-capsule.
Neil Young
3/5
It was fine. Quite a bit more than a "meh," but far less than an, "oh yeah!" Nothing stood out that I disliked (unlike his After The Gold Rush album I didn't care for), but also nothing stood out that I really liked. It was fine.
George Michael
3/5
I've heard of this musician before, and I have heard parts of some songs from this album, but I never knew the two were associated—I say this only to illustrate that I came into this with zero expectations.
Now that the stage is set, I can say that this starts as a pretty good pop album and kind of transforms to become also decent modern-jazzish album. What struck me in the first, poppy-half was how incredibly well produced it is. Everything is crisp and clear, there's no stage noise or ambient hiss in “sight,” and the instruments, vocals, and synth all pair together in perfect balance. The mix is tight, with an almost mechanical precision, but not inhuman—just superbly done! I know many people might call this over-produced, but I think there can be a fine line between the two sides, and I think for this type of album it works really well in complimenting the artists without trying to cover flaws or lack of skill or anything. This quality, tied with the frequent “signing into the bottom of a steel drum” reverb added to the vocals made me think immediately of some Michael Jackson albums. I wonder if there are some common technicians between the two... The jazzy second half is just as fine, and a little more akin to my tastes than the first. This would be a 4 or 5 on the mastering alone, but combined with the music I think it's a high three—its just not the type of thing I would put on frequently to enjoy, despite its quality.
The track 'Hard Day' is freaking incredible! That bass bit is... Oooo, yeah. 'A Last Request...' is also a nice piece, reiterating selections of 'I Want Your Sex' that I do like musically, unlike that other 9min piece I spent just waiting for it to end. Insert desired innuendo here.
The Fall
2/5
I couldn't wait for this noise to end. 11 tracks into the 41 an I quit. I have better things to do with my time. That being said, the stereo mix is really cool, but the music didn't connect with me at all and the pit in the EQ from the mids to the tip-top of the highs exhausted my ears.
I can't give this one star, because I can hear how genre fans could like this. It's not the bottom of the barrel, but it's not for me.
The Last Shadow Puppets
3/5
It wasn't bad, but I'm not sure what's distinctive about it nor why it has placement on this list. I likely won't listen to it again of my own accord, but I wouldn't be upset if someone else put it on.
The Temptations
3/5
It's fine, comfortable, pleasant, but doesn't feel groundbreaking.
Eagles
4/5
I'd never heard the album all-in-one before, but I have heard most of the songs previously. This is solid music. Not every track on here is a keeper, but there's a reason like 1/2 this album is in their Hell Freezes Over tour. Linda Ronstadt was right to encourage them to create their own band!
David Bowie
3/5
It's good, very interesting in the manner that breaks any genre conformity. It's Bowie, so I WANT to rate it more, but realistically, I won't be coming back to this much as a full album listen.
Beck
3/5
Nothing great, nothing bad. High 5 was a slick beat though. This feels like 2.5 to 3.5 star territory to me, depending upon the conditions of the day and listening circumstances.
Funkadelic
3/5
The first track is great but had me wondering if the digital files got mixed up with another album. The second track quickly verified it was correct.
R.E.M.
3/5
It's music. Not great, not terrible. There's a couple of timeless classics on here.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
3/5
This album is fine as a time capsule. I haven't really listened to any Janis Joplin before, so I surprised by how bluesy some of the tracks were. Not bad, not phenomenal. I probably won't listen to it again.
The Fall
2/5
While listening to this album, I spent the entire time irritated that the vocalist kept making noises with his mouth. Sorry dude, whatever it is you were trying to say did not resonate with me at all. If this album was instrumental, hands down this would be a four or five to me. There's clearly some really skilled musicians in this band, but I cannot take listening to this again.
The album should get a one star rating from me, because I have zero interest in ever listening to it again. However, because the background sounds (aka, everything drowned out by the vocal track) are so good I'm going to take pity and give it an extra star for them.
Can
2/5
This album is bonkers, but I kind of enjoyed it. Track 4, 'Halleluhwah' and Track 7 'Bring Me Coffee or Tea' was 4 or 5 star worthy--a little psychedelic, certainly abstract, and good progressive development.
The rest of the album fluctuates between 1-2.75 territory for me. Track 6, 'Peking O' sounds like perhaps what Throbbing Gristle was trying to emulate later in "D.O.A. the Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle" except that Tago Mago actually loosely meet some of the characteristics of what defines the word "music."
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
2/5
I've known of OMD by name for a long time, but I've never been well versed in their work. This album was fine, interesting even, but it doesn't entice me to seek out more of their discography. I think this is another record that perhaps has been supplanted by more refined work influenced by them. I did really like tracks 5 and 12 though, and I'll throw them in a playlist from time to time.
I suspect this may have been more impactful at the time it was released, but while I generally like the style, I don't think this album aged as gracefully as others of a similar era. I want to give it a three since I didn't dislike it, but there's simply not enough substance there for me to return to.
Portishead
5/5
I've loved this album for years, unique, gritty, genre-defining
Soundgarden
3/5
This is a solid release. The release year really surprises me, it's about 4-6 years earlier than I thought it was. This album continues to disprove the, "Ugg, music in the 90s sucked" argument.
That being said, and other than a couple tracks that still get frequent replay on the radio like 'Black Hole Sun' and 'Fell on Black Days,' this album doesn't really entice me to come back to it. It feels very much like a foundation for future music that has since supplanted it—in some cases by the very same artists.
Pixies
2/5
This album was okay, I guess. It was fine as background music, but not particularly exciting otherwise. I think Surfer Rosa is a stronger entry from this same group.
The Stooges
3/5
This entire album and group was new to me, but I enjoyed most of it!
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
2/5
I didn't know what to expect going into this album. Having now listened to it, I don't know what to tell you to expect going into this album.
It's kind of interesting, starting with an indie pop/rock vibe and jumping around a bit, and ends with sort of a 1950s/1960s rock feel. I enjoyed the first few tracks but eventually stopped paying attention very much.
Elton John
3/5
I've never been particularly fond of Elton John's work, and listening to this album doesn't change that. However, I can absolutely recognize the quality of his work.
His composition in this album is interesting, and various tracks include unexpected and wonderfully layered instrumentation I would not usually think of an English artist using: specifically those typically associated with country western or bluegrass such as the dulcimer and fiddle.
I'm happy to have listened to this album, and it was not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but that doesn't change ether fact that it just doesn't do much for me personally, and I don't see ever returning to it. I give it a 2.8 so that I'll round up to a 3. It's far more deserving of that leeway than many others I've given in the two range for this project.
Fats Domino
3/5
I enjoyed listening to this and being transported back in time. It would have been something if better recording equipment was available or used at the time—between his voice and that guitar, it sounds like the equipment is stretched to their limits.
Ms. Dynamite
3/5
It's alright, solid music. I probably won't come back to the full album, but I may.
Dwight Yoakam
3/5
I've always wanted to check out more Dwight than the album Honky Tonk Man, but I just never got to it until now. In the 70s, it seems like county music shifted more towards country rock or folk music, became more focused on influences from Tennessee and surrounding states, and country western fell away from the public eye.
Even though Mr. Yoakham himself is from the same area, this album feels more western, feels like it revives some forgotten traditional aspects, even though it still has some tracks that cross into country rock space. I also love the specifically southwestern flair added in many tracks. Lyrically, it's on par with most country cliches: love God, lost love, broke and held down by “the man”, and murder. Wait, what? The titular song and some others were musically beautiful, but WTF is with the lyrics?
I enjoyed this album and would listen to it again, if not only to analyze the lyrics a bit more. 3.4, so it's getting rounded down to 3.
Talking Heads
2/5
This wasn't spectacular, but it wasn't bad. It was like hearing a garage band in high school, just some dudes having fun playing instruments, creating little ditties and guitar licks, and making noises with their mouth.
I'm happy to have heard it since I know Talking Heads are a foundational influence to some of the artists I know and love now (c.2024), but I don't really see revisiting this album again.
Cyndi Lauper
4/5
It's not that I'm unfamiliar with Cyndi Lauper, I've just never listened to a full album of her's before now. I've got to say: I was in to it the whole time! I had no idea so many classic hits all came from this, her first solo album. Pretty awesome!
The album is well deserved to be on this list. It's fun, catchy, and upbeat.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
It was fine. I don't hear any reason to listen to it again, though. I can understand how people that heard this when it came out would be fans.
Richard Hawley
4/5
I had never heard of this artist before, so I had zero expectations. It was very pleasant! I think it's interesting to combine jazz and county on the same album—a combination I never really thought of before. It brought forward feelings
of nostalga and a little tinge of heartache—like I was a grandparent sitting with a grandchild, relaxing, in a cottage looking out over the ocean.
Tom Tom Club
4/5
There's a couple tracks on here I'm not too fond of, but for the most part this album showcases some of my favorite sounds and feelings of 80s music!
The Modern Lovers
2/5
Nice demo tape? This seems to include a skilled singer and instrumentalists, but the production quality and songwriting are not of interest to me. I'll pass. Better luck down the street, I hope you do well. As they say, “You've got potential, kid.”
Marty Robbins
4/5
Catchy and classic. Sometimes simplicity says an awful lot.
Jack White
2/5
This was well made and parts are interesting, but it wasn't really my bowl of rice.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
2/5
I'd never heard of this group before, but reading a brief description and seeing that great art work, I thought I was in for a good time. I was wrong.
I think I was bored most of the time, while the sounds weren't repulsive they've apparently run through my auditory system like water in a sieve. My brain is damp with the memory that it was there, but that's it. Straight-up 2. Not bad, but I have zero intent to return to it unless someone convinces me otherwise.
The Yardbirds
3/5
Two tracks in I thought I was in for a long ride listening to this album. Fortunately on track three, things turned around!
I ended up enjoying several of the tracks on this album. However, it suffers from the dreaded recording style of so many albums of the era—tinny and high-pitched. Wait, what? This is from 2015?! I guessed 1960. Well, I guess Roger is a pretty darn good engineer to capturing the era like that. As many of the songs played, I imagined rich and full-bodied renditions sung by Elvis. That version in my head probably gets at least a four star rating. This version that actually exists I'll give a three since it elicited hope for something greater and such a surprise about when it came out.
Nine Inch Nails
3/5
Solid album. There's absolutely some 4-5 star tracks on here, but the whole thing as a singular work doesn't speak to me. And, of course now that there's some incredible alternative versions of some songs available that elevate them to the next level (Johnny Cash's take on Hurt, team-up with Peter Murphy on Reptile), it leaves the listener wanting something more when hearing the originals.
Prince
4/5
There are several elements of this that make prudish or biased parts of me want to say, “no thank you,” but the musicianship and presentation of this is so well done, I can't really fault it. Well done, Prince.
R.E.M.
3/5
Hum.... hmmm... hummmmm... I think I liked it musically. Lyrically, I couldn't tell you a single word that was said. That about on par with my expectations based on the one other R.E.M. album I've heard. I think I just hear the lead singer's voice as a melody and not English of any variety. I might listen to this more. And, I think I might like it more if I listen to it more. But, for now I'm rating it at three stars for being interesting and for not disliking it, but I suspect I very well may want to raise it to four stars after two or three more spins. I just don't care enough to spin it more right now.
Radiohead
4/5
While perhaps not as engaging in the second half of the album, I am happy to have heard this album and look forward to exploring it more.
Grant Lee Buffalo
2/5
No thank you! There wasn't anything bad per say, and I'm glad other enjoy this because the artists sounded skilled, but I was quite excited when this album finally ended. It just wasn't for me.
Alanis Morissette
4/5
Excellent album that seems to age well. A few song are a little lack-luster, but the majority pretty much knock it out of the park.
Elton John
3/5
I appreciate the energy and craftsmanship of this album, but I have a hard time getting around the fact that listening to it once was enough. I also had a difficult time understanding many of the lyrics because of the reverb effect on his mic for most of the album. Generally speaking, I preferred the tracks without it more. While it's clear this album isn't for me, I fell like it's unfair to give it a 2: it's a 2.75, far better than many other two. So, it gets a lovely rounding up to 3.
Herbie Hancock
4/5
This album has been in my rotation for many years, getting 1-2 plays per year. It would be great if so many tracks weren't as repetitive, but it's still enjoyable! The final track, Vein Melter, starts off like a noir detective story set in the 70s, with tie dye patterns and bell bottoms, and it flows into the shape of an emotional drama, like Wuthering Heights. I dig it!
Motörhead
2/5
This is okay, but I don't understand why this album is on the list. It's generic sounding 80s heavy metal, not a single attribute or song that stands out to me. Every track seems composed mostly the same with the only difference being the starting note, the tempo shifts slightly, and the lyrics change, but it's basically the same composition track after track. There's nothing wrong with a formula, and there's nothing wrong with solid execution of it by all involved, but I guess I'm just missing the magic of the album.
As a side note, while I've heard a few of these songs on the classic rock radio station over the years, I never knew it was Motörhead. I've heard the name of the band before, but I always assumed they were more like an alternative rock / industrial band. So, clearly I came in with the wrong expectations, but at least I left learning something. I don't see anything worth returning for though.
King Crimson
4/5
I liked this. I don't think I could sit and listen to it all the time, but I believe I'll enjoy revisiting this album. It's like a jazz or blues jam session, except for prog.
It's probably unfair to comment on the remastered and expanded album, but the Recording Session Extract bonus tracks might even be better than the album. Striped down to simpler elements, it feels more focused, artisans honing their craft.
The Damned
2/5
No, this is music for someone else, but it's not for me. The tracks Liar and Smash it Up Part 1 were good (Part 2 was back to me being excited for the album to end.)
The Temptations
3/5
Wow, this is a tough album to rank! Most of the album struk me as kind of, “meh,” compared to the hits and style of some earlier records, like My Girl. Having never really listened to a full original album by them, only radio hits and maybe a “Best of Album” or compilation, I'm realizing now that is probably an unfair comparison.
The full version of Papa Was a Rolling Stone presented here is flat out incredible though! I must have only heard a radio edit or snippets in the background of movies, because while it's iconic, I had no clue it clocked in at 12 min long and is that powerful—so many elements of that track are revisited later in the disco sounds of the 70s in a generic and fun (and often annoying and silly) way, but here in this primordial experience it is just an amazing experiment, creates a stunning atmosphere that drowns out the rest of the world, bellows out possibility some of the funkiest funk that ever funked, all while staying dead serious the entire time. That track itself is absolutely five stars.
I think Mother Nature and Do Your Thing are a nice capstone to the whole package, but the feeling of many other tracks just seem the go in many directions: it doesn't feel like a cohesive set to me, and because of that, as an album, I have a difficult time ranking it very high. The aforementioned tracks are definitely going to get some more play time, though.
Duran Duran
3/5
One doesn't get much more New Wavey than Duran Duran. It's been a long time since I've listened to this full album. There were some sleepers on here that I forgot about. There's several huge hits on here too. All in all, I enjoyed it and will come back to it... But probably years from now. I want to give this a 3.5 so that I have to round up to 4, but it feels more accurate to give it a 3.4, to round it down to three. It's better than average, but doesn't quite hit excellence for me.
Lana Del Rey
3/5
Pleasant music.
Van Morrison
2/5
It was fine, and not much more. While I enjoy some folky 1970s albums, this one apparently doesn't do it for me.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
This album was not at all what I expected! My only exposure to this artist was the 30 seconds of looking at the cover art just before listening to the album. I was prepared for some Tony-Bennett-like crooning, maybe some jazz, or maybe some jazz-fusion. Blasting me with concentrated 80s in the first track was disorienting.
I'll loved “The Tower of Song.” It was smooth and had me bobbing along to the groove immediately. I kind of liked “Jazz Police” for it's absolute quirkiness and ridiculousness. I have mixed feelings about the titular track, “I'm Your Man” because I kind of like it but cannot identify why yet.
It sounded like his vocal style rotated through channeling Bowie, Waits, and Shatner. But I couldn't follow the purpose of the lyrics most of the time. The tracks that are more new-wavy, like “First We Take Manhattan” don't work for me. I think I'd probably love instrumental versions of them because the synths sound intriguing and complex, but his singing obfuscates the details.
I'll remain optimistic and speculate that this album is pure form, “all about the art,” and had no interest in pandering to any commercial whims. I'll also speculate that it accomplished what the artist wanted. I can appreciate an abstract work of art, but they don't all land to the same people nor at the same time. And over-all, this album didn't land for me this time.
Janelle Monáe
3/5
This was a unique combination of genres and an interesting listen.
Nas
3/5
It was ar'ite.
Prefab Sprout
2/5
Meh, there was one song I liked, so this album didn't really work for me.
Richard Thompson
2/5
I liked a few songs on this album, and while the genre-shifting was perhaps interesting, but as a singular work I wasn't terrible interested. The Calvary Cross instrumentation was hauntingly good though, so for that track alone I'm thoroughly glad that this album was recommended.
Elastica
3/5
It was fine, but nothing really stands out to me.
Donovan
3/5
I enjoyed many of the tracks on this album. However, it suffers from the dreaded recording style of so many albums of the era—tinny and high-pitched. If this was recorded in a more full-bodied way, I think i would be more into it. And don't tell me they couldn't: other albums we've heard from this project sound amazing and are from earlier than this.
Including the sitar in the instrumentation is a lovely, unique touch.
The Stooges
2/5
Meh. I didn't enjoy this one, but not because it was unskillful playing, it just wasn't my thing. I listened to the Bowie mix, and I scrubbed through a bit of the Iggy Pop mix to hear the differences... nothing can save poor quality original recordings apparently.
Beastie Boys
4/5
There was a lot more punk and other styles represented here than I expected! The first 1/4 of the album almost pushed me away because the vocal distortions were so frustrating, however once they started cycling in instrumental tracks and I could settle in more just to the music, I was hooked.
The second half is a 3.5, bits of the first are a 2. I want to come back to this again.
Parliament
4/5
Hot dang, this is fly! I'd never heard of this group before, but I dig it! What surprised me the most is the random dialogue dubbed in. I've heard similar types of chatter or playful riffing in rap or hip hop albums of the late 80s and forward, but this album is from 1975! I think that's the earliest I've heard that style used.
These were great beats—I think Imma' let them bring the funk back to me again, real soon!
This is a 3.5 for me, but I'm happy to round up to a four.
Arctic Monkeys
3/5
This is fine for super-generic indie rock. It sounds like something that would be background tracks for TV shows like Royal Pains. Unlike that TV show though, this is completely forgettable. This is a 2.5, so it gets a 3. I have no intent to ever listen to this again, nor explore anything else from this artist, but it was enjoyable enough that I don't feel like my time was wasted.
Prince
4/5
I had no expectations. I'm not sure clear on most of the lyrics, but I think many songs were about sex, but my puritanicalish upbringing wasn't terribly offended because the songs managed to not sound or feel... dirty. Musically, this is intriguing. It's, non-genre consistent. Hip-hoppy, rocky, poppy, funky, ballady. This makes sense, after all, it's Prince.
I think I'll revisit this one again some time. More than a 3, less than a four. I'm just not sure if it'll get rounding privileges up to a four. Maybe that's a sign 'o' the album. More than average, and if the range of three stars is average, then it must need a four or greater.
Bon Jovi
3/5
This was my first full Bon Jovi album, and it's clear from the hits on it why it was included on this list. I previously thought his work more as post-hair metal / post-glam metal, but the tracks outside the three super-hits make it clear this is right there along with REO Speedwagon, Poison, and Journey.
I'm glad to have heard the full album once. I'll listen to tracks 2, 3, and 5 when they get airtime, but I don't see going out of my way to listen to the others again. While they're well done, they simpily don't spark my interest enough, and I have other artists and albums that I prefer to scratch that itch with. 2.9
Sly & The Family Stone
3/5
There are a few moments on this album that I dig, like Sing a Simple Song, Sex Machine, and My Brain (Zig Zag). The rest isn't bad, but it doesn't speak to me. 2.5 gets rounded to a three.
T. Rex
3/5
Eh, it started off pretty rough, but I lightened up to it a little. Not really my thing, but there's a few interesting things happening here in terms of genre fluidity.I'd give it a 2.75, so it'll get a 3 on this scale.
Ice Cube
3/5
This was my first time hearing any of these tracks. Most of the record has that 80s/early 90s hip-hop sound, making it seem more upbeat and encouraging than the lyrics actually portray. The lyrics are what I'd call straight-up gritty gangsta rap and while the level of violence and anger may not be shocking to rap aficionados of the 2000s, I have the sneaking suspicion that this came as a bit of a shock to the people of 1990.
Lyrically, this doesn't personally connect with me, but the beats and rhymes are solid. However, my favorite tracks were 6 and 15—I straight-up enjoyed the them! Track 6 seemed to be intentionally designed to embrace the conflict between the bright, happy beat and the harsh reality expressed in the lyrics, and 15 was a great sharing of the spotlight calling out patriarchy in the industry—sounds like they had fun playing the skit of him being dense and her putting him in his place time and time again.
I would not normally give something like this another listen or thought, but this was such a an unexpected combination, I think I may. It feels like it may be a landmark in the progression from early hip-hop to modern day rap.
Deee-Lite
2/5
This wasn't great, but it was interesting. It sounds like a early precursor to something like C+C Music Factory, but without a catchy beat, and it looks like this actually came out the same year. I enjoyed the second half of this album quite a bit more, liking E.S.P., Groove is in the Heart, and Build the Bridge. The synth tick in 'Who Was That?' is familiar and I wonder if someone sampled it 10-15 years later. I can't place the song, but I'm thinking Gwen Stefani, Nelly Furtado, or something like that.
This is not an album I'll be returning to, but I'll add the few tracks I mentioned to some playlists.
Alice In Chains
4/5
I hate to not give this album a five, because their sound on this record is something that I don't think anyone has been able to replicate yet: slow, heavy, horror-esque, incredible vocals and harmony (yes, vocal harmony in heavy metal!)
And, let's be fair: Down in a Hole, Rooster, Would? all sound as incredible and fresh today as they did 33 years ago (when I wrote this). Many of the other tracks just aren't as refined and become a little more forgettable. 3.75
Fiona Apple
2/5
About 2 minutes in to the first track, I realized this album wasn't likely for me and buckled down for what was a long, long ride. To say I'd rank this at a one star—something I don't appreciate as a whole, nor a album that I ever intend to return to—is entirely accurate but feels like an unjust disservice to Ms. Apple. However—and I hate how skewed Throbbing Gristle made this rating scale—this album is a masterpiece compared to other one-star rated albums in my mental ranking.
I am very tempted to grant this album a mercy star for several reasons:
1. If it were instrumental only, I think I would be more intrigued, a trend I've noticed for several albums I've ranked low. There are certain performances or vocal styles that just don't click with me, but I don't think that makes them inherently bad.
2. Track three samples a dog barking, and its tone leads me to feel like the artist is a pretty alright person and possibly someone that's in to animal rescue.
3. Reading some of her lyrics standalone, like poetry, seems to work well—minus some of the repetition that exists of course since it's set to music. I just can't comprehend the words when in the music.
4. I'm in to track 9, Heavy Balloon.
There, I've convinced myself: Two stars. I can appreciate its merits, but I have no interest in listening to this album again because it just doesn't speak to, convict, stir, inspire, entertain, or otherwise excite any response or emotion from me but a desire to listen to something else—or nothing.
Rod Stewart
2/5
Big nope all the way through. This is the first album I had to skip most tracks forward at the halfway point. I'll give 'em a pity point for the instrument playing and music composition being skillful, but this album clearly wasn't meant for me. This is one that puzzles my why it is even included on this list.
Queen
2/5
I feel like I have to ostracize myself, but having now listened to this album for the first time, I think a few parts are better than the whole sum. I'll continue to listen to the parts I like and skip the rest.
Radiohead
3/5
This was an OK Album. Much of it sank into the background for me but was pleasant enough I listened to it through several times, but also little really stood out to me.
I two tracks I loved though and think are individually 5 stars are Climbing Up the Walls and Meeting in the Aisle.
The White Stripes
4/5
Great album! A little bit noise rock while still being stripped down. In my mind, this album started a trend of channeling "classic" rock in a contemporary era. It's like artists time traveled from the 60s and 70s, skipping right over the 80s and 90s. Wolfmother, Black Keys, all came after this pair of time travelers.
Carole King
3/5
It's fine. Not fine enough that I want to listen to it again, buts there's certainly some classics on here.
Tears For Fears
4/5
This is such a staple of the 20th century, it's difficult to be objective. So I won't. I like it more than many other albums, but not as much as others.
Amy Winehouse
2/5
There were a few moments where it felt like this album were building towards something great, like a mix of a smokey jazz bar serving gin and martinis and a 1990s asphalt basketball court surrounded with neon graffiti and hammer pants, but then it just fizzled out and became uninteresting background music. I mean this as no slight to Ms. Winehouse's tallents—I simply didn't connect with it, and I don't have enough interest to return to it and try again.
Massive Attack
4/5
This is a really solid start for the band that would later created the masterpiece known as Mezzanine. Unique, great beats, I like a lot about this.
John Coltrane
3/5
I can enjoy some free-form Jazz, but after a few listens this one didn't land for me. Not bad—not by a long shot—but it didn't suck me in, and it just became background music while I worked on something else. It's not something I expected of something from a legend like Coltrane.
Brian Eno
3/5
As someone who typically views themself as an Eno fan, this album is an interesting time capsule of early electronic experimentation, blending a little on the 50s, 60s, 70s, and a hint at the future. However, I don't think it'll get another listen by me. Well, maybe Blank Frank because it's wacko fun, Cindy Tells Me because it's such a nostalgic 50s dinner feel that suddenly transforms right into the 60s in the chorus, while clearly not being from either decade withe the distorted electric guitar layered in, On Some Faraway Beach sound like it could have been a Beach Boys track in an alternate universe, and probably the titular track Here Comes the Warm Jets because there's something curious there. Hum... maybe I will listen to the whole album again.
Jane's Addiction
3/5
It's okay. It strikes me as something that was probably radical at the time, a trend-setter, but now it is most relegated to background sound.
It was cool, but not really cool enough to be something I'll likely ever return to.
Kings of Leon
3/5
This was okay. It felt like a solid throwback to the 70s while still being fresh. That being said, it's not something I see coming back to.
Arcade Fire
2/5
Yawn. The musicians are not unskilled, but this just wasn't for me.
Eminem
3/5
There's no doubt of his skill in the craft, and it is an interesting social commentary on the state of influence and stature that popular figures and music can have on people, but some of the content here was awfully challenging to listen through. I know the world can be cruel. I know that exaggeration as satire is part of Eminem's intent, but I'd usually prefer music to not leave me feeling like I need a shower afterwards. 3 or 4 for the music, but in terms of how it speaks to me and how likely I am to play the whole album again, it really pulls the rating down for me. Stan is brilliant though.
Liz Phair
4/5
While raw in delivery, Ms. Phair's writing and musical wit shine through. It's difficult for me to be objective about this album among the fog of nostalgia, but I dig it.
Rush
5/5
Love it. Seminal record.
Fleetwood Mac
2/5
These are skilled musicians and they deserve to be on a list such as this. However, when an album has 20 tracks and I enjoyed maybe three of them, I cannot rightfully rate this very high. Without further context about why this specific Fleetwood Mac album is on the list, I'm going to make an assumption: it was when everyone confirmed their vocals should just be left to Stevie Nicks.
Isaac Hayes
3/5
This was smooth and alright. I think I prefer some of his other material more.
Metallica
4/5
I know this album marks the first crack that becomes a large schism between Metallica fans, and all I can say is, "Too bad. Their loss." Yes, the album has some forgettable filler, and as much as I love James' voice I think the filler may be better as instrumental pieces because the lyrics didn't work for me. And yes, the album doesn't flow as a singular piece of work, which is a departure from pretty much all of their earlier work. However, this album is just about 50% full of some of the most masterful music ever made, and that deserves recognition and preservation throughout the rest of time.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Wonderful! An absolute essential and classic.
System Of A Down
2/5
I really wanted to like this album more, because I love the general sound and Eastern musical influences that make “System” unique, but I found a large portion of this album to perhaps be a little too noise-rocky, a little too repetitive, and dare I say, a little too boring because of it.
Favorite tracks: Spiders, Mind
Jeff Buckley
3/5
Great guitar pieces and musicianship, but overall it doesn't do a whole lot for me. I think it's the style of Mr. Buckley's mumbly, winy, vocals—but please don't mistake my distaste as a flaw on his part, because he seems to have exquisite control of it and it's done that way very intentionally.
I've listened to this album at least twice before—quite a few years ago now—and so I can safely say it has not grown on me with time nor repeated listening. It's probably safe to say that this just isn't my cup of tea, so I should give it a 2, but it deserves no less than a 3 based on the musicianship.
Van Halen
3/5
Decent album with some epic tracks.
Buck Owens
3/5
This album was alright. There were certainly a couple classics that I've heard before and never realized Owens released. It's also a high quality recording—there's still some country western that sounds just like this.
The Doors
2/5
There's undoubtedly classics here even if I never realized they were performed by The Doors (Break on Through, Light My Fire) and perhaps that's why they're on this list: whatever influence they've had on rock perhaps was so foundation-shifting that it's difficult to separate the two. They ARE rock and roll.
That's my kind way of saying, “There are some neat moments on this album, but most of it is forgettable to my senseabilities.”
Maybe I can put it this way: I like many of the ingredients, but I'm just not feeling the whole dish.
My favorite tracks are I Looked at You (only the instruments, not the vocals), and The End.
Joni Mitchell
2/5
She has a beautiful voice, the acoustic guitar is very pleasant as is most of the piano, but the writing... eek. Little of the music on this album works for me. I'm sure the lyrics probably have a lot of personal meaning for her and others—that's part of what's so beautiful about folk music—but I couldn't follow them because of some element in the pacing or something that I cannot identify.
The music and recording have aged well, because it sounds just like any coffeehouse folk we might hear in 2025—well technically THEY all sound like this album did in 1971. It's a timeless feeling, really, and perhaps that's what makes this album appear on this list. Perhaps in the 2040s someone will be listening to Jewel's album Pieces of You and think the same thing I did of this album.
Favorite tracks: Little Green, Blue, California
David Bowie
4/5
This is one of my favorite Bowie albums... Love all the ambient experimentation
Can
4/5
This was fun, and I enjoyed listening to it!
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
I'm sorry, I didn't understand this album. The instrumentation is fine, and the vocal performance is fine, but some of the delivery is so slow or enunciation dropped incoherently as his voice fries out that I can't focus on it long enough to string the words together into sentences that make any sense. I think this is another case of, I appreciate the skill of the artists and don't want to speak discouragingly—so it must just not me for me, or not for me at this time.
Radiohead
4/5
I don't think every track on here is, “a banger.” But, when I really like 5/11 of them, and the remaining 6 tracks, “aren't bad at all," I think I'm qualifed to say, “I like this album.”
I have no clue what messages the band is trying to say, but it's very interesting to hear.
The United States Of America
2/5
This started off as a pretty solid 2.0 for me, but the more I listened, the more I started to appreciate its presence on the list. It's not as much about the music as it is about the experimentation happening. That being said, the album still only makes it to a 2.4999 star rating, so it's getting rounded to 2 stars. I supposed I'm glad to know that this exists—that these one-time studio artists' work isn't entirely forgotten by the universe—but I don't think I'll ever revisit it.
Röyksopp
4/5
It's been a while since I spun this record, and I forgot how much I enjoy it! 3.5 so it gets rounder up!
Snoop Dogg
2/5
I listened to this years ago, in a car, with the windows open. Clearly, I missed a lot of the lyrics then. Let's just say this album isn't my jam, but it's got some nice beats and I can appreciate it. Gin & Juice is classic, and who doesn't like Snoop Dogg's voice? And, the vocal bits Warren G. contributed remind me how smooth his voice is.
It surprised me to realize that this came out in 1993! Were they on the cutting edge with words like “be-otch” and “swole” because I don't think I noticed those in the common lexicon until almost 20 years later.
Johnny Cash
4/5
Interesting mixture of music, almost as interesting as Cash's performance. I like this, but there's enough so-so songs on the album that I don't LOVE it.
The Beach Boys
3/5
I've always enjoyed The Beach Boys, and pre-highschool would have considered myself a fan of this “oldies band.” While skilfully recorded and mixed (if you don't mind that high-pitched ambience of the style and times of the 1960s-70s... which I do), this album has never been one of my favorites because many of the songs just don't do it for me. It doesn't matter how skilfully performed and recorded the album, if I don't love most of the songs I just can't find it within myself to give it the 4 or 5 star rating that everything else tells me I could. I will say it CERTAINLY belongs on this list for the precise, complex, and basically game-changing production work that Brian Wilson brought to this.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
3/5
Experimental, eclectic, sometimes beautiful, and always intriguing. I'm happy to have heard this album, but I'm not sure if I'll come back to it soon.
Joy Division
2/5
I didn't connect with this. I enjoyed the final two tracks though.
SZA
4/5
Nice beats, fairly low key but effective, and with a hint of dreamsynth sprinkled in for a unique and pleasant sound. Might be a 3.5 for me, so it gets rounded up.
The Slits
2/5
They seem to be skilled musicians, but as an album one listens through from beginning to end, it doesn't work for me. However, the tracks are individually... intriguing. It feels like these are akin to little diddies used in a movie soundtrack or score—just filler or atmosphere for quick transitions or 10 second scenes.
Brian Eno
2/5
Meh, I return to this from time to time for variety, and for the sake that—as a fan of a lot of Eno's work—maybe one day I'll, “get it.” But, so far I still don't get it. Mediocre, 2.49999 stars.
Black Sabbath
3/5
Nothing was bad, but also nothing seemed particularly noteworthy on this album. This is perhaps another victim of not reading the details in the book that highlight why this album holds a place on the list.
Gotan Project
4/5
Great tracks! As an album, it might be a little boring or repetitive depending on mood—as a background album, it's great. If you need to get down and dance, it's solid. If you need something to sample it's perfect. If you want to sit in a quiet room with headphones on and study the way the tracks are built, then you have more of an attention span than I do.
Brian Wilson
3/5
This is a historically fascinating album, a time capsule no doubt, for those alive upon its release—brand new Beach Boys songs 38 years after their initial recording. Their harmonies are beautiful, and the mix is pretty exquisitely crafted—a strange dichotomy exists between the quality of the recording and engineering and the content so clearly from a bygone era.
I find that while the album is pleasant—and there are plenty of avant-garde elements that are surely of interest to prog fans and the like—it's not terribly... Memorable? Exciting?
I find the second half is a little more engaging. Vega-Tables is good fun and did in fact make smile. Mrs. O'Leary's Cow is like listening into a parallel dimension, one where they venture into hard rock and pioneer along side with Black Sabbath. Heros and Villians is also particularly interesting.
There's a craftsmanship to this album that I really appreciate, but I feel like I cannot rank it higher than a three because it's highly unlikely this will get much replay from me.