607
Albums Rated
3.65
Average Rating
56%
Complete
482 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1970s
Favorite Decade
Post-punk
Favorite Genre
other
Top Origin
Cheerleader
Rater Style ?
114
5-Star Albums
7
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Fear and Whiskey
Mekons
|
5 | 2.6 | +2.4 |
|
Bright Flight
Silver Jews
|
5 | 2.68 | +2.32 |
|
The Infotainment Scan
The Fall
|
5 | 2.72 | +2.28 |
|
Medúlla
Björk
|
5 | 2.72 | +2.28 |
|
Alien Lanes
Guided By Voices
|
5 | 2.75 | +2.25 |
|
Tago Mago
Can
|
5 | 2.79 | +2.21 |
|
Live / Dead
Grateful Dead
|
5 | 2.83 | +2.17 |
|
69 Love Songs
The Magnetic Fields
|
5 | 2.85 | +2.15 |
|
This Nation’s Saving Grace
The Fall
|
5 | 2.89 | +2.11 |
|
The Gilded Palace Of Sin
The Flying Burrito Brothers
|
5 | 2.93 | +2.07 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
The Marshall Mathers LP
Eminem
|
1 | 3.49 | -2.49 |
|
Homework
Daft Punk
|
1 | 3.29 | -2.29 |
|
Toys In The Attic
Aerosmith
|
1 | 3.26 | -2.26 |
|
Boston
Boston
|
2 | 3.71 | -1.71 |
|
Californication
Red Hot Chili Peppers
|
2 | 3.7 | -1.7 |
|
Justified
Justin Timberlake
|
1 | 2.68 | -1.68 |
|
...Baby One More Time
Britney Spears
|
1 | 2.67 | -1.67 |
|
The Genius Of Ray Charles
Ray Charles
|
2 | 3.63 | -1.63 |
|
Hotel California
Eagles
|
2 | 3.6 | -1.6 |
|
Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
Ray Charles
|
2 | 3.49 | -1.49 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Stevie Wonder | 3 | 5 |
| R.E.M. | 3 | 5 |
| Bob Dylan | 6 | 4.33 |
| Beatles | 5 | 4.4 |
| Talking Heads | 4 | 4.5 |
| Yes | 3 | 4.67 |
| The Fall | 3 | 4.67 |
| The Kinks | 3 | 4.67 |
| The Velvet Underground | 2 | 5 |
| Joni Mitchell | 2 | 5 |
| Can | 2 | 5 |
| Fleetwood Mac | 2 | 5 |
| Aretha Franklin | 2 | 5 |
| Sonic Youth | 2 | 5 |
| Björk | 4 | 4.25 |
| PJ Harvey | 4 | 4.25 |
| Miles Davis | 3 | 4.33 |
| Nirvana | 3 | 4.33 |
| Jimi Hendrix | 3 | 4.33 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| The Rolling Stones | 2, 5, 4 |
5-Star Albums (114)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Wilco
5/5
Sometimes I worry that all the lore surrounding this album overshadows the fact that it’s fucking fantastic. I’m not the world’s biggest Wilco fan but I do enjoy their music, and this is rightly regarded as peak Wilco. It sucks that there was so much tension and drama in the making of this, but the end result is so good. Also fun, as I’ve begun to explore his work more, I can definitely sense the fingerprints of Jim O’Rourke all over this.
2 likes
Beatles
5/5
I used to say I had 3 favorite Beatles albums all tied for first and A Hard Day’s Night was one of them. These songs may not be as complex as the ones they’d make in 2-3 years but they are all pretty much perfect pop gems.
2 likes
Elliott Smith
4/5
Elliott Smith is apparently one of those guys who will get at least 4 stars from me. I have very little to say about this except that I liked it a lot. I knew it pretty much already and I have had a certain number of beers so I’m going to end here.
1 likes
Funkadelic
4/5
This is a fun one, a Funkadelic album I’m less familiar with. Definitely not as good as Maggot Brain or Free Your Mind, but a fun way to start the day.
1 likes
1-Star Albums (7)
All Ratings
The Velvet Underground
5/5
One of my favorite albums of all time
CHIC
3/5
Better than I anticipated. Still very redundant and with very little changes, but some decent grooves
Bob Dylan
5/5
The Rolling Stones
2/5
Surprised this is here. A couple decent songs, but far from essential Stones. Tell Me is great, the rest so so.
Green Day
4/5
One of the first CDs I bought that wasn’t a film score or comedy album, I’d almost give it five stars for the bass line in Longview alone. Only real issue is, like a lot of pop-punk, the songs start to blend together after a bit.
Keith Jarrett
4/5
Beautiful jazz piano, love the vocalizing
The Waterboys
2/5
Started out strong enough but got old quickly. The Van Morrison cover was dire
Massive Attack
4/5
Very nice surprise, I’ve heard of Massive Attack for years but didn’t realize this was it. Nice hip hop, reggae influences
4/5
Didn’t pay much attention to the 90s British Invasion, but of course I knew a bunch of these songs. Some solid 90s rock with a bit of Beatles gravy.
Ray Charles
2/5
So look. I get the conceit here, take a bunch of country songs and give them the R&B treatment. And yeah, the result is it sounds like an R&B song, lo and behold. The problem is Ray Charles said I’m going to do all ballads (except the last song which, surprise is the most fun) and so they all melt together into this slow soup. I get it as an interesting piece of music history but in practice it’s a slog to listen to.
DJ Shadow
4/5
Didn’t know what to expect, I’ve heard of this without really hearing it. Really enjoyed it, reminded me of the Byrne/Eno Bush of Ghosts with record scratches and breakbeats.
The Youngbloods
3/5
3.5 Fun little late 60s rock record, not mind-blowing but lots of fun
Snoop Dogg
4/5
Pleasantly surprised! Don’t usually listen to hip-hop but this is a great record, fun and funny. Would only knock it points for some good old-fashioned misogyny.
Dusty Springfield
5/5
Love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love
4/5
Another pleasant surprise! Songs I’d been tired of hearing I was more than ready to hear again. I do think the singles are a little better than the rest of the songs. Fun fact: the song One Tree Hill inspired the batshit crazy TV show. Another fun fact: my freshman year roommate would put this on when entertaining the ladies
Boston
2/5
Not bad at all, but unlike U2 the other day, I don’t think enough time has elapsed between the seventy zillion times I’ve heard these songs. Impressive that pretty much all of these are (over) played on the radio and they are incredibly catchy.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Pretty sure Stevie Wonder is incapable of producing anything less than a 5 star album
Megadeth
3/5
I’m not opposed to metal music, and as far as metal goes, this is decent. I can’t help but feel as though these songs would have more of an impact if they were about half as long most of the time, but I guess that’s what punk is for. My son is a big Metallica fan so I wondered if he’d be offended by my listening to this. Fortunately we’re all good
808 State
3/5
Not bad but not really for me. It feels like it’s probably perfect for listening to at a club or a rave, but just casually without any stimulants it’s just fine. I feel like New Order and bands like that do this kind of thing more interestingly
The Doors
3/5
Not the biggest fan of the Doors, but there’s definitely some good stuff here. I really enjoy The Crystal Ship and End of the Night, and the band grooves along nicely on most of these tracks. A prime example of what divides me on this is The End, which I love when it’s the band doing a VU style jam, but then Jim Morrison is all Father? Yes, Son? I want to kill you. Anyway pretty middle of the road stuff for me. I was pleased to learn that Break On Through was edited for the radio!
Joni Mitchell
5/5
Pretty much perfect, the last song was kind of cheesy but everything else was prime Joni.
Hole
2/5
Not bad, but just okay. Decent enough 90s alternative, but nothing that really jumped out at me
Yes
5/5
Really liked this! Prog is a genre that I definitely have to be in the right mindset to enjoy, apparently I was there today. The Brahms bit was a little cheesy but otherwise highly enjoyable
Nine Inch Nails
4/5
Kinda surprised myself with how much I liked this. It really works well as a full album, has a bit of a Swans-lite feel to it.
Harry Nilsson
5/5
Nilsson is one of the best and this is one of his best! Jump Into the Fire is a particular fave
Big Brother & The Holding Company
2/5
So I really like Janis Joplin’s voice and the album artwork is terrific. I didn’t really get much else out of this. The band is good but much like the first Rolling Stones album, it’s so-so blues workouts without much more to it.
Moby Grape
3/5
Had to stream this one on YouTube. Another decent but not super noteworthy album. I mostly know Moby Grape as:
-one of the bands Cat Power covered (Naked if I Want to)
-I think Neil Young was almost in the band but decided to join Buffalo Springfield instead
- Skip Spence had a mental breakdown and recorded Oar, which is more interesting I think than this album, kinda like Syd Barrett’s solo stuff is more interesting to me than most Floyd.
3/5
Pretty so-so. Lots of moments here lots of other bands have done better (Radiohead, U2, Rush.) Not bad but I probably could have died without hearing it
Basement Jaxx
3/5
Good for what it is but not really my thing. Some catchy tunes though, amongst the repetitive beats
Jorge Ben Jor
5/5
This was fantastic! Lots of great guitar tones and polyrhythms. A nice album to end the week with.
Alice In Chains
3/5
Solid slice of nineties grunge. Not necessarily my favorite thing, but I couldn’t help but think Sam would really like it, as it reminded me of Nirvana, Black Sabbath and Metallica in various places.
The Fall
5/5
Love the Fall! Haven’t heard this one as much as Hex Enduction Hour or Wonderful and Frightening World but it is prime Fall music
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
4/5
Another one I could have sworn I had on vinyl. A classic to be sure, though some of the lighter moments are bit too saccharine for my taste
George Michael
5/5
I loved this but I listened with (personal) prejudice, as I had completely forgotten but I’ve heard this before, it was in heavy rotation in my mom’s car growing up. Love this one! Also it takes massive balls to cover Stevie Wonder, and he nails it
The Beach Boys
5/5
Perfect record. No notes
Adele
3/5
Adele has a powerhouse voice, and there’s a few songs here that put it to good use, but far too many quiet piano ballads for my taste. Still can’t deny Remedy is pretty good.
Abdullah Ibrahim
3/5
Annoying that this wasn’t on Apple Music, but it was pretty good. For some reason, I wasn’t expecting traditional jazz, but it was pleasant. I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend it, though.
Fiona Apple
3/5
Another one where I know I like her other stuff better. This is good but not essential to me. Still can’t deny the power of that voice
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
3/5
Another one not available to stream except YouTube. I’m somewhat familiar with Jah Wobble from PiL and some other projects. This was decent, not something I’d normally check out.
Stan Getz
4/5
Very nice jazz, I will definitely check out more.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Most Stevie albums, particularly in this era are essentially perfect. This album is a sprawling, almost 2 hour epic that is also essentially perfect. I might prefer Innervisions but there’s no denying the quality of this album, an easy 5 stars
Jeff Buckley
4/5
I somehow missed this one, aside from the ubiquitous Hallelujah. Really loved when the soaring tenor mixed with the complex guitar arrangements, and though there were a few reminiscent of dudebro rock like John Mayer, I mostly really liked this
Underworld
3/5
Another album not really for me, at least there was a little more to this dance/house album than a repetitive beat and a handful of lyrics.
Slade
3/5
Decent, like Kiss but probably less problematic? After a few songs I was good though.
Marvin Gaye
5/5
A beautiful bookend to the Stevie Wonder, a pretty much perfect record
Little Simz
3/5
This was a nice surprise, something I’d never heard before. Kind of dark, abstract minimal hip-hop. Very good.
Haircut 100
3/5
Ooh a nice slice of early 80s New Wave pop goodness. Doesn’t have much of an aftertaste but it’s a good time while it lasts
The Style Council
3/5
Weird to have this so close to the Haircut 100. This one leans even more into the jazz side of things, at least at first. There’s a wonderful appearance from the always welcome Tracey Thorn, but a misbegotten attempt at rap in the second half sours the whole thing for me. Another shrugworthy record
Laibach
4/5
Did not expect to enjoy this as much as I did. About halfway through I texted Ian to confirm that he knew this already or at least was enjoying it as much as I did. We’ll never know.
Definitely in the vein of Ministry and Swans and other industrial loud loud noisy screaming bands. My kids said it sounded like Angry Cookie Monster, which I will now refer to music in this genre as.
Pink Floyd
3/5
So this is another in the solid classic rock albums that’s admittedly very good but that I don’t really need to hear again. Of the six songs, four are on heavy rock radio rotation, and at least one of the others sneaks on frequently, the last being a reprise. Not bad at all, not necessarily something I feel the need to revisit though.
The Band
5/5
A classic and a perfect fall album!
OutKast
4/5
Ooh another great album! I balked at the length of this one at first, and I do think it overstays its welcome just a bit, but there are so many great songs here, including the hits I hadn’t heard in too long.
Carole King
5/5
They are killing it with albums this week! A terrific and rightly revered singer songwriter album from one of our best songwriters. A note on the album cover though: cute cat, but at least put some socks on!
Ananda Shankar
4/5
Another solid entry for this week! The covers were slight but fun; this one really came alive with the epic Sagar (The Ocean.) Really enjoyed this.
Elbow
3/5
This one is not for me. I’m not sure what I expected but it wasn’t this sorta watered down Coldplay stuff. I mean, it’s perfectly serviceable 2000s rock, but it did nothing for me.
R.E.M.
5/5
Still remarkable after umpty billion spins. Even the songs that don’t fully grab me (pretty much just Ignoreland) are undeniably pretty damn good. A favorite album by a favorite band
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
5/5
Ooh another favorite! Love how Neil can do stripped down frail acoustic numbers and some of the loudest heaviest songs on the same album. Love Pocahontas, Powderfinger and both versions of My My Hey Hey.
Marvin Gaye
3/5
A mixed bag for me. Some stuff in here I really enjoyed marred by what felt like tossed together songs that may have been cathartic, given the circumstances but don’t necessarily make for essential listening.
Tricky
3/5
Very nice, smooth and sexy. I only knew a little Tricky before, but this is pretty good
Cat Stevens
5/5
Another perfect record, and always nice when I can listen to my own vinyl copy. A friend of mine once described the title track as the perfect song, it’s the exact length it’s supposed to be.
Paul Simon
4/5
This album has been a part of my life for so long it’s like furniture, but you know, very special furniture. I will knock it down a star because it definitely smells of cultural appropriation, but at least the Apple Music credits included the African musicians.
Astrud Gilberto
4/5
Very pleased with this one. Nice tunes and some interesting melodies that didn’t always resolve the way I anticipated they would. A few of the songs were so light and airy there was barely anything there but most were pretty terrific
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
3/5
Decent, but not great. Reminded me of new wave-ish bands like Squeeze or Elvis Costello but not as interesting.
Sleater-Kinney
5/5
Definitely my favorite or at least top 3 SK albums, and an absolute favorite overall. Love Little Babies, One More Hour, Words and Guitar, Buy Her Candy, etc
Aerosmith
1/5
I was ready to give this the benefit of the doubt, the title track had the R.E.M. stamp of approval. And that song is perfectly fine, as were the other singles. But songs like 12 Inch which pair gross double entendre with the laziest 12 bar blues and the reprehensible transphobia of Adams Apple destroy any minuscule goodwill those songs may have offered. This does not belong anywhere near this list
David Bowie
3/5
This Bowie is pretty good Bowie. Not my favorite Bowie but pretty good.
The Isley Brothers
4/5
This was new to me, and very good! I read they recorded this at the same time Stevie Wonder was making Innervisions, and some of the ultra-magic of that record must have rubbed off on this one.
The Bees
3/5
I was worried this was going to be another dull 2000s British arena rock band kinda thing (looking at you, Muse and Elbow) but it was quirky and charming. The Os Mutantes cover was nice as well.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
4/5
Loved this! I know a little Penguin Cafe Orchestra, pretty much the same stuff everyone knows, but I will be digging in further for sure.
Jerry Lee Lewis
3/5
This is a very good live recording of Jerry Lee Lewis. He and the band sound great, and I bet it was incredible to be part of the audience. It was very short, though, could have used a little more.
The Temptations
4/5
I liked this one quite a bit, though I much preferred the groovier funkier early tunes to the ones on the second half.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
This is fun throwback rock and roll with a blown out, feedback laden twist. My only caveat is that after about six songs or so they all start to blend together and sound alike. I think that’s kind of the point, but just a little variation would have been nice.
The Psychedelic Furs
4/5
I forget how much I like this band. A solid rock band with just the right amount of idiosyncratic touches to make them stand out from the rest of the 80s New Wavers. And anyone who loves Molly Ringwald loves this band.
Tracy Chapman
5/5
Great record, love Chapman’s voice and lyrics. A nice combination of protest singer Dylan and introspective Dylan.
Johnny Cash
3/5
A nice collection of live Johnny Cash songs, but as much as I enjoy hearing Johnny banter, there was way more talk than singing for my taste.
Guns N' Roses
3/5
This feels like the platonic ideal of an LA hard rock album. Which is another way of saying it’s not really for me. I really enjoy the hits, particularly Paradise City and the objectively amazing Sweet Child of Mine, but felt pretty much nothing for the rest.
Daft Punk
1/5
I’m sure there’s someone out there for whom this is meaningful, beautiful, exciting music, and not loud, boring repetitive noise. But it ain’t me. And I won’t judge you if you like it; I have my fair share of noisy repetitive music that I enjoy (I wonder if Metal Machine Music is on this list?) But I get nothing from this.
Dagmar Krause
3/5
I like Dagmar Krause in Slapp Happy, and I didn’t hate this, but a little Brechtian showtunes go a very long way
Buena Vista Social Club
5/5
See now this is dance music that I like. Was I dancing to this around my bedroom after my shower? You bet I was. And now you have that image in your head. Happy Early Christmas!
Frank Zappa
4/5
I run pretty hot and cold with Mr. Zappa, but this, I think, is indisputably great. None of the characteristics that turn me off (“transgressive” lyrics, excessive soloing) are here, just solid tunes, in what is essentially a jazz fusion album.
Pink Floyd
4/5
As far as concept double albums go, this one is actually pretty decent, not too many weird songs that would sound strange outside the context of the record. But it still is overlong and a bit pretentious, and Roger Waters is an alleged anti-Semite who victim blames the Ukraine so I’m knocking some stars off for that.
The Strokes
4/5
I should have some cynical take on this album, and I can say that of the new Rock revival bands The Strokes are not my favorite (that would be TV On the Radio) but this is an undeniable classic full of great throwback tunes. I will say I’m very happy the version I heard doesn’t have this cover.
Can
5/5
Here is an indisputably great album, though sticking the 2 long, noisy drone songs back to back near the end is a strange choice. Still a fantastic record that sounds as fresh today as it was in the 70s.
The Byrds
3/5
Perfectly adequate stuff from the perfectly adequate Byrds. I’m always surprised when I look at all the different members in The Byrds that I don’t like this band more. But put them all together and it’s just fine, not mind-blowing, no matter how psychedelic they attempt to be.
David Bowie
4/5
One of 3 Eno/Bowie collabs, this is one of my favorite Bowie albums, along with Low (another Eno album) and Ziggy Stardust. This one integrates the synthy instrumentals a little better than Low, though I think I like that one better.
The Flaming Lips
4/5
Ooh, now this is a blast from my past! I used to listen to this all the time when it came out. Some very solid tunes and fond memories. This I feel like was a turning point album for the Lips, with more straightforward and genuine lyrics, though still very surreal in nature.
The Darkness
3/5
This was fine. I kind of feel like if I want to listen to this kind of thing I’ll put on Queen or Boston or Journey or AC/DC. It is pretty impressive how they can mash up those different bands but instead of feeling inspired by them, it feels like they’re “inspired” by them, which is less fun. But still a little fun, admittedly. What I’m trying to say is, essential listening, 12 stars.
Motörhead
4/5
It’s hard to say what’s going to grab me, sometimes a straight ahead rock band will bore me, or their lyrics will offend me. This one really clicked for some reason. With the exception of the horrid Jailbait, I really dug all these songs. Ace of Spades is great of course and the others worked for me as well. Good stuff.
Miles Davis
5/5
Do I get it? Not really. Do I love it? Absolutely. Does it go on a bit too long? Maybe. Does that matter? Eh, not really. Sometimes it’s okay for music to be big and messy and a little incoherent when it’s clear the players are so locked into one another and able to transcend the tune into something larger than themselves.
Bob Dylan
4/5
Definitely a worthwhile record, though I much preferred the bittersweet love songs to the protest songs on the album, which give a better sense of the much better albums to come.
Various Artists
5/5
A pretty much perfect Christmas album, produced by one of the worst people in the world
Parliament
4/5
Delicious funky awesomeness!
Marvin Gaye
4/5
Pretty great, though very repetitive. One song out of the lot doesn’t really work for me, the rest is very very good.
Nick Drake
5/5
I’ve been meaning to revisit this stunning album again, a perfect piece of UK folk loveliness.
T. Rex
4/5
Love me some T. Rex, though I prefer The Slider to this one. This one is pretty great as well. That song Lean Love is kinda lame though, wanky 12 bar blues. It doesn’t live up to the material around it.
5/5
FREAK OUT IN A MOONAGE DAYDREAM OOOOOOH YEEEEEAH!!!!
Robbie Williams
2/5
I’ve been doling out 4s and 5s all over the place lately, it was only a matter of time before the algorithm threw me a dud. So meh, I feel like there was a ton of this stuff in the late 90s. Some very good but most not interesting. This is a solid chunk o’ boredom.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
Oddly bland, merely competent songs from a usually way more interesting songwriter. The songs are fine, just not much interesting happening.
LL Cool J
4/5
This was a fun one! I didn’t know much from this but the title track, and my LL Cool J association is more as a romcom and procedural actor than an MC. He’s pretty great, I have to say. I will knock it down a star for the usual 90s rap misogyny.
Janis Joplin
4/5
I was surprised by how much I liked this. The previous Joplin album didn’t grab me at all, but I liked this one quite a bit. Not sure why but it was lots of fun and of course those powerhouse vocals.
Soundgarden
3/5
This is actually my first time with this album. I know the hits, this came out when I started really digging into music but I wasn’t interested in Soundgarden. Not surprisingly, it’s pretty good, though I think diluted in the 2020s by all the copycats that have since littered the Hard Rock station.
Elliott Smith
4/5
Pretty much the sound of the 2000s, I was honestly surprised Jon Brion wasn’t a producer on this. I feel like poor Elliott Smith is remembered for being a sad singer songwriter, but even though his lyrics could be bummers his hooks were surprisingly sweet and sunny. Top
Tier Stuff.
The Black Keys
3/5
Decent enough garage rock, but lots of other bands do it better.
Baaba Maal
3/5
Now here is an album that I would never think to seek out myself, and I really enjoyed it. I wish the songs weren’t quite as long and repetitive, though I understand that’s (probably?) part of the Senegalese tradition. If it were half as long it would most likely get more than 3 stars. Definitely worth a listen though, unlike some of the other albums I’ve given this rating.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
3/5
Gotta say, didn’t expect to like this as much as I did. I think it helps it doesn’t have their most well known song (Sweet Home Alabama is good, very good, but I could go the rest of my life without hearing it again) but it does have what I think is their best song (Tuesday’s Gone.) There’s a couple here that are inessential but plenty of good stuff.
Talking Heads
5/5
You got your Eno in my Talking Heads! You got your Talking Heads in my Eno! This the third and final collaboration between the two, and of the three, probably the more Eno-y, which might be why I like it best (all of them are great.) A phenomenal kaleidoscope of sounds swirling to a polyrhythmic heartbeat, with songs that simultaneously celebrate and eulogize the inevitability of the earth turning. Maybe it’s not perfect, but that makes it better.
GZA
4/5
What a great album, one I barely knew. Very atmospheric and evocative, lots of fascinating world-building. Good stuff!
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
I missed this LCD reunion album when it originally came out, which is surprising since I was a bit obsessed with their last album. And it was very good! I enjoy LCD Soundsystem and I enjoyed this. Sometimes these things aren’t intricate math problems.
The Auteurs
2/5
Maybe the mehiest album so far. There’s nothing wrong with it but literally nothing stands out. I’m guessing the guys in the band are brothers with the people who made the list.
ZZ Top
2/5
Tres Hombres=Dos Estrellas. I have heard this album praised by lots of folks, but I don’t get it. Perfectly adequate blues from white guys with excessively long beards. Pass.
Songhoy Blues
3/5
Really liked this, very pretty and sometimes rocking tunes. Will have to look more into this group.
Elastica
4/5
Giving this a four star, not so much because I think it’s extra great 90s britpop, but because it was one of a handful of cassettes I I bought at Housework’s in Iowa City (wondering if any of the others will make the list.) I listened to this a lot in my Walkman around campus and in shitty Topaze I drove to Des Moines and back when my future wife moved back home. Anyway these songs totally rock.
Big Black
4/5
Ooh, I like this! Big Black have been a big black blind spot for me for a while. I read about them in Our Band Could Be Your Life, but never really sought them out. I will have to dig deeper.
Björk
4/5
I was a massive Bjork fan in college, but haven’t kept up with her output in more recent years. Consequently I’m hearing this one for the first time. It’s a terrific blend of what drew me to her in college and a new, even more experimental sound, which is saying something for Bjork! Really loved this, I’ll definitely need to listen to more of the recent stuff.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
I mean look: I’m not a Bruce superfan but I can’t deny the man’s chops. And this album is Bruce at the top of his game, doing the big E Street band bombast with his evocative lyrics, there really isn’t much better.
Lauryn Hill
4/5
This album was everywhere back in 98, I remember having discussions about it in an African American theatre class I was in, the controversy about how it was embraced by non-black listeners and Lauryn Hill’s conflicted feelings about that. I obviously can’t relate to everything on here, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get anything from it, it’s a gorgeous record, very worthy of this list.
TV On The Radio
4/5
TV On the Radio are probably my favorite of the early 2000s NYC rock bands. This album is great but is almost completely overshadowed by the follow up. I will be shocked and sad if that one isn’t on the list.
Elliott Smith
4/5
Elliott Smith is apparently one of those guys who will get at least 4 stars from me. I have very little to say about this except that I liked it a lot. I knew it pretty much already and I have had a certain number of beers so I’m going to end here.
Willie Nelson
5/5
Dang, thousy albums! You’ve been on a roll lately. This is of course pretty much a perfect album. Not only does it got Blues Eyes Crying In The Rain, but many other terrific songs. Not bad, William Nelson, not bad.
The Smiths
4/5
This gets a four for the great jangly Johnny Marr guitar, and a point knocked off for Morrissey being Morrissey.
Franz Ferdinand
4/5
Big fan of this one as well. I remember my friend Adam Neubauer playing Take Me Out and saying it was going to be huge. I really liked the disco inflections, this was one of the dancier albums of the early oughts.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
4/5
Dang list, keep teeing up the good stuff! I’m not as versed in my Siouxsie Sioux but this hit the spot today. Fun gothy tunes, maybe not as dark as something like Nick Cave, but in contrast a little more dancey, a bit poppier. Good times.
Beatles
5/5
I mean, what can I say that hasn’t already been said about this album? About as perfect a Beatles record as there ever was, the beautiful sound of collaboration after a fractious period, a last gasp before all the wind was knocked out, one sweet dream coming true. Or something like that.
John Coltrane
5/5
Absolute perfection. Transcendent, much like yesterday’s album, it’s incredible musicians collaborating to make something bigger than all of them. It’s also a fascinating bridge between the more melodic playing of Coltrane’s previous albums and the freer more chaotic sounds he’d explore afterward. Can’t say enough about how much I love this. I guess Supremely?
Metallica
3/5
Giving this 3 stars for 3 reasons:
1. My son Sam is obsessed with Metallica and knew exactly what I was listening to.
2. I do think the melding of metal music and orchestral music works very well.
3. That said, I didn’t listen to all 2 hours and 15 minutes of this. So I can’t fully judge it. I listened to more than half though. That was enough.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
I hadn’t heard this one before, it was decent. Of the YYYs I’ve heard I like their second one best, but this had some catchy tunes on it. I liked the synthy overtones as well. Good stuff.
Peter Gabriel
4/5
Love this, though I think Gabriel improved each album. Still can’t argue with Salisbury Hill and Here Comes The Flood.
5/5
So so good! I haven’t listened to this one in a while, and it was really fun to revisit. A terrific debut!
Red Hot Chili Peppers
2/5
Oh, RHCP. The fact that you occasionally throw an undeniably good song every now and then makes me dislike you more. For every Scar Tissue and Porcelain (I admittedly prefer the ballads) there’s I Like Dirt, Around the World or Right On Time. I want to like you more, if you did more Under the Bridgeses and Breaking the Girlseses I’d be in your corner. But alas. At least we have Flea’s acting credits.
Jurassic 5
4/5
When I first decided to dive deeper into hip hop back in the mid aughts, Jurassic 5 were one of my favorites. And I really liked this one. And it still holds up, I think. With the glaring exception of one song that is super judgy about vain people and gets weirdly homophobic, I liked this.
Foo Fighters
4/5
Very pleasantly surprised by this. I know Foo Fighters a little bit, and had written them off as semi-decent arena rock. Maybe subsequent records have that sound, but this was like great 90s alt rock, it honestly gave me Sugar vibes, Copper Blue in particular. I also gave FF crap because I think Dave Grohl is one of the greatest drummers of all time, but to be fair, he’s a terrific frontman also. So be nicer, me!
Maxwell
3/5
It was very nice, but very repetitive and ultimately kind of dull. Like an aural bowl of tomato soup. Nice but not very exciting.
Traffic
3/5
Not bad, but nothing exciting. Gives me Clapton vibes, more straight ahead blues rock, not much else. I’m an 80s child way more familiar with Steve Winwood’s farty synth music than his guitar playing. I was also surprised that the 4 or 5 bonus tracks were more interesting to me than any of the album cuts.
Sigur Rós
4/5
This album is gorgeous, brimming with beautiful string arrangements and soaring vocals I don’t understand. This album is also gargantuan, each song at least 7 minutes (mostly) and they’re all the same slow tempo. I really do love it but I recognize these things as slight flaws. Songs can be as long or short as they need to be, and I would say most of these earn their length but not all. Four stars for sure though.
Justice
2/5
As far as electronic albums go, this was better than some of the others on the list, but still pretty repetitive and boring.
Solomon Burke
4/5
What a pleasant way to start the week! I will say that other than the transcendent Cry to Me and a handful of others, the rest of the songs were good not great. But overall very enjoyable.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
About 10 or so years ago I gave Zeppelin another chance. Never disliked them, just didn’t really care. Maybe because it corresponded with my starting to learn guitar, but I really really dug them. And this album was a particular favorite since it wasn’t full of songs that got played constantly on KGGO. So yeah, I got this one on vinyl. And yeah it’s good.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
5/5
Love me some Gram Parsons. A very nice slice of old fashioned country music with a bit of soul and rock mixed in for good measure. The only thing that would make it better is adding Emmylou Harris to the mix.
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
Dang the list serves up another classic! Love the experimentation of this album. Part of me wishes it was more focused and part of me loves the random jams that go into weird places. Either way, definitely great.
Pixies
5/5
I don’t know if this is the best Pixies album, it might be, or that might be Doolittle. I don’t know if the Steve Albini production works better for them than the other albums or if the others are the truer Pixies sound. All I know
Is that there were rumors he was into field hockey players….
There were rumors
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
Quite a while back, I read a collection of Greil Marcus essays. His review of Tusk made me very curious to check it out, because like most people born in the late seventies Rumours is imprinted on my brain. And it’s great, of course. But Tusk! What a furry pachyderm of a record, a sublime mixture of classic Mac with some skewed pop like The Ledge and the title track. Every time I listen I’m taken by how the whole eclectic stew works together. And if nothing else, you get some of the greatest songs Stevie Nicks ever wrote (Storms alone is essential.) Love love love it.
Ali Farka Touré
4/5
This was pretty terrific, great guitar work! I really wish I had more to say, just enjoyed it a lot. Sometimes repetition can get boring (see most of the house music on the list), and sometimes like with this album, it builds up an interesting groove that you can just swim in.
Morrissey
2/5
Maybe 15-20 years ago I would rank this higher. Knowing now what a bag of feces Morrissey is, his songwriting doesn’t do much for me anymore. And if this were a Smiths album, with Johnny Marr’s guitar cutting through the other crap, I might rank it higher. But the music here is pretty boring. Go away, Morrissey. No one needs you.
Saint Etienne
3/5
This was pretty good. I’ve heard of Saint Etienne but never heard them. Kind like Belle and Sebastian meets Portishead. I might check out more.
Willie Nelson
4/5
Gorgeous collection of standards, refracted through the Willie Nelson lens. A lovely way to start my Friday! If I had to criticize, the only thing I’d say is it’s all very mid-tempo, but that doesn’t bother me all that much. Songs like Blue Skies pick up the pace enough, so it evens out.
Sex Pistols
3/5
Sure it’s important, without the Sex Pistols we wouldn’t have many other, and better bands. It’s certainly not bad, and my guess is at the time of release it felt very provocative, but it was almost immediately usurped by much better, real punk bands. And nowadays it’s impossible to listen to without hearing the racist comments John Lydon made just last week, and in previous years.
Ride
4/5
Very good, surprisingly tuneful and melodic shoegaze, not as abrasive as MBV or as ethereal as Slowdive. I’ve heard some of their subsequent music and I liked it fine, but this is very very good.
The Sabres Of Paradise
3/5
Did I find this perfectly fine? Yup. Was it slightly better than the other electronic albums we’ve heard? Yup. Was it still too long? Yup? Did I listen to more than half?
No comment.
Jefferson Airplane
3/5
A lot of these classic rock records end up feeling very meh to me, and this one is no exception. Some good songs that don’t linger mixed with definite classics, but I would rather crank up the Monkees than listen again.
The Cure
3/5
Decent but certainly not great. Too many sketches of songs, and the actual songs were underwhelming
Little Richard
5/5
What a great start to the week! Smoking hot music from the legend himself! A little redundant but it also doesn’t overstay its welcome. A genuine classic.
Jungle Brothers
4/5
Really loved this one as well. I was completely unfamiliar with Jungle Brothers but will have to check out more. Fun old school hip hop with a toe dipped in the more 90s house style. Very fun!
Kings of Leon
3/5
This one surprised me. I didn’t exactly love it, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I’d heard KOL compared to The Strokes, and I thought that was a crazy comparison based on the monster hits Use Somebody and Help, My Sex is On Fire!!! But this sounded very much like a Southern Strokes. Not sure if I needed that but it’s definitely better than Somebody Use My Flaming Sex.
The Blue Nile
4/5
Another pleasant surprise! Not even sure what to expect from this band I’d never heard of, but I got strong Kate Bush/80s John Cale vibes, mixed with the last couple of Talk Talk albums. Spare jazzy grooves and impressionistic vocals make for some solid art pop, definitely exploring more from this band.
R.E.M.
5/5
I mean, music doesn’t get more perfect than this. If R.E.M. quit after this they’d still be legends; the fact that I might like the follow-up even more is pretty astounding. Still, this and maybe Automatic are the 2 albums that feel the most fully realized as album long statements. And I prefer this to Automatic personally.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Maybe it’s because I’m now a dad but I’ve gained a much deeper appreciation of CCR. Part of it is as a kid, one of the first records I listened to over and over was Willie and the Poor Boys, which my sister and I were allowed to play on our Fisher Price record player. But this band smokes man! Literally probably? I don’t know, I’ve had a couple of beers.
5/5
Ooh, another classic! PJ Harvey is one of those artists I take for granted; every time I listen to her, I think I should listen more often, and then I forget. This one is definitely top tier Polly Jean, but I’m hoping there are more on the list as well.
Jethro Tull
3/5
Surprisingly the first time I’ve heard this (aside from the title track), and my gut reaction is perfectly passable prog rock. Didn’t dig it as much as Yes. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing that spurs me to explore further.
3/5
I remember when this came out, and it was such a left turn from Liars first record, some people hated it. I really liked it then, and given the subject matter I’d revisit it around Halloween over the years. Listening again after many years, it still holds up, but not as much as it used to. Liars have expanded on this sound and improved. Still pretty good though.
Herbie Hancock
4/5
Now this is the stuff! A really nice way to wrap the week up, with some killer grooves. More of this on the list please.
The Smiths
4/5
I’m going to sound like a broken record with all these Moz/Smiths albums, but it’s true. I do love this album, but the man’s awfulness knocks it down a star. There’s some great stuff on here, though. Sorry Johnny! Nothing personal.
Talking Heads
4/5
Another solid album, though not one of their best. They certainly grew and improved but you can’t deny that most of these tracks are solid. 77 was a great year for music and for people to be born in.
Shuggie Otis
3/5
I wanted to like this more than I did. I think Shuggie Otis is great and I love Strawberry Letter 23. There was something off about the production of this though, it felt really incomplete or something. Not as lush as it should have been in my opinion. Still, the songs were pretty great.
The Afghan Whigs
2/5
Afghan Whigs are a band whose name I’ve heard a lot, but never really checked them out. After this listen, I think I’m good. Honestly, there’s nothing wrong with the music, but it really doesn’t move me. They sound like pretty much all the other 90s alt-rock bands. Nothing objectionable but nothing inspiring either.
Muddy Waters
4/5
A great way to wrap up the week. Muddy Waters has, of course, incredible chops, and I’m also very impressed by the mix. It sounds clear (not Muddy) but not smoothed out. My only caveat is a little 12 bar blues goes a long way with me, and a couple of these songs went a little long for me. But overall a great one.
Eagles
2/5
Boy I am struggling with this one. In the words of the Dude, I do not care for the Eagles. And yet, I can’t deny Hotel California is a pretty great song. And then there’s the rest of the album, which is underwhelming at best. I’m going 2 stars but it’s really 2 and a half, for the title track. So many other artists do this so so so much better (Flying Burrito Brothers) so it’s always hard to hear how huge this band is.
The Who
3/5
This is another tricky one. I get that it’s an impressive achievement, and there’s plenty of Who goodness here, but it’s also bloated and full of uncomfortable songs about child abuse. It’s the kind of album that if I’m in the right mood hits me exactly right. But generally it annoys me.
Elvis Presley
3/5
If you like your Elvis ham-fried, glazed and smothered in overdramatic weepy vocals, strings and a lady choir, please partake! Me, it’s fine. Not my favorite Elvis mode but I can’t deny the formula works. As in most of these things, a little goes a long way.
Björk
4/5
I was a major Bjorkist in college, but I dropped off before this one came out. It makes me sad because this is prime Bjork, at least as good as Post or Homogenic. A gorgeous marriage of her expressive voice and the bleepy bloopy production, with a modest sprinkling of strings. Beautiful.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
3/5
Pretty good! A solid kinda classic jazz album, maybe it didn’t move me the way other jazz albums do, but it was lots of fun!
Björk
4/5
Another Bjork so soon! When this popped up I thought, Oh no, this is going to suffer in comparison because of timing. But not really! I still love this one.
Lou Reed
4/5
I was excited when this one came up, I haven’t heard it in years. And then I remembered why. This is such a beautiful, grotesque monster of a record, with moments that make me smile but even more that disturb me deeply. I mean, that’s the point. And few people can nail that beautiful grotesquerie like Lou Reed. I love this album but it will be a few years before I revisit.
Britney Spears
1/5
Perfectly acceptable pop. No, you know what, it’s not great. I think Britney got better as she went along, or at least the production got more interesting. My issue with this is that so many of these songs are about being controlled or submissive to her partner. It sets an unfortunate precedent for young girls who propelled this album up the charts. Fortunately, the antidote would arrive in about a year with Destiny’s Child. One positive: there’s a completely genuinely earnest love song on here called E-Mail My Heart which could only be done this earnestly in 1999.
Skepta
3/5
This was pretty good, but I have to admit I wasn’t blown away. A solid three star affair.
The Prodigy
3/5
It’s possible this electronica music is beginning to wear me down but I didn’t hate this. Some of it I downright liked. How about that?
Sister Sledge
3/5
I wanted to like this more than I did. I find that lots of dance music, be it disco or electronica would benefit from editing. Some of these songs are real catchy and fun and then they just keep going and going and going and going and going and going and it’s like okay. Now I don’t like it anymore. Maybe if it went even longer then it would go back to the point that I like it again.
But probably not.
Jane Weaver
4/5
This one blindsided me, I came into it with no knowledge of what to expect, certainly not this kosmische inspired sound. It’s kind of like Beth Orton fronting Broadcast, really really good stuff. I will have to check out more.
Bill Callahan
4/5
Ah, love me some Bill Callahan. This might not hit me the way Apocalypse or some of the Smog albums have, but I can’t deny its greatness. Solid stuff.
Ice Cube
3/5
I appreciate some of this, as a reaction to racism in the US it is powerful and vital. I just wish it wasn’t riddled with the sexism and homophobia so much hip hop of the 90s was.
Michael Kiwanuka
4/5
Another totally new one for me, and a very pleasant surprise! Solid soul music, I will have to dig into more from this guy.
Bob Dylan
5/5
I mean, yeah. A massive classic, undeniably. There isn’t much to be said about it that isn’t said more eloquently by the man himself. There are times I wish the arrangements were more interesting and not just straight up twelve bar blues, but that’s a minor nitpick.
Funkadelic
4/5
This is a fun one, a Funkadelic album I’m less familiar with. Definitely not as good as Maggot Brain or Free Your Mind, but a fun way to start the day.
The Kinks
5/5
I mean, come on. Not much beats The Kinks at their peak, and this may be it. I might listen to Something Else or Lola Vs Poweman more, but as a cohesive statement, this album (and the follow-up Arthur) are Kinks at their absolute best. Definitely essential listening. Good job, list.
Meat Puppets
4/5
Another great album! Meat Puppets are a band I forget about, and when I’m reminded I always think, man I should listen to these guys more. Hopefully I’ll remember this time. Great ramshackle indie rock music.
ABBA
3/5
Maybe a controversial opinion, but I do enjoy ABBA. Solid 70s pop, with of course a disco vibe. I do think a little goes a long way, and sometimes I wish they’d switch up the sound a bit. It’s fun to think of what ABBA could sound like if produced by Brian Eno or Daniel Lanois.
The White Stripes
3/5
A nice blast from the past! I haven’t listened to this one since the early 2000s. Good stuff, but I’m probably good for a while.
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
3/5
Very good, though probably not something I would listen to again? A fun time, though I believe the lyrics are political, I don’t speak the language.
Hookworms
3/5
This was new to me, and it was pretty good! Got a little nervous when the album was described as electronica, but it’s more electronic elements mixed with garage rock revival. Much more my style. That said, there are some songs where it feels the embellishments are there because there’s not really a song. Still, a good time.
Fairport Convention
4/5
Ooh, I do love Fairport Convention. I kind of like them better when there’s more rock to their folk rock, but this was pretty great. I was especially in the mood after reading a new book about Nick Drake.
The Velvet Underground
5/5
A classic for sure. I remember when I first heard it I didn’t like Nico’s voice, and I’ve since come around on it. Not my favorite VU, that’s already been covered, but any VU record is gonna get high marks from me.
Dire Straits
3/5
Pretty meh. I like some Dire Straits fine, like Brothers In Arms, but they’ve never done much for me. This is fine, but I can only take so much of the verse chorus guitar noodling formula.
David Bowie
3/5
There’s Bowie I love and there’s Bowie I like and there’s Bowie I can take or leave. This is somewhere between the latter two. Interesting feints toward what he’d do in the 80s mixed with some watered down versions of the glam stuff. None of my favorite Bowie though, the Eno stuff. Oh well. Still a fun listen.
Nas
4/5
Here’s another one from my deep-ish dive into hip hop from like, almost 20 years ago now. I hadn’t thought of this one since then but I remember really liking it. It definitely holds up! Weirdly I think what made an impact on me was more the sampling than the content of the rapping, and I’m glad to say this holds up on both counts.
Rod Stewart
4/5
As I’ve matured I’ve gotten over my knee jerk dislike of Rod Stewart. This album helped with that immensely. Much like his work with Faces, this is like bluesy pub rock with some solid musicianship. I bought this one recently at a record show for $2. The record is super beat up but well worth it.
Sufjan Stevens
5/5
Haven’t revisited this one in years, but I was obsessed back when it came out. Still definitely holds up, love the sweet nostalgic lyrics married to the Philip Glass scores a Charlie Brown special arrangements. Need to break out the Sufjan more often.
The White Stripes
3/5
Huh, another White Stripes. I do like them, but this one was just fine. Not upset I had to listen to it, but not a favorite.
Norah Jones
3/5
I winced when this was revealed, but to be honest, there’s nothing particularly wrong with it. I like my jazz less smooth but it’s inoffensive. Won’t be revisiting anytime soon or like ever but I wasn’t tearing at my ears or anything.
Richard Hawley
3/5
Decent, much like yesterday’s album, fairly bland and most likely not something I will return to
The Rolling Stones
5/5
This is more like it! I forget this album sometimes when revisiting my favorite Stones records, but it’s pretty high up there. It’s maybe to me a tad better than Beggars Banquet and not as good as Sticky Fingers or Exile. I found myself enjoying more of the songs than I thought I did, though. The classics are classic obviously but You Got the Silver and Country Honk are really good as well. Top shelf!
Adele
4/5
When this first popped up I was convinced we’d done it already. Turns out that was 25, an album I was mostly underwhelmed by. This one is significantly better, and I mean significantly. Adele has a powerhouse voice, which was used to middling effect on 25, mostly on ballads. The songs on here are harder, like pure pop goodness. Definite recommend.
Nirvana
4/5
You know, this is in fact a great album, I think. Timely of course with the death of Steve Albini, but probably (barring the Unplugged album) my favorite Nirvana. They didn’t mean as much to me as other folks my age, but I can’t deny their impact and influence, which is in no small part based on the quality of their music. A terrific record, which not only makes me wonder what could have been if Kurt had lived, but also what we could have if Dave Grohl was still a drummer.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
5/5
Fantastic, beautiful stuff. Don’t have a lot to say about it, just really, really good. I can see why Paul Simon wanted to work with them.
Ray Charles
2/5
I really want to like Ray Charles, and I really thought I did! But the albums on this list have been so boring. There’s nothing wrong with this, but that’s kind of the problem. It’s plain and inoffensive. I want there to be some grit, some excitement. These songs just kind of are. Uninteresting, underwhelming.
Wilco
5/5
Sometimes I worry that all the lore surrounding this album overshadows the fact that it’s fucking fantastic. I’m not the world’s biggest Wilco fan but I do enjoy their music, and this is rightly regarded as peak Wilco. It sucks that there was so much tension and drama in the making of this, but the end result is so good. Also fun, as I’ve begun to explore his work more, I can definitely sense the fingerprints of Jim O’Rourke all over this.
Prince
5/5
I’ve loved all of this, and I’ve loved some of this and found the rest bizarre and indulgent. This listen I loved it all. Much like Stevie Wonder, Prince can let a song coast on a groove for a while and sometimes I’ll be impatient for it to end, and other times I’ll lock in and enjoy the ride. Well over half of this album is unimpeachable classics and the rest are fascinating if not perfect.
Amy Winehouse
3/5
If you ignore the tabloid background nipping at the heels of this album, not to mention the tragic end of the artist herself, we’re left with a pretty good throwback to the sixties, a solid soul record with an incredible band. I try but I have trouble not comparing this unfavorably to the Dap-Kings other work with Sharon Jones. Which, I understand, almost nothing is going to hold up to scrutiny when compared to Sharon Jones. This is a very good record though.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Top tier, of all the Stevie’s this one is my favorite. Just perfect.
The War On Drugs
3/5
I haven’t checked this one out in a while. Really nice songs that sprawl out like the scenery on a road trip, long jams that aren’t too jammy, just ride a particular groove for a while, like kosmische country. My only criticism is it goes longer than my attention span and is pretty samey.
The Byrds
4/5
I can see why you wouldn’t like this if you aren’t a Gram Parsons fan. The version of the album I listened to had a radio ad in which one listener refused to believe it was The Byrds. As a Parsons fan I really dig this, though I would say by the end I didn’t need to hear the pedal steel for a while.
Meat Loaf
3/5
Very enjoyable, very bombastic rock. Maybe not my favorite, and not one I’ve spent a lot of time with, but definitely in the anthemic 70s Springsteen vein. Good times!
Elvis Presley
4/5
This is the Elvis I like, more than the melodramatic Elvis (though there’s nothing wrong with that Elvis.) I love the reverb, the smoking guitar solos, but of course some of the lyrics are a little retrograde. Overall a solid album.
Todd Rundgren
3/5
25 songs at 90 minutes is a lot, maybe too much? Unless you’re Stevie Wonder, odds are you can trim some fat from your double album. And there are definitely a few songs that didn’t need to be here.
Generally I can see why Todd Rundgren is a go-to producer, there’s a lush fullness to these songs. But too often they’ll veer into lite-rock territory and lose me. In the end, I found myself wishing I could hear Rundgren producing a Nilsson album.
The United States Of America
3/5
A fascinating time capsule which at times reminds me of Jefferson Airplane and at others early Mothers. An enjoyable psychedelic voyage, though at over an hour it overstayed its welcome a bit.
Fela Kuti
4/5
Love me some Fela Kuti! Haven’t heard this one before, what a great, smoking hot set! Sizzling grooves! Killer tunes! Exclamation points!
Deep Purple
3/5
Decent enough classic rock that rocks. Nothing special, in my opinion. Fine enough background music, but doesn’t really hold up to further scrutiny.
The Cure
4/5
Once again, I was convinced we already covered this. And once again I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Another surprise is that I didn’t know this album, aside from the hits. I didn’t like it as much as like Head on the Door but some solid Cure sounds herein.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
Very nice! I knew nothing about this album, and was pleasantly surprised sort of. I mean it was what I expected, but that’s a good thing. Love Curtis Mayfield’s voice, it reminds me of Prince. Would listen again for sure.
David Bowie
3/5
Not sure why this is my first listen, but I was certainly aware of it. It is a gorgeous album, very good in places, though even with the baggage of it being Bowie’s farewell, I was mostly lukewarm on it. There’s Bowie I love and Bowie I like just fine, and this is the latter.
Ms. Dynamite
3/5
Here’s an artist I’d never heard of. Decent enough, but underwhelming. Solid r and b but nothing that blew me away.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
I mean, you gotta love Hendrix right? Sometimes these 60s blues knockoff bands don’t do much for me, but when folks like Hendrix and Zeppelin provide their psychedelic spin on things it’s pretty great in my opinion. And honestly the man can not only shred, he truly expresses himself through his guitar, but he’s also a pretty terrific lyricist as well. Definitely worthy of the list.
R.E.M.
5/5
Maybe not the best R.E.M. album but in my personal top five. Somewhere below Reckoning and above New Adventures in Hi-Fi, I think. Love pretty much all of it.
Arctic Monkeys
3/5
I remember being really into this when it first came out. For nostalgic reasons I still enjoy it, and the songs are definitely catchy and well-written. Probably won’t revisit any time soon but a fun one.
Ramones
5/5
I mean, what is there to say? It’s the motherfucking Ramones, they’re great! They do their thing and they do it awesome. End of story.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
Here’s another blast from the early 2000s. Weirdly this one held up better for me. I think the next couple of YYY albums are a little better than this one; this feels more like they tried to capture the feeling of their live shows and the subsequent albums used the studio better. But it still had my little tootsies a-tappin’!
The Black Crowes
2/5
This was just so incredibly not for me. I will be honest, I only listened to about half, and I couldn’t handle the overly polished “rock.” Worse really than the Eagles. Listen, I’m writing this on June 28, 2024, today saw the release of over a half dozen new albums I was so excited to check out and they were all pretty great. So maybe skip this one and listen to Dirty Three, Mabe Fratti, Folk Implosion, GBV, or any of the others that came out today.
Pretenders
4/5
Pretenders are one of those bands I take for granted, and then I’ll listen to a song or an album and be reminded how much I love them. This one in particular is a favorite, love the bass line in Mystery Achievement, the Kinks cover, the Howard the Duck shoutout in Precious. Absolute classic.
MC Solaar
3/5
Pretty good, though the last time I took French class was like 1996, so I barely understood the lyrics. Can’t decide if that helped or hindered my enjoyment of this, but I think it was destined to be a three star affair either way.
N.W.A.
4/5
Now this one I did understand the words, and it’s an indisputable classic. I have to knock off a star, like I always seem to need to with these albums that are full of misogynistic lyrics. Otherwise a pretty perfect album.
Beach House
4/5
Really enjoyed this as well! I’m more familiar with Depression Cherry but this is as good as that one. Beach House is another band I take for granted, will probably be on a bit of a kick now.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
Terrific soul record, peak Curtis Mayfield. Generally I balk when these albums are like an hour long and cheer when they come in at half that, but I definitely could have used more of this.
5/5
I’m sure the Kinks aren’t infallible, but they’ve got a run of several unimpeachable classic albums, and this is one of them. Do I like Village Green or Something Else or Lola or Muswell Hillbillies better? Honestly I think they’re all equally great.
CHVRCHES
4/5
I really dug this when it came out, it’s a great throwback to 80s synth music. I even covered a CHVRCHES song once! Big fan, good stuff.
David Bowie
5/5
One of my favorite Bowie records, if not
my favorite. Though that might be due to the Eno contributions. Still, a pretty terrific album in my opinion
Metallica
3/5
Well this is definitely better than that 2 hour live Metallica album. I’m not really much of a metal guy, but I am a tad biased because this is one of my son’s favorite albums of all time. And I can’t lie: for what it is, it’s pretty good. Just not necessarily for me.
Eminem
1/5
I really, really, really don’t get the whole Eminem thing. It’s like he takes all the criticisms of misogyny and glorification of violence and strains out everything else to focus just on that. Let’s talk about how awful women are and threaten them with violence! Oh and for good measure let’s do the same thing with gay men. Needless to say I didn’t listen to the whole thing but I gave it more than it deserved.
Derek & The Dominos
3/5
Getting this out of the way early: Eric Clapton is a garbage person. That definitely impacts my rating of this album. That said, about a third of this is pretty good. Can’t deny the power of Layla, Bellbottom Blues sounds like an outtake from Let It Be, and Little Wing is gorgeous. But there are way too many cliche 12 bar blues songs that all sound the same. Ultimately pretty shrug worthy overall.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Up until recently I was fairly indifferent to reggae. It was fine, but I didn’t get the people who obsessed over it. But after an algorithm recommended a reggae album to me (Return of the Super Ape) I’ve been exploring a little more. This is very good, which seems obvious but yeah. I do find I like the more dubby reggae with the echo and drenched in reverb, but that said there’s a reason Bob Marley is considered great. Bottom line, album good.
Happy Mondays
3/5
This was not quite entirely my thing, which is a little surprising. I feel like Happy Mondays inspired some bands that I like more, and the Fall also embraced this kind of sound around the same time, and I like those albums. But this one was just fine to me. Sorry Happy Mondays, more like Adequate Tuesdays amirite?
Solange
4/5
I remember when this came out to pretty much universal acclaim, but that apparently wasn’t enough for me to check it out. Not sure why, I enjoyed Beyoncé and Janelle Monae. But yeah this is fantastic. I won’t be ignoring it anymore.
Van Halen
3/5
Generally I feel VH aren’t for me. That said, this was better than I anticipated. I know the hits obviously and they’re fine, if you overlook how overplayed they are. And it’s blessedly short.
Metallica
3/5
According to my son, this and Master of Puppets are battling for the top spot in his Metallica rankings. I might put this one a bit higher myself. I’ve been pleased with early Metallica, though not much of a metal fan I do like the guitar interplay on these, and the production isn’t as glossy as the later songs I’ve heard. Probably not going to revisit anytime soon but I wouldn’t be hesitant to play it again.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
Beautiful songs, sung very understated and with just the right amount of embellishment. Honestly the only thing I’d say is that they all kind of run together, there’s a similarity to all the songs. But it still works for me, so you know.
Einstürzende Neubauten
2/5
I’m not opposed to noise based music but there’s gotta be something more to it. This felt like the band heard Black Angels Death Song and scrubbed it of any melody and just recorded it over and over again. At least the songs were short.
Butthole Surfers
3/5
Feels like the list heard my criticism of the last album and was like, how about this then? And yeah, this is better for sure, though still not exactly my thing. I liked the more fleshed out songs, and the weird noise stuff that sounded like they were just screwing around in the studio I could live without.
Beck
4/5
I kind of prefer goofy funky Beck to sad sack Beck, but I can’t deny this has a Lee Hazelwood hazy beauty to it.
Fats Domino
4/5
I kind of prefer goofy funky Beck to sad sack Beck, but I can’t deny this has a Lee Hazelwood hazy beauty to it.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Best Dylan album? Certainly best 70s (Desire a close second.) Not much else to say, Bobby D said it all.
Beastie Boys
5/5
This week is on fire! For sure the best Beastie Boys album, it’s weird this flopped so hard considering how much it paved the way for hip-hop to come. On the other hand, the failure of this album led the band to start playing their instruments again, and because of that we have Sabotage. Win-win.
James Taylor
3/5
Pretty decent but mostly meh. I think I don’t like James Taylor’s voice. Some of these songs are awfully cheesy too. Dude does Oh, Susannah like he’s Raffi or something. But then Fire and Rain is legitimately good, so. You know.
Alanis Morissette
4/5
Fatboy Slim
3/5
Here’s the formula for a Fatboy Slim song: take a vocal sample (right about now funk soul brother), repeat it many many times, then start stuttering the sample over and over and over until it just starts repeating again, then add the same drumbeat to every song, some repetitive guitars or piano and repeat for about five and a half minutes. All that being said, it does work more often than I expected it would. Not great and way too long, but better than some other albums of this ilk on the list.
Dexys Midnight Runners
4/5
This was real fun! Like most folks I imagine, I only knew one (actually 2) song(s) on this album, and it’s a really good one. The rest is great also, and not exactly what I expected. The other song I knew was a cover of Van Morrison’s Jackie Wilson Said, which is kind of the key to album. It’s actually a little more Wilson than Morrison but there’s definitely more than a hint of Irish folk mixed with the classic R&B flavors. Good stuff!
Traffic
3/5
This was not bad, actually. Definitely better than the other Traffic album. A little better than some of the more generic 70s blues rock we’ve had. Still not my favorite but decent.
Ryan Adams
3/5
For starters, yeah this is pretty good, the guy can write a decent song. It’s overlong and at points the songs were just so-so. But this was always going to get a three or less because of the fact that Ryan Adams is a massive shitsack. So there you go.
Bob Dylan
4/5
Classic Dylan, maybe not at the level of Blood on the Tracks, but very very close.
The Go-Go's
5/5
I’m a huge fan of this album, I love the shimmery summery vibes it creates, the fun pop essence. So yeah, weirdly I apparently like it more than Highway 61? I mean, it’s all subjective so probably more like they’re the same amount of like, but because of mood it gets a higher ranking. You’re welcome, Belinda Carlisle!
Electric Light Orchestra
4/5
Nice, another great record! Some solid, spacey Beatley rock. Pretty great, though a bit overlong. And I hope you enjoy vocoder folks!
Aretha Franklin
5/5
Geez, another perfect record! There’s no denying the power of Ms. Franklin’s voice. And the songwriting here is top shelf R&B songwriting, Natural Woman, Chain of Fools and even the lesser known ones are unimpeachable. Definitely belongs on this list.
Thin Lizzy
3/5
I balked a bit at the length of this and the fact that it’s live, but honestly as only a semi-fan of Thin Lizzy, this feels like the way to hear them. This feels like it really captures the sound of the band, who must have been killer live.
Kanye West
4/5
I hate how good this is. I want to punish Kanye for being the person he is, but I can’t deny this album’s greatness. I can however give props to the many, many guests who elevate this material even more, most of whom are not problematic, I think? I just won’t google it. Problem solved.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
In semi-recent (like 10 or so) years, I have become a much bigger fan of Zeppelin than before. I really enjoy this one as well, although I don’t think it lives up to anything that came after (the next 3 albums are light years ahead of this one in my opinion) but there’s plenty to enjoy here.
Terence Trent D'Arby
3/5
First off, someone needs to update the list because he changed his name to Sananda Maitreya. But yeah, pretty good though I’m not sure I’d go out of my way to listen again. I’ve always enjoyed Wishing Well, and the rest is good also. Just to me not great.
3/5
Fine. This is one of those albums that tells you the folks who put it together are from the UK, because I feel like it would otherwise not be included, like a few others. I mean, it’s no Presidents of the United States of America.
Public Enemy
5/5
Now this is more like it! Truly essential listening, one of the greatest rap albums of all time. I might like this one even more than Nation of Millions, but it’s too close to call. Okay?
The Who
5/5
Some albums are classics for a reason and this is one. I could complain about hearing these songs too often but for me anyway they never get old.
Rush
4/5
2112 the song is corny, overstuffed and deeply silly and I absolutely love it. 2112 the (rest of the) album has a couple songs I like fine and a couple I dislike. The Bangkok song is borderline racist with the stereotypical “Asian” music motif and the last song very soberly intones a message that would become a Team America punchline. But the title track is really fun.
Joan Baez
3/5
Joan Baez has a powerful voice, and a beautiful voice. I just found these stark arrangements fairly boring and the fact that each song was just vocals and acoustic guitar made them run together. So so, but I might need to listen to more of her, if the songs are more interesting.
The Triffids
3/5
I knew the name The Triffids, had heard them as an influence on some bands I like. I’m not sure why though, this was mostly just fine, a couple songs I liked and most were fine and then some that I really didn’t like. I mean, pretty bleh. Just like real life Triffids.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
Fine. I think I was more generous to the other Dexys album, and this was about as good. But I don’t know. I gave it less because I felt like it. They’re in Ireland they can’t hurt me.
Funkadelic
5/5
Finally a perfect 5 star album for this week. Thanks Funkadelic!
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
And yet another obvious and entirely worthy classic rock choice. I was just looking at the Rolling Stone list of best guitarists and while there are some that I disagree with and lots of discourse about who was included, Hendrix at number one is just a given. And the guy is a great lyricist as well!
Brian Wilson
5/5
I’m only giving this 4 stars because I prefer the version with The Beach Boys. This, though is also essential, with more lyrics than the original. What a treasure it was when this came out and we finally had an official document of Brian’s magnum opus. You know what? This gets 5 stars, it’s just too good.
Dolly Parton
5/5
The list continues to serve up classics. Not much to say but this is fantastic, well written and performed, and one of the few short albums I wish were (a little bit) longer.
k.d. lang
4/5
Another album I adore. I know it’s kind of the cliche k.d. lang album to pick, but I do very much love it. So there.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
Better than the debut for sure, maybe not as good as 3 or 4. I do really like Zeppelin but I’m indifferent to their albums. As much as I like them, if I was making a list of essential albums they probably wouldn’t make it.
John Lennon
3/5
1. I was kind of lukewarm on the title track before it was destroyed by self-important celebs.
2. He makes fun of McCartney’s Muzak in How Do You Sleep and the next song is the stupidest sappiest song I’ve ever heard.
3. The only songs I really, really like are the love songs. Oh Yoko is pure joy, and Oh My Love is delicately beautiful.
4. The rest is fine, Jealous Guy is ridiculously overproduced, and I Don’t Wanna Be a Soldier Mamma is saved by it’s production.
Yes
4/5
This was pretty good, as it turns out I’m kind of a Yes guy. This wasn’t as good in my HO as Fragile, not as many catchy tunes, but Seen All Good People is pretty great.
Common
3/5
I liked this a lot but wasn’t blown away. I really like Be and Finding Forever, but this one was good as well. Not great but very good.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
I do like Peter Gabriel a lot, and I liked this one a lot. But not as much as like So or some others. Good stuff though.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
I’d like to play it cool and be like, meh. I mean there’s so so many great albums that came out in this, the year of my birth. But I can’t deny how good this really is. Also I grew up hearing this album constantly so it’s ingrained in me to love it.
The Pogues
3/5
I’d only heard the Christmas song before, and the rest was decent but it all kind of sounded the same. If possible, you should hear Fairytale of New York karaoke with Ian singing the Kristy MacColl parts.
Billy Bragg
4/5
Really good stuff, very much my thing, though I have to unfairly knock it down a star because Airline to Heaven is on Volume 2. Unfair I know but I don’t make the rules.
Portishead
4/5
Pretty good Portishead, I gotta say. I didn’t know this one as well as Dummy, but I really liked the different sounds this one explored. Good stuff!
The Stooges
5/5
Pretty much perfect, loud rock music played loudly by loud people. Yup!!
Miles Davis
5/5
Beautiful, especially the title track. Lovely sounds you can just live in and ruminate on, a nice contrast to the more chaotic songs of Bitches Brew.
David Bowie
4/5
Not a Bowie I was very familiar with aside from the cover. Very good, though not as good as Ziggy in my book.
Scott Walker
3/5
I’m giving this a 3, but I have a feeling I’ll be revisiting soon, and I might regret this rating. It didn’t quite work for me, but something definitely peaked my interest, so there is that.
John Lee Hooker
3/5
Fine, not great. I think when he’s able to do his own thing it’s better than when other artists collaborate.
The Cardigans
4/5
Real fun, not just the mega-hit but good dancy pop. I will have to check out more.
Johnny Cash
5/5
This one’s great, full of terrific songs and banter. And June!
Joni Mitchell
5/5
Perfect. Beautiful melancholy tunes that make me wanna learn the dulcimer. Joni is pretty much always great and this just might be peak Joni.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
I wanted to like this more than I did. I find Cohen to be a very good songwriter but the sameness of the arrangements began to grate on me and the songs drug a bit. Still pretty good but not great.
The B-52's
4/5
Such fun twisted party music! Love the way the songs can be silly but also just ride a groove for five minutes. Good stuff (which isn’t on this album)
Muddy Waters
4/5
Sometimes I can’t decide if I like the blues but it turns out I’ve heard a lot of bad versions of the blues. This is the good stuff, the genuine article.
Tears For Fears
4/5
Here’s another great one, this one I have on vinyl, but I don’t break out often enough. The hits still hit and the deeper cuts are great as well. Love the tribute to Robert Wyatt!
Miles Davis
3/5
This is solid early jazz from a master, but much like The Beatles, the later period music is way more interesting to me. Still, this is good, can’t deny.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Maybe the best of the Leonard Cohen albums, maybe just shy of the last one. I will say it seems he is not necessarily for me, it seems. Good enough but didn’t really grab me.
Coldplay
3/5
Yeah it’s fine. Like I’m not a big Coldplay guy but the songs are catchy enough, just don’t really linger.
Japan
3/5
Another perfectly fine album, some very very nice synth pop with very little to set it apart from other synth pop artists. Good but not great.
The Specials
3/5
I liked this more than I expected. I’m not normally a ska kinda guy, but the fact that this had a little more variety to it made me like it more than most. Solid stuff.
Jimmy Smith
3/5
Decent, smooth jazz. Not smooth like Kenny G, more like Booker T. Not bad but not my favorite kind of jazz.
Ice T
4/5
This was really great, though overlong. Damn, Ice T is really really good at this, wonder if he’ll ever come back to rap.
Richard Thompson
5/5
Such a great album, and perfect for the fall. Definitely listen to Life of the Record podcast on this one, it’s fantastic.
Femi Kuti
4/5
Really fun one! I might have gone all the way to 5, but it went a little long. But I’ll definitely listen again.
Ella Fitzgerald
4/5
Full confession: I did not listen to all 4 hours of this, but I did listen to enough to know that Gershwin and Ella Fitzgerald are a winning combo.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
Not as good as Are You Experienced, but there’s some really great stuff here. You have to sift through a bit of chaff, but the classics are still classic.
Sheryl Crow
3/5
She can write a song that I’ll begrudgingly call catchy (All I Wanna Do), a song I legitimately love (Strong Enough) and a song that is embarrassing for everyone (The Na-Na Song.) I can take or leave the rest.
Sam Cooke
4/5
A great document of a really solid performance. Everyone is firing on all cylinders here and the crowd loves it.
Tom Waits
5/5
Probably the best Tom Waits? Yeah probably. If I have only one nitpick it’s that parts of it seem weirdly sequenced. But I think that also adds to the charm.
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
Another terrific album! I hadn’t heard this particular Tribe album before but not surprisingly it was fantastic.
The Who
4/5
Yes yes this is a great document of a classic rock band playing many of their best songs live but at what cost? For whom do we pay for this slice of musical historical history? I don’t know what the price of a piece is. But it seems to me the same thing as a piece that has a certain value.
Bert Jansch
3/5
Bert Jansch? What’s next, Ernie?
Ernie Jansch?
Well, moving on, I did like this quite a bit. While the songs themselves weren’t all that exciting the fingerpicking was really great and elevated everything. So yeah.
Bert.
D'Angelo
3/5
More like C minus Angelo. Fine enough R&B, but nothing that really grabbed me. Guy can really sing but there’s not much else, no quirky Prince embellishments.
The Prodigy
2/5
No, I’m good. Pretty much the same as all the electronic dance albums. Not my thing.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
4/5
Can’t deny Tom Petty has a talent for a catchy tune. This isn’t quite on the level of subsequent albums, but still really good.
George Harrison
5/5
Another Wilbury! Of course it’s 5 stars, even though it’s just a bit overstuffed, and maybe if the instrumental jams weren’t all at the end they wouldn’t be as annoying, but Coke Zero! Or come on! It’s great, and I say that having heard the vastly superior Beatles version of the title track which makes it sound like a Band song.
Lucinda Williams
4/5
Love me some Lucinda Williams, this album is probably her best. I’m freaking the fuck out right now so nothing else to say.
The Killers
4/5
Maybe I’m just looking for a (mister) bright side right now but this was a nice throwback to arena alt-rock, lots of songs I thoroughly enjoy. Really didn’t expect to enjoy this as much as I did, but in terms of surprises, this was a nice one.
Pentangle
3/5
Hey, I picked this one up at a record show not long ago. It’s pretty good, though I tend to prefer like Fairport Convention, where it’s not so much straight up folk.
Green Day
4/5
I sometimes forget about or give a hard time to Green Day, but they’re a very solid trio. I think this album is a bit long for what it is, but thems some catchy ass tunes!
Elvis Costello
5/5
One of the most accomplished debut albums of all time, and one of my favorite songwriters. Truly terrific.
Robert Wyatt
4/5
Hey hey, I was just hoping we’d get some Robert Wyatt on the list! This is full of good tunes and even some great ones, though it isn’t Rock Bottom, which is one of my all time faves.
Christine and the Queens
3/5
Not really my thing, but I have to admit, he is very good at what he does. Some of this was very catchy, but not enough to put it over a three.
Thelonious Monk
4/5
I do like me some solid jazz, and this is that. Not much else to say except yes it is good.
Nirvana
5/5
I could pretend to be all cool and like whatever about it, but there is a reason this was huge. The songs are all great (though the hidden track thing I think doesn’t work as a last track as much as the actual last track does.) Definitely essential.
Santana
4/5
Had forgotten about this one. Very nice Latin psychedelia, almost makes up for Smooth.
Mike Oldfield
5/5
I got really into Mike Oldfield last year, particularly the phenomenal Ommadawn. This is great also. I feel bad for the folks who only know it from The Exorcist, that’s like the first 7 minutes or something, you have to keep listening to get to the guy screaming in Klingon.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
I feel like you’re either into Zeppelin or not, and this is the album that will really determine that. Generally I am into Zeppelin so I like this, though I will say I’ve heard everything on this album now enough times that I’m good. Battle of Evermore notwithstanding.
Can
5/5
I feel like this Can gets slept on, because it follows two unimpeachable classics. But it is pretty great as well. The grooves are a little smoother, not as much cacophony this time around.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
5/5
Hard to believe Elvis Costello followed up his excellent debut with a possibly better album. Or maybe not, but it’s extremely good nonetheless.
The Cars
4/5
Pretty terrific debut, with a bunch of hits and great songs. Almost feels unnecessary given how often I’ve heard these songs, but they’re good enough I don’t care.
Cocteau Twins
5/5
Love this one, perfect for an overcast day. Soothing tunes to ease me back into the workforce. Thanks, Twins!
Shivkumar Sharma
3/5
This was indeed quite nice, though a bit on the dull side. I do enjoy this light instrumental stuff from time to time but this one was just fine.
Minutemen
5/5
A stone classic. Normally I’d say it’s too long, but this is just too good. Each song doesn’t overstay its welcome, and each is pretty great.
Elton John
3/5
Not the best Elton John, but still Elton John. Some good stuff here and also a long misguided song about an Indian.
Earth, Wind & Fire
3/5
Another 3, honestly probably more of a 2.5. A couple of these were pretty good, but too many sloooooow jams. Zzzzz.
Björk
5/5
Another Bjork, another reminder I should be listening to Bjork way more often. And a bonus cameo from Robert Wyatt! This one will be revisited soon.
PJ Harvey
4/5
Ha! I’ve been going through a major PJ Harvey kick lately, not sure why but I’ve been loving it. This is terrific though if it’s on the list and To Bring You My Love isn’t I’ll be mad. Not mad, disappointed. Don’t let me down, list.
The Sugarcubes
4/5
It seems like the list will always follow one Bjork with another in quick succession. This is also very good, and fun to revisit. But list, we can use a Bjork bjreak.
Beatles
4/5
It’s so tempting to go 5 stars for this one, it’s got Norwegian Wood! And Nowhere Man! But it also has some arguably more fillery songs, and ends with my least favorite Beatles song of all time. So, while this is nearly classic, it’s not top tier Beatles. But still I mean, really good.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
4/5
Soo good! Beautiful harmonies and complex arrangements, very nice stuff.
Nick Drake
4/5
Can’t decide if I like this one or the other better. So they tie! Win win!
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
I’m kind of take it or leave it with the Boss, and this one is more on the leave side. Nothing wrong with it, but just didn’t grab me.
Isaac Hayes
4/5
Some smooth solid grooves from Mr. Hayes. Maybe a bit longer than necessary but honestly I didn’t mind all that much. Good good stuff.
The Doors
3/5
Fine, I think I’m learning I don’t dislike The Doors (quite) as much as I thought. It helps this has Peace Frog, which is one of my favorites.
Black Sabbath
3/5
This is another that seems to be on here as the debut album by a band that has much better subsequent albums. Title track is iconic but I don’t care about anything else here. The next 2 (arguably 4) Sabbath albums blow this one out of the water.
Stephen Stills
3/5
This was fine. Probably better than fine, but it feels like we’ve had a lot of dudes who play guitar in the 60s/70s in a row. Good but not necessarily good enough to stand out for me.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
I don’t know, there’s something about Leonard Cohen that just doesn’t grab me. I like his songwriting, but hearing the songs themselves I’m not moved. These arrangements were strange in an interesting way though. Feels like the kind of thing that might click for me one day but for now I say okay.
Burning Spear
3/5
Good stuff! Maybe not great stuff but really good. Over the last year or so I’ve really come around on reggae, and this is a prime example of good reggae, though I tend to prefer the dubbier echoey stuff.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
I do love me some Stones. This is the first of the “classic” albums, though the ones before it are pretty great as well. Not everything here is great, but enough is that it’s a stone Stones classic.
Beatles
5/5
I used to say I had 3 favorite Beatles albums all tied for first and A Hard Day’s Night was one of them. These songs may not be as complex as the ones they’d make in 2-3 years but they are all pretty much perfect pop gems.
Grateful Dead
4/5
For years, the Dead seemed like an insurmountable obstacle or a cult I hadn’t consumed the Kool Aid for. But in recent years I’ve tried again, and while I’m not a superfan, I can’t deny this is top-shelf 60s rock. Some better than others but like Ripple has been pleasantly burbling in the back of my head all day.
The Fall
5/5
Merry Christmas! Here’s one of the Fall’s best albums!
Justin Timberlake
1/5
Merry day after Christmas. Here’s some crappy music by a crappy person.
Eminem
3/5
I have mixed to mostly negative feelings about Eminem. The whole “I can say what I want no matter how awful” thing I just don’t get and the fact that people at the time defended him because free speech just feels like the kind of arguments the far right are making today. But coming in after JT, and this one not being quite as offensive as the other album, I’ll go 3 stars. Though it’s more 2 and a half.
OutKast
4/5
I had forgotten how fun and ultimately weird this album is. Kinda like the White Album, I’m conflicted about how it should be shorter or if it’s just right. I do think it could be shorter but I also wouldn’t cut anything. Pretty great.
U2
4/5
I’m coming around on U2, the hits on this are great and the rest are pretty good too. Nice!
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
4/5
Solid bluesy garage rock from Mr. Beefheart. Not as iconoclastic or essential as Trout Mask Replica, but definitely in the same vein.
Sparks
4/5
A favorite of mine for a while. I scored this one on vinyl early on in my vinyl collecting, and it became a default favorite. Fun and funny, and great songs.
Neil Young
5/5
Probably my favorite Neil, though it’s tough to say. Can’t say I dislike anything here, though. Pretty much perfect.
Lou Reed
5/5
Another terrific album, list, you’re making me wonder when the other shoe is going to drop. I do love me some Lou, some VU, and this is prime Lou. He can be hit or miss sometimes but this is all hit.
Talking Heads
4/5
I can confess that this album isn’t their best, but it hit me at the exact right time. In college, I had a 3 disc CD player and often it would have this, Reckoning and Ruby Vroom. Not sure why those 3 seemed to work together but they did for me. And that’s the story of why I like this so much.
Suede
3/5
Fine. The algorithm recommended other bands that were like (London) Suede and they’re all bands I like better. Perfectly bland.
Buck Owens
3/5
Very nice! Some solid country music with fun lyrics, he’s no Roger Miller but Buck Owens will do in a pinch.
The Verve
2/5
There’s Bittersweet Symphony and then there’s the rest. A few moments here and there but mostly boring slush that runs together for almost an hour and a half.
Beatles
5/5
At one point my favorite Beatles album, still extremely high on my list. There’s not a bad song here, and arguably this is better than the next one.
Elis Regina
3/5
Things this album has against it: it’s the album equivalent of a movie that doesn’t exist. It’s not on any streaming service but YouTube. It’s just fine. There’s some nice stuff here and it’s about as 70s as you can get. Probably wouldn’t revisit even if I could easily access it, but I’m not sad I heard it. And that’s my glowing recommendation!
The Crusaders
3/5
Not bad but definitely a few steps from good. I very much enjoy jazz but this veered a little too close into Muzak
Territory. Overall not much to write home about.
Kraftwerk
4/5
Love me some Kraftwerk! This is getting 4 stars, mainly because Hall of Mirrors and Show Room Dummies I think kind of drag on a bit too long and are just a tad repetitive. But overall, love it!
Cream
3/5
Decent but underwhelming blues rock, pretty standard Clapton fare. Nothing here that actively offended me but nothing that stood out as worthy of inclusion on the list.
Radiohead
4/5
I do like Radiohead, and I found most of these songs gorgeous. I will say that they were a little dour and just plain depressing, which I was already feeling today, so I don’t think I appreciated it as much.
Queen Latifah
4/5
This was great! And honestly if we’d flipped these 2 albums I’d have been happier. But both were great, so ultimately it doesn’t matter. Of course nothing matters, but Queen Latifah is great so that’s good.
Manu Chao
3/5
This was a nice surprise, something I thought I didn’t know, but I recognized at least one of these songs. Might not run right out to check out more, but I was pleasantly surprised.
Gang Of Four
5/5
I’ve loved this one a long long time. I read a review of it in some book quite a while back and it made me seek it out. The reviewer loved Love Like Anthrax, which I agree might be the best one, but honestly they’re all great.
Queen
3/5
Yeah this was just fine. Queen’s a band that can for the most part exist as a Greatest Hits artist for me and that’s fine. Not a lot of exciting stuff here, but nothing objectionable.
Taylor Swift
3/5
Don’t rush to color me Swiftie, but I do admit she’s pretty good. I can see why so many people love her stuff. Some of these songs are a little overplayed, but catchy nonetheless.
4/5
Loretta Lynn has such a great voice, and these songs are so well-written, this is just great. Not a lot more to say, just very good stuff.
Pixies
4/5
Hey, you know who gave me this album for Christmas? Santy Claus! I do love Pixies, but I will say while I enjoy this one (and thank you Santa for bringing it to me) it’s not my favorite, I think the previous Pixies products are superior. But this is full of really really goodness.
Air
4/5
Surprisingly solid and tuneful entry in the electronica category. I will give Air more listens. This was a band I’d heard of but not explored.
Elton John
3/5
Not bad, though I found it overlong. The hits are all great but the deep cuts were just fine. Worth hearing though!
Depeche Mode
4/5
I quite liked this, I only really knew the hits, but it was all pretty great. Some of the gothy new wave synthy stuff can get a little cheesy or boring but this was entertaining throughout
Morrissey
3/5
Can’t get behind the man as a human being, but the music is fine.
MGMT
4/5
Ooh this was fun to revisit. I liked this a lot back in the day and I’m happy to report it still works for me. Fun, artsy dance-rock like a folkier Talking Heads or something. Good good stuff.
The Avalanches
2/5
Meh. Not the worst of these electronic albums we’ve heard but entirely inessential to my ears.
The Zombies
4/5
A genuine classic, one of those 60s psychedelic albums that gets slept on. A couple of hits here but even the deep cuts are great.
The Offspring
3/5
Not as bad as I remembered it, but you know, not great, and honestly inessential to my ears. As a wiser man than I once said, “They should replace this with Presidents of the United States of America
Missy Elliott
5/5
Now this is a Missy Elliott exclusive, this album could just be Work It a dozen times and it would get 5 stars. But everything else here is great also. Yay!
The Kinks
4/5
A very good Kinks album. But not a great one. Some stuff I really like here, but not essential the way the next like 5 albums are. Still, this is prime Kinks in a great era for them.
Big Star
5/5
Pretty much perfect, honestly. What I love about Big Star and this album in particular is they’re clearly doing the power pop thing, trying to sound like the Beatles but instead of going early Beatles or psychedelic Beatles, it’s like the period right around Help. More bands should do this.
The Who
3/5
In general I do like The Who, and I have to say that this album has a lot on it that I really like. I think more often than not the list adds the first album by a seminal band because hey, it’s so special, it’s the first one! I wouldn’t call this essential but it’s better than some of the other debut albums we’ve heard.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Reggae is a genre that I’m still exploring a bit. I mean, this album is a classic for a reason, and the themes of overcoming adversity under a corrupt government somehow feel relatable. So very good stuff here. Generally I’ve responded more to the dubby echoey stuff but I really enjoyed this, of course.
Billy Joel
4/5
I could be cool and talk about how lame Billy Joel is and all but I do like these tunes. Are they super dark and edgy man? No, but they are beautiful songs. So smoke that in your hipster pipe!
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
5/5
Truly pretty great. Sometimes early hip hop can sound a bit cheesy but this still slaps as the kids say. I do think having 2 slow jams back to back interrupts the flow of the record, but they’re still good songs. Definitely a list highlight
The Undertones
3/5
Perfectly adequate kinda post kinda punk. Catchy tunes that I forgot as soon as they ended.
Blondie
4/5
A particularly good Blondie album! I mean, I’ll be honest, Blondie is a band I mostly know from the hits but this seems like a particularly good album. So good for you, Blondie!
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
Very terrific and timely, for a few reasons. Mainly what I meant was that a little birdie just told me there was a documentary about Sly Stone. List, have you been reading my texts?
Arcade Fire
3/5
This was huge for me when it first came out, and it hasn’t aged super well. Aside from the fact that the lead singer is a creep, this type of big oh oh oh chorus music was huge in the early 2000s. Some of it still works for me, but mostly it was fine.
Tortoise
4/5
This is the good stuff. A perfect blend of kosmische with a sort of proggy jazz , the result is unusual without being unlistenable. I do hope there’s more Tortoise on the list.
Tito Puente
4/5
Loads of fun, the kind of music you can’t help but dance to, it just makes you want to Tito all over the Puente, if you get my meaning.
Beatles
3/5
The Beatles are great, no argument there. They have many albums that belong on this list. This isn’t one of them. Some really good stuff here but it doesn’t hold a candle to their best.
Manic Street Preachers
4/5
Better than I thought it would be, when the description invoked Britpop. Very interesting, but hard for me to pin down what exactly it is. Might look more into this band though.
Drive-By Truckers
2/5
Really not sure what they were going for here. Yes, the south has a complicated and unfortunate history, but like Skynyrd? I don’t know. DBT can play, I bet they sound great live, but I don’t think I need to hear anymore.
Morrissey
2/5
Really don’t think we need any more (issey) of Morrissey
The Allman Brothers Band
3/5
Eh. They can really make those guitars sing, but the tune is mediocre.
That sounded more profound in my head.
Roxy Music
4/5
I need to be better about checking out Roxy Music, so many musicians I love were in that band. This is the non-Eno lineup I believe, but they still had Phil Manzanera. Definitely revisiting.
Venom
3/5
Eh. At its best, reminiscent of Motörhead or AC/DC. But not as good. I repeat. Eh.
PJ Harvey
4/5
Love PJ Harvey, and this is up there with her best. Nice loud cathartic rock!
Gil Scott-Heron
4/5
Aside from being annoyed I couldn’t find this anywhere but YouTube, I liked this. There were occasions when I wished the songs were instrumental, but mostly I thought this was very good.
Aretha Franklin
5/5
Beautiful songs, incredible voice. And it’s all over much too quickly. Otherwise a perfect album.
The Mars Volta
3/5
Very interesting stuff, I’d never dug into Mars Volta before. Not sure it’s totally my thing but they are very good at this heavy prog, Rush like sound. I might be persuaded to check out more.
TLC
3/5
A nice 90’s throwback, a little longer than I liked, but these jams are still smooth.
Manic Street Preachers
2/5
Given the backstory of this album, I wish I was more into this, but it just didn’t grab me at all. Pretty bland alt rock with nothing interesting to set it apart from the rest. Meh.
Iron Maiden
3/5
Kinda surprised that I liked this one, a bit of a Sabbath ripoff, but not too bad. The other Maiden I’ve heard is better than this, though.
Deep Purple
2/5
Pretty much the definition of meh, British blues rockers that don’t really do much with the genre. A couple of the longer songs, where they jammed a bit further out were at least interesting, but otherwise nothing much to recommend here.
Fairport Convention
4/5
Beautiful tunes, maybe more suited for fall than spring. But Sandy Denny’s voice and Richard Thompson’s guitar, pretty much a perfect combination.
Merle Haggard
4/5
Solid 60s songwriter country, in the vein of Waylon and Willie and Kris. Maybe not at the level of those guys, in my opinion, but good stuff nonetheless.
Prince
3/5
Pretty much all Prince is great Prince, and this is like twice the Prince. It’s like two Princes but the music is significantly better.
Happy Mondays
3/5
Fine, but not really for me. I can’t help but think if I caught this album in a different mood that I might really like it. There isn’t anything I disliked really, just didn’t connect with it.
Liz Phair
5/5
Now here’s an album that’s on my list. I love how stripped down some of these songs are, very simple guitar parts made a little more complex with effects. She’s such a great songwriter, a shame she decided to go the generic pop star route later on.
The Stone Roses
3/5
Not dissimilar to the Happy Mondays, something I liked but it didn’t really grab me. I’ll give it 3 stars but it’s more 3 and a half, because I did enjoy some of this more than I thought I would.
Culture Club
3/5
Another 3, the hits are decent and the deep cuts are alright. Not much here that either stood out to me or was outwardly offensive.
Deerhunter
4/5
This is very good stuff. Weirdly, though I’ve always been about music like this, even in the 2010s, I haven’t dug into Deerhunter much. I might have to rectify that.
Alice Cooper
3/5
Not a big Alice Cooper guy, but this was not that bad. Mainly I appreciated the fact that the majority of these songs were referenced in the TMBG song Why Must I Be Sad.
Miriam Makeba
4/5
Pretty much fantastic. Surprised Pata Pata wasn’t on this, but it wasn’t needed. I will take as much of this as you’ve got
The Who
3/5
I go back and forth on this one. There’s a lot of songs I like, and some filler. I think the concept works but isn’t necessary. I swing from 3 to 4 and back. I’d do 3 and a half if I could but I’ll go 3. But a more positive 3.
T. Rex
4/5
Man, there was a time when I was absolutely obsessed with this album. This and Electric Warrior I listened to a ton. And as it turns out, it still holds up for me. Solid glam rock!
Nirvana
4/5
Gotta say, probably my favorite Nirvana album. Most of the originals sound better here than on the original albums, and the covers are great. Not the biggest Nirvana fan, but this is really good.
Bon Jovi
3/5
And we’re back to albums that I can’t say are for me, but they’re not overly bad. If this is your thing, you must love this album.
Grateful Dead
5/5
I’ve gone from disliking to grudging respect to genuinely liking the Dead, and this is the best Dead album I’ve heard yet. The joke of songs taking forever and meandering around with no purpose is clearly misguided, the longer songs are given room for exploration, and when it’s good, it’s downright thrilling. A couple songs kind of stay in the standard blues arrangements that don’t do as much for me. But the rest was pretty great.
Sonic Youth
5/5
Weirdly, while this isn’t my favorite SY album, it might be the one I know the best. I listened to it a ton in high school, and it’s full of great songs. As a whole, it might not be as good as Murray Street or Washing Machine, but it’s a classic all the same.
The Cure
3/5
When Cure albums pop up, I think, oh yay! And then I listen to them and I’m like, huh. That was fine. There are a couple of Cure albums I really like and there’s nothing wrong with this one, but not super essential to me.
Röyksopp
3/5
Another electronic dance album. At least this one had a little more substance. There were a couple of songs I genuinely liked. But not enough to give it more than 3 stars.
Lupe Fiasco
4/5
Thanks, list! I hadn’t listened to this one in a while and I had a blast revisiting. I’ll probably go back and listen to this one again in the near future.
Arcade Fire
4/5
I was a bit obsessed with this when it first came out, less enamored of it since we’ve learned more about the creepy folks in the band. Still, the songs hold up mostly.
Peter Frampton
2/5
Hey if you liked this at least you can very, very easily find it on vinyl. But then again, I kind of can’t imagine you liked it that much. Me? I thought it was sub-fine. Not nearly good enough to explain its ubiquity, but not entirely a skunkfest.
Donovan
3/5
Sorry Donovan, you have some very good songs but honestly I could probably make do with like a best of. Anything I hadn’t heard before was deeply underwhelming.
Bob Dylan
3/5
I remember when this came out, I was deep in a Dylan kick, mostly the 60s albums, and the mostly positive reviews made me excited. And I listened to it a bunch for a few weeks, and that I think was the last time I heard it.
It’s fine. Honestly the real star here is the production, I doubt, with a couple of exceptions, these songs would be nearly as interesting (and they aren’t all that interesting) without the heavy reverb and arrangements. 3 stars, mostly for Make You Feel My Love.
Joy Division
4/5
Most of this I liked a lot. But I will say a little goes a long way. After a while, the drone gets a bit tedious. But I still very much liked it.
Morrissey
3/5
I’m glad we’re apparently nearly done with Morrissey, even though his music can be catchy, he’s a horrible person. This, I think is the best non-Smiths thing on the list, but he’s still trash so 3 stars.
Rocket From The Crypt
3/5
Fun time! I was just talking about this band the other day. Isn’t it weird that there was a band called Rocket From the Tombs, and when they split 2 bands formed, and then the same thing (kinda) happened with Rocket From the Crypt? Maybe not. But pretty fun time.
The Mothers Of Invention
3/5
Man, high school me thought this was the greatest thing ever! It was so great: pointed satire of the government, clueless adults and the hippie counterculture. I haven’t revisited in a very long time, and I have to say, aside from a nostalgic appreciation, it didn’t really hold up. The “satire” is pretty heavy handed and smug and in at least one case super misogynistic. There’s a couple of songs that still resonate (Absolutely Free and Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance) and I really dig the arrangements of most of these songs, Zappa was a fascinating composer. But there’s no sense of introspection here. It’s a lot of finger pointing, and the points aren’t wrong but it feels like a lecture set to avant-garde music. 3 stars, though I weirdly want to go 4.
The 13th Floor Elevators
3/5
Decent stuff, the first track is great, but overall it was just fine. I’ve the follow up Easter Everywhere and liked it better. A fun listen but not essential, at least for me.
Hawkwind
4/5
It’s apparently psychedelic week! This was for a good portion of its runtime my jam. I liked the long drony grooves, they reminded me of krautrock. There were some spoken word bits that I could’ve done without though.
The Byrds
4/5
Another nice slice of slight psychedelia from the 60s. Not quite as many standout tracks here, but overall I really liked this. Bonus: if you listened to reissue with bonus tracks you got to hear some real footage of the band fighting!
Fela Kuti
5/5
A very nice way to wrap up the week! Love this one, and honestly all the Fela Kuti I’ve heard. I’ll take more of this over Morrissey any day.
Suede
2/5
Extremely meh. Like, the dictionary definition of inessential. And this isn’t even the only album of theirs on the list.
5/5
Just call me Jim Carrey, because apparently I’m a Yes Man. This one didn’t connect with me like Fragile, but it was great nonetheless. Yay to Yes.
The Beta Band
4/5
I’d only really heard Dry the Rain, which is great of course, and I really enjoyed this one as well. More like Alpha Band, bruh!
The Charlatans
3/5
Not bad, but not all that great. It’s kind of like a lesser Oasis, and I’m not real big on Oasis, so. Your mileage may vary.
The Beta Band
3/5
Sometimes I think the algorithm is not coincidental, we had all those 60s psychedelic albums last week, and then it’ll give you like 3 Bjork albums in a row. Funny to be Beta Banding again so soon, this is real real good, but maybe because I heard the other one so recently it suffers in comparison. But still highly good.
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
This is one billion percent a nostalgia rating but I’m going five stars. I don’t think Smashing Pumpkins have made another album as good as this, or at least that resonates with me. Outside of Sonic Youth and some Pavement records, this album has my favorite guitar tones. Anyway five stars
The Chemical Brothers
2/5
So done with techno music, this was fine, not as dull as the others. But not great.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
Not bad, new wavers doing a Springsteeny thing in places. Not blown away but it passed the time nicely. Nicely the time did it pass for it was with-eth thine tuneage.
David Gray
2/5
Bland, boring, inessential. Not uncatchy, but way too samey to stand out in any way.
4/5
Wow, way better than I anticipated. A late period album from an 80s band that’s interesting and not just a retread of their admittedly pretty great hits. Very nice! It didn’t even bother me all that much that I to stream this on YouTube.
The Gun Club
4/5
Pretty good, a little samey, ultimately but not in a necessarily bad way. Reminded me of the Cramps, and X in some places.
Taylor Swift
4/5
Kinda cool that there’s a TS album with no songs I recognize on it. Like other Swift albums I’ve heard, it’s hit and miss, but the stuff that works, like Happiness is really good. The stuff I didn’t like as much was okay, just a bit too polished for my tastes.
Method Man
3/5
Liked this one, though I didn’t love it. Not much else to say. Solid.
Coldplay
3/5
Coldplay’s Parachutes is like the opposite of me: it doesn’t obnoxiously take up space. It’s musical parsley, it’s there and you don’t mind it, if you’re weird you eat it and if you’re a freak you ask for more. It’s designed to soundtrack the purchase of slacks at a department store, or a trendy bait shop that sells slacks also.
The End
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
5/5
Sometimes a great artist makes a perfect record. One that lifts the others up along with it. A definitive statement, a full on masterwork. Objectively, so that you conveniently can’t argue with me.
So there.
1/5
Hey.
Hey list. Uh, yeah, hey list.
There’s no way in hell I needed to hear this before I died. I mean, maybe as the last thing I hear, so at least as I’m dying I can be thankful I’ll never hear it again.
The xx
3/5
Pretty good, it didn’t grab me the way their first album did. It’s almost like less is more with the xx, but this, I have to say was good stuff.
The Clash
5/5
I said this about Songs in the Key of Life, but it’s true here as well: maybe the most perfect double album. Not a skippable track, just perfect.
Simply Red
2/5
That was a pretty grody Talking Heads cover. I will never get how this was one of the guys at that Sex Pistols concert, what an odd influence. Anyway, not really my thing. Guy can sing, but the songs are lower case b boring. Dull.
Fred Neil
3/5
Pretty decent straight down the middle folk record. Nothing great, but nothing super exciting either.
Dead Kennedys
4/5
You know, I really kinda needed some punk rock. Dead Kennedys aren’t my favorite but this was pretty good, not too abrasive but still pretty solid punk.
Ash
4/5
I didn’t think this would be up my alley, but I liked it quite a bit. Girl From Mars was on the Gilmore Girls soundtrack, but the rest was new to me. A little Weezery, a Teenage Fanclub in places. I’d listen again.
John Grant
3/5
For some reason I went into this thinking I wouldn’t like it. Something about it screamed mid aughts music that’s shown up here before, stuff that was only okay even at the time.
But this was both better than I expected and not as good as I hoped as it went along. A solid three, almost four.
Steely Dan
3/5
I still haven’t gotten to that Steely Dan phase, but I know it’s coming. This is very good, but it doesn’t quite grab me the way albums I love do. But given more time and attention I bet that might change.
The Pogues
3/5
I do enjoy the music of the Pogues, but the fact that it’s the same style every song gets a little old. These are pretty good songs but it could use more variety.
George Michael
3/5
The title track is great, the other hits are great as well, though following Faith with Father Figure is just terrible sequencing, that’s a track 3 or 4 song. Overall, the whole was less than the sum, but when it worked it really worked for me. 3 stars but really a hair’s breadth from 4
Afrika Bambaataa
3/5
I really enjoy early hip hop, although sometimes it can get a little too minimal, and the fact that the rhymes are usually a bit simpler than rap songs of the last like 20 years makes me wish I was listening to the more recent stuff. Still, it’s very good and essential.
Sugar
5/5
Love this album, have loved this for a while now, just the right amount of rock and a little poppiness. My deep dark secret is that I like Sugar more than Husker Du. So yeah. Not too nuanced, me.
The Beach Boys
3/5
Nice tribute, list. This is certainly not top tier Beach Boys, but it’s fascinating to hear how great they sound and how much they play around with the studio. Also if you stick around you can hear them get sandwiches.
Slint
5/5
Love this, own this, and was so happy to have an excuse to listen again. Not much else to say but that it’s great, and I’m sad they split after this.
50 Cent
3/5
Wasn’t too excited for this one, but it wasn’t as bad as I expected. The hits are undeniably catchy, though the length and presence of Eminem knock it down a bit.
Spiritualized
3/5
This one is new to me, but I know Ladies and Gentlemen We are Floating in Space, which is very similar. Both good, long and I just kind of forget about them when they’re done.
Paul Weller
3/5
Fine, didn’t really do much for me. Really really not what I was expecting, pretty unlike The Jam. Maybe that made me like it less. Dunno, but it was fine.
Talking Heads
5/5
I mean, Talking Heads and Eno, like chocolate and peanut butter. Also I’m pretty sure this was my friend Jamal’s favorite Talking Heads album. So that counts for something.
Nanci Griffith
4/5
This is a genre of music I take for granted. I forget sometimes how much I love country singer songwriters, especially the women. This was very good, and I will definitely be listening to more.
Slayer
3/5
Not really my thing, but I have to say that for what they’re doing, they do it well.
Madonna
2/5
There are legitimately great Madonna albums (at least 1 that I know of anyway) and this wasn’t one of them. The terrible dated production is bad enough, if it was slathered over good songs we’d at least have something. But these songs are just bad. I only kind of dug Don’t Tell Me, but the rest was not good
Neu!
5/5
A 180, list! Is this better or as good as Neu!? Unknown. Is this better or as good as Neu! 2? Better, I mean we all know this. But yes Virginia there is Neu and they’re great.
Amen.
Slipknot
3/5
Not my thing, although much like Slayer, these guys do the thing they do very well. And they’re local fellas, so respect.
Everything But The Girl
3/5
Not as good as I hoped. I enjoy Everything But the Girl, but this felt kind of boring. The only saving grace was Tracey Thorn’s voice.
Jazmine Sullivan
4/5
Ooh, yes! I may be misremembering but I’m pretty sure Mr. Tabor recommended this one to me. Am I misremembering? Regardless, very nice stuff.
Deee-Lite
3/5
Hey this was fun, though it got a little samey after a while. And a bit long. Still, you know what?
CHIC
2/5
Eh. I mean, it’s just fine. But it’s basically your standard disco, repetitive and boring. Not bad. But not for me.
The Adverts
3/5
I have to say, I liked this one, but aside from the Gary Gilmore song nothing else stood out. It was all good but not much else.
Mekons
5/5
Not all that long ago, I went through a heavy Mekong phase, and not surprisingly this was one of the albums. Hey so maybe not a perfect record but that’s not what the Mekons are going for anyway.
Van Morrison
5/5
Tempted to knock it down because Van is an anti-vaxxer but this album is transcendental in myriad ways. Can’t say much more, it speaks for itself.
The Slits
4/5
Hey, another great punk record. The Adverts was fine, little else but this is way more interesting. Goodst and yes.
Primal Scream
3/5
I feel like this is very good at what it does, and what it does is something I generally don’t care about. But some of it was pretty good.
The Fall
4/5
An auspicious debut from the Fall, and the sound is already there. I generally like the later stuff like with Brix better, I feel some of the brittleness of the sound is shed. But still good stuff.
Brian Eno
4/5
I haven’t revisited this in a while. It’s very Eno Talking Heads which is some of my favorite stuff, and the sampling is cool and works well. Not sure if I’d come back to this very often but as a curio it’s winning.
Napalm Death
2/5
Pretty much not my thing. Much like the other death metal albums on this list, I can respect that these guys do what they do well, but it’s not for me.
Buzzcocks
4/5
Buzzcocks are great and so is this. Yay!
The Magnetic Fields
5/5
Crazy how good this is, but not that crazy. Obviously some of the songs are better than others, but what I really enjoy is after not listening for a while, the standouts change. Just insanely good.
Country Joe & The Fish
3/5
You know, it was better than I thought, but that’s not giving it much. Fairly basic white guy sixties blues rip offs. There were moments of inspiration but few and far between.
M.I.A.
3/5
Fun stuff, but tainted by M.I.A.’s anti vax controversies.
Malcolm McLaren
2/5
Eh. Some fun beats but not much else
Finley Quaye
3/5
Fine, not really my thing but reggae done very professionally. Good on them.
Black Sabbath
5/5
Yes, RIP Ozzy. This and Master of Reality are in my opinion the best Sabbath records. Because that they are.
Fleet Foxes
4/5
Haven’t heard this one in ages. Very pretty! And yeah. That’s pretty much it. But I mean very.
Very pretty.
Paul Simon
5/5
I don’t know that I love all Paul Simon, but this is pretty great. All the songs I know are still great and the ones I was less familiar with were just as great.
The The
2/5
I know exactly one The The song and it’s great. It is, alas, not on this album. And you may have noticed that I still only know the one one great The song.
Pink Floyd
4/5
This is one of those you can’t deny is a classic, marred only slightly by over familiarity with the songs.
Gillian Welch
4/5
Loved this, tbh. I had it back in the day, and haven’t revisited in years. Really beautiful.
Jamiroquai
3/5
Did not give Jamiroquai their due back in the day. Fun R & B. And yeah. Going to bed.
G’night.
James Brown
4/5
Love that this is just a nonstop groove that only slows when the music demands, but sustains power. They bottle this up it could replace all those cancer-filled windmills.
The Residents
4/5
Bizarre and a bit disturbing, but nonetheless enjoyable, this is maybe the Residents album I like most. Feels like mutant blues and distorted nursery rhymes.
White Denim
3/5
Didn’t know this before. Not bad. Not great, but I feel like if I heard it when it first came out, it’d have made a bigger impression on me.
Milton Nascimento
3/5
Maybe it’s my fault, I was anticipating something more interesting. A few flashes of inspiration here and there but mostly bland balladeering.
Pantera
3/5
A little more melodic than some of the other metal albums we’ve had. Not really my thing though.
Oasis
4/5
Never really got into the Britpop thing (aside from Pulp and Elastica) but never really hated any of the bands. This is solid rock and roll music. But nothing special? Maybe it doesn’t need to be
.
Suicide
4/5
I do like Suicide, my only beef is that it all kind of blends together in a beautiful noise jam, spread across the toast that is my eardrums. So no beef really. Beef jam would be so gross, yeah?
Guided By Voices
5/5
G!B!V! G!B!V!
Tom Tom Club
3/5
These songs would be better if they were shorter, I think. And the rapping was kind of embarrassing? It’s fine, but pretty slight.
The Incredible String Band
3/5
Honestly I liked this more than I thought. Just weird enough, but still wasn’t fully sold.
The National
3/5
Not bad, hadn’t listened to The National in a bit. Don’t necessarily need to come back for a while, but enjoyed the experience.
Sonic Youth
5/5
A top 5 SY release for me. Not my favorite but very nearly so.
The Mothers Of Invention
3/5
Funny, during my high school Zappa phase, this was just fine. Nowadays it’s still fine but better than the last Zappa which I had previously loved. I hope my biographer is getting all this.
Donald Fagen
2/5
Eh, I recognize that there is talent here, but it’s just a little too polished, and honestly a bit boring. Eh.
SAULT
4/5
I do love Sault, I think I first heard them on 3 Songs Podcast. This is so very good, I will have to remember to revisit more often
Orange Juice
3/5
Pretty nice stuff, I’d only really heard the title track, but this whole album is worth checking out.
Violent Femmes
5/5
A perfect debut, so much so that I haven’t dug very deep into their discography. I should really do that.
fIREHOSE
4/5
I don’t know fIREHOSE, but I do like the Minutemen. This feels like a classic rock tinged post punk album, like the Dead meets Gang of Four. Good stuff, in other words.
The Teardrop Explodes
3/5
Fine, but not essential. Reminded me of much better bands.
Waylon Jennings
4/5
Very nice! I’ve spent more time with Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson, but Waylon is right up there with them.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Something too polished I think about this Bruce. I like Born to Run but, even though some of these are decent songs they just sound so generic.
Hot Chip
3/5
Better than I expected. More like New Wave music than electronica. Not sure I’ll revisit but a pleasant diversion.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
3/5
This is the kind of thing that people are talking about when they call prog rock pretentious. Some impressive musicianship but very much up it’s own ass.
Ray Price
3/5
Not bad, though a little slow for me. Pretty tunes but that’s about it.
Sepultura
2/5
Once again, as with all the speed metal grunty music, I see the musicianship and skill, but they’re not doing anything I want to hear. A couple of instrumentals weren’t bad mostly no thanks.
Louis Prima
4/5
Fun stuff, I remember digging Louis Prima back when swing music made a weird comeback. Still holds up.
Everything But The Girl
3/5
I remember liking this when it came out. I like it a little less now. Tracey Thorn has an incredible voice though.
Wire
5/5
Love this, love Wire, at least those first three albums. This one is more punk, shorter songs that don’t overstay their welcome. Very much worthy of the list.
Devendra Banhart
3/5
I somehow missed Devendra Banhart back in the day, but I certainly remember the name. It may have made more of an impact back then. This was really pleasant but nothing transcendent here.
Simple Minds
3/5
I’m guilty of only knowing the big hit by Simple Minds. This didn’t really sound like that. It reminded me more of the Cure in places. But it didn’t really rise above a 3.
New Order
4/5
This is for some reason a better version of the album from the beginning of the week. Good synth pop that doesn’t or do it.
It.
Stephen Stills
3/5
The first few songs and the last few songs aren’t great, but there was a lot I liked in the middle.
Common
4/5
I remember really digging this when I went through a hip-hop phase like a century ago. Still is pretty good but the bad taste of Kanye knocks it down a bit.
The Cramps
4/5
The Cramps are very good at what they do. Though this overstayed its welcome a bit, I still had a good time.
PJ Harvey
4/5
Love PJ Harvey, loved this. Though not as much as some of her more classic albums, this is still quality PJH.
Michael Jackson
4/5
A quality way to end the week.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
I think these Boys caught me at a good time. I was digging into some synthy 80s music just a couple days ago. Some of this is really fun but it really goes on longer than needed. Shush a bit, tuneage.
Lightning Bolt
4/5
This was fun, very noisy music that was cacophonous but also anthemic in a way? Enjoyed it quite a bit!
Iggy Pop
5/5
Stone classic. Every song is great.
Jeff Beck
3/5
Better than I anticipated, though your mileage may vary if you’re not a fan of Rod Stewart’s voice. For me, it was too many watered down blues riffs, but the stuff I liked was really good.
Nina Simone
4/5
Beautiful, anything Nina is worth checking out.
The KLF
2/5
All right, but not really for me. Sure it sounds good in a club.
The Vines
3/5
Eh. Pretty decent example of that garage rock revival, but nothing special really. Fine.
The Lemonheads
4/5
I love me some good old indie rock. Lemonheads for some reason skirted around me. This is good stuff, though I might have liked it better if I knew it more.
Heaven 17
3/5
A little bit I like here, though weirdly more like there’s bits of certain songs I like and other bits I don’t. So I have to listen like I’m eating a salad.
You know how make yourself a salad with ingredients you don’t like, so you have to eat around them?
Van Morrison
4/5
It always comes with the caveat that he’s a terrible person, but in general I really like Van Morrison’s music. This is a really good one, too. Not quite Astral Weeks, but still fantastic.
Belle & Sebastian
4/5
Yay for Belle and Sebastian! I don’t know this one as well as some others but not surprisingly it’s great.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
This has some really great Zeppelin songs and some pretty good ones. Not necessarily essential but I do dig it as a fan.
Tim Buckley
4/5
Yup it made me happy sad dear reader. Truth in advertisement. I mean, it was solid folky goodness. And who can argue with that.
The The
4/5
Another pretty good one, could’ve gone 3 but a few songs, This Is the Day chief among them, bump it up to a 4. Or fore.
If this were golf.
Bee Gees
3/5
Huh. Had no idea this was a thing. And now I do.
I mean, it’s fine. But weird.
Arcade Fire
4/5
Aside from the fact that Arcade Fire are gross, this felt inessential. Some good songs, sure, but like The Suburbs is all you really need.
The Divine Comedy
2/5
Really didn’t work for me. I can see this working for you but I’m gonna pass. You can just take it all, I don’t want it.
Public Image Ltd.
3/5
The Fall does this kind of thing better I think. They can stretch a song out like this and it rocks. This felt very unfocused. Fine I guess but not as good as those who were inspired by it.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
4/5
Oh now this I liked. Not all of it, but I’m pretty sure I heard some bonus stuff that was understandably left off the album.
Soft Machine
4/5
I’ve heard the first two Soft Machine albums, and they’re pretty good, also different than this. I actually enjoyed this quite a bit. I know this is the last one with Robert Wyatt, but I might need to look further.
Public Enemy
4/5
Very good stuff from Public Enemy. A song or two with some questionable lyrics but overall quality stuff.
Machito
3/5
Fun! Not much more than fun, but fun!
The Chemical Brothers
2/5
Just really not my thing.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
Sinatra is fine, don’t really have a strong opinion on him. This is about as good as he gets for what that’s worth.
Fatboy Slim
3/5
I guess we’re just gonna keep getting these techno-y albums. This was at least a bit more interesting than the others. Still, I’m good, list.
Moby
3/5
Ha ha, list. I mean, at least this one has some songs that are decent, including some more ambient tracks. And it’s all catchy stuff. A three, how about that?
Nico
4/5
Yeah, I like this. Sweet and autumnal and not as bleak as other Nico’s.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
3/5
This one had the big hits and some other pretty good ones. I do love Satie and those arrangements are pretty nice. Overall decent stuff.
Another fun one, Faces make ramshackle rowdy pub rock. Suitable for framing- in your ears!
Grizzly Bear
4/5
Very nice throwback, hadn’t thought of this one in awhile. Probably not on my list, but definitely very good.
Queen
3/5
Some really good stuff and some stuff that is just okay.
Kate Bush
4/5
Yay to Kate Bush! I only really know Hounds of Love but this is weird and catchy and tons of fun.
The Louvin Brothers
3/5
Pretty, a little samey. But I liked it.
The Monkees
3/5
I’m a huge Monkees fan. I understand the importance of this record and there’s a lot that I like on it. But I was struck on this listen by how much was just okay. The following albums are I think more solid. Hopefully they’re on the list as well.
k.d. lang
4/5
Nice! I do love ms lang, and I hadn’t heard this one. Still prefer Ingenue, but this is also good.
Brian Eno
4/5
Eno is one of my faves. I love this, though I do like Eno’s stuff that moves a little more. But his ambient music is so nice and comfy.
Destiny's Child
4/5
Very good, but in hindsight not at the level Beyoncé can perform. Still, a nice antidote to that Britney Spears album.
Bill Evans Trio
4/5
Very very nice. Some contemplative jazz for a fall day.
Paul McCartney and Wings
5/5
Sooo great! Easily one of the best non-Beatles records, Paul is probably my favorite Beatle post break. This one is just so good.
De La Soul
4/5
Really fun songs and fun samples. A great way to end the week.
Love
4/5
Love Love. This is solid psych rock, a little whimsy but the darkness isn’t far off. One or two songs felt a bit long, but very good!
The Doors
3/5
Just okay. Some songs I already knew and liked mixed with generic filler.
Motörhead
4/5
Fun! I really liked the last Motörhead album we had and this was more of that. My only note would be a lot of these songs sounded the same.
Mott The Hoople
3/5
You know, pretty good. But there are other bands who do this sort of thing better. So yeah.
SZA
3/5
Eh. I mean, it’s very nice music but nothing extra remarkable.
Ozomatli
3/5
Wanted to like this more than I did, but aside from a few moments this didn’t grab me.
David Bowie
3/5
There’s some Bowie I really love. This is just so-so.
Kid Rock
1/5
I will say this about Kid Rock. Too many shitty people make decent music. He’s a shitty person who makes shitty music. So thanks.
Carpenters
3/5
Syrupy and schmaltzy and honestly not like terrible but not really my thing. I think they do the best but I don’t really need it.
Fugees
5/5
Very good obviously. I forgot how great they are and here is this please surprise.
Le Tigre
4/5
Oh this was fun! I forgot about Le Tigre, thanks for reminding me,
Doves
3/5
Eh. Didn’t grab me really at all. Fine I guess but mostly boring.
The Damned
3/5
Definitely way better Damned than this. Not terrible but not as good as other Damned.
Dammit.
Linkin Park
2/5
Does not belong on the list. Like, look…
It’s not horrible but not for me. And I can’t imagine there’s not something else that deserves this spot.
N.E.R.D
4/5
Fun! I wish I had more to say, but yeah. Fun stuff.
Jeru The Damaja
3/5
Didn’t know this. Not bad at all, but very reminiscent of better artists I think.
Garbage
4/5
A little more polished than I generally like my 90s alt rock but still pretty good.
Silver Jews
5/5
I mean, I think it’s perfect but I worship at the altar of the late great DC Berman. This is one of my favorites, though I kind of just love them all the best.
Living Colour
3/5
Sometimes shaded into something I liked but mostly left me cold.
Just FYI Glamour Boys is from Look Who’s Talking 2.
Beck
5/5
I was obsessed with this one when I was a freshman in college, interestingly it was this and a Silver Jews album that I listened to nonstop. So very good great awesome in my book.
Dennis Wilson
4/5
I’ve heard about this for a while and thanks to the list now I’ve heard it. And it’s really good! Very similar to 70s Beach Boys, just missing the rest of the Boys.
Massive Attack
3/5
So-so. I really liked the first song with Tracey Thorn, but that was mostly cuz of Tracey Thorn.