Journey in Progress
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503
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3.13
Avg Rating
62
5-Star Albums
46%
Complete
586 albums remaining
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4.5
Per Week
786
Days Active
Reviews
468
Written
93%
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vs Global
-0.18
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3.13
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Taste Profile
1950s
Favorite Decade
Samba
Favorite Genre
UK
Top Origin
Balanced
Rater Style
31
1-Star Albums
Taste Analysis
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Ratings by genre
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Ratings by country
Rating Style
You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| L'Eau Rouge | 5 | 2.32 | +2.68 |
| Metal Box | 5 | 2.41 | +2.59 |
| Devotional Songs | 5 | 2.58 | +2.42 |
| Tarkus | 5 | 2.78 | +2.22 |
| Mask | 5 | 2.85 | +2.15 |
| Swordfishtrombones | 5 | 2.95 | +2.05 |
| The Dreaming | 5 | 2.96 | +2.04 |
| Throwing Muses | 5 | 2.98 | +2.02 |
| Nighthawks At The Diner | 5 | 3.01 | +1.99 |
| Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle | 5 | 3.02 | +1.98 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) | 1 | 3.61 | -2.61 |
| good kid, m.A.A.d city | 1 | 3.61 | -2.61 |
| To Pimp A Butterfly | 1 | 3.61 | -2.61 |
| Stankonia | 1 | 3.55 | -2.55 |
| Straight Outta Compton | 1 | 3.51 | -2.51 |
| My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy | 1 | 3.42 | -2.42 |
| Hybrid Theory | 1 | 3.39 | -2.39 |
| Ready To Die | 1 | 3.37 | -2.37 |
| Doggystyle | 1 | 3.37 | -2.37 |
| The Chronic | 1 | 3.33 | -2.33 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums and high weighted score
| Artist | Albums | Avg | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Bowie | 6 | 5 | 4.33 |
| Jimi Hendrix | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Led Zeppelin | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Nick Drake | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Prince | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Tom Waits | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Miles Davis | 3 | 4.33 | 3.67 |
| PJ Harvey | 3 | 4.33 | 3.67 |
Least Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums and low weighted score
| Artist | Albums | Avg | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kendrick Lamar | 2 | 1 | 2.2 |
| Bob Dylan | 5 | 2 | 2.38 |
| Fatboy Slim | 2 | 1.5 | 2.4 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 3 | 2 | 2.5 |
| R.E.M. | 3 | 2 | 2.5 |
5-Star Albums (62)
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Popular Reviews
Radiohead
3/5
Radiohead will always be the band that a generation of people who wanted others to think they were 'deep intellectuals' and 'get music' said was their favorite. If you tell me Radiohead is your favorite band, I don't need to know anything else - I know exactly what type of person you are. I don't dislike Radiohead but I'm sort of indifferent about them. They have some good songs but if I never heard them again I wouldn't really count it as a loss.
This album is fine. It's a good listen but it doesn't really stand out from any other album of the time to me. And I get the hate for Thom Yorke, he does seem like a super pretentious dude and that totally carries over into his band. I actually like his voice which is a sticking point with a lot of people. I can't really pick a favorite song, or even one to highlight, from this album. They all run together but in sort of a good way. The songs are structured well although they never really take off but I think that's kind of the point. 3/5
4 likes
Beach House
3/5
This is a record that I can't really imagine anyone having a strong reaction to one way or the other. It's so aggressively bland. Like dry white toast - you might not want to eat it but if that's all there is, it'll be fine yet unmemorable. I can't really pick out anything to comment on, it's all just...fine. Vocals? It's got them. Drums? Yep. Guitars and bass? Sure. Synths? A lot. But like, none of it stands out at all. Honestly I don't get why it has such high ratings. I guess because it is put together well and isn't offensive in any way? I don't know, it just seems too safe to me. 2.5/5 but I guess I'll round up because I've heard worse albums?
3 likes
Kendrick Lamar
1/5
Ugh what's worse than stereotypical, misogynistic, repetitive hip hop? Stereotypical, misogynistic, repetitive hip hop that's absolutely laden with Auto-Tune. And poorly done Auto-Tune at that. I honestly don't get the appeal of this at all. Call it genius all you want, I politely disagree. This is bad music. 1/5
3 likes
Rocket From The Crypt
3/5
This is a pretty good straightforward rocker. Sort of hard to date by listening - at times it sounds like 90s, sometimes like 70s, sometimes 80s. It's pretty standard as far as the music goes. I don't really dig the vocals so much but they aren't terrible. Tempo is pretty much the same all the way through which isn't really my favorite thing. Lyrics are pretty bad.
Overall not a horrible album but probably a one and done for me. 2.5/5 rounding up because I actually do like some of the songs and it was well-played.
2 likes
Talk Talk
4/5
I don't think I'd ever heard this but the cover is vaguely familiar to me. And as far as mid 80s new wave albums go, this one is much less like a cheesy movie soundtrack. Maybe this is more like 80s art pop than new wave? I don't know but I dig it. Happiness Is Easy is a great song. April 5th is kind of a weird slow spot and I think might have worked better as the album closer rather than the side one closer. It didn't really make me want to turn the record over. The second side plays a lot like the first, a slow spot towards the end. All in all I really enjoyed this album and I'll definitely listen to it again. If I saw it in the record shop I'd probably pick it up. 3.5/5 round to 4 for the re-listenability.
2 likes
4-Star Albums (115)
1-Star Albums (31)
All Ratings
The Stone Roses
4/5
Arcade Fire
3/5
Pink Floyd
4/5
Creedence Clearwater Revival
2/5
The Temptations
4/5
Pretenders
3/5
Hanoi Rocks
3/5
Miles Davis
4/5
The White Stripes
5/5
Boston
3/5
Van Halen
5/5
The Rolling Stones
3/5
The Doors
2/5
JAY Z
1/5
The Hives
3/5
Finley Quaye
2/5
Steely Dan
2/5
Dusty Springfield
2/5
Talking Heads
3/5
Love
3/5
The White Stripes
4/5
The Flaming Lips
4/5
Peter Gabriel
3/5
David Bowie
5/5
Little Simz
2/5
George Harrison
4/5
Kate Bush
4/5
The Doors
2/5
Beatles
4/5
LL Cool J
1/5
The Sabres Of Paradise
2/5
The Psychedelic Furs
3/5
Herbie Hancock
4/5
Eagles
2/5
Probably don't need another Big Lebowski quote on here so we'll skip that. This album is...fine. The title track is great but even that I normally skip when it comes up on a playlist or the old fashioned radio.
I confess that I had never actually listened to this whole album, and I don't feel like I ever will again. Victim of Love was the only other song I really liked on this album and I'm not sure I had ever actually heard it before. I have Life in the Fast Lane with a passion.
In the end, this is The Eagles and I'm just not a fan.
Pulp
4/5
Black Sabbath
5/5
This is one of the classic albums of all time. What’s not to like? Groundbreaking for the rock industry at the time and it still holds up well today.
Michael Jackson
3/5
Pretty solid but not his best. I mean Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough is fantastic but the rest of the record doesn’t keep up and second half of the album kind of blends together.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
Johnny Cash
3/5
This album is kind of hit and miss. Hurt is amazing, Bridge Over Troubled Water was good. Some of the choices he made were kind of strange. Did we need a Johnny Cash version of Personal Jesus? No, no we didn't. The production was kind of all over too, some of it was fantastic and some of it was basically like if your grandpa recorded covers on a 4 track in his living room. Which this probably was. Was it just me or does anyone else hear him softly whistling as he breathes through his nose on a couple tracks?
Don't get me wrong, Johnny Cash was a national treasure but I feel like this doesn't really deserve the accolades it received when it came out, Hurt excepted.
The Kinks
3/5
Like most people, I've heard all the 'hits' from The Kinks. But most of this album was new to me. It was fairly standard brit pop from the 60s. I don't think I would revisit this one at all but it wasn't like I was waiting for it to be over. Would be a solid 2.5/5.
Q-Tip
1/5
This is totally not for me. Just not a fan of hip hop at all. At least I didn't skip any songs but I was so glad when it was over.
Miles Davis
5/5
Fantastic record. I feel like this is one of the first, probably the first, record you would play for someone who has never heard jazz before. This is a record you can sit and listen to and pick apart or you can throw it on in the background when you're doing other things. Whether or not you like jazz, this is something that anyone who just appreciates music will be into.
Duran Duran
3/5
Pretty solid 80s stereotype. There are a few good songs on there, Rio and Hungry Like the Wolf are classics. I enjoyed Hold Back the Rain and Save a Prayer too. All in all, I feel like you know exactly what this record is going to be by looking at the cover. It's like an 80s pop rock time capsule.
Charles Mingus
4/5
I can see why people are so divided over this one, it's not exactly something you can just throw on any time. You have to be in the right mood for it. Some people would just say it's noise and I think that might be fair but if you listen to what's happening it's great noise. Musicianship is superb as always with Mingus. It may not be my favorite jazz record of all time but it's still a great listen and typical for this style so I feel like it would be a good record to start with for someone trying to get an expanded view of jazz.
Napalm Death
2/5
I feel like this is what you get when your band consists of a drummer who can't really play time very well so just bashes around randomly, your guitar player only knows three power chords and two strumming patterns, and you don't have a singer so your weird neighbor from across the street comes over and makes random sounds in the mic which are mostly in time but not always.
And what's with an album that has 28 songs and is 33 minutes long? I love metal but this doesn't really count. 2 stars because at least there are real instruments present.
Nirvana
4/5
Is this a great album? Yes. Overrated? Probably. It is an important record for sure, the impact it had on music in the 90s and after is undeniable. I love it and even though I've heard most of the songs dozens of times, it was good to give it a listen back to front; I probably hadn't done that since I was a kid.
Butthole Surfers
3/5
This is not exactly what I thought it would be having heard the Butthole Surfers that everyone knows. I remember these guys as almost like a joke band from when I was in school. I'd only ever heard some of the stuff they released in the mid 90s. Although there's a lot on this album that could literally be taken away, I mean like 70% of it is basically just weird sounds, the actual songs are pretty solid. Some of it is vaguely Primus-esque but without the amazing bass if that makes sense. Some of it is pretty straightforward 80s punk. You've got a song in Thai with an accordion in the background. But all together it kind of works. A weird band with an unfortunate name, I feel like I can let this one rest.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Kicks off with the best Stones song and ends strong with another banger. What comes in between is not quite as strong. None of it is bad, but after Gimme Shelter anything is going to be hard pressed to really shine. On the whole a great album and definitely worth listening multiple times.
Stan Getz
5/5
I love this record. It's a perfect album to have in the background at a cocktail party. I play it while making dinner at least once a week. It's fun, well played, and well recorded. A wonderful record that everyone should have.
Christina Aguilera
2/5
This is not to my taste. I can appreciate that she has an amazing voice but I played the whole record and can't recall any song at all. 2 stars for her vocal abilities but would never listen to this again.
The Icarus Line
3/5
I don't get the hate for this. It's a decent rocker, fairly heavy but not overbearingly so, good instrumentation. The bass especially stands out to me. I can definitely see the influence from Iggy Pop/The Stooges. Some of it is kind of dated, sure, but most of the albums from this time are. It kind of falls into a "post grunge we don't know what to do anymore but we all like 70s punk and the White Stripes" category which isn't a bad thing. It does get a little repetitive, that's true. But they certainly deserve more than the whopping 1,440 listeners they have on Spotify...
Tom Tom Club
2/5
I felt like this album was a little bit irritating. Like I just wanted to skip through all the songs. It's definitely a vibe album but I'm not sure what that vibe is. I think it just missed the mark with me. Maybe it just wasn't what I was expecting but I can't imagine wanting to listen to this again.
Metallica
3/5
Sounds like Metallica. I know people love the 80s Metallica, and I don't disagree necessarily, but I feel like this album in particular is basically one song that's an hour and five minutes long. Maybe that's what they were going for? I don't know. I mean fast double bass drum and guitars chugging nonstop gets a little wearing when there isn't really anything to break it up. Guitar solos are brilliant, if a little derivative. One and Harvester of Sorrow are the only songs that really stand out on this one. Also I think the production could have been better. For an album that was trying to be heavy the mastering seems like it was a bit tinny or something. Like it could have been fuller and they needed more lows and low mids in the mix. I might come back to this one day but I'd have to be in the right headspace.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
This is not the best Stones album by any stretch but I do think it's a decent album. One I would probably come back to now and again although nothign really stands out. With Stones records it seems like you usually get one or two huge hits with a bunch of filler and this is not that at all. It all solid but there aren't any big hit that everyone knows. And I kind of like that. Not a 4 star album but a solid 3.5.
Wilco
4/5
This record is a solid "throw it on when you're feeling a little melancholy but don't want to sink down too far" vibe. I feel like this is better listened to all the way through rather than just picking a song here and there - it stands up better as a whole instead of in pieces. I really enjoyed this one but not sure I'd call it a superb album worthy of 5 stars. Solid 4, maybe 4.25.
Paul Simon
3/5
I like this album, Me and Julio, Mother and Child Reunion, and Duncan in particular. Paul Simon is a wonderful songwriter, better than Dylan in my opinion and they are always compared for some reason. Maybe just beacuse they were doing similar things at the same time? Anyway - as good as Paul Simon is, I feel like eveerything he did with Garfunkel is better than his solo stuff. It's odd because Garfunkel by himself was not stellar (to be generous), but the records they made together were so much better than either of their solo endeavours. I can't give this record more than 3.5/5.
Gene Clark
2/5
Liked Silver Raven, No Other, Strength of Strings. A lot of this record is too country for my taste. Absolutely awful cover artwork. Looks like an elementary school art project and if I just saw this in a record shop there's no way I would give it a second glance.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
3/5
I don't know what to say about this one. People will swear it's "a classic" but I'm not really sure I agree. There are a couple decent songs on here, Judy Blue Eyes of course, but I feel like the reason this album is beloved now is purely nostalgia. Great harmonies throughout, but if the strong point of the record is good harmonies that's not really high praise. The music was certainly better when Neil Young joined, regardless of him actually breaking up the band. Someone else said that CS&N was better with Neil Young and Neil Young was better on his own, and you can't really argue with that.
In the end I feel like there were loads of albums that sounded just like this in the late 60s/early 70s and this one doesn't really have anything that makes it stand out. 2.5 out of 5 but rounding up because of the 10/10 David Crosby moustache on the cover.
Nightmares On Wax
2/5
This is a super chill record but it all blends together. Maybe that's the point. It's not bad but it doesn't really hold your attention at all. It's not something you would sit down and listen to intently, more soemthing you would put on in the background. Like this is what would be playing in the waiting room at a wellness spa in Santa Fe that has lots of incense and natural soaps for sale.
The Lemonheads
3/5
This record is again a pretty straightforward picture of early 90s pre-grunge (or maybe grunge tangential) alt rock. There's aspects of classic punk, grunge, pop. It's not exactly groundbreaking. I remember hearing Mrs. Robinson all the time when I was little and I think that's probably the best song on this album.
In the end this album fits in with the rest of the bands from this time that were doing the same thing - Spin Doctors, Gin Blossoms, Better Than Ezra, The Breeders, etc. It's sort of a time capsule of when music was transitioning from the punk and glam metal of the 80s to something heavier and more depressing but there existed a couple years with light, dare I say inconsequential, sort of sparkly sounding alt rock before grunge really took hold.
Beck
4/5
I always liked Beck's voice. It's got a nice quality that really shows on this album. And it's good to see an artist like this that doesn't just make the same record over and over again. And while this one doesn't have some of the grit that his earlier records do, I think it holds up very well. Arrangements are good, vocals are great, production is top notch.
Lost Cause has always been one of my favorite songs of his. I also really like The Golden Age, End of the Day, Already Dead, and Sunday Sun.
A super chill album to throw on and enjoy a cocktail in the evening. I think this is one that gives a better experience listening to it as a whole rather than just a random song here and there.
Keith Jarrett
5/5
Love this album. Reminds me of a more improvised George Winston. It's wonderful to imagine him just really getting into playing and having such a great time doing it. I had never heard of this album or Keith Jarrett before but I will definitely be looking up more from him. This is the kind of thing I was hoping for when starting on these 1001 albums - new (to me) music that I can explore deeper.
k.d. lang
2/5
I'm not sure what to think about this record. Great voice, good arrangements. But I just don't really think this kind of contemporary pop is something I really enjoy. I had certainly heard k.d. lang before, and liked a few of the songs I have heard over the years but had never listened to a whole album. From this record, Constant Craving was obviously my favorite but I liked Season of Hollow Soul too. However, I'm not sure that I would seek out anything else from her just based on this record. It goes a little to far into country territory for my liking. Ultimately, I feel like is is a decent record but when it was over I wasn't left wanting more.
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
I would assume that there are other Springsteen albums on this list. I'm not sure why this one is included. I get the motivation/historical aspect of this album being writtend and recorded right after 9/11, but this isn't really an record I needed to hear. I did like Further On, but that was really the only stand out for me.
I've never been a huge fan of Springsteen anyway and this album hasn't changed that at all. Dad rock supreme and forgetable at that.
Parliament
5/5
How can anyone not like this? Guaranteed to lift your mood. Everything about this record is exactly as it should be and the production is 10/10. Bootsy Collins in particular (of course) is a highlight throughout and I like that the bass seems to be brought out front a little instead of being buried in the mix. But that's also just common for funk I suppose. Absolutely some of the best bass lines of all time come from Bootsy and this album seems to showcase him all over.
It's too bad there aren't really mainstream funk bands anymore. I feel like the funk genre spent a relatively short time in the limelight and it's too bad it died out.
4/5
This is a super nostalgic album for me, as I'm sure it is with a lot of people. Takes me back to middle school as soon as it starts. I mean Wonderwall, as much of a sort of pop culture joke as it is now, is a fantastic song. I feel like if there was a mix of 20th century music sent into space for posterity, Wonderwall would be one of the first songs added to the list. Champagne Supernova, Don't Look Back In Anger, and Morning Glory are wonderful as well. And I always liked Roll With It.
Is this a 5 star album? I don't know. It depends on your mood I guess. On most days I don't think it would be for me and honestly there are a couple songs I'd probably skip if they came up randomly.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
What more needs to be said about Hendrix? Probably the greatest guitar player and innovator of all time. Nothing was the same after Hendrix and while I think I like Are You Experienced better as an album, Voodoo Chile has always been my favorite Hendrix song. Listen to both albums back to back you have some of the greatest guitar music ever created merging into one long record.
3/5
If you put all the 80's synth-wave records into a blender, this is what would come out. Cool disco bass lines, lots of synthesizers, overly dramatic vocals. It's certainly fun although I don't think I'd call this absolutely something you have to hear before you die. I can appreciate that this is not everyone's jam, and although I enjoyed it, there are better examples from this era that I would imagine are forthcoming on this list.
Cee Lo Green
2/5
Not a fan of hip hop at all. I liked some of the Gnarls Barkley stuff that Cee-Lo did but I just can't get on board with hip hop. 2 stars because he has an interesting voice but I hate this kind of music.
Isaac Hayes
4/5
Solid record. Classic Isaac Hayes. Musicianship is excellent, I love the grooves on this one. Arrangements are great. Wonderful voice on this man. By The Time I Get To Phoenix kind of starts off slow but picks up about hlafway through and finishes strong. I actually liked the shorter version better.
Not a 5 star record, but a solid 3.5. Rounding up to 4 for the awesome sounding drums on this album.
Adele
3/5
There can't be many albums that have 3 songs with over a billion streams on Spotify. Undeniably amazing voice - whether you like her music or not, you have to appreciate that she can sing. I had heard a lot of this record but never all the way through.
The trouble with this album is that it's sort of scattered. Some great songs (that everyone knows) but then a lot of filler. I've seen other reviews for this album saying it's like a greatest hits record but I don't get that at all. There are some bangers on here for sure but the whole album? I don't know. It flows well and I actually like how it kind of alternates a bit between the ups and downs. But the downs are forgettable, like just to fill in space to the next great song. 3.5 but rounding down to 3 for some reason.
Cyndi Lauper
3/5
I'm not too familiar with Cyndi Lauper. I've heard a couple of her songs, Girls Just Want To Have Fun and Time After Time of course. My first introduction to her was probably in The Goonies. I get the comparisons to Madonna for sure. A couple solid tracks, a lot of pretty standard 80s pop but if that's what you like then this would be a great album for you.
Arcade Fire
4/5
This is a solid record for sure. The arrangements are great and the songs all build really well. Good lyrics, good instrumentation, great production. Just based on this album I would imagine that Arcade Fire puts on a great live show, I have never seen them but I hear their live shows are pretty amazing.
Had this been the first thing I ever heard from Arcade Fire I would definitely go back and listen to more of their stuff.
Pixies
4/5
I've always liked the Pixies, Surfer Rosa in particular. And while I have probably heard most of this record before, never all at once. I like how this album is decently hard, has softer moments, and flows really well from song to song. Standouts for me are Rock Music, Down to the Well, The Happening, and Stormy Weather.
It's a short record but it does what it does well. 3.5 stars but round up to 4.
R.E.M.
2/5
This one starts off a little slow and stays that way for really the whole album. It's not bad, just not what I would expect I guess. I also think it sounds a little thin, guitars in particular, but I feel like thin sounding guitars are kind of an R.E.M. signature. That's one of the problems I've always had with R.E.M. - I always feel like they need to fill out the sound spectrum a little. I felt myself kind of drifting out of attention throughout this whole record. Does that make it background music? I hate to use the word 'boring' but it kind of was. I was excited when this record came up for the day but left a little disappointed.
There are certainly songs I like on this record, Everyboy Hurts, Drive, Monty Got A Raw Deal, Man On The Moon. But I wouldn't play this whole album again. 2.5 stars
The Who
5/5
I feel like this is an album that everyone has heard a bunch of times. And deservedly so, it's got to be one of the best records of the era and probably the best album The Who recorded. Baba O'Riley is definitely a strong start but has never been one of my favorite songs. The middle does kind of sag a little but I think that's where you kind of intentionally put the songs you know aren't as strong. But even My Wife or The Song Is Over are still pretty decent. Finishes super strong, Behind Blue Eyes is always amazing. It's a fun album to listen to, great work. Still 5/5 despite it's flaws.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
2/5
Dad Rock supreme. I guess it's like Grandpa Rock now. I mean it's fine. I've kind of always hated the Bayou/Southern Rock as a genre. And from a band from San Francisco no less. A lot of people love it, and that's fine, but it's just not something I care for. I listened to the whole album and didn't even add any songs to my Liked playlist on Spotify which is super rare for me. None of the songs on this record are bad, I guess, just not something I would be upset to not hear again. 2.5 stars because I do appreciate the instrumentation and musicianship, it's just not for me.
U2
3/5
So I've always had a prejudice against U2, or maybe to be more fair against Bono. Sure, he's done good things, but he's one of those people that needs to give up his ego and self-importance and just be a decent person because it's the right thing to do rather than for personal gain. And I don't know how but his arrogance seems to carry through to his vocals.
Bono aside, this album has some good high points. One, of course, but I also really enjoy Until The End Of The World, The Fly, Mysterious Ways, and Acrobat. They build songs really well and I love The Edge as a guitar player, stupid name aside. Apart from their early albums which may be considered some kind of punk-lite, they layer instruments and arrange the music really well and always have a super full sound.
I guess I've always just kind of written most of U2 off because Bono is not my favorite person. They have written some songs that I really like, Joshua Tree is a fantastic album, maybe I should try to get over Bono and appreciate them for their music. Giving this one a solid 3.5 stars but rounding down because...Bono.
Baaba Maal
3/5
I had heard of Baaba Maal but can't say that I had heard anything he had done outside of the Black Panther movies. I feel like he's the first one on this list for me that I actually knew about but had never listened to. So I sort of knew what to expect with this album.
It's very interesting to me to hear an artist from West Africa who was influenced by American blues, jazz, soul, and R&B which were all really based on African music in the first place. I enjoyed this album and would definitely listen to it again if I was in the right mood.
Antony and the Johnsons
3/5
An interesting record for sure. All of the hate for her voice is unwarranted. Yes, tons of vibrato but it works. For the most part. Obviuosly a deeply personal album and it's sort of haunting and beautiful at the same time. It's short and sweet. Intrumentation is great but her voice doesn't quite live up to what it could have been in a lot of the songs. In the end, I think for such a personal record, it's hard for listeners to really connect with it because most of us have not had these same experiences. That's not to say it's bad by any means, just hard to find anything to really make me want to listen again.
One thing that really takes away from this album - it's uneven volume. Dynamics is one thing but I feel like I shouldn't have to adjust the volume level multiple times during an album, let alone during one song, to keep it from becoming too loud or too quiet. 3/5 stars, losing points for the uneven production.
Iron Maiden
4/5
Bruce Dickinson's first album with Iron Maiden. He's undoubtedly one of the best singers from the 80s metal bands. Not all of the songs on this album really showcase how great we was but he does shine through more often than not. The first half of the album is a little standard as far as early 80s metal goes and it does get a little repetitive, but all of side two is super strong, Gangland maybe less so than the others. Three songs that almost anyone would recognize is not bad for an album that's 40+ years old.
I'll give this one a solid 3.5, rounding up because of the iconic album art.
Sarah Vaughan
3/5
I much prefer instrumental jazz to vocal jazz but I do love a good live album. This one is particularly great because it makes you feel like you're sitting there at a table with a cocktail in front of you. It's a super chill album, put it on while you make dinner or throw it on after a long day at work. It doesn't really demand anything of you. I'm not sure I'd call it one of the top 1000 albums of all time but when you think about it 1000 albums is a lot of slots to fill. 3/5 for me but I'd definitely play this again.
Richard Thompson
2/5
I get a little tired of the 60s/70s folk. Especially in the 70s when it started to lean really heavily into country. Thie record is simple and unremarkable. For a fairly short album it was kind of a slog. I might have skipped a song or two after a couple minutes. I don't know what else to say. 2/5
Aerosmith
5/5
I've listened to this album a bunch of times. Aerosmith was my favorite band for a long time when I was a kid, until I got to high school probably. This album is an absolute banger. Top notch instrumentation, great vocals, decent production. Two all time classic songs - the guitar work on Walk This Way is undeniably brilliant but I think as I've grown up it's probably one of my least favorite songs on the album. I've always loved some of the less well known songs on this record - Uncle Salty, Adam's Apple, Round and Round, You See Me Crying.
Personal issues with various band members aside, it's hard not to love this. I'll always have a soft spot for this band, they were instrumental in building my love of music as a kid. So this album gets a 5/5 from me.
De La Soul
2/5
I hate hip hop. But remember when hip hop was sort of lighthearted and fun? That's what this is. If you like nostalgic rap this is for you. It's not for me. It's not as unlistenable as modern hip hop but I got tired of it after about ten minutes. Because of the way the genre has changed, would this be considered novelty rap now? 2 stars because at least it has nostalgic value I guess.
James Brown
4/5
Wonderful album. The thing that always strikes me about James Brown is how great his band is. This record is no exception. I wish they would record live albums like this still - no overdubs (probably), lots of audience noise, uneven in parts, electrical hum here and there, all the good and the bad. Anymore a live album might as well be a studio recording with applause between songs.
This album is as close as you can get to being at an early 60's James Brown show. Highly enjoyable and replayable. I'm curious as to why it was decided to only include half an hour of material. Seems like a double live would have been a good choice for this. Loses 1 star just because it's so short.
Deep Purple
3/5
I don't get why this album is on this list. I mean it's not a bad album by any means, but I feel like a live album on this list would have to be included because it captured something spectacular. I wouldn't call this spectacular. Deep Purple is a band with unquestionably good musicians, but I don't know why this album would be special. It's good for sure, but I would imagine that Machine Head is on this list that would basically make the inclusion of this record sort of superfluous. 3/5 because it's a good album but probably not one that really needs to be included here.
Ute Lemper
3/5
I don't know what to make of this album. It's kind of like a compilation of Broadway-style songs featuring different vocalists. I was sort of surprised to see this was from 2000 for some reason. I don't really know who the intended audience for this record would have been at that time. I mean there are some cool songs here but I guess I don't really get why it was made. It sort of seems like these songs were all cast offs from failed Broadway shows and they just lumped them all together. It was interesting to listen to, not offensive in any way, flowed well from one to the next, but I won't be listening to this album again. 2.5/5 rounding up to 3.
The Black Keys
4/5
This is a solid record for sure. I don't get why it kind of gets a lot of hate for being 'white guy blues'. It's not like they're trying to be BB King or Muddy Waters. I think I like El Camino better but this is a super fun album - great sound, good songs, good riffs, good drums. I dig it. Would absolutely play this one again.
The Notorious B.I.G.
1/5
No more hip hop please. It's just not for me. I've tried with all the records people claim are 'the best' but I just can't stand it. The misogynic lyrics, abject violence, self aggrandizement, terrible tropes of 'look how dangerous I am' and 'look how much money I have'. It's all just laughable. This record is no exception. I wanted to like this album; part of the fun of this project is finding something that you didn't think you would like but end up enjoying. I was sort of hoping this record might make me enjoy hip hop a little more. Alas, no. It was the same thing I've heard over and over from hip hop artists for the last 30 years. Parts of this album were actually gross, which isn’t something you can say about a lot of music. Like who needs to hear him getting a blowjob? Especially one that he forced the girl to give after she repeatedly said no. No thanks, hard pass from me.
The Associates
3/5
An interesting record for sure. Solid Brit post-punk/new wave that is decently experimental for the time. The vocals in particular stand out for me - some songs are almost like a Morrissey/Bono/Bowie/Robert Smith mashup, No and Love Hangover in particular. I like it. Listening to it now, some of the songs do sound like they're straight out of a terrible low-budget movie from 1983. Super cheesy but not specific enough to really be nostalgic. Some of the songs are like if you asked a band to write something by The Cure but with more synth.
On the whole, the album is pretty decent. Lots going on and lots to keep your attention. It's a little long, I feel like 23 songs and an hour and a half is just a little too much so it loses points for that. Solid 3.5/5 but not strong enough to round up to 4.
The Beach Boys
4/5
It's been ages since I listened to this album. For all the accolades it gets, I was hoping for more when it came up today. That's not to say it's bad or that I disliked it, I guess I was just expecting to be blown away. The production is amazing, great sound and instrumentation all the way through. The songs are...fine. Wouldn't It Be Nice and God Only Knows of course are classics and probably on most people's top 100. Sloop John B is a song I totally forgot about but I always loved.
All that said, this is a super fun record and I would absolutely listen to it again. This is one of the albums that if I saw it in the record store I would pick it up for sure and play it a few times a year. So in that sense, it’s a good one to me. #2 album of all time as suggested by Rolling Stone (for what that's worth)? Definitely not. But enjoyable nonetheless. I'd give it a 3.75/5 but will round up to 4.
Ali Farka Touré
4/5
I've always really liked African Blues. Which is sort of an odd genre when you think about it. I can definitely see why Ali Farka Toure gets compared to John Lee Hooker, particularly the voice but he's not quite as gravelly. Excellent guitar playing on this record and his tone in particular fits perfectly for his style. Listening to this record makes me think that he was probably just a cool dude to hang out with, no idea if there is any truth to that. Overall this is a super relaxing album and it's great that it was included here. 4/5
Metallica
4/5
Probably the album that most people think of when someone says Metallica. Lots of good stuff on here and I did enjoy going back and listening to this one all the way through again. Say what you will about Metallica, musically or otherwise, there are a lot of great songs on this record. I get that thrash metal isn't exactly for everyone, and there's a valid argument that this album isn't exactly thrash metal anyway, but it's undeniably solid. I think where this album is lacking most is in production. It's not bad but I think the balance between the low and high frequencies is off a bit. Maybe it's sort of scooped? I'm not sure. I listened to the original, not a remaster, so maybe that's something they fixed later on.
I've never been a huge Metallica fan but I really like this album. I probably wouldn't go out and try to find it at the record store but I would play it again for sure. And maybe pick it up if it happened to be at the record store and I didn't want anything else. 4/5
Nick Drake
5/5
Right off I could tell that the recording/production on this one was great. Fantastic acoustic guitar sound is the first thing you hear. Great voice as well. Kind of a low-key album that's sort of a downer in a lot of ways. I like it. Listen to this on a rainy day on good headphones or a good sound system, not on little computer speakers and not on a phone. I think a lot of the brilliance of this album is just in the way it is recorded and how all the parts work together so well.
I also never really realized what a great guitar player he was. Maybe I just never really paid attention before but his playing on this record at least was fantastic. I wonder why he never gets mentioned in the same breath as Paul Simon? It would be interesting to see what he would have done had he not died so young. The folk/folk-pop/folk-rock genre from this time was relatively short-lived and I feel like he may have gone on to more experimental things. All in all, this is a stellar album. Maybe not a 10/10 but good enough for a 5/5 because 4/5 is not enough.
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
I don't really have much to say about this one. It's not bad. Not particularly great either though. I get that it was sort of an early pioneer of the shoegaze genre and I can definitely see how a lot of what came after followed suit. I like it, I wouldn't necessarily seek out anything else from them based on this record. It's simple enough to sort of fade into the backgroud if you're doing something else. But some great guitar sounds, solid musicianship, vocals are just kind of ok and tend to get lost in the mix. 3/5
GZA
1/5
Ugh, I'm done with hip hop. I've tried. I just can't do it. This is boring, monotonous garbage. There is absolutely nothing good about this record at all. It's literally the same tropes and ridiculous rhymes as any other hip hop album since the mid 90s and I feel like that's the problem with the whole genre. The last song is the only one with any semblance of good lyrics but the bar was set so low already it’s not exactly an accomplishment. Same exact beat in nearly every song, somewhere in the neighborhood of 80bpm I think. Terrible cover art too, it looks like something a high school kid did in art class while trying to look like a badass.
Stevie Wonder
3/5
I mean it's Stevie Wonder. It's not gonna be bad. Probably not Stevie's best but even at that it's pretty solid.
Michael Jackson
4/5
A great record, except for The Girl Is Mine. That's quite possibly one of the worst pop songs ever written. But there's not much else to say about this album that hasn't been said. It still holds up pretty well 40+ years later. I throw it on the turntable a few times a year. 4/5 because any album that includes The Girl Is Mine can't be 5 stars.
Wu-Tang Clan
1/5
I just can't get on with hip hop. I hate it. Not even going to review these anymore unless there's something notable to say.
Buena Vista Social Club
3/5
This is a really fun album. A little simple maybe but great for kind of "play it in the background while you have an outdoor summer cocktail party" kind of vibe. It didn't blow me away by any means but it was fun to listen to. Solid 3.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
5/5
I first heard about Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan from Jeff Buckley who said that "he's my Elvis" and I always thought that was a very interesting way to put it. I never really liked Elvis and would take Nusrat any day. Wonderful music on this record. I get that it's not for everyone but I am glad to see it included here. Chances are anyone who is only vaguely familiar with qawwali music heard it from Nusrat. Unbelievable vocals on this album, though I can't understand what he's saying but you don't really have to. The man could sing. And the energy in this recording can really be felt. Even though I wouldn't listen to this all the time, I still have to give it 5/5 because it is a brilliant record that everyone should certainly hear at least once.
Iron Butterfly
2/5
I've always hated the 60s organ sound in rock. I don't know who came up with it or why more than just that one guy thought it was a good idea. I feel like the only reason anyone listens to this record is because of the last song; it's kind of like a rite of passage I guess. It's an ok 17 minute jam but still not as good as any of the other sort of jam bands of that era. The rest of the album is pretty generic 60s psychedelic pop rock that's not really worth the time to listen to again. I think this record is on this list simply because of the title track and it sort of being novel at the time it was released. Giving this one a 2.5 rounded to 2 because of the damn organ.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Dude it's Led Zeppelin IV. What's the world coming to if you don't give this a 5/5?
Alice In Chains
3/5
I'm a little surprised to see this album pop up on this list, it's not one that I would have thought of including. The problem I always had with Alice in Chains is that Layne Staley's voice is just so aggressively irritating. It's like "dude you sound like you could actually sing, stop whining through every song." I get that he had a super sad life and demise but I wish he'd sing instead of complain. The music is a bit repetitive but the sounds are mostly decent, if that makes sense. I feel like the drum sound is lacking a little, they're sort of flat sounding and could use a little more depth. But guitars and bass sound good.
There are definitely some good songs on this record, Down in a Hole and Would? are both great. Rooster gets played a lot but I think I've heard that one enough. I hadn't actually listened to this whole album in years. It's not bad, 3.25/5 I think, but I'd not really make a point to listen again and if most of the songs came up on a playlist I'd probably skip them. Rounding down to 3/5 because of the whining and the stupid, contrived cover.
Sam Cooke
4/5
I love these old live records from the 60s where they didn't record from a mixing board but set up microphones in the room and picked up what they picked up. Great energy from this record. I know this album has been called one of the best live albums ever recorded and although I don't know that I would go that far, I do think it's a great example of what this kind of performance was like back in the day. A really fun album that shows how great Sam Cooke was as a performer. It's so short though, I don't know that I would give this more than like 3.75/5. I'll give it a 4/5 since 3/5 isn't enough.
The Verve
3/5
This album starts off like a mix between Radiohead and Joshua Tree-era U2 (think Bullet the Blue Sky). It's a cool vibe with a lot of great sounds but kind of trails off after the first half or so. Just kind of fades into the background of generic 90s pop rock. It's a decent album and just based on this listen I would probably look up some of their other stuff if I hadn't heard anything else from them. But I don't know that I would call it a great record by any means. 3/5
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
I think the problem these days with synth pop is that it has been parodied so much since it was popular that even the actual synth pop records from the 80s sound like parodies now too. You kind of have to listen to this record keeping in mind the state of music when it was released. There are actually some great lyrics on this album - "I love you, you pay my rent" is obviously tongue in cheek but it's surprisingly apropos today. Not much else to say about this one. It's ok. 2.5 rounded up to 3.
Daft Punk
1/5
Proof that you don't have to play real instruments or write lyrics to get famous. This is not for me. I've never been a fan of house music and the repetition on this is mind numbing. Such a relief when it ended.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
I feel like this album is kind of a prelude to the 80s. If you like New Wave music you'll dig this. Elvis Costello seems like he's probably an interesting guy. I like this album even though it may not be his best work. I'm not really sure what else to say about this record - it's got catchy songs, good lyrics, full sound. It's not something I would play all the time but I definitely enjoyed listening to it. 3/5.
Funkadelic
4/5
Interesting that this is the first album in 100+ I've come across that was taken off Spotify. But it's another banger from Funkadelic. Some of it is a little silly, sure, but it's not often you find this kind of mix of great music that is not meant to be take seriously. As always with pretty much anything George Clinton related, the musicianship is what really stands out here. Just fantastic playing all around. Maggot Brain, as always, is a treat. Absolutely one of the best instrumentals of all time. 4.5/5 but rounding down to 4 because of the ridiculous album cover that looks like something I drew in 3rd grade.
Supergrass
4/5
It seems weird to say but I had never heard of this album before. After reading some reviews and some of the Wikipedia about it, I am sort of surprised that I never had.
It's a great album. It's got that 'tight but somehow still sloppy' sound that a lot of the bands leaned into in the 90s. Great sound. Great bass playing. Great sounding guitars. Some of it is very Billy Corgan-esque. It holds up pretty well and I think if this album were released today, it would be hailed as a throwback to when indie rock was becoming a bit more mainstream. A pretty solid 4/5 from me but wouldn't rate it higher than that.
fIREHOSE
2/5
This album sort of plays like the demo made by that band in every high school that every knows will make it someday. Do they ever make it? I don't know. It's disjointed, has some decent playing, horrible vocals, mediocre production, and not enough fully fleshed out songs for a record so supplements with weird noises and "instrumentals" here and there.
All in all, I feel like this is an album by a (seemingly) super new band that shows some promise but never got it together. 2.5/5 rounded down to 2 because I can't think of a reason to round up.
Beatles
4/5
Who doesn't like the white album? It's got some of their best songs on it although I feel like there is a lot of filler. I've always loved this album and while I don't think it would really merit 5/5 it's definitely one of their best. Truth be told, I don't know if the Beatles really had a single album that would be 5/5 - lots of great songs but each album they made always had some slow spots.
The Isley Brothers
4/5
Amazing guitar playing right from the start on this one. The solo on Summer Breeze especially is absolutely fantastic, just really great soulful playing. I had a lot of fun listening to this record. It would be a great album for like hour 4 of a long road trip. Picks you up and gets you in a happy mood. 4/5
The Slits
3/5
Is this a brilliant record? No. Is it groundbreaking? Not really. Does it deserve to be on this list? I like it. The Slits were sort of the punk band that was really only punk for a short time before they recorded this album. This album plays more like an early ska record. It's raw, uncomplicated, and inexplicably good sounding, maybe vocals excepted. You can certainly see who they were looking to for influence and I think as an all female band they had a good influence on bands that would come after. Even still, an all female rock band is relatively rare which is a shame if you ask me.
They formed as teenagers who didn't really know how to play instruments and somehow landed a spot opening for The Clash. That in itself is something that would be so foreign to any band starting today.
So does this record belong on this list? Yes, I think it does if not for them being sort of one of the pioneers of all female rock then certainly for their cover of I Heard It Through The Grapevine. 3/5
John Lennon
3/5
How had I never heard Working Class Hero before? Fantastic song. The rest of the album is just ok. I think the lyrics for the most part were great. I've seen people call it pretentious or high minded but I think it was just a really personal record. I don't think I'd actually buy this record or even really play it again though. It gives a look into John Lennon's state of mind right after the Beatles broke up which is interesting but kind of makes you realize that the brilliance of the Beatles was at least in part because they were together. 3/5
The Coral
3/5
This record is a little hard to pin down. I like it, but I'm still not really sure what to make of it. I've seen it compared to albums by The White Stripes and The Strokes and I don't see that at all. It was just released around the same time. I kind of feel like the album plays a lot like the cover looks - just lots of different stuff all over but it all kind of works together. Still, I'm a little surprised to have found it on this list. I really liked I Remember When, Dreaming of You, Waiting for the Heartaches, and Bad Man. I'd listen to this again for sure, and would probably pick it up and throw it on from time to time if I saw it in the record shop. 3.5/5 but rounding to 3 because it's not really a 4/5.
Ray Charles
3/5
Not sure I'd really call this 'country and western' music but that's a bonus for me really. I mean it's Ray Charles, you know exactly what you're going to get. Fantastic voice on that man. I'm pretty sure he could sing the assembly instructions for an Ikea bookshelf and it would be great. That said, I don't think I can give this more than 3/5 and it's definitely not his best work. It's a good album but this kind of music just doesn't blow me away.
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
A solid record from the 60s. It's very very dated so it loses points for not exactly holding up well. But for what it is I think it does what it does well. It's not going to blow anyone away but if you'd never heard S&G before I can't imagine you wouldn't find something you like about it. It's probably better than 3/5 but I don't think I could really give it 4/5. See, this is why we need at least a 10 star system instead of 5.
Yes
3/5
Not sure this is the Yes album I would have picked for this list, and I can't imagine there would be a second one. Probably picked for I've Seen All Good People. Anyway, when you listen to Yes you just have to marvel at the musicianship. I mean these guys could play for sure. Say what you will about the vocals, that seems to be a common sticking point, but just briliant playing. Yes always get compared to Rush (and Rush is much much better) I think because of the musical complexity and the high vocals. I dig it. Having said all of that, there are definitely better prog bands. I know that this was way before some of the heavier progressive music but some of this record in particular sounds a little thin. 3.5/5, was going to round up to 4 but rounding down to 3 because yesterday evening it took me like 30 minutes to even remember what the album was for that day and I feel like a 4/5 shouldn't have that problem.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
Man that woman could sing. It's kind of funny how many versions of all of these songs I've heard over the years. From this record Respect gets all the attention but I've always just been kind of lukewarm on that one. My favorite is I Never Loved a Man, the guitar part in the middle always sounds so great. But this album starts super strong and then kind of drops off in the middle for me a little bit.
For me personally, this isn't an album I would listen to all the time. It's great, sure, but it's just not my thing. I'd give it a 3.5/5 but will round up to 4 because it's Aretha and regardless of taste, that woman was amazing.
The Temptations
3/5
I like the first half of this album much better than the second. The first half is like a cool blend of motown and funk, it's great. The second side is pretty much a straightforward motown record. Not bad but nothing really stands out to me. I'd like to give it more but 3/5 is where it lands.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
A great, great record. Starts off strong and keeps it up throughout. Hard to believe this album is 55 years old. Some of these older albums seem dated by production, the sound, playing ability, vocals, etc. This is not one of those albums. I feel like if this album was released today, it would be a massive hit. The only real slow point for me is You Shook Me which is ruined by that damn organ and is a pretty straightforward blues cover. But this album is raw, well played, well sung, well recorded (in just 36 hours!), and well produced. You can just picture these guys in a dingy bar somewhere banging out these songs. Not a perfect album but you can't rate this less than 5/5.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
I like this album a lot. I've always really liked Nick Cave in general and had never listened to this album all the way through. I like how it's almost two albums smashed together - the first half is more in your face and the second is a little softer and more ballad-ish. I think it was a good idea to release it as one long album instead of two short ones - it flows really well. I would rate this somewhere between 4 and 5, but didn't like it quite enough to give it a 5 so 4/5 it is.
Tim Buckley
3/5
This is actually the first time I've really ever listened to Tim Buckley. I would call this a fairly standard 60s folk/pop/singer-songwriter record with some forrays into soft jazz. After being a huge fan of his (vastly more talented) son for years, I have to say I am a little disappointed. It's ok, but is definitely dated and sort of drags a little. Fantastic lyrics though, it seems (from just this record anyway) that his real talent was as a lyricist. I feel like he does have a really great voice but this album doesn't really showcase it at all. So I think I'd give this one like a 2.5, round up to 3 for the lyrics and hope that his other records are better.
The KLF
2/5
Remember back in the early 90's when people still went to roller rinks and they had a shitty DJ playing god knows what? That's what this album is. It's not even well done for what it is. Repetative, irritating, no real instruments, mediocre vocals, and boring all at the same time. Hard pass from me. And, though no fault of the record, not on Spotify so it's a little irritating having to skip through the occasional ad on YouTube. The funny thing about that is there were a couple times I couldn't even tell an ad was playing. That's not what you want from a great record. I have no idea why this album would be included on this list.
All that said, I didn't skip any songs and though I was glad it was over, it was not the worst album on this list so far so an extra point for that I guess. 2/5
Baaba Maal
3/5
My second album from him on this list. I think I liked Djam Leelii a little better. This one includes some of the cheesy 90s synths that I'm not usually a fan of and they sort of take me out of it a bit. I love the vocals though, great singning. I only wish I knew what he was saying.
After this album I can say that I am a Baaba Maal fan. His music isn't something that I would put on to actively listen to but I would definitely play this around the house or while working or something. I'll give this one another 3/5.
Beastie Boys
2/5
So if you had never heard the Beastie Boys before, or maybe more interestingly if you had never heard music before, and were coming at this totally blind with no preconceptions at all, I feel like your first thought would be "wow this is terrible". And objectively I think I kind of agree. I don't think novel production methods and recording in random apartments in LA make a good album. Sure it was different for the time, that doesn't mean it's good.
But then I remember this list is 1001 albums to hear before you die, not 1001 good albums to hear before you die. So should this be on the list? Yeah I guess so just because it was different at the time it was made. Do I enjoy it? No. It's too bad because I do like some of the Beastie Boys other stuff, but I am not a fan of hip hop at all, and I suppose this counts. I'll give it a 2/5 because it's not terrible to listen to like a lot of other hip hop but it lacks anything that would make me want to listen again.
Johnny Cash
4/5
Just the concept of this album is brilliant. And Johnny Cash is absolutely the perfect one to have done this. I'm not a fan of country/western (if that's what you can call this) but I do like some Johnny Cash and I feel like this is him at his best. Add in the crowd noise and the banter between songs and you get a fantastic experience listening to this album. This is probably the only album of his that I would consider buying if I ran across it at the record store. And I'd throw it on every now and then. 4/5 because as great as it is, it's still not exactly my kind of music.
A super solid early 70s rock album. Straightforward, no weird recording effects, nothing special about how it was recorded, nothing novel in terms of instrumentation or production. It kind of makes you wonder why it was included in this list. But whatever the reason I'm glad it was. It was fun to listen to and I love how it isn't perfect by any means. I do wish that Rod Stewart had been the singer for all the songs, I wonder about the fights they must have had around that descision. Not much else to say about this one, solidly middle of the road. 3/5
Linkin Park
1/5
I've never understood the attraction to Linkin Park, but apparently people love them for some reason. I'll never understand why. It's just super generic and way overproduced. It's predictable and trite. It's unimaginative and boring. I feel like they tried so hard to make a popular radio record that any creativity they had as musicians was right out the window. And I've always hated Chester Bennington's vocals - it always sounds like he's trying so hard but just can't get it right. Top it off with sophomoric lyrics and forced rhymes and it results in...this.
Linkin Park is pretty much the stereotypical sound of early 2000s nu-metal. They kind of took the lowest common denominator of all those other bands and somehow packaged it up and sold millions of records. The reason I know this album is bad is that I didn't even get irritated by it. Like it was just kind of sound washing over me, it played and I didn't even really notice. Absolutely nothing draws you in. And to me that's worse than a record that you just don't like. 1/5
Lauryn Hill
2/5
Some of the songs on this album that are more soul and less hip hop aren't terrible. I hate hip hop, it just does nothing for me at all. She's got a great singing voice and I wish this album had been more of that. The more reggae sounding songs were cool too. It's just ruined with the rap that sort of takes over.
And what's with the skits? Like how did that become a staple on hip hop albums from this time? It's weird and takes you out of the album. 2/5
The Smiths
4/5
The Smiths are always sort of polarizing. Or maybe it's just Morrissey that is polarizing and that gets projected onto the band. With these reviews I try to just focus on this one album in isolation, without regards to the individual members of the band or what else they have done or said. It's hard sometimes, but I do my best.
Honestly I don't get the hate for the music from The Smiths. Even if it isn't quite to your taste, it's smart, well crafted, well played, and well sung. This album in particular ticks all those boxes. Some killer guitar work on this album as well, though sometimes you really have to listen for it.
All in all, I think this album would be like a 3.75 for me. While I enjoy The Smiths style, it's not something I would want to listen to all the time. But when you're in the mood for it, it kills.
Pearl Jam
4/5
This album basically is the 90s. With probably 4 of the best songs to come out of grunge, this album undeniably had a major impact on music. Arguably some of the best musicianship of the grunge era, the outro guitar solo on Alive and the guitar tone across the whole album in general is enough to make this one of the best grunge records. Certainly a definitive album and one that I feel like most anyone who's a rock fan would enjoy. 4/5
Pere Ubu
2/5
I can't really figure this album out. I don't know who it would be for. It's not really bad, some of the instrumentation is inventive. Great drums and bass throughout. Vocals are super off-putting. I'd never heard of this band before and after this album I might go find some of their other stuff if the mood strikes. It's interesting to listen to, weird for sure. I'm just not sure I get what they were trying to do or say. Hard to rate because I don't really like it but it's not bad. I'd give this like 2.5 but I can't bring myself to round up to 3 so it's a 2/5 I suppose.
2/5
This seems like a weird choice for a Bob Dylan album for this list. I mean yeah he should absolutely have an album or two on the list, but this one? I mean it's a good live album but if there are one or two other Dylan albums on this list I don't know why this would be included.
Anyway, never been much of a Bob Dylan fan. I appreciate that he was an icon of folk music (for whatever reason) and a good lyricist, I wouldn't go as far as calling him a poet. I was ready to be done with this after just a few songs. And I hate the folksy harmonica, it's just not my thing. I feel like if you were really into Bob Dylan then you'd love this. Everyone else is going to be a little bored with at least the first half of this record. I mean really the first half just drags on and is basically close to an hour of the same thing over and over. The second half picks up a bit when the full band comes in and it starts to hold your attention a little better. But the dude just can't sing. I mean slurring words and tones doesn't cover the fact that he just can't do it. I've always found him to be supremely overrated and this record shows exactly why. 2/5
Beatles
3/5
I like the Beatles. I'm not one of those crazy Beatles fans that can tell you everything about every album and who their barber was during the recording sessions. I think the Beatles persona sort of transcended the music they made and it's hard to listen to it objectively. Like, it's the Beatles - you're just supposed to love it, right?
That said, I feel like this album is sort of hit and miss. This record seems like it was the prelude to the Beatles getting weird (super high) and I like their weird stuff a lot better. This album is good, but if I was going to make a 'best of' compilation of the Beatles, I don't know that anything from this record would be included. 3/5
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
I'm only sort of casually familiar with Bob Marley. I mean I know all the songs that everyone knows and have heard a few of his albums randomly over the years. I've always really dug his music but never felt the need to go out and actively listen to it all. I really liked this album, it's a total mood album. Always glad to hear Jamming, that's probably been my favorite song of his since I first heard it. The rhythms in his music are so great. I don't know what it is but it just makes you sort of relax a bit, and that's funny to say because a lot of his songs are about such serious topics - poverty, oppression, spirituality, revolution, and just general struggles of Jamaica. Great music to sort of just have on in the background when you're doing other things but still fun to sit and really listen.
This specific album has a lot going for it - great sound and production, interesting instrumentation, brilliant lyrics and signing. It's super tight but sort of loose and free at the same time. I love how some of it is almost like a reggae/funk fusion. 3.75/5
Nick Drake
5/5
I love this album. The whole thing is such a vibe. I feel like Nick Drake is one of those semi-under-the-radar artists that has a cult following but most people wouldn't know who he was. I'm not much of a fan of the singer/songwriter genre in general but he is a bit different. Particularly this album. It's dark and sort of haunting and his voice is perfect for what he's singing. It's super short which I think fits with the overall theme and mood of the album. It's simple. It's all about the emotion and lyrics. Nothing else to say, really. If you're in a mood (happy? sad? lonely? I don't know) listen to this album and it will be just what you need. 5/5
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
An odd choice for a Neil Young record on this list. I mean I would have to think that he's got another one or two on here for sure. I wonder why this one was chosen? It's a good album but as far as essential Neil Young I don't know if I would count this record. Maybe that's just me.
I feel like you either really like Neil Young or you hate him. I like him, super unique voice for sure and I always appreciate that. He's good at crafting a song and a wonderful guitar player. For this particular album, I feel like it starts off great with My My Hey Hey and then kind of just goes down after that. It's too much of the softer kind of singer/songwriter Neil Young and less of the harder rockier version and I much prefer the latter. A decent album though, 3.5/5 rounded to 3 because, come on, a live album with studio overdubs like this isn't exactly a live album.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
I feel like, as one of the most famous albums of all time, this one is kind of weird because it only has a couple of songs that everyone would know. Really I bet if you asked random people if they'd heard of this record almost all of them would say yes but then if you asked to name 3 songs from the album, most people couldn't.
But it's a great record. I mean it's Stevie Wonder, how can it be bad? Solid 4/5 from me.
Orange Juice
2/5
Another album that kind of sounds like a soundtrack from a cheesy 80s movie. I had never heard of this one and probably won't seek out any of their other stuff. It's not bad. It's not great. It is interesting listening to this kind of thing as a sort of time capsule but there's nothing really notable about this album, I can't remember how any of the songs went the next day. It sounds like any small band in the 80s. 2.5/5 from me, will round to 2 for the sheer forgettability of it. I do, however, appreciate the use of real instruments and the so-bad-it's-actually-kind-of-good album cover.
Belle & Sebastian
4/5
Starts off super cheery and light which I wasn't really expecting given the title. It keeps up that vibe throughout but if you listen to the lyrics it's not quite as sweet and happy as it would seem. I get a kind of 90s-pop meets the Smiths feeling from a lot of these songs. I think it's the vocals - it's almost like he's a sweeter voiced Morrissey.
Overall, this record is nice, sincere, uncomplicated but not to it's detriment, and very well recorded and produced. I dig it. 3.5/5 rounded up to 4.
5/5
I love this album. I'm always a sucker for a good rock band with a strong female singer. And while this may not exactly be super heavy or hard rock, I love it. She has a fantastic voice, the instrumentation is great, songs are well orchestrated. This record is a must have for anyone who likes women-in-rock and probably for just rock fans in general. What more can you ask for?
I'm glad this album was on this list. I'd heard a few songs from this album but had never sat and listened to the whole thing before. It flows really well and all of the songs fit together really nicely. It's one weakness is that I wish it ended on a stronger note, but still 5/5 for sure.
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
I used to listen to this album all the time in middle school. Haven't played the whole thing through since then probably. I remember really liking the whole album and listening to it again after so many years, I don't think it really holds up as well as I thought it would. There are a few fantastic songs on this album - Tonight Tonight, Bullet with Butterfly Wings, Zero, 1979. Zero is probably my favorite on the album. But outside of those the record kind of drags a little bit. I think the 2 hour play time is excessive. I can see why this album has such mixed reviews. Billy Corgan certainly isn't for everyone. Assuming this is the only album on this list from Smashing Pumpkins, I'm surprised they chose this one instead of Siamese Dream. I know this one was commercially more successful and was higher up on the charts but I think Siamese Dream is a better album. 3.5/5 from me, rounding to 3 because it should have been half as long.
Green Day
3/5
You could debate this album based on genre - is it punk (no) is it pop (yes) is it pop-punk (kind of). I was never really into Green Day. I mean the music is cool - good guitars and bass, solid drumming. But then Billie Joe Armstrong starts to sing and it all falls apart for me. A whole album of his voice is just too much. Which is a shame because he seems like a good dude in general. I wish I liked this more than I do. It's super nostalgic even though I never really listened to it back in the day, it was unavoidable for a few years when it came out so I heard it a lot regardless. It's fine, I guess. A generous 3/5 from me.
Bee Gees
3/5
So this is definitely a super weird album. But I don't get the hate for it. I mean I would never have guessed this was the Bee Gees, maybe that's why? People see Bee Gees and you automatically think 'disco' but this is not that at all and (apparently) the Bee Gees did a lot of other stuff before they got famous for disco. Honestly I had no idea this album even existed. A sort of 60's folk rock concept album that occasionally delves into what seems like cheery film score. I wouldn't be surprised if they were intending this to be made into a film. But I don't know, man, this is not really for me. It's not bad for what it is I guess. 2.5/5 rounded to 3 just because of the surprise that this is the Bee Gees.
Dagmar Krause
2/5
Another one where I'm confused as to why this is included on this list. Maybe I don't know enough about her or Hanns Eisler to get why this is really relevant? She's got a great voice, that's for sure, so I really enjoyed that aspect of this record. I was kind of excited when I saw this was listed as a jazz album but it is decidedly not jazz. Showtunes for sure. I tried to find the German version but couldn't with a quick search though I'm sure it's out there somewhere. I mean if showtunes is your thing you'd probably love this, for me it's not something I ever need to hear again. 2/5.
The Who
3/5
I can never decide if I agree with what others have said about this list including live albums. I mean there are some absolutely amazing live albums out there that everyone should hear. So far I have not come across any of those on this list. This one included. I mean it's a good record - fun to listen to, well played, lots of energy. But especially the original version being 6 songs and 37 minutes, that's barely enough to get an idea of what a band would be like live. And this album has been released in so many different versions it kind of seems like a cash grab. I don't know, I'm kind of conflicted about it. A solid album but I wouldn't ever buy it. And as a live album, if you had never heard The Who before I can't imagine this would make you want to go and explore their catalogue more. 2.75/5 which is a shame.
Jeff Buckley
5/5
This is one of my favorite albums of all time, top 3 for sure. It's just so perfect in every way - instrumentation, production, lyrics. And, man, that guy could sing. What a voice. I mean I know that music is subjective to a point but if you don't like this album, sorry you're wrong and need to go back and listen again. Jeff Buckley was one of the few geniuses we've had in modern music. So much of the music that came after Jeff Buckley would not have happened without this album. It is a masterpiece and it is so sad that we didn't get more from him in his much too brief life. ∞/5
Laibach
3/5
This is a very interesting album. A couple songs in and it's not what I expected. It's super dramatic and almost operatic. Not what I would typically think of as metal or hard rock as it is labeled here. I don't really know what to make of it. It kind of trails off for me towards the end and fizzles out with the last few songs. The vocals are very strange too - like he doesn't have a bad voice but it's not one that I would really want to listen to. It's forceful but not exactly musical. All in all this is a weird album and I think I need more than one listen to really get it. 2.5/5.
Ramones
4/5
I think this is one of those albums that people love or hate. Yes, it's pretty repetitive, a lot of the songs are the same chords played at the same tempo, and the vocals may not be for everyone. I love it. It's raw, messy, energetic, and fun to listen to. And super influential - think of all the kids playing in their parents' garages that started a band after hearing this record. And their parents hated it. Is it one of the best albums ever made? Not, of course not. But it is a great album for sure and absolutely deserves to be on this list. 4/5
David Bowie
5/5
One of my favorite Bowie albums, although he can do no wrong in my book. His evolution from one album to the next is always amazing to me. This record in particular being between The Man Who Sold The World and Ziggy Stardust is completely different from either but still recognizable as something that only Bowie would do. I don't care how many of his albums are on this list, we always need more. This album would be a 5/5 for Changes and Life on Mars alone.
ABBA
2/5
I will admit I was less than excited when I saw this one pop up. 70s bubblegum pop is not really my kind of music. I think I had probably heard at least most of this record before. I mean amidst the sea of disco at the time this was released I can understand why people liked it so much. It doesn't hold up for me though. I mean imagine if When I Kissed the Teacher was released today....
I don't know, the whole 70s synthesized pop dance music is just something I can't really get on board with. Great vocals on this record though, so I enjoyed it for that. But ridiculous and sappy lyrics for the most part. I know a lot of people love Abba (#128 in the world on Spotify as I write this???!?!), I am not one of those people. 2/5
2/5
There seems to be an excessive number of Kinks albums on this list. Maybe it just seems that way to me because like every third album or more is 60s/70s pop? This record is another fine example of late 60s Brit pop that I could definitely have gone my life without hearing and not been worse off. I mean there are a couple good songs on here but nothing life changing. 2/5
Muddy Waters
5/5
Loved this album. One thing I like about Muddy Waters records, and this record in particular, is that they sound like they are recorded in a room with everyone just jamming together. And most of them probably were recorded that way. It makes you feel like you could be in a dingy club somewhere and just happened across this amazing band. I hope it was a conscious choice to produce this album with a sort of airy quality that makes it sound like a live performance in a decent sized room.
And you can't go wrong with Muddy Waters, really. So much of the music everyone loves would not have happened without Muddy Waters and his ilk. As far as traditional electric blues goes, there are only a handful of guys who did it better. 5/5
The Rolling Stones
3/5
I've always felt like the Stones are one of the most overrated bands of all time. I love a few of their songs but for me, a greatest hits record would be enough. That said, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts are both among the best at what they do.
For this record, there are some bangers on here - Brown Sugar (if you don't listen to the lyrics at least) and Can't You Hear Me Knocking are great. I've never liked Wild Horses. The rest of the album is sort of unremarkable to me. I think this is just one of the albums that you're supposed to like from a band that you're supposed to like. There's nothing wrong with this record, really, it's just sort of beige. 2.5/5 rounded up to 3.
Talk Talk
4/5
I don't think I'd ever heard this but the cover is vaguely familiar to me. And as far as mid 80s new wave albums go, this one is much less like a cheesy movie soundtrack. Maybe this is more like 80s art pop than new wave? I don't know but I dig it. Happiness Is Easy is a great song. April 5th is kind of a weird slow spot and I think might have worked better as the album closer rather than the side one closer. It didn't really make me want to turn the record over. The second side plays a lot like the first, a slow spot towards the end. All in all I really enjoyed this album and I'll definitely listen to it again. If I saw it in the record shop I'd probably pick it up. 3.5/5 round to 4 for the re-listenability.
Radiohead
3/5
Radiohead will always be the band that a generation of people who wanted others to think they were 'deep intellectuals' and 'get music' said was their favorite. If you tell me Radiohead is your favorite band, I don't need to know anything else - I know exactly what type of person you are. I don't dislike Radiohead but I'm sort of indifferent about them. They have some good songs but if I never heard them again I wouldn't really count it as a loss.
This album is fine. It's a good listen but it doesn't really stand out from any other album of the time to me. And I get the hate for Thom Yorke, he does seem like a super pretentious dude and that totally carries over into his band. I actually like his voice which is a sticking point with a lot of people. I can't really pick a favorite song, or even one to highlight, from this album. They all run together but in sort of a good way. The songs are structured well although they never really take off but I think that's kind of the point. 3/5
Ray Charles
3/5
It's Ray Charles, you know what you're getting. Fantastic voice. But as with the other album of his on this list, the record just doesn't blow me away. I mean I liked it but it just kind of washes over you. 3/5
Santana
5/5
I'm happy to see this record on here, I've always loved it. Santana is one of those guys who can play one note and you know it's him. He has such a unique style and sound and there's just an unmistakable tonal quality to his playing that nobody else can replicate. And I really think this album has some of his best playing. The whole fusion of Latin jazz, rock, even samba is something that everyone should hear and I think most would appreciate. I can understand that this kind of music might not be up everyone's alley, but you can't deny the musicianship on this record is top notch. Production is great too - such a big sound and very well recorded. I just wish it was longer. 4.5/5
White Denim
4/5
It's always fun to have an album that I have never heard of before. Never even heard of this band before. I must confess that when this popped up and I saw a band called White Denim and that they were from Texas I immediately thought I was in for a shitty country pop album. But what I got was a super fun bluesy/psychedelic/indie/pop rock record that even has some forays into acid jazz. Really cool guitar parts throughout. Great vocals. Good song structures. Terrible album cover. I'll have to listen another time or two but on the first listen this was a great album.
Overall I really liked this record and will definitely be listening to some of their other stuff. I'm giving this one a solid 3.75/5.
Fleetwood Mac
3/5
Ok so I have to start by saying I hate Stevie Nicks. Always have. And I don't know why, I'm usually a sucker for a female singer in a rock band. I liked Fleetwood Mac a lot more when they were a bluesy psychedelic band with Peter Green. Stevie Nicks sort of ruined them a little bit for me.
That said, I do like this album. I think this is one of those albums that every likes because you're told it's good all the time. It is a good album but not one that I would really ever pick to listen to. Maybe once every few years. One of the best albums of all time? Not for me. But it definitely should be on this list. I'm sort of conflicted as to what rating to give. It's better than 3 but it doesn't make it to 4 for me. Do I round up for the general acceptance of the album as being great or do I round down based on my personal liking of the record and the silly, childish cover?
Paul Simon
2/5
This album is super weak. Every time I hear Paul Simon's solo stuff I always think how much better he was with Garfunkel. He was a great songwriter for the most part but whatever Garfunkel contributed to the music really made it stand out for me. I'm kind of surprised that this is the second of his solo albums I've had so far on this list and I'm not even 20% of the way in. Surely we could have just had one or two S&G records and called this box checked.
I saw another review that called this album something like 'sanitized world music for white people' and I think that's really the best description. I won't be coming back to this one. 2/5
The Go-Go's
5/5
So this was a total shocker for me. I liked this album a lot more than I thought I would. I knew of The Go-Go's of course but never really gave them a shot, just kind of wrote them off as a bubblegum pop kind of thing probably just based on We Got The Beat which I've never really cared for. But damned if this album wasn't a lot more than I expected. It's almost like punk-lite, early new wave, 80s girl rock, sappy pop all blended together. The songs are not necessarily complicated but they are well structured and super catchy and well palyed. It's sad that they basically just fizzled out. I think the production on most of this album could have been a little better but maybe that's just a result of the time and them being an all female band. I can't imagine that they were working with super great producers and engineers. It's not bad but I wish it had a little better balance in some parts and the sound was a little fuller. It's mostly kind of tinny. But still, it's a great record and I'd absolutely pick this one up if I saw it in the record store. 4.5/5 rounded up because of how great the surprise was.
Amy Winehouse
5/5
I've always loved this album. She had an amazing voice and was such a great performer. Her life is a sad story and I feel like listening to this album you can hear all sides - her struggles, hopefulness, longing for help, striving for independence, maintaining dependence on others, wanting to improve, wanting to stay as is. I mean really that all shows up in just Rehab. It's a brilliant record and was made that much more meaningful after her death. I wish we had more performers like Amy Winehouse around today. 5/5
Germs
3/5
This album sounds like what you would expect from a stereotype of punk. Like if someone was making a movie and one scene needed some late 70s punk music for some kind of montage but the production didn't have money to buy rights to anything commercially released so they just decided to find someone on the crew to 'record something that sounds like punk music'. This album would be that recording. It's great if you like it. But I guess that can be said about anything. 2.5/5 rounding up to 3 because I had no idea that Pat Smear was in this band or even old enough to be in this band.
Stan Getz
4/5
Classic Stan Getz. And one thing I love about this album over Getz/Gilberto is the guitar playing - I think Charlie Byrd was a much better guitar player. This album kicks off with Desafinado which is fantastic and would fit right in on the Getz/Gilberto album but I really like the guitar part better here. The rest of the album is good but not great. I would listen to this every now and then but it's not something I could listen to all the time like Getz/Gilberto. Solid 3.75/5.
Michael Jackson
4/5
I try to keep these reviews focused only on the album and the artist and the music they made and not bring in any kind of personal issues they may have had. It's not always easy.
That said, as far as the music goes, this album has a lot to offer. It's soooo 80s. It's a really interesting record as a follow up to Thriller, lots in common but it definitely goes in a different, more 80s direction. I've always really liked the title track and The Way You Make Me Feel. That's a great way to open a record. I think the problem that this album has is that it's almost so over-produced and saturated with 'new technology' that his voice sort of gets swallowed by it all a bit. Not that you can't hear the vocals or anything, but just that he had such an amazing voice (one of the best ever, really) but it sounds a little artificial or like it's going through too many effects filters and takes away from how naturally strong it is. Not for the whole album but definitely in parts. Not as bad as Autotune, thankfully, but I felt myself thinking "that's too bad" a few times.
All in all I think this is a really strong record, definitely more modern sounding that what he did before it. I think I like Thriller better though. I'd rate this one at like a 3.9/5.
Marilyn Manson
2/5
The second album in a row I have to preface by saying I'm only commenting on the record and listening to it for what it is, separate from the artist that made it. On a personal level, fuck this guy.
I remember when Marilyn Manson sort of came into the spotlight. It was different than anything I'd heard back then and middle school me loved it but didn't really know what to make of it. I used to really like his music and got into it more as I got older but at this point have sort of given him up due to the recent revelations about him as a person. I do think that maybe what makes this album great is the contributions the band made and not necessarily Manson himself. This may be totally wrong but I get the feeling that Manson is a super hard guy to work with (as evidenced by the revolving door of band members) and that the rest of the band, whoever they may be at the time, are likely responsible for the bulk of what's recorded. Some of the lyrics on this album are very smart and offer an interesting point of view into a different way of thinking than is typically seen in mainstream media. Some of the lyrics are super cringey now, though maybe that's looking at them with nearly 30 years of hindsight. And a lot of it seems to be 100% for shock value, but I think that was the intention all along. I mean the album is called Antichrist Superstar.
Beautiful People is a fantastic song and by all accounts was written largely by Twiggy. Play that song for anyone of a fairly large age range and they're not only going to recognize it but tell you it's probably the best songs Manson did and maybe one of the best of the 90s. Dried Up Tied Up is great as well. As is Antichrist Superstar. But there were a few songs I had to skip. Probably just because I don't think Manson really deserves much of my time anymore. This is a tough one to rate. Some of it I really like, some of it is fine. If the whole album was as good as the handful of strongest tracks, it would be a fantastic album. As is, it's middle of the road and I was ready to move on before it was over. 2/5
Depeche Mode
3/5
Maybe a little too electronic for my taste, but a decent album nonetheless. It's almost like if you gave The Cure or Joy Division or maybe The Smiths a lot of 80s synths. Not really too much more to say aobut this one, admittedly I listened to it while I was sort of focused on something else and it sort of just flowed over me. I'll listen again but I'm confident in giving it a 3/5.
The Monks
2/5
I enjoyed this album but I don't really get why some people were raving about it. I can sort of see the super early punk starting to emerge but it was mostly just kind of a straightforward rock album from the 60s. Nothing that would make me even really think to look to see who it was if I heard it randomly somewhere. 2/5
Frank Zappa
4/5
Frank Zappa seems to be sort of controversial, with a lot of people lauding him as a genius and others simply calling his music noise. It's not mainstream by any means. I feel like most musicians would love this album, the average everyday music fan probably not as much. From interviews and things I've seen about Zappa, he seems like he would have been a really interesting guy to sit down and talk to.
For this album specifically - amazing guitar playing. And the tones he gets are unbelievable. Just fantastic throughout and really made me want to listen to this as loud as my ears would allow. Also Max Bennett on bass has to be mentioned - although the basslines are not super complex they are really interesting and played to perfection. Great bass tone too. Particularly on Willie the Pimp. That song has a groove that can't be beat.
Production on this album is great as well, nothing overshadows anything else, sound quality is good, levels are balanced. Zappa said this album was "a movie for your ears" and that's certainly an apt description. It sort of devolves into a little more avant garde in the second half that I think most people wouldn't really care for but I like it. The horns on the second half of the album are great, but again not to everyone's taste.
This is a hard one for me to rate because while I love it, I'm not sure I would give it 5/5. This is another case where we need ratings out of 10. This would be a solid 9/10 for me but I don't think I could rate it a 5/5. Maybe more like 85/100.
Metallica
3/5
The idea of rock/pop bands playing with an orchestra was certainly not new when Metallica did it but I feel like they sort of reignited interest for the concept. Especially for a band whose songs tend to have a lot of orchestration already, or at least the potential for it, like Metallica, it makes a lot of sense. A solid idea for sure and this is probably one of the better records to showcase it. Sometimes these albums can sound like just different mixes of the band rather than the complete addition of an orchestra, this one does a wonderful job of blending both elements. One thing that stands out about this album which is different than a lot of the other albums like this is that they actually wrote parts for the symphony rather than just having them double notes, chords and melodies that the band was already playing - it was a genuine addition of music in this case.
The problem with this album, other than Lars randomly beating drums to whatever song is playing in his head at the time, is that unless you're a big Metallica fan this is going to be too long. I get that it's a recording of the whole live show(s) but the casual listener will probably stop about halfway through or just listen to a handful of songs they know well already. The track list is basically a 'best of' album so I think most songs will be recognized by most people but the audience for this album was probably never meant to be widespread. All in all, it's a good record but loses points from me just because I'm not a huge Metallica fan and it was a bit of a chore to sit through the whole thing. 3/5
Grateful Dead
2/5
I have to confess that this is the first time I've ever listened to a whole Grateful Dead studio album. They aren't exactly known for their studio work. Now I can see why. This album is boring. I've always found their live recordings to just be so-so anyway but this is almost unbearable. It's like a shitty country album where most of the songs are played too slowly and there are never any changes. Terrible vocals. Sloppy instrumentation. Poor production. It must be a lot easier to like after you've dropped acid continually for years. The one saving grace is Truckin' which is decent, or is it just the only mediocre track on an album otherwise full of absolute trash? 2/5 for Truckin' and the use of real instruments, albeit poorly played.
Sonic Youth
3/5
I like this album. It didn't really blow me away but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Not a whole lot to say about this one, it's pretty standard 80s alt. Sounds pretty raw and edgy, well played, interesting compositions. I dig it. 3.5/5 but rounded down because there wasn't anything that really wowed me.
The Soft Boys
3/5
The funny thing about this album is that if you told me it came out in 1967 I wouldn't have any reason not to believe it. It sounds a lot like any of the Brit pop from the 60s with maybe a little bit of new wave starting to creep in here and there.
I only listened to the original 10 songs, the 30 bonus tracks on Spotify seemed a little excessive (was there ever really a demand for those?). I was ready to move on after those first ten. This is one of the albums that isn't bad but I found myself thinking "surely there was another album that could have been included instead of this one?" 2.5/5 rounded up for the hilariously weird and bad album cover.
Prince
5/5
I love when albums come up on this list and I can actually go over to the record collection and listen to the vinyl. This is one of my favorite albums and I've listened to it countless times.
There's so much to love about this album - as with all Prince, the musicianship is outstanding. Prince was one of the best guitar players of all time and the thing that really impresses me about how he orchestrates his music is that he rarely takes a self-indulgent guitar solo. Everything he does serves the song and not all the songs need the most amazing guitar solo ever written. Unless you knew how great he was, the average listener wouldn't hear this album and think "wow that guy can really play".
This album has what I consider to be one of the most perfect album sides in music. Side 2 of this album is utterly brilliant - the songs are amazing, they flow from one to the next perfectly, starts off with an absolute banger, stays strong, ending on another banger that is definitely in contention for the best song ever written.
I see a lot of people on here saying that this album is good but Sign O' The Times is better, and while that album is another brilliant piece of music, Purple Rain is the better album to my ears. 5/5
The Clash
4/5
I wouldn't call this the best punk album of all time as many do here, but it's a great example nonetheless. Maybe a little less brash and...more well played than a lot of the other punk albums of the time. Does that make it better? I'm not sure. One thing I love about early punk is that so much of it was just angry teenagers or 20somethings who picked up instruments as an outlet. It was raw, edgy, loud, and not particularly refined. This album doesn't necessarily fit that description. Though it seems weird to dock points for the band members being too good at their instruments for the music they're playing.
As for the songs - a lot of them will be instantly recognizable for most people. I feel like this is an album that the majority of people have already heard at least once. It's perhaps not quite challenging enough for my taste, especially for a punk record. But the songs are built well, played well, well recorded.
This is kind of a must have for record collectors. I like it but I don't think I would ever find myself listening to it very often. I don't want to call it weak, that's not the right word for it at all, but I just feel like it's lacking something that I hope for when I go into a punk record. I'd give this one a 3.5/5 but will round up for a fantastic cover photo. But again, the album is a little more tame than the cover would suggest...
Madonna
1/5
So dance pop is totally not my thing. I hate the overproduction of this album. I hate the terrible autotune that's on most (all?) songs. There is more to making music than synthesized beats, phased shitty drum sounds, and autotuned vocals. That's like the worst kind of album I can imagine.
I do like some of the stuff that Madonna did in the 80s and maybe early 90s but this is pretty unbearable.
I was close to giving this album an extra star because I rather enjoyed Gone but then American Pie followed. WTF? I have always hated the original version of that song and this has to be some kind of joke. Like how many people heard this before the album was released and none of them thought to say "You know, Madonna, this really is not something to which you should subject the world"? 1/5
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
4/5
Went into this one completely blind which is always a gamble. It's categorized here as Pop but that's definitely not it. I really enjoyed it. I could see playing this album in the summer while just hanging out in the afternoon or having people over for cocktails. Very interesting arrangements and, once you listen, it's actually a lot more intricate than it first seems. It makes sense that it was produced by Brian Eno. I'll probably keep this on regular rotation for a while and will totally buy it if I see it in the record store.
Also, is this the greatest album cover of all time? Perhaps... 4/5
MGMT
3/5
I remember when this album came out, these guys were lauded as musical geniuses the likes of which we had never seen before. While that's definitely not true, the album isn't bad. It's kind of middle of the road mid-2000s pop alt. Kids is a good song although I kind of got sick of it from hearing it so much. Time to Pretend is solid as well. I feel like more than being musical geniuses, MGMT were better at knowing what kind of sound would sell at the time. The lyrics are pretty bad for the most part, but the songs are catchy in a 2007 kind of way. The second half of this album falls away and is completely forgettable.
I feel like MGMT kind of came and went as the sound that they capitalized on faded away. Apparently they came out with a new album about 5 months ago (Feb 2024) and it only has a few million plays on Spotify. I've not heard any of it so can't really comment but I would imagine that true musical geniuses would get more than a couple million plays in 5 months. For this album, 3/5 is generous I suppose.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Dad rock supreme. Springsteen seems like he'd be a cool dude to have a beer with. He's definitely an iconic rocker from back in the day. I just don't really like his music that much. I can appreciate that his band is fabulous, I actually do like his voice, I just don't connect with any of his music really at all.
I'd heard this album a few times before, but not in years. It's a fun album but not one that I would ever really put on to listen to. Great sax, seems a little ahead of the 'cheesy 80s sax' that was in everything for a while. Good bass too. Favorite song was Jungleland - it sort of played a bit like a song from a Broadway show. I think my favorite thing about this album is actually the Telecaster on the cover, would love to have that bad boy. But the album is fine, just not really to my taste. 3/5
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
I was actually a little surprised to see this album pop up today. I had Exodus a few weeks ago and that seems like it would pretty much cover the necessary Bob Marley. This is a decent album but surely there's nothing on this record that Exodus doesn't do better. This is maybe a deeper dig and I feel like there could have been something else added to this list in its place.
The record is fine, nothing spectacular. If you like Bob Marley, you'll like it. If you're not a reggae fan, this won't change your mind. 3/5
Elton John
3/5
Would this album be on this list if it didn't have Tiny Dancer on it? I don't think so. That's a brilliant song, one of Elton John's best, but the rest of this album is run of the mill. And what's up with Indian Summer? No way he could record that song anymore. I liked Levon and Madman Across the Water, the rest of it is nothing I would really ever listen to again. I don't know what else (if anything?) from Elton John is on this list, I would imagine the self titled album or Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (or both) probably are. It would be a really weird choice to pick this to be the only Elton John record. I'll give this one a 2.5/5, mostly for Tiny Dancer.
Big Star
3/5
I have to admit that I was a little disappointed in this one. After reading a handful of reviews on this site, I was hopeful that this would be one of the hitherto undiscovered (for me) amazing albums that I'd really love. Alas, not the case. It's pretty generic 60s/70s pop rock. A couple good songs here and there but nothing to really grab my attention. It is well played, well recorded, well produced, and fun to listen to but I can't see myself going back to it again. 2.5/5
Throbbing Gristle
2/5
I can file this away in the "once was enough" drawer. Am I glad I listened to this record? Yes. Does it belong on this list? Not really, although I can see how it was sort of the start of the industrial genre. Very surprised that this was recorded and released in 1978. I actually kind of liked some of this album, there were some really interesting things going on and the lyrics, for what they were, were actually pretty good for the most part. Even still I don't think I can really give this more than a 2/5.
Carole King
2/5
I feel like this is an album that your boomer mother/grandmother listened to endlessly in college. It's super dated and kind of lame. I've always liked I Feel the Earth Move but I'm not sure I can really say as much for the rest of the album. I can appreciate that she has a great voice and the album was recorded really well - the sound is fantastic. I just don't really like the music. Objectively, this album may be better than I'd rate it but for me, I struggle to give it any higher than a 2/5. I just can't really get on board with it.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
4/5
I love this album. It might not be one of my favorite jazz records but it's hard to find anything to dislike about it. It's super mellow and great to have on in the background after a long day. One of those albums that probably everyone should have and listen to from time to time. I don't know if it's one I would really sit and intently listen to, more just throw on to have music in the background. Most people would probably be at least vaguely familiar with Take Five and I think that's probably the standout on this album. The rest might not be quite as good and there are other jazz albums I'd pick from this list over this one but you can't really go wrong throwing this on. 4/5
Scott Walker
2/5
I like Scott Walker's voice. I don't really like this music. It's just sort of...lame. There’s a song of his here and there that I like, but none from this album. The singer/songwriter genre is not one I've ever really liked much. And this is especially cheesy. Nothing else to say, I won't be listening to this again. 2/5
Bebel Gilberto
4/5
Loved this album. It's samba but also something more. Like if Portishead made a samba record and leaned really hard into the samba part. It's super interesting and I really enjoyed it. Now, was it good enough for the producer to run into a burning building and die of smoke inhalation to save the masters? No. But morbidly ironic then that it shows up on this list... 4/5
Ella Fitzgerald
3/5
Ok. So yes, Ella Fitzgerald was amazing. This album has an amazing cover. 3+ hours of anyone singing Gershwin songs is decidedly less amazing. And also - it's cheating to have this album on the list anyway. Might as well include any number of 'best ofs' if we allow this one. And is this the longest album on the list? I decided when I started this project that I would listen to all the albums all the way through and at least give every song a chance before skipping them as a last resort. I never thought that the album that would try my patience the most (so far...) would be Ella Fitzgerald. It's not that I don't like it, it's just too long. And this kind of vocal jazz is just not that interesting to me. I think that unless Ella Fitzgerald is like your top favorite of all time, most people will probably be bored of this after the first 10 songs max. So I don't really know how to rate this one and am going to just give up and call it 2.5/5.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
Leonard Cohen was a really brilliant songwriter and the writing on this album is still fantastic. Super personal but still very poignant and relatable lyrics. It's dark and sad but oddly comforting at the same time. Although I've never really been a fan of this kind of 'spoken word over background music' kind of stuff, I really did enjoy this. As a sort of farewell to the world, this album really stands out.
It's hard not to compare this record to David Bowie's Blackstar but maybe that's not fair. Or maybe it is - both being composed and recorded by brilliant men knowing they are about to die. Kind of morbid but interesting to see the different approach each album took. Blackstar is immensely better.
I think this one is a solid 3.5/5. I don't think I would listen to it again but I am very happy to have heard it once.
Dolly Parton
3/5
Country music wouldn’t exactly be my choice, but at least this is better than the garbage pop country we have to live with now. And Dolly Parton is a damn treasure of humanity for sure, I'm just not someone who would ever listen to her music. But I listened to this. That's really about all I can say about it. I guess I'll rate it a 2.5/5 because I can see why people like it and it was short and sweet.
Steely Dan
3/5
I don't think I'd call this Dad Rock because it isn't really rock. Maybe it kind of is but I think you can see in this record that Steely Dan didn't really like the rock category in general.
I've never really liked Steely Dan and I am fairly certain I'd never heard any of this album before. It's a little better than what I know as their radio 'hits', I do enjoy the kind of jazzy aspects of this record. But it's not really turning me into a fan. It's certainly well orchestrated and well played, I'll give them that much. And I love the album cover, super cool. I'm giving this on 2.5/5, won't listen again but I didn't really struggle with it like I expected to.
Femi Kuti
5/5
Really enjoyed this album! I love the whole Afrobeat genre in general and this was really great. I'll definitely throw this on and play it all the way through in the evening while enjoying a cocktail or making dinner. But I also really liked that you can pick it apart and listen to the actual musicians and what each one is doing. Sax is great, horns are great, fantastic bass, superb vocals. This is the kind of album that most people, especially in North America/Europe, which I would imagine is the majority of people going through this list, probably don't hear too much but absolutely should. Exactly what this list was made for. One of my favorite 'world' albums from this list so far. 5/5
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Is this the best album of the 60s? Maybe. Absolutely transformational as far as it's effect on pretty much all music that came after. Hendrix's best album to my ears. It's kind of stereotypical to say that Hendrix was the best guitar player ever, but it's not really a stereotype if it's true. I am astonished every time I hear him.
I would love to be able to hear this album for the first time again. Or be able to hear Hendrix for the first time again. I feel like that's one of those experiences that's wasted because you're too young to appreciate it.
Nothing else to say about this album that hasn't already been said. 5/5
Kendrick Lamar
1/5
Ugh, hip hop is just so bad. I honestly don't get how people listen to this and think that it is somehow meaningful or profound. The lyrics literally sound like something that a stupid, horny 7th grader would come up with by trying to write things that he thought the older kids would think were cool. I just can't get on with it. I mean if you like this, more power to you, but listen to the words and maybe reconsider. I get so tired of this entire genre being so degrading to women and self-aggrandizing. Please stop it. And as if the lyrics weren't bad enough, why the hell is this just absolutely laden with autotune? It really is like he stepped back and asked himself, "this already terrible, how can we make it even worse?" I'm just at a total loss as to how this kind of music is so popular. 1/5
Astor Piazzolla
3/5
This one sort of came out of nowhere, at least for me. I can't really say I'm up on all the tango greats. This was a fun album, you don't really hear a vibraphone much anymore. Maybe not a record I would play a lot or even again, really, but I enjoyed it today. It would have been a great show to see live, I think this kind of music is a lot better to experience seeing it played rather than just listening. But it was good nonetheless and I am happy to have heard it. 3/5
Beck
4/5
Man it's been a long time since I heard this album all the way through. I loved this one back in the day. I feel like music has gotten less and less experimental since this came out and we're worse off for it. A weird album but also a great one. This record still holds up pretty well for being almost 30 years old. And it makes me feel ancient to think that this album came out 30 years ago.
As for the songs - Devils Haircut and Where It's At are classics from this time. And I always loved New Pollution, that's probably my favorite from this album. It's just got such a great vibe. The whole album does really. This is a fantastic record to throw on at like hour 3 of a day-long drive. It does kind of fall off for me a little towards the ends but it's a great album and well worth listening to multiple times. 4/5
Neil Young
4/5
I feel like Neil Young is a 'love him or hate him' kind of musician. I love his voice, always have. Super unique. And while the whole acoustic singer/songwriter, vaguely county, vaguely folk genre isn't really my cup of tea, I do really like most of his music, particularly the more rock-oriented stuff. Oddly, I've always hated Crosby Stills Nash & Young.
Anyway, for this album specifically, there's a lot to like if you can get on with the vocals. And I know that not everyone can. But the songs are pretty brilliant. Neil Young has always been a great lyricist and this album has some of his best. Great guitar work too, particularly on Southern Man. Funny how Lynyrd Skynyrd totally missed the point of that song. Or maybe they didn't and were just like 'fuck off this is how we like it' which seems a little more likely. I'm totally in Camp Neil on that one.... But this album is super short which is kind of a bummer, would be nice to have just another two or three songs. 3.5/5 rounding up because 3 seems too low.
Deep Purple
4/5
Definitely a good album to listen to if you want to hear the very beginning of metal. Comparing this to the Black Sabbath self-titled album and Paranoid (which I think both came out the same year as this?), I think both the Sabbath records were better. Led Zeppelin III came out in 1970 as well, for what that's worth. One thing that really sticks out about this album to me though is the vocal style - in the 80s there were tons of bands doing the 'metal scream' thing and this is one of the first albums where that's really present like 10 years before it was a standard thing. I think there's also a case to be made for this album being one of the first in the stoner rock genres.
One thing I've never liked is the organ in this kind of music. It just always seems so out of place. I guess it was a product of the time and it didn't really last very long but there are so many albums from this time period that have it at the forefront of the mix. But guitars, bass, and drums are super solid on this record. I love the early 70s guitars that just sound like the amps are cranked all the way and the tubes were probably smoking. The sort of characteristic 70s sloppy/loose drum sound. It's all great.
I like this album more than Machine Head. I don't really like Smoke on the Water and this whole album is just a little more raw than what you get on Machine Head. And this kind of music just sounds better less polished. Child in Time is my favorite song on this one I think - I do love a 10min+ song with movements and amazing guitar. 4/5
Franz Ferdinand
3/5
This album was inescapable for a few years. I hadn't heard the whole thing in a long time. It's still a decent album. Jacqueline and Take Me Out are great of course. One thing I love about this album is that it doesn't all sound the same. I mean it's recognizable as the same band obviously, but especially for a first album it's not like they found one sound and stuck to it. There's a lot of different things going on. A lot of it is sort of like indie rock/disco which is a weird mashup that somehow works. I love the bass on this album. A good disco bass is always super fun and mixing it in with an indie rock album is a win in my book.
I'm not sure I would really call this a great album but it's fun. It has a good vibe, is fun to listen to. I'm a little torn on the rating - I'm not sure it's a 4/5 but I think I like it better than 3/5. So who knows. I guess I'll round down because when it was over, I wasn't really hoping for it to keep going. So 3/5 it is I suppose.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
So Just Like Honey is fantastic, really great song and mixed well. I also really liked Cut Dead and Some Candy Talking, they all seem to have been produced by the same guy. But then it's like they got a new producer or engineer or something. The vocals are just buried and drowned completely. I like this album but whoever did the mixing didn't do them any favors. The songs are good but not recorded very well and it's kind of a shame. I'd love to hear a remix of this record that boosts the vocals and evens the rest out a bit. I think that would be a great album.
It's interesting because you can totally see the influence this had on a lot of bands in the late 80s and early 90s.
Giving this one a 3.5/5 but rounding down for how uneven it is. A little more attention to mixing and it would be a solid 4.
Giving this one a 3.5/5 but rounding down for how uneven it is. A little more attention to mixing and it would be a solid 4.
Julian Cope
4/5
I'm always a little daunted starting an album that's 2 and half hours long by someone I've never heard of. Seems like I should have heard of him before now, though.
This is a good album. Some of the songs have a sort of not-quite-as-dark Nick Cave feel to them. Some are more folksy. Some are straightforward rock and borderline punk. Some get a little avant garde. Even a couple that edge into country. It's a very unique album and although I don't think anything really stands out as something I couldn't live without hearing again, it's all pretty decent and I'm glad to have heard it.
I'll echo what others have said - it's too long. I found myself being ready for something else about halfway through although I did really enjoy the second half, particularly the (mostly) instrumentals. And I feel like with a really great record, even given the length, I shouldn't want to listen to something different before it's over. This is another tough one to rate for me. I did really like it but don't think I'll ever listen again. Maybe a few songs here and there. But it is a great work and I'll definitely look up more of his music because of this album so I think it's 3.5/5 and I’ll round up.
Ash
3/5
I vaguely remember listening to some of this a long time ago back in middle school. It's pretty standard mid 90s alt, but I dig it. I don't think it's world-changing at all but it's a solid album. A little generic sounding perhaps, but that may just be listening to it 30 year later. I liked a lot of the songs but there was nothing that was really memorable or that made me want to listen to other albums of theirs. Nothing else to say about this one. 3/5
David Bowie
5/5
I was actually a little surprised to see this album pop up this morning. I know there are (rightly) quite a few Bowie records on this list but this one seems like an odd choice. Don't get me wrong - I love it but I didn't think it was really much of a commercial or critical success compared to other albums he's released. Maybe just listening to this album and Blackstar back to back gives kind of a telling look into his mindset as he reflected on aging and then knew he was close to death.
I remember when this album was announced - his first in like ten years or something and nobody even knew he was working on it. And Where Are We Now as the lead single seemed odd to me. It's a great song but sort of a downer. But I remember going out to buy this album on the day it was released and playing it over and over for the next few weeks. As with all Bowie records, the musicianship on this is impeccable. And I absolutely love the way his voice aged. Compare this to Ziggy Stardust and then Let's Dance and then Earthling and then Reality and then Blackstar. His vocal changes over the years, whether he was putting them on or just getting older, were fabulous. And this album particularly seems like you can just hear him embracing the reality of getting older and having the deeper voice of an older man.
While I don't think this album is as great as some of his other records, it's still recognizably Bowie and he can really do no wrong in my book. And while I don't think I would give this one a flat out 5/5, it's definitely 4.5/5. And you have to round this one up. Because Bowie.
Nina Simone
4/5
Who doesn't like Nina Simone? What a voice. You sort of have to be in the right mood for this, but it really hits when you are. Lilac Wine is an absolute gem of a song. Beautiful and sad and well written and everything you could want. A great relaxing album to throw on in the background. Not completely mind blowing but it's definitely an album to play every so often. 3.5/5.
Moby Grape
2/5
This isn't really for me. It sounds a lot like Creedence and I was never a fan. Good guitar work, and decent bass lines. But for the most part the music is just boring to me. I'd never heard of Moby Grape before and I don't think I'll really seek them out at all. 2/5
Sheryl Crow
3/5
I like that the early to mid-90s really brought out a whole slew of strong female musicians. It seems like up until then the entire music industry was basically a boys club. It has gotten better since then but up until the 90s there were really only a handful of successful female bands/musicians.
I have to give Sheryl Crow credit for being on the forefront of that movement. Although I don't really care for her music much, I can respect her for what she has contributed to music over the years. Her songs are catchy as hell. And this album at least is recorded well and very balanced. It is kind of dated and generic maybe but it's better than a lot of other albums from this time. 3/5
The Last Shadow Puppets
3/5
What if a band from 1967 travelled in time and tried to make it in the early 2000s music scene? That's pretty much what this album is. Or maybe it's just like Artic Monkeys trying to sound like it's 1967. Either way, I kind of like it. It's not anything super unique or revolutionary but it was fun to listen to once. Huge sound throughout which I appreciate and there is a lot going on. Some of it sounds a little like a movie soundtrack. I saw one review that said something about it sounding like a James Bond movie and that's about right. But like old Sean Connery James Bond. I don't think I'd listen again but there were a few songs I liked. But now that it's over I can't really recall how they sounded. 3/5
Soundgarden
4/5
I went into this album with a bunch of ideas about it already in my head. I used to like it a lot years ago but I expected it to not hold up as well listening to it now. It's still pretty great. I mean name another band who writes a song in 15/8 time (Limo Wreck). I love a song with an odd time signature and weird tuning and there's a lot of that on this record. Apparently by mistake, from what I understand they just wrote songs they thought sounded cool and didn't worry about the time signatures. Just goes to show what an amazing drummer Matt Cameron is for being able to deal with that. I feel like music could use more of that kind of experimentation now.
While it's recorded and produced well, I do feel like some of the actual instrument sounds are a little generic sounding now. Back in 1994 they definitely were cutting edge but if you told a guitar player now to dial in a generic grunge tone, this is the sound you would get. That's not necessarily bad I guess but looking back it doesn't really stand out among the rest of the genre. Vocals are a different story - Chris Cornell was one of the best and most unique vocalist ever. I love that he was one of the 90s guys that didn't just try to sound like Eddie Vedder.
So I liked this one more than I thought I was going to. I'd listen to it again for sure. Not all the time but if I saw it in the record store I'd buy it and play it every now and again. 4/5 not least for the song in 15/8. Because damn, man.
Alanis Morissette
5/5
Man, I remember when this album came out. Alanis was everywhere. Knowing this album was like the way for people to know that you were cool back in my 6th grade days. It's still a great album, but as others have said it does sound a little dated 30 years later. But so do a lot of other albums on this list.
I remember the first time 12 year old me heard You Oughta Know, "man this lady is pissed off and she's a fucking badass!" I still love that song. Really, most songs on this album are great. I enjoyed listening to again, it had probably been like 25 years at least since I heard the whole thing all the way through.
This record is probably one of the best mainstream albums of the 90s and I don't think many would argue. Perhaps not a solid 5/5 in my book but damn close enough.
Dr. Octagon
1/5
Ok. So far I haven't found any hip hop album that I liked. They're all so bad. I had hopes for this one when I saw the cover, it's a cool image. Pressed play and all my hopes were immediately shot. This is so much garbage. Why the hell is this on the list of albums I need to hear? I mean even though hip hop is not my taste, I understand why all the hip hop records I've come across so far are on the list, but this? It's just 100% terrible and has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. The lyrics literally sound like a 7-year-old wrote them. Or maybe the kid we all knew in high school that either thought it was funny to have a 7-year-old sense or humor or just never grew out of it for some reason. Either way this record is trash and should be forgotten so future historians don't accidentally come across it thousands of years from now an judge us by it. “No wonder they died out” they’ll all say. 0/5
Madness
2/5
I hate when albums aren't on Spotify. But at least this one had an official playlist from the band's YouTube page instead of being uploaded by some random dude who recorded it off a cassette. Those are always fun...
As for the record - I'd only ever heard Our House before. And I don't really feel like I'm missing a whole lot. It was fine, nothing really stuck out and it wasn't bad. Just forgettable. It's...fine. But like others have said, what the hell is going on with the cover?!?! Yeah pretty sure blackface is not something you should showcase like that. 2/5.
Cowboy Junkies
2/5
This album is really quiet. Like most of the time it's super soft sounding and then you'll get a guitar part that comes in at normal volume. It was really strange to listen to. Fantastic voice on the vocalist, really nice but way too quiet in the mix. But the music just sort of washed over me and I didn't really feel any kind of connection to it at all. Also the whole record is really slow tempo. Like I felt like it was dragging most of the time.
I'm not a country fan and this album didn't really do much to change that. I wouldn't call it straight country though, maybe country-folk or country-adult contemporary. Vocals were absolutely the best thing about this album. 2/5
Solomon Burke
3/5
I don't think I'd ever heard any of this before. Just have heard various covers of it before. It's hard to tell though because it sounds a lot like any of the 50s/60s soul/R&B. I guess maybe it was a little behind the time? It's good for what it is, just not exactly to my taste. He's got a great voice, though, that's for sure. I can definitely see how this was a major influence on a lot of music to come, so I am happy to have heard it and would agree that it belongs on this list. It's just not one that I would really play again. 2.5/5 rounding up because it seems like the right thing to do.
Otis Redding
3/5
I'm not really sure how much to say about this one. It's Otis Redding so it's great. But as great as it is, I just don't connect with this music much. Or maybe it's not that I don't connect with it, it might be that it just sounds so dated to me. Not just this album but the whole soul and early R&B genres in general. I think this kind of music, though great for the time, just doesn't play as well anymore.
I don't know. It's a great album but would I ever seek it out again? Probably not. 3/5
Raekwon
1/5
Nope. Sorry. This is just more stereotypical, self-aggrandizing, misogynistic hip hop that all sounds the same. The lyrics are stupid, the music is bad and monotonous, mixing is uneven. There are no redeeming qualities in this at all. I don't connect with this kind of music whatsoever. A waste of an hour and 13 minutes. 0/5
Le Tigre
3/5
This is a pretty basic album. Instrumentation is simple, production is simple, mixing is rudimentary. But I think that's the point of this one. It sounds like an album that was recorded in someone's garage. The use of a drum machine instead of an actual drummer kind of irks me a little. Typically I'm a sucker for female rock bands but while I like this, I don't think I would really play it again. I find myself thinking that this was sort of a missed opportunity and that the songs would be so much better with a little step up in production. I love the message, I love the sentiment, but the music is just lacking a little for me. I would be very interested to hear some other things they did after this album; I feel like they were a band that could have grown into something great. I wanted to like this record more than I did and I think I'd rate it like a 2.75/5.
Run-D.M.C.
2/5
I seem to get hip hop albums in waves. This one isn't as bad as some of the others. Coming from the super early days of the genre, it's not so much glorification of drugs, misogyny, guns, sexual assault, violence, hating women, using women, that the genre has turned into. It is pretty monotonous still but in sort of a different way than hip hop is now. The lyrics are still dumb but not as bad as more recent hip hop I guess. It's actually kind of funny to see how tame this genre was in its infancy compared to what it's grown into. All in all, I'd give this album like a 1.5, I'll round up because it's mercifully short at about 40 minutes.
Neil Young
4/5
I've really gotten to like Neil Young over the last few years. I've always liked his voice but never gave him too much of a chance outside a few songs. I'm not sure why. I guess maybe because I hate the sort of Crosby Stills and Nash kind of genre and he's certainly done a lot of that. I really liked this album though. It's super chill, the instrumentation is fantastic, vocals are great (if you like Neil Young's voice anyway...), and it's great lyrically. Absolutely stupid and contrived cover. Maybe more than any of his other records this is one that I would throw on, make a cocktail, and just kind of hang out with it. Overall, I'd rate this one at about 3.75/5 maybe approaching 4. Nothing really stood out but it's all solid.
The Smiths
3/5
This album is decent. It's not as good as The Queen Is Dead. But it's pretty middle of the road Smiths. A fantastic album lyrically, like all Smiths records. I do really like how big this album sounds - there are a lot of things going on but it never sounds busy or out of control. It's also a very clear sounding album, like you can focus in easily on each individual instrument and follow along with just that the whole time. It's maybe not as cohesive as The Queen Is Dead, each song seems more of a standalone effort towards a whole if that makes sense. I don't know that I would really seek this album out to listen to again. I probably wouldn't even pick it up at the record shop if I saw it there. It's good, but it's not one I feel I need to own and play frequently. 3/5
Giant Sand
3/5
I'm not sure why this album is rated so low. It's not bad at all, I enjoyed it. It's sort of reminiscent of Tom Waits. Maybe like dollar store Tom Waits. A lot of the reviews talk about how bad his voice is but I don't get that. I mean it's not fantastic but it's not off-putting at all. I feel like this record has got some interesting things going on, and I really like how most of it is arranged. The lyrics are sort of pseudo-pretentious, like if you weren't really listening you might think he was saying something profound. He's not. I feel like he based the whole record on a thought of "if I play a quiet, slow, and simple guitar part and sort of talk-sing in a deep voice it will sound better than it actually is." There's definitely something about this album that feels like it could be any singer/songwriter that's playing at a local brewery on a Tuesday night. Does that mean it's bad? No. But I can see why no one has ever heard of this before. Did I get a little bored with it by the end? Yes. 2.5/5 but I'll round up to 3.
Beatles
5/5
Wondered how long it would take to get this one. There isn't anything new to say about this record. Is this the best Beatles album? Yeah I think so. It's got its share of 'why'd they even record this?' songs as all their albums do. Like what the hell did we really need Maxwell's Silver Hammer for? Though it does sound like classic Beatles now that I think of it. But this album has a handful of the best songs they did, which for the Beatles is saying a lot.
I don't agree that this is the best album ever recorded but it would probably be a top 10 for me. Maybe top 20. I also think it's funny that everyone rags on George Harrison for his songwriting but he wrote, according to plays on Spotify, the Beatles most popular song, Here Comes The Sun. By a huge margin. I was sort of surprised to see that. 5/5
Echo And The Bunnymen
4/5
I really liked this album. I do agree that this list is a little heavy on 80s British post punk/new wave but I enjoy most of it so it works out. For a first album I think this is a really strong record, especially in a genre that was so new at the time. I feel like they may have been trying a little too hard with the cover but I guess it fits with the whole theme of the album - dark and moody with a kind of hopelessness about the state of the world. Or maybe that's thinking about it too much. Anyway, I liked this album a lot and will definitely be coming back to it at some point. 4/5
Public Enemy
2/5
Ok. So this sounds like a parody of 80s rap. I mean I guess that shows that it's super representative of the genre at the time, but it is really dated. That's not a bad thing though - I still contend that hip hop is pretty much all terrible and has just gotten progressively worse since the inception of the genre. So while this is not great music (to my ears) it's not as bad as almost any hip hop record that came after. Absolutely the best thing about this is Flavor Flav in the background making nonsensical and random rhymes or else throwing in the 'yeeeah boyyyee' at every opportunity, it's sort of endearing. Plus one star just for that. But don't get me wrong, this music is still bad. I appreciate the politics behind this, the social commentary, the perspective that they bring, but I just can't get on with hip hop at all. 2/5
The Who
3/5
These early rock albums are always interesting to me. I have trouble imagining what it would have been like to hear this kind of music for the first time. I don't think this record is really anything spectacular but I think it was a good idea to include it on this list because it really does kind of show where rock music was going at the time. Just a few years after this you had the first Zeppelin album and this is certainly tame compared to that. But this is a good example of when these bands were trying to make harder and more aggressive sounding music.
As for this record in isolation, it's just ok. The title track is obviously the standout. The rest really does just sound like standard British Invasion pop that is slightly leaning into the heavier realm. The Ox is great, though pretty much a Wipeout rip-off. I feel like I should like The Who more than I do but I just never really have. I think they are one of the bands where all of them are amazing at their respective instruments, but they just never really made a lot of music that wowed me. 2.5/5 but rounding up to 3 just for the title track.
The Beau Brummels
2/5
This album is super lame. But maybe I just wasn't in the mood for it today. The whole San Francisco folk/country/rock genre is not one that I've ever liked and this as an early example didn't exactly sway me the other way. If you were born in like 1950 you probably love this and would think 'yeah this is real music' while mixing your Metamucil in the morning. But it's weak, it's sappy, it's super dated. Not for me. Plus one star for a pretty cool album cover I guess. 2/5
Thin Lizzy
3/5
I'm a little shocked this album is on this list. Live albums with lots of overdubs are cheating in my book. And the whole thing isn't available on Spotify, so that's strike 2.
The musicianship on this album is incredible, overdubs or not. Really great playing all around but particularly drums. Brian Downey was incredible and underrated as a drummer. But here's the thing - as great as the playing is, I still just don't really like Thin Lizzy. I don't know what it is. I hate The Boys Are Back In Town, always have, but other than that I don't have any strong feelings about any of their music one way or the other. I'm not wowed by it, but I'm not put off by it. If Thin Lizzy ever comes up randomly, I'll probably turn it off to find something better. It's beige. For this album, 3/5 I guess?
Lupe Fiasco
2/5
Nope, another hip hop album that does absolutely nothing for me. This one maybe has a little more production value than most others I've heard on this list so far but it's still just bad music. Repetitive to the point of droning. Another album that sounds like a 12-year-old kid trying to sound cool for an older crowd. This record seemed to go on forever and after looking to see how much was left all I could think was "oh god I'm only halfway through". I thought it was funny that someone else complained about the last track being 12 minutes long, but I mean this is really just like one track that's an hour and 15 minutes. It's maybe not as bad as most of the other hip hop albums I've heard so far, but still only going to be like a 1.5/5. I suppose I'll round up because, although present, this album wasn't stereotypically laden with misogyny like most hip hop records.
Beastie Boys
4/5
It's hard to rate this album. I don't like hip hop at all but I'm not sure that's how I would categorize this one. Sure there are hip hop elements to it but compared to Paul's Boutique they have diverged from that quite a bit. The vocals for most of this record are the only thing that are really hip hop about it. Well the sampling too I guess. I think maybe it's also because you know that the Beastie Boys are sort of doing the hip hop stereotypes half in jest.
But then Sabotage comes on. I could listen to that song all day. As simple as it is, one of the best bass lines ever recorded and super fun to play. I feel like if Sabotage had been written by someone else it would be hailed as one of the best rock songs of all time. It is a little bit out of place on this album for sure.
After Sabotage Sabrosa is great, super funky and I love the double bass. Name another hip hop record to feature a real double bass. Sure Shot is decent as well.
I think what I appreciate about this album most is how it changes genres but still all fits together. The handful of (mostly) instrumental tracks are great, really liked all of them. I hate to say that you can see actual musicianship that is absent in other hip hop records but that's kind of true. The more straightforward hip hop tracks are my least favorite from the album but I still enjoy those more that almost all the hip hop I've heard up to this point.
But how to rate it? I don't know. I mean Sabotage is probably one of my top 20 (top 50 maybe?) favorite songs of all time and there are a few other songs on this record that I really like. Although I think I like the songs that most people would call the throwaway/filler songs. I think I'd give this like a 3.5 and will round up pretty much just because of Sabotage and the use of a double bass.
Jorge Ben Jor
3/5
There isn't a whole lot of world music on this list but what there is has been pretty great. This one is no exception. I had never heard of this artist or album before but I really enjoyed it. No clue what he's saying but that doesn't really matter. The music is great. It's got a kind of funky samba feel to it. It is pretty dated, like I can hear the 70s all over this thing. It also seems like something that would be used in the soundtrack for an old movie where they went to Brazil and needed 'something that sounds like going to a nightclub in Brazil in the 70s'. Maybe a little stereotypical but the music is good at least. 3.25/5
The Cure
3/5
I love The Cure. They were always one of those bands that I never really listened to intentionally but any time I heard them at random I really loved their music. I'm glad to have heard this album today, I think I had heard it before but it's been ages. It's kind of a vibe album - put it on when you're in a certain mood and it's exactly what you need. It's very dark and depressing. I don't know if there are really any standout tracks on it for me. And I do think it is a little monotonous but as short as it is it doesn't get boring. I think there are better albums from The Cure, giving this one a 3.5/5 but rounding down because there isn't a reason to round up.
Tears For Fears
4/5
Shout has to be one of the most iconic songs of the 80s. Instantly recognizable for anyone who has heard music before. And then Everybody Wants To Rule The World comes along and it's probably only slightly less iconic. It falls off a little after that but is a great album nonetheless. Perfectly encapsulates the pop music of 1985. I find it hard to rate this one too, 4 seems a little high but 3 isn't enough. We'll call it 3.75/5 and round up.
Joni Mitchell
2/5
Ok so I know Joni Mitchell is like one of the classic musicians of all time but I just think this is kind of boring. I mean it's not bad, I just would never listen to this on my own. I can't really point out anything that stands out to me, good or bad. It's boring at best but a little irritating at worst. Also, is that a penis coming out of the road on the cover? What the hell is up with that? This is my first album from her on this list, I would imagine that Blue is probably on here too, but it would be weird if this was the one album of hers that they picked for this... 2/5.
David Bowie
5/5
I've always really loved this album. It's very different from most of the rest of his work but I think it really paints a great picture of his headspace living in France and Berlin with Iggy Pop. What a weird time that must have been. Sound and Vision is probably the best track but I also really like Breaking Glass, that song doesn't ever get the praise it deserves. I particularly like the live version from the Reality Tour album. What in the World is great too. All the songs are great, really. And I love the second side being mostly instrumental. It's beautiful and soulful and experimental and wonderful.
Brilliant album, though I wouldn't consider it one of Bowie's top 5. But I love it and will listen to this over and over again for life. 5/5
Kendrick Lamar
1/5
Ugh what's worse than stereotypical, misogynistic, repetitive hip hop? Stereotypical, misogynistic, repetitive hip hop that's absolutely laden with Auto-Tune. And poorly done Auto-Tune at that. I honestly don't get the appeal of this at all. Call it genius all you want, I politely disagree. This is bad music. 1/5
Willie Nelson
4/5
I've never been a big country fan, especially not modern pop country. It's awful. I do appreciate some of the older stuff and Willie Nelson is in that camp for sure. He has such a great and distinctive voice and guitar sound. So I was actually a little excited that this one came up today.
I had heard a couple of the individual songs from this record so I kind of knew what to expect with the full album and I didn't really anticipate getting into it that much. But most of this album I really liked a lot more than I expected. Stardust, Georgia On My Mind, Blue Skies, Midnight In Vermont are all fantastic. Unchained Melody is one of the worst covers I've ever heard. It's sooo bad. It just doesn't work at all the way it was arranged and played. Outside of that though, this is a great record that I would definitely buy and throw on in the evening to relax with a cocktail or neat whisky. 3.75/5
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
2/5
I hate this album. It's super lame. I mean the whole sound of it is just so cheesy and dated. The musicianship is solid but this genre just does nothing for me. The vocals are mostly lauded but I find them to be so stereotypical for this genre and time period. Not every song needs everyone in the band to sing all at the same time. The saving grace was Neil Young's contributions and the songs where his vocals are (mostly) solo are the best. But even then, the chorus rolls around and we have a sing-along again. CS&N were so much worse without him, so this album has that going for it I guess. There are some excellent guitar parts (mostly thanks to Neil Young) but that's not really enough to keep it from just being uninteresting. I feel like all the boomers that love this album love it purely for nostalgic reasons, and that's valid (for them) I guess - I'm sure there are plenty of records I like just for the nostalgia. But listening to this record 54 years later, it doesn't have anything that would make me ever want to put it on again. 2.25/5 rounding down.
Fleet Foxes
3/5
Fleet Foxes are one of the bands that I just never got around to listening to for some reason. I have a lot of friends who love them, so I was excited to see this pop up this morning. I didn’t really know what to expect from this one...
I remember reading a tweet or something celebrating the mercifully short-lived reign and welcome death of 'stomp-clap-hey' bands from the early 2000s and couldn't agree more. Fleet Foxes are definitely a stop-clap-hey band. This record is anyway. And while it isn't really to my taste, I do like this maybe a little better than some of the other bands that sounded just like this for a few years. Nothing about this really stood out for me except that it was recorded and produced very well. It sounds great. But I mean if that's the best compliment you can give, that's not exactly high praise for an album. I appreciate the musicianship, I just don't really like the music. I'm not sure I would really seek this particular album out to listen to it again, although I might listen to some of their other things. Maybe listen to some of their more recent records to see how (if?) they grew as a band and what kind of sound they have now. I'd be a little disappointed if it was more of the same but I suspect, as is the case with most of these 2000s indie folk bands, it probably is. 2.5/5 and I guess I’ll round up because rounding down doesn’t really seem fair.
Everything But The Girl
3/5
I had never heard this album before though I think I may have heard Everything But The Girl a couple times randomly in the past. This album was not really as strong as others from the sort of mid-90s trip hop/drum and bass genre. It was fine but it was just sort of background music. I didn't hate it, listened to it while working and it was totally fine for that. Nothing in the music really distracted me from whatever else I was doing, it was just kind of playing in the background and was certainly serviceable for that purpose. I wasn't excited to get play this one again but neither was I really itching for it to be over. 2.5/5
Rocket From The Crypt
3/5
This is a pretty good straightforward rocker. Sort of hard to date by listening - at times it sounds like 90s, sometimes like 70s, sometimes 80s. It's pretty standard as far as the music goes. I don't really dig the vocals so much but they aren't terrible. Tempo is pretty much the same all the way through which isn't really my favorite thing. Lyrics are pretty bad.
Overall not a horrible album but probably a one and done for me. 2.5/5 rounding up because I actually do like some of the songs and it was well-played.
Terence Trent D'Arby
2/5
For as much as this guy said he made the best album ever recorded, I have to say that I am a little disappointed. That might not be the right word, underwhelmed might be better. First, this album just screams 80s pop and to me that alone disqualifies it from being called the best album ever. I get the comparisons to Prince but there really is no comparison there, this guy will never be Prince.
I listened to this whole album and don't think I added any of the songs to my liked songs on Spotify. I didn't dislike any of it really, just nothing stood out. I would be interested to hear more from him, but I suspect he kind of got stuck making the same record over and over. It's fine, middle of the road for the genre. 2.25/5
Aretha Franklin
4/5
I mean it's Aretha Franklin, it's gonna be great. Although it's not exactly my favorite genre of music, I always appreciate someone with this kind of ability. Great voice, great musicians, great sound. I feel like this is one of the records that, regardless of your musical taste, everyone will appreciate. 4/5
Fela Kuti
5/5
Loved this album. Great African jazz and I wish this list had more of this kind of thing. I know it's not for everyone, but the musicianship, energy, and passion in this album is undeniable. 5/5
The Charlatans
3/5
There were a couple songs I really liked on this record but mostly it is just overbearingly generic 90s British alt-pop. If you had told me this was an early album from Oasis or Blur before they really found their individual sound, I wouldn't have any reason to doubt it. I feel like they were trying so hard to appeal to everyone that they made an incredibly bland album.
Bland though it is, it isn't bad. It's well played and recorded and I would think that it might show some promise of growth afterwards if they just stopped trying to appeal to everybody. I would be more hopeful had this been their first or second record instead of their fifth though. 2.5/5 rounding up because I didn’t dislike any of it.
Marvin Gaye
3/5
I like this album, although I don't think I'd really make a point to listen to it much. A good album to throw on in the background for a chill cocktail party. I feel like this album might be a bit overrated, it's not spectacular but it's certainly enjoyable. I don't really find myself focusing on it much though, just sort of letting it pass in the background. Inner City Blues is probably my favorite from this record, I've always really loved that song (that bass!). All in all a solid album but maybe not one I like as much as everyone says I should. 3/5
Brian Eno
3/5
I love Brian Eno's work in general but have a great appreciation for his production work. Especially the stuff he did with David Bowie. But this album seems a little mechanical or something to me. Like it doesn't have the normal humanness to it if that makes sense. It's sort of sterile. While I still like it, I don't think this is what I would have chosen to represent Brian Eno on a list like this. 3/5
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
The thing about Bruce Springsteen to me is that his music just isn't what I want to listen to. I get the appeal it has for a lot of people but there's just something about the sound of all his records I don't like. Maybe there's too much in there with horns and keys and backup vocals. And on this album in particular there is so much reverb that much of it sounds cave-like. Springsteen seems like he would be a super awesome dude to hang out with and I appreciate his politics and the good that he does in the world. His music is just not for me. I mean there are some songs that I like on this album but if I never heard them again I don't feel like I would be any worse off. 3/5
The Killers
3/5
This album was inescapable back when it came out. I probably haven't listened to the whole thing since then. Mr. Brightside is still pretty much played all the time. It's a good song and as many times as I've heard it I don't cringe when it comes on so that's a good thing I guess. Outside of that song, I like Somebody Told Me and Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine. The rest is pretty forgettable, it really fades away toward the end. Not bad, but nothing that would make me want to buy this album to listen to over and over.
I get the hate for Brandon Flowers' voice. I heard someone say one time that he sounds like young Jerry Seinfeld trying to be a singer and that sort of ruined the whole band for me because that's pretty much all I hear now. 3/5
Roxy Music
4/5
Super weird and experimental, for the time at least. I love the early stages of glam you can hear in this. This one is definitely not for everyone but I loved it. I'm not sure any specific song individually would be one that I would play just to hear it, but the album as a whole is great and I will definitely keep an eye out for it in the record store. 4/5
Red Hot Chili Peppers
2/5
Ok so my thoughts on the Red Hot Chili Peppers have always been 1.) Flea is an absolute monster of a bass player. Like one of the best ever. 2.) Individually, Flea, Chad Smith, and whatever guitar player they have at the time are amazing players but for some reason when you put them together it's always a little lackluster. and 3.) While I respect the uniqueness of the vocals, Anthony Kiedis just isn't for me. Instrumentally, all of their albums are fairly decent and have some good grooves on them. Throw in the vocals and usually banal lyrics and you've lost me.
This album pretty much ticks all of those boxes. And good god the sound on this album is terrible. Especially on the vocals, there's a weird quality about the vocals that just doesn't fit at all with the rest of the music. Like the highs on the vocals are turned all the way up and the bass on the instruments was boosted and it’s all just out of balance. The vocals and instruments are fighting each other the whole record.
I can see the commercial appeal of this album though - it's pretty safe for most listeners. Like you aren't going to get a ton of people who just absolutely hate it. There are a couple of songs that are decent but it really does seem like an album they made by reworking discarded songs to sound more coherent when stuck together as an album. A little too safe and uninteresting for me. 2/5
Joy Division
5/5
Embarrassing confession: I had never listened to this album before. So far, probably the most famous album from this list I had never heard. God damn was I missing out. This album is such a perfect bridge of punk, post punk, new wave, and moody 80s alt. That’s like exactly one of my musical personalities. It’s just brilliant and was way ahead of its time. And not only was the record simply fantastic, it was exactly the right record for the headspace I was in when I played it. You can’t really ask for more than that. One of my favorite new-to-me (ashamedly) records on this list so far. 5/5
The Rolling Stones
3/5
I mean Sympathy For The Devil is a great song. The rest is pretty much just standard/generic-sounding Rolling Stones. It's not bad, played well, fun to listen to, but I can't imagine that anyone would really care about this album if it wasn't the Stones. I would guess that this album is on this list just because of the opening song but I feel like surely there was another record that could have been included in place of this one. 2.5/5, will round up for the guitar solo on Sympathy For The Devil which has to be the coolest guitar solo with the worst sounding guitar tone of all time.
Bob Dylan
2/5
I've never really decided if I like Bob Dylan or not. Sometimes his music seems great and others it just grates on your brain. Like, dude enough with the poorly played harmonica already. And he's always hailed as like this poetic/lyrical genius but honestly I don't see that. I mean his lyrics are good but I don't really see that he's so much better than any number of other people in his same genre.
As for this album, it does belong on this list though it isn't really one I would play again. But that could be said about anything by Bob Dylan really. I'm just not really a fan at all I guess. 2/5 for me on this.
And as an aside, I'm confused by the choice of the cover photo. I would imagine that conversation went something like this:
Bob Dylan: here's my new album (plays harmonica for a few seconds) all recorded and ready for approval (more harmonica)
Record Exec: the songs are fine but you can't use this photo for the cover, it's all blurry and out of focus.
BD: yeah well so is my voice, it'll be fine (harmonica) unless you want to pay for another photo shoot (harmonica)
RE: yeah it's probably fine.
The Mamas & The Papas
2/5
I kind of get sick of the sort of folk bubblegum pop from the 60s. It's just super lame. I mean I guess I see the appeal of it as something that's easy to listen to and won't challenge you at all but that's not really something I enjoy much. This being hailed as one of the best albums ever recorded is so strange to me - it sounds like countless other albums from the mid 60s. I was glad when it was over. 2/5
Talking Heads
4/5
I can't imagine what it would have been like to hear this in 1977. It must have been so weird back then. Still pretty weird now, really. Psycho Killer is a monster of a song, I've always really liked that one. But the whole album plays really nicely; I think this is definitely a record best listened to front to back rather than just picking out a song here and there to add to a best of. While it doesn't have anything that really stands out and makes you sit and listen with your eyes closed, I will absolutely be on the lookout for this one at the record shop and will play it often. 4/5
Happy Mondays
3/5
I don't understand why this album gets all the hate. I mean yeah it does sound really dated, and 80s dated is not the best. But I rather liked it. Not world-changing in any way, but it was a good sort of 80s indie, would-be-psychedelic pop rock. I didn't feel the need to listen to the entire 2+ hour collector’s edition that was all that was available on Spotify, but the 10 songs on the original release made a fun album to hear this morning. I think I'd probably buy this record if ever came across it in the shop, however unlikely that would be... 3.5/5 but rounding down because 4 is too much.
The xx
2/5
This album sort of sounds like what a college freshman who just bought a guitar, synths, and some software would make in his basement with his girlfriend. That doesn't necessarily mean it's bad, it's just plain. Nothing inspiring about it at all. It gets boring and repetitive after hearing the same song over and over. I mean I can't for the life of me figure out why this album is on this list. Even with the bad albums I've come across or those I just don't like I can usually see why they would be included. But there is nothing special about this one way or another - it wasn't groundbreaking, it’s not profound, it's not novel in any way. 2/5
The Velvet Underground
4/5
Ok so I genuinely like this album. Yes, it is probably overrated. I think it's either a love it or hate it record, probably like most anything that Lou Reed has his hands in. I mean if it was largely paid for by Andy Warhol, you must know that it's going to be pretty weird. And I like that. Especially for the time, this was way out of left field. It maybe doesn't hold up as well today, but it still is miles ahead of a lot of records that came from the late 60s. I think this is certainly one of the albums that 'you are just supposed to like' and I don't really see it that way. I can see why it has its detractors. But for me, it's great and I listen to it fairly often. 4/5
Slipknot
3/5
Ahhh another album that fell victim to the late 90s/early 2000s loudness wars. I don't really know why all the producers of that time suddenly thought, "you know what would make this album sound really great? If we just pushed all the faders on the console up all the way to make it sound like shit!"
This album does belong on this list, it had a massive impact on music for a while. I feel like this was one of the decently heavy albums to actually break through to the mainstream. Everyone heard this record when it came out and, although it's not really innovative, it was new for a lot of people who had never heard heavier music before. I knew a lot of people who got into heavier music that they never would have listened to because of this album. And it's got to be said that the drums on this album (though terrible sounding because of the production) are great and often praised highly, but are perhaps a little too busy. Joey Jordison should get a ton of credit but I feel like he should have backed off just a bit.
I'm not really sure how to rate this. I mean the music is good, the lyrics are dumb, it's well played, horribly produced. I hate the silly costume gimmick. And why the hell are there like 6,000 people in this band? I mean a trio or 4 piece sounding like this wouldn't be unexpected, why do they need so many people?
Important to a whole generation of people. Probably hated by anyone over the age of 45. And dammit it makes me feel old that this album is 25 years old now. 3.5/5 but rounding down because it isn’t good enough to round up.
Green Day
3/5
A punk rock opera, huh? I think I might disagree. I applaud the ambitiousness of this album but, good god I can't stand the way Billie Joe Armstrong sings. Really most of the pop-punk bands from back in the day, the vocals are all trash.
This album was huge when it came out. I mean didn't they make a Broadway show off of this? No comment on the irony of that.... As with a lot of the other stuff from Green Day, I actually like the music fairly well. It's interesting, decently recorded, varies from song to song. But the vocals are just tough for me. Lyrically I think it's ok, a little simple and on the nose but not bad I suppose. I appreciate the message at least.
Green Day is a band that I wish I liked more, I just don't. Mostly because of the vocals, I just can't get on board. Generous 3/5
Buffalo Springfield
3/5
I'm sort of surprised to see this album on the list instead of their first one. It seems like the first album would be on this list just because of For What It's Worth. Maybe that's on the list too? Although two Buffalo Springfield albums seems like a lot for this list....
Mr. Soul is a great song. I like that song much more than For What It's Worth which I've always been a little indifferent about. The rest of the album is decent, great guitars, pretty cool bass lines. I don't like the vocal style and the near constant harmonies but at least it's done well on this album. And what's up with the last song? Trying to be Beatles-weird or something?
I probably wouldn't count it as much of a loss if I never heard this album again, or indeed if I never heard Buffalo Springfield again. And I hope I never hear For What It's Worth again, that's just personal preference though. 3/5
Prince
5/5
Who doesn't love Prince? The man was a genius. This album is wonderful. And although I don't like it as much as Purple Rain or Sign O' The Times, it's still a banger. Great grooves, nice funk, brilliant instrumentation and production, just enough weirdness to it. What's not to like? As with a lot of his records, I feel like this one is better as a whole album rather than pulling songs out individually. Sure, 1999 and Little Red Corvette are great on their own but the album as a whole is really fantastic. 5/5
Bob Dylan
2/5
I don't know, man, I just don't really like Bob Dylan. How did he get so far with a voice like that? Maybe because he has a voice like that? Lyrics are good, music is fine, production is ok. Then comes in that damn harmonica. Every chance he gets. I know there was a lot of controversy when he 'went electric' but it's literally the same thing he was doing before just with a telecaster. I mean there's just like an electric guitar in the background playing fills and turnarounds here and there. It's still buried under acoustic guitar and harmonica. That's not exactly going electric if you ask me. Why were people so made about this? It's more of the same.
I don't know, some of the songs are actually pretty good, but I just don't like his voice and I hate the harmonica in general. 2/5
T. Rex
4/5
I really liked this record, I hadn't heard the whole thing in one sitting before. I sort of have a soft spot for 70s glam rock and this is a classic for sure. I'm not sure the comparisons with Bowie are exactly accurate but it's certainly in that direction. A good and fun album, 3.75/5
UB40
3/5
While this isn't exactly my style of music, I did really enjoy this one. It's super chill and fun to listen to. I think it is a bit long, I was kind of ready to move on after half an hour or so. But I could definitely see myself throwing this on in the future to have on in the background while doing other things.
And I don't get the hate for reggae that comes from outside Jamaica. I mean It's just adding different flavors. People don't get so upset about all the British invasion bands playing blues, why would they be upset about this? Makes no sense.
I like the more instrumental songs better. I'm a little too young to get the full effect of the problems with Margaret Thatcher so a lot of the lyrics just kind of washed over me. 3/5
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
I love this. Such a great album and one that has influenced so much music since. Great mix of funk, soul, rock, psychedelia that not many others have been able to achieve. I love the extended jams on this record, it makes me wish I could have seen them play this live back when it was new. I bet that would have been quite an experience. There are a couple of slow spots for me on this one, but even those are better than average.
I'm always blown away by the musicianship on these types of records. Being able to sound so relaxed but so tight at the same time, just incredible.
This one is right on the line of a 4 and 5 for me and I'm having a hard time deciding. I think that on the whole it's fantastic, but the slow spots do take me out just a bit. I think I'd call this one like 4.5/5 but will round down because I think it needs just something a little more to call it a 5.
Bill Evans Trio
5/5
Fantastic record. I had never listened to this one all the way through, but I'm so happy this was on this list. Just a really great jazz trio. I know Bill Evans is supposed to be the focal point here but Scott LaFaro on bass is just tearing it up throughout the entire album. Fantastic playing, and super sad that he died just a few days after this was recorded. Kind of Blue is probably the best jazz record of all time but this has to be right up there in the top 5. I'm definitely going to be on the lookout for this at the record shop. 5/5
The Band
2/5
I feel like The Band is one that I never really understood why they are so well liked. They have an interesting story I suppose but that doesn't make them better at writing music. The Last Waltz film was great but that was due to the guest artists if you ask me. My father-in-law contends that Robbie Robertson is some kind of once in humanity genius and I respectfully disagree. This album is really just Canadians playing Americana/country-influenced 60s pop rock. There are plenty of bands that did the same thing that are basically indistinguishable from this. Most of the songs are fine, a few bordering on good, and a couple are basically unlistenable. 2/5
The Dictators
3/5
This album is supposed to be funny right? Because it's pretty funny. I love the satire, I love the intentionally (I hope...) stupid and sophomoric lyrics. The cover of Sonny and Cher made me laugh out loud. But the music is actually played well. Of all things it reminded me most of what we now have with Steel Panther, albeit tamer and a little more innocent. But in parodying the hard rock lifestyle in the 70s they sort of laid the groundwork for what would be punk.
I mean I like that this album is on the list, but if we were looking for an early punk album I think I'd pick something else. This one, though it isn't bad and does show what punk was like in the very early stages, does sound like a semi-talented high school band. Which I guess it was. And I guess that's the point. And that's where punk all came from anyway I suppose. As a concept, I think this is hilarious. I hope I didn't misunderstand this one, but I would call it a satirical, well played, and fun album that is not supposed to be taken seriously. For that, I think it was a success. As for a rating? I mean I probably won't listen to this again but I did enjoy it one time through. I don't know. I might come back to it now and then when I need something fun. 3.5/5 but will round down because I can't give it a 4.
Public Image Ltd.
5/5
I unashamedly love this. It's genius. Though I totally get why it's rated so low on here, I don't think it's for everyone. I can see John Lydon's vocals as a sticking point but I've always thought he was unique to the point of greatness. For the people who do connect with this for one reason or another, it's just brilliant. I can't even describe why I like it, there's just something about it that seems so far ahead of its time and wonderfully arranged and produced. As others have said the bass is fantastic throughout. I wouldn't ever throw this record on to just have it play in the background, I'd want to play this when I'm in a certain headspace and sit and listen to it. It would be a really good record for driving. Like maybe hour 2 or hour 4 of a 6+ hour drive. Anyway, this is an unexpected 5/5 for me.
Van Halen
2/5
I can't ever decide if I like Van Halen or not. Their first album was great, I do like that one a lot. Everything after that is kind of just more of the same. I mean they are all great at their respective instruments and you can deny Eddie Van Halen's impact on guitar playing. But I tire quickly of the 80s hair band stuff. It has very little variance from one band to the next and it's not something I would ever really listen to by choice. And David Lee Roth just seems like he'd be a gross guy to know in real life.
I suppose I have to rate this album in isolation, and it's fine. It's exactly what you would expect a Van Halen record to be even if you had never heard Van Halen before. That's sort of disappointing in a lot of ways. But you can't really rate something like this without regard to the rest of their albums. It's pretty much the same album. I feel like the first Van Halen album would have been plenty for this list. 2.5/5 but will round down to because even though Eddie Van Halen was an unbelievable guitar player, this specific album just kind of washed over me and I was ready to move on before it was over.
Pixies
4/5
Such a classic album. Right on the edge of punk and grunge. Short songs, loud, aggressive, seemingly uncaring about a vocalist that maybe wasn't the best but was certainly unique. I love it. I feel like it could have been produced a little better and would have benefitted from maybe not sounding quite so raw and maybe having the guitars sound a little fuller. You have to be in the right mood for this one, it's not something you could just put on to magically fix however you are feeling. But that can be said about most records. To me this is the best Pixies album and I'll listen to this a lot more in the future. 4/5
Fred Neil
2/5
I had never heard of Fred Neil before. Great voice although I don't like the country twang that seems to come and go. A pretty chill album but not one that I would ever care to listen to again. I liked a couple of the songs but this is another one where I was questioning why it was on this list. It wasn't groundbreaking, or unique, or particularly well done. I think whoever made the list must have just been a fan or had some nostalgic reason to include this one. 2/5
Ryan Adams
1/5
If the color beige made an album this would be it. It's so boring and typical. And it goes on forever, a decent guitar part here and there does nothing to help it. And if you're judging by the cover, you know it's trash going in. "Hey photographer did you get my new belt from Hot Topic? I really want people to see the belt." I hate pretty much everything about this. 1/5
The Doors
3/5
I can't ever decide what I think of The Doors. Their great songs are great, all the rest fall off into mediocrity. I feel like Jim Morrison was bigger than The Doors and people liked the band just because of him. I don't get the reverence bordering on worship that he had though. Even when I was a kid 20 years after he died I knew people that thought he was some kind of prophet. I mean he was a good frontman, but I feel like had he not died, The Doors would have faded away into obscurity.
Anyway, this album is fine. It's got a couple great songs on it and a lot of filler. Honestly though, Jim Morrison is my least favorite part of the whole album. Probably the same can be said about all Doors albums. 3/5
Beastie Boys
3/5
I feel like the Beastie Boys made this as a satire but people actually liked it and then they were sort of stuck. As satire, this is brilliant. As music I would want to listen to, maybe not so brilliant. The funny thing to me is that you can see a lot of artists that used this album as an inspiration for their own work not knowing that this was pretty much poking fun at the genre. Shaping the genre with a mostly-satirical album is actually pretty funny in itself. Maybe they recorded this with a 'if you think it's satire then that's what it is but if you actually like it then we're serious' kind of mentality. I think that's actually pretty likely. I like this better than Paul's Boutique but not as much as Ill Communication so that puts it squarely at 3/5
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
I was a little surprised to see this album pop up. I already had Melancholy and I didn't think Smashing Pumpkins would get two albums on this list. I like this record a little better than Melancholy, I feel like it has more substance and a lot less filler. Still, I think Smashing Pumpkins are really more of a 'best of' band - their great songs are absolutely fantastic, the rest can be skipped and you don't miss much. That said, this is a really strong record and I like it a lot. Part of that is probably nostalgia, I was just a kid when this came out but when I got to middle school everyone loved the Pumpkins and we played their records all the time. I'd go with like 3.75/5 on this one and will round up.
The Smiths
3/5
It's amazing how The Smiths can write so many different sounding songs and then when Morrissey starts to sing, it turns into the same song as all the others. I mean I like The Smiths but they're one of the bands that is only good in short bursts. This album is ok, not as good as The Queen Is Dead but still decent. If you like The Smiths anyway. I totally get how this could be insufferable for a lot of people and after more than one play through, I think I would be ready to move on.
I love that this album is more political and maybe a little more intelligent than their first album, it shows growth in that aspect for sure. Instrumentation is great as well. I think that the real strength of The Smiths is the lyrics and the big weakness is the vocals. That's sort of odd to think about - the words are great but the delivery leaves something to be desired. Morrissey has such a unique voice and I can't ever decide if I like it or not. I think I do but today it seems that I only like it for 15 minutes or so before I start to wish that someone else was singing. 3.5/5 rounding down.
Garbage
4/5
I remember hearing Garbage on the radio all the time back in middle school but I don't think I ever heard this whole album. So although I was pretty familiar with a lot of this, a lot of it was also brand new to me.
This record really holds up well. It's sort of hard to categorize - it's fairly solid 90s alt but there's a lot of trip hop, grunge, and even some pop in there. I think if I didn't know I would still guess that this was from mid 90s but I wouldn't be surprised if it was a new album by a new band. I'm not sure if that says more about Garbage or the music industry now, but either way, it's still a great album and although it might sound a little dated, its datedness is not to its detriment. 4/5
ABBA
2/5
It's Abba. You know what you're getting going in. And I'm not really an Abba fan. It's maybe not as cheesy and bubblegummy as some of their more well know records but it's still not my kind of thing. 2/5
Shuggie Otis
3/5
I enjoyed this album. It may not be mind-blowing in any sense but it is a solid funky jazz record and I wouldn't hesitate to pick it up and play it again. I had only heard a couple song from Shuggie Otis but liked what I heard so it was nice to see this pop up today. This is another album that falls in the category of 'play it in the background while doing other things' and it would make a perfect soundtrack for a Saturday morning. 3.5/5 but going to round down because it's just a little to generic funk to round up.
Grateful Dead
2/5
During the first six minutes I thought that maybe people were judging this a little too harshly, it was looking to be a cool jam album with some interesting arrangements. Then the rest of the album happens and it all just devolves into 6 or 7 people making random sounds that may or may not be in time and/or have anything to do with what the other people are doing. And mostly not. I don't get why people were so dedicated to this band. Actually, yes I do. Drugs. That's why. I'm sure The Dead thought this was incredible while they were whacked out of their minds on stage. But then you listen back to it and think "wow that's not even in tune". This album solidifies my contention that The Grateful Dead are the most overrated band of all time. 2/5 I guess because the first 6 minutes are cool and there are actually real instruments being played, poorly. And there are a few interesting parts here and there.
Pixies
4/5
I've always thought of Surfer Rosa as my favorite Pixies album but damn if this one isn't edging in. It's such a great album. It's recorded well, played well, great compositions. I like that it has some darker songs and some more accessible, almost-pop songs. It holds up really well listening to it 35 years later.
It's weird, it's dark, it's uniquely Pixies. I love it. I think I rated Surfer Rosa as a 4/5 and I'll do the same here. Probably should have rated both as a 5 but here we are.
The Velvet Underground
3/5
It starts off a little slow but I'm not sure that's a bad thing. Kind of easing you in maybe? But for the most part it is a pretty subdued record. Sound-wise anyway. It seems to be a super personal album, the lyrics are fantastic as they are with most Velvet Underground. I think what sets this apart from similar albums from the same time period is just that this seems more experimental. I mean it may not be avant-garde, with the exception of The Murder Mystery, but you can definitely see them leaning in that direction and inspiring New Wave to follow.
All in all I like this album but not as much as some others from Velvet Underground or Lou Reed. I think this one would rate a 3.5/5 for me and I'll round down because it's just not quite there to give it a 4.
Soft Cell
4/5
So I had heard Tainted Love and Where Did Our Love Go a million times of course but I can't say for sure that I had ever hear anything else by Soft Cell. After this album I kind of feel like they were a bit of a sleeper band that should be more famous than they were/are. I don't know what it is about this album, it's not something I would normally be into but I loved it. It's super fun. I suppose this is what you get when you mix disco with synth wave? It's really dated sounding but in more of a nostalgic and endearing way than being irritating. The second half falls off a little but, I don't know man, this is pretty much a banger. 4/5
John Martyn
4/5
First impression of the first song - wow this is different and I can't decide if I like it. The vocals are weird. 2 minutes in, this is great, I hope the rest of the album follows suit. Kind of disappointed with Over The Hill as it sort of transitioned from a really cool and unique style to straight up standard folk. Hopefully it reverts to the latter, we shall see. Well shit. It kind of goes back and forth a little, maybe swinging in the 'typical folk' direction more so than I'd like. Sometimes even swinging back and forth in the same song which is kind of interesting. I do really like this album, even with the typical folk stuff. I feel like there is enough here to make the album unique and something I'd want to listen to again and it does make me want to look up some of his other music. 4/5.
Dolly Parton
2/5
This is so not for me. I hate this kind of sappy country music. It does nothing for me. I have nothing against any of these ladies, Dolly Parton is an absolute national treasure, but I just don't like this music at all. 2/5
Moby
2/5
Man this album was inescapable when it came out. The funny thing about it is that if you listen (closely) there are actually some pretty interesting things happening here. The not so funny thing about it is that it is that like all of this kind of music from this era (Fat Boy Slim and even Daft Punk I'd lump in with this among others), it is so repetitive it is hard to listen to for any length of time. But most of it is so simple you tune it out and it's sort of just paying in the background. It was a slog getting all the way through this album, I was ready to move on halfway through the second song. Generous 2/5.
Guns N' Roses
4/5
This album is so hard to rate. I mean it's amazing that this is a debut album when almost all the songs are still playing all the time on classic rock radio (for what that's worth). I feel like the music is undeniably good and different enough from the other similar bands of the time to be notable. However, having heard this album over and over, usually not by choice, I think I'm kind of over it. It's not that I don't like it, it's just that I mostly don't want to hear the same songs over and over. I think the problem with this is that it was too popular and too commercially successful. And there are two problems with that - 1) it's massively overplayed even today, and 2) because it was such a strong debut record, they would never be able to live up to this with whatever they put out after. Maybe only November Rain was as good as any of this.
So I guess as far as a rating, I'd give it like a 3.5 and begrudgingly round up to 4/5.
Thundercat
3/5
I wasn't really familiar with this at all until this morning. I had seen this album cover a bunch of times but never listened to the album. First thought I had after about 5 songs was 'god damn Stephen Bruner can play bass'. I like the instrumentation, although it is a little too digital for my taste. There's a lot going on and it is well done but I think the reliance on digital sounds was a little too much. You're obviously a good musician, play real instruments. But even the real instruments are so processed they sound like a synth.
I liked the more instrumental jazzy and funky songs more than the hip hop or what could even be called easy listening songs. The lyrics throughout are not great, but better than what you would get with a standard hip hop album I guess. But I was definitely ready to be done with this album before it was over. 2.75 and will round up to 3/5.
Deee-Lite
2/5
This is...not for me. I mean I guess it's not bad, it's just uninteresting and I pretty much tuned it out completely. I'm not sure this is an album I needed to hear, 100% was on this list just because of Groove is in the Heart (which is oddly like 120% of the volume level of the rest of the album). I guess I don't actively dislike it so I'll give it a 2/5.
My Bloody Valentine
4/5
If you like shoegaze, this is it. I really like this album. I can't pick out any one specific song, the whole thing flows really well and plays better as a whole. But I love the instrumentation, the super saturated guitars, even the somewhat incoherent lyrics. I particularly like the songs with Bilinda Butcher on vocals, but I'm a sucker for a rock band with a female vocalist. I can certainly see how this album inspired a ton of kids to pick up instruments in the early 90s because this was unlike anything they had heard before.
I dig this album and would definitely buy it at the record shop and play it fairly regularly. Maybe not 5 stars from me but a solid 4/5.
The War On Drugs
2/5
About halfway through, this album is super boring. It's pretty much been the same song for the whole first side. It continues through the second half as well. I mean it's got some great guitar work, and great sounding guitars, but it's just not engaging at all. Pretty sure the drummer played one beat the entire album. It is super atmospheric, all the reviews saying to play it during a rainstorm or while driving through the woods are spot on. But that doesn't mean I would want to play this again. Even if it was raining or if I was driving through the woods. I was happy when it was over. 2/5
Arcade Fire
3/5
Third album from Arcade Fire so far, just about 1% of my list. I feel like 3 albums from them is too much out of 1000. I enjoyed all of them, they aren't spectacular but are listenable and each of them have some great parts to them. But I feel like one would have been enough. I liked Neon Bible the best and I would have been content to just leave it at that one. This record is probably my least favorite of the three that I've had. probably about 2.5/5 but will round up.
Wilco
3/5
I sort of have a soft spot for Wilco and I'm not really sure why. My sister and brother-in-law are big Wilco fans, maybe that's why? But I liked this album well enough. It wasn't something I think I would choose to play again but if it came on, I probably wouldn't change it. At least for a while. It’s the kind of record where if you have to get up and do something while it's playing, you don't feel like you're going to miss anything important. It is a bit long but it's good music, though not exactly my style. 3/5
Bauhaus
5/5
Well damn if I didn't love this one. I had heard of Bauhaus obviously but had never listened to a full album, at least to my recollection. This is such a mood of an album. It's maybe a little more pop-friendly than the other stuff I've heard from them, almost like a gothic new wave. And that's definitely something I can get on board with. I don't know that I would want to play this all the time but when the mood strikes, this is perfect. 5/5
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
1/5
A review while listening: A minute and a half in and I'm dreading the next hour and 16 minutes. Moonlight In Vermont isn't bad. But good god I'm ready for this to be over. Twenty minutes left, this is perhaps the worst album I've ever heard. Suddenly it switches up to a cool kind of funky vibe - oh wait no, that's just an ad for Hilton hotels because this is not on Spotify and you have to listen to it on YouTube. Honestly I don't blame Spotify for not wanting this on their platform. Just because you can get into a recording studio doesn't mean you should. Absolutely a waste of an hour and 18 minutes, and that's time in my life I'll never get back. I'm thinking of taking some kind of legal action for damages. By far, the best part of this record is the comment section for it on YouTube. There's some gold in there. 0/5 if it were possible.
Muddy Waters
4/5
I mean how can you argue with this? Yes, the progressions pretty much all sound the same, the vocal structures are all the same, tempos are pretty similar throughout, all in 4/4 time (I think, wasn't exactly counting...). But there's so much history in this album. Without this pretty much none of the rock or popular music that followed would exist. It's such great music. Imagine being in the audience watching this - it would have been amazing to see this performed live. Is it the best music ever created? No, but it was the foundation of almost all popular music to come after. Just the structure of the guitar parts in particular, it's fantastic and any guitar player since has been influenced by this whether they know it or not.
I suppose the downside to this album is that, listening to it 65 years later, it is simple and predicable. I'm not sure you can really fault it for that, and it's not that it didn't age well, but it is dated sounding. I don't think this is something that a lot of people who are not interested in music history would really appreciate. As for a rating, it's certainly a 5/5 for historical value but maybe only 4/5 for me personally as far as how much I enjoyed it and would want to play it multiple times.
Foo Fighters
4/5
I think the most notable thing about this album is that it's 100% Dave Grohl. It really shows what a great musician he is - regardless of what you feel about the music, there weren't a lot of rock stars at that time that could have written and produced an entire album on top of playing all the instruments and singing. I remember when this album came out, or shortly after anyway since I was still pretty little, hearing the songs on the radio and having no clue that this was the drummer for Nirvana. I don't think that was really a secret but at least the kids my age never put two and two together.
I think the music still holds up pretty well. One of the criticisms of Foo Fighters in general is that they are a little 'generic alternative' sounding. I think that's fair, but it doesn't make it bad. I like this music. I saw the Foo Fighters live a few years ago during the Dave Grohl-broken-foot-guitar-throne era, and it was one of the most fun shows I've been too. I was very happy to have seen Taylor Hawkins perform before he died. And they were fantastic performers, Grohl especially.
Personally, I really enjoy this album and I think the fact that it was literally a solo project that evolved into one of the most popular bands of the era goes to show what a great musician Dave Grohl really is. 4/5
The Magnetic Fields
2/5
Some days on doing this project really test your resolve, I feel like this is going to be one of them.
12 Songs in and it's already all blending together and sounding the same. The guy's voice just kind of drones on. The songs are fine but I'm not sure I can take 57 more songs...
Song 30, I am soooo bored with this. I would have liked this album had it been 10-13 songs like normal.
God what a slog. I appreciate the ambition but most bands don't even have anywhere close to 69 good songs total. Why the hell would you try to write 69 songs for one album? Really it was more like 5 songs each done 13 different ways. 2/5
OutKast
1/5
Nope, sorry. I can't stand another self-aggrandizing misogynistic album. I appreciate some of the social commentary on this, like most hip hop albums really, but it's just nauseating to listen to. Also 75 minutes is bordering on torture. 1/5
Frank Ocean
2/5
Yeah this isn't really for me. I find it interesting that an album like this could make it on this list. It doesn't have anything unique going for it. I suppose the production was something that would be copied over and over after so maybe that's something. Though some might call it a plague on music production. And I hate the Auto Tune. It's so distracting and terrible sounding. He's got a really nice voice when he's actually singing, why make it sound fake and weird? It doesn't add anything to the music. But this album is also just boring, like I feel like there isn't really much to keep anyone's attention. This is one of those albums that I hate to play on Spotify because now my algorithm will be all messed up and I'm going to get stuff like this suggested for weeks to come. 1.5/5 rounding up because I feel generous today.
Blur
3/5
Middle school me loved Song 2. Grown up me still does. I actually don't think I've ever heard this whole album though so it will be interesting. I feel like 'Oasis or Blur' was the 'Beatles or Stones' of the 90s. After listening I think I might be team Oasis here. I like this album but other than Song 2 I don't feel like it really has much to offer. It's fine. 2.5/5 rounding up.
DJ Shadow
2/5
I'm a bit confused by this. I mean it's an album that is made up of electronic drum beats and samples of everyone from Tangerine Dream to Bjork to Metallica. I mean I guess it's kind of cool to get samples from such different artists to fit together in something that could be described as vaguely musical? It's kind of vibey I guess. Interesting I suppose. But as far as something that needed to be heard, I don't know. I mean I don't feel like I really needed to hear an entire album of repetitive samples and fake drums. Like, maybe just a few minutes while reading about how it was produced would be enough? It's ok. I guess. But maybe write your own songs next time? Was definitely ready to move on after about 15 minutes. 2/5
The Blue Nile
4/5
So before starting this album, I looked at reviews. Probably a bad idea but I do it anyway. The first few reviews call this 'pretentious 80s new wave' and it's pretty lowly rated. I was excited because that sounds right up my alley.
It doesn't immediately suck me in. Although I do like the bass a lot, it's unmistakably 80s. And sometimes that 80s bass just kills. I don't get why everyone is calling this pretentious? I dig it. The guy's voice is a little strange and takes some getting used to but it oddly fits the music. It's pretty synth heavy, but that’s to be expected for 80s new wave I guess. I think it gets better as it goes on and it flows really well. Overall I really enjoyed this and it was a little unexpected.
This album is super short, just when I was really getting into it, it was almost over. I'd definitely buy this album if I ever came across it though. It would be a great record to throw on and sit and enjoy with a cocktail on a rainy evening. 4/5
Wire
4/5
I do like a good punk album. This one is a good one. The thing I don't like about it is that a lot of the songs are over before they really take hold. I mean with an album that's 21 songs and 35 minutes, there are a lot of sub 2 minute songs on here. A few sub 1 minute songs. That's enough for an idea of what a song might sound like, but it's just not enough. Even given that, I really enjoy this album and would definitely buy it if I saw it at the record shop. 3.75/5
Super Furry Animals
3/5
I thought I was going to like this a lot more than I did. The first song was great, original and had a cool feel to it. It sort of fell off there for me. There are some cool parts throughout, but it never really stuck for me. It's a shame because I think they could have really made something great. I would be curious to listen to some of their other records based on this one. 3/5 Really, the best thing about this album was what Spotify brought up after the album ended.
Deep Purple
4/5
I thought I'd had this album already, but this makes #3 of Deep Purple for me. That seems like too much. I feel like this list would have been complete with just this album from them.
As iconic as this album is, I've never really connected with it, or with Deep Purple at all for that matter. I mean I have great appreciation for the musicianship on this record but it just kind of seems cheesy after 50 years. Guitars and bass are amazing throughout though, so you can't fault it really at all in that aspect. I mean Ritchie Blackmore and Roger Glover played so well together it kind of made the band. This lineup of the band anyway. I do get a little tired of the organ in this kind of music, it just doesn't ever seem to fit to me. I think that's where the cheese really sets in.
It's a little hard to rate this one because although it's not something I would really listen to all the time, it is undeniably a good album. I think I'll go with like 3.5/5 and will round up for the guitars and bass.
David Bowie
5/5
Dude it's David Bowie, it's gonna be a 5/5. The guy was a genius. I'm glad to see this album on here and I think it's number five of Bowie for me? Keep them coming, I could have every Bowie album on this list and not be upset. 5/5
Haircut 100
3/5
I enjoyed this one, even if it is a little 'generic British new wave' as others have said. I can see this being a great album to throw on for a Satruday morning while baking or something. It's got some great bass lines, which unfortunately are offset by the cheesy 80s sax that is prominent in a lot of it. I'm not sure I'd actively seek this out, I mean I'd definitely pick Duran Duran or Talking Heads over this, but if I randomly saw the album somewhere I'd probably buy it. 3/5
Television
5/5
Great record. I love 70s punk and while I wouldn't really call this punk, it's fantastic. I had heard this album before but it's been ages and I kind of forget about Television in general. Listening to this album today has reminded me how great they were. I will definitely be going back through their catalogue and listening to their other albums. This is a great example of why I like this list - this wasn't really unknown to me, just forgotten, and having it come up for my listening today will make me re-explore. It's almost like finding a new band you really like. 5/5
Kate Bush
5/5
I can see why so many people would be turned off by this. Kate Bush is not super accessible at the best of times (maybe excepting Running Up That Hill, who doesn't love that song?), so her "least accessible" album is probably gonna be a stretch for a lot of people. That said, I love it. I've always really liked the sort of weirder female performers like Kate Bush and Bjork. They kind of have a 'fuck you I'm doing this how I want' attitude about them that I feel makes their music better.
For this album, is it weird? Yeah, it's weird. It isn't so weird to be off putting or weird for the sake of being weird. But it's not like anything else you'll hear today and I do feel like you'll be better off for having heard it. I don't think it's her best work, but it's a fantastic record for sure and one that I would recommend to people looking to get a little outside of mainstream. 5/5
Elliott Smith
3/5
I really like Elliott Smith but I don't think this is his best record. It's good, but compared to XO and Either/Or which is my favorite of his records, I feel like this one is just not quite there. I'm hoping one or both of those albums is on this list because I think more people need to hear that music.
For this record, it's good but not great. His voice is amazing and the production is good but there's just something about it that is lacking compared to his earlier records. I would imagine that this one is on the list because it was the last one released before his death, but I hope there is another that really shows how brilliant he was. 3.5/5
Fatboy Slim
2/5
Man I hadn't thought about this album in a long time. And that's ok. I feel like I don't need this record taking up any space in my brain. Not a fan of electronic music in general and this is pretty much right down the middle for the genre and the time. Just the repetitiveness of this is enough to turn anyone off. I seem to remember there being a lot of car commercials that used songs from this album. Or maybe that's just how it sounds. Anyway, not a fan. A generous 2/5
Beach House
3/5
This is a record that I can't really imagine anyone having a strong reaction to one way or the other. It's so aggressively bland. Like dry white toast - you might not want to eat it but if that's all there is, it'll be fine yet unmemorable. I can't really pick out anything to comment on, it's all just...fine. Vocals? It's got them. Drums? Yep. Guitars and bass? Sure. Synths? A lot. But like, none of it stands out at all. Honestly I don't get why it has such high ratings. I guess because it is put together well and isn't offensive in any way? I don't know, it just seems too safe to me. 2.5/5 but I guess I'll round up because I've heard worse albums?
Sleater-Kinney
5/5
I've loved this album since I first heard it. And though I've heard it a bunch of times now, I kind of came to this one way after the fact. Granted I was little when it came out but I didn't really even discover it until the past few years. It's such a good blend of punk and pop rock. I get that the vocals may not be to everyone's liking but, to me, that's where a lot of the charm of the album comes from. And I'm a sucker for a female vocalist. It may not be my favorite album on this list, but for what it is it's fantastic and I play it a lot. 5/5
Jazmine Sullivan
2/5
Ok, look. I'm all for feminism and female empowerment. Women should be running the world and I fully believe that humanity would be so far ahead of where we are now if they were. But though I agree with the message of this album, I just can't get on with the delivery. This music isn't for me. It's not as bad as straight up hip hop but I just don't see the artistry in electronically created beats and the occasional real bass here and there. She does have a fantastic voice so I definitely give her credit for that. But this is still not something I would ever listen to again. At least it's super short. 2/5
Thelonious Monk
4/5
I always love a good Thelonious Monk record. And though this isn't really my favorite of his, I still like it a lot but I would recommend a few of his records over this one; Straight No Chaser and Misterioso are probably my favorites from him. Also the records he made with John Coltrane are amazing as well. This one - it's still fantastic. Solid 4/4.
Common
2/5
It's always a little sad when you get excited to see what album you get for the day and when it pops up you're just like, "oh man, that's a shame." I knew I wasn't going to like this when it came up. I'm not a hip hop fan at all and I can't imagine from what I've heard from and about Common that I'm going to enjoy this much. I've heard Common referred to as 'dad rap' and yeah I can see that.
First impression - holy shit maybe I was wrong, sweet double bass is shaping up to be good! Then the album really begins. Nope, I was right. More typical hip hop degrading women and inflating self-importance. Maybe not to the same degree as most of the others, but still. It does those things in kind of like a nice guy sort of way if that makes sense. Still, no thanks. And not only that, but this record is produced by and largely featuring Kanye West. Fuck that guy. I'm out. 1.5/5 maybe rounding up just because of that double bass.
And a PS, I was reading reviews but skipped down a few first. Thought I was missing something with all these reviews about math and PhDs 😂 Good work here guys.
Cocteau Twins
4/5
I was vaguely familiar with some of the Cocteau Twins music but I don't think I had heard any of this before. It's great - gives a kind of gothic Kate Bush vibe. Dark, gothic, 80s alt? I'm all in. The whole album is super atmospheric and moody. I love the mostly unintelligible vocals. Some really good guitars and bass sort of hiding in the background for the most part.
This is by no means a perfect album but I will absolutely explore more from them because of hearing this today. And you can't really ask for more than that. 4/5
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
This marks #4 from Springsteen on this list for me. Surely Born to Run and Born in the USA would have been enough? Maybe I'm just grumpy. Springsteen seems like a super cool dude in general, I just don't really like his music. It's not that I don't like it, I guess it's more just indifference. I do really like his voice, I just would never choose to listen to an album of his. This one, same as the rest. 2.5/5, and I guess I'll round up?
SAULT
3/5
This is a really tough one to rate because I don't particularly like the music but the words are fantastic - beautiful, sad, poignant. This really plays more like a spoken word record with simple electronic music in the background. It is not something I would ever listen to again but I am very happy to have heard it once and would recommend it to others for a single listen.
But for the rating? I don't know. I'm sort of going back and forth because, great though the words are, it is a little repetitive. I wouldn't listen to it again with the exception of Bow with Michael Kiwanuka which I enjoyed a lot. I think that probably makes it a 3/5 for me.
Supergrass
4/5
Another one from a band that I mostly missed when I was growing up, except for Alright from this record, everyone knows that song. I've liked what I've heard of Supergrass. This album starts off strong as well, the bass playing and drumming are great. 13 songs and only 40 minutes, there are a few sub-three minute songs and one or two sub-two minute songs. Kind of hails back to some of the early punk records. I know this album was from the 90s but I feel like it could be a newer album going for a sort of 'rock revival' kind of feel. I think I may have said that about the other Supergrass record on this list too, but it's definitely not a bad thing.
The more I listen to the more I think, 'man I need to listen to these guys more often.' I know they always get compared to Blur, Oasis, and The Verve, but I actually would put this in a slightly different category. This record at least is a lot more of a traditional, straight ahead rocker of an album. Kind of giving me Jet vibes of all things. I can see where Jet would have been super inspired by this.
This one will be another solid 4/5. Not quite enough for a 5, and it loses points for the good idea but terrible execution of the cover.
ZZ Top
3/5
This has to be the only album on the list by ZZ Top, right? I mean you've heard one of their albums, you've heard them all. Hell, you've heard one of their songs, you've hear them all. I saw them live years ago and Billy Gibbons was talking about being old and people coming to see "the same three guys, playing the same three chords".
ZZ Top is definitely dad rock and sort of cheesy. But damn can Billy play guitar. I mean it's not super complicated but really great nonetheless. Their songs are simple, catchy, usually have good grooves, and (even they'd tell you) largely the same. It's fun to listen to if it comes on but I'd never really pick ZZ Top on purpose or buy any of their records. 3/5
A Tribe Called Quest
2/5
Ok so I don't actively hate this like most hip hop. I still don't really like it and would never choose to listen to it but I'm not miserable sitting here cringing at the whole thing like normal. I mean the late 80s/early 90s hip hop is way different than what's come out in the last 20-25 years even. It's more innocent and innocuous. There's not really much else to say about this one, it just kind of is. Though it's one of the least unbearable hip hop records I've heard, I was still ready for it to be done about 15 minutes in. 2/5
The xx
2/5
I saw this pop up this morning and my first thought was "why the hell are there two albums from The xx on here?" I don't get why the first one was on this list, it was totally unremarkable. Surely, there wasn't a need for this one too? There can't be a third? We'll see....
This album shows basically no growth at all from their first album 8 years prior. It's still just as mundane and uncreative and sounds like one 45 minute long song. This is enough of The xx for me. 1.5/5 generously rounding up to a 2.
PJ Harvey
3/5
I was excited to see this one come up today, I love PJ Harvey but had never heard this album.
This album was definitely more of a personal project than an record that everyone would like. I respect that, and I did enjoy it, but I wouldn't listen to it again. But I can see why I hadn't heard this before, it was something that not all casual fans would have ever found. It was an interesting choice to include on this list and I'm glad to have heard it once. I still really like PJ Harvey, but like most I feel like her 90s/early 2000s records were the best. 3/5
Harry Nilsson
2/5
I've never liked this kind of music. I don't really know how to even categorize it. There are a few spots on this album I really like - I'll always have a soft spot for Coconut and I like Jump Into the Fire. But the rest I can do without. It's fine, it's not great. It just is. 2.5/5 but I think I'm going to round down on this one because it just does nothing for me at all.
CHIC
3/5
I would imagine that this album is on the list just because of Le Freak. It's definitely a standout but the whole album is good. Fantastic guitar and bass throughout, but that's what you'd expect from Nile Rogers and Bernard Edwards. Maybe a little too much this-is-the-same-as-the-last-song going on, but it's a good album to have playing in the background while doing other things. The last half kind of falls off for me a little so I'm giving this one a flat 3/5.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
2/5
The only thing I remember from this album was that I hated Scooby Snacks. That's still holds true, that song is utterly garbage. This album doesn't really fit in anywhere for me - it seems like they wanted to be like the Beastie Boys but wanted to be taken more seriously? I don't know, the album is just boring. It's still got the hip hop vocal style which I think is one of the main things I hate about rap in general. I don't see how this album was groundbreaking in any way, it was just more of the same for the time. Great guitar solo on I Can't Get With That, an extra star just for that. 2/5
KISS
1/5
Oh god not this one today. I hate Kiss. They may be the actual band playing real instruments that I hate the most. They are a joke. Remember when they took off their makeup and no one wanted to listen to them anymore? That tells you all you need to know about Kiss. They are a stage show, not musicians. You could compare them to Alice Cooper in that regard I suppose but with Alice Cooper, the music was still good. As for this, sure, there are some decent guitar parts and solos but on the whole, the music is simple, the lyrics are infantile, and the production is bad. I hate it.
And it's weird reading through the reviews of this record. Most are uniformly in the same boat as me. I truly don't understand the people who would call this a masterpiece. I mean that's setting a pretty low bar for what qualifies as a masterpiece. I get that some people are rating purely out of nostalgia but this is objectively bad music. 1/5
U2
3/5
I like this album despite not really having much fondness for U2. The drums and guitar stand out to me in particular. Great bass. Even the vocals are great, if you can get past Bono's self-importance. But the album is mixed well, recorded well, produced well. It is a really good sounding record. One thing I notice is that this was sort of before The Edge (dumbest name ever) really leaned into effects so the guitar parts are still pretty raw and I think that's much better. I don't think this is as good as Joshua Tree, but I do actually like this album. I'm not sure I'd play the whole thing again though so I suppose it loses some points for that. I'm having trouble rating this, it's between 3 and 4 but I don't feel like I can give this one a 4. 3.5/5 but rounding down.
N.W.A.
1/5
This album is basically everything I hate about hip hop - misogyny, violence, intolerance, homophobia, self-aggrandizing toxicity. And I suppose this album is where a lot of that originated in the genre. It's juvenile and dumb. But like most of the hip hop albums that followed, I really sympathize with the social commentary on this record. I just hate this kind of music and can hardly stand to make it through the whole album. 1/5
Led Zeppelin
5/5
An album that begins with one of the best songs Led Zeppelin did has to be great. Obviously this one is. I know there was some controversy when this came out about it being too different than the first two Zeppelin records but I don't see that as a bad thing. As great as the first two records are, this one is right up there. I think I actually like this one a bit better than their first album. Nothing else to say about it, its Zeppelin so you know it's going to be better than 90% of records on this list. That's the Way is sort of a slow spot for me, but I'm still giving this one 4.5/5
4/5
This is such a great album. Not my favorite from the Beatles but probably top 3. It's got the weirdness that marked some of their later records, it's got super memorable songs, sitar, Ringo sings a song. Even still, rating is kind of tough, it's at least a solid 4, not sure if it quite reaches 5 for me. This is another example of why this list needs ratings out of 10 instead of 5. Is it a 5 star album? Yeah probably but I don't think it quite makes it for me. 4.5/5 but rounding down.
Buck Owens
1/5
Dear god this is awful. I can't really get on with country music at the best of times and this is truly unbearable. I enjoy a few older country artists - Johnny Cash, the occasional Willie Nelson - but this is just so cheesy and twangy and I can't stand it. I don't get the appeal for this kind of music at all. The best thing about this album is that it's only 32 minutes long. 1/5
Coldplay
2/5
Ok, I don't think I've ever heard a whole Coldplay album before. I remember hearing a few of these songs when they came out but I can't remember one time I ever played Coldplay on purpose. I had 0 liked songs from them on Spotify and, spoiler, that didn't change today. I know they get a lot of hate in a Nickelback-esque sort of way but I don't really have any feelings about that one way or another. Three songs in, I'm ready to move on. The music isn't bad, it's just...blah. Chris Martin sort of seems like he wants to be Thom Yorke and wanting to be Thom Yorke is never a good thing. I have nothing to base this on and I could be completely wrong, but just by listening to this album, I feel like Chris Martin is the kind of guy who if you asked him 'what's the best song ever written?', wouldn't hesitate to name a song from one of his own records. Thom Yorke would do the same. I mean the vocals here aren't bad, but it's like someone asked a semi-capable AI to generate a 'generic white guy' sounding vocalist. It would totally be Chris Martin.
As for the rest of the band, I can't really comment, there was nothing of note except I remember thinking one of the bass lines was kind of cool. And that indifference, to me, is worse a lot of the time than music I can say something negative about.
So, Coldplay? 2/5 and I hope this was a one and done for this list.
Dead Kennedys
4/5
A straight-ahead rocker. Dead Kennedys might be a 'love them or hate them' band, I suppose that whole genre is kind of the same. I love this album. It's not perfect by any means but if it were perfect it wouldn't really be a punk album, would it? Yes, it's repetitive. No, the vocals are not fantastic (relative to other genres I suppose...). Yes, the music is simple. But it's a really raw and strong record and that’s all it is trying to be. Great political and social commentary. Like it or not, I think they nailed what they were trying to accomplish with this one. 4/5
Throwing Muses
5/5
I hate when an album isn't on Spotify, that usually turns me off a bit. But damn, once this started playing on YouTube I was sold. I'm a sucker for a female-led punk/post punk band and I had heard a few songs of theirs, which I really enjoyed, so this was a much-welcomed treat. It's not mind-blowing in any sense, but it's got all the parts - great vocals, great instrumentation, decent production, interesting songs. I would definitely pick up any record of theirs I stumbled across at the record store based on listening to this one.
I particularly enjoyed Vicky's Box, Hate My Way, and Soul Soldier. For a rating, I'd give it a solid 4.5 and I'm gonna round up despite not having the album available on Spotify. I'll definitely be listening to more from them.
Billy Bragg
3/5
This album doesn't feel quite finished to me. Like it could be a good demo or a sort of proof of concept type thing but it's not a fully fleshed out record. I like the style and where it's heading but it needs more. I think it's because there are no drums and little bass. I mean you can certainly make a record without those things but this was not a successful attempt. It ends up sounding thin and unpolished and empty. I found myself sort of tuning it out a bit. It's a shame because I feel like the lyrics are actually really good and the music has a lot of potential, it just wasn't executed properly. 2.5/5 and I'll round up because I think this could have been a great album.
R.E.M.
2/5
I'm always a little conflicted about R.E.M. because I sort of like some of their music but it is a tad too generic for me. Like they are sort of 'standard 80s alt' no matter what they do. All of their records are really dated sounding regardless of when they were released. This record is no exception - straight down the middle for 80s alt/indie. They've always been a little thin sounding for me with the jangly guitars and Michael Stipe's high voice. I do really like the bass on this record, the tone is fantastic and the bass parts are really good, I wish it had been upped in the mix a little. 2.5/5 but going to round down because there isn't really anything here that makes me want to round up.
Derek & The Dominos
3/5
I don't think I've ever actually heard this whole album. I mean I know a few of the songs from it, but to the best of my memory, I've never played the whole thing.
I've always felt like Clapton was super overrated as a guitar player (and as a human too I suppose but that's a different conversation...) and never really got they hype. I mean he's good, yes. But there were so many people who did it better than him.
Layla is a great song, there's no denying that. I've always like Bell Bottom Blues too. I mean I feel like those are the two songs from this album everyone is going to know. A few others I've heard a bunch of times by a bunch of different artists. The cover of Little Wing is just terrible.
The rest of it is...fine. No real complaints it's just exactly what you would expect from a Clapton album. I think this album is on her solely because of Layla, outside of that, there isn't really anything that you couldn't hear from a local band at any number of bars in any city in the US. It's a decent album, but not one I would ever play again. 3/5
2/5
"Hey guys - what if we mixed the pretentiousness of Radiohead with the blandness of Coldplay?"
"Yeah that sounds good but let's change it just a little so we don't get in trouble..."
Pretty sure that's how Muse got started. I mean the songs are decent I guess. I don't really have any complaints but I also don't have any praise to give. Supermassive Black Hole was sooo overplayed and I can't really stand it now. And to me, that's the mark of a bad song. And I don't like the way Matt Bellamy sings. Not like the tone of his voice but they way he sings the words is irritating. Like he stretches out the sounds in a way that is off putting. Hard to explain.
Well, 2.5/5 on this one and I fail to see why it is on this list. Gonna round down.
Travis
2/5
Another that I had never heard of. Three songs in and I'm not really impressed. It's ok. Kind of slow and moody. A lot of people comparing them to Radiohead and I suppose I see that, though I don't really agree. I feel like I might struggle to stay awake for the whole 47 minutes of this album. There are some cool and good sounding guitar parts. Or maybe just meh guitar parts that come out of nowhere in otherwise boring music? I might have heard Why Does It Always Rain On Me before? That sounds like it was probably in a movie soundtrack at some point. I was glad when it ended, I needed something a little more interesting. Sometimes boring is worse than bad. I would be interested to hear their first album since it was apparently more of a rock album than this was. But listening to this didn't make me want to play that one right away afterwards. 2/5
The Chemical Brothers
2/5
When I was in college about ten years after this album came out there was a dude on campus that everyone knew as "Techno Guy" who would sit outside the student union building all day blasting loud techno from a giant boom box and doing these weird sort of robotic dances. He also wore a newsie hat and I don't know if he ever went to class because he was always there. I'm pretty sure this was one of his go to album. And like Techno Guy, this album was sort of interesting for about two minutes then just got annoying and I wanted it to go away. I will say that this album isn't nearly as bad as a lot of the electronic music that's out there. So an extra star for that I guess. 2/5
Frank Sinatra
4/5
I mean Frank Sinatra had one of the best voices of all time, so this is great just for that reason alone. His music isn't really something that I'd listen to very often but every time I hear Sinatra, I'm glad to be listening. This album is good, but I think this is one of the rare occasions where there should have been just one Sinatra album on this list, and it should have been a double length best-of. The problem with this album is that, even though the songs are great, none of them really stand out from the rest. They do all kind of blend together as others have said. But to his credit, I listened to Sinatra for a while after this album was over so he gets points for that. 3.5/5 and will round up to a 4.
Oasis
3/5
I don't exactly remember when I first heard this album, but I think it was after I heard What's The Story. While the latter is a much better record, this one is still pretty solid. I was only ever a casual Oasis fan though, I think I owned an album or two of theirs at some point. I remember around the time this came out people were talking about a British Invasion Part 2, and I suppose that is true to some degree. Certainly this album kicked off a huge influx of Brit pop bands into the mainstream, at least here in the US.
This is a decent record that holds up surprisingly well. I feel like you could have told me this album came out any time post 2000 and I wouldn't have had reason to not believe you. Great guitar work and wonderful sounding guitars. Simple but effective drums and bass. I dig it. I don't know that I would really seek this one out, but I might play it now and again if I happened to find it somewhere. 3/5
Bee Gees
2/5
It's weird to me that all the Bee Gees albums on this list (so far) are not what they are known for at all. I mean it's weird that there are multiple Bee Gees albums on this list anyway...
If you played this for me I would never have guessed it was the Bee Gees. It just kind of sounds like the generic sort of folksy soft rock that came out of the 60s. This could be like The Moody Blues or maybe America. It's aggressively bland. As much as I hate to say it, it's probably better that the Bee Gees switched to disco and that's probably how they should be remembered. 2/5
Can
4/5
I feel like the whole Krautrock genre is hit or miss. One song in and I'm pleased to say this one looks like something I'm going to enjoy. I don't know what it is about this album but it is unmistakably European. Or maybe just 'not American' would be the better term. I really like how experimental it is at the same time as being fairly structured. It's kind of like what a jam band should be. There are a lot of complaints in the reviews for this album about how long the songs are, I don't agree. I don't mind a 15+ minute song if it's done well. Halleluwah is a great example - 18 and a half minutes and it goes through a couple different movements. The playing is good, the groove is good. What's not to like?
Moving into the second record, it definitely gets weirder and more experimental but I still kind of like it. I feel like this is what that damn Trout Mask Replica album was trying to do and failing. People think that album is genius, sorry, it's not. This isn't really genius either, but it's better. If the whole album was like the first record, this would be a 5/5 for sure. The second record is still good and I like it, weird though it is, but I can't see it as something I would listen to often. It falls off for me about halfway through Peking O but then picks back up with Bring Me Coffee or Tea. So 3.5/5 for this one, rounding up.
Frank Black
3/5
I always struggle a bit with these albums that have like 20+ songs that are mostly under 3 minutes. That seems like such an odd choice to make when writing an album. Part of the problem with these kinds of albums is that it's hard to write 20+ distinct sounding songs in a short time for one record. This album definitely fell prey to that trap. I found myself kind of checking out about halfway through. It's fine, nothing remarkable or terrible to report. He should stick with the Pixies. 2.5/5
Miles Davis
4/5
I love this album. I've listened to this so many times I'm surprised the grooves are still on the record. It's not Kind of Blue, it's less engaging than that but it's more of a 'play in the background' kind of album. It's super short, loses points for that but that may have been a result of the limitations of the time. I mean Miles Davis is one of the best ever, and he's definitely done better than this record. But still, even Miles Davis's run of the mill record is better than most. 4/5
Joni Mitchell
2/5
I had never actually hear this album before which is weird. I learned today that I am definitely not a Joni Mitchell fan. Like at all. This is so not for me. I can appreciate that the lyrics are good, but I don't particularly care for her voice or the overall style. No judgement for those that like Joni Mitchell, it's just not music that I want to listen to. I can't really fault it for personal taste, I would actually turn this off if it came on randomly, but since this is my personal rating it's getting a 2/5.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
I didn't ever really get into The Jesus and Mary Chain until recently. Maybe not until starting this list, I don't quite remember. But they're definitely right up my alley. Dark and vibey, good lyrics, interesting music. What's not to like?
I do like this album a bit better than Physchocandy which I found to be produced a little unevenly. This record is much better produced and recorded and is just better to listen to all around. You can really hear the influence this record had on indie bands to come in the 90s, even some of the grunge bands seem to have borrowed from this a bit. 4/5
The B-52's
3/5
Who doesn't like Rock Lobster? The rest of this album is certainly uniquely B-52s. If there's anything that can be said for them, it's that they don't sound like anyone else. Is it supposed to be funny? Just weird? Serious (hopefully not...)? I've always hated Love Shack. This album is fine. Other than the absurdity value, I don't really feel any reason to listen to this one again all the way through. 2.5/5
Christine and the Queens
3/5
My first thought of this album is that it kind of sounds like it would be playing quietly in the background of a semi-upscale hotel lobby check-in and lounge area on a weekday. It's not exactly challenging in any way and it's easy to sort of tune out what the lyrics are saying. And that's a shame because I actually like the lyrics for the most part. I don't really like the sort of 'electronic beats with singing on the top' style of music in general and this one didn't do anything to sway my opinion there.
I feel like the English version and then the French version is too much. I would prefer to just have the French version, it seems more genuine somehow.
This record was kind of just middle of the road - didn't love it, didn't hate it. Probably won't listen again or seek out anything else that he has done. 2.5/5
Queen
5/5
If you had only ever heard the Queen songs they play on the radio you would be super disoriented by this album. It's basically a prog rock masterpiece. I wish more people knew how great and weird Queen actually could be. Brilliant album that I'm ashamed to say I don't have on vinyl yet. 5/5
Creedence Clearwater Revival
2/5
I always struggle with this band for some reason. I don't know why. I mean the music is fine, it just does nothing for me. First song is already irritatingly monotonous. I love a good 7+ minute song but not this. I don't know. The whole southern rock thing never really appealed to me and even though they were from San Francisco, they definitely fall in the southern rock category.
I get that this is one of those albums that everyone is supposed to love, I just don't. But even if you aren't a CCR fan, you've probably heard at lest half of these songs a bunch of times before. The cover of I Heard It Through The Grapevine isn't bad, I'll give them that. 2/5
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
Kind of surprised to see another album from them on the list. This is the second for me and apparently there's one more. Seems a bit odd to have three albums from them, but that's the world we live in I guess.
I wasn't super familiar with Echo and the Bunnymen before I started this list. I really liked Crocodiles so I'm not upset at seeing this come up at all today. This record is still solid, but I think I like Crocodiles a bit better. Really, I don't feel like we needed more than one album from them on this list despite having liked both so far. I'd give this one a 3.25/5.
The Cardigans
4/5
Man I loved Lovefool back in the day. 13 year old me had a huge crush on Nina Persson. Funny thing is that I don't think I'd ever heard this whole album before now, just Lovefool and Iron Man. If I had to describe it in one word, I think 'sweet' would do it. But sweet like in a candy sense. Like I feel like I have a cavity after hearing this record. But I still like it. The Iron Man cover kind of comes out of nowhere but it fits really well on the album and they did a fantastic job of making it their own. I like this record a lot and I can report that the 13 year old in me still has a crush on Nina Persson. 4/5
James Taylor
2/5
I'm willing to bet that for people my age, all of their dads love this record. It's too sappy for me. Good guitar playing, but he's not exactly Paul Simon in that regard. Or as a lyricist. The thing about this album is that it's just...lame. Like there's nothing behind any of the songs that makes me want to like them. Fire and Rain is a good song, I've always liked that one but the rest? No thanks. 2/5
Portishead
5/5
It's quite an achievement to have your first album be the gold standard for an entire genre. I think Massive Attack might have actually put out the first trip hop album but this is definitely the one that everyone knows. It's such a great record and still holds up today. My favorites off of this album are probably Glory Box, Roads, and Biscuit but all the songs are great, really. I'm not usually one for electronic music but there's something about this that just works so well - the vibe, the way the songs are structured, it's electronic but not annoyingly so. And the vocals are amazing. I have always loved this album and am very happy to see it included on this list. 5/5
Curtis Mayfield
3/5
Soundtracks are a weird thing to include on this list. But I suppose since this music was created for the movie and it's not just like a compilation, that makes it a real album? Anyway, this record is fine - it's not going to change anyone's life. It's got some great grooves and good playing throughout but I'm sure there could have been another soul/funk album to include on this list in place of this one. That's said, I enjoyed listening to this today though I probably wouldn't ever play it again. 3/5
2/5
Being an American child (apologies for that given...everything now) at the time this came out, I was never really exposed to Blur much until they had already faded away. I knew Oasis, but Song 2 was literally the only Blur song I knew growing up. Even now, I can only name a handful. I guess that's all to say that as a kid growing up in the desert in the US, Blur didn't really make it that far, though I know they were much more popular elsewhere.
This album? It's just kinda plain. I feel like this could have been any number of British pop rock bands in the early 90s. And I'm sure it was. Maybe it's just looking back 30 years later but nothing really sticks out for me. I've heard sooo much music that sounds just like this, there's nothing that makes me want to keep listening. Villa Rosie is kind of a weird high point for me, I liked that one. The rest? Meh. I can think of a lot of albums missing from this list that would have been a better pick than this one. I was going to round up because the album name is great, but it's now the next day and I can't even remember how any of the songs went. 2.5/5.
Bob Dylan
2/5
Not looking forward to this one, I've gotta say. I used to think I was just sort of indifferent to Bob Dylan but after listening to a few of his albums from this list I can say that I actually quite dislike Bob Dylan. It's just irritating. Lyrically, he's great. Not as good as people who fawn all over him claim him to be, but a better lyricist than musician for sure. And for the love of god not every break in singing needs to be filled with harmonica. His voice is grating but not in a good way. I mean Neil Young can't really sing either but it works for him and I like it. Bob Dylan is just irritating. Part of the problem with this album is that I feel like a lot of the songs could be great if someone else recorded them - Masters of War could be amazing. Sorry Bob, I'm just not a fan. 2/5
Björk
5/5
Bjork is definitely a 'love her or hate her' kind of musician. Even scanning through reviews for this album, they are mostly either 5 or 1 with little in between. I love Bjork and this album is fantastic. I typically don't like electronic/house music but this works for me for some reason. I love her voice and I know that's a bit of a debated opinion. Like Someone In Love is really the only slow part of this album for me, the rest of it is brilliant. I don't know that I would give this five stars, it would be a strong 9/10 if I could do that. 4/5 seems too low though so 5/5 it is I suppose.
Lorde
5/5
I was sort of just a casual Lorde fan until I saw her do Life On Mars at the David Bowie tribute and that was by far the best tribute to Bowie I've seen. Ever since then I've loved everything she's done. One thing I like about her music is that it's unexpected, it doesn't just sound like the rest of the pop music out there. Her lyrics are great and I love her voice.
For this album, it starts off really strong with Green Light and continues that way throughout. The one thing I don't like about this record is that there are no real instruments at all. At least as far as I can tell. It sort of loses points for that, but what is recorded is really good. Much better than the sort of electro-pop or dance pop that was coming out around the same time or even now. I know that's sort of a 'get off my lawn' argument but still, I appreciate real instruments more than something made on a computer. And keeping that in mind, it is a little ironic to me that the cover is a real (and fantastic) oil and acrylic painting. But I digress....
I'd find it hard not to give this album five stars even though I think it could be improved. It's a great album that I feel will stand the test of time and still be great 50 years from now. 5/5
Nirvana
5/5
I said about another live album that they should only be included in this list if it really captures something spectacular. This album is absolutely that. Even if you don't like Nirvana, this has to be one of the greatest live albums of all time. I know there was a whole slew of the MTV Unplugged shows, but this is by far the best. I think what you see from this record is that everyone in Nirvana were actually very good musicians and I don't think the majority of people would think of them that way. And normally I wouldn't praise an album on this list for having so many covers but in this case it really makes it better. Not that the originals are bad or that they couldn't have achieved the same thing had they just stuck to Nirvana songs, but the choices of covers they made were perfect. I mean holy hell Where Did You Sleep Last Night is one of the greatest recordings ever. Covering Bowie is always a bold move. And I love that they left in a lot of the banter between songs, it makes it feel like a super honest and real record. I mean, really, you can't say enough good things about this album. 5/5
Syd Barrett
2/5
Maybe it's just the day but two songs in and I'm already bored with this. I mean as everyone has said, Pink Floyd wouldn't exist without Syd Barrett. But that doesn't mean that he's some kind of brilliant infallible genius. This...isn't great. It's rough, it's not recorded well, it's uneven. I don't mind weird lyrics or experimental music but this doesn't really succeed at either of those things. It doesn't sound like this was actually a finished record, it sounds like a demo. Some of it almost sounds like a parody, really. It kind of reminds me of Spinal Tap - how they went through all the various genres of music over the years. This would be the Spinal Tap version of psychedelia. Imagine Cups and Cakes mixed with Listen to the Flower People, but not actually as good as either. That's this whole record. Had Syd Barrett not been involved with Pink Floyd but released this same album, would anyone even remember it? Maybe some. I doubt it would be on this list. 2/5
Stephen Stills
2/5
This is so not my kind of thing. I hate CSN/CSNY and can't really think of a reason to listen to Buffalo Springfield. And the whole southern/country/rock blending, it's just not for me. I mean there is some good instrumentation and particularly some good guitar parts on this record but for some reason it just doesn't click with me. Maybe because it just sounds so much like a product of it's time. I don't think that's a necessarily bad thing, but it doesn't really seem to have anything new or different to offer. I liked a song here and there from this album but wouldn't seek it out or play it again in full. I found myself hoping it was almost over only to look and see that I wasn't even halfway through. 2.5/5 and rounding down because even though there were some great sounding guitars here and there, I was bored of it much too quickly.
Isaac Hayes
3/5
It's funny to get this one today, I just had Superfly a couple days ago. But still, it's a soundtrack. The cultural relevance of this one definitely earns it a spot in this list. I mean if Isaac Hayes had released this as just a regular album and not specifically for a movie soundtrack, would people be upset it was included in this list? I don't think so. Regardless, Theme From Shaft is a fantastic piece of music and one that almost anyone (over 30 years old maybe...) would recognize even if they haven't seen the movie, which most at this point probably haven't.
That said, I don't think this is as good an album as Hot Buttered Soul, the other Hayes album from this list. A lot of this one is almost like generic elevator music or something you'd hear playing in the airport waiting areas. But that's the nature of it being a soundtrack I guess - support what's happening on screen without taking attention away. So in that sense it’s quite successful. But this one is still just a 3/5 from me.
The Clash
5/5
Maybe it's just the day but I think I like this album better than London Calling. This record is more 'punk' if that makes sense. Don't get me wrong - I love London Calling but this is a little more raw, more aggressive, less polished, and angrier. I love it. Along with Never Mind the Bollocks, which I think is probably a better record, this is a quintessential 70s punk album. I'm not sure I would call this a 5/5 record but it's damn close, 4.5 at least. Maybe I'm feeling generous today (Friday before a long weekend after all...) but I'm giving this one a 5/5.
Paul McCartney and Wings
2/5
This album goes to show that even the (arguably) best Beatle really needed to have the other Beatles around him to make music at the same level. That's not to say this is bad, it's not, but it is certainly not the Beatles. And I guess that was the point to a certain degree. There are Beatle-esque moments on this album, but overall it kind of fell flat for me. I'm not saying that I want everything Paul McCartney does to sound like the Beatles, but what he came out with here is just not even close to the same level. 2.5/5 but I'm going to round down. I feel like George Harrison's solo attempts were much stronger, especially All Things Must Pass. This is absolutely not that.
Bad Company
3/5
I kind of feel like this album is what you would use if you needed a scene in a movie that called for 'generic classic rock'. I mean I bet at least 4 or 5 of these songs are still in fairly heavy rotation on any classic rock radio station in the US. And I've always applauded (or laughed at, not sure which...) the bold decision to have the song Bad Company on the album Bad Company by the band Bad Company. They really must have liked that name I guess? Or maybe it was just easier that way.
But this is fine. I'd never actually want to play this album but it's not exactly a slog to get through if it does get thrown on. 2.75/5 rounded up.
Don McLean
2/5
Ok so here's the thing - I hate the title track for this album, always have. I think I may be the only one in the whole world that does. I mean everyone has heard that song so many times. And I think it is objectively a really well written song, I just can't stand it. But, I don't think I've ever heard the rest of this album, I could just never get past the first song and I don't think I ever gave the rest of the album a chance. So we'll see how this goes...
Ok so about halfway through and it's kind of putting me to sleep. It's all just so soft and sappy. The lyrics are pretty great, the guy could definitely write a good song but pick it up a little Don.
Should this album be on the list? Absolutely, just for the first song being such an iconic staple of pop culture. Will I ever listen to it again? Absolutely not. 2/5
Dirty Projectors
4/5
I had never heard of this record or of this band before but after reading some of the reviews I was actually kind of excited about it. Weird and pretentious is normally something I'd enjoy. I'm not sure if I'd call this weird or pretentious. Maybe it's a little weird but not like off-putting weird. Unusual is what I would call it. But this is the good thing about going through this list - I really like this and never would have found it otherwise. I'm not sure I would rate it a 4/5 but probably like 3.75/5 from me. It's another example of why ratings should be out of 10, this would be a good 7.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Is this Stevie Wonder's best album? Maybe. I mean Superstition is one of the best songs ever so it already has that going for it. But really there's a lot to love on this album. Maybe Your Baby is such a strong song I don't know why it's not more well known. Tuesday Heartbreak is great as well. A lot of good funk and grooves on this record. Guitars (when there are guitars) and bass in particular are really strong on this album. And of course the vocals are great as always. But after Superstition it falls off just a bit for me, it's still a fantastic album but just slows down a little too much towards the end. 4/5
Blondie
4/5
This is a classic album for sure. Sort of new wave, sort of punk-lite, sort of late 70s/early 80s pop. I like it. It may not be one of my favorite records of all time but I've always liked Blondie and this is definitely their most recognizable album. It's got great vocals, great production, great playing. It's good music, not much else to say about it. 4/5
Air
3/5
Soundtrack is not generally a genre I would listen to and it seems like there are quite a few on this list. Although now that I think about it, all the soundtracks I've come across here are actually music created for the movie so it's not like we're listening to a mix tape.
I've never seen The Virgin Suicides, and I'm not sure if that's going to be a negative or a positive with respect to this record. Starting off moody and sad with Playground Love. I would expect the same flavor throughout given the name of the movie. And it does kind of carry through the rest of the album. It's interesting to me that this was chosen for an album on this list, I don't really see why it is included. It's fine but nothing about it stood out or blew me away at all. It excels and being background music for a film. 2.5/5
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
3/5
Hip hop isn't my thing but I love funk. I get that this was early 80s and hip hop has changed a lot since then, but this is infinitely more listenable that any hip hop in the last 30 years. I know that's quite a 'get off my lawn' take, but whatever. There are some cool grooves on this album for sure, I would really call this more of a funk-adjacent album than hip hop. It's still not quite to my taste, but at least I didn't struggle to get through it. 2.5/5
2/5
The only thing I know about Spirit going in is that Led Zeppelin ripped off Taurus. This whole album will be a surprise. Ok so maybe it was not so much of a surprise. It sounds like any number of bands of this kind from the time. It could be The Band, Country Joe & the Fish, CS&N, Humble Pie, etc. etc. I don't know what else to say. It's ok but very dated sounding in a generic sort of way. 2.5/5 rounding down.
Coldplay
2/5
I've always thought of Coldplay as kind of the softer version of Nickelback - so incredibly vanilla that they had to just be trying to appeal to the masses. And I feel like 'good music' doesn't mean that everyone likes it. This is music that doesn't challenge you, and probably because of that, doesn't engage you at all either. Needless to say, what I've heard from them has done nothing for me. However I believe this is my first time listening to an entire Coldplay album. Halfway through and my opinion hasn't been swayed at all. Clocks is a song that pretty much everyone has heard before. Too many times. I have to admit that when it starts I kind of dig it but by the time I'm a couple minutes in I'm ready for it to be done. That might be the theme for this whole album. I feel like this record is on the list because it was one of the biggest albums of the early 2000s and that goes to show what a shit state music was in during that time. Have we progressed since then? I think we have... But the worst thing about listening to this album? Now Spotify is going to think I want to listen to Coldplay. Rounding down because of that. 2.25/5
Gorillaz
3/5
I didn't realize until like 3 years ago that this was the guy from Blur. That kind of made me listen to Gorillaz a little differently. Whether that's good or bad I don't know. But I feel like the idea of creating a virtual band in the late 90s was pretty forward-thinking. I have a feeling this is one of those things that started as sort of a joke between friends but then turned into a real thing that gained traction. Regardless, I have of course heard all the songs I would have heard from Gorillaz without having ever sat down and listened to a whole album, but this is my first time listening all the way through.
Clint Eastwood is definitely the standout, that's a fantastic song that still holds up and sounds good today. I like that this record is diverse but at the same time it doesn't sound scattered. This is a fun album to listen to but other than Clint Eastwood, I don't feel like I would play any of it again. However, if I saw it in the record shop, I would probably buy it and play it from time to time. 3/5
PJ Harvey
5/5
This is a fantastic record. I feel like more people need to listen to PJ Harvey and I never got why she wasn't more popular. I don't know that this is my favorite record of hers, I'd have to go back and listen to some of the others again, but it's up there for sure. My only real complaint with this album is that the dynamics are a little off for me. I shouldn't have to adjust the volume from song to song or especially not within the same song. That might have been a deliberate choice (like the first song starts playing for a minute and a half or something super quiet so you turn up the volume and then it's like 'joke's on you, now the real music starts!') but it's kind of distracting and irritating. But that's a pretty small complaint and otherwise this is an utterly brilliant album. 5/5
Incubus
2/5
Shocked to see this pop up today. I've never in my life thought that everyone needs to hear an Incubus record. This album sounds like it would be blasting out of the Monster Energy Drink tent at some kind of festival where a dude named Kyle is giving out free samples. It's not for me. It's so dated and doesn't hold up at all. People love Drive but that song is so overplayed I'm fine never hearing it again. I mean I've heard worse albums but I'd never play this again and I would probably turn it off if it came on randomly. 2/5
The Beach Boys
3/5
Can't be a coincidence that I get this today when Brian Wilson died yesterday. And I guess it's not - seems everyone got Beach Boys or Brian Wilson today.
Ok here's my stance on The Beach Boys - I feel like after their first album they were trying to be like a California version of the Beatles. I'm sure back in the early to mid 60s that was something that a lot of people liked. Listening to it now it's so sappy and saccharine. Pet Sounds is a good album, though overrated, and I like a few other Beach Boys songs here and there but wouldn't ever feel like throwing on a record of theirs. This album I kind of lump in with the rest of their music. It's fine. There's some interesting things going on but when it's over in the short and sweet 29 minutes I'm definitely ready to move on to something else. 2.5/5 will round up since Brian Wilson just died.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
3/5
Ok so what do I say about this? I mean the whole 'yeah these guys are totally racist assholes' thing is kind of hard to get past. But as with other artists with problems (and to be fair that's probably like 90% of artists) I'll try to just focus on the music. Fantastic guitars, obviously. I think that's probably what they were most known for. Well that and Freebird. I mean the music is good, although I'm not really a fan of the whole southern rock genre in general. But I do have to say that for a first album, this one does have a ton of what a lot of people would consider to be classics. I'm not sure I'd agree but that's a personal preference. And I think I've heard Freebird enough. Also, why the hell are there so many people in this band? Surely the music they played on this record didn't need 7 people in the band. And their current picture on Spotify has 9 people in it. Why? 3/5
Elton John
5/5
This is such a great album. Probably my favorite of his. It's nice and long but doesn't seem like it. I wasn't ready for it to be over when it ended. Everyone knows the hits from this album but the whole thing is really fantastic and it flows really well. I love the different styles on this record, they go from one to the next perfectly and the whole thing is seamless. A near perfect record that almost everyone will love. 5/5
The Style Council
3/5
First one in a while that I'd never heard of. Seems like this list is super heavy on the brit pop and new wave. I do like new wave every now and again so this one should be interesting at least.
Ok so this isn't bad, it's just kind of all over the place. I wouldn't call it new wave or Brit pop. It's more like jazzy easy listening with other random pop and R&B elements thrown in? I don't know. It's fine but nothing I would listen to a second time. 2.5/5
Tracy Chapman
5/5
If I ever have heard this whole album, it's been a long long time so I think other than Fast Car this is going to be a new one for me.
God damn. This woman can write some words. I wasn't really ready for this today. This is a beautiful and sad record. I mean I kind of knew what I was getting into having heard Fast Car so many times but this whole album is just brilliant songwriting. A rating is really hard for this one, another example of why this needs to be out of 10 instead of 5. This would be a good 9. 5/5 it is.
Bill Callahan
5/5
Had never heard of this guy before but damn. I loved this record. Definitely not country as this site says. I saw someone say doom county or apocalyptic country and I think that fits. It’s really good. I’m not a country fan at all, this is more like dark gothic folk. Fantastic. His voice isn’t spectacular but it fits the music and the vibe so well. I'm a little scared to look up anything else by him because I feel like it probably will be more along the lines of traditional country and that would be a real shame. 5/5
John Lennon
2/5
If you just heard Imagine with no context of who wrote it you might kind of agree with the sentiment, I would for sure. But it's such a lie coming from John Lennon. He would have hated the world he was wishing for in that song because he would be equal with everyone else and that's not what he wanted at all. I mean he professed all these ideas of no possessions and equality while standing there waiting for his maid to change his sheets for the third time that day. No, he was a pretty terrible person for sure and all the ideas he spouts in that song are definitely a 'this is for you but not me because I'm better than you' mentality.
And this whole album is another example of why the Beatles were so great. None of their solo stuff was ever close to what they made together. George Harrison was probably the closest to making something comparable. This album is just kind of boring, run of the mill music with a couple of high spots here and there. And full of insincere and false sentiment. Best song is I Don't Wanna Be A Soldier. But still, if John Lennon hadn't been a Beatle, nobody would have listened to this album at all. 2.5/5 but rounding down for reasons.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
I like this album, but I don't think it's his best. I've only ever been a little lukewarm on Bob Marley anyway, this is the third album of his I've had on this list and three seems like a little much for me. The thing that I really like about this album in particular is the musicianship - the band is fantastic on this record. Really tight, really great. It's always strange to me to listen to Bob Marley because the music and the lyrics always seem so at odds - fun and happy sounding music with lyrics about oppression, poverty, racism, etc. It does make for interesting records, that's for sure. 3.25/5 for this one.
Tom Waits
5/5
My first Tom Waits album from this list. And kind of an odd one to start with. I know that a lot of people sort of took offense to the 'fake jazz lounge' concept of the album. I think it would have been cooler to be a real jazz bar for sure but maybe this is a little more controlled and less real life which I think was probably the intent.
Tom Waits seems like he'd be an interesting guy to talk to. Especially back in 1975. Especially now, for that matter. I've always liked his music - he's got such a unique and fantastic voice. Particularly as he got older. It's definitely not for everyone. This album specifically, he sounds great as ever. I love the loose feeling of this record. The upright bass, piano, drums with brushes, sax - it all comes together and fits so well with what he's doing. I know it's a fake lounge but take it as you would a movie - you know it isn't real but you can imagine being there in person to experience it. It would have been so much fun. I think a lot of people (most?) would get a little bored with this. It plays basically like a long monologue accompanied by music. I love it. 5/5
Dr. Dre
1/5
Just what I wanted today - another hip hop album full of misogyny, homophobia, glorification of violence, shitty electronic beats, and music stolen from other artists. I get that this is sort of a cultural cornerstone but that doesn't make it good. I think that makes the whole situation unfortunate. There are much better ways to promote African Americans and the amazing culture they share. We don't need Dr. Dre to tell everyone it's cool to assault women and kill people. I have to wonder if this music actually originated from an intention of just shock value. 0/5 but that's not an option.
Hole
3/5
I've always wondered why Hole wasn't more successful. I think it was probably because of Kurt Cobain and how Courtney Love was overshadowed by him while he was alive and then she was kind of villainized after his death. Had she not been involved with him at all and made the same records with Hole, I think they would have been a much bigger band.
This album is still pretty solid nearly 30 years later. I remember hearing this album a lot when it came out and liking it back then too. I don't think it's anything that is going to change your life but it's a great pop-rock/grunge mashup that is still fun to listen to. I don't think Courtney Love has the greatest voice of all time but it works with the music well enough. This is a good album, not a great one. 3/5
Electric Light Orchestra
3/5
This is a fun album to listen to, although I don't think I would ever play it again all the way through. Maybe if I was cleaning the house or cooking or something on the weekend when I could have something playing in the background that I don't really need to pay attention to. It's great for that. Some interesting parts here and there and the whole thing is pretty atmospheric. Although a little cheesy and dated sounding now, I can appreciate that this was a brand new kind of music in 1977 so there is something to be said for that. 3/5
Pink Floyd
4/5
It's been a long time since I listened to this whole album all the way through. This is a really good album, but I don't think it's their best. I feel like The Wall and Wish You Were Here are both better albums. For this one, you kind of have to be in the right mindset to really appreciate it. And I don't mean you need to be high, although that's probably how this was intended to be experienced. I mean all the parts of this album are there - guitars, bass, keys, vocals are all great. I think that it's biggest weakness is that because of the feel that they were leaning into with the whole album, it feels a little lazy and sleepy. But again, that's probably the point. Not a prefect album by any means, and it is certainly overrated, but it is still a great record. 4/5
Depeche Mode
3/5
Meh. I like Depeche Mode in general. But I don't think I'd ever really want to sit and listen to them with intention. I've always really liked the vocals on all the Depeche Mode records, this one is no exception. I don't really have anything else to say about this one. It's an album that exists. 3/5
Lambchop
2/5
Have you ever been to maybe a local farmer's market and, set up under the trees, there's a guy with an Taylor T5 thinline electro acoustic guitar, an ungodly amount of PA equipment, and some pre-recorded samples on a multitrack sequencer/drum machine that he plays along with while he sings? Clearly he's a decent musician but the music isn't anything that people would really sit and pay attention to. It's just kind of filler in the background that most people don't even realize is being played by a real person. And you start to think to yourself, 'I bet this guy is like the brother in law of the event organizer or something' before you go on with your organic produce purchases and walk away from the small stage that's hosting said lone man. You move on without another thought about the music whatsoever. Then the next day you forget he was even there.
That's this whole album. 2/5
D'Angelo
1/5
I mean this guy has a good voice but this is just not music that I enjoy. I basically hated every minute of this. Nothing else really to say about this one. 1/5
X-Ray Spex
5/5
I had hear most of this record but not all at one. I mean, really, you had me at woman-fronted punk band. People seem to hate punk music for some reason, especially if you're reading some of the reviews on this site. I don't get why. The music is generally simple and repetitive, yes. But it's raw, it's emotional, and more often than not it has a lot to say. This is a great record that is all of those things. I get it if punk isn't for you, that's fine. I love this album. 5/5
Missy Elliott
1/5
Oh man, I vaguely remember this when it came out and I was a teenager. I (thankfully) haven't heard it since then and can't imagine I'm going to like it any more now. We shall see...
Yeah man, this is still not for me. I just don't like this kind of music at all. Not a real instrument in sight, bad lyrics, repetitive beats. I get that this is regarded as one of the best hip hop albums of all time and it's a cultural cornerstone, but it's just not something I enjoy. 1/5
Hugh Masekela
3/5
This album is suuuper 70s. I liked it but I feel like it’s so dated it would be a tough sell for anyone these days. It’s jazzy, sure, but in such a specific 70s way. And I’m not sure I could even say why it’s that way. Regardless, I enjoyed listening. Probably wouldn’t listen again. 3/5
Duke Ellington
3/5
A good record, not a great one. It's a fun live album and I would play it every now and then in the background. Not the best jazz record out there and I am little surprised to see it on this list - I feel like there were better choices for Duke Ellington. It's not one that I would play for someone to try and sway them to become a jazz appreciator. 3/5
2/5
Oh man I know I'm gonna struggle with this one. This kind of country is one of my least favorite types of music. It's going to be a 29 minute slog for sure. But at least it will be a short slog.
And a slog it was. Maybe not quite as bad as it could have been, but still I will never like this kind of music. So not for me. 1.5/5
The Cult
3/5
I don't really get the hate for this album. Yeah it may not be the best from The Cult but it's a solid rocker. The cover of Born To Be Wild is kind of bad and unnecessary. This may not be a life changing album for anyone but I liked it. Peace Dog and Aphrodisiac Jacket are the two that stand out to me. I think their more gothic-centered stuff is better for sure. This album is pretty straightforward and simple but has some great elements. The guitars are great. Drums sound huge. Good vocals. 80s rock isn't everyone's favorite, myself included, but I liked this album well enough. 3.5/5 but rounding down because it's not good enough to round up.
New Order
4/5
I really liked this album. I've always liked Joy Division but was only vaguely familiar with New Order. But damn, I think I've kind of been missing out. I would definitely buy this if I saw it in the record shop and would probably play it a bunch of times, forget about it for a year, remember I have it, and play it a lot again. Rinse and repeat.
I think with these kinds of band from the mid 80s, you're rolling the dice when you start an album but I really enjoyed this one all the way through. The vocals are not the greatest, true, and the recording is a little uneven, but the album as a whole is really strong. Would absolutely recommend to friends. 4/5
Simple Minds
3/5
This is straight down the middle New Wave. Like almost a stereotype for this type of music. I like it but it's not exactly going to wow anyone. It's fun to listen to and I think it is produced well. I'm not sure I would actively listen to this album much, but I'd definitely throw it on and play it in the background every now and then. 3/5
Black Sabbath
4/5
I'm sure everyone has a Sabbath or Ozzy record today. Such a loss yesterday. Whether or not you're a fan of heavier music, Ozzy's influence and contributions to music in general are undeniable.
My first thought listening to this album today is that it's incredible that this is from 1971. It's pretty heavy even listening to it now 50+ years later. I would imagine when this came out it was kind of like that line in Back to the Future: 'I guess you guys aren't ready for that yet. But your kids are gonna love it.' When this was released I bet most people couldn't really even fathom what they were hearing. It was so much different from even the harder rock at the time. I mean Led Zeppelin IV came out that year too but this just kind of hits different I think. And actually now looking at records from 1971, that was a great year for music - Hunky Dory, Who's Next, Maggot Brain, Sticky Fingers, Fragile, What's Going On. Damn. But still, this is a little different from all of those.
This is a great album. I don't like it as much as Paranoid, that's an absolute fucking masterpiece. This album has a couple slow spots on it for me - Changes isn't my favorite, and the weird 2 minutes of random sounds kind of takes you out of it. But then you come back strong with Supernaut and that's a banger. And I feel like Bill Ward doesn't get enough credit - that guy was a monster drummer. Really good drums on this record. 4/5
Caetano Veloso
3/5
This album sounds like a the soundtrack for a weird rom com from the 60s where a man down on his luck goes to Rio for business and meets a flighty, free spirited woman on Copacabana Beach. They begin what will become a whirlwind romance that turns into something more serious at the end of the movie.
Is it a good album? I don't really know. It's not bad. It's kind of fun to have on in the background maybe. But it doesn't make me want to listen to anything else he's done. I'm curious about the choice of that photo for the cover though.... 3/5
Iggy Pop
5/5
It's kind of hard to comment on this album without mentioning The Idiot too. Both are great and I can never decide which I like better. It's also hard to discuss this without talking about David Bowie, he had such an impact on both of these albums. For this album in particular, I feel like the production is obviously Bowie. But it's definitely more of an Iggy Pop album that The Idiot. That album might as well have been a Bowie album with Iggy singing instead. Or at least that's how it sounds. Which isn't a bad thing. But I feel like this album, The Idiot, and Bowie's Berlin Trilogy are all part of the same whole. I love them all.
Obviously everyone knows Lust for Life and The Passenger, and that's fair - they are definitely the standouts. But there is so much on this record to like. Iggy Pop was so distinctive with his vocals. Drums sound huge, guitars and bass are fantastic. It's a fantastic record that maybe not everyone will really appreciate but if you're a fan of Iggy Pop or David Bowie you'll love it. 5/5
The Specials
3/5
Ska has never really been my thing, but I do have to admit that my experience with ska is pretty much limited to the sort of ska/punk from the mid to late 90s.
I appreciate the Jamaican rhythms and percussion and the sort of harder edge (I guess that's what you'd call it?) that 2 tone has. And from my little experience with this kind of music, this album seems to fall right in line with that. I don't particularly like the vocals on this album but there are things I do enjoy - some good guitars, great bass, great percussion. But it got a little wearing. I was ready to move on before it was over. 2.5/5 and will round up.
The Byrds
2/5
Not a lot to say about this one. It's ok. Super short songs, but a lot of them. It definitely all ran together for me and I found myself not paying attention to it at all. I don't really know why this album would be included on this list, and surely one from The Byrds would have been enough. This is my first one from them but apparently they have 5 on the list? Seems excessive to me... 2/5
Emmylou Harris
2/5
I vaguely remember Emmylou Harris from when I was a kid. My dad pretty much only listened to country music and anytime I was in the car that's what was playing. I don't know that I could name any of her songs, but I'm positive I've heard a lot of them.
Country is not my thing at all. I jut don't like it. Although a lot of this could just be called singer-songwriter, it does pretty much all have that unmistakable country twang to it. And I hate that. And it's sort of overly sappy and saccharine in a lot of places. It is produced really well. The acoustic guitars sound fantastic. Voice is good. Bass is decent. Too bad I just don't like this kind of music. 1.5/5
Mercury Rev
3/5
This is a really odd album. I kind of like it. I had never heard of this band at all before, so that's always welcome. I don't really know what to say about this album - it's not really what I would think of as typical shoegaze or indie as it's categorized here. There are elements of that, sure, but there's some avant garde in there, some pop elements. Goddess On A Hiway seemed familiar to me, maybe I've heard a cover of that song? I don't know but I liked that song a lot. Although I liked some of the weirder parts of this album, I think it would have been better to maybe take that stuff out and write 2-3 more actual songs. But I enjoyed it enough regardless. 3/5
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
This is somehow my third album from My Bloody Valentine from this list, surely this has to be the last one?
I would say I casually like this band, although I do really like the whole Loveless album. They are a band that I don't really think about much but when they come on I usually do like what I hear.
A few songs into this record and I can tell that I will be a little lukewarm on it. It's definitely not as good as Loveless. I kind of feel like they didn't really grow much in the 20+ years between these two albums, just got more into guitar effects. 2.5/5 but I'll round up because why not.
Erykah Badu
3/5
I remember this album being a big deal when it came out. I don't really remember why but it was everywhere. My biggest complaint about it is that the vocal arrangements are all oddly the same. Like you can almost replace the vocal parts for one song with any other on the album. That's obviously not 100% true but still, it was something that I noticed. I can see that her voice would also be a bit of a debate for a lot of people. There are good and bad things about it, but I think I like it for the most part. It's, maybe not unique, but different enough to stand out a bit.
I don't really know her music well, but I wouldn't be surprised if this album was kind of a departure from the one she had done before - like her saying 'look how grown up and sophisticated I am now'. But I don't really think it shows that. It sounds like someone trying to make you believe that. I don't know, that may be way off, like I said I don't know her music at all, that's just how it sounds to me. And the lyrics are just bad. If you listen without paying attention it makes it better.
Overall I think this album is good, but not something that would make me want to explore the rest of her catalogue. And I probably wouldn't play it again but if it came up randomly, I'd probably let it play for at least a while. 2.5/5
Jane's Addiction
3/5
Jane's Addiction is one of those bands I always kind of forget about but really enjoy when I come across them again. I hadn't heard this album in like 30 years probably.
There's a lot going on in this record. I feel like the musicianship is actually really excellent. I've always thought of Dave Navarro as a really underrated guitar player and his work on this album is just great. I'm not sure I'd really call the album as a whole a great album. There are great parts. Even within songs, great parts in otherwise mediocre songs. All in all this album is just kind of ok. Maybe I don't like Jane's Addiction as much as I remember. I don't think I would buy this album if I saw it in the record shop, although I like a lot of it, I don't think I'd really listen to it much. 3/5
Queen
4/5
This is not my favorite Queen album but even a 2nd tier album from Queen is better than most other albums. This album is operatic, complex, played and recorded really well, a little weird at times. It's exactly what you would expect from Queen. 4/5
Supertramp
3/5
You know, I don't think I really like Supertramp. I mean it's kind of weird because I love prog, but Supertramp has never really been prog to me. I don't know. They're fine. But they're too, like, squeaky clean or something. I don't really know how to describe it. And I can't really point out what I don't like about it specifically. Maybe the keys/synths are too much for me. It sounds sort of plastic and artificial. I mean I like some songs here and there, Bloody Well Right from this record obviously. But this album came out the same year as the first Rush album and for this type of music there is a clear winner and it isn't Supertramp. 2.5/5
Grant Lee Buffalo
3/5
I've never heard of this one (as far as I know... actually Spotify says I've liked one song by them from a different album) but sometimes those are the best records and the main reason this is so much fun. Let's jump in shall we?
This reminds me of something but I can't really put my finger on it. I feel like it's pretty standard early/mid 90s rock. But like, no more genre-specific than that. I wouldn't call it alt, indie, pop, etc. It's just kind of generic rock music. There are a couple songs I actually did really like - Stars N Stripes was really interesting and maybe more alt/grunge inspired. It was just ok, I wouldn't listen again or seek out anything else they've done based on this one. 2.5/5
Fishbone
3/5
This was a pretty fun record. It's kind of hard to categorize, there are a lot of different things going on here. That's good and bad - good because it definitely keeps you interested and doesn't get boring but bad because it's not exactly a cohesive album. It almost seems like just a collection of random songs rather than a full album. Some of it is painfully 80s which I suppose you can't really fault it for but just something that might not be everyone's cup of tea.
I liked this album well enough but I don't think I would really ever listen to it again. 2.75/5
Blood, Sweat & Tears
3/5
A band that I don't really know at all past recognizing their name. Don't think I can even name one song so I'm calling this one new to me.
First impression - this is like if Creedence tried to play jazz. There are elements to this that I like but it does sound very Creedence-y which is not a good thing for me. I think I like the music but the vocals are where I'm thrown off. Just something about the vocal quality and characteristics and the way the vocal lines are formed puts me off. But there is some great musicianship on this record for sure. Drums in particular are really good. All in all it had some fun parts but wasn't quite my thing 2.5/5
Faith No More
2/5
The surprising thing about this album to me is that it came out in 1989. I mean I had heard songs from this album over the years and always thought it was one of the mid 90s grunge/funk/metal mashups that sort of led to the nu-metal genre. Going back now and listening to it knowing when it was released, I should have known better. There are some elements of this that sound exactly like the early Chili Peppers which would have been around the same time I think.
It's a decent album, not one I would go back to. The cover of War Pigs was kind of a nice surprise. My favorite thing about it is the bass - great tone, great playing throughout. Least favorite thing about it - the vocals absolutely suck. 2.5/5 and rounding down
Bad Brains
4/5
Was unfamiliar with this one until today. I love it when that happens.
It's telling to me that the reviews on this make it seem a love it or hate it kind of thing. Were it not for the vocals I think this would be a 5/5 for me. I think the vocals really take away from the rest of what's going on. Some of the vocals aren't too bad - Secret 77 is a good example of how they could have at least improved the vocal lines a bit. But I think I just don't like H.R.'s voice. Sacred Love being recorded over the phone from jail is a cool story but it would have been better had the vocals been recorded in studio. It played like a backing track with shitty vocals layered over, which, I suppose, is exactly what it was.
Aside from the vocals, brilliant playing all around. It's raw, edgy, tight, aggressive, erratic in a good way, well payed. Some of the guitars are very Vernon Reid-esque in playing and tone. And that's a pretty big compliment. I really liked it but I'm going to have to dock a star for the vocals. 4/5
The Allman Brothers Band
3/5
I mean I like a blues jam as much as the next guy but unless I'm watching it in person or playing in the band, it kind of gets boring after a while. The playing was all great but this kind of music is just repetitive by design. I would never listen to this whole thing again. 2.5/5
4/5
Definitely the best from U2. Everyone has heard the first three songs a million times. I've always really liked Bullet The Blue Sky, I think that's one of U2's best. After that the album sort of falls off a bit, it's good but doesn't stand out as much as the first 4. Not much else to say about this album though. It's a solid album from a band I don't really care for. 4/5
The Avalanches
1/5
I'm not an electronic music fan at all and this is exactly the repetitive kind of thing I can't really stand. Apparently one of the best Australian albums ever? That can't be right. I was ready to move on about two songs in but had to tough it out for another 55 minutes. Even for electronic music, this is pretty weak. Cool cover art though. 1.25/5
Steely Dan
2/5
Yeah I'm still not a fan of Steely Dan. And not of this record either - it's just too plain. There's nothing in this that excites me. I was hoping this would be a little better than the last record of theirs I got but it's pretty much the same. And that's disappointing. 2.5/5.
CHIC
4/5
I feel like disco kind of gets unfair hate. I mean, ok, it's not something that I'd really ever listen to on purpose. But the musicianship is usually pretty great, bass and guitar in particular. For this album - I could listen to these bass lines all day. Seems like it would be a lot of fun to play. The Nile Rodgers/Bernard Edwards combo is always a pleasure. I mean the songs are sappy and dumb but the music is good. I like it. Chic, and disco in general, are one of those instances where, when they come up, it's always really fun to listen to and then forget about it for a while until it comes up again. 3.75/5
Beatles
3/5
I know a lot of people say this is one of the best Beatles albums, but I disagree. There are some good songs on here, I love Eleanor Rigby obviously, but a lot of the album falls a little flat. I liked what came after this record a lot more. I think this is when they were just starting to get kind of weird, and I like the weird.
It's hard to rate this album - I feel like it doesn't deserve a 4 but 3 is not quite enough. I think I'm calling it a 3.5 but will round down because the Beatles have done a lot better.
R.E.M.
2/5
I was surprised to see this come up today - this is my third from REM and I don't feel like they need three albums on this list. Clearly this album is included because of End of the World and The One I Love. There would be no reason include this record if not for those two songs. I do really like End of the World, that's a fabulous song. But listening to these three albums has made me decide that I don't really like REM. I think a lot of it might be the way that Michael Stipe sings. They just aren't my thing and I hope this is the last one from them in my remaining 550 albums. 2/5
Fatboy Slim
1/5
Ugh another one I know is gonna be a slog (and it was). This kind of music is just not for me. I don't feel like stealing hooks from other people's music and adding shitty repetitive electronic beats and random sounds over the top while twisting knobs to phase, fade, and pan the sound should be celebrated. Remember in Friends when Ross played keyboards and had his 'sound'? That's what this is. It was funny when Ross did it, this is not funny. Nor is it good music. 1/5
Bobby Womack
3/5
As cool as this album is, it's almost unbearably 80s R&B/Blues/Soul. I can't really put my finger on it but there was something about the production of this kind of music in the early to mid 80s that is just unmistakable. Maybe it's the long fade outs on every song? Cheesy synths? The over-tight sound of the drums? All of those things? I don't know. It was a fun record to listen to but any longer and I would have struggled. 2.5/5
Janis Joplin
3/5
I don't think I'd say that Janis Joplin had a good voice. It's decidedly not good. But it's so unique that it's absolutely amazing for the music she made. Her voice is so strong that it doesn't matter if the pitch is off a bit or if it's uneven. She forces you to listen to her and that's why it's great. I can certainly see the influence this album has had on basically every woman-fronted rock band since.
This is a good album. It's not a perfect or even a great album. There are some songs on here that I wouldn't really listen to again on their own, but playing the album as a whole is the way to do it. 3.25/5
Circle Jerks
4/5
There's something about this kind of music I just love. Yes it's simple and dumb but that's kind of the charm. You can always tell that these kinds of punk bands were looking for an outlet for their frustrations or whatever they needed to vent and forming a band was, for some reason, the best or easiest thing for them. This album, at a whopping 14 songs and 15 minutes, is such a great example - fast, loud, brash, roughly played. It's the kind of album that a kid would hear and think 'if these guys can put out a record I probably could too....' It's the kind of album that makes kids want to pick up an instrument whether or not they can play it. And that's a fantastic thing in my book. I do wish the songs were longer, it loses some points for that but I think that's also just sort of standard for the genre. Not like you have a verse and chorus in most of this.
One thing I would point out about this is that the drums are really really great. Super tight, always right on. Playing drums well for this kind of music is a lot more difficult than it sounds like it would be, Lucky Lehrer should get more credit for that. Interestingly he was playing jazz before this, it kind of shows. 4/5
Kings of Leon
3/5
The first two songs were great. I was hoping this would be better than their radio hits. I was let down. It turned into a vanilla, boring, unimaginative record that I’ve already forgotten. 2.5/5
Mylo
1/5
This album was not my thing. A lot of it sounded like a parody of electronic music. I listened to on a long road trip and it somehow made the drive longer. 1.5/5
Kacey Musgraves
1/5
Good god. This is not just music that is not my taste. This is simply just bad music. Some of the worst lyrics I’ve ever heard. Literally sounds like it was written by an elementary school girl with a crush on someone. It was absolutely a terrible album and should be taken off this list. 1.5/5
Jean-Michel Jarre
2/5
This album sounds like standing in line for space mountain. Like if you mixed that with old school original Metroid. 2/5
Van Morrison
3/5
I guess I enjoyed this album. Van Morrison is not someone I would ever remember to listen to but it was decent enough. Good energy, well played, well recorded. Im not sure if there were overdubs but if there were they did a good job of blending in. One and done for me but I liked it well enough. 3/5
Adele
4/5
If you like Adele you'll love this album. Every time I hear Adele I'm blown away by the voice on that woman. She can sing. Her music isn't really something that I would listen to all the time but I can absolutely appreciate the ability she has. Part of the problem with this album in particular is that it all feels a little too formulaic. Like she found a sound she wanted and stuck with that throughout the entire record. Most of the songs have similar vocal lines, similar instrumentation, and are produced to all kind of sound the same. I feel like that's intentional. I do think this is probably a better album than 21 on the whole. It's another tough one to rate because I don't think I'd give it a 4 but 3 is way too low. So I guess I'd call it a 3.8 and round up to 4/5.
Beck
3/5
My third from Beck which seems a little excessive. I mean I like Beck but don't feel like he did enough to merit three albums on this list. I rated both the other two from him 4/5 so apparently I do actually like his music when it comes down to it. For this album, I like Go It Alone and E-Pro but the rest seems like kind of just standard Beck Alt. It's not bad but it's not something that I feel needs to be on this list. I do enjoy this album and was glad to have listened to it today but it's not something that I feel I need to return to very often. 3/5
Kings of Leon
2/5
I just had another Kings of Leon album last week, surely they didn't even merit one album on this list, but two? Come on...
This one is more of the same. I think Kings of Leon are kind of like Nickelback - they found one sound that masses of people liked and just stuck with that to keep selling records. I mean Nickelback gets a lot of shit but they sell tons of records and I think that applies here as well. I can't really put my finger on why I don't like this - the music isn't bad, the vocals are but not off-puttingly so. It's just...plain. This album is the equivalent of lightly toasted dry white bread. Some people like that because it doesn't challenge you in any way. I did appreciate some of the bass lines and the drums are really well played. I wouldn't ever really listen to this on purpose though. 2/5
XTC
3/5
A new one for me, and that's always exciting.
First impression: I never would have guessed this was from the mid 80s. This is straight out of 1964. I get the Beatles comparison but I don't think I agree. I get more of a Donovan vibe from this. As it goes on it gets maybe a little more 80s but still clings to the 60s sound. It's a really interesting blend. I like that it's kind of silly - like the lyrics are sort of serious but it's done in a playful way. It kind of transitions to a 'what if Huey Lewis was a 60s psychedelic band?'.
I'm not sure I'd really listen to this again or seek out anything else from them but I did really enjoy this play through. I might buy this in the record shop if I came across it there and didn't find anything else that day. 3.5/5 but rounding down because it's just not a 4 for me.
Spacemen 3
3/5
Ok so first thing, don't listen to the 2 hour version of this on Spotify. The original album clocks in at like 45 min and that's way better. It seems like it's unfair to just listen to this one once, I didn't appreciate it enough the first time through. It's not great by any means but I judged it too harshly at first. I don't think I would really ever go back to it, maybe if I was in a certain mood. I don't think everyone really needs to hear this, and it doesn't seem like a staple in any sense, but I was glad to have heard it today. Some cool things going on but there is a lot of trash there too. 2.75/5
The Fall
4/5
I love this kind of stuff but have only gotten into it in the last few years. I feel like I've kind of missed out on a lot of real punk and post punk outside what everyone knows. It has a lot to say, its fun to listen to, it energizes you. What else do you need from music? It's not exactly complicated but that's not the point. I'll definitely be listening to some others of theirs after this one and that seems like the mark of a good album to me.
I get that this is not a style of music meant to be for everyone. And that's totally fine. But why this music is more generally panned than pop country or hip hop I'll never know. 3.75/5 on this one.
Jack White
5/5
It's been a while since I could go to the vinyl collection to listen to my album of the day! This is such a great album. I feel like Jack White can really do no wrong - White Stripes, his solo stuff, The Dead Weather, The Raconteurs - all fantastic and all so different but unmistakably Jack White. Some better than others of course but it's all consistently solid.
While this may not be the best album of the various projects from Jack White, it's a super solid record that I've listened to a bunch of times. Production is great, songwriting is great, playing is great. I love it. 5/5
Bonnie Raitt
3/5
I really respect Bonnie Raitt as a sort of pioneer of women guitar players. Sure she wasn't the first but for a while (maybe still?) she was one of the most prominent women who took over what has always been a male dominated instrument. And I'm not sure why more women haven't been considered superstars of guitar until even just the last few years.
Anyway, that's to say that I appreciate her contribution to music and showing people that women can be guitar players too. But I don't really care for her music. This album suffers from massive 80s overproduction. The list of people involved in writing, performing, recording, and producing this album is a mile long. It's too much and somehow the record still sort of lacks something. Listening now it's super dated and cheesy. I do really like the bass on most of this record though. There's something about that over-produced 80s bass that I actually like a lot. But, really, most of the album is fairly typical and forgettable. 3/5
2Pac
1/5
I really hope I'll be done with the hip hop albums soon. I mean I'm not quite halfway through the list but hopefully I got more than half the hip hop albums in my first 500 on the list...
This is not really any exception. It's perhaps not as terrible as some of the others. I just hate all the stereotypical lyrics and themes in all of this music. It's so childish and embarrassing to listen to. Like I'm embarrassed for the people who make this music. I can only take so much misogyny, praise and boasting of violence, and lyrics that basically just relate how dangerous and amazing you think you are. It's just...dumb. I mean I appreciate the social commentary and issues that are sort of spread throughout the lyrics but to me it is sort of self defeating to your cause to mix in legitimate commentary on social and racial issues while also talking about assaulting women, murdering people, and the like. And usually in the same song. It's just bad music and bad writing. And the parts where he tries to 'sing', it's clear that he's really struggling to be vaguely in tune. And largely fails despite the struggle. As for the instrumentation (if you can call it that...), it's simple electronic beats for the most part. Same as all hip hop.
So for a rating, I don't understand the draw to this kind of music at all. I've tried and it always just blows my mind that people enjoy this kind of thing. It is objectively bad music. This record may be a little more tolerable than some but that's kind of like asking what kind of torture you would prefer. 1.5/5
Burning Spear
4/5
I liked this more than I thought I would. I mean I know that this could basically be a Bob Marley album, and I would guess that a lot of people would say that. But I think this is even more of a laid back vibe than Bob Marley. I really enjoyed it and though I don't think I would listen to this all the time, I might play it now and again if I came across the record in a shop. 3.75/5
Al Green
4/5
The title track from this one is obviously the standout but the whole album is really good. Not a lot to say about it, but it definitely deserves a listen. I'd absolutely recommend this to anyone and would buy it and play it in regular rotation. It's not quite up there for a 5 for me but a solid 4 for sure. 4/5
Motörhead
4/5
How can someone with a voice as bad as Lemmy decide to front a band? It worked I guess. I've always kind of been on the fence about Motorhead. I like the music but it always sounds sort of amateurish to me. This being a live album, even more so despite what I suspect are some pretty heavy overdubs. But goddamn the bass tone is fantastic. Super raw, super dirty, super aggressive. I may only be a casual fan of Motorhead but I can see why Lemmy gets the accolades he does. Simple, heavy music is always welcome. I liked this album a lot. This may not be an record that I would sit and focus on but playing in the background while doing something else, it just hits almost all the time. 4/5
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
5/5
God damn that's a great album cover. I almost don't have to listen to the record at all.
Early prog was so great. Just a bunch of nerds (as a nerd, I use that term endearingly) writing batshit crazy songs that are actually about serious subjects such as the futility of war and hypocrisy of politics, in this case told as a story of...(checks notes)...an armadillo/tank hybrid fighting a battle with a mythological lion/scorpion/human/porcupine hybrid. I mean that just writes itself really.
I would love to see an album like this released today. There are certainly bands doing things similar but they aren't exactly selling out stadiums.
The thing I don't like about Emerson, Lake & Palmer is the organ. I don't mind some synths here and there but the choice to have an electric organ sound in rock music is just so strange to me. It doesn't fit at all, it makes it sound like church. I know the organ was kind of a fad during this period of music but still. I mean it's played well and had it been another instrument it would have been epic but the organ just takes me out of it.
However, this is a fucking banger. I think this is basically like the ELP version of 2112, although 2112 is a far superior album. It falls off a little for me on the second side but not enough to dock too many points. I love this and will definitely be on the lookout for it at the record shop. 4.5/5
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
4/5
Man this one is a downer. But I like it. You have to be in the right mood or atmosphere to appreciate this one. I listened to it alone on a gloomy and rainy day and it was great. Really sad but hopeful and optimistic at the same time. I See a Darkness and Death to Everyone are standouts to me. I also really like A Minor Place. The worst thing about it was that it's not on Spotify as of today so I had to listen to it on Youtube and it was interrupted by bullshit ads every other song. Anyway, loved this record and will listen again for sure. 4/5
Heaven 17
3/5
I don't really know what to say about this one. It is painfully 80s. But still fun. Great bass lines for the songs that actually have a real bass. It sounds like a soundtrack from a silly, feel-good 80s comedy. It gets a little repetitive. It's short and to the point though.
I don't know why this album was included. I feel like whoever made this list was just to the point of 'yeah I need like 50 more, what's an album I've listened to that's not here yet?'. But still, it was fine for one listen through. 2.5/5
Frank Sinatra
4/5
I always go back and forth on Sinatra. Yes, he was an amazing vocalist. But he was sort of a one trick pony. He did one thing very very well and didn't really change that at all. I mean with this album, it's basically the same song for 50 minutes. It's a great song, but still. The same people who love this would deride 70s prog bands for writing songs that are 20+ minutes long. What's the difference? And those 20 minute songs will have more variation from start to end than this album does.
Having said that, I do really like this album; it's a classic for sure and one that I think you could play for just about anyone and they would appreciate it. Yes, it's dated. But we don't really have crooners anymore so of course it's dated. I don't think I would listen to this often but there's pretty much nothing better for certain moods. Imagine a quiet night at home, cocktail in hand, watching a rainstorm from the big windows in the lounge, this record playing softly in the background. That sounds like a night we all need to have every so often. 3.75/5
Brian Eno
3/5
There seem to be a lot of people who are mad that this album was on the list but I disagree. I think this belongs on the as really the first album of it's kind. It's more of an art installation piece. I might not actually want to sit and listen to it frequently, but it's kind of something you experience. A cool idea that I think people really take for granted these days because you hear stuff like this all the time now. But you hear stuff like this all the time because of this record. It's interesting if nothing else.
As for a rating, it's tough to say. I mean I don't really like it, it just kind of flows over you as intended. It's by no means complicated or musically advanced. I certainly wouldn't buy this if I saw it in a record shop or recommend it to anyone. But it does what it was intended to do very well. 3/5
The Specials
3/5
The second album I've had from them in about two months. Surely this has to be the last one, I can't imagine that 3 out of the 1000 albums everyone needs to hear are The Specials....
Yeah this is not really for me. I don't hate it but I would never listen to this again. As with their other record from this list, I liked some things about it but not enough to make me want to listen again or even listen to anything else they've done. I'll politely declined if offered. 2.5/5
Ice Cube
1/5
If this album (or any of the so-called-classic records from this genre of hi hop really...) was released today, I wonder how it would be received? My guess is that it would be immediately panned. I mean I guess that shows how far we've come in some respects over the past 30 years. But it's interesting listening to this because basically all of the racial and social problems from this album are just as bad now. Probably worse.
But it's another one of these hip hop albums that promotes violence, degrades women, and serves as basically a vehicle for boasting about yourself based on some weird idea of what you think would impress people. I really don't get why people like this. I’ve said it before, true here, this is objectively bad music and I wonder what Ice Cube would honestly think about it today. Every time one of these hip hop albums come up I resignedly sigh and question my vow to listen to every album on this list all the way through. 1/5
Neil Young
3/5
Neil Young is one of those artists who is always solid. He may not be my favorite musician of all time but I'll usually listen to him whenever he comes on. And be happy about it. I'm not so much a CST&Y fan (or any of his other bands, really), but his solo work is all great. This album is no exception. It's kind of a vibe album for me, not something I would want to throw on all the time but one that I would want to play every now and then when I was in a certain mood. I think that's how all his music is. I typically don't like the harmonica, at least this kind of harmonica, so I suppose it loses a little for that. But it's not like fucking Bob Dylan where every available breath is used on harmonica. Anyway, I enjoyed this album a lot, I don't think it's his best but even a second tier album from Neil Young is still pretty good. 3.5/5 but rounding down because it's just not quite good enough for a 4 and that damn harmonica.
Bob Dylan
2/5
Ugh how many fucking Bob Dylan records are on this list? This is 5 for me and I'm not even to 500 records yet.
This album actually starts off pretty strong, I like Love Sick a lot. Not your typical Bob Dylan which is a big check in the pro box for me. I like it because he's older and his voice is gravelly and that fits this song well. Certainly because there's no damn harmonica (yet...).
Yeah after the first song it falls off a cliff. It's back to normal Bob Dylan although mercifully without harmonica. Yeah I'm just not a fan. After the first song the album just drags on and on. Sorry, Bob. I get that you're a legend in your own time but I just don't agree. Please no more Bob Dylan for me. 2/5
Barry Adamson
3/5
So this album very effectively accomplishes it's goal of sounding like a movie soundtrack. I like the concept of having an imaginary movie in your head and writing a score to fit. It leaves a lot open to interpretation for the listener. Fantastic idea and well done. I do think for the sheer uniqueness of this album it deserves a spot on this list. I'll never listen to it again but it was fun once. 3/5 mostly for the originality of the idea.
Having said that, all I could think while listening to this album was that Barry Adamson must have been something like:
"I know! Hollywood is where the money is at! I'll submit music for movie soundtracks!"
(one year and exactly 0 movie deals later): "Those bastards. I'll make a soundtrack anyway."
The Verve
3/5
Bittersweet Symphony and Lucky man are great. The rest of this album is kind of like a mix between U2 and and Oasis but sort of more bland than either. And remember when bands found out that they could put a 'secret song' on the end of a CD? That was dumb. Like why would I want to listen to 10 minutes of nothing just to hear the shitty 'song' (more often than not just a couple of minutes of random noises as is the case here) that you didn't deem good enough to actually be included on your record for real. I'm glad society moved passed that. It was kind of like the post-credits scenes that every movie seemed to have for a stretch of years more recently. We're kind of coming to the end of that fad too.
Anyway, I'd give this one a sold 3/5. It's not going to blow anyone away, there are a couple of good songs, some people will absolutely love it, but it is pretty bland and generic mid-90s Brit alt.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
My second Neil Young this week and 5th overall, not counting CSN&Y or any of his other bands. Surely I have to be getting to the end of his albums? I was kind of surprised that this album is on the list, it didn't seem like it was particularly great or important from what I can recall. Maybe because this is him like 30 years into his career and it just interesting to compare? The cover is hilariously 90s.
If you don't like Neil Young, particularly his voice, you'll hate this album. I generally like NY, but this was not his best effort. It starts off a little too country rock for me. Sort of continues that way but has it's ups and downs. The guitars on this record are great - tone is amazing, great playing, really raw and gritty. That was the highlight of the album for me. There are a few songs on this record I really like and I feel like it gets better as it goes until the very end.
As with a couple others of his, this one gets a 3.5/5 but rounding down to 3 because it's just not good enough to round up. I'm not gonna run out and buy this one as soon as I see it.
Hüsker Dü
2/5
Why is this so thin and weird sounding? I had to check that my EQ wasn't messed up. I totally get the REM comparisons. I hate when you get albums like this that you know are going to get a pretty low rating after the first two songs but you still have an hour left. Part of the problem with this album is that I think the music would actually be decent if it wasn't for the terrible, terrible production. I mean at some point a lot of people heard this mix and said 'yeah that's how we want this to sound' which is sort of baffling. It's not like the late 80s had some kind of trend where everything sounded like it was recorded in an Altoids tin so I'm curious about that decision. The unfortunate production makes this basically unlistenable. And a double album with the same two or three songs playing over and over makes it that much worse. 2/5
The Stooges
5/5
Man what a great record is this. Raw Power is an apt title for sure. I hate to be one of those 'back in my day...' types (this was considerably before my day anyway), but I wish there were more bands making music like this still. Just go in with guitars, bass, drums, vocals and crank out a badass record. Sadly that doesn't happen much anymore. This album is one of those special ones that made countless kids want to pick up an instrument or start a band and we're so much better for it. You can hear all of the punk from the later 70s on coming from this record.
This is a record you should listen to twice back to back - first listen to the Iggy version then the Bowie version. Really interesting to hear different takes each of them had with the same raw tapes. There are some things I like about the Bowie version better but if I had to choose one it would be the Iggy version. It's just less polished and harsher sounding and I think it fits the music better. The harsher production becomes an instrument in itself.
You can't really say enough good stuff about this record. Or you could go on forever about it. 5/5
Faust
2/5
I don't really know what to say about this one. It is an album that I listened to today. I will not listen to it again. 2.5/5. That review is about as fulfilling as the album.
Pavement
2/5
I don't think I'd heard this one before. It's pretty standard indie as far as that genre goes. Not really my cup of tea but I can see how it inspired a lot of what came next, for better or worse. I like the loose-sounding guitars but the production is overall awful. The whole album sounds like it's wrapped in some kind of muddling cloak. Vocals are terrible and very poorly recorded. The drums seem to be sort of playing in the background at the same time rather than as a part of the whole. The bass is almost like a drone that just washes over everything. I can't say I'm a fan. There were a few parts here and there that I enjoyed but nothing that stuck out enough for me to want to listen again or listen to more from them. 2.5/5
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
The only other record I've had from Curtis Mayfield so far was Superfly and although that was fine, I am really happy to have a non-soundtrack album from him. I think he deserves that for sure.
From the first bass notes of this record I can tell I'm going to love it. Funky guitar comes in, vocals begin. This is going to be a good one. I love the grooves, and all the instrumentation is really great. Super laid back vibe that I could listen to all day. Jury's out on the vocals but they aren't off putting and fit well.
Then there's a weird song about Jesus for some reason. It loses points for that. Write all the songs about Jesus you want but I feel like there is a different genre for that and it's oddly out of place on a mainstream record like this.
The record is a too short, I was sad it ended. And that's the mark of a good album I think. I don't think this is the best early funk/soul record but I do really like it and will probably play it from time to time. 3.75/5
The Cars
3/5
For an album that has so many songs continually playing on classic rock radio, I never really connected with this one. It is a good album but something about it just makes me want to pass. I like a few of the songs a lot and when they come on even think to myself 'oh I forgot about this song!' but I still don't think I would buy this and listen to it all the time. Maybe it's just too generic sounding for me? I don't know. I can't really pinpoint any complaints but I just have never been blown away by this one. 3/5
Jefferson Airplane
3/5
I bought a 'Best of Jefferson Airplane' album once and it was basically 80% of this album with like three or four other songs stuck in. I think that kind of sums up how I feel about them too. This is a good album, the highs are really high - Somebody to Love and White Rabbit are two of the best songs from the 60s. At least for this kind of music. The lows of this album are pretty low but still listenable. It definitely deserves a spot on this list though being one of the seminal records of psychedelic rock and really of the 60s in general. For me, I like a few of the songs a lot but could take or leave the rest. 3/5
Snoop Dogg
1/5
Decent production doesn't make up for how terrible this music actually is. Snoop seems like he's a super cool guy in real life. His music is the same as the rest of this kind of hip hop - misogynistic, needlessly violent, juvenile. Again, another example of an album that people call genius that is objectively bad music. Not for me. 1/5
The Undertones
4/5
I think the closest comparison I would be able to give for The Undertones (this album at least) would be to say they are a less good Irish version of The Ramones. I like this record, but The Ramones they are not. Nor are they the Sex Pistols. But there's something about this simple kind of punk music from the 70s that just feels right. It's true to he sense of what rock music should be - kids that, for one reason or another, were inspired to pick up instruments and make some noise. I love it if only for that. The songs are simple, rough, and easy but that's ok. 3.75/5
The Young Gods
5/5
I had never heard of this one, but as of today it's the 13th worst rated album on the list. I kind of like when these come up because sometimes I find great things that I feel get undue hate.
One song in and I think that might be the case with this one. Really interesting. I would imagine a lot of people give it a low score right off the bat because it's in French. I think that makes it better. I speak just enough French to know that English would have sounded weird for this record.
A few more songs in and I'm still loving it. I've never heard anything quite like it before, I think it really accomplishes what it set out to do - be something new in a music industry that was incredibly stagnant.
It's inventive, it's heavy, it's raw, it's industrial, it's built well. Vocals are shit in the best way. This is an amazing example of why this list is so much fun. I never would have found this on my own and really like it. I can't imagine I'll ever be able to find this on vinyl but it's going on the list to search for.
As a side note, I love the guy that said this is French Tom Waits if he scored a low budget slasher film, and then gave 1 star. First off, they're Swiss. Secondly, that sounds amazing. I can imagine his and my likes would be very different....
5/5
Billy Joel
4/5
Is it cool to hate on Billy Joel? I don't know. I like Billy Joel. He's kind of like Elton John but not as good. This is a great album though, absolute classic for sure. It flows really well from song to song, it's fun to listen to, it's got a great vibe to the whole thing. It moves between more upbeat to slow and sappy really well and the balance between the two is great.
This is a fun album to put on and listen to while doing something else. It's not complicated enough to sit and listen just for the music, though if you did I don't think you'd be disappointed, but it's more of a soundtrack to whatever you're doing at the time. 4/5
Slade
2/5
Record Exec: 'Hey guys it was a brilliant idea to spell all the titles of your songs like you're stupid!'
Slade: 'Yeah. Totally. We did that on purpose. Totally.'
Is this the worst rock album ever made? No. Is it in the running for the worst? Yeah maybe. Bad production, bad recording, decent instrumentation, just absolutely god-awful vocals, some of the worst lyrics of all time. But should you expect genius from the guys that brought us 'Cum On Feel The Noise'? No, no you shouldn't.
This almost has no redeeming qualities. There is some good guitar and bass to be found. But the production is just abysmal. Terrible balance and the (awful) vocals are fighting with the music the whole time. Can't say I'm a fan of this one and I would never listen to it again. 2/5
The Crusaders
2/5
So past the first song, the comparison of this record to hold music is totally fair. It really does feel like being on hold with a customer service line. This is a kind of jazz that is too accessible and it just kind of falls flat. There's nothing here to push you or, really, to even keep you interested. And I suppose that's the same thing you could say about music that plays when you're on hold with any given customer service department. Good musicians, but this album is just way too plain for me. 2.5/5
Tom Waits
5/5
I love that all the reviews of this album are either 1 or 5, kind of reminds me of a certain record with a fish on the cover...
I love pretty much everything I've heard from Tom Waits but he was never someone I really tried to seek out so I don't think I've ever heard this one before. And a new album by someone you really like is always a fun adventure.
It is weird, as expected. But it's a different kind of weird that I really like. I got this album on a rainy day right before Halloween (not sure why that date makes a difference but it kind of does?) and it seemed to fit the vibe of the day perfectly. I mean, throw on Tom Waits any time it rains and you basically have a soundtrack to the day. This album is a little different from his prior stuff but it's still unmistakably Tom Waits. It's kind of hard to put your finger on it, obviously his voice is very unique but that's not really it. There's something about the music and the way he delivers the lyrics that is sort of a signature sound and it's just fantastic. I really enjoyed this album and would recommend it to anyone maybe looking to find something a little different than what they normally listen to. 5/5
Kanye West
1/5
There are a couple artists that, for one reason or another, I flat out refuse to listen to. Kanye West is one. I will not be listening to this record and don't feel bad about giving it a 1/5 without listening. Fuck Kanye West.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
My third one from Echo And The Bunnymen. They were a band I didn't really know very well before starting this project but I seem to remember liking them well enough.
From what I've heard I think this is my least favorite of their albums. It just doesn't flow as nicely as the others. Maybe I'm not giving it enough of a chance. It almost just seems like 'here's a song. Ok now here's another one.' Rinse and repeat. I don't know. Maybe I'll have to listen to it again but about 2/3 of the way through and I'm not exactly wowed by this one. There are things I like - the vocals are great and the arrangements are good. 2.5/5
Kelela
2/5
This one is brand new to me and I always look forward to those albums.
Starting with the first song - I don't know if I like this or not. I don't hate it. I feel like I'm going to tire of this one fairly quickly. The songs don't really vary at all from one to the next. It's sort of monotonous.
I'm not a fan of electronic music in general, so this isn't exactly my bag nor would I say I am the intended audience. Her voice is good despite the autotune. I wish people would stop using autotune and just sing how you sing. I suppose some of it is done to achieve a specific vocal effect but it's distracting and sounds so artificial regardless. I guess it does fit with the electronic nature of the album though? I wish I could actually hear her sing for real though, seems like she could really do it.
I also don't get the accolades for production and innovation in recording. This sounds like any other vocal electronic/R&B album from the mid 2010s. Maybe if this was from 1997 or something I would get it, but this is basically (and unfortunately) how music has been made for like 15 years now.
Ultimately this is a mundane and boring record that somehow got some praise. 2/5
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Oh man who doesn't love some Jimi Hendrix on a nice fall morning? Or any morning for that matter.
I mean I hate to give this a 5/5 just because it's Hendrix but goddamn, what an album. I could say that about any of his records though. So much on here that's just pure gold. I feel like the first three Hendrix albums should be mandatory listening for everyone growing up, just like everyone reads Romeo and Juliet in school. "Ok class, today we start our 6 week unit on Jimi Hendrix. Part 1, what is a Stratocaster?" I'd go back to school for that.
Anyway, fantastic album, no notes. 5/5
Gene Clark
2/5
This album is so bad. The music is bad and simple, the lyrics are laughable, the fucking harmonica is relentless, all the songs sound the same. I just hate everything about this. It's like he's trying to be James Taylor but absolutely failing in all regards. I did like the guitar solo on 1975 and I mean at least he's playing real instruments and this was long before autotune so it's not without its checks in the pro box but I really struggled to get through this one. Maybe I'm just grumpy today but I don't think that's it. 1.5/5
Leonard Cohen
3/5
I wouldn't exactly recommend this if you're wanting something uplifting. Leonard Cohen can certainly write a song, that's for sure. I think this particular record is a little too Dylan-esque for me though. I would take Leonard Cohen over Bob Dylan any day but it's still not something I would really like to listen to with any regularity. I feel like Leonard Cohen got better as he aged and I much prefer his music from when he was more of an old man. This album is fine but it's not anything I'll come back to. 3/5
The Stranglers
4/5
Man, some of these lyrics really didn't age well at all. It's a shame because the music is really good. The lyrics are a little off-putting though. Not all of them but every now and then I found myself rewinding and going 'did he really say that?' and yes he really did.
A good album nonetheless. A lot going on to keep you listening, each song has it's own feel to it which is nice, feels like I've had a stretch of albums lately that were basically the same tow songs over and over. I enjoyed this album and will definitely listen to The Stranglers more, I think I had heard some of their music randomly but never actually played them on purpose. 3.75/5
Morrissey
3/5
I like the Smiths a lot but Morrissey by himself is like if you just took the vocal parts out of the Smiths and played them over generic backing music. It's not terrible but it's not the same. And he seems like such a pretentious dude it's kind of hard to take much more than a few songs. He seems like the kind of guy that looks down on you and writes you off as a simpleton if you had any opinion that was even a little different than his. And I think that comes through in his music. Great voice though.
I don't think I really feel any need to come back to this album, but it was good enough for one listen I suppose. 3/5
The Sugarcubes
4/5
I love Bjork so I'm super excited to see this pop up today. I know I've heard this before but it's been ages. Always fun to revisit something you know you used to like after years.
Overall I feel like this is a slightly poppier version of early Bjork; which I suppose is exactly what this is. Her vocals are unmistakable and I love that. She has such an interesting style and it's clear that her hands were all over the production of this album. The rest of the music is just sort of filling in the background, the vocals are clearly the highlight.
I still like this album, but if I were to choose, I would just go with Bjork's solo stuff instead. If I ever came across this in the record shop I would totally buy it. 4/5
Small Faces
3/5
I've heard of Small Faces but not super familiar and have never heard this album. Let's dive in shall we?
A few songs in, this is exactly what I would imagine an album from 1968 with this cover would sound like. I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing but I like it so far. Pretty solid 60s rock.
The second half kind of turns into storybook time. Remember back in the day you'd get those little books that told a story of Winnie the Pooh or Snow White or Cinderella that came with a 45 record you would play along while reading? That's basically what side two of this record is. It's pretty weird and not in a good way. It sort of ruined the album for me. 3/5
Sonic Youth
3/5
I liked this album well enough. Nice late 80s/early90s indie vibe. I don't think it really blew my mind at all but I'd probably listen to it again. Nothing else to say about it, really. Some good things about it and some bad things about it but nothing really stands out either way. Squarely in the middle of the decent album column. 3.25/5
Tito Puente
3/5
I've heard some Tito Puente before and I remember liking it a bit better than this record. This record is certainly fun and enjoyable to listen to but it just didn't really do it for me today. I can't say I like another album better because I don't really know any other albums he did, but I seem to remember liking what I'd heard prior to this one better.
A good album, not a great one. I think I would revisit this again sometime just to see if I was too harsh on it today. 3/5
Sebadoh
3/5
One I have never heard of, I love when these come up.
2 songs in, seems like pretty standard early 90s grunge/indie. Then Telescopic Alchemy comes on, wtf is this? They decided that one was finished and released it huh? I guess so. The trend continues with the sort of chaotic, almost atonal sound with questionable vocals. Kind of reminds me of Green Jelly a little bit. It then kind of goes back and forth between that kind of chaotic stuff and the more listenable grunge/indie that kicked off the album. I like some of it, don't like some of it. I think the biggest problem is that they just couldn't figure out what this record was going to be. It's really disjointed and uneven. Some great guitar tones here and there and some really good sounding songs next to some that are almost unlistenable.
An album I don't think I'll be coming back to 2.5/5
Prefab Sprout
3/5
Two in a row that I had never heard, at least I'm expanding my horizons.
This one is a pretty solid 80s brit pop album. I'm struggling to find what makes it unique, different, or special enough to be on the list. It's a good album, but I do think it might be a little too middle of the road for me. I don't really know how else to describe it. 3/5
Dwight Yoakam
2/5
I barely made it through this. 80s and 90s country is one of my least favorite genres. I hate the twangy (mostly) put on accents, the stupid lyrics, the bass lines that are basically just root notes, the steel guitar. And what the hell is with the vocals sounding like a pubescent boy whose voice is cracking all the time - like he randomly goes into a falsetto in the middle of every other word. Is he trying to sound like he's yodeling? What the hell?
A terrible album (for me) although I did appreciate some of the guitar parts. That's the dumb thing about country music - the vocals and most of the music is awful but you have some monster guitar players in there. 1.5/5 and will round up for some great guitar playing.
LTJ Bukem
1/5
Yeah so apparently the Spotify version of this album is a completely different record from like 2013 or something? It's frustrating having to track down a record you know you are probably not going to like.
Mid 90s electronica was really something. 2+ hours of 90s electronica is categorized as torture in the Geneva Convention I think. It's so repetitive and every song is exactly the same. Remember when we called this Techno? I don't know why that was changed. Either way I hate this. And honestly I don't think listening to the Spotify version would have been any different. Still 2+ hours of nonsense. 1/5
Public Enemy
2/5
Totally surprised to see this pop up, I already had one Public Enemy record and surely there aren't two that everyone needs to hear...
I'm halfway through and have heard no 'yeaaaahhhh boiiiiiiii's yet. Why am I even listening to this? Spoiler - there were none on the whole album.
Hip hop is totally not my thing. This was a struggle though I'd take this over probably all the newer hip hop on this list. I can at least appreciate why this is relevant and included on the list. I still don't like it though. 1.5/5 and I guess I'll round up because it isn't the worst thing I've heard.
Megadeth
3/5
I can see this album being pretty divisive - people who like metal and people who don't. And among those who do, the 'why not just listen to Metallica?' camp. There's some merit to that question.
As others have said, you don't go into this thinking you'll hear anything profound but its a great thrash metal record and is a lot of fun. I don't think I'll run out to buy a bunch of Megadeth records but I enjoyed this one today. 3.5/5 but gonna round down because it's not quite up to a 4 for me.
Culture Club
4/5
This is such a fun album but I feel like I wanted to like it better than I actually did. I love that Boy George was making conservative people uncomfortable so long before that was a real objective. It sucks that someone like Boy George can still make people upset. Good on him.
Anyway, 3.5/5 and I guess I’ll round up because this album starts off with an all time banger.
David Bowie
5/5
I love this album so much. I vividly remember listening to this for the first time a couple days before Bowie died. Little did I know what was about to happen. Although in hindsight this album is the perfect farewell. And, apropos of Bowie, very different from anything he’d done. Leave it to David Bowie to put out a jazz art rock album then die two days later. I was so excited about the new direction he was taking and I don’t hesitate to call Bowie the preeminent musical genius of our time. This album sums up what he was as an artist and what he wanted his legacy to be.
This is one of my favorite albums of all time. It’s heartbreaking and wonderful. 5/5