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Mon Sep 18 2023
A Love Supreme
John Coltrane
Peak improvisational jazz from the early 60s. Quartet.
4
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Tue Sep 19 2023
Ramones
Ramones
Quintessential British punk rock. Each song sounds like the last. Simple chords with an electric wall of raw sound all in 4/4 time. It’s the feeling of confidently spitting in the face of authority.
4
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Wed Sep 20 2023
More Songs About Buildings And Food
Talking Heads
Dance music for a generation that grew up without dance. Upbeat, repetitive instruments with confidently poor singing. The most famous track, Take Me to the River, is slower and more interesting than the rest of the album, but as it’s a cover, no points awarded. While not my style, I see how the band bridged a generation from punk to pop.
1
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Thu Sep 21 2023
Illmatic
Nas
4
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Fri Sep 22 2023
Tapestry
Carole King
All time great singer songwriter album, often emulated over the past 50 years.
5
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Mon Sep 25 2023
Juju
Siouxsie And The Banshees
An experiment in sounds that somehow got produced into an album. Whenever a melody threatens to appear, it’s interrupted by distortion, a random percussion instrument, or a hiss/yodel. It attempts to be exotic without actually having anything interesting to convey. Its inclusion has me questioning this entire project.
1
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Tue Sep 26 2023
Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
Dead Kennedys
Manic and satirical. Sounds like they inspired several 90s bands. Tough to enjoy.
2
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Wed Sep 27 2023
Sex Packets
Digital Underground
Surprised to see this album on the list as I always thought of it as a novelty record. Yes, they launched Tupac, but just include more Tupac.
2
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Thu Sep 28 2023
Wonderful Rainbow
Lightning Bolt
This is a tech demo, not an album. The musicians, particularly the drummer, are highly skilled with their instruments, but at no point do they create music. A skilled musician may enjoy observing their prowess, but nothing played here is intended to move an audience. With the volume at 1, my ears still burned.
1
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Fri Sep 29 2023
Amnesiac
Radiohead
3
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Mon Oct 02 2023
Funeral
Arcade Fire
Emo rock, but done well
4
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Tue Oct 03 2023
Van Halen
Van Halen
4
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Wed Oct 04 2023
Private Dancer
Tina Turner
I give it 4 stars since much of the music is not original with Tina Turner, even if her versions are the most recognizable. Incredible performer.
4
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Thu Oct 05 2023
Phrenology
The Roots
Fantastic album with complex raps, beats, and instrumental support, but a couple of experimental tracks detract from the whole. Maybe those “songs” are important, but they’re not the ones I keep on repeat. The political messages are well stated on the fun songs as well, and they reach a broader audience.
4
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Fri Oct 06 2023
Idlewild
Everything But The Girl
Indy singer songwriter music isn’t my thing, but at least this group can sing and made original contributions to the genre.
3
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Mon Oct 09 2023
Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Great rock album with strong bass, elite drumming, and nonsense lyrics. A few throwaway tracks that could have been omitted, but the classics on here are classics for a reason.
4
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Tue Oct 10 2023
Master Of Puppets
Metallica
Metallica at their best
5
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Wed Oct 11 2023
Let England Shake
PJ Harvey
3
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Thu Oct 12 2023
Dog Man Star
Suede
Some great stuff, but then as is usual with the more modern albums on this list, they get experimental at times. In a few tracks it sounded like multiple Brit pop songs were playing simultaneously.
4
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Fri Oct 13 2023
Aladdin Sane
David Bowie
3
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Mon Oct 16 2023
Sheer Heart Attack
Queen
Killer Queen shows how they can merge elite vocal ability, rock, and pop.
4
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Tue Oct 17 2023
The Chronic
Dr. Dre
3
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Wed Oct 18 2023
White Ladder
David Gray
One of the more enjoyable singer songwriter albums on the list, though it doesn’t add much to the genre or overly memorable pieces outside of Babylon.
4
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Thu Oct 19 2023
Fear Of Music
Talking Heads
Enjoyed this one more than the other Heads album from the list so far. Complicated sounds but never takes itself too seriously. I could appreciate the music without feeling I needed to be a musician to get into the rhythms.
5
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Fri Oct 20 2023
California
American Music Club
Whining. Uninspired. Thin vocals. The sound of low T. At one point I thought, “well this sounds a little catchier”, but it was only YouTube had cut to a grocery store ad.
1
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Mon Oct 23 2023
The Fat Of The Land
The Prodigy
I see why this album was one of the first crossover electronic successes as it adds more variety than other albums in the genre.
4
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Tue Oct 24 2023
One Nation Under A Groove
Funkadelic
Fantastic from start to finish
5
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Wed Oct 25 2023
Blonde On Blonde
Bob Dylan
I don’t fawn over Dylan like some as his thin sing-talk voice and excessive use of harmonica aren’t easy on my ears, but I can’t deny his songwriting brilliance. Best lyricist of a generation. I prefer Dylan covers (Hendrix, Clapton, etc.) to the songwriter himself, but he still gets 5 stars.
5
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Thu Oct 26 2023
There's No Place Like America Today
Curtis Mayfield
Really great vibes, but also forgettable
3
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Fri Oct 27 2023
Young Americans
David Bowie
I really want to like Bowie, but it’s just not for me
2
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Mon Oct 30 2023
Dummy
Portishead
The progenitor of low-fi hip hop
The steady beats and wide variety of percussive elements vibe well with the haunting alto
5
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Tue Oct 31 2023
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
While the music is simple, Chapman’s powerful, controlled, passionate, and at times understated singing moves the listener.
4
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Wed Nov 01 2023
Kind Of Blue
Miles Davis
The sound is almost cliche as it’s been emulated for generations since. The archetype of jazz
5
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Thu Nov 02 2023
Life's Too Good
The Sugarcubes
Sounds like a basic Euro pop album, no better or worse, save for Bjork’s lead which does add some intrigue.
3
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Fri Nov 03 2023
Safe As Milk
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
Tries many things and does them well, without conforming to expectations or genre boundaries. Fun listen, if trippy at times.
4
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Mon Nov 06 2023
The Wildest!
Louis Prima
Fun
5
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Tue Nov 07 2023
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Beatles
These folks were on another level
5
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Wed Nov 08 2023
Green
R.E.M.
5
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Thu Nov 09 2023
Faith
George Michael
Just a fun album. I was impressed to learn Michael wrote, produced, and performed multiple instruments on nearly every track. While not complex musically, it does the simple things very well.
4
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Fri Nov 10 2023
The Nightfly
Donald Fagen
5
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Mon Nov 13 2023
Vol. 4
Black Sabbath
4
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Tue Nov 14 2023
Toys In The Attic
Aerosmith
Interesting to hear the blues elements mixed in with a great American rock album. Sweet Emotion is an all-time great track.
5
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Wed Nov 15 2023
Now I Got Worry
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
I love their Elvis meets Rage Against the Machine sound, but it’s wasted on a bunch of jam sessions. There are no true songs on the album.
3
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Thu Nov 16 2023
The ArchAndroid
Janelle Monáe
At first I thought it was just a pretty good, heavily produced pop album, but it really grew on me. There’s some experimentation, but it contributes to the entertainment value.
5
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Fri Nov 17 2023
Elephant Mountain
The Youngbloods
I’m not much for folk music, but this one caught me by surprise. Some pleasant acoustic that avoids becoming laconic.
4
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Mon Nov 20 2023
The Marshall Mathers LP
Eminem
Eminem raps his ass off and changed the genre, but I can’t give it the full 5 to an album of impotent range that is “just clowning” when advocating senseless violence.
4
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Tue Nov 21 2023
Power In Numbers
Jurassic 5
4
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Wed Nov 22 2023
Tom Tom Club
Tom Tom Club
2
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Thu Nov 23 2023
Kenya
Machito
Good vibes
5
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Fri Nov 24 2023
Rattlesnakes
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
Nice little folk album with pure vocals, but didn’t make a big impact on me
3
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Mon Nov 27 2023
Queen II
Queen
Not the best Queen album, but still fantastic
4
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Tue Nov 28 2023
The Köln Concert
Keith Jarrett
Master work of jazz piano. While I prefer more structured pieces, I frequently found myself lost in these.
5
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Wed Nov 29 2023
Casanova
The Divine Comedy
This album is the person at your school lunch table that everyone has decided is “the funny one” despite the heavy feeling and need for a shower you experience whenever they strike up a conversation.
2
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Thu Nov 30 2023
Deserter's Songs
Mercury Rev
The beautiful whimsy and monotone flat vocals both remind me of Kermit the Frog. The most enjoyable tracks are the ones where they added a little range.
4
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Mon Dec 04 2023
Licensed To Ill
Beastie Boys
I appreciate the album more when I remember it was 1986 and hip hop was still finding its way
4
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Tue Dec 05 2023
The Band
The Band
Dated, but captured a point in time with heart
5
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Wed Dec 06 2023
Smash
The Offspring
Lyrics are as juvenile as ever but man does this slap. Forgot what a rush this album is.
5
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Thu Dec 07 2023
Blur
Blur
In the emo alt rock BritPop 90s war, Oasis is the clear winner. This was ok though.
3
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Fri Dec 08 2023
Melodrama
Lorde
I can hear the inspiration Taylor Swift used to move from folk to pop. The album has lyrics worthy of a poet with standard highly produced radio beats. whenever it became too predictable, however, the artist would mix up her use of instruments and add a new element.
4
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Mon Dec 11 2023
Ill Communication
Beastie Boys
Some random songs mixed in, but the hits (Sabotage, Sure Shot) carry the album
4
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Tue Dec 12 2023
(Pronounced 'Leh-'Nérd 'Skin-'Nérd)
Lynyrd Skynyrd
The archetype of Southern rock and still the best of the genre
5
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Wed Dec 13 2023
Unhalfbricking
Fairport Convention
I see how this album is a great representation of the British folk style, but I find the genre soporific. Nice guitar and a talented singer.
3
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Thu Dec 14 2023
Happy Sad
Tim Buckley
Is “experimental” code for “making it up as one goes along”? Great singing voice wasted on rambling jazz instrumentals
2
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Fri Dec 15 2023
Phaedra
Tangerine Dream
I understand why the album was included as it helped usher in electronic music as a genre. It’s an early entry, however, and simplistic compared to more modern albums.
3
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Mon Dec 18 2023
Murmur
R.E.M.
This project has given me a new appreciation for REM. While this album’s lyrics cross the line from poetry into nonsense, it sounds like the breakthrough for alternative music that would come to dominate the 90s. It mixes sounds and instruments while always taking care to entertain.
4
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Tue Dec 19 2023
Hot Fuss
The Killers
5
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Wed Dec 20 2023
Coat Of Many Colors
Dolly Parton
5
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Thu Dec 21 2023
Dirty
Sonic Youth
Like the Grateful Dead, Sonic Youth is a band with longstanding cultural impact with no recognizable songs.
2
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Fri Dec 22 2023
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Simon & Garfunkel
5
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Mon Dec 25 2023
Back To Black
Amy Winehouse
The album doesn’t show struggle with her lifestyle but rather celebration of it, although it would take her life
5
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Tue Dec 26 2023
A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector
Various Artists
All classics, and the “wall of sound” has been a massive influence. Still, I can’t give too many stars to an album that’s all retreads of popular songs.
3
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Wed Dec 27 2023
Orbital 2
Orbital
Nonsense
1
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Thu Dec 28 2023
We're Only In It For The Money
The Mothers Of Invention
Has me seriously considering abandoning this project
1
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Fri Dec 29 2023
Is This It
The Strokes
Enjoyed their sound but don’t think I could distinguish the Strokes from a dozen other bands
4