an essential album that shaped grunge and music in general like no other. Every song from the legendary opening track to the great closer "Something in the Way" is either near perfect or prefect.
fav: Smells like Teen Spirit, In Bloom, Come As You Are, Lithium, Something in the Way
least fav: Lounge Act or On a Plain (if I had to pick)
no joke this is a 10/10
I was (and I still am) a big fan of Bowie and this album in peticular had a long way into my heart. At first I thought this was a very average Bowie album with a couple of great songs but also some stinkers... A couple months later it was my favourtite Bowie album and now?
Well I still love it! Aladdin Sane, Drive-In Saturday, Cracked Actor, Time, Jean Genie, Lady Grinning Soul are all soooo good and the rest is still unbelievably good! The jazz-piano improv in the title track, the harmonica on the Jean Genie and again the piano on Lady Grinning Soul are some of my favourite moments on here. And we don't have to talk about that cover: It's iconic!
favourites: ALL!!!!
least fav.: None (but if I HAD to pick: Let's Spend the Night Together)
rating: light 9
a beautiful jazz album by Bill Evans. Of course the piano on here is wonderful but the work from all the three musicians is really great. This is really giving me autumn vibes like I am sitting outside in the park and watching the leaves fall down.
Is it the best live jazz album??? It could very much be!
favourites: Gloria's Step, My Man's Now Gone, Solar, All Of You
least fav.: Jade Visions
Rating: strong 9
classical music is just heavy metal without electricity so there was no reason this shouldn't work although it is a weird idea at first. Mostly this album screams "not that great": it's live; over two hours and features a lot of songs wich studio versions are also featured on this site.
Still this slaps and is just great from front to back. It might not be as great as albums like Master of Puppets but still really really good!
favourites: a lot... there are too many
least favs.: Bleeding Me, Until it Sleeps, Outlaw Torn
Rating: strong 8 to light 9
Led Zeppelin IV is the best Led Zeppelin? NO IT'S THIS ONE RIGHT HERE!
The first run from Custard Pie to Kashmir is PERFECT!!!
And although the second half isn't as perfect it is still some of Led Zeppelins best work. I loved it since my first listen!
favourites: Custard Pie, The Rover, In My Time of Dying, Trampled Under Foot, Kashmir, In the Light, Ten Years Gone, The Wanton Song
least fav.: probably Night Flight?
Rating: decent 9
I love Nick Cave. His lyrics are some of the best and most inspiring I have ever heard and belong on one level with Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan and David Bowie.
Although this isn't his strongest album by any means (mostly because of a couple of songs on the second half) the songs that DO stand out are some of his best. The mix of Punk Blues and Folk Rock work very well.
favourites: Papa Won't Leave You Henry, I Had a Dream Joe, Straight To You, Brother My Cup is Empty, John Finn's Wife, Jack the Ripper
least fav.: When I First Came to Town (if I HAD to pick)
Rating: light 9
I think this is a good album and you can definatly see the influence this album had on a more hardcore scene but also punk in general and apparantly even Jeff Buckley and Denzel Curry. But that does not mean that it is a perfect one: Especially the second half is much more 'boring' and 'plain' than the start. While songs like House of Suffering or the title track just express pure punk-energy with a sprinkle of reggae, are songs like Hired Gun just wannabe and urgh... For example Let Me Help has really potential but it's just not used at all and so it just fades into a forgotten state right after listening.
Still it is pretty short so there is no big problem and I think it's still worthy to be on this list.
favourites: I Against I, House of Suffering, Re-Ignition, Secret 77, Return to Heaven
least favs: Let Me Help, Hired Gun, Sacred Love
rating: strong 6
if you go into any second hand vinyl shop and ask the owner of what album they have the most copies layin around, they are nearly guaranteed to say "Brothers in Arms, mate! Every second guy brings one o' those in here." What does that mean? Well that it sold great (the main reason it's on here) but now people don't listen to it as much as they used to. The reason is fairly simple: Every song is either a slow jazz-inspired rock song or a very 80s pop-rock tune. And as we all now 80s production can get very cheesy and if you don't like the slower songs you won't like it.
But is it bad? No it's really good, good production, great instrumentation and so on.
It's just that apart from the singles there is not much to really get into because the rest is kind of boring. I mean I like long songs like In a Silent Way (Miles Davis) or Echoes (Pink Floyd) but the 8 minutes of Why Worry? are just not interesting just good enough if I want a retro-vibe for a study session wich is too bad because I don't study...
I'm very sure that the edited vinyl versions are better still the album is great to perfect at points but others just drag it down.
my favourites: So Far Away, Money for Nothing, Walk of Life, Your Latest Trick, Brothers in Arms
least favourites: Why Worry?, One World
rating: decent 7
Let's make it short: beautiful voice, nice instrumentation, good sometimes even great lyrics, wonderful delivery at all aspects.
This is a beautiful album with a nice blend of pop, soul, folk and singer-songwriter and I think one of the most underrated albums of all time. I mean it isn't even a "recommended" on RYM. What? This album is a banger!
favourites: Down to Zero, Water with the Wine, Love and Affection, Join the Boys, Like Fire
least favs: Help Yourself, People
Rating: strong 7
Station to Station is my favourite song of all time and this album is in my top 10 albums of all time. I LOVE IT!!!
The phenomenal opener that is 10 minutes of pure art rock. Golden Years is such a beautiful funk-rock song. Word on a Wing and the album closer Wild is the Wind have a beautiful vocal performance and a very emotional songwriting. Stay is just pure rock and soooo fcking good. The only song I would say is not 100% perfect is TVC15 but still sooooo great...
favourites: Station to Station, the Rest of the album
least favs.: I REFUSE TO CHOOSE
rating: strong 9 to light 10
This is crazy! Might be the best Jazz-Fusion album of all time and definitely Zappa's best work. The guitar with it's jazzy chords and the beautiful arrangements make this a truely one of a kind experience. Like Peaches en Regalia is sooo good and Willie the Pimp is the only song with vocals and Zappa isn't even the one singing it's fucking Capitain Beefheart!!!
I really don't get why a lot of people don't like this album on this site: It's perfect through & through!
favourites: Peaches en Regalia, Willie the Pimp, Gumbo Variations & the rest too
least faves: none... really none
rating: light to decent 10
this album got me into Dylan and it is my favourite of his. Every song here is perfect. For me this might be the best folk album EVER. Perfect. Nothing more to say.
favourites: Rainy Day Women, Visions of Johanna, One of Us Must Know, I Want You, Stuck Inside a Mobile, Just Like a Woman, Sad-Eyed Lady of the Frownlands
least favs: NONE
Rating: decent 10
This is maybe the most important hip hop record of all time. The power and rawness this album brings to the table combined with Chuck Ds groundbreaking lyricism and the countless samples used makes this a one of a kind experience. I mean they sampled Fame by David Bowie on Night of the Living Baseheads.
And Bring the Noise, Don't Believe the Hype, Black Steel and Rebel without a Pause are some of the most important rap songs EVER! This is near Perfect!
favourites: Bring the Noise, Don't Believe the Hype, Black Steel, Rebel without a Pause, Cold Lampin' with Flavour, Louder than a bomb, She Watch Channel zero?, Night of the Living Baseheads
least favs: Show 'em watcha got
Rating: strong 9
Sarah Vaughan is known for having a beautiful voice and being therefore one of the icons of 50's Vocal Jazz. This live album features some of her distinct songs but and that is I think the best part about this album, it is fun. There are some accidents happening: a bass falls over, the band plays too long, Sarah forgets the text... but that makes this feel human.
It is incredibly fun and easy to listen to.
fav: willow weep for me, September in the rain, how high the moon
least fav: thou swell
Rating: decent to strong 6
This is a fun one. It starts off with the arguable high point of the album "Wall Street Shuffle" and it follows with The Worst Band in the World wich was btw sampled by the legendary proucer J Dilla on Donuts. Both of these songs and Silly Love are the best songs on here the rest kinda falls out. Less interesting, less funny, less 'note-worthy'. All in all a likeable album with some nice songs but overall has some flaws
fav: Wall Street Shuffle, Worst Band in the World
least fav: prolly Somewhere in Hollywood
Rating: strong 6
This is the No.1 album on RYM and I see why. This album got me into hip hop and without it and especially Mortal Man I wouldn't enjoy Hip Hop as much as I do. And yeah it is pretty much perfect. Not my favourite hip hop albums but it is top 5.
favourites: Wesleys Theory, King Kunta, Alright, Institutionalized, The Blacker the Berry, Mortal Man
least favs: For Sale?, You Ain't Gotta Lie
Rating: light 10
King Crimson is probably the greatest Prog Band ever and this album only helped to strengthen that status. Not only is this some of the most interesting Avant-Prog ever (Henry Cow pls take notes) but it still has a soul and doesn't feel like they try to be Avant-Garde for the sake of beeing it. Yes some passages do feel a bit stretched but honestly it doesn't make it worse.
fav: Easy Money, Book of Saturday, Lark's Tongus in Aspic Pt. 1&2
least fav: Talking Drum
Rating: strong 9
MBDTF is seen as Kanyes magnum opus, a perfect 10/10 through and through. I have to disagree heavily: First of all: The Collage Dropout is Kanye's best album, secondly is this album not close to a 10.
Dark Fantasy is a great opener but at least for me gets annoying after the fifth "Can we get much higher"; Gorgeous is just not that interesting in general; POWER is great and the best song on the album it's a perfect song; All of the Light's has a terrible delivery from Kanye... it's only good for the Rhianna chorus; Monster is quite good; So Appalled is just annoying af because of the repetitive Swizz Beatz part; Devil in a New Dress is good but overrated; Runaway isn't even halfway interesting (and that comes from someone who's favourtite songs are all 10min+) and after that it's just bad...
The production is really great although it has some flaws... all in all: starts good gets mid fast ends bad
Songs I liked: POWER, Monster, Dark Fantasy
Songs I didn't like: So Appalled, Hell of a Life, Blame Game, Lost in the World
Rating: very light 6 (maybe even a 5)
I know I look like a Fantano stan but this is one I actually agree with him
This is an album for a café. It has some faux-jazz sounds that no-one cares about and some weird pop tunes that don't matter neither lyrically nor musically. The highlights are mainly the songs that feature lyrics in a wider span than repeating the chorus 25x times or just boring-ahh rap from the early 80s made by a white man which in return makes it such a cringe listen. The album can be described as a punk guy trying to do "experimental" music that takes inspiration from jazz, soul and hip-hop, all in not a good way.
Highlights for me aren't many as the highs aren't that high but the first half isn't a terrible listen. On the other hand the second half sucks especially "A Gospel" wich has to be one of the worst songs I have ever heard.
Rating: I am feeling a strong 4 to a light 5
Joy Division's first and greatest album marks a turn in the history of not only punk and post-punk, but music in general. This album in a way invented goth-rock and turned post-punk in the way that it first explored depth, timber and atmosphere combined with the rawness of punk-rock, maybe a bit cleaner. This is incredible through and through. Highlights are pretty much every song.
Rating: I am feeling a light 10!
Heroes is one of Bowie's best known albums mainly for it's title track "Heroes" wich is undoubtly one of his greatest songs. In eyes of some considerd the first shoegaze song the song brings on a drone sound and a wonderful dreamy guitar sound by Robert Fripp (my favourite guitarist). The rest of the album is great too. The easy accessible first two songs the more atmospheric Sons of the Silent Age and Blackout. The unbelievable great V2-Schneider and the three-part instrumental ambient Sense of Doubt/Moss Garden/Neuköln and closing of with one of Bowie's best closing tracks ever this IS one of his best albums ever.
Songs I liked: Heroes, V2-Schneider, Blackout
Songs I didn't like: NONE
Rating: very strong 9
