First thing I thought of was, "male Joni Michelle." Not precisely my jam, but it's a thoughtfully-put-together album. Very pretty. Perfect for a rainy day indoors.
First five track sound like 90s filler. Hard to get through. "Theme from Retro" thru "Death of a Party" sound like a different album. Way more interesting. You can definitely see the scaffolding for Gorillaz. This album is an incoherent mashup of very boring britpop and something much more brilliant.
Really good rap album. I am not the biggest rap fan, though. Wouldn't mind hearing in a coffee shop. Probably would never play it on my own.
This is on my 70s album list. I'm not sure Queen has a five-star album in their discography.
I have never been a fan of the xx. I feel like their music is for people who have never listened to an indie band before. The album is the same song, over and over. Clap machine. A little bit of inoffensive guitar noodling. Breathy guy & girl vocals. Formulaic and very dull.
An interesting contrast with the xx--maximalist. I can appreciate the musicianship here. He is very talented, and doing this in 1969, no less. Personally, I think it's missing some soul or a reason to listen if you aren't a musician interested in technical craft. Compared to other similar acts, like King Crimson or Yes, this album lacks emotional depth.
I feel like I should like Animal Collective, but I really don't. Not sure why. I like M83. I like Beach House. I find listening to this album to be tedious.
I've taken a look at the list of albums we're going to listen to, and I think it's pretty bloated. This album is a great example. Jack White has three albums on this list. Two from the White Stripes, and this solo album. That is two albums too many. White Blood Cells is five-out-of-five indie garage rock album of the early aughts. Between that album and this album, Jack White made a dozen albums. He has nothing new to say on this album. Basically the only people still interested in Jack White's music at this point have been fans for a long time, who would say, "He's still got it!" to practically anything he'd put out.
Seems like a solid album if you like this kind of adult contemporary, but I really don't care for the music.
At one point James Taylor says he's going to play some rocks and roll for the audience. This is a lie.
I've got a special place in my heart for dirty indie country. Really enjoyed this one.
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Love the darker-sounding songs. Will probably play again at some point. Solid 3.5 stars.
Probably more like 4 stars, but this album had a big influence on me in high school. It was the first time I heard modern music that sounded like it could have been from the 70s. It was really different than all the alternative that got so much play on Z104.5. This album suggested to me that there was a lot of world outside of Tulsa. I must have listened to it 500 times. It's tight with almost no filler--it doesn't overstay its welcome.
Compared to other new stuff on the radio at the time, Soundgarden was clearly in the top 10%. But I have never found grunge that compelling. Great album, just not for me.
Cool sound. Hard to find a track that competes with "Sweet Dreams."
Not as good as Breakfast In America, but pretty good. "Asylum" reminds me of "The Wall"
One hour of Def Leppard is way too much. Three stars if the could have cut the album to under forty minutes.
I think the same arguments that I made against Hot Rats could be levied against Bitches Brew, but personally I like it much better.
I really like Billy Holliday, but the accompaniment on this album is a little too schmaltzy.
I am really surprised by how much I like this album. It's pretty fun.
I like this a lot better than Bryter Layter. Maybe because it's cold and rainy in Chicago now?
To me, this one sounds sadder and has better accompaniment than BL. "Day is Done" and "Fruit Tree" are standouts.
Sounds like uninspired 90s Bowie. I guess it's ahead of its time, compared to a lot of the mid-aughts indie rock bands like Franz Ferdinand?
I feel like the standards for "great" British bands collapsed after the Beatles. Any bullshit like this or Oasis is considered amazing, when in fact it's just boring, derivative rock.
Not a particularly compelling prog rock album.
OK
One of my favorite albums of the 60s. On the surface it's boppy psychadelia, but the lyrics stray to the dark side. A bit haunting. Lots of bangers, as well. Especially in love with "Hung Up On a Dream."
I don't doubt that there should be a Muddy Waters album on here, but is this the best one? Serious question. The poor sound quality was distracting.
Definitely an album I listened to many, many times as a teenager and tried to like. It's been maybe 20 years since I've listened to it all the way through, but I remember every song. I still don't care for it very much. There are definitely some cool samples in here. I retrospect, I can see where Blink-182 came from.
It's a precursor to sludge metal, I guess?
This guy's voice is piercing. It's a "no" from me.
After many listens, I still couldn't tell you any of the song names on this album, or what the lyrics are about. But it's a banger front to back. Best enjoyed by just putting it on and taking the ride. To me, this is a wild masterpiece that still holds up, even after I have moved on from many albums in the same genre.
One of the great headphone albums. Moody, creepy, beautiful. I haven't explored all the historical context of the album, but it was mind-blowing for me as a 15-year-old kid. It is still such an enjoyable listen.
The flute needed to be used much more sparingly.
Brian Eno is an artist I started exploring recently, and his discography is a bit intimidating. He has made a lot of music, and it all seems to be very dense. He's clearly an incredible talent, having produced music for some of my favorite acts, like Bowie and Talking Heads.
However, I've found Eno's own music to be hit or miss. And I haven't yet come across an album that's easy to listen to. It demands engagement. Although not a personal favorite of mine, this album feels as prescient as any of his 70s albums. For example, it almost seems as if the song King's Lead Hat spawned Devo, who dropped their first album a year later.
Based on the other albums I've heard from him, I'd say this is a weaker one, but apparently this is one of his classics. I feel like it would take me ten years of listening to his albums to have an informed opinion about his music.
Best paired with a tiki drink and a summer ocean breeze. Five stars as background music. Three stars when it's front-and-center.
I had a Ugandan friend in college who played this album on repeat any time we would hang out. I have heard it six trillion times. It's a very solid album, front to back. I think this is a great example of an album that deserves to be on this list, but it's not something I'd ever listen to on my own.
Mid.
I think this is an interesting artifact that probably deserves to be on the list, if the list is about mapping out the evolution of modern music. But it's too damn cheesy as almost all fifties music is. Just doesn't feel like it has a soul. Probably influenced Johnny Cash, though?
La Grange is such a standout. Otherwise, just okay.
I remember hearing "Clint Eastwood" on the radio and thinking at the time that the band would be a one-hit wonder. Adding rap to alternative, the little cartoon characters. It all just seemed so gimmicky.
Gorillaz (aka, Damon Albarn from Blur) is pretty solid, though. Not my favorite band, but I often come back to Demon Days and Plastic Beach. This is my least favorite album of the three.
I didn't really connect with it. Certainly seems innovative for the early 70s.
Fine, didn't really grab me.
Very solid album. Not the best that Yes has to offer, but good.
Starship Trooper may be my favorite Yes song--pretty emblematic of their sound. If you don't like that one, you probably won't like them.
Sounds like boring Grimes. It's fine I guess. Don't really know why it's on this list.
I feel the same way about Roxy Music as I do Brian Eno--they made a ton of music in the 70s, most of it is dense, and I have not had the energy to plow through it all and decide which are my favorites.
Brian Eno is on the first two Roxy Music albums, so I guess it's a unsurprising I share this feeling across the two acts. Both of those albums are in my top 70s albums, but honestly I didn't listen to this album or a few later ones to evaluate whether they should be as well.
This album feels like more of the same, maybe a little more accessible. But I'm sure that's how people unfamiliar with Led Zeppelin feel about them--"Damn, these all albums sound the same!"--but if you spend time with them you can appreciate each album's unique strengths.
I'm annoyed by Spotify sometimes with these albums. The actual album is eight tracks. Spotify shows it is 20 tracks. Spotify has apparently combined this with one of his other albums, "Streetheart."
I like the eight tracks well enough, but I would not buy the vinyl for $5. Definitely the most interesting thing about this album is the fact that it's by the same guy who did "Runaround Sue." Not a very exciting listen.
Pretty much the definition of classic/dad rock. A great album front to back.
Solid rock from the mid sixties. A good milestone but probably something I won't listen to again.
I appreciate that this punk album is not available on iTunes, and I have to listen to it as one big track on YouTube.
I can't imagine just sitting down and listening to this on its own. I'd be happy to listen to it as background music at a dive bar or maybe lift weights to it. An above-average punk album.
Solid sadboy music. Maybe a 4? I'd have to relisten a few times.
Sounds like an easy-listening cross between the Jesus and Mary Chain and the Cranberries. Meh.
Sounds like the predecessors to the Smiths. Cool punky English album. A nice tight 35 minutes.
I don't really understand why I hate this so much, but I do. Unlistenable for me.
Standard side project album.
You have to already like Bob Dylan and be interested in the history of his music to appreciate this one. But I do so I do.
First time listening to Siamese Dream. Now Mellon Collie feels bloated by comparison. This is probably the best new thing I've heard on this list so far.
Fine blues.
