Gets tiresome after a while.

The same shitty song nine times in a row

Duran Duran on Valium. Very boring.

Fuck yeah

Goofy carnival bullshit. Roundabout is ok so I’ll bump it up to two stars.

Unbelievably strong start, drags a bit in the middle but closes strong.

Surprisingly varied in the back half. “Brass in Pocket” still slaps. Could do without “Private Life”.

Side 1 is flawless Side 2 is also great

Surprised at how few of these tracks had staying power. Also the skits are so corny. Totally missed it when I was a kid, but the Dee Barnes line seems legitimately shocking today — genuinely felt subversive as opposed to the bland shocking violence of other tracks.

Bursts out of the gate. Might have enough hits to get a five rating if the album were 35 minutes long, but the filler drags it down.

Holiday Inn was a great side two gem

The harms are immaculate, and it grooves in offensively throughout, but it needs more bops.

The first track so strong that the rest of the album struggles to measure up. Atom Dance and Quicksand are also good.

39 👍 The Prophet’s Song 👎

Classic Depeche Mode in that is sometimes awesome industrial/new wave stuff (Never Let Me Down Again) and sometimes way too goofy vampire rock (Little 15, Pimpf).

Pleasant as hell. Could put this on in the background while cooking or hosting a dinner party anytime.

The jams that rock are better than the jams that meander.

Hard to assess this in a future where is was so influential (feels like a dime a dozen movie montage backing track now but was probably very cool when it came out). It was pretty groovy though.

I prefer the uptempo stuff.

Holds up

Loved the first half and was sure it was on pace for five stars, but the meandering instrumentals of the second half weren’t my thing.

Pretty replacement level

Put this off all day, and when I got around to listening it was even worse than expected. I like a few of their lore melodic songs on Toxcitity but this album is wall-to-wall incoherence. Feels like self-parody. Wish I could give it zero stars.

Incredibly easy five stars. Almost no missteps (not a huge fan of Obviously Five Believers).

Side 2 GOATED

Doesn’t hold up as well as I’d hope. Still has some good tracks but there are too many maudlin middle ground tracks here.

I can see how this was influential, and it is groovy, but a bit too long and same-y for me.

A few nice moments (e.g., Open The Light) save this from getting only 1 star, but it is mostly a boring slog.

She really could sing.

Some decent jams, and no real bad songs. Still, it is interesting to see how much filler there is in the Queen catalog.

I don’t like this.

Surprisingly pleasant. I wouldn’t mind listening to this again, but wouldn’t actively put in on.

Stone cold classic

Some good tunes. Some mellow tunes. Some forgettable tunes.

Mildly funky/jazzy tunes. Few standouts.

I didn’t dislike any songs, but didn’t love any either.

When the album started with a nice Satie cover I thought “hey maybe my preconceived notions about this band were wrong” then Galway through that song they did a dramatic style shift to absolutely confirm my preconceived notions. Every good song is derailed by some dumb jam. Spinning Wheel does slap (even though it would be a lot better without the jam and the dumb flute (?) part).

This is my jam

Another Depeche Mode where I enjoy the hits but not the filler. I might go a star higher if Enjoy the Silence didn’t have the hidden track appended, which makes it much less playlist-friendly (and is bad in the flow of the album).

Got in a car accident while taking my extremely sick kid to the pediatrician while listening to this which may have cost it a star.

It’s insane that Dancing in the Dark might not be in the best half of songs on this album. Strong five stars.

Some classics (Psycho Killer, don’t worry about the government, new feeling) but there are a few stretches that get a bit same-y.

Lots of goofy stuff in here but the music is good throughout and it has Pinball Wizard.

The Wizard was a pleasant gem. The rest was fine as well — better when bluesy, like The Wizard, than when it was metal-y. I liked it less than their second album.

Has gotten better with age.

I give this one a big hell yeah.

Really drops off after suite Judy blue eyes.

It’s good! It’s funky!

Not sure if this is four stars or just three stars that hits better bc it is in my sweet spot.

Is P-Funk my favorite band?

The purest distillation of the 90s

Haunting and beautiful but it does get same-y.

The songs that slap, slap. But there is a lot of filler.

Up and down, many forgettable stretches (the cross)

A bit heavy handed, but interesting beats. The Dead Kennedys cover is neat. .

Good T. rex. Ballrooms of mars is great

Very good. A few high highs and no real lows.

This rips so hard.

The Beatles are underrated

Good harms, needs more bops.

Fun

Very interesting and enjoyable.

Classic

I miss this 90s flow

Jury is out on which way those guys'll go. They're a lot of fun, and James Taylor is one of the most proficient bass players in the UK at the moment, giving them a funky edge.

Chill vibes. Vocals a bit grating.

One of the best to ever do it operating at her peak. Opening tracks unassailable. Waking the witch is pretty wack.

Simply the best

Didn’t remember how great this is start to finish. No real weak spots (maybe “Motivator”, which is a less good version of Bang and Gong)

Inoffensive, but not particularly notable.

Has some nice moments (e.g., parts of I’ve Seen All Good People) but they are all ruined by overly long, complicated noodley songwriting.

I know it is cool to like ABBA now but besides some obvious skill at writing hooks, I just don’t find much to really latch onto.

It rocks but gets a bit longwinded at times.

Power pop beauties

With apologies to the people I follow on Twitter, this is just jazzy nothing music.

Meandering at time but has some undeniable bangers.

Fuck yeah

Punishingly boring

Up and down (what the hell was “cars are cars”), but the man can write some chunes.

More chillers than I remembered.

Much better than I expected

Music to build furniture to

One standout track (another girl another planet)

Greatly preferred the funky tracks to the sultry, soulful tracks.

Comes strong out of the gate. Then peters out a bit

Good stuff but I couldn’t get fully into it

A bit of a bore

Roadrunner and Girlfriend are all-time great songs. The rest of the album is similarly great but not as revelatory.

Definitely understand why it is here — emblematic of a scene/vibe that was very big (though I’d probably choose Merriweather Post Pavilion as the representative) — but as a person who was into that scene at the time I always felt this type of music was overrated. Looking back now it still feels overrated.

starts to drone in the last half but the first half really goes.

There is really nothing here.

Always disappointing when the first song in the record is the best one.

A few solid riffs, but otherwise nothing to care about.

it’s amazing how good the instrumental tracks in this album are

A few solid tunes, but it is long and the weirder stuff doesn’t work for me. The last song is so bad it leaves you on a sour note and makes it hard to accurately judge the album.

Wears out its welcome toward the end but enjoyable.

The beautiful songs are beautiful. I’ve never liked the murder mystery.

Gorgeous— everything is free is an all timer.

despite being over the top, it is good throughout.

Packed with classics

Has that great Husker Du song craft but wears out its welcome.

I found this very boring.

The uptempo songs sound like a great local bar band. The downtempo songs sound like a more boring Smiths.

Classic

All killer

With fresh ears it is interesting how much heavy lifting Parliament does for this album.

I like other Butthole Surfers albums, but this was unlistenable. I don’t know if it was important in the development of a noise/freakout scene, but even if it was I can’t see how it merits inclusion.

Groovy, funky, old school

Hard to assess something with so many ubiquitous, but similar, songs.

Rocks hard. Enjoyable throughout. Doesn’t feel essential.

Other bands have done this better.

The grooves on this album are surprisingly good but it is still an era of techno that I have little interest in

Likely the most formative album in my music listening career. Six stars.

This album tops out at enjoyable but inessential, and bottoms out at deeply embarrassing (“I Need You Tonight”, “I Got the Six”).

Solid Joni, but the very over the top jazzy stuff brings it down.

Surprisingly Christian? Some good funky jams too.

I enjoyed this quite a bit but likely wouldn’t put it in regular rotation.

Very replaceable. Like echo and the bunny men without any edge.

Probably my favorite album of all time. Six stars.

Feels incredibly dated.

Had high hopes after the first track but it really tailed off. It did make rememebr this all-time great tweet so that was nice: “uk rappers be like she suck on my willy it’s quite delightful if i catch you in west gloucestershire you’ll catch the rifle”

Meatloaf is so funny because he basically sings musical theater songs about fucking, but then the album art is like a panel from demon superhero comic.

Funky

Generic background music for a movie scene that takes place in a club. Don’t know why it is included on the list… maybe it invented that sound or something?

A bit too much freakout at times, but sister ray is a banger.

There were nice moments within songs but I didn’t like any songs start to finish.

Solidly enjoyable.

Alt country stuff is good. A bit too noisy for my liking at times.

Just a bit too polished for me, but some great tracks.

Smooth but complex. Enjoyable.

This seems like a joke record.

Shocked at how much I loved this.

Enjoyed it less as it went along, but still solid.

Still so funny to me that hip millennials have convinced themselves that Steely Dan is good.

Easy five stars. Great from open to close.

Boring

Paul McCartney can really write some catchy tunes. Unfortunately be it the lack of a solid collaborative band or the 70s influence, these just aren’t interesting.

So many great songs on here. There are a few that don’t grab me but still five stars overall.

This album doesn’t have enough songs about buildings or food.

Good and funky.

I can see how this is influential, but can’t imagine I’ll listen again.

Unlike the last album, his flow is undeniable here and it makes it more understandable that he became so huge. But the edginess sure is cringey.

Awesome uptempo afrobeat

Sounds like circus music a bit too often. But it has some bangers when it goes for more straightforward rock.

Cheesy eighties schmaltz. The first song sounded a bit cowpunky right at the end and I got excited it might improve, but that was the high point of the album.

I prefer their stuff that rocks a bit harder, but this has some nice songs.

First two tracks are amazing. It stays solid but never reaches those heights again.

Not for me.

Too thrashy. Needs more tunes.

Nice harms. Songs hold up pretty well.

Undeniably beautiful, but a bit too old fashioned and same-y for me.

Smooth grooves, nice flow, great beats, and at times, when Lauryn Hill is on vocals, transcendent. I do have to knock it down a star for the Chinese Restaurant skit.

Some cool moments but I found it much too anxiety inducing.

Excellent. Felt timeless. A few dull patches but no bad patches.

This really feels like something I should like based on my other tastes, but I found it grating. A few good moments (the end of caligari’s mirror, ubu dance party) but mostly a drag.

A few nice pop hits but too much electro

Takes me back.

Great opener and closer. Solid throughout.

A bit overwrought but I enjoyed moments.

Begrudgingly liked this. Some cracking tunes but I still find Morrissey’s voice and delivery grating. Ironically the best song on the album was antifacist.

Some nice poppy, punky jams in here. A bit bland at times but overall a nice listen.

Good U2 songs are great. Bad U2 songs sound like Sting. This is a pretty even mix of the two.

Some tracks are overly 60s sounding, but many of the tracks rock. Grace Slick is undeniable.

Started out pretty boring but improved as it went on.

I absolutely did not need to listen to two ZZ Top albums before dying.

A few bops but a lot of goofy overwrought tracks.

This fucking rips. I was shocked by Planet Caravan — didn’t know that was in their repertoire and I found it thoroughly enjoyable.

A bit overlong but has great moments throughout

Too long and boring, but I guess it functions ok as background music.

The music was great, but the vocals really took me out of it.

Some really great tracks. Overall pretty enjoyable.

Outside of the few enduring hits it is pretty middle of the road.

Glam-y, jam-y, rock goodness.

The music is nice but lyrically it is just far too goofy for my taste. I mean, “Your Dictionary” sounds like a joke song from Documentary Now or something.

A great Dylan. It drags at times but has two of the all time great songs in “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” and “Girl From the North Country”.

Farty-synth era blue eyed soul is generally bad. This is no exception though a few tunes are catch enough to merit two stars.

Good stuff. Probably won’t revisit often.

I was intrigued by how poppy Charlotte the Harlot was. Enjoyable enough to listen to throughout but nothing I would revisit.

I like the music and songwriting but the vocals are a bit grating.

Pleasant but didn’t knock my socks off

Extremely my shit.

A below average White Stripes album is still a good album.

Some really syrupy stuff in here (Vincent is bad), but the more upbeat stuff is fun.

A couple of fun dancey tracks but overall too dull.

Big Night

Extremely good. Feels ahead of its time (and I guess it was, since the title track really blew up in the 90s).

strange kind of woman knocked this down from three stars to two.

Nice grooves and jams. Better without vocals.

Completely replaceable. Not offensive but very generic.

Stunning but outside of a few tracks I can’t imagine listening to it again.

The sampling alone would be worthy of five stars, and then of course the rhymes match that in complexity and quality.

I just don’t like the Smiths.

The operatic sections and finger-tapping bits are too overwrought. But there are a few parts that sound a bit like hail to the thief era Radiohead that are pretty good.

Vibe-y grooves that occasionally transcend the chill to be very enjoyable. I liked it but probably would only listen to a track or two at a time in the future.

Extremely enjoyable. Will definitely be in my rotation moving forward.

I liked the jazzy stuff a lot better than the trip hop stuff. Clearly shows promise but I’m not likely to revisit

Some insanely good funky jams. A few stretches that are too yahct-y.

Not my thing but listenable.

I liked this less as it got deeper into the album; it got a bit too ethereal. The early tracks were enjoyable.

I kept thinking “I should like this album” but I never did. It seems adjacent to some of my new wave favorites but it just didn’t grab me.

A few duds (Mountains of Things), but overall great. Kicks off with two masterpieces in “Fast Car” and “Talkin’ Bout a Revolution”

Occasionally uneven, but still has enough tracks that I love to carry it to four stars.

Got diagnosed with tuberculosis halfway through listening to this album, which knocked a full star off my rating.

Bad English music.

Pretty unlistenable for the most part.

Lots of great tracks and clearly an influential masterpiece, but I do find some stretches dull which holds it back from perfection.

Comes out of the gate with a string of great tracks but tails off into sameness

Some solid tunes, but a lot of tracks are too over the top.

Came out of the gates with a banger opening track. Never reached such highs again but was enjoyable throughout.

Better than I remembered, and I remembered it being great.

This has its moments (a quick one while he’s away) but I fundamentally don’t really think of The Who as a band I need to hear live recordings of.

A bit uneven but some incredible highs (Nightswimming).

Gets tiresome after a while.

Up and down but the title track is so strong that I have to give it four stars.

Grueling to listen to.

Still a master of song craft right up until the end of his life.

A few songs go on too long but overall it rocks.

One of my favorite voices of all time. I wish the songs were a bit stronger but I could see myself revisiting this from time to time.

The back half of this album goes unbelievably hard. Hard to believe you could top the first half of the album — but it does!

Some beautiful tracks and it takes me back to the good old days. But it does drag into same-ness

Beautiful tracks, catchy tracks, and a few corny tracks.

the songs are too long and similar to each other

Some nice lo-fi chillers and grocers especially “Liquid Bird” and “Simple”. A bit sleepy in the first half of the album.

Very fun but not likely to revisit in full. The first track will go into rotation.

A more boring animal collective. But it wasn’t unpleasant to listen to.

About two songs too long. But it does rock

Wall to wall greatness

I respect bjork and don’t think this is necessarily bad. But I won’t listen to it again.

Too many long, droning tracks. But “pictures of you” is an all-timer. “Lovesong” also rules.

Uneven first half. Spectacular second half.

Hammond organ goodness. Could listen to it forever.

More Hammond organ goodness.

Solidly enjoyable blues. Not something I’d revisit often because it didn’t have any standout track, but I’d gladly listen to it if it was on the stereo sometime.

Enjoyable but forgettable. The drum breakdown in (I Know) I’m Losing You brings it close to four stars but this feels solidly in the three star range

great at the top but falls off very badly in the second half. Some very bad ballads there.

I think I’ve underrated Lynyrd Skynyrd

Groovy but a bit boring

Solid blues

Another solid R.E.M. album that I enjoy but am not as thrilled by as I expected to be.

Little wing is amazing. The rest is merely good.

I do not need to listen to any more Steely Dan

A masterpiece. Dylan’s reputation as a master is fully earned.

Started off interesting but grew very grating toward the end.

Title track rocks. The rest of the tracks are good but the back half of the album is a bit uneven.

Possibly influential. Not for me.

Other than the opening and closing tracks, I found it very schmaltzy

To quote Jeff Lebowski “I fucking hate The Eagles, man!” Just a juiceless album. No edge. Striving for profundity but missing the mark (The Last Resort feels almost like a parody). Begrudgingly giving it two stars because the title track is iconic and listenable, but the rest is pure dreck.

Moody, catchy, just plain good.

A ripping good time.

Overstuffed but good

Catchy, propulsive, just plain enjoyable.

Much like the Beatles albums in this project, Dylan albums are as good as their reputations.

This sucks. Absolutely infuriating inclusion on this list. Bland garbage best forgotten.

Enjoyable listen but nothing jumped out and grabbed me.

Contenswr for my least favorite album on the list. Grating (vocals and music), boring, repetitive. Would give it zero stars.

Undeniable craft, but lacking the oomf of other Beatles records.

Too psychedelic for me, doesn’t seem as cool as it did when I was 16.

Super fun pop punk, with a surprising amount of range (at times sounds like weeper at times sounds like GBV).

This is like the output of an AI prompt: “write a meet me in the bathroom era album in the style of Alice In Chains”.

I feel like I should love this but it’s just ok. A bit too droning.

Truly one of the best ever. Just a start to finish masterpiece.

Enjoyable tunes. Had a fun time listening but not super memorable.

Solid throughout but nothing matches the opening highs of You’re Gonna Miss Me.

Arctic! Monkeys and the Disco. It’s fun but in no way essential.

The covers are interesting, but without video it gets a bit samey. Still enjoyable and you can feel how interesting it is in context.

I still think this album is somewhat overhyped, but I enjoyed it all lot more than I did when it first came it. It is a solid to great album experience, but a lack of transcendent moments holds it back, in my eyes, from achieving the exalted status it holds in the culture.

Take it Easy is fun. The rest of the album is dreck.

It is unclear exactly how much of this is meant to be a joke, but it was enjoyable and there were some real standout tunes sprinkled through it.

Easy listening music that is extremely hard to get through.

Hard to untangle this one from nostalgia, but the high notes on this album are so spectacular that I am end up forgiving some of the goofier moments.

Enjoyable, low-key, countryish, melancholy. Something I will return to.

A magnificent live album. Whipping Post rips.

Shockingly enjoyable opening and closing instrumental tracks. Unfortunately every song with vocals was very bad. Seems like you need to hear this album in order to remember why people rag on music from the 80s. I guess that is a useful exercise, because the disrespect for 80s music has always baffled me since the music that endured from that decade is some of the best. This stuff is some of the worst.

Pleasant and clearly a historical artifact, but not something I plan on listening to again.

Solid punk songs with just enough variety to keep it interesting.

A great listen.

Really interesting and propulsive while staying smooth and groovy throughout.

Has a cool defined sound and some great harmonica work. Probably won’t revisit it though.

Really enjoyed this. Distinctly British sounding folk music. Will definitely revisit this one.

As it went along it got less garage-y and I liked it a bit less as that happened. Still solid overall.

An experience that really requires listening to uninterrupted in one sitting. Has peaks and valleys but the overall experience is quite good. I do think it would be better without the middle track.

Veers into the overly-spooky freaky at points (voodoo dolly), but I mostly enjoyed the gloomy jangle of the tighter tracks (spellbound, into the light).

A great album. I really enjoyed the more stripped down tracks in the back half.

An album that gives you something new to connect with on each listen, but also challenging enough that I don’t listen to it often.

I just don’t click with the Fall even though I feel like I should. Every aspect of the songs speaks to me in some way, but I find listening to them unpleasant.

Over indexes on being vibe-y in the back half, but still a great album that reminds me of a specific time in my life.

This lives up to the title by going extremely hard. Listened to it twice back to back.

Enjoyed some of the more melodic stuff, but the spoken world wasn’t my favorite.

I listened to at least a minute each of these before skipping (which is more than most deserved). Only made it through three tracks all the way. Zero stars. Absolutely perfect fit for the first day after Trump was elected to his second term.

Really beautiful.

Rockin, but repetitive.

A phenomenon talent at the top of his game. Great from start to finish.

Reminds me that I like pretty folk Music. A few duds (Sad Lisa notably) hold it back from five stars.

I liked the Oasis-like songs better than the euro-techno songs. Unfortunately, there were more euro techno songs. Ultimately it was just kind of forgettable.

Decently catchy stuff. Nothing that I wanted to immediately turn off, but also nothing that made me want to put it on again.

The best Stones album in a walk.

Unbelievable that this is their debut. Such range and so many amazing tracks.

A nice album that is a bit uneven at times.

Heard it Through the Grapevine rips.

I much prefer the instrumental tracks.

A lot of great tracks but a decent amount of filler holds it back from a five star rating.

I liked listening to this but in the grand scheme of the Bowie discography it felt less than essential.

I liked listening to this but in the grand scheme of the Bowie discography it felt less than essential.

Goofy carnival bullshit. Roundabout is ok so I’ll bump it up to two stars.

Very hard to judge this independent from my history with it (formative album, one of my first concerts). Felt a tad bloated this run through so I’ll leave it at four.

Enjoyably vibey but surprisingly light on hooks.

Pleasant enough but quite boring. A perfect example is “Just A Gigolo” which has none of the humor or verve of the Louis Prima version. The one exception is the final song that seems like a self deprecating joke or maybe just a bad song.

Amazingly strong opening run of four songs — some of my favorite ever. Unfortunately the back half gets embarrassingly bad (“New York” “Grace). I have to give it 4 stars on the strength of the openers, but it is not an album I will revisit in full.

Enjoyed this more often than not, though it got a bit too wacky at times. Overall a solid listen, especially the uptempo pop work.

Feels like the output of a school assignment to write an album of rejected 80s James Bond themes in the style of Bjork. That said, it wasn’t a bad listen.

Like most Billy Joel, I find this overly schmaltzy. But there are a few solid tracks.

Beautiful songs with just enough variety. I could listen to Say Yes a thousands times and not tire of it.

Boring and same-y. No memorable hooks. I find the singers voice grating enough to downgrade it to one star (the music itself would get a two).

It grooves and has good enough variety to stay interesting throughout.

Not familiar with this one going in and found it solid throughout. I was blown away by Not Dark Yet which is good enough to lift this to four stars.

Expert debut with all the charge and verve they would later perfect on London Calling when they added a bit more variety and craft.

Damn that rocks.

Not bad. Just kind of there.

Not sure what I’m supposed to do with this. I suppose you have to listen to it to understand that Pink Floyd didn’t work except as a sum of its parts. Not punishing to listen to, but rather thin and not something I’d ever revisit.

This album should really end three songs sooner. But I still have to give it five stars.

Has “Maps” one of the greatest songs of all time. The rest of the album is good but doesn’t reach the heights of It’s Blitz.

Real 90s sounds. Headlined by Cherub Rock and Today this was a great listen but with a few long tracks that lost my interest.

Enjoyable, replacement-level indie rock but There Goes The Fear was very good.

Ultimately forgettable. There are a few choice tracks (Beautiful, Fighter) but those don’t elevate the rest of the album enough to be worthwhile. I suppose it is a decent time capsule.

Beyond the hits, I found it repetitive. He does have immaculate flow though.

Tour de force performance that *almost* manages to translate it’s live energy entirely to wax.

Solidly enjoyable. Seems ahead of its time but I don’t know enough jazz history to properly contextualize.

A few dull patches (the title track is not my favorite), but two all time bangers (New York I Love You but You’re Bringing Me Down, All My Friends).

Excellent Brit pop that overstays its welcome a bit toward the end.

One Minor Threat song — pretty good Two Minor Threat songs — ok I get it Three Minor Threat songs — ok thats good enough for me for now Album ends — actually I came back around on it

Listenable but quite boring. Like if Oasis wrote songs without hooks.

Don’t think we needed two Iron Maiden albums on this list. But if you don’t attempt to take this seriously it is pretty fun.

Has a lot of stuff I didn’t jive with, but has some great tracks (town with no cheers in particular).

Laid back and funky with a solid flow. I don’t fully connect with it, but I enjoyed it.

I’m finding during this exercise is that I don’t really enjoy psychedelia, but this was fine. Too much to dream is a song I used to like that holds up pretty well.

Despite the best efforts of Cast No Shadow to drag the album down, this is five stars. Too many bangers.

Gonna assume this was vital in the development of lo-fi beats to chill to.

Very hard to track these songs down, but the ones I found were not very memorable.

I expected to like this a lot more. James Taylor has always been a blind spot for me in a genre I usually love. I found this pretty boring and cheesy.

Gets repetitive but really pleasant tunes.

Can’t argue with Dolly.

The hits are great. The album tracks are OK.

Not unpleasant, but this type of music never really grabbed me. I liked a few tracks, but found that it mostly faded into the background.

High variance. Really enjoyed some tracks but the more esoteric ones such as “Dirty Barry” really rubbed me the wrong way.

Really wonderful. I prefer this to Pink Moon, which surprised me because Pink Moon was the record people always used to introduce me to Nick Drake when I was younger.

A bit bloated. I prefer Madman Across The Water, but I still enjoyed most of the songs.

Beautiful. A feast for the ears. Didn’t like it quite as much as Bryter Later.

This rocks! Surprised this hasn’t been more lasting and present. It is a bit cheesy but stacks up with a lot of the early 2000 garage revival stuff.

Disappointing. Too same-y throughout.

*Bruce Campbell voice* Groovy

The uptempo tracks are great, but I didn’t like any of the ballad-y tracks.

The same shitty song nine times in a row

Violin gets a bit too unnerving at times but overall I enjoyed this quite a bit.

Exactly what I always thought this would sound like (derogatory)

All the bones are here but it is uneven (Settle for Nothing was really unpleasant.). Great when it is funkier. Killing in the Name whips.

A bit overstuffed, but a shocking achievement given its scope and scale. This exercise continues to highlight how good the Beatles really are. They hold up! “Long, Long, Long” stood out on this listen as a song I’d never really appreciated before but found really excellent and beautiful this time through.

Allyssa Beird loves running around her school listening to this. A few solid cuts, but overall a replacement level pop album.

Uneven. Didn’t love the ambient stuff other than Moss Garden. Title track is a banger.

Tons of great tracks with the epic sweep I expect from Nick Cave.

Unfortunately Muzak-y

I feel like I lack the full knowledge/context to judge this. It holds up well and feels very influential. The beats in particular felt timeless. But, it didn’t really grab me.

Listening to the most misogynistic song I’ve ever heard “wow, this is troublingly classist”. I dunno, this album was a big part of my youth, not sure what the fuck I’m supposed to do with his albums now.

Very unenjoyable. I can see how it probably influenced music I like, but it was painful to get through.

A nearly flawless album (I don’t love “I Can Learn”). Boundless energy.

Really enjoyed this. Solid from start to finish. It didn’t have any transcendent moments so I’m giving it a 4, but I’d say it’s more of a 4.5.

Kind of disappointing after shining star. Got less funky and more jazzy which I don’t like.

Great samples, great flow.

Some great tracks “the kids are alright” “my generation”. Some pleasant surprises “the ox”. But overall uneven.

Answers the question “what if kraftwerk was atonal and bad?”

I much prefer the first half of this album to the drearier tracks toward the back.“Sad Song” ties together the back half of the album well. Overall a good album!

A bit boring but some solid tunes.

There is some typical U2 cheese in here that holds it back (“Tryin To Throw Your Arms Around the World” is pretty awful, “Love is Blindness” not a great closing track) but on the whole a great album.

This hasn’t held up well for me. Feels a bit kitschy

Beautiful songs, funny songs, heartbreaking songs. Political Science more relevant than ever. Five stars.

Cowboy Song straight into The Boys are Back in Town — hot damn.

A huge album in my life that came out just as I was moving to Illinois for college. Played the hell out of it then and have listened to my favorite tracks often in the years since. This is my first full album listen through in probably a decade and my god does it hold up.

Extremely solid.

Really loved this album. The compositions shifting from spare to lush were really beautiful. However, “Invocation to Ratiocination” really rubbed me the wrong way and held it back form five stars.

Really nice songs with more variety and edge than their early reputation implies.

Fun. Disposable.

Good as hell folk punk. So many great tracks on here from start to finish.

Packed with great songs.

Never really connected with Peter Gabriel and on this album I think something about his singing is it grates on me (similar to Dave Matthews). This clicked during “Lead a Normal Life” which I thought was great until the singing kicked in. Overall a decent listen but not one I’d return to.

I liked this a lot more than Felt Mountain. I liked the rock-folkiness of this a lot more than the chanteuse vibes of the last one. Overall a nice listen with a lot of bright spots.

Lives up to the hype. Incredible flow. Wonderful beats. Lyrics that will need multiple listens to process.

I enjoyed the uptempo funky songs more than the more ballad-y tracks, as I always do, but overall I thought this was a very good listen.

An album so good it is making me crotchety about modern music. Flawless start to finish. Six stars.

Solidly listenable but forgettable.

A sonic delight that occasionally veers off track. Lots of choice tracks in here.

Chill beats and cool vocals.

Fun like all AC/DC songs but I think one of their albums would be enough for this list.

An amazing narrative achievement that also delivers a number of undeniable hit singles.

Not my favorite Zappa to listen to, but one of his most interesting.

Didn’t love this as much as I’d expected given how much I love #1 album. But maybe I am just taking Chilton’s songwriting for granted.

Drum solo was a bit too much for me but the other tracks were really great.

Feels epochal but for an epoch I don’t care much about one way or the other. Very listenable as background music.

I forgot how great this album is. Their later output had negatively spun how I remember this. But hearing it again takes me back. Hard rocking southern jams. Allman Brothers x Velvet Underground vibes.

Easily the best Jack White album outside of his work with White Stripes. I especially like the back half which has some more adventurous stuff.

I can see how this influenced a lot of music I like, and I enjoyed listening to it, but it left me a bit cold.

Duran Duran on Valium. Very boring.

Too shaggy for me. Not my favorite of their records.

Groovy and sweeping. A great soundtrack but doesn’t rise to the level of an album I’d revisit often.

Solid moody rock. A bit same-y. I feel like this could have really imprinted into my mind if I’d encountered it when I was younger, but for now it’s just a solid three-star album.

A very cool amalgam of styles over chill grooves, jazzy elements, and samples.

Space Truckin’ is a perfect capper for this album because it sums up the whole experience — deeply goofy but undeniably rocking.

Take Me Out is an all-time for me. And. It has lots of other great tracks sprinkled throughout.

This was slightly better than I expected and I’m still giving it one star. Just a slog of uninspired electro rock. It seemed like it would never end.

There are undeniable hits throughout, but with enough maudlin syrup to drag it down to three stars.

So many great tracks throughout. A fair number of duds but that’s understandable. I could see this landing anywhere from 3-5 based on its highs, lows, and overall ambition. I guess I’ll average it out to 4. Best tracks “papa was a rodeo”, “kiss me like you mean it”, “luckiest guy on the lower east side”, “sweet-lovin’ man”

Boring but inoffensive.

Marianne Faithful has an interesting voice but the songs left me a bit cold.

This album just fucking rips. Fast, loud, and fun.

The opening riff of this album was so cool and the rest of it was a let down.

Really good album. It was a bit slow and melodic for my personal taste but the overall progression of the album with the interludes was very arresting. I really enjoyed this!

Motörhead is cool and fun but does get repetitive especially since a number of these tracks were already on the Live at Hammersmith album on this list.

While I didn’t love any single track this was an enjoyable listen at the album level. Some varied styles and low key grooves.

Bleep-bloop music that isn’t terrible, but definitely isn’t good.

A bit too 80s for me, but Tina Turner is great. Overall three stars bc it was good but not something I’d revisit.

Combining rap in the style of “my name is John and I’m here to say, I rock the beat in a rockin way”, with putrid metal riffs and knock off Axl Rose vocals. Not good!

This was a stunning album for me. Folk songs with range, depth, and beauty. I loved both the vocalists and can’t wait to revisit this and listen to the lyrics again.

Feels ahead of its time and is still very listenable and fun.

One of the all-time voices but this is not the strongest collections of songs.

High variance. Some good tracks but some really sloggy ones featuring too much sludgy synth.

I always struggle with things that are so foreign to me. This was pleasant enough to listen to but not anything I’d revisit.

Solid flow and some interesting sampling/beats but it lacked the hooks in some of his other albums. The misogyny is also amped to a million here which detracts from the overall stories.

There are some interesting musical moments in here but the vocals are godawful, and the songs are too long and slow to ramp up. There is also an inexplicable song that rags on popular music while ripping off (intentionally I assume) Werewolves of London — pretty rich to be throwing stones at Warren Zecon. Three stars mostly just for the strength of the last four minutes of That’s What She’s Like. Also, is the author doing a bit by including a Dexy’s Midnight Runners album that doesn’t include Come on Eileen.

I prefer the edgier opener to some of the more straightforward songs but this was a great album throughout.

The energy is off the charts and it still feels fresh almost 70 years later. There is a bit of fatigue with the style by the end but overall a great time.

At times this had an almost showtune vibe that I kind of liked. But, most of it was somewhat grating operatic metal that I never got into.

I was worried this wouldn’t hold up because I hadn’t listened to it since high school. I figured the impact would have worn off a bit now that I’m not a teenager, but it’s…. somehow better? I think it works top to bottom. It’s one of the most successful concept albums/operas I’ve ever heard. It is a top-tier work of fiction about the mid 2000s. I can’t believe it.

I really enjoyed the middle third or so of this album, where I felt like it hit the perfect blend of bluesy, thrashy, and hooky. The begging and end were out of balance in the thrashy direction, but overall a solid listen.

This album rocks and rolls. It’s groovy and funky and jammy. A very fun listen but not sure how often I’ll revisit.

Some of my favorite Bruce songs on here. Atlantic City, Reason to Believe, and Highway Patrolman are all classics. Despite being stripped down this album has great range.

Not bad at all just boring. Like Franz Ferdinand but louder and less interesting. It is probably a three on merit but I found it so dull I’m giving it a two.

I love a spare, haunting, Nick Cave ballad, but these do get a bit repetitive as the album drags on.

I felt that the English language standards on this dragged a bit and detracted from the overall experience.

Replacement level rock. Fine but boring. Probably could be three stars based on listenability but I found the slower ballads to be a real slog so I’m knocking it down to two.

Really enjoyed this. Lightly ska/folk-inflected indie rock with enough variety to keep it interesting throughout.

Slow dance songs from fifth grade that I didn’t like then and don’t like now, but her voice is good so I’ll give it two stars for that.

Like all Rockabilly I like it, but it gets very goofy and repetitive. I think I’m around. 3.5 on this but I’ll round down to three because of the same-yness

A very good album. Great even! But I am still a bit baffled that it is so widely regarded as their best when it is probably not even in my top three. I appreciate the complex compositions, but it just has none of the emotional heft of some of their better achievements (The Bends, OK Computer).

Really holds up. I know that a few songs have cringey reputations but in the flow of the opera they are good. Big thumbs down to the Spotify track breaks making it hard to add certain tracks to my overall playlist.

This was a fun enough listen but I feel like the list is over-indexing in Neil Young that sounds exactly like this. I’d 90s young really that essential? The long songs are a bit too meandering for me.

This was fun to put on in the background but it lacked some of the catchy hooks that made his other albums more memorable.

It’s a good piece of pop orchestral music. But then good vibrations hits at the end and I can’t help but compare it (unfavorably) to Pet Sounds.

Cool garage-y psych rock with enough holiness to grab me even in another language. Still a bit too psychedelic for me but I liked it.

The sort of proto-avalanche sound collages were better than the more straightforward beats. This was overall fine as background music but felt like a waste of time.

Really fun listen. Makes me excited to hear more Jazz.

I enjoyed the mellow compositions here but after a while it got boring.

Finally clicked with a PJ Harvey album. I much preferred the first half of this album (the second half got a bit too sludgy for me) but the first half is awesome.

I’ve always found Tom Petty a bit boring. Enjoyable but unremarkable. (Exception being American Girl which is a bop).

Slow but groovy reggae. Not super interesting but a decent listen.

Bird on a Wire is an all-timer.

Unpleasant. I’ve never been a metal guy and albums like this are why. Bad vibes, bad melodies.

Grows boring after a while.

The first track “Regular John” was awesome. After that it got less propulsive and more sludgy which I liked quite a bit less

Some really gorgeous songs in here. I was big into this album in college and I’m glad it holds up years later.

A bit bloated but also some of their best songs. Shine A Light almost pushed it to five stars but it felt more like a four throughout so I’m sticking with that.

Just background music.

Some interesting stuff in here. I particularly loved “Momma Miss America”. It’s possible that if a man named John Smith had released this album I’d have considered it for four stars, but it is impossible not to compare it to the Beatles output which makes it seem slight in comparison.

There are moments on this album that are enjoyable (Limelight for instance), but every time I started to get into it something extremely dumb would happen (YYZ for instance).

Some relatively solid background music mixed with some truly annoying tracks. Hovering around 1.5 but the last half hour was a chore so I’m giving it a 1.

A lot of thee songs really hit me. I also appreciated the variety in the music despite his unique droning voice.

Some cool stuff in here with some unique, haunted folk. I liked his Everbody’s Talking better than Nilson’s. There was a proto-Nick Cave vibe at times as well. Strongly disliked the final track which bumped this down from a four to a three.

Pretty undeniable album. His flow is so smooth and in the pocket matched with great instrumentation. Of course, that instrumentation does rely heavily on load-bearing Parliament samples (particularly on “Who am I”), but you can’t argue with the results! There is, of course, a troubling amount of misogyny in the lyrics as is typical of the era. Shocking behavior from America’s preeminent Olympics correspondent!

Van has many an undeniable banger. However this album meanders just a bit too much (particularly in the first half of disc 2). Overall a great time but not quite a five star.

The funky uptempo songs (especially Higher Ground and Living for the City) on this album are so good. The ballads (Golden Lady, All in Love is Fair) are very saccharine. Overall four stars on the strengths of the great tracks but the dour songs will stop me from giving it a full relisten.

Pretty down the middle folk rock. I really enjoyed the funkier guitar and organ of From a Silver Phial.

Listening to this was a fucking chore.

Solid chunes. Falls into the category of “do I really need to listen to this aging legend’s 90s output” that afflicts this list. Enjoyed it enough. Won’t revisit.

I’ve always appreciated Fugazi on an intellectual level while never really being emotionally affected by their music. On this listen my reaction is much the same. Solid stuff but doesn’t grab me.

Pleasantly surprised by the range on this. Not at all what my perception of Alice Cooper was going in.

Long live Britpop.

Black Sabbath is firmly the best of these metal bands in terms of melody and range. Found this release a bit uneven but enjoyable.