74
Albums Rated
3.34
Average Rating
7%
Complete
1015 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
2000s
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Singer-songwriter
Favorite Genre
other
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
9
5-Star Albums
4
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Zombie
Fela Kuti
|
5 | 3.47 | +1.53 |
|
Heaux Tales
Jazmine Sullivan
|
4 | 2.68 | +1.32 |
|
Highway 61 Revisited
Bob Dylan
|
5 | 3.77 | +1.23 |
|
Automatic For The People
R.E.M.
|
5 | 3.82 | +1.18 |
|
The Stranger
Billy Joel
|
5 | 3.86 | +1.14 |
|
American IV: The Man Comes Around
Johnny Cash
|
5 | 3.9 | +1.1 |
|
Tapestry
Carole King
|
5 | 3.91 | +1.09 |
|
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Elton John
|
5 | 3.93 | +1.07 |
|
Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
TV On The Radio
|
4 | 2.93 | +1.07 |
|
Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul
Otis Redding
|
5 | 3.93 | +1.07 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Aja
Steely Dan
|
1 | 3.46 | -2.46 |
|
Odelay
Beck
|
1 | 3.46 | -2.46 |
|
In Utero
Nirvana
|
2 | 3.83 | -1.83 |
|
Tusk
Fleetwood Mac
|
2 | 3.46 | -1.46 |
|
Third
Soft Machine
|
1 | 2.43 | -1.43 |
|
Sulk
The Associates
|
1 | 2.36 | -1.36 |
|
Selected Ambient Works 85-92
Aphex Twin
|
2 | 3.21 | -1.21 |
|
The Pleasure Principle
Gary Numan
|
2 | 3.14 | -1.14 |
|
Treasure
Cocteau Twins
|
2 | 3.07 | -1.07 |
5-Star Albums (9)
View Album Wall
1-Star Albums (4)
All Ratings
R.E.M.
5/5
The first step in a long journey, it was fitting to listen to this album over a rental car stereo on the way to New Hampshire. I purchased this exact album for Ciara's dad Christmas 2022 and it was Ciara's own love for REM that first put this album on my radar. It was not my first listen, and it won't be my last. This album is seminal, excellent, and probably the best REM album ever. "Drive" is the sleeper stand out for me, that I don't think got a lot of radio play growing up. "Nightswimming" is the all-timer though, first introduced to me by Ciara and I think of her every time I hear it. Swimming in our pool at the old house in New Jersey with colored pool lights on in the middle of summer.
Elvis Costello
4/5
Steely Dan
1/5
I hate Steely Dan. Steely Dan is like Nickelback for me, a meme band that I’ve just committed to hating. I’ve heard Aja before, but never with a critical ear and even still, it just doesn’t do it for me. Smooth jazz like elevator music, hokey lyrics and dated harmonizing. Ciara said it’s the music that plays in hell and she might be right. Or at least on the elevator ride down. “Josie” is the best of the worst and thank god it’s a short album. I tried, but can now confirm Steely Dan ain’t for me.
Beck
1/5
The first album on the list I’ve never listened to, by a band I never really got into. Beck isn’t totally my cup of tea. I find most of the audio distortion he uses to really grate in my ears and his talk-sing style I’ve never found too appealing. The one song I liked was “Where It’s At” and even that has an annoying squeaky sound during the chorus. I found some songs completely intolerable, and the ones that were listenable were rather boring. And that hidden track of computers having sex was enough to even put Ciara over the edge. I can’t ever really see my listening to this again and though I tried, I stand by my thought that Beck just isn’t for me.
Queen
3/5
I really thought I knew Queen, but I've never heard this album and only really knew the hit single "Killer Queen" off the track list. This is the Queeniest Queen album I've ever heard. If I had to make a parody of Queen music, I'd just use this album. It's bombastic, chaotic, and super glam & fun. I thought the songs flowed into each other in a really unified way, making this almost feel like a concept album and difficult to select a single track as a sleeper hit for me. I think I liked "Stone Cold Crazy" best, but "She Makes Me (Stormtrooper in Stilettos)" was also super weird and different from a lot of the rest of the album. Overall, just a fun listening experience hearing deeper cuts from a band who's hits are so well known.
The White Stripes
4/5
I knew this album, but don't think I've ever really listened to it. I really enjoyed it, more then I even thought I would. I described it to Ciara as a harder rocking Beatles album, and feel like there is a lyrical flow/similarity to a lot of the classic rock I love. This album would've been a 5/5 for me if not for "Aluminum," which I thought was basically just noise for the sake of noise. But I enjoyed every other song, the way they flowed together, and the overall vibe transported me back to my pre-teen years.
Suicide
2/5
After listening to this, I understand the name of the artist and album better… I can appreciate art for art’s sake and I personally don’t mind a dissonant soundscape but they lost me on “Frankie Teardrop” with the sudden shrieking. I see the influence of this album and appreciate the sound it may have eventually led other artists to explore, but at the end of the day I just don’t know who would listen to this album regularly. I certainly won’t be.
Fleetwood Mac
2/5
What a mediocre album, I'm surprised it even made this list! I've heard Tusk before, but never in a critical capacity and I was hopeful there was something I had missed the first time around, but no. The album is just so bland and boring to me, beyond the standout song "Tusk" and maybe "Sara" and "Storms." Otherwise, it's just a long, lame, snore. Maybe I have a higher standard for Fleetwood Mac because of Rumours, but regardless this album just ain't worth another listen.
Mj Cole
3/5
I've definitely never heard of this album or Mj Cole, so I love when this project is able to expose us to completely new music. This album was fun! Nothing spectacular to me, but very pleasing boops and beeps that had my heading nodding along with the 2000s dance rhythms. I found the sound to be very dated to that time period, with the female vocals reminding Ciara of Destiny's Child because of the vibrato and crooning. Probably not something I'd actively seek out to listen to again, but I found it harmless and entertaining for an hour and change.
Jazmine Sullivan
4/5
Went into this listening thinking we’d dislike the album but I was personally pleasantly surprised. I thought the songs were catchy with a nice beat, and I enjoyed the overall concept of the album. Ciara felt it was a little too spoken wordy at parts, but it worked for me. Though some of them were recorded a bit badly and difficult to understand. I would definitely revisit this album and in general, just cool to experience newer music for the first time as I’ve absolutely never heard of this.
Ella Fitzgerald
4/5
I mean, it’s Ella Fitzgerald singing the great American songbook. How could you dislike it? As Ciara said, it’s very cozy music and Ella in general always reminds me of Christmas music because I think that’s where you hear her most these days. But every song is great, and there’s some timeless classics here I caught myself singing along to (Nice Work if You Can Get, for one). This album is a classic.
Le Tigre
3/5
Not sure how you would even classify this music, but definitely a familiar sound that still felt completely new. It was like the Go-Go’s went punk. I appreciated the New York call outs on “My My Metrocard” (Rudy Giuliani DOES still suck) and while I didn’t hate this album, I don’t think I’d revisit anytime soon. It was a fun listen, but not exactly my cup of tea and songs like “Slideshow at Free University” really grind my gears on albums because they just feel like experimental fillers. Do something that sounds good if you want to experiment with a song you’d only be able to put on an album and not be a radio hit!
Dinosaur Jr.
2/5
I found this album to be very average 90s rock, then learned it released in the late 80s, which made it seem cool and influential toward the guitar heavy era to come. Then “Don’t” came on and I really hated it. Just found this to overall be nothing special, and that one screamo song that came completely out of nowhere ruined any good well the album had for me. It may have influenced some of the 90s rock greats, but I’m glad they all learned to do it better.
Kings of Leon
4/5
Wow this album was a real surprise treat. This is not the Kings of Leon I know! The “Use Somebody” / “Sex is on Fire” overplayed and overhyped pop rock band has its origins in some really jammy 70s-rock-esque tracks that I really enjoyed. I would absolutely put this album into my rotation, and I particularly loved “Holy Roller Novocaine,” which I do feel like I’ve heard before but it was great to re-experience here. I’m sad this band on this album did not end up becoming the Kings of Leon that exists today, because this shit rocked.
Fugees
3/5
I thought I liked Fugees, but after listening to this album I realize I just like Lauryn Hill. The hit songs (hers) are great, the rest are just average to me. I found the album to grow repetitive and meander for too long. It’s perfectly fine music that maybe just isn’t for me, but man does “Killing Me Softly” and “Ready or Not” hit.
Nirvana
2/5
This is a much harder-rocking, angsty Nirvana than the Nirvana of Nevermind and I frankly wasn’t a fan. I debated between a 2 or a 3 here just because there are 3 tracks on this album I really like and “All Apologies” might be my favorite of all Nirvana songs. But still, it’s not enough for me to save this album from the screaming, dissonant noise that makes up the majority of the album. I’ve always felt pretty meh on Nirvana and this album proves why.
Gary Numan
2/5
I wanted desperately to give this album a 3, but man does it really go on for too long which knocks it down to a 2 in my view. I think the sounds and synths are really innovative and I do like the overall tone of the album, it’s just so fucking long and it’s the same synth-y whine and wail over and over again. We also listened to this while driving an incredibly windy and steep roadway in New Zealand which probably didn’t help my patience. How did “Cars” become a radio hit? What a weird song.
JAY Z
4/5
Of course we know JAY Z, but this album was such a pleasant surprise. The songs flow together so nicely, and 20 years later there is still a freshness to them. The beats are strong, the lyrics are meaningful, and it’s all together just a wonderful album that was great for driving and reminded me of Summer for some reason. I hadn’t heard “Renegade” in a long while either and I really had some nostalgia hearing that song.
Johnny Cash
5/5
This whole experience was worth it just for an album like this to come along and blow me away. First album on the list to make me cry (“In my Life”), and I think I genuinely liked every single track. I knew of this album because of “Hurt” but oh boy there are so many other excellent covers here. Johnny Cash’s aged, gruff voice resonates with regret throughout, in an almost concept album like production of an old man looking back on his life through song. Absolutely loved this one and will definitely be looking to add to my collection.
The Fall
3/5
I was a little worried about this album after the first scream-y song right up top, but it mellowed out thankfully. That said, it was still a punk rock mess of an album. It’s hard to hear with 2023 ears, but I can imagine at the time in the 80s this sound was really different and hugely influential. I can hear early traces of even Green Day in some of the guitar riffs. And I did enjoy the guitar riffs and melodies, but lyrics were fairly incoherent as typical with post-punk.
Destiny's Child
3/5
3 absolute bangers out the gate on this album. Side note, what happened to “Bootylicious” and why doesn’t that song get any love any more? But overall, I find this album to be very much a nostalgic time capsule of early 2000s pop. Ciara had a beautiful memory of this album and feeling like it helped her learn at an early age she can be an “Independent Woman Pt. 1” which was very sweet and meaningful. However, the album does get a little weird and churchy at the end, which knocks it down a peg for me.
Pink Floyd
5/5
I mean, I truly considered writing a college thesis on this album so there’s so much I could possibly say about The Wall. It’s a masterpiece in my book and an early example for me of a favorite album and part of the reason why I’d even be interested in a project like this to begin with. This album made me love albums and I think that says it all.
Arrested Development
3/5
Overall, an enjoyable album of “early” hip-hop that was a fun listen. It felt a bit dated to me, with the same sing-song phrasing that I find to grow repetitive track after track that a lot of early hip hop does. However the songs were different and atypical, with some odd themes and subject matter that really made them stand out. “Fishin’ 4 Religion” was actually a standout track, with simple lyrics the beats really shone through and there’s a lot of joy apparent on this record.
Billy Bragg
4/5
Had very low expectations going into this listen, but wow what a pleasant surprise! Billy Bragg sounds like a cockney Morrissey, so there was something oddly familiar about an artist and songs we’ve absolutely never heard before. I really liked this though, the “folk punk” sound is matched with equally impactful lyrics and I love the strong pro-union sentiments throughout. I thought the album was just a bit long and started to meander at the end. But the final track of “Hold the Fort” was beautiful and really brought the album home.
Eels
4/5
Another pleasant surprise! I only knew of Eels from the Shrek 2 soundtrack (“I Need Some Sleep”) so imagine my delight when a song from the Shrek 1 soundtrack came on, (“My Beloved Monster,” one of the album’s best). This is just a great showcase of alternative music that still sounds fresh today. I can imagine this album being released by an indie artist this year and it not feeling out of place. There’s even traces of Death Cab for Cutie here. This album was definitely up my alley and I’ll be checking out more Eels as a result.
Marvin Gaye
3/5
Marvin Gaye is a petty bitch. And ultimately, that does not necessarily make for a great album. There are some funky jams here and it’s Marvin Gaye so the vocals are great, but nothing really stood out about this album and it didn’t feel like there were any real hits from it. I enjoyed the concept, as petty as it was, which elevates the experience slightly but overall found this album to be fairly mediocre.
Janet Jackson
3/5
It’s nice to hear Janet Jackson, as it really feels like she was blacklisted and is barely heard ever since the Super Bowl incident which is such a shame. Her talent is on full display here, with catchy beats, socially conscious lyrics, and beautiful singing. There’s some great hits here, and while I’ve definitely heard “Escapade” I don’t think I’ve ever attributed it to Janet. However, the music just sounds dated overall. Very 80s, very heavily produced. And the socially conscious lyrics and general concept of the album is a bit cheesy.
Cocteau Twins
2/5
I just genuinely don’t understand this music. Ethereal 80s pop? I don’t really understand the appeal or the lyrics or what’s happening. Are they singing in a different language? Or is it some made up fairy language? I can appreciate the musicality, but at the end of the day this just isn’t for me. Blessedly the album is fairly short which keeps it from being a 1.
Fela Kuti
5/5
This album was a major surprise. Expectations were low, but what a fantastic record of afrobeats and jazz. Maybe some of the best jazz we’ve ever heard. And the title track “Zombie” was definitely a song we’ve heard before, but couldn’t place where so it was a nice revisit to something trapped inside our heads. This album moves and flows, bobs and weaves, and with a tight runtime and 4 songs it’s just really masterful at letting the music evoke an emotion and a story. And the backstory to it, as a scathing rebuke of the Nigerian government and the consequences that led to, just heighten the mystique and appeal. What a great, unique piece of music.
Peter Frampton
4/5
Just an absolute classic album, probably the definitive “live” album because 3 hit singles that get tons of radio play came from this album. So the live versions of the songs are actually better known than the studio versions. This album is a lot of fun to listen to, nice easy going 70s rock that verges between soft rock and some harder hitting guitar riffs. The hits are hits for a reason, but nothing holds a candle to “Do You Feel Like We Do” an absolute banger of a jam at 13+ minutes. Such a strong way to close out the live album and just encapsulates that vibe of the whole record.
D'Angelo
2/5
I went into this listen with low expectations, knowing I’m not a D’Angelo fan but hoping I’d get something more out of a critical listening experience. But alas, I still find D’Angelo to be the blandest R&B artist ever. It’s like the stock music of R&B, it just feels like it has absolutely no edge. Tracks like “Shit, Damn, Motherfucker” are just lame instead of cool. And when your best track is a cover of “Crusin’” you know you’ve got a problem. Stick to the sandwiches D’Angelo!
Elton John
5/5
For a long time, my love for this album was marred by the fact that I thought the back half was pretty weak compared to the front half. That basically Disc 2 didn’t hold a candle (pun intended) to Disc 1. But after a critical listen, this is like comparing a macon apple to a pink lady. They’re both fucking amazing, it’s just one seems so much better in direct comparison. Hit after hit after hit on Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. It’s basically an Elton John greatest hits album, which makes an absolute all-timer. It also has some of the best album cover art of all time to boot. A masterpiece.
Van Halen
4/5
Maybe a just have a soft spot for Van Halen, but I thought this was a great album. There’s some serious hits here, “I’ll Wait” is probably my favorite VH song and “Hot for Teacher” is just so fun. And that’s the overall vibe of the album, fun hard-rocking guitar licks. It’s very 80s glam metal, but it’s basically a VH best of album so how could you not love it? It ends fairly weakly unfortunately, but the hits throughout really elevate it for me. And as the last album to feature David Lee Roth, it has a finality to the end of the VH era that dominated 80s rock.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
4/5
When I think about the 80s, if I was to put a soundtrack to it it’s probably sound something like this album. At times bombastic, other times cheesy and sentimental, it really encapsulates that 80s synth new wave dance pop beat. And I liked this album a whole lot more than I expected to. “Relax” is such a tune, so to hear it in the context of its album was a treat. A weird little album, with two random covers thrown in and some instrumentals and terrifying laughter on the title track. It was different, but it worked for me.
The Libertines
3/5
I found this album to be nothing particularly special. It was a lovely time capsule of an era of Brit pop renessiance that we grew up through in the early to mid 2000s, but I didn’t know The Libertines then and I don’t really want to continue to know them now. There were a few nice tracks; I liked “What Katie Did,” but overall I just found the music to be very average and nothing particularly groundbreaking. Overrated? Maybe.
Sonic Youth
3/5
A very 90s sound for 1988, I can understand the influence this album had on angsty alternative indie rock. It’s a sprawling album, long and varied with multiple vocalists and driving guitar riffs. But ultimately, I find it to just be a bit average in todays day and age. “Teen Age Riot” is the obvious standout, but that comes so early as the opening track you forget it an hour later.
Carole King
5/5
I mean, this album is hit after hit after it’s honestly insane. This is a special album with some really raw and powerful lyrics, beautiful melodies, and excellent piano. “Smackwater Jack” is probably my least favorite track, but that’s just the worst of the best as it’s still a catchy tune. “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” is my absolute favorite and really shines on this album. This record is a masterpiece through and through.
The Mothers Of Invention
2/5
Expectations were low for a Frank Zappa band’s album, but this wasn’t quite as bad as I thought it was going to be. That said, I thought it was going to be an easy 1 so the bar was pretty low and it’s still only a 2. I pretty immediately got what they were trying to do by satirizing The Beatles and psychedelic rock and hippie culture, but that does not mean it will make for a good album. It’s an interesting art piece worthy of a listen, but not something you’d want to play regularly I think. I can respect the parody, but it’s a tough pill to shallow satirizing the greatest band of all time.
Harry Nilsson
4/5
This was a surprising little album packed with some great hits. I’ve never purposefully listened to Harry Nilsson, but have certainly heard his radio hits and know the name. He’s really a great songwriter though, and this album showcases it with a few hit singles. “Gotta Get Up” is a standout favorite of mine though, and what a great album opener. There’s some cheese here, “Without You” lays it on thick, but it’s endearing overall and at 35 minutes the album never overstays its welcome. Plus, how could you not love the lime in the coconut guy?
The White Stripes
4/5
Two White Stripes albums within the first 50 albums we’ve listened to. I was much less familiar with this album vs White Blood Cells, but very familiar with the powerhouse opener “Seven Nation Army.” That alone elevates this album, as I think it’s one of the greatest songs of the 2000s, but overall this is a darker brooding album that seems more introspective than White Blood Cells. And “Ball and Biscuit” was the sleeper hit for me, a song I don’t think I’ve ever heard before but was really bluesy and excellent. Might not be as good as White Blood Cells, but that could be the nostalgia talking. Either way, it’s splitting hairs over another great album.
Sabu
3/5
Certainly not music I’d regularly listen to, so it was an enjoyable experience hearing the driving conga drums and funky beats. And for music made in 1957, there’s a freshness to the recording (I liked the mono speaker for vocals). But overall, the music is repetitive which averages out my score. Favorite track was probably the opener “El Cumbanchero” so it was hard to keep the hype up from there. For music I’ve never heard before, it was easy to sing along and bop to the beat though and that’s impressive.
The Cramps
3/5
So far, I feel like we’ve heard a lot of not well known British punk albums and this is no exception. With surfer rock riffs and off-key singing, this album didn’t sound uniquely different from others we’ve heard before and its influence doesn’t carry quite an impact on 2023 ears. “I Was a Teenage Werewolf” is a Halloween Playlist track though, so I have to give some credit there. Otherwise, not a super memorable album that maybe went on a bit too long. At least it didn’t fall into the punk trap of every song sounding the same.
Judas Priest
4/5
This album really surprised me. I thought Judas Priest was much more heavy metal, but I guess I should’ve known they were more so in the 80s hard rock space with songs like “Breaking the Law” and “Living After Midnight” being radio hits. Besides those two standouts, “United” was the sleeper hit, a song that made me want to run through a brick wall and rally the troops. Just really enjoyable 80s cheese throughout the album and at 35 minutes never too much of it. I can easily see myself listening to more Judas Priest in the future after hearing this definitive album.
Buzzcocks
3/5
Another British punk band, another average album. This one particularly falls into that Ramones-trap of every song sounding the same, with many of the lyrics to the songs just being the title repeated over and over, “Fast Cars” and “No Reply” for example. “Sixteen” was probably the favorite track, but even that was hardly memorable. I think it’s always impressive to be hearing this kind of sound in the late 70s because I can understand the massive influence it must’ve had, but in retrospective it’s difficult to be impressed by a sound you’ll come to know as the same old thing when it comes to punk.
TV On The Radio
4/5
I’m not super familiar with TV On The Radio, but I did like this album a lot! Maybe just because it felt like something different than the norm, but the brooding drones and alt-rock guitar really scratched an itch. “Staring at the Sun” was the standout (though I think I’ve heard it before) and “Bomb Yourself” felt like a cutting political take on the era, but every track flowed nicely together into a cohesive and unique sound. Hearing this album makes me want to explore the band more since this is just their debut.
Metallica
3/5
This was an impressive, albeit very long album because it’s a live recording of a concert performance. That said, it gave me a newfound appreciation for Metallica. This album is a great way to explore their catalogue with the added bonus of the bombastic hook of the symphony. The hits hit hard here, “Enter Sandman” & “Nothing Else Matters” were excellent in this setting. But the album is long and there is a sameness with Metallica’s song that wears on. Still, the performances are excellent and I enjoyed the experience of the live concert!
The Associates
1/5
God, I did not like this album. I think because it sounded like bad David Bowie. It was just all over the place, with grating vocals and repetitive synth wailing. There are some nice riffs here and there, and I think if I had to pick a favorite song it’d be “18 Carat Love Affair” but that’s truly saying the best of the worst. I didn’t find any of the “hits” to be anything special, and some were downright painful (“Bap De La Bap”). Really struggled through this listen and ultimately I think that garners it a very low score.
Tracy Chapman
4/5
I mean, "Fast Car" sort of instantly catapults this album into a classic right? What a beautiful, small, mighty debut album from Tracy Chapman. "Talkin' Bout a Revolution" and "Baby Can I Hold You" are the two other stand out songs here, and at a very tight 36 minutes this album really flows and gels well. With every song feeling connected, like a small part in telling a bigger story, there's hardly a wasted minute. It's mellow, chill, and easy listening to one of the most beautiful voices in music history. Hard not to like this album.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
I ended up liking this album more than I expected! Leonard Cohen is like a better sounding Bob Dylan and the songs were like poetry set to acoustic guitar. "So Long, Marianne" was the stand-out hit, but the overall vibe of the album was just cool and folksy. There was a certain zen to listening to this on a cloudy day, driving down the highway. There is a bit of a same-ness to these songs but in the end I think it was just the right length too, and if there was even just one more song it would have started to get grating.
Sigur Rós
4/5
This album benefited from a second listening, months and months later after taking a pause from the 1001 greatest albums challenge. I remember listening to it the first time stuck in west side highway traffic, and for whatever reason forgetting to write a review. This time around though, it was a morning drive down to Jackson and a really enjoyable experience. It feels like an album that shouldn’t be so good, but nearly every song except the last (Avalon) is beautiful in its own way. I have a special place in my heart for “Staralfur” after the Life Aquatic, and it ended up being a serendipitous day hearing “Sven-g-englar” again during Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. A lovely album and a great way back into this challenge.
Fatboy Slim
2/5
I was hoping to like this album and be exposed to some different Fatboy Slim songs beyond the usual hits that I know, but the album was disappointing. It feels very dated, I did not recognize a single song, and it was just overly repetitive beeps and boops. I can appreciate the influence this had in the 90s as a fresh new electronic sound, but unfortunately it doesn't really have the same impact anymore to me. It's like a first draft of Daft Punk. And at over an hour, it just goes on far too long and you start to feel every loop. Maybe I need to hear these jams in da clurb to really understand it.
Aphex Twin
2/5
What’s the deal with twins making music I don’t like? (Cocteau Twins comes to mind) It doesn’t help that this album shortly followed Fatboy Slim, so my tolerance for 90s electronic music was already low. I found this to be another slog of beeps and boops that went on for far too long. It’s very forgettable ambient music, I don’t even understand how people could dance to it in da clurb. The only track I found myself enjoying was “Ptolemy” cause it had a nice beat to it, the rest really all just blurred together. I just don’t think this kind of music is my cup of tea. I also have an irrational dislike of Aphex Twin because of the spooky smiling guy on most of the album covers. It was an uphill battle to win me over, and this did not.
Pulp
4/5
I knew Pulp from their song, "Like a Friend," (which I love) so I was excited to actually dive into one of their albums with a critical ear. I swear this list particularly loves artists/albums like this, 90s British kinda pop-punk, but I did enjoy this one more then many of the other offerings so far! I love the sound of the lead singer's voice and while there's nothing too ground-breaking or different here from other Britpop, this album is very much my speed and sound. "Common People" is a fantastic song that will enter my permanent rotation, but I also really enjoyed "I Spy," "Disco 2000," and "Underwear". There's some definite David Bowie influence here, which certainly helps my enjoyment. I think this is just a really fun album, that's got an infectious energy about it, with some great pop hits. A happy discovery!
Frank Sinatra
3/5
A perfectly fine Frank Sinatra album, but this is exactly the kind of Frank Sinatra sound that gets old quickly for me. I find that his "love" songs really start to sound the same and there's just nothing particularly memorable to me beyond the hits. 'You Make Me Feel So Young' is iconic, but as the first song it really makes everything that follows pale in comparison. All of these songs remind me of the ending to a 90s or early 2000s rom-com, I feel like those always end with a romantic Sinatra. All of this negativity aside, it's still Frank Sinatra and at 44 minutes, it doesn't overstay its welcome.
Coldplay
4/5
I don’t give enough love and thought to Coldplay, but their early albums are really great and revisiting this album reminded me of how excellent a band Coldplay can be. I miss this sound, as I think they’ve gotten very “pop-y” nowadays, but this album is a great showcase of Coldplay at its best. The songs are lyrical, varied, and really enjoyable to listen to. There’s some real bangers on here too, like “In My Place,” “Clocks,” and “The Scientist” as well as a sleeper hit I always love when I hear again “God Put a Smile upon Your Face.” Also just a really great reminder of growing up and the music I was starting to explore as a kid.
The War On Drugs
4/5
I’ve never really taken the time to listen to The War on Drugs (even though I love the song “Pain”) and have always felt that I would like them a lot if I did. And after listening to this album, I do! “An Ocean in Between the Waves” really stood out to me, but there’s quite a few great tracks here with some excellent driving guitar riffs and thoughtful vocals. This is a mellow, almost longingly lonely record, but it really encapsulates an “indie” sound that I do enjoy. A great album to listen to while driving, with some definite influence from Bruce & Bob Dylan. A happy new discovery of music I enjoy and an album that I’ll certainly listen to again.
The Doors
4/5
Generally I like The Doors in small doses and their hits are great, so I was excited to deep dive into one of their albums and Morrison Hotel did not disappoint. Loved the bluesy vibe and thought this was just a pretty swinging record. Doesn't hurt that "Peace Frog" is one of, if not, my favorite song by The Doors, but I also loved "Roadhouse Blues" right out the gate. There were a few clunkers, (not a huge fan of "Land Ho!") but a nice surprise in "Maggie M'Gill" a song I don't think I've ever heard before that was really great. Nice tight album at 37 minutes and 11 songs and a great glimpse of the Lizard King's sultry voice.
Bob Dylan
5/5
I don't know if I would consider myself a Bob Dylan fan, but it's impossible to deny the excellence of this album. It feels, even all these years later, like a giant step forward for music with lyrics like poetry and "pop" songs that could go on for 5 minutes+. I like basically every song on this album and no minute feels wasted. It flows and moves with that classic Bob Dylan nasal whine but you can feel how influential it became with every note. "Ballad of a Thin Man" & "Queen Jane Approximately" are two underrated gems for me (I love a song where I know the words but don't know why or how I do), but I also love the epic "Desolation Row." This might be Dylan's masterpiece.
ABBA
4/5
It's tough not to give this album a 5. ABBA is just such joyful music and this album is probably the best collection of that joy with "Dancing Queen," Money, Money, Money," and "Knowing Me, Knowing You" all on the same record. However, having just rated Dylan's 'Highway 61 Revisited' a masterpiece, it's a bit of stretch to consider an album with "When I Kissed the Teacher" and "Dum Dum Diddle" in that same caliber. All of that said though, this album is excellent fun pop and disco and even features some hidden gems in "Why Did It Have To Be Me?" and "Tiger." Maybe if "Fernando" was on the original release, it would've tipped it over the edge. But it didn't feel fair to include it within the ranking when it was an added track after the fact. Love ABBA always, you can't be unhappy listening to this.
Brian Wilson
3/5
What a really strange album. The story behind it existing is pretty incredible and I'm glad to see that it came to fruition, but I do want to be sure to take that element out of because I think that would give it an unfair advantage in ranking. Without the story of how the album came to be in mind, this feels a bit unfinished. It's like a bootleg of demos and tracks that often stop in the middle of the song and pick back up with something else which makes it feel all over the place. There's an extremely haunting, melancholy darkness to this whole thing. The music is often child-like and carnivalesque with lyrics that sound brooding and dark. I can appreciate what the album is trying to do, but I just don't feel like this wholly works for me. There's something about this that reminds me of that revival of 'Oklahoma,' where everything appears sunny and cheery but there's a dark underbelly hidden below the surface. I appreciate that artistic intent, but wish it was executed fully (or even purposefully?).
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
It’s hard to deny the massive influence this album must have had on rap music. You can hear it in the lyrics, the beats, and the flow. However, I consider this overall kinda boring rap. It’s intellectual rap music, music that makes you think and ponder the poetry but not necessarily enjoy the experience of the music. There are some standout songs here, “Show Business” and “Scenario,” but I like both of them because they’re a bit bigger and more bombastic then the majority of the quieter and jazzy tracks. All of that said, I do like this album. I think it’s really listenable and you can likely take something new away from it each time you do. I saw A Tribe open for Kanye West, and did not respect the moment of how cool that was to see live. Now I do.
Tim Buckley
3/5
This was like a parody album of a swinging sex icon, singing about making love, done by some white dude named Tim. I thought the melodies and groovy beats were fun, but the lyrics and the depth were pretty shallow and one-note. The chillest song was the best song in my opinion, “Hong Kong Bar” because it wasn’t so over the top wailing about doin’ it. Just kind of a weird and fine album that hasn’t really stood the test of time. I’ve never heard of Tim Buckley, and don’t know if I ever need to again.
Ozomatli
3/5
Honestly, enjoyed this album more than I expected. Latin hip-hop is not a genre I would consider my thing, but this is a fun album with really varied songs, catchy beats, and a vibe that transports you right back to the mid-2000s (something about those “middle eastern” horns). I swear this whole album could be the background tracks to establishing shots in Fast and Furious. I could definitely see this being representative of the sound of LA. I really liked “Love and Hope” and “Santiago” but was genuinely impressed with the variety of songs here. Still probably not my thing, but fun to explore this kind of music!
Laura Nyro
2/5
I really wanted to like this album, and thought that I would seeing that it was a late sixties forgotten female singer-song writer, but this was genuinely tough to get through. I can absolutely hear the influence this had on artists like Joni Mitchell or Carole King, but I think the biggest downside to Laura Nyro is her voice. It really grates on you after a while and it just gets a little too “jazz-handsy” on certain songs. There’s a lot happening musically on this album, with unexpected tempo shifts and big jazz swings when you expect some simpler softer folk, but it really did not work for us. I love Three Dog Night’s cover of “Eli’s Coming” though, so thank you for that Laura Nyro. I wonder if I’d like this album better if it was just sung by someone else.
Nirvana
4/5
What a great way to open an album, the iconic riff of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” catapulting into the next 50-ish rocking minutes. You can completely get the sense of what a game changer this album must’ve been and you can feel its influence on the 90s rock / alt / grunge scene. And the album meets the hype. It’s basically a Nirvana greatest hits album, with so many of their biggest hits just out the gate. There are a few hard-rocking metal-esque scream songs that would be skips for me on another play-through, the final track of “Endless, Nameless” takes the album down a peg for me unfortunately. But if it ended with “Something in the Way,” a favorite Nirvana song, this would be a 5/5.
Soft Machine
1/5
Oh man I did not like this. Jazz rock makes me think of Steely Dan, which is an instant negative. Combine that with very little singing (when there was singing, it was not good) and lots of random sounds to make “music” and you get a real clunker. Ciara said it was the kind of music you hear in a record store and I think it’s spot-on. It’s pretentious, boring, and a real slog to get through. Every song had redeemable moments, but they inevitably found a way to become grating and terrible. I guess if there’s one that was listenable it would be “Slightly All the Time” but that was the jazziest so not saying much there. Just completely not for me
Otis Redding
5/5
Our first album getting back into listening, in Ireland, and what a great way to venture back into the list. Just a super tight, classic album of standards and covers where you know every song and sung by one of Ciara’s favorites, Otis Redding. It’s an album we certainly wouldn’t mind having on the shelf as it seems like a definitive record of soul/blues. Really enjoyed “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” and I don’t think I ever realized “Respect” was an Otis song before Aretha made it her own. Also loved the cover of “A Change Is Gonna Come” as that might be one of my favorite songs of all time. That on any record will elevate my rating, but truly think this is a stone cold classic and can be listened to again and again.
Eminem
3/5
While there is some nostalgia factor weighing my ranking more heavily, I have a similar thought about this album as I did when I was a kid hearing Eminem for the first time - “I’m not supposed to be listening to this.” The shock for the sake of shock factor didn’t really age well, and as raunchy as the homophobia and woman-bashing was then it feels even worse now. I guess to a certain extent, that’s the point? But it doesn’t necessarily make it any easier to listen to songs like “Kim”. All of that said, there are two absolute Eminem classics on this album that elevate the ranking of this album, “Stan” and “The Real Slim Shady”. With just one of these the album might be a 2, but both definitely help justify a higher ranking even amidst all schlock.
Air
3/5
A band I’ve absolutely never heard of, but a fairly enjoyable album. Ciara knew the song “Sexy Boy” from a movie soundtrack, but otherwise this was all completely fresh. It was like a 1st draft version of Daft Punk’s ‘Random Access Memories’ made years earlier, so I can imagine this was very influential and revolutionary for the time it came out. We found it to be chill and easy, nothing particularly groundbreaking and good driving music to just zone out to. “All I Need” was probably the favorite of the bunch and with the vocals it definitely reminded me of what ‘RAM’ would eventually be. A nice mix in the “electro-funk” world and thankfully not too long at 43 minutes.
Soul II Soul
3/5
Another album from a group I’ve never heard of, and genuinely thought this was going to be a weird compilation with the album title. This was just fine. Nothing really special here but also nothing downright bad in my opinion. I thought the beats and music were kinda dated, and rather unmemorable. Another good, easy chill album to be driving to where you could just zone out. “Back to Life” was most definitely the standout here, I don’t even think I’d recognize another song if it were to come on the radio (not that it would). It’s not really my style of music, but can appreciate how influential this probably was.
Fela Kuti
3/5
Cool to have a 2nd Fela Kuti album come up, and after the 5 star listening of ‘Zombie’ hopes were high for this one. However, while good, it’s definitely not quite as good. Much more drum heavy, likely due to Ginger Baker’s presence, it felt like it dragged at certain sections and got a bit repetitive. That said, it’s still damn impressive music and live no less. I can respect what’s happening here and am grateful to be exposed to something I not only never knew existed but also would’ve never listened to on my own. There’s a great energy to this music and I really enjoyed the passion that went into “Black Man’s Cry” (though this was a culprit of some repetitive drumming). Overall a good album, but likely the ranking is a bit more harsh after hearing and comparing to ‘Zombie’ first.
Janis Joplin
4/5
Is there another voice out there quite like Janis Joplin’s? Obviously I’m familiar with her work, but I think this is the first time I’ve ever listened to this album and it lived up to my expectations. I knew the classic “Me and Bobby McGee” would be here, but had forgotten other standouts like “Cry Baby” and the sleeper hit “Mercedes Benz” were waiting to be rediscovered. Overall, there’s not really a bad song in the bunch (though “Half Moon” was probably my least favorite) it’s just that this album feels slightly incomplete. At only 33 minutes, it leaves you wanting something more or maybe another epic jam as opposed to a few that feel more demo-y? I believe this album was released posthumously which sadly could be why it feels like it’s missing just a little extra something.
Thelonious Monk
3/5
Definitely not an album I would’ve sought out on my own, so grateful for the opportunity to be exposed to it. This is good music I can confidently say, but it’s just not my bag. Jazz like this is something I can listen to and appreciate it, like fine art, but there’s no real listenability factor for me so it’s not like I’m listening for pleasure. That said, this is very good jazz and I’m glad to have finally listened to a Thelonious Monk record. I’ve known the name for a long time, so it’s cool to have finally been able to indulge. I think my favorite song though was the one that reminded me of the tune for “Cruella De Vil” (“Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are”) so that probably tells you all you need to know about my musical tastes.
Billy Joel
5/5
I am a certified “NOT” Billy Joel fan. Don’t really dislike him, just think it’s kind of easy to rag on him as a poor man’s Bruce Springsteen because his songs are pretty cheesy. But you know what, I’ll be damned, this album might just be a stone cold classic. I’ve never fully listened to it, though I’ve known of it obviously, and it might as well be a Billy Joel Greatest Hits album. 7 of the 9 songs have to have been singles, right? I knew every word to them because they get so much radio play. And damn when they’re all played together like this in congestive unit, it just works. The last song “Everybody Has a Dream” is cheeseball city, but it’s really the only lame song. Starting with “Movin’ Out” is such a great album opener and “Vienna” is my favorite Billy Joel song of all, so it’s just impossible to hate here. I was not ready to make this turn, but I have to give credit where credit is due on a massively hit-producing album.