View Album
Fri Oct 06 2023
Off The Wall
Michael Jackson
"Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" is one of my top 2 MJ songs (along with the very similar "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'), and I think it is really one of the greatest pop songs every written, period.
I think "Off the Wall" is the first song where the album starts to drag at all. "Off the Wall" is a good song, but it is an odd precursor to "Thriller" with the spooky/strange elements.
After that song, I think the album is less impressive and more disco-pop. It's good, but it's really those first 4 songs that were showing how he'd keep evolving.
4
View Album
Mon Oct 09 2023
Pet Sounds
The Beach Boys
I mean, what can I say. I think is one of the top 5 albums ever made (Stereo Mix). The only downside is that they hadn't written "Good Vibrations," yet, as I think adding that song to his album would just make it transcend basically anything else...
As much as I like a lot of intentionally dissonant anti-pop music, I do think that there is something about the way music and the human brain works that being able to make something truly artful with some experimentation that still is able to have pop elements that tingle the brain is one pinnacle of the art form, and Brian Wilson did that.
5
View Album
Tue Oct 10 2023
Blood On The Tracks
Bob Dylan
I genuinely liked the first two songs a lot, and "Shelter from the Storm" (second to last song). Other than those, the album is what I've always known Dylan for, the great lyrics and songwriting inside a folk style I don't particularly care for, personally.
I can definitely see why this is a pivotal album and one to experience, at least once, but it's not one I'm going to return to myself.
3
View Album
Wed Oct 11 2023
Harvest
Neil Young
I like every song on this album except maybe "A Man Needs a Maid," and I think the album holds up as a very influential album for folk and rock. It has hard hitting drums and some of his guitar playing has always been more of the rock side of folk, even when he's not playing electric guitar.
I think the biggest flaw with the album is that it doesn't feel as cohesive as it could. The songs don't flow as well as I think they would, if the album was made and released today.
4
View Album
Thu Oct 12 2023
Dummy
Portishead
"Dummy" is definitely an "album out of time." I feel it could have come out any time in the last 30 years and feel just as unique and fresh.
I have a hard time saying with Portishead album is my favorite, but their first definitely has the impact from being the first to introduce their unique blend of elements.
Gibbons voice is beautiful and haunting, and the music is a perfectly sparse landscape with a light touch of trip-hop.
5
View Album
Fri Oct 13 2023
In Rainbows
Radiohead
"In Rainbows" is Kid Amnesiac Part 3 to me, which is to say that I love it, as much as I love "Kid A" and "Amnesiac."
There are 4 Radiohead albums I don't like (only 1 less than the number I do like), including the one between "Amnesiac" and "In Rainbows" (called "Hail to the Thief"). So, I'm definitely not a Radiohead fan that just likes their entire output.
However, like many Radiohead fans felt, at least at the time, "In Rainbows" was a return, and their whole stunt of putting it out for free (or whatever donation people wanted to give) made it a big deal.
I also have a personal nostalgia, in a way, because my Dad knew I liked Radiohead and really tried to use it as a point of "bonding" to bring it up, talk about it, and ask me about it.
5
View Album
Mon Oct 16 2023
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Wilco
I have always given Wilco "a hard time," because I was an Uncle Tupelo fan and then sided with Jay Farrar and Son Volt after the split, liking the more rough alt. country sound than the poppy smoothed-out version that Jeff Tweedy went with.
However, I have gone back and listened to them a little more over the years, and I definitely can appreciate this album a lot more now that it is in the past and doesn't feel just like the thing everyone was giving their attention and support to while Farrar and other alt. country were ignored.
They remastered this album last year, and it sounds very well produced. There are lots of little details that reward listening on headphones.
And the songwriting can't be denied, really.
I highly recommend listening to "Being There," if you like Wilco at all (and haven't already, of course), because that is the one thing I always really did like by them, as it is stripped down and more to the roots of alt. country. "A.M." is also good, as it is the least poppy of the Wilco output (because it was their first album).
When the album came out, I would have given it 2 stars. 10 years ago, I would have given it 3 stars, but it continues to grow on me.
4
View Album
Tue Oct 17 2023
The Marshall Mathers LP
Eminem
The best praise I can give this album is that it could be great with better lyrics.
I only give this album 2 stars instead of 1 because of the beats and the rhythm that Eminem displays. Some of his lyrics are clever, but the vast majority are juvenile, and there are a fair amount that are beyond disturbing. "Kim" is a song that I feel goes way too far, even compared to "murder ballads" that are popular in western music traditions.
I've never been a fan of Eminem, and listening to this album now, 23 years later, only solidifies my feelings on him for the past two and a half decades.
2
View Album
Wed Oct 18 2023
Ace of Spades
Motörhead
I don't spend too much time listening to Motorhead, because my personal enjoyment of listening to a full album isn't as much as many other artists I'd prefer to listen to, at any given time.
However, their classic songs like "Ace of Spades" are great, and I do enjoy listening to them from time-to-time.
Also, the impact of Motorhead is so huge, and it is very easy to hear why, when listening to the album. Their brand of Rock'n'roll was very fresh, hard driving, and simultaneously upbeat and heart-pumping in its aggressiveness.
4
View Album
Thu Oct 19 2023
Smile
Brian Wilson
For me, the value of Brian Wilson's Smile is simply from hearing the end product that took him decades to produce.
However, I would prefer to go back to Smiley Smile for the original recordings and the time and place those represent.
There is no way Brian Wilson could ever fully recreate where his mind was at the time he started the songs, and even if he was the primary songwriter, all the other Beach Boys influenced their records, the song structures, and, of course, the harmonies.
Therefore, I'm glad this album exists, and I think that, simply due to the many amazing songs on it, it deserves a lot of praise. However, I prefer the Smiley Smile versions of every song that is present on both, and I can't help but listen to Smile and think about how it could have been so much greater if it would have just been finished in the couple years after he started it.
4
View Album
Fri Oct 20 2023
Bad
Michael Jackson
"Bad" is not the classic that "Off the Wall" or "Thriller" is, but I still think it has a lot of amazing songs.
Songs like Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, Man in the Mirror, and Smooth Criminal are top tier Michael Jackson songs, and songs like Speed Demon and Dirty Diana are highly underrated songs.
I was a huge Michael Jackson fan, as a kid, and "Bad" was likely the height of it, though I think it started with "Thriller" and lasted through "Dangerous."
Michael Jackson's voice, dancing, and overall physicality was still at its height during "Bad," and I definitely think it is still one of the greatest pop albums ever made.
4
View Album
Mon Oct 23 2023
The Wall
Pink Floyd
I don't know if I've ever listened to "The Wall" all the way through, though I've obviously heard most parts of it.
Overall, I enjoyed it. The classic rock and blues style is not my go to, and it is essentially a Rock Opera which I will not likely revisit often.
However, "Comfortably Numb" is definitely an amazing song that I do genuinely love and will go back to via a "Greatest Hits" or "Singles Collection" at some point.
I agree with some critics at the time that said the album was pretentious and over-the-top. However, it obviously had a huge impact on people and the music scene, particularly for Prog and Rock. Therefore, I do think it is deserving of praise.
4
View Album
Tue Oct 24 2023
Tres Hombres
ZZ Top
I was surprised to find that I really liked the first two songs on this album and found most of it enjoyable enough to listen to.
I do not like "La Grange," but that could partially be due to hearing it on the radio so much growing up. I just find the main riff a bit cheesy in that song.
Overall, I can't see myself going back to this album, really, but it was a nice listen through once, and it's good to have a reference point for ZZ Top and this style of classic southern blues rock.
3
View Album
Wed Oct 25 2023
Elvis Is Back
Elvis Presley
Music from this era is heard an interpreted differently for me than music made from the late 60's or early 70's and onward.
Music from the 50's and early to late 60's was literally made just to make people feel good. It wasn't made to make an artistic statement or expression, really.
Every once in a while, I'll put on old stuff like this in the house, because it is relatively peaceful and good for having in the background.
I can understand the impact, even though it's not something I'll really seek out often.
3
View Album
Thu Oct 26 2023
Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago
I found this album very difficult to listen to. At the best times, I found it to mildly interesting, but I found most of the album tolerable, and there were moments and entire songs that were annoying to listen to.
Jam bands and this sort of jazz rock are not genres I generally enjoy, but I'm only giving it 2 stars instead of 1, because the talent is obvious from the playing of the instruments to some of the complex compositions.
When it comes to Chicago, I'm really only interested in Peter Cetera "soft rock" era, though.
2
View Album
Fri Oct 27 2023
Either Or
Elliott Smith
If I could give this album 4.5 stars, I would, but I'm rounding up to 5 stars, because this album and Elliott Smith, in general, is one of my favorites ever.
I just think that "Either/Or" lacks cohesion and flow through it.
"Figure 8" is extremely cohesive and flows the entire way through it, from song to song, and feels like one complete piece.
"Either/Or" feels more like just a group of random - but very good - songs.
Still, songs like "Rose Parade" give me goosebumps nearly every time I listen to it/them.
5
View Album
Mon Oct 30 2023
Beautiful Freak
Eels
First off, this song does not belong on the 1001 Albums I Must Listen to Before I Die...
Eels was always an above average alternative rock band to me, and listening to this album this many years later doesn't really change that.
I liked "Not Ready Yet," and there were a couple other songs that surprised me, but most of the album was very standard and didn't really impress me that much.
I will give it 2 stars, because it is not bad, but it just is not an album I would ever tell anyone that they had to listen to, for any reason.
2
View Album
Tue Oct 31 2023
Hotel California
Eagles
I can understand why this album is on the Top 1001 list, as it has had a huge impact on people and music for half a century, but it has always been a very bland record and music to me (the entire Eagles discography).
Hotel California isn't as annoying to me, at this point, as it used to be. It did just kind of fade to the background as I was doing other things, and it didn't irritate me.
I'd totally put The Eagles in a movie about people wasting their lives doing drugs on a beach or a "coming of age" where someone snaps out of it and eventually starts doing something with their life. And, it is impressive that, reading the Wiki page and quotes from Henley, that is pretty spot on for what the concept was.
3
View Album
Wed Nov 01 2023
Songs For Swingin' Lovers!
Frank Sinatra
It's sometimes hard for me to listen to Sinatra, as I've heard many stories that he was not a nice guy, and he was basically just a pop star of the era - a person that had a bunch of other people writing good songs for him, and he just had a nice voice (I also may like Tony Bennett's voice better).
But, I find listening to this album or some of Sinatra's other stuff rather soothing at times.
They are mostly very good songs, composed and recorded well, and it's pleasant to listen to.
Of course, this music was monumental for the time, and it has stood the test of time, due to the compositions and being recorded very well.
4
View Album
Thu Nov 02 2023
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
David Bowie
David Bowie is probably my favorite solo artist of all time, so I have a complete bias.
While I don't think Ziggy Stardust is his best album, it's definitely around the Top 5, and it's a view into a time gone by where innovation and artistry in music was at fullest display.
The songs are catchy but, just like Roxy Music, and other music of the time, it is avant garde in its intent to push musical and cultural boundaries.
5
View Album
Fri Nov 03 2023
Face to Face
The Kinks
I love so much of The Kinks library. They had many different eras, but they were revolutionary in so many ways from straight-up Rock and Roll to Brit Rock/Pop.
"Face to Face" is a solid 4-star album to me. "Something Else" and "...Village Green..." are the 5's in their catalog. (And there are some Kinks albums that are 2's for me...)
"Face to Face" is a promise of things to come, for me, rising above their previous work, and leading directly to those amazing albums in just the next 2 years!
4
View Album
Mon Nov 06 2023
Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
There's no denying the impact of this album and this band - from the thousands of people that heard this record and formed bands and even bands like Joy Division that actually started due to members meeting at Sex Pistols shows.
I've never been a real fan of punk music, mostly staying with the second wave, the influences, and only occasionally dipping my foot in.
I also think, at this time, there are so many other albums so much better. However, I get why someone would say, "you need to listen to this particular punk album that really pushed this type of music into the popular culture."
3
View Album
Tue Nov 07 2023
GREY Area
Little Simz
I'd never heard of Little Simz before, and the album only being from 2019 still feels like not enough time to say whether it is truly one of 1001 albums someone must listen to...
However, the album was good. It didn't grab me in any extraordinary way, and she's not going to be a new favorite, at least not based off this listen, but I will listen to it again and listen to some of her other stuff.
3
View Album
Wed Nov 08 2023
Happy Sad
Tim Buckley
I can understand why this is a pivotal album for Buckley and maybe folk, but it feels a little too aimless for me to be a "classic" or something I'd really revisit.
Gypsy Woman is mostly just annoying, at this point, while other songs are starting to blend good songwriting with more experimentation.
I'd be more interested to hear his last two albums, as he was continuing to learn how to write his own lyrics and perfect his songwriting techniques.
3
View Album
Thu Nov 09 2023
Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle
Bill Callahan
At first, I didn't recognize Bill Callahan's name, until I looked at the Wikipedia page and saw that he is Smog.
"Songs of Devotion" is a 5/5 to me, an amazing album, and "Accumulation: None" also got a lot of play from me.
"Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle" doesn't hit me the same way as "Songs of Devotion," but it is still very good.
I definitely want to revisit both his Smog and Bill Callahan releases, as I did lose track of him, at one point, and I am glad to see he is still making great music.
4
View Album
Fri Nov 10 2023
Power In Numbers
Jurassic 5
I personally prefer "Quality Control" By Jurassic 5, but they are one of my favorite hip-hop groups. Chali 2na is one of my favorite rappers ever, and their first couple albums hold a strong place in my mind from the time of their release.
This album isn't a perfect release for me, so I don't feel I can give it 5 stars, but I'd probably give it 4.5, if I could.
4
View Album
Mon Nov 13 2023
Hard Again
Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters is exactly the stereotypical blues that I do not like.
I can appreciate the musicianship, but "Mannish Boy" always felt problematic, and I find the whole album very boring, as it just feels like the same blues music I've heard over my whole life.
I do like some blues, whether its the really old Robert Johnson type stuff or the more "experimental" Jon Spencer Blues Explosion type stuff.
However, Muddy Waters is the exact brand I just don't appreciate.
2
View Album
Tue Nov 14 2023
More Songs About Buildings And Food
Talking Heads
I have always liked a few songs by the Talking Heads, but there were also silly things about them that made it so I couldn't get into them.
However, I've always wanted to go through their discography, and listening to this album finally has convinced me to do so.
I really like this album. The songs are playful, but they are definitely artistic and full of purpose.
I still imagine that once I get more into their 80's output, I will lose some of my appreciation, but I definitely will revisit this album.
4
View Album
Wed Nov 15 2023
High Violet
The National
As a fan of The National, I don't believe "High Violet" to be their best album.
My favorite National album is "Trouble Will Find Me," but then "High Violet" and "I Am Easy to Find" are probably tied for second.
Musically, though, I believe "Sleep Well Beast" to be their most interesting album that I also return to.
The National have mostly become a caricature of themselves, at this point, with their 2023 releases.
However, I still appreciate Berninger's lyrics, and "Bloodbuzz Ohio" is one of their songs that affected me the most, as I'm also from Ohio.
I still have a distinct memory of driving to Ohio with my little toddlers in their carseats, playing "Bloodbuzz Ohio," and getting teary eyed about the thoughts of how I return to the state and the place my family has been for several generations, "but Ohio don't remember me."
4
View Album
Thu Nov 16 2023
I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got
Sinead O'Connor
I really love Sinead O'Connor, and I recently went through her entire discography, even purchasing a few CD's for albums that aren't streaming.
I find "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got" to be one of her most dated-sounding albums and one that I don't feel holds up like others in her discography.
There are great songs, but I don't feel she had really found what she actually did want to make, yet (wink wink).
To me, it's not until "Faith and Courage" that I really find her music incredibly powerful. "Sean-Nos Nua" is my favorite, and I also really love "Throw Down Your Arms" and "Theology."
I also think I've almost listened to Prince's version of "Nothing Compares 2 U" more, at this point, and prefer that version (yes, I know he wrote it).
3
View Album
Fri Nov 17 2023
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
Public Enemy
It is amazing to me how well this album holds up for being hip-hop from 1988, but it shows how ahead of their time they were.
My only gripe with the album is that it feels like a compilation. I think it is too long and doesn't feel like the albums fit together well. However, that is also not surprising for the time it was released.
Overall, it's still a really great album and such great songs. "Prophets of Rage" is still so powerful and better than most hip-hop today...and also as good as anything from the "golden age of hip-hop."
4
View Album
Mon Nov 20 2023
White Blood Cells
The White Stripes
I have never liked The White Stripes. From the very first time I heard them, when their first popular single made it to the radio or MTV, it was exactly the wrong thing for me.
There are some songs on this album I kind of like, such as "I'm Finding It Harder to Be a Gentleman," and "Expecting" rocks much more than I was expecting to hear.
However, in general, the super stripped down approach is not appealing to me, especially when it leads to lyrics like in "Little Room" or triteness such as "I Fell in Love with a Girl," which feels like a throwaway song, to me.
I do like some other bands that may seem related in a "Garage Rock" genre, such as The Hives, but their punk inspirations, more clever lyrics, and more complex instrumentation and parts make them much more.
2
View Album
Tue Nov 21 2023
The College Dropout
Kanye West
This album is mostly "pleasant" and fine (except some of the skits, but a lot of Outkast's skits are bad, too).
The style, though, is what I don't like. The P. Diddy, Jay-Z glitzy/flashy rap stuff
However, it was fine to listen to. Honestly, not even one song really grabbed me in a way where I care to return to it. However, it was nowhere near the pain I was in listening to Eminem
I tried really hard to not think about how much of an idiot he is and picture him more "hungry."
3
View Album
Wed Nov 22 2023
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill
I have never been a big Fugees fan, and I never really personally liked Lauryn Hill's music due to the R&B elements, which is a genre I generally do not like. As with all genre's, there are exceptions, but this album is not one of them.
I honestly can see how it is a 4 to a lot of people and a 5 to some, especially for the time, with the blend of R&B and hip-hop in a classic but still modern way. It is definitely respectable compared to a lot of the other stuff coming out at the time.
However, looking at other albums that came out in 1998 in the hip-hop genre, I was busy listening to Hieroglyphics, Outkast, Goodie Mob, Jurassic 5, Black Star, and Beastie Boys.
3
View Album
Thu Nov 23 2023
Rain Dogs
Tom Waits
I can understand how Tom Waits style, particularly with this album, at the time it was released, would be something extraordinary.
Unfortunately, I only liked one song on the album, "Downtown Train."
Otherwise, it was a chore to listen through due to the style of the music that sounded more like a soundtrack for a film about Carny Music.
I have no doubts about Tom Waits skill as a lyricist and songwriter, but I would rather listen to something more stripped down or more of a rock tilt.
2
View Album
Fri Nov 24 2023
Another Music In A Different Kitchen
Buzzcocks
I really liked this album. I've never heard it before and probably only heard a few songs by the Buzzcocks, in general.
This album reminds me of The Kinks but with a punk mindset.
I definitely am intrigued to listen to more (early) Buzzcocks.
Also, this is so much better than The Sex Pistols...
4
View Album
Mon Nov 27 2023
Eliminator
ZZ Top
I liked this album much better than "Tres Hombres," which is also on this list.
"Eliminator" grooves more steadily and is pleasant to listen to.
Some of the songs like "Legs" and "TV Dinners" are embarrassing, but I really dug the first 4-5 songs.
I don't know if I'd want to listen to this entire album again, but I could take half the songs out and put them on a comp, or, at least, it makes me want to maybe try another ZZ Top album...
3
View Album
Tue Nov 28 2023
Abraxas
Santana
I am not a fan of latin-infused music, and I also don't really like guitar solos as a primary feature of music. Therefore, this album and Santana have never been for me.
However, there is a lot of great groove in the album, and the musicality and composition is so much better than something from a Steve Vai or Joe Satriani or any number of other flashy guitar solo focused artists.
3
View Album
Wed Nov 29 2023
Sunday At The Village Vanguard
Bill Evans Trio
The performances on this album are great. The bass player is outstanding, and the standout was the solo on "Solar."
However, this type of jazz borders on "elevator music," for me, and I don't find anything about the specific compositions to stand out and bring me back.
Part of it may be the piano-focus, which is not as appealing to me as saxophone or even more bass or drum emphasis.
However, I would revisit this album in the future while cooking or cleaning around the house.
3
View Album
Thu Nov 30 2023
World Clique
Deee-Lite
This album surprised me in many ways.
I was expecting something extremely cheesy and "90's dance pop" sounding, but there are a lot of tracks that really stand up, even now.
Overall, I think the album is less cheesy than even the first Prodigy or Moby albums.
However, the first half was much stronger than the second, and I didn't enjoy the album, overall, factoring in the second half that left me feeling more bored and disinterested, by the end.
I am intrigued to listen to some solo Towa Tei albums, though, as he is still putting out music as recently as last year.
For me, personally, I'd probably give this album 2 stars, but as with many albums on this list, I can see the impact and the reason a lot of other people might like it, and I think that deserves 3 stars.
3
View Album
Fri Dec 01 2023
This Year's Model
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
I still personally only like one album by Elvis Costello, which is the one he did with Burt Bacharach.
Otherwise, I don't really care for his voice, and that prohibits me from appreciating other albums.
However, his songwriting skills, and the arrangement and composition of the songs is so impressive. There is so much going on at almost any given moment, that I do believe Costello deserves all the praise he gets.
I'd probably give this album 3 stars for me, but I bumped it up to 4 due to the fact that I can't deny the art, even if its not to my personal taste.
4
View Album
Mon Dec 04 2023
Tapestry
Carole King
I have to give this album 5 stars, simply due to how many amazing songs are on it. It's hard to believe so many would be on one album.
"Tapestry" is also just a folk classic, and even though I may not regularly listen to it, the effects of it are in so much music I listen to.
5
View Album
Tue Dec 05 2023
Oracular Spectacular
MGMT
I think "Oracular Spectacular" is a modern classic, and it's amazing it came from two young Connecticut boys on their first album...and that they haven't been able to create anything equally amazing.
I wouldn't necessarily want them to do the same thing, but it's obvious they've had to run from the initial fame and success, and I just hope they can eventually circle around to something else that is as good.
This album, though, is catchy, but it has some deep meanings hidden inside. The arrangements can be rather complex while letting the main melodies sit on top.
They obviously had a great producer, but the bones of the songs are, themselves, so solid.
5
View Album
Wed Dec 06 2023
Bummed
Happy Mondays
I listened through all of the Happy Mondays discography just earlier this year.
I mostly found it disappointing, because I think their albums are just a "time and place" thing that really doesn't hold up today.
"Bummed" is fine, and it is fine to put on in the background.
However, any significance I feel lies in how it fits in historically and the impact it had on bands that did much better things that do still hold up.
3
View Album
Thu Dec 07 2023
Pictures At An Exhibition
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
I haven't listened to a lot of ELP, but I have always respected them.
I have a fair amount of respect and personal liking of the progressive rock genre. However, I felt this Live album was not a great display of that genre, this many years on...especially compared with early works of Genesis, Yes, Rush, and others.
I didn't dislike this live album, but I can't imagine wanting to listen to it, again, as it just didn't feel like it had a lot of substance and just passed without me noticing much change throughout at least 30 minutes of it.
2
View Album
Fri Dec 08 2023
The Bends
Radiohead
"The Bends" is still one of my favorite albums by Radiohead. I think it is perfect post-grunge, alternative rock, and it has great avant-garde elements. It is even more impressive that it is one of its kind, among their own discography, especially.
I'd probably give the album a 4.5, but I can't round down to 4, because I still sometimes think this may still be my favorite Radiohead album, if I had to only pick one...
5
View Album
Mon Dec 11 2023
Red Headed Stranger
Willie Nelson
I've never heard this album before, and I was surprised by the starkness, similar to Springsteen's "Nebraska."
I can also see a direct line from this album to Colter Wall, who I really love.
I actually wish this album was a bit longer, but I will be listening to it again.
4
View Album
Tue Dec 12 2023
Dire Straits
Dire Straits
The guitar work is very impressive, and there are some great melodies, and what just sounds like effortless songwriting.
However, I'm not a fan of the blues sound that is continuous throughout, which means I doubt I'll ever want to listen to this album, again.
Still, as with many albums on this list, I understand the impact, and "Sultans of Swing" will always remind me of my dad.
3
View Album
Wed Dec 13 2023
Bitches Brew
Miles Davis
I, historically, was not a fan of Jazz...until I found more of the experimental, avant-garde stuff... Also, I have not typically liked brass instruments as solo instruments, but this album mixes the trumpet so well, it isn't as brash and grating as I usually find brass.
It's hard for me to not give this album 5 stars. I think it is too long, and I would prefer saxophone over trumpet...
However, the compositions and the music is just so intriguing and amazing to listen to. I'm definitely a convert!
5
View Album
Thu Dec 14 2023
Another Green World
Brian Eno
I am a very big Eno fan, from his work with Roxy Music to his latest ambient albums.
Another Green World is a transitionary album, but it doesn't miss on either side of the fence, between more standard rock song structures to film score-esque interludes.
5
View Album
Fri Dec 15 2023
Car Wheels On A Gravel Road
Lucinda Williams
I've liked this Lucinda Williams album since it came out. I was getting really into alt. country like Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt, Old 97's, and others at the time "Car Wheels On a Gravel Road" came out, and it fit right into all of those.
It also felt like a re-invention for Williams.
4
View Album
Mon Dec 18 2023
Come Away With Me
Norah Jones
Of course, Norah Jones has a lot of talent. She can play piano. She can sing. She writes her own songs...
However, this type of coffee shop music is exactly the type of music I can't stand to listen to, so I just can't rate it highly.
2
View Album
Tue Dec 19 2023
Lady Soul
Aretha Franklin
Aretha is obviously a classic, and even as someone who doesn't care for R&B, I can't deny her genuine, authentic talent, and the songs are just all so solid.
I personally prefer Carole King's version of (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman. However, Franklin's version is also great.
I'm not sure I'll go back to listen to this album again anytime soon, but it is deserving of all the praise.
4
View Album
Wed Dec 20 2023
When I Was Born For The 7th Time
Cornershop
I really love this album and have since it came out. It is a classic brit pop album with Indian influence, and it is very groovy and catchy.
It was and is not some incredibly revolutionary sound that would drive others to mimic it, but it is just a great combination of all the things they were trying to do.
And, of course, the real secret sauce, to those that know, was Dan the Automator, who was producing amazing albums left and right at that time.
4
View Album
Thu Dec 21 2023
#1 Record
Big Star
This album is a Rock'n'roll classic. Every song just bleeds heart and groove and energy.
There isn't a lot more to say, because it should be heard and studied by anyone that likes rock music and is nearly perfect.
I think there are a couple flubs in the flow of the album, but it doesn't take away from an overall 5 star score.
5
View Album
Fri Dec 22 2023
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Bruce Springsteen
The only Bruce Springsteen I really like is his slower, more somber stuff like "Nebraska."
However, I highly respect him, his playing, and his songwriting.
I just find that nothing really stands out to me on his more rock albums. Everything just bleeds together.
I don't feel it has the catchy hooks of a Petty or the hard-hitting lyrics of a Mellencamp.
I'd probably give this album a 3.5 based on a combination of my respect for Springsteen and my actual preferences.
4
View Album
Mon Dec 25 2023
Crime Of The Century
Supertramp
I discovered this album just in the last few years when looking for hi-res albums to listen to on my new headphones.
Since then, I've fallen in love with it. To me, it is a nearly perfect prog rock album.
It is highly listenable, catchy, but it has a lot of depth and beautiful playing.
5
View Album
Tue Dec 26 2023
A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector
Various Artists
I was surprised to learn I had heard almost every one of these songs almost every year, and I love these versions, but I never listened to this full album.
What a classic sound, beautiful arrangements, and perfect execution.
This will be in rotation every Christmas going forward!
5
View Album
Wed Dec 27 2023
Roots
Sepultura
I never listened to Sepultura until a year or so ago when my friend recommended them to me. I'd like to go through their entire discography, but I've only istened to 3 or so albums, so far.
This is the second time I've listened to Roots, and I do really like it.
My main complaint is that it feels too long. An hour and twelve minute album can feel epic and intentional, but this album feels like they just wrote too many songs and put them all on one record, instead of releasing b-sides or maybe doing a double-disc or saving some for another album.
I'd actually be very interested in trying to cut out a few tracks to make a lean 45-50 minute album...or see if fans have already proposed leaner cuts.
I think that, if Sepultura would have cut 20-25 minutes of the album, I would give it 5 stars.
4
View Album
Thu Dec 28 2023
Guero
Beck
Back when "Guero" came out, I was a little over Beck and felt Guero was re-treading old ground, an "Odelay Part 2."
However, I went through his entire discography earlier this year, and I found that I liked Guero much more than I remembered, and, this many years away from it, it does feel like a look back at a different time in alternative radio rock music, music that really doesn't get made, now, not with the same bold audacity and confidence that an artist can be well-paid, well-known, and make something that pushes a little outside of the boundaries of what else is on the top of the charts.
Overall, I do not think it is a perfect album, and I still like "Midnite Vultures" more, but I'd put "Guero" right under "Odelay" in a ranking of his discography:
1.) Midnite Vultures
2.) Modern Guilt
3.) Mutations
4.) Odelay
5.) Guero
6.) The Information
7.) Morning Phase
8.) Sea Change
9.) Hyperspace
10.) Old crap & Colors
4
View Album
Fri Dec 29 2023
Debut
Björk
4
View Album
Mon Jan 01 2024
Brothers
The Black Keys
The Black Keys are what they are. They write blues pop songs. I just don't like blues, and I don't like the radio-jingle style of writing they do.
So, I can't give this one stars, as they play well, and there is obviously talent and skill in the songs they write.
However, it is very much not for me, and this album, if anything, is the epitome of what they are to me, for better (for other people) and worse (for me).
2
View Album
Tue Jan 02 2024
Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul
Otis Redding
I honestly can't imagine myself listening to this album much, if any, as I am not into much R&B or Soul music.
However, there is no denying the number of influential songs on this album, and it is the real, classic music that actually has soul, instead of the way a lot of R&B music just became genre music - which is fine, if you like the genre, but this Redding album really does transcend just a genre and, if anything, helped defined a genre.
I'm also amazed at how they recorded this album in under 24 hours, which just goes to show how these artists could really play and had all their stuff together to just give a performance, instead of writing in the studio or just trying to piece things together and hope for something good.
I'd probably give this 3 stars for me, personally, but I am bumping it up to 4, because I do think it has the influence to the larger music world. It just happens to not be my cup of tea.
4
View Album
Wed Jan 03 2024
She's So Unusual
Cyndi Lauper
"She's so Unusual" feels a bit out of place, for me, on this list, as the album, as a whole doesn't feel entirely essential or substantial upon listening.
However, it is impressive it was her first solo album with "Girls Just Wanna" and "Time After Time," as those songs are still played regularly today and obviously had a large impact on the pop music charts at the time.
The album very much is a time capsule, and that is notable, but I can't imagine myself wanting to listen to the entire album again.
3
View Album
Thu Jan 04 2024
Tonight's The Night
Neil Young
As someone that likes Neil Young, I just find this album okay to good, not great.
There aren't really any standout songs to me, and I question it being on t his list.
However, I do generally like the album and would listen to it again.
I also find the subject matter and the message Young was trying to convey compelling and interesting, especially for that time in music/musician culture.
3
View Album
Fri Jan 05 2024
Hysteria
Def Leppard
I was very surprised at how much I liked "Hysteria."
I was expecting something more "80's Metal" like Motley Crue, but I now feel like Def Leppard is more "80's Rock" like Journey or Foreigner.
The melodies are much smoother, and the production is very high.
If I could remove "Pour Some Sugar On Me," I think it would elevate the album even more, as that song feels so cheesy and lame compared to the other songs on the album.
However, I could see myself listening to this album again and more of their music, now that I know their non-singles are better than some of their singles like "Pour Some Sugar On Me."
4
View Album
Mon Jan 08 2024
Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
Ray Charles
I'm not sure how often I may go back to this album, due to the length and that I'm not so into R&B. However, there were some great tracks on this double-disc that I was really into.
I believe it was "It Makes No Difference Now" that really surprised me.
I'm also not a big fan of Charles's voice, but I do have a lot of respect for what he did with this album, both musically and culturally, doing all these covers of white country singer's songs that would get a new audience interested in a black singer's music in 1962.
4
View Album
Tue Jan 09 2024
You've Come a Long Way Baby
Fatboy Slim
I have always loved this album. It feels epic and remains fresh due to no one else really ever being able to copy Fatboy Slim's sound fully.
I do wish I could remove "Illin in Heaven," as it is just silly, and "Praise You," while a great song, never felt like it belonged in the flow of the album, to me.
Overall, though, I do revisit this album every year or so and have since it was released.
5
View Album
Wed Jan 10 2024
Devotional Songs
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
I respect the culture and tradition that this album represents, but, for me, it has very little value.
It obviously has no lyrics for me to connect to. It wasn't written to have hooks or to be "progressive" musically or challenging artistically.
The album is a reflection of a culture and spiritual tradition and utility, which I don't share or connect to.
2
View Album
Thu Jan 11 2024
Pieces Of The Sky
Emmylou Harris
I really love Emmylou Harris, generally, but I feel like this album lacks a solid impact for me, at this point.
There are some great songs, but many of them feel dated and not as relevant. I feel her later work holds up better, personally.
Again, as an artist, she is a legend, and I'm happy to have listened to this album, but I'm not sure this is the album I'd go back to for her.
3
View Album
Fri Jan 12 2024
Illinois
Sufjan Stevens
Illinois is not my favorite Sufjan album. Out of the two state albums, I prefer Michigan, which also isn't my favorite album overall of his.
However, Illinois has so much breadth and depth does showcase his abilities to write meaningful, affecting lyrics and complex compositions.
5
View Album
Mon Jan 15 2024
Let's Get It On
Marvin Gaye
I've heard the song, "Let's Get It On," but without the context of the whole album, the classic R&B just doesn't appeal to me.
However, listening to the entire album, it really is amazing, flows so well, is performed perfectly, and obviously has had such a huge impact.
For me, I'd probably put it at 4 stars, but I have to give it 5 stars for the impact and influence.
5
View Album
Tue Jan 16 2024
good kid, m.A.A.d city
Kendrick Lamar
I want to like this album, and there are a couple songs I do like. I genuinely think "Swimming Pools" is an excellent song, and "Real" is very good, as well.
However, most of the album didn't appeal to me, and "Backseat Freestyle" sounds like a joke song to me.
I can recognize the flow Lamar has and some of his lyrics on the album are good, but I'm guessing this album doesn't truly reveal the content that won him the Pulitzer.
I'd probably give this 2 stars based on my own enjoyment, but I can see the potential in his flow and music and also recognize how much he has meant to so many other people.
3
View Album
Wed Jan 17 2024
Reign In Blood
Slayer
I feel I have to rate this album 5 stars. It is so monumental and has had such impact on metal and metalcore music.
Personally, I'd probably give it 4 stars, just for my own enjoyment in 2024, as well as how often I'd ever return to it, but the extra star is definitely earned, as the album does still hold up in many ways, especially in how easily you can hear the impact on heavy music even today.
5
View Album
Thu Jan 18 2024
Peggy Suicide
Julian Cope
Unfortunately, while I can respect where Julian Cope is trying to go with his avant garde music, most of this album falls flat for me. It also feels very disjointed, and while there is 75 minutes of it, I don't think most of it is very memorable.
There are some good songs on the album, and I think the last song may be the best, but I feel he needed to cut out a lot of it to just keep the best songs and give it a better flow.
I listened to the three Teardrop Explodes albums last year, and I liked those better, though I didn't know, at the time, that Julian Cope went on to have such a long solo career.
3
View Album
Fri Jan 19 2024
MTV Unplugged In New York
Nirvana
I return to this MTV Unplugged album at least once a year, even though I rarely ever listen to any studio albums by Nirvana any longer.
The grit and rough vocals, the sparseness of the instrumentation, and the somber mood fits in with so much of my listening habits, that it has just become a staple.
I think we could imagine an Unplugged where all the albums where Nirvana's, and it was a real "Greatest Hits" or "Best Of," but the covers on this album are part of the "secret sauce" that I believe always elevated it, as it essentially creates content you can't get on their albums. In other words, this album is not just an "acoustic versions of songs you'd rather listen to the originals of."
5
View Album
Mon Jan 22 2024
Aja
Steely Dan
An absolute classic.
I always forget this album is only about 40 minutes, because it is so epic and monumental.
However, the length just goes to show how lean and strong it is all the way through.
5
View Album
Tue Jan 23 2024
Born To Run
Bruce Springsteen
"Born to Run" feels like a midway point between his more somber material like "Nebraska" and the more upbeat hits he made his living from.
And in the same way, it is right in the middle, rating-wise, as I could see myself listening to this album again, but I'm almost always going to go back to "Nebraska" instead.
Production-wise, I really do think this album sounds really great. I would prefer the vocals be pulled back a little, but, otherwise, it sounds so real, raw, but also clean.
3
View Album
Wed Jan 24 2024
Pretenders
Pretenders
This album is a classic in New Wave and Post-Punk, for sure.
I really like it, but it's not an album I go back to very often.
I'd probably give it 4.25 or 4.5 stars, for me, personally, but I have to give it 5 stars based on the influence and impact on top of just being great music.
5
View Album
Thu Jan 25 2024
Live And Dangerous
Thin Lizzy
I'm amazed at the production quality and sound of this live album. It does sound live, but there is minimal to no crowd noise most of the time, the instruments don't sound blown out, and the vocals sounds great and don't ever fade out.
Therefore, this really does serve as kind of a "best of" with a lot of energy.
I haven't listened to enough Thin Lizzy, but this is a great starting point.
My instinct is to give it 4 stars, because it is live and not an actual album. Even though it is great, being a live "compilation" album makes it feel less impactful to me personally than a recorded album.
However, just taking it for what it is in the context of a list of albums someone should just check out, I can see how someone could say, "This is the best Thin Lizzy experience to get a good grasp of what they were."
5
View Album
Fri Jan 26 2024
Duck Rock
Malcolm McLaren
I really love this album. It is a bit quirky for something to recommend to everyone to listen to, but the first track is really sublime and feels timeless. If you would have played that first track and said it was a new song by Damon Albarn, I would have believed it!
The rest of the album is very early hip-hop, compiled seamlessly like the DJ's that wouldn't really show up for years later.
The album, as a whole, really does feel like a lost link or precursor to so many other hip-hop and DJ acts that I've loved for two decades.
5
View Album
Mon Jan 29 2024
A Hard Day's Night
Beatles
The song, "A Hard Day's Night" has become one of my favorite Beatles songs.
I went from not liking the Beatles when I was younger to truly admiring them, now, and I think this album is a perfect example of what they did for Brit Pop and Rock, in general, especially for the time.
I still prefer early Zombies, but I can't deny the genius of the Beatles.
5
View Album
Tue Jan 30 2024
Blue Lines
Massive Attack
My favorite Massive Attack album is "Mezzanine," which is essentially a perfect album to me.
However, "Blue Lines" is still 5 stars. It is beautiful, haunting, smooth, and heavy.
5
View Album
Wed Jan 31 2024
Here Are the Sonics
The Sonics
I'm sure this album had some impact at the time in music, but it's hard to hear it, at this point.
It took me a long time to appreciate The Beatles, but once I did, I understood the genius in their well-polished hooks and complexities under the surfance.
And I still prefer early The Zombies work to all of that music at the time.
The Sonics just feels like something along the way that, at least with this album, just produced white person rock versions of other people's songs. It's got value, but I can't give it too much credit based on what I hear.
3
View Album
Thu Feb 01 2024
Autobahn
Kraftwerk
I haven't listened to much Kraftwerk before, but they are always mentioned by every electronic musician I read interviews or autobiographies of. Therefore, I've always been interested in listening to Kraftwerk for myself.
"Autobahn" was a very relaxing and fun listen for me. The title and longest track is an epic, in its own almost ambient way. The rest of the songs fit right in, and I found myself wanting to relisten to the album after it was done.
For the time of release, I also can see the huge influence it had on artists I admire like Eno and, of course, all those other electronic musicians.
5
View Album
Fri Feb 02 2024
Get Behind Me Satan
The White Stripes
I just don't like The White Stripes or what they do. I can appreciate some "garage rock" for the energy and a lot of rhythm guitar riffs, but the simplified bluesy take of The White Stripes doesn't do anything for me.
2
View Album
Mon Feb 05 2024
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
John Lennon
I was very surprised to like this album.
I was not a Beatles fan for a long time, and I really was not a Lennon solo fan even after I learned to appreciate and even like The Beatles.
However, this album is much more interesting than "Imagine" ever was to me, in its production and compositions.
It is more "rock" than folk in a lot of ways, and I was interested the entire way through. I would definitely listen to it again.
4
View Album
Tue Feb 06 2024
Kid A
Radiohead
I have loved this album since the day it came out, and it's still one of my favorites, especially combined with Amnesiac.
I don't like every album Radiohead has put out. As of the time of me writing this, I haven't liked their last two albums, but I do love both The Smile albums. So, Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood can definitely make music that hits me in all the right places.
Kid A didn't start my love of Radiohead. I heard Creep at the time, liked The Bends singles, but it was when OK Computer came out that I really connected with them and included them in my regular listening.
Kid A was never quite as revolutionary to me as other people, as I instantly connected it to sounds like Aphex Twin and Tortoise, but Radiohead obviously took those sounds and made it their own and have kept with that line since then.
5
View Album
Wed Feb 07 2024
Fun House
The Stooges
Any single Stooges album can feel lacking compared to a good compilation, until the listener really thinks about how revolutionary their sound and approach was, at the time.
"TV Eye," along is one of the greatest songs written, in my opinion, especially in the genre of "rock."
The energy, the wild freedom, the disregard for safety or caution are all qualities I think that American Rock brought to the world, and The Stooges are its most pure form and creators.
5
View Album
Thu Feb 08 2024
Close To You
Carpenters
This is another album that I'd probably give 3 stars for my own personal enjoyment, but I have so much respect for the talent and skill and songwriting that I have to give it 4 stars.
While The Carpenters still aren't likely going to be something I pick to listen to, they are very pleasant when I do hear them, and I can hear the brilliance in their songwriting.
Listening to them yesterday morning was a nice way to start a morning, and there are several songs like "We've Only Just Begun" that I genuinely really like.
4
View Album
Fri Feb 09 2024
Step In The Arena
Gang Starr
After listening to "Step in the Arena," I looked up other hip-hop albums released in 1991, and I'm amazed at what all was coming out in the genre at that time. It really was so transformative with things that still hold up today.
My biggest issue with "Step in the Arena" is the same as many other hip-hop albums at the time, which is that they felt like a compilation of songs, rather than having a flow through the album.
However, the individual tracks are so strong, and both the music and the lyrics still stand up to today's standards in most ways. Styles may have changed, but I can still trace any hip-hop I like back to groups like Gang Starr.
4
View Album
Mon Feb 12 2024
Live!
Fela Kuti
I had a lot of fun with this (live) album. This is a perfect example of something that I will likely put on in my house while cooking or cleaning, and I may even explore some related albums. However, it is unlikely to turn into a genre I listen to reguarly.
The recording is so well done, the instruments sound great, and the energy can be felt even this far away from when it was performed.
4
View Album
Tue Feb 13 2024
Rust Never Sleeps
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
There are a couple really great songs here, including the first one ("My My Hey Hey").
However, much of the album feels rather forgettable to me - not unpleasant, just doesn't feel there is a lot to hold onto.
I had to read about the impact of the album to really understand what it did for rock and grunge music, especially.
That being said, that impact is so large, and while I may give this album 3 stars, I do feel that 4 stars is deserved based on the impact at the time to so many other bands I appreciate to this day.
4
View Album
Wed Feb 14 2024
Life's Too Good
The Sugarcubes
I've heard some Sugarcubes songs before and gone through the entire Bjork discography, but I've never listened to a full Sugarcubes album.
To me, at this point in time, "Life's Too Good" sounds like an Icelandic B52's - a quirky new wave outfit.
I like the album, though it is not one I'm going to go back to regularly.
There is a lot of great music behind the vocals which obviously take center stage.
4
View Album
Thu Feb 15 2024
Sound of Silver
LCD Soundsystem
I've never been a fan of LCD Soundsystem. I tried to watch the documentary years ago but got too bored, and, unfortunately, that's how I find this album. The music just goes one "speed" and the vocals feel bland.
I wish I could understand what so many other people hear, but it isn't for me.
2
View Album
Fri Feb 16 2024
Connected
Stereo MC's
I thought the first two songs were pretty good on this album, and a couple towards the end, but the middle was mostly what I expected - dance tracks that feel like they are from the 90's.
The best parts of this album made me think of early Massive Attack or The Prodigy, but I'd definitely go to one of those bands before ever listening to the Stereo MC's, again.
On a positive note, the album was still better than I expected, as I was expecting something more in the style of "Pump Up the Jam."
2
View Album
Mon Feb 19 2024
Who's Next
The Who
This may be my favorite, or at least one of my favorite albums by The Who, because it gets away from some of the silliness that is some of their other stuff like Tommy, and I really don't think "Who's Next" has a bad song on it.
It is straight-forward rock that I find enjoyable to listen to. There is a reason it sounds "just" like Classic Rock, at this point, because it is one of the things that set the standard.
5
View Album
Tue Feb 20 2024
Purple Rain
Prince
A classic album with no bad songs that revolutionized American pop (rock) music.
The remaster changes the sounds of some of the songs. "Darling Nikki" sounds less heavy and hits less hard, but it is much more intricate with the new mixing/mastering.
5
View Album
Wed Feb 21 2024
First Band On The Moon
The Cardigans
The Cardigans are one of my favorite bands, but "First Band on the Moon" is one of two albums of theirs I never listen to.
Their last two albums are two of my favorite albums of all time, both 5 out of 5's, and Gran Turismo is a 4.5 or 5 from me, as well. Life is an easy 4 out of 5 and represents what I think is their best straight pop album.
However, while "First Band on the Moon" has some good songs and good moments. Overall, it feels less substantial and like their "radio album" in the same way Nada Surf's or Radiohead's first albums feel that way. Even though "First Band" is not The Cardigans first album, it feels like a shift for them...before they realized they'd rather make darker and more mature material.
3
View Album
Thu Feb 22 2024
Pump
Aerosmith
I have never been and am still not a fan of Aerosmith after listening through this album.
I can respect some of the musicianship, but the actual music and content and vocals are not for me.
2
View Album
Fri Feb 23 2024
xx
The xx
Honestly, the only reason I'm giving this album 2 stars instead of 1 is because it is very non-offensive and is fine to just play in the background.
However, I feel it is extremely lifeless and has no edge or anything interesting to capture my attention.
I can't imagine why it is on this list when there are dozens or even hundreds of post-hardcore or post-punk albums that are brilliant and are guaranteed to not be on the list.
2
View Album
Mon Feb 26 2024
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
This is just a classic album. It's still fun to listen to, and even though I won't put this on normally, any time I do listen to it, I"m going to realize the huge impact and the fact that it is still very much listenable today, unlike some other things from the time.
5
View Album
Tue Feb 27 2024
The Queen Is Dead
The Smiths
An absolute classic and brilliance from the drums to the bass to guitars and vocals.
Even though "Strangeways, Here We Come" is my favorite Smiths album, "The Queen is Dead" is arguably more listenable for most people and repeated listening.
I could listen to this album every month and not get bored with it.
I absolutely love it.
5
View Album
Wed Feb 28 2024
Your Arsenal
Morrissey
I'm a huge fan of The Smiths, and I like all of Morrissey's solo albums since "You are the Quarry," but I have never really loved his solo work from the late 80's and 90's.
The rockabilly and heavier guitar work in most of these songs just overpower his vocals, in my opinion, and don't gel the way the work from Marr or his solo work does.
There are some good songs on this album, though. "Tomorrow" may be my favorite, but there are others that are great, as well. I just will go to many other Morrissey albums before ever going back to this one.
3
View Album
Thu Feb 29 2024
Tarkus
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
I like a lot of Prog Rock, even from this era, but I can't understand ELP, at least not this album or this time in their career.
Nothing about this album was memorable, and I don't understand the influence this album would have, as there is just so much better stuff from that time and a few years later.
1
View Album
Fri Mar 01 2024
Joan Armatrading
Joan Armatrading
I really liked this album. There were only two songs I didn't really care for ("Water with the Wine" and "Tall in the Saddle"), but the rest reminded me of other folk from that time like a Joan Mitchell or others that I like.
The production and mastering also sounds great, making this a very great surprise for me - something I didn't know about before and will return to again.
4
View Album
Mon Mar 04 2024
Deja Vu
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
There are some very strong classics on this album. I didn't even realize "Our House" was on here, until I listened through it.
The variety of the folk voices among the four songwriters is very impressive, and the songs are pretty much as strong as they could be for that time and style of music.
4
View Album
Tue Mar 05 2024
Machine Head
Deep Purple
It's solid classic rock, and while I don't like very bluesy rock, this toes the line, only slightly more than a Black Sabbath.
Overall, I am surprised and impressed at how much I did like it, but it won't be a new part of my regular rotation or anything.
"Space Truckin'" was likely my favorite track, as it sounds very proto-stoner rock.
3
View Album
Wed Mar 06 2024
Rocks
Aerosmith
In some ways, I do like some of the riffs and even some vocal melodies and lines on this album.
However, then there are times when it starts to sound like the Aerosmith they were going to become, which I cannot take.
So, all-in-all, this album is okay. I'd call it listenable, but I did not like it, as a whole, and wouldn't want to go back to it.
2
View Album
Thu Mar 07 2024
Very
Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are a group where I prefer a Greatest Hits to any single album, but "Very" is a good one all the way through.
I thoroughly enjoyed the listen even though it didn't really have much of what I consider their best songs.
Overall, though, I think it is a great representation of their overall sound, especially during the 80's.
4
View Album
Fri Mar 08 2024
Highly Evolved
The Vines
I remember when this album came out. I liked the unhinged nature of "Get Free," especially when it was performed live, but I felt the rest of the album was incredibly underwhelming.
At this point, I feel the first 5 songs on the album plus "Get Free" are pretty good, and they are better than I remember. But from track 7 to the end, I found the album boring and often they were trying to do odd genres that just didn't work well, especially when mashed together.
I could give this 3 stars because of how much I did like tracks 1 through 6, but that's less than half the album, and I still think they were so overrated, even at the time, and they don't belong on this list.
The Hives were and still are so much greater in every way, have stood the test of time, and probably still aren't on this list while The Vines apparently are...
2
View Album
Mon Mar 11 2024
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
A brilliant and beautiful album. The beginning of so much that I love and a true example of how Black Sabbath and other early pioneers of heavy music were very much making "real music" that matched what else was coming out at the time, both in quality of the musicianship and of the songwriting.
While they would continue down a path to establish their style with bigger "hits," this album feels so real and raw, as it was just coming from a very honest place as they wore their inspirations on their sleeve but did it all in their own way.
5
View Album
Tue Mar 12 2024
A Night At The Opera
Queen
This album is even better than I remember, and I did remember it being great.
I got really into Queen as a teenager and then listened through all their albums quite a few years ago, but I didn't remember exactly how much I really love this album.
Queen is obviously known for their hits, of which there are many, but listening through their albums reveals their other tracks that were not just filler but really created complete albums, and "A Night at the Opera" is Queen's epic opus.
5
View Album
Wed Mar 13 2024
Better Living Through Chemistry
Fatboy Slim
I've always kind of liked "Better Living..." better than "You've Come a Long Way..." by Fatboy Slim.
It is more straightforward in what it is doing, electronic music-wise, but that makes it feel more consistent, even though the tracks were recorded at different times.
It doesn't feel quite as exciting this many years out, for me, but I still think it is really great and has a lot of really great tracks and is also still very much a view into that time when electronic music really started to take over, and we got so much in the following 5-6 years...
5
View Album
Thu Mar 14 2024
Tellin’ Stories
The Charlatans
I'm a Charlatans fan, and this is a very good album, though it is not my favorite by them. I actually like their 2001 album, "Wonderland" best, and like some of their other albums after that, a lot.
To me, I prefer albums from other Brit rock/pop bands from the 90's, and while The Charlatans fit and made good music through that time, it wasn't until the end of the 90's and early 2000's that I felt like they started standing out, to me.
However, "Tellin' Stories" is strong all the way through, and I didn't feel there was one bad song on it.
4
View Album
Fri Mar 15 2024
Millions Now Living Will Never Die
Tortoise
I have always been a big fan of this album and "TNT."
Tortoise were an even bigger inspiration than I think a lot of people gave them credit for.
When Radiohead put out "Kid A," my coworkers and I instantly were like, "Oh, it's Tortoise plus Aphex Twin with Radiohead's Brit rock mixed in."
Just solid songs, playing, and great production for the time and how small that scene was, especially at the time.
4
View Album
Mon Mar 18 2024
Rock 'N Soul
Solomon Burke
I don't like a lot of soul music, but this was a great listen. The pace and tempo of the songs really live up to the "Rock" in the album title, and his voice is equal parts smooth and enough grit to be interesting.
I'd definitely listen to this again.
4
View Album
Tue Mar 19 2024
Pink Moon
Nick Drake
All of Nick Drake's albums only really suffer from one thing, being too short...
However, otherwise, the brilliance of his songwriting, and how far ahead of his time that he was makes him a tragic genius.
I believe his impact on modern music is still unfolding, as you can even hear how modern indie guitar has some roots in what must have seemed so unusual at the timto anyone listening to Drake.
What a loss for humanity and music Drake's death was.
5
View Album
Wed Mar 20 2024
Jack Takes the Floor
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
There are some songs I liked to some extent, but the performance and presentation makes them feel more like a bar performance than listening to something being recorded for more active listening.
I am happy recordings like this exist, so that these old folk and field songs are not lost to the ages, but it doesn't make it great listening today.
I feel these songs are something historical that you'd listening to in a museum context more than modern songwriting made for the type of listening or artistic expression we are used to today.
3
View Album
Thu Mar 21 2024
It's A Shame About Ray
The Lemonheads
This album is fine. There are some songs that are every very good, but, as a whole, it doesn't rise above "average" to me, and even though I know Evan Dando is a great songwriter, I don't think this album is consistent enough at a high enough quality - and I'm personally not aware of some larger impact this album had beyond what many other albums at the time had.
3
View Album
Fri Mar 22 2024
3 Feet High and Rising
De La Soul
I didn't remember how many amazing samples were on this album, including Hall & Oates and Steely Dan.
The flows are amazing, and while the skits are pretty bad, especially at this point, the songs are strong from beginning to end, and it is an absolute classic that set a precedent only a couple years after rappers were speaking half the speed and with 10% of the variety and poetry and content.
5
View Album
Mon Mar 25 2024
Hybrid Theory
Linkin Park
I just have never understood the appeal of Linkin Park. They have little to no dynamics, no real original sound, and nothing that appeals to me other than maybe that "Cure for the Itch" is budget DJ Shadow...
To me, Linkin Park embodies what was very wrong about modern rock music or "nu-metal" at that time.
1
View Album
Tue Mar 26 2024
Ramones
Ramones
Absolute classic and genre-setting album that still holds up today.
These songs are still being put in films, especially indie films about young rebellion, and that speaks to the "universal truths" in the songs and the album.
5
View Album
Wed Mar 27 2024
Supa Dupa Fly
Missy Elliott
This album was better than I thought it was going to be, based on my memories of the singles and the fact that I really didn't like this style of hip-hop and R&B at the time.
However, I think it stands up pretty well, especially the first half.
The second half of the album started getting too silly and off-the-rails for me with some of the music samples sounding like someone making random mouth noises or choruses/hooks that relied too much on "the preposterous."
I can definitely understand why other people would really be into this album, though.
3
View Album
Thu Mar 28 2024
Eagles
Eagles
This isn't my least favorite Eagles album, but I still don't like the Eagles.
I like the brevity, and there is some more rocking on this album than the boring schlock they turned into.
I still wouldn't choose to listen to it, though.
2
View Album
Fri Mar 29 2024
Fromohio
fIREHOSE
I thought this would be something I was really into, but I didn't connect with the music, and I found the vocals more annoying than exciting or interesting.
Watt's bass playing and tone is great, but that's really the only thing I liked about it.
2
View Album
Mon Apr 01 2024
1999
Prince
This album is even greater than I remember it.
I have listened to a lot of Prince, including this album and Purple Rain, but I mostly go back to Hits I & II if I'm going to just get a little hit of Prince.
However, it must have been longer than I thought it had been since I listened to "1999" all the way through, because I was very impressed by all the quirks and the flow of the songs and the length of many of them that went far beyond just his normal pop hooks.
I definitely am going to be listening to this one again soon.
5
View Album
Tue Apr 02 2024
Blonde On Blonde
Bob Dylan
I understand the brilliance and impact of Dylan, and this album is more rocking and grooving than a lot of his stuff, but it is definitely too long, and it would be better with a different singer, in my opinion.
I think his voice got a bit better a bit later in his career, but I don't really love it during this time.
Therefore, the only time I'm likely to go back to this album is for "academic" purposes.
I have to give it 4 stars, though, due to the songwriting ability and the consistency of the songs that would make it an easy 5 stars, if I liked the singing better (and it was a bit shorter).
4
View Album
Wed Apr 03 2024
There's No Place Like America Today
Curtis Mayfield
There are some very classic songs on this album, of course, but I am not a fan of Mayfield's voice.
I also personally think the live nature of the album hurts it, as I obviously can hear the energy, but I don't particularly like the sound, the intros and outros, and all the banter and crowd noise.
3
View Album
Fri Apr 05 2024
The Yes Album
Yes
I was surprised I liked this album so much, as I have heard Yes before, and I always felt they got a little too silly with their proggy-ness, similar to ELP.
However, I thought this album had a lot of good pop-type hooks, and the music was fun and interesting.
I will definitely listen to this album again, and it makes me want to listen to more Yes to see if the stuff I heard before was maybe just a certain era of their career (perhaps with different personnel).
4
View Album
Mon Apr 08 2024
Sheer Heart Attack
Queen
"Sheer Heart Attack" was my favorite Queen album when I was younger. However, it doesn't hold up as well for me, now. I think "A Night at the Opera," which came up a week or so ago, holds up better with it having more complexities.
I think I liked "Sheer Heart Attack" more before due to its more straight-forward rock with some glam.
"Killer Queen" is still arguably my favorite Queen song, so I still really like this album and what it does, but it is no longer my favorite, I'm afraid.
4
View Album
Tue Apr 09 2024
The Genius Of Ray Charles
Ray Charles
I found this album enjoyable, but it's not really my kind of music, and I don't see myself going back to it.
However, there is no denying it is well written, well performed, and just generally good music.
4
View Album
Wed Apr 10 2024
Close To The Edge
Yes
I didn't like this album as much as the first Yes album, but it was still very good.
The first 3 minutes of the first song blew my mind, as it sounded very much like "math rock" and avant-garde indie noise rock from the 00's... decades ahead of its time.
After that, it was very much 70's prog, but this album and the first Yes album have definitely made me a fan whereas I had only heard random stuff before and never dug into their discography.
4
View Album
Thu Apr 11 2024
Hunky Dory
David Bowie
I have to give this album 5 stars, even though it isn't even in my Top 5 Bowie albums.
However, it has so many songs that are just timeless like "Changes," "Oh! You Pretty Things," "Andy Warhol," and some other really good songs.
However, this album is not as good as The Man Who Sold the World or The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust, to me.
5
View Album
Fri Apr 12 2024
Back to Mystery City
Hanoi Rocks
This album was better than I expected, but that's not saying much. There were songs that were some solid 80's rock and roll, but too much of it seems forgettable, throwaway, and a relic of a time that contains a lot of music most people are happy to just forget.
2
View Album
Mon Apr 15 2024
Let It Bleed
The Rolling Stones
I can't not give this 5 stars. Even if I'm not the biggest Rolling Stones fan, there is no denying the monumental impact and influence this album had and still has, in certain ways, and the staying power of the songwriting.
My favorite track on the album is Gimme Shelter, but there are so many other really great songs, especially some of the ones that weren't hits.
5
View Album
Tue Apr 16 2024
2112
Rush
I am not a Rush fanatic, but I'm definitely a fan, and 2112 is a masterpiece for them and such a huge part of rock and progressive rock history.
I don't feel there is a bad track or section on the album, and the way they were able to make the long epics while still making the album rock and grab a mainstream crowd is an achievement.
5
View Album
Wed Apr 17 2024
Aladdin Sane
David Bowie
It's hard for me to pick a favorite David Bowie album, after "Blackstar," but "Aladdin Sane" is my favorite Bowie song.
This album, as most of his, has several hits and monumental songs, and it is a journey through several different moods and sounds.
It is definitely one of his best...of which there are many, in my opinion.
5
View Album
Thu Apr 18 2024
Rings Around The World
Super Furry Animals
I love this album and have loved it since it came out. I never got much into other Super Furry Animals albums, but this album is a brilliant mix of so many different sounds and styles of songs, and I think every single one is great. Many songs are just beautiful, many are funny, and many groove or rock with great riffs and hooks.
5
View Album
Fri Apr 19 2024
Superfuzz Bigmuff
Mudhoney
I never got into Mudhoney back in the day, because they were too fast, and I grew up liking the slower pace of grunge and post-grunge.
However, I have gotten into a lot of other bands that were pre-grunge like The Melvins, and Mudhoney sits in a similar place there, for me.
I really enjoyed this album (I listened to the 1990 track listing).
4
View Album
Mon Apr 22 2024
Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
For me, personally, I'd probably give this a 3.5, as far as my enjoyment and desire to listen to it, again.
However, I recognize the brilliance in the songwriting and composition, and I now understand why so many people love Nick Cave. Therefore, I bumped it up to a 4.
I thought the second disc was better than the first, moodier, a bit darker, but also more concise and distilled, in a good way.
I definitely want to check out more Cave, now!
4
View Album
Tue Apr 23 2024
Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs
Marty Robbins
Honestly, I almost want to give this a 5, just because it is so fun to listen to and has such classic songs. However, I can't quite feel it deserves that, for me, due to it being more a "flash in the pan."
However, it is a fun listen and something I could see myself putting on around the family when making dinner or cleaning up.
4
View Album
Wed Apr 24 2024
Ambient 1/Music For Airports
Brian Eno
I listen to this album and all of Eno's ambient music regularly. I really connect with the concept - of having some "music" in the background almost all the time, and I like to play these albums in my house when people are over for a casual atmosphere or when I'm cooking or cleaning sometimes.
Eno helped create an entire genre that is growing even more today due to the way it connects people to another mental state.
5
View Album
Thu Apr 25 2024
Deep Purple In Rock
Deep Purple
I didn't like this album as much as "Machine Head," which we listened to previously, but this was a fun enough listen.
It mostly was just "70's rock," which is fun, but it wasn't anything revelatory or that memorable.
3
View Album
Fri Apr 26 2024
Clandestino
Manu Chao
At first, I just thought this was going to be a style of music I don't particularly like, as it is not my culture or something I ever grew up listening to.
However, when I heard "Bongo Bong," I was immediately amazed at how it sounded like a Gorillaz song...but 3 years before the first Gorillaz album.
The rest of the album had a lot of other surprises, and while it is not going to be a new favorite, I can see myself listening to it again, and I'm amazed at how it was ahead of its time.
4
View Album
Mon Apr 29 2024
Tidal
Fiona Apple
I can recognize the talent Apple has, and I don't think this is a bad album, but it is very much not for me, and I mostly had to just tune out to make it through.
However, I applaud the part it played in brining strong female voices to music in the 90's and the part that played in feminism.
3
View Album
Tue Apr 30 2024
Bayou Country
Creedence Clearwater Revival
I was very surprised a the production quality of this album and the remaster. It sounded great through my headphones in stereo.
However, I've never liked Creedance, mostly because of the vocals. I don't like the sound or delivery, so I find them very hard to listen to.
I also just don't typically like Southern Rock. So, I recognize the influence of this album and the talent and the songwriting, but it's not for me.
3