Started off really good, inspired mix of rock and jazz elements, but throughout the album petered off into more basic soft rock elements.
Fun rock, solid throughout, nothing special.
Fun rock, solid throughout, nothing special.
Stevie Wonder doesn’t reveal how strong his voice is until “They Won’t Go When I Go”. The last 3 songs are all very strong, but before that the album is listening at its easiest.
The experimental rock elements get really good towards the end of the album. The rapping, unfortunately, is never good.
A collection of very good songs no doubt, but thankfully albums after this starting telling more coherent sonic stories.
The jazz elements they introduced in the back half of the album were wonderfully refined, but the rock elements that dominated the first half were very half-baked, probably evident of the time this album was released. Ultimately, it was a very mixed bag.
The band consistently puts forth an amazing sonic landscape, but it lacks the dynamism or swell to make it a desirable listening experience.
Surprisingly innovative and inspired instrumental combined with practically no song structure leaves me thinking this is an album one would only listen to to get ideas for their own album, with songs ranging from impressive but dull to outright tedious.
Cute tunes reminiscent of Midwestern summer nights. Dolly Parton is a great singer, but she has put it to better use elsewhere.
This was moderately enjoyable.
This was a highly enjoyable diverse array of rock music. I was solidly entertained throughout.
Would I be crazy to call this a cross between The Beatles and Queen? It even strikes me as a more eccentric version of something that could have come out of the late 2010s indie scene. The synth rock elements have aged extraordinarily well.
Metallica's discography is consistently great, and they are doubtlessly amazing live performers. Still - this album offers nothing their studio albums don't.
Rock solid rock album. This is what I think of when I imagine peak 70s rock.
Out of the 25 or so albums I've gotten through so far, this one is certainly the most interesting. While grating at first, the album gradually built to an atmosphere I really dug - one I could only describe as a perfect theme to the 1989 Mario Bro's TV show (which I say with full respect). Still, along the way some songs teetered towards annoying, and it was clear that M.I.A.'s talents were not fully fleshed out on this record.
I am a big fan of wounded dog voices, but even this was a little much for me. The closing track was a major standout; it was as if Tom Waits finally learned how to sing.
This is a mostly boring but serviceable soft rock album. "There She Goes" is a massive standout. I was shocked when it came on; its ethereal heights do not match the other songs, which seem to simply chug along.
This album had pretty much everything you can ask for: it was sonically varied yet cohesive, and every song was good. Nothing to take it to the next level, though.
Pretty nice rock n roll album.
I was expecting the album to be so lowkey. It creates a nice atmosphere, but does little with it.
Why does Radiohead hate Creep? It's 20x better than any song on here. I cannot believe that even in 1997 any part of this album was supposed to sound ahead of its time.
The more intense rock elements are crisp, exciting, and never obnoxious. The vocals do often veer into obnoxious, from the whispering on Is She Weird to the congested voice on Hangwire. The first 3 tracks are easily the best here.
Some of the songs I really vibed with, but most of Stevie Wonder's output remains horrendously boring fodder.
This had a lot of interesting elements, and the production has aged very well. The closing track is a showstopper.
I imagine this is as good these live blues albums are going to get.
Please do something interesting with your music.
I did not realize this was Bjork's beginnings. The pop bombast was a fresh breath of air from the stale rock elements present across many of these American albums.
After over 30 albums listened to, this is my first 5. This album does everything right, from good beats and flows to humor on every track. A very enjoyable listen, and one I am likely to return to.
The instrumental here is some of the most crisp and layered of the decade. Each song paints an engaging landscape from start to finish. Bruce Springsteen is not a good singer.
This album was full of great melodies and layered product. It was a very pleasant listen.
Andre 3000 and Big Boi are both excellent rappers, and there are some good tunes here. But for the most part, the production remains pretty stale across the album.
Is this only influential because it's an early live album? Great... not sure if I like the concept of live albums as a whole anyways.
20th century female pop-tinged country is a great genre that I'd love to hear more from. This album is nothing special, but it's still good.
This sounds like it was a major turning point from early hip hop to modern hip hop. In that sense, it's a great listen and finely produced, if not entirely entertaining.
I've never listened to a Bowie album in full before, but this was a big disappointment. It felt like cartoon music... and not the good kind.
Parts of this album may be objectively very bad... I don't know. What I do know is this was unironically one of the most entertaining and engaging albums to listen to this far. Kid Rock's raps are mostly fine, and he actually shines on slower rock tracks like Only God Knows Why.
Both the beats and flow on this record were shockingly dull and uninspired throughout. Nothing about this was any part good.
The production on this still holds up great; it's no wonder many of these have become classics and are played year after year.
While what is here of the instrumentation is great, it's too little too often to fully get into. More instrumental layering would do wonders. The 3 remix tracks at the end feel super out of place.
Finally an actual rock n roll album. This one wasn't the most sonically diverse, but the energy across it is extremely welcome.
This is the earliest Beatles album I've listened to yet, and yeah, they were very solid from early on. "Norwegian Woods" and "Nowhere Man" are fantastic songs.
Pyramids and Lost are both fabulous songs in two very different ways; Frank Ocean very much could have made a 10/10 album here if he had stuck with that level of quality. Unfortunately, most of the songs here are much more basic and strike me as filler material, if still good songs.
Fast Car is undoubtedly one of the greatest songs of all time. The rest of this album holds up really well against it. Tracy Chapman is a fantastic singer and storyteller.
This was great. It's exactly what I think of when I imagine prog rock. Listening to it makes me feel like I'm in a Boo mansion (highest of compliments).
I listened to this immediately after "Rubber Soul," and it struck me as a significant step down. Much of the production is a lot less engaging, more basic, and occasionally annoying.
Especially on a Monday morning, this was quite a slog to get through.
The first track certainly did not need to be 17 minutes. The rest of this was decently enjoyable.
This is very well-polished music, especially for the time. It just doesn't hit for me.
This is some really forward-thinking and well-polished music for its time, but man does every song here sound the exact same. There is no swell or crescendo anywhere to be found.
Honestly, this is some really cool stuff. But I would be lying if I said I even made it all the way through disc 1. Two and a half hours of this is a lot.
The first four tracks here are all stone-cold classics, and hold up fantastically to this day. The rest of the tracklist seems a little filler-like in comparison, but it's all still very good.
This strikes me as extremely run of the mill and uninspired music. Not one enjoyable song.
This sounds so sleek and fresh, no doubt helped by the fact that it's the most contemporary album on here so far by half a decade. In fact, everything about it is wholly contemporary, and in all the good ways. I can see why this is already among classics at only 7 years old.
Pretty good, forward-thinking album. Nothing amazing here, though.
I really don't like the melodies on many of these songs here. They come across almost as nursery rhymes. Was that intentional?
Two U2 albums back to back, and, coming 8 years later, this one is much better. The product is significantly smoother and the vocals ride it perfectly.
A collection of exclusively very good songs with a high level of dynamism and coherence around them = a great album.
Modern classic, and potentially the greatest hip hop album ever.
The content on this record occasionally wanders into extremely uncomfortable territory. Eminem can however sell this very well, and the album actually lags with the more modest content.
Just passable. Sounded a lot like the Charlie Brown song.
I'm very surprised this landed on a list of influential albums. The production is way too sparse to be of any influence in any genre, and the accompanying vocal melodies far too basic to make this album any good. Finishing it was a pain.
This is pretty much perfect pop. I'd imagine this is what everyone else sees in The Beatles.
Solid run of the mill hard rock album.
Full of fun, catchy pop tunes. Very enjoyable listen.
This album is full of great riffs, and Iron Man is iconic. But at a point each song sounds like it's ripping off the last. Except for Planet Caravan, which is plopped right in the middle and feels ridiculously out of place.
Well this was the weirdest album ever. Weird is usually good - but not always.
This felt very quintessential to its time. It sounded just like the beginnings of the 80's quirky melding of pop and rock.
Classic blues album, would put on as pleasant background music.
This album is excellently performed and produced. Janelle Monae is a great talent. Still, it came across as very robotic. It was clearly a performance and not an experience. Plus, many of the tracks just did not slot together at all.
Wow. This is not music. This is torture.
Everything here is extremely pleasant to listen to. Even the Stand By Me cover was great.
Another very experimental album. The songs here range from very good to very bad; unfortunately more often the latter.
There's not much I can say about this classic R&B. It's just plainly enjoyable.
Another equally solid R&B album, this time with some rock and country elements. The album started really strong but dragged towards the end.
Pleasant listen. Nothing exciting, but nothing bad.
ABBA perfected pop music in 1975. We need to stop trying to improve on it and just listen to this until the end of time.
I didn't engage with this as much as they're more lowkey/psychedelic music. I was shocked when Under The Bridge came on; it feels like it's from a different era. (Side note, this is easily the coolest album cover so far.)
This sounds like a lot of modern grunge in a great way. Pretty much every song on here was delightful.
Another decently enjoyable album
Very good live album. Didn't need to be as long as it was, though.
This shaped up to be some really enjoyable R&B.
They have a very good sound going here. It does kind of all blend together, though.
Maps tricks me into thinking it's a Florence + The Machine song every single time. That's indicative of it being good, as is the rest of the album - if not great.
This album was edginess incarnate. While it brought some interesting ideas to the table, I don't think any of them were executed well at all. So many decisions come across as intentionally circumventing what's expected of music, forgetting that, in the end, this is still supposed to be music.
Love the guitar on this. Past that... not much else to love I guess.
This was dare I say torturous. Nothing remotely enjoyable or compelling here.
A snooze fest, but a least a competent one.
The Beatles at home. This did have some nice production techniques and personality later in the album. Still, the title promised far more than it delivered.
This was just decent, through and through.
The whole album is fine, but not particularly interesting or engaging in the slightest. Definitely the kind of music I would put on to help me quickly fall asleep.
"Dance music". Maroon 5 is more danceable than this. Some songs did have a nice groove, but some songs were straight up unlistenable.
This could be my favorite live album so far. Great energy from the singer and the band.
I did like this more than the last two Radiohead albums. They managed to create a consistent and engaging atmosphere here. Still, as I will continue to point out, this atmosphere is just Creep-lite. If only the band didn't hate that song, they might just be making better music.
This is a damn solid pop record. Although, I don't think it offers anything groundbreaking as others might suggest.
This offered some very nice tunes. The transitions were great too.
Admittedly couldn't finish this one. Didn't even finish the first song. I can't sit and patiently listen to ambient noise.
The majority is the album is excellent. Notorious B.I.G. is a fantastic rapper and the production is unique and engaging. Unfortunately, it does drag a little in the middle.
This is some pretty smooth easy listening.
This would be good relaxing beach music.
I can't do it. Got halfway through. This borderline isn't even music, and this DEFINITELY isn't danceable music.
Very solid album with some great guitar riffs. I'm not surprised this was the best selling debut album for almost a decade.
The album had a rough start but the last 2 songs were straight fire.
More ambient noise. At least this noise was slightly charming.
This felt like a great 80s-styled 50s throwback. Much along the lines of many of the 80s throwbacks today. Nothing special, but definitely good.
