597
Albums Rated
2.86
Average Rating
55%
Complete
492 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
2010s
Favorite Decade
Singer-songwriter
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Perfectionist
Rater Style ?
25
5-Star Albums
45
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
New Wave
The Auteurs
|
5 | 2.86 | +2.14 |
|
Want One
Rufus Wainwright
|
5 | 2.9 | +2.1 |
|
Fisherman's Blues
The Waterboys
|
5 | 3.2 | +1.8 |
|
Rock 'N Soul
Solomon Burke
|
5 | 3.36 | +1.64 |
|
Odessey And Oracle
The Zombies
|
5 | 3.42 | +1.58 |
|
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Kanye West
|
5 | 3.42 | +1.58 |
|
Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes
|
5 | 3.5 | +1.5 |
|
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
|
5 | 3.62 | +1.38 |
|
Born To Be With You
Dion
|
4 | 2.62 | +1.38 |
|
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill
|
5 | 3.63 | +1.37 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Blackstar
David Bowie
|
1 | 3.48 | -2.48 |
|
...And Justice For All
Metallica
|
1 | 3.43 | -2.43 |
|
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
|
1 | 3.41 | -2.41 |
|
Seventeen Seconds
The Cure
|
1 | 3.38 | -2.38 |
|
Endtroducing.....
DJ Shadow
|
1 | 3.36 | -2.36 |
|
Rust In Peace
Megadeth
|
1 | 3.24 | -2.24 |
|
The Real Thing
Faith No More
|
1 | 3.2 | -2.2 |
|
Trans Europe Express
Kraftwerk
|
1 | 3.15 | -2.15 |
|
The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
Pink Floyd
|
1 | 3.11 | -2.11 |
|
Life's Too Good
The Sugarcubes
|
1 | 3.07 | -2.07 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Led Zeppelin | 5 | 4.2 |
| Van Morrison | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Orbital | 2 | 1 |
| Public Image Ltd. | 2 | 1 |
| Iron Maiden | 2 | 1.5 |
| Metallica | 2 | 1.5 |
| Madonna | 2 | 1.5 |
| Kraftwerk | 2 | 1.5 |
| Deep Purple | 3 | 2 |
| Sonic Youth | 3 | 2 |
| Brian Eno | 4 | 2.25 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Pink Floyd | 4, 1 |
| David Bowie | 1, 2, 4, 3, 2, 5, 4 |
5-Star Albums (25)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Booker T. & The MG's
2/5
I didn't have a bad time, but I have to admit that this sounds like a bunch of dude noodling around in a garage. Maybe it was revolutionary for its time, but in a modern context this just feels like laid back covers of mostly existing songs.
5 likes
Beck
3/5
A bit too noisy for my preferences. I like melodic Beck a lot more, and that only shows up on a song or two here. This still has a lot of famous songs, but they aren't my favorite songs. Liked it, didn't love it.
2 likes
Megadeth
1/5
If there was a metal sub-category this would be toward the top. Because there isn't, and because I don't like this genre even a little bit, this gets the dreaded one-star review. Sure, I got a headache, but it was only a minor one. And I'm hopeful that it'll pass quickly!
1 likes
Korn
1/5
I didn't know those "No parents allowed" signs that angsty pre-teens put on their bedroom doors could record albums. Pretty cool!
1 likes
Muddy Waters
2/5
I'm very glad that this exists. It didn't connect with me personally, but I can recognize how influential it is.
1 likes
1-Star Albums (45)
All Ratings
Nirvana
3/5
A classic that holds up, but not something that I'll return to often. Good, but not in my wheelhouse for re-listenability.
David Bowie
1/5
I'm sure this has a lot of artistic merit or whatever, but I really did not enjoy the sensation of listening to this. Historically I haven't been a fan of late period Bowie, and this feels like the strongest hit of late period Bowie there is. Decidedly not for me.
The Kinks
2/5
Pleasant enough but it wears out its welcome as the album goes on. No single track really stood out. Most of them would be welcome on a playlist, but strung together the album started to feel tedious.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
3/5
Really enjoyed this. I feel like I'd already heard all the real bangers from my years of classic rock listening, so there wasn't any real discovery on this for me.
Lauryn Hill
5/5
I was recently driving in Malibu, California, when I saw a bumper sticker that said something to the effect of "I'd rather be listening to the soulful debut of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by Lauren Hill." After listening to this album, you know what, I get it. This album is great.
Little Simz
3/5
This was very good. Love how focused and compact it was (35 mins!). Like some country, her voice felt a bit too affected throughout for this to really connect with me. It's just so Brit-ish for a hog American like me.
Billy Bragg
4/5
I wanted to like this more than I did, but I still liked it a lot. I hope to return to this one in the future.
David Bowie
2/5
Started off pretty good. A couple of nice tracks, although the ones with lyrics often felt unfinished and almost like they ended before they should have. By the end of the album this wore out its welcome, though. Songs were too long and might have given me a headache. Better than Black Star, but I know he's got way better stuff to come in the 1001 for me.
The Zombies
5/5
This was so good. The singles, which are nearly ubiquitous, hold up really well. And the stuff that isn't a single is really good! Diverse types of songs, good soulful moments (not as in soul but as in emotionality), great musicality. I just really dug this. I'm a bit surprised to give it a five star rating, but I think it earned it.
Parliament
3/5
This was very fun. Really just a good time to listen to it. Some of the songs verge on repetitive, but the vibes throughout are very good. I don't think I'll return to this on my own, but whenever I encounter Parliament in the future I'll know that I'm in for a good time.
The Zutons
4/5
I've never heard of the Zutons before, and I'm so glad I did. They are absolutely my shit. I loved this. Saxophone + British rock. Good stuff, man.
Queen Latifah
1/5
This feels so of its time, and not in a good way. I can see its influence, but listening on its own terms I didn't enjoy this at all. It's not even that fun in a throwback way. It's also very possible that her rap voice is too close to her acting voice, and I've seen too many Queen Latifah movies / shows to take this seriously.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
2/5
Quite pleasant to listen to. Nothing really jumped out and grabbed me, but I was never mad that it was on. If there was a half star I'd probably go for 2.5 stars, but I'm stuck choosing between the two options. And this is what I picked, which feels a bit too severe, but them's the breaks.
Iron Maiden
1/5
So I didn't enjoy this at all, but I found it less objectionable than I was expecting. You can understand the lyrics! It sounds like music! On the spectrum of metal this was probably quite good. For me, not great. But for metal, pretty good!
Siouxsie And The Banshees
2/5
It was fine. Nothing stuck with me, don't need to return to this.
Queen
4/5
When this is good, it's great. Of course there's plenty of Queen goofiness that holds it back at times. But for my mood on the day I listened to it, it hit just right. If I was in a foul mood, the goofiness might have been more of an impediment to my enjoyment.
The Electric Prunes
2/5
Feels influential but not in a way that's super rewarding to listen to in modern times. Was very excited that this didn't overstay its welcome.
3/5
This was nice. Nothing really reached out and grabbed me, but I'd happily listen to this again.
Pretenders
3/5
The songs I already knew really stood out (Brass in Pocket in particular). And the others were also good. The vocals aren't dynamic enough for me to really get into this - they sort of sound the same across all of the songs. Rock solid, but doesn't rise to the level of something I want to push myself to return to in the future.
The Who
5/5
Stone cold classic. My Wife is the worst song, and even that's pretty good. Over five just absolute all-timers. Way to go, The Who.
Guns N' Roses
2/5
The big songs still hold up, although all of them are longer than they really should be (Welcome to the Jungle, Paradise City, Sweet Child O' Mine). The deep cuts weren't revelatory at all, and by the end of this I was ready for it to end. A bit too much wailing, a bit too much riffing, a bit too much of everything. It feels excessive and verges on headache-inducing by the end of its bloated runtime.
Bee Gees
3/5
The Sugarcubes
1/5
Apparently this album was never supposed to be taken seriously and was a surprise hit. Perhaps it was a mistake to ever take this seriously? I really hated listening to it.
Electric Light Orchestra
4/5
It's a little cheesy at some times, but when it's in a groove it is so much fun. Maybe I'll return to it, maybe not, but I have a lot more appreciation for ELO than I already had after listening to this.
Eminem
2/5
This was a tough listen. Many of the songs are headache inducing. I still have a lot of nostalgia for this album, as my brother played it all the time. But I don't think I'll be back. This hasn't aged well for a lot of reasons, but you can see why Eminem became what he became.
Roni Size
1/5
There's nothing like realizing that an album isn't for me ~2 minutes into the second track, then seeing that this is a double album with a 5 hour long anniversary edition. I got through the double album, barely, and I didn't manage to start the anniversary content. Someday when I'm looking for another repetitive, looping bass and drum track that gives me a low-level headache maybe I'll return.
Adele
4/5
I could put this on and have a good cry any old day of the week. Really hits the mark for modern era ballads.
The La's
3/5
Pretty good! The breakout song (There She Goes) is really good. And the vibes throughout are nice.
Jimi Hendrix
2/5
Some real high highs, but this is too noisy / dissonant for me to really get behind. Can see how influential it is, but it's not a fun listen for me.
Thelonious Monk
3/5
I didn't like this as much as I hoped (as I wanted to somehow surprise myself and be really into jazz), but I liked it more than I'd feared (as I thought my brain would completely reject it). Wouldn't mind listening to this again, although odds are low I'll actually do it.
The Shamen
1/5
Sure, the lyrics might be dumb as shit, and the music might be simplistic, and it might be the most drum machine-y percussion in human history, but at least every song has maybe 6 bars of actual music that repeats over and over for 3-5 minutes. It was a testament to my belief in this project that I was able to listen to every song all the way to the end.
Method Man
2/5
I didn't mind listening to this. It sounds cool throughout, but no songs really broke through and connected with me. Wouldn't mind hearing this again, but I don't plan to return to it.
Gang Of Four
2/5
I didn't hate it, but by the time the last few tracks were playing I was ready for this to be over. A little too dissonant for my taste.
A Tribe Called Quest
3/5
This feels very much of its era, but it also resonates today. I enjoyed it a good deal. The songs tend to be a bit too long and overstay their welcome, but it's ultimately very good stuff.
Songhoy Blues
3/5
It is somewhat challenging to get into something that isn't in English, but I was still vibing with a good chunk of this. I enjoyed myself!
4/5
This ripped. The first song (Victoria) was far and away my favorite, so I thought this might be one of my favorite albums ever. The songs after that first one didn't hit the same highs, but I enjoyed all of them. I'd give this 4.5 if I could. I really want this to crack my long-term listening rotation, but I'm not sure if it'll get all the way there.
Beck
3/5
A bit too noisy for my preferences. I like melodic Beck a lot more, and that only shows up on a song or two here. This still has a lot of famous songs, but they aren't my favorite songs. Liked it, didn't love it.
Destiny's Child
2/5
A couple of fun / nostalgic singles on here, but as an album this sort of sucks. It feels assembled rather than any type of genuine artistic expression. Listening to it is like eating a Happy Meal. I guess it's fine, but I can feel chemicals coursing through my blood with every new bit of ingestion.
Pearl Jam
3/5
Another 90s album that I appreciate and think is good without really connecting with. Lots of good songs on this. Nothing that I consider one of my favorites or even something I ever will want to listen to again.
Santana
4/5
This was great. The music is so good. I'm not the most into jam type of stuff, and despite that I still had a great time. I look forward to a conversation with some sort of grey-haired man about how Abraxas is good. I'm not sure when it'll happen, but I know it will, and I am now prepared.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
4/5
This album threatened to make me big-band-pilled. I don't think I got all the way there, but there's an alternate version of me that goes deep down the Count Basie rabbit hole. This is a diverse, interesting set of songs that's welcome on my playlist any old time. I don't know how often I'll return to this, but I'm much more open to that idea than I expected heading into this.
Blur
3/5
This was my first exposure beyond Song 2, and I enjoyed myself. Roughly half the songs are too noisy / dissonant for me, but the ones that don't have weird buzzing in the background are exactly my shit. Good individual songs, even if the album as a whole isn't entirely for me.
Bob Dylan
5/5
This has some of the most transcendent music ever recorded. Blowin' in the Wind and Don't Think Twice, It's All Right are both on my shortlist for best-ever Dylan songs. A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall is perhaps his best early protest song. Girl from the North Country and Corrina, Corrina are just so nice to listen to.
There are some clunkers on this, though. The run of Masters of War, Down the Highway and Bob Dylan's Blues is tough. And the back half is quite uneven. Even if I'm not crazy about a significant percentage of the songs on this album, not rating this five stars would be absolute lunacy.
Metallica
1/5
For metal I guess this was fine. There are moments of songs like One that remind me at being over at somebody else's house in high school. But the sensation of listening to this was not good for me. I was very excited when each song ended, then I'd be excited for the next song to end, too. Some day I could introduce tiers of one stars. This might have been better than Iron Maiden? Maybe not. Either way, I look forward to not listening to them in the future.
Cocteau Twins
3/5
I enjoyed this. The sound feels very full throughout, which is a bit challenging on a first listen. I feel like this gets better and better with repeated listens. I'm not sure how realistic it is that I'll actually ever perform those repeated listens, but I wouldn't mind it if that ever came to pass.
Guided By Voices
2/5
28 songs and 41 minutes. Some of them are good and more than some of them are not. Call me crazy, but I would have made the good songs longer and left the bad ones off of the album. I was excited to listen to this, but it was a bit of a disappointment.
Badly Drawn Boy
4/5
I came into this liking Badly Drawn Boy, but I hadn't heard this album. I think this might be my favorite of his. Some of the fart-y stuff at the end of songs doesn't work for me, but the musicality throughout is really strong. When I'm in the mood for BDB in the future I'll come to this before the other albums I've defaulted to in the past.
The Youngbloods
2/5
Kind of sleepy and boring. I like its genre, but I didn't connect with this. If 2.5 stars was available, that's what I'd give this.
Aerosmith
2/5
The music here is quite impressive. The songs sound great, and there are two all-timers on this (Walk This Way, Sweet Emotion). At all times, though, it is very present just how dumb the members of this band are. Big Ten Inch Record is emblematic of the entire vibe: so stupid, sounds really good, dumb as hell.
Soundgarden
3/5
This was enjoyable, and more dynamic than I expected from the singles off this that I already knew well. I'd give it a 3.5 star if I could, but because it overstayed its welcome a bit, I'm dropping it down to a 3 star. Some of the songs are too long, and the album itself doesn't fully justify its 70-minute runtime for me.
Magazine
2/5
This was fine. A lot of bands have done this type of album, and nothing on this really stood out to me. I don't mind it, but I also didn't find anything that I would be clamoring to return to.
Germs
1/5
On the plus side, I can recognize many of the vocals here as actual words. The songs sound like songs to me. On the minus side, this album didn't pass the headache test for me (meaning "do I have a headache after listening to this?").
My brain is just not wired for punk.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
The epitome of slow jams. Sounds great throughout. A bit repetitive at times, but very easy to vibe to.
Sam Cooke
5/5
The music here is incredible. Cooke's voice is amazing. Each song is so joyful. The type of live album that makes you wish you were there. I defy anybody to listen to this and not tap their toes and bop around at least a little bit. Basically as good as this genre of music gets. The apotheosis of the form.
Also, I used to live near Cooke Road in Columbus, Ohio, and every time I turned onto it I got to sing Cupid to myself in the car.
This album is a true gift to the world.
Various Artists
3/5
This sounds great throughout. Love that wall of sound from the murderin' hair guy. I think a season album like this has limited upside, though. It's hard to really get behind something that I can only listen to one month out of the year. (The idea of Brian Wilson listening to this, his favorite album, in the middle of a balmy May day, is true psycho shit.)
Kid Rock
2/5
This is a real art vs. artist scenario. Do I want to stan Bawitdaba and Cowboy, like my 11 y/o self might demand, or do I realize that this guy is an asshole who makes some stupid songs? Sort of in-between on this one. A lot of this sucks, but I do enjoy a fair number of the songs. Wasting Time is an early example of stealing other music to make a slightly catchier, but somehow slightly worse, version of a song that already exists. Kid Rock sucks, but this album is enjoyably stupid.
Metallica
2/5
I think this might be the most I've ever liked a metal album. The addition of the symphony is quite effective. I don't think I'll ever return to this on my own, but I didn't active dislike listening to this like I do with most metal. Nicely done, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra!
Arcade Fire
4/5
As a millennial of a certain demographic group, I'm a big fan of Arcade Fire. This isn't my favorite album of theirs, but it's still a real banger. Some of the tracks aren't great, but a lot of the tracks are. I'd be happy to see this album any day of the week.
Madonna
1/5
I mean, this sounds fine. I can see why plenty of people like it. But I couldn't wait for this to be over. Every song overstayed its welcome, and they weren't that welcome to begin with. Good for Madonna for evolving her sound, and good for the people that like to listen to this. I'm sadly not one of them.
Mott The Hoople
4/5
This was like a very specific era of David Bowie collaborating with a very specific era of Bob Dylan. In each case, they happen to be some of my favorite eras of each artist. I totally dug this. It was also surprisingly soulful at a lot of moments, too. I really connected with the emotion of the vocals.
Miriam Makeba
2/5
This all sounds good, but I didn't really connect with any of the songs. It's not in English, so this might be a me problem. But in addition to that, it feels a bit hokey / dated, like it should be playing in the lobby of a resort hotel.
Frank Ocean
4/5
This is a really impressive album. Lots of interesting sounds, and lots of just straight up good songs. I would have enjoyed more hooks throughout, but I'm sort of a dummy like that. I don't know how often I'll come back to this, but I quite enjoyed my listen.
Carole King
5/5
Really incredible album. Banger after banger. It's rated as a pantheon-level album for a reason. Doesn't disappoint its sky-high expectations.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
4/5
This is great. Love the tone of the lead singer's voice. A lot of famous songs in here, and they also all happen to be good and still worth listening to, too. Some tracks are a bit noodle-y for me (Blues, Pt. 2) in particular, but I am very glad to have listened to this.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
3/5
This is my type of shit, so I'm pre-disposed to like it. It's ultimately a bit sleepy and not a super dynamic album. I'd be happy to listen any time, but it's not a complete triumph or anything.
Raekwon
2/5
So I know that Wu-Tang is for the children, and I'm learning album after album that I am not the children. I don't like the group stuff and I don't like the solo stuff, either. I wish I was cool enough to appreciate it, but I don't.
Lorde
4/5
I loved this. I've recently been Jack Antonoff-pilled, so learning that he was the producer on this made me predisposed to liking it. The music is great, and it captures an entire generation so well. If there was a 4.5 stars that's what I'd give this. It came very close to 5 stars for me but didn't get all the way there.
Nick Drake
3/5
This album is excellent, although it's not the most dynamic. He's really good at one mode of music, and over the full length of an album that starts to feel a bit same-y. Each song would be more than welcome on any of my playlists, but as an album it doesn't grab me as much as lots of others.
Solomon Burke
5/5
This kicked major ass. Joyful, soulful, each track a new delight. I was planning to give it four stars, but why not give it five? It's excellent. I'd happily listen again.
Nas
3/5
To triangulate this in the broader rap ecosystem, I like Nas more than Wu-Tang stuff, but I'm still not all the way crazy about him. His songs have good musicality, but I would like catchier hooks (as a rube / lame person). I enjoyed this, but I can't say I'm big into it.
DJ Shadow
1/5
I wanted to like this, but I really didn't. It didn't pass the headache test. I was very glad when it was over.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Not my favorite Stones album, but still great. I can only imagine how much I'd like this if it was my first timing hearing it. The famous songs on this hold up, while the deep cuts are still good. Salt of the Earth was the big discovery for me on this listen.
The Velvet Underground
2/5
I've tried to many times to get into this and I just can't. I don't like listening to these songs. And I also know that our brains are predisposed to like stuff we've heard before, and even with my repeated attempts to enjoy this it doesn't take. The album cover is cool, I want to like this, I don't. Sunday Morning and I'll Be Your Mirror are the things keeping this out of 1-star territory.
Kings of Leon
3/5
Very enjoyable, but not the most dynamic. A lot of the songs sound quite similar. Good music, not the best album.
James Taylor
3/5
The Psychedelic Furs
3/5
Another one to put in the file of "collection of good songs that I like listening to that don't really stand up as a truly great album." The style of singing and instrumentation just isn't enough to sustain me for a full album. Most songs would be welcome on a playlist any old day, though.
Lou Reed
4/5
When this is good it's transcendently good. But it sort of peters out at the end. I wished it finished with a bit more oomph. If it did, it'd be a clear 5 star. But it didn't get all the way there for me. Still loved this and hope to revisit in the future.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
For a debut album, this is a truly stunning achievement. To come out of the blocks with Good Times Bad Times and Babe I'm Gonna Leave You is so insanely cool and good. A couple of the songs really overstay their welcome for me, just barely keeping this out of the 5-star club.
David Crosby
2/5
Joanna Newsom
3/5
The tone of Newsom's voice is unique and wonderful. I really enjoy moments throughout this, but the extreme length of each of the tracks on this make it difficult to return to for me. There will be a sequence I'm really into, then the song transitions to something entirely new and I never return to what I liked. My pop-addled brain struggles to connect with this in a deep way, as much as I enjoy so many of the moments throughout.
Venom
1/5
On the plus side, it seems like This is Spinal Tap and Tenacious D wouldn't exist without albums like this. On the minus side, most of this was headache-inducing. If there was a special classification of one-star metal albums for me, this would be toward the top of the pile. I can understand the lyrics, some of the guitar sounds pretty cool. But, like, attempts to sound hardcore and scary are ultimately sort of lame.
The Who
3/5
The titular song, while the most famous one on here, is perhaps my least favorite. A lot of really good songs on this, but nowhere really close to what The Who would become. Grateful it exists, but there's better The Who out there.
Stan Getz
2/5
It's fine background music, but it doesn't really do a lot for me. I mean, Samba is ridiculed by the jazzman in La La Land, so how can I, a non jazzman, take this genre seriously? Wouldn't ever mind if it's playing in the background, but I also wouldn't ever seek it out again.
Astor Piazzolla
2/5
Very impressive musically, but not terribly interesting or enjoyable for me. If you're into this sort of thing, I could see it being amazing. But I'm not, so it wasn't.
Iggy Pop
3/5
The Passenger alone gets this to three stars. The rest is good, not great.
M.I.A.
3/5
I wish there were half stars. This is a clear 2.5 for me. Enjoyable enough, but a bit low budget and repetitive. 2 feels harsh, 3 feels too nice. I'm rating on a Friday, so I'm choosing to be too nice.
The Stooges
2/5
Too noisy / raw for my delicate sensibilities. I didn't hate it / it didn't give me a headache, but I could tell pretty quickly that this wasn't for me.
David Bowie
4/5
The songs are a bit too long for my liking, but I generally like all of them. This is one of my softer 4 stars, but it's still a 4 star. I'd welcome a re-listen any time.
Drive Like Jehu
2/5
It turns out I like post-punk more than punk, but I still can't say I'm crazy about this. There were moments in this I enjoyed, and also moments I didn't.
Depeche Mode
2/5
Listening to this reminds me of looking at video footage of Richard Nixon. He was a real person, but he looks so much like a rubber mask of himself that it's difficult to take him seriously. I guess this is all fine, but it feels like DEPECHE MODE and all that it entails that I didn't connect with it at all.
Mekons
2/5
For something described as "one of the first alternative country albums" I was very excited about this. It didn't connect with me, though. The vocals were a bit flat, but not in an enjoyable way. I like the direction it took, but I didn't like the music as much as I wanted to.
David Bowie
3/5
The titular song kings serious ass. Love a jaunty pop rock song with saxophone. It set really high expectations for the rest of the album that ultimately weren't delivered on. A couple of the songs were nice, but nothing came close to Young Americans, even Fame is which is a more famous song itself.
Curtis Mayfield
3/5
The good songs are really good, but most of the album is just OK. "So in love" was the read standout to me. I'll be returning to that often, but not as often to the full album.
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
Liked this better than some of his other albums. This one was less noisy / noodley in between the songs. There are a couple of cold stone bangers in here. I don't know if I can hear Jimi, but I enjoyed listening to him.
Baaba Maal
2/5
Sounded fine! Nothing really connected with me. I didn't mind it at all, but I don't plan to return to it ever.
The Beach Boys
3/5
There are some very good songs on here. For whatever reason, the Manson connection establishes a very clear ceiling on their oeuvre for me. I liked this, but I could never see myself getting super into it.
Steely Dan
3/5
I liked this more as an adult than I did as a college student. I wasn't over the moon for it or anything, though. Individual songs really popped for me on this listen, but by the time you get to the end of the album each next song feels a bit too similar to the rest of them.
The Verve
4/5
I'm very into this type of thing, even including the stupid hidden track at the end of the album. Whenever I go on an Oasis kick (which happens every few years) I'm going to do my best to include The Verve in it.
Steely Dan
3/5
I dug this one. None of the songs overstayed their welcome. Barrytown was my new favorite. If there was a 3.5 stars option that's what I'd give this (enjoyed myself, don't really plan to return to it, though).
Funkadelic
3/5
A lot of fun. If I did drugs I could see falling in love with this. For whatever reason this wasn't available on YouTube Music, so it's technically going to be hard for me to revisit it. But even if there wasn't a stupid technical reason I don't imagine this would get regular play from me.
Richard Thompson
4/5
My prototypical 4-star album for this type of project. Something that I absolutely love conceptually, something that I like listening to, something that I probably won't return to all that often (and feel slightly guilty about). Kudos to the Thompsons for their work!
The Cure
1/5
This was a drag, man. The songs are all so down-tempo. The lyrics aren't really engaging at all. Feels almost like a parody of itself. It's not aggressively bad like heavy metal or something, but you almost forget it's on as it's playing. It didn't give me a headache, but I still think this earns one star. Nothing's really going on here.
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
This was great. Some songs are too long, and as a whole sometimes songs sound sort of similar. But the highs on this album are incredibly high and the lows aren't very low. Came very close to 5 stars for me, but didn't get all the way there.
Dolly Parton
3/5
I never knew this album existed, so when it popped up on my feed I was incredibly excited. And then it was just OK. I still enjoyed this a good deal, but it's perhaps my biggest disappointment thus far in this project (~100 albums in). I was prepared for a 5-star banger, and it ended up being a soft 3-star. The songs are a bit too down tempo for me. I wanted something more fun or rollicking.
Kanye West
5/5
One of my favorite albums of all-time. Easy 5-star. It's a shame what's happened to Kanye in the years since, but this holds up incredible well. There are some dated / stupid lyrics here or there, but as a start to finish album, there are few works that top this. It's a true feat. A gift to the world
Gene Clark
4/5
This sounded better to me than most Byrds albums, and I like those OK. I was very pleasantly surprised, never having listened to solo Clark stuff. I'd welcome a return to this any old day. At times the songs are a bit too similar to each other, but in general I found this quite impressive and really nice to listen to. Wikipedia tells me this album only did well in the Netherlands. Well, Gene Clark, I'm happy to have you as my Dutch baby.
Miles Davis
3/5
Really enjoyed having this on, but there wasn't anything in here that has me hungry to return. I enjoy jazz, but I can't say I crave it like other music.
GZA
2/5
As far as Wu-Tang goes, I liked this more than most. But I still can't get into Wu-Tang stuff. I think the beats are a bit boring and the hooks are generally underwhelming. I want to be one of the cool kids who likes Wu-Tang, and I can't do it.
The Only Ones
3/5
A couple of great songs, but the album wears out its welcome by the end. It sounds a bit grating taken as a whole, and what read as fun on some early tracks ends up verging on tedious by the end.
Fatboy Slim
2/5
The type of music that works great as a single, but really wears out its welcome as a full album. Some good high points, but the songs are too long and the sample lyrics approach starts to grate on many of them.
Donovan
2/5
I was disappointed by this one. The two famous songs (Sunshine Superman and Season of the Witch) are clear standouts. Of the deep cuts there wasn't really anything I'm excited to return to. A lot of fart-y sitar-sounding whatever songs. Love Donovan, but this album was too sleepy for me.
Supergrass
4/5
I had a great time with this. Alright is a definite standout, but the rest of the album also kicked ass. Supergrass joins the ranks of The Zutons of new bands I discovered via this project that I think I might actually return to with some regularity.
Butthole Surfers
1/5
I absolutely LOATHED listening to this. A strong contender for my least favorite album on the list (at least ~100 albums in). It feels like it wants me to hate it, so I guess it's doing its job?
Missy Elliott
3/5
A thoroughly enjoyable album. No single song really pierced my soul or anything, but this felt of a time without feeling dated or campy.
Beatles
4/5
An incredibly diverse album with an insane amount of standouts. Docking a star because of the libertarian anthem that kicks this bad boy off.
Johnny Cash
3/5
This is conceptually perhaps the coolest album ever. The vibes are great and the banter is a lot of fun. But the music itself is just OK. Wanted to like it more than I do, ultimately.
Portishead
2/5
Excellent music for a movie to use to indicate a character's declining mental health. As music for me to listen to, not really into it.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
4/5
A stone cold classic. I'm very familiar with all of the top tracks from this one, and none of the deep cuts really broke though. That's ultimately not a bad thing, as about half of the album is already in our collective psyche. It's great.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
I dug this, but not as much as I thought I would. This reminded me a lot of Arcade Fire, so I'm very grateful it exists. But moment to moment I tend to enjoy other stuff in this vein a bit more than I enjoy this.
Deep Purple
2/5
A seemingly impressive musical achievement that I didn't enjoy listening to at all. Not my type of live album. Lots of noodling / overlong sequences that I was consistently looking forward to being over.
The Stone Roses
5/5
I kept adding song after song to my playlist of stuff I wanted to return to as I go through this project. I was looking for reasons to keep this as a four-star rather than a five-star, and I couldn't find them. This shit rips. Hope to return to it in the future.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
2/5
Years ago a dear friend of mine said something dismissive and cutting about the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I never minded them on the radio, so I asked her for more specifics. She couldn't elucidate what she meant, but after listening to this full album I totally get it. The singles on this will be on Southern California radio for the rest of time, but as an album this just doesn't really come together.
Neil Young
3/5
I really wanted to like this. But it didn't have the range I was looking for. The obvious all-timers hold up, but the songs outside of that didn't really grab me.
Iron Butterfly
2/5
I really wanted to like this. But it didn't have the range I was looking for. The obvious all-timers hold up, but the songs outside of that didn't really grab me.
Adele
5/5
I fuckin' love this. I spent the entire album coming up with reasons to keep this as a 4-star. The sort of lame Lovesong is perhaps the weakest on the track, but that's not a reason to dock a star. This is a five star album. Loved it! Already excited to listen again.
Duke Ellington
3/5
I enjoyed listening to this, but I don't think it's something I would ever return to. Glad to have listened to it. Makes me feel like I earned my fandom of Whiplash that much more.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
Some great stuff on this. As a unit it's not the most dynamic album. I liked this more than the other Bob Marley I've listened to on this journey, but not that much more. Couldn't get all the way to 4 stars, but I did consider it.
Deerhunter
2/5
As a sad white man in my 30s, I thought this would be perfect for me. I didn't get into it at all, though. It feels a bit dull almost, and everything seems buzzy in a droning way, not a rewarding way. There's a non-zero chance that I return to this and it becomes a favorite (like Bon Iver, which took multiple forced listenings before it clicked with me). But on just a first listen this was something of a dud.
Gotan Project
3/5
This is perhaps my top non-English album thus far in the project. Some very solid jams on this. I don't think I'll return to it, but it was still a very enjoyable listen.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
Hoo boy, this was excellent. Some great bops and some all-time sad songs to cry to. An incredible, diverse album that has permeated popular culture in countless ways, and with very good reason. Loved it. Already loved it, of course, but it went so far beyond holding up. I liked this more than I've ever liked it before.
Beastie Boys
3/5
This is a lot of fun! It's not what I particularly want to get out of music, but I can see why a lot of people love the Beastie Boys. If I was being purely honest, I'd probably give this 2 stars. But that feels lame. Also, I feel like Pop Star: Never Stop Never Stopping would exist without the Beastie Boys, so this earns that bonus star. I'm a Style Boy for life!
Leonard Cohen
2/5
I didn't know that Leonard Cohen did this much cocaine! This is really peak cocaine music to me. So much synth. I was very excited for my first Leonard Cohen during this project, but this let me down. I didn't think this modern version of Cohen was all that effective for me.
Bob Dylan
4/5
Like a Rolling Stone by itself gets this to 3 stars. Then you add in Ballad of a Thin Man, Queen Jane Approximately and Desolation Row and this easily gets to 4. Some of the others are a bit less impressive, so this doesn't get all the way to 5. Still love it. Welcome listening any day of the week for me.
The Band
4/5
I'm in the tank for The Band. Absolutely love 'em. I think they have higher highs than what's on this album, so this doesn't get all the way to 5 stars for me. I considered it, though!
The Cramps
2/5
I was very excited for this to be over! Not my type of thing. No headaches from this, but not really anything worth returning to for me and my delicate sensibilities.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Some great songs on this. The concept itself is great. But Cave's vocals are too growly on so many of these songs. When he just sings it's great, but that's too rare for my taste.
Pulp
3/5
Had a great time with this. Some real keepers from the album that I look forward to re-listening to in the future. I'm not sure has a huge range as an album, so it's not the most exciting thing to listen to from start to finish. Still a big fan, though!
Yes
2/5
Some of these songs are famous for a reason - they're good! But as a full album this was too farty / too noodley for me to get into. It just feels sort of goofy and unfocused.
B.B. King
3/5
This was a lot more upbeat than I was expecting for a blues record. Sort of confusingly so! I had a good time with this, but nothing really got into my bones as I was listening to it.
Antony and the Johnsons
4/5
Beautiful album. Haunting and sometimes strange, but always a treat to listen to.
Tori Amos
2/5
Some really nice moments on this. But I didn't connect with it at all. It felt plaintive in a way that came across as annoying or tedious rather than emotional. I wanted to like this so much more than I actually did.
Megadeth
1/5
If there was a metal sub-category this would be toward the top. Because there isn't, and because I don't like this genre even a little bit, this gets the dreaded one-star review. Sure, I got a headache, but it was only a minor one. And I'm hopeful that it'll pass quickly!
Michael Jackson
3/5
It still blows my mind that \"Don't Stop Till You Get Enough\" is a Michael Jackson song. It's so present in our culture and it sounds so different from most of his catalog. This album is pretty good! He seemed like a very, very bad person, though. So can't go too crazy with the star rating.
OutKast
4/5
At the beginning of this, and during multiple moments throughout, I thought this was an easy five-star album. But it overstayed its welcome by the end. Loved it! Would have loved a bit more editing, though. I think it would have been better if it was under 2 hours, and I think it could have gotten there pretty easily.
New York Dolls
2/5
I wanted to like this, but I just didn't. It rates too low on musicality for me to really get into it.
Joy Division
2/5
I'm adding this to my list of "album I would probably love on a ~fifth re-listen." On a first, though, no single song grabbed me, and it felt a bit like a slog. I feel like there's an alternate version of me that's a big Joy Division head.
Van Halen
2/5
Effective for what it is. The jump ball at every NBA arena has been forever changed by this album. I'd rate this 2.5 if there were half stars, but because this gave me a light headache I will be downgrading to 2.
Jimmy Smith
3/5
I enjoyed this as much as I've ever enjoyed a jazz album. There's still a limited upside / re-listenability to that genre for me. But if I was trapped in a room with only jazz, I would be very happy to put this one on.
Tracy Chapman
4/5
Really, really excellent. On the verge of five stars, but there's not a ton of range here, and no real bangers outside of the already mega-famous tracks. It's all great, but nothing popped in a way I was hoping it would.
Hole
3/5
Lots of good stuff on this. It wears out its welcome as it goes along for me, though. I think I'd like all of the songs on their own out of context, but as an album it doesn't build in a satisfying way. It starts to feel yell-y and makes me wish it would be over.
Prefab Sprout
3/5
This evokes The Cure for me without some of the highs or the lows. It's all fine. I'm giving it three stars, but it's a pretty soft three stars. Ultimately not crazy about this, but I don't mind it.
Steve Earle
3/5
This is the type of album I really want to be into, but I can't get all the way there. Some good songs, but the overall effect is less exciting than I want it to be. It's good, but still a bit disappointing for me.
Fatboy Slim
2/5
The singles really pop on this, but even all of those overstay their welcome. All I need from this is the shortened radio edits of the singles. As a full album (and even as album-length songs) this really started to grate on my nerves. Over the course of a full hour, this music really starts to feel like a gimmick.
David Bowie
2/5
In YouTube Music there's a little blurb from Wikipedia. Apparently for this album none of the lyrics for the songs were written until Bowie was standing in front of the microphone in the studio. Considering that, it's incredible that the song Heroes exists. But that also makes me dislike this album a little bit. I want something with a bit more thought behind it. I'm not even a big lyrics guy, but that annoyed me. I think I would have liked this more if I didn't get that little fun fact.
Missy Elliott
4/5
Some of the skits on this were pretty dumb, but I really enjoyed myself. Plenty of good singles, and the overall effect of the album was quite pleasant. I'd be happy to return to this any time in the future!
Louis Prima
3/5
A whole lot of fun. All of the songs generally sound pretty similar to each other, and the novelty of this wears off over the course of a full album. I enjoyed listening to it the first time, but I'm not sure how much I would enjoy a return trip.
Radiohead
4/5
A professor in college told us about how we should re-read Moby Dick periodically throughout our lives. As we evolve as people, the book will hit us differently. In that same vein, Kid A hit me in a way it didn't when I tried to listen when I was around college-aged. I really, really dug it this time, whereas it had never grabbed me before. I'm going to see if I can include this in my rotation moving forward.
Boards of Canada
1/5
As a dear friend described this album to me: Terrible and vaguely unsettling. At least it's 71 MINUTES LONG. Couldn't wait for this to be over.
The Auteurs
5/5
I was adding song after song to my "Songs I liked from 1001 Albums" playlist. Eventually it became undeniable - I fucking love this album. Plan to return to it often. Who knows if I'll actually do it, but I really want to, and that's the sign of a great album for me.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
I appreciate this without really getting into it. It almost feels like the tempo of these songs are too slow for my constitution. Apparently in grocery stores they pick songs with a certain BPM that aligns with buying stuff. If this was playing in my own personal grocery store, I would have an empty cart. Constitutionally this has a low ceiling for me, but I wouldn't be surprised if a great many people are super into this.
Blondie
4/5
The somewhat rare album with a few standout, very famous singles, that still has a bunch of non-famous songs that are also great. Really enjoyed myself with this one.
Radiohead
4/5
A real banger. By happenstance I did two Radiohead albums within a few days of each other, and I had a great time with both of them. This one started out incredibly strong and didn't quite maintain that momentum the entire time. But I loved it.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
4/5
The four classic songs on this hold up really well. The deep cuts aren't all that special. It's a true feat that 4 of the songs are all from a first album, but this doesn't get all the way to 5 stars for me.
The Smiths
3/5
This was pretty pleasant to listen to, but there wasn't a lot of range. The songs all blurred together a bit for me, and no single verse, chorus or song really grabbed me. I wouldn't mind listening again, but I also wouldn't really miss it if I didn't.
Brian Eno
2/5
There's a two-song run in here that is great, and the album that I wish this was (The Big Ship, I'll Come Running). Unfortunately the rest of the album is not that. I just didn't get into this, as much as I enjoyed those two songs.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
An absolute titan of an album. Has an enormous reputation that it somehow lives up to. Banger after banger, incredible range. Send this into space.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Love this album. The seven singles are played in movies to this day for good reason. And the non-singles are also a lot of fun. But you know what, Heard It Through the Grapevine is too long. Gimme that radio edit, baby.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
Some real all-timers on this. The concept album parts of this are a bit clunky (and stupid) even if the idea itself is nice.
Underworld
1/5
On the plus side:
-I like the name of the album
-Some moments in this reminded me of Skinemax-type movies from the late 90s
On the negative side:
-The last few minutes of each song that felt pointedly repetitive, almost like the government was trying to program my brain or drive me into psychosis
-Everything else
The B-52's
2/5
Too much kitsch for me. Rock Lobster should not be 6:50. I know people dig the B-52's. But I am not one of those people.
Jethro Tull
4/5
The three songs I knew from this (Aqualung, Cross Eyed Mary, Locomotive Breath) really undersold how nice and melodic the rest of this album is. I sincerely enjoyed the new stuff I heard on here. Hope to return to it in the future!
Al Green
3/5
Had a great time listening to this. It doesn't have a huge range or a standout aside from the title song, though.
Genesis
2/5
One of those concept albums that's too much concept and not enough album (give me some choruses, man). But since this is a double album, there's actually too much album, too.
The Vines
2/5
I really like this genre, but I wasn't crazy about this album. I think there are plenty of other options that scratch this itch better for me. Purely on musical taste, this is a 3-star for me, but I feel like I should drop it a star because it's toward the bottom of the ranking for this genre to me.
Serge Gainsbourg
2/5
Some of the music in this is quite good, but the overall effect is strange. The love affair with a 14-year-old lyrics make me glad this is in French, a language I do not speak. And a lot of the quiet whisper singing sounds like self parody of a French concept album. Feels like one of those things where its cultural impact has actually made the real product feel silly 50+ years into the future.
Derek & The Dominos
4/5
An incredible album. Lots of great songs that I hadn't heard before (Layla and Bell Bottom Blues were all I knew). Dropping a star because some of the songs are too long, even if I like them, and because Clapton sucks total shit as a person.
Dion
4/5
I thoroughly enjoyed this. The type of white boy soul / pop that connects with my white boy soul / pop preferences.
Harry Nilsson
3/5
Some real bangers on this. Also a couple of clunkers. (I know Coconut is famous and all, but it's pretty stupid.)
The Replacements
3/5
I found some of this tough to listen to. It's just too gruff / not melodic enough for my taste. When it all comes together, though, it's excellent. Unsatisfied is a homerun of a song, and I plan to return to that particular track often.
Johnny Cash
4/5
Remains just about the best concept for an album ever. The music on this one is better than At San Quentin for me, so it gets up to 4 stars.
Rage Against The Machine
3/5
There are some real bangers on here. Many of the songs overstay their welcome for me, but most tend to have at least a portion that I enjoy. I did end up with a light headache by the end, though, so I can't go too high with my rating.
Grizzly Bear
3/5
There are some great songs on this. When it gets going it really hits (While You Wait for the Others might be my fave). It's consistently pleasant to listen to. It does feel a bit sleepy too often, though. A good, not truly great, album.
The Smiths
3/5
Perfectly pleasant to listen to. Nothing really stood out to me, likely because I'm a dummy and I love me a nice hook / chorus.
Hüsker Dü
2/5
I want to like this, but I can't get all the way there. There are plenty of moments that start to build to a good jam, but then end up as frustrating or repetitive. It also feels a bit too scruffy for my taste. I'd love a bit more musicality. If there was a 2.5 option I'd use that, as 2 feels a tad harsh.
Amy Winehouse
4/5
This album rules. Love the entire vibe of it. It loses a bit of steam at the end, and it's not the most dynamic (as plenty of songs sound like others). But it's so good, man.
Jefferson Airplane
2/5
The type of classic album that verges on self-parody 50 years later. It's iconic for a reason, but that doesn't make for super enjoyable listening in a modern context. Loved Embryonic Journey, though!
Burning Spear
3/5
Very pleasant to listen to. The juxtaposition of the song titles and the vibes is quite dissonant. I'm not the most lyrics-first guy, and I feel like that probably limits my true appreciation for this album. It sounds very good. If I were a better person I might read the lyrics and true to understand the message of this album more.
Incubus
2/5
This isn't a bad listen. It is quite goofy / embarrassing, though. I don't think has aged well at all, and as we get even further away from 1999 it's going to become a true relic. The affected singing and the guitar riffs are so completely of a time and place. I had a good time, but felt like a dumbass while doing it.
Kraftwerk
1/5
The 95th time the German man said "Trans Europe Express" I felt like I was being activated as a sleeper agent. Do the Simpsons joke about Kraftwerk? Somebody does, and this album proves that every one of those jokes is accurate. Couldn't wait for it to be over.
Michael Jackson
3/5
Man, this one has a lot of hits. I don't particularly like the hits, but they're pretty undeniable. The non-hits are a touch goofy / lame.
Isaac Hayes
3/5
This album is cool as shit. Loved listening to it. Obsessed with the title. The songs are too long (aside from One Woman, which was my clear favorite). By The Time I Get To Phoenix takes WAY too long to get going. The end rules, but it's so much preamble.
Country Joe & The Fish
2/5
The type of influential album that I'm grateful for (as it inspired all sorts of music that I'm into) without ever wanting to listen to it. Just not into it.
The Beau Brummels
3/5
Better than I thought it would be after seeing the description as a psychedelic rock album from 1967. I didn't like the vocals all that much (they grated on me as the album went along). Some nice moments, but it never really transcended that for me.
Korn
1/5
I didn't know those "No parents allowed" signs that angsty pre-teens put on their bedroom doors could record albums. Pretty cool!
Pixies
3/5
Gigantic and Where is My Mind are undeniable, but beyond those 2 nothing really grabbed me here. It all felt a bit noisy and almost slight. On the strength of those top 2 songs this is still good. But I definitely wanted more.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
A pretty incredible album. Tons of bangers on this one. I prefer it to the other Jimi album, as it's less noisy. It's still not my favorite type of classic rock in terms of sonorousness, but it really holds up.
Cream
3/5
I'd rate this as an average classic rock album. Still classic, but rarely makes me rise to euphoria or anything. Because I like the genre, I like the album.
2/5
This album rocks hard, but to channel Review's Forrest MacNeil, is it any good? Not really. The songs just aren't that enjoyable to listen to for me.
Deep Purple
2/5
This all sounds good, but it also sounds pretty stupid. Smoke on the Water is famous without being exciting (I never liked when it came onto the radio while listening to classic rock growing up). And I have a soft spot for Highway Star because it was on Rock Band. But this simply doesn't excite me.
The Strokes
3/5
When this album hits it really hits. Doing the early aughts proud. The deep cuts aren't amazing, though. I didn't find the full album particularly revelatory.
Muddy Waters
2/5
I'm very glad that this exists. It didn't connect with me personally, but I can recognize how influential it is.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
4/5
I think my favorite jazz album ever (so far - I'm ~200 albums in on this project). The type of album I actually want to return to. I don't know if I actually will, but I wouldn't mind it. And that is pretty cool.
Dizzee Rascal
2/5
I want to like this, but the beats are too thin / sparse and the choruses that are present just don't land for me. I'm finding out I have a pretty narrow band of rap that appeals to me, and this falls well outside of it.
3/5
A pleasurable, listenable dose of 80s pop. I dug it!
The Who
4/5
This fuckin' rocks. It's so good. There's a ton of goofy moments in it that isn't the best to listen to, but Tommy is iconic for a reason. So many good tunes throughout, including the overture and the underture. If this had gone the route of Life House > Who's Next it might be a better album. But you know what, I'm glad that stuff like Fiddle About made the final cut and I get to sing that at random times throughout the rest of my life for no reason at all.
Kanye West
4/5
Incredible stuff on this album. Some of the skits are stupid, and this probably would have been better with cutting some songs out (1 hr 16 minutes is a long 'un). I will always be excited when this album comes on, even if Kanye has gone fully insane.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
2/5
Under the Bridge almost drags this album to three stars, but there's a bit too much stupid stuff in here that almost sounds like a self-parody. I recognize how important this was for a genre I really cherish, but I don't think it holds up particularly well in 2024.
The White Stripes
4/5
This album kicks ass. It rocks throughout, and I love the retro vibe it's going for. Nothing really even approaches Seven Nation Army as a single song, but there aren't any stinkers in here.
Dire Straits
4/5
I love Dire Straits. Walk of Life is an all-time track. This is a good album with good deep cuts. Came ever so close to a five star, but there were enough just OK tracks to hold it back.
Fugees
3/5
I wanted to like this a lot more. The blending of some songs with the skits I found to be a bit annoying. When the songs are good they're really good. But the balance tips too much toward annoying rather than good if you ask me.
Pink Floyd
4/5
I find the first half famous without being all that good, then the second half of the album just whips all the way throughout. Us and Them, Brain Damage, Eclipse. C'mon, man. Incredible. I wish the first half didn't verge on annoying.
Slipknot
1/5
If I'm being honest, I don't really mind the Nu part of Nu Metal all that much. When this at least approaches lyrical or regular rock sounding I can get on board, like a Kid Rock album. Then the metal kicks in and I am all the way out. Toward the top of my metal rankings, but mostly because the Nu parts that are in there.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
I listened to this after Slipknot. I don't think there is a better way to help you appreciate Sinatra and his traditional, rock solid song stylings than having Nu Metal as an opener. I'm not sure if I would have reacted as positively to this with a different opener. But life is all about timing!
Stereolab
3/5
This is like a more accessible, friendlier Velvet Underground & Nico (in French). I like it! The album name is revolting, though.
Sufjan Stevens
4/5
This album is exactly my shit. Local history, ultra-specificity, good melodies, musical diversity. Part of me wants to give this five stars, and another part recognizes it isn't a wall-to-wall banger like some of the best albums ever.
Earth, Wind & Fire
3/5
Great jams. Really enjoyed myself. Some of the songs wore out their welcome a bit, but I'd be happy to listen whenever this came on via shuffle or something.
Orange Juice
3/5
Some great songs on this. Some of them sound a bit goofy, though. When the lyrics and vocals take themselves seriously I really liked this.
The Specials
2/5
I liked some of the songs, but the overall effect of this left me a bit cold. It's all within the same register for the most part. Doesn't feel too dynamic as an album, even if I didn't hate listening to it. I'd give it 2.5 if I could.
David Ackles
3/5
This sounds like Neil Diamond wrote a musical that was too emotional to last more than a few months on Broadway. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing, but it's not exactly what I'm looking for in an album. I had a good time, but its strangeness limits its upside, ultimately.
The Offspring
4/5
Maybe it's the nostalgia talking (where this album appeared on my brother's CD tower along with multiple of his friends), but I loved this. It held up far better than I thought it would. Had a great time listening to it, and actually hope to return in the future.
The Rolling Stones
2/5
Outside of Paint It, Black and Under My Thumb this was just sort of sleepy and uninteresting to me. I was very excited to listen and discover a new deep cut or two, but it just didn't happen for me.
The xx
2/5
This album goes down easy. It's not unpleasant to listen to at all, and some moments are nice. The overall effect of it, though, feels like a party where I don't belong. This music feels too hip / too cool for me to connect with it. Too glossy for real connection.
Mylo
1/5
I found this album incredibly annoying. It might have been a wrong fit for my state of mind, but I just couldn't handle the repetitive sampling and music. At times it feels like this is specifically calibrated to drive somebody insane. The final track is pretty nice, though (at least for the first couple of minutes before that also repeats itself to the point of making you insane)
Arctic Monkeys
3/5
Really enjoyed listening to this. It's all in a bit too narrow of a range for me to get super excited about it as a full album. But I'd perk up in my chair anytime one of these tracks came on a playlist.
Talking Heads
3/5
I like the melodic version of Talking Heads far better than spooky / weird Talking Heads (Heaven > Animals, for example). This album has some real bangers, but it is too far toward the weird pole of the Talking Heads spectrum for me to love this.
Steely Dan
4/5
I have never felt more 37-years-old than listening to Steely Dan and having the time of my life. I am a fully actualized middle-aged white man now.
Ghostface Killah
3/5
My favorite Wu Tang album I've listened to to date (226 albums into the project). Lots of good tracks here, in particular the sampling leads to a lot of great hooks that I find missing on so many Wu Tang albums. If there were half stars on this I'd give this 3.5.
John Martyn
3/5
When this is good it's really good. But a handful of the songs on this are just sort of stupid. It has high highs in the genre of 70s singer-songwriter, but I found myself a bit annoyed with the album by the end of my listening.
Kendrick Lamar
3/5
I've tried this album in the past, and this was easily my favorite time listening to it. The skits feel additive in a way many don't for a bunch of rap albums. And there are some killer tracks. Even the ones that are pretty long still seem to justify their length. I didn't purely enjoy this in a bunch of moments, but I appreciated it a lot more than I have before.
Paul Simon
4/5
Mother & Child Reunion is one of my all-time favorite songs, so this album starts strong. Me & Julio is great, as is Duncan. There are some clunky moments, but overall this is still an amazing album.
John Coltrane
3/5
I enjoyed this. When I need lyric-less music in the future I hope to return to it (I'll be able to ignore the few repetitions of "a love supreme" in the first track). I can't claim that I fully get this yet, but I enjoyed a first exposure. I would be very proud of myself if I could evolve into being a Coltrane guy.
Paul Weller
4/5
I love me some white boy soul. This felt like Van Morrison for the 90s. I don't know what became of Paul Weller after this, but I hope he didn't become a crazy asshole like Van Morrison. Hope to come back to this album in the future!
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
2/5
I like this more intellectually than when I actually listen to it. Cool album that I don't like all that much. Too low on musicality for my delicate sensibilities.
Pere Ubu
2/5
For an album that was described as "Art Punk" I was quite nervous to listen to this. At the beginning I enjoyed myself far more than I thought, but by the end of the album may of my fears had been realized. This could be a tough listen for many stretches. There's still more stuff in here that I liked, so it's ultimately a win.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
The rare classic album where the famous songs still sound amazing, and where I might actually prefer some of the deep cuts to the singles. Makes you grateful for the existence of divorce and cocaine.
Stevie Wonder
3/5
My expectations were likely too high for this. The famous singles are still great (Superstition, You Are the Sunshine of My Life), but the non-singles aren't all that great.
TV On The Radio
3/5
This album has such an incredibly full sound. When it's hitting, it wraps me up in a way I find so appealing. But when it's not really hitting, it tends to feel impenetrable. I also wasn't crazy about how some songs almost become entirely different partway through. I still had a great time, and hope to return to top tracks a lot more in the future.
Eric Clapton
2/5
His guitar often sounds the same from song to song, and I'm not crazy about his vocals. He's also a dickhead. But there are some good songs on this. Please Be With Me was the one that caught me on my first listen. If I'm being an honest arbiter, this is likely a three star for me (or a 2.5). But he's also a dickhead, as I mentioned, so I'll drop a star.
The Kinks
3/5
Love the Kinks, but I'm not crazy about this one. I'd rather listen to some of the singles rather that the full thing.
Black Sabbath
3/5
As a non-metal fan, I appreciated this album. I don't like how metal evolved from here, but I don't mind its protean form. If I had to listen to this again I wouldn't even be upset, which is something that can't be said for many of the metal albums that came after this.
Television
3/5
A solid, very listenable classic. This doesn't grab me the way some of these albums have, but I wouldn't kick this out of bed for eatin' crackers.
George Harrison
4/5
When this is good it's transcendently good. But it's also goofy sometimes in that self-aware Beatles way that I don't particularly care for. That's why it's not a 5-star.
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
2/5
An album with a cool backstory (written in Bellevue Psychiatric ward after attacking his bandmates with an axe). Also an album that is mostly boring, grating, or weird. It seems deeply meaningful, but it is not very listenable.
Ice Cube
2/5
There are plenty of rap albums I like less than this. I tend to enjoy Ice Cube's voice, and his beats are OK. The overall effect of this doesn't really land for me, though. The hooks don't really grab me, and it often feels dated in terms of execution.
Elvis Presley
3/5
This exceeded my expectations! It's got pretty good range, and a bunch of enduring songs. I don't think I'd ever come back to it voluntarily, but this held up far better than I thought it would.
Beatles
3/5
Enjoyable, of course. But early Beatles just feel a bit slight to me.
Bad Company
3/5
A very good representation of a genre I'm not all that crazy about (70s rock). Of the 8 tracks, most are pretty good. Seagull is likely my favorite. Just a solid, rockin' time.
Marilyn Manson
1/5
Some of the music in this isn't bad. I hated the lyrics, both the sound of them and the content. Ultimately, a very negative listening experience for me, even if I can see its merits and how other people might be into it.
Kings of Leon
3/5
Very solid modern rock. Use Somebody was a big deal for me back when it was a single. This album overall has a lot to offer, even if it doesn't have a huge range.
Willie Nelson
3/5
Very pleasant, but a bit sleepy / down tempo. I was excited to listen to this and on a first listen it didn't really do it for me. I think future listenings might be more rewarding.
Boston
4/5
This was FUN. I had a great time. Sure, it's goofy as hell, but I was boppin' around listening to this.
Fela Kuti
3/5
Had a great time listening to this. The horns and the drums are a lot of fun, and there's just really good energy throughout. Would be happy returning to this in the future, even if this isn't a genre I often listen to when left to my own devices.
Elliott Smith
4/5
Really, really strong album. I think it'll get even better with re-listens. The music is dynamic and diverse. Very rewarding. His voice, while pleasant, just doesn't have a ton of range to make this all the way to 5 stars.
Ryan Adams
4/5
I recently entered a Ryan Adams era, so I've already listened to this multiple times this year (which I recognize is problematic because he's not a great dude). This album is great. Very happy to listen to it any time, and some songs are real favorites for me. I know there was drama about this being a double album that the studio fucked him on, but maybe they should have cut even more songs? If this was just the absolute best stuff it could have gotten to 5 stars for me.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
The big time songs on this are all-timers. The deep cuts are still pleasant, but they don't hit quite the same. Happy to return to this any time.
Ramones
3/5
The songs are too short and they all sound too similar for me to be super excited about this. I'll never mind a Ramones song when it's in a montage in a TV show or something. But this falls into the bucket of "music I'm glad exists because it inspired a bunch of music I actually like." Thank you for your service, Ramones!
The Birthday Party
1/5
I knew within the first 3 minutes of this album that it just wasn't for me. To quote Boogie Nights, I like simple pleasures, like butter in my ass and music that sounds like music. That's just me. That's just something that I enjoy.
Lenny Kravitz
2/5
Some of this is pretty good, and some of this is pretty cheesy. A number of these songs also overstay their welcome for me. In my mind, the enduring legacy of Lenny Kravitz is when his leather pants exploded on stage, revealing his genitals. If I could do half stars this would be a 2.5. When in doubt, I'm rounding down, even if 2 stars feels pretty harsh.
AC/DC
3/5
An enjoyable rock album that doesn't have a ton of range or emotional depth (at least on the surface). A good time, and I think the popular culture has already canonized the songs worth saving from this album.
T. Rex
4/5
Really enjoyed this. For an album with a clear most popular song (Bang a Gong) I was surprised by how many other songs I enjoyed more. Really good vibes from T. Rex.
Solange
3/5
Very nice to listen to, but didn't really grab me. It's lacking memorable choruses / hooks, and I wasn't crazy about the many interludes. They were OK, but they broke up the flow for me.
Gene Clark
4/5
A couple of really strong tracks on this. And even the non standouts are still pretty good. I think I'm a Clark-head.
Booker T. & The MG's
2/5
I didn't have a bad time, but I have to admit that this sounds like a bunch of dude noodling around in a garage. Maybe it was revolutionary for its time, but in a modern context this just feels like laid back covers of mostly existing songs.
Massive Attack
2/5
More than anything else, this feels like the inspiration for some Lonely Island songs. For that I am grateful. For the actual music here, though, I found it a bit dated and more than a bit annoying. It gave me a headache, so it's verging on one star territory. But I can see how people would be into this even if I'm not one of those people.
Robbie Williams
3/5
This is sort of like a KidzBop version of Oasis or Badly Drawn Boy. Maybe a Christian version of them, too? Not without its pleasures, but pretty soft rock.
Anthrax
1/5
One of the better one star albums, I'd say. I can see how some people would be into this. I like that the lyrics are distinguishable as words (even if they sound very stupid to me, both sonically and lyrically). The guitar could sound cool to the right type of person. I'm just not that type of person.
The Avalanches
2/5
I like the music a lot of the time, but the sampling is insanity-inducing for me. Too much repetition / looping for me to handle.
Alice In Chains
2/5
I liked this more than I expected. I'm not sure if I got all the way to "I like this," though. The songs are quite long in a way that feels a bit draggy. And while there is some good variation in here ultimately a lot of it sounds like a lot of other stuff within the album.
Janis Joplin
5/5
Incredible. The tone of her voice is so special. This album is fun, emotional, rollicking, anything else you want from music. It's only 34 minutes, but it feels like a full lifetime is contained in those 34 minutes.
808 State
1/5
I'm simply not into this genre. There are worse things I've listened to on the 1001 list, but this is just too computer-y and repetitive for me.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
This is a very specific type of music that is effective, but also not my absolute favorite. The vocals are often in a very limited range, and the music is sometimes a bit too electronic for my taste. But a bunch of good songs throughout this.
Green Day
4/5
It's a little bit cheesy at times, and I totally don't understand why there are so many double songs that are quite clearly distinct entities. But this hit all the right nostalgia buttons for me, and it still holds up well for the most part. Shockingly good for me. Came very, very close to five stars.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Excellent, but not quite as excellent as Led Zeppelin IV. It's likely unfair that I'm comparing this album to that one (and not the 999 others on this list), but them's the breaks.
Iron Maiden
2/5
The rare metal album that contains a song I wouldn't mind returning to in the future. In this case it was "The Prisoner." I'm not 100% sure I'll actually like it when I return to the song, as this ultimately remains a genre I'm very much not into.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
A little scruffy, especially on a couple of songs, but when this is in a good groove it's pretty incredible.
Sonic Youth
2/5
A couple of good tracks, but this is simply too noisy / grungy for me. I couldn't get into it.
The Velvet Underground
2/5
I don't like this very much, and that sort of feels like the point?
AC/DC
3/5
Good rock that also sort of feels like it has rocks in its head. It's very fun, but lacks a certain depth that would help me get even more into it.
R.E.M.
3/5
Enjoyable album with a pretty narrow range. I imagine it'll be rewarding on repeat listens, but the first time through it just sounded pretty same-y throughout.
The Temptations
4/5
This one got me groovin', man. Papa was a Rolling Stone is by far the most popular song here (and by far the longest track) but I was really into a bunch of the others on this.
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
2/5
Having never heard of this project before 1001, I was super excited to listen to it. But it was ultimately a disappointment to me. I wanted choruses, maybe an uptempo song or two. This was just a bit flat. Couldn't get into it.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Incredible. Kashmir and Ten Years Gone are my standouts, but there's so much to love here. In my book, this is better than II but it isn't as good as IV. I'd give it 4.5 if I could, but my policy is to round down when on a half star.
The Police
3/5
This is a good, musically diverse album that I'm just not into. My best friend growing up loves The Police and I couldn't really get into them growing up, and I can't really get into them now even that I'm grown. I think I just am looking for a different type of emotionality than what they offer.
The Prodigy
2/5
This seems like a great entry from a genre I really don't like. Electronic is just too repetitive for me, almost insanity-inducing. The famous songs on this are all memorable, but they all overstay their welcome for me. Better as 30-second snippets rather than 5+ minute-long opuses.
Beck
3/5
A few quite enjoyable tracks. As a whole the album didn't connect with me like I'd hoped, but it's still quite good. A rounded-down 3.5 stars.
Youssou N'Dour
2/5
This was fine to listen to, but nothing really grabbed me. Perfect for being on in the background of an unfamiliar place, but not something I would return to of my own volition.
4/5
I got very into this album in college, and it holds up quite well. There are some clear standout songs, and even the untitled connector songs aren't as stupid as they could be. Really good, very close to five stars.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
The first half of this is just OK, then the second half (from Jamming onward) really rips. Rounding up from 3.5 to 4 stars because one of the songs I sing the most about my dog is inspired by Exodus.
Eminem
2/5
I like the beats and the hooks for the most part, but the content here is a drag. It's very of-the-moment in a way that dates the album (not even factoring the edgelord bullshit that really sounds stupid and juvenile with 25 years of distance).
John Lennon
3/5
This verges on annoying on some tracks, but some of them are just really nice. Oh Yoko! is a real delight, and I'm a fan of the titular track, even if I always think of Cee Lo Green once doing a version where he idiotically changed it to "and all religions true."
Christina Aguilera
2/5
A couple of fun, nostalgic singles. But this album being 77 minutes long is insane. Pure excess.
ZZ Top
3/5
To steal a line from David Sims of the Blank Check podcast, an album with rocks in its head. Still a lot of fun, and La Grange is pretty undeniable.
Common
3/5
I appreciated this, but nothing on the album really got its hooks into me on a first listen. It seems like an album that would reward multiple listens, though. Hope to return to this in the future.
The Pharcyde
3/5
For me it's about beats and hooks for hip hop. The beats here are pretty good, and the hooks are OK. On a few tracks it really comes together for me, some others are a miss. I'd still be happy to return to this.
Leftfield
2/5
This seems like a good electronic album. Unfortunately I don't like electronic at all. The songs are just too long and repetitive, and the lyrics, when they exist, are a bit too stupid for me.
Ride
3/5
Had a good time with this. The music can be a bit buzzy and the lyrics can be a bit flat at times, but when a certain track puts everything together it's quite enjoyable.
Elton John
4/5
I like the ballads on this far more than the fast ones. (Saturday Night's Alright is such an insane song to me.) This album closes quite strong, even if it gets a little creaky in the middle.
The White Stripes
4/5
Excellent. The best stuff is sort of front-loaded, though, which means by the end of the album the garage noisiness starts to grate just a bit.
a-ha
2/5
Not exactly bad to listen to, but I found this too pop-y and sort of thin. Good for these Norwegians for their global breakthrough, but I can't say I'm a fan.
Fred Neil
2/5
A little sleepy for me, dawg. And the last song is just overlong and sort of unpleasant. I like the idea of a pioneering folk record, but this one didn't do it for me.
Brian Eno
2/5
As good as ambient music can be!
Black Sabbath
3/5
An enjoyable hard rock album. Based on my tastes, my clear favorite here is Changes. The rest is very listenable for me, even if it isn't a particular favorite genre of mine.
The xx
2/5
There are some nice tracks on this, but it's quite flat in affect. It feels like an albums of preamble / build up without any release. It's not bad, it just feels restrained, like it's too cool to ever really kick out the jams. The xx is too cool for its own good - after 2 albums that's my official diagnosis.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
A good amount of stone cold classics on this. I tend to prefer the songs that are more musical than the looser, yell-y songs on this. Basically when Mick Jagger sounds like he's singing rather than yelling I am very on board.
R.E.M.
4/5
It's the End of the World and The One I Love hit like a bolt of lightning right in the middle of this album. It's pretty crazy that they're back-to-back like that, really rising above the rest. I still enjoyed the surrounding songs, and the overall effect of this was very good.
The Pretty Things
2/5
Why listen to this when you could instead watch the part of Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox story about his psychedelic album?
The Black Keys
4/5
Back in 2008 somebody tried to get me to start up a Black Keys cover band (before this album even existed). The main issue was that I can't actually play the drums, just the drums on Rock Band. Maybe I'd be touring Laughlin, Nevada, and Branson, Missouri, as a member of the Onyx Keys, had I been able to make the jump to real life drums. This album rules.
Van Morrison
4/5
Today's entry in "separating the art from the artist" was a real delight. I love Van Morrison's music, and this is a great live version of a bunch of tracks. I will likely return to this, even if it didn't deliver on my sky-high expectations heading into it.
Tom Waits
3/5
This is a very well realized concept album. There are many shades of Tom Waits. This version, entertaining though it may be, is not my favorite. I'm all about the ballads. This still has some charm, and his Seth Rogan-like laugh in the intros to songs gets him bumped up to a 3 star.
Beatles
3/5
I'm not huge on early Beatles, but this album exceeded my memory of it. Some very good songs on this, even it gets a touch annoying by the end of its 33-minute runtime. It's a real feat that I didn't mind listening to their version of "Please Mr. Postman" after a different version of that song was burned into my brain on the repeating Chuck E. Cheese soundtrack when I worked there for a summer in high school.
Nick Drake
4/5
Wonderful album. I prefer this lusher version of Nick Drake over the more spare one.
Ali Farka Touré
2/5
I really want to get into a non-English album on this list, but I still haven't been able to do it. I don't mind listening to this, but nothing sticks even as it's playing. There was cool instrumentation on this, and I didn't mind the singing. I struggled to connect with it, ultimately.
Saint Etienne
2/5
I don't do enough drugs to like this type of music. This one is particularly frustrating for me, because I enjoyed ~1 minute of a lot of these songs, then they'd repeat themselves over and over until I no longer liked what I previously had been enjoying.
Radiohead
2/5
Aside from "There, There" I really didn't care for this album. The other two Radioheads I got during this project were great. I found this mostly unpleasant, all of the beeps and bloops just didn't work for me this time around.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
A classic album where I tend to like the deep cuts more than the hits. Usually that's a recipe for a 5-star, but in this case I don't really like the hits on this all that much (and actively dislike the title track). I'd give it a 3.5 if I could. I'm holding to my round-down policy, even if this feels pretty low for this album.
The Beach Boys
3/5
There are some enjoyable songs here. This ultimately falls into the "influential without being all that enjoyable" bucket for me.
Cheap Trick
3/5
"I want you to want me" is about as electric as live music recordings can get for me. Love that. Outside of that song, this music is pretty good without really grabbing me.
Van Morrison
5/5
This is on my short list for favorite albums of all time. The title track is perhaps one of the worst on here, and it's still good. I really wish Van wasn't such an asshole, as I love his music.
Talking Heads
3/5
Certain Talking Heads songs are just incredible. But on a full album there's a lot of stuff that just isn't for me (it almost feels too spooky for me). So I am a Talking Heads fan without actually liking their albums. I'm a greatest hits simp I guess? Disappointed in myself ultimately.
David Bowie
5/5
As of this moment, this is my favorite Bowie album. Lots of incredible tracks. In my heart of hearts this is probably a 4.5 star album, but I'm going to round up in this case.
Kate Bush
2/5
She has a nice voice, but I don't like how she sings. It's sort of dramatic / operatic / spooky. I just don't think Kate Bush is for me, ultimately. I definitely see her merit, but I don't plan to return to her at all.
Duran Duran
2/5
Music for early adopters of those lasers that remove pubic hair permanently.
4/5
I mean, it's Sgt. Pepper's. Incredible. So diverse, and lots of great songs. There are some annoying ones, though.
Nico
3/5
There are 4 songs on this that I was really into, and the rest were vaguely annoying like the Velvet Underground often are to me. I will not be returning to this album, but those 4 songs are bangers. Surprisingly emotional for such a monotone singer, too.
The Band
3/5
I really love the Band, and even I can admit that a couple of songs on here are a bit annoying. This isn't their best album, but I still have a great time with it.
Simply Red
3/5
I enjoyed myself! This did often feel quite dated, though.
LCD Soundsystem
3/5
A handful of really great songs on this. Too many of the non-great tracks are super repetitive, though, which really harms the overall feel of this album. When it's rock I'm super into it, when it's dance / electronic I wish it would end.
The Kinks
3/5
Kinks good.
This is not one of my favorites of theirs, but it's still good.
Nick Drake
3/5
Very pleasant to listen to, but not the most dynamic album. It's all in pretty much the same downbeat range. The title track is incredible, of course.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
I enjoy the music, but his vocals are a bit too growly for my liking. Whenever it becomes closer to old-fashioned singing I really enjoy myself, but that's a bit too infrequent for me to get into this.
Stan Getz
2/5
Very pleasant to listen to. I particularly enjoy the sax. It ultimately feels a bit dated, and with so many non-English lyrics I found it a bit challenging to connect with it. Came very close to 3 stars, but because I didn't connect to any single song I'm rounding down.
3/5
The songs that are a standard length really slap. The long ones just don't do it for me. I guess I'm anti long-song. This is a jam, but I prefer when it's a focused jam.
The Monkees
2/5
I'm as big of a Monkees apologist as you'll find. But, I mean, this album is slightly stupid. Some good tracks and I'm glad the boys started playing their own music, but it doesn't really stand up to the all-time greats on this list.
Elvis Presley
3/5
Much better than I expected. Came close to 4 stars, but listening to "In the Ghetto" as a closing track I just couldn't get there.
George Jones
3/5
A very enjoyable country album. I think I'd be happy to return to this in the future, but I wouldn't ever seek it out. There's more diversity in the songs than I expected after the first half.
Depeche Mode
2/5
I found this album surprisingly annoying. The flat vocals and the goofy electronic music created a combination that was decidedly not for me.
Janet Jackson
2/5
Hoo boy is this album earnest. It sometimes feels more like an after school special than music. I appreciate the effort, ultimately. Not really for me, but I sort of love how dorky it is at a lot of moments.
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
Come On Eileen is still a lot of fun, but I found the majority of this album a bit annoying. Even the Van Morrison cover just made me wish that I was listening to Van Morrison. 2 stars feels harsh, but this just isn't for me.
Frank Zappa
2/5
It's interesting to come to this album with Frank Zappa's reputation so well established. The album art aligns with his reputation, which some of the music here wasn't quite so aggressive. I tended to enjoy the shorter tracks, which is a tic of mine, and whenever the music is more straightforward I'm more on board. Better than I was expecting, but still not my favorite. 2.5 stars is what I'd give it if I could.
Blue Cheer
1/5
Just too noisy / gruff for me. I don't like listening to this type of music. It did make me want to listen to other versions of Summertime Blues, though!
Orbital
1/5
Like a screensaver from a 1990s PC came to life and became a DJ. The repetition is too much for me.
Dagmar Krause
2/5
A truly strange inclusion on this list. It was fine, but so specific and not terribly dynamic. I only really know the cabaret style from Cabaret the musical, and this seemed like a good approximation of that, I guess?
Charles Mingus
2/5
The gulf between how much I wanted to like this and how much I actually liked this was very wide. It was too chaotic and noisy for me. There are some runs I really liked, but I just couldn't get into this. I feel like a disappointment for not liking it.
Pixies
4/5
This rips. So many good tracks. A couple of clunkers for me (when they're too noisy or a bit dull), but the accumulation of songs here is quite a feat.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3/5
A competent early rock album. Kicks is a pretty good single. Nothing in here felt revelatory, but I still enjoyed myself.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
This album rules. Probably my favorite of Springsteen's. The hits are his best ones to me, and the deep cuts all have merit. Good job, Mr. Springsteen.
The Who
3/5
The middle portion of this album is so great (Tattoo through I Can't Reach You), but so much of it is goofy. I wonder if I would react differently if the album cover wasn't what it was. Still an enthusiastic thumbs up, but not of my favorites from The Who.
Faith No More
1/5
The music can be pretty OK at times, but the style of singing is so goofy to me. I can't really get behind this type of thing. It also failed the headache test for me, which is the case with most metal albums.
Tom Waits
2/5
Once, I was delivering pizzas on a rainy summer night in Phoenix, Arizona, struggling to find the house numbers in the dark. 9th and Hennepin came on while I listened to this album and I was very scared. I like Waits when he sings songs, and I don't like him when he's spooky or weird. This one has incredible songs, but far too few of them. I don't think I'd have been as scared had Downtown Train or Blind Love come on when I couldn't find that house.
Bob Dylan
3/5
I have a theory that the crowd at the Newport Folk Festival reacted so negatively to Dylan's electric set just because Maggie's Farm sucks as a song. The electric songs here aren't my favorite from Dylan, and the acoustic ones are pretty great.
Jeru The Damaja
2/5
I like this more than a lot of 90s rap, but I still didn't get into it. The lack of musical hooks really holds me back from getting too into any of these tracks. Musically, Da Bichez was my favorite song, but the lyrics are pretty tough to enjoy.
Les Rythmes Digitales
2/5
This genre just isn't for me. I found a couple of tracks here more pleasant than what's on most other electronic albums, though. And it passed the headache test for me, which gives it a 2 star rather than a 1 star.
James Brown
4/5
I wanted to love this - I was so excited when I saw it. I only really liked it. Really fun, but nothing totally blew me away.
David Bowie
4/5
Good Bowie! Any rock album with saxophone or horns is right up my alley. I found a bunch of deep cuts on this that I liked a lot.
Sepultura
1/5
As far as metal goes, I think you can do worse than this. For me personally, I couldn't wait for this to be over. I did end up with a headache after listening to it, too.
Sade
3/5
Excellent easy listening. Had quite a good time with this album.
The Byrds
2/5
I mostly know The Byrds from Greatest Hits compilations, so I'm used to a bit of unevenness. This is a very uneven album, though. It almost feels like outtakes from other good albums, like material only for real big fans of The Byrds.
Dennis Wilson
4/5
I liked this far more than I've ever liked a Beach Boys album. This was good as hell. Soulful in the ways I like, with a good range of songs to make the album dynamic. Excellent stuff.
Queen
3/5
When Queen gets campy I find few bands more annoying. But when they're making regular old songs I'm quite into them. This one has a pretty good balance between songs and campy bullshit.
Anita Baker
3/5
The songs all sound great, but they also all sound pretty similar to one another.
Deep Purple
2/5
A bit too much emphasis on the "hard" part of hard rock. I didn't dislike this like other proto-metal albums, but it's just not for me.
Hot Chip
4/5
An excellent electronic album! It still annoys me a bit with the repetitive lyrics and overlong songs, but the music itself is pretty great. 4 stars might be too high, but because it's such a standout in the genre for me I feel like it's earned them.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
An all-time classic for a reason.
The Smiths
3/5
Perhaps my favorite Smiths album. I had a very good time with this, and it came close to 4 stars. The vocals are just a little too affected for me to really, really dig this.
Eels
4/5
Really great. Not a ton of range, but they're very good at what they do. Add this to the pantheon of albums I like whose album cover art I absolutely hate.
Talking Heads
4/5
Now this is my kind of Talking Heads album. It's the least spooky one I've heard, and thus my favorite. I think Psycho Killer is my least favorite track on here.
Neil Young
4/5
Prime Neil Young. I like the down-tempo songs more than the upbeat ones here (Southern Man doesn't really do it for me). I'd happily listen to this any time.
Coldplay
3/5
I was in high school when this came out, so the singles were everpresent. As an album I enjoyed myself! It's a bit hard to untangle the nostalgia from the real quality of this, but I ultimately think it's good!
2/5
I really want to be a PJ Harvey guy, but I'm just not a PJ Harvey guy. A couple of tracks stood out on this to me, but the combo of her vocals + the music just doesn't work for me. I'd do 2.5 stars if I could, but by sticking to my rounding down policy I feel like I'm betraying the music fan I wish I was.
William Orbit
1/5
I'm no fan of electronic music, and this is above average for that set. I almost got to 2 stars for this album, but then the end of the album drove me up a wall. Basically room tone noises with some bleeps and bloops then dialogue from a movie. Somebody should teach electronic musicians how to end songs / albums.
The Thrills
4/5
Loved this. Enjoyed its upbeat songs, but it also has good range. At times it can feel a bit slight compared to other albums on this list, but I hope to return to it in the future. And I'm also interested in checking out other Thrills albums.
Jeff Buckley
3/5
The notable songs on this hold up incredibly well. The deep cuts are sort of annoying to me, though.
Cyndi Lauper
4/5
Pretty incredible, particularly the run from Girls Just Wanna Have Fun > When You Were Mine > Time After Time. The quality drops a bit toward the end, but I strongly considered putting this in the 5 star clud.
The Sonics
3/5
I was quite skeptical of this, as it's quite old and sounds pretty rough at times. But a couple of the songs here kicked ass. It helps that I already like the R&B songs they're covering, but their versions were undeniable. "Have Love Will Travel" was the song where I was convinced, then I had a great time the rest of the way through.
CHIC
3/5
I love me some disco, but as a full album this one was just OK. The songs are too long, too repetitive or a mix of both. Good Times should be sent into space, but the rest of this is just fun, even if a bit verging on annoying.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
Incredible. Starts strong and finishes strong, and the middle is just really good. Considered a 4 star, but c'mon.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
2/5
It's not exactly bad, but it is very embarrassing. This is such a mid-90s album. Sampling from Pulp Fiction, talk rap, jokey without actual jokes. I would not ever want to have a conversation with somebody who was an unironic fan of the Fun Lovin' Criminals in April 2025.
Mercury Rev
3/5
A very nice album! A couple of real standout tracks (Goddess on a Hiway was my clear favorite) and a very enjoyable tone throughout. My first exposure to Mercury Rev and I enjoyed the experience.
The Velvet Underground
3/5
Probably my favorite Velvet Underground album. The run from Pale Blue Eyes > Jesus > Beginning to See the Light is excellent. The Murder Mystery is very annoying (and by far the longest song), dragging this down from 4 to 3.
Throbbing Gristle
1/5
This is an interesting inclusion on the list! I thought this was 1001 Albums with music on them and not whatever this fucking bullshit was. There are more unpleasant albums on this list, but I can't remember one that has less music on them.
Todd Rundgren
2/5
A pretty frustrating album. There are nice little moments throughout this, but many of the songs are too short to have a sustained period of enjoyable listening.
The White Stripes
3/5
Some really great tracks. At times this verges on annoying, though. When it locks in it's great to listen to, but more than a handful of songs never really get to that place.
Michael Jackson
2/5
Some very famous songs on here. Man in the Mirror is my favorite. Dropping a star because of what he did to them kids.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Zeppelin absolutely rules. But I think this one rules just a bit less than IV. A couple of songs here just don't do it for me, even if the ones that work are incredible.
Bobby Womack
3/5
An excellent soul album. Not a ton of range, but I'd gladly return any time.
The Clash
3/5
I really love Joe Strummer's voice. As far as punk albums go, this is as good as it gets for me. I like later Clash much more, but this is still pretty all right.
The Fall
2/5
I didn't find this as unpleasant as some other post-punk I've listened to, but I didn't connect with it at all. It was just sort of buzzy and too low tempo for me.
Madonna
2/5
The songs with guitar on them were better than the electronica ones. I could see people liking this album a lot, but it didn't really land with me.
1/5
You know, sometimes you see that an album is in a genre you dislike (in this case noise rock) and after listening you're pleasantly surprised. Other times, the album justifies why you dislike that genre.
In this case, it was the latter. Couldn't wait for this to end.
Violent Femmes
5/5
There are multiple tracks on here that I like about as much as I can like music. Not favorite songs exactly, but maximum enjoyment from music. There are a couple of clunkers mixed in, but the totality of this for me is pretty stunning. Not a no-skips masterpiece, but a masterpiece nonetheless.
Manu Chao
2/5
This album has very good vibes. An above average non-English album for me. Almost got to 3 stars, but it feels very same-y as it goes on. Not a ton of range.
Goldfrapp
2/5
It's not unpleasant. But it is quite boring!
Joni Mitchell
4/5
Great album! A bit too noodle-y at times to be a five star, but it lives up to its reputation as an all-timer.
Willie Nelson
3/5
A delightful album. Wonderful to listen to. No range at all. All of the covers sound roughly the same with the same tempo and everything else.
Ozomatli
3/5
This album was a lot of fun. I don't know how often I'll return to this on my own, but if I'm ever at a Mexican restaurant in the future and one of these comes on, I will spend the rest of the meal trying to place where I know the song from in a not unpleasant way.
Supergrass
3/5
I really enjoyed this! If this wasn't in a genre I already like so much (alternative rock) I'm not sure if I would be such a hard grader here. This could easily be a 4 star for me, but that feels a bit too easy. I'd happily listen to this any old time. I don't think, though, this would displace any of the dozens / hundreds of other alternative rock albums I'd listen to in its stead.
Bob Dylan
4/5
Not my favorite era of Dylan's, but this is still incredible. Tangled Up in Blue was slightly ruined for me because it's so hard to play on the drums on Rock Band 2.
Jazmine Sullivan
3/5
The quality of the music is very high. This all sounds great. It makes me feel old / stupid to say this, but the lyrics are so sexually explicit that I feel like it really limits the timelessness of the album.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
This music is great. Joins the Divorce Music Hall of Fame with Rumors.
Wu-Tang Clan
2/5
I just can't get into Wu-Tang. I think I like this better than some of the solo albums on this list, but I still don't really like it.
Julian Cope
3/5
I *almost* really like this. Every song has something that irks me, though. What's interesting is how each song is different in how it rubs me the wrong way. Sometimes it goes too long, sometimes it's too repetitive, sometimes the lyrics are dumb, sometimes the music is weird. There are moments within each of these songs that I enjoy, but then something new arrives that throws me off. Like a nice photo where there's something in the person's teeth.
Super Furry Animals
3/5
I don't know if it's the band's name or not, but this album reminded me of the word "fuzzy." It's pleasant with a couple of standouts. Most of the songs sort of ran together in my head, though.
Buck Owens
2/5
Some rock solid, vaguely annoying, old school honkey tonk country & western. Feels dated in the annoying way rather than the timeless way.
Public Image Ltd.
1/5
So I hated every song on this. There are worse albums out there, but boy are there better ones. If I never listen to another Public Image song in my life I'll feel OK about it.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
2/5
This seems like a very good example of a blues album. I just don't like the blues all that much.
Beth Orton
2/5
Good songs, almost no range. I wouldn't mind listening to this again, but I also didn't get much from the full album. Any song off this could capture what the whole album is about.
Norah Jones
3/5
A lovely album. Not enormous range, but everything is pleasant on its own terms. Would happily return to this any time.
Doves
4/5
If you like anthems, this baby is for you. I happen to really like anthems, so I was all about Lost Souls. A little bit Oasis, a little bit early Arcade Fire, a little bit ready to listen to this one again in the future.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
Solid album. A bit too downtempo and ultimately monotonous across the full album, but still a good listen. The title track was my standout here.
Gil Scott-Heron
3/5
Great jazz album (meaning a great entry in a genre I'm only lukewarm on). The end sort of drags after a very strong start.
Bauhaus
1/5
I think the style of vocals here is annoying / stupid. I also think that the music itself verges on annoying. This also failed the headache test for me, meaning that I got one by the conclusion of the album. Didn't care for it.
Prince
4/5
Prince is at the peak of his powers on this one. Let's Go Crazy is my favorite Prince song, and Purple Rain might be his overall best song. Came close to 5, but a couple of the songs on this are pretty skippable to me.
Tina Turner
3/5
Incredible vocal performance. The songs themselves don't always do it for me, though. Sounds incredible, but I don't connect with the songs on this like I do on 4 or 5 star albums.
The Young Rascals
2/5
A Girl Like You and Groovin' are nice songs that still feel relevant. The rest of this feels very much like the mid 60s early rock album that it is. A bit dusty, but not without its pleasures.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
2/5
It's pleasant enough to listen to, but it feels very repetitive (made worse by it being in non-English). If I was Pakistani, I think I'd be a big fan of this.
k.d. lang
3/5
A very pleasant, easy-to-listen-to album. Miss Chatelaine was the clear standout for me. I don't think I'll be returning to this, but I still enjoyed what I heard.
Alanis Morissette
4/5
The type of album where I like the deep cuts more than the singles in a lot of cases. That could be because the singles have reached cultural ubiquity, though. A really impressive album. Probably on my list of the best albums of the 90s. Not a 5-star because some of the more ubiquitous songs verge on annoying.
4/5
The first three songs are just an incredible way to open the album. There is a pretty steep drop off after that. So it's a 5-star start and a 3-star remainder, which is ultimately still a very good album.
Van Morrison
4/5
Great vibes. Wish these songs had choruses. I'm a bit Van Morrison head (despite his shitty politics). This one isn't my favorite of his, but it is still incredible.
Eurythmics
2/5
This makes me want to re-watch Halt & Catch Fire (whose original trailer featured the title track). This album does not, though, make me want to listen to it again. Lots of bleeps and bloops and twinkles and breathy singing. Just not into it.
Orbital
1/5
Electronic music has a low ceiling for me. This has brief moments of good music surrounded by a bunch of annoying crap. And as an album is it LONG. On the border of 1 and 2 stars, dropping to 1 because of the stupid title.
The Dandy Warhols
3/5
I enjoyed this, even the songs that overstayed their welcome a bit. It's a bit too buzz-y for me to get really into it, but I had a good time.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
A lovely album. Happy to return to it any time. Doesn't have a huge amount of range, but what it does it basically does as well as it's ever been done.
Hawkwind
1/5
This is the type of overlong jamband bullshit that I don't enjoy as a general rule. There are good runs throughout certain songs, but there's rarely if ever a single track I enjoy start to finish. What drags this one down is its interminable double-album runtime. Talk about overstaying your welcome.
Gang Starr
3/5
Good vibes, good tracks, enjoyable verses, but a bit lacking in hooks. I enjoyed this more than a lot of other early hip hop.
LL Cool J
2/5
I like the beats and the hooks here, but it all just sounds too dated. LL Cool J is also now so famous for non-music things that this feels strange to return to (like with Queen Latifah's music). There also isn't a single track that I'd be excited to return to here. 2 stars feels a bit harsh, but I'm rounding down.
Simple Minds
3/5
A very good entry from a genre I'm not a huge fan of ("new pop" according to Wikipedia). Glittering Prize was my top track. Bonus points for the most "Graphic design is my passion" album cover I've seen.
Cypress Hill
3/5
At the moment in my 1001 journey this might be my favorite early 90s hip hop album. I've had a run of them this week, and this was the clear winner (over LL Cool J and Gang Starr). Gang Starr was a soft 3 star, and this is a strong 3 star. They've got good flow, even if it starts to sound a bit affected over the course of a full album.
Fishbone
3/5
Quite an eclectic album with all sorts of range. It almost feels chaotic it's so diverse. There are some very quality songs on here. And the style of vocals won me over eventually, even if it felt a bit cheesy / dated at the outset. Ultimately, a very impressive album.
Cat Stevens
5/5
I am a simp for Yusuf. Can't get enough of him. This very well might be his best album, and it's in my short-list of all time favorites.
SZA
3/5
Really good! There isn't a ton of range, and I also wish there were more hooks throughout. Wouldn't mind if SZA came on the playlist in the future.
The Incredible String Band
1/5
It's not as bad as a metal album, but it's fucking close. This is some annoying, wack ass shit. Take that sitar and go back into the woods, man.
Einstürzende Neubauten
1/5
I knew this would be a 1-star about 4 seconds into listening. I'm happy for the people that are into this sort of thing that this exists. Maybe it's a good noise album? I am not qualified to judge.
The real testament for me on this is that I listened to it to the end. Even if I found the experience deeply unpleasant, I let all of this pass into my brain for a time. For that, I consider myself a hero.
The Residents
1/5
It's just too weird. Every song is eerie and unpleasant. This album, although short, was a real test of my endurance. I didn't find anything to like here.
Joe Ely
3/5
A rock solid country album where his singing isn't too twangy. Had a good time with this.
Roxy Music
2/5
I appreciated this album without enjoying it all that much. The music wasn't very accessible for me. Grey Lagoons was the clear standout track for me - outside of that this was all impressive but just not for me.
Coldplay
3/5
Very pleasant, nostalgic album for me. As much as I enjoyed it, it has very little range. Listen to just a couple of the songs here and you basically get the full album feeling.
The Beach Boys
2/5
This album was surprising for me - I was used to being annoyed with the Beach Boys for different reasons than this one annoyed me. Long Promised Road and Disney Girls were quite enjoyable, so 4 songs in I thought I might be a big fan of this. The quality really dropped off after that, though. I just couldn't get into this. I was particularly surprised by how not into their protest song I was (Student Demonstration Time). That felt like the biggest strange departure from my expectations.
Franz Ferdinand
3/5
Quite enjoyable, very little range. Take Me Out is the most famous song here, and if you listen to that you sort of get this album's whole deal.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
2/5
A hall of fame entry in the "influential but not actually good" cannon to me. There wasn't a song in here that I connected with, but I'm glad that so many musicians had this as inspiration. Thanks for your work, will likely skip it if it comes on a mix in the future.
The Clash
5/5
Perhaps one of the best albums ever. So diverse musically. Tons of bangers. The title track might be my least favorite song on this, and it's still pretty good!
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
The music on this is right up my alley. Loved the sound, including the horns and everything else. The vocals often just sound sort of stupid, though. I wish he sang with a bit less affectation. If the vocals were a bit more straightforward I would have loved this.
R.E.M.
4/5
I’m not the biggest REM guy, but this album is very good. Everybody Hurts rules (both in genuine and sarcastic use cases throughout life), and the final three songs close so strong.
Iggy Pop
2/5
Too noisy and industrial for me. China Girl, the clear standout song, simply served to remind me of how much better Bowie's version of it is.
Fever Ray
2/5
Spooky singing plus electronic music is not a winning combo for me. I don't hate this, but I was very happy for it to end.
The Flaming Lips
4/5
When this album is hittin' it's really great. I've long been a fan of this album, and approaching it with fresh eyes I think it holds up very well. A couple of songs are duds, though, and there are a bit too many bleeps and bloops to make this a 5-star (even if the bleeps and bloops make sense with the concept of the album).
Tom Waits
3/5
I love when Tom Waits sings, and I'm ambivalent or negative about when he growls his songs. This album tends toward the singing end of the spectrum, which is good. The choruses (outside of Jersey Girl) are a bit underwhelming, though. I'd give 3.5 if I could, but I'm sticking to my round-down policy.
N.W.A.
3/5
I really like Easy E and Ice Cube's rapping, and I like the beats throughout this. A few of the songs also have strong hooks. As far as early rap, this is toward the top of my list.
Patti Smith
2/5
I’m not a fan of her singing style. The songs on this also tend to be way too long and downbeat for me.
The Cult
2/5
My uncle might listen to this while fixing up his car or something, and I wouldn't mind it being on in the background. But I don't really know how to work on cars.
Tricky
2/5
The downtempo songs are too sleepy, and the uptempo songs are just a bit unpleasant for me. Didn't connect with this one.
The Adverts
2/5
This was toward the top of the punk rock spectrum for me. I liked being able to understand the lyrics, and I liked that this rates relatively high on musicality.
Punk rock just isn't really for me, ultimately, so I still wasn't a big fan of this.
LTJ Bukem
2/5
It's fine as background music, but there wasn't anything in here that I actively liked. It didn't feel distinctive to me in any way. As an example, the autoplay kept going after disc 1 ended, and I didn't realize for a while. More pleasant than many electronic albums, though!
The Charlatans
2/5
It sounds like minor Oasis. I like Oasis a lot, so that isn't necessarily a bad thing. But why listen to the Charlatans at all in that case? (I know the perception about Oasis and the Beatles, so you can also choose to extend this same question one level up if you'd like.)
Röyksopp
3/5
One of the better electronic albums on this list. It still suffers from some things in the genre that annoy me (stupid lyrics, overlong/repetitive songs), but this is far more pleasant than many of its genre mates.
50 Cent
3/5
This came out when I was in high school, so it's the style of hip hop I'm most used to. I liked this a good deal, but there are plenty of misses on this album. If this was shorter I think it'd be much stronger. If it was just the highlights from this album is could be a 4-star.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
2/5
I don't really like prog rock, and this is the prog-rockiest of them all. Some good runs in here, particularly the title track, but it doesn't do it for me.
Pink Floyd
1/5
This psychedelic bullshit sucks. Not to be a hater, but I hated this. I am quite glad that Pink Floyd evolved in a different direction from this album. By the time I got to Bike I was almost angry at this.
Ray Charles
4/5
A delight. Great singing, great music. Happy to return to this any time.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
I wish these songs had choruses. They're very nice, but I barely remember them as they go by because it's just a stream of lyrics. I'm something of a song idiot, and I need a hook.
It's a lot like Astral Weeks. Enjoyed myself, but the absence of the traditional song structure is a challenge for me.
Super Furry Animals
3/5
Some great tunes on this. It starts strong and I like the final song, but in the middle there's a real lull where I didn't like the sound all that much. Just a bit too dissonant / fuzzy / detached for me.
Rocket From The Crypt
3/5
Based on the name of this band and the name of this album, I thought I would hate this. Instead, I found it a surprise delight. A handful of tracks I'd happily return to, and an album (whose cover I hate) that I wouldn't mind playing again, either.
It's like if early Green Day and Elvis Costello collaborated on an album or something. I'd give it 3.5, and it honestly feels bad to round this one down.
Roxy Music
2/5
Listening to Roxy Music feels the same as listening to the xx. These are people who are too cool for me and would roll their eyes if I was sat next to them at a fancy restaurant
Arcade Fire
4/5
Grew up in the suburbs, bought this album on CD at Best Buy the week it came out, helping propel it to #1. I am the target audience for this album. Love it. It's probably too long with a couple of clunker tracks - with more editing I think it'd be a 5-star.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
Better than Born in the USA, not as good as Born to Run. Pretty damn good.
Heaven 17
1/5
The synth on this isn't as immediately annoying as some other electronic music, but by the end of this album I was going crazy. It's both annoying and stupid, and the songs feel like they go on forever. And the synth ended up giving me a headache by the end of this.
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
When this is good, it's really good. There's not a ton of range, though, and there's ultimately a bit too much wailing on some of the songs (even songs that I end up liking overall).
Kelela
3/5
Good! Sometimes a bit too electronic for me, but I generally was on board. I wish some of the songs were a bit shorter, as they lost their impact with too much repetition.
Machito
3/5
A fully delightful jazz album. No single track reached out and grabbed me, but I would very happily return to this. Almost made it to 4 stars, but couldn't get all the way there.
Tim Buckley
2/5
This album has almost no juice.
Didn't hate listening to it, but I almost forgot music was even playing while it was on.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
I really haven't connected with Joni Mitchell during this project, which is surprising. I thought I'd be super into her.
The albums just feel noodle-y and aimless. They're very pleasant to listen to, but not songs that resonate with me in a serious way. This almost slipped down to 2 stars for me, but something is keeping it at 3 for me.
The Jam
3/5
Feels like The Clash with a much narrower range (from their straightforward rock sensibilities). Quite enjoyed myself with this one, even the accented singing. Four feels a bit too high, three feels a bit too low. Sticking with my round-down policy, even if this is harsh.
Black Sabbath
4/5
Black Sabbath rules. It's a bummer to me that this is how heavy metal started compared to how it evolved, as I like this a good deal and can't really stand metal in general.
I wish the long compound tracks were individual songs, which is a common pet peeve of mine.
Morrissey
3/5
Some good tunes on this! It sometimes gets to be a little whiny, though.
Screaming Trees
3/5
A very worthwhile entry into 90s rock that I don't believe I'd ever encountered before. At the outset this was trending toward a 4-star, but I wasn't crazy about how the album closed.
Wilco
4/5
The first half of this was a no-skips masterpiece, but it turns out that they just shifted a bunch of the skips toward the end. I think with some editing this could be a 5-star album. As is, it's still amazing. Hope to return to it often.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
2/5
Sounds nice. Didn't mind it. It's political to the point of being didactic. Its points aren't wrong, they just don't make for the most compelling listen. More of an after-school special than a truly rewarding album.
The Isley Brothers
3/5
Super fun album. The original stuff is generally quite good. Of the covers, some work better than others.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
2/5
Sometimes the music is nice, sometimes it's annoying. The lyrics and singing are almost always annoying (especially the dude).
Cowboy Junkies
3/5
Each individual song on this was precious and wonderful. As an album, the collection became monotonous quite quickly. I just wish there was range here.
Tom Waits
2/5
I love Tom Waits, but that love is conditional. When he is in "weird freak" mode the love fades completely. While there are a couple of nice tracks here, this album is too weird freak heavy for me.
Beastie Boys
3/5
I'm more of a Style Boyz guy over the Beastie Boys. That being said, this was a strong Beastie Boys album. I was pleasantly surprised by the numerous instrumental tracks, which were quite good.
The Verve
2/5
I really like this type of music, but I struggled with this album a bit. It felt both sleepy and indulgent. Almost all of the songs felt too long and a bit repetitive. It feels harsh to give this 2 stars, but there are so many other entries in this genre that feel more worthwhile to me.
Soft Machine
2/5
There are moments of really cool stuff on this, but the full effect was not great for me. If I had thought of this as a jazz album first I may have liked it a lot more. I thought of it as a rock album first, though, so I found this quite frustrating and even annoying at times.
Travis
4/5
It feels a bit like Oasis and a bit like Radiohead, both bands that I like a good deal. It's also its own thing that I liked. So I enjoyed this!
Morrissey
3/5
Throughout this project I've enjoyed Morrissey more than I thought I would. This was another surprisingly enjoyable album from him. Considered a 4 star, but dropped one because the song titles are often stupid and his voice is a bit too affected for my ultimately preferences.
Soft Cell
2/5
I appreciate music with a sense of humor about itself, but I feel like this album verges on self-parody in a lot of moments. I'm also not a huge fan of Tainted Love, which is the clear standout track on this.
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
An almost overwhelmingly good album. Even for a double album this feels particularly cram-jam with good music. The singles are all great and stand the test of time. I think it has a strong case for best album of the 90s. There's a good number of songs on this that I'm not crazy about, but this is overall an incredible achievement.
Rufus Wainwright
5/5
I absolutely LOVED this. I've long been aware of Rufus Wainwright and thought he was fine. This album, though, had a bunch of uptempo songs with big sound and they worked incredibly well for me. There are a handful that are more what I'm used to from him that are fine, but the 5-6 peppier songs on this really made the entire thing sing for me.
The KLF
3/5
One of my favorite electronic albums as part of this project. I'm not over the moon for it or anything, but if it came on randomly I wouldn't mind it. Justified and Ancient was my favorite track.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
One of the grungier Neil Young & Crazy Horse albums, which is a genre I'm not over the moon about. It still has plenty of good moments, even if it has a number of overlong songs that outstay their welcome.
Dr. John
2/5
This one has a bit too much of that Dr. John hip tang for my tastes.
Gorillaz
2/5
I was quite disappointed by this. The singles didn't hold up very well, and the non-singles were a bit annoying or even dour at times. It's also a classic CD-era album that is overstuffed just to max out the full length of the CD. This could have used a lot of editing.
Finley Quaye
3/5
Some great stuff on here. Also some annoying stuff on here. My first introduction to Finley Quaye, and I look forward to hearing some of these songs in the future.
Muddy Waters
4/5
This album goes hard. The title is earned, and I would happily return to it.
Air
3/5
I enjoyed the songs with no vocals a lot more than the ones with vocals. This was quite pleasant, although at times it did feel like listening to the background music on a video game. In small doses this was excellent, as a full album it wasn't quite as a effective.
Rush
3/5
My old drum line teacher (like most everybody's old drum line teacher) loved Rush. There's plenty of stuff to like on here (Limelight is my favorite), but it's still pretty goofy. The lyrics and singing are both just pretty dorky.
Suzanne Vega
2/5
It's a nice album. It has very little range, though, and the choruses are not my preferred style. For something I'd classify as "noodle-y" in the style of Joni Mitchell I wanted the songs to be more memorable.
Def Leppard
3/5
Far more enjoyable than I expected. Photograph was the clear standout to me on this, but there was still a lot to like on the other songs. This type of music isn't exactly my cup of tea, but I think it's a worthy entry from the world of butt rock.
Scissor Sisters
3/5
A lot of fun. A bit too dance-y for me to really get into it, but I'd get some Scissor Sisters on any time.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
The hits hold up great (Brown Sugar, Wild Horses), and this ends incredibly well (Dead Flowers, Moonlight Mile). In the middle is good but not great. Would be a 4.5, but I'm going to stick to my round down policy.
Queens of the Stone Age
3/5
A rockin' good time. It's sort of the same rockin' good time, throughout, though, and I tend to like more range.
Haircut 100
3/5
Love the saxophone and horns - always a very welcome thing for me on a pop album. I wanted the choruses to be more memorable, though.
Pere Ubu
2/5
I think the singing is pretty atonal and annoying, and the songs without lyrics also grate, verging on a noise-y sound. There are some tiny glimmers of good stuff in here, but if it came on a mix I would be bummed.
Fleetwood Mac
4/5
This is excellent. Love Fleetwood Mac. I don't think it rises all the way to the level of Rumors, and it does feel a bit overstuffed. Would happily return to this any time.
George Michael
3/5
Some real bangers on this, but the overall affect is a bit too consistently downtempo for me.
Echo And The Bunnymen
2/5
The type of album I feel very uncool for not liking. The singing is too atonal, and the structure of the songs is unsatisfying to me. I'd like to be into Echo & The Bunnymen, but I'm not.
Talk Talk
3/5
Something of a slow burn. When the songs find the right groove I'm very into them. But a few felt like straight-up duds. It's a very deliberate album, which I appreciate.
King Crimson
1/5
There are a few nice moments throughout this. But it is very much not my scene. Sort of noodle-y and annoying on a song-by-song basis, that adds up to a full album I really hated listening to.
Elvis Costello
4/5
Had a great time. I like Elvis Costello a lot, and this album made me want to listen to him more than I actually do. Lots of great, soulful songs on this.
Slayer
1/5
On the plus side, this is only 28 minutes. On the negative side, most everything else.
Kacey Musgraves
4/5
A delight! Came close to 5, but didn't get all the way there (not enough range). Hope to return to this many times in the future.
Adam & The Ants
3/5
A solid new age album with a few enjoyable tracks. For me, the singing / approach feels a bit too arch throughout, which diminishes its appeal.
Great vibes on this! From the band that made Ooh La La, that's no surprise. The last track on this is quite annoying, but otherwise this album was a whole lot of fun. I'd be excited to return to it in the future.
Nitin Sawhney
2/5
An impressive album. I think it places being impressive over being enjoyable, though. It's a very cool concept and execution, but it wore out its welcome for me. I am very glad I've listened to it, but I would be slightly bummed if I had to listen to it again.
Ali Farka Touré
2/5
A very pleasant listen, but also somewhat of a nondescript listen. The songs really ran together for me, which is a common problem for me with non-English songs. I didn't connect with this one, but that very well might be because I am a dumbass.
Ray Price
2/5
A nice but forgettable honky tonk album. Wouldn't mind listening again, but none of these songs stuck in my head even a little bit.
Paul Simon
4/5
I absolutely love this album. Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes is an all-time song for me. There are a handful of skippable songs, though, so this isn't all the way to a 5-star album for me.
Mike Oldfield
3/5
I'm very much not a fan of the super-long song with multiple different movements, and this album is just two of those. There are lots of great moments on this, but there are also some stupid moments (like the growling or whatever that was on part II).
Surprisingly enjoyable, ultimately!
Herbie Hancock
3/5
Now I finally get that joke from Tommy Boy.
Starts way stronger than it ends. The opening two tracks are so much fun. I do wish they were shorter, though, so I'd be more inclined to return to them in the future.
Dinosaur Jr.
3/5
A lot to like, but too noisy / buzzy for me to really love it.
Ash
3/5
A below average entry from a genre I'm typically a fan of. A few songs stood out on this to me, but the overall experience wasn't super memorable in any way.
Randy Newman
4/5
I need to listen to more Randy Newman. This is exactly my type of shit. The album feels the slightest bit sleepy, so not all the way to 5 stars. But I am a huge fan of this.
Talking Heads
3/5
A solid, enjoyable Talking Heads album where they aren't in spooky mode too much at all. The only song on this that really grabs, me, though is The Big Country.
Tortoise
3/5
A very cool instrumental album. No single track stood out, but the overall effect was quite impressive.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
3/5
An enjoyable rock / pop album from the 80s. Less annoying than many from that genre. Forest Fire was the clear standout song for me.
Sonic Youth
2/5
Velvet Underground for the 90s. Can't deny the influence and "coolness" of this, but I would personally be bummed if any of this showed up on a playlist. Just not into the experience of listening to it.
SAULT
3/5
Really great vibes (even with some heavy subject matter). Not a huge amount of range, but super effective at what it does.
LCD Soundsystem
3/5
The rare album where I was really into a number of the longer songs. That's not true for all of them, though (black screen was something of a dud as the closer). There are a handful of songs I'll hopefully return to often from this, even if the full album doesn't hit quite as hard as I thought it might have midway through the album.
Spiritualized
3/5
This was a huge surprise. It really grew on me over the course of the album. Feels like a sleepy, very early version of alt-J. I think it'd be rewarding on a re-listen, but I'm not sure if I'll ever actually do that.
The Damned
2/5
Not bad! No single track grabbed me, though. I ultimately don't plan to return to anything on this. Compared to other entries in this genre it felt a bit nondescript to me.
The Stranglers
2/5
The music is simplistic and the vocals are gruff / annoying. At least the dude on the cover looks like a very young Jemaine Clement!
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
It feels like this was recorded underwater in a swimming pool. Despite that there are still some good moments - sometimes is a particularly strong track.
Big Black
1/5
More accessible than some other punk I've had on this list, but still a distinctly unpleasant experience for me.
Shuggie Otis
3/5
A lovely album. It has a very narrow range, but it is excellent at what it does.
Alice Cooper
3/5
A very surprising album (in a good way). As a native Phoenician I know Cooper from the titular song here and the restaurant he used to own next to the Diamondbacks' stadium. I thought based on that song this would be annoying, bad butt rock. But it was a lot closer to the theatricality of Meatloaf, which is way more my speed. This came shockingly close to 4 stars for me.
Black Flag
2/5
I feel like the guys from Jackass really like this, and I like them a lot. The transitive property only extends so far, though. I found this less objectionable than I expected to, but I still didn't actually like it.
Spiritualized
3/5
Perhaps the most I've enjoyed a space rock album. Almost got to 4 stars, but too many of the songs overstay their welcome. That also means the runtime of this album is a bit unwieldy.
Neil Young
3/5
An above average Neil Young album. I don't think I'll return to it often, but I enjoyed myself.
Taylor Swift
4/5
This is very "white man in his 30s" of me, but I am really into this album because of the Ryan Adams cover version. I know basically all of the lyrics. On its own merits, this is still very good. Shake It Off is one of my favorite songs of the 2010s.
Aerosmith
2/5
Does it rock? Yes. Is it stupid? Also yes. I could feel my IQ going down as I listened. Would be a 2.5 star, but I'm sticking to my round-down policy.
And as I learned from the Doughboys Podcast, "Love in an Elevator" is about eatin' pussy!
Scott Walker
3/5
It sort of feels like listening to an album of Christmas carols. Old fashioned, but quite enjoyable.
The Libertines
3/5
An enjoyable entry from a very narrow genre (2000s indie rock where the singer has a notable British accent). I didn't like this as much as I enjoy the Arctic Monkeys, but I did like it!
Small Faces
2/5
A few songs on here are real gems. Almost wall-of-sound like. There are a ton of real duds, though.
Bert Jansch
2/5
A little sleepy for me, dog.
Frank Sinatra
2/5
It's nice enough, but there is no range. This is less an album and more just different versions of a 3-minute song that sounds the same as the rest. I know they all have different lyrics and shit, but listening to each other evokes the same exact emotions.
3/5
An enjoyable but not all the memorable dose of 90s indie rock.
Hanoi Rocks
3/5
I liked this a whole lot more than I thought I would. My favorite was Malibu Beach Nightmare (I'm a sucker for saxophone). And there were some other great tracks, too. It's a bit dated, but far more alive and exciting than I expected.
Public Enemy
2/5
Started out strong but really wore out its welcome by the end. Toward the high end of 90s era rap for me - closer to 2.5 than 2.
Bonnie Raitt
3/5
Rock that's so soft it's smooth. Still had a good time.
Syd Barrett
1/5
This, combined with The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, makes me quite grateful that Barrett left Pink Floyd. I don't like his shit at all. 1.5 stars is more accurate than 1, as it didn't give me a headache. But I'm rounding down.
X-Ray Spex
3/5
A version of punk rock that's early enough it still feels like rock to me (and not punk). The liked the vocals OK, and the music OK, and really got into a couple of tracks. Anytime saxophone pops up on a rock record it's hard for me to be too upset.
Kraftwerk
2/5
It sounds like you'd expect a Kraftwerk album to sound. I think I liked this one better than the other one I listened to, but I can't really say I liked it. Less unpleasant than I'd feared, ultimately!
Scritti Politti
2/5
Pleasant and enjoyable, but quite dated and not all that memorable.
Radiohead
4/5
This album is something of a slow build, but once it gets going it's really great. It's historically been my favorite of the Radiohead albums, but I'm not sure if that's still the case. I still really enjoy it, though.
Culture Club
4/5
Fun, joyous, soulful. Came shockingly close to 5 stars for me. Karma Chameleon is undeniable, but so is the rest of the album. A real gem of an 80s album.
The Modern Lovers
2/5
Quite reminiscent of The Velvet Underground for me. I would listen to this instead of The Velvet Underground (as I'm not the biggest fan of theirs), but I would listen to plenty of other stuff instead of this. I'd go 2.5, but I'm sticking to my round down policy.
Sonic Youth
2/5
Another album I'm not cool enough for. I want to like this, but it's too noisy for me. I would be bummed if I had to listen to it again, ultimately.
Calexico
4/5
A very cool album. Lots to get excited about, including some good instrumentals. I liked a lot of the non-standard instrumentation, too. I could see myself becoming a Calexico guy - very into this album.
Brian Eno
2/5
I wanted to like this, but I sort of didn't. The lyrics / vocals often sound a bit stupid. And there are too few high moments that sound really great. It's a 2.5 star album for me. Rounding down even if that feels harsh.
Todd Rundgren
3/5
With some editing this would be a 5 star. Incredibly high highs, but so overstuffed with other crap. I wish this was less indulgent, as it could be an all-timer.
Elis Regina
3/5
Very enjoyable bossa nova (with good range). I don't think I'll return to this, but I wouldn't mind a relisten.
Q-Tip
3/5
Started strong, but the charm wore off a bit by the end of the album. Still enjoyed it.
Common
3/5
Less corny than some other Common stuff I've heard. A few really strong tracks on this.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
3/5
So much fun. It's quite dated, and the major song from this (The Message) does mostly just make me want to listen to contemporary covers of it.
Brian Eno
3/5
Cindy Tells Me, On Some Faraway Beach, and the title track on this album are all excellent. Outside of that, though, this is like the most annoying version of a Bowie album. High highs, but too annoying for me to be an enormous fan.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
I like early Stones more than early Beatles. This is totally fine, if a bit braindead at times.
The Police
3/5
I enjoy some white boy reggae. I liked this more this time around than when I listened in the past. It still didn't fully blow me away. I'd do 3.5 if there were half stars, but sticking to my round-down policy.
Lana Del Rey
4/5
Not a ton of range, but boy do I enjoy this. I think on a repeat listen I could get super duper into this.
T. Rex
4/5
This absolutely KICKED ASS. 4.5 stars, but rounding down. Hope to return to it often. Great rock album.
Justin Timberlake
3/5
Solid R&B album with lots of nostalgia. Still holds up, though. It suffers from a common CD-era problem: overstuffed runtime to get as much on the disc as possible. With some editing this would be better. A soft 3-star.
Mudhoney
2/5
Solidly in the "influential rather than enjoyable" bucket for me. On the high end of that spectrum, but still not a lot here that got me excited to return to it.
The Beta Band
3/5
A very charming, quirky album. I thought I'd tire of it as the album went along. I actually liked it more as it got toward the end. Came very close to a 4 star rating for me.
Koffi Olomide
3/5
A very strong entry in the non-English set of albums from this project. This album is bursting with life, very fun to listen to. The songs are too long for my taste, and the non-English lyrics do limit my ability to fully connect with anything here.
Rahul Dev Burman
2/5
Good soundtrack! Almost makes me want to watch the movie. Liked the instrumentals a good amount. At times the vocals are a bit annoying.
Belle & Sebastian
4/5
This album starts off incredibly strong. The back half is still good, even if not at the same level as the opening 4 tracks. I actively disliked Electronic Renaissance, otherwise I'd happily return to any of these songs.
The Waterboys
5/5
Can't believe I've never heard The Waterboys before, as this is exactly my shit. This album starts off incredibly strong, then sort of tapers off. But the start is SO strong that I'm violating my round-down policy and pushing this up from 4.5 stars, which is close to accurate.
Public Image Ltd.
1/5
Started annoying, stayed annoying in the middle, finished annoying. Couldn't wait for it to be over.
Nina Simone
4/5
Emotional, soulful, soaring, elegiac. A beautiful album.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
I like this considerably more than the other Pet Shop Boys album I've listened to in this project (Actually). That one was a low 3 star, and this is a very high 3 star. Had a great time here, even if it isn't a major genre for me personally.
Girls Against Boys
2/5
This genre isn't for me. A bit too buzzy / noisy for me to appreciate properly. I can see why plenty of people would be into it, though!
Death In Vegas
2/5
A pretty good electronic album! I actually considered going up to 3 stars after Aladdin's Story (my favorite track). It didn't get all the way to 3 stars, as the last couple of songs were pretty annoying.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Beautiful, soaring, personal. Also too long and a bit sleep for me, dog.
XTC
3/5
Sounds good. It is also pretty fucking goofy.
Sex Pistols
3/5
This album rocks. It rocks sort of the same way throughout, which limits its appeal for me a bit. I'd give 3.5 if I could.
Tears For Fears
3/5
Impressive. Too synthy for me to get super into it.
Doves
4/5
This is music that aligns with my internal tempo as a person. It just feels right to me. Starting with There Goes the Fear, I found the songs here connected with me, even if none of them really felt like all-time classics during a first listen. I hope to return to this, though, and find the all-time classics that are likely here.
Peter Gabriel
4/5
A contender for best album of the 80s, even if there are a couple of duds toward the end of this.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
2/5
An electronic album toward the higher end of the electronic spectrum. For me, that means there are some nice moments in each track that ultimately wear out their welcome with repetition. This is also less annoying than many other electronic albums, although it has plenty of moments of being annoying.
Basement Jaxx
2/5
Better than some electronic albums because of the R&B or jazz samples. It's still an electronic album, though.
Jacques Brel
3/5
Tres French, tres stars!
Johnny Cash
4/5
Has a solid case for the best album of (mostly) covers of all time. The title track is excellent, too.
Love
2/5
Dated, sort of goofy, such a clear distillation of 60s rock that it almost feels like a parody of itself (including the way-too-long last track)
Marty Robbins
3/5
Pretty good cowboy bullshit songs! Limited upside for me, but these are the types of tunes I never mind when they turn up in a movie or something.
Bill Callahan
3/5
Loved the music, was only so-so on the monotonous vocals. The type of album that's right in my wheelhouse and that I might appreciate a lot more on a return visit. On a first listen it was a little bit sleepy. I'd go 3.5 if I could.
The Go-Go's
4/5
Kicks ass. Bunch of great tracks.
Fugazi
2/5
Sure, this rocks. But is it any good? Not really. Too noisy for my taste. Rounding down from 2.5