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.

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!

I didn't know those "No parents allowed" signs that angsty pre-teens put on their bedroom doors could record albums. Pretty cool!

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.

A classic that holds up, but not something that I'll return to often. Good, but not in my wheelhouse for re-listenability.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

It was fine. Nothing stuck with me, don't need to return to this.

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.

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.

This was nice. Nothing really reached out and grabbed me, but I'd happily listen to this again.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I could put this on and have a good cry any old day of the week. Really hits the mark for modern era ballads.

Pretty good! The breakout song (There She Goes) is really good. And the vibes throughout are nice.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The epitome of slow jams. Sounds great throughout. A bit repetitive at times, but very easy to vibe to.

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.

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.)

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Really incredible album. Banger after banger. It's rated as a pantheon-level album for a reason. Doesn't disappoint its sky-high expectations.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Very enjoyable, but not the most dynamic. A lot of the songs sound quite similar. Good music, not the best album.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

The Passenger alone gets this to three stars. The rest is good, not great.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Sounded fine! Nothing really connected with me. I didn't mind it at all, but I don't plan to return to it ever.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

A thoroughly enjoyable album. No single song really pierced my soul or anything, but this felt of a time without feeling dated or campy.

An incredibly diverse album with an insane amount of standouts. Docking a star because of the libertarian anthem that kicks this bad boy off.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

Beautiful album. Haunting and sometimes strange, but always a treat to listen to.

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.

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!

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.

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.

I wanted to like this, but I just didn't. It rates too low on musicality for me to really get into it.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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!

Had a great time listening to this. It doesn't have a huge range or a standout aside from the title song, though.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. The type of white boy soul / pop that connects with my white boy soul / pop preferences.

Some real bangers on this. Also a couple of clunkers. (I know Coconut is famous and all, but it's pretty stupid.)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I didn't know those "No parents allowed" signs that angsty pre-teens put on their bedroom doors could record albums. Pretty cool!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I'm very glad that this exists. It didn't connect with me personally, but I can recognize how influential it is.

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.

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.

A pleasurable, listenable dose of 80s pop. I dug it!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

This is like a more accessible, friendlier Velvet Underground & Nico (in French). I like it! The album name is revolting, though.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Enjoyable, of course. But early Beatles just feel a bit slight to me.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This was FUN. I had a great time. Sure, it's goofy as hell, but I was boppin' around listening to this.

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.

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.