It's funny for this album to pop up now; I was thinking a couple days ago about how I have literally never listened to Prince and was curious what makes him such a popular artist. I've always assumed it had more to do with his persona and showmanship than his actual music. While I knew he was considered a good guitar player, I was not expecting virtuoso-esque licks in his songs. Regardless, I am definitely still not vibing with it. I have never been a fan of 80's synth/pop, and this is pretty much fits the bill. Weird to me that Foo Fighters covered a prince song. Not really a fan of either, just interesting. I do not understand how Purple Rain is a popular song. I want to give this a 2 star rating because of my own personal tastes, but this leads me to the thought of how my rating system is going to operate across these albums..... I have to also consider cultural significance and , so I'll probably give it a 3 instead.

I feel like everyone knows about Funkadelic but only a rare handful of audiophiles have listened to their entire catalog. I learned today that they made 15 albums across 14 years; I imagine that is as dense as one can get in terms of making music. I've always carried an affinity for jazz but for some reason whenever the genre leans into funk I find myself liking the music less. I don't like the quick "pokes" of every instrument and while the music as a whole doesn't have that problem, it feels like every individual part of the song is waiting to start. I also really don't like the way most funk singers choose to sing; the squeakiness loses its piercing affect quickly and just sounds annoying. As expected, my favorite parts of the album are the walking basslines and jazzy guitar licks. I will also say that I am honestly surprised at the drums never really leaving the basic rhythm of each song. extremely boring and disappointing.

Did not realize green onions was a full album and not a single. Mixed sound reminiscent of 50's style love songs and 70's keyboard funk. Im guessing there isn't a single lyric sang on this entire album. I like how they just put the most popular song first on the album and then expected everyone to make their purchase based on that; every song sounds almost exactly the same. I feel like I'm at a classic American baseball game. Overall a very boring listen, though I guess I could see the significance of the impact it may have made at the time. And yes, not a single lyric was spoken.

I've seen the artwork for this album before but did not realize how short it was and that it's only 4 tracks. Obviously from the age of 70's funk. I can't tell if this is an actual bass or if it's played off a keyboard; it's probably a real bass but because I can't hear a difference, it makes me appreciate the really great studio mixing when it rarely occured in the early years. I know that jambands were born out of the 70's experimental blues/jazz/rock scene, but it's interesting to hear some of the early pioneers and see how vehemently underwhelming they are; not a ton of layering going on at all. The drums in the 3rd track 'Sly' are actually pretty fun, very sporadic but still in time. I am curious how people reacted to this album the day it was released, seems like a basic jazz/funk album to me, but I am not sure how much ground was paved by this point.

It's funny for this album to pop up now; I was thinking a couple days ago about how I have literally never listened to Prince and was curious what makes him such a popular artist. I've always assumed it had more to do with his persona and showmanship than his actual music. While I knew he was considered a good guitar player, I was not expecting virtuoso-esque licks in his songs. Regardless, I am definitely still not vibing with it. I have never been a fan of 80's synth/pop, and this is pretty much fits the bill. Weird to me that Foo Fighters covered a prince song. Not really a fan of either, just interesting. I do not understand how Purple Rain is a popular song. I want to give this a 2 star rating because of my own personal tastes, but this leads me to the thought of how my rating system is going to operate across these albums..... I have to also consider cultural significance and , so I'll probably give it a 3 instead.

Wow, I did not know this was zztops 8th album.... they must have been around a lot longer than I thought. I seriously thought they got started in the 80's. Crazy that all of their songs I can even think of seem to be on this one album. Something that sticks out to me is that the production is very clean, but i'm pretty sure these tracks are remastered because its almost too good. Like most white millennial men, classic rock has a very nostalgic sound because of how often my father listened to it; but gawd damn I could never get him to listen to anything else. This album definitely has bangers on it, but the music in general is just way too simple. I don't think the drums ever leave 4/4. Also I think every single song kinda just..... fades out hmmm I think I should lay out my thoughts on a 5 star rating system: 1 = Absolutely nothing of redemption for this music, I hate it and wonder how it ever garnished a crowd of listeners 2 = I don't like it, but I understand that it may have cultural significance or is actually semi thoughtful constructed music 3 = The average rating, most albums will rest here. I can listen to it but will never find myself going out of the way to find it again. 4 = I like the majority of the album and the believe the artist to be a step above everyone else in music. 5 = Personal bests of the bests. I love the music, it makes me feel emotion, is very engaging and I would add it to my favorites list. I really do hope to find a handful of 5's from doing this list listen!

ah, this one def a classic. Last time I was thinking about Costello I was wondering how tf it worked out so well that his name is literally Elvis and there was no weirdness around it considered one of the biggest musical names of all time is literally just Elvis. hmmm.... I have been very disappointed in the recent Deer Tick albums and I am def hearing where they are getting their inspiration now; just that they are 50 years late in the innovation department. Sounds a lot like Tom Petty, though pretty obvious, I never listened to Costello much. Overall an acceptable listen.

This is the first album to pop up on this site that I have never heard of before; but just from the album art I can tell this is going to have an extreme 70's melodramatic hippy vibe. oof, this is gonna be a long listen; I don't know what happened, but I used to have a much higher patience tolerance when it came to music. Now if the structure of the songs are super basic or predictable I become bored so quick. It's funny, the less I paid active attention to the music, the better it became. I kinda zoned out while working and it made me feel more relaxed than I was expecting. Definitely a lesson in judgement here I suppose. So it turns out I have for sure heard both "You make me feel" and "I feel the earth move", so now I know who attribute them to. Wanted to give this a 2 at the start but will probably bump to a 3. It's actually pretty peaceful honestly.

The first foreign, non-english album to pop up on this list for me. Ah, "The girl from Ipanema", THE Bossa Nova song; pretty sure this song single-handedly brought ez listening to America. Crazy how cafe music hasn't really evolved much since its inception; this album is from 1964 but sounds like I would hear it in 2023 starbucks, and then think it was written the year before, and be none the wiser. This statement could definitely be viewed positively, making the inference that the album has a 'timeless' attribute to it. Was enjoyable having this on as easy listening to start my work day, drinking some coffee and crawling through work. Again, like 90% of the music on this list probably, I don't love it, don't hate it, would listen to it with no issues if it was in front of me, but wouldn't go out of the way to find it.

oh nice, the first brit pop/punk album from the list. And it's one I have not heard before, let's see. seems kinda long for a punk album to be honest, but I guess that is how the early ones were. I feel like I would like this album better if the drums weren't so simplistic. My biggest issue for most albums always boils down to the fact that every single song has the same basic drum beat. But I like the inclusion of brass instruments and quicker paced lyrics. overall I still enjoyed it, solid album.

oh man.... I don't think 'sultans of swing' is on this album but I have such a hard time listening to Dire Straits because I tried playing the aforementioned song at an open concert and totally fucking bombed. Like totally spaced and stopped playing the lead within 15 seconds, and the rest of the band made me stand there for over 4 minutes while they finished the song. Soooo embarrassing; the worst part is I had that shit down to a tee when I would practice at home.... :( but it's nice to get it out again. Regardless, the are an all time great classic and I still love listening to them when I can stomach through my haunted past. I remember the film UHF having a rendition of 'money for nothing' even though the part wasn't comical at all it was fun. 'Walk of life' always puts me in a mellow mood. I didn't really type much else during this listen, have listened to this album multiple times before, I definitely enjoy it.

Have never heard of this one, feels jazzy, but with a heavy-handed 70's classic rock backing. Interesting for sure but I don't think im a personal fan of this genre, let's see. This first track has an extremely hopeful feel to it, is actually putting me into a happier mood, rare for music to create that emotion for me. Similar to the Cowboy Bebop OST. I actually like this album A LOT. This is most likely the first album I've never heard of before that I give a 5 rating. There's a slightly excessive use of bongos, I'd like to hear more variation in the choices of secondary percussion. Still, the level of layering on most of these songs is absolutely incredible. Very tight compositions here.

One of the most iconic album covers of all time. Can't go wrong with this one, will be hard to not give it a perfect score. Love the variability of the emptiness that each instrument uses; there is always sound to listen to, but the back-and-forth between each part of the music makes it very interesting to pay attention to. The music videos paired with these songs are very 80's but in the good way; feel very fitting to the music being portrayed. Hard to believe this was made in 1979, has an extremely modern feel even by today's competitive standards. The number of other bands that this album influenced must be uncountable, it is so familiar. Wow, the last song, 'I Remember Nothing' is AMAZING. Sounds extremely similar to Swans. Loved it. Great album, nothing else to say.

hmm, another unheard album for me. Artwork looks like its gonna be Soul/R&B. Was not expecting it to open with a classic orchestral piece lol. oh wow, just noticed the runtime, is a long one for sure; just under 70 minutes. Smooth lyrics for how fast paced it feels, good production, a TON of musicians listed on this project damn. The two singles on this album sound veryyy '2000s' to me; kinda like a hoppy trance beat over motivational feminine 'fight song' vibes. I liked the start of this album, but mannnn I am not a fan of these anchor songs.... they are very artificial and def drops my score. Well made album, but def not my thing, not really a fan when contemporary crosses the line pretty far into traditional rock; I like them separate but I just don't think they mix well. I liked the songs that were "low-key" and following the 1920s futuristic theme.

Was never a fan of cee-lo tbh, I can't tell you why exactly, but if I had to guess it is probably a mix of his voice and lyrical content. Also, I have a bad track record of enjoying albums that open with a skit..... so we'll have to see. Already starting very heavy handed with those 2000's beats where there is always one VERY standout instrument like a whistle or something similar. The album cover too tho lol This type of music always felt like something you put on in the background at a party instead of actually sitting down and listening to it, which obviously has it's place, but man, it just doesn't feel deserving to be on an all time list.

From reading the wiki, it is absolutely unbelievable that they are still an active group..... Their main attributor is STILL playing to this day.... wow. This album came out in the 60's.... insane. I guess they pioneered psychedelic soul, neat. This is gonna be one of those cases where I understand the importance of the music and its place in history, but its overall outdated and very mellow listen for me. so it will just get the average rating from me most likely. It's always so hard to rate music that is over 60 years old and treat it fairly.... theres parts of this album I enjoy a lot, but it just feels outdated.

80's hair metal and classic rock in general have such a strange nostalgia for me because that is all my father would listen to. I could never get him to listen to any other genre, it was impossible, and because of that I burnt out of this kind of music before I was even an adult. Don't get me wrong, the certified bangers are amazing but holy shit just listen to the basic ass drum beat and guitar progression in the first song of this album, extremely predictable and absolute snoozefest. Even with instantly recognizable classic rock anthems that almost every english speaking person knows, its hard to give this album a good score. It's just so basic and way too "radio-friendly make me money" to be considered metal. Plus almost every song fades out, what's up with that and 80's music.

I used to love listening to Neil Young when I was a teenager, I'm not sure what happened, that he fell off my radar pretty hard, but it's nice to revisit his most popular works. I really like the songs with the orchestra involved, I've listened to this album before but I only really remember the super popular songs, so it's nice have a "fresh" listen on a handful of tracks. I definitely need to be in a certain melancholy mood to listen to Young nowadays, the lyrics hit harder when you're older and understand where they are coming from. From a musical standpoint, I would give this a 4, just cause it feels like classic folk to me. But the writing and nostalgia is just too strong, so this will probably get a 5 from me.

This is an automatic 5 from me. This album fully encapsulates 90's hardcore rap and changed the scene forever. I have a friend who played this album almost exclusively throughout the entirety of high school. It's hilarious to read the reviews of this album on this site, you can tell who's a middle aged white man who has never had to deal with any conflict in their life. They all believe that this album is what causes violence in the streets without even beginning to understand that it was created from the ashes of the rappers lives and not the other way around lmao. The best part about this music is that it is emotional, it is built out of real life experience; they aren't trying to sell you anything, they aren't trying to change the world, they're just telling you their story. Though I will say, the second half of this album is not as hype as the first half.

I feel like R.E.M. is one of the most known bands that no one ever listens to. Like no one ever says REM is their favorite band and other than a small handful of their popular songs they are never mentioned. So far the album is very basic rock with predictable chord progression and leading. The singer has a very distinct voice and the band has a distinct sound as well; the moment one of their songs comes on, you instantly know it's REM, which is kinda rare to have that kind of consistency, but that can also be a bad thing. Giving the score I pretty much expected to give before even pressing play.

The randomness of this generator might need to be questioned because it gave me both Joy Division albums within the first 20 I listened to; though I suppose that in itself is truly random. Curtis' voice sounds a ton more like Jim Morrison's here than it did on Unknown Pleasures I'm noticing. I couldn't imagine going through what Ian did at such a young age, whenever I reflect back on the time I was 20, I always feel like though I was responsible that I was also naive. Some people are definitely just more grounded and mature from the start, maybe they have to be. Closer feels more haunting or depressing than the first album, as though the band is pulling you into their emotions instead of presenting them to you. I can't say why exactly tbh, but I just don't like this album as much as the first, I'd like to give it the same score as unknown but I feel different about it for some reason. I was actually going to give this album a 4 but after listening to the last three songs, I think I'll have to bump it up....... way better than rest of the album imo. idk though, its hard.... Im not sure how to rate this.

Oh cool, another artist I've never heard of before, I like listening to these ones, though I am getting immediate Flaming Lips vibes from this. A ton of reed and wind instruments right out of the gate, feels kind of 'fairy-tale-esque', along with a bunch of differing tinky percussion. Omg..... I read the wiki linked here and the lead singer of this band WAS a member of flaming lips! lol. It said he left the band because of creative differences with Coyne, makes me wonder how much influence he had over FL cause they sound almost exactly the same. There's definitely less of a 'pretentiousness' around this album compared to FL but it is for sure still coming through to me. I'm also getting Neutral milk hotel vibes as well. I don't know how to describe this music.... seems kinda like an off-shoot of dream-pop, like dream-psychedelic i guess. I like the album and will probably give it an above average score but I'm pretty sure this is the band's most acclaimed album and I don't see myself enjoying an entire discography of this genre. The Funny Bird is by far my fave track on this record.

It's Bob Dylan.

I really wish the list that this website is built around would be updated for modern music. It's going to be very annoying to listen to 800 albums from the 70's that I've already heard a dozen times. The occasional unknown work is what keeps me pushing forward though, cause I had never heard of Weather Report before and I absolutely loved that album. So anyway, onto more zz. I question how some of the albums end up in the list. I know that I am not the target audience but if you are going to curate a small-ish list of must listen albums then I expect no space to be wasted; that there isn't a bands full discography, only their best albums. And in this case, it feels like this album could easily be replaced by so many other things.

Wayyy more folky than I was expecting from the band name, album art, and band wiki description. Initially liking it much more than I expected. Sounds almost like modern indie folk bands..... I wonder how much influence this band had, cause it sounds very good for 60's folk. I like the singers voice, kinda dolly parton-esque. "The Lark in the Morning" is a very out-of-nowhere Celtic stomp that is very fun to listen to. Overall, this was an unexpected great listen!

I can tell from the album art alone that this is going to be british pop/punk. According to their wiki this album is actually pretty highly rated.... so far it sounds pretty standard. Has a much brighter and happier undertone than I was expecting, so far I don't dislike it but it's kind of disappearing into the background. These songs seem a bit too long for what they are, and it really doesn't envelope the feel of british punk.

I haven't listened to any of Harrison's solo stuff, but I imagine it's not going to be too far off from the normal Beatles sound. I imagine a bit slower and more melancholy. It's what I expected but I am liking it more than I thought I would, very easy calm listening. Putting me in a relaxed mood. Reminds me a bit of Young of course. Oh wow, 'Run of the Mill' is a Harrison original..... surprising I've never heard this before. The band Deer Tick covers it and I thought it was one they wrote. Great song. This album was crazy long, had a hard time focusing near the end. overall decent.

The debut album by the Ramones; I must confess that I have never listened to this album in its entirety front-to-back but have probably heard most of the songs individually. It's an absolute classic, will probably have a hard time finding a reason to not give this one a 5. I wonder where it started that most punk/hardcore artists keep their songs under 2 minutes, cause it honestly works and I find most people are drawn to it; quick, electric, it comes and goes before you can fully process it, moving onto the next song just to do it to you again. So.... as a full album listen, the songs don't hit as hard or as fast as they do when they come on individually during random playlists. While I understand their historic presence, they just do not scratch the itch hard enough for me when in the mood for hard hitting music, so alas, I cannot give them a perfect score.

Alright, given the artwork and the fact that I've never heard of this album before, I honestly made a furrowed wtf face when the first thing I heard was Albarn's voice. I'm not sure where some of the magic is lost, but the music here does not produce the same whimsical feel here with his singing. It's like.... you can tell he actually isn't that good of a singer. Never once did I ever have this thought while listening to the Gorillaz. It's like you are finally reminded that he's a bland British man that probably eats toast and beans for breakfast. That really says a lot about the music choice in that band compared to this one. There is also an incessant never ending piano in most tracks that clinks the same chord over and over and over instead of filling in the empty space with something lighter. It's like they're trying to imitate Sufjan Stevens. And what perfect timing actually..... the song Herculean reminds me of Age of Adz immensely. I can't explain why I don't like this album past the music just overall being quite forgettable. Was not expecting to give this a low score when it first started.

Even though I've never owned one of their albums, I've always been a fan of their style of music. I can never listen to it for more than a handful of songs at a time however, and normally just dive into the song really hard when it comes up in my ipod shuffle playlist. Considering the heaviness and theme of this album and having yet not lost someone close to me, I am having a hard time being critical of its content. It sounds extremely emotionally heavy, but I have a hard time focusing on the lyrics for how slow it moves. One thing I'm noticing listening to a full album instead of just a song here and there is that I really have no clue how to describe the instrumentals of the bad seeds. It's just.... a drone-y keyboard, and that's it really, the backing vocals are pretty nice at times, but mostly it's just Cave. I'm giving this the score I expected at the beginning, mostly because I can't relate to the content even though I know I am in a lucky position for that to be the truth at 34 years old.

I feel like everyone knows about Funkadelic but only a rare handful of audiophiles have listened to their entire catalog. I learned today that they made 15 albums across 14 years; I imagine that is as dense as one can get in terms of making music. I've always carried an affinity for jazz but for some reason whenever the genre leans into funk I find myself liking the music less. I don't like the quick "pokes" of every instrument and while the music as a whole doesn't have that problem, it feels like every individual part of the song is waiting to start. I also really don't like the way most funk singers choose to sing; the squeakiness loses its piercing affect quickly and just sounds annoying. As expected, my favorite parts of the album are the walking basslines and jazzy guitar licks. I will also say that I am honestly surprised at the drums never really leaving the basic rhythm of each song. extremely boring and disappointing.

This is one of the blandest albums that has appeared on this list so far. It sounds like one of those youtube playlists made of AI generated music titled something like "ez listen ur workday away 2024 ~~stress free~~ :p :p :p". There are no interesting mix-ins or lead-ups to any instrumental or vocal quips. They come in over the original beat, play for 40 seconds, fade-out and then the next one comes in, fades-out, then song ends. Each time I was able to apply any amount of focus to the music I was almost repulsed by the predictability and simplicity of what I was listening to. Ironically contrasting my previous comment, the only reason I was able to finish this album was because I had it on in the background while working; which sure, maybe this is meant to be background music, but not really what I expect from a 'best-of all time' exclusive list.