This is my first introduction to Funkadelic, and funk in general. Definitely an aptly named band, as it is an equal parts mixture of funk and psychedelic weirdness. I love the loud bass lines. Favorite song? Probably "Who says a funk band can't play rock?!". I think "Promentalshitbackwashpsychosis Enema Squad" was one of the weirdest songs I've ever heard. The lyrics were all related to bowel movements, food, and cognition. Such a strange combination, but the metaphor kinda works? The outro bass line of Cholly is unbelievably groovy. This album really grew on me after each song. I normally don't like live songs, but the bonus live version of Maggot Brain was exceptionally good. Great guitar solo, great walking bass lines, and nice slow build.
Would I listen to this again? Possibly. I can see myself exploring more of this kind of music, but it will take some easing into. It's an acquired taste for sure.
It's not terrible. But it is fairly boring. Perhaps my ears have been inundated with this style for too long, but this album doesn't seem all that special. Seems like peak boomer music. It's not pop per se, as there is some evidence of progressive chord changes and experimental tempos, melodies, etc. I'm not a fan of this style of vocals. The vocals are not unique and sound like every other band from the 1960s and 1970s. Nothing is catchy. None of the beats stick in my mind after a first listen. All the songs sound the same. I can't even remember any of the choruses immediately after listening. I'm always annoyed when the singing is just some form of repeating the phrase "oh baby" like 50 times. I don't even think I had a favorite song on this album, as none of them are memorable. I would not listen to this again if given the choice.
I wish I had the benefit of listening to this with ears from 1960s, before I heard all the bands influenced by Hendrix. In a strange way, because he influenced so many, and so many borrowed his sound, much of his music sounds unoriginal to today's ears. It's a great irony because it sounds unoriginal to modern ears only because it was so original and unique when he did it. I can hear SRV, Eric Johnson, and Van Halen even in this album even though this predates them by many years. This album is notable to me for its variety of new sounds and experiments with tone and sound effects. But it's not catchy. I don't find myself nodding my head to the music at all. Is it too critical to call this musical masturbation?
Would I listen to this again? Maybe if I'm really bored. It's not terrible. It's a very short album.
I didn't find much notable here. I liked the ethereal sounds, but the music didn't have much of a hook. Chord progressions were nothing spectacular. The screaming on the first track seemed a bit ahead of its time. Very grungy. It wasn't terrible, but not necessarily memorable either. Would I listen to it again? Probably not. I might listen to Velouria, Ana, and Is She Weird, and Allison again. But the rest didn't strike me as inspiring.
It was a short album. But now I know who the Pixies are, and maybe it'll come up in a trivia game one day.
This album is easy to listen to. Soft vocals, heavy use of acoustic guitar, and folksy percussion. Some of the chord changes were standard (I-IV-V), or bluesy and others were even slightly jazzy. The songs sound like they would be fun to play on the guitar. There was definitely some down-tuning and steel guitar usage. Nothing was catchy. Overall, the highlight of this album is the creative and technical guitar work. Would I listen to this again? Probably not, but I think I would recognize it if I heard it again. I don't think I have a favorite song off this album.
Very listenable. Some tunes were catchy. Let's start first with Imagine. Yes, this is the most famous song of the album as well as its namesake, but for good reason. The song is beautiful, the chord changes are brilliant, the bridge is excellent, etc. The lyrics unfortunately are naive and idealistic, and Lennon comes across as the absolute poster boy for infantile idealism. It's a beautiful song, even if the lyrics are ridiculous. Crippled Inside is a nice little bluesy tune. Not super catchy, very average. Jealous Guy is a great song. Perhaps I'm biased as I am very familiar and partial to Elliott Smith's cover of this song. I was happy to hear that Elliott did proper homage to the original. It's so Hard is a very short unremarkable song. I don't want to be a soldier is very repetitive, uninspiring, and comes across as whiny for an anti-war song. But the song is less about being antiwar, than Lennon just trying to be whiney and edgy. Similar comments can be made about Gimme Some Truth. I'm ok with political songs if they are well done, and with specific criticisms. But singing that politicians lie is just common knowledge and not exactly a scathing brave critique. Oh My Love is actually a very good ballad. These soft love pieces are where Lennon excels. It's definitely the best song on the 2nd side. How Do you Sleep? just comes across poorly knowing this is an attack piece against McCartney. How? is the other great love ballad on this album worth listening to. Oh Yoko is actually a catchy good tune, despite the fact that it's about the insufferable Yoko Ono.
Overall, Lennon is a masterful musician. There are 10 songs on this album. 4 of these songs are absolutely brilliant. 6 of them are filler. But the 4 are excellent enough to push my rating of the whole album up to a 4.
Classic 80s hair metal album. It reminds me of a (sort of) serious version of Spinal Tap. Some of the sounds are very reminiscent of regular 80s pop music, particularly the drums. However, given that this is an album from 1983, it's pretty ahead of its time. There are definitely elements of metal here that definitely influenced the power metal scene of the 90s (like Hammerfall, Helloween, etc.) Like most bands that are ahead of their time, their music sounds cliche to the modern ear. There weren't any songs that were too catchy. The chord progressions were predictable, mainly I-IV-V. Song composition is not particularly impressive. I'm guessing this album is highly ranked for being a pioneer for metal in general, but to my ears, I've heard this kind of thing a million times before.
A mostly mediocre album. 2 noteworthy songs and 8 fillers. The two notable songs are Heart of Gold and Words (Between the Line of Age). Heart of Gold has a catchy hook that makes the song listenable. The final track, running at almost 7 minutes, is a great outro with a catchy sad ballad piano. Two songs on this album were downright bad. Are you Ready for the Country was abysmal. The vocals seemed borderline out of tune and the beat seemed like something an amateur high school band could create in a matter of minutes. And of course, this album wouldn't be quite so notable if it weren't for the condescending self-righteousness of the song Alabama. Like many thoughtless progressives, Neil Young is eager to "be on the right side of history" and earn the sycophant praise of the major media outlets by bashing the South and stroking his ego for his assumed moral superiority. What a brave and courageous statement to earn the praise of every powerful institution in the Western world. Fortunately, the best part of this song is that it helped launch Lynyrd Skynyrd to world fame.
Overall, this album earns a 3 star rating. Mostly uninspiring boomer music.
What a boring album. There was nothing remarkable about it. I found myself counting down the songs until it was all over, and it wasn't even a long album. Just absolute boring boomer music.
It's unique, I'll grant it that. But nothing was catchy or made me want to listen to any more of it. I'm glad to see this kind of album on the list rather than another classic rock boomer snoozefest.
Pretty straightforward album. Nothing complex. Just acoustic guitar with basic simple chord structure and occasionally a harmonica. Bob Dylan's got a unique voice, and I can see why he's popular. But nothing seemed profound. I get the impression he focused more on the lyrics than the music itself. Some of the songs seemed almost like spoken word poetry than singing. I guess that's his brand. Not terrible music, but not particularly exciting either.
The first album I've rated where I already knew the majority of the songs. I'm not necessarily a fan of U2's style. They clearly take themselves way too seriously and suffer from insufferable self-righteousness. Seriously, what kind of person calls themself "The Edge"? lol. The sound is at least unique, but doesn't grab the attention. Most songs sound exactly the same. I'm feeling generous, so I'll give it a 3.
Not a bad album. I definitely prefer the sound of this era than most others. The vocals leave much to be desired, as it sounds just like any other band out there. My favorite song was 17. Definitely a great representation of the "alternative rock" scene of the mid 2000s.
A real avant-garde record. I still can't believe this was released in 1978. I really appreciate how the album bucks all the norms and takes directions that you don't expect for it to take, especially for the 1970s. Siouxsie's vocals are truly unique. The way her voice almost cracks on the high notes is unlike anything I've heard. Very quirky and weird, but a breath of fresh air after hearing so many boomer blues/rock albums on this list.
Fantastic album. Unique sound, catchy hooks, great formulas, strange time signatures, musically complex, etc. Still easy to digest though. First album I've listened to on here that deserves 5 stars. I am genuinely excited to listen to more of this band. Although I have heard the big hits like Kids and Electric Feel, the other songs were a delight to listen to as well.
Decent album. Definitely what I would describe as progressive soul. This is my first introduction to Stevie Wonder. I'm not much of a funk/soul guy but I can definitely appreciate the talent. My favorite song was Superstition. There were some killer bass lines in this record.
If the Beatles were a little less catchy and had a bit more energy, it would probably sound something like this. The best song on the album is probably Without You, but as this is a cover, I feel like Nilsson shouldn't get the credit for that. I recognized the Coconut song, but had no idea it was originally a Nilsson song. It's weird and the fake Jamaican accent is off-putting. None of the other songs were really that notable.
I hate hip hop. This album is just an automated drum machine overlaid with self-aggrandizing angry rants.
Very avant-garde. I really enjoyed the stringed orchestra and the progressive electronic beats. The vocals are, strange to say the least. Just very disjointed. Almost as if she is doing her best to make herself not understood by adding unnecessary pauses in the middle of words. With different vocals, and more well defined melodies, this would've earned 5 stars. However, I reserve 5 stars to albums that absolutely blow me away. This did not, but it was still a very strong album and worthy of an honorable mention.
There were a handful of good songs on this album, Paint it Black being the most iconic of them. This album seemed to have more "catchy" songs than most of this classic rock genre. I'm of the wrong generation to fully appreciate this album, but I'm glad I listened to it. I feel like I understand the RS a bit better now.
I was pleasantly surprised by this. I came in with low expectations for an all-girl band from the 1980s. The only song I recognized was "We got the Beat", which was coincidentally my least favorite. Unlike most 80s music, they actually used a real drummer instead of a drum machine which is nice. Although this is pop music, there are hints of punk that I appreciated.
I'm so glad this list includes Bluegrass. This was an excellent album. Some of the lyrics of these songs are incredible. Bluegrass reminds me of home and family. These songs do good for the soul.
Very early punk album. Not terrible. Some bits were catchy, but overall it just wasn't my kind of music. This is probably a great album if you're a punk fan, but it's just not resonating with me.
All folksy acoustic. Bert's a talented musician and a decent singer. All the songs are fairly short. I liked the last two songs on this record the best.
Not a bad album. Very distinct sound. Sting's voice and the percussion are what makes The Police unique. I was already familiar with Every Breath you Take and Wrapped Around your Finger. I really enjoyed the entire album. There weren't really any fillers. The song Mother was a little weird. This is a thoroughly good album.
I was pleasantly surprised with this one. I expected it to be just another string of I-IV-V progressions with mediocre vocals. And in some sense, it definitely had that. However, there were a few touches that made this album stand out compared with most other rock albums from this era. I appreciated the progressive rock jam in the middle of Ramble Tamble. The next few songs were just some old bluesy stuff that kinda all sounds the same to me. Lookin' out my Back Door was a highlight. I had heard this before but didn't know it was CCR. The only other song I'd heard before was Up Around the Bend. The best song on the album was either Lookin' Out my Back Door or Heard it Through the Grapevine. I would probably give this a 3.5 stars. But since that's not an option, I'll round it up to 4.
Good album. Like most progressive rock, it's one that I will definitely have to listen to several times. This is one of my favorite styles of music. It's almost too early for me to give it a rating, but nonetheless, I'm inclined to give it a 5.
This is my first intro to Supertramp. It's old school progressive rock, but very listenable and not too pretentious. This album makes great use of slowly building up the tempo and using crescendo. Lots of nice piano in the more ballady pieces. Also some interesting horn arrangements too. The vocals are very 1970s, but that is to be forgiven. Overall, I'm impressed with this album. Most songs sound similar but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Kind of a mix between Bjork and black female soul. Definitely more interesting and "progressive", for lack of a better word, than most soul and R&B I hear. The actual music itself was unique. But that being said, it just wasn't for me. Something about the vocals just absolutely is not my style. The sounds were mildly interesting, but the music did not move me.
Groundbreaking album given that it was released in 1970. Not something I'd listen to regularly these days, but I fully appreciate this album as the first heavy metal album ever. One of the earliest examples of "shredding" outside of Jimi Hendrix that I've heard. The dark aesthetic of the lyrics and album cover must have been truly wild in 1970.
Grungy mid 90s rock, very reminiscent of Nirvana, but with female vocals and not quite as dirty sounding. I appreciate the clean vocals which contrast with the grungy sound of the rhythm guitars. Musically, the composition is simple for the most part. No unexpected chord changes, definitely not "progressive" in that regard. Just another typical mid 90s grungy alternative rock album. It's not an album where all the songs sound the same. I can tell this is probably one of the best representatives of its genre, but this genre isn't necessarily one that moves me.
I have lots of mixed feelings about this album, most of them positive. First off, this is a long one, with four sides running at over 80 minutes. Stylistically, the songs are kind of all over the place, ranging from acoustic folk ballads to long progressive rock epics and classic hard rock and blues in between. The best songs were easily In My Time of Dying, Kashmir, In the Light. LZ is at their best showcasing riffs. There is always a recognizable riff that each song is centered on. The guitar work is impressive even to modern ears. That being said, I can't stand Robert Plant's voice. It's the epitome of typical classic rock singing, just belting out "ooohs", "baby", and "oh yeah" in virtually every song. Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones are the best part of LZ and are what keep LZ from being mediocre in my eyes. All that said, I think this balances out to a solid 4.
Fantastic album. I had heard Born Slippy .NUXX from Trainspotting and have listened to it countless times. So I was curious to hear what other work form Underworld would sound like. Like most ambient/electro/progressive house music, it's an acquired taste. To me, this is the soundtrack of 1996 nostalgia. I particularly the monotone drone vocals (I wouldn't quite call it singing) that you hear on Rowla, Pearls Girl, and Born Slippy. I can't help but hear Ewan MacGregor's "choose life" monologue when hearing Born Slippy.
Jarre is the king of synthesizers. The entire album is an instrumental, electronic, ethereal experience and very reminiscent of 1970s documentaries such as the old Sagan's Cosmos. It is mandatory to use headphones when listening to this album, as Jarre makes significant use of moving sounds between the left and right speakers. There are neoclassical undertones to this work, with many parts sounding as if they could be an orchestral arrangement instead. This work might sound a little dated to the 21st century ear as electronic music as evolved considerably since 1976. Regardless, this is a classic work. As the song titles suggest, you should listen to the whole thing in one go. The songs don't necessarilly stand by themselves. I like spacey contemplative electronic music, and this work holds up to the best of them.
Overall, a fairly boring album. Nothing about the song composition anywhere in this album is notable. The saving grace for this album (and band) is Michael Stipe's voice which is unique and memorable. I had heard "Everybody Hurts" and "Man on the Moon" before. None of the songs were notable. "Ignoreland" is a predictable, dull, angsty uninformed rant against Republicans, which is just so classically predictable for musicians and out of touch celebrities. This album isn't difficult to listen to necessarily. It's not Queen Latifah levels of bad. It's just dull and predictable.
The Beastie Boys have a unique sound, so I'll give them credit there. But that being said, I'm not a fan of hip hop and the vocals are just downright whiney and annoying to my ears. Consequently, my favorite songs on this album are the ones that are instrumental and not lyrical, like Sabrosa. A lot of songs do sound the same on this album. But I do appreciate the fusion of flute, and the surprising upright bass appearances. The Beastie Boys are a recipe with the right ingredients but the wrong chef. Nothing is wrong with the elements (except the vocals), but the way everything is brought together just grates my ears. There are some good tracks here, just none of them involve anyone rapping or singing.
I was optimistic going into this one, but came away a little disappointed. The entire album feels like I'm in the changing room of some mall department store. Either that or stuck in an elevator somewhere. I'm baffled as to how this album made this list. I did not need to listen to this before I died. It doesn't grate the ears, but it's just boring.
This is the epitome of early 2000s pop. Apparently most of the songs were written for Michael Jackson to sing, and that definitely comes through. However, this just isn't really my style of music. I'm not an R&B guy. Just isn't my cup of tea. Most songs sounded the same, although there are a couple of notable exceptions. "Cry Me a River" has some interesting Gregorian chant mixed with Arabic kind of influence. The last song "Never Again" is a nice little acoustic ballad. But everything else on the album is kind of the same.
This is the album everyone recommends when someone is trying to get into jazz. That's why if you go to any used CD store, there will be several copies of Kind of Blue.
This is the quintessential jazz album. I grew up listening to jazz second hand (my dad is a massive jazz fan), so my ears are somewhat conditioned to this. I grew up in a household where my father lionized Bill Evans as the pinnacle of musical genius. That being said, I never went out of my way to listen to jazz as an adult. It'll take several listens before I really "get" this album. I did enjoy this, but it's something I'll have to return to. One does not simply grok modal jazz in 45 minutes. I appreciate the complexity, skill, and the ambient peaceful vibes of this album.
Really fantastic album. The blues sampling was a unique touch. Porcelain instantly brought me back to the movie "The Beach" with DiCaprio. The entire album carries a pensive, ethereal sound that is sure to put the listener in a thoughtful mood. I read somewhere that many of these songs were used in commercials, and I could immediately hear that. I had never heard of Moby before this, so I'm really pleased to have discovered this piece of music.
Not a terrible album, but not necessarily notable either. It sounds like lots of the popular rock music from the mid 2000s. Not saying it's bad, just not unique. Most of the songs sound the same. Not inspiring.
Man, blues is so incredibly predictable and boring. Literally every single song on this album is a 1-4-5 chord progression. It's actually painful to listen to what sounds like the same song again and again and again. Half the songs on this album are covers of older blues songs and are thus not original to this band. It's really amazing what boomers actually thought good music sounded like. I know Clapton is a good guitar player and all that, but this was just difficult to listen to.
Very nice album. It's as if the Beatles got interested in progressive rock and weren't so upbeat. The vocals were great. Like most good music, it'll take me a few listens before I really understand the
Very 80s. Somewhat unique, but just not my style. I'm not a fan of falsetto and 80s music in general. Apparently this is the album responsible for Tipper Gore's campaign to have parental advisory stickers. I guess I'm glad I listened to it so I know what Prince is all about, but I probably won't ever listen to this again.
Fantastic album. I had been warned about Jarrett's spontaneous moaning, however I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was barely audible on this album. This is some of the most beautiful piano music I've ever heard.
Very nice album. One of the best of its genre.
Surprisingly decent. Given the name of the band, I thought I was in for something really weird. Instead, it was just some typical 1970s rock with some occasional bongos thrown in. It's not amazing, but it is somewhat unique.
It's just not my style of music.
Very solid album. Incredible for 1970. Includes some of the most famous songs like Iron Man, Paranoid, and War Pigs. I appreciate the antiwar sentiment in this album, but it's the birth of metal that makes this album so great.
A good introduction to Bjork. She's a little strange, but that's all part of the appeal. The music comes across as pretentious at times, but not overly so. She has such a unique voice. I do appreciate the unique sound, but it'll probably take me a few more listens before I "get" it.
This is a bunch of Christmas songs that everyone knows. All of them are secular and make no mention whatsoever to Christ. And almost all of them were written by Jews. Huh, what a coincidence. I'm sure they made a lot of money off this album.
What a horrible, ugly album. This is the epitome of ugly, dirty, grungy, edgy, "I hate god", postmodern trash. Trent is too lazy to hire a real drummer, so he uses an awful drum machine. The whole album just sounds like static with screaming. The whole thing is just an effort to piss off social conservatives. And if that was the goal, Reznor succeeded. Robert Bork was correct to point to this album as an example of cultural decline. It's meaningless, nihilistic, and adds no value to the world. If you disagree with me, consider this. "If there are so many religions, gods, beliefs, etc., how do we know which one is real?", says the postmodernist. Answer: the one you hate. NIN takes the beauty of cathedrals, the peace of a loving family, the community of a church, and angrily spits at all of it, childishly spewing shock content in an edgy nihilistic rage. If you find yourself wondering why we no longer build cathedrals and all modern architecture is horrifically bereft of beauty, the answer lies in the postmodern trash as exemplified by this album's degeneracy.
Very 1980s. I never liked the production sound of the 80s, the drum machines, the way the snare drum always sounds. This album while not too poppy, isn't that remarkable either. I'm not sure how or why this album made the list. It just sounds like the most generic soft rock from the 1980s.
The vocals leave much to be desired. The chord changes are predictable. The guitars are just basic strumming. It's not interesting enough to be considered progressive rock. But it's not catchy enough to be considered pop either. It's like the worst of both worlds: weird and not catchy or interesting. Another album where I'm not sure why or how it ended up on this list.
A very standard rock album. More instrumental than I thought it would be. Chord progressions are predictable. Much of the album is basically a jam session. However, it is well produced. Nothing really grabs me on this album. Every song sounds the same. Again, not sure how this one is considered one of the greatest of all time.
Pretty boring album. Simple, predictable 1,4,5 blues chord progressions. The vocals are about as bland and predictable as one could expect. Nothing is notable about this album.
Pretty decent jazz album. Very calm and relaxing. Nothing in particular stands out to me. I appreciate the technical skill level involved. However, most of the songs sound the same.
Somehow I had always registered Coldplay in my head as a "boring" band. Yes, the songs are soft and perhaps that's what I didn't like about them when I was a metalhead in my teenage years. But revisiting this as an adult, it just resonates with me so much more. Obviously I had heard Yellow before, but it wasn't until now that I really listened to it closely and fully appreciated it. Coldplay has that dreamy, ethereal quality about them that puts me in a certain pensive mood. I genuinely enjoyed every song on this album. I didn't find myself checking to see how many songs I had left, which is a sign that I didn't want it to end.
Very grungy and ugly sounding. This is an album for the nihilist who hates beauty and order. This album is emblematic of the cultural decline of the West. What a tragedy.
Pretty standard soul album. However, while calming, this kind of music just doesn't do much for me.
