View Album
Mon Oct 23 2023
Blonde On Blonde
Bob Dylan
This is not the best Dylan album of the era. . . which is highway 61 revisited
4
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Tue Oct 24 2023
Green Onions
Booker T. & The MG's
Can't believe this album is from 1962. Classic, groovy blues that defined the Stax label and was so influential on the late 1960's psychedelic sound and the later funk explosion in the 1970s.
The album is weak and repetitive after Green Onions. Hammond organ, the late fifties jazz drumming, and dated guitar tone and technique in the solos.
2
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Wed Oct 25 2023
Come Away With Me
Norah Jones
A wonderful album from an immensely talented artist. The album has a few great songs, but most songs a good, under-produced and showcase her style and vocal talent.
The songs are intimate and colorful portraits, but the headline is her voice.
5
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Thu Oct 26 2023
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Not my scene, but it is interesting that I never listened to this before considering how prevalent their fans were in the 1980s. I am told their later stuff is more developed and the singing is better. . . I can see how they influenced later metal genres, but again, this is not my cup of tea.
There is a bit of sameness to each song and the tone of the guitars is grating and unpleasant. The singing is British post-punk and pre-hair metal chic.
I find it to be unlistenable even as workout music. . .
2
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Fri Oct 27 2023
Heroes
David Bowie
A strange album. Heroes stands out on it for sure. It is so different in every way from the other tracks. There are traces of the rough edges from the early-7s Bowie/Ziggy stuff, the obvious influence of the late 70's punk and it's rough edges. But there is mostly an unfulfilled search for a coherent sound.
The songwriting is also forgettable here. I would have hoped for more from Bowie. He has such gems in his catalogue. This album is lesser. Why is this on the list? The whole B side is weak and feels experimental in a half-assed way.
2
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Mon Oct 30 2023
Blackstar
David Bowie
Bowie was a serious musician to the end. He continued to innovate and search for a new thing through his entire life. And he managed that feat multiple times, and yet was true to himself, and made music only he could make.
He is a legend.
And this album is fantastic. But is not my thing either. I am glad to have heard it, but I probably will not listen to it in a regular rotation.
"'Tis a pity she was a whore" is a highlight. . . Lazarus is also a timely release considering he died around this release.
4
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Tue Oct 31 2023
Here's Little Richard
Little Richard
1957 man.. . He was the real deal. But it is pretty dated now.
4
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Wed Nov 01 2023
The Specials
The Specials
nothing special about this. . .
2
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Thu Nov 02 2023
1977
Ash
Odd that I have NEVER heard this before. . . It is mediocre Brit-pop and a little too dated. . . This is an odd inclusion in a finite list of albums. . .
2
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Fri Nov 03 2023
The Queen Is Dead
The Smiths
Fuck yeah.
This is classic, and even though not all songs are bangers, the album holds up.
I still remember when I borrowed this album from Nicole Lee in 1986 or 1987. It was a revelation. It is funny to think back on it - how I thought it was several years old. I did that with New Order, DM and the Smiths for sure!
5
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Sat Nov 04 2023
1999
Prince
Interesting. . . The first two tracks 1999 and red corvette are bangers.
How does the rest hold up? Answer: not that well. I mean, Prince is obviously a unique and crazy talent. But, the last nine songs on the album are synth pop from 1982, and don't leave an impression on me. "Free" is a good song, but the rest are meh. . .
3
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Sun Nov 05 2023
Red Headed Stranger
Willie Nelson
Oh Willie. A classic album, which I have never listened to all the way through. Willie is not my cup of tea, but he is great. 15 songs in 33 minutes!
The album is a vibe - meaning it is a thematic composition as a whole and evokes thoughtful reverie from earlier tunes with themes between longer tracks. It holds up amazingly well!!
Great album and enjoyable listening!!
5
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Mon Nov 06 2023
The Grand Tour
George Jones
New to me. Obviously a famous classic. Not my thing really.
Most tracks are the formulaic country of the era. His voice is golden, but the tracks are not the best. lots of 1-4-5 progressions, walking base lines and chorus starting on the 5. Formulaic. I guess this is where the tropes come from. . . But still it is not the best in class of its own genre.
Title track is the epitome of 70's country - sad, poignant heartache. "The weatherman" and "Who will I be loving now" are good tracks. But the remaining ones are nothing special.
3
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Tue Nov 07 2023
With The Beatles
Beatles
Early Beatles feels like a time capsule. It is great and dated and showcases the huge potential of great musicians. But it is repackaged versions of American blues riffs and pop sensibilities from the late 1950s. . . with many covers of standards.
The lyrics are all puppy love and longing and a bit boring. . .
Still. It is a good album. It is just not one I would listen to on a regular rotation. You can hear the seeds of their future brilliance here.
4
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Wed Nov 08 2023
Machine Gun Etiquette
The Damned
The year was 1979. . . Never listened to this before. . . It is punk from Britain in the late 1970s, so yeah, not the best musicianship. Mostly fast beats and aggression and so much angst. Funny that there are guitar solos though, in contrast to the pistols or Ramones. . .
Anti Pope is a good track. . .
I just don't have any emotional connection to this music. It triggers nothing in me. no nostalgia. No current connection. I find it kind of boring and ugly. It is not challenging or provoking either. Just noise made unrighteously.
2
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Thu Nov 09 2023
Brown Sugar
D'Angelo
Neo-soul from 1995. Never listened to this before. . .
Will probably never listen to it again.
2
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Fri Nov 10 2023
Siembra
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
Never listened to this before. . .
Oh hell yes. Groovy, funk-infused latin beats from Blades. The best selling Salsa record of all time.
I dig it. . . Not gonna make the regular playlist, but it is great music!
4
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Sat Nov 11 2023
The Stooges
The Stooges
Never sat down and listened to this album as a whole. . . Iggy Pop is a legend and the Stooges are so influential! The music is ahead of its time. It feels hard, a little groovy, but with an edge that is in direct opposition to the hippy aesthetic of the time - sign of the decay setting in and an omen of what was to come in the mid-70's.
Meh. . . The album is not worth re-listening to, imho.
3
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Sun Nov 12 2023
Parallel Lines
Blondie
New to me. Pretty basic rock, a few hits. Meh.
2
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Mon Nov 13 2023
Led Zeppelin IV
Led Zeppelin
Classic. My memories of my youth are tied to this.
5
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Tue Nov 14 2023
Raising Hell
Run-D.M.C.
I remember this from around the time it came out. Not my thing, but electrifying at the time. Still a great listen!
4
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Wed Nov 15 2023
Music From The Penguin Cafe
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
Strange, Brian Eno production, why is it on this list?
1
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Thu Nov 16 2023
Diamond Life
Sade
I am familiar with Sade's music, but I never listened to her albums all the way through.
It all sounds the same. Not great.
2
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Fri Nov 17 2023
Songs From The Big Chair
Tears For Fears
I am familiar with this music. Never listened to the album all the way through before. . . It is ok. The hits are the best songs.
3
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Sat Nov 18 2023
The Seldom Seen Kid
Elbow
Never heard it nor heard of it before. . . Mid-2000s pop with thoughtful lyrics and a good vibe. I just don't have any connection to it.
3
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Mon Nov 20 2023
Closer
Joy Division
This album and Joy Division as a band are always noted for their influence on what was to come for industrial, new wave, and electronica.
I never really got it. His vocals are flat and atonal. The innovation is the electronic beat and ambient sounds from guitar.
They have a few songs that are great. But this album, like much of their music, is kind of shit.
3
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Tue Nov 21 2023
Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand
Never listened to it before. I am aware of their hits, but nothing else. . .
What an album! Not one of my top ten, but certainly a great album! Syncopated post-pop with soaring themes and arena-worthy anthems.
Every song is strong, and the hooks are many and well-crafted.
5
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Wed Nov 22 2023
Want One
Rufus Wainwright
Never heard the album before. . .
Obviously talented, but not that interesting. Melodies are a bit too dramatic and theatrical. Feels cheesy and a little stilted. I don't connect to the music emotionally at all.
2
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Fri Nov 24 2023
Buffalo Springfield Again
Buffalo Springfield
Great one.
5
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Sat Nov 25 2023
Imagine
John Lennon
A cultural landmark, from a flawed man that wrote great songs.
4
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Sun Nov 26 2023
Time Out
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
Classic.
3
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Mon Nov 27 2023
Third/Sister Lovers
Big Star
2
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Tue Nov 28 2023
The Doors
The Doors
Excellent
5
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Wed Nov 29 2023
White Blood Cells
The White Stripes
Good album. Interesting sound and songwriting, but not my thing, and will not be in my listening rotation.
3
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Thu Nov 30 2023
Black Holes and Revelations
Muse
New to me. . . I have heard some of Muse before, but not listened to this album all the way through.
It is a good album and their sound is their own. But I don't connect to the music.
4
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Fri Dec 01 2023
Mask
Bauhaus
3
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Sat Dec 02 2023
Lust For Life
Iggy Pop
This album is 1977 in caricature. Joe Walsh guitar sounds, disco hints, a song about lusting for 16 year olds, a song lusting for a black woman. . . It is amazingly bad. so bad it is almost good?
2
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Sun Dec 03 2023
Sincere
Mj Cole
Never heard of the artist nor the album. . .
it's a mix tape. a good one.
3
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Mon Dec 04 2023
Ys
Joanna Newsom
I listened on youtube. It is a complete mystery to me why this album is in the top 1,000. Baffling!
1
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Tue Dec 05 2023
Eliminator
ZZ Top
meh
2
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Wed Dec 06 2023
Ramones
Ramones
Simple music. Never enjoyed them really.
Feels like a schtick and a stupid one at that.
1
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Thu Dec 07 2023
It's Too Late to Stop Now
Van Morrison
2
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Fri Dec 08 2023
Actually
Pet Shop Boys
1987 in purest form.
2
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Sat Dec 09 2023
Abraxas
Santana
Amazing listen. Must wear headphones!!!
A classic album with great musicians and a fascinating aesthetic.
5
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Sun Dec 10 2023
Hot Rats
Frank Zappa
Good album. . . not sure what the fuss is about Frank.
4
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Mon Dec 11 2023
Amnesiac
Radiohead
This is theoretically interesting, but not great. I just don't get peoples' infatuation and fascination with Radiohead. They are over-estimated - the ultimate navel-gazers. Who listens to this? why?
I am not a fan.
2
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Tue Dec 12 2023
Moving Pictures
Rush
4
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Wed Dec 13 2023
1984
Van Halen
4
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Thu Dec 14 2023
Hms Fable
Shack
Bland, boring brit pop.
2
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Fri Dec 15 2023
Life Thru A Lens
Robbie Williams
This is bad. . . It may prompt me to quit this service and find a different list of albums.
What an absolutely awful record.
1
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Sat Dec 16 2023
Liquid Swords
GZA
the best wu tang album.
4
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Sun Dec 17 2023
Strange Cargo III
William Orbit
3
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Mon Dec 18 2023
Paranoid
Black Sabbath
Might be my #1 album. Right up there with the Led Zeppelin classics, Fleetwood Mac Rumors, etc.
Not every song is a classic, but the influence and impact of this record on music cannot be overstated. The heaviest hits from Bill Ward and the heavy metal guitar and bass riffs, blending a groovy, syncopation with a dark aesthetic that birthed several genres of music over the next 10 years.
War Pigs is probably the best anti-war anthem ever written. . .
5
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Tue Dec 19 2023
The Next Day
David Bowie
This is a decent album, not sure why it is on the list. Early and mid-career Bowie was iconic and generation-defining stuff. This is good music, but doesn't feel that relevant to me. It is just Bowie.
3
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Wed Dec 20 2023
Live At Leeds
The Who
A good live album. But feels dated. Pete Townsend was always a one trick pony, and his style is a little blunt for my tastes. My dad loved them though!
3
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Fri Dec 22 2023
Vincebus Eruptum
Blue Cheer
Who wrote this list?
Influential albums are not necessarily the best albums of a genre. They are often the first or early examples of the genre. Later albums and acts evolve the germ of an idea into the hugely popular thing that becomes its own genre.
In this case, the genre is heavy metal. This may be the first or one of the first heavy metal albums. But by god, it is not one of the best.
2
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Fri Dec 29 2023
Millions Now Living Will Never Die
Tortoise
I am about to give up on this list.
1
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Sat Dec 30 2023
The Bends
Radiohead
Great album. Good lyrics, interesting music.
5
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Sun Dec 31 2023
Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
Eurythmics
Good album from a magical time when electronics took over mainstream pop and changed how music was made and conceived.
3
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Thu Jan 04 2024
Scissor Sisters
Scissor Sisters
3
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Fri Jan 05 2024
Next
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
3
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Tue Jan 09 2024
Born In The U.S.A.
Bruce Springsteen
Feels dated to me in way that his other albums do not - Nebraska, Asbury Park, Born to Run, etc. have a timeless character to them. This one feels locked in the early 80's.
I still love it.
4
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Wed Jan 10 2024
Disintegration
The Cure
3
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Sat Jan 13 2024
Channel Orange
Frank Ocean
2
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Tue Jan 16 2024
At Fillmore East
The Allman Brothers Band
4
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Tue Jan 23 2024
Frank
Amy Winehouse
3
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Wed Jan 24 2024
Rock 'N Soul
Solomon Burke
Dated. Not unique for its time.
1
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Thu Jan 25 2024
Daydream Nation
Sonic Youth
A time capsule from the late 80's. It is an enjoyable listen, but not something I would put on regular rotation. This album and REM's Eponymous really capture the vibe of 1988 for me.
4
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Fri Jan 26 2024
Madman Across The Water
Elton John
A classic album really, but the first two tracks are heads and tails better than the rest - better songwriting and lyrics.
4
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Sat Jan 27 2024
Melodrama
Lorde
2
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Tue Jan 30 2024
The Velvet Underground & Nico
The Velvet Underground
I used to really enjoy this album. Now it seems bland and basic. Still like it. . .
4
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Fri Feb 02 2024
Rumours
Fleetwood Mac
5
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Tue Feb 06 2024
Young Americans
David Bowie
3
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Sat Feb 10 2024
A Rush Of Blood To The Head
Coldplay
This album was everywhere, and has some catchy songs. Not sure I would put it on this list.
3
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Fri Feb 16 2024
Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul
Otis Redding
5
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Sat Feb 17 2024
Birth Of The Cool
Miles Davis
4
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Sun Feb 18 2024
Either Or
Elliott Smith
5
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Tue Feb 20 2024
Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Wu-Tang Clan
3
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Sat Feb 24 2024
Back To Black
Amy Winehouse
2
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Sun Feb 25 2024
Meat Puppets II
Meat Puppets
2
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Mon Feb 26 2024
Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Not my thing. Never got it. There is good folk music, but not this.
2
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Tue Feb 27 2024
Live At The Harlem Square Club
Sam Cooke
3
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Wed Feb 28 2024
Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes
5
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Thu Feb 29 2024
Dirty
Sonic Youth
3
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Fri Mar 01 2024
I See A Darkness
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
1
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Sat Mar 02 2024
Straight Outta Compton
N.W.A.
3
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Sun Mar 03 2024
Kimono My House
Sparks
Not my thing. . . at all.
1
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Mon Mar 04 2024
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill
Not my thing, but it was huge for a while. . .
3
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Wed Mar 06 2024
(Pronounced 'Leh-'Nérd 'Skin-'Nérd)
Lynyrd Skynyrd
4
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Thu Mar 07 2024
The Number Of The Beast
Iron Maiden
1
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Fri Mar 08 2024
Superunknown
Soundgarden
I didn't get into this at the time it was released. It is a solid album, but I can't shake my opinions formed at the time that Chris Cornell's vision of what his music could be was not quite the right fit for his strengths.
It is a great piece of work and contains some epic tracks.
3
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Sat Mar 09 2024
Thriller
Michael Jackson
Amazing time capsule. Michael was a savant and creative genius.
4
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Mon Mar 11 2024
Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Vega
definitely from 1985. . . slow. . . spoken. . . word. . . opening song. oof...
she reminds me of radio from 1985-1987, when pop was losing its way and record labels backed the wrong artists and were continuously pushing cheesy shit.
I listened through this whole thing and did not find a reason to listen ever again. Maybe "Small Blue Thing" is a decent song, and I can hear the influence o later bands like the Throwing Muses.
3
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Tue Mar 12 2024
At Folsom Prison
Johnny Cash
This is one of those that is obviously classic and a massive album, but I don't connect with it at all. I don't love Johnny Cash's music - it just doesn't do it for me.
3
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Wed Mar 13 2024
Group Sex
Circle Jerks
Funny that this made the list. Like the Butthole Surfer's albums of the time, this feels dated and kind of stupid to me now, when it used to feel edgy and dangerous.
1
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Fri Mar 15 2024
Highway to Hell
AC/DC
4
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Fri Mar 22 2024
Pieces Of The Sky
Emmylou Harris
She is an immense talent, and her harmonies are so perfect. . . and I don't care for the music.
2
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Sat Mar 23 2024
The Joshua Tree
U2
Classic. A window into late 80's music.
80% of the tracks are great songs!
4
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Sun Mar 24 2024
Let's Get It On
Marvin Gaye
One great song. . . He has a great voice and magnetic presence. But his sensibilities and taste in songs. . . is of a different time and place. It feels 50 years old.
3
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Mon Mar 25 2024
Cafe Bleu
The Style Council
Never listened to this before. . . Probably never will again, although a few tracks are catchy and interesting, especially considering this came out in 1984.
3
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Tue Mar 26 2024
Sticky Fingers
The Rolling Stones
This is one of the greatest albums ever made. Top to bottom, every song deserves its place on the record. Good songwriting, great execution by the band, and a unique sound that helped shape rock and roll for generations.
5
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Sat Mar 30 2024
Murmur
R.E.M.
Classic. An important soundtrack for me to 8th grade through 9th grade.
4
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Mon Apr 01 2024
Viva Hate
Morrissey
Solid solo effort from him. I remember hearing it for the first time!
4
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Tue Apr 02 2024
If I Should Fall From Grace With God
The Pogues
3
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Sat Apr 06 2024
Nilsson Schmilsson
Harry Nilsson
A catalogue of what was wrong with the excesses of the late 1970s.
2
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Tue Apr 09 2024
Ten
Pearl Jam
A classic.
5
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Sat Apr 13 2024
Dire Straits
Dire Straits
a good album showcasing Knoplfer's huge talent.
4
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Fri Apr 19 2024
Bookends
Simon & Garfunkel
3
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Wed Apr 24 2024
Like Water For Chocolate
Common
3
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Thu Apr 25 2024
Electric Music For The Mind And Body
Country Joe & The Fish
a snapshot in time. . . feels like a message from a different world now. Late-60's California was something else.
2
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Sun Apr 28 2024
Doolittle
Pixies
meh.
1
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Mon Apr 29 2024
Getz/Gilberto
Stan Getz
2