1001 Albums Summary

Maiden rulz!!!!!

After watching the Little Richard documentary, I’m a little less inclined to give Elvis the credit he traditionally receives when it comes to the birth of rock and roll. But this album does show that The King was certainly onto something. I think questions of musical appropriation are interesting, and worthy of asking, though I am often less inclined to be upset about them as other people are. I think music and food are both places where cultural crossover is important to pushing boundaries and creating new art. But I’m also pretty sure that what Elvis really represents is the moment that white people allowed themselves to adopt black music.

I love that Queen is simultaneously groundbreaking rock and roll and also the kind of music that you are clearly listening to if you have a wizard painted on the side of your van. Sonically incredible and ripe for parody at the same time. I’ll be watching Spinal Tap tonight. In some ways, I’m kind of surprised this album made the list. It may have broken the mold for rock ‘n’ roll, but to me, it sounds so much like bands that aren’t Queen. Like I hear quite a bit of Led Zeppelin in here and maybe The Guess Who - especially on tracks like “The Loser in the End.” Already by Sheer Heart Attack they had found a voice that was so much more uniquely their’s. And frankly, I would take “Brighton Rock” over any song on this album. But you know, it’s still Queen. Probably the best music to have on when you’re playing Dungeons and Dragons.

An absolute all-timer for me. Fell in love the second Cynthia Mason put “Say Yes” on a mix tape for me my freshman year of high school - same year the album came out. What a great time to be a disaffected teenage mope. I know Smith can be polarizing. Count me firmly on the pro side of the spectrum with this album squarely at the top of his canon - though I’ll listen to X/O any time. Genuinely made soft acoustic a punk rock experience.

Another banger for me. I’m happy to see hip hop represented relatively early on this list and I don’t think you could do better than this album. Controversial take - I’m not a huge fan of a certain 80s hip hop sound that shows up on albums by Run-DMC or even early Beastie Boys (who, caveat, I would list among my favorite artists all around - hip hop or otherwise). I think the cadence of that era is a little silly and feels dated. And frankly I think that’s due to groups like Tribe that really changed the game. Tribe often (rightfully) is credited for building a bridge between jazz and hip hop and you can obviously hear that all over this album. Changed rap (and jazz!) forever for the better. In 2016 shortly after Phife Dawg passed away, TCQ released an album called “We got it from Here…Thank You 4 Your service” that featured support from Kanye, Andre 3000, Busta Rhymes (who makes his debut on this album!), and my personal favorite, Kendrick Lamar. And I would guess that those artists were the ones who felt like they had caught a windfall by being invited in. But you don’t find yourself in that kind of company without having made an enormous impact. Low End Theory is an iconic album and the first that we’ve listened to so far whose influence on genre is, in my opinion, indisputable.

Six out of 1,001 albums and we’ve already heard Queen twice. I’m not complaining, but it does seem that the people responsible for curating this list are situated pretty clearly in a specific musical mode. I, like many people my age, discovered this band through the lip-sync sequence of Bohemian Rhapsody in Wayne’s World - a moment that projected the song back into the top ten after it’s initial breakout from this album sixteen years earlier. What a feat! The song currently has over TWO BILLION plays on Spotify alone. Hot damn. Much as such singular hits can sometimes hang like an albatross around so many bands’ necks, I can’t really think of a song that sums up a band’s entire oeuvre as neatly as BR does for Queen. But don’t sleep on The Prophet’s Song. In many ways an equal. This is peak Queen for me. The majesty of classical orchestral mixed with rock instrumentation. So much more fun than Queen II - and much more musically interesting. They would go on to put out some killer albums after this one, but everything from the seersucker, ice-cream-parlor-esque sounds of Seaside Rendezvous and Good Company to the majestic closing on God Save the Queen are strung through with trademark humor and musicianship that blows away anything that’s being made today. Great album! I’ll rate four stars just to give my other ratings a little more legitimacy, but it’s probably closer to a 4.5 for me.

I hate the Grammys. I think they’re dumb and they generally lift up the worst that popular music has to offer. But I do remember watching in 2008 when Quincy Jones stepped up to present the Album of the Year award. And the collective look on everyone’s face in the theater read, “Who the fuck is Quincy Jones?” And then, to everyone’s surprise, who wins the award? Herbie Hancock for his paean album to Joni Mitchell. And the collective look on everyone in the theater’s face read, “Who the fuck is Herbie Hancock?” Well, everyone’s except for Quincy Jones. So even the proverbial blind squirrel finds the proverbial nut from time to time. The real irony of that Grammys was how little those musicians likely realized how influential Herbie Hancock was to their music. This is a man who redefined himself again and again without sacrificing any integrity. Listen to Takin’ Off or Maiden Voyage and you might assume Hancock was only another (albeit excellent) bebop artist. And then listen to this and realize how much conversation is being had with Sly, Parliament, or the Staples Singers. And then ask yourself what other jazz artist is noteworthy thanks to their presence on MTV like Herbie was with “Rockit.” Two of Hancock’s most recognizable tunes on this album - “Chameleon” (which I learned about when we played an extraordinarily simplified version in high school marching band) and an updated take on his own “Watermelon Man.” I prefer the original on Takin’ Off, but this really is excellent. Herbie Hancock is spectacular at every stage of his prolific career. I really enjoyed listening to this album.

When this album popped up I was excited because it was a band I didn’t know by name. Then I went to their Spotify page and learned it’s the band that originally wrote and performed “Cum on Feel the Noize.” Fun. When the album started it thought - not my thing, but I can listen. But as the album went on it just felt sillier and sillier. I can see the influence on bands that I really like, but this is probably the first and last time I deliberately listen to this band.

Genesis with Peter Gabriel > Genesis with Phil Collins. Anyway, here are 1,001 albums you need to hear if you’re super into prog rock.

I’m trying to give this album’s inclusion the benefit of the doubt, but I can’t find purchase anywhere here. I suppose the concept is cool, but intention is not why I listen to music. Maybe included so we can have a sense of the genre. Anyway - I’m glad I’m not the type of person who gets invited to experimental art exhibit openings.

Now this is what I’m talking about. When I think about lions of rock and roll music, Bowie stands shoulder to should with the greats. And beyond that, Bowie’s friendship with Andy Warhol as celebrated on this album is one of the central characterizations of the 70s for me. I sometimes feel like I missed out by escaping a heroin addiction and never sleazing out at the Mattress Factory. Incidentally, I recommend Bowie’s turn as Andy Warhol in the movie “Basquiat.” Sort of fun to watch a friend portray the likeness of a friend in homage. I imagine this isn’t the last time we’ll see David Bowie on this list. This isn’t even my favorite era of his. But a really great album all around. A groundbreaking artist in so many ways. Enjoyed from start to finish and enjoyed having the weekend to hear it a couple of times.

No surprise to see Buddy Holly on the list here. The apocryphal story I’m familiar with is that John Lennon wanted to so name the Beatles as a sort of cheeky reference to The Crickets. So if you can draw a direct line from one to the other, I’d say that’s pretty significant. I also like knowing that this nerd is who’s hanging around at the birth of rock music. Would we have Elvis Costello or Ben Gibbard without Buddy Holly? I think not. Enjoyed the album and thinking about its influence. Obviously familiar with several of these songs. And yet this album is of a moment for me and not one I’m likely to revisit with too much frequency. Still, happy to have explored it and to have enjoyed its charms for a morning.

I got so excited when this album appeared I literally shot my fist into the air. I love Pulp. I love Jarvis Cocker. I love this album. My first exposure to Pulp was the Mission: Impossible soundtrack. That album ruled. “I Spy” was a standout - but I was sort of into that Cold War/wet European streets kind of music at that time (Massive Attack, Portishead), so it clicked. But I had no idea what was waiting for me when I ordered this album from Columbia House. I was in. To call Cocker’s sexuality overt on this album is an understatement. But it is tied into many of the frustrations of coming of age in Thatcher’s UK. Sex is all over this album, but it’s really class that’s front and center. Take some of the lyrics with an ironic grain of salt, but listen up when he’s talking about the haves and the have-nots. Brit pop stalwarts for good reason. Excellent album. 6/5. Coda: do yourself a favor and listen to the William Shatner/Ben Folds spoken word version of “Common People.” It will change your life.

Remember when you could enter a secret code and play as George Clinton on NBA jam? That was cool. The hits keep on coming. I was quite thrilled to have Parliament do it to me in the ears. Easily the most fun album we’ve listened to so far. The world is a better place thanks to the imprint Parliament has left on it. I mean…what would PCU even have been without their cameo appearance? Anyhoo, make my funk the P-Funk.

Interesting choice! I really liked this album when it came out, but I can’t say I’ve listened to it at all in the last decade. To me this sounds a lot like much of the indie rock that was coming out at the same time. Were MGMT the progenitors of this sound? Were they more indie dance pop than Passion Pit or Small Sins? I’m not sure what makes them more this than any other band that was hitting in the late aughts, but I was certainly happy to throw this on for a good listen. I like the album quite a bit, but looking back at my other ratings for previous albums, it’s hard for me to think that this belongs on the same plane as Parliament or David Bowie. 3.5/5

I mean what can you say about Dusty Springfield? Dynamite diva. As good as Aretha or Etta James? No. But great in her own right? Absolutely. I prefer the music she put out later in her career (Dusty in Memphis is an incredible album), but you have to imagine that when she came out with this that she was obviously hard to ignore. Soulful and fun. Good album.

Would you believe I’ve been listening to this album quite a bit lately? Maybe because Pras has been in the news over his upcoming imprisonment. Maybe just because this is one of the greatest fucking albums of all time. Anyway - who needs the excuse. The album is unassailable. Every track is enlightening, poetic, and brutal. Lauryn Hill is a treasure. Phenomenal piece of work here. Hats off to its inclusion on this list. 10/10 - would recommend.

This is the beginning of the end of Sting for me. For a band that started off so strong, I think this album is largely pretty silly. There may be some listenable stuff here, but mostly it’s just more prog and yacht rock. So weird when you think about about Sting’s trajectory over time. The first few albums by The Police were almost punk. And then by the time you get to Ten Summoner’s Tales the man has gone full cheese. And still somehow he exudes cool. Not sure how that happened. I also think Every Breath doesn’t belong on this album. It somehow captures the easy listening spirit of the rest of it while reminding you that this is a band that could still write an awesome pop song. Unlike the rest of what’s on here.

I will freely admit that I got into the electronic music craze that hit in the mid to late 90s. I may have gone to clubs that were playing songs by The Chemical Brothers and The Crystal Method. I may have owned some Prodigy albums and a visor. I may have surfed through CD bins for compilations of electronic music that featured Aphex Twin. At the time I got into electronica, it was clear that Richard James had established himself as an important figure on the club circuit, but I had no idea that his footprint went back this far in time. I think some people could listen to this album and argue that there is no variety to electronic music. But I am more impressed at how influential this guy had been for so long. Now electronic music’s DNA is in everything from Taylor Swift to LCD Soundsystem. Despite the terrifying album covers, the rest of the catalog is also worth a listen. This was enjoyable, but I prefer grown up Aphex Twin. Still - pretty cool to see the blueprints here.

I’ve come across some Siouxise sporadically (a “Dear Prudence” here, a “Cities in Dust” there) and even own Hyena on vinyl. But I haven’t dug too deep into their catalogue. “Hong Kong Garden” is the only track on this album that I recognized. I like a lot of music of this style and era like Joy Division, The Cure (Robert Smith actually played guitar with the Banshees for a while), Cocteau Twins and so on. But I found this album a little opaque from time to time. Interestingly, Siouxsie’s recognizable songs often don’t sound too much like the rest of what’s on an album. I suppose that’s not too uncommon - but you get a lot of art rock here when I might have enjoyed some stuff that was a little more accessible. Still, I’m always fascinated by how much rock music changed during the 70s. Abbey Road and Let It Be had been released fewer than 10 years before this album came out. Imagine how people’s minds must have been blown when they heard the opening track on this album. And just as a cultural force, Siouxsie and the Banshees have clearly had a significant impact. Think of that character from G.L.O.W. who dressed like a wolf. All Siouxsie and the Banshees. I’m glad I live in a world where this band has made an impact. For its faults it’s still a fun listen. I’ll give it a 4 but closer to a 3.5.

Confession: I don’t love The Beach Boys. I know that this album is often considered the most important in rock history. And I certainly cannot deny Brian Wilson’s influence on bands that I love dearly. But mostly I think this band is goofy. This may not be a valid criticism, but this music is squeaky clean. Frankly it belies the psychosis of its creator. And I don’t know how many songs about boats or surfing the average person truly needs to listen to. But they’re all here. I’ll give it credit for its influence. But I have tried and tried to like this band, and with few exceptions I just can’t. But, we’re rating albums and not the groups themselves. Incredible harmonies and some sonically interesting stuff here right from the get-go. Maybe it’s revolutionary? I dunno. 2.5/5.

How can you not like CCR. Right off the bat the sound is inimitable (though I learned that John Fogerty reasonably sued The Hollies when “Long, Cool, Woman” came out). But I suppose that’s what it means to be impossible to imitate - try it and everyone sees the original. These songs conjure grainy film footage of high school football players and soldiers on their way to Vietnam - so wound up is this band into the fabric of the American past. Really enjoyed the opportunity to go back and listen to them. Some highlights: yes, I like the key change in “Lodi.” I think it’s expertly done. I also appreciate the way “Sinister Purpose” presages some of the hard rock that was about to come in the next decade. And while Fogerty had an appropriate reputation for reimagining soul and blues songs made famous by other artists, I’d say leave “The Night Time…” to Ray Charles. All in all a great listen. But not as a good as Willy and the Poor Boys.

Another one I spasmodically reacted to when it popped up! I’m really entranced by this whole era of Britpop surrounding Factory Records. Some of my favorite bands are in this orbit (Joy Division/New Order, The Stone Roses), and Happy Mondays are no exception. The movie 24 Hour Party People (so named after a Monday’s song) is a good primer on this whole “Madchester” movement - though Tony Wilson is apparently a much bigger asshole than Steve Coogan portrays him and The Stone Roses get short shrift since they didn’t really give their blessing to the project. Still worth a watch. “Loose Fit” is a personal favorite, but the whole album is full of danceable and sing-along-able tunes. Drug-fueled and sex-driven. Hard not to like this band in spite of all of its baggage. Great record.

I’m glad I had the chance to give this album another listen. I had tried it when it came out thanks to the critical noise it was getting. But it wasn’t for me then. And, uh, it’s not really for me now either. But I can see why people who appreciate modern R&B would like it. Good for what it is, but not especially a kind of music I spend time listening to. 2.5/5 for me.

I do not know Magazine, so I was excited to throw on some unfamiliar music. Hooked right from the get go - even the cheesy synths on the title track. Looked into the album and artist, and lo and behold - this band is the brainchild of Buzzcocks founding member Howard Devoto. I love The Buzzcocks, but Devoto likely made little impact on the catalogue of theirs that I’m familiar with, having left the band before their first full length album dropped in 1978. Still, you can hear the connective tissue between both bands here. I used to write off “80s music” as disposable and goofy. But I’ve revised that position significantly after listening to new wave music that is clearly an outgrowth of the punk rock of the 70s that I love. Now late 70s and 80s alternative ranks among my favorite genres and eras. Genuinely enjoyed this album and am looking forward to moving more Magazine into my regular listening alongside Wire and Gang of Four.

Hot damn, what an album. Stevie Wonder is a goddamn national treasure. Hot take: this is a superb album. Hot take 2: other superb things include sex, Cheers, and pizza. Teenage wunderkind turned soul impresario. Nothing to not like here. We are lucky to have Stevie Wonder’s contributions to music and the universe. Cannot say anything objective about this album. It’s perfect.

Is there any band that better encapsulates dad rock than Wilco? Is there an album that better represents Wilco’s canon than YHF? Is…is this…the holy grail of dad rock!!?? I’ve liked this band for as long as I can remember and this album overshadows the rest of a really great catalogue. I also recommend the documentary I Am Trying to Break Your Heart which follows the release of and tour for this album. And Jeff Tweedy’s books. And going to Chicago and seeing the parking structures featured on the front of this album and then going, “hey - it’s the corn cobs on the front of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot!” This album has some of the band’s best songs - “Jesus, Etc.,” “Heavy Metal Drummer,” “Kamera” - but each song has cleverness and style. Have been meaning to pick up the reissue on vinyl and this may be just the nudge I needed. A great way to start the week!

When we resurrected listening to vinyl as adults, this was the first album my wife bought for me. Before we even had a turntable! I love The Boss. When the guys get together we will inevitably play some of these songs. What an album! What a cover (that’s Clarence he’s leaning on there)! That right there is the benevolent figurehead of rock and roll music, enshrined for me when he gave the keynote speech at SXSW over a decade ago. It’s worth a listen if you can find it out there on the interwebs. Poet. Storyteller. Blue-collar philosopher/troubadour who charges exorbitant prices for his shows. I don’t care. Give me Bruce all day. He has always been with me. Save me, Springsteen! Born in the USA is his bestseller (by an absurd margin). But this is peak Bruce for me. Some of the songs on this album are just…they’re just…I mean…wow. As soon as you hear the opening piano and harmonica on “Thunder Road,” just give yourself over to it. Hop on your motorcycle with your girl and ride off across the river to your last chance to make it in America. And I would drop my thesis on “Jungleland” here, but I don’t think the word count would accommodate it. Suffice it to say, a miniature masterpiece in all of it’s cheesy, 1975 glory. Phenomenal album all around. Not a weak spot on it. Give me more of this.

I had never heard of this artist. But much of this album resembles the type of music I was listening to in 1999 (Morcheeba, Esthero, Chicane, Bjork, etc.). I would have likely owned this album if I had known about it. There are a lot of different styles showing up here - certainly not complaining about that. But the tracks that connected with me most are the ones that resemble the above-mentioned artists. The whole album has an international flair, drawing from a number of different traditions throughout. I enjoyed the album overall and am eager to find more music by this artist.

Hi, like many people, have been thrilled at the Kate Bush Renaissance that has happened in the wake of stranger things. As a teacher, I find it delightful that today’s 16 and 17-year-olds recognize her name and her music. I might argue that albums like hounds of love or the sensual world are much more accessible than this album, but Kate Bush has always been kind of weird, and I have loved her for it. I listened to a lot of Fiona Apple and Tori Amos growing up, and the influence that Kate Bush has had on them, and other artist is profound. This album definitely represents wacky Kate Bush, but everything from her inimitable voice to the driving drums, and in the case of this album, somehow very impressive guitar work, I think it is a very good representation of who she is as an artist. I enjoyed it, and I’m happy to continue expanding my appreciation of this artist.

Any time I’m doing something that can be described in six syllables I like to announce it to the tune of “Aqualung.” “Going to the Starbucks.” “Picking up the groceries.” People really love it. Proto-metal here. I’ve listened to this album enough to know it’s not my thing. But I couldn’t help moving my head along to songs like “Cross-Eyed Mary.” In spite of its renaissance-faire stylings, still enough to like here.

Hard not to enjoy one of the best guitarists of all time. I certainly had heard Dire Straits in my life, but it was Mark Knopfler’s album with Emmylou Harris that really brought me to the band. And while Brothers in Arms may have more ear worms, this is an excellent representation of a kick ass catalogue. Can’t say anything critical about “Sultans of Swing,” but I really enjoyed some of the songs I wasn’t familiar with - “Six Blade Knife” a particular standout. Lotta fun.

For whatever reason I have resisted listening to Frank Zappa in my life. I’m not sure I could name a song or recognize a tune as his. It’s certainly not that I was under the impression that this wasn’t musically impressive. It is. And it’s not that I was scared of it. It’s remarkably ahead of its time. Maybe it’s how much it reminds me of Gallagher or how much it seemed like kitsch. And it is kitschy. And I have liked kitschy music in the past (They Might Be Giants and even Tom Waits who ranks among one of my absolute favorites). But on the whole, while I enjoy the fact that this music exists and think that everyone could learn a lesson about their own self-seriousness from an album like this, I can’t imagine ever deliberately putting this music on. I’m glad I live in a world where Zappa has made an impact and I’m glad I finally was given a reason to give him a close listen. And I think I can close the book on the extraordinarily brief chapter on my relationship with the Mothers of Invention.

Sabbath! I mean, what can you say about the goddamn Prince of Darkness. As silly as it is, this music rips. Punk and metal owe an outsized debt of gratitude to Ozzy, whether you dig this or not. I don’t listen to a ton of Black Sabbath, but I’m never disappointed when it comes on. Some of these songs are just linchpins of hard rock music. I think anytime someone plays “Paranoid,” Jack Black goes into a spasmodic fit wherever he is. Bring on the rat salad. I had fun with this.

Is this a joke? Evidently this album has near universal acclaim. I think it’s awful. I don’t know what I’m missing. How could so many people find purchase here? The whole thing sounds like a five year old made it. Not a fan.

Everything I know about Supertramp comes from Breakfast in America, so it was fun to go deeper into the catalogue here. Really fun music - love the harmonies and the electric piano. I probably don’t listen to enough of this band. I’ll have to amend that after listening to this album.

Did we line dance to “Personal Jesus” at school dances in the 90s? Is this album in our vinyl collection? Have we sung the song “Clean” so often to our six year old when she gets out of the bathtub that now she sings it herself when she’s done with her shower? Do we love Depeche Mode and especially Violator in this house? A resounding yes to all. A dark turn for an already dark new wave band, this album confronts the band’s abundant drug use in a chilling and incredible way. Not a single miss on the whole thing. Contemplative and weird. I love it and know my rating without having to put the needle down…but I happily will.

I love Kanye’s early albums and would list Late Registration among my favorite hip-hop albums. But since his decline into…whatever he is now, I’ve tried to avoid Kanye West. There’s not a single step he’s taken that I haven’t found disgusting. Marrying a Kardashian. His comical stint as an evangelical musician. Rise to MAGA superstardom. It’s fair to say that he is my least favorite celebrity. But I don’t know another public figure whose descent has been so widely documented through pervasive media presence, and maybe I shouldn’t hold that against him. But my view of him as an human no doubt affects my view of him as an artist. I thought Nicki Minaj was the best thing about My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and that is supposedly a great album? Is he a genius? Is this album great? Is it as great an album as Kanye West is an asshole? Does it matter? Anyway - for all of the people who have been classified as geniuses and whose lights have faded too soon, I don’t know why this guy keeps hanging around like a barnacle. It’s a pretty good album, but I don’t like that Kanye West made .003 cents while I listened to it.

Iggy Pop has always been untouchable - on a different plane. If anything cool is happening in music it’s because Iggy set the tone. I would guess that for most millennials like me, awareness of Iggy Pop started with Trainspotting where Danny Boyle used the title track of this album expertly. (Now that track is on cruise ship commercials, but that’s another story.) But of course anybody who was worth listening to in the 90s would was only so because of The Stooges. The solo stuff is not quite as tough as the Stooges, but damn is it good. I just watched Gimme Danger a month or so ago. The takeaway from that doc was that nobody really knew what to do with The Stooges when they hit the scene. But that music is more impressive than virtually anything that’s happening in music right now. And the obvious next step in the evolution is this album, which absolutely kicks ass. The hits from this album are obviously great, but I’ll take Neighborhood Threat 11 times out of 10. Give me the whole album. Loved it from tip to tail.

Pro Nilsson! Until recently I didn’t known this artist by name, and I was bowled over when I realized how many songs of his that I knew. So maybe not as familiar as the artists that adored him, but certainly as important. I liked this as much as anyone likes anything that has been with them their whole lives without them knowing it.

This is the sort of thing I appreciate about having undertaken a project like this one. An opportunity to go a little more off the obvious path (Kind of Blue, Bitch’s Brew) and get into a less familiar album by a massively influential artist. It’s kind of amazing people would consider this album controversial when you consider how influential it feels. Maybe sort of like Dylan goes electric. Whatever the case, this solidifies that Miles was so much more than what he is commonly known for.

What is there to say about the most important rock and roll band ever? There are people who like the Beatles and people who don’t. But I think among people that love the Beatles, there is no bad Beatles album. Only a ranking of those which are more superior to the others. This is my favorite Beatles album, though I think it often falls more towards the middle of the pack for most. But these are the songs that I learned to sing harmony to. And songs that I learned how to write songs imitating. Even if you don’t like the Beatles, whatever you do like, is more than likely following the template, set by this band and on these songs. I would guess that though it’s the first, this won’t be the last Beatles album encountered with this project. What a great start though.

“I’m not really a live album person.” “What about ‘At San Quentin?’” “Oh, well yeah. Of course ‘At San Quentin.’” I think the context of live albums is as important as the music itself. It’s as much fun to listen to Cash’s banter here as it is to listen to the songs. This album cements true outlaw status for the Man in Black.

It pains me to say this as someone who loves Tom Waits - I’ve always found this album impenetrable. I get what he’s doing here. And there’s no doubt that it’s great for what it is. But I’ve never been inspired to just throw this album on for some fun listening. Though I will say that I enjoyed this album more on this listening than I have previously. Maybe I’m finally old enough to appreciate how immature it is. I just don’t know how much xylophone I need in my life. I love the world that Tom Waits lives in. It’s as if everything around him is some demented adult cartoon. I hope there is more from him on this list. 3.5/5

What a weird and cool trajectory Leonard Cohen had as a musical artist. Compare this to Songs of Leonard Cohen and you’d never guess you were listening to the same artist. This album has more in common with Nick Cave than Paul Simon. But maybe Cohen is the connective tissue. Lou Reed + Depeche Mode + Tom Waits + Morphine. You might say the synths date the music, but for me it’s what gives it its David Lynch quality (couldn’t you hear the title track in background of an episode of Twin Peaks?) Excellent album. Give me more.

Not exactly what you envision when you hear “coke-fueled rock and roll,” but here we are. A great album from what is probably the world’s most dysfunctional, and yet somehow incredibly successful band. I mean, this band spun gold out of their shitty lives. And though this album belies the problems roiling underneath the sound, you can’t help but think of their story anytime you listen to any of their albums. The standouts here are standouts for a reason, but the whole album is a delight.

A must have for the vinyl collection. We’ve been listening to this one several times a week lately to get into the holiday spirit. Easily my favorite murder-adjacent Christmas album. The monologue at the end hasn’t aged well, but otherwise this is solid gold. Plus it’s basically the soundtrack to Goodfellas, so bonus points there as well. A great way to celebrate the season.

Like Dylan, Cohen is more poet than musician, but it’s poetry I can get behind. I appreciate that this album was on the list the week after “I’m Your Man,” seeing as how you can really hear the expanse of his catalogue between those two albums. Ultimately I prefer guttural, synthy Leonard Cohen, but this is still pretty great stuff.

I’ve come to enjoy road trips more since undertaking this project because it gives me an excuse to deliberately listen to these albums without interruption. Unfortunately today’s road trip involved the entire family…who did not enjoy this record. I, however, firmly liked it as I have with any of the electronica that has appeared on this list. William Orbit is a top-tier name in electronic music and this album is a clear example of why.

Smashing Pumpkins’s best album. People who only heard their radio songs probably didn’t realize how heavy they could play as heard on this one. It’s really quite a feat to put out a double album with as many songs that kick the way that these do. I was happy to go back to this one and listen with fresh ears. I think I’ll be listening more in the next few days.

Man how the mighty have fallen! This album kicked so hard. And then this band really - I mean really started to suck. Compare any song on this album to “Pretty Fly for a White Guy” and ask yourself if you still have faith in humanity. Every song on this album rips. More punk than pop which is more than I can say for anything else they did after this. Iconic album for 90s punk kiddies.

I wasn’t really sure where this band came from when they had gotten as big as they did - but I always enjoyed listening to them as I did this album. Solid rock and roll that leans on the band’s southern rock roots. Will listen again.

Fun stuff here. Orchestrations and arrangements are masterly. But I mean, what kind of person are you if you’re listening to ELO regularly?

Hell yes.

It’s probably not cool to like this album as much as I do, but I do. Every track is a standout. Perfect album.

Does all Bowie get five stars? No. But 99% of it does. Long live Ziggy!!

This is a complicated album. NWA were and are some of the most talented and innovative artists in music. Any hip hop artist (and many artists in other genres) owe a lot to this group and its members. And frankly, while I probably loved this album in my teens, in my forties, I’m not sure I want to hear some of this stuff. It’s brilliant and groundbreaking. And misogynist and homophobic.

I thought this was a cool album! Hadn’t heard of the band before, but I dig it. Low key and heavy at the same time. File under Fugazi/Built to Spill. Will listen again.

There really aren’t a ton of straight up rock and roll bands left - I’m glad Queens of the Stone Age is one of them. Wasn’t as familiar with this album as with their later stuff, but I enjoyed it and could hear the blueprint of where they were headed. This was cool.

I’m genuinely thankful for the contributions that Jack White has made to rock music. I love just about everything he puts his hands on. Fun to revisit this album. Enjoyed it multiple times over the weekend. I’m not sure I can fully distinguish it from what he does with The White Stripes other than having more instrumentation. But maybe that’s what you need to do when your claim to fame is a two-piece. Loved the electric piano on this album. Solid through and through.

I know that the hardliners think of this album as the beginning of the end for Metallica (for me it was Load). My brother was a metal head, so I had experience with their early albums before this one was on my radar. But this is what launched them into the mainstream - and if you were 10 or 11 in 1991 like was, mainstream Metallica was still pretty awesome. And Justice for All was probably their last great album. Not a ton of virtuosic solos here or cheesy speed metal. But if this was the first introduction to them, it would still melt your face off.

Be still my teenage heart. What can you say about this album that hasn’t already been said? I’m pro-Nirvana. Pro Seattle music. I get that their rise to fame and the current resurgence in their popularity belies their identity and philosophy. But I can’t imagine a world where Nirvana doesn’t impact music after 1991. What would we be? I am firmly in the camp of those who consider this a game-changing album. Listening to it I'm reminded of the scene in Almost, Famous when Zooey Deschanel defends Simon and Garfunkel by calling it poetry and Frances McDormand responds that it’s the poetry of sex and drugs. I feel like I had similar arguments with my own parents about this album. And they came of age in the 60s! Who knows. I can’t explain Billie Eilish, so maybe it all comes around.

Yes!! Love Buzzcocks and I love this album. The only thing that keeps me from rating a 5 is that Singles Going Steady is even better. Excellent and incredibly impactful band and record.

One of my favorite things about Talking Heads is that every one of their albums, though distinct in its own way, makes sense within the band’s oeuvre. This album does not sound like ‘77 or Speaking in Tongues. But it still sounds like Talking Heads. Thank god for this band.

Yeah this is pretty good I guess. These guys might be going somewhere.

Hard to pick an album from someone who made so many. This is a good choice though. I will say, I don’t listen to a lot of JLL - yeah, because of the teenage cousin thing. This is good and clearly important for the development of rock and roll. But something doesn’t hit in quite the same way as Cash’s live albums. Or anything by Elvis.

I knew the radio hits by War but had never listened to a full album. I’m not sure I would have pegged them as a band that might have a 12+ minute track on one of their albums. But I s’pose that was the way of the time. I enjoyed the listen - a really cool fusion of styles on this album. 3.5/5

I never thought I liked country music, and then we moved to Austin. This was 15 years ago, but I never realized that what is sold to the masses as country is a far cry from where the genre started and where so many great artists remain. Joe Ely is a great example. Enjoyed the album as well as the related songs that Spotify started playing after it was finished. Fits very well into my vibe.

There is a serious lack of female artists on this list. It’s nice to get a little diversity and you could do far worse than Cyndi Lauper. Never listened to this album before but I really liked it. It’s funny to think that she ever could have been controversial. She really has been a pioneer for pop culture. Truly influential. This album spoke to the theatre student in me.

I’m not a huge fan of what this band stands for socially. But oh my god can they rip. Pioneers of southern rock and this album really shows why. I enjoyed listening, even if I may not go back to it too often. 3.5/5

A whopper of a double album. In my mind Nick Cave can really do no wrong. This album really capitalized on the promise of his whole catalogue up to this point. I personally prefer Abattoir Blues to Lyre of Orpheus, even though the songs “Breathless” and “Easy Money” are among the best on the album. Overall the whole thing is great and I’m proud to say that both of these records are in regular rotation at our house.

Just a thoroughly lovely album. Nick Drake is a singular tragic figure in an industry full of them. These songs are heart on sleeve and they honestly could have been written yesterday. It’s kind of no wonder he went more or less unnoticed during his time. I have and will listen to this album on a plane, in the rain, in a box and with a fox. Excellent.

When “Something Wicked This Way Comes” came on it took me directly to Lost Highway, which is funny because I don’t know this artist by name or reputation. The whole thing smacks of David Lynch. But to look at his pedigree and similar artists I’m not at all surprised to find that I like it. I was also not surprised to find Nick Cave guesting on the penultimate track. From the moment I started listening to this album I wanted to throw on Let Love In. They kind of go hand in hand. The spoken word track was a little too bizarre for me. But otherwise I really enjoyed this from start to finish.

Heck yeah. I’m a big fan of The Pixies and you can really hear Frank Black’s imprint on the band’s sound when you hear him solo. I love Kim Deal too, but the shadow of Black Francis looms large. Still, I’d rather have The Pixies (or The Posies or Throwing Muses). A good listen.

I’m not sure I have a resistance to Jefferson Airplane per se. This album pretty much contains my entire knowledge of the band. I recognize that they are a significant group when it comes to the evolution of rock ‘n’ roll. And there’s nothing on this album that I found outright unlikable. And still it doesn’t seem to have quite the same staying power as other music from this era. Definitive of a period and consequently of a moment.

Interesting choice. This band and this album are representative of this sort of sad, quiet indie rock that was popularizing itself at this time (see Daughter, Beach House, etc.). Good mood music, but not exactly something I’m eager to throw on and actively listen to. Some good grooves here, but nothing earth shattering.

Burt Bacharach!? Elvis Costello!? Nope! It’s a guy who’s been in a couple of bands you’ve heard of! Glib kidding aside, I actually really liked this album. It may cover some well-worn territory, but it does it effectively and convincingly. Maybe not surprising when you look at the bands he’s been associated with. I did not know Richard Hawley before, but he’s on my radar now - especially since he appears to still be releasing new work.

Definitely the sound of a moment. Reminds me of a lot of stuff that I prefer to this. I’d rather listen to David Bowie or Devo. I applaud the list for not simply sticking to the obvious choices. But there are less obvious choices that are more interesting and more impactful than this album.

I understand her contribution to pop music. I lived through the sensation that she was at the time. I know her importance to the queer community. I have all the sympathy in the world for her as a teenager who got ground up in the gears of the industry. I just do not like this music at all.

How can you not like The Who? Everything that makes them great is on display in this album. Still, I’m not sure there’s too much that makes this live album better than any of their studio albums. But it’s nice to hear the banter. Keith Moon’s drums sound terrible.

I was born in 1981. My siblings are 7 and 11 years older than I am. This album was pretty much the soundtrack to my growing up - but I didn’t really realize the importance of Bruce Springsteen on the world until I was a teenager. I read The Boss’s autobiography a few years ago and was surprised to learn that this was the album that really cemented him as a legend - so profound are his albums that preceded this one. But I get it. This album capitalizes on the promise of his 70s music while ushering him into a new era. It’s hard to think of him in the same light as similar monoliths like Madonna or Prince since they are all so different, but Bruce is really keeping rock and storytelling alive here. There’s a reason he’s considered one of the best and it’s all over this album. An all timer.

I’ve only just started to listen to Cheap Trick, so it was nice to get a chance to figure out what they were really about. I’m really not a huge fan of live albums, but this list really seems to love them. Still, it gives you an insight into what a band is truly like. Also, it was fun to hear where the sample at the beginning of Check Your Head comes from. 3.5/5

I JUST finished the excellent (and hard to listen to at times) podcast Think Twice chronicling MJ’s rise and fall. It both made me want to listen to these songs and to never listen to them ever again. He truly was the King of Pop - even if that moniker is fraught with all of the challenges that encompass Michael Jackson. His mark on pop music is indelible. An excellent debut by a truly troubled artist.

I enjoyed this album a lot more than The Scream. Siouxsie’s albums definitely get better over the course of her catalogue, showing the growth and range of her influence. I would say this is really where things start taking off. I’m surprised she shows up twice on this list and I’m curious if we’ll see more of her. Good listen!

It can be hard to know where to even start with a legendary artist who has so many albums. You could do a lot worse than this one for Dolly. I hear so many contemporary artists that I love in this music (Brandi Carlile, Amanda Shires) - the DNA is inextricable. Too many standouts to name, but I might choose “Early Morning Breeze” as my personal favorite. I love groove of certain 70s country tunes. Glad to have had the weekend to give this one several spins.

This is such a good album. It was a revelation to me when it came out. I think “The Corner” is one of the best songs in hip-hop, and the rest of the album is not far behind it. I just finished the excellent book “The Come Up: An Oral History of the Rise of Hip-Hop” by Jonathan Abrams. His chapter on the Midwest claims Common as the conscience of hip-hop and this album is irrefutable evidence of that. Wonderful through and through.

Frankly there just isn’t enough oboe used in pop music. Thank god for a-ha. Everything I knew about a-ha previous to listening to this album was in relationship to its opening track (Norwegian band, revolutionary music video, impressive falsetto). I had never been inspired to listen to any more an-ha after hearing “Take On Me.” I likely will not deliberately listen to any more a-ha after having heard this album in its entirety. To be fair, there is a lot of Nordic pop that I really like (Robyn, First Aid Kit, Jens Lenkman). And I like new wave, even if only nostalgically. But I really couldn’t tell you what distinguishes this from The Fixx or Howard Jones or Naked Eyes. It’s fine.

It’s fine.

A genuinely interesting album choice for this list. Maybe there will be more Bjork on this list, but I’m otherwise surprised that this is the album of hers that merits listening over some of her other better known work. This is a challenging album - and I mean that in the best way possible. Bjork really toes the line between pop and art. Her music requires focus and concentration. It is simultaneously melodic and bizarre. And I think it gets more complex as her canon goes along. I think this album showcases so much of what I love about her as an artist and neglects so much of what I love about her as an artist. I really enjoyed listening to this, and I also found myself wishing I was listening to Debut or Post. Great album from a great artist though.

Probably Cash’s most notable entry in his American saga. It’s certainly the one that brought him more fully into my sphere. Before this album I really didn’t know enough about what an important figure he was in music - but his covers of songs that I knew and loved made me realize that he crossed over into and influenced other genres in ways I never fully realized. An album like this makes his duet of “Redemption Song” with Joe Strummer seem less bizarre. I love the paradox of the way this album begins and ends. It almost imbues “We’ll Meet Again” with its own kind of darkness. I’m pretty sure that “Hurt” was the big moment on this album, but for me, it’s the cover of “Personal Jesus.” The whole album is really an important entry in the career of one of the most important musical artists.

Sort of a peculiar album tucked between one of his finest (Innervisions) and his magnum opus (Songs in the Key of Life). This could be an album of b-sides for the former. It’s possible that, with hindsight, because it is flanked by two such powerhouses, the songs here might feel a little less impactful that those on its brethren. 3.5/5

I remember people going crazy for this album when it came out. To me it sounds like a guy trying to figure out how to use Garage Band.

Heck yeah. Super Furry Animals. I don’t listen to this band enough, but I really like this sound and similar bands of the era. Enjoyed this album. Everyone should know this band.

The playlist for “The Waterboys Radio” includes The Rolling Stones, Crowded House, Big Country, Joe Jackson, and Elvis Costello. All bands and acts that I enjoy immensely more than I enjoyed this album. I think that’s interesting because I can absolutely hear where this album fits in with those groups. But this just didn’t grip me in quite the same way that similar artists have throughout my life.

This album was dope. File under “should have listened to by now.” I like that this list doesn’t shy away from jazz. In my opinion there could be a separate list of only jazz albums. Goes right alongside my love of Booker T. and Delvon Lamarr - which I am listening to right now since this album has put me in the mood.

I was a teenager in the 90s and I lived through the swing revival. Yeah, I saw Brian Setzer in concert. I saw the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies at the Cleveland Rib Fest. I saw the movie Swingers enough times to quote most of it. I minored in Theatre in college. I have an appreciation for this music. And yet, I don’t think I would ever purposefully put it on to listen to. Charming and pleasant. And not particularly diverse. And probably the only time I will deliberately listen to Old Blue Eyes this year.

This is goofy music.

If all this project was was listening to Stevie Wonder albums it could be a lot worse. The good news is that this the third of his albums in the first 100, so I’m hopeful that there’s still more to come from the wunderkind. A spectacular album and the first in a line of impossibly good bangers. The world of music owes so much to Little Stevie.

I don’t think you can overstate how big of a hit “Bittersweet Symphony” was. So when I was 15 (when this album dropped) I had to see what the rest of it was about. And for whatever reason, though there was much other Brit-pop that I genuinely loved, I couldn’t get into this album. Fast forward 25-odd years…I don’t know what I was thinking. This album is excellent. Yes, the opening track kicks (and I understand that in the last five years Mick Jagger and Keith Richards allowed Richard Ashcroft to receive rights to this song), but the whole album is thoughtful, introspective, and musically complex. A really great listen. Glad it was on the list.

I would guess that this is not the only Temptations album that will be on this list. If that’s the case, then I’m plenty happy to start with this one that is more “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” than it is “My Girl.” Fun, funky, and showing off not only the depth of their sound, but of Motown Records as well. Their take on “I Heard it through the Grapevine” is fantastic. Enjoyed the whole thing as much as I enjoyed having the whole weekend to listen.

Fantastic cover art. No notes. Like listening to a Coen Brothers movie. Definitely a portal into a different time. This is entirely a reflection on me, but I would much rather listen to a band like the Cactus Blossoms, who are clearly influenced by Marty Robbins, than I would to this album. Good to know who this is, but it’s hard to take this music as seriously as it takes itself. **Note: this album grew on me as I listened. By “El Paso” I was enjoying what I was listening to.

How do you choose a single member of Wu-Tang to highlight and not then highlight every other one of them? In my opinion they’re the best collective in hip-hop. Every single rapper is a genius who helped craft the sound of 90s rap. And then how do you choose a single album in Ghostface’s enormous catalogue? He is so prolific, and really hasn’t taken a wrong turn. This album is excellent. Bring the ruckus.

Oh shit! Ghostface followed by Dre!? East coast vs west coast!? Not that Wu-Tang ever really got mixed up in that BS. But you definitely have two styles going on between the two records. For my money, the stuff from the home of hip hop is preferable to west coast gangsta. Like NWA, this album landed better for me when I was a teenager. It doesn’t scratch the same itch as it maybe once did for me, and frankly I’m not sure how much of this I need in my life. And frankly, of all the things Dr. Dre is known for, I think rapping is the thing he is least good at. So give me Ghostface, Nas, or Biggie any day over this album. Still - important for the evolution of the genre. 3.5/5.

My parents were anomalies. They started their adult lives in the 1970s and we had records like James Taylor and Carole King in our house. For some reason, Joni Mitchell never got played. In fact, this is the first real experience I have had in actively listening to her music. I’m not sure why some singer songwriters of this era made it into our collection and she did not. But this is not an artist that shaped my musical education. I really wish she had. I loved this album. I understand why she is such an important figure to so many artist and musicians that I love. The poetry and storytelling are one of a kind. I love the sound of the guitar on this album too. Unfortunately, this album was not on Spotify so I had to listen on YouTube which is not my favorite method of music consumption. We’re not for that. I would guess that this album would be on regular replay in my house from this point on.

The first and last Green Day album worth paying attention to in my opinion. I can’t deny that they were my gateway to punk rock. And man did they un-punk themselves pretty quickly. The music got poppier and poppier until it turned into a Broadway musical. But this album is a really good starter kit for kids to wrap their head around the thrill of being obnoxious. And I’m not embarrassed to play it as an adult. Fun nostalgia.

Solid rock and blues. I’ve never really been inclined to listen to ZZ Top. I felt like I was in a biker bar the whole time. Clearly talented. Not really for me.

KISS clearly rocks. But they’re very silly. I think as someone who was born in 1981 and really came of age musically in the 90s, I really only need a few bands to scratch this itch. ZZ Top followed by KISS…well, I guess it’s time to grow out my mullet and hop in my Camaro to go bust up some mailboxes.

I’d be really curious to know what today’s young person thinks of Faith no More. Kinda silly but definitive of a time in music. Probably the silliest band I like.

Look upon my works, ye “punks,” and Despair! Here be no Blink-182s, no Fall Out Boys, but real disaffected malcontents. This is the real shit. All Fugazi is good, but this Fugazi is the best Fugazi. 10/10

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t understand the hate that gets directed towards the Eagles. I think this is a good album. Plenty of other light rock like this that’s close to my heart (America, Michael McDonald). I enjoyed the listen.

What a fascinating album. I just watched “Under African Skies” - the documentary about the making of this album. It unlocks new levels of understanding. I knew that there was controversy around it, but the movie helps firm up and understanding of all of that. Opens up important questions about appropriation and appreciation. But however you feel about the way this album was made, it’s hard to deny what a truly excellent album it is. A genuine masterpiece.

This is pretty good, but I kept waiting for Arsenio Hall to pop out to talk to me about AIDS.

Spectacular album. Hard to say if it’s OutKast’s best. But it’s nearly perfect as far as I’m concerned.

Uh…ok

Whatever my feelings about Win Butler, this is an important album by an important band. 4.5/5

I will go down defending U2. I don’t care how douchy Bono is. This album is amazing and so, so special to me. As is Rattle and Hum - the documentary and album chronicling the tour for Joshua Tree. I could put this album on every day and not get tired of it. Spectacular. A genuine masterpiece.

This was cool! I had never heard of this band. Definitely would have been listening to this in 2000 if I had known about them. From the description I read, I was expecting something more like the band Galactic. But this doesn’t quite fit that mould. Very very cool.

My first thought was, “Cool. I’ve never listened to a whole George Michael album.” My second thought was, “I know most of these songs.” So I guess a good exercise in understanding that certain pop idols are famous for a reason. Still, though many of these songs were nostalgic and enjoyable for me, I don’t think that George Michael is necessarily somebody that I’m going out of my way to listen to. I think I might equate him to Harry Styles as a contemporary analog. Musically competent, important for pop cultural reasons, but not necessarily somebody that I am looking to have more of in my canon.

While listening to the first track, I began to feel bad that I had given Duran Duran the credit for so many years when this band that I had never heard of had clearly laid the ground work for them. But as I continued to listen the album became much less compelling to me. Tracks like “Despair” just sounded like someone noodling on a piano to me. Neither complex nor interesting. A lot of shared DNA with bands I love. But those other bands ultimately do it a lot better.

A well-loved album from one of my favorite bands. There are better R.E.M. albums, but this is the first one I owned and it has a special place in my heart.

No Stairway? Denied! What an iconic album. Led Zeppelin is a little silly - but this album just rocks. Plain and simple. Set aside some of the more D&D-esque tracks like “The Battle of Evermore” or even “Stairway to Heaven,” this is real rock and roll.

Hell. Yes. I actually learned the term “punk trad” from an interview Chris O’Dowd did about meeting Shane McGowan. I think it’s a pretty good way to think about the influence of music like this on punk rock. Shane presents as a punk, even though the music often sounds like traditional Celtic. It is not a far stretch to link a band like this to a band like Minor Threat or Fugazi. I have a copy of Rum Sodomy and the Lash that I put on on St. Patrick’s Day. And of course “Fairytale of New York” is on regular repeat during the winter holidays. But I really should be listening to this band more often throughout the year. an excellent album!

I think of Paul Simon as embodying an unobtainable kind of cool while being completely uncool at the same time. A walking paradox. I grew up listening to Simon and Garfunkel, but I didn’t know this album at all. I enjoyed it as much as I enjoy anything PS puts his stamp on. A good listen!

Spectacular

I really think this list’s excitement about down-tempo indie from the aughts is fascinating.

It’s obviously great. Hot take - one of the best albums by one of the best artists is an album you should hear before you die.

Ive loved Belle & Sebastian since high school. So, you know, things were really easy for me.

Excellent album.

This is so much better than The Chronic, but I feel like Snoop was always a little overlooked in the shadow of Dre. But again, I think it speaks to how much a better cultivator of talent Dr. Dre is than a rapper. Enjoyed the trip down memory lane with this one.

I really like this early era of The Cure. You really get a sense of how important they were to New Wave when you put together all of the ways their sound grew and changed over the years. Enjoyed the listen and the reminder that I should be coming back to these early albums.

Just one of the best. It’s interesting that this album came out close to the same time as Sinatra’s “Songs for Swingin’ Lovers.” I just find this so much more interesting. Great songs realized by…well, a genius.

Excellent. Just grunge enough to rock and not enough to be a turn off. Big fan of this band. Appropriate that they are on the list.

I’m sort of ambivalent about blues music. Talent is obvious, but it has never landed on me the same as other genres. Good background music. 3.5/5

Awesome album. I feel like Missy does and doesn’t get the respect she deserves. I think people know how good and influential she is and I don’t hear her music enough. Certainly not as much as I hear some of her contemporaries. I’m glad I listened to this.

A lot of critics considered this to be the best album of its decade. I’ve always considered OK Computer to be superior. In fact, I’ve often thought this album sounds a lot like my kids screwing around on the keyboard. But I’m glad I had a chance to reconsider Kid A on this listen. I understand what makes it great. But still not the greatest.

I mean what else can you say? Supreme indeed.

Yeah it’s pretty great. This is the music that I was raised on and I’ve always had a reverence for S&G. Listening to this music is how I learned to sing harmony. And despite the fact that this duo is deeply uncool, they remain cool in their own very specific kind of way. Have and will listen to this album frequently.

Classic. So good.

I’m not super into the mustache/mullet variety of classic rock, but for some reason I have a soft spot for Boston. This is one of the first albums that we bought when we started collecting vinyl again. It sounds really good on an old turntable.

This album really was a game changer. It didn’t fit in precisely with anything else at the time. The guy from Blur is starting a band where he casts himself as a cartoon ape? And it’s kind of electronic-driven? And Del shows up on a track to rap? Awesome. Always love a listen.

At what point in the 23-minute version of the song “Whipping Post” is the song no longer “Whipping Post.” I would have been pissed if I had been at this concert.

Not my jam. A little self indulgent.

Awesome album. This band was such a needed thing at the time. Popular music was just starting to crawl out of the depths and The Killers really helped launch the return of listen-toable music. From the first notes you’re just hooked and the album really doesn’t let up. No weak spots on the album as best as I can hear. Great listen.

I was surprised to learn that this album was released when it was! I spent so much of my adolescence in the mid to late 90s hearing these songs on the radio. I guess I never realized that The Black Crowes started as early as they did. I guess to me they always were the connective tissue between 90s alternative and 70s rock, so it makes a lot of sense that they date back as early as they do. Keeping rock alive. Good stuff.

I feel like I made in error in attempting to honestly review these albums. I mean - what are you supposed to say about Deja Vu? Yeah. It’s pretty good.

I like Monk, but sometimes he can be too complex for me. I listened to this in the car on a five hour trip and really got to concentrate on listening, and I really enjoyed it. I feel that’s what you have to do with his music. It’s not passive listening. The man was an absolute genius.

Didn’t have to play a note of Nasty Nas to know this album was getting five stars. One of the absolute best.

Boy did I love this album. Absolutely fantastic. The only question I have is if they’re going to include albums like this on this list, why the hell are we listening to so much shitty 70s prog rock?

Nick Drake meets Bruce Cockburn. Did not know this artist at all, but I think he pairs nicely with the flecks of gray in my beard. Enjoyed it.

Blondie, like the Talking Heads, are often mentioned as progenitors of punk rock even though they sound nothing like conventional punk music. But their attitude and creativity are both very punk rock rock. Do it yourself and do it outside of the system. I wish more bands like this existed today. And listening to this album really helps you realize how connected they are to everything from funk to new wave. To punk and everything in between. They even get mentioned as influential to hip-hop sometimes thanks to “Rapture.” But honestly Debbie Harry can call herself whatever she wants.

The guy who owns one of the record stores in my town is a little like Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons. He always has this record in stock and prominently displayed, so I have seen this album cover many times, though I have never listened to it. It was better than I expected. But still the kind of music that “Record Store Guy” would play in his store.

File under “not-quite-as-good-as-Depeche-Mode-or-New-Order.” Definitely of a time. When I listen to music like this, I have to remind myself that synthesizers were sort of cutting edge instruments, and though their sound dates, the music a bit I still found this fun to listen to.

Preferred this significantly to the Pet Shop Boys, who we listened to the day before. This one seem to have a little bit more of a pumpkin influenced groove to it, and that connected with me. Still, I can’t say I really really know this band very well. Glad to have listened to something that was not on my radar.

God help me, I like Simply Red and I always have. Nothing cool about this band at all. But they definitely do not sound quite like any other band. This album was equal parts interesting and cheesy as hell. Always a great listen.

I mean how can you not have a special place in your heart for this album. Sixth grade me syncing this up to The Wizard of Oz before I had even smoked pot…wow. Memories. Pink Floyd definitely has a reputation, but I mean come on. It’s good rock and roll. And any band that writes a song in 5/4 gets immediate points in my book. Sorry not sorry. I like this album.

I really liked this! I haven’t listened to a lot of Fats Domino, but this album had a lot more variety on it than I thought it would. You can really hear the start of rock and roll on this album. And I really liked the periods in time when you really needed to have talent to be a pop star. Really great.

Hell yes.

I was in college when this album came out. As someone who had been reared on alternative and punk music, I just absolutely hated groups like N’Sync and The Backstreet Boys. They stood against everything I believed popular music should be. It required no actual creativity on the part of the “artist” and never got deeper than a puddle in its content. I’ve softened on pop music in general and I fully recognize that (though he has taken quite a bit of deserved heat lately), JT is the real deal. This is not an album that I would put on if I were alone in the car, but I’ll be damned if I’m not heading out on the dance floor when “Rock Your Body” gets played at a wedding.

Yeah, this is what Steve Winwood sounds like.

I mean it’s one of the best albums of all time. Who am I to say otherwise?

In my life, I have been resistant to Neil Young because of the timbre of his voice. But recently, I have been listening to him more and more and feel like I have been unfair to him in the past. This album was really great and it is absolutely clear why he is such a legend of rock ‘n’ roll music.

Timely given the recent passing of Steve Albini. This is obviously not for everyone. I think it helps to know a little bit about Albini’s ethos to help make sense of the music. But even if it’s not lyrically your thing, it’s clear that musically this is innovative and special. Always cool to hear an impactful artist on the cusp of their influence.

Yeah this was cool from a sort of historical perspective. Clearly impactful, and yet I wouldn’t say this is something I’ll be eager to throw on in the future.

Simply one of the best. Almost every song on this album is perfect for campfire noodling. A genuine troubadour and storyteller. I love this album and I love John Prine.

164 albums into this project and this is the second Zappa album I’ve listened to. One I think is enough. I have heard exactly zero Rolling Stones albums so far.

I totally get why people like ABBA. I’m also not really one of those people.

I could say the same thing about this album as I did for the last Bjork album we listened to. Surprised to see this before some of her better-known albums. Still great.

This is an album you MUST listen to for the same reason you must know what chlamydia is.

AF’s best album as far as I’m concerned. Not that their first two aren’t close behind. I loved this band at the time this album came out and was just really happy that they kept improving up to this album. I think part of the reason that Reflektor was such a disappointment is because this album is so good.

I enjoyed this. I like Thin Lizzie. I do not understand the love for live albums.

Not my thing. But if you like it, that’s cool.

This was awesome. More of this please.

Pretty good stuff.

This was really great. My first introduction to Randy Newman was the song ”Burn On” which appeared at the beginning of the movie Major League. I grew up in Cleveland and I love baseball, so I’ve always had a fondness for that track. But the more I heard Newman’s music, the more I really got what he was about. There’s really nobody else like him - maybe Tom Waits shares some of that same type of storytelling DNA. But it’s clear from this album why RN is distinct and revered.

Superb. Made me feel bad for any other album I’ve given five stars to. So good.

Second album by Eagles on this project (still no albums by the Stones). I’m wondering why people have such an antipathy towards this band. Good listen.

Super good. I wouldn’t hate it if this whole lists was post punk bands from this era. Also, can never hear “Killing Moon” without thinking of Donnie Darko.

The Golden standard socially conscious hip-hop. I still listen to this album all the time.

I cannot tell the difference of this band with or without Neil Young. I cannot tell one album from another. And I cannot really distinguish one song from another. Still the one song that they have written and perform 6000 variations of is pleasant enough. But as far as I am concerned, if you have heard Crosby stills and Nash album, you have heard them all.

Even when I was a kid who liked house music, I felt that Fatboy Slim was a little more redundant than the other electronic musicians. Important for the popularization of electronic dance music, but not a great listen today.

Difficult for me to objectively review an album like this. For me The Rolling Stones are one of if not the most influential bands in rock and roll and anything they’ve done carries some kind of superior weight. So. Damn. Good.

Great album. Reminder of Marley’s real genius. Don’t listen to a lot of reggae but this was fun.

Compared to Fatboy Slim, this is a great example of how much electronic dance music grew in such a short time. Total blast. Love this album.

I was just thinking I needed more French industrial in my life. But still, I’ll take something unique any day. This is like Tom Waits meets Ministry crossed with Gogol Bordello. And hey, if you really want to alienate your family, play this album on a road trip like I did.

Not nearly as bad as I remember. I think the problem is that after OK Computer and Kid A, The only place to go was down. I think the more conceptual these albums got the less interested I was in them. It wasn’t until In Rainbows I happily got back on the bandwagon. I give this a 3.5 out of five.

I mean, what’s not to like here? This is obviously wonderful. Again – no idea what the criteria for choosing these albums is. But a total delight.

Interesting, but Mars Volta has never quite been my cup of tea.

I really like this group. I think a lot of people think of them as one hit wonders or a flash in the pan, but I’ve always appreciate what they bring to the table. Kind of an uncool coolness that is both admirable and not worth riding for.

It’s funny. I love Tom Waits, but have never enjoyed some of the artists that I think you can draw direct lines to and from. This is a good example of one that I could take or leave.

The first albums by this group are just unassailable. Love Tribe and everything they stand for.

I don’t listen to a lot of 70s and 80s hair metal, but if I do chances, are it’s Van Halen. This album is excellent. And I’m always mystified at how we could get from Chuck Berry to Eddie Van Halen in less than 20 years. Superb. I will always listen.

I went to see Beth Orton on a lark in the early 00s. She was promoting her album Daybreaker at the time and it ended up becoming one of my favorite albums at that time. I wish more people knew about her. Great stuff on this album, including “Stolen Car” and the title track. Two of her best.

One of the best by one of the best. I don’t know how you rate any of Bowie’s albums from the 70s and 80s as anything other than five stars.

Opening track reminded me of early Massive Attack. Which made me wish I was listening to Massive Attack. So I liked this, but not as much as adjacent stuff that I like better.

Yeah this is excellent. Truly great listen.

There’s probably a lot to laugh at about Metallica, but I can’t help my love for their early albums. Metal for people who don’t love metal. But it rips.

I don’t know why I don’t know this band. I definitely should. Loved this album and spent the rest of the day listening to REM and The Specials. Super fun. Will listen again.

I love New Order. I am especially fascinated by the story of how Joy Division became New Order. It’s such a strange transition. Still, both bands are great. This album shows off the band’s talent and distinct sound. Loved it.

Also a risible band. I’m not sure too many 17 year olds were into Steely Dan in the 70s. But any major dude will tell you this band has more musical competence than about anyone else out there. Great stuff for this dad rock fan.

It’s hard to go wrong with Prince. The ultimate reminder to Bruno Mars that it’s already been done. This isn’t my favorite of his albums, but still always a fun listen.

By this point in their career, Metallica had really become a bit of a joke. Load and Re-Load were legitimately awful albums that really took them away from their thrash metal roots and into Creed territory. I remember this album really helping them to reestablish some of their legitimacy. This album came out the year after Portishead’s (utterly superior) Roseland NYC Live that incorporated the NYC Philharmonic. I think that album is sort of the apex of what that kind of combination could do. I think I’d put Puffy’s version of Kashmir at the bottom and this one somewhere in the middle. Which is not to say that it should be written off. I think this album highlights the musicianship (and the excess) at the heart of Metallica and I think it helped get them back in the good graces of the music community. Enjoyed the listen. 3.5/5

Pound for pound I think this is a better album than Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me. I think the songs on this album sound a little more timeless and a little less like someone was excited to get a Casio keyboard. (I love the cure, but some of their songs can sound dated.) some of my favorite songs are on this album and the rest of the tracks fill in very nicely. A great listen.

Hands down an absolute masterpiece. I love the Magnetic Fields and Stephin Merritt is a goddamn genius and I’ll fight anyone who says otherwise.

My kids are really into Olivia Rodrigo right now so we have been listening to a lot of her music. I will be honest that I have turned a corner on her and think she’s actually a pretty impressive pop artist. But every time I hear one of these teenage pop artists that sort of crawled out of a production studio laboratory, it always makes me long for artists like Fiona Apple, who I deem to be more authentic, and to be an overall better songwriter. They’re singing about the same things, but FA just did it in a way that rang more true and impressively. Of course I was like 15 when this album came out, so I’m sure I carry some bias. But I have a feeling that 40-year old Olivia Rodrigo will not come close to an album like Fetch the Bolt Cutters.

My kids have gotten into The Beatles lately, so it’s been kind of fun to show them that the members had lives outside of the band. They loved this album, as do I.

I don’t think it’s cool to like The Who. But I like The Who. And while I like late 60s/70s Who, I really like this album.

I don’t much care for the socio-political human he became, but I don’t know how you don’t love Meat Loaf.

I think that the best thing about this project is that I’ve really become a fan of Neil Young in the process. Enjoyed this album a lot.

I think that the best thing about this project is that I’ve really become a fan of Neil Young in the process. Enjoyed this album a lot.

I mean what can you say about this album. Absolute masterpiece.

I can remember growing up in the 90s and wondering, which of my bands were going to stand the test of time and who we would be talking about later years. Nirvana and Radiohead are no surprise to me, but I’ve always been a little curious as to how the Foo Fighters stuck around. Listening to this album helped remind me this was a good band out of the gate and I think they deserve the acclaim. Not quite sure I understand why they take on the ridicule that they do as well, but as far as rock ‘n’ roll goes, it’s hard to beat.

I was into some Brit Pop bands when I was younger, but I’ve really gotten into 80s/90s Brit Pop as an adult. Charlatans (UK) weren’t a band for me when I was a teenager. But they are now.

I don’t listen to a lot of Joan Baez. It’s clear to see how instrumental she was to the folk movement, especially when you consider that this album was recorded at the dawn of the 60s. But it also feels a bit of its time. An important album that I am not likely to put on again.

I did not immediately think I would enjoy this, finding the lead singer’s voice to be a bit dramatic. But the more I listened, the more it grew on me. High marks here.

I feel the same way about this as I did with Straight Outta Compton. Eminem could probably have been considered the best in the game at one point. And at 42 years old, I’m not sure about how much of this I actually enjoy listening to.

Hard not to love everything Bowie did in the 70s. The critics may have been divided at the time, but this album really holds up. And the history of it is pretty fascinating too. High marks for difficulty. Sticks the landing.

Cube solo > Cube with NWA.

Like Kanye himself, this album turned out to be a complete and utter disappointment. The best part about it is Nicki Minaj’s verse on “Monster.”

Good album

I really don’t think this band is for everyone. But, this is one of my favorite albums by one of my favorite bands. It combines so many of my favorite genre elements, from punk to disco to even Phillip Glass-esque repetitive sound. More LCD Soundsystem.

When I started this project, I was very nervous that artists like Kendrick Lamar were going to be overlooked because they were too contemporary. And it may be that his best work is still left off of this list, but this choice affirms this project for me, regardless of how many times bands like Yes or Genesis have shown up. A truly superb debut album for an unignorable talent. Loved it.

I couldn’t tell you how this album stacks up to other Bonnie Raitt albums, but that’s only because there is nothing about her that should have connected with me when I was eight years old and she was releasing albums. I’ve always thought there was something fairly Nancy Meyers-esque about her music. But I like Nancy Meyers, even if I’m not the target audience. Same goes with Bonnie Raitt. Great blues/country-ish music. Great album.

Strong week so far. Another epically important album. Bonus points for Milwaukee’s greatest alternative-folk-nerd band.

I really enjoy when I happen to own the record of the daily album. We got to listen to this one on vinyl, which I think makes it more special. The Rascals are great. Always a fun listen.

A wonderful choice! It can be so hard to know where to begin with someone who has such a large catalogue. I’m not sure this is where I would have chosen to start, but at least it’s a start. I don’t necessarily love cover albums, but I love the opportunity to think about what makes a good cover. Willie makes these songs his own. He also makes them fresh. He might as well have released this album yesterday. Thoroughly enjoyed the listen.

Imagine the overture for this album playing while this midwestern dad drove to pick up bagels. Wonderful. As someone who has appeared in more than two productions of Jesus Christ Superstar, the era of the rock musical still blows my mind. This one, while not my favorite, still has some pretty great moments. Hard not to like this one.

Just one of the best.

Another excellent choice. More staying power than the Sex Pistols. Maybe just as influential? Love a lot of it, but not all of it.

This was a riot. I liked this album when it came out, but I haven’t listened to it in 20 years. A total blast.

I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to listen to this band. I know they are frequent collaborators with Iron and Wine - one of my favorites. I can hear they go hand in glove. So glad to have had the opportunity to listen. Will definitely be playing this band regularly from now on.

One of the absolute best. I think your favorite BB album depends on when you were born. This one is right in the sweet spot for me. I remember seeing the music video for Sabotage in a Hard Rock Cafe on the 6th grade trip to Toronto. I was hooked. This album showcases everything that’s great about the Beasties and with hip hop, including the overlap with punk rock (which often gets overlooked historically). Such an important album and a total blast.

This is the type of music that I assumed that I would be listening to at this age. Maybe with a little gold hoop earring and my gray hair in a ponytail. Loved the title of the album and the first track. Musically, some I liked. Some I could leave.

This is well-crafted songwriting. And I have no idea under what circumstances I would put this album on.

An excellent choice! I’ve come to realize that the alternative that I grew up listening to in the 90s was really the end of a movement that had gas in the 80s as well. And while Nirvana should get credit for popularizing a certain sound, bands like Ride were already breaking the mold before Nevermind.

Hard not to love Jimi. Fun to listen to earlier stuff for which he’s maybe not quite as well known. Enjoyed the listen.

The woman on the cover of this album is not Otis Redding.

I can’t say I know Gene Clark, but I like The Byrds and the Laurel Canyon sound. This was a good representation of it.

This was a total surprise to me! I knew Frankie Goes to Hollywood were gay icons, but really thought of them as one-and-done with Relax. But this whole album was a ton of fun! I will say that I think a band has to work hard to produce a cover worthy of an original and the covers on this album ain’t quite it. But I still had a great time listening.

I mean…one of the greatest jazz albums of all time by one of the greatest jazz musicians with some of the other greatest backing him up? Yeah. It was pretty good.

I give Pink Floyd all the credit in the world. Important band for sure. But the overwrought songs are just not for me.

Don’t tell the other English majors, but I was never into Bob Dylan as a young person. I’ve come to appreciate him more as I’ve gotten older, but this album showcases some of the things that have always pushed me away from him. Nine minute songs with no variation. Arbitrary harmonica. That voice. Still, I’d rather live in a world where Dylan has had such a profound influence than one where he never existed.

I’ve heard this band described as “tragically overlooked.” I think that’s possibly fair. Definitely further ahead of the curve than a lot of other bands at this time. Still, this was likely a one-and-done for me.

I liked this more than I thought I would.

After a string of pretty uninspired hair rock, I was happy to get this album. I like the Boo Radleys - this is the music I really grew up on. Still, I’m not sure it belongs in the same conversation as some of these other great albums.

This was the worst collective week of this project, capped it off with this shit burger.

Really great and important Brit-pop. I wasn’t aware of Blur before Song 2, so I had to go back in time to figure out this band’s roots. But I have loved this album as long as I’ve known it. A gem.

Though this be madness, yet there is method in it. I was 100% ready to abandon this album after the opening minutes, but it grew on me as I listened. Not my favorite genre, but not a total waste of time. Plus there’s a song called “Dracula Mountain” on this album, so it can’t be all bad.

Sure. Why not.

Was never really able to get into this band. I do always find it interesting to consider how certain bands choose to express their angst. I was much more of a punk rock guy in my youth. Music like this can sound very silly when you consider how seriously they seem to be taking themselves.

This is the kind of music that should be playing in the background of every record shop you walk into. The kids loved it.

There are better albums by MJ. But for people my age, this album was IT when it came out. Everything that this album spawned, from the Weird Al parodies to Moonwalker. I have such conflicted feelings about this artist. But his importance to music is just so massive.

This album was towards the end of Aerosmith’s life as a respectable band, but there was still gas in the tank. A lot to like here. I was probably 10 when I saw the video for Janie’s Got a Gun. Changed my life. It may be cheesy, but I like it.

I like that the linked Wikipedia review acknowledges that later versions of 1001 Albums removed this album. Hilarious that it was included at all. Fred Durst can choke on a hot dog. On a more serious note…Kid Rock, Linkin Park, and now this. I’m sure more than one person contributes the albums to this book. But good lord - talk about questionable decisions. 0 stars.

Great album by a great artist. I love the simplicity of Tom Petty. Rock and roll in its purest form.

Superb in every way.

Genuinely excellent album that endures decades after its release. Truly a delight.

My least favorite album by one of my all time favorite bands. I wouldn’t go a week without listening to Portishead when I was in high school. I was so pumped when this album came out - I think it had been 10 years since Live at Roseland. Unfortunately this one just never mustered the same kind of genius as their earlier stuff. Interesting, but not quite top form.

I actually thought this was a lot of fun. My daughter is learning to play the drums and she really got into what Neil Peart was doing. Maybe I enjoyed it a little more than I thought I would because of that.

We’re a pro-Brian Ferry, pro-Brian Eno, pro-Roxy Music family over here. Good listen.

Yeah, it’s pretty good. I also recommend Coca-Cola and Steven Spielberg movies.

Apex album from the only band that ever mattered. People might have some things to say about Sandinista or Combat Rock, but saying this isn’t the most important album from The Clash is like saying you don’t like The Beatles.

I thought this was a really cool little album! A nice surprise for sure.

I liked this better than the other Love album we listened to. I didn’t especially like the slower songs, but the upbeat ones were super mod and fun to listen to. 3.5/5

Yes. So good. Real pioneers of alternative music.

There’s a lot to love and laud about both Ella Fitzgerald and the Gershwins. Still, at over three hours, this album questions just how much of this one needs in their life. Pleasant, but would I buy this if I found it in the bargain bin? Probably not.

Can something be cheesy and awesome at the same time? Better believe it, if Mark Knopfler has anything to say about it. Great guitar work. Great album.

I didn’t know this band or this album, but I really liked the sound! The more the album went on, though, the more I wished there had been a little more variety. Honestly I couldn’t tell where the first track ended and the second one began. And by the end I wished I was listening to The Jam. Not bad - not great.

Super good. This band should have been much bigger than they were.

Really curious to see what the community reviews on this are. We took our kids to see her live last year, and I gotta say, she earned some serious respect from me when I saw her. It takes a lot to do what she does. This is definitely the album where I started to take her seriously. That said, this is pop music and I’m not really a fan of pop music. It’s pretty good pop music, but pop all the same.

I love the Beatles, but never really spent a lot of time in the members’ solo projects. There are clear extensions from one to another here. Enjoyed hearing beyond some of the only Wings songs I know.

A truly lovely album. We used to sing Cat Stevens songs to our girls as lullabies. Would but everyone was as peaceful as these songs.

I wouldn’t wish lives like the ones the members of this band have led on anyone. And still, I kind of mourn that this attitude just doesn’t exist in rock and roll anymore. I wouldn’t want to hang out with Paul Westerberg or Tommy Stinson, but damn if they didn’t write some awesome music. This album sees the band starting to “mature” (as much as they ever could) into a more deliberate sound. Still carrying a little of the rowdiness from “Sorry, Ma,” which I also listened to to get a sense of the shift. Some real gems on this album, but still not as good as the album that follows it. 4.5/5

This might be the most emblematic Aerosmith record. A song like “Big Ten Inch Record” shows off the band’s musical talent while making you cringe at the extremely thinly-veiled double entendres. Points for “Sweet Emotion,” but I’m reminded why I really haven’t listened to this band since I was 13.

Silly

The reverend prevails. What an album. Absolutely excellent.

This album was so ahead of its time. Hard not to love it.

Super good! I just finished the book Sellout that looks into the rise of punk bands signing to major labels in the mid 90s to early 00s. Rocket doesn’t get their own chapter, but they do get name checked quite a bit. This might not have been a huge band, but they were very influential to the movement.

Excellent and exactly what I need right now.

Fun. I’ll give big points for their importance to and influence on hip hop. But I can’t really imagine putting this on for the hell of it.

The beginning of a strange little comeback towards the end of his life. This album shows interesting diversity for Bowie. His last two albums are somehow simultaneously odd and right at home in his trajectory. More experimental in its sound but still more interesting than 90% of what’s out there. Still, I own a lot of Bowie albums. And I don’t own this one. 3.5/5

REM is/has always been one of the most important bands for me. I grew up in the mid-90s, so albums like Automatic for the People and Monster were crucial for me. But my sister grew up in the 80s where the IRS records held greater sway. Thanks to her I was able to experience this band across time and get a sense of their development over time. For me this band never lost what made them them, even if they lagged later in their career. When you hear an album like this one you can hear the band’s resonance across time. I love every song on this album, just like I do almost all of their work.

Pretty good, but not really the same staying power as other electronic music of the time. It feels dated, but I still enjoyed the listen. 3.5/5

Hot take: if Jamiroquai hadn’t become briefly popular with Traveling Without Moving, they would have maintained more clout. They are an incredibly impressive band. But they felt like a novelty act in the 90s. Never mind that funk and disco really weren’t that far away from them. I mean, Green Day has been making the same shitty music for 30 years. Why couldn’t a 90s funk band have seemed more directly tied to the funk movement 15 years earlier than they ever did? Good band. Good album.

Ice-T doesn’t really rank in my favorite hip-hop artists, but I was glad to listen to this. I think I unfairly overlook him - this album is an important link between the progenitive rap of the 80s and where things were heading. Really good.

This album felt a little insubstantial to me. I can’t say anything bad about JB’s music, but I’m not sure what makes this better than other entries in his catalogue.

Curtis Mayfield is a national treasure. That is all.

I really dug this album. I need more Suede in my life I guess. Good listen.

This album was already on my turntable as I refreshed for today’s pick! A fun coincidence. Love Stereolab and this album in particular. This band’s vibe is just fun, and musically they just don’t sound like anyone else. Big fun.

This is not my favorite thing that exists. There is definitely genius here, but I’ve never been able to fully get into this album.

The criteria for album selection remains elusive, but I share an enthusiasm for esoteric Latin jazz that seems also to be held by the creators of this list. Hard to beat Stan Getz. Thoroughly enjoyed this album and will continue to listen.

Listen-to-able pop music. I’m not calling her a genius, but I enjoyed listening. More or less.

I think it’s absurd to have two albums by this guy on this list. I guess you had to be there.

Better than expected, but not for me.

Garbage is great. I didn’t own this album, but somehow I knew all of these songs. Lots of love for this band.

I was surprised at how much of this album I remembered. Not just the songs, but the feedback, the missed notes, the banter. This was such an epic album for me and a lot of people my age. Really cool to revisit it. Also, Unplugged was such an incredible thing. I would love to see it make a comeback.

I will say this every time there’s a Dylan album on this list - I would rather live in a world where Bob Dylan exists than one where he doesn’t. But I have never been able to get into this. Maybe I was just born too late. It’s sort of like when I try to tell my students how much William Faulkner revolutionized writing. Super important but maybe not for everyone.

Good 90s nostalgia here. I actually still listen to this album quite a bit. Nothing revolutionary, but always a good time.

Hot buttered indeed.

An all timer for me. I can’t explain it. I hate rap rock, but I love RATM and this album in particular. There is both a simplicity and a complexity in this music. And frankly it helped me become a young radical. Two thumbs up.

I love this album and I love this movie. I know a lot of pop stars have stints as film actors, but I don’t think anyone can do it with the same style as the Beatles. Extra fun with my 10-year old singing along in the backseat.

I have nothing against the Doors. I’ve also never deliberately sought to listen to them. That won’t change after hearing this album in full.

This album was such a breath of fresh air when it came out. Popular music had really reached a nadir at the turn of the millennium. These two really reshaped things in a really good way. I can remember hearing “Fell in Love with a Girl” the first time and really felt like I could breathe a sigh of relief. Thank goodness for Jack White I say.

I love this album and I love The Zombies. Listening again, I wonder why this band hasn’t had the same staying power as the Stones or the Beatles. They surely had a stronger handle on the psych elements of the 60s more strongly than either of those bands. And I love the musicianship on display here - relic of a bygone era in music. Truly enjoyed this.

Of the albums and artists I have been introduced to throughout this project so far, this is the one I am most embarrassed for having not known.

A great week finishes with an absolute banner album. I think I’ve already gushed about REM in a previous review. Suffice it to say, this band was a revelation for a bookish young kid - this album in particular. Absolutely wonderful.

This one gets a great endorsement from the 7-year old. I never thought I would be listening to this much Rush, but ya gotta give the people what they want.

I don’t think the Pretenders’ biggest hits do their reputation justice. A much better album than you’d expect if all you know is “I’ll Stand By You.” Enjoyed the listen.

I love Depeche Mode. I love that they are a band that has existed for so long that people can have different experiences with them based on when they come to them. For me, Violator was such an important album I can lose sight of the fact that they were huge before it came out. This album is good evidence of why.

This album fucking ruled.

I was excited to listen to this and consider how to rate it objectively. I think the Cars are a five star band. But I’m not sure this is a five star album. It’s great, no doubt. And the Proustian transportation that happens when I hear “Moving in Stereo” is special. Loved it. Love it. Great band.

Not a huge Elvis fan. Not a huge fan of this album. 2.5/5

Points for originality and authenticity. An enjoyable and important album. Not one I’m likely to put on with much regularity.

This was a new album for me and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I enjoyed it! I also thought the background was pretty interesting as well - brought many of the songs to life more than they might otherwise have been.

I like being reminded that Nirvana didn’t come out of nowhere. Bands like Jesus and Mary Chain (and others) were steadily paving the way. Great listen.

I’m realizing that I’ve only given five star ratings to albums with which I’m already familiar. And while I know “Le Chic,” this album was otherwise new to me. I loved it. And I’m ready to trade in Daft Punk.

More Pixies please. What a debut. Seriously - “Where Is My Mind” - the one everyone knows, is the least good song on the album. And it’s still fucking great. 10/10

I would never argue that Adele is untalented or that these songs are not catchy. But as I’m listening to this album in also reading “The Name of this Band is R.E.M.,” and I’m reminded that there have been many times where what is popular is…well…good. Its begs the question of where the line is between what is broadly appealing and what is just broad. Like, what is the aesthetic foundation of these songs? What does Adele believe in? What do these songs mean? These songs are unobtrusive, inoffensive, and completely uninteresting. There’s just no there there.

Was not expecting to like this album. I loved it.

This album was so ahead of its time. An influence on many of my favorite artists. We had actually listened to this on the turntable just a few days ago - in regular rotation at our house. Great album.

Put aside your feelings about Moz and remember that this dysfunctional group of pricks make some truly excellent music. For sad boys, it’s hard to do better than The Smiths. And it’s frankly hard to do better than this album.

This was a band my students adored and who I could never really get into. It’s not bad, but it’s not great. Sort of a not-quite-Radiohead meets not-quite-Queen. It’s fine.

Nothing not to like here. Couldn’t make time to listen to the entire album, but really liked the first disc that I was able to get to.

Yep. I’m one of those. Absolutely a 5/5. A truly pivotal album for me growing up and Radiohead’s best as far as I’m concerned. I’m sure the response will be polarized, but there is so much going on here I can’t help but fawn. A truly excellent piece of work.

Short-lived but incredibly influential band. I guess you can say that about a lot of acts (Nirvana, Velvet Underground). This album is so good. Proto-punk/alternative. A great album.

One of the best by one of the best. I like most of Talking Heads, but this is absolutely at the top of a phenomenal catalogue.

My parents are a little too old for Clapton, and I’m a little too young to have come to him on my own. But plenty of my friends had parents in the right age range for this to be the music that influenced them. And when they introduced me to Slowhand, I was in. It’s hard not to like this, even if Clapton is a gargantuan prick.

I listened to a podcast a while ago that compared Lenny Kravitz to Bruno Mars in that it’s hard to distinguish an actual sound that defines either artist. I agree for the former, but not for the latter. Funk-inspired rock, not an imitation. Kravtiz’s songwriting strength is definitely in the music, not the lyrics. Still, the music is so good, I find myself not really caring too much what the lyrics are about. Let love rule? Sure! Why the hell not!

It’s fine.

Superb album. Confident, mature, and just awesome.

I thought it was interesting that I hadn’t come across a Clapton album yet in this project and this week here are two. Stranger still is how much more I preferred the Derek and the Dominos album to Cream. Still, it’s fun to think of how the psych rock (which I largely think is silly) compares to other music of the time. Good stuff on here. But not completely for me.

Like Weird Al, Beck is an artist that I would not have thought was a top one for me. And yet he has played an outsized role in my life. Paid to see him in concert? Yep. Owned most of his albums? Check. Can I tell you the fundamental difference Sea Change and Odelay. Absolutely. So I guess I like Beck. This album is, to me, his most self-assured and confident, taking some of the goofiness of Mellow Gold and Odelay and focusing it into some truly well crafted pop songs. It’s good from start to finish with some real standout tracks. Still obscure and odd, but catchy and enjoyable.

Sort of a silly side project, but not bad.

Early Beatles are great. It really helps to understand the influences and get a sense of where they came from. Fun to think of this as the same band that would soon create albums like Sgt. Pepper or Let It Be. Also, “All My Loving” is an all timer for me. That said, this is the era of Beatles that I listen to the least. They were groundbreaking and yet still sound of a time on this album. Still enjoyed thoroughly.

Hard to go wrong with Aretha. Weirdly, this album doesn’t hit me quite as nicely as I’ve Never Loved a Man… But there are still some real showstoppers here. I mean this feels unarguable. Just a great album from a great artist.

My wife bought this record for me before we got our turntable. It was just the motivation I needed to start my vinyl habit. If she knew then what she knows now… Excellent from start to finish with some of The Boss’s best (title track, Badlands, Prove It All Night). I personally think he’s got some albums that are just a tad better than this one, but it’s still excellent.

I loved Transmissions from the Satellite Heart when it came out, but it didn’t necessarily give me a full portrait of who Wayne Coyne was as a songwriter. When this album dropped it sort of blew my mind. I listened to this CD until I couldn’t play it anymore. And it was hard to reconcile it with who I thought The Flaming Lips were. This album showed that the group had great flexibility while remaining true to a vision of themselves. A really good album by a really important band.

I’ve got a big ol’ Joni Mitchell-sized hole in my listening background and I d really enjoyed the opportunity to start to fill it in with some of these albums. These songs are a little corny, but utterly musical and extremely well crafted. I certainly see why she is wildly adored.

Look. Do I hold a special place in my heart for ska music? Was I a member of one of the top three or four teenage ska bands to grace the stages of Cleveland, Ohio’s mid-range club circuit in the late 90s? Perhaps. Does that make this any less enjoyable of an album? It does not. Nor does it make this album quite as good as the band’s debut. A pretty good and frankly under appreciated follow up. But still very solid.

Delightfully silly. Hard not to have a soft spot for ABBA, even if it is not music that I go out of my way to listen to. 3.5/5.

I don’t know that there’s more to say about this band that hasn’t already been said.

It’s weird - by all accounts I should have loved this album. Musically it’s obviously great. Some parts are brilliant. But as an album I found it wandering a little too much. Never fully hooked me. Maybe I needed to be in a better headspace. I’ll come back to this one when I’ve got more time to concentrate on it.

Seminal album. Another example of a band with small output and huge impact. Everything about Joy Division fascinates me - from Ian Curtis’s dancing to their evolution into New Order. While this is the only album that JD released in Curtis’s lifetime, I still somehow own eight of their records. Evidence that their fans will buy as many bootlegs, live recordings, and demo albums as they can get their hands on. Absolutely one of the best.

Growing up, Rod Stewart was the “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” guy, and was more or less a punchline. I assumed most of his songs were that. It wasn’t until I was much older that I learned about Faces and what a badass he was in his early career. He may be a bit of a clown now, but music like this reminds us that he wasn’t always that way.

Waylon is my favorite outlaw. More than Willie. More than Johnny. But I couldn’t say I can really tell the difference between any of his albums. But the nice part is that they all sound good to me. A great listen.

Hard to beat.

I suppose listening to and liking Carole King makes you a specific kind of person. If you know and are excited by the fact that she plays a recurring character on Gilmore Girls and think that that in many ways helps define the show, that probably says something about you. If you’re not ashamed to ask Cool Record Store Guy if he has a used copy in stock. I’m 100% that guy.

This is such an important album for me. Maybe not as good as Mellon Collie, but it made such a huge splash and heralded what was truly a great band (at least for a while). Have to love it for it meant to a generation of disaffected teenagers.

This album was a super pleasant surprise! I had heard the name Christine and the Queens before, but never listened to them. My bad. I really liked this album a lot. Slots right in next to HAIM and Yumi Zouma. A treat.

This was a total blast and completely unexpected. More 60s garage rock.

A new appreciation of Neil Young is the best thing that has come out of this project. Turns out this album that everybody loves is actually really good. Who knew.

I think the members of this band are true artists and possibly geniuses. That said, I can’t imagine what state of mind I would have to be in to willingly put this album on.

I don’t have anything against anyone who likes this album. I also don’t understand the level of hate this band gets. I think Blood Sugar Sex Magik is an awesome album and I really like most of what this band did before that album. And I don’t like much of what they did after. I will always have love for Point Break era Flea and Anthony Kiedis. That buys them enough good will for me to consider this album.

What’s not to love about Nick Drake. Another talent taken way too young. Would love nothing more than a lifetime’s work. Loved it.

I liked this! Didn’t know anything about Faust (and really still don’t). I guess I like krautrock? Anyway - I can see the connection to Gang of Four (who I occasionally thought I was listening to), T. Rex, NEU!, and Kraftwerk. This was cool.

Lovely album. Definitive of the Laurel Canyon sound. What’s not to love?

AC/DC is a band I have generally tried to avoid. I’ve never enjoyed anything I’ve heard by them enough to deliberately seek out more. But I actually really liked this album. Is the band one note? Extremely. But it’s a pretty fun note at that.

I don’t listen to a lot of straight blues. But I really like it when I hear it. And Muddy’s one of the best. Loved everything about this album.

When Green Day (not punk rock) was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (questionable), Fall Out Boy (extremely not punk rock) listed off a list of their punk rock bona fides (a not very punk rock thing to do), including their contribution to a Green Day Broadway musical (I’m not sure there’s anything less punk rock than a Broadway musical). Like their contemporaries The Offspring and Weezer, a band with incredible promise that really plummeted. This album is about as interesting as under seasoned mashed potatoes.

Exactly what I needed today.

In Smith’s catalogue, I’m least familiar with this album. Still loved it. Another light snuffed out too soon.

I think it may be that I’d rather hear a small combo than a whole jazz band, but two hours of this album was a bit long. That said, you can’t deny the musicianship and importance of the thumbprint left on jazz music by Duke. As the album goes on (and on, and on), you do really start to get a sense of the evolution of the form.

I honestly would not have minded if the name of this project was “1,001 Albums You’ve Never Heard from World Cultures.” But it ain’t. And when an album like this pops up I find myself wondering what the selection criteria here is. Surely there are more than 1,000 Israeli, Thai, Korean, Cuban, or Afghanistani albums that we should hear. That said, there was enough to enjoy here. I’m curious if it is the best representation of music from India and why this is likely to be the sole entry in this catalogue.

What a weird week for music. I like XTC, but this album is a bizarre choice. I guess it’s a good example of a late-stage pop act that doesn’t really care about radio play. In a lot of ways it sounds very much like XTC, but not a great representation of them as a band.

This being the fourth or fifth Neil Young album on the list, I’m not sure there’s much more I can say about the guy. I do enjoy his music with Crazy Horse - rocks a little harder. Good album.

I certainly understand why people who share a lot of my musical DNA do not like this band and this album, but I will always have a soft spot for Alice In Chains. This was probably the hardest album I listened to in my youth and it paved the way for a lot of other grunge bands. Still love it.

Just a great rock and roll record. Ton of fun.

Not completely my cup of tea, but certainly not bad.

I really enjoyed this album. Didn’t know the band and am very upset about it. Disappointed to see that some of these songs have as few plays as they do. So I guess I’m not the only one. Great era for this kind of sound.

Just a totally beautiful album from start to finish. So glad this was put back on my radar. Love this band and love this album.

This was a really fun listen. Will keep in the rotation.

Not bad. Not my cup of tea.

Uh, okay.

A lot less silly than some of their other albums. And Immigrant Song is a top 10 rock and roll song. Hard not to like. Even though it is essentially more music to play Dungeons and Dragons to.

Flawless. The originals are fantastic and the covers are reimagined in a thoughtful and unique way that make them the band’s own. Absolutely loved it.

Not as good as White Blood Cells, but still a good entry into the catalogue. He’s polarizing, but I think Jack White is essential to modern rock and roll. Glad he exists.