771
Albums Rated
2.92
Average Rating
71%
Complete
318 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1950s
Favorite Decade
Punk
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
92
5-Star Albums
135
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| BEYONCÉ | 5 | 2.85 | +2.15 |
| Broken English | 5 | 2.88 | +2.12 |
| Out of Step | 5 | 2.92 | +2.08 |
| Swordfishtrombones | 5 | 2.95 | +2.05 |
| Don't Come Home A Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind) | 5 | 2.97 | +2.03 |
| Throwing Muses | 5 | 2.98 | +2.02 |
| Safe As Milk | 5 | 3.01 | +1.99 |
| Exile In Guyville | 5 | 3.02 | +1.98 |
| Hypnotised | 5 | 3.06 | +1.94 |
| Treasure | 5 | 3.07 | +1.93 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wish You Were Here | 1 | 4.3 | -3.3 |
| The Wall | 1 | 4.14 | -3.14 |
| Metallica | 1 | 3.79 | -2.79 |
| Brothers In Arms | 1 | 3.74 | -2.74 |
| Master Of Puppets | 1 | 3.73 | -2.73 |
| Dire Straits | 1 | 3.72 | -2.72 |
| The Joshua Tree | 1 | 3.67 | -2.67 |
| Machine Head | 1 | 3.59 | -2.59 |
| Black Holes and Revelations | 1 | 3.59 | -2.59 |
| Moving Pictures | 1 | 3.58 | -2.58 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Stevie Wonder | 3 | 5 |
| Lou Reed | 2 | 5 |
| Cocteau Twins | 2 | 5 |
| A Tribe Called Quest | 2 | 5 |
| Fela Kuti | 2 | 5 |
| The Clash | 2 | 5 |
| The Stooges | 2 | 5 |
| The Undertones | 2 | 5 |
| Led Zeppelin | 4 | 4.25 |
| Bob Dylan | 4 | 4.25 |
| Tom Waits | 4 | 4.25 |
| Beatles | 7 | 4 |
| Pixies | 3 | 4.33 |
| The White Stripes | 3 | 4.33 |
| Neil Young | 3 | 4.33 |
| Prince | 3 | 4.33 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 3 | 4.33 |
| Johnny Cash | 3 | 4.33 |
| The Kinks | 3 | 4.33 |
| Joni Mitchell | 3 | 4.33 |
| The Rolling Stones | 5 | 4 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Metallica | 4 | 1 |
| Pink Floyd | 4 | 1.25 |
| The Byrds | 3 | 1 |
| Deep Purple | 3 | 1 |
| The Prodigy | 2 | 1 |
| Coldplay | 2 | 1 |
| Dire Straits | 2 | 1 |
| Rush | 2 | 1 |
| The Verve | 2 | 1 |
| Bee Gees | 2 | 1 |
| Kings of Leon | 2 | 1 |
| Doves | 2 | 1 |
| George Michael | 2 | 1 |
| Slipknot | 2 | 1 |
| U2 | 4 | 1.75 |
| Leonard Cohen | 4 | 1.75 |
| Eminem | 2 | 1.5 |
| ZZ Top | 2 | 1.5 |
| New Order | 2 | 1.5 |
| Happy Mondays | 2 | 1.5 |
| John Martyn | 2 | 1.5 |
| Suede | 2 | 1.5 |
| Genesis | 2 | 1.5 |
| Everything But The Girl | 2 | 1.5 |
| Brian Eno | 3 | 2 |
| Sonic Youth | 3 | 2 |
| The Doors | 3 | 2 |
| The Who | 4 | 2.25 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Bruce Springsteen | 5, 2 |
| Hole | 4, 1 |
| The Fall | 4, 1, 3 |
| Paul Simon | 4, 2, 1 |
| The Smiths | 3, 5, 2 |
5-Star Albums (92)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Radiohead
3/5
Meh. It’s ok. There is a pretentiousness to this whole era of Radiohead.
5 likes
David Bowie
5/5
My favorite Bowie album. Life on Mars and Kooks are for me the highlights on a great album.
3 likes
Einstürzende Neubauten
3/5
I didn’t hate this! Not sure if I would return to it anytime soon - but I’ve listened to far worse albums on this list - I’m looking at you *insert shitty BritPop band of your choice*
2 likes
Marilyn Manson
1/5
Fuck this rapist. His music and schtick suck anyways.
2 likes
1-Star Albums (135)
All Ratings
Radiohead
4/5
Boston
2/5
This is one of those records where I knew every song off of it - simply through Classic Rock radio osmosis- without knowing they were all Boston songs.
They all sound basically the same. No edge. Saccharine.
Supertramp
1/5
Not a fan
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
The Great American Rock and Roll record. Has everything that makes US rock-n-roll great distilled down to its finest form.
From the Wall of Sound to songs about love, lost, longing and manifest destiny.
R.E.M.
4/5
Solid early R.E.M. - would say there’s some skippable tracks, hence the 4 stars. But enjoyable and would listen straight through again.
The Notorious B.I.G.
5/5
Classic album introducing Biggie to the world. What’s not to like? Hooks, lyrics and questionable content.
Roni Size
2/5
Not for me. I felt like I was trapped in a 90s British Indie film. Also super long - made it through about an hour and there was still close to an hour left.
Good to listen to if you want to feel like your being chased by Robert Carlyle though - hence 2 stars instead of 1.
Gil Scott-Heron
4/5
Really dug this. Good mash up of Soul, classic R&B with improvisational piano/organ jazz.
The politics of the lyrics are completely applicable today which makes it ageless, but tragic.
Guns N' Roses
3/5
Outside of the singles this album is a snoozer.
Little Simz
4/5
I really enjoyed this. I had no idea who Little Simz was previously, but will be checking out her other releases.
Sly & The Family Stone
5/5
This record is better than a double shot of espresso in making you feel alive and energized. I dug every second of this.
Tito Puente
4/5
Fun record. Made me want to shake my hips.
Dusty Springfield
3/5
It’s no Dusty in Memphis- but a solid debut. A bit more pop than soul.
Talking Heads
4/5
Not sure why I’ve never listened to this Talking Heads record before? But I did and it’s good - the combo of African rhythms, art pop and post punk make for a satisfying listen.
John Lennon
2/5
If I never hear the song Imagine again - I’d probably be ok with it.
The rest of the album is ok, Jealous Guy is a tough listen once you know how shitty John was. But the song shitting on McCartney is fun as is Oh Yoko!
The Prodigy
1/5
Made it about halfway through this before I just couldn’t go any farther.
Hole
4/5
As a dude growing up in the 90s it was fashions to hate Courtney Love, so this is my first listen all the way through to this. Honestly this is fun Riot Grrl - would listen to this again in a heartbeat.
Booker T. & The MG's
5/5
What’s not to love? Classic record, you’ve probably heard all of these songs and not known it.
Simon & Garfunkel
2/5
Saccharine 60’s folk. You see some glimpses of the Paul Simon that will emerge. 59th Street Bridge kills me.
Muddy Waters
4/5
Driving Blues from start to finish. Probably won’t be on regular rotation, but I will come back for more listens.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
This was the first record and band I was obsessed with. Still a 5/5, although as I’ve grown older the more I think that Stairway is the worst song on it.
Hole
1/5
Overproduced late 90s alt rock garbage. Major letdown after the great Riot Grrl of Live Through This.
Lou Reed
5/5
One of my favorite records of all time. Not a missed moment in this.
When David Bowie comes in at the end Satellite of Love is 🤌.
Nine Inch Nails
3/5
Surprised that the 90s kid in me who was struggling with religion never got into this. I think late 90s new metal made me think that NIN was shit?
Totally listenable - not necessarily something I would return to a bunch.
Kacey Musgraves
2/5
It was fine - all the songs had a similar sound. I won’t run to listen to it again, but I wouldn’t shut it off.
Ramones
5/5
Such a great record. A hair under 30 minutes and is non-stop the whole time.
Beck
3/5
Good to put on and let fade into the background - until you start singing along at random intervals. Brought me back to the mid-aughts.
The Fall
4/5
Never listened to the Fall before. This had strong Television meets Sex Pistols vibes, but from the North of England. It was a good listen.
Elvis Costello
3/5
It’s fine. Not bad, not great. Misses the drive of This Year’s Model.
James Taylor
1/5
Awful. Just awful. The most white bread album I’ve heard in a long time. Makes perfect sense why my mom loves him.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
3/5
I love Helpless, Country Girl and Woodstock. Some of the other songs are good - but this is one of those records that is up and down. I’ve listened to this thing all the way through countless times - there’s still songs that I wouldn’t mind skipping.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
Ok - has some of that spark of his first couple of records. Some of the songs go on for too long. I kept thing that this would be better if all the songs were under 3 minutes.
Eminem
2/5
Feels very much from the early aughts. Super white guy aggressive - extra star for this being about his insecurities, unlike the shitty New Metal of the era. Minus a bunch of stars for homophobia, anti women lyrics and shitting on Christopher Reeves.
Nirvana
4/5
This was a nostalgic listen. I was never the biggest Nirvana fan, but certainly enjoy listening to them when they come on.
Album feels like a band maturing into their sound. Gives a glimpse of maybe what would have been.
808 State
2/5
Two stars because it was short enough that I finished it. Not the worst electronica I’ve been tasked with listening to so far.
The Teardrop Explodes
3/5
Enjoyable, if up and down album. Strong Echo and the Bunnymen vibes - which makes sense since both band leaders were in an earlier band together.
The Associates
3/5
This band is such a weird amalgamation of sounds - Sparks, Bauhaus, Flock of Seagulls and a little Cure thrown in for good measure.
Ok record.
Pixies
5/5
I remember obsessively listening to this on repeat summer of 2000. There’s not one wrong note on this thing.
MGMT
4/5
This brought me back to being 25. Working at a grocery store and getting tanked every night.
Now I’m 41, sober and get heartburn just for looking at any tasty foods.
Time is a bitch.
Weather Report
2/5
Fusion jazz for white guys in polyester. Not for me.
5/5
Not sure why this was the first time I listened to this front to back - but it’s great.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
I hated Rumours for a long time - based solely on the fact that my parents loved it. Turns out it’s one of the few they were right about.
Do yourself and favor and listen to the deluxe version and end the B side with Silver Spring.
Incredible Bongo Band
4/5
I had zero hope for this based solely on the band name. Little did I know I’ve heard most of these tracks sampled across so many artists all my life.
A fun listen - will throw on again when I’m in the mood for some funky beats.
Neu!
4/5
Atmospheric KrautRock. Good to zone out to.
Common
4/5
This was a good listen. Good beats, good lyrics. Made me remember how good Kayne circa 2008 was.
Ali Farka Touré
2/5
The Charlatans
1/5
Poor man’s Oasis. Felt like I was listening to a bunch of b-sides of better Britpop bands.
Simon & Garfunkel
2/5
Middle part of this is solid. Either end is meh. Deducting one star due to the presence of Bridge Over Troubled Water.
Klaxons
2/5
Derivative and boring mid-aught indie rock. Trying hard not to be Franz Ferdinand/the Strokes/Interpol/Etc. and they just become a mush of sounds that don’t work.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Great listen.
Scritti Politti
4/5
Was surprised by this one - had strong Off the Wall/Thriller vibes to the beats.
Could see myself putting this on again.
David Bowie
4/5
Not my favorite Bowie record, but still solid. Lots of atmospheric Eno rock. Good to space out to.
The Yardbirds
3/5
Definitely British Invasion blues rock. Felt like early Who, Kinks and Stones. Not a bad listen for a Saturday night.
Scott Walker
3/5
Kitschy AM gold from the late 60s. It was a fun listen - don’t know if I’d return to it.
Various Artists
5/5
The only Christmas record I listen to. Everything is great - skip the weird Phil Spector thing at the end.
Kraftwerk
3/5
I was into the first 22 minute track - was a listening experience. Rest of the record wasn’t as enjoyable.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
This is the 2nd mid 70s Stevie Wonder record in a week. They’re so good! Loving the funk and soul.
The Afghan Whigs
3/5
I feel like I would have really loved this record circa 1996 as a 14 year old. As a 41 year old I was not into it. It wasn’t bad per se - but not something I’d want to return to.
John Coltrane
5/5
One of my favorite jazz records.
Cornershop
2/5
A real uneven record. A Brimful of Rasha brought me back to the mid-90s. But most of this felt disconnected and trying to do too much.
Janelle Monáe
4/5
Good chill out record, would say it’s just a touch too long.
Talking Heads
3/5
It’s good - not my favorite of theirs.
Belle & Sebastian
4/5
First listen of this B&S - it felt a bit more “modern” compared with their other 90s records. Their classic sound wasn’t quite there yet. Still an enjoyable listen.
Peter Gabriel
5/5
Honestly really enjoyed this. Very 80s - but still felt timeless.
Amy Winehouse
4/5
I want to give this 5, but the back quarter of this isn’t so strong. But man most of the record is gold. Her combo of old US soul with songs about love, drinking and the various fuckeries of life is so good.
1/5
This is just awful. First 3 songs feel like late 80s soft rock. Rest of the album is Bono singing like Michael Bolton fronting the worst Rolling Stones cover band.
Spacemen 3
4/5
Look - I like shoegaze, so sue me. If that’s something you’re not into you’re gonna hate this.
AC/DC
2/5
Meh - beyond the title track I didn’t really care about any of the songs. They all sounded the same, very one note.
I will say that if I had heard this when I was in 6th grade I would have been OBSESSED with AC/DC.
Black Sabbath
4/5
I dug this. I knew the hits but really found the fuzzy guitars and occult lyrics enjoyable.
Ella Fitzgerald
3/5
This was good. Everything about it was just a little too clean for my tastes. I would enjoy listening to it again - but won’t seek it out.
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
The hits are good, some of the other songs are as well. It’s like 30 minutes too long. Record really is a slog after Foxey Lady.
Ministry
1/5
No thanks. Couldn’t finish it.
Kanye West
3/5
Brian Eno
3/5
This sounds like a mishmash of all the bands that Eno produced from the 70s-early 80s. Not bad - but would prefer to listen to the original bands.
Metallica
1/5
Look - I didn’t get Metallica when I was a teen and all my friends were obsessed. 25 years on and that hasn’t changed. I didn’t finish it because honestly, what’s the point?
The Flaming Lips
2/5
Not for me. Every song felt similar. Boringly long.
Mekons
2/5
Forgettable 80s Brit Rock/Post Punk/Something
Queens of the Stone Age
2/5
This album is 30 minutes too long. Someone in the reviews said Josh Homme is a Dollar Store Chris Cornell and I can’t not hear that.
There’s some interesting riffs at times, but again too long.
David Bowie
4/5
Funky, poppy Bowie is pretty great. A good listen.
Jurassic 5
4/5
Eminently listenable. Good beats. Good rapping.
Sabu
3/5
It’s fine. Not bad, not great.
Ice T
3/5
Surprisingly fun listen. Some of it did not age super well, but hey it was the 90s. Like others have said - Ice T has become at least in my mind part of Law & Order and less a part of Rap History. So it was cool to get back to his origins.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
One of my favorites - feels like the album where Zeppelin put all the pieces together. Comes out of the gate literally screaming and doesn’t let up.
Justin Timberlake
2/5
Like most Pop albums I’ve reviewed for this the hits are good and fun. The rest leaves me uninterested. There’s a lot of trying hard to replicate the Michael Jackson sound that just doesn’t work.
The White Stripes
4/5
I remember hearing the White Stripes and the Strokes in the early 00s and thinking to myself that Rock and Roll isn’t dead - despite Butt Rock’s best efforts.
This record is so much fun - it gets a bit up and down towards the end. But the first half and more are absolute bangers.
The Byrds
1/5
This was pretty awful. Bad Dylan covers with a psych-folk vibe which sanitized everything out of the original songs.
I can’t decide whether or not this would be good stoned. Probably not.
Adele
2/5
In the world of break up albums this doesn’t rank very high. Feels artificially sad throughout its run time.
Kanye West
2/5
Didn’t care for most of this. The one song that sampled Strange Fruit was the highlight.
ZZ Top
1/5
Rock music for dads with mullets who smoke so many Marborlos they're decked out in Marb gear.
James Brown
5/5
This record is so tight - it’s shocking it’s a live record. A brisk 30 minutes, James Brown and his band never miss a beat.
Maxwell
1/5
Skeezy, awful and so smooth my earbuds fell out. I felt real dirty after listening to this. Too long, too smooth, too sexual assault-y.
Taylor Swift
4/5
Ugh - I hate how not shitty this is. It’s a fun listen. I’m now a Swiftie.
Eric Clapton
1/5
Fucking trash. Clapton sucks. 0/0
Beastie Boys
3/5
The first half of this is great - second half falls off.
Tina Turner
3/5
Great voice sometimes overcome by over produced 80s nonsense.
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
Of the 90s British rock I’ve gotten on this list - this was among the more surprising.
Felt like an emo record circa 2004 - so I was a bit shocked knowing it came out in 94.
It was a good listen - fairly depressing lyrics. And the story behind one of the band members disappearing is fascinating.
The Killers
2/5
Stupid inoffensive music for the masses. Reading the Brandon Flowers is LDS makes everything make sense. Vanilla rock for a vanilla fan base.
Mott The Hoople
3/5
It was fine. Kind of glam. Mostly just replaceable 70s rock.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
No. Woman. No. Cry.
I don’t know if I ever got white people’s obsession with Bob Marley. I guess it’s because his brand of reggae is inoffensive and accessible?
Anyways it was fine. I don’t go out of my way to listen to him, but I didn’t hate this.
Minutemen
4/5
A jazz punk record? Sign me up!
So much humor, joy and rage on this double album. It is long, but the songs are short.
The Cure
3/5
The more I listen to shoegaze the more I can hang with the Cure. I think my only caveat is that Robert Smith’s crystal clear voice singing those lyrics is not great for my mental health.
Paul McCartney and Wings
2/5
Ugh. McCartney at his most Macca.
There’s a reason you’ve only heard the first two tracks on this.
The Fall
1/5
I was excited to listen to this one after liking the other Fall record I listened to on this list.
Big difference in sound. One was post punk - this one was 90s British rave. Not my cuppa.
Green Day
3/5
Feels very much of its time. The anti-war, anti-Bush record for those under 18.
It was fine. I don’t think I’d revisit it.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
Sexed up Marvin Gaye. My wife put her fingers in her ears so she wouldn’t succumb to its power.
Prefab Sprout
2/5
Meh. Forgettable 80s Brit Pop.
Echo And The Bunnymen
4/5
Good post punk record. Not the classic Echo and the Bunnymen sound yet - but still a good listen.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Look, I like Leonard Cohen - but he’s not a full album guy to me. Some of these are great songs and some are just okay.
Jack White
4/5
Still feels pretty White Stripey - but with more of a roots rock focus. Back up girl singers, lots of clangy pianos. A fun listen on a Saturday night.
Dr. Dre
2/5
Wow - does not age well. Lots of dick sucking talk and N-words. Which I get is part and parcel of the Gangsta Rap genre, but this just feels so over the top that it takes away from Dre’s strengths which are the beats.
Pixies
5/5
I’m a sucker for any band that manages to reference Un Chien Andalou.
Neil Young
4/5
Rounding up from 3.5 stars. Certainly Neil Young’s most commercially successful record - for me it pales in comparison to his other output in the 70s.
Also - the George Martinesque orchestral arrangements in ‘A Man Needs a Maid’ really make the misogyny that much worse.
5/5
This whole record is great. Loretta Lynn’s voice is perfect for these tunes. Her band is cracking. With a 28 minute runtime you can’t go wrong.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
3/5
Surprisingly not the worst British electronica I’ve reviewed for this. Closer to Krautrock than 90s house. Easy to put on and let fade into the background.
Fugees
4/5
3.5 rounded up. Honestly I just want to hear more of Lauryn Hill every time I listen to the Fugees. They're a solid trio but for me she’s the star.
One thing I’ve found listening to these 90s rap albums is that they tend to hold up - with the noticeable exception of all the skits. Which just make me feel icky listening to.
Tears For Fears
3/5
The hits are fun, the rest of the album is up and down.
Destiny's Child
3/5
The hits are great. The rest of the album feels bloated. Very much a product of its time. You get hints at the superstar Beyoncé was about to become.
Coldplay
1/5
My only wish while listening to this was that I too would love to consciously uncouple from Chris Martin.
This is a completely vanilla band, I have no idea why they are as big as they are.
Jeff Buckley
4/5
For me this is an album with a lot of sense memories attached. From driving around aimlessly as a teen singing along with Last Goodbye as it played on the radio to singing Hallelujah to my daughter when she was a baby to get her to sleep.
Is it earnest? Yeah. But that shouldn’t take away from it.
Paul Simon
4/5
This was a fun listen. Still remnants of Simon and Garfunkel, but you can hear his exploration of “world music” for lack of a better term coming in as well.
Grant Lee Buffalo
1/5
So far this has been the worst record I’ve listened to.
Sure - there have been ones I haven’t finished - but on paper this guy should check a lot of my boxes. But holy shit was this awful. Bad music, horrid lyrics, fronted by a dude who sings terribly with an uninteresting voice.
I hate listened to this so hard. 0 stars.
Charles Mingus
5/5
Sometimes I read the global reviews and just shake my head. This is one of those times.
This album gets dubbed “avant garde” but in my opinion it’s highly accessible. Written as a ballet piece, the movements make sense throughout the tracks. There’s a nice blend of bop, orchestral and flamenco music.
Not sure why I’ve never listened through a Mingus record before but this is worth every minute.
Frank Ocean
5/5
After a ton of 90s hip hop this was a nice break. I was surprised by how much I was into this. Beats were great, songwriting excellent and Frank Ocean seemed to appear fully formed.
Shack
1/5
How many terrible Brit bands are on this list anyways?
Forgettable. Knock off of Oasis.
De La Soul
4/5
I enjoyed this a ton. Will probably go on semi regular rotation for me.
Living Colour
2/5
Imagine my disappointment that this wasn’t a Homey the Clown record.
Meh at best. Not the worst I’ve listened to, not the best.
fIREHOSE
4/5
Not sure why this is rated so low. Fun punk, folk mash up.
Talk Talk
3/5
Of the 80s Brit Pop I’ve been getting lately this was not the worst.
Judas Priest
2/5
Not for me. A cross between Queen and 80s hair metal.
I prefer the Beavis and Butthead version of Breaking the Law.
Thundercat
4/5
A little up and down at times, but overall a good album to listen to on a rainy Saturday.
Funky sounds and fun collaborations make it worth the listen.
Anita Baker
2/5
80s Soul just doesn’t do it for me. Her voice is not bad, but something about the overproduced sound of the 1980s that just robs it of any power.
The Temptations
4/5
Great easy listen. Worth 4 stars alone for Papa Was A Rolling Stone.
Meat Loaf
4/5
If you embrace the Camp this is super fun. Wall of sound with musical theatre lyrics.
The Damned
4/5
Fun punk record. Hints of post-punk, goth, hardcore thrown in for fun. Breezy energetic 36 minutes.
Jane Weaver
4/5
Brit synth folk. It worked for me. Obviously this is woman fronted so it got panned on here - but I found it completely listenable.
The White Stripes
5/5
One of my favorites from the aughts. Something about this duo that still brings me joy.
Basement Jaxx
2/5
Not a fan of House as a general manner. This was fine. Very up and down. 1.5 rounded to 2 because I managed to finish it.
The Smiths
3/5
Not my favorite Smiths record. Parts of it feel like Morrissey is trying to murder your ears.
Prince
4/5
Somehow I’d never listened to a Prince record all the way through. This is so much fun - full of funk and sex.
Cocteau Twins
5/5
Shoegazey dream pop at its finest.
Paul Simon
2/5
30 odd years on this album feels like a white guy stole a bunch of African music and tried to pass it off as his own.
If you’re a Paul Simon fan it has everything that makes him a unique artist - I just feel like age has not been kind to it.
Fleetwood Mac
4/5
What do you do after you put out THE quintessential boomer record?
Release an overstuffed double album where you’re searching for a new sound.
Tusk is a glorious mess. Lindsay Buckingham is just throwing things at the wall to see what will stick - meanwhile Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie are just doing Rumours.
It’s all kinda crazy listenable. 3.5/5 rounded up to a 4.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
Really 4.5 for record 1 and 3 for record 2.
First one is a banger and such fun to listen to. Second not so much.
Baaba Maal
2/5
Honestly this dragged on so long I just stopped listening. It was fine as a passive listen, but not as an active one.
Massive Attack
2/5
Another day, another electronica album. The one positive for me on this is that there is a vocalist over all of the songs, which seems to help with my usual strong dislike of the genre.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
4/5
Fair warning - You have to like Janis Joplin’s voice. Personally I do, especially backed by Big Brother & The Holding Company. Piece of My Heart and Summertime are stand outs.
Album feels raw and rough around the edges. It also runs on a bit.
Dwight Yoakam
2/5
This record was pretty bad. What is it about the late 80s that gave us such overproduced nonsense?
Blur
2/5
I thought I liked Blur - then I listened to this and it’s not my favorite. Boys and Girls is still fun. The rest of the album is boring Britpop.
Jacques Brel
4/5
This was a fun half hour. Brel’s singing was smooth as butter. I have no idea what he was saying but it didn’t matter. The album exudes charm and sophistication - probably because it’s all in French.
Dire Straits
1/5
Epitome of boomer rock and another in the long line of White Brits playing the “blues”.
I can’t say I found anything good about this record. Sure the music I guess is good from a purely technical standard but it just hides an empty vessel of a band.
Moby
2/5
The singles brought me back to high school and driving aimlessly around smoking cigarettes. The rest of it - meh. Lots of a filler for a record that probably could have been 35 minutes and a good listen.
Joe Ely
3/5
This is a weird one - I will say if Townes Van Zandt was singing some of these songs I’d give it 5 stars. But he doesn’t, so I won’t.
Ely’s voice works for the more trivial songs, but to my ears lacks the grit for the more pleading country tunes.
David Bowie
3/5
Felt at times more like a jazz record than a Bowie record. Somber and mournful it’s very much a record about life and death.
Finley Quaye
1/5
Reggae for white people with dreads.
David Holmes
3/5
I can’t believe I’m rating this a 3. But for electronica to zone out to or to pretend that you are the protagonist in a Steven Soderbergh flick then this record is made for you.
It runs a tad long and the interstitials are a waste of space. But you can apparently turn it on and roam the streets of downtown Minneapolis and not quite hate it.
Public Image Ltd.
1/5
Not great like most of Johnny Rotten’s work. Felt like the kind of album a 19 year old would create and think was deep and then be embarrassed by it 5 years later.
David Bowie
4/5
Bowie all glammed up which tends to be my favorite Bowie.
I love his version of Let’s Spend the Night Together.
Michael Jackson
3/5
Automatic star deduction for Paul McCartney and pedophilia.
Honestly 3/4 of Thriller is amazing. 2 songs I would skip. Quincy Jones’ production is great and MJ is at the height of his talent.
Coldplay
1/5
Coldplay is the fucking worst. It’s like a band made up of the worst instincts of all the huge pop bands rolled up into one giant kaiju of shit.
Thelonious Monk
5/5
It’s Monk - what’s not to love?
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
Tribe is just so smooth. From the beats to the rhymes everything is great on this record. It also doesn’t suffer from skits that haven’t aged well unlike some of the other hip hop records from this time on the list.
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
This record brings back a lot of memories of my 20s. Still holds up!
Neil Young
5/5
Look I’m a Neil Young stan. His stretch of early solo records is just great. You have to like proto-grungey guitar that sometimes devolves into ponderous nonsense- which is something I’m here for.
On the Beach isn’t among his most well known records and doesn’t necessarily have any hits on it. But it slaps.
Calexico
2/5
This album is all over the place and doesn’t know what it wants to be. Good musicians - but uneven.
Manic Street Preachers
1/5
More forgettable Brit pop. How does this band have 2 records on this list?
Magazine
4/5
Good post-punk! I listened to this walking around Manhattan on a beautiful spring day and it kept me from being to perky. Will spin this again.
Foo Fighters
3/5
I had a friend in High School who said that the best part about Kurt Cobain’s suicide was Foo Fighters.
Not having listened to this in a long time I found the top 3 and last 3 songs to be good and the rest forgettable. If you’re going to listen to a Foo Fighters album go with the Color and Shape Of.
Fela Kuti
5/5
This was great. An artist I hadn’t heard before and I spent the rest of the day listening to. African beats, jazz hooks and funk. I really dug this.
Koffi Olomide
3/5
Wasn’t my favorite, wasn’t the worst I’ve heard. Mix of African, Island and French musics. A bit long and over synthesized for my tastes.
The Waterboys
3/5
This is a weird one. The Irish/Scottish influence is very obvious - but where the Pogues and Dubliners had voices that came straight out of the pub this guy’s voice felt too clean. I would have appreciated it more if he had a rougher voice and the music had a less sanitized sound.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
I love this Country-fied version of the Stones. The big singles are the least interesting tracks. Not sure why this gets so much hate on here.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
The first five Zeppelin albums are just so much fun that it’s hard to pick a favorite. Some days it’s III and other days it’s II. This is an almost perfect record - star deduction for Thank You which is categorically terrible.
Manu Chao
3/5
I liked this more than I thought I would. Not sure repeat listens would bring more joy however. Classic 3 record.
Muddy Waters
4/5
Good live record. Muddy Waters and his band are tight.
Neneh Cherry
3/5
Kitschy late 80s pop. Shades of Madonna and Prince with Hip Hop sprinkled throughout. I surprisingly didn’t hate it.
Elvis Presley
3/5
Certainly some cheese factor with this - but this was a fun listen. A soul country sound with a tight backing band. Elvis’ vocal affectations sometimes got in the way.
Slint
4/5
This is one of those albums and bands I can’t believe I hadn’t heard before. Slowcore at its finest. Short record, complex time signature changes and great vocals.
Radiohead
3/5
Meh. It’s ok. There is a pretentiousness to this whole era of Radiohead.
Caetano Veloso
4/5
This was super fun. Big mid-60s energy. Not quite sure why it has such a low rating. It’s a breezy easy record.
Ryan Adams
1/5
Ryan Adams has put out a ton of albums and dear reader it’s all crap. This is an over stuffed vanilla early aughts piece of garbage. Really not sure of what is appealing about this. His voice is reedy and uninteresting and lyrics are obtuse. The musicianship is fairly decent.
All in all not my favorite.
Solomon Burke
2/5
Honestly a bit disappointed with this one. Not sure what I was expecting, but for an early Rock and Roll album it left me wanting. The first track sets you up for a greatness that the rest of the album didn’t rise to.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Probably the best Creedence record. Loaded with hits. I love this version of Grapevine.
Pere Ubu
4/5
This will not be for everyone - but I really enjoyed it. The singer gives some David Byrne sounding vibes but over a mishmash of post-punk noise.
Buena Vista Social Club
2/5
Underwhelming. The songs are pretty one note. Limited hints of Latin beats. Would be fine background music - but I wouldn’t search it out.
David Bowie
5/5
My favorite Bowie album. Life on Mars and Kooks are for me the highlights on a great album.
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
I really have enjoyed the 2 Tribe records I’ve gotten so far. Funky, jazzy, Afrocentric beautiful rap. None of it feels too aged.
Arctic Monkeys
2/5
Replaceable mid-aughts pop rock.
Thin Lizzy
2/5
An hour and seventeen minutes is too much Thin Lizzy.
Alice Cooper
3/5
Surprised by this one. A bit campy in the vein of the Meatloaf record on the list. Riffs from West Side Story. Title track is still fun.
LCD Soundsystem
3/5
I prefer Sound of Silver. It wasn’t a bad listen.
Badly Drawn Boy
2/5
So boring. There’s nothing interesting about this record at all.
The Prodigy
1/5
Enough of the euro trash electronica records.
Method Man
3/5
This aged better than some of the 90s rap records - no problematic skits throughout. However I really didn’t care for Method Man’s style. But the beats were great - so 3/5.
Suicide
4/5
This is not going to be for everyone. Alternates between psychedelic punk and drone. Had some Velvet Underground vibes. I didn’t hate it!
The Strokes
4/5
This one brought me back to the post 9/11 world. In college being concerned about wars and terrorism - all while the radio was playing butt rock and new metal.
Along comes these greasy hipsters from New York to bring rock-n-roll back and suddenly life made a bit of sense again.
Listening now the album feels pretty derivative - but it’s easy to forget that it ushered in a new sound and banished Limp Bizkit, Korn and Staind into the dust bin of history.
David Bowie
2/5
Meh. I’ve gotten most of the Bowie records on the list and this is my least favorite so far. Felt like he was trying to call back to his glam era and it fell flat.
Sonic Youth
2/5
I want to like Sonic Youth so bad - but they just make it so goddamned difficult.
Overall this wasn’t terrible and was short. Still not something I would return to.
Christina Aguilera
2/5
I find pop records to be such a strange thing. The singles tend to be listenable and then you wonder why they bothered to record anything else.
In this case I’m pretty baffled as to why this is 2 discs and well over an hour.
There’s a procession of late 90s-early aughts female pop singers whose voices all sort of blur together for me - file Xtina in that bucket. Her voice is good but I would have a hard time pulling it out of a lineup.
Anyways an hour plus of meh pop tunes isn’t for me.
Wu-Tang Clan
4/5
This was a fun one. Now I know why Wu-Tang is for the children. Great beats and samples, rhymes off the hook. Just a great 90s rap album.
D'Angelo
3/5
Certainly 90s R&B. Smooth and not as icky feeling as the Maxwell record on the list. A bit too long for me to keep my interest the whole time.
Lenny Kravitz
2/5
Mostly unsuccessful mash up of Prince and Hendrix. If he didn’t wear his influences so obviously on his shoulders it would most likely be a better record. As it stands every song is jammed packed with references to past songs to tell you how cool he is.
Kraftwerk
3/5
I didn’t like this as much as Autobahn. I guess this was more concept-y comparatively.
Travis
1/5
Oh look another crappy 90s Brit pop record. This felt like it was smack dab in the shit between Oasis and Coldplay.
The Youngbloods
3/5
This was fine. Dad rock from the late 60s.
Dr. Octagon
1/5
This felt like an hour and five minutes of Tracey Morgan making unfunny sex jokes. Beats were ok.
Rush
1/5
As someone who loves artists with unique voices - I hate Geddy Lee. Also not a big fan of Prog Rock. So those together is not a great combo.
Metallica
1/5
I made it through 3 tracks - which all sounded the same. This feels like a band that is trying to sound like Black Sabbath or Zeppelin and just fails miserably.
Metallica is the Wonder Bread of Metal.
Ali Farka Touré
3/5
Nice summer music. Would be great to have on in the background and just relax. Wouldn’t be on my constant rotation.
The Who
2/5
Honestly - 2 Stars just for the title track. The rest of the debut is pretty disjointed. This is the Who looking for a sound and recording tracks that the Kinks or the Stones would do better.
Deep Purple
1/5
Pedestrian 70s rock at its blandest.
The Smashing Pumpkins
2/5
Two hours and five minutes is too long to listen to Smashing Pumpkins. This record is bloated and beyond the singles there’s not much to write home about.
Two stars but one star is for nostalgia.
The Cult
1/5
What a crap album. How a band takes the already shitty Born to Be Wild and makes it worse is beyond me.
Funkadelic
4/5
After a bunch of crap in a row this was refreshing. Funky psychedelica. Need to buy this on vinyl.
My Bloody Valentine
5/5
Let me bring you back to 2005. That’s me with the greasy hair and unkempt beard looking just on the respectable side of homeless. I was working a horrible job but reconnecting with my college friends a year after graduation.
One of the people I started hanging around with was this girl who was in my 8am French class and who I shared a night of watching Eddie Izzard clips as opposed to writing papers in the computer lab. I didn’t know her too well and thought she was way too cool for me.
Turns out this woman had a crush on the greasy haired yours truly - I know, I’m still shocked myself. We started spending more time together, watching movies, record shopping, bar hopping, etc. One night she kisses me and next thing you know we’re making out like 8th graders every chance we get AND what was the soundtrack to that? Yes dear reader - it was Loveless.
Now almost 20 years on every time I hear the opening guitar riff I’m transported back, smile and think about my now wife and how everything i have in my life is because she made a move I was too scared to make.
King Crimson
3/5
I don’t know what to make of this one. The prog rock elements in the songs are just not my thing. But then there’s these math metal interludes and gothic rock sections which I didn’t hate.
The Clash
5/5
This might be a perfect record and one of my favorite debuts of all time. The Clash come out snarling and are relentless for the next 35 minutes. There are so many great tracks on this my sleeper favorite is probably Police and Thieves.
The 13th Floor Elevators
4/5
I liked how garage-y this sounded. The opening track is a classic. As others noted the electric jug is hard to unhear once you know to listen for it.
Screaming Trees
2/5
Talk about a meh album. Nothing here to write home about - inoffensive pseudo grunge-folk.
The Adverts
4/5
Not a bad UK punk record. I don’t know if I’ve knowingly heard the Adverts before. Better than the Sex Pistols not as interesting as the Clash.
Beatles
2/5
The covers that John and George sing are the highlight here. The early Lennon/McCartney songs are pretty laughable. This is the Beatles closer to the cover band they were in Hamburg then what they became.
Merle Haggard
4/5
Straight up classic outlaw country. A breezy half hour. This is great road trip music.
Napalm Death
3/5
28 songs in 33 minutes and nary an intelligible work to be heard. Honestly - this wasn’t as terrible as I expected. It sort of became white noise after a bit and I didn’t hate it.
The Who
4/5
The only Who record I consistently go back to. Baba O’Reilly is one of the great rock and roll songs and Daltrey’s scream at the end of We Don’t Get Fooled Again is iconic.
All that said the middle portion of this drags - it’s really the top and bottom of this that makes it a good album.
FKA twigs
3/5
Certainly a specific vibe. Maybe being over 40 makes me not so into it. I could see if this came out in my 20s I would have known every song.
New Order
1/5
Not sure why this particular New Order record is on the list. Nothing to hear here. I guess it’s the album they when into Acid House - which is unfortunate because it really blows. Gone is the Post-Punk brilliance and I’m not on ecstasy so 1 star.
Rocket From The Crypt
1/5
As someone who listened to and enjoyed a lot of punk/ska in the mid to late 90s this was pretty bad. Brought back memories of getting badly sunburned at Warped Tour.
Portishead
4/5
I hate trip hop - but really like Portishead. Great vocals, non-repetitive beats and an ethereal vibe.
Deerhunter
3/5
This album certainly is from 2010. Big Tame Impala and My Morning Jacket energy. Wasn’t my favorite.
Mike Ladd
1/5
Bad trip hop with bad rapping. Over an hour long.
Daft Punk
2/5
Well I listened to the wrong Daft Punk record the first go round which felt like some kind of bad karma.
This debut is repetitive, boring and annoying. Yet somehow I was tapping my foot to the beat. Damn you French Robots!
Miles Davis
3/5
I’m not super into Miles’ fusion era, but after a string of electronica this was a welcome respite. Feels more like a mellow rock album with the occasional Miles solo thrown in.
David Bowie
3/5
First side is up and down. Heroes, Beauty and the Beast and Joe the Lion are fun.
Second side is meh at best.
Eminem
1/5
Music for incels not in on the joke. Part of me wants to think that this is all for shock value - but then you realize that Eminem is still putting out the same juvenile bullshit in his 50s.
Louis Prima
4/5
I really enjoyed this. Upbeat, big band swing coupled with King Louie singing and playing trumpet.
The Verve
1/5
Look - I didn’t finish this. I got halfway through this 75 minute long record and couldn’t listen to the boring Britpop these guys were selling anymore.
Everything is derivative, vaguely religious garbage. I feel like the only reason this is on the list is because of bittersweet symphony - which is not a great song.
The Young Gods
3/5
Have you ever wondered what a Rain Dogs era Tom Waits Beauty and the Beast musical set in a traveling French circus would sound like? Well dear reader, half of this record is the answer to that question. The other half is terrible Industrial. Can’t win them all.
Kendrick Lamar
4/5
Solid hip hop. After listening to mostly 90s rap on this list it was interesting to jump ahead 20+ years and hear how the art form had evolved.
Kendrick’s lyrics are good - although they are juvenile at times. Beats and samples were top notch.
Pantera
1/5
Music for 12 year old white boys who’s mom is a real “bitch” for making him do his homework.
Bonnie Raitt
3/5
Certainly not my favorite record I’ve listened to for the list. Very clean late 80s sound, which to me makes it less interesting. This is definitely music that your mom would have listened to in the minivan carting you around. That said Raitt’s guitar playing and lyrics aren’t anything to sneeze at and I’ve listened to far worse recently.
The Isley Brothers
4/5
Fun summer record. I listened to it as I was grilling. A few fun covers of well known songs and a nice classic R&B funky soul sound.
Violent Femmes
4/5
Such a nostalgic record for me. Funny to think when I first became aware of Blister in the Sun it was already 10 years old.
This now 42 year old album still sounds fresh and fun.
Willie Nelson
4/5
At times this is a kitschy yet earnest covers album - at other times the covers are pretty great.
Steely Dan
2/5
Very 70s. Very Dad Rock. Very Yacht Rock.
Norah Jones
2/5
This album was everywhere in the early aughts. 20+ years on it’s fine. Jones’ voice is soothing, the easy listening jazz accompaniment is as boring as ever. But I think in the early post 9/11 world soothing and boring were what people wanted.
Rufus Wainwright
4/5
Beautiful queer album. The Art Teacher might be the highlight for me.
4/5
Fun LA punk. Swift half hour of just classic early west coast punk.
Marilyn Manson
1/5
Fuck this rapist. His music and schtick suck anyways.
Pixies
3/5
I don’t like this as much as Surfer Rosa or Doolittle. Their sound is incredibly clean on this one - which distracts as it loses the rawness of the previous two albums.
I will say it sounds like the 1990s. You can hear snippets of all the different sounds that will come in the decade.
Velouria and Digging for Fire slap.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
My favorite Elvis Costello record. So many good tunes. The B side has a few misses. But you can’t ever go wrong with Radio Radio.
Scott Walker
3/5
Something so campy about this that I find endearing. Also weird that this guy has at least 2 records on the list.
Johnny Cash
4/5
Just a solid live album. Johnny and June are great and the band is tight. The audience is a major character throughout.
Waylon Jennings
4/5
What’s not to like here? Even if you’re not a fan of country - at a tight 27 minutes this is an easy and fun listen. Black Rose is the highlight for me.
Rage Against The Machine
4/5
Rage is probably the only nü metal band I can hang with. Super leftist lyrics, the palpable rage and unchanging US politics makes this still feel fresh.
The Smiths
5/5
Look - I get the Morrissey hate. He’s a massive wanker to use the UK parlance of our time.
BUT - this fucking record slaps. Not a bad note in it. Really just mopey hit after mopey hit.
Dire Straits
1/5
The worst of boomer rock.
The Velvet Underground
4/5
Feels like a bridge between the more experimental early VU and the later Loaded era.
After hours feels like it was written yesterday.
Fishbone
3/5
Fishbone’s mix of Funk, Ska and Soul brings me back to being a ska kid in the late 90s. I used to rock my Fishbone shirt and skank around to the beat.
This album is a great mashup of their influences and their unique sound. Every 3rd wave ska band tried to sound like Fishbone.
That being said it’s an up and down record for me. 3 stars.
Beastie Boys
3/5
This frat boy vibe is tough to listen to all these years on. While there are some hints of the Beasties to come it’s really just a less offensive Eminem record.
Also not a fan of this Rick Rubin sound, on this record.
The Hives
2/5
Big talk from the Hives here. I will say for the record they are not my new favorite band.
Mike Oldfield
2/5
What if Kraftwerk and King Crimson had a baby who occasionally sang like the guy from Rammstein?
You’d get Tubular Bells.
Kid Rock
1/5
The first 2 songs are not that bad - in a kitschy, nostalgic way.
Then it just gets typically white guy rapping and nü metal. So yeah. . .
Earth, Wind & Fire
3/5
Very hit or miss record for me. The funk and soul tunes were great. The more disco-y songs just didn’t work for me.
Dirty Projectors
4/5
Very much a 2009 record. Lots of reviews say this is hipsters with their heads up their collective asses. Sure, I’ll agree with that. But also it’s a weird fun record. Two things can be true.
The Cardigans
3/5
This was fine. Beyond Loverfool I’m not sure there’s anything else all that interesting on here.
Alice In Chains
1/5
This sucked. Beyond the really dark subject matter Alice In Chains took the worst aspects of 80s Hair Metal and Grunge and mashed them together. The result it a mess of crap.
The B-52's
4/5
Incredibly fun record. As kitschy and campy as you remember from the Love Shack video. But if you accept and get in on the joke the result is joy.
Blue Cheer
2/5
Meh. Felt like a record you recorded in your garage right after you learned how to play guitar and got obsessed with playing Jimi Hendrix poorly.
Snoop Dogg
2/5
Like a lot of this era’s rap it hasn’t aged incredibly well. The beats are pretty good. I’m on the fence as to whether I like Snoop’s voice.
N.W.A.
3/5
Got this the day after Snoop’s first record. I like how political this is compared to that. But like most West Coast rap of this era there’s things that don’t age well - mainly the homophobia and over usage of the N-word.
Janis Joplin
5/5
What can you say about Janis that hasn’t already been said? You either are going to love her voice or hate it. I happen to fall into the former camp and her final record is just great.
Electric Light Orchestra
3/5
ELO is one of those bands where the singles are a great time, but the full albums leave me wanting.
This double record get same-y very quickly. Mr. Blue Sky is rocks.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Is Let It Bleed my favorite Stones album? Nah. Is it still a great record. Yep. I dig the country aspects of this and their previous album, Beggar’s Banquet. In my opinion their best work comes soon after this. But compare this with the more saccharine songs the Beatles put out this same year and I’ll take this.
Antony and the Johnsons
4/5
I can see how this is a polarizing album. You really need to be okay with her voice or you will not like this. The album definitely grew on me and I found it hauntingly beautiful.
Sarah Vaughan
4/5
I enjoyed this. Very easy to listen to. Sarah Vaughan’s voice is great. I also like these live jazz records that are like 30-40 minutes. A breezy way to start my day.
Paul Weller
2/5
Inoffensive early 90’s dad rock. As a dad it’s about three decades too early for me to enjoy.
Sister Sledge
2/5
At different points in this record I felt like I was stuck in a dentist’s waiting room and it would switch to feeling stuck in a Julia Roberts film.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
I’ve never heard this NY record. There’s some classic moments on this - long guitar solos, Neil scream-singing about something and then songs that are earnestly on the nose.
The Doors
2/5
The Doors are such an overrated band. There’s nothing here that other bands weren’t doing better.
Queen
3/5
The campy songs on this in my mind were a success, the others not so much.
Ice Cube
2/5
Beats felt same-y. Lyrics felt same-y.
Why are you hating on women so much?
My Bloody Valentine
4/5
Doesn’t touch the greatness of Loveless. Nonetheless an enjoyable listen.
Pink Floyd
2/5
This record is a bore. There’s nothing here that I find very interesting. I feel like Pink Floyd is one of those bands that if you find them at the right time you love - for me, I never got the appeal.
Joan Armatrading
4/5
Really liked this. Amazed I had never heard of her before.
Supergrass
3/5
This felt like a record that would have come out in 2005, not 1995. Was a fun, but not amazing listen.
Goldfrapp
4/5
I dug this. Great listen for an easy Sunday morning.
AC/DC
3/5
AC/DC is fine. Nothing challenging here, very accessible. Back In Black and You Shook Me All Night Long are the standouts.
Tim Buckley
4/5
Experimental folk-jazz? Uh, apparently sign me up.
A bit of an out there listen. And he’s no Jeff Buckley, amiright? But I dug it.
Al Green
4/5
So smooth, so sexy - hadn’t listened to this in forever. Holds up well. Great 70s soul.
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
After a recent trip to the Jersey Shore I’ve been on a Bruce Springsteen kick and dear reader this album is a disappointment. It’s very much of its time with appeals to patriotism and very clear references to 9/11. It lacks the timelessness of his early work.
Tracy Chapman
4/5
Despite some of the more unfortunate 80s-ness of this record it’s a banger. Despite being close to 40 years old it feels fresh and new.
The White Stripes
4/5
This record holds up so well. I remember listening to this obsessively when it first was released. It was fun to revisit.
Giant Sand
2/5
As others have noted - this indeed is a chore. Sort of alt-country, sort of indie. There are some interesting moments- but they don’t outweigh the sameness.
GZA
3/5
I’ve been digging the Wu-Tang/Wu-Tang adjacent records I’ve gotten so far. This didn’t disappoint. GZA’s lyrics over RZA’s beats are great. I was a big fan of all of the Shogun Assassin sampling.
The Beach Boys
2/5
More misses than hits. There’s a kitschyness that the Beach Boys exude. There are glimpses of the Wall of Sound working its way into things. Frankly I was underwhelmed.
Carpenters
2/5
The is an album of AM Gold. Which really - I am not the target audience for.
The Carpenters always seemed to be the butt of a joke when I was growing up and I made it a point not to listen to them, knowing that they sucked.
Well time and Hollywood is a bitch - I knew most of these songs!
Ugh.
This is super vanilla, easy listening that is kitschy at best. Honestly the whole Karen Carpenter tragedy is more interesting(?) than their music.
The La's
1/5
I think one of the things this list points out is that mainstream rock in the late 80s was just so awful that an album like this becomes one you need to listen to before you die.
30+ years on this is such a forgettable drag. They wrote “There She Goes” - cool. That song and the rest of this is a snooze.
Cream
3/5
Cream might be the only thing Eric Clapton was involved with that doesn’t suck. Stressing the word *might*
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
5/5
For 3 songs clocking in at 11 minutes I can find no faults.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
I always want to hate Bob Marley - then when you listen to his full albums, not just the singles it’s hard not to groove along to him.
Anyways classic 3/5 record. Nothing to hate, nothing that blows my mind.
The Smiths
2/5
Starting to believe that the only Smiths record worth listening to is the Queen is Dead. This is meh at best.
Kate Bush
3/5
I just love Kate Bush’s voice. I’m not sure if this is her best record - but there are nice moments and songs.
Queen
3/5
I find the campy Queen songs to be the most interesting. So another up and down record.
Franz Ferdinand
2/5
I remember when this came out and everyone loved it. It was a snooze fest 20 years on.
Jimmy Smith
4/5
This is a great summer jazz record.
Yes
2/5
No.
4/5
So close to a 5. The first disc is all acoustic and is prime Dylan - Blonde on Blonde, Highway 61 era.
The second disc is electrified and this is where it loses a star - mainly because the top of it is not great. The end of it is banger after banger.
I caveat all of this with - if you hate Dylan you’re going to hate this 90 minutes.
Depeche Mode
2/5
The hits were good. The rest was hit or miss.
Portishead
2/5
Not nearly as good as Dummy. Some decent at times atmospheric music, but in my opinion not worth the listen.
The Offspring
3/5
This brought me back to wandering the halls of Northeastern Catholic Jr. High and remembering how everyone’s parents were up in arms about “Come Out and Play”.
Fever Ray
2/5
My now wife used to play the Knife a lot so I was cautiously optimistic about this one.
It’s certainly atmospheric, repetitive and long. However as just a background listen it probably isn’t horrible.
The War On Drugs
1/5
I don’t like the fucking Eagles.
Brian Eno
1/5
I just kept waiting for this to get good. Halfway through the album I gave up.
Rod Stewart
3/5
Early Rod Stewart is pretty good. There’s a small window where he wasn’t the pastiche he was when I was a kid and continues to be.
Nirvana
4/5
This still holds up for me. The stripped down version of the quintessential grunge band is the most interesting to me. Yeah there’s a lot of imperfections and Kurt can’t hit a note to save his life - but it still is a captured moment of a very specific time.
Jeru The Damaja
3/5
Pretty surprised by this one. Great beats and a good MC. Not as good as Wu-Tang but definitely in that vibe.
Still it’s 90s hip hop so expect some homophobia and misogyny that hasn’t aged well - less than the West Coast rappers, but still there.
Richard Thompson
3/5
I absolutely love the title track. The rest of the record was good - but never rose as high.
Don McLean
2/5
One star album - bumped to two star because American Pie is a great sing-a-long song.
The Kinks
4/5
I love the Kinks and you could do worse than this album. A blend of styles that kicks off a more mature phase for the band.
Nirvana
4/5
I can’t remember the last time I listened to Nevermind - it stands up surprisingly well. Brought this 40-something dad back to being a young buck who no one ever could or would understand.
But seriously, despite the motif of being a misunderstood young person it’s still a strong record, which starts as soon as that guitar hits on Smells Like Teen Spirit.
Soft Machine
1/5
There are parts of this that remind me of a Noise band, which I liked. As for the rest - I have never been stoned enough to enjoy something like it.
U2
3/5
Sunday Bloody Sunday and New Year’s Day are the standouts. The rest of the album veers into generic 80s New Wave. This is a band in search of a sound.
G. Love & Special Sauce
2/5
Stick it in the fridge.
Happy Mondays
2/5
This feels like a record that if you were in a specific place at a specific time would be monumentally important to you.
Alas dear reader, I am not of that time nor of that place. As such I found it to be less than interesting. I get what the band was going for - but it feels like a work in progress compared to future albums that blend dance and rock.
Mudhoney
3/5
Proto Grunge with some of the sounds of 80s hair metal. It’s apparent that this is a bridge record to the emergence of flannels, thermals, long greasy hair and jeans.
Billy Joel
2/5
70s soft pop-rock. There’s like 2 tracks that get you tapping your feet. But that does not make a great album.
4/5
Honestly this era of the Kinks is a slam dunk. While the Beatles and the Stones put out great records in 1969 - here comes Ray Davies with weird concept albums that are just amazing and ahead of their time. For my money Victoria is one of the best first tracks.
Jorge Ben Jor
4/5
This was so much fun. I’d happily listen to this pretty much anytime.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
2/5
I’m going to call this Mom Rock - because my own Mother knew the lyrics to ever Skynyrd song that came on the radio.
The Chemical Brothers
2/5
Wasn’t the worst electronica I’ve listened to on the list - but at close to an hour I could have done with less.
Jeff Beck
2/5
Was surprised to hear Rod Stewart start singing on this. Early Rod Stewart isn’t bad.
As for Jeff Beck, I like him better than Clapton, but this album drags, especially the more traditional blues songs.
Ute Lemper
2/5
German caberet singer covering Kurt Weil, Nick Cave and Tom Waits?!?
Well now you have my attention.
Is this a great album - meh. More curiosity or the perfect soundtrack to walking at night through a rainy nondescript European city.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
This was a slog. The first of the double album is pretty classic Zeppelin, not the band at its height - but pretty darn good.
Once you get to the second album it feels like casts off. A lot of forgettable songs. I guess it probably marks the beginning of the end of the band.
Nitin Sawhney
2/5
Indian trip-hop. It wasn’t the worst I’ve listened to on the list, but it felt overly long. I made it through the whole thing because there were moments that sounded like Portishead.
Venom
3/5
I honestly expected to hate this, but didn’t. I liked the dark Norse themes of the songs.
Prince
4/5
I like Prince - but mostly know his hits. This record felt like an entrance to do a deep dive through his catalogue.
Funky, surprising and fun.
Amy Winehouse
2/5
I love Back to Black. This however was a drag - there are moments where you hear the style that is to come, but they are fleeting.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
I really dug So and was excited to listen to this one. It was not nearly as good. It’s an okay album but not one I’d return to anytime soon.
William Orbit
2/5
For atmospheric music it was fine - but when I went outside and took a walk I realized it is not great walking around music.
Funkadelic
4/5
Funkadelic is just fun to listen to. This band is super tight, yet so funky and smooth - it’s kind of amazing.
4/5
I know most people hate this - but I was into it. Noise Post Punk just checks some boxes for me.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
The best Stones album, maybe. Between this and Exile you can’t go wrong.
The Go-Go's
4/5
This was such a fun little record. Bratty pop punk from the 80s that would not have been out of place in the early aughts.
Gotan Project
2/5
After a while all these trip hop albums start to blend together as forgettably long mush.
This at least had a Latin flavor to it. Still not my thing, not as bad as others.
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
The album your high school friends’ ska band would have made circa 1996-2000.
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
Meh. It didn’t have West End Girls so. . .
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
4/5
A breezy 30 minute debut. Like most Tom Petty its up and down. However - ending your debut record with a banger like American Girl is great.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
1/5
Life is too short to listen to Eric Clapton.
John Martyn
1/5
This may have been the most stereotypical 70s rock/pop record I’ve heard. It’s like he took pieces of whatever sound was popular and mashed it together in the most boring way possible.
The Allman Brothers Band
1/5
You know what makes me feel like I’m dying? 22 fucking minutes of the Whipping Post.
Fela Kuti
5/5
How I got to my 40s without hearing Fela Kuti I’ll never understand. The energy and rhythms just make it impossible to not groove along.
Keith Jarrett
5/5
This was unexpected. I was a bit skeptical that I would like this a few minutes into the first song but man - this slapped.
Youssou N'Dour
4/5
I’ve really enjoyed the African albums on this list so far, this one doesn’t disappoint. A bit mellower than say Fela Kuti - it nevertheless has great rhythms and beats.
OutKast
4/5
Shit this is good. Just a fun record - a few moments of misogyny, but not nearly as prevalent as some of the Gangsta Rap on this list.
Anthrax
3/5
I’m not going to turn into a huge Anthrax fan - but this was surprisingly not awful. I dug how thrashy it was and there’s a bit of math metal sounding moments.
Elvis Presley
4/5
Pre-war Elvis is obviously the best Elvis and his debut is strong. He’s still searching for his sound here. Blue Suede Shoes and I Got A Woman feel fully formed. The ballads less so - there’s a strong Buddy Holly sound to some of them.
The xx
3/5
Didn’t realize that I knew half of these songs. Kind of replaceable late aughts indie pop. Not a bad listen, just very 2009.
Dinosaur Jr.
4/5
Lo-fi massive shoe gaze-y guitar gods.
Van Halen
4/5
This is just a stupid fun record. The amount of spandex and coke that must have been involved in its recording is palpable.
Carole King
4/5
Solid record displaying Carole’s great songwriting skills. My only real qualms with it are her versions of Will You Love Me Tomorrow? and Natural Woman - which, pardon the pun feel uninspired.
Public Enemy
4/5
This was great. Chuck D laying down truths and Flavor Flav doing his thing.
My one complaint is that it’s so long. Maybe my attention span is just shot.
Suede
2/5
I appreciate what this band was trying to do - a little shoegaze/glam/art rock/etc mash up.
Was it successful?
Nope.
Incubus
2/5
Pardon me while my 42 year old self bursts into flames because my high school self was into this band.
Cyndi Lauper
4/5
Cyndi Lauper just wants to have fun and it shows on this album. A solid debut from this iconic singer.
She’s such a foil to Madonna in my mind - less serious, more willing to be part of the joke.
Tom Waits
5/5
I love Tom Waits and Swordfishtrombones is the album that broke the jazz lounge-y sound he had before and turned it on its head.
As always his lyrics are great and the sounds he begins to create on this album are unique. I think I might like Rain Dogs a little bit more - but really this album can do no wrong.
. . . never could stand that dog
The Fall
3/5
Probably the best The Fall record on the list - which is a fairly low bar. A more accessible post punk record. It does at time feel like a knock off VU cover band.
The Go-Betweens
2/5
I keep expecting to know one of these songs from some late 80s/early 90s serious teenage movie.
Nope - just completely replaceable late 80s soft pop.
Elliott Smith
5/5
Probably Elliott Smith’s most accessible album - and by accessible I mean the one you can listen to without being super duper depressed after.
Hot Chip
2/5
Parts of this felt like Of Montreal. But it got grating very quickly.
R.E.M.
4/5
Early REM is so good. Just an arty college rock at its best.
Pulp
5/5
I remember first hearing this record when my friend Dave let me borrow it when I was in High School. It really ruined for me what I thought Brit Pop was - because nothing compares with this masterpiece.
a-ha
1/5
I got this the day Trump won a 2nd term.
To be honest - Take On Me sounds like something he would play at one of his rallies and “white man dance” to.
That is the high point of the record and it’s the first track.
So. . .
Joy Division
2/5
Is Joy Division a good band outside of Love Will Tear Us Apart?
I don’t think so. I’ll take early New Order instead.
The Stooges
5/5
Every post punk band wishes they were this. The raw unvarnished sound that comes from Iggy and the Stooges is as good as what the VU were putting out at the same time.
5/5
Certainly in the Top 3 Beatles records. As much as I dislike Paul, and make no mistake this is a Paul album - I don’t know if there’s anything to quibble about with it.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
I love that Nick Cave is essentially Gothic Tom Waits.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
I really liked this. Definitely Laurel Canyon-y with some Jazz thrown in for good measure.
Air
2/5
Great atmospheric music to put you to sleep.
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
Not my favorite of the old school hip hop records. Very same-y.
Beck
4/5
This record holds up! Fun flashback to my high school era.
Emmylou Harris
4/5
Straight up Country Americana with the sonorous voice of Emmylou - what’s not to like?
1/5
Emo the Killers. Cool.
Bee Gees
1/5
Fucking awful.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
Not an album stacked with classic Sinatra standards - but still, I want to light some candles, put this on and make sweet sweet love to my baby.
Parliament
4/5
I don’t know how you listen to Parliament and just have a great fucking time.
This band is tight as hell and seems to be having so much fun playing together.
Talking Heads
4/5
Frankly I find all Talking Heads records to be listenable. There’s a lot happening in this classic from David Byrne and company.
Love Comes to Town and Psycho Killer stand out. But the extended edition has my absolute favorite song of their’s Love -> Building on Fire.
Hugh Masekela
3/5
I enjoyed the 2nd half of this record far more than the 1st. Which is a shame - took me 3 days to listen to what is a relatively good record.
The Flaming Lips
3/5
Perfectly acceptable record. Nothing to go crazy over.
Songhoy Blues
3/5
This was fine. Nothing that blew my mind - but nothing I was turned off about.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
1/5
Booooooo!
Cocteau Twins
5/5
Probably my favorite Cocteau Twins album. I can’t get enough of this ethereal dream pop shoegaze band.
Linkin Park
1/5
The late 90s/early aughts were a hell of a time to be alive. Music for the disaffected youth who voted for Ralph Nader and then 20 years later Trump.
Metallica
1/5
What a 2 hour plus load of pretentious bullshit.
Bert Jansch
1/5
Poor man’s Nick Cave.
Beatles
3/5
Middling Beatles record. The title track and Can’t Buy Me Love are the stand outs to me.
OutKast
3/5
This is a tough one - I liked Speakerboxxx more, although there’s a lot of misogyny throughout it.
The Love Below got better as it went along - but it was a bear to get through.
Hard to see me going back to do a relisten to this entire double album again.
Wilco
5/5
Maybe one of my favorite albums of all time? Ambitious, epic and such a sound from a very specific time.
Blur
2/5
God I hope this is the last Blur record on the list.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
I liked this a whole lot more than their debut. Some real old school hip hop!
My one caveat is that the Aerosmith cover makes me dread when their albums pop up here for me.
Beyoncé
5/5
No notes!
Jefferson Airplane
3/5
If Grace Slick isn’t the lead singer this record sucks.
However - Somebody to Love and Go Ask Alice are iconic so 3 stars.
Pavement
4/5
I always want to hate on Pavement - then I listen to a record of theirs and enjoy it. This is no different. Accessible Indie with shoegaze-y aspects.
Arcade Fire
5/5
My favorite of their records. This was on repeat my first year of grad school.
Deep Purple
1/5
In what world do I need to listen to 2+ hours of Deep Purple live in concert?
Metallica
1/5
Metallica still sucks.
Lupe Fiasco
2/5
This was fine. Not as interesting as some of the more recent hip-hop on the list.
Minus one star for the 11 minute shout out filled outro.
Japan
2/5
Meh at best with a lousy Velvet Underground cover.
Def Leppard
1/5
Let’s just say this didn’t leave me in a hysteria.
Robbie Williams
2/5
This was not as terrible as I expected it to be. So it passed that low bar.
It’s a mishmash of styles - hints of Britpop and Pop Punk and then poor renderings of ballads.
Not something I would return to.
The Jam
3/5
A more produced and melodic Clash.
Buffalo Springfield
2/5
Wildly underwhelming. As someone who thinks Neil Young can do no wrong - I was mistaken.
Hawkwind
1/5
It’s been *years* since I’ve been stoned enough to enjoy something like this.
2 plus live hours of this band is too much. I got through ~30 minutes before I could go no further.
That said - a brisk 35 minute studio record from Hawkwind might be enjoyable. 🤷♂️
Culture Club
2/5
I get the influence of Culture Club, but not sure I needed to listen to this whole thing before I die.
Todd Rundgren
4/5
I really dug this. Sophisticated Pop songs. Some shades of Alex Chilton in there. A tad long.
Beatles
5/5
The best (?) and most balanced Beatles record - probably.
Competing visions of songs from John, Paul and George - with George really stepping up. Gothic pop tunes, Sitar influenced meditations and straight up rock and roll fill out this record.
Hard to find anything to quibble with.
Donovan
3/5
I’ll give this 3 stars only because of “Season of the Witch” - the rest of the album is a psychedelic bore.
Dizzee Rascal
1/5
Couldn’t make it through this one. Too much EDM combined with bad rhymes.
Massive Attack
2/5
This sort of music has rarely been my thing and Massive Attack is no exception.
The Triffids
2/5
Honestly this was boringly inoffensive. I could sit through half of the album before I decided I had better things to do with my time.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
A little yacht rock-y in a good way. Lots of jazzy riffs behind Joni’s ethereal voice.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
On paper I should love Leonard Cohen. He checks most of my boxes - but I simply can’t get too into him. I don’t find anything he does on this terribly interesting.
The first live tune on this was the highlight for me - the rest was meh.
Sonic Youth
2/5
I always want to like Sonic Youth and then I never do.
Paul Simon
1/5
This was awful. 80s Paul Simon is the worst Paul Simon.
JAY Z
2/5
Pop Rap for suburban white boys. I like Jay Z as a hype man on some songs - but a whole album of him talking about how great he is gets a bit long in the tooth.
Turbonegro
3/5
Stupid, goofy and fun late 90s punk(?). Gave off the same vibe as Andrew WK - this is a band that doesn’t take itself super seriously.
Simple Minds
1/5
I couldn’t wait for this to end. The 80s were a hell of a time.
The xx
2/5
Twee nonsense.
The Style Council
1/5
The 80s were a hell of a time.
This fails on almost every level - it either needs to be pulled back or aim higher. As it result it’s a middling sounding hodgepodge of jazz/rap/dance/easy listening.
Jimi Hendrix
2/5
Up and down record. The standouts are Castles Made of Sand and Axis.
The Modern Lovers
3/5
Jonathan Richman is a love or hate kind of guy. I tend to enjoy his goofier, less self serious songs.
This record is a bit more traditional when it comes to the songwriting. It’s not a bad listen per se - but not my first choice of Richman albums.
Suede
1/5
Look - I’m just over all this Brit Pop. This sucked. I didn’t finish it.
TLC
4/5
A fun throwback listen. Very much of its time - so some parts of the album have aged better than others.
On a whole - there’s a lot here to like. Creep and Waterfalls are 90s R&B Classics.
Talking Heads
4/5
I enjoy the Talking Heads every time I listen to them. This record feels like a band that is enjoying the hell out of itself. It’s not filled with any of their big singles but it still slaps.
Nick Drake
4/5
I didn’t know any of the songs on this record - which was nice. If I hear Pink Moon one more time I might scream.
Still beautiful music.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
4/5
Punk and Goth goddess.
Germs
4/5
Fun classic punk. Great listen for a cold winter morning.
Einstürzende Neubauten
3/5
I didn’t hate this! Not sure if I would return to it anytime soon - but I’ve listened to far worse albums on this list - I’m looking at you *insert shitty BritPop band of your choice*
Kings of Leon
1/5
Maybe I would have liked this if they weren’t trying so hard to be the Black Crows?
I’m starting to think most of the retro sounding bands from the early aughts weren’t that good.
Beach House
4/5
I’ll listen and enjoy anything Beach House puts out. This is no exception - quality dream pop throughout.
Liz Phair
5/5
It’s a shame that this record isn’t as widely known. It’s an amazing debut from an artist who seems fully formed already. There’s a dark wit and brilliance to Liz’s writing. I really enjoyed this.
4/5
I read that PJ Harvey thinks it’s lazy to compare her to Patti Smith - but I can think of a lot worse singers to be compared to! The whole record doesn’t sound like Patti, but there are certain songs that do.
PJ has such great command of her voice and a unique sound. I enjoyed this a lot.
Marianne Faithfull
5/5
I really enjoyed this - a great piece of punk/post-punk influenced songs.
Sinead O'Connor
4/5
I dug this - my one qualm is that the over abundance of synth really dated what would otherwise be a timeless record.
Haircut 100
3/5
Was more enjoyable than some New Wave bands. Still not my favorite era but there’s some kitsch value some days.
Johnny Cash
5/5
My name is Sue! How do you do?
Grateful Dead
1/5
What did one Deadhead say to the other Deadhead when he ran out of dope?
Man, this music really sucks!
Rod Stewart
4/5
There’s like a 5 year period when Rod Stewart wasn’t a complete joke and this record is in that sweet spot.
Van Halen
4/5
I could see doing coke to this.
The Byrds
1/5
Man, the Byrds suck.
The Temptations
3/5
I agree with some of the other reviewers - the Funk songs are significantly better than the uninspired Motown tracks.
Still not a bad listen.
Burning Spear
2/5
Not sure if I listened to the label produced version or the OG of this one. Either way I was less than into this. Felt very bland and the groove just wasn’t there.
The Verve
1/5
2 Verve records on this list!?!?!?!?!?
What a shit band.
PJ Harvey
3/5
An Englandcentric album with strong Björk vibes from PJ.
The Byrds
1/5
If there’s one thing this list has taught me it’s that I hate the fucking Byrds.
How a band got so huge off of mediocre Dylan covers I’ll never know.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
4/5
As a huge Tom Waits fan I was into this. Super weird, super funny. Definitely not for everyone.
Skepta
1/5
Grime just isn’t for me.
The Clash
5/5
I bought this on CD from the Virgin Superstore in Union Square in the winter of 2000. It blew my mind and was the perfect antidote to the shitty pop-punk that was saturating the airwaves at the time.
Fast forward 25 years and it still sounds as fresh as it did in 2000 - hell probably as fresh as it did in 1979.
This is a timeless masterpiece.
Beatles
4/5
I go back and forth with this one. It was my favorite Beatles record for a long time - well, the first LP was.
As I’ve grown older and more anti-McCartney I’ve liked it less. There are some great tunes on this - but it is over bloated with throwaway tunes. Once you get to the second LP it becomes a true slog. This is despite truly standout songs like Savoy Truffle and Sexy Sadie.
On a whole this is a nostalgic four stars - should probably be a three if not for the memories.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
4/5
Dude singing sad songs with a guitar - sign me up. I was into the Gothic Neil Young-esque tunes. The one criticism I have is that the album was all one note - no joy to be found.
George Harrison
4/5
I enjoyed this as a kinda FU to John and Paul, like George throwing a gauntlet down and making the best post-Beatles record.
It is long. The 3rd LP didn’t need to be there. But the songwriting is top notch.
Deep Purple
1/5
How are there at least 3!!!!!!! Deep Purple records on this list. This record is trash. It breaks no new ground. What is the point?
Elvis Presley
2/5
Perfectly average record. I think Elvis may be one of those artists where the singles are amazing but full LPs are lacking.
Abdullah Ibrahim
3/5
A pretty traditional Jazz record - despite what the cover art would imply. It’s a very clean sounding style of Jazz which is really not my favorite. I wouldn’t seek this record out again - but it was in no way bad.
Gene Clark
3/5
This felt like a Townes Van Zandt record to me - but with all of its roughness sanded off. All in all it was inoffensive but I won’t go back to it.
Tom Waits
3/5
A transitional album for Tom. One foot in his Asylum Era and another foot exploring the sounds that will come next in his Island years.
It’s not my favorite of his, but it’s still a good listen - especially through the lens of an artist who is on the verge of redefining themselves.
Primal Scream
1/5
This started off with a kind of fun pop anthem. It then devolved into a lot of shitty acid house inflected Brit Pop. Boooooooo!
Barry Adamson
1/5
I listened through the first track because it’s included Jarvis Cocker. I made it halfway through the rest of the record before I decided life is too short to listen to this much triphop.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
1/5
I really hate prog rock. I don’t understand the appeal.
Steely Dan
2/5
So smooth and beyond the earworm of Dirty Work a meh record.
Bob Dylan
5/5
I feel like the people who give this a low rating also give Metallica fiver stars.
So yeah. . . One of the best, if not the best Dylan record. It also has my favorite Dylan tune - Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues.
Anyways I’m going back to New York City I do believe I’ve had enough.
Kate Bush
5/5
This record is great. There’s something magical and transporting about Kate’s sound. Yes it’s an 80s record, but feels fresh today.
The Blue Nile
2/5
As far as New Wave goes this was ok. I appreciate how they were aiming for an expansive sound. I don’t think they were ultimately successful but at least they were trying.
Pearl Jam
4/5
This is the album that launched a thousand bands with singers that just mumble-sang everything.
Still holds up though!
Paul Revere & The Raiders
2/5
Very average rock and roll record. Sounded a lot like British Invasion even though these guys are from Idaho.
Pere Ubu
4/5
Another solid post-punk record from Pere Ubu. I like the combo of noise and experimentation of a lot of the post-punk bands, but I recognize it’s not for everyone.
The Crusaders
1/5
Oh cool, elevator/dental office album to listen to before bloods comes out of my eyes.
The Slits
4/5
Honestly, what’s not to like here? Woman led early punk band that obviously inspired the Riot Grrrl era and beyond.
Genesis
2/5
Look - I dig Peter Gabriel, but a 90 minute Prog Rock epic about a Lamb and Broadway is an avenue too far!
Two stars because there are hints of Gabriel’s solo sound at times.
Pink Floyd
1/5
Pink Floyd sucks. This album does nothing to change that strongly held opinion of mine.
Tori Amos
5/5
Pre Tori buying into her own Elvin myth is so good. Such a strong debut. There are a few songs towards the end that aren’t as strong but then she ends with Me and a Gun and kills you.
Duke Ellington
2/5
Look - Duke’s band is tight as hell but this didn’t do it for me. The “live” parts of the record were annoying to sit through and it was a bit too swing-y for me.
The Band
3/5
I love the first half of this record but the second half always drags for me. Still a tight band and that funky bass line in Cripple Creek makes me smile every time.
The Birthday Party
3/5
Gothic post punk from Nick Cave. I’ll be honest Cave’s lyrics didn’t fit so well with this sound for me. Perhaps if I had hear the Birthday Party first I would have dug it more.
2Pac
1/5
First deep dive into 2Pac and man I did not like this. Just bad rap over bad R&B beats. One of the things this list has shown me it’s that I really dig East Coast Hip Hop and could care less about West Coast.
4/5
I dug this. I love Ornette Coleman and a strange noise filled album featuring riffs on his sound was just a fun listen.
Van Morrison
1/5
Boo this man!
Fats Domino
4/5
Fun piano driven rock-n-roll. Enjoyed listening to this.
Ryan Adams
3/5
Obligatory Ryan Adams is a giant piece of shit.
That out of the way - the first half of this is pretty ok. The rest blows. Come Pick Me Up is a solid breakup tune.
The Mothers Of Invention
4/5
This was super fun. A psychedelic record that just seemed to be making fun of psychedelic music. The lyrics are funny. You feel like you are in on the joke as you listen.
Skunk Anansie
1/5
UK Nü Metal. Really not my cup of tea. I liked how political the singer was but that’s about it.
Soft Cell
2/5
I’m tempted to give this five stars just for Sex Dwarf. But beyond that surreal highlight and the guilty pleasure of Tainted Love this was a slog.
Bob Dylan
3/5
If I didn’t know Highway 61 and Blonde on Blonde I’d probably love this. But as it stands this isn’t my favorite Dylan record. There’s some classic tunes but for me this is an up and down record.
Brian Eno
2/5
I could see waiting for a flight listening to this.
Pretenders
4/5
This starts out as a loud rocking punk record - before evolving into a showcase of Chrissie Hynde’s powerful voice.
It’s special. (So special.)
Beatles
4/5
I love the interconnected songs on the B-side of this. Lots of schmaltzy Paul-ness to this, but less so than in Let It Be.
TV On The Radio
4/5
This is all over the place, in the best way possible. Has that epic quality that mid-aughts Indie rock had.
Stan Getz
2/5
Jazz for White people at a Key Party.
The Chemical Brothers
2/5
Back with another one of those cock blocking electronica albums.
The Rolling Stones
2/5
Meh.
Garbage
4/5
Fun 90s grunge-y lady led band. This brought me back to Junior High and every dude including myself hating this band but thinking Shirley Manson was hot.
Oh man - misogyny is a real thing. Sorry for being a shithead Shirley!
Anyways, I digress. This is a solid debut with some great tunes.
Bee Gees
1/5
I got halfway through the first track and could go no further. Honestly I’d rather listen to their disco records- at least there’s some kitsch value there.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
1/5
Answer: They are a bunch of White Guys with a tone deaf lead singer who fail at merging funk, rock and white boy rap.
Question: Who are the Red Hot Chili Peppers?
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
500th Record - just funky beats and cool vibes. Ain’t nothing to complain about on this record.
Fairport Convention
4/5
I was into this. Folksy rock with Sandy Denny’s voice leading the charge.
Bob Dylan
5/5
One of the few double albums worth the price of admission. There’s a lot of peak surrealist Dylan in the lyrics and musicallly he’s all over the place.
I think Highway 61 is his masterpiece but this is a close second.
The Residents
3/5
Goofy, weird and fun. These giant eyeballs are playing weird tunes and having a blast.
Very much a not for everybody album, but worth the listen in my opinion.
Hüsker Dü
4/5
Hüsker Dü is great and that’s not just the umlauts talking.
The Only Ones
4/5
I was not hopeful - based solely on the cover. But to my surprise this sounded like a Post-Punk Faces record. Will put on my rotation!
The The
3/5
Based on the beginning of the first track I was not confident I would finish this.
But it turned into a vaguely gothic vaguely dance record. Not as bad as first impressions.
Raekwon
4/5
Every time I get a Wu-Tang record I feel the need to watch the 36th Chamber of Shaolin after.
The only thing I didn’t like was the “skits” between tracks. Although these were shorter and less problematic than most on 90s hip hop records.
Dolly Parton
5/5
Dolly is a treasure!
The Roots
3/5
I want to give this more stars - but the second half drags and is up and down.
On a whole this is musically all over the place - and I mean that in the best possible way. These guys are doing it all and mainly successful. But as I said the back half is a drag beyond a couple of songs and the last track is painful.
The United States Of America
1/5
I really wasn’t into this Sufjan Stevens record.
Blondie
5/5
Banger after banger from Debbie Harry and company. The fact that they put a record out with this many hits was news to me. I’ll be listening to this again.
Butthole Surfers
3/5
Fun and weird proto-grunge.
The Police
1/5
The pretentiousness of Sting oozes out of this record. And if I ever Every Breath You Take again it might be my last breath.
Doves
1/5
What is this Coldplay light? I’m falling asleep listening to this.
Ghostface Killah
4/5
Great beats and rhymes.
Pink Floyd
1/5
Wish You Were Here is the only Pink Floyd song I enjoy. This record did not change my feelings on that.
I skipped ahead through most of these tracks. Even when I got stoned I hated this.
Drive-By Truckers
1/5
90 goddamn minutes of the same song.
New Order
2/5
I liked the more Post Punk aspects of this. The dance/electronica didn’t do much. Still I made it through the record so it wasn’t horrible.
Malcolm McLaren
1/5
A record of shit samples. Just a white owner of a fashion store ripping off black folks.
Cool.
Goldfrapp
3/5
I was surprised by this one. Reminiscent of Portishead. Great rainy day in New York music.
T. Rex
4/5
Just some classic Glam Rock. Wish I owned this n vinyl.
Everything But The Girl
2/5
Everything But The Girl sounds like they should be a twee indie band based on the name alone.
However they are another electronic Brit band with a female vocalist. Honestly between Goldfrapp, Portishead and EBTG they all blur together.
Iron Maiden
3/5
I could really see mounting an epic D&D campaign to this if I was born in 1972.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
2/5
Maybe I would have been more into this had they been called the Flying Chalupa/Al Pastor/Torta/Crunchwrap Supreme Brothers?
The Louvin Brothers
3/5
Fun classic country.
Peter Frampton
1/5
How many late GenX/Early Millennials named Jennifer and Kevin were conceived to ‘Baby I Love Your Way’?
The world may never know.
George Michael
1/5
This sounds like a bad Prince record. Overproduced 80s pop.
The Avalanches
1/5
So much crappy over sample electronica on this list.
Fatboy Slim
1/5
Enough of the overly long electronica records already - I’ve already come a long way baby!
Teenage Fanclub
1/5
Teenage Fanclub answers the important question of - what if the Gin Blossoms were Scottish and better reviewed than Nirvana?
This is very jangly, very early 90s alternative rock.
Aphex Twin
1/5
I’m beginning to feel like I missed out on understanding any appeal of electronica because I wasn’t doing E at clubs in the 90s like apparently everyone who contributed to this list.
Every fucking record sounds the fucking same.
The Stone Roses
3/5
This starts strong with the shoegazey I Wanna Be Adored - then turns to jangly Madchester crap. Boo!
Everything But The Girl
1/5
Everything But a Song I Want to Listen To.
Stan Getz
3/5
I can really see smoking cigarettes and trying to make it with a Sarah Lawrence girl circa 1960 in this record.
The Cars
3/5
A mostly fun power pop record.
The Pogues
4/5
Broader sound than my personal fav Rum, Sodomy and the Lash - but still a solid record. Fairytale of New York is probably the greatest Christmas song.
Jungle Brothers
3/5
Definitely a precursor to groups like Tribe, Jurassic 5 and Arrested Development.
The sampling and beats are up and down, some shine. But the positive vibes make the record work.
k.d. lang
3/5
I am not the target audience for this and k. d. lang’s sound isn’t really my thing.
However - there are moments of beauty in an album full of queer love songs.
Hanoi Rocks
3/5
More glam than hair metal. Was a fun listen!
Slipknot
1/5
Nope.
Genesis
1/5
Prog Rock is a fucking joke. If I want to listen to flute solos I’ll watch Anchorman again.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
Nothing wrong with this. Classic soul/funk.
Yes
2/5
There’s a kitsch value to a song vaguely about chess. Yes leans more on the side of pop than pure prog rock. Still - not my favorite and not one I’m going to want to listen to again.
John Lennon
2/5
This guy’s real sore about his relationship with his mother.
Lauryn Hill
5/5
Stone cold near perfect neo-soul. This record almost 30 years on still sounds fresh.
Nick Drake
5/5
I dug this. Truth be told I’d heard a lot of these tracks before, but I’ve never sat and listened to the full album.
There’s something about how Nick’s breathy, ethereal voice goes with the right side of the border of camp backing horns that just makes this for me.
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
I would have loved this if it was like 30 or so minutes. The hour plus run time made the middle of this really drag.
However - there’s some good tracks on this.
Willie Nelson
3/5
I dig Willie - I did have to check and see if the record was over several times because of the repeated theme song throughout.
The Beta Band
4/5
“I will now sell five copies of The Three E.P.'s by The Beta Band.”
The Mothers Of Invention
4/5
Really get the feeling that Frank Zappa was skewering Boomers decades before it was cool.
Ms. Dynamite
2/5
A not very interesting early aughts UK hip-hop/R&B record. Perhaps the thing it has going for it is that it is different from what was dominant style of hip-hop at the time of its release?
Michael Kiwanuka
3/5
An artist I’ve never heard of before. I was into his sound most of the time. There was enough there to make me interested in listening to more of his stuff.
Faust
3/5
All Kraut. No Saur.
Stereolab
3/5
I think if they weren’t French I probably wouldn’t have liked this as much as I did. Was bit long.
U2
2/5
When I was a kid and this record came out I made an interpretative dance to Mysterious Ways.
Some things are better forgotten - you’ve been warned. . . Baby.
Christine and the Queens
4/5
My guess as to why this has such a low rating is that there is a female singer and it’s Queer as hell.
This gave off the same vibe as Le Tigre, the Knife and Peaches.
Arrested Development
3/5
I was so into Mr. Wendel as a kid I convinced my parents to get this for me from Columbia House.
But I think this was the first time I’ve listened to the whole record. And it’s fine. Not as good as ATCQ or De La Soul - but similar in feel.
Les Rythmes Digitales
1/5
Not for me. Super repetitive. There’s a joke in this that stops being funny by the 3rd song.
The Boo Radleys
2/5
I liked the shoegaze elements of this - unfortunately they were few and far between. Was far more underwhelming Britpop than anything else.
Billy Bragg
3/5
I dig Billy Bragg. I think is debut is a better record - but this is solid.
Frank Zappa
3/5
I’m conflicted on this. It’s alternating between psychedelic (meh) and Ornette Coleman influenced Acid Jazz (sign me the fuck up)
So I guess a three?
ZZ Top
2/5
I’m not sure why I need to hear at least 2 ZZ Top records before I die. This is run of the mill dad rock.
Belle & Sebastian
5/5
I love this record. Get Me Away From Here is one of my favorite songs ever.
David Crosby
2/5
Pretty forgettable - even Neil Young can’t make this better.
Eagles
1/5
I’m trying not to let the sound of the Eagles drive me crazy.
King Crimson
3/5
I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it. Was reminiscent of what I’d imagine a tolerable Pink Floyd would sound like.
Bobby Womack
2/5
Somewhere in between classic soul and neo soul and it probably needs to be forgotten. This era just doesn’t do it for me.
Lucinda Williams
3/5
Cleanly produced solid country singer-songwriter. There’s nothing wrong with this - but is it mind-blowing, nah.
Ray Price
4/5
I’m a sucker for old school country about drinking, loving and fucking too much. This here record ticks all those boxes.
Grateful Dead
3/5
I didn’t hate this as much as I thought I would. Very 60s. A twinge of country. Truckin’ is a classic.
Holger Czukay
3/5
The thing about these German Electronica bands is that I dig how they’re into making soundscapes as opposed to incessantly throbbing bullshit.
This is a fun weird experience.
Throbbing Gristle
3/5
Honestly I don’t know why this is currently the lowest rated record. I found this a lot more interesting and easier to listen to than a lot of the slop on this list - take that anything labeled “Madchester”, the Byrds, dumb UK Electronica and No Hit 80s-90s Britpop bands.
Now is this something I’m going to put on all the time? No. Is it awful? Absolutely not. Solid 3.
Sam Cooke
5/5
My one complaint about this is that it’s too short and the band is playing in like double time compared to the studio recordings. Sam must have had a hot date that night.
Throwing Muses
5/5
Not sure why this is the first I’ve heard of this band. There’s a strong Pixies vibe and the dueling female voices is just great.
Joy Division
4/5
One of the definitive post punk albums. If you’ve never heard this, yet still have the T-shirt it’s worth the listen.
Gorillaz
2/5
How many Damon Albarn records do I need to listen to before I die?
Surely I’ve heard enough.
Please . . .
Pretty Please let this be the last one.
LTJ Bukem
1/5
I pressed play - then saw this record is over 3 hours (at least on Spotify) and in the minute I listened to I decided I had better things to do with 3 hours.
Wild Beasts
2/5
Very mid-late aughts indie. It was really missing that one song you could drunkenly dance to at your local dive bar while you ignored the thoughts of your student loan debt and the fact that you paid for your PBR in quarters.
Marvin Gaye
3/5
Past peak Marvin Gaye on this one. It’s not bad, but is overly long.
The Stooges
5/5
Proto-punk at its finest. This must have made hippies ears bleed.
Big Star
4/5
I love Big Star. This record is a solid debut from Alex Chilton and the boys.
k.d. lang
2/5
This is one of those - does this warrant being the 2nd album on the list artists.
Is it bad? No. Am I the target lesbian for this? No, I’m not a woman.
But I guess Canadian Crooning Country is a thing?
Ravi Shankar
2/5
Part of me wondered should I be meditating to this? While another part thought where’s my bong and a giant stack of naan and pot of vindaloo?
Gary Numan
4/5
There’s an irony and pop sensibility to this. The robot persona is a certainly more fun than the whole Daft Punk shtick.
Plus this is a great record to listen to in Cars.
Talvin Singh
1/5
Not OK.
The Streets
2/5
Answers that age old question: what if Michael Caine made a hip hop record?
Cat Stevens
3/5
Very average 70s singer-songwriter. Best song is the last one, which also is super short.
Brian Wilson
3/5
I’ll give this to Brian Wilson, despite all the boozing, drugs and mental illness his sound and style remained constant.
The Sabres Of Paradise
1/5
Fuck this noise.
Beastie Boys
5/5
This is so much fun. The samples, the jokes, the pop culture references are all firing at once.
Robert Wyatt
4/5
I was sort of into this. Especially the 2nd half - it was less Proggy.
Coldcut
1/5
Well looky what we have here. . . another shitty House record. It can’t be!?!?!?!?!
I should have googled the editor of this list before I started - I would have avoided a lot of UK Shit.
Johnny Cash
4/5
Elegiac late Johnny Cash. His voice is aged but still powerful. Johnny’s takes on some of his older songs along with covers shows an artist still pushing himself to create something meaningful.
B.B. King
3/5
Solid live album. Wasn’t a big fan of the quip about hitting women.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
Echo is better than average New Wave. This doesn’t have Killing Moon which is cool with me - Spotify’s algorithm has overplayed that song for me. This isn’t mind blowing but it’s not a chore to listen to.
Steve Winwood
1/5
This guy fucked a lot of 80s mom’s with his sweet soft rock styles.
Madonna
2/5
This era of using autotune to make a “creative” point has not aged well. I guess this is a transition record for Madonna - going from the darkly hypersexualized work of the 90s to a more club/dance friendly style. Don’t let the cowboy hat fool you!
Morrissey
2/5
You know when being in a group makes it so that everyone’s worst impulses are held back? Well apparently the rest of the Smiths did that to Morrissey.
This is just more depressing and more mopey than it should be. The saving grace is there’s none of the crazy right wing bullshit that Morrissey now shouts about.
Miles Davis
3/5
A good intro to Miles - not as good as what came after. It’s a strong bebop record, but in my mind lacks the edge that hard bop provides.
Afrika Bambaataa
3/5
Old Skool hip-hop. Heavily influential and heavily sampled by others. It’s a fun listen, but not something I’d have in constant rotation.
Astrud Gilberto
2/5
So much Gilberto on this list. I get it - I too want to be stuck on a beach with a sexy Brazilian singing in Portuguese.
But after like 25 of these records it’s just a fucking tease.
Tom Tom Club
4/5
I had zero hopes for this based on the album art. Turns out this fucking rocks.
The Who
2/5
What a slog. Most of the double record is over before you get to the best songs. Pinball Wizard is a classic.
Frank Black
3/5
Too much Peter, Paul and Mary. Not enough Hüsker Dü.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
1/5
I’ll be honest - I listened to this weeks ago and forgot to rate it. I have zero memory of it beyond that it sucked.
Elton John
3/5
Who doesn’t love Tiny Dancer? The one problem with this record is that the best 2 songs lead off and the rest just don’t hit the same.
Patti Smith
5/5
This is one of the best debuts. Patti comes out fully formed. A pre-punk/pre-post punk classic.
Spiritualized
3/5
So-so dreamy pop. I didn’t hate it, but I wouldn’t rush to listen again soon.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
5/5
Marlon Brando, Pocahontas and me.
Pink Floyd
1/5
Didn’t think Pink Floyd could get worse. Unfortunately I was wrong.
LL Cool J
2/5
Well I’ll never look at a Mister Goodbar the same way again.
Duran Duran
2/5
Rio and Hungry Like a Wolf are kitschy synth pop fun. The rest of this record doesn’t approach those songs.
Suzanne Vega
2/5
Pretty bland singer-songwriter from the 80s. I can see how influential she is to other bands and artists that I enjoy. But for me this was a yawner.
Mylo
2/5
As far as Electronica goes I didn’t hate it.
The Undertones
5/5
This was a blast. Northern Irish proto-PopPunk. Way more interesting to listen to a band coming from the original punk era than the shit pop punk millennials suffered through.
The Shamen
1/5
Oh look another shitty UK Electronica album.
CHIC
1/5
Not coked out enough for this on a Sunday morning.
Leonard Cohen
1/5
I was raised Catholic - but haven’t been to church in 25+ years. I listened to this on a Sunday morning as was right back in a church pew feeling bad about everything I’ve ever done in my life.
The Mars Volta
4/5
This record is a fun listen - especially if you’re an At the Drive-In fan. More proggy but within a math metal loud screamy way.
The back half does get a little long in the tooth, but still a worthwhile listen.
ABBA
3/5
Fucking Swedish Pop earworms.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
2/5
The problem with this is that it gets to the point where it’s no fun anymore very quickly.
Suite: Judy Blue Eyes is the best song on the record by far. Wooden Ships isn’t terrible. The rest of the album is overstuffed filler.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
I want to say that Creedence is a guilty pleasure band but they’re too good that. Every song is listenable. Proud Mary is great.
Slipknot
1/5
How are there TWO Slipknot records on this list?
The Doors
2/5
The Doors are one of those bands that are easy to love when you’re young and want to feel like you understand things in a deep esoteric way.
Then you get a little older and realize Jim Morrison was a drunken buffoon and organ led rock and roll is lame.
That being said - LA Woman is a legit great song. Especially the part where Val Kilmer sings it while sitting on the John.
Ian Dury
3/5
Very Working Class English. More ups than downs. I liked it.
Big Star
4/5
Beautiful orchestral power pop.
Kings of Leon
1/5
I feel like if a record sounds like it would have been played over the final scene of a Grey’s Anatomy episode it should be disqualified from the list.
Megadeth
2/5
Meh. Not for me.
Black Sabbath
4/5
RIP Ozzy. Black Sabbath is like the fun, witchcraft obsessed, less talented version of Zeppelin and I mean that in the best way possible.
Gene Clark
2/5
Oh cool a former Byrds member putting out a second rate Band album.
Lightning Bolt
2/5
It was ok. There are some noise groups I love and really get and others that I’m not so into. Put this in the latter camp.
Sparks
4/5
Fun Glam-ish rock from the Sparks brothers.
The Who
1/5
Really didn’t like this. I think that I’m discovering beyond Who’s Next I’m not so into the Who.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
5/5
What if someone made a Psych record that didn’t suck? It would be this.
Fiona Apple
5/5
There’s something that feels especially feral and raw about the Fiona record. Gone is that cutesy at times sound of her early records and here is a powerful singer with no fucks left to give.
Soul II Soul
2/5
Meh. I don’t want to go back to life. (Back to reality.)
Emmylou Harris
3/5
I love Emmylou’s voice. But I’m not sure if she’s the type of artist I want to hear an hour of. But man when she shows up on backing vocals for random bands does she knock it out of the park.
Erykah Badu
4/5
This record is a whole vibe. I went in and out of the vibe because I had to start and stop it a lot. But when you’re in it - it’s pretty great.
Tim Buckley
2/5
Tim is the inferior Buckley.
The Zombies
4/5
This was a fun surprise. I really dug it. Except for the last track which I’ve heard too many times.
Plus it has the best Beach Boys song about your love getting out of prison that Brian Wilson never wrote.
Minor Threat
5/5
This is the kind of Punk record that makes an elder millennial like me understand what the 90s/00s punk revival got wrong. Which was pretty much everything.
The Cramps
2/5
Apparently I don’t mind a rockabilly song or two. But a whole album? Pass.
Leonard Cohen
1/5
Turns out he’s not the man for me.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
This would get a 5 for Superstition alone, but the rest of the record is great as well.
Dion
3/5
Way better than the album art would lead you to believe. This might be more of a Phil Spector record than a Dion one.
Milton Nascimento
3/5
I liked this. Mellow vibe.
Fugazi
4/5
Just a solid record. I feel like Fugazi got boiled down to a meme Hot Topic tshirt when I would have gotten into them as a angsty young buck.
My mistake for taking another 2 decades to actually sit down and listen to them.
The Cure
1/5
Monday was definitely blue when Robert Smith wrote this.
David Ackles
1/5
This felt like a badly earnest musical. Unlike say, Bat Out of Hell, there is no campiness or humor. Just self serious trash.
Moby Grape
1/5
The whole album wasn’t on Spotify so I went over to YouTube. Honestly - this wasn’t worth sitting through ads to hear. Ho-hum late 60s rock.
Digital Underground
1/5
This did not age well.
Beck
3/5
Lost Cause still hits. Very mellow Beck record. Gives you the feels.
Khaled
1/5
I got as far as the Imagine cover and then decided none of this was for me.
I was into the first song that had the Arabic sounds to it. But then it turned to boring soft rock.
Dolly Parton
4/5
Just a dang pretty record. It’s all pretty mellow - more Emmylou than Dolly vibe.
Sonic Youth
2/5
Still not into Sonic Youth. Maybe if Kim Gordon sang every song I’d be more into them?
Donald Fagen
1/5
Steely Dan by any other name is still Steely Dan.
Todd Rundgren
3/5
I can’t tell if I like Todd Rundgren or not. This record felt like someone distilled 70s AM Gold and fucked with it enough to make it rock-n-roll. Yeah it’s a weird one. I will say the Motown Covers medley was pretty fun.
John Lee Hooker
3/5
If you can get past the first track that features Santana it’s a perfectly fine record. Nothing amazing here.
Aretha Franklin
5/5
If this record were not had Chain of Fools and a bunch of terrible songs it’d still be five stars. Lucky for us everything Aretha touches here is gold.
Roxy Music
3/5
The less Brian Eno-y aspects of this I dug. Sometimes it just got up its own ass.
System Of A Down
2/5
Sugar!
Miles Davis
5/5
I know a lot of things get labeled “the best ever/the greatest of all time” but for my money Kind of Blue is up there as maybe the best Jazz record ever.
This is the record that I can put on no matter what my mood is and it just fits perfect.
The Pharcyde
2/5
The beats on this are pretty incredible. Unfortunately the content has not aged well at all.
Black Flag
4/5
A fun listen. Straddling the line between Punk and Hardcore. And Henry Rollins is a saint.
Michael Jackson
3/5
Michael’s disco record is better than it should be - I’ll give most of that to the Quincy Jones production, which is out of sight. Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough is stupidly good.
My hope/guess is Michael was not sexually abusing children at this point so I will not deduct stars for that.
Bebel Gilberto
1/5
Does every musician in Brazil have the last name Gilberto?
Anyways - you hear one bossanova record you hear them all.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
5/5
I can hang with this. Pretty swing-y but with a bop edge.
The Monkees
1/5
Well this sucks.
Can
4/5
I don’t know man. Fun psych and proto-noise? I can hang. Got a bit long in the tooth towards the end. But still a good listen.
Grizzly Bear
3/5
Back when hipsters added strings to everything. This is fine but otherwise unmemorable mid aughts indie.
New York Dolls
5/5
David Johansen was an American treasure.
Supergrass
2/5
For 90s Britpop I didn’t hate it. Also didn’t love it.
Little Richard
5/5
Little Richard, along with Chuck Berry are just the backbone of everything that is tangentially rock related.
Great record. No Magic School Bus though.
Frank Sinatra
1/5
Super vanilla, uninspired covers by Sinatra.
Missy Elliott
4/5
Missy Elliott is truly Supa Dupa Fly. Great beats and rhymes.
Justice
3/5
I could hang with this. Not sure it would be on regular rotation - but as far as Electronica on the list this was good-ish.
The Psychedelic Furs
2/5
Pretty in Pink is good. The rest is replaceable 80s.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
1/5
Relax. . . don’t do it. (Listen to this drivel that is)
Kelela
4/5
This was good. I was digging to groove.
Tom Waits
5/5
We’re all as mad as hatters here. . .
Probably my favorite Tom record. Every song is great.
Dagmar Krause
4/5
The whole album is here - https://archive.org/details/0627_dagmar_krause_tank_battles_1988__mlib/09+-+Mankind.flac
As someone living at the end of America’s Weimar Republic this shit hits close to home.
Bono should have been left behind.
Röyksopp
2/5
Like nearly all the Electronica on the list , this did not do it for me.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
Solid reggae. Where’s my hacky sack?
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
I still think This Year’s Model is his masterpiece. Everything else is meh.
The Kinks
5/5
Five Stars if only for Waterloo Sunset.
Serge Gainsbourg
2/5
What if Leonard Cohen recorded an album where he spoke in French about having sex with a 14 year old girl? That would be this. I think if I didn’t know it was about sleeping with a teen I’d be more into it.
Traffic
2/5
Forgettable late 60s rock.
The Dandy Warhols
1/5
15 minutes of fame that should never have happened.
The KLF
1/5
Of the albums based on never made films I’ll take After the Gold Rush.
Kate Bush
4/5
Suspended in Gaffa is so good. The rest of this record is just as good.
Can
3/5
It was fine. Can is certainly a vibe.
John Martyn
2/5
This was so up and down. Like every other song I was okay with. But there was a lot of shit too.
Alice Cooper
4/5
I don’t know if Alice Cooper is the most amazing artist ever. But the camp joy of this and school’s out is impossible to ignore.
The Jam
3/5
The Jam is a fun early punk band. Not as good as the Clash. But an easy listen.
Fairport Convention
5/5
Sandy Denny’s voice is so unique. The blend of traditional English folk songs and a gothic rock vibe make this record a banger.
Isaac Hayes
4/5
Would be a five star were it not for the ridiculous spoken word intro to By the Time I Get to Phoenix.
Walk On By is a stone cold killer though.
Mercury Rev
4/5
This was a pleasant surprise. Kinda shoegaze-y with a lead singer who sounds like the guy from Flaming Lips.
Ride
3/5
Was excited by the Shoegaze tag, but dear reader this is more Stone Roses than My Bloody Valentine.
David Gray
1/5
Forgettable late 90s too sincere singer-songwriter.
Sleater-Kinney
5/5
Riot Grrl at its finest.
Stephen Stills
2/5
Love the one you’re with brings this to 2 stars. Despite its hippie cheesiness. The rest just makes you with you could hang out with Neil Young instead.
Christina Aguilera
2/5
I’m not sure what exactly is stripped from this. It’s packed with over production and a running time of 1 hour 17 minutes. There’s a sameness to most of these songs. XTina is at her best as a boisterous presence using her full vocal range. For me the slower songs veer too much into trying to sound like Whitney Houston.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
1/5
This smells like a white guy with dreads.
Laibach
1/5
Maybe it’s because we’re living during the rebirth of fascism and that I don’t speak German - but this felt like it could be co-opted by a bunch of Nazi Incel Fucks.
So it’s a no from me dawg.
Roxy Music
4/5
More Glam than New Wave - but you can hear how the bands stole this sound.
Billie Holiday
4/5
Can’t really go wrong with Billie. This pretty vanilla, but her interpretations are always top notch.
Joni Mitchell
5/5
Not sure what to say about this other than it’s an experience. Joni’s voice is ethereal and haunting. Great listen on a fall day.
Red Snapper
1/5
Life’s too short for EDM. Especially with Iggy Pop on deck.
Iggy Pop
4/5
When I get excited my little China girl says “oh baby just you shut your mouth.”
The Darkness
2/5
I Believe in a Thing Called Love is fun. The rest of this record doesn’t work out as well. It feels like there are moments in all these songs that work - but then the rest of the song is either too kitsch or not kitsch enough.
Nina Simone
5/5
Nina’s got one of those voices that is impossible to ignore. She goes in so many unexpected ways with these songs. I love Lilac Wine.
Eurythmics
3/5
Beyond Sweet Dreams this record is ho-hum. Annie Lennox saves what would otherwise be a terrible album.
Dusty Springfield
4/5
Such a classic record. I think the A Side is stronger than the B. But still a great listen.
Morrissey
3/5
Maybe the most accessible Morrissey record I’ve encountered. He’s still a prick.
Beatles
5/5
Up there as one of my favorite Beatles record. Not too much Paul. Musically you can hear them stretching. Might have gone too far on the stereo mixing.
Cowboy Junkies
2/5
All these songs blend together. Every song is sung the same. The draw might be the covers - but they’re not very inspired. Dunno.
Bad Brains
4/5
Hair metal and Reggae influenced Punk? I’ll listen to that any day.
The Band
5/5
Not having listened to this in a long time I was struck by how it really sounds like a bunch of friends just jamming and having fun playing music together.
The Weight is obviously a classic. But there’s more to this record than that - Tears of Rage, We Can Talk About It and Long Black Veil are the other standouts for me.
Megadeth
2/5
Yeah, it’s Megadeth. Still better than Metallica.
Chicago
2/5
Only so much of this kitsch I could take.
Prince
5/5
Not a bad song on this.
The Undertones
5/5
This band is great. Northern Irish Pop Punk from the 70s. Just an awesome listen.
Love
1/5
This sounded like the poor man's Doors. Which is like 5 steps removed from anything I'd want to listen to.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
3/5
Sort of campy, sort of punk. A lot of attitude.
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
Certainly not as fully formed as Loveless. It’s solid shoegaze, but is missing the spark that makes Loveless iconic.
Fleet Foxes
2/5
This album was everywhere when it came out. Now a decade plus later it feels very twee and cute.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
This record grows on me every time I listen to it. Not sure if it will ever be my favorite YYYs record but it’s an another solid offering from Karen O and the boys.
Lou Reed
5/5
Damn depressingly beautifully haunting concept album.
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
“It’s a Sin” is the sole reason this record is on the list. Not sure if it truly is list worthy - but hey you need to fill out 1001 records somehow.
PJ Harvey
5/5
This does not sound like it’s 30+ years old. Fresh as hell. PJ is amazing.
Jerry Lee Lewis
2/5
22 minutes of decent Little Richard covers from noted incestuous pedophile.
Tom Waits
4/5
Baby Tom Waits holding court as a lounge lizard. It’s vibe. Not necessarily my favorite of his Asylum records - but lays the groundwork for Small Change.
Femi Kuti
3/5
Not as good as his old man. This also suffers from the overproduction found in many 80s and 90s records.
Derek & The Dominos
2/5
I am not a Clapton fan. That being said this might be the least painful of his records on here. (Dear Reader, that’s a low bar)
Layla is a great listen, especially while being chased by the police whilst high on concaine. I’ll give Bell Bottom Blues some love too.
But man this record gets long in the tooth.
TV On The Radio
3/5
A solid debut. Dense art rock is a mood and it took me a couple of starts to make it through.
Soundgarden
2/5
Melting Barbies aside this is a slog. I know, I know - “something, something grunge.”
But maybe the most interesting part of this is Chris Cornell’s voice? Dude had some pipes.
Dinosaur Jr.
4/5
Guitar heavy dynamite. Sounds fresh as hell despite being close to 40 years old.
Circle Jerks
4/5
More 15 minute records please!
Tricky
1/5
I prefer my Tricky in the Fifth Element.
Rush
1/5
I’d rather stick a metal spike in my ear than listen to Geddy Lee sing.
Doves
1/5
Coldplay-esque early aughts bullshit.
Big Black
3/5
Not bad. Pretty average hardcore.
Kanye West
2/5
Well for those who were shocked by Ye turning heel and saying he’s Jesus - this debut lays that all out there already.
Look the beats and rhymes are great. The skits a fucking dumb. Kanye is a turd.
1/5
What a shit band
Miriam Makeba
4/5
I dug this South African lady. More jazzy than soul with a traditional sound. I’ll come back to this.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Creedence is always a good listen.
The Divine Comedy
2/5
Like the original Divine Comedy I went through different circles of thought on this. I didn’t care for it, then I thought meh, then I perked up, then I hated it, finally at the end I was intrigued.
I don’t know if that’s a recommendation - but there it is.
The The
5/5
My inner Xennial wants to give this 5 stars if only because of “This Is The Day”’s inclusion in the Empire Records soundtrack.
Now - close your eyes and imagine you’re wearing a beat up cardigan and dancing with Liv Tyler on a rooftop somewhere.
Sisters Of Mercy
4/5
I had low hopes for this, but once I got into it I was into the gothic beauty.
George Michael
1/5
Slightly more interesting soft rock than Michael Bolton. But only slightly.
Deee-Lite
2/5
Super 90s. I will add a star because of Q Tip.
Happy Mondays
1/5
I too was bummed that this didn’t make my Monday happy.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
Who would have thought a Nick Cave penned double record about the death of his son would be so upbeat?
Morrissey
2/5
“We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful” is fun. Beyond that, this is an exercise in Morrissey ironically singing about things that he now professes to hate. What a prick!
Bad Company
4/5
I guess I have a soft spot for bands who not only have a self titled album, BUT also a self titled song. This is 70s Dad Rock at its Dad-est.
Jane's Addiction
3/5
Like the first half of this was nostalgic fun then I was over it.
Aerosmith
4/5
The triplet of Walk This Way, Song About Steven Tyler’s 10 inch “Blues Album” and Sweet Emotion has despite my best efforts made me enjoy this.
Honestly - I was an impressionable youth when Aerosmith had their 90s hits and was into them (or maybe more precisely Alicia Silverstone). As I aged they became a joke band in my mind. Listening to this you realize they had some chops circa 1975.
2/5
An 80s band makes an 80s record in the late 90s. At least they’re consistent.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
There are few double records that are worth the time - this is one of the few worth it. There’s no massive hit here - what you have is a drug addled, tax avoiding band at the top of their game.
The Doors
2/5
I suppose as far as Doors records go this isn’t as bloated or full of itself as Jim Morrison became - with the notable exception of The End.
However, I still don’t want to listen to them.
5/5
Well this fucking rules.
Laura Nyro
4/5
I liked the vibe of this. Belted out ballads and great lyrics.
Depeche Mode
3/5
Definitely on the “From Boss to Goth” playlist.
Neil Young
4/5
Live-ish record in the middle of Neil’s impressive 70s run. If you like Neil Young you’ll like this - if you don’t like him might I suggest trying harder.
10cc
3/5
Weird early 70s art rock. I enjoyed the joke.
Bauhaus
4/5
Another one to add to the “From Boss to Goth” playlist.
Hookworms
3/5
I didn’t mind this as much as some of the other reviewers. It’s certainly better than the dozens of Madchester and EDM records on this list.
Syd Barrett
1/5
Just a bunch of hot trash.