Meh. It’s ok. There is a pretentiousness to this whole era of Radiohead.

This record is better than a double shot of espresso in making you feel alive and energized. I dug every second of this.

My favorite Bowie album. Life on Mars and Kooks are for me the highlights on a great album.

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.

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.

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.

Not a fan

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.

Solid early R.E.M. - would say there’s some skippable tracks, hence the 4 stars. But enjoyable and would listen straight through again.

Classic album introducing Biggie to the world. What’s not to like? Hooks, lyrics and questionable content.

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.

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.

Outside of the singles this album is a snoozer.

I really enjoyed this. I had no idea who Little Simz was previously, but will be checking out her other releases.

This record is better than a double shot of espresso in making you feel alive and energized. I dug every second of this.

Fun record. Made me want to shake my hips.

It’s no Dusty in Memphis- but a solid debut. A bit more pop than soul.

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.

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!

Made it about halfway through this before I just couldn’t go any farther.

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.

What’s not to love? Classic record, you’ve probably heard all of these songs and not known it.

Saccharine 60’s folk. You see some glimpses of the Paul Simon that will emerge. 59th Street Bridge kills me.

Driving Blues from start to finish. Probably won’t be on regular rotation, but I will come back for more listens.

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.

Overproduced late 90s alt rock garbage. Major letdown after the great Riot Grrl of Live Through This.

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 🤌.

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.

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.

Such a great record. A hair under 30 minutes and is non-stop the whole time.

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.

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.

It’s fine. Not bad, not great. Misses the drive of This Year’s Model.

Awful. Just awful. The most white bread album I’ve heard in a long time. Makes perfect sense why my mom loves him.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Two stars because it was short enough that I finished it. Not the worst electronica I’ve been tasked with listening to so far.

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.

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.

I remember obsessively listening to this on repeat summer of 2000. There’s not one wrong note on this thing.

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.

Fusion jazz for white guys in polyester. Not for me.

Not sure why this was the first time I listened to this front to back - but it’s great.

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.

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.

Atmospheric KrautRock. Good to zone out to.

This was a good listen. Good beats, good lyrics. Made me remember how good Kayne circa 2008 was.

Poor man’s Oasis. Felt like I was listening to a bunch of b-sides of better Britpop bands.

Middle part of this is solid. Either end is meh. Deducting one star due to the presence of Bridge Over Troubled Water.

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.

Great listen.

Was surprised by this one - had strong Off the Wall/Thriller vibes to the beats. Could see myself putting this on again.

Not my favorite Bowie record, but still solid. Lots of atmospheric Eno rock. Good to space out to.

Definitely British Invasion blues rock. Felt like early Who, Kinks and Stones. Not a bad listen for a Saturday night.

Kitschy AM gold from the late 60s. It was a fun listen - don’t know if I’d return to it.

The only Christmas record I listen to. Everything is great - skip the weird Phil Spector thing at the end.

I was into the first 22 minute track - was a listening experience. Rest of the record wasn’t as enjoyable.

This is the 2nd mid 70s Stevie Wonder record in a week. They’re so good! Loving the funk and soul.

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.

One of my favorite jazz records.

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.

Good chill out record, would say it’s just a touch too long.

It’s good - not my favorite of theirs.

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.

Honestly really enjoyed this. Very 80s - but still felt timeless.

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.

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.

Look - I like shoegaze, so sue me. If that’s something you’re not into you’re gonna hate this.

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.

I dug this. I knew the hits but really found the fuzzy guitars and occult lyrics enjoyable.

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.

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.

No thanks. Couldn’t finish it.

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.

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?

Not for me. Every song felt similar. Boringly long.

Forgettable 80s Brit Rock/Post Punk/Something

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.

Funky, poppy Bowie is pretty great. A good listen.

Eminently listenable. Good beats. Good rapping.

It’s fine. Not bad, not great.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

In the world of break up albums this doesn’t rank very high. Feels artificially sad throughout its run time.

Didn’t care for most of this. The one song that sampled Strange Fruit was the highlight.

Rock music for dads with mullets who smoke so many Marborlos they're decked out in Marb gear.

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.

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.

Ugh - I hate how not shitty this is. It’s a fun listen. I’m now a Swiftie.

Fucking trash. Clapton sucks. 0/0

The first half of this is great - second half falls off.

Great voice sometimes overcome by over produced 80s nonsense.

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.

Stupid inoffensive music for the masses. Reading the Brandon Flowers is LDS makes everything make sense. Vanilla rock for a vanilla fan base.

It was fine. Kind of glam. Mostly just replaceable 70s rock.

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.

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 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.

Ugh. McCartney at his most Macca. There’s a reason you’ve only heard the first two tracks on this.

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.

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.

Sexed up Marvin Gaye. My wife put her fingers in her ears so she wouldn’t succumb to its power.

Meh. Forgettable 80s Brit Pop.

Good post punk record. Not the classic Echo and the Bunnymen sound yet - but still a good listen.

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.

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.

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.

I’m a sucker for any band that manages to reference Un Chien Andalou.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The hits are fun, the rest of the album is up and down.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

How many terrible Brit bands are on this list anyways? Forgettable. Knock off of Oasis.

I enjoyed this a ton. Will probably go on semi regular rotation for me.

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.

Not sure why this is rated so low. Fun punk, folk mash up.

Of the 80s Brit Pop I’ve been getting lately this was not the worst.

Not for me. A cross between Queen and 80s hair metal. I prefer the Beavis and Butthead version of Breaking the Law.

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.

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.

Great easy listen. Worth 4 stars alone for Papa Was A Rolling Stone.

If you embrace the Camp this is super fun. Wall of sound with musical theatre lyrics.

Fun punk record. Hints of post-punk, goth, hardcore thrown in for fun. Breezy energetic 36 minutes.

Brit synth folk. It worked for me. Obviously this is woman fronted so it got panned on here - but I found it completely listenable.

One of my favorites from the aughts. Something about this duo that still brings me joy.

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.

Not my favorite Smiths record. Parts of it feel like Morrissey is trying to murder your ears.

Somehow I’d never listened to a Prince record all the way through. This is so much fun - full of funk and sex.

Shoegazey dream pop at its finest.

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.

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.

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.

Honestly this dragged on so long I just stopped listening. It was fine as a passive listen, but not as an active one.

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.

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.

This record was pretty bad. What is it about the late 80s that gave us such overproduced nonsense?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Reggae for white people with dreads.

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.

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.

Bowie all glammed up which tends to be my favorite Bowie. I love his version of Let’s Spend the Night Together.

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 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.

It’s Monk - what’s not to love?

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.

This record brings back a lot of memories of my 20s. Still holds up!

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.

This album is all over the place and doesn’t know what it wants to be. Good musicians - but uneven.

More forgettable Brit pop. How does this band have 2 records on this list?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I liked this more than I thought I would. Not sure repeat listens would bring more joy however. Classic 3 record.

Good live record. Muddy Waters and his band are tight.

Kitschy late 80s pop. Shades of Madonna and Prince with Hip Hop sprinkled throughout. I surprisingly didn’t hate it.

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.

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.

Meh. It’s ok. There is a pretentiousness to this whole era of Radiohead.

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 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.

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.

Probably the best Creedence record. Loaded with hits. I love this version of Grapevine.

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.

Underwhelming. The songs are pretty one note. Limited hints of Latin beats. Would be fine background music - but I wouldn’t search it out.

My favorite Bowie album. Life on Mars and Kooks are for me the highlights on a great album.

I really have enjoyed the 2 Tribe records I’ve gotten so far. Funky, jazzy, Afrocentric beautiful rap. None of it feels too aged.

Replaceable mid-aughts pop rock.

An hour and seventeen minutes is too much Thin Lizzy.

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.

I prefer Sound of Silver. It wasn’t a bad listen.

So boring. There’s nothing interesting about this record at all.

Enough of the euro trash electronica records.

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.

This is not going to be for everyone. Alternates between psychedelic punk and drone. Had some Velvet Underground vibes. I didn’t hate it!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I didn’t like this as much as Autobahn. I guess this was more concept-y comparatively.

Oh look another crappy 90s Brit pop record. This felt like it was smack dab in the shit between Oasis and Coldplay.

This was fine. Dad rock from the late 60s.

This felt like an hour and five minutes of Tracey Morgan making unfunny sex jokes. Beats were ok.

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.

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.

Nice summer music. Would be great to have on in the background and just relax. Wouldn’t be on my constant rotation.

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.

Pedestrian 70s rock at its blandest.

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.

What a crap album. How a band takes the already shitty Born to Be Wild and makes it worse is beyond me.

After a bunch of crap in a row this was refreshing. Funky psychedelica. Need to buy this on vinyl.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Talk about a meh album. Nothing here to write home about - inoffensive pseudo grunge-folk.

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.

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.

Straight up classic outlaw country. A breezy half hour. This is great road trip music.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

I hate trip hop - but really like Portishead. Great vocals, non-repetitive beats and an ethereal vibe.

This album certainly is from 2010. Big Tame Impala and My Morning Jacket energy. Wasn’t my favorite.

Bad trip hop with bad rapping. Over an hour long.

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!

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.

First side is up and down. Heroes, Beauty and the Beast and Joe the Lion are fun. Second side is meh at best.

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.

I really enjoyed this. Upbeat, big band swing coupled with King Louie singing and playing trumpet.

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.

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.

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.

Music for 12 year old white boys who’s mom is a real “bitch” for making him do his homework.

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.

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.

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.

At times this is a kitschy yet earnest covers album - at other times the covers are pretty great.

Very 70s. Very Dad Rock. Very Yacht Rock.

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.

Beautiful queer album. The Art Teacher might be the highlight for me.

Fun LA punk. Swift half hour of just classic early west coast punk.

Fuck this rapist. His music and schtick suck anyways.

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.

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.

Something so campy about this that I find endearing. Also weird that this guy has at least 2 records on the list.

Just a solid live album. Johnny and June are great and the band is tight. The audience is a major character throughout.

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 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.

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.

The worst of boomer rock.

Feels like a bridge between the more experimental early VU and the later Loaded era. After hours feels like it was written yesterday.

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.

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.

Big talk from the Hives here. I will say for the record they are not my new favorite band.

What if Kraftwerk and King Crimson had a baby who occasionally sang like the guy from Rammstein? You’d get Tubular Bells.

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. . .

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.

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.

This was fine. Beyond Loverfool I’m not sure there’s anything else all that interesting on here.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Inoffensive early 90’s dad rock. As a dad it’s about three decades too early for me to enjoy.

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.

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 are such an overrated band. There’s nothing here that other bands weren’t doing better.

The campy songs on this in my mind were a success, the others not so much.

Beats felt same-y. Lyrics felt same-y. Why are you hating on women so much?

Doesn’t touch the greatness of Loveless. Nonetheless an enjoyable listen.

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.

Really liked this. Amazed I had never heard of her before.

This felt like a record that would have come out in 2005, not 1995. Was a fun, but not amazing listen.

I dug this. Great listen for an easy Sunday morning.

AC/DC is fine. Nothing challenging here, very accessible. Back In Black and You Shook Me All Night Long are the standouts.

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.

So smooth, so sexy - hadn’t listened to this in forever. Holds up well. Great 70s soul.

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.

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.

This record holds up so well. I remember listening to this obsessively when it first was released. It was fun to revisit.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 might be the only thing Eric Clapton was involved with that doesn’t suck. Stressing the word *might*

For 3 songs clocking in at 11 minutes I can find no faults.

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.

Starting to believe that the only Smiths record worth listening to is the Queen is Dead. This is meh at best.

I just love Kate Bush’s voice. I’m not sure if this is her best record - but there are nice moments and songs.

I find the campy Queen songs to be the most interesting. So another up and down record.

I remember when this came out and everyone loved it. It was a snooze fest 20 years on.

This is a great summer jazz record.

No.

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.

The hits were good. The rest was hit or miss.

Not nearly as good as Dummy. Some decent at times atmospheric music, but in my opinion not worth the listen.

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”.

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.

I don’t like the fucking Eagles.

I just kept waiting for this to get good. Halfway through the album I gave up.

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.

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.

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.

I absolutely love the title track. The rest of the record was good - but never rose as high.

One star album - bumped to two star because American Pie is a great sing-a-long song.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Stick it in the fridge.

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.

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.

70s soft pop-rock. There’s like 2 tracks that get you tapping your feet. But that does not make a great album.

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.

This was so much fun. I’d happily listen to this pretty much anytime.

I’m going to call this Mom Rock - because my own Mother knew the lyrics to ever Skynyrd song that came on the radio.

Wasn’t the worst electronica I’ve listened to on the list - but at close to an hour I could have done with less.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I honestly expected to hate this, but didn’t. I liked the dark Norse themes of the songs.

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.

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.

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.

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 is just fun to listen to. This band is super tight, yet so funky and smooth - it’s kind of amazing.

I know most people hate this - but I was into it. Noise Post Punk just checks some boxes for me.

The best Stones album, maybe. Between this and Exile you can’t go wrong.

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.

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.

The album your high school friends’ ska band would have made circa 1996-2000.

Meh. It didn’t have West End Girls so. . .

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.

Life is too short to listen to Eric Clapton.

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.

You know what makes me feel like I’m dying? 22 fucking minutes of the Whipping Post.

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.

This was unexpected. I was a bit skeptical that I would like this a few minutes into the first song but man - this slapped.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Didn’t realize that I knew half of these songs. Kind of replaceable late aughts indie pop. Not a bad listen, just very 2009.

Lo-fi massive shoe gaze-y guitar gods.

This is just a stupid fun record. The amount of spandex and coke that must have been involved in its recording is palpable.

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.

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.

I appreciate what this band was trying to do - a little shoegaze/glam/art rock/etc mash up. Was it successful? Nope.

Pardon me while my 42 year old self bursts into flames because my high school self was into this band.

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.

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

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.

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.

Probably Elliott Smith’s most accessible album - and by accessible I mean the one you can listen to without being super duper depressed after.

Parts of this felt like Of Montreal. But it got grating very quickly.

Early REM is so good. Just an arty college rock at its best.

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.

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. . .

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.

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.

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.

I love that Nick Cave is essentially Gothic Tom Waits.

I really liked this. Definitely Laurel Canyon-y with some Jazz thrown in for good measure.

Great atmospheric music to put you to sleep.

Not my favorite of the old school hip hop records. Very same-y.

This record holds up! Fun flashback to my high school era.

Straight up Country Americana with the sonorous voice of Emmylou - what’s not to like?

Emo the Killers. Cool.

Fucking awful.

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.

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.

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.