1001 Albums Summary

This album was exactly what this type of exercise was meant for. It was something I never would have discovered on my own. At first I didn't really care for it but as the album progressed it grew on me and I ended up enjoying it and has me curious to explore more music from this group.

I would have been perfectly fine not enduring this album before stepping into eternity. It wasn't grating enough to make me want to leave the room but I'll never want to listen to this again.

Not particularly a standout but an enjoyable listen. It might not be something I would actively seek out but if it were to pop up again somewhere I'd be happy and fine with listening to it again. A decent recording representative of 90's era music though it has horrible and kind of unsettling cover art.

This kind of thing is not my jam. I'm not into that whole apathy/anger/angst/disassociated/progressive grunge type of music. I didn't hate it but didn't enjoy it either. A one and done-r.

This is definitely of a sound that helped define the 70's. For the most part I'm not a fan of soundtracks. They have a different flow and vibe. I never saw Superfly so I have no visuals or context to frame what this music was trying to achieve though I can surmise and I get it. On the basis of whether I liked it vs musical achievement this was OK but it's a one and done for me.

After reading that this would be good music to "bone" to among the reviews has me questioning whether I ever want to read a review on an unfamiliar album again. It's all I could think of while listening to it. I don't know whether I should feel more sorry for the guy, the guy's wife or the both of them if this is the kind of music that they "bone" to. The feeling I was getting was to skip the fun and go directly to sleep. This album was bland, boring, dull and had an expressive and sonic dynamic range spanning from A to C. There wasn't a single track that made me want to listen to it past the half way point. Different strokes for different folks but this album did nothing for me.

I get the appeal, this is music I could listen to but the vocals were so annoying! The vibrato was at an 11 and I would be looking for something in the 0-3 range. The guest vocals only magnified this point of view and had me thinking that this would be a nice album if only it were sung by a different artist or artists.

If I could give half-stars I'd give this 2-1/2 stars. At times this was a 3 for me and at other times a 2. Reading the description that this was a cross between punk and country or an early example of alt-country, had me looking forward to this one. I was hoping for a bit more country leaning as I'm not much of a punk fan but this was an OK listen.

In the disco/R&B/pop world this album would rank pretty high, especially the title track and deservedly so but is it something I would reach for when I felt like listening to something? Probably not. I wouldn't knock it but it's not my kind of thing.

I'm not really a fan of avant-garde jazz but this really works for me. It sounds noir-ish, urban, and bold. The Spanish influences surprised me. It's not a very casual listen and I could understand how this might not be for everyone, it's definitely challenging. An interesting vision and an accomplishment to make it happen.

(Techno) Dance music is meant to be danced to and isn't something I'd ever reach for for a listening experience. It gets so repetitive and tedious and I get kind of annoyed waiting for it to change or resolve and it never comes. The first song sounded like it sampled Chicago's "I'm A Man" and I kept waiting for that song to start and play out. There's also something cold and soulless about music made without any musicians or instruments so I find it difficult to get on board with that. I aged out of this type of music before it even existed but I'll give it two stars as an appreciation for some of the grooves.

I knew of Coldplay and had heard some of their work but they have never been on my radar. I hadn't heard enough of them to form any kind of opinion so I was going into this pretty fresh. I found this to be a very solid debut album and an enjoyable listen. The overall tone of the album has a same-y vibe to it, not a lot of dynamic change but I was fine with that. I'd welcome another listen. This wasn't quite a 4 for me but it's better than a 3. I'd give it a 3.5.

I haven't listened to this album in a long time and it was an enjoyable re-visit. As far as influence and impact go this album is a classic and rates a pretty easy 5/5 but what this project for me is - would I enjoy this album now and would I still reach for it and give it a listen today? When this came out it was the hardest rock you could listen to. I don't listen to much hard rock these days but on the rare occasion that I do get that itch, this album would definitely scratch it. 4/5

While listening to this I kept thinking that it sounded like a collection of Prince songs that weren't good enough to be included on his album releases. Not unlistenable and not all bad but understandably not good enough to be included on an album. I was also hearing some Beatles pastiches and what sounded like some post-Beatles John Lennon. This album didn't do much for me and I found myself fast-forwarding through most of it. I don't have any interest in hearing it again.

If someone were to ask me I don't even know how I would describe this music or what I would call it. After one listen I can't say that I loved it but I didn't dislike it by any means either. Overall I enjoyed it and thought it to be an interesting listen. This album gives me a vibe that if I were to give it a few more listens that it would probably grow on me so I'd give it a solid 3 or 3.5.

At just over half an hour I thought this would be a pretty quick listen but it sure seemed like a slog. K. D. Lang is one of those artists where I can recognize that they have an undeniable talent but I have no interest in listening to them. I think a part of that is it seems like she is more interested in showcasing her voice than she is in serving a song so she over-sings the song. She also gives me the impression that she's someone who sings country but hasn't lived country. I didn't like the lounge-y stuff and hated the collaborative final song. Definitely a one and done for me and just squeaking past a one star rating.

I have a difficult time listening to blues albums. Blues songs are so formulaic that they quickly get too repetitive and start sounding the same from song to song. I start getting bored and it just gets too plodding and heavy. I liked almost every song on this album but listening to them back to back is too much of a good thing. (That trilling harmonica wears out its welcome pretty quickly after one song). I like the blues but I prefer them mixed in with other music to shake up the pace.

This album had me on board until a bit over the half hour mark when I hit Aumgn and Peking O. Aumgn was pretty much just a collection of sounds and lacked any structure long enough to hold my interest. Peking O was way too experimental and avant-garde, pretty much unlistenable. These two songs alone take up more than 29 minutes of the album! My song ratings on this one range from 1 to 5 stars so the average should be a 3 but the two songs noted above seriously drag this album down so I can't give it more than a 2. Normally I wouldn't ever listen to a 2-star album again but I wouldn't mind revisiting the first half of the album.

I liked this album a lot more than I expected having gone into it with some trepidation. The only thing I knew going in was that it fell into the punk category, not a genre that I would typically seek out or particularly enjoy. Their raw take on rockabilly quickly won me over with their fun energy and humor. A surprising, fun discovery that deserves more listens.

The Talking Heads - I've never loved them, I've never hated them. I'll listen to them (or not) but it will probably be by someone else's choice or by circumstance. This album was OK, it didn't really make any strong impressions on me either way.

In the spectrum of music I enjoyed hearing while growing up the Carpenters definitely had a place and it wouldn't have been the same without them. Karen Carpenter had such a wonderful voice! The Carpenters were a group that I always heard via radio play and greatest hits so actually sitting down to listen to this album was a new listening experience. This is a good example of an album where you endure the filler songs while waiting for the hits. Their cover of "Help" was terrible and reminded me of the type of thing you'd hear on The Lawrence Welk show when they tried to be hip and relevant by singing something on the current charts. Nothing outside of the hits held any interest for me, it's all a bit too lush, rich and saccharine.

I can't say that this is a masterpiece, it isn't, but I sure enjoyed it and that's what counts. It's a forward-moving product of its time and that's a good thing. This is a solid 4.5 in my book and the only album so far that I've wanted to listen to twice before deciding where to land with it. This one just squeaked into a 5 spot since I can't give it a half-star and it's better than a 4.

Sledgehammer is a bit played out but I enjoyed the rest of this album and was surprised that I had heard most of the tracks. I suppose that's a testament to the quality of the album when so many tracks got radio play. This isn't the type of thing I'd actively seek out on my own to listen to but I'd be pleased to hear it under almost any circumstance. Favorite song - In Your Eyes.

"Shout, shout, let it all out" sounds like my last trip to the bathroom. I never liked that song. The Working Hour felt like it took an hour to get going and another hour to end. Everybody Rules The World is decent but it is played out because it's been so overplayed. (Head Over Heels, the same) Mother's Talk goes in one ear and out the other. I Believe just sounded whiney and I quickly didn't care what they believed. You're getting the drift. This is more like "Songs From The Porcelain Chair". Definitely a dated sound that screams 80's and much too self-indulgent and self-serious in places. There's not much here that I'd ever want to hear again. This album is a high 1 but I'm feeling generous today and awarding it a low 2.

This was pretty much a perfect pairing, the outlaw of country music performing for imprisoned outlaws in real life. Cash knew his strengths and he used them. He knew his audience and he played them like a guitar. This album is a classic and enjoyable from front to back.

I bought this album when it first came out and I remember being disappointed and probably didn't listen to it more than a few times. Upon relistening I find that time and age had softened my original opinion. I can appreciate it more and can better see where he was coming from. At the same time while listening I could hear and imagine where the E Street Band would have filled out and expanded on the demos of several of the songs and I'm left wishing I could have heard what those versions might have been. My initial impression would have earned 1 star but I'm moving it up to 3 stars. It's OK.

Oooooo.... Velvet Underground with Andy Warhol cover art! I'm already feeling the transforming waves of cool and hipness just at the prospect of listening to it. This critical darling didn't exactly win me over but I didn't dislike it either. I liked it more than I thought I would but I found it to be pretty uneven. At times I was digging it and at other times it was grating noise. Nico's off-tone singing didn't do much for me but I can kind of understand the appeal in this specific context. The highs and lows average out to a solid 3 for me.

What is this? The music sounds like something you'd hear played over the opening credits to a cheesy 60's movie. Yes he can sing and has a pleasant voice but I would never seek this out and wouldn't willfully listen to it for any length of time if I had any choice in the matter. It surprises me that this made the list, it wasn't my thing.

Hip hop is not my thing and this album did nothing to change that. I don't understand the reference stating that this album bridges the gap between jazz and hip-hop. I'm a jazz fan and wasn't feeling jazz at all while listening. I thought it may have been due to the use of a stand up bass for a few numbers which did make those specific numbers somewhat more interesting but not particularly jazzy. It just sounds like hype in an attempt to make something we've already heard sound like something new, different and ground-breaking. I couldn't believe it when I read, "The album is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time..." in the Wikipedia reference. One of the greatest albums of ALL TIME?! No way! It sounds like another product of the hype machine. Maybe it's one of the greatest in the RAP world but across all genres it isn't even remotely so. For me, rap/hip-hop is something to be tolerated in very small doses but a whole album very quickly becomes so boring, repetitive and sounding the same. I'm not in the target audience for this album so my expectations were pretty low and my expectations met my enjoyment level - pretty low.

Raw, jangly and good energy though kind of dark. I dig how the bass is forward in the mix. This isn't really my kind of thing but I liked it more than I thought I would and get the feeling that this would grow on me with a few more listens.

This must have been a liberating album for Simon, writing and performing whatever he wanted and just for himself, expanding on the sounds we knew from Simon and Garfunkel. Simon was bound for success no matter what context he was in as he was such an excellent performer and song writer. Most of this album was new to me as I've only listened to Simon's greatest hits and it was an enjoyable listen. If I knew nothing of his work and was hearing this for the first time I would want to hear more.

This was cRAP. I didn't enjoy a single minute of it. I'm definitely not their target audience and don't need this kind of hate, anger and attitude in my life. If zero stars was an option this would have earned it.

Had "The Exorcist" not used this in their soundtrack I'd guess that this album would have languished in relative obscurity. Stripped of the visual context (the movie) or lyrics, I found this to be kind of a tedious listen. It seemed so self-indulgent, especially the bits where he growled throughout the song and where he would announce the various instruments as they were added. I hated the ending. After the spacey sound journey he suddenly dives into this jarring, square-dance, Popeye themed hootnanny which was so disconnected from everything that came before it. It totally took me out of the listening experience. Another one and done listen.

I couldn't understand a word that they were singing but it didn't matter, it was an enjoyable listen and a fun discovery.

Some good folk music here and an enjoyable listen. I'd listen to more!

Wow, I pretty much hated this from the very start. After listening to the entire first song I had to check to see the running time for this album and it was over an hour! There's no way I was going to put myself through that! To be more than fair going forward I would listen to at least 1-1/2 minutes of each song or longer if I liked it. Without fail I found myself looking forward to moving on to the next song even BEFORE the 1-1/2 minutes expired. That sonically empty electronic drum was grating with that electronic snare beat boring into my brain like a Chinese water torture. This album held zero appeal for me and I couldn't wait for it to be over.

This is the type of country music that would have been playing on TV/radio as I grew up so it's kind of a part of my musical DNA and feels kind of like a comfortable and cozy blanket. The 60s may have been the last great decade for country music. There's still a lot to love from the 70s but country music was changing and mostly not for the better. Ray Price was one of the good ones and I could easily listen to this again and again.

I went into this one totally cold having only ever heard of the band name but not knowing the music. At just over 35 minutes this album was consistently strong throughout and didn't have an ounce of padding on it. For a debut album this was surprisingly good and I enjoyed it from front to back.

This album had its intended effect - it challenged me to let down my guard and open myself up to something different and it surprised me. I can't really say that I ENJOYED it but I didn't hate or dislike it either. It kind of grew on me and I never felt like I wanted to fast forward to the next number hoping for something better. It wasn't really music as I would define it but rather artistically fashioned sounds with musical elements. At times the "soundscapes" were jarring or discordant but it wasn't just random noise, it was manipulated in such a way as to make it interesting. I don't know if this makes any sense but this album isn't really something you listen to, it's more like something you experience. I wouldn't actively choose to listen to this but I was intrigued by it and I don't think I'm any worse off for having heard it.

Simon and Garfunkel were a musical match made in heaven so their vocals would be an easy 5. Not all of the material here has aged well so the songs are a pretty mixed bag ranging from 1 to 5. I don't know if this was more a thing of the past but it has a pretty scant play time at less than 30 minutes. This one ran pretty hot and cold for me but that pretty much sums up what S&G are to me. Their greatest hits were great but once you got much deeper than that I lose interest pretty quickly. Outside of the hits there's not much else here that grabs my attention.

If I were a teen/coming of age when this came out I probably would have thought that it was a jam. It definitely sounds like a product of the 80's which is when I started losing interest in pop music. Good drumming! This album didn't move me strongly either way. Good debut album. Probably a pretty solid 3.5 but I can't quite move it to a 4.

I've never listened to a Taylor Swift album before and I'm getting the vibe that this particular album wouldn't be where one would want to start with her catalog but rather something one would want to listen to as a fan who wants to go deeper. And that's not a bad thing. Taylor Swift is a talent. She's tapped into something that resonates with the psyche of her fandom and I think she fully deserves and has earned everything that she has accomplished. This album isn't really aimed at me and not the type of music I seek out but I enjoyed it. Two standouts for me were No Body, No Crime and Marjorie, a touching homage to her grandmother. This album didn't make me a Swiftie but it earned my respect and opened me to a willingness to hear more of her work.

How many drugs does someone need to consume to enjoy this?! And where was this recorded live? Turdfest '73? And speaking of turds, Hawkwind has to be one of the most turd band names I've ever heard. It sounds like the name of a crappy, unimaginative high school garage band that will play anywhere for free because they couldn't even summon up a pity pay gig from their own family members. In keeping with the theme of this review I'd call this release a post-buffet two-flusher because it's one of the longest turds I've had to endure. It's unpleasant while it's happening and it really stinks but you feel so much better and relieved when it's finally over.

This album inspired a haiku. Beep-boop, endless loops Soulless drums that sound like poop Electronica Electronica is just not my thing. It's too empty, too repetitive, too sterile, soulless. Music needs more feel and a human element electronica can't deliver. Some of this album had listenable moments which saved it from a 1 star rating. My life would not have been a single degree less for not having heard this album.

This is widely considered to be one of the best concept albums of all time and deservedly so. The vision, the realization and execution are remarkable and it's an extraordinary piece of work. It's a classic and definitely belongs on this list.

This album is a bit uneven and seems to work best on the pop/hit type material and less so on the numbers that seemed more designed to show off and stretch his vocal talents. It's got some bops and it's a decent listen.

Listening to this album made me want to dye my hair black, put on a spiked dog collar, goth makeup, black clothes and then retreat alone to my darkened bedroom to stew in a nihilistic funk. This album pulls me in two directions. It's dark and depressing which doesn't really reflect my attitude or a demeanor that I would want to dwell on but at the same time I like the music itself (Dig the forward bass!) and the mood/atmosphere that it sets. I can't give it a 5 and it's more interesting than a 3 so it's a pretty solid 4.

The best of their best are here and their distinctive harmonies made you know right away you were listening to the Mama's and the Papa's. I always thought that flute solo in California Dreaming was iconic. It really set the mood and tone for a great song. They definitely made their mark in their time and this was an enjoyable listen.

I once owned this album back in the 70's when it first came out but I must not have listened to it very much. Listening to it now, I barely remember any of it. At times I thought I could have been listening to David Byrne/Talking Heads. I walked away from this one thinking that it's probably something I would rarely reach for but it was a fun and interesting listen.

I've always considered The Who to be a greatest hits kind of band for me not knowing their work well or really caring to go beyond the hits but this album may cause me to reconsider. Sure, the songs and sound are dated but listening to this album taking that into perspective, it was a decent listen.

Good bluegrass/country and mandolin with great harmony and vocals.

I'm not a rap fan and I'm definitely not a fan of Kanye the man so it was hard to get past that to be fair and give the music a chance. For fans of the genre I get the appeal. The R&B/soul aspect made this album more musical and interesting than many rap offerings but it still wasn't my thing.

Meh...... It sounds like this band had 2-3 songs and and just re-did them multiple times to stretch the album into 11 songs. Everything here pretty much sounded the same and not all that interesting.

Not really an Aerosmith fan but I get it. This album starts strong but I found myself getting kind of bored after the first two or three songs. Still an OK listen.

I love ECM recordings for their quiet, still, atmospheric sound and this album fits in that vein. I don't hold this in as high acclaim as its reputation but it was an enjoyable listen and would make for nice relaxing background music. 3.5/5

Recording a show for prisoners was a great idea and this was a great pairing. Johnny Cash was never in prison but he had been in jail multiple times. He was a man who had struggled in his life, had been a broken man who had reached the bottom of the barrel and had come back from a drug addiction. He was a man the prisoners could relate to, he sang songs that the prisoners could relate to and Cash tailored his set accordingly. While I never wanted to spend a single night behind prison walls I'm very happy to have been able to hear this concert, it's a classic.

An excellent album which invites me to want to hear more. Even the lesser songs are at least interesting despite not being favorites. A solid album that deserves future listens.

Not bad, not great. I kind of got bored with it and overall wasn't really moved negatively or positively. I keep thinking something on this album is something I heard in a commercial somewhere.

I'm more a fan of a smaller combos (trios, quartets, quintets) but this nonet was an assembly of outstanding talent with outstanding results. Davis was a stand-out as might be expected but I also really liked Gerry Mulligan on baritone and Lee Konitz on alto sax. I've listened to a lot of Miles Davis in the past but always skipped over this one because of the bigger band sound. I was only cheating myself, this is some excellent jazz.

What does this album want to be? Cute and comic? Psychedelic rock? It seems like it wanted to be both and it doesn't really work together. There's nothing here that made me want to listen beyond the first 1/2 to 1 minute of a song, I quickly grew bored with it and most of it was not that good. I don't usually listen too carefully to the lyrics on a first listen but some of the lyrics here were pretty hack-y. Pass.

This album had some interesting elements to it but it wasn't really my thing and I'm not much of a fan of soundtracks. There's got to be better Indian music out there.

An interesting mix with some real contemporary classics mixed in. It's a fun listen when you're in the mood for something a little different.

Solve the puzzle! Hanoi + (Rocks - R - O + S + U) = ? I quit listening to a song when I lost interest and didn't make it to the end of a single one! Pass.

When I read that this was an electronica/new wave/pop album I didn't think I was going to like it. As it turns out, I love Tracey Thorn's vocals, they're the draw for this duo. I also like the chill vibe, it reminded me of Sade or Dido. I still hate electronic drums but they were less obnoxious than what I've heard on other electronica albums offered up here. A solid 3.5/5 but I'll round up because they surprised me and won me over.

Stewart Copeland's drumming is outstanding! While I couldn't connect with all of the songs they were at least all musically interesting and well executed but there are better Police albums. A solid 3/5.

This album is practically wall to wall bangers, what an awesome debut! I can't think of a single reason to knock off any stars, even the 1 or 2 lesser songs are still worth the listen. Loved it then and loved listening to it again.

ANOTHER electronica album? WTH! The author of this book is determined to make electronica happen in my life. : ( This was just more of the same with a different flavor, this time soul/R&B. It was a musically bland, empty, overly long, BORING slog where everything sounded the same. No thank you to this album or any more electronica.

Dare to go against the flow of popular opinion! This album was neither nirvana or an enjoyable listen for me. I'll continue to pay it nevermind.

Dave Brubeck is the leader of the quartet and the featured name on the album but it's Paul Desmond who shines the most for me. The first time I ever heard this recording I immediately fell in love with his cool, airy sound and his composition "Take Five". This is one of the most popular jazz recordings of all time and rightfully so. It definitely belongs in anyone's jazz collection. It's a cool jazz classic!

The only thing I knew about this band and album was that I had seen the album cover before. While listening I kept asking myself, "What is this music?" It was different. It was unusual. It was quirky but it was interesting and it was kind of clicking with me. I'd listen to more of this.

Ugh, I'm only 70 albums in and I have to listen to ANOTHER k.d. lang album?! I didn't even want to listen the first one! There's nothing on this album that I needed to hear and I didn't make it through a single song before feeling compelled to fast forward to the next. There's very little here that would distinguish one song from another anyway so it didn't really matter. Hard pass.

What is up with the lead singer? Did the band begrudgingly let him sing lead because he owned a van and was the only one who could get them and their gear to their gigs? He sucks and I'm at a loss to think of a lead singer who sings worse than this guy. The album was pretty crappy from the start but it managed to work its way up to an unenthusiastic "OK" despite the singer.

The Police are an odd group for me. I think they are better than what enjoyment I get from listening to them if that makes any sense. The songs on their albums tend to run hot or cold. This is probably their best album which I think deserves a 4 for content and execution but my overall enjoyment is more like a 3-3.5.

The first third of this album was a bop with great energy and was a lot of fun. After that it drops off and becomes more uneven. At 16 songs it's a bit bloated and would have been a better album with a 4-6 song trim. Overall I enjoyed it and would listen to more Blur. 3.5/5

A good representation of everything I hate about rap unredeemed by anything that might have been appealing musically.

Meh, OK at best. There's really not much here beyond two of their biggest hits and I'm not all that interested in those either.

Horribly boring, painfully repetitive dreck whose songs go nowhere. This belongs on a list of 1001 albums that didn't deserve to be made.

Whore = ho = heaux. Is that supposed to pass as clever? I hated EVERYTHING about this album, especially the irritating title. One star is as low as I can go and that's still too generous.

This one kind of had me on board with the first song but then listening fatigue quickly set in with each song that followed. Not a fan of the style of the lead vocals and why are they buried so deep in the mix?

The soul-falsetto vocals almost seemed to be a parody of the genre. This album was unremarkable and a big "meh" for me. There's nothing here I'd want to hear again.

I knew nothing about Radiohead other than having heard "Creep". For some reason I thought they were heavy metal and I was very happy to discover that they weren't! I enjoyed this album and would welcome more.

As a Minnesotan I kinda feel like I should already know this band but this is the first time I've ever listened to them. I like their energy and I enjoyed this album overall. 3.5/5

This was a decent listen and I'd bet this is one of his best albums but Stevie Wonder never really did much for me. I wouldn't dislike hearing this again but it's not something I would seek out either.

This is just not my thing. At over an hour long this was a slog. WAY overproduced. I found myself trying to figure out if there were any actual instruments played on this album. Everything sounded like it was done on a synthesizer or so overprocessed that it didn't sound like the instrument that was supposedly being played. Electronic drums are one of my pet peeves and they made too many of the songs sound the same. There's nothing here that I'd want to revisit.

When reaching for music to enjoy this wouldn't be it. They seem to want to be more artistic than musical and it's kind of tedious.

I "kind" of get it. There were times when I was digging the flow and vibe of what they were putting out so I could see how people could possibly love this stuff but there were other times when I could totally understand why some people think the Grateful Dead suck. This might be one of those albums that grow on you with repeated listens but I'm not interested in sticking with this long enough to see if it happens.

How can this be so popular? I don't get it. Where's the appeal in someone rasping and croaking their way through spoken-word songs? If the redemption is in the lyrics they must be miraculous but I couldn't bear listening to this.

Different, fun, playful. It's interesting to hear something from a different country other than Britain. I enjoyed the listening experience more than I didn't but would I want to hear it again? Probably not.

A little soul, a little R&B, a little jazz, this was a nice listen though I'm not especially drawn to the socio-political stuff. Favorite track - Back Home

Apparently it isn't cool to like Coldplay so maybe that says something about me? I enjoyed this album. Seems closer to a 4 than a 3 to me so I'll round up on this one.

Some 60's classics, some OK stuff and some dreck. I've never been much of a Clapton fan. I'm feeling a 2.5 but I'll be generous and round up for those classics.

I think this would be totally different music without David Byrne's distinctive vocals, a different singer wouldn't have worked nearly as well. Fun, interesting and I enjoyed this one, a pretty easy 4.

A self-indulgent Marvin Gaye working out his feelings on a musical divorce journey that I didn't want to go on. This is a career's worth of topical songs concentrated on one release and it's a lot. Not all of it was horrible but one listen is enough.

There's not a single rap album on this planet that needs to be 80 minutes long. I didn't like anything about this one.

She's got a great and powerful vocal talent but the throaty delivery with the growls, runs, and vocal improv fills wear on the ear pretty quickly. Unremarkable songs overall, way too long and just not my thing.

This album had its better than one star moments but the band kept sabotaging themselves in multiple ways and couldn't hold onto any one of those moments for a complete song. This one's teetering on a 2 but there's too many bad lyrics and bad choices dragging it down.

This was an easy listen, I love Steely Dan! This album has eleven songs packed into 34 minutes and there is nothing here that is padding or filler. It was over before I knew it and I was left wanting more.

I didn't like it but I didn't hate it which is an accomplishment for a rap album.

I think I had only heard two of the songs on this album so most of it was new to me. There were a couple of songs on here I really dug and overall it was an enjoyable listen.

I was hoping for something better for my 100th album. This isn't my thing but some of it was listenable.

I might have liked this better if I was a lyrically undemanding, horny, single, unsuccessfully on the prowl, beer-addled young male ready to party.

This had a lot of ensemble playing which is fine but I prefer something with more soloing which makes things a bit more adventurous. This was a chill and enjoyable listen.

Definitely a 60's sound representing what was happening in music at the time and a decent listen.

This one scratches a certain itch every now and then.

I rather enjoyed this. It's different and kind of chill. The singer's vibrato was kind of weird but it wasn't excessive and didn't pull me out of the performance.

Too long! If you're going to give me more than an hour of music there better be multiple bangers in there. Nothing really stood out or was particularly enjoyable. Not my thing.

I can't think of a single human feeling or emotion that would put me in the mood to listen to this crap. A very hard no.

I wouldn't listen to this kind of thing regularly but I didn't dislike it.

This was an OK listen as was the other EBTG album that came up for me earlier but I don't see that there needed to be more than one of their albums on this list. I like the lead singer's voice, it's calming.

Didn't love it, didn't hate it. It was OK.

Meh... but better than a 2.

There was absolutely nothing here for me, I hated it.

How do you say, "This album sucked!" in French? Understanding the lyrics wouldn't have made this any better.

I liked some of this and other parts not so much. This isn't the type of stuff I'd generally seek out and couldn't quite give it a 3 but I get the appeal.

This isn't meant to be a dig or a dis but this sounded like something I could have heard in the 80's. I enjoyed it and would listen again.

I didn't hate this album but it really tried my patience. The songs were so long! Before I made it to about the half-way point of each song I was growing bored and I got everything I was going to get out of the song.

At this stage of the game ('69), this is a career-defining album for Elvis. Cheesy songs, cheesy arrangements, cheesy background vocals and cheesy over-production. There's some truly awful stuff on here and there's not enough good stuff to save this album.

It didn't exactly tickle my pickle but I still enjoyed listening to this.

I'm feeling a 2.5. I think if I cared enough to listen to this more, I might grow to kind of vibe with it.

This is probably my second favorite Pink Floyd album. I can hear bits of songs that could have been on Dark Side of the Moon and hints of what was to come with The Wall. There's some pretty tasty David Gilmour guitar and I love how they put this one together. Great stuff!

There's a lot of good stuff on here but I think I might like this more for the nostalgia and a reminder of a certain period of my life than I do the album itself.

Lou Reed is not a good singer but he has this atonal, stylistic quality that is kind of interesting. I wanted to give this album a 3 but multiple factors worked against it. Some of the song lyrics were stupid and pretty bad. Strings were a bad choice on one of the songs and they took me out of that listening experience. The jury's still out on the numbers using the tuba and the other horn, I don't know if they really fit the vibe of this album.

For the sake of this review let's forget that Rumours happened because anything else is going to pale in comparison. I walk away from this one impressed, it's better than I thought it would be but I still get the feeling that it would have been better to make a very strong single album by cutting out all the padding that made this into a double album. (I'm looking mainly at you Lindsey Buckingham, I think the women fared much better in the song writing.) It was an enjoyable listen.

I'd never heard of this band before which usually doesn't fare well for stuff I've heard on this site but I actually enjoyed this album despite(?) the vocals.

Excellent rhythm and flow makes this one a lot more interesting and tolerable than most rap albums I've heard so far but it's still not a genre for me. A 2.5/5 from me for this kind of thing is practically a glowing recommendation. It's too long and gets same-y but I didn't dislike it. If I HAD to listen to rap I'd want it to be something like this.

Nope. Never liked her music, never will. Over-raitted.

Nothing too remarkable, it was an OK listen.

The Allman Brothers Band is one of those groups that never really compelled me to want to listen to anything beyond their greatest hits if anything at all. Overall this album was OK to good but didn't change my mind about them.

Respect that she wrote all of the songs and released this when she was still a teenager. This isn't something that I would seek out but I like her voice and get how this would appeal to others.

This was an appropriately titled album as it was a hellish experience trying to listen to it.

Going in I had my doubts about this album but the Dolls quickly won me over with their raw/gritty sound and energy. I dug it and I'd definitely listen to this again. 3.5/5

I gave this one a lot of play time in the early to mid-80's, particularly side one. Younger me would have given this a 4 but older me, while I enjoyed the revisit, feels like it's a bit played out and will give it a 3.

Nothing very remarkable or of interest to me.

I comfortably sat through this one and enjoyed it for the most part but occasionally the lyrics gave me pause. If I were to listen more carefully engaged in the lyrics I have the feeling that I may not have liked it as much.

Buck Owens and band mate Don Rich were the real deal and this is some fine country music. I love the Bakersfield sound!

It had some moments but overall it was kind of boring with stupid song lyrics, tedious over-riffing and I'm not into all that Satan/Prince of Darkness image crap.

1967! I'm just trying to imagine what it must have been like to the world's music psyche when this DEBUT album first dropped. A Jimi Hendrix experience indeed! I dig the simple trio format, it's easier to hear and appreciate what everyone is doing. Red House is my favorite cut. This one is a classic!

Warm night, cool breeze, candle light and cocktails. Smoooooth, mellow and a relaxing listen. Classic!

I couldn't understand a single word of the lyrics but I enjoyed it musically and it was refreshing to get something different than the usual fare. 3.5/5

I'm not a big fan of vocal albums with strings or with that jazzy lounge vibe but this was a smooth and easy listen. I didn't dislike it but there's nothing here that I need to hear again.

David Bowie has never really been my thing. I've always kind of considered him more style and flash over substance and this album didn't change that opinion. When trying to decide what to rate it I asked myself if I would have wanted to listen to this music if it weren't David Bowie and I was leaning toward a no. His reputation and cred in the music world pushed this one to three stars but just barely. It was interesting enough to listen to the whole thing without fast forwards but I don't think I would listen to this again.

Right off the bat I didn't like the lead singer's voice and that's kind of a problem. I agree with one reviewer's apt description that he sounded like Cartman from South Park trying to sing. Then I got annoyed when I discovered that this album was over 2 hours long! If I enjoyed the music that would have been a good thing but I just couldn't get into this.

The Band is one of those groups that seem to kind of fly under the radar. I know their work to a certain degree so there should be no surprises but I still enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I like their whole vibe with the vocals, harmonization, interesting blend of instrumentation and the rural/old Americana kind of feel in performance and song writing. Good stuff and an enjoyable listen.

Scott number 2 is about right, this album was sh*t.

Not horrible but never rose above unremarkable. I found her vocal style/affectations annoying/grating.

I'm still fresh from not really liking another Smashing Pumpkins album just three or four days ago so hopefully after two I'm done with them. I still don't like the singer's voice and I'm just not a grunge fan.

This album was just OK. It took me a while to warm up to it. I enjoy a little Van Morrison but I'd pass this one up for Moondance any day.

Fun and playful music but it doesn't take too long before the fatigue from the overly dominant electric organ sets in and things get kind of same-y, tedious and boring.

Did I really need to hear a second Hole album before I die? I think I would have been OK hearing none. At a different time in my life this might have made it to 3 stars. I didn't hate it, I could listen to it not wishing for my early demise but this is still not my thing. 2.5/5

You wouldn't think that just a duo would work but the White Stripes put any doubts to rest. Garage band music, raw and spare at its finest.

This album gives me a rock renaissance fair, pretentious Spinal Tap Stonehenge vibe. The flute thing works for me. My enjoyment level runs between a 1.5 and a 3.5 depending on the song. I also got the feeling that this one might grow on me if I cared enough to give it more listens. Given that I'll round up the mathematical average of 2.5 to a 3.

There might be some electronica out there that doesn't suck but this wasn't it.

I never really understood why this album is held in such high regard. It probably has more to do with the compositions, arrangements and the studio recording techniques used given the times than it did as an overall listening experience. "God Only Knows" is a masterpiece and easily my favorite Beach Boys song. "Wouldn't It Be Nice" is also a great single but the rest of the album is just average to "meh" at best. ("Sloop John B" was another big hit but I always thought it was annoying schlock.) But for the two songs mentioned above this was a 2-star album all day, every day. For those two songs alone I'll add an additional star.

Sounds a bit too earnest and oversentimental to me. A couple of the vocals made me think of Mickey Dolenz of The Monkees. There's nothing here of interest to me and I couldn't bring myself to sit through the entirety of a single song but I kind of liked one of them. 1.5/5

A little rock, soul, gospel and country, this guy has a style/vibe that makes me think of Sam Cooke. I'm also getting a little Tony Orlando. I enjoyed this. It's refreshing to get an album from an unknown artist that I'm able to listen to from beginning to end without feeling the need to fast-forward through it like a lot of the garbage that is served up here.

This album's initial appeal was the curiosity factor but it wore out it's welcome before I reached the half way point. One and done for me.

ELO had a very distinct sound with their use of strings, harmonies and background vocals. This distinction set them apart from other groups with an easily recognizable sound but it was also their bane as all their songs start sounding the same. I think it's a rut Jeff Lynne never grew out of. ELO is one of those bands I have little interest in outside of their greatest hits. There's a few good songs here but they are far outweighed by a LOT of forgettable bloat.

I liked the performances but the mood was a lot. Better than a 2 but not a 4.

I knew that I wasn't going to like this album so I decided to have fun with it. I stopped listening to a song when a profanity, the "N" word or any word that degraded women appeared in the lyrics and/or title. That album went by REALLY fast!

I don't know.... I'm kind of impressed that this came out in 1969, it seemed ahead of it's time. I find the title kind of annoying because it seems to be trying too hard to be odd for the sake of being odd which seems to be a Frank Zappa thing. At times the music was too "out" or avant garde for me and in some songs the noodling and jams went on for way too long. I'm not a big fan of this type of rock/ jazz fusion if that's what you want to call it but there were times I was feeling it. As an overall listening experience it was better than a 1 but didn't really earn a 3.

This album has some good songs on it so I guess it was OK even though Van Halen or other bands of this era/ilk aren't really my thing. Everyone seems to revere Eddie's guitar playing but all that shredding and tapping crap is more showing off than it is playing and it does nothing for me. Diamond Dave and the massive ego which made him such an attention-drawing showman was probably the most interesting part of this group and I don't think they would have become what they did without him. This is closer to a 2 than it is a 4 for me. 3/5

At the end of each day I look forward to seeing what my new album is going to be and I'm always disappointed when crap like this comes up. No matter how many hip hop albums this project tries to throw at me I'm 99% sure I'm not going to enjoy it and I'm not going to want to listen to it. This wasn't an exception. I guess there's always tomorrow...........

This is the type of thing that I hoped to discover more of when signing up for this project, an under-the-radar artist who should be better known and who is worth listening to. I like the chill vibe, his voice, his guitar playing and the spare production of just a voice and guitar. I'm surprised this was released in 1972, it sounds like something more recent. I enjoyed this album and would welcome more listens. I'm thinking 4.5/5 but I'll round up because I enjoyed it so much more than the majority of what's served up here.

This album lost me with the opening Public Service Announcement track.

I remember this album being a big deal back in the day and seem to remember discussing the song American Pie in music class. I've heard the two hits innumerable times but surprisingly never heard the rest of the album until now. McLean's voice and playing made for a pleasant listen and I enjoyed it. A solid 3/5.

The Style Council should have spent more time in their committee meetings because it's apparent that they couldn't decide on what style of music to stick with, they were all over the place. We were friends for the first half of the album but after the second half I removed them from my Christmas card list.

Otis Redding had the perfect voice for this type of music and he puts it to good use here. Didn't love some of the covers but this was an enjoyable listen.

Way too long. It had it's 3 star moments and it had it's 0-1 star moments. I didn't hate hearing this but I wouldn't listen to it again.

Overly repetitive, tedious, annoying crap suitable for breaking down and cracking prisoners at Guantanamo Bay detention camp.

I think the first BB King album I heard was Live In Cook County Jail which I would rate a solid 4 stars. This one was nice but I liked the energy, vibe and the performances in Cook County better. 3.5/5

I love Louis Prima's voice! It's got a very unique quality and paired with his style he brings so much character to whatever song he's singing. This album really swings and Sam Butera is fantastic on the saxophone. This one was a lot of fun and an enjoyable listen.

Another f-ing electronica album?!! No one needs to hear this going nowhere, heard-one, heard 'em all crap!

This album is quirky and weird but in a good way that really works with their sound. It's funny and fun listening but delivered with such earnest commitment that you can take the band seriously but not too seriously at the same time. Great energy and an enjoyable listen!

This is George Harrison taking a huge musical dump while extending two emphatic middle fingers directly at John Lennon and Paul McCartney when he released a TRIPLE album less than a year after the Beatles broke up. (And included Ringo to boot!) There's a lot of great stuff here and some not so great stuff which probably could have been left off to make for a shorter and stronger release. Overall I'm feeling a 3.5/5 but I'll round up because I really like the tone and vibe and because the good songs are really good.

If I can't give the Beatles 5 stars considering the rubbish I get more than half the time then who can I give them to? Those stars are well deserved, this is a great album! The Beatles are stretching out and serving up a nice variety of music styles and we get to see a bit more of George Harrison than usual. Good stuff from top to bottom.

This could very well be his best album and if not, it's certainly among his top five. It's a classic!

I hadn't heard of Screaming Trees and after the first listen, I didn't know what to think. This isn't normally my kind of thing but there is something about this album that intrigues me. The drummer hooked me right away, I loved the drumming. I ended up listening to this a second and third time and it's really growing on me. The vocals and guitars are just right and I like their use of eastern instruments, strings and woodwinds which added an interesting dimension to those songs. (Beatles influence?) I was getting more drawn in with each listen. I was initially thinking this was a 3 - 3.5 star album but after repeated listens I can comfortably give this one a 4.

Fun, great voice and great raw energy.

All I could think of while listening to this was Spinal Tap. I think teen me would have liked this more than adult me does. 2.5/5

So boring that even the vocalists sounded bored.

Multiple top-tier bangers on this one. This was Steely Dan when they were an actual band vs. a duo+. This album is 5 stars all day, every day.

Very chill and relaxing album. I like Gillian Welch and prefer some of her other albums over this one but this was still a nice listen.

What is this? I don't really get it. I can't think of a time or a reason I would want to hear this again but I like the cover.

Lyrics so awful and stupid they sound like satire. A crappy band and a one star album showing glimpses of promise but ultimately falling short of two stars. Even nostalgia doesn't make this worth listening to.

No bangers but this was a nice, casual listen. I liked it.

Mega-nope.

I bought this back in the day when the album was really exploding. It was great for chilling/relaxing/background music but I liked it more then than I do now. This type of thing isn't really on my radar anymore though it was a nice re-visit. Overall it's kind of like sonic wallpaper. You could have it on in the background and be aware that music is playing but shortly after it's over not really remember anything that you just heard. Still, it's a very capable, easy and relaxing listen. 3.5/5

I liked the guitar work and I like meat so the anti-meat preachiness is kind of annoying. This isn't something I would seek out but it was OK.

This isn't really my kind of thing and it started losing me by the end but it was OK.

This was a huge, self-indulgent turd. I couldn't finish listening to this mess. (Some good drumming though.)

It was painful attempting to listen to this. The songs were so boring and her excessive warbling vibrato drives me nuts.

My second Cohen album and I'm still unimpressed. At least he sings on this one but I still don't get the appeal. This must be for people who are into poetry and/or lyrics because musically this is a boring, repetitive downer. Please, no more....

For me, this would be "listen no more". I don't think I'm a fan of the genre-mash and the singer's voice is kind of annoying. Still, I kind of get the appeal which saved this from being a 1 star album.

Out of all the Emmylou Harris albums they choose this one? The whole time I'm listening to this I'm thinking that it's drum heavy and over-produced. I think that she shines in more of an acoustic/organic/country-oriented setting. This one is forgettable and doesn't inspire a repeat listen. 2.5/5

Synth-pop isn't really my thing but this had some good stuff on it and was OK overall.

Nothing here for me other than one more entry in the over-representation of rap on this list.

Ugh, hip hop and electronica, two of my least favorite genres. It seemed to take forever for a song to get going and once it did, it didn't go anywhere. Most relatable song, "Why hip hop sucks in 96" except I would remove "in 96" to make it more accurate.

There's nothing here that would make me want to listen to this again. There are a few moments but it's very forgettable overall.

Willie has such an earnest, weathered-knowingness quality to his voice that you can easily believe whatever he is singing. He's feeling it if it's not something that he's experienced. I loved the spare production, the flow of the songs and the relaxed vibe. It's a Willie classic!

Why do I feel like I'm supposed to like David Bowie? He's never really piqued my interest. This album was alright but it didn't win me over. I wouldn't seek this out but I'd listen to it again. 3.5/5

I wasn't sure what to expect with this album because all I ever knew of Blondie were the hits played on MTV and I never liked "Heart of Glass". This album was a lot more fun than I thought it would be and it was a good reflection of what was happening with music at the time. The good outweighed the bad and I enjoyed it.

R.E.M. definitely belongs on this list but they have better albums than this one. This is a fine debut showing a lot of promise for what was yet to come.

But for "The Jungle Line" and "Shadows and Light" this would be an easy 5 from me. This is the type of thing I would want to throw on to appreciate and enjoy the experience of a whole album rather than just wanting some background noise where the 1 or 2 songs worth hearing are buried amongst a bunch of filler. Joni surrounds herself with a lot of heavy hitters that I admire - Joe Sample, Larry Carlton, Jeff Baxter, James Taylor, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Wilton Felder and Bud Shank among others. I really liked the tasty bass in several songs, especially on "In France..." This was a solid entry and I love this jazzy era of Joni's music.

An enjoyable listen which I could listen to again.

More like American nightmare. A hard nope.

I love some good soul-jazz and this certainly fits the bill. Cool vibe and it's great for both background music and active listening. Very enjoyable from front to back. 4-4.5/5

The author deserves to be punished in some way for putting this Cookie Monster-sung piece of garbage on the list.

Nope, not my thing.

The Beatles final album (recorded) where George Harrison is allowed to shine with two of the best songs which also happen to be among the best of the entire Beatles catalog. Side 2's medley is brilliant. Easily a classic.

All hope is gone indeed. I think I'd be slippin' a knot around my neck if I had to listen to much of this.

Can't say that there are any real bangers on here but the music is interesting and I enjoyed it.

I get a Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young or their subsequent solo work vibe from this. I guess Gene Clark was a member of the Byrds so I'm kind of surprised I didn't make that association while listening. There's a lot to like here overall and I found it to be a pleasant listen.

Not my thing but I didn't hate it.

Boring, uninspiring, forgettable, there's nothing about this that I found enjoyable. Horrible album cover.

I can get on board with this, she's got a very nice voice. It's good, relaxing background music.

Meh.... I guess it was OK. I really couldn't care less whether I ever hear this again or not. Let's Stay Together, the best song, is so overplayed that it's worn out it's welcome. 2.5/5

No thanks, zero interest.

While listening to this I began to wonder if Tommy was the name of the rock opera or a description of Keith Moon's busy drumming. I get that this is a flowing story narrative but man is it a bloated, indulgent slog! Does the good outweigh the drag? I'm not so sure. I'm thinking a 2.5/5 but I'll round up for the overall ambition and execution.

The song titled "Oxygene" sucked. Oh wait, all the songs are titled "Oxygene".

Sounds like something I'd imagine would play well in Europe. It didn't take long for bombast fatigue to set in and I found myself feeling kind of irritated and annoyed trying to listen to this. I'm unaMused.

This is the first and last time I'd ever care to hear this. Rad cover though.

Not my thing nor is it anything I would choose to listen to.

This is one of those albums where if it were playing I wouldn't feel like I wanted to flee the room but I would never choose to listen to this on my own.

I grew up in the era when this type of music was popular so I could get on board with this. Some pretty good songs, some filler but overall enjoyable.

Meh. The ubiquitous violin gets tedious pretty quickly and as the album droned on I became more impatient for it to be over.

I can't imagine why I would ever want to listen to this when there are infinitely better options and genres available.

I like the raw energy and enjoyed this more than I thought I would. 3.5/5

The Byrds trademark sound of vocal harmonies and jangly guitars hit the ears right. This one's a bit uneven so I'm thinking a 3.5/5 but I'll round up because I enjoyed it overall.

Did I NEED to hear one SATB album? Probably not. Did I need to hear a second SATB album? DEFINITELY not.

The Beatles were coming into their own with the first album of all Lennon/McCartney songs. It would seem that this was still John's band at this point as he takes the lead vocal on the vast majority of songs. This album flies by at barely over 30 minutes. There's really nothing bad here, just a few songs that are less familiar. Enjoyed it from beginning to end.

This one was a nice surprise and I really wish this project had more albums like this to discover and enjoy. As a double album this was a lot to take in all at once but there was a nice variety of music here and it was very enjoyable when listened to in smaller chunks.

Enjoyment level = zero. Desire to ever hear this again = zero.

Why does knowing that this group is Icelandic make me more amenable to liking them than if I heard the same music coming from an American or British band? I had never heard of The Sugar Cubes and I had heard of Bjork but was unfamiliar with her work. This album surprised me and I liked it much more than I thought I would. It often reminded me of the B-52s but with more grit and gravity. I'd welcome listening to this one again.

Joni Mitchell was an artist that I knew of, knew she was considered one of the best song writers of all time and I maybe knew 3-4 of her songs but that was about it. I don't recall what inspired it but one day I sat down and actually listened to one of her albums. (I believe it was Court and Spark) After hearing that album I wanted to hear more. Soon thereafter I had listened to all of her albums from 1968 to 1976. Somewhere along the way I "got" her. One major draw is that her songs are so intimate and that she reveals so much of herself in her music. Blue is impressive from beginning to end and yet it's just one of several brilliant albums in her discography. I've got nothing negative to say about this one, it was wonderful. I wish I could discover more albums that are on this level.

I liked this more than I thought I would. While I don't know that I'd want to listen to this again, I enjoyed the run through of this album and actually listened to all of it.

HARD pass.

I think what you get with Jack White is always going to be something that is at least going to be interesting. This was a solid outing and I really enjoyed it.

When this album popped up I was pretty sure that I was going to hate it. I was right.

Forty three songs and an hour+ of play time seemed a bit daunting at first but it wasn't too bad when split into two listening sessions. This might have been better as two albums instead of one. As is, this probably would have benefitted from some trimming but where to start? No songs really stood out as better than the others. None were great and none were bad, they all just kind of happened in that minute and a half to two minute time spans. Overall I liked the energy and the vibe and thought it was an enjoyable listen.

There's some truly awful stuff on this album and I couldn't make it through a complete song. I also really regret having Googled what 10cc means. Giving this a 2/5 is pretty darn generous.

Monk's sense of time and choppy style are a bit jarring and takes some getting used to, his music often sounds a bit off. I enjoy some Monk every now and then when the mood hits me but this wouldn't be my top choice. I enjoyed this overall especially when compared to a lot of the other dreck I've been getting lately. More jazz please!

The singing and playing weren't all that great and this sounds more like a demo than an album but it sort of worked for me and I kind of enjoyed it.

This group and their work were totally unknown to me and now that I listened to this album, I don't know that I could identify what kind of music it is. It's unusual and would be difficult to pigeon-hole into a specific genre. I wasn't bored but it didn't really grab me either. Maybe this is one of those albums that would grow on you with repeated listens.

Funk lite? I didn't really find this album to be all that funky or interesting. There's nothing here that grabbed me enough to want to listen to a complete track. I had higher expectations and was disappointed.

I don't know how memorable this album was and I don't think any song will stick with me but I enjoyed listening my way through this. 3.5/5

This is my third Kinks album. I think the Kinks belong on this list but THREE of their albums with possibly more to come?! I think the author's English point of view and bias are showing. (yet again) This wasn't great and it wasn't bad. It hits a nice spot and was a fun and enjoyable listen.

This isn't something I'd seek out. It's a bit dark and not especially my kind of thing but this was alright. I'm thinking a 2.5/5 but I'll round up to a 3.

I had never heard of Supergrass and now I've been given two of their albums in only four days time. Either this is a better album or they're growing on me but I enjoyed this, it was a nice debut.

Meh, kind of boring. This didn't do much for me and I've never been much of a Beach Boys fan so I'm not looking at this through those rose colored glasses. 2.5/5

Loretta Lynn was country with a capital "C" and this is the type of classic country that I would have heard growing up. Short and sweet, this was an easy listen and as much as I enjoyed the album, I don't think it reached 4 stars. 3.5/5

Wow, it's hard to believe that this album is 50+ years old! Elton John is at the top of his game and this release contains some of his biggest hits which are also among some of the best songs of the 70's. This album factored heavily in my younger days and it was a great re-visit and still pretty fresh. (Except maybe the way overplayed Candle In The Wind, I had to skip it.)

This was OK. I can listen to Bowie without suffering but I don't think I would ever actively choose to listen or seek out his music. He's like a TV show you watch because it's on. It's OK but you don't especially like it but you don't dislike it enough that you turn off the TV.

I'm looking past all of the band's background drama, bad attitudes and blatant song rip-offs (I detected T-Rex and classic Coke commercial rip-offs on this one) and I'm just going on the music alone. I can easily roll with this, it was good album. I'd definitely listen to this again.

Three of his big hits surrounded by pleasant enough songs. I don't know if the blues numbers really work for me, they sound a bit too sweet and refined. A solid 3/5

I get the appeal but this genre of music is not for me at all.

I'm not really a fan of her voice and the subject matter of many of her songs is a drag and not why I listen to music. My enjoyment level was at a 2-2.5 but somehow it seems better than my enjoyment level so on it's merits for what it is I'll be generous and give it a 3.

This sounds like the type of repetitive, same-sounding music that would be played over the PA system of a warm weather resort's lounge and gift shop for tourists.

I think that U2 is a good band and they've got some good songs but for whatever reason this band never really clicked with me. I can't give this album anything less than a 3 but my enjoyment level doesn't warrant a 4. It's an OK album but I wouldn't seek it out again.

The Byrds with the addition of Gram Parsons was the perfect alchemy for this country rock classic. Parsons was one of the pioneers of country rock and sadly, through mis-adventure, left us way too soon. I love everything about this album and though Parsons had parted ways with the Byrds by the time this album was released I'm so thankful to have discovered him through this recording so I could explore his music even further. This is more a Gram Parsons album than it is the Byrds but nonetheless it's an important album and well deserves to be on this list.

Looking at this through 1968 lenses, this is a pretty solid album. It surprised me because I only knew this band through their hit "Time Of The Season" which was the last track. Every song that preceded it had a totally different vibe and sounded like a different band. It was all good and I enjoyed it. 3.5/5

This album is like a McDonald's of country music. You keep going back because you like it. It's not especially great but by no means is it bad. It's comfortable, pleasant and satisfying. I like Dwight Yoakam and I'm a sucker for the Bakersfield sound so I enjoyed this.

I liked this one, it's a different vibe from what I recall of other Doors albums. It's more bluesy rock, simple and straightforward. I would like to have heard more in this vein.

It was sort of fun but this wasn't my jam. I got bored with it and impatient for it to move along. It's not something I'd ever revisit. 2.5/5

Outstanding debut and fantastic vocal harmonies! Great stuff!

I can't...

This album was kind of fun. I liked the energy and the raw sound. On the minus side the vocals were annoying at times and sometimes when they put down a groove they would ride it hard until they beat it into the ground but overall it kind of won me over. I'm still going to remember this sound in the coming days, weeks, months and I'd listen to it again. For that I'll round up my initial rating of 2.5 to a 3.

I think the hype behind Led Zeppelin has always exceeded my enjoyment of them. This album was bloated so it was a bit of a drag to get through it but there are a couple of classics here.

Aerosmith was one of my brother's favored groups so I got to know this album through him. I've always been kind of neutral on Aerosmith and while this album was decent, it doesn't rise to a 4 for me. Sweet Emotion is a banger though.

She's got a great, soulful voice and did a great job executing so many popular covers making them her own. I'm more impressed than I thought I would be even though this type of thing isn't really my jam. Nice, but probably not a repeat listen.

Pleasant enough background music. Once you heard one or two songs you've pretty much heard them all, reggae lends itself to sameness.

I can't think of any situation where I'd ever want to listen to this loud, abrasive noise.

This was much more "friendly" and mainstream music than I remembered. I was expecting something more angry, loud and harsh. I liked it and I'd listen again. 3.5/5

I think there was an error on the cover. It should have read "beef fart", an odious warning signal preceding the massive plop that was about to escape from just below a raised tail. I tried to find something to like during this unpleasant auditory assault and I was left wanting. The music was as off-putting as the cover.

About half of this album was decent and kind of interesting and half, not so much. Therefore, 2.5/5.

This band has one speed and that's full-on balls to the wall. I was on board at first but song after song the relentless pace becomes exhausting and everything starts sounding the same. Change it up a bit boys!

There are some great songs here but also a considerable amount of meh. There are better R.E.M. albums.

Stevie Wonder and this type of music have never really been my thing but I can easily recognize that this album was an accomplishment and while it's a bit too long, it's an enjoyable listen. I'd be remiss to give this anything less than a 4 even though it's not something I'd seek out.

I knew nothing about this band or it's music but had unknowingly heard one of the songs before. The vocalist sounded soft and girly throughout and reminded me of another singer or two that I can't recall just now. It was different and a pleasant listen that I'd probably neither seek out or reject in any way.

I've always liked Elvis Costello. His music covers a spectrum of genres - rock, pop, punk, new wave, country, etc. I like his songwriting, his distinctive voice and his delivery always adds another interesting element to the music. This album is among his best if not THE best. It makes me want to dig out his CDs.

There are some nice grooves but this is a very uneven listen. Most of the songs get rolling and then don't go anywhere. I remember even being disappointed with this release back in the day. More a dance album than a listening album.

This is the only Stevie Wonder release I ever purchased. (cassette!) I lent it to a "friend" and never got it back. Good album and an enjoyable listen.

I love jazz and I love Miles Davis but I didn't love this. I'd be perfectly happy skipping this phase of Davis' career.

I dig the overall vibe but this album has almost zero range. All of the songs sound the same! This group would work better for me in a mix with other songs and artists.

Underwhelming. I'm not feeling the overall tone and vibe of this album. There are some moments but nothing that would make me want to listen again.

What?! There's such a thing as rap without excessive profanity, misogyny, violent themes and anger?! This album is a lot of fun but it starts to sound same-y and repetitive pretty quickly.

Rap is just not my thing but this album was better than most of the rap I've heard here so far. I'm thinking 2.5/5 but I'll round up because I liked this more than I thought I would. {But wouldn't choose to listen to this on my own.}

Not bad, definitely not great. Rod brings me back to the 70's and that's not a bad time to visit.

She's got a great voice and is known as the Queen of Soul. This album doesn't do anything to make me think differently.

I like his flow. This was one of the better entries amongst the over-represented genre of rap/hip-hop on this list. I don't really like rap but I could listen to this.

As a Minnesotan who wasn't aged out of Prince's music when it came out I feel like I'm kind of obligated to be a Prince fan but I've never been more than ambivalent about him. (I don't own a single one of his recordings.) I recognize that he was a great talent but there were a lot of times I found it difficult to take him seriously. This album was hot and not so hot but it was OK overall.

Ryan Adams was totally new to me and after hearing the first song (following the studio chatter) I was thinking all right... I can get on board with this. Then what followed was a glut of quiet, low-key songs that were so similar in tone and vibe that they were pretty much indistinguishable from one another. There were only 2 upbeat songs out of 15 and I think this album needed more for a better balance and to make it more interesting. Even so, none of the songs were really bad in and of themselves and this was a pleasant though unmemorable listen.

I'm a big jazz fan but I'm generally not a fan of large ensemble/orchestra recordings. The soloists were the most interesting part for me but their time was very short. This was OK but not a flavor of jazz I would return to very often if at all.

I wasn't connecting with this and what's with all the instrumentals? This album gives me a forgettable soundtrack vibe.

A bunch of songs in need of a singer and lyrics. "Aladdin's Story", for one, isn't telling much of a story without any words now is it? Something about the sound made me want to like this but it didn't quite make it.

I like country music but modern country just isn't my thing. This was basic, bland. boring and there's nothing here I'd want to hear again.

The awesome cover art deserved a better album. This was pretty cheesy and definitely an 80's sound. "Spanish Dancer" and "While You See A Chance" were pretty good but they weren't enough to save this one. 2.5/5

I love the imagery, the word play and the story telling in his lyrics. While Ballad of a Thin Man wasn't a favorite, I like that I could put this on and enjoy the whole album. I love classic Dylan and this is just one of many.

The front of this album is stronger than the back but overall this was OK.

Multiple decade-defining hits which just scream the 80's. This album was upbeat and fun. 3.5/5 I'll round up for Cyndi's spirit and energy and because this was such a strong debut album.

I doubt I'd ever come back to this but it was a FUN-ky listen.

The sound quality wasn't all that great but Cheap Trick rocked! This album surprised me, I wasn't much of a Cheap Trick fan but I ended up liking this a lot better than I thought I would! I'd definitely listen to this again.

I was vibing on the title track but the album lost me after that - nothing else really captured my interest.

This album is kind of like an aural coma. I can understand wanting to create a cohesive feel for an album but man, the consistent atmospheric, melancholy, low-key vibe for EVERY SINGLE SONG becomes a real drag and is really boring after a while. I hated the Hank Williams and Patsy Cline covers. Sweet Jane is easily the best song on the album. The mellow vibe and the singer's voice suited the song very well. It wasn't horrible overall and it was well executed for what it is but I have no desire to hear it again.

There are some decent tunes on here which seem to demand that this album is better than a 2 but overall I think it's barely a 3.

The girl has soul and she can definitely sing but her throaty growls and other vocal gymnastics rub me the wrong way. This album is way too long and it's just not my thing. Some of the songs are OK but there's nothing here that would make me want to come back. I can't hear "Beautiful" without thinking of Damian in "Mean Girls". : D

Buckley's performances were so overly sincere and earnest that they almost seemed like satire. It had the unintended effect of me not being able to take him too seriously because I obviously wasn't feeling what he was feeling. Every now and then I'd catch a spark of something that was kind of interesting but for the most part this was a drag to listen to.

I could easily get on board with some of this stuff and not so much with other parts. Overall it was OK+.

I kept looking for a reason to give this album a score higher than a 1 but I couldn't find one.

I never owned this album but remember it being really popular back in the day. Though I am very familiar with several of the songs, this is actually the first time I ever sat down and listened to this album from front to back. Side 1 bangs and side 2 is just OK/OK+ which pretty much sums up how I feel about the Eagles.

I didn't hate it but it's definitely not my thing. I would never choose to listen to this.

I'm not really a jazz fusion fan but this worked for me. It toes the line where I could still listen to it and enjoy it whereas something like Bitches Brew goes way over the edge and to me, is unlistenable despite multiple tries. I could see revisiting this but I would reach for several other Miles recordings before this one.

Most, if not all of the songs on this album are of the same tone but they were pleasant, easy to listen to and I like her voice.

What does the album name or cover art have to do with each other or with anything contained therein? It would seem to me that this album was less about a genuine or meaningful musical expression and more about an intentional effort at being non-conventional and at forcing a reaction of some kind from the audience. My reaction was negative.

This album lost me with the misogyny and the threat of violence against women in the very first track. I didn't need to listen to any more, I knew what was in store for me. No thanks.

It's angry, it's interesting and it ROCKS! Banger grooves!

I didn't dislike this but at the same time, I didn't find it very interesting and wouldn't look for a repeat listen. I couldn't help but think throughout that the lead singer was a Lou Reed wannabe. 2.5/5

I might like this if I was a young club-kid high on X. The music is so mind-numbingly repetitive and predictable that it quickly gets annoying and ultimately, boring. This is music to dance to, not listen to. 1.5/5

Aja is nothing short of masterful! Along with Fagen and Becker, it was performed with some of the top session musicians in the business which resulted in this widely-respected classic. One of my all time favorites!

This group was totally new to me. The album was consistently interesting, kind of different and I enjoyed it. 3.5/5

I knew of The Verve but didn't know what to expect on this album. I liked the drumming and the fuzzy, distorted guitar work. Cutting out 2-3 songs would have made this a stronger album but I enjoyed it.

There are artists who play a big part in the soundtrack to one's teen years and Elton John was one of mine. This album has two huge hits but there are still better Elton albums out there. 3.5/5

This album runs either hot or cold. There are the three big hits we all know from the ubiquitous radio play and then there's the rest. There is such a disparity in the quality of the hits vs. the rest of the songs that it almost seems like two different bands or songs recorded at widely different points in the band's career. In the balance, this was just OK. If I ever feel like some Eagles I'll stick with their greatest hits. They're not a deep cuts band for me.

Skipped the first song 30 seconds in. Subtracted a star for every time I heard "bitch" in the second song and quickly ran out of stars. I couldn't listen to the rest.

My initial impression was that this album sounded dated, non-American and that this was a B-tier band but I kind of liked it. It was a fun listen and I could imagine myself in a mood to hear it again.

I knew Bang A Gong but nothing else of T. Rex. I really liked Lean Woman Blues. The Motivator was so close to Bang A Gong that it would justifiably result in a copyright suit if it were written/recorded by someone else. Speaking of rip off, Rip Off should have been left off the album. It was an ill fit and not very good. Overall I liked his guitar sound. My expectations weren't high but I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. 3.5/5

Enjoyed it. A pretty solid 3.

Great guitar/organ/percussion sound and I was into the vibe. This would have been awesome to see/hear performed live.

Adele is definitely a gifted singer. I love her lower register. I didn't have a problem sitting through this album but it was kind of boring and it's not my kind of thing. This isn't anything I would seek out on my own.

This is among my favorite albums of all time and is definitely one of Costello's best. Interesting writing/lyrics, interesting singing, interesting songs, interesting variety, interesting cover art. It's a classic!

Considering the wealth of dreck and mediocrity served up here, giving Rubber Soul five stars was a no-brainer and justifiably so. It belongs on this list and it's among the Beatles best.

Very nice guitar playing. I liked the simplicity of just voice and guitar, it was chill and relaxing. 3.75/5

I always found Jim Morrison's troubled persona to be more interesting than the band itself. The Doors had some great songs but their big picture didn't move me to become a big fan. This was just OK.

Meh... kind of dull and boring. Not a whole lot of range here, everything was sonically the same. 2.5/5

This is my FIFTH David Bowie album! How many more are they going to throw at me? There's no doubt that he should appear somewhere among the 1001 albums but FIVE albums worth?! I'm not so sure... This was definitely better than a 2 but wasn't consistently interesting enough to give it a 4. 3.5/5 An enjoyable listen.

When I first started listening I thought I might be listening to Green Day so I could definitely hear the Pistols influence on that band. I went into this thinking I wasn't going to like it at all but I was wrong. This album rocks! I enjoyed it so much I had to listen to it twice!

The only thing that saved this from being a one star album is that I liked the rap/flow skill, I just didn't like what they did with it. The lyrics were off-putting from the start and there was nothing else there for me. 1.75/5

I'm not especially a fan of concept albums. This one made for a pleasant enough listen but not so pleasant that it made much of an impression on me or would inspire me to want to seek it out again.

Overall I like Wilco's sound and their vibe. I wasn't really feeling it the first time around but it fared better on the second listen. There's a couple of Wil-no's in there. Good enough to make me want to hear more from them. 3.5/5

Very chill and relaxing. I've always liked Stan Getz, a tenor sax player heavily influenced by a favorite, Lester Young. Astrid Gilberto's vocals couldn't be more charming. Joao's vocals and guitar playing are very effective as well. I feel like I should be drinking a cocktail while listening to this. A classic.

I knew the song Cinnamon Girl but the rest of this album was new to me. I enjoyed it. I got lost (in a good way) in Down By The River. Awesome vibe. I think this album would grow on you the more you listened to it. 3.75/5

I don't know that I could listen to this frequently but when I did, I would enjoy it. Drake's voice is very soothing and his music is relaxing and mellow. His music sounds great when produced with strings or other instruments but it would sound just as good if not better if it were just Drake singing accompanied by his guitar. 4.5/5

I listened to this on my morning walk and was shocked when my walking app announced that I had walked 2 miles. I thought I had another lap around the pond to hit that mark. I was so caught up in the music that it made me forget walking about half a mile! That's saying something. This album is a bit uneven and maybe a bit bloated but Hendrix's undeniable talent is on full display and I like blues based rock so I enjoyed it. I'm feeling a 4.5 and more inclined to round up than down.

This band had some playing chops. I like that they had brass and I was digging the bass. The music is bright and fun but not especially my thing. A lot was same-sounding. All I could think of while listening was '80's MTV.

This one didn't really win me over but it was OK.

I was ready to exit off of this Autobahn after the first two minutes. Unfortunately I had to endure 8 more minutes for the track 1 journey to be over only to find that track 2 was 10 more minutes of the Autobahn that Kraftwerk apparently wasn't able to wrap up in the prior 10 minutes. I guess you can't hear "Wir fahren, fahren, fahren auf der Autobahn" too many times. I'd like to think that Germany has better to offer than this but the author of this project didn't find it in this album.

In the world of rap it's so refreshing to hear something that's not all profanities, anger, violence and misogyny. Rap is not my thing but I still enjoyed this album despite it starting to sound the same after a while. 3.5/5

I'll never deny that Prince was a huge talent but I've never been more than ambivalent about him. My impression of this album was that it was self-indulgent, bloated and for the most part, meh. OK at best.

Why are there so many electronica albums on this list? No one NEEDS to hear this much electronica, if any at all. A 2-star album by virtue of me not liking it vs. absolutely hating it.

How do I rate this? In the pop world this album was a huge phenomenon with multiple bangers so it deserves 5 stars and to be on a list of albums you should hear but do I WANT to listen to it? Not really. It was an OK listen and I don't mind hearing anything from this album inadvertently (except maybe the improbable and mawkish, "The Girl Is Mine") but I would never choose to listen to this on my own.

I like Bjork's voice and I thought this was nice overall but there wasn't much there that would differentiate one song from another. While listening I couldn't help but think that it sounded like something a dance company would do interpretive dance to.

The author definitely has a thing for David Bowie, this is my SIXTH Bowie album. "Heroes" is iconic and my favorite Bowie tune and it's easily the best song on here. The first half of the album wasn't bad but the second half lost me. Did they run out of songs so they decided to pad the album with forgettable instrumentals? 2.5/5 with Heroes pulling it up to a 3.

The fact that this is an electronica album and I didn't hate it is no small achievement. It was an OK listen but there's nothing here that would compel me to want to listen to it again.

I never liked Dire Straits and by never liked I mean something that approaches hate. Almost everything about them was annoying. I didn't like the 80's sound - the guitar sound, the organ/synthesizer sound, Knopfler's voice, the band's looks and moves in their videos, Knopfler's stupid headband. I HATED Money For Nothing and hated the video even more. I didn't like any of their hits which only got worse the more they were played. Hard pass, change the station, I don't want to hear them.

A lovely talent but this was not my jam and I wouldn't seek this out again.

I always thought that the Beach Boys were a one-trick pony and other than a handful of songs, I wasn't really a fan. Despite all of the accolades this album seems to receive and even though no one else in the band was involved, it sounds like a boring, B-sides Beach Boys album with some real turds on it. It didn't make me smile.

This is the first time I've ever listened to the Foo Fighters though I've known of them. I could get on board with this, I enjoyed it. I'm probably closer to a 3.5 but I'll round up to 4.

Meh. Didn't hate it, didn't love it.

In my book, this is one of their top 3 albums when the Stones were hitting their peak in the late 60's and early 70's. (The others being Sticky Fingers and Let It Bleed) It's a bit long but still surprisingly solid, consistent and enjoyable.

I didn't hate it but I didn't like it either. Rap is just not my thing. I got bored with this very quickly.

Enjoyed it, would listen again.

Generic, bland, 80's-style electronic pop. (Two or three albums worth!) The songs were too routinely unremarkable to warrant such a long album. It's not my thing but it's innocuous enough to save it from being a 1.

A nice surprise, I liked this more than I thought I would. I think the vocals needed to be more prominent in the mix. At times the jam/groove got a bit long, repetitive and kind of self indulgent which prevents me from rounding up. 3.5/5

This is the Elvis that the Beatles would have listened to and wanted to emulate when they were still trying to make a name for themselves. Elvis was OK as was this album but I've never been much of a fan.

Why haven't I heard of this band before? I guess it's because this stuff isn't really hit material. It's a bit uneven, there's nothing too deep and the sound quality is pretty bad but I kind of enjoyed it and would give it another listen. 2.75/5

I was disappointed right off the bat to discover that this wasn't a blues rock album. There were a few things here and there that weren't devoid of merit but as a whole, I didn't like this and wouldn't want to hear it again.

Jazz perfection. Impeccable vibe. There's nothing one could add to or take away from the performances on this album without diminishing them. It's lightning caught in a bottle and a monumental recording by legendary musicians. I'm 365 albums into this project and this was the easiest 5-star rating I've given. One of my all-time favorite albums amongst all genres.

I had never heard of the band or the album so I had no idea what to expect. I ended up enjoying it so I listened to it a second time. It's not particularly memorable music but it's hitting me right. I like the dreamy, gaze off into the distance quality of it and the distinct 80's vibe. Enjoyable background music that I'd listen to again. 3.75/5

The lead singer kind of sucks and the band is kind of rough but that's maybe what they are going for. They're not not my thing but I wouldn't ever see myself seeking this out. 2.5/5

I enjoyed this. At times his enunciation was mushy and slurred and like most artists, there were one or two songs that weren't my favorites but I liked this and thought it had nice variety and cohesiveness. I'd happily listen to this again.