793
Albums Rated
3.16
Average Rating
73%
Complete
296 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1950
Favorite Decade
Funk
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
100
5-Star Albums
55
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
Top Styles
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Dub Housing
Pere Ubu
|
5 | 2.35 | +2.65 |
|
The Modern Dance
Pere Ubu
|
5 | 2.48 | +2.52 |
|
Justified
Justin Timberlake
|
5 | 2.67 | +2.33 |
|
Among The Living
Anthrax
|
5 | 2.85 | +2.15 |
|
BEYONCÉ
Beyoncé
|
5 | 2.86 | +2.14 |
|
Mama Said Knock You Out
LL Cool J
|
5 | 2.9 | +2.1 |
|
Copper Blue
Sugar
|
5 | 2.97 | +2.03 |
|
Spiderland
Slint
|
5 | 2.97 | +2.03 |
|
Heavy Weather
Weather Report
|
5 | 2.98 | +2.02 |
|
Exile In Guyville
Liz Phair
|
5 | 3.02 | +1.98 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
In The Court Of The Crimson King
King Crimson
|
1 | 3.61 | -2.61 |
|
Funeral
Arcade Fire
|
1 | 3.56 | -2.56 |
|
The Suburbs
Arcade Fire
|
1 | 3.5 | -2.5 |
|
The Köln Concert
Keith Jarrett
|
1 | 3.39 | -2.39 |
|
Songs Of Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
|
1 | 3.38 | -2.38 |
|
Neon Bible
Arcade Fire
|
1 | 3.34 | -2.34 |
|
Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
|
1 | 3.32 | -2.32 |
|
You Want It Darker
Leonard Cohen
|
1 | 3.32 | -2.32 |
|
Deep Purple In Rock
Deep Purple
|
1 | 3.31 | -2.31 |
|
S&M
Metallica
|
1 | 3.26 | -2.26 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| The Rolling Stones | 5 | 4.6 |
| Miles Davis | 3 | 5 |
| Jimi Hendrix | 3 | 5 |
| Black Sabbath | 3 | 5 |
| Bob Dylan | 5 | 4.4 |
| Radiohead | 5 | 4.4 |
| The Who | 5 | 4.4 |
| Sonic Youth | 4 | 4.5 |
| Beatles | 4 | 4.5 |
| Beastie Boys | 3 | 4.67 |
| Van Halen | 2 | 5 |
| The Police | 2 | 5 |
| The Clash | 2 | 5 |
| Pere Ubu | 2 | 5 |
| Green Day | 2 | 5 |
| Led Zeppelin | 5 | 4.2 |
| Stevie Wonder | 4 | 4.25 |
| R.E.M. | 4 | 4.25 |
| Pink Floyd | 4 | 4.25 |
| The Doors | 3 | 4.33 |
| Paul Simon | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Waits | 5 | 1.2 |
| Leonard Cohen | 3 | 1 |
| Arcade Fire | 3 | 1 |
| Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | 3 | 1 |
| Bee Gees | 2 | 1 |
| The Mothers Of Invention | 2 | 1 |
| Morrissey | 2 | 1 |
| Robert Wyatt | 2 | 1 |
| Dexys Midnight Runners | 3 | 1.67 |
| ABBA | 2 | 1.5 |
| Super Furry Animals | 2 | 1.5 |
| King Crimson | 2 | 1.5 |
| Emerson, Lake & Palmer | 2 | 1.5 |
| The Divine Comedy | 2 | 1.5 |
| Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band | 2 | 1.5 |
| Kate Bush | 3 | 2 |
| Roxy Music | 3 | 2 |
| Neil Young | 3 | 2 |
| Tim Buckley | 3 | 2 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Metallica | 2, 4, 4, 1 |
| Bruce Springsteen | 5, 5, 2, 3 |
| Deep Purple | 1, 2, 4 |
| U2 | 4, 2, 5, 3 |
5-Star Albums (100)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Arcade Fire · 8 likes
1/5
I liked Arcade Fire when "Funeral" first came out, but their style of overly-sincere, orchestral indie-pop got old real fast.
This one was a real slog. I'm glad it's over and look forward to avoiding Arcade Future from now on.
Foo Fighters · 5 likes
2/5
I didn't like this album at all when it first came out. I actually gave it away to a friend after only a couple listens. My opinion has only lightened at bit since then.
It's not just "Nirvana Lite" or an example of the emerging Rock scene that included Candlebox and the dreaded Nickleback. It's a Dave Grohl solo album that provided the seed for what would arguably become the biggest Hard Rock band on the planet.
A "Radio-Friendly Unit Shifter", indeed.
Pere Ubu · 5 likes
5/5
Pere Ubu's groundbreaking brand of Avant-Punk is unquestionably an acquired taste. Fortunately, I have enjoyed their flavor for a long time and have always viewed them as Cleveland's most underappreciated gem. In the family tree of Alternative Rock, Pere Ubu is low on the trunk. So much of what came later can be traced back to them.
Considering this list's affinity for debut albums, it is surprising that Ubu's first album, "The Modern Dance," wasn't chosen. They also made much more conventionally accessible records, like "Cloudland," which is sadly unavailable on the primary music streaming services.
I have a pretty funny story about the first time I met Pere Ubu's notoriously prickly frontman, David Thomas. Ask me about it sometime.
Anita Baker · 4 likes
2/5
While Ms. Baker obviously has a lovely voice, it's clear that this music was not made for me. To me, it sounds like it should be played in a dentist's office in an elevator inside of a grocery store.
The real question here is why are there four songs from this album unavailable on Spotify?
Is "Watch Your Step" the unofficial Taliban national anthem? Is "Been So Long" about lusting after an underage object of desire? Does "Mystery" glorify selling drugs and killing cops? Did the crowds of insurrectionists chant the chorus to "No One in the World" while storming the Capitol on January 6th?
We demand answers!
Talk Talk · 3 likes
1/5
This album has no business on this list. It doesn't even have their hits (all both of them). Even guest appearances by Steve Winwood and Robbie McIntosh can't liven up this snoozefest.
The most interesting thing this band ever did was being named Talk Talk, with a song called "Talk Talk" on an album titled "Talk Talk". The result? "Talk Talk Talk Talk Talk Talk". But that isn't even this album!
No stars.
1-Star Albums (55)
All Ratings
Marvin Gaye
4/5
David Bowie
2/5
Pearl Jam
5/5
Leonard Cohen
1/5
Paul McCartney and Wings
3/5
Metallica
2/5
Miles Davis
5/5
Dr. Octagon
4/5
PJ Harvey
4/5
Stevie Wonder
4/5
ZZ Top
4/5
Queen
3/5
Arcade Fire
1/5
I liked Arcade Fire when "Funeral" first came out, but their style of overly-sincere, orchestral indie-pop got old real fast.
This one was a real slog. I'm glad it's over and look forward to avoiding Arcade Future from now on.
Country Joe & The Fish
2/5
An album and artist very much "of its time". Nothing here sets this above any of the other bands of the day.
This would be fine background music for a VH1 documentary about The Summer of Love.
Faith No More
4/5
A groundbreaking album that helped push Alt Rock into the mainstream. Hard not to give it 5 stars, but "Angel Dust" was even better.
Punchy as hell, this album is often blamed for the rise of Rap-Metal, but they were much more than that. Thrash, Pop, Rap, Noise...It's all there.
Can't hear "Epic" without seeing that poor fish flopping around at the end of the video.
I was lucky enough to work with Roddy Bottum recently. If you like this, check out his latest band, Man On Man. I thought they were excellent.
Korn
1/5
What the lyrics sound like to me: "Gobble, gobble, rabble, rabble, ummagumma, HATE MEEEEEEE!!!! Bunga lunga, wocka flocka, PAAAAIN!!!"
This is the kind of music that Faith No More is unfairly blamed for.
Meat Loaf
3/5
Napalm Death
4/5
I kinda needed this. OG Grindcore.
This hits hard.
k.d. lang
2/5
Clearly, K.D. Lang is talented both as a vocalist and a songwriter.
But this just wasn't my cup of lukewarm and flavorless tea.
Amy Winehouse
3/5
The Velvet Underground
3/5
Public Image Ltd.
4/5
Simply Red
2/5
Pull out your pointy shoulder pads and pastel linen pants for this run-of-the-mill-mid-1980's-blue-eyed (and red-haired)-soul-synth-pop.
Could have been the soundtrack for a Jim Belushi and Gregory Hines buddy cop movie that includes a montage, a love scene, and a dance sequence.
Arcade Fire
1/5
Aww...C'mon! I call bullshit.
I have to question the validity of this list when we've had two Arcade Fire albums in two weeks, but nothing from Fugazi, The Minutemen, Dinosaur Jr., etc.
Do better, Album Generator.
Do Better.
Pixies
4/5
A great start.
Screaming Trees
4/5
RIP Mark Lanegan...
This is some proto-grunge amazingness right here.
Another example of the need for a half-star. I know he did at least two more albums that were even better.
JAY Z
2/5
I'll never forget the day this album dropped. I gotta say it wasn't a good day.
While I recognize the cultural value of the album, I really doesn't mean much to me musically.
Turbonegro
4/5
Never listened to Turbonegro before this. Pretty good Punk Rock. Not as extreme as I expected.
Bill Evans Trio
5/5
Sonic Youth
4/5
I love, love, love, love this album.
Possibly the pinnacle of "Noise Rock"
The Young Gods
2/5
This album made me want to punch a street mime, but not in a good way.
The parts that I liked were done to better effect by bands like Ministry, Wire, Front 242, and Skinny Puppy. I hope none of those albums were excluded from this list in order to include this one.
Franz Ferdinand
3/5
5/5
I understand that Dylan can be divisive, and this is a document of Dylan at his most controversial period. Even his most devoted fans were divided at this point.
I think that it's Dylan at his very best.
The Doors
4/5
Not much to say. It's a classic album. Great stuff.
Beatles
4/5
Low-hanging fruit right there.
The entire Beatles discography could easily end up on this list.
Minutemen
4/5
More low-hanging fruit.
You already know I like this.
It's a killer album .
Four and one half stars.
Bee Gees
1/5
No, thank you.
Cocteau Twins
2/5
Better than I remember, but not really my jam.
R.E.M.
4/5
Before this, R.E.M. was just a college-radio band. Then, all of a sudden, you could understand what Michael Stipe was saying.
Finley Quaye
2/5
Better than most run-of-the-mill Reggae music. The Dub and Soul elements brighten it up a bit.
I can't find any credits for the additional musicians on the album. Did he play all the instruments himself?
That being said... it's still just Reggae.
"Reggae... It's a good song."
Red Hot Chili Peppers
4/5
The last good Red Hot Chili Peppers album. I credit Rick Rubin for its almost-perfect production.
I was really into this when it first came out. I had even pre-ordered it from the shitty record store near campus, since I knew they weren't cool enough to carry it on their own.
But... about a hundred other killer albums were released around that time and BSSM was quickly left behind.
After this album, RHCP leaned hard into their proven formula, and it was all "Sex, California, Heroin, California, Sex, Heroin, Sex, California, Sex, Heroin, California, Heroin, California, Sex, Sex, California, Heroin, California, Sex, Heroin, Sex, California, Sex, Heroin, California, Heroin, California, Sex, Sex, California, Heroin, California, Sex, Heroin, Sex, California, Sex, Heroin, California, Heroin, California, Sex, Sex, California, Heroin, California, Sex, Heroin, Sex, California, Sex, Heroin, California, Heroin, California, Sex, [REPEAT FOR THIRTY YEARS] from there.
Duran Duran
4/5
This thing's a hit machine, and rightly so.
John Taylor's bass playing alone is worth the price of admission...or Andy Hamilton's sax solo in the title track.
Great stuff.
Nine Inch Nails
4/5
In two measures, Trent Reznor re-established the "concept album."
Four and one-half stars.
Dinged one half-star because I liked the remix of this, "Further Down the Spiral" just a little bit more.
Paul Simon
5/5
A monumental album by an American treasure. Easy five stars.
Supergrass
3/5
First Part:
Some of these songs are alright ("Sometimes I Make You Sad", "Sitting Up Straight.") Unfortunately, most are forgettable Mid-to-Late-Nineties-Beatles-Loving-Brit-Pop/Rock. They are probably a very good live band, though (just guessing.)
Not sure it needs to be on this list and it certainly didn't need to be a double album.
Second Part:
Hey! This is pretty good! Just throw the first disc away and listen to the second one.
Blur
2/5
One good song. The rest was okay-ish at best.
David Holmes
3/5
At first, I thought this was "The Pina Colada Song" guy. Turns out that's *Rupert* Holmes. Probably his brother or cousin or something.
Some interesting Trip-Hop elements here. I enjoy a lot of electronic music, but as a whole, this was not a big stand-out for me.
Two and one-half stars, marked up to a three because it was good background music while I was doing other things that required more attention.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Another American treasure. Every song is solid.
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
2/5
Less than the sum of its parts.
Two and one-half stars.
Pulp
3/5
Surprise, surprise...another Brit-Pop album.
A bit better than the others we've heard recently.
Bowie-esque, by way of Boomtown Rats.
This is why you don't let Doug pick all the music for a long road trip.
Sade
2/5
It's some fine 80's Smooth-Jazz-Pop.
Unfortunately, I had to hear this album, in its entirety, every damn day, for about six years. The hostess at a job I was at LOVED this album and felt the need to keep it going as house music at all times.
I never ever want to hear it again, thank you very much.
Fela Kuti
2/5
I love the concept of Afrobeat music, but can't endure Fela Kuti for very long. The songs are repetitive and go on forever.
...And then there's a sixteen-minute drum solo.
Queen
4/5
Awesome album. Four and one-half stars.
Only loses a half-star because I like their "Jazz" album even more.
The Band
4/5
The Last Shadow Puppets
2/5
I wasn't aware of this band/project/album until now.
The 60's Retro-Chic vibe is interesting for a bit, but I doubt I'll ever feel a need to listen to it again.
I'll give it an extra half-star so it doesn't seem as though I dislike ALL Brit-Pop.
Can we just get "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?" out of the way already and then leave the genre alone for a while?
John Lee Hooker
3/5
This was the prototype for T-Bone Burnett's entire career as a producer. Take an aged music icon and have them record with popular musicians of the time. Then just wait for the critical praise and Emmys to fall from the sky.
John Lee Hooker was much more than this, but it wan an effective way to introduce him to a younger generation.
Public Image Ltd.
2/5
This album is fine...I like it...But it doesn't belong on this list. The first PiL record pretty much covered it. Two and one-half stars.
This spot should have gone to Pere Ubu's "The Modern Dance."
It's an equal or better early Punk/Post-Punk/New Wave/No Wave album. You might not like it, but you'd have to acknowledge that it's a more "important" recording.
Otis Redding
5/5
Flawless.
Five and one-half stars.
The Mamas & The Papas
4/5
Pretty groovy!
A subversive call to the Flower Children, wrapped in lush vocal harmonies.
Also notable for the presence of "The Wrecking Crew", the studio musicians who actually played the music.
Paul Simon
4/5
Bob Dylan
3/5
A fine Dylan album, especially for his late-period works.
But, I don't think it is "essential" listening.
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
Just a really fun album.
William Orbit
3/5
Influential, but not essential.
I would have preferred something by The Chemical Brothers, The Crystal Method, The Orb, or even Moby.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
The okayest early-80's-British-post-punk/new wave band ever.
Buena Vista Social Club
2/5
Another fine album ruined for me by the restaurant industry. I had to hear music from this album every day for many years, even though we didn't serve any Cuban food.
On the upside, it always makes me think of the Cuban scenes in "The Godfather Part 2", which is a favorite of mine.
Keith Jarrett
1/5
This is the best-selling solo jazz album ever?!?
Over an hour of aimless noodling in the middle registers of the piano. It literally goes nowhere.
Wake me up when it's over.
Gene Clark
3/5
Giant Sand
3/5
Kind of interesting, but I doubt that I will feel a need to listen to it again. There are plenty of other Giant Sand albums out there that may be just as good or better.
Two and one-half stars, plus an extra half-star for the guest appearance of Juliana Hatfield.
Wu-Tang Clan
4/5
Patti Smith
4/5
Influential, important, and essential, "Horses" broke new ground in myriad ways. Lacking any hit songs, this album should be consumed whole.
Four and one-half stars.
The Smiths
3/5
I'd really like to hear this album again without Morrissey's vocals. I just don't like his voice at all.
Johnny Marr, on the other hand, is an incredible guitarist. His jangly, chorus-drenched Rickenbacker tone is unmistakable and often imitated. The rest of the band swings pretty hard, as well.
Two and one-half stars, dinged one half-star because Morrissey is and always has been an outspoken Anglo-centric asshole. (Insert "Bigmouth Strikes Again" joke here.) I hope that Moz, Van Morrisson, and Eric Clapton all choke on their toast and beans at whatever "UK whites-only" parties they attend.
U2
4/5
An excellent album from a time before their inflated sense of self-importance ruined their later works.
Tom Waits
2/5
It's okay. Better than I remember, but I'm just not a Tom Waits fan.
It's musically competent, but in the end just comes across as schtick to me.
Two and one-half stars, with the added half-star because I do enjoy seeing Tom Waits when he makes cameo appearances in movies.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
3/5
John Lennon
4/5
Oooh... John's angry. Angry at his ex-bandmates (especially Paul), angry at society, angry at his contemporaries (even while copying his perceived frenemies, The Rolling Stones), even at little angry at Yoko.
Don't worry, John. Pretty soon Harry Nilsson will call you up and make it all better with a few years worth of drugs and alcohol.
Good album, though.
Harry Nilsson
3/5
It's a pretty ok record. I like "Jump Into the Fire" a lot.
Santana
3/5
It's a fine album.
No other notes.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
5/5
I love, love, love this album.
There isn't a single wring note.
Van Halen
5/5
It's difficult to not use superlatives when describing this record...best debut album, most important guitar solo, best frontman, etc.
Appropriate for a band formerly called "Mammoth", everything about this album is huge. Eddie's guitar tone, the soaring choruses, Alex's drum kit, it's all bigger than the sum of its parts.
Few albums have had as much influence as this one.
Pixies
3/5
Probably my least favorite of the albums with the original lineup. Still a very good album, but lacking the hooks of the others. This is probably due to the pressures and challenges they encountered while recording it.
I can definitely hear where the influence came from when Kurt Cobain called Nirvana a "Pixies cover band."
Three and one-half stars. Dinged one half-star for not producing a "hit song."
Kate Bush
2/5
I liked "Love and Anger" (hello, David Gilmour!)
Unfortunately, the rest of it just didn't hold my attention.
I imagine that we will see "Hounds of Love" at some point, and I will feel the exact same way.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
It's impossible to overstate the influence of Jimi Hendrix. There isn't much that can be said about him that hasn't been said before.
The only unfortunate part is that his bandmates don't get more recognition. Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell deserve a great deal of credit for their contributions to the sound of the earlier Hendrix albums.
Fun Fact: Hendrix was discovered by his soon-to-be Manager, Chas Chandler, at the Greenwich Village nightclub, Cafe Wha?
Cafe Wha? was founded and owned at the time by Manny Roth, uncle of Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth.
Scott Walker
1/5
The absolute polar opposite of Van Halen.
This makes me think of Neil Diamond, and I don't like anything about that.
One and one-half stars. The phantom half-star is because I like his song, "30 Century Man", which is unfortunately not on this album.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Also in the running for "Greatest Debut Album."
Right out of the gate, The Stones established themselves as a top-drawer cover band. Not just wearing their influences on their sleeves, they wore them on their faces. Behind that mask was the more rough-hewn answer to the innocence of The Beatles. Street wise and lean, The Stones didn't just want to hold your hand, they wanted more... much more.
Under the leadership of Brian Jones, they weren't afraid to broadcast their admiration for "Black Music." This made them infinitely more badass (and frightening) than their contemporaries who shied away from the direct connection.
Four and one-half stars. Only knocked down a half-star because I enjoy their late-60's, early 70's so much more.
Guns N' Roses
5/5
Wow...yet another candidate for "Greatest Debut Album." This thing was unstoppable when I was seventeen. Listened to it every day after school and twice on Sundays.
Arguably the pinnacle of 80's hard rock. Grunge was right around the corner and the "Hair Metal" music that had dominated the decade didn't have a chance to get any better than this. The "Sex, Drugs, and Rock n Roll" ethos was laid bare and committed to vinyl for one last time on "Appetite."
No subtlety here. G'n'R brings the REAL grit. They aren't singing about being on top of the game or kickin' it with your friends on a warm summer night. This is about survival, baby. Poverty, Heroin, Porn, Death...this album's got it all.
"Appetite" also hits all the corners musically. More punk than the Berkely-trained shredders that dominated the scene, G'n'R also appealed to the classic rockers. Slash's minor pentatonic solos were more rooted in the Blues than the Classical masters that most Metal guitarists of the time revered.
"Appetite for Destruction" is the music that worried more than just the pearl-clutchers. A whole generation was about ready to give up on society and join Guns N' Roses' leather and denim army. This is the sound of exhausted children screaming one last time for attention. After that, Gen-X was more than happy to crawl under the carpe,t or...the... uhhh something..mmm Y'know what?...Never mind .
....whatever.
The Mothers Of Invention
1/5
A Zappa haiku (for Jimi):
I am into the
idea of Frank Zappa.
But I don't like this.
Donovan
2/5
Outside of "Sunshine Superman" and "Season of the Witch", this album is pretty much a "Meh..." for me.
Miles Davis
5/5
The most popular of Miles' "Big Three" fusion albums. Along with "Sketches of Spain" and "A Tribute to Jack Johnson", he turned the jazz world on its ear and turned off a lot off fans.
The lineup of backing musicians on this album is a "who's who" of modern jazz fusion. Many of them went on to form Weather Report, which enjoyed great success in the 70's.
I personally LOVE this album and especially enjoy Davis' live recordings from this era. But, I can totally understand why others may not.
Easy five star album for me.
Arcade Fire
1/5
Dear Mr. Dimery,
We get it. You like Arcade Fire. It's your book and you can do what you want with it.
But, of all the recordings made in the past 74 years, you felt the need to include no less than THREE Arcade Fire albums? Even AF themselves probably don't think they are that important. And I'm guessing that they are some real pretentious, self-absorbed fucks.
Do better, Bob.
Do better.
One half-star. Bumped up from a zero because I once pretended to like this album to impress a girl. It worked and I never had to listen to it again.
The Mothers Of Invention
1/5
Made it through four songs, then gave up.
Paul Simon
4/5
More great songwriting, singing, and playing by an American treasure. This list probably includes several more of Paul Simon's assorted works. Most would agree that "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and (my favorite) "Still Crazy After All These Years" could easily be included. It's not like he made many (if any) "bad" albums.
Four and one-half stars. Dinged a half-star for the occasional flourishes of cheesy 80's production (drum machines, synths, and shred guitar solos) that make it sound a bit dated.
Beatles
5/5
"The One Where The Beatles Discover Drugs"
One of their best albums. Easy five stars.
David Ackles
1/5
WTF is this garbage? I can think of 10,000 albums that must be heard ahead of this one.
Judging from the streaming numbers, a great many people have been allowed to die without ever listening to this album.
About halfway through, I became jealous of those people.
Zero stars.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
After three decades, the lyrics, phrasing, and production come across as dated. This album's influence, however, cannot be overstated. Run-D.M.C. had already begun mixing electronic beats with Hard Rock samples on their previous albums, but their collaboration with Aerosmith on "Walk This Way" dropped Hip-Hop into the laps of White folks who would have dismissed any sort of Rap music otherwise. Thanks to the success of Run-D.M.C., we got Rick Rubin, The Beastie Boys, Rage Against the Machine, etc.
Four stars, dropped by one half-star because without this album, we wouldn't have ever had to meet Kid Rock or any of the shitty Rap Metal acts of the 90's and 2000's.
The Style Council
1/5
I'm a big fan of some of the musicians on this album (Paul Weller, Tracey Thorn, Ben Watt), but this is a mess of the worst of the 80's. The "Style" that their name references was out of date within five years of its release.
The Rap on "A Gospel" is especially cheesy. The jazzy bits are fine, but derivative and unworthy of being on this list. The British Blue-Eyed Soul songs are very similar to plenty of other 80's records (i.e. the Simply Red album that was covered earlier on this list) and don't need any further exploration.
One and one-half stars. The extra half star is a gift because I really like The Jam and Everything But the Girl. Unfortunately, this album sounds nothing like either of them.
Fleetwood Mac
4/5
This album sounds like a million bucks.
...And it's worth every penny. It's impossible to separate the music from the situations that surrounded its production. Every indulgence, argument, excess, and drug-fueled emotion is meticulously committed to each recorded note.
Did it need to be a double-album? There is no simple Yes or No. Sure, there are some clunky tracks. But even they have moments of shimmering brilliance. This is Fleetwood Mac with all members' egos at maximum power. They were essentially making solo albums together and everyone had to have their fair share of real estate on the record. Hell, Stevie doesn't even get a lead vocal until the fourth song.
This isn't the hit machine that "Rumours" was. It didn't need to be. This was their "White Album". The Mac were already rich and powerful enough to get weird for a little bit. A marching band? Sure! Why not?
*SSSSnnnnnoooorrrttt*
Four and one-half stars. Reduced by one half-star because it's Fleetwood Mac's fault that I have dated too many women named "Rhiannon".
Just kidding... it's because the album is just a little too long.
Prince
4/5
It's great...but not "Purple Rain" great.
The Darkness
2/5
Sure, The Darkness is a fun, 80's-Hair-Metal throwback band with one semi-hit song, but I'd hardly call this album a necessity. The music is typical for the genre and Justin Hawkins' Tiny Tim-like falsetto voice can be grating after a while. Let's face it...this only a bit better than contemporary flash-in-the-pan Hard Rock acts like Jet or Buckcherry.
I do recommend Hawkins' podcast, "Justin Hawkins Rides Again". He's quite smart and incredibly funny. I doubt, however, that even he would include this album on this list.
Two and one-half stars. The bonus half-star is for the naked female flight attendant on the album cover. Certainly better to look at than the actual band.
Scissor Sisters
2/5
Wow... is thing all over the place or what? It never seems to stick with a single genre for any length of time, even going so far as to add odd elements in the middle of a song. They certainly aren't shy about signaling their influences or occasionally just straight-up copying them.
As a whole, it's a fine, fun Dance-Pop album.
But, did we really need a Bee-Gees-style Disco cover of "Comfortably Numb"?
Yeah... I didn't think so, either.
Elliott Smith
4/5
The Triffids
1/5
This...is...just...plain...terrible.
If you want Mid-80's-New Romantic music, listen to ABC or Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. If you want underground Australian music, listen to Smudge or The Church. If you want a horrible, unfulfilling experience, listen to "Calenture" by The Triffids.
Can I give negative stars? I feel as though I am owed something because I endured this album. Mr. Dimery, I will accept PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, CashApp, or FB Messenger for immediate payment of no less than $30.
SZA
3/5
The Flaming Lips
4/5
Years ago, Chuck Klosterman wrote a fantastic essay about bands that are neither overrated nor underrated, but are rated exactly as they should be. The Flaming Lips fit squarely into this category.
This album is very good. Virtually everyone regards it as being very good.
That's it.
Steely Dan
3/5
Not my favorite Steely Dan album, but it's pretty good. Nothing surprising here.
Three and one-half-ish stars, I guess.
Roxy Music
2/5
The music is pretty good, but Bryan Ferry's over-the-top vocal gymnastics have aways gotten on my nerves. If he just sang it straight, this would be an excellent Glam-slash-proto-New Wave album. Instead, I sounds pretty hokey.
Two and one-half stars, gaining a half-star because Bryan Ferry does seem like a really cool dude, goofy vocals aside.
Manu Chao
4/5
A literal "World Music" album that doesn't have the feel of a typical World Music album. The songs are fresh and joyful without being cloying. Even the protest songs are danceable.
I'll take this over any Reggae album any day of the week.
Iron Maiden
4/5
Michael Jackson
4/5
Michael at the peak of his powers. His Kingdom of Pop had bloodlessly conquered the world. As the capstone to his trilogy of albums with Quincy Jones, this thing dropped MTV and radio hits like breadcrumbs.
And then things got real weird.
Four stars. Not a five because I liked his earlier work much more, and I was always more of a Prince guy, anyway.
Primal Scream
3/5
It was okay. I liked the psychedelic instrumental parts. Not as much the vocals.
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
Another band that is rated exactly as they should be. LCD Soundsystem is universally acclaimed as being very, very, good.
This isn't my favorite album of theirs. I prefer the dance-y stuff.
Would be four stars, but gets kicked down a half-star since I learned that James Murphy has a Producer credit on Arcade Fire's "Reflektor" album.
Booo!!!
The Undertones
4/5
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Foo Fighters
2/5
I didn't like this album at all when it first came out. I actually gave it away to a friend after only a couple listens. My opinion has only lightened at bit since then.
It's not just "Nirvana Lite" or an example of the emerging Rock scene that included Candlebox and the dreaded Nickleback. It's a Dave Grohl solo album that provided the seed for what would arguably become the biggest Hard Rock band on the planet.
A "Radio-Friendly Unit Shifter", indeed.
Elastica
2/5
Just okay. There was a bunch of female-driven-Alt-Rock in the early to mid-90's that was better.
I hope we get to review Hole's "Live Through This" at some point. ...Or "Simpatico" by Velocity Girl. ...Or "The Burdens of Being Upright" by Tracy Bonham ...Or "Jagged Little Pill" ... so many better choices.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Well, obviously...
There isn't a moment on this album that hasn't been examined forwards and (literally) backwards to always reach the same conclusion. It's great.
That said, it's still not even in my Top 3 Favorite Zep albums.
Johnny Cash
3/5
The Doors
4/5
Cornershop
2/5
"Brimful of Ashsa" is a three-chord earworm. The rest of it was pretty forgettable.
Lorde
4/5
It's a really good album.
I thought Lorde's first album, "Pure Heroine", was great. But there's something about Jack Antonoff's co-writing/production on this one that just rubs me a little bit the wrong way. He makes bangers, for sure. I just think that his influence over amazing female Pop artists makes them all sound the same. "Hard Feelings/Loveless" could easily have been a Taylor Swift jam. Other tracks wouldn't have been out of place on a Lana Del Rey album.
Hopefully, the lukewarm response to Lorde's subsequent recording, "Solar Power", will lead her to dump Jack and move on.
That said, "Green Light" fucking slaps. Three and one-half stars.
Blondie
4/5
Great album. Awesome album cover.
Joan Baez
2/5
If you strip away those high, shrill vocals, there's some really solid acoustic guitar work and melodic interpretation here.
But that voice... I just can't... It's so high, and so very, very shrill.
After over thirty years of listening to "I Know You Rider" via the Grateful Dead, Joan Baez' version is painfully disappointing.
Portishead
4/5
Great album. This one brought Trip-Hop to the mainstream.
I liked the "Live at Roseland" album better, though.
Röyksopp
2/5
Suffers from having to follow Portishead's "Dummy".
Some of these tracks have a solid groove and are almost club-worthy. Most of them are too ambient to be Trip-Hop, and too funky to be Ambient. Without any tension or urgency, it just sort of meanders without any resolution. I guess that's probably the point.
Two and one-half stars.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
I'm not usually a big fan of Neil Young. His high, screechy voice get on my nerves. But I do like the Crazy Horse stuff.
Prince
5/5
No commentary needed here. This is objectively one of the very best albums of all time.
Absolutely perfect.
Ten and one-half purple stars.
Destiny's Child
3/5
This album is 100% guaranteed to make women dance together in groups and sing along.
The xx
3/5
David Bowie
4/5
I avoided listening to this for a long time. Not exactly sure why. Maybe I thought it would be too depressing, or maybe I was already burned out on Bowie and didn't want to force myself to enjoy it.
Turns out this is an excellent album. One hell of a swan song.
Hanoi Rocks
4/5
Underrated and underappreciated. This influenced so much of what I listened to in the mid-to-late-Eighties. Listening to it now, it's a shame I didn't listen to more Hanoi Rocks back then. I would have been a much better-informed Hair Metal fanatic.
The Birthday Party
2/5
I know that I'm supposed to like Nick Cave. He's a critical darling and many of my friends with similar musical taste think he's the bees knees.
Unfortunately, his brand of Southern Gothic music just never landed with me. I had hoped that listening to this earlier, punkier work of his might help me see the appeal.
It didn't
Joni Mitchell
4/5
I only recently started listening to Joni Mitchell, and have discovered that I really like her work. The band is outstanding, although I prefer the later lineup with the amazing Jaco Pastorius on bass, and Pat Matheny and Larry Carlton trading off on guitar.
Emmylou Harris
3/5
Led Zeppelin
5/5
This is one of my top three favorite Led Zeppelin albums (the other two being "Physical Graffiti" and "Houses of the Holy").
A new direction of the band, "III" shows new influences from outside of American Blues music. The lush, rural, and ancient setting of Bron-Yr-Aur cottage in Wales clearly had an impact on the songwriting. Having once been to the area, I could clearly understand where the lean toward traditional acoustic music came from. The songs that were written at the time, but left off the album reflect this even further (notably "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do", which was released as the B-side to "Immigrant Song").
Four and one-half stars. A half-star is lost because of "Hats Off to (Roy) Harper". That song kinda sucks.
KISS
3/5
Talk Talk
1/5
This album has no business on this list. It doesn't even have their hits (all both of them). Even guest appearances by Steve Winwood and Robbie McIntosh can't liven up this snoozefest.
The most interesting thing this band ever did was being named Talk Talk, with a song called "Talk Talk" on an album titled "Talk Talk". The result? "Talk Talk Talk Talk Talk Talk". But that isn't even this album!
No stars.
PJ Harvey
4/5
As much a product of its Producer as the Artist, this can be a tough listen. Steve Albini's fingerprints are all over this album. PJ Harvey certainly did more accessible work, but this album was the angsty, seething record that made her a Gen-X superstar.
Jack White
3/5
It's a good album and Jack White is a national treasure. Unfortunately, nothing he does will ever have the impact of those early White Stripes records.
The Temptations
4/5
The Waterboys
1/5
Grandfather of the Sons of Mumford.
This music makes me feel...nothing at all. I recognize it as instruments playing notes in rhythm, but it has the emotional weight of a feather. And it's double album?!? Gimme a break, already.
Buncha generic, boring, Bob Dylan wannabes.
The Prodigy
4/5
Mid-to-late-90's Big Beat music is kinda my jam. This is on the heavier end, blending Punk elements into a form that made this one a hit.
Steely Dan
5/5
"Steely Dan?!?... That's cocaine music!!!"
-C. Wilson
To my ears, it's a masterpiece. Becker and Fagan spent months grinding through some of the very best session musicians while blasting key bumps in the control room. The result is one of the most smoothed-out and divisive albums ever. Polished clean of any imperfection, it's impossible to point to any one flaw. Logically, then, it is a "perfect" album.
The word "cynical" is used often to describe the lyrics. By wrapping them in a Jazz-Pop package, the words leave a sour aftertaste that many find understandably off-putting. I think it adds complexity, like a fine California Chardonnay at its peak.
Peter Gabriel
4/5
Nice to hear this one again. It's been quite a while (except for "Sledgehammer", which we all hear at least once a month, without even noticing it.)
Three-and-three-quarter stars. Bumped down just a smidge for overuse of the Fairlight synthesizer. Once you hear it, you hear it all over this thing.
The Thrills
2/5
Nothing thrilling here. Pretty middle-of-the-road Adult-Oriented-Rock. Not sure what could be so essential about it.
I wonder if they ever toured with The Waterboys. That would be a double-bill I'd be happy to skip.
Loses a half-star for having more references to California than an average Red Hot Chili Peppers album.
Dizzee Rascal
4/5
Today I learned that Dizzee Rascal's brand of Progressive Rap is called "Grime". I think I like Grime.
Cocteau Twins
4/5
The Prodigy
2/5
Not sure we need two Prodigy albums on this list. "The Fat of the Land" was plenty. They are both good Electronica albums, but this slot should have gone to another contemporary electronic artist.
Two and one-half stars. It undeservedly loses a half-star because the "random" album generator gave us both Prodigy albums within one week.
Public Enemy
5/5
Love the Slayer sample on "She Watch Channel Zero?!"
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
All the "Big Lebowski" stuff aside, this is a hands-down classic.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Another of my top-three Zep albums (c'mon, "Houses of the Holy", where y'at?)
Packed to the gills with every riff, howl, and fill that the could fit, "Physical Graffiti" represents Led Zeppelin at it's most excessive. That is, if you don't count the subsequent live album, "The Song Remains the Same" (AKA "The Song Goes on Too Long.")
Did it need to be a double album? Yep. Sure did. These guys were Rock Gods and, at least in their own eyes, every note was manna from heaven...or Valhalla..or their private jet.
Duke Ellington
4/5
The Associates
1/5
Wow... this is terrible. Possibly the worst album in this project so far. I tried to give it some credit for being so early in the Post-Punk/New Wave/New Romantic movement, but I just cant. It's bad, no matter how you approach it.
Negative infinity stars.
Thelonious Monk
5/5
I personally love Monk, but understand why others find his music difficult. People who don't like Jazz look to his music and say "Just play the right notes!" His style embraces chaos and resolution in equal measures and the end result is beautiful.
The War On Drugs
2/5
This album could be used to calibrate the machine that determines the exact middle of the road.
The Police
5/5
I'm a huge Police fan and believe that all of their albums are Five-Star winners. Each member is a master of his craft and the songs are airtight. Even the "weird" tracks (usually the ones penned by Andy Summers or Stewart Copeland) have great merit and are worthy of album space.
Lyrically, no one can turn a phrase like Sting. Copeland's World Music-influenced drumming style is unique and immediately distinctive. Summers came to the group as a veteran of the Art/Prog-Rock scene and elevated their sound beyond any typical Post-Punk power trio.
Also...they may have been CIA plants manufactured by the government to infiltrate youth culture, if you like to believe that sort of thing.
Booker T. & The MG's
4/5
Fever Ray
2/5
This album has some interesting, artsy-fartsy bits. Most of it is sparse and weird. This spot on the list would have been better served with a mid-career Bjork record.
Adele
2/5
Violent Femmes
2/5
I know lots of people (especially Gen-X'ers) consider this a classic. I never saw it as anything more than an OK album by a novelty band. I pretended to like it when I was in college so hipster girls would sleep with me. Ironically, that seems to be what a good portion of this album is about...the struggles of trying to get laid. Now we have apps on our phones for that, so we no longer need the Violent Femmes.
Two and one-half stars. The added half-star is for the fumbling, ill-informed sex that happened thanks to this record.
LTJ Bukem
2/5
I like LTJ Bukem, but I don't think that that is the best representation of his work. It's a remix project, not an entirely original piece. Plus, Nineties-era Drum-n-Bass seems pretty dated now. Not the artists' fault...but with modern software, anybody can make beats that sound just as good.
Two and one-half stars. The additional half-star is for the fond memories of hearing this music in the smoky clubs of the booming Warehouse District back in my twenties.
Beck
3/5
I love Beck pretty across the board. Hell, I even have a copy of his experimental noise record, "Stereopathetic Soulmanure," around here somewhere. There are a few really good songs here, but this isn't even in his top-five best records. "E-Pro" is the obvious hit song, but was overused as production music in too many car commercials and sports broadcasts.
ABBA
1/5
This is not my jam. It just seems wrong to listen to this while reading about Steve Albini's untimely death. He would have hated this.
Kraftwerk
2/5
Ahead of its time in 1978, this sounds very dated today. Again, Electronic Music is limited by the technology of the time. Kraftwerk was stretching the abilities of their machines to produce this, and their talent was quite evident. In 2024, however, any kid with Garageband on their phone could easily replicate this album.
I'm surprised that this album was chosen from the Kraftwerk catalog. I would have expected the groundbreaking "Autobahn" or the often-sampled "Trans-Europe Express" instead.
Two and one-half stars. Gaining a half-star because "Spacelab" was clearly the inspiration for the Police song "Invisible Sun", which I really enjoy.
Daft Punk
3/5
Daft Punk bring the funk to the EDM party. Not the album of theirs that I would have chosen, but it works just fine.
Three and one-half stars. Bumped up the half-star because one of the members of Daft Punk was once photographed in an airport without his helmet, wearing a Husker Du t-shirt, which is very, very cool.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Dylan at his most esoteric. Some find the lyrics to be poetry, others think it's gibberish. Either way, everyone has an opinion about it. I think it's genius.
XTC
2/5
Sex Pistols
5/5
An absolute classic. Snarling, snotty, and loud, but there are great songs behind all the attitude.
Alice Cooper
3/5
Gang Starr
3/5
As with a lot of 80's and early 90's Hip-Hop, the style and rhythm get monotonous after a while.
Still, it's pretty good and highly influential.
New Order
2/5
This one had a few good spots, but New Order will never sound as good to me as Joy Division. It's not even New Order's best album.
Carole King
2/5
I know that this album is loved by many, but it just makes me feel like I'm at the dentist's office or in an elevator. Not her fault. It's just the was her music has been used for the past fifty years.
Sisters Of Mercy
3/5
This Goth kids at my high school (all five of them) really liked this back in the day. I think it's a fine example of the genre. Doesn't get me moving, though.
Dr. John
2/5
The Rolling Stones
5/5
Any album from this era of The Rolling Stones is gonna get five stars from me. Brian Jones may have been a genius, but my favorite Stones albums were made without him (or, in this case, in spite of him.)
Not a bad track on this thing.
Steely Dan
4/5
This album demonstrates some laziness on the part of the author. Pretty much any 70's-era Steely Dan album will be considered to be an extremely high quality recording, whether one likes the music or not. Including more than two of them on this list forces the exclusion of albums that are of equal or higher quality.
That said...this is a very, very good album.
Ozomatli
3/5
Soundgarden
5/5
YYYEEAAAAHHHH!!!
A great album from a great band. They brought the full weight of Grunge music on this one.
If you can find it, there's a 2014 Record Store Day release box set with this album's singles, b-sides, outtakes, and live tracks. It's amazing and their version of Devo's "Girl U Want" is a real gem. Soundgarden also embraced the technology of the time and offered a DVD-ROM of "Superunknown" with cool visualizers, mini games, and a bunch of other stuff to keep the listener entertained. Too bad it won't play on any current computers, but I have fond memories of taking mushrooms and tripping out on the thing for hours on end.
Four and one-half stars, kicked up to a full five because Ben Shepherd wore his bass lower than anyone I've ever seen. The thing nearly dragged on the ground and I have no idea how he actually played the thing. That's some real Rock Star shit.
Neil Young
3/5
I've been trying to lighten up on Neil Young lately. This is fine. His voice is just so high-pitched and thin, it's...you know...Canadian.
I prefer the Crazy Horse stuff.
Fugazi
4/5
Words never used to describe Fugazi: Sellouts, Pandering, Commercial, Lazy, Corporate, Mainstream.
This one is about as accessible as they get. A fantastic gateway to the wonderful world of Indie Punk.
Pink Floyd
4/5
It would be a shorter list to name the non-essential Pink Floyd albums. "Wish You Were Here" gets four stars only because it's not "Dark Side of the Moon" or "The Wall."
Frank Ocean
2/5
Probably great sexytime music. Alone and in the daylight...not so much.
Van Halen
5/5
Absolutely massive. I've probably listened to this album a thousand times.
It's perfect.
The Hives
3/5
I'm not sure why, but I just don't like The Hives as much as I think I should. They are just not my new (or old) favorite band.
Les Rythmes Digitales
4/5
Is it good?
Yes, it's very good.
Is it any more essential than other Electro-Pop/Big Beat music of the time (i.e. Chemical Brothers, Justice, Crystal Method, Fat Boy Slim, Daft Punk, etc.)?
No, It is not.
I'll just throw a dart here and give it...I dunno...three and two-thirds stars.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
4/5
Interesting. I haven't heard Basie in this context before.
Madonna
2/5
Not one of the Madonna albums I would have chosen for this list. "Don't Tell Me" and "What It Feels Like for a Girl" are great songs, but the rest of it left me a bit flat.
Two and one-half stars, with the half-star being a bonus in honor of Pride Month. This half-star will be revoked in July.
Roxy Music
2/5
Like I said before about Roxy Music, I like the music fine enough, but I don't care for Bryan Ferry's vocal styling.
Let's move on...
Blur
3/5
Of all the Alt-Rock albums that came out between 1990 and 1995, this is one of them.
Mike Oldfield
1/5
Aimlessly meandering and dull, switching genres every two minutes. The weird vocal noises about fifteen minutes into the second part were just...weird. I imagine that this album was an asset to movie and television Music Supervisors looking for bits of background music. Hence, the whole "Exorcist" thing.
I don't see myself ever listening to this whole thing again. One and one-half stars. The half-star is for the iconic album cover, which held my attention longer than any part of the music.
Judas Priest
4/5
The hits from this album are true classics, no doubt about it. However, Judas Priest always seemed to me to be kinda...fake. Not necessarily posers, but there is definitely an element of cosplay in what they do. Nice guys pretending to be mean, violent, and angry dudes. Heck, "Red, White, and Blue" sounds like they are protesting the Sex Pistols' "God Save the Queen" with a soaring, patriotic anthem.
Four stars. Originally a three-star album, with a half-star for the Beavis and Butthead thing. Another half-star is added for Pride Month, which (as with the Madonna album) will be revoked in July.
Sonic Youth
4/5
I absolutely love Sonic Youth, but I don't think that "E.V.O.L." is even in their top-five best albums.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
Obviously....five stars.
Wire
4/5
Kanye West
2/5
Herbie Hancock
3/5
808 State
2/5
I kinda remember 808 State from back in the day. Then I was reminded why I forgot about it.
I don't see how this is a "must listen."
My Bloody Valentine
5/5
No hooks, no choruses, just lots of fuzz and waves of sonic bliss.
Virtually no one ever mentions "Classic Shoegaze" without including MBV's "Loveless."
A true "must listen." It might not be your cup of tea, but you will be a better human for having given it a taste.
Michael Jackson
4/5
The Fall
3/5
If the Clash and the B-52's had a baby that was raised by Television (both the band and the household item), it would sound like this.
The Modern Lovers
3/5
While it's an interesting and influential album, I'm giving it three stars because Jonathan Richman's voice and talk-singing style gets on my nerves after a while.
Add a half-star because I didn't know that The Talking Heads' Jerry Harrison was also in The Modern Lovers.
Elvis Presley
2/5
I'm just not an Elvis kind of person. This explains my disdain for Neil Diamond, as well.
Massive Attack
3/5
Important because it was the first "Trip Hop" album. I wouldn't call it essential, though. Massive Attack's next two albums after this one were way better.
For a real kick, check out the dub remix album, "No Protection" from Massive Attack Vs. Mad Professor.
I want to give it four stars, but think it should only be a three. Gotta leave room for "Mezzanine" and "Protection."
Neil Young
1/5
This is the Neil Young music that I don't like. Why is this album even on the list? There are virtually no hits and it all sounds the same as his usual high-pitched folky stuff.
One and one-half stars. Gaining a half-star because I kinda like the version of "Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown" that The Trey Anastasio Band used to do.
Fela Kuti
3/5
A most worthy album. Political and impossible to ignore, Fela Kuti brought Afrobeat to the world stage.
Unfortunately, Fela Kuti was ruined for me due to being overplayed on the jukebox of a spot I used to work. Somewhere around the eighth minute of the thousandth time I'd heard "Zombie," I had heard enough.
Familiarity breeds contempt, indeed.
Goldfrapp
2/5
Joni Mitchell
4/5
My favorite lineup of Mitchell's backing musicians. Larry Carlton, John Guerin, and Jaco Pastorius bring just enough Jazz to keep it interesting, yet accessible.
David Bowie
3/5
Another example of "I like the 'idea' of David Bowie more than I actually enjoy listening to him."
I do, however, love the song "Life on Mars?"...so there's that.
Supertramp
2/5
It's okay-ish, I guess. Kind of sounds like they are a group of Wings wannabes... "Bland on the Run."
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
5/5
My absoulte favorite of all the early Rockabilly acts. Buddy Holly was a true innovator of Rock n Roll. Totally underrated as a guitarist, he brought together many styles of music to create something previously unheard of.
His career tragically cut short, one can only wonder what else he could have done.
Björk
4/5
Wow...tough one here. Bjork is a challenging artist and certainly not for everyone. Jimi was spot-on when he said that you have to be in the right mood and frame of mind to enjoy her work.
CHVRCHES
4/5
Nice surprise here. I'm a big fan of Chvrches music, but thought it might be too obscure or niche for this list. Most of my DJ sets include one of their tracks or a remix of something they've done. Lauren Mayberry's voice is exquisite and the Electro-Pop vibe is accessible and danceable.
Suede
2/5
Some parts of this reminded me of Rush, but more British and less "Proggy."
The rest of it didn't hold my attention very long.
Jurassic 5
3/5
N.E.R.D
3/5
Black Sabbath
5/5
Many consider this to be the first Heavy Metal album. It's hard to argue against that.
Neu!
2/5
Neu!
Neu?
Neu...
(Neu*)
Nah.
Sparks
2/5
I know lots of people who hold Sparks' in very high regard, but I just don't get it.
This sounds like a combination of the "weird for the sake of being weird" aesthetic of Frank Zappa with the Rock Opera-bound fetishization of Japanese culture not seen again until Styx's "Kilroy Was Here" or even Weezer's "Pinkerton."
Marvin Gaye
5/5
The archetype for 70's Soul Music.
If you listen very closely, you may detect a "message" about social justice and the American experience as it relates to the marginalized groups of the time.
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
The guy yawning on the cover says it all.
Common
4/5
Pretty solid. A nice blend of traditional Hip-Hop and Alt-Rap.
Girls Against Boys
2/5
This one didn't hit me like I thought it would. Generally, early-to-mid-90's-Alt-Rock is my jam. Unfortunately, it just had too many tracks that all sounded the same. I ended up skipping through a bunch of them.
Two and one-half stars. Extra half-star added because Girls Against Boys had a song on the first "Clerks" movie soundtrack.
Talking Heads
5/5
Talking Heads' very best album. An easy classic.
Artsy-fartsy, but still (mostly) danceable.
The Stranglers
4/5
Oddly, I'd never listened to The Stranglers before this. I look forward to checking out more of their work.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
2/5
Without knowing the language or understanding the cultural context, these songs all sound exactly the same to my ear.
This album may very well be a masterpiece, but I don't have the tools to tell the difference.
Iron Butterfly
3/5
With the exception of the title track, this album represents the most typical of the Late-60's-West Coast-Psychedelic scene. "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", the song, is a super jam and earns it place as a landmark of the era.
Three and one-half stars. The bonus half-star attained for Iron Butterfly having had more past members than any other group I can imagine. Of the current version of the band, the longest-tenured member has only been in Iron Butterfly since 1995.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
My preferred version of Neil Young. Crazy Horse just rocks a lot harder than any of his other backing bands or solo work.
Still, he's got that voice that reminds me of Herbert, the old man pedo from "Family Guy."
Three and one-half stars, losing a half-star for Young's overly-simplistic rhyme schemes that stick out like sore powderthumb.
Jeff Buckley
3/5
If you were a twenty-something having sex in the mid-to-late 90's, there's a very good chance that you did it to this album more than a few times.
"Hallelujah," indeed.
It seems that Jeff Buckley's uber-sensitive-tortured-troubadour vibe just doesn't work so well in the modern daytime.
Thanks for the memories.
Johnny Cash
4/5
Suzanne Vega
3/5
I like Suzanne Vega just fine. She's a great songwriter and performer.
But...why this album? Either "Solitude Standing" or "99.9 F" would have been much better choices. Once again, the author shows a bias towards the "first" album by an artist over the "best" one.
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
Here we go again! Another example of a first album by an artist(s) being chosen for this list ahead of much better later releases.
This is a really good album. A breakthrough for Big Beat Techno music, incorporating elements of Rock Music in an Electronic genre.
However, the subsequent albums, "Dig Your Own Hole" and "Surrender" have actual hits on them. They are better developed and, I believe, are more essential than this one.
Three and one-half stars, just because that's what I think it's worth in comparison.
Barry Adamson
1/5
What is this album doing here? It's background music for a movie that doesn't even exist.
I just don't get it.
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
Dirty Projectors
4/5
I'd heard of Dirty Projectors before, but didn't know what to expect. This was a pleasant surprise. Artsy-fartsy, but still tuneful.
Kacey Musgraves
4/5
This album hits at every genre it tries. Country, Dance, Pop, heartbreaking torch songs...This record has 'em all, and does very well at each one.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
5/5
As he will forever be remembered as a Classic-Dad-Rock god, Tom Petty doesn't get enough credit for being a fresh sound in his early years. Incorporating some New Wave flourishes to the tried-and-true Southern Blues Rock formula, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers were ahead of the curve on a sound that wouldn't fully bloom until the 1980's. He delivered the cheeky sneer of Punk Rock from the North to the swamps of Florida. Add a some New-Wavey hand claps, Poppy vocal accents from the band, and shimmering, heavily chorused guitar licks, and there ya go.
Funkadelic
5/5
Kids today will never know the joy of cleaning the seeds from freshly-scored pot on the cover of this album while listening to Eddie Hazel's 10-minutes of pentatonic blues scale and wah-wah pedal bliss.
After the weed had been de-seeded and bong rips passed, the rest of the album is a round-trip ticket to the planet Funk.
Easy five stars.
Fleet Foxes
2/5
Pretty typical Mid-2000's Indie Pop/Rock. Nothing remarkable here. It's not bad, but it's also not special.
Nirvana
5/5
No need for discussion here. It's a favorite of mine.
Five stars, hands down.
Kendrick Lamar
3/5
Some really good tracks on here, but not as good of a whole album as D.A.M.N.
Three and one-half stars. Extra half-star for the Jay-Z verse on the remix of "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe."
Germs
2/5
Revolutionary for its time, I don’t think it holds up all that well. I can see how some of my favorite Punk bands were influenced by the Germs, but I doubt I’ll listen to it again.
Calexico
3/5
Some parts were kinda cool, like a Southwestern version of Wilco. As a whole, it didn't really ever take off.
Stereolab
3/5
Too engaging to be background music, but not catchy enough to hold my full attention.
Three and one-half stars. Gaining a half-star because their track (not on this album), "Le Boob Oscillator" was used in the movie, "High Fidelity."
Fairport Convention
2/5
Underworld
2/5
Although "Pearl's Girl" was a minor club hit, this album does not contain the only Underworld song that really matters.
No "Born Slippy", no extra stars.
The Stone Roses
3/5
Beck
5/5
Definitely an essential. I find something new in this album every time I listen to it.
Pink Floyd
3/5
Some moments of real brilliance here wrapped in a bunch of acid-soaked weirdness.
Not a fair marker of what Pink Floyd would become.
Boston
4/5
There's a reason that this album has been a mainstay of Classic Rock radio for generations. Driving beats, multi-tracked guitars, soaring vocals, and hooks for days. Every chorus is an anthem, meant to be sung along with in arenas or in the privacy of your car. Love them or hate them, Boston would not be denied it's place in Rock history.
Four and one-half stars. The extra half-star is because Boston's Tom Scholz is the inventor of the Rockman. The Rockman was an effects box/amp emulator that was famously used to record the entirety of Def Leppard's "Hysteria" album (a five-star effort if there ever was one.)
Bill Callahan
1/5
The cheap motel-style cover art should tell you everything you need to know about this album. There is nothing interesting or unique about it.
Musical melatonin.
Curtis Mayfield
3/5
Good and funky, but not exceptionally good and funky.
Radiohead
4/5
It's very good, but too many Radiohead albums are better and more essential than this one.
Metallica
4/5
A fine Thrash album. I always preferred Anthrax, though.
Eagles
4/5
The Eagles can be a very divisive subject. Mostly because people like to reference The Dude from "Big Lebowski" and his disdain for the band. I think "Hotel California" is great. The addition of Joe Walsh to the lineup for this album gives them a Rock edge that they has been missing before then. "The Last Resort" is a fantastic closer to the epic recording.
Fishbone
4/5
Super Furry Animals
1/5
I couldn't figure out what this is supposed to be long enough to enjoy any of it. I just kept thinking of Donny and Marie Osmond wearing Daft Punk helmets while trying to sing Elvis Costello songs.
That image is worth a half-star, bringing their total to one and one-half stars.
Deep Purple
1/5
Spotify only allowed two of the songs, which was still seventeen minutes of music. That was enough.
Pavement
4/5
A very good album, but I don't think it is Pavement's best. This list seems to add weight to debut albums, so here we are.
Beastie Boys
5/5
A masterpiece. The mash-up of genres, samples, and fresh lyrics make for something truly original.
Billy Bragg
2/5
Admittedly, I only listened to the first disc. That was enough to know for sure that it just wasn't for me.
The Police
5/5
One of my favorite albums ever. Even the two "oddball" tracks not written by Sting are catchy and fit with the themes of the album.
It's best that The Police never recorded new material after this. It would have been impossible to improve upon it.
The Saints
2/5
Probably groundbreaking in its time. Today it sounds like typical Glam-Punk. If you had told me that this was a T. Rex demo, or a forgotten New York Dolls project. I would totally believe you.
10cc
2/5
Solve for c:
(Queen+ELO)² - (Freddy Mercury+Jeff Lynne)² + (0.9 x Santana)
10cc = __________________________________________________________________
Musical Theater + "Art" + Prog Rock
Show your work.
The Young Rascals
2/5
This is the kind of old-timey music that gets used in commercials for prescription drugs. Catchy and inoffensive, this Blue-Eyed Soul is the foundation for vanilla artists like Simply Red and Rick Astley.
Not my jam. One and a half stars. Given a half-star because I like Pat Benatar and didn't know that "You Better Run" was a cover of a song from this album.
Sister Sledge
3/5
I was ready to dismiss this as schlock-y dance music for wedding receptions, but was pleasantly surprised. Once the horribly dated string parts are ignored, some serious funk appears. The all-star producers and musicians lay down tracks that would be used decades later to give Daft Punk something to work with.
The Clash
5/5
A quite nearly perfect album.
Four and one-half stars. Loses a half-star because the music isn't really "Punk", as people called it. It is Punk in that it was intended to offend the sensibilities of conservative Reagan-Thatcherites, but I don't think it did.
Rush
4/5
The songs may not be for everyone, as evidenced by Rush's lack of female fans. And Geddy Lee's voices is sometimes too high to be heard by human ears. But, dammit, these are some fine musicians right here. Even non-fans have to acknowledge Neil Peart as one of the greatest drummers of all time.
Four and one-half stars. The pun-filled cover art is definitely worth a half-star.
The La's
3/5
Jorge Ben Jor
2/5
Multicultural elevator music.
Two and one-half stars. The "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" part was a brief attention-grabber.
Supergrass
3/5
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
The brevity of Henrdix's life and finite number of recordings makes every note that much more impactful. Arguably the most influential record by the most influential guitarist ever.
Twenty-seven and one-half stars.
Ice T
3/5
Even though it was considered extreme at the time, the violent lyrics seem almost cartoonish now. Especially considering Ice-T's later ironic and iconic turn as a detective on TV's "Law & Order."
The album as a whole doesn't hold up musically or lyrically against contemporaries like Public Enemy or N.W.A.
John Grant
3/5
A friend turned me on to John Grant's song "GMF", which is not on this album. Unfortunately, nothing here measures up to that that track. I just didn't grab my attention at any point. I might come back to it one more time, just to be sure.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Two Hendrix albums in a week? Not much else to add since it's all great.
I like this album slightly more than "Electric Ladyland", so I'll give it a half-star over that one.
Twenty-eight stars.
Dolly Parton
3/5
Peter Gabriel
4/5
In the post-Syd Barrett musical universe, only Peter Gabriel could get away with a song as hokey and weird as "No Excuses." Otherwise, this album makes the bridge between his previous Prog work with Genesis and the more accessible world of Pop.
"So" was a better album, but this one has "Solsbury Hill." Without that song, so many movie trailers and TV commercials would be incomplete.
The Undertones
3/5
Arctic Monkeys
3/5
Taylor Swift
5/5
A landmark Modern Pop album. I think its her very best.
The Stooges
4/5
Alice In Chains
4/5
Alice In Chains was never shy to show their Metal roots. This album successfully unites Alt-Rock, Grunge, and Metal into a fine package.
Peter Tosh
2/5
I heard this one a lot in my fraternity house at college because, you know... weed.
I generally can't stand Reggae, but this album does a better job than most at showcasing the musical styles that were incorporated to create Reggae. Soul, R & B, Ska, and Funk rise to the top and make this a notch better than most others in the genre.
Yes
3/5
I really liked Chris Squire's bass playing. The rest of it was just okay for me.
A great example of all things that people love or hate about Prog Music.
Mudhoney
4/5
The original EP tracks get four stars. That goes up to almost five stars when the additional material is included.
Essential Proto-Grunge.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
I'm still not a fan of Neil Young's screechy voice, but the presence of Crazy Horse as his backing band makes this much more bearable. Neil was really leaning into his "Godfather of Grunge" title here.
Everything But The Girl
3/5
Tracy Thorne has an amazing voice, but I very much prefer EBTG's later, more electronic albums. The music on this one could have been straight from the Simply Red songbook. Still, this is just a precursor of what they would become.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Donald Fagen
2/5
Don't you just love it when a member of a well-known band strikes out on their own to stretch their creative wings, free of the constraints imposed by former partners and able to flourish as a solo Artist on an entirely new musical path?
Neither does Donald Fagen.
It's a Steely Dan record without Walter Becker or cocaine.
The Beau Brummels
2/5
A Bob Dylan imitation with psychedelic music.
Notable mostly for the appearance of famed studio musicians Carol Kaye, Van Dyke Parks, James Burton, and convicted murderer Jim Gordon. Check out M.O.D.'s song, "Jim Gordon" for more about that.
Eminem
2/5
King Crimson
2/5
It had a handful of cool parts, but mostly this one was noisy and weird. Whenever they found something resembling a hook, they repeated it until it was beaten to death.
Experiment on your own time, boys.
Charles Mingus
3/5
Adele
2/5
Nothing surprising here. She has a great voice that fills this collection of torch songs nicely. Nothing risky or fun or particularly interesting to me on this record, so I very much doubt I'll ever listen to the whole thing again.
Two and one-half stars. Adele gets the extra half for being engaged to a guy from Cleveland.
Muddy Waters
4/5
All of the classic Blues forms and cliches are here, but they sound fresh in the hands of Muddy Waters. Expertly presented and recorded, this was a fine surprise.
Lou Reed
3/5
Doves
2/5
Not awful, but awfully derivative of many other contemporary British acts. Peter Gabriel, Coldplay, Muse, Radiohead, and so many more are are nicked by this outfit.
I was unaware of Doves before this listening. Now that I've heard it, nothing has changed.
Pretenders
4/5
Any Northeast Ohioan with access to Classic Rock radio has probably heard just about every track on this album a million times. There's nothing wrong with it. It's just impossible to listen with fresh ears.
Steve Winwood
4/5
Blue-Eyed Soul done right.
Winwood's ability to move across genres throughout his career kept him relevant for far longer than many of his age. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see more of his associated work in this project.
Four and one-half stars. Pushed up a half for being a true solo album, as he played all the instruments himself.
Sinead O'Connor
4/5
Sounds even better than I remember.
O'Connor's legacy has has enjoyed a great deal of revisionism since her death. While she was considered to be weird and divisive in her time, it now turns out that she was right about everything. As a result, this album packs even more of a wallop today.
Mudhoney
3/5
Another Mudhoney album that does not contain their only "hit" song? Without "Touch Me I'm Sick", Mudhoney just can't compete with the bigger Grunge acts of the time.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
3/5
Sabu
1/5
Sounded like the parking lot at a Phish show.
Ian Dury
2/5
Some parts are very good early British Punk, but others are just odd bits that recall Syd Barrett at his most affected, dosed, and weird.
Radiohead
4/5
Radiohead's last album as a proper "Rock" band. Soon, they would begin their quest to "disappear completely" and become one with their machines.
It's a great album, but loses two half-stars because both "OK Computer" and "KId A" are even better.
White Denim
3/5
It was mostly pretty okay, but I didn't hear anything that hasn't been done better by The Flaming Lips or My Morning Jacket. I had never even heard of White Denim before this and I doubt I will remember them in a week.
Small Faces
3/5
A mostly solid album from what could be considered a British supergroup. Unfortunately, the record suffers from a hokey narrative concept. As with many concept albums of the time, the intermittent, more "theatrical" songs used as exposition are a waste of valuable vinyl space.
DJ Shadow
3/5
Much like J Dilla, DJ Shadow uses beats that are just a hair off kilter. The results are either engaging or annoying. I kept going back and forth on this one and just couldn't figure how to rate it.
So it gets a three.
Norah Jones
2/5
I didn't actually listen to this album. Maybe someday, but this was not that day.
Instead, I listened to Fugazi's album,"Thirteen Songs."
It was excellent. Five stars.
Jacques Brel
1/5
Perhaps if I had paid one lick of attention during Madame Grasso's French class in high school, I might have been profoundly moved by this album. The truth is, I skipped that class a lot, rendering these songs to jibberish. The music itself sounded to me like common French street music. I may throw a spare Franc into their open accordion case as a tip, but I'll likely never listen to this again.
Chicago
3/5
This would have been much better as a single album. An entire side of the set could have been saved by simply omitting "Free Form Guitar" and "Liberation." A trimmed-down record would have highlighted the tight arrangements and excellent musicianship heard on the best tracks. Terry Kath's very Hendrix-y tone and technique would sound much better if it were restrained just a bit.
This would be a three and one-half star album, but I'm gonna knock off a half-star for the utterly stupid way that Terry Kath "unalived" himself. Because of that tragic incident, we were left with the Yacht-Rock and Power Ballad version of the band that permeated the 70's and 80's. Also, Peter Cetera's solo career remains a platinum-selling stain on their legacy.
3/5
I guess I'm just missing whichever chromosome makes people go nuts for David Bowie. I think his music is fine and understand why people see him as a sort of cultural touchstone. It's possible that I've just heard all these songs so many times that there is nothing new to discover in them.
I do admire that Bowie was not afraid to take chances with his image and sound. Unfortunately, this brand of early-70's-British-Glam-Rock comes across as very mainstream in 2024.
Cream
3/5
This album has some obviously great tracks. In addition to the hits that remain staples on Classic Rock radio, lesser known songs like "Tales of Brave Ulysses" and "SWLABR" ring out as Psychedelic Blues gems.
However, some other songs on this one fall flat musically and the falsetto singing gets tiresome after a bit. Also, that stupid song at the end, "Mother's Lament" is another example of artists using up valuable vinyl space and time for a jokey indulgence. I believe that these tracks later gave rise to the skits that have littered Rap albums for decades now.
This would get four stars, but Eric Clapton is a notable prick and his racist right-wing politics are unforgivable. Minus one whole star for that.
George Michael
4/5
This album gets better every time I listen to it. Even the dated production can't hold back George Michael's voice and the strength of the songs themselves. The record is a perfectly even mix of upbeat dance music and and searing ballads, each as funky or heart-wrenching as the last. In any other hands, a track like "Kissing a Fool" would come across as cliché and faux-lounge-lizard-y. Michael Bublé only wishes he could pull it off as well as GM does.
Funny to remember that "I Want Your Sex" was super-controversial upon it's release, but now seems tame compared to the now-problematic lyrics that permeate the rest of the songs on side one. So, I guess I'll take away a half-star for that. But otherwise, this one is truly great.
Richard Thompson
2/5
The title track is the only real highlight here. While Richard Thompson is clearly a master guitarist, the folky songs are just too downbeat for any other parts to shine through. The trade-off of vocal duties between Linda and Richard does little to provide any variety to the album.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
Thankfully, the rest of the album isn't as morose as the title track opener. An obvious classic that signaled a long, successful career for Paul Simon and a lifetime of near-irrelevance for the other guy.
Tracy Chapman
3/5
Not a bad collection of (socially-conscious-Grammy bait) songs. Unfortunately, most of them suffer from the typically smoothed-out Soft Rock production style so popular at the time this album was produced. The remaining tracks are about as raw as a coffee shop musician who just put a capo on the third fret of his guitar in preparation for another go at "Wonderwall." Despite it's dark subject matter, the a cappella song, "Behind the Wall" does not have the same punch as Janis Joplin's "Mercedes Benz" or even Alanis Morrisette's "Your House".
This would be a three-star album, but I'll give it an undeserved half-star for Living Colour's outstanding live version of "Talkin' Bout a Revolution" from 1989. Another half-star is granted because Ms. Chapman is from the great city of Cleveland, Ohio.
The Band
4/5
A very good album, but not my favorite from them. The best songs are inescapable on Classic Rock Radio and television commercials.
Tom Waits
1/5
A double album?!? For me, the schtick wears thin pretty quickly. I know that most people think that Tom Waits is just the coolest cat there is. I don't see (or hear) it. But, he's made the schtick work for over fifty years, so what do I know?
One star from me. Plus a half-star because Waits' piano player's daughter is Wendy of Prince & The Revolution.
4/5
The frequent references to horses and New York City make comparisons to Patti Smith inevitable. This is far more accessible than her early works and enabled PJ Harvey join Tori Amos and Natalie Merchant as the celebrated female Alt-Rock stars of the era.
Although Thom York's appearance on this album fit seamlessly with the more subdued vibe on many tracks, I prefer the more stripped-down Noise Rock jamming on tracks like "This is Love."
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
A favorite dirty joke from the 80's:
"What's worse than sweat on Olivia Newton-John?"
???
"Come on Eileen"
[pause for laughter]
Dexy's Midnight Runners have always been referred to as one-hit wonders, so the rest of the songs were totally unknown to me. Surprisingly, they aren't so bad. Pretty much any of them could have been the follow-up hit single. Why didn't that happen? My theory is that on MTV in 1982, there was only so much room for bands that employed an old-timey-European-vagabond-tramp visual theme. As a result, Dexy's Midnight Runners and Men Without Hats canceled each other out.
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
Although this album debuted a harder, less disco style of Rap Music, the rhymes and cadence are now viewed as typical for the time. The boasting (i.e. "My name is [insert MC name here], and I'm here to say...") and disses ("Sucker MC's") seem innocent and are now frequently mocked. The lone exception is "Rock Box", which began the crossover of Rap and Rock Music. This concept was explored much further on their next album, "King of Rock", which I think is more important record and more deserving to be on this list.
The Auteurs
2/5
It's not a bad album, but I just can't seem to put my finger on why I didn't like it. The songs were well-crafted, but I couldn't find anything that really set them apart from the other bands emerging into the new "Adult Alternative" genre that began to take form around this time. Bands like Live, Matchbox 20, Third Eye Blind, and Candlebox easily surpassed the Auteurs with equally toothless music. I would have much preferred this spot go to the debut albums from Toad the Wet Sprocket, Gin Blossoms, Death Cab for Cutie, or Elliott Smith.
Two stars, plus a half-star for the oh-so-90's practice of tacking on a hidden track at the end of the CD.
David Bowie
2/5
This list seems to be taking the "you just haven't heard the right album yet" approach to those of us who don't fall all over themselves in adoration of the almighty Thin White Duke. Does this is album change anything? Nope. Even Bowie himself didn't remember making this album.
Give it an extra half-star for the only part that really interested me, Earl Slick's brilliant guitar solo on "Stay."
Revision: I am taking away that half-star because the Spotify algorithm now thinks that I am some sort of Bowie superfan and has clogged up all of my "Made for You" lists with his music.
AC/DC
3/5
AC/DC does deserve two spots on this list. One for the Bon Scott era and one for Brian Johnson. Both are terrific Hard Rock singers.
Unfortunately, this is far from my favorite of the Bon Scott-fronted albums. "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" is a much better example of what they were capable of.
Morrissey
1/5
OK...I get it. The author of this list really, really, really loves Morrissey.
I do not.
Bob Dylan
4/5
Many of my favorite Dylan songs are on this album and ranks as the best of his early acoustic era. Unfortunately, his haphazard harmonica playing on some of these tracks is an assault on the ears.
Bad Brains
3/5
This is a tough album to categorize. Simply calling it "Black Punk" would not be accurate. The production gives it an 80's Metal sheen.
It definitely had some songs that were pretty good. However, I would probably pass on this album in favor of something be Fishbone, Suicidal Tendencies, or Faith No More.
G. Love & Special Sauce
2/5
Meh.
Sigur Rós
3/5
Bad music for dancing.
Like most Post-Rock, this album is loaded with tension and release. Excellent for soundtracks and production music where a visual element is present. Maybe also good as background while doing mundane and lengthy tasks. On it's own, without any distraction, the music can be dull and repetitive.
Deep Purple
2/5
The highlight songs are pretty great. Unfortunately, those are offset by low points where the various band members launch into histrionic, noisy solos (including Ian Gillan's screaming vocal gymnastics) that do nothing but fill time and allow the crowd a beer-and-bathroom break.
Let's say this gets two and one-half stars. The sound quality of this live recording is worth a half.
Joy Division
4/5
A very "live in the studio"-sounding album. The name of the record is fitting, as the band members sound like they are no further than arm's length from each other. The constant reverb effect puts the listener at a distance from them. The result is both claustrophobic and alienating.
Ian Curtis' untimely death is certainly a tragedy, but also served to seal the legacy of their limited catalog. I would have liked more Joy Division, as I'm not a big New Order fan.
Kind of like wishing that Kurt Cobain hadn't killed himself so we wouldn't have to reckon with Foo Fighters.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
Fleetwood Mac suffered for their own sins to create this perfect Pop album.
An unmatched chronicle of the breakups, both personal and professional, that would define them for nearly half a century.
Red Snapper
4/5
A nice surprise. This is some solid Trip-Hop from an album whose sole accolade (according to Wikipedia) is its inclusion on this list.
Cee Lo Green
3/5
Not bad, but if Cee-Lo is to be included on this list, it should be for his album "The Lady Killer" or Gnarls Barkley's "St. Elsewhere." No need for more than either of those two.
I'll give it an extra half-star for what may be the first recorded use of the phrase, "fuck around and find out" in the song "Glockappella".
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
Five stars to the Wikipedia entry for this album. On its own, the record is some excellent and influential Funk music. Having some context and background information adds a great deal to understanding and appreciating it beyond what is already heard.
Minus a half-star because this thing could really use a remaster. The clipping of both vocals and instruments is a distraction from their intentions. The recording sounds more amateurish than the work deserves.
Can
3/5
In the interest of the album's intended minimalism, I'll just say...
It's pretty good.
LL Cool J
5/5
Nobody's calling it a comeback, sweetie. This is the album that legitimized Rap Music, proving that it was not just a fad. LL Cool J elevated Rap as both an art form and a commercially viable genre. With unstoppable beats and and a flow to match, this album planted its flag not just in urban neighborhoods, but also the suburbs.
Interesting fact: "Mama Said Knock You Out" was released on the same day that Stevie Ray Vaughn died in a helicopter crash. There's probably some sort of symbolic correlation there.
The Who
5/5
For good or ill, "Tommy" has served as the highest example of "Rock Opera." It's flawed, for sure, but will always be one of my favorites.
The Fall
3/5
I often confuse The Fall with The Call. Not sure that it really makes any difference.
I get the feeling that this isn't the favorite record of hardcore The Fall fans.
Anyway... here's three stars.
Pere Ubu
5/5
Pere Ubu's groundbreaking brand of Avant-Punk is unquestionably an acquired taste. Fortunately, I have enjoyed their flavor for a long time and have always viewed them as Cleveland's most underappreciated gem. In the family tree of Alternative Rock, Pere Ubu is low on the trunk. So much of what came later can be traced back to them.
Considering this list's affinity for debut albums, it is surprising that Ubu's first album, "The Modern Dance," wasn't chosen. They also made much more conventionally accessible records, like "Cloudland," which is sadly unavailable on the primary music streaming services.
I have a pretty funny story about the first time I met Pere Ubu's notoriously prickly frontman, David Thomas. Ask me about it sometime.
Billy Joel
4/5
Recently while taking inventory, I realized that I own more records by Billy Joel than any other artist. This is a great album, but still only ranks as my third or fourth favorite of his works.
Moby Grape
2/5
Only three of the songs from the original album are available on Spotify, but I think that's an ample sample group to evaluate.
It seems that Moby Grape was an amalgam of musical styles generally associated with mid-sixties, "Summer of Love"-type Pop-Rock tunes. It's all very nice, but I didn't find it very compelling.
Sugar
5/5
For the thirty-plus years since it's release, "Copper Blue" has been in my "Top Three" must-have albums. I wouldn't last more than a few days on a desert island without it.
The listening experience gets even better when "Copper Blue" is paired with its "evil twin" EP, "Beaster", which was released about six months later.
Infinite stars for this one. An excellent choice, Mr. Dimery.
The Who
3/5
The Who are another band that could clog up this list with most of their albums. This is a very good album, regardless the annoying interstitial "adverts". It just seems redundant to have this album on the list when several of its parts were re-used for "Tommy." I think we would have been fine with "Tommy" and "Who's Next" and then left it at that.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
2/5
I'm not sure that this is a "must-listen." Aside from their ode to edging, "Relax", and the obligatory anti-Cold War tension song, "Two Tribes" there isn't much here but a bunch of cover songs and typical 80's synth-dance tracks. The song "Krisco Kisses" could have been a throwaway selection from any Adam Ant album. Trevor Horn's production does give the bass lines the necessary "pop" to keep the dance floor moving.
I'll give it an extra half-star because they did sell an awful lot of those oversized, white with black lettering "Frankie Say..." t-shirts. Solid marketing, indeed.
OutKast
3/5
I think I like this album because it is so all over the place. Little did we know at the time that this was the harbinger of the split between Andre 3000 and Big Boi that would lead to them recording separately under the Outkast moniker. That, of course, led to Andre's weird flute album that everybody listened to exactly once.
Also, I still dislike the use of interstitial skits or "interludes" that mar so many hip-hop albums.
Frank Black
3/5
A fine album from Frank Black/Black Francis, only surpassed by all of the (original lineup) Pixies and his first solo record.
Additionally, this recording suffers from an affliction common to many of the time. As CD technology afforded more space for music than a typical LP record, too many artists felt the need to fill the added 20-some minutes with unworthy tracks.
Joan Armatrading
2/5
Armatrading's label as the "Black-British-Joni Mitchell" is not unwarranted. Her vocal delivery is very similar, but lyrically is not nearly as interesting.
The musicianship is high-caliber. Beyond the hit, "Love and Affection", this album failed to keep my attention on any one song for very long.
The Byrds
2/5
A fine collection of Pop-Americana-Psychedelic-Folk songs. Without any of the Byrds' classic hits, the record lacks any real highlight. The lush vocal harmonies are typical of the California scene that The Byrds were a significant part of.
Hey, look! It's another album featuring the accomplished studio drummers Hal Blaine and convicted murderer Jim Gordon!
Rocket From The Crypt
4/5
RFTC was a criminally underrated band, deserving the same attention that was given to other Punk bands of the early 90's like Green Day, The Offspring, and Rancid. This album, however, was the beginning of their slide towards total obscurity. "Circa Now!" would have been a much better choice for this list. The move to a major label for this record did them no favors. They became lost in mess of Ska-Punk bands (even though they themselves were not Ska-Punk, but simply a Punk band with horns) whose greatest achievements were features in Tony Hawk video games.
A half-star is taken away because the name of the band is a confusion-inducing reference to Cleveland's Proto-Punk band, Rocket From The Tombs.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
Another example of a debut album being chosen for this list when a later release would have been the better choice.
At this early stage in their career, Echo & The Bunnymen sound like their contemporaries in U2, but with darker lyrics and a better drummer.
Badly Drawn Boy
3/5
Another option for sullen, sad-sack, "nobody understands me"-type teenagers after they have worn out their Elliot Smith records.
Dexys Midnight Runners
1/5
Straight from The Department of Redundancy and Stuff That's Already Been Done Before Already...it's ANOTHER Dexy's Midnight Runners album!
For a band that is primarily famous for being a one-hit wonder, having two records on this list is more than suspect. The Spotify play count for these songs should tell you everything you need to know about how essential this record is. Maybe Kevin Rowland is Robert Dimery's cousin or owes him a life debt or something.
Losing six(!) members since their previous album and changing their appearance from "1880's un-housed British country folk" to "1980's Wall Street/American Psychos" does little to change the fact that this record is dull and unoriginal. You can even perfectly sing the words to Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" along with Dexy's' "One of Those Things."
I'll tack on one half-star because at least it's not another Morrissey or Arcade Fire album.
The Cardigans
4/5
A rare gem from what could have been just another one-hit wonder band. The tunes are punchy and groovy. The album as a whole is not overlong and leaves the listener wanting just a bit more. The band here is playing to its strengths, but also allowing room for variety. The top-drawer production should have kept them on the radio for more than just the smash single, "Lovefool." Even the Black Sabbath cover, "Iron Man', comes across as a fresh reimagining of what could have been a cheap novelty.
I expected this album to be a grind. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised by this record. They may not have been the first band on the moon, but they also deserved to be saved and brought home.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
2/5
I'm starting to think that I enjoy Glam Rock a great deal less than I had previously thought. My prior experience with this band has been limited to hearing "Faith Healer" on late-night Classic Rock radio. Clearly, it was played when the DJ needed to use the restroom, smoke a cigarette, and make a phone call. The rest of it was typically bombastic and overly sexual.
In an era where similar bands were a dime a dozen, this album sits well below the powerhouses that led the genre.
Malcolm McLaren
3/5
The musical equivalent of walking into the elevator of a 12-story building and pressing all the buttons while simultaneously blindly throwing a dart at a map of the world.
From the relentless huckster that brought us The Sex Pistols, we get... whatever this is. This record never stops at any one thing long enough to offer much time for evaluation. As he was a purveyor of all things Fast Fashion, I imagine that was McLaren's point of this experiment.
Pentangle
2/5
The music had some interesting parts, but the vocals are just not my bag.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
1/5
Look...I just don't like Nick Cave, okay? Please stop trying to make me like his music.
I made it through five songs of this before I gave up and listened to "Songs in the Key of X: Music from and Inspired by X-Files, starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson: Only on Fox Television: Check Local Listings for Broadcast in Your Area" instead. This compilation includes the only Nick Cave song I kind of like, "Red Right Hand."
Elis Regina
2/5
I never know how to evaluate the music of cultures different from my own. If I were Brazilian, would I love this album? Am I missing an important piece because I don't understand Portuguese? Should I be ashamed that the music doesn't make me want to learn traditional Brazilian dance? Am I a racist, xenophobic, closed-minded piece of shit if I don't like it?
Anyway... odds are strongly against my ever listening to this again, but I'll feel bad about myself if I don't give it a couple of stars. Let's say that the second star is because Elis Regina died from a cocaine, vermouth(!), and tranquilizer overdose. Rest In Party, queen.
Ministry
4/5
A fine album that was highly influential to the "Djent" subgenre. "Land of Rape and Honey" was the better Ministry record, though.
3/5
I had an interesting conversation recently about The Kinks and how their legal troubles prevented them from touring outside the U.K. during a particularly important time in their career. We agreed that this lack of exposure limited their popularity in the United States. I think we missed another important point about this. I believe that they also missed being exposed to American culture and this kept their songwriting in a very British mindset. While the Stones explored Country Music, The Who both courted and mocked the Hippies, and Led Zeppelin amplified The Blues, The Kinks stayed home and made music about the mundanity of life in postwar England. This does not translate well to American ears. London may have been swinging at the time, but you'd never be able to tell from this.
I like (early and later) Kinks just fine, but this album and the others from this period just don't land with me.
4/5
War: "The World is a Ghetto."
Billy Corgan: "Actually, ..."
Spiritualized
3/5
Another example of a record that I know I should like. On paper, it's right in my wheelhouse. Checks a lot of boxes.
I've given it a few spins over the years. And after another one, I still don't love it. Maybe I should check out their other albums, but I probably won't.
4/5
I saw an X show many, many years ago and was blown away. I had only heard a handful of their songs prior to that and didn't follow up much afterward. This was a mistake. I will definitely be taking a deeper dive into their music.
Extra half star for the name of the band itself. The letter "X" should only be allowed to represent cool things like a Punk Rock band, a disaffected generation, or pornography. It should not mean "Twitter, but somehow even worse."
Frank Zappa
2/5
Oh, thank God, another Zappa album.
Granted, this one has "Peaches En Regalia", a great composition that I really enjoy. The rest of the album takes that virtuosity and turns it into faux-Jazz wankery.
As an alternative, I might suggest the album "Flex-Able", by Zappa alum Steve Vai. It's weird and has it's fair share of wankery, but at least it's not another Frank Zappa record.
I'll throw "Hot Rats" and extra half-star because it spares us from Zappa's ridiculous lyrics and singing.
Madonna
4/5
"The One Where Madonna Goes To A Rave"
I still consider this one of her best. Maturity and motherhood tempered Madonna's foray into Hebrew/Buddhist mysticism and 90's optimism. This album threw it all in a pot with a dash of pre-millennium tension, thanks to producer William Orbit's techno backbone. At this point, Madonna and Radiohead weren't that far apart.
The only knock on "Ray of Light" is a problem of length. This is another CD-era recording that would have been better if trimmed by at least fifteen minutes down to LP length. With eight of its thirteen tracks clocking in over five minutes (and nothing shorter than 4:11), there was plenty of room for editing. The club kids' attention span was getting shorter by the moment and Madge only had one good album left.
U2
2/5
U2 used this album to try buying back their credibility after the painfully pretentious "Rattle and Hum". Now they were a full-on worldwide sensation. The hits just kept coming and the mainstream begged for more. This, of course, made them uncool. They became everyone's little sister's favorite band and even the most conservative parent groups approved of them. Popes, presidents, and the media all showered U2 with praise and medallions recognizing their global citizenship.
But, was the music any good? It was fine, I guess.
Minus one whole star because they should never be forgiven for that time they (and Apple) forced us all to own a digital copy of "Songs of Innocence." Some scars should never heal.
2/5
As much an aesthetic as a musical style, the New Romantics were perfect for the fledgling MTV network. MTV served as the pipeline for a "British Invasion", which lasted about as long as any of the prior incursions from across the pond. With few notable exceptions (Duran Duran, George Michael, etc.), the New Romantics were returned to the U.K., leaving musical and visual memories that define 80's tropes.
In this way, ABC were perhaps the most New Romantic-y of the New Romantics. I imagine them captaining an arc heading back East, loaded with a cargo of Spandau Ballet, Simple Minds, Culture Club, Thomson Twins, Human League, OMD, and, of course, a Flock of Seagulls.
The White Stripes
5/5
All White Stripes albums are great. The first three in particular are raw and amplify the capabilities of an act that constrained themselves to just vocals, guitar, drums, and piano.
Speaking of the drums... There has long been a debate over whether Meg White is a good or bad drummer. I fall into the pro-Meg camp. Her style of playing is exactly what the music calls for and any added complexity would have diminished the songs greatly.
I would give this one four stars, as I like their self-titled debut the best. However, I'll give this an extra because the White Stripes knew when to end the band and keep their integrity mostly intact. Their closest contemporary (and perceived rival band), The Black Keys chose another path. They kept adding more and more instruments and became a bloated, overproduced version of themselves. Online beefing with fans and celebrities alike did not serve them well. The Black Keys were last seen canceling an ill-advised arena tour and instead playing a big-ticket party for a bunch of Trump-loving crypto-bros.
Buffalo Springfield
2/5
Again?
James Taylor
2/5
James "Steamroller" Taylor brings it on this one, bro.
Laurel Canyon's own "Mr. Excitement" drops eleven tracks ready-made for the grocery store, elevator, or dentist's office.
Give him a half-star for inventing a system for tuning the guitar that compensates for the vagaries of the instrument that prevent mathematical perfection. Try it. It works!
Alanis Morissette
5/5
If this album were released today, it's likely that Alanis would be accused of being an industry plant. Fortunately, it was 1995 and social media would have to wait.
Regardless, "Jagged Little Pill" was an unstoppable hit machine and cultural touchstone. Already an easy 5-star record, plus a little extra for the "secret" track hidden at the end of the CD.
The Teardrop Explodes
3/5
I'm sure they were very influential at the time. To me, however, this sounds like another typical example of early British Post-Punk. There's a pretty good amount of Bowie worship going on here. The horns were a nice change-up, though.
George Michael
4/5
For an album called "Listen Without Prejudice", there sure are a lot of young white people on the cover. I'm taking away a half-star for that.
Seriously, though, this is a great Pop album. More mature than (the also great) "Faith", Michael leaves me wishing that we had been blessed with Volume 2.
OutKast
4/5
Another otherwise great (mostly) Hip-Hop album dragged down by skits. Clocking in at over two hours, this is a serious time commitment. Some judicious editing would keep the listener from feeling that the time wasn't wasted on pointless interludes.
Otherwise, it's pretty awesome.
The Coral
2/5
A Brit Rock mess of multicultural influences. I can understand why it may have been popular in the U.K., but we never heard a lick of it in the U.S.
I do not feel that this was a big loss on our part.
Gary Numan
3/5
Numan's brand of blips and bloops is less robotic and disconnected than earlier Electronic artists like Kraftwerk. He does need to try some of the other buttons on his synthesizer, though. The "demo mode on a Casiotone" sound is pervasive throughout the whole album. The commercial appeal of "Cars" helped push digital music into the 1980's and cemented the synthesizer's place in Pop music.
Minus a half-star for that time when Numan's tour bus killed a pedestrian in downtown Cleveland. He gets it back, though, because a sample from his song "M.E." provided the backbone for Basement Jaxx's dance club hit, "Where's Your Head At."
The Beta Band
3/5
Sharing a producer with Radiohead is bound to invite comparisons. But, let's face it... Radiohead is wayyyy better.
The Beta Band
3/5
This list does not need two Beta Band albums. This one would have been sufficient. It is slightly better than the one we heard just yesterday (and I have already forgotten its title.)
Boards of Canada
3/5
More like "Bored"s of Canada, amirite?
Wait...they're not even from Canada!
Anyway... it's an okay album. It's ambient and electronic. It's doesn't demand your attention.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
2/5
It doesn't get much more "middle of the road" than this, folks!
Y'know the thin empty space between the yellow lines in the road? This album lives there. It's all perfectly competent, but absolutely nothing thrilling.
This space on the list could have been used by much better records of the time. For great songcraft and musicianship while still featuring a slight twang and the trademark slick production of the mid-80's, try "Boomtown" from David & David. Or maybe the edgy Pop with a pinch of sandy grit found on INXS' "Listen Like Thieves."
Holger Czukay
3/5
A sort-of-interesting collection of sonic experiments. Sometimes it holds together and sometimes it doesn't.
Aphex Twin
4/5
Holy S***!!! This thing is ambient as F***!!!
So electronic! It's Fu***n' SICK!
YEEEeaaaahhHHH!!!!
As far as this period's Ambient Electronica goes, this and The Orb's "Orbvs Terrarvm" are arguably the only two that need to be on this list.
3/5
All this time, I thought it was "Don't Come Home FROM Drinkin'", not "A-Drinkin'"
Looks like I learned something new.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
2/5
It's best to be leery when Wikipedia shows an album's only accolade to be its inclusion on this list.
Whatever this New Age noodling is, it certainly isn't my cup of tea.
Elvis Presley
3/5
It sounds weird to hear the Jazz standard "Fever" sung by a male. At least it is welcome change from the Rockabilly formula that was Elvis' bread and butter. The rest of this "comeback" album sticks to what made him famous in the first place. Some folks love it and still call Elvis "King". I'm more of a Buddy Holly guy myself.
Simple Minds
2/5
Okay, let's break this down...
Simple Minds were not a "one-hit wonder." They had TWO hits!
Their first (and clear greatest) hit was "Don't You (Forget About Me)." It was released as a single and was included on the "Breakfast Club" soundtrack album, making it ineligible for this list. The other hit, living in the long shadow of "DY(FAM)", was "Alive and Kicking," from the album "Once Upon a Time." This is not that album. Nothing on this recording even comes close to being as good as either of those two songs. This one may have influenced artists who went on to great success, but it would be hard to argue that it is in any way essential.
Add a half-star for the cover art.
Subtract a half-star for the dumb album title.
Add a one-third star because Simple Minds' lead singer was married for six years to Northeast Ohio's own Chrissy Hynde.
A solid rocker. I like the Rod Stewart tracks a bit more than the Ronnie Lane-fronted ones. Rod's belting voice and swagger rise above Ronnie's.
Hey, look! It's Kenny Jones again on drums! Man, that guy sure was busy.
50 Cent
3/5
Too long. The really strong tracks get lost among the filler.
Add a half-star because this album does not have any of those annoying "skits" on it. Thanks, Fiddy!
Joni Mitchell
2/5
Mitchell's voice toes the line between "soaring" and "screechy", stepping over it way too much on this record. Her later works with a full band of stellar musicians keep the upper registers in check much better.
This album is well regarded for its hyper-personal lyrics, but I can't hear them through the high-frequency vocals.
Motörhead
3/5
Isn't it great when a band you only sort of like plays a show and starts with their best song? That way, you can feel free to leave for the restroom, a cigarette, or a trip to the merch table and not worry about missing anything important afterwards. Opening this live album with "Ace of Spades" worked fine for me. The rest of the songs are typical Motorhead, devoid of subtlety or subtext. It's loud, fast, and heavy. 'Nuff said.
Beastie Boys
4/5
Fifteen year old me would have given this album five stars, added a sixth, put his pencil down, and left the room. He already had a poster of the cover art on his bedroom wall, much to his mother's dismay.
Now, almost forty years later, I'm not so sure. Yes, this was the debut of a former Hardcore band (featuring Lucious Jackson's Kate Schellenbach on drums) that adopted the nascent Hip-Hop genre and and delivered it to every neighborhood. The Heavy Metal guitars, Classic Rock samples, and raunchy lyrics made the music appeal to teenagers everywhere.
But, is it their best album? No. While they later recanted the misogynistic lyrics and claimed that "Fight for Your Right" was intended as parody, this record displays an immaturity that they would quickly outgrow. When taken as a starting point, this album is important. But, if I were trying to introduce someone who had never heard the Beasties before, I would chose almost any of their other releases.
Extra half-star for rhyming "pagoda" and "Abe Vigoda".
Cat Stevens
2/5
Full Disclosure: I listened through "Wild World" and just skimmed the rest.
Not my jam, but I can understand how some would enjoy this.
Ash
2/5
In 1996, the Alternative Rock bubble was just about at its breaking point. Cobain had been dead for a minute, Pearl Jam was busy fighting TicketMaster, and R.E.M. had lost their College Radio religion and gone mainstream.
There were, however, many Alt-Rock albums like this one released in 1996 that were better and more notable than Ash's "1977". This includes releases by: Failure, Weezer, Afghan Whigs, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Cracker, The Refreshments, I Mother Earth, Sloan, Guided By Voices, Eels, Screaming Trees, Sleater-Kinney, Cake, Heatmiser, Superdrag, Jawbox, Sebadoh, Luscious Jackson, Cibo Matto, Bob Mould, Imperial Teen, Butter 08, Sponge, Nada Surf, Butthole Surfers, Tracy Bonham, Poe, Stone Temple Pilots, Lemonheads, and The Presidents of the United States of America...just to name a few.
B.B. King
3/5
Blues Music is based on strict adherence to common structures and cliche instrumental licks. B.B. King is a fine guitar player, singer, and band leader. But, he remains constrained by the I-IV-V chord progression and the portion of the minor Blues scale that defines his style. His performance here is emotive and well-played. Unfortunately, nothing on this record breaks new ground or establishes itself as essential.
T. Rex
3/5
Another album I've heard at least a million times, thanks to it being on the jukebox of a restaurant where I worked.
It's a fine album. Nothing really wrong with it. I'm not big on Glam Rock, but this was an early example of the genre, so I guess it is important.
The Byrds
3/5
There are a few very good Psychedelic-Folk songs here. There are also a bunch of mediocre tunes as well. Gene Clark's songwriting is sorely missed and it's no surprise that the album's best song (and biggest hit), "Eight Miles High", includes Clark with a writing credit.
This record gets stars primarily for its strong influence on later artists. Roger McGuinn's jangly Rickenbacker guitar tone and David Crosby's vocal harmonies birthed the sounds used by R.E.M., Tom Petty, and many others. "Eight Miles High" was adapted in the mid-80's by Husker Du as a feedback-drenched screamfest that keeps the original psychedelic flavor.
Drop an extra half-star on this one for its brevity (less than a half-hour!)
Tortoise
2/5
Post-Rock is at its most interesting when the music moves between tension and release. There doesn't seem to be much of that here. Other similar acts like Explosions In The Sky and Godspeed You! Black Emperor use this effect to make their atmospheric experimentation sound more "musical". Without tension, release, or typical song structure, this just becomes background music. That's fine for soundtracks and dinner parties, but not dedicated listening.
A have a couple of Tortoise's later albums, which are much better than this one. Those albums would be in the 4-ish star range, so this one gets bumped down to two.
Grateful Dead
4/5
The mix is terrible. I can't even hear John Mayer at all.
[pause for laughter]
Just kidding, folks...
The Dead have never been known as a great studio band. The focus has always been on the live experience. This album, however, is generally regarded as an exception. For sure, it's one of their few strong studio outings ("Terrapin Station" is probably the best.) The Folk-Americana vibe lends itself to shorter, tighter arrangements and results in a more accessible package. Missing are the lengthy jams that set the Dead apart from vocal harmony bands like Crosby, Stills, and Nash. I prefer the Dead when they are stretching out in a more experimental way.
I'm knocking off a half-star for this unpopular opinion:
I really, really, really can't stand "Box of Rain." It has never, ever been sung on key, and this version (to open the album, no less) is no exception.
The Libertines
2/5
I recently heard actress Diane Morgan refer to herself as "British Famous." The term certainly applies to many artists on this list, including The Libertines. I recall The Libertines being covered extensively in U.K. music publications like NME and Q, while being virtually ignored here in the U.S.A. Singer Pete Doherty was almost exclusively talked about in the U.S. for his rocky relationships with superskinny supermodel Kate Moss and hard drugs.
The music is nothing particularly special. There were plenty of bands in the burgeoning New Garage Rock genre making better and more unique songs. Producer Mick Jones, formerly of The Clash and Big Audio Dynamite, stamped a big ol' Union Jack on The Libertines sound. Maybe the Brits heard something great on this album, but this American didn't.
Leonard Cohen
1/5
Yo...Dimery! Bruh! I already made it perfectly clear that I do NOT enjoy the music of Leonard Cohen. You seem to think that forcing his entire catalog upon my ears will change my mind.
It won't.
In fact, each successive album makes me dislike it even more and makes me kinda angry.
I'll give this album .0001 stars only because Concrete Blonde's cover of "Everybody Knows" was pretty OK. Otherwise, zero stars.
Electric Light Orchestra
3/5
While many of the songs here are catchy pop numbers, I just have never been able to find any soul in ELO's music. Jeff Lynne's production style never varies from tune to tune or artist to artist. Somehow, he was so influenced by the Beatles that he made George Harrison sound like ELO.
Killing Joke
4/5
Just when I'm starting to get frustrated with this list, an album like Killing Joke comes up. This is definitely an album I need to hear. I have no idea how it didn't enter my orbit before now.
Tina Turner
4/5
Of the legacy artists that enjoyed a resurgence in the 1980's, few were as deserving as Ms. Turner. With the doors at MTV finally opened to Black musicians, she left an indelible mark on the era.
An all-star team of studio musicians, songwriters, and producers gathered to lift the Acid Queen to Pop superstardom. Her overwhelming success after leaving an abusive ex-husband, bandleader Ike Turner, added an air of empowerment to the work.
The Adverts
3/5
Pretty good. Not great. Kinda mid.
I'm sure this was cutting-edge Punk Rock music for the time. In 1978, loud and snotty Punk was far from mainstream. This album was probably shocking to "The Establishment", particularly with songs like "Gary Gilmore's Eyes." But today, it's just...sorta... y'know... meh.
Minor Threat
4/5
Good stuff. Not as good as Fugazi, though.
Travis
2/5
This album made a bit more sense when I saw it had been produced by longtime Radiohead collaborator Nigel Godrich. The vocals come across like Thom Yorke's, without the bite. The songs recall Jeff Buckley, who had died only a couple of years before this album's release.
None of it gets off the ground. The record starts with five homogeneous ballads. Then "Turn" steps into Oasis territory with a barely mid-tempo rocker. The hit "Why Does it Always Rain on Me?" returns us with a song that could have been torn from a melancholy teenager's diary.
An essential must-listen? I don't think so, unless you are a melancholic teenager, I guess.
Mekons
2/5
With an extensive band lineup that likely influenced the dreaded Mumford & Sons and Arcade Fire, the Mekons seem to be trying to bridge Clash-like Punk with sloppy British drinking songs and American Country waltzes.
I seem to remember Kurt Cobain referencing The Mekons as a strong musical influence. Maybe heroin makes this record sound amazing, but I'm not gonna be the one to test this theory.
Youssou N'Dour
3/5
Not really sure how to rate this one, so I'll give it a three. Add a half-star because I'm pretty sure that Morrissey hates it.
Take that, Moz!
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
I think that this project is at its most interesting when the chosen album leads down a rabbit hole of background information. "Armed Forces" had me clicking through Wikipedia pages for more knowledge and understanding of the subjects involved. Oliver Cromwell, Nick Lowe, the Romanian Iron Guard, and Bonnie Bramlett, among other subjects, are all noted as important pieces of the puzzle.
As for the music itself, this record is pretty darn good and certainly deserves it place on this list.
Funkadelic
4/5
It's got everything you could possibly expect from a Funkadelic album. Which is to say that it is, indeed, funky. It's fine as fun party music, but doesn't hit on all cylinders like their album "Maggot Brain" does. Bandleader George Clinton keeps it between the lines (insert cocaine joke here), adding bits of Rock here and there. In the end, though, there just isn't enough variety to push this one into five-star territory.
Scritti Politti
1/5
Glad to know that my opinion of this band has not changed in forty years. It's everything wrong with 80's music in one package.
Missy Elliott
4/5
I generally dislike interludes/skits on albums, but Busta Rhymes get an almost blanket pass. Whether it's on someone else's record or his own, he can pull it off.
Without Timbaland's production, this would have been a fine 90's Hip-Hop/R & B album. He puts it over the top with a vibe that holds up today.
X-Ray Spex
4/5
X-Ray Spex and Poly Styrene truly broke new ground with this, their only full-length record. Countless artists were influenced by them.
Gotta love a Punk band with a saxophone that doesn't do Ska.
ABBA
2/5
Yep, that's some ABBA, all right. I think we've all heard ABBA before and know what to expect. If you have not heard ABBA before, maybe go to a wedding reception every once in a while. Guaranteed you'll hear plenty of it.
Zero surprises on this record.
Crowded House
3/5
The fact that this album does not contain the mega-monster-super-smash-hit song, "Don't Dream it's Over" leads me to believe that Crowded House will appear again on this list. So, I'm just gonna kick the can down the road and save an actual review until then.
[Notes to Self: 1."Four Seasons in One Day" sounds like a late-70's Paul McCartney/Wings album cut. 2. I seriously thought "Fame Is" was a Squeeze song mistakenly slipped onto this album. 3. Everything else sounds like that band that did "Don't Dream It's Over".]
The Cure
3/5
I started to come around on The Cure several years ago. I had previously compartmentalized them with Morrissey and The Smiths, as they seemed to share a fanbase. Now I can hear The Cure with a more open mind. And what I hear is... Ok, I guess.
The music is pretty good. 'Gazy and atmospheric.
The singing is fine. It suits the music, but Robert Smith's high-pitched voice can get repetitive and a tad grating after a while.
The lyrics, though, appeal to mopey, sullen teenagers. Teenagers who have chosen the color black not just as an overwhelming aesthetic, but their whole identity. Either they grow out of it ("It's just a phase, Mom!"), or grow into it and should probably seek help through therapy and/or medication.
I'm pretty sure that we will see The Cure on this list again with one of their later, Poppier albums.
Kings of Leon
3/5
Seriously, dudes...it's 2008. Performing songs about seventeen year old girls is super-uncool. That hasn't been allowed since "Beavis and Butthead" won the battle against Winger and everyone realized that KISS were just a bunch of jerks.
Deduct one full star for that.
The rest of the album has some pretty good songs "Notion" and the hit, "Use Somebody" are standouts.
Still, the knowledge that the Followill clan are not good people clouds my perception of their music.
Slint
5/5
I love this album.
Is it Alt-Rock, Post-Rock, Shoegaze, Post-Hardcore, Math Rock, or Indie Rock?
Yes. All of it.
The phrase "slow burn" is horribly overused, but is entirely appropriate here. The final screaming words of "Good Morning Captain" erupt to close the record like a fire extinguisher, a cathartic release from the tension created by the music leading up to it.
"Ten fucking stars." -Steve Albini
TV On The Radio
4/5
My previous experience with TVOTR has been pretty limited. A random song here and there. Phish has made their cover of "Golden Age" a live staple for many years. Beyond that, TVOTR has been one one those bands that I would someday get around to.
I'm glad that day has finally come. This is an excellent record that warrants further inspection. Gonna have to knock off a half-star or so for the moments on this record that sound a little too Coldplay-ish for my taste.
Anita Baker
2/5
While Ms. Baker obviously has a lovely voice, it's clear that this music was not made for me. To me, it sounds like it should be played in a dentist's office in an elevator inside of a grocery store.
The real question here is why are there four songs from this album unavailable on Spotify?
Is "Watch Your Step" the unofficial Taliban national anthem? Is "Been So Long" about lusting after an underage object of desire? Does "Mystery" glorify selling drugs and killing cops? Did the crowds of insurrectionists chant the chorus to "No One in the World" while storming the Capitol on January 6th?
We demand answers!
Gillian Welch
2/5
If you're feeling a certain kind of way and need almost an hour of plaintive, downtempo two-piece folk music, here ya go. Otherwise, move along.
A little variation from song to song would have gone a long way towards keeping my attention.
Dinosaur Jr.
4/5
I'm a big Dinosaur Jr. fan, but this is not the album of theirs that I would choose for this list. It has all the elements that make a typical Dino Jr. record, but lacks the knockout track to put it over the top. I can understand wanting to include an album with original/returning bassist Lou Barlow. Somewhat unfortunately, the biggest and most accessible hits happened without him.
If I were Mr. Dimery, I would solve this problem by replacing this with either "Where You Been" or "Without a Sound" from their Barlow-less period. Then I would make it up to Lou by including "Bakesale" or "Harmacy" from his band, Sebadoh.
The Byrds
3/5
The 1968 version of "Pop-Country."
The music doesn't really do anything for me. I do, however, like the idea that this album was the "Cowboy Carter" of its day.
Lauryn Hill
3/5
Anybody else have a problem listening to this album on on Spotify™?
Every time I tried to play this, it automatically turned on "shuffle" mode and played songs that aren't even on this album. Sometimes the songs don't even feature Ms. Lauren Hill!
This chaotic lack of access to the record seems very on-brand for Ms. Hill.
Hole
5/5
Can we all just agree that Courtney Love is a genius who deserves much more credit than she ever got for her work?
Despite her being perceived as a drug-addled wackadoo widow, Love proves here that she is a shrewd, literate, and tuneful songwriter. This ode to California should have shamed the Red Hot Chili Peppers into giving up and writing songs about Nebraska or Utah or Kyrgyzstan.
I'll tag this as a five-star album, with the caveat that I still like "Live Through This" just a tiny bit more.
The Streets
4/5
More of a spoken-word narrative than typical Rap album. The Streets' Mike Skinner spins a first-person story that reminds me more of "Catcher In The Rye" than anything by Jay-Z or LL Cool J.
The backing music is appropriately sparse, keeping the focus on the lyrics. I found the concept to be similar to John Cooper Clarke's "Evidently Chickentown."
Beatles
4/5
Half of it is some of the best music ever written.
The other half is some of the most self-indulgent and pointless music ever set to vinyl.
Extra star for all of the "Paul is dead" clues sprinkled around this album.
Everything But The Girl
4/5
I seem to remember that we had an earlier Everything But The Girl release on this list a few months ago. In my review, I had said that I prefer their later, more "electronic" works.
This is that. So there ya go. Give this album one more star than I gave that one, plus a half-star for the two outstanding remixes that close this one.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3/5
To me, this sounds like a Pop album that bites from the most popular artists of its time and puts it all together in an easily digestible package. At various points, I thought I was listening to The Byrds, The Beach Boys, and The Monkeys. If I were a TV exec in 1966, I'd be pushing the network to have Paul Revere & The Raiders host a weekly music variety show. Would've made a killing.
I guess this album is essential as an example of the "Brill Building Sound."
Deerhunter
2/5
The musical equivalent of plain, white, unflavored yogurt.
Cultured, yet formless, colorless, and flavorless.
Too easily confused with late-00's/early-10's Indie groups Deer Tick and Dearhoof.
Give it an extra half-star because this album was engineered by David Barbe, the former bassist for Sugar.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
1/5
I think that we can all agree that only one Emerson, Lake & Palmer album belongs on this list, and it's not this one.
Minus one half-star for the unironic use of the word "Nutrocker" as a track title.
Eurythmics
3/5
Blue Cheer
3/5
How does an album that's barely a half-hour long seem to go on forever?
Dexys Midnight Runners
1/5
ANOTHER Dexy's Midnight Runners album?!? What in the Arcade Fire is going on here? How does one of the most notorious one-hit wonders of all time deserve not one, not two, but THREE records on this list?
Clearly our master and overlord, Mr. Dimery, is the world's biggest Dexy's Midnight Runners fan. I'll bet he walks up to random people wearing overalls and asks if they can even name three Dexy's songs. I'll bet he sleeps next to a pillow with Kevin Rowland's face on it. I'll bet Mr. Dimery's password is something like "Dexys4EVA" or "RDlovesDMR".
I'll bet that I never listen to them again.
The Shamen
2/5
This album sounds like early-90's extasy (the illicit drug, not the actual emotion) feels. Sure it's bouncy and pleasantly trippy, but it's also artificial and leaves you feeling hollow afterward.
Circle Jerks
3/5
Circle Jerks' "Beverly Hills" > Weezer's "Beverly Hills"
Tim Buckley
3/5
Wilco
4/5
An excellent album, notable for its sheer quantity of solid material. It is not, however, the very best Wilco album. That, of course, is "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot." I'm sure we will see that one at some point on this list.
Fatboy Slim
4/5
Another example of the Author's (with a capital "A") bias toward debut albums over an artist's later, more significant work. This is an excellent introduction for Mr. Cook's Big electronic-slash-organic style. His follow-up, "You've Come a Long Way Baby", is a far more important and essential album, as it brought Big Beat to the mainstream. This record simply doesn't have the cultural heft that the next one did.
Carpenters
2/5
Fun Fact: Karen Carpenter was voted the #1 drummer in the 1975 Playboy Music Readers' Poll. She beat Keith Moon, Ginger Baker, John Bonham, Mick Fleetwood, Ringo Starr, etc.
That's gotta be worth an extra star.
Janis Joplin
3/5
The voice that made a million white women buy a pair of leather pants and join a bar band to scream Janis Joplin and Led Zeppelin songs (and Alana Myles' "Black Velvet") at patrons who are either enraptured or bored to tears by it. I am almost always in the latter group.
That said, Janis was herself unique and original. "Pearl" is an easy choice for this list.
Aimee Mann
4/5
Aimee Mann's career never again reached the heights of her work with 'Til Tuesday. Her solo work is underrated, but is too sharp and subtle to reach bigger audiences. The music is better suited to listening on headphones in a dark corner of the bedroom than to arenas.
Extra half-star for her hilarious cameo (along with Sarah McLachlan) in an episode of "Portlandia."
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
Is this album so fundamentally different from the Elvis Costello record ("Armed Forces") that we already reviewed? I like this one a tiny bit better, but c'mon... life is short and this list should skip virtual duplicates like this.
How about some Joe Jackson instead? Or The Jam?
I've heard some good things about Dexy's Midnight Runners. We should check in on them soon.
John Coltrane
5/5
Obvious classic.
Easy five stars.
Soul II Soul
3/5
Nick Drake
3/5
Music for a certain kind of mood. There are some real highlights here, but it does get a bit monotonous after a while.
The Black Crowes
5/5
A fantastic debut album. Plenty of variety while maintaining their signature sound and swagger. The Crowes wear their influences on sleeves, but still come across as fresh and original.
John Lennon
3/5
John’s working some stuff out on this one, broh. Not bad for an album that is basically a recorded therapy session.
Extra half-star for the “cookie” non-sequitur in the middle of “Hold On”. A cameo from a then-unknown Cookie Monster from Sesame Street?
Jean-Michel Jarre
2/5
Music to listen to while floating in a sensory-deprivation tank. Otherwise, I can’t find anything essential about this album. Synthesizer technology was not developed enough in 1976 to do anything really amazing yet.
Slayer
4/5
While not my favorite Thrash Metal band (that would be Anthrax), this is clearly an essential must-listen.
Loses a half-star for the questionable nature of the lyrics for "Angel of Death", but then gets it back for helping lay the foundation for the Rick Rubin-sphere.
Peter Gabriel
4/5
First of all, this is an excellent album. That being said... we once again run into the problem of potential oversaturation of Peter Gabriel albums on this list. I would think that "So" would be the most essential of his catalog. I wouldn't argue with including ONE of his earlier solo works. His first after leaving Genesis (the one known as "Car") would be the most obvious choice as is has "Solisbury Hill" on it.
The risk of an Elvis Costello-level flood of Peter Gabriel albums is just too great.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
As much as I love Led Zeppelin, I have to rank this as a run-of-the-mill Psychedelic Heavy Blues album. There's a ton of potential here, as history has shown, but the actual material doesn't live up to what came after it. This record was somewhat rightfully panned by critics when it was released. I think the author's bias toward debuts was misplaced here.
I'm giving this one a reluctant three stars, with a bonus half-star for just being Led Zeppelin.
CHIC
3/5
I never really understood the hatred dumped on Disco music. It's just an offshoot of R & B and Pop music specifically intended for dancing. I think the loudest voices against it just don't like anything popular simply because it is popular. Or maybe they're just racists who can't dance.
Producers like Giorgio Moroder, Nile Rogers, and Bernard Edwards kept the message upbeat and the grooves funky as hell. The bass guitar alone on this album is nothing less than a masterclass.
Disco was here for a good time, not a long time.
Throbbing Gristle
2/5
Unedited listening notes:
Uneasy Listening
Must be "Art"... we're talking about it, right?
Influential to bands like NIN, Ministry, Joy Division
Punishing (like Swans)
Star rating system does not apply (use something else? Clods of dirt? Burnt doll heads?)
Animal Collective
3/5
Ever since I first heard Panda Bear's brilliant song, "Comfy in Nautica", I've tried to get into Animal Collective. Unfortunately, I've never been able to sit through a whole album until now. It just get kinda old after a while.
We get it... you like the Beach Boys and computers.
Dr. Dre
3/5
Important and influential, but not the style of Rap that I enjoy most.
Directly responsible for the rising fame of Snoop Dogg and, by association, the continued cultural relevance of Martha Stewart.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
Like I said...
Any Stones record from "Beggar's Banquet" through "Exile on Main St." could easily qualify for this list. They are all nearly perfect.
If I had my druthers, I'd just put "Exile" on this project and leave the remaining three spaces for other, possibly less-known albums.
Sepultura
4/5
I enjoyed this one a lot more than I thought I would. The various elements of World Music, Thrash, Nu Metal, and Alt Rock keep a delicate balance that doesn't get boring.
Add a half-star for Mike Patton's guest vocals on "Lookaway."
The Youngbloods
3/5
The jazzy parts are a nice change from the typical California Folk/Country/Rock/Psychedelic Music that was getting popular at the time. The overall vibe is a bit closer to Traffic than it is to CSNY.
But even so, it's firmly trapped between the walls of Laurel Canyon, where so many other artists from this list reside.
Ms. Dynamite
2/5
Virtually indistinguishable from so many other female-driven Hip-Hop/R&B acts that were popular in the late-90's/early 00's. This could easily be a Destiny's Child, SWV, Mary J. Blige or Ashanti record and I wouldn't know the difference.
I would have liked this spot to go to a more unique artist like Janelle Monae or Santigold.
Burning Spear
2/5
Of all the Reggae albums ever recorded, this sounds like most of them.
Fugees
2/5
It seems that, for the most part, 90's Hip-Hip just isn't my thing. I can recognize the important records, but they just don't move the needle much for me.
The Reggae-ish tone on many of these songs does not help matters at all for me. It's also worth noting that the biggest hits from this record were covers of other artists' work.
The Clash
5/5
Of the three Clash albums that I would consider eligible for this list (the others being "London Calling" and "Combat Rock), this one is the most "conventionally" Punk. Even at this early stage, The Clash were better musicians than their peers in the genre. Their myriad influences color the songs in ways put them well beyond the speed freaks and noisemakers that populated the Punk scene at the time. They were also more mindful of geopolitics and incorporated their leftist ideologies in to the music most effectively.
I'm not sure that they were the "only band that mattered", but they were definitely in rare company.
Talking Heads
3/5
Further evidence of The Author's bias toward debut albums.
It's a fine album. Is it as good as "Remain in Light" or "Speaking in Tongues"?
It is not.
Minus one half star for overuse of "Ayy ya ya ya ya ya yaaaahhh...."
Brian Eno
2/5
Choose one:
(a) More like an album you must ignore before you die.
(b) More like an album you must hear WHILE you die.
(c) My left arm hurts. Do I smell toast?
(d) This is a really nice spa. I think I'll pay the extra for a mud bath.
(e) This is a really nice airport. I don't even care that my flight is delayed, the Cinnabon is closed, and I'm pretty sure my suitcase was lost the moment it disappeared behind that curtain. This music has made me so calm that I can't even scream at a gate agent.
(f) Did not listen.
Talking Heads
3/5
Better than "77" (which we just reviewed a couple of days ago), but still not as good as "Remain in Light" or "Speaking in Tongues."
I'll return the half-star that "77" was docked for David Byrne's overuse of "Ay ya ya ya ya YAAHH".
Jeff Beck
4/5
Rod Stewart as almost always better when he's covering someone else's songs.
It's a shame that Jeff Beck seems to have been lost in the Late-60's-Guitar-God conversation. Now he's only remembered by a few Classic Rock die-hards.
Beck was clearly an inspiration for Spinal Tap's Nigel Tufnel, and that's gotta be worth at least half a star.
Anthrax
5/5
A great album by one of my favorite Metal bands.
Deep Purple
4/5
An obvious choice for this list. Could you imagine living an entire lifetime without hearing "Smoke on the Water"?
As for the album as a whole, it's mostly killer with a wee bit of filler.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
4/5
I can't imagine how anyone on this planet could have not heard most of the songs on this album already. It has kept Classic Rock radio alive and been in countless beer and truck commercials. "Play Freebird!" has been part of the cultural lexicon for fifty years now.
When stripped of the Confederate flag imagery and outlaw biker club-wannabe fanbase, it's a pretty fine Southern Rock album.
Heaven 17
2/5
Rufus Wainwright
2/5
I'm gonna go with my first impression of this album....
"This is what Radiohead would sound like if you took away everything cool about Radiohead."
Mariah Carey
4/5
I enjoyed this album a lot more than I thought I would.
Subtract a half-star for the P Diddy collab, but then give it back for the Bone Thugs-n-Harmony appearance.
Brian Wilson
3/5
I really wish I liked this more. Unfortunately, it's just a replica of an antique artifact. Decades too late, the spark that could have made this album truly great has been long extinguished.
Add a half-star because the song, "Barnyard" was the inspiration for a hilarious scene in "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story."
Genesis
4/5
A great (if overlong) Prog-Rock concept album.
Objective proof that Phil Collins is a stellar drummer.
Dusty Springfield
3/5
Sheryl Crow
3/5
Music for people who found Counting Crows to be too "edgy" and Wallflowers to be "not edgy enough."
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
4/5
I would have picked "Orange" as the JSBX album for this list. Still, this is a solid album packed with fun Garage-Boogie-Blues.
For further enjoyment, check out R.L. Burnside's "Ass Pocket of Whiskey", a collab with JSBX that takes the genre-bending even further. Or JSBX's "Experimental Remises" (available on streaming as the second disc of "Orange (Deluxe)", featuring fresh takes by members of Beastie Boys, Wu-Tang Clan, and Moby.
3/5
Oh, wait... these are the guys that did "I Got a Line on You"? Why didn't we listen to that one?
Never mind. Looks like it was only released as a single or on compilation albums.
Still, that nugget of information sent me down a rabbit hole and I now feel qualified to say that "Spirit of '76" is the more worthy album by Spirit.
Let's tack on an extra half-star because the lead singer changed his name from the perfectly cool Randy Wolfe to the even cooler "Randy California".
Beck
4/5
There's no such thing as a "bad" Beck album. Even his oddball debut, "Stereopathetic Soulmanure", shows signs of brilliance between the barely listenable noise-collage tracks.
This is a great breakup concept album, ranking up there with "Blood on the Tracks" and "In the Wee Small Hours." However, Beck's Grammy-winning "Morning Phase" is an even better example of a "Sad Beck" record.
The Notorious B.I.G.
3/5
Soft Cell
2/5
Another famous one-hit wonder. If you ever in your life have heard Soft Cell's cover of "Tainted Love", then you have already heard the best song on the album. The rest is the same, but not as good. If Pet Shop Boys are your jam, you will have a better chance of enjoying this.
The Incredible String Band
2/5
Music for 19th century Scottish peat farmers to take acid to.
Add a half-star, as ISB was allegedly an influence on the early works of Led Zeppelin. Remove that half-star for their influence on Mumford and Sons.
The Velvet Underground
1/5
As a concept, The Velvet Underground seems like a great idea.
In practice, it is unlistenable garbage.
I'll never get the appeal. Sure, Lou Reed did make some fantastic songs later in his career. I certainly hope that his masterpiece, "New York", is on this list.
If VU sounds like what heroin feels like, this album serves as a very effective deterrent against the drug.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
2/5
Further proving my point that all Reggae sounds the same, seven of this album's ten tracks begin with a nearly identical snare drum intro. The count goes up to eight if you include "The Heathen", where the intro is moved from the snare to the hi-hat.
I'll bump this up to two stars because it does have some of Marley's best-known songs. Credit must be given where it is due, and this record did push Reggae (for better or worse) into the mainstream.
Dennis Wilson
3/5
This record was WAY better than I thought it would be. I went into it assuming I'd hear some version of what the Beach Boys became when they made "Kokomo." Instead, this was closer in sound to Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, Harry Nilsson, and Steely Dan.
I'm not sure whether to add or subtract a half-star for the Charles Manson thing. On one hand...tragic and brutal murders. On the other..."Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."
Let's call that a wash.
Sepultura
3/5
No need for two Sepultura albums on this list.
Morrissey
1/5
This fuckin' guy again?
The Pharcyde
3/5
Very hit-or-miss. "Passin' Me By" is clearly the strongest track. The jokey songs don't hold up.
Dire Straits
4/5
Mark Knopfler's incredible guitar playing and tone manage to cut through the oh-so-80's production to keep this album above most of its contemporaries.
Award an extra half-star for the use of the title track in the closing scene of the classic episode of "Miami Vice", "Out Where the Busses Don't Run." It features acclaimed character actor Bruce McGill and future Oscar© nominee David Strathairn. The episode is widely considered to be the best and most significant in the the history of television.
Sonic Youth
5/5
As a fan of Sonic Youth and this album in particular, I gotta ask...
Why are there FOUR Sonic Youth albums (so far) on this list? It's not like they changed their sound or direction at any point. It's Noise Rock, not the most accessible genre on the market. If someone doesn't like "Goo", are they in any way likely to enjoy this one? There's a far greater chance that it would push them away, much like how my hatred of Morrissey grows every time he pops up here (which seems to be almost weekly).
I have not read the source material book, so I'm unable to read The Author's rationale for including multiple entries from the same artist. It seems to me that he obsesses over certain artists to the exclusion of others that deserve a listen.
Mott The Hoople
2/5
I recognized the first track, "All The Way From Memphis," from Classic Rock radio. It's a pretty good song.
The rest of it failed to move the needle at all for me.
MC Solaar
4/5
Three years of high school French glass did not help me here (I cut that class A LOT.)
Regardless, I liked many of these tracks.
Janet Jackson
3/5
A fun game for bored college students in 1990 to play while listening to this album:
Take a drink every time the high-pitched "Hoo!" vocal sample is used.
Do a shot every time the "Orchestra Stab" synth sample is used.
Safety not guaranteed.
Ahhh... The nostalgia value alone is worth half a star. This album enjoyed a long and inescapable life cycle in the mainstream consciousness of the early 90's.
3/5
Didn't these guys do that "Woo Hoo" song? Can we listen to that one?
The Kinks
3/5
Not a bad album, but it is from a transitional period for the Kinks. They did much better work before and after this one.
The Temptations
3/5
"Papa Was A Rolling Stone" is, of course, awesome. The rest is okay.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs have maintained a high level of quality throughout their career. They appeared during a bountiful period for Post-Punk Garage Rock. I'd like to connect the movement to post-9/11 NYC zeitgeist, but can't really sell the connection. In any case, this is a fantastic debut that should be heard by all.
Extra half-star for Karen O's single tear at the end of the video for "Maps."
Butthole Surfers
4/5
Not the Butthole Surfers album I would have put on this list, but it's just nice to see them here at all.
Give 'em a half-star for the "Satan" bit that opens the first track, a wild interpretation of Sabbath's "Sweet Leaf."
Orange Juice
1/5
This project has made me realize that there is a certain lilting vocal style used by some male artists (mostly British) that I just can't stand. This album has it in spades. The music behind it doesn't help the situation at all.
Oh wait.... this is that guy who had that one song back in the Nineties that was kinda on the radio a bunch for a couple of months?
Doesn't matter. Still sucks.
Joy Division
5/5
Once again I ask, do BOTH Joy Division albums need to occupy space on this list? It's their ENTIRE discography. Wouldn't it make more sense to feature one Joy Division and one New Order album? I gives the implication that The Author™ does not respect our limited time. The "Must Listen" imperative just seems cruel at this point. I doubt that it is what Ian Curtis would have wanted.
Rant Over. Great album. And to have it appear on World Goth Day was a nice coincidence.
Traffic
4/5
Great album. Big Steve Winwood fan right here.
Winwood is one of the few artists who merit multiple entries on this list. His work with Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, Blind Faith, and solo is consistently top-notch. Add in his session work with the likes of Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, and Lou Reed he could be on this list more than anyone.
Oasis
4/5
I like Oasis just fine and this album has some great songs on it. But once again, we have already reviewed a similar work by the same artist. "What's the Story (Morning Glory)" is the better record and adding this one is just redundant.
Elbow
2/5
The music just isn't my style. It sounded like a watered-down Peter Gabriel/Radiohead kind of thing. Sort of Coldplay-ish, I guess. Just glad to see something new on this list.
Portishead
4/5
It's really good, but not as good as Portishead's other two studio albums. The live album, "Roseland NYC Live", is their very best and is the only one needed for this list.
TLC
3/5
Remember when Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes burned Andre Rison's house down? That shit was crazy, right? And then the whole David Justice and Halle Berry thing...that was some news back then. Winona Ryder was dating all those shaggy-looking Rock stars and shoplifting too? Just nuts, right? Aww, man... I almost forgot about Jennifer Lopez and that green dress. Wasn't she with Puff Daddy at the time? Damn, I miss the Nineties.
Anywayyyy.... "Waterfalls" is a killer track. The rest is pretty alright, I guess.
Minus at least a half-star for TLC's association with the aforementioned Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs.
Green Day
5/5
Serious nostalgia trip right here. 1994 was a great year for Alternative music. This cassette spent a lot of time in my car and several of its tracks ended up on then mix tapes that I was so fond of making. I listened to "Dookie" in its entirety at least a thousand times and then never actively sought Green Day out again. But I had the time of my life.
The The
2/5
I've always thought that The The's music is as uninteresting as their name.
I'll offer a half-hearted extra half-star for the appearance of the usually excellent Neneh Cherry on "Slow Train to Dawn."
Ramones
5/5
Impossible to give this anything but five stars.
The Doors
5/5
Not sure if this is the most "essential" of The Doors' recordings, but it is my personal favorite. "Peace Frog" alone is worth the price of admission.
Tangerine Dream
2/5
Tom Waits
1/5
I suppose that his commitment to the bit is admirable. Unfortunately, the character that Tom Waits has been playing for fifty years gets stale for me real quick.
3/5
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Still, it came across as "ELO for elitist music geeks" (no offense).
Obviously Beatlesque in its production, I kept my attention more than other stuff I've heard from XTC.
System Of A Down
3/5
Once again, our Mr. Dimery opts to feature an artist's debut album rather than a subsequent album with more definitive tracks. SOAD's second album, "Toxicity" has all their hits on it because it is their best album and is the only one that needs to be included on this list. There couldn't possibly be two SOAD albums on the list, right?
Little Richard
4/5
The Kinks
3/5
As this project goes on, the repeated appearance of certain artists becomes more and more irritating. This is the third album from the Kinks that we have reviewed and they are all from the same era. All three are virtually identical.
Parliament
4/5
The Rolling Stones
5/5
An absolutely essential album.
It could be knocked for its subpar mixing, but I think the rough sound reflects the shambolic way the recordings occurred and only adds to the mystique.
Black Sabbath
5/5
Def Leppard
5/5
The pinnacle of the Hair Metal genre. This masterpiece had seven(!) smash hit singles that kept it on the radio for over a year and a half. Mutt Lange's meticulous production set it apart from the rest of the field, creating a sound with the widest possible appeal. Other Pop Music acts rose and fell while Def Leppard maintained its hold on the radio and MTV.
"Hysteria" is a huge nostalgia bomb for me. "Hysteria" was a big part of my late high school years' soundtrack. School, jobs, girls, and weekend nights spent partying with friends were forever linked to songs from this album.
Oh, yeah... did I mention that their drummer only had one arm? That's gotta be worth at least an extra half-star.
Sebadoh
4/5
I don't think any Sebadoh fan would say that this is the "must listen" album. In their original configuration, "Sebadoh III" is the better choice. After Eric Gaffney's departure, the albums "Bakesale" and "Harmacy" featured Sebadoh's strongest and most accessible material. Any of those three records would be better for this list.
But, hey, I'm just glad to see any album from them here.
Tack on a half-star because I have a darkly funny story about Sebadoh's Lou Barlow and The Lemonheads' Evan Dando. Too long to tell it here.
The Beach Boys
3/5
There are some very good songs here, but also some clunkers. As the Beach Boys tried to stay relevant in a fast-changing society, the socially-conscious tunes come off as ham-handed. Brian Wilson's diminishing role as leader of the group is felt throughout the record.
We've already heard enough Beach Boys and Beach Boys-adjacent albums that better and more essential than this one.
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
3/5
When I first opened today's selection, I was afraid we'd be listening to some lame-ass-Dave Matthews-wannabe-Jam-Pop-Adult-Alternative music from O.A.R.
What we actually got was a somewhat interesting album from an artist with mental health problems that sounds a lot like other artists with mental health problems (i.e. Nick Drake, Daniel Johnston, Gram Parsons, etc.)
My initial reaction is that I'll probably never listen to this again. But there is a tribute album, "More Oar: A Tribute to the Skip Spence Album", that has more refined versions of these songs by Alejanro Escovedo, Beck, Mark Lanegan, Greg Dulli, and others. It's not on Spotify, but most of it is on YouTube.
Radiohead
5/5
The second-best Radiohead album.
Shivkumar Sharma
2/5
Nick Drake
3/5
Of the three albums that Nick Drake recorded in his lifetime, this is the one that should be on this list. I'm guessing that all of them will show up here anyway.
Let's be honest with ourselves... If it wasn't for that Volkswagen commercial in 1999, Nick Drake would be a mere footnote and his legacy would be as a niche musician with little impact on modern music.
Digital Underground
2/5
Barely notable as a "serious" Rap album. This one only registers because of the novelty hit song, "The Humpty Dance". Maybe a later Digital Underground recording would be interesting as peek at future superstar Tupac Shakur, but he wasn't even a member of DU at this time. As it sits, this album belongs with Tone Loc's "Loc-ed After Dark" and DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's "He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper." Sure, they had big his in the dance clubs, on the radio, and on MTV, but they are not worthy of the "must listen" tag.
Speaking of Novelty acts, I will be seriously disappointed if we don't get a crack at something from "Weird Al" Yankovic's discography. That man is a treasure and he deserves the "must listen" designation and a spot in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Feel free to fight me on this...you'll lose, sucker.
Robbie Williams
4/5
Prior to this, I had only known Robbie Williams and a UK tabloid superstar. His music was unknown, for some reason kept safely from American ears. Maybe it was the British-celeb-referencing subtext in the lyrics. Maybe it was the lush production that emphasized the "Pop" in Britpop. Maybe the U.S, arm of his promotion team just dropped the ball somewhere. For whatever reason. he just never landed here.
That's unfortunate. This album is a surprising gem. The massive sound and Williams' smirk-sneer delivery make a fine stew. Sure, he leans hard on the sounds of his forerunners (Queen, Oasis, Elton John, Blur, etc.), but even now it sounds fresh.
I thought that the weakest tunes were the power ballads, "Angels" in particular. Of course, that was the song that saved the album and Williams' career, so maybe my American ears just can't hear whatever it is that made him so popular everywhere else.
The National
2/5
I swear I've tried with this band. They're kinda droney-shoegazey, from Ohio, support progressive social causes, and even have a member named Bryce (half-star granted for that). I even shelled out for the Dressner brothers-produced Grateful Dead tribute box set. They have so much going for them, but I just can't enjoy their music.
I just don't love their sound. I think it's a matter of dynamics. Everything they do is compressed to keep the highs from getting too high and the lows from the lowest. Matt Berninger's voice barely wavers from his narrow baritone. The result, while meticulously produced, smacks of indifference.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Wouldn't it just be easier to make a list of Rolling Stones album that you don't need to hear before you die?
David Bowie
2/5
I'm not going to repeat myself again, so I will refer the reader to my several previous entries regarding the music of David Bowie.
Gram Parsons
3/5
The Beach Boys
5/5
Obviously, this is an album that must be listened to before you may call yourself a fully-formed, adult human being.
Queen Latifah
4/5
An interesting artifact that serves as a reminder that there were not a lot of female rappers in the early life of the genre. Queen Latifah's success paved the way for women to participate in the Rap/Hip-Hop juggernaut that was soon to dominate the industry. She was also at the forefront of the Afrocentric aesthetic that became popular in the early 90's. Maps of Africa, dashikis, and red, green, and black stripes became fashionable for young African-Americans and allowed them to display pride in their heritage while continuing to challenge outdated conventions.
As with many Rap albums at the time, the production is dated. That doesn't matter much. as this album did so much to move the music forward.
The Cramps
4/5
It's a shame that The Cramps didn't receive much mainstream notoriety until well after Lux Interior has died and the band ceased to exist. Thanks to a featured scene in "Wednesday", The Cramps were finally recognized for their outsized genius and influence. Unfortunately, co-founder Poison Ivy has yet to be known as the true visionary and leader (both within the band and throughout the emergent Psychobilly scene) that she was.
For further learning: The Cramps performance of "Tear it Up" is featured in the concert film, "URGH! A Music War." The 1980 film is comprised of live songs by primarily I.R.S. label bands, including The Go-Go's, The Police, X, Pere Ubu, Gary Numan, and many others. It is a fantastic showcase of Punk, New Wave, and Post-Punk music of the time. Sadly, the soundtrack is unavailable on streaming platforms and the movie itself can only be found on the obscure Plex app.
Spacemen 3
4/5
A very good album. It checks a lot of boxes for me, but fails to deliver a real knockout song.
I was not surprised to learn that one of Spaceman 3's founders went on to form Spiritualized, another band that I mostly enjoy but never feel blown away by.
The sound feels ahead of its time for 1989. Clearly, Spacemen 3 have been super-influential on bands of the current Indie scene.
Kraftwerk
2/5
Incredibly groundbreaking, influential, and boring as hell.
Ryan Adams
3/5
This list's debut album bias is certainly at play here. His next album, "Gold" is my nominee as his "must listen" album. That album was cemented into cultural lore when its hit single, "New York, New York" was released mere days before the 9/11 attacks, becoming an instant anthem. Plus, it's just an overall better album.
King Crimson
1/5
Ugh, this thing.
I first heard this album in ninth grade. I had an English teacher who tried to display that he was a "cool teacher" by decorating his classroom with various Rock albums. I asked him about this one, as it had the most distinctive art. Encouraged by my curiosity, he offered to let me borrow it, guaranteeing that is was "heavy" and "so cool."
I took it home, played it on my parents' stereo, and quickly realized that the music was incredibly tedious, annoying, and painfully uncool.
Forty years later. my opinion remains unchanged and my distrust for authority, and my English teacher (we'll call him Mr. P.) in particular, remains unchanged.*
The single star is granted solely for the quality of the album's cover art.
* This sentence was poorly written as a protest against said English teacher.
Bebel Gilberto
2/5
I know very little about Bossa Nova music. I do know that Bebel Gilberto is a nepo baby and I did see a Laufey show once (it was very good), so there's that.
Bobby Womack
4/5
Fine Soul music from one of Cleveland's illustrious sons.
Special note should be given for the outstanding bass lines of session musician Nathan East. Ranking with Tony Levin and Carol Kaye as one of the most recorded bassists in history, his work anchors the music.
Nitin Sawhney
3/5
Yes
4/5
Of all the significant albums by Prog-Rock bands that were released in 1971, this is one of them.
"The Yes Album" isn't my most favorite, but I don't dislike it either. It's better than King Crimson, but not as good as Pink Floyd. Most equal to Yes' other pressing from that year, "Fragile."
Nanci Griffith
4/5
Gonna put this in the "Contemporary Country Music I Really Like" bin. It seems that most of the music in this bin is female-driven. Kacey Musgraves, Margo Price, Allison Krauss, Alexandra Kay, and now Nanci Griffith occupy some rare space in that compartment.
New Order
2/5
Right artist, wrong album.
Shack
2/5
Raw notes about this album:
About as spicy and edgy as vanilla ice cream.
Makes Hootie and the Blowfish sound like Tool.
The optimism of late-90's Jangle-Pop was a harbinger.
Watered-down Oasis wannabe
De La Soul
4/5
Pro:
A mostly outstanding album. Certainly unique in its time period. Introduced the idea of sampling as a legitimate art. Gave a career boost to Q-Tip with his feature on "Buddy."
Con:
It's way too long. Introduced the concept skits and interludes on Rap albums.
Ella Fitzgerald
4/5
The definitive collection of the Gershwins' important works, sung by the best possible vocalist, and featuring a top-notch Pop orchestra.
The only knock here is that the sheer volume (over three hours!) makes it less than appropriate for this list. The artists involved may be better served with other individual albums. Riddle alone should already have entries for his work on Frank Sinatra's "In the Wee Small Hours" (the very first Pop album) and Linda Ronstadt's outstanding covers album, "What's New."
Björk
4/5
This is a very good album from Bjork, but not the one that should be on this list. "Debut", "Post", and "Life's Too Good" (from her earlier band, The Sugarcubes) are better examples of her "eccentric but oddly danceable" style. My personal favorite is the "Post" remix collection, "Telegram". This album is too accessible and sterile to be considered her "must listen".
Add a half-star because this album was released in America on my 30th birthday.
For some extra Bjork-y fun, check out Helmet's thundering cover of "Army of Me."
Television
5/5
Aww, man... Tom Verlaine died? In 2023? How did I not know that? Maybe I heard about it and then forgot. Whatta bummer. He was a cool dude. Had a cigarette with him once and found him to be charming and curious. We talked about Cleveland and his many visits here. He asked good questions. Very thoughtful guy. Man, that sucks...
Anyway, this album invented Post-Punk while Punk itself was in its infancy. Easy classic.
The Cult
3/5
Wrong album again, Dimery.
Either The Cult's previous album, "Love", or the next one, "Sonic Temple", are the "must listen" discs. On "Love", the band was darker and more authentic-sounding. "Sonic Temple" had the smash hits, thanks to the Midas touch of super-producer Bob Rock.
"Electric", under the Zen tutelage of Rick Rubin, is a transitional album, streamlining The Cult's sound to something closer to AC/DC than Joy Division.
None of it really mattered, though. The whole thing was about to be left in the dust by Guns 'n' Roses.
Jamiroquai
3/5
Jamiroquai walked so that Bruno Mars could walk slightly faster.
Once again, we are presented a debut album when the subsequent album (the one with an international smash hit song) is the far better choice.
Method Man
3/5
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
It's a hands-down five-star album. Period.
So anywayyyyy.... Here are my predictions for the new Springsteen biopic:
- Scenes of a difficult childhood and parents who disapprove of his musical pursuit.
- Overwrought dialogue along the lines of "Why do you want this so bad, Bruce?". "Because they said I couldn't have it!"
- "Aha" moment while riding a motorcycle (on Highway 9, of course) that leads to writing the song "Born to Run."
- Actor portraying "Little Steven" Van Zandt watched too much "Sopranos". Plays him as more Jersey gangster than guitarist.
- The contribution of WMMS DJ Kid Leo (and Cleveland Rock radio in general) to Springsteen's success is completely overlooked. WMMS played "Born to Run" at 5pm every single Friday for many decades, don't forget.
- The movie gets Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Actor in a Leading Role nominations at the Academy Awards.
Subtract one star for each prediction I get right.
Stereo MC's
2/5
Oh, yeah...I remember this group. Then I forgot about them, just like I am going to again in about ten minutes.
It's not bad, but it's not very interesting either. I would swap this album for either "God Fodder" or "Are You Normal?" from Ned's Atomic Dustbin.
Neil Young
2/5
Look, I'm just not a big Neil Young fan, okay? So maybe let's pump the brakes a little bit, just pick one or two of his albums, and be done with it.
I actually liked a few of these songs more I than I thought I would. I attribute this to the stellar musicians around him, rather than Young himself.
Paul Weller
2/5
What in the Hootie, Sweat, and Tears is this? I had to double-check to make sure that this is the same Paul Weller as the one who was in The Jam.
Any one of The Jam's first three albums should be on this list. This piece of radio-friendly Adult Contemporary fluff does not belong here. The music on this album seems dated for 1993, as his earlier Neo-Mod/New Wave/Punk vibe probably would have gone over quite well at the time. Instead, he trades his edgy roots in the dangerous city for a comfortable and compromised life in the suburbs.
Saint Etienne
3/5
Leftfield
2/5
Outside of the hit single, "Original," these isn't much to write home about here. Plenty of other contemporary electronic artists (Moby, Daft Punk, Underworld, Orb, etc.) were making similar music for the primarily European club kid scene. Leftfield may have helped break the genre into the mainstream, but I don't hear it as a must-listen.
Add a half-star for the outstanding album cover art.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
4/5
Okay... I think we've knocked on every door in Laurel Canyon. We can go home now.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
Minus one whole star because we have already reviewed other Simon & Garfunkel albums and the redundancy is obvious.
Just pick one and let's go.
Black Sabbath
5/5
The fact that we got this album on the day that Ozzy died is either a tragic coincidence or a tribute to his mastery of the Dark Arts. Either way, it's impossible to be objective during this period of mourning.
Five stars.
But can we just appreciate for a moment that Ozzy pretty much invented the "Metal Ballad"? He wasn't just the creator, he was the master. Throughout his career, he dropped emotional, soaring ballads that added real weight and depth to his recordings. Without this album's "Changes", we wouldn't have heard Beth calling, found our way home sweet home, realized that roses have thorns, and a sweet child wouldn't have been ours. Thanks to Ozzy, even the Metal kids had something to slow dance to.
Rest in peace, you bat-eating madman.
The Residents
2/5
Prior to now, I had only known of The Residents as "that band that wears giant eyeball heads with tuxedos and top hats". I knew that lots of people considered them to be important and influential. Beyond that, I had never heard a note of their recordings and doubted that I would ever seek any.
So now that I have heard one of their forty-plus(!) albums, I will likely never listen to them again. It's weird for the sake of being weird and not an easy or particularly enjoyable listen. But Mr. Dimery said I needed to hear it before I die and I did. The songs are silly and senseless and probably appealed to the Dr. Demento fans who also enjoyed Barnes+Barnes "Fish Heads" and other novelty music before Weird Al came along and owned the genre.
I'll give this two stars because I do believe that weirdness and absurdity can be art, whether we enjoy it or not. We're talking about it, aren't we?
Ice Cube
4/5
Possibly my favorite of the 90's Rap/Hip-Hop albums we've heard so far.
Sam Cooke
5/5
That's some damn fine Soul Music right there.
AC/DC
4/5
Obviously a Classic. We all know the story. The hits have all been played ad nauseum on Classic Rock radio to the point that we know all the words and can air guitar the riffs with remarkable accuracy, whether we like it or not.
Known neither for their breadth or depth, AC/DC is instantly recognizable as an unchanging, unsubtle, unstoppable force.
My preference leans toward the earlier Bon Scott-fronted material (the "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" album in particular), but it really doesn't matter. AC/DC is AC/DC and always will be nothing more or less than AC/DC.
Al Green
4/5
Japan
4/5
Wait... This is from BEFORE Duran Duran and Adam Ant? I gotta re-think some things.
I had heard of this band in passing before, but never realized just how influential they were. This album exposes the roots of Synth-Pop, New Romantic, and the vaguely-named "Big Music" (think Simple Minds and Big Country) trends that erupted in the U.K. and jumped the ocean to the U.S. in the early-to-mid-80's. There's a bit of Proto-Goth here as well.
A strong first impression worthy of deeper exploration.
The Mars Volta
3/5
A good album, but not as good as At the Drive-In's "Relationship of Command." If "Relationship of Command" is already on the list, then this one is redundant. If not, a mistake has been made and should be corrected.
Queen
4/5
A damn fine album with some killer tracks. But once again we must ask if this is truly the definitive "must-listen" album from their catalog. And, once again, the Author has chosen an album from a transitional period for the band.
In any case, it was nice to revisit this one and hear some tunes that I had skipped while going for Queen's more vital work.
The Divine Comedy
1/5
You gotta be kidding. This is a "must listen" for nobody. Even if you like mellow, orchestral Pop music, there are a million better choices than this pile of musical poop.
Megadeth
4/5
Eagles
4/5
I'll concede that Eagles may deserve two spots on this list. One from their earlier days when the emphasis was on the "Country" side of their Country Rock sound. Fresh from cutting their teeth as Linda Ronstadt's backing band and with the assistance of songwriter Jackson Browne and mega-producer Glyn Johns, this album announced the Eagles as up-and-coming powerhouse. Outstanding musicianship and four vocalists who could shine alone or in harmony make this a fair choice for that spot.
Another entry from their later work, after a mid-career lineup change added rocker Joe Walsh to the fold, is warranted. This was already covered when we reviewed the blockbuster "Hotel California" record.
Therefore, we are done with the Eagles for the remainder of this project, right?
Teenage Fanclub
2/5
I know this is a highly regarded album and I'm not surprised to see it on this list. It just never did anything for me, though. Sure, it has big, fuzzy guitars and noisy, feedback-drenched interludes, but it lacks the emotion and the hooks that punctuated the Alternative Rock boom of 1991.
I won't fight "Bandwagonesque"'s inclusion here, but I would rather have seen this entry go to something like Ned's Atomic Dustbin's "God Fodder" or Babes in Toyland's "To Mother" or TAD's "Eight-Way Santa", all of which I'm sure didn't make the cut.
The Who
5/5
An obvious five-star, stone-cold classic.
If you haven't heard this masterpiece, are you even human? If so, you are very likely a traitor to the entire human race. Such a traitor must be put to death by the most horrific means imaginable.
But first, you MUST listen to this album.
The Jam
4/5
The Jam definitely deserves one spot on this list. Paul Weller says that this is the best of their albums, so I guess we'll just go with that. I probably would have chosen one of their first three albums, but this will do. I still don't see how that Paul Weller solo album also made the list. It just doesn't hold up against anything The Jam did.
The Sonics
4/5
Remember when The Black Keys used to sound like this? That was pretty cool. Wish they still did.
Obviously, a very influential album that launched a Lo-Fi movement that continues today.
Knock off a half-star for just a few too many yelps, screams, and "woooo!"s.
The Sugarcubes
5/5
"Birthday" alone makes this a special album. The rest of the tracks congeal with it to form a quirky, funny, scary, and danceable record. I liked this one even before I started listening to College Radio. And now, almost four decades later, it's still fresh as a daisy.
Extra half-star for the album art's color scheme, which makes it easy to spot in a large record, CD, or tape collection.
Another half-star for the surprising connection between the Sugarcubes and Chumbawumba. Look it up.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
1/5
Nick Cave and Tom Waits are perfectly interchangeable to me. They are both so committed to their persona that they are a one-lane, one way road that is experienced the exact same way, mile after mile, year after year. It is a dirty, bumpy road, littered with imaginary casualties. No matter, the tires won't bounce and any curves in the road are gentle and barely noticeable. There is no destination or end to the road, only a horizon that looks just like where it all started from.
Maybe it's actually am amusement park ride, staying locked into it's loop of track. The listener enjoys the safety of being strapped into the cart, while Nick Cave and Tom Waits perform their schtick of murder ballads and pseudo-poetic drinking songs.
In either case, I do not enjoy the ride and dread having to sit through it again. The guy running the Tilt-O-Whirl just off the Van Halen Expressway seems pretty drunk and wants to play some Whitesnake over the loudspeaker. That looks wayyyy more fun.
Muddy Waters
5/5
Listening to Blues Music in 2025 is usually a boring, dreary chore. The style is defined by it's standards, forms, and cliches. Older generations seems to love it for that very fact. They find comfort in Blues' unchanging nature.
Muddy Waters was, in his unique way, an innovator who electrified and modernized Blues Guitar and bandleading. This record is an excellent snapshot of a moment when Blues Music made a significant leap into an unknown future. That future gave us Hendrix, Clapton, Psychedelia, Heavy Metal, and countless other musical milestones.
For further listening enjoyment, check out Waters' controversial psychedelic album. "Electric Mud."
Basement Jaxx
3/5
Me: "Yo, Dimery! Heads up!"
[Throws a paper cup half full of milkshake at Robert Dimery's head]
Robert Dimery [Dripping in milkshake]: "Hey! What the fuck was that for?"
Me: "Basement Jaxx! You really fucked up on that one, Bobby. They had one real hit. And it was PERFECT. "Where's Your Head At?" is an undeniable masterpiece. Built on a sample from Gary Neuman's "M.E.", the track is like cocaine for your ears. It forces rhythmic movement and and makes the listener feel like they could smash through a brick wall with a giant, toothy smile.
And you picked the OTHER fucking record? The target was right in front of your face, Bob, but you turned around and aimed into the crowd. Don't get me wrong, "Remedy" is a fine Club Music record from a prolific time in the genre's history. But it doesn't have "Where's Your Head At?". It's the ONLY Basement Jaxx song that really matters. Why the fuck would you just ignore it like that?"
[Starts loading up another cup of milkshake}
Dimery [Cowering in the corner, shaking, and possibly crying a little]: "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! You're right. I'll fix it!"
Me: "You fuckin' better."
[Fakes throwing the new milkshake at Dimery, causing him to flinch and cry harder]
"That's what I thought."
American Music Club
4/5
At first, I wasn't that excited about this record. I thought is was derivative. "California" sounds like a pastiche of 1990's AOR highlights. With each song, another 90's songwriting style is represented. Right away, I heard The Tragically Hip, Elliot Smith, Jon Spencer, Wilco, Afghan Whigs, and Toad The Wet Sprocket's underrated debut represented.
Then I looked at when this album was released. 1988?!? Holy shit... Mark Eitzel and company predicted and guided the future of Indie Rock throughout the 90's and beyond (Sufjan Stevens anyone?) All those artists I heard in this music owe American Music Club a serious debt of gratitude.
Color me impressed.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
How many Joni Mitchell albums are on this list?
Starting to feel like it might be all of them.
Pick one, Dimery. We already know you love Joni and all things from the 1970's Laurel Canyon scene. But, c'mon... this is ridiculous.
This spot should have gone to an Ani DiFranco album.
Michael Kiwanuka
2/5
Looks like this album received a great deal of critical acclaim back in 2019. Of course, we know that critical acclaim and award nominations are utterly meaningless when it comes to how an album will be remembered in the future.
This album is "safe", but hardly essential. I couldn't find anything thrilling about it and would place it on a map not in the middle of the road, but the middle of the cul-de-sac.
Far better contemporary albums that could be considered "must-listen"s would be Kamasi Washington's Jazz-Pop wonder, "Heaven and Earth" or Mac DeMarco's eclectic Soul gem, "Here Comes the Cowboy."
Little Simz
3/5
Bee Gees
1/5
Just as bad as "Trafalgar", an incredibly similar album from the same exact same band. We get it. The Bee Gees were doing Beatles cosplay (focus on the Ringo songs) while performing vocal gymnastics.
Me: [Squints hard while pinching the bridge of my nose, signaling clear frustration.] "Look, Dimery... You do know that The Bee Gees only real contribution to music was when they took Disco Music from the Black and Gay dance clubs and delivered it to the White mainstream, right? Right?!? DISCO, Bobby!!! The. Bee. Gees. Are. DISCO. Full fuckin' stop."
Sleater-Kinney
5/5
One of my most favorite albums ever. I bought this album without ever hearing a note of it because a review in Spin Magazine said, "Sleater-Kinney puts on a guitar assault worthy of Sugar." The reviewer wasn't wrong, but sold short the incredible drum work of band newcomer Janet Weiss.
I also bought a black and white Danelectro 59-DC guitar because it looked just like the one on the cover of this album.
I could go on and on for days about Sleater-Kinney and how important "Dig Me Out" is, but I'm just gonna give it the five stars that it deserves and move on.
Add an extra half-star because the cover art is an apt tribute to The Kinks' "Konspiracy" cover.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
2/5
Okay, fair. ONE Captain Beefheart album and that's it. Here it is and it's just like everyone says...weird and somehow influential. We're talking about it, so it must be art or something, right?
I'm just glad to get it over with.
But I'd better not see "Trout Mask Replica" on here or I'm gonna be pissed.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
1/5
I've long known that this album would appear on this list at some point. But to have it immediately (and allegedly randomly) follow Beefheart's "Safe as Milk" must be Mr. Dimery's idea of a joke.
Not funny, dickhead.
The Yardbirds
2/5
This type of Psychedelic Blues music that emerged in Mid-60's England was rendered irrelevant when Jimi Hendrix made the scene. The Yardbirds just don't hold up as virtuosos once you hear what followed them. Jeff Beck did his most significant work well after this. Even Jimmy Page's brief stint as their post-Jeff Beck guitarist just seems like an idling stop over while he was preparing to launch the mighty Led Zeppelin.
What remains is a relic best appreciated by nostalgic Baby Boomers and Blues historians.
Cheap Trick
5/5
Possibly the greatest live album ever. It pushed a middling Rock band to superstardom and signaled the beginning of the end for Disco.
The Only Ones
2/5
Maybe in 1978 this was something special, but it just doesn't hold up.
Madness
3/5
I always thought of Madness as a Second-Wave Ska band, akin to The Specials and The Skatelites. Throughout this album, they proclaim themselves as Rocksteady, a style that bridged Ska and Reggae. Mostly what I heard was much closer to a Beatles-influenced Pop outfit with a few minor elements of Ska and Rocksteady.
Madness' best-known singles lean hard on Jamaican roots, but the majority of this album doesn't follow. They come across as being closer to Mod acts like The Jam than proper two-tone Ska acts like The Beat.
Speaking of The Beat (a.k.a. The English Beat), are we going to see them on this list? They were as essential, if not more so, than Madness, had way more hits, and influenced some very significant artists (Pete Townshend, The Police, etc.).
Echo And The Bunnymen
2/5
Outside of a few standout tracks (namely the classic, "The Killing Moon"), there wasn't much here for me.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Possibly my favorite Stevie Wonder album. Perfectly produced and performed mostly by Wonder himself. The additional musicians are top-caliber and include superstars Jeff Beck, David Sanborn, and Ray "Ghostbusters" Parker Jr.
Only loses a half-star for a couple of weaker tunes on side two, but gets it back with one of the best album closers ever in "I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever).
Robert Wyatt
1/5
Why do I need to listen to this before I die? I just don't understand how this is supposed to enrich my life in any way. Even when considered as "Outsider Art", it just doesn't seem at all special. It's just...there.
I have already forgotten the whole thing.
Tori Amos
5/5
An outstanding debut album that arrived as a refreshing respite from the Grunge explosion that dominated Alt Rock at the time. Of course, it's only a debut if you disregard Tori Amos' earlier project, Y Kant Tori Read. YKTR only released one album that Amos had tried to distance herself from before relenting and adding a couple of its songs to her live set. Honestly, it's not that bad. Sure the 80's Synth-Pop sound is dated (and probably was in 1988), but the songwriting shows real potential. Surprisingly, the musicians credited on "Y Kant Tori Read" include Matt Sorum (later of Guns 'n' Roses), and Robin Zander & Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick.
Then "Little Earthquakes" landed quietly in the middle of the mosh pit that was Alt Rock in the early 90's. The first video released to MTV, "Silent All These Years", enjoyed modest plays in the 1 AM to 5 AM rotation. Fortunately, wiser ears demanded more Tori and were rewarded with a tidal wave of female-fronted acts that wouldn't subside until the last pair of Birkinstocks shuffled out of the final Lilith Fair.
Slipknot
2/5
There but for the grace of God goes Mushroomhead, Limp Bizkit, Korn, Static-X, Coal Chamber, Sevendust, Deftones, P.O.D., Staind, or any number of other Nü Metal bands that I can't tell apart.
The masks don't help.
Miles Davis
5/5
Well, yeah....obviously "Kind of Blue" is a must-listen. In fact, most Miles Davis records could qualify for this list.
But how about some Thelonious Monk? Maybe there's something from him coming up, I hope.
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
This isn't the Bruce Springsteen that I enjoy. Come to think of it, I only like Springsteen records with the E Street Band on them. Must be the saxophone.
Astor Piazzolla
1/5
The fact that this album does not have a Wikipedia entry and all but one of the songs have less than 60,000 listens on Spotify should tell you how "essential" it is.
Most of the songs sound like music for children's cartoons and the rest are flat-out boring.
I would really like to hear Mr. Dimery's justification for including it and wasting our valuable time.
Lou Reed
2/5
Oh, thank God.... yet another Lou Reed album. What a surprise.
Instead of trying to cram Reed's more controversial works down our throats, why doesn't Mr. Dimery give us the agreed-upon masterpiece, "New York"?
THAT'S the one Lou Reed album that you must listen to.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
1/5
Jeeeezuuusss-H.-Tap-Dancing-Christ.... Nick Cave again?
Not gonna listen to another of the same exact thing I already said I don't enjoy. Life's too short.
Giving it one star as protest.
Pink Floyd
5/5
I'm awarding this album five stars in honor of Mr. George Case, my high school A.P. English teacher. Mr. Case taught his class with an eye toward preparing his students not just for collegiate accomplishment, but also real-world success. His style was the enlightened kind usually only seen in heartwarming television shows or inspiring movies. How he got away with it will forever be a mystery.
His class was by no means easy. Required reading included "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" and "Irrational Man", challenging tomes for even more adult readers. After successfully navigating his curriculum for a year-and-a-half, the final semester was dedicated to studying Pink Floyd's "The Wall" as an introduction to modern Western philosophy. He explored the themes expressed in Roger Waters' narrative and connected them to great thinkers like Sartre, Heidegger, Kierkegaard, and Jung. As a result of Mr. Case's lessons, college-level Philosophy classes were a breeze. Connecting these complex schools of thought with this musical and conceptual powerhouse made for a lesson none of his students would ever fail to appreciate.
Talking Heads
3/5
Obviously, Mr. Dimery thinks we must listen to ALL of the Talking Heads albums before we die.
Einstürzende Neubauten
1/5
Choose one:
a) This makes Kraftwerk sound like the Dave Matthews Band.
b) This makes Swans sound like the B-52s.
c) This makes Throbbing Gristle sound like Mariah Carey.
d) This makes a handful of silverware in a garbage disposal sound like Mozart.
e) All of the above
When you have completed the test, give your answer sheet to the proctor and return to your seat. Scream your full name as loudly as possible and do not stop until dismissed by the proctor. Any stoppage in screaming will result in automatic failure of the test.
You have four hours to complete the test.
Big Star
3/5
A fine album with some well-crafted songs.
But everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY, knows that the Big Star album that you must listen to is "#1 Record".
Hands down. I said EVERYBODY.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
3/5
Not sure I feel the necessity here.
FLC had one Stoner-Novelty hit with "Scooby Snacks." It was popular for about three months among line cooks, video store employees, and suburban high school boys. Probably immortalized forever on burned mix CD's between Afroman and Cypress Hill.
Orbital
4/5
This music smells like cocaine.
Isaac Hayes
3/5
Started off real strong, but then "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" brought this album to a screeching halt. Ten minutes of talking (I have no idea what about) is far too much to ask of any listener. The last nine minutes don't provide a big enough payout to make Hayes' seemingly endless monologue worth it.
Minus a half-star because Scientology. Just think about how South Park would be even better right now if Chef was still around.
The Soft Boys
4/5
Having only heard "I Wanna Destroy You" before this, "Underwater Moonlight" is a nice surprise. I had thought they were probably some one-off Cheap Trick clone or Big Star wannabes. Fortunately, the music proves me wrong. This album deserves to be better known.
Milton Nascimento
3/5
Elvis Presley
2/5
"Elvis was a hero to most, but he never meant shit to me."
-Public Enemy, "Fight the Power"
I've always viewed Elvis as a pop culture sensation, rather than a proper Rock star. He stole just enough from Black artists to make him seem edgy while performing mostly orchestral Pop and Country music.
I'll drop an added half-star on this album for inspiring the album cover of The Clash's "London Calling."
Motörhead
3/5
We already reviewed that Motorhead live album, so why is this also essential? Pick one.
Mr. Dimery seems to enjoy redundancy and doing the same things over and over again.
Super Furry Animals
2/5
This album made me feel....nothing. Nothing at all. Not bad enough to elicit anger or disappointment, but not good enough to move the needle in the other direction. Just a straight, flat line of indifference.
Ananda Shankar
2/5
The cover songs at the beginning of the album are a fun novelty. After that, the more traditional sitar music gets tiresome.
Bob Dylan
5/5
This is the Bob Dylan album that is truly a must-listen.
The Fall
3/5
Ahead of its time, but not particularly exciting in a modern context.
Talvin Singh
3/5
In the late-90's/early-00's, there was a bit of crossover between Indian music and Western Pop. Artists such as Cornershop and Punjabi MC broke through and added a new twist. This album is too atmospheric and ambient to have made much of a dent, airplay-wise. But, I'm sure it was excellent background music for hipster nightclubs and expensive day spas.
Christine and the Queens
3/5
Clearly, Christine and the Queens are important for LGBTQ+ visibility. Listening objectively, this is some pretty good Pop music. Not outstanding, but pretty good. It looks like CATQ are very popular internationally, but haven't made the inroads to the U.S. that would make it a must-listen.
For something similar (and arguably better), I would suggest Haim's outstanding debut album, "Days Are Gone".
The Magnetic Fields
3/5
I'll admit it, I skimmed the first disc and decided that it was good enough. Almost three hours of songs about the grand concept of "Love"? Yeah, nobody has time for all that.
"The Book of Love" is the hit, covered several times by artists who probably didn't listen to the whole collection either. The rest of the tunes are curious little notes.
3/5
"Obscure 90's Ambient Nightclub Music, Part 4"
The B-52's
4/5
I became aware of B-52's in 1989 when their mega-hit single, "Love Shack" was dominating the radio, MTV, and the jukebox in my favorite bar. It was so ubiquitous that I just tuned them out. Instead, I leaned into their Georgia neighbors, R.E.M., The Black Crowes, and the criminally underrated Drivin N Cryin. The novelty tune, "Rock Lobster" was the only other thing that I knew of B-52's.
Now I wish I hadn't slept on them for so long.
Tack on an extra half-star for their fun approach to LGBTQ+ visibility.
Ray Charles
4/5
Yep...good stuff. Ray Charles did one thing and he did it better than anyone. I never really understood the "Genius" moniker, though. Did he create something entirely new or somehow transform music in a totally unique way? I don't see it (no pun intended). I am open to hearing a differing opinion, though.
Plus one half-star for his iconic appearance in one on my favorite movies, "The Blues Brothers".
Faust
2/5
This had a couple of interesting moments, but was mostly un-fun. I think harsh noise and other machine-generated experimental music can be captivating, but it works much better in a live setting. Recordings just come across like an album of old dial-up modem connection sounds.
Goldfrapp
2/5
This album would be interesting if it wasn't so boring.
Spiritualized
3/5
Another rerun. One Spiritualized album was sufficient.
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
Yet another rerun. One Pet Shop Boys album is sufficient for this list.
Dolly Parton
3/5
Metallica
4/5
The last good Metallica album. After this, they would give production duties to Pop guru, Bob Rock, and shift from being "Metal" to "Arena Rock."
This album is tight. A great deal has been made of the fact that Jason Newstead's bass was mixed out of the final product. I think that this make the album sound more aggressive and sharpens its edge. Without the comfort of warm bass tones, the music becomes more urgent and comelling. I've heard the "...And Justice for Jason" mix with the bass restored, and I don't think it's nearly as good as the original. No slight on Newstead...he was great in Flotsam and Jetsam, but his contribution is best left on the cutting room floor here.
Hell, even Lars' drums sound really good.
Baaba Maal
2/5
Roxy Music
2/5
The adoration heaped upon Roxy Music Never really made sense to me. They're fine...I guess. I think it has something to do with Brian Eno.
Just not my thing.
UB40
1/5
Ugh...Reggae. At least this one doesn't have UB40's terrible version of the already terrible song, "Red Red Wine".
Throw this on the junk pile along with Simply Red, Fine Young Cannibals, and Dexy's Midnight Runners.
Snoop Dogg
3/5
Lucinda Williams
3/5
This is the best Sheryl Crow album I have ever heard.
Give it an extra half-star for the all-star lineup of backing musicians, including the excellently-named Gerf Morlix.
Le Tigre
4/5
Gender politics and thought experiments that you can dance to!
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
4/5
Very pleasing to the ear. Not much of a departure from what had already been heard of them on Paul Simon's "Graceland".
I've wondered in the past about whether this type of vocal music is common among their people, or if Ladysmith Black Mambazo were a unique musical entity. Now I know.
Randy Newman
2/5
Damn, Randy... Dropping N-bombs right out of the gate? That's a choice.
It's impossible to listen to Randy Newman anymore without thinking of that "Family Guy" bit about him. It's funny because it's true.
Beyond that, not much really caught my ear on this one.
Love
3/5
Pretty good. Not great. But not bad. Kinda...you know, alright. It had some good parts, and some tedious ones (particularly side two, the overlong "Revelation").
Several parts had me recognizing that the boundary between "Psychedelic" and "Drug Music" had been crossed over and jumped back repeatedly.
The Pogues
2/5
Not my bag. The Pogues are probably my least favorite thing about St. Patrick’s Day.
Shave off a half-star for all the terrible Irish-Punk bands that were influenced (and straight-up copied) by them.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Possibly the easiest 5-star album on this list. No need to belabor the point. It's a landmark. A masterpiece. An icon.
I'll tack on a whole extra star for the "Wizard of Oz" thing. Coincidence or not, it's uncanny how well it works.
Thundercat
4/5
There are some interesting things happening in Contemporary Jazz-Fusion lately. Thundercat is at the top of the genre and he's bringing some friends along. Badbadnotgood, Domi & JD Beck, Sungazer, and Robert Glasper are all in a similar orbit. It's certainly not for everyone, but the guest musicians and vocalists widen the appeal.
This album has some great variety and the musicianship is top-notch. I tended to tune out when the music dipped its toe into the Frank Zappa pool, but overall it's a fun listen.
Primal Scream
2/5
I actually liked the Electronic Dance bits more than the Soul Music, which came across as plastic imitation. I would say that this music is too British to have traveled to America, but others as Anglo as Primal Scream did just fine here. Just wasn't in the cards for them, I guess.
Minus one half-star for opening the album with a blatant Crosby, Stills, and Nash rip-off.
The Allman Brothers Band
4/5
I can totally understand how some people could find the many extended jams tiresome or irritating, but I enjoy them. Every musician gets to flex their skills and take the improvised stretches into unknown territory, without ever being lost.
Beatles
5/5
It could easily be argued that the entire Beatles catalog lives in five-star, must-listen territory.
Subtract a half-star for the uber-creepy lyrics in "Run For Your Life."
Laibach
1/5
Well, that was no fun at all. I turned it off about halfway through.
I just kept picturing the "Berserker" scene from the movie, "Clerks."
"My love for you is like a truck....BERSERKERRRRR
Would you like some making fuck....BERSERKERRRRR"
"Did he just say 'making fuck?'"
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
Punk, Alternative, Buttrock, Shoegaze, Metal, and some other stuff all mixed together perfectly. Billy and his "band" of glorified hired guns lay it all on the table and mine gold.
Kate Bush
2/5
Random thoughts:
1. It is universally known that if you are going to force someone to listen to a Kate Bush album, it should be "Hounds of Love".
2. Didn't we already get a Kate Bush album? I feel like we did. If so, this is just being redundant.
3. When I write my book, "1001 ROCK Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" (which will include Rap/Hip-Hop), I will not include this album.
4. I'll bet she was an insufferable theater kid.
5. Why do I dislike Kate Bush's music almost as much as I do enjoy Tori Amos'? This requires further self-examination.
Pour out a half-star for all the artists who deserved to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame before her.
R.E.M.
4/5
A great album, but this was my little sister's R.E.M.
My R.E.M. was the earlier, less scrutable version that kept College Radio DJ's awake at night.
Shuggie Otis
4/5
That was a fun listen. I had heard of Shuggie Otis before, but hadn't listened to any of his music. Glad I finally did.
Plus one half-star for his bass performance on one of the very few Zappa songs that I like, "Peaches en Regalia."
Mike Ladd
4/5
An interesting and fairly obscure selection. Ladd's Alt-Hip-Hop style moves pleasantly between attention-grabbing raps and atmospheric environment building.
As we move closer to the completion of this project, entries like this one bring to mind other artists that have not yet been seen here. Are they awaiting us at the end or have they been left off entirely? This album reminds me that we have not yet seen/heard anything from Run the Jewels. I think that their "RTJ4" is a similar must-listen. It's role as a harbinger to the tumultuous Summer of 2020 make it a necessity.
Richard Hawley
1/5
Unedited Notes:
I made it through FIVE whole tracks of this album before I turned it off. Do I win a prize?
I don't think that they even play this kind of music in nursing homes anymore.
A Michael Bublé album would be far more hip and relevant to popular culture than this.
This album makes The Carpenters sound like Atari Teenage Riot.
Iron Maiden
4/5
Unpopular opinion: I actually prefer the earlier, Paul Di'Anno-fronted Iron Maiden albums. Bruce Dickinson is very good at what he does, but his operatic vocal style wears thin on me after a while. The musicianship is also leaner and less polished than their later work, which I find appealing.
Old Iron Maiden just hits different.
M.I.A.
4/5
No doubt about it, M.I.A. is a complicated and often problematic artist.
But her songs are fuckin' bangers.
Earth, Wind & Fire
3/5
A fine record. Nothing too surprising on it.
I am curious about the movie, though. Harvey Keitel is always interesting.
Death In Vegas
4/5
In interesting onion to be peeled back in layers. Too British to have been successful in America. Deserves another listen.
Billie Holiday
3/5
Aerosmith
4/5
Aerosmith's catalog is, without a doubt, wildly uneven. From the stellar early works to the absolutely dismal "Rock in a Hard Place" and back to the blockbuster hit machine of the 90's, the band had endured and found a way to stay relevant until time finally caught up to them in the 21st century and relegated Aerosmith to "Legacy Act" status.
"Pump" has some brilliant moments and even the deeper album tracks have some sparkle that was missing from their mid-career slump. I personally prefer the prior album, "Permanent Vacation", when the reunion of Steven Tyler and Joe Perry was fresh and their post-rehab clarity sparked a creative resurgence. This album still has an undeniable quality and hits like "Love in an Elevator" and "Janie's Got a Gun" received massive radio and MTV airplay.
Tyler's sexual innuendo and double-entendres once again come across as clever, while the songwriting, musicianship, and production hit a high mark. Best of all, the album just rocks. Their next albums after this lean much harder into radio-friendliness and lack the edgy energy that the "Toxic Twins" wrote into the music here.
Give an added half-star for the fact that the fight that originally ended the Perry-Tyler partnership happened right here in Cleveland, Ohio. The backstage scene at the (in)famous 1979 "World Series of Rock" festival at Cleveland Municipal Stadium must have been a scene straight out of "Spinal Tap."
Cypress Hill
3/5
Once again, Mr. Dimery missed the mark by including the wrong album from the right artist. The must-listen Cyprus Hill album is their sophomore effort, "Black Sunday."
"Black Sunday" is chock full of pro-cannabis anthems that brought together the formerly disparate Rappers and Hippies. United under a marijuana leaf flag, the two groups formed a stoner army that marched toward the social acceptance and eventual regional legalization of recreational pot use.
Maybe the real treasure was the weed they smoked along the way.
Kate Bush
2/5
Two Kate Bush albums in one week? Lucky me... Thanks a lot, Dimery.
As I said before, this is the only Kate Bush album that should be anywhere near this list. It has the only song that a casual listener would have maybe heard before (and most of those people only know it because of "Stranger Things.")
For everything else, please refer to my previous review.
Hot Chip
3/5
Sounds like a score of other danceable AlternaPop acts from the mid-2010s (Yeasayer, !!!, Metronomy, etc.) that all wished that they were anywhere near as cool as LCD Soundsystem.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
4/5
Unfortunately, the recent allegations against Michael Franti cast doubt on his sincerity. We'd all like to believe that the progressive message on this record represents an honest manifesto from an artist not yet corrupted by fame and power.
The beats and samples are well-chosen and Franti's delivery is urgent and insistent. The lyrics are mostly solid, only occasionally becoming simplistic. The political aspect is at the forefront, but limits its heavy-handedness.
But now we all know what happens when Michael Franti stops thinking about music and politics.
Pavement
5/5
Simultaneously lazy, meticulous, sloppy, and masterful, "Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain" is an excellent representation of Pavement itself. The contradictions are the magic. To see the band onstage, the parts don't look like they should work together. Stephen Malkmus projects boredom and abject carelessness, while Bob Nastovich plays the role of hyperenergetic hype man. The guitars, bass, and drums alternate between frenetic noisemaking and stoney shoe-gazing.
Either you like it or you don't. It's not for everybody, but I think it's amazing.
Devendra Banhart
2/5
When I saw that this album was produced by Swans leader Michael Gira, it made me apprehensive. Swans music is noisy, weird, and often boring as hell. This album is just boring. After a couple of tunes, you know what this album is and it doesn't change up at all.
I've met both Gira and Banhart and will be just fine if I don't encounter either one again. Banhart was polite, but not particularly engaging. Gira is just an asshole.
Madonna
4/5
Big Madonna fan, Dimery? Yeah...I noticed.
Odd that The Author has way more Madonna and Dexy's Midnight Runners on this list than Michael Jackson or Prince.
Racist in the 80's much, Bob?
Speaking of Prince, his fingerprints are all over this album. His presence improves the album's rating by a full star.
And speaking of the 80's... that was the only decade where an artist using the mononym "Madonna" could produce a music video for the title track that features her displaying stigmata wounds, dancing in front of burning crosses, and kissing a Black Jesus, and then having said video used in a major advertising campaign for Pepsi Cola. Those were the days...
3/5
A interesting selection, combining two genres of music that many would find unlistenable. I can enjoy the mix of Noise Rock and Free Jazz, but would have preferred that the source material be included on this list ahead of any interpretations.
The Sabres Of Paradise
2/5
Hipster nightclub background music, Part IV.
I would be very curious to hear The Author defend this selection.
Bonnie Raitt
2/5
Never been a big fan of Don Was' production style. His work behind the board was integral to the soulless, smoothed-out, cocaine-eared (it was a thing, look it up), and formulaic music that practically printed its own money in the Eighties.
Ms. Raitt has certainly made better music, but she never made as much cash.
Orbital
2/5
Tough to get excited about this one. Mr. Dimery seems to love Orbital's brand of Electronica. The upbeat track were cool, but the more Ambient stuff has gotten old.
Brian Eno
2/5
The Eno-Sphere is vast and contains multitudes of great works. But at its center is a black hole of albums that I can't seem to enjoy. King Crimson, Roxy Music, and Eno's solo stuff just leave me flat. The "kitchen sink" approach has earned him "genius" status, but a bit more focus and restraint might go a long way towards earning my attention.
Erykah Badu
4/5
This one caught me by surprise. Badu's incredible voice paired with actual live musicians (unusual for her contemporaries) makes for an attention-grabbing album. The genres represented here are varied enough to keep every track fresh, while staying consistent enough to make the whole thing groove.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
There is more than enough Springsteen on this list to make this entry an unnecessary one. These songs are just as good as they are on any of his other records. The E Street Band is in fine form, as usual. The themes explored are as personal as they are universal, just like every other Springsteen album.
I'm gonna switch this one out and replace it with The Hold Steady's Springsteen-esque "Separation Sunday".
Blood, Sweat & Tears
3/5
Somewhat interesting interpretations of works by other songwriters (with the exception of the album's only true original, "Spinning Wheel"). David Clayton-Thomas' voice is strong and more than capable of handling the soulful tunes. The arrangements are tight and tasteful. Yet somehow, the whole thing seems kind of bland. Blood, Sweat, & Tears, Chicago, and Three Dog Night are all virtually interchangeable and the world of family-friendly Jazz-Pop.
k.d. lang
2/5
Lang has a nice voice and this collection of Traditional Country music is better than the room temperature, watered-down, Adult Contemporary skim milk she usually produces.
Hardly a must-listen, though.
Thin Lizzy
3/5
Full Disclosure: I only listened to the four songs from this album that are currently available from Spotify. I think I heard enough to know that a whole double album would have been excessive and possibly tedious. I'm also pretty sure that this is a must-listen for only the most ardent Thin Lizzy fans and the rest of us can just listen to the "Jailbreak" album and be more than satisfied.
That being said, I do wish that I could have seen Thin Lizzy perform live. I'll bet it was a killer show.
Air
3/5
Ummm... This isn't "Moon Safari." Why isn't this "Moon Safari"? It's supposed to be "Moon Safari".
Air has one, and only one, album that everyone should listen to before they die.
And that album is...
"Moon Safari"
This album is good.
But it's no "Moon Safari".
The Byrds
3/5
I think we've already adequately covered several very similar albums (including others by The Byrds.) This is a good album, just like the others almost exactly like it that crowd this list to the exclusion of other worthy entries.
I'll tack on an extra half-star for the guest appearance of trumpeter Hugh Masekaea on the opening track, "So You Want to Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star". I had never noticed it before and enjoy the song to a greater degree now that I am aware of it.
Maxwell
4/5
Belongs in the book. "1001 Albums You Must Hear While Having Sex."
This would be very near the top of that list.
Tim Buckley
2/5
Swing and a miss. Wrong Buckley.
Did we get Jeff Buckley's "Grace" album yet? I'm sure it's gotta be on this list somewhere. If it is not, it should replace "Greetings From L.A.". "Grace" isn't really my cup of tea, but I still believe that it is an album that everyone should listen to at least once.
After a while, this album just seemed like it was wasting my time.
fIREHOSE
4/5
Good album. I liked it.
I was also impressed that it was recorded at Suma Recording Studio, right here in Northeast Ohio.
Raekwon
3/5
Eels
4/5
No argument here. There are other Eels albums that I like a bit more, but this is an obvious entry point for those unfamiliar with E's work.
Jane's Addiction
5/5
Fuck, yeah!
When "Mountain Song" debuted on MTV's "Headbanger's Ball", it effectively pulled me from being a devout Heavy Metal fan into the rapidly expanding world of Alternative Rock. Jane's Addiction was the perfect bridge to a new kind of music.
Next stop, "120 Minutes".
N.W.A.
4/5
"Damn! That shit was dope!..."
Lenny Kravitz
4/5
Listened to this one a lot when it first came out. At the moment, it seemed like a totally fresh take on Psychedelic Rock/Soul. It was also fun to get stoned to. After Krazitz became a global superstar, the freshness went away and we were left with sexy, yet toothless, Dad Rock. I think we realized that no matter how fashionably cool Kravitz was, Jimi Hendrix and Prince would always make him look and sound like a wannabe.
Tito Puente
2/5
"Hipster Nightclub in 1955 Music: Part III"
Lupe Fiasco
4/5
Held my attention much more effectively than I thought it would. Once again, the length of the album is a problem. The availability of space on a CD just makes it too easy to include everything, when a bit less would serve the work better. Lupe also felt the need to read the credits, acknowledgements, and liner notes as the final track, since no one would ever read them from the little booklet packed with the CD. That was twelve minutes that Lupe could have spent letting me listen to something else.
Let's pour one out for some contemporary Alt-Hip-Hop artists who probably didn't make the list. Atmosphere, Flobots, Why?, and Blu & Exile, ...we remember ya.
Now...how about that Run the Jewels? That's coming up soon, right? Right?
Jeru The Damaja
4/5
Have we seen any Tupac on this list yet? I don't think we have. There's been a lot of Rap/Hip-Hop coming up here lately, and I'm STILL waiting on some RTJ.
What gives?
Anyway... this was a pretty good album. Some real interesting beats going on.
Solange
3/5
Justin Timberlake
5/5
A landmark Pop album from a genuine triple-threat showman.
At the time, Timberlake was the New King of Pop, long before certain revelations ruined more than just the tour.
Jefferson Airplane
4/5
This album strikes an almost-perfect balance between truly essential Psychedelic Rock and run-of-the-mill hippie-dippy flower child sentiment.
3/5
That was just unnecessary. We've already reviewed albums from this era of Yes' catalog. No need to cram it down our throats. Maybe listen to their 80's mid-to-late-career megahit album, "90215" instead.
Mj Cole
2/5
I'm pretty sure that this was a typographical error and we were supposed to get J. Cole's "2014 Forest Hills Drive." It's the only logical explanation I can think of.
Instead, we got 2 whole hours of "Millennial Hipster Nightclub Music, Part XXVII."
Todd Rundgren
3/5
Equal parts 70's Yacht-Rock schmaltz, Zappa-esque weirdness, and guitar-driven Heavy Rock on par with early Queen.
Liz Phair
5/5
One of the greatest albums ever recorded.
Elvis Costello
4/5
This is the only Elvis Costello album that belongs on this list. Any others are just superfluous.
Any other Costello albums should be replaced by one of Joe Jackson's first two albums ("Look Sharp" or "I'm the Man"), The Boomtown Rats' "The Fine Art of Surfacing", or anything by The English Beat.
Radiohead
4/5
No need to clog this list with Radiohead albums.
If you like 'em, you like 'em. If you don't, you don't.
The Roots
4/5
Author Jason Pargin recently noted that the concept of "selling out" is no longer the insult it once was. Prior generations of artists sought to maintain their authenticity by avoiding anything that sniffed of money-seeking or corporate involvement. Today artists begin their careers seeking monetization via sponsorship deals and mass media exposure. While Kurt Cobain said, "Corporate Rock Sucks", modern artists will bend over backwards and set themselves on fire to get a foot in the door with Amazon.
This album made me consider the point more deeply. The Roots were truly original in their approach to Hip-Hop. Live instruments, agile lyricism, and thoughtful arrangements melded with vast knowledge of musical history to create a unique sound.
Then NBC tapped them to be the house band for "The Tonight Show". No one even batted an eye when The Roots were thrown a whole bunch of money to abandon the traditional recording and touring life for the stability of a corporate overlord. Prior "Tonight Show" bandleaders like Skitch Henderson and Doc Severinson built their careers in the role. Max Weinberg and Branford Marsalis were already dismissed as sellouts before they joined the NBC Orchestra (or whatever they were called at the time.) The Roots were somehow granted a pass and suffered no loss of integrity when invited to serve under "The Man." By "The Man", I am referring to the corporate trustees who meddle in artistic endeavors , seeking greater profits for shareholders.
Now I can't hear this music without feeling that Jimmy Fallon just announced that he'd be right back after these messages.
"That is how you do it!", indeed.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
2/5
Everything one could possibly dislike about Early-70's-Prog-Rock wrapped up into a tidy package.
The Damned
3/5
Hit or miss.
R.E.M.
5/5
Based on my specific demographics and status as a college radio DJ in the late-80's/early-90's, it would be sheer blasphemy to give this album anything less than five stars.
Before they were global superstars, R.E.M. were a jangly little outfit from Athens, Georgia with a chip on their shoulder and something to mumble.
Astrud Gilberto
2/5
Big Samba fan, Dimery? Yeah, I noticed.
This doesn't even have "The Girl from Ipanema" on it. That's the essential Astrud Gilberto Samba tune.
And what's with the little kid singing the duet on "You Didn't Have to Be So Nice"? Save that stuff for "Sesame Street", alright?
Love
2/5
5/5
I could spend all day trying to convince myself that this is anything less than a five-star album.
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
If your Spotify Wrapped says that you're into "Twee Millennial Indie Pop That Was Probably Used In An Episode Of Scrubs Or A Mumblecore Movie", then this is probably your favorite artist.
You also may actually be Zach Braff himself.
Steve Earle
4/5
Not really my taste, but an understandably vital album. Noted as one of the first Country albums to be recorded digitally, it brought the genre to a modern age. "Guitar Town" also heralded the birth of Alt-Country. The current musical landscape would be very different without it.
Rage Against The Machine
5/5
There's nothing here that I don't like.
Grant Lee Buffalo
2/5
If your favorite R.E.M. song is "Losing My Religion", you are very likely to enjoy this album.
On the Alt-Country-Folk-Rock spectrum between Steve Earle and The Lumineers, this sits right at medium beige.
Certain parts ("Stars N' Stripes", for example) made me wish I was listening to Jeff Buckley instead.
A fine example example of an artist sold to the public as the "New Bob Dylan" that turned out to be a son of Mumford. I'm looking right at you, Jacob Dylan.
Useful if you need something to listen to during the gaps between U2 releases.
R.E.M.
4/5
Yep…R.E.M. has lots of great records, and this is one of them.
But do we really need to include ALL of them on this his list? We’ve already covered “Murmur” and “Automatic For The People”, which should suffice as bookends to their best works.
2Pac
3/5
I'll admit it... I kinda skimmed this one. I heard enough, though, to recognize that I need to come back and give it a more serious listen.
Antony and the Johnsons
2/5
That voice is just not for me. The Nina-Simone-meets-Tiny-Tim warbling makes Stevie Nicks' vibrato sound as steady as a dial tone.
I'm giving the album one star above the minimum because once I could tune out the vocals, some of the music sounded really good.
Give yourself a half-star if you can actually remember what a dial tone sounds like.
Nick Drake
3/5
Redundant, repetitive, and unnecessary since we already reviewed a Nick Drake album. It’s not like he ever changed his sound, went electric, discovered distortion, or sang happy tunes.
This album may get preferential treatment because it has that one song (“Pink Moon”) that became popular when it was used in a Volkswagen commercial decades after he died.
Jimmy Smith
3/5
This album was played a lot as background music in a former workplace of mine. It's a fine album, but after a couple of listens, has nothing new to reveal.
Slade
2/5
- Sits somewhere between Humble Pie and early AC/DC.
- For God's sake, do not take a drink every time he says "Crazee".
- They're not actually "crazee", just English-eccentric.
- Slade is best at being the source material for better performances by other artists.
- Speaking of which, does this list include "Metal Health" by Quiet Riot? It should. It's a great album from a band that reached it's peak after losing their most musically proficient member, the legendary Randy Rhodes. And RIP Kevin DuBrow.
- I'm beginning to think that I just don't like Glam-Rock.
- Was Slade the Andrew WK of their day?
Suede
2/5
Started off strong with some big tunes. Then it started to lag with a bunch of overly dramatic numbers with syrupy-thick production. Clearly a strong influence on bands like The Killers.
Adam & The Ants
4/5
Maybe not the specific album I would have chosen, but I'm happy to see Mr. Ant included on this list. Sadly underrated.
Nicked a half-star for cultural appropriation.
Marilyn Manson
3/5
I never gave Marilyn Manson's music a fair shake because of all the bullshit schtick nonsense that Manson wrapped himself in for the majority of his career. Then it was revealed that he is an actually evil human being and we were all left to wonder if we had missed some kind of warning.
Turns out that the music is pretty good. Not good enough to fully emerge from the shadow of Nine Inch Nails, but pretty good.
Shave a half-star because, like many other albums of the time, it's too long.
My Bloody Valentine
4/5
Oh, for crissakes, Bob... MBV only had three actual albums and you picked this one? Everybody knows that "Loveless" is the album you should hear before you die.
EVERYBODYYYYYY!!!!!
Suicide
2/5
I'm not angry at this album, just disappointed.
The Specials
4/5
There is a very narrow lane of Reggae/Ska-type music that I enjoy. Fortunately, The Specials sit comfortably in that space. Their urban take on island music stays fresh and avoids the repetitive tropes that can make the genre irritating.
Give a bonus half-star for their contribution to the visual iconography that became vital to the Two-Tone Mod scene.
Ride
3/5
- I think the first track, "Seagull", is the basis for the main groove on Chemical Brothers' "Let Forever Be."
- Yet another Early-90's recording that goes on for too long just for the sake of not wasting any space on the CD.
- Several parts reminded me that Ride's contemporaries, Ned's Atomic Dustbin, certainly belong somewhere on this list.
- A very good, but rarely thrilling album.
- A three-and-one-half-star record.
The Bees
2/5
Dafuq izzis?
For all its genre-hopping, this album struck me as soulless and pandering. It's musically competent, and is ready-made for selling out.
Oh, look at that... one of these song was used in not one, but THREE television commercials. That tracks. I'm sure the advertising execs were thrilled to have a band that could appeal to fans of Indie, Reggae, Motown, Folk, Jazz, Pop, and any other genre needed to attract the largest possible group of consumers.
Selling earballs to advertisers is the name of the game, I suppose.
Beastie Boys
5/5
Arguably the most essential of the Beasties Boys' catalog. On this record, they tackle Hip-Hop, Jazz, Hardcore, Funk, Tibetan Throat Singing, Rock, and whatever the smash hit, "Sabotage," is.
I'll bet they could have made a killer Country tune, if they wanted to.
Van Morrison
3/5
The epitome of "Boomer Music."
Frank Sinatra
5/5
If you don't already know these songs by heart, then this is an absolute must-listen. Sinatra is in top voice as he delivers the definitive versions of the most widely-known American Pop songs. Nelson Riddle's arrangements mesh perfectly with that voice and make the tunes unforgettable.
Miriam Makeba
3/5
The Cars
5/5
Out of the eleven tracks, six are timeless hits. Combined with 1984's "Heartbeat City," they've got a 48% hit rate. Those are definite Hall of Fame numbers.
And now I can't hear "Moving in Stereo" without thinking of Phoebe Cates.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
I guess it's sort of a no-brainer. But let's face it... If you've heard one CCR album, you've heard 'em all.
Knock a half-star off for all the assholes who claim to love Credence and hate The Eagles just because one movie made them think it was cool. Mr. Henley's attorneys would like to have a word with you.
Isaac Hayes
4/5
While Hayes vocals are nothing impressive, his capabilities as a composer and band leader are exceptional. This soundtrack broke fertile ground for moviemaking as we know it today.
Minus one half-star for Scientology.
David Bowie
2/5
I'm sure that it has never occurred to Mr. Dimery that there might be a portion of the population that doesn't actually enjoy David Bowie's music all that much. To him, it must be inconceivable that someone who doesn't bow at the altar of the Thin White Duke even exists. Well...here I am listening to yet another batch of Bowie songs that all sound the same as the last batch.
It would almost be tolerable if one of these mid-70's Bowie albums were replaced by one of his significant later works, like the chart-topping "Let's Dance" or the almost-posthumous "Blackstar".
Rahul Dev Burman
2/5
Without the Hindi vocals, it's just your basic orchestral elevator music, well-suited for B-Movie soundtracks and airport lounges. There are a few songs, like "Naag Devta," that approach more traditional Indian styles. Those moments are brief and not enough to hold my interest.
Merle Haggard
3/5
Not really my wheelhouse, but I could hear why this would be significant to the long-haul truckers and farmhands of America.
Elliott Smith
4/5
Given his brief career, only one Elliott Smith album should occupy space on this list. And that album should be either "Either/Or" or "XO".
I thought everybody already knew that.
Robert Wyatt
1/5
This guy again?
C'mon, Dimery. Nobody liked it the first time around. Quit trying to shovel this shit and call it gold.
Pere Ubu
5/5
Damn... Make me feel like a hypocrite after I just slammed a similarly "outsider"-type album. Oh, well... my house, my rules. Hypocrisy be damned.
This is an amazing album. So much of what came after it owes its success to this weird little outfit from right here in Cleveland, USA. Kurt Cobain famously said that Nirvana was essentially a Pixies cover band. The Pixies were somewhat less famously a Pere Ubu rip-off (multiple quotes from David Thomas and Black Francis confirm their friendly back-and-forth on that point.) Therefore, without "The Modern Dance", there would be no Foo Fighters and Courtney Love would probably be lead singer for No Doubt.
Oddly, we already reviewed Pere Ubu's follow-up to this album, which presents a redundancy. As a replacement for "Dub Housing", I would suggest Ubu's most accessible record, "Cloudland", or a more contemporary act like Squid or Black Midi.
Sarah Vaughan
4/5
Not something I'll likely revisit, but I will give Ms. Vaughan her due as a landmark in American music.
Weather Report
5/5
The addition of bassist extraordinaire Jaco Pastorius to an already stacked Jazz supergroup does make this an absolute must-listen.
During my stint at a Jazz and Classical radio station, this album was a staple on both my afterhours and daybreak shows.
The Who
4/5
A remarkably heavy album. The Who burst with Punk energy and begin a sixty year long journey of maximum excess and destruction.
Only the James Brown and Bo Diddley covers diminish this record at all. The originals are truly original and offer surprises all these years later.
Tom Tom Club
4/5
What are Chris Franz and Tina Weymouth gonna do when they get out of jail? They're gonna have some fun.
Free from the oppressive art school tyranny of David Byrne, Franz and Weymouth recruit Prog-monster Adrian Belew to create an album that is funky and danceable, if overly cutesy. Unfortunately, the grooves often sink into monotony. Numerous references to cocaine sprinkled throughout the record offer a possible cause for the inability to succinctly end a song.
Then again, it was 1981. The Disco era hadn't ended quite yet and The Tom Tom Club were offering a fresh concept to the nightclub scene.
Steely Dan
4/5
Speaking of Cocaine Music...
Not to punish a great album for being a hat on a hat, but this is redundant to this list. The mighty Steely Dan made lots of worthy albums, but you really only need to listen to one of them to get the gist.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
3/5
While the title track is a significant part of Hip-Hop's early development. the rest of this album doesn't hold up very well. The R & B ballads are painfully dull and entirely skippable.
I'm also getting kinda sick of hearing "Genius of Love."
Leonard Cohen
1/5
Oh, for fuck's sake already.... this shit again? At this point, being forced to listen to yet another Leonard Cohen album is making me angry. VERY angry. So angry, in fact, that if Leonard Cohen were still alive, I would wish him dead.
You Like that, Dimery? Does it make you happy that your choices have made me betray my core beliefs and wish another man dead? Never mind that he has already passed. I want to bring ol' Lenny back from the afterlife so that I may inflict agonizing pain upon him and end his existence once again.
Does that make you happy, Bob? Is that what you really want?
What the hell is wrong with you, Bobbo? You sick fuck.
Mercury Rev
2/5
Coincidentally, I just saw that Mercury Rev will be the tour opener for Afghan Whigs' 40th anniversary run of shows. Previously unfamiliar with their music, I was excited to hear them before I buy my tickets.
It is not an unpleasant album, but for a band named Mercury Rev, it certainly takes its time finding the gas pedal. When it does, the result is too close to sounding like The Flaming Lips or Eels to feel entirely original.
I think I've just learned that I just don't care much for Chamber Pop.
Sonic Youth
5/5
If I were one of the many otherwise reasonable and respectable people who don't enjoy Sonic Youth, I would be pretty upset about the number of their albums on this list. I would rail on about how they all sound the same and it's just a bunch of noise anyway. I would curse Robert Dimery and his willingness to ignore common sense by including every Sonic Youth album in this project.
But I like Sonic Youth. And, to me, every Sonic Youth album featured here is one less Morrissey, Leonard Cohen, Arcade Fire, or Dexy's Fucking Midnight Fucking Runners album that I must endure.
Maybe tomorrow we listen to "Washing Machine"? You should probably hear it before you die.
David Bowie
2/5
Ok, we get it. You like 70's-era David Bowie albums. You like them A LOT.
But, let's face it. This is getting ridiculous. This isn't supposed to be "1001 David Bowie Albums You Must Hear Before You Die."
Gorillaz
5/5
Probably the best thing that came from the Britpop Wars of the 1990's. Damon Albarn and friends play the studio as though it were an instrument and spin funky gold.
Knock a half-star because I still don't get the whole "virtual cartoon band" concept. Is it supposed to be like The Archies or Josie and the Pussycats? Was there a TV show about them that I missed?
Dead Kennedys
4/5
They were "woke" before "woke" was cool. Antagonistic and focused while still being loud and snotty. Punk was born of its political elements, and this took it to another level.
While the music itself seems dated, the sentiment is timely.
Tom Waits
1/5
Once again, Tom Waits remains committed to the bit. The gravelly-voiced-barfly-poet schtick gets old real fast.
Wouldn't it be funny if the real-life Tom Waits was actually a very posh, upright gentleman with a butter-smooth voice who drives a sports car to the country club, where he plays tennis and berates the servers for bringing him the wrong vintage of Bordeaux?
SAULT
3/5
A fine album. Honestly, I had never heard of Sault until now. They may warrant further listening.
But... the real masterwork that was also released in June of 2020 and captured the Black experience of that tumultuous spring very well was "RTJ4" by Run The Jewels. It is essential listening and more than deserves to be on this list.
Pretty sure I've mentioned it before.
Tim Buckley
1/5
Redundant. One Tim Buckley album on this list is enough. His brand of shrill Folk singing is just not my bag.
Hey, look! Another album that features the fine drum work of psychopathic mother-killer, Jim Gordon. I guess that's kind of interesting.
A better overall album than I gave it credit for. Still, I wouldn't call it an essential listen.
Ghostface Killah
4/5
Of the Wu-Tang and Wu-Tang-adjacent albums we've heard so far, I enjoyed this one the most. The drug-hype lyrics get stale fast, but the varied sonics across the tracks more than make up for it. The many guest producers and performers keep things moving in interesting directions.
Minus 90% of one star for skits. At best, they simply waste time and add nothing to the work. At worst, the skits bring the album's momentum to a screeching halt and take the listener out of the music.
Fairport Convention
3/5
I really don't care for the painfully earnest folk singing style that Fairport Convention leans into. The music, however, is pretty fantastic. The more extended jams predict Richard Thompson's rise as a revered guitarist and songwriter in his own right.
I would have liked for this spot to go to Richard and Linda Thompson's essential classic, "Shoot Out the Lights."
MGMT
4/5
That one guy from MGMT: "Yo, we should totally make, like, this super-outstanding album and then just dip. Y'know, like, dominate and disappear."
The other guy from MGMT: "Aight, bet."
Tricky
5/5
A killer album. I've long thought that Tricky (and the incomparable Martina Topley-Bird)'s interpretation of Public Enemy's "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" is one of the best things ever.
Tricky's masterful blend of countless styles, melodies, and rhythms make for a timeless classic.
The Boo Radleys
2/5
Coming from a period when there were so many interesting things happening in Alt Rock, this album is best described as..."competent." Maybe their earlier works were more exciting, but I'm not gonna spend any time to find out.
Minus one half-star for the album title. This ain't even close to Coltrane-level music.
The Cure
3/5
This ain't no party. This ain't no disco. This ain't no "Friday I'm In Love".
The Monks
2/5
This is what Velvet Underground would sound like if they tried to make dance music. And, much like the Velvets, The Monks are much better as a concept than an actual music band.
Green Day
5/5
All totally objective evidence shows that this is a great album. There is no reasonable argument against it.
Gonna take away a half-star for the legal actions taken on behalf of Green Day against Dean Gray and their incredible mash-up tribute album, "American Edit."
Lawyers? Not very Punk Rock.
* "American Edit" is not available through any streaming platforms, but third parties do keep it alive on YouTube. Trust me, it's worth your time.
Venom
3/5
Eric Clapton
3/5
"Slowhand" is the better Eric Clapton solo album. That's the cocaine Clapton. This is heroin Clapton.
LSD Clapton was the best. Now we're stuck with a Clapton that won't even take a vaccine.
The 13th Floor Elevators
2/5
Many people have tried to convince me that since I like Psychedelic bands like Grateful Dead and Pink Floyd, I should love this album.
I do not love this album. It's a very thin line between "love" and "tolerate".
Near as I can tell, this album is considered "Psychedelic" because it was made by people who were on drugs.
It's basically a Garage Rock album with some weird sounds going on underneath.
Incubus
2/5
I've always thought that the best thing about Incubus is how easy they are to forget.
Thanks a bundle for the reminder, Bob. Now I've gotta start the forgetting all over again.
Rod Stewart
4/5
Pretty outstanding effort here. Rod embraces Americana in a similar manner as The Rolling Stones and more than holds his own. He leans heavily on covers, a strategy that has served him well into old age. A couple weaker tracks don't diminish the album too much.
Minus three-quarters of a star for the inclusion of his version of "Amazing Grace." The song is a cheap shot. It can be performed well by just about any instrument or voice. It's overuse lessens it's emotional impact every time it is played.
Haircut 100
2/5
I get the feeling that this is one of those bands that were beloved in the U.K., but granted little more than a shrug from American audiences. They dropped "Love Plus One" on us and that was enough.
This spot should have gone to INXS.
Flamin' Groovies
3/5
At the right kind of party, this might get four stars or better.
Gonna stick a pin in this one and try it again sometime.
Nightmares On Wax
3/5
90's Hipster Nightclub Music, Part MCXXVII
The Divine Comedy
2/5
I think it's already been well-established that this kind of music just just not for me.
Baaba Maal
3/5
I kinda get it, but why this album?
Baaba Maal's "Firin' In Fouta" is the far more essential work. It won a Grammy and brought him huge crossover appeal. It should serve as entry point to his other, more Afro-Centric albums.
Björk
3/5
Either you like Bjork or you don't. Throwing more of her work at us isn't going to change anyone's mind.
That said, I doubt that even the most devout of her followers would call this an essential piece.
Metallica
1/5
Elevator Metal.
This album captures the live experience Metallica jumping the shark into the warm, still waters of cultural irrelevance.
George Jones
3/5
George Jones is very, very good at one specific type of Country Ballad.
The Louvin Brothers
4/5
Nirvana's version of "In The Pines" is wayyy better.
Otherwise, this is a notable marker in the history of Country Music.
Johnny Cash
4/5
Roni Size
4/5
I listened to this one a lot back in the day. Roni's dirty Drum 'n' Bass beats still hit hard.
The Who
5/5
On one hand, there are just too many Who albums on this list.
On the other hand, they are all great and should be heard prior to leaving this earthly existence.
I begrudgingly concede that Mr. Dimery got this one right.
Radiohead
5/5
Well, yeah....obviously this is an essential album.
There's a reason those "[Person] Reacts To Hearing 'OK Computer' For The First Time!" videos on YouTube are so popular.
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
I think we've heard enough from Misters Garfunkel and Simon.
And we haven't even been presented with Paul's best album. "Still Crazy After All These Years."
Gang Of Four
2/5
"Oh, this is THAT band?"
For some reason I often confuse Gang of Four and Mission of Burma.
Now I have learned how to tell the difference...Gang of Four uses the same annoying, scratchy guitar tone on every single song.
I can hear how a lot of later bands that I really were influenced by this, but this album just didn't spark my interest. Maybe a single song every now and then would be okay, but not the whole album.
CHIC
3/5
Five stars for the guitar, bass, and drums of Nile Rodgers, Bernard Edwards, and Tony Thompson, respectively.
Everything else goes in the ol' Disco trash pile.
Tack on a half-star for providing the famous bass line that anchors "Rapper's Delight".
Django Django
2/5
Is it just me, or does it seem like this list has a disproportionate number of British Indie Rock albums from right around 2012?
That's what I thought.
And doesn't also seem like most of those albums are pretty dull?
Yep.
I'll toss a quarter star over for the (far more interesting) song I created in my hear when listening to this album and my TV screen said:
DJANGO DJANGO
DJANGO DJANGO
ZUMM ZUMM
It's a banger.
Skunk Anansie
3/5
It's not that I didn't like a good portion of it. I did.
I just couldn't wrap my head around what it is supposed to be. At times the album sounds like Living Colour, Alanis Morrisette, Dio, Tina Turner, and whatever got played in the last half hour of "Headbanger's Ball."
Peter Frampton
3/5
Probably the most typical example of Mid-70's Guitar Rock.
If you ever need to escape from a Baby Boomer, just throw a copy of "Frampton Comes Alive" as far as you can and then run in the opposite direction. The Boomer will instinctively chase the album and attempt to mate with it.
Admittedly, Frampton is an excellent guitarist, songwriter, and band leader. Too bad Classic Rock radio had to go and ruin this one for future generations.
ZZ Top
4/5
I think our group has already established that ZZ Top is good. People should listen to them. No need to gild the lily.
Give 'em an extra half-star because they are easy to find when your music collection is alphabetized.
Meat Puppets
4/5
The Kinks
3/5
I almost always read the Wikipedia entry for each record we review. This one has got to be the longest I've ever seen. Just the footnotes take forever to get through. Three hundred thirty listed references? You betcha, pal!
Anyway... this album is fine. Maybe a little too "British" for my taste.
Justice
4/5
The opening track, "Genesis", is a stone-cold banger. The rest mostly holds up very well. Too bad Justice was just a bit late to the Techno music boom.
Equal or better than most work by Daft Punk, The Prodigy, and Chemical Brothers.
Jethro Tull
3/5
Nothing wrong with this album, really. I just can't get excited about it.
I guess we can give it an extra half-star for the unmistakable opening guitar riff of the title track. And then subtract the half-star because Ian Anderson's flute makes me think of that one scene in "Anchorman".
The Strokes
4/5
An apt soundtrack for the jittery underground of post-9/11 America.
Drive Like Jehu
4/5
Nice surprise to see this album on the list. It's rare for early Post-Hardcore bands like Drive Like Jehu, Jesus Lizard, Unsane, and At The Drive-In to get the recognition they deserve.
Now Turnstile is out here winning Grammys and Knocked Loose has two million monthlies on Spotify.
Tom Waits
1/5
ANOTHER goddamned Tom Waits album?!?
Might as well change it to "1001 Tom Waits Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
So I skimmed this one and the music is a shade more interesting than other TW albums we've had to endure.
Still sucks, though.
Goldie
2/5
Pre-Millennial Hipster Nightclub Background Music.
Beyoncé
5/5
Anyone who thinks Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter isn't one of the greatest Pop stars of all time is racist, anti-women, and just plain wrong.
Subtract one half-star because of Drake.