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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I kinda needed this. OG Grindcore. This hits hard.
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.
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.
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.
A great start.
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.
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.
Never listened to Turbonegro before this. Pretty good Punk Rock. Not as extreme as I expected.
I love, love, love, love this album. Possibly the pinnacle of "Noise Rock"
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.
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.
Not much to say. It's a classic album. Great stuff.
Low-hanging fruit right there. The entire Beatles discography could easily end up on this list.
More low-hanging fruit. You already know I like this. It's a killer album . Four and one half stars.
No, thank you.
Better than I remember, but not really my jam.
Before this, R.E.M. was just a college-radio band. Then, all of a sudden, you could understand what Michael Stipe was saying.
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."
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.
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.
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.
A monumental album by an American treasure. Easy five stars.
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.
One good song. The rest was okay-ish at best.
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.
Another American treasure. Every song is solid.
Less than the sum of its parts. Two and one-half stars.
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.
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.
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.
Awesome album. Four and one-half stars. Only loses a half-star because I like their "Jazz" album even more.
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?
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.
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.
Flawless. Five and one-half stars.
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.
A fine Dylan album, especially for his late-period works. But, I don't think it is "essential" listening.
Just a really fun album.
Influential, but not essential. I would have preferred something by The Chemical Brothers, The Crystal Method, The Orb, or even Moby.
The okayest early-80's-British-post-punk/new wave band ever.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
An excellent album from a time before their inflated sense of self-importance ruined their later works.
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.
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.
It's a pretty ok record. I like "Jump Into the Fire" a lot.
It's a fine album. No other notes.
I love, love, love this album. There isn't a single wring note.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A Zappa haiku (for Jimi): I am into the idea of Frank Zappa. But I don't like this.
Outside of "Sunshine Superman" and "Season of the Witch", this album is pretty much a "Meh..." for me.
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.
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.
Made it through four songs, then gave up.
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.
"The One Where The Beatles Discover Drugs" One of their best albums. Easy five stars.
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.
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.
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.
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.
It's great...but not "Purple Rain" great.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Not my favorite Steely Dan album, but it's pretty good. Nothing surprising here. Three and one-half-ish stars, I guess.
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.
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.
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.
It was okay. I liked the psychedelic instrumental parts. Not as much the vocals.
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!!!
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.
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.
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.
"Brimful of Ashsa" is a three-chord earworm. The rest of it was pretty forgettable.
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.
Great album. Awesome album cover.
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.
Great album. This one brought Trip-Hop to the mainstream. I liked the "Live at Roseland" album better, though.
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.
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.
No commentary needed here. This is objectively one of the very best albums of all time. Absolutely perfect. Ten and one-half purple stars.
This album is 100% guaranteed to make women dance together in groups and sing along.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?!?... 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.
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.
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.
Today I learned that Dizzee Rascal's brand of Progressive Rap is called "Grime". I think I like Grime.
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.
Love the Slayer sample on "She Watch Channel Zero?!"
All the "Big Lebowski" stuff aside, this is a hands-down classic.
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.
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.
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.
This album could be used to calibrate the machine that determines the exact middle of the road.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
An absolute classic. Snarling, snotty, and loud, but there are great songs behind all the attitude.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
Probably great sexytime music. Alone and in the daylight...not so much.
Absolutely massive. I've probably listened to this album a thousand times. It's perfect.
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.
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.
Interesting. I haven't heard Basie in this context before.
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.
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...
Of all the Alt-Rock albums that came out between 1990 and 1995, this is one of them.
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.
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.
I absolutely love Sonic Youth, but I don't think that "E.V.O.L." is even in their top-five best albums.
Obviously....five stars.
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."
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.
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.
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.
I'm just not an Elvis kind of person. This explains my disdain for Neil Diamond, as well.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
It's okay-ish, I guess. Kind of sounds like they are a group of Wings wannabes... "Bland on the Run."
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.
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.
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.
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.
Many consider this to be the first Heavy Metal album. It's hard to argue against that.
Neu! Neu? Neu... (Neu*) Nah.
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."
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.
The guy yawning on the cover says it all.
Pretty solid. A nice blend of traditional Hip-Hop and Alt-Rap.
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' very best album. An easy classic. Artsy-fartsy, but still (mostly) danceable.
Oddly, I'd never listened to The Stranglers before this. I look forward to checking out more of their work.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
What is this album doing here? It's background music for a movie that doesn't even exist. I just don't get it.
I'd heard of Dirty Projectors before, but didn't know what to expect. This was a pleasant surprise. Artsy-fartsy, but still tuneful.
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.
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.
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.
Pretty typical Mid-2000's Indie Pop/Rock. Nothing remarkable here. It's not bad, but it's also not special.
No need for discussion here. It's a favorite of mine. Five stars, hands down.
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."
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.
Some parts were kinda cool, like a Southwestern version of Wilco. As a whole, it didn't really ever take off.
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."
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.
Definitely an essential. I find something new in this album every time I listen to it.
Some moments of real brilliance here wrapped in a bunch of acid-soaked weirdness. Not a fair marker of what Pink Floyd would become.
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.)
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.
Good and funky, but not exceptionally good and funky.
It's very good, but too many Radiohead albums are better and more essential than this one.
A fine Thrash album. I always preferred Anthrax, though.
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.
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.
Spotify only allowed two of the songs, which was still seventeen minutes of music. That was enough.
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.
A masterpiece. The mash-up of genres, samples, and fresh lyrics make for something truly original.
Admittedly, I only listened to the first disc. That was enough to know for sure that it just wasn't for me.
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.
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.
Solve for c: (Queen+ELO)² - (Freddy Mercury+Jeff Lynne)² + (0.9 x Santana) 10cc = __________________________________________________________________ Musical Theater + "Art" + Prog Rock Show your work.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Multicultural elevator music. Two and one-half stars. The "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" part was a brief attention-grabber.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A landmark Modern Pop album. I think its her very best.
Alice In Chains was never shy to show their Metal roots. This album successfully unites Alt-Rock, Grunge, and Metal into a fine package.
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.
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.
The original EP tracks get four stars. That goes up to almost five stars when the additional material is included. Essential Proto-Grunge.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sounded like the parking lot at a Phish show.
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'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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A very good album, but not my favorite from them. The best songs are inescapable on Classic Rock Radio and television commercials.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
OK...I get it. The author of this list really, really, really loves Morrissey. I do not.
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.
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.
Meh.
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.
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.
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 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.
A nice surprise. This is some solid Trip-Hop from an album whose sole accolade (according to Wikipedia) is its inclusion on this list.
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".
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.
In the interest of the album's intended minimalism, I'll just say... It's pretty good.
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.
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.
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'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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.