922
Albums Rated
2.66
Average Rating
85%
Complete
167 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1970
Favorite Decade
Reggae
Favorite Genre
UK
Top Origin
Critic
Rater Style ?
48
5-Star Albums
110
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
Top Styles
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Devil Without A Cause
Kid Rock
|
5 | 2.01 | +2.99 |
|
All That You Can't Leave Behind
U2
|
5 | 2.98 | +2.02 |
|
Only By The Night
Kings of Leon
|
5 | 3.23 | +1.77 |
|
Bad Company
Bad Company
|
5 | 3.25 | +1.75 |
|
Shake Your Money Maker
The Black Crowes
|
5 | 3.27 | +1.73 |
|
A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector
Various Artists
|
5 | 3.3 | +1.7 |
|
Synchronicity
The Police
|
5 | 3.41 | +1.59 |
|
A Rush Of Blood To The Head
Coldplay
|
5 | 3.43 | +1.57 |
|
Parachutes
Coldplay
|
5 | 3.46 | +1.54 |
|
The Marshall Mathers LP
Eminem
|
5 | 3.47 | +1.53 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
To Pimp A Butterfly
Kendrick Lamar
|
1 | 3.63 | -2.63 |
|
Hounds Of Love
Kate Bush
|
1 | 3.63 | -2.63 |
|
Moon Safari
Air
|
1 | 3.57 | -2.57 |
|
Illinois
Sufjan Stevens
|
1 | 3.5 | -2.5 |
|
Hot Buttered Soul
Isaac Hayes
|
1 | 3.43 | -2.43 |
|
Either Or
Elliott Smith
|
1 | 3.4 | -2.4 |
|
Ready To Die
The Notorious B.I.G.
|
1 | 3.36 | -2.36 |
|
You Want It Darker
Leonard Cohen
|
1 | 3.32 | -2.32 |
|
Homework
Daft Punk
|
1 | 3.29 | -2.29 |
|
Since I Left You
The Avalanches
|
1 | 3.28 | -2.28 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Beatles | 6 | 4.5 |
| Led Zeppelin | 4 | 4.5 |
| Green Day | 2 | 5 |
| Coldplay | 2 | 5 |
| The Rolling Stones | 5 | 4.2 |
| Pink Floyd | 4 | 4.25 |
| The Doors | 3 | 4.33 |
| The Smiths | 3 | 4.33 |
| The Who | 3 | 4.33 |
| Johnny Cash | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Leonard Cohen | 5 | 1.6 |
| Sonic Youth | 4 | 1.5 |
| Tom Waits | 4 | 1.5 |
| Björk | 3 | 1.33 |
| My Bloody Valentine | 3 | 1.33 |
| Kraftwerk | 3 | 1.33 |
| Kate Bush | 3 | 1.33 |
| Air | 2 | 1 |
| Robert Wyatt | 2 | 1 |
| Pere Ubu | 2 | 1 |
| Megadeth | 2 | 1 |
| The Velvet Underground | 3 | 1.67 |
| Missy Elliott | 2 | 1.5 |
| Kendrick Lamar | 2 | 1.5 |
| k.d. lang | 2 | 1.5 |
| Cocteau Twins | 2 | 1.5 |
| Bee Gees | 2 | 1.5 |
| Everything But The Girl | 2 | 1.5 |
| The Fall | 2 | 1.5 |
| Barry Adamson | 2 | 1.5 |
| The Chemical Brothers | 2 | 1.5 |
| Isaac Hayes | 2 | 1.5 |
| Spiritualized | 2 | 1.5 |
| Slipknot | 2 | 1.5 |
| Public Image Ltd. | 2 | 1.5 |
| Elliott Smith | 2 | 1.5 |
| Baaba Maal | 2 | 1.5 |
| Joni Mitchell | 4 | 2 |
| Brian Eno | 4 | 2 |
| PJ Harvey | 4 | 2 |
| The Byrds | 5 | 2.2 |
| The Beach Boys | 3 | 2 |
| Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | 3 | 2 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Pink Floyd | 5, 5, 5, 2 |
| Frank Sinatra | 5, 2, 3 |
| Van Morrison | 2, 3, 5 |
5-Star Albums (48)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Napalm Death · 134 likes
1/5
Reminds me of the time I got stuck in the back of a bar in Dresden in my wheelchair waiting on the accessible loo while a couple drunk lads were banging away on a horrid young lass while this shit raged on in the bar. Don’t think they even realized she was a tranny, the drunk buggers.
Eagles · 42 likes
5/5
I hate the fucking people who hate the fucking Eagles, man.
Various Artists · 39 likes
5/5
Spector killed it with this one.
Kate Bush · 32 likes
1/5
To quote the first 5 star review I came to here: “Kate Bush isn’t really a songwriter. She’s an author of strange, literary fiction. Wisps of magic (the magic of nature, especially), bizarre imagery and metaphor entwine with the usual anxieties: love; motherhood; death; making deals with God. It just so happens that rather than write her baroque, gothic literature in text, she writes it in sound. These are not songs…” Exactly. That, and the fact that her music causes people to write like that about it, is why it’s awful.
The Strokes · 14 likes
3/5
5 star cover art. 3 star music.
4-Star Albums (104)
1-Star Albums (110)
All Ratings
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
S&G just make me think of my parents' generation, and the stripped down cleaned up style of sing songy music of the day.
The Temptations
3/5
Nothing wrong with this. Just comfortable easy background music.
King Crimson
3/5
Ethereal, kind of trippy and quiet, all in a Pink Floyd'ish kind of way. Not bad. Enjoyed this more than I thought I would.
The Doors
4/5
Gritty, bluesy rock. Morrison's vocals alternate between haunting, to preaching, to aggressive and hostile. Teetering on the 4/5 line for me.
Jorge Ben Jor
3/5
This has got a cool, groovy upbeat reggae type sound mixed into more African drumbeats. I really like it and would probably like it more if I could understand the words.
The Smiths
5/5
This was the Smiths at their best, mixing Morrissey's sarcasm and dark romanticism with Johnny Marr's cleanest sounds.
Paul Simon
2/5
Weak sauce.
Michael Jackson
4/5
Contains some monster pop hits of the decade, but only half the album holds up for me. The other half is comprised of slow - even a little sappy - R&B styled songs that just aren't my speed.
The Cure
4/5
I found The Cure in HS during Head on the Door and tracked them from there through college and beyond. But I never really dove back into their earlier stuff until I saw them in concert, and have continued to like it more and more to this day.
Yes
3/5
Haven't heard Yes in years. Used to really enjoy them. They've got a unique 70s sound and style that faded away from my listening preferences for a long while, but that I'm re-finding lately.
Beyoncé
2/5
Not my style.
Missy Elliott
1/5
Less of my style.
Dennis Wilson
2/5
5 star wiki; 2 star album.
Van Halen
5/5
It slaps!
Buena Vista Social Club
2/5
Reminds me of that time I was sitting in a social club in Buena Vista.
John Coltrane
2/5
That's some rough, abrasive and choppy sax.
2/5
Almost a 3.
Björk
1/5
😖
Beatles
4/5
Full of classics, but it's a long album with a lot of filler. There's a 5 star tucked in there with the 8-10 best.
The Style Council
3/5
So the frontman of the Jam and the keyboardist from Dexy's Midnight Runners came together for this and produced something that sounds like Simply Red meets Spandau Ballet. Go figure! I like it though.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
Quintessential 80s Indie Sound.
Christine and the Queens
1/5
C'est non pour moi, mon chien.
Prefab Sprout
2/5
Steve would be disappointed.
Jack White
3/5
High 3. Solid.
Red Snapper
2/5
You missed.
Muddy Waters
3/5
This is probably as good as electric blues gets for me. But it's also basically a live, greatest hits type album, so unfair to compare straight up to a regular album. -1
Dagmar Krause
1/5
Why??
Miles Davis
2/5
The horn is just a little too abrasive and choppy for my taste. Okay in small doses but not over a whole album.
Sarah Vaughan
3/5
Easy listening, good jazz - great for a cocktail party. But, it's another live performance of collected songs, not a straight album. -1
Rocket From The Crypt
1/5
Tough way to start a Sunday morning.
Bill Evans Trio
3/5
Solid. High 3+.
The Mothers Of Invention
3/5
Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride on drugs!
Bob Dylan
3/5
Not bad. Bluesy rock. Classic Dylan, when you could understand him.
Kendrick Lamar
1/5
Not a fan, at all.
David Bowie
3/5
Very high 3+
Doves
2/5
Inconsistent. I liked some tracks but found others really lame. The style varied from light pop rock to experimental. Not awful. High 2
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
Not their best effort but always liked Echo.
The Police
4/5
High 4.
T. Rex
2/5
Not intolerable. But certainly uninspiring.
Supergrass
3/5
So many styles and influences, no three songs sounded like the same genre. Liked enough more than I disliked to get the nudge over the 2/3 line.
Massive Attack
2/5
Every day I open this up to a band I’ve never heard before, I excitedly hope that this is going to be the discovery of a band that I’m going to love and start listening to often. And today, like every other day before it that I’ve felt the same, is not that day.
Violent Femmes
5/5
It’s got a great beat, and it’s easy to dance to! 🕺
The Charlatans
2/5
Nothing particularly noteworthy or memorable after the final beat.
Iggy Pop
3/5
Generally pretty good. Not overwhelmingly so, but better than a lot of his weird stuff.
Sam Cooke
3/5
Great songs. Would’ve enjoyed them in a studio format better. Felt the live recording was disjointed and distracting.
Tricky
2/5
Almost a 3. So close. Enjoyed, but probably wouldn’t go to it again voluntarily.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
2/5
Started off promising, descended quickly into Rocky Horror Picture Show B sides, never redeemed itself.
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
3/5
Interesting and unique sound. Cool alternative vibe. I like it.
Pulp
3/5
This is a band I've never really listend to for some reason. And I think I missed out. I like their sound. Easy to listen to. Lead vocals often remind me of Bowie.
Jean-Michel Jarre
1/5
A New Age Space Oddity
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
No doubt the least royalties Warren Zevon ever realized from a sample of Werewolves of London.
Various Artists
5/5
Spector killed it with this one.
The Smiths
4/5
Solid effort by the Smiths during their heyday. Starts strong, wanes a bit on the backstretch.
Dr. John
3/5
Groovy!
CHIC
2/5
Weak slow 70s disco time-stamped piece. Barely a 2 simply because it's not totally offensive.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
3/5
This is good jazz. If I had a house in the Hamptons I'd probably play this while serving wine to my friends attired in white sitting outside under the stars, and I might give it a 5. But since I live in Coastal Carolina, barely wear shoes, listen to jam bands while sitting in the hot summer sun drinking a beer, this gets a high 3 from me, even though it might deserve a 4 even on my scale..
Bert Jansch
2/5
Generic mid-60s accoustic singer songwriter stuff.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
Irie!
Herbie Hancock
2/5
Ground-breaking. Accessible. Iconic. Zzzzzzzzzzz. Great bathroom or elevator music.
Booker T. & The MG's
4/5
Finally. A new-to-me artist I really enjoyed. Opened up with an iconic piece I had no idea he did. Stayed strong all the way through.
T. Rex
4/5
Another knew-to-me find from this project. Knew of the band but not the music. Really fun groove.
The B-52's
4/5
Quirky and fun, with a punk dance beat that has survived as totally enjoyable for generations.
Depeche Mode
4/5
Strong 4+ 💪 🔨
Grant Lee Buffalo
2/5
Prickly.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
1/5
I’d rather wax my arse and balls than listen to this shite again.
The Strokes
3/5
5 star cover art. 3 star music.
k.d. lang
1/5
Ooof, female pop slooooooooooowww country. No thank you.
GZA
2/5
Wu-Tang is not for me.
My Bloody Valentine
2/5
The music was overwhelmed by the noise pollution. At least twice I was well into a song before realizing someone somewhere was actually adding vocals.
Iron Maiden
3/5
Not a metal fan, so surprised to have enjoyed this as much as I did. Respectable debut.
Stephen Stills
3/5
He's not the one who powered CSN&Y. But he didn't drag them down either.
Elton John
3/5
High 3.
Kanye West
2/5
Just so much nonsense chatter. The music was not awful, just obscured by the noise.
Al Green
3/5
Smooooth.
Nick Drake
3/5
Another new-to-me find artist. Very easy and enjoyable.
The Prodigy
2/5
I am not that generation.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
4/5
I think these guys are from California.
King Crimson
2/5
I wanted more from this. The vocals are either almost non-existent, distant and/or hard to follow on, and they don’t often complement the music, or vice versa. Felt like I spent most of every song waiting for them to crank up and they just never did turn over.
Carole King
3/5
Not my style, but you can’t dispute the popularity and prominence of much of this collection during the 70s and beyond.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Genius. Rock and roll theater at its best.
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
I was excited to see this pop up. I've never given it a true listen from start to finish. Gave it a couple good runs but, overall, I expected more and didn't get it.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
3/5
Not bad, not bad. Upbeat and fun.
The The
4/5
This was a surprise visit from an old friend from college I’d forgotten about.
The Mamas & The Papas
3/5
This makes me think of the opening soundtrack to every beach blanket bingo style movie shot in a monochromatic sepia tone, with the band of carefree hippies driving along the PCH in their VW van and bouncing around the beach in the summer sun, playing guitar, throwing the frisbee and smoking weed, just days before the women are brutally slayed by an unknown serial killer who loves to leave calling cards with symbols or word play that the cops can’t figure out. I dig it. Groovy, man.
Joni Mitchell
2/5
Disjointed and choppy. Not good.
R.E.M.
4/5
This CD, among others, spent as much time in the changer as it did in its case.
Steely Dan
4/5
High 4. Solid.
Blur
3/5
I somehow missed these guys during their heyday. Not bad.
Big Black
2/5
Not my thing, but not entirely awful. Almost made it to a three.
Early U2 rocked, and then there's a lot of 90s and 2000s U2 that didn't do it for me. But this album and tour brought them back for me. And I still love it.
Ray Charles
4/5
First time really listening to his music. Not my typical style but very enjoyable. Great stuff.
CHIC
2/5
This smooth disco stuff is just not my bag.
Parliament
3/5
Funk yeah! Groovalicious.
3+
Jerry Lee Lewis
4/5
Really made the young girls scream!
Sheryl Crow
3/5
Couple hits but otherwise just okay.
Marty Robbins
2/5
Needs more cowbell.
Stan Getz
3/5
High 3. Good, smooth jazz. Easy listening.
Arctic Monkeys
3/5
Love the band, and a few songs off the album. But not their best.
Michael Jackson
3/5
A few notables, but mostly just okay plus a few that fell flat for me.
Julian Cope
3/5
No idea who this guy is, but I was really close to really liking this album. I like his voice and the overall vibe. Cool beats throughout. Overall it's a just miss for me, with some songs being a bit too odd or tiresome in their repetitious chorus. I'd give his other works a try though.
David Bowie
3/5
It pains me to do this. Bowie is one of my favorite artists ever, but I’m just not feeling his later-in-life works. I wish this album wasn’t on the list.
Neil Young
3/5
Middle of the road Neil. Not his best, not his worst.
Ray Charles
3/5
Just goes to show you that a great musician can even make the dumbest country, western and folks songs sound passably cool. Totally unnecessary though.
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
Has me feelin’ groovy.
Lorde
3/5
Nothing special, nothing offensive. Maybe a bit mundane but doesn hurt my ears. It's a cut above generic female pop, so there's that at least.
Jeff Buckley
3/5
Just okay. I thought I would like it more. Low 3.
Björk
2/5
😣
Lynyrd Skynyrd
5/5
(Hay-ell Yay-ahhhhh)!
Green Day
5/5
I debated long and hard on whether this was a 4 or 5. I’ve never considered Green Day one of my favorite bands, but I listened to this album all the way through three full times and loved it. It’s got bangers, and it’s got fantastic songs I don’t know if I’ve ever heard before that maintain the same energy and vibe throughout. There’s not a down song amongst the bunch. I had previously considered my five stars to be reserved for the crème de la crème, but I think this absolutely rocks from start to finish and can’t find a reason not to give it the full score.
Meat Loaf
4/5
Always loved this album, but it’s a crazy mix of hard hitting bangers and love song anthems that changes the tempo too drastically and doesn’t maintain the energy or vibe to get a 5.
Tina Turner
2/5
An undeniably iconic voice that is competing for attention within an over-produced and overly commercial typical 80s pop-rock explosion of sound that will forever be a period piece.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
3/5
Great talent, no question. And some classics. Overall, a real period piece, and too slow and melodic for me to be too crazy about it.
Kraftwerk
1/5
🙅♂️
Boards of Canada
1/5
Just dumb. Toss this whole genre on the funeral pyre already.
Eagles
5/5
I hate the fucking people who hate the fucking Eagles, man.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
I like this version of Neil. Not exceptional, but good stuff.
Fugees
3/5
I liked this band - how could you not? And Ready or Not and Killing Me Softly are undeniable bangers. Unfortunately, everything else sounds the same, so hard to get overly excited about it overall.
Def Leppard
2/5
Just not my style.
The Who
5/5
Knock knock . . . this rocks.
Sonic Youth
1/5
Needs more cowbell.
The Shamen
1/5
I’d have given it another star if it was half as long.
Elbow
3/5
It's an orchestral stew of Coldplay, Radiohead, Pink Floyd, Dave Mathews, and Peter Gabriel that hasn't had time to simmer to its own unique blend. So some bites you get more taste of one or the other of the ingredients.
Soft Cell
2/5
Tainted Love put this album on its back and carried it to the two yard, I mean two star, line.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
Solid 70s classic American rock. Just a little bit too much of the deep south country twang for me to cross the 4* line.
Ice Cube
3/5
He's an angry elf.
Dolly Parton
2/5
Great voice. Just not my thing. Every song sounds the same.
Mike Oldfield
1/5
Why?
Air
1/5
This should be the final album of the project.
The Stone Roses
3/5
Nothing special, nothing offensive. Maybe a bit mundane but doesn’t hurt my ears.
Kings of Leon
5/5
Loved this album when it came out, and it still holds up for me today. Strong indie rock from start to finish. No dips. Another surprise 5 for me.
50 Cent
3/5
I like the vibe of this one. Good beat, good rhymes, some decent music mixed in, particularly with the collab pieces.
Billy Bragg
3/5
Unique and cool voice and sound. Great overall feel to the album.
Johnny Cash
4/5
Oddly, the album is not presented in order of the performance.
John Cale
2/5
Really expanding the range of "Alternative" here. It's not even close to "Alternative" in a cool, Indie sense of the word you'd expect for 2024. It's bad, slow, baroque-style singer-songwriter type stuff that could only have been appreciated 50 years ago. And some songs on here are just dumb. Flirting with a 1*.
The Flaming Lips
3/5
Never heard this album before but really enjoyed it. 3.95 So close.
Guns N' Roses
4/5
Welcome to the Jungle to open tells you all you need to know about what's to follow. Axl Rose was a muthafuckin' vibe.
Brian Eno
2/5
Another why? for me. Not offensive, certainly calming and mellow, but why include it? I’d never listen to it again for any reason.
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
Tempted to drop this to a 3 due to the clutter from a half dozen or more songs that distract from the overall work. But there’s enough winners to hold the line.
Hüsker Dü
3/5
Pretty typical '80s alt rock sound. Plenty enjoyable, but nothing particularly distinct or memorable to write home about.
Stan Getz
4/5
Top of the line for its genre. Great piece of work.
M.I.A.
2/5
Didn’t hate it but got tired of it. Every song sounds the same.
Sonic Youth
1/5
😱
Harry Nilsson
3/5
Don't recall knowing this artist or album, but the songs certainly rang some bells. Generally pretty enjoyable. A few steps up from classic singer/songwriter junk of the era, but I wouldn't quite call this "rock."
Eminem
5/5
The OG of Not Giving a Fuck.
Flamin' Groovies
4/5
Well timed Easter egg! New to me band. I really enjoyed this one.
The Coral
3/5
Not offensive, not remarkable.
Frank Sinatra
5/5
Top of his class.
Miles Davis
2/5
Just not my style. I find it choppy and abrasive.
Hot Chip
1/5
Nope. That hour felt like three.
The Avalanches
1/5
Tiresome cacophony of samples, scratching, crackling and 1970s disco-style sounds.
The Blue Nile
2/5
Super weak sauce. Flirting with 1* badness.
Bobby Womack
3/5
Probably okay R&B/Soul. Just not my thing. But easy listening, not offensive.
Morrissey
3/5
Not a big fan of this era of his solo stuff. It's not bad, just nothing to write home about. Very low 3 for me.
Johnny Cash
4/5
Solid.
Alice In Chains
2/5
Rooster, great. One or two others okay. The rest, just noise pollution for me.
Otis Redding
3/5
Okay, so these are cool re-renderings of old Soul songs by the great Otis Redding. But, it's still like a cross-genre greatest hits type compilation so not scorable on the same level as a regular album.
Pixies
2/5
I want to like this more than I do.
Supergrass
2/5
Not superimpressed.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
4/5
Great debut album.
Fats Domino
3/5
Classic.
The White Stripes
4/5
Kicks hard, right out of the gate!
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Classic Stones bluesy rock! High 4+ and maybe a 5.
Cat Stevens
2/5
Weak sauce.
Curtis Mayfield
2/5
Not my thing.
Foo Fighters
3/5
Solid debut. Opens with 5 star energy but sheds some star weight as it goes.
Oasis
3/5
Didn't love it. Didn't hate it. Few notable songs among many that don't stand out from one another.
3/5
Fun.
Little Richard
3/5
I want to like it, and then halfway through every song I am ready for the next one.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
If you deny the greatness of this album, you’re probably the kind of person who adds an inch when giving your height.
The Only Ones
1/5
Aptly named. They must’ve seen the judges’ score cards. With different vocals and lyrics the music would have a chance.
Fela Kuti
2/5
Too funky for me.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Classic Dylan. If it weren’t for his voice and the harmonica I’d like it more.
R.E.M.
4/5
R.E.M. wrote most of the soundtrack to my college life, and this album was right in the middle of it all.
Dirty Projectors
2/5
It’s not the worst album on the list. But it didn’t need to be on the list.
The Kinks
4/5
Interesting and oddly enjoyable. Had no idea the Kinks had this in their bag.
New York Dolls
2/5
Maybe generous, but I was in a good mood and listening with my gf who was having fun with it.
Grizzly Bear
2/5
Meh.
Blondie
2/5
Was a bigger fan of Debbie Harry and her 70s rocker sex appeal than of Blondie and their music. Their style and sound are too dated for me to enjoy today. High 2.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
4th of July fireworks show soundtrack. ‘Merica!
Mudhoney
2/5
Not for me.
Paul Weller
3/5
Not bad. Not great. Meh.
Coldplay
5/5
Phenomenal debut album. Every one of the haters listened to it and loved it just like everybody else when it came out.
Rod Stewart
4/5
Great album, one hit after another. What else is there to say?
Quicksilver Messenger Service
3/5
Would've been a great Woodstock filler band.
Muddy Waters
3/5
I want to like this more than I do. But he’s a legend for doing what he did when he did it. Some rando named Frank Brown could cut the same album today and I’d give it a 2.
The Pretty Things
2/5
I listened to it twice through, and forgot it was on after about the second or third song. So I have no lasting impression of this. It didn’t make me want to turn it off, but clearly it didn’t get to a three star rating.
Emmylou Harris
2/5
Just another ho-hum country album indistinguishable to me from so many others.
2/5
Twangy.
The Specials
3/5
Falls somewhere between I really enjoyed this and I really didn’t care for it and I can’t tell which.
Throbbing Gristle
1/5
The only time while listening that I thought, wait, maybe this isn’t all mindless nonsense, turned out to be during the first song from another band that Apple chose for me after this album had finished.
Black Flag
2/5
It’s got a great beat, and you can smash your head against the wall to it!
Willie Nelson
3/5
Okay. Didn’t hurt my ears.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
2/5
Strange album, wanders between jazz, rock, psychedelic etc. Instrumental pieces are distracting. Couple surprise (to me) 70s classics show up late that almost pulled this up a star. High 2.
Earth, Wind & Fire
3/5
Having seen them live recently, I know they're better than this album projects. Big fun sound; big fun stage presence. That being said, this album is not all that.The couple big hits kept it from being a 2*.
Queen
3/5
I wanted to love this one when I started it. It's Queen. And Freddie. And Bohemian Rhapsody with all its lore. But after one listen I felt dejected. It wasn't a 5. It wasn't even a 4. The non-hits were dragging it down for me. Gave it two more full listens, and even a few individual songs a 4th pass. No matter how much I want it to be a 4, I can't get it over the line. High 3+.
Judas Priest
2/5
Not my style. All the songs sound the same.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
3/5
New to me band. Liked quite a lot. High 3+.
The Monkees
2/5
More fun when you were 10 and they were doing stupid shit on a silly tv show than when you’re 55 and listening to complete albums.
Kate Bush
1/5
To quote the first 5 star review I came to here: “Kate Bush isn’t really a songwriter. She’s an author of strange, literary fiction. Wisps of magic (the magic of nature, especially), bizarre imagery and metaphor entwine with the usual anxieties: love; motherhood; death; making deals with God. It just so happens that rather than write her baroque, gothic literature in text, she writes it in sound. These are not songs…” Exactly. That, and the fact that her music causes people to write like that about it, is why it’s awful.
Electric Light Orchestra
3/5
Big unique sound, a few notable songs, the rest just blends together.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
2/5
Weak sauce. 2
Ash
2/5
Not awful. But nothing special. Just another UK club band taking up space on this project.
Beatles
4/5
Classic and clean. The Sierra Nevada Pale Ale of music.
Tangerine Dream
1/5
Not awful, just wholly unnecessary.
The Triffids
2/5
Just okay. But not turn-it-off awful.
Sigur Rós
2/5
Surprisingly not offensive.
The Byrds
2/5
Not what I was expecting at all. And not that enjoyable at all. Too much twang.
Fever Ray
2/5
Viking music. Bjork in disguise.
ZZ Top
3/5
Just good ole southern rock.
Garbage
4/5
Fantastic debut album. Extra 1/2 star for that alone. Well aware of the band before but didn’t know how much I like their music until now.
Sister Sledge
2/5
If you were listening to music in the 70s, wore bell bottoms and big spread collars, pulled your striped tube socks up to your knees, and liked Soul Train, you probably liked Disco, R&B and Soul. I was listening to music in the 70s, wore bell bottoms and big spread collars, pulled my striped tube socks up to my knees, liked Soul Train, and liked Disco, R&B and Soul. I do not do any of those things now.
Ice T
1/5
Most rap's not my thing (there are some notable exceptions - Snoop, Run DMC, Fat Boys, Beastie Boys, et al.). I was on the fence b/w 1 and 2 the whole time - was this just crap or was there something redeeming about it musically? I had literally JUST decided it made it across the threshold to a 2 as the last song ended. And then the bullshit rant at the end to close the album. What a fucking loser. Fuck Ice T. And Fuck his homies who have been locked up for good reason the whole time he's been alive. Keep your politics out of your music - you and every other idiot musician who thinks just because you have a microphone means you have a platform. Stay in your lane.
The Beach Boys
2/5
I really wanted to like this album more than I did. I even tried it three times. And I found myself forgetting it was on midway through all three times. The vocals are clean. The sound is great. It just doesn’t hold my attention. Outside of three winners, the rest of the songs are easily forgettable.
Radiohead
4/5
Had no idea I liked Radiohead as much as I do. Great album. Im hooked.
Devendra Banhart
2/5
Occasionally interesting but not consistently so. Definitely can hear how snippets are better suited for soundtrack fodder than full on sustained listening as a collective album.
Joni Mitchell
2/5
Spoken word sung to music. Tolerable but not enjoyable.
Blur
4/5
Another surprise for me. It is clear that some good music flew under my radar during those transitional years through law school, marriage, new jobs and two moves in the 90s and has eluded me since. Until now.
Boston
5/5
Classic.
Ryan Adams
3/5
Great voice. Clean. High 3.
Sex Pistols
3/5
It’s edgy and not my style, but I didn’t hate it. And you can’t deny the impact it made at the time.
Portishead
2/5
Definitely James Bond credit worthy material. But it didn’t hold up through the whole album. It faded into simple background music halfway through. High 2+.
The Zutons
4/5
Never heard of this band but loved them. Great retro, rockabilly sound with some ska influence. Clean vocals and lyrics. Totally fun all the way through.
Napalm Death
1/5
Reminds me of the time I got stuck in the back of a bar in Dresden in my wheelchair waiting on the accessible loo while a couple drunk lads were banging away on a horrid young lass while this shit raged on in the bar. Don’t think they even realized she was a tranny, the drunk buggers.
The Police
5/5
Loved this album when it came out and still holds up today.
Grateful Dead
4/5
Love Live Dead.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
4/5
Core formative music memories here.
Fela Kuti
2/5
Too much abrasive brass Afro-Beat and not enough music for my taste. Maybe toss in a lyric here and there.
Arcade Fire
2/5
Genuinely surprised to see how well this album did in its day. Every song sounded the same. And was as boring as the one before it. And the one after it. Wasted Hours really spoke to me. Given I just wasted one.
Raekwon
2/5
Wu-Tang is not for me. knowwhatimsayin?
The Young Gods
2/5
Strange. Dark. Not atrocious but not great. Saved from a 1star by the contrasting music and haunting vocals.
Duke Ellington
3/5
Good solid classic jazz.
The Killers
4/5
Kicks off with 5-star energy that fades to 3+ by the turn. Half point boost for it being a solid debut album gets it back to 4 overall.
John Prine
3/5
Like early Dylan but enjoyable. Extra half star for no harmonica.
Neil Young
4/5
I really enjoyed this album, more than I thought I would. And more than some of his other work from the late 80s.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Couple solid winners in Badlands and Prove It All Night, with a lot of solid 3 star energy in between.
Manic Street Preachers
2/5
Ho hum. Not offensive, but not impressive or memorable in any way.
Michael Jackson
3/5
Mixed bag. 4 winners, 2 more strong, 5 mediocre songs filled in. That it was a big album for its day makes me want to give it a 4, and I would have if there were 2-3 fewer of the fillers which just dilute its overall strength too much.
Sade
2/5
Super weak sauce.
Manu Chao
2/5
Not awful, just not my style.
Taylor Swift
3/5
Just okay. I wouldn’t go see her in concert based on this album alone. Odd choice of all her albums.
The Doors
4/5
Have always loved The Doors and their unique carnival-like sound combined with Morrison’s vocals.
Amy Winehouse
5/5
Her incredible voice and swagger, blended with such cool retro sounds of soul, jazz and blues, made this a truly one-of-a-kind album.
Aerosmith
3/5
Just okay overall, after the opening hits. Really on the fence for me b/w 2 and 3 stars.
Simply Red
3/5
I really liked this a lot more than I thought I would. It has a very cool, soulful jazz vibe. It's a surprisingly high 3 for me.
Joni Mitchell
2/5
Just kind of monotonous and boring. Not offensive, just not exciting.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2/5
Yeah, yea . . . no.
Deerhunter
1/5
Some music is so bad it’s offensive, and you just want it to stop. Some music is just so boring that you don’t want to listen to any more of it. This one is much more of the latter, with a touch of the former.
Radiohead
4/5
Never knew I liked Radiohead as much as I do. Best win from this project for sure.
The 13th Floor Elevators
3/5
This is a pretty fun first time listen. Unique blend of 60s-centric psychedelic surf rock with a garage band feel. You can hear some similarities with Zappa, the Animals and maybe even some Doors. Some songs are a little tiresome but overall I enjoyed this one.
Kings of Leon
3/5
Nothing special. Nothing unlistenable. Just another ho hum average album of decent music that didn’t need to be here.
The Who
4/5
Solid debut. Great alternative 60s rock sound to what we were churning out in the States at that time.
5/5
Easily my most anticipated album in the project. Ziggy Stardust is a timeless masterpiece, blending rock and storytelling into a cosmic journey that redefined music and inspired generations. An absolute pinnacle of artistic genius.
Manic Street Preachers
2/5
It had its moments, and I almost thought I was going to like it, but those moments quickly disappeared into the abyss.
Johnny Cash
5/5
One of the best overall live albums ever, specifically because of the inclusion of the entire prison environment throughout and Johnny's interaction and performance within every aspect of it. Not giving a fuck, singing to prisoners about murder, cocaine and mayhem, throwing the middle finger to the label by mocking the profanity restrictions, and interrupting his own songs just to engage with the audience in spite of the recording, Johnny Cash is a bad ass. And despite it being basically a greatest hits album, it's still one of my all time favorite live albums, so I'll give it a pass.
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
The album is only half as good as the mustache review.
PJ Harvey
1/5
I wanted to be rid of this just a few songs in.
Peter Frampton
4/5
Classic.
Cocteau Twins
2/5
More like "Purgatory or Des Moines." So much meh.
Marvin Gaye
3/5
Really not impressed, but given the magnitude of the album at the time, I feel bad giving it a 2.
Ryan Adams
3/5
Solid, high 3+ - not that those “nonces” who think shoegaze and britpop bands merit any presence on this list would know.
Slint
1/5
Shocking that the band was already done before this album dropped.
David Bowie
5/5
I'm a sucker for early 70s Bowie. The music, the lyrics, the tempo, the themes and the persona constantly change throughout, but the chaos of it all works together as a musical masterclass in edgy glamrock diversity.
Beatles
5/5
I really wasn't familiar with this specific album by name, but damn it's full of their hits. I always knew in HS that the British Invasion bands were my favorites, but I'm seeing now decades later that I just really like them a lot. I find myself feeling 5 star vibes from every album by these guys.
Mylo
1/5
Just one and done for Mylo? Produced his magnum opus right out of the gate and called it a day? Shocking. No doubt being featured on this list has generated more revenue for old Mylo than anything he ever did on his own.
David Bowie
3/5
Two albums in one; the album opens strong with classic 70s Bowie diverse rock, but takes a turn at the half, progressing onward like a soundtrack through some dark spiritual journey or awakening, dragging a 4 down to a 3 for me.
Miles Davis
3/5
Enjoyed this quite a lot.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
Not bad. Couple notable hits.
David Bowie
4/5
Love this Bowie era. The more I listen to this album, the more I like it.
George Harrison
3/5
I think this is probably a great album. But it's hard to sustain that feeling over 2 hours. And as one reviewer said, I don't have the time to sit through it a full second time to decide. It's at least a very strong 3+ so we'll go with that.
Radiohead
3/5
New to Radiohead, and am a fan. This album is great for a relaxing evening in a dimly lit room with the windows open and a cool breeze rolling through, reclined in your favorite leather chair, a glass of bourbon in hand. It's a high 3 for me. Just need a little more bang for my buck to get to a 4.
Anthrax
1/5
Adding to my "Heading Out to Fuck Some Shit Up" Playlist now.
2/5
Just not my thing.
Neil Young
3/5
Couple notable hits among an easy listening album.
Radiohead
3/5
I'm new to Radiohead and am digging their stuff, but this one not so much as others. Barely a 3 for me (and that might be generous still).
OutKast
2/5
2 hours too long. Lacks focus and interest. But, on the upside, it does finally end.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
The OG of Soul! Even this 4+star review seems dis-R-E-S-P-E-C-T-ful!
Os Mutantes
3/5
This is one of the more surprisingly fun international albums on the list. It's funky. And groovy. And trippy. And it grows on you the more you listen to it. So many influences from the 60s all blended together with some very unique production sounds. I just wish I knew the language so I could croon along in Portuguese!
Missy Elliott
2/5
Couple enjoyable songs here and there. Otherwise weak sauce.
Motörhead
3/5
Shockingly, I didn't hate this. It's not my thing, and I can't imagine any time that I'd just pop this on to enjoy while doing whatever. But it had its moments and kept me interested from start to finish.
5/5
How do you not get excited for what’s to come, when the band is introduced and you’re on the edge of your seat waiting for Billy Shears to open the show by telling you he gets high with a little help from his friends, knowing that Lucy is on her way next to take you away with kaleidoscope eyes?! Iconic!!
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
Uniquely 80s sound, somewhat dated now. Easy enough to listen to, but not something I’m going to put on. High 2.
Orange Juice
2/5
Not at all what I expected for something billed as Scottish post-punk. But then the band’s name is Orange Juice so what did I expect after all. Certainly not Pet Shop Boys meet Spandau Ballet.
Jethro Tull
3/5
No doubt a classic, but overall just not the perfect style for my taste. High 3.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
3/5
Immediately recognizable from Paul Simon’s collab. Enjoyable. Not going to be a go to, but glad to have had the reason to listen.
Echo And The Bunnymen
4/5
Ah, another old friend from high school who went away to college with me! So good to hear you again.
The Verve
3/5
Opens with a banger. Lots of decent hymns to follow.
Elvis Presley
3/5
I’ve never been a big Elvis listener. Certainly he was groundbreaking at the time in many ways. And as an historical musical persona, he’s a 5 star celebrity. But, overall, I’m just a luke warm on his whole sound.
The Pogues
4/5
Absolutely yes, this is my jam! Including the greatest Christmas song ever recorded.
Santana
3/5
Guitar magic. High 3.
Thelonious Monk
2/5
Not my jam. At all.
Love
3/5
Actually pretty chill, groovy, 60s sound without being cheesy or overly jammy. Found that sweet spot right in the middle. I like it.
Lou Reed
2/5
Really disappointed in this one. Pretty somber stuff.
Pixies
2/5
If you had asked me before listening to this album if I liked the Pixies, I would have said yes. After listening to this album, which I think I am hearing for the first time, I don’t know why my answer would have been yes.
Nick Drake
2/5
Ooof. Slow and somber.
Buck Owens
2/5
If you still think Gunsmoke and Bonanza and The Andy Griffith Show was some of the best television ever, then you’re gonna love this album!
The Yardbirds
3/5
Not nearly what I was hoping to hear. Despite the obvious talent behind the guitar, the album came across as a little thin and lacking for me.
Fiona Apple
3/5
Started strong and lost energy along the way.
3/5
Unique sound, and some of it is pretty cool, but a lot of it just gets lost in the background.
Dr. Dre
3/5
I like this old school rap. It's not my go-to for daily listening, but it's fun.
Elastica
3/5
Didn't hate it, didn't love it. Probably right on the fence b/w a 2 and 3. Gravity pulled in its favor.
Nirvana
5/5
I’m late to life on Nirvana, owing to life at the time of their emergence being just super busy. That being said, I might like them better now than had I known of them at the time. Everything about this is just great.
Nirvana
3/5
The wows of the peaks are negated by the disdain for the screaming rage valleys, leaving me plateauing with a luke warm feeling about this hike.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
Never really thought of myself as a Neil Young fan, but I’m realizing through this that I am.
Fleet Foxes
2/5
I want to like it more. I tried to like it more. I don’t hate it. But it just suffers from a banal sameness throughout that keeps me from getting overly excited about it. Almost a 3.
Elvis Presley
3/5
Where'd he go?
Kendrick Lamar
2/5
Just doesn’t compare to the OG Death Row Records gang.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Just average, good, non-exciting work by the Boss.
Dusty Springfield
3/5
New listen for me. Clean vocals and instrumentals. Soulful and easy to listen to. Surprisingly good.
Björk
1/5
Hold the Bjork, please.
Van Halen
4/5
What a banger when it came out. If we had the ability then to play videos on demand, Hot for Teacher would've melted our set. VH and MTV rocked!
The Black Keys
4/5
Gritty and soulful, Brothers oozes with raw emotion and timeless rock energy. Each track is a powerful blend of bluesy riffs, infectious grooves, and haunting vocals, all wrapped in a lo-fi, vintage vibe that feels both fresh and nostalgic. Every listen uncovers new layers of brilliance—this is a classic rock 'n' roll work of audio art.
Blue Cheer
2/5
Started strong, and I was hopeful of more of the same. But what I thought was going to be a bit of fun, psychedelic rock devolved into more noise pollution and clunky rhythms behind vocals that were more akin to an alley cat wailing on a hot summer night.
Dusty Springfield
2/5
Not as refined as, and quite different from, her 1969 album Dusty in Memphis, which I liked. This one had an old school Doris Day feel to it - in terms of quality of the recording, song choice, style and subject matter. Far less enjoyable than In Memphis.
Taylor Swift
4/5
I’ve never listened to her music. It’s not my genre. It’s hard to avoid, but I’ve never actually sat and listened to it before this project. One earlier album didn’t impress me, but this one is different. I get it. I get the hype. I was surprised to know, and like, most of these songs; and the ones I didn’t know I liked equally well. She’s done well for herself and it’s not just because she puts on a good show. The music here is quality and the lyrics are great. I debated long and hard on the score, even listening to the album all the way through three times, but I think it is worthy of the four stars.
Frank Zappa
3/5
It’s a not too bad funky jam.
Leftfield
1/5
Wide left.
Sleater-Kinney
2/5
Other than the shrieking and screaming, this has the potential to be good. Having seen them live as an opener for Wilco, unfortunately, confirms that potential is tucked firmly away out of reach.
AC/DC
5/5
Who else here blew a speaker with this one?
Wild Beasts
3/5
This one grew on me the more I listened. Just made it into the 3s.
David Gray
4/5
Although not my typical genre, I always loved this album for the relaxing downtimes when few else in the mix fit the bill. Great lyrics against a backdrop of simple melodies. Nothing wrong with this.
Beatles
5/5
Another perfect mix of lyrics, harmony and music on every song. Haters gonna hate, but the Beatles just perfected their art.
Pixies
3/5
I’m hot and cold on the Pixies. This one’s alright.
Brian Eno
2/5
Just tiresome. Seemed to go on forever just for the sake of going on.
Jeru The Damaja
3/5
It’s got a good beat, and I can rap to it.
Snoop Dogg
3/5
The O.G.
Morrissey
4/5
I don't get bogged down with Morrissey's socio-political baggage. Maybe I like him that much more because he irritates so many. His music is just great. This album teeters on the line between a 3 and a 4. At the end of the day, I have nothing bad to say about it, and really enjoyed it overall.
Common
2/5
Unimpressive. Did not hold my attention.
Finley Quaye
3/5
Surprised at this one. Actually enjoyed it. Scottish reggae … who knew?
Steely Dan
3/5
High 3+. Solid album.
Röyksopp
2/5
Leaves me like drawing a butter rum life saver from the 5 flavor pack everyone is sharing.
The Byrds
3/5
It's good. It's not my normal jam, and it's not clean like the Beetles. But it's good and I can listen to it over and over without complaint.
Coldplay
5/5
Outstanding sequel to an outstanding debut. Coldplay haters can suck it.
Jane's Addiction
4/5
Fortunate to have caught one of their very last shows last month before they imploded. And what a great show it was!!
Butthole Surfers
2/5
Haven’t listened to this since high school. Plenty worse things on the list. That being said, this one probably didn’t collect many gold gramophones or silver spacemen.
Steely Dan
4/5
Great debut album with several classics, earning the one star bump.
Derek & The Dominos
4/5
Guitar jams for days!
Jacques Brel
2/5
French Bing Crosby.
The White Stripes
4/5
I’ve never known what genre The White Stripes really fit. They’re edgy, punk almost, with some songs leaning heavily on a metal sound; and then there’s the bluesy rock, ballads and anthem tracks. Im here for it all. Jack’s a master craftsman.
James Brown
3/5
Just okay. I thought I would like it more.
Saint Etienne
2/5
I knew exactly what it would sound like by the album cover.
LL Cool J
2/5
Tiresome.
The Boo Radleys
3/5
All over the place, genre and style wise, but most was not bad.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
I was late to appreciate just how good Led Zeppelin was, and particularly Jimmy Page. I have not done a deep dive into much of their work past their top dozen hugely popular songs. I was largely unfamiliar with this album but absolutely loved it. High 4+.
Fatboy Slim
2/5
Loop much?
Robert Wyatt
1/5
More orchestrated sound pretending to be music. This album was unique though, in that every track was horrible, but in a totally different way from the previous one.
Stevie Wonder
3/5
Biggest surprise take away was learning Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise came from this album.
Funkadelic
2/5
Did not feel the groove.
De La Soul
3/5
Like a mixed box of holiday donuts from Duck Donuts. Everything’s fun and funky, some are delicious, some are misses, but all are unique and make you bop your head and smile and say 👌!
XTC
3/5
Haven’t given this a thought in 30+ years. Used to love it back then. After a full listen today, I know why I haven’t thought about it since then.
The Zombies
3/5
Typical hippy dippy shit with a big finish.
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
Grew on me after a couple listens. Great voice, great instruments and orchestral arrangements, interesting lyrics. I expected to not like it and was surprised I did.
Eric Clapton
4/5
Classic early Clapton. Love it.
Fleetwood Mac
3/5
Just okay. Nothing special. Nothing awful.
Tim Buckley
2/5
I don’t get the accolades. Sounds like his balls never dropped.
Motörhead
3/5
Rock. No roll. Just rock.
Ride
3/5
Every song sounded like a different indie/britpop/alternative band from the 80's - 90's - and not one made me think, oh yeah, this is Ride. Who?
Deep Purple
3/5
Hippie rock. Just barely a 3 for me.
Mercury Rev
2/5
Meh.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
2/5
Are these guys from California?
The Black Crowes
5/5
Rocking bar music. For those who love a little Hootie mixed in with their Stones.
Nina Simone
3/5
Really enjoyed this. Borderline 3/4 for me. Could've gone either way.
G. Love & Special Sauce
3/5
Bluesy, folksy, groovy. I'm okay with it. Easy background music. 3+.
The Residents
1/5
15 seconds in, I felt that duck's pain.
A Tribe Called Quest
3/5
It’s alright.
Traffic
3/5
Not as big a fan of their early sound, but this album doesn’t hurt my ears.
Pantera
1/5
You might not be able to judge a book by its cover, but you certainly can with this album.
The Notorious B.I.G.
1/5
Not.My.Thing.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
Every song sounds the same and is equally monotonous and boring as the one before and one after it. Generous 2.
Bee Gees
2/5
Not the Bee Gees I knew or expected. Generous 2.
Underworld
1/5
Ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh.
Jimmy Smith
3/5
Really enjoyed this one. Very cool smooth sound. High 3.
Peter Tosh
3/5
Good album. Great vibe.
Wire
3/5
Not my preference. Teetering the line b/w 2 and 3.
Sly & The Family Stone
3/5
Brassy. Groovy. Funky.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
A classic. Such a good album start to finish.
Robbie Williams
3/5
Not bad. Big sound, good vibe, good voice. Surprised I've never heard of him before.
Metallica
3/5
Couple bangers, the rest just okay rock.
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
I want to like this band more than I actually do. There’s just too much noise pollution and sameness of sound throughout most of their songs.
Fatboy Slim
2/5
Why? What’s the point of this? I can’t think of any time or situation when I’d pop this on to just sit and listen to.
Nanci Griffith
2/5
Not my speed. My mom would like it.
Janis Joplin
4/5
Such an iconic voice paired with a very cool groovy, jammy, bluesy style of rock music. The album flows well and is very listenable on repeat.
Adele
3/5
Awesome voice. Aside from one or two songs that are great, the rest are just a little ho hum for me.
Arrested Development
3/5
Not bad. Not my thing generally but not intolerable.
Kate Bush
1/5
That “musicians such as Björk … have cited The Dreaming as one of their favourite albums” told me everything I needed to know about this album, and yet I somehow was still surprised at how awful it was.
Rage Against The Machine
3/5
Screaming rebellious, anti-establishment rhetoric while your message is obscured by the noise doesn't make you revolutionaries. But using the capitalist framework you ostensibly oppose by selling merchandise, albums, and concert tickets through labels and massive corporations does make you a hypocrite. And your followers, too, if they want to believe that it's about message and not music. Maybe, instead, just be recognized as great performers who made banging metal rock.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
3/5
Not bad, but didn’t blow me away.
Method Man
2/5
Wu Tang is not for me.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Great album with a range of sounds and styles. I actually really like some of the slower tunes during the homestretch as much as the hits during first half.
Bee Gees
1/5
Odesa was bad enough, but I was generous there with a 2. I can’t keep curving these guys’ work. This early Bee Gees stuff is just awful.
Joan Baez
2/5
Not my thing. Her voice is too high pitched and annoying, with no break. Clearly a great musical persona, though.
Genesis
3/5
Not great. Not awful.
Tears For Fears
3/5
I had not thought about this album in a long time, and I was a little excited to hear it again when it popped up. I was less excited when I was finished because, even though the big songs still resonate, I was surprised at how weak the fillers were. Back in the day I probably just fast forwarded from one of the hits to the next and skipped the fluff.
R.E.M.
4/5
Great debut from the indie band that wrote the soundtrack to my high school and college life. Will never not love this. Right in the 4/5 line for me.
David Bowie
3/5
Bookended by two massive hits, the rest of this album meanders through just-okay to better-than-okay soulful soft pop sounds of the decade. The weight of the bookends alone can't drag it up to a 4, but it's a solid 3+ overall.
Moby
3/5
Great album. Long time favorite, with some of his best work. The best stuff gets diluted by a ton of filler, though, dropping this barely below 4 stars.
Amy Winehouse
3/5
Solid album. Great voice. She had such a niche presence in the music world at the time.
Paul McCartney
3/5
It’s just okay. Nothing memorable. Listened twice and forgot it was on half way through both times.
Kraftwerk
2/5
I wavered back and forth between thinking I might like it and being tired of it. Ultimately, the latter feeling prevailed.
Queen
3/5
Good stuff. Nothing particularly noteworthy.
Circle Jerks
2/5
Definitely didn’t expect to get a Circle Jerks album in here. That being said, just seeing the name and hearing the rants brought back a slight nostalgia, similar to when I drew the Butthole Surfers. And at bottom, both are better than Bjork and Kate Bush.
Lambchop
2/5
Never heard of this band before, and the music was immediately forgettable.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
2/5
Why include this? It’s not their work or representative of their work at all. It’s not even good.
3/5
Just okay. Low 3.
Rush
3/5
I liked it. I’ve never really been a Rush fan, but also haven’t given them proper attention. This wasn’t bad.
The Velvet Underground
1/5
I've never listened to this album before, I'm sure. But if this had been the first thing I'd ever heard from VU, I'd never have listened to anything else from them. This is absolute trash.
The War On Drugs
3/5
Really good album. Easy to put on and play all day.
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
The O.G.s!
Drive-By Truckers
3/5
Great album.
TV On The Radio
3/5
This new-to-me band/album surprised me. It began slowly for me but picked up steam as it progressed. By the second run through I was a fan.
The Kinks
3/5
Not my favorite stuff from them, but pretty enjoyable nonetheless.
Wilco
3/5
Great, cohesive complete album. But it just doesn't hold the 4* energy for me the whole time. 3++.
Belle & Sebastian
1/5
1/2 borderline. Not great. Not chains banging trash can lids, but no reason to have had to listen to this one.
Country Joe & The Fish
2/5
Not atrocious but suffers from a monotonous, boring, sameness from beginning to end.
The Flaming Lips
2/5
Did not care for this one as much as Yoshimi. This one was just a little boring.
Kelela
2/5
Boring.
My Bloody Valentine
1/5
Tiresome. Just like the other I’ve had from them, the noise pollution overwhelms the lyrics and musical content.
Basement Jaxx
1/5
Nope.
The Roots
2/5
Tiresome.
Rush
4/5
I was not a Rush fan in the 80s. Or 90s or anytime, really. The techno/synth sound is just not my thing in the rock genre. That being said, this album is really pretty undeniably good. The big hits were really big at the time, and the rest pulls it all together pretty well. It's sharp and it's tight. I enjoyed giving it a proper listen - most of 3 times actually. And with headphones, it won me over.
Beastie Boys
3/5
I like the Beastie Boys. They were fresh and funky, blending humorous and irreverent lyrics with a fusion of rap, rock, punk, and funk elements. So much better than the gritty, angry, crime-focused gangsta/hip-hop rap of so many others. It's still not my overall preferred style of music, but it's a high 3 for me.
Really enjoyed this album. Have never given Faces a good listen and, honestly, I don't know why. Their sound is right in my wheelhouse.
Primal Scream
2/5
What a random hodge-podge of different styles, methods and sounds. Some I liked. Some I wanted to skip right through. Absolutely no rhyme or reason or common theme to the album.
Pavement
2/5
Not for me.
Everything But The Girl
2/5
Weak sauce.
Fairport Convention
2/5
Dances the line between being okay and being completely annoying.
Gorillaz
2/5
Never have given these guys a real listen before. Found out I haven't missed much. Couple good tracks here but mostly meandering filler with seemingly no cohesion or purpose. Some are outright tiresome and/or annoying.
The Fall
2/5
Every song sounds the same, both internally from start to finish and then as compared to every other one on the album. Just one long, tiring riff with some rambling over it that varies only slightly from being melancholy to angry and back.
The Psychedelic Furs
3/5
Another blast from the past! Wore this cassette out fast forwarding and rewinding to get to the hits. Now I see why. It's fun and passably enjoyable. Not great.
Pretenders
3/5
Really enjoyed this. Knew their hits growing up but never listened to them beyond those. Really like how clean and well put together this album was. Also surprised at how much Brit-Pop-Rock'ish they were. Didn't know that from what I was exposed to on the radio. High 3+.
Prince
3/5
A few great songs, a lot of filler and inconsistent production quality throughout. Love the artist but not so much this particular overall lengthy double album.
Metallica
3/5
It’s not bad, but it’s not necessary either.
Talking Heads
3/5
I like the Talking Heads generally a lot more than I like this particular album. Thanks, again, Brian Eno.
Elis Regina
2/5
Not in English. One thumb down. Might’ve gotten two down if it was in English.
Deep Purple
3/5
Not bad. I wanted it to be just a bit better to get to a 4, but it fell short.
Jurassic 5
3/5
New to me group. I liked it. Funky. Long album and sustained the groove the whole time. High 3+.
Sisters Of Mercy
3/5
Don't know how I missed this band in the 80s. They're dark and moody and fit right in with Echo, New Order and Joy Division, and maybe even some early dark Cure and Depeche Mode. They'd have been on solid rotation for me with the others through college.
Jeff Beck
3/5
Not bad. Bluesy old school rock. Sounds like Faces; no real surprise there. Only problem for me is after two full listens only a couple tracks stand out; all the rest just melded together.
Barry Adamson
2/5
As a soundtrack to a non-existent film, it does a great job of making you hope the movie never gets made so you don’t have to listen to this again.
John Martyn
3/5
New to me, and I liked it. It alternates between bluesy, rocky, jammy, funky, soulful grooves. Easy to listen to while working.
Cocteau Twins
1/5
Bjork’ish.
Minor Threat
1/5
Nothing like being screamed at for 30 minutes
3/5
Just not overwhelmed by these guys. The album‘s too long and the songs all start to sound the same.
The Chemical Brothers
1/5
Had high hopes for this one but it failed me. Too tiresome and repetitive. For the first half hour the same song continued seamlessly under different aliases. That might have continued throughout but I wouldn’t know because for the second half hour I was skipping to the next track after a minute or two.
The Stooges
3/5
Some highs here, but unfortunately too much general noise pollution from the instruments for my taste. Low 3.
Femi Kuti
2/5
Sounded okay but no good way to evaluate further since not in English.
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
2/5
Country cowboy folk tunes for the campfire is about right.
Jazmine Sullivan
2/5
Good R&B soul sound to the songs, but no need for the “tales.” Drags this album right down to the gutter.
Meat Puppets
3/5
This is not a band I’ve listened to before but I was surprised at how much I liked them. Half the songs were really good and sounded like they could’ve been B sides to everything on WSP’s Space Wrangler. Very high 3.
The Prodigy
2/5
Not a fan of the EDM/techno stuff but this one had some catchy hooks and was not altogether atrocious. Just tiring after a while, but that goes for the whole genre for me.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
This is the Stones in their best period, full of energy (Brown Sugar), great lyrics (Wild Horses, Dead Flowers), classic bluesy riffs (Sister Morphine), and amazing instrumentals - Can't You Hear Me Knocking is a straight f*%ng banger.
Burning Spear
3/5
Good, solid, classic Reggae.
Fishbone
3/5
New to me, but pretty fun. Upbeat mix of styles moving in and out of punk, ska, funk, reggae, and even rock with a touch of metal.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Strong contender for best album ever made.
Tom Waits
2/5
Genuinely shocked to see as many 5s for this as there are. Way too dark, gravely, somber and just not pleasant overall. Few groovy riffs in there but his voice is just annoying.
Prince
5/5
Iconic album. Prince was a stronger musician than even this album shows. But this one showcases a whole production approach to an album that eclipses his singular musical talent.
Shuggie Otis
2/5
Super chill album. Too much so. Forgot it was on. But a second run through got my attention. Groovy.
The Crusaders
2/5
The opener is okay, nothing special, but it's too long. The rest is all instrumental - not awful, fine for background jazz. But why mix the opener and the rest on the same album? Odd.
Nirvana
4/5
Iconic jam session for the time. Awesome songs in a great presentation. But -1 because, in the end, it’s just a greatest hits performance not a traditional album.
The Dictators
3/5
New to me, I think. Roller coaster ride for me. Some I loved. Some not so much. Mix of rock and punk sounds but always with lyrical punch.
Jane's Addiction
4/5
Great album. Great songs. Love the music more than I love Perry’s unique voice though.
Slayer
1/5
Added this to my “gonna go out and fuck some shit up” playlist.
Primal Scream
2/5
A few really decent songs, a few really bad songs, the rest just okay.
David Holmes
1/5
I do not need this in my music life.
The Lemonheads
4/5
Pretty good album. Great 90s vibe overall and a few really decent songs. Just crossed the line into low 4.
Aimee Mann
2/5
She was fun in 'Til Tuesday. Too bad she ended that for this.
Faust
3/5
A surprising new-to-me band. I really liked a lot of this. Some progressive rock jams like a jam band. Overall close to or right on the 3/4 line for me.
The Doors
5/5
Epic debut album.
The Sugarcubes
2/5
It's the B(jork)-52s!
Pink Floyd
5/5
Dark Side of the Moon blends haunting lyrics, rich instrumentation, and flawless production into one of the greatest albums ever made.
Soundgarden
3/5
I like these guys in fits and spurts, but not so much to sit and listen to an entire album straight through. I want to like them more. I try to like them more. I feel like I should like them more. I just don’t.
Erykah Badu
3/5
Easy listening on a Sunday morning with coffee.
The Sonics
2/5
Overall, I love the sound of the band. I don’t care for the sound of this album. And I don’t like the fact that it’s mostly covers. Give me an album full of originals and produced in better audio quality and I might love these guys.
N.W.A.
4/5
Old Skool Gangsta Rap. That’s what I’m talking about! Was on the fence between 3 and 4, but +1 because it kills Kendrick Lamar and current day rap nonsense.
The Byrds
2/5
Super weak sauce.
The Temptations
3/5
The album runs the gamut of soul, R&B and funk, with a lot of variation in style and sound from song to song, without an overall theme or harmony. Some are really good, some less so. Low 3.
Kanye West
2/5
I don’t like Kanye. As a person. He’s a diuchebag. And it’s hard to listen to his music without picturing his stupid face and thinking about how much I dislike him. But I gave this two hard listens. I like his collab songs with others more than I like him by himself. In the end, though, there are only two or three songs on this album I’d gladly listen to again.
Van Morrison
2/5
Just too slow, monotonous and mellow. I don't get the accolades for this one.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
2/5
I expected more. Why? I don't know. I guess the band name and album name suggested I was in for a treat. Instead, I got a cup of melted ice cream.
The Louvin Brothers
2/5
Tragic that this is on the list.
Nine Inch Nails
4/5
I have a new appreciation for NIN after seeing them last month on their Peel It Back tour. They were not on my radar until this past year, and it took a few listens to get used to their music, but I'm a fan. The lyrics are as intense as the music. Some of these songs were so incredible live that I like this album so much more than when I first heard it before the show. (+1 on the post-show edit)
Dinosaur Jr.
3/5
I don’t remember this band or this album at all. But I liked it. I feel certain it should have been in my wheelhouse during my college years. But they might not have really hit until a few years later when I was in the throes of life.
Sonic Youth
2/5
Not nearly as bad as the first two I've drawn here, but just not a fan. Every time a song comes on that makes me think, hmm, maybe it's not that bad an album, the next one confirms that it is that bad. And WAY too long.
The Streets
3/5
Stan meets Macklemore, but he’s a British wanker. Shockingly entertaining. More so that all the Brits who champion some of the worst music tank this guy. Extra point round up just for that reaction.
Scott Walker
2/5
UK’s Neil Diamond.
Ice Cube
1/5
Fuck this noise. Just an angry black man.
Depeche Mode
4/5
So much 80s and so much a part of my college music experience. Loved it then and still appreciate it today.
Culture Club
2/5
80s dance pop with static production tracks in background. A fun few songs that hit it big back then, but don’t translate well today.
3/5
Never listened to Limp Bizkit and now feel like I missed out. This was fun, and I’m tempted to give it a 4 for the energy and not wearing me out like most bands and albums in this genre. 3+++
Incredible Bongo Band
3/5
I enjoyed this. But at bottom, it’s just a compilation cover album of other unique tunes played in a unique way, with big brass and bongos. Really incomparable to a regular release album.
Roni Size
1/5
I don't need this in my music repertoire, and definitely not this much of it.
Isaac Hayes
2/5
Tolerable but barely so.
Black Sabbath
4/5
Banging album!
Billy Joel
4/5
Great album. Full of hits, and the ones that aren’t hits just miss.
Iggy Pop
3/5
Like the vibe and sound but not so much the overall cadence and lack of consistency in delivery. Low 3.
Pere Ubu
1/5
Should’ve been called Modern Noise.
Haircut 100
2/5
Duran Duran meets Pet Shop Boys.
Rufus Wainwright
2/5
Great voice but just soooo boring.
Astrud Gilberto
2/5
Not my thing.
Stevie Wonder
2/5
Good with coffee on a Sunday morning. Can’t imagine any other time I’d listen to it though.
Miles Davis
3/5
Jazz jam band. Not bad. Fine background music. Just not my overall thing. Right on the 2/3 line for me.
Dinosaur Jr.
2/5
Starts off like Psychedelic Furs, then moves into gritty Drive By Truckers. But almost every song is ruined by an intolerable screeching (not wailing, not jamming, not even screaming) guitar and unlistenable distortion. WTF?!
The Auteurs
3/5
Could’ve been a fan at the time, but today it seems rather generic and low risk, low gain material.
Soft Machine
1/5
Awful. Waste of time and space.
Joan Armatrading
3/5
Although I’ve known of this artist I’ve never given her a real listen. I really liked about half and the other half was a little too slow for me. But I love her voice and would like to hear more of her. Just over the 2/3 line for me.
Milton Nascimento
2/5
Not bad, just apples to oranges when it’s all Portuguese to me.
Bebel Gilberto
2/5
It was enjoyable enough, but not in English so no way to know if she’s singing nonsense or a nursery rhyme or something reasonable. Just at a huge disadvantage when it comes to comparing international albums.
The Thrills
2/5
More UK nonsense that doesn’t belong here.
The Cure
5/5
Few albums seem so well put together from start to finish as this one, as a preconceived complete work rather than just a collection of songs. It's dark and immersive and ambient. But in a melodic narrative way. Always loved this album.
Aerosmith
4/5
I’ve never considered myself a huge Aerosmith or Steven Tyler fan. That being said, I might be. 4.0
The Cure
3/5
Love The Cure but don’t love this album.
Metallica
2/5
In 5th gear from start to finish with the motor whining all the way.
Talvin Singh
1/5
Oof. Indian techno BS. When there were no lyrics I thought, couldn’t there at least be singing? And then when they started singing I thought, holy cow, can they stop singing and just play the music? And then it seemed it would never end.
The Libertines
3/5
New to me, and I kind of liked it. The highs outweighed the lows for me, with the extremes on both ends being really enjoyable, and really not. Maybe a decade behind its time, but overall, 2 snaps up.
Massive Attack
3/5
This new-to-me band gives me mixed feelings. It’s a blend of electronic, ska and hip hop, which produces a cool sound. Some tracks, like the closer Big Wheel, are great. Some just miss. And some are a little tiring. But overall I kind of liked it.
Kacey Musgraves
2/5
Super weak sauce. Who listens to this?
Spiritualized
1/5
1 star for taking up space on the list that a real album could have occupied. And for a stupid band name and album name. And for a dumb album cover. And for being tiring to listen to.
Jungle Brothers
2/5
-1 for being inaccessible. +1 for the jungle boogie beat.
Giant Sand
1/5
It almost had a quality I liked, kind of like a moody Morrissey vibe. But then they’d wreck it a song or two later with something that was just awful and didn’t work.
Dire Straits
4/5
Couple big hits, supported by a steady easy groove and great sound for all the rest. On the line, but +1 for solid debut album. 4
Moby Grape
2/5
There’s a 70s rock sound in there that I like, but only once or twice did it click over into a song I really liked. Too inconsistent overall - the misses really missed.
Joni Mitchell
2/5
Just don’t care for her style or sound. Easily could be a 1 for me.
Gillian Welch
2/5
Really disappointed in this one. Had much higher hopes because I like her. But this is the slowest played collection of songs I’ve ever heard. I could fall asleep during any one of them. And I thought she might during a couple of them.
Tom Waits
1/5
I just don’t get this guy or what he’s doing.
1/5
Noise rock band. That’s all I needed to know.
The Go-Betweens
3/5
Really just okay. Not bad. Not great. But easy to listen to.
SZA
2/5
Two or three songs were OK, including the openers. Then Kendrick Lamar showed up. Honestly, I like her individual songs better than any of the collabs. She’s got a good voice and a I like the vibe of her individually. But overall, the album didn’t hold me.
The Byrds
2/5
Everything sounds the same. Just doesn’t resonate with me.
The Who
4/5
Apples to oranges, you can’t just drop live albums into the mix against regular albums. Like Nirvana’s Unplugged and Johnny Cash’s prison albums, it’s just a greatest hits collection - in this case with the original 6 track listing, just a bare snippet of that. Most 4 star album bands in here could produce a 5 star greatest hits live album. -1
Tom Tom Club
3/5
Didn’t hate it. Didn’t love it. It was fun for its time, but now’s not that time.
OutKast
3/5
That is some Gangsta Shit! Not my thing, but it’s got a couple undeniable bangers and, to my knowledge, I didn’t hear Kendrick Lamar make an appearance, so that’s a +1. What a douchebag he is. 3.0.
Mike Ladd
2/5
Not for me. Felt like it lacked structure; no consistency of theme or sound.
Hole
3/5
Never listened to Hole before for some reason. Overall I liked it, though a handful of tracks are a bit too hardcore punk for my taste.
William Orbit
1/5
I don’t care for this trippy dippy electronica genre at all. And to the extent this was even close to garnering a 2, -1 for not being available on mainstream platforms. That by itself tells you all you need to know about it.
Sonic Youth
2/5
I did not dislike it as much as the other two albums I’ve had by Sonic Youth, but I couldn’t voluntarily put this on and listen to it. Each time I thought I might like a song, the next one or two set me back three steps with the noise pollution. Just not my band.
The Birthday Party
1/5
The best thing about this album is the cover was created by Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, the legendary artist behind the iconic hot rod character Rat Fink and a pioneer of the "Kustom Kulture" art movement, which later inspired inspired the "Weird Wheels" trading cards produced by Topps in 1980 that we avidly collected and traded as kids. Otherwise, everything else about the album sucked.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
1/5
WTF?! 🤬
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
One hit after another. Undeniable musical genius.
Lupe Fiasco
1/5
Did not care for this at all. Tiring, and wanted it to end after every song.
Fred Neil
3/5
On the low end of it’s okay. Mellow, easy to listen to. Not going to be a go-to album or artist for me.
The Cramps
3/5
This was a pretty fun throwback to my earliest days with alternative/goth/punk bands. It's got some groovy music and campy lyrics and is pretty much an 80s-era period piece. But still easy and fun enough for a couple enjoyable run throughs.
The Stooges
2/5
I really want to like these guys, and for about 1/2 their stuff I think I do. But then the other half descends into a cacophony of squalling guitar riffs, complete with reverb and distortion that extends for far too long and just pollutes the overall quality of their music for me.
Television
3/5
Not bad. Don’t recall ever hearing of this band before but this album has a cool, 70s groove. Enough so I’ll listen to more by them. 3+
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
2/5
Upbeat and lively. But also can’t understand a word they’re singing so no idea if the lyrics are crap or fantastic. 🤷♂️
The Undertones
3/5
This is the kind of pop punk soft new wave that defined my musical listenings of the 80s. Easy to get through, not bad, but also not terribly memorable. Solid 3.
Kid Rock
5/5
Turn it up, so the limp-dick woke liberals in the back can hear!! Banger of a fuckin' album!
Madness
3/5
They’ve got a unique sound, but that might be their best hook. Overall it’s okay but not special.
Peter Gabriel
4/5
Absolutely solid album from start to finish. Could even be a 5.
Donald Fagen
3/5
Not bad. I don’t mind his style and sound in small doses but lose interest over a whole album. Low end of 3 for me.
Ray Price
2/5
Such a campy sameness to these bygone country artists and albums of that era. While it’s not altogether horrible, it’s just not something that survived its period as listenable today.
Isaac Hayes
1/5
Did not care for this one at all.
Pentangle
1/5
Ugh. So bad I couldn’t listen to it outside for fear the neighbors would hear it.
Beatles
4/5
So many hits. As with most of their albums for me. This one has just a few too many that shouldn’t have been included.
Mekons
2/5
This one just misses. There was potential hidden in there, but they dropped the ball.
Common
2/5
It's not my thing, but I like the contrast of the soulful jazz music and the spoken word/street poetry component. Better than a lot of hip hop rap crap I've heard here.
The Byrds
2/5
I try to like these guys, and I want to like them, but their sound is just not for me. Not to mention they often do too many weird things with otherwise decent songs.
Aerosmith
3/5
Two big hits and a bunch of filler. Nothing bad, just nothing to write home about.
Alice Cooper
4/5
I have always been aware of Alice Cooper’s presence in the music world, but I’ve never really given him much attention. I always felt like he was a goth clown prone to gimmicky stage shows. But honestly, this album rocks. And after listening to it, I listened to a ton of his songs and realized I really like the 1970s Alice Cooper so much more than the persona and style the developed through the later 80s and into today.
Lou Reed
3/5
It’s okay. Doesn’t wow me, but easy listening.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
2/5
Fancy restaurant background music. It's not bad; but there's nothing particularly unique or noteworthy about it. And a couple or three tracks suck.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
Whyyy sooooo serious?
George Michael
3/5
Wham! was fruity but harmless in neon gym wear, like a strawberry-banana daiquiri at at a high school slumber party. George Michael unshaven in leather is like the older guy with a spiked drink at a college bar where the lighting’s too low and the eye contact lasts a few seconds too long.
Megadeth
1/5
Just speed metal on full throttle the whole time. Why?
The xx
3/5
New to me, band and album. And yet, when the Intro fired up to open, it was a wait, what? who? moment. Overall, it's a pretty subtle, chill album, not remarkable, but also not awful. It's got a cool vibe that gets it over the 3star hurdle.
Ananda Shankar
2/5
What a dream this was, blending Western and Indian music. It's almost as if he's created a new form of music entirely that has yet to be named. It's both melodious and touching at the same time, the sound produced by combining the most modern electronic devices with the old traditional instrument, the Sitar!
Marvin Gaye
2/5
Boring and long.
Eminem
3/5
Not as impressed by this album overall. More noise than musical value. Barely a 3. Maybe not even, but +1 b/c I like his style regardless.
Radiohead
4/5
Another solid Radiohead album. Really not sure how or why I wasn't as big a fan of them before this project. Really like their style and sound.
Tortoise
1/5
Why? Agree with those who suggest it sounds like something a Casio would pump out.
Beck
4/5
Beck's got a unique and distinctive sound that I've always liked. I've never considered him one of my favorite artists, nor have I ever listened to any of his albums straight through outside of this project. But, relatively speaking, this one was pretty enjoyable all the way through two full listenings plus a few select third plays.
Happy Mondays
3/5
This is a new-to-me band and album that I really enjoyed. Great instrumentals and vocals. Easy to move through it twice. High 3.
The Sabres Of Paradise
1/5
A couple minutes of this might be okay - and, yeah, the title track at the end would be fine to pipe out to the front porch for trick-or-treaters on Halloween - but 77 minutes of this at any other time of the year? Absofuckinglutely not.
Ali Farka Touré
2/5
Didn't hate it. Actually, kind of liked a few tracks - cool grooves. Wish I knew the language and could appreciate the lyrics.
Willie Nelson
2/5
Unnecessary.
Rod Stewart
3/5
Just okay.
Gene Clark
2/5
I don't think I've ever come across Gene Clark, so had no expectations other than I saw 70s and rock and was hopeful. I felt like this delivered 80s soft adult contemporary and was moderately unimpressed.
Paul Simon
2/5
There's nothing particularly offensive about Paul Simon's work. It rides the line from mellow to kind of dorky to just really soft, adult contemporary. The lyrics can vary from weird to less weird to sappy to okay. Overall, I feel like it's the same general vibe throughout all his solo work, and it really just depends on the day, the mood and the particular song whether I hear it out or skip on to something else.
Justin Timberlake
2/5
Really bad. This particular era for this genre needs to be whited out from music history.
Kings of Leon
3/5
I only became familiar with this band with their big release in 2008, so this earlier vibe/sound was unknown to me. Initially I liked it, but over the whole album nothing changed - pitch, tone, sound, whatever you want to call it - and I was tired of it by the end.
Megadeth
1/5
This one was slightly better than the last one, but I can’t do this thrash metal
Simple Minds
3/5
Quintessential 80s synth-pop (always hated the term "new wave"). The dominant sound of my high school and college years, which is probably the only reason why I can listen to it today without skipping past it. I did always like the haunting tone in his voice though.
The Electric Prunes
2/5
Nope nope nope. Being generous with the round up here.
Lenny Kravitz
3/5
Have not explored his music before but have always liked what I’ve heard from him, this album included. It was close many times to inching its way into 4star territory but just didn’t get there.
Serge Gainsbourg
1/5
Wiki: "The narrator falls instantly in love with Melody, who is revealed to be only fourteen years old ("Ballade de Melody Nelson"), but who nevertheless makes the narrator happier than he could have ever imagined ("Valse de Melody"). He plans to take her virginity, knowing she has never been in love before ("Ah ! Melody"), and they travel to a secret hotel where they have sex ("L’Hôtel particulier")." WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!?!
New Order
3/5
I’ve always liked New Order. They have a clean sound, both music and vocals. And despite being a front runner of the “new wave” era, they never sounded overly mechanical to me like many of the Casio-synth bands of the decade.
Dead Kennedys
2/5
Not my thing overall, but I always liked them for being out front with their sound and high energy. It’s not repulsive, just not something that I’m gonna go to on my own.
PJ Harvey
3/5
PJ Harvey is new to me with this project. This album wasn’t much better than the last - more mainstream alt-indie sound, and less prog/artsy/punk than what I heard before. Still, nothing particularly memorable or noteworthy, just basically not bad.
The Beach Boys
2/5
I want to like them, but it’s just so sappy.
Fiona Apple
2/5
Roller coaster ride - hated some and loved some.
Lucinda Williams
3/5
I liked this album when it came out, and I still find it easy to listen to. It does suffer from a bit of a mundane sameness quality, in that there are only a few tracks that stand out from the others. But I like her voice and the vibe overall.
Carpenters
1/5
Ooof. The only time I have enjoyed this genre and style of music was during that wacky closing scene of The 40-Year-Old Virgin.
X-Ray Spex
3/5
Punk is not my thing. And girl punk is less my thing than punk. That being said, the energy and vibe are fun, and I actually liked about half the songs. Her voice is tiring over the long pull of a double album though.
Guided By Voices
3/5
Never heard of this band, but I like their sound and style. I would like the album a lot more if there were fewer songs that were developed more - as is, they're all too abbreviated, like they're just preliminary demos; and they stuck to a single genre-sound throughout.
Kraftwerk
1/5
I just don’t get this.
Yes
3/5
Good album. Yes has a unique sound that I like in small doses. A whole album starts to get a bit tiring. Fortunately they’re not long albums.
Germs
1/5
As soon as it started I couldn’t wait for it to end.
Ms. Dynamite
2/5
Very pedestrian, generic R&B hip hop sound. Nothing offensive, but special about this at all.
Richard Thompson
3/5
Mixed feelings about this one. Some songs are too singer-songwriter folksy for me and some have a more fun Irish-sound. Could’ve fallen on either side of the 2-3 line for me.
Syd Barrett
2/5
It was like one long demo session. A lot of the songs had potential but were either chopped up abbreviated or talked through. I don’t get this album.
The La's
3/5
Didn’t recognize the band or the album, felt like it was just okay and then a couple hits pop up right in the middle and it closed pretty well.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
Enjoyable 80s band that I didn’t follow into the 90s. Unique sound and not a lot of variation in their songs leaves me luke warm today.
Patti Smith
2/5
Beat poetry meets the fusion of punk and rock. Just a bit too odd stylistically and lyrically for me to go back to this.
The Undertones
2/5
Really pedestrian 80s sound with dumb lyrics and indistinguishable tracks.
Alanis Morissette
4/5
Although a lot of 90s pop-rock albums were time-stamped and didn't really survive the decade, this one can still hold its own. It had a unique vibe at the time that still makes it both recognizable and enjoyable today.
The Mothers Of Invention
1/5
Too weird, too experimental and just lacks any overall cohesion to deserve consideration as an album. It's a collection of nonsense.
Kate Bush
2/5
Maybe the least bad Kate Bush album I've had, out of the way too many Kate Bush albums on this list. But there's just no set of circumstances that would lead me to put this on for even the most casual and unfocused listen ever again.
Genesis
3/5
Just not my thing. And way too long for not my thing. Put it on the low end of the 3 spectrum beside Rush.
SAULT
2/5
Not good. Long boring grooves that all sound the same.
Lana Del Rey
3/5
I like her voice and style. Overall this album isn’t my favorite of hers, but it’s not bad.
Cowboy Junkies
2/5
Was really excited about this one, especially after the first 20 seconds of the opening track. Saved it for when I could appreciate it. Totally disappointed. Way too slow, unremarkable and nothing super memorable. It's like overly slow, smooth blue note jazz or something. It's not awful, but it's not what I expected and not something I'll likely return to.
Love
3/5
Interesting, psychedelic and trippy with a few holding some potential in here. Nothing to write home about, but was an interesting listen. Low 3.
Neu!
2/5
Just music with the very occasional distant vocals. Nothing atrocious but 2's the ceiling with a music-only compilation like this. It's not just noise, though, so it's got that much going on.
The Beta Band
3/5
Very chill groove that sounds more like something from a 70s soft rock band than a 2001 alternative band. Nothing special, but easy listening. Low 3.
4/5
A classic from my youth! I loved everything about Devo when they hit the music scene. Devo didn’t just bring a unique style or vibe — they were a conceptual shockwave, a full-blown eruption of image, irony, and identity. Devo was THE proto-MTV band.
U2
4/5
This album is the transition point for me, from 5-star classic 80's rock-U2 to 3-star 90's pop-U2. Enough winners in here to hold the line above 4 though.
Joy Division
4/5
From the first note to the last, this album brings back so memories of my youth and my earliest days of alternative music listening.
The Smiths
4/5
Fantastic album, start to finish. Easiest of their albums for broad appeal. I'll never not like The Smiths. It's really too bad they didn't survive this album to see its success together.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Every song’s a classic!
Mudhoney
2/5
Appreciate the intensity and some of the lyrics and songs, but overall the heavy garage metal guitar style and sound is just not for me. High 2.
Badly Drawn Boy
2/5
Really weak sauce.
Queen
3/5
Good Queen. Not Great Queen. Much of it just didn't leave a lasting impression.
Sebadoh
2/5
Not sure how to describe this one. It's got a grunge wanna-be sound, and it's up and down, from slow to garage rock. Inconsistent and, overall, unimpressive.
Paul McCartney and Wings
3/5
Opens strong, couple big hits, then the rest is just okay. Low to mid 3.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
I’m not a huge Bruce guy, but this album is pretty good. Not too long, and half the songs on it are hits. 3+
Abdullah Ibrahim
2/5
Better (and very different) than what I expected by judging the book by the cover and not reading the jacket sleeve.
Afrika Bambaataa
3/5
I'm okay with this funky rockin' Bambaataac beat!
David Bowie
3/5
Not my favorite Bowie work. But I didn’t hate it. Just not an album I’d ever put on to enjoy start to finish.
Slipknot
2/5
More music, less screaming and growling please.
Black Sabbath
4/5
Never having listened to this album before, I was really looking forward to it in the wake of Ozzy’s death. And it exceeded expectations, by a good bit. The opening title track was what I expected - dark, goth, mysterious. But then The Wizard blew me away. It was bluesy - a harmonica?! 🤯 It was classic rock. Not at all what I thought the Prince of Darkness would have cut his fangs on. And it just took off from there and never looked back. What a great album, rounded up for the debut success!
Mj Cole
2/5
R&B style electronica - not horrible, but not my thing.
Ella Fitzgerald
4/5
This is as good as it gets for this genre for me. Great voice, elegant tone, just iconic jazz. During the whole four hours I never once wished it was done already.
Gary Numan
3/5
He’s got a unique sound that immediately takes you back to the advent of new age. Beyond that it’s just middle of the road okay for me.
Ozomatli
3/5
Not bad. Latin-Indian fusion funk sound. Just into 3star territory.
TV On The Radio
2/5
This was a just miss for me. Tried twice but both times ended up being tired of it before it was done. Alternative sound is cool; the prog art rock additive not so much.
Jane Weaver
2/5
Super weak sauce. Didn’t excite or interest me at all.
Minutemen
2/5
Erratic, inconsistent, and somewhat abrasive. Glimmers of hope but mostly tiresome.
fIREHOSE
3/5
This one straddles the 2/3 line for me. Some songs are classic 80s sound and enjoyable. Others are mindless and immediately unlikable and forgettable. Really inconsistent theme to this album.
Queens Of The Stone Age
3/5
5⭐️ cover art, 4⭐️ band name, 3+⭐️ music. Good classic hard rock.
The Kinks
3/5
I’m a middle of the road Kinks fan. I generally like their sound, but wouldn’t write home about them. Nothing wrong with this album, but also not a standout for any reason.
Django Django
4/5
Giving an album I’ve never before listened to from a band I’ve never heard of four stars was not on my bingo card, but it’s what I had hoped to find in this project. I loved this album. It is by far the best new music discovery I’ve made here. I’m not even sure how to describe this sound, other than a fusion of 60s style psychedelic rock, 80s and 90s alternative, and modern day jam band stuff, with various international styles woven in here and there for good measure. And the lyrics are great too. Two snaps up!
Cheap Trick
3/5
Nothing special about this album. Just another live “greatest hits” type album, so no fair comparison to a regular cut studio album.
Little Simz
2/5
Not for me.
Liz Phair
2/5
Not a big fan of this female singer songwriter style. And the whole bit about it being a response to Exile on Main Street makes it that much weaker.
Christina Aguilera
2/5
This overly commercial girl pop stuff is not for me. I want a band on stage with instruments, not a casio-type pre-produced music track in the background.
Spacemen 3
1/5
Time consuming and tiresome. And annoying at times. Several times.
Neneh Cherry
2/5
Commercial garbage.
Madonna
2/5
The material girl was a product of the 80s, but her star quality had long faded by this album. This album is just generic commercial pop garbage.
Rahul Dev Burman
1/5
Even the Cha Cha Cha couldn’t save this from obvious defeat.
Gene Clark
2/5
You lost me at “classic country-influenced singer/songwriter album from the early '70s.”
The Divine Comedy
2/5
Slow and cheesy, mellow baritone crooner - like Morrissey, but in the style of Tom Jones.
Bob Dylan
3/5
This is good Dylan for me.
Roxy Music
3/5
Two albums in one - first half was cool, then stalled at the turn, sputtered through some odd stuff on the way home.
Adam & The Ants
3/5
Are they pirates or or cowboys? Glam metal or alternative or indie? What's going on here? Pick a theme . . . and make it half as long next time. Other than that, uniquely entertaining.
Youssou N'Dour
2/5
Lively and upbeat. Just the right amount of Afro-pop to hold me until I die.
Spiritualized
2/5
When you order Pink Floyd on Temu . . .
George Jones
2/5
Brings back fond memories of my grandad.
Living Colour
3/5
Huge opener that was an iconic anthem of late 80s rock. But the rest of the album struggles to hold that line. In fact, it doesn’t.
Britney Spears
2/5
Won’t be playing that one more time in my life.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
Tales of Murder, narrated in song in the style of Vincent Price and the Crash Test Dummies.
The KLF
2/5
It's not omg-turn-it-off awful. But it's not my thing and certainly nothing groundbreaking to warrant attention here. 2.0
Green Day
5/5
First time listening to this album start to finish, and I was surprised at how strong it is. Over half the songs are hugely popular hits, and those that aren't complement the big ones entirely. Not a skip on the whole album.
a-ha
2/5
One mega hit followed by a litany of indistinguishable, generic, 80s new wave synth pop songs.
Dion
2/5
Uninspiring at best. Bonus point for being short.
The Velvet Underground
2/5
Really not a fan of the production here. First song too low to understand. Second song piercing shrill sound pervasive throughout, obscuring an otherwise good song. Roller coaster ride the rest of the way, with lyrics drowned out by music. Then Murder Mystery - no.
Public Image Ltd.
2/5
I liked some of what these guys put out back in the day. But today, running this one back start to finish, I found this album to be tiresome overall.
Dire Straits
5/5
Money for Nothing is why I bought my first CD player. And it's why I had to replace a set of speakers in my first car. And again in my second car.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
Absolutely classic Stones! One of their best.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Solid classic American rock, including 3 big hitters! Damn close to a 5*.
Sufjan Stevens
1/5
This thing drifts along like a paper sailboat on the ocean at low tide, with monotonous, sing-songy lullabies stretched into an entirely too long album. What some hail as intricate storytelling instead feels like endless musical notes ebbing and flowing with no payoff, tiresome in their own self-importance.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
2/5
Really didn't care for this. Slow and boring melodies coupled with melancholy vocals, combining for that hallmark 80s pop/synth/dark alternative sound.
Crowded House
3/5
Easy listening, typical (boring) 90s pop rock. But not offensive, so low 3.
Holger Czukay
1/5
For a minute, I thought this might be okay. Got me!
Public Enemy
3/5
Generally speaking, this hard core rap is not my thing. But there's no denying, it's not slow, it's not boring and it's pretty banging at times.
Billie Holiday
2/5
I've heard plenty of Billie Holiday that I liked, but this one is just incredibly slow. Like painfully slow. Up the tempo just a notch and I'd have liked it. Up it a couple of clicks on the dial and I might have loved it.
Linkin Park
3/5
I like the vibe and the rap-rock sound, and the couple big hits are BIG. But overall it's too much the exact same throughout. Just misses 4* for me.
Animal Collective
2/5
Strange combination of vocals and music.
John Grant
2/5
Aside from the brief hilarity (and reality) of the lyrics to Jesus Hates Faggots, this was pretty slow moving and rather lame throughout.
The Divine Comedy
2/5
There were points when I liked this and points when I questioned it. It rode the roller coaster between 2* and 3* for me.
Robert Wyatt
1/5
Nope.
The Monks
3/5
It's campy and punk'ish, with that dooby dooby doo nonsense of the 60s. It's a little much at times, but kind of fun.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
2/5
I need less hiphoprisy in my life.
Heaven 17
2/5
You had me at English synth-pop.
LTJ Bukem
1/5
Somebody come get your Casio, it's drunk.
Goldfrapp
1/5
Nope.
Adele
4/5
Amazing voice, super clean production, and punctuated by a two iconic songs that still hold today.
The Human League
3/5
Quintessential 80s new wave synth pop. Not an enduring vibe today, but definitely was fun then.
Waylon Jennings
2/5
This is my grandfather’s country music. Just too dated and out of my style preference for me to fully appreciate.
Def Leppard
3/5
Really enjoyed this throwback album to my youth. Wasn’t a fan of a lot of 80s glam/hair rock, but these guys were prolific. This album is full of everyday plays from then.
The Damned
3/5
Really enjoyed this and the punk rock vibe.
Throwing Muses
2/5
Did not care got this.
Roxy Music
2/5
Just another Brian Eno project I didn’t care for.
Norah Jones
3/5
Great, silky sultry voice. Super easy listening.
Faith No More
3/5
Have not given this band any attention before, though I knew of them. Solid 80s rock sound. Good album with a couple or three bangers, including a great true cover of War Pigs.
Big Star
1/5
Inconsistent, varying between tiresome, super weak sauce, and almost but no cigar.
Pulp
3/5
The more I listen to this the more I like it. It's a very cohesive piece of work; you can't just jump in and grab a song here and there and appreciate it as much as in the context of the whole album. With enough time, this might get to a 4 for me. But interestingly, there's no stand outs; just one long collective work that's really pretty good. High 3+. Maybe should be a 4.
Joy Division
3/5
It's dark and methodical. It's not my favorite Joy Division work, but as a debut album it's a pretty solid leap into the dark world of post-punk goth rock to come.
Pere Ubu
1/5
I really don't know what this is supposed to be. But I do know what it is - mostly annoying.
M.I.A.
3/5
Funky from the jump. By track three I was getting full HBCU halftime-show energy—big, banging rhythms with brassy, drumline confidence. Then it moves into an international-sounding mix of sleek, progressive beats and percussion that feels distinctly African.
Small Faces
3/5
Loved the psychedelic 60s/70s rock sound. Felt like the narrative elements thrown in were distracting and even annoying. Had it stuck to just the music I'd really have enjoyed it more.
Duran Duran
3/5
Solid 80s new wave pop rock sound that brings back memories of my early listening days.
Maxwell
2/5
I liked it for a while. Cool smooth soulful jazz sound. But then it just kept going and going and got more boring along the way. On the fence 2/3.
Soul II Soul
2/5
I like the soulful R&B groove this album has, but it just doesn’t hold my attention through the end of most of the songs.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
2/5
These guys should’ve gotten paid overtime for working so hard to keep punk alive this far into the 80s. They could’ve used the extra cash to buy new speakers to replace all those they ruined with the over-the-top reverb and distortion that makes so many of these otherwise cool songs unlistenable.
Big Star
3/5
New to me band, but I like it. Good, solid, classic 70s American rock. Band definitely had potential that was wasted.
Screaming Trees
3/5
Another great band I somehow missed entirely during the 90s. Great sound, great album. 3+
Terence Trent D'Arby
2/5
Nothing really wrong with this album. Good voice, great melodies. It's just low key boring.
The Pogues
3/5
Love The Pogues. Great sound - vocals and music - wit and vibe. 3+
Sabu
2/5
I just don’t need this much Congo music in my life.
Jamiroquai
3/5
I knew the name but had never given this artist any attention. I liked this. It sounded great and was fun. And to those 1 star reviewers above - you pretentious fucks! It’s not cultural appropriation or impersonation just because an artist happens to like and use other styles or sounds. It’s art. What have you ever done that’s worth a damn?
The Pharcyde
3/5
Surprisingly fun. Not my thing overall but enjoyable hip hop style rap.
Anita Baker
2/5
Not offensive, just not my thing. Too generic and boring.
Goldie
1/5
Nothing timeless about another space aged instrumental.
Hugh Masekela
2/5
Jazz. The horny kind.
Hookworms
2/5
More brit electronic pop rock that is only here because of the compiler's bias. Started as a 2, finished as a 1. Held its head above the line, but just barely.
The Band
3/5
Solid classic rock (shockingly, not mostly American, but sure seems it) with three notable hits.
Tracy Chapman
4/5
Fantastic album. Great voice and lyrics over simple and clean melodies. I was a fan then and still am now. Great debut album and still holds weight today.
Tito Puente
3/5
Fun, upbeat album. Pretty enjoyable for an occasional listen.
The Beta Band
3/5
Imagine a list of 1001 albums you must hear before you die containing two albums out of the only three made by a band that shot their shot and couldn’t make it.
The Stooges
3/5
These guys just miss for me. The punk sound is cool but the electronic clatter just degrades it for me. Right on the 2/3 line, could go either way.
Elliott Smith
1/5
This was so slow and quiet and boring that I finally decided it was justbad. I tried a second pass through and found myself fast forwarding through every song.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
If you like Tom Jones sung in the style of Vincent Price.
The Cardigans
3/5
Started just so-so but found its groove by the well-known Lovefool hit and finished strong.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Closing out the sweet spot in the Stones' long trajectory, this is another masterpiece. Just a few too many extras thrown in to sustain the 5-star rating from start to finish. But exceptional just the same.
Bon Jovi
4/5
I was a senior in high school when this came out, listening to alternative, indie and new wave music. And, yet, this pop metal, hair band, anthem-style album just rocked. Today,I listen to classic vinyl and jam bands. And, still, this album just rocks. It's undeniably nostalgic 80s rock that is still fun today.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
Now this is The Jesus and Mary Chain sound I recalled from college. Glad they turned a hard corner from that debut album of noise pollution.
2Pac
3/5
I dismissed 2Pac as just another angry hardcore rapper back in the day without ever giving him a listen. Probably owing to the feuds and violence and death that became the hallmark of his life. So when I fired this up today, I was very surprised to hear a soulful, jazzy, smooth, hip-hop style of music instead of what I was expecting. It really wasn’t bad.
Prince
3/5
Turns out that Little Red Corvette didn’t have enough gas to get much past turn two. Coasted to a stop before turn three. Never saw the finish.
Barry Adamson
1/5
This guy needs a new line of work. Fake soundtracks to fake films can’t possibly pay the bills.
Stephen Stills
3/5
Not awful. Few decent 70s style classic Americana songs, few just okay, and a few others pretty weak.
Jefferson Airplane
3/5
Grew up knowing this band but never really listening to them beyond the big hits on the radio. There’s a lot to like about this album. Need to give them a deeper dive. High 3+.
The Darkness
2/5
Most of the music comes in at a 3 for me, though some of the riffs seems like complete take offs from other more popular rock songs. Most of the vocals land at 2 for me, being too high pitched and shrieky, with some cheesy hooks.
Van Morrison
3/5
I like Van Morrison, and this is a perfectly fine live album. It's soulful, bluesy, jazzy and has great sound for its era. But it's a live, greatest hits type album so can't be compared apples-to-apples with a studio album.
Donovan
2/5
Two big hits, plus a couple more trippy grooves, but the rest just falls flat. 2+
Thin Lizzy
3/5
Grew up hearing this band, and generally liking their more notable hits. Overall, they just don't have the rock sound I really enjoy. And a compilation live album with studio overdubbing is far from special enough to be on this list. Flatline 3.0
Pavement
3/5
Low key, post-punk, alternative rock sound. I kind of liked it, maybe would grow on me with more time. But mostly indistinguishable tracks that left no last impression.
The United States Of America
2/5
No need for this. Saved only by a few fun trippy grooves sprinkled throughout.
Elliott Smith
2/5
Just too chill and boring. Nothing really caught my attention.
Frank Sinatra
2/5
Love the guy, and some of his work, and then there’s this one. He’s got a great voice, but overall this one’s just way too slow and boring for me.
Cyndi Lauper
3/5
It's a fun album, and was huge at the time it came out. But it's hard to get overly excited about it today.
Killing Joke
3/5
Classic 1980 post-punk sound. I don't recall this band but it's very similar to what I'd have listened to at the time. Doesn't hold weight today, though, so really just a flat line 3.0 for posterity.
Wilco
3/5
I really liked this album, even though nothing really stood out to me after multiple listens. It's just generally very good. 3++ but maybe a 4.0.
Suicide
1/5
The album opens with some intrigue, but spirals downward into repetitive synth-pulse riffs that go on for too long, accompanied by narrative story-telling that is very pedestrian, punctuated by shrieks and screams. And Frankie Teardrop is horrific and should never have been recorded.
Suede
3/5
New to me band, but I generally enjoyed this. Great voice, lyrics and music. Need to listen to more of their stuff. High 3+
The Teardrop Explodes
3/5
Another cool new-to-me UK alternative band. Great vocals, cool sound.
Chicago
3/5
This has soul, jazz, big band, funk and a couple dashes of psychedelic rock thrown in. I like what they morphed into a little better, but this keeps the line moving for sure.
The Hives
3/5
Maybe not my new favorite, but enjoyable, hard rocking, punk/alternative sound. But boo! for putting a greatest hits type album on the list. 3-
Stevie Wonder
3/5
Great voice and lyrics, super clean overall. Enjoyable.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
Zzzzzzzzzzz
Venom
1/5
Unnecessary goth metal.
The Clash
4/5
Great album. Love the variation across the spectrum from punk to alt-jazz to rock and even some soulful/bluesy influence.
Elton John
4/5
Great album overall. Lots of hits. But also lots of just generally good songs as filler.
Travis
3/5
It’s not remarkable, but it’s not nearly as bad as the initial reviewers suggest. It’s like a real watered down Radiohead or Coldplay.
Beastie Boys
5/5
A top 5 debut album across all genres!
Curtis Mayfield
3/5
This was OK, easy to listen to. Nothing to write home about.
Mariah Carey
1/5
Butterfly is Mariah Carey’s “magnum opus” only if you believe doing the exact same thing with more whisper-breathing and cooing somehow counts as evolution.
Buzzcocks
2/5
Too much English punk for me.
Ian Dury
2/5
Just another quirky UK artist who might be fun in a limited set in a pub one night, but not for a full show, or even full album for that matter.
Louis Prima
3/5
Fun, easy listening, jazzy stuff.
Elvis Costello
3/5
Pretty enjoyable album. Handful of hits, another handful of great songs, the rest all fills in nicely without being overly remarkable or memorable. But a great debut album. Solid 3+.
The Verve
2/5
The more it went on, the less I liked it, and it dropped from a 3 to a 2 because of it. Too much reverb overshadowing the vocals. Too much sameness. Just too much.
Pink Floyd
5/5
I fell asleep to this disc in the changer with 4 other PF albums more nights in college than I could possibly count.
White Denim
3/5
New to me band, but really liked this a lot, as well as a lot of their other stuff. Great new find. High 3+.
The Young Rascals
3/5
Groovy and chill, typical 60s style, easy listening.
Air
1/5
Existential space age instrumental nonsense.
Hole
3/5
Enjoyed this from the jump. Great vocals and music.
Marilyn Manson
2/5
First time ever listening to MM. Not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Only had to fast forward through 3 songs of shrieking, mainly because my own throat was getting sore just listening to it.
The Cars
5/5
First listen in ages. Forgot how airtight this album is. Six of nine tracks are monster hits. And the other three don’t drag it down. For a debut, that’s crazy.
Janet Jackson
2/5
This one is time-stamped hard. The only thing that could possibly make this appealing today is performing it at a halftime show and then having her boob pop out right after.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
2/5
This one didn’t hit for me. Listened a couple times through and forgot it was on each time.
Leonard Cohen
1/5
How much darker and more somber can it get?
Lauryn Hill
3/5
Great voice, good album. The chatter and filler instead of just singing knocks it down a bit for me.
A Tribe Called Quest
3/5
New-to-me band but I really enjoyed this. Need to listen to more.
The Beach Boys
2/5
Iconic 60s Americana, but every song is so cheesy and sounds the same.
Baaba Maal
1/5
This was a tough listen. The wailing was a bit grating.
Nas
2/5
Nas my thing.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
Just okay, nothing memorable.
Nightmares On Wax
2/5
Really not too bad for an electronic instrumental piece. Not what I was expecting. Easy background music. Doesn’t belong on this list though. High 2+.
LCD Soundsystem
3/5
This was up and down for me. Some tracks I liked, some not so much. Overall, it was better than I expected at the start. Low 3.
10cc
2/5
Really eclectic hodge hodge of styles and songs, mostly not great.
ABBA
2/5
Although Dancing Queen was certainly an iconic piece of the era, ABBA in general, and this album in particular, don’t do much for me.
Teenage Fanclub
3/5
Never heard of this band. Pretty typical 90s UK Indie sound and mellow vibe.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
Pretty good album. Several hits. Easy to enjoy.
Madonna
3/5
Certainly an iconic piece for the era, as was she in general, but other than the few hits the rest is just meh. Low 3.
The Gun Club
3/5
Pretty fun, upbeat, post punk, American band/album. Pretty enjoyable, particularly for a debut, even if a bit too long.
Bad Company
5/5
Great, classic American rock album, and a helluva debut!
Cornershop
2/5
Such a strangely eclectic mix of stuff here. I had high hopes at the beginning with some cool 90s Indie sounds, but by the time the Punjabi synth-pop set in I was ready to move on.
Todd Rundgren
2/5
Slow and cheesy 70s rock with some weird stuff mixed in. Really didn’t enjoy this at all. And way too long. Could’ve been a 1.
Frank Black
3/5
No idea who this guy is/was and hate the album cover and it’s way too long and some of the songs are trash. Other than that I liked his sound - kind of Wilco’ish at times - and thought it could be okay.
Deee-Lite
3/5
Fun and upbeat, classic 90s period piece.
Buffalo Springfield
3/5
Opens hot and then cools to a mild chill throughout.
Bad Brains
1/5
I would expect nothing more from an album with a stupid name by a band with a stupid name.
Everything But The Girl
1/5
This album absolutely lived up to its cover.
The Chemical Brothers
2/5
Not as overtly annoying as their other album, but uninteresting just the same.
Supertramp
3/5
A uniquely 70s prog rock sound with a couple big hits. Not bad.
Black Sabbath
3/5
There are a few standouts in the mix here, but overall I felt most just blended together into a just-okay soft rock sameness.
Tom Waits
1/5
Really not a fan of this guy’s voice and style.
Skepta
2/5
That’s more British ska hip-hop rap than I need in my life.
Beck
3/5
Easy listening but nothing too unique or special. Typical Beck style and sound.
Nico
1/5
Did not care for at all in a Joni Mitchell dislike kind of way.
The Soft Boys
3/5
New to me but I enjoyed it. Great 80s post-punk to alternative sound with some 60s psychedelic harmony mixed in. High 3.
Public Image Ltd.
1/5
Didn’t care for these guys generally 4 decades ago and nothing has changed since.
The Fall
1/5
Too long, too annoying and too much all the same.
Beastie Boys
3/5
More subdued and not as rocking as their debut, but good listening.
Joanna Newsom
1/5
The Joni Mitchell of the Renaissance Era.
k.d. lang
2/5
Just too slow and meaningless for me.
Billy Bragg
4/5
I’ve liked this album since it first dropped. It was my first introduction to both Billy Bragg and Wilco and that alternative easy, folksy-bluesy jam sound that now dominates my listening.
Talking Heads
3/5
Great album, great sound. Not my favorite from them, but easy to listen to a couple times.
Metallica
2/5
Not my style.
Brian Eno
3/5
Not the worst of his stuff, but just okay for me.
Sugar
3/5
This album feels like the recipe for 90s alt rock stew, with dashes of influence and sounds from so many other 90s alt rock bands.
Paul Simon
3/5
Fun album, a few good songs, but overall just average musical entertainment.
Frank Ocean
3/5
Mellow, easy-listening for the most part, but unremarkable overall and largely forgettable after it's done.
John Lennon
2/5
I’m really not a John fan that much. I’m certainly not a Yoko fan. And I just don’t find his and her work that appealing overall.
Charles Mingus
2/5
Appreciate the effort, but too abrasive for me to really enjoy this type of jazz.
Arcade Fire
2/5
The longer this one went the more it lost me. Chords dominated the vocals, and the lyrics became inanely repetitious within each song.
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
Other than Atlantic City, this album is awful. So slow and morose. and some of the lyrics are just dumb. This could easily be a 1.
CHVRCHES
2/5
You had (pronounced, L-O-S-T) me at Scottish synth-pop
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
Solid, but a much more chill, Bob album.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Love the Stones but have never listened to this album straight through before. Couple huge hits and the rest totally passable, though not going to rank among their best.
Public Enemy
3/5
Of all the styles of rap, I seem to like these guys’ combination of aggressive lyrics and pumping bass and vibes better than others.
Scritti Politti
2/5
Painful to revisit this hallmark sound of the 80s.
Deep Purple
3/5
Classic early 70s rock sound of my youth. Not exactly my style, but close.
Lightning Bolt
1/5
Dimery’s review needs a slight tweak - a mix of sheer abuse and unwelcomed lack of diversity, for a truly challenging listening experience.
The Magnetic Fields
1/5
No doubt, the only thing ever conceived while sitting in a gay piano bar. -1 for the self-indulgent over-inclusion of c-side quality debris.
The Mars Volta
3/5
New to me, but very similar in style to Tool. I like it.
Beach House
3/5
Left me totally lukewarm. 3.0
Slade
3/5
If The Beatles, Zeppelin, AC/DC and Motley Crue spawned a band, this is what you'd get. Not as bad as the one guy on the cover caused me to expect.
AC/DC
3/5
Good album, a few hits buttressed by solid B-sides.
Janelle Monáe
3/5
This was just okay for me. Nothing special, but not atrocious or hard to listen to. Not my style, though.
Wu-Tang Clan
2/5
Wu-Tang is not for me.
Tim Buckley
2/5
This sounded like washing your face with sandpaper must feel.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
Really just don't find this guy’s dark and somber style appealing.
Can
2/5
The first few songs aren’t bad and should’ve been an EP. The last few are just noise and should not have been recorded.
Scissor Sisters
2/5
An uncomfortable mix of disco, dance, electronica and pop. Oof.
Peter Gabriel
2/5
Pretty disappointed in this album overall. Amazing that Solsbury Hill emerged from this diverse tangle of mediocrity.
LCD Soundsystem
3/5
And yet again, I'm pleasantly surprised by this band with this album. It's funky, groovy, jammy and with a touch of electronica that doesn't turn me off.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
Good background dinner party music.
Orbital
1/5
After an hour of relentless, monotonous, rhythmic noise finally ends, the silence that follows is eerily deafening. And you realize the full measure of the audio torture you've just endured.
Miriam Makeba
2/5
Beautiful voice and pleasant enough. Sounded like old time international radio from much earlier than 1960. Just not my thing.
Malcolm McLaren
2/5
While I didn’t hate every individual part, I didn’t care for the way they were organized into this eclectic mix of an album. Or the filler in between.
Talking Heads
4/5
Solid debut. Clean sound and classic Talking Heads style. Love it.
Aphex Twin
2/5
Not annoying but not necessary either.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
Back in college, a buddy and I used to hang out at a bar around the corner that played a lot of Neil. Nothing fancy, and bartender was a bit of a grump, but he kept the girls overserved and we tended to get lucky more often than not as a result. Used to get our laughs watching this sad sack at the bar with card tricks and flowers that popped out of his cuffs. Could never tell who he fancied more, the girls or the bartender.
The Clash
3/5
Great album. Solid debut.
The Band
3/5
Classic 70s sound, couple big hits, otherwise just a solid (mostly) American rock album.
Shivkumar Sharma
2/5
Needs more cowbell.
Keith Jarrett
3/5
Nice work. Not something I’ll likely listen to again, but pretty good piano work.
Ute Lemper
3/5
Love her voice and this was well arranged. Props for all that. Not something I’d listen to again.
Steve Earle
3/5
I did not hate it, but I was surprised at how country it was. A little too twangy for me at points. 3.0.
Calexico
3/5
Hard to know what I think about this eclectic mix of styles, even after two listens. Some tracks I really liked a lot, some I just wanted to FF through and didn't get at all. 3.0
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
2/5
Not worth the labor of trying to find it.
New Order
4/5
Love this album. Clean 80s alternative sound.
Ramones
4/5
High energy from the jump, sustained through the close. Great throwback that’s still fun today.
Bonnie Raitt
3/5
Not awful, just not my style.
Gil Scott-Heron
2/5
Although there were some bright spots - mostly where the songs and style were upbeat - I found much of album overly tedious and tiresome to the point of wanting to fast forward through it.
Slipknot
1/5
Painful.
Dr. Octagon
1/5
This is one of the worst types of rap. Just a monotonous Casio beat in the background and incessant talking about nonsense that passes as music somehow. I don’t get who listens to this and likes it. How did this person or band become accepted as a musician?
Merle Haggard
2/5
Just too old school “this is my pops country” for me.
The Beau Brummels
2/5
Like a young Dylan but more grating and annoying.
The Youngbloods
3/5
I enjoyed some of the jams, while others meandered aimlessly about, and some tracks were just a bit tiresome. Overall it had potential but didn’t reach it. Nothing memorable to take away. 3.0
Brian Wilson
2/5
Beach Boys Lite. Less filling. Less taste.
Talking Heads
3/5
Solid album, including the iconic Once In A Lifetime. But that’s really the highlight. Everything else is just their good clean classic sound.
Fairport Convention
3/5
Surprisingly better than the cover led me to expect. A little jammy, a little folksy. Not bad.
Thundercat
1/5
Opened with 2 ⭐️ tolerability, finished with 1 ⭐️ tedium.
Radiohead
3/5
A good, solid, chill vibe.
Einstürzende Neubauten
1/5
I did not realize that I too could be an accomplished musician, worthy of international acclaim. I have produced all of these sounds at some point in time in my house and in my garage. If only I had recorded them and muttered inane things while doing so.
Marvin Gaye
3/5
Solid album, clean sound. Easy listening.
Pearl Jam
3/5
Solid album. Some huge hits, but it doesn’t hold the 4 star energy throughout for me.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
While dripping with an inescapable 80s hip hop rap vibe, this album opens with, and carries five star energy through the turn. Sure, the second half lacks the luster of the first, but there’s no denying what these guys brought to the table at the time. And in the end, this still slaps hard.
The Modern Lovers
3/5
New to me, this has a mixed punk and indie underground vibe. It’s certainly not over-produced, which is cool. Jury’s out still, but I think I like it.
Machito
4/5
The appeal of fiery big band Latin jazz on a beautiful Spring Sunday morning at the beach with all the windows open cannot be overstated!
John Lee Hooker
3/5
Great blues album, and I did not mind all the collaborations that everyone else is complaining about. High 3+. Could be a 4.
Steely Dan
3/5
Another solid album by Steely Dan! Couple big hits and all the rest easy listening - their standard recipe. High 3+.
Weather Report
3/5
Did not love it or hate it. OK instrumental background music for working. Nothing to write home about.
Bauhaus
3/5
I’m down with this chill goth rock. Nice throwback.
The Jam
3/5
Another old friend. Though I admit I don’t feel as strongly about it today as I used to.
The Offspring
3/5
Fun album, upbeat classic punk rock. Clean production. 3+
My Bloody Valentine
1/5
Three from these noisemakers on this list is madness. Reverb and distortion wrecks the music and completely masks the vocals, if even there are any - I couldn’t even tell on a couple or three songs.
Sinead O'Connor
2/5
Pretty lackluster overall. One memorable song, some not even enjoyable to listen to. 2.9
Cream
3/5
Good album. Clean and classic. 3+
Dolly Parton
2/5
My Pops would’ve loved this. Me, not so much.
Bill Callahan
1/5
Just a dude talking his lyrics over Casio-style music playing in the background. And monotonous refrains, particularly the final song. Absolutely no reason for this on the list.
The Associates
2/5
I hear what they were going for. It's an eclectic 1980s-era mix of Bowie drama (I kept waiting to hear Scary Monsters come on next) + Devo drum machine synth structure + Oingo Boingo theatricality + a touch of Spandau Ballet dream sequence. It's a miss for me, but by far not the worst thing I've heard here.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
2/5
Blues, not so much. Explosion of sound and fury, yep.
David Bowie
3/5
Not my favorite Bowie album. First 1/3 not bad, wanes through the second 1/3, closing 1/3 just super melancholy instrumental work that does nothing for me. Could be a 2 but I can't bring myself to do that.
Elvis Costello
3/5
All his albums are the same for me. Enjoyable, easy to listen to, but nothing overly special.
2/5
I appreciate the jams, but it goes a little hard for my taste.
Ghostface Killah
2/5
Didn’t hate it but don’t need to hear it again. Not a fan of this format where the music is broken up by “skits.”
Magazine
3/5
Not what I expected from 1978, in a more cool way. Liked the alt/punk vibe and sound. Much more like what I was listening to a decade later.
Leonard Cohen
1/5
I regret the hours of my life lost suffering through these way too many Cohen albums. They’re nearly indistinguishable; just one, at the absolute very most, would have done as a representative sample.
Dwight Yoakam
2/5
Genuinely shocked that the top rated reviewer criticizes toxic masculinity in country music. Ha ha, what a woke dumbass.
Christina Aguilera
2/5
Just seems so generic and unremarkable. And way too long.
Super Furry Animals
3/5
Not bad. An eclectic mix of styles touching just about every genre there is in some way.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Started off strong, and then faded back to just okay, slightly taxing, and always monotonous, Bob Dylan.
Tom Waits
2/5
Just don’t care for this guy’s style or sound.
Daft Punk
1/5
I was really looking forward to this when I saw it, and I was really disappointed in this halfway through it. And completely worn out by it when done. Just so monotonous.
Ravi Shankar
1/5
The style and sound itself would not be so bad in a microdose, but after 10 minutes, it all sounded the same and just seemed to keep going forever. I also don’t understand the point of the commentary. Why pick this seemingly instructional album for this list versus another more straightforward example of Indian music.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
3/5
Good vintage fun. I had this album in some form once upon a time. Tempted to give it a 4 but will stick to a 3+ for now.
ZZ Top
4/5
Teenage me wants to give this a 5. It was a bluesy-rocking bad ass album when it came out, and it still hits hard today. It's got a super clean production sound, awesome hard hitting bass beats and jamming guitar riffs to complement the fun lyrics.
Les Rythmes Digitales
2/5
Despite this not being my style at all, it opened on a more interesting and unique note than I expected, then totally fell flat with monotonous same-same beats through the majority, then tried a slight revival of interest to close. Overall a slight miss for me.
The Velvet Underground
2/5
I want to like these guys, and try to like them, but just not so much. Too odd, subdued and moody for me.
Eurythmics
3/5
It's got a clean sound, so typical of the 80s new wave style, and Annie Lennox's voice is above par. Other than the iconic title track, though, nothing else is particularly overwhelming.
Dizzee Rascal
1/5
There were moments when I thought I might like this enough for a 2; and there were many more moments when I couldn't wait for one of those earlier moments to return.
Queen Latifah
2/5
Not offensive, but not enjoyable either. Nothing about her beat, sound or style is appealing to me.
B.B. King
4/5
Pros - super clean, powerful voice; excellent blues music; great live blues performance for sure; and probably one of the best examples of the genre. Cons - it's essentially a greatest hits album; and it's a sound that I don't have a lot of reason (if that's the right word) to revisit too often today, so hard to evaluate it on the same scale as other styles and genres with which I'm more readily familiar. Could be a 5. Maybe.
Sly & The Family Stone
3/5
Generally liked the overall funky, groovy vibe. And while some songs were great, others definitely didn't hit with me.
Brian Eno
1/5
I'd fly a lot less if airports had this on loop.
Korn
3/5
Was actually surprised at this. Not nearly as unlistenable as I imagined in advance. Far from it. The metal rock was not offensive, and the lyrics are sometimes captivating, sometimes humorous. It’s pretty clear they’re having fun and they don’t give a fuck whether you like it or not.It’s not something I’m going to listen to again, but I kind of liked it.
Michael Kiwanuka
4/5
New artist and album for me and was really surprised. Had no expectations and this exceeded them in every way! Soulful, bluesy rock sound. Need to listen to this guy more.
Caetano Veloso
2/5
Might be okay, might suck - can’t tell because I don’t know what he’s singing about.
Destiny's Child
3/5
Nothing particularly wrong with this. Just not my thing. 3.0
Gang Starr
3/5
Mildly enjoyable, easy to listen to. Wouldn't be something I'd likely revisit, but I wouldn't walk out of a room because it was playing either.
David Crosby
3/5
I like the ensemble, and the first disc gave me a lot more Traffic vibes than the second, which resorted more to the classic folksy, Americana, singer songwriter style of CSN&Y.
UB40
3/5
A solid album, nothing spectacular, but easy to listen to on a drive.
PJ Harvey
2/5
Just does nothing for me.
The White Stripes
4/5
I loved everything about this album. I’m sure it’s the first time I’ve ever listened to the whole album and I felt disappointed in myself for never having done so before. Every song was unique, with great lyrics and awesome guitar riffs and drum beats. And unlike most on this list, I was genuinely disappointed when it ended. I had no trouble listening to it three times back to back. I could revisit this score. 4+
The Cult
3/5
Surprised by this. So much more of a classic rock album than I thought The Cult ever produced. It was completely devoid of the haunting melodies and lyrics that I knew them for. I liked it.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
The hate here is thicker than the dungaree overalls!
Baaba Maal
2/5
It’s sung in hieroglyphics.
Incubus
3/5
Middle of the road, non-offensive modern rock.
The National
3/5
Unique sound, but a little tiring and too much same-same over almost an hour and a half.
Pink Floyd
2/5
I was completely unaware of this album and that a band that I like so much began with this. I tried twice and found nothing about this appealing.
Van Morrison
5/5
I have always loved this album. It’s a classic, and solid from start to finish.