507
Albums Rated
3.48
Average Rating
47%
Complete
582 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
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Favorite Decade
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Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
146
5-Star Albums
41
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Shalimar
Rahul Dev Burman
|
5 | 2.65 | +2.35 |
|
90
808 State
|
5 | 2.69 | +2.31 |
|
Medúlla
Björk
|
5 | 2.72 | +2.28 |
|
Group Sex
Circle Jerks
|
5 | 2.74 | +2.26 |
|
Histoire De Melody Nelson
Serge Gainsbourg
|
5 | 2.75 | +2.25 |
|
Faust IV
Faust
|
5 | 2.78 | +2.22 |
|
Djam Leelii
Baaba Maal
|
5 | 2.79 | +2.21 |
|
Ananda Shankar
Ananda Shankar
|
5 | 2.83 | +2.17 |
|
Arular
M.I.A.
|
5 | 2.83 | +2.17 |
|
São Paulo Confessions
Suba
|
5 | 2.83 | +2.17 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Arctic Monkeys
|
1 | 3.73 | -2.73 |
|
Jagged Little Pill
Alanis Morissette
|
1 | 3.72 | -2.72 |
|
Definitely Maybe
Oasis
|
1 | 3.53 | -2.53 |
|
Hybrid Theory
Linkin Park
|
1 | 3.39 | -2.39 |
|
No Other
Gene Clark
|
1 | 3.19 | -2.19 |
|
Selling England By The Pound
Genesis
|
1 | 3.18 | -2.18 |
|
The Bones Of What You Believe
CHVRCHES
|
1 | 3.18 | -2.18 |
|
This Is Hardcore
Pulp
|
1 | 3.14 | -2.14 |
|
Smile
Brian Wilson
|
1 | 3.06 | -2.06 |
|
Tuesday Night Music Club
Sheryl Crow
|
1 | 3.05 | -2.05 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Nick Drake | 3 | 5 |
| Stevie Wonder | 3 | 5 |
| Radiohead | 3 | 5 |
| David Bowie | 3 | 5 |
| Marvin Gaye | 3 | 5 |
| Beastie Boys | 3 | 4.67 |
| Public Enemy | 3 | 4.67 |
| Elvis Presley | 3 | 4.67 |
| Funkadelic | 2 | 5 |
| Isaac Hayes | 2 | 5 |
| Björk | 2 | 5 |
| Ray Charles | 2 | 5 |
| Beatles | 2 | 5 |
| The Clash | 2 | 5 |
| The Jam | 2 | 5 |
| Sly & The Family Stone | 2 | 5 |
| Depeche Mode | 2 | 5 |
| Simon & Garfunkel | 2 | 5 |
| Bob Marley & The Wailers | 2 | 5 |
| Blur | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Gene Clark | 2 | 1 |
| The Who | 4 | 1.75 |
| Mudhoney | 2 | 1.5 |
| Christina Aguilera | 2 | 1.5 |
| Pulp | 2 | 1.5 |
| Genesis | 2 | 1.5 |
| Rod Stewart | 2 | 1.5 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Michael Jackson | 2, 5, 5 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 2, 5, 3 |
5-Star Albums (146)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Super Furry Animals
2/5
When participants of this project complain that there’s too much Britpop wanker bullshit on this list, they must be referring to this.
12 likes
Marvin Gaye
5/5
If you’re going through it, this is the album for you. Considering the other concept albums on this list, this has to be among the best. Setting a song about attorney fees to a sexy slow jam, is the chef’s kiss of pettiness.
5 likes
The Mars Volta
2/5
Hmmm… I don’t know about this. It’s like a lot of stuff I don’t like. Very dramatic and loud. Reminds me of Rush and Yes. And I don’t like them either.
The instrumental was alright. Clearly there is talent here. But this record is not essential and I hope I never have to hear any of this ever again. Too far up its own ass to be anything but boring.
3 likes
Sinead O'Connor
5/5
Oh goddammit! Another one that I wore out back in the day. So many hours singing along.
This record is still excellent. Her voice is incredible. The music is beautifully produced. The lyrics are raw and real. This was enormous when it came out. 5/5
2 likes
Gary Numan
5/5
Much better than expected. It’s definitely an experience. The music arrangements were excellent.
But it’s a very specific sound, a very specific mood. Feels like a synthesizer on a cocaine bender.
2 likes
4-Star Albums (122)
1-Star Albums (41)
All Ratings
Funkadelic
5/5
Genius. Love.
Amy Winehouse
5/5
Nick Drake
5/5
Very pretty. Clearly influential
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Wonderful. A but too conceptual/70s jazz to be my favorite. But it’s undeniably beautifully crafted.
The Who
2/5
I’m sure it’s good. But I don’t really like The Who. And I am not in the mood for this today. Cannot get through one song. Calling it neutral, but today I fucking hate this shit.
Ian Dury
3/5
Hard to listen to.
Like 2-3 songs.
Little Simz
5/5
This was great. Totally new to me. Never heard of her. Everything was good. Good groove, easy to listen to and enjoy. Quality all around. Very nice surprise.
Sade
5/5
A favorite! All Sade is good. Already have several songs in a playlist. So glad to revisit this classic.
Sounds like it was remastered at some point.
Bad Brains
1/5
I don’t like hardcore. This made me grind my teeth. Not for me.
Dirty Projectors
4/5
This was interesting.
Mott The Hoople
3/5
The Monkees
4/5
Starts off sounding like the Beatles. Some genuinely good tracks. A good variety of sounds and styles. Not everything is great, but overall pretty good.
Fairport Convention
4/5
Already like Who Knows. Overall it’s much better than I expected. I like this better than some more well known artists. Feels unpolished in a good way. Not trying too hard. Just genuinely decent music. Love A Sailor’s Life. So far, fun and unpretentious. Not into everything, but it’s cute.
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
3/5
I’m not sure about this. Calling it neutral. There’s some good work here. But it’s a little hard to listen to. A little too mumbly and meandering for me, but I can see the influence it had on music. It’s fine. It’s probably a lot better with a head full of acid.
Spiritualized
4/5
Better than expected. Very Stone Roses, Jesus and Mary Chain, Velvet Underground, Sigur Ros. Smooth production. Not too loud or too much. Nice balance. Not too pop, not too avant garde. Kinda peaceful.
Mudhoney
2/5
Better than expected. Very Stone Roses, Jesus and Mary Chain, Velvet Underground, Sigur Ros. Smooth production. Not too loud or too much. Nice balance. Not too pop, not too avant garde. Kinda peaceful.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
3/5
Better than expected. 90+ minutes is a lot though.
Supertramp
2/5
This list has too much white people music.
The Mothers Of Invention
1/5
Wow. So aggravating and annoying. Unlistenable.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
3/5
Spiritualized
3/5
Sounds like Blur crossed with Primal Scream. It’s good, not great. Lots of Stone Roses, Velvet Underground and Jesus and Mary Chain influences. Not offensive or too much of anything. Nicely balanced. Fine for a mix.
I’d go as far as to say that, because they are so much like other bands, they almost don’t have their own sound. It’s hard to crave something that is just like everything else. I’ll just listen to the original instead.
Christina Aguilera
1/5
How on earth are there two Christina Aguilera albums on this list?
This is some bullshit.
Blur
5/5
Actually owned this one back in the day. Not perfect, but still pretty great.
Damon Albarn is still a dreamboat.
Alanis Morissette
1/5
Nope
SAULT
4/5
I could do without all the spoken word bits. Really distracting. Otherwise, this has been a delight. Only knew one song. But the album has a good flow, good music.
Radiohead
5/5
FUCK YES PERFECTION!!
Pulp
2/5
Already like Common People.
First song made my teeth hurt. Second is boring. Oy.
Turns out I don’t really like this. It’s trying too hard to be cute. Lots of posing. But the quality just isn’t there. It’s on par with Oasis or Coldplay. Ordinary. Not special or inventive. Like, they want to be Blur, but it’s not even close.
Disappointed with this one. Expected better. So much hype for this band. This was boring.
Ramones
5/5
FUCK YES!
14 songs in 29 minutes. One of the best bands of all time. This is flawless.
The Undertones
4/5
Ok now this is actually cute. Never heard of them. First song wasn’t it. But as the album played, I got hooked. This band is tight. The production is clean.
The lead’s voice isn’t my favorite, but this really comes together as quality, classic punk. Fun songs, good beats, sweet riffs. They nailed some blues guitar. Even rearranged a cover song. There’s a real range here. This was a nice surprise. Will definitely revisit.
I was going to say the lead sounds like guy who sings Teenage Kicks. Turns out it’s the guy who sings Teenage Kicks.
808 State
5/5
Oh snap haven’t heard this in ages. Had a cd single off this one. I am transported back in time from the first few beats. Wow this is a trip.
It’s still so good. It’s the Hacienda, the Limelight. It’s old Broadway, the subway, the street hustle, the art, the rent parties. It’s the world before the internet. Before electronic and club music went mainstream.
I can smell the steam from the smoke machine on the dance floor at the Palladium. When the rest of the world was listening to New Kids on the Block, this was happening in the club.
It’s still so good.
Anita Baker
5/5
Oh I am so excited to see this on the list. It’s so nice to see anything other than more white men. It’s rare to find some soul in this list of sameness.
Aaaaand of course Spotify has half the songs on the album blocked. SMH
One of the things I admired about Anita Baker was that, at the absolute peak of fame, she walked away from it all to care for her sick relative. Just left the world behind for the sake of love.
I still enjoy her music. The two big hits are still perfect r&b pop. Even my 80yr old grandfather used to like her back in the day. Her voice is effortless and clear. So much of the melody is carried in her singing. It’s hard not to blast this to sing along to. Her voice just invites you to join in.
Really enjoying this. No One in the World is new to me and has been added to mixes now. Ok now pretty much everything has been saved to my lists. Forgot about Same Ole Love. Friggin’ love it.
Excellent album. Wish it was fully available. Happy to have more Anita Baker in my life. This is a great example of 80’s quiet storm, easy r&b. Great music that still holds up. Perfect performances all around. Already replaying.
Joanna Newsom
2/5
Annoying that it’s not available on Spotify. She’s very talented. Really only know her song “The Sprout and the Bean” which is not on this.
This album is a very specific mood.
Ok. I appreciate her musicianship. This is a very unique piece of work. But I don’t see this as worthy of a list like this. Set aside the fact that I hate baby voice singing. There just isn’t enough here.
It would have been better to put Dorothy Ashby in her place. Her work was far more influential and impressive.
I’m not mad at Newsom. I’m fucking pissed at seeing more white nonsense when black excellence is right there.
Abandoning this warbling renn faire shit and putting on Afro-Harping instead. This is where it’s at.
Fleet Foxes
4/5
So looking forward to listening to an entire album from this band.
Lovely. Not perfect, but pretty and unique
Killing Joke
4/5
Why do my reviews keep getting fucked up?
Genesis
1/5
Oy progrock. I can’t make it through the first song. It’s too much.
Various Artists
5/5
The only Xmas album that matters. Darlene Love could sing the phone book and it would be a fucking banger.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
2/5
Overrated whiny white boy bullshit. More sea shanty than anything else. Hard pass. Doesn’t belong on this list.
Elbow
2/5
Singer sounds like Peter Gabriel but the music runs a little too Coldplay for me. Four songs in, so far meh.
I’m convinced this is only on the list cause the author is a Peter Gabriel fanatic. The music itself is really average and uninspired. It’s getting worse as it goes. Yeah this is shit pop.
Guided By Voices
2/5
I don’t know. I’m not really resonating with this.
Never had an interest back in the day. There are better bands with this sound. How is this special? Not impressed at all. The mix is annoying af. This is just more whiteboy bullshit.
Fairport Convention
2/5
I don’t know. I’m not really resonating with this.
Never had an interest back in the day. There are better bands with this sound. How is this special? Not impressed at all. The mix is annoying af. This is just more whiteboy bullshit.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Stevie!! Always a joy.
Kendrick Lamar
3/5
After reading some of the reviews here, I was expecting something awful. But I don’t hate this. I get that there’s a lot of strong language, and usually too much misery will turn me off, too. But this is actual music, with actual singing. There’s actually something interesting going on here. It’s good. Lots I can live without, but overall this is good.
Yes
2/5
Oy progrock sucks so much. Roundabout was good until it went off the rails.
Like, there’s some good musical arrangements and complex compositions. But it’s lousy to listen to unless you’re really into progrock.
Sheryl Crow
1/5
No fucking way. This is shit, Mary.
Robbie Williams
1/5
No fucking way. This is shit, Mary.
Gary Numan
5/5
Much better than expected. It’s definitely an experience. The music arrangements were excellent.
But it’s a very specific sound, a very specific mood. Feels like a synthesizer on a cocaine bender.
Dexys Midnight Runners
1/5
Them again. I don’t drink enough to tolerate this bullshit. The author is just fanboying with this.
Sufjan Stevens
4/5
Totally new to me. It’s interesting. Someone else here said that it sounds like a Wes Anderson film, and that’s totally true. But for me that’s not a bad thing.
It helps that he has a quiet voice. It’s cute. A little like a musical. But a pretty good one. It doesn’t all resonate with me, but I appreciate the effort. It’s a nice project. It is too long, though. Tapping out after 12 songs. That’s enough.
Cream
2/5
Knowing what a racist jackass Eric Clapton is, it’s hard to like anything he did. This is fine, but not for me.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Can’t You Hear Me Knocking might be my favorite on this album. The longer version is much better than the radio edit.
Too much honky tonk overall. But the good stuff is great.
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
This review got deleted :(
The White Stripes
5/5
Oh hell yes!
Two people should not be able to make this much noise. This band was so great. Perfect blend of punk, blues and rock.
Everything about this was a revolution when it came out, even the videos. So much of what came after is just a cheap imitation.
The next album is even better, but this still worth a 5
Gene Clark
1/5
Da fuck is this? No.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
4/5
There’s a section of the first track that was 100% ripped off by Huey Lewis and The News in “Heart and Soul”.
Excellent band, innovative compositions, great musicians, and an enduring influence on avant garde (and even 80s pop) music. Some parts run a little noisy, but overall this was lovely. It’s nice to have something other than hippie shit.
Air
3/5
Seen the film several times and never realized that the entire soundtrack was one band.
This is lovely. Soft, atmospheric, interesting. Very nice. Not the band’s best work, but this is a successful project, that fits the film.
This would be particularly good for traveling and tripping.
Cee Lo Green
1/5
Why on earth would Cee Lo deserve a spot on a list like this? Is this an attempt to make progrock look acceptable?
This is shit. There’s no hook on any of these tracks, no soul, no innovation, nothing unique or special in any way. The lyrics sound like voicemails.
This album sounds like a delusional YouTuber’s vanity project, that was recorded in his basement.
Not worth finishing.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
Oh snap!
All but 3 songs off this album are already saved in my playlists, but I’ve never listened to the album itself.
It’s a perfect as you’d imagine. Nothing out of place. No sour notes. Beautiful music.
Peter Gabriel
4/5
Never heard this album before, though I’m familiar with the hits.
Overall, this is excellent. Still really fresh and relevant. His sound is really unique and balanced. Almost economical. Nobody else could pull this off.
Paul McCartney
4/5
His love for Linda was so real. First track is so sweet.
This album feels mostly like a brain dump. Like he had been tooling around with ideas for years and finally got to put them on tape. There are two tracks called ‘Junk’, that seem to support that theory.
And then Maybe I’m Amazed comes on and everything else is eclipsed. It’s got to be one of the most romantic songs of all time. It feels so authentic, so timeless. It’s probably the best thing he’s ever done.
Paul gets a lot of shit, but he’s been the most prolific and most daring. Just doing whatever he feels like since 1970. I respect that he never seemed to follow the pop psychedelic trends and just did his own thing.
There’s some really good stuff on this album. The songs about love, romance and Linda are the best. Added 6 tracks to my playlist.
David Bowie
5/5
It’s fucking Bowie.
James Brown
5/5
FUCK YES!!!
So, I knew this girl in high school. Her mother moved from Alabama to NYC, back in the 60s, for the sole purpose of seeing James Brown at the Apollo. She had listened to this particular album and knew immediately that she needed to radically change her life.
She was a very smart woman, who lived an interesting and joyful life.
Sonic Youth
4/5
For ‘86, this is pretty great. It’s impressive that they found their sound at a time when few artists were doing anything like this. It’s real college radio, zine culture and mix tape music.
Kim Gordon is ridiculously cool. Shadow of a Doubt is great.
No one learned from Throbbing Gristle better than Sonic Youth. This is how you make noise rock into music. It wanders, but never strays. It’s never too noisy or too much. Everything is where it’s supposed to be. There’s plenty of room for experimentation and flourishes for live shows. Very clearly influential. This inspired a thousand garage bands.
Lots of innovation, very unique, very authentic and thoughtful. Much better than I expected. Definitely deserves a place on this list.
MC Solaar
5/5
I really like everything I’ve ever heard from this artist. Melodic, rhythmic, soulful, jazzy, excellent rapping in super fast French. Sounds ages ahead of 1991. Prefer this to west coast wannabes. This whole album is very very good. Added 7/16 songs to my favorites, just on the first listen.
Emphatically deserves its spot on this list.
Ute Lemper
1/5
Blech Broadway sounding covers. None of this works. Terrible.
Madonna
5/5
Awww yeah!
I do not give a flying fuck what anyone has to say. This is fun. And I love it.
The Boo Radleys
1/5
Two songs in and I’m painfully bored. This is the kind of band I wouldn’t listen to back in the 90s. There’s nothing going on here. It’s copies of other artists. A lot of trying and not succeeding.
The guitar on Barney and Me is a rip off of The Cure’s Close to Me. And then they piled a bunch of shit on top of it.
Can’t get through a full song. This is very boring.
R.E.M.
3/5
Holy shit. It’s been a long time since I listened to this one.
I could listen to Nightswimming on repeat for days on end. It might be their prettiest song.
Even though I own this one and saw the live tour, this is not my favorite REM. It’s nice that they became wildly popular around this time. They deserve recognition. But I don’t think mainstream popularity helped their music. Their sound became too conventional.
Everybody Hurts is a drag and I could live without ever hearing it again. But Man on the Moon is still great.
The Young Rascals
4/5
How did I know from the first song, that they were local boys? It’s very late 60s NY/NJ. There’s something of the city in their sound. It’s big and romantic like doo-wop, without the dreamy idealism of the west coast. You can hear how they practiced singing in acoustic spaces like stairwells and subway stations.
Real solid pop music here. A traditional radio song structure. Not exactly innovative, but solid and reliable. Good melodies, good singing, good range of styles, relatable lyrics. More depth than you’d expect. No surprise there were so many singles.
The song Groovin’ never gets old. Never realized Pat Benatar covered You Better Run. The original slaps. Added a bunch of tracks to my mixes.
Overall, there is nothing to hate on. It’s classic. It’s a time capsule, while also adaptable for modern audiences. So much of this could be covered today and still be a hit.
PJ Harvey
4/5
Oh damn. Another from the old collection. Been a long ass time.
Nobody rocks harder than this tiny little white lady. She’s fearless. And yet her music is complex, different and compelling. And never a note out of place.
In a genre overwhelmingly dominated by men, she came howling out of nowhere to show them all how to do it properly. She absolutely handed their asses to them in Dry.
“You’ve come all this way, No hair out of place, You put it all on the stage, You put right in my face, You leave me dry, You leave me dry.”
Yes, ma’am. All hail the baddest bitch in town.
It’s not my favorite PJ Harvey album, but it was such a revolutionary sound. Right at the edge of the RiotGirl movement. It deserves a place at the top.
Primal Scream
1/5
First song was annoying, then kind of alright for a minute. And then the singing started and I had to skip. Second song was pretty okay, but sleepy. Third one is stupid noise. Fourth starts off promising, and then the melodica starts. And the fifth is a lot of squealing noise and random sitar.
I’m gonna go ahead and call this one exhausting. They are really trying to be edgy and interesting. Just throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks.
Nothing is working. None of this feels authentic, never mind innovative or necessary. It’s just a jumbled mish mash. And, ultimately, a waste of time.
Tom Waits
5/5
Today is the day for gravelly voices.
This feels correct for Tom Waits. The man is a true nutter, an iconoclast. No one else can do this. It sounds like the soundtrack for the movie in his head.
You can hear all the little touches that influenced other artists. Sonic Youth’s squealing guitar, Peter Murphy’s xylophone. And that’s just song two.
That he was doing this in ‘83, is truly remarkable. The man creates his own world with these sounds. No one was this bravely individualistic, never mind successful.
I should hate the shit out of this, but it’s excellent. Might never listen to it again, but there’s nothing wrong here. It’s unique, interesting, careful and funny. He even made warbling sound tender. Like, how?
Seriously, I want to watch the movie in his brain that inspired this. I tried like hell to hate this record, but it’s just not possible. This is excellent. It made me finally appreciate Tom Waits.
5/5
Oh hello, old friend. It’s been a while. Loved this album and caught her tour at the Hammerstein. She was unbelievably good. Extra nice that there are so many references to NYC on this record.
The duet with Thom Yorke is sublime. She can roar with the best of them, but it’s such a treat to hear her singing. We Float is so pretty. There’s a lot of range on this album.
The Who
1/5
Oy. I don’t really like this band and this record is not helping. How many drugs are required to make this palatable?
It’s like The Monkees after a grizzling three-year bender in the desert, but much much worse.
And the album gets worse as it goes. So terribly annoying and gimmicky. They really thought they were edgy. This is awful. Tapping out after 5 songs. Not one good bit.
Earth, Wind & Fire
4/5
Hot damn!
Any album that starts with Shining Star has to be fun. This is a really nice record. Lots of good stuff. Very mid-70s. Lots of falsetto. But good. As much as I love this band, I do prefer the greatest hits.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
My cat really loved this album.
It’s excellent.
Songhoy Blues
5/5
This is what I came here for. This list needs more international content.
So much incredible music from Africa. This record is excellent.
Mylo
3/5
Not sure how I have managed to hear a few of these before. Must have snuck into Napster/Limewire under different names. Not bad overall. Not essential, but not bad. The song Destroy Rock and Roll is a very clear reference to Daft Punk’s Homework. Not great. There are a few cute songs here. But most of this is pretty average. Not new or innovative. Too late in the game to be influential. It’s like easy-listening DJ music. If this intended to be the heir to Kraftwerk and 808 State, this is a poor example. This is fine, but there are better records that deserve this spot.
Beastie Boys
5/5
Unique work of genius.
Isaac Hayes
5/5
Of course, this is extremely fabulous.
Elliott Smith
4/5
First time listening to this album. Only ever heard a song or two from the artist. It’s pretty good. Peaceful pop. Not annoying. Never too loud or whiny. Better than many of his contemporaries.
4/5
The hits still hit. This band is fun 80s blue-eyed soul pop. There’s some good stuff here. It’s cute. Gets better as it goes. It was probably more of a sensation when it dropped in ‘82. Today it feels a little dated. Not sure how it earned a spot on this list. It’s very good, but not exactly essential. Definitely polished. I can see how this fuller sound influenced a lot of the British pop that followed. Can’t get Pet Shop Boys, Tears for Fears, Style Council or Duran Duran without this record. That said, Look of Love is still fabulous and impossible not to love. This is what Sam Smith thinks he sounds like. He does not.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
Going into this one totally blind. Never done a full album of hers.
So far, this is much better than I expected. More interesting and complex. Lots of compelling melodies and arrangements. Very pretty singing. Poetic lyrics.
Jungle Line, Don’t Interrupt the Sorrow, Shades of Scarlett Conquering, Hissing of Summer Lawns, Shadows and Light - all really lovely.
I think I like Joni Mitchell’s style more now than ever. Calm and super pretty.
Rod Stewart
2/5
Definitely better than that other Rod Stewart album on this list. This is classic Rod Stewart. This is the album with Maggie May.
That said, I still don’t love this. It’s good for binge drinking in a scuzzy dive bar off the interstate. Otherwise, it can be pretty tedious.
There was no need for one Rod Stewart album on this list, never mind two.
Maggie May is still pretty good, though.
Rufus Wainwright
4/5
I have to admit that I never heard anything from this artist that I really liked, so I’ve avoided his stuff.
Three songs in and I have been converted. He sounds so good here. Really balanced vocals, very pretty music. Pop adjacent, but good quality. Good production overall. Some of the singing is similar to Thom Yorke, but not quite as good IMHO. But still very good.
Ok 14th Street is more like what had turned me off to him. Too whiny and uncontrolled, too much all around. Skip over the next two, as well. Gets good again at Beautiful Child.
He has such a distinct voice, and he sounds wonderful when he controls it. Sometimes he leans nasally and it almost feels lazy. But when he projects from the throat, he sounds great.
Rod Stewart
1/5
This album has a lot of the things I dislike. Kept looking for even just one halfway decent song. No. Not here. This is shit. Steaming hot crap. I tried, but this is terrible.
The Velvet Underground
5/5
From the opening of the first song, I’m struck by how New York they sound.
His accent is thicker, the doo-wop sound sits at the core of the song. And then it spins out enough at the end to lead into the soft psychedelica of The Gift. Still the sounds of the city are reflected in the grinding, squealing guitars, the driving beat. It feels like you’re overhearing a conversation on the subway, while tripping the fuck out on heroin. And yet it feels years ahead of first song. It’s like the first song time warps you from the old sound, to the new sound.
It’s kind of impossible to review something this perfect. This is a for-real work of art. It sounds chaotic at times, but everything is exactly where it’s supposed to be. Kinda like the city.
The scope of all the artists that influenced this record, plus all the artists that this album influenced, would encompass all of music.
Nick Drake
5/5
So so so so pretty. Title track is heavenly.
Just love Nick Drake’s music. His songs are so well crafted. Just enough and never too much. Perfectly edited. I like him more and more.
Beyoncé
3/5
Two discs is a bit much. There’s no doubt Beyoncé has a wonderful voice. If I were a teenager, I’d probably be impressed with the production and range. But it is mostly written from the standpoint of a rich, famous beautiful woman. So, not exactly relatable.
Drunk in Love is fun. But Jay-Z doesn’t really add anything. References to Ike Turner abusing Tina, and lamenting how they ruined a Warhol, are less endearing than they might think. Rich people singing about rich people problems, has never been a good look.
Blow is cute. First two songs are skippable. Partition is fun, from 2 min in.
Like most hip hop, the lyrics are mostly fantasy. Sex kitten Beyoncé is a character constructed to sell records. Real life Beyoncé is too busy to be grinding up in the clubs or cooking dinner naked. None of that has ever happened.
Second half of disc 1 gets a bit slow with ballads. Her voice is great, but the music is dull for my taste.
Disc 2 doesn’t really add much, unless you’re a fan of the guest stars. Again, Blow is cute and easy pop. Pharrell knows how to make hits. But, at this point in time, Kanye, Drake and Minaj are hard to listen to.
4/5
This was great fun. Must have been incredible to be there.
Suede
3/5
It’s better than I had remembered. Gothier, too. Very mid-90s, London alt-pop. Very heroin chic. A little too theatrical. Good production.
The individual songs are easy to listen to. But it can be a slog going all the way through.
I don’t think it’s a necessary album, but it’s a nice album. Tapping out after 40+ mins. That’s more than enough of this.
Gillian Welch
4/5
I like this a lot more than I thought I would. This is not so much “country” in the Garth Brooks sense. She does more of the O Brother, Where Art Thou style of old Americana folk music.
Soft, melodic and peaceful. Very pretty and measured. Quality.
Soft Machine
1/5
Less than a minute in and I want to stab them to death. The fuck is this shit?
Morrissey
1/5
No.
The Human League
3/5
Love Action is an old favorite and Don’t You Want Me was an anthem when it came out. Everybody can sing that one by heart.
A lot of this album is dated by today’s standards. Darkness is still surprisingly good. Do or Die could do with a little update, but there’s something good there. Seconds is still relevant. The album gets much better in the second half. This band had some really fun tracks.
The Only Ones
3/5
Already like Another Girl Another Planet.
The music here is solid. Really well performed. The singing is where it gets sticky. Sometimes it’s totally on target. And sometimes it ruins an otherwise good track. I want to love this, but that voice drags and grates a little too much.
Syd Barrett
1/5
Unlistenable.
Gotan Project
4/5
Really calm and pretty background music. Spanish lyrics set to French cafe music. It’s easy and inoffensive. Good for relaxing or studying.
The Modern Lovers
4/5
This is such a gem. There would be no Violent Femmes without this record. There is no 80s college radio without this. There’s no Wesley Willis.
Such a fun version of punk. Such unvarnished lyrics and singing style. Very raw, but also personal and tender. Underneath it all, it’s rather romantic.
Portishead
5/5
Holy shit this takes me back.
Everyone my age fucked to this album. And, if you had a CD changer, OK Computer was in the same rotation.
I can’t say anything bad about this one. Listened to it a thousand times when it came out. There was a PBS/Unplugged concert around that time, that was even better.
This definitely deserves a place on this list. It’s a classic, front to back.
The Cure
5/5
Holy shit this takes me back.
Destiny's Child
3/5
Totally forgot they had a tie-in to Charlie’s Angels. Sounds a little strange these days, considering how big this song was.
Beyoncé still sounded like Beyoncé, so far in advance of her solo career. She dominates the record so much, it’s easy to see that she never really needed a group.
Never got into this band back in the day. They were a nice follow up to TLC, but without the edge. Must admit, the “rapping” bits here are rather lacking. The music is okay. The best thing on this album is Beyoncé’s voice.
While I was never the target demographic for this album, I can understand its place in pop music. It had a big impact and launched a major pop star. Why there is no Whitney Houston on this list, I will never understand.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
3/5
I struggle with this one, simply because I heard them way too much as a kid. Secretly scratched mom’s LP, just to get her to stop playing them so much.
It’s a good record, well played. Classic for a reason. Better than most hippie bands. Lovely harmonies. I can appreciate its place in music history. There’s genuinely good stuff here.
But I could live the rest of my life without ever hearing them again.
Miriam Makeba
5/5
This is what heaven sounds like.
Public Enemy
5/5
Chuck D used to do a morning radio show with Liz Winstead, the creator of The Daily Show, and Rachel Maddow doing the news. Chuck D was excellent, thoughtful and insightful. Just like his music.
“Now the KKK wears three piece suits.” Exactly.
I like this a lot more now than when it came out. How can something this essential be anything but a 5?
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
Another one of those albums that I didn’t realize had a bunch of songs I already like. Never heard the whole thing, so this is a nice treat.
Funny that I was listening to The Modern Lovers just before this record. And you can hear such a clear influence, but in the best way.
There are so many influences throughout: Human League, ABC, Killing Joke, Heaven 17… there’s even a little Tito Puente in the percussions. Very interesting work. Always ambitious, never quite the same. Great band.
Björk
5/5
Another old friend. Finally got to see her tour with this album. This woman is a genius on another level.
Frank Sinatra
5/5
Excellent
The Mars Volta
2/5
Hmmm… I don’t know about this. It’s like a lot of stuff I don’t like. Very dramatic and loud. Reminds me of Rush and Yes. And I don’t like them either.
The instrumental was alright. Clearly there is talent here. But this record is not essential and I hope I never have to hear any of this ever again. Too far up its own ass to be anything but boring.
Raekwon
3/5
For real, know what I’m saying, man.
Takes way too long for the music to start playing. I also have to admit that I am bored to death with tough-talking, gunshots and sirens, bitches and hos, gangster wannabe music.
But it is nice to hear some NY rap. Sounds more authentic and musical. No palm trees and sunshine. The parts that are songs are pretty good. Knowledge God is nice.
Ok, I was fully prepared to hate this. But I’ve added a bunch to my favorites. The parts that are music are genuinely good. Overall, the chatter was unnecessary. It always breaks up the flow on a record. But, the music bits are solid.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
5/5
I forgot all about this band. Michael Franti is always good. And I love his political songs. First song was prescient af.
Lyrically, this album is clearly influenced by Gil Scott Heron. The world needs more unapologetically fabulous political music. Corporate radio really obliterated the genre. Independent broadcasters were monopolized and destroyed.
It’s not the greatest album ever. But the work here is important, hard to find, and still totally relevant to modern society. That alone marks this as essential listening.
Ms. Dynamite
3/5
Second track borrows a choral melody from Pass the Dutchie. It’s cute, if a little long.
There’s some good stuff on this record. Definitely a touch of TLC/Destiny’s Child. Can’t say there is anything innovative or particularly unique here. It’s cute. It’s fine. It’s nice for what it is. Don’t dislike it, but probably won’t ever hear much of this again.
Beastie Boys
5/5
FUCK YES!
An all-time favorite. I love this band so much. This is easily their best album. This is where their sound matured. 14/20 songs were already saved to mixes. This record sounds as good as it did in ‘94.
LOVE LOVE LOVE
Barry Adamson
2/5
This is not easy to listen to. Wouldn’t mind it so much if the songs were more cohesive. Five songs in, and this is more of a noise project concept album, than a collection of songs to be enjoyed. It doesn’t even feel like they are all from the same film. More like, he made a bunch of shit and claimed it was an imaginary soundtrack.
I like the idea of this album, but I don’t like listening to the actual product. If you’re not supposed to enjoy this, then it’s a success.
Fiona Apple
3/5
Only ever liked one of her songs and never gave her a proper listen before.
This feels kinda like Broadway tribute to Tori Amos. It’s not bad, but I wouldn’t call this good exactly. There’s real music and strong vocals. But I don’t enjoy listening to it, cause it feels like it needs to be watched, if that makes sense.
There are a lot of ideas here. If this was a stage show, it would work. But as a record, it demands too much attention. It *needs* attention. And, essentially, that’s my problem with her music.
She’s got lots of talent but I don’t like spending time with her.
Keith Jarrett
3/5
Four songs, one hour. Interesting.
My cat hates this. Sounded pretty good to me, but only got through 17 minutes, before I was told to shut it off.
Don McLean
4/5
It’s a shame that American Pie has been played to death. It’s a good song, but I can live a few years without hearing it.
Meanwhile, what a pretty voice this man has! Vincent is his other famous song and it is utterly beautiful. Art inspired by art. One of the most ridiculously beautiful songs ever. It’s stupid how beautiful this song is.
Can’t get over how pretty his voice is. So easy and gentle and sweet. Like, the music is nice, but his singing is fucking lovely as shit. Did not expect to like anything on this record, but I have been corrected. Don McClean has a great voice.
Till Tomorrow, Crossroads, Winterwood, I’m upset at how good these are. Motherfucker. Fully expected to hate this record and I just cannot. It gets prettier and prettier. I normally hate this kind of stuff, but this bitch sings like an angel. The slower, the better. All that’s missing is a soul-crushing version of Oh Danny Boy.
Ray Charles
5/5
Listening to this, I realized that I am more familiar with the old, gravelly voiced Ray Charles. Heard very little of the work he did as a young man. He sounds so strong and smooth here. Truly wonderful, delightful, lovely, perfectly balanced. His music feels like a high wire act. Never a step out of place. This really is a work of genius. That almost undersells how good this is.
David Holmes
3/5
Ok, the astrologist on Gritty Shaker was a real guy in Greenwich Village at the time. He would hang out around the parks with his charts and sheets of paper and offer readings for a few bucks. But he would rattle everything off by memory. He was amazing and funny and a real local character. I’m ashamed to say that I had forgotten about him. But I’m so thrilled that he was immortalized on a popular record. The world got to meet him.
The bucket drummers and street performers are all very endearing and authentic. The parts that are Holmes are okay. But the parts that are the real city recordings are the good. They are actual gems in a time capsule. 90s Manhattan was a fabulous dream.
Overall, this is nice background music. Good for imagination time. A little heavy handed and obvious. But a nice relic of the time and place.
The Dictators
5/5
I'm loving this. Very 70s NYC.
Anyone who hears Kiss, now knows who Kiss was emulating. This has more in common with the Ramones.
I had to check, but of course they worked with Joey Ramone, and the lead singer is from the Bronx. You can hear it. The irreverence, the humor, the stupid silliness, it's all pure old New York. "Fuck you, if you can't take a joke", is our town motto.
Where has this record been all my life?
Germs
4/5
I expected to hate this, but it's fine. So many bands emulated this style.
You can definitely hear Joan Jett's production influence on the opening to Richie Dagger's Crime. She made real music out of rage and noise. There is an order to that song. The organization and balance comes through again in Strange Notes.
For a hardcore album, this is pretty clean sounding. The sounds make sense and things are where they are supposed to be. You can actually listen to this and enjoy it. Typically these records are so poorly produced that they are painful. This is real punk. This is actual music.
Growling, yelling, grinding, ranting, guttural groaning, head banging and, yet, a bit of a toe-tapper. This is what a good producer can do for a band like this. In the hands of a lesser talent, this would be a disaster. But Joan wrangled them into a real sound.
Justin Timberlake
3/5
I have a hard time hating Timberlake’s music here. Never liked the boy band stuff. But the heavy influence of Pharrell Williams’ production and composition is what makes this a successful pop album.
It’s that early 90s r&b style that truly compliments his voice, really highlights his strengths. It’s an hour-long “Dick in a Box”. The inherent lack of seriousness works to keep it light and fun. Just really well-constructed pop music. IMHO this is his best work. But, ultimately, Pharrell gets all the credit.
Rock Your Body is his best song, ever, and it’s still a great party track. I have watched a room full of music snobs genuinely dance their asses off to this song. Still slays. This song deserves a 5, but the rest is a solid 3.
Tricky
4/5
Been ages since I’ve listened to this one. I like it better now. There’s still some stuff that’s more sound than music, but this album is overall very good. 4
Patti Smith
5/5
Ms. Patti is an acquired taste, to be sure. It is easy to get turned off by her singing style. It’s certainly not intended to be easy.
Ultimately, she sings with raw emotion; whining, raging, growling, snarling, and howling. Her voice can be as abrasive as the squealing guitar that often accompanies her. Her voice feels like tasting something bitter. First few times, it’s terrible. But after a while, you kinda love it.
For as off-putting as she can get, her style and sound were liberating for young girls everywhere. Somewhere on YouTube there’s a video of Patti performing and talking to an audience of high school girls, from back when this album was released. It’s interesting to see how they responded to her and how tender she was with them.
Anyway, this one is important, whether you like it or not.
D'Angelo
4/5
Already liked a couple songs off this record. Several songs in, and I’m adding everything to my playlist. This is better than I expected. Classic soulful, quiet storm r&b. This will get you laid. No fail. Even the song about murderous rage is sexy as fuck. The Smokey Robinson cover is a nice surprise. Well done. Really enjoyed this album more than I thought I would.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Oy. I get it. There’s definitely some real quality songwriting here. He’s a famous storyteller. And these songs are solid, classic, sincere and really kinda pretty. I never really connected to Springsteen’s style. But I have to admit that there’s something genuinely good here.
Unfortunately, I am going to have to smash that damned harmonica. It absolutely ruins everything for me. Omg I hate this fucking harmonica.
Joy Division
5/5
It is impossible to quantify the value of this record. You could go song by song, listing dozens of bands that had their entire catalogs inspired just by that one song. “Where will it end?”, indeed.
The older I get, the more I appreciate this one.
Steely Dan
2/5
I struggle with this band. They’ve made some genuinely good music. But then they get all weird and too 70s country prog sounding. I can appreciate the quality of the composition and ambition. There are certainly a lot of ideas and talent. But something in their sound makes me queasy. I think it’s the vocal harmonies.
This record is very post-hippie 70s, from the xylophone, to the electric organ, to the cool jazz guitar. It is definitely distinctive, but distinctively early 70s liteFM. They did not skimp on the slide guitar, either.
Seriously, why does this band always make me nauseous?
White Denim
2/5
I think I just really don’t like psychedelic prog rock. This is just lost on me. Clearly it’s well made for what it is. But I’m gonna stab a bitch if I have to keep listening. 2/5
Green Day
2/5
Oy. Ok, first off, this is not punk. Not by any stretch of the imagination. Anyone who thinks this is punk, doesn’t know what they’re talking about. Stop calling anything after 1993 punk. This is frat rock. Loud annoying pop, would be more accurate.
Look, this band sucks. Their sound is ordinary and contrived. Jesus of Suburbia is a rip off of David Bowie’s Life on Mars. And they still managed to gunk it up with what sounds like fake cheese in a can.
The only thing this band can take credit for was the balls it took to release American Idiot during the height of the Iraq and Afghanistan invasions, by the Bush administration. At the time, Dubbya Bush was the worst, most atrociously offensive, idiotic mess of a piece of shit president, that anyone could possibly imagine. But he created the “you’re either with us or you’re against us”, motto right after 9/11. So, anyone who disagreed with the invasion, was publicly shamed and ostracized.
This record was the first piece of music that successfully captured the protest movement and general dis-ease, that had been overshadowed by the racist pro-war political climate. It benefited from the fact that it was released years after other artists had already taken the heat. But still, it was well-received by the general American audience, and that in itself was the achievement of the time.
That said, this band sucks and their music is terrible.
Grateful Dead
2/5
Finally getting around to this one.
Ok. First song is 23 minutes of guitar noodling. There’s no song structure. Feels aimless. Like they are still tuning their guitars. It’s kinda sloppy sounding.
I’m all for deconstructing art, but this doesn’t sound like it was ever even written down. I couldn’t even call this jamming. Just guys trying to follow each other, with no leader.
I’m convinced now, that deadheads are just in it for the drugs, cause it’s clearly not about the music. Maybe a head full of acid would help?
Really disappointed. After generations of hype, I thought there would be more music to their music. Can’t really hang your hat on anything here.
Elvis Presley
5/5
It’s easy to forget how good Elvis really was.
There’s a nice range here. Anyone else would bungle this. But he really managed to strike a sense of sincerity in his music. This is unironic authenticity.
Wearing That Loved On Look, I’m Moving On, Power of My Love, True Love Travels on a Gravel Road, Any Day Now, all solid AF. And then along comes In the Ghetto and Suspicious Minds. It’s a pretty great record.
5/5
I mean…
The Black Crowes
2/5
They’ve always been a wannabe Rolling Stones/Lynyrd Skynyrd type band. Like an old traveling bar band. While the music is well played and the record is well produced, I still don’t like this.
It’s the whole calculated retro sound-a-like cash grab that is off-putting. It’s nouveau drinking music for mid-western white guys. Feels mind-numbing and ultimately, soulless.
Ride
4/5
I have not heard this band since the early 90s. This is a nice blast from the past. So 1990. Very Stone Roses. I remember trying to find this album at the time, and the biggest record store in Manhattan had no idea what I was talking about. But they didn’t know Blur either.
I think I like this more now. Seagull is a banger. The whole album is an easier listen than I expected. Nice head bopping background music. Not too loud, but not boring either. A really good example of the style of the time.
Mudhoney
1/5
Baaba Maal
5/5
This is what I came here for. Absolutely beautiful. Sounds totally fresh.
Randy Newman
2/5
When I was a kid I genuinely believed that Randy Newman was mentally challenged, because of the way he sang. He sounded just like the Down’s syndrome kid down the street. I have never been able to shake this impression of Newman. No matter how well written and composed his music might be, to me he will always be ‘that special needs guy’.
Love
2/5
Yeah, I don’t really get this one. It’s fine. Not really hearing anything special.
JAY Z
2/5
I understand that this is very popular and it was very successful. But the lyrics are just the typical classist misogyny. Look at my money, look at my hos. Fuck off.
Jerry Lee Lewis
4/5
A controversial artist, to be sure. Had no idea he only just died a couple of years ago.
Objectively, this is excellent. Early rock’n’roll. No doubt about his talent or the intensity of his performance. He was definitely dynamic. He may have had the personality of a shit-covered hornet, but the bitch could play. And his influence is undeniable.
X-Ray Spex
4/5
Oh fuck yes! I needed this palette cleanser after listening to a bunch of hippie crap. Unpretentious, unvarnished and straight from the gut. In Poly Styrene’s voice, you can hear Cyndi Lauper, Bjork, Bow Wow Wow, Bikini Kill, Blondie and The Slits. Loving this.
The band is tighter than you’d expect. Her voice is stronger. The whole thing is really well produced. Lots of fun.
I swear the intro from the title track reminds me of Talking Heads’ Love->Building on Fire.
FKA twigs
2/5
Ok, by track three I’m already checking how much longer I have to listen to this. So boring. It feels too manufactured. It’s trying too hard to be interesting, and really just giving me a headache. It’s like an album of falsetto ASMR. Irritating.
George Michael
4/5
Oh fuck yes!! This was such a sensation when it came out. So many good pop songs. Everyone my age knows every word to Faith. Still holds up. This bitch could sing.
The Allman Brothers Band
2/5
This is some serious drinking music. Privileged white man blues. Yes, they could play. But at what cost?
De La Soul
5/5
Impossibly cool.
Bob Dylan
2/5
Too much Bob Dylan. If you’re not already a fan, this man is exhausting. Halfway through the first song, I need a break. He’s relentless. Like, I get that he’s popular, but the author has been too self-indulgent. It’s too much. To the point that I just don’t even want to try anymore. So, so exhausting.
Silver Jews
1/5
Goddamn, the author certainly has a type. He loves a whiney white man playing country blues.
This is terrible. It’s a surprise this band has any audience at all. The off-key droning of track 3 is enough for me. Why would anyone choose to listen to this?
The Clash
5/5
FUCK YES!!!!!!!
Fats Domino
4/5
It really is only 17 minutes long.
As another reviewer said, Fats Domino is the tits.
The Police
5/5
Holy shit. One of my all-time favorites. I can still remember getting this in my Christmas stocking. Had to be 7. Played it so much, the tape warped and the liner notes disintegrated.
Goddamn this is all flooding back. It’s been a thousand years since I did this end to end. Every note is imprinted on my brain. I love this so much I could cry. Fuck anyone who doesn’t like this. It’s still great. I love all the stupid shit, the playful, the experimental, the serious. It’s all over the place and I am absolutely here for every second of it.
LOVE LOVE LOVE love love love
Aimee Mann
3/5
I’m sad to say that I don’t love this like I wanted. It’s not bad at all. It’s really good. She’s painfully cool. I just don’t think her voice is at its best on some of these tracks. Music feels a little too generic in some places.
Say Anything, Jacob Marley’s Chain, Mr. Harris - all solid. In fact, I’d say the album gets much better in the second half.
Not bad, just not great.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
This feels more like an event than a record. It sounds like the soundtrack to a stage show. Like, if you picture Nick Cave prowling around, narrating the story, while a full cast acts it all out, then this starts to make sense. He’s got such a dramatic voice, it’s nearly operatic. As a performance, this album is excellent. But it’s not something meant for mixtapes.
Tangerine Dream
2/5
First song has a lot of annoying ASMR.
Might be better on headphones?
Ok. I did not realize that this was just two songs in ten minutes. I was really enjoying song three, only to find it was an entirely different band.
Emmylou Harris
3/5
This is nice. I don’t hate it or anything, it’s just a bit slow for my taste. It’s all very lovely, nicely produced. Definitely got a country edge. The rest of the music is really interesting, but then that distinctive twang creeps in and just stymies any potential. There’s so much good here. But, personally, I wish I could rearrange it.
J’ai fait tout is really good. One Big Love, Hour of Gold, My Antonia, too. Wish the rest was more like this. 3/5
Billy Joel
5/5
It’s stupid how many hits there are on this record. Not only is it really well composed and performed, but it’s a sonic time capsule of NYC of the time. It’s in the accent, the storytelling, the fullness of Joel’s characters. Another perfect distillation of time and place, into a musical experience. It’s easy to forget what a talented composer he really was. This is rock solid.
OutKast
4/5
So much range, it almost feels like you’re listening to the radio. This definitely exceeds expectations. Could do with fewer bitches and hos. But musically, this is outstanding.
Ravi Shankar
5/5
Maybe this is what the Grateful Dead think they sound like?
Shankar gives real lessons in the fundamentals of Indian music on this record. It is a wholly unique and highly influential work of art. He taught the entire world during the great cultural exchange of the mid-50s. This is the kind of project that should be put into outer space, for the aliens to find, to prove that humans occasionally did beautiful things. There’s just nothing quite like this.
Morrissey
3/5
Look, I can understand a couple of Smiths’ records, even his first solo album. But that’s it. None of his other records deserve a spot on this list. And I was a fan.
This is perfectly fine. But there’s nothing new. Just meh. It’s a lot of the same-old.
Scott Walker
4/5
This is the guy who does a bitchin’ rendition of Jackie. Shame it’s not on this album.
But dude has a nice, rich dramatic voice and singing style. Good for story-telling songs. Fun to sing along with.
The melodramatic lounge singing is absolutely feeding my starving soul. It’s like a sonic novela. So silly and serious at the same time. Hard not to love this. It’s infectious and ridiculous and really kinda fabulous. I can’t complain about something that makes me laugh this much.
The Associates
1/5
This is not good. I understand that this is early synth pop goth. At best, it sounds like a bad joke. The more I hear, the less I like. 1/5
The Stooges
4/5
No Fun and I Wanna Be Your Dog are two of the best songs ever.
Sleater-Kinney
3/5
This one is okay. I like this band in theory, more than I do in reality. The singing is intentionally abrasive. It’s supposed to get a reaction from the listener. It’s probably super fun to blast and scream along with. But it can be a challenge to get into this. The music is pretty solid, though.
Queen
4/5
Demented from the start. Silly, theatrical, melodramatic and goddamn fabulous. Hard to find fault with this band.
Though, the only person who should be singing is Mr. Mercury. There is no reason for a Queen song, without him on lead vocals. 4/5
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what it is that I like about this record. It should be droning and whiny and repetitive. And it is all of those things, but good somehow. It shouldn’t work at all. But it’s genuinely great. 4/5
Franz Ferdinand
4/5
Thought I was going to roll my eyes at this. But no. It’s actually fun. Upbeat pop rock, lots of toe-tappers. They sound pretty good. Catchy.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
3/5
Forest Fire is excellent. Some nice catchy tunes on this. Good songwriting. Not great, but very nice. 3/5
Radiohead
5/5
WOOOOOOOO!!!!!
Every note of this record is stitched into my soul. This is the best live band in the world. They dominated modern music for a solid 20 years. This album is a feast. Perfect. Beautiful. Heartbreaking. Stunning. Innovative. Still!
This was released 17 years ago and still feels new.
Pavement
2/5
Another reviewer referred to this as sludgy, and i think that’s a very good word for this sound. But this was frat rock for Midwest poser boys. Nobody listened to this kinda shit. Nobody should listen to this now.
Suzanne Vega
4/5
More interesting than expected. Forgot about Marlena on the Wall. Such a good one to sing along with.
Forgot how good Vega was. Her stuff was always a different kind of tempo and style from everyone else. Small Blue Thing is good. Don’t love the narrative folky bits, but overall this album is very good.
Doves
2/5
Holy shit, the lyrics for Words are essentially, ‘sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me’. Are you serious? Next song is pure Coldplay. This is where I check out.
Lenny Kravitz
2/5
There’s really nothing new on this record. It’s fine. It’s a pop & roll retro wannabe. It was successful. Kravitz became a pin-up. Someone else here said that it sounds like he went through his parents’ record collection and just copied what he heard. Frankly, it’s an accurate description. There’s no lyrical insight, no innovation. Just an average retro sound.
Dagmar Krause
3/5
Not available, so I’m moving on.
Pere Ubu
3/5
You can totally hear the influence this had. Pixies, TV on the Radio, King Missile, just to skim the surface. It’s experimental punk, but well played. Never proggy. Reminds me a bit of Captain Beefheart. Certainly an acquired taste. Very interesting. Definitely different. Don’t love, but don’t hate. It’s kinda fun.
The Everly Brothers
4/5
Caught this band on the Simon and Garfunkel reunion tour. They were immaculate. Paul Simon said they were a major influence. You can hear it in the harmonies and deceptively complicated music. Real music education, really refined mixes. Feels like a band that would play at the Road House in Twin Peaks. There’s nothing to hate on. It’s an excellent example of this kind of Americana.
The Sugarcubes
5/5
YAYAYAYAYAY!!!!!!
Wore this cassette to shit, I played it so much. Easily one of the best records of all time. Never get tired of it.
Television
5/5
This is another of those impossible to review albums. The influence this record had is still evident nearly 50 years later. You could release this today and it would be a sensation. Too much good stuff here.
Burning Spear
5/5
This whole album is fantastic. Not just perfect reggae, but perfect music. Really lovely, energetic and enjoyable. Not a damn thing wrong with this record.
Joni Mitchell
5/5
Wow. Two songs in and I’m finally getting the Joni Mitchell hype. She’s fabulous. Such an influence on modern music. So much of what came after this was an imitation. This is another one of those albums that could be released now and still be a sensation. Goddamn her singing is so, so pretty.
Not my usual style, but I really like this a lot. It’s flawless.
Arctic Monkeys
1/5
Oy. I don’t know about this. Comparing them to Oasis is not a compliment. I’d say this is like a louder, more annoying Oasis on speed.
Just cause it’s loud and fast doesn’t mean it’s good. I really don’t like this and need to stop on the second song, which happens to be their big hit. This sucks donkey balls.
Richard Thompson
2/5
This is nice, but it’s a bit slow. Title track has a bit of life to it. But the rest of this just really isn’t for me. Feels like this would be good for drinking alone on the moors. Very pretty, but I can’t wait for it to end.
Michael Jackson
2/5
Oy. Ok, this is where I checked out on Michael Jackson’s music. After Thriller, he got all weird, pulling media stunts. At this point he was super cheesy and his attempts to butch up his image seemed desperate.
Yes, this was wildly successful, but I never understood why. It’s still so cheesy, heavy handed and affected. Melodies are basic. Catchy pop, for sure, but so bland, formulaic. He-he-he!
Marvin Gaye
5/5
If you’re going through it, this is the album for you. Considering the other concept albums on this list, this has to be among the best. Setting a song about attorney fees to a sexy slow jam, is the chef’s kiss of pettiness.
Pet Shop Boys
4/5
Oh shit. Old roommate used to insist on playing this cd before going to work. I’m getting flashbacks of his interpretive dancing. Haven’t heard this since 1994. The case was molded 3D plastic. All the dots were raised.
It’s not my favorite PSB. It certainly has a lot of easy pop hits. This sounds like the most awesome Eurovision contestant ever. Feels like video game music, at times. The unapologetic campiness is hard to hate on. Liberation, Dreaming of the Queen, Yesterday When I Was Mad, One and One, To Speak is a Sin, are better now.
Having a major pop band come out with a techno-influenced album felt like a real trickle-up moment in music. The club was now on the radio. This record was accompanied by a whole slew of remix singles, as was the fashion at the time. Super graphic, innovative packaging. This was followed by their tribute to Absolutely Fabulous. It was a major moment, where celebrities slowly started to come out of the closet. Wigstock and Gay Pride parades and dance floors, were where all the cool kids hung out. This was the right record, by the right band, at the right time.
GZA
3/5
Never realized how many hip hop records have spoken word interludes. Don’t hate, but don’t love.
Overall, this is pretty good. Good beats, not loud, easy to play as background music. Head bopping, not boring. Doesn’t sound dated either.
Pretenders
5/5
Once again shocked that this is a freaking debut album. So many great hits. Chrissie Hynde has always been the coolest.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
4/5
I’m struck by how influential this really was.
Bauhaus
4/5
Of course this doesn’t have their most famous song. But I swear the first couple of songs feel like a direct influence on Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
Overall, this record is pretty fuckin rad. Peter Murphy is terribly underrated. The music is interesting and unexpected. The arrangements are more sophisticated than they might seem.
It’s not just goth. It’s danceable and fun. Like Bowie meets the Banshees. Could do without Hollow Hills. But then Kick in the Eye comes on, being all groovy and fun. I swear, they pulled the rhythm off When the World Is Running Down by The Police. Not mad.
This whole record is way, way better than expected. Thought it would be a drag. But it’s a bop.
Fishbone
5/5
Joyful energy, strong vocals, tight band, slapping beats, killer range. So rare. This is a real gem. So glad to see it included here. Saving every song so far. Forgot how much I loved this guy’s voice. Halfway through, I’m calling this a solid 5.
Dire Straits
3/5
It’s okay. Clearly well played, good musicians, standard composition. Definitely has its roots in the British pub rock scene. But it’s pretty dated by today’s standard. 80s saxophone, liteFM, lullaby blues guitar. It’s good for what it is.
Björk
5/5
This is what brilliance sounds like.
James Taylor
2/5
Wow, this is putting me to sleep.
Steamroller is so bad, it feels like he lost a bet, or something. The nerve of him recording Oh, Susannah. Who said that was a good idea?
Fire and Rain is still pretty good. But that’s about it for me. It’s very pretty, if this is your thing. There’s a lot of honky tonk, white boy blues, slide guitar and Americana. Suite for 20G sounds like Carol King wrote it for him, but I still don’t like it.
This is just meh, for me.
The Jam
5/5
I knew I was going to enjoy this, but I didn’t realize how much. There’s real brilliance here. Excellent album.
Nick Drake
5/5
HOW IS THIS HIS FIRST ALBUM?!?!
Goddamn fucking genius. Fucking River Man is on this bitch’s debut album. This is an oppressive amount of talent. Way too much for one little man. I can’t even handle how pretty this shit is.
k.d. lang
5/5
Jesus motherfucking Christ this woman has an absolutely exquisite voice. I don’t care wtf she’s singing. I don’t care that this is a million miles away from what I usually like. This voice is crazy perfect. I’m along for the ride and loving it. Recording quality, tight band, traditional arrangements - there are no flaws. She’s Peggy Lee, Roy Orbison and Patsy Cline. Timeless and effortless. I hate how much I love this.
The Undertones
4/5
Another fun record 4/5
Ali Farka Touré
5/5
Words just can’t describe this beauty. The man is a genius. This music feels like it has always existed. It is the root of all other music, throughout the entire history of the human species, around the globe. Everything begins and ends here.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3/5
Groovy, Baby!
Excellent representation of the mid-60s sound. Also, Stepping Stone is totally punk. Even if, IMHO, The Monkees did it a little bit better. Still rad as shit, though.
The rest of this is fun, if a little heavy-handed at times. They really tried to do something here. Ultimately, this is easy and nice. There’s Always Tomorrow might be the best track. Melody for an Unknown Girl is sweet and kinda weird. There’s a good chunk of the record that’s an obvious cash grab, but it’s not terrible.
Bob Dylan
2/5
I am really trying here. I swear. But I really can’t get into Dylan’s stuff. There’s too many of the things I don’t like: harmonicas and his voice.
That said, this is probably the most I’ve been able to sit through. But, just when I thought it might be the end, turns out it was only the 4th song.
Send help.
The Stone Roses
5/5
One of the best albums of all time. Warped my cassette from playing it non-stop for a year. This absolute perfection.
R.E.M.
5/5
Haven’t heard this in ages and I’m wondering if I owned this record, or they just played every inch of it on the radio. Damn it’s been a long time.
Truly classic REM. This is quintessential Gen X college radio. Such a specific sound. Everything about this feels tangible and real. Hard not sing along with the hits. This One Goes Out to the One I Love, indeed.
Because this record has the official Gen X anthem, It’s the End of the World as We Know It and I Feel Fine, this gets an automatic 5/5.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
4/5
Five songs in 20 minutes, and one is a remix. Painfully short record from this excellent band. 4/5
Derek & The Dominos
2/5
Was wondering why this suckass dad rock shit was on the list. Then Clapton opened his mouth. There is too much hidden Clapton on this list.
Soulless and self-indulgent. This is terrible. Sure, he can play. But the white boy blues act is pathetic. Layla is a decent song, but the singing is worthless. Will never listen to this again. 1.5/5
Janis Joplin
4/5
This was nicer than I expected. I think I like her more, the older I get.
IMO not as good as Cheap Thrills. But she really made a big impact on American music.
Hugh Masekela
4/5
Truly excellent modern jazz. Not annoying or demanding. Intellectual without being up its own ass. Just really well-crafted compositions, played beautifully. Good for background music. 4.5/5
Boards of Canada
5/5
Bet this is great on mushrooms.
Really enjoyed everything. Like this style more now. Good flow throughout. Album works as a whole. Feels like being inside someone’s head.
Not finding any flaws. Really smart. 5/5
Cocteau Twins
5/5
This band is so special. Their sound is so beautiful and compelling. I don’t have to love everything to know that this record is valuable. It’s imagination music. 5/5
Sinead O'Connor
5/5
Oh goddammit! Another one that I wore out back in the day. So many hours singing along.
This record is still excellent. Her voice is incredible. The music is beautifully produced. The lyrics are raw and real. This was enormous when it came out. 5/5
Wu-Tang Clan
5/5
For decades, people have been telling me that I would love Wu-Tang. They were all correct. Halfway through the second song, I know this is my new favorite thing in the world. Calling it 5/5 from here.
Funkadelic
5/5
I mean…
Ananda Shankar
5/5
Alright! Already had Light My Fire saved, so I’m excited to hear the rest. First song is rad af!
Yeah, this whole record is rad af. Very unique. Lots of fun. Really well done. Absolutely influential and inspiring for generations of western musicians.
The Last Shadow Puppets
4/5
This is pretty cute. Never heard of them. There’s quality here. Good vocals, good production, nice music. Not too pop, not gimmicky. Just good solid music. Me likey.
Feels like the kind of band that would play at The Roadhouse in Twin Peaks.
Can’t find anything bad to say about this. Good stuff. 4/5
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
There’s something about the big, carousing sound of Springsteen’s style that is exhausting to me. It’s too much. I feel like I need to do a lot of drinking to keep up. Dylan gives me the same sensation.
Tracks like 10th Avenue, Born to Run, and Meeting Across the River work better than the rest. I respect the talent on display here, but this is overall loud to me. Like Meatloaf with much, much better songwriting.
Iggy Pop
4/5
This is a lot of fun. Iggy does Bowie. Sounds a bit like Bauhaus. And, honestly, it still sounds fresh. Good song writing. Good band. Unique talent.
Youssou N'Dour
5/5
Can tell from the first 10 seconds that I’m going to enjoy this. The sound mixing is wonderful. Really balanced. Loving this.
N.E.R.D
3/5
It’s alright. Pharrell is a pop music machine. I like parts of some of the songs, but that’s it for me. Just too Cali-pop. 3/5
Stevie Wonder
5/5
YAY!! There’s a bunch of songs that just don’t resonate with me. But then the classics start and who can care about anything else. So many brilliant hits off this album. 5/5
David Ackles
2/5
Bernie Taupin, Elton John’s composing partner is the producer of this album. There is clear quality and musicianship. But this is not for me. 2/5
Julian Cope
3/5
I remember the DJs on the radio going nuts for this when it came out. Never understood the fuss. Still don’t. How exactly is this special? It’s fine. There’s range, but this needed editing. Stopping after 13 songs. That’s enough of this. 3/5
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
1/5
I bet Dennis Nilsen murdered people to this record. 1/5
The Streets
1/5
Is this music? 1/5
Beck
4/5
This is nice and all. I like it. But how is this different from the other Beck records on this list?
This is another unfortunate example of the author fan-girling and wasting a spot. There’s not some big evolution in Beck’s style. There’s no invention or experimentation. It’s just a nice Beck record.
Wish there had been a limit to how many records from the same artist. This is good, though.
Brian Wilson
1/5
I really never understood the hype about The Beach Boys. Their stuff is ear wormy, bubblegum surf pop. Yeah, they did nice harmonies, but, like, what else am I supposed to be hearing?
This is much worse. I don’t get it. This sounds like a less lispy Randy Newman. And I don’t get him either.
Third song has me homicidal, so I’m abandoning. 1/5
Adele
4/5
It’s a shame this has been played to death. But it’s no wonder it was a sensation. Quality pop music, unique voice, extraordinary talent. Shocking for someone so young. The Cure cover is a nice surprise. Some of the songs are a bit typical, but overall, this is pretty remarkable. 4/5
M.I.A.
5/5
This was so novel when it was released. Exciting, different, challenging and bold. The videos were intense and dazzling.
These days, this feels almost quaint. Still lots of fun. Bold choices.
The Who
2/5
Yeah, this is just really boring to me. 2/5
Soundgarden
4/5
Miss the fuck out of Cornell’s voice. He sounds so great on Fell on Black Days. Forgot how much I loved this song. His voice was always best when he just sang. He could scream with the best, but he sang better than most. 4/5
Elvis Presley
4/5
I gotta say, Elvis always has a way of slipping little surprises into his records. Fever is a delight, as well as evidence the man could really sing.
Don’t need to be the target demographic to be impressed. Flawless performance and production. Clearly influential. 4/5
4/5
Pretty definitive of the 90s Britpop style. This record sounds like London. It is calculated pop music, but it’s deceptively smart. Lots of range, all of it well done.
4/5
Little Richard
5/5
The inventor of Rock’N’Roll. Wooo!
5/5
Lambchop
3/5
Already really love Up With People, so I’m curious to hear the rest of this.
This was pretty. Really relaxed and mellow. Lots of little nuances. Very clever. Not pretentious. Just really nice music, genuinely well made.
The second half I could live without, but the first half is very nice. 3/5
The Notorious B.I.G.
4/5
The hits still hit. It’s infuriating how much talent was lost. Would have been nice to see how this artist matured. So much great work here. The skits aged like milk. But the flow is eternal.
Peter Frampton
3/5
It’s a lot of guitar solos. A lot.
Show Me the Way is nice. Wind of Change, too.
Clearly, there is talent here. Clearly, this was hugely influential. There’s even solid songwriting. It’s good. But I could live without it.
Jethro Tull
3/5
Man, this is wild. I can’t say that I hate it. It’s very well made, and definitely unique. But it is a trip to hear this sort of rockin’ Ren fair style. Chunky prog flute. It’s not terrible and that’s surprising. Certainly difficult to pull this off. I can see why people respond to this. Probably sounds amazing, played loud in a pickup truck, tearing down the highway.
Not my thing, at all, and I probably won’t ever listen to this again. But I can’t say it’s bad. It is a lot, though.
William Orbit
4/5
Oh goddamn. When was the last time anyone thought about William Orbit?
There’s a lot going on here. Absolutely of its time. So many DJs popped up around then. A lot of them got exposure doing remixes and CD single bonus tracks. If memory serves, this guy did remixes for Bjork’s Post album. Those kinds of CDs were a challenge to hunt down, and it was a gamble if any of the tracks were good. Makes me want to dig through up the old CD binders.
I like this. Thought it would be tedious, but it’s actually pretty good. Relaxed, loungy background music for disco naps, or working on projects. Mellow but not boring or cloying.
4/5
Pink Floyd
3/5
This is probably amazing on headphones, while tripping balls. Probably great when paired with the Wizard of Oz, or whatever it was people would rave about. This is certainly a mood. And it is very well composed, serious song structure, real direction. Excellent musicianship. There’s nothing bad here.
I’m still mostly bored. Feels like I missed my window to develop a real affection for this band. Maybe you need to be young to be impressed by this. At this point, to my ears, it’s just alright. It’s good, but I’m not getting the full OMG experience.
3/5
Slint
4/5
Not my usual kind of thing. But this was very well done. Really tight. Singular style. Never obnoxious. Interesting, different, not bad at all. Like Fugazi, but less groovy, more spare and slightly haunted. 4/5
Radiohead
5/5
One of the best albums on this list.
5Million/5
The Smiths
5/5
Goddammit. After all this time, I still know all the words.
500,000/5
Khaled
4/5
Not on Spotify, but is on YouTube.
I really like the more authentically North African tracks. The ballads and the cover are too generic to my ears. It’s the local flavor that is more exciting and interesting. Though, the dance song is a bop. Lots of variety here. Wish I could save some of this.
This was fun and interesting. Wish there was more international representation on this list.
Super Furry Animals
2/5
When participants of this project complain that there’s too much Britpop wanker bullshit on this list, they must be referring to this.
Dr. Dre
2/5
West Coast rap has always irritated me. This kind of record kinda proves my point.
The best thing about Dr. Dre is Snoop Dogg. The music is okay. But lyrically it’s a snooze fest. Same old shit. Look at my guns, look at my bitches, I’m so tough, motherfucker deathrowisinthehouse ooohyeahzzzzz… And repeat. Miserable poser fan fiction bullshit.
This is why Dionne Warwick took them to task and changed the course of their careers. Bitches be for real moguls now, not just wannabes tossing Monopoly money at video hos.
Was really hoping for more. But, as with a lot of these hyped up rappers, I wish I could turn down the vocals, so I can enjoy the music. All hail Funkadelic.
2/5
Tortoise
4/5
Ok this is interesting. Probably a lot better on headphones. Really enjoy the way the sounds and melodies rise up and evolve. Gives your mind something to play with, while you’re busy doing other things. Don’t hate this. 4/5
Basement Jaxx
2/5
This doesn’t have their big hit (Where’s Your Head At). But it does have Red Alert, which I didn’t realize was them. That’s a good one.
Feels like you need to do a load of cocaine and ecstasy, in 1999, as a 20 year old, to really enjoy this.
Some parts feel like a Daft Punk imitation. Some parts want to give me a heart attack. Some parts are alright. Not required listening. 2/5
Method Man
4/5
I’m loving this. So much good stuff. Funny, romantic and badass at the same time. Really sweet, witty storytelling. Good beats, good flow. Feels like real music.
4/5
ABBA
4/5
Dancing Queen - if you have a problem with this song, the problem is you.
Not every song is a winner. But the classics are legendary. They still work. 4/5
Roxy Music
3/5
Out of the Blue is a clear inspiration for both The Cure and The Smiths. Love hearing that kind of thing. Prairie Rose, too, is very Johnny Marr.
Don’t love this record, but I get it. 3/5
k.d. lang
4/5
This woman’s voice is obscenely perfect. I don’t want to love this, but I can’t resist. My cat adores Miss Chatelaine.
This is very nice and I enjoyed it. But the other record of hers is better, and enough for this list. 4/5
John Cale
4/5
Don’t love everything, but there’s a really nice, relaxed vibe.
4/5
Thelonious Monk
4/5
This is what people who hate jazz, think jazz is. Love these artists, but this is an acquired taste. 4/5
Michael Jackson
5/5
Oh ffs. This is tough. I would love to dismiss this artist outright. But you had to be there!
Every person alive in 1982 was dancing to this record. That’s not an exaggeration. Someday soon, you’ll be able to shout “mama se mama sa mama coo sa” in a nursing home, and grannies will jump.
I’m going to strap my blinders on and point at Quincy Jones. He was already an extraordinarily successful producer. This and Off the Wall are really his projects. All the swinging, jazzy sophisticated song structure, is totally in line with Quincy’s previous work. Michael’s style changed (sucked ass, no pun intended) without him.
So, for Quincy Jones, this is pop music perfection. It was atomic levels of popularity. Beatles and Elvis level sensation, around the world. And then the Thriller video landed and nothing has been the same since. Another jam for granny to bust a hip to. She and her mahjong group will know every move.
I remember every kid busting out the Billie Jean moves every time they crossed a tiled floor. Absolutely every child attempted the Moonwalk. This record will remain relevant for a long time, despite the creep on the cover.
This is still great. Like really great. Quincy Jones is a genius and he brought out the very best in the artists he worked with. Thank you Quincy Jones.
5/5
Buffalo Springfield
3/5
It’s alright. Like, I get why it was sensational at the time it was released. There’s obviously good stuff happening here. They clearly made a real effort to make something nice. And it is definitely nice.
3/5
Talvin Singh
1/5
Nothing feels authentic. Just a cash grab. Nothing about this record is required listening. This was all very old sounding by ‘98.
1/5
Cheap Trick
3/5
Had a whole thing written and the browser ate it.
Essentially, this is fine, clearly influential and well made, but it’s not something I like enough to revisit.
The Fall
5/5
Immediately struck by how influential this is. Elements of Radiohead, Blur, The Sugarcubes and The Pixies just in the first few songs.
I remember there being a lot of critical acclaim and reverence for this band, but they almost never got airplay. So nice to get the opportunity to see what the fuss was about.
This is very interesting. Their relaxed and irreverent vibe is a smokescreen for what is truly sophisticated music arrangement. Eclectic and different. This is very compelling. Not built for pop singles. Artistic and experimental, without being up its own ass. Very good.
Suede
3/5
When this came out, there was a lot of media hype for them, cause they looked good in magazines. The music was okay. Fine, but nothing exciting. It’s still fine, but ultimately not much more than that.
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
Oh, there’s a second one.
It feels like he’s trying to do too much. It’s not bad. He is ambitious and that’s respectable. But there’s a lot here. And a good portion sounds like mediocre Thom Yorke impression.
It’s like he’s still searching and experimenting. Which is fine. It just doesn’t feel like he’s found himself entirely.
I don’t hate it. This might be better than the first. It just doesn’t feel like a complete project. And we really did not need more than one record from this artist, if any.
The Kinks
4/5
This was such a joy. Really fun and deceptively simple. Good variety of styles. Very influential. Hard not to like.
The Crusaders
4/5
Feels like the birth of Cool Jazz FM.
There’s some sweet grooves on this one. My Lady and Carnival of the Night are genuinely excellent. Great instrumentals. Perfect for long drives, roller skating or sweet, sweet love making.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
3/5
Oh shit, for real?
I’m genuinely puzzled why this record made the cut. It’s not bad. It’s fine. But I don’t understand what’s great here. Must be another of the UK/US cultural differences.
The hits are still good. San Jose is cute. But it’s not essential listening. It’s just fine.
TV On The Radio
5/5
Damn. I’m not even done with my first listen and I already want to rate this a 5.
The quality here is crazy. Music is tight as shit. So complex, while still being a goddamned bop. I’m mad at how good this is. Don’t even get me started on the lyrics. This is ridiculous. There’s real art here.
Cat Stevens
5/5
What is it about Cat Steven’s that makes this so good?
From anyone else, I would hate this with a fiery passion. But this is beautiful and sincere. It feels authentic to his spirit.
It’s kinda like Bob Marley. His songs are eternal, because they give voice to something universal, some part of the human soul. Like gospel, there’s a special something in this sound that reaches past the lyrics. And the music is so lovely, so gentle. It’s impossible not to get swept up.
If you have a problem with Cat Stevens, the problem is you.
Air
4/5
This has to be one of the most perfectly named bands. Their music always feels like it’s just floated in from the ether.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Damn this is tough. What do you call something that you both love and hate in equal amounts? This works and bombs at the same time. Intentionally ridiculous.
5/5
Fuuuuuuck yeeeaaaahhh!!
Satisfaction is one of the best covers of all time. This whole album is brilliant and daring and stupid and great.
5/5
Creedence Clearwater Revival
2/5
It’s fine. Overall, it’s too loud and too country for my taste. It’s the kind of music that’s playing at a bar you don’t want to be in. Can’t get into it. 2/5
John Prine
2/5
Yeah, giving this a second shot.
I can see why this does well for fans of Dylan, Young and Springsteen. Some of the music is pretty. But I just can’t get into this. 2/5
The Beach Boys
2/5
Oy.
I know I’m supposed to like this and be very impressed by it. But I just can’t seem to get there with this band. Intellectually, I can kinda get it. But I just don’t like their music, or the lead singer’s voice, enough. The best I could do was the instrumental, and even that was a push.
Jazmine Sullivan
3/5
This was nice. Not annoying. I really don’t love interludes on records. Had no idea this was such a popular thing. Anyway, this was nice. 3/5
The Byrds
3/5
This doesn’t have their hit Turn, Turn, Turn.
This record has that groovy baby, 60’s vibe. Very Summer of Love. Cloyingly so, at times. It’s good, but not great. At least it doesn’t have anymore Clapton.
Tribal Gathering is solid, Triad is a gas.
3/5
1/5
I was going to give this another chance. But it looks like the music gods heard my prayer. Because it has been removed from Spotify.
1/5
Malcolm McLaren
4/5
There’s a lot of good stuff here. McClaren has an ear for talent and he’s very good at promoting different ideas.
I think the issue is with McClaren himself, whose vocals feel more like PT Barnum hosting a circus. When it’s just music, it’s actually very good. He’s just a super weird man.
4/5
Fleetwood Mac
3/5
This was nice. It’s not Rumors, but it’s still good. There’s some pretty stuff. There’s too much wacky Buckingham and an unnecessary Casio keyboard. But Sara is still great. And it’s always nice to hear Christine McVie.
3/5
N.W.A.
2/5
Ice Cube had a clumsy ass flow.
West Coast rap sucks. There is no soul, no style, no rhythm, just a lot of angry posing. Fuck Tha Police is the best thing they ever did, and even that’s a mess.
No poets here, certainly. Not much of anything worth listening to. Painfully amateurish. Totally disappointing.
2/5
Saint Etienne
4/5
I like this better now. The hits still hit.
4/5
Genesis
2/5
Every time they get a good bit going, they start throwing in cheesy prog cliche sounds. Album is way, way too long. For early Genesis, it’s okay. But I can’t wait for it to end.
2/5
George Michael
4/5
Oh hot damn, this is a nice surprise. Never got to hear anything other than the big hit, which was absolutely *everywhere* back then. It’s still fantastic. So is the video he directed.
This is much better than I expected. His voice was so freaking gorgeous, I can’t help but miss him. Of course the music is a bit dated, but he sounds great.
In the context of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, rampant right wing religious extremism, and constant pervasive homophobia, this was braver than anyone gave him credit for. It’s sincere and pretty. And that voice! I’m angry at how much I miss it.
4/5
Dion
1/5
Music for cults.
1/5
The Sonics
4/5
This was actually kinda cute. Classic party band sound. Very fun. It’s cute how they start off sounding like little Mormon boys doing covers, and by the end they’re screaming like rowdy garage punks.
4/5
Jeff Buckley
3/5
What a pretty voice this man had. Like, holy crap, the boy could sing.
I don’t love all the music. There’s too much grunge. It was the style at the time, but his voice is wasted on trendy stuff. That’s why people respond so strongly to Hallelujah. It feels eternal.
Wish we had gotten a chance for more from him.
Death In Vegas
2/5
This was really boring. Kind of all over the place and none of it good. Unnecessary.
2/5
Queen
3/5
This was cute. This record doesn’t have the hits. But you really can hear their style solidify. It’s not for me, but it’s well made.
3/5
Moby
3/5
Not sure how this manages to be both very good and terribly lame at the same time.
3/5
Marvin Gaye
5/5
I was conceived to this record.
5/5
Animal Collective
3/5
This feels like soundtrack music. Not really fun to listen to casually. There’s a lot of good work here. My Girls is excellent.
Mostly, it’s overproduced. Way too many sounds and gimmicks piled up on top of each other. It gets annoying. Otherwise, it’s fine.
3/5
Eagles
3/5
I can see why they were popular. They definitely had a huge influence on other artists. There’s some decent work here. I’m just not the target audience.
Justice
3/5
I like that one song, but that’s it for me. 3/5
The Teardrop Explodes
3/5
There’s some good stuff here. Very clearly influential. Probably sounded pretty radical when it was released.
As with most of Julian Cope’s music, I like parts of songs, but not a whole song. Traison, is better in French, though. That was cute.
3/5
The Cure
4/5
This whole album is very good. Not my favorite. But the work here is surprisingly strong and smart.
4/5
Terence Trent D'Arby
2/5
I remember saving up to buy this cassette, cause there was so much buzz at the time. Was so disappointed when I finally got to hear it.
Was hoping to find something this time around. Disappointed again.
2/5
Beth Orton
2/5
Don’t hate, but don’t really like that much either. It’s fine. Too average, though. 2/5
Milton Nascimento
5/5
Fantastic. Loved this.
5/5
The Prodigy
2/5
Music for twats gacked out in their mom’s basement.
2/5
Isaac Hayes
5/5
Impossibly fabulous.
5/5
Serge Gainsbourg
5/5
The influence of this record is everywhere.
5/5
Elton John
3/5
This is better than expected, but I still don’t love it. There’s a ton to like, loads of quality.
This record follows the 70s epic story telling style of pop song. Similar to Billy Joel, but way, way, way more elaborate.
I don’t dislike this. I just don’t enjoy listening to it all that much. Not really made for casual listening. There’s quality, it’s just very dramatic.
Django Django
4/5
This is really excellent
4/5
The Who
2/5
Exhausted and bored after the first few tracks
Kendrick Lamar
4/5
This was very good. Very thoughtfully crafted. Real music. Even the stuff that’s just okay is well done. Respect.
Daft Punk
5/5
FUUUUCK YESSS!!
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
As much as I like the concept and all the fine work on this album, I must confess that it really didn’t grab me. It’s nice. Was hoping for something more.
Ghostface Killah
3/5
I really don’t understand the appeal of the lame ass interlude. Why do so many hip hop albums wedge this shit into their records? It’s never worth it. Like, bitch, I’m here for your music. I don’t want to hear your friends mumbling over shitty sound effects. Please kill this trend.
This record is alright. There are a few fun tracks. Some is a bit same-y. Some songs are nicely mixed. Others are annoying.
Mostly, it’s just kind of average. Nothing all that special. It’s frustrating. I keep waiting for it to kick off or something, but it’s just not getting there. There’s a lot of potential, but not much payoff.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
Not the best Peter Gabriel record. There’s certainly a lot of great composition and arrangement. There’s still a bit of a Prog rock hang over. But the quality is clear. I’ll stick to the hits with this, though.
Arcade Fire
3/5
What am I missing here? Two songs in and it’s so whiny. I like some of that other album on this list. But this is pretty generic. And whiny.
People keep telling me that I should love this group, but mostly they are just meh. It’s okay, I guess. It just sounds ordinary and formulaic to me. Whatever I’m supposed to be impressed with, I am not hearing it.
Fugazi
5/5
This record is fucking great! The only thing wrong with this album is that it doesn’t have Waiting Room on it.
Gene Clark
1/5
Goddamn fucking harmonica first thing. Ugh. This has too many of the things I don’t like to listen to. This is tedious.
The Pogues
3/5
It. It’s not that I hate The Pogues. I just don’t like listening to them.
Bee Gees
2/5
I don’t know if I hate how lame this is, or if I love how lame it is.
Pavement
2/5
This falls into that category of MTV- ready grunge pop. It sounds like a Nirvana ripoff.
Nothing new. Too clean. No real personality. Just an imitation. This is for suburban Midwest teenagers, who all have cars and hang out at the mall. It’s not bad. It’s just not that special. Whiny white boy noise.
Pulp
1/5
So annoying and pretentious that I can’t even get through one song. This band is wildly overrated.
Gil Scott-Heron
5/5
Undeniably great. He was a poet. He was a genius. Raw soulful singing, luscious music. Get into it!
The Doors
5/5
This record feels like the moment that sex and drugs met Rock’n’Roll.
Can’t really argue with this one. Iconic fr.
PJ Harvey
3/5
This was nice. Might be my least favorite PJ Harvey record. But that doesn’t mean it’s not very good. It’s excellent as always. But I didn’t love her wobbly singing. Doesn’t sound like her.
Minor Threat
5/5
Another one that passed me by back in the day. So glad to discover it here.
Normally I don’t really like hardcore. But this is the singer from Fugazi. And this record is well produced. You can actually enjoy listening.
There’s no denying the importance of this record.
R.E.M.
5/5
Yeah, easily their best. This record pretty much defined college radio in the 1980s.
The Vines
2/5
What am I missing here? It’s just meh.
Fever Ray
2/5
Initially, I thought the other reviewers that referenced Bjork might be exaggerating. No, they are not. This totally sounds like Temu Bjork. It’s just a cheap reduction.
Has that FKA Twigs sparse, yet painfully overproduced, style. A whole lot of work, for not very much. Not for me.
Blur
4/5
It’s so typical 90s. Tongue in cheek, ironic, and blasé, all while rocking’ out. Gen X loves to mock the present tense. Wherever we are, we secretly love it as much as we hate it. Blur really captured that vibe.
“I’d love to stay here and be normal, But it’s just so overrated.” If that doesn’t sum up the ethos of Gen X, I don’t know nothing’.
I hate how overrated this record is, but I still love it.
Supergrass
2/5
The affection for Supergrass has always baffled me. They are such mediocre pop rock. Like a very cheerful Smashing Pumpkins. In It for the Money is right. Very calculated MTV, Top 40 pop.
This is very clearly well made. But it feels shallow and empty. Pop paint by numbers.
Meat Puppets
4/5
I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this. This is far more sophisticated and complex. No wonder Cobain was a fan. I don’t love some of the whiny vocals, but they knew how to play. Enjoying the instrumentals very much.
The Stranglers
4/5
This is good. Even the parts I don’t like are good. Lots of energy and attitude. Lots of great ideas. This improves with repeat listening.
Billy Bragg
3/5
Ok, There Is Power in a Union and Help Save the Youth of American really need to go viral right about now.
Giant Sand
1/5
There are a lot of annoying noises and whines scattered throughout the songs. So, it’s hard to get through a whole song. This is misophonia hell. Stopping early.
U2
5/5
It’s easily the best thing they ever did. 10/10 bangers front to back.
Lauryn Hill
5/5
My review disappeared.
Shivkumar Sharma
4/5
This was really very, very lovely.
Hawkwind
2/5
I could get into some of this, but the recording is really not good. Makes it tough to listen to. Also, this is way too long. By like an hour and a half.
Again, I kinda like the music. I just don’t like this recording. LSD seems mandatory for this epic. Tedious otherwise.
Liz Phair
5/5
There was a year there when this record was permanently in my CD changer. It was probably this, Tori, Bjork, PJ Harvey and the Pulp Fiction Soundtrack. Makes me want to dig out the box of zines.
It’s been 30 years and this still fucking rocks.
R.E.M.
3/5
Damn, this takes me back. This was right when REM made the jump from college radio to MTV. So much of this record was on the radio. How do I still know all the words to Pop Song 89?
Pop really is right word to describe this record. Stand is classic, easy bubblegum, complete with dance instructions. And you can hear how Orange Crush so clearly inspired Kurt Cobain’s style.
There’s a lot of great stuff here. It’s not my favorite, but it’s still very good.
3/5
Stan Getz
5/5
This is impeccable. One of the most perfect and beautiful records ever.
Kelela
3/5
This was pretty good. Nice, easy, quiet. Good for background music. Nothing earthshaking. Just a nice, low key hip hop record. Somewhere between Solange and TLC.
Marianne Faithfull
4/5
Oh goddammit. I have not heard the title track in 35 years and it is crashing back from the start. Still rad as fuck.
Ok I was not prepared for how rad the rest of this is. So glad to find it in this project. Really enjoyed this.
Michael Jackson
5/5
Let’s be real here. Everything that’s great with this record comes from Quincy Jones. Granted, this is probably Michael at his best. But all this timeless, symphonic, gorgeously produced music is entirely Quincy.
The first five songs are some of the greatest pop songs ever recorded. Find a human that doesn’t love Rock With You. It’s pure pop perfection.
I want to hate Michael Jackson as much as anyone. But Quincy Jones composed some of the best music in American history. This is a pop symphony.
5/5
Tim Buckley
3/5
Pleasant Street is really pretty good. I Never Asked to Be Your Mountain, too. The transition into Once I Was feels very Radiohead. Don’t love everything, but there’s some interesting stuff. Sometimes he sounds like Grace Slick at the Ren-Faire. 3/5
Otis Redding
5/5
This is genius, made by geniuses. Perfect Soul and Blues Rock. Everything here is astonishing.
Public Enemy
4/5
I would like this so much more, if the DJ didn’t lean so heavily on that high-pitched, whiny siren sound. It’s the hip hop harmonica. It’s clear that the intention was to sound the alarm. But it is too distracting and hard to hear the message. Wish it could be remixed to edit that gimmick down. Otherwise, this is legendary for a reason.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
2/5
I wouldn’t mind the music, if the recording wasn’t so muddled. It’s too murky and noisy.
It might belong on the list, but it is unpleasant to listen to.
2/5
Beastie Boys
4/5
Iconic for a reason.
Femi Kuti
5/5
Oh snap! This fabulous. Loved it all the way through.
My Bloody Valentine
2/5
I don’t like as much as their older work.
2/5
Duke Ellington
5/5
America’s Mozart. But better.
Why can’t we have beautiful music anymore?
The Charlatans
2/5
Only know one song by this band, and it’s not on this album.
That said, this is disappointing. Whiny and ordinary, like Oasis. There’s nothing special. It’s aggressively mediocre and totally unnecessary.
Circle Jerks
5/5
Really fun, fast paced, upbeat, toe-tapping, headbanging old west coast punk. It’s like The Dead Milkmen, but angry and more organized.5/5
Laura Nyro
4/5
When her voice is on, it’s great. But when it’s off, it’s hard to enjoy.
You can clearly see where she fits in the pantheon of popular music. Her influence is everywhere from Joni Mitchell to Patti Smith, Excene Cervenka and Donna Summer to Tori Amos and Fiona Apple. The music is well composed and the whole project is very well produced. It feels very much like a Broadway soundtrack. It’s not always easy to enjoy or listen to. But I can appreciate what’s happening.
Stoned Soul Picnic is rad af. Get into it.
Eric Clapton
2/5
There’s too much Clapton on this list. Yeah, he could play guitar. But he’s such a wanker that I struggle to give him time. So much white boy blues bullshit. The urge to slap him with that guitar is overwhelming. This rendition of Hand Jive should have disqualified him from ever being recorded again. Asinine.
The Beach Boys
2/5
Wow, I really just don’t like this band. Like, I kinda get why people liked them, but the singing grates my nerves. It feels so saccharine that there’s something borderline creepy af about their sound.
Tom Waits
3/5
I don’t drink enough to put this on regular rotation. But it’s clearly good, well written and uniquely performed.
3/5
Culture Club
5/5
Fuck yes!
I remember when this hit the States. We went mad for this band and Boy George’s style. Pretty much everyone over a certain age can sing Karma Chameleon.
This is perfect pop music. Classic structure, hooks, harmonies, great arrangements. Not too harsh. Just fun and soulful music for the masses. The roots are squarely in the Motown style. The 80s brought the nostalgia wave with Blue Eyed Soul. Everyone wanted to be Smokey Robinson.
Is there any Smokey Robinson on this list?
Michael Kiwanuka
4/5
Nice, calm, pretty, well made. Relaxing and easy to enjoy. Gets better with repeat listening. Nothing to complain about. 4/5
3/5
Not available.
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
There’s some stuff that’s very good, and other stuff that’s just too much noise. It has its merits. But it’s just alright for me.
Fiona Apple
3/5
When this came out, her videos got a lot of play on MTV. But they all seemed to fall into the category of ‘lady singers who wriggle around on the floor, singing everything unnecessarily provocatively’. It was just like what Jewel and Britney were doing. Boring, undermining, powerless pickme bullshit. So, I never wasted my time listening to her.
It’s a shame. This woman is clearly talented, but she marketed herself as a sexy, defenseless wittle gworl. She should have had a better career.
This record is decent, but she lost me a long time ago.
Caetano Veloso
4/5
This is fun. Exactly the kind of international surprise I wanted to discover in this project. Brazilian psychadelica was not a genre I saw coming. But I am into it. Fabulous.
Stephen Stills
2/5
It’s fine for what it is. It’s well made. But I genuinely dislike this genre of 70s southern rock. It’s nice he tried to throw in some Santana moves. But white boys with twangy guitars are too suspicious to enjoy.
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
So fun and easygoing. Still sounds so fresh. Better than just about every hip hop album that came after.
The Blue Nile
4/5
This record is a lot better than expected. Really pretty melodies, not too loud, not too much of anything. Nice, calm, well crafted music, that is enjoyable to listen to. Interesting, complex, unexpected, sophisticated and yet, a toe-tapper.
Beach House
2/5
I’m halfway into this and it’s just not for me.
The B-52's
5/5
Fuck yes!
The ultimate party band. Perfect album.
4/5
Yes, they became insufferable after this, but it was a big deal at the time. And there’s really lovely production work here. Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois really worked a bit of magic to give U2 their big sweeping sound. Not my favorite of U2 album, but it is tough to hate on. The Edge is at his best here.
4/5
This is actually really rad. Enjoyed this a good bit.
The Mothers Of Invention
3/5
My problem with Zappa is that he is so clearly talented. He could sing, write, play, arrange, produce, everything. And when he tries, he’s very good.
But so much of this record is dedicated to “freaking out the normies”, that the good bits get lost.
Cocteau Twins
4/5
So advanced for 1984. Truly unique.
Van Morrison
4/5
The hits are still super pretty. I don’t love everything. But the good is great. And this band is outstanding.
10cc
2/5
Bummer that this doesn’t have their hits. But it was nice of them to warn us in the title. It is indeed sheeeeeet music.
This feels very much like a parody record. Like, they were just trying to make each other laugh by making the weirdest, cheesiest pop album. It’s Zappa, but with less disdain for the audience.
These are well-trained musicians, making intentionally asinine prog pop, with perfect production standards. This would be brilliant, if it wasn’t so bad.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
Got this on cassette back in the day, cause there was all this hype about them. I never understood. Still don’t. This is too MTV 90s suburban rock for me. It’s mostly just alright.
Talking Heads
5/5
This is music that paints a movie in your mind. Pure symphonic composition. This band was limitless.
Curtis Mayfield
5/5
I mean…
The The
5/5
This record has popped up repeatedly, at very significant times in my life. This holds cherished memories for me.
Kings of Leon
3/5
Overall, this was actually okay. Nothing new or innovative. It’s fine. It’s pop rock. Won’t listen to this again, though. 3/5
Pere Ubu
2/5
Yeah this is a lot more challenging than their other album on the list. More noise, less fun. Last song is pretty good, though. 2/5
Dr. John
3/5
The music is actually very good. But his singing makes my skin crawl.
I can’t say this is terrible. The music is nice. Just don’t like his voice. Spotify really needs a “mute the singer” button. 3/5
Ice Cube
2/5
Why is there more than one Ice Cube album on this list? It’s not like he was so great. I don’t get it.
Stephen Stills
2/5
Singing and melodies are nice, unsurprisingly. But it’s a lot of that rich white guy blues that hippies popularized. Dentist rock. The music is fine. But listening to the privileged sing the blues is agitating.
Sigur Rós
5/5
Imagination music. Utterly unique. Universally understood.
TV On The Radio
4/5
This was wild. Very interesting and experimental. I really appreciate the fearlessness of their style. Not exactly radio ready. But some of this has got to be thrilling live.
Dire Straits
3/5
Not my thing, but the music was played beautifully. Hard to fault
Red Hot Chili Peppers
2/5
The music is pretty good, especially Flea. But Anthony Kiedis sounds like a doofus. This is the music that white boys sing at full volume, when alone in their cars. It’s alright. But the arrangements are pretty basic.
Pink Floyd
3/5
I get it. I just don’t want to listen to it.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
I didn’t expect to like any of this, but this was pretty good. Not too much of anything. Really balanced and authentic. Definitive Bruce.
Soul II Soul
4/5
Not everything is great. That Do’reen sings like a goat. But overall, this is a good album.
T. Rex
5/5
FUCK YES!!
Holger Czukay
3/5
This was wild.
Nico
4/5
You can’t say she’s a great singer. But she still made really pretty, incredibly influential music. She doesn’t get enough recognition.
Dinosaur Jr.
3/5
I get it, but I still don’t really like it. Too whiny and loud.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
3/5
This was better than expected. Certainly more complex and, at times, gothier than I thought they would be. Unfortunately, a lot of the instrumentation is annoying and dated. It’s okay, but less than great.
The Fall
3/5
Overall, I get it. The band is influential, prolific, and eclectic. It’s not bad, just not something I’d come back to. My problem is that I only seem to like parts of their songs. Like, good music, but meh singing, that kinda thing.
Louis Prima
5/5
Louis Prima and Keely Smith are criminally underrated.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Expected this to be the typical cringy hippie blues, but thankfully this was actual quality. Real music, properly played by well-trained musicians.
This is truly thoughtfully crafted, equally reverential and influential. Run Through the Jungle is a landmark in American culture. Ramble Tamble alone deserves a revival right about now. And how many punk bands were just imitating Traveling Band?
Creedance is the missing link between Little Richard and X-Ray Spex. You can hear so much of this record echoed in several hundred other records on this list. It’s wild. Respect.
Wire
5/5
21 punk songs in 35 minutes. Where have you been all my life? Five songs in and there is no question this is 5/5.
Kanye West
1/5
Fuck off, Nazi.
Meat Loaf
2/5
I have never enjoyed Meat Loaf’s music. I really can’t tolerate anymore. This is too loud and obnoxious. Stopping in the first song.
Spacemen 3
3/5
This was fine, but nothing really special. Probably great if you were on heroin or something. But it’s not necessary and totally skippable.
SZA
4/5
This was actually pretty good. Pop R&B, but never obnoxious. Mellow, easy, good for background music. It’s got a good dose of that 20-teens era of no-music music. But she’s a good singer, and there’s enough actual music to keep it from feeling too empty.
On second listen, I like it more. Several saves and only one skip.
Beatles
5/5
I mean…
Arcade Fire
2/5
So much of this indie hipster early 2000s sound is really just ordinary pop music. This is about as experimental as Coldplay. It’s just a lot of overhyped nothing.
Butthole Surfers
2/5
There are parts that were interesting. And then there was a lot of noise. Like, a lot. This is the record that is playing in some weird, sparsely populated room in the back of the club. Or in a torture dungeon.
The Strokes
2/5
Honestly, I think you have to be young to be impressed with this. There’s nothing new here. Feels on par with Lenny Kravitz, in terms of authenticity. They listened to their parents’ records and tried to imitate. But this is just pop music. Anyone who says the word “punk” needs to be slapped in the mouth.
Moby Grape
3/5
The boys on the cover look like they smell like feet.
Ok, this gets better as it goes. Rounder and Looper actually work pretty well. This has some good moments.
Sabu
3/5
Christina Aguilera
2/5
Giving this another chance. She has a very strong voice. Great control and skill. But this music still sucks.
Mercury Rev
2/5
Oy this singing is too whiny and now they are playing a saw. Fuck me. Yeah, this is not for me. The instrumental was nice. But that’s it.
Drive-By Truckers
2/5
It’s not horrible. But I’m exhausted two songs in. I get where this is going, but I don’t want to go any further.
Public Enemy
5/5
Did not expect this to be so musical. Great funky mixes. Lots to enjoy. Not just politics, but straight entertainment, too. It’s a fantastic classic. But it’s even more relevant now.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
3/5
It was nice to hear Sinead again. Bomba is pretty good. The rest is just alright.
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
Legends of Rap music. The early style is dated by today’s standard. But the attitude and fashion resonated with kids around the world. They’re still fresh. Rock Box is still badass.
Einstürzende Neubauten
3/5
I’m not saying this is good or pleasant to listen to. But it’s not the worst. Arguably one of the more important records. It inspired whole genres of music.
Dennis Wilson
2/5
Oh yikes. Feels like The Beach Boys Bible Revival Revue.
It’s nice that they know how to play their instruments. But that’s it for me.
Marvin Gaye
5/5
Absolutely brilliant, start to finish.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
2/5
There is too much Clapton on this list.
Faust
5/5
This is one of those records that was so broadly influential that it’s impact is impossible to measure. Literally, entire genres of music would not exist, if it were not for this.
It sounds like the inside of my brain.
Bill Evans Trio
4/5
This is very nice. Not my favorite. Too many bass solos. But the parts that are good are very good.
Neil Young
3/5
I don’t hate Neil Young. I just don’t like listening to him sing. This is very good. Just really wish someone else handled vocals.
Ray Charles
5/5
Ray Charles is forever pitch perfect. These arrangements turned a singular genre into timeless classics from the great American songbook.
UB40
4/5
This was pretty good. It gets better as it goes. The instrumentals are excellent. Political, anti-conservative lyrics are always a plus. It’s not the most exciting record, but I can’t hate it.
Stereolab
4/5
Loving this even more than I thought I would. Love the way their songs build up with layers. Deceptively complicated. There’s clear, sophisticated music education. Overall, this is really excellent.
Bonnie Raitt
4/5
Love this woman’s voice. So easy and soulful. She’s got that natural storyteller energy. The band is tight. The production is immaculate. Pretty great overall.
M.I.A.
4/5
Lots of fun, lively tracks. Very unique.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
This was pretty good. Not an unbearable amount of honky tonk. Enough careful composition to keep it interesting. Bluesy classic rock. Not my thing, but I can’t complain
Sugar
3/5
It’s okay. It’s better now. Back then, it got lost in the onslaught of grunge. It still feels repetitive at times. But it’s alright.
The Thrills
1/5
The fact that one of these songs appeared on GWB’s iPod is not a ringing endorsement. But this is pretty shit all on its own. Cheesy, empty, boring, twangy, harmonicas…. Yeah, I’m not into this. Is this an Irish band singing about California? Oh fuck this sucks.
Kings of Leon
2/5
For what reason does there need to be three records from this band, on this list? They’re not that good. This is some fanboy bullshit.
Can
5/5
4 songs in 40 minutes. This is brilliant.
Sly & The Family Stone
5/5
This is the kind of album that deserves its place in the pantheon of great recordings. Unique, interesting, relevant, influential and inspiring. It’s both experimental and complete. The band knew exactly who they were and what they wanted. There’s no searching, only quality and delivery.
Shack
1/5
Oh damn, this is some bullshit. Not bothering to finish. Throw it in the bin.
fIREHOSE
3/5
Oh hello, College Radio.
This isn’t bad. It’s a little heavy on that bass-slapping sound, like Primus and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Clearly, a fair amount of talent and skill. The instrumental bits are the most compelling. Some of it is cliche and typical of Dimery’s personal preferences. It’s fairly middle of the road, pop-adjacent, white people music.
Not bad, but not essential.
The War On Drugs
3/5
Their write up on Spotify is so pretentious, it’s like it was written for Portlandia.
So far, it sounds like a Don Henley / Fleetwood Mac cover band. First song absolutely references Boys of Summer by minute 3. It’s cute. But it’s not exactly innovative.
A lot of this sounds like Arcade Fire. A lot is repetitive. That doesn’t mean it’s bad. It’s easy listening, for the most part. But not new, not essential. Just nice.
Paul Simon
4/5
Hearts and Bones and Train in the Distance are so beautiful that it hardly matters what the rest of the album sounds like. There are some real clunkers. Overall it’s unfocused, or like he was trying out contemporary styles that just don’t suit him. But what is good, is fucking amazing.
Roxy Music
3/5
It is experimental and wild, but in compelling ways. It’s interesting. Probably needs a few more listens.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
4/5
Normally, I hate this kind of music. But so far, it’s alright. Bitch is tearing it up on When You Love. It’s nice that the songs flow straight into each other. Feels like an unbroken musical experience. Where You Love, How You Love and Which Do You Love are interesting and experimental. I should not be enjoying a psychedelic jam band, but I think that’s what’s happening here. It helps that it’s mostly really well-played instrumental music. Words would not be helpful here. Better that they let the music do the talking. Makes absolute sense when you learn that the full six song suite was based on Bo Diddley’s original 1956 Who Do You Love. Pretty brilliant reinterpretation. Should hate, cannot find cause.
Jungle Brothers
4/5
This is really fun. Nice, easy to enjoy hip hop. Interesting, different, good mixing, good flow. Some decent party tracks, too. Nothing to complain about. 4/5
The Jam
5/5
I’ve always loved The Jam, but didn’t know quite how much. This is crazy good. So pretty, so cool, so fun. Way, way ahead of their contemporaries.
CHVRCHES
1/5
Sounds like AI generated video game music. I hate it.
Elvis Presley
5/5
28 minutes to change popular culture forever.
Belle & Sebastian
4/5
Enjoyed this much more than expected. Lots of fun tracks, good lyrics, soft singing. Never too loud or boring. Very interesting and well made.
Thundercat
5/5
Such a weird little gem.
It’s like stream of conscious cool jazz. It’s a throwback tribute to the late 70s/early 80s liteFM sound. Calm, peaceful and trippy. Sometimes funny, sometimes intimate. And then he’ll just start meowing over some quiet storm r&b. It’s bizarre and wonderful.
Nice to see this on the list. It’s a unique treat all the way through. This made me a fan.
Ozomatli
3/5
This is fun. Not perfect, but really good.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2/5
Yeah, this feels like a watered-down, overproduced record by a mediocre pop band. Barely more bite than Avril Lavigne. Their other album was better.
This sounds like Rock’n’Roll in pouty suspenders from Hot Topic.
1/5
Yeah, no.
Astor Piazzolla
3/5
It’s all very well crafted compositions. I really like all the tango and symphonic parts. Those parts were beautifully played.
It’s the discordant modern jazz bits that just sound like sour notes to me. That style subtracts more than it adds.
Otherwise, this was interesting and I really enjoyed hearing something new.
Christine and the Queens
3/5
This improved immensely once I switched to the French version. It’s pretty decent pop music. Definitely influenced by Michael Jackson. But the artist is a good singer, the music is upbeat and it’s nicely made. Not innovative. Just fine.
Everything But The Girl
4/5
Oh, how I love this band. In the middle of all the grunge, metal and gangster rap of the late 80s, these two bitches went full easy-listening liteFM. And it’s goddamn great.
The Clash
5/5
Among the best punk records of all time. Perfect, classic sound.
Can
4/5
Very wild and compelling. Not everything is successful, but it kind of doesn’t matter. This needed to happen.
Cornershop
2/5
The Brimful of Asha band?? This was a one-hit wonder that burned out in a month. It seems slower now.
This whole thing is weak.
Nirvana
5/5
It’s hard to describe the way this took over popular culture in the States. It was everywhere, absolutely everywhere.
This reset the standard for Rock Music. MTV desperately tried to recreate the phenomenon with years of Beach House Frat Rock. But all of that was dog shit in comparison.
This is the real thing. It still sounds great.
Linkin Park
1/5
25 seconds in and I want to punch someone. This is absolute dog shit. Heard enough.
5/5
Mid-90s nouveau samba. Wish I had heard this at the time. Excellent choice for this list.
Sonic Youth
4/5
Nobody does Noise Rock better than Sonic Youth. They really mastered the balance of chaos and progression.
Sarah Vaughan
5/5
Her voice is impossibly flawless. Her entire catalog could be on this list. Not enough stars available.
The Byrds
3/5
It’s cute. But it’s pretty heavy handed. They had a lot of fun getting high in the recording studio. The harmonies are nice and the music is well written. But sometimes it sounds like folky, trippy Monkees.
Steely Dan
4/5
There’s no doubt this belongs on this list. I don’t need to love it to respect it.
Booker T. & The MG's
5/5
Twelve songs in 36 minutes, and the first one is fucking Green Onions. Automatically the coolest on the list.5/5
Country Joe & The Fish
2/5
Not as terrible as I was expecting. But still not something I enjoyed. It has its place.
Abdullah Ibrahim
4/5
Big band jazz in South Africa just swings in a different way. This was absolutely lovely and unique. Wonderful recording.
David Bowie
5/5
It’s fucking Bowie.
The Prodigy
2/5
Why the fuck are there two albums from Prodigy on this list?!? They had one song, and it’s about abusing women.
Look, this is clearly their best work, but that doesn’t make it essential listening. This is what kids from nice neighborhoods think they play at raves. No legit club would ever have played anything this commercial.
Depeche Mode
5/5
Easily the best in their catalog.
Shuggie Otis
5/5
It’s so clear that Shuggie had a massive influence on Prince. This record is brilliant. Shuggie is a natural talent.
Richard Hawley
3/5
Ok, so this was cute. Very nice, easy listening. Lots of late 50s / early 60s sounds throughout. Kinda dreamy. Kinda like old Los Angeles. Every song reminds me of something else I’ve heard. He didn’t reinvent the wheel here. But he made a pretty good wheel.
Bob Dylan
3/5
The absence of the harmonica is such a treat. Feels like I can finally enjoy the music a little more. And he’s not bombarding the listener with a wall of unpunctuated text. There’s room to breathe.
Even though his voice has become charred gristle and he makes no effort to reduce his nasal tendencies, there’s something good here. His raw vocals compliment the intimate emotion and heartbreak in his lyrics. The music is really good. I actually saved a song. That’s miraculous. 3/5
Depeche Mode
5/5
I have not listened to this album in 30+ years, and I can still sing every word. It’s a testament to how much I wore this out. For a good chunk of years, to teenage me, this was the best, most essential band in the world.
This album was an enormous commercial success. Revisiting it now, I can hear how much of an influence this had on other artists. Just the production alone was a major standout. Depeche Mode was always innovative, but this was such a beautifully polished version of their style. They sounded complete.
The remix records from this album were fabulous and well worth seeking out. Their cover of Route 66 might have been the B-side to Personal Jesus. And acoustic Personal Jesus is not to be missed.
It’s still not my favorite record of theirs, but there are literally zero flaws.
The Coral
2/5
It feels like they swept up all the abandoned ideas left behind at the recording studio, and strung them all together in one record.
Mariah Carey
2/5
So many ballads. Like every song.
She has a nice voice, but uses too many gimmicks too often. Honey is pretty good. But the slow jams get repetitive.
Badly Drawn Boy
3/5
It’s okay. Mostly it’s kinda boring and a little twee. But he really tried to do something. He knows how to write music. And it’s all nicely made. I’m just not the target audience. It is cute, though.
The Zombies
3/5
Time of the Season is still brilliant. Like, crazy good. The rest, however, never gets anywhere close. More like British Beach Boys.
Tom Tom Club
5/5
This was a lot more fun and creative than expected. Genius of Love is still one of the best songs ever recorded. But the rest is a real trip. Seriously unserious. Sweetly romantic, without ever being schmaltzy.
The Byrds
1/5
That’s gonna be a no from me, dawg.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
Paul Simon is a musical genius. He can do no wrong. This is a masterpiece.
500billion/5
The Temptations
3/5
This was sweet and catchy.
The Verve
2/5
So bland. Sounds like a cheap imitation.
Donald Fagen
3/5
Jeez, this is pure 1982. Feels like these sounds were widely emulated in movies and television. It was everywhere. The influence this had was significant.
Even if it skews a bit too modern jazz for my taste, the work is clear. I don’t hate this, but I don’t particularly like a lot of it. Kind of wish some of this was just instrumental. IGY is still really good, though.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
This was so big when it came out. This man’s ass was everywhere.
I’ll admit that this has my favorite singles, but most of this is not for me. He’s popular for the big carousing sound and folksy stories, but I think he’s at his best when he pairs it all down.
I’m On Fire is still a flawless track. Probably his best ever. It’s everything else that gets a bit too loud and busy sounding. If I could cut this down to three songs, it’d be 5/5, but I gotta go 3/5.
The Icarus Line
2/5
This is kinda like the Strokes, with a little Jon Spencer Blues Explosion or Smashing Pumpkins. Not exactly worth listening to before you die. There’s a lot of yelling. Feels like Heavy Metal masquerading as a Christian rock.
Muddy Waters
5/5
Pure, old school rhythm and blues. Deep soul from the Deep South. This is defined the entire genre and set a new standard for popular music. The influence this had on western music remains incalculable.
King Crimson
1/5
I can’t listen to this mess.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
There are not enough superlatives in the English language to describe the work of Bob Marley.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Woohoo!!!
Heaven 17
4/5
This is a fun little record. Did not expect to see it on this list. It’s really pretty good, though. Smart, upbeat, and funny.
Fatboy Slim
3/5
Not bad at all. It’s really cute. Definitely 90s. Nice, energetic, upbeat. Good for background music while working out, cleaning or studying.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
1/5
Yeah, no. No.
Eminem
2/5
The misogyny, violence and bigotry are pervasive and oppressive. It’s an onslaught of words, like Bob Dylan, but few of them are pleasant. I get that there was a big audience for this. It’s just miserable to listen to.
Hot Chip
5/5
So much more fun and romantic than expected. Really well crafted music. Very sweet lyrics. It’s got a retro vibe, but it’s really fresh and new. Enjoyed this quite a bit.
Goldfrapp
3/5
This runs a little pop for me. But it’s really nice, upbeat, not annoying.
David Bowie
5/5
It’s fucking Bowie.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
I don’t dislike this band. I just don’t want to listen to them.
It’s all very well done. It just requires hard drinking.
Belle & Sebastian
4/5
This was really fun and pretty. This band always surprises me.
Kraftwerk
4/5
They were a million years ahead of the rest of the world.
Stereo MC's
3/5
The title track is still great. Honestly, it’s catchy af. But the rest is pretty ordinary.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
This is beautiful. Heavy but beautiful. 4/5
The Flaming Lips
4/5
Easy to see why this was popular with the festival set. Probably wonderful when you’re young and tripping on acid with 50,000 of your closest friends. 4/5
The xx
3/5
For pop music, this is very good. But I am not the target demographic
3/5
The Stooges
5/5
Fuck yeah!!
Brian Eno
4/5
This was really nice for what it is. Fantastic project idea. Was actually good to fall asleep to. 4/5
The Fall
3/5
The influence off this is pretty remarkable. That said, I really only like one whole song.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
There are no flaws here. It’s an immaculate recording. Paul Simon is a genius. 5/5
Bobby Womack
5/5
Knew this was going to be great, right from the start. But this is perfect, all the way through.
Bobby Womack’s voice will get you pregnant.
The Go-Betweens
2/5
How tf are you going to put this sub average, mediocre crap on this list, to represent Australia, but no INXS???
The author is tripping with this.
Jean-Michel Jarre
3/5
For what it is, this is fine.
Miles Davis
5/5
This is what genius sounds like.
Oasis
1/5
Definitely not.
Janet Jackson
5/5
This is another one of those records that caused an absolute sensation when it was released.
Before this, Janet was a child actor. Then, suddenly, that cute kid on TV dropped a new record, new sound, new image, new style, new dance moves and a slew of music videos. It was the gag of the decade. Her whole family had been world famous, her brother was crowned the King of Pop. And then Janet outdid them all.
I don’t need to love all of this, to appreciate the massive impact this had on pop culture.
Sly & The Family Stone
5/5
Modern music COULD NEVER! NEVER!!
Rahul Dev Burman
5/5
This was a great soundtrack. Some real bangers. Naag Devta is rad. This whole album is rad af. Funky, jazzy Indian disco. Wish there was more like this on this list.
New York Dolls
5/5
Aww fuck yeah! L-U-V
Nina Simone
5/5
Yes, Miss Simone!
The Youngbloods
4/5
There’s something sincere here, something interesting and thoughtful. Not horrible at all. Well crafted music played with clarity. This actually pretty cute. Nice range, good attitude. Can’t hate it.
Iron Butterfly
4/5
I should hate this, but it’s fabulous.
Almost like if The Monster Mash was a band, that occasionally took acid.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
Marley belongs in the top five artists of all time. Everything he did was amazing and timeless. This record is fantastic.