714
Albums Rated
3.35
Average Rating
66%
Complete
375 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1960s
Favorite Decade
Punk
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
188
5-Star Albums
81
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Trout Mask Replica
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
|
5 | 2.28 | +2.72 |
|
Locust Abortion Technician
Butthole Surfers
|
5 | 2.38 | +2.62 |
|
Oar
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
|
5 | 2.46 | +2.54 |
|
Black Metal
Venom
|
5 | 2.46 | +2.54 |
|
Suicide
Suicide
|
5 | 2.46 | +2.54 |
|
The Modern Dance
Pere Ubu
|
5 | 2.48 | +2.52 |
|
Now I Got Worry
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
|
5 | 2.52 | +2.48 |
|
The United States Of America
The United States Of America
|
5 | 2.61 | +2.39 |
|
Live At The Witch Trials
The Fall
|
5 | 2.64 | +2.36 |
|
Sex Packets
Digital Underground
|
5 | 2.67 | +2.33 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
OK Computer
Radiohead
|
1 | 4.1 | -3.1 |
|
A Night At The Opera
Queen
|
1 | 3.96 | -2.96 |
|
Physical Graffiti
Led Zeppelin
|
1 | 3.92 | -2.92 |
|
Can't Buy A Thrill
Steely Dan
|
1 | 3.72 | -2.72 |
|
Kid A
Radiohead
|
1 | 3.71 | -2.71 |
|
Californication
Red Hot Chili Peppers
|
1 | 3.7 | -2.7 |
|
The Joshua Tree
U2
|
1 | 3.67 | -2.67 |
|
good kid, m.A.A.d city
Kendrick Lamar
|
1 | 3.61 | -2.61 |
|
Hotel California
Eagles
|
1 | 3.6 | -2.6 |
|
Morrison Hotel
The Doors
|
1 | 3.59 | -2.59 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| David Bowie | 7 | 4.86 |
| Bob Dylan | 6 | 4.83 |
| Beatles | 7 | 4.71 |
| Bruce Springsteen | 4 | 4.75 |
| Marvin Gaye | 3 | 5 |
| Stevie Wonder | 3 | 5 |
| The Rolling Stones | 3 | 5 |
| Leonard Cohen | 3 | 5 |
| The Velvet Underground | 3 | 5 |
| The Kinks | 3 | 4.67 |
| The Fall | 3 | 4.67 |
| Sonic Youth | 2 | 5 |
| The Pogues | 2 | 5 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 2 | 5 |
| Motörhead | 2 | 5 |
| A Tribe Called Quest | 2 | 5 |
| Public Enemy | 2 | 5 |
| Nirvana | 2 | 5 |
| The Clash | 2 | 5 |
| Muddy Waters | 2 | 5 |
| The Flaming Lips | 2 | 5 |
| The Cure | 2 | 5 |
| T. Rex | 2 | 5 |
| Pavement | 2 | 5 |
| Fairport Convention | 2 | 5 |
| Elliott Smith | 2 | 5 |
| Metallica | 4 | 4.25 |
| Pixies | 3 | 4.33 |
| The Byrds | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Radiohead | 6 | 1.5 |
| Björk | 4 | 1.25 |
| U2 | 3 | 1.33 |
| Happy Mondays | 2 | 1 |
| Red Hot Chili Peppers | 2 | 1 |
| Steely Dan | 2 | 1 |
| M.I.A. | 2 | 1 |
| Queen | 3 | 1.67 |
| Coldplay | 2 | 1.5 |
| Everything But The Girl | 2 | 1.5 |
| Doves | 2 | 1.5 |
| Cocteau Twins | 2 | 1.5 |
| The Doors | 3 | 2 |
| Led Zeppelin | 3 | 2 |
| Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | 4 | 2.25 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Kanye West | 1, 5 |
| Brian Eno | 1, 5, 5 |
| Tim Buckley | 4, 1 |
| Eagles | 4, 1 |
| Elvis Costello | 5, 2 |
5-Star Albums (188)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
1/5
This one was a slog for me. I know so many people who absolutely love Nick Cave, and I trust their musical tastes, but I've never been able to get into him.
This is maudlin, overblown and just so overwrought that I can't help but dislike it. The lyrics are weaker than I expected, and the songs themselves all sound like something out of a Sweeney Todd-esque Broadway show. Not for me at all.
14 likes
The Fall
5/5
My second album by The Fall in two weeks, which has put me in a strange place where I am ranting at the coffee shop and leaving strange notes for my postman. I even tried to fire my wife from the band, but she didn't know what I was talking about.
6 likes
Fairport Convention
5/5
This album is utterly ridiculous, but I can't help but love it. Renaissance Faire tunes that sound like the soft parts of Zeppelin songs with some beautiful singing from Sandy Denny about...i don't know, elves and jousting or some shit in the forest?
Then it gets crazy and there are these metal-esque breakdowns but with the same instruments, which kind of broke my brain. Seriously, this shit gets really rocking in parts. Then back to elves and goblins or whatever.
Drugs are an amazing creative tool sometimes.
4 likes
Keith Jarrett
4/5
Do you like the music from Peanuts but want to seem more cultured? This is the ticket - and that is not an insult whatsoever.
4 likes
1-Star Albums (81)
All Ratings
Isaac Hayes
4/5
Not my favorite style of soul/funk, but Isaac's voice is on point and some of the guitar points had me grooving. Might warrant a few more listens on my part, as I have not previously given this album a chance.
Talking Heads
3/5
I love Talking Heads, but this might be one of the albums I listen to the least. I know it's the most acclaimed, the most inventive, etc. but it doesn't hit me the way Fear of Music does. Still, its Talking Heads, so I'd rather listen to this than most other music.
Johnny Cash
5/5
I love this album. For being recorded in a prison, there is so much pure joy contained in the sounds - from Johnny's singing and jokes between songs to the raucous laughter and cheers from the crowd, there are very few live documents that truly capture the power and energy of being there. Of course, the songs are all incredible, and that voice is on full display. Absolutely the album I would play for someone who says they 'don't like country music'.
Black Sabbath
4/5
I don't know if I have ever listened to this album before, and it is much better than I expected. I've never had anything against Black Sabbath, they've always just seemed a step too slow and sludgy for my tastes, but this album is great.
I can see why this is considered the 'cocaine' album. Urgent, exciting and driving, this is not what I thought I'd be listening to, and I was pleasantly surprised. Great stuff.
Beatles
5/5
Can I give this album a 5 while also acknowledging the fact that it is incredibly flawed? Yes, yes I can.
Let's be honest, there are some real garbage tracks on here, maybe more so than any other Beatles album, and a single LP probably would have fixed most of this (which is true for almost every double LP I can think of).
But it does have Martha, My Dear, Dear Prudence, Rocky Racoon, Blackbird, Julia, etc. which more than makes up for Honey Pie (fuckin' Honey Pie, am I right)?
The Cars
3/5
Let them brush your rock 'n roll hair....
Is it just me, or is this album not as good as I remembered? I found myself just wishing that Benjamin Orr sang all of the songs, and that the guitar was more prominent than the keyboards. Don't get me wrong, there are some classic songs on here, but it's not an essential for me.
Elton John
2/5
Mostly overblown and self-indulgent. All traces of the storytelling narratives in Tumbleweed Connection are gone, and noodly nonsense has taken its place.
Saturday's Alright For Fighting is pretty good, but otherwise this has the vast majority of my least favorite Elton John songs on it.
Happy Mondays
1/5
Trippy, Brit-hippie nonsense. I like some of the Martin Hannett-associated stuff, but this ain't one of them. Sounds like the Spin Doctors fucked Blind Melon and the offspring were raised on a diet of cheap ecstasy and dirt weed in Manchester.
Marvin Gaye
5/5
I first discovered a love for Marvin Gaye through the early Motown tracks - Grapevine, Can I Get a Witness, Ain't That Peculiar - the songs with that big beat. As I get older, I appreciate sweet, smooth Marvin Gaye 'with a message' more and more.
This album is so incredibly powerful, and such an amazing statement if you consider the state of 'socially conscious' music at the time of its release, and the introduction of the orchestra and the use of the jazz elements and improvisation still sounds fresh and new.
Absolutely essential.
Björk
2/5
Not for me. Surprisingly, I know a lot of people who love Bjork, and I've never understood it. It has elements of things that I like, but the finished product is not my thing whatsoever.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
1/5
Ew, no.
Sepultura
3/5
I started to listen to this at 8:30am. Now I don't need coffee.
First impressions: this is much better than I expected. Good, aggressive vocals, interesting percussion (is that the snare sound or a timpani?), and the guitar tone is impressive for this type of 90s metal (pre-Nu Metal?).
It's brutal, but also kind of accessible.
I'm pretty sure the last track is gun shots and someone intensively cleaning a cooking pot.
The Temptations
3/5
I love the Temptations, but this is nothing special.
Papa Was a Rolling Stone is a classic, but the rest of this album is a "What's Going On" also-ran. Not bad to listen to in the background, and the band is incredible, but the songs are phoned in and its all easy to ignore.
Hugh Masekela
2/5
Not really my thing. Kind of sounded like 70s variety show music.
Michael Kiwanuka
3/5
Okay. Kind of forgettable.
Various Artists
5/5
The greatest Christmas album of all time? It's possible.
Every song is a banger, the production is impeccable (obviously) and the voices are note perfect. Those drums, reverbed vocals, all of it. Nothing gets me into a Christmas mood more.
I'd listen to this in July, I love it that much.
Beastie Boys
4/5
Such a fun album. I love playing "identify the sample". Not an every day listen for me, but a great LP nonetheless.
Sonic Youth
5/5
I had this album cover's poster on my wall as a teenager. Way before I knew who Raymond Pettibon was and had gone backwards to discover earlier SST bands like Black Flag, Minutemen and Husker Du, Sonic Youth was my epitome of cool and this album was the most accessible of the bunch.
All these years later, it still holds up.
Yes
2/5
This sounds like walking into Guitar Center on a busy weekend.
GZA
4/5
I met GZA once on the street with my sister. He asked us who our favorite member of Wu Tang was, and I said him. My sister said "Method Man", to which he replied "Fuck outta here" and I missed my opportunity to hang out with GZA.
This album is great. One of the best Wu Tang solo albums.
Crowded House
3/5
This is good. A little generic at times, but I enjoyed it much more than I expected. Solid album.
Paul Simon
3/5
It's fine. There's some good tracks and some stinkers.
Al Green
5/5
A near perfect album. Got to love that Hi Records sound.
Madonna
2/5
I like poppier, more upbeat Madonna, and I remember Ray Of Light being ever present on MTV when it first came out. This is atmospheric and basic electronica - easy to use as background music at work. Meh.
The Bees
2/5
Not really into this at all.
Erykah Badu
3/5
This is good enough. Not a big fan of neo-soul, and she modulates her voice in an odd way that I am not a fan of. It's not bad, and very listenable, but I wouldn't choose to play this on my own.
Harry Nilsson
5/5
Perfect album of quirky genius.
Thirty-five minutes of eccentric pop mastery. I really love this album more than words can describe. Nilsson should be spoken of in the same breath as Brian Wilson, Lennon/McCartney and Smokey Robinson for sheer songwriting power and pure fun.
The Pogues
5/5
I once went to a bar deep in Astoria, Queens, because I was told Shane MacGowan often played there after Pogues shows in New York City. My friends and I proceeded to get blackout drunk, singing along to whatever songs they played at the bar waiting for Shane to arrive. I honestly cannot say whether he showed up or not, but the parts of what I remember, still rank as one of the greatest nights of my life.
This album reminds me of that night, and all the other amazing experiences I've had while listening to the Pogues. And absolutely essential band with an energy that you rarely see outside of punk rock dive into this album, as well as Red Roses for Me and Rum, Sodomy and the Lash, and discover your new favorite band.
Fiona Apple
3/5
This is good. Again, another album that I don't think I would choose to listen to, but it was thoroughly enjoyable. Fiona has a great voice - throaty and bluesy, and while the production was not my favorite (very appropriate for the time it was released), the songs are strong and catchy.
Beatles
4/5
It's the Beatles. This album is great, but less great than other Beatles albums. A second-tier Beatles album. Still better than most albums, but not a five star.
Minutemen
4/5
I've always liked the Minutemen, but I've never loved them. This album would be a great single LP, but the sheer length along with some filler loses it a star for me. I do wish D Boon had done a campfire folk album before he died though. The acoustic tracks on this are killer.
Pantera
1/5
Fuck this neo-nazi adjacent shit. Everyone who likes this album is an asshole.
The xx
2/5
beep boop bop boring.
Radiohead
1/5
Not my thing at all.
Koffi Olomide
4/5
I really enjoyed this. Fun and catchy.
Otis Redding
5/5
Another essential. There are other Otis records that I love more, but this record is still absolutely incredible. A must-listen.
Sigur Rós
4/5
I worked at a record store when this album came out. When it would come on during the day, we'd joke it was 'nap time'. That being said, it's a great background album, but I don't mean that as an insult. I know the band made up a language for this, and it makes the vocals another instrument and part of the soundscape. Upon close listening it's droney, symphonic and catchy in all the ways I want music like this to sound. I like this so much more than Radiohead I can't even begin to tell you. Take my 4 stars, you weird Icelanders, you've earned it.
The Who
4/5
I learned how to scream by listening to this album. Not for a band or anything, just for fun.
D'Angelo
4/5
Baby-making music. When I worked at a record store in my teens/twenties there was a very large lady working in the receiving department who listened exclusively to D'Angelo on her portable boombox. So I know this album well. It served her well, and I enjoyed it as well.
George Michael
3/5
Another album that I had low expectations but found myself really enjoying. I forgot how good a song 'Faith' is, and the album keeps going from there. Lots of songs I recognized from the radio at the time this came out. I'm not rushing out to buy this, but I wouldn't complain if someone put it on.
Pixies
5/5
I have loved this album since I traded a Temple of the Dog cassette for a copy of this with my friend George, who bought it because he heard Kurt Cobain considered them an influence but he hated it. His loss, this album rules.
X-Ray Spex
5/5
One of the greatest punk rock albums of all time. The out of tune sax, Poly's incredible vocals, the songwriting - it's perfect. Absolutely perfect.
The Band
4/5
I love the Band, and this album has some of my favorite songs of theirs. It also has some of my least favorite. I think that they found their footing on later albums, but this one, as great as it is, misses the 5 star rating from me if only due to the inconsistency of the track list.
Norah Jones
3/5
This is good. Not really my taste, but I appreciate it.
Miriam Makeba
5/5
This is absolutely exceptional. My first five star that I had never heard beforehand. What an amazing voice. Jesus.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
1/5
This one was a slog for me. I know so many people who absolutely love Nick Cave, and I trust their musical tastes, but I've never been able to get into him.
This is maudlin, overblown and just so overwrought that I can't help but dislike it. The lyrics are weaker than I expected, and the songs themselves all sound like something out of a Sweeney Todd-esque Broadway show. Not for me at all.
Lenny Kravitz
2/5
Let me make this clear - I don't think this is a good album. It's a clusterfuck of different styles of 60s and 70s cliches, with no more than a song or two leaving any lasting impression.
What is impressive though, is that this album was released on a major label in 1989 - the height of hair metal. Helping to launch Lenny Kravitz into pop-culture stardom at a time when music like this was impossibly uncool. Respect for that earns it a star from me.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
There are so few artists in the history of popular music that can instantly immerse you in their world as soon as you drop the needle, and Stevie Wonder had that ability at his peak. Although I prefer a bit more grit with my Wonder, it's undeniable that this album tells a story like few others. Living For The City and Higher Ground are immortal, and the album as a whole has a cohesive narrative that certainly makes a lot more sense than most "concept" albums. Wonder's orchestration, songcraft and mastery of melody and harmony are unsurpassed. Definitely an essential album.
Circle Jerks
5/5
Some overserious pencil dick tried to disparage this album in their review by calling it "music made by teenagers" or something like that. Fuck you, dude, not everything needs to sound like Yes to be important.
This is the perfect album to put on when you want to break stuff. In fact, I always have at least three copies of Group Sex at all times just in case one gets broken in the course of listening. Essential.
The Doors
3/5
I decided to give this a listen with open ears, in spite of my preconceived notions of the Doors, and Morrison in particular.
It starts all right, Break on Through is a decent enough track with fun keyboards. Soul Kitchen is fun (I prefer the X cover), but by the time we got to Crystal Ship I was starting to remember what I don't like about this band.
The lyrics are abysmal. Anyone who considers Jim Morrison a poet probably isn't really listening. Stupid, amateurish and forced, the lyrics really take me out of it.
The music is fine. It doesn't drive me wild, but it's not offensive in anyway. A little noodly at times, but that's a given for the beginning of the psychedelic era. I just don't find a lot on this LP that gets me excited. I don't hate it like I've said for years, but I don't think it's ever going to be in my regular listening rotation.
R.E.M.
3/5
This album has some great songs, and some real filler. I like REM, and this has hints of their later greatness, but it's never been my favorite of theirs.
Elvis Presley
3/5
Sounds like Elvis.
Echo And The Bunnymen
2/5
Zzzzzzzzzzzz. It's fine.
The Pretty Things
4/5
I've always really enjoyed the early Pretty Things singles like Midnight to Six, they have a rawness and soul that even the early Stones records don't have. But SF Sorrow has always sounded too kitschy and faux mind-bending for my tastes.
In listening again it's better than I remember, and still has lots of ummph to it for a "psychedelic" record. It's not top-tier for me, but it was a very enjoyable listen. I'll definitely give this some more spins in the future.
Elton John
4/5
I don't know exactly when Elton John started to suck, but this album is still mostly awesome. It's no Tumbleweed Connection, but the opening 1-2 of Tiny Dancer and Levon is incredible. What a great album.
Fleet Foxes
4/5
Pleasantly surprised by this album. Pretty, mellow indie rock with catchy melodies.
Sebadoh
3/5
I like Sebadoh, but I've never really found an album that I felt was listenable the whole way through. Sebadoh III might be the closest, but this album suffers from the same problems - mostly three songwriters with vastly different visions that makes for a disjointed album. There are some very good songs on here, as well as some unlistenable tone experiments. It's a good album overall, but I definitely skipped some tracks.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
A beautiful voice, great lyrics, some truly timeless songs - why don't I like this more?
Neil Young
3/5
It's Neil Young. Never loved him, but don't hate this.
Laura Nyro
1/5
Nope. Hate it.
The Stooges
5/5
There's nothing to be said about this album that hasn't already been said better. From the opening riff a damn near perfect album, weird Bowie production and all.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
The older that I get, the more convinced I become that CCR is the greatest rock 'n roll band of all time. This album plays like a greatest hits and never lets up. Fucking mint.
Steely Dan
1/5
This shit sounds like the MASH theme song played at a dentist's office. Pure garbage.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
One of the greatest voices I've ever heard. There are better Aretha albums (Aretha Now, for one), but Lady Soul flows so well and is a great "clean your house" album. You WILL sing into a broom.
David Bowie
5/5
My second favorite Bowie album released in 1977, but still an indispensable classic, if only for the title track alone. The rest of the album is filled with krautrock odes, traditional Japanese music and other things that have no place in a mainstream rock album, but cocaine is a hell of a drug.
Pentangle
1/5
This sounds like the soundtrack to a nightmare about a Renaissance Festival. Truly awful.
Elbow
2/5
I fell asleep halfway through. Which was embarrassing because I was at the gym.
Lambchop
3/5
I've tried so many times to get into Lambchop. It's not bad, I actually like the music here a lot, but his voice takes me out of it. Not for me.
The Stone Roses
4/5
What a gem! I guess I never really gave this album a listen (but I thought I did)? The songs are jangly, catchy little masterpieces and it's infectious like my favorite power-pop. I'm sorry that I slept on this for so long!
Ute Lemper
2/5
Couldn't get into this at all. Is the show tunes?
Prince
4/5
Yes.
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
I loved this album as a teenager, and many of the songs still hold up, but there is also a good deal of filler on this. Not as cohesive of any album as I remember.
Motörhead
5/5
Possibly the best album to choose to decide if you love Motörhead. I already knew the answer to this question, and already knew where I stood on this album. I just wish my speakers were 20x as loud.
King Crimson
1/5
Was that just chimes for four minutes up front? It sets the stage for an anti-climactic, self-indulgent mess of cockery and noodling. Not at all something I need in my life.
Todd Rundgren
3/5
I didn't hate this. Sounded kind of like a mix between Roxy Music and Elton John. I guess I know what Todd Rundgren sounds like now.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
I should like Zeppelin on paper. I like British blues rock. I like guitar solos. I like monster drums. And I have to say I like this more than any Zeppelin listening experience I can remember, but it's still not something I'd choose to listen to personally. Maybe it's Robert Plant's vocals.
Yeah, it's probably the vocals.
Dion
3/5
I gave this a chance and I has high expectations. I like Dion's early doo wop period and his later singer-songwriter folky stuff is great too, but I couldn't get into this. Not bad, but not for me.
Janis Joplin
5/5
The perfect culmination of her career. It combines some bluesy caterwauling with a lot more polish. My only complaint is that it isn't longer, which makes sense given the timing on its recording and her death.
The Doors
2/5
Half paying attention this album isn't offensively bad, but when I listened again without distractions I could barely make it through. It was awful bar-band blues rock noodling with high school poetry.
Drive-By Truckers
3/5
This is good, not great. There's a lot of filler and some element of "boogie" that rubs me the wrong way in a way that the later Isbell and post-Isbell stuff doesn't. Not bad by any stretch, but not an album I'd reach for regularly.
David Crosby
4/5
This album was great. A wonderful mix of his early Byrds-era songwriting with what came afterwards. I really enjoyed this.
Jane Weaver
3/5
Totally fine, but not my thing.
Nina Simone
3/5
I love Nina Simone's voice and her bluesier arrangements. There is some of this on here, but a lot of jazz-influence and other elements that I don't gravitate towards as much with her music. This is very good, but not as consistent as I would like.
Tom Waits
4/5
The later "weirdo" period Tom Waits songs always sound to me like they should be performed by an old man dressed like a sea captain at some off-off-Broadway interpretive performance of Bukowski works. That's not a bad thing. Like other artists (like Beefheart) I have to be in the mood to listen to it, and Tom Waits is still one of the coolest guys to ever walk the earth, but it's great music.
The Darkness
4/5
This album is catchy and fun. Is it cheesy? Of course. Is it meant to be profound? Definitely not. Just throw it on and enjoy it.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
I'm not usually a fan of overt guitar heroics, but Jimi Hendrix is a major exception. The songwriting is great and I love his voice (even if he didn't love it himself).
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
One of the greatest hip hop albums of all time. The samples are killer and the rapping is excellent.
Bon Jovi
1/5
This is garbage.
Magazine
5/5
A post-punk masterpiece. As much as I treasure every post-Devoto Buzzcocks single and LP, what he brought to the group before leaving to form Magazine is truly special. This still has plenty of hooks, but with an angular guitar-led approach that makes it a completely unique album for its time. Essential.
Coldplay
1/5
Is there anything worse than soulless garbage like this in music?
The Youngbloods
4/5
Really liked this one, and it hadn't been on my radar before. Soft / hippie rock vibes with a little country thrown in. I'm looking forward to giving this a second listen when I have time.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
Incredible album from one of the pioneers of hip hop.
The Zombies
5/5
Orchestral, baroque pop perfection. So beautifully constructed and performed, and Colin Blunstone's voice might be one of my favorites to come out of the 60s and the British Invasion.
I first heard these guys as a young punk kid, expecting the name to align with some scuzzy pre-punk noise. It obviously didn't, but the Zombies have since become among my most treasured artists, and this album is definitely their pinnacle.
Ice Cube
4/5
Great album, great samples. Who doesn't love this album? Assholes, that's who.
Dennis Wilson
3/5
Not bad. Some good songs here, along with some soft-rock schmaltz. Overall, I'm glad I took a listen.
PJ Harvey
3/5
This rocks more than I thought it would. I actually like Harvey's voice a lot as well. I may have to dive deeper into this.
Joy Division
5/5
Haunting, urgent and totally unique. One of the best punk/post-punk debuts ever.
Jimmy Smith
4/5
I don't know what happens at the chicken shack on a normal day, but with Jimmy Smith it's smooth and a little funky. Great music to relax go on a Sunday morning.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
2/5
Eh.
Iron Maiden
4/5
It's Maiden. This album is great. Would I listen to it every day as a middle-aged man? Fuck it, sure. Let's go.
Aimee Mann
3/5
Duran Duran
3/5
Duran Duran is where new wave really started to separate itself from punk in my opinion. Some good post-punk elements on this, but the whole image of the band and the focus on fashion, etc. really puts me off. For songs only, however, it's a strong album.
Van Morrison
4/5
A great live document of Van Morrison's skill as a performer and the soulfulness of his voice.
Public Enemy
5/5
The greatest rap album of all time. Absolutely perfect.
Bee Gees
4/5
Early Bee Gees are the best Bee Gees.
The Streets
2/5
This is fairly awful, although some of the lyrics are amusing.
Kanye West
1/5
I hope he gets the help he needs.
Marvin Gaye
5/5
One of the best spite albums of all time. From heartbreaking to humorous at times, this is the work of a genius sending a giant 'fuck you' to his label and ex-partner in the most creative way possible.
David Bowie
4/5
One of my favorites from Bowie. A little croonier than Low, but some great tracks on this.
Billy Bragg
4/5
Beautiful and thought-provoking. It'll always amaze me that Billy Bragg never became a household name.
Rush
3/5
Surprisingly better than I expected. I still hate Tom Sawyer, but that is classic rock radio's fault more than Rush's.
The Avalanches
1/5
I don't know what this type of music is called, but I hate it.
Paul McCartney and Wings
3/5
Schmaltzy pop with some good tracks. I've always wanted Wings to be better than they were.
Cream
3/5
It's very conflicting to hate Clapton as much as I do, yet really enjoy this album. Tales of Brave Ulysses kicks ass.
Nico
4/5
I acknowledge that her voice is an acquired taste. I acknowledge that most of the genius is in the instrumentation and songwriting. I also acknowledge that "These Days" is one of the greatest songs ever written.
David Bowie
5/5
My favorite Bowie album. Strange, cold and obviously influenced by krautrock, Eno and copious amounts of illegal substances, it is the pinnacle for me of this period of Bowie's career. Put it on at a party and watch the chaos ensue.
Funkadelic
5/5
I actually just discovered this album recently after writing off Funkadelic as the inferior group to Parliament for all these years. Holy shit, what an album. Worth it alone for Eddie Hazel's guitar playing, especially on the opening track. This might be my favorite "psychedelic" album of all time.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
My least favorite of the three Experience LPs, but still essential. Great stuff.
Talk Talk
2/5
This is like Peter Gabriel, but more boring.
The Last Shadow Puppets
2/5
Eh. Basic psych pop.
Fatboy Slim
2/5
Not really for me.
Jerry Lee Lewis
5/5
Speed + JLL = heaven
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
This is much better than the last Nick Cave record that came up. I actually like this a lot. Rocking, catchy and the vocals are a little theatric but they fit the so gs well. Very into this.
Baaba Maal
3/5
Catchy moments, and interesting instrumentation.
Sly & The Family Stone
5/5
One of the greatest albums of all time. Put it on for an instant party.
Ravi Shankar
2/5
I usually like droney music, but this is too much for me.
Dinosaur Jr.
4/5
Good stuff.
Led Zeppelin
1/5
Shit blues-ripoffs with horrible caterwauling and moments of boogie rock. Hate it.
The Chemical Brothers
2/5
Not altogether awful for what it is, but I don't really want to listen to it.
Björk
1/5
Baby babble nonsense.
Fugees
4/5
I can't help but like this album. It's well-crafted, catchy and fun. You already know all of these songs but in the context of the album they are that much more compelling.
Taylor Swift
4/5
Probably the TSwift album I align with the most. The New York song is annoying. The Style guitar line sounds like the opening riff from Eminence Front by The Who. Shake It Off is great (except for that weird rap break).
Overall this album is great.
Sister Sledge
4/5
Good, low-key disco-ish funk. Good stuff.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
1/5
This is awful.
Queen
1/5
I really hate Queen.
Eminem
4/5
Stupid fun with good rhymes and some content that has not aged well at all. Still worth listening with an understanding of the moment in time when this was created.
Ali Farka Touré
3/5
This was okay. It had elements of what sounded like delta blues, which was very cool, but overall it didn't keep my attention.
Queen
2/5
I actually hated this a lot less than A Night At The Opera.
Beatles
5/5
This album has my favorite Beatles song of all time on it (For No One), but might be my second favorite album if theirs next to Rubber Soul. Still essential and a great listen ever for the zillionth time.
Aphex Twin
3/5
This is pretty good. I enjoyed this much more than I expected / remembered.
Depeche Mode
4/5
Heck yeah! I could listen to this all day. Love me some Depeche Mode, even if I still no zero words after all this time I still sing along to the synth lines every time.
Bob Dylan
5/5
I first listened to this album when I was working at a record store in college and it blew my mind. From that first guitar chord it had me hooked and I loved Dylan's seemingly effortless rhymes and the energy of the songs. Over the last 25 years I've listened to this album countless times and it never grows old.
LL Cool J
3/5
There's a lot to like on this album. The beats are good, sample choices are a plus and you already know some of the songs. I guess that leaves LL himself. There's something a little too "teen heartthrob" about him that kept me from loving this. It's okay, and great at moments. Worth a listen.
Beth Orton
2/5
Eh. It was fine.
Sugar
5/5
Heck yeah! Other than Hoover Dam this album is nearly perfect. Hooks galore, loud guitars and that Bob Mould voice. If I Can't Change Your Mind was on so many of my mixtapes back in the day.
Carole King
3/5
Just because all of these songs have gotten stuck in my head at one point doesn't mean I like this album.
Manic Street Preachers
2/5
Not into this at all. This guys voice sucks, the songs are weak. Nope.
Jamiroquai
3/5
Better than I expected, but less silly hats and treadmills.
Santana
2/5
All of these songs, and not one of them is the hit single "Smooth" featuring Rob Thomas? Hard pass.
Lou Reed
4/5
Vicious? Maybe, but there's a lot of soft shoeing and camp too. This album didn't make sense to me for many years, but I get it now, and it's excellent.
Janet Jackson
4/5
No shame, this is great.
The Teardrop Explodes
2/5
God, this is boring.
Queen
2/5
Julian Cope
3/5
I found parts of this that I liked, but overall, I don't know if I quite got it. Still, I'm going to file this for some thing to listen to again in the future, as it was definitely some thing that caught my attention.
MC Solaar
3/5
Better than I expected for French hip-hop.
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
There's something about S&G that I can't stand. But every 15th song or so hits me in the right way. This album isn't terrible, but I still hate most of it.
Tom Waits
3/5
I love early Waits (the drunken piano ballads era) the best, but sometimes the later stuff works for me. Other times it sounds like an ogre screaming as someone throws silverware on the floor. The stuff that sounds like Beefheart is the best, and there's some of that on here so I'm okay with this album.
Tom Waits
4/5
Two days of Tom Waits? After this I think I'm going on a four-day bender and waking up next to my new exotic dancer bride in a cheap Tijuana motel with no money and someone else's boots.
Richard Thompson
4/5
Excellent album that I had not listened to before. Richard's singing in particular was a highlight for me.
Rush
4/5
Much better than I thought it would be. Even the vocals were pretty okay.
Fuck, do I kind of like Rush??
Kraftwerk
5/5
This might be my favorite Kraftwerk album. It's certainly the darkest and most dystopian. Unfortunately, I can only play this when my wife isn't home since she calls it that "beep boop bullshit".
Well you married a guy who loves this beep boop bullshit, okay? Who's worse?
Tortoise
4/5
I put this on and immediately hated it, thinking it sounded like a bad YouTube ASMR video. Also, I remembered when SPIN Magazine or someone tried to make them the "next Nirvana" in the 90s, as if instrumental math-rock was going to blow up and blast from every high schoolers' car stereo in America.
Then I left it on and forgot about it, only to find myself making guttural noises along with the instrumental sounds and tapping my steering wheel along with the drum beats. Okay, part of this is catchy.
By the end I was totally invested. It may not have blasted from this high schooler's car stereo in the mid-90s, but it was playing at a reasonable volume in my sensible truck almost 30 years later, and I was enjoying it.
Sam Cooke
5/5
The single greatest live album of all time. From the introduction, the way that it builds, the way that Sam whips the crowd into a frenzy, the release on Somebody Have Mercy and the sheer peak of Bring It On Home To Me, followed by the slow cool down that ends with the celebration that is Having A Party.
In the words of Mr. Cooke himself, "I just can't quit you". His voice is raspy perfection, the best a soul singer has ever sounded on tape - a little raspy, tired, pleading, a little cocky and hopeful that it will all work out in the end. The band is loose but tight in all the right places. The crowd is vocal and you can hear their sweaty love for it all through the tape and 60 years of time.
A masterpiece.
Barry Adamson
3/5
This was a surprising one. I can't say I didn't enjoy parts of it, but I don't think I fully get it.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
The best white guy blues record ever made. Fight me.
Louis Prima
2/5
Yeah, can't get into this at all. So much scatting.
Linkin Park
1/5
I hate when I look forward to my album of the day and I get a total shitburger like this.
Saint Etienne
2/5
Not my thing at all.
Eric Clapton
1/5
Talentless, racist clown.
I agree with Angus Young that the only good thing he did was the Bluesbreakers album.
Fats Domino
4/5
It's Fats Domino, how could you not love this?
Air
3/5
Good mood music with some catchy tracks. Not hating this at all.
The Notorious B.I.G.
4/5
Yes! This album reminds me of high school. Still love it.
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
Quirky but not all that fun. The second half is better.
Joan Armatrading
4/5
Great voice and great songs. I enjoyed this a lot.
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
The best concept album about being an 80s fuckboy in London I've ever heard.
Michael Jackson
2/5
I kind of hate this album. It sounds empty and cheap in all of the worst ways.
The War On Drugs
2/5
This sounds like the Eagles if they were even more boring.
Teenage Fanclub
5/5
Scottish pop perfection with a dose of grungy distortion. Teenage Fanclub are hard to beat and this may be my favorite album of theirs.
Bob Dylan
4/5
Great album and great representation of the later-period Dylan sound. A bit repetitive at times, and something that deserves a deeper listening, but overall a pleasure of an LP.
Frank Black
3/5
I always found Frank Black solo stuff to be like a more boring Pixies. This album is the best of the bunch, but still kinda boring.
Nirvana
5/5
The only band that understood the assignment when it came to Unplugged. As essential as any of their studio albums.
Neil Young
3/5
It's fine. I really wish I loved this, but it's just kind of whiney and boring.
Ali Farka Touré
4/5
Really liking this. I get why they called him the African John Lee Hooker. Smoother, but just as hypnotic.
Leonard Cohen
5/5
Such a beautiful album, and one of the few artists whose lyrics can actually be considered poetry.
2/5
Pompous, fantasy van music. The funny part is, I don't think nights flying dragon or aliens, floating through space would want to listen to the garbage. When it comes to Yes, I say no thanks.
The Kinks
4/5
The beginning of the weird era for the Kinks. I love this run of albums, up to Muswell Hillbillies. Some great tracks on this one.
R.E.M.
4/5
Nightswimming might be the best REM song, and the rest of this album is killer, albeit equally depressing. Not a bad thing, but you have to be in the mood for it for sure.
Beatles
5/5
It's Abbey Road. Oh Darling fucks harder than your mom on a first date.
Hanoi Rocks
2/5
Every song sounds like a Frankensteined collection of other riffs. Which isn't to say it isn't enjoyable at times, but it's not exactly memorable or all that good.
Songhoy Blues
4/5
This rules. African blues with a hypnotic edge. Reminds me a lot of hill country Mississippi style blues.
5/5
Victoria is the greatest Kinks song of all time. I don't know how much I consider this a "concept" record, but I definitely love it. Essential mid-period Kinks.
Simple Minds
2/5
Couldn't get into this at all. Atmospheric and moody (even more so than many other 80s pop records) that just didn't draw me in.
Robbie Williams
4/5
This is actually great. Catchy, clever lyrics and much more well produced than I thought it would be. Shit, do I like this?
Billy Bragg
5/5
This album is so fucking great. The concept was excellent, and the execution is flawless. I actually slightly prefer the second volume, but I'd listen to this any day.
Dusty Springfield
3/5
I appreciate this album but I have never fully fallen in love with it. Son of a Preacher Man is a classic but the rest of the album just has a little too much pop schmaltz for my liking. Dusty's voice is stellar, I just wish these songs had more grit to them.
The Gun Club
3/5
This album is so close to being brilliant. I have lots of love for the Gun Club but there is something that has always bugged me about them that doesn't bother me in bands like the Cramps. I think it's the vocals, the more I listen to this album is particular. Still worth a listen, but not an all-time favorite for me.
The Hives
3/5
I wish there was a 3.5 star option. This album is great, and a lot of fun, but it just keeps going at the same speed the whole time. Which is totally punk rock, but I need a little variety in my old age.
Van Halen
2/5
This is a fun album, as in, I can imagine the band having fun making it and drunken teens having fun listening to it. It is also an "important" album in the evolution of popular music - so says the critics. Is it a good album though? Is it?
Johnny Cash
4/5
Johnny at his most badass. The edgier counterpart to Folsom, the songs aren't as iconic, but he still has the audience in the palm of his hand. An excellent performance from a master.
John Coltrane
5/5
I have a hard time with a lot of jazz albums, but this one just owns it from start to finish. Everything about this album is excellent - from the rhythms to the sound of the recording and of course the songs themselves. I understand why this is a classic.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
2/5
Am I in a bad mood or does this kinda suck?
David Bowie
5/5
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!
Fuck yes. This album will brighten any day, and if you don't appreciate Bowie I don't want to know you.
Beach House
2/5
This is fine. It's just so basic. Nothing outstanding or distinctive in my opinion.
Hawkwind
3/5
This sounds like Lemmy playing bass for a prog rock band. Which is exactly what this is. Parts of it rule (especially the bass) but some of it sucks.
Metallica
5/5
I have probably heard songs from this album thousands of times. Blasting from shitty car stereos, sports stadiums and boomboxes. You have too. We all know these songs.
Either you like them or you don't. I'm on the side of liking them. I like their earlier, thrasher stuff better, but this still mostly kicks ass. It's hard to imagine this album NOT existing, so maybe that does mean it's essential?
Mylo
1/5
Nope. I really hated everything about this album.
The Cardigans
3/5
This sounds like "Happy Birthday" Marilyn Monroe fronting a made for TV ABBA with a little 90s alternative angst thrown in for good measure. Which means I don't necessarily HATE it, but I don't need to listen to it again.
Bebel Gilberto
3/5
Great voice, boring songs.
Metallica
5/5
I crashed my car and ran home on pure adrenalin after putting this on. Fuck you, mom and dad!
The Byrds
5/5
The beginning of folk rock and an absolutely wonderful album. That 12 string guitar (especially that riff on Tambourine Man) creates some of the most iconic guitar sounds to come out of the sixties, and the harmonies are incredible. Gene Clark does not get enough credit for his pop genius along with Crosby and McGuinn, and I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better is a near perfect song.
The Icarus Line
2/5
I thought I'd like this more considering their obvious influences, but I found it boring and uninspired.
OutKast
4/5
So fun and odd. I love OutKast for their ability to add so much joy to their music, while adding a good deal of funk and groove to every track. I could listen to this all day.
Stephen Stills
3/5
Today I learned that the lyric isn't "and there's a road with a piss stained glove" so this album just lost at least a star.
Paul Simon
4/5
The most enjoyable Paul Simon album besides Graceland. Fun and not as boring as some of his other stuff.
Beatles
5/5
My second favorite Beatles album. You Won't See Me is perfect, as is I'm Looking Through You and that deep breath in Girl. What a great album.
Beck
4/5
A great, funky album from everyone's favorite Loser. In my opinion, this one falls into the winner camp.
The Incredible String Band
4/5
I almost turned this off about 30 seconds in and declared it total garbage, but I'm glad that I didn't. It is totally ridiculous, and may still be garbage, but I'm now enjoying it immensely with the same part of my brain that loves the Shaggs and certain Daniel Johnston songs. The musicianship is better than both, but the songs are totally stupid and amazing.
Finley Quaye
2/5
This is okay. Nothing struck me as especially distinctive or unique. Electronica-flavored reggae that very much dates itself.
1/5
Overdramatic nonsense. I tried, I really did. I put this on with an open mind and listened to the whole thing. Terrible. Why do people like this band?
Adele
2/5
She has a wonderful voice. This album is hella boring.
Björk
1/5
Another Bjork album. Still awful.
Radiohead
2/5
Meandering and self-indulgent. I hated this slightly less than other Radiohead albums post OK Computer, but I would still never willingly listen to this for fun.
Massive Attack
2/5
This is fine for 90s electronica, which might be my least favorite genre.
The Cramps
5/5
A total classic of pent up sexual frustration and swampy punk rockabilly. An absolute essential release, and one of my favorite albums of all time.
Pet Shop Boys
4/5
I have to admit that this is very catchy. Not something I'm usually into, but I admire the songwriting and approach.
The Isley Brothers
4/5
Do you like filthy funk jams that seem like they will never end? Me too. Four stars.
Grant Lee Buffalo
1/5
This shit is so plodding and boring. Every song is so fucking slow and whiny. Awful.
Rocket From The Crypt
4/5
Great album. I don't love the production but the songs are top notch punk rock n roll. Definitely worth a listen.
Def Leppard
3/5
This album is fine. You know the hits and the rest is filler.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Blowin' in the Wind might be the weakest song on this album, and that song is so iconic that I learned it in 3rd grade.
The Clash
5/5
The album that opened my eyes to what else punk rock could be beyond fast and loud. So much to live on this album from elements of reggae, jazz, blues, rockabilly and early rock 'n roll that have nothing back in terms of ferocity from their earlier albums. They would never hit this mix as flawlessly again.
Fishbone
4/5
What I always wished Bad Brains had started sounding more like rather than going the metal route. This album is fun, thought-provoking and catchy as hell. The Chili Peppers wish they sounded like this!
Neil Young
3/5
The songs are great, but I still wish someone was singing them other than Neil Young.
The 13th Floor Elevators
5/5
My favorite album featuring an electric jug. Essential psych rock from the Evil One himself, Roky Erickson. What a great scream and songs you'll find yourself humming for days.
The Who
5/5
My favorite album by the Who. I love everything about it - one foot in pop and another in this pseudo-psychedelic oddness that includes commercials, odd jingles, etc. along with pop masterpieces like "I Can See For Miles" and "Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand".
I'll take this over Who's Next any day.
Astor Piazzolla
4/5
Beautiful. Really enjoyed it. Is that a xylophone?
Radiohead
2/5
I can't. Not for me in the least.
Nas
5/5
One of the best hip hop albums of all time.
White Denim
2/5
Hey ma! Someone got shitty prog rock and jazz chords in my garage rock.
Keith Jarrett
4/5
Do you like the music from Peanuts but want to seem more cultured? This is the ticket - and that is not an insult whatsoever.
Coldplay
2/5
I didn't hate this album the first 10,000 times that I heard it. But, unfortunately I worked at a record store when this came out, and we had the label reps calling daily to offer us prizes if we played it daily on the in-store system. This is where this album became my nemesis.
LCD Soundsystem
3/5
LCD Soundsystem is the Wilco of electronic music. Meaning everyone has that uncle that's way too into them.
Tim Buckley
4/5
Beautiful, but totally fucking depressing. This makes Elliott Smith sound like the Spice Girls.
Pearl Jam
5/5
I'm a 43 year old man, of course I love this album. Nirvana was always my favorite, but Pearl Jam was excellent as well, and this album combines the best of their songwriting with a love of 70s rock, sludge and a tiny bit of punk rock (surprisingly, they got punkier later). An essential album.
David Holmes
2/5
Weird sound bites and electronic soundscapes. Who listens to this shit?
Kanye West
5/5
I hate that this album is so great. I will separate the art from the artist and remember how I felt when this album came out. It was such a revelation and the songs were such a breath of fresh air. So sad what this guy became.
Michael Jackson
3/5
This might be my favorite MJ album, but it also makes me realize that maybe I don't like Michael Jackson solo all that much. Thriller is a great song, but I love the video more than the music. Everything else on here is either things I've heard a zillion times (which is no fault of this album) or just kind of 'eh'.
Screaming Trees
4/5
This album is GREAT! I never listened to Screaming Trees as I always lumped them into that grunge also-ran category of downtuned grumblings, which I am not a fan of most of, but this album is tuneful, even poppy at times. Catchy and very fun to listen to. I'm a fan.
Guided By Voices
4/5
Strange, lo-fi pop blasts. 28 songs (and song fragments) in 41 glorious minutes. Dive the fuck in.
The Who
2/5
The Who at their most pretentious and self indulgent. There are some decent songs on here, but I never actively choose to listen to this, and relistening to it now confirms I am correct in this decision.
Dusty Springfield
3/5
I don't dislike Dusty Springfield, and the songs are great, but sometimes she sounds like my grandmother singing the songs of her youth. This is a good example of this.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
5/5
An incredible introduction to old time, country and bluegrass music. This is a gateway to the original recordings (which you should definitely check out if you like this) and the studio interactions between the musicians are priceless as well. Essential.
Jacques Brel
4/5
Fun theatrical French pop. Not my usual first choice but I liked this a lot.
Cat Stevens
4/5
Such beautiful songs. I'm not crying.
George Harrison
4/5
If this album was one disc it would be perfect, but as a two album set there is a good deal of filler. Still, filler from George Harrison is still better than most artists' best work. It's the only thing that stops me from giving this five stars though.
Eagles
4/5
This is one of those albums that I hate that I love. I attribute most of it to the influence of Bernie Leadon, who adds most of the country elements, but Glenn Fred's vocals are also exceptional on this album. I also give Jackson Browne credit for the pop perfection that is "Take It Easy". Otherwise, fuck the Eagles. Except for Joe Walsh, I like that guy.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
I don't even need to listen to this again (but I will), it's one of my favorite albums of all time. Love everything about it, even the mixing (love those low vocals in the mix for minimum Mick). Near perfect.
Boston
3/5
You've either heard one of the eight songs on the album a zillion times since childhood or you have never heard it because it is objectively terrible. Still, I can't help but have some nostalgic link to this steaming pile of music shit.
Hot Chip
1/5
Garbage vapid electro-indie pop. Who buys this shit?
Soft Machine
1/5
I get it. I like noise. But how do you separate good noise from bad noise? I don't know, but this is not good noise. It's like 70s sitcom music with feedback and prog leanings. I hate it.
Oasis
3/5
It's fine. Totally serviceable British pop music.
Morrissey
3/5
I saw Morrissey at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem once. At the entrance they were aggressively scanning each chubby middle-aged Otho from Beetlejuice lookalike for weapons when one security guard turned to the other and said "Hey man, why we gotta be doing all this with these bitches?"
Donald Fagen
1/5
There's a reason you see so many copies of this album for cheap at Goodwills, flea markets and less discerning used record stores - it's complete garbage.
Blur
4/5
A fun album, and on the top of my list of my favorite Brit-pop albums (admittedly not a long list). I wouldn't death stare someone who put this on at a party.
Jethro Tull
2/5
Pompous and clodding. Not for me at all. Maybe if I was getting dressed for a Ren Faire or something.
Great proto-butt rock from Rod Stewart and company. I love the Faces singles more than any single LP, but if I had to pick a favorite it would be this one. Great guitars and the songs are excellent all around.
Massive Attack
2/5
This is the type of shit playing way too loud at some boutique you get dragged into with like 3 things for sale.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
3/5
There are parts of this that are incredible, but it's all weighed down in this hippie-era slop of pretension and ego. Still, it's undeniable that there are some incredible songs on here.
Solomon Burke
5/5
I love the early Solomon Burke sides. His mix of deep soul, pop, blues and country is completely unique and this album is a perfect starting point for those looking to dive in.
The Afghan Whigs
3/5
Much better than I expected. Good screams and growls over odd music. Not bad.
Lightning Bolt
2/5
Saw these folks once live about 25 years ago. Put this on and realized I'm still good from that.
Eagles
1/5
The most offensive thing about this album is how fucking boring it is.
Jurassic 5
4/5
Not as perfect as the first album but still exceptionally accomplished and hella catchy.
The Sonics
5/5
This album is the blueprint for so much of what I love. Gerry's vocals alone were enough to influence teenage me to shred my own vocal cords trying to replicate that scream. Basic, primal angst and aggression in its most suburban teenage form. What a band.
The Velvet Underground
5/5
I can't say anything about this album that hasn't been said better before. Absolutely life changing for me and one of the greatest albums ever recorded.
Rahul Dev Burman
3/5
This album fucks.
Suede
2/5
In the UK they'd call this "bloody awful".
Willie Nelson
4/5
Not my favorite Willie album by a long shot but still a great representation of the man's talent.
David Bowie
5/5
Michael Jackson
3/5
Better produced than his earlier solo albums. There are some great songs on here, but maybe I just don't love MJ all that much.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
2/5
First song: oh, I like this.
Fifth song: this first song is really long and boring.
Miles Davis
4/5
I don't really love jazz, but this album is an exception. This is some classy shit from a pre-coked out Miles Davis.
Buena Vista Social Club
4/5
Great stuff. The musicianship is top notch, the songs are catchy and it kept my attention. Enjoyed this one a lot.
Travis
1/5
This album is all of the worst parts of Brit-pop combined. Awful.
The Thrills
1/5
Wash your hair and stop with all the whining already.
Marvin Gaye
5/5
Second only to "What's Going On" as Marvin Gaye's 70s masterpiece. Essential.
Jack White
3/5
Better than I expected from a Jack White solo album. Still, a little too self-absorbed and unfocused for my tastes. Dude can write a great song, someone just needs to stop him before he covers it in bad ideas.
Sonic Youth
5/5
An essential album of my teenage (riot) years. It could stand to be a tiny bit shorter, but no other complaints. I love every atunal, feedback-ridden rock dork note of it.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Great album, and more than just reggae. Some great elements of rocksteady, soul, folk and even prog. It's hard to say Marley is underrated, but his albums as a cohesive listening experience might be.
David Gray
2/5
I listened to this. No thank you.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
4/5
Revolutionary in approach and songwriting. Some of this hasn't aged perfectly, and there is some schmaltz, but still an amazing achievement and lots of fun to listen to.
Giant Sand
1/5
I was in a great mood this morning. It took about 5 minutes of this shitbrick of an album to change that. I loathe this with the passion of 1,000 suns.
Elvis Costello
5/5
I love this album, from its punk energy to its country rock roots. Elvis's voice was fully formed from the start and the songs are all singalong bangers (even Alison, which is way overplayed on classic rock radio).
Gotan Project
3/5
Good background working music. No complaints, but nothing stood out.
Adele
3/5
This is fine.
Muddy Waters
5/5
Great late period Muddy Waters, with a killer backing band. Proof that he had it right up to the end.
Wire
5/5
One of my favorite albums of all time. Their rules of negative self-definition from 1977 that formed the basic framework of the band said it best: No solos; no decoration; when the words run out, it stops; we don't chorus out; no rocking out; keep it to the point; no Americanisms.
Snoop Dogg
4/5
I once saw Snoop live and he had people come out with money guns and shoot cash into the crowd.
The Verve
2/5
Nothing objectionably bad, but pretty basic 90s British rock to these ears.
Gary Numan
3/5
Surprisingly enjoyable. Like a half-speed Devo with more British influence. Got a little repetitive towards the end, but I liked it overall!
Booker T. & The MG's
5/5
Listening to this because I love it, not because I need to, since I have this album memorized. Always killer, zero filler and one of the best arguments for the power of southern soul music.
Deep Purple
2/5
This is so self-indulgent and wanky that I hate it so much that I almost come around to respecting it again. Almost.
a-ha
3/5
It's fine. The song you know is the best one, the rest is pretty standard synth pop.
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
3/5
This is fine. Basic coffeehouse folk.
Fiona Apple
3/5
Fiona Apple is the female Tom Waits. I say that in all of the good and bad ways you can think of.
Beatles
4/5
Great album, and wonderful representation of the early Beatles. Not as thought provoking, deep or Duffy as their later stuff, the pop hooks are still here in abundance.
Sheryl Crow
4/5
There are some absolutely great songs on this album - along with some filler. Overall it's definitely worth a listen, and was enjoyable all the way through, even the forgettable tracks.
Girls Against Boys
3/5
I wanted to like this so much. I love Soul Side, the band's previous incarnation with a different singer, and appreciated the punk meets post-hardcore sound that was unmistakably Dischord out of Washington DC. This album starts the same musically, but the vocals are growly and buried in the mix. The result sounds much more metallic and less tuneful. I just couldn't get into it.
Guns N' Roses
5/5
This album reminds me of fall weather, driving around with nowhere to go, blasting this at ear-splitting volume. Of course, this was almost 15 years after the album came out, but it was still in regular rotation, even among a bunch of college radio station punks. A truly great album, even if you hate the band, its members and everything else they even put out it is absolutely undeniable.
The Monks
5/5
So raw, primal and absolutely strange. I've loved this album since the first time I heard it and it has only continued to grow on me since.
4/5
I enjoyed this. Angsty, grungy rock with hooks and attitude. Surprised I never got into PJ Harvey when this came out.
The Adverts
5/5
One of the most nuanced and varied punk album from the initial British explosion. More tuneful than the Sex Pistols, as energetic as the Damned, as varied in their influences as the Clash. This album is a blast of fresh air from bored teenagers already looking past punk rock at what else is out there.
Their second LP is even better!
Black Sabbath
3/5
I'll admit that I've never fully understood the attraction and obsession some people have with Sabbath. I mean, this album is fine. Is it infinitely better than other music of the era? Not in my opinion. It's completely serviceable heavy rock, played a bit too slow for my taste.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
A bridge between his more exploratory early work and more commercial success in the early MTV era. Inconsistent but compelling.
The Flaming Lips
5/5
A perfect mix of psych, pop and everything that makes music fun and wistful.
Metallica
4/5
Metallica could do no wrong up to this album, which is still a classic, but loses a lot of the thrash edge and lets the self-indulgence creep in just a bit.
Meat Puppets
3/5
A very good album from a band I could never quite get into. The songs kind of blend together and it's all so lethargic and mumbly. Still, some gems in here, just not my go-to band or album.
The Kinks
5/5
Another favorite Kinks album from their pastorial period. Not a bad song on here.
Janelle Monáe
4/5
This is great. So many influences I can hear, from Lauryn Hill to Bowie to Ella Fitzgerald to more modern indie rock. Janelle's amazing voice is the constant. Really enjoyed this one.
Alice In Chains
2/5
My least favorite "grunge" band. What makes this not metal?
Gram Parsons
5/5
Heck yeah! GP and Emmylou's voices together is a thing of magic. Love these songs.
The Fall
4/5
Great album - strange and catchy and the vocals really stick in your head.
Genesis
3/5
I actually enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. Spacy prog rock with excellent vocals and compelling songs. Maybe I like Genesis?
American Music Club
3/5
This sounds like a precursor to alt country, but it's missing something that didn't allow me to get fully into it. Good songs.
DJ Shadow
2/5
Yawn.
Japan
2/5
This sounds like Duran Duran. I don't like Duran Duran.
The Undertones
5/5
This album is among the most perfect blends of punk rock's drive and aggression with pure pop instincts, all made by Northern Irish hobbits. Essential.
The Cure
5/5
Moody, atmospheric and super depressing. I love it.
Emmylou Harris
2/5
I love Emmylou, especially her work with Gram Parsons and her solo work immediately following, but this is not my favorite. It's boring and monotonous. And is that Dave Mathews? Fuck outta here with that shit.
The Dandy Warhols
3/5
I always meant to check out this album. I liked the single from this LP, and appreciated their appearances in the Brian Jonestown Massacre documentary. This was less poppy than I expected, and not as interesting as I had hoped. It's a bit dated by 2024 standards and not quite as "classic" as this list may have thought it would be.
Neil Young
4/5
I'm not a huge Neil Young fan by any stretch, but this album is fantastic. Good low-key, sinister sounding tracks along with some rootsier songs that don't have as much of a focus on his vocals. Maybe it's the Rusty Kershaw involvement, but I like this way more than I expected to.
The Human League
3/5
I listened to this all the way through and didn't hate it. The single "Don't You Want Me" might be the weakest song on the album. I appreciated the Ramones call out.
Dire Straits
2/5
The hits are the best part of this album. I grew up with these songs but don't necessarily love this album. It's a mishmash of styles and has an undercurrent of jaded old rockstar (especially in Money For Nothing) that has not aged well (along with the liberal use of f*ggot). Definitely a flawed effort.
The Pharcyde
5/5
I needed this today. Worth the price of admission for "Oh Shit" alone. Fun, highly-skilled hip-hop from when it was fun as hell.
k.d. lang
2/5
Wasn't my thing. My grandmother would've love this. In fact, she probably did. Need to check her cassettes...
Soundgarden
2/5
File under: yawn.
Cyndi Lauper
5/5
A blast of an album from start to finish. Brings back great childhood memories.
The Beta Band
4/5
I really enjoyed this album. Moody (but driving) indie pop. Why did I always think these guys were electronica?
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
The best hoots and hollers on any Springsteen record.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
3/5
Sounds like a game show band. That is not a bad thing.
The Pogues
5/5
A perfect album. If you don't think so then fuck you.
Pixies
3/5
My least favorite Pixies album, but still a banger.
Barry Adamson
2/5
Eh.
Beck
4/5
Might be my favorite Beck album. Great, confessional songs with enough catchy pop elements to keep it lively.
Jungle Brothers
2/5
Wanted to love this but it's boring as fuck.
Roni Size
1/5
This sounds like something Ali G would put out.
Paul Simon
5/5
Growing up in the 80s, this album was everywhere. From the video starting Chevy Chase to the cassette in every Toyota Tercel, I'd know all of these songs whether I liked them or not. Luckily, I think it's not JUST nostalgia that brings me back to this album fairly regularly. The songs are smart and catchy with a bit of swarmy yuppie ideology sneaking in (it was the height of Wall Street era after all). But most importantly it introduced so many to sounds from other places that had not appeared in pop music previously. For that alone, this is an essential listen.
1/5
Sorry, but this shit blows.
Arcade Fire
2/5
Boring, predictable indie pop with no soul whatsoever.
Red Snapper
2/5
Run of the mill early 2000s electronica. Nothing special.
Thelonious Monk
3/5
I understand and appreciate that this is important music.
Cee Lo Green
4/5
Fun and funny. A great party record.
Kid Rock
1/5
I have never listened to this album before, but know the singles. Deciding to do this project was for exactly reasons like this - to listen to more music I may have ignored, overlooked or disregarded.
But in this case fuck this, Devil Without A Cause is absolutely as awful as I had always assumed it would be.
Fela Kuti
3/5
I enjoyed this while making dinner tonight. Did it change my world and perception of music? No. But it was a fun listen.
k.d. lang
2/5
More like Nothingnue, amirite?
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
Not the strongest Springsteen album by any stretch, but the one with his most misunderstood song that we're all sick of hearing (Born in the USA), his most commercial song (Dancing in the Dark) and arguably his best song (I'm on Fire). Oh and Glory Days.
Worth a listen for these and the deeper cuts.
Os Mutantes
4/5
What an absolutely wonderful, weird album. Strangely approachable in spite of its eccentricities, and even kind of charming. Really enjoyed this one.
Alice Cooper
4/5
I love the original Alice Cooper group, and this album is excellent, but possibly my least favorite of the original run (other than Muscle of Love). It's the campiest and fortells Alice's love for show tunes and old Hollywood.
It also has Public Animal #9 on it, which is possibly the greatest song the group wrote. Inconsistent overall, but still essential.
Faust
4/5
Weird German Shit > Weirdo
German Shit Porn
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
I kind of lost touch with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs after the first LP, but this is absolutely great. Intense, gorgeously crafted songs with that post-punk edge and pop chops. Loving this.
Lou Reed
5/5
What a depressing mess. Luckily, depressing messes are my favorite albums.
The Soft Boys
5/5
Odd and eccentric pop genius from Robyn Hitchcock and company. The first album has its moments, but this album delivers on the promise. An excellent and purely original punk rock take on Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd weirdness.
Weather Report
2/5
The best parts of this sound like the score from a really badass police procedural from the 70s.
The worst parts of this sound like the score from a really bad police procedural from the 70s.
Portishead
2/5
Maybe I'm just in a good mood, but I hated this less than I thought I would.
The United States Of America
5/5
What an amazing surprise. I love weirdo music but never gave this a listen (the cover is familiar), and I'm only sad I've waited this long. Odd, but catchy and psychedelic in all the right ways, along with what sounds like krautrock, old times jazz and protopunk at times. Fucking brilliant.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
5/5
This album fucks (and then puts on a silk robe).
The Temptations
3/5
Love me some Tempts, and this album is great, but they were never the same after David Ruffin left. Some gems on here, but some filler too.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
5/5
Tom Petty looks kind of like my mom circa 1983, but my mom never put out a banger like this.
Ian Dury
2/5
Novelty music that isn't even clever. I love Stiff Records stuff, but Ian Dury has always been garbage.
Super Furry Animals
3/5
Good. Catchy, if a bit forgettable 90s Brit pop.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
Almost too much falsetto and funk. ALMOST.
Shack
2/5
Like a mix of Uncle Tupelo, Idlewild and REM, but not as good as any of them. Still, okay as background music with a few moments.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
2/5
The last song on here, 49 Bye Byes is great, the rest is a slog, albeit one with great harmonies. Still, dated in a way that mostly bores the shit out of me.
N.W.A.
5/5
"We wanna fuck you, Eazy!"
"I wanna fuck you too!"
A more perfect exchange has never been highlighted in popular music.
Ms. Dynamite
3/5
Standard Lauren Hill-inspired socially conscious hip-hop / R&B. Nothing super special.
CHIC
2/5
I put this on loud and next thing I knew I was instantly transported to a 1980s Long Island wedding. There were all the trappings of a luxury ceremony, including clams on the half-shell AND roller skates.
Unfortunately I got a venereal disease from one of the bridesmaids and someone stole my wallet when I passed out in the toilet.
Violent Femmes
5/5
Do you like American music? I like all kinds of music. But I like American music best.
Pulp
2/5
Common People. Yawn.
T. Rex
5/5
This album makes me want to put on a shit-ton of glitter, platform boots and feather boas before starting the most intense bar fight this town has ever seen.
Talvin Singh
1/5
This annoyed the fuck out of me.
Derek & The Dominos
3/5
Eric Clapton is a wet fart of a human, but this album is okay. Not as good as the Bluesbreakers album or the early Yardbirds stuff (too much hippie noodling nonsense on this one), but it's okay overall.
The Auteurs
3/5
This sounds like Robyn Hitchcock at times, which I don't mind at all, but overall I found it a little repetitive to truly make a mark. Not bad at all though.
Abdullah Ibrahim
4/5
This was delightful. Really enjoyed this one.
The White Stripes
5/5
I discovered them through De Stijl, but this was the album that made me love the White Stripes. In fact, I don't think any of their other albums can live up to this one. Great mix of garage rock, blues, punk, R&B and just a primal thump of garbage. So good.
Charles Mingus
4/5
Pure chaos. At least that's why I heard. Luckily, I like chaos.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
5/5
One of my favorite albums, even if it may have helped to spawn the Eagles.
Burning Spear
4/5
Absolutely love this. Great horn lines!
The Doors
1/5
Struggling to make it through this steaming pile of subpar bar rock coupled with puerile, self-indulgent 'poetry' ripped from some teenager's journal. Oh, and Peace Frog.
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
I waited at the record shop to buy this the day it came out. Me and my friend Pete listened to it on repeat in his basement before getting bored and turning on scrambled porn.
Not as good as non-scrambled porn, but definitely better than squinting for boobs. Should've been a single disc (but isn't that always the case?).
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
I don't hate this, but it sounds a little like if punks redid the soundtrack to Sweeney Todd.
Daft Punk
1/5
This was everything I hoped it wouldn't be.
AC/DC
5/5
The only way that this could rock harder is if Bon Scott climbed out of the grave, threw Brian in and sang the shit out of these songs.
Tom Tom Club
2/5
I just really dislike this.
Slint
4/5
Can math-rock rock? Yes, it can.
T. Rex
5/5
All these years later I still have no idea what a Jeepster is, but this shit is perfect.
Marty Robbins
5/5
An absolutely essential country album that adds a soundtrack for the US obsession with the myth of the Old West that took hold in the 1950s and 1960s. I could listen to this all day.
Big Star
5/5
Fuck, this album is perfect. It'll make you rock out, encourage bouts of nostalgia and change how you think about music. The fleeting genius and toxic partnership of Chris Bell and Alex Chilton captured in the most timely snapshot.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
I'm not usually a fan of soul music post-Otis Redding, but Stevie Wonder's 1970s albums represent so much more than that. Joy, melancholy, nostalgia and hope are predominant themes and love is the biggest thread through them all. Truly moving stuff.
Digital Underground
5/5
If P-Funk was a hip hop group, it would sound like this. So funkin' good.
R.E.M.
4/5
The moment REM dropped any indie elements and went full pop. Also, the first album of theirs that I bought. I still love it, but the edge of the earlier stuff was gone from this point forward. This album is more upbeat than much of what followed, and the pop instincts are there.
Amy Winehouse
4/5
I never paid this album as much attention as Back to Black, but it's great. A little jazzier in places, and arrangements show off a little more of the smoky cabaret side of Amy's voice. I still prefer the next album, but this is definitely worth a listen.
Tricky
3/5
Way better than I expected. Good vocals and interesting beats.
Gillian Welch
5/5
When people refer to an album as hauntingly beautiful, this is the album they should be comparing it to.
Nightmares On Wax
2/5
This was fine background music.
Happy Mondays
1/5
This is absolutely the type of album I would expect British dudes on ecstasy to make, and for British people on ecstasy to enjoy.
Silver Jews
4/5
I enjoyed this for the smart lyrics and the quality of the songwriting.
Björk
1/5
If you had asked me before I started this project what I thought of Bjork I probably would have said "I don't really listen to her, but I'm sure her music is fine."
This is my third Bjork album on this list, and it had sharpened my hatred into a heightened sense, like how blind people often report having enhanced hearing or smell. However, my heightened sense of hate just makes my tolerance for Bjork's music non-existent.
Short review: I got about 7 minutes i to this and fucked right out of there. Nope.
Aerosmith
2/5
Aerosmith has no soul. This hits all the elements of a great rock n roll record but somehow still feels empty and devoid of personality and swagger. An empty silk scarf of a record.
Madonna
4/5
Not gonna lie, this album fucks.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
As a young punk I spent so much time "hating" this album while secretly loving almost everything on it. It's equal parts joyful, angry, wistful, sad and totally cocaine-fueled. The Lindsay Buckingham and Christine McVie songs alone are worth the price of admission. The only thing that makes this album a little less perfect is knowing that Silver Springs could've been on this LP.
The Crusaders
4/5
Jazzy, funky and absolutely dated, but it still had me tapping my foot. I liked this a lot, and the title track is a banger.
Kendrick Lamar
1/5
I really didn't enjoy this.
Tears For Fears
3/5
Although I've never consciously listened to this album, I know many of these songs, and the ones I didn't know seemed to fit pretty consistently with the familiar ones. In short, it's what I expected, which isn't bad, but not something I'd listen to regularly.
Skepta
3/5
I don't hate this at all, and Skepta is obviously very talented, but I couldn't stop picturing Ali G when listening to this.
Shuggie Otis
2/5
I respect that this exists, and the influence it provided, but damn this shit was boring.
Soft Cell
3/5
Tainted Love is the best song on the Coneheads soundtrack.
Slipknot
1/5
Holy double bass drum pedal is this awful...
Kings of Leon
3/5
Early Kings of Leon sounds like the Strokes aping Dylan. Not as good as either, but fine for background music.
Pavement
5/5
A guitar album for people who hate guitar albums, and a whole bunch of nonsensical lyrics that remind me of driving around aimlessly in high school listening to this album.
The Cure
5/5
Moody and atmospheric, but with more post-punk elements than their later albums. Personally, I love the mix of both and thoroughly enjoyed this album.
Pere Ubu
5/5
What a great example of the adventurousness and innovation of early punk rock, especially early Midwest punk rock. Catchy and eccentric, I can't get enough of this LP or the following Pere Ubu album, Dub Housing. Highly recommended.
Mott The Hoople
4/5
Overall, I like this. It falls between early Roxy Music and The Sweet as far as art vs. aspirations for pop stardom, and the Bowie connection/worship is also evident. If you like that stuff you'll probably like this.
PJ Harvey
5/5
Another surprise from PJ Harvey. Smart, catchy and just strange enough to keep my interest piqued. Really enjoyed this.
The Byrds
5/5
Half of this album sounds like renaissance faire choral music and the other half sounds like the most drug-induced psychedelic noodling ever. Luckily, I'm here for both.
The Chemical Brothers
2/5
Well, this exists.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
I always enjoy Joni Mitchell in the moment more than I remember. This is a good album. Not as good as Blue, but I can get into this.
Prince
5/5
Possibly my favorite Prince album. A great mix of his funkier side, with just enough pop polish. Get ready to get down.
Jeru The Damaja
4/5
Great, old school (at least considered that these days) Brooklyn hip-hop. Great wordplay and strong beats.
The Divine Comedy
2/5
The lyrics and delivery on this make the cringiest of Morrissey sound perfectly normal. I hated this so much that I'm almost tempted to listen to it over and over again, like a tongue searching for the exposed nerve on a broken tooth (see, I can be a poet too).
Bob Dylan
5/5
His most expressive and vulnerable album, and his singing (yes, I said singing) is top-notch. Heartbreakingly beautiful songs and amazing performances. If you listen to this and don't love Dylan, you never will.
Radiohead
1/5
Self-indulgent nonsense. I worked at a record store when this came out, and I hated having to listen to it. Put it on today and yes, I still hate it.
Gang Of Four
5/5
This album was an absolute game-changer in the punk genre, helping to spawn a style of angular, aggressive post-punk that you still hear bands today trying to emulate. Not to mention the social and political commentary in the lyrics. This album specifically changed my ideas of what punk rock could be, and I still listen to it regularly. Absolutely essential.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
I will probably never listen to this again, but I didn't hate it.
Buzzcocks
5/5
The first pop-punk record? Whatever you want to call it, this album is near perfect.
Christina Aguilera
2/5
This has a lot going on. Unfortunately, most of what is going on is terrible.
Orbital
1/5
Awful.
Everything But The Girl
2/5
This album was so boring that my teeth magically got cleaned just by listening to it.
Pet Shop Boys
1/5
Are there way too many Pet Shop Boys albums on this list? Absolutely. Did I dislike this one as much as the others? Also yes.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Armed Forces has some absolutely great tracks on it, and I love it as a whole, but it is about half a step below My Aim is True and This Year's Model, which are perfect in my opinion. Still, I'd rather listen to this than almost anything else.
Pink Floyd
2/5
You want to know the truth? I don't even completely hate this. What I do hate is that there is like 15 minutes of space-age noodling and video game noise between each song. Very few songs would be worth slogging through that mess to get to, and these songs are certainly not it.
Money still totally sucks though.
Bauhaus
2/5
Not for me.
Napalm Death
4/5
The last thing I remember is putting this on, and now, 15 minutes later I'm standing in my mom's basement and it is totally trashed.
Steely Dan
1/5
Can't Give A Fuck.
TV On The Radio
4/5
Really enjoyed this one. Definitely turned the morning around and now I'm singing into a hairbrush like in Valley Girl.
ABBA
4/5
Not my favorite ABBA album, but if you know them, you know what to expect: cheesy lyrics, overwrought music and dense orchestration that you can dance to. I love it.
Django Django
4/5
Surprisingly, I loved this. A mix of styles and genres, but with a consistent groove and catchiness that I really enjoyed.
3/5
This felt like one long song. I enjoyed that song, though.
Missy Elliott
4/5
The samples are great, Missy is great, the beats are excellent. Yes.
B.B. King
5/5
Not only one of the greatest live blues albums of all time, but also one of the greatest blues albums and greatest live albums of all time. Absolutely essential.
Miles Davis
3/5
Early Miles is a lot swingier than I imagined. Swingier is not a word, but you know what I mean. I like it. I like the cocaine and funk more, though.
Arctic Monkeys
2/5
Track suit rock. Yawn.
ABBA
4/5
Not my favorite ABBA album, but it is still great, just with slightly less bangers.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Air
3/5
More interesting than most movie scores. This movie is also depressing as hell. These guys are French. That's all you need to know.
Raekwon
4/5
Yes, have some.
TV On The Radio
3/5
I thought this was pretty good, but my cat fucking hated it.
Radiohead
2/5
Why does every fart this band ever made receive such adoration from the makers of this list? At least this album isn't as much of a downer as the later ones. That still doesn't count for much in my opinion.
The Velvet Underground
5/5
The "soft" Velvet Underground album might be least favorite of the first four, but it is still absolutely indispensable. Some of Lou Reed's most vulnerable songwriting and prettiest melodies, but still with an edge and darkness that makes it all sound a little sinister. Great stuff.
The Beach Boys
4/5
Early Beach Boys is still great. Cheesy? Of course, but the harmonies and the songwriting make up for it.
Buck Owens
5/5
I can assume without even looking at the other reviews that people will deride this for being "hokey" or "dated" country, and it is at times, but Buck Owens was a hell of a songwriter and performer, well before Hee Haw changed his public perception. More importantly, his backing band was shit-hot, none more than guitarist Don Rich. This album has a special place for me, and it's hard to stay in a bad mood when I put this on.
Scott Walker
4/5
I love how dramatic and bitchy this is. Will definitely listen again.
N.E.R.D
2/5
I listened to this entire album and I'm not sure what to make of it. Does it blend genres? Yes. Does it bring anything new to the table? Not necessarily. Was it memorable? Not at all.
Ryan Adams
1/5
Well, shit. I was dreading this.
If we can truly separate the art from the artist, this is one of the most hauntingly beautiful records of all time for me. The songs are deep, introspective and gorgeously written.
If we can't, Ryan Adams is a despicable piece of shit.
Nope, can’t do it.
Sleater-Kinney
5/5
I can only listen to Sleater-Kinney when my wife isn't home. She "hates the voices". I love her, but sometimes she has atrocious taste in music.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
This is like a sampler platter of post-punk sounds. Not a bad thing, but obviously the band found their sound later. I enjoyed this although it was a bit unmemorable.
Fairport Convention
5/5
This album is utterly ridiculous, but I can't help but love it. Renaissance Faire tunes that sound like the soft parts of Zeppelin songs with some beautiful singing from Sandy Denny about...i don't know, elves and jousting or some shit in the forest?
Then it gets crazy and there are these metal-esque breakdowns but with the same instruments, which kind of broke my brain. Seriously, this shit gets really rocking in parts. Then back to elves and goblins or whatever.
Drugs are an amazing creative tool sometimes.
Femi Kuti
3/5
Deep grooves.
Sufjan Stevens
2/5
This album felt hours long, and it's twee bullshit wore thin much earlier.
2/5
Canada's U2. Yawn.
Calexico
3/5
The horrible album cover almost stopped me from giving this album a chance, but I really enjoyed it. Atmospheric indie rock with a little country/folk element to it. Good stuff.
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
Yes, have some.
Basement Jaxx
1/5
This album feels MUCH longer than it was. I keep checking it like I check the microwave and I'm on track 3. Determined to listen to the whole thing, I go back to work and keep it playing. Check again - track 4. Wait a bit, check again - still track 4. Is this some kind of joke? Is there a digital lock groove of some kind? I decide to go take a shit and come back. I could still hear it faintly in the background, so I don't consider this abandoning my daily assignment.
I'm a slow pooper. I really like to take my time and enjoy the opportunity. Also, for my birthday last year my wife bought me one of those robot toilets that has a heated seat, sprays water in your butt and then blows on it. LIFE CHANGING. If this review was for the robot toilet and not this album, it would get 5 stars, no question.
Anyway, I do my business, go back to my computer. TRACK 6??!?! Are you kidding? This lady in the song is telling me not to panic and that "the music keeps on playing all day long" and I wonder if I mixed that edible in with my morning vitamins by accident. Is there mold in my bathroom? A carbon monoxide leak in my house? Because I have lost all sense of time, and this album absolutely will NOT end so I must be hallucinating or slowly being poisoned. If Dante heard this album when he was writing the Divine Comedy he would have invented another layer of hell where this album just plays through once, but it seems like it is for eternity. Maybe as a punishment for people who leave 1 star ratings for Otis Redding or Buzzcocks records?
*UPDATE*
It's been what seems like years. I need a shave desperately and my clothing is beginning to stink. I've soiled myself and my stomach is screaming with hunger. My wife left me days ago without a note, just a shouted "Fuck you, fuck your robot toilet and fuck this album!" as she stormed out the door, seemingly never to return. My cat has stopped meowing at me and is now looking at me with appetite in his eyes, slowing licking his lips. I fear I am not long for this world, but still I persist. I look at the screen. I am on track 8, "Always Be There", which is appropriate, because it does feel like this album will always be there. I, unfortunately, will not be, and I feel the weakness take over as I desperately try to finish this review and warn others not to start this alb.........................
Metallica
3/5
My wife likes peanuts with candy corn, and although its not my favorite combination, I do like peanuts and candy corn separately, so why not?
I feel like that about this album. I like Metallica (peanuts) and orchestras are cool, especially when they are going wildly symphonic and bombastic. Combined? Sure, I'm into it, but maybe I'd like them more separately?
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
5/5
I love weirdo, outsider albums. I also love nervous breakdown albums. Finally, I love creative geniuses associated with a band going off on their own to create a solo album that incorporates all of the weird shit they couldn't do with the band.
This has all three, and is a damn good listen.
Leonard Cohen
5/5
Every cliche lamewad that claims Jim Morrison's lyrics are poetry should be forced to listen to Leonard Cohen.
The Young Rascals
2/5
Sometimes this wants to rock, but then it goes back to sounding like showtune-influenced soft rock with no balls and no personality. I like 15% of this.
The Charlatans
2/5
Completely fine, forgettable britpop.
Nick Drake
4/5
Well, this bummed me out. Beautiful, but damn. Think I'm going to go contemplate my life or something.
Dead Kennedys
5/5
A ferocious, aggressive and downright weird album. In fact, it's been so many years since I first heard this, that I have to remind myself that a man caterwauling over hyper-fast drum beats and surf guitar infused with hints of the Ramones and showtunes is totally fucking odd, and absolutely amazing.
Radiohead
1/5
I have to be running out of Radiohead albums, right? How many are on this list....all of them? Couldn't we have one less of these and maybe put a classic delta blues LP or krautrock album that deserves more attention?
This shit is edgy and avant-garde for people who think music rooted in self-indulgence and untreated emotional disorders are genius.
The Everly Brothers
5/5
I enjoyed this date very much. 10/10 would go on another.
Tim Buckley
1/5
Caterwauling faux-funky bongo white guy shit. I can't believe how terrible this is.
James Brown
5/5
So now, ladies and gentlemen, it is star time
Are you ready for star time?
Thank you, and thank you very kindly
UB40
1/5
This was hard to get through. British cosplay reggae.
M.I.A.
1/5
This was a tough one because I hated it but I also really hated it.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
It's hard to overstate the importance of the early Rolling Stones albums in shining a light on blues and R&B artists that were overlooked/forgotten/no considered by white teens on both sides of the Atlantic. Are the originals stronger with a hell of a lot more balls? Absolutely, but the fact that a group of teen idols made such a point of exposing kids to this music is incredible. Plus, this is still a great listen, and shows what the Stones would grow into in just a few short years.
Sinead O'Connor
4/5
Didn't know much of Sinead's music besides the Nothing Compares 2 U cover and that chanting she did when she ripped up the picture of the pope.
This is really good! More upbeat than I thought it would be, and quite catchy. I enjoyed this.
Scissor Sisters
2/5
I found this more entertaining than I expected, in a "dance for me, clown" kind of way. I would probably never willingly listen to this, but its fine.
Motörhead
5/5
You know when you take a bunch of speed to sober up from all the whiskey you drank and then keep it going for 3 days until you end up killing a snake with your bare hands outside of a biker bar in Tempe, Arizona and cooking it on an open flame with an elderly mute woman you are fairly convinced only you can see?
This is the album that is playing in the background.
Bob Dylan
5/5
I've heard this album so many times that it is hard to form an objective opinion of something that has been a part of my life for so long. Of course, being born after its release, some of its innovation and ground-breaking elements are lost on me, but the album still sounds fresh, lively and creatively special all these years later. The band is the best Dylan ever had, and the songs are among his best as well. His malaise and resentment has yet to set in, and this may be the last (or Blonde on Blonde) to have an abundant sense of joy in the performances. It's goofy and cool at the same time. And yes, I still love it.
Belle & Sebastian
4/5
I love Scottish gnome music, and this hits the spot. Not my favorite album of theirs (that would be Boy with Arab Strap), but this is still an excellent album of pop delightfulness.
CHIC
3/5
I don't know, it was fine, I just thought it would be funkier.
Le Tigre
5/5
I might secretly like Le Tigre more than Bikini Kill, but don't tell anyone.
Bobby Womack
3/5
There are parts of this that I really enjoyed, but the production is so dated that it's hard to love it as a whole. The funkier parts are top-notch, some of the ballads are a little much.
Ice Cube
4/5
A moment in time, for sure, but what a moment it was. A lot of this has not aged particularly well, but it is undeniable that Ice Cube was a hell of a performer in his prime.
Talking Heads
5/5
You can hear them get funkier as this album progresses. Starting with the angular guitar attack through to the groove of Take Me to The River (not to mention the laid-back country swagger of The Big Country). It's an amazing transformation, almost like you can hear the band loosen up and get less taut and nervous, while also tightening up as a rhythm unit, and it makes this one of my favorite Talking Heads records. Essential.
Richard Hawley
2/5
I look forward to putting this on and having incredibly boring sex.
Elliott Smith
5/5
Such a beautiful, lush album with perfect pop hooks and an undercurrent of sinister menace. As we found out later, Elliott was a man struggling with his own mental and emotional health, and these songs give us a peek into those demons. His music has been a solace at many points over the last 25+ years, and I don't expect that to change any time soon.
The Fall
5/5
A hypnotic, droney, mumbly mess. I love every minute of it.
Nirvana
5/5
I don't care what anyone else has to say, this was one of the most punk rock albums of the 90s. I remember waiting for this to come out and being blown away by the rawness and aggression. Such a perfect album, 30+ years later.
The Prodigy
2/5
I surprisingly don't hate this, although that may have to do with the Johnny Rottenesque vocals. Still don't like the lyrics or the music all that much though, but there are much worse 90s electronica albums on this list.
Megadeth
3/5
So much noodle. Too much? Maybe.
Kate Bush
4/5
Weirdo fairie music. Plot twist: I like weirdo fairie music.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
1/5
First impressions: How do you open an album with so much meandering guitar? This is hardly designed to draw me in, is it?
Three songs in: I'm in the middle of the "Love" part of the album. Not sure if the music matches the thematic concept, as I am feeling the exact opposite emotion.
Six songs in: There's no way this guy fucks with barbed wire or has any clothing made from rattlesnakes.
Nine songs in: The "love" concept has given way to other tracks, also horrible.
Last song: Is this a Western campfire ballad? This also sucks, but an entire album of this would've been better than what I just listened to.
Blur
4/5
The pinnacle of Britpop, whatever that means. Still, for a subgenre I don't have an abundance of love for I do enjoy this album. Fun and catchy, and British in a way that reminds me of the Kinks (not in sound, but in approach). Worth a listen.
5/5
Listen, I love Bowie, and this album is great. Is it his best in my opinion? Hardly. Low, Station to Station and Hunky Dory among others have higher highs, but this was the world's full unadulterated intro to Ziggy Stardust, and that, along with the inclusion of Suffragette City, makes it essential.
Bill Callahan
2/5
I did not enjoy this album.
Peter Tosh
4/5
This album was great. A good deal of soul influence throughout, and a steady beat with an excellent band. What’s not to like?
Fela Kuti
3/5
Definitely self-indulgent, especially with Ginger Baker involved. Sounds like a loose, extended jam session, but not entirely unenjoyable.
The Fall
5/5
My second album by The Fall in two weeks, which has put me in a strange place where I am ranting at the coffee shop and leaving strange notes for my postman. I even tried to fire my wife from the band, but she didn't know what I was talking about.
The Boo Radleys
3/5
This is fine. Nothing mind-blowing, nothing horribly offensive. Straight-ahead 90s alterna-pop that made great background music at work.
The Clash
5/5
This album, along with the first Adverts LP, are what first-wave UK punk rock was all about. Anthemic and played JUST well enough to get the ideas of the songs across, all of these bands would get better musically, but not necessarily thematically. There's something special about angry young people banging out songs with more emotion than thought for their careers.
Khaled
3/5
I liked the groove of this one, except for the Imagine cover, as others have mentioned. Maybe not something I'd listen to regularly, but I enjoyed it.
John Grant
3/5
Totally okay.
Muddy Waters
5/5
If you want to hear the power of a shit-hot Chicago blues band blow away a bunch of white jazz nerds, this is the album to listen to.
M.I.A.
1/5
This shit gave me a headache. Worst cover of "Roadrunner" ever.
Mike Oldfield
2/5
Tubular Bells is so much more than just the soundtrack to The Exorcist. It is also a lengthy, self-indulgent wankfest of epic proportions. My favorite part is when he introduces all of the instruments by name.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
5/5
I don't know when it happened, but I love this album with an intensity that is reserved for very few records.
I grew up with a well-worn copy of this in my parents' collection, and I used to stare at the cover with a mix of disgust and fascination. The music was more disgust - drums that made no rhythmic sense, weird poems and "fast and bulbous" haunting my dreams. Don Van Vliet sounded like my loud uncle when he drank too much and decided to show off in our apartment. The uncle we weren't allowed to spend time with alone.
As a teen, I would mostly use this album as a joke - a way to piss people off that weren't familiar with it. It lived with Yoko Ono and The Shaggs as albums that made the uninitiated exclaim "what the FUCK is this?!?" and those of us in the know would giggle maniacally and put it on repeat in our shitty cars.
Now I'm 44, and this album speaks to me like almost nothing else. I find new things in it with every listen, and a new song becomes my favorite each time. It's the perfect album, and I would fight anyone who disagrees. Come at me, and see how serious I am.
John Lee Hooker
3/5
This would be so much better without all the guests. I love JLH, but no one needs to hear Santana on this shit.
The Yardbirds
3/5
I like this album overall, but you can hear the self-indulgent prog/psych shit seeping in, which I did not like as much.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
The best electric/swamp blues album ever made by white guys from California. Completely sinister sounding and more menacing than any punk album, Green River is a go-to soundtrack for a road-trip, Halloween party or burying a drifter's body in the woods.
Joe Ely
3/5
The songs on this are undeniably great, but oh man is that production dated. Still, the songs hold up and Joe's voice is excellent. But those keyboards especially...holy muzak.
Van Morrison
4/5
I little more subdued than Van Morrison's earlier albums, but Moondance still has some essential tracks. Not Moondance itself though, that song is horrible.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
2/5
I don't like this, not at all. I don't like the sound of a Cinnamon Girl. I don't like the voice, don't like the songs. I tried to make it through, but I didn't last long.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
5/5
If you hate this, you hate fun.
George Jones
5/5
One of the greatest voices of all time, singing some of the most downer songs of all time. This album is both incredible and incredibly depressing.
The Go-Betweens
3/5
Perfectly serviceable, completely unmemorable pop music.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
2/5
I expected so much more from this. Underwhelming disco-funk, for the most part. The Message is great, obviously, but nothing else on here comes close.
The KLF
1/5
I really fucking hated this. No exaggeration, this shit is awful.
The Who
2/5
The Who at their most boring, bombastic and lumbering. It's still the Who, but not an album that I ever reach for.
Alanis Morissette
3/5
Sure, whatever.
David Ackles
2/5
I tried really hard to get into this one, but could not. It might be the voice.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
Is it possible for a Springsteen album to be underrated? Especially an early one? This album doesn't have any of his biggest early hits (e.g. Born to Run, Thunder Road, etc.) but is a masterful example of storytelling, catchy songs and great production. I'll admit I haven't given this album a lot of listens, but that may have to change.
Rufus Wainwright
2/5
Not into this at all.
Brian Wilson
5/5
This is a work of genius. Does that mean it is great all the way through? Hardly. Does it have moments of brilliance and beauty? Absolutely. Does it have some head-scratching stuff too? Yes.
Justice
2/5
There is a song on here that literally sounds like my computer circa 1995 trying to connect to AOL, but with a beat behind it. This is not an entirely negative thing. A/S/L?
Jane's Addiction
1/5
Next to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane's Addiction might be my least favorite band to come out of the 80's independent rock scene. This albums blows.
Country Joe & The Fish
4/5
This one was a big surprise for me. I thought I knew what Country Joe & The Fish sounded like, but this is a mix of psych, blues, jazz, folk and even a little ren faire. I really enjoyed it, and would definitely listen again.
5/5
Not quite Fist City, but not far off.
Mudhoney
5/5
These guys would've gotten a lot further if they hadn't gotten lumped into the grunge category. This is pure rock 'n roll punk in the vein of the Sonics, Radio Birdman, Stooges, etc. with a singer in Mark Arm who can howl with the best of them. Makes me feel like stealing from the 7-11 again like I did when I was a teenager.
Badly Drawn Boy
3/5
Remember when every album had to be super long? This is from that time period. Don't get me wrong, great stuff on this, but a lot of filler as well. Would have made an excellent 35-40 minute LP.
Peter Frampton
1/5
What a noodling, overindulgent, sappy piece of shit. I bet most of our problems today are the result of the people who were conceived while terrible people fucked to this garbage.
Sparks
2/5
Think Roxy Music has too much groove? Think Cheap Trick are too catchy and not quirky enough? Have I got the band for you!
I don't hate this, I just don't enjoy it whatsoever.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
Better than I expected, and a lot more "commercial" as well. I've always liked Peter Gabriel's voice while questioning his artistic decisions. This is the closest I've gotten to enjoying a full album.
Brian Eno
1/5
Love the artists, hate the project. Self-indulgent crap.
Fairport Convention
5/5
Discovering Fairport Convention has been one of the best parts of this project. This album is no exception. Great songs, beautiful singing and some restrained but exceptional guitar playing and musicianship. This is definitely one of my new favorites.
The Police
2/5
I hated this less than I thought I would, but at the end of the day ACAB.
3/5
Blur is one of those bands who, in my opinion, have one great album (Parklife) and a lot of albums with a few good songs and a lot of 'eh' moments. This is one of the albums with the 'eh' moments.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Back to back bangers.
Les Rythmes Digitales
2/5
The first track sounded like what I imagined I'd be pulling out of my first Casio keyboard, jamming along with the demo backing track - success couldn't be far behind, and was mine for the taking.
Unfortunately, much like my dreams of being a professional keyboardist, this album lost steam almost immediately, and became an unlistenable mess of disappointment.
Dirty Projectors
1/5
Awful woodland sprite music.
The Cult
1/5
Pure Butt Rock. If this album was a person, it would try to spike your drink while you are in the bathroom.
Dinosaur Jr.
4/5
J Mascis is a helluva guitar player (even if he wears orthopedic shoes these days).
The The
2/5
Got excited about this one. Was hoping for a hidden gem of songs along the lines of "This is the Day". This was NOT the day (or album) for that. Serviceable 80s pop with weird vocals.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
Hadn't heard this album before, but I'm a fan. Funky (without being TOO funky) with some great singing from Mr. Mayfield. I will definitely work this into the rotation.
Afrika Bambaataa
1/5
Groundbreaking, and super influential, and objectively very good. Not a fan of the kid-touching.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
3/5
More dated than my older sister, but fun nonetheless (same).
Caetano Veloso
3/5
I feel like I should be wearing a way more colorful outfit and sipping a tropical drink while sitting poolside watching beautiful people do beautiful things.
Mj Cole
1/5
This is fucking awful.
Thundercat
4/5
I legitimately cannot decide if I hate this or love it. Regardless, I have listened to it five times to get a better idea, and have not gotten any closer to a decision. These are the kinds of albums people start cults around, and I may (or may not) be here for it.
Lana Del Rey
4/5
I like this. A little generic, but she's obviously very talented, and I enjoyed a few of these songs a lot.
Wilco
4/5
The songs on this album are great - there is no doubt that the songwriting is incredible. I also love experimental music, oddball sounds, outsider music, etc. and appreciate a good dose of weirdness.
As much as I have loved this album since it was first released, I can't help but think it would've been a better album if it was more in line with earlier Wilco and was recorded as a more "conventional" alt-country record. I might be in the minority, but sometimes eccentricity in recording and production are not necessary. Let the songs stand on their own.
The White Stripes
3/5
If the guy who plays for entirely too long at Guitar Center was inspired by The Beatles White Album. Not bad, but not very structured and way too noodly. Also entirely too many bells (doorbells or otherwise).
U2
2/5
Sunday Bloody Sunday slaps. The rest of this sounds like a whiny pile of shit.
3/5
Actually enjoyed this. Weird mix of genres, all infused with beats that didn't annoy the shit out of me and a healthy dose of "what the fuck is this?".
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
1/5
Is this pompous and overblown? Absolutely.
Is this self-indulgent and the antithesis of rock 'n roll? Totally.
Did I hate it? Also yes.
Pavement
5/5
The slackest album ever. Just cause it sounds like they aren’t trying doesn’t mean this shit ain’t golden.
The Sugarcubes
2/5
I hate this less than Bjork solo, but still would not willingly listen to this again.
Neu!
5/5
This album fucking rules. At times it sounds like the best German tribute band for Exile on Main Street era Stones, possessed by massive amounts of amphetamines and that same impulse that makes shit-porn so popular in that country.
At other times it sounds like a moan from the gut of a disabled animal on the side of the road after a collision, mixed with jackhammers and the sound of construction on a new high-rise in the distance.
THIS IS THE SOUND OF THE FUTURE AND THE DEATH OF THE PRESENT. SUBMIT!
Roxy Music
4/5
Weirder and quieter than the debut, but still awesome. Get odd and sexy….
Tina Turner
2/5
I love Tina, but this album is weak. Private Dancer gets stuck in my head all the time, but it's not a good song. Same with What's Love Got To Do With It. The covers are okay (I Can't Stand the Rain and Let's Stay Together), but I'd still rather hear the originals. Eh.
Eurythmics
3/5
This is fine.
Destiny's Child
4/5
I knew way more songs on this than I thought I would. The biggest surprise was that I enjoyed them.
The Coral
2/5
Some of this is interested. I expected more of a generic garage rock sound, but was somewhat surprised by the bits of psychedelia, sea shanties, circus music, etc. mixed in. It's never too weird to stray from commercial palatability, which is where it fails in my opinion - it's just too middle of the road to be truly interesting.
The Damned
5/5
The only way I like my goth is if its surrounded by a hearty helping of punk rock. The ratio here is perfect. I even love some of the moodier tracks on here, but obviously the rockers are what gets me. A half notch below their debut album, but still absolutely essential.
Black Sabbath
4/5
Noodly, but not in a bad way. Slow, but not plodding. Dark, but not cartoonishly gothy. Heavy, but not boring in the way a lot of heavy music can be.
I learned a long time ago with Sabbath that I should hate this, but I really don't. I rarely choose to listen to an album of theirs, but I usually enjoy it when I do.
Run-D.M.C.
5/5
I needed this today. So fucking good. The rhymes are on point, the beats are timeless and the songs are so catchy. Run DMC is like AC/DC - if you don't love them I don't trust you.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
1/5
I knew this day would come, and like Rocky preparing to fight Ivan Drago in Rocky IV, I have been training - lifting logs and running through the snow while listening to small bits of this album at a time. Like a vaccine, you must introduce this particularly horrid blend of funk-punk-metal-dick jams to your ears in small amounts so that it can build up a defense. Today I was ready for all 73 minutes and 42 seconds in one sitting.
After some funk/rap nonsense I reached my first boss level - Breaking the Girl. I was ready for the challenge and made it through with minimal damage. The next contending track that had the ability to put on some real hurt was Suck My Kiss, but I side-stepped it masterfully. By Give It Away, however, I was starting to feel the effects of ongoing battle with these gods of white suburban funk. Still, I powered on.
Worn down by the slapped bass and the ridiculously stupid lyrics, I started to doubt my ability to emerge victorious by the time Under the Bridge gave way to Anthony Kiedis refers to the "demons in his semen" in Sir Psycho Sexy, knowing that I would still need to endure the butchering of the Robert Johnson classic They're Red Hot, but somehow I made it. I haven't worn a shirt in days (or pants for that matter, just a sock over my genitals), and I have been vaping under a local bridge with guys I went to high school with, but I am hoping these are only temporary symptoms of the BloodSugarSexMagik infection, and that I will be back to normal soon.
Leonard Cohen
5/5
Even at 140 (or however old he was when he recorded this album) Leonard Cohen sounds like a guy who can charm the pants off of anyone. Even when he's singing about mortality and regret. This album is the first panty-dropper death album, and as great and near-perfect of an accomplishment as it is, I don't know if I'd ever want to hear another album like it.
Pixies
5/5
My favorite Pixies album changes regularly between this and Surfer Rosa, but lately it has been Doolittle. The first Pixies album I heard, my friend gave me his tape because he hated it, thinking it would sound like Nirvana after Kurt Cobain recommended them in some magazine. His loss, this album is great.
The The
2/5
Had a real hard time getting into this. I tried, and there wasn't anything that I hated, necessarily, but I wouldn't listen to it again.
Röyksopp
2/5
I struggle to understand who listens to this stuff. It's not offensively awful, just boring.
Elvis Presley
3/5
This album has some great songs on it, as well as a good deal of filler and sappy ballads. The rockers are great though.
R.E.M.
4/5
REM at their jangliest, mumbliest best. This is a good one.
Haircut 100
2/5
Kind of basic new-wave pop. There are some catchy moments on here, but overall I'm struggling to find anything incredibly memorable about this album.
Television
5/5
In a perfect world, this is what the Grateful Dead would have sounded like, and people would've followed around Television, hoping Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd would go off on a crazy guitar jam during See No Evil.
Morrissey
4/5
Morrissey at his most self-absorbed. Can't say that I don't thoroughly enjoy it.
The xx
3/5
Moody and interesting. I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. Points sounded like 80s new wave with a modern twist.
KISS
4/5
Total cartoonish butt rock. I love it.
Paul Weller
4/5
Way more 70s soulful than I would have expected from the leader of The Jam. More 70s-era Steve Winwood than 60s-era Who. Still, I enjoyed it. Some very good tracks on here. My dad would've loved this.
U2
1/5
What a slog of caterwauling, dated guitar effects and ego. Awful, awful, awful.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
4/5
Paul must've been stuck in traffic or something, but they did fine without him.
Dire Straits
3/5
Such dad rock. Sultans of Swing fucks though.
Dr. Dre
5/5
Yes.
Gorillaz
3/5
I ignored this album when it came out, which is weird because I love albums made by cartoons and/or animals (see my love of the Archies, Lancelot Link and the Chipmunks). Listening now, it's not bad. I appreciate the use of the melodica. A little monotonous, but better than most shit on the radio at the time, I guess.
5/5
This album always felt disjointed and less thought out than the other Beatles albums, and definitely shows a transition point from mid-period Beatles (Rubber Soul and Revolver) and later-period (The Beatles, Abbey Road, Let It Be). Because of this, it has always been a little less compelling to me than the other albums. Still, it's the Beatles, so it is better than almost anything else out there.
CHVRCHES
3/5
This album started out strong: I like synth-pop, I like the singer's voice, the songs are catchy enough in that way that the more ambient-sounding T Swift songs sound. Now I'm on track 6 and I feel like this should be over already. I'll power through, but my attention span is not built for this type of music.
John Prine
5/5
One of the greatest shows I've ever seen was John Prine in Nashville on New Years' Eve. Among the most underrated songwriters of all time, and if you only pick one album of his to own, it should be this one.
The Specials
5/5
When people say they hate ska, this is not what they mean. This album is a shitload of fun from start to finish. If you hate this, you hate joy.
Coldcut
1/5
What's that noise you ask?
Just a bunch of shitty music. Nothing to see here.
Anthrax
5/5
I think this would still piss off my parents in 2025.
Emmylou Harris
5/5
What an incredibly beautiful album. Worth the price of admission for the cover of "For No One" alone. Exceptional.
John Lennon
4/5
The closest Lennon came to the level of songwriting he perfected with the Beatles, in my opinion. If this was a Beatles album it would be my least favorite, but it is still better than 99% of what came out of their members after their breakup. Definitely has its moments, and I wish I could hear Imagine with new ears versus what it has become due to overuse and terrible covers in the 50+ years since it came out.
Sex Pistols
5/5
As a young punk from NYC I hated this album with a passion. I was a Ramones fan, and the Pistols were trash. Later, in my 30s I discovered my love for them - first through the singles and then through this album. As it stands now, I have a much greater appreciation for this than I ever did as a kid.
Boards of Canada
1/5
I fucking hate this. Like rage-inducing hatred.
Killing Joke
3/5
Didn't hate this, wouldn't listen again.
Randy Newman
5/5
This album is brilliant. To those with the cheap takes who only know his more recent movie songs: get your head out of your sanctimonious ass and listen to the album, you fucking nerds.
Patti Smith
4/5
I never thought of this as a punk album, but there are parts that I love. Worth listening to.
The Go-Go's
5/5
One of the greatest albums ever produced. I will not be taking questions.
ZZ Top
5/5
This album rocks so hard that I grew a beard in the half hour or so it took to listen to it. And not some lame groomed GQ beard either, this shit is thick and unruly.
The Monkees
3/5
Not my favorite Monkees LP, but not bad. More psych with an obvious Sgt. Peppers influence. Still better than TV band music has the right to be.
Electric Light Orchestra
5/5
It’s ELO, you either love them or hate them. But if you hate them you probably hate fun.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
5/5
I’ve listened to this album more than almost any album ever made, and I still find new things to love about it. The perfect combination of punk’s energy with 60’s rock n roll and one of music’s greatest lyricists on display. Who else would be able to use “anaesthetize” in a song?
Aretha Franklin
5/5
The definitive example of the Muscle Shoals sound with one of the greatest singers of all time. What’s not to love?
Kacey Musgraves
4/5
I love her earlier, cheekier country & western style albums, but this album is still great. Much more pop-oriented and straightforward.
Lauryn Hill
5/5
Separating the person from the music, this album is excellent. The songwriting, performances and instrumentation is amazing - almost like a Hi Records sound updated with hip-hop influence. If I have a complaint it would be the length of the album, which was a problem for most albums released around this time, but otherwise it is definitely worthy of being on this list.
Ministry
1/5
I'm impressed with this album's commitment to awful.
Neneh Cherry
1/5
I do not enjoy this album.
The Saints
5/5
Australian punk goes R&B, what's not to love about this album? One of my favorite classic punk rock albums of all time. That voice, those guitars, those horns....perfect.
The Offspring
5/5
This album is unfairly blamed for a lot of the terrible music it influenced. This album, however, is fucking mint.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
A cathartic album for those living in NYC during 9/11, but also oddly current for our situation in 2025 as well.
The Beach Boys
4/5
A weird fucking album. Luckily, I like weird fucking albums.
The Birthday Party
1/5
This is like the Cramps if they sucked.
Stan Getz
2/5
Girl From Ipanema will be stuck in my head for weeks, and not in a good way. In a "Don't Stop Believin" kind of way.
Beyoncé
1/5
When did popular music become so goddamn boring?
De La Soul
5/5
Find me an album that's more fun. I'll wait.
Depeche Mode
5/5
I have such a weakness for synthpop, and DM is at the top of the heap for me. This album is moody, catchy and fantastic. Very highly recommended.
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
Classic hip-hop with great beats and excellent lyrics. I love this.
Isaac Hayes
4/5
I know it is a film score, but I never realized how much of this was instrumental. It's been a great soundtrack to my work day so far. Some great funk, soul, even some psychedelic guitar in parts. Definitely worth a listen.
5/5
Not my favorite X album (Los Angles gets the nod there), but Wild Gift has some of my favorite songs of theirs, including the amazing 1-2-3 punch of Once Over Twice, We're Desperate and Adult Books. I'll never stop loving the dual vocals of John and Exene, Billy's amazing guitar and DJ's rock steady drumming. A high point for punk rock.
Cypress Hill
3/5
Thoroughly okay.
Moby
2/5
There are parts of this that I like very much. They are the parts that Moby samples and fucks with the least.
Gil Scott-Heron
1/5
I respect the hell out of Gil Scott-Heron, but that doesn't make this a good album.
Beastie Boys
5/5
Is this album stupid as hell? Absolutely.
Is it also one of the most important albums of the 20th century? Definitely.
Do I still love the hell out of it all these years later. 100%.
Waylon Jennings
5/5
Pure bad assery.
2/5
I saw these guys a lot back in the day. This shit hasn’t really aged all that well. Either that, or my patience has waned in the last 20 years.
Elastica
5/5
It's difficult to overstate how awesome this album is. Hooks galore...a 90s pop-punk masterpiece.
Machito
4/5
If there was a movie about my life, I'd like this to be the score.
Stereolab
5/5
Strange and wonderful. Elements of krautrock, easy listening, pop and more, with just enough noise and nonsense to keep it interesting.
OutKast
4/5
I like this album. It's too long (product of its era) and with too much filler, but the tracks that slay are undeniable.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
The least annoying Neil Young album I've listened to. Still, not my bag at all.
TLC
4/5
I thoroughly enjoyed this album, and it has absolutely NOTHING to do with my unhealthy teenage obsession with Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes.
Led Zeppelin
2/5
I listened to all of this.
Venom
5/5
I don't know what was in the water in England in the late 70s/early 80s (it certainly wasn't fluoride), but the metal is fucking spectacular, and this album is no exception.
Everything But The Girl
1/5
This shit sounds like what's playing at the clothing store my wife brings me to in order to "look more presentable". I hate that store and I hate this album.
Nanci Griffith
4/5
Great country-folk that almost has a Celtic quality to it. Nanci's voice is great, and the songs are catchy. I like it!
Meat Loaf
2/5
This is an interesting one, since I know the hits, but I have never listened to the actual LP from start to finish.
First track starts with a cacophony that sounds like a showtune run through a 70s prog and butt rock filter. Imagine Boston pumping up a crowd at a regional circus and you're getting close. When Meat (can I call him Meat?) starts to sing along with the piano it gives off Billy Joel and Springsteen vibes, but not as compelling as either. Lots of shout whispers. Not sold yet.
Okay, weird spoken word shit here. Oh, I know this song! Didn't know it was Mr. Loaf. Eh on the performance. Not the worst thing I've ever heard - kind of like Andrew Lloyd Weber produced by Phil Spector.
Ballad time. Yawn.
This one brings the tempo up a little bit. Hope you like saxophones.
I know this song, but the I feel like I've never heard the intros before. Anyway, Two Out of Three Ain't Bad is an objectively bad song. I'll sit through it, but I won't enjoy it.
Paradise By The Dashboard Lights rules. It's long as hell though, so rethink it as a karaoke option if you've been drinking heavily and/or have stamina issues.
Closing song has closing song vibes. Something about being cold in California. Oh, wait, here comes the bombast. Lots of build ups and cymbal crashes.
Well, what's it going to be boy? I said what's it going to be boy, yes or.....?
Doves
1/5
Warmplay.
Prefab Sprout
3/5
It's like if the lamest Squeeze songs (Tempted, Pulling Mussels From A Shell, etc.) mixed with vintage hold music and a touch of the Soft Boys.
I actually don't hate it at all, but I will probably never listen to it again.
G. Love & Special Sauce
2/5
Remember when things like this were a thing? Funky white guy indie rock with *just* enough hip-hop and break-beat influence to get the frat boys moving? Yeah, me too.
Supertramp
3/5
This album felt like that feeling when you know you're about to take a giant, satisfying shit and get all excited on your way to the toilet, only to have the final product be, although substantial, underwhelming.
This was like a substantial (yet underwhelming) shit. I still got some enjoyment out of it, and was able to enjoy my time with it, but ultimately it left me less than completely satisfied.
Holger Czukay
4/5
I love Can, but I've never heard this album from Holger and I loved it. The opening track alone is worth the listen.
The Smiths
4/5
I once saw Morrissey at the Apollo Theater in NYC, and everyone there looked like Otho from Beetlejuice.
Cocteau Twins
2/5
No thank you.
Public Enemy
5/5
Yeaaaaaaa, boyeeeeee! Exactly what I needed this morning.
Doves
2/5
How does this band have two (at least) albums on this list when so many other deserving albums aren't on the list? I don't hate this, and it's not unbearably awful, but it's not essential.
Christine and the Queens
2/5
I was really hoping this would be some kind of glam rock, gender-bending rock and roll powerhouse of an album. It was not.
3/5
It's still absolutely bewildering to me that this became huge, and bands like Sugar didn't.
It's not bad, it's just all right.
Bob Dylan
5/5
When people talk about what makes Dylan special you'll hear about the songwriting, the lyrics, the innovation, etc. but what really makes him relevant, especially all these years later is that he was the coolest motherfucker in the room. And for his run of albums from Bringing It All Back Home to possibly Blood on the Tracks, he was arguably the most magnetic celebrity around. The songs are brilliant yes, and the performances are incredible, but what makes it timeless is the fact that he's on another plane.
Elvis Presley
5/5
Elvis doing deep soul? Count me the fuck in. This rules.
Butthole Surfers
5/5
Starting the day off with the Buttholes is a guarantee that you're setting the stage for something fantastic.
This album should be taught in every 3rd grade music class and inscribed copies should be gifted to recent graduates.
It's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done. And by the way, if you see your mom this weekend, would you be sure and tell her 'SATAN!SATAN!SATAN!'
Parliament
5/5
It's impossible not to move to this album. Try it sometime, you will fail.
Deep Purple
2/5
It's funny, as a fan of noise and punk rock, dynamics in music is usually not a necessity for me. I can listen to the Ramones and their singular tempo for hours. But as much as this rocks, the consistent caterwauling, organ and guitar noodling just condensed into one dull roar of post-hippie noise. It's impressive considering the year this was released, but not something I would have a lot of interest in listening to again.
Elvis Costello
2/5
This is my least favorite Elvis Costello iteration: the crooner. Get angry, Declan!
Van Halen
2/5
I got my.....pencil....
"Running with the Devil" is the first track on my 666th album of this project, which seems fitting. But upon further inspection, Van Halen is about as demonic as the guy who used to hang out by the smokers' area in high school with his acoustic guitar trying to get us to join his youth group. It's faux rebellion for the future cops of the world (and I know a lot of cops that LOVE Van Halen).
Still, David Lee Roth is an entertaining vocal monkey, I liked the bass player that looks like a pro wrestler and the drumming is top notch. I know Eddie is a guitar legend, but I really fucking hate guitar noodling, and his tone sucks. A mixed bag overall.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
4/5
Equal parts hopeful and depressing as hell. I would expect nothing less from Will Oldham.
Cocteau Twins
1/5
Too many vowels in this.
Foo Fighters
2/5
I once dated a girl who was beautiful, but had questionable taste in music. I asked her who her favorite band was and she responded "The Foo Fighters".
Me: "The Foo Fighters? That's not even Dave Grohl's favorite band that he's BEEN IN."
The relationship didn't last a whole lot longer than that.
Frank Ocean
4/5
Imagine if Stevie Wonder was thirty years younger and grew up with modern R&B, hip-hop and himself as influences. It would sound something like this, and the result is fabulous.
I could do without the track with John Mayer though...
Ella Fitzgerald
3/5
I think I got the gist of this about 2.5 hours before it was over. Ella is great, but this is a slog.
Ozomatli
4/5
I was kind of angry that I had to listen to this on Halloween, but somehow it strangely fit the sinister/spooky theme. Really enjoyed this one.
Baaba Maal
4/5
Hypnotic and immersive in a way that I've only really felt with psychedelic music and hill country blues. Very looping and repetitive in the best way.
Anita Baker
2/5
It's the late 80s, and my sister and I hear this album wafting from the bathroom among the clatter and commotion of cosmetics used and put down and the sink running. It's Friday afternoon and our mother is getting ready for another date.
"Going out with a friend tonight. Knock on the neighbors' door if you need anything. I shouldn't be too late," she shouts over the smooth strains of Anita Baker's voice coming from the ancient cassette deck that has lived on top of the toilet tank for years, gathering a thick coat of grime, moisture and human funk.
She won't be home early, and we know this by the shade of her lipstick and the clothing she has selected for the evening. We might not see her until Sunday. We have some Hot Pockets in the freezer and probably enough food for the dog.
Jefferson Airplane
3/5
I love about half of this album, intensely and truly. The other half is complete garbage. Does that mean I rank what I love, or drag it down due to what I hate? Splitting the difference here, much like the band did between psych rock jams and awful folk music.
Suicide
5/5
Fuck "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", if I was on a quest to beat Satan at anything, this would be my soundtrack.
Tori Amos
4/5
I spent a lot of time as a teenager talking shit about this album, but I can admit I was wrong. This is great. Beautiful piano, haunting lyrics and the voice is jsut perfect for it all. Really enjoyed this one.
Frank Zappa
2/5
Forget Beatles vs. Stones, I'm a strong believer that you're either a Beefheart or a Zappa fan, and I'm a Beefheart fan. This isn't awful, it's just got a novelty quotient that is way above my desired level.
The Sabres Of Paradise
1/5
If I was a ghost in this dancehall I'd be fucking pissed.
Little Simz
4/5
Very surprising. I really enjoyed this. Great wordplay and rapping.
Scritti Politti
1/5
This starts out awful, but don't worry, it eventually gets even worse. The score from the Police Academy movies are more interesting than this.
Primal Scream
1/5
Not for me.
Jane's Addiction
3/5
Better than the other album.
Q-Tip
4/5
Exactly what I needed today. Great rhymes, strong beats and a mood that made the day go by a lot more quickly.
Taylor Swift
2/5
I don't hate this, it just has no soul.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
1/5
Jesus fuck. I have zero patience for this shit.
David Bowie
5/5
Imagine turning your impending death into an artistic project? Bowie did, and it is incredible. Mine would probably just be a video of me curled into the fetal position screaming "I want to live!"
Fred Neil
3/5
This was fine. I enjoyed hearing the original version of Everybody's Talkin'.
Milton Nascimento
3/5
Yeah, this is pretty good. I hope they aren't singing about naughty things...
Stan Getz
4/5
Well, wasn't that totally lovely?
Little Richard
5/5
Nothing fucks as hard as Little Richard. What does it fuck, you ask? ANYTHING IT WANTS.
The Velvet Underground
5/5
This used to be my least favorite of the original 4 VU albums, but I think it has actually become my favorite with time.
Lou Reed is at the height of his powers without much of the ego that would later consume his work, John Cale is still in the band, and adding so much odd brilliance. The guitar work from Lou and Sterling are excellent, and Mo's drumming is minimalist and perfect for the songs.
Oh, and Sister Ray might be a perfect song.
Grizzly Bear
1/5
Soulless indie rock for the kind of people who buy the record to put on their wall, not to listen to it.
Ghostface Killah
4/5
Great samples, silly skits, Wu-Tang is forever.
Nick Drake
4/5
Well, now I'm depressed. And want to buy a new car for some reason.
Ryan Adams
3/5
Five stars for the album, one star for the human behind it. Split the difference.
Brian Eno
5/5
Eno goes ambient and I'm here for it. This is like Bowie on sleeping pills, where he nods out for half the songs and it is just instrumental soundscapes. I love it.
Paul McCartney
2/5
What a fuckin' snooze.
The Black Keys
4/5
Better than 99% of what was coming out at this time, and anything influenced by Junior Kimbrough and RL Burnside is a-okay with me. Still, a little one-note for my tastes, but there are some real bangers on here nonetheless.
Eminem
3/5
My best friend in high school refused to listen to anything else other than this album for a year after it came out. Needless to say (and much like the tuna sandwiches I had for lunch every single day in grade school) I'm okay if I never experience it again, even all these years later. Still, based on memory its a pretty good album. I liked the first one better.
Elliott Smith
5/5
I love this album, but try not to assign me this type of shit around the holidays, please? I'm looking at old pictures in the attic and crying like Chevy Chase in Christmas Vacation.
Pulp
2/5
I guess I hate hardcore now...
Animal Collective
1/5
Can something be both boring and offensive to your sensibilities? If you are unsure, check out this piece of shit.
The Byrds
3/5
Half of this album rules. The other half is hopelessly mired in the worst instincts of the 1960s. I like the half that doesn't suck.
The Jam
5/5
Hell yeah! It feels like cheating when you get an album that you already love, but it makes for a great morning. Nothing to add that hasn't already been said about this LP, other than to enjoy it!
Youssou N'Dour
4/5
You could absolutely fuck to this.
Marilyn Manson
1/5
I didn't expect to dig this as much as I did. I'll admit, I had preconceived notions about what this would sound like based on my knowledge of Marilyn Manson, as well as from the album cover, but when I put it on I was blown away.
Through a wall of distorted guitar that soon dissipated, I hear the frentic upstroke of clean, treble-soaked guitar. A tortured howl soon gives way to a gentle, but enthusiastic "pick it up" repeated three times, and the horns come in to bring the song up a notch in energy.
I'm not too into labels, but I guess you would call this 3rd wave(?) ska. But whatever you want to call it, by the third song (the one about hitting the mall with your friends on a Sunday morning) I was a full convert. Not sure what all the controversy is about, this album was a good, fun time - perfect for uplifting your mood on a dreary day.
1/5
I found it difficult (but not impossible) to finish to this.
Antony and the Johnsons
4/5
This was incredible. Beautiful vocals, really subtle yet moving music. Big fan of this album.
The Allman Brothers Band
3/5
Duane Allman was a spectacular guitarist. And the rest of the band also really knew their way around their instruments. And some of these songs are excellent. They'd be even more excellent if each one didn't need to showcase how GOOD the band is at playing their instruments. I really hate jam bands, and this may not fall neatly into that category, but all of the poor instincts are there.
Brian Eno
5/5
I'm a simple art dork. I see an Eno record and I hit the 5 button.
Arcade Fire
2/5
This is the whitest shit I have ever heard.
Alice Cooper
5/5
Not even my favorite Alice Cooper Group album (that would be Love it to Death), but fucking hell if this isn't awesome.
The Flaming Lips
5/5
I really love this album.
Turbonegro
5/5
One of the best intro songs ever, which leads into one of the best butt-rock punk albums of all time. Leave it to the Norwegians to completely nail the concept that first-wave NYC punk bands like the Dictators started. I want this album played at my funeral.