509
Albums Rated
3.56
Average Rating
47%
Complete
580 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
How you rate albums
Rating Timeline
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Ratings by Decade
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When do you listen?
Taste Profile
2010s
Favorite Decade
Soul
Favorite Genre
other
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
115
5-Star Albums
16
1-Star Albums
Taste Analysis
Genre Preferences
Ratings by genre
Origin Preferences
Ratings by country
Rating Style
You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phaedra | 5 | 2.73 | +2.27 |
| Yeezus | 5 | 2.77 | +2.23 |
| Roots | 5 | 2.78 | +2.22 |
| 69 Love Songs | 5 | 2.85 | +2.15 |
| Fred Neil | 5 | 2.93 | +2.07 |
| The Dreaming | 5 | 2.96 | +2.04 |
| Sister | 5 | 3.02 | +1.98 |
| Water From An Ancient Well | 5 | 3.04 | +1.96 |
| Heartattack And Vine | 5 | 3.07 | +1.93 |
| You're Living All Over Me | 5 | 3.08 | +1.92 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Band | 1 | 3.37 | -2.37 |
| Being There | 1 | 3.22 | -2.22 |
| Screamadelica | 1 | 3.17 | -2.17 |
| Trans Europe Express | 1 | 3.15 | -2.15 |
| Tuesday Night Music Club | 1 | 3.05 | -2.05 |
| Germfree Adolescents | 1 | 3.04 | -2.04 |
| The Man Who | 1 | 3.01 | -2.01 |
| Giant Steps | 1 | 2.88 | -1.88 |
| In Rainbows | 2 | 3.84 | -1.84 |
| Vanishing Point | 1 | 2.82 | -1.82 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Bob Dylan | 5 | 4.6 |
| R.E.M. | 4 | 4.75 |
| Leonard Cohen | 4 | 4.75 |
| Jimi Hendrix | 3 | 5 |
| Beatles | 8 | 4.25 |
| Led Zeppelin | 5 | 4.4 |
| David Bowie | 8 | 4.13 |
| Johnny Cash | 2 | 5 |
| Fleetwood Mac | 2 | 5 |
| Rush | 2 | 5 |
| Pink Floyd | 2 | 5 |
| Sonic Youth | 2 | 5 |
| Aretha Franklin | 2 | 5 |
| Willie Nelson | 2 | 5 |
| The Kinks | 4 | 4.25 |
| Neil Young | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Primal Scream | 2 | 1 |
Controversial Artists
Artists you rate inconsistently
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Nick Drake | 2, 5 |
| Madonna | 1, 4 |
| The Band | 1, 4 |
| Kraftwerk | 1, 4 |
| The White Stripes | 4, 2, 5 |
5-Star Albums (115)
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Popular Reviews
The Rolling Stones
3/5
I’m surprised that I’m giving this such a low rating, but even though I liked the style, there wasn’t really anything that grabbed me.
2 likes
The Pretty Things
4/5
I’m not sure quite how to rate this. It has a lot going for it that I enjoy. But I listened to it in headphones, and the stereo was shockingly bad. I almost quit on that alone. I think if I’d listened to it in mono I would have probably loved it. So, I’m not sure how to rate it: High because of the potential, or low because of the actual?
This is already one of my longest reviews and I’ve said actually nothing. Fine. I’ll go with a four and call it good.
1 likes
Nirvana
4/5
Insanely catchy. Half the album’s already classics that play on every rock station, which I didn’t know, never having gotten into Nirvana. I thought that maybe they’d had a series of albums that all had a hit- nope. This could be a greatest hits album with how stuffed full of classics it is.
1 likes
1-Star Albums (16)
All Ratings
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Elbow
5/5
David Bowie
4/5
The Stone Roses
5/5
R.E.M.
5/5
Beatles
3/5
Van Morrison
5/5
Booker T. & The MG's
3/5
Santana
4/5
Ice T
4/5
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Pretenders
3/5
Rahul Dev Burman
2/5
Traffic
2/5
Johnny Cash
5/5
Roni Size
4/5
Frank Sinatra
4/5
Nas
5/5
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
Peter Frampton
3/5
I listened to it yesterday, and thought I’d be giving it a four. But not that I’m sitting down to rate it, I can’t remember a bleedin lick of the damn thing. Not that memorable, I guess.
Pixies
5/5
I went on a rollercoaster with this album- which is surprising, given that it’s only 33 minutes.
I love this album. I listened to it twice. But I almost didn’t finish it at all because, in the first listen, I hated the first two tracks. They sounded ugly. And while God loves ugly, I just wasn’t in the mood. I also couldn’t take the first two tracks because, whenever they sing about bones, all I could think of was that Tim Robinson where he sing about the day all the skeletons came to life. It’s a funny sketch; if you haven’t seen I Think You Should Leave, please do. So, those first two tracks were ugly and I was fighting back laughter the whole time. Not a great start.
But the rest of the album was banger after banger and it left me wanting more, which is why I jumped right back in. Hadn’t heard it before and it is probably my favorite album so far.
The Notorious B.I.G.
2/5
The Beach Boys
3/5
David Bowie
3/5
It only gets this high a rating because I could listen to the last four tracks forever. The rest of it is completely ignorable. I think if someone else made this, some rando instead of Bowie, it doesn’t get listed here.
New York Dolls
4/5
Cheap Trick
3/5
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
5/5
I guess I got a type; this is the second album I listened to twice back-to-back. The first was Surfer Rosa.
Tracy Chapman
4/5
Electric Light Orchestra
4/5
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Alice Cooper
3/5
Malcolm McLaren
3/5
Thelonious Monk
5/5
Not an expert of jazz, don’t know much about it at all, but this is basically what I imagine when you say jazz.
Rush
5/5
My wife’s favorite album from her favorite band. We have Fly By Night framed on the wall and Neil Peart quotes in her band’s classroom. The impact Rush has had on my life through their impact on her is huge. Even if I were inclined to try for ‘objective’ ratings, with this band, I could not.
Nick Drake
2/5
The Everly Brothers
3/5
Why listen to this when Buddy Holly exists?
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
4/5
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
Jethro Tull
5/5
Barry Adamson
4/5
The Kinks
4/5
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Black Sabbath
3/5
Pretenders
3/5
Tom Waits
4/5
X-Ray Spex
1/5
Lmao what? Nah.
M.I.A.
3/5
Miles Davis
5/5
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
I’ve never listened to Neil Young before. This album told me that there’s probably an album of his out there that I would love. Just not this one.
GZA
4/5
Pulp
3/5
Jurassic 5
5/5
This is the style of hip-hop I can listen to forever.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Mesmerizing. Transportive.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
4/5
Weather Report
3/5
I’ll just copy+paste my thoughts from another thread:
“I had a weird experience with Weather Report, where my estimation of the album declined in retrospect: I listened to it on Spotify, and liked it well enough, but was surprised it was such a long album, so I checked how much was left- it had ended eight songs ago! Spotify had started an automatic playlist of similar songs. So similar, in fact, that I couldn’t tell any of the artists apart. I don’t know if this is a Seinfeld situation, where Weather Report sounds generic because they had massive influence, but realizing that half the songs I liked weren’t even Weather Report- and I couldn’t tell the difference- made me judge it a little bit harder.”
Thin Lizzy
3/5
Started off strong, captured the feeling of a live show quite well. Overstayed its welcome.
Dolly Parton
5/5
Wonderfully charming.
The Strokes
4/5
Solid album, great musicians. I would have liked to have been able to understand the vocals a bit more.
The Pretty Things
4/5
I’m not sure quite how to rate this. It has a lot going for it that I enjoy. But I listened to it in headphones, and the stereo was shockingly bad. I almost quit on that alone. I think if I’d listened to it in mono I would have probably loved it. So, I’m not sure how to rate it: High because of the potential, or low because of the actual?
This is already one of my longest reviews and I’ve said actually nothing. Fine. I’ll go with a four and call it good.
Dolly Parton
3/5
Perfectly fine. I just couldn’t engage it as anything more than background music.
Rufus Wainwright
4/5
What a pretty voice. Tremendous control over his instrument.
Queen
5/5
Third album to get repeat listens. This is also one of the few albums I knew going into this project. Even the songs with which I am overfamiliar because they play on every rock station ad nauseam- cough, Bohemian Rhapsody- don’t become less magnificent because of that familiarity. I love this album like Roger loves his car.
Jimmy Smith
4/5
Easy listening. I will return to this, I’m sure.
The United States Of America
3/5
Had stuff going for it, but it was very uneven. Some songs I couldn’t stand. Some were catchy. I definitely didn’t enjoy this one enough to revisit.
Tina Turner
2/5
I wanted to like this more, and Tina Turner is a force, but the rest of it really left me flat.
Sigur Rós
5/5
This is right up my alley.
Isaac Hayes
5/5
Paul McCartney and Wings
3/5
Paul Simon
2/5
Aural celery. The moment it ended, I forgot everything about it and hungered for real food.
The War On Drugs
4/5
Prince
4/5
Just listened and am now pregnant.
Alanis Morissette
4/5
Passions of youth carry this album to greatness. Sounds dated, because it is, but it transcends the mid-90s artifacts that threaten to drown it.
Nirvana
4/5
Insanely catchy. Half the album’s already classics that play on every rock station, which I didn’t know, never having gotten into Nirvana. I thought that maybe they’d had a series of albums that all had a hit- nope. This could be a greatest hits album with how stuffed full of classics it is.
Pentangle
3/5
Indebted to the artifacts of its era in much the same way that Private Dancer was, and much to similar flat effect. I just happen to like folk more than drum machines, so an extra star.
Fairport Convention
3/5
I enjoyed the vibe and will probably keep that Matty song available.
The Who
5/5
Gosh golly that was an ambitious album, wasn’t it? There were moments where the musicality felt genuinely timeless, like a piece of classical music.
Kendrick Lamar
5/5
Damn.
The Police
5/5
Fourth album to get back-to-back listens.
Pere Ubu
3/5
I’m glad I l heard this, though I’m not sure I can say that I enjoyed this. I take that back- I did enjoy this, and there were enough experimental and creative moments that it kept me engaged throughout. It felt like it was made with a proper punk ethos, which I respect, though this was genrefied as post-punk. Was punk already dead in ‘78?
Billy Bragg
3/5
Like a British Woody Guthrie. I liked it.
Richard Thompson
3/5
I rolled my eyes when I saw yet another British folk album and, before I even heard it, I decided I was going to give this album a one-star review as a sort of protest vote. Sorry Richard Thompson, nothing personal, you’re just the wrong album at the wrong time. Three folk albums in one week? Are you kidding me? 1001 flavors of folk, is that what we’re doing? Aren’t there more genres than British folk and British rock? Good luck telling that to the dudes who made this list.
So that’s where I started with this album.
But it got a three. It won me over even through my folk fatigue. I thought the duo’s voices were perfectly complimentary, the songs were folksy charming, and that it didn’t outstay its welcome. If I had gotten it fresh out of the oven, instead of getting it as the third folk album this week, I probably would have given it a higher rating.
From this list, so far, this is probably my favorite album that I will never listen to again.
Hugh Masekela
5/5
Transports me to a smoky jazz club, puts a whiskey on the rocks in front of me, and a cigar in my hand. I could stay in this club all night.
David Bowie
4/5
Quite good.
Alice Cooper
4/5
I’m surprised by how good this album was, given how little I liked the other Alice Cooper album. Billion Dollar Babies? Not gonna look it up, but I think that was it. This one was dynamic, creative. I enjoyed and didn’t expect the bluesy, jazzy, soulful elements.
The Young Gods
3/5
It was interesting, and for that I am grateful. I’d rather listen to an interesting misfire than a too-safe nothingburger.
I don’t know how to feel about this album. It did not entrance me like one of the great albums, but I am relistening to Les Enfants right now. There’s maybe something to this album, maybe even something special, but I don’t think I caught it in my first listen and I don’t know if I care enough to search for it.
I think this album probably deserves a deeper review after it has time to digest, rather than a review on first-taste.
Air
3/5
My least favorite Air album. It is a soundtrack and feels like it- by which I mean, background noise. Le Voyage Dans La Lune, 10000 HZ Legend, and Moon Safari are all better albums by the same band.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
3/5
Black Sabbath
4/5
Pretty freaking good.
Madonna
1/5
I laughed, I cried, I pissed myself.
A placeholder album. Low-effort, I’m-it-for-the-paycheck energy
I went and listened to Madvillainy upon finishing this one, just so that the day’s listening wasn’t a waste.
The Cars
5/5
Fifth album I listened to on repeat.
Burning Spear
3/5
Very fine music with a great Rasta attitude.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
Except for Kashmir, I’ll just listen to Les Zeppelin IV if I get the urge to toss an a Led Zeppelin album. So I liked this, but probably won’t revisit.
Pink Floyd
5/5
This gets real close to being perfect.
James Brown
5/5
Best live album I’ve heard?
Screaming Trees
3/5
Solid album. Nothing really stood out to me, but they were varied and creative and I liked that.
Hole
3/5
Solid. I didn’t feel strongly about it one way or the other.
Sufjan Stevens
4/5
I love these song titles.
Michael Jackson
4/5
My first listen of this album. I need to give it another listen later when I’m healthy, because I am seriously congested right now and my left ear is all stopped up. I could tell there were sounds I should be hearing, but wasn’t.
Kings of Leon
3/5
There wasn’t anything wrong with the album, per se, but I kept trying to figure out what the secret sauce was that earned it a spot on the list and, man, I just couldn’t find it.
The Soft Boys
3/5
I don’t know how I felt about this album. Whilst trying to quantify a rating, I’ve ranged from two stars all the way up to four stars. Maybe I need another listen to solidify my thoughts, but my reviews are basically all off the cuff reactions, so I’ll put three stars and be done with it.
Bert Jansch
2/5
The underdog success story behind the album is surely laudable. but I think that I don’t quite connect with this gentleman’s artistry. I read that he was also involved with Pentangle, and that album also left me cold.
The Isley Brothers
4/5
That was a super solid album.
Van Halen
5/5
I grew up on these songs, so that probably influences me a bit, but all the parts just fit together so well! The swagger of the lead vocals, the virtuoso guitar, everything about this is confident and powerful and works together to make a superb hard rock album.
Astrud Gilberto
3/5
Comfortable and pleasing as a cool breeze. Over just as quickly. Sticks in the memory just as much.
Soft Machine
4/5
I don’t have much to say about this one. I liked it and can see myself putting it on again sometime.
Talvin Singh
3/5
I liked it, and even bobbed my head to a couple of songs, but overall, it felt to me like a rough framework of what was to come later with acts like Shpongle and Entheogenic.
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
I’ll always applaud an ambitious artist, but it’s rare that the ability rises to the level of the ambition. Even rarer when the level of ambition is this high.
I’d only heard the singles, so I didn’t know the range of the whole album. It’s crunchy, sometimes. It’s melodic, sometimes. A gamut of emotions, all beautifully expressed.
Van Halen
3/5
Hearing this so recently after their self-titled, I’m struck by how more “of its era” this album felt. The first was a swaggering proclamation. Except for the songs Jump, Panama, and I’ll Wait, I don’t feel like they jump to those same height.
Steve Earle
2/5
I’m not too versed in country, but this sounded like pretty standard fare. I don’t entirely understand its inclusion.
Elvis Presley
4/5
It’s taken me a while to get over the idea that Elvis is my grandma’s music- though it literally is, she would play it all the time- but I’m glad I did because he’s pretty goshdarned good.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Paint It Black was my ringtone back in high school. It’s high on my list of rock songs. The rest of the album is solid. I have always loved the bluesy rock.
Neil Young
4/5
I listened to this while driving alone on an empty desert highway, and I cannot recommend that experience highly enough. I think that is the ideal listening situation for this album.
The Smiths
3/5
Yeah, good.
Metallica
4/5
Man, this was so close to being a masterpiece.
William Orbit
3/5
This was entirely fine, with moments of really good. On balance, it’s fine.
The Electric Prunes
2/5
I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night was good, but…
Beatles
3/5
I already got this album, back before I joined a listening group.
Beastie Boys
4/5
Good music, a lot more range than you might give them credit for if you only knew the big hits.
Moby
3/5
It’s weird that this review is taking this path, but it is, so oh well- there were mouth sounds in the spoken words bits on some of the songs. This bothered me. You’d think that there would be some kind of quality control. But I definitely heard lip-smacks and suchlike, and I don’t wanna hear lip-smacks and suchlike. Drink some applejuice or something, eh? I also don’t understand people who are into mouth sounds as ASMR. Or really, any ASMR. It puts me on edge, but people think it’s relaxing? What? If I’m gonna listen to something I wanna, you know, listen to it. I think that ASMR broaches the liminal aurally. It’s also kinda voyeuristic, no? IDK- I hate ASMR and don’t wanna hear mouth sounds.
South Side was good though.
The Black Keys
3/5
Solid straight ahead rock. I would love to listen to this in a medium-sized venue, kinda intimate atmosphere, but entirely understand why their arena tour fizzled.
Leonard Cohen
5/5
Immaculate songwriting perfectly complimented by minimalist production.
Funkadelic
5/5
This album made me dance across the house Sunday morning and also made me realize how few albums on this list, at least so far, have made me stop what am doing and just be in the groove. This was one of them.
Cream
3/5
Perhaps Cream’s reputation was impossible to match, but this was my first listen to Cream, and after years of hearing praise get heaped on them, I did expect more. Sunshine of Your Love and SWLABR lived up to the hype, but the rest of the album left me cold. Again, I think it’s due to the overhype- if I’d listened to them without preamble, then I might have been able to listen without my guard up, but I came in ready for A Masterpiece and got a good album. Perhaps they deserve a relisten at some point so that I can judge them on their own merits. Nah.
The Jam
3/5
That bass player was going for it! He leads the album off and I could never take my ears off him after that.
The Teardrop Explodes
3/5
I think that this era of post-punk doesn’t really grab me the way I would hope. Nothing wrong with this album, but nothing for me to hold onto.
The Magnetic Fields
5/5
I went into this day of listening already mad at the album for being so fucking long- three hours of love songs? WTF is that shit? I almost even let this be the first album I skipped- I was gonna give it a one and say, “Fuck you Magnetic Fields, hire an editor next time, you cheap bastards. Why not just take the twelve best out of the lot and make a normal album?”
Well, that question never gets answered. And even with everything else I’m writing, I still think they should’ve just picked the twelve best and made a normal album. But, I had a long, boring project to do at work and thought, “Well, shit. I’m gonna listen to three hours of music anyway. Might as well be the album of the day.”
I am glad I did.
First off, I hadn’t heard of them before, but I love his voice. I love Bass vocalists, like that cat from Type O-Negative. Which is good, because you couldn’t make it through an album of this length if you don’t like the voice. Even still, I think it was smart to bring in so many guest vocalists, if only for variety’s sake. And variety it had! All sorts of different types of love were written about, and they were written about in so many different styles and arrangements. They managed to keep it fresh for me the whole time. First time I checked how much time was left, I was already almost done with Disc Two! I thought they managed to keep it all moving along quite well.
The realization that the maniacs were pulling it off- they were making a three-hour long album that I was happy to hear- pulls it up to a five, just because I’m wowed at the achievement.
Having said that, having said all of this, I couldn’t tell you a bleeding single out of here after disc one because that’s when it all started to blur. Just like how you can binge a show, enjoy it all, but not really know what happened in which episode because you didn’t experience it in episodes, you experienced it as a whole construct. This is the five-star album I am least likely to revisit as a whole. It earns it for being such a special achievement, but I’ll still be happy whenever any of these songs come on my shuffle.
And I still think that Magnetic Fields should have hired an editor, the cheap bastards.
The Band
1/5
Entirely forgettable. This can’t be their big hit, can it?
The Cure
4/5
Absolutely the best album for marinating in your own sadness.
3/5
Pretty enjoyable.
American Music Club
2/5
Portishead
3/5
Marvin Gaye
5/5
The Doors
4/5
The Doors
3/5
Roxy Music
3/5
Minor Threat
2/5
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
3/5
XTC
4/5
Bob Dylan
5/5
The xx
3/5
Elliott Smith
4/5
I think this is going to be like the Nick Drake album we got a while ago, by which I mean that it will get better the longer it gets to marinate.
Black Sabbath
5/5
Greatness. I loved that it wasn’t so far removed from root rock or jazz, you can feel those influences in this album. This is the font from which all metal flows, and it is awesome.
The Darkness
4/5
Man, I had this CD in the car for a while. It’s not deep, it’s not a masterpiece, but boy is it entertaining. The best hair metal of the 2000s?
New Order
4/5
Good music.
Frank Zappa
3/5
It was good… but a bit noodly, no?
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
4/5
Not a discerning jazz listener. It’s all good to me.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
I’m surprised that I’m giving this such a low rating, but even though I liked the style, there wasn’t really anything that grabbed me.
Peter Gabriel
5/5
I thought this was pretty much a perfect album. From the songwriting, to the musicianship, production- everything is done to such a high level. Not to mention- it was a damn fun listen, to boot.
Throbbing Gristle
3/5
Not nearly as offensive to the ears as this website’s consensus would have you believe. After the first song, anyway. I liked some of the ideas in this album, even if they didn’t quite pull all of them off.
Coldcut
3/5
Earth, Wind & Fire
4/5
My random connection to Earth, Wind & Fire- my wife taught music to Philip Bailey’s son.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
I liked the start of the album, but then… I don’t know. My interest waned and by the end I didn’t care. Solid musicality throughout, however.
Primal Scream
1/5
I tried listening to this album three different times, because I wanted to give it a fair shake and thought maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for it. Three days, three tries, zero listens. Whatever it is that is in this album, I can’t say, all I can say is it bounces off me entirely and this is the first album I didn’t complete
Lynyrd Skynyrd
4/5
They went long on a lot of their songs, didn’t they? Even the classics aren’t unassailable- they could probably all be cut down by 25% and be fine. Having said that, exemplary rockers who defined their subgenre entirely.
2Pac
2/5
It isn’t bad, I don’t think, but I’m not getting into it. I also didn’t rate Ready to Die, so maybe I just don’t like this era of the genre?
Foo Fighters
3/5
Loved the drums. Loved the singles. The rest was good, solid, straight-ahead hard rock. Solid album.
5/5
I’ve never wanted to give a 4.5 more than I do here. On the one hand, changed the game, amazing production, tra-la-la. On the other, a lot of it was…fine. Filler tracks. On the other-other hand, we are clearly listening to the work of a master, especially with the intro, out to, and Day In The Life.
The great parts catch me, the twee parts bore me, it’s got a great legacy, put all that in a blender and… I’ll give it a four-and-a-half, then round up in deference to the landmark achievement that is this album.
Culture Club
4/5
This is the first album in a minute that made me want to get up and dance. And though I hadn’t heard it before, I *loved* Church of the Poison Mind. I think I’ll work a few of these songs into my regular rotation.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
I don’t know if this makes any sense, but during my listen, I had the thought, “These guys believe in monsters.” Like, there’s something lurking just outside of the music? That element of the music did give me a thrill. Besides Killing Moon, however, I’m not sure I’ll be revisiting this album.
Morrissey
3/5
This was fine music, but I found myself annoyed with the singer.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
I liked every part right up until the last two songs; they just didn’t grab my attention.
Neil Young
4/5
In my first Neil Young review, I wrote that even though I didn’t particularly like that album, it showed me that there was probably a Neil Young album that I would like. I think that is this album.
4/5
I like Dylan’s songwriting. I like the way it flipped from acoustic to electric halfway through the album. It brought energy and renewed my attentions.
I think there were some songs in here that found Dylan indulging in his worst habits, lyrically, the habits that get caricatured in pop culture; the rambling, pseudo-insightful nonsense imagery. I’m about that, for the record, so this isn’t a criticism. I quite like when artists have some pretension.
Beck
3/5
This was a very uneven album, but full of creativity and flair. There were some songs I hated, some songs I really enjoyed, and I think I recognized one or two of them. I can’t say I’d recommend this album to anyone, however, and I know I won’t listen to it again.
Doves
3/5
Good music-making, but whatever audio effects they were doing to the vocals were simply distracting and garbled the lyrics, which is unfortunate, because the few times they just led their frontman sing were the few songs I really got into.
David Bowie
4/5
Heroes is a great song, and most of the album is good. I can’t think of a single song I disliked, and I know I’ll relisten to this album. It just falls this side of a rounding error short of being a five star.
Bob Dylan
5/5
I don’t think this is one of Mr. Dylan’s big hits. I don’t recognize any of the songs, at the least. Nevertheless, this is my favorite of his albums from the list so far. He doesn’t drift too far abstract in his imagery, which is something that I felt plagued the previous album. Just straightforward and earnest.
Madonna
4/5
Idk Madonna’s work outside of her hits. The only other album of hers I’ve heard is that soulless cashgrab country album that I gave a one-star review. This doesn’t feel as I would have expected a Madonna album to feel, but I really like it.
The White Stripes
4/5
Bare bones, straightahead garage rock without flares or frippery. I think that if you disliked the overall style, this album would be a slog, because they don’t demonstrate much breadth. Fortunately, I like the style.
Van Morrison
3/5
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
I avoided Bob Marley for the longest time because, for the longest time, the only people I knew who listened to Bob Marley were the white stoners from college who had just moved from the suburbs, who pretended that Rastafarianism was like some funny Jamaican Buddhism (but better because Rastas toked), and had mass-produced Che Guevara posters on their walls. I avoided, well, I avoided anything that crowd liked, honestly, so I skipped Mr. Marley.
I wish I had heard this sooner. I think that it could have been a foundational album for me in my youth, what with its social commentary over solid beats. No Woman No Cry was the big standout for me, but the entire album was solid.
The Allman Brothers Band
3/5
Can I be impressed and bored? Yes, yes I can.
Travis
1/5
This would go perfect, listened to over a bowl of cold porridge. This is mushy peas you forgot in the fridge. Even the singer couldn’t muster up a single shit to give to this album.
“Why does it always rain on me? Is it because I lied when I was seventeen?” No, it’s because you live in Scotland, ya moppy git!
My advice- don’t go at other artists in such a milquetoast way. Say it with your chest if you’re gonna say it at all. All the complaining about Wonderwall just made me realize I hadn’t gotten What’s The Story, Morning Glory? on this project. Looking forward to that. Odelay was also good. This album was not.
The Adverts
3/5
Good, classic punk.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
It has some of my favorite Leonard Cohen songs; it has some of the worst Leonard Cohen songs. I love its minimalism. He doesn’t sound quite confident on a few of the songs, I think.
Stan Getz
5/5
ZZ Top
3/5
It turns out, that La Grange is the only one of my favorite ZZ Top songs that was actually done by ZZ Top; the rest were Lynrd Skynrd songs I’d misattributed to ZZ Top, like Gimme Three Steps. La Grange is surely a classic, and the rest was solid.
Emmylou Harris
4/5
I hadn’t heard of Emmylou Harris before today, but this album convinced me to do a deep dive. I didn’t like every song, which stops it from being five stars, but the ones that I did nearly brought me to tears. At its best, it commanded my attention. I’m excited to learn more about this artist.
TV On The Radio
4/5
Pleasantly surprised by this one. Hadn’t heard of the band, unimpressed by the album cover, and I expected little. It was fun and adventurous. I might even look for more from these men.
Brian Eno
4/5
I quite liked it. Some songs were rather silly, but that made for a fun time.
Muddy Waters
4/5
No connoisseur of blues, me, but I’ve always liked Muddy Waters when I’ve heard him. Is this his quintessential album?
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
It was fine.
The Triffids
2/5
This was whiny in a creepy way, right? There was some interesting imagery in the lyrics, but a lot of it felt actually creepy.
Ice T
4/5
Iron Maiden
4/5
This is not what I expected, but pleasant surprises are ever and always the hope in undertaking this project. I had it in my mind that Iron Maiden was proto-thrash; I expected this to be angry, aggressive, exhausting. This was very complex and cerebral, with operatic references, no less. Also- not the vocalist I knew from the small handful of songs. I had a grand ol’ time, and I look forward to digging more into this bands discography.
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
There were a couple of absolute five-star songs, but besides those, I’m not sure I’d return to this album. But, absolutely top-of-the-class early 90s alt rock.
The Doors
4/5
I loved the bluesy feel here. It didn’t feel like a repeat of their other album I heard, so they were continuing to experiment and grow. Solid throughout.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
I really liked this. I didn’t know this side of Bruce; I pretty much only know his big hits. I was surprised, and realized that this is yet another artist whose heyday was before my time that deserves a deep dive.
Beatles
5/5
I didn’t listen to any Beatles albums before this project. At this point, I have considered each new Beatles album I hear to be the best one I’ve heard. I liked this better than Sgt. Pepper’s, and Sgt. Pepper’s more than Hard Day’s Night. And I like each one leaps and bounds more than the previous. At this rate, Revolver will have to do my taxes or some shit to impress me.
Nitin Sawhney
3/5
Another one that I wouldn’t have sought on my own, and isn’t quite my cuppa, but I’m glad to have heard it. I will always be more receptive to niche genres and interesting misfires than competent-but-complacent albums on this list.
David Bowie
3/5
Bowie has some high heights, and he has Low, but I’d say this is pretty mid.
3/5
I get what the hype. There were a couple of top-notch songs in there. But the second half dragged something awful.
Depeche Mode
5/5
A couple of instant classics for me- songs that I know will go into my regular rotation. Rest of the album was powerful and moody. Loved it
Neil Young
5/5
So I really liked everything about this album. I don’t know if this list gave me some kind of Stockholm about Neil Young or what, but I didn’t mind his voice at all, either. Short and sweet. I don’t have anything to criticize.
The Byrds
3/5
This is entirely fine. I it is very of its era, and that’s not a bad thing, but I don’t think that, for me, it quite rises above the glut of similar bands of that time.
OutKast
4/5
I think I only knew two of these songs. But holy hell do they kick ass. This is two hours- and I don’t think it justifies its runtime, which is what gives it a 4 instead of 5- and there is a breadth of styles and they nail them all. Quite an impressive undertaking.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
Neil Young can be great, but I think he’s very inconsistent. I gave the last album five stars, but this one a three. I think I’ve given him everything but a one-star. There wasn’t anything wrong with this album, per se, but I didn’t get into it.
Sebadoh
2/5
There were some fine songs, but very unfocused and I wouldn’t glance twice at the stage of these guys were playing at a local bar. I’m not sure what about it earns its place on the list.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
I loved this album and didn’t feel like it was nearly as long as it was. I love the vibes. Easy five star for me.
The Cult
3/5
Perfectly serviceable.
Janelle Monáe
5/5
KCK represent! Fortunately, this also just kicks ass on its own. I’m glad I got this on a Friday, because I was able to use the rest of the weekend to listen to the rest of her discography. I don’t know if anything else quite matches this, her debut album, but them’s the brakes sometimes.
David Bowie
5/5
Easy 5-star. Complex, somber. An amazing work and a powerful goodbye.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
3/5
It was fine. It was very good background music.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
So I’ve learned that I like the Bruce Springsteen Sound. I’ll be happy to get any of these songs on a shuffle, but there wasn’t anything about the album as a whole to elevate it.
The Boo Radleys
1/5
I hated every part of this. That last song was like the band was punishing you for having been so foolish as to waste your time on their album.
Arctic Monkeys
4/5
I thought the Arctic Monkeys were one of those virtually interchangeable radio rock bands, but this was a fun album. Maybe my favorite post-2000s rock album yet given from the list.
Massive Attack
4/5
Very enjoyable! I haven’t heard a Massive Attack song I disliked. Maybe no song in particular was a stand out for me, but I really liked the atmosphere it conjured.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
I liked the whole thing. I’ve always liked Nick Cave’s vibe, but never dug too deep. This is more soulful than I’d have imagined.
Flamin' Groovies
3/5
The Flying Burrito Brothers
3/5
Duke Ellington
3/5
I liked it, but I’m unlikely to revisit it.
Rush
5/5
This might be Rush at their leanest, most straight-ahead rock and roll. I love Rush at all stages of their career. Easy fiver for me.
Gil Scott-Heron
3/5
Röyksopp
2/5
It was fun, but for the most part it faded into the background for me.
The Icarus Line
1/5
I enjoyed nothing about this album. Even the songs that were good underneath all the garbage noise were, well, buried in garbage noise. Doesn’t deserve the slot. Good album artwork though.
Björk
3/5
I liked it well enough and suspect it should’ve gotten more of my attention than I was willing to spare.
Michael Jackson
5/5
I mean, it’s Michael Jackson, yeah?
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
3/5
I liked each individual song and believe I will be happily surprised by any of them coming on my Spotify random, but this album was two straight hours of bluegrass, which puts my lifetime total of bluegrass listening somewhere around two hours, and didn’t inspire me to seek out more bluegrass.
Abdullah Ibrahim
5/5
This is the kind of album I get excited about- it comes from a part of the world of which I am wholly unexposed, it is awesome, and also it reminded how much I like jazz.
I wish we got more worldwide exposure on this list. I (probably) like the standard rock that makes it onto this list as much as the next guy, but I think this project is at its best when it is expanding horizons and forging bridges.
R.E.M.
5/5
I liked the average song from this album less than I liked the average song from Automatic For the People, but I think that the best songs on this album are better than the best songs on Automatic For the People.
Beck
4/5
A lot of my favorite Beck songs are on this album, it turns out.
Dire Straits
3/5
Coming into this album, the only song I’d heard was Sultans of Swing. Leaving this album, the only song I can remember is Sultans of Swing.
Robert Wyatt
2/5
I appreciated that it was incentive, but nothing about it grabbed me.
G. Love & Special Sauce
2/5
I feel my review is unfair, and that I should try to review this album on its own merits instead of comparing it to others, but I just felt like this was a knock-off Soul Coughing.
Aerosmith
2/5
I was just really not into this one. I acknowledge that they are very talented, but song after song about how sexily he wanted to sex her sex with his sex was wearying.
Bob Dylan
4/5
I didn’t like it as much as Blood on the Tracks, but I think I’m just overall a Dylan fan.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
I really expected to like this more than I did. The only song I knew of his was Peace Love & Understanding, and I like this song. I just kind of kept forgetting that I was listening to this album, unfortunately.
Tangerine Dream
5/5
I love this style of music. I could listen to this forever.
Bebel Gilberto
3/5
I don’t know anything about Samba but I enjoyed this a lot and would happily toss it on in the background.
1/5
Bad luck for the band that their stars got hitched to Durst. The music would consistently engage me, until Durst started singing. The band was good, the Durst was suck.
Beatles
5/5
The stretch of songs that open the album on through Happiness is a Warm Gun might be the finest sequence of songs assembled. They even have banging weirdo shit like Revolution 9. I’m frankly amazed that The Beatles are the most hyped-up band of all time, and yet I’m still being blown away again and again.
Cocteau Twins
4/5
I liked this one a lot. It’s quiet and atmospheric. I could probably put this on anywhere.
Slayer
4/5
It’s thrash; one of those genres where you’re in, or you’re not. I’m in.
Brian Eno
4/5
I really like Brian Eno.
Destiny's Child
2/5
They are very talented, but I think Destiny’s Child is a “greatest hits only” kind of band for me.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
4/5
Maybe it’s only nostalgia, since this was one of the CDs that my sister played on repeat back when we were kids, but this is my favorite RHCP album.
David Bowie
5/5
I haven’t heard every Bowie album, but this is near the top three of the list.
Sidenote- it’s wild how some artists are so overrepresented on this list that you can create ranked sublists of just their albums.
Stereolab
2/5
Very Muzak. Entirely too long.
Crowded House
3/5
Hadn’t heard of this band. Quite pleasant, though nothing about this album really lingered in my mind afterwards.
The Kinks
3/5
Totally fine.
Air
4/5
I’ll definitely revisit this.
Franz Ferdinand
3/5
I liked it, and they are talented, but I’m not sure if I would return to it.
George Harrison
5/5
This was, by a wide margin, my favorite of the post-Beatles albums from one of the Beatles alum. I listened to the recent-ish remaster that clocked in at around two hours with alternate versions and second takes, and it still didn’t overstay its welcome.
Solomon Burke
3/5
Entirely fine, but nothing stuck with me.
Gang Of Four
5/5
First album in a long time that made me wanna dance with it.
5/5
This would’ve been my pick for “favorite album of all time” even before starting this project. Nothing I’ve heard changed that opinion. Gotta be on the shortlist for greatest album of all time.
Wilco
3/5
It was fine!
Motörhead
3/5
I liked Ace of Spades, but I was surprised at the lack of variety. Most of the other songs felt very similar to Ace of Spades.
Fishbone
2/5
I just couldn’t get into it.
4/5
Blur
3/5
Pretty standard rock of it’s time. I’ve heard Song 2 entirely too many times.
Kanye West
3/5
I just kinda struggled to get excited about this one, unfortunately. Even when I was impressed, I wasn’t really interested.
Thundercat
4/5
I thought it went a little bit too long, but I liked the energy.
Sonic Youth
5/5
This has to be close to the platonic ideal of noisy rock, right? They make a whole atmosphere and soundscape out of noise that never quite stops being rock.
R.E.M.
4/5
I always forget how much I like REM!
Wu-Tang Clan
5/5
What is there to say? An iconic album that lives up to the hype in every way. Greatness across the album.
The Smiths
5/5
I didn’t like Meat is Murder because the lead singer was annoying, though I acknowledged it demonstrated good musicianship. I think this is all of the good parts of that album cranked up, and all of the annoying parts removed. This was rock-solid.
The Black Crowes
5/5
I might be stuck looking back at this album with nostalgic lenses, but this whole album got mad radio play when I was a kid. I didn’t know these were all from the same album, but I was just about able to sing along with the whole thing. A surprisingly fun trip down memory lane.
Various Artists
5/5
I don’t know man, maybe I’m just in the right mood to be receptive, but this is the fourth five star in a row. Totally different genres and vibes. I liked this a lot. It is a collection of old standards, so it isn’t breaking new ground that way, but most of these are still the definitive version you hear on the radio all these decades later.
Megadeth
5/5
This has to be approaching the apotheosis of the genre, right?
Fela Kuti
5/5
Easiest five star of my life. It always happens with jazz man, I can’t control it- I just started grooving along, stopped what I was doing and danced. Take me away, Fela Kuti!
The Cure
3/5
Nothing wrong with it, nothing at all, but it was mostly background-level for me this time around.
The Velvet Underground
3/5
They gave us Lou Reed, so I love them for that, but there were only a couple of songs that I thought stood above their peers. I recall that they inspired a lot of bands. Maybe they’re a victim of their own success?
Leonard Cohen
5/5
It isn’t often that the songs of this project make me tear up, and it could just be the emotional place I’m in with a baby on the way next week, but I teared up a few times, most especially with Take This Waltz. Loved it.
Big Star
4/5
I was very happily surprised by this album. I hadn’t heard of them, but I guess I knew that one song because it’s on That 70s Show. Solid jams all the way through.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Just a master musician. I’m not sure what I can say about Jimi that hasn’t already been said.
Dusty Springfield
3/5
She’s got a very unique and pretty voice. I usually listen to these albums in private- or maybe on headphones so it doesn’t disturb anyone- but this time I listened to it with my wife, and she described the voice as sensual. I can get down with that description.
I had a lovely listening time with this album and have nary a negative thing to say, but the only song I knew walking in was Son of a Preacher Man, and that was also the only song I can recall walking out. So I don’t think I can give it higher than three stars.
Liz Phair
3/5
Powerful and strong. But funny and playful, I thought. Perhaps in a way that those following in her wake aren’t.
Jeff Buckley
4/5
Dynamic and engaging. Incredible range.
Beatles
5/5
This might be the weakest five I’ve ever given. Overall, it was creative and artistic without a bad song, unassailable on that front, but I found myself slightly underwhelmed in comparison to the other albums by The Beatles. I was about to give it a 4, but no album that has Eleanor Rigby could be less than a 5.
Kanye West
4/5
Not my style, but I thought it was undeniable in sound and production. Kanye West is a force as a producer, but only adequate as an MC. I think his talents outshine his boringly self-centered lyrics and average mic work to make a very impressive album.
The White Stripes
2/5
The first part was solid, the B-side less so.
Pixies
4/5
It’s good, the Pixies bring always bring it.
Marilyn Manson
1/5
Third DNF. Way too long, way too repetitive.
Duran Duran
3/5
Absolutely nothing against the band, the album was solid throughout, but if I ever get the urge to listen to them again, I’ll probably just listen to Hungry Like the Wolf and be fine.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
I already got this album early on before I started listening in a group, and my opinion hasn’t changed. Absolute classic, defining rock as we know it.
T. Rex
3/5
Solid album! I’m glad I listened, but off of the reputation of T.Rex as the first glam rocker, I did expect something more bombastic. This was perhaps an early draft of the style? Still fun, either way.
Suede
3/5
It was good music, so far as these things go, but I didn’t get grabbed by anything in it.
Fred Neil
5/5
I think this is going to be an artist like Nick Drake that gets better the longer it marinates.
Radiohead
5/5
I haven’t listened to much Radiohead- probably just Creep, actually, unless they have some other singles I might’ve heard on the radio- but this isn’t at all what I expected. Beautiful in its ugliness. With a great variety of sounds. I’m guessing there’s a whole lot of Radiohead on this list and I’m excited for more.
Paul Simon
3/5
Never quite clicked with Paul Simon in the way that I feel I ought.
Simple Minds
3/5
It was fine.
Gotan Project
4/5
3-star sounds with +1 star for being something I’d never find on my own.
Ali Farka Touré
4/5
I’ve enjoyed just about all of the African music that’s come to me through this project. Glad to have my horizons expanded.
The Zombies
3/5
Time of the Season was good; the rest didn’t really do it for me.
The Who
3/5
Started out thinking it was a three, then a four, then that one song went on forever, so now I’m back to a three.
Santana
4/5
Groovy good fun
Genesis
5/5
At the time of this writing, I have a one-month old baby and ever since he’s been born, I listen to my album of the day with him. He HATED this album. Every time I tried to play it, he would scream bloody treason until I killed the music. So maybe he’s not going to be my little prog rock monster, but for my part, I loved their lush sounds and silly little nerdiness.
Marianne Faithfull
3/5
I like her voice. It’s tells a story all on its own; the story of a hard-lived life that couldn’t break her down. There were a couple of absolutely killer songs, but the rest didn’t grab me.
Aretha Franklin
5/5
She’s got it, baby, she’s good.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
I’ve vacillated on this album’s rating, but I decided to sleep on it and rate it in the morning. Come morning, I couldn’t remember anything of the album. So I’ll say that for me it’s good, but not memorable.
Blondie
5/5
Stone cold classic. First album in a minute that I finished listening and now it’s in my head.
Incubus
3/5
Good at what it did, but I wasn’t too excited about what it did.
Pavement
2/5
I feel like I should like them a little bit more? I don’t know. Maybe I’d need a second listen to really appreciate it, but I don’t wanna.
Harry Nilsson
3/5
I was impressed at the musicality, and then I was bored by the banality.
King Crimson
5/5
Starts off with a stone-cold classic and takes you on an amazing odyssey.
PJ Harvey
4/5
I loved the dynamism and variety. It was varied without feeling like it was all over the place.
Napalm Death
3/5
1. As music, this sucks. The singer is screaming at me through a bowl of oatmeal and I don’t know a word he’s saying. Based off the song titles, I think he’s being political or something. But I didn’t understand a single grunt or scream, so I couldn’t tell you for sure.
2. This rides off of its vibes real hard. It is about being pissed off, not about being musical. It’s almost like they’re using the music as a bludgeon to whack you over the head with their anger. It’s an attitude, a line in the sand. I respect that.
3. The music sucks. I really want to emphasize that point. It’s getting a three because sometimes you want to listen to something that shuts off your brain and makes you want to punch a yak, and this fits that bill.
Massively talented artists collecting their paycheck.
Charles Mingus
5/5
That might be one of the best jazz albums I’ve ever heard. Hell, that might be one of the best albums I’ve ever heard, full stop.
Aretha Franklin
5/5
Stone-cold classic. Ageless.
Sepultura
5/5
This was some damn good metal.
Kraftwerk
1/5
I tried to find something positive about this album. Honest I did. But the repetitive vocals drove me so insane I don’t remember anything else about this music except how much I now hate looking glasses.
Beth Orton
4/5
Took me a minute to warm up to it. I thought this was going to be an empty bowl of oatmeal, honestly, but then I got it. Beautiful and understated album.
Buena Vista Social Club
4/5
It made me happy. It trailed off at the end but started really strong.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
Already got this album
The xx
2/5
I feel bait-and-switched by Intro. I thought this would be an interesting album; instead I got XX.
Fleet Foxes
3/5
I think the musicality was too high to earn less than a three. But besides the big song, Winter Hymn or whatever, they all blended together.
Elastica
2/5
Solid, but nothing that stuck with me.
ABBA
4/5
Couple of iconic songs, but the rest of the album was not nearly as memorable. Still very upbeat and a fine way to end the week.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
4/5
The hits are all-timers, and I can sing along in my sleep to those, while the rest of the album felt less essential.
Scissor Sisters
3/5
High energy. And it was a good, bubbly energy. I had a good time.
Beatles
4/5
An interesting mix. They still do their bubblegum stuff that I don’t like, but they start playing with the weird stuff I love.
Sheryl Crow
1/5
I listened to two songs and got interrupted. Paused the album and when I came back, I really, really didn’t want to jump back in. Probably unfair of me, but there’s a new album everyday and I don’t want to drag whatever’s next just to finish an album I wasn’t enjoying in the first place.
Dire Straits
4/5
Good straight ahead rock. I didn’t think about it much deeper than that.
Deep Purple
3/5
Good sound that became repetitive.
Muddy Waters
4/5
I didn’t know blues could get you bobbing your head along to the beat. Enjoyed this one a lot.
Depeche Mode
4/5
Depeche Mode feels undeniable. These guys fuck.
Beck
2/5
I’m always in favor of growth, trying something you haven’t done before. So I’m not complaining that this is different than what I expect from Beck. It’s just that I did not get into this one.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
I keep expecting to like The Rolling Stones more than I do. Everything in their sound is stuff I like. I even watched a cover band in the park once and had an amazing time. But somehow everything outside of the big hits kind of misses, for me.
Willie Nelson
5/5
What a masterpiece of musical storytelling. I was absolutely enthralled.
Jane's Addiction
3/5
If I’d heard this as an impressionable teenager, I most likely would have built my latest identity around it, pretended I was hardcore or some shit, started hanging out with pseudo-bohemians wearing black and too much eyeliner, realized I was a poser when they started doing heroin and I learn I’m not about that life, then quietly move on to the next phase of my never-ending march towards self-discovery.
Alas, I am not that teenager. So it gets a three and l’ll probably never listen to it again.
Booker T. & The MG's
5/5
I’m surprised I’m giving this a five. I have kind of started to think of five stars as a rarified space for the albums that are truly exceptional music, while also being something I connect with personally. So I didn’t think an instrumental album would make that new criteria. But, it’s catchy, it makes me happy, and it’s super replayable. I listened to it twice yesterday and caught new things each time. And I know that I’ll listen to it again. If that’s not a five star, I don’t know what is.
Otis Redding
5/5
Damn Otis, I didn’t know you made all of the good songs! And to be honest, I like some of these versions better than the ones I’d heard before. Hell of an album. Hell of a performer.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
I mean, what’s to say? The sound is big and unique- very few sax solos in the Classic Rock Pantheon, you know- Bruce is great at his marble-mouth singing, the eponymous song is iconic.
DJ Shadow
2/5
I was just so completely not in the mood for this music that even if it were a reasonably lengthed album, I wouldn’t have been able to go along.
Bad Company
4/5
Jeez, I’ve never listened to this album but I already knew all the songs because they all play on the local classic rock stations. Solid rock with some classic, classic songs.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
These guys kicked the walls open for hip hop. Respect.
Simon & Garfunkel
2/5
I keep expecting to like Simon more than I actually do.
R.E.M.
5/5
I already got this album.
N.W.A.
4/5
I feel pretty under-equipped to give opinions on this album, but I liked how much of it was narratively driven.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
5/5
I was surprised by this album, but it was vital and funky and energetic. I loved it.
JAY Z
3/5
It’s very well built.
Public Image Ltd.
3/5
Louis Prima
5/5
This was a swinging fun album. Had a great time.
The Who
4/5
I don’t know if the middle sagged, or if those songs in the middle just suffer from being squeezed between some amazing songs in the opening and closing, but either way, the middle feels lesser than the rest of the album.
The Coral
3/5
I liked it but didn’t figure out what aspect earned the album its spot on the list.
The Go-Go's
3/5
It was entirely fine. I can’t find any criticisms. I wasn’t very excited about it though.
Frank Ocean
4/5
I liked this lot when it came out, but it really didn’t grab me the same way this time. Still thought the beats were real good.
Talking Heads
3/5
This album got me existential about the definition of art in the wrong way. I thought, “Oh, this must be Art Rock.” Then I thought, “Isn’t all music art? What differentiates Art Rock from, well, from Rock? Because it’s not like the rest of the world of rock is less artistic simply by virtue of not being genrified thus.” And that started a long train of thought about something mostly unrelated to the album, which then ended.
Psycho Killer was pretty good.
Deep Purple
3/5
I liked it, I’m just not sure I’ll ever revisit it.
Donovan
3/5
A couple of better songs, but a lot that didn’t resonate with me.
The Temptations
4/5
This was packed full of dynamite. Short, sweet. This was a tight album and I danced.
Kid Rock
3/5
The users of this website have overstated the case for this album’s inadequacies. I understand why he became a superstar among a certain slice of America. Whatever else you wanna say, he’s got “it”. I’m also not the slice of America he’s aiming to hit. So he’s got a couple of songs in here, but overall it’s a 3.
Coldplay
2/5
I just didn’t have fun.
The Police
4/5
I know that Sting is the breakout star of the band, but that drummer makes fucks. I couldn’t get enough of his sound.
Fatboy Slim
4/5
Thoroughly enjoyable. Dance and grooved.
George Michael
2/5
George Michael is obviously talented enough to land on this list. But was this album?
The Undertones
3/5
Pretty standard classic punk.
Gorillaz
4/5
Great songs were great, average songs were good.
The Verve
3/5
Front loaded the good song so everyone could pack up quick. Considerate.
Kanye West
5/5
Even Kanye’s middle school level lyrics can’t dissuade me from loving that production.
Lana Del Rey
3/5
I liked it, for the first song. Then it kept being the same thing for each song. I don’t think I’ll ever revisit this album, but I will probably enjoy it whenever a song comes up in my random playlist.
Incredible Bongo Band
3/5
I liked it fine, but I didn’t really see how it earned its spot on the list.
The Clash
5/5
The album that tricked me into thinking that I liked punk, when what I liked was The Clash.
LCD Soundsystem
3/5
Sometimes it got too repetitive, but I like the vibe and the style.
Talk Talk
4/5
I don’t know them, but I liked this sound.
Britney Spears
3/5
Not my style, but the musicianship is WAY higher than I recall. Quality work, but I’ll never revisit it.
Scott Walker
2/5
It was like a Nick Drake or Leonard Cohen. I wonder if this is will grow on me in the same way Nick Drake did, which got a 2 and then also got daily relistens after it had time to digest. But I doubt it.
Michael Kiwanuka
5/5
This is an album that deserves multiple listens.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
I might have gone in with too high of expectations, because giving it a four feels like it underwhelmed. I’ll probably have to give it another listen at some point.
The Mamas & The Papas
3/5
I liked it, but I don’t believe I’ll ever seek it out again. The style doesn’t quite gel with me. Even at its brisk 34 minute runtime, I was ready to move on with three tracks left.
Super Furry Animals
2/5
The sound was so fuzzy that I couldn’t tell what was happening. I like noise rock but the noise needs to work within the musicality of the piece; I’m afraid this one got overwhelmed.
Badly Drawn Boy
3/5
It was fine and it was too long.
Johnny Cash
5/5
I’ve never quite heard someone utilize the crowd as Johnny does the prisoners in these live albums of his. They become characters in the recording, and just as important to the album as the music is.
Jefferson Airplane
3/5
The two songs are anthemic and iconic. The rest was a drag.
Primal Scream
1/5
I did not finish either Primal Scream album. They just do not work for me.
5/5
The Kinks are definitely one of my favorite finds from this whole 1001 albums project. Favorites from this album were Mr. Churchill Says, Victoria, Shangri-La, and Australia.
Heaven 17
4/5
I don’t have much insight into this album, but I quite liked it.
Judas Priest
4/5
Just enough cheese. Did the 80s think this was cheesy? Either way- good metal.
Beatles
4/5
The seeds are there. This doesn’t stand next to their legendary albums, but it was quite respectable in its own way.
Klaxons
3/5
This was fun, sorta sleazy.
The Shamen
2/5
I guess this must be on the list for some genre-significant achievement, because the music itself felt very bog-standard.
Nick Drake
5/5
Beautiful and delicate, like a spider web glistening in the morning dew; fetching, aching, and transient beauty. I felt this one deep in my soul.
Leonard Cohen
5/5
Beautiful swan song from one of the best songwriters.
Beastie Boys
2/5
I know this isn’t fair to this album, but I ended up spending hours today stuck in LA traffic because I had to go fix a coworker's mistake, so any and everything was making me testy and this just so happened to be the album that I had on. Maybe on another day I rate it higher.
Oasis
2/5
Is this on here because they would go on to make (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? Because it isn’t here on its own merits.
fIREHOSE
4/5
Very solid and playful, if imperfect, musicians who said, “Fuck it, we’ll do it live.”
DIY done right.
Brian Wilson
3/5
I think I liked that guy’s review about how this is like a museum Art piece more than I like this album, but the man’s producer skills are undeniable.
The Smiths
3/5
It didn’t grab me like The Queen is Dead.
Green Day
4/5
More pop than punk, diet rebellion for the mildly disaffected. And some absolute, bonafide classics.
Big Star
4/5
It felt disjointed, incomplete, but I was compelled by it.
Eagles
5/5
I mean, Lebowski joke aside, this was a damn good album, right?
Radiohead
2/5
Obviously talented, but navel gazing is still navel gazing.
The Band
4/5
I don’t know if I was just in a bad mood last time I got their other album, but I liked this quite a lot and can’t remember why I gave the other one a one-star review.
Sex Pistols
4/5
It’s good, even when it’s not good.
Grant Lee Buffalo
2/5
It was fine, but it’s another on one the growing list of albums where I can’t find the secret sauce that gets it on the list.
Sepultura
4/5
I think Sepultura is becoming my favorite metal band that I’d never heard before this project.
Stephen Stills
3/5
Solid if not captivating.
Ray Charles
3/5
Fine, but not my bag.
Alice In Chains
4/5
I was going to go with a three star, but I think the best songs are just too good.
3/5
That’s an album title that screams prog rock. It was fine.
Koffi Olomide
2/5
The definition of a filler album.
Tim Buckley
3/5
I kept wanting to like it more, but alas.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
I’ve never listened to Stevie Wonder. Not at all what I expected, but quite good.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
I liked it, didn’t love it.
Fairport Convention
2/5
I mean, it was fine. But I didn’t care.
Small Faces
4/5
I think it’s three star, but it’s perfectly in my wheelhouse, so l’ll up it one.
Dinosaur Jr.
5/5
Well, I loved the shit out of this album. Never heard of Dinosaur Jr. but they seem right up my alley.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
I would love to learn the story of Fleetwood Mac. They don’t seem to have had the cultural impact they should have. This website’s other highly rated bands are all very influential in one way or the other, so I wonder why these guys didn’t have the same legs. Amazing musicians.
Willie Nelson
5/5
I gotta spend some more time with Willie. Both albums have been fantastic.
Nightmares On Wax
3/5
I dug it, but I’llprobably never pick it back up.
Dr. Octagon
4/5
It went on a little too long, but it was a lot of fun! More people need to get weird with their rap.
Kate Bush
5/5
Haha what a weirdo. I loved it. I know I’m listening to this again, because there was a lot going on and there’s a lot I didn’t catch.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Another name that I’ve always known but never explored.
Kraftwerk
4/5
I feel like that other album we got earlier was the proof of concept and this was the realized version. Way more enjoyable, and the artists were more sophisticated with their beeps and boops.
Prefab Sprout
2/5
I couldn’t find whatever secret sauce there was that earned this album its place on the list.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
I’m surprised?
The Undertones
4/5
Is The Undertones the missing link in the evolution from punk to pop?
Iron Maiden
5/5
I like the theatricality, don’t you? It’s powerful, it’s performative, it’s fun. I liked this album, and I’m kind of embarrassed that the only Iron Maiden I know is from the Rock Band video games.
Public Enemy
5/5
I mean, holy hell. That’s one of the best albums I ever heard. I knew of Public Enemy but never got around to listening to them- man, I was missing out! It made my head spin; it’s a bop, socially conscious, heavy sonically, and Chuck D. Goddamn! I put it on repeat and might listen again today.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
It was fine. Nothing quite memorable.
Suicide
1/5
I’m straight up not having a good time bro
Merle Haggard
4/5
I really like this era of country, I’m learning, and would like to explore more of Mr. Haggard’s work.
The White Stripes
5/5
Man I grew up on that one.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
Spiritual dude.
Nanci Griffith
4/5
Really nice voice, seemed more folk than country. Good, strong songwriting.
The Flaming Lips
4/5
This albums lingers for me. I might need to give it another listen. There’s something alluring here, and I’m not sure I plumbed the depths.
Wilco
1/5
I decided to listen to this in my morning run. It outlasted the run. Then I kept listening to it during my drive to work. It outlasted that as well. Then I had to drive product to a client. I put on random shuffle instead of this because anything is better than continuing through the 57 flavors of beige.
The Sugarcubes
4/5
Never listened to Bjork, but she’s got some pipes.
Japan
3/5
It did sound more modern. I didn’t realize it was from the 70s until another user mentioned that in their review.
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
Yeah, it was good. Wouldn’t make my 1001 list, but yeah. Why not.
Christina Aguilera
4/5
Not my style, but it won me over.
Germs
1/5
I listened to it before work, went and did my whole day, then, when I got home, I settled in to discover my album of the day, having completely forgotten that I listened to this. It’s the literal definition of a forgettable album.
Green Day
5/5
Is it the best pop album? No.
Is it the best punk album? No.
Is it the best political album? No.
Is it the best rock opera? No.
Is it the best pop punk political rock opera? Yes.
50 Cent
3/5
He got shot, and he would like to accumulate wealth.
Arcade Fire
3/5
I think there is more to this than what I could glean on a first listen, but nothing about it made me want to go back for the second listen.
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
Very good background music- but still background music.
Ryan Adams
3/5
I was charmed at first, then it felt flat, then that one nine-minute song came on.Crazy that it was that long and I wanted more of it. If the whole album was that song it would probably rank higher. But the supporting cast wasn’t there.
Tom Waits
5/5
Tom Waits delivers in that way only he can.
Portishead
5/5
So, this one I had to marinate with. I listened to it first thing yesterday morning, thought it was fine, four stars, and I went on with life. But, for whatever alchemical magic there is in this album, it stuck with me. Listened to it again at work, listened to it again after work. It didn’t explode itself into my consciousness, but it did creep its way inside.
Happy Mondays
2/5
It was super 80s, which isn’t itself a bad thing, but it felt addled and unfocused, which is bad, and when it stacks up next to the really good 80s sounds we’ve already gotten it finds itself wanting.
Slint
3/5
It was interesting and it tried things, for which I’m grateful. But, the final product did not get me excited.
Mudhoney
3/5
Fine, but not particularly memorable.
Soundgarden
5/5
There aren’t 1001 albums you need to hear before you die, not really, but this is one of the few that actually lives up to the claim that you need to hear it before you die.
Ms. Dynamite
3/5
Sounds like she was working through some stuff. I hope this album helped.
Kelela
2/5
Too long, especially for how similar all the songs are.
Spiritualized
3/5
I don’t know man, whilst listening to this album my live estimation fluctuated from down to two and up to four. Ambitious, messy, approaching the profound sometimes, pretentious at all times. There was a lot going on and I’m glad they swung for the fences.
The Style Council
3/5
Brother, he kinda went everywhere, didn’t he?
Randy Newman
4/5
Hell of an opening track. Made me squirm, which is the point of course. Easy listening on uneasy topics with heck of a satirical bite. Will definitely be looking forward to more of his work.
Cat Stevens
5/5
I really liked it! Spiritual hippy. I was brought to tears by a couple different songs. Caught me right in the feels.
Sonic Youth
5/5
That was ridiculous noise in the right places. I loved it.
Amy Winehouse
4/5
Beautiful tragedy, big sounds, big voice, and a big personality. Throwback to the classic Wall of Sound that sounds modern.
Deep Purple
3/5
Musicianship on display is too high for me to disrespect by going lower than three, but this seems like a redundant entry. The best songs here were also on their studio album we already got.
Tito Puente
3/5
I liked it but don’t have any critical insights. It was a good time.
The Mothers Of Invention
3/5
I could not get into this. I usually like myself some Zappa, but this was not it for me. Today, anyway.
Lucinda Williams
3/5
Not too big a fan of the tropes of the country genre, but I liked her.
The Killers
4/5
That run of songs that opens the album is a series of classics, but the B-Side falls so flat in comparison that it didn’t even feel like the same band. Still, those good tracks were good, and dominated the airwaves upon release for a reason.
Haircut 100
3/5
It felt like they were having fun. That’s nice.
Hole
4/5
Boy, she was something else.
The Kinks
5/5
I loved it. Like the album form of The Dubliners or Winesburg, Ohio.
Spiritualized
2/5
They got a little too lost in the ether, I think.
Girls Against Boys
2/5
Felt like they were trying to out-grunge grunge. I enjoyed the instrumentals, actually, but the singer just droned.
Ride
3/5
I reached a new sense of understanding about this project during the listening of this album. Used to, I would have ranted about this album being undeserving of its slot, it’s a placeholder, that this is not one of the 1001 albums you must hear before you die. But- and here’s the new sense of understanding- did I ever really trust the random British guy what compiled this list to truly divine the inarguable, authoritative list of 1001 albums? No, not really. That’s a fools errand. There’s too many genres, too many different tastes to get a single absolute definitive list. So…what was I getting so worked up about? I came to this project to hear new music I wouldn’t have found on my own, and this is exactly that. And it was a decent album. And I don’t feel like my time was wasted. So why the bellyaching?
Anyway, that’s what I was thinking about instead of paying attention to this album. 3 stars.
Digital Underground
2/5
I mean, maybe it was influential?
Common
4/5
Very intriguing. I think there was more here than I caught, and it also made me want to go back and find it.
Donald Fagen
2/5
There wasn’t anything “wrong” with it, per se. it’s just that as soon as a song ended, I forgot it. Nothing about it stuck in my head.
Super Furry Animals
3/5
It was fine, but I don’t think anything in it grabbed me.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
I don’t know man, I just didn’t get into this one.
Sarah Vaughan
3/5
I really liked the incorporation of the audience. It made me appreciate how the crowds of live albums done in arenas don’t really have personality; they just exist to incorporate the roar of the crowd.
The Charlatans
2/5
I did not enjoy that, no I did not.
Method Man
4/5
Impressive.
Stephen Stills
3/5
It’s fine, but not memorable.
4/5
Never heard of them or the album, so I was surprised by how much fun I had with this album.
David Holmes
3/5
Don’t know much about the genre, thought it was decent, but it didn’t rise above background noise.
The Beta Band
2/5
Generic and background.
Talking Heads
4/5
Once in a Lifetime was amazing. The whole album is strong. Nice change of pace from the filler we’ve been getting.
Bob Dylan
5/5
This was the first time I caught a glimpse of why he might’ve been such a whirlwind through the public consciousness, why he might’ve have been called the voice of a generation.
Disagree, but he brung it good on this album.
Nina Simone
5/5
Tremendous. Repeat listens, and the title track more than that.
The Jam
3/5
My favorite song was The Kinks cover.
The Fall
3/5
A couple of toe-tappers.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
3/5
Good music I was in the wrong mood for.
Laura Nyro
3/5
It was fine, but kind of faded into the background for me.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
Never heard the Yeah Yeah Yeahs before this project, but they have definitely made me a fan.
Boards of Canada
3/5
It was pretty alright.
Todd Rundgren
3/5
It was interesting. I’m willing to bet that my rating would go up on repeat listens.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
3/5
Fine. It was fine.
The Sonics
3/5
I don’t really the “it’s like the Beatles, except BLANK” reviews that I’ve seen. Seen it on the Kinks: “it’s like the Beatles l, except more British” and I’ve seen it on Oasis: “it’s like the Beatles, except 90s.” Those reviews feel reductive, dismissive. But these guys really invite that comparison, so I can’t help it: they’re like the Beatles, except BLANK.
Dion
2/5
I just did not find this interesting
David Gray
3/5
Expertly crafted background music.
Moby Grape
3/5
Fine, but I didn’t see what made this one stick out of the crowd and earn its spot.
Elvis Costello
4/5
I’m always impressed with Mr. Costello.
Saint Etienne
3/5
To be honest, I forgot I listened to this. It was fine, I guess, but nothing about it was memorable.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
Just absolutely iconic, and Sympathy is one of my favorite songs of all time, incredible album.
Lambchop
2/5
Was not able to get into this one at all.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
Not Eileen / 10
Radiohead
3/5
I love them for their weirdness, their fearless will to experiment, but I don’t always enjoy the results.
Grizzly Bear
3/5
It grabbed my interest early on, but couldn’t hold it.
The Crusaders
3/5
Title track was good.
Dusty Springfield
3/5
She’s a really good singer.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
2/5
I laughed out loud more than once, at times I suspect weren’t intended to play for laughs.
The Byrds
4/5
That was pretty cool.
Billie Holiday
4/5
Great singer.
Yes
5/5
The musicianship on display, if nothing else.
Femi Kuti
3/5
Totally fine, but didn’t capture me like Fela Kuti did.
The Associates
1/5
This is a slog. It’s every band of the 80 mixed together and then carefully sieve of distinguishing marks. Oingo Boingo without the humor; Tears for Fears, but for the talent. Placeholder at best, but one which sorely tried my patience.
Ryan Adams
2/5
I actually forgot I listened to it- I put it on when I got to work, listened to the whole thing, yada-yada-yada, I come back from lunch and log into my account to find out what my album of the day was, having completely forgotten about that morning’s listening.
James Taylor
5/5
I was surprised to like this album this much, especially because I did judge it by its hilarious cover, but it was just really good. Solid all around. Listened to it twice.
System Of A Down
5/5
If I die, inject this straight into my balls and I’ll come back to life.
Mylo
3/5
Sometimes catchy, but never memorable.
Fiona Apple
3/5
Yeah, nah, she’s fine, for sure. But that’s all, just fine.
Drive Like Jehu
4/5
I think this all kind of sounded the same. Lucky for me I liked the sound.
Snoop Dogg
5/5
Yeah, there’s those other things people are mentioning. And it only talks about like, three things. But that’s right there's a motherfucker of an album.
The Yardbirds
3/5
Good. Almost a four, then I realized I’m never listening to it again.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Blur
3/5
Easy math: 4stars for being good, averaged with 2stars for being yet another britpop, and it’s a 3star album.
Ute Lemper
3/5
I adored the atmosphere this cultivated, I laughed out loud at the lyrics, I liked her voice. I like camp. Alas, there was nothing here for me to return to.