His sound reminds me of Duncan Sheik and Donovan.
Seminal, unforgettable trip hop
One of the greatest and most influential rock albums of all time. It's easy to see why musicians of the time were blown away. This album raised the bar for what rock could be.
Lyrics are creative. Some of the 80s musical touches can get distracting/annoying.
Johnny Cash at his best, playing live for the marginalized and forgotten.
Very talented musicians in a hard-driving blend of rock and funk. Be sure to listen to the bonus tracks (remixes).
Bee Gees tracks from this period can be brilliant and sublime or melodramatic and schmaltzy. This album has both.
Incredible, infectious funk that influenced countless musicians, perhaps most notably Prince.
Great musicianship but not what I enjoy listening to - repetitive chords create unpleasant tension for me
Moodiness is intetesting, but it gets boring and repetitive.
Classic Roxy album. I can't sit still when I hear "The Thrill of it All".
Mundane gangsta rap with the usual drugs, violence and sexism, but without clever wordplay or rhythms.
Fascinating artist... In this album she brings in 1960s pop and spy movie touches along with early 20th century burlesque.
I can imagine Janis Joplin doing acoustic recordings of some of these songs.
Imaginative, poetic lyrics. Some good songs. I'm not a big fan of his voice and the album feels twice as long as I'd want it to be.
Infectious hip hop - classic
Le Freak and I Want Your Love are brilliant. Nile Rogers truly had a magic touch. Lots of meh filler, though. Not their best album.
What more can be said? Inspired by the Beach Boy's "Pet Sounds", The Beatles accepted the challenge and advanced their musical depth by huge leaps and bounds. Incredible to compare the bubblegum sound of "Meet the Beatles" to this gem four years later. Every track is terrific.
I bought the single "Broken English/Brain Drain" when it first came out and wondered if the whole album was equally good. The other songs sound pretty dated, missing the mark on the arrangements. She needed a more creative producer.
Brilliant album that brought international attention to the Pacific NW Subpop music scene.
Some of the tracks are absolute classics.
A couple of good tracks but none of the sparkling brilliance of "Freddy's Dead".
I've always avoided Dolly Parton's music but this album has some excellent tracks.
Fantastic arrangements, a classic
Classic smooth country, not a bad song in the bunch.
Madonna blends country and pop well on some of the tracks. Others are standard Madonna pop.
One of the best live rock albums.
The synth is so heavy and grating - otherwise I'd rate it a 3
Amazing album, not a bad track in the bunch. Rod's very best!
To use a culinary metaphor: Chef tastes dish. "Hmm, this is pretty mundane and derivative. Sriracha is popular. Let's dump Sriracha on everything. It may all taste the same, but it will get their attention."
Fantastic debut. Fans of The Kills will probably appreciate it.
Elton John and his band at their peak
Not their greatest album.
One of the best albums of the 70s. The harmonies are incredible.
Some great bass playing, not enough to carry this beyond so-so
This is called new wave but it's really bubblegum pop.
Why did none of my music teachers introduce me to this album before? This is the perfect jazz combo.
Irish folk influence. Sounds like Dylan in parts.
One of my favorite rock albums, period. This is why Iggy is called the Godfather of Punk.
Several filler tracks interspersed with beautiful, introspective Harry Nilsson-sounding cuts.
The remaster of this already great album is fantastic!
There's talent here, but it's such an unpleasant album. Music to make you hate your life.
Some great songs along with filler tracks of screaming and electronic drums.
Astonishing talent for being so young.
Excellent example of the genre. Feels like their art was really audiovisual. Their videos were the best.
Can I give this more than 5 stars?! Absolutely amazing showcase of all 4 "lead men" and an array of musical styles, all during a time of high tension for the band. Masterpiece!
Trying to be Pet Shop Boys but without the talent and versatility. 1-1/2 stars
There's talent here but it didn't grab me in the least. Noise
Amazing musicianship all around!
Reminds me of Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers. Killer bass. 4.5 stars
Shows great promise, not nearly as exciting as later work
What an amazing way to leave this world. Unforgettable.
Head and shoulders above their other albums. A magnificent debut.
Ugh, in comparison to some 1980s artists who produced timeless music, this is so dated. The tinny production brings back memories of big hair, neon colors...mass-produced aspects of the 1980s I'd soon forget.
Melding Miranda Lambert and Susan Cowsill with her own unique style.
Fantastic start to finish, overflowing with talent and the raw energy of the British mod scene of the 60s.
I have loved Joni Mitchell's music for years and this reminds me of it. Excellent songwriting and musicianship.
I'm not a folk fan but this could be my favorite folk album.
Reminiscent of April March and the Velvet Underground. Some great elements, though some ideas are repeated to the point of monotony, and singing is off-pitch at times...not sure if this is intentional.
A classic that never gets old. (Same with the cover art!)
If there were a college class, Soul 101, this would be essential listening.
Deeply personal writing by Pete Townsend. As usual, musicianship is brilliant.
Fantastic blend of pop, funk and social consciousness. (The dancing in her videos takes it to a whole other level.)
"Runaway" is so freakin' good. So many brilliant moments.
Paul at the peak of his post-Beatle powers. A classic.
Great musicianship, dated 80s production
Truly a remarkable achievement. Songwriting is brilliant.
Social consciousness and M Gaye vibes
Amazing! Definitely sounds influenced by Kate Bush's "The Sensual World" album.
Great album, though not their very best
Not as good as his more punk offerings, but some great tracks here
Fantastic arrangements of classic songs, performed by a top notch performer.
Terrific performances by all 3. Unique blend of reggae and rock.
Guitar work is pretty good, but they needed an actual singer.
Great songs and performances - annoying production
Possibly the greatest rock album of all time.
Rockabilly, garage & blues
Out-of-tune singing, empty sentimentality
I used to feel tortured by this album when my husband would play it, with jams that went on forever. Years later I recognize the brilliant improvisation, like a blues-jazz-rock fusion. Outstanding.
Displays Bowie's amazing versatility, and as usual for Bowie, ahead of its time and influential. Collab with Eno is perfect.
Byrne, Eno, Belew, Weymouth... an absolute powerhouse
Very talented, just not my kind of music
Historic - Kate's first self-produced album and her first efforts creating with a Fairlight CMI. A huge leap in her artistic maturity from her prior efforts. Fascinating, incorporating world music; truly unique and clearly influential for artists like Bjork. I've loved this album since I first heard it in 1983.
Fantastic album that should have more recognition.
Amazing album, no filler - every track is timeless
So many wonderful influences. I head Eddy Arnold, Burt Bacharach and the Blue Shadows, among others. Brilliant and unheard of in the States.
Untouchable brilliance! His best album.
Fantastic performances throughout . A true classic.
Nile Rogers' magic touch!
Good voice. With the exception of the Prince song "Nothing Compares 2 U", material is tepid.
Terrible production quality. I know it's live but it sounds like it was recorded on a Radio Shack cassette recorder.
Absolutely phenomenal. "Tomorrow Never Knows" is the perfect Beatles song, showcasing each member's immeasurable talent, but every track is great.
I went nuts for this album in high school and it's still great! Unique guitar sound and fun punky vocals from Cindy.
This album was a favorite of Krist Novoselic of Nirvana. Truly unique at the time of its release.
Very impressive debut! Classic
Classic harmonies and guitar sound.
Voice sounds rather like Steven Stills.
Such a versatile artist. Not his best album, but still good.
This is a great example of where I get confused with my ratings and where they may be artificially inflated re. usefulness to me. Musicianship and influence: 5. My interest in listening repeatedly: 3.
They hit it out of the park with this debut. My favorite SD album.
One of my favorite New Wave albums.
Rundgren's "Liars" LP and Bowie's "Earthling" use similar beats and effects, but are much more accessible. The repetition in this album is annoying to me.
Fantastic album. Love the raw guitar and bass on "Cracked Actor" and the chaotic piano on the title track.
I had never heard of her. She's fantastic.
I like this band, but this album, not so much.
Undeniable talent here, but not my genre. Punk jazz, frenetic and chaotic.
A snapshot in time musically that I'd rather forget. Can't stand the 80s production.
Amazing, a true classic. There's no one like Joni.
Defined "unplugged" and inspired many musicians to follow suit. This was an event.
Incredible debut, especially "The End".
Totally hear Kate Bush's influence, but much less riveting.
Great Manchester pop, 4.5.
One of the best albums of the 1970s, demonstrating Todd's genius and versatility.
Walk on Gilded Splinters is a bona fide 5 star classic. Too bad there isn't more of that level on the LP as a whole.
The best album by one of the best tock guitarists the world has ever known.
One good track, another fair track, mostly annoying - 1.5 stars
REM songs are pretty similar to each other. I have no idea why there are so many REM albums in this list but it's tedious.
Similar to Still Corners but with male vocals.
Some good, not great funkiness in spots but the atonal singing is a turn off.
Inspired Sgt Pepper, and for good reason.
One of the best new wave albums of the 80s. Marc Almond's singing is not perfect, but his instincts are fantastic.
One of the best singers in rock. Great cover of Mott the Hoople's Ready for Love.
Reminds me of Goldfrapp somewhat
Possibly the most romantic album I've ever heard.
Reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen's "Nebraska".
Similar sound to Siouxie & the B's
Sounds like Traffic at times. Entirely different from his Jam sound.
Unknown in the US, for some reason
One of the best albums of the 60s
Garage band sound, with some good ideas.
If Aerosmith and Funkadelic had a baby who was into rapping this would be the result. 4.5
Takes me back to 1960s Seattle. You can hear how Mudhoney was inspired by this. Can't listen to this album without dancing!
Perfection - an absolute masterpiece
Back in the 80s Culture Club was overplayed, so I didn't think I would like this album. I ended up liking it more than I expected.
I enjoyed the album but would enjoy it more with a different singer.
I don't like folk music, but the psychedelic elements make it somewhat interesting.
I don't like his voice, but his gifts as a songwriter are undeniable.
One of the best albums of the 80s.
Influenced heavily by Grandmaster F&TF5, but less interesting
These guys clearly listened to a lot of early Talking Heads. They have good ideas, but it's maddening to listen to 43 short tracks. I know it's the punk mindset to not care, but they should have developed some of those good ideas into full tracks.
This is why I feel like giving 2 ratings. Talent and artistic contribution? 5. How much I enjoy listening? 3. I just don't care for this type of soprano voice, personally.
I love Neil Young's music but I steered clear of this album until now because I don't usually like live albums and I thought this would be filled with screaming fans. What a mistake! This is fantastic!
Classic, one of the best New Wave albums.
Wow! Really captures the late 1970s LA sound. Can't believe I never heard of this band before.
Bought this when it was first released on vinyl. Pulled it out of my record stack recently and it sounds even better than I remember. Not a bad or filler track in the bunch.
Impressive prog rock, reminiscent of Yes and Bjork. Fascinating chords.
Reminiscent of Lauryn Hill
Ramones and Black Flag influences