My 1001 Albums Journey

Album	You	Global	Diff
Scum Napalm Death	5	2.07	+2.93
Junkyard The Birthday Party	5	2.16	+2.84
Devotional Songs Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan	5	2.58	+2.42
Buenas Noches From A Lonely Room Dwight Yoakam	5	2.6	+2.4
Pictures At An Exhibition Emerson, Lake & Palmer	5	2.65	+2.35
Follow The Leader Korn	5	2.65	+2.35
Palo Congo Sabu	5	2.69	+2.31
Orbital 2 Orbital	5	2.7	+2.3
Yank Crime Drive Like Jehu	5	2.7	+2.3
All Hope Is Gone Slipknot	5	2.7	+2.3

Album	You	Global	Diff
Rip It Up Orange Juice	1	2.9	-1.9
A Grand Don't Come For Free The Streets	1	2.67	-1.67
Channel Orange Frank Ocean	2	3.31	-1.31
Since I Left You The Avalanches	2	3.28	-1.28
Street Life The Crusaders	2	3.09	-1.09
Here Come The Warm Jets Brian Eno	2	3.07	-1.07
Untitled (Black Is) SAULT	2	3.05	-1.05
Teenage Head Flamin' Groovies	2	3.03	-1.03

Artist	Albums	Average
Beatles	7	5
David Bowie	4	5
Led Zeppelin	4	5
Radiohead	4	5
The Rolling Stones	4	5
The Who	4	5
Bob Dylan	4	4.75
Beastie Boys	3	5
Talking Heads	3	5
Pink Floyd	3	5
Queen	3	4.67
The Clash	2	5
Simon & Garfunkel	2	5
Yes	2	5
The White Stripes	2	5
Oasis	2	5
Muddy Waters	2	5
U2	2	5
Dire Straits	2	5
Rush	2	5
Bob Marley & The Wailers	2	5
Marvin Gaye	2	5
Elton John	2	5
R.E.M.	2	5
Black Sabbath	2	5
Metallica	2	5
Sonic Youth	2	5
Ray Charles	2	5
Pixies	2	5
Joni Mitchell	3	4.33
The Kinks	3	4.33
Kings of Leon	3	4.33

Innervisions

Stevie Wonder

4/5

Some of the better writing in Stevie’s career. Arrangements capture the era. Solidly performed from start to finish.

Fulfillingness' First Finale

Stevie Wonder

3/5

Felt a bit slower overall. Not as easy to sit through.

The Number Of The Beast

Iron Maiden

5/5

Complex arrangements, cogent lyrics, and rapid pacing gives this album the ability to reach a broader audience. One of the best albums.

Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

Wu-Tang Clan

5/5

Stands out as some of the most creative and influential albums. From the classic Kung Fu movie fills, the back tracks that set a districtive mood, and each rap track that tells you something relevant, you are listening to greatness on this record.

Brothers

The Black Keys

4/5

Great crunchy pop guitar. Stellar soul vibe. Toe tapping beats. One of the better albums.

London Calling

The Clash

5/5

Quite easily one of the best albums of all time. Employing so many sounds to deliver their well crafted and thoughtful messages, this album works to stay in your head for years.

Licensed To Ill

Beastie Boys

5/5

Great music and lyrics - completely brought an original sound to the nature of rap at the time. With guest guitar spots like Kerry King from Slayer, they drove through like the existing market like a Mack truck.

Here's Little Richard

Little Richard

4/5

Totally rocking grooves that have shaped a lot of rock as we know it.

Ace of Spades

Motörhead

3/5

Love the brashness of the sound and great lyrics but the songs are somewhat repetitive after a minute.

The Hissing Of Summer Lawns

Joni Mitchell

4/5

Joni has a way of transcending simple genre. With songs that craftfully demonstrate superior song writing skills, each one carries you with it.

Black Holes and Revelations

Muse

5/5

Eclectic, unique, literally no two songs are the same on this album. Between the lyrics that are a clever mix between the Clash and Dylan and the hook heavy musicianship, this might be one of the best albums in the last 25 years. Coupled with the way they used video to change the landscape of their listenership, this effort is superlative.

MTV Unplugged In New York

Nirvana

5/5

One of my favorite records from college days. A prolific post-punk band with an artful dissonance then takes the stage for MTV Unplugged and sets the world alight. Iconic covers, clarified versions of their own songs, and clever banter between songs makes this a must have - particularly if you watched it when it aired.

Live At The Regal

B.B. King

4/5

Straight forward blues with far better production value than you would expect from a live recording. Such raw emotion in the vocals and licks and a stellar way of bringing the crowd along for the ride.

Deserter's Songs

Mercury Rev

4/5

Incredibly creative music. Feels like a happy place between Frank Zappa, Flaming Lips, and a movie you will never be arthouse enough to see.

Larks' Tongues In Aspic

King Crimson

4/5

Artist-forward music such that it is so well-crafted musically that it is not imminently easy to listen to. If there was ever a need to understand where Primus, Radiohead, and other sonically unique musicians can trace their lineage, this album is chock full of examples. Only real detractor is the very specific sound that immediately dates it to 68-75 time period.

Blackstar

David Bowie

5/5

With the heavy jazz elements and the sound on this record, it is one of the most emotive releases in Bowie's collection. Having listened to this for the first time right after his death, I still am struck with the sense of finality he put into this work.

Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs

Derek & The Dominos

4/5

Love the guitar work Clapton provides along with the stellar blues vibe presented. Feels very dated in the production.

The Stone Roses

5/5

Warm and fuzzy pop tones. A college favorite.

Since I Left You

The Avalanches

2/5

Eclectic. Generally, too-layered electronically for my taste. Good samples but feels like I need drugs other than caffeine to appreciate this sound. Lo-fi / nightcore is an interesting development and they do it well.

Scream, Dracula, Scream

Rocket From The Crypt

4/5

Solid punk vibes. Simple construction and a lot of energy, solid guitars, and melodic hooks.

I’ve Got a Tiger By the Tail

Buck Owens

5/5

Brilliant playing, solid songcraft. Having grown up with Hee Haw on television, I knew he was skilled but this album demonstrated the Bakersfield Sound eloquently.

Led Zeppelin III

Led Zeppelin

5/5

Falls easily into my list of the top 10 albums. Huge sounds on this album, launching with Immigrant Song, a song that puts your soul into battle mode.

The Downward Spiral

Nine Inch Nails

5/5

Abrasive, connective - this album feels like darkness and chaos. One of the few selections that you can just as easily listen to on headphones to unwind, put on to boost your daily run, or hear while dancing at a club at 3 am. With all sorts of backing tracks permeating the songs to invoke the swirling keyboards and vocals, The Downward Spiral takes you to a fractured mental landscape.

Queen II

Queen

4/5

Incredible album that displays so much of the talent with more of a conceptual vibe. Still not sure how Roger Taylor’s effort fit inside the scope of this with its more distinctive Zep sound but altogether, it’s clear how they used the songs here as a way of moving their sound forward.

Tusk

Fleetwood Mac

3/5

Definitely feels like a midpoint for the band. Given the early sonic signature of the band as a blues outfit, this transformative release tries to go a lot of different places. However, it is certainly shy of the goal they land on in later releases. "Sara", "Tusk" and a few others stand out, but it demonstrates their ability to make great songs, not necessarily cohesive albums.

Signing Off

UB40

5/5

Caught off off guard with how they present the message in many of the songs. Hearing Strange Fruit in a reggae vibe is astoundingly listenable.

Five Leaves Left

Nick Drake

4/5

The White Album

Beatles

5/5

Across the board, there are so many insane accomplishments from this release. The Beatles spanned styles and depth to create this masterpiece.

New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84)

Simple Minds

3/5

Good overall.

Time Out

The Dave Brubeck Quartet

5/5

Skylarking

XTC

5/5

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

OutKast

4/5

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme

Simon & Garfunkel

5/5

Breathtakingly good effort. This album connects like a time machine with such good musicianship and relevance to events in 1966.

Pump

Aerosmith

4/5

This album didn’t get enough of my attention because of all the attention it got elsewhere. Truly a solidly well Played and well produced effort.

Private Dancer

Tina Turner

4/5

Solid music planted in the center of her career revitalization. Wish I hadn’t burned myself out on this one years ago.

Street Signs

Ozomatli

5/5

Such a broad-hitting release. Love the diversity of sound.

Pink Moon

Nick Drake

5/5

Headphone masterpiece. This album is chock full of content that could easily have been written in the last 5 years.

Rubber Soul

Beatles

5/5

Most every track sings. Run for Your Life seems eerily out of sync with the rest of the album thematically and certainly darkens the tone on a fairly chill album.

Fragile

Yes

5/5

Over the top musical and lyrical goodness. This album sets such a high bar for accessible prog rock.

Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde

The Pharcyde

5/5

Some of the best killer flows and beats.

Scott 2

Scott Walker

2/5

While the writing is interesting, I could find no connection to the plastic crooner voice and schmaltzy accompanying arrangements. This is music out of time and space and the world is better for it.

Young Americans

David Bowie

5/5

I am incapable of impartiality with respect to Bowie. He is one of the most gifted artists in the space and time to which I am fortunate to live in.

At San Quentin

Johnny Cash

5/5

Well articulated performance during a critical point in history.

Gasoline Alley

Rod Stewart

4/5

Love his voice as well as Wood’s guitar. Overall, there is a late 60’s blues rock feel that doesn’t make it incredibly unique.

Calenture

The Triffids

4/5

Very different sound. Hit and miss in terms of connecting to songs.

Pretenders

5/5

Fantastic work on this album - swerving into a punk landscape with Hynde's superb vocals and well crafter musicianship, this is a stellar piece of rock.

Live At The Harlem Square Club

Sam Cooke

5/5

Moon Safari

Air

5/5

Stellar sonic creation.

Jack Takes the Floor

Ramblin' Jack Elliott

4/5

Superb storytelling and ambiance.

The Grand Tour

George Jones

4/5

Supa Dupa Fly

Missy Elliott

5/5

Illmatic

Nas

5/5

21

Adele

5/5

It is stupid how much talent Adele has and she showcases so hard on this record.

Blur

4/5

Something Else By The Kinks

The Kinks

4/5

Hunky Dory

David Bowie

5/5

Love this album more than most!

That's The Way Of The World

Earth, Wind & Fire

4/5

Purple Rain

Prince

5/5

One of the top albums of all time. With much packed into this release, there is no weak song, nothing wasted.

En-Tact

The Shamen

3/5

Good quality electronic music. I just cannot rate higher as it is a genre that eats itself on a regular basis.

Face to Face

The Kinks

4/5

The Wildest!

Louis Prima

5/5

Keely, Louie, and the rest completely tear it up with the wildly connected musical skills, vocal variation, and showmanship.

The Bends

Radiohead

5/5

Be

Common

5/5

Slanted And Enchanted

Pavement

4/5

Grace

Jeff Buckley

5/5

One of the biggest losses to music was Jeff Buckley. This album is full of examples of his incredible talent.

25

Adele

4/5

Joan Baez

4/5

Love the song writing. Love the folk guitar. In most respects, enjoy her vocal stylings but never have been a fan of Joan’s vibrato-heavy stretches.

Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul

Otis Redding

5/5

White Ladder

David Gray

3/5

Very 90s AOR. Generally mid.

Rust Never Sleeps

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

5/5

Exile On Main Street

The Rolling Stones

5/5

Scissor Sisters

4/5

Very listenable- can’t say I am the biggest fan of their interpretation of Pink Floyd but overall, solid cuts on the album.

Rage Against The Machine

5/5

Hail To the Thief

Radiohead

5/5

Aqualung

Jethro Tull

5/5

Epic record!

White Light / White Heat

The Velvet Underground

4/5

Happy Trails

Quicksilver Messenger Service

2/5

As far as jam band rock goes, it’s good. As a whole, I grew bored to tears with the riffs on the blues classic.

A Rush Of Blood To The Head

Coldplay

3/5

Some very good pop cuts but it still feels very poppy.

White Blood Cells

The White Stripes

5/5

Simple bluesy rock that works on so many levels.

Little Earthquakes

Tori Amos

5/5

Such a brilliant signature sound. From headphones to full speakers, the quality explodes and whispers throughout this release.

Connected

Stereo MC's

3/5

Good songs but not a great album.

At Mister Kelly's

Sarah Vaughan

5/5

Low

David Bowie

5/5

Abbey Road

Beatles

5/5

Low-Life

New Order

4/5

Good cuts on here but overall, not generally as engaging.

american dream

LCD Soundsystem

5/5

Clever arrangements, solid song work, great to listen to.

One World

John Martyn

3/5

OK Computer

Radiohead

5/5

Shake Your Money Maker

The Black Crowes

5/5

Extremely solid core blues rock.

Definitely Maybe

Oasis

5/5

Great songs and writing - imminently listenable.

The ArchAndroid

Janelle Monáe

4/5

Love the themes and songcraft - her voice is always impressive. Really shows the artist in her form.

Hard Again

Muddy Waters

5/5

True blues - not that Muddy Waters needed further demonstration of his bluesmanship, but this body of work stands out.

Deep Purple In Rock

Deep Purple

4/5

The Joshua Tree

U2

5/5

Younger Than Yesterday

The Byrds

5/5

Laurel Canyon might be just another place on map if not for the Byrds. Tom Petty and countless others were steeped in the jangly sounds of McGuinn and company.

Buffalo Springfield Again

Buffalo Springfield

5/5

Hounds Of Love

Kate Bush

4/5

It's Blitz!

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

4/5

Straight Outta Compton

N.W.A.

4/5

When this came out, loved it. While the beats are stellar the rage is pure, and the sense of encapsulated history is accurate, a lot of slurs and denigrative language should remain in the past.

From Elvis In Memphis

Elvis Presley

3/5

The good songs are great. Just not that many good songs out this bunch.

Orbital 2

Orbital

5/5

Great flow music.

Dire Straits

5/5

Some of the most intelligent guitar work put to an album. Very emotive and thoughtful songs.

Tapestry

Carole King

5/5

Without a doubt, one of the most incredible albums - not a bad song in the bunch and is utterly deserving of praise as an influential work.

This Nation’s Saving Grace

The Fall

4/5

I’m a Lonesome Fugitive

Merle Haggard

5/5

Play

Moby

5/5

Talking Heads 77

Talking Heads

5/5

Ocean Rain

Echo And The Bunnymen

5/5

Music in Exile

Songhoy Blues

4/5

Moving Pictures

Rush

5/5

One of my top 5 albums. Not a bad song on the release.

Another Music In A Different Kitchen

Buzzcocks

5/5

Prime punk

Technique

New Order

4/5

Not my favorite New Order album but always worth listening to. Has their telltale feel.

Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols

Sex Pistols

5/5

Planet Rock: The Album

Afrika Bambaataa

5/5

Revolutionary release.

Freak Out!

The Mothers Of Invention

4/5

Wonderfully unique

Hotel California

Eagles

5/5

Listened to this collection of harmonies and SoCal melodies more than I would like to admit.

Paul's Boutique

Beastie Boys

5/5

This release shined on their incredible connections to rhythm and beats.

Cross

Justice

4/5

Solid references and work that really comes together for the listener. Maybe not a great first album of the day listen but coffee helps.

Too Rye Ay

Dexys Midnight Runners

4/5

Fun, well assembled album.

At Newport 1960

Muddy Waters

5/5

The Clash

5/5

The New Tango

Astor Piazzolla

2/5

Good craftsmanship but the music is easily lost to my ears

Melodrama

Lorde

4/5

The Village Green Preservation Society

The Kinks

5/5

Sickening amount of talent in the Davies family. The Kinks represent an amazing force in the rock and roll spectrum.

Teenage Head

Flamin' Groovies

2/5

Decent blues rock but for the era of Yardbirds, and so many others, this feels like the Dollar Store version.

Blunderbuss

Jack White

5/5

Led Zeppelin IV

Led Zeppelin

5/5

Generally, not my favorite album of the band but certainly an incredible listen. Bombastic and subtle across the span of the album.

The Atomic Mr Basie

Count Basie & His Orchestra

5/5

Honky Tonk Heroes

Waylon Jennings

4/5

Love the way he brought country into a gritty sound.

Femi Kuti

5/5

There's No Place Like America Today

Curtis Mayfield

4/5

Sticky Fingers

The Rolling Stones

5/5

Surrealistic Pillow

Jefferson Airplane

4/5

Natty Dread

Bob Marley & The Wailers

5/5

Apocalypse Dudes

Turbonegro

4/5

Truth And Soul

Fishbone

5/5

KIWANUKA

Michael Kiwanuka

5/5

Music Has The Right To Children

Boards of Canada

4/5

Seventh Tree

Goldfrapp

4/5

The Suburbs

Arcade Fire

4/5

Are You Experienced

Jimi Hendrix

5/5

One of the best albums recorded. Pure drifting waves of soaring guitar, crunchy street corners, and sonically enhanced blues melded into one release.

Here, My Dear

Marvin Gaye

5/5

Beautiful Freak

Eels

5/5

Either Or

Elliott Smith

5/5

Maggot Brain

Funkadelic

5/5

Chore of Enchantment

Giant Sand

3/5

A few interesting selections but felt generally too arbitrary in its random noises and key changes. Actually a bit disquieting.

69 Love Songs

The Magnetic Fields

5/5

With The Beatles

Beatles

5/5

All Directions

The Temptations

4/5

2112

Rush

5/5

Brilliant storytelling in the space of spectacular musicianship. This is a landmark release

New York Dolls

5/5

James Brown Live At The Apollo

James Brown

5/5

Ill Communication

Beastie Boys

5/5

After The Gold Rush

Neil Young

5/5

Not generally a happy place, it is a wonderful place of influence that Young creates with this record.

Moby Grape

2/5

Van Halen

5/5

Not one member of the band showed up with a faulty performance in the studio that day.

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Elton John

5/5

Channel Orange

Frank Ocean

2/5

Back To Black

Amy Winehouse

5/5

Haut de gamme / Koweït, rive gauche

Koffi Olomide

3/5

Good rumba music

Imperial Bedroom

Elvis Costello & The Attractions

4/5

Cool arrangements and good writing.

Crosby, Stills & Nash

4/5

Love the songs on this album; some are definitely better than others; great showcase of the Laurel Canyon sound

Chirping Crickets

Buddy Holly & The Crickets

5/5

Trout Mask Replica

Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band

4/5

Yank Crime

Drive Like Jehu

5/5

Painfully complex at times, you can see where their dissonance would make it hard to pick up broader acceptance.

Wish You Were Here

Pink Floyd

5/5

One of the top albums in my opinion. .

Giant Steps

The Boo Radleys

5/5

Diamond Life

Sade

4/5

Remain In Light

Talking Heads

5/5

Green

R.E.M.

5/5

Blue Lines

Massive Attack

5/5

Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes

TV On The Radio

4/5

All Hope Is Gone

Slipknot

5/5

Stands as one of the best metal AF records. Sonic brilliance.

Ten

Pearl Jam

5/5

Top 10 of all time - worn this out listening to it on repeat. Not a bad song on the album. Truly a revolution in sound.

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

The Smashing Pumpkins

4/5

In Rainbows

Radiohead

5/5

The Dark Side Of The Moon

Pink Floyd

5/5

Rhythm Nation 1814

Janet Jackson

5/5

Stellar writing - very catchy beats.

Third/Sister Lovers

Big Star

4/5

War

U2

5/5

Live At Leeds

The Who

5/5

Legalize It

Peter Tosh

4/5

Beauty And The Beat

The Go-Go's

5/5

Smokers Delight

Nightmares On Wax

4/5

Aja

Steely Dan

5/5

Worthy of any top 10 album of all time collections.

Live And Dangerous

Thin Lizzy

5/5

Phrenology

The Roots

4/5

Grievous Angel

Gram Parsons

4/5

Junkyard

The Birthday Party

5/5

Crazy to hear. The quality of the recording tries to overshadow the overall insanity of Nick Cave’s early punk rock/gothic effort. Every song speaks with a middle finger.

Court And Spark

Joni Mitchell

5/5

Such a cool shift in base sound from Blue, Joni keeps her storytelling forefront with jazzier accompaniments.

Deja Vu

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

5/5

Everyone should have listened to this album at least 20 times in their lifetime.

Take Me Apart

Kelela

4/5

Fetch The Bolt Cutters

Fiona Apple

5/5

Rip It Up

Orange Juice

1/5

My favorite thing about this album was not listening to it any longer. Collins’s voice was badly used, the song craft was middling, and the pop-drivel was so beneath reasonable standards.

The Wall

Pink Floyd

5/5

What's Going On

Marvin Gaye

5/5

Highly Evolved

The Vines

4/5

Led Zeppelin

5/5

There's A Riot Goin' On

Sly & The Family Stone

4/5

Bridge Over Troubled Water

Simon & Garfunkel

5/5

Hybrid Theory

Linkin Park

3/5

Really solid album. Not their best but definitely shows their progression.

A Love Supreme

John Coltrane

5/5

The Scream

Siouxsie And The Banshees

5/5

Siamese Dream

The Smashing Pumpkins

4/5

Iron Maiden

4/5

Always love the band but Di'Anno's voice never gets me connected.

The Rise & Fall

Madness

5/5

Countdown To Ecstasy

Steely Dan

4/5

You Are The Quarry

Morrissey

4/5

Oracular Spectacular

MGMT

5/5

Very clever album

Zombie

Fela Kuti

5/5

Gold

Ryan Adams

5/5

Nighthawks At The Diner

Tom Waits

5/5

Such a defining album that helps appreciate the groove Waits finds and rides like a wave.

Pictures At An Exhibition

Emerson, Lake & Palmer

5/5

Incredible concert footage from a band so beyond its time.

A Hard Day's Night

Beatles

5/5

Gorillaz

5/5

(What's The Story) Morning Glory

Oasis

5/5

Stupidly good Britpop

Spiderland

Slint

3/5

I think their song construction would great favor a live setting. The slow lumbering discordancy seems to beg for a smokey music hall. Struggled to stay with this. I would have likely enjoyed this a great deal more at 21 than i did 20-something years later.

The Chronic

Dr. Dre

5/5

Superlative results by Dre. With an ear spanning countless samples from all over the musical spectrum, he is able to build all of it into tracks that became more than the original material.

Transformer

Lou Reed

5/5

Devotional Songs

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

5/5

Great flow state music.

My Generation

The Who

5/5

Rock 'N Soul

Solomon Burke

5/5

Ananda Shankar

5/5

Shleep

Robert Wyatt

3/5

Come Away With Me

Norah Jones

5/5

Such a well-imagined and beautifully executed collection of songs that pulls you into a world better than the one you live in.

Paranoid

Black Sabbath

5/5

Hands down, one of the most significant albums created. From start to finish, I can listen to this entire album over and over. A true progenitor for so many flavors of rock and metal.

Parklife

Blur

3/5

A bit poppy for my taste. Clean music but doesn't usually connect for me

Bug

Dinosaur Jr.

3/5

Django Django

4/5

The Doors

5/5

Superunknown

Soundgarden

5/5

Public Image: First Issue

Public Image Ltd.

4/5

While transformative for the adjacent music scene, beyond Religion 1 and 2 and Public Image, the rest of the tracks are a bit more discordant (Low Life gets credit for its punk hooks) than is my preference. However, on the strength of these 3 or 4 tracks and the auditory journey by Lydon, it makes it work.

Immigrés

Youssou N'Dour

4/5

Chicago Transit Authority

Chicago

5/5

Katy is king!

The Marshall Mathers LP

Eminem

5/5

People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm

A Tribe Called Quest

4/5

Several great cuts. Most of the album is pretty mid. Tribe always delivers though.

Youth And Young Manhood

Kings of Leon

4/5

Elephant

The White Stripes

5/5

Genuinely one of my favorite records - it was a much needed infusion of simple rock.

...The Dandy Warhols Come Down

The Dandy Warhols

4/5

Revolver

Beatles

5/5

Band On The Run

Paul McCartney and Wings

4/5

Good album that suffered from vast overplay when I was growing up.

Automatic For The People

R.E.M.

5/5

As a fan of their original albums, this work showcases how talented and mature they have become as artists. From casually jangly to incredibly intense introspective lyrics, you take a ride on this collection of songs.

Untitled (Black Is)

SAULT

2/5

Does not resonate with me. Feels like pre-packaged beats with vocal loops that are shrill, at best, due to the way the songs are mixed. Cool cover but the music misses me.

Duck Stab/Buster & Glen

The Residents

4/5

Nothing resembling normal, this album feels like a drug-fueled ride through the land where discordance and art house meet. Not to be listened to often but certainly see where it should be listened to at least once.

Reggatta De Blanc

The Police

5/5

One of the better albums in rock.

Smash

The Offspring

4/5

Solid effort into the pop punk fray

Pet Sounds

The Beach Boys

5/5

Palo Congo

Sabu

5/5

Amazing listen - great quality performance and solid recording. The skills of the musicians are well showcased.

If You're Feeling Sinister

Belle & Sebastian

4/5

Sunday At The Village Vanguard

Bill Evans Trio

5/5

Incredible smooth jazz with a lovely recording. Puts you right at the club listening.

Sound of Silver

LCD Soundsystem

4/5

Mama's Gun

Erykah Badu

5/5

Master Of Puppets

Metallica

5/5

Top 5 album pick. Each song on this album is pure metal.

In Utero

Nirvana

4/5

Scum

Napalm Death

5/5

$5 punk shows, 1-minute songs, and Napalm Death. They burn through songs like a cocaine-fueled chainsaw though a 1/2" piece of plywood. Good stuff.

Autobahn

Kraftwerk

5/5

Very good music for getting your flow state.

Disintegration

The Cure

5/5

Never would have made it through my 20s without this album. Equal parts morose and jangly, sarcastic and sincere, and wholly amazing to listen to.

Buena Vista Social Club

5/5

Highway 61 Revisited

Bob Dylan

5/5

Emperor Tomato Ketchup

Stereolab

4/5

Talk Talk Talk

The Psychedelic Furs

5/5

Quintessential 80s. The Butler brothers, the saxophone, and the rest of the band create so much space to breath in the songs.

Disraeli Gears

Cream

5/5

Only By The Night

Kings of Leon

4/5

Mermaid Avenue

Billy Bragg

5/5

Physical Graffiti

Led Zeppelin

5/5

Perhaps, one of my overall top 20 albums. Not a single throwaway song in the bunch.

Urban Hymns

The Verve

4/5

Great guitars, songwriting is solid, starts to feel slightly boring in places.

Mothership Connection

Parliament

5/5

Some of the best work on one record - Afrofuturism found. Hard to imagine more influential playing on another record.

Heaux Tales

Jazmine Sullivan

3/5

While not particularly sensitive to swearing in conversation, when done in music in such heavy density, it rubs like sandpaper. The music is solid. The arrangement matches. It seems like there was a contest to see how much trash language someone could fit into an album.

More Songs About Buildings And Food

Talking Heads

5/5

Never stops amazing me how talented this group of musicians is. Tina and Chris bring some soul to the album with their funky rhythms. Jangly and fresh guitar and vocals from Byrne and Harrison sync to the rhythm in a weird landscape of fun.

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Wilco

3/5

Love Wilco, love a few songs on here, but the overall artsy vibe that permeates much of this release kinda misses me.

Ellington at Newport

Duke Ellington

5/5

Genuinely, this album has to be one reason headphones, an easy chair, and gin was created. Never listened to his particular album before but it will be staying on regular rotation now. Stunningly talented musicianship with the leadership of Duke.

The College Dropout

Kanye West

5/5

On point effort - can't love what he became but the effort on this one is solid.

Goo

Sonic Youth

5/5

Punk and art school meet up to create sound that cannot be matched. Dissonance with a raised middle finger.

Atomizer

Big Black

3/5

Very cool view of earlier Steve Albini and some solid ear blistering music. Not big for replay for me.

Violent Femmes

5/5

You cannot mess with Violent Femmes. One of the purest college music albums ever recorded. Alongside the instantly recognizable album cover, this album is an instant earworm anywhere you start the music. I forget what 8 was for.

Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

Arctic Monkeys

4/5

The Yes Album

Yes

5/5

Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Jon Anderson, Bill Bruford, and Tony Kaye are so well put together on this album.

Let's Stay Together

Al Green

4/5

My Aim Is True

Elvis Costello

5/5

Very plugged in sound - incredibly listenable. Absolutely part and parcel of a movement. Ear worms for days on this album.

The Dreaming

Kate Bush

4/5

This is one that demands full attention. With so much complexity afoot in this release, trying to use this as background music would serve as a distraction.

American Pie

Don McLean

3/5

Music From Big Pink

The Band

5/5

Haunted Dancehall

The Sabres Of Paradise

2/5

A Nod Is As Good As A Wink To A Blind Horse

Faces

5/5

Stunningly earthy and well performed bluesy rock. Ronnie Lane's voice was imminently less memorable than his counterpart, Rod Steward. Overall, true classic.

Exit Planet Dust

The Chemical Brothers

3/5

Exemplary construction of beats. Might be the highest ranking I will give an electronic dance album.

Who's Next

The Who

5/5

Bringing It All Back Home

Bob Dylan

5/5

Writing that brings you exactly where he wants to take you. Simple yet well-crafted songs.

Bandwagonesque

Teenage Fanclub

3/5

While musically talented, it was generally uninspiring.

Fever Ray

4/5

Fisherman's Blues

The Waterboys

3/5

Solidly played music but I couldn’t remember anything I had listened to 20 minutes later.

Metallica

5/5

It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back

Public Enemy

5/5

Thriller

Michael Jackson

5/5

Not many records that promised and delivered as much as this one did. Jackson solidified his name with this collection of ear worms. Musically, it is infectious and just on the premise of the melodies and beats, should prevent any listener from keeping their foot still.

Kick Out The Jams (Live)

MC5

4/5

Love their energy and the way they impacted punk in America. But you have to be in the right space to listen to this album. High energy for sure.

Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea

PJ Harvey

4/5

Germfree Adolescents

X-Ray Spex

5/5

Superb record that did so much for punk. Particularly effective at waking almost anyone up.

Welcome To The Pleasuredome

Frankie Goes To Hollywood

4/5

Madman Across The Water

Elton John

5/5

So much stellar writing and performing on this album - stories shared by the piano and given so much life.

Abraxas

Santana

5/5

Red Headed Stranger

Willie Nelson

5/5

True godfather of a sound, Willie kills with this release.

Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water

Limp Bizkit

4/5

Didn't like having to relive when this was popular. It was definitely a sound that worked for a minute but that minute has left.

Central Reservation

Beth Orton

5/5

Orton's voice and lyrics set you into a unique space.

A Night At The Opera

Queen

5/5

Colossal sound. Guitar that unmistakable and sets a vibe unlike many others. Incredibly rich palette of sounds on this album from theatrical (Lazing on a sunday afternoon) to hard driving (I'm in Love with my car) to little poppy (You're my Best friend) and country ('39). Incredibly well produced and performed.

The Genius Of Ray Charles

Ray Charles

5/5

Smile

Brian Wilson

4/5

Sheer Heart Attack

Queen

5/5

Electric Warrior

T. Rex

5/5

Informs a lot of future glam and metal with the riffs and jams on this album.

Out Of The Blue

Electric Light Orchestra

5/5

The first ELO album I owned and wore out several copies. Such recognizable and solid rock

Live Through This

Hole

5/5

Nebraska

Bruce Springsteen

5/5

C'est Chic

CHIC

4/5

Hot Buttered Soul

Isaac Hayes

4/5

Back In Black

AC/DC

5/5

"Punch you in the throat" rock. It's what cocaine listens to, to wake up.

Blonde On Blonde

Bob Dylan

5/5

Vivid

Living Colour

4/5

Good songs, strong musicianship. Vernon’s licks can only be heard so many times before I have to press Next.

Shaka Zulu

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

3/5

Exodus

Bob Marley & The Wailers

5/5

Surfer Rosa

Pixies

5/5

Best Pixies album - legendary.

Dare!

The Human League

3/5

Apart from the charted single form this album, it doesn't stand out and stays very relevant to 1981 but musically does not advance.

Every Picture Tells A Story

Rod Stewart

4/5

Solid blues rock; great use of piano.

The Beach Boys Today!

The Beach Boys

4/5

Solid album. Genuinely find a lot of Beach Boys songs a bit too vanilla.

3 Feet High and Rising

De La Soul

4/5

Time Out Of Mind

Bob Dylan

4/5

Lady Soul

Aretha Franklin

5/5

Aretha is unparalleled on this release.

Brothers In Arms

Dire Straits

5/5

Metal Box

Public Image Ltd.

4/5

Ramones

5/5

The punkest of all punk.

Walking Wounded

Everything But The Girl

3/5

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Beatles

5/5

On The Beach

Neil Young

4/5

To Pimp A Butterfly

Kendrick Lamar

3/5

Rio

Duran Duran

5/5

Sincerely, one of the best albums to land and define the 80s without being schlocky.

Crime Of The Century

Supertramp

5/5

Car Wheels On A Gravel Road

Lucinda Williams

5/5

Stunning album by an incredible artist. Many coming through the alt-country current structure owe a debt to her.

Myths Of The Near Future

Klaxons

4/5

Interesting listen. Hard to stay engaged but good background tunes.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Kanye West

4/5

Good tracks

Brown Sugar

D'Angelo

5/5

In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida

Iron Butterfly

4/5

Odelay

Beck

4/5

Medúlla

Björk

2/5

While Bjork's voice is wonderful, strong, and unique, this album is art solely for the sake of art.

Roxy Music

5/5

Vol. 4

Black Sabbath

5/5

Guitar Town

Steve Earle

5/5

Steve puts out incredible work on this release (not unlike the quality of his other releases). A product of his influences combined with a stellar skill at writing and performing, talent is in his blood.

A Grand Don't Come For Free

The Streets

1/5

Art, I guess, is subjective.

Out of Step

Minor Threat

5/5

A cut driven with such intensity and relatability.

Let It Bleed

The Rolling Stones

5/5

Solid way of finding all the spaces you can rock on this album.

Here Come The Warm Jets

Brian Eno

2/5

Found this to be fairly hard to listen to. I can hear the elements that shows talent but talent does not always make for great music. Or even particularly good.

Music For The Jilted Generation

The Prodigy

4/5

Despite being a person who tends to dislike electronic music, this is quite a good album. Diverse sources on the tracks, so it's not super repetitive.

Tuesday Night Music Club

Sheryl Crow

4/5

The Message

Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five

5/5

Iconic and influential album.

California

American Music Club

4/5

Enjoyable alt-country. Clever writing but feels a little more produced than I care for.

Black Monk Time

The Monks

4/5

So many things here. It is fairly unusual to someone in the throes of a number of genres to have a band from 1964 they're never heard of. This was the case for me. Next, the sound is so across the board and almost feels anachronistic at times. From the jangly to fiercely crunchy guitars, the sonic overload of all the instruments at once in places then having a wonderfully balanced valley rock sound, these players find so many angles at a pivotal point in time.

Nixon

Lambchop

4/5

It is the musical equivalent of Mr. Snuffleupagus; a bit silly, lumbering at times, and is part of a fun place. Enjoyable tunes but nothing that stands out over the top.

Close To You

Carpenters

5/5

Sheet talent here. From covers to originals, this album is iconic

Street Life

The Crusaders

2/5

Follow The Leader

Korn

5/5

Drop-D tune lords, Korn pushed themselves into the national consciousness with this album. While it hasn't sustained them, it was certainly an influential and highly listenable effort. Factor in the video prowess they brought, and deal was sealed.

Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo

Devo

5/5

Punk. Nerd. Transcendent.

Dog Man Star

Suede

4/5

The Stooges

5/5

Iggy and Stooges put Detroit on the punk map for sure.

A Northern Soul

The Verve

4/5

Picture Book

Simply Red

5/5

Incredible blue-eyed soul

Crooked Rain Crooked Rain

Pavement

4/5

Hejira

Joni Mitchell

4/5

Cafe Bleu

The Style Council

5/5

So aptly named, Paul Weller could coax the cool from anything. This vibe just sets you right.

Sunshine Superman

Donovan

4/5

Superb songwriting

Hunting High And Low

a-ha

3/5

Superb songwriting

B-52's

The B-52's

5/5

Superb recording from beginning to end - creative and atmospheric.

Arise

Sepultura

5/5

Something/Anything?

Todd Rundgren

5/5

Ágætis Byrjun

Sigur Rós

5/5

The Who Sell Out

The Who

5/5

Tea for the Tillerman

Cat Stevens

5/5

The Notorious Byrd Brothers

The Byrds

4/5

Home Is Where The Music Is

Hugh Masekela

5/5

The Cars

5/5

Timeless

Goldie

4/5

Cool electronic beats

Closer

Joy Division

5/5

So incredibly intense

Spy Vs. Spy: The Music Of Ornette Coleman

John Zorn

4/5

A bit eccentrically driven and at times, awesome and others, challenging.

Aha Shake Heartbreak

Kings of Leon

5/5

Doolittle

Pixies

5/5

One of the most listenable albums from start to finish.

Penance Soiree

The Icarus Line

4/5

A bit typical of the time and more screechy than I tend to prefer.

Os Mutantes

2/5

If only I ingested drugs that would enhance the listenability of this album...

Daydream Nation

Sonic Youth

5/5

At Budokan

Cheap Trick

5/5

Machine Gun Etiquette

The Damned

4/5

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

4/5

Blood And Chocolate

Elvis Costello & The Attractions

5/5

Incredibly tense wordsmithing and amazing craftmanship

Rid Of Me

PJ Harvey

5/5

Such a solid album.

Happy Sad

Tim Buckley

4/5

Tim Buckley has such a profoundly melancholy affliction. It is made somewhat more interesting with the vibraphone and other jazz forward sounds. The discordancy can be challenging at times.

Bad

Michael Jackson

4/5

If you grew up in the 70s and 80s, by the time this album came out, you were megafan or done with it. I was done with it and while there are great tracks on here and the best fodder for Weird Al, not my favorite album.

Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music

Ray Charles

5/5

Leftism

Leftfield

3/5

Under Construction

Missy Elliott

3/5

Savane

Ali Farka Touré

4/5

LP1

FKA twigs

3/5

Pacific Ocean Blue

Dennis Wilson

5/5

Buenas Noches From A Lonely Room

Dwight Yoakam

5/5

Timeless

Life's Too Good

The Sugarcubes

5/5

So good you still want more.

Tres Hombres

ZZ Top

5/5

The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady

Charles Mingus

4/5

Rust In Peace

Megadeth

5/5

Pieces Of The Sky

Emmylou Harris

5/5

I Against I

Bad Brains

5/5

One of the top 10 influential punk albums.

Blood Sugar Sex Magik

Red Hot Chili Peppers

5/5

Loveless

My Bloody Valentine

5/5

Stunning landscape of music.

A Walk Across The Rooftops

The Blue Nile

5/5

Amazingly hypnotic and well-crafted album. Not sure how this did not bubble up to my attention sooner

The Rolling Stones

5/5

The Stones came from the roots and this listen is proof that they could perform these essentials as if they were born under a bad sign and came to the crossroads.

Our Aim Is To Satisfy

Red Snapper

3/5

Certainly see the appeal. However the album does not hit me over the course of multiple songs

Trio

Dolly Parton

5/5

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