My 1001 Albums Journey

Album	You	Global	Diff
My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts Brian Eno	5	2.79	+2.21
Kings Of The Wild Frontier Adam & The Ants	5	2.83	+2.17
Kollaps Einstürzende Neubauten	4	1.91	+2.09
Don't Come Home A Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind) Loretta Lynn	5	2.97	+2.03
Signing Off UB40	5	2.97	+2.03
Killing Joke Killing Joke	5	2.99	+2.01
Exile In Guyville Liz Phair	5	3.02	+1.98
Time (The Revelator) Gillian Welch	5	3.06	+1.94
The Modern Lovers The Modern Lovers	5	3.06	+1.94
The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway Genesis	5	3.07	+1.93

Album	You	Global	Diff
(What's The Story) Morning Glory Oasis	1	3.84	-2.84
Grace Jeff Buckley	1	3.73	-2.73
Master Of Puppets Metallica	1	3.72	-2.72
L.A. Woman The Doors	1	3.66	-2.66
Iron Maiden Iron Maiden	1	3.4	-2.4
Music for the Masses Depeche Mode	1	3.37	-2.37
Meat Is Murder The Smiths	1	3.32	-2.32
The College Dropout Kanye West	1	3.31	-2.31
Live Through This Hole	1	3.29	-2.29
Celebrity Skin Hole	1	3.29	-2.29

Artist	Albums	Average
Beatles	5	5
The Rolling Stones	6	4.5
Bob Marley & The Wailers	3	5
David Bowie	6	4.33
Bruce Springsteen	4	4.5
Prince	3	4.67
Neil Young & Crazy Horse	2	5
Michael Jackson	2	5
Elton John	2	5
Massive Attack	2	5
Jane's Addiction	2	5
Nirvana	2	5
Muddy Waters	2	5
Frank Sinatra	2	5
Dire Straits	2	5
Radiohead	6	4.17
U2	4	4.25
Steely Dan	3	4.33
Talking Heads	3	4.33
Pink Floyd	3	4.33

Artist	Albums	Average
Morrissey	3	1
Hole	2	1
Metallica	3	1.67
The Smiths	2	1.5
Bee Gees	2	1.5
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band	2	1.5
The Doors	2	1.5

Artist	Ratings
Van Morrison	1, 5
Depeche Mode	4, 1
Madonna	1, 4
Rush	2, 5
The Kinks	5, 2, 4

Prince

5/5

Smash that highest rating! What's not to love? Yes some of the drum sounds are a little dated now, but they defined the times. "Let's Go Crazy" is an awesomely powerful starter. Many listens before accurately understanding the lyrics in places. "Take Me With U" - drums and synths fanfare before settling into mid-tempo love song with prominent female co-vocal. Fades out before.... "The Beautiful Ones" synth and electronic drums build before falsetto vocal that goes dramatically over-the-top (you can picture him on wailing on stage). Fades out with soaring guitar. "Computer Blue" feels like an lewd interlude in the stage act. Inextricable association with the choreography in to the movie. Also feels patched together from different tunes, like a prog rock suite. This leads into.... "Darling Nikki" great story in the lyrics, experimental studio sounds underlying a raging vocal and guitar. "When Doves Cry" - tour de force. Insert anecdote about chart-topping pop song without a bass line (recorded but removed from the mix). Intense but stark track cuts to.... "I Would Die 4 U" First of the "suite" recorded live in 1983 at Minneapolis' First Avenue club (scene of the film as well). Beautiful classic example of Prince's sound circa '83-84: electronic drums, female backing vocals, warm synths. Short single-friendly track that on the original LP drives into.... "Baby I'm a Star" The second of the live suite. Big drum count-in, polyphonic synths and party-like voices yield to high-energy track. Radio-like fade out and a quiet pause before... "Purple Rain" Wendy Melvoin's now-iconic chorused solo guitar starts the mood before the echo-dripping drum machine and Prince's emotional vocals bring in the Purple Rain. Classic ballad shape as the accompaniment builds, and we float out on the extended brilliant guitar solo, also recorded live at Minneapolis' First Avenue club.

Melodrama

Lorde

3/5

Very mediocre record, even if you can see what she's trying for. Producer's impact: more creative effort spent in the pre-choruses than the verses, across the album. Overall impression - music for people to sing along with who aren't confident singers. Much of the album sounds like you're hearing a neighbor play it through the wall. "Green Light" - sophomoric lyrics over a driving track that hints at freedom "Sober" - intriguing lyrics, but the soft parts of the soft-loud-soft pattern are boring and predictable across her albums "Homemade dynamite" - low effort lyrics, "dance" beat that doesn't ever open up. Breathy vocals and soft peaks like kids who want to dance in the basement but Dad won't let them turn up the stereo. This is supposed to depict the excitement of a new crush? "The Louvre" a not very exciting track about the excitement of an early relationship. A dance track that has as much dance energy as a La Croix has fruit juice. "Liability" - downtempo piano ballad but the vocal cadences are identical to her upbeat stuff. How are we supposed to feel any different invested emotion? Heartfelt and well-written lyrics. Sub-3-minute interval, needs more time to develop and occupy some space between faster tempo songs. "Hard Feelings/Loveless" Hard Feeling section is only vaguely interesting musically while the lyrics are HS diary poetry. Loveless section seems a callback to earlier Lorde pirated Fruity Loops beats, which is a nice way to paint what seems to be callback story time. Otherwise a section devoid of impact, either musical or emotional. "Sober II (Melodrama)" whatever emotional/story impact the lyrics deserve are completely lost by a generic low-everything instrumental track. Considering it's the title track, as it were, that's unfortunate. "Writer in the Dark" - A far more effective piano ballad - she actually belts out some parts. It's not all speak-singing. "Supercut" Upbeat but still feeling held-back. Good lyrics. Shouldn't have had to wait this long into the album for all the cylinders to fire. "Liability (Reprise)" mournful lyrics with appropriately mournful accompaniment. Should have been the final track on the album, esp as a reprise. Or merge the two "Liability" tracks, which addresses the shortcomings of the first one. "Perfect Places" Good track, shame it's at the end. Compelling instrumental, insightful lyrics.

Pretenders

4/5

Released when I was early in HS, this has been a part of my soundtrack since. Glad for the chance to listen to it with fresh ears. Overall it holds up as an example of the merging of punk and pop that would become guitar-based new wave (no synths). Some poor decisions (budget? recording tech? vinyl limits?) in how to make the guitars sound. They are robbed of what must have been tremendous power seen live. "Precious" hits the ground running. Chrissie sets the tone for her vocals and persona: "But not me, baby, I'm too precious, I had to fuck off..." The 3 guitars and drums attack is perfect of its time, but the studio effects are gratuitous and distract. The guitar is phased, treated, and hints at what Andy Summers was doing, but holds back too much to be effective. "The Phone Call" starts with a callback to Blondie's "Hanging on the Telephone" of the previous year. The words spill out faster than the melody can take them, but the song doesn't really go anywhere otherwise. Waste of a great riff, perhaps. "Up the Neck" is a morning-after song (with imagery that Lorde can only dream of writing) that moves from sensual enjoyment to regret. She stays a bit detached throughout: "I remember the way he groaned/ And moved with an animal skill / I rubbed my face in the sweat that ran down his chest/It was all very run of the mill" Underwhelming guitar solo. "Tattooed Love Boys" upbeat bo-diddly track with showy drums and restrained guitars. Chrissie speak-sings a tough story that both appreciates and criticizes the tattooed Boyd (and herself for getting involved). A ripping solo that's undercut by poor recording/production. "Space Invader" unexpected instrumental, reminds me of Adam and the Ants - fat bass over tribal drums. The arcade game of the same name was huge then, and its effects make an appearance at the fadeout. Not one of Chrissie's tunes. "The Wait" Another driving drums with a ripping but over-limited guitar riff. Sneering, fast-paced vocal full of bruises and hurt. "Stop Your Sobbing" has always been a polarizing song among my friends group. Some love it, some despise it. The true test is whether it's because they liked the Kinks' original. Chrissie does a lovely reverb-drenched vocal over and homage to 60s 12-string guitars (Byrds, etc). Rare use of vocal harmonies on this album. "Kid" Beautifully emotional vocal delivery accompanied by surf-guitar lead line. More a 60s guitar pop track than a punk-inflected rock song. Guitar solo switches from surf to jangle-pop. Rhythm track is very Phil Spector girl group. Looks forward to influencing REM, Smiths "Private Life" Reggae accompaniment for Chrissie's calmly dismissive vocals. More rare background vocals. Joins the pile of UK punks adopting reggae. Eclipsed for me by Grace Jones' cover of it the same year. However I really like Chrissie's vocal. The length of the track (6+ mins) really allows the space for the track to develop. Her line with "emotional blackmail" reminds me of Elvis Costello's "Emotional Fascism" in Armed Forces from 1979. Languid yet scorching guitar solo, not often found in punk-does-reggae. "Brass in Pocket" Inescapable #1 single from this album. Iconic vocal/lyric which probably cast Chrissie's early confident persona in stone. The remaster reveals some nice rhythm guitar flourishes that didn't come across on the radio back then. "Lovers of Today" Basic ballad and an exercise in vibrato for Chrissie. Remaster means you can finally hear the drums (thanks Chris Thomas). Again, some nice guitar filigrees enriching the verses. Some of the chord changes are very MOR 70s guitar band. Strong shades of Neil Geraldo on Pat Benatar records. "Mystery Achievement" The only reason I'd leave the record on after Brass in Pocket." Extended drums and bass intro, layering in guitars before Chrissie vibratos her way in and then joins herself on backing vocals. Shimmering guitar solo that is over a type with the pop-punk of the times: Neil Geraldo, Sniffin' the Tears, Nick Lowe. The trade-off of guitar to drums over pounding bass must have made for a great extended section live.

Court And Spark

Joni Mitchell

3/5

Joni drives me crazy. Her lyrics are matchless. But I need more hooks in my pop/folk. The jazziness is welcome, but the melodies are mostly opaque. It's like a jazz cover of a standard that skips the melody and goes right to the improvisation. Cool, but bring the listener with you! A 4 overall, but a point deducted for the tunelessness of some tracks. I want to like it more, but I don't want to listen to it more. "Court and Spark" Sets the difficult tone: tasteful accompaniment immaculately recorded, but the melody is all over the place and it's hard to follow the words. "Help Me" THERE'S the melody with hooks to spare. And those chord changes! "Free Man in Paris" Another strong melody over a cool backing. Great chord changes - reminds me of some Grateful Dead jams "People's Parties" Unusual structure: just verses, no bridges or choruses. The words are just pouring out, without a strong melody to hold on to. "The Same Situation" Great lyrics but the vocal just noodles along. "Car on a Hill" A melody! A hook! The lyric tells a good story too. "Down to You" Back to noodling, but with a nice instrumental interlude in the middle. Winds up being just a novelty "Just Like This Train" Melodic, lovely backing vocals. "Raised on Robbery" Andrews Sisters-like intro vocals, with a rocker accompaniment. A melody! Sounds a bit like the kind of up-tempo track that James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Carole King, or Carly Simon were all doing at this time. "Trouble Child" An attempt at a catchy bass riff, but the vocal is all over the place again "Twisted" - a cover of a bop-era jazz vocal combo.

Appetite For Destruction

Guns N' Roses

5/5

Once this broke, this was inescapable in the late 80s both on radio and MTV. The sub-genre in particular never moved me much, though there were a few standout tracks. I don't think I've listened through the album before. (I'm tickled by the fact that this was recorded at the studio owned by Captain and Tennille.) I'd not heard of the producer, Mike Clink, before. What I wasn't expecting to hear were such strong connections to their influences (60s, 70s 80s rock) and to what followed them (90s grunge). Worth the play through just to realize that! "Welcome to the Jungle" - A helluva start to a track, and to an album! Band firing on all cylinders, strong song structure, classic (now) riffs and solos. Axel peaking early in his career? "It's So Easy" Gated snares are everywhere in 1987. A dark tone to the vocal and accompaniment, maybe showing there's a smoother transition to 90s grunge. Some hints of Iggy Pop, Alice In Chains.... Axl at the low end of his range for most of it. "Nightrain" Generic radio-friendly hard rock, with a standout Slash solo. How many things can rhyme with Night Train (wine)? "Out ta Get Me" Screaming guitars! Big 80s drums! Shrieking Axl! If this is your jam, this is a great jam for you. For an album track, this is far from filler. They put it all out there. "Mr. Brownstone" Maybe the least languid song about heroin ever recorded. Jamming Thin Lizzy-like groove. Axl speak-singing the first verse until he slips into Steven Tyler-style rapid delivery. By this point in the album the move into crunchy rhythm under a Slash solo is expected and well executed, but not boring. 6. "Paradise City" I'm just gonna go full Stefan: this track has everything: big gated drums, dual guitar, Axl wailing, high-speed coda, and a little person with a clipboard at the door. It's such a smash of a song, even if it runs overlong. "My Michelle" An intro that reminds me of future grunge, before changing gears into a stutter-step rocker. Axl in fine form. "Think About You" Basically a Van Halen song with cowbell. "Sweet Child o' Mine" Pinch harmonics, get your pinch harmonics here! It's great intro that settles into a very strong song. In lesser hands these lyrics would be in a cheesy ballad, but they did a great job keeping it edgy rock. Iconic Slash solo, yet again (how many is that on this LP?). "You're Crazy" Now we're starting to blur the songs together. This has a rocking groove and wailing Axl, but it's not standing out by this point in the second side of the LP. Hot performance, but I'd probably use this time to hit the mens room at the club. "Anything Goes" Playing with rhythm changes makes this interesting at first, even if it ultimately starts sounding all the same again. "Rocket Queen"

You Want It Darker

Leonard Cohen

4/5

My overall uniformed impression of Leonard Cohen had been that his songs are better when covered by others (his cameo on Was (Not Was) was fun though). That's not the case after a listening to this album. His voice is needed for these lyrics Like it says on the label - darker. Unrelentingly so. This one may be like Bowie’s “Blackstar” for me - incredibly powerful but hard to listen to repeatedly. It’s very beautiful musically. "You Want It Darker" Mood set: spooky, dark. Starts with a male choir of some sort, and then his croaking vocals. Tom Waits-like grooving accompaniment. Verses addressing God(?) at the end of his life. Hebrew “Hineni - Here I am, I am ready” chorus. Outro by a cantor. "Treaty" Solo piano intro, Leonard singing seemingly to both God and a partner. Arrangement supports but doesn’t distract from the powerful lyrics "On the Level" Piano arpeggios with gentle rhythm builds to a gospel feel "Leaving the Table" Slow country-bluesy twang guitar to lead in. Lyrics continue the theme of saying goodbye, ending conflicts “I’m leaving the table, I’m out of the game” "If I Didn't Have Your Love" Bluesy gospel (w/ organ) underpinning a dark poetic vision of a world without love. I’m already getting LC fatigue by this point in the LP. "Traveling Light" Mediterranean accompaniment (bouzouki?) of another farewell song "It Seemed the Better Way" Back to the spooky choir now with lyrics maybe about regretting someone he believed in? "Steer Your Way" Strange juxtaposition of Eastern European strings interposed with Appalachian fiddle. "String Reprise / Treaty" String quartet reprising the second song “Treaty” with a spoken outdo of an additional voice

Quiet Life

Japan

2/5

Didn't know much about Japan before this came up. I'd heard a Sylvian collaboration with Eno, but that's all. Post-listen reading says they'd started as a glam rock Roxy Music clone, but that seems behind them here, and I don't hear a strong Bryan Ferry likeness that others do. Instead it's impossible not to hear Simon LeBon, and learn that Japan were eclipsed by Duran Duran fairly soon. "Quiet Life" - First track has New Romantics all over it, ahead of the "movement" "Fall in Love with Me" Simon Le Bon meets Gary Numan synths "Despair" slowing things down for a piano/drum machine ballad en Francais! Guitar/e-bow soars overhead, Bowie/Roxy-esque sax joins in. Between Berlin-era Bowie and Ultravox. Pretty, but unexceptional. "In Vogue" Sylvian sings in a closet over an unexciting backing track "Halloween" Either it's a thematic decision or they're reusing lines from previous tracks. Again this could be a Duran Duran basement tape. Vocals still muffled. The bloom, is off this rose by now. I'm almost disinterested in listening to the rest of the LP. "All Tomorrow's Parties" - Velvet Underground cover, vocals still buried in the mix. The synths and guitars do a fun job of updating the sound of the classic track. "Alien" This one starts a little different, at least. A bass and percussion drone before things pep up with the rhythm guitar and keys. Vocals still buried. "The Other Side of Life" Yawn. Just yawn. Cut to the run-out groove, please.

Brilliant Corners

Thelonious Monk

4/5

An enjoyable listen. I don't appreciate bop enough to really drill into the details of this album, but I'm glad I listened to it.

What's Going On

Marvin Gaye

5/5

review notes lost to browser restart :( This is a perennial favorite for many reasons. 5.

Rust Never Sleeps

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

5/5

The soundtrack to my freshman year in HS. The light/dark acoustic/electric split of the album is such a brilliant concept. "Powderfinger" remains my favorite song of his.

Soul Mining

The The

4/5

This came out my senior year in HS, and I've seen this in a lot of friends' collection, but don't know it well/at all. Let's see how some synth-pop sounds now. "I've Been Waitin' for Tomorrow (All of My Life)" initially left me cold, but warmed up slightly as it progressed. Very much the sounds of the time - drum machines and synths of the early 80s. Bleak, bleak lyrics over a dance beat. Low replayability. "This Is the Day" A warmer instrumental accompaniment than the previous track, and lyrics that actually speak to me, oddly. I think I've heard this before, but didn't know who it was. Wikipedia says it's been used in a bunch of soundtracks, probably why it's familiar. Wix from McCartney's band on accordion! High replayability. "The Sinking Feeling" Again a warmer instrumental than the opener. Very 1983 dance music, but Jesus the lyrics are so angsty and bleak. "Uncertain Smile" If this isn't on the soundtrack to a John Hughes flick, I'll be very surprised. Oddly romantic lyrics. Excellent Jools Holland piano solo. High replayability. "The Twilight Hour" Bongos? pizzicato synths as it builds. Vocals like Iggy Pop or Ian Curtis over very wordy lyrics. Works well! Low skipability. "Soul Mining" More angst over slowly pulsing moody synths. Tempo picks up 3/4 way into it. If you're after this mood, it works, otherwise it's pretty dull musically. "Giant" Chill vamp, nicely ties together the album. Good track to close it out. Good replayability.

The Low End Theory

A Tribe Called Quest

4/5

1991 - probably my deepest exposure to hip-hop, thanks to living in downtown Oakland CA. At the same time, I was also listening to bunch of acid jazz, which shares a lot of source underpinnings with A Tribe Called Quest. It's really hard to just sit and listen to this without diving into sample sources! 1. "Excursions" 2. "Buggin' Out" 3. "Rap Promoter" 4. "Butter" Pretty sparse accompaniment on the verses, then the jazzy horns come in to dress up the repetitive chorus. Verses comparing hisHS love life with the now. 5. "Verses from the Abstract" (featuring Vinia Mojica and Ron Carter) 6. "Show Business" (featuring Diamond D, Lord Jamar and Sadat X) 7. "Vibes and Stuff" 8. "The Infamous Date Rape" 9. "Check the Rhime" 10. "Everything Is Fair" 11. "Jazz (We've Got)" 12. "Skypager" 13. "What?" 14. "Scenario" (featuring Busta Rhymes, Charlie Brown and Dinco D)

Private Dancer

Tina Turner

3/5

Enjoyable 80s crossover pop.

Copper Blue

Sugar

3/5

Pure early 90s grunge, with melodic (if plodding) vocals over thick (if plodding) guitars. In its time, it was a standout. Now it doesn't really stand out. Vocals way down in the mix. Eh, it's a choice.

Straight Outta Compton

N.W.A.

4/5

Straight outta Amen, Brother samples..... We've come a long way from "I like hot butter on my breakfast toast..."

Are You Experienced

Jimi Hendrix

4/5

Spotify uses the original US edition track order, per wikipedia

Ready To Die

The Notorious B.I.G.

3/5

Starts with a presumably biographical skit - chronological music under dialog “People are getting robbed and shot!” “I’m robbing and shooting people!”

Sunshine Hit Me

The Bees

2/5

I prefer Octopus to this album. This one is quirky but unsatisfying.

Unknown Pleasures

Joy Division

4/5

Definitely an acquired taste, and I have to be in the mood for this album but I do love it. For me a lot of the credit goes to Hooky's bass lines. It would be stronger were Transmission included, but I can only dream.

Ramones

4/5

The most fun was to learn playing rhythm guitar.

Hot Rats

Frank Zappa

2/5

Pretty ground breaking in its day but doesn’t really appeal to me after one listen. Now it sounds like every piece of soundtrack instrumental under a 60/70s street movie.

Chirping Crickets

Buddy Holly & The Crickets

4/5

Lands squarely in the rock n roll/country genre, with a lot of elements we also hear in Elvis: backing vocal harmonies, etc. Very gentle. I hear the influences on later bands like the Beatles, Byrds, and the whole country-rock movement of the late 60s and 70s.

The Joshua Tree

U2

5/5

Live Through This

Hole

1/5

There are reasons to appreciate Courtney Love: as a woman in rock, as someone who went through the wringer, etc. But her music is not one of them.

The Band

2/5

This isn't as bad as I remember it from earlier attempts to listen to The Band. I can definitely see why it's an important album from the perspective of the development of country-rock in the late 60s and 70s. I can see how it was a very different vibe from what else was going on with rock in 1969. But I don't have to like it. I get Richard-Manuel-fatigue right away in each song he sings. I HATE the sloppy rhythms of "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down." Garth Hudson's organ and piano are generally fun on any track, however.

Tommy

The Who

5/5

Listening to you, I get the music Gazing at you, I get the heat Following you, I climb the mountain I get excitement at your feet Right behind you, I see the millions On you, I see the glory From you, I get opinions From you, I get the story Listening to a remastered version with my ears in is a revelation. I know all the songs but to hear it so clearly, to heard previously buried parts of the accompaniment brings me to tears.

Closer

Joy Division

4/5

Unrelentingly bleak. On the cusp between guitar post-punk and electronics. I have to be in the mood but when I am this is excellent.

Heaven Or Las Vegas

Cocteau Twins

4/5

Just lovely. Vocals emerging from soundscapes, lyrics almost intelligible. Escapes the late-80s production sound that I didn't like about some earlier efforts (and that so many bands suffered from).

Rattus Norvegicus

The Stranglers

4/5

Garage band/pub rock masquerading as punk. Good stuff!

Neon Bible

Arcade Fire

3/5

Eternally Yours

The Saints

3/5

Good basic Aussie punk/garage. The only real reason this seems notable is that they were very early on the scene as a punk band.

Music For The Jilted Generation

The Prodigy

2/5

Not my thing at all but well-executed.

Endtroducing.....

DJ Shadow

3/5

When I’m in the mood, I’ll return to this.

Don't Come Home A Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind)

Loretta Lynn

5/5

Phenomenal lyrics and vocal performance. The classic country accompaniments are not my preferred jam, but are very listenable nonetheless, and don't get in Loretta's way.

American Idiot

Green Day

4/5

Forever Changes

Love

4/5

Very sixties, in a good way. Reminds me of some Moody Blues, some Jefferson Airplane. While I don't know the album, some tracks must have appeared on soundtracks, as they're familiar. Carol Kaye and Hal Blaine make appearances! Very listenable.

The Gershwin Songbook

Ella Fitzgerald

5/5

Perfection, from the arrangements to Ella’s vocals.

Picture Book

Simply Red

3/5

Tusk

Fleetwood Mac

4/5

Has replay value. Need to remember to try out the running order change, where you group by writer/singer.

Fear Of A Black Planet

Public Enemy

3/5

Autobahn

Kraftwerk

4/5

Beep beep.

Off The Wall

Michael Jackson

5/5

I like it more than Thriller.

xx

The xx

4/5

All Things Must Pass

George Harrison

4/5

Would have been a much stronger single album.

Wild Gift

X

4/5

Mermaid Avenue

Billy Bragg

3/5

Pleasant enough but not very compelling. The concept is cool, but that doesn't make it great.

Funeral

Arcade Fire

2/5

Not a fan of Win's voice. Music is interesting, but replay attraction is low.

Rain Dogs

Tom Waits

2/5

As with Dylan, I prefer covers of Waits songs to the originals.

La Revancha Del Tango

Gotan Project

3/5

Innocuous enough lounge music. Saved it for future listening. Is its inclusion on the 1001 list just due to representing the genre?

Hypocrisy Is The Greatest Luxury

The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy

4/5

The Bay Area's Michael Franti in his project prior to forming Spearhead. Title track unavailable via streaming - sample clearances?

At Fillmore East

The Allman Brothers Band

4/5

If what you want to hear is late 60s/early 70s blue-eyed blues, this is it.

Aja

Steely Dan

5/5

Perfection.

Penance Soiree

The Icarus Line

1/5

blecch

Fulfillingness' First Finale

Stevie Wonder

4/5

Lovely. I prefer Songs in the Key of life but this is pretty great too.

Your New Favourite Band

The Hives

3/5

Welcome To The Pleasuredome

Frankie Goes To Hollywood

4/5

Playing With Fire

Spacemen 3

3/5

psychedelic, man....

3 Feet High and Rising

De La Soul

4/5

Wonderful Rainbow

Lightning Bolt

2/5

Sheer Heart Attack

Queen

4/5

Forward artistic development with some banging tracks.

Natty Dread

Bob Marley & The Wailers

5/5

Dig Me Out

Sleater-Kinney

3/5

Live At The Star Club, Hamburg

Jerry Lee Lewis

3/5

A good representation of JLL. He's not my thing but it confirms the influence he had on a bunch of people later.

To Pimp A Butterfly

Kendrick Lamar

2/5

If I liked contemporary hip-hop, I'd like this.

Made In Japan

Deep Purple

4/5

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

Faces

3/5

Spiderland

Slint

2/5

Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

3/5

Elastica

4/5

I can always listen to this.

Jagged Little Pill

Alanis Morissette

5/5

We Are Family

Sister Sledge

4/5

Beautifully produced classic vocal disco.

Young Americans

David Bowie

5/5

Gentlemen

The Afghan Whigs

2/5

Let's Stay Together

Al Green

4/5

Beggars Banquet

The Rolling Stones

5/5

Utterly brilliant.

Deserter's Songs

Mercury Rev

2/5

Some potentially interesting music, but his voice is too annoying to make another trip.

Pelican West

Haircut 100

4/5

One Nation Under A Groove

Funkadelic

4/5

Rage Against The Machine

3/5

Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle

Bill Callahan

3/5

Maggot Brain

Funkadelic

5/5

Since I Left You

The Avalanches

2/5

Stardust

Willie Nelson

4/5

Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)

The Kinks

5/5

Youth And Young Manhood

Kings of Leon

2/5

Meat Is Murder

The Smiths

1/5

This would be a better record if it were an instrumental.

Tigermilk

Belle & Sebastian

2/5

Nick Drake tribute band.

Arrival

ABBA

3/5

Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul

Otis Redding

4/5

Tubular Bells

Mike Oldfield

5/5

American Pie

Don McLean

4/5

Siamese Dream

The Smashing Pumpkins

2/5

The Stranger

Billy Joel

5/5

Duck Stab/Buster & Glen

The Residents

3/5

Isn't Anything

My Bloody Valentine

3/5

Franz Ferdinand

3/5

John Barleycorn Must Die

Traffic

4/5

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

Arctic Monkeys

4/5

In the same bucket with Strokes, Hives, etc. Good mid 2000s guitar rock.

In It For The Money

Supergrass

3/5

Bayou Country

Creedence Clearwater Revival

4/5

Fragile

Yes

4/5

Better than I remember. Less wankery more tuneful than much of their later stuff.

The White Room

The KLF

1/5

All Directions

The Temptations

5/5

Feast of Wire

Calexico

4/5

Paranoid

Black Sabbath

4/5

Time (The Revelator)

Gillian Welch

5/5

Hot Fuss

The Killers

2/5

Fire Of Love

The Gun Club

3/5

Time Out

The Dave Brubeck Quartet

5/5

Pretzel Logic

Steely Dan

4/5

Gold

Ryan Adams

2/5

Palo Congo

Sabu

4/5

The Good, The Bad & The Queen

3/5

Aqualung

Jethro Tull

3/5

All That You Can't Leave Behind

U2

3/5

Five Leaves Left

Nick Drake

3/5

Hotel California

Eagles

5/5

Helpful to separate the art from the artist. This is a fabulous record made by some terrible people.

Ágætis Byrjun

Sigur Rós

5/5

Just gorgeous and genre-defining. A big part of my mid-2000s.

From Elvis In Memphis

Elvis Presley

3/5

GREY Area

Little Simz

3/5

Cloud Nine

The Temptations

4/5

Kick Out The Jams (Live)

MC5

4/5

The Chronic

Dr. Dre

2/5

Well executed but I'm not at all into the words.

Moon Safari

Air

5/5

Just gorgeous. I stumbled upon it a few years ago, and it's been in heavy rotation since.

Elephant Mountain

The Youngbloods

4/5

Under Construction

Missy Elliott

2/5

Scissor Sisters

4/5

Back At The Chicken Shack

Jimmy Smith

5/5

At Mister Kelly's

Sarah Vaughan

4/5

Go Girl Crazy

The Dictators

2/5

Transformer

Lou Reed

4/5

Bridge Over Troubled Water

Simon & Garfunkel

4/5

Blunderbuss

Jack White

2/5

In Our Heads

Hot Chip

2/5

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Elton John

5/5

A lifelong “old friend” album. So much here.

Will The Circle Be Unbroken

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

4/5

Protection

Massive Attack

5/5

S&M

Metallica

2/5

The Madcap Laughs

Syd Barrett

2/5

Cypress Hill

1/5

meh. very repetitve beats

Only By The Night

Kings of Leon

3/5

Elvis Presley

4/5

Classic and very influential, despite its own obvious derivativeness. (is that a word?)

Frank

Amy Winehouse

5/5

Classic and very influential, despite its own obvious derivativeness. (is that a word?)

Highway 61 Revisited

Bob Dylan

2/5

Great songs but I can’t stand his voice.

Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

Wu-Tang Clan

4/5

Crossing the Red Sea With the Adverts

The Adverts

4/5

Fun basic punk. One chord and the truth!

In The Court Of The Crimson King

King Crimson

3/5

Important, not enjoyable.

Happy Trails

Quicksilver Messenger Service

2/5

If I were 22, stoned and at the Fillmore, this would be divine. As I'm not, it's just an artifact.

Automatic For The People

R.E.M.

3/5

Scott 2

Scott Walker

2/5

Californication

Red Hot Chili Peppers

3/5

Thriller

Michael Jackson

5/5

A classic through and through.

Kid A

Radiohead

5/5

After The Gold Rush

Neil Young

4/5

Histoire De Melody Nelson

Serge Gainsbourg

4/5

Rock 'N Soul

Solomon Burke

4/5

Blood On The Tracks

Bob Dylan

3/5

Infected

The The

3/5

Catch A Fire

Bob Marley & The Wailers

5/5

Raising Hell

Run-D.M.C.

4/5

Very old-school rap, high energy with equal brashness and humor. Minimal instrumentals, mostly just beats and voices. And how do you forget “Walk This Way?”

I’ve Got a Tiger By the Tail

Buck Owens

4/5

The Bakersfield Sound - certainly preferable to the string and sequins of Nashville in the '60s. I keep waiting for the sound of beer bottles hitting the chicken wire...

The Boatman's Call

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

2/5

The Genius Of Ray Charles

Ray Charles

4/5

Billion Dollar Babies

Alice Cooper

2/5

Nothing's Shocking

Jane's Addiction

5/5

A Night At The Opera

Queen

4/5

Tom Tom Club

4/5

The Stone Roses

3/5

Power In Numbers

Jurassic 5

2/5

Violator

Depeche Mode

4/5

Fred Neil

4/5

Great voice, gentle songs.

MTV Unplugged In New York

Nirvana

5/5

Definitely Maybe

Oasis

3/5

Music in Exile

Songhoy Blues

4/5

On The Beach

Neil Young

2/5

Marquee Moon

Television

3/5

Green Onions

Booker T. & The MG's

2/5

Love the title track (the hit), but the rest is typical of the times. A bunch of covers padding an album just to have an album. Must have been good background music at parties but it’s just uninspired now. Hopefully we’ll come back to them for the far more interesting McLenore Avenue project.

I Against I

Bad Brains

4/5

Brutal Youth

Elvis Costello

2/5

I am a such a fan of his first string of albums but this was just boring, even with the Attractions backing him. None of the songs grabbed me, and his vibrato was annoying.

Live At Leeds

The Who

4/5

Bright Flight

Silver Jews

1/5

Lazy music. And not as in lazy chill out mood. Lazy as in little effort.

The Idiot

Iggy Pop

3/5

Revolver

Beatles

5/5

Fear Of Music

Talking Heads

5/5

Miriam Makeba

4/5

Seventh Tree

Goldfrapp

4/5

Surfer Rosa

Pixies

3/5

My Generation

The Who

3/5

Trio

Dolly Parton

4/5

Orbital 2

Orbital

2/5

The Box is better.

The Clash

4/5

Grace

Jeff Buckley

1/5

A voice like a broken wine glass. Or whine glass. Piercing and grating and over-acted.

Ananda Shankar

1/5

I like Indian music, but these covers are more muzak than meditative.

Guero

Beck

2/5

I like a lot of his stuff. But not this one so much. He doesn’t feel committed to the sound du jour.

It's A Shame About Ray

The Lemonheads

2/5

Pleasant but bland early 90s guitar pop. Part of the "alternative" bandwagon that didn't and doesn't command any particular attention. Only notable at all for the brief presence of Juliana Hatfield before she left and formed the The Juliana Hatfield Three.

Kilimanjaro

The Teardrop Explodes

1/5

Just awful. Some attempts at post-punk/pre New Romantics sounds but shitty vocals and unreproducible melodies. Listening to this a waste of whatever time you have left on Earth.

Bad Company

3/5

Basic 70s guitar rock.

White Blood Cells

The White Stripes

2/5

Should have recruited a vocalist.

Fever To Tell

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

3/5

Untitled (Black Is)

SAULT

3/5

Conceptually interesting but not compelling.

Deep Purple In Rock

Deep Purple

4/5

Quite a time capsule. Hard rock with a late-60s sense of boogie, some prog, and of course wailing vocals and guitars. You can hear the influences and hear the impact upon later artists.

Guitar Town

Steve Earle

2/5

If you like country, you like this. I don't.

For Your Pleasure

Roxy Music

3/5

Little Earthquakes

Tori Amos

4/5

Diamond Life

Sade

5/5

All Hope Is Gone

Slipknot

1/5

Useless, much like its namesake knot.

Roxy Music

2/5

Not my favorite of theirs.

Africa Brasil

Jorge Ben Jor

4/5

If I Could Only Remember My Name

David Crosby

3/5

Unfocused but beautiful

American IV: The Man Comes Around

Johnny Cash

3/5

Vauxhall And I

Morrissey

1/5

Channel Orange

Frank Ocean

2/5

Blackstar

David Bowie

4/5

Third/Sister Lovers

Big Star

3/5

London Calling

The Clash

5/5

Talking Timbuktu

Ali Farka Touré

4/5

Let Love Rule

Lenny Kravitz

3/5

Stand!

Sly & The Family Stone

4/5

Boom chackalacka boom chackalacka

A Girl Called Dusty

Dusty Springfield

3/5

Fear and Whiskey

Mekons

3/5

Bitches Brew

Miles Davis

3/5

I understand its significance, but I just don't enjoy listening to it. I was along for the ride up until In a Silent Way, and then Miles left me in his dust.....

Cosmo's Factory

Creedence Clearwater Revival

4/5

Follow The Leader

Korn

1/5

ick. nu metal sucks.

Supa Dupa Fly

Missy Elliott

2/5

Beach Samba

Astrud Gilberto

4/5

Pleasant femme pop, though some of the covers are a little cheesy. Overall something I'd play for a backyard BBQ.

Be

Common

3/5

Steve McQueen

Prefab Sprout

4/5

Who Killed...... The Zutons?

The Zutons

2/5

Not special enough for this list. Adequate guitar pop-rock but unexceptional.

Blood Sugar Sex Magik

Red Hot Chili Peppers

3/5

Tiresome after a couple of tracks

Planet Rock: The Album

Afrika Bambaataa

4/5

I Should Coco

Supergrass

3/5

Second tier Britpop. A couple of catchy hits doesn’t seem compelling enough for this list.

Elephant

The White Stripes

2/5

Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music

Ray Charles

3/5

I acknowledge its importance and love Ray’s voice and piano. But I hate the strings.

Odessa

Bee Gees

2/5

Microshift

Hookworms

4/5

Better than I expected. Some nice builds and sustains

Songs In The Key Of Life

Stevie Wonder

5/5

I was in middle school when this came out. I played Sir Duke’s trumpet part in a talent show. This album has always been a part of my life. I probably listen to it monthly. Looking at Wikipedia for a list of albums released in 1976, there may only be a handful that I revisit like this one, and this is in my top 3.

Music

Madonna

1/5

Doesn’t belong in the list. Ray of Light would have been a better choice as It was adventurous and more of a radical step for her than “Music” was.

No Other

Gene Clark

2/5

Not my bag, baby.

The Wall

Pink Floyd

5/5

A Love Supreme

John Coltrane

3/5

Car Wheels On A Gravel Road

Lucinda Williams

4/5

The Scream

Siouxsie And The Banshees

4/5

Boston

4/5

The Slim Shady LP

Eminem

2/5

Good execution of something I don’t value at all.

The Wildest!

Louis Prima

5/5

Joyful noise!

Triangle

The Beau Brummels

3/5

Immaculate folk-rock production, obviously of its time (1967), reminiscent of Simon and Garfunkel, Mamas and Papas, or Harry Nilsson orchestration. Psychedelic waltz! Songs OK, very earnest vocals. Likely only heard these days on movie soundtracks. Some Dylan or Byrds touches, though these guys are peers of the Byrds. Second half gets a little overblown. I kept expecting Ballad of a Green Beret to show up.

The Yes Album

Yes

3/5

The Gilded Palace Of Sin

The Flying Burrito Brothers

2/5

Back in the day, this apparently made quite the buzz as a country-rock hybrid, but I don't hear anything other than country, musically. Some of the lyrics are topical but is that where the rock is? I don't get it.

At Folsom Prison

Johnny Cash

4/5

2112

Rush

2/5

Arular

M.I.A.

2/5

Initially interesting, then repetitive, then boring.

Frampton Comes Alive

Peter Frampton

3/5

Love a couple of the radio hits but the rest is dull 70s guitar rock with an awful Stones cover.

Better Living Through Chemistry

Fatboy Slim

3/5

It’s ok. Not my thing.

Madman Across The Water

Elton John

5/5

My single favorite EJ LP.

Exile In Guyville

Liz Phair

5/5

This came out when I had a CD changer When this album came out, I had a five CD changer that had a spiral mode: you could put in discs and it would play the first track from each desk the second track from each desk, etc. So I put in the Rolling Stones “Exile On Main Street”, and this CD and listened in spiral mode. It was very cool to hear her response to each Stones track throughout the whole album.

Arise

Sepultura

1/5

Not my thing. At all.

Master Of Puppets

Metallica

1/5

Nah.

Tago Mago

Can

2/5

Deja Vu

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

4/5

21

Adele

3/5

Like with Streisand and a few others, I love her voice, for about three songs. Then it becomes tiresome.

Bookends

Simon & Garfunkel

4/5

Virgin Suicides

Air

4/5

Trout Mask Replica

Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band

1/5

If it doesn't click after hearing it many times over the years, it's never gonna

A Hard Day's Night

Beatles

5/5

Murder Ballads

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

3/5

Floodland

Sisters Of Mercy

3/5

(What's The Story) Morning Glory

Oasis

1/5

90s Radiohead tribute act. But with annoying vocals.

At Newport 1960

Muddy Waters

5/5

Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water

Limp Bizkit

1/5

Younger Than Yesterday

The Byrds

3/5

Hard Again

Muddy Waters

5/5

Myths Of The Near Future

Klaxons

1/5

The Blueprint

JAY Z

1/5

Oar

Alexander 'Skip' Spence

2/5

One of those whose significance exceeds the musical content.

Violent Femmes

4/5

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx

Raekwon

2/5

KE*A*H** (Psalm 69)

Ministry

1/5

Beauty And The Beat

The Go-Go's

4/5

I’m a sucker for power pop and this one was huge for bringing women-led bands to the charts (along with others for sure)

Dusty In Memphis

Dusty Springfield

3/5

Tellin’ Stories

The Charlatans

2/5

Risque

CHIC

4/5

Beyond the hits, these are real songs that just happen to use that smooth CHIC sound.

Cheap Thrills

Big Brother & The Holding Company

2/5

That's The Way Of The World

Earth, Wind & Fire

4/5

Very

Pet Shop Boys

2/5

Darkness on the Edge of Town

Bruce Springsteen

5/5

My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts

Brian Eno

5/5

S.F. Sorrow

The Pretty Things

2/5

One of those (again) that’s historically/culturally notable but not terribly interesting musically.

Pump

Aerosmith

2/5

Can't Buy A Thrill

Steely Dan

4/5

Safe As Milk

Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band

2/5

Led Zeppelin II

Led Zeppelin

4/5

The ArchAndroid

Janelle Monáe

4/5

Larks' Tongues In Aspic

King Crimson

3/5

Vulgar Display Of Power

Pantera

1/5

The Bends

Radiohead

4/5

1984

Van Halen

4/5

Actually

Pet Shop Boys

3/5

En-Tact

The Shamen

2/5

Dull, dated.

Blonde On Blonde

Bob Dylan

3/5

Not a fan of Bob’s voice, and for the most part the arrangements aren’t interesting enough to make up for it, but dammit if I didn’t like this album by the end.

Destroyer

KISS

1/5

Just awful. No wonder they needed the makeup and costume gimmicks to try to attract listeners.

Ogden's Nut Gone Flake

Small Faces

3/5

Remind me of the Kinks, very English. Not a lot of replayability value but good to have heard. Like it says on the cover of the book!

Liquid Swords

GZA

2/5

1989

Taylor Swift

4/5

It surprised me at how good this turned out to be, even if it coasted toward the end. Very catchy tunes.

Destroy Rock & Roll

Mylo

3/5

The Rolling Stones

4/5

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

David Bowie

3/5

Idlewild

Everything But The Girl

4/5

Heavy Weather

Weather Report

3/5

Kimono My House

Sparks

4/5

Early Queen meets T-Rex meets Rocky Horror. Likely an influence on Kate Bush, Gaga, Chappell Roan Music for theater kids

You've Come a Long Way Baby

Fatboy Slim

2/5

Too much filler. This should’ve been an EP.

Darkdancer

Les Rythmes Digitales

1/5

Thanks for the inclusivity! It’s nice to know that mediocre electronica can be found beyond the shore of Britain.

Eliminator

ZZ Top

3/5

Pearl

Janis Joplin

3/5

Great voice, but needs better songs and better arrangements

Bone Machine

Tom Waits

3/5

Inventive music, cool lyrics, can’t get past the voice.

Aftermath

The Rolling Stones

4/5

Not my favorite Stones LP but I am very fond of it.

Machine Head

Deep Purple

3/5

Decent early arena rock. Some great instrumental sections. Not a lot of replay value for me.

Parklife

Blur

2/5

Not more fucking Britpop.....

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan

4/5

I’ve never liked his voice but the songs here are so so good.

Kenya

Machito

5/5

Fabulous. Makes me want to invite over Kramer and Newman to make sausages in the kitchen

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

OutKast

2/5

Fun in sections but goes on way too long.

Another Green World

Brian Eno

3/5

Heaven is Eno ambient instrumentals. Hell is Eno vocals.

Green

R.E.M.

3/5

Real Life

Magazine

4/5

This was new to me and I am so glad to hear it!

Lust For Life

Iggy Pop

4/5

The Queen Is Dead

The Smiths

2/5

Once again I am asking for your support in rereleasing all the Smiths albums as instrumentals. I never want to hear Morrissey’s voice.

Sound Affects

The Jam

4/5

Aladdin Sane

David Bowie

5/5

Garaon’s piano takes this album to the next level.

Wild Wood

Paul Weller

3/5

Bug

Dinosaur Jr.

2/5

Songs The Lord Taught Us

The Cramps

4/5

Surf-horror, just like it says on the label.

Sticky Fingers

The Rolling Stones

4/5

Just an incredible selection of songs. Sure, it’s no Beggar’s Banquet nor Exile, but still the work of an amazing band in their prime.

2/5

She's So Unusual

Cyndi Lauper

4/5

Her voice is phenomenal. The production is horribly dated, but back then it sounded (temporarily) fresh. More than just the one or two hits, there are quite a few great songs here.

Iron Maiden

1/5

Not my thing. At all.

Hounds Of Love

Kate Bush

3/5

She’s cool but the production on this is SO dated.

The Suburbs

Arcade Fire

3/5

Morrison Hotel

The Doors

2/5

This is the only album of theirs, except the first one, that I’ve listened to all the way through. Maybe it was cool back then when a bunch of white SoCal guys did blues, but now it just seems derivative and dull. Stick to the greatest hits, listeners, this one’s not worth it.

Head Hunters

Herbie Hancock

4/5

The Renaissance

Q-Tip

2/5

I like the beats, the rap does nothing for me.

Pictures At An Exhibition

Emerson, Lake & Palmer

1/5

I liked this stuff when I was fifteen. Now I hear it as soulless wankery.

Hail To the Thief

Radiohead

4/5

Vol. 4

Black Sabbath

3/5

Solid hard rock. Some self-indulgence, but that’s expected.

Bossanova

Pixies

3/5

Celebrity Skin

Hole

1/5

Incredibly generic 90s guitar rock. Makes "Live Through This" seem visionary. I respect her journey, but not this album.

Who's Next

The Who

4/5

Traffic

3/5

Winwood was huge in the 80s when I first heard this, so I apparently favored his tracks over Dave Mason’s. Re-listening today, I prefer Mason’s well-written songs. Winwood’s are scattershot sixties stuff.

The Man Who

Travis

2/5

Tom Yorke vocal vibes - produced by Nigel Godrich, maybe that’s why. Not very interesting otherwise.

3 + 3

The Isley Brothers

4/5

Some great originals, some great covers. What a fun record!

The Seldom Seen Kid

Elbow

3/5

Started off dull. Warmed to it eventually. Bits remind me of Band of Bees. Not sure of the replay value but I’m glad I was exposed to them.

Joan Armatrading

4/5

Lovely

Tuesday Night Music Club

Sheryl Crow

4/5

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

5/5

One World

John Martyn

2/5

At San Quentin

Johnny Cash

3/5

More ragged than “Folsom,” seems to better capture a live event. Music otherwise the same.

Exile On Main Street

The Rolling Stones

5/5

Permission to Land

The Darkness

3/5

Vocals are a bit much but the music is strong

A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector

Various Artists

4/5

Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea

PJ Harvey

4/5

Ten

Pearl Jam

5/5

Holds up after all this time!

Live 1966 (The Royal Albert Hall Concert)

Bob Dylan

2/5

Songs are great, still can’t abide his singing.

Graceland

Paul Simon

5/5

Still as fresh as it was the day it dropped. Still grateful for putting me on the path to discovering the “Indestructible Beat of Soweto” album

More Songs About Buildings And Food

Talking Heads

4/5

Not my favorite of theirs, but still excellent with some killer tracks.

Antichrist Superstar

Marilyn Manson

1/5

This ain’t it.

Buenas Noches From A Lonely Room

Dwight Yoakam

1/5

Affected insincere crap.

Dry

PJ Harvey

4/5

Figure 8

Elliott Smith

2/5

Gris Gris

Dr. John

2/5

I like later Dr John/Mac Rebbenack stuff, but this is just a little too weird for me.

Reign In Blood

Slayer

1/5

Nope

Van Halen

4/5

The La's

3/5

Killing Joke

5/5

I adore this record. Even the dub remix of requiem is incredible.

Electric

The Cult

1/5

Born to be boring and derivative.

Bat Out Of Hell

Meat Loaf

2/5

Rocky Horror Springsteen Show.

The Colour Of Spring

Talk Talk

4/5

Sea Change

Beck

5/5

Stunning emotional record. It also led me to discovering Serge Gainsbourg.

Odelay

Beck

3/5

Fun but dated, esp the "noisy" tracks.

Maverick A Strike

Finley Quaye

4/5

Afro-Scottish reggae and dub? Holy crap!

McCartney

Paul McCartney

4/5

I never really gave this a fair chance before, but I really like it now. Very raw, very emotional, very McCartney.

Chemtrails Over The Country Club

Lana Del Rey

2/5

On first listen, BORING. Will give it another pass.

Bryter Layter

Nick Drake

4/5

A really good record. I like this much more than Pink Moon.

In Rainbows

Radiohead

4/5

Saw this tour. This has grown on me since it came out.

3 Years, 5 Months And 2 Days In The Life Of...

Arrested Development

3/5

Songs For Swingin' Lovers!

Frank Sinatra

5/5

No notes. Just perfect.

Konnichiwa

Skepta

1/5

Dire Straits

5/5

An absolute standout classic. Nothing sounded like it then.

Logical Progression

LTJ Bukem

2/5

Formulaic.

Live And Dangerous

Thin Lizzy

3/5

Classic live guitar rock. Phil seemed like he had a lot of stage presence and charisma the dual-lead guitars were cool.

Bubble And Scrape

Sebadoh

2/5

Meh

The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway

Genesis

5/5

Parallel Lines

Blondie

4/5

A Short Album About Love

The Divine Comedy

4/5

Woodface

Crowded House

4/5

The Who Sell Out

The Who

3/5

Nevermind

Nirvana

5/5

Ocean Rain

Echo And The Bunnymen

3/5

...And Justice For All

Metallica

2/5

Born In The U.S.A.

Bruce Springsteen

5/5

Lost In The Dream

The War On Drugs

4/5

This is basically Wire Train.

Aha Shake Heartbreak

Kings of Leon

2/5

BORING

Station To Station

David Bowie

5/5

A classic pivotal record

Kind Of Blue

Miles Davis

5/5

Perfection. I wish it were three times longer.

Opus Dei

Laibach

1/5

Timeless

Goldie

1/5

I have detested drum-and-bass since it emerged. This album did nothing to change my mind. But then, even Bowie couldn’t.

Me Against The World

2Pac

2/5

Savane

Ali Farka Touré

4/5

Tres Hombres

ZZ Top

3/5

Every Picture Tells A Story

Rod Stewart

3/5

People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm

A Tribe Called Quest

3/5

They Were Wrong, So We Drowned

Liars

1/5

Suede

2/5

Pieces Of The Sky

Emmylou Harris

4/5

Walking Wounded

Everything But The Girl

3/5

The Pleasure Principle

Gary Numan

4/5

Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo

MC Solaar

3/5

E.V.O.L.

Sonic Youth

3/5

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

Simple Minds

3/5

Movies

Holger Czukay

3/5

Harvest

Neil Young

4/5

Illmatic

Nas

2/5

Too Rye Ay

Dexys Midnight Runners

3/5

Decent pub music. Otherwise unremarkable.

Lost Souls

Doves

2/5

Wannabe Radiohead, without the results.

Here Are the Sonics

The Sonics

3/5

Solid proto garage rock. Fun but not a lot of repeat value.

OK Computer

Radiohead

5/5

I’ve listened to this album 1000 times, and will gladly listen to it 1000 times more.

Underwater Moonlight

The Soft Boys

4/5

Absolutely shimmering Robyn Hitchcock

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme

Simon & Garfunkel

4/5

Dirty

Sonic Youth

3/5

Crooked Rain Crooked Rain

Pavement

3/5

Take Me Apart

Kelela

2/5

Pleasant background music. Otherwise generic.

Paul Simon

4/5

Daydream Nation

Sonic Youth

2/5

Modern Kosmology

Jane Weaver

4/5

Wow, didn't know anything about this or her. Love most of it!

When I Was Born For The 7th Time

Cornershop

3/5

Started out interesting but got repetitive.

Heroes to Zeros

The Beta Band

2/5

I wanted to like it but it was just SO DULL

Surf's Up

The Beach Boys

2/5

Not my thing.

Calenture

The Triffids

3/5

Very late 80s. Can’t think who it reminds me of: Wire Train? Starts strong with the single, fizzles out.

Bitte Orca

Dirty Projectors

1/5

Awful.

Nilsson Schmilsson

Harry Nilsson

4/5

Much more fun than I remembered.

The Lexicon Of Love

ABC

4/5

Fond of this since it was first out.

You Are The Quarry

Morrissey

1/5

Would have been a better album as a set of instrumentals.

Smile

Brian Wilson

2/5

Initial fun then repetitive tedium. For serious fans only.

Want Two

Rufus Wainwright

1/5

Put this guy and the singer from Muse in a room and lock the door. Forever.

C'est Chic

CHIC

3/5

Enjoyable for a relic of the past.

Felt Mountain

Goldfrapp

3/5

A Rush Of Blood To The Head

Coldplay

2/5

Annoying music performed well, giving it a second star.

Queen Of Denmark

John Grant

3/5

Quirky lyrics, initially enjoyable accompaniment that got old quickly

Apocalypse Dudes

Turbonegro

3/5

Ace of Spades

Motörhead

3/5

Exodus

Bob Marley & The Wailers

5/5

Perfection.

Freak Out!

The Mothers Of Invention

3/5

Strong lyrics, great recording, annoying vocals and melodies.

Blue

Joni Mitchell

2/5

Beautiful voice, lovely accompaniments , but it drives me nuts that most songs don’t have a defined melody. Her voice just meanders along. Obviously this is a me problem, since so many others love her.

Millions Now Living Will Never Die

Tortoise

4/5

My kinda post-rock.

Gorillaz

2/5

Yawn. A visual gimmick does not equate to good listening.

Os Mutantes

3/5

Kenza

Khaled

4/5

Really funky, although I need to listen a few more times to appreciate some of the duo vocal more than the first pass.

In A Silent Way

Miles Davis

4/5

The Rising

Bruce Springsteen

3/5

Despite the reputation, this comes off as a rather flat album, sonically. And I say that as a longtime Bruce fan

Talking Heads 77

Talking Heads

4/5

Not my favorite of their but still a great LP esp with the remaster/remix.

Time Out Of Mind

Bob Dylan

3/5

Emergency On Planet Earth

Jamiroquai

4/5

Faust IV

Faust

3/5

Tank Battles

Dagmar Krause

4/5

Very good though probably not going into my daily rotation. Songs translated to English, but sounding very 1920s Berlin cabaret. Like an influence on Tom Waits if time wasn’t linear.

Midnight Ride

Paul Revere & The Raiders

3/5

Decent mid 60s pop. Shows how well the producers of the Monkees captured things.

Oxygène

Jean-Michel Jarre

4/5

The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn

Pink Floyd

3/5

Machine Gun Etiquette

The Damned

1/5

Teenager Of The Year

Frank Black

2/5

Meh.

Sulk

The Associates

2/5

I had high hopes but they weren’t met.

Central Reservation

Beth Orton

4/5

Love her voice and love the range of sounds here.

There's A Riot Goin' On

Sly & The Family Stone

3/5

Nixon

Lambchop

3/5

Superunknown

Soundgarden

4/5

Solid.

American Gothic

David Ackles

1/5

The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators

The 13th Floor Elevators

3/5

Let's Get Killed

David Holmes

2/5

generic dance music

The Modern Lovers

5/5

Hejira

Joni Mitchell

3/5

Gorgeous instrumentals

White Light / White Heat

The Velvet Underground

2/5

The Specials

5/5

Somehow I heard this in 1980 and it’s never left my side since.

I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got

Sinead O'Connor

5/5

Liege And Lief

Fairport Convention

3/5

Raw Like Sushi

Neneh Cherry

1/5

I hated every minute of the album, due to the terrible fad of the production (New Jack Swing?) Neneh did her best with the vocals but the music was bad back then and hasn’t gotten any better since. A short era of R&B/Hip-hop that deserves to be forgotten.

Before And After Science

Brian Eno

3/5

This would be 4 stars for the music but I hate Eno’s voice. It sounds like he has a mouthful of vanilla pudding and a milk allergy.

Warehouse: Songs And Stories

Hüsker Dü

2/5

I would have loved this back in the day when it was new. But now it’s just REM lite, without the stylistic experimentation. A double album without variety is DULL no matter how much you like the sound.

The Sensual World

Kate Bush

3/5

This would have been a 4 for Kate and the songs but I can’t hack the mid-80s recording.

Moving Pictures

Rush

5/5

Everyone knows the hits from side A but the tracks on the second side are some of my favorite in their whole catalog.

The Atomic Mr Basie

Count Basie & His Orchestra

5/5

Sex Packets

Digital Underground

4/5

Takes me back to living in downtown Oakland back when this was out and you could hear it from car radios...

Murmur

R.E.M.

5/5

461 Ocean Boulevard

Eric Clapton

2/5

Dull music, expertly played, is still dull music.

Tragic Songs of Life

The Louvin Brothers

4/5

Glad I heard this. Fun to hear what Jagger lifted for parts of Beggar's Banquet.

Loveless

My Bloody Valentine

3/5

Haunted Dancehall

The Sabres Of Paradise

1/5

Dull dull dull

Rid Of Me

PJ Harvey

2/5

I want to like it but couldn’t get there.

Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Black

Public Enemy

3/5

Djam Leelii

Baaba Maal

4/5

Heartbreaker

Ryan Adams

4/5

Not much of a country guy but this album might adjust that. Good tunes.

The College Dropout

Kanye West

1/5

Jack Takes the Floor

Ramblin' Jack Elliott

3/5

Can’t find this particular album but I listened to a representative sample of his stuff. I can hear how influential it was even if I don’t need to hear muleskinner yodeling ever again.

The Infotainment Scan

The Fall

3/5

The Bones Of What You Believe

CHVRCHES

5/5

Love the contrast between the upbeat songs with sweet vocals and the e very dark lyrics.

L.A. Woman

The Doors

1/5

A few standout tracks but mostly filler made up of boring hippie blues.

Rapture

Anita Baker

4/5

Fond memories of taking Mom to see this tour.

Justified

Justin Timberlake

2/5

Overproduced, too busy. No room to breathe. A couple of decent tracks but mostly it doesn’t hold up.

Let England Shake

PJ Harvey

3/5

Interesting concept but I’m not sure about the replayability.

The Contino Sessions

Death In Vegas

4/5

Sign 'O' The Times

Prince

5/5

L'Eau Rouge

The Young Gods

2/5

The Hour Of Bewilderbeast

Badly Drawn Boy

4/5

Dance Mania

Tito Puente

5/5

I’m going over to my friend Jerry’s apartment to make sausage while this plays.

The Holy Bible

Manic Street Preachers

3/5

Now I Got Worry

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion

1/5

Toys In The Attic

Aerosmith

4/5

This held up much better than I had remembered.

Step In The Arena

Gang Starr

4/5

It can’t top Jazzamatazz but this is great.

Kollaps

Einstürzende Neubauten

4/5

Despite the reviews, I found this surprisingly musical. I’m not going to listen to it often but it’s pretty interesting.

Wish You Were Here

Pink Floyd

5/5

The Last Broadcast

Doves

3/5

Queens of the Stone Age

4/5

I had avoided this when it came out for some dumb arbitrary reason, but I’m glad it came up today. I really enjoyed it. Not what I was expecting.

Crosby, Stills & Nash

5/5

Stankonia

OutKast

3/5

Faith

George Michael

3/5

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

Devo

5/5

John Prine

2/5

Enjoyable lyrics but I CAN'T STAND the backing music. Bad country.

The Coral

1/5

Meh.

Fifth Dimension

The Byrds

1/5

One strong single and the rest filler does not make a good album, let alone one for this 1001 list.

Sunday At The Village Vanguard

Bill Evans Trio

5/5

Just lovely.

Pet Sounds

The Beach Boys

3/5

I recognize its importance but other than a few songs, I don't care to listen..

John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band

John Lennon

4/5

Love the songs, hate the production. Loses a fifth star for all that Spector echo and dull drum sound.

Like Water For Chocolate

Common

3/5

Rising Above Bedlam

Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart

4/5

Honky Tonk Masquerade

Joe Ely

2/5

I’m sure country music fans appreciate this more than I do.

...Baby One More Time

Britney Spears

2/5

More significant than enjoyable.

Connected

Stereo MC's

3/5

Great opening track, fizzles out repetitively as the album continues

Disraeli Gears

Cream

4/5

Better than I remember. Shame what Clapton did to his reputation.

Tapestry

Carole King

5/5

The Undertones

4/5

good kid, m.A.A.d city

Kendrick Lamar

3/5

Porcupine

Echo And The Bunnymen

3/5

It's Blitz!

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

4/5

Fun!

Joan Baez

4/5

Great blessings, beautiful accompaniment, but her voice is just a little too pure for these rough old lyrics.

Let It Be

The Replacements

3/5

Stripped

Christina Aguilera

4/5

Good capture of the time in pop.

Illinois

Sufjan Stevens

4/5

Liked this much more than I expected to.

California

American Music Club

2/5

Pleasant until it becomes dull.

Ctrl

SZA

1/5

Meat Puppets II

Meat Puppets

2/5

Tical

Method Man

3/5

Buena Vista Social Club

5/5

A classic.

Chris

Christine and the Queens

3/5

Pleasant, unremarkable except in how slavishly they capture an 80s R&B flavor in a few songs.

Live At The Witch Trials

The Fall

2/5

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Beatles

5/5

Every note is burned into my brain.

Trafalgar

Bee Gees

1/5

Disco saved us all.

Solid Air

John Martyn

3/5

Very enjoyable, not least was realizing Beth Orton was covering his “Don’t Want to Know.” I love serendipity.

American Beauty

Grateful Dead

3/5

I used to love this but it doesn’t move me much any more. Huh.

Peter Gabriel 3

Peter Gabriel

5/5

#1 Record

Big Star

4/5

Vivid

Living Colour

4/5

Vincebus Eruptum

Blue Cheer

2/5

Street Life

The Crusaders

4/5

69 Love Songs

The Magnetic Fields

2/5

Pleasant tedium.

Abraxas

Santana

4/5

Let It Bleed

The Rolling Stones

5/5

Not a bad note in the whole thing.

Slanted And Enchanted

Pavement

2/5

The Next Day

David Bowie

4/5

Close To You

Carpenters

4/5

Even with the cheesiness, this is a gorgeously recorded album, and Karen's voice is spectacular.

Something Else By The Kinks

The Kinks

2/5

Meh except for the couple of singles which stood out.

Imperial Bedroom

Elvis Costello & The Attractions

3/5

Black Sabbath

3/5

-1 star for being recognizably an inspiration for Spinal Tap.

Debut

Björk

4/5

The live version gets 5 stars so this has to settle for 4.

Scream, Dracula, Scream

Rocket From The Crypt

2/5

This might be more compelling if I hadn’t already listened to lots of music throughout the seventies and eighties by the time this came out. Derivative, though competent.

Black Holes and Revelations

Muse

2/5

If theater kids put on a Radiohead tribute show.

The Real Thing

Faith No More

1/5

We're Only In It For The Money

The Mothers Of Invention

2/5

I feel like I'm supposed to get Zappa, I'm supposed to like Zappa, but that hasn't happened in decades of occasionally trying.

Blue Lines

Massive Attack

5/5

I’d give this 6 stars if we could throttle back on Horace’s vibrato.

Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs

Marty Robbins

3/5

Evocative, pleasant, repetitive.

Searching For The Young Soul Rebels

Dexys Midnight Runners

2/5

A voice for singles. Unfortunately this is a full-length LP. Love the backing band, get tired of Kevin's vocal histrionics very quickly.

My Aim Is True

Elvis Costello

4/5

Music From Big Pink

The Band

2/5

I appreciate the significance, still don’t like it. Despite revisiting it every few years to check if I’m missing something.

Astral Weeks

Van Morrison

1/5

Hard to believe this is the same guy who later created the wonderful, cohesive "Moondance" album. This is self-indulgent crap. Melody? Sometimes. Accompaniment that has anything to do with the vocal? Seldom. Frequent moaning in place of a melodic line? Sure. Instruments that sound like they were recorded separately by players not allowed to hear what the rest of the band was doing? Practically every song. The bassist is the only player that's interesting. Maybe this was good with 1968-levels of pot. It's not today. About the best legacy is that it later birthed a good Lou Reed song and a few good early Springsteen tracks.

Trans Europe Express

Kraftwerk

4/5

Is This It

The Strokes

3/5

Pretty basic guitar rock dressed up with distorted dispassionate vocals. I don't hate it, but I don't love it.

Led Zeppelin IV

Led Zeppelin

5/5

Licensed To Ill

Beastie Boys

3/5

Stupidly fun.

Red Dirt Girl

Emmylou Harris

4/5

Enjoyable and very much of its time.

Among The Living

Anthrax

2/5

Kala

M.I.A.

2/5

The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter

The Incredible String Band

2/5

Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band did it better

Live At The Regal

B.B. King

5/5

Bluesbreakers

John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers

3/5

Very influential at the time even if it seems stiff now.

Dummy

Portishead

5/5

Beautiful.

Doggystyle

Snoop Dogg

3/5

Foxbase Alpha

Saint Etienne

2/5

Dull dull dull.

Psychocandy

The Jesus And Mary Chain

3/5

The Last Of The True Believers

Nanci Griffith

4/5

I don't choose country before other music often, but this was a good one for when I do.

Atomizer

Big Black

3/5

Good for what it is. Not my thing.

Blood And Chocolate

Elvis Costello & The Attractions

3/5

Play

Moby

5/5

Clube Da Esquina

Milton Nascimento

4/5

Basket of Light

Pentangle

2/5

Truth

Jeff Beck

3/5

Hearts And Bones

Paul Simon

3/5

Sounds like outtakes from One Trick Pony. Not essential.

Southern Rock Opera

Drive-By Truckers

2/5

Kings Of The Wild Frontier

Adam & The Ants

5/5

I have loved this for 40+ years.

Homework

Daft Punk

1/5

Music you hear while at a urinal in the men's room of a chic Montreal hotel.

The Köln Concert

Keith Jarrett

5/5

Devotional Songs

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

3/5

Lam Toro

Baaba Maal

4/5

25

Adele

3/5

Like Streisand, my tolerance for her voice ebbs after 2-3 songs.

Life Thru A Lens

Robbie Williams

2/5

Out of Step

Minor Threat

3/5

Decent punk

Fly Or Die

N.E.R.D

2/5

Music for the Masses

Depeche Mode

1/5

Didn't like it then, still don't. Something about the harsh keyboard sounds of the late 80s.

Abbey Road

Beatles

5/5

And in the end….

Duck Rock

Malcolm McLaren

3/5

Forward-looking for the time, a bit dated now. And that doesn't begin to address his appropriation.

Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

The Flaming Lips

3/5

At first, enjoyable, then monotonous.

Darklands

The Jesus And Mary Chain

4/5

That late 80s reverb-drenched sound isn't my favorites part of that decade, but these songs are good.

Nighthawks At The Diner

Tom Waits

3/5

Music is great, I just can't handle his voice. I'd love an album of cover versions of the set.

Group Sex

Circle Jerks

3/5

Not as good overall as the Minor Threat I heard the other day, but still fun, and very true to that period's punk style.

Stephen Stills

4/5

A Little Deeper

Ms. Dynamite

1/5

Yawn.

Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite

Maxwell

3/5

I remember liking this a lot when it came out. It doesn’t really stand out now.

I Am a Bird Now

Antony and the Johnsons

2/5

The music sounds nice in the gaps between the over the top vibrato. Lyrics are lost to the effect.

Heaux Tales

Jazmine Sullivan

3/5

Viva Hate

Morrissey

1/5

This would have been better as an instrumental album.

Getz/Gilberto

Stan Getz

5/5

For me way back when, an introduction to a whole continent of music.

Achtung Baby

U2

4/5

Loved it to death when it came out. Haven’t heard it in a while. Let’s see what happens.

Peggy Suicide

Julian Cope

3/5

Such dated sounds!. Fun nonetheless.

Superfly

Curtis Mayfield

5/5

I’ve had this for years and loved it. Like Marvin Gaye’s “Trouble Man” soundtrack as well as film music by Isaac Hayes and Quincy Jones, there’s something about that mix of soul hits and incidental music that makes these albums wonderful and somehow timeless.

Pornography

The Cure

3/5

While I'm certainly aware of this as the pivot to goth rock, this is where the Cure started to lose me, as a fan in real-time. I CAN'T STAND the drum sound, even though I appreciate the atmosphere they're creating. Bring back Seventeen Seconds!

Black Metal

Venom

1/5

Not my thing.

Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby

Girls Against Boys

4/5

I don't really like this genre, but this surprised me.

Another Music In A Different Kitchen

Buzzcocks

3/5

Fuzzy Logic

Super Furry Animals

3/5

Decent power pop

The Libertines

2/5

Incredibly generic guitar rock. Not sure why this is on the list.

Live!

Fela Kuti

4/5

B-52's

The B-52's

5/5

1999

Prince

4/5

The good stuff is still good and the deeper album cuts are still fun after all this time.

O.G. Original Gangster

Ice T

2/5

Meh. Actor acting like a rapper.

Medúlla

Björk

4/5

Not gonna be a frequent listen but this is really good at what she intended to do.

KIWANUKA

Michael Kiwanuka

3/5

I wanted to like this. Great moods but none of the songs went anywhere. They were like the interstitial tracks on a Marvin Gaye soundtrack album.

This Is Fats Domino

Fats Domino

4/5

Arc Of A Diver

Steve Winwood

4/5

Axis: Bold As Love

Jimi Hendrix

4/5

The World is a Ghetto

War

4/5

I had only known Cisco Kid (and Low Rider) from War before. This was a fun album! Very "Shaft After Dark" vibes to it.

Pink Moon

Nick Drake

4/5

Yank Crime

Drive Like Jehu

1/5

Honky Tonk Heroes

Waylon Jennings

2/5

Great voice, hate the accompaniments.

Da Capo

Love

3/5

Club Classics Vol. One

Soul II Soul

4/5

Good times.

School's Out

Alice Cooper

4/5

If you give a theater kid a leather jacket....

Remedy

Basement Jaxx

1/5

Oh goodie. More forgotten and forgettable electronica.

The Soft Bulletin

The Flaming Lips

4/5

Just lovely.

Mama's Gun

Erykah Badu

4/5

Caetano Veloso

4/5

Casanova

The Divine Comedy

2/5

Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes

TV On The Radio

4/5

Blur

3/5

Germfree Adolescents

X-Ray Spex

4/5

I See You

The xx

4/5

New Forms

Roni Size

1/5

Haut de gamme / Koweït, rive gauche

Koffi Olomide

4/5

Ritual De Lo Habitual

Jane's Addiction

5/5

A Seat at the Table

Solange

2/5

17 credited producers in addition to the artist is too many producers. Maybe that explains why, despite a compelling lyrical story to tell, the music is pleasant but goes NOWHERE.

Shalimar

Rahul Dev Burman

3/5

My exposure to subcontinent music is pretty much squarely in the Ravi/Ananda Shankar tradition, so imagine my surprise when out came a cha cha rendition of KC and the Sunshine Band? Pretty damn random and pretty damn fun! Not gonna be a frequent play but I’m glad I got to hear it.

Penthouse And Pavement

Heaven 17

2/5

I played this on college radio, back in the day, and remembered liking it. I remembered wrong. Groundbreaking use of electronics does not translate to a lasting work of enjoyable music. Saved from a single star by some message in the lyrics.

Hypnotised

The Undertones

4/5

Signing Off

UB40

5/5

The only UB40 album anyone needs. If you like, keep going through their discography but stop at Geffery Morgan. It's downhill quickly after that....

Lady In Satin

Billie Holiday

5/5

Eli And The Thirteenth Confession

Laura Nyro

4/5

Rip It Up

Orange Juice

4/5

Face to Face

The Kinks

4/5

Teen Dream

Beach House

2/5

D.O.A. the Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle

Throbbing Gristle

1/5

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

The Smashing Pumpkins

4/5

Crime Of The Century

Supertramp

4/5

The Sounds Of India

Ravi Shankar

4/5

In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida

Iron Butterfly

4/5

War

U2

5/5

G. Love And Special Sauce

G. Love & Special Sauce

3/5

Songs From The Big Chair

Tears For Fears

5/5

Beyond Skin

Nitin Sawhney

3/5

Music for the lobby toilets of upscale Montreal hotels.

Peter Gabriel

4/5

Come Away With Me

Norah Jones

4/5

Mott

Mott The Hoople

2/5

Meh.

The Visitors

ABBA

2/5

Odessey And Oracle

The Zombies

4/5

Listen to the live 40th anniversary version!

The United States Of America

3/5

A Grand Don't Come For Free

The Streets

1/5

The Fat Of The Land

The Prodigy

2/5

evermore

Taylor Swift

2/5

Pleasant but utterly forgettable. She phoned it in.

Call of the Valley

Shivkumar Sharma

4/5

Versions on Spotify/Apple are the wrong ones. Qobuz and YouTube have the authentic versions. The LP cover art used here on the generator is the wrong one as well. That said, this is a lovely record.

90

808 State

2/5

Music for shouting over at the club but not actually paying attention to.

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

3/5

Nowhere

Ride

3/5

Boy In Da Corner

Dizzee Rascal

1/5

Public Image: First Issue

Public Image Ltd.

4/5

Tracy Chapman

4/5

Dig Your Own Hole

The Chemical Brothers

2/5

The Hissing Of Summer Lawns

Joni Mitchell

2/5

This is two different albums being played at the same time. The vocals and lyrics don’t seem to have anything to do with the accompaniment; separately each might be more enjoyable, but together it just doesn’t work for me.

Selected Ambient Works 85-92

Aphex Twin

5/5

Lovely

Scum

Napalm Death

1/5

Winter In America

Gil Scott-Heron

4/5

Punishing Kiss

Ute Lemper

4/5

Live At The Harlem Square Club

Sam Cooke

5/5

Vanishing Point

Primal Scream

2/5

Superfuzz Bigmuff

Mudhoney

3/5

Shaka Zulu

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

5/5

Nick Of Time

Bonnie Raitt

4/5

Talk Talk Talk

The Psychedelic Furs

3/5

Don't Stand Me Down

Dexys Midnight Runners

3/5

Enjoyable for a relic of the past.

Raw Power

The Stooges

4/5

Tanto Tempo

Bebel Gilberto

4/5

Low-Life

New Order

4/5

Crazysexycool

TLC

4/5

Zombie

Fela Kuti

5/5

Le Tigre

3/5

Parachutes

Coldplay

2/5

A well recorded, well performed batch of tedious songs.

The Cars

5/5

A classic for a reason.

Moondance

Van Morrison

5/5

Throwing Muses

4/5

Cupid & Psyche 85

Scritti Politti

2/5

For people who wish the QI theme song were longer.

All Hail the Queen

Queen Latifah

4/5

Queen II

Queen

3/5

Like A Prayer

Madonna

4/5

Henry's Dream

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

2/5

So Much For The City

The Thrills

2/5

Hms Fable

Shack

2/5

Meh

Buffalo Springfield Again

Buffalo Springfield

3/5

Too much filler.

GI

Germs

3/5

Groovin'

The Young Rascals

3/5

New York Dolls

4/5

Slayed?

Slade

3/5

This is either just as great as "Licensed to Ill" or just as terrible, but it's exactly the same either way.

Ys

Joanna Newsom

3/5

Betty Boop does Bjork. She deserves more listenings, but I need to let the snark out first.

Drunk

Thundercat

2/5

Pick a melody. Refine it. Repeat it, solo on it. Decide whether to keep it. Whittle down each track with the above method. Discard pointless noodling. Give us a solid 10-track album. Not this amorphous blob of hip hold music. Also, is no one going to point out the album cover's homage to Grover Washington?

Broken English

Marianne Faithfull

4/5

This is one of those records whose impact was more cultural and historical than musical. There's no doubt, to those aware of her backstory and what she represented in the sixties, that this was a dramatic comeback, and different enough musically from her previous work to be notable. Listeners in more of a vacuum not appreciate it, through no fault of their own. Musically, it'a good, not great. But hearing that profoundly-changed voice coming from the once-sweet folkie was really something at the time. She does the typical-for-the-time tour through new wave influences, and it's all performed well, but probably not a frequent listen, especially 40+ yrs later.

The Rise & Fall

Madness

4/5

Two things upon a first listen: this is very English, so it's no surprise that it wasn't released in the US. The Rise and Fall is to Madness what Village Green/Arthur were to the Kinks (and not just by name similarity). This reveaks something that I didn't appreciate while growing up listening to their Two Tone singles: these guys can PLAY. Some great performances, especially Barson and Bedford on piano and bass, respectively.

Brothers In Arms

Dire Straits

5/5

Bandwagonesque

Teenage Fanclub

2/5

The Raspberries got there first, and better.

Out Of The Blue

Electric Light Orchestra

4/5

Foo Fighters

4/5