One of my favorite albums ever. If I remember the 33 1/3 correctly, the dust brothers recorded all the samples on the album (104 of them, according to Wikipedia) directly to tape, meaning they’d have to rewind the tape and line up the timing exactly right to layer another sample or vocals on top of it. The care that went into this production is incredible. And they almost got sued by the Beatles, so they’ve got that going for them. Favorite couplets: There’s more to me than you’ll ever know / And I got more hits than Sadaharu Oh Washing windows on the Bowery at a quarter to four / ‘cause he ain’t gonna work on Maggie’s Farm no more I’m doing 120, plowing over mailboxes / radar detector, to tell me where the cops is Cash flow getting low, so I had to pull a job / found a nice place to visit, but a better place to rob Because it’s all high spirit, you know you got to hear it / Don’t touch the mic, baby, don’t come near it Because I got more stories than JD’s got Salinger / I hold the title and you are the challenger

Am I going to write this review … by myself? Another album I loved as a kid. I will always remember the track teammate who would listen to this on the bus before meets. To get himself hyped? To mellow himself out? I never asked and now I’ll never know. The Nirvana tracks on this are good and several of them improve in this setting (About a Girl, Dumb, Something in the Way), but the covers are the standouts, especially the final track. If you’ve never seen Cobain’s eyes widen before that final “night through,” you need to. I was between a 4 and a 5 coming in, but after I “liked” every song from SITW to the end, I think the nostalgia boost is getting it to a 5. After finishing the album, I watched this video of a trained singer analyzing his vocal performance on where did you sleep last night, and her shock is palpable at the moment with about two minutes left when he shifts his style: https://youtu.be/wSxWhsWnP6o?si=5QCfyzMYvRsOudUn It’s cool to know someone who knows her stuff is also wowed by this.

I believe “rainy day women” was my first exposure to Dylan, from the Forrest Gump soundtrack. To this day, I don’t get it. Even by the standards of this album, which feels relaxed, loose, improvised, free, that song is a bridge too far. And lyrically, come on. Not the best way to introduce Dylan’s “genius.”

Wikipedia says this had seven top-100 hits. I had never heard of the artist and was unfamiliar with the songs as well. But I thought it was perfectly pleasant. “if you need me” and “you’re good for me” were two favorites.

But do they like rock and roll? So many unanswered questions posed by the lyrics on this one. I’ll be thinking about it for days.

It’s three songs I absolutely love (1983 and the final two (duh)) and then a lot I think is just okay?

I’ve heard this before but never enjoyed it as much as this time.

I was fully prepared for this to be boring—just because something was innovative 45 years ago doesn’t mean it holds up—but I really enjoyed it. The last two tracks were standouts for me.

Knew I’d hate it, was not disappointed. Starlight was okay.

Thinkin Bout You is an all-timer. The rest of the album doesn’t quite hold up to the standard set there, for me. Plenty good, but nothing that gets to that high. Bad Religion comes closest.

One of the first “classics” I owned. My guess before listening is that the first half is still pretty good and the second half isn’t. Open question: will “The End” be Maggie’s new favorite song? Listening: Soul Kitchen is still my favorite. Twentieth Century Fox still exemplifies the band’s worst tendencies (dumb lyrics, coasting on Morrison’s sexuality). Ugh I forgot about “show me the way to the next little girl” in Whisky Bar. If I remember correctly, the single version of Light My Fire doesn’t have the extended organ solo and is therefore a million times better. As I remembered/suspected, this is essentially three classic songs (Break on Through, Soul Kitchen, Light My Fire) surrounded by a bunch of filler. (Soul Kitchen wasn’t even a single, so maybe my opinion of that song does not reflect a critical consensus.) The second half before The End feels entirely like an afterthought, and The End is still one of the weirdest songs on a pop record ever. In a generous light, that song is daring and transgressive, but I mostly think it’s self-indulgent and not nearly as smart as it thinks it is. (See also: this band in general.) This album definitely feels like one you’d buy because you heard two great songs on the radio—probably what I did, essentially, as a tween—and then end up feeling disappointed because little else on the record comes close to that standard.

This is one I struggled with when it came out and am struggling with again, listening. The genre jumping evinces an incredible band capable of almost anything, but it can feel disjointed. I know they put out two albums in 2020, but I’d almost prefer they put out four shorter ones: a rap album, an r&b album, a pop album, and a rock album. But I enjoyed almost every song. I just want it a little more streamlined. Highlights include Stop Dem, Bow, Monsters, and Pray Up Stay Up.

I must have listened to this before because Nightclubbing is vaguely familiar and Dum Dum Boys is a “liked” song on Spotify. On this new listen, DDB remains the lone liked song.

Their second-best album, one of my favorite albums, a modern classic. The only question is 4 (it does drag a little in the middle) or 5 (sprawl ii though…) stars. I think we’re going 4: as strong as the opening third and final third are, I think the middle third is mostly meh. First four songs + month of may + final four songs = perfect, unassailable, 36-minute record.

I think a little goes a long way here. Fell on Black Days and Black Hole Sun: perfect songs, perfect encapsulations of the genre. Then, I don’t care, pick 4-5 of the others and make a great EP.

Pre-listening: I think I listened to this a year or two ago while compiling an “early emo” playlist. One song (only), Luau, made the playlist. That doesn’t bode well. After listening: yeah, don’t care for this. The first album where no songs will make my ongoing playlist.

Boring.

Meh.

Wikipedia says this had seven top-100 hits. I had never heard of the artist and was unfamiliar with the songs as well. But I thought it was perfectly pleasant. “if you need me” and “you’re good for me” were two favorites.

A little long for me, and I think “Hey” and “Acetate Prophets” are obvious weak spots that could be cut. Still, I love this album and it’s bound up in so much nostalgia for me that I can’t not give it 5 stars. Highlights: What’s Golden, Sum of Us, Freedom, I am Somebody

I think I’m resonating with the gunfighter ballads. Not so much the trail songs. But this is better than I expected. Highlights: Big Iron, They’re Hanging Me Tonight

This was just okay.

Pre listen, I knew I’d heard this before and had two songs (“working class hero” and “god”) on my Spotify liked songs. After listening, much the same. “God” really blew me away this time; I’d remembered it for the “don’t believe in Beatles” line, which feels shocking/antagonistic/angry, but today the song felt like a Buddhist love song (even though he doesn’t believe in Buddha). Something about renouncing all titles/man-made concepts and just feeling, just believing in the people you love. I loved it. And, knowing John Lennon, it probably is both angry (at his bandmates, at fans who keep clamoring for more Beatles) and optimistic (the dream being over allows for a new dream, of just being “John” without living up to being “the walrus”). But the rest of the album was just okay. Anyway, I hope this Lennon fellow figures it out. I expect big things from him, say, one year after this album.

Intro is so good. But I never return to the rest of the album because I remember it as a let down compared to that song. Being “forced” to revisit it, I found a lot to love. Like a 4.5, decided to round up.

I added Bonny to my running list of songs from this project. And other songs were on this album too.

During Summer of Bowie two years ago, I tried to listen to every album 2-3 times. This one was not my favorite. But today I liked it a little more. Perhaps with each revisit it will grow on me a little more. The second half doesn’t do it for me … yet.

Before listening, I was familiar with Bell Bottom Blues and Layla, and I liked Layla. After listening, I added Layla and Anyday to my list. But wow was this a slog. I would call it Layla and Assorted Overwrought Blues Jams. And then they have the audacity to throw that final song at you, which demonstrates they do possess acoustic guitars and can write a song that sounds even a little different from every other song. It was both a breath of fresh air and a little insulting. Now I’m fired up. I was between 2 and 3 stars but I’ve talked myself into 2.

This is my prediction: this will not age well. But I won’t be able to resist Self Esteem and Come Out and Play. Listening thoughts: I actually like this more than I expected. It’s juvenile and silly, but that’s intentional, so it’s successful. Not my favorite genre, but good enough for our album today.

This came out when I was 15 and I never listened to it, so I don’t have any nostalgic attachment to it. (I do love the Marshall Mathers LP, though.) Now I’m 40 and clearly not the target audience. Never been a huge fan of My Name Is. I have always liked Guilty Conscience. I think those were the only two I was familiar with ahead of time, although the beat on Role Model sounds familiar and it was a single, so maybe I heard it at some point. Much of the rest of it sounds so half-baked and unfinished, especially compared to MMLP, which I think is a masterpiece. I ended up enjoying I’m Shady. Bad Meets Evil was underwhelming, which was disappointing because I like Royce da 5’ 9”.

Pre-listening thoughts: I think I’m familiar with three songs here. Even in her heyday I was more of a Britney person. I can guarantee I’ve never listened to this album. Underappreciated was a new find. Dare I say, an underappreciated one? But I think generally, Christina is not for me because her project is not one I’m interested in. Of the Britney/Jessica/Mandy generation, she’s the One Who Can Sing. No denying that. But that’s not what I want. So when she Sings, it falls flat for me. Not her fault. I’m just not going to keep coming back to this, except for the songs where she’s just doing pop stuff.

This was totally unfamiliar to me: hadn’t heard of artist, album, or any song. I didn’t listen to the deluxe stuff, just the original album. But it was fine. At no point did I desire to turn it off, but I wasn’t hungry for any more either. A solid 3.

This is firmly in 3.5 territory. I know this band fairly well, this album less so. I enjoy the band but this album was just okay. Every song felt like it was right on the edge of me loving it, with none of them quite getting there. Maybe I need more familiarity with Lynyrd Skynyrd?

This is going to be a tough one. Oh I like Stellar, I didn’t know that’s what it was called. But yeah, this is formulaic and emotionally manipulative. Turntables! Big choruses! Lyrics that seem to be deliberately mixed low! You can pick one or two songs and you get the idea of the whole album.

A fun thought experiment here is, what would this album sound like if it came out today and someone was like, “hey maybe cool it with the sax?”

I’m grateful for the opportunity to listen to this because this, even more than many albums on this list, is one everyone says you should listen to, and I never have. Obviously I’m familiar with “show me the way” and “baby I love your way” (and “jumpin jack flash,” but by someone else). But just because I’m familiar with a song doesn’t mean I like it! And even JJF is one of my least favorite Stones songs, so it hardly redeems the rest of this album. This is between a 1 and a 2; we’ll see what I choose.

I’m very familiar with this album. Going into it, the only question was whether I’d rate it 4 or 5 stars. I think this gets better every time I listen. Knowing that the poem is going to culminate in a conversation with Tupac helps. Going to rate it five stars. It’s so inventive and layered. It would be easier to list the songs I don’t love.

Meh

This was a very nice blend of straightforward rock with weirder elements that kept it interesting.

I think Method Man is very charismatic but not always the best rapper. The production here was mostly forgettable. As one of the first solo Wu records, no one is mistaking this for Ghostface or Raekwon.

Enjoyable album. I was torn between 3 and 4 stars.

Surprised myself—I’ve tried the four “must listen” Stones albums before (Beggars Banquet, Let it Bleed, Exile, and this) and never felt they deserved their reputation. Decided they were a singles band and went back to 40 Licks. This time around, this one really clicked. Favorites include I Got the Blues, Sway, and Wild Horses. Not so much: Brown Sugar, You Gotta Move.

DNF. I got the gist. “Jump jive and wail” does make it onto my ongoing playlist.

According to WhoSampled, 7 of the 8 songs have been sampled by other artists, with “he’s the greatest dancer” leading the way—duh, it’s getting jiggy with it. No samples for “you’re a friend to me” and only one for “somebody loves me.” But I get it: these grooves are infectious. Obviously “we are family” is the standout, and it always makes me think of the Pittsburgh pirates. https://youtu.be/hB4eGNYMDKQ?si=m1lkxpT9CLx9qYxl

I appreciate, but don’t love, their singing.

I had never heard of this band, so I set out to read up on them. The comparisons were Oasis, Blur, The Verve, Elbow, Coldplay, Radiohead! How exciting! This is going to be my new favorite band! Nope. It is indeed a British band that plays rock music. But not my new favorite one.

Too much of an ok thing

Reddit’s favorite album. Just listened to this a few months ago as I gave it yet another chance. I think it’s always going to be good, not great for me. Epitaph and ITCOTCK are my two standouts.

Probably my favorite solo artist ever. His third-best album (XO, Either/Or). Even before listening today, I can tell you “Happiness” is one of the most beautiful songs, period, and when the drums drop on “everything means nothing to me” is incredible. The first five songs are all bangers (but the other two albums are all bangers). This was the final studio album released while he was alive as heroin and depression consumed him.

I hated this and I’m afraid it’s going to put me in a bad mood all day. When you hear “Money for Nothing” or “Sultans of Swing” in isolation, you don’t think, “Oh, this is the world’s most masturbatory band,” but then when you are subjected to a whole album, oh boy. I’m a little torn on rating because I do like SoS and Wild West End—maybe those are good enough to get it to a two? But I don’t think so.

Also hated this, but I appreciated its inventiveness. One star for existing and a second star for trying something new.

I think of this band as a two-hit wonder, even though Spotify is telling me “not if you were the last junkie on earth” isn’t even their second-biggest song. Let’s see how the rest of the album does. I like the rock stuff. Less the experimental/droney/shoegazey stuff.

It’s been a long time since I’ve listened to this all the way through. I think I’ve grown and the album has definitely aged. And the group has disavowed much of it, if I remember correctly. What would have been a strong 4-star, bordering on 5, in high school is probably just a 3 now.

It’s a no for me.

This was fine.

Pre listening: A few weeks ago I saw a car with license plate that was something like “BLK CRWS” and other decals related to this band and I thought, I have never in my life considered for even a moment the idea that the Black Crowes could be someone’s favorite band. Welp, time to find out what the fuss is about and whether they’re just a one-hit wonder. Listening: this is more fun than I expected. Never going to be my favorite band, but I could see why someone would like them. And, bonus, now I know what he’s saying in the chorus of Hard to Handle. And I know that song is called Hard to Handle! Learned so much today.

One of my all-time favorites. Easiest 5 of the project so far.

Obviously I love these sad bois.

Pre listen: I know I listened to this a few years ago out of curiosity, but Spotify is telling me I didn’t “like” a single song. Not even bang a gong. So we’ll see what today’s listen holds.

The rockers on this, which I perceive to be Lindsey’s, aren’t doing it for me, but I’m enjoying the Stevie/Christine slow jams. Favorites: think about me, storms, honey hi, beautiful child, tusk (the exception to my rule), never forget

I can tell this is *supposed* to be fun, but it just doesn’t quite get there for me.

I know this one well enough that I don’t need to listen today, but I still will. You may recall this was the famous “pay what you want” album. I think I paid $10 when it came out, when I was a broke law student. Highlights: everything except Faust Arp, which isn’t even bad, it just doesn’t meet the standard set by everything else here, IMO. Please play Videotape at my funeral. Thanks, bye.

The two people in this group, but not every potential reader of this review, will know that I just embarked on a “Summer of Taylor” last year and am therefore well acquainted with her oeuvre. I thought then, and continue to believe upon re-listen, that this is a weaker entry in her catalog. And I submit that “welcome to New York” is one of her worst songs, period. Highlights: style, shake it off (for at least a couple more weddings before I get sick of it), and bad blood

Two songs in, contemplating quitting. Four songs in, quitting.

A widely acclaimed album I’ve never been able to get into. It’s a little too long and I don’t think it’s quite as deep as it thinks it is.

Pre listen: In college, I think my Pavement album of choice was Brighten the Corners. For the last few years, it’s been Slanted and Enchanted. This one, despite having perhaps my two favorite Pavement songs (cut your hair and gold soundz—Pitchfork’s best song of the 90s) has never been tops in the rotation. So, I am generally unfamiliar and look forward to it.

I listened to this when it came out and then set it aside. Now, as then, I really like Lazarus and don’t care for much else on it.

Every B&S album is a grower. This one didn’t hit me on first listen, but I might return to it.

Not for me

Okay, not *everything* on this sounded the same, but I was nervous for maybe the first four or five songs, and “Mr. Pleasant” both sounds like a kinks song and has the perfect name for a kinks song. Entirely pleasant, 3.5, couldn’t bring myself to give it a 4.

I ignored all non-Paranoid Sabbath albums for a while, but then gave the first five or six albums a listen not that long ago, and really liked them. This is maybe my second or third listen to Volume 4 and I keep finding stuff to like. It certainly doesn’t top Paranoid and I’d have to listen to Master of Reality again to compare them, but, standing on its own separate from one of the best discographies in rock, this is a great album. Maybe someone will correct me but I think of these first Sabbath albums as essentially creating the genre of heavy metal and establishing some of its earliest and most enduring tropes. It blows my mind.

Am I going to write this review … by myself? Another album I loved as a kid. I will always remember the track teammate who would listen to this on the bus before meets. To get himself hyped? To mellow himself out? I never asked and now I’ll never know. The Nirvana tracks on this are good and several of them improve in this setting (About a Girl, Dumb, Something in the Way), but the covers are the standouts, especially the final track. If you’ve never seen Cobain’s eyes widen before that final “night through,” you need to. I was between a 4 and a 5 coming in, but after I “liked” every song from SITW to the end, I think the nostalgia boost is getting it to a 5. After finishing the album, I watched this video of a trained singer analyzing his vocal performance on where did you sleep last night, and her shock is palpable at the moment with about two minutes left when he shifts his style: https://youtu.be/wSxWhsWnP6o?si=5QCfyzMYvRsOudUn It’s cool to know someone who knows her stuff is also wowed by this.

We got off to a rough start, with one of my least favorite genres: “white person in the 80s discovers rapping” (cc Debbie Harry). But after that, I liked this.

I owned a Bob Marley record in high school, but it wasn’t this one. And reggae mostly sounds the same to me. Tough to imagine giving a reggae record anything other than a 3: it’s pleasant but I don’t find myself returning to it.

Except for psycho killer, this all went in one ear and out the next

Pre listening: “oh great, the album with the cheesy synths and the creepy lyrics” 2 minutes later: “BORN IN THE USA, I WAS BORN IN THE USA” -okay the daddy in “I’m on fire” is her partner, not her actual father. So it’s just about infidelity, not pedophilia. TMYK 💫

😍

So, some of this hasn’t aged well. And what are the odds that 2/3 of the NBA players name checked on a song called “infamous date rape” are infamous for sexual indiscretions that came to light after the song’s release? But apart from problematic sexual politics, this is such a fun album. I feel like you could put this on at any party and it would work. It’s on point (phife) all the time (tip).

I have tried to get this album for many years and never been quite successful. It’s interesting we got it the same week as a Leonard Cohen one since (a) he’s maybe the subject of this album and (b) I hear similarities between the two. A lot of speak-singing and nothing super memorable on the guitar (shots fired!). That isn’t to say I hate it. I just don’t hear “greatest album by a woman” or “top three album of all time” when I listen to it.

Maybe it’s just that Enter Sandman is overplayed, but on this listen I felt strongly that Nothing Else Matters is the best song here. I’d cut 3-4 songs, or I’d make all the songs about a minute shorter. Not sure how many songs need two or three guitar solos. Not sure how many 7-minute epics I need on one album, especially when a song has only minor shifts in dynamics (looking at you, uh, every song except NEM). I didn’t hate anything, and in fact saved several songs to my playlist, but it’s doubtful I’m going to seek out this album in whole again. It’s a collection of songs I like that somehow doesn’t work for me as an album. So, like a 3.5?

Yes

But do they like rock and roll? So many unanswered questions posed by the lyrics on this one. I’ll be thinking about it for days.

Here’s a question: do I like this album, or have its songs so ingrained themselves in pop culture that they’re inescapable and therefore familiar? Is sampling field recordings exploitative, innovative, reverential, all of the above? Are the folk songs enhanced by Moby’s reimagining or are they stripped of something essential and turned into something soulless? Is the second half of the album a peaceful meditation, a metaphor for a breakdown, or Muzak? Is licensing literally every song on this album a genius marketing move, savvy business, or evidence that perhaps it isn’t about exposing more people to folk music or anything so “artistic” at all? Is Moby intending these questions or is he just a hack who stumbled into a profitable gimmick? I think if I thought he were intending them, I could forgive a lot more, but nothing about Moby suggests to me that he is that dude. I don’t think he cares if we think deeply about this. I think he just wants us to dance. Not to diminish that goal, which is fine, but then I’m going to evaluate things differently than if I thought this were a social commentary. I see on previous listens I have liked five songs here (honey, find my baby, bodyrock, natural blues, and run on). Today natural blues, find my baby, and why does my heart feel so bad are the only three that hit for me. (Also, flower, always, but that’s a b-side.) Bodyrock especially feels … let’s say, of its time. Seeing that “like” is physically painful. It feels very much like a “I was 16 when this came out, this song made everyone dance, I have some nostalgic feelings tied up with it” like and not a “this song is actually good on its own terms” like. I also didn’t hate “my weakness” but I had to force myself to listen to it because I was ready to quit a couple songs from the end. I think I come down on the side of liking the folk/electronic mashups while having conflicted feelings about them. I found an article from 2000 saying Moby hadn’t paid the Lomax estate (who recorded the originals) or the estates of the performers themselves: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2000/08/09/for-blues-artists-a-sad-refrain/5c0fdb33-682e-4feb-b03d-93edc7c81491/ And more googling didn’t uncover a satisfactory resolution to that story. So let’s try to add that all up. +1: introduced a lot of people to the Alan Lomax recordings +1: incalculable cultural impact +1: some bangers, for sure +1: you have to have the idea to mix genres like this and then execute it -1: exploitative refusal to share credit or profit -1: the songs that don’t build off others’ work kinda suck, including one of the most lyrically boring rap(?) songs in existence and a generally bland second half -1: I suspect I’ve thought more about the politics of this album this morning than Moby did while making it I think we’re landing around a 2 or 3, and I have all weekend to consider whether I should separate the art from the artist/background, be less of a killjoy, just lay back and submit to the inevitability of Moby, and round up to a 3. I’ve already given plenty of terrible people high scores and when we get to Led Zeppelin (for example) that’ll continue, with more exploitation of black artists to boot.

Basically any Fela album is going to get four stars from me.

wtf is this shit

“No leaf clover” was new for this album, and it’s a highlight for me. And I appreciate the challenge of this. But it’s not a good result.

First disc nearly made me quit. Second disc brought it back.

It’s wild to me that “under the bridge” and “give it away” are basically perfect songs and everything else here is mediocre.

Listened to Hurt a bunch of times. Listened to the rest of the album just the once, thank you.

I think the only song I know going into this is Astral Weeks, and of the three Van Morrison songs I know it’s my favorite. Brown Eyed Girl is too cloying and Moondance is too (bad) jazzy. So, that’s promising, but his hit rate is not high. Alright, upon listening, I fear I have to give this anti-vax conspiracy theorist his props. This is a beautiful album. It seems the awfulness of brown eyed girl and my mistaken belief that this album would sound like that have denied me some pleasure all these years. Gave it a second listen to see if it was a 5, but I think it’s merely a strong 4.

I must have listened to this before because “Lexicon Devil” is marked as liked on Spotify—three times, actually, from different releases. Still love that one. The rest are ok.

I’m never coming around on mbv, I’m afraid.

Between a 3 and a 4, I’m leaning 4. If I ranked the songs: 5 stars: tangled up in blue 4 stars: shelter from the storm 3 stars: everything else, with idiot wind my favorite of these

Maps is a classic. The rest I thought was just okay.

I’m sure I listened to this when it came out and may have revisited it once since then, but mostly I stick to earlier Bjork. In relisten, I still thought it was just okay.

One of my favorite albums ever. If I remember the 33 1/3 correctly, the dust brothers recorded all the samples on the album (104 of them, according to Wikipedia) directly to tape, meaning they’d have to rewind the tape and line up the timing exactly right to layer another sample or vocals on top of it. The care that went into this production is incredible. And they almost got sued by the Beatles, so they’ve got that going for them. Favorite couplets: There’s more to me than you’ll ever know / And I got more hits than Sadaharu Oh Washing windows on the Bowery at a quarter to four / ‘cause he ain’t gonna work on Maggie’s Farm no more I’m doing 120, plowing over mailboxes / radar detector, to tell me where the cops is Cash flow getting low, so I had to pull a job / found a nice place to visit, but a better place to rob Because it’s all high spirit, you know you got to hear it / Don’t touch the mic, baby, don’t come near it Because I got more stories than JD’s got Salinger / I hold the title and you are the challenger

Meh

Pre listen: Don’t know these guys, but if they’re like Tinariwen, I suspect I will like them. After listening: it’s definitely the same genre, but I don’t get the same excitement from it. Gonna be a 3.

Pre listen: alright, Cuban Linx, here we go again. Another try at getting this album to click. After listening: it’s about where it always is for me, around a 3.5. I’m rounding up to 4 today, other days I’d round down to 3. Verbal Intercourse is the standout track every time, which is probably just me preferring Nas.

I’ve listened to this before. As always, it’s fine.

I listened to the whole album, but it was a near thing.

Another all-timer. I got pretty into REM as a kid and ended up owning Eponymous, Out of Time, Monster, and this. A few years ago a podcast I like listened to their whole discography and I listened along. And while I recognize the impact Murmur had, for my money this is their best album. Everybody knows “man on the moon” and “everybody hurts” but “sweetness follows” and “night swimming” are my personal favorites. There’s something about night swimming, especially. I’ve never been skinny dipping, and I’ve only been swimming in the dark a few times, but a song that’s about nostalgia and water and *feels* like a warm summer night is going to get me every time. Also, might as well add this, even though it’s a bummer, because it is so indelible in my mind. A classmate died at school during sophomore year. His name was Andy. After school that day, the administration let students commandeer the PA system and I have such a distinct memory of other classmates playing “man on the moon” as we all left school in tears. It’s totally the wrong tone for that moment, but it does use the name Andy. So I can never hear that song without thinking of that moment.

Meh. I appreciate this for paving the way for future alt-country albums, but that’s about the extent of it.

Coming in I was between a 4 and a 5. This isn’t as inventive as their later stuff. But I think I’m going to immerse my soul in love and give it a 5. Also, I’m a sucker for the niche genre of “snotty song on the album after the big hit that comments on the massive rise to fame of a grunge band”: Nirvana’s “rape me,” Local H’s “all the kids are right,” and “my iron lung” are part of this illustrious tradition. “my iron lung” and “rape me” even musically sound like the big hits before them. Fun!

Oh boy, that’s a lot of references to what’s at best a tertiary percussion instrument. Let’s see how this goes. -I know Apache. The sugar hill gang version was a staple at college parties. -I recognize “last bongo in Belgium” from the beastie boys’ “looking down the barrel of a gun.” -I hate the more famous inna gadda da vita so this is arguably an improvement.

The last time I listened to this must have been a while ago, because I had two “starred” songs on Spotify, which was its system before “likes.” My guess is that was a decade ago that it switched. On review, I think I’m just going to like one of those: made of stone. Sorry, bye bye bad man. I was pretty dead set on this being a 3, but I like the last two songs enough to consider a 4. May need to listen again.

“Everlasting Light” and the rest.

Nearly a perfect album. Tough to choose a favorite song—Debaser? Wave of Mutilation? Here Comes Your Man? Monkey Gone to Heaven? Mr. Grieves? Hey? Gigantic is the song that got me into them in high school, Bone Machine is the better opening track, and Where is My Mind is the one every Fight Club fan knows, but this outpaces Surfer Rosa as a complete album. I will say, if I can offer a note on an undisputed classic, the closer should be No 13 Baby. That guitar solo could fade out and end the album. I think you could swap that one and Gouge Away and improve the sequencing measurably.

Before: “Oh, I’ve only heard one song off this album” After: “Ah, I get now why I’ve only heard one song off this album”

Nope

Better than I expected

I never knew where the “this next one is the first song off our new album” sample that begins the Beastie Boys’ “Check Your Head” album comes from. Now I know. I had to read the Wikipedia article because I was confused why a band this big would go to Japan and play just 41 minutes. There I learned that at the time of this recording, they were *only* big in Japan and this album kickstarted their fame in the US. That makes a little(?) more sense? They’d only put out two albums, they hadn’t quite hit yet, I can support this now.

I’m surprising myself with how much I have to say about this. Scattered thoughts follow. The good: -This rougher sound suits them better than the glossy production of Nevermind and over the years this has become my favorite album of theirs (some hipsters will say Bleach, but I don’t think the songwriting there was quite as consistent). -Kurt’s fascination with ailments, illness, sickness, and medicine is always so fascinating. Offers a glimpse of what he was going through even at his young age. -“There is nothing I could say / That I haven’t thought before” is chef’s kiss. -“scentless apprentice” is the drum part I worked the hardest at learning when I had a drum set. I could play the bass and snare part consistently but it was tough throwing in the hi hat too. Dave’s fills on “all apologies” are also great. The bad: -I hear “rape me” as a song about the pressures and trappings of fame. Musically, I love it. Lyrically, maybe choose a different metaphor. -Although I don’t hate it, I don’t think the album benefits from “Tourette’s.” Going in, I knew it would be between a 4 and a 5, and I probably am there still after listening. Essentially a 4.5. I was curious if it was on my ongoing “fav albums” playlist and it was, which felt like a tiebreaker. I’ll give it 5.

Except for the one song that holds up even on 10,000th listen, I won’t ever listen to these songs again. But, I’ll say it again, I still appreciate this project for forcing me to listen to this much-recommended album.

I believe “rainy day women” was my first exposure to Dylan, from the Forrest Gump soundtrack. To this day, I don’t get it. Even by the standards of this album, which feels relaxed, loose, improvised, free, that song is a bridge too far. And lyrically, come on. Not the best way to introduce Dylan’s “genius.”

Nearly 20 years ago (11/17/04), I went to a Sufjan Stevens concert in Detroit. Afterwards, I ran into my high school friend, Meghan, who went to a different college. She told me I had to listen to this new band, Arcade Fire. Maybe the day after, she sent me this album via AOL Instant Messenger. I’ve been in love with the album ever since. In my opinion, there is no better party-starting song than Wake Up. You might say, Joe, “I wanna dance with somebody” exists, and I hear you. But if you’ve ever seen a video of the band playing wake up in the middle of a crowd who are all singing along (https://youtu.be/G8QYnxIjHWg?si=OGDExS_Xe1RdlwfR), you know what I’m talking about. A perfect group singalong experience. But Neighborhood 1-4, Rebellion, and Haiti are all great too.

I might give this four stars without adding a song to my playlist. Just good vibes. (Well, bleak, depressing vibes, but they sound nice.) update: I did add a few.

Took me 7.75 actual hours to make it through, but I did it. Meh.

This was fine

Vacillated between “she has a good voice” and “she’s a good screamer” the whole time

The song “bad” has never worked for me because, while it seems like MJ was bad, he was not this tough guy. And upon listening to this album, several other songs don’t work in the same way. I cannot see MJ as a bad boy or casa nova. The album sounds dated but I do have to give it to “the way you make me feel.” That still slaps. And “smooth criminal.” So probably a 2.5, rounding down for how I feel about MJ these days.

Conscious rap or political rap goes back nearly as long as rap itself. “The Message” was 1980, maybe? But PE revolutionized the genre and brought the sonic tools to match their overwhelming, aggressive lyrics. A PE song feels like every inch of space is filled with sound, and that’s by design. It should feel claustrophobic. So, I was not surprised when Maggie came to me, almost ashamed, to admit she didn’t like it. Liking it is not the point, although modern conscious rappers like Kendrick, J. Cole, and Lupe Fiasco have found ways to serve up sugar with their medicine. In 1990, we maybe hadn’t gotten there yet. At the time, Flava Flav was that sugar, and by our standards, that’s not enough. No, this is supposed to hurt a little. This one isn’t as good as It Takes A Nation…, neither as successful at accomplishing its own goals nor as fun, but it remains vital. 911 is still a joke in the communities PE cares about. Elvis remains a hero to most. Any number of recent tweets about JD Vance’s wife show there’s still a fear of a black or brown planet. But in the end, it’s an album I admire more than I love. I’m not too cool to still want some bops. I added “welcome to the terrordome” and “fight the power” to the playlist and kept it moving.

They’re fun but they leave me wanting more

Maybe a 3.5 rounded up. But a lot of fun songs here and some good ballads too

The linked album and the listed tracks do not line up. The linked album is 3 hours long with the final two tracks seeming to be the full album duplicated in one continuous, trackless set. That’s a lot of nonsense for a genre I already hate. I listened to a few snippets and got the gist. One star.

Her voice is great and I’ll never listen to this again.

Parts I didn’t like: -boring songs -inscrutable songs -feeling like I needed an MFA in poetry to even begin to care about the songs -no melody to the songs -asking myself “is a pop album supposed to be fun or memorable?” roughly half a million times -wanting to kill myself both from the songs’ content and their existence themselves, as songs -that one song where he fingerpicks an arpeggio while he kinda talk-sings? You know the one Parts I did like: -only 41 minutes! -based on that cover photo, Leonard cohen can totally get it -feeling like a saucy medieval boy -feeling like if I write some total pompous bs and also strum my guitar a little bit, I too can be a celebrated troubadour -“hey, that’s no way to say goodbye” and also like a half point for “so long, Marianne”

I listened enough to be intrigued and I liked it. I think I still need to give it a deeper listen. Maybe the 2-hour anniversary edition. For now, a 3

Definitely one of the albums of all time

I knew The Message (the song) was good, but I was surprised how much I enjoyed the rest of this too

Random thoughts on an album I’ve listened to so many times it’s etched in my brain: -Angeles, Cupids Trick, 2:45 am, and Say Yes is a murderer’s row to close an album. -Angeles is guitar goals. I think Elliott remains an underrated player. -In college and law school I had a job teaching test prep classes. One class was an hour’s commute to MSU and I distinctly recall being obsessed with 2:45 am and Built to Spill’s “I would hurt a fly” during that time period, so I would play those two songs repeatedly for the month or two I was commuting to teach that class a couple times a week. -“the trumpet’s obviously been drinking, because he’s fucking up even the simplest lines” is such a good line, so specific and so biting, but it still feels like it says more about the narrator’s worldview -I have a least favorite song (no name no. 5), but picking a favorite is nearly impossible. At various times it has been between the bars, rose parade, Angeles, 2:45 am, and say yes.

In fifth or sixth grade, I bought this and the Beatles’ Let it Be together, and those were my first “good” CDs I bought. When I bought this one, I don’t think I’d heard more than Heart of Gold, but, I mean, come on, it’s an incredible song.

I like the title track and enough of “down by the river” to add it to my playlist, but the rest of this was pretty boring.

Growing up, a Genesis live album (the way we walk vol 1) got a lot of play in our house. I have not listened to them since, you know, maybe 1996, but I thought I got it: cheesy 80s pop. Turns out the truth is far, far worse. More than that, though: I assumed this was an unpopular, critically acclaimed cult classic. Not so! This charted in the UK and US! Top 3 in the UK! A hit single! I’m baffled. People of 1973, you know you can listen to older stuff too, right? If the current stuff in 1973 isn’t doing it for you, don’t force it! Look back to the 60s or just sit a year or two out. Help is on the way.

Honestly, I didn’t finish. Ran out of time today. It was feeling like a 3, though.

As it happens, I’ve listened to every Beatles album in the past 2 or 3 months. This is my least favorite. I like the title track and I really like “can’t buy me love.” Other than that, some songs are ok and some are bad. Oh god, are the Beatles about to be a “controversial artist” for me? It’s like the opposite of Neil Young (a couple bangers, a lot of dreck) with this album being the one “miss” in the Beatles catalog.

I’ve listened to this before but never gotten into it, so I had in my mind that it was a 2/3 album. After listening the first time, I thought it was a 3/4 album. By the end of second listen, I was persuaded to give 4. Very enjoyable.

A perfect album.

Tough to imagine an album cover making a worse first impression. Let’s see how this goes. Very funny to me that this week we’ve had Revolver (two songwriting geniuses at the height of their powers), Axis: Bold as Love (innovative guitar god), and now this album that seems to have been made by a group of enterprising high school students? With the help of their band teacher, they snuck into the studio and recorded their little songs. (Looked at Wikipedia: they were all like 23, so it kinda tracks.) I was singing along to “I’m So Happy Now,” so I have to give it some credit, but wow, what a difference in the caliber of songwriting and the originality of playing from other albums this week. And I was familiar with “groovin,” but still don’t like it. This was a pretty boring, generic album. Probably a 2 but I could maybe talk myself into a 1 yet.

Because it’s so long, I probably haven’t listened to this all the way through in 20 years. I have about nine favorites that I play occasionally, and I remember the rest being mediocre. Let’s see if this listen bears that out. I think it’s a soft 4. There’s a lot I love (Bowtie, A Life in the Day…, Take Off Your Cool, Prototype), plenty more I like, and then way too many interludes. But very little is ill-conceived (my favorite things) or boring. I’m going to weigh the stuff I like more than the rest and round up to 4.

Love Disco Bowie

I have this album saved as one of my favorites from 2019, but I haven’t returned to it, so I’m excited to do so. Update: still liked it!

Overall meh, but an understandable meh. You just lost your best friend and your band and you can still write “maybe I’m amazed”? Pretty good

I like this style of music, so this album will get a 3 on the strength of a collective. But really you could have picked virtually any album that sounds like this, and I contend there are *many*, and I’d give it a 3.

I don’t think this quite deserves its reputation, which is roughly “rap album of the 00s,” but it is a lot of fun for about the first half of the album. (That is not an endorsement of the subject matter of “girls, girls, girls,” but it *is* an endorsement of the soundscape and rapping on “girls, girls, girls.”) “The ruler’s back” is a great opener. “Takeover” goes so hard (even if I think “ether” is better). “Izzo” is a fun pop song. “U don’t know” was a club banger. “Heart of the city” still sounds great. I’m not sure I like more than one song after “heart of the city,” and that’s “renegade,” about which I do agree with Nas that “Eminem murdered [Jay-Z] on [his] own shit.” So it’s tough to give this a 5. Probably a 4.

Wore this (mp3) album out in 2008/09. If I recall correctly, they got rockier on the second album and kept moving in that direction, but I could have done with another album or two of folk music and harmonies. (I mean, the only point of “heard them stirring” is to flex those harmonies.) I know I listened to Shore, their 2020 album, and I definitely enjoy Helplessness Blues, that second album, but this is the only one I return to with any regularity.

I thought I was going to like this a lot. When the fuzzy guitar kicked in on the first track, I thought we were going to have a really innovative album of genre mashups. Instead I ended up thinking that it was mostly a country album that never got quite as weird as that first song augured.

Meh

My favorites change every listen, but this time I felt: 5/5: The Chain, Dreams, Don’t Stop 4/5: Go Your Own Way, I Don’t Want to Know, Never Going Back Again, Gold Dust Woman 3/5: You Make Loving Fun, Second Hand News 2/5: Songbird, Oh Daddy I’ll be honest. I wanted to do that to see if this was a 4 or a 5, and I don’t think that helped. It’s a very 4.5 album.

Two classics of the ‘70s in a row. No doubt in my mind about the rating for this one. With any luck, Horses, Marquee Moon, or London Calling is next. In junior high, when I bought this album for the first time, I was fascinated by the mythology around it. No name. The four symbols, each representing a band member. The artwork. I really wanted to figure out what Stairway to Heaven’s lyrics were about. My mom told me they’d play it at her high school dances but no one could quite figure out how to dance to it. I distinctly remember Amazon letting you play 30-second snippets of songs on RealPlayer(!) and the StH snippet began at “your head is humming and it won’t go…”; why that has stuck with me all these years is unclear. (My favorite solo in rock history [#basic] begins about 50 seconds later, so well beyond RealPlayer’s reach.) My dad said Misty Mountain Hop was his favorite, which even today strikes me as such a hipster choice. And when I learned the Beastie Boys sampled When the Levee Breaks, I thought that was the coolest. As an adult, the album is imprinted on me, even if some parts seem a little sillier now. Battle of Evermore feels like a Spinal Tap joke, with LOTR references. The Ted Lasso joke that Stairway is a fingering exercise isn’t totally off base. Four Sticks remains skippable. But it’s not falling below 5. Liking StH is cliche, I don’t care, it’s cliche because it’s one of the greatest rock songs ever. Black Dog, Levee, and Rock and Roll rock. Evermore and California show the range the band had. MMH is fun. A great band at the height of their powers with only minimal stealing from other bands (sorry, Spirit).

The White Blood Cells - Elephant - Get Behind Me Satan run is incredible, but this is the weakest of the three.

I didn’t listen to the deluxe edition, just the regular. That was enough. Probably a 1.5.

For once the shoe is on the other foot here, because I know this is an album Maggie knows well, and I’m not entirely sure I’ve ever listened to the whole thing. I owned Dookie, as was required of all junior high boys in the mid 90s, and I like the singles off Warning (2000) more than most people do, but I was out on GD after maybe 2002. So, after listening, I knew the singles. It was basically impossible to miss them as a 20-year-old in 2004. Didn’t know the rest. And I know this is supposed to be a political album, but I didn’t pay enough attention to lyrics to catch a ton of that, after the title track. Definitely liked the album, though.

Four million people bought this? Why?

This is the album people think of when they say they hate 80s music. Or at least it will be for me.

Growing up, my parents owned “cream of Clapton,” which is a greatest hits album, get your mind out of the gutter. “I shot the sheriff” and “let it grow” were on there, and I still like let it grow. The rest of this album sucks.

“Sledgehammer” and “in your eyes” are classics. I thought the rest was a little dated and thought him growling “EXCELLENT BIRDS” was silly.

As much as I’d like to be a fan, I think Stevie just isn’t for me.

I like this

I got far into this, but at the end of my commute to work I was still five songs from the end and hadn’t enjoyed a single minute, so I’m calling it. I didn’t *hate* it, exactly, but it’s firmly in the bottom 20% of albums in this project, so I’m giving it a 1.

Duh

I get a little annoyed with people praising Common for being conscious rap. He’s not that different from a lot of other rap artists. There was one song maybe on here where he mentions police violence. The rest of it was just 00s-era hip hop, nothing special. I do like Testify and The Food. The rest was common.

This grew on me a little. Just a little, though.

I thought I disliked or was meh about half the songs, but then I listened and that’s not true. (“Take me with u” through “darling Nikki” is a fine run that I’m now convinced only feels weak relative to the rest of the album.) Plus 3-4 classics. 5 stars.

I hadn’t heard this until Summer of Bowie and it immediately leapt onto my favorite albums list. It’s so good.

Meh

Hated this so much I searched the list to see how much more LC we have to endure. Two down, two to go.

In the late 90s, we all fell under the spell of a long, rambling British pop song that felt vaguely spiritual and uplifting. Champagne Supernova. Tender. The Universal. All You Good Good People. And yes, Bitter Sweet Symphony. This album dares to ask the question, “What if we made the whole plane out of those songs?” And let me tell you, unless you’re Blur, you just don’t have two of them in you. Two great ones, at least. (I did kind of like Lucky Man, I’ll admit, but it’s under 5 minutes, so I’m not even sure it counts, and it’s certainly not at the level required to justify this experiment.) So it’s a pretty disappointing album all told.

Senior year of college, my job involved a significant commute 2-3 days a week. This was the soundtrack to that commute (at least for the second half of that school year, since the album came out in January at the start of my final college semester). Didn’t have to listen today, because I know it pretty well. Dancefloor and Fake Tales are indie classics.

I’ve listened to this fairly recently—maybe within the last year?—because it was always one of those albums you hear about as important, but I had never before listened to it. Then, as now, it was fine. Goddess on a hiway is my highlight, and it seems Spotify users agree.

I would like to like this album more. Then I could justify wearing the t shirt or owning the record, with some of the coolest artwork ever. But I just think it’s good, not great.

Not my favorite.

It’s fine

I needed this. I needed this album generator to tell me, “You know you like Curtis Mayfield, yet you’ve never listened to a second album by him. Why is that?” Thank you, Daddy Album Generator.

This is my third-favorite album by her, but it’s the one most beloved by critics and the fanbase. I think she’s the best lyricist working today. Emily: a chorus? Weird. M&B: Monkey’s speech reminds me of Donald Trump. His love for his followers is just and earnest. They just need to unlearn their allegiance to this life of service and follow him. And as long as they keep their fancy clothes on for a little while longer and dance appropriately, the reward of the bountiful hills will be theirs. S&D: The idea of a lost baby (miscarriage? abortion?) waiting for you in the afterlife is heartbreaking. The “I wasn’t born of a thistle” part, so good. “Enough of this terror, we deserve to know light.” Only Skin: I know it’s not the point of the song, I know it’s not a love song (or at least not an unambiguous love song like we’re used to in pop music), but “I’m starving and freezing in my measly old bed / I’ll crawl cross the salt flats to stroke your sweet head” is a lovely phrase. Actually the whole part with Bill Callahan is amazing. Cosmia: the one I’ve spent the least time with, this just means it’ll be my favorite five years from now. An album that rewards repeat listens. Instrumentation and lyrics on point. Some people don’t like her voice but they are wrong.

This was ok

I was introduced to Eels in high school when, I swear, even though this seems implausible to me, “Mr. E’s Beautiful Blues” got radio airplay. I have been a fan ever since, albeit an inattentive, not at all completist fan. Still, I’m thankful I worked my way backwards, because “Electro-Shock Blues” is a five star, stone cold classic album. This album is good. It will not replace ESB at the top of my Eels list. But it definitely has the same dark sense of humor and vibe that I love from this band.

Meh album from a meh band

Funny to think millions went crazy for this.

Before: This album has a reputation on the subreddit as one of the gems of this project that people discover through this and immediately love, so I’m pretty excited. After: very much enjoyed this. I think four stars for now and then a few months from now I’ll kick myself for not giving it five. Also, after yesterday’s album from 1956, pretty incredible to get this leap in production value.

A lot of totally fine albums lately. I’ll say for this one, I used to think he really did shoot a man in Reno just to watch him die. Turns out, no, just a song.

Pros: I love steel guitar. Totally underrated instrument. Cons: literally everything else

Don’t judge a book by its cover, but with that cover, we’re already in 2-star range. Other bands have eponymous songs (e.g., the song “Black Sabbath” by the band Black Sabbath, off the album Black Sabbath), but something about adding “theme” to it really irritates me. Like it’s this classic motif we’re all supposed to know already. “Oh is that the Dee-Lite Theme?” I ask. “Yes,” you reply testily, as if I’d just bugged you to explain, yet again, which animal the flute represents in Peter and the Wolf. In fifth grade—probably around the time I learned about Peter and the wolf, honestly—one of my classmates gave a speech on “how to give a good speech.” And it was fine, but with that topic, you really have to nail the speech, which is what my teacher told my classmate. This memory comes floating back to me as I hear someone intone “I just wanna hear a good beat” repeatedly over a pretty bland beat. Beat-wanter, heal thyself.

I’m not sure when I last listened all the way through this one (if ever). I usually stick to a handful of songs I know and love. And after listening, I know why I stick with those. The gap between the four songs I love (rock and roll star, live forever, supersonic, and slide away) and the rest is large.

This genre is not my favorite, and that’s probably the difference between a 4 and a 5 here. Because within the limitations of this genre, I think Gillian Welch is the best. Every song here is a (n Americana) banger, but you don’t end the album with a 14-minute song unless you think it’s a big artistic statement deserving of that space on the record. Luckily, it is (glares intently at The Doors). This post talks about it well: https://www.nodepression.com/i-dream-a-highway-gillian-welchs-song-of-america-explicated/ But at its simplest level, I’ve always heard it as three things: a lament for an old way of Nashville/country music that isn’t coming back (in 2001! I wonder how she feels now), a love song in the style of an Odyssey—returning to someone from your past, and a death song (where the You is God). I’m not at all confident the lyrics support all of that, just a vibe I get. But what a beautiful, mysterious way to end the album. Sublime.

If I made my own 1001 albums list, it would absolutely contain some terrible stuff that I personally adored, and I’m convinced that’s why albums like this one are on the list. I skipped the last two songs.

I had some fear that this wasn’t going to hold up and it’d fall to 4 or even 3 stars. I needn’t have worried. Because this album has such an emotional hold on me, I went to reviews to see what people who gave it less than a 5 said. It looks like there are a couple basic camps. One, people who think it’s too rudimentary, silly, or adolescent. It is all those things. Still a 5. In fact probably mainly a 5 because of those things. Two, people who protest that it isn’t punk enough. It’s not pure punk, true. (I’d say pop punk but wouldn’t get mad if someone said pop.) But I’m not upset with the album for not being something it’s not. It’s a fun, dumb pop punk/pop album.

Better than I expected!

I just know they were like, “what’s so hard about making Station to Station? We’ve got seven good long songs in us too!” Reader, they did not. They had one good short song in them that isn’t even on this album.