Jan 08 2024
Electric Ladyland
Jimi Hendrix
Itās three songs I absolutely love (1983 and the final two (duh)) and then a lot I think is just okay?
4
Jan 09 2024
Dummy
Portishead
Iāve heard this before but never enjoyed it as much as this time.
5
Jan 10 2024
The Man Machine
Kraftwerk
I was fully prepared for this to be boringājust because something was innovative 45 years ago doesnāt mean it holds upābut I really enjoyed it. The last two tracks were standouts for me.
4
Jan 11 2024
Black Holes and Revelations
Muse
Knew Iād hate it, was not disappointed. Starlight was okay.
2
Jan 12 2024
Channel Orange
Frank Ocean
Thinkin Bout You is an all-timer. The rest of the album doesnāt quite hold up to the standard set there, for me. Plenty good, but nothing that gets to that high. Bad Religion comes closest.
4
Jan 15 2024
The ArchAndroid
Janelle MonƔe
3
Jan 16 2024
Is This It
The Strokes
4
Jan 17 2024
The Doors
The Doors
One of the first āclassicsā I owned. My guess before listening is that the first half is still pretty good and the second half isnāt. Open question: will āThe Endā be Maggieās new favorite song?
Listening: Soul Kitchen is still my favorite. Twentieth Century Fox still exemplifies the bandās worst tendencies (dumb lyrics, coasting on Morrisonās sexuality). Ugh I forgot about āshow me the way to the next little girlā in Whisky Bar. If I remember correctly, the single version of Light My Fire doesnāt 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 wasnāt 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 itās self-indulgent and not nearly as smart as it thinks it is. (See also: this band in general.) This album definitely feels like one youād buy because you heard two great songs on the radioāprobably what I did, essentially, as a tweenāand then end up feeling disappointed because little else on the record comes close to that standard.
3
Jan 18 2024
Untitled (Black Is)
SAULT
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 Iād 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.
4
Jan 19 2024
The Idiot
Iggy Pop
I must have listened to this before because Nightclubbing is vaguely familiar and Dum Dum Boys is a ālikedā song on Spotify. On this new listen, DDB remains the lone liked song.
3
Jan 22 2024
The Suburbs
Arcade Fire
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 thoughā¦) stars.
I think weāre 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.
4
Jan 23 2024
Superunknown
Soundgarden
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 donāt care, pick 4-5 of the others and make a great EP.
3
Jan 24 2024
Yank Crime
Drive Like Jehu
Pre-listening: I think I listened to this a year or two ago while compiling an āearly emoā playlist. One song (only), Luau, made the playlist. That doesnāt bode well.
After listening: yeah, donāt care for this. The first album where no songs will make my ongoing playlist.
1
Jan 25 2024
Billion Dollar Babies
Alice Cooper
Boring.
1
Jan 26 2024
Felt Mountain
Goldfrapp
Meh.
2
Jan 29 2024
Rock 'N Soul
Solomon Burke
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. āif you need meā and āyouāre good for meā were two favorites.
3
Jan 30 2024
Power In Numbers
Jurassic 5
A little long for me, and I think āHeyā and āAcetate Prophetsā are obvious weak spots that could be cut. Still, I love this album and itās bound up in so much nostalgia for me that I canāt not give it 5 stars.
Highlights: Whatās Golden, Sum of Us, Freedom, I am Somebody
5
Jan 31 2024
Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs
Marty Robbins
I think Iām resonating with the gunfighter ballads. Not so much the trail songs. But this is better than I expected.
Highlights: Big Iron, Theyāre Hanging Me Tonight
3
Feb 01 2024
Blood And Chocolate
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
This was just okay.
2
Feb 02 2024
Warehouse: Songs And Stories
Hüsker Dü
3
Feb 05 2024
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
John Lennon
Pre listen, I knew Iād heard this before and had two songs (āworking class heroā and āgodā) on my Spotify liked songs. After listening, much the same.
āGodā really blew me away this time; Iād remembered it for the ādonāt believe in Beatlesā line, which feels shocking/antagonistic/angry, but today the song felt like a Buddhist love song (even though he doesnāt 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 āJohnā without living up to being āthe walrusā).
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.
3
Feb 06 2024
xx
The xx
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 āforcedā to revisit it, I found a lot to love. Like a 4.5, decided to round up.
5
Feb 07 2024
Steve McQueen
Prefab Sprout
I added Bonny to my running list of songs from this project. And other songs were on this album too.
2
Feb 08 2024
Low
David Bowie
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 doesnāt do it for me ⦠yet.
4
Feb 09 2024
Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs
Derek & The Dominos
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 Iām fired up. I was between 2 and 3 stars but Iāve talked myself into 2.
2
Feb 12 2024
Smash
The Offspring
This is my prediction: this will not age well. But I wonāt be able to resist Self Esteem and Come Out and Play.
Listening thoughts: I actually like this more than I expected. Itās juvenile and silly, but thatās intentional, so itās successful. Not my favorite genre, but good enough for our album today.
3
Feb 13 2024
The Slim Shady LP
Eminem
This came out when I was 15 and I never listened to it, so I donāt have any nostalgic attachment to it. (I do love the Marshall Mathers LP, though.) Now Iām 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 Iām Shady. Bad Meets Evil was underwhelming, which was disappointing because I like Royce da 5ā 9ā.
2
Feb 14 2024
Stripped
Christina Aguilera
Pre-listening thoughts: I think Iām familiar with three songs here. Even in her heyday I was more of a Britney person. I can guarantee Iāve 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 Iām interested in. Of the Britney/Jessica/Mandy generation, sheās the One Who Can Sing. No denying that. But thatās not what I want. So when she Sings, it falls flat for me. Not her fault. Iām just not going to keep coming back to this, except for the songs where sheās just doing pop stuff.
3
Feb 15 2024
Peggy Suicide
Julian Cope
This was totally unfamiliar to me: hadnāt heard of artist, album, or any song. I didnāt 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 wasnāt hungry for any more either. A solid 3.
3
Feb 16 2024
Southern Rock Opera
Drive-By Truckers
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?
3
Feb 19 2024
It's Blitz!
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4
Feb 20 2024
Nilsson Schmilsson
Harry Nilsson
4
Feb 21 2024
Make Yourself
Incubus
This is going to be a tough one.
Oh I like Stellar, I didnāt know thatās 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.
2
Feb 22 2024
Diamond Life
Sade
A fun thought experiment here is, what would this album sound like if it came out today and someone was like, āhey maybe cool it with the sax?ā
3
Feb 23 2024
Frampton Comes Alive
Peter Frampton
Iām 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 Iām familiar with āshow me the wayā and ābaby I love your wayā (and ājumpin jack flash,ā but by someone else). But just because Iām familiar with a song doesnāt 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; weāll see what I choose.
1
Feb 26 2024
To Pimp A Butterfly
Kendrick Lamar
Iām very familiar with this album. Going into it, the only question was whether Iād 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. Itās so inventive and layered. It would be easier to list the songs I donāt love.
5
Feb 27 2024
If I Should Fall From Grace With God
The Pogues
Meh
2
Feb 28 2024
Faust IV
Faust
This was a very nice blend of straightforward rock with weirder elements that kept it interesting.
4
Feb 29 2024
Tical
Method Man
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.
2
Mar 01 2024
Psychocandy
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3
Mar 04 2024
Pretzel Logic
Steely Dan
Enjoyable album. I was torn between 3 and 4 stars.
3
Mar 05 2024
Beggars Banquet
The Rolling Stones
4
Mar 06 2024
Darkdancer
Les Rythmes Digitales
4
Mar 07 2024
Rubber Soul
Beatles
4
Mar 08 2024
Sticky Fingers
The Rolling Stones
Surprised myselfāIāve tried the four āmust listenā 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.
5
Mar 11 2024
The Wildest!
Louis Prima
DNF. I got the gist. āJump jive and wailā does make it onto my ongoing playlist.
1
Mar 12 2024
We Are Family
Sister Sledge
According to WhoSampled, 7 of the 8 songs have been sampled by other artists, with āheās the greatest dancerā leading the wayāduh, itās getting jiggy with it. No samples for āyouāre a friend to meā and only one for āsomebody loves me.ā But I get it: these grooves are infectious. Obviously āwe are familyā is the standout, and it always makes me think of the Pittsburgh pirates.
https://youtu.be/hB4eGNYMDKQ?si=m1lkxpT9CLx9qYxl
4
Mar 13 2024
If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears
The Mamas & The Papas
I appreciate, but donāt love, their singing.
3
Mar 14 2024
Lost Souls
Doves
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.
3
Mar 15 2024
Strange Cargo III
William Orbit
Too much of an ok thing
3
Mar 18 2024
In The Court Of The Crimson King
King Crimson
Redditās favorite album. Just listened to this a few months ago as I gave it yet another chance. I think itās always going to be good, not great for me. Epitaph and ITCOTCK are my two standouts.
4
Mar 19 2024
Figure 8
Elliott Smith
Probably my favorite solo artist ever. His third-best album (XO, Either/Or). Even before listening today, I can tell you āHappinessā is one of the most beautiful songs, period, and when the drums drop on āeverything means nothing to meā 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.
4
Mar 20 2024
Dire Straits
Dire Straits
I hated this and Iām afraid itās going to put me in a bad mood all day. When you hear āMoney for Nothingā or āSultans of Swingā in isolation, you donāt think, āOh, this is the worldās most masturbatory band,ā but then when you are subjected to a whole album, oh boy. Iām a little torn on rating because I do like SoS and Wild West Endāmaybe those are good enough to get it to a two? But I donāt think so.
1
Mar 21 2024
Oedipus Schmoedipus
Barry Adamson
Also hated this, but I appreciated its inventiveness. One star for existing and a second star for trying something new.
2
Mar 22 2024
...The Dandy Warhols Come Down
The Dandy Warhols
I think of this band as a two-hit wonder, even though Spotify is telling me ānot if you were the last junkie on earthā isnāt even their second-biggest song. Letās see how the rest of the album does.
I like the rock stuff. Less the experimental/droney/shoegazey stuff.
3
Mar 25 2024
Licensed To Ill
Beastie Boys
Itās been a long time since Iāve listened to this all the way through. I think Iāve 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.
3
Mar 26 2024
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Itās a no for me.
1
Mar 27 2024
Future Days
Can
This was fine.
3
Mar 28 2024
Shake Your Money Maker
The Black Crowes
Pre listening: A few weeks ago I saw a car with license plate that was something like āBLK CRWSā 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 someoneās favorite band. Welp, time to find out what the fuss is about and whether theyāre 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 heās saying in the chorus of Hard to Handle. And I know that song is called Hard to Handle! Learned so much today.
4
Mar 29 2024
Elephant
The White Stripes
One of my all-time favorites. Easiest 5 of the project so far.
5
Apr 01 2024
The Queen Is Dead
The Smiths
Obviously I love these sad bois.
4
Apr 02 2024
Electric Warrior
T. Rex
Pre listen: I know I listened to this a few years ago out of curiosity, but Spotify is telling me I didnāt ālikeā a single song. Not even bang a gong. So weāll see what todayās listen holds.
3
Apr 03 2024
Tusk
Fleetwood Mac
The rockers on this, which I perceive to be Lindseyās, arenāt doing it for me, but Iām enjoying the Stevie/Christine slow jams.
Favorites: think about me, storms, honey hi, beautiful child, tusk (the exception to my rule), never forget
4
Apr 04 2024
Emergency On Planet Earth
Jamiroquai
I can tell this is *supposed* to be fun, but it just doesnāt quite get there for me.
2
Apr 05 2024
In Rainbows
Radiohead
I know this one well enough that I donāt need to listen today, but I still will. You may recall this was the famous āpay what you wantā album. I think I paid $10 when it came out, when I was a broke law student.
Highlights: everything except Faust Arp, which isnāt even bad, it just doesnāt meet the standard set by everything else here, IMO.
Please play Videotape at my funeral. Thanks, bye.
5
Apr 08 2024
1989
Taylor Swift
The two people in this group, but not every potential reader of this review, will know that I just embarked on a āSummer of Taylorā 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 āwelcome to New Yorkā 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
3
Apr 09 2024
Pretenders
Pretenders
4
Apr 10 2024
Colour By Numbers
Culture Club
Two songs in, contemplating quitting.
Four songs in, quitting.
1
Apr 11 2024
Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor
Lupe Fiasco
A widely acclaimed album Iāve never been able to get into. Itās a little too long and I donāt think itās quite as deep as it thinks it is.
2
Apr 12 2024
Crooked Rain Crooked Rain
Pavement
Pre listen: In college, I think my Pavement album of choice was Brighten the Corners. For the last few years, itās been Slanted and Enchanted. This one, despite having perhaps my two favorite Pavement songs (cut your hair and gold soundzāPitchforkās best song of the 90s) has never been tops in the rotation. So, I am generally unfamiliar and look forward to it.
4
Apr 15 2024
Blackstar
David Bowie
I listened to this when it came out and then set it aside. Now, as then, I really like Lazarus and donāt care for much else on it.
2
Apr 16 2024
The Clash
The Clash
3
Apr 17 2024
Tigermilk
Belle & Sebastian
Every B&S album is a grower. This one didnāt hit me on first listen, but I might return to it.
3
Apr 18 2024
The Holy Bible
Manic Street Preachers
Not for me
2
Apr 19 2024
Face to Face
The Kinks
Okay, not *everything* on this sounded the same, but I was nervous for maybe the first four or five songs, and āMr. Pleasantā both sounds like a kinks song and has the perfect name for a kinks song. Entirely pleasant, 3.5, couldnāt bring myself to give it a 4.
3
Apr 22 2024
Vol. 4
Black Sabbath
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 doesnāt top Paranoid and Iād 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.
4
Apr 23 2024
MTV Unplugged In New York
Nirvana
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 Iāll 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 youāve never seen Cobainās eyes widen before that final ānight through,ā you need to. I was between a 4 and a 5 coming in, but after I ālikedā 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
Itās cool to know someone who knows her stuff is also wowed by this.
5
Apr 24 2024
Tom Tom Club
Tom Tom Club
We got off to a rough start, with one of my least favorite genres: āwhite person in the 80s discovers rappingā (cc Debbie Harry). But after that, I liked this.
4
Apr 25 2024
Catch A Fire
Bob Marley & The Wailers
I owned a Bob Marley record in high school, but it wasnāt this one. And reggae mostly sounds the same to me. Tough to imagine giving a reggae record anything other than a 3: itās pleasant but I donāt find myself returning to it.
3
Apr 26 2024
Talking Heads 77
Talking Heads
Except for psycho killer, this all went in one ear and out the next
2
Apr 29 2024
Born In The U.S.A.
Bruce Springsteen
Pre listening: āoh great, the album with the cheesy synths and the creepy lyricsā
2 minutes later: āBORN IN THE USA, I WAS BORN IN THE USAā
-okay the daddy in āIām on fireā is her partner, not her actual father. So itās just about infidelity, not pedophilia. TMYK š«
3
Apr 30 2024
OK Computer
Radiohead
š
5
May 01 2024
Songs Of Love And Hate
Leonard Cohen
3
May 02 2024
The Low End Theory
A Tribe Called Quest
So, some of this hasnāt aged well. And what are the odds that 2/3 of the NBA players name checked on a song called āinfamous date rapeā are infamous for sexual indiscretions that came to light after the songās 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. Itās on point (phife) all the time (tip).
4
May 03 2024
Bug
Dinosaur Jr.
3
May 06 2024
Blue
Joni Mitchell
I have tried to get this album for many years and never been quite successful. Itās interesting we got it the same week as a Leonard Cohen one since (a) heās 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 isnāt to say I hate it. I just donāt hear āgreatest album by a womanā or ātop three album of all timeā when I listen to it.
4
May 07 2024
Metallica
Metallica
Maybe itās just that Enter Sandman is overplayed, but on this listen I felt strongly that Nothing Else Matters is the best song here.
Iād cut 3-4 songs, or Iād 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 didnāt hate anything, and in fact saved several songs to my playlist, but itās doubtful Iām going to seek out this album in whole again. Itās a collection of songs I like that somehow doesnāt work for me as an album. So, like a 3.5?
3
May 08 2024
Pelican West
Haircut 100
Yes
4
May 09 2024
Back In Black
AC/DC
But do they like rock and roll? So many unanswered questions posed by the lyrics on this one. Iāll be thinking about it for days.
2
May 10 2024
Transformer
Lou Reed
4
May 13 2024
Play
Moby
Hereās a question: do I like this album, or have its songs so ingrained themselves in pop culture that theyāre inescapable and therefore familiar?
Is sampling field recordings exploitative, innovative, reverential, all of the above?
Are the folk songs enhanced by Mobyās 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 isnāt about exposing more people to folk music or anything so āartisticā 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 donāt 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 Iām 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 thatās a b-side.) Bodyrock especially feels ⦠letās say, of its time. Seeing that ālikeā is physically painful. It feels very much like a āI was 16 when this came out, this song made everyone dance, I have some nostalgic feelings tied up with itā like and not a āthis song is actually good on its own termsā like. I also didnāt hate āmy weaknessā 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 hadnāt 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 didnāt uncover a satisfactory resolution to that story.
So letās 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 donāt build off othersā work kinda suck, including one of the most lyrically boring rap(?) songs in existence and a generally bland second half
-1: I suspect Iāve thought more about the politics of this album this morning than Moby did while making it
I think weāre 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. Iāve already given plenty of terrible people high scores and when we get to Led Zeppelin (for example) thatāll continue, with more exploitation of black artists to boot.
3
May 14 2024
Live!
Fela Kuti
Basically any Fela album is going to get four stars from me.
4
May 15 2024
Locust Abortion Technician
Butthole Surfers
wtf is this shit
1
May 16 2024
S&M
Metallica
āNo leaf cloverā was new for this album, and itās a highlight for me. And I appreciate the challenge of this. But itās not a good result.
2
May 17 2024
Sign 'O' The Times
Prince
First disc nearly made me quit. Second disc brought it back.
2
May 20 2024
Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Itās wild to me that āunder the bridgeā and āgive it awayā are basically perfect songs and everything else here is mediocre.
2
May 21 2024
American IV: The Man Comes Around
Johnny Cash
Listened to Hurt a bunch of times. Listened to the rest of the album just the once, thank you.
3
May 22 2024
Astral Weeks
Van Morrison
I think the only song I know going into this is Astral Weeks, and of the three Van Morrison songs I know itās my favorite. Brown Eyed Girl is too cloying and Moondance is too (bad) jazzy. So, thatās 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 itās merely a strong 4.
4
May 23 2024
GI
Germs
I must have listened to this before because āLexicon Devilā is marked as liked on Spotifyāthree times, actually, from different releases. Still love that one. The rest are ok.
2
May 24 2024
m b v
My Bloody Valentine
Iām never coming around on mbv, Iām afraid.
2
May 27 2024
Blood On The Tracks
Bob Dylan
Between a 3 and a 4, Iām 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
4
May 28 2024
Fever To Tell
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Maps is a classic. The rest I thought was just okay.
3
May 29 2024
MedĆŗlla
Bjƶrk
Iām 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.
3
May 30 2024
Paul's Boutique
Beastie Boys
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 theyād 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 theyāve got that going for them.
Favorite couplets:
Thereās more to me than youāll ever know / And I got more hits than Sadaharu Oh
Washing windows on the Bowery at a quarter to four / ācause he aināt gonna work on Maggieās Farm no more
Iām 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 itās all high spirit, you know you got to hear it / Donāt touch the mic, baby, donāt come near it
Because I got more stories than JDās got Salinger / I hold the title and you are the challenger
5
May 31 2024
Hypnotised
The Undertones
Meh
2
Jun 03 2024
Music in Exile
Songhoy Blues
Pre listen: Donāt know these guys, but if theyāre like Tinariwen, I suspect I will like them.
After listening: itās definitely the same genre, but I donāt get the same excitement from it. Gonna be a 3.
3
Jun 04 2024
Green River
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3
Jun 05 2024
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
Raekwon
Pre listen: alright, Cuban Linx, here we go again. Another try at getting this album to click.
After listening: itās about where it always is for me, around a 3.5. Iām rounding up to 4 today, other days Iād round down to 3. Verbal Intercourse is the standout track every time, which is probably just me preferring Nas.
4
Jun 06 2024
Buena Vista Social Club
Buena Vista Social Club
Iāve listened to this before. As always, itās fine.
3
Jun 07 2024
Vento De Maio
Elis Regina
I listened to the whole album, but it was a near thing.
2
Jun 10 2024
Live At The Harlem Square Club
Sam Cooke
4
Jun 11 2024
Automatic For The People
R.E.M.
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 āman on the moonā and āeverybody hurtsā but āsweetness followsā and ānight swimmingā are my personal favorites. Thereās something about night swimming, especially. Iāve never been skinny dipping, and Iāve only been swimming in the dark a few times, but a song thatās 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 itās 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 āman on the moonā as we all left school in tears. Itās 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.
5
Jun 12 2024
Fear and Whiskey
Mekons
Meh. I appreciate this for paving the way for future alt-country albums, but thatās about the extent of it.
2
Jun 13 2024
The Bends
Radiohead
Coming in I was between a 4 and a 5. This isnāt as inventive as their later stuff. But I think Iām going to immerse my soul in love and give it a 5.
Also, Iām a sucker for the niche genre of āsnotty song on the album after the big hit that comments on the massive rise to fame of a grunge bandā: Nirvanaās ārape me,ā Local Hās āall the kids are right,ā and āmy iron lungā are part of this illustrious tradition. āmy iron lungā and ārape meā even musically sound like the big hits before them. Fun!
5
Jun 14 2024
Bongo Rock
Incredible Bongo Band
Oh boy, thatās a lot of references to whatās at best a tertiary percussion instrument. Letās see how this goes.
-I know Apache. The sugar hill gang version was a staple at college parties.
-I recognize ālast bongo in Belgiumā from the beastie boysā ālooking down the barrel of a gun.ā
-I hate the more famous inna gadda da vita so this is arguably an improvement.
2
Jun 17 2024
The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses
The last time I listened to this must have been a while ago, because I had two āstarredā songs on Spotify, which was its system before ālikes.ā My guess is that was a decade ago that it switched. On review, I think Iām 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.
4
Jun 18 2024
Brothers In Arms
Dire Straits
2
Jun 19 2024
Brothers
The Black Keys
āEverlasting Lightā and the rest.
3
Jun 20 2024
On The Beach
Neil Young
2
Jun 21 2024
Doolittle
Pixies
Nearly a perfect album. Tough to choose a favorite songāDebaser? 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.
5
Jun 24 2024
Kind Of Blue
Miles Davis
4
Jun 25 2024
Let's Get It On
Marvin Gaye
Before: āOh, Iāve only heard one song off this albumā
After: āAh, I get now why Iāve only heard one song off this albumā
3
Jun 26 2024
Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Nope
2
Jun 27 2024
Odessa
Bee Gees
Better than I expected
2
Jun 28 2024
At Budokan
Cheap Trick
I never knew where the āthis next one is the first song off our new albumā sample that begins the Beastie Boysā āCheck Your Headā 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? Theyād only put out two albums, they hadnāt quite hit yet, I can support this now.
3
Jul 01 2024
In Utero
Nirvana
Iām 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 donāt think the songwriting there was quite as consistent).
-Kurtās 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.
-āThere is nothing I could say / That I havenāt thought beforeā is chefās kiss.
-āscentless apprenticeā 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. Daveās fills on āall apologiesā are also great.
The bad:
-I hear ārape meā as a song about the pressures and trappings of fame. Musically, I love it. Lyrically, maybe choose a different metaphor.
-Although I donāt hate it, I donāt think the album benefits from āTouretteās.ā
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 āfav albumsā playlist and it was, which felt like a tiebreaker. Iāll give it 5.
5
Jul 02 2024
C'est Chic
CHIC
3
Jul 03 2024
American Pie
Don McLean
Except for the one song that holds up even on 10,000th listen, I wonāt ever listen to these songs again.
But, Iāll say it again, I still appreciate this project for forcing me to listen to this much-recommended album.
2
Jul 04 2024
I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
Aretha Franklin
4
Jul 05 2024
Let's Stay Together
Al Green
4
Jul 08 2024
Blonde On Blonde
Bob Dylan
I believe ārainy day womenā was my first exposure to Dylan, from the Forrest Gump soundtrack. To this day, I donāt 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 Dylanās āgenius.ā
4
Jul 09 2024
Funeral
Arcade Fire
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. Iāve 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, āI wanna dance with somebodyā exists, and I hear you. But if youāve 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 Iām talking about. A perfect group singalong experience.
But Neighborhood 1-4, Rebellion, and Haiti are all great too.
5
Jul 10 2024
Duck Rock
Malcolm McLaren
3
Jul 11 2024
Being There
Wilco
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.
4
Jul 12 2024
All Things Must Pass
George Harrison
Took me 7.75 actual hours to make it through, but I did it. Meh.
3
Jul 15 2024
Odelay
Beck
5
Jul 16 2024
At Newport 1960
Muddy Waters
This was fine
3
Jul 17 2024
Meat Puppets II
Meat Puppets
3
Jul 18 2024
Pearl
Janis Joplin
Vacillated between āshe has a good voiceā and āsheās a good screamerā the whole time
3
Jul 19 2024
Bad
Michael Jackson
The song ābadā 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 donāt 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 āthe way you make me feel.ā That still slaps. And āsmooth criminal.ā So probably a 2.5, rounding down for how I feel about MJ these days.
2
Jul 22 2024
Fear Of A Black Planet
Public Enemy
Conscious rap or political rap goes back nearly as long as rap itself. āThe Messageā 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 thatās by design. It should feel claustrophobic. So, I was not surprised when Maggie came to me, almost ashamed, to admit she didnāt 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 hadnāt gotten there yet. At the time, Flava Flav was that sugar, and by our standards, thatās not enough. No, this is supposed to hurt a little.
This one isnāt as good as It Takes A Nationā¦, 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 Vanceās wife show thereās still a fear of a black or brown planet. But in the end, itās an album I admire more than I love. Iām not too cool to still want some bops. I added āwelcome to the terrordomeā and āfight the powerā to the playlist and kept it moving.
3
Jul 23 2024
3 Feet High and Rising
De La Soul
Theyāre fun but they leave me wanting more
3
Jul 24 2024
21
Adele
Maybe a 3.5 rounded up. But a lot of fun songs here and some good ballads too
4
Jul 25 2024
Logical Progression
LTJ Bukem
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. Thatās a lot of nonsense for a genre I already hate. I listened to a few snippets and got the gist. One star.
1
Jul 26 2024
Miriam Makeba
Miriam Makeba
Her voice is great and Iāll never listen to this again.
2
Jul 29 2024
Talking Book
Stevie Wonder
3
Jul 30 2024
Songs Of Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
Parts I didnāt 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 āis a pop album supposed to be fun or memorable?ā roughly half a million times
-wanting to kill myself both from the songsā 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
-āhey, thatās no way to say goodbyeā and also like a half point for āso long, Marianneā
2
Jul 31 2024
Tago Mago
Can
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
3
Aug 01 2024
We're Only In It For The Money
The Mothers Of Invention
Definitely one of the albums of all time
2
Aug 02 2024
The Message
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
I knew The Message (the song) was good, but I was surprised how much I enjoyed the rest of this too
3
Aug 05 2024
Either Or
Elliott Smith
Random thoughts on an album Iāve listened to so many times itās etched in my brain:
-Angeles, Cupids Trick, 2:45 am, and Say Yes is a murdererās 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 hourās commute to MSU and I distinctly recall being obsessed with 2:45 am and Built to Spillās āI would hurt a flyā 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.
-āthe trumpetās obviously been drinking, because heās fucking up even the simplest linesā is such a good line, so specific and so biting, but it still feels like it says more about the narratorās 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.
5
Aug 06 2024
Harvest
Neil Young
In fifth or sixth grade, I bought this and the Beatlesā Let it Be together, and those were my first āgoodā CDs I bought. When I bought this one, I donāt think Iād heard more than Heart of Gold, but, I mean, come on, itās an incredible song.
5
Aug 07 2024
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
I like the title track and enough of ādown by the riverā to add it to my playlist, but the rest of this was pretty boring.
3
Aug 08 2024
Selling England By The Pound
Genesis
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! Iām baffled. People of 1973, you know you can listen to older stuff too, right? If the current stuff in 1973 isnāt doing it for you, donāt force it! Look back to the 60s or just sit a year or two out. Help is on the way.
2
Aug 09 2024
Manassas
Stephen Stills
Honestly, I didnāt finish. Ran out of time today. It was feeling like a 3, though.
3
Aug 12 2024
A Hard Day's Night
Beatles
As it happens, Iāve 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 ācanāt buy me love.ā Other than that, some songs are ok and some are bad. Oh god, are the Beatles about to be a ācontroversial artistā for me? Itās like the opposite of Neil Young (a couple bangers, a lot of dreck) with this album being the one āmissā in the Beatles catalog.
2
Aug 13 2024
Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
PJ Harvey
Iāve 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.
4
Aug 14 2024
Revolver
Beatles
A perfect album.
5
Aug 15 2024
Axis: Bold As Love
Jimi Hendrix
3
Aug 16 2024
Groovin'
The Young Rascals
Tough to imagine an album cover making a worse first impression. Letās see how this goes.
Very funny to me that this week weāve 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 āIām So Happy Now,ā 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 āgroovin,ā but still donāt like it. This was a pretty boring, generic album. Probably a 2 but I could maybe talk myself into a 1 yet.
2
Aug 19 2024
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
OutKast
Because itās so long, I probably havenāt 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. Letās see if this listen bears that out.
I think itās a soft 4. Thereās a lot I love (Bowtie, A Life in the Dayā¦, 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. Iām going to weigh the stuff I like more than the rest and round up to 4.
4
Aug 20 2024
Stand!
Sly & The Family Stone
3
Aug 21 2024
Young Americans
David Bowie
Love Disco Bowie
4
Aug 22 2024
GREY Area
Little Simz
I have this album saved as one of my favorites from 2019, but I havenāt returned to it, so Iām excited to do so.
Update: still liked it!
4
Aug 23 2024
McCartney
Paul McCartney
Overall meh, but an understandable meh. You just lost your best friend and your band and you can still write āmaybe Iām amazedā? Pretty good
2
Aug 26 2024
Live At The Star Club, Hamburg
Jerry Lee Lewis
2
Aug 27 2024
3 + 3
The Isley Brothers
3
Aug 28 2024
The Healer
John Lee Hooker
3
Aug 29 2024
All Mod Cons
The Jam
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 Iād give it a 3.
3
Aug 30 2024
The Blueprint
JAY Z
I donāt think this quite deserves its reputation, which is roughly ārap album of the 00s,ā 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 āgirls, girls, girls,ā but it *is* an endorsement of the soundscape and rapping on āgirls, girls, girls.ā)
āThe rulerās backā is a great opener. āTakeoverā goes so hard (even if I think āetherā is better). āIzzoā is a fun pop song. āU donāt knowā was a club banger. āHeart of the cityā still sounds great.
Iām not sure I like more than one song after āheart of the city,ā and thatās ārenegade,ā about which I do agree with Nas that āEminem murdered [Jay-Z] on [his] own shit.ā So itās tough to give this a 5. Probably a 4.
4
Sep 02 2024
Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes
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 āheard them stirringā 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.
4
Sep 03 2024
Never Mind The Bollocks, Hereās The Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
3
Sep 04 2024
The Gilded Palace Of Sin
The Flying Burrito Brothers
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.
2
Sep 05 2024
Os Mutantes
Os Mutantes
Meh
2
Sep 06 2024
Haut de gamme / KoweĆÆt, rive gauche
Koffi Olomide
3
Sep 09 2024
Rumours
Fleetwood Mac
My favorites change every listen, but this time I felt:
5/5: The Chain, Dreams, Donāt Stop
4/5: Go Your Own Way, I Donāt Want to Know, Never Going Back Again, Gold Dust Woman
3/5: You Make Loving Fun, Second Hand News
2/5: Songbird, Oh Daddy
Iāll be honest. I wanted to do that to see if this was a 4 or a 5, and I donāt think that helped. Itās a very 4.5 album.
5
Sep 10 2024
Led Zeppelin IV
Led Zeppelin
Two classics of the ā70s 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 Heavenās lyrics were about. My mom told me theyād 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 āyour head is humming and it wonāt goā¦ā; 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 RealPlayerās 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 isnāt totally off base. Four Sticks remains skippable.
But itās not falling below 5. Liking StH is cliche, I donāt care, itās cliche because itās 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).
5
Sep 11 2024
Get Behind Me Satan
The White Stripes
The White Blood Cells - Elephant - Get Behind Me Satan run is incredible, but this is the weakest of the three.
4
Sep 12 2024
The Downward Spiral
Nine Inch Nails
3
Sep 13 2024
Close To The Edge
Yes
I didnāt listen to the deluxe edition, just the regular. That was enough. Probably a 1.5.
2
Sep 16 2024
American Idiot
Green Day
For once the shoe is on the other foot here, because I know this is an album Maggie knows well, and Iām not entirely sure Iāve 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. Didnāt know the rest. And I know this is supposed to be a political album, but I didnāt pay enough attention to lyrics to catch a ton of that, after the title track. Definitely liked the album, though.
4
Sep 17 2024
Meat Is Murder
The Smiths
3
Sep 18 2024
The Kƶln Concert
Keith Jarrett
Four million people bought this? Why?
2
Sep 19 2024
Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret
Soft Cell
This is the album people think of when they say they hate 80s music. Or at least it will be for me.
2
Sep 20 2024
461 Ocean Boulevard
Eric Clapton
Growing up, my parents owned ācream of Clapton,ā which is a greatest hits album, get your mind out of the gutter. āI shot the sheriffā and ālet it growā were on there, and I still like let it grow. The rest of this album sucks.
2
Sep 23 2024
So
Peter Gabriel
āSledgehammerā and āin your eyesā are classics. I thought the rest was a little dated and thought him growling āEXCELLENT BIRDSā was silly.
3
Sep 24 2024
Fulfillingness' First Finale
Stevie Wonder
As much as Iād like to be a fan, I think Stevie just isnāt for me.
2
Sep 25 2024
Ctrl
SZA
I like this
4
Sep 26 2024
Chore of Enchantment
Giant Sand
I got far into this, but at the end of my commute to work I was still five songs from the end and hadnāt enjoyed a single minute, so Iām calling it. I didnāt *hate* it, exactly, but itās firmly in the bottom 20% of albums in this project, so Iām giving it a 1.
1
Sep 27 2024
A Seat at the Table
Solange
3
Sep 30 2024
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Beatles
Duh
5
Oct 01 2024
Be
Common
I get a little annoyed with people praising Common for being conscious rap. Heās 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.
3
Oct 02 2024
Iām a Lonesome Fugitive
Merle Haggard
This grew on me a little. Just a little, though.
2
Oct 03 2024
Purple Rain
Prince
I thought I disliked or was meh about half the songs, but then I listened and thatās not true. (āTake me with uā through ādarling Nikkiā is a fine run that Iām now convinced only feels weak relative to the rest of the album.) Plus 3-4 classics. 5 stars.
5
Oct 04 2024
Endtroducing.....
DJ Shadow
5
Oct 07 2024
Station To Station
David Bowie
I hadnāt heard this until Summer of Bowie and it immediately leapt onto my favorite albums list. Itās so good.
5
Oct 08 2024
Guero
Beck
3
Oct 09 2024
Fuzzy Logic
Super Furry Animals
Meh
2
Oct 10 2024
Our Aim Is To Satisfy
Red Snapper
3
Oct 11 2024
Songs From A Room
Leonard Cohen
Hated this so much I searched the list to see how much more LC we have to endure. Two down, two to go.
1
Oct 14 2024
Urban Hymns
The Verve
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, āWhat if we made the whole plane out of those songs?ā And let me tell you, unless youāre Blur, you just donāt have two of them in you. Two great ones, at least. (I did kind of like Lucky Man, Iāll admit, but itās under 5 minutes, so Iām not even sure it counts, and itās certainly not at the level required to justify this experiment.) So itās a pretty disappointing album all told.
3
Oct 15 2024
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Arctic Monkeys
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). Didnāt have to listen today, because I know it pretty well. Dancefloor and Fake Tales are indie classics.
4
Oct 16 2024
Deserter's Songs
Mercury Rev
Iāve listened to this fairly recentlyāmaybe within the last year?ābecause 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.
3
Oct 17 2024
Unknown Pleasures
Joy Division
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 itās good, not great.
4
Oct 18 2024
Out of Step
Minor Threat
Not my favorite.
2
Oct 21 2024
Back To Black
Amy Winehouse
Itās fine
3
Oct 22 2024
There's No Place Like America Today
Curtis Mayfield
I needed this. I needed this album generator to tell me, āYou know you like Curtis Mayfield, yet youāve never listened to a second album by him. Why is that?ā Thank you, Daddy Album Generator.
4
Oct 23 2024
Ys
Joanna Newsom
This is my third-favorite album by her, but itās the one most beloved by critics and the fanbase. I think sheās the best lyricist working today.
Emily: a chorus? Weird.
M&B: Monkeyās 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 āI wasnāt born of a thistleā part, so good. āEnough of this terror, we deserve to know light.ā
Only Skin: I know itās not the point of the song, I know itās not a love song (or at least not an unambiguous love song like weāre used to in pop music), but āIām starving and freezing in my measly old bed / Iāll crawl cross the salt flats to stroke your sweet headā is a lovely phrase. Actually the whole part with Bill Callahan is amazing.
Cosmia: the one Iāve spent the least time with, this just means itāll be my favorite five years from now.
An album that rewards repeat listens. Instrumentation and lyrics on point. Some people donāt like her voice but they are wrong.
5
Oct 24 2024
Fly Or Die
N.E.R.D
This was ok
3
Oct 25 2024
Beautiful Freak
Eels
I was introduced to Eels in high school when, I swear, even though this seems implausible to me, āMr. Eās Beautiful Bluesā got radio airplay. I have been a fan ever since, albeit an inattentive, not at all completist fan. Still, Iām thankful I worked my way backwards, because āElectro-Shock Bluesā 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.
4
Oct 28 2024
Queen II
Queen
Meh album from a meh band
2
Oct 29 2024
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Funny to think millions went crazy for this.
3
Oct 30 2024
KIWANUKA
Michael Kiwanuka
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 Iām pretty excited.
After: very much enjoyed this. I think four stars for now and then a few months from now Iāll kick myself for not giving it five.
Also, after yesterdayās album from 1956, pretty incredible to get this leap in production value.
4
Oct 31 2024
E.V.O.L.
Sonic Youth
4
Nov 01 2024
Bluesbreakers
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
3
Nov 04 2024
Birth Of The Cool
Miles Davis
4
Nov 05 2024
Chirping Crickets
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
3
Nov 06 2024
At Folsom Prison
Johnny Cash
A lot of totally fine albums lately. Iāll 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.
3
Nov 07 2024
The Grand Tour
George Jones
Pros: I love steel guitar. Totally underrated instrument.
Cons: literally everything else
2
Nov 08 2024
World Clique
Deee-Lite
Donāt judge a book by its cover, but with that cover, weāre already in 2-star range.
Other bands have eponymous songs (e.g., the song āBlack Sabbathā by the band Black Sabbath, off the album Black Sabbath), but something about adding āthemeā to it really irritates me. Like itās this classic motif weāre all supposed to know already. āOh is that the Dee-Lite Theme?ā I ask. āYes,ā you reply testily, as if Iād just bugged you to explain, yet again, which animal the flute represents in Peter and the Wolf.
In fifth gradeāprobably around the time I learned about Peter and the wolf, honestlyāone of my classmates gave a speech on āhow to give a good speech.ā 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 āI just wanna hear a good beatā repeatedly over a pretty bland beat. Beat-wanter, heal thyself.
2
Nov 11 2024
Back At The Chicken Shack
Jimmy Smith
4
Nov 12 2024
Definitely Maybe
Oasis
Iām 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.
3
Nov 13 2024
Time (The Revelator)
Gillian Welch
This genre is not my favorite, and thatās 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 donāt end the album with a 14-minute song unless you think itās 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, Iāve always heard it as three things: a lament for an old way of Nashville/country music that isnāt coming back (in 2001! I wonder how she feels now), a love song in the style of an Odysseyāreturning to someone from your past, and a death song (where the You is God). Iām 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.
4
Nov 14 2024
Rust In Peace
Megadeth
2
Nov 15 2024
Casanova
The Divine Comedy
If I made my own 1001 albums list, it would absolutely contain some terrible stuff that I personally adored, and Iām convinced thatās why albums like this one are on the list. I skipped the last two songs.
1
Nov 18 2024
Dookie
Green Day
I had some fear that this wasnāt going to hold up and itād fall to 4 or even 3 stars. I neednāt 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 itās 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 isnāt punk enough. Itās not pure punk, true. (Iād say pop punk but wouldnāt get mad if someone said pop.) But Iām not upset with the album for not being something itās not. Itās a fun, dumb pop punk/pop album.
5
Nov 19 2024
This Year's Model
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4
Nov 20 2024
25
Adele
Better than I expected!
4
Nov 21 2024
A Short Album About Love
The Divine Comedy
2
Nov 22 2024
Don't Stand Me Down
Dexys Midnight Runners
I just know they were like, āwhatās so hard about making Station to Station? Weāve got seven good long songs in us too!ā Reader, they did not. They had one good short song in them that isnāt even on this album.
2
Nov 25 2024
James Brown Live At The Apollo
James Brown
3
Nov 26 2024
Coat Of Many Colors
Dolly Parton
Itās fine
2
Nov 27 2024
G. Love And Special Sauce
G. Love & Special Sauce
I didnāt know Stoned College Roommates of America got to lobby for spots on this list
1
Nov 28 2024
Swordfishtrombones
Tom Waits
A new one to me, but not my favorite. Waits can be hit or miss.
3
Nov 29 2024
Bossanova
Pixies
Thereās a reason people only listen to the two Pixies albums before this
2
Dec 02 2024
Remain In Light
Talking Heads
Iām sure Iāve listened to this before, but it isnāt one I know well. I know I love āborn under punchesā and, obviously, āonce in a lifetime.ā I have a distinct memory of once in a lifetime coming on the radio once when my dad was driving me to school and I was like, āWHAT is this?ā (I think I had a similar reaction to a Frank Zappa song on another trip to school.)
Overall, just okay.
3
Dec 03 2024
Fear Of Music
Talking Heads
I think this band is just ok
3
Dec 04 2024
Heaux Tales
Jazmine Sullivan
I really liked this when it came out and put it on my list of favorite albums from 2021.
Ah yes, I forgot how great ālost oneā is.
4
Dec 05 2024
Scott 4
Scott Walker
Iāve never listened to Scott Walker before and my impression of him was that his music was cheesy, ornate, ostentatious, over the top. This is . . . close to that. But Iāve mostly thought it stays on the right side of the line (not āangels of ashes,ā though). I like it.
4
Dec 06 2024
Truth And Soul
Fishbone
I knew the band but had never listened to this album. I really liked it. I considered five stars but I think itās more like a four. A few songs I really loved, like āmighty long way,ā ābonin in the backyard,ā and āchange.ā
4
Dec 09 2024
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Little known fact: āfooled again (I donāt like it)ā is about the people who bought this album on the strength of ābreakdownā and āAmerican girlā and then learned the rest of the album wasnāt good.
Still three stars because itās pleasant enough. A genre I like, an artist whose hits I enjoy, doesnāt overstay its welcome, this was never going to be below 3. But itās two great singles and not a lot else.
Yes, Bob!
Reviewing in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau said, "Addicts of updated nostalgia and rock and roll readymades should find this a sly and authentic commentary on the evolving dilemma of Harold Teen. The songs are cute, the riffs executed with more dynamism than usual, and the singing attractively phlegmy. And like they say at the end of other cartoons, that's all, folks." Correct! He gave it a B+. Arguably, B+ = 4, but Iām sticking with my 3, despite my concurrence.
3
Dec 10 2024
The Fat Of The Land
The Prodigy
I loved this album (and the āBreatheā video, omg, Iād never seen anything like that) so much in junior high I distinctly remember asking my parents if we could fly to Australia for my birthday to see them in concert. Youāll be shocked to learn that was a no.
After listening: still like it. A little long, a little repetitive, but solid.
4
Dec 11 2024
Scissor Sisters
Scissor Sisters
I didnāt really know what to expect and liked this more than I anticipated. āGlam rockā conjures some bands that arenāt my favorite. But maybe now this band is my favorite glam rock band?
4
Dec 12 2024
Water From An Ancient Well
Abdullah Ibrahim
There are a few jazz albums I like and then thereās stuff like this that all sounds the same
2
Dec 13 2024
Mr. Tambourine Man
The Byrds
Itās ok
3
Dec 16 2024
Lust For Life
Iggy Pop
It seems like The Idiot was more Bowie and this was more Iggy. Love Bowieā¦but this far surpasses The Idiot. 4.5
4
Dec 17 2024
Thriller
Michael Jackson
5
Dec 18 2024
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
3
Dec 19 2024
Copper Blue
Sugar
Sometimes you feel like a real dummy. When I was in sixth grade, ādark side of the moonā was probably my favorite album. Did I explore any more of Pink Floydās catalog? No, I did not. I probably did not know a single other song they didāexcept the āteachers leave those kids aloneā song that got radio playāuntil college. This has proven to be a mistake. (If you, dear reader, have not heard of this obscure art-rock band called āPink Floyd,ā you should change that.)
So it is here. I love Bob Mouldās solo stuff (especially the sunshine rock album). I donāt love Husker Du, exactly, but itās fine enough. Did I ever ask, āhey did Bob Mould do anything for the, like, 20 years in between those projects?ā Nope! Stupid. Dumb. [insert saved by the bell gif]. āDid Bob Mould, grunge grandfather, play music in the 90s, the grunge golden age?ā What an obvious question to ask, he said, wondering why he never asked it.
Anyway, I loved this from the first minute, obviously. I was singing along to helpless the first time I heard it; thatās undeniably catchy. This is like pure nostalgia for an experience I never had in the 90s but, at the same time, kinda did listening to Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, etc.
4
Dec 20 2024
Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
The Flaming Lips
4
Dec 23 2024
Hail To the Thief
Radiohead
3
Dec 24 2024
Ellington at Newport
Duke Ellington
I made it about 45 minutes
1
Dec 25 2024
Eli And The Thirteenth Confession
Laura Nyro
This is an album thatās on my playlist of my favorite albums, and I have seven songs from it ālikedā on Spotify. Those are signs of a five star. But today it didnāt hit me that hard, which speaks to how subjective these things are. Iām calling it four stars today, but anyone who reads this should know at one point it was a 5 and it may be a 5 again in the right circumstances.
4
Dec 26 2024
A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector
Various Artists
Itās a good Christmas album, but itās still just a Christmas album
3
Dec 27 2024
Black Monk Time
The Monks
3
Dec 30 2024
Rage Against The Machine
Rage Against The Machine
Got this in high school. You cannot imagine how hard ākilling in the nameā hit in high school.
Yes, I still love this.
5
Dec 31 2024
People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
A Tribe Called Quest
Iām sure Iāve listened to this before, but the only songs I was confident I knew were āel segundoā and ācan I kick it.ā
I thought about a 5, but I think it falls short. The back half felt weaker than the front half and even the original length (setting aside the remixes on the 25th anniversary edition) is maybe a little too long.
4
Jan 01 2025
Tubular Bells
Mike Oldfield
Liked this more than I expected to! A solid 2!
2
Jan 02 2025
Dear Science
TV On The Radio
I have heard this before. I have DLZ saved as a liked track.
After listening, I also ālikedā family tree. I generally think TVOTR is a 3.5 band who are good for 1-2 songs I like per album. So it is here. Iāll round up to a 4.
4
Jan 03 2025
Kings Of The Wild Frontier
Adam & The Ants
2
Jan 06 2025
Van Halen
Van Halen
I assume everyone has heard five of the first six songs? I like āaināt talkin bout love.ā And then the other songs were fine. Oh, wait, ālittle dreamerā I like more than the rest of side two. Two songs to the playlist.
3
Jan 07 2025
Innervisions
Stevie Wonder
Better than our other Stevie albums
4
Jan 08 2025
Autobahn
Kraftwerk
I didnāt love the title track, but the rest was enjoyable
3
Jan 09 2025
Rising Above Bedlam
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
10 songs, 51 minutes on its face isnāt super long. But when every song is the same ideaāletās marinate in an unchanging, unceasing rhythm for 4-6 minutesāit feels so much longer than it is. I even scrolled through the last two songs (patience: exhausted) and the same beat was playing at every point I stopped. A lot of two-minute ideas extended to five minutes. I think I might even love this if every song were a minute shorter.
3
Jan 10 2025
Hard Again
Muddy Waters
Solid, dependable, workmanlike
3
Jan 13 2025
Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul
Otis Redding
Iāve noticed a trend in my reviews where I explain why a very good album doesnāt quite deserve five stars. It is tedious even to me. Yet here we are again: this is cheating. You take one of the greatest soul singers, give him a lineup of great soul songs, and then package it as an album. This isnāt an album the way we understand it. This is a greatest hits, an all-star game, a dream karaoke situation. Iām not giving this five stars.
4
Jan 14 2025
The Yes Album
Yes
This was fine. āIāve seen all good peopleā is great.
3
Jan 15 2025
Welcome To The Pleasuredome
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
3
Jan 16 2025
Dare!
The Human League
I knew this would be a struggle and it was. āSecondsā was surprising in a good way, though.
2
Jan 17 2025
Wonderful Rainbow
Lightning Bolt
Maggie told me this was awful. I thought it was fine, at times enjoyable. I didnāt hate it. Maybe a 2.5.
3
Jan 20 2025
(Pronounced 'Leh-'NƩrd 'Skin-'NƩrd)
Lynyrd Skynyrd
The math on this one is tough. Three of my favorite classic rock songs (Free Bird, Tuesdayās Gone, Simple Man), one of my least favorite (Gimme Three Steps), and a bunch of other songs that, yep, are adequate southern rock album tracks.
4
Jan 21 2025
A Girl Called Dusty
Dusty Springfield
Nothing unpleasant about this, but nothing that wowed me either. I thought it wore out its welcome just a touch, although as I write that Iām enjoying the final song. Maybe cut 2-3 just before this final one.
3
Jan 22 2025
Zombie
Fela Kuti
Not too many people can make an anti-war album so good the military retaliates against you. Fewer still can do that with an album that sounds this good musically.
4
Jan 23 2025
Haunted Dancehall
The Sabres Of Paradise
I think of myself as someone who likes dance music, but this website probably thinks I hate it because it keeps serving up these boring albums.
2
Jan 24 2025
Gasoline Alley
Rod Stewart
Meh
2
Jan 27 2025
Abraxas
Santana
Beforehand, I was familiar with black magic woman and oye como va, both of which I think are fine. The real surprise for me here was āHope youāre feeling better,ā which I genuinely loved. This is a 3 album with one 5 song on it, as far as Iām concerned.
3
Jan 28 2025
Raising Hell
Run-D.M.C.
4
Jan 29 2025
Your Arsenal
Morrissey
3
Jan 30 2025
Oar
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
Iām a sucker for a good backstory. This interested me before I even turned it on. And then, it was pretty good to boot.
4
Jan 31 2025
Movies
Holger Czukay
No thanks.
2
Feb 03 2025
Strangeways, Here We Come
The Smiths
This was pretty good. I really liked stop me if you thinkā¦.
3
Feb 04 2025
The Chronic
Dr. Dre
Something thatās always bothered me: if heās unfadeable, couldnāt I *try* to fade this? It would presumably be fruitless, because heās unfadeable, but asking me (politely) not to try fading this right after youāve told me youāre unfadeable feels suspicious. Are you as unfadeable as you say you are?
The album as a whole: unfadeable. Donāt waste your time trying to fade this.
5
Feb 05 2025
Vulnicura
Bjƶrk
I remembered not liking this, but I really do. I think I just donāt like it *as much* as Post, Homogenic, and Vespertine.
4
Feb 06 2025
Brilliant Corners
Thelonious Monk
This was ok
2
Feb 07 2025
Smile
Brian Wilson
I donāt get it.
Hereās what I think happened: Brian Wilson is a genius. He is also a perfectionist. Faced with the singular failure of his 60s-era career, he spent approximately 35 years tinkering with this album, ultimately producing a work filled with half-baked ideas. Again, heās a genius, so some of them kind of work on their own, but thereās no sense of cohesion.
3
Feb 10 2025
The Stranger
Billy Joel
Going into this: āScenes from an Italian restaurantā is the one song of his I like. āMovin outā and ājust the way you areā are among my least favorite pop songs by anyone.
Listening:
-okay, āViennaā isnāt bad either. Am I just a fan of Billy Joel deep cuts?
-I didnāt realize how many truly awful people got most of their personality from āonly the good die youngā. Late ā70s high school yearbooks hate to see that song coming.
-āsheās always a womanā is a new contender for least favorite Billy Joel song. Got a metric ton of competition. River of dreams is *tough*.
Alright, two songs I like. I want to hate āonly the good die youngā but it is catchy, I will admit that. Just hate the lyrics. And then six truly terrible songs I would prefer not to hear again for the rest of my life. Letās call that a 2.
2
Feb 11 2025
One Nation Under A Groove
Funkadelic
According to Wikipedia, the first six songs of the version we found on YouTube were the original LP, and the last two songs were part of a three-song ābonus EPā that came with the record. No word on that third song. Anyway, if it were just the first six songs, probably a 3 for me. Theyāre all fine. I especially have fond memories of Ice Cubeās āBop Gun,ā which heavily samples āone nation under a grooveā and was a staple of high school cross country. But a little long, a little repetitive.
But those last two songs, wow. Huge fan. Especially the final one, which sounds like a funk āCortez the killer.ā They were enough to boost this to four.
4
Feb 12 2025
Second Toughest In The Infants
Underworld
Fun
4
Feb 13 2025
Arular
M.I.A.
Somebody in my senior thesis cohort learned I liked rap and slipped me a burned CD-R with this on it. What a kindness.
4
Feb 14 2025
Sweet Baby James
James Taylor
I like āfire and rainā and I think his voice is pleasant. Here he uses it in service of an incredibly boring album.
Iām not sure when I would ever listen to this. Not sure what mood this sets.
2
Feb 17 2025
Nevermind
Nirvana
4
Feb 18 2025
Ill Communication
Beastie Boys
Strangely meditative for a rap album*. I felt very at peace. But it wasnāt exactly what I wanted. I may have to return later with different expectations.
*Sabotage excluded.
3
Feb 19 2025
Abbey Road
Beatles
The most overrated album in existence. People were sad because their favorite band broke up and they havenāt stopped feeling those feelings for 50 years.
Still, I donāt dislike it. Last year I rated it 7/10, this time Iāll give it a soft 4/5. The medley is fun and I love Oh Darling. The rest of the first half, meh. I could live without hearing Maxwellās Silver Hammer, Sheās so Heavy, Come Together, Something, or Here Comes the Sun ever again.
4
Feb 20 2025
Da Capo
Love
This was coasting to a 3āfine, nothing special, but not bad eitherāuntil that last song, which was interminable.
2
Feb 21 2025
The Last Broadcast
Doves
Two albums into my Doves journey, I get it. The long songs where they can really build are the highlights. I just wonder if they ever get confused about which song theyāre playing live: is it the soaring long one or the other soaring long one or the other soaring long one? āThe Cedar Roomā was my favorite track from the other album and I honest to god thought they were playing it again 2-3 times on this one.
3
Feb 24 2025
Exodus
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3
Feb 25 2025
Morrison Hotel
The Doors
I think I tapped out of Doors fandom after the much-heralded debut album. So Iāve never listened to this before, but I really liked it. The opener, especially.
4
Feb 26 2025
Electric
The Cult
Wikipedia mentions a review calling this the āworst version of born to be wild.ā I think, well, I have to listen to that right now. I made it 35 seconds. It was indeed terrible. Now I have to listen to this whole album with that first impression.
Earlier in this project I wrote that I was giving an album 1 star because it was in the bottom 20% of albums in this project. I feel some embarrassment over that comment because a standard bell curve wouldnāt produce an even 20% in each ratting 1-5. (The album did suck and I stand by my 1.) I just noticed yesterday that Iām awarding 5s at a rate of about 1/10. Analogizing from that, I should be awarding 1s at approximately the same pace and Iām not. This was a borderline 1/2 for me, but armed with this new confidence to award more 1s, Iām giving it a 1.
Also, ālove removal machineā sent me scurrying to my guitar tabs app to see how close that riff was to āstart me up.ā Pretty close! Different enough for copyright purposes, Iād say, to be fair. And then the singerās way he sings ābaby baby baby babyā in that song is awfully similar to Robert Plant in ābabe Iām gonna leave you.ā So that song, at least, reminded me of two much better songs, which was pleasant.
Getting to āborn to be wildā this second time is so strange. I swear heās singing worse (on purpose?) on this song than on the other songs. If I could confidently say this was a parody, I might like it more. But I donāt think it is.
āOutlawā was perhaps the worst song on the album, and I gave up on it. And I was offended that they called a song āMemphis hip shake,ā which implies fun, musicality, and coolness, all of which this album lacks.
1
Feb 27 2025
Bookends
Simon & Garfunkel
America is great, Mrs. Robinson is great, and I thought the rest was meh. āAt the zooā maybe meh-plus. I had to restrain myself from throwing my phone across the room while Paul Simon was singing about being a boysenberry jam fan. Heās just the worst.
3
Feb 28 2025
Aladdin Sane
David Bowie
3
Mar 03 2025
Joan Armatrading
Joan Armatrading
5
Mar 04 2025
Grace
Jeff Buckley
Easy five. A beloved childhood favorite.
5
Mar 05 2025
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Elton John
Liked this more than I expected to
4
Mar 06 2025
Kenza
Khaled
I really liked this! And it sounded more contemporary than I expected
4
Mar 07 2025
Hotel California
Eagles
I cannot recall ever listening to this album, yet I knew virtually every song. When I was a small, small kid, I definitely listened to a ton of Eagles, especially Greatest Hits vol 2 (which explains knowing four of these), The Long Run, and Hell Freezes Over (which explains another three of these). Ah, there we go, only ātry and love againā hasnāt been permanently etched into my brain. I knew Iād know the first 3 big singles, but it was a pleasant surprise getting hit with nostalgia on every other song, too. āHotel Californiaā was one of the first songs to make me realize lyrics can have deeper meanings, too. (Before that, I was not probing Kriss Kross for meaning. Theyāll make you jump. Full stop.)
Also, in the ālife is funnyā category: distinctly remember listening to āthe long runā on cassette tape while I played video games, age 10 or so. Today, howād I listen to this album? On my phone while playing video games.
Hard not to give that a 5: Iāve loved all these songs for a long time. Maybe not ālife in the fast lane,ā which sounds the most dated, but some of the others hold up. I may have to hand in my hipster card.
I will also say, apart from any nostalgia: these guys can write a great final minute of a song. Iām not confident the songs in whole would stand on their own if I was just hearing them for the first time, but the last minutes of Hotel California, New Kid in Town, and Try and Love Again introduce musical ideas that are the best parts of the songs (the entire solo of HC is its best part), the final minute of Wasted Time complicates its lyrics interestingly, and the final minutes of Victim of Love and Life in the Fast Lane just thump you over the head with their respective best parts, which is never a bad songwriting idea. The final minute of The Last Resort is a fitting coda to the song and album. I award no bonus points to the final minute of pretty maids. You really blew it, pretty maids.
5
Mar 10 2025
Oracular Spectacular
MGMT
Those three songs (I donāt need to name them, but just in case: time to pretend, electric feel, and kids) were inescapable in 2007-08. I think I even saw these guys at Lollapalooza around then.
And, as I remembered, the rest of the album is just okay. Between a 3 and a 4 on the strength of those three songs and some scattered nice moments, but I think ultimately a 3 reflects the whole of the album more accurately.
3
Mar 11 2025
My Generation
The Who
4
Mar 12 2025
Born To Be With You
Dion
Five minutes in: this is the Runaround Sue guy?
This is my jam. I like runaround Sue and its frivolous ilk, but this feels so stately. Iām into it. My least favorite song is the last one, āgood lovinā man,ā which feels more like what I expected from Dion.
4
Mar 13 2025
Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
Eurythmics
The past couple weeks have had me feeling like a big softie, ratings-wise. Luckily this shitshow came along to remind me what it is to hate.
Mostly ā2ā songs + āsweet dreamsā = potential 3, then minus 1 point for āthis city never sleepsā = back at 2
2
Mar 14 2025
The Joshua Tree
U2
Ah yeah, another two. Weāre on a roll.
2
Mar 17 2025
At San Quentin
Johnny Cash
3
Mar 18 2025
Amnesiac
Radiohead
āKid Bā is a little less accessible or fun or, letās say, good than some of their other entries. But I still like it.
Rapid fire ālast song on Radiohead albumā power rankings:
Street Spirit
Life in a Glasshouse
Motion Picture Soundtrack
Videotape
True Love Waits
The Tourist
ā-big gapāā
A wolf at the door
Separator
Blow out
4
Mar 19 2025
Bitches Brew
Miles Davis
Liked this more than I expected to. Didnāt expect all the guitar, which was a pleasant surprise. If it were shorter, I would have listened twice. This may go on a playlist for when Maggie is out of town.
4
Mar 20 2025
Led Zeppelin II
Led Zeppelin
Great: Whole Lotta Love, Heartbreaker, Ramble On (not a lot of bands could pull off this many sexual innuendoes and a gollum reference on one album)
Good: The Lemon Song, Moby Dick (an all-time āoh yeah, *this* riffā song), Thank You, Bring it on Home (another one of those riff songs)
Meh: What isā¦, LLM
4
Mar 21 2025
Tapestry
Carole King
This album is beloved by millions, so I want to be clear that Iām the one whoās wrong. But it just sounds like a decent pop album to me.
One of my initial thoughts listening today was that the production sounds dated and thin. Top review on the album page for this project mentions how great the production is.
I think, man, her voice is not for me. Top review is about how well she uses it.
I think, lyrics are fine but nothing to write home about. Top review: these are āhighly evocativeā lyrics. Evoking what? Maybe top review just doesnāt know what words mean. Carole King: āwinter, spring, summer, or fall, all you have to do is callā¦ā That reviewer: āwow that is all the seasons! I felt them!ā
I do 100% agree with the second review that women are underrepresented on the list. And I donāt have any issue with this being on the list, given its immense popularity. Still, between a 3 and a 4 for me. I really like āitās too lateā but thatās about it. Oh I do kinda like āyou make me feel like a natural woman,ā but I greatly prefer Arethaās version.
3
Mar 24 2025
Pink Moon
Nick Drake
The title track is great, but heās always hit or miss for me.
3
Mar 25 2025
The Dark Side Of The Moon
Pink Floyd
Another one of the albums that got me to move from top 40 to indie/alternative stuff in middle school. And probably still the classic rock album I put on the most. Just an absolute classic from top to bottom.
As I think more about this, I remember that sixth grade was incredibly difficult for me. A new school, roughly 3x the size of my elementary school, with new cliques to navigate. A lot of my friends seemed to adjust quickly, and I didnāt. School was harder and I didnāt coast to the best grades anymore. I was in the middle of puberty. I felt like everything was changing too rapidly to keep pace and that made me terribly sad. And at the end of the school year my dad announced we were moving. Against that backdrop, this album came into my life. There has rarely been a sixth grade American child so primed to 100% *feel* āThe sun is the same in a relative way, but youāre older / Shorter of breath, and one day closer to death.ā
āTimeā and āMoney,ā especially, got their hooks into me. (I have tried to make a career of ādo goody good bullshit.ā āMoneyā may legitimately have been my introduction to class consciousness.) You can have alarm clocks on a pop record? You can use a cash register as a drum machine? You can have a āBreatheā verse at the end of āTimeā? I was awed at a record with instrumental tracks. I didnāt understand having a guest vocalist (say, on āthe great gig in the skyā) and that just fed into the mythos of this album: you can do that? I heard this before Abbey Road so the two-part āmedleyā of songs at the end also blew my mind. This album changed how I thought about albums and music in general, and it has been a steady companion since. There will not be an easier 5 in this project, because I think no album better meets the criteria.
5
Mar 26 2025
A Wizard, A True Star
Todd Rundgren
The medley of covers almost saved this (by which I mean a 3). But I think the rest of it was bad enough.
2
Mar 27 2025
New York Dolls
New York Dolls
Itās fine. I think in 1973 I would have loved it. But in 2025, I just want to listen to the Clash, Ramones, or Strokes, or whoever else obviously grew out of this.
3
Mar 28 2025
Talking Timbuktu
Ali Farka TourƩ
This was a great ālisten while workingā album today, and I suspect it would be a lovely āeasing into Sunday morningā album too. But I canāt imagine any other times I would put it on.
3
Mar 31 2025
Ready To Die
The Notorious B.I.G.
Going in, I already know this is between a 4 and a 5. The difficulty in rating this album is that about half of the songs are absolute classics, and the other half are okay or worse than okay.
Upon listening, I enjoyed enough of the ābadā half that I feel comfortable elevating this to a 5.
āJuicy,ā āWarning,ā and āThings Done Changedā deserve all their hype, but to this day Iāve never heard a song like āSuicidal Thoughts.ā Itās so dark but at the end of an album filled with such bravado, itās striking and intense. Tough to say I āloveā it, exactly, but I love the creativity and vulnerability.
5
Apr 01 2025
Music for the Masses
Depeche Mode
3
Apr 02 2025
Boston
Boston
Besides āmore than a feeling,ā I can never remember which songs on this I like. I had the first three songs liked on Spotify, so there was some pleasant anticipation because I could not remember what those other two were.
And then thereās the rest of the album! Donāt get me wrong, I would have bought this too based on those three songs if it were 1976 and streaming didnāt exist. But the rest is a letdown.
The real revelation is the Wikipedia page. I assumed Boston was, idk, Journey but better, or Aerosmith but less toxic. But itās just one genius dude?
āScholz is an MIT-trained engineer who designed and built his own recording studio in an apartment basement in the early 1970s. A fan of rock music throughout his teen years, Scholz began writing songs while earning his master's degree at MIT. The first Boston album was mostly recorded in his basement studio, primarily using devices he invented. After the success of Boston, he founded Scholz Research & Development, Inc. to develop and market his inventions, many under the Rockman brand. Scholz holds several patents related to his work at SR&D over the years.
He was described by AllMusic as an "un-rock n' roll" figure who did not enjoy the limelight of being a performer, preferring to concentrate on music, production, and inventing new electronic equipment. In more recent years, he has dedicated much of his money and time to charitable work.ā
Never again will I talk shit about Boston. Except to say this album is three classic rock songs and not a whole lot else, and the rest of their catalog is totally forgettable. Okay, NOW I wonāt talk shit about Boston.
3
Apr 03 2025
Something Else By The Kinks
The Kinks
I donāt think Iād ever heard āafternoon tea.ā I liked it.
3
Apr 04 2025
In A Silent Way
Miles Davis
3
Apr 07 2025
Maggot Brain
Funkadelic
First songās first riff sounds like Radioheadās āa wolf at the door.ā Second song clearly sampled in sleigh bellsā ārill rill.ā Loving this so far, not just because of these connections. Oh thereās another one ā Atmosphereās āLos Angelesā uses the same PA announcement thatās in wars of Armageddon. Almost like this is an influential album.
Iām between four and five but I listened to this probably five times this weekend, so I think Iāll round up.
5
Apr 08 2025
Home Is Where The Music Is
Hugh Masekela
4
Apr 09 2025
Loveless
My Bloody Valentine
Iāve really tried to get into this over the years. Never have. Is today the day? Or is it my usual thoughts: an incredible first four seconds and then not much else after?
Okay, I do like it more than thatāmore than four seconds. But none of these songs ever get in my bones. Theyāre fine and then I forget about them. āSometimesā got closer to that this time, and I like the riffs from only shallow, when you sleep, and I only said.
3
Apr 10 2025
Live At The Regal
B.B. King
Didnāt expect to ascertain the origin of a primitive radio gods sample today.
3
Apr 11 2025
Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Wu-Tang Clan
I knew this would be between a 4 and a 5. But I think when I listen to this normally, I play ābring da ruckusā and then skip straight to ācream.ā The cream / method man / protect ya neck / tearz run is great, but the first half of the album is not my favorite.
4
Apr 14 2025
With The Beatles
Beatles
This is my favorite of the early-career stuff. But a lot of that credit belongs to Motown. And there are some real clunkers here too. Four stars.
4
Apr 15 2025
Moving Pictures
Rush
The one memory I have of anything Rush-related is of other drummers at band camp geeking out over Neil Peart. I appreciate Peart, but Iām never going to fall in love with a band because of their drummer. Mayyyyyybe John Bonham, but thatās about it.
Iāve heard Tom Sawyer on classic rock radio but have never willingly listened to it until today. And (three songs in) Iām getting exactly the vibe I expected of Rush: itās complicated and technical, but it isnāt pleasing. Oh Iāve heard Limelight before. Meh all around.
2
Apr 16 2025
Murmur
R.E.M.
4
Apr 17 2025
Goodbye And Hello
Tim Buckley
I was thinking ā2ā the whole time, but honestly, I donāt think I enjoyed more than a minute of this. I was wishing for it to be over by song three. If thatās not a 1, what is.
1
Apr 18 2025
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age
I canāt be mad at more 90s rock. Thatās my wheelhouse. But it is really funny to think of the 1001 authors sitting down to be like, āyou have *got* to hear this average example of a genre already well represented, both in pop culture and in our book, before you die.ā
3
Apr 21 2025
Getz/Gilberto
Stan Getz
39 minutes my ears will never get back
1
Apr 22 2025
Bringing It All Back Home
Bob Dylan
I donāt think Iāve listened to his version of Mr. Tambourine Man in a million years. William Shatner ruined it for me. But itās really a great song.
5
Apr 23 2025
Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago
Hereās the give and take of Chicago: I really liked the horns on the first song. I was into that song almost from the jump. Then there was, like, a three-minute instrumental break in the middle of the song. When theyāre doing pop, I think I really like them. When theyāre doing jazz, Iām way less into it.
Oh hereās another one: Poem 58. Were there lyrics before about 5 minutes into this? I zoned out and now I like the last 3 minutes.
This is probably a 3.5, but closer to a 3. A 3.49 album? Anyway, 3 it is.
3
Apr 24 2025
I See A Darkness
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
3
Apr 25 2025
Trafalgar
Bee Gees
3
Apr 28 2025
(What's The Story) Morning Glory
Oasis
When I think back to the mid 90s, I have such a fondness for albums like Dookie, Blue Album, and Mellon Collieā¦, but in truth I think it took a while to warm up to them. This one, though, I loved immediately. Except for āsheās electric,ā I love every single song. And I learned we are a house divided: I think ācast no shadowā might be the best song here, and I think āmorning gloryā might be the most fun song here; Maggie thinks those are the two weakest. Like the Gallagher brothers, we too are at odds. Will we go our separate ways for 20 years only to reunite for that sweet, sweet reunion-tour cash? Time will tell!
5
Apr 29 2025
Paranoid
Black Sabbath
Side A has to be in contention for āgreatest first four songs on an album.ā Second half is a slight let down, but anything would be.
Another pivotal childhood album. My friend who grew up to be a gigging bassist got into the Dead, this album, the Doors, and Blue Oyster Cult in junior high, and introduced me to all of them. (I donāt *think* he was getting stoned in junior high, I just think his parents were, and they introduced him to this music.) BOC, meh. The Doors, meh. GD is hit or miss. But this album stuck and has never gone away. Odds are extremely high Iāll practice Paranoid, Iron Man, or War Pigs on the guitar later.
And I donāt think itās a hot take to trace back all my favorite sub genres of metal to this album, āPlanet Caravanā in particular. The band Sleep doesnāt exist without that song, Iām convinced. (I now see the top review for this album credits āElectric Funeralā for sludge metal. The reviewās not wrong. The real marvel is the diversity of sound among these songs, and the credible claim several of them would have on later subgenres. Itās a little like hearing a foundational document of a religion that later had all kinds of schisms.)
5
Apr 30 2025
Highway 61 Revisited
Bob Dylan
4
May 01 2025
Kollaps
Einstürzende Neubauten
Five days after seeing a standup comedian reference this band in her set, we are blessed with this: the least liked or second-least liked album in the collection. Certainly not my favorite album so far, but far from my least favorite. At least itās not fucking Peter Frampton.
Oh hey, I actually liked the title track! What a fun surprise. I was totally expecting a āI respect this but I donāt like itā album and I maybe like it ever so slightly more than that. Not going to get a lot of airplay in the house, though.
Iām actually torn between a 1 and a 2. I was never bored! Thatās good! But I only liked the one song. Iāve given 1s to albums with songs I liked before. Much to consider. You know, I think Iām going 2 for the simple reason that I do think this is worth listening to once, which sets it apart from much of the 1s Iāve awarded. This is very much in the spirit of the project and I appreciate that.
2
May 02 2025
D
White Denim
3
May 05 2025
Cheap Thrills
Big Brother & The Holding Company
3
May 06 2025
White Blood Cells
The White Stripes
I donāt think this is as consistent as Elephant, but it is the album that got me into this band, and I love it.
4
May 07 2025
Deja Vu
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
I think āour houseā is one of the best songs in the pop canon, I think āhelplessā is also pretty great, and then thereās also the rest of the album!
3
May 08 2025
Emperor Tomato Ketchup
Stereolab
2
May 09 2025
Now I Got Worry
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
2
May 12 2025
Physical Graffiti
Led Zeppelin
Owned this as a kid but would rank it third behind the other two LZ albums I owned: I and IV. Listening to it today, man, if it were just disc one and āten years gone,ā weād all remember this as one of the greatest rock albums ever. If my math is right, thatās about a 50-minute album chock full of bangers. Instead the second disc is so bloated. At least on streaming, you donāt have to remove disc one just to play the one song on disc two thatās any good.
4
May 13 2025
Wild Is The Wind
Nina Simone
4
May 14 2025
Follow The Leader
Korn
It seems āgot the lifeā got its hooks into me so thoroughly when this first came out that I still like it. The rest, thoughā¦
1
May 15 2025
In The Wee Small Hours
Frank Sinatra
Meh
2
May 16 2025
Time Out
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
2
May 19 2025
Ten
Pearl Jam
My memory of this album, which I owned as a child, was that tracks 1-6 are a surefire 5-star side A, and side B is forgettable. But lemme tell you, once the chorus hit on Garden, I knew this was getting rounded up from the 4.5 it probably is. Oh, and Release is great too! Side B is fine! It may not have Even Flow, Alive, Black, and Jeremy, but who does?
5
May 20 2025
Tommy
The Who
For the entire first half, I was debating how long Iād have to listen to give this a fair shake. I decided Iād go through āpinball wizard,ā the one song I knew I knew. I did that. Then, I had to run a quick errand and while doing that, I got through āgo to the mirror,ā which I actually liked. That was one of those āIāve heard this song before but didnāt know itā songs. From there, it felt like I was pretty close to the end, so I decided to finish it. Oof. What a mistake. Each of the final three songs had me itching for the stop button. But I did it. Bravery. A 1.5 rounded up.
2
May 21 2025
Slayed?
Slade
Iām getting, like, insecure AC/DC? Each song should be maybe 20% slower to let it breathe and strut a little more.
Also, and I fully cop to being a huge nerd, the misspelled titles just make it harder to remember the songs. If I liked āmama weer all crazee now,ā (and I donāt, to be clear), it takes an extra half-second to translate that into āmama, weāre all crazy now,ā which is an unnecessary barrier to replaying it. Real unforced error, Slade.
1
May 22 2025
Rock Bottom
Robert Wyatt
One of the top reviews on this site says that if you hate this album, stop after one listen, but if you kiiiinda like it, listen again and see if it grows on you. That latter describes me well. I listened twice today and I think itās a 3.5, but it has potential to keep going up. Thereās something quite charming about the album. I especially liked Alife, with Sea Song and Robin Hood trailing just behind it.
3
May 23 2025
Next
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
Musically, I really liked this. Personally, *I* might have written fewer lyrics about gang bangs, but to each their own.
3
May 26 2025
Bryter Layter
Nick Drake
I find it hard to believe Iāve never listened to this all the way throughāI went through (what I then considered) a big Nick Drake phase in college, and there isnāt that much to sustain a āphaseāābut this felt like a discovery. Maybe I just havenāt listened in 15-20 years because I didnāt get it then. Maybe I just listened to āpink moonā on repeat? I knew āone of these things first,ā āfly,ā and ānorthern sky,ā but I really liked some of the others I was un(?) (less?) familiar with. āHazey Jane Iā was a standout. I much prefer full-band Nick Drake to solo Nick Drake, it turns out.
5
May 27 2025
Jagged Little Pill
Alanis Morissette
4
May 28 2025
Live Through This
Hole
My memory of this album was that it was ādoll partsā and not much else. Actually I think itās really solid! Although ādoll partsā does remain my favorite.
4
May 29 2025
Dr. Octagonecologyst
Dr. Octagon
Fine. I liked āearth peopleā and āblue flowers,ā but the song that actually made me sit up, my clear favorite, was ābear witness,ā which barely has any lyrics. Maybe says something about something, that.
3
May 30 2025
Violator
Depeche Mode
4
Jun 02 2025
Moon Safari
Air
5
Jun 03 2025
Moondance
Van Morrison
I liked this okay enough. I think I slightly prefer it when he is being jazzier and less poppy.
3
Jun 04 2025
Crazysexycool
TLC
Verdict:
Crazy? In 2025, there is something ācrazyā about having Diddy intoning ācrazy, sexy, coolā on your record, but I canāt blame 1994 TLC for including him. I doubt they knew. āReady to Dieā only came out two months before this album; Diddy hadnāt even gotten big yet. I give this a 1/10 crazy.
Sexy? Yeah, so much so Iām surprised we had this in our house when I was 11.
Cool? In the 90s, you could not get cooler than this album. But its production now feels a little dated. I havenāt even watched the Waterfalls video and its CGI attempts. So, not awarding full ācoolā points.
3
Jun 05 2025
London Calling
The Clash
Pre listen: Oh man. Will this be a 4 or a 5? I love basically the first 12 songs, but then I usually skip to Train in Vain. Been a long time since Iāve listened to tracks 13-18. Also, the most iconic cover in rock: Elvis reference subverted, incredible picture.
In high school, we had a spirit week theme day called āclash day.ā Most people wore stripes with polka dots or orange with red. The coolest guy in band class wore a shirt that said āRudie Canāt Fail.ā Perfect. No notes.
Listening: everyone says this, but itās amazing how many genres are represented on this album. Nearly every song is a different style.
Iāve owned this album for 25 years and I genuinely have no memory of ever listening to āIām Not Down.ā
So, I think Iām going with 5. It remains my opinion that tracks 13-18 are āfiller,ā but I still like them, if that makes sense. Itās four-star filler. There are a dozen-ish classics on this album and I donāt care to penalize it for being ever so slightly bloated. Train in Vain, Rudie, Clampdown, Supermarket, Death or Glory, and London Calling all on one album can persuade me to forgive all sorts of things.
Also, I listened to a remastered version and I noticed a couple small differences. Thereās a little guitar lick around 2:17 of Rudie that I hadnāt heard before, and I swear the vocals on Train in Vain are pushed more forward in the mix than previously, which gives it a more vulnerable sound. I think in other places itās less muddy too. Fun little details.
5
Jun 06 2025
At Mister Kelly's
Sarah Vaughan
Maybe itās just because the song title āhoneysuckle roseā put me in mind of this, but her voice reminds me of honey. But, itās used in service of songs I do not care about or particularly enjoy.
I thought I kinda liked jazz before this project, and now it feels like Iām learning I hate it? I just have very specific jazz interests.
2
Jun 09 2025
Hot Rats
Frank Zappa
Pretty fun
3
Jun 10 2025
Melodrama
Lorde
When this came out, it got a large amount of hype, and I really tried, but I didnāt get it. I maybe liked it a little more today, but still not fully there. I want Lorde to be a different artist than she wants to be here. Thatās fine. Sheās allowed to change as an artist and Iām allowed to not follow her. This is like a 3.5, but Iāll round up.
4
Jun 11 2025
The Slider
T. Rex
3
Jun 12 2025
Fisherman's Blues
The Waterboys
4
Jun 13 2025
Surf's Up
The Beach Boys
3
Jun 16 2025
Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes
3
Jun 17 2025
Illmatic
Nas
It probably took me a dozen listens to āgetā this when I bought it in college, and then it became an obsession. Now itās probably a top 10 album for me, and in my (hardly unique) opinion the greatest rap album of all time.
5
Jun 18 2025
Rum Sodomy & The Lash
The Pogues
3
Jun 19 2025
Freak Out!
The Mothers Of Invention
Maybe 3.5? I didnāt have time to listen multiple times today but Iād come back to it
3
Jun 20 2025
Fromohio
fIREHOSE
3
Jun 23 2025
That's The Way Of The World
Earth, Wind & Fire
In my head, āshining starā was kinda cheesy, but I was wrong. Maybe I never paid attention beyond the chorus before. The verses are really fun.
I didnāt know āthatās the way of the worldā was called that or that it was by EWF. I thought it was called āhearts afireā and wasnāt written by any single band but had more or less always existed in the collective consciousness.
Loved those first two songs! Then there was the rest and this fell from āpotential 5?ā to āat least a 4?ā to ā3.5, rounded down.ā
3
Jun 24 2025
Crime Of The Century
Supertramp
As luck would have it, just two or three weeks ago I decided I needed to listen to the whole of Supertrampās classic album āBreakfast in America,ā because I never had. If thatās on the list, thatāll be a 4/5 debate when it comes up.
But bad luck for this album, I think, because I was expecting another collection of non-stop bangers and this aināt it. Just okay.
2
Jun 25 2025
ImmigrƩs
Youssou N'Dour
Really liked the second song, but overall just ok
3
Jun 26 2025
Superfuzz Bigmuff
Mudhoney
No thanks
2
Jun 27 2025
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
Iron Butterfly
The first five songs existed somewhere on the spectrum of meh/fine. The title track has a good riff, no denying that, but at 17 minutes it wears out its welcome. When we faded out to a drum solo (and not, say, to a still-overwrought-but-permissible conclusion) around 6:40 I clenched up in fear of what the next 10 minutes had in store for me. When the guitar came in around 12 minutes I thought about how other grand rock epics like Stairway or Free Bird manage to fit all these ideas into 8-9 minutes. Then I went back and tried to figure out where the song should have ended. Iād say 2:30, but I could also allow 3:20. Everything after that is unnecessary.
2
Jun 30 2025
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Thought this was my favorite Dylan. I think maybe itās just four great songs (wind, masters, rain, think twice) and that deceived me into loving the rest.
4
Jul 01 2025
Beauty And The Beat
The Go-Go's
I knew the two hits, obviously. And I kinda expected the rest of the album to be poppy filler. Itās so much more interesting than that. I loved āToniteā and every other new-to-me song was solid. The two hits are undeniably fun but they are not what I love about this album, which is its punk insouciance. (Although I do think āwe got the beatā benefits from the context of the whole album, which seems to draw out elements of that song I hadnāt focused on before.) I thought about 5 but I think itās merely a solid 4.
Also I think if I had bought this album in 1981 and then Belinda Carlisle made āheaven is a place on earthā six years later, I would have rioted.
4
Jul 02 2025
Maxinquaye
Tricky
2
Jul 03 2025
Devotional Songs
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
I listened to one song and skimmed a few others. I feel like I get it.
1
Jul 04 2025
Django Django
Django Django
This was a lot of fun. Donāt think it has the makings of a 5, but a solid 4.
4
Jul 07 2025
Marquee Moon
Television
4
Jul 08 2025
Pornography
The Cure
3
Jul 09 2025
Daydream Nation
Sonic Youth
3
Jul 10 2025
Arise
Sepultura
I made it over halfway!
1
Jul 11 2025
Repeater
Fugazi
I respect these guys so much for their ethos, but this album doesnāt do it for me. Much prefer 13 Songs and In on the Kill Taker.
3
Jul 14 2025
Siamese Dream
The Smashing Pumpkins
Not a true āno-skipsā album because Silverfuck exists, but otherwise basically perfect. If I made a list of my 100 favorite songs, I wouldnāt be surprised if Today, Disarm, Soma, and Mayonaise all made it. Easy 5.
5
Jul 15 2025
Sound of Silver
LCD Soundsystem
Tracks 1-5 good, tracks 6-8 abysmal, track 9 again good. I donāt think I can give a 5 when 1/3 of the album sucks.
4
Jul 16 2025
If I Could Only Remember My Name
David Crosby
2
Jul 17 2025
Pictures At An Exhibition
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
To be fair, I donāt think listening to this sleep-deprived in the fever-induced haze of a viral infection did it any favors. On the other hand, I donāt think there are any conditions in which I would enjoy it.
1
Jul 18 2025
Shalimar
Rahul Dev Burman
I usually like Bollywood but this one wasnāt for me
2
Jul 21 2025
Hot Fuss
The Killers
4
Jul 22 2025
Vincebus Eruptum
Blue Cheer
If Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath birthed good metal, but bad metal exists, it must follow that bad metal came from somewhere outside of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Pretty sure Aristotle said that. I think weāve found the ur-bad metal.
2
Jul 23 2025
John Prine
John Prine
I really like āAngel from Montgomery.ā Iāve never clicked with āSam Stone,ā despite any number of people who call it a classic.
3
Jul 24 2025
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
For obvious (ozzvious?) reasons, I was listening to Ozzy more than I usually do. Guys, I think heās pretty good.
After the first three tracks (US version), I was contemplating 5 stars, but I think it settled into 4. Honestly, a relief. If I had to consider dethroning Paranoid as the best Black Sabbath album, I might spiral.
4
Jul 25 2025
Blunderbuss
Jack White
It just feels like to be an album you āmustā hear before you die, it should introduce you to something new you canāt get elsewhere. And Iām struggling with what that might be for this album. āImagine the White Stripes but at like 40% of the vitality?ā āBlues rock with the production of 2012?ā The songs themselves donāt really do it for me and then there donāt seem to be any historical or cultural reasons to hear this.
Oh, okay, there it is: āIām Shakinā is a fun 50s/60s revival. So, like, one song. Is there a 1001 Songs ⦠project?
2
Jul 28 2025
The Libertines
The Libertines
I have a vague memory of them being so hyped when they came out, but I never got into them. Smart decision.
3
Jul 29 2025
The Modern Lovers
The Modern Lovers
3
Jul 30 2025
The Pleasure Principle
Gary Numan
3
Jul 31 2025
Slippery When Wet
Bon Jovi
I like ālivin on a prayer.ā It does a disservice to too many drunken college nights to pretend otherwise. But I wonāt say any of these songs are good.
I wonder if I could learn the guitar parts to this entire album in a day. Oh, maybe not: I see a couple scattered measures in some of the guitar solos that would be tricky for me. I couldnāt play the āraise your handsā riff, especially that harmonic run. Maybe I could get to 90% in a day.
I mean this sincerely: in āwanted dead or alive,ā is he a cowboy or a rock star? If heās a rock star, nobody wants him dead. If heās a cowboy, he doesnāt ride a steel horse. A steel horse is, I assume, a tour bus. I would guess heād say heās both a metaphorical cowboy *and* a real rock star, but then the writing is full of mixed metaphors and itās just bad. A loaded six-string isnāt a thing. What makes you say you might not make it back? Sir, we are talking about a Wednesday night at an arena in Minneapolis, not the OK Corral. What about being on the road makes you a cowboy? When the best explanation for a songās lyrics is āwe didnāt think about it for longer than about five seconds,ā thatās not great.
I know āraise your handsā from a movie. What movie, Google? Oh, itās Spaceballs. I kinda thought that was a fake bad song they made up for the movie. Guess not! It is a real bad song Bon Jovi made up and then voluntarily chose to include on an actual album people paid money for.
Between a 1 and a 2. On the one hand, thereās no artistic merit to any of this and my ācrass selloutā alarms are blaring. On the other, how many times have I screamed āwhoa-ohā in my life because of this album? Thatās worth something.
Okay, so I wrote that last paragraph with about four songs to go on the album. And those songs sucked. Iām going to give this a 1, add ālivin on a prayerā to my ongoing playlist for this project, and note that my nostalgia for that song is very strong and the 1 rating is not a reflection of good times had at parties and weddings. It is a reflection that Bon Jovi fucking sucks.
1
Aug 01 2025
Another Music In A Different Kitchen
Buzzcocks
3
Aug 04 2025
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Wilco
Before I started listening, I thought there was a chance this would be only a 4. Itās one I have no childhood affinity for. Itās grown on me over the last 20 yearsāwas maybe a 2 or 3 the first time I listened in 2002. There were definitely listens when I thought it was boring and bland.
But then I dove in and there was no way it would be anything other than a 5. On headphones, which is not how I usually listen, there were so many interesting sounds. I love the lyrics. At this point itās just a trusty companion. Iāve got reservations about so many things, but not about this album.
5
Aug 05 2025
Opus Dei
Laibach
I didnāt understand most of this, but I thought it was really fun. Is āindustrial campā a genre? Because thatās what this felt like.
I am a little worried this is all pro-Nazi propaganda. Letās see what Wikipedia says:
āLaibach has frequently been accused of both far left and far right political stances due to their use of uniforms and totalitarian-style aesthetics. They were also accused of being neo-nationalists. When confronted with such accusations, Laibach is quoted as replying with the ambiguous response "We are fascists as much as Hitler was a painter".[29] Laibach concerts have sometimes aesthetically appeared as political rallies, and the members of Laibach are notorious for rarely stepping out of character. When interviewed, they often answer in wry manifestos, showing a paradoxical lust for, and condemnation of, authority.ā
Thatās hilarious. I no longer assume this is Nazi propaganda; I think itās just absurdism or parody. I think I love this band. This is probably a 3.5, rounded down.
3
Aug 06 2025
Dirt
Alice In Chains
I owned an Alice In Chains āgreatest hitsā album in high school. I see now it was called ānothing safe - best of [a box set].ā But they were always behind Nirvana and Pearl Jam, in my estimation.
As an adult Iāve come to appreciate Layne Staleyās voice much more. And Jerry Cantrellās, for that matter. That has elevated my appreciation of this band. The unrelenting gloom is still maybe a little much for meājust a thought, but maybe the 30-minute Jar of Flies EP would be a better intro to those who are unfamiliar with this bandābut I like this.
Also, they really have a knack for devastating final lines. See Would?, Nutshell.
3
Aug 07 2025
The Soft Bulletin
The Flaming Lips
3
Aug 08 2025
Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
Spiritualized
Twenty-eight years ago this week, my family was on vacation. I think we went to NYC, but it may have been Toronto. On our drive home, we stopped at a gas station and I picked up a copy of Rolling Stone with Puff Daddy, who was then one of my favorite rappers, on it.
Cover in question: https://www.ebay.com/itm/284352921187 - I did not recall until now that Jeff Buckley and Prodigy were also on the cover. I got a lot out of this one magazine.
Enjoying Puff Daddy has not aged well. Luckily, the issue has redeeming qualities. On top of the articles on Buckley and Prodigy, in the back of the magazine were short reviews of albums. And that week Rolling Stone reviewed this album, which had come out about two months prior. (If they reviewed it a week earlier or later, I may never have heard of it.) They gave it 3.5 stars in a review that, reading it today, doesnāt jump out at me: https://web.archive.org/web/20010919072038/http://www.rollingstone.com/recordings/review.asp?aid=27747&cf=1304
But in August 1997, we didnāt have blogs or Pitchfork or anything like that. We lived under the tyranny of radio. And I think 3.5 stars from the famous music magazine for an album Iād never heard of but sounded cool inspired me. I bought the album without having heard a second of it and hoped for the best.
I donāt love every second of this album. It is a little longācop shoot cop is great, but it could still work a few minutes shorter. Iām not always in the mood for some of the rockier songs. Iād probably cut āthe individual.ā
But I know when I turn it on today I will feel much the same way I must have felt twenty-eight years ago when I first heard it: this opening track is one of the most gorgeous things Iāve ever heard, I didnāt know music could do this, Puff Daddy could never. At its bestāfor me, thatās the title track and cool waves, which is not to say other moments arenāt greatāit is an album of transcendent beauty. For that, and for being another one of those pivotal albums that moved my musical taste to a different place, I will always love this album. As the common wisdom holds, you never love music more than the music you discovered when you were 13.
Also, big shout out to Wikipedia for this:
āThe original 1997 pressing of the album features the edited version of the song without the intended Elvis Presley lyrics; that version runs 3:40, does not have the subtitle "(I Can't Help Falling in Love)", and did not need to credit Weiss/Peretti/Creatore. This brings the album's run time down to 69:41.ā
When I first heard the version that interpolated āI canāt help falling in loveā a few years ago, I thought āhow did I never notice those lyrics before?ā It turns out, I didnāt notice them because they werenāt on my 1997 CD. Phew. Not insane.
5
Aug 11 2025
The Dreaming
Kate Bush
Is it a 3? Is it a 2? Every other song had me ping-ponging back and forth. Iād like a song ok or think there was a great bridge in it, then the next song sheād growl (like a hound of love?) and I just couldnāt do it.
I think, on balance, itās a 3. I really liked ānight of the swallow.ā I really disliked the donkey impression that ended the album. Such is the duality of this album.
3