Frank
Amy WinehouseWhile I do slightly prefer Back To Black, Amy Winehouse's debut is still a really solid effort. There is still so much emotion and passion here. Easily one of the greatest voices of her time, taken from us too soon.
While I do slightly prefer Back To Black, Amy Winehouse's debut is still a really solid effort. There is still so much emotion and passion here. Easily one of the greatest voices of her time, taken from us too soon.
Definitely not my thing at all. I found this album really boring, just dragging on and on. Not to mention how whiny his voice can be at times. And also what's with so many albums ending on a song that's so long? Just when you think you're nearly done, you now have to listen through a 9 minute album closer. Though I will say, I liked a lot of the lyrics on this album. Dude definitely has a lot to say about the world.
Going into this album preemptively knowing everything I did about Miles Davis, this album was pretty much exactly what I expected. There was only 1 thing about this that subverted my expectations; I loved it. The idea of listening to two 20 minute long instrumental experimental jazz songs was daunting, but wow it was great. Somehow it manages to remain interesting all the way through and keep my attention without being annoying or repetitive. I also love how immersive this album feels, there are very few albums out there where I can just sit down and listen to them, I almost always have to be doing something, even if it's small. But with this, the music is so immersive that I can literally just sit down and listen to it and not feel the need to distract myself with anything. Which is especially impressive considering that this is also in instrumental album.
I have absolutely no idea what this is, and I love it. Whenever I see an album from the late 90s pop up that I've never heard of before, I can't help for my initial reaction to be dread. I have received so much shit from that era from really underground bands and artists to the point where I just assume that I've discovered all the good music from the late 90s, and everything else sucks. But this album has proved me wrong. Every song rewards you for listening to the whole thing, and slowly builds until it reaches an epic climax. Even though I don't speak a word of Icelandic, the intensely passionate delivery of the vocals makes me love them. I initially found it daunting that this album was 10 songs and 71 minutes long, that means that each song averages at about 7 minutes. But you know what, if anything that's the best part of it. Being able to really explore every sound in every song to such depth, and slowly add layers that build perfectly throughout the songs. I never would have thought that I would have fallen in love with this album as much as I have, but I do love occasionally getting a reminder that there is still music out there that I have never heard of that is still this amazing. It's so easy to get caught up in always listening to the same things and not realising how much music there actually is in the world that's still really good. But hey, I suppose that's the reason we are all doing this album list at the end of the day.
I have absolutely fallen in love with this album. It's so dreamy and easy to get lost in all the diverse sounds, as well as the incredible mellow vocal performances from Beck himself. Definitely one I will be keeping in consistent rotation from now on.
I really liked this album. Lots of really catchy songs with great piano riffs and some really good vocal performances. A great album to have on in the background while doing other things. It did feel a bit same-y at times, but on the whole it was a really chill enjoyable album that I likely never would have discovered otherwise.
I have absolutely fallen in love with this album. It's so dreamy and easy to get lost in all the diverse sounds, as well as the incredible mellow vocal performances from Beck himself. Definitely one I will be keeping in consistent rotation from now on.
A decent album, but very of its time. The primitive production and tinny sounding instruments date this album a lot, and sonically has not aged as well as some other 60s albums. That being said, there is very little to actively dislike on this album, it still has some fun grooves that were rather enjoyable to hear.
Really solid stuff. This is the exact kind of thing that comes to mind when I want to listen to jazz. I love how energetic the first half is, and how it mellows towards the second half, keeping you on your toes while listening to it and offering a great diverse selection of sounds
I don't really have much to say about this one, just a fun, groovy album with lots of cool electronic and robotic themes. And it's always cool to listen to things in German since I am currently learning the language
This album is very front loaded. I loved the first half, banger after banger, timeless classic after timeless classic. However, this album fails to keep my attention for much longer than half of it, with the second half being very bloated and full of songs that are either boring, or even a few that I found annoying to hear. There were a handful of standout tracks in the second half, most notably beautiful child, and the titles track. But on the whole this album burns itself out very quickly
Not usually one to listen to live albums, but I did really like this one. It was fun, dynamic, and energetic. The crowd screaming was a bit annoying at times, but some moments where he interacts with the crowd are pretty cool
Wow, what a masterpiece. An obvious pick for a classic sure, but absolutely with good reason. Start to finish every song on this album is perfect, giving some of the most passionate vocal performances of the decade. The opening track "Five Years" is without a doubt one of the greatest opening tracks of all time, and this album continues to blown me away even after setting the bar so high with the first song.
This album had a very epic grand type feel to it, which I did like but sometimes it felt like it was trying too hard to be theatrical. Still pretty good though, it definitely does succeed in feeling very epic at moments, particularly in the first half. Although it definitely takes a dip in quality towards the end of the album, and I start to lose interest a bit. But the closing track is really good so at least it ends on a high
Hip hop is not normally my thing, but wow, I loved this album. Really great politically charged lyrics, amazing flow, and amazing production. It uses the occasional hip hop cliche that makes it a less favourable genre for me, but other than that, I have nothing bad to say about this album.
I am so happy I now never have to hear this album again. The vocals are so annoying, instrumentals are such low quality and I have no idea what they were thinking putting that constant synth tone in the background. Not to mention how goddamn long this album is, it just goes on and on and on and feels like it's never going to end. All this album is to me is a worse version on Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division, which is an album I love dearly. This album is honestly an insult to masterpieces like that. I truly have nothing positive to say about this one.
Just a nice standard 80s singer songwriter pop album, nothing really that special, but it's good at what it does and is perfectly enjoyable
Pretty standard indie rock album, very of it's time. It's pretty good, although it is very rough around the edges at moments. Still a fun listen, definitely one I can see growing on me
Absolutely phenomenal, one of if not Coldplay's best. Chris Martin's voice is so angelic and emotive on every song, sometimes even almost enough to bring you to tears. The pianos on every song are absolutely gorgeous, particularly the songs "The Scientist" and "Clocks" with having such iconic opening piano riffs. Honestly, fuck the Coldplay haters. This band is truly something special and if you can still convince yourself you don't like them, I urge you to listen to this album with an open mind. If you're in the right mood it will blow you away
Separating the art from the artist is normally something I'm pretty good at, particularly with things like Harry Potter. But not with this album. When this scumbag brings his politics and his opinions into his music, it immediately makes it less enjoyable for me. And it's not even like the album is saved by having good music. On top of his self righteous, narcissistic, borderline bigoted lyrics, the actual music is very generic, so I can't even really enjoy the album on that level.
Pretty solid, the music itself was nothing that special, they definitely got better on their later albums. Lyrics were pretty generic too, but there is nothing to actively dislike on this album, still enjoyed it overall. Just a fun early 60s album that makes for some easy listening. I'm glad this is only the first Beatles album I've got so far, I know it's all uphill from here.
Wow this album has a lot of energy. Really punchy, catchy, and love the politically charged lyrics. But I have to say, listening to this album make me physically tired. And I like to listen to punk and metal all day sometimes, but wow this album manages to beat that. Anyway, I'm now going to listen to Beach House and The xx for the rest of the week....
Definitely not my thing at all. I found this album really boring, just dragging on and on. Not to mention how whiny his voice can be at times. And also what's with so many albums ending on a song that's so long? Just when you think you're nearly done, you now have to listen through a 9 minute album closer. Though I will say, I liked a lot of the lyrics on this album. Dude definitely has a lot to say about the world.
Listening to a soundtrack from a film you've never seen definitely takes away about 90% of the experience. Does that mean I'm going to go and watch the film just to make a less biased review? Absolutely not. I'm doing this challenge to listen to music, not to watch films. That's the fault of the list's creator for putting an album on the list that requires more than just the music to fully experience. Every review from everyone here is biased to a degree so I'm going to review this album, as an album, as someone who has never seen this film. This album really drags on, it never feels like it really goes anywhere and just keeps doing the same thing all the way through. The fact that almost all the songs are instrumental definitely doesn't help, it just makes it so much more boring than it already is. It has its moments, it can be enjoyable at times. It's the kind of thing you need to listen to while doing something else, I couldn't even imagine how tedious it would be to get through this entire album if you just sat down and listened to it. Overall, definitely not the worst thing I have ever heard, but I really have no desire to come back and listen to this album likely ever again.
Really really liked this one. I'm actually really starting to warm up to hip hop as a genre, and this album has helped that happen even more. Lots of really great lyrics about important issues of racism, and great flow and vocals. It does drag on just a bit, I don't think the album needs to be over an hour, but at least it's good all the way through so at least I'm not stuck listening to over an hour of garbage.
So I've been a big Radiohead fan for about 2 years now, and I swear this album gets just a little bit better every single time I listen to it. This alvum perfectly represents what a typical Radiohead album sounds like, and I love everything about that. The 2 opening tracks "15 Step" and "Bodysnatchers" have such a sense of urgency, before "Nude" comes on and changes the pace completely. I love the way they seemlessly blend pianos woth guitars, making for that signature Radiohead sound. I get that some people might find Thom's voice a bit whiny, but for some reason I love it. He has such a versatile voice that can sound annoying when he wants it to, but can also be used to deliver such emotive performances.
Only 2 albums ago, I received "Phrenology" by The Roots. That was an album that made me fall even more in love with rap and hip hop. That is the complete opposite of what this album has done. Like, what the fuck is this? These guys sound like they're 13 all the while they are shouting at me in their whiny voices. And while all of this is going on, the ear grating instruments are doing whatever the fuck they are doing in the background. This is by far one of the most annoying albums I have ever listened to. Never again.
Where to even begin with this masterpiece. This is one of the most emotional albums I have ever heard in my life, which is only amplified by the fact that I recently watched the film "Control" which tells the story of Ian Curtis and Joy Division. Knowing the story in that much detail makes you listen to this band in a whole new light, and you realise how tragic Ian Curtis' life truly was. I forget exactly who said it, but I have always loved the saying "a tortured artist makes better art", which as sad as that is, it's so true and this album is clear evidence of that. Start to finish this album is perfect. Every instrument does what it does amazingly, and of course Ian's voice is amazing. The way synths are used in very subtle way adds so much to this album, especially considering how well they were used for the time period. Songs like "Isolation" and "Heart and Soul" show this off especially well. "Decades" features what might be Ian's best vocals of his career, in terms of just how well he performs that song and how he sings with enough emotion to bring me to tears sometimes. This is truly one of the greatest albums of all time, and without a doubt my favourite album of the 1980s. I feel like a 5/5 is almost meaningless because this album deserves so much more, but unfortunately that's the most I can give it.
A bit of a stretch to call this metal in my opinion. While it's really good, I just don't think this sound really holds up to the standards of how metal is defined as a genre in its modern form. Anyway, side rant over. This is a really good album. Catchy riffs, great vocals, and lots of diversity in the sounds which makes for a very dynamic album. And while I would call this rock, I of course have to at least appreciate how Black Sabbath are the pioneering band of metal as a genre, and this along with a lot of their other earlier work was extremely influential for other later metal bands.
A lot of this album is mostly the same all the way through, but it's definitely still worth it for the small moments when it does feel very unique. Ska isn't a genre I am really that familiar with at all, so this was a nice gentle way in. Definitely nothing mind blowing, a lot of it is very safe. But a fun listen.
Oh my God this is one of the most fucking boring albums I have ever listened to. I listened to this while quite hungover so as soon as I pressed play on the first song I thought "perfect, exactly what I need right now". But little did I know that's all this album would be, all the way through. There are plenty of amazing chill albums to listen to while hungover, but what they all have in common is that while still remaining super calm, they keep the music interesting. This album fails so hard at remaining interesting that it's almost funny. Normally, albums that are boring but inoffensive would receive a 2/5, but this album stretches the meaning of the word "boring" to realms I thought were never possible. And for that it gets a 1/5 from me.
Really big fan of this. I love how this is one of those albums that's really hard to pin down in terms of genre, there is something here for pretty much everyone. The way that pop, rock, and even punk are seemlessly blended is great. So much diversity, so much light and shade, just all around a really fun and unique album, especially considering how old it is at this point. The production could do with a bit more work, it does date the album a fair bit. But other than that there is nothing not to love about this album.
While I can't help but love Pink Floyd's material in the next few years after the release of this album, there I definitely a certain level of appreciation I can't help but have for the first ever prog rock album. The guitars are absolutely phenominal with how loud yet simultaneously dreamy they are, and the incredible vocals also can't be overlooked. There were definitely a few moments that dragged on a bit and didn't really feel like they added anything, but on the whole this is an amazing album to create a new genre with.
I'm not sure what I expected going into this album, but it certainly wasn't this. And I love it. Amazing riffs, vocals, everything really. Even the longer instumental moments managed to keep my attention and remain interesting. I love the concept too, albums that tell the story of someone's life are always my thing, and this being one of if not the earliest rock operas is really cool. I get that the interludes are important to the story, but they definitely felt like they interrupted the album sometimes, just as I was getting into the flow of it. But those aside, loved this album.
I didn't hate this, but I can't help but see this as nothing more than boring restaurant jazz. All the songs being instrumental definitely doesn't help, especially with how repetitive some parts can be. I liked the last song though, it's a shame the rest of the album couldn't have been more like that since I actually found that one to be really dynamic and interesting.
No disrespect to this album specifically, I just really don't like disco, especially from the 70s/80s era. I can appreciate that as far as disco goes, this is actually a really good album but it just isn't to my taste at all.
I mean, what can I say about this album that hasn't already been said 1000 times. It's literally perfect. This album is pretty much the absolute pinnacle of psychedelic rock, and I don't even think this is Pink Floyd's best album (my favourite is The Wall if you're curious). This album features some of the best guitars I have ever heard, they are so majestic and airy, yet also so heavy at the same time, truly and amazing sound I have never heard from any other band. Not to mention the absolutely fucking insane vocals, again with so much passion where it's almost aggressive, yet simultaneously dreamy. Until today it's been a while since I have heard this album, so I would love to be able to review it in more detail, but unfortunately I don't want to listen to it too many times in a day. The bottom line is, I fucking love this album.
So this is the lowest rated album I have received so far, and you know what? I fucking love it. I had never heard of this guy until today, and I love how much he just doesn't care and makes the music he wants, because he's damn good at it. The opening track is a great way in, it's fun, it's goofy, there's honestly everything to love about it. I think the song "Persian Love" drags on a bit more than it needs to, it does feel very repetitive at times. But everything else is to love. This is a lot like Pink Floyd but just weirder, and I'm definitely here for it.
I liked the first track, and Hung Upside Down, and while the rest of the album wasn't awful, I did find it quite boring.
How have I never heard of this guy before? This is genuinely one of the best albums I have ever listened to in my life. It's so calm and soothing, yet the lyrics have just enough politically charged anger to get me excited. Not to mention the diversity in this album. Defining its genre is pretty much impossible because of all the influences it takes and the wide range of instruments used.
This is one of those albums where you listen to the first 2 or 3 songs, and you think to yourself "it's certainly not the best thing I've ever heard, but it's decent. Probably gonna give it 3 stars", but by the time you reach the end you get so fed up with how annoying and repetitive it is that you just decide "fuck it, 1 star". What makes this album particularly frustrating is that most of the songs start really promising, whether it's a cool guitar riff, or whatever other interesting sounds. But then it just becomes extremely repetitive and other layers get added throughout the song that are absolutely insufferable. And not to mention the fucking length, I feel like that's been a recurring theme among almost all the albums I've rated 1 or 2 stars, is that they are just so long and that length is only made to feel longer but how much I hated listening to the album.
I normally am not a huge fan of classic metal, but this album surprised me. I usually associate that scene with bands like Motley Crüe and Aerosmith, which to be honest I can't stand. But this album definitely felt ahead of its time for the early 80s. The riffs are really good, and the vocals especially were the part I was pleasantly surprised with the most.
Arcade Fire are one of those bands that I've been meaning to get into for ages, but just never got round to them. And wow am I glad that I have finally had a reason to listen to them, because this album really goes hard. The vocals are just emotive enought to make me emotional, but not so much that they feel cringey. I love the diversity in instruments here too. Nothing ever feels like it's too much, and all sorts of instruments are used in ways that feel so natural and blend seemlessly into the album. I really want to give this album a 5/5, but looking through the other albums I have rated a 5, I just feel like it doesn't quite fit. I can't find any specific things to criticize, but I know that there are maybe just a few corners to polish off for this album to be a 5 for me.
I must say, this album really underwhelmed me. It honestly just feels like the same song 18 times. I genuinely have nothing to say about this album, it was so forgettable to the point where I feel like I can't even review it because I can't remember a single thing about it. There was nothing overtly bad about this album, but it was just so generic. While there's nothing to actively dislike here, there is nothing this album does that any other album does in a more interesting way.
I'm in 2 minds about this album, on the one hand: Fun 60s album, good chill background music that represents the sound of the early years of the decade very well. Has sweet lyrics about love that most people will be able to relate to in some way. But on the other hand: Can be boring at times, and sounds mostly the same all the way through. Very generic and annoying lyrics about an overdone topic, there are plenty of other 60s albums that do everything that this album does just better. Overall I'll give this album the benefit of the doubt as I did find myself enjoying more than I wasn't, and in the context of it being the early 60s the lyrics are very typical of that era.
This album is like if an AI were to analyse my music taste and create an album that is a textbook example of what I would listen to. And I must say, I don't like it. Like I said it is very typical of the sound I usually go out of my way to listen to, but it's just a very generic watered down version of that. There is very little that makes this album even remotely interesting. Just generic 90s rock that sounds good in the moment due to it being very typical of that sound, but when you analyse the music in this album to even the smallest level of depth, you start to realise how uninteresting it actually is.
Before listening to this, Bob Dylan was an artist I had just never got around to listening to before, so this was my first time listening to an album of his. And maybe I'm missing something, but I must say I'm not a fan. I am obviously aware of how famous and influential Bob Dylan is, so I really wanted to like this, but I just don't. I have always known that he was notorious for being a bad singer, and people say he makes up for it by having really good instrumentals and great politically charged lyrics. But not only did I not find myself being entertained by the music itself, but while listening to the lyrics I didn't manage to find any captivating political themes. Do I just need to listen to the lyrics more carefully and do a better job at decoding them or something? The only song I feel I truly enjoyed on this album was Ballad of a Thin Man, that had some interesting things happening on it. And I suppose Desolation Row had a few cool things to offer too, but I definitely don'y think it needs to be 11 minutes long. Not to mention the use of harmonicas in that song, and also Queen Jane Approximately are so ear grating and annoying. I'm going to keep this album in consistent rotation over the next few weeks because like I said, I do really want to like this, so I'm hoping that it can grow on me, and I might check out more of Bob Dylan's stuff too in the hopes that it's only this album that I don't like. But going purely off first impressions, I really did not like this.
Wow, who knew that the post punk era had such a weird experimental side to it, I never knew this existed but I am so glad I discovered it. With a bit more polish and production this could easily have been a 5/5 for me. I always associate the post punk era of the late 70s and early 80s with bands like Joy Division who are notorious for their sad music, and while this album is absolutely not super happy-clappy, it manages to sound so fresh and sad in a way I feel like I've never heard before. I honestly have no idea why this has such a low average rating, other than the rough production (which even that has its charm at times), there really is everything to love about this. And if nothing else I know how to make fish cakes now too.
I get that this isn't a masterpiece, but why such a low rating? This album is still pretty solid. It has great energy, is very diverse, and had decent enough performances from every instrument. It's certainly nothing that special, but there is nothing to actively dislike here.
Did you know this is a funk album? Just thought I'd mention that just in case you didn't pick up on it from the lyrics where it feels like every other work is "funk", seriously can they talk about fucking anything else other than goddamn funk? Oh yes, they can. The last song is just a bunch of grown men constantly repeating "gagagooga". Who knew babies could have such deep voices. Anyway, insufferable lyrics aside, let's talk about the actual music. This is where I am very conflicted. I know that it's not *bad*, it's just that I've never been a fan of this genre, so an entire album of pure funk with very little diversity is not something I at all enjoyed listening to. Outside of a disco in the 70s, I really don't see myself enjoying this album in any other context, which just makes me so glad that this type of music died decades ago.
Going into this album after reading a few reviews, I really didn't expect to like it that much. But I was pleasantly surprised. The music was very calming, along with a lovely soft voice, and of course we all know how elegant French can sound when spoken in that way. Being fluent in French and understanding everything was definitely a bonus too, since I knew what was being said I was able to follow along with the story pretty well, as weird as it was at times. I think the main thing that this album lacks is diversity, as calm and soothing as it is, it is a bit repetitive, and the spoken word as opposed to singing definitely doesn't help with that. A bit more actual singing and something to keep the music a bit more interesting would have done this album wonders, all it really needs is to be more diverse and dynamic.
This album really had potential, and oh boy they didn't use it well. The vocals are really good, and the songwriting is really good. That's honestly all I can say. Everything else was awful. Each song is so messy and incoherent, and the production and mixing is next to none. These are clearly talented artists who know what they are doing, but this album just isn't it.
I think you would have to be insane to believe this album has aged well. The production is extremely primitive which dates it a lot, along with very little diversity. And not to mention the constant screaming "WOOOWWWW", after about 3 of those I was already getting sick of them. But despite all this, this album has undeniable charm, and I can't help but like it. It still has amazing 60s energy all the way through, and even the production, as low quality as it is, can sound good at times. And I absolutely loved the last 2 songs, there was something about them that really felt different compared to the rest of the album that was really good. It's almost like they made a 10 song album and thought "damn, this album sounds pretty much exactly the same all the way through. Let's record 2 more songs, but use a piano this time too and just stick those on the end of the album". I get that they were trying to be more diverse, but those songs needed to be actually *in* the album, not just shoved on the end. At the end of the day, I can't bring myself to give this album any higher than a 3 because of how poorly it's aged. But there is definitely something great about this album, and overall is still absolutely worth a listen in my opinion.
I'm so glad I discovered this, absolutely gutted that it's not on Spotify. I love how simple and stripped back the instruments are, it leaves so much room to really appreciate Joni's angelic voice on every song. Even with such simple music, it still feels like there is so much going on, especially on the latter half of the album where more instruments outside of a piano or an acoustic guitar are introduced. As much as I did love her voice, and as much as you get to hear it on this album, it does almost feel a bit monotonous at times, I think a bit more showing off her vocal range could have improved this album a lot, but as it is it's still amazing, only a very minor complaint.
I really could have died without listening to this album and been fine. It's really boring. Mostly the same all the way through and never goes anywhere or does anything remotely interesting. Country is already one of if not my least favourite genre, so this album was already on thin ice the second I saw it. I still went in with as much of an open mind as I could, but I was immensely underwhelmed.
There is no way this album needs to be almost an hour long, I had had enough after about 1 song. All the way through it's just Nick's annoying, monotonous, overly dramatic voice never doing anything remotely interesting, all the while everything about this album is just so repetitive. The song "O'Malley's Bar" was absolutely insufferable, 14 minutes of pointless annoying music that I just couldn't wait to be over. This is the second Nick Cave album I have received, the first one I got was actually pretty decent, but I have no idea what happened in the 4 years between these two albums, because the drop in quality is shocking.
Going into this album preemptively knowing everything I did about Miles Davis, this album was pretty much exactly what I expected. There was only 1 thing about this that subverted my expectations; I loved it. The idea of listening to two 20 minute long instrumental experimental jazz songs was daunting, but wow it was great. Somehow it manages to remain interesting all the way through and keep my attention without being annoying or repetitive. I also love how immersive this album feels, there are very few albums out there where I can just sit down and listen to them, I almost always have to be doing something, even if it's small. But with this, the music is so immersive that I can literally just sit down and listen to it and not feel the need to distract myself with anything. Which is especially impressive considering that this is also in instrumental album.
Well would you look at that, another generic sounding nothing special album from the 90s. The sad thing is, is that this is actually one of the best albums I've got so far from this decade. Which is really annoying because it reinforces this idea that my dad and people of his generation have that the 90s is the decade that music stopped being good, and after the year 1989 it was all downhill. Which I know is obviously not the case, but the selection of 90s albums I have received so far isn't helping me prove that point. I definitely can't point to anything specific to call bad in this album, but it is very generic. As far as 90s indie pop rock goes, this is actually a decent album, and even though I accuse it of being generic, it still has a charm to it that makes me like it more than I feel like I should. I can't give this album more than a 3 because it's so generic, but it's a generic 90s album in the same way that In Rainbows is a generic Radiohead album. Very typical of that sound and style, but it's a good sound and style to begin with, so generic is still pretty good.
Definitely not Pulp's best album, but there is still a lot to love here. It still has a lot of the same energy as Different Class, but definitely in a slightly more watered down way. The vocals are as good as they always are, and the majority of the songs are classic sounding Pulp. A handful of moments definitely drag on, but nothing that is too detrimental to the album as a whole.
I have always considered myself to be a very casual Queen fan. I am very familiar with and really like most of their most famous singles. However, until today I have actually never listening to a full album of theirs from start to finish. And oh my God why didn't I listen to this sooner. This band is more diverse than I have always given them credit for. Based on the singles I already knew, I just assumed that they were just a one trick pony that were really good at glam rock and nothing else. But there is so much interesting usage of intruments and genre blending here that they are also amazing at. All of this really gives this album an amazing dynamic feel to it, and even though it's definitely still a glam rock album, there is so much other stuff going on that makes it such an interesting listen.
This is one of the most annoying, repetitive albums I have ever heard. It's so bloated, with so many songs easily exceeding 5 or 6 minutes, that only makes their repetitive nature even more insufferable. Not to mention those weird radio interlude things that are just there for Fatboy Slim to go on about how great his music is within his own album. This entire thing just feels like a shitty remix of an already awful album, that was then just made even worse.
Wow, this is absolute peak 90s indie rock. Very clearly inspired by bands like Sleater Kinney, whom I absolutely love. This album thrives off its simplicity, it's very gritty and underproduced, and they make that sound the whole point of the album, and it sounds great. And of course the strong feminism in the lyrics is always something great to hear.
I feel like this album is THE perfect example of "nothing special but innofensive". Like, I really have absolutely nothing interesting to say about this album, positive or negative. It was perfectly fine, easy to listen to. But nothing really grabbed me or stood out to me as being particularly good. Music doesn't get more average than this.
I have never really liked funk. But for some reason, I always had a gut feeling that I would like this album. And I was wrong. I absolutely LOVED this album. This is just the right amount of funk without being annoying, but enough to still be funky as hell. The opening track was a huge surprise, I never expected a 10 minute long Pink Floyd type song on an album I always thought was pure funk. The rest of the album is dynamic, diverse, and remains interesting and keeps my attention all the way through. Absolutely phenomenal stuff, I'm so glad I finally got round to discovering this.
Do you ever get those albums where you're half way through your first listen, absolutely loving it, and really hoping it will hold up until the end so you can give it a 5? Well this is one of those albums, and it only *barely* fell short at the end. I REALLY wanted to give this album a 5, I even listened to it twice to see whether it would be better on a second listen. And don't get me wrong, I still love this album, obviously. I am a big fan of britpop, and this is a band I had actually never listened to before. I was already familiar with the song "Alright", but other than that, I heard the whole album with fresh ears. There is such an amazing energy this album has, as is the case with most britpop. Vocals are great, lyrics are really fun, and the guitar riffs are incredible. What deducts a point for me with this, is that the songs "Time" and "Sofa (Of My Lethargy)", while perfectly inoffensive, do drag on a bit. Other than those 2 songs (which are still pretty decent), I loved absolutely everything about this album.
Post punk is a weird genre. On the more underground, low production side of this era there are two types of bands; sloppy production, but has charm and owns the sound and they are actually really good, or experiment in ways that nobody asked for and end up making something really weird, and not in a good way. This album is definitely the latter. It's annoying, and the low production quality has absolutely zero charm to it. It almost sounds like they weren't even self aware that it sounds awful, and they took this album too seriously. The idea is definitely there, but I don't think the violins sound good at all, they just make this album sound even more messy and chaotic than it already is.
This album is messy, chaotic, and forgettable. The vocals are really not great and there is next to no coherence between songs. It definitely isn't unlistenable, but I really did not enjoy this.
Oh my God that was so boring. Literally every song sounds exactly the same and never does anything remotely interesting. Just using the same cliche funk sounds over and over again and never trying to do anything different. And I can't be the only one that really doesn't like his voice, he sounds almost whiny but in a way I can't quite describe.
Nick Drake is without a doubt one of the greatest tragedies in music history, seconded only by Ian Curtis in my opinion. The fact that he had an abolutely legendary 3 album run from 1969 to 1972, and almost nobody had heard of him until after his death in 1974. I want to call this my favourite album of his, but honestly he was so damn consistent that my favourite is just whichever I most recently listened to. I love how upbeat this is compared to his debut, but still keeping his iconic folk sound. And the lyrics are still very much about his own mental health struggles, but he presents them in a way that is so much more accessible than a lot of other artists by not making it too depressing. There are very few albums out there that use strings as tastefully as this one does. Blended perfectly with Nick's acoustic guitar, the use of other instruments like violins are absolutely beautiful, adding so many layers and so much depth to the actual music itself. And I feel like it should be a crime to write a review of a Nick Drake album without mentioning his gorgeous soothing voice. That was the main thing that I have always loved about his music, even before I really got into it properly. Nick Drake is an artist I grew up listening to just because my mum really liked his music and had him playing a lot. At the time I was too young to really care about music that much, but I definitely always had a soft spot for this, even only at age 6 or 7. To come back and familiarise myself with his full discography now at age 20 is an amazing combination of nostalgia, but also learning more about him and his music on a deeper level, and realising why he stuck out to me when I was just a child.
I do understand why this album has such a low average rating, this definitely isn't the most accessible music in the world. I am unapologetically a huge Slipknot fan. You can't deny that everyone has demons and struggles they suffer with, and this kind of music is cathartic. It's tiring to always be angry at all the awful shit in the world, so listening to music like this feels like I'm having Corey Taylor be angry on my behalf when I don't have the energy.
To be honest I'm not sure what I expected this album to be, but it certainly wasn't that. It's so chaotic, but in a way that I can't decide whether I like it or not. Some moments definitely feel a bit too experimental for my liking, most notably "The Gumbo Variations". On the whole though, this album is funky, dynamic, and really, REALLY weird. And if in the right mood, I can see myself quite enjoying it.
You know, I enjoyed this album more than I thought I would. Not that the bar was set very high, I have never liked this type of old school rap. And I still don't, I just expected this to be insufferable garbage, and while I still really don't like it, it's listenable without making me want to vomit.
What in the ever living fuck is this. This might just be the worst I album I have been given yet. Every song is completely incoherent, it feels like each instrument was recorded for a different song, and they just took a random one of each and just overlayed them onto a song. And that fucking synthesiser in the back ground, constantly just there playing an annoying riff and never going away. Also this guy cannot sing. I really don't like his voice, it's so unsettling in a way that I can't quite describe. I get that this is experimental, but there is a fine line between being innovative, and being insufferable and annoying. There is not even a moment on this album that I have anything positive to say about. This album truly is music at its rock bottom.
Painfully boring and forgettable. She's lucky she has such a lovely voice, I *really* want to give this album a 1 and that's the only thing stopping me.
Really really like this, solid 60s energy that has aged amazingly and still sounds great today. It's diverse, dynamic, and interesting all the way through. I found the song "Australia" to drag on a bit, nothing too major but the second half of that song does feel a bit unnecessary. Other than that, there is absolutely everything to love about this album.
Honestly the only criticism I have of this is the length. He has a lovely voice, good lyricist, and great music. The flow between tracks is great, I love how hard it is to tell one song from another at times, definitely makes this feel like a more coherent immersive concept album. But seriously, this album could benefit a lot from being about half its current length. I have never listened to an album that drags on like this one does.
This album is so happy that it makes it annoying and oversaturated, and it never changes the pace for its runtime of over an hour. Also if I ever hear Mr Blue Sky again I am going to rip my ears off. Seriously, how is the world not sick to death of that song already.
This album is nothing more than an hour and a quarter long guitar solo. What is the point of it being on this list? The list is literally called albums you need to listen to *before you die*. This is one of the most pointless, empty albums I have ever heard. Boring.
My review is going to beat around the bush about as much as this album does. It's punchy, energetic, and I really like it.
Oh wow, this is amazing. His vocals are so passionate, nothing like anything I have ever heard from Johnny Cash before. Even with such stripped back instruments, this album is still so dark and emotive, I never thought country music could be so emotional. And this album is only made even more haunting by the fact that he died less than a year later. Also that cover of Personal Jesus by Depeche Mode is fucking awesome.
A bit rough around the edges, but this is still a solid listen. Very passionate vocals and great lyrics, a lot of the sounds are quite underproduced, but it still can have its charm. As much as I did enjoy her as a vocalist, there are a few moments where she is a bit too whiny for my liking, but it's never *that* bad. It reminds me a lot of Fionna Apple, although I think that Fionna's music is far superior to this.
There is the odd song here and there that feels like it didn't need to be here, but when this album goes hard, it goes fucking HARD. The production is fantastic, and this album blends genres that really shouldn't work on paper, but it still sounds incredible. Pile that on top of passionate and diverse vocals, and you have a truly amazing album.
You know, Beck is more diverse than I initially gave him credit for. Sea Change was the second album I ever recieved from this list, and the first I rated a 5/5. It's super chill and dreamy, and since it was the only Beck album I was familiar with until today, I thought that's all he did. But wow, this really changes the pace and I love it. There are some moments that are bordering on metal and hip hop, and even blended with the overall folk rock sound of this album, it still sounds amazing.
This album does not start well. The first 2 songs are not enjoyable, screechy vocals, weird sound effects, I thought I would be in for a rough ride. But you know what, it really picks up after that. The latter 8 songs are all great, they are melodic, have amazing flow, and the lyrics touch on a lot of important issues. I really want to give this a 4, but unfortunately those first 2 songs really do drag it down to a 3 for me.
After the first few songs, I was ready to give this album a 5 if it kept up the pace all the way through. And while you *could* say that it did, towards the second half of the album all the songs start to blend together, and there is very litte that makes each song unique. That's not to say that any of the songs are bad though, Ella's voice in undeniably one of the greatest of all time, and she really showcases that on every song. The strings sound great, and every instrument feels like it makes a worthy contribution. And I have to add, some of the lyrics on "Embraceable You" certainly are questionable, at least by today's standards. I wasn't alive in 1959 so maybe back then that was completely normal, I don't know.
You know, I've managed to go the last 7 days without rating a single album less than a 3/5. But unfortunately, that streak ends with this album. I found very little, if anything to like about this album. I can appreciate that Eminem is a talented rapper, but his delivery, on top of his awful lyrics, just make me cringe. Seriously, let's talk about the lyrics on this album. Well over half the songs are violently misogynistic and homophobic. The average 14 year old Eminem superfan is going to hear shit like that, calling women "sluts" and portraying gay people as gross, and then of course follow his lead on forming opinions on oppressed groups like that. After having listened through the majority of this ungodly long album, I was then treated with an interlude containing a blowjob in excruciating audible detail, and then a song where Eminem attempts (and fails miserably) at playing the role of a women being verbally abused. I really don't understand how any sane person can belive that this album has any merit what so ever.
Wow, this goes harder than I expected. For 80s pop this is really ahead of its time, it's nowhere near as cheesy and annoying as a lot of the other pop music from this era. Her lyrics are inventive, break gender stereotypes, and all sorts of less conventional instruments make really tasteful appearences at some points. Some moments are still a bit too bubblegum pop for my liking, but they are few and far between, and barely take away from the listening experience.
You know what's funny, I just listened to this album yesterday. I keep it in rotation anyway because it's fucking phenomenal. But hey, any excuse to listen to it again and I'm there! There is a reason this is the third highest rated album on the list, and the most iconic and instantly recognisable album cover of all time. I'm 83 albums deep into this list and I'm already running out of interesting things to say about each album, but for this one I don't need to. We all know this is one of the greatest albums of all time, I don't need to write another review explaining that, God knows there are enough of those already. If you disagree, you're just wrong. What more can I say?
Oh man what a winning streak, yesterday I get The Dark Side Of The Moon, and today I get Bowie. There's very little that makes this album stand out from this era of his music, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. This album is just classic Bowie, through and through.
I feel like if I received this album earlier in the list, I would have given it a higher score. But at this point I've had to sit through so many generic early 80s post punk albums that I'm starting to get a bit sick of them. This is by no means awful, but there is nothing even remotely interesting about compared to 90% of the other post punk albums I have listened to. "Thief Of Baghdad" was a cool song, but everything else was so generic and indistinguishable.
I've had a few albums that suffer from the same this as this one does. The musicianship is great, I love the vocalist, and the songwriting is amazing. But it's just so long. If it were about half the length I could see myself giving this a 4, maybe even a 5. But it simply overstays its welcome far too much for a score that high.
I love britpop, and I have always wanted to love Oasis because of that. But I have always been a Blur gal all the way. I have always thought that Oasis are inferior to Blur in every way imaginable. Their music just feels so safe and watered down, like they never try anything interesting or or experimental in their music, and the gain on the guitars sounds so weird like some weird uncanny valley between acoustic and electric. Liam's voice is just whiny and annoying, and each song just drags on for so long which only makes the whiny nature of his voice all the more promenant. At the end of the day, britpop is one of the reasons the 90s is my favourite decade for music, and I get that Oasis are the main band of that scene. But I can't help but feel that they are one of the most overrated bands of all time.
Man, this guy really loves love. One could argue maybe even a bit too much. In fact, he loves love so much that it's all he can ever talk about in his lyrics to the point that it's annoying, and it's not even like he presents it in an interesting or original way. Every song here is boring and generic, and offers nothing unique or different. And as mentioned, the lyrics are painfully repetitive.
If every song were like "The Wolf Of Velvet Fortune", this would be a fantastic album. Unfortunately though, that was the only song I enjoyed. The rest was boring forgettable filler.
Fucking hell this is even longer and even more pointless than that Allman Brothers live album I got a few weeks ago. I would give it 2 stars because some moments remind me of Queens Of The Stone Age which is cool, but that doesn't make up for the 2 hours of my life I wasted listening to this that I'll never get back.
This does drag on a bit, but there is no denying that on the whole, this is a fantastic album. Elton John is undeniably one of the greatest songwriters of all time, and oh boy does that man know how to play the piano. The vocals are amazing, such passionate delivery, and the music in just about every song is so perfectly crafted. While Elton John (in my opinion at least) wasn't as groundbreaking or ahead of his time as some of his contemporaries (*cough* Bowie *cough*), he is still amazing at what he does, and has made some incredible albums.
Second (and hopefully last) album by this band, and it's exactly the same as the first one I got. The first song is pleasant, but by no means amazing. After that, the first few seconds of every single song try to entice you with a nice guitar riff or something, and slowly devolves into annoying, repetitive, meaningless shit.
This album is very safe, and takes hardly any risks. While there is nothing inherently wrong with that, it can feel a bit boring. It's pleasant, and makes for good background music, but nothing here is mind blowing.
I have absolutely no idea what this is, and I love it. Whenever I see an album from the late 90s pop up that I've never heard of before, I can't help for my initial reaction to be dread. I have received so much shit from that era from really underground bands and artists to the point where I just assume that I've discovered all the good music from the late 90s, and everything else sucks. But this album has proved me wrong. Every song rewards you for listening to the whole thing, and slowly builds until it reaches an epic climax. Even though I don't speak a word of Icelandic, the intensely passionate delivery of the vocals makes me love them. I initially found it daunting that this album was 10 songs and 71 minutes long, that means that each song averages at about 7 minutes. But you know what, if anything that's the best part of it. Being able to really explore every sound in every song to such depth, and slowly add layers that build perfectly throughout the songs. I never would have thought that I would have fallen in love with this album as much as I have, but I do love occasionally getting a reminder that there is still music out there that I have never heard of that is still this amazing. It's so easy to get caught up in always listening to the same things and not realising how much music there actually is in the world that's still really good. But hey, I suppose that's the reason we are all doing this album list at the end of the day.
Well that was perfect timing, Neil Young's discography was only put back on Spotify within the last few weeks, and today I get my first album of his. This is just a soft, pleasant, enjoyable album. I don't really have much to say about it, since I didn't find it to be that special at all. But it's a solid listen.
Wow this is boring. Just the same all the way through, never does anything interesting, or takes any risks. Her voice is so monotonous, which is a shame because I think it had potential. Every song sounds exactly the same, and there is nothing that makes each one unique. And this album has an absolutely ungodly number of interludes. As if it weren't already boring and pointless enough, I now have all of those to sit through too.
I honestly have no idea what I can say about this album. It's just....weird. Like really weird. But also somehow manages to sound kinda normal? But the fact that it sounds so weird and normal at the same time makes it even weirder. Either way, I know that I didn't like it that much. And that's all that really matters for deciding how many stars I'll give it.
This is definitely one of the most ambitious britpop albums, and as much of an unpopular opinion as this may be, I think they kinda pulled it off. It's long, it's grand, it's epic, but it rarely feels boring or annoying. Admittedly, there were a few moments that were very repetitive, so much so to the point where I had to check to make sure my phone wasn't glitching out and just playing the same 2 seconds of the song over and over, but those moments are few and far between so hardly take away from the experience of listening to this album.
Oh wow, I didn't think I would love this as much as I do. Her voice is absolutely gorgeous, and the simplistic instruments are not only beautiful and atmospheric, but give her voice so much more of a presence. And her storytelling is just amazing, the lyrics are so captivating and really make me want to keep listening.
I love to imagine what was happening in the studio during the making of this album. "Guys, I have a great idea. What if we make an album, with super airy vocals that are completely incoherent, and a bunch of really tinny empty sounding guitars." "You're definitely on to something, but I feel like there's just something missing from it." "I've got it! What if there's just constant white noise in the background, that way the airyness and tinnyness of the album is exaggerated even more!" "How did we not think of that? You're a musical genius man!" This album is truly hot garbage. If you think that there is anything even remotely worth admiring about this, I will never be able to take any of your music opinions seriously. This makes My Bloody Valentine's debut sound like the greatest album of all time.
80s synth pop is an era of music that I have never got on with at all, but this album is an exception. It's not cheesy, or overpruduced, or oversaturated, it's just great music all the way through.
This list has helped me be more open to genres I have been very closed to in the past, country is most definitely one of those genres. I have had a few country albums I found tolerable, even one or two that I enjoyed. This is not one of those albums. This is exactly an example of why I hated country for so many years. And for some fucking reason it's two whole hours long. If you are ever torturing me for information, play this album and I'll talk pretty damn quickly.
I get that this isn't going to be exactly everyone's thing, but how can you hate this? It's just so....pleasant. Nothing about this blew me away, but I really like it.
Just more generic, non-distinct 90s rock. This album isn't bad, but there is absolutely nothing even remotely interesting about it, which one could argue is even worse than being bad, because at least most bad albums are still interesting, even if it's in a bad way. This is just like an AI generated 90s album to make the most typical album of that decade as possible.
Beat It is quite possibly the greatest guitar riff ever written, that song makes this album a 5 by default. But the rest of the album still slaps on top of that, so it's like a super ultra mega 5.
For the love of god DO NOT look up all the band names these guys almost went with before they settled on Butthole Surfers, I can assure you that you will regret it.
I bit long, but it continues to evolve and remain interesting all the way through. Vocals are good, instruments are really great and definitely some of the most diverse I have had so far. Nothing absolutely mind blowing, but I'm definitely very glad that I discovered this.
This is not at all what I expected, but I really like it. I'm not sure where I got this impression from, but for some reason I always thought that U2 were like the Coldplay of the 80s (not that there's anything wrong with that, I love Coldplay!). But this is definitely a lot more punchy and politically charged than I was expecting, and I am absolutely here for it.
This was absolutely an amazing album, but I must admit it didn't blow me away as much as I was expecting. Of course, it can't be understated how influential and groundbreaking this album was, but it just didn't impress me as much as an almost 21 year old in 2024 as it did to people in 1967. But that's not to say I didn't like it, the guitar riffs were absolutely amazing, and I have always underestimated how great of a vocalist Jimi is. But it is very long, and while these moments are few and far between, it does at times drag on just a little bit. But on the whole, still a fantastic album, and an all time classic that I am glad to have finally heard.
Oh my god I absolutely love this. It just makes me want to get up and dance my ass off. It's so energetic and funky in the best way possible, and I adore the hint of Latin influences in some of the songs, absolutely incredible stuff.
This feels like some dinner jazz I should find really boring, but you know what? It's actually really good. It still remains interesting and doesn't drag on or do the same thing all the way through constantly.
Holy shit this album goes fucking HARD. Maybe I was too harsh on the rap metal genre fusion, it's hard to pull off, but boy when it works, it really works. Limp Bizkit and Kid Rock can piss off, THIS is the rap metal I want to be hearing.
Man, this album sure is inconsistent. Some moments are amazing, they are original, captivating, and she really shows the power and versatility that her voice has. But there are equally as many songs that feel boring, repetitive, and generic. On the whole, it's a solid listen. But definitely not one that blew me away. I really wish I could give this a higher rating for the moments that are genuinely great, but unfortunately it's just too inconsistent. I would give it a 3.5 if I could.
Never been huge into gothic stuff, but this is much better than I would have expected.
There's nothing offensive about this album, it just kinda does its thing never really goes anywhere interesting and drags on for too long. 70s funk is really hit and miss, and this one is a hard miss for me.
Jesus Christ man, keep it in your pants.
You know, folk punk works way better than I would have imagined. There is still lots of room for improvement here, the vocals are really whiny, and there are very few layers musically. But I can absolutely here what they were going for here and there is a lot of potential.
This album really goes to show how well The Beatles work as a team. Paul is often thought of as THE Beatle, the mastermind behind the majority of their music. But even with that, when he makes an album away from the other 3, it's just kinda meh. This is perfectly listenable, but it's nothing compared to some of the best albums in The Beatles' discography. But it's one that I can definitely see growing on me.
I have tried time and time again to get into Oasis, and I just can't. I have listened to this album in the past multiple times, and obviously again today. And I just like it less every single time. There are a handful of good songs here and there, but on the whole this album is just whiny vocals, boring guitars, and generic lyrics. I just don't see the appeal of this band. I get that this is considered to be one of the greatest britpop albums of all time, but I'll take Blur over this any day. Even though this album is no better or worse than Definitely Maybe, which I gave a 2, I'm giving it a 1 out of spite just for being the most overrated album of all time.
This is without a doubt Radiohead's most underrated album. It was the last one I got round to listening to when I was first getting into them, and I'll never forget it. I'd heard that it wasn't one of their best, so I left it until last. And I was blown away, and it still holds up now to me to this day as a very well established Radiohead fan. 2 + 2 = 5 rivals Bowie's Five Years for the greatest opening track on an album of all time, and Sail To The Moon is one of the most musically complex songs ever written. And the back half of the album still continues to impress, with songs like A Punch Up At A Wedding, Wolf At The Door, and Myxomatosis being some of the best on the album. Thom's voice is showcased beautifully on just about every song, and really shows how he is one of the best vocalists of his time.
Damn this is one emotional album. I'm not even really paying attention to the lyrics, but the delivery of the vocals alone is passionate enough to make me feel things that most music can't.
Ordinarily I probably would give this a lower rating, but I listened to it in the most perfect setting, and it enhanced the experience by so much. I listened to the majority of this album while on the train, and having this album as the soundtrack to the city turn into suburbs turn into fields turn into forest was magical. I have found my new favourite commuting album.
I'm really starting to run out of things to say about all these forgettable albums. I listened to it, didn't enjoy it that much, (although it didn't repulse me) and immediately forgot about it because there was nothing remotely interesting about it.
I know exactly what you're thinking, "I've always wanted to know what it would sound like, if Bowie made punk music". Actually you know what, you're right. To be honest I wasn't thinking that either. This album isn't mind blowingly fantastic, but it's definitely better than most of the reviews will have you think. If you can learn to look past the god awful lyrics that is, I must admit that does make this album a lot harder to appreciate.
Nicknames are for friends, and Randall Stuart Newman does not have a friend in me. Boring music, self indulgent lyrics about the struggle of being famous, and fantasies about living in rural early 1900s America are enough to put me off. I can't believe that this is the guy who did the soundstracks for multiple Pixar films, films I loved as a child and still do to this day. Childhood ruined.
It's hard to go wrong with Elvis, but I can't say that this album blew me away. It starts really strong, but fails to change things or remain interesting after the first few songs. Every song on it was at least decent, but this is the kind of thing that's best heard just one song at a time, listening to the full album all in one go just isn't a hugely fulfilling experience.
The 80s was a dark period in pop music, especially the latter half of the decade. Things were so commercialised and overproduced, and everything just sounded the same and was painfully cheesy. For my whole life I have only ever been able to describe it as this "annoying 80s sound", without knowing what it actually was. But anyway, you get the point. I'm just going off on a tangent now. Kate Bush was a beacon of hope in the 80s. In such a commercial era of pop music, her progressive lyrics and forward thinking approach to art pop is so refreshing, and has aged absolutely beautifully. She did what she wanted and never sold out and became just another 80s pop star that faded into irrelevance in the early 90s. She kept making genuinely good music and I couldn't be more thankful for it, as fantastic albums like this show how there still was great pop music in the late 80s.
This is definitely one of the most interesting albums I have listened to so far, and it's a really hard one to make an opinion on. Like, I feel like I should like this, but there's something so unsettling about it. It's really hard to describe, so maybe it's pointless to try and review it with a reason for why I don't like it. There's just something so off putting about this that I have no idea how to describe. His voice is almost creepy, and the lone acoustic guitar gives this album such an isolating sound. The further I went through this album, the less I liked it. By the time I got to the last few songs, I just couldn't wait for it to be over.
What a key album in hip hop that layed the groundwork for the genre to really blow up and diversify in the 90s. There is so much great stuff going on here, great flows from 3 amazing rappers, and the tongue and cheek interludes and skits really feel like a part of the album, and don't at all interrupt the flow.
As someone who grew up with streaming, and has pretty much only listened to music like that, something I find really interesting is to listen to an older album from before streaming or even CDs, and figure out where the split between side A and side B is. One of the things I love about this album, is how it almost feels like 2 smaller albums, but still sounds really good as one coherent piece. Side A is just classic Zepplin, and their iconic blues rock sound. And the way they change things so drastically but naturally on side B is amazing, taking a more acoustic borderline folky approach to their music but still remaining true to their signature sound.
I do not "need" to hear this before I die. It sounds exactly the same as every 90s rock album, except this time the only difference is that they try to incorporate shoegaze into their sound, and they didn't even pull it off. I'm here to try and find albums that make me think, and that change me as a person. I and my music taste are exactly the same before and after having listened to this. When the songs aren't being super repetitive they are just incoherent noise, and when they aren't incoherent noise the vocals are just annoying.
This is very typical 2010 rock, but it manages to not be generic. It's very pleasant, but certainly not mind blowing. Although I can definitely see this album growing on me, so I will likely be revisiting it a few times in the near future.
While really good, I must admit this jazz didn't feel quite as interesting or experimental comapared to other things I have listened to. Maybe I just need to listen to it in a different setting or something. But I still really enjoyed it on the whole.
Hear me out, I may actually like this more than Thriller.
I really expected better from such a renowned pop icon. I get that she needs to evolve and change her sound, but Jesus fucking Christ. Half of this album is just boring and repetitive, and when it's not being boring it's just weird experimentation, and not in a good way. And I feel like that album title is trying to compensate for something, because half the songs on this album don't even feel like music. They are just a random assortment of sounds that nobody asked for.
What an album. There is not a single second wasted on this thing, every moment, every song, everything. It all goes hard. The band work so well together, and their chemistry is so clear on just about every song. Not to mention how ahead of its time this album was. Music this heavy wasn't even dreamt of in the 60s, and on their first attempt, Zepplin had it in the bag and created what is STILL in 2024 one of the greatest albums of all time.
I think a lot of people feel like they need to like this just because it's old. And don't get me wrong, it is definitely important to have at least a little bit of appreciation for classic music, even if it isn't to ones taste, but old music definitely doesn't equate good music. And I must admit, I didn't really enjoy this album that much. It didn't initially repulse me, but it was certainly nothing special. There is very little that makes each song unique, and by the time I was half way through, I just wanted it to be over, since there just wasn't anything about it that I found interesting anymore.
After the first couple of tracks, I thought I was in for a rough ride. And while I didn't love it, it was definitely better than the opening few songs would have you think. It has moments that are just weird and annoying, but equally many that are playfully experimental, and even a few songs that are really melodic and have some great vocal performances. On the whole, it's very inconsistent, but there is definitely something about this that makes it unique.
Can we PLEASE collectively agree to stop underrating Kraftwerk. They are without a doubt the most important and influential band in the world of electronic music, yet somehow all of their albums have really mediocre average ratings. Some people might find this album "boring" or "weird", but if you stop being closed minded and stop expecting everything you hear to be a formulaic 3 minute pop song then you can start to appreciate how amazing Kraftwerk are. Songs that exceed 10 minutes are something I have always had an appreciation for, because I love getting immersed in the music and really taking the time to admire everything that is going on in the music, and this is basically just a full album of that.
Far from Prince's best, and I must say this really doesn't feel like it needs to be a double album, it makes it way more bloated than it should be. But I do admire a lot of the experimentation on this album.
This is so unhinged and I love it. Just some of the rawest, heaviest, no bollocks punk I have ever heard.
Holy shit I love this. Who knew how mature bubblegum pop could be. There's great diversity, and keeps things simultaneously interesting and light hearted without ever feeling cheesy or annoying.
There was actually once a time that I was on board with the "Kid A > OK Computer" trend, and while I've snapped out of following that chronically online music trend that makes people feel unique, I still consider this to be a close second favourite Radiohead album. I think it lacks the theatrics that OK Computer has, but this is still definitely their moodiest, most atmospheric album by far.
Given how much I have fallen in love with The Stooges because of this list, I really expected more from this. Don't get me wrong, it's perfectly listenable, but it just feel really inconsistent and some moments drag on much longer than they really should. I still like to see Iggy evolving his sounds though, the ideas are definitely there, but the execution could have been done a bit better.
This album is just beautiful, that's the best way that I can describe it. It's so soft and mellow, and honestly really comforting almost. The vocals are simply gorgeous and so passionate yet so soft. It breaks my heart that this album not only isn't on Spotify, but also has such a low average rating. (As of May 2024), 2.96!?!? Are you guys for real? Appalling.
The raw energy of this album is simply unmatched by anything. It's so fun and playful, but also has so much genuinely great social commentary on life in Sheffield and all the affairs that go on in that kind of setting. I have never quite heard anything that manages to be so fun yet with such great commentary all at the same time. The pacing is nothing short of amazing, I love the way that Riot Van changes the tone to something more slow and soft just as you start to think that this all sounds the same.
This is just a solid as hell album, what more can I say. Great vocals, great lyrics, and groundbreaking genre blending. Amy truly was a huge loss from the world, she deserved better and we all deserved more from her.
This isn't complete garbage, but man I'm really getting tired of all this late 60s psychedelic rock. At least this album spices it up a bit with the spoken word interludes, as much as I didn't enjoy them at least it was something different.
This album (or at least what was of it on Spotify) is under 30 minutes, snd it still felt like a chore to get through. Just weird, annoying, generic late 60s rock. I really am in disbelief as to how much uninteresting music has actually managed to earn a place on this list.
Considering how old this is, it has actually aged better than I would have thought. It's well produced, and the lyrics still hold up surprisingly well. I still found it to be pretty dull, but I can't imagine that's an issue of this album being old.
This album was about as interesting as the 11th of April 1954. Shame as well, the album cover had me super hyped.
Wow this is fantastic, one of if not the best hip hop album I've got so far. It just has such a warm feel to it, like I'm listening to it and I just feel so calm and immersed in the music. Not a lot of albums can give that feeling.
This album did have a handful of great moments, but on the whole it just drags on a bit too much for my liking.
The further I got into this album the more I loved it. It has such a smooth feeling to it, and just has such polish but without feeling overproduced.
Oh my god this album has aged horrifically. Literal fuckboy music.
It's hard to go wrong with Arcade Fire's first few albums. This one doesn't blow me away like Funeral does, but there's very little here that I have to complain about.
What a solid album. 3 amazing rappers showcasing their skill, and the production is great too. Honestly it's a shame they broke up so soon after this, but hey it gave us The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill so I won't complain too much.
This album definitely suffers from the same thing as a lot of albums on this list do, which is being "just another generic late 60s psychedelic rock album". I am definitely biased to give it a lower rating because I've been having a lot of these recently, but I will say this one did stick out to me a bit more than the rest.
I appreciate the sentiment behind this album, but it just becomes so boring and repetitive very quickly.
Can't say that I was blown away by this, but it was just a nice folk album that's easy to listen to in the background.
Ok wow, The Doors were more ahead of their time than I previously have given them credit for. I always thought that they were just another generic rock band from the 60s and 70s, but this is simply fantastic.
Jesus Christ Damon this is an embarrassment. You're telling me that the guy responsible for bands I love like Blur and Gorillaz also was the driving force of this mess? Really disappointed by this.
I mean yeah, that was kinda fun I guess.
Eh, just drags on and doesn't really do anything interesting. Kinda glad I wasn't at this concert.
I must admit, I was mildly disappointed by this. It was decent, but compared to other 60s soul there is way better out there. After a while I started to find his voice quite grating, and this is definitely biased by the fact that I got a live album yesterday too, but the low production value also made this album quite hard to get through.
I feel like I'm at the point now where I'm really starting to realise how much I underestimated the size of this list. I feel like I've already heard this one about 100 times because there is nothing about it that makes it even remotely interesting or memorable.
Fuck yes, finally something good. The Cure are simply fantastic and this is easily one of their best. It's so dark and moody, yet also has such a sense of intensity and urgency, while still being super sad and emotional, like much of The Cure's music is.
Folk punk is already a really interesting genre fusion, but *Irish* folk punk is even more interesting. Which is a real shame because there is so much potential here, but after a few songs this whole album sounds exactly the same and starts to feel really boring, and I feel like the low production really holds it back too.
Hell yeah dude, this goes hard. It's so raw and punchy yet also feels like there is so much musical depth to it, I love when punk music does that.
This album could really benifit from being about half the length it already is. I don't *hate* it, it's just too long sounds exactly the same all the way through.
I don't need to write a review about why this is one of the greatest albums of all time, we all already know that it is.
I get why this has such a low rating, IDM is definitely not the most accessible genre. But I really like this. Definitely the kind of thing you need on in the background while doing other things, otherwise the repetitive nature of this album will start to get annoying. But when you listen to this in the right mood, it's really cool and experimental, psychedelic almost.
One of the most boring, generic, and souless rock albums I have ever heard. I have a rule I call the "generic rule", where if an album is not actively awful, but is super generic and uninteresting I give it a 2. But this album gets a 1 for not only being generic, but also for being over an hour, and having some of the shittest production I have ever heard in my life.
This is the kind of hip hop that I have always dismissed. The name "Ghostface Killah" just sounds silly like he's trying too hard to be cool, and the best way I can describe the album cover is that it has a very "shiny" feel to it, which a lot of commercialised hip hop of this era has. But you know what, it's a tad rough around the edges but this goes way harder than I expected. Great flow, great rhyming, and really good social commentary and political messaging that's more than just blindly hating the police.
Hell yes, my second favourite Beatles album. This really was a huge turning point in their career, after this they stopped being just another generic 60s pop rock band, and became one of if not the most important band in music history. And to this day it still holds up as one of the best albums the decade has to offer.
I swear the people here will just hate anything that isn't Bowie or The Beatles. I get that this brand of hardcore punk can't be everyone's thing, but come on people at least give it a fair chance! I love this. The passion, the rawness, the emotion. All the way through it's nothing other than amazing.
I can't say that I actively disliked this, but I just don't understand why this live album needed to exist. It just sounds like any other ordinary concert from the 70s. Live albums should be for performances that are particularly amazing, or really showcase something special that can't be done at any old concert or in the studio. But this album doesn't have that, just a standard rock concert that happened to become a live album. I would give this a 3 for still being a solid enough listen, but I'll deduct one point for it being completely unnecessary for this to be a live album.
Just a really solid pop/rock/new wave album. What more is there to say?
Sort of a cool fun album, but didn't stand out to me as being particularly special.
I'm ashamed to admit that until today, I have actually never listened to a full album by The Stones, and based on this, I really like it. Raw, punchy, and to be honest, for the standards of the 60s, the lyrics on this thing are outrageous. It's definitely clear how album like this really did go on to influence the more political and open minded eras of music, most notably punk rock in the 1970s. I will now absolutely be listening to more Rolling Stones in the coming weeks, having had an excuse to finally get round to them, I now want to listen to more.
Simply a classic, one of if not the best thrash metal album of all time. There is not a second on this album that you can't headbang to. This thing is just going hard for the entire runtime but never feels annoying or repetitive.
This album is kinda fun, on the whole I did enjoy it, and to be honest I can't find a lot to criticise about it. It's just sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo looooooonnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggg.
This album is just unbelievably 60s, and not in a good way. I can't fault most of it, but it's all just so safe and really uninteresting. If this were an early 60s album I think it would be a lot more forgivable, but given that at this point in music history, The Beatles, The Stones, and Bob Dylan had already taken music far beyond what it ever was in the past, this album is very much behind its time.
Solid as hell indie folk rock. Incredible passion, and great musicianship.
I wasn't around in the 60s, so it's possible that I'm completely wrong about this, but this just feels like the 60s equivalent of what someone like Ed Sheeran is today. Super famous and popular, but actually really boring when it comes down to it. It feels like this music was made not out of artistic passion, but out of the want to be rich and famous.
Just keeps on going and never ends, far too long and repetitive for my liking.
While listening to this I feel like he looks on the album cover. This music is simply not nearly enough to trigger any meaningful emotional response from me, but it's perfectly pleasant to listen to.
Nobody bridges the gap between metal and grunge like Alice In Chains do. Their genre fusion is like no other, and it gives them such an iconic and unique sound.
Felt like a 33 minute long elevator ride.
This album goes hard as hell, you guys just aren't ready for the world of abstract and experimental hip hop.
Definitely quite inconsistent, but on the whole this album is interesting and pretty groovy, with some very high highs, but also some equally low lows.
I hate how much I like this. I always thought that's Snoop Dogg's music was just silly meme music, I mean just look at that stupid album cover! Not to mention that this album is literally called "Doggystyle" how can anyone ever take that seriously? This guy has been a meme for pretty much as long as he has been a relevant public figure, so I thought that this would be much like listening to The Lonely Island or something like that, but this album goes harddddd. The flows, the beats, the rapping, it's all some solid as hell stuff man.
This is just as annoying and pointless as every other 70s live album I've received so far. But on top of that, these guys have the most fucking annoying crowd I have ever heard in a live album. Were these guys like the One Direction of the 70s or something? Their fans sound like 10 year old girls. I would give this 2 stars, but I'm applying the "pointless live album rule" where if a completely normal concert gets turned into a live album I deduct one star for it being completely pointless and a waste of everyone's time to listen to.
I get that this is a clsssic, and that it's the oldest album on the list. But I have to be honest, I found this incredibly boring. I don't know exactly how one was meant to listen to this back in 1955, but I do not think that this has stood the test of time.
It's so frustrating how this album is so held back by such shitty production. There is not a single song on here that doesn't go insanely hard, but most of them just sound terrible. 3 stars for an album with amazing potential.
While I do slightly prefer Back To Black, Amy Winehouse's debut is still a really solid effort. There is still so much emotion and passion here. Easily one of the greatest voices of her time, taken from us too soon.
Punchy, fun, dynamic, just a solid as hell album.
I can live very well without super generic dad rock thank you 👍
I've been dreading the day that I get a Kanye album, I've been going back and forth as to whether I'm actually going to listen to it for moral reasons. My initial line of thinking was that I don't want this homophonic, misogynistic nazi to recieve any royalties from my streaming his music, but you know what? I'm here to judge the music, not the person. Now that the day has come for real that I get an album from this guy, it only feels right that I still give it a fair shot. Let's listen and see what happens.... Fuckkkkk why is this actually so goooood. I hate that the worst people are always the best musicians.
Peace and love, man.
As much as I can endlessly complain about all the questionable album picks on this list, I find that metal, particularly from the 70s and 80s, is an extremely well represented genre. And this album is no exception. Reminds me a lot of Judas Priest and in the best way possible. I feel like there's nothing on this album that I can't headbang to.
This was a perfectly good album, but there are definitely Joni Mitchell projects out there that I think are better than this. Her iconic folk sound is really hard to go wrong with, but this is definitely one of the most inconsistent albums I have heard of hers.
I do love Simon & Garfunkel, but I must admit I do think that this is their weakest album. It still has their signature soothing sound, but on the whole just feels like all their other albums are much more interesting and dynamic, while still remaining super calm. This album while still perfectly good, just feels like it lacks the passion that their other albums do. But I still like it overall, it's hard to go wrong with these guys.
I swear every song here sounds exactly the same. Not a single thing that makes any of them particularly unique or distinctive. All just super patriotic sounding stuff your racist uncle listens to.
I really don't know how Talking Heads manage this, but this album feels like it should be super generic pop rock, but somehow they created something that is immensely creative but super safe and accessible at the same time. Only Talking Heads could bend the rules of music like that.
So, this is it, Bowie's last album. The album that ended off his legendary career. I've heard some people claim that it's his best, which I find to be extremely far fetched, and feels like people find this release to be more tragic and impactful than it actually was because it came out only 2 days before his death. But with that being said, this is still a fantastic album. I'm not so familiar with his later works, so I can only really compare this to his 70s/80s material. And it sounds surprisingly good even compared to some of his absolute best. But this fusion of experimental art rock and jazz sounds about as good as it can, and this is a great way to end a discography as legendary as Bowie's.
Hell yes dude, this is what dance punk is all about. But this is more like progressive dance punk, it just transcends genre labels. Fucking love this album.
White people ass hip hop.
Too long and boring, I was rather pleased when it was done. It was completely innofensive, but it still gets a 1 for being over an hour.
Arcade Fire but it's psychedelic folk? I'm absolutely here for it.
Red Hot Metal Peppers.
Something that this list has really helped me with, is making me aware of other fantastic britpop bands other than just Blur, Pulp, and Oasis. And Manic Street Preachers are no exception. This fantastic powerhouse of an album delivers some of the most fun, energetic, and diverse britpop I have heard in a while.
The early 90s really was a great era of hip hop. The genre was really starting to become itself, and was now no longer just a subgenre of soul. And this album represents the evolution of the genre during this time perfectly. It doesn't take itself too seriously, having lots of very fun and tongue and cheek lyrics, but still keeps interesting and creates a brilliant atmosphere.
This is the worst kind of experimental music.
I feel like Simon & Garfunkel had a pretty consistent output, so after a band breakup like that, the solo material might take a few albums to really be something good, as the members adjust to making music on their own. And this album I think is a perfect example of than. It was okay, but definitely nothing special. I imagine that some of Paul Simon's later stuff is much more interesting.
If only Slint never broke up, they could have become one of the greatest post rock bands of all time. This is a brilliant album and shows such potential for this band. The atmosphere that is created and the moody spoken word vocals are fantastic, giving this album an almost creepy unsettling feel to it, but in the best way possible. The repetitive guitar riffs are so moody and get stuck in your head so easily, all while the vocals creep in from the background and deliver some amazing storytelling.
What am I missing here? I think that this is a perfectly enjoyable album, but I don't think it's anything too special, just feels like a pretty standard 70s dad rock album to me.
I mean, obviously one of the greatest metal albums ever made. The fact that Black Sabbath were the first metal band pretty much ever, and even their early works hold up this well truly demonstrates how timeless their music really is. Bravo Ozzy.
Talking Heads if they fucking sucked.
I don't know why, but I've been craving so much thrash metal recently. And while this album doesn't scratch that ich quite as well as others of this era, it's hard to go wrong with 80s thrash metal. Still a really damn solid album.
In what universe is this album a must listen? I'm really starting to think that most of the really obvious classic albums were put on this list (which even then, there are loads of albums missing that really should have made the final cut, as I'm sure we are all aware), and then after that it was just scraping the bottom of the barrel to get it up to 1001. This album is annoying, souless, and super generic. I'm just happy that it's so short.
It's hard for me to rate something as short as this, I feel like I just didn't get the chance to really see what this band was capable of. This reminds me a lot of Nirvana's debut album (which is sadly absent from this list), both being of the late 80s proto grunge era before it really got started in the early 90s. It's a solid listen, I just really wish that it were longer.
I must admit I was more impressed by this one than I initially expected. I have never listened to this album before, nor did I even know it existed. But I was already familiar with one song (you all know which one), so when I saw the album title I was filled with dread. I don't *hate* that song, but my God is it overplayed. And I fully expected this to be just that for 40 minutes straight, just typical oversaturated 80s pop. But you know what, this is a surprisingly diverse album. It really represents this era of 80s pop really well, and even the title track doesn't feel out of place or stick out like a sore thumb.
I thought that this was going to be a really boring and forgettable generic sounding 60s album, but turns out it's actually a really fun and enjoyable generic sounding 60s album.
This album was really annoying, I really with that they would stop talk talk talking.
Eh, kinda boring and generic. I really liked "Holocaust" (for the love of God please do not take that out of context), that was a beautifully haunting song, but other than that this was really uninteresting.
Third album I've got by these guys, and I just don't get it. Nothing more than super standard rock music of its time. I really don't understand why all their stuff has such high ratings.
This album just doesn't really do anything, it's hard to hate it but it's completely devoid of any personality.
Nothing too special about this one, just a pretty run of the mill post punk album.
Oh my God this album is beautiful. Nick Cave, I'm sorry for the awful ratings I have given you in the past. This album has made me see your music in a new light, I promise I'll be open to the rest of your stuff from now on.
Perfectly enjoyable background music, but nothing to get too excited about.
This is like the background music album of all time.
Sonic Youth are really growing on me, I got Sister a while ago, and didn't really like it. I have revisited that album a few times and I do actually really like it now. It was cool to listen to another album of theirs knowing that I should like it this time, and hell yeah dude this is a great album.
I feel like a lot of people feel like they have to like Elvis, just because he was so famous and influential, but to be honest I don't think that his legacy will be quite as well known in the coming decades as people seem to think. For what it's worth, I do think that this album has aged better than about 90% of music from the 50s, but that isn't saying a lot. It's a perfectly enjoyable album, but just doesn't feel that interesting or unique. I get that at the time, this was about as interesting and unique as music got, but compared the bands like The Beatles (different decade I know, but still a fair comparison in my opinion), this just doesn't hold up to today's standards nearly as well.
For some reason, I always thought that R.E.M. were a 70s band, so I was surprised to see that this album came out in 1992 after it popped up. But after having listened to it, I now fully understand why I was under the impression that R.E.M. were a 70s band. This album sounds dated as hell, completely behind its time. I can't find anything to hate about it, but it just feels like a super generic 70s album, except it came out 2 decades too late.
Quite possibly the most inconsistent album I have received yet. Some moments are classic sounding Beatles, translated amazingly into John's solo career, and some moments are the most annoying and pretentious type of experimental music, with lyrics that try and fail to be shocking. The good moments definitely make the album worth it overall, it's just really annoying to have to hear all the shit stuff all in the same album.
Oh wow that was simply fantastic. So emotional in the best way possible and with such passion. This reminds me so much of Arcade Fire, so absolutely count me in.
Would it kill these idiots to not shout at me for about 5 minutes.
Of course, an absolute classic. A bit too short? Maybe. A bit rough around the edges? I can see that argument. But otherwise, this is an absolutely fantastic album from start to finish.
Kinda reminds me of Elliott Smith which is cool, but that doesn't even come close to making up for how long and boring this album is.
Pointlessly long, boring, repetitive, and way too many solos that don't need to be as long as they are.
It started really good, but I did start to lose interest a little bit by the end. None of it was straight up terrible, but this album could do with just being a bit shorter.
The.
Solid jazz.
I have had a weird relationship with ABBA over the last decade or so. I was put onto their music when I was really young, because my mum grew up listening to them, so she introduced me to their music too. And at the time, That was pretty much all the music I ever listened to, because you know, I was 7 and didn't know anything else. But over the years as my tastes changed, I started to discover music more independently, and ABBA just faded into obscurity in my mind, despite the huge part they played in my childhood. As a teenager, I had decided that I hated ABBA, that they were annoying oversaturated disco and bubblegum pop, and that I was embarassed to have had them as my favourite band when I was younger. But now, I'm glad to be open to thier music again. Due to how overplayed it is, I still can't stand to listen to Dancing Queen (just typical that it's on this album), but outside of that, I actually really liked this. This was my first time listening to a full ABBA album from front to back in probably nearly 15 years, and I'm surprised at how well it actually holds up. 7 year old me was definitely onto something.
Bowie's best if you ask me, it has that perfect blend of classic sounding 70s rock on side A, only to have one of the biggest changes of pace ever on side B with beautiful ambient music. Moss Garden and Neuköln could have just been the whole album and I would still have given it a 5.
I can tell that I like this, but I have never listened to salsa before so I don't really know what to make of it or what to rate it.
One of the most influential metal albums of all time or whatever, I get it. Maybe this helps get the album's point across, but better production and being less repetitive would make this album 100 times better.
A bit messy and rough around the edges, but definitely a fun album that's hard to criticise.
I'm going to take this opportunity to educate some people: it's pronounced "Byerk", if I hear one more person say "Byawk" I may just have to end the human race.
Are Muse the kind of band that really need to be represented on this list? Not really. But, if you're going to put any Muse album on the list, then this is absolutely the one. Easily their best in my opinion, real shame how hard they fell off after this album.
This is one versatile album. Want something light hearted to listen to in the background? This album is perfect. Silly lyrics and fun guitar riffs, and just a very fun feel to it, I mean come on, it's literally called "Dookie". But this album is surprisingly deep, both musically and lyrically. It's easy to see this album as just three guys getting together after school and making some fun punk music in one of their parents' garages, but it's surprisingly complex. And the lyrics can also be quite profound and thought provoking. Not on every song though of course, "All By Myself" is pretty self explanatory, but others such as "Coming Clean" and "Burnout" have more to them than just what's on the surface.
Definitely liked this more than I thought I would. I don't like a lot of what I've heard of Madonna's mid career, but this stands out as an exception. It has a great blend of alt pop with just the right amount of experimentation.
The Smiths make such straight forward indie pop rock that it feels like their music shouldn't be able to be as good as it is. But somehow despite their seemingly generic genre label, all 4 albums their discography are nothing short of amazing, and this is definitely one of the best ones.
Perfectly dark and moody, what could anyone not love about this album.
Greatest punk album of all time? Absolutely fucking not. Look, I really like this album. It's fun, fast, energetic, and the fact that it's only about half an hour is great, they clearly show self awareness that music like this can't be listened to for much longer than that. But this album simply isn't that adventurous. There is absolutely nothing actively bad about this album, every song on it is great. But they all just sound exactly the same.
I've never listened to anything like this, so I have no idea how to even review it. All I can tell you is that I really didn't like it.
Nothing really that special, but a solid album nonetheless.
This is amazing. Definitely the best Elton John album I've got yet. The passion in the vocals as well as the music is incredible.
Man, I'm only a quarter of the way through this list and I've already got half of the Bowie albums on here. Well, for now I have nothing to complain about. I absolutely love this album. The blend of 60s and 70s pop rock for this super unique and forward thinking album is great.
There are definitely some good ideas on this album, but my god 90% of this is just painfully boring. There are just a handful of tracks that really did stand out to me, and I must say I loved her voice. But unfortunately that doesn't save this album from a low rating.
Definitely some of the jazziest jazz to have ever jazzed.
Solid enough album, definitely one I can see growing on me. It's one of those weird ones where even after just one listen, I thought it was nothing more than decent, but for some reason I feel like I can predict the future here and I just *know* that it will grow on me. But it isn't the future yet, so I'm going to have to say that it was just ok.
The good news is, only about half of this album is painfully boring. The bad news is, when it isn't boring, it's annoying. And that's arguably worse.
This blend of rock with synthpop is amazing. Really fun album.
I really don't get the hype around R.E.M. Their music is completely inoffensive, but there's nothing remotely interesting about it.
I'm so glad that New Order decided to rebrand themselves after Ian Curtis died, they wouldn't have lasted long continuing as Joy Division. It really gave them the creative freedom to experiment more with synthpop and new wave, as opposed to pure post-punk. And with that, we have amazing albums like this. Ian Curtis' death was obviously a tragedy, but New Order are an amazing silver lining.
It's great to see that so many young people (me included) still listen to and admire the artistic value of so much older music from the 60s and 70s, and sometimes even further back than that. Rod Stewart is one of those artists that I've hear of, I'm very familiar with his name, but only from being talked about by older people who grew up listening to his music when it was new. And having listened to this, I understand why that is. This guy is nowhere near in the same league as The Beatles, Bowie, Pink Floyd, The Velvet Underground, etc. There is a good reason that he is slowly fading into obscurity.
An all time classic, of course. I think that it does suffer slightly from having a few stand out singles and the rest of the album not really being all that memorable. But the singles are so good, and even the rest of the album is solid as hell, so it's really easy to forgive.
I don't think that this album is quite long and annoying enough. 1 star for a half assed job at a completely dogshit album, and instead only having a pretty shit album.
This album does have some cool moments, but then those moments go on for too long and stop being cool.
Punk in the 60s is insane. This is arguably more ahead of its time than any other album ever made.
The Doors are one of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock in the late 60s. But at the same time, for an era that's so old, this album can feel quite generic at times. I'll just say that my 2 perspectives on this album cancel out and it's just a really solid 60s psychedelic rock album.
I can't see myself returning to this album any time soon, if ever again. But as unmemorable as it was, it was perfectly fine to listen to.
Really solid folk album with lots of great songs and clear emotions. Although I would love to have a word with who decided on the genres for this one. In what world is this psychedelic rock, but not folk? Utterly insane.
Eh, just keeps going and doesn't do anything to even remotely hold my interest.
Elvis is just one of those artists who was so popular back in the day, that his popularity can still be seen in the modern age. But wow this is painfully mediocre and has not at all stood the test of time.
I don't need to explain why this is one of the greatest albums of all time. Just get off your ass and go listen to it if you haven't already.
It's really hard to go wrong with Stevie Wonder, his music is just so soothing and comforting.
Absolutely beautiful album. Joni Mitchell continues to impress, as expected of course.
For soul music this is pretty soulless.
Well this band name certainly doesn't lie, that definitely was music.
Must have been insane to hear this back in the 60s, this was the heaviest music in existence until Black Sabbath came along.
The country-rock fusion is quite a hard one to pull off, but this is a really solid attempt at it. Some of these songs have such amazing riffs with genuinely passionate and emotional vocals, while some can really drag on a bit. If you take out some of the less interesting filler tracks, this could be an all time classic.
Some of the most annoying and solluess pop music I have ever heard.
Despite the popular opinion, I definitely think that Kings of Leon got a lot better with time. This album is so boring and generic, but once they reached Only By the Night, that album is a soft rock masterpiece.
Led Zeppelin except slightly less interesting.
There are so many amazing and interesting jazz albums in the world. This is not one of them.
Iggy pop is one of those artists that I appreciate, but have never really been able to properly get into. I just much prefer the rawness and aggression of The Stooges.
This is the kind of album that 2 years ago I would have absolutely hated. I would have thought it was cheesy and annoying, and almost has a bit of a Stock, Aitken, and Waterman type quality to it. But I feel like since then I have really learned to appreciate new wave for what it is, and I can absolutely say that I now love this album.
Alex Turner solo project goes surprisingly hard.
Far too much rootin' tootin' yee haw for my liking.
What this album lacks in quality, it makes up for in comedy.
Even using my imagination won't help me like this album.
How The Beatles were already this huge at this point in their career is beyond me. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with their first few albums, this music is so basic, even for the standards at the time.
One of the most beautiful albums ever made. Buckley showcases his amazing voice on every damn song with such incredible passion. And that cover of Hallelujah is one of the greatest songs to ever grace my ears (Pun DEFINITELY intended). Jeff Buckley was taken from us too soon, I would love to have seen what he would have gone on to make after this.
Most of this is greyed out on Spotify, so I'll just have to review what I did listen to. Definitely liked this more than I expected, I fully thought that this was just going to be another really boring 50s album that hasn't stood the test of time. And it sort of is that, but in a way a lot of of competes surprisingly well with the standards of today.
This list really needs more psychedelic rock from the late 60s, there just isn't quite enough.
I actually really like this more stripped back approach to new wave, it's quite an original sound and I've never heard anything quite like it. Definitely one I can see myself getting into even more in the future.
I see the argument that this album can feel a bit rough around the edges, but in my opinion that actually works to the album's strengths, having it not feel overproduced, or "glossy". The mix of guitars and synths is almost unmatched by how well New Order manage it, and the wide range of influences that they take really makes this my favourite album of theirs.
Definitely not grunge at its absolute best, but there's no denying that this is still a great album. It keeps everything that's already great about this era of music and adds a touch of theatrics into the mix to make for a really interesting and unique take on grunge.
I appreciate Queen, I really do. But for some reason this album just really didn't do it for me. I can tell that it's good, so I'll still give it the benefit of the doubt, but it's far too grand and theatrical for me.
This album singlehandedly layed the entire groundworks for britpop, and for that I will always be grateful to it.
A bit rough around the edges sure, but with this album The Cure started to show their real potential. Sticking to their post punk roots while still expanding their sound to make one of the most unique albums of the early 80s. The passion is definitely there in the vocals in a way that Three Imaginary Boys just didn't have, and the guitar work is nothing short of fantastic, most notably in The Forest, one of my personal favourite guitar riffs in their entire discography.
The odd cool moment, and it takes influences from a great diverse selection of genres and backgrounds. But on the whole, I did find this quite boring. Maybe this album would have sounded better if I listened to it in a night club instead of while doing my laundry.
An "American" album is the last thing I needed today. And on top of that it's not even that good.
When I began this journey, I feel like I was a bit harsh on Nick. But after having recieved a few of his albums, they were starting to grow on me. But now I feel like I'm back at square one with him. What the actual fuck is this. Before I mention anything else, this is some of the worst production I have ever heard in my life. And oh my God the vocals, it sounds like a really shitty attempt and imitating The Stooges, but forgetting the part where they are actually a good band.
Steely Dan's ability to seamlessly blend rock with jazz and funk is unrivaled. Their music somehow manages to sound so 70s, yet so timeless at the same time.
This list is so jam packed full of really shitty psychedelic rock albums of this era that sometimes I almost forget that there are some good ones. And boy is this one great, just a bagner album from start to finish.
I have a brain, so 5 stars.
I had no idea what to expect from this, but I love it. The mix of rock and electronic is fantastic, and I love the raw and punchy vocals. Definitely a band I'll be checking out more now.
I really did try to go into this with an open mind, and seperate Mariah from the one song we all know and hate her for. But my God I still couldn't stand every minute of this. One of the most pointlessly long and boring albums I have ever listened to.
I've been meaning to listen to more of the Wu-Tang solo albums, and my God after hearing this one I need to check out more. Such amazing vocals and phenomenal production all around.
Duh.
I completely reject the idea that Nirvana are only to revered today because Kurt Cobain died early, and this album is the reason why. Nirvana were a part of the grunge scene in the early to mid 90s, and like many "scene" genres, grunge was destined not to last. If you look at another grunge band like Pearl Jam for example, they are still going to this day and they have been stuck making the same album from a dead genre for 20 years because they never evolved their sound. But Nirvana were never going to fall into that cycle. Even though they had such a short run, they evolved their sound with every album. And with In Utero, they start to take influence from noise rock (a slightly more timeless genre), and mixed with their grunge roots it sounds amazing. It's a real shame that Kurt died so early, I would love to have seen what Nirvana managed to achieve after this.
This reminds me a lot of Portishead, and theoretically that would be a good thing because I love Portishead. However, this just feels like a really cheap copy of them and this album is far too long and repetitive.
I feel like the more albums I get by The Kinks, the less I like them. This is just your average B-list 60s band, and there's nothing wrong with them, I just think that their music is far overrepresented on this list.
Absolutely no contest, this is the best hip hop album of the 90s. The rapping is absolutely top notch, and the beats and instrumentals are just as fantastic. The hip hop scene in New York was bursting in the 90s, and this album is the absolute best thing that era of music has to show for it.
Nothing especially groovy, but there's still a fun energy to this one.
I was expecting more of a horrorcore type style, but I still really liked this. This take on punk is a really interesting one, and definitely one I want to explore more.
A great opening track, and a great closing track (even though it's just a reprise of the opening track). But everything in the middle is boring as hell.
Pretty standard run of the mill new wave album, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that.
I'm not exactly sure how to feel about this one. Obviously it's clear how insanely talented Beyoncé is, but this is just so generic and commercialised.
This album just takes everything that's amazing about Kraftwerk's music, and just makes it really annoying. You can really tell that synths were this really new thing, and that electronic music was in its infancy just by how overused synths are in this album. It's all good and well for a song or two, but they all just sound exactly the same.
Fun as hell hip hop album. I feel like a lot of 80s hip hop hasn't aged the best, but this one definitely still holds up.
This album is about as close to punk as post punk can get, while still getting away with being called post punk. And I feel like that's honestly this album's biggest weakness. The whole idea of post punk is to take punk's raw aggression, and channel that anger into something more melodic and emotional. But this album blurs the lines between the 2 genres so much, and you're left with something that doesn't have the rawness and grit of punk, but also lacks the more melodic beauty of post punk.
I really appreciate what this guy was trying to do with this album, but this is quite possibly the worst possible way that it could have been executed. Trying to get westernised people to be open to Indian music is a great thing, but this isn't how it should be done. The best thing is honestly to just have people listen to this type of music without thinking about it too much. He goes too much out of his way to try and get people to like this music, and in my opinion this doesn't work. He also goes in to far too much detail about music theory and explains all the technicalities of scales and what all the instruments do. I can't speak for everyone, but all that stuff just goes completely over my head. Music is about feeling and emotion, and having a connection to it. Not about maths or theory. In fact, people placing too much importance on letting music theory decide whether they like a piece of music is one of my biggest pet peeves.
I was fully expecting not to like this one, but it was surprisingly good. Really great and melodic, and a good amount of diversity. All things that the other albums lacked that I have heard by these guys.
Definitely one of my favourites from Neil Young so far. I definitely think he showcases how great of a vocalist he is on this album more than any of the others I have heard, as well and having some of his most interesting and diverse instrumentals.
So many double albums feel bloated, but not this one. Led Zeppelin waste absolutely no time on this album for its entire runtime of 82 minutes. Every song brings something interesting to the table, and still flows seamlessly.
I appreciate the attempt to experiment. But seriously, who the fuck is this music for.
Not the most interesting or wild jazz album I have ever heard, but this definitely made getting up super early in the morning a lot more bearable.