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Mon Jan 08 2024
Pink Moon
Nick Drake
Very enjoyable as background music. The titular song is an old favorite. When taking into account the background of the artist, it gives you an entirely new outlook on the music and his writing. Haunting. Very similar to JCF. Nick Drake even does a cover of Blues Run the Game.
4
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Tue Jan 09 2024
Doolittle
Pixies
Debaser and Monkey Gone to Heaven steal the show.
2
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Wed Jan 10 2024
Fever To Tell
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
I feel like this album could have come out anytime from the 80s until today. Unique and timeless.
2
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Thu Jan 11 2024
Innervisions
Stevie Wonder
Undeniable classics in don’t you worry bout a thing and higher ground. The songs are noticeably longer and there are less of them than the last few albums.
3
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Fri Jan 12 2024
Siamese Dream
The Smashing Pumpkins
Guitar Hero 3! A lot of recognizable sounds and good songs.
3
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Mon Jan 15 2024
1989
Taylor Swift
At least 6 absolute hits on one album. The second half of the album drops off heavily. Taylor’s songwriting is undeniable.
4
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Tue Jan 16 2024
Tusk
Fleetwood Mac
Likable. There were a few songs that were especially enjoyable, but nothing jumped out at me. I bet if I listened to it a few more times I would like it more, but this is 1001 albums and competition is fierce. Interesting that this was the album directly after the album with Dreams/Everywhere/etc. it didn’t have any comparable hits.
2
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Wed Jan 17 2024
Bone Machine
Tom Waits
What first sounds like someone jokingly singing in Mr. Krabs’ voice opens up into heartbreaking and actually very good songwriting. A lot of the riffs are memorable and the progression of the album works - as the last song ended I reached for my phone to turn it off, intuitively knowing the song was the conclusion.
Overall, I’m extremely impressed with the songwriting, music, and subject matter. His voice is integral to the sound, but also makes it jarring and inaccessible. Make Adele cover this album and every song would be a hit, but it would be empty without Tom’s voice. I give it a three because it is compelling, but inherently flawed. I will be revisiting this album.
3
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Thu Jan 18 2024
Halcyon Digest
Deerhunter
Much more easy to listen to than Tom Waits. I didn’t feel anything groundbreaking from the album, but it was noticeably more fun to listen to in the car as opposed to just on my phone. I also felt as if the album ramped up throughout, which was nice.
3
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Fri Jan 19 2024
Liege And Lief
Fairport Convention
Felt very generic for me. Likely because I don’t have the familiarity with the genre. Lead singer’s voice was technically solid, but sounded like a parody of itself. When she talked at the end I liked her natural voice better. I thought of yodeling throughout. The music itself sounded like b real Western background music.
2
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Mon Jan 22 2024
Bayou Country
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Many iconic sounds/riffs/melodies that have been copied so many times at this point that they’ve become a cliche. Brilliant album that has clearly been an inspiration for many.
4
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Tue Jan 23 2024
We Are Family
Sister Sledge
The titular song takes me back to Elementary/Middle School and Cove Camp. This song was family friendly and so of course was on steady rotation. There was this one kid who could belt the Sister Sledge voices super well. All of the camp counselors and other campers were super impressed and kept making him sing it. I thought I did it pretty good but he was obviously better, and I was quite jealous.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed my listen through of the album. I went back to “Thinking of You” and listened to it again later in the day - I’ll probably sample it for the mixtape.
3
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Wed Jan 24 2024
The Sensual World
Kate Bush
Sounded very experimental and all over the place. Leading with the title song is always interesting to me, because it would be like starting a movie with the climax. Kate Bush hit a lot of different sounds on the album, but to me it feels like something of its own time. I imagine it was quite groundbreaking when it came out, but so was the Atari. With that in mind, I’m not going to go out of my way to play an Atari.
2
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Thu Jan 25 2024
Beautiful Freak
Eels
Susan’s House and the Shrek song alone bring it up to a 2 stars for me. Otherwise, it isn’t musically compelling enough to carry the humor and isn’t funny enough to carry the music. Too presumptuous and relying on the fact that the listener “gets it” as their making their way through the album.
Just kidding, the Susan’s House piano is from Gladys Knight. It’s a 1 star from me dog.
1
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Fri Jan 26 2024
Lust For Life
Iggy Pop
Enjoyable to listen through. Had multiple songs that I had heard but didn’t know the name to (namely The Passenger and Lust For Life). I have always heard of Iggy Pop, but didn’t know if I knew any of his songs. Glad this one came up on the list.
3
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Mon Jan 29 2024
Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Wu-Tang Clan
Quite possibly the most overrated rap album of all time. It really is pretty wild how Wu-Tang is a household name after the listen through. The concepts are really what made them money as a pop culture icon. The way they reference and sample old kung-fu movies is so quotable and repeatable, and also something that was ahead of its time, echoing throughout rap even today.
With that in mind, they do have some all time rap hits on here in protect ya neck, cream, wtcantfw, and maybe even bring the ruckus.
In my listen through I liked it even more than I thought I would. I think this album dropped right before rap really started to elevate, and in retrospect I imagine it likely had a huge impact on that. I could continue writing, but to put it succinctly - I think this is a grossly overrated album, but I still think it’s iconic and a good listen. The wrap equivalent of watching an old western movie.
4
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Tue Jan 30 2024
Brothers
The Black Keys
I remember when this album came out in high school. I played guitar and sang Jim Croce for my senior project (mediocre at best) but the girls and Ms. Bowman in my class loved it. This dude came after me and did the most mind blowing piano playing and it was completely under appreciated. Shoutout Traeton! Anyway, he loved this album when it came out, so I always think of him when I hear it.
With that in mind, the album had some hits but was an easy listen. To me you could play that entire album through as background music at a bar and I would be cool with it.
This was another one of those albums that had a definitive finish. As the last song faded out, I knew it was over.
3
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Wed Jan 31 2024
Deja Vu
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Listened to it all the way through at once on YouTube. I thought it was fine. Definitely appeared older and was not as timeless as some of the other older albums on here. I thought it was easy listening but not specifically compelling.
2
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Thu Feb 01 2024
Off The Wall
Michael Jackson
It’s MJ. What can I say. Found myself singing multiple songs after listening through. Definitely front loaded with hits, which makes sense when it comes to records/cassettes/CDs that start at the same point. Still not the elusive 5 star that I’m looking for.
4
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Fri Feb 02 2024
Planet Rock: The Album
Afrika Bambaataa
Cool and unique, but not super listenable. At over 40 minutes with 7 songs, we’re looking at almost 6 minutes per song on average. The cool factor is that the songs actually change and progress, but they’re not compelling enough to hold my attention for that long.
Especially in modern day when we have catchier songs that are less than 2 minutes long. I acknowledge that the instant gratification that comes from less nuanced, shorter songs, certainly impacts my view of this.
With that, the rapping is a relic of the past. It’s like the first time someone landed an Ollie in skateboarding it was the craziest thing, but now everyone is (rightfully so) desensitized to it. I’m looking for the 900, not the Ollie.
2
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Mon Feb 05 2024
Murmur
R.E.M.
Couldn’t tell you a single song. Good mellow background music, but I felt that the vocals were washed out by the rest of the sound. Probably good to study or read with. I can’t dance to it, I can’t sing to it, I can’t wallow in my misery to it, I can’t party to it, and it doesn’t hype me up. So there’s a limited use case for me. After all, to me the entire album felt like a Murmur…
2
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Tue Feb 06 2024
Time Out
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
When it started I felt like I was in 101 Dalmatians. The first few songs were definitely the poppiest, with discernible, catchy riffs. The remainder really blended together for me.
It’s timeless though, everything from the production quality on felt solid and clean. Unfortunately, I feel like this kind of album is played out now, just because it has been parodied so much in pop culture. I can imagine when it came out it was groundbreaking though.
2
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Wed Feb 07 2024
Disraeli Gears
Cream
Guitar Hero 3! Sunshine of Your Love has one of those riffs that you feel like was always there. It’s so simple, yet so iconic and catchy. One of the best riffs of all time. I feel like there were a couple of other good songs on the album, but it was mostly forgettable otherwise. I will give it a 3 star for housing an all time song.
3
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Thu Feb 08 2024
Murder Ballads
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
This is the kind of thing that if the boys were at a bar and a live performer played this it would be funny and surprising and would be a fun inside joke that we would have after that. I am all about over the top comedy, but I am expecting more musically from 1001 albums.
For this type of album to land for me on this list, it needs to be very strong (or at least memorable) musically. The most memorable thing about this album were the lyrics to Stagger Lee. But even that song is a reimagining of an older song not attributable to the band. The most similar type of music to this that I would like from the list is The Metal by Tenacious D. It’s Jack Black trolling, but he also has a hype all time guitar riff.
1
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Fri Feb 09 2024
It's Blitz!
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Definitely an improvement compared to the first album we listened to from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. It was solid but didn’t blow me away.
3
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Mon Feb 12 2024
Nilsson Schmilsson
Harry Nilsson
I was pleasantly surprised with the album. Coconut was a fun thing to have thrown in there, followed by Without You as well. I enjoyed my listen through. I felt as if Nilsson had a good balance of music and jest/comedy. Most of the funny albums we have listened to have been lacking musically in comparison.
4
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Tue Feb 13 2024
Sheer Heart Attack
Queen
Trademark Queen sound. I didn’t know any of the songs and probably won’t revisit any of them. A quick and fun listen.
3
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Wed Feb 14 2024
The Poet
Bobby Womack
Pleasantly surprised. Liked the hard hitting anthems he started with. Something simple and fun about this type of R&B. Reminded me a lot of Luther Vandross. Definitely belongs on the love making playlist. Much to wholesome for the slaying sloots playlist.
3
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Thu Feb 15 2024
Every Picture Tells A Story
Rod Stewart
I really enjoyed the album. The sound was iconic and felt very patriotic. This is the kind of music that you would listen to while you’re doing hoodrat shit with your boys back whenever it came out. I imagine us turning this on, combing back our mullets, jumping in the eep, and going to fight the establishment. This is the type of music that was always there and I imagine will always be there.
4
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Fri Feb 16 2024
Fetch The Bolt Cutters
Fiona Apple
I Want You to Love Me is actually a banger. Well, at least the first 2 minutes of it is. I really wanted to give this 3 stars, but I can’t for 2 prime minutes in a 51 minute album. So many of these albums have their best song(s) front loaded in general. I don’t like it.
With that in mind, awesome piano sample (sped up nine inch nails?) with some edgy angsty lyrics? I’m in.
“I move with the trees
In the breeze
I know that time is elastic
And I know when I go
All my particles disband and disperse
And I'll be back in the pulse
And I know none of this'll matter
In the long run
But I know a sound is still a sound
Around no-one.”
That shit is hard, en garde.
1 star for each good minute of the album.
2
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Mon Feb 19 2024
After The Gold Rush
Neil Young
Really good. Nice melodies and songwriting. I have a few of the songs stuck in my head. I listened to the album all the way through though, so I will have to go back and see their names. This is either a high 3 or a low 4 for me. Enjoyed it the whole way through.
3
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Tue Feb 20 2024
Appetite For Destruction
Guns N' Roses
Great stuff. The hits are spread throughout, unlike a lot of the albums we’ve had that are very front loaded. One of those albums that feels very American. I still remember the first time I saw Slash. He just permeated cool and needed no introduction. Kinda like a rapper in that he was one of those guys that you never saw without his sunglasses on. I still think I’ve never seen his eyeballs. He really is like an anime character.
Welcome to the Jungle was the introduction song for GH3, so anytime someone turned on the game they heard that first riff.
It’s actually hard for me to believe this album came out only 6 years before I was born. I would have guessed way earlier. An all time great.
4
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Wed Feb 21 2024
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
Not bad. Remarkable for being a side project, but I’m not quite sure what caused it to make the list. With a third of the songs left I was waiting for it to be over. No real interest in listening to it again.
2
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Thu Feb 22 2024
3 + 3
The Isley Brothers
Great album. Starts off going ham and carries it throughout. Odd with the different remixes/radio versions and interviews being included on the album though. What I thought was an interlude ended up being a 6 minute interview. Either way, original songs that have been heavily covered mixed in with covers. Good stuff.
3
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Fri Feb 23 2024
Paris 1919
John Cale
Liked the vibe. I didn’t necessarily “get” the album though. Short and moderately sweet, but fairly forgettable.
2
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Mon Feb 26 2024
The Joshua Tree
U2
2 absolute bangers in with or without you and I still haven’t found what I’m looking for. My memory of U2 for the longest time was simply them being referenced in 1985, as well as switchfoot talking about bono in one of their songs.
Then there was this animated graphically violent video of a bunny protagonist fighting against impossible odds. The video was set to Sunday Bloody Sunday. The bunny dies a gory, heartbreaking death. Very sad.
Finally, Tim Cook force downloaded the one U2 album to everyone’s iPods without consent. It still auto plays every time Allie plugs her phone into her car.
All of that to say, most of my memories of U2 have been the culture surrounding them. They do have some bangers though.
3
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Tue Feb 27 2024
Illinois
Sufjan Stevens
This was like the Skyrim of albums that we’ve listened to thus far. 22 songs at an hour and fifteen minutes long. So much content, but there was also so much diversity built into the album. It was weird, for sure, but I was pleasantly surprised from the beginning on. Pleasant to listen to, not overly obsessed with itself. Great album.
4
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Wed Feb 28 2024
Bat Out Of Hell
Meat Loaf
Hard to follow right after Illinois. But this album had an average song length of almost 7 minutes. Thats way too crazy. As I was listening to the last song I thought to myself, “Ok that was a pleasant ending, seemed shorter than some of the other songs though.” When I looked at the time there was still 5 and a half minutes left. Insane. I found it hard to stay engaged. Conceptually it was interesting with each song seeming to have multiple parts/acts, but it just wasn’t entertaining enough to carry it.
2
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Thu Feb 29 2024
Go Girl Crazy
The Dictators
The feeling from this album blended in with the last album to me. I think that’s going to continue to happen and I am going to get more snobbish as we go through the list. It’s hard not to be critical when the biggest thing that jumps out at me is a Sonny and Cher cover. I do not have the historical context to this band, but I wasn’t super impressed.
2
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Fri Mar 01 2024
Crazysexycool
TLC
The first true peer to 1989. A mix of anthems and ballads. Romance, infidelity, drama, and ending it out with an uncredited Andre 3000 verse. This album is oozing with talent - P Diddy, Dupri, Babyface, and even Prince all have production looks.
This album actually carries all the way through and doesn’t slow down. The main hit is midway through and they creatively use interludes to provide levity and keep the album from dragging in the second half. I really thought the last song had to be a throwaway, and then they kick it off with a verse from one of the greatest rappers of all time.
It’s tempting to make this a 5 star, especially considering I only knew creep and waterfalls prior to listening. However, while this album was more consistent throughout, 1989 had significantly more hits front loaded. A strong 4 star performance.
4
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Mon Mar 04 2024
Heroes
David Bowie
Love David Bowie’s style but couldn’t jive with the album. The titular song is iconic, but other than that I will not seek out any of the songs from this album.
2
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Tue Mar 05 2024
Highway 61 Revisited
Bob Dylan
Liked it. Very pleasant to listen to. Like a Rolling Stone is a brilliant song. I hope there’s more Bob Dylan on the list for us to listen through.
3
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Wed Mar 06 2024
I Am a Bird Now
Antony and the Johnsons
Sounds like a drag queen singing contemporary Christian music. Don’t get me wrong, I watch RuPaul every Friday. Good singers are the exception. Contemporary Christian speaks for itself.
1
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Thu Mar 07 2024
Vol. 4
Black Sabbath
Really enjoyed the album. Was surprised to see Changes on there/had no clue it was them. Very pleased to see a well-known band like Black Sabbath deliver on an album that isn’t considered their best or most well known. Felt very content/satisfied listening to the album.
4
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Fri Mar 08 2024
She's So Unusual
Cyndi Lauper
Didn’t know what to expect and went in blind. Was met with multiple hits that everyone has heard before. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and Time After Time have both been played in movies and other forms of media throughout my life. Fun to see where they come from. I had no clue they were from the same person let alone who that person was. Another great example of the type of album I would want to be on the list.
4
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Mon Mar 11 2024
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
The Smashing Pumpkins
The new holder of the Skyrim award. Such a huge amount/variety of content. It really is a sign of the times though. If I had to pay $10 for an album like this vs $10 for a 45 minute album, the value would be insane. The problem is that time is a lot more sacred in music now because of accessibility and streaming. I don’t just have a cd in my car, instead I can stream basically whatever I want. As a result, this album becomes a chore to listen to after some time.
That being said, they spread their hits out very well on the album and it was definitely generally enjoyable. It would at least be a 4 if they took 40 minutes of the best songs and made an album out of that. I really do applaud the band for the work as a whole. It’s just not captivating enough for me to not feel inconvenienced listening to the whole thing.
3
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Tue Mar 12 2024
From Elvis In Memphis
Elvis Presley
I like both Elvis and Memphis, but I didn’t find the album super listenable. Some of it is this kind of music being out of style, but other than Suspicious Minds, there weren’t any big hits. Additionally, “In the Ghetto” is very cringeworthy to listen to nowadays.
Based on looking up the songs from Elvis that I know, it seems like there are multiple albums that are better than this. I’ll be interested to see what else makes the list.
2
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Wed Mar 13 2024
The Last Broadcast
Doves
Good background noise. Fairly boring and not memorable, but if it was playing at a bar I wouldn’t mind it.
How many stars does being not off putting rate? Another one where I’m not quite sure why it’s on the list.
2
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Thu Mar 14 2024
3 Years, 5 Months And 2 Days In The Life Of...
Arrested Development
Some fun beats but the rapping is too weak for me to enjoy it. Keep in mind this dropped the same time “It Was a Good Day” by Ice Cube and the first singles of Illmatic came out. There was significantly better rap coming out at this time.
Do I give it a 3 because I like rap and it was probably influential?
*Insert Lord of the Rings Isildur “no” meme*
2
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Fri Mar 15 2024
Like Water For Chocolate
Common
Made 6 years after Common dropped one of the greatest rap songs of all time in “I Used to Love H.E.R.” Like Water for Chocolate is an awkwardly placed album. The old rap that Common came out of is getting left behind as we move into early 2000’s rap. Eminem was in his prime dropping The Marshall Mathers LP. OutKast was dropping pop hits. Gangsta rap was on its way.
Common’s album is in between. He has a similar style to the older records, but has also somewhat adopted the new styles. “The Light” “The Sixth Sense” and “The Questions” are all great songs, but I can’t help but feel that Common got left behind. To me he feels like a dad trying to rap with the kids. It feels disingenuous to hear him saying the “pussy n words” and the “f words.” It’s jarring and makes the album less timeless, while in an arena where he couldn’t/wouldn’t compete with the other rappers coming out.
In the skit at the end of “The Sixth Sense” he acknowledges the hypocrisy by intentionally saying that he is out to represent women, followed by him smacking a prostitute. It’s oddly self aware, but also a good example of his hubris. Common has always seemed to have that “holier than though” rap style, but I feel like he also brought himself down to everyone else’s level.
Aside from that, aside from the standout songs, the album is bland and forgettable. I don’t think Common had the ability/motivation to ever really leave the early 90’s style behind.
3 stars due to an overall bland album with some standout awesome songs.
3
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Mon Mar 18 2024
On The Beach
Neil Young
The album came in strong with Walk On and then faded until the titular song. I played it in the background of a family gathering and it provided good vibes. Two good songs, the rest of it being good background music makes it a 2-3.
I don’t know if it would be the type of thing that I would be satisfied/content listening to all the way through without doing something else. Overall, I’m glad I listened to it, but it doesn’t provide as an album.
2
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Tue Mar 19 2024
Fragile
Yes
Really like Roundabout but the rest of it wasn’t super memorable. I know I have heard Roundabout before but I don’t know where. I think it must be a song my Dad likes. I definitely associate the familiar part of it with like Chicago or The Eagles. The Chicago part may be similar to 25 or 6 to 4? Idk but I would like to find out.
2 stars for a song I really like on an album that I don’t care for too much.
2
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Wed Mar 20 2024
Bad Company
Bad Company
Didn’t mind it, but wasn’t particularly impressed or intrigued. I was pleased that it was only 34 mins. I think a lot of the albums recently have been way too long.
If my favorite thing about an album is that it’s short, prob can’t go above 2 star.
2
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Thu Mar 21 2024
Band On The Run
Paul McCartney and Wings
I felt like I was listening to a greatest hits album for the first half. There are a lot of bangers/familiar songs. Even if I didn’t specifically recognize a song, there would be a guitar riff or something that was undeniably good/iconic. Cool to see a branch off project be so successful. It’s limited to 4 stars instead of 5 for a bit of a lull in the 2nd half.
Overall really enjoyed it.
4
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Fri Mar 22 2024
2112
Rush
3 stars for being unique and cool/interesting. I’m curious to know where the album came from conceptually. Also, was it just me or did the last part of the first song sound a lot like don’t get fooled again by the Who?
3
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Mon Mar 25 2024
The Downward Spiral
Nine Inch Nails
How high can one song carry an album? Hurt and its legacy are undeniable. I don’t feel as if the album is very accessible, even hurt took me a few listens to appreciate it. That makes me wonder if the rest of the album would be the same way, though. Being that we have ~950 albums to listen to still, another listen will have to wait.
3
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Tue Mar 26 2024
Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes
This sounded like what I imagine contemporary Christian music would sound like if it was good. Very light, uplifting, and pleasant to listen to. One thing I thought was odd/interesting - a lot of the riffs seemed super familiar. I know I’ve heard of fleet foxes, but maybe I’ve heard a few songs here and there.
3
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Wed Mar 27 2024
Ingenue
k.d. lang
Pretty boring. Talented singer, but the compositions weren’t super compelling. I appreciate that it ended with what I feel is the strongest song in “Constant Craving” but by the time we got there I was just ready for the album to be over.
2
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Thu Mar 28 2024
White Light
Gene Clark
Another background music album. Very pleasant, but nothing jumped out at me. Probably good for a homework playlist or something. I feel like I must be missing context for these albums. But hey, this is 1001 Albums - you gotta come hard.
2
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Fri Mar 29 2024
Tidal
Fiona Apple
Much more accessible than bolt cutters. I enjoyed it in the first listen. I still think “I want you to love me” is her best song and I am still listening to it, but Tidal as an album is significantly better. I think she conformed more earlier in her career, which for a first time listener is easier to digest.
3
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Mon Apr 01 2024
Joan Armatrading
Joan Armatrading
Really liked it. Joan came in very strong and the album felt quick. Good singing, composition, and songwriting. It definitely blended a bit at the end. I’m surprised I’ve never heard of her before.
3
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Tue Apr 02 2024
Rust Never Sleeps
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
The first few songs felt like good singer-songwriter folk blues type music to me (reminded me of JCF). The Pocahontas song was straight up troll. Would never fly today.
2
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Wed Apr 03 2024
Happy Trails
Quicksilver Messenger Service
Catching up, so I just finished this one this afternoon. It was cool though, I liked the vibe. Lots of jamming with no lyrics. Nice driving tunes.
3
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Thu Apr 04 2024
Pyromania
Def Leppard
Great album to have on the list! Def Leppard is one of those bands I always knew of but was interested to actually listen to. So ideal for the list! I enjoyed it. I hope we will get more from them.
3
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Fri Apr 05 2024
Rid Of Me
PJ Harvey
Made it through. Thought it was better than Nick Cave, but that’s not saying much. A lot of it was noise, but there were some good transitions and guitar riffs. The way the album was mixed was odd. It seemed super quiet and far away, but it also further showed that it was from a different time/more raw than stuff I would listen to today.
2
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Mon Apr 08 2024
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Kanye West
The first 5 star album of the list for me.
Strong from the Nicki Minaj fairytale intro until the end of See Me Now. This is not my favorite Kanye, but it is probably the best Kanye. Between his rapping and production, this is his peak (alongside WTT). While his first few albums are very positive and he continues improving throughout them, his mom died before 808s (which directly preceded this album). That showed a big change in the hopefulness that came from his first few albums. 808s was his emo rap response to his mom passing away. This album is one step further where he’s on the edge between greatness and insanity. After this album, Kanye’s narcissism takes over and his albums reflect his deteriorating mental state (if you want to be kind to him) or his self-idolatry and obsession with controversy/maintaining relevancy.
Now for the album itself - great production, good features, Kanye-tier rapping (which I wouldn’t consider to be technically good on its own, but very relatable and with all time punchlines) every song (except arguably 1 or 2) are great songs on their own. While Kanye isn’t as strong a rapper, (which admittedly is why I didn’t like him as much when I was at the height of my rap music listening in high school) he is undeniably entertaining and quotable. The album is relentless in giving you banger after banger. From All of the Lights (perhaps his best song of all time) to the radio hits packed with stars (Monster and So Appalled) to ballads like Blame Game.
I came into the album thinking it was going to be a 4, but there simply aren’t that many rap albums that can compare across the board all the way through. I hate the cliche of me making a rap album my first 5 star, but I don’t mind the irony in Kanye dethroning T Swift for best album thus far.
5
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Tue Apr 09 2024
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
Boring. Fine to listen to and I feel like it’s somewhat timeless, but I’m not super interested in listening to any of it again.
2
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Wed Apr 10 2024
Van Halen
Van Halen
Fun! The type of album I like to see on this list. Classic.
3
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Thu Apr 11 2024
British Steel
Judas Priest
Enjoyed it. Another one of those old rock albums that blends together for me. Nothing breakout, but I liked it throughout.
3
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Fri Apr 12 2024
Here, My Dear
Marvin Gaye
Good vibes easy listening!
3
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Mon Apr 15 2024
What's Going On
Marvin Gaye
Still a 3 for Marvin. Some bangers, but it felt like it had a bunch of filler for only being 35 minutes long. Good vibes though as always.
3
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Tue Apr 16 2024
Rage Against The Machine
Rage Against The Machine
Loved it. It comes as no surprise, but a bit of familiarity goes a long way with me for an album. I had never listened to this one before, but the band’s sound is so distinct and consistent that I recognized it instantly as being associated with a song from my childhood. That song turned out to be from a different album, but the key elements of it are all present here.
The vocals and simple, yet mesmerizing guitar riffs carry the show for me. The message is angsty, anti-establishment, and mad. The sound matches the name perfectly.
I also felt as if this album was a continuous thought. From start to finish, it could have been one really long song. Maybe at some point that will show as a limitation or shoehorn for the band, but as a casual listener, I felt it made it easy to follow and get behind. As the album went on I was continually pulled in. The way they use chants to get you to sing along is genius and makes it easy to feel like you know a song quickly.
This is the best example of what a cohesive album should be from what we’ve seen thus far. No gimmicks, no heavy production, no features, just what felt like a heavy jam session that materialized into an album. Natural and fluid.
Finally, I want to make an analogy with MBDTF. MBDTF is like a Michael Bay blockbuster - crazy budget, tons of stars involved, etc. awesome. This album is like American Graffiti, no budget, just some prodigy’s and some magic. This album has cut Kanye’s reign of terror short. The crown goes to rage!
5
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Wed Apr 17 2024
Vauxhall And I
Morrissey
Boring and cringe. Probably made for some good love making in the 90s but it’s too late to pologize
2
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Thu Apr 18 2024
Odessey And Oracle
The Zombies
Super mellow, but blended together for me. To me it feels like one of those albums that’s cover art is better than the album. Season of Love I recognized immediately, maybe because of the Eminem song, but I also feel like it was in a movie or something.
3
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Fri Apr 19 2024
London Calling
The Clash
I really liked it. Super unique and a great variety. This album would have a ton of value in the 6 cd changer challenge. Multiple vibes and even genres throughout the album. This album felt like it took more risks and was more innovative than some of its contemporaries. At the same time, it had a handful of awesome hits. I’m a sucker for montage type songs and this album has them. A lot of the riffs are so familiar. I would like to see a family tree from this album of all the influences.
3
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Mon Apr 22 2024
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
With having the song named after the band in the album named after the band, I expected a bit more. Black Sabbath is one of those bands I’ve always been more curious about. I always assumed they would be more metal. This is obviously their first album, so maybe they build up as it goes.
3
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Tue Apr 23 2024
The College Dropout
Kanye West
Spoiler alert - Graduation Kanye is my favorite Kanye. I prefer Kanye’s message and personality in this album, but his overall abilities as an artist (producing and rapping) are not to the level of graduation, 808’s, and MBTDF. He still has some of his highest highs in this album in songs like all falls down, we don’t care, and slow jamz. The album in general is clearly more elementary though and has some weaker songs. Kanye is corny as hell, but still so arrogant that it works. He shows more humility in this album than later albums though, talking about how people didn’t think he could rap and how he had to prove himself. Jesus walks was one of the biggest middle school anthems for us. I could see Kanye looking back at this album and cringing at some of the songs though.
With all of that in mind, this album has one of my favorite Kanye lines - “Some of them dyslexic, their favorite 50 Cent song 12 questions.” In spite of him not rapping to the same level of some of his peers, he is one of the goats of 1 liners like that.
4
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Wed Apr 24 2024
Veckatimest
Grizzly Bear
Very excited to hear Two Weeks. It’s one of those songs I never would have known who it was by, but it was a welcome surprise in this album. I thought the album started really hot with the first few songs but I didn’t like the second half of it as much. Solid 3!
3
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Thu Apr 25 2024
New Forms
Roni Size
Too long. I was feeling it the first few songs, but I didn’t feel like there was enough variety to keep it going. I am fine with albums being consistent in their sound, but this album felt way too bland. If it were 20 mins it would be different. This is just too long. I think I would still like drum and bass though in general. You know what you’re gonna get with the drums, this album just didn’t have the accompaniment I would have liked. Shoutout toonami!
2
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Fri Apr 26 2024
Rhythm Nation 1814
Janet Jackson
I like Janet, but was dreading listening to a whole album by her. This one was pleasant though! I enjoyed it. I think in general I will stick with singles from her. And Poetic Justice of course.
3
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Mon Apr 29 2024
Raising Hell
Run-D.M.C.
I was expecting to feel like this album was overrated, but I was pleasantly surprised. Absolutely iconic. So many familiar songs. This album came out well before the era where I really started to like rap. Nice work!
4
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Tue Apr 30 2024
Back At The Chicken Shack
Jimmy Smith
Probably because I’m ignorant in Jazz, but it felt like elevator music. It was pleasant to listen to, but I feel like someone could preform this whole album at a bar and I wouldn’t be super impressed.
2
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Wed May 01 2024
Daydream Nation
Sonic Youth
Thought I would like it more. Felt like noise.
2
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Thu May 02 2024
All Hope Is Gone
Slipknot
It had some redeeming qualities. It would be interesting to me to ask someone that really likes this genre how this album separates itself.
2
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Fri May 03 2024
Virgin Suicides
Air
Felt like what it was - a movie soundtrack. Cool to have on in the background, but mostly just that. In saying that, I guess that the whole point of some music is just to have something playing in the background. For this list, I feel like we need something that sets it apart musically to be on here.
2
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Mon May 06 2024
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Arctic Monkeys
Unexpectedly awesome album. Great change of pace and fun to listen to. High 4!
4
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Tue May 07 2024
Jagged Little Pill
Alanis Morissette
I really liked it. I felt like I was transported back to Laguna Beach or something. I didn’t realize “Ironic” was going to be on this album, so that was a welcome surprise. That song is an all time banger.
3
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Wed May 08 2024
Strange Cargo III
William Orbit
I didn’t get it. Boring and I I don’t see why it’s on the list.
1