690
Albums Rated
3.29
Average Rating
63%
Complete
399 albums remaining
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Rating Timeline
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Activity by Day
When do you listen?
Taste Profile
1960s
Favorite Decade
Reggae
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Balanced
Rater Style
151
5-Star Albums
82
1-Star Albums
Taste Analysis
Genre Preferences
Ratings by genre
Origin Preferences
Ratings by country
Rating Style
You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yeezus | 5 | 2.77 | +2.23 |
| Happy Sad | 5 | 2.78 | +2.22 |
| Guitar Town | 5 | 2.81 | +2.19 |
| Bone Machine | 5 | 2.86 | +2.14 |
| More Specials | 5 | 2.96 | +2.04 |
| Truth And Soul | 5 | 2.97 | +2.03 |
| Throwing Muses | 5 | 2.98 | +2.02 |
| Underwater Moonlight | 5 | 3.05 | +1.95 |
| Smile | 5 | 3.06 | +1.94 |
| Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo | 5 | 3.09 | +1.91 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hounds Of Love | 1 | 3.61 | -2.61 |
| Brothers | 1 | 3.58 | -2.58 |
| Blue | 1 | 3.49 | -2.49 |
| Tres Hombres | 1 | 3.43 | -2.43 |
| At Fillmore East | 1 | 3.39 | -2.39 |
| Music for the Masses | 1 | 3.37 | -2.37 |
| Meat Is Murder | 1 | 3.32 | -2.32 |
| Horses | 1 | 3.31 | -2.31 |
| Since I Left You | 1 | 3.28 | -2.28 |
| It's Too Late to Stop Now | 1 | 3.25 | -2.25 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Radiohead | 4 | 5 |
| Bob Dylan | 5 | 4.8 |
| R.E.M. | 4 | 4.75 |
| Beatles | 3 | 5 |
| Nick Drake | 3 | 5 |
| Pixies | 3 | 5 |
| Nirvana | 3 | 5 |
| Black Sabbath | 3 | 5 |
| Jimi Hendrix | 3 | 4.67 |
| Beastie Boys | 3 | 4.67 |
| Yes | 3 | 4.67 |
| Johnny Cash | 3 | 4.67 |
| Prince | 3 | 4.67 |
| The Doors | 3 | 4.67 |
| Bob Marley & The Wailers | 3 | 4.67 |
| Stevie Wonder | 3 | 4.67 |
| The Beach Boys | 3 | 4.67 |
| OutKast | 2 | 5 |
| Pink Floyd | 2 | 5 |
| Peter Gabriel | 2 | 5 |
| Aretha Franklin | 2 | 5 |
| Beck | 2 | 5 |
| Portishead | 2 | 5 |
| Elliott Smith | 2 | 5 |
| The Clash | 2 | 5 |
| Kanye West | 2 | 5 |
| Led Zeppelin | 2 | 5 |
| Iggy Pop | 2 | 5 |
| The Velvet Underground | 2 | 5 |
| David Bowie | 6 | 4.17 |
| Metallica | 4 | 4.25 |
| The Kinks | 4 | 4.25 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 3 | 4.33 |
| The White Stripes | 3 | 4.33 |
| Sonic Youth | 5 | 4 |
Least Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| My Bloody Valentine | 3 | 1 |
| The Fall | 3 | 1 |
| Joni Mitchell | 4 | 1.5 |
| Morrissey | 3 | 1.33 |
| Kate Bush | 2 | 1 |
| Slipknot | 2 | 1.5 |
| Dexys Midnight Runners | 2 | 1.5 |
| The Verve | 2 | 1.5 |
| Everything But The Girl | 2 | 1.5 |
Controversial Artists
Artists you rate inconsistently
| Artist | Albums | Variance |
|---|---|---|
| Tim Buckley | 3 | 1.7 |
| Marvin Gaye | 2 | 1.5 |
| The Who | 5 | 1.36 |
| Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | 3 | 1.25 |
5-Star Albums (151)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
My Bloody Valentine
1/5
If you want to listen to 45 minutes of a dude playing with an effects pedal while people moan incoherently, this is the album for you.
8 likes
The Who
5/5
Crazy how the Who went forward in time so they could learn Behind Blue Eyes by Limp Bizkit.
6 likes
Elliott Smith
5/5
Tragic figure. You can really tell he was influenced by the Beatles, particularly Lennon. Smith ultimately inspired later artists like Ben Folds and the Shins. Great stuff here.
2 likes
4-Star Albums (180)
1-Star Albums (82)
All Ratings
Fela Kuti
3/5
Lauryn Hill
2/5
Overrated by far.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2/5
Eagles
3/5
Title track and Life in the Fast Lane are great. The rest is soft dad rock schlock.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
2/5
Not a fan of 60's jammy psychedelia.
Queens of the Stone Age
3/5
The Byrds
4/5
Brian Wilson
5/5
The Flaming Lips
5/5
ZZ Top
1/5
The Charlatans
1/5
Generic britpop. I think there was a recency bias from when the original book was published that allowed this album to make the cut.
Metallica
5/5
The B-52's
5/5
OutKast
5/5
Miriam Makeba
4/5
The Kinks
4/5
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
Crosby, Stills & Nash
4/5
Tom Waits
5/5
Beastie Boys
4/5
Thin Lizzy
2/5
Van Morrison
1/5
Another live album from the 70s
Linkin Park
2/5
Linkin Park sucked then and they suck now. “In the End” earns this album an extra star.
Beastie Boys
5/5
Can
3/5
Ella Fitzgerald
3/5
David Holmes
1/5
It’s fine, I guess. It was very much background music and I have a difficult time rationalizing how this is on a list of essential recordings.
Supergrass
4/5
The Specials
5/5
Pink Floyd
5/5
It's the Wall. What can be said that hasn't already been said at this point. It’s hard to get into if you’re not a Pink Floyd fan, but this is easily a 5/5 all time great album.
Beatles
5/5
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Hot Chip
2/5
5/5
Steely Dan
3/5
Jeru The Damaja
2/5
Tim Buckley
5/5
Very surprised by how much I liked this. Heavy on the vibraphone, but a very relaxing experience.
Joni Mitchell
1/5
I guess I just don’t get it. I found this to be extremely repetitive and tedious. Very boring music to my ears. I have a lot of love for 60s and 70s music, but this doesn’t even rate for me. I have no idea how Rolling Stone concluded that this is the 3rd best album of all time.
The Sabres Of Paradise
1/5
This is the kind of album that makes you question the judgement of the makers of this list. Absolutely terrible. I can’t imagine that the 47th best album of 1994 is essential listening, even with how stacked 1994 is for great releases.
There is the beginnings of something here, but none of the tracks go anywhere. It’s just a loop of sounds on every track. Who knows how they decided each track should be.
Marianne Faithfull
4/5
Alanis Morissette
5/5
This is not the best album of the 90s, but it does encapsulate the sound of the 90s perhaps better than any other record.
Yes
4/5
1/5
Not my cup of tea.
Michael Jackson
5/5
MJ has never been my favorite artist, and that’s ignoring the pedophilia. However, this is perhaps the epitome of essential listening. The influence of this album has been seen and written about over and over again for 40+ years.
The Avalanches
1/5
I’m getting very tired of electronic music. Probably 2/3 of my generated albums have been dance/electronic and I do not vibe with it.
My Bloody Valentine
1/5
If you want to listen to 45 minutes of a dude playing with an effects pedal while people moan incoherently, this is the album for you.
Nightmares On Wax
1/5
I do not understand why so many of these background music electronic albums are on this list. When the album finished, I didn't even notice that the music had stopped.
The Kinks
5/5
As far as the Kinks go, I’m only familiar with the hits, but I loved this album and it motivates me to become more familiar with their catalog.
The Pogues
3/5
Good but repetitive.
Nick Drake
5/5
LL Cool J
3/5
Rage Against The Machine
5/5
Miles Davis
3/5
It’s good, but jazz isn’t my jam.
The Auteurs
2/5
There’s so much great music of all genres and decades, but so far my list of albums from the 90s have been dominated by Britpop schlock. It’s fine, but “fine” isn’t a word that I would use to describe one of the 1001 most essential albums of all time.
Fishbone
5/5
I had never heard of this band and was very pleasantly surprised.
The Smiths
1/5
The instrumentals are good to almost great, but I really can’t stand Morrissey’s voice. It doesn’t help that he’s a pretentious dbag.
Manic Street Preachers
4/5
I had never heard of this band before, but I think labeling it as Britpop on this site is a misnomer. I found it to be much more punkish and dark in content compared to Britpop. Great instrumentals, but unfortunately, I had a hard time understanding the vocals. I had the lyrics up while I listened so I could follow along. I think this would hit harder had I listened to it contemporaneously with its release. All in all pretty solid listen.
The very tragic situation with Richey Edwards overshadows the music.
M.I.A.
3/5
I was surprised to find that I enjoyed this. I hated this when it came out in 2007 and “Paper Planes” was extremely overplayed. However, time and mellowing tastes happen and I don’t hate this. I probably won’t seek this out again, but it was fine for 45 minutes.
The Mamas & The Papas
4/5
Solid mid 60s album that is unfortunately marred by what we know about the band mates.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
1/5
No.
Peter Gabriel
5/5
This is definitely a product of its time, but not in a bad way. Peter Gabriel may be the crème de la crème of 80s music. Truly a great album that I was not familiar with prior to listening.
King Crimson
4/5
It’s not bad, but there’s a whole lot of prog and not a lot of rock. Overall a good listen, but I wouldn’t have it in my every day rotation.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
5/5
A very cool way to start the day. I’m not into jazz, but if I do listen to it, I prefer this big band swing style.
Iron Butterfly
2/5
2 stars for the title track, but there’s not much else worth listening to here.
Tori Amos
3/5
Not my cup of tea, but it was ok.
Johnny Cash
5/5
The final works of an absolute legend. Sincere and heartfelt. The deathbed testimonial of one of the greatest to ever do it is a reckoning of his entire life. Cash was not in good health during this recording and you can feel that he knew the end was near.
Aerosmith
2/5
Janie's Got a Gun nets this 2 stars, otherwise this is very bad. Aerosmith may be one of the worst bands of all time who inconceivably has staying power.
Ministry
1/5
I’m not opposed to metal or industrial music, but this just noise. Incoherent lyrics that were probably seen as subversive in 1992, but who knows because you can’t understand WTF these guys are saying. It seems that the Ministry think they’re very edgy, but it just comes off as cheesy and lame.
Jesus Built My Hotrod was pretty cool, though.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
I was always familiar with CCR growing up, but had never listened to a full album of theirs before starting this project. This is the 2nd CCR album I have generated and both have been fantastic. CCR stock is quickly rising in my rotation.
Michael Kiwanuka
5/5
I had never heard of this guy before and my expectations were low, but damn this was good!
Teenage Fanclub
3/5
The Strokes
4/5
Air
2/5
I'm not a fan of electronic music and this is certainly more listenable than other electronic albums I have gotten, but this is just background music to me. I'm sure it's good, but it does nothing for me. I also found the vocals to be over the top.
Weather Report
3/5
Very easy listening, but ultimately completely forgettable.
Primal Scream
3/5
I liked this more than I thought I would, but it wasn't great. Some decent bits, but nothing that demanded my attention. Very much in the background.
Astor Piazzolla
4/5
Very nice music and I enjoyed listening to it.
David Bowie
5/5
This is not my favorite of Bowie’s discography, but it is still great! “Changes” and “Life on Mars” are all time great songs. I know people rag on “Kooks” but my toddler loved it and was dancing to it, so it’s endeared to me.
System Of A Down
5/5
Tricky
1/5
I didn't mind Martina's vocals too much, but Trippy rapping underneath it was incoherent and does not mesh well with her vocals. Overall, I found this to be very boring and further solidifies my dislike of trip hop.
Isaac Hayes
4/5
Great musicianship but tracks are a little meandering.
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
I like the sound, but the songs are simply too long and it gets old listening to it. Very solid rock sound though.
Pixies
5/5
Fuck yeah, Pixies! This is one of the best albums of the 80s and without it, the 90s alternative wave looks a lot different.
Morrissey
2/5
I hate Morrissey and his stupid voice, but the music underneath his bored sounding vocals is quite nice. The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get is a pretty decent song.
Carole King
5/5
What a record! With Tapestry, Carole King proved that she couldn’t just write the hits, but she could sing them as well. I Feel the Earth Move immediately pulls you in and once you’re in, you’re here for the ride. A lot of the songs should be familiar as they were originally written for other artists, but King’s more relaxed renditions are quite nice.
Aretha Franklin
5/5
Urethra Franklin is one of the best singers of all time!
Devendra Banhart
3/5
I went back and forth on this one. One minute I thought it was quite good, then the next song would be terrible. Ultimately, I think there’s better folk music from this era. Not bad, but I will not revisit.
George Harrison
5/5
This is one of my favorites! George benefited from having a huge backlog of songs due to Paul and John dominating the Beatles songwriting. In my opinion, it stands as the best solo Beatles record out there and definitely deserves to be considered one of the best albums of all time.
Stereolab
2/5
Like most electronic music, I find this to be background music. Not terrible, but forgettable.
a-ha
2/5
I found this rather middling outside of Take on Me. I was very disappointed that I didn’t like it, but that’s how it goes sometimes.
LTJ Bukem
1/5
No
The Rolling Stones
3/5
It’s my long held belief that The Rolling Stones do not have any great albums. However, they are an excellent singles band. They fall into the category of bands whose best albums are the greatest hits records. I’ve listened to Beggars Banquet a few times over the years and on this fresh listen, the hits are still the only songs that I recall ever hearing. The tracks aren't bad, but they're just plain forgettable.
Elastica
2/5
This was derivative and kind of bad, to be honest. I’ve never been happy with the BritPop bias this list has, but having known plagiarists on this list is egregious. This was grungy after the grunge wave had come and was on its way out. I have a hard time believing this this is somehow one of 1001 records I should hear before I die.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
Solid mid 60s folk, but the hits do shine above the others.
B.B. King
4/5
BB King is one of the best to ever do it, and this album shows it. I don't usually like live albums, but the crowd did enhance the experience as I believe blues, like jazz, is best experienced in a live setting. The blues isn't one of my favorite genres, but the influence of the genre on popular music is undeniable.
Sonic Youth
5/5
Surprisingly I have never listened to Sonic Youth, but I am glad to rectify that now. Very solid outing and I look forward to more.
Mj Cole
1/5
Insanely repetitive and way too long. When the only info in the Wikipedia article is that it was included on this list, it begs the question of why it was included. That said, there were a couple of tracks that weren’t bad, but they are near indistinguishable from each other to make the whole thing a slog.
Green Day
5/5
I am not a Green Day fan, but this album is one of the greatest pop/punk albums of all time. There aren’t any songs that are missable. Whether the other bands of the genre want to admit it or not, without Dookie, their output is not nearly as successful.
Earth, Wind & Fire
4/5
Starts off really strong and brings it down for a chill vibe. The final track, See the Light, is an absolute delight.
Paul Simon
2/5
This softly plods along and ultimately goes nowhere. This is typical of Paul Simon. As much as I love Simon and Garfunkel, his solo work is pretty weak.
Hole
4/5
I’ve never given Hole a chance on account of Courtney Love, but this was pretty great. I see where the accusations that Kurt wrote a lot of the album come from, but in doing my research, I don’t think that’s the case. This is a solid grunge album.
Janis Joplin
3/5
Janis is very talented and one can feel the raw soul and emotion coming through. However, I do find that I can only tolerate it for a few minutes before I start wanting a different sound.
Peter Gabriel
5/5
Peter Gabriel is definitely a product of his time, but his music is the crème de la crème of 80s music. This is the 2nd Gabriel album I’ve gotten and he is rapidly becoming my favorite artist of the 80s.
John Lee Hooker
3/5
This is way too overproduced to be anything more than a 3. All the collaborations and the production give a very sterile listening experience.
Jazmine Sullivan
1/5
This album highlights many of the issues of modern dating and relationships from a feminine perspective, but rather than a critique of those issues, it seems very much of a glorification of the vapid nature of dating and lifestyles in general of today. I appreciate the insight into a lifestyle foreign to my own, even if it is anathema to me. I agree with some other reviewers that this was maybe added a little hastily. It seems lost in a sea of other similar releases over the last few years.
The Who
5/5
I haven’t listened to Tommy in almost a decade and I remember it once being one of my favorites in my late teens/early twenties. I played it for one of my friends and he just said it was weird and why would I listen to this in the year of our lord 2009. That stuck with me and every time I listened to it afterwards, I thought about that comment about this thing I loved and felt a twinge of embarrassment.
Well here in 2024 at 35 years old, I don’t give a shit about your opinion, Alex, Tommy is fucking awesome. It is weird and definitely a product of the 60s. One of the early rock operas and others have done it better, but I absolutely love this album. My unpopular opinion is that this is my favorite Who album.
The Youngbloods
2/5
I only know Get Together by Youngbloods and that song isn’t on this album. This is as average as average gets. It “bridges the gap” between psychedelia and country rock, but is that a gap that needs bridging?
Moby Grape
4/5
I had never heard of Moby Grape and I had alto find the album on YouTube, but was very pleasantly surprised by what I thought would be another annoying psychedelic band from the 60s. Very nice stuff here and it’s a shame they didn’t really “make” it.
Beck
5/5
Fugazi
4/5
I’ve never listened to Fugazi before and admit I didn’t know anything about them. I knew the name, but I’m embarrassed to admit that I thought their music was a totally different oeuvre. I had them in my mind akin to Yanni.
My mistake for not giving them a chance before. This is right up my alley. Awesome stuff.
Anthrax
3/5
I always like the idea of metal but never actually like it when I listen to it. It’s a shame because I really want to like it. I usually enjoy the themes and subject matter, but the actual music does nothing for me. I did enjoy the title track and I Am the Law as I am a fan of Stephen King and Judge Dredd, respectively.
Franz Ferdinand
4/5
Adele
2/5
Adele is very talented, but her music is very one note. Every song is about heartbreak. If she broadened her subject matter a bit, I might come around on her a bit more. Maybe, probably not.
The Gun Club
4/5
This was a very cool listen. Punky and bluesy which seems contradictory, but it works.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Reiterating that the Stones are a singles band. Gimme Shelter and You Can’t Always Get What You Want are great. The rest is middling.
Taylor Swift
3/5
Taylor Swift’s music is not for me, but she is the best of the best of her milieu. Love her or hate her, she is iconic in the pop sphere. I actually knew a couple songs on this album (Blank Space, Shake it Off, Bad Blood) and they aren’t bad, the ones I wasn’t familiar with were pretty forgettable as I wasn’t really willing to do a repeat listen.
Grateful Dead
1/5
I will never understand how people find incessant noodling on instruments remotely interesting. Calling this selection of tracks ‘songs’ is a bit of a stretch. Honestly it wouldn’t be so awful if it weren’t for Dark Star which just sounds like they’re testing their equipment. Dark Star’s reputation rings true as it meanders for 25 minutes. Feedback is almost as bad, but at least it’s only 8 minutes of aural torture.
This is the type of album where you had to be there and tripping to find enjoyable and since I’m neither, it’s really hard to listen to.
Laibach
2/5
Unclear if the fascism is a bit or not. Yikes, but I actually didn't mind the music. I probably won't listen to this again, but it was interesting.
Metallica
3/5
Despite the thin sound, the musicality is quite good. It does sound strangely manufactured and inauthentic, but the riffs are good. I do wish the bass sound came through. Metallica is a “safe” metal band overall and it shows on this record.
Johnny Cash
5/5
Portishead
5/5
Never listened to Portishead before and I greatly enjoyed it. I went back through their discography after listening because I liked it so much. After listening to their first 2 albums as well, I don’t really hear this as a departure of their sound. Still great stuff though.
Jean-Michel Jarre
2/5
Pretty good background music for cleaning the house or studying. I tried to actively listen but my mind kept wandering. Everything sounds the same.
Beastie Boys
5/5
A great debut album that has admittedly very dated and juvenile lyrics at times. There is a certain charm to it that can’t help but laugh at.
The 13th Floor Elevators
3/5
Prince
4/5
I feel like I just had sex with Prince.
Yes
5/5
I don’t know why, but I love Yes. This is the 2nd album I’ve gotten from them, and I just love it. Not as noodly as a lot of other prog rock which helps.
Nirvana
5/5
Hands down the best of the Unplugged series. Nirvana delivers a mixed set of originals and obscure covers that is truly a heartfelt experience. The emotion in Where Do You Sleep at Night is palpable.
The Police
3/5
Message in a Bottle is a great song. The rest of the album is pretty mediocre though.
Todd Rundgren
4/5
Very weird, but innovative.
The Doors
4/5
Love Jim Morrison’s voice and the Doors on the whole and even like The End, but damn that song is too long. Every song is absolutely memorable in its own way and this album is one of the greats of the psychedelic movement. I have it at a soft 8/10, probably 9/10 if The End were 5-6 minutes shorter.
Thelonious Monk
3/5
Overall pleasing to listen to, but jazz isn’t really my thing. I find it be meandering a lot of the time.
The Stooges
3/5
Pretty good pre-punk album. It’s not really my thing, but there is some pretty cool stuff in here.
Happy Mondays
2/5
Very thin sound and the vocals are pretty bad.
Al Green
4/5
Very nice. Al Green has a very soulful voice and the album never rises above its well known title track, but the whole album is still great.
Anita Baker
2/5
Anita has a fine voice, but the 80s production and sensibility has aged like milk.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
Man I just don’t like Joni Mitchell’s singing style. This was better than Blue in my opinion, but despite great lyrics, I just can’t deal with her voice.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
Full of great songs that sent RCHP to the mainstream. Good stuff that unfortunately goes too long. Everything beyond Under the Bridge could be cut and nothing would be lost.
Bob Dylan
5/5
I definitely understand why people don’t like Dylan’s voice, but I love it for some reason and his songwriting is second to none. Bringing It All Back Home is bookended with two of my favorite Dylan tracks in Subterranean Homesick Blues and It’s All Over Now Baby Blue. Everything in between is great as well. Dylan is not for everyone, but if you are a fan of rock from the mid-60s onward, he is your favorite artists’ favorite artist.
Steely Dan
2/5
Damn this is bland. It’s very well performed and produced, but it has to be a collection of some of the most boring songs ever written. I have a pretty high tolerance for yacht rock, but this is as edgy as a marble. Peg is nice, I guess.
D'Angelo
1/5
Entirely forgettable. This is a genre I just cannot get into. It all sounds exactly the same to me, but D’Angelo does have a good voice.
Supertramp
3/5
It’s more sophisticated than yacht rock, but not proggy enough to be prog rock. It was an interesting listen that didn’t quite scratch the prog rock itch. I had Aja by Steely Dan yesterday and there’s definitely more here than there.
Miles Davis
3/5
If peeing your pants is cool, consider me Miles Davis.
The Black Keys
1/5
Every song is the same for 55 minutes. Absolutely should have stayed in 2010.
The Band
5/5
5 stars for The Weight alone, but the rest is great too.
Digital Underground
3/5
Very dated, but there is a certain level of charm to an early 90s concept album about sci-fi sex pills, if you can get past the extremely misogynistic lyrics.
Kate Bush
1/5
I’m only 3 songs in and this just sucks.
Update: All done, and yeah, the whole thing sucks.
Paul McCartney and Wings
4/5
It’s hard to be objective on this one since I am very familiar with it and quite enjoy it.
‘Band on the Run’ is a great opener and the album never rises above the first track. ‘Jet’ is still a pretty good listen, but you do feel that McCartney cheesiness setting in. The rest of the album is very forgettable if it’s a first listen, although ‘Picasso’s Last Words’ ties everything together very nicely. Although ‘Country Dreamer’ is a bonus track, I do think it is one of Paul’s better solo tracks.
Personally, this is a 8/10. Hopefully history will be kinder to Paul’s solo career. John has never deserved the amount of praise he receives.
Lou Reed
5/5
Lou Reed exudes cool and this album shows it. He almost sounds bored of his own music, but not in a bad way. I had no idea Bowie was involved with this, but as I was listening, his influence comes in clear.
Julian Cope
2/5
This is very strange and very long. I like to give albums like this 2 listens because I’m not familiar with it and it’s hard to review on only 1 listen. However, the length and repetitiveness of this is keeping me from wanting to do it. My wife listens with me on the weekends and hated it so much that she made me put on headphones to listen to it.
In the end, I think the British bias of the book editors comes into play here. I could have died happy having never listened to this.
Jerry Lee Lewis
3/5
The early rock standards have never really done it for me, but Lewis’ performances here are some of the best. Unfortunately, he is a racist pedophile who (maybe) murdered one of his wives.
Metallica
4/5
I’ve always been a Black Album person, but I am admittedly not a metal fan, much less Metallica. That said, I thought this was very good. Beyond the title track, Orion was a highlight.
The Isley Brothers
4/5
This is buttery smooth and all of the covers are great. The Isley Brothers were cool before cool was a thing and this is no exception.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
5/5
File this under bands I’ve heard of but didn’t know any of their music. Well that mistake has been rectified. This was great!
Deee-Lite
2/5
I don’t like dance music. It’s simply not for me. That said, this wasn’t too terrible. I enjoyed E.S.P and Groove is in the Heart.
Jimmy Smith
5/5
Great to listen to as I got the kids ready for the day. 43 minutes flew by!
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
3/5
A pretty interesting look into a genre that I had never heard of in qawwali music. I was somewhat familiar with Sufism, so it wasn’t completely out of sorts for me, but still interesting. I did find the runtime a little long and it seems that maybe the generator doesn’t send you to the right album, but it was good for a taste of this genre.
Milton Nascimento
4/5
Pretty cool sounding despite not knowing what the lyrics are saying.
AC/DC
3/5
The title track is an all time classic, and that’s all you need to get AC/DC of this period. All the other tracks are very similar in sound. It’s not necessarily bad. AC/DC is a goated band for a reason, but I prefer Back in Black over this one. The only other interesting thing here is the unfortunate connection to Richard Ramirez.
The Crusaders
2/5
Boring elevator music.
N.W.A.
3/5
Fuck the Police and all that. It’s still very relevant 36 years later. The misogynistic lyrics are extremely outdated and off putting by today’s standards, though.
Brian Eno
4/5
I’m not sure what I expected, but it certainly wasn’t this. I know Eno as an ambient musician, so this definitely subverted my expectations. I quite enjoyed the weirdness and I will probably need a couple more listens to cement my opinions on this, but overall, I liked it.
Dusty Springfield
3/5
I like Dusty a lot. She has a wonderful voice and has some all time classic songs on her discography, but I don’t think an album consisting of mostly covers warrants a spot on this list.
Queen Latifah
2/5
Man, this is dated as hell. It just comes off very cheesy to me.
Throwing Muses
5/5
Cyndi Lauper
4/5
Cyndi Lauper is definitely dated, but the songs are pretty good overall, if not a bit cheesy.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
There’s a reason Bob Marley is synonymous with reggae. Absolutely a masterpiece.
Kendrick Lamar
5/5
Kendrick is simply the best. Every release of his demands attention, and this is no exception. Favorite track “King Kunta”.
Dead Kennedys
4/5
Classic punk album. I’m not well versed in the genre, but this was pretty good.
David Bowie
3/5
Vintage Bowie. Not my favorite of his, but very important to glam rock.
Les Rythmes Digitales
1/5
I feel like even by 1999 this was out of date. Very cheesy and even at 43 minutes this overstayed its welcome.
Brian Eno
3/5
It’s fine. There’s nothing too special here.
Radiohead
5/5
While every Radiohead album is at least good, "In Rainbows" is the last of Radiohead's great albums. It doesn't quite hit the highs of "OK Computer", but nothing the band has released since has equaled or surpassed "In Rainbows". Every song flows very well together ending with the somber, but comforting "Videotape".
Madonna
2/5
I do not like Madonna and I never have, and I can’t say I particularly enjoyed this either. However, the influence on the next decade of pop music, for better or worse, cannot be denied here. It’s definitely a relic of its time and has not aged well. The American Pie cover is something that I had memory holed, and damn, it’s really bad.
Serge Gainsbourg
3/5
I’m torn on this one. I really enjoyed the music and its influence on later artists such as Beck is palpable, but the subject matter is extremely objectionable. I know pre-2000s people were a lot more accepting of relationships with underage girls and probably every popular musician should be me-tooed, but this Lolitaesque glorification of fucking a 14 year old girl gives me the ick. 3 stars, I guess.
Van Morrison
3/5
It’s Van Morrison. You know what you’re getting and what you’re getting is fine for a couple songs. Title track is a great song, followed by schlock that would befit 2010s era singer songwriters in Crazy Love. The rest of the album is fine, but I cannot stand Crazy Love.
John Coltrane
3/5
The musicianship is great and the influence on music on the whole is undeniable, but jazz really does nothing for me.
Prefab Sprout
2/5
This is very bland.
Calexico
4/5
Very cool fusion of early 2000s indie rock and mariachi.
Arcade Fire
3/5
Definitely see the influence on indie rock here and it’s not bad, it’s just kinda bland.
The Beau Brummels
3/5
This was pretty good, but I don’t really see how they are doing anything that hasn’t been done elsewhere.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
One of the best, doing some of his best. The Wind Cries Mary is my personal favorite from this album. It does drag a bit in the latter half, but this is still a 9/10 in my book.
Sebadoh
3/5
Pretty cool lo-fi rock. The first track is definitely the best by a country mile, but the rest of the album is interesting as well. I probably won’t go back to this often, but still cool.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Interestingly, I had Are you Experienced 2 days ago so it’s easy to compare the two. Electric Ladyland is much more experimental and features some of Hendrix’s best work, but it is significantly less focused and tends to meander. It is still a great album and All Along the Watchtower is worth the price of admission alone.
Sex Pistols
3/5
Did Johnny Rotten fart at the end? Nevertheless, he has the voice of an angel. Pure and well-trained.
Kings of Leon
1/5
This was really bad. The music isn’t bad, but the singing is honestly some of the worst I’ve ever heard. This predates Kings of Leon at their peak, and even their peak kinda sucks.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
3/5
Pretty good for a debut. The hits are all time greats with the rest being somewhat filler. The opening track feels anachronistic, sounding like mid 60s British Invasion, but not bad.
Coldplay
3/5
Coldplay of old is not as bad as their detractors say, but it’s still only ok. I’ve never understood the comparison to Radiohead, but I see how Parachutes sounds like the Bends era Radiohead. Trouble, Sparks, and Yellow are great songs.
The Who
2/5
I like the Who , but a live album is like a handjob on your honeymoon.
PJ Harvey
2/5
I can’t put my finger on it, but I did not enjoy this.
The Allman Brothers Band
1/5
Live albums can fuck all the way off. Seriously, though, listening to a live album is a lot like watching someone’s concert footage. Like, good for you? I guess you had to have been there.
That said, I really don’t like jam bandy noodling. It does less than nothing for me and quite irritates me. I do like some Allman Brothers studio work, but this ain’t it.
Todd Rundgren
3/5
The main distinction here between this and other 70s rock is that Rundgren mostly did this as a solo musician. Pretty average without that aspect.
David Bowie
4/5
I never know what I’m going to get with Bowie, but it’s always welcome. This is no exception. Golden Years is a great song and the stand out to me.
5/5
2nd Bowie in a row and this one is my favorite. Every song is a banger. There is not a second of fat to trim on this absolute classic.
Screaming Trees
2/5
This was done, but forgettable. I don’t see how this merits inclusion on the list as it had virtually no influence on its genre.
Mekons
1/5
Da fuq is this? I can’t fathom that this is one of 1001 albums anyone should listen to. What cultural impact is found here?
Ramones
3/5
Only the Ramones can play the same song 14 times and make it work as an album. Quintessential punk.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
This album is so chill it got me through a white knuckle driving experience without losing my shit. Good stuff.
Pet Shop Boys
1/5
This was very monotonous and not enjoyable. There is not very much melody to any of the songs and it sounds like they're just speaking words over the same drum beat for an hour.
Nirvana
5/5
In Utero is not as polished as its more famous predecessor, but still an absolute masterpiece.
Nirvana
5/5
What a coincidence. I had In Utero yesterday and now Nevermind. I am intimately familiar with Nirvana’s catalog and there’s not much I can say that hasn’t already been said. I, and I would venture to say most others as well, believe Nevermind to be Nirvana’s magnum opus. Sure, some people say it’s overproduced, but this is the seminal album of 90s rock.
Johnny Cash
4/5
I usually rate live albums fairly poorly, looking through my review history shows this to be true. However, Johnny Cash is the exception. I didn’t enjoy this as much as the San Quentin album, but this is still great. He’s a total badass and true showman who knows his audience.
Christine and the Queens
1/5
This is not good and I question its place on this list. It is listenable, but sounds derivative of others’ works.
The Beta Band
3/5
Pretty chill and enjoyable. I have a soft spot in my heart for the Beta Band.
Little Richard
3/5
Music of the 20th and 21st century probably wouldn’t exist in the same way without Little Richard, so there is no argument to be made that this doesn’t belong. However, it is the same song structure throughout and is a product of its time.
CHIC
3/5
Le Freak!
Boston
3/5
Unfortunately, classic rock radio has ruined Boston, but it’s undeniable the music is good. It’s just so overplayed that it’s hard to appreciate it.
Nick Drake
5/5
Underrated genius. Nick Drake’s story is incredibly tragic, but his music is some of the most beautiful ever written.
King Crimson
3/5
Prog rock is really hit or miss for me. It loses me when the noodling begins, but I do enjoy the songs when they can keep their focus. This is no exception.
The Birthday Party
1/5
This ain’t it chief.
Bob Dylan
4/5
I love Bob Dylan and even enjoy his voice. His lyricism and songwriting is second to none, but Highway 61 does have some of his more meandering songs in Ballad of a Thin Man and Desolation Row. I love those songs, but they go on a little long. Like a Rolling Stone is a top 10 song of all time. Overall great album that is maybe 10 minutes too long.
Willie Nelson
4/5
Pretty solid covers album. Very chill way to start my day, but ultimately doesn’t move the needle much. I do think it’s interesting that this spent a solid decade on the country charts.
Method Man
4/5
SAULT
3/5
This was very clearly not for me, a white man in his 30s, but I can see it’s important to the zeitgeist of summer 2020. The music itself isn’t bad, but not what I’d seek out independently.
Curtis Mayfield
3/5
Pretty good listen, but not as good as Superfly.
Rufus Wainwright
2/5
Overproduced and over the top. Not really for me.
Silver Jews
2/5
Early 2000s indie rock, but not bad. However, I have to ask, why is this here?
Billy Joel
4/5
My aunt is a militant Billy Joel fanatic and will broker no criticism of the man she deems to be the second coming of Christ, so I’ve always hated Billy Joel and all his extra sharp cheddar cheese. But damn, I have to admit this is a pretty good album. It’s schmaltzy in that Billy Joel way, but it’s not 80s cheesy.
Stan Getz
4/5
This was a pretty nice way to start the day. You can definitely imagine yourself in a swanky club.
Otis Redding
3/5
Good listening to some classics, but pretty tame. It is quite foundational, though.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
3/5
I was surprised by how listenable this was to me as I don’t care for the new wave sound usually. I won’t go back to this, but it’s not as pretentious as the album title or band name would have you believe.
Parliament
4/5
Pretty awesome funk album. You can really see how early RHCP was influenced by this.
The Fall
1/5
The musical equivalent to scratching a sunburn.
The Temptations
3/5
Solid funk and the Temptations are music royalty, but this didn't really do anything for me.
Talvin Singh
2/5
Better than most of the electronic music I’ve gotten, but that’s not saying much.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Once again, the Stones prove they are a singles band. This is supposed to be one of the greatest albums of all time and it’s… just fine? I’ve never seen the appeal of this album.
Björk
4/5
I rather enjoyed this. I’ve never listened to Björk before and this is definitely weird, but you can feel the pain she was going through when this was made.
k.d. lang
2/5
Music for old lesbians. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s not for me.
Muddy Waters
5/5
Wow! This was way better than I was expecting. Solid blues album that gives a live feel. Muddy is one of the best to ever do it and it shows here.
Richard Thompson
2/5
The title track is great, but the rest isn’t great. I really do not like the sound of Richard’s voice. Linda’s songs are a little better, but it’s mostly mid.
Depeche Mode
3/5
Maybe it’s an issue with me, but my favorite tracks were the bonus B sides on the deluxe edition. The main album was just ok, but those B sides were something out of a Dracula movie and I was here for it.
Beyoncé
1/5
Beyoncé has a pretty good singing voice, but I hate this kind of written by committee, completely artificial music. It’s hard to take it seriously and Beyoncé is such a product that I find her ruminating on sexuality to be quite disingenuous and fake.
The War On Drugs
2/5
Yep, this is certainly indie rock from the mid 2010s. There are some nice bits in the more upbeat songs, but the whole package is repetitive and overlong.
The Fall
1/5
This is my second album by the Fall, a band I’d never heard of before, in as many weeks. I’m left wondering how they got not one, but two albums on this list. I’m desperately hoping there’s not a third.
In all seriousness, the music is quite good, maybe great? The vocals, however, are some of the worst vocals I’ve ever heard. I loathe this guy’s approach to singing.
Sonic Youth
4/5
Neil Young
4/5
Very solid, but the title track’s vocals are very annoying which lost it a star.
Slipknot
1/5
I know Slipknot is very popular, but I don’t get it. It’s just screaming over loud instruments. It kinda makes me laugh that people out of middle school listen to this.
Youssou N'Dour
4/5
Very pleasant listening. Unfortunate that it was storming today as this should be listened to in the back yard at a barbecue.
Motörhead
3/5
Pure driven rock, no art to be found here, but every song is the same. It’s an enjoyable listen, though.
Bob Dylan
5/5
I like Dylan and his voice. No need to repeat previous reviews here.
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
It’s fine, but all kinda sounds the same. Come On Eileen is a classic, but still sounds the same as the rest.
Mudhoney
2/5
Not terrible, per se, but there is much better grunge out there.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Best overall Stones album I’ve gotten so far, yet still confirms my opinion that they are a singles band. Only the hits are good.
Joan Armatrading
4/5
A true surprise on this list. I had never heard of her and will likely go back to it.
Kid Rock
1/5
Ignoring who Kid Rock became, this shit sucked when it came out and it sucks even more as it has aged. Misogynistic drivel peddled by a rich kid who wants to act hard.
The Dictators
3/5
Definitely a strange one here, but it’s not bad. The influence on the punk that would follow is evident.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
5/5
Classic jazz record. Very cool. I enjoy this more than a lot of the improvisational jazz. It almost sounds mathematical if that makes sense.
2Pac
3/5
First time really listening to Tupac and it’s fine, I guess. I’m not his target audience, but he has been essentially deified as a musical god and this not live up to his rep. It’s still pretty good for its era, but it has not aged well nor is it particularly mind blowing.
Sonic Youth
4/5
Sonic Youth is definitely pretentious, but I guess I am too since I like it. I haven’t heard a Sonic Youth album I haven’t liked yet.
The Cure
3/5
I guess I’m the odd one out here. It’s ok, I guess. A bit melodramatic, but that’s the Cure’s whole schtick.
Meat Puppets
3/5
The instrumentation is quite nice and the vocals are pretty weak, but I vibe with it. Nirvana did these songs better, though.
Bauhaus
2/5
Fucking terrible to listen to. This did absolutely nothing for me.
3/5
I don’t like New Wave, but looking at my history, the New Wave albums I’ve rated low are British, so maybe I just don’t like British New Wave because I enjoyed this. It’s not great, but was nice listening.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
CCR is one of the best pure rock bands of the 60s. When everyone else went psychedelic, they stayed bluesy and it works great. Born On The Bayou, while great, is somewhat funny, seeing as they guys are NorCal AF.
Pink Floyd
5/5
It’s Dark Side
Dion
1/5
Pretty forgettable and one wonders why this album which was irrelevant when it came out made it to this list.
R.E.M.
5/5
R.E.M slaps, no matter how pretentious Michael Stipe is.
1/5
This album works miracles. My brother has been in a coma for 8 years and this album brought him out of it. He woke up this morning and grabbed my phone and threw it across his hospital room to get it to stop.
The Offspring
4/5
I agree with the homie that said this is to punk rock what Taco Bell is to Mexican food. I like it, but I’m not proud of it, and it is certainly not authentic.
OutKast
5/5
OutKast once again proves they are on the Mt. Rushmore of hip hop. Unique sounds that push the genre.
Elvis Presley
2/5
1969 Elvis ain’t it.
Napalm Death
1/5
I’m an atheist but these dudes need Jesus.
Orange Juice
2/5
Inoffensive to a fault and completely unnecessary listening.
4/5
The Mothers Of Invention
2/5
A pastiche of late 60s rock, particularly the Beatles. Zappa is definitely underrated, but this is pretty mediocre.
The Sonics
2/5
Seems pretty unnecessary compared to its contemporaries. The covers are pretty weak, but the original songs have something pretty cool to them.
James Taylor
3/5
I guess I have the unpopular opinion of enjoying James Taylor. It’s easy listening and very safe, but it’s nice in spots
Beatles
5/5
Revolver is low key the best Beatles album. It’s experimental without being too high on itself like Sgt. Pepper.
Red Snapper
1/5
PS1 menu music. This is repetitive as fuck and boring to boot. This is the first album I have turned off halfway through. When the only info on wiki is that it’s in this list, it doesn’t belong.
The Prodigy
3/5
Until today I thought the lyrics to Smack My Bitch Up was “take my picture”. SMH. A little repetitive as most dance music is, but the nostalgia factor comes into play for me and this is more listenable to me than most other electronic dance music.
Jurassic 5
4/5
Feels a little dated for 2002, but I do like that 90s style of rapping. I’ve never heard of Jurassic 5 before but I’m glad I have now.
The Monks
4/5
Thanks to No Dogs in Space for exposing me to the Monks. Their story is very interesting and certainly unexpected. For 1966, this sounds like nothing else around. Very cool!
New York Dolls
3/5
Proto-punk. It’s cool I guess but doesn’t really stand out.
Dr. Dre
4/5
The songs are great and seminal in West Coast hip hop, but I hate skits in anything. They bring down any album that has them. Would be 9/10 without, but 7/10 due to skits.
Charles Mingus
2/5
Once again jazz does nothing for me.
Iron Maiden
4/5
Pretty solid way to start a Saturday. I’m not a metal fan, but I think this straddles the rock/metal line nicely.
The Hives
2/5
Opening track is nostalgic, but the rest of this falls flat. There’s other, better post punk out there.
T. Rex
3/5
Get it On is obviously the highlight here and the album itself is notable for being the first glam album, but that’s about it. Seemingly standard 70s fare.
The Cramps
1/5
I very much did not enjoy this.
Mike Ladd
2/5
I don’t think Mike Ladd ended up being as important as the editors of 1001 albums thought he would be.
Pixies
5/5
Best 90s album to come out of the 80s. In all seriousness, Pixies were ahead of their time and I used to say they are underrated, but time has been kind and they are getting the appreciation they deserve.
Funkadelic
3/5
Among the best funk around if you’re into that type of thing. I could be persuaded, but I’m not there yet.
The Who
2/5
Another concept album from the Who. It’s not bad and the bones are there for what would become Tommy. Rael 1 has motifs that were reused for Tommy. However, it’s just ok. I feel like I’ve outgrown the Who, despite my love for Keith Moon.
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
This is an all time great album from a seminal band from the 90s that maybe overstays its welcome by a few minutes. Billy Corgan is a chode, but the music is great!
Nick Drake
5/5
Such a gentle soul with a tragic story. All of Drake’s albums are great!
Sabu
4/5
I enjoyed this. Definitely a change of pace from British post punk and 70s glam.
Common
4/5
I don’t have to have a degree or a career in STEM to know that using that as a criteria for judging music is cringey behavior. This album is a solid rap album from the 2000s.
The Cure
4/5
I enjoyed this more than other albums by the Cure. Moody and ethereal and I probably would have loved this if I were a kid in 1980.
Fiona Apple
5/5
I have very limited experience with Fiona Apple, and I’m glad I got to listen to this. Melancholic and beautiful. It’s hard to believe she was only 18 when this came out.
Robert Wyatt
2/5
Not as bad as I was expecting given the rating here, but I can't say that I found much here.
Saint Etienne
2/5
Maybe I’m dumb, but I don’t get any 60s vibes from this. It’s just 90s dance music to me.
Eminem
4/5
Nostalgia plays a role in my review, but damn, this was so formative and integral to getting me into rap. This has definitely aged extremely poorly in some areas, and was probably rightfully criticized at the time. However, the songs are great and I owe my appreciation for rap to this record. I fall into the camp that, despite there being an autobiographical bend, it is intentionally shocking and not to be taken literally.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
What a great way to start the day.
Elliott Smith
5/5
Tragic figure. You can really tell he was influenced by the Beatles, particularly Lennon. Smith ultimately inspired later artists like Ben Folds and the Shins. Great stuff here.
Def Leppard
2/5
In some ways, Def Leppard is the best of the hair metal bands, but shit still stinks even if it’s the “best” shit. Fucking awful. I’m glad Nirvana killed this shit off.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
I rather enjoyed a few tracks here. I’m not a New Wave guy, but this was pretty good. This is my first Costello album, but it’s my understanding that many people feel he is over represented on this list. I’m curious if my opinion of this one changes as I get more of his stuff generated.
Orbital
1/5
Where shit becomes poop.
The Jam
3/5
This wasn’t bad, but I don’t think I’ll revisit this group unless they appear on this list again. Seems pretty derivative and unnecessary.
The xx
2/5
I remember liking this album when it came out, but it’s definitely a product of its time. I can’t say that that this had any cultural impact beyond its initial release.
Bill Evans Trio
3/5
Not a jazz fan, but this is good background music for hanging around the house.
David Bowie
4/5
Today is the day after the 2024 US election and Donald Trump has just been reelected to the White House. This album mirrors my feelings today. What a shame. Good music, though.
Jefferson Airplane
4/5
It’s emblematic of the Summer of Love, but runs a little long and the songs where Grace Slick doesn’t sing lead aren’t as good in my opinion.
4/5
It’s very unfortunate that douchebags ruined Wonderwall because it is a good song. The whole album is good, but it is overplayed. Probably the best of all Britpop albums. Best track is Don’t Look Back in Anger.
Björk
3/5
Weird, as all Björk is, but not bad. Probably won’t revisit, but I’m glad to have heard it.
John Lennon
4/5
John Lennon works through his demons publicly and on wax. It’s a bit rough, especially compared to his Beatles output, but overall the album is very effective. Maybe an 8.5/10 from me, but I’m biased as a massive Beatles fan.
Dolly Parton
5/5
Another example of great Old Country(TM). Dolly is a true American treasure and she shines in this offering.
My Bloody Valentine
1/5
Boring. You’re not a genius just because you can’t work well with others, you’re just an asshole. Your artistic vision isn’t so great that collaboration is moot. Unintelligible lyrics and fuzzy guitar noises isn’t genius. This is music for people who enjoy smelling other people’s farts.
Minutemen
3/5
Pretty good, but is a little on the longer side.
Frank Black
3/5
Second double album in a row and I’m tired, boss. This isn’t bad, but it’s too long. Very few, if any, double albums are worth the time investment and this isn’t one of them. That said, there’s some really good stuff here, but you have to cut through the chaff to get there. This would have definitely benefitted by cutting about 15-20 minutes of fluff out of it.
Black Sabbath
5/5
This is my first time seriously listening to Black Sabbath and this is definitely a 5/5 record. Simply fantastic. I’m going to dig deeper into the discography this weekend.
Solomon Burke
2/5
Burke has a great voice and the songs are good, but it all kinda sounds similar song to song and I can't really see that it offers anything that other contemporaries didn't offer.
The White Stripes
5/5
I always wrote the White Stripes off when I was in high school and this was current because I was one of those “le wrong generation” kids. How wrong I was! This is bluesy and not like anything else out there in 2003. Wonderful!
Prince
5/5
Prince is properly rated as one of the greatest of all time, but I would argue he’s under appreciated. He’s a musical genius whose work is overshadowed by his raw sexual charisma which makes people not take him seriously. Those who know, know. Prince is him.
Bee Gees
2/5
From the first song, I couldn’t wait for this to be over. Boring as shit.
Cowboy Junkies
3/5
Very nice for a relaxing morning. Beautiful cover of Sweet Jane. This won’t be in my every day repertoire, but I’ve got a spot for it in my head. I can see why some folks would find it boring, though.
The Saints
4/5
Pretty nice classic punk album from down under!
The Clash
5/5
Easy 5 from me. It doesn’t fit with my usual tastes and I can’t really articulate why I love it. Maybe nostalgia? I’ve been listening to this since college.
The Jam
2/5
I’m getting really tired of British New Wave. Maybe it’s my distribution lately, but I feel like I’ve had at least 2 of these a week for the last couple of months. They all sound similar and do nothing for me.
Traffic
4/5
I liked this a lot. I’ve never heard of Traffic, but I know Steve Winwood. Good stuff.
Duke Ellington
4/5
A bit long with some repeats, but this was great to listen to as I cleaned the house after having some difficult guests.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
4/5
Just on the description, I thought it would be a Beastie Boys ripoff, but it’s a lot more lowkey. I’ve been enjoying it, but it doesn’t seem much like essential listening to me. I’m going with a 4. This was a really good album that didn’t make waves the way I think it should have.
Grant Lee Buffalo
3/5
Title track is good, but ultimately it’s pretty generic.
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
Nice little indie album for Thanksgiving day. Nothing really jumped out to me though.
Public Enemy
5/5
A true game changer for hip hop. It definitely sounds a little dated, but I love it.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
It’s very good, but Superstition far outpaces the rest of the pack.
Afrika Bambaataa
1/5
Extremely dated and repetitive, but very listenable. Nothing really special sticks out about it, but I am going to have to rate low due to the guy being a kiddie diddler.
Nina Simone
4/5
Nina is an all time great, but this particular record leaves a feeling of being an incomplete package. Understandable given that its tracks are from the cutting room floor.
The Magnetic Fields
4/5
I can’t say why but I loved this! It hit me on a day where I was having to drive a lot and really helped pass the time in the car. It’s weird, no one should ever do a project like this, but it was great.
Meat Loaf
5/5
Bombastic, maximalist, and completely over the top. Bat Out Of Hell lives up to its title in a purely fun experience that demands your attention.
Sonic Youth
4/5
I always found Sonic Youth extremely pretentious, but this is my 4th Sonic Youth album and I’ve liked, not loved, all of them, so I guess I’m becoming a fan? This one is noisy in an inoffensive way and Teen Age Riot is a great opener. That said, I don’t usually enjoy double albums as they tend to overstay their welcome which brings this one down a bit for me. Great album overall.
Blur
2/5
It’s British, innit? Not bad as far as Britpop goes, but not for me.
Fela Kuti
5/5
Very cool and much different than nearly everything else on this list. The music in a vacuum is great, but with the tragic context, this is very cool shit.
Shivkumar Sharma
3/5
Calming and chill if you find it on YaTube, annoying screeching if you listen to the subpar remake on Spotify.
One of the few world music albums on this list and this is very contemplative and relaxing to listen to.
Keith Jarrett
2/5
The piano playing is absolutely superb, but an hour of solo piano improv, it’s just background music.
Tom Waits
3/5
I like Tom Waits, but this is just a bit bluesier than I like. Still good, though.
2/5
Muse just feels artificial and insincere in a way that I find a little off putting. This album sounds like they basically just ripped off Bends era Radiohead with a sprinkling of Coldplay for good measure. Musically, there is some interesting ideas with keys and rhythms, so I do give it some credit.
Joanna Newsom
2/5
This was a fairly annoying listen, not least of which is that it’s not on Spotify. Besides that, her voice is extremely annoying, despite good music and lyrics.
Fats Domino
4/5
No one can deny Fats’ influence on the course of western pop music and the songs are really quite good. This definitely deserves a spot on this list, if nothing else for how influential he was on music. This is very short, sweet, and a nice change of pace from a lot of the rest of the list.
Apropos of nothing, the version on Spotify is missing about 40% of the album, but luckily I found a playlist someone made with the correct tracks.
The Verve
1/5
It really is a Bittersweet Symphony that that song is not on this album. This is entirely forgettable and boring.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
4/5
All over the place at times, but eclectic and interesting. Not game changing, but it makes me so, very happy.
The Stone Roses
5/5
First time listening to Stone Roses. Good shit here.
Emmylou Harris
2/5
It’s fine. Harris’ voice is great and all the musicians play their parts well, but it’s just so dull. This is Harris’ 19th(!) album and her first with mostly original compositions and I can’t say I have much interest in hearing anyone’s 19th album. It’s usually not their best work.
Soft Machine
2/5
Very tedious listen. I’m generally pretty open to prog, but this was meandering and each track being 18 minutes long made this a chore. Moon in June is the best track by virtue of there being some sense of direction due to the vocals.
Björk
3/5
Vespertine - Björk 3/5
I don’t hate her like a lot of folks do, but this is my 3rd Blork album and they all kinda sound the same.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
3/5
Holly’s influence cannot be denied, and this more than earns its place on the list, but these 50s albums do not hold up. Not Fade Away and That’ll Be the Day are all time classics.
Brian Eno
2/5
I will never understand how listening to tape loops repetitively for 5 minutes for each song is enjoyable. This is listenable, though, so I just listened to the first couple minutes of each track before switching it to the next track.
Incubus
2/5
I can’t say this really deserves a spot here. The hits are ok, but the rest is pretty bad.
Neil Young
2/5
I love Neil Young, but this was boring as shit.
Dwight Yoakam
4/5
I was surprised to find I liked this. Old school country.
Various Artists
3/5
All standard oldies station Christmas hits. Not my jam, but it is of the season.
Duran Duran
3/5
Pure 80s pop. The hits are the obvious stand outs. Good driving music.
Sister Sledge
3/5
Funky
Erykah Badu
1/5
Every song sounds the same. Not really vibing with this.
The Go-Go's
5/5
Pure power 80s pop! Fantastic listen!
Booker T. & The MG's
3/5
The title track alone is worth the price of admission but the whole album is a very pleasant to listen. The Hammond organ does get a little old though.
Ali Farka Touré
2/5
This is an interesting listen and exposure to world music is very important. However, I didn’t really vibe with this, even though I do believe it deserves a spot here.
Super Furry Animals
2/5
Pretty eclectic album, but not much worth listening to here.
The Doors
5/5
The Doors are probably the best of the psychedelic blues bands out there and it shows here. Jim Morrison is at his best here and, unfortunately, we will never know if he could have gotten any better as he died shortly after the release of this album.
Radiohead
5/5
While not as great as the highs of OK Computer or In Rainbows, Kid A is yet another great Radiohead album.
k.d. lang
4/5
Country, croony, and anachronistic. It’s a pretty good listen for a debut and I enjoyed it much more than her second outing.
Dinosaur Jr.
2/5
This started ok, but progressively got worse as it went. By the end it was just an annoying noise in my ears and I wanted to be over.
The Who
5/5
Crazy how the Who went forward in time so they could learn Behind Blue Eyes by Limp Bizkit.
Genesis
3/5
Musically, this is great! However, there seems to be a lack of cohesion within each song. I did enjoy my listen, but it was a little all over the place.
Joe Ely
2/5
Honky Tonk has to be the corniest sub genre of country around. I literally cannot distinguish between singers or songs in the genre.
Underworld
2/5
Not so bad as far as electronic music goes, but still has the over repetitiveness that is endemic in electronic music. Not for me.
Van Halen
3/5
Van Halen doesn’t do much for me. Eddie Van Halen is undeniably one of the greatest rock guitarists of all time, but the songs are just kinda dull. It wasn’t a bad listening experience and I do like some of the songs, but Van Halen fans practically cream their pants talking about how awesome and cool they are, and they’re just ok.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
2/5
This is some generic slow 80s pop for 35 minutes. Not terrible, but it feels like it lacks any momentum throughout.
Emmylou Harris
4/5
This is classic country and has a fair bit of covers as old country tends to have, but Harris has a great voice. This is very early in her career, but you can see why she became a star. I’ve had one other album by her, but was from the twilight of her career and left me wondering why such an album would be included, so I was very pleased by her debut outing.
Fatboy Slim
4/5
I enjoyed this. Solidly 7/10 for me. Album title is prescient as I’ve gained some appreciation for electronic music in the year since I started this project. I used to pretty much rate electronic albums 1 or 2 pretty much by the end of their opening tracks. I would be curious to see if I still feel that way towards some of those records. This one has some songs that were popular in the mainstream, so there is some familiarity here that helps my rating.
5/5
The most prog that ever progged.
Gang Of Four
4/5
Good, solid punk album. I prejudged once I saw British post-punk that I would hate this, but pretty cool and easy listen.
Soft Cell
2/5
It’s a 2 on account of Tainted Love and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye. Otherwise it would be a 1. I was put off immediately by the first song and it never really got better.
Kate Bush
1/5
I appreciate the experimentalism of pop Bush is known for, but it just does nothing for me. I know Running Up the Hill because of its resurgence a couple of years ago and the rest of the album does not compare. I found myself annoyed by the end and had to not have any music for a bit.
Slipknot
2/5
I know Slipknot is an important band overall, but I’m just too old or not angry enough to appreciate it I guess. The music is good, but the screamed lyrics are just corny as hell. When Corey Taylor is actually singing it’s not too bad.
Manic Street Preachers
4/5
British Weezer in my book.
Ray Charles
4/5
Foundational record. Ray Charles was a legend.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
4/5
I liked it. I don’t know what the rest of y’all are smoking.
Peter Tosh
3/5
Solid start, but begins to sound samey by the end.
The Who
4/5
Pretty basic British Invasion debut. My Generation and The Kids Are Alright are great songs, and you can kinda hear the foundation that would lead to the Who’s later greatness.
Jethro Tull
4/5
A lot of hate for the flute, but why? It’s gimmicky, sure, but it works here. This is Black Sabbath lite plus flutes. Good shit.
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
Great old school hip hop.
The Byrds
3/5
It’s fine, offensively inoffensive.
Norah Jones
3/5
Definitely Starbucks music, and this is very relaxing if nothing else. Jones has a great voice and the performers play very competently. Easy listening doesn’t mean bad.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
1/5
Dark and moody, and most importantly, boring as shit.
Sly & The Family Stone
5/5
Stone cold classic! Track 2 is certainly… interesting.
Tim Buckley
4/5
Fuck all y’all. Tim Buckley is great. He probably doesn’t need multiple albums on this list, but he’s great.
Pretenders
3/5
Dodgy vocals at times, but overall pretty solid.
Deep Purple
4/5
I only know Smoke On The Water and while this didn’t completely blow my socks off, this was a great listen and great example of 70s hard rock/metal.
fIREHOSE
3/5
Not what I expected and actually pretty good, but not really essential.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
All time great 4 track set to start things off. The rest is good, but never rises to the heights of It’s Tricky or Walk This Way.
Missy Elliott
2/5
Maybe not a great representation of Missy Elliott. Sounds very much like generic 90s R&B.
DJ Shadow
2/5
I guess I just don’t get it.
Eurythmics
4/5
Fun 80s synth pop.
Sufjan Stevens
5/5
Haven’t listened yet, but I love how this guy was going to make an album for each state and got to 2 states and said fuck it and stopped. Per Wiki, he later said it was a joke and it probably was, but I like the idea that he was going to do it and realized it was too much.
I enjoyed the concept here. I have never lived in Illinois and have only been once, but I have family roots in Chicago and the surrounding areas. Best song to me was John Wayne Gacy Jr.
Neil Young
3/5
Good, but Neil is way over represented in this list.
The Verve
2/5
Only good song is Bittersweet Symphony and it’s not even close. The rest of the album is middling and boring.
Derek & The Dominos
2/5
I used to love Eric Clapton, then I learned he’s a massive POS and realized that his whole schtick is just stealing black music and claiming it for himself.
To this album, it is 1.25 hours of the most repetitive blues guitar saved only by its title track and that is only good due to the coda that Clapton didn’t even write.
Randy Newman
2/5
It’s the guy from Toy Story, but now he says the n-word and is a racist! That’s the consensus of the top voted reviews on the generator. I fully support removing its usage from modern society, however, it may be surprising to some younger folks, but in the 70s, the n-word wasn’t verboten. Sure, calling someone the n-word would rightfully out you as a racist, but using the word in a provocative way in music and other media to illustrate a point was fairly common and was not an indicator of racism.
Now, I don’t know Mr. Newman, but a cursory read of his Wikipedia article would indicate that he is not likely to be racist and this album is a work of satire on the state of race relations in the South going back to the days of slavery. Musically, I agree with the assessment that this album is boring and just sounds like a Pixar soundtrack.
So, rate this album low because it’s boring and it’s the guy from Toy Story doing the same thing he’s always done, but not because he didn’t hold to 2020s standards of language in 1974.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
4/5
I enjoyed this. There’s a couple decent covers, but Relax steals the show. Great synth pop with several different styles.
Paul Weller
2/5
Pretty bland I’d say.
Willie Nelson
5/5
I have a soft spot for old school outlaw country, and this is no exception. With simple production and instrumentation, aided from Nelson’s great voice, this is a landmark album in a subgenre of a genre that many of us, myself included, often dismiss.
Curtis Mayfield
5/5
I don’t really have a cogent review, but this is smooth as hell. Great for Saturday.
Kanye West
5/5
Kanye is one of those artists where I really have to separate the art from the artist. He was never a humble or well adjusted guy, but he has completely gone over the edge in recent years.
This may be his greatest album, and possibly the last great album he will release. Kanye’s roots are in production and he puts those skills to great use here. Kanye is an ok rapper, but his ear for finding samples is among the best to ever do it.
The Mars Volta
5/5
I have no idea what was going on lyrically, but I enjoyed it. Not what I was expecting but in a good way.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Led Zeppelin’s double album, and it’s a good one. Some of the fat could have been trimmed to make it a bit tighter, particularly in the back end, but there is some really interesting work here.
The Soft Boys
5/5
I rather enjoyed this. Very British, but the influence on later American acts can be felt. I usually don’t listen to the bonus tracks on these things, but I opted to do so today.
Sepultura
2/5
I’m on board with the music, it’s quite good and the Brazilian roots make it interesting. However, the singing is a huge turn off. Screamed vocals are so corny and undermine the message.
Slint
3/5
I get the influence here and I don’t hate it, it’s just kinda there.
U2
3/5
Man Bono is the biggest piece of shit in the universe, just ask Randy Marsh. Musically, this isn’t bad, but it does portend U2 moving into the dad rock genre.
The Notorious B.I.G.
3/5
Biggy is a legend, but this has not aged well. The skits really bring things down, but the songs are still good if you can put yourself in a 90s mindset.
The Electric Prunes
3/5
Late 60s psychedelic garage rock. Starts strong and then has bizarre tonal shifts, ultimately ending on a joke song. A weird entry for sure, but I didn’t hate it
The Young Gods
3/5
I have to agree with the Pink Floyd meets NIN comparison. It’s not terrible, but the way the guy sings doesn’t match the music.
PJ Harvey
4/5
I loved the dynamic contrast that you rarely see in mixes these days, to the point that I thought something was wrong with my speaker at first. Good shit here. I liked this better than Dry.
Spacemen 3
1/5
I don’t know what these guys are playing with, but it’s certainly not fire. I found this to be way too dull and actually dozed off listening to this. I’m sure it’s enhanced by drugs, but that stage of my life is behind me.
Elliott Smith
5/5
Elliot Smith is one I wish I discovered earlier. Beautiful and sad. Truly masterful work.
The Rolling Stones
2/5
In the same way that Please Please Me was left off, this one should have been left off as well, and Please Please Me is a better album than this. This is not at all indicative of The Rolling Stones.
Gram Parsons
2/5
The story of Gram Parsons is way more interesting than this album.
Funkadelic
5/5
Holy shit what a great album. Title track steals the show, but the rest is also great.
Mylo
2/5
I didn’t hate it, but it’s just a ripoff of better artists.
Billie Holiday
2/5
I see the historical significance here, but this album is very samey and songs do little to differentiate themselves from each other.
Baaba Maal
3/5
There is little world music on this list, but most of it is good and this is no exception. However, it does get repetitive and the whole package is a little too long.
Cocteau Twins
4/5
Wait, they’re not twins AND their names aren’t even Cocteau?! False advertising!
Seriously, though, this is some solid dreamy alt pop.
Fred Neil
3/5
Pretty good country/folk album. I enjoyed Everybody’s Talkin’ and Cynicrustpetejohn Raga.
Echo And The Bunnymen
4/5
The Killing Moon is a 5/5 song, and while the rest of the album isn’t bad, nothing else rises to that height. 4/5 in the end for me.
Jack White
3/5
Jack White isn’t bad, but Jack without Meg is not essential to me.
The Only Ones
3/5
Musically it is quite good, but the singer can’t sing in the worst possible way. He just sounds constipated
Gene Clark
1/5
He’s a poor man’s Bob Dylan. Unimaginative and stale, even when it was new. The Tears Of Rage cover is especially anemic.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
This one starts super strong and does let off the gas a bit, but stays fun throughout.
Cream
5/5
One of the best albums of 1967, an already strong year. Cream is maybe the gold standard of psychedelic blues and it shows here. Clapton is still a POS, though.
Morrissey
1/5
God Morrissey sucks.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
It’s impossible to be objective here. I was a ‘Le wrong generation’ kid in high school as far as my musical tastes went, and Zep was my favorite at the time. I now know about how they were song thieves a lot of the time, but listening to this takes me 20 years back and it just feels good to recall a more innocent time for a few minutes.
The Divine Comedy
2/5
Chamber pop, a genre I had never heard of before this morning, is not a thing I vibe with. Definitely feels like a pastiche on the crooners of yesteryear, but not in a good way.
Jane Weaver
3/5
I’m enjoying the music. My rating is more in relation to questioning the inclusion of this one. A latter day album by an artist who, respectfully, has always been very under the radar. Again, it’s a good album, but it’s not doing anything new or different.
Leonard Cohen
5/5
Much like Tom Waits, I find that people either love or hate Leonard Cohen. I’m in the love camp here and I’ve yet to hear any of his music I haven’t loved.
Neu!
4/5
I had a difficult morning with my toddler and this was very calming for me. I’ve never heard of Neu and I probably won’t listen again unless the generator tells me to, but this made a bad day better.
New Order
4/5
I enjoyed this greatly.
ABBA
4/5
Just fun to listen to. It’s not deep. It’s not thought provoking. It’s just ABBA.
Depeche Mode
1/5
I couldn’t do it. I don’t like Depeche Mode.
Paul McCartney
5/5
Paul’s first solo album and it’s truly a solo effort. Every Night and Junk stand out as some of the better, lesser known tracks, but Maybe I’m Amazed is an all time great love song.
Spiritualized
3/5
Listenable and ambient, but too directionless for me.
The Beta Band
2/5
The Beta Band doesn’t need 2 albums on this list.
The Blue Nile
1/5
Boring as shit.
Dusty Springfield
4/5
One of the greatest blue eyed soul voices around. A simply wonderful, sensual voice.
The Monkees
2/5
Pretty milquetoast outing. Zilch! was the most interesting track. The rest is, of course, nakedly ripping off the Beatles late 1964-1965.
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
Good, but does start to drag near the end.
The Pharcyde
3/5
Definitely a weird one. Not sure how I feel about it.
Ray Price
3/5
Man this one is a downer, but not in a bad way. Very earnest and Price has a great country voice, but every song is basically the same.
Ms. Dynamite
1/5
Another flash in the pan UK artist from the early 2000s. Nothing special here. Maybe I would enjoy it more if I had nostalgia on my side.
Elvis Presley
3/5
I’m conflicted on this one. Elvis is undoubtedly one of the most influential artists of all time, but all he really did was make black music palatable to white people. His renditions aren’t bad, just lacking a bit of what made the originals so great. Still, we probably don’t have rock as we know it without Elvis.
Steely Dan
4/5
As a dad who is nearing 40, I am contractually obligated to enjoy Steely Dan.
In all seriousness, Steely Dan is always polished and listenable. Nothing ground breaking, but a good time to be had here.
Nas
5/5
Debatably the greatest rap album of all time, definitely the best of the 90s, in my opinion. Nas perfectly captures the seedier side of New York in a tight 40 minute package.
Billy Bragg
1/5
Holy shit! This guy’s voice fucking sucks. All other aspects of the music is great, but damn, that voice sucks.
Kraftwerk
4/5
Really cool early electronic music.
Radiohead
5/5
I can’t be objective. I’m a Radiohead Stan. I will say that, Pablo Honey aside, this is probably their weakest of their albums through King of Limbs. It is pretty straightforward compared to later works, but I love it.
Tim Buckley
1/5
This guy has 3 albums on this list, 2 which are ok to good, but this one sucks.
Everything But The Girl
1/5
Easy listening, but ultimately not much here.
John Cale
3/5
Perfectly middle of the road. I enjoyed the use of the orchestra, but it’s largely forgettable in the grand scheme of things.
This album follows the awful trend of the 90s and 00s where all the singles are upfront and the rest doesn’t matter. Unfortunately, I only liked Beautiful Day and did not care for the rest.
Cornershop
4/5
Solid 90s indie rock. Sleep on the Left Side and Brimful of Asha are great and there’s a nice little Norwegian Wood cover to close it out.
Mudhoney
4/5
3 stars for the Nirvana influence. Not a bad listen though, so 4 stars.
Marvin Gaye
5/5
Smooth as my wife’s love tunnel when we listen to Marvin Gaye.
Tom Waits
4/5
An interesting one, if you can get past Waits’ voice which is as smooth broken glass soaked in gasoline and lit on fire. The quasi-live setting for the “jazz club” make you feel like this was recorded in a smoky barroom, not in the studio. Good stuff here.
The The
3/5
A couple of good songs here, but pretty forgettable in the end.
Malcolm McLaren
1/5
Malcolm McLaren is a giant POS, but Buffalo Gals is a good song. 1.5/5, but I think I’ll round down anyways.
Lou Reed
4/5
A misunderstood gem. It’s bleak, but very effective.
Big Black
4/5
Steve Albini and co. make a lot of noise. What's not to like?
The Kinks
4/5
Pretty nice listen. Harry Rag is pretty bad, but the rest is classic capital B British rock.
Bob Dylan
5/5
You could be forgiven for thinking that Bob Dylan died shortly after this album recorded. And he nearly did! Dark and bitter songs by a man who has seen too much of life. Dylan’s voice is no longer tinny like he’s known for and much more age appropriate. Good stuff.
MGMT
4/5
The 3 hits are worth price of admission alone, but the other songs are pretty good as well. There is a noticeable drop off in the last 2-3 songs, though.
William Orbit
1/5
All the reviews saying this is 90s spy/heist movie background music are pretty accurate. Like a lot of 90s electronic music, it’s very repetitive and rather boring in a sit at home/work and listen environment. I’ve never enjoyed this type of stuff and this is no exception.
Crowded House
3/5
Generic pop rock. It’s fine, I guess.
Louis Prima
4/5
Feels like I’m in a smoky club with some mobsters. Pass the pomade!
Thundercat
5/5
I’ve never heard of Thundercat before and I was blown away. It’s jazzy and funky and doesn’t take itself too seriously.
The Replacements
3/5
Pretty good and definitely better than a lot of the post punk stuff on the list. However, I still find it a bit forgettable outside of Unsatisfied, which is a great song.
R.E.M.
4/5
Good debut, and as expected, not as good as their later stuff, but nice to hear where they started. I spent a lot of time in Athens decades after REM, but they’ve always held a special place in my mind.
Alice In Chains
5/5
I came late to the Alice In Chains party, but this has become one of my favorite albums. Definitely in my wheelhouse just passed over when I was younger for some reason or another.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
2/5
Not as bad as I would think. There’s some good stuff here, but it’s a bit too much noise for my tastes. I don’t think I’ll go back to this one.
Shack
2/5
It’s fine. Another nothing Britpop group.
The Coral
3/5
Pretty decent, but I think it was correct to remove from later editions.
The Teardrop Explodes
1/5
I don’t know how else to describe it, but the overt “British innit” thick British accent singing is terrible to my ears.
The Icarus Line
1/5
This wasn’t good when it came out and it’s not good now. Derivative of other groups that did it better and just noise for noise sake.
Pentangle
3/5
Definitely a weird one here and I didn’t quite know how I felt about it while listening, but thinking about it for a bit, I liked it. The blending of folk genres here makes for an album much different than a lot of what was going around in 69, but it works. I wouldn’t want to listen to this on the reg, but it’s an interesting curiosity.
Frank Sinatra
2/5
Maybe a little unfair rating a 2 here, but this kinda crooner music does nothing for me. Every song on this album is the same tempo and about the same thing. Sinatra is obviously one of the greats, the lack of variety brings this one down for me, though.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
I never listened to much Bob Marley before this project and this is my third album by Mr. Marley and co. All have been fantastic and way better than my rather naive assumptions about his music and reggae on the whole.
Morrissey
1/5
I am not a fan of Morrissey’s voice at all and that’s ignoring that he’s a POS outside of that. The music itself is ok, though.
Portishead
5/5
Shining example of trip hop. Portishead is one of the great discoveries I have made doing this project.
Queen
4/5
I always put Queen in the category of “singles band” and this isn’t really an exception here, but the non hits are pretty good, but nowhere on par with their greats.
Death In Vegas
3/5
Pretty downer of a record, but not bad. The opener, Dirge, is the best on the album. I don’t know wtf Aisha was, but it was creepy and weird.
Bert Jansch
4/5
Solid home brewed folk album. Needle of Death is the best song.
Fleet Foxes
5/5
I can’t check my bias on this one. I wore out the CD in college and have it on vinyl. I absolutely love this album.
Pavement
5/5
I only knew one Pavement song before this so I was pretty happy with today’s pull. True indie rock here for the slacker generation. Seemingly all over the place, but they have a lot more skill than they seem to let on.
The Fall
1/5
My third album by the Fall and hoping it’s the last. My problem with this band is the instrumentation is really good, even great in parts. I cannot stand the vocals. All 3 albums I’ve heard sound like the vocals were recorded in a different time zone than the rest and it’s very jarring to me.
Christina Aguilera
2/5
Back when Aguilera was at her height, it was Britney or Christina and if I had to choose in 2002 when I was 13, I would’ve gone Britney. That said, I’ve never liked this type of pop music and this is pretty standard pop fare. There’s nothing groundbreaking here, but it’s not trying to be anything it’s not, and that’s fine.
Tangerine Dream
3/5
This was great background music for doing some housework.
Fleetwood Mac
4/5
Tusk has the unfortunate role of following up Rumours, but it’s not bad. Buckingham took control with this one and it shows. It’s a good album, but follows one of the GOATs.
The Undertones
4/5
I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would given that it’s New Wave.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
I liked this better than The Boatman’s Call which is an improvement. I can’t say I liked it, but I definitely didn’t hate it. It’s a weird one.
Black Sabbath
5/5
Like it or not, first metal album of all time is vital. Fortunately, Black Sabbath aren’t only the first, but one of the best.
Marvin Gaye
2/5
I hate to do it as I love What’s Going On and Let’s Get It On, but I did not enjoy this album. It’s rather one note and much too long. The production and Gaye’s voice is, as always, top notch, but this is much too self indulgent.
Iggy Pop
5/5
Reviews on the site and in IRL publications indicate that this album is a love it or hate it piece. I loved it. Iggy Pop and Bowie? Yes please.
David Bowie
4/5
I rather liked this as I enjoy Bowie, but is 2013 Bowie really deserved? There’s a lot of classic Bowie which all belongs, but what was left off to make room for this? Blackstar can stay as it’s his swan song.
The Byrds
4/5
Solid debut that unashamedly covers a lot of Dylan, but Gene Clark’s originals are pretty good. Kind of a Dylan meets the Beatles sound.
Pere Ubu
2/5
Did I hate this? No. Did I like it? Also no, but it’s not nearly as bad as a lot of the reviews would have you believe. It’s certainly a tough listen, but there is good stuff here. I have found through this that vocals make or break an album for me and the vocals here are very rough. The music around the vocals is pretty good, even if a good portion of it is just noise. In the end, this isn’t my cup of tea, but not the assault to my ears I was expecting.
Don McLean
4/5
Beyond the all time great title track, there’s a nice little album here. Would be a 3, but American Pie brings the whole thing up.
Janelle Monáe
5/5
I don’t know what I expected when I saw this generate, but it wasn’t this. What a thrill of an experience! I admit I wasn’t looking forward to listening to this, but damn, this is some good shit. Janelle Monae is a name I’d heard, but never listened to her music, kinda lumping her in with every other disposable pop artist. I was definitely wrong.
Sade
2/5
It was fine. Not really anything that stuck with me on this one. Smooth Operator was a good opener, but then the rest faded into the background.
50 Cent
4/5
I listened to this with a kind of reverse nostalgia. I did not listen to this when it came out and did not appreciate rap at that time, but was aware of a lot of it due to being in high school in 2003. 20+ years later brings me back to that time and I’m able to appreciate this now. This is 2000s mainstream rap and you can tell exactly what decade it came out from the jump. Pop that collar and act gangsta even though you’re a skinny white boy from the suburbs.
Janet Jackson
2/5
Just a fun pop album. Nothing too deep at all, but my toddler liked dancing to it with me.
The Roots
4/5
I feel like I’m not familiar enough with the Roots to fully appreciate this one, but I wish I was. Things Fall Apart, from what I can tell, is a better introduction to them, but that’s not the way the cookie crumbled for me. The Roots are a band, unfortunately, best known as Jammy Fallon’s house band, but this album shows they are a hip hop powerhouse.
Beck
5/5
Beck’s breakup album and that’s an undersell if there ever was one. This one is as personal as Beck is going to get and this one is much more stripped down than is typical of Beck.
Love
2/5
It was fine, I guess. I don’t think it does anything that others didn’t do better.
Missy Elliott
3/5
It’s 2000s hip hop, I’m not big on it, but there’s some good hooks here.
Echo And The Bunnymen
4/5
Solid debut album. I enjoy their later work better, but this good too.
KISS
1/5
My MIL is a huge Kiss fan and also a huge POS, so this is more than a bit biased, but I fucking hate Kiss. They’re a subpar glam metal band with a 70s cool marketing gimmick. Everything they do is in service of commodifying their brand. My MILs house is full of crappy Kiss branded tchotchkes. There’s a reason “Beth” is their best song, and that’s because it isn’t a Kiss song.
Lana Del Rey
3/5
I’m familiar with a few of her songs and I generally like her, but it does seem like she’s a bit of a one trick pony. It’s overall a good album, but a little more variety would up it for me. It’s also a weird inclusion because the album was brand new when it was included. I personally hold the opinion that nothing that’s less than 5 years old should be included in a list such as this. Sometimes things that seem great fade into obscurity and something obscure rises in prominence. Chemtrails was only a few months old when the 2021 book came out.
Animal Collective
4/5
This is a very technically impressive album, and I find myself enjoying it more than I thought I would when I first saw it. There’s a clear influence on indie music of the 2010s here that is undeniable. I would have hated this when it came out in 2009 but I’ve found that my attitudes towards music in the 2000s-2010s closed me off to a lot of good stuff that I missed at the time.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
4/5
This album is a result of collaboration with Paul Simon on Graceland and is a very relaxing listen. They’re a cappella, but don’t hold that against them. This is a peaceful experience.
Iggy Pop
5/5
The second of Pop’s collabs with Bowie and it’s much more Pop than Bowie this time around. Title track is an all time banger, but this one keeps it up through its 40 minute runtime.
The Beach Boys
5/5
Like most others, I’m listening to The Beach Boys the day after news of Brian Wilson’s passing broke. In a world where genius is thrown around a lot, Brian Wilson truly was and I would argue that he was the 20th century’s greatest songwriter and the way he crafted his songs was way ahead of his time.
Regarding today’s album, this one is fairly standard Beach Boys fare, but the seeds of Pet Sounds can be found here. It’s hard to be objective given the day, but I think this is likely a 7/10 that I’m pushing to 9/10 due to the day.
Sheryl Crow
3/5
I decided to go to my local grocery store to listen to this one so I could be in the natural place where one would hear this music.
In all seriousness, it’s not bad, just rather shallow and a little boring. The most interesting thing is that the top review on the generator is for Deep Purple.
Skepta
1/5
Started off interesting and I was intrigued as I don’t think I’ve ever listened to grime, but as it went on, it started to wear thin and then the skits started. Skits bring down any album for me.
LCD Soundsystem
3/5
Some good stuff here but every song is just a little too long.
Butthole Surfers
1/5
I wanted to like this one, but it’s not beating the allegations. Terrible.
The Velvet Underground
5/5
Not to be confused with The Velvet Underground & Nico, this one is a lot more straightforward than their prior work, in part due to the departure of John Cale. Like most of their albums, this one sold like shit, but was hugely influential on acts to come. I’ve been a fan since college and was more than happy to get this one after a pretty lackluster weekend pull.
Deep Purple
4/5
Deep Purple is much more than Smoke On the Water. I’m not blown away by anything here, but this is some solid 70s metal. Sometimes it’s nice to just turn your brain off and rock out.
The Cars
5/5
The Cars are classic as it gets. Dad rock to a tee, but not bad.
Daft Punk
4/5
It should have been Discovery on the list, but this isn’t bad.
MC Solaar
5/5
Great album! I don’t feel the language barrier detracts from it at all. I’m sure it would be better if I did understand French, but awesome nonetheless.
Carpenters
4/5
I don’t get the hate on this one. It’s a little cheesy, but chill to listen to.
TV On The Radio
3/5
Not too bad, but nothing to write home about.
Dexys Midnight Runners
1/5
Two too many from these guys. No thanks.
Dirty Projectors
2/5
Not as bad as I thought it would be, but very up it’s own ass.
The Style Council
4/5
I liked this overall, but that rap track is pretty bad.
Iron Maiden
5/5
I am the most casual of casual metal fans, to the point that I wouldn’t call myself a metal fan, but I had a great time with this one. I haven’t listened to Iron Maiden with intention before, and I’m looking forward to going deeper into the discography.
Baaba Maal
4/5
It’s always hard to rate the world music selections because I usually lack the cultural context for it and sometimes feel obligated to rate higher than I otherwise would because world music is such a small pool of the whole list. That said, I enjoyed this quite a bit. There’s a good deal of variety between songs that kept it feeling fresh the whole time.
Pantera
1/5
After having Iron Maiden earlier this week, this was a definite downgrade. Pretty fucking terrible, to be honest.
Talking Heads
5/5
I used to say I’ve never heard a Talking Heads song I didn’t like. I still do, but I used to, too.
This is my first time listening all the way through a Talking Heads album and I didn’t know any of the songs, but I had a good time with it. David Byrne is a unique voice in music and Brian Eno helps make this one special.
CHVRCHES
1/5
This is boring AF.
Traffic
3/5
Boiler plate late 60s blues rock. It’s fine, but nothing mind blowing.
Rush
5/5
I think this album has every Rush song on it that I know (thanks Guitar Hero for YYZ) except Free Will, so I had a good time with it. I have to be in the mood for prog rock and this caught me at a good time. Plus, Rush is one of the best in that oeuvre, so this one gets 5 stars from me.
Steve Earle
5/5
Copperhead Road is better, but Guitar Town is still great. Earle is the best of latter day outlaw country.
The Clash
5/5
I’m unsure if this is my favorite Clash album, but it’s for sure one of the greatest punk albums of all time.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
4/5
This was definitely different than a lot of the list, but was pleasant. I think it could exist as a soundtrack to a whimsical video game about penguins.
Hüsker Dü
4/5
This is a band I know by name only, so this was a complete blind listen. I did not realize they and REM were so similar. I thought this was pretty great, but it did go a little long as double albums tend to do. It’s a shame they broke up right after this.
Kanye West
5/5
Hurry up with my damn croissants! I too yell at the bakery staff when I have to wait for bread.
I hold to my standards to judging the music and not the person because we all know Kanye is, at best, having a prolonged and extremely public mental health crisis. Musically, this is, in my opinion, the last great Kanye album. The cracks are definitely showing by 2013, but his talent is still present. It’s a shame he’s gone down the road he’s gone down because he was, at one time, the greatest in the game.
White Denim
5/5
Never heard of White Denim. This is fucking awesome, though. Solid modern psychedelia.
X-Ray Spex
4/5
Kick ass.
The Undertones
5/5
I’m riding a rare wave of 5 star albums this week, mostly from artists I’ve never heard of. Today is the Undertones’ self titled debut. A very early example of pop-punk, this one immediately grabbed me. As someone who grew up in suburbia in the 90s and 00s, pop-punk is near and dear, so it’s cool to hear the beginnings.
Coldplay
4/5
You wanna know how I know you’re gay…?
Kidding aside. Coldplay Vida la Vida and earlier is pretty great. They’ve fallen off very hard, but this is solid stuff here. The Scientist and Clocks are definitely the best, but In My Place is good too. It’s not a 5 because it does drag a bit at the end.
Everything But The Girl
2/5
Everything this band does is so dull. It’s not bad, but none of it says anything or means anything.
Blondie
4/5
Great album. Blondie is a stalwart mainstay of New Wave and it shows here, though I do believe that every Blondie song I know aside from Call Me is on this album.
Cocteau Twins
4/5
Dreamy and really cool to listen to. I lowkey thought this was a 90s album because I didn’t peep the year. Way cool for 1984.
Dire Straits
5/5
Great album, but no time to explain. I need to move these refrigerators.
3/5
This was in interesting one. Definitely sounds later than its time. I'm not sure if it warrants a 5, but it's a solid 3-4. I'll sleep on it before I rate.
Michael Jackson
4/5
I’m no MJ fan, and this is not his best work, but there’s a reason everyone has been trying to be the next Michael Jackson. The man is a true showman and knows his way around a tune.
The Stranglers
2/5
The organ is the best part. I initially was enjoying this, but then the voice got to be pretty annoying to me. Not bad, but nothing special.
Aphex Twin
4/5
I feel selected and ambient.
The Chemical Brothers
4/5
Solid electronic music that knows when to end the damn song.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
2/5
This is a hard one. On one hand, the observations are sound, but the beat and flow is pretty atrocious. It is sadly interesting that 30+ years on, the same issues prevail.
Black Sabbath
5/5
Reviewing the day after Oz passed. Nothing to say. One of the greatest albums of all time.
Suzanne Vega
4/5
This does not sound like 1984 which I find very cool. Her songs are very much telling a story and I’m here to listen
Bebel Gilberto
4/5
I feel like I’m in a cafe drinking a coffee after the clubs have closed, enjoying the night air. The fusion of bossa nova with electronic music works great here to set a mood. It’s very tragic that Suba, the producer, died trying to save the album from a studio fire.
The White Stripes
3/5
Musically, pretty awesome, but I could smell the pretense through my AirPods.
Britney Spears
1/5
I’m glad my wife knows I’m doing this project otherwise there would be questions. Seriously, though, Britney is the best modern example of being chewed up and spat out by the industry. Truly a sad tale and this album is the beginning of all that 2000s nonsense in pop.
George Jones
4/5
Classic old school country. I tend to prefer outlaw country, but maybe I’m coming around on the classic stuff.
Aerosmith
2/5
Fuck Aerosmith and that pederast Steven Tyler. Sweet Emotion is cool, though.
Madness
4/5
Thought this was a band I’d never heard of, but then Our House starts up. The rest of the album is pretty cool with some dark undertones, but there’s a couple stinkers here that keep it from a 5/5.
Kraftwerk
4/5
I listened to this and then my son immediately wanted to play robots. I think it’s a sign. Pretty cool and agreed with the top review.
Django Django
4/5
Pretty cool mishmash of the 60s and modern sensibilities. Nicely done.
Einstürzende Neubauten
1/5
Want a headache?
Joy Division
3/5
I prefer Unknown Pleasures over this. Not terrible, but not really my jam.
Rufus Wainwright
2/5
I didn’t Want One and I definitely don’t Want Two.
Buffalo Springfield
4/5
I’m not sure where I land on this one. I listened in the evening while cooking dinner and I found it enjoyable if not a little forgettable. I would like to listen again to gain familiarity as I did like it at the time.
Stan Getz
5/5
This is my third bossa nova album and I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m a fan of the genre. Really chill and cool to listen to.
Fairport Convention
4/5
This is a case of the list proving to me that there’s always more you can learn about something. Until today, I had thought my bases were covered regarding the 60s in music, but here comes this British folk band I’ve never heard of and from the first note, I’m in. I’ve been life stressed lately and this is just what I needed.
Rod Stewart
3/5
Oh no. This was way better than I thought it would be. :(
N.E.R.D
3/5
Pretty cool rock/rap fusion. I’d heard of NERD but never listened. I’m not sure I’d go back though.
Drive Like Jehu
1/5
I guess I’m not invited to the birthday party.
Sugar
3/5
I like Husker Du and this wasn’t bad by any stretch, but I am left wondering why I would listen to this when Nirvana and company exist from the same era.
Giant Sand
1/5
Not bad initially, but the whole album is very monotonous.
The Shamen
1/5
PS1 racing game music.
Radiohead
5/5
Kid A, Side 2. It’s not as good as its predecessor, but it’s more Kid A era Radiohead. I prefer to listen to the Kid Amnesiac that has both together.
Buck Owens
2/5
Title track immediately sent my father in law into a lather because his dad apparently had an 8-track of this album that was broken, so it was the only song that worked. He would rewind it and play it over and over. Needles to say, the rest of the album is completely forgettable.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
This is cool as hell. I never listened to Stevie Wonder outside the big hits before this project and so far 2/2 are great. They Won’t Go When I Go was my favorite track. It’s so unlike the rest.
Caetano Veloso
4/5
This is my first time listening to tropicalia, a fusion of Brazilian and British/American pop/psychedelia that arose in the 60s. I’ve learned through the course of nearly 600 albums is that I really like Brazilian music, so this was very welcome on a Sunday morning.
Can
2/5
Thanks to No Dogs in Space for familiarizing me with CAN, but they are not for me.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3/5
It’s ok mid 60s rock. Clearly aping the British Invasion
Beatles
5/5
It's the fucking White Album! It's not their best, but I love it dearly. Fully half the songs I sing my toddler to help him sleep are from this album. I own an original US pressing from 1968 and this will always have a special place in my heart. Number 9 indeed!
Wilco
4/5
I’ve listened to this a handful of times over the past decade and it never really leaves its mark the way I want it to. However, I still remember where I was when I first heard it, so that’s something. I Am Trying To Break Your Heart starts things off strong, but it wavers a bit afterwards. Good album all things considered.
Cee Lo Green
1/5
What the hell is even that? This is the shittiest, most 2004 thing ever. No way this wasn’t removed from later editions.
The Killers
5/5
Oh hell yeah! This is high school all over again in the best way.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
I find Elvis Costello to be perfectly middle of the road. I agree with many others that he is massively over represented on this list.
Aerosmith
4/5
This is the best of the Aerosmith albums I've heard so far, begrudgingly. This rocks pretty hard TBH.
John Martyn
2/5
I didn't really vibe with this one. The vocals were pretty bad and the music was extremely dated, but not in a good way.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
The Boss! His music is really good, but then he sings and it can bring it down sometimes, and that happens here. He is the Boss though, so it’s pretty damn good.
The Beach Boys
5/5
Fucking Pet Sounds. A true work of pop art if there ever was one. I hesitate to call it rock, but it’s the quintessential baroque pop album ever made. Brian Wilson was a true genius who unfortunately had a band with Mike Love.
The La's
2/5
Once again, another Britpop band that had a hit song gets their whole album on this list. There She Goes warrants a Star, but the rest is a ripoff of the Kinks.
The Young Rascals
3/5
Another 60s Beatles clone that has 1 maybe 2 songs that are good.
Deerhunter
4/5
File this one in the “I should have totally known this one but didn’t for some reason” folder. This band is from my hometown and was hanging out in the town I went to college at the time this album was recorded. I used to go to a lot of local shows and I know several of Deerhunter’s associates acts, but somehow completely missed this whole band in the 00s.
Joni Mitchell
1/5
I really can't abide Joni Mitchell. It's a shame because she should be right up my alley, but this is my third Joni Mitchell album and I cannot stand the way she sings. It's like the melody of the vocals doesn't match the music in a weird way. Sorry, Joni, it's not me, it's you.
Oasis
4/5
Pretty good, innit? Not as iconic as What’s the Story Morning Glory, but still good. Beatles influence is palpable.
Rocket From The Crypt
1/5
This was pretty rough. Did not enjoy.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
I love S&G. Back in high school I had this one on CD and my GF, now wife, thought it was my dad’s. She’s an old soul and was rather impressed that an immature kid like me had seemingly mismatched tastes in music. I think it’s what closed the deal to be honest.
PJ Harvey
4/5
I greatly enjoyed this one. I’m not up on English warfare history, but I’m always interested. This was very different from what I expected from PJ Harvey in the best way.
G. Love & Special Sauce
1/5
I guess you had to be there? This is fucking terrible and I’m 90s pilled.
Röyksopp
2/5
It wasn’t as bad as I thought, but I still didn’t really vibe with it.
Rahul Dev Burman
4/5
Interesting way to start a Monday. Definitely different than the 200th 80s British New Wave band.
Ghostface Killah
4/5
Pretty effin awesome!
John Grant
4/5
Interesting one here. Some really great songs, but some pretty bad ones too. Ultimately, I think I liked it, though.
Miles Davis
5/5
Copying from my last Miles Davis.
If peeing your pants is cool, call me Miles Davis.
Seriously, though, this is his best one.
Talking Heads
4/5
Once again, now that I’ve heard a few Talking Heads albums, I still have not heard a song of theirs that I didn’t like. Good shit.
R.E.M.
5/5
Fucking awesome!
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
This is my 3rd (4th if The Birthday Party counts) Nick Cave album, and I have not connected with his music at all until this one. Double album, so it’s on the longer side, but I was engaged the whole time. I’m interested in going back to those earlier ones I panned and seeing if my opinion has changed
My Bloody Valentine
1/5
I’m 0/3 on MBV albums. Not my jam at all. I actively hate how pretentious Kevin Shields is and I find that if you’re going to be that much of an asshole about your music, then it should at least be something that anyone couldn’t jus throw together in a long weekend.
Grizzly Bear
2/5
I only know Grizzly Bear from the heavily sampled song Two Weeks, so this was a fairly blind listen. It seems to me like Grizzly Bear, at least on this album, exists as a distillation of how most indie rock sounded during the hipster years of the late 2000s, early 2010s. Not bad at all, but not really doing much for me.
Bon Jovi
4/5
Turn your brain off and forget the world is burning.
George Michael
2/5
Freedom! slaps, but other than that, no thanks.
Lorde
3/5
I am Lorde, ya ya ya!
Big Star
4/5
Shoutout that 70s show!
The Cult
3/5
Fairly by the numbers hard rock from 1987, but not unpleasant. I think they should have included their previous album, Love, as opposed to this one, but I understand the logic. This is the one that propelled the Cult to stardom.
The Bees
3/5
Definitely a different sound than most things out there in 2002. It’s a pretty chill listen with an eclectic mix of genres. I probably wouldn’t go back to this one, but it was an interesting Monday morning today.
The Beach Boys
4/5
What a departure in sound! This was the Beach Boys reinvented, largely without Brian Wilson and it shows. If I didn’t know that it was a Beach Boys album I would have had no idea. I primarily know and love their early to mid-60s output, so this was wholly unexpected and certainly not unwelcome. There are a couple of songs that were dated stinkers even at release, so I teetered on a 4 or 5 on this.
Frank Sinatra
4/5
How can you not feel good after listening to such a tight package as this?
Pixies
5/5
All 3 Pixies albums here kick ass.
The Doors
5/5
Gotta be the best Doors album, right? Who doesn’t love Peace Frog.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
3/5
This is a difficult one to rate. I’m not anti-prog by any means, and the music here is quite interesting and in some places transcendent. Unfortunately, the music is coupled with some of the worst lyrics I’ve ever heard. It’s rather bizarre to listen to in places. In the end, I was digging it overall, but then the final song was such a turd that it took me out of it.
Sepultura
3/5
Metal’s not really my bag and I struggle to connect with it a lot of the time, but this was pretty good. Typically what turns me off is if the vocalist is scream singing and this is no exception, but I kinda tuned him out to focus on the drums and guitar work.
Common
4/5
Common is synonymous with socially conscious hip-hop and this is no exception here. I’m not overly familiar with his work, this album was only the second Common record I’ve listened to, but I like what I hear. The influence from Fela Kuti and Afrobeat permeates this album which is never a bad thing. The homophobia and misogyny that is endemic in rap from the era does bring it down a bit and it is overlong by about 20 minutes, but this is a solid package overall.
Wu-Tang Clan
5/5
It's for the children.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
2/5
I appreciate the cover of Bo Diddly, but I don’t fuck with jams.
Prince
5/5
Great solo effort by Prince! IMO, the last great Prince record.
Sonic Youth
3/5
World’s okayest Sonic Youth album.
Hole
4/5
Courtney Love is unfairly maligned a lot of the time which leaves people not listening to this awesome banger of an album.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
I think the late 80s production doesn’t vibe with Cohen’s speak singing style very well. The lyrics are on point, but musically, I found myself cringing a bit.
Travis
2/5
Discount Radiohead. Not bad, but why is it here?
The Rolling Stones
3/5
This is the final Stones album for me on this list. I def agree with the inclusion as this is the first one that sounds like the Stones we know and like. Still a singles band.
Joan Baez
4/5
Haunting and beautiful. Lovely folk from an absolute legend.
Patti Smith
1/5
Fucking terrible.
Aretha Franklin
5/5
After a middling career and a label change, Aretha Franklin demands R-E-S-P-E-C-T and she gets it. Truly on the Mt. Rushmore of great voices in pop music.
Donovan
4/5
Donovan is one of the best! Chill way to start the day.
George Michael
4/5
I enjoyed this a lot more than Listen Without Prejudice. Nicely done, boyo.
Television
4/5
I found this one really cool. I'd never heard of Television and it sounds completely ahead of it's time.
The KLF
2/5
Not as bad as I was expecting, given it's electronic music. I can see why people think this one is cool.
Terence Trent D'Arby
3/5
I almost quit on this one. I found it to be fairly by the numbers and I’m very busy in life right now, so I figured I had the gist of it and turned it off with only 2 songs left. I came back a few minutes later and felt guilty with myself for turning it off, and there’s a great a capella track before a decent Smoky Robinson cover. Bumped it up a star for me.
Finley Quaye
3/5
I just want to know more about the guy who got headbutted.
Barry Adamson
3/5
Interesting one here. A soundtrack for a film that doesn’t exist. Don’t think I’d ever go back to it though.
Culture Club
2/5
Karma Chameleon is good, but other than, pretty forgettable.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
I generally like Neil Young and I get what they’re going for here, but it just sounds like divorced, middle-aged dad music.
4/5
Pretty interesting collection of songs that are all pretty decent, but it doesn’t feel like an album. It’s 12 disparate tracks. Still, pretty good stuff here.
New Order
2/5
Do I only like Blue Monday by New Order? Very possibly.
Turbonegro
3/5
Fun album that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
The Triffids
2/5
Like a discount Nick Cave.
The Dandy Warhols
5/5
File it in the category of bands I liked the idea of, but never listened to. Glad to change that today. Pretty awesome stuff.
Tom Tom Club
4/5
Talking Heads and Talking Heads accessories are great.
XTC
4/5
I enjoyed it very much where I thought I wouldn’t at the outset. It won me over with “That’s Really Super, Supergirl” and never looked back. Nice!
Siouxsie And The Banshees
5/5
Incredible album! I knew the name, but never heard any of the music and I was blown away. Perfect album to start Halloween week.
Eric Clapton
3/5
Fairly middle of the road. Clapton is an amazing guitarist and none of that skill is on display here.
Jane's Addiction
5/5
I know a little JA and I was more familiar with this album than I thought. I used to have a compilation album where half the tracks were from Nothing’s Shocking. I did not know that this was 1988 as I’ve always associated JA with the 90s. Definitely an all timer for alt rock.
Harry Nilsson
5/5
Fuckin awesome is what it is.
The Boo Radleys
3/5
Pretty great in some parts, but drags to a halt in places. Overall, the entire package being over an hour long is entirely unnecessary.
Hugh Masekela
3/5
Jazz isn’t my bag, but I can appreciate it in the background like this. I’m not likely to have my mind blown or anything, but the afrobeat fusion here is nice.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Perfect album. No notes.
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
2/5
Rhythmically, there are some interesting bits, but he sounds like the old guy playing the local bar.
Skunk Anansie
3/5
Definitely not what I expected, but it was pretty good. Probably one and done for me though.
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
4/5
Salsa is pretty legit. Not sure what’s going on with the babies on the cover though.
Femi Kuti
5/5
Cool and fun. Impossible not to get that toe shooting through your boot.
Stephen Stills
3/5
Middle of the road, as expected from Stephen Stills.
Simply Red
1/5
I wasn’t feeling it. Actually mildly annoyed that I was listening to this while organizing my basement, but then Holding Back the Years came on and I flashed back to my days as a line cook where the chef always had this shit on the playlist and then the PTSD kicked in.
De La Soul
5/5
Amazing. No notes
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
Leaving Silver Spring off was a mistake, but this is a top 3 album of all time.
Moby
4/5
Damn, I really didn’t think I would like this, but it was fucking great. I perceive Moby as very pretentious and I guess I am too?
Gorillaz
4/5
Solid debut and nostalgic due to Clint Eastwood.
The Velvet Underground
5/5
Reminds me of college. Lovely album only brought down by Nico, but a solid 9/10.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
I really like Darklands, but had never heard this one and my initial reaction was not great, but as the album went, it grew on me. I can see why people unfamiliar with them would hate this album. It is very noisy, but underneath that, it is pretty straightforward.
The Byrds
4/5
Graham Parsons turns the Byrds full country and pioneers country rock in the process. The Byrds are definitely over represented on the list, and this is not their best album, but I believe the spot here is merited for essentially inventing a genre.
Sam Cooke
5/5
Sam Cooke is cool as hell and I am now cooler for having listened to this album.
R.E.M.
5/5
Document was the first REM album I bought, so it will always be special to me. I played the CD so much that the disc got a giant circular scratch through it from my Discman.
Fugees
4/5
Fugees epitomize here today, gone tomorrow. Not long after this album, the group fell apart and none of their solo albums have reached the heights of this one, not even the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. It does suffer from having the skits which I have never liked in an album and is endemic in this era of hip hop.
Kacey Musgraves
3/5
Far more interesting than one would think. It's better than most other pop country. Ultimately, not my cup of tea, but I can see why folks like this one.
The White Stripes
5/5
I’m the right age and have the right tastes that I should have been super into the White Stripes in the 2000s but I just wasn’t. So now, 20+ years later, I’m discovering that I really like White Stripes. This one is a bit more raw than their later stuff, but would still be at home in an iPod commercial in 2002. It’s not a bad thing, iPod commercials used to have some cool music in them.
Bad Brains
3/5
I didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. I can see the influence and I probably need to do another listen to be sure.
Wire
3/5
I listened to this while driving on GA-400 (IYKYK) and it was the perfect soundtrack to navigating Atlanta traffic. However, the vocals are pretty weak sauce despite the awesome instrumentals.
Nico
1/5
Some pretty decent songwriting and composition is bogged down by Nico’s terrible vocals. Her voice does not fit here and these songs would be better served by a softer touch. She was the weakest part of the seminal the Velvet Underground & Nico and it’s honestly baffling how she managed to net a solo career.
Adele
4/5
Adele has a wonderful voice, but her songs tend to be rather samey. However, I don't think one could plausibly make a case to not include her on a list like this. I think two albums is too much and if you have to choose one, this is the one. Compared to 25, 21 is a lot more varied and has her biggest hits.
M.I.A.
3/5
More interesting than I thought it would be, but does get a bit repetitive.
Barry Adamson
2/5
Why does this dude have 2 albums here? It’s an interesting concept, but Oedipus Schmoedipus does it better. This one’s not great.
Metallica
5/5
This a long one, it’s just after 8am and I’ve been listening to this since 6, but it’s a good one. Live Metallica with the San Francisco Symphony. I don’t usually go for live albums, it’s a bit like seeing your friends’ vacation photos. You really just had to be there. But this works quite nicely. Michael Kamen’s orchestrations are fantastic and really complement Metallica well. They’re not the first to combine an orchestra with metal, but they may be the best.
4/5
The singer can’t sing, the musicians can’t play their instruments, but this goes hard as hell. Kick out the jams, motherfucker!
Joni Mitchell
1/5
I think this is it for Joni Mitchell, and I’m glad to see her go. Not my cup of tea at all across all 4 albums on this list.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
3/5
It's all over the place but not in a bad way. The influence this had on Nick Cave is palpable and that alone makes this noteworthy.
Heaven 17
1/5
Boring and does nothing new.