Some of these are absolute classics, but a few really dragged the album down.
I liked the heavy handedness!
Other than Everybody's Talking and maybe the Dolphins, I really struggled to find anything memorable or interesting about this one. It does set a certain lethargic mood so I guess that's something
I'm surprised how well I liked this given my vague memories of Virtual Insanity. Funny hat man was not a cool thing to like in my corner of suburbia. This album has some solid grooves and likely the century's best use of didgeridoo in a funk song.
This was a favorite album of my mom's when I was a kid, so I've heard it countless times. I don't love everything on it, but there are some absolute classics. I'm not usually struck by lyrics, but Graceland and Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes are masterpieces in the way the poetry and music play together. Call Me Al is a certified banger even after playing it hundreds of times in basketball pep band. Easy 5 stars.
I thought there were examples of good lyrics and some genuinely catchy hooks (Doo Wop and Everything is Everything stick out), but the melody and songwriting just don't do anything for me. Vocal runs for days though.
Not my favorite by Miles, but a solid listen. I've never had a coke bender, but I imagine it feels like this sounds.
Catchy AF and holds up well. Absolutely wild how this made me feel old when it came out, and now it's old music for old millennials. Time comes for us all.
Tons of fun musical ideas, gathered from all over the spectrum, and assembled with humor. Probably I don't find any deep connection to anything here, but its influence is undeniable
I like the use of jazz and gospel in the mix, and the verse has some good moments, but it hasn't aged all that well IMO. The first track is the high point.
Sometimes a single great sing can elevate an otherwise boring album. Preacher Man is a pretty good song, but in this case I think he rest of the album is so boring and corny that it actually makes me like that song less.
I guess I can see how this was a standout at the time. I like the Iggy mix the best, but both have such a weird sound to me. The vocals sound way too clean and subdued for the rest of the musical context, and there's not much musically or lyrically to get excited about.
Just some solid 60s blue note jazz.
WTF this is just a blatant rip-off of Tenacious D's sound. Pretty sick tbh.
Can't deny the vocals, and Hello is a banger, but I'm just bored with the rest.
Great album. A classic for a reason.
David Byrne makes giant strides in giving musicians the artistic freedom to be weird as fuck, and I love him for it. Once in a Lifetime is perfect and kind of carries the rest of the album.
This one is still in regular rotation for me. Love it.
Weird for the sake of weird, which I can get behind. Kind of sounds like Beck if he came about in the age of Yes.
Somehow the algorithm gave me Holger Czukay yesterday followed immediately by Can today. I've never so much as heard of this genre before. I tend to love weird shit, but this even pushes my boundaries. I can hear the roots of so much music that I love here, and it's kind of like discovering that your parents had full and complex lives before you were ever born.
I will say this album pairs poorly with a flourescently lit gym in 2024.
Never heard of these guys, and I will definitely come back to this one a few times. There are some drum and guitar runs here that remind me of Yes but with a more straightforward structure.
H I G H - N O T E - G R E A S E
Not the worst reggae I've ever heard.
Until now, I didn't know So Far was a compilation album, and after listening to this album that it pulls from, it makes sense. Teach Your Children Well, Helpless, and Woodstock are timeless, but so much of the rest of this album has not aged well IMO.
Nothing bad or offensive, but so boring I couldn't make it past track 5.
Willie has such an understated talent for delivery.
Light my Fire is a great track, especially the organ/guitar-led meandering jam in the middle. The rest of the album is a big meh from me, but maybe you had to be there. The mixing and balance between the band is excellent, with every part contributing without being too busy, but a lot of the songwriting just doesn't hit for me. I'm pretty sure The End was made up entirely on the spot and recorded in one take without any critical review.
In the Light is perfect.
I've never even heard of this band, and I'm honestly blown away that this is from 1993. I'll come back to this one.
Fellas, is it gay to like melody?
But seriously even though there's not much interesting melody or progression, there's plenty of energy, talent, and catchy lyrics to make this a fun listen
I just can't with Randy Newman
How have I never listened to this before?
Paul's Boutique is objectively the better album, but this one gets a big nostalgia bonus from me.
I get that the shock is the point, and I know that this album is not written for me as someone who has not been through shit. I can respect it, but I don't connect to it. My Name Is and Rick Bottom are high points worth a listen at least.
Well executed but boring department store rock.
As a kid especially I was a huge fan of the great pop punk sellouts Green Day. Well, it turns out the kids at school were right about me being a poser, and it wasn't just because of my department store Airwalks. "Real" punk is just too hard for me to really enjoy. I'll give Black Flag points for making a funny and compelling album at least.
One of the better options for grouchy poetry singers, but I like Leonard Cohen better. There She Goes, My Beautiful World and Hiding All Away were highlights for me.
Such killer guitar sound and production. I've not listened to much of them before, but there's no denying the influence on lots of bands that got a lot more play..
What an incredible talent. Also, I never knew that Jeff Buckley's Lilac Wine was a cover!
The production and overall sound is great, but it wears thin after even one song, making for a very boring album.
I love this album. Bob Dylan's lyrics are bizarre and hilarious and touching, somehow without making any sense at all when viewed directly. Is impressionism a thing in poetry?
Stuck Inside of Mobile will always be my favorite
This is so different from everything else I know by Beck, and it's cool to hear his breadth. It strikes up a very sleepy, introspective mood, and doesn't really drift from that. If that's where you're head is when you listen, I can see the appeal, but it doesn't really land for me now as being particularly memorable.
This was some goofy shit.
I don't know man, I just can't get into this.
Great album. It's interesting to read about the critical reaction at the time and the negative reaction to the electronics and structure, since to me this album feels much more like one of Miles' earlier albums like Kind of Blue or Birth of the Cool. I'd understand that reaction on Bitches Brew for example. Maybe I feel that way just based on the mood and not any actual theory? This is an easy listen, but with plenty of variety to stay interesting.
Nirvana had some brilliant stuff, including on this album, but I don't really get into to their punk-forward scream tracks. I get why they get to be genre- and era-defining, with all the sarcasm and disdain for commercial success. This album is a high 3 for me carried by All Apologies, Heart Shaped Box, and nostalgia.
By far the best use of throat singing in a nineties electronic album
Pretty generic 80s punk
Love this album. Favorite tracks: Broken Drum and Hell Yes
Probably Aerosmith 's best work, for what that's worth.
Brave enough to rhyme "the whole world's goin' crazee" with "crazee crazee crazee crazee crazee"
The formula works
Very talented musicians, but the songwriting feels soulless, like a hastily manufactured money grab
Incredible talent, but not a lot of soul in the album outside of Layla. Still a solid listen, but not one I'll come back to.
Respectable but not my thing
A literal bop
There are some good songs here (Strange Brew, Sunshine of Your Love, SWLABR), but the bad ones (World of Pain, Blue Condition) are truly awful. Clapton may be an excellent blues guitarist, but there's some bit of authenticity or soul he's missing for me.
Neil Young's work benefits so much from the musical input of CSN, but this is still a solid album, mainly for its poetry.
If Mona Lisa Saperstein wrote music for Nora Jones
Reading the wiki description, it's interesting what passed for a "soft edge" in 1994 grunge culture. This is a great album though, and as a non-hardcore softy I appreciate the effort to dumb it down for us dirty casuals.
Why is this on here?
There is nothing tighter than a Basie horn section, and they do it while absolutely dripping with style and dynamic range. Favorite track is Splanky, but it's a tough choice.
Each component of this band is technically great, but I struggle to find any magic in the final product. Most songs sound the same and didn't really stick with me at all
This album sounds so dated now that it's hard for me to give it a fair listen and get past the corny sound. I'm not going to come back to this, but I'm not mad about it
Truly awful
Never listened to this before, and I'm blown away that this sound was around in 84. They would sound perfectly in place a full decade later.
Lou Reed is such a a weird combination of brilliance and mediocrity. Walk on the Wild Side is hilarious and catchy and weirdly poignant, and a lot of the other songwriting is charming. Lou Reed is at times an objectively terrible singer, but there are times when he delivers something great.
I love instrumental jazz but struggle so much to get into jazz vocals. I do love the surprises and imperfections that come with the live recording, and Sarah seems like a genuine talent but I have to deduct half a star for the gratuitous vibrato.
Sounds like some lame British kids struggling to replicate the authenticity of blues greats. There's not much technically wrong, and you can't blame them for trying and missing the mark, but I have no interest in listening to this one again. I'm glad for whatever extent this effort shaped the stones into the band they would become.
Living for the city is a good track that I've never heard before but the rest of this was not super memorable.
This is miles better than Nevermind, but nobody tell Billy Corgan because we need his angst for sustenance.
Much more R&B vibes than I expected. She's definitely talented, but just not my thing.
The absolute queen of whispery drama pop. This is definitely a pop album, but there was some depth that surprised me. Liability is vulnerable and endearing and was a highlight. Plus Green Light is a certified banger.
What a cool album. Chaotic and lighthearted and still musically interesting; this sounds like the best parts of the aughts indie hipster boom.
This is music that makes the it feel like the musician's joy comes so easily.
Classic album though not a frequent listen for me. I know the hardcore fans didn't love the heavily produced sound, but I think it suits their style extremely well. They are the big budget action movie of rock music.
Listen, I can navel gaze to the weirdest shit with the best of them, but this is rough.
Guess I'm a buckaroo, too. Extra star for writing my favorite Ray Charles song, Crying Time. 4.5/5
This is hilarious and chaotic and wonderful. Why is it not on Spotify??? The female vocal on Cuckoo really sent it to another level
The best thing 80s rock had to give us was to serve as a foil for 90s grunge and alt rock bands to contrast themselves against. This gets a bonus start for Sweet Child being a genuinely good song with fantastic guitar, but otherwise this is a wasteland.
Goes on a big long, but that's the point I guess, and the singles are killer.
Catchy AND weird?? You son of a bitch I'm in.
Am I a poser if I say that I like thrash metal but wish it had more melody or progression? I would definitely go to this show though.
I do love me some hipster folk rock, but most of this album kind of blurs together. White winter hymnal is gorgeous though.
Definitely not my favorite Bowie.
This was headed for a 1-star review until I was swayed All Tomorrow's Parties. Maybe the synth sound and production were novel enough at the time to carry it, but in 2024 I struggle to see why this is included in this project.
A Motörhead once but my sister.
NIN was far too scary for 11yo me, but this album has aged surprisingly well. Such a unique sound that conveys huge doses of bitterness and darkness without feeling overwrought.
A classic that completely nails the sound of eager anticipation.
Sounds dated but in a great way. Favorite track is easily The Seed
Kick Out The Jams (the song) is an easy 5, and not just because I got a soft intro to it from PotUSA. Overall this is a good album with some great energy. It feels extremely authentic which can be a hard thing to find in the edgier genres. I could have done without Starship.
I was surprised how much I liked this and how much I recognized from it. I honestly am beginning to think David Bowie is at his best in a supporting role. The emotional delivery from Iggy here is so much more than I can really picture coming from Bowie, but you can definitely hear his influence.
So much musicianship but so little soul. Sounds like a made for TV action score, except that it goes on for hours.
Pleasantly surprised by this. Reminds me of Bjork's sound but more accessible for my smooth brain. I'll need to give this another listen when I'm not running on a treadmill
Lots more jazzy than I expected. Not much jumps out at me beyond the singles, but I respect the craft and intention that clearly went into this album and can see why it was a critical success.
Not my favorite work from Ray Charles. Canned and formulaic.
Unbelievable that the absolute tearjerker Brothers in Arms is packaged with the goofy CGI fridge movers of Money for Nothing. And where the fuck did the horns on Your Latest Trick come from? Good stuff all around.
James Taylor's voice is a drowsy Sunday afternoon in late May, watching dust motes float in a sunbeam. That is sometimes phenomenal, but I struggle to manage more than a couple of consecutive tracks without feeling claustrophobic. I was surprised by how much blues was on this album, though, and you can't deny his effortless guitar playing.
Great album with a very high concentration of good songs, although IMO the singles have those good songs pretty well covered with 6/13 tracks getting significant radio play. Her energy and bile are perfectly paired with humor and it all fits the early 90's zeitgeist so well.
Banging album, start to finish, boosted by nostalgia for my early 20s. Favorite track is probably 40'.
Imagine writing poetry this bad and then being so pretentious that you feel it's worthwhile to ask people to listen to it twice in a row.
Just not doing anything for me, although it's not offensive. The instrumentals and songwriting are alright, if cheesy, but the vocals are so bland.
As much time as I've spent with Plastic Beach, I was really looking forward to this one, but it didn't really strike me off the bat. Will probably give it a few more tries, since it does have the same genre bending backing and intelligent verse as in the later album.
Had to give up on this one since I'm not allowed to sleep at work
This kicks way more ass than I expected.
Can't believe I've never heard any of this. The production and sampling hit really well and do not sound to me like anything else from the era. The vocals on the first couple of tracks are overwrought IMO.
By far the most enjoyable work by Björk that I've come across.
It's a mood
I'd never listened to anything from these guys beyond Heads Will Roll, but this is a good find. This album fucking rocks. My favorite track is Dull Life, and Heads Will Roll may actually be my least favorite.
Meanders a bit more than is justified, but what's psychedelic rock without some gratuitous noodling. Production quality is fantastic.
What a killer show this would have been.
One of my all time favorite albums, especially with headphones. Atmospheric and still melodic, challenging and still accessible. I've listened to it a hundred times and still find it fresh. Instant 5 stars.
Guitar-forward trance-y blues that sounds great for a couple of tracks but loses me after a while. I'll probably come back to this a few more times if only for the atmosphere it lays out, and maybe I'll get it more after some repeat listens.
There are some absolute classics on this album, but nothing really moves beyond that sound. You Shook Me is by far the best track, and it's the only one that deviates from the formula used in the rest of the album.
At least each song was short. Most of Elvis's work sounds to me like a soulless cash grab, and this is no exception.
Like They Might Be Giants but with no talent and nothing to say. I'm mad about losing this hour of my life.
Cool to hear the wellspring of the chaotic punk sound
The bass part coming in on the first track carries this whole album at least an extra 1.5 stars.
Pretentious AF
I'm surprised I never heard of these guys, but I guess the "indie" label probably meant more in 2002. Sounds like a Guster / Coldplay hybrid but less catchy. I don't mind it.
I had no idea what to expect from this but was still surprised by her voice on the first line. Sets a really nice, moody atmosphere.
An easy 5 stars for one or my long time favorite albums, though it can be hard to hear it with fresh ears. It strikes me as music that was precision engineered to be loved by dorky music majors in the seventies. Maybe I feel that was because that perfectly describes my dad, who introduced it to me, but I bet the pattern holds. Beyond delivering some absolutely killer bass lines, what this album does so well is layer wild musical complexity while staying approachable and catchy.
Great energy, but it really doesn't do much for me otherwise.
So much better than I expected from the cover art and Wikipedia description. This comes off like the Postal Service, but taking themselves less seriously. The last track Eclipse made me laugh out loud.
More musicality than I expected from this era of punk.
Shit y'all this is highly funky.
Killing me softly is such a great song
I've heard this so many times that I really struggle to really listen fresh now. As a result it mainly gives an extremely relaxed, almost sleepy mood, so I rarely pick it these days. Still deserves 5 stars.
Not bad!
I guess I didn't really know much about Alice Cooper before this; I expected this to be more metal. It's alright in any case.
First time listening to this, and Bang a Gong is the worst track on here. There's a lot more personality to these guys than I would have expected from that one single.
Solid jazzy dad rock.
Hot take, but this and Let it Be are the Beatles' best work IMO. Great variety, with so many iconic tracks. Has to be 5 star
Not terrible but very forgettable with the benefit of 20 years of hindsight. Inclusion on this list can only be explained by the list being completed around the time this was new.
Headphones high recommended
Not a lot of dynamic range to work with here.
What a great guitar sound, and there are at many classics here. Favorite track has to be War Pigs
Sounds like some lost tracks from green album era Weezer, not that there's anything wrong with that.
I can't add much of substance to what's been written about this album. It can be a tough listen from a sheltered life, but real is real. I appreciate that it can hold up to casual listening on the back of great production and flow, but also has depth and layering in the lyricism that I can't really process without reading along with the lyrics out in front of me.
I respect the theater kid kitsch, but I was really disappointed by the songwriting on this album in comparison to Bat Out of Hell II which was my only previous exposure to Meat Loaf.
An entire album carried on the back of a weepy steel guitar, but beyond the first track the songwriting is pretty weak.
Bowie glam rock, but add a sprinkle of 90's guitar sound and make it drag on too long.
Let's start, more like let's fucking go am I right
Sort of bland, but you can't deny the high concentration of catchy songwriting.
The Wikipedia article on this album is fascinating. Live albums don't always add much value, but this one wouldn't have nearly the impact without the context, passion, and feedback that the crowd and the setting provide. This is mob-driven music and it absolutely cooks.
What a classic. There are some weak points, with Four Sticks especially and even Rock and Roll feeling like filler tracks to me. But Going to California, Battle for Evermore, When the Levee Breaks just deliver so much soul. And even after billions plays of Stairway, it is still worth an undistracted listen every once in a while. 4.5 stars.
Unbelievable 80's cheese with not much to say, but at least it's well executed.
Ah the soundtrack of my 23rd summer. Holds up pretty well I think.
Excellent for atmosphere and an extremely pared down style, but it's not really for me. Maybe it's too subtle for my monkey brain, but I find it a bit boring, and there's a lot of had from the same era that I would pick before this.
The freaking reverb on this. It's so much that is you try to turn it up enough to hear the quiet parts, you just get earsplitting chirps of high and at every s or t. Too bad because there is some lovely stuff here. Favorite track has to be the last one.
Proof that more distortion dues not guarantee a harder sound. This is my first listen to anything outside their ubiquitous singles, and I do like it better than I thought I might. It's more authentic and raw than I would have guessed. It'll be interesting to listen to Morning Glory the same way.
I like this better than their following album Dog Man Star, but I just get lost in the British glam of it all and can't find a foothold to give it staying power. 2.5/5
One of my all time favorites. The opening notes are straight brain massage with the right headphones or speakers. Most of the album is so atmospheric, and I've heard it so many times, that it takes real effort at this point for me to really listen to it in the moment. On this playthrough, it strikes me how wild it is that Idioteque was written in 2000 back in the innocent adolescence of the internet. And Motion Picture Soundtrack is just gorgeous.
This album is probably (definitely) overwrought and too try-hard, but honestly so am I, and so I love it for those qualities. It's no longer my favorite from Radiohead, but it's the reason I gave them a closer listen than I gave to OK Computer as a teenager. 5/5.
The year is 1994, and for my 11th birthday I have been gifted this CD along with Weezer's blue album by some fellow 5th grade poser kids. My parents, feeling slightly concerned about the four dour looking alt rock boys on the Weezer CD, insist on screening that CD prior to releasing it for my own listening. Apparently unmoved by the cartoon scene on Dookie, that album bypasses the review step, and goes straight to my recently acquired stereo. From then on, I will rarely ever play the best track (Longview) any louder than the lowest volume so as not to alert suspicion with all the s-, f-, and d-words. I also am delighted to find the secret last track, which is the funniest <s-word> I've ever heard.
In retrospect I can see why this wasn't warmly received by the punk purists, but it fucking rocks. 5/5 easy.
How can music without lyrics sound so pretentious?
Why is a collection of royalty free hotel lobby music on here?
None for me thanks.
Gross.
Tusk is the best track on here; it's just unhinged enough to bring some interest to an otherwise fairly subtle album.
Sometimes boundaries can only be pushed by someone with unfettered confidence and a complete absence of introspective tendencies, so for that we must be grateful for teenage rockstars. But it doesn't make me want to listen to this guy drone-sing the same 4 notes as if it's the most brilliant poetry ever written.
Sounds extremely dated, but there is some decent songwriting here.
An absolute classic in the genre of chill people having so much fun on tape that you wish you could hang out with them without feeling like a lame outsider.
Lots of underrated classics on the album that I was too scared of at the time.
What a sound.
Automatic classic for any band kid in the past half century. Great songwriting and musicianship, if a little corny.
Still feels authentic at least as far as Metallica goes
Ridiculous to call this essential with a straight face unless you are currently living through 1997 UK DJ culture.
