1001 Albums Summary

I feel the same about the music as I did when I first heard it 25 years ago. It’s fun, stupid hard rock. As I’ve matured, however, I’ve gone from finding the lyrics amusing to largely distasteful.

One of my favorite albums of all time. I don’t think I’ve gone 6 months without listening to it in the past 24 years. Loved it just as much this time as I did when I first heard it in the year 2000.

I’m familiar with the Talking Heads but hadn’t heard this one before. It’s full of fun grooves, inventive riffs and provocative lyrics. Trails off a bit in the middle but picks up steam again towards the end. Will definitely come back to this one.

“It’s not getting better, man. It’s just getting old.”

It’s fine, I guess. I really didn’t feel anything listening to this. Not even nostalgia, even though I owned it on cassette and listened to it at least several times back in the day.

Not as bad as I expected. If it weren’t for the vocals it might even be good.

It’s fun jut a bit too musical theater for me. Amazing vocal performances though.

This is great. The whole gynecologist gimmick is definitely cringe, but it’s only a small part of it. Beats and rhymes are fantastic!

Relentless and powerful to the point of exhaustion.

There’s a reason it’s called “Layla and other… songs.” Besides the title track, the other tunes aren’t very memorable. Still not bad for white blues rock. Duane Allman’s slide guitars and the vocal harmonies are highlights.

Better than I expected for mod-ish retro Brit rock. Some clever songwriting and didn’t overstay its welcome.

It’s not my favorite Prince album but it may be the most Prince of all Prince albums.

Pretty solid moody country rock. About what I expected from what I’d heard of Neil Young before. I can see why Pearl Jam liked it so much.

It’s kinda wild how every album from 1967 sounds pretty much exactly the same. Only knowing the hits, I hadn’t realized how similar most of Disraeli Gears sounds to Piper at the Gates of Dawn, Sgt. Pepper, Her Majesty’s Satanic Request, etc. Like everyone really seemed to be on the exact same acid trip that year. Also “Tales of Brave Ulysses” remains an absolute banger!

Cool, gritty bluegrass rock. Most of the songs don’t really stand out to me, though. “Bad Moon Rising” is still a banger, though. And I hadn’t heard “Sinister Purpose” before which is awesome.

Absolutely wonderful record!

This is actually very cool nerdy experimental post-punk!

Majestic af

This album is everything my 6th grade Social Studies teacher raved about. Janis’s voice is powerfully soulful, the songs are dynamic and heavy. Great stuff!

It’s super fun. The ballads are a bit too broadway for me but the bops really bop. And actually even the ballads have some cool instrumentation. It’s like new wave with the goth/punk melancholy stripped out of it.

This album isn’t as bad as I expected. Quite milquetoast, but has some kinda interesting harmonic stuff and the singer’s voice isn’t unpleasant. There’s a delicacy to some of the arrangements that’s actually quite nice and would have been totally lost on me as a kid. Some tracks are awful cheesefests though. Some really inane lyrics and song titles too. “The Last Laugh of the Laughter”? Gimme a break. Just found out this Travis album was produced by Nigel Godrich which explains most of what I like about it! There’s def elements of it reminiscent (ahem, derivative) of Radiohead.

Their vocal harmonization is pretty and the musicianship is strong, and some of the darker songs are kind of cool, such as “Katy Dear”. Others like “Knoxville Girl” are really messed up. I was a bit bored by the repetitive melodies, but there’s definitely a mood here.

It really is that good. Can’t help but smile listening to songs like “As”. But it’s also really long. Some parts have also been ruined for me by being featured in commercials. “Isn’t She Lovely” being the most palpable example. Still a total masterpiece of a record.

I hadn’t heard this one before. It’s sparser and sketchier than their later work with which I’m more familiar, lacking the lush production and consummate songwriting of Disintegration and the like. But I still thoroughly enjoyed it in its raw airy simplicity and melancholy, with some definite bangers in “A Forest” and “M”.

This record is kinda pretty but mostly sad and boring. I generally dig sad, but not when it’s boring. “Paper Tigers” is a cool track, though. I believe that was the single.

I find this album… mildly obnoxious. The jam at the end of “Sofa of My Lethargy” is kinda nice though.

This album is alright. I dig some of the tunes. But I definitely didn’t need a double album of Sonic Youth. To be fair the original album isn’t all that long for a double.

Not unpleasant but a bit tedious to pay full attention to. Fine as background music. “Telephasic Workshop” “Roygbiv” and “Turquoise Hexagon Sun” are highlights.

This has great energy, as if a community celebration is happening rather than merely a performance. The musicianship is at a high level, and it is a lot of fun!

Regardless of what you believe about MJ, Thriller is generally tremendous by virtue of the hits alone. There were two songs I hadn’t heard before “Baby Be Mine” and “The Lady in My Life”. They’re certainly not highlights but are okay. “The Girl is Mine” has always been pretty stupid though.

It’s not my favorite Foo Fighters album, but I still enjoy listening to a lot of the songs and Grohl makes a solid one man band. The ghost of Cobain looms large here. As far as lyrics, Grohl has admitted a lot of his are nonsense and it really feels that way on this record especially. Also it kinda trails off in the second half. I’d probably like it less if it weren’t for nostalgia.

This album is just as beautiful and compelling as it was 30 years ago. The arrangements are so delicate and supple. His voice is just dripping with understated emotional resonance. It reveals their songs as what they really are, not just aggressive paroxysms of angst, but tortured folk songs wrought by generations of trauma and exhalation. When I was like 13, I met a conspiracy theorist who thought the cia killed Kurt after the unplugged performance, because he revealed that his music was more than just loud, aggressive, angst and he was about to lead his listeners to something more socially conscious and truly revolutionary. That’s probably not actually true, but I feel like there’s some grain of truth in the idea, especially given how rage and rebellion would become so completely commodified and intensified in the ensuing half decade.

I was immediately turned of by the chord progression and sound of his voice on “Badlands” but I kinda dig “Adam Raised a Cain”. Everything after that I didn’t care for.

This is peak 80s. The hits are wonderful but the rest of the songs don’t really stand out.

Largely derivative cock rock. The singer’s constant falsetto is impressive but (maybe not unintentionally) comical and obnoxious.

The first half of this is an extended jam session on a single musical theme that is pleasant enough but only moderately held my attention. I’m sure it seemed epic to tripping hippies in 1969 who had not yet experienced the great prog epics to come. The rest is also pretty noodley and unmemorable. The guitar and bass tones are great though.

This is my fourth favorite Bowie record from his “Berlin” period between 1976 and 1979 (I count Iggy Pop’s The Idiot and Lust for Life among them.) An excellent record in any case.

This album rules way more than I expected! Besides the just masterful songcraft, there’s an edge, like an underlying seething anger that only barely bubbles to the surface. I also feel like Chris Cornell listened the hell out of this record.

I think I listened to this too late in life to be fully affected by it. But I still feel the energy of it and dig some of the songs.

Extremely cool beats, smooth flow, thoughtful lyrics, and a relentless momentum throughout. I enjoyed this one thoroughly.

Interesting beats and flow, though a bit repetitive at times and grows abrasive after awhile.

This Bjork album is tremendous. The arrangements are made up of mostly vocal sounds though not quite entirely a cappella. Reminds me of the group Mycale that did a fully a cappella John Zorn record, but with an edge provided by the harsher tones of Mike Patton, Rahzel, and the Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagac. First rate mouth sounds all around. Enchanting and beautiful from the first note, this is a gem of a record.

It’s like hip-hop infused electronic dance pop. Extremely early 90s sounding. I guess the progenitor of a lot of stuff of the time that sounded the same. I don’t hate it but would not choose to listen to it on my own. Though ironically I probably like it more now than I would have if I had heard it in the 90s despite how dated it sounds.

Pleasant but a bit too innocuous for my taste.

This is pleasant enough but I don’t quite see what’s so remarkable about it.

Another Springsteen record. This one a collection of earnest, heartfelt blue collar americana ballads. There’s a definite mood to the record that you can sink into. I prefer it to most of his boisterous arena rock. “State Trooper” is a highlight. It may be even more effective with a bottle of whiskey. But I’d rather listen to Mark Lanegan for that sort of thing.

A funky good time like only P-Funk can bring. This one is a bit more gimmicky and not quite at the level of artistry of Maggot Brain but is still brilliant and irresistibly fun. The lyrics of “Handcuffs” are pretty cringe though and the talky bits take me out of it a bit.

Beautiful a cappella compositions infusing traditional call and response with barber shop and doo-wop. This is exactly the kind of record for which this list was made. I probably never would have listened to it otherwise but am very glad I did!

I enjoy Walker’s ultra-horny ballads.

Deliciously eccentric

I’d never really listened to The Kinks before and had mixed expectations because they influenced a lot of bands I love but also a lot of bands I don’t care for. As it turns out I find this album delightful. It has an intellectual streak that sets it apart from other similar offerings of the time, similarly to Talking Heads vs the rest of the classic punk scene. The irreverent satire and social commentary is top notch.

Pleasant enough with good playing. An extremely cool thing to exist.

Put me to sleep.

I appreciate some of the songcraft and the sonic inventiveness of the guitar tone, but there’s something about this music that I just can’t connect with. Is it the lack of bass? Jack White’s personality? The dumb simplicity of the riffs? The fact that it’s yet another White guy playing the blues? Whatever it is, I’ll never love the White Stripes the way so many people seem to.

Thoroughly enjoyed the Biggie album. But I don’t quite connect with him as much as I do 2Pac, Wu Tang, and some others of the era. Just a little bit too much macho swagger for me. Still undeniably great stuff. Though the track “fuck me” reveals some refreshing self-awareness about all that. Hilarious!

This T. Rex album brings me utter joy. It’s like if Bowie didn’t take himself quite so seriously.

It’s impossible to listen to this music and not smile. Absolutely wonderful. I was surprised at the Africana elements at the end but that too was a cool additional element to this deep soul experience.

I’ve completely played this record out for myself several times in my life. But it’s still awesome.

Interesting proto-industrial. A bit repetitive though. I think some of their later stuff is better.

Pop perfection! Yet personal and challenging.

I was surprised this one was on here, despite the wide-ranging influence of “Kashmir” on subsequent rock music. I played Zep’s catalog out for myself in high school and never had much desire to revisit it over the past 20+ years. That said, I enjoyed this more than I expected. “The Rover”, for instance, is an absolute banger. Definitely didn’t need to be 2 discs, though. Several tracks could have been way shorter or left out entirely. There’s only so much Robert Plant I can take in one installment. Disc one is way better than disc 2.

I was a big Doors fan at around 13/14 years old but soon after grew tired of them, particularly this album. Listening to it now is oddly nostalgic. It’s not bad, but still feels immature musically and lyrically. Still rocked out to “Soul Kitchen” and “Crystal Ship” though. Other tunes did not age as well, particularly “Back Door Man”.

I generally don’t care for the Rolling Stones, but find this album particularly uninspired and distasteful. White dudes doing a Ledbelly impersonation while strutting around and horndogging over black women (I guess, reading the lyrics closely, self-awarely?). “Moonlight Mile” is the only sonically interesting track for me.

Not quite what I expected from one of the progenitors of rock and roll. Besides “Let The Good Times Roll” this is mostly Charles as a crooner, which isn’t a bad thing. I especially enjoyed the string-accompanied second half of the record.

Inoffensive but didn’t really grab my attention other than a couple of songs. “Armistice Day” and “Peace Like a River” were highlights.

I had written them off as just another hipster band back in the day, but there’s actually something too them, a lightness and joi de vivre that’s infectious.

Really enjoying that M.I.A album. Such a cool, dynamic combination of elements. The songs are a but rhythmically repetitive though, which I get is a stylistic choice but it does get a bit tedious at times.

Enjoyed this album tremendously. I recognized some tracks from hearing them in the aether over the years. Superb lyricism (one homophobic line that Nas has since recanted notwithstanding) highly compelling beats, pretty much everything one could ask for in 90s rap. I fully understand the hype now.

This is compositionally very interesting but I can’t say I enjoy listening to it. I feel like maybe it’s intended for small children?

Fun but fairly run of the mill 60s fare.

This is actually pretty cool. Like Scott Walker meets Kurt Weil and his voice sounds a bit like Nick Cave. Was likely an influence. But it did wear on me a bit by the end and the final track was unnecessarily long.

Exquisitely masterful

Truly unique and dynamic. And some of these tracks rock tremendously.

This is a pretty rad blend of rock n’ raga. I dig it.

I love Steely Dan, but this isn’t one of my favorite albums of theirs. It’s still Dan though.

I’ve never been crazy about Van Halen but I enjoyed this a little more than I expected.

I’ve never understood just why I like this and their next album so much. I think it’s that they have a kind of naive innocent aloofness that is yet somehow genuinely heartfelt.

This may be the most 80s thing I’ve ever heard.

I think this has a fairly solid claim to being the best album of the millennium so far.

Cool vibes and I can see why it’s so influential. The songs don’t really stand out as very distinctive and the abrasiveness of the sound made it hard to listen to after awhile. It doesn’t have the warmth of later noisy bands such as mbv and Pavement.

I know a philosopher who thinks this is the greatest album ever made. I am not that philosopher. But it’s not bad.

I vacillated between absolutely loving this and finding it unbearably cheesy.

For a second I thought this wasn’t so bad but then I realized no it is actually extremely bad. But then I started thinking it’s so fucking weird and awkward that actually maybe it is kinda cool, but not that cool. 2 stars

Jeez so much British 80s bullshit on this list. This was pretentious and boring. A chore to get through.

The musicianship and production on this isn’t bad (dated nu metal flourishes aside) but I really can’t stand the singer.

Not my favorite Prince record, but still lovely. Hoping for Aroubd The World In A Day.

This was mostly inoffensive and occasionally fun.

I’ll always love this demented clown show of a record.

I really don’t know how to feel about The Smiths. The songs are exquisitely well crafted and executed but Morrissey’s arrogance just radiates through every second of them.

It’s pretty cool. Post-punk somewhere in the vicinity of Nick Cave and The Gun Club with a dash of Can and Frank Zappa. Very sonically inventive. I enjoyed some tracks more than others but found the entire experience stimulating.

This is pretty decent electro pop. A lot of the sounds didn’t age well. Some of the beats are a lot of fun though. I can imagine getting hyped when some of these tracks come on in the club. Some of the best tracks aren’t on spotify so it may be worth digging them up on youtube.

Straight fire

Amazing playing and recording on this live album. I could do without some of the extended solo sections but many of the live flourishes are super fun too.

I’ve always wondered what The The sounded like since I saw a cassette on someone’s shelf at a Halloween Party my sister took me to when I was a kid. It’s fine. Kinda quirky new wave. I don’t quite see what’s so special about it that nearly every review is 5 stars though. I give it a high 2.

It’s brilliant playing and I appreciate the instructions.

Better than a lot of the Brit schlock on here, but not especially compelling to my ears.

When this first came out I hadn’t liked it as much as the previous two but I was kind of burnt out on his stuff at that point given three albums with a similar vibe and now a double. I like it a bit more now. It is hauntingly beautiful but is quite long without much tonal variation, not that more would be appropriate.

Way more than just a good time.

Damn I really want this to be better. I’m grateful to them as one of the main progenitors of stoner tock and the album cover is wonderful. But I was completely bored only five minutes into this thing. It got slightly more interesting at some moments but not that much. Extra star for Lemmy on bass.

I like this a lot more now than I did as a kid. It’s fun and well executed, though kinda cheesy at times where I’m like “what is this, Journey?”

Pure joy

I remember when we first heard “Fell In Love With A Girl” my friends and I thought “This sounds like a Gap commercial.” It still does. I like the first song. The rest ranges from mildly irritating to skillful and not unpleasant but rather derivative.

50 years later it’s still the one of the heaviest albums ever. And I appreciate Geezer Butler’s playing more and more as the years go by as well as the bluesiness of Ozzy’s vocals. The eponymous track is actually quite a bit faster than I’d remembered it being.

There’s something about the production that makes this really hard to listen to. I dig some of what’s going on musically but have trouble paying attention. I’d like to give it another listen to get more of the story but dunno of I can bring myself to go through the whole 90 minutes again. Once was hard enough.

I dig these folk songs that are so bleak they make Elliot Smith sound cheery. I’m not into the more country elements as much.

I’m very nostalgic for this album but it’s a bit more repetitive and boring than I remember.

I enjoyed this more than I expected to, but I just couldn’t shake the feeling that this was all music pillaged from previous black artists.

Bitch juice

I was somewhat intrigued by the minimalist trip hop of the first track but didn’t like the vocals on the second and was soon bored. Some of the sounds are inventive but there was not enough here to carry my interest throughout the album.

Top review says it all.

Distasteful though occasionally tuneful. It seems cliche at this point to hate The Eagles so I tried not to instantly write this off. Still not great though.

Had never heard of this band before. They’ve got a fun, unique, kinda carnivalesque punk rock sound. Haven’t heard much punk with an organ player before!

Nothing about this strikes me as radically original, but I enjoy it. Good songwriting and sense of harmony. I got bored though.

I gotta say I’ve kinda taken a 180 on this since it came out when I was in high school. A lot about it is certainly dumb, but it’s also kinda awesome. Much of the song composition and arrangement is really tight and some of Chester’s vocal performances are absolutely gripping. Still not something I’d reach for on the reg, but I appreciate it way more than I did back in the day.

I found track 3 kinda charming and track 4 a bit clever. Otherwise not my bag.

Very much a one song album. I enjoyed some of the guitar and organ playing on the other tracks but the singer kinda sucks.

Johnny Cash FTW. 4 stars for the tunes + 1 for the banter!

This npr rock is a bit too weak sauce for me.

Much of this is middling tripe. Some of the more psychedelic songs are kinda cool, but why do I feel like they never even really took acid?

Meh. Not for me. I am impressed he made it as far as he did with his level of rasp. It’s like the more rock n’ rolly Bowie tunes which are my least favorite to begin with , but without any of the stuff that makes those songs kinda interesting. Like Bowie’s Dylan impression but not as good.

Beautiful poetic imagery and a hell of a mood, but rather musically limited at this point in his career.

I had somehow never heard any of the songs on this album before, but I love it. It’s them as a badass rock band before their more artistic operatic excesses and anthemic exclamations. I dig the fantasy elements on the black side too.

Somehow more insipid than their other album on here. And longer.

This is not unpleasant but also makes me feel like I’m in Kmart.

The instrumentation is interesting though occasionally irritating such as the percussion in “Help Me Rhonda”. This isn’t my favorite Beach Boys record but is okay.

This is not my favorite style of jazz but it is certainly executed exceptionally.

There’s a lot going on here. Likely more than I can appreciate in a single listen. Musically it’s jazzy post punk with a palpable Talking Heads and Joy Division influence.

Soulful country rock. “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” is a deserved classic.

Strong songwriting, a bit milquetoast.

I don’t really like listening to this kind of punk but I appreciate it for what it is and like some of the lyrics, especially the political ones.

I can think of some people in the world who should listen to this record.

Sad fuzzy bliss

Have the Rolling Stones killed.

Bluesy blue blues

I loved this album when I was a kid first getting into “alternative” music. It actually holds up better than I expected. Too bad everything they did after this was trash.

I’ve always thought I would like Fleetwood Mac more as I got older and sure enough I gave Rumours a spin about a year ago and enjoyed it. This record, however, isn’t for me. Though there are a few cool moments, particularly towards the end.

This record has some gems on it but it’s not as good as The Idiot.

Another great one!

Delicious old school beats and eloquent rhymes. I got a bit bored by the end though.

I have a soft spot for this kind of ‘90s singer songwriter stuff. And some of the tracks here verge in excellent with inventive arrangements and production techniques (at least for the time). Nonetheless most of it doesn’t really grab me.

As 80s as it gets. Nothing I’m crazy about though.

I think I’m starting to get what’s so great about Bob Dylan. It’s a mood.

This record is majorly nostalgic for me. I happened to find “Goldfinger” on a British magazine cd sampler during a family vacation and liked it enough to go by the record which I found to be a cool and charming mix of fuzzy hard rock and cheekiness, like an Irish Foo Fighters. Unfortunately their subsequent work eschewed the fuzz and what was left over was far less charming or cool. Anyway I enjoyed listening to this one again after so many (at least 20!) years.

This isn’t terrible. I actually liked “Boxcars”. But overall it was a tough 33 minutes to get through.

Like if QOTSA were annoying instead if cool.

This is the epitome of “butt rock” to me. The songs do nothing for me and the tinny production makes it unlistenable.

I like some of the songs on this album but I still don’t really like Van Halen.

I appreciate the experimental nature of this but it’s a tough listen. Tracks 3 and 4 are good tunes, though. I always liked the Nirvana cover of the latter.

Even better than the other Johnny Cash prison album on here.

Brilliant but gets a bit tedious.

The singles are all amazing but while the album tracks have some cool lyrical moments, they’re largely forgettable and often sound like second rate Wu Tang.

As pedestrian and generic as rock gets.

Lots of cool imagery in some of these songs but a bit too much Dylan for me in one installment.

The hits are great but there’s a lot of nonsense in between.

Reading the other reviews I realize how problematic this is from an appropriation standpoint but it’s still a uniquely interesting pastiche of musical styles. I’m torn.

Masterful funk, soul, and R&B with poignant lyrics.

Still not my all time favorite Prince record, but a masterpiece nonetheless.

Cool vibes. Inventive approach to songwriting. I sense some influence from David Eugene Edwards. I enjoyed this but git a bit bored toward the end.

“I love you first four Black Sabbath records.” This is actually my least favorite of the four but it’s still amazingly wonderful.

Points for creativity but a lot of this was tough to listen to. Reminds me of something I might’ve made in high school before learning that less is more.

I like this record. But not quite as much as the other one I’ve heard on here.

Really happy this is on here though I don’t like it quite as much as the follow up, Magdalene.

Way more interesting than I expected.

Some of this goes hard, but it’s too long and a lot of it is cringe.

Minstrelsy good fun

Heavy vibes. Funny that I got it right after Fairport Convention. Dope album cover too.

Smooth

Fairly interesting and enjoyable electronic music.

I love this record. It’s not quite as musically sophisticated as her later work but is chock full of bangers.

Funny to think that a quarter century ago this was the undisputed number 1 record both commercially and critically. The flow is undeniable and the social commentary really was insightful at the time, but it’s fairly repetitive and I got bored halfway through.

My favorite psychedelic album ever. Unfortunately spotify doesn’t have the tripped out philosophy behind each song from the liner notes.

I had only really known later Massive Attack. This is fun. More of a varied sound, with more reggae influences.

Thin Lizzy is a rock n’ roll good time.

Another fantastic fucking Queen record.

More fleshed out musically than his early stuff, but some of the arrangements are a little overdone. Amazing lyrical imagery as always.

This record had my favorite Hendrix tunes on it, which are wonderful, but in between them is a lot of nonsense.

Weird how low key sexually aggressive some of these songs are though I guess that tracks with the anecdote in the top comment.

Underrated grunge record. Reminds me of the girls I liked in high school.

When I was 13 someone told be I like like Steve Earle. Now over 25 years later I finally know what he sounds like. Not entirely terrible. I like some of the guitar sounds.

Sly is that fucking dude.

My sister took me to see them in Paris in the Summer of ‘96. It was my first ever concert and I was completely enchanted. This record captures all their ethereal majesty in its most iconic and accessible form.

Excellent debut album. Takes a little while to get going though. I definitely preferred the second half to the first.

My second favorite album of Bowie’s Berlin period (third, if you count The Idiot).

Combining punk with Irish folk music was pretty ingenious and this had more variety than I would have expected. Wouldn’t listen to it if my own volition though.

Great more Neil Young, but now he’s trying to sound like Lou Reed. I actually don’t hate it.

My absolute favorite Beatles album. Before the full on psychedelic wackiness. Exquisitely written and arranged songs and chill vibes (“Run For Your Life” notwithstanding).

I can hear how influential this is and it kinda grooves sometimes. But I find the vocals a bit grating and overall it’s just not for me.

Some cool instrumentation but after going through so much of this list it’s hard mot to just hear a whiny British guy singing over it.

I love some of Blur’s later work, especially 13. But like many Americans I was unaware that they had any albums before Parklife, which makes sense, because while this one is okay with some very cool moments, overall it’s just a bit too British for my taste.

I’d always been told Bad Brains were a uniquely creative take on punk and I was not disappointed. I liked each track better than the last.

I’ve long known Aretha Franklin was a vocal master, but this amazed me beyond all expectations!

A unique sound with tremendous playing. Definitely seek out “Desperate People” on YouTube because it isn’t on spotify. It’s one of the best tracks.

This doesn’t really do much for me though I get why it’s important.

This was the first rap album I ever owned as a kid. It’s still tremendously fun though I do cringe at a lot of the lyrics.

Lemper’s voice is kinda cool. The quality of the songs varies with that of the collaborators.

I saw these guys open for Radiohead back in the day. They were forgettable but that was the right spot for them. Being on this list is not. I can’t imagine how boring this record was without Godrich’s production.

For some reason I remembered not liking this album as much as other Clash records. But on this listen I found immense joy in the melodicism even of songs with which I was already very familiar. Lovely stuff.

Cheesy as hell but I dig it. Tony Levin seriously brings it on bass.

I liked this way more than expected. Definitely a bit derivative from the psychedelic albums that came out the year previous but definitely a different spin on the sound.

I had never heard this band before. Very cool stuff. More similar to goth bands like Siouxsie and the Banshees than I had expected. I did get a bit tired of the vocal style after awhile though.

As much soul as a white boy can have.

Big points for innovation but I got bored after the first few tracks.

Funky and sweet

This record is so sonically rich I can forgive some of the questionable lyrical choices. Though the Untitled, Unmastered record that followed was even better.

The 90s decade rating is really suffering at the hands of these middling brit pop acts. Why does it have to be so long?

Beneath the soft fuzzy exterior lurks a dark, sinister inside.

Quite pleasant. Perhaps too much so. I kept forgetting it was on.

He sure does

Pleasant enough but unremarkable and some of her vocal flourishes are annual.

The VU may be the most overrated band of all time. “Venus in Furs” is a jam though and I also like “Sunday Morning”.

Liked this more than expected. A bit of Pixies and MBV in there with the folksy stuff.

Yeah this is some pretty good shit. His voice wears on me after awhile. It’s best with the big rock instrumentation rather than just the quiet acoustic tracks.

I don’t always love Sonic Youth, but I do love this record. That is, perhaps, typical.

Whatever you think of Lennon’s personal behavior, “Imagine” is a profoundly important political anthem. The rest of the songs are good to great.

This is a top ten Bowie album for me. I love everything on it except “Changes” which is one lf the only Bowie songs I actively dislike.

This is mostly uninteresting but well executed and produced rock and roll. The lyrics have a depressingly horny desperation. “Legs” is perhaps the mostly insipid male-gazey song of all time (appropriately WWE’s Stacey Kiebler used it as her theme music). “She’s got legs and knows how to use them). Yes, like most non-aquatic animals.

This isn’t super original and it’s a mistake to call it jazz but it’s super chill and funky. I take it over any of the hundreds of mediocre brit-rock bands on this list.

This was better than I expected. I like a lot of the sounds and the sleazy vibe. Most of the tracks go too long and get a bit boring though.

This is good for what it is but really not my thing.

I can’t believe I never heard of these guys before. I feel like they should be spoken of in the same breath as Talking Heads, Television, etc. This is a brilliant record with a distinctive sound, yet also ranging across the entire punk/post-punk spectrum. Clearly highly influential as diverse as Radiohead, Sopor Aeternus and Of Montreal.

Utter fucking tripe

Solid blues

Despite lacking anything as iconic as “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” or “Whitey on the Moon” this record is far more musical and even given Heron’s obvious vocal limitations, this is just oozing soul.

Woo hoo

Jangly twaddling. The strings on “For You” are nice though.

Beautiful, inventive minimalist songwriting on this. I waited way too long to give this band a proper listen. Will now give repeated ones. Chord progressions did feel a bit repetitive towards the end though.

This one is pretty good

A uniquely fun slice out of time.

In high school I went to a taping of Late Night with Conan O’Brien and Wynona Rider was the main guest so Wilco, being her favorite band, was the musical guest. I thought they were terrible. This album isn’t quite as bad as that.

Fun poppy punk. Something like The Ramones but with its own flavor.

This has some really cool elements but something about the vocals and some cheeesiness keeps me from really loving it.

I had a whole story about seeing Napalm Death play at CBGB’s but am gonna skip it after reading that top review. I didn’t hate listening to this as much as I expected. “Siege of Power” kinda rules.

I like this one even better than Songs in the Key of Life!

This is comparable to Bowie’s Lodger record, released the same year in its unhinged eclectic zaniness. Lodger is my favorite Bowie record. This isn’t quite as good as that but is still great.

This is an extremely fun record that was clearly very influential on subsequent post-punk.

Genius

This is some of their best stuff.

This is way more fun than your typical blues record and the guitar technique is exquisite.

Weird hearing this right after Sparks because it’s kind of the same thing except obnoxious and lame. “Your Dictionary” is worth listening to just for the cringe. Some of the harmonic arrangements are nice though.

The unsurpassable ur punk-bop.

Wonderfully inventive. Amazing how modern the sounds are for the time. Beautiful composition and chill vibe. Aphex Twin walked so that 21st century music could run.

1,000 bands have a similar sound but none come even close to doing it this well. I prefer Violator but this record is great too.

This album is heavy and rules.

It took me a little while to get into but this is actually really awesome.

Does anyone else find the album cover extremely unsettling? What’s the deal with it?

Uniquely brilliant. Waits at his best!

Not the best Doors record.

This is about as much as I’ll ever like country music this side of Johnny Cash.

This album is tremendous. It’s cheesy as hell. But the playing is so good and the compositions so epic I still get pulled into it.

Very smooth, but the voice is a bit much after awhile.

By the time this album came out I had already soured on Green Day and the pop-punk/Gilbert and Sullivan hybrid was a big turn off for me. It’s still not my thing, but there is some strong songwriting on this.

Hyper articulate heavy vibes. Very dig.

This is way less abrasive than their first album but also somewhat less distinctive. Still good solid, chill post-punk.

Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah

This was okay but not as good as the last album of theirs I heard on here.

Unhinged maximalist brilliance.

I just really don’t like him that much.

These are some of the best metal compositions ever but the lack of bass keeps the album from being truly great.

Not quite as polished as their later work, but still tremendous! You can hear the next 20 years of what metal would become contained within it.

Lyrically vapid poison eating away at the fabric of society. But it’s damn catchy.

Wasn’t expecting the wild synths. First half is pleasant but sleepy. Tight cornball anthems in the back end.

Cool experimental development on their sound.

That first track is wild.

Beautifully delicate and understated renditions of these classic tunes.

Gorgeous and inventive playing. I can see how contemporary guys like Brad Mehldau were influenced by him.

This has elements from things that are cool and interesting but fails to be either cool or interesting itself.

Masterful composition and production but mostly bs lyrics with the occasional clever line and Liam’s arrogance shines through every moment. So anyway… here’s “Wonderwall”.

Took me a ling time to come around to Rush but this is pretty awesome.

This is cool but I like other albums of theirs more. The second half is def better than the first.

This is fine. Didn’t need to be a double album, though. And it ain’t no Hall and Oates.

This is a band I really didn’t care for when they first came out. Trying to keep an open mind here. The first track is kinda cool. Second one not so much. From there it’s very meh. Like a pretentious Bruce Springsteen. The last track is closer to Neil Young and is probably the best tune.

Y’know as someone who grew up in the 90s I had no idea “Candle In The Wind” was originally about Marilyn Monroe. Great tunes on here, but I don’t like it quite as much as Madman Across The Water and I can’t give 5 stars to a record with “Jamaican Jerk-Off” on it.

Cool funky tunes. Lost me a bit in the middle though.

The crazy thing is that it isn’t even their best or even second best album.

A uniquely majestic and gorgeous album. I like it even better now than I did in middle school. I don’t even care that it’s a double.

I didn’t dislike this as much as I thought I would but I don’t love it.

Some of these bests are interesting. Not bad for background music. Extremely New York, well captured by the Irishman. I really don’t understand the vitriol towards this album here. It’s quite melodic and musical as electronic music goes. A lot of critiques here seem to be stock objections to a genre rather than genuine consideration of a particular instance of it.

Creedence being Creedence

None of these Neil Young albums are bad, there are just a lot of them on here.

This is more interesting than I expected but I still wouldn’t say that I love it.

This is my first time hearing this record. The instrumentals are interesting but the vocals and songwriting feel a bit irritatingly lazy.

This is fun but not as good as Moving Pictures.

This was a weird blend of stuff, and I enjoyed it.

Not quite my favorite PJ Harvey album but still magnificent.

More of this shit.

Gets an extra star for having Homer and Marge’s meet cute song.

I like a lot of the stuff influenced by this more than Ministry itself (Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, Rammstein, etc) but gotta give these dudes props as the ogs.

I like this one better than Figure 8. Some heavy tracks here.

In rock, indeed!

I guess I had to be there. The guitar sounds are kinda cool though. And I kinda like “TV Party”. I just don’t like Rollins. Wouldn’t load on Spotify so I had to listen on YouTube and ironically, therefore sit through commercials between songs.

Extremely well executed, exquisitely produced, but otherwise unremarkable blues.

I got to see James Brown play at Woodstock ‘99 and even then he was full of explosive energy. On this recording that energy threatens to overwhelm the tape and set it on fire. What an incredibly badass ensemble he’s got behind him too!

Extremely cool beats. I wish the vocals/lyrics were as interesting. Her general flow is good though.

This is somewhere between Wovenhand and Silver Jews and isn’t bad, but is not as good as those other bands.

The beautiful simplicity of the vocals and arrangement veil the complexity and stark realism of the lyrics. The vibrato is a bit much on the opening tracks but it doesn’t bother me that much.

Much of this doesn’t hit for me the way it used to. Largely because I find Plant obnoxious but also because it just feels like appropriated blues. “Battle of Evermore” is still cool though. “Stairway” is also pretty undeniably great as a composition even if I’m tired of it. “Going to California” is still pretty. And the actual blues cover “Levee” still rocks hard!

Excruciating. Sounds like he’s singing with someone’s balls in his mouth, which means he’s likely doing two things poorly.

I like this even better than What’s Going On?

This is definitely the best Led Zeppelin album.

Finally had a reason to crack open my vinyl of this.

Funky, smooth, and energetic. I like the second, less horny, half better than the first.

I love the interplay between strings, percussion and voice here, with twists and turns around every corner!

Finally get to dig into the REM catalog. I enjoyed this but will probably need multiple listens to fully appreciate it.

Heavy turn of the millennium nostalgia vibes for me on this. Probably makes me like it more than I would otherwise. Nice record to blast first thing in the morning.

I enjoy Sinatra and like some of these tunes. Jobin’s arrangements and little touches are pleasant as well.

Eh, I don’t get the appeal. I find his vocal style rather obnoxious. “Luna” is better than the others.

A lighthearted missing link between punk and indie rock. Wonderful guitar sounds, clever lyrical concepts, psychedelic dynamics. Lovely!

This is one of the greatest records ever made. A beautiful encapsulation of how it felt to live in NYC at the turn of the millennium right before 9/11 changed the city and the world forever. I still remember my friend Zoe telling me how good this record is right when it came out and man, how right she was! I think it makes me cry more than any other album whenever I listen to it.

Super creative beats on this, especially the MF Doom ones.

I like a couple of songs on this but I still find Jagger painfully annoying. I highly recommend Soulsavers’ cover of “No Expectations” with Mark Lanegan singing. Way better than the original, which I often find is the case with Stones tunes.

I dig the vibes on this one.

This one’s tough. Two of the greatest songs ever written, but the rest is jangly forgettable nonsense.

Oozing with talent, charisma and creativity but simultaneously possibly the most damaging piece of art to the fabric of society ever.

Pleasant enough but puts me to sleep. The singer’s lisp kinda annoys me. Extra star for Isobel Campbell.

Absolutely majestic af

Sleepy and inoffensive.

It’s like if The Cure had no soul (contrary to the singer’s claims).

My 2nd favorite Beatles record after Rubber Soul. Possibly the greatest exercise of melody in any rock album ever.

Funky proto prog. I dig it.

I hadn’t heard this one before but it reminds me of the Beck I liked.

Leave it out there. Insufferable.

Scream, soft ears!

This is not quite as bad as their earlier stuff. The King Crimson/Talking Heads influence helps. But why does it have to be so long?

I generally don’t like ska (likely due to having come of age during the abominable 90s ska revival). There’s something about this I kinda dig though.

Another Blur record. I hadn’t realized “Girls & Boys” was their song. It’s really the only thing that stood out as memorable here.

Girl can seriously freaking sing. The hits are very well written songs and some of the album cuts are pretty good too. The Cure cover was a fun surprise.

I actually liked this record when it first came out but grew to loathe the hits over time. On this listen I didn’t hate it quite as much as expected and got a twinge or two of nostalgia for sophomore year of high school. Flea’s bass playing is always fun too. Nonetheless I’m good with never hearing it again.

Not quite at the level they would attain in later records, but you can hear the potential here.

Not for me. Will Lee on bass is always great though.

This is the weird one and that’s saying a lot. Love it!

Slightly more interesting than the other one on here but still not at all my bag.

This isn’t as high energy as I remember some of their stuff being but it’s pretty chill and quite interesting.

Roots bloody fuckin’ roots!!!!

This is the only great Pearl Jam album. But damn it’s a masterpiece. Every song is a total banger despite hundreds of listens over the years, it still hits.

Saw these guys open for U2 in ‘97. “Scooby Snacks” was kinda fun back then. Never listened further than that. Didn’t really need to, but it isn’t terrible. Remember when smoking weed could be your whole personality? Extra star for being real NYC scumbags.

The best Beatle by far.

I was a big fan of the first two Muse records and thought everything afterwards was watered down for the American market. But over time I’ve come to appreciate some of the tracks on this one and its predecessor a bit. There’s also a lot of horrible cheese on this one too though.

I think I like this better than the other Smiths album I’ve heard on this.

Not bad for 2000s pop music. Gross at points for sure.

Another suite of bangers by Mr. Wonder.

There are too many Neil Young albums on here. But there’s a reason this is the one everyone knows.

Post punk rarely has this much sonic variation and color in its character.

I think these guys might be on drugs!

Spooky vibes, inventive sounds. I dig.

This is fine, I guess. No strong feelings either way. It has its moments.

I find this music rather silly, annoying, and musically uninteresting. But I guess it has some charm.

As a kid, I liked The Fugees but this record didn’t appeal to me at all. Now I think it’s actually way better than The Score. My only complaint is that all the songs are way too long (which is typical of albums of the cd era.)

Nuthing Ta F’ Wit

Wyte

I just happened to get this one on actual Christmas! How serendipitous! I wouldn’t have wanted to listen to it any other day.

“Metal” made safe for the masses through masterfully crafted pop songs. And they’re all here.

More Neil Young. Cool.

This is Harvey’s most typically 90s alternative rock album but it’s wonderful nonetheless.

I enjoy later Beasties more than this one but it is a major achievement. O wonder how many records from this list are sampled on it.

Dazzlingly masterful folk rock songwriting and production.

I greatly enjoy a lot of this (mostly the tracks with the female singer.) Some of it is a but too goofy sounding but it’s psychedelic music so that comes with the territory.

“World Music” is an idiotic term born of Western ignorance and ethnocentrism. However, in the case if this gorgeous mosaic of a record, it’s entirely appropriate.

Post-punk could’ve ended after Joy Division. Doesn’t get better than this.

The groove is irresistible and the message is inspirational no matter how many times I hear it.

The absolute pinnacle of synth pop.

Bleh

This is nice if culturally exploitative.

I’m with drugs in this one.

Another laid back masterpiece, a refinement on their first record.

Not wholly unpleasant but also not particularly inspiring and got annoying after awhile.

This was never my favorite David Bowie album but as I get older, I like it more every time I listen to it. I could do without the “Across The Universe” cover though.

I didn’t hate this. But it didn’t really keep my attention for the most part.

This doesn’t really speak to my sensibilities but it’s not bad.

I love this silly shit.

He’s definitely on the good stuff!

That’s so Devo

Decent 80s pop record

Big band stuff. Meh.

Funking Transcendent

I’m not sure this list needed 3 Public Enemy albums on it, but this is probably my favorite of them.

Pleasant background music.

There’s something I fond very irritating about this music. I like a lot of the Kraut rock some people are comparing it too. But this doesn’t have nearly as much character.

I like Court and Spark a bit better than this one, but it’s still masterful.

Fairly run of the mill electronica. Not bad for the gym though.

They sure started with a bang! Possibly the most majestic record of all time.

It took me way too long in life to realize how amazing Erykah Badu is.

I’m running out of patience with the acoustic stuff. The electric disc, on the other hand, I enjoyed more than I expected and am beginning to understand from it why Dylan was so influential.

I feel more or less the same about this one as Fear of a Black Planet. I dig it, but am exhausted by the somewhat monotonous rhythmic onslaught.

Ingeniously demented

Sehr gut

A continuously magical eruption of creativity.

Unparalleled sense of harmony. Glad I got to see them live at Lincoln Center years ago.

Millennial Beach Boys. Meh.

This has its moments but lacks the charm and atmosphere of their earlier work.

I feel more or less the same about this band as I do about the city of Boston.

Enjoyed this way more than expected. Strong songwriting. Snappy production helps a lot.

My first 2020s record on here. I love Lana and there’s a lot that’s good on this album but it’s far from her best. (Not even the best she put out that year!)

Damn this list loves Beck. This one’s a classic though.

This is one of the better Doors albums.

I’m so over Neil Young on this thing but this is one of the better ones.

This was my first Beastie Boys album, and it remains my favorite. I think I appreciate it even more now.

This was all the rage when I was in High School. I knew the hits well, but had never given the whole thing a proper listen. It’s everything one could want in hip hop. Creative beats, great flow and poignant lyrics (though occasionally a bit too horny).

The production is cheesy as hell on this but there are just too many great songs and her vocal performances are incredible. She also more than does justice to both a classic Beatles song and Bowie song.

I dig the hyper-eloquent laid-back vibes. I think I’ll like their later stuff even more.

This is my favorite version of MJ. Just pure funky joy. Can’t help but smile.

Ear candy, indeed! And the lyrics aren’t without depth, either. Wonderful stuff.

A gem lf a record. Glad I got to see these guys live once, though they didn’t have a ton of material to draw from so spent a lot of time jamming which was a bit unimpressive.

Disco era salsa?! Yes, please!

Anthrax is definitely my least favorite of the big four thrash bands. But this def has its moments especially when it goes a bit power metal. Album cover is cool as hell too.