My 1001 Albums Journey

Album	You	Global	Diff
Kollaps Einstürzende Neubauten	5	1.9	+3.1
Opus Dei Laibach	5	2.39	+2.61
Antichrist Superstar Marilyn Manson	5	2.48	+2.52
Tragic Songs of Life The Louvin Brothers	5	2.58	+2.42
Darkdancer Les Rythmes Digitales	5	2.59	+2.41
KEAH** (Psalm 69) Ministry	5	2.69	+2.31
The Sounds Of India Ravi Shankar	5	2.85	+2.15
Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret Soft Cell	5	2.87	+2.13
The Contino Sessions Death In Vegas	5	2.91	+2.09
Killing Joke Killing Joke	5	2.99	+2.01

Album	You	Global	Diff
Grace Jeff Buckley	1	3.72	-2.72
White Blood Cells The White Stripes	1	3.68	-2.68
After The Gold Rush Neil Young	1	3.63	-2.63
Illmatic Nas	1	3.61	-2.61
Exile On Main Street The Rolling Stones	1	3.61	-2.61
Definitely Maybe Oasis	1	3.52	-2.52
Blonde On Blonde Bob Dylan	1	3.5	-2.5
Illinois Sufjan Stevens	1	3.49	-2.49
Power In Numbers Jurassic 5	1	3.48	-2.48
On The Beach Neil Young	1	3.46	-2.46

Artist	Albums	Average
Beatles	6	4.83
Black Sabbath	3	5
Frank Sinatra	3	4.67
Michael Jackson	2	5
Creedence Clearwater Revival	2	5
Simon & Garfunkel	2	5
The Police	2	5
Stan Getz	2	5
Depeche Mode	2	5

Artist	Albums	Average
Neil Young	3	1
Bob Dylan	5	1.6
Elvis Costello & The Attractions	3	1.33
Elvis Costello	2	1
Leonard Cohen	4	1.75
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds	3	1.67
Yeah Yeah Yeahs	2	1.5
The Verve	2	1.5
Elliott Smith	2	1.5
The Fall	2	1.5
Suede	2	1.5
The Rolling Stones	5	2.2

Artist	Ratings
Bruce Springsteen	1, 5, 2
Miles Davis	3, 2, 5

Michael Jackson

5/5

Michael Jackson Thriller. What can you say? There were solid reasons that this album was the best selling album of all time for a good long while. Top notch Quincy Jones production. R&B, Dance, Pop, and Rock all well represented. "Thriller", the track is still magic to the ears after 41 years.

Doggystyle

Snoop Dogg

3/5

I am not one to tell folks what albums they should enjoy, and while I can recognize Doggystyle as influential to the G-funk genre, and Snoop Doggy Dogg's career in particular, it was not something I would want to listen to more than once, unless there happened to be an instrumental version. Love Dre's production, and the performance of the musicians on the track, but the lyrical subject matter is not interesting to me at all. And I get it. I was not and am not the audience intended for this album.

Band On The Run

Paul McCartney and Wings

4/5

An album that sounds has haphazard as the circumstances that were experienced in Lagos, Nigeria while recording it, it really does propel McCartney to solo artist with a sound and voice. It also sounds a bit like someone took Sargeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts' Band and passed it through a Bossa Nova pop filter.

Made In Japan

Deep Purple

3/5

Props to Deep Purple for setting the live album format that would become ubiquitous in Rock, but this particular live recording felt a bit too self-indulgent and (my copy at least was) far too little gain. Between performances speech on the mic would be nearly indiscernible.

Licensed To Ill

Beastie Boys

5/5

Three of the most harmless guys from Brooklyn show the world a whole other side to hip-hop with this 5 star album produced and engineered masterfully by Rick Rubin. A classic!

Machine Head

Deep Purple

5/5

Machine Head is everything that their live album "Made in Japan" is not: lean, tight arrangements, no filler, no self-indulgence, and an absolute joy to listen to. This should always be the first Deep Purple album that anyone hears.

S.F. Sorrow

The Pretty Things

3/5

As I listened to this album, it was clear that it was a concept album, and I pondered whether its significance might be because it was the first rock opera concept album. Imagine my surprise when I learned that many rock critics do indeed consider THE PRETTY THINGS' S.F. Sorrow the first of a slew of rock operas that came out in the late sixties and would continue to emerge up until today. It is wild hearing some of the sonic soundscapes tropes we are familiar with, emerge here first. Before Tommy, before The Wall, you can hear how The Pretty Things introduced the notion of dissonance, key change, rhythm, and melodic rephrasing as narrative tools. Having said all that, this is an album that everyone should hear once, but aside from tracks "Private Sorrow", "Old Man Sorrow", and S.F. Sorrow is Born", I'm not sure if I have it in me to hear this album all the way through again anytime soon. A very dark story.

Queens of the Stone Age

2/5

Before I ever heard a QOTSA album, I heard them live on the NIN's WITH TEETH tour. My first impression was that each song was a barely different long dirge from the last one. I considered that perhaps my experience was just a result of the difficulties of mixing sound for an arena setting, but after returning home I listened to a couple of their albums and had the same impression. I suppose sameness is a legit creative choice, but it comes off feeling….I don’t know…lazy? As a drummer, I found the drum tracks pretty boring. Less trance-like, and just uninspired. When the drummer had a chance to imprint an identity on the song, they seemed to just resort to the most straight forward prior examples, instead of putting their own style on the song as a Matt Chamberlain, Dave Abruzzese or Dave Grohl would. Then again, Dave Grohl joining the band later didn't really change this on later records. When I hear them compared to a throwback to something like Black Sabbath, I cannot disagree more. While they explore rhythm as Black Sabbath did, they lack the exploration of dynamics as a group, and they don't possess the charisma/voice of Ozzy Osbourne to keep the listener interested. Kind of just a middling exploration of rhythm at one volume. Now, having listened to this album again nearly twenty years later, I am struck by the banality of their sound. It is like they referenced all the best stoner rock bands without bringing anything of their own to the table. Lyrics are dark and eye-raising, but they feel like they lack a voice unique to QOTSA. What I mean by that is that they feel like could have come from any of the countless stoner bands from that era. There is no Cobain/Dylan/Gordon Sumner/Trent Reznor gems here. The titles of the songs are best thing going on this album, such as: "Mexicola", "Avon", "How to Handle a Rope (A Lesson in Lariat)", "These Aren't the Droids You're Looking For", "Hispanic Impressions", "Spiders and Vinegaroons" (Looked upon Vinegaroons and they look frightening as *#@!). Unfortunately the tracks with the most interesting names were usually the least interesting sonically and lyrically. The tracks I found most enjoyable were "Spiders and Vinegaroons", which has the most creative construction and sonic palette of anything on the album, and maybe "Mexicola" if I wanted something a bit more straightforward, then perhaps the creepy creativity of "I Was a Teenage Hand Model". Not sure why this album is on the 1001 album list. I think if you want to reference stoner/grunge albums of importance to the genre and music in general there are more than enough other albums by other artists that actually bring their own thing to the form than any of these QOTSA albums. Props to the band for the bravery of the album cover choice, both the original and the re-issue. It would be interesting if they would be so brave with the social climate as it is these days.

Play

Moby

5/5

Yank Crime

Drive Like Jehu

3/5

Selected Ambient Works 85-92

Aphex Twin

5/5

Aphex Twin's influence on electronic music is such that anyone just picking up this record today in 2023 might not realize how special this album really was in 1992, because everything today sounds like this album. But it sounds that way because Aphex Twin showed the way to getting to this sound. It is not an exaggeration to say that after Kraftwerk, that one of the next huge leaps forward was Aphex Twin.

Guero

Beck

3/5

Aphex Twin's influence on electronic music is such that anyone just picking up this record today in 2023 might not realize how special this album really was in 1992, because everything today sounds like this album. But it sounds that way because Aphex Twin showed the way to getting to this sound. It is not an exaggeration to say that after Kraftwerk, that one of the next huge leaps forward was Aphex Twin.

Bright Flight

Silver Jews

2/5

Trying to be open minded, but this seems like ironic overrated lo-fi indie rock that someone chose just to mess with people. Is this hipster rock? At first I thought Berman's vocal delivery was a choice but now I am certain this vocal delivery is the result of someone who is too high to perform well. I was not impressed with the lyrics, so I was surprised to learn after listening to the album that David Berman was considered a lyrical genius. Really? If I were Robert Dimery I would swap this album out for a Hank Williams Sr album. Particularly perplexing since Robert Dimery wrote a book about the final days of the lives of 100 musicians with Bruno Macdonald that book included Hank Williams.

Real Life

Magazine

3/5

The Real Thing

Faith No More

5/5

Perhaps this is nostalgia speaking, but this was THE Faith No More album. All of their quirky arrangements and tonalities, the punk roots, it is all here. I spin this album probably at least once a year since purchasing it in 1990. The third album for the band and the first since parting with front person Chuck Mosley made the most of Mike Patton's vocal and style range to produce an album that perfectly represented the zeitgeist of American rock and roll in 1990. Even if you are not a Faith No More fan, you are still likely to enjoy the standouts of "Epic", "Falling to Pieces", "Woodpecker From Mars", and their cover of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs". Following the aforementioned songs, I dig "Surprise! You're Dead!", "From Out of Nowhere", "The Real Thing", and "The Morning After". Though I enjoy the bluesy "Edge of the World", I know there are many that do not. In my opinion, the truly miss on this album is the cheeky ballad "Zombie Eaters". It doesn't quite come off.

Cosmo's Factory

Creedence Clearwater Revival

5/5

I think if you have to pick one album to give someone that encapsulates the Bayou Rock sound, it is this one. I was weirded out hearing "Ooby Dooby" and realizing that it seems like a chord change for chord change cover of Tutti Fruitti by Little Richard, and then further realizing that "My Baby Left Me" is a knockoff of the chords of Elvis Presley's "That's Alright". But who can see any film about Vietnam and not hear "Run Through the Jungle" in their heads? And who hasn't heard "Travelin Band", "Lookin' Out My Back Door", "Up Around the Bend", and "Who'll Stop the Rain"? I guess because I grew with John Fogerty's solo career in the 80s it just felt like CCR and John Fogerty had been around forever, so I was shocked that CCR spawned all of this amazing music in just 3 years. Mind blown.

Hail To the Thief

Radiohead

2/5

Radiohead is a band that I have been listening to for nearly 31 years.... ...and yet, none of their albums do anything for me. I respect what their music seems to do for other fans. And I am glad those fans have their outlet. Personally, I only enjoy a handful of their songs, the songs that most Radiohead fans would probably cringe about. HAIL TO THE THIEF is not for me.

Darkdancer

Les Rythmes Digitales

5/5

Groovy dance music from top to bottom. A British guy, not a French guy. Works under many nom de plumes including the Thin White Duke (not David Bowie)

21

Adele

5/5

I remember receiving a free iTunes download offer of "Hometown Glory" by this artist I had never heard of named ADELE. I was struck by, as everyone else has been, by the complete power and nuance of her performance. I had not been that blown away by a female vocal performance since hearing Whitney Houston in the 1980s. But, as it usually does, life intervened and I never did get around to checking out her complete album 19. Nor, I am ashamed to admit, did I hear 21 when it came out. I was in the midst of dealing with family crises, and my attention did not have enough bandwidth to seek out new music. I had to rely on the old favorites to get me through. My world started to right itself around 2013, but I did not hear 21 until I saw a social media post by someone sharing her Grammy performance of "Rolling in the Deep" broadcast live during February 2012. This led me back to Adele, and it has been quite a ride. A breakup album, like countless others, but this one kept my attention all the way through. The song arrangement did such a masterful job of telling the narrative of the relationship blowing up and the process of healing, that to my ears you cannot convince me that it doesn't meet the criteria of a concept album. She worked with fantastic collaborators, this much is true, but as a songwriter on all but one of the tracks, it is shocking that something this powerful emerged from a 20-21 year old. A big fan of the The Cure's "Lovesong", the only song she didn't write, I was weirded out initially by her cover, but I have grown to love its place on the album as a whole. This is totally an album that should be listened to in its entirety, instead of as randomly shuffled tracks, as some are prone to do, or as cherry picked release tracks only. Perhaps loathed by others because of its constant presence and massive success, I feel like this is one of those times I cannot help but tip my hat and say, well done, everything Adele Adkins received was well deserved.

Tidal

Fiona Apple

3/5

TIDAL is good chamber pop for anyone, worthy of Ella Fitzgerald or Billie Holiday, Apple's heroines, and great chamber pop when considering that these tracks were written over a period when Apple was 14 to 18 years old. Poignant lyricism is matched by competent piano composition. Apple has said over the years that she did not want to record everyone one of the songs with piano, and that piano was merely her compositional tool, but Slater insisted on it appearing on each track. I personally think Apple had it right, that some of the songs might have benefited from song arrangements that leaned away from piano and incorporated the other instrumental and genre vibes more. For example "Never is a Promise" could have benefitted from a James Bond ballad song arrangement treatment, and "The Child is Gone" could have benefited from some brass. Of the singles, I think the eclectic Bossa Nova vibe of "The First Taste" is criminally underrated, even if it is clearly inspired by the vibe of Sade. The hits are worthy of the plays. "Sleep to Dream" and "Criminal" haven't lost their potency. I dig the outro of "Carrion", a pleasant way to end an album of teenage darkness. The well known songs lyrics are written well, but it can become easy to tire of the juxtaposition and contrast technique that Apple uses extensively as she exhibits the tidal on TIDAL. As an aside, Jon Brion's fantastic performance on marimba, tack piano, dulcitone, and chamberlain are evocative shades of darkness that really help the songs fill out. Not sure this album belongs on the 1001. A Tori Amos album and a Sade album more than cover the lyrical, musical, and 90s decade better.

A Short Album About Love

The Divine Comedy

1/5

This feels like They Might Be Giants met Jonathan Coulson, went to England and wrote the wackiest lyrics about love they could come up with, and then performed with an eye rolling, muscle pulling, wink as Frank Sinatra for hipster chamber pop, but demanded to be taken seriously, even though the word Comedy is right there in the band's name. Not funny enough to be funny and not serious enough to be taken seriously. Just more terrible Nick Cave-ous stuff. The Divine Comedy feels like an acquired taste that I cannot seem to acquire. Or an acquired disease I need penicillin for. I understand what they are doing, but it just seems like a pointless exercise in juxtaposition and irony. "If" is an uncomfortable creep fest. It's like Hannon heard Radiohead's "Creep" and said "Here, hold my tea." The difference being that I think Cannon is trying to be earnest. Not here for the Schmaltz. What circle of hell am I in? This is another one of those albums that makes me feel like we are being trolled by the list maker.

Abbey Road

Beatles

5/5

The masters of popular music craftsmanship. Nothing else really needs to be said. Their weakest tracks on any of their albums would be release singles on the albums of other acts. One of my favorite Beatles albums, (my absolute favorite being Revolver) there is just so much here. 60 years have passed since they arrived in America in 1964, and they still remain culturally relevant. I just love this album. Every decade I listen to it during my life, I am drawn to different tracks and learn more about myself as a musician. In their discography, recorded between The White Album, and Let It Be, Abbey Road was not just figuratively crossing the road, but during the decaying process of The Beatles, the band's identity increasingly dissolving back into a collection of individuals. Fortunately these are interesting individuals, and the magic was not yet spent. In the GET BACK long form documentary assembled, from footage by Peter Jackson, we see that the Let It Be sessions were largely an awkward and uncomfortable affair; a group of people at their own wake if you will. The formal decision and announcement that The Beatles had broken up was not made yet, but you can see in their faces, particularly Ringo Starr, that they knew, but that would come later. On this album you can feel producer Sir George Martin's deft touch. Abbey Road still possesses the charm of The Beatles writ large: adventurous songwriting, sonic risk taking, and precise engineering on such tracks as "Come Together", "Something", "Here Comes the Sun", and "Because" with Moog Synthesizer, 8 track recording, and true Stereo sound recording that comes through clearly and gives ever song depth and subtleties. This album set the entire popular music world on a new recording path. So many ideas were sparked by this album and all kept and produced meticulously by Sir George Martin. Songs that could have been silly, like "She Came in Through Bathroom Window", and the entire medley, would, in hindsight, foreshadow the entire dark heroin and cocaine years that awaited society in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. The beloved album cover has been imitated so many times by so many artists that I've lost count. 5 stars.

Oracular Spectacular

MGMT

4/5

With a title like Oracular Spectacular, this album does feel like a hipster time travel report from the future (perhaps even now) back to 2007 describing what life will be like in post modern 2.0 internet A debut album, and what a debut album it was. If it were a vinyl, Side A 1-5 is the strength and Side B tracks 6-10 are the weakness. I feel bad for this group because as a debut album they have been doomed, even as they mature experientially and musically, to never reach its groovy heights ever again. 1) Time to Pretend - A confession of pretension is somewhat comforting? And on this track grooving. I also take this as a warning that the rest of the album that follows is lyrically tongue-in-cheek and not to be taken to literally or seriously. 2) Weekend Wars - The Bowie idolatry is on! 3) The Youth - Woefully naive, or sarcastically cynical, I cannot decide which. Love the dreamy production with walking bass and The Beatles-esque harmony. 4) Electric Feel - Love this sound and production. Lyrically, I am convinced this song is just simply about the transcendence of youthful lovemaking, or extolling the society altering affects the goddess Amazon.com. 5) Kids - Ahh, the celebrated callousness of youth. Take what you want from it, but try not to be trapped by nostalgia nor participation trophies. 6) 4th Dimensional Transition - Where the college dorm psychedelia experience meets the road of reality. Love the pulsing tabla groove. Kula Shaker would be proud of this arrangement. 7) Pieces of What - The first song that feels like your standard early 2000s indie blues oriented rock. Not a bad thing, just the first song that did not eschew traditional song arrangement. 8) Of Moons, Birds & Monsters - Jefferson Airplane for the early 2000s. I love the finger food of music history approach in this song, and frankly on this album. A cynical person could say they are being ironic with their sound, but I personally think they truly love these pop forms as much as we do. The lyrics seem nonsensical, possibly chosen for the sounds of the words more than their actual meaning on this song. 9) The Handshake - Feels like a failed effort at Goth inspired songs. The angst is a bit eye-rolling, but then I remind myself that they warned us Time to Pretend not to take anything very seriously. 10) Future Reflections - Feels like a primer for understanding the image chosen for the album cover. All in all, a solid effort but in the canon of music nothing that delineated a before and after. One of the more interesting things to listen to in 2007. on a ten scale I would give it a 3.5, but since we are on a five scale, I'll give it a 4 on the strength of the first 5 songs.

Surfer Rosa

Pixies

3/5

I am aware of Surfer Rosa and The Pixies place in the mainstream crossover of alternative music. I've listened to Surfer Rosa and Doolittle, and frankly Doolittle is the better album, and the more critical album to the genre. After the tracks "Where Is My Mind?", "Gigantic", and maybe "Bone Machine" the rest of the album is largely inconsistent. I think many are allowing their nostalgia to spackle over the huge flaws. They get a 3 for one all time great track and this album's influence on better realized alternative musical ideas that would result.

The Atomic Mr Basie

Count Basie & His Orchestra

5/5

A very solid final big band record of the era. A perfect record for introducing Big Band jazz to someone. It is all here. It was also the final hurrah and the last barrier before Rhythm & Blues, and Rock & Roll take over the popular music charts, from here on out. The album cover is iconic and may seem subversive for the era, but wasn't really because Atomic Age visual design motifs were all the rage in America at this time. Swing would persist on the charts for a while longer but it was mostly around the personality and charisma of singers (such as Frank Sinatra), and iconic instrumental performers and arrangers (like Miles Davis), rather than the big bands themselves. My faves were "The Kid From Red Bank", "Teddy the Toad", "Splanky", and the "Lil' Darlin'".

Vol. 4

Black Sabbath

5/5

One of the last nearly perfect albums of Black Sabbath released with Ozzy Osbourne as the lead vocalist. There are amazing songs to come after this on the 1973 release of SABBATH BLOODY SABBATH, but each album after that only spawned a couple of songs that would stand the test of time before Ozzy left the band in 1979, On the other hand, the first five albums, BLACK SABBATH (1970), PARANOID (1970), MASTERS OF REALITY, VOL. 4, and SABBATH BLOODY SABBATH would define the metal genre for the easily the next 15 years. If someone said they loved metal but hated early Black Sabbath, it was hard to take them seriously. If you had to introduce someone to Black Sabbath for the first time, I would still give them the debut album BLACK SABBATH first, but the next album after that would definitely be VOL. 4. There is so much here. The bangers are the well known "Tomorrow's Dream", "Snowblind", "Supernaut", but don't forget perhaps the best Black Sabbath ballad ever, "Changes". This ballad would set up the familiar heavy metal ballad structure that would re-emerge endlessly throughout the 1970s and 80s. Even "FX" was trippy as hell when it came out. The 1st track "Wheel of Confusion/The Straightener" and the last 4 tracks "Cornucopia", "Laguna Sunrise", "St. Vitus Dance", and the closer "Under the Sun/Every Day Comes and Goes" provides a nice narrative of arc that ends with survival and dare I say a cynical optimism? As an aside, check out one of my favorite covers of a lesser known Black Sabbath song, the Al Jorgensen/Trent Reznor cover of "Supernaut" under the nom de plume of 1000 Homo DJs. Sometimes hard to find, but a fun listen for fans of the Chicago Wax Trax sound of the late 80s-early 90s.

Frampton Comes Alive

Peter Frampton

3/5

Virgin Suicides

Air

2/5

I'm not sure I would include a film score on the 1001 albums list as the spots are far too precious. As it is there far too many albums from the same artists on this list and this is just wasting a list spot something far more relevant. If I were to include a film score of popular music, this one would not be it. The score is as middling as the film. If you were going to include recent important French electronica as a film score then work of Daft Punk on TRON Legacy would be a much better choice, or even the American Beauty soundtrack (also from a 1999 film) with which Thomas Newman handles the subject matter far more musically interesting and engaging manner, particularly if you've never seen the film.

Dummy

Portishead

2/5

While I respect the astute production, it seems despite all the intricate production the songs aren't all that memorable as individuals tracks. The lyrics and vocal performance seem disjointed from the instrumentals completely, and perhaps that is the point artistically, but who knows? I am brought back to memories of brooding people in booths puffing away on clove cigarettes while high on Molly. Personally, of the Bristol sound, I am a bigger fan of Massive Attack's soundscape. Being an adult in 90s, when this album came out, every decade or so I have tried to get into Portishead and their album DUMMY, in particular, but never quite managed to feel anything from their album. If you have also come away with this feeling, I recommend instead, the far lesser known British band of the time, 12 Rounds "My Big Hero" which creates grooves that support the vocals rather than feeling like an endless come down room at a rave. They are also more fearless about exploring other genres. Atticus Ross, a founding member of 12 Rounds with his wife Claudia Sarne, would eventually become the second permanent member of Nine Inch Nails. Perhaps this would have been more interesting as an instrumental only album. I sometimes feel the intent of this album was meant for DJs and not for individuals to listen to as an album. Over the years people have told me they get Bond-esque vibes from this album, but I just don't hear it. This lacks the big bold vocal and instrumental arrangements of the best Bond tracks like "Goldfinger", "You Only Live Twice", "Nobody Does It Better", and "Goldeneye", all tracks released prior to this album. And quite frankly Gibbons doesn't feel like she has the pipes for that kind of performance. If you did not grow up in the 90s and wonder why there were so many rock/electronica albums in the 90s, it was because recording and mixing electronica became far more affordable, with advances of personal computers and the rise of the Internet in the 90s, than it had been prior to the boom in audio DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations), such as Digidesign Pro Tools.

Kind Of Blue

Miles Davis

3/5

One of the most iconic jazz albums. Love “So What”. Not the kind of music I want a constant diet of, as it requires a ton of effort above shoulders and on a Friday I am ready for some music that works from waist down. Every musician needs to take their vitamins once in awhile.

The Fat Of The Land

The Prodigy

5/5

The best punk rave album of the decade. Production is immaculate. Liam Howlett is a genius. One of the few 90s records that has aged incredibly well. I still listen to this album at least once a year, if not more. While I like their first album Experience, it is this one and the one that preceded it, Music For A Jilted Generation that defined this entire scene. No one quite sounded like them and EVERYBODY tried to sound more like them.

Something/Anything?

Todd Rundgren

3/5

Mad respect for playing all of the instruments on 3/4 of the album, but at the end of the day it is an album that is far too long and should have been pared down to the strong tracks. Competent recording, but in my opinion, after hearing it multiple times, it is not memorable.

Time Out

The Dave Brubeck Quartet

5/5

The jazz album that inspired a million progressive rock bands. As a percussionist Time Out is, and always has been one of my all time favorite jazz records. Every track is an exploration of unusual time signatures. If this album had only "Take Five", it would still belong on this list.

A Grand Don't Come For Free

The Streets

3/5

After the first couple of tracks I really though I was probably not going to enjoy what seemed like a very amateurish hip hop record, but by the end he managed to actually make me feel like his character, Mike, in this Rap Opera, actually learned something among all the acts of pillock and spliffs. It just goes to show that sometimes a listener really does need to give the whole album a chance, because sometimes, just sometimes, there really is a alchemical thing that makes the sum of an album, better than its parts.

Cloud Nine

The Temptations

4/5

It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back

Public Enemy

4/5

Public Enemy displayed a new way of mixing hip hop that was very potent. One of the most densely sampled albums ever made. Hip hop with a punk vibe. I saw them live in 1992, not long after the L.A. riots, and their show was was exciting, with the Black Panther military clad dancers and the massive crosshairs, teasing the potential of explosive social violence, which was fun for a young college student, but is certainly eye-rolling once looked back on through the eyes of a middle aged person. This album , and NWA's "Straight Out of Compton" released the same year fueled the rise of black nationalism and gangster hip hop that the genre would get stuck in for next few years in which artists tried to out anger one another, to quote be more "real" than the next group. Public Enemy also at this time had a ridiculous view of sampling that they extolled as part of their Black Nationalist views that paraphrased went something like, well it was laid down by a black person, therefore its not wrong for me, as a black person, to use it to make myself money. U.S. Law in 1991 would reinforce the legal view that it is not fair to use someone's else work without clearance and compensation. Black polemics aside, this album does groove. Tracks like "She Watch Channel Zero?" rocks, while the single "Bring the Noise" and "Rebel Without a Pause" are aurally top 100 hip hop tracks of all time. Chuck D's rhymes are composed and articulated clearly, which for this aging listener is very much appreciated. And Flavor Flav might be the most entertaining hype man of hip hop. It is definitely an album everyone should hear at least once.

White Blood Cells

The White Stripes

1/5

With the exception of "You and I Are Going to be Friends", the rest of the album feels like nothing more than a bunch of half baked ideas that almost approach demo level, but are not remotely album ready yet. I respect the stripped down sound, but come on, this is ridiculous. The most fun you can have with this album is to imagine what each song could have been with a producer and song arrangements that included more instruments. An album that I think does not belong on this list.

Killing Joke

5/5

Excellent album. The members of this band had only gotten together in June of 1979 and by 1980 this album would revolutionize the notion of punk and industrial music. On this album you get the proto tracks of industrial and electronic rock that would illuminate the path for groups I love like Skinny Puppy, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, and many others... My favorite tracks are "Requiem", "Wardance", "The Wait", and "The Primitive".

It's Too Late to Stop Now

Van Morrison

4/5

A night of Soul, R&B, and Pop that goes to show that a live album can be more than just a collection of the hits, it can also calcify songs that didn't quite have the impact on the original albums that they appeared, making them more forceful, and how a dynamic group featuring your standard rock outfit buffeted by horns, winds, and string can adapted their performances to the audience that is taking the journey with them on the night. While there is fun to be had while hearing Morrison's compositions in this new light, it was also fun seeing Van Morrison covering songs by his heroes, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, and Willie Dixon. An album that captures a certain vibe of a certain time. A good album, but as I have said before I am not sure that live concert albums belong on this list, given that spaces are limited and important for exhibiting the most varied and best that popular music has to offer.

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

OutKast

2/5

Not fronting, I am not much of a hip hop fan. So, this double album was too self indulgent for me to care much. Required way too much patience from me. I respect that this is someone's favorite album/albums of all time, but to me it doesn't belong on this list. I sensed these were concept albums, but for the life of me I couldn't figure them out without studying the lyrics, and I am not about to read the lyrics of a 2 hour 15 minute long opus. I was unable to relate to the lyrics that I could make out. I think it was cheeky humor, but who knows? They kind of felt like soundtracks for a pair of "In Living Color" sketch comedy films that I never saw. Not fun, mostly just an endurance race. I enjoyed the instrumentation more than the lyrics. If I had to choose one of these albums over the other, I lean towards The Love Below more than Speakerboxx, but that could just be because I have more familiarity with jazz, and I found the jazzy, bluesy exploration of melody and harmony compositionally more fun than Speakerboxx's more straight southern hip hop, which has never been my jam. I did not particularly like any of the singles. My favorite track was the jazz hop instrumental cover of "My Favorite Things" from the musical broadway show, The Sound of Music, using, I think, samples of John Coltrane's My Favorite Things album from 1960.

Brown Sugar

D'Angelo

2/5

Feels earnest and organic. I can see why people credit it with being one of the roots of Neo Soul in the 1990s. Very chill vibe. Personally, a bit too chill for me. I would have loved the inclusion of a couple of upbeat tracks just to change the pace up occasionally, keep the listener sharp, and to keep the album from becoming tranquilizing. It became, after awhile, dare I say, boring? While I respect that he brought Smokey Robinson's "Cruisin'" to a new audience, it just reminded me that I should go add the original to my collection. Ultimately not really my bag. There was a reason that I was listening to very different music from this in 1995.

Rio

Duran Duran

5/5

Rio has Duran Duran exploring all kinds of interesting ideas in New Wave/New Romantic music, and the Patrick Nagel painted album cover was so iconic that it became a signpost that directed the look and feel for the rest of the 1980s. "Hungry Like the Wolf", "Rio", "Save the Last Prayer", yes, but don't forget "The Chauffeur".

It's Blitz!

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

2/5

My first impression is that It'S BLITZ! feels like an updated version of the Wax Trax! Record label sound from the mid 1980s and 1990s mixed with a Blondie punk vibe, at least for the first 3/4 of the record. Also a bit of Ladyhawke/Metric thrown in for good measure. Good, but not as revolutionary as the music press would have you think. Lyrics are cryptic, but I'm okay with that. I listen to music for the groove, melody, and harmony, not just for the lyrics, as some others do. Also, it is possible the words were chosen for the sounds they make when uttered and not for their meanings. One critic referred to their lyrics on this record as gnomic, and I think that is apt. Lyrical glimpses. Impressionistic, not narrative tales. Her vocals seems range bound, but after hearing her cover of "Immigrant Song" with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, I know that is not case. I would have liked to hear her expand her vocal exploration on this record. Frankly some of the songs, particularly on the back half of the record would have benefited from it. "Heads Will Roll" didn't really do much for me. My favorite tracks were "Zero", "Skeletons", and "Hysteric". If you love this, you might dig 12 Rounds, Collide, The Epoxies, Ladytron, Metric, Florence and the Machine, and Ladyhawke. I found all of them a bit more interesting than this.

Surrealistic Pillow

Jefferson Airplane

5/5

A classic that holds up remarkably well. Yes, it is pivotal for the psychedelic rock of "White Rabbit" and the rock of "Somebody to Love", but there is also great folk rock and blues on here as well. The first album of Jefferson Airplane with Grace Slick and new drummer Spencer Dryden, and wow you can feel their impact. Slick's strong vocals have been acknowledged for years, but Dryden's ability cannot be understated, as he tightened the band up considerably and gave Jack Cassady, the bass player, a wider palette from which to improvise. My favorite tracks not only include the singles "White Rabbit" and Somebody to Love", but also the guitar instrumental of "Embryonic Journey", folk ballad "Comin' Back to Me", psychedelia of "Fantastic Plastic Lover" and the heartbreaking "Today". Such a great album.

Tonight's The Night

Neil Young

1/5

Tried to get into this album. Even after I finally read about its origin story, tried to go back and live with it, but I cannot shake how passionately I dislike this album. It is barely a step removed from being a spoken word album. In my opinion, the music has to be interesting enough without the lyrics and this doesn't feel interesting enough to hold with or without the lyrics. After all, the music is the meat and potatoes and the lyrics are just a condiment sauce. By this time in the 70s, every singer/songwriter driven project is doing this vibe better than this album, and with more interesting song arrangements . Simply don't understand the idolatry for this record. Pretty forgettable. I know and respect that this is someone's favorite album, but it is not one of my mine. Least annoying songs on this album were "Albuquerque", "Lookout Joe" and "New Mama".

Bitches Brew

Miles Davis

2/5

Bitches Brew is a challenging album. Perhaps too challenging, for me at least. One thought that occurred to me many times while listening to this massive opus, was the phrase on the album cover, "Directions in Music by Miles Davis". I kept musing on it and I started to hear the album as less of a series of directions that result in destinations, but rather as if the album were the aural equivalent of a Jackson Pollack painting. Something that was less about the structure and nouns and more about verbs and action. Miles' horn comes in as bursts of emotion leaving bits of sound flying around chaotically, like paints that are being thrown around, dripped around, or in the case of "John McLaughlin" transparently not appearing at all . And once my mind was in this frame, I was finally able to gain an understanding of the album. I was finally able to accept and allow all of the instruments to occupy a general space and time and not assign a particular narrative role. Some might call something with those qualities noise, but I prefer to think that it really is an oxymoronic exploration of controlled chaos. The album cover is amazing as well. I could see someone buying the vinyl of this record just for the fantastic painting, so I thank this album for turning me on to the paintings of Mati Klarwein. Having said all that, it is entirely possible that Miles Davis and collaborators created Bitches Brew as one epic prank.

Bookends

Simon & Garfunkel

5/5

I wasn't sure I understood or liked folk and folk rock until I heard this record. A brave concept record on Side 1 about the cycle of life. Love the "Voices of Old People", so much audio verite to relate to there. The bookends them breaks my heart every time. The album deserves a 5 just for "Bookends", "America", "Mrs. Robinson", "and "A Hazy Shade of Winter". Still not sure if this or BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER is their most complete album. All I know is that those two albums are easily in the top 5 of folk records for me. I've always enjoyed Simon's albums more than Bob Dylan's, and today's listen through just calcifies that thought for me. Brilliant songwriting. Excellent acoustic guitar. Amazing harmonies. Stories you can relate to. It is all here!

Songs Of Love And Hate

Leonard Cohen

2/5

SONGS OF LOVE AND HATE seems so dependent upon the point of view of the listener that anything Cohen wrote as lyrics seems rendered meaningless. The album does not provide earworms to aid the listener's concentration and help with the decoding. By album's conclusion everything was forgettable and I felt no insights about his love nor his hate. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy some of Leonard Cohen's work, but it is songs like "Everybody Knows" and "Hallelujah", released at a time when the song production seemed more fully realized, and I've never enjoyed his songs for what his lyrics might actually be about. Perhaps I see and experience too much joy in my life to truly live inside Leonard Cohen songs. Or perhaps it was just the wrong day for the algorithm to serve this album up for me. Who knows?

Hard Again

Muddy Waters

5/5

The perfect salve after suffering through yesterday's Leonard Cohen drudgery. Muddy Waters' infectious charisma blows your ears back and you cannot help but tap your toes, shake your head, and smile at life's big and little troubles.

Lazer Guided Melodies

Spiritualized

2/5

Proto space rockstars or not this album does not deserve a place on this list. A most average album where the most charitable thing you can say is that nothing stood out. Give me some passion. Give me some flaws. Give me something. I sort of felt something during "I Want You", but it quickly disappeared. After enduring nearly an hour of droning, the last track "200 Bars" just seemed like someone taking the piss with their cheeky counting. I would have given it a rating of a 1, but it was engineered and mastered well. A boring record that probably spawned a bunch of the boring brit and "dream" pop of the nineties. Pitchfork, Melody Maker, Rolling Stone, Spin; you can all fuck right off. This stuff is terrible. Dream pop the sound that is coming from my ass.

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

5/5

A short, economical album of blistering rock. What a debut album! Solid hooks and dynamic performances! It is all here. The only complaint I have about this album is that classics like "Breakdown" at only 2:42 are far too short. I could have used one more verse and chorus for all of the classics.

Alien Lanes

Guided By Voices

1/5

Just absolute shit. Avoid at all costs. Stuff like this crap doesn't belong on this list. The thing about putting stuff like this on this list is that it gives a significant source of funding to these people who don't belong on the list, because a list like this generates a lot of streaming and download clicks every year that an artist is on the list. The global history of this challenge shows, as of today, some 9.5 million votes, and while some percentage of people quit and never finish the challenge, it still means significant income generation that I think should go to artists that truly merits musical inclusion on the list. Alright, TED talk over. Stepping down from soapbox.

Parachutes

Coldplay

3/5

A solid debut album of mostly power ballads. "Yellow" and "Trouble" are the highlights, everything else kind of meanders around the same ideas. Passable, but not really inspiring either. More bearable and accessible than Radiohead or other Brit Pop. Well engineered and produced.

More Songs About Buildings And Food

Talking Heads

4/5

Despite the manipulative controlling behavior of David Byrne to steal most of the song credits for himself, whether he deserved them or not, Talking Heads is a great, tight, and very creative instrumental band that took influences from everywhere they could. The most enjoyable songs are "Thank You For Sending Me an Angel", "Found a Job", "I'm Not in Love", "Stay Hungry", and of course their version of the Al Green cover "Take Me to the River" (which is better as the up tempo number on their live album, but more on that later) Byrne's voice is mixed low, which makes it impossible at times to make out what he is singing about without looking up the lyrics, and even when you have you still have no idea what he is on about, but the instrumentation is so funky and gripping that you don't care. This band's sound is defined by the wife and husband team of Tina Weymouth on bass guitar and Chris Frantz on drums. No one sounded like them then and frankly no one quite sounds like them now, despite most indie/art bands giving it their best effort. Having said all that, I agree with what others have said on the reviews of Talking Heads albums on this list, which is simply that there are TOO many Talking Heads albums on this list. The only Talking Heads that ACTUALLY BELONGS on this list is the Talking Heads album that is not on this list, and that is perhaps one of the greatest live albums ever recorded, Talking Heads: Stop Making Sense. It should be on this list because not merely that it is a greatest hits collection of Talking Heads, but it features arrangements that actually work, and they managed to present them to a live audience at peak performance ability. So remove all of their other albums, and replace them with STOP MAKING SENSE, which covers their contribution and opens up slots for other important albums.

The Downward Spiral

Nine Inch Nails

5/5

Possibly THE artistic masterpiece of the 1990s. For the truly hardcore fans it is referred to by its alternative title Halo 8. Easily one of three of the greatest albums of music that was released in the entire decade, the other two also being Nine Inch Nails (Broken 1992, and The Fragile 1999). This is the album that delineated what music was before and what could artistically be realized afterward. When I picked up this album I had limited experience with Nine Inch Nails previous songs. I didn't know what to expect and it was a musically religious experience. From the Russel Mills painting as the cover and the attention given to every little bit of every track on the album. It was the first time I really grasped how powerful a concept album could be. I was aware of Pink Floyd's The Wall, but it did not land with the impact and force that this record did. A production and engineering master class. The remix album Further Down the Spiral (version 1 and version 2 (for the amazing Ruiner and Heresy remixes by Charlie Clouser) might be the single greatest remix album ever.

Sheet Music

10cc

2/5

Infected

The The

2/5

I had learned of the existence of the band The The from Trent Reznor interviews in the late Eighties and throughout the 90s. When INFECTED came out in November 1986, I recall that it made no impact in our lives in the United States. While termed post punk, with its synth bass and song arrangement it feels like your typical, fun, quirky 80s album. Fun, but there were more interesting albums at the time. Having said all that, a new album came out exactly 1 month earlier than this one, that everyone actually listened to, and that album was Wang Chung's MOSAIC, which seems like a criminal act that it is not on this list. Just sayin'

Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

The Flaming Lips

2/5

If rock music were made by NyQuil. Competent acid rock with risks of drowsiness. Feels like they desperately want to be Radiohead/Pink Floyd. As a fan of electronic music, this is the most enjoyable of The Flaming Lips records for me, as the inclusion of the electronic elements makes the sci-fi premise easier to slip into and offsets the boredom of the indie rock a tad.

Nevermind

Nirvana

5/5

Hipsters will downplay this record and say that they prefer Bleach, or any other Nirvana record than this one, but this is the record where the strong point of view of Nirvana's punk ideas and production and engineering mastery all came together to make a masterpiece that changed the course of music creation/production and the music business in the United States. The first six songs just slay. Absolute classics and two more awaited the back half of the album. Amazing album for the punk genre.

Winter In America

Gil Scott-Heron

2/5

A fairly boring album from a musical standpoint. Doesn't move the boundaries on a jazz or blues front, nor from a production standpoint. About the only thing that differentiates this album from others is the lyrical subject matter. Perhaps would have been better as a poetry chapbook. Currently unavailable on any of the streaming services in the U.S. Had to make do with an album length file on YouTube, so it was not a pleasant listening experience. Perhaps having better access to it would have increased my rating.

Synchronicity

The Police

5/5

This album is an absolute pleasure. Perfect blend of punk/new wave, reggae, and pop. Performances are amazing. Song arrangements are solid. Lyrics are thought provoking while remaining fun and anthemic. One of my absolute favorite albums. This is the album you give anyone who has never heard The Police. Their other 4 studio albums are great and solid throughout, but this is THE iconic album that shows off everything The Police were about and what they could do.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Beatles

5/5

Toys In The Attic

Aerosmith

3/5

I own Aerosmith records and have listened to them many times over the decades, but I had never sat down and listened to Toys in the Attic all the way through uninterrupted. I learned that I still love the hits "Walk This Way" and "Sweet Emotion" but I was also pleased to discover an enjoyment for "Round and Round" as well. The only track that truly seemed out of place was "Big 10 Inch Record". My 10 year old self would have giggled and loved it, but the middle-aged me cannot help but roll my eyes. While the album is of cultural importance with its inclusion of "Walk this Way", thereby setting up the creation of the Rap Rock genre ten years later with Run DMC, and I enjoy the record, I'm not sure THIS album in particular belongs on this list.

A Northern Soul

The Verve

2/5

A fairly long album in the which the sounds of the songs and the arrangements don't seem to differentiate themselves all that much. It became boring pretty quickly. Every time the band starts to do anything interesting sonically, Ashcroft's voice comes in and ruins it. It seems like Ashcroft was writing and performing one album in his head, and the band were writing and performing something else entirely. The self disconnection as symbolized by the disconnection of the voice and lyrics from the music could have been an interesting idea but here it doesn't really work. Features stupid lyrics that sound like they came from a 12 year old, with nonsense like "Oh, the bed ain't made but it's filled with hope, I've got a skin full of dope". We get it, your THE VERVE. You've beaten the irony so much by this point, that it should have formed into steel resolve. Get on with it. I don't find this interesting when Thom Yorke does it, and I don't don't find it interesting when Richard Ashcroft does it. I enjoyed "Reprise" (Because Ashcroft finally shuts the heck up and lets the music speak for itself). It is a shame that more of the album were not instrumental. I might have enjoyed it more. The sonic chemistry between Nick McCabe (guitar), Simon Jones (bass), and Peter Salisbury (drums) is undeniable on this track. Shame those guys didn't kick out Ashcroft out of the band and stay together. It might have been interesting to see what that could have become. I'm giving it a 3 primarily for the work of the engineers and producer who did the best they could with what they were given and to be fair do create a bit of lush sonics at times.

Live And Dangerous

Thin Lizzy

3/5

While Thin Lizzy is an excellent hard rock band and one of their studio releases certainly belongs on this list, but I'm not sure another live double album does, particularly when it was created by cherry picking from so many dates and with so many overdubs. Having said that I did enjoy the live segue from the last chord from "Cowboy Song" becoming the first chord from "The Boys Are Back In Town". This album demonstrated that Thin Lizzy wrote and performed solid songs. I cannot help but wonder if Prince early in his career borrowed a ton of Phil Lynott's wardrobe look from this era. It would seem so.

One World

John Martyn

4/5

The algorithm gave me this album on a Saturday, and I listened to it in the pre-dawn hours while sipping warm coffee. It was a perfect chill album that explores a bunch of different genres and obviously in 1977 pointed the direction to forge new genres that would not fully be explored until the 90s and 00's. While very experimental with sonic backgrounds, the tracks are tightly focused and realized an album that is only 39 minutes in duration. My favorites were the pre-trip hop sound of "Smiling Stranger" and amazingly lush space rock opus, "Small Hours". While I also enjoyed the bossa nova of "Certain Surprise" and the dub of "Big Muff".

The Queen Is Dead

The Smiths

3/5

Album was so short that I gave it a 2nd listen and while I’ve struggled to connect with The Smiths in the past, this is a pretty solid album. It won’t make my favorite rotation but I did enjoy the dark humor that is throughout. My favorites were “Bigmouth Strikes Again”, “Frankly, Mr Shankly”, and “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out”.

Appetite For Destruction

Guns N' Roses

4/5

Has all three of the vitamins: sex, drugs, and rock n' roll. My favorite tracks were not only the singles of "Welcome to the Jungle", "Paradise City", and "Sweet Child O'Mine", but also "Mr. Brownstone", "It's So Easy", and "Rocket Queen". This album, their next 2 EPs and 2 full length albums would be a major reason that the overwhelming presence of rock was propelled into the early 1990s.

Moss Side Story

Barry Adamson

3/5

After listening to this I can see why, as soundtrack producer for David Lynch's LOST HIGHWAY that Trent Reznor included 4 Barry Adamson tracks. With this album coming out 5 years before, it seems that informed some of the sonic ideas on The Downward Spiral whether it was conscious or subconscious. You can also hear influences of this on one of my other favorite albums David Bowie's 1995 concept album, OUTSIDE. In 1989, this was probably the first album I can remember that ever tried writing an entire film soundtrack for a non-existent film. These days it is an old hat idea that many artists have tried. Groundbreaking as it might be, it does feel like it overstays its welcome a bit. I started feeling my attention wane at around track 11 of 15. I do understand why it is on the list, though. It did influence many other acts, their albums, what was possible, and how they would present those ideas us in meaningful ways throughout the 1990s and up to the present. This set the scene for Trent Reznor to assemble the craziness behind the soundtracks for not only LOST HIGHWAY but also NATURAL BORN KILLERS.

Bridge Over Troubled Water

Simon & Garfunkel

5/5

No Other

Gene Clark

2/5

I wanted to like this album, really. I could hear that great effort was put into the songwriting, the engineering, the production, and the performances, but other than the folky psychedelic track of "No Other", the album seems rather dull. The album is mostly a mix of various forms of soulful country rock, folk rock, and just generally the California singer songwriter sound of the 1970s. No better than 100 or more other records that came out during that decade in these genres. On the other hand I am not a fan of this sound from The Eagles or Neil Young during this era either. I find all of it rather tedious. If you are a big fan of the aforementioned artists perhaps you will enjoy this more than I did. Not a bad record, but not a special one either. I enjoyed it more when he was a bit more experimental.

All Directions

The Temptations

5/5

On the surface the instrumentation and vocals are gorgeous. While "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" is an all time classic, the meaning of the lyrics also rings a bit untrue once you look into the families of The Temptations, and their rock solid Dads. All Directions is a very tight album of 8 songs that only occupies 35 minutes, of which 12 of them was spent on the iconic "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone". *Chef's kiss* You can see why they won all the awards with this album. Well deserved fellas. The Temptations are at their peak powers of psychedelic funk and it sounds glorious. When people think back on The Temptations, this is often the sound of them that bounces around in their imagination; it certainly did in mine. My favorites tracks were "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" (which I only learned today was a cover of a song by The Undisputed Truth), "I Ain't Got Nothin'", "The First Time I Saw Your Face", "Mother Nature", and "Do Your Thing". Such a smooth pleasure to listen to on a Friday morning. Really sets the tone for a bright weekend.

At San Quentin

Johnny Cash

4/5

There is an undeniable kinetic energy between Johnny Cash and his captive prison audience on this album. Tight, classic Country & Western songs that are hilarious and heartbreaking.

Seventeen Seconds

The Cure

3/5

Sign 'O' The Times

Prince

3/5

I've never been much of a Prince fan. I always felt like Michael Jackson was the more consistent great pop performer, and I've never liked how Prince treated anyone within his sphere. He seemed like an egomaniacal prick, but this is probably the most listenable of his works, even if it is ridiculously long. I enjoyed 3 of the songs, but only one of them was a single. Not really into the rest of it.

The Genius Of Ray Charles

Ray Charles

3/5

I love big band. I dig Ray Charles, but Ray Charles doing standards doesn't belong on this list. His release WHAT'D I SAY is why he belongs on this list and yet it its not included. WTF? These covers are no better or worse than anyone else that the time. Nothing notable here. About the release itself, my only complaint is that I wish the horns weren't distorting so much.

Vivid

Living Colour

4/5

Chirping Crickets

Buddy Holly & The Crickets

5/5

Not one wasted note. The master of efficient songcraft, Buddy Holly really was one of the greatest songwriters of all time. This whole album is a joy. It is so clear how their sound inspired not only the sound of The Beatles but sound of many of the pop acts that would follow for the rest of time. Hard to believe this album of 12 songs only has a duration of 25 minutes. Losing Buddy at such a young age was such a loss for music. It would have been fascinating to see what his songwriting would have evolved to become over the musically rich years of the 60s, 70s, and 80s.

Black Holes and Revelations

Muse

2/5

In 2006 someone heard that I liked prog rock bands such as Rush and Yes, and they emailed me the mp3 of "Knights of Cydonia". I was not all that moved by it, and promptly moved on with my life. I had never really delved into the rest of the album, until today. In my opinion, BLACK HOLES AND REVELATIONS is your typical Muse record that rips other people's good ideas but doesn't provide any truly of their own. I admire the bands that Muse admires, I just don't admire what they tend do with the influence. For example, when I hear this album, I hear "Dude, we love Rush's record 2112". I love Rush, but I'd love to hear a Muse record, not a pale Rush knockoff. Perhaps I am being harsh. I confess that Matt Bellamy's singing style and vocal sound is very unpleasant to me. He sounds like Thom Yorke, and I cannot stand Thom Yorke's voice either. Asides from the lyrics that are overly paranoid about everything, Muse does hold together as a tight rhythm section. If you can ignore the lyrics and Bellamy's unpleasant croon, there is a fairly tight electro prog act underneath all of that. After listening to the album, I actually added "Map of the Problematique" to my favorites, but I definitely don't think this is an album you should hear before you die. If I were to recommend a Muse album for this list, it would be their 2018 album SIMULATION THEORY, which I think shows something a bit more original of themselves, while still showing off all the prog geekery and power rock that fans of Muse enjoy.

Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1

George Michael

3/5

On this album George Michael strayed too far from what made him successful on FAITH, which is a shame because while I don't believe this album belongs on this list, I do firmly believe that FAITH does. It is clear that with his collaboration with Aretha Franklin in January 1987 really affected how he went about writing and arranging his second album. LISTEN WITHOUT PREJUDICE VOL. 1 is a very different album, but of the 10 tracks included only 2 of them remotely approached the dance genre that his fanbase had grown accustomed. The rest are version of adult oriented rock. He probably should have gone with a more even split to keep his FAITH fanbase appeased. The album presented comes off a bit more like Roger Whittaker, rather than George Michael, particularly compared to the kineticism of FAITH. I love me some Roger Whittaker, but that was not George Michael's core fanbase. After the iconic coming out track "Freedom '90" I enjoyed the Lennon-esque "Praying For Time", and the bossa nova laced "Heal the Pain".

You've Come a Long Way Baby

Fatboy Slim

3/5

I am a fan of this genre, and among the big beat albums of the day this was one of the weaker ones. It benefitted by coming out after The Chemical Brothers and Prodigy had already warmed up the U.S. audience. After the propulsive opening of "Right Here, Right Now" and "The Rockafellar Skank" it is a long fairly samey sounding slog before "Praise You", and the rest of the album finishes on a more interesting exploration of "Love Island" which has another John Barry sample in there, after the one in "The Rockafellar Skank", and finally the nice techno "Acid 8000". For much of the album though Cook wasn't able to keep me, a fan of the genre, interested all the way through. I've given YCALWB 3.5 stars for competent engineering and production, but as the rating stands, I'm leaving them with a rating of 3. There are other more interesting electronica acts at this time, particularly Prodigy, Meat Beat Manifesto, Orbital, Apollo 440, Daft Punk, and Paul Oakenfold just to name a few.

Lady Soul

Aretha Franklin

5/5

A very quick half-an-hour meal of Soul food. This album is worth listening to just hear her work the lyric "Everything is copacetic now" into "Niki Hoeky" just as naturally as the wind whispers. Highlights on this virtuoso soul album include the classics "Chain of Fools", "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman", "Sweet Sweet Baby (Since You've Been Gone)", and "Ain't No Way", but really there are no weak tracks on this album. I was blown away by how lush Tommy Cogbill's bass was on all these tracks. After Aretha's voice, his bass is the thing that keeps all of these Soul and Gospel tracks bubbling, bouncing, interesting and constantly propelling forward. He and drummers Roger Hawkins and Gene Chrisman do a great job of leaving enough space for Aretha and the backing singers, which by the way includes Cissy Houston (Whitney Houston's mom) and Franklin's sisters Carolyn and Erma to spiral around Aretha, as she explores the vocal melodies.

Stand!

Sly & The Family Stone

4/5

Exodus

Bob Marley & The Wailers

3/5

I've heard songs of Bob Marley & the Wailers here and there all of my life, but I've never truly sat down and listened to entire album of their work until today. I was already a big fan of "Waiting in Vain", having heard it decades before when Annie Lennox covered the song and I was introduced to it. I enjoyed hearing the original as well as "There Little Birds" which I had heard countless times before. As an atheist, who is not from Jamaica, and does not like weed, there was not much on this album I can relate to. I respect the performance and production quality, and their place in popular music history, but I am not likely to put this album on again, so I cannot give this a higher rating than a 3.

Hejira

Joni Mitchell

2/5

The album is lyrically dense but her vocal performance is detached from the music, and perhaps that is the emotion she is trying to convey, but I was having difficulty emotionally relating to it, and therefore did not enjoy it much. I think the arrangements could have benefited from also exploring dynamics to keep from feeling quite so similar to one another. I prefer a different album of hers than this one. Also, apropros of nothing, I am aware that it is just the image of Joni's wrist and upper hand bleeding through the cover image, but it really looks like a penis on the cover and I'm having trouble unseeing it. It is unclear to me whether that was intentional or not.

Elephant

The White Stripes

3/5

The reach of The White Stripes imagination finally match their grasp on their fourth album Elephant. Gone were the incomplete song fragments that littered the previous three albums. Meg White's singing on "In The Cold, Cold Night" makes me wish that she were the lead vocalist on all of The White Stripes tracks instead of Jack. But, at the end of the day, after "Seven Nation Army", it is just your typical The White Stripes album. Anyone know why there is nearly an extra minute of silence after the conclusion of the final track "It's True That We Love One Another"? I expected a hidden track, but nada.

3 Feet High and Rising

De La Soul

3/5

Public Image: First Issue

Public Image Ltd.

3/5

Thi rating is not so much for the quality of this particular album but for the albums that it would inspire from other artists down the road.

Superfly

Curtis Mayfield

4/5

Sophisticated funk that's super chill. You might even say it's super fly. My personal preference is the instrumental track "Junkie Chase" over the lyrical tracks, although I did add "Superfly" to my rotation. It seems to me that disco age has to give thanks to this soundtrack and Isaac Hayes (Shaft) for forming the foundation from what was to come in the middle and end of the 70s. You can also hear what will influence and be referenced by the hip hop and neo soul crowd that would come in the late 80s and all the way to the late 90s.

John Prine

3/5

Lyrics that were occasionally funny. I do enjoy him a bit more than Dylan. The music structure was the standard folk country, so that became a bit tiresome after awhile when it became clear there would not be any song arrangement surprises. Was worth a listen but probably won't make it into my regular rotation.

The Velvet Underground

4/5

Far more accessible than the other albums of The Velvet Underground. I can see why it is derisively called Lou Reed's first solo album. I enjoyed all of the songs to one extent or another. My favorite track was "What Goes On". Least favorite "The Murder Mystery", which is an interesting thought experiment of song arrangement, but definitely not the sort of thing that I am going to want to listen to again.

Talk Talk Talk

The Psychedelic Furs

2/5

I am a big fan of post punk/new wave/modern rock. Having said that, aside from "Pretty in Pink" and "All of This and Nothing", the Steve Lillywhite produced Talk Talk Talk is a long dirge of samey sounding punk/post punk that has not yet quite made the turn toward the more interesting sound of modern rock. They also have not stopped mimicking the sound of The Sex Pistols and truly created their own sound yet. The album that the algorithm pointed to was the remastered album re-released in 2002 instead of the original. This is relevant, because not only is it remastered, it is also longer because it includes all kinds of bonus tracks, and for some weird reason that re-ordered all the tracks which I don't think suits this album at all. I recommend listening to the 10 track original that was released in 1981 and is available on most streaming services. Alas, there is not much memorable here. Talk Talk Talk didn't even make my top 50 for albums released in 1981, much less make my top 1001 for all time. Personally I feel their best album are to come over the rest of the 1980s, even though others criticize them for being over-produced. I don't buy this BS that somehow less production makes an album more sincere or authentic.

Tres Hombres

ZZ Top

4/5

These guys created a sound of their own that is unmistakable. Every song is tight. Just a wonderful blues rock album from the early 1970s. Proto hard rock and metal.

In The Wee Small Hours

Frank Sinatra

4/5

Recorded after losing Ava Gardner, “In the Wee Small Hours” is aching swing that is a joy to listen to.

Physical Graffiti

Led Zeppelin

4/5

I've heard many of these tracks but I've never listened to the entire album all the way through in one sitting. Such a consistent album. You can hear so many albums in genres of hard rock, metal, grunge, and funk that will arrive in the future, due in part to the influences of this album. A very good album even if it is a tad too indulgent. One hour twenty-two minutes is ALOT of Led Zeppelin to take in. The two Johns, Bonham and Paul Jones, make this album soar. Perhaps the most consistently tight I've ever heard this rhythm section play. Robert Plant's voice grates, but the rhythm section and guitar work is so tight that you can basically ignore the vocals and still have a grand ole time.

Hybrid Theory

Linkin Park

2/5

Linkin Park doesn't really add anything here that nearly two decades of industrial, hard rock, and new wave hadn't already added to the genre. There have even been countless other bands that had mixed these styles together, by this point and this one is a boring as your typical Korn, Rage Against the Machine, System of a Down, Limp Bizkit, and Deftones records. The only notable thing about this release is that had come to the party late, just as it was winding down. Your average suburban teenager in every community had already submitted to a genre that had been growing since the late 80s, and everybody was getting ready to move on. Having said all that, in the end, (see what I did there?), I enjoyed the singles "Crawling", "In the End", and further into the album the songs "Runaway", and the instrumental "Cure for the Itch". Hybrid Theory is a competent but ultimately forgettable album. Probably won't make my rotation, so it gets a 2.

Bongo Rock

Incredible Bongo Band

5/5

Loved this!

A Little Deeper

Ms. Dynamite

2/5

I enjoyed the straight edge hip-hop first track which was a pleasant turn for this genre, particularly in 2002, but after hearing the entire album I'm a little puzzled why this is on the list. It is just another hip hop whine about poor life which this many decades into the format is getting a bit tiresome. I understand that it won a Mercury, and it is a competently produced album, but that doesn't mean it merits a spot. Aafter all, in the United States you can throw a dime in any direction and hit a dozen female hip hop acts that were doing this 2002 at this quality or better. What makes this one stand out? Beats me. The rhymes are passable, but Ms. Dynamite isn't presenting them in a new way. Hip hop as a genre is less appealing to me because while I love rhythm, I also prefer the music to focus less on lyricism and more on sonic exploration, and I find messaging to be a real turn off, which is not the strengths of hip hop. A notable debut record, but not something that belongs on this list. Passable tracks for me were "Natural High" and "Watch Over Them" but the rest of the themes were the typical trite of the genre.

Achtung Baby

U2

4/5

This album is weird for me because it has never been my absolute favorite U2 album, but I've always loved certain tracks of this album, only those tracks keep changing as I mature and age through life. Having tracks that appeal to me at different stages of life has been a fairly rare in my extensive listening experience. It was and always has been a personally challenging record to listen to in the best of ways. Hard to overstate level of post Cold War optimism that this album was recorded under in 1990-1991. This is also one of those albums that coaxed me into entering the catalogs of whole scenes and bands that I'd never considered before. It was also one of the first albums that I really paid attention to who engineered and produced the album, which has made finding albums I might enjoy much easier over the years. I learned a ton about Krautrock, the Berlin dance scene, industrial music, etc. which led to a deep dive in the Wax Trax! Records dive on the American side of the pond as well. This album also made it clear to me how and why a band might want to change their sound, and what that might mean, which was also a revelation as a musician. This is part of a run of truly remarkable records that Flood produced in a 7 year period that might be hard for any producer to challenge short of Sir George Martin with The Beatles. A run that would include U2's The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, Zooropa, Nine Inch Nails' - Pretty Hate Machine, Broken EP, and The Downward Spiral, and Depeche Mode's Violator and Songs of Faith and Devotion. Perhaps 8 of the greatest albums ever recorded that defined the sound of late eighties and all of the nineties.

Aladdin Sane

David Bowie

4/5

Hot Buttered Soul

Isaac Hayes

3/5

Lush funky arrangements that suffers from pacing issues that requires considerable patience. I say this as someone who routinely listens to tracks that can exceed 10 minutes by bands like Yes and Rush. 4 tracks with a duration of 45 minutes tells you all you need to know. Some of these tracks could have shined brighter had they been mixed down to single length versions, which after reading more about this album, sounds like what they eventually did. Not digging the spoken word intro, it should have been a separate track as a lead in to the song proper, so you could skip right to the song. Did not dig the lyrics of any of the songs, but the instrumentation was on point. Props to his arranger Johnny Allen. In my opinion "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic" was the only song on the album that justified its length. I think the last track was probably inspired by envy over William Shatner's spoken word masterpiece album The Transformed Man that was released a couple of years earlier.

Stripped

Christina Aguilera

2/5

Music in Exile

Songhoy Blues

3/5

The Fabulous Thunderbirds kind of blues if sang in Songhai and recorded with Mali sensibilities.

Songs From A Room

Leonard Cohen

2/5

An annoyingly a-musical album that relies entirely too much on the lyrics, like most of Leonard Cohen's catalog. The only track I enjoyed was "Tonight Will Be Fine".

Five Leaves Left

Nick Drake

3/5

For me Nick Drake's music is generally more enjoyable to listen to and contemplate than those of Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, or Tom Waits, all of which I just find overrated and annoying.

MTV Unplugged In New York

Nirvana

4/5

The moment when it became clear that while Nirvana were punk with punk credentials there were solid song arrangements beneath all those distorted guitars and screams. The first live album by the band, and in my opinion, probably the best. It was an appearance that also showed how wide of the music listening habits of the band really were with covers of The Vaselines "Jesus Doesn't Want Me For A Sunbeam", David Bowie's "The Man Who Sold the World", The Meat Puppets "Plateau", "Oh Me", "Lake of Fire"and a Lead Belly version of "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?". Solid performance through and through, never overstays its welcome, and plenty of surprises to keep the listener going, which frankly really was a complete surprise at the time that the show and album was released.

KIWANUKA

Michael Kiwanuka

5/5

This was a pleasant surprise. I somehow missed this album when it came out. Michael Kiwanuka has a knack for capturing the authentic sound of the 60s and 70s soul while introducing modern little tweaks here and there that do just enough to keep you interested and wondering what might be coming next. I agree with others that this album works really well as a complete album and not just a collection of singles. I certainly have my favorite tracks but I think I will keep them to myself and just ask that people give the whole album a listen to. I think they will find it worth it. I also enjoyed that Kiwanuka wrote many of the lyrics of the songs from a universal point of view and especially from a viewpoint of compassion and hope. On the few songs that delved into subjects that have been done to death recently, the song arrangements and performances were done so well that I still enjoyed the track, despite disagreeing with the viewpoint of the message, and that is a pretty nifty magic trick to accomplish. I can see why he toured with Adele in 2011. She opened the decade with a classic and he closed the decade with an equal classic of his own.

Led Zeppelin III

Led Zeppelin

3/5

Arular

M.I.A.

2/5

Gets tedious pretty quickly. Pretentious early 2000s "message" music. Totally fresh and innovative? New York 1980s hip hop of Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash is calling on line 1. Paul Simon's Graceland on line 2. Neneh Cherry on line 3. Feels like people were blinded by things other than the music.

Endtroducing.....

DJ Shadow

4/5

A very good album to chill and ease into your Monday morning with. One of the more interesting DJ albums out there. Shadow does a remarkable job of representing multiple styles and weaving things together in ways that might sound conventional today but were mind-blowingly fresh for 1996. Furthermore the number of endless hours of listening to vinyl it required to just nab a few second sample here and a ten sample second there requires supreme patience and taste. I think way more effort was put into the creation of this album than you might think. Also as someone who has some experience with this method of production, props to Shadow for managing to create this with the technology available to him as an indie artist in 1996. Definitely the type of album that totally deserves to be on this list. This is the album that inspired the groundbreaking albums from Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, Massive Attack, Radioplay, and countless other acts from 1996 up to now. For some that would be an indictment, but not in my view, as I enjoy the endless amount of diverse sounds and interpretations it has created. You can tell this came from someone who just loves music, of every type, from everywhere. My favorite tracks were "Building Steam With a Grain of Salt", "Stem/Long Stem (Medley)", and "Napalm Brain/Scatter Brain (Medley)

The Who Sell Out

The Who

2/5

Fairly chill album. I wasn't a fan of the ironic commercialism album concept that they were attempting. I prefer their more anthemic fare with wider appeal than the niche comedy bits. I cannot help but wonder if a record like this was influential upon the members of Monty Python when they would conceive and perform Monty Python's Flying Circus television series only a couple of years later. My favorite tracks were "I Can See For Miles" and "Sunrise". After experiencing this album my favorite albums of The Who have not changed. Who's Next, in my opinion, is still the definitive album of The Who. For inclusion on this list, this record is middling.

Cheap Thrills

Big Brother & The Holding Company

3/5

The album cover is fire. The music on the other hand is a bit meh. Competent performances, but nothing that truly stands the test of time. Janis' voice, like Joe Cocker, Robert Plant, and Axl Rose gets a bit gimmicky and tiresome after awhile. None of these tracks made it into my regular rotation.

Moon Safari

Air

3/5

While I did not enjoy their other appearance on this list, the film score for The Virgin Suicides, I did find this earlier work to be far more interesting and enjoyable. As might be expected from the down tempo genre, it is a very chill album. I can attest that this was the kind of music that was being played in the chill rooms of raves, to ease people back from the chaos of a rave and towards humanity. Top notch production and mixing. For me, the vocoder in "Sexy Boy" was maybe the only seriously jarring thing on the album. It is also clear that while AIR takes their cues from all kinds acts, Yello, Curtis Mayfield and of genres prior to them (bossa nova, lounge jazz, krautrock, 70s era film scores) it is equally clear that this album has influenced the sound of acts since its release by reminding modern acts that smooth jazz from our earlier canon can be reinterpreted in fun and unusual ways, and therefore an album worth having on this list. Having said all that, it is the kind of album that now having heard it, I likely won't put the whole thing on ever again. However I did add a couple of tracks to my regular rotation, which is a step up from their The Virgin Suicides film score album. Another listener on here noted upon this release that the line between relaxing and wondrous and kind of boring is a thin line, indeed it is, and they do cross it at times. I was not a fan of "Sexy Boy", "All I Need", or "You Make It Easy", lest you think I disdain Beth Hirsch, I think she is great, I just didn't feel anything with these tracks. My Favorite tracks were the Curtis Mayfield inspired "La Femme d'argent" aka the Silver Woman, and the smoky acid jazz of "All I Need", the 70s cinema lushness of "Talisman" and "Ce Matin-La" aka "This Morning".

At Fillmore East

The Allman Brothers Band

3/5

Another live album. This one is a blues rock jam of mostly covers that is a bit too self indulgent for my tastes. I enjoyed the tracks that were shorter, had vocals, and included organ solos. The others were bit too samey after awhile. I don't think I'll be re-visiting this album in the future and none of the tracks made into my regular rotation. I've already got plenty of blues covers in my collection already.

At Budokan

Cheap Trick

3/5

The band doesn't really get into the pocket on this album until track 5 "Need Your Love", and the album as a whole takes off on tracks 6 through 10, which includes a rocking cover of the Fats Domino/Dave Bartholomew song"Ain't That a Shame", and the hits "I Want You to Want Me" and "Surrender". Deserves about a 3.5 for keeping song and solo lengths reasonable, for making it a standard album length (42 minutes) and for resisting the urge to make it a double album. I'll round it down and give it a 3. I might be one of the only people around that prefers their studio albums to their live ones.

Remedy

Basement Jaxx

2/5

I love the electronic genre, but even I found this fairly boring. Not as interesting as Darkdancer by Les Rythmes Digitales, another club album, which also happens to on this list. And neither of those albums is as interesting as Paul Oakenfold's Bunkka. I am unsure whether that album is on the list, but if not, it should be.

Definitely Maybe

Oasis

1/5

Didn't like this album when it came out in the '90s, and I really tried to give it a chance this time around, but unfortunately I still don't. I agree with others. A muddy mix. A poor pastiche of far better artists ideas, from David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, T. rex and The Beatles. The hooks aren't particularly fetching. One of the most overrated albums I have ever heard, from one of the most overrated bands I've ever heard.

School's Out

Alice Cooper

4/5

One of the glam rock albums that actually rocks from that period. Also a concept album that is not recognized as frequently as its contemporaries. While the single "School's Out", gets all the attention, I actually also loved the cheeky humor of the glam rock rewrite of "Jet Song" from the musical West Side Story as the renamed "Gutter Cat vs. The Jets" along with "Street Fight". My other favorites were the jazz loungie snark of "Blue Turk", the blues of "My Stars", the rocking rebellious "Public Animal #9", but perhaps my favorite track on the album is the instrumental "Grand Finale" that works in bits of the "Jet Song" melodies as closer. While I enjoy bits of David Bowie's THE RISE AND FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST, I actually enjoy SCHOOL'S OUT, which was also released in 1972, more. SCHOOL'S OUT, in my opinion, is a better mixed record and shorter, and tighter collection of songs at just 36 minutes.

Mama's Gun

Erykah Badu

2/5

Of the 1 hour 11 minute runtime the only bit I liked was the interlude "Hey Sugah (Interlude)". That's about the only truly nice thing I have to say about this album, aside from great jazz/funk/soul/r&b instrumental performances that bring forward sounds from the 60s and 70s. It is terrible to say, but truly if you were to take off Badu's vocals, I just might have enjoyed this album, but the vocals aren't doing anything for me and become monotonous pretty quickly. I feel like the songs were left without their own vocal identity. Take "In Love With You" in which Stephen Marley put his vocal stamp on the song and then Erykah comes in with the same phrasing and dynamics she has been using the whole album, which just kills the momentum he created, until finally in the outro their vocals start to really shine together. A neo soul album that won't disrupt the sipping of an an early morning cup of coffee, but is certainly not going to get the emotional or physical senses going like that cup of coffee will. Perhaps an album for a demo I am not the member of. Wouldn't make my list of 1001.

Antichrist Superstar

Marilyn Manson

5/5

Such a great and complex rock opera. There was no other album out there that was quite this ambitious about entropy, from the repurposed Kabbalah references that litter the album, to Jesus Christ Superstar references repurposed. A worthy spiritual successor to David Bowie's DIAMOND DOGS, Nine Inch Nails THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL, and the character of Alice Cooper. All made into something new, chaotic, and beautiful. Brian Warner portrays the supernatural Antichrist antihero supernatural presence that is birthed on this album. A presence that doesn't have a grudge against any particular group or people, but rather has an obsession with destroying all of humanity itself. He takes the piss out of everything under the sun, including himself. Trent Reznor and Dave "Rave" Ogilvie's (producer of highly influential industrial act Skinny Puppy) production is glorious. A beautiful balance of glam, metal, hard rock, post punk, thrash, electronic, industrial music that tells the first tale in the rock opera trilogy. Warner's vocal delivery explores all the dynamics, from whispers to blood curdling screams. ANTICHRIST SUPERSTAR was a reprieve from a sea of borings albums at that time that were predominantly hip hop, grunge, and ska. My favorite tracks include "The Beautiful People", "Dried Up, Tied and Dead to the World", "Tourniquet", "Cryptorchid", "Wormboy" , "Mister Superstar", "Angel With Scabbed Wings", and "Kinderfeld". This album's recording would also produce the incredible non album release tracks "Long Hard Road Out of Hell" and my favorite that ended up on the LOST HIGHWAY soundtrack, "Apple of Sodom". Ahhh, misanthropy at its best. Chef's kiss!

One Nation Under A Groove

Funkadelic

4/5

What can I say that hasn't been said? One of the funk classics. If it sounds stale to new ears, it is only because so many bands borrowed elements of this record as inspiration for their own voyages in funk. It has been estimated that at least 100 well known artists, including luminaries such as Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Queen Latifah, D'Angelo, and Janet Jackson have sampled the title track on the album, "One Nation Under a Groove". I had to listen to this album on YouTube as it was no available on my streaming service. If it had been available I would have added "One Nation Under a Groove" and "Into You" to my library. "Promentalwashbackpsychosis Enema Squad (The Doo Doo Chasers)" was one of the few tracks on this album that never really worked for me.

Hot Fuss

The Killers

2/5

Never understand the Hot Fuss for this album and I still don't. I wanted to like this because I love 80s production techniques, don't I hear any good 80s influences in this. If I want an American doing a fake British accent with vaguely post punk/new wave backing it, then I'll throw on Ministry's With Sympathy, which truly is a banger. If you actually want an 80s throwback turn down the guitars in the mix and amp up those synths. For a great example from that decade check out Chrome's BUSINESS CASUAL. The band is tight, but the vocalist sucks. Brandon Flowers shout/talk style is grating. Abstract lyrics that don't really seem to illuminate a narrative or emotion. I'm told these songs on the front half of the record were popular, but honestly, I've never heard any of these songs before. After hearing the whole album, nothing stuck with me. Like seriously, I don't hear any earworms hooks on this album, must less outright hits. I crave some vocal melody or instrumental hook that I cannot help but hum on the way out of my house and there was nothing that stuck with me. I don't hear any energy or stadium anthems. And yet, they claim they are indie rock, but are anything but. In the middling. This album just keeps revealing to me how the naughties (00's) were the worst decade of popular music over the past 75 years by a wide margin.

Aftermath

The Rolling Stones

3/5

After I listened to the complete album it seemed that the interesting innovative songs were all on the front half of the album and all of the more boring traditional Rolling Stones blues in the back half. I enjoyed the instrumental and songwriting explorations of "Paint it Black", and "Lady Jane". Doesn't feel as groundbreaking or essential as an album from The Beatles, particularly Revolver which came out the same year, but it did show that The Rolling Stones weren't only capable of Rhythm and Blues and could stretch a bit more. "Going Home" could have been trimmed without sacrificing the essential. All in all a few high spots here and there but ultimately a middling album, particularly knowing what kinds of things they will go to record later.

Bone Machine

Tom Waits

3/5

Over the years someone will invariably ask me, so what do you think of Tom Waits? And I'll tell them that he is a quirk that I have not been able to wrap my ears around. That Tom's voice and lyrical obsessions takes me right out of the songs. They will nod like knowing parents and ask me, but have you sat down with one of his albums. And I'll say yes, but I couldn't get through them. Until today that is. For, as I was put off by just about every Tom Waits thing I had heard from his albums that changed when I heard BONE MACHINE today. Still not one iota of interest in his lyrical obsessions, but man do I love me some quirky percussion driven soundscapes, and holy hell does BONE MACHINE have it. I enjoyed the weirdness and did not enjoy the throwback traditional songs. My favorites were "The Earth Died Screaming", "The Ocean Doesn't Want Me", "Black Wings" , and "Let Me Get Up On It". Now having said all that, 3 songs and a fragment earns only a 3. Still think he is way overrated. Just like Nick Cave, Joni Mitchell, and Bob Dylan are way overrated.

Sister

Sonic Youth

2/5

Over the years I've only enjoyed exactly one Sonic Youth track, "Titanium Expose" and can bear the rest from the album that it comes from, GOO. Unfortunately, this album did not change that perception. Still feels like a bunch of half-baked ideas lyrically and musically that are not really going anywhere.

Lost In The Dream

The War On Drugs

4/5

I was unaware of this album or band when the algorithm served up LOST IN THE DREAM. After hearing the album and reading about their influences, I feel like this is one of those albums that far surpasses the influences on the band that released it. My favorite tracks were "Red Eyes", "An Ocean in Between the Waves", "Burning", and "In Reverse". A beautiful set of tracks about despair, isolation, introspection, and possibly even a hint of hope.

The Man Machine

Kraftwerk

5/5

One of the greatest of all time in the electronic space. Sounds pedestrian today, but that is because nearly everybody in many different genres were subtly influenced by Kraftwerk with their modern compositions that include synths and effects. This album was more sophisticated in scope and production that their 1977 album TRANS EUROPE EXPRESS. Ironically I think that "The Model", perhaps the most well known song from this album, is actually one of the weaker from this album. I added all of them to my collection and to my rotation. My favorites were "The Robots", "Spacelab", "Metropolis", "Neon Lights", "The Man-Machine". Their production on this album makes this kind of recording look easier than it was in 1978 to record electronic music. This album would prove pivotal to the development of artists like Gary Human, which then helped kick off the entire New Romantic/New Wave era in Great Britain and elsewhere. Most of what is great about 1980s music was inspired by earlier Kraftwerk, whether they knew it or not at the time.

Guitar Town

Steve Earle

4/5

After hearing GUITAR TOWN it isn’t much of a stretch for me to hear a through-line of Country Rock from Hank Williams through Steve Earle straight on through Garth Brooks. One of the more enjoyable Country albums I've heard in the past 4 decades.

Unhalfbricking

Fairport Convention

3/5

You Want It Darker

Leonard Cohen

2/5

I love listening to dark albums, so this one didn't spook me or depress in the least, as it has others in these reviews, but at the end of the day it is just more of the same boring schtick by Leonard Cohen about the same handful of subjects that he is obsessed with. In my opinion, music is the melodies, harmonies, and rhythms by which the lyrics are delivered. The lyrics themselves are not music, and and ike most of Cohen 's catalog there is nothing instrumentally melodic, melodically, or rhythmically interesting going on here. No real substance, just more smoke and mirrors to memorize the hipsters. This is my third Cohen album and I haven't even gotten to his album that is most bearable of his on this list. This artist is waaaaay over represented on the list. It is just weird to me when people compare him to Johnny Cash or David Bowie, as he does not possess the musicality or lyricality of either of them.

Another Green World

Brian Eno

4/5

First half of the album is middling rock/progressive rock. Back half of the album is the interesting electronic moods and textures that Eno would become known for, giving a hint of AMBIENT 1: MUSIC FOR AIRPORTS to come.

Live 1966 (The Royal Albert Hall Concert)

Bob Dylan

1/5

Funny story, my wife, back in the late 1990s almost ran over Mr. Robert Zimmerman when he jaywalked into the traffic of our small town in Oregon. So, I've heard Bob Dylan live and almost heard him dead. Where to begin. He can't sing, his guitar strumming is tedious, and his harmonica sounds like it is in a life and death struggle to liberate itself from him. He wrote a few standards that over the decades have lasted the test of time and has been overrated ever since. His lyrics are supposed to be masterful but often just sound like pedantic moon June spoon simplicity. Lyrics: A song does not make. This live double album was a complete waste of listening time. It is at times like this that the list strains credulity.

Scissor Sisters

2/5

While I love all genres of rock and jazz, I have also always loved and lived in the worlds of electronica, dance, and industrial related genres of music as well. So, if I am being honest, this album feels like it was rewarded when it came out for virtue signaling in the LGBT community rather than for musical merit, as there were many more interesting albums in the genres of ebm, dance, disco, and pop rock albums that were released in 2004 when this album came out. Just off of my head I could name Mind.in.a.Box's LOST ALONE, Assemblage 23's STORM, June Reactor's LABYRINTH, and Chromeo's SHE'S IN CONTROL, all of which have lasted the test of time versus this one.

Kid A

Radiohead

4/5

I confess, I have never really been a Radiohead fan. I detest most of their albums, particularly Ok Computer. Honestly, this is their only album that I actually enjoy in the slightest, and of the 11 tracks available I only truly enjoy 6 of them. Everything that I find annoying about Radiohead had largely gone away (everything but Them Yorke's voice unfortunately) and was replaced with their interpretation of Krautrock, Eno-esque Bowie Low Cycle exploration, Ambient, and Electronica, all of which are genres I had been enjoying and frankly they bring to it a sound that not quite been heard like this before. My favorite tracks are "Everything in its Right Place", "Kid A", "The National Anthem", "How to Disappear Completely", "Optimistic", and "In Limbo". I don't everything else quite works and I cannot make heads or tails about what they were trying to do with the silences during "Motion Picture Soundtrack" and "Untitled".

Ellington at Newport

Duke Ellington

5/5

Yum, real significant music for once. No lame Britpop, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, or Nick Cave to be seen. Just glorious big band jazz that the likes of the world had never seen.

Out Of The Blue

Electric Light Orchestra

4/5

Heard bits and pieces of this over the years but this is the first time all the way through. Masterpiece! Love the production!

In A Silent Way

Miles Davis

5/5

Much more fun and accessible for me than BITCHES BREW to listen. Just wish it also had an album cover that was an iconic painting.

The Sounds Of India

Ravi Shankar

5/5

I enjoyed the tutorials before each track was performed. Very educational about the differences in approach between Western music and Indian music at the time of this album's release in 1957. I can hear how influential this album was to so many of the artists whose albums would come out in the late 60s and early 70s.

Songs From The Big Chair

Tears For Fears

5/5

One of my absolute favorite albums of all time. The production, performance, and the thoughtful songwriting is as a great all around. There is a reason why many people to this day think that "Everybody Wants to the Rule the World" is the most perfect song ever written. At 41 minutes SFTBC is a lean album that makes the most of every note. It doesn't get bogged down in its philosophical leanings and introduces audiences with accessible versions of subgenres that were lesser known at the time. My other absolute favorite album of theirs is ELEMENTAL, released and record by Orzabal after breaking up with Curt Smith in 1993 is also an album I recommend listening to all the way through. Fantastic explorations and tight songwriting. This album and THE HURTING make clear how much their sound was affected by the loss of Ian Stalney after he left the band following this album. I just love this 80s sound so much! A decade when bands were given enough money and studio time to really explore sonic adventures and often the musical freedom to go on those voyages, unlike the music since then that is often given the freedom to explore but lacks the money, experience, or expertise to really make the songs and production shine, and record companies are unwilling to really stick with artist development to really draw out their best.

Power In Numbers

Jurassic 5

1/5

More relentlessly monotonous hip hop about the same boring subjects: humble brag, whine about "socially conscious" subjects, rinse and repeat Nothing original here. No thanks. Moving on to the next album.

Tago Mago

Can

4/5

This band was waaaaaaaay ahead of its time. This could have been an indie rock album from the last 20 years rather than an album that is actually 53 years old. CAN came back from the future to let you hear what was possible. This magnificent album is one of the major reasons why we have such an interesting music scene in the present. Thank you CAN for pointing the way. The first half is the accessible song formats and the back half is the experimental half. Choose your voyage.

The Healer

John Lee Hooker

5/5

Aqualung

Jethro Tull

4/5

A formative prog folk rock album that deserves to be heard, but not one of my absolute favorites from the 70s. I would give it a 5 for its place in history, but I cannot. For the record, I dig the flute inclusion and enjoy exploration through wide and varied instrumentation, whatever form that takes, but after this album sold over 7 million copies and once Ian Anderson learned how painter of the album cover, Burton Silverman was ripped off, and he chose to do nothing to help the painter's cause against the record company, not even to speak out about it, which I find particularly reprehensible. So, a 4 it is then.

L'Eau Rouge

The Young Gods

4/5

Before Rammstein there was The Young Gods! This album influenced many of the industrial bands you know by name and other than the rosters of their label PIAS (Play It Again Sam),Wax Trax! Records, Nettwerk Records, and 4AD, not many bands quite sounded like THE YOUNG GODS' L'EAU ROUGE. If their vocals had been performed in English, they probably would have been even more influential. Favorite tracks: "Rue des tempetes", "L'eau Rouge", "Ville notre", and "L'amourir".

The Age Of The Understatement

The Last Shadow Puppets

2/5

"The Age of the Understatement" feels like a modern mish mash of spaghetti western, 60s mod, and maybe a tangential sprinkle of surf rock. While I admire the creative ambition of this project, I confess that I am a bigger fan of the source material than this album. It does not quite manage to reach the epic John Barry-esque of the best Bond music, rather it feels like the kind of sonic sandwich spread that would be slathered all over LUTHER episodes. I am unmoved and unimpressed by the lyrics and the singers' performance of them. Feels like the music would be far more moving without the lyrics and singing altogether. As if the most interesting parts were composed by Owen Pallet and performed by the London Metropolitan Orchestra. I think where the lyricist failed is that they tried to cram too many lines of lyrics into the songs, which is unsuitable for the genres they are referencing. If they were really clever they would have kept only the absolute necessary best bits and gave the songs space so that they could really reach climax, of which many of these songs never quite feel like they do. They also could have benefited from having singers that actually have expansive voices like Tom Jones or Shirley Bassey, or rather whoever they would be these days, to truly call back to to what made those genres special. I cannot compare it to the work of The Arctic Monkeys, as I am not familiar with their sound. Until today, I had never heard of them. I appreciate that the album was brought to my attention, but I ultimately don't think it belongs on this list. Two stars for the work of the arranger, and conductor.

Tragic Songs of Life

The Louvin Brothers

5/5

I found The Louvin Brothers a pleasant mix of traditional country, folk, and bluegrass with a delightful undercurrent of darkness and horror. I had fun hearing their interpretation of the classic murder ballad "In the Pines" of which modern audiences are probably more familiar with from the Kurt Cobain's cover of the traditional song with the Lead Belly title of "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?". One thing this listening project has done for me is to educate me about the murder ballad format, and how much I am growing to love them. This whole notion of the evolution of the murder ballad over the past centuries and how each artist over the years subtract lyrics, or add lyrics, and sometimes change the title of the song, in order to tell a tale that is relevant to that artist in particular, is fascinating to me. My favorite tracks were "In the Pines", "Katie Dear", "Knoxville Girl", and "Mary of the Wild Moor".

Jazz Samba

Stan Getz

5/5

As a young drum student, I was taught that in addition to the rudiments, to be a more complete set drummer, I needed to master four styles of drumming: swing, shuffle, blues/rock, and bossa nova/samba in order to increase my chances of being prepared for most kinds of gigs. This advice proved to be very wise. When learning bossa nova/samba I did a ton of listening to this record by Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd. And what an approachable record it was for my young ears.It was fun revisiting this album so many years later and enjoying how forward thinking this genre clash of American swing jazz solos with latin backed rhythm patterns really was. It is still a great album that really cooks. This record might seem quaint but really it was mind blowing for the old cats of jazz who were moving out of big band and into bebop, free jazz, and eventually fusion. Without this record and others from this era that would prime American audiences to recognize Latin music, I am not sure that acts like Carlos Santana, Miami Sound Machine, etc. have quite the large impact in the U.S. that they so clearly have had. I feel like I should be drinking something out of a glass with an umbrella in it. It is that kind of smooth jazz.

The Specials

4/5

Bossanova

Pixies

4/5

Bossanova is more garage/grunge music that is presented with more consistent song production and writing than their previous albums and yet they still never compromise their core sound. It is easily the most consistently enjoyable album of The Pixies on a track by track basis. Having said that it does not have a generational single on it on the level of "Where Is My Mind?" from SURFER ROSA or "Wave of Mutiliation" or "Here Comes Your Man" from DOOLITTLE, but ultimately I enjoy Bossanova more as an album, and the previous albums as a collection of songs that I can cherry pick songs I can bear. I enjoyed the lovely surf rock nods in "Ana" and the instrumental "Cecilia Ann" (which is a cover of a Surftones track), the post punk of "Dig for Fire" and "Hang Wire"; and the beautiful "Havana".

The Gilded Palace Of Sin

The Flying Burrito Brothers

3/5

This country rock sound was ubiquitous in just about every pub band playing in a rural bar in small towns all over America whose only other buildings were a post office, a gas station, and a country store. The Flying Burrito Bros. did this sound well, but honestly they are not bringing anything to it that had not already been there in the scene. Critics would have you think so, as would other artists later, but there were a ton doing this, just not many bands had an inside track like these guys did by being in The Byrds. Glen Campbell, Neil Young, and countless other outlaw country acts were already bending toward this direction. Well produced, but no favorite track. Not a lot of differentiation here. Sounds like one 37 minute long track interrupted be brief pauses. However I do recognize their importance as a proto modern-country rock band. As an aside, I love the band's collective furrowed brow in this cover image. Hilariously, ironically unpleasant look for a group of guys about to enter a gilded palace of sin.

The Hour Of Bewilderbeast

Badly Drawn Boy

4/5

An album and artist I had never heard of but after hearing it, I feel like this the kind of record I had hoped to discover on this list. Accessible enough, but wholly new as well. Instrumentation that holds up regardless of lyrics. Hhe has a sound of his own that no one else quite sounds like, and it is a sound that is pleasantly quirky with his instrumentation and arrangement choices. I also love that this album doesn't shy away from studio fun that goes missing on most indie rock/folk rock albums. Dig the album cover. Conveys tons of symbolism and is beautiful to look at. I found this way more interesting and tolerable than an Elliot Smith record, and I say that as someone who has lived near Portland, Oregon my whole life. Heard more than my fair share of Elliot Smith over the years. Pleasantly surprised as most of Brit Pop and Chamber Pop of this era usually bores the shit out of me, but this was truly a fun album that reflects and elevates Damon Gough's influences. If I have any complaints it is that at 63 minutes, it does run a tad too long. I prefer to leave an audience hungry for more, rather than risk overstaying their welcome.

Exit Planet Dust

The Chemical Brothers

4/5

I dig the Chemical Brothers and that is why I know that the album of theirs that blew everyone's minds and that should be heard before you die is DIG YOUR OWN HOLE, not this one. This is good, but DIG YOUR OWN HOLE was great. That is only reason I am giving this 4 stars instead of 5. My favorites on this album include "Leave Home", "Song to the Siren", "Three Little Birdies Down Beats", "Chemical Beats", "One Too Many Mornings", "Life is Sweet", and "Alive Alone".

Blood On The Tracks

Bob Dylan

2/5

Been listening to Bob Dylan for decades, and I still have not acquired his disease. There are only a handful of tracks of his that truly enjoy., and only one of them, "Shelter from the Storm", is from this album. The rest of the songs on here are just more of the same old tired Bob Dylan tropes. His narratives are not enough to lift tired, boring instrumental choices and arrangements for 1974-75. That's right, I did not enjoy "Tangled Up in Blue". Another Bob Dylan album that doesn't belong on this list.

Planet Rock: The Album

Afrika Bambaataa

3/5

The first time I encountered an Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force track it was "Frantic Situation" from the breakdance(breaking)/hip hop culture film Beat Street, released in 1984, used under a musical montage. In fact that film got me into breaking for few years until I decided to focus all of my attention on drums and percussion. This album 2 years later, with the iconic "Planet Rock" is more tracks of the early fun hip hop vibe, that is suitable for hip hop dancing, breaking in particular, but is not the kind of thing that I would put on to listen to passively in the background. This gets a 3 from me for being a proto pioneer with this album that influenced much of the evolution of the New York hip hop scene over the rest of the 80s, particularly a group like The Beastie Boys.

The Marshall Mathers LP

Eminem

2/5

After listening to this entire album, I am still perplexed why this album and this artist interests or moves anyone. I'd give it a 1 but Dr. Dre did give it some production props that deserves at least a 2.

She's So Unusual

Cyndi Lauper

5/5

This is the album that not only has the all time classics of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", "Time After Time", "She Bop", and "All Through the Night" but lesser known gems "Money Changes Everything" and "When You Were Mine" and cheeky Betty Boop song "He's So Unusual". SHE'S SO UNUSUAL was important because Lauper's inversion of songs that she covered from a female perspective and her use of a mix of styles including rock, afro-carribean, reggae, boop, and synth-pop influences that prepared American audiences and set the stage for other artists to break through not long after this record, particularly Madonna, who would take Cyndi Lauper's vibe and run with it. Given the seriousness of the subject, Lauper's album manages to be fun and not cringy or preachy, with her cheeky delivery. This album also has the gorgeous full 80s production that so many on this challenge denigrate, but I say to hell with you, I love the "overly done" 80s production style.

American Idiot

Green Day

2/5

The only American Idiots on this album are the political naïve members of this band. This cam out while I was an adult already, so I was able to see through all of their bullshit. About as terribly boring as the other albums on this list from the naughties. It really was the worst decade of Pop Music going all the way back to the 1950s. It seems that the albums that were really worth listening to, that managed breaking new sonic ground in the 2000s were not included at all on this list. For three chords and boredom, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" is the only song that feels at all like an earworm on this album. I applaud the band for trying a couple of new things, but ultimately this a formulaic mess of a punk rock opera album that is also way too long for a punk rock album. What is more concerning is that are no new fresh ideas for the genre on here. Stormtroopers of Death did this idea better with SPEAK ENGLISH OR DIE way back in 1985 and their concept album character Sergeant D. There are countless other punk rock acts, NOFX is another, who did all of this more interestingly than these guys. About the only positive thing I can say is that Tre Cool, their drummer, is the best thing about this band and he shows it again on this album.

Rust In Peace

Megadeth

4/5

Great album that marries thrash metal to speed metal. It was fun hearing what might have been riffs that were actually flamenco patterns that would traditionally be played on an acoustic guitar laid down with heavy distortion and whammy bars. Quality album, but lacking any tracks that I had to add to my collection.

Sex Packets

Digital Underground

2/5

Bizarre choice for this list. Not one of the great hip-hop records over the past 45 years, but it does have that one nostalgia track that everyone has heard at least once, "The Humpty Dance". Old school rhyme style that is pleasant enough, but the stories aren't all that memorable, and the tracks go on for way too long. A 65 minute record that should have been trimmed down to a tight 43-45 minutes. The beats and samples are competent, but nothing that truly blows your mind. I will take this any day over a Gangster P-Funk album, so there is that. It is a party record, but I cannot imagine losing my shit at a party over this. For those who say you had to be there to appreciate this record, I was there, IN HIGH SCHOOL, when this record came out and I wasn't moved by it then either.

Music for the Masses

Depeche Mode

5/5

MUSIC FOR THE MASSES is truly and exceptional album, which is saying a lot, because for many Depeche Mode fans it ranks only 6th after VIOLATOR, SONGS OF FAITH AND DEVOTION, SOME GREAT REWARD, ULTRA, and BLACK CELEBRATION. It was the first album that allowed Depeche Mode to become an arena act that could play arenas anywhere in the world. With the band becoming the first alternative act of the 1980s to be able to fill the Rose Bowl Stadium on their 101st and final show of the 1987-1988 world tour. Bascombe's production, coming after working with Tears for Fears on their career defining album SONGS FROM THE BIG CHAIR and Peter Gabriel's all time classic SO, was perfect for expanding the sound of the band with more guitar work, and more of a rock, soul, and gospel influenced exploration with synths and vocal harmonies.

Smokers Delight

Nightmares On Wax

3/5

After listening to 160 albums, my first Wax Trax! record has popped up and I was surprised it was this album and not an album of Ministry, KMFDM, or Front 242, etc. but rather the acid jazz of Nightmares on Wax. I have seen some criticisms of this record being repetitive or on hold music, but it must be understood that this album was largely played in cool down rooms at raves (legal and illegal) and clubs, which were everywhere in England by 1995. They would have high intensity acts like Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, and Prodigy in the main rooms, and the hours of pre-dawn you would find people in the chill/cool down room listening to acid jazz like this and by other bands to bring them down from the madness of the rave before they reintegrated into reality.

System Of A Down

1/5

Banal, boring, samey music that people who were blinded by their nostalgia are in love with. I did not enjoy it 26 years ago when it came out and I dislike it even more know. Clearly has influences from thrash (Suicidal Tendencies), punk (Stormtroopers of Death (the real SOD), and metal bands (Sepultra, Death, Slayer )that are far more interesting and memorable than they are. Even their Middle Eastern vibe just feels like revisited Dick Dale. Which is fine, but not necessarily groundbreaking.

Bayou Country

Creedence Clearwater Revival

5/5

Amazing that this band knocked out 3 all time albums in around a year.

All Mod Cons

The Jam

3/5

May have influenced greats, but it feels pretty middling and samey. I am not convinced that this album is a necessary evolution to get to the greatest marriages of pop, punk, and new wave, so probably not something that I will revisit. I don't think it belongs on the list. Doesn't feel like essential music. Nice music, but not particularly noteworthy. The kind of music you could put on a period late 70s British film that will give a vibe but not distract from the scenes in progress. I hear a lot of comparisons to The Clash, The Kinks, The Who, but frankly they remind me most of a lesser quality Men at Work (even though Men at Work wouldn't form until 1978 when this album was released). I think I prefer Style Council instead.

Live Through This

Hole

1/5

The lyrics aren't intended for me, so I am not surprised that they don't land with me. From a sound and vibe point of view it is hard not to notice the similarities to another famous grunge/punk band at that time that was led by her deceased husband. Girl Nirvana. While there is nothing inherently wrong with that, it does come off as fairly derivative, and therefore not the kind of groundbreaking I would hope to hear on this list. Didn't like it 1994, don't enjoy it now. Honestly, I would not have picked Hole for this list. If I were going to pick a riot grrl pioneer, I would haven chosen Joan Jett, The Runaways, or even Suzi Quattro, among many others. "Doll Parts" was the only track I sort of enjoyed.

G. Love And Special Sauce

G. Love & Special Sauce

1/5

Not my jam. Quite samey, quite quickly. If music were a wraith, it would be G. Love and the Special Sauce. As the songs played I felt my life-force being drained. None of the tracks made it into my playlist.

Hunky Dory

David Bowie

3/5

The Coral

2/5

I like the musicianship. I like the bravery of trying many genres on one album. It's called folk rock, but I didn't sense any of that. I heard rock, pop, reggae, ska, and psychedelic. Unfortunately none of the songs stuck with me after listening to album.

Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge

Mudhoney

3/5

Being from the Pacific Northwest, it was impossible not to hear a track or see a concert of Mudhoney at some point in time in the late eighties and early 1990s. They were everywhere. One of the earlier punk/grunge bands that spent a great deal of time traveling down to Portland, Oregon regularly for concerts. While I recognize their role in keeping Sub Pop Records alive and opening up the burgeoning scene to the more polished grunge acts that would follow them in the forms of Alice In Chains, Mother Lovebone/Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden, I am still not that quite into their records much. Having said that, I did dig the tracks "Generation Genocide", "Good Enough" , and "Fuzzgun '91" enough this time around to add them to my playlist. A 4 for their role in the evolution of grunge, but a 2.5, rounded up to a 3 for the actual execution of this particular album.

The World is a Ghetto

War

4/5

I admit I was not familiar with this record, so it was a pleasant surprise. I did enjoy the tracks "The Cisco Kid", "Where Was You At", "Four Cornered Room", and "Beetles in the Bog", but did not find myself digging the others. This is a nice album although I think I might be more partial to their 1975 album, WHY CAN'T WE BE FRIENDS. It is a great album when you realize that your favorite track on the album is not the single, "The Cisco Kid", and is instead the final track, "Beetles in the Bog". In the same club of groove and funkiness as Sly and the Family Stone and Santana, only with more love and friendliness. Not a bad club to be in.

Call of the Valley

Shivkumar Sharma

4/5

Today was my walking workout and this was a very pleasant album to listen to while walking. My favorite track was the proto-new age title track "Call of the Valley". I've always been a fan of Chris Spheeris' work and this music feels like it was probably an inspiration for him, particularly the track "Bombay" . If you dig the countless other World and New Age artists that came in the decades after this, you will likely dig this as well.

Blunderbuss

Jack White

2/5

A whole lot of meh. . Props to him for finally expanding his instrumental palette, but I am perplexed why critics keep enjoying this shtick. It's like no one is brave enough point out that emperor has no clothes. The tracks "Love Interruption", "Freedom At 21", and "On And On And On" were bearable. "Love Interruption" frankly sounds like a poor knock off of a Robert Plant/Alison Krauss collaboration. Honestly, another Jack White driven album that no one needs to hear before they die. I would not be surprised if it comes off the list in further editions of the book. It gets a 2, instead of a 1 because Bob Ludwig mastered it.

Arc Of A Diver

Steve Winwood

3/5

It is an alright album, but not his best album. The best track is definitely "While You See a Chance". This is not the Steve Winwood album that deserves to be on the list. The album that deserves to be on the list is BACK IN THE HIGH LIFE AGAIN (1986). That was the album that sent tremors through the music industry, with many pop acts adopting the afro-carribbean vibes after that album became a smash hit.

Either Or

Elliott Smith

2/5

Top 1001 album of all time? I'm from the Pacific Northwest, from near Portland, and Elliot Smith has always been overrated. This album wasn't even one of the top albums of the 1990s, much less of all time. That is one of the longest 36 minutes I can recall. Every song sounds pretty much the same. Very little differentiation. The lyrics are, well, let's put it this way, we get it, you saw My Own Private Idaho once. If he had not died in such a spectacular way, I doubt anyone would have given him this much thought. He would just be another indie rock Harry Nilsson wannabe, another Hound of the Buskerville.

The Clash

3/5

They are not as tight as the Ramones, nor are their songs as sophisticated in their arrangement at this stage, but they do have the seeds of what would become that classic Clash punk sound. This album was definitely an influence on so much of the punk sound that would develop from the 70s up to the present. Has all the trademarks of the typical punk protest album with the predictably whiny punk lyrics that we have all come to expect. Not particularly sophisticated but can be a nice, short, noisy groove in the background. Definitely better than the debut albums by fellow compatriots Sex Pistols and The Jam. I far prefer London Calling and Combat Rock, but this is competent, even if it is a little cheesy. As a side note I would enjoy the other Mick Jones side projects following The Clash even more. Favorite tracks "London's Burning" and "Police & Thieves".

Penance Soiree

The Icarus Line

1/5

Feels like they had aspirations of Sonic Youth, The Jesus and the Mary Chain, and My Bloody Valentine without the compelling hooks or song arrangements. Just endless amounts of feedback noise masturbation with little to no differentiation between songs. Lyrics don't matter, as you can't possible discern what is said without reading them, so who cares? Perhaps one of the most pointless albums I have ever heard. Favorite "songs": none Definitely does not belong on this list. Just keeps proving my hunch that the Naughties were the worst decade of popular music ever.

Low

David Bowie

5/5

A truly great album. Always inspires. Never gets boring. Lots of variety in the exploration. Sonically profound without being divisive. If you have favorite group that uses electronics, they were likely influenced or affected by this record. "Subterraneans" might be of one the best ending tracks to an album ever. I was fortunate enough to see David Bowie's band perform this track with Trent Reznor on saxophone in 1995, and it was very moving. Favorites: "Speed of Life", "Breaking Glass", "Sound and Vision", "A New Career in a New Town", "Warsaw", "Art Decade", "Weeping Wall", and "Subterraneans".

Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde

The Pharcyde

2/5

An interesting album because I've always enjoy the US3 album HAND ON THE TORCH, and this album was already presenting that jazzy fresh hip hop sound a whole year before US3's album came out. Not sure how I missed this album back then. I'm don't generally enjoy skits on hip hop albums and it was the same with this one. But I did enjoy that this group has a wacky sense of humor that doesn't border on mean or cruel as other hip hop groups around this era. Having said all that, it is hip hop, and I really did not find any of the tracks compelling enough to add to my collection.

Violent Femmes

5/5

Love this album. Without this album what would we do for the soundtracks of films that star John Cusack? Seriously though, this album was a revelation. A doorway into a secret world of all age shows done by DIY bands all over the U.S. and U.K. An indie album that showed that all of the preconceptions could be thwarted. An acoustic punk album that pointed the direction of indie rock for the next three decades. An album whose song arrangements rocked layered with truly sincere, heart wrenching, and funny lyrics that didn't require a British accent, sneer, or guitar distortion to make them seem heavy. Pocket tight rhythm section that could walk that fine line of rocking and allowing space for the wonderful melodies and harmonies of the acoustic punk to shine threw like beams of moonlight. Recorded during the summer of 1982 in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, the home of Dungeons & Dragons. You can just imagine the legendary adventuring hijinks these guys were getting up to in-between recording and playing out. Amazing that these tracks were largely written and performed by a bunch of eighteen year olds.

Here Are the Sonics

The Sonics

2/5

Middling surf and garage rock. Doesn't reach the level of Dick Dale & His Del Tones, who were also performing during this era and changed how people viewed surf music and garage rock. Competent covers but nothing special. Sounds like your typical bar band from anywhere around the west coast at this time who were all trying to imitate The Beatles. If the album were mostly originals I could take it a bit more seriously. I honestly don't think this album belongs on the list.

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

David Bowie

3/5

This was not my first listen of this album in its entirety. I am a David Bowie fan, but this record never had impact on me that it had on my friends and colleagues. My album favorites have always been LOW and OUTSIDE, and EARTHLING, with a just smattering of singles here and there from all of his other albums. "Starman", "Ziggy Stardust", and "Suffragette City" are the only tracks off this album that have ever captured my imagination. Depending on my mood on any given day I can go for "Moonage Dream" and occasionally I am up for "Rock n' Roll Suicide"; but I never been into the rest of the album, no matter how many times I hear it. I recognize its importance in the evolution of pop star as art/artifice persona as well its importance as a concept album, but I find it difficult to justify giving it 5 stars or even 4 stars, and I certainly don't think it is the 9th most important album of this exercise, which is where it sits among the global rankings on the list as I listen to it today. So 3 stars it is.

Disraeli Gears

Cream

4/5

Listening to the final track on this album, "Mother's Lament", a choral song sung by the band member's about a mother losing a child when the album first came out is a much different experience than darkness of knowing what experience awaits Eric Clapton nearly 24 years later. From a percussionists' perspective Ginger Baker, before Neil Peart really opened eyes about what kind of role a rock drummer with jazz chops could have in a band. His use of toms and double bass inspired all kinds of ideas that helped propel a ton of drummers throughout the 1970s. Favorites: "Strange Brew" and "Sunshine of Your Love" Personally I feel that Cream's FRESH CREAM belongs on this list more than DISRAELI GEARS and therefore this album gets a 4 instead of a 5 that I would give to FRESH CREAM for breaking new ground and also having far more tracks I enjoy than DISRAELI GEARS.

Traffic

4/5

Solid composition, recording, and arrangement. Is far more interesting and refined than your typical pub band of the time, and manages to walk a fine line of just enough progressive rock, jazz fusion, folk, polka, and blues to keep it interesting but not too much to frighten off the mainstream pop rock listeners. A 70s proto record that was 2-3 years ahead of its time. At 57 minutes Traffic's second album TRAFFIC has great pacing, but begins to test one's patience. I mean, props to them for providing value for a time when you had to actually purchase an album for a sizable chunk of cash, so you couldn't help but be cautious about which albums you committed to buying. Favorite songs: "You can All Join In", "Feeling' Alright?", and "Medicated Goo".

Coat Of Many Colors

Dolly Parton

3/5

I enjoy Dolly Parton, so it pains me that while this album is critically acclaimed, and while the narrative lyrics are earnest and well written, the music and the arrangement itself is fairly generic and samey for country music, particular in the 1970s and becomes a tad boring after awhile. "Coat of Many Colors" and "Here I Am" were the only tracks I truly enjoyed off this album. Everything else was meh.

Live!

Fela Kuti

3/5

Dug the fun funky Afrobeat music. I would have preferred this album be studio cuts and not be live. The chatter between tracks is nice to hear once, but I wouldn't want to return to it every time I would like to play a track. Probably amazing to experience if you were there, but the tracks are a tad too long to keep interest all the way through unfortunately. I dig me some Ginger Baker, but I don't his presence added anything to this album. Feels like Ginger lending his name to get Fela Kuti a wider audience reach more than anything. While I did enjoy the final track, the drum duel, as a drummer myself I could easily imagine others more than happy to skip this track. I definitely think that Fela Kuti deserves an album on this list, I just don't think it is this one. I think it should probably be ZOMBIE instead.

Back In Black

AC/DC

5/5

One of the easiest 5 rankings ever! A tragic event that nearly breaks up the band, but despite that they record THE masterpiece record of their entire career instead. Easily one of the top 25 rock records of all time. The band that defined the pub rock genre. A masterclass of pure rock. My absolute favorites "Hells Bells", "Shoot to Thrill", "Black in Black", "You Shook Me All Night Long", "Givin the Dog a Bone". "and "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution".

Californication

Red Hot Chili Peppers

2/5

The last great album that I enjoyed from RHCP was BLOOD SUGAR SEX MAGIK released in 1991, so CALIFORNICATION is not one of my favorite Red Hot Chili Pepper albums. I didn't really enjoy any of the songs on this album. I remember not enjoying any of the singles when the album came out in 1999 and that hasn't changed with the passage of time. The mix and the production leaves a lot to be desired. This album doesn't bring any of the magic of BLOOD SUGAR SEX MAGIK where it felt the band had discovered a new vibe. It feels like a cynical rehash of "Under the Bridge" from that album over and over and over intermixed with cringey lyrics like "do you smell like a girl when you smile?" I wish that the electronic producer path had worked out because I would have liked to have heard that album. I can imagine that being something that I had not already heard a billion times with RHCP. They would eventually take the path previously not taken with the release of BY THE WAY, so perhaps I am being too harsh. And perhaps Frusciante's reintegration into the band really did require doing an album of 15 songs that really doesn't move the band or their sound forward. But at the end of the day we are left with an album that is way too long and cannot maintain its vibrancy throughout. I couldn't even find the hits that are supposed to litter the first half of the album and I am someone who enjoys a lot of the RHCP catalog from the early eighties right up through BSSM. This was definitely NOT an album that everyone needs to hear before they die. Even Flea, as recently as 2023, thinks that BLOOD SUGAR SEX MAGIK is their best album. That is the album that should be on here. I won't be listening to this album again.

Crosby, Stills & Nash

2/5

I'm a big fan of The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel, so you would think this would be up my alley, but this album sounded a bit samey from track to track for my tastes. Apparently there were iconic hits, but none of the tracks really grabbed me. It appears that all of their songs that I enjoy are on other albums in their career, particularly those with Neil Young, which is weird because I typically don't enjoy Neil Young's solo career. Great harmonizing but I found the songs boring pretty quickly. I'd rather just listen to another Simon & Garfunkel album. If I had to a pick a track I might want to listen to again, I guess "Marrakesh Express" was okay.

Slipknot

2/5

Enjoyed the drums, but far too childish for me. Not sure why it is on the list.

Violator

Depeche Mode

5/5

For me it is quite simply one of the most enjoyable albums not only released in the 1990s, but of all time. One of those few albums were the hype is entirely deserved. First time I heard this album I was stunned. There was no other album that sounded at all quite like this. A masterpiece in this genre that no one else other than Depeche Mode has managed to approach since. I love every track on this album. The album was so great that the tracks "Dangerous" and "Mephisto" which were B-sides and did not make the final track list are also amazing. A perfect marriage of electronics, guitars, and 80s production techniques at the height of Martin Gore's songwriting, Alan Wilder's arrangements, and with a producer in Flood that was at the height of his production prowess.

Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs

Marty Robbins

5/5

While I was listening to primarily 80s metal, pop, jazz, electronica, and industrial in my youth, it was my Dad who introduced me to this album. My rebellious youth mind wanted to reject this album but my heart betrayed me and opened up completely to this music. "Cool Water" and "El Paso" were regularly played in our house, which was a perfect backdrop between the John Ford films playing on the TV. Marty Robbins always seemed a bit more bad ass than the rest of Country music, except perhaps Johnny Cash. I'm sure the outlaw black cowboy outfit on this album cover didn't hurt, far, far long before Outlaw Country Music was a thing. When you play this album you convey that you are a badass that won't be tamed by anyone's opinion.

(Pronounced 'Leh-'Nérd 'Skin-'Nérd)

Lynyrd Skynyrd

3/5

Had its time and place but it doesn't do much for me. I had an older cousin who rode on the back of a Harley Davidson everywhere who loved the heck out of this music but I never really warmed up to it. Performances are undeniable. Very tight group. Definitely an influence Southern Rock/Country Rock, so it probably belongs on the list, but I cannot see myself seeking anything off this album again after this exercise.

After The Gold Rush

Neil Young

1/5

Typical whiny Neil Young. I don't like preachy music. Not a fan. Waaaaaaay too many albums related to him on this list. I really struggled to get through this album. Few gems on this album, and when they turn up they just remind you how someone else has covered them so much better than the original songwriter. Definitely won't be revisiting this album anytime soon.

War

U2

5/5

In my opinion, WAR was the most complete U2 album prior to the release of THE JOSHUA TREE. Favorite songs "Sunday Bloody Sunday", "Seconds", "New Year's Day", "Drowning Man", "The Refugee" , and "Two Hearts Beat As One". The music is not only interesting sounding for the time, but manages to increase audio production quality without losing any urgency or vitality. A more interesting album to me than The Clash's LONDON CALLING.

Who's Next

The Who

4/5

Like most albums by The Who, they've got three big hits and a bunch of middling songs. But boy were those hits fantastic! "Baba O'Riley" is the template for new wave before punk had even happened yet. Further, this song has had a massive cultural impact that is hard to overstate. "Behind Blue Eyes" and "Won't Get Fooled Again" are great anthems. The first communicated in quiet suppressed rage and depression of a failed personal relationship, that could easily be misheard as a ballad, and the second a cynical stadium anthem song about the futility of revolution. Outside of its time and place it is probably an album with a rating of 3, but taken in context for its time and place and the impact it had on much of the music that come over the next 50 years, it is easily a 4.

American IV: The Man Comes Around

Johnny Cash

3/5

Abraxas

Santana

3/5

Important because of its injection of latin rock into the mainstream of popular music in the United States. The hits were the covers of "Black Magic Woman" and "Oye Como Va", that appear in the first half of the album that sort of is a concept suite about meeting Abraxas (which in the Bible is a word for God), as a black female. The playing and arrangements are inspiring, while the flip side of the album trails off into what feels like middling collection of blues driven riffs and roars that are occasionally accompanied by standard Latin American rhythm sections.

Night Life

Ray Price

3/5

Easy listening country music. A pleasant album that accurately depicts what it is like the for those of us who have worked the night life for decades. Tight performances and the dynamics were handled with the subtlety of an experienced pro.

Tusk

Fleetwood Mac

3/5

While I prefer most Fleetwood Mac albums to many other comparable bands, TUSK, is one of my least favorite Fleetwood Mac albums. The Flawed masterpiece from Fleetwood Mac that deserves to be on this list is TANGO IN THE NIGHT. Far more interesting sonically and definitely far better produced than TUSK which honestly does not deserve a place on this list. Favorite tracks from TUSK: "Think About Me" and "Brown Eyes".

The Infotainment Scan

The Fall

2/5

The worst thing about this band is the singer/songwriter Mark E. Smith. Everybody else in this band sounds skilled and on top of their game. His speak singing style is performed terribly and feels uninspired. We get it, you heard a Stooges record once. The lyrics tend to get lost in the mix, so it just sounds like someone hanging around in the background talking over the band constantly. After a few songs I felt the urge to tell that guy to shut the fuck up and let the band play. Even by post punk and indie rock standards this album sucks. I'll give 2 stars for everyone but Mark E Smith's contributions. If I were forced to choose favorites based entirely on the instrumentals, it would be "It's a Curse", "Paranoia Man in Cheap Shit Room", "Service", and "Past Gone Mad".

Unknown Pleasures

Joy Division

5/5

One of the post punk/goth great albums of all time!

Illmatic

Nas

1/5

Kick Out The Jams (Live)

MC5

1/5

Were they a proto punk pioneer? Yes. Does that mean their album belongs on this list? No. With the exception of "Kick Out the Jams" there is nothing else of value on this album, except for the forward thinking intro of the psychedelic "Starship" at the end of the album. It should be noted that pretty much every cover of "Kick Out the Jams" by anyone else is performed and recorded better than the original. My favorite was a collaboration between Henry Rollins and Bad Brains from the PUMP UP THE VOLUME film soundtrack. By the way, that entire record is amazing. This on the other hand is a terrible recording of live performances carried out over two days in 1968.

On The Beach

Neil Young

1/5

Another crappy Neil Young album? Really? The only good thing about this is the buried vehicle on the album cover. For the love of mike, please no more Neil Young.

Mr. Tambourine Man

The Byrds

2/5

They don't seem differentiated from each other much which makes the whole album feel pretty samey fairly quick and thus fairly forgettable.

Mama Said Knock You Out

LL Cool J

2/5

Way too long. "Mama Said Knock You Out" is the only track that has stood the test of time in the wider musical community. The album is more of the same boring humble brag that litters pretty much most of, if not, all of the hip hop albums of this era.

Disintegration

The Cure

5/5

I was a teenager when this album came out, but because of the circles I traveled in, that it was before the Internet, and that the The Cure did not get much radio play over here, I did not discover DISINTEGRATION properly until the mid-1990s. I am embarrassed to admit that as a major Spider-man fan I was honestly drawn into the album by his appearance in the lyrics of "Lullaby" when I finally did discover this album. I don't fit the stereotypes that people tend to ascribe to fans of The Cure. While I did have a penchant for black clothing I was not a huge fan of Tim Burton films and I've never smoked, much less clove cigarettes. I don't drink and I've never dabbled in hallucinogenic drugs. Despite that, as the years have passed on this album just keeps growing on me. I've come to understand the songs in new and profound ways that were previously unknown to me when I was younger, which is the best thing you can say about any music album in your collection. One of the best albums to chart self existential isolationism. A person literally coming apart at the seams, untethered from everything and everyone they ever believed in. "Lovesong", I think, with no hyperbole, might be one of the most beautiful and poignant love ballads ever written, IN ANY GENRE. So many classic great songs that have stood the test of time: "Plainsong", "Pictures of You", "Lovesong", "Lullaby", "Fascination Street", and of course "Disintegration". Hard to believe the album is 72 minutes long. Among the easiest 72 minutes I've ever experienced. It has inspired and continues to inspire millions of musicians in terms of its lyrcism, musicianship, sound, and production. The romanticism revisitation of musical motifs throughout the album were unusual for the time this album came out and has been mimicked numerous times since. It really is the magnum opus of the band. A fucking classic!

At Folsom Prison

Johnny Cash

4/5

Nebraska

Bruce Springsteen

1/5

This is a Bruce Springsteen impression of Bob Dylans. As someone who does not enjoy Bob Dylan albums this makes this one of the most boring albums I’ve ever heard.

Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo

MC Solaar

1/5

It is a painful experience getting through hip-hop in English. In French hip-hop is completely inaccessible.

Van Halen

4/5

An amazing debut album that firmly planted Van Halen on the Rock map. 5 out of the first 6 tracks are rock classics (including one heavy cover of The Kinks "You Really Got Me". It is the B side of this album that descends from greatness into merely being good. An easy 4 for quality, innovating, and standing the test of time. It's not their best album as that would be a toss up between 1984, 5150, OU812, or FOR UNLAWFUL CARNAGE. Not only did this album sell well, but I remember a bunch of those sales coming from guitarists who bought the album just listen to "Eruption" over and over in an effort to figure out Eddie Van Halen's fretboard tapping style.

White Light

Gene Clark

2/5

I have to be honest. I have not received any enjoyment from the country rock tinged singer/songwriter movement of the 1970s. Cannot stand any of them really.

Da Capo

Love

3/5

It took a track or two to adjust but soon I was digging the wild instrumentation choices and how they were used on this album. I love (no pun intended) that there is so much variety of genre on this album. It probably pissed off music critics, but it made this very short album a surprise with each track. Favorites: "Orange Skies", "The Castle", and "She Comes In Colors" I enjoyed the sonic composition of "Revelations" and the excellent performances (at least instrumentally anyway), but I could have done without the lyrical meditation on blowjobs. Who knew Han Solo was a LOVE fan?

Sincere

Mj Cole

2/5

While I am a fan of the genre this is not one of the stand out albums from the genre, so I am genuinely, no sarcasm at all, perplexed why this was added to the list. As I said before this spot on the list should be occupied instead by Oakenfold's Bunkka, an album that really changed how people arranged and recorded dance and electronica music. Produced well enough to escape reaching a 1, but not culturally relevant at all, so a 2 it is.

Arrival

ABBA

5/5

While it may seem tame now this album was seismic in influence. So many pop stars and indie bands owe something to ABBA in general and this album in particular. Such a refreshing album after the doldrums of the California singer/songwriter era in the first half of the 70s. Favorite tracks: "Dancing Queen", "Knowing Me, Knowing You", "Why Did It Have to Be Me?", "Tiger", "Arrival", and "Fernando".

Fuzzy

Grant Lee Buffalo

2/5

Honky Tonk Heroes

Waylon Jennings

2/5

As a big fan of Buddy Holly and the Crickets, I want to like Waylon Jennings music, and while I respect the place this album has in outlaw country's formation, it doesn't hit resonate with me the way a Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, or even Marty Robbins album does.

Pink Moon

Nick Drake

2/5

I agree with one of the original critic's, Jerry Gilbert of SOUNDS Magazine, that Nick Drake's songs, particularly on this album beg the need for wider instrumentation and backing tracks. Also, all Nick Drake could benefit from dynamic changes occasionally, even if your subject matter is depression. While I respect that folks resort to busking, I don't want to listen to a whole album of arrangements that barely amounts to a demo tape. More agreeable than Bob Dylan albums, but still pretty tedious, no matter the subject matter. Well written lyrics, but I prefer a sonic palette that explores a wider breadth. Poetry is not music. Overrated by recent hipsters. No better or worse than his other album that I heard on this list FIVE LEAVES LEFT.

Tank Battles

Dagmar Krause

2/5

Usually I am open to cabaret and musical theatre, but the melodies and hooks don't seem very compelling. Sounds like the kind of terrible thing you'd hear in an off broadway show, or rather the thing that inspired the terrible off broadway show compositions in the first place.

Nighthawks At The Diner

Tom Waits

1/5

Acceptable quality lyrics but performed over the vamping of the most middling of blues and jazz scales you've ever heard that ultimately sounds like one long uninterrupted track. In my opinion the work of the bass player should have earned them the bulk of the royalties. Not much, if any real music elsewhere. Rather it seems an excuse for a spoken word album that also doubles as a half-assed stand up act. Wait's voice is still really annoying.

Surf's Up

The Beach Boys

3/5

Nice arrangements and production but at the end of the day it is The Beach Boys cynically reaching out with hippie BS for a money grab. The whole point of The Beach Boys as a band was escapist rock. A place where you could leave the body politic behind for a little while, and get away from everyone's struggles for awhile. Somewhere to live in pure joy for a bit. This album is cheese ball eye-rolling boring protest rock album in the first half and a bit more fun, mature, and interesting on the back half but still a mixed bag of oddities. It makes clear that Brian Wilson was the only great composer in this band. Everyone else was often more miss than hit. "Feel Flows" was fun from an instrumental performance vibe and doesn't feature the lame lyricism that the protest songs suffer from. "A Day in the Life of a Tree" is an interesting re-imagination of gosepl music from an environmentalist point of view. "'Til I Die" is a pretty melodic song but darker than an abandoned mine. Cheesy lyrics drag this album down but the production and performances manage to drag it back up to a 2.5, which I will have to round up to 3.

Dusty In Memphis

Dusty Springfield

3/5

Murmur

R.E.M.

2/5

I've never liked this album. After all this time it still feels like the album that the band made before they really understood what makes for good hooks and songs. It is definitely not on my list of albums that must be heard before death. I would include one of their other more polished albums than this one.

Bat Out Of Hell

Meat Loaf

3/5

I somehow missed hearing this album or any of its songs over the past four decades and I can honestly say I don't think I missed anything. It wasn't really my jam, but I applaud the audacity of Jim and Meatloaf taking the piss all the way to the bank. Not a Todd Rundgren fan either, but I'll give it a 3 for the cheeseball production. No favorites. I'm glad to move on to the next one.

Warehouse: Songs And Stories

Hüsker Dü

1/5

Horrendously overrated band and album that couldn't end fast enough. This was a painful listen.

Justified

Justin Timberlake

4/5

Anyone who has seen my ratings knows that I've been harsh on the album releases that came out in the first decade of the 21st century. So, it might come as a surprise that I think this is one of the few standout Pop albums from that first decade. One of the those albums where it is clear that performer and their producers were all forging together in the same direction and the result is an album that honors the Michael Jackson influence that is so obviously present with everyone associated with this album.

The Yes Album

Yes

4/5

Ahh the prog glory of Yes. It was a guy named Paul down the hall from me in university who learned that I loved Rush and thought, well then you might like Yes. And boy was he right. When I heard their cover of the WEST SIDE STORY broadway standard "Something's Coming" that was on the flip side of their 1968 debut single "Sweetness", I knew that something wasn't just coming, something cool had already arrived and some twenty something years later I had been missing out. While this album is not my favorite of theirs, I still love "Yours Is No Disgrace" and "I've Seen All Good People: A. Your Move, B. All Good People". The rest are solid recordings, performances, and arrangements, but "I've Seen All Good People" in particular is transcendent, and takes me to those exciting years when music was vital and a musical adventure awaited in every new person and place met. Besides who can't dig a band who regularly writes epic songs adapted from books like STARSHIP TROOPERS by Robert Heinlein and THE LORD OF THE RINGS by J.R.R. Tolkien, and has the good taste to get Roger Dean to paint your later album covers? Their no RUSH, but who is?

Tea for the Tillerman

Cat Stevens

3/5

Unlike most of his contemporaries, at least Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam knew how to write folk songs with solid instrumental hooks, instrumentation choices, and arrangements. It is solid enjoyable songwriting, even if I personally don't agree with his lyrical points of view.

Hms Fable

Shack

1/5

There seems to be no notable reason for this album to be on the list. A very ho hum brit pop release from the late 1990s that is a rehash of a sound from 5 years earlier in the decade.

Germfree Adolescents

X-Ray Spex

3/5

After listening to this record, as a producer I would have suggested only one change, which was to take the instruments in the higher registers and encourage them to drop them down one octave, in order to let Poly Styrene have that entire register to her vocals, because it was difficult at times to enjoy the vocals because there wasn't enough headroom for them to shine. As a fan of grrl rock and punk, I am aware of the influence this band had on the grrl rock and punk throughout the late 70s and 80s, so it gets a 3 instead of the customary 2 I would have given this record if they just were just an ordinary punk act that came along decades later.

I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You

Aretha Franklin

3/5

Other than "Respect" the album doesn't really shine the way you'd expect from an Aretha Franklin record.

Like Water For Chocolate

Common

2/5

A common and monotonous hip hop album about the same three subjects as always.

Imperial Bedroom

Elvis Costello & The Attractions

2/5

Great instrumental and production performances and a fantastic album cover painting, but at the end of the day it is all ruined, as it always is by the singing of Elvis Costello, with his narrow range and terrible intonation that keeps the songs from soaring. Another waste of space on the list. I've never understood how Elvis Costello managed to pull the wool over so many critics eyes. Way, way overrated. He tries on different genres, but is not often able to authentically live in them.

The ArchAndroid

Janelle Monáe

5/5

Completely new to me, but finally a gem on this list. I'll admit I was a bit apprehensive at the length and was a tad skeptical that a debut album could pull off what the amazing album cover hinted at, but even while every track was not a favorite, I absolutely loved the ambition of this album's sound and story. The production is top notch. As the album ping pongs around through time and various genres, she credibly explores the sound of Shirley Bassey, Lauryn Hill, David Bowie, Wizard of Oz, Metropolis, Diana Ross, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Michael Jackson, Outkast, and Prince among many others, and it was fun picking out the music, broadway musical theater, novel, and film references littered throughout. Lots of the depth here that takes repeat listens to catch them all. "Make the Bus (featuring Of Montreal) reminds me of 70s era David Bowie Glam Rock. While she doesn't quite have the pipes to pull of a Shirley Bassey-esque performance, I did really what she managed to put down in "Sir Greendown". The counterpoint of the songs big bold 60s big band ballad sound contrasting against the medieval imagery in a cyberpunk metaverse was fascinating. She manages to pull of the Bassey-esque siren's call in "BaBopBye Ya". An album for fans, such as a myself of concept albums like Rush' "2112", David Bowie's OUTSIDE, Billy Idol's CYBERPUNK, and Radiohead's KID A. Favorites: "Sir Greendown", "Make the Bus (featuring Of Montreal)", and "Wonderland", "57821 (featuring Deep Cotton)", and "BeBopBye Ya"

Pet Sounds

The Beach Boys

5/5

One of my favorite Beach Boys albums. A ton of favorites. The album that inspired The Beatles to try song arrangements and sounds even further afield. It inspired most of the rest of Western Popular music. A very influential album. Indie Rock's sound basically began in earnest with this album. Favorites: "Wouldn't it be Nice?", "You Still Believe In Me", "Sloop John B", "God Only Knows", "Caroline, No", and of course the tour de force instrumental and title track "Pet Sounds".

The Blueprint

JAY Z

1/5

A tacky hour of a dude bragging about his newfound wealth. Ick.

Everything Must Go

Manic Street Preachers

2/5

Middling rock, even for the 90s, that was only made notable by a member of the band seeing the film Eddie and the Cruisers one too many times.

Brothers

The Black Keys

2/5

Inoffensive, but not bringing anything new, just playing very old blues and marrying it to 60s rock (think The Rolling Stones) and 70s soul sensibilities. Feels like it should have appeared in episodes of LUTHER. Doesn't have a wide enough scope to be in a Bond film, but could saunter into a Guy Richey picture. Not bad, but nothing that reveals anything new in the genre. Nothing played or performed that makes me feel like that could only come from The Black Keys. I wish they put something of themselves in that was uniquely their own sound instead of trying to carbon copy others.

The Last Broadcast

Doves

2/5

The Modern Lovers

3/5

Quirky. “Pablo Picasso” was hilarious. I became aware of this song by David Bowie covering it on his 2003 album REALITY.

Beggars Banquet

The Rolling Stones

2/5

I had heard "Sympathy for the Devil" before when it was used in the film INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE in the mid-90s, but had not heard anything else off of BEGGARS BANQUET. So, I was excited when this album came up because I was looking forward to lots of unbridled creativity in the same vein of "Sympathy for the Devil". Unfortunately, with the exception of "Factory Girl", the other tracks felt like a melange of Blues/Roots Rock sameness. It feels like everyone in British rock, or hell rock from anywhere at the time was truly experimenting more with music composition and arrangement and pushing the boundaries forward than The Rolling Stones. I have immense respect for Glyn Johns as engineer, but I have never enjoyed ANY of the albums that Jimmy Miller produced. BEGGARS BANQUET was technically recorded well, and the instrumentalists in The Rolling Stones performed well, but at the end of the day it cannot save the album from being boring.

The Köln Concert

Keith Jarrett

5/5

Beautiful live performance with a crazy story.

Jack Takes the Floor

Ramblin' Jack Elliott

2/5

He spawned the things about Bob Dylan that annoy me the most, and he doesn't have the songwriting chops of any of the folk greats, so no Yodeley - heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee hoo hoo!

461 Ocean Boulevard

Eric Clapton

2/5

461 OCEAN BOULEVARD is mostly covers, and that is okay, but while the whole album is a technical specimen, it ultimately sounds soulless and lacks the vitality of the originals. The result is a fairly ho hum boring album that brings neither creative inspiration nor swelling emotion.

Parklife

Blur

3/5

I tried this album when it came out in the 1990s. Did not enjoy it then, but I hoped that maybe my opinion had changed as I got older. At the end of the day, it was more bearable than Oasis. Albarn gets better with Gorillaz, but compared to what was going on elsewhere in the music world in the 1990s, PARKLIFE was pretty middling. Technically produced but no new ideas on this album, just a rehashing of previous British band's ideas. The polka track, "The Debt Collector" truly feels like the band taking the piss. Their fellow citizens Pop Will Eat Itself made a far more interesting record that also came out in 1994, DOS DEDOS MI AMIGOS. Far more creative than this album, and I would argue has a sound that is aging better than this album. Seal's 2nd album was also released in 1994. A far more impactful Pop album that year, in the U.S., and around the world, and I'm not sure it is even on the list, which in my opinion is a huge mistake. An aside about the album cover. I don't think animal cruelty is a good look. Spanish bullfighting gets justified criticism from the Brits, so when will dog racing also be made illegal in the UK? Non Sequitur Thought not related to this album at all: Am I the only one that feels like they missed a massive moneymaking opportunity by not partnering their "Song 2" with the chocolate drink Yoo Hoo in an ad campaign?

Viva Hate

Morrissey

3/5

Highly Evolved

The Vines

1/5

This entire album just sounds like a grunge record from Nirvana and The Smashing Pumpkins released 10 years too late. Listeners should just stop fucking about and go listen to the real thing. The Vines bring nothing of themselves or originality to this album and therefore it does not belong on this list. There were plenty of bands that were releasing original and vital records in the naughties and this is not one of them; and frankly this lists' record of selecting records from the naughties has been utter shite.

If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears

The Mamas & The Papas

5/5

Such a strong debut album filled with awesome harmonies! Nobody ever quite wrote songs and performed them quite the way the Mama and Papas did. They do a fine job of walking a very careful line between somber and self-reflective and never fall entirely into the entirely too easy morose. An album filled with hooks that leave you humming all day. Undeniable all-time classics in "Monday, Monday", "Go Where You Wanna Go", and "California Dreamin'". Fantastic takes on covers of "I Call Your Name" by Lennon and McCartney, "Do You Wanna Dance" by Bobby Freeman, and "Spanish Harlem" by Leiber and Spector.

That's The Way Of The World

Earth, Wind & Fire

4/5

1989

Taylor Swift

4/5

Blood Sugar Sex Magik

Red Hot Chili Peppers

4/5

This is the definitive album from the funky punks of City of Angels. They came to the attention of most of us when they they appeared in a Red Hot Chili Peppers poster photo taken in the famous crosswalk across from Abbey Road studios, wearing nothing but socks covering their family jewels. Their cover of Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground" on their album MOTHER'S MILK would give glimpses of what kind of performance and song arrangements they were capable of, but they would not breakout in the world's consciousness until the release of this album. Their music brought everyone from skater punks to funk purists together. Favorites: All-time classics "Give it Away", "Suck My Kiss", "Blood Sugar Sex Magic", "Under the Bridge" and lesser known tracks "Breaking the Girl" and "Naked in the Rain". To those who keep calling it white rap, you are missing the point. It is and was SoCal funky punk.

Electric Warrior

T. Rex

3/5

The album that defined the glam rock genre. Without this album you don't have a glam rock David Bowie era. Without this album you don't have half the hair metal bands of the 80s, who were all influenced by Marc Bolan's sound and look.

McCartney

Paul McCartney

4/5

Not my favorite McCartney solo albums (that would be McCartney II), but it is a very good album. Thankfully, as a songwriter McCartney has the the good sense to know when a concept has been played out and leave the audience wanting more as he moves on to something else. He also keeps things interesting by providing lots of variety in his compositions and taking risks (like the outro Glasses on the back half of Hot As Sun) and the homage to the indigenous tribe of "Kreen-Akrore". McCartney's solo album, lauded as a progenitor of lo-fi albums is waaaay better than any of the other lo-fi artists at the time. I'm looking at you Neil Young, etc. I enjoyed this album very much. It does have the feeling of intimately sitting in with a master songwriter who is at the top of his craft. All lean hooks, no fat, no indulgence. It is kind of crazy to realize that with "Live and Let Die" and BAND ON THE RUN coming in 1973, he was only going to get even better.

Third

Portishead

2/5

This is a challenging album, no doubt about it, but kudos to the band for taking the risk. Tres chic 90s angst is replaced with 2000s The Great Recession paranoia and despair depicted by a slew of Minor 3rd chord progressions over adventures in multiple genres. I'm not a fan of Gibbons voice, but fortunately the instrumentals and arrangements or so crazy on this album that I have plenty of other interesting things to listen to on these tracks.

The Boatman's Call

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

1/5

Nick Cave's music never speaks to me. I find his singing annoying, the lyrics trite, and the arrangements and instrumental selections boring, no more matter which genre he approaches. While he may have been experiencing true pathos after the collapse of his relationship with PJ Harvey, this comes off as a terrible inauthentic artifice of hymns and blues. This god and drug addict expels no heartbroken true wisdom on this album. Here is a secret that not many seem to have caught on to: Nick Cave is a not a particularly gifted lyricist. How he has managed to fool so many for so long is baffling.

Odelay

Beck

4/5

Captures the 90s spirit of everything but the kitchen sink. It's worth listening to at least one time.

Moving Pictures

Rush

5/5

Suicide

1/5

The albums it inspired are far more important for people to listen to than this one.

Rumours

Fleetwood Mac

4/5

While RUMOURS is a fine album, it is not my favorite album from Fleetwood Mac. Perhaps I don't click as much with this album as others because I have not experienced divorce or addiction. The latter the reason for the former on this album. I only enjoyed "Dreams", "Go Your Own Way", "The Chain", and "Gold Dust Woman", which were already in my collection, and I think the album cover is actually underwhelming. I honestly feel that TANGO IN THE NIGHT is a better album in every way.

All Hope Is Gone

Slipknot

2/5

So far, this album is my favorite of the Slipknots on the list. Having said that , Slipknot has multiple albums on this list while classic thrash bands like Suicidal Tendencies have zero albums on this list. That seems nutty.

Buena Vista Social Club

4/5

Gasoline Alley

Rod Stewart

2/5

Competent covers, not bad, not great, just okay. I've never been a fan of Rod's 70s era work. I much prefer his music once he gets to the 80s, and the more interesting soundscapes with CAMOUFLAGE and OUT OF ORDER being peak Rod Stewart.

Ramones

4/5

A seminal record for the punk movement, for sure, particularly in the United States, but while I appreciate their influence, you've heard everything they have to offer once you've finished listening to "Blitzkrieg Bop". A comedy act that masqueraded as a band.

Shaka Zulu

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

4/5

Slippery When Wet

Bon Jovi

4/5

Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)

The Kinks

3/5

Pleasant enough arrangements with lots of instrumental flavors, but lacks the kind of strong hooks that were released in albums by fellow colleagues in the music industry during the year of 1969. I can see why it was not a commercial success that year. Also, a bit too self-loathing about British life in my opinion. I understand it is a tradition to take the piss, but after awhile the pessimism gets tiresome. As a fan of concept albums I do give them credit for holding the story together over the whole album. The theme is clear and consistent. In my opinion, by 1969 their best songs such as "All Day and All of the Night", "You Really Got Me", and "A Well Respected Man" are all behind them and it was middling albums from here on out. Favorite track: "Australia"

Come Away With Me

Norah Jones

1/5

This album never came up in anything I was consuming so, you can imagine my confusion, when, after hearing this album, I discovered how many copies it sold. How many relatives does she have in India? As has been said by others this album is smooth in production, and performance, but the problem for me is that there is nothing on this album that screams to me THAT THIS IS A SONG THAT ONLY Norah Jones would perform that way. I expect that to be the bare minimum of a bar to leap over for an album to be relevant on an all time list. There is no personality. It sounds like many, many other highly competent performers I've heard over the years in jazz bar lounge, hotel bar lounges, and jazz festivals. The difference? They did not have the Ravi Shankar name association to get a deal done with Blue Note Records. The best albums reveal to you what a performer/performers personality and inner thoughts are. You come out of this album as in the dark about what makes Norah Jones tick as you did going in. Super boring, and this is from a guy who loves Shirley Bassey, Dusty Springfield, Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Dean Martin, Peggy Lee, Patsy Cline, Barbra Streisand, Nat King Cole, Seal, and countless others that Norah is drawing upon but not moving forward at all. I cannot imagine myself feeling an insatiable urge to listen to this again. Definitely not an album that belongs on this list. Even worse is that this jazz rock record is included but the authors don't include Sting's THE SOUL CAGES or TEN SUMMONER TALES? Both of which are essential albums to this jazz rock genre. I have to wonder if Gordon Sumner stepped on the authors' dicks or something. Perplexing protocols for this list.

Liege And Lief

Fairport Convention

4/5

Their abandonment of Bob Dylan covers and creation of the first major British folk rock album raises my esteem of this album over UNHALFBRICKING that also appears on this list. As someone who is not a British citizen, it was fun hearing traditional British and Celtic folksongs that I was unfamiliar with performed as folk rock. It was the sort of album that left me whistling jaunty tunes the rest of the morning.

Car Wheels On A Gravel Road

Lucinda Williams

2/5

In Rainbows

Radiohead

3/5

Better than OK COMPUTER and HAIL TO THE THIEF and worse than KID A. The only 2 tracks I enjoyed were "All I Need" and "Reckoner". As an album, I personally don't think it works. I'm also convinced that Radiohead is way over represented on this list due to recency bias. Still find his voice annoying as hell.

Transformer

Lou Reed

4/5

Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Black

Public Enemy

2/5

First I admit this album was not created for me, but honestly I felt that this, for good copyright sample reasons, was not as enjoyable as their previous album. I was familiar with the Anthrax cover of "Bring the Noise" before hearing this album so I enjoyed that track, and less so everything else on this album.

Pretzel Logic

Steely Dan

3/5

Smooth jazz pop. Truly the best of the Steely Dan albums. I enjoyed the hit single, the bossa nova inspired "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" the most, but there is certainly some quality arrangements and performances on this album. I think some, if not most, will think of this as just pleasant background music unfortunately.

Paris 1919

John Cale

1/5

This was painful. Think I'm going to settle down with a Roger Whittaker palette cleanser... Not a fan of the albums he has produced nor of his solo work. Maybe one day the song "Paris 1919" will grow on me, but I doubt it. This album didn't do anything for me.

Opus Dei

Laibach

5/5

Once, when I was young I found a copy of this cassette in the road, while walking, and that was my first exposure to Laibach, and the industrial music genre. This tape blew my mind. The most esoteric thing I had been listening to prior to this discovery was the Swiss Godfathers of Electronica, Yello (whose absence from this list, by the way, is unforgivable). Mind blowing that they managed to make this album while trapped in the Soviet Union (now modern day Slovenia). It broadened my horizons about the notion about what music could be, and urged me on a path to discovering all kinds of bold and adventurous music. It was a path that would lead me over the next few years to Ministry, KMFDM, Die Warzau, Skinny Puppy, Sister Machine Gun and countless other acts that were within the sight of the industrial genre. This is definitely one of the formative acts and albums that impacted not only the industrial genre, but eventually the genres of dance and pop. Their Wagnerian and Kratwerk influences shine through in a completely. new sound.

...Baby One More Time

Britney Spears

3/5

A competent pop album that has that one hit that we all dig (whether we want to admit it or not). The cover of Sonny Bono and Cher's "The Beat Goes On" was fun as well. Wasn't the first female pop star around, but was certainly one that came around at just the right time to capitalize on the large millennial tween audience, borrowing every marketing technique developed by Madonna and her handlers in the previous decade. It certainly didn't hurt that she and her fellow contemporaries who would also breakout in the music and acting careers over the next few years had all primed their audience with their multi-year appearances on the Disney Channel's reboot of the Mickey Mouse Club.

2112

Rush

4/5

Rush is one of my favorite bands. Just putting that out there first. Having said that, this is not at the top of my favorite albums list of Rush. I understand why the authors probably included the album, but frankly I probably would have selected other Rush albums over this one. It is true that this album was a big reason why their career continued, but, IMO, PERMANENT WAVES, SIGNALS, PRESTO, ROLL THE BONES, COUNTERPARTS, and TEST FOR ECHO are all better albums that I would considered including over this one. Unlike certain artists that get four and five spots on this list, I feel like this is a band with such varied and unique eras of sound that have influenced so many different genres of bands, and demonstrably so much better musicians and song crafters than many of the artists on this list, that it is beyond silly that they don't have 4 or 5 albums on this list, at a minimum. As others have stated the gem on this album is the 2112 overture, but after that I like "Lessons" and "Something for Nothing" also.

Mothership Connection

Parliament

3/5

Without this album the world wouldn't have a ton of hip hop. Tracks I enjoyed: "Give up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker)" and "Night of the Thumpasorus Peoples".

Different Class

Pulp

1/5

Brit rock from the 1990s really was among the most boring music coming out in the world. Dreadfully bad retreading of terrible Elvis Costello stuff. Not the first time I'd heard stuff from this album. My first contact was the track "I Spy" from this album when it appeared on the Mission Impossible soundtrack. Was one of the weakest tracks on that soundtrack. Best British album that came out in 1995? Not this one. It was David Bowie's OUTSIDE. While bands like Pulp were trying to make albums that sounded like David Bowie from the 1960s and 1970s, David himself had moved on and was making challenging records in new genres. Just like Blur, London Suede, and Oasis, Pulp managed to make another album of boring ass indie rock that is bereft of actual emotion and relies entirely too much on turn of phrase lyrics and not enough on sonically interesting music with good hooks.

Document

R.E.M.

2/5

In my opinion DOCUMENT is the first R.E.M. album that held together over the course of the whole album in terms of performance, instrumentation, and songwriting. Also the first R.E.M. album to have some bangers in the form of "It's End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) and "The One I Love". Outside those two songs the album is pretty meh.

Out of Step

Minor Threat

3/5

First time hearing this album, but I can already their influences on other bands I've listened to over the years, particularly acts like Suicidal Tendencies and I cannot help but wonder if their sound inspired Chris Vrenna's drum ideas in Nine Inch Nails songs like "Wish" and "March of the Pigs". It feels like Offspring was probably a big fan of this band as well. You can hear this inspiring the earliest years of Metallica's thrash years on albums like KILL THEM ALL. OUT OF STEP is the kind of sound that I respect exists in the world, but also the kind of sound that I don't want to hear daily, so I probably won't be putting this on again real soon. I need a little more melody and harmony in my diet these days, but I probably would have loved this album when I was 13 or 14 and was quite deep into the skating and freestyle world. I particularly would have been attracted to their straight edge mentality. I also respect the rhythmic tightness of this band. Very tidy, given that it is incredibly easy to be sloppy in this genre.

Urban Hymns

The Verve

1/5

An utterly forgettable album except for that one track, and that one track is only memorable because the entire groove that is great about the song was sampled from a different band's previous hit. I was a fool that bought this album in 1997. Totally regretted it. Their previous album was bollocks, so I should have known. Ironically the songs don't have much, if any, verve at all. The album is way too long. Ashcroft's lyrics leave a lot to desire. The drums are boring, the guitars are boring. One of the most boring albums I ever owned. Way, way overrated. Maybe if someone had separated the wheat from the chaff to get under 45 minutes and did some passes on the remaining songs, supplying them with varying tempos and dynamics so that they actually feel like they go somewhere once in a while this album might have been saved. I feel dirty giving them additional streaming income by listening to this lump one more time.

Straight Outta Compton

N.W.A.

2/5

The album was definitely influential. There is no denying it, but I would argue it influenced hip hop for the worse. Did not enjoy the messaging and was bored by the production when it came out. People keeping saying it aged poorly, but it was always a collection of bad ideas that appealed to a group of listeners, not just black, that wanted to burn the world down. 2 stars for the influence, but you couldn't pay me to listen to this again. Irresponsible childish bullshit.

My Generation

The Who

3/5

Chris

Christine and the Queens

2/5

A throwback album to the production days of Quincy Jones, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis that is about subject matter that I cannot relate to. Recorded well, but didn't resonate much with me, and I suspect this album won't have a place on this list long term.

Rock Bottom

Robert Wyatt

2/5

I wanted to like it given the tragic back story, but it did not quite come together. I do hear influences in there that were expressed on David Bowie's LOW and Radiohead's KID A. It was unfortunate we didn't get to hear what it might have sounded like if it had been completed before his accident.

Highway 61 Revisited

Bob Dylan

2/5

Music is not defined by poetry. Everyone who is honest with themselves confesses that Bob Dylan is not a great musician. This is a list about 1001 albums of MUSIC that we should all hear at least once. By the definition that I just laid out this is not a great album of MUSIC and it is a matter of perspective and opinion whether it is even an okay, or great album of poetry. I really did not enjoy this. Listening to his music is a slog. That harmonica is murder on the ears. Occasionally his songs sound better when someone else performs them, but more often than not they always fall flat. "Like a Rolling Stone" is bearable as quality folk. The rest is just tedious. Bob Dylan is quite possibly the most overrated American artist ever. A part of me wants to give this one star, but I confess that the performances by the other musicians, the engineering, and the production is deserving of more. The only problem here is Bob. So, two stars it is.

Iron Maiden

4/5

While they have never been among my favorites of the metal genre, there is no denying that this album has the hooks from beginning to end, and that they certainly influenced so many of the bands and sounds that would spawn in the metal genre right up to the present.

Another Music In A Different Kitchen

Buzzcocks

3/5

Among their contemporaries this was one of the punk albums that was easiest to listen to, but that was also probably why they were perhaps less influential to the late 70s and early 80s punk scene than say Joy Division, Sex Pistols, The Clash, Killing Joke, and The Ramones. I can hear how and why they influenced some of the artists I enjoy. Favorite tracks: "Fiction Romance" and "Autonomy"

The Beach Boys Today!

The Beach Boys

4/5

One of the best harmony bands ever. Brian Wilson was not only a great singer but you can hear the attention to detail on these tracks as their producer as well. It was also a nice expansion of their sound with many more instrumental choices to complement the more complex songs that Brian Wilson and Mike Love had written. This album does have a number of my favorites, including the Bobby Freeman cover of "Do You Wanna Dance", "When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)", "Help Me, Rhonda", and "Dance, Dance, Dance".

Revolver

Beatles

5/5

Still one of the all time bangers. So many solid tracks, most of the them standards that get played everywhere and by everyone, all the time. My favorites are "Taxman", "Eleanor Rigby", "Here, There, and Everywhere", "Yellow Submarine", "Got To Get You Into My Life", and "Tomorrow Never Knows". REVOLVER Opened the door to so many new pop genres, and revealed inspired production techniques that everyone else would quickly adopt. What is there to say about this album that hasn't been said by more articulate people than I? Also, I love "Yellow Submarine" and I will not apologize for it.

Central Reservation

Beth Orton

2/5

I wanted to like this album, but her voice, lyrics, and compositional sound choices didn't move me in the least. None of these songs stood out as something I felt like I needed to hear a second time. I found the album far too long for this genre. Tempos needed more variation to give the songs a little more independence from one another. I am beginning to realize that if an album turns up on here, and it has been either nominated for a Mercury Prize, or even it won the prize, there is a very good chance that I will not enjoy that album. Too often I have found those albums to be incredibly boring, pretentious chores. As boring as a Norah Jones record. I'll take my Suzanne Vega records and let myself out.

Welcome to the Afterfuture

Mike Ladd

2/5

Melodrama

Lorde

1/5

This Lorde album feels more inconsistent than her previous effort PURE HEROINE. Album felt algorithmic. I'm also not a fan of her singing style. None of the tracks stood out to me as bangers that had instrumental and vocal ideas that really captured my attention. While critics lauded her for more mature songwriting subjects on this album, I felt the subject matter on this album actually felt a bit more, please forgive me, sophomoric. On PURE HEROINE she explores her own views on class, wealth, and gender, and on this she explores breakups, hookups, and crying in her taxi. Most of it didn't quite evoke anything for me. I did enjoy the "Hard Feelings" half of "Hard Feelings/Loveless" when it felt like not only the lyrics came together but the sonic ideas got some bold risks, but then it was gutted when the conventional arrangement of "Loveless" began.

Black Metal

Venom

3/5

Sound quality is pretty atrocious, but the vitality and songwriting is definitely there. I had heard of this album but never got around to listening to it. Glad I finally rectified that. A fun tongue-in-cheek album in a world that often takes everything far too seriously.

The Sensual World

Kate Bush

3/5

I enjoyed the solid 80s production, but I was not a fan of her singing style which seems averse to expressing a melody or a hook. A lyrical and vocal style such as hers seems to undercut the heft of her lyrical story. I prefer the way Tori Amos handles this by giving her vocal melodies more weight, and not shying away from vamping traditional verse/chorus ideas. Bush is all over the place. I really did dig the instrumentals. A great jazz rock/fusion vibe that I would have enjoyed listening to even more if the vocals had been stripped out altogether.

A Nod Is As Good As A Wink To A Blind Horse

Faces

2/5

Meh. I prefer Rod Stewart’s solo career albums.

Gold

Ryan Adams

2/5

Adequate production, inoffensively boring and generic from a songwriting point of view. GOLD adds nothing new to the genre, even for 2001 standards. The only artistic risk taken on the album was his album cover with the upside down American flag. The lyrics don't resonate and his vocals are annoying.

Purple Rain

Prince

5/5

For me, this is the definitive Prince album. Every song, but the cringe worthy "Darling Nikki" and the "Computer Blue" suite, are absolute bangers. Love the 80s production. It wasn't soul, r&b, or pop. It was just pure Prince.

Rock 'N Soul

Solomon Burke

4/5

Such an enjoyable proto-soul album comprised of a bunch of singles that were never meant to be an album but work seamlessly nonetheless. A soul singer that probably does not receive the amount of attention in the wider circles of music outside the Soul genre that he very much deserves. He deserves to be in the conversation of greatest soul singers with the likes of James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Ray Charles, Otis Redding, and Sam Cooke.

Better Living Through Chemistry

Fatboy Slim

3/5

I enjoyed 90s dance, electro, and industrial, but Fatboy Slim was never one of them. I find his mixes to be generally way too ordinary. This was okay for a very brief period of time in the 90s before groups like The Prodigy, and The Chemical Brothers showed that you could more than this and expand the dance format in so many interesting ways.

Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)

Eurythmics

5/5

A sublime 80s enjoyment when playing with gender appearance wasn't already old hat. Annie's pipes are legendary. I was introduced to this album when they performed at the 1984 Grammys which I happened to watch with my parents. I was captivated by Dave Stewart's performance on the electric violin (an instrument I had never seen at a rock concert before) and Annie's Elvis Presley outfit, complete with sideburns. Features great synth and electronic production at time when it was not easy to both before MIDI became a thing. MIDI had only been introduced in the early part of 1983 before Stewart and Lennox put to work later that same year, meshing the sounds of Kraftwerk with soul and R&B that contributed to the formation of a new genre of artists that would become Romanticism 80s pop. This album would inspire many of the band and genres to come in the 809s and all the way to present.

From Elvis In Memphis

Elvis Presley

4/5

Madman Across The Water

Elton John

3/5

Elastica

1/5

Wow, did this list get this one wrong. More overrated 90s Brit Rock. An album that is not only not an all time classic, It wasn’t even truly relevant in 1994-1995 when the most relevant post punk/grunge female fronted bands that do belong on this list were Garbage in 1995, and The Cranberries in 1994. The album is a long 40 minutes, if you know, what I mean. Truly a bit of a slog. The only truly banging song on here is the hit, "Connection", and everything else sounds a bit too samey, with the exception of "Indian Song" which sounds like they were influenced by Kula Shaker, whose breakout album also came out in 1995. While their wikipedia article makes it sound like they were a success in the U.S., I can assure that as someone who lived through that era, they were insignificant to the American music scene. Not as insignificant as Justine Frischmann's previous project Suede, but they were certainly not turning heads in the Portland or Seattle scenes.

Tom Tom Club

4/5

One of the more relaxing and fun art rock albums from the 80s, as this album cover suggest. Very creative production and solid performances. Different enough from the Talking Heads to merit the spinning off of this new act Tom Tom Club from the whole.

Ready To Die

The Notorious B.I.G.

1/5

La Revancha Del Tango

Gotan Project

3/5

A modern update of the classic South American/European tango as filtered through modern electronic production techniques. Interesting, from a technical point of view but loses its emotional impact the longer the album goes on. My favorite track: "Triptico"

The Madcap Laughs

Syd Barrett

1/5

Complete waste of time.

Deep Purple In Rock

Deep Purple

3/5

A modern update of the classic South American/European tango as filtered through modern electronic production techniques. Interesting, from a technical point of view but loses its emotional impact the longer the album goes on. My favorite track: "Triptico"

A Love Supreme

John Coltrane

4/5

Modal jazz that should be listened to at least once in your lifetime. Even if you don’t understand what is going on, as a musician, you will be better for it. Highly respected, but honestly not my favorite jazz album.

Brothers In Arms

Dire Straits

5/5

I can imagine younger people dismissing this album as just more dad rock, but the four hits off this album, "So Far Away", "Money for Nothing", "Walk of Life", "and "Brothers in Arms" were very influential and appeared everywhere in American and British culture. "Money for Nothing" was super influential to me personally. I heard Sting's falsetto "I Want My MTV" in MTV commercials on television long before I heard the entire song proper. It is not an exaggeration to say that this song almost singlehandedly popularized MTV, particularly among the working class in the rural and suburb areas who only recently were given access to this new fangled thing called cable that was necessary in order to receive MTV. (In my age group there were only three channels that anybody cared about. MTV, HBO and CINEMAX (SKIN-A-MAX to those in the know)). I am always surprised by how many people misunderstand why Mark Knoplfer used the gay slur. If you listen carefully to the lyrics, it was a pro gay rights stance that mocked those that used the common slur at the time in a clever wordplay. While "Brothers in Arms" was about the futility of war after the short Falklands war had concluded between Argentina and Great Britain, it resonated with many in the United States, whose relatives had served in Vietnam and then witnessed the harsh cancel culture treatment those vets received when they returned home to the United States. It was also used to epic effect in the Season 2 finale of The West Wing, in the episode "Two Cathedrals" which I also found very moving. An album that is another example why much of the most well crafted music was made in the 1980s.

Fear Of Music

Talking Heads

3/5

For me the lyrics mostly don't land, but there are Infectious grooves even if it is not my favorite Talking Heads record. Favorites: "Life During Wartime", "Memories Can't Wait", "Air" and "Drugs" For my money the best version of "Memories Can't Wait" is the cover by Living Colour. I remain convinced that those of us experiencing the list would all be better served if they dropped any one of the Talking Heads albums on the list for the inclusion of STOP MAKING SENSE instead.

Head Hunters

Herbie Hancock

4/5

These cats can cook. 4 tracks with very different vibes that all groove infectiously with fun-kiness. Now here is an album everybody needs to hear at least once. A pivotal proto fusion funk album that became highly influential for latter seventies funk and disco, 80s hip hop, dance, new romantic, new wave, and pop acts that we all know by name.

Here Come The Warm Jets

Brian Eno

4/5

Crooked Rain Crooked Rain

Pavement

1/5

Nothing special here. Doesn't deserve to be on the list.

The Colour Of Spring

Talk Talk

2/5

I am a big fan of new wave and new romantic sounds of the 80s, and while I respect that Talk Talk took a creative risk, I preferred their synthesized pop sound. I never enjoyed their post rock at all. The alchemy doesn't seem to work. Doesn't have the pulse pounding thrill of new wave and doesn't have the soaring inspiration of Tears for Fears or Peter Gabriel, which is what I think they were going for here. Technically astute recording, production, and performances, so I wanted to enjoy it but it never seemed to get out of 2nd gear. I did not come to like any of the songs and ultimately it felt like a borefest. The 80s had many fantastic albums and this was not one of them.

The Village Green Preservation Society

The Kinks

3/5

I enjoyed this album particularly when I realized the lyrics, as someone who is not a British citizen, weren't relevant to me and could just sit back and enjoy the fine song arrangements and performances. Tight, short songs, but honestly the album does drag a bit from sameness around song 11-12 of 15. Honestly that is better than many of the albums chosen for this list.

Steve McQueen

Prefab Sprout

2/5

I unapologetically love New Wave and New Romantic music, particularly if it is from the 80s. So, as a purveyor of said genres, I enjoyed the first 2 tracks on this album, and wondered how I could not be more familiar with this band, but then I heard the rest of the album fall into a black hole of ballads that it never recovered from, and I then realized why I had never heard of Prefab Sprout's STEVE MCQUEEN. The recordings are well done from a technical point of view but creatively they never elevate beyond the first couple of tracks, and they never maintain the kind of propulsive intensity required for an album so boldly named after an actor known for his passionate speed and adventuring hobbies.

Let's Get Killed

David Holmes

3/5

An album that expanded the acid jazz movement of the mid and late nineties and was the album that got Stephen Soderbergh's attention which resulted in him tasking David Holmes with making the iconic acid jazz score for the 2001 remake of OCEAN'S 11.

Be

Common

2/5

Here comes my usual hip hop review: More relentlessly monotonous hip hop about the same boring subjects: humble brag, whine about "socially conscious" subjects, rinse and repeat Nothing original here. No thanks. Moving on to the next album.

Untitled (Black Is)

SAULT

2/5

We were so close to a post racial world before stuff like this nonsense took over the lizard brain of politics. Too many people identify themselves by ethnicity and sexuality, which is weird because neither is an identity, they are merely meaningless adjectives. Michael Kiwanuka appeared on this album. I enjoy and respect Michael's abilities as a performer and songwriter, so I would recommend instead that the listener go and savor his album KIWANUKA instead of this nonsense. That is an album that actually makes interesting melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic music that shares humanity and elevates it by expanding the big tent for everyone rather than vilifying and shrinking the tent with polemics. I'm giving it a 2 simply for the production chops.

Music From Big Pink

The Band

3/5

Dog Man Star

Suede

2/5

I've been a lifelong fan of most of David Bowie's eras, but I've never been a fan of Brit-Pop since listening to Suede's COMING UP in 1997, and the barrage of Oasis, Blur, and The Verve records throughout that era. This album manages to capture more of the DIAMOND DOGS, THE RISE AND FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST, THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD, vibes that I am convinced that DOG STAR MAN references. All of which makes the album a bit more listenable than the records of the previously mentioned bands but not by much. The best British Commonwealth music, of the 90s, in my opinion, is actually the albums of Depeche Mode, The Cranberries, Seal, Sting, The Prodigy, Billy Idol's CYBERPUNK, U2, and The Chemical Brothers who were all creating something new instead of desperately trying to recapture an era of British rock and pop that had already been explored to death.

The Band

2/5

I did not enjoy this album.

Exile On Main Street

The Rolling Stones

1/5

A sloppy country blues rock record that never seems to go anywhere. One of the most boring albums I’ve ever heard.

Soul Mining

The The

2/5

As a huge fan of these genres of music and particularly knowledgeable about the 1980s music scene, I want to say that I love this album and that it was influential, but I don't and it wasn't. This came 2 years after Gary Numan's genre defining THE PLEASURE PRINCIPLE, and 1 year after Depeche Mode's A BROKEN FRAME with "Leave In Silence", "The Meaning of Love", and "Shouldn't Have Done That", and came out the same year (1983) but after albums by genre defining acts Tears for Fears (THE HURTING), New Order's genre defining POWER, LIES & CORRUPTION which featured the tracks "Blue Monday", "Age of Consent", and "Ultraviolence" and Eurythmics SWEET DREAMS ARE MADE OF THIS, and that is just what going on in England, not too mention all of the genre defining work that was released in the U.S. (The Cars for example) by this point. It is not a bad record, but is not particularly notable either, at least not notable enough to appear on this list.

Born In The U.S.A.

Bruce Springsteen

5/5

An easy 5. One of the few Bruce Springsteen albums I actually enjoy. Filled to the brim with the favorites "Born in the U.S.A.", " Cover Me", "Downbound Train", "I'm On Fire", "I'm Goin' Down", "Glory Days", "Dancing in the Dark", and "My Hometown". There are no weak songs on this album. It does a fine job of walking the line between loving the U.S.A. and recognizing where improvements could be had. Where NEBRASKA was a drag and sounded like it was poorly recorded, BORN IN THE USA was an album that was filled with characters who lived a vibrant life, while still exploring working people's thoughts and issues, the characters do so with dignity and grit. The album's recording felt more technically skilled and rewarding. By including synths and electronic explorations on some of the album's biggest hits it kept the album relevant for all audiences and not just the core rock and folk audience of Springsteen's earlier years. The 80s had become a great time for sonic exploration as the audiences were increasingly accepting of artists exploring sounds in all kinds of instrumentation and genre. Additionally, the 80s would be the peak of recording budgets by major record labels, which allowed from more interesting ideas to be developed fully. Much, more so, than in previous decades. In my opinion the 80s is probably the best decade of English language music recording and performance. Ignore the naysayers. This is THE Bruce Springsteen album to hear before you die.

A Seat at the Table

Solange

2/5

The songs don't stick out from one another, so they lack personality to differentiate from one another. The only thing that made itself known was how annoying the interludes were. They came off as self important pretension. Please, you grew up with money. Your Dad was a very successful Xerox sales executive. You went to private school. Yes, life is an exhausting challenge for people of all ethnicities and backgrounds, not just yours. No one is saying don't have pride in yourself. What I think people are trying to say is that it is childish to need everyone to publicly celebrate you, in order for you to feel okay about yourself. Your problem is an internal one that only you can fix, not an external one that was imposed upon you in the 21st Century. Let go of the past. Back to the music. When a lovely instrumental arrangement and performance is a bit more interesting, as in the case of "Don't You Wait", the song is let down by a vocal performance that never feels like it is ever fully unleashed, or unlocked. The songs should be driven by the vocal melody, but they never feel like they are. Perhaps some of that could have been ameliorated by just giving the vocals a bit more heat in the mix. Also perhaps it would have helped if a vocal melody began a track and the instrumental joined, rather than in reverse, which seems to be the case most of the time on A SEAT AT THE TABLE. I also think the album would have been helped by a bit more differentiation in the tempo from track to track. Everything tends come off as a bit of a ballad or fugue. It gets 2 stars for competent instrumental production and engineering.

Truth

Jeff Beck

2/5

With exception of the cover of "Greensleeves", I found the rest of this album to be a fairly boring blues album. Performances are competent but the choice of covering so many standards feels less than inspired. Yes, Jeff Beck's playing is crisp and technical, but this type of blues rock is very tiresome for the 2020s.

Africa Brasil

Jorge Ben Jor

4/5

One of the first times on this list that I was introduced to something I had never heard or even heard about. I am glad for the illumination that has shed my ignorance. It is clear that this album influenced the sounds of the albums by the American band Talking Heads, from the first track "Ponta de Lance Africano", even if David Byrne didn't later include a cover of the track on his 1989 compilation album BRAZIL CLASSICS BELEZA TROPICAL. This was a fun album for me. I enjoyed the Brazilian Pop from the mid-70s that was a refreshing change from what was going in 1970s American and British music at the time. Rhythmically driven as you might expect from Brazilian music, it also has lovely vocal melodies, with joyous backing vocals. Hard to feel down or with lack of energy while listening to AFRICA BRASIL.

Ill Communication

Beastie Boys

4/5

A tad long, but a banger. Not the best album of 1994, but definitely among them.

Colour By Numbers

Culture Club

3/5

People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm

A Tribe Called Quest

2/5

They have great taste in music samples, but like all hip hop albums it just makes me want to listen to music of the original artists instead of paying any attention to these mutant forms of them. The samples just serve to remind that there is better ACTUAL music out there. Not among my favorite albums of 1990, much less of all time. Probably will not revisit. Did not add any of the tracks to a playlist.

Funeral

Arcade Fire

2/5

It should been a red flag to me that both Pitchfork and Robert Christgau like this album. Generally I've noticed a personal trend that albums that Pitchfork or Robert Christgau enjoy, I more often than not do not enjoy. I am not a fan of this guy's voice or the vocal melodies they prefer, particularly French Canadian Bjork is not for me. None of the songs made me really take notice. Sounds like pretty much every other filthy hipster indie rock band I've ever heard.Started to feel tedious pretty quickly. I wish songs progressed more rather than just vamping on the same hook with softer or louder dynamics through the whole track. Album cover just feels like an homage to the work of Terry Gilliam in Monty Python's Flying Circus. Which for an album named FUNERAL seems like either a disconnect or a joke that I am not getting.

evermore

Taylor Swift

4/5

I began this list exercise not being much of a fan of Taylor Swift, but now I realize that I am a fan of the musician and songwriter part of Swift. I am not a fan of the icon (whatever prefix is used before that word) side of her. I ended up loving the Pop explored on 1989 and I am astonished that the same artist pivoted and recorded EVERMORE as well. Given her musical origins I guess I should not have been. This feels like it easily could have been written and recorded by Suzanne Vega. As an adult of a certain age, I appreciate EVERMORE'S themes things coming an end and loss. The aim was to make an album that reflected themes of Fall and Winter and it works. When listening to this album for the first time, I can feel the frostbite forming on the tips of my ears and the tears warming my frigid cheeks. I do wish that we lived in world where artists felt comfortable enough not feel the need to deliver perfect vocal performances that may or may not be realized by use of things like Auto Tune and other corrective measures in the mixing process. I think an album like this could have been elevated even further if there were a few more imperfections in the process. It is apropos that the God Algorithm served this fine album up on a dark December day. I suppose this means that at some point soon I will have to warm myself by exploring the stated themes of Spring and Summer on FOLKLORE.

Behaviour

Pet Shop Boys

2/5

I was not moved by this album when it came out in 1990 and I remain unimpressed. It is boring compared to Depeche Mode's VIOLATOR, for which Neil Tennant has admitted was the inspiration for this album. I love Harold Faltermeyer, the producer of this album, but he is certainly no Mark "Flood" Ellis at the peak of his power. I am a huge fan of all electronic and synth pop music, particularly from this era of music history, but this album was such a dud. Pet Shop Boys' most important albums continue to be PLEASE and ACTUALLY. This list ignored both of those albums. Instead they put this lame DM ripoff on this list instead. Those albums had relevance in the United States electronic scenes, while this one did not. As you might imagine, I don't think this album belongs on this list. Other, much better albums got bumped to make room for this one.

Fire Of Love

The Gun Club

3/5

3 stars for their clear influence on various sub-genres of the American punk/garage rock scene but also on the rock and industrial scenes. Most notably White Zombie in the late 80s and early 90s, as well as Ministry. The momentum doesn’t carry throughout the whole album but it is enough for proof of concept. I would not classify this as among the best rock ever recorded, not even the among the best released in 1981, but it was a fun diversion despite its silly sophomoric lyrics. If not for its influence in the development of a sub-genre it would not belong on this list on its own merits. So many more interesting albums in the 1980s that this list loves to ignore.

Court And Spark

Joni Mitchell

3/5

I can see why this album was her most successful. It is probably among the most entertaining songs I've heard in a Joni Mitchell album. It is short and focused at a mere 36 minutes running time. I enjoyed the playful jazz rock arrangements and the wild instruments choices (jazz flute anyone?) far more than I did the other jazz rock album of hers' on this list. But, too many of the songs felt like she was trying to shoehorn in too many lyrics. While the songs are okay, I think they really could have shined with the less is more lyrical approach to really let the best lines land and breathe. Then again she has always been too much of a poet and not enough of a singer. Suffers from the same disease that Bob Dylan and Neil Young have. Too much poetry, not enough music. These weren't my favorite Joni Mitchell songs but I did enjoy "Help Me", Trouble Child", and "Raised on Robbery". You can really hear the inspiration she had on artists like Tori Amos. That said, I prefer Roger Whittaker myself.

Juju

Siouxsie And The Banshees

4/5

A post punk/goth rock album that continues to shine years later.

Quiet Life

Japan

4/5

You can hear how they acted as bridge and an inspiration for bands like Depeche Mode, The Cure, New Order, Duran Duran, and Gary Numan. Their track "Despair" has delicious undercurrents of David Bowie's Berlin Trilogy, particularly "Subterraneans". The rest of the album lays the ground work for the emerging 80s New Romantic, New Wave, and Goth Rock movements that will come. My favorites are "Despair", "Alien", "The Other Side of Life", and "A Foreign Place".

Bryter Layter

Nick Drake

3/5

Of his three albums I prefer this album the most for its accompaniment which features fine performances and arrangements by his collaborators. These arrangements, a sort of early chamber pop/folk leave a ton of audio fun to digest. Unfortunately this album is held back by what all of his albums are held back which is Nick Drake's weak, unemotional voice. Without peaks and valleys, and consistent articulation, it renders his lyrics indecipherable and unimportant. It ends up sounding like they recorded him strumming on a guitar and simply laid it over the top of the lush arrangements, which should be great, but just feels slightly disconnected from each other. The songs are competent, but I think these songs could have truly shined with a proper singer than can bring something more than the distant detachment that Nick Drake presented when singing. He sings better than Bob Dylan, but my tiny dog can leap over that bar. It is as if Drake had never heard of the concept of dynamics, or was too drugged up to attempt them. Consequently, the most enjoyable tracks on here for me were the purely instrumental tracks of "Introduction" and "Bryter Layter" (jazz flute anyone?), "Sunday". Personally, I don't think any of his albums deserve to be on this list. His is a tragic story, but his tragic mythos shouldn't be the reason for his inclusion when the facts don't hold up. Typical mistake of this list that mistakes poetry for music. If he weren't British, I doubt the British list makers would have insisted upon his inclusion. I'm giving it a 3, though with almost any true emotive singer, this could have easily been a 4 or 5.

Ritual De Lo Habitual

Jane's Addiction

4/5

I had not listened to this album in its entirety in a very long time and it held up far better than I remembered. My favorites were "Stop", "Obvious", and "Been Caught Stealing". It gets a 4 for Casey Niccoli’s contributions even though perpetual asshole and narcissist Perry Farrel keeps trying to erase her from their history as well as steal royalties from his fellow band mates.

A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector

Various Artists

4/5

Delightful R&B/Soul renditions produced with his patented wall of sound.

Peace Sells...But Who's Buying

Megadeth

3/5

When forced to pick a side in the Metallica vs. Megadeth divide, it's easy, I'm a Metallica guy, but I do respect what Mustaine and crew managed to pull off here given their lack of resources. It is not as refined as Metallica, and this doesn't hold up to their 1986 release MASTER OF PUPPETS, but then nobody else in the thrash scene could create the kind of masterful thrash and metal that Metallica were making either. While this is 2nd place behind Metallica, this is far better than most of the rest. The transitions, harmonies, and counter melodies need work, but Megadeth would get there eventually, even if it was inconsistently. A rating of 3 seems fair for being on an all time list like this for its influence, while lacking the all-time execution that would deserve a 4 or 5. My favorite of this album was "Good Mourning/Black Friday".

Marquee Moon

Television

3/5

Only enjoyed the title track “Marquee Moon”.

The Slim Shady LP

Eminem

2/5

“My Name Is” is good but I couldn’t endure much more of the album after this song.

The Doors

4/5

So many favorites on this album including: "Break On Through (To the Other Side)", "Light My Fire", "Back Door Man ", "The End".

The Number Of The Beast

Iron Maiden

3/5

I am a fan of metal music, but I've never been much of an Iron Maiden fan. Personally I find this band and album overrated, but to each their own. This is not my first time through this album but it has been a long time. This time around the only track I enjoyed was "Children of the Damned". Yes, I did not enjoy "Run to the Hills". I am really not a fan of Bruce Dickinson's vocal style. For better or worse they did influence a bunch of metal bands, so they probably do deserve to be on the list. I didn't hate it, nor did I love it.

Trio

Dolly Parton

3/5

If you want consist country music from three country legends who finally worked together on one album for the first time, then this the album for you. The performances and writing are fine, but this album was so relaxing that I may have nodded off. I don't know if that is a bug or a feature. I added the track "Rosewood Casket", after learning that Dolly's mom wrote the song, and after learning what the song and particularly the ring mentioned in the song meant to her.

Actually

Pet Shop Boys

4/5

One of the foundational albums for the synth pop dance genre. The only album of theirs that belongs on this list.

...The Dandy Warhols Come Down

The Dandy Warhols

2/5

I was working in the Portland scene when this band secured their Capitol records deal. This album was super hyped and of course as an idyllic 20 something music fan I picked it up, but I quickly realized it was one of the most over hyped boring albums I had ever heard. As boring as Weezer and the other Brit Pop wannabes with nonsensical lyrics to match. I listened to it maybe 2 more times through before I gave it away to a nephew in Portland who was nuts about them. I then returned to the far more interesting acts and albums from Nothing Records, Depeche Mode, Yello and the more creative acts that I was listening to at the time. The Dandy Warhols didn't have a track I dug until they did "We Used to be Friends" which was used as the show theme for Veronica Mars. Also way, way too long. I would recommend The Dragonflies from this time frame and geography instead. Unfortunately their music is practically nowhere to be found online. If you do find them give "Brenda Mars" or "Critical Nature" a listen. Way more fun than this stuff. Definitely not an album that needs to heard. Sounds like every other middling northwest rock act from 1990 to 2010.

Live At The Harlem Square Club

Sam Cooke

3/5

Foxbase Alpha

Saint Etienne

2/5

I wanted to like this, as dance is usually I genre I love, but it felt repetitive in a very inorganic way and bored the heck out of me. I also was not a fan of Sarah Cracknell's vocal style. Way too breathy for me. The only track of theirs I truly enjoy is “Like a Motorway” from their 3rd album.

Golden Hour

Kacey Musgraves

3/5

An excellently written, performed, and produced crossover album for Kacey Musgraves who was known for more traditional country music before this album. GOLDEN HOUR is a fun collection of risks taken on so many different genres and Musgraves manages to navigate that very tricky line between kitschy and sentimental. Truly a type of country/pop crossover I had never quite heard before and thus really does belong on this list.

Innervisions

Stevie Wonder

4/5

INNERVISIONS really does sound like the album that laid out the template for a big chunk of the modern R&B/Soul sound that would emerge over the next two decades. "Higher Ground" was already in my collection but I enjoyed being reminded about the funky hit "Living For the City" and being exposed to the drug recriminations of "Too High" as well as Wonder's attempt at the Santana-esque latin rock/boss nova with "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing".

Happy Trails

Quicksilver Messenger Service

1/5

An album that might be a must for guitar players, but does not need to be heard by anyone else. I was shocked to learn that this still has not been removed from later editions of the book by the authors. Perplexing. So many truly fantastic, amazing, great albums that are not on this list only to waste a spot on something as unworthy as this. /smh

Haunted Dancehall

The Sabres Of Paradise

2/5

As someone who really enjoys electronic acts of many genres from the past 5 decades, I am sincerely perplexed why this is on the list? Clean production but not particularly inspired, even for 1994.

The Visitors

ABBA

3/5

Rage Against The Machine

4/5

The rap rock band. Political rock for those that are bent that far left, of which I am not, but still features serious grooves of a Black Sabbath magnitude mixed in equal parts with thrash punk. Enjoyable, even if by the time you reach the back half of the record, the songs begin to run together into a shade of rap rock beige. Quite bit of conspiracy theory idiocy. Has the classic bangers "Killing in the Name", "Freedom" , and Neo's own "Wake Up".

Morrison Hotel

The Doors

3/5

While I love their first album, and a smattering of tracks from their other albums, I only enjoyed "Waiting For The Sun" from this one.

Entertainment

Gang Of Four

3/5

After hearing this album I can hear why this punk rock/dub influenced album (along with The Specials debut record) was such a serious influence in the post punk scene of the late seventies and early eighties. All the bass playing on this album is fantastic, even if the lyrics reflect some truly daft political ideas. "Damaged Goods" was already in my library. 3 Stars for influence, bass playing, and that 1 punk standard.

Songs For Swingin' Lovers!

Frank Sinatra

5/5

A solid collection of swing tunes performed excellently by the legend Frank Sinatra. "You Make Me Feel So Young" and "I've Got You Under My Skin" were in my collection before I heard the rest of the album.

Every Picture Tells A Story

Rod Stewart

2/5

An okay blues rock and folk rock performance, but nothing sounds truly inspired or groundbreaking, even for 1971. While I understand that this was a number one album in 1971 both in the U.S. and the U.K., this record has aged and doesn't feel as vital or fresh anymore. Half of this album is covers, and these covers aren't performed in a new or interesting way from the original. "That's All Right" was meh, though it did become a beautifully rendered guitar version of "Amazing Grace". Should have just recorded "Amazing Grace" and left "That's All Right" off the album. The other half of the record is fairly straightforward (and therefore boring) originals with the exception of the standout hit "Maggie May". "Tomorrow is a Long Time" sounds better because it was not sung by Bob Dylan, but the rest of the song arrangement is fairly boring, although I do thank them profusely for leaving off the harmonica. The guitar playing is well done, no doubt about it. Martin Quittenton's tender intro to "Maggie May" is evidence of that. I dig Rod Stewart, but I preferred his performances and work in the 80s and early 90 where he took more creative chances than he was taking in the 1970s.

Who Killed...... The Zutons?

The Zutons

3/5

A technically well engineered and produced album. I enjoyed the track "You Will You Won't". While it is a respectable album, I am not convinced that its impact is such that anyone truly needs to hear this album before they die. Feels sort of like a favor for someone they know.

Damaged

Black Flag

4/5

Definitely a hardcore classic that set the mold for much of the hardcore bands that were to come throughout the 80s and 90s. As a lifelong tea-totaler Rollins straight edge-ish leanings always made this band more interesting to me than most of the punk bands out there. I personally love the tracks "Rise Above" and "Gimme Gimme Gimme". Now, having said all that, it is clear that the debut album is pretty rough and clearly recorded on a very limited budget. I can see how listeners today would be pretty hard pressed to enjoy it on first listen, but let me tell you, it was mind blowing at the time to hear a Black Flag record on cassette in the early 1980s for the first time.

Fever To Tell

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

1/5

I did not enjoy this album when it was recommended to me back in 2003 and I did not enjoy this album now. I usually love female fronted rock acts. I love Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cranberries, 12 Rounds, Paramore, The Pretenders, and Blondie among a bunch of others, but this did not seem to have the quality or doing something as interesting as those luminaries. I think I might have enjoyed it more if the low end (doesn't have to be a bass guitar) were there to anchor some of these ideas. I'm not a fan of the early 2000s White Stripe-ifcation of rock that refused to use something in the bass range of the spectrum. Additionally I really wish that the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs had used dynamics as a tool of section phrasing and song phrasing. Everything quickly becomes an audio blur on this album through the relentless use of turning every knob on every song to 11. It renders most of the album absolutely forgettable. I think far too much is made of Karen O. I am not convinced that she is truly a great vocalist. I haven't really enjoyed either of the two albums from the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs that has appeared on this list so far. Furthermore this gives more evidence to me that the worst decade of popular music in the world really was the naughties (2000s).

Djam Leelii

Baaba Maal

3/5

Quality instrumental arrangements with vocals that was exotic on the first half of the album, but began to grate by the second half of the album. Despite this, I am glad to have discovered this album through this project. These were the type of albums I had hoped would be recommended.

Teen Dream

Beach House

2/5

Not relaxing, just boring. I don't hear much creativity, not even for the Dream Pop scene. They call it dream pop now, but we would have called it darkwave or even goth back in the day. Sounds like a tired uninspired version of Black Tape For a Blue Girl or the other Projekt Records stuff that sounded fresh in the late eighties and throughout the 90s, even into the early 2000s, but seems a bit dated and boring now. Certainly not vital or required music to listen to before you die, but the engineering and producing was done well, so 2 stars.

The Gershwin Songbook

Ella Fitzgerald

3/5

So, like many of the others on this list I respect Ella Fitzgerald's voice, and by extension George and Ira Gershwin's songs, but there was no way I was going to listen to over 3 hours of these songs in less than 24 hours, so, I needed a plan. What I decided to do, at the behest of my partner, was to al low ChatGPT to randomly choose 10 tracks from the 73 available. On the basis of Ella and the Gershwins' quality of performance and composition this gets a 5, but out of protest to the authors of this book blatantly breaking their own rules that compilations, greatest hits, and furthermore box sets, are not allowed for other artists, then this gets a 3. I find this particularly galling because we have many artists from the 50s and 60s whose careers were comprised greatly of singles releases (45s) who would benefit from greatest hit compilations that are unduly punished do to the fact that they did not have many LPs, or the ones released do not encompass their most vital works. While I am ranting, I am going to add that I find it ridiculous that the decade of the 1940s, when popular music (particularly Western popular music) really became a force, was not even included in this list.

Heroes

David Bowie

5/5

My favorite tracks on this album are what another listener termed as the 'gloomy instrumentals' on the B side of the album. Sure, I love the title track, but the back half of the album gives me the LOW vibe that I dig so much. Love the synths, the piano, the broodiness. Favorites: "Heroes", "V-2 Schneider", "Sense of Doubt", "Moss Garden", "The Secret Life of Arabia"

Bandwagonesque

Teenage Fanclub

2/5

An album that was not all that relevant, even in 1991, and is definitely not relevant to this list at all anymore. Fine album, but not all time great. That said, I did enjoy the track "Is This Music?" and added it to my collection.

Apple Venus Volume 1

XTC

4/5

Unfortunate that I cannot stream this album in the U.S. other than YouTube because it is fantastic. I never thought I needed a Beatlesque/Prog Rock arrangement by XTC, but here we are. I see that it is available on iTunes and I am strongly considering purchasing it, or perhaps purchasing the singles that I enjoyed the most. Favorites: "Rivers of Orchids", "I'd Like That", "Easter Theatre", "Greenman", "Your Dictionary"

We Are Family

Sister Sledge

5/5

A classic that helped define disco with elements of Aretha Franklin soul and James Brown funk that help set the stage for Pop music over the next decades. Helped inspire diverse genres such as Hip Hop, New Romantic, New Wave, Electronica, and even far reaching into inspiring acts Chicago Wax Trax! Records acts My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult and Ministry with Industrial Rock. Favorites: "He's the Greatest Dancer", "Lost in the Music", "Thinking of You", "One More Time" and of course the Disco classic "We Are Family".

Sound of Silver

LCD Soundsystem

3/5

"Sound of Silver" by LCD SOUNDSYSTEM is mixed and engineered well, but honestly just feels like a sort of tired throwback to the sounds of Yello, Metropolis Records acts, Dancing Ferret Discs acts,, and bands like Einstruzende Neubaten from 2 decades before them, and even bit like the collage rock style that we used on our first album. I respect what they do, but I'm not convinced I would feel compelled to hear these tracks again. All of the track would have benefited by keeping them instrumental and removing the vocals. I almost enjoyed "Someone Great", but my experience was ruined by a piano line that was echoing the vocal melody being to far forward in the mix.

Close To The Edge

Yes

3/5

It is YES and prog rock, so it wasn't all bad, but on the other hand it is not one of my favorite YES Albums. Those albums would be FRAGILE (which also came out in 1972), 90215, and Big Generator. I personally would not have included it on this list.

Songs In The Key Of Life

Stevie Wonder

4/5

A way too long double album. Personally, I feel like there is enough filler that it could have easily been cut down to 1 album. Props to Stevie Wonder for giving his fans all they could handle, but it was a struggle to digest this much in less than 24 hours, and becomes a tedious on the back half of the record. I enjoyed the jazz fusion/rock of "Contusion", the funkylovefest for the big bands of yore in "Sir Duke", "Pastime Paradise" (the source of the sample for Coolio's "Gangster's Paradise", and "Isn't She Lovely".

Marcus Garvey

Burning Spear

2/5

Well performed, recorded, and engineered reggae/dub but by the time I reached the halfway mark of the album the song arrangements were so similar that the album began to sound monotonous and repetitive. No favorites.

E.V.O.L.

Sonic Youth

2/5

They may have influenced my favorite bands, but that is no reason for this list to force me to endure 5 miserable albums from them. Cocaine, another bad idea, was also influential the 80s as well. You're not going to make me experience that bad idea as well, are you? Here is a tip. If Robert Christagu and Pitchfork agree on something, you know it must be pretentious bullshit.

Zombie

Fela Kuti

4/5

A groovy afrobeat sound that features delightfully funky horn and woodwind interplay. If I have only one reservation, it is that the album's tracks begin to drag because each track on average is nearly 13 minutes in length. It is clear that Kuti loved American Jazz. I added the title track to my collection, the cheeky improvised "Taps" tagged onto the outro of the track in particular brought a smile to my face. That very rare protest album that makes sure to entertain first before making any political criticism.

Maggot Brain

Funkadelic

3/5

"Maggot Brain", the title track didn't resonate with me quite the way it seemed to with others. Skilled guitar player, no question, but Hazel's guitar solo did not rock my world. Favorites: "Hit it and Quit it" and "Super Stupid". I respected the creativity of "Wars of Armageddon", even if I don't think I will feel ever feel compelled to return. I am not convinced that anyone "needs" to hear this album before they die.

Ys

Joanna Newsom

2/5

I enjoyed the instrumental arrangements even if they were overly long and meandering, but to listening to her voice was very challenging for me. While the lyrics may irritate, I'm familiar with the Medieval ballad structure that Joanna is using to frame her songs. It is not disturbed Disney, as I have read some call it. Medieval ballads were not the love songs that we refer to when we use the term ballad in the modern parlance. They are stories, often epic ones, told in song that often don't use a rhyming structure we would recognize today. When I was young, I read a ton of the Robin Hood medieval ballads that were structured this way. While I am sympathetic to her process, and commend her for the effort, I don't find the quirky result charming. I think if these were edited down into the most potent bits and sang by someone else I would probably enjoy it more. Her singing often feels unintentionally disconnected from her subject matter. I love me some unique voices, often to the point I have convince others to give them a chance, but this is a bridge too far.

The Stone Roses

3/5

Nilsson Schmilsson

Harry Nilsson

5/5

First time listening to the entire album and it is definitely a masterpiece. Completely holds up over time. A pleasant palette cleanser after the past week's selections on this list. Nilsson seamlessly slips into each genre and wears them as comfortably as the bathrobe on the cover of the album.

Greetings From L.A.

Tim Buckley

2/5

Nice instrumentals, but absolutely no reason this should be on an all time list. Tim Buckley is only slightly less overrated than his son Jeff. Both Buckley's get way more attention than is warranted.

Stankonia

OutKast

3/5

A very bloated album, could definitely use some trimming down to the standard 45 minutes. "B.O.B (Bombs Over Baghdad)" is a great instrumental but is a bit offensive in the lyrics and drags near the end. "Ms. Jackson" after first comes off confessional but by the end I'm couldn't help shaking my head in disbelief at the lack of self awareness this dude seems to have.

Deserter's Songs

Mercury Rev

3/5

A fine album, but I'm not convinced it is an all time great album. I don't generally enjoy The Flaming Lips, but I enjoyed this in places, so it achieved a victory there. The song arrangements worked more often than not, and the album managed to lean away from the pretension that is rife with indie music and instead lean into humble lyrics and the clarity of well crafted psychedelic rock. Favorites: "Holes", "I Collect Coins", "Hudson Line", "The Happy End (The Drunk Room)", and "Pick Up If You're There"

British Steel

Judas Priest

4/5

S&M

Metallica

4/5

Merriweather Post Pavilion

Animal Collective

2/5

An album that is filled with clones of one song over and over and over again. I am a fan of all of the genres that Animal Collective references on this album and even I found this tedious.

The Low End Theory

A Tribe Called Quest

3/5

If you are a hip hop aficionado, you might like, or even love this, but as someone who is not into much hip hop it was a meh that quickly faded into the background. This is better than my usual reaction to a hip hop album which begins as a slow burn of dislike that eventually becomes an outright dislike and culminates with loathing by the end of an album.

#1 Record

Big Star

3/5

A definite 3 from me. It was produced and performed well, but nothing made me groove or connect emotionally with the music or the subject matter in the lyrics. I could see how "Thirteen" could easily be misconstrued. I know it is supposed be from the perspective of another thirteen year old, but yeah, I could see how people got the wrong impression on that one. Never watched THAT 70s SHOW, so I didn't notice a track that was used as a theme song. While I didn't feel the urge to add anything to my collection, it is possible that with a handful more listens of "When My Baby's Beside Me" might change my mind. If this is your favorite band and/or album, then great for you. I am glad it exists. I don't know if it really belongs on this list. I don't see how other bands like The Pretenders, Tom Petty, and Cheap Trick don't ultimately land on their sound and produce their albums. This stuff was in the ether with other bands. It wasn't a completely fresh new idea despite what Wikipedia tries to tell you.

Let It Be

The Replacements

2/5

Kudos to them for expanding their sound into melody, but this is only slightly less boring than their first two studio albums. They weren't the most interesting thing coming out of Minneapolis-St. Paul in the those years. I much preferred Westerberg's post Replacements solo work. "Waiting for Somebody" and "Dyslexic Heart" are rock masterpieces.

Cee-Lo Green... Is The Soul Machine

Cee Lo Green

2/5

Wasn't worst, wasn't the best. Definitely has his own sound and sticks to it, which I respect. Well produced, but not something I would probably choose to put on. I think there are plenty of fantastic naughties albums that I would choose that are far superior than most of what this list has included in the first decade of the 2000s. This one does not belong on the list.

Imagine

John Lennon

4/5

Rubber Soul

Beatles

5/5

Blackstar

David Bowie

3/5

David Bowie is one of my favorite music artists of all time, and while this album is not a bad album, in fact it is a fine album, but it is by no means a great album. I feel like the critical praise for this album is unfairly affected by the recency bias of his death. I congratulate him for continuing to take creative risks, but I felt that the ideas of this album didn't coalesce quite as well as his OUTSIDE experimental album. Many of the ideas on here (thematically and musically) were already explored on OUTSIDE and EARTHLING. And free jazz as a pop form was explored long, long ago in late 60s and early 70s. It is not exactly new. I think in time, perhaps another decade from now, when we are nearly 20 years on from his death, I think that people might have enough distance from his death to be able to realize that this album may not belong.

Astral Weeks

Van Morrison

2/5

This record feels very overrated. Excellent instrumentalists jam while some dude, who sounds disconnected from the entire process, prattles on and on with an abundance of lyrics and over-singing that detracts from their meaning. More than half the songs overstay their welcome. Without his voice this might be a nice chill album. "The Way That Young Lovers Do" was the best of the bunch. It gets the job done with the most interesting arrangement in the shortest time. It also happens to have the least Van Morrison singing over it. ;-)

A Hard Day's Night

Beatles

5/5

They dabble stylistically into everything from bossa nova, mersey beat, pop, and straight up rock and roll and it is glorious.

Led Zeppelin

3/5

I grew up in a household that never played any of this kind of music, so I didn't hear Led Zeppelin until I was in high school. I was not into them much growing up and I am not much into them now, except for when I want to be captivated by John Bonham's drumming.

Chelsea Girl

Nico

1/5

"The Fairest of The Seasons" is admittedly a well crafted tune, though I agree with Nico, it could use some drums and guitar, but then I guess it would not be the unique the chamber pop that was celebrated. I commend all involved for the advant grade effort of "It Was a Pleasure Then", but it just ends up sounding disconnected (which I guess could be the point given the lyrics), but I am not convinced the result was what was intended. I'm generally not a fan of The Velvet Underground or John Cale, so it is not entirely unsurprising that I didn't enjoy the result. I really don't think this album belongs on this list.

Wonderful Rainbow

Lightning Bolt

2/5

meh. Gold star for effort.

Bringing It All Back Home

Bob Dylan

2/5

Suzanne Vega

3/5

Aside from the mixing being a bit off and burying the vocals a bit, I found this album charming. My favorite track is "Small Blue Thing". This was not my favorite album of hers (that would be 99.9F when her lyricism, song arrangement, and instrument choice would come together to make something really special), so personally I would swap this album on the list for that one. Having said that, this album is miles above any of the Neil Young, Bob Dylan, and most of the Joni Mitchell albums on this list. If we were afforded half star ratings I would give this a 3.5 stars, but since we don't I'll round down.

Fever Ray

2/5

While her, I mean "their" politics are ridiculous and detracts from the music, the debut album of Fever Ray is actually a very well engineered Bjork knock off. Perhaps a bit of an upgrade from most Bjork, if I am being honest. You may ask why bring up their politics? Simple, because this is one of those artists that inserts their politics into anything and everything they possibly can. They virtue signal at every opportunity. It is not an attack, it is just an honest acknowledgement. Now as for the album itself, it is atmospheric electronica that for me evoked a bright, cold, winter day in Sweden. It also sounded like it could serve for something as banal as a Cirque Du Soleil performance. Given a few more times through, I could see it growing on me after awhile. I'm not sure it belongs on this list, but here are 2009 albums that I thought were far more interesting and should have occupied this place: Imogen Heap ELLIPSE Florence and the Machine LUNGS Bat for Lashes TWO SUNS Metric FANTASIES

Ágætis Byrjun

Sigur Rós

2/5

Some somber and pretty post-rock, but I am not going to bother trying to get translations of their Icelandic lyrics into English, so who knows what the hell is coming into being by the end of the album? Hard not to fall asleep with this album, though it is clear what the ambition of the band was, and I appreciate that they swung for the fences. I certainly felt the album drag by track 7 of 10. Unfortunately, I had more fun reading about how the album songs were created than I did while actually listening to the songs themselves, and I'm not sure what to make of that.

Parallel Lines

Blondie

4/5

An album that helped punk and post punk evolve into new wave, which just happens to be my favorite of the waves. My absolute favorite of the Blondie albums as well.

Beauty And The Beat

The Go-Go's

5/5

One of the greatest debut albums in the history of punk and new wave. They cracked open the mostly male dominated punks and new wave on the charts in such a way that the American music industry was never the same again. One of my favorite power pop /punk / new wave / surf albums of all time. Love the cheeky way their album cover conveys their femininity in a punk way without actually sexualizing them. Favorite tracks "Our Lips Are Sealed", "This Town", and "We Got the Beat". Fun piece of trivia, "Our Lips Are Sealed" was written by Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go's and Terry Hall of Fun Boy Three. Take a listen to the Fun Boy Three's version and hear a very different take.

So

Peter Gabriel

5/5

In Our Heads

Hot Chip

4/5

GI

Germs

2/5

A tedious punk album that may have at one time been required listening, but is now no longer relevant.

Eli And The Thirteenth Confession

Laura Nyro

3/5

I enjoyed the pop, rock, jazz, gosepl, and soul instrumental arrangements that Nyro made throughout the album, but her belting showtime approach to vocals often made her lyrics unintelligible and began to wear on me the longer the album went on. Includes the requisite 60s - 70s cocaine reference. I can hear her influence on a number of piano pop stars like Elton John, Tori Amos, and Todd Rundgren. Favorites: "Eli's Comin'" and "Stone Soul Picnic"

What's That Noise?

Coldcut

3/5

It is okay, but I don't consider this one of best albums of 1989, much less of all time. The most interesting version of this style of mixed media music, also from 1989, was Pop Will Eat Itself's THIS IS THE DAY... The samples in that album are far more geeky cool. There were far more interesting noteworthy albums from 1989 that are not on this list: Rush PRESTO Madonna LIKE A PRAYER Nine Inch Nails PRETTY HATE MACHINE Ministry THE MIND IS A TERRIBLE THING TO TASTE Billy Joel STORM FRONT Bobby Brown DON'T BE CRUEL

The Man Who

Travis

2/5

Britain, why do you keep celebrating such boring albums? Having 1 Radiohead band is already too much in the world.

Machine Gun Etiquette

The Damned

4/5

Far from your DIY punk rocker of the era, these guys had enough skill to dip into a variety of genres, in which they show in full force on this album. I had heard some of their later goth work, so it was nice to hear their earlier punk origins. I enjoy hearing punk records that bring something other than anger, and these guys seem to have predicted just about every punk genre that would come over the next 2 decades.

Post Orgasmic Chill

Skunk Anansie

2/5

I preferred their debut album Paranoid & Sunburnt after enjoying their song "Selling Jesus" in the film STRANGE DAYS. Not a fan of their nu metal phase. Lyrical subject matter seemed a bit eye-rolling as well.

Born To Be With You

Dion

3/5

The Contino Sessions

Death In Vegas

5/5

An album I randomly discovered while diving through the stacks at my favorite record shop in 2001. I was visiting an independent record shop in Portland, trying to make sure that they had copies of our debut album available and not buried in a box somewhere. Lo and behold, right behind our record, in alphabetical order was this band that I had never heard of before. With a name like Death in Vegas, I imagined a group of swinging lounge lizards or perhaps a psychobilly / rockabilly group. so, imagine my surprise when it turned out to be very cool Electronic Rock from London. I remember Iggy Pop's performance on "Aisha" truly making me anxious in the best of ways. Such a unique blend of trip hop, post rock, noise rock, alternative rock, dance, and electronica. Favorite tracks : "Dirge", "Soul Auctioneer", "Death Threat" , "Flying", "Aisha", and "Lever Street" .

A Wizard, A True Star

Todd Rundgren

2/5

Imaginative album that explores surrealistic themes such as the Wizard of Oz, Salvador Dali paintings, Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, but I'm not sure much of it lands beyond anything more than the odd curiosity. The best thing about this album is the album cover painting. Props to Arthur Wood. Favorites: "International Feel", "Tic Tic Tic It Wears Off", "Is It My Name?", and "Just One Victory"

Introducing The Hardline According To Terence Trent D'Arby

Terence Trent D'Arby

3/5

A competent R&B/Soul/Pop record. Love the '80s production. In later years I could have dealt with less of his identity crisis bs and his narcissism. Despite what you think Terence, you are not as imaginative or skilled as Prince or Michael Jackson, but you are ann above average 80s soul artist and that is good enough. I definitely enjoy him more than D'Angelo tracks from the 90s and 2000s. A good mood record, but only the singles "Wishing Well" and "Sign Your Name" live in my library. And yes, they were there before this algorithm recommended this album. Like other reviewers I had wished that he had leaned into a little more funk and dance with some of his tracks to increase the variety.

Tellin’ Stories

The Charlatans

2/5

A boring, uninspiring British rock album that doesn't belong anywhere near this list. The Charlatans name check all kinds of key influences whose sound and vibe doesn't show up on the album at all. It was estimated that they sold a total of 344,000 albums in the UK by 2022. That tells you everything. A meaningful album in the U.S. will sell that much in one week. At this rate they'll crack one million in another 75 years from now!

Ctrl

SZA

2/5

A beautifully well engineered and mixed album that insists upon sharing poor life choices with poorly chosen word choice lyrics (N-word and P-word) that could have been expressed by making other word choices that would have invited a wider range of listeners to lean in closer rather than leaning away and ignoring the message entirely during the first half of the album. I couldn't tell if she has a wonderful voice because they never let us hear it underneath all that auto-tuning. After listening to the song "Drew Barrymore" it was unclear to me why it was named after her. After reading about the song's creation, maybe association would have been clearer if it was named "Poison Ivy"? Favorite tracks: "Broken Clocks" and "Pretty Little Birds"

Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music

Ray Charles

4/5

I admit I did not receive what I thought I would be given with this album. This was not covers of well known Country and Western songs, but rather a reimagining of Country and Westerns as performed through a Big Band prism. I don't often agree with Robert Christgau about anything, and even though it is painful to admit it, I think he got the rating of this album right. It is a banger through and through. In a weird dichotomy the album feels fresh without sacrificing the timelessness of the original song material. Love the string, choral, and big band arrangements. It is easy to go over the top with big band arrangements, but Ray Charles and collaborators managed to the toe the line but never leave the pocket. After a week of mediocre Brit rock shit, this was the palette cleanser I needed.

Ananda Shankar

4/5

As someone who seeks out albums that are rare gems, I was stunned that I had not heard this album, nor even heard of it. An awesome merge of Eastern Sitar and Popular Western music tropes. Familiar enough to Western listeners to follow the path, but mysterious enough to cause actual wonder and delight at every unexpected turn.

Fun House

The Stooges

3/5

I was hoping to enjoy it, but I found the whole thing a fairly boring 12 bar blues rock album. It was probably mind blowing when it came out. I admit, I am too familiar with the bands that were inspired by this record, so its impact, even though I had never heard it, was blunted. Having listened to so much punk, industrial, and goth rock, these ideas don't remind me of chaos anymore. Even the dissonant saxophone being used is such old hat, that I wasn't surprised at all when it appeared.

Halcyon Digest

Deerhunter

2/5

Hipster shoegaze rock that doesn't separate itself from the endless drivel of hipster shoegaze rock in this era. I think I heard this album in the film 500 DAYS OF BOREDOM. Every community had a band like this. Nothing special.

KE*A*H** (Psalm 69)

Ministry

5/5

One of my favorite Industrial/Metal albums. This album and their WITH SYMPATHY and LAND OF RAPE AND HONEY, along with Nine Inch Nails' PRETTY HATE MACHINE, BROKEN, FIXED as well as Skinny Puppy's BITES, MIND: THE PERPETUAL INTERCOURSE, and VIVIsect VI revealed to me what kinds of sonic expression were possible and it was glorious! Such an eye opener that lead to so many other interesting bands that were pushing the boundaries. I always loved the sound of Paul Barker on "TV II" clicking the drumsticks to count the band back in after the first verse break. I also loved the tongue-in-cheek irony of Al Jourgensen singing of "never trust a junkie" in "Just One Fix", when the lyrics was coming precisely from Jourgensen, who by that point was a heroin junkie.

Group Sex

Circle Jerks

2/5

For years I had heard how influential and important the Circle Jerks were to punk music. Finally I get a chance to hear them and I am severely underwhelmed given how amazing Black Flag's DAMAGED ended up being. I'll admit the 15 minute album is a novelty that probably became the prime selling point. Can anyone even finish a real life circle jerk in under 15 minutes? These are the kinds of existential questions that this list raises.

If I Should Fall From Grace With God

The Pogues

4/5

Love the Celtic jauntiness, but I wish Shane MacGowan's voice was not the one belting out the lyrics. Lyrics are well written but I've always found his voice annoying. The album may be a bit tad on the long side, as hip hop albums do this as well perhaps this added value? Everything else is great about this album. One of the few albums that hipsters and I agree on.

Ambient 1/Music For Airports

Brian Eno

4/5

I'll admit that I don't listen to this album often, but when I do it truly does calm and open my space to think. Given the speed at which the world moves today maybe I should be listening to this album more often?

Atomizer

Big Black

4/5

Truth And Soul

Fishbone

3/5

When I was attending college this band was one of a few bands that dominated the college rock scene and you could see them fairly regularly touring the college campus circuit with their mostly unique blend of punk, ska, rock, funk, and blues. Personally though I was always a bigger fan of what I think is a much better and underrated punk, swing, rock and funk album FEROCIOUSLY STONED by the Cherry Poppin Daddies, before they largely limited their compositions on subsequent albums to Swing and Ska.

Our Aim Is To Satisfy

Red Snapper

3/5

An excellent example of acid jazz electronica by a band I genuinely had no knowledge of prior to listening to this album. I am not sure it merits being on the list, but if I have not heard of it and I listen to this genre I can imagine this album did not influence much in the scene and therefore probably doesn't merit an inclusion. Having said that it was a treat even if it overstayed its welcome by the last couple of tracks.

The Last Of The True Believers

Nanci Griffith

3/5

Pleasant and good enough, but nothing groundbreaking even for the time of its release. A fairly by-the-numbers Nashville recording.

Getz/Gilberto

Stan Getz

5/5

Such a relaxing bit of jazz mastery.

Tigermilk

Belle & Sebastian

2/5

The music is pretty boring. Basically hipster BS. This singer is as unimpressive as Nick Drake with his weak wail. Not sure why this is on this list at all. Does not belong on the top 100,000 albums of all time. The last thing the world needs is more Nick Drake wannabes. News flash, Nick Drake didn't actually write great music. Having said that, it is probably a Pitchfork darling. ::rolls eyes hard:: Instead of this weak nonsense, give me Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass anyday. I'll give 2 stars just for the production and engineering.

Headquarters

The Monkees

4/5

Step In The Arena

Gang Starr

2/5

Forever Changes

Love

3/5

Orbital 2

Orbital

3/5

My favorite version of "Halcyon and on and on" is the live version from their 1996 album IN SIDES. Other than that track, this is a good electronica album, but not a great one.

Kings Of The Wild Frontier

Adam & The Ants

3/5

This always sounds less new wave to me and more rockabilly than anything else. While I appreciate the ground work they set for future musicians in the new wave and industrial space (for the use of samples, particularly from movies), I personally don't enjoy the albums of Adam and the Ants. I prefer Adam Ant's first solo album FRIEND OR FOE.

1977

Ash

2/5

Middling garage rock/pop punk. The list must have been sponsored by the BBC. It has the requisite number of UK acts whether they deserve to be there or not. If you are going to include pop punk from the 1990s on this list those bands should unequivocally be Weezer, Blink 182, or Jimmy Eat World. Personally my favorite was The Dragonflies (not the one on most streaming services). I found this album unremarkable in every way.

Tubular Bells

Mike Oldfield

5/5

I cannot stress enough how earth shattering this composition was when it came out, when in particular it appeared in the film score for end of the THE EXCORIST. Brilliant progressive instrumental rock. It is mind blowing that a 19 year old did nearly all of this himself. The overdubs are so flawless that this album feels like it had to have used a multitrack sequencer that didn't even exist yet.

Let Love Rule

Lenny Kravitz

2/5

It as interesting as his later albums, but you can hear the seeds of what will become prime Lenny Kravitz. Definitely not one of the best albums of the 1980s. Doesn’t belong on the list.

Murder Ballads

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

2/5

Fairly cringey

Blood, Sweat & Tears

5/5

I can see why it won the Album of the Year Grammy. A beautifully performed and arranged set of tracks with an awesome blend of big band, soul, rock, and blues. Truly, it does belong on this list.

OK

Talvin Singh

3/5

Stephen Stills

3/5

Boston

4/5

american dream

LCD Soundsystem

4/5

Listening to music can be a weird thing sometimes. I remember trying out this album when it first came out and I didn't find it all that interesting and yet today I found at least 4 tracks that were worthy enough to add to my library: "oh baby", "I used to", "change yr mind", and "how do you sleep?"

Garbage

5/5

A true gem of the 90s!

Sound Affects

The Jam

2/5

In my opinion this not a great album, but it is probably my favorite album by The Jam that has appeared on this list so far. Side A is definitely stronger than side B, with the exception of maybe “Scrape Away” which began to grow on me after a while.

Loveless

My Bloody Valentine

3/5

I'm thankful for this album's influence on Trent Reznor, as we might not have received THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL and THE FRAGILE sounding quite the way that they do, and I am convinced the latter two are among the very best albums released not in the 1990s, but of all time. Having said that, I am very unlikely to listen to this particular album ever again. Sure, it created and further elevated the elements that would make the shoegazer genre, but they lacked the kinds of song structure I need to enjoy them.

Melody A.M.

Röyksopp

2/5

An okay electronica album, not a great one. Just revisits mostly great ideas by other people while not creating any of their own. Quite a bit overrated and probably does not belong on the list.

Red Headed Stranger

Willie Nelson

3/5

Ghosteen

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

2/5

The instrumental backing and production is top tier, but as usual it is ruined by the voice that is Nick Cave. It is also a bit galling to me that the one of the most overrated lyrcists of all time receives even more praise by the same critics who would lambast anyone else who would have created this kind of overwrought album about their dead kid who died due to absent parenting. A couple of the tracks, though pretty are nearly twice as long as they need to be to convey the point.

Chemtrails Over The Country Club

Lana Del Rey

1/5

The production is not ambitious. Very little differentiation between the songs, which is a shame because as ballads they all need a bit more of their own personality to make the album bearable. The result is a very boring album. One of the most boring albums I have ever heard.

Heavy Weather

Weather Report

4/5

Meat Puppets II

Meat Puppets

2/5

Whatever

Aimee Mann

2/5

Good but not great. Not bad. Not essential listening before you die. Definitely not one of the most important 90s albums to hear.

The Message

Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five

3/5

All Hail the Queen

Queen Latifah

2/5

Screamadelica

Primal Scream

3/5

Bug

Dinosaur Jr.

2/5

Even though this is grunge, before this sort of punk was even being called grunge, it is still fairly anodyne. They get an extra star for being there first, but I was bored by the whole endeavor.

Duck Stab/Buster & Glen

The Residents

4/5

Super creative and bold.

In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida

Iron Butterfly

3/5

Nixon

Lambchop

2/5

Instrumental performances, engineering and production are competent, but the song arrangement, the non-sensical lyrics, and very weak lead vocal performance make this album dreadfully dull to listen to. No new ideas to be found, just retreads. I feel like I heard the same song on repeat throughout the whole album with little to no differentiation.

Scream, Dracula, Scream

Rocket From The Crypt

3/5

A fine album, but not special, and definitely not one of the essential albums of the 1990s. I say this as someone who heard this album when it came out and has "On A Rope" in my regular rotation. The rhythm section of Peter Reichert and Adam Willard is tight. Other solid but not great tracks would be "Ball Lightning", "Misbeaten", "Come See, Come Saw", and "Burnt Alive". That being said, It was no ENEMA OF THE STATE, DOOKIE, or SMASH.

Dirt

Alice In Chains

4/5

Punishing Kiss

Ute Lemper

1/5

Nope. Someone is taking the piss.

Bubble And Scrape

Sebadoh

2/5

Scum

Napalm Death

2/5

I didn't mind the death metal / punk vibes of Napalm Death. My only beef with the editors of the list is why include Napalm Death, when they stole their entire schtick from Stormtroopers of Death, who released SPEAK ENGLISH OR DIE two years earlier. They even got the 4 second song gag from SoD's 4 second punk cover of Joan Baez's "Diamonds and Rust". Almost everything on that album was aped on this one. The SoD is more original and entertaining.

D

White Denim

3/5

Elephant Mountain

The Youngbloods

3/5

I prefer their album released before this one that has the hit "Let's Get Together". I enjoyed the instrumentation choices. The Lionel Hampton-esque vibraphone work on some of the tracks in the latter half of the album was fantastic, but many tracks overstayed their welcome. I enjoyed "Sunlight" and "Quicksand", but not much else.

The Scream

Siouxsie And The Banshees

2/5

Might have been their breakthrough album but to me it is the least relevant album in their discography. There are only four of their albums I would consider including on a list like this and those are KALEIDISCOPE and JUJU, which are on this list; and PEEPSHOW and SUPERSTITON, which are not on this list. The rest are mostly irrelevant.

Caetano Veloso

3/5

In It For The Money

Supergrass

2/5

Only slightly less boring than Oasis, but still sucks as much as most Britpop garbage from the ‘90s does. Albums that are far more interesting and in my opinion more worthy of a list like this that came out in 1997 and were not included on this list. Depeche Mode ULTRA David Bowie EARTHLING THE LOST HIGHWAY film soundtrack Duran Duran MEDAZZALAND Massive Attack MEZZANINE Rammstein SEHNSUCHT

Seventh Tree

Goldfrapp

2/5

So far this is my least favorite album of Goldfrapp. I am not digging the folk influence. Feels too incomplete to me. Like unfinished demos. I prefer when they put the polish and sheen on. This is one of their most boring releases. Music for coma patients. The only bearable songs are "A&E" and "Caravan Girl". Their best albums are SUPERNATURE and HEAD FIRST, neither of which are on this list, and not this one or FELT MOUNTAIN.

Snivilisation

Orbital

3/5

Slightly more interesting sonically than their self titled 1993 album that appeared on this list, but not as engaging to me as their 1997 effort IN SIDES. The difference is that this album was not meant to be listened to outside of a rave experience, where on In Sides they finally learned how to write song structures that are more pleasurable to listen to in isolation or as an album outside of the rave experience. While I am inclined from time to time play the entirety of albums by their contemporaries (The Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy, Aphex Twin, Meat Beat Manifesto, etc.), I never feel the urge to do so with most Orbital albums. If you have not heard their "Halcyon and On and On" live version (on IN SIDES) that includes the samples from Bon Jovi's "You Give Love a Bad Name" and Belinda Carlisle's "Heaven on Earth" swirling around one another, you are really missing out.

I’m a Lonesome Fugitive

Merle Haggard

3/5

Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle

Bill Callahan

2/5

A complete waste of my time. One of the worst listening experiences of my life. Passable music ruined by terrible poetry and perhaps the worst vocal performance I’ve ever heard.

Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

Arctic Monkeys

2/5

I was bored by this in 2006 and I am bored by it now. It feels like young, dumb, full of cum lyrics that are backed by a sound that doesn't take any creative risks and just rolls out the most cliche boring bits of British rock in the 15 years before this album. I am genuinely surprised that anyone enjoyed this album, but then again it did come during the decade that, in my opinion, had the least interesting music on the charts. There was good music in the underground but most of it was not making the charts. The only truly musically interesting tracks were "Perhaps Vampires is a Bit Strong But..." and "A Certain Romance".

The Wall

Pink Floyd

5/5

I've never been a Pink Floyd fan, really, but for my money, while THE WALL is too long this is still unquestionably their best album. I've always enjoyed it far more than DARK SIDE OF THE MOON. Hard to overstate how much of an impact this album had on the many genres, sub-genres, and countless bands that would come in the years after this release. The concept might seem like old hat now, but it was certainly very new and intriguing when this album inspired everyone else to take a swing at the theme of self destruction. Without this album, we might not have gotten the majesty of Nine Inch Nails' THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL or Marilyn Manson's ANTICHRIST SUPERSTAR. Who hasn't at one time or another wanted to build a wall between themselves and society? Such a genius creative idea to explore.

Amnesiac

Radiohead

2/5

Like usual, Radiohead parts are at odds with themselves and songs are layered with a plunky piano and vocals that sound like a cat caught by the testicles.

Ten

Pearl Jam

5/5

This pacing of this album is nearly perfect. This is my favorite album of theirs because it is the one album of theirs was not afraid to use reverb. I loved that sound. The importance of this album is that it accelerated the mainstream acceptance of the alternative rock genre through the rest of the decade, particularly here in the United States and particularly after Kurt Cobain's death. Trying to imagine how mind blowing the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Blood Sugar Sex Magik tour was with openers Pearl Jam (supporting TEN) and Nirvana (supporting NEVERMIND) must have been in the Fall of 1991. People can quibble about which grunge albums belong on this list, but this album and Nirvana's NEVERMIND are the only two absolute unquestioned must haves.

Kollaps

Einstürzende Neubauten

5/5

When I first heard this band almost 30 years ago, I thought I was the only one who had ideas that music could be expressed as much more than it currently had been. This band, and other artists who make challenging art, opened up my mind to the understanding that there were others out there who also believed that music did not have to follow a strict protocol. While I had not heard this particular album before it was fascinating to hear the album and band that inspired Al Jourgensen of Ministry, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, and bands like Rammstein to marry industrial to more accessible forms. This list needs more albums and artists that inspired whole new sonic and thematic sub-genres and less of the endless singer/songwriter albums that litter list. No one needs 6 Nick Cave albums, when you could put 2 or 3 more albums that actually break new ground by a variety of artists. I think people that rate this album low are being narrow minded and judgmental.

Don't Come Home A Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind)

Loretta Lynn

4/5

Fuzzy Logic

Super Furry Animals

3/5

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Hill

2/5

I remember when this album came out and I did not enjoy then and disliked it less now, but it was still a struggle. Exhibits all the things I found most annoying and distancing about 1990s Neo Soul and Hip Hop. I straight up wish that she sang instead of doing any rapping at all, and I would have cut all of the skit stuff. The rapping just seems to cheapen the emotions. Given the number of sales this album had in the late 90s I can see why it would be considered for a list like this, but that is true of many great popular albums that do not appear on this list (a complaint that I have made many times in my reviews). In my opinion 1998 and 1999 were really weak years for popular music, so it is not surprising to me, that as weak as I think this album actually is, that it could go on to sell 10,000,000 albums in 1998-1999. An album whose selection is a novelty at best and a virtue signal at worst.

Bluesbreakers

John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers

3/5

Get Rich Or Die Tryin'

50 Cent

1/5

This has got to be a joke inclusion. This is not great Hip Hop. This is cliche nonsense. Continues to support my case that the naughties were the worst decade of popular music, ever. "In da Club" would be fine if they would cut out the ridiculously sophomoric lyrics and vocals and just let the jam groove instrumentally. But alas, we are stuck with idiotic lyrics ruining the groove. WTF Hip Hop?! Stop with the 1 hour long albums. Ain't nobody got patience for that.

Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus

Spirit

3/5

An album that sounds very much of its time, but better than most of the early 1970s albums. Great guitar tone, good mix, fantastic drummer. An eclectic collection of rock, jazz, and folk that was pretty forward thinking for 1970. My favorites were "Mr. Skin" and "Space Child". Strangely I did not enjoy "Nature's Way". The album name was probably inspired by the 1961 horror/thriller film MR. SARDONICUS.

Fifth Dimension

The Byrds

4/5

Finally no Bob Dylan track on a Byrds album! Rejoice! Pretty groovy album actually. "2-4-2 Fox Trot (The Lear Jet)" song made me laugh out loud.

Brutal Youth

Elvis Costello

1/5

Not even a great album for the 90s, much less all time. Definitely should not be on this list. A complete waste of time.

Miriam Makeba

4/5

A true discovery. Loved this. Wish there were more albums of discovery on this list, instead of 6 albums from one singer/songwriter.

Mott

Mott The Hoople

2/5

Meh. Not an album or style I am likely to reach for ever again. Competent, but boring.

Street Signs

Ozomatli

3/5

Their politics are as silly as Rage Against the Machine, but they are more musically interesting than Oasis, so they have that going for them. A interesting display of the musical diaspora that the U.S. has absorbed into its culture, particularly in Los Angeles County, but it didn't stick with me after the album was over. I am not convinced it belongs on the list. Unlike other listeners I had no trouble finding and listening to the complete album on Apple Music.

Destroy Rock & Roll

Mylo

3/5

As someone who enjoys this genre it was a fine album, but I couldn't in good faith include it on a must listen list before you die. As a fan of Kim Carnes "Bette Davis Eyes" and Boy Meets Girl "To Catch a Falling Star", I really enjoyed "In My Arms", but the rest of the album just became a bit of a trivia quiz of trying to suss out which 70s and 80s classics were being mixed together for each track. I suspect Mylo is a big fan of Daft Punk.

Tanto Tempo

Bebel Gilberto

4/5

Beautifully rendered and fresh bossa nova from a woman who has it in her blood. I loved how seamless they were able to work in the electronic elements without detracting from essences of what comprises the bossa nova sound. I don't know how I managed to miss this album in 2000. Glad to have discovered it.

Moby Grape

3/5

Catch A Fire

Bob Marley & The Wailers

3/5

Butterfly

Mariah Carey

1/5

Back To Black

Amy Winehouse

4/5

A number of artists over the years had tried to authentically recapture the sound of 1960s Spector (Phil and Ronnie) pop sound and Motown soul, but no one had managed to do a convincing job of it until Salaam Remi and Mick Ronson produced this Amy Winehouse album. Not an original sound, but wow the performances and production are phenomenal. I think it is fair to say that without this album, we might not have gotten the genius that is Adele six years later who would take this sound and really move it forward into new territory.

Dub Housing

Pere Ubu

3/5

I am three tracks in, and I am enjoying this more than I thought I would. The lyrics and vocals are annoying, but I am fascinated with the arrangement and instrumentation risks they've taken. I love how they incorporate synths into this record. NIN is one of my favorite bands and you can hear the Pere Ubu influence on Reznors' work from 1994 to 2008. You can also hear their influence on bands like Skinny Puppy's industrial sound. You can hear it in Ministry's eighties albums like LAND OF RAPE AND HONEY and TWITCH, particularly with how the synths and sequencers were used. It seems like Pere Ubu's intent was to make a post apocalyptic soundtrack and they certainly achieved that with tracks like "Thriller!". It really does feel like they were years ahead of where everybody was headed in the rest of the 1970s and well into the first the first half of 1980s of post punk, dub/reggae, goth, industrial. I also dig that they were not afraid to include all kinds of instruments outside your typical punk guitar. While I likely won't have a craving for hearing this album again, it is definitely worthy of a list like because of how influential it was on the burgeoning genres that would emerge from the crossroads of Pere Ubu.

Live At The Witch Trials

The Fall

1/5

Tone deaf toads croak on for more than 2 hours? Fuck right off... Cannot believe this list included this BS.

Eliminator

ZZ Top

5/5

The zenith of ZZ Top. They finally merged their 70s guitar sound with some very effective synths. In my opinion, it is the only ZZ Top album that matters. I didn't know at the time that Billy Gibbons was into the sounds of Depeche Mode and Al Jourgensen's Ministry, but it becomes quite clear in hindsight.

The Score

Fugees

2/5

If I am going to hear a sample of The Flamingos "I Only Have Eyes for You", I might as well just listen to the original. I was never a fan of their cover of Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly". Their use of The Godfather film font and the album cover design just weirds me out. Has all the things that I find annoying about hip hop. Didn't enjoy this album when it came out in 1996 and I don't enjoy it now.

I Should Coco

Supergrass

2/5

Not bad, but not you must hear this before you die quality either. More meh Brit Rock from the 1990s.

Follow The Leader

Korn

1/5

An album that definitely does not belong on this list. Has not held up to time, and was not the album or band that influenced the nu metal genre from this era. An album that I dislike now as much as I did when it came out.

Logical Progression

LTJ Bukem

3/5

Unlike others, I do believe this belong on the list because it effectively displays what this entire sub genre was about. For anyone who has never heard drum n'bass/jungle, this is the perfect primer for the basics.

The Holy Bible

Manic Street Preachers

2/5

This album is just another middling overrated Brit rock album that does not belong on the list. Terrible lyrics that thinks it is making astute observations and social critique when it is instead just exhibiting the worst knee jerk reactions of the British mindset in the 1990s. The ramblings of a mentally ill idiot. This is the kind of album that appeals to a simple minded edgelord or edgelady. The album’s connection to Richey Edwards disappearance afterward is the only reason it has notoriety in the first place. Otherwise this album would have likely sunk out of sight upon release. Oh, wait, it did. ;-) It kind of makes you wonder how much time has to pass before the music critics realize how musically tedious it is release a political album. I think the vast majority of people do not listen to music to be told what to think but rather as an escape, even if temporarily from what the individual cannot stop thinking about.

The Bends

Radiohead

2/5

JFC! Another Radiohead album? Give me a break! I wish their music actually did something for me, but I cannot pretend. I like 1 album and 3 of their songs. Unfortunately none of those are on this album. This band feels way, way overrated.

Smile

Brian Wilson

2/5

With Brian Wilson's death yesterday, receiving this album today feels a bit eerie. I am a fan of the Beach Boys, but a fan of the original Beach Boys material prior to 1970. With the exception of Kokomo, I am not a fan of pretty much any of the later work. Academically, I admit, I was intrigued to hear a 2004 version of "Good Vibrations", and the rest of the album, but ultimately, with due respect to Brian's significant accomplishments in American pop music, these versions felt like they lacked the vitality of the originals, and the rest of the album didn't click with me at all. They were just a pale imitation of the originals. The performance skills were top tier, but the changes to the material were not. I am stunned that British don't hear the difference.

Metallica

5/5

While I tend to disagree with this list about the inclusion of most of the albums that are on this list from the 1990s, this is easily one of the most influential metal albums and one of the most influential albums in general of the 1990s.

Vulnicura

Björk

3/5

I like it when artists take big risks, even if there is a chance that it won't come off, so I enjoyed her electro/ string arrangements and instrumentally creative choices she made. But, on the other hand, I've never been much of a fan of Bjork because I don't enjoy the sound of her singing voice, so that seemed like an album that was a lot longer than 58 minutes. I am frustrated often by the way she phrases the syllables of her lyrics. It is so disjointing that it often takes me right out of the groove of the song. I respect what she does for the tastes of others, but her music is a certain kind of specific that I struggle to find a place for it in my life. "Human Behavior" from her first album DEBUT continues to be the only song I enjoy enough to keep in my collection.

Siamese Dream

The Smashing Pumpkins

3/5

Enjoyed the instrumentation and performance, but Billy Corgan's voice is so annoying. This band was good, but could have been great if Billy Corgan had surrendered the vocals to a dedicated front person. Hard to ignore how much of a grade A asshole he is.

Berlin

Lou Reed

3/5

Rock operas that feature naive people who seek out drug abuse and lead themselves to inevitable self decline are so boring and cliche, but BERLIN has the prestige of being able to claim that it was one of the first to kick off that sorry sub-genre. I was a bit letdown that some of the arrangements are just repurposed songs and bits from earlier Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground works instead of brand new compositions. I was also not a fan of the stripped down guitar and piano sound. Personally I would have preferred a set of dense and polished arrangements with full instrumentation near the beginning of the album and have the song arrangements and instrumentation stripped away as the couple's relationship declines, but whatever. It also seem odd to me that the songwriter and the album doesn't seem to notice the irony that the characters pursuit of a countercultural life led to the disagreements, the drug use, and eventual self decline. It ends up being an indictment of living the recreational drug life, not a tragedy of a couple caught in an uncompromising divided society, as it was advertised at the time. The themes of Berlin on either side of the wall being also divided against itself are lost now that the Berlin has been reunited and the wall has been down (30+ years) longer than it was up (28 years). No matter the interpretation it is undeniable that BERLIN does tell a complete story and should be applauded for that. Many, if not most concept albums of the 70s, struggle to tell complete stories, or make them clear enough that fans could sort it out for themselves. Favorite song "Sad Song". Who hasn't been that pissed at someone before? Most of us just have the self control not to give into those impulses of rage. Not an album that I will ever listen to again. Honestly I am not much of a Lou Reed fan. I tend to prefer the work of his wife, Laurie Anderson, with her album HOME OF THE BRAVE being my favorite.

Before And After Science

Brian Eno

4/5

Rhythm Nation 1814

Janet Jackson

5/5

The album is held back by the hokey, preaching "socially conscious" interludes, and the songs "State of the World" and "Living' in a World (They Didn't Make) is eye-rolling in their pretension (and yes, I did skip past them this time), but the jams are outstanding on this album! There was a reason why those 7 singles went into the Top 5 of the Singles chart. While others have categorized this sound as New Jack Swing, I personally think it is actually an artful blend of soul and new wave and it actually (thankfully) is bereft of actual hip hop. After Janet's album CONTROL and their production of Human League's CRASH with diabolically funky "Human" and George Michael's "Monkey" (the first song I learned to play on my first drum set) this is, in my opinion, the defining production chops of Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam. One of the reasons that this album went stratospheric was the incredible music videos supplied to MTV at the heights of the network's power. Visually stunning with fantastic choreography, they were hard to forget. The bangers: "Rhythm Nation", "Miss You Much", "Love Will Never Do (Without You)", "Alright", "Escpade", "Black Cat" and "Someday is Tonight". But it also certainly didn't hurt that Madonna, the clear Queen of Pop at this time in the 1980s, released LIKE A PRAYER six months earlier. This helped Janet Jackson in two ways, it didn't compete for the same audience by being released earlier in the year, and it help stoke a hunger in pop audiences for more female led dance pop music that Janet Jackson was able to capitalize on, and boy did she. It would be one of the final great 80s album before R&B/ Pop was stuck with an endless number of boring New Jack Swing, Philly Swing, and Hip Hop records.

Cafe Bleu

The Style Council

3/5

I applaud their taking the risk with their genre departures from The Jam, but these tracks come off as a band pretending to actually understand American jazz and hip hop when they clearly don't. The songs seem to lack that piece of authenticity that are vital to those genres. Accomplished instrumental performances, but comes of a bit flat.

Lady In Satin

Billie Holiday

3/5

While an excellent vocalist, Billie's voice, due to her drug addiction and alcoholism, was no longer what it once was by the time this album was recorded. It is not one of her best records. Each song is bound by a very narrow band of range and lacks the vitality and expressiveness that she exhibited in her earlier works.

California

American Music Club

1/5

Way overrated hipster b.s... Not worth the trouble of finding it somewhere to listen to this album.

Armed Forces

Elvis Costello & The Attractions

1/5

Dude is a hack. He even had to steal his stage name from a better performer. Critics are distracted by his ability to turn a phrase (because they too fancy themselves writers) and are deaf or simply unwilling to acknowledge that Elvis Costello cannot write a solid hook to save himself.

Maxinquaye

Tricky

4/5

The first time I ever heard Tricky was his track "Overcome" when it was included on the film soundtrack for STRANGE DAYS. Fantastic cyberpunk film by the way. And my other experience was his PRE-MILLENNIAL TENSION album with the fantastic "Christiansands" on it, but I had never gotten around to hearing the rest of MAXINQUAYE until today. I know, a 30 year procrastination, I'm not proud of it. After my first listen I was struck by how many bands this album influenced over the rest of the 1990s, particularly Damon Albarn's Gorillaz. This album was a very fresh sound for 1995. Other than Massive Attack, the other group he collaborated with, no one quite recreated this sound, with equal parts jazz, hip hop, electronica, psychedelic, and dance; all at a slower tempo that is the backbone of trip hop. It is quite a nice adventure that flows nicely, something that happened very rarely in the 1990s. I personally do not consider this a rap album at all. Too jazzy and classy to be labeled with that albatross label. Also the instrumentation is interesting enough that you can safely check out of the lyrics and still enjoy the album. I anticipated that on some tracks, or even most of the tracks, that the vocals and lyrical performances would be given by Tricky himself but I was pleasantly surprised when the album was fronted primarily by female vocalists. Martina Topley-Bird's vocals, found on most of the tracks, are often buried in the mix or barely bobbing throughs the waves at the top of the mix. This technique works well on the track "Overcome" and less well on tracks like "Ponderosa". She did a fine job of striking the right balance of choosing her moments of whether to sing or rap the lyrical performance. I understood she has solo work out there, so I'll be checking that out later (hopefully not 30 years later, ha ha). I already had "Overcome" in the collection from that STRANGE DAYS soundtrack, but I ended up adding most of the rest of this record.

Phaedra

Tangerine Dream

4/5

A good album though I prefer their album EXIT more.

Low-Life

New Order

4/5

Ahh New Order! The band that always reliably had at least one or two tracks per album that felt great enough that you had to add them to your collection. The thing about this album is that the metamorphosis from Joy Division to New Order had finally become complete and this was clearly, in every way, a New Order album from top to bottom. They had clearly mastered the use of sequencers and samplers. The bangers that lasted the test of time in culture were "Love Vigilantes", "Elegia", and "Perfect Kiss". Personally I think they are at their best with "Elegia" where the instrumental says everything it needs to without the use of lyrics. On LOW-LIFE can hear their influences from Kraftwerk, Bowie's Berlin Cycle, New Romantic and New Wave bands like Duran Duran and the Thompson Twins. One of the selections by this list of the 80s that I think the list got right. Personally my favorite decade of music. Music was vibrant, rich, experimental, and not overly filled (as in the 70s and the 90s) with pompous social criticism lyrics. So much experimentalism in this decade that I feel like music journalists and editors should have subtitled the 80s, not the decade of excess, but rather - THE DECADE OF THE SUB-GENRE.

Shake Your Money Maker

The Black Crowes

3/5

Okay for what they do, but the album was fairly samey blues rock. It was a relief at time before the existence of streaming when all you could find on the radio was predominantly grunge and new jack swing, but with the passage of time and the existence of streaming service options this album seems a bit too similar samey over the whole album. Has the 2 hits and that's about it. If this album came had come out only a year later in 1991, during the 60 days that changed rock, it would have been completely forgettable. A serviceable album, but not a vital album that anyone needs to hear. Doesn't bring anything that other blues rockers before them weren't doing. Not even one of the best albums of the 1990s, much less of all time.

Live At The Regal

B.B. King

4/5

The album I received yesterday was The Black Crowes' SHAKE YOUR MONEYMAKER. It was a samey blues album that I gave a 3 because when it was released in 1990 it didn't really add any new elements to the blues. This live album was fantastic for all the reasons that The Black Crowes album was not. This album feels vital. You can feel the energy of the moment between B.B. King's band and the audience. Not every blues song sounds the same and the solos are fantastic, never too indulgent. Even the album length, at 35 minutes, is the perfect amount to whet your appetite but not burst your belly.

Stardust

Willie Nelson

3/5

Unlike Willie Nelson's idiotic record company exec I know the songs, and I like the songs, but I don't like Willie's performance of them. They don't suit him really. If I want to hear this canon of American music there are much more interesting arrangements and vocal talents to listen to. This is not an album that anyone should hear before they die. They were lame covers gobbled up by his lemming audience. Go find the originals, they much more emotionally engaging.

Bummed

Happy Mondays

2/5

There were much more interesting albums in the 1980s that should have been chosen over this one. This album doesn't offer anything that anyone really needs to hear. A more interesting selection would have been Pop Will Eat Itself's THIS IS THE DAY...THIS IS THE HOUR...THIS IS THIS!

Teenager Of The Year

Frank Black

2/5

Insanely long album of decent songs that largely sound indistinguishable from one another in their alt country sensibilities. Having said that, it was a nice left turn from his usual gig with The Pixies, but none of the songs appealed to me. The album cover seems like a joke about Hole's LIVE THROUGH THIS which had been released just 1 month earlier than TEENAGER OF THE YEAR.

Faust IV

Faust

4/5

A real discovery for once! I had never heard of this band before, but I truly enjoyed the cinematic and atmospheric vibe they created while alternating between traditional songwriting, ambience, and noise. This is super ambitious stuff, for 1973. They were way ahead of the curve. Quite delightful. I added "Just a Second (Starts Like That)/ Picnic On a Frozen River/Deuxieme Tableaux" to my collection.

Pelican West

Haircut 100

3/5

As someone who loves 80s music, particularly New Wave and Pop, I honestly could not recall Haircut 100, but after hearing this album, it is a gem. New Wave, Pop, and Soul, it has the kind of saxophone and guitar that makes the 80s proud. I am genuinely surprised they were not bigger over here in the U.S., but after reading the band broke up after this album, I can see how they missed out on what MTV could have done for their long term career. If they had released an album in 1983 or 1984, I could have see them with a music video or 2 in constant rotation and a spot on the tour of Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, or even American bands like The Cars.

The Rolling Stones

2/5

Perhaps the most overrated and derivative rock band in music history. I've never been a through and through Rolling Stones fan. Their whole discography is littered with albums that, if were lucky, have maybe 2 or 3 worthwhile tracks per album. I cannot recall one album that is solid all the way through. Take this one for example; sure it has their cover of "Route 66", but I prefer the Depeche Mode cover. The UK version of the album omits Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away", which was one of the redeeming qualities for the U.S. version. After that you are left with "Tell Me", the only original track on the album, and I don't think it was strong enough to hinge a whole album's reputation on. Personally I don't think any of their albums are must listen to before death in order to understand Western popular music.

Billion Dollar Babies

Alice Cooper

3/5

Tracy Chapman

4/5

I've always enjoyed this album. "Talkin' About a Revolution" and especially "Fast Car" are iconic folk bangers. I come from a small town. If it weren't MTV, and the show 120 Minutes in particular, I never would have discovered this artist or album in the 80s. Less a protest album (thankfully) and instead one of the few singer/songwriter albums that eloquently shares personal suffering without it turning into long winded, eye-rolling preaching. As the Gen X, we were extremely lucky to receive Tracy Chapman and Suzanne Vega in the 1980s and 90s. As an aside, I agree with a fellow reviewer here when they said, "The guy who left the Secretary Rock review is absolutely unhinged."

3 + 3

The Isley Brothers

3/5

I prefer the originals to these covers, but the Isley Brothers originals were pleasant. It might sound weird but when the album was not pleasant, it was not unpleasant, if that makes sense.

My Aim Is True

Elvis Costello

1/5

One of the worst album covers I've ever seen. Who thought it was a good decision to make all of the typography illegible by placing it on a checkerboard pattern? It is shameful that this artist compares himself to Elvis Presley. He has none of Elvis Presley's qualities: He can't sing, can't dance, and doesn't have any charisma. If you want rockabilly, particularly in the seventies, just direct yourself to Cheap Trick and Bruce Springsteen and save yourself the irritation. If you want punk get real punk. The only thing going for this album is the band Clover. Everything that Declan McManus brings to this pretty much sucks. His lyrics aren't great at all. I personally think Sting, Peter Gabriel, and countless others writes lyrical circles around this guy. I don't understand how people got hoodwinked into this nonsense.

Microshift

Hookworms

3/5

This was a pleasant surprise for once. More British favoritism by the editor of the book, but this one actually panned out for once. I hear comparisons to Spiritualized and LCD Soundsystem, but I don't hear those comparisons really. I enjoyed this album more than the albums by both of those artists. Is it perfect? No, not by a stretch, but it was, for me anyway, better than most of the albums released in 2018. The strength of the album for me is in the first 5 tracks. The last 4 tracks on the album are a mixed bag, with the most interesting to me being the instrumental, "Reunion" and the finale "Shortcomings". Did I think that there were objectively more solid efforts all the way through in 2018? Yes, I think there are seven more interesting albums in this genre alone, including Prodigy NO TOURISTS, Gary Numan SAVAGE, La Matos SUMMER OF '84 Soundtrack, Blue October I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY, Meg Myers TAKE ME TO THE DISCO, The Glitch Mob - SEE WITHOUT EYES, and Awolnation HERE COME THE RUNTS.

Debut

Björk

4/5

After all of the albums she has released this is still the only album of hers I like. Sure, I enjoy a song here and there from the others, but this is the only album I enjoy as a whole. Her later releases are so experimental that it feels like they keep me at an emotional remove, not allowing me to emotionally connect. As an American, being around when this album came out it is difficult to convey to younger audiences just how mindbendingly groundbreaking this effort was. It was truly one of the first albums of the decade that felt like it could only have come out in 1990s. Don't get me wrong, many artists over the years had released avant garden and art rock albums over the years, but few were as accepted by the general American audience as this one. Which, to me, even this day is surprising given how quirky her lyrics and delivery are, as well as the wildly eclectic choice of instrumentation choices, song arrangements, and genres.

The Bones Of What You Believe

CHVRCHES

3/5

A serviceable Ladyhawke knockoff synth album. I wish the lead singer of Churches were a bit kinder and did not criticize men quite so much in her personal life. It is a bit of a disincentive to enjoy the band. I don't mind the spelling. I presume in today's search keyword culture it was probably chosen to make it easier to find the band on streaming services, etc. I thought the strongest of the tracks was "Science/Visions". There are bands and albums from the 2010s electronic, dance, and synth pop categories that I were more impactful and relevant for representing that time period. I would cut from this list Hot Chip, Churches, and Hookworms and replace them with albums from below. Gary Numan SAVAGE (2017) Ladyhawke WILD THINGS (2016) Walk the Moon TALKING IS HARD (2014) awolnation HERE COME THE RUNTS (2017) awolnation MEGALITHIC SYMPHONY (2010) The Glitch Mob LOVE DEATH IMMORTALITY (2014) The Glitch Mob SEE WITHOUT EYES (2018) Skrillex BANGRANG (2011) Van She IDEA OF HAPPINESS (2012) Daft Punk RANDOM ACCESS MEMORIES (2013) Portugal. The Man WOODSTOCK (2017) Carly Rae Jepsen EMOTION (2015) Walk the Moon WHAT IF NOTHING (2017)

Sunday At The Village Vanguard

Bill Evans Trio

3/5

Bill Evans is truly a legend that helped popularize the movement from bebop into modal jazz and totally deserves to be on this list, in addition to his work for Miles Davis. Having said that, I personally have not been passionate about modal jazz. I did enjoy the energy of the live audience in what sounded like a dinner theater. Just like the live B.B. King album that appeared earlier, the ambience gave this album more kinetic energy than it might have otherwise had.

Wild Gift

X

2/5

While the album may have expanded the garage/ punk ethos even further into rockabilly/root, the album's vocals feel like they were tacked on as an afterthought. It is as if the instrumentals were recorded in a nice studio, and the vocals were recorded by two people shouting at a cheap boombox. It makes for an unimpressive vibe. If Robert Chirstgau and Pitchfork worship an album, you can bet your bottom dollar that its probably hipster shite. This album doesn't seem essential or vital to me at all. I'm convinced that if this band had formed anywhere other than Los Angeles then it would have gone nowhere. The only track I've ever found enjoyable from them was their cover of The Troggs' "Wild Thing". One of the most boring garage / punk albums I've heard from the late 70s to the early 80s. The 80s were perhaps the best decade of music ever, but you wouldn't know it based upon the terrible selections this list makes.

L.A. Woman

The Doors

4/5

In my opinion, after their debut album, this is the only other album of their's that belongs on this list, and that is probably because this was the album that came the closest to urgent explosiveness and expressiveness of their first album. For me when Jim Morrison died in July 1971, the rest of the Wonderland Avenue L.A. rock scene became incredibly tedious and boring when it became dominated by the Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young variations of the solo artists and groups, their friends, and the women they dated. L.A. Woman features the all time standards that most people know: the title track, "Love Her Madly" and "Riders on the Storm" (although I prefer the version without all the pre-take discussion). It is not a perfect record. Notably the back half of the record, with the exception of "Riders On The Storm". Their cover of John Lee Hooker's "Crawling King Snake" is competent, but lacks the fiery intensity that Hooker brought his version. The Doors version seems far more subdued and I wasn't a fan.

Kenza

Khaled

3/5

I did enjoy KENZA, while not convinced that it was an essential album of the 1990s. It was a pleasure to get a change of pace from yet another boring singer/songwriter album from the 60s/70s/Nick Cave.

Heartbreaker

Ryan Adams

2/5

Generally it is boring Alt-Country. "Amy" was only the track I truly enjoyed. The rest doesn't add anything new, just a rehash of Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, and most annoying the emulation of the worst qualities of Bob Dylan with a wailing harmonica. The only positive thing out of those songs is that I will admit that Ryan Adams is a slightly better singer than Bob Dylan, but honestly that is not saying much. I wish he was bringing something unique and not just rehashing the influences of the past.

Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret

Soft Cell

5/5

Fantastic synth pop album that inspired tons. For awhile in the 1980s and 1990s you weren't in a real rock band until you had your own cover version of "Tainted Love". But it really hit home when I learned that Marc Almond was gay and then the multiple layers of meaning became super clear, as did much of the rest of the album. Plus it was Soft Cell's lifting up of a classic gem that made me seek out the Gloria Jones original version which I highly recommend. I do think that people who do not enjoy this album are getting wrapped in how the songs were arranged and recorded more than the vibe of the album. A fortnight cabaret album that explores both gay and straight themes of sleazy sex and noir. There is a little bit of everything in here for everyone. For years "Tainted Love" was all I really knew until Nine Inch Nails did a cover of "Memorabilia" as a B-side on the CLOSER TO GOD maxi single. Research on that song led to running down a rabbit hole of all kinds of other underground Synth Pop/Post Punk/New Romantic bands and songs.

Maverick A Strike

Finley Quaye

2/5

I'm not really a fan of him faking a Jamaican accent, nor of his real world violent tendencies. I would have preferred to hear him with his native Scottish accent, and I'm not sure he deserves much attention after over 22 convictions. Without that out of the way, I do love the jazzy and reggae influenced backing tracks. Lots of fun in a bunch of different genres. His backing band is a fantastic group of performers. But I cannot in good conscience give it more than a 2.

Blonde On Blonde

Bob Dylan

1/5

Reading idiotic writings like this are annoying. On the first song "Rainy Day Women #12 and 35" According to Andy Gill, by starting his new album with what sounded like "a demented marching-band ... staffed by crazy people out of their mind on loco-weed", Dylan delivered his biggest shock yet for his former folkie fans.The elaborate puns on getting stoned combine a sense of paranoiac persecution with "nudge-nudge wink-wink bohemian hedonism". Heylin points out that the Old Testament connotations of getting stoned made the Salvation Army-style musical backing seem like a good joke." Andy Gill, you are a muppet. That first song is Dixieland music that Dylan aped from the New Orleans area. Dixieland is frequently accompanied by marching snare, and guess what they tend to also sing lots of traditional and gospels in Zydeco and Dixieland style. You give Bob Dylan too much credit for creating something new, when he is merely copycatting traditional American folk and jazz, and poorly at that. I say it all the time, but Bob Dylan is the most overrated American musician. While he may of trailblazed a double album, I would say he was far from the master of its form. His lyrics don't really illuminate as much as they just sensationalize fringe communities in order to appear sufficiently countercultural for his time. It is literary masturbation. At least I have the good taste not to write songs about it. BLONDE ON BLONDE is filled with the terrible singing you've come to expect and the aural assault that he calls a harmonica. No thanks, Bob. Piss off. Next.

Two Dancers

Wild Beasts

1/5

What a joke. Doesn't belong on this list or any other list. Seriously a waste of time. The instrumentals are almost there but the downright pretentious lyrics and the dismal falsetto vocals are unforgivable nonsense. I thought I was being too harsh until after it was over that I read that in almost 9 years, they only then had managed to cross the 54,474 albums sold mark. I don't listen to this list to pretend that crap might be actually be great if I just imagine hard enough. The public already spoke on this album with its deafening silence. It is undiscovered, it is just meaningless indie drivel. Britain, what are you doing? You keep nominating what would be the most middling of bands in America for Mercury prizes?

The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway

Genesis

4/5

While I am a big Peter Gabriel fan I had never gotten around to hearing this album from his Genesis years. It was far too long, but strewn among this long album is plenty great tracks. The instrumentation is peak progressive rock for Genesis.

Apocalypse Dudes

Turbonegro

4/5

Finally a band that gets what punk is all about. An album that shows joy while embracing their inner trickster punks, and releasing their Id. No self pretension of self important political BS to ruin this album. Just a fast, dark, and grooving six headed hydra. The album is consistent and competent rock. Personally I enjoyed this more than the New York Dolls, The Stooges, and enjoyed on par with The Ramones. It also had some of the fun of Stormtroopers of Death without the political overtones. Favorites were "The Age of Pamparius", "Get It On", "Zillion Dollar Sadist", "Prince Of The Rodeo", "Are You Ready (For Some Darkness)". "Good Head" is hilarious. I was happy to learn, that while they broke up after this album for a variety of reasons, they have occasionally reunited. I am looking forward to checking out of some of their other discography. Now having said that, the album does rip, but it is not forward thinking and fairly derivative of the 70s glam and punk scene. I personally think if you are going to pick a rock band's album from 1998 that must be heard before you die I really think you have to go instead with a more forward looking album like VAST's VISUAL AUDIO SENSORY THEATER.

Mask

Bauhaus

3/5

Black Sabbath

5/5

The album that began it all for hard rock/heavy metal and it still holds up.

Off The Wall

Michael Jackson

5/5

Before THRILLER captivated the world there was OFF THE WALL. Here Michal Jackson lays down the formula that would takeover the world in 1982 with the even more distilled and refined Thriller. These 2 records from Michael Jackson would, in my opinion, influence every Pop, Dance, R&B, and Soul artist that would release an album for the next 4 decades, right up to the present, and not just by black artists, but by everyone.

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Elton John

4/5

A fine album, but way, WAY too long. There is a good 5 or 6 songs that could easily cut to bring this down to a standard album length. Easy candidates would be songs like "Jamaica Jerk-Off", "Dirty Little Girl" and that ridiculously long opener that could be saved just for concerts. While I will always take Elton John's honktonk over pretty much anything The Rolling Stones ever did, there is only so many honkytonk show tunes I can take. Also, I don't think the concept of leaving stardom and returning to a simple life really comes off, but then again I'm not interested in lyrics anyway. The hits are great. And 4 hits makes this an easy 3 to 4. Personally I am in a 3 mood today.

Countdown To Ecstasy

Steely Dan

2/5

Technical but lacks any grip into my emotions.

Dare!

The Human League

5/5

Wild Wood

Paul Weller

1/5

Nope. Not vital at all. A beige niche record for England only. I've realized that I do not enjoy Paul Weller or The Jam in any fashion. It is a slog getting through these records. Too much imitation of earlier times instead of creating timeless music. This album feels like a 90s artist's take on a 1973 album and it is borinnnnnnnng.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Kanye West

2/5

Love him or hate him, the dude can turn a phrase. The problem is that the songs are covering the same ole boring hip hop stories we've all heard countless times. While I personally get no enjoyment out of hearing people drop bars, no matter how good they are at it, I do respect that he has a good ear for catchy instrumentals and song structures. I would never choose to listen to this album, but I can easily understand why those who love this genre would. So, it makes sense that this would be included. As an aside, the thing I find the funniest about him is that people seem surprised by his behaviors. Particularly recent hijinks but he always seemed to be that kind of trail mix where you never knew what you were going to get. In his early years, I think that people just kept looking past his extreme behavior because they assumed they were just calculated publicity and marketing stunts to generate awareness and interest in his music. On the other hand maybe they always were?

Superunknown

Soundgarden

3/5

A solid entry, but not my favorite grunge album from Soundgarden. I preferred BADMOTORFINGER. Not one of my favorite 90s albums in general. The album is way too long. There is a a fair bit of filler on here. I agree with others that 30 minutes could easily be cut and really make this a tight album. There is no concept album story to tell, so there was really no excuse not to cut some. Favorites: "Fell On Black Days", "Spoonman", and "The Day I Tried to Live".

Peggy Suicide

Julian Cope

1/5

A ridiculously long album of mostly pale attempts at art rock with a guy who can't sing and can only slightly write lyrics that are marginally better than his singing. The album cover is atrocious. I don't listen to music to hear the anyone's meditations on anything. I listen to music to have a momentary escape from silence. I don't want it filled with inane pretentious ramblings. OF the course the hipsters love this album... I really don't think anybody needs to worry about missing out on this album. To think there are great albums not on this list to make room for crap like this. Still feel like the best lyrical album by a male British artist in 1991 was THE SOUL CAGES by Sting. His TEN SUMMONER'S TALES also belongs on this list instead of this nonsense. But, you know, this listmaker has a grudge against actual great British musicians who albums actually mean anything to the masses.

Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space

Spiritualized

2/5

If I Could Only Remember My Name

David Crosby

2/5

Occasionally there are moments of respite on tracks such as "Tamalpais High (At About 3)" or "Laughing", but mostly it's just tiresome uncreative Laurel Canyon rock and folk. The instrumentals are mixed wonderfully but the vocals are frustratingly buried in the mix like needles in a haystack. If I wanted jam I would get some toast. Feels crappy like the Nick Drake albums. So, of course Mr. Dimery loved it. I'll bet you could have remembered your name if you'd just managed to put down the beer, doobie, and cocaine, but it was LA in the early seventies, so who are we kidding?

Here's Little Richard

Little Richard

5/5

A classic progenitor album. Without Little Richard you probably wouldn''t have Prince.

AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted

Ice Cube

1/5

Feels like an eye-rolling edgelord album for the Black community. I tried listening to this album but I just cannot take it seriously. I am of the opinion that albums with song titles like "Get Off My Dick and Tell Yo Bitch to Come Here" are not albums that deserve a place on a list such as this. It is not just the flat misogyny, it is also the sophomoric and childish whining that tries to take itself seriously. There are good hip hop albums, but this is not one of them.

Fragile

Yes

4/5

In college, with trepidation I once confessed that I had not heard a Yes album that was released before 1980. With a twinkle in his eye, my roommate slapped on this album and blew my mind with "Roundabout" and "Heart of the Sunrise". After albums 90125 and BIG GENERATOR this is my 3rd favorite album from Yes. Yes, while there maybe filler in the middle of the album, it is sandwiched by those 2 stone cold classics of "Roundabout" and "Heart of the Sunrise" that amounts to nearly 20 minutes of music. That's nearly half of a standard length 43 minutes album, and as far as I am concerned that is as good as 4 hits on an album with pop length songs.

Aja

Steely Dan

3/5

While I appreciate the pleasant technical jazz rock fusion arrangements and the excellent instrumental performances, the album itself seems rather soulless. The one thing elevating this album is the genius of Steve Gadd on drums, but even with his heroic efforts the music comes off sounding like a very expensive night at a dinner theatre in the 1970s. I love me some Yacht Rock, it just isn't Steely Dan. Other than Gadd's drumming, the shining moments for me were the fine saxophone playing of Wayne Shorter, and the patch choice of the synth played on the outro of the song "Aja". The only song that really stands out all the way through is the single "Peg". I am always a bit ambivalent about Steely Dan's efforts. There seems to be every reason for me to love the band and yet for some unknown reason I don't. I want to love the album for the excellent production, engineering, and recording, but ultimately, no matter how well recorded, I have to dig the ideas that are being laid down and I'm not sure I do. In terms of the evolution of popular music, this, along with Stevie Wonder, did certainly influence many other artists to bring more exotic and complicated jazz chords to popular music formats. So for that reason I can see why they merit inclusion, I just don't think they merit so many albums on the list. All cerebellum, no aorta. It manage to take me back to the years when my family eagerly sat down to watch episodes of CHiPs.

Coles Corner

Richard Hawley

1/5

It is better than forcing myself to listen to a Pulp album, but this entire album lacks imagination and is derivative as hell. I'm honored that he loves America so much, but hearing someone who does not have a great singing voice try to pretend to be a great crooner from the past just makes me want to go listen to the original great crooners of the past instead. This doesn't merit all time status and inclusion on a list like this. Anyone who is not British is not going to waste a space on this list with this when they can just pick one of the classics that Richard Hawlely is borrowing all of his ideas from. To be fair 2005 was a pretty thin year for music, but it is clear to me that this album occupies a spot that belongs to Imogen Heap's SPEAK FOR YOURSELF, Goldfrapp's SUPERNATURE, or Gorillaz's DEMON DAYS.

En-Tact

The Shamen

4/5

Fantastic indie dance album that I stunned I had never heard of before. Finally this list recommends a worthy album and artist I had never heard of before. While I have never heard of this band, I can hear their influences on Jesus Jones, EMF, Techtronic, Pop Will Eat Itself, Prodigy, and even U2's ZOOROPA and POPMART. I've been following this list long enough to know that my fellow reviewers are probably going to hate on this album, but I truly love it! Fantastic ideas, mixing, and production, particularly for 1990. Very groundbreaking stuff. No pretentious lyrics, just great grooves who brings the emotions without the words. The dismissive voices should try to place this into the greater context of music history.

Run-D.M.C.

4/5

An enjoyable album with great classic jams that are balanced well by old school hip hop feel and the true of innovators of hip hop before everyone settled on their vibe and hip hop became stale with the cliches we are stuck with today. There is a reason that this was the first hip hop album to be certified Gold (500,000 sales) in the U.S. The album still drags with the typically boring MC braggadocio that leads to boredom during tracks 3-5 and 8-9. While I didn't add any tracks, its place in music history guarantees a spot on this list. Although I would argue that RAISING HELL really changed the game for all of the music industry. That is when everyone, including me, learned how hip hop and rock could co-exist.

Cross

Justice

2/5

As a fan of electronica I was looking forward to this album but ultimately I found it a bit underwhelming. I can hear the comparisons to the first couple albums of Daft Punk, but unfortunately I am not a fan of Daft Punk's first couple of albums, so that did not help. I recognize that technical chops are necessary to pull this off, but halfway through the album I wasn't having any kind of emotional connection or vibe with the record. As a percussionist I usually feel the pull of the rhythm but this didn't create any wiggling, maybe briefly during "Stress". I found "Waters of Nazareth" to basically be a spiritual successor to "Stress" but with greater song shaping chops of call and response. No matter where you land can we all admit that "The Party" is just cringe?

1984

Van Halen

5/5

Everything about this album is iconic. Its humor was on display with that smoking cherub painting on the album cover. One of the first albums I purchased for myself with my own income. The other was Quiet Riot METAL HEALTH. I was already in love with synths, but this album showed me that I could have my synths and my hard rock. A very brave album at a time when the use of synths was heavily frowned upon by mainstream rock. Eddie showed that he wasn't just a master guitarist, but also a master with an Oberheim synth. A very tight, and short album that is a stone cold classic. More than half of the album are all time hits in the genre: "1984", "Jump", "Panama", "Top Jimmy", "I'll Wait" and "Hot for Teacher". It took me seeing the band live to figure out the awesome idling motorcycle engine thunder of the intro in "Hot for Teacher". It showed me what a double bass drumming and more importantly what a double bass pedal could do for drumming options.

GREY Area

Little Simz

1/5

An English rapper version of all the most tedious cliches of American hip hop. No thanks.

Fromohio

fIREHOSE

2/5

Not a vital album.

Giant Steps

The Boo Radleys

2/5

Boo, it wasn't radley. Far from. I am perplexed what everyone else is hearing in this. All I hear is genre smashing for the sake of genre smashing and none of it feels like it works. It just makes me want to go seek out the masters of the individual genres these guys were desperately trying to ape.

Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul

Otis Redding

5/5

A fantastic album! He took what came before and made it something new, something that influenced not only folks in the soul genre, but in all the genres of pop, rock, and blues. So many songs were good before Otis Redding performed them, but after they became standards that have lasted the test of time. Just mind blowing how much he achieved artistically by the time of his death at the tender age of 26.

Veckatimest

Grizzly Bear

2/5

I was bored by this in 2009. I am bored by it now. For the hipsters and craft brewers who love this stuff, I am glad it exists, but I don't have a hipster sized hole in my life. Again, if Pitchfork or Robert Christgau loves it, I will probably detest it.

New York Dolls

2/5

The idea of New York Dolls is better than the actual product. It is certainly a junction to more enjoyable punk rock down the road, but I wouldn't say it is a destination where you want to languish. It is more like a rest stop off the freeway; you know, the one with the thrashed bathroom that you passed on your journey to more sophisticated punk. Personally, I prefer Buster Poindexter. P.S. Also, props to the member with the roller skates. A nice touch of the rebellious among the rebellion.

Porcupine

Echo And The Bunnymen

3/5

Echo and the Bunnymen, and particularly PORCUPINE, have always sounded to me like what happens when you cross dark post punk of Bauhaus and Siouxsie and the Banshees with a vocalist that sounds Bono. They managed to co-opt the sound of Goth without actually becoming a Goth Rock band. I've wanted to embrace this band's sound for decades now, as they seem right up my alley of post punk and new wave, but every time I sit down to draw in an album I find myself appreciating the engineering and production of their albums, but zoning out after a few tracks. Such was the case with PORCUPINE. "Cutter" is a fantastic opening, but by "Clay" I'm finding myself drifting off, as if, when I wasn't looking they've slipped me a soporific. 1983 was such a stellar year for music albums. It seems like there were plenty of other greats that deserved to be on this list instead of Echo and the Bunnymen. This might be their best album, but it doesn't feel like it was a necessary album in order to grasp the development of post punk/shoegazing/dream pop.

Inspiration Information

Shuggie Otis

3/5

I enjoyed Shuggie Otis' multi-instrumental performances across a huge array of instruments. Seriously, I find this music of his far more interesting than Todd Rundgren's. It is clear that Otis has extremely great chops. Where the problem lies is in the vocal performance and the mixing of the vocals. A stronger vocal performance by either Otis himself, or bringing in a vocal performer that was capable of doing so, could have elevated good songs to great songs. I would have loved this album if there were no vocals, rather than the timid vocals it does possess. I cannot help but wonder if the mixed down vocals were a choice, or a necessity. Also, Prince should have sent royalties to Shuggie Otis as a thank you for laying the foundation for the work that Prince will do in the late 70s and early 80s.

Penthouse And Pavement

Heaven 17

3/5

As a fan of the 80s music era and particularly of this genre this was one of the more mediocre records. Lacks the hooks and epic fun that made the best records from this era delightful. Their pretentious Cold War obsessed lyrics are eye-rolling. You leave The Human League to create another band, in order to do this?

Dirty

Sonic Youth

3/5

The most tolerable and accessible of the golden age of Sonic Youth and probably the album I enjoy the most of theirs, although my favorite track of there's is on GOO ("Titanium Expose"). Having said that, I never find myself seeking out a Sonic Youth album when I hanker for listening to an a album rather than listening to an individual song or playlist. I grew up with Sonic Youth fans and none of them ever listened to a Sonic Youth album all the way through, on purpose, during one sitting. What kind of masochist does that? I rarely enjoy protest songs, but "Swimsuit Issue" did resonate with me.

Savane

Ali Farka Touré

2/5

The emotional weight of this being this artist's last album and an African artist interpreting an art form created by Americans is novel, but it is not a feeling that endures for the length of the album. At the end of the day this a blues album that is fairly repetitive, even by blues albums standards. I don't think this album really needs to be on this list though I admit it was a discovery I had not heard before.

Come Find Yourself

Fun Lovin' Criminals

2/5

One of the most middling inconsequential bands of the 1990s. Why is this on the list? Not an all time album that anyone needs to hear. Most probably come for "Scooby Snacks", but the faithful cover of Louis Armstrong's "We Have All the Time in the World" is probably the peak of this album. Everything else is a strong pass. The important album from 1996 that is not on this list that everyone actually needs to listen to before death is TOOL's Ænima. How did that oversight occur?

Heroes to Zeros

The Beta Band

3/5

When I'm told that a band is compared favorably to Oasis, Blur, and Radiohead, I am filled with dread, for I do not enjoy these bands. Oh sure, there might be a track here and there, but for the most part I do not like their albums as experiences. So imagine my surprise, when, with as much of an open mind as I can muster, I am genuinely find myself enjoying this album. I personally do not hear anything about this album that suggest either of their predecessors. As a new act to me, perhaps that was in reference to their earlier albums. All I know is that it did not, in my opinion, reek of the British Brit Pop BS that litters this list. To me this was an album that did not forget to bring the hooks. A genuinely good folk/electronica album that doesn't suck. Seriously, there are far fewer of these than you might think. And thank you for keeping the album to a trim 42 minutes! There was just enough song differentiation that kept my attention, but not enough to frustrate my album listening experience. As a decades long comics fan, their album cover is totally in my lane. I still think that the Naughties were the worst decade of albums releases in all of Western Popular Music history, but apparently there are a few more gems out there that I had not yet heard. Favorites were "Space", "Lion Thief", "Out-Side" and"Rhododendron".

Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes

TV On The Radio

3/5

I was already aware of this album and had listened to years before when they toured with Nine Inch Nails in 2005. While I appreciate the experimental nature of the band the only track that truly resonated then and now is "Dreams". Other songs drew more tepid response than my first time around. Like the doo wop "Ambulance"; a creepy sort of love song. Or the creepy sex bomb freejazz pop track "Wear You Out". The album seems like every song is a different genre smash of one sort or another. It is impressive from a performance perspective, but this also means that while it is likely that someone will find one song that suits some of their genre inclinations they will likely be a tad frustrated with the rest of the album. The composition genre smashes often feel forced. They don't feel like the organic earworms that arrived in our ears mysteriously from elsewhere;the way that the great songs always feel like. Also, just for me anyway, Tunde Adebimpe's falsetto begins to grate after while, or in particular on "You Could Be Love". An interesting above average album to be sure, but I am not convinced that it is an all time album that should be required listening on a list like this.

Kala

M.I.A.

2/5

I applaud the experimentalism, but unlike others, I've never ever enjoyed "Paper Planes". It doesn't seem to have the vague quality of greatness that turns a song from okay into an earworm. I'm not convinced this is Hip Hop at all. It is British Bolly Pop, and there is nothing wrong with that, but let's be honest about it. I enjoy the world music influences, of which there is not enough on this list admittedly, but why go with the faux versions that M.I.A. offers up for sale? Why not include some of the best Bolly Pop, African Pop, and Australian Pop on list that is straight from the source. I also did not find her cover ("20 Dollars") of The Pixies "Where's My Mind all that enjoyable. Honestly, I will probably never seek this album ever again, but if someone forced me to pick one track, I guess it would be the disco glitter of "Jimmy", although I am not a fan of the lyrics, or maybe "Boyz".

Freak Out!

The Mothers Of Invention

2/5

FREAK OUT! features well arranged psychedelica music but it is ruined by the toddler-esque rants of the cynical idiot in Frank Zappa. And trust me, I GET his satire, but I just think he was overly cynical and wrong. Aside from all of that, Mothers of Invention, was pivotal as a seed of the proto punk movement that set the stage for anti-establishment whining both lyrically and in three chord structure that would prevail in the 70s. So an all-time album from a historical point of view, but not from an artistic achievement point of view. I respect that Frank Zappa took experimental risks, it's just that is cynicism and contempt is not for me. Of course the British loved this more than the Americans. Two cynical peas in a pod that were perfectly matched for one another. And if you haven't guessed by now, I would not have put this on the list.

Triangle

The Beau Brummels

3/5

While Sal Valentino's voice vaguely resembles Bob Dylan's, I found Valentine's voice more pleasant. He more often hit notes and stayed in key than Dylan does. Also their songs blissfully didn't have any of that deeply annoying harmonica that Dylan ruins songs with. I enjoyed this album. TRIANGLE is well arranged, filled with wonderful folk rock performances and doesn't get bogged down with boring social critique. Instead, The Beau Brummell feature instead on universal experiences like fear of fleeting time on earth, the meaning of happiness, of course the meaning of love. "Magic Hollow" was delightful. I dug the fantasy romp with a just a dash of gypsy Parisian polka. And of course "The Wolf of Velvet Fortune". This is the kind of album I was hoping to discover on this list. Albums from all genres that explore universal themes over great instrumentals and vocals while avoiding tired protest song lyrics. I will take this any day of the week over a Bob Dylan, Neil Young, or Nick Cave record.

Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables

Dead Kennedys

2/5

It may have been fun to listen to at the time but it hasn't aged well at all. Hard listen if you're not big into punk. I'm not convinced it is an all timer album that anyone needs to hear, even though I am perfectly aware of its place in the punk genre. For those of you who think that the Dead Kennedys are raging against the Reagan administration, just know that his album came out well before that national election. These guys are so far left wing that they are raging against the peaceful friendly Jimmy Carter, who was president at the time, and Jerry Brown, the Mr. Softy, as Governor of California, both of them Democrats.

Calenture

The Triffids

1/5

There are way too many middling albums like this on this list. A little tired of the alcoholic and heroin abusing idiots on this list. It doesn't make you a deeper emotional person and better artist, it just makes you a rube. Unlike a significant portion of the listeners on here I have no problem with, nor do not I recognize, such a thing as over-production. The production quality was the one thing that I enjoyed here. There just weren't enough song arrangement and style ideas to make those songs interesting from an all time perspective. I feel The Triffids should have listened to the producer who wanted to try a a reggae/calypso version of "Trick of the Light". It might have made a boring same old song (with exception of the bridge) a bit more interesting. Again, why is this on the list? Almost any other Pop album from the 1980s was more enjoyable than this. As a fan of 80s music and knowing which 80s album that were not included in order to keep stuff like this on this list is deeply disappointing.

Green

R.E.M.

3/5

I first heard this album when it came out in 1988. I've always dug "Orange Crush" and "Stand" (despite it taking a lot shit from everyone, including the band) but none of the other songs really stood out to me. Additional tracks that temporarily piqued my interest this time around were "I Remember California" and "(Untitled)". Stipe's lyrics seem as cryptic and oblique as ever. As a listener, I tend to prefer the sound of the words chosen rather than the actual meaning. I agree with another reviewer when they said that this album feels like the beginning of Fall. Not my jam, but 3 stars for the production quality and the 2 tracks I do enjoy.

Vincebus Eruptum

Blue Cheer

2/5

A little too raw recording production and poor songwriting put a serious dent into the optimism I had for hearing this album for the first time. Nope, not the proto metal album I was led to believe it was. Doesn't match the hype, and not an all time album that needs to be heard over other great 60s albums that were not included on the list to make room for this one.

This Year's Model

Elvis Costello & The Attractions

1/5

Elvis Costello sucks so much…

Illinois

Sufjan Stevens

1/5

Tedious, pretentious, indie BS. Further evidence that the naughties were the worst decade of music

Buenas Noches From A Lonely Room

Dwight Yoakam

3/5

Competent country music.

Metal Box

Public Image Ltd.

1/5

As usual, Lydon's views, lyrics, vocal performance, and humor are shit, but at least he hires good instrumental performers, so I just tune his vocals out, like they are a sound effect in the background and focus on the groove. Jah Wobble's bass performance is one of the only consistent bright and funky spots on the entire album. This is early in Martin Atkins drumming career before he would show off his genius in Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, and Pigface. I understand the complaints of others about the album being repetitive, but unlike others, I don't mind the repetition. I find the repetition in punk, dub, electronic, and dance to be quite zen meditative, if one is willing to close their eyes and simply let go. Favorites: "Careering", "Socialist", and "Radio 4". Being a fan of many of the genres that embraced instrumental ideas expressed on this album I wanted to like this album more than I actually did. So, yes it is clearly a proto album for punk, electronic, and industrial, but not sure that anyone needs to hear it anymore, since there is very little pleasure in doing so.

New Boots And Panties

Ian Dury

1/5

Over the decades I thought I understood England, but now I see that I was wrong. What I have learned from listening to hundreds of albums from this list is that England, for the most part, you have no taste. How much cocaine, pints, and smokes were the citizens of England consuming to think that this was ever an all time album? Now having said that I know I can already hear the furious typing of a hipster somewhere about to proclaim that this album could be used as a comb for their handlebar mustache and that it cured them of their genital warts. This is the kind of album that makes you run to your music streaming service, click on the album, and click 'Suggest Less' lest the algorithm torments you for the next week like some kind demon that only Cliver Barker can imagine.

Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea

PJ Harvey

4/5

I just realized an odd bit of coincidence, today is the same day as the day that PJ Harvey received the Mercury Award for STORIES FROM THE CITY, STORIES FROM THE SEA, exactly 24 years later, to the day. What it is even weirder is that it took 25 years for me to hear this album. I don't recall bumping into any of the tracks from this album organically. I enjoyed this way more than any Nick Cave record, clearly he didn't infect her with his bullshit. Unlike Nick, PJ remembers, for people like me, who are not enamored with lyrics, to keep the instrumental hooks and earworms coming. The Thom Yorke vocal backing on "Beautiful Feeling" is okay, but honestly feels a bit like a nod to a collaboration idea that Tori Amos did with Trent Reznor in 1994. Did not enjoy "The Mess We're In". Fortunate enough for Harvey manages to not get stuck on the pretension bus and gets back to straight forward hook driven pleasantness. One of the few Brit rock albums from the 1990s that I actually enjoy. I know, it came out in 2000, but everything you hear on this album is a finely crafted piece of rock that was distilled from the everything the 1990s had embraced. Also SFTCSTFTS us an album where no song seems like a particularly strong single, but it doesn't matter because the song order and pacing makes for a pleasant album listen anyway. Favorites: "Good Fortune", "Kamikaze", "This Is Love", and "We Float".

Beach Samba

Astrud Gilberto

4/5

When I finished listening to this joyful album this morning, I began my day chill and if I were younger I probably would have discreetly skipped along for a step or two. I can feel the skeptics narrowing their gaze on this one, and I am prepared to ignore them. While some critics have derided the pop accessibility of this album, I enjoyed not only the accessibility but the wild varieties of pop arrangements they managed in infuse Samba and Bossa Nova into. How about a marching band? Sure! Why not?

Nick Of Time

Bonnie Raitt

4/5

Delicious rock from a great singer and guitar player. A pleasant album for once. I can hear why it went to the Billboard #1.

Hypnotised

The Undertones

3/5

A pleasant enough punk, but I'm not sure it merits all time listening status. Don't get me wrong, I didn't dislike it, and I was extremely happy that they did not make a protest album. I just fail to see why this album was more important than Devo's FREEDOM OF CHOICE that came out the same year and was far more influential to the punk/new wave scene in 1980 and onward it would seem to me than The Undertones. The Norman Bates from the film Pyscho theme song "There Goes Norman" was my favorite. "Under the Boardwalk" was competent, if uninspiring. The album artwork is terrible. I wanted to like this album but the songs kind of ran together in an unremarkable way. Like their cover song, the album was tight and competent, but rather forgettable.

Wish You Were Here

Pink Floyd

3/5

While I think academically it should be an interesting album from a songwriting and performance point of view, I simply have never enjoyed it as much as I do THE WALL and it is about on par for me as DSOTM. I think it is endearing that Syd's mates wrote 2 very long tracks to celebrate their love and guilt over his situation, but I personally don't enjoy them much. The three remaining tracks "Welcome to the Machine", "Have a Cigar", and "Wish You Were Here" are undoubtedly the high points of the album. The songwriting on those 3 songs benefit from the increased tightening and focus that the Shine On epic lacks. In my opinion Wish You Were Here is a fine album, but not worthy of occupying a 3rd 1970s slot on this list. If a PF album should be removed to make room for other artists, this is it.

Darklands

The Jesus And Mary Chain

2/5

Slow motion alt rock. Not unpleasant, but not something I would ever put on. I love darkness, but this isn't dark, it is just uninspired. I don't mind the drum machine, but if you are going to use a drum machine, do something interesting with it for fuck's sake. The result is an album that I enjoyed slightly more than PSYCHOCANDY, but not enough to actually care about. JOMC is never music altering in the ways that their contemporaries Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure, or the Pixies were. They just kind of exist. Almost anything else from the 80s was more enjoyable than this. Boring and tedious like a Sofia Coppola film. Definitely doesn't belong on an all time list.

Your Arsenal

Morrissey

3/5

For me this is clearly his best solo album. I'm not much of a fan of The Smiths (except for that one song used as a TV theme anthem on a particular U.S. show) or his other solo albums; nor do I believe most of outrageous schtick he would say to keep the album's name in the press constantly for publicity reasons, but I do respect his ability to wind people up. That said, this album does a fine job of keeping songs tight and to the point. The production by Tony Visconti is on point. Hell, even David Bowie enjoyed this album. How can I argue with that? I've learned over the years that I can enjoy a great many things without being in lockstep with every little thing someone utters.

Fear and Whiskey

Mekons

1/5

After that first track my confidence that I will enjoy this album is waning. I give them credit for taking chances, but it does not amount to enough to be notable. Not even a good album for 1985 much else 1980s or all time. It just shows that the editors on this list are trying to rewrite music history rather than reflect upon what the history actually was as they should. Better replacement's that are not on this list that the market has already determined were more worthy: The Cult's LOVE, Whitney Houston's WHITNEY HOUSTON, Sting's THE DREAM OF THE BLUE TURTLES, Phil Collin's NO JACKET REQUIRED, and Simple Mind's ONCE UPON A TIME, Stormtroopers of Death SPEAK ENGLISH OR DIE. Those are just off the top my head. Imagine what the editors could do with a bit of effort. No wonder young people don't realize how great music was in the 1980s. This list doesn't do a great job of representing the decade.

When I Was Born For The 7th Time

Cornershop

3/5

For every "Brimful of Asha" high there is a "What's is Happening" low. Included maybe because it was an oddity more than being a highly influential album of its time, because as much as music critics and Wikipedia want to make you believe it, the masses didn't really show up for this album, and it wasn't for a lack of not knowing about it. Favorites: "Brimful of Asha", "Chocolat" With the exception of "Brimful of Asha", I tend to prefer the pure instrumentals. Also, is it just me or on vocal performances like "Good Sh*t" does his accent end up sounding like a Southern American? If you loved this, check out the dub of Meat Beat Manifesto's ORIGINAL FIRE which also came out in 1997. "It's the Music" is a chef's kiss.

Risque

CHIC

5/5

Stone cold classic. So much electronic and hip hop was inspired by and sampled from this ONE album.

I See You

The xx

1/5

I found this music to be to monolithically uninteresting throughout the whole album. Totally unremarkable. Why would England reward this with a Mercury Prize? How bad does the albums to select from got to be 2017 for a committee to land on this one as the most deserving? After listening to I SEE YOU, I did some research, in an effort to try and get some context for their music, and I just found their personalities annoying. They seem like the sort of hipsters who burnt themselves because they ate the vegan pizza before it was cool. How did the Mercury Prize not nominate or even acknowledge Gary Numan's SAVAGE (SONGS FROM A BROKEN WORLD) which came out the same year and eventually went to #2 on the UK Album charts? A much more bold and interesting album, even if it is from an older voice. Come one England, don't be ageist. Do better.

Remain In Light

Talking Heads

5/5

An easy rating because I've enjoyed this album for years. In my opinion it is the very best album they ever released. I personally have known many bands over the years who were directly influenced to become professional musicians from this album. I think the Talking Heads did Fela Kuti proud with this effort. These days the first 5 tracks are basically standards. Having said all that I have a confession. The confession is this, I find the live versions of these songs (particularly the STOP MAKING SENSE tour versions) to be immensely more enjoyable than the album versions. "Once in a Lifetime" benefits most from the live adaptation, as the live version forces David Byrnes vocals to line up rhythmically in a much more pleasant way. So, if you have never heard these songs before, consider giving some of the live versions a listen before rendering your judgement. Oh, and this the album that made clear how much of the genius in Talking Heads is not David Byrne, but in the bass guitar Weymouth and drums and percussion of Frantz.

Among The Living

Anthrax

3/5

Competent but not masterful. Doesn't quite match the interest and enjoyment of its contemporaries in Metallica, Suicidal Tendencies, or Testament. I would not have put this on the list.

First Band On The Moon

The Cardigans

1/5

A middling effort across the board. Not a classic album worth revisiting. Wasn't a relevant band or album in the 1990s and definitely is not one now. Some of the worst ideas from the 1990s on display. "Lovefool" is clearly the only peak on this album. "Iron Man" is an abomination. Her vocal range cloys pretty quickly. I suppose the irony is supposed to be a feature, but it strikes me as a bug. While the varied instrumentation is fantastic, the song arrangements are pretty boring, and with the exception of "Lovefool" lack any real momentum or vigor.

Woodface

Crowded House

2/5

Meh. A middling album that is neither unpleasant or pleasant. It clearly doesn't really belong on this list. WOODFACE was not influential and does not exhibit some particularly accomplished bit of songwriting, musicianship, production, or genre creation that makes it a must listen for anyone. Increasingly I am perplexed by Dimery's choices. A ton of them seem to be for reasons that have nothing to do with the quality of the album and instead for non-musical reasons. Consider that Robert Dimery doesn't include SEAL's debut album, (also from 1991 by the way), nor do he include Sting's TEN SUMMONER'S TALES from 1993, but he includes this instead?

Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim

Frank Sinatra

5/5

Today is my wife's birthday, but with this album I was the one that was given a gift. I've been familiar with Bossa Nova through my drum and percussion studies for decades but had somehow never come across this album. *Chef's kiss* Kickstarted her birthday off perfectly and what they say is true, happy wife happy life.

Cut

The Slits

2/5

The album itself is rather middling and meh, but their influence was formative to the Riot Grrl punk rock movement that would come later. Like a fair number of their male punk contemporaries, I'm not CUT belongs on all time lists. "Typical Girls" was cheeky rebellious fun. I was surprised to learn that Budgie (from Siouxsie and the Banshees) played drums on this album and additional background vocals were added by a very young Neneh Cherry about a decade before she would have her own breakout hit with "Buffalo Stance".

Groovin'

The Young Rascals

4/5

Sure, they are chasing the coattails of The Beatles, but they do this really well. Actually better than most of the bands in the 1960s. Hell, Paul McCartney enjoyed them so much when he saw them debut in London that he came back the next night for another round!

Channel Orange

Frank Ocean

2/5

I was a little weirded out when I heard a sample of my own work in Frank Ocean's first album track, "A Start". I am sort of flattered, but also have mixed feelings. 5 tracks in and I'm not hearing anything to differentiate this album from sounds of the last 20 years of R&B. Unlike like some listeners, I don't mind the atmospheric samples, even kind of enjoy them, but while the production and engineering is top notch, the songwriting and pacing is plodding and tedious. Over stays its welcome like most albums that are released in Hip Hop and R&B these days. It probably doesn't help my enthusiasm much that this artist was a songwriter for Brandy, Beyonce, and Bieber, as I haven't yet really enjoyed any of their music. Typical victim mentality / self pity record of the type that has come out of the Hip Hop and R&B community for the past 40+ years. "Lost" has the most enjoyable groove for me, but the lyrics were the least enjoyable part of the song.

Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo

Devo

4/5

Good, but not their best album. Their best album is FREEDOM OF CHOICE with the iconic standard, "Whip It", where they would perfect the balance of synth Kraftwerk and rock The Ramones. This album is a little too bare bones punk and doesn't show much of the innovations that Devo actually would bring to the genre of new wave where their influence was most felt. Their unique take on The Rolling Stones classic is more enjoyable than the original, as far as I am concerned. While this album is better than most of the punk albums that were chosen for this list, I think FREEDOM OF CHOICE is their most influential album to the masses and musicians. Personally, I would swap them.

Go Girl Crazy

The Dictators

2/5

Sure, I can hear the proto punk influences. This is an album that I probably would not have discovered. Will it be something I am likely to listen to in the future? Unlikely, but I guess you never know. Well recorded and produced silliness that I might have enjoyed with my buddies when I was 12. Only 34 minutes long but man does this album drag. Not convinced that it needs to be on this list.

Reggatta De Blanc

The Police

5/5

Love this album even though it is not quite as vital as GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE or SYNCHRONICITY. The tales of despair, isolation, and hope in songs like "Message In a Bottle", "Bring on the Night", and "Walking on the Moon" are palpable. The intellectual cheekiness is on display in the album title which is a pseudo intellectual way of saying white reggae. Ironically, for me, this album marked a turning point in their songwriting, going from the more simple white reggae of their previous albums to becoming something much more iconic and sophisticated. This maturation we be more clear on GITM and SYNCHRONICITY. And, though bands tried, no one else in the 80s managed to capture this iconic sound. An album and a band that never gets stale with me. All 5 of their albums were lean, filled with solid bangers. One of those bands that broke up while at the top of their game. What they did was not appropriation, because all art forms belong to all humans. No art form belongs solely to a particular ethnic group or region of the world, and nor should that ever come to pass. If that were ever to come to pass, the world would become a very boring place. Being influenced by one another is one of the beautiful things that makes us human. Favorites: "Message In A Bottle", "Regatta de Blanc", "It's Alright For You", "Bring On The Night", and "Walking On The Moon". When I dig at least half of your album and it is clear that you influenced an entire generation of bands, you earn 5 stars from me.

Want Two

Rufus Wainwright

1/5

It turns out I don't WANT 2. The technical pieces are there but they don't amount to anything I can get invested in. The long drawn out vocals were grating by the third track. It feels like the critical praise was for something other than the music.

Let It Bleed

The Rolling Stones

3/5

There are no good Rolling Stones albums, only good Rolling Stones singles. Also, in my experience, there is never more than 3 good singles on any Rolling Stones album. Do yourself a favor and download the 2 singles from this one, and consider listening to "Monkey Man" with its creative opening on the vibe and try to ignore the shit lyrics. You can safely ignore the rest. Save yourself from their horrid interpretations of honky tonk, country rock, and blues. I am giving LET IT BLEED three stars solely based on the quality of "Gimme Shelter" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and nothing else.

Raising Hell

Run-D.M.C.

4/5

Their cover of "Walk This Way" changed the hip hop/rock music world forever, so I get why this album was included. Who can forget that music video? Other favorites: "It's Tricky" and "Raising Hell" After the BEAT STREET film soundtrack, RAISING HELL might very well be the very first hip hop album, by one artist, that I ever listened to all the way through. Thankfully this album is from an era when hip hop kept albums to a reasonable listening length. Definitely one of the more iconic old school hip hop albums but from an enjoyment point of view I cannot give it a 5.

Electric Music For The Mind And Body

Country Joe & The Fish

3/5

Better than the Grateful Dead, less interesting than Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship/Starship. Doesn't feel vital enough for a list like this anymore. Loved that they had a track devoted to Grace Slick!

Trafalgar

Bee Gees

2/5

What a slog. This album needed some uptempo higher peaks to fully contrast against the onslaught of the valley filled ballads. A 47 minute album whose folk rock/pop ballads feel like they drag on for hours. Sounds like the kind of tedium and drudgery that Radiohead specializes in. Favorites: "It's Just the Way" and "When Do I" Do yourself a favor and pull your myopic head out of your ass and go listen to their fantastic Disco albums and their albums throughout the 80s and 90s, which are so much more interesting than this. This list is lame the way it overlooks the most important historical albums by skipping film soundtracks composed by one artist in favor of meaningless albums that were not vital to musicians or music fans.

Doolittle

Pixies

4/5

Probably the most complete Pixies album. Having said that, I'm not convinced that there should be more than 1 Pixies album on this list. Favorites: "Debaser", "Wave of Mutilation" (prefer the U.K. mix on the Pump Up the Volume film soundtrack to the this, the original), and "Here Comes Your Man"

Grievous Angel

Gram Parsons

2/5

A fairly middling country rock music album made by a trust fund kid. While the cover of "Love Hurts" is iconic, I'm not sure that is enough to merit this album being on the list. I've never enjoyed country Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers, or Gram Parsons 1st album. Emmylou Harris' performance makes the parts of the album worth listening to worth it. Favorites: "I Can't Dance", the cover of "Love Hurts", and "Ooh Las Vegas".

Let's Get It On

Marvin Gaye

4/5

An R&B and Soul standard. Over 50 years later and that hasn't changed at all. Just as vital now as it was when it came out in 1973. Favorites: "Let's Get It On", "Keep Gettin' It On", "Come Get To This", and "Just To Keep You Satisfied"

Honky Tonk Masquerade

Joe Ely

3/5

You Brits sure have a weird obsession with honky tonk music. Even The Clash were taken in. He does remind me of Hank Williams Sr, that is to say, the best of honky tonk, so I actually enjoyed this way more than I thought I would.

With The Beatles

Beatles

4/5

Even The Beatles early material and performances are better than most artists best albums and performances. Mind blowing how good these guys were. Favorites: "All My Loving", "Til There Was You (love The Music Man!)"

Peter Gabriel

4/5

How can I not give this a four at a minimum with all time Peter Gabriel classics like "Solsbury Hill" and "Here Comes the Flood"? Other favorites: "Modern Love" and "Down the Dulce Vita"

Technique

New Order

4/5

Not a vital album for the album itself, but rather a pivotal album for leading into all of the Rave/Acid influenced music that would breakout in the early 90s in the United Kingdom and in the United States.

Fulfillingness' First Finale

Stevie Wonder

3/5

Favorites: "Creepin'", "You Haven't Done Nothin'" (the lyrics are tedious social commentary, but the groove is awesome and I love the direct fade in to "It Ain't No Use") "They Won't Go When I Go" (which feels like it was inspired by Baroque Harpsichord and Beethoven piano concertos for its arrangement)

New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84)

Simple Minds

2/5

I like Simple Minds, but this is merely an okay album and far from their greatest album (Once Upon a Time), and it does not have the cultural sway, nor should it really, as their performance and recording of "Don't You Forget (About Me)" from The Breakfast Club soundtrack. I think the list missed out on their 2018 album WALK BETWEEN WORLDS. ::chef's kiss:: especially the standout track "The Signal and the Noise". And while I love 80s album, particularly the synth albums, this is honestly not one of the better ones. As an aside, I have make the following complaint once more: not including soundtracks and scores on this list is one of the silliest rules of this exercise. There are so much quality songwriting, arrangement, and performances that were culturally vital and go missing because of a silly rule. The only track on NEW GOLD DREAM that I actually enjoyed was "Someone Somewhere (in Summertime)".

Third

Soft Machine

2/5

Wild, bold exploration of avant-garde jazz fusion, but I'm not convinced that this album was vital enough that it needs to be heard by future musicians and music fans of which this list serves. Having said that, I'm glad the list turned me on to them, as I'm not sure I would have discovered them any other way. On the other hand, after hearing THIRD, does anyone else feel Angelo Badalementi's LOST HIGHWAY tracks, and chunks of Barry Adamson's LOST HIGHWAY tracks, and his late 80s and early 90s albums were influenced by an appreciation for Soft Machine?

Figure 8

Elliott Smith

1/5

I say this as someone who has lived in and around Portland, Oregon for my entire life, Elliot Smith is the most overrated musician associated with Oregon. Having 2 Elliot Smith albums on this list but not the Cherry Poppin' Daddies FEROCIOUSLY STONED from Oregon is a crime. So tired of Elliot's heroin driven indie bullshit. Both of the Elliot Smith albums are not worthy of all time status on this list.

Paranoid

Black Sabbath

5/5

Your album receives a 5 when 3 of the 8 tracks on your album are all time standards that every metal band has covered at least once. While the rest of the album falls between very good and great as well. Doesn't get much more influential than this album.

Elvis Is Back

Elvis Presley

4/5

I really dig Elvis Presley records and while this one is a fair to good album, it is clearly not as culturally or musically earth shattering as ALOHA FROM HAWAII VIA SATELLITE, which is nearly as important to his career as the '68 Comeback Special. When you look at the albums that were chosen from this artist you see the impact of the stupid singles and soundtracks rule on this list in action. Most of Elvis Presley's most culturally and notable tracks were either from soundtracks (G.I. Blues, Blue Hawaii, Viva Las Vegas...) or were from a time when selling singles was more important than selling LPS (Jailhouse Rock, Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear, All Shook Up...). So, you cannot really get a grasp on the influence of some artists without including soundtracks or singles compilations. Now back to this record. Even on an album such as this, he is still THE KING, and can make weaker songs sound fantastic. He makes what he is doing sound so easy, when it is far from.

Repeater

Fugazi

2/5

I had heard of Fugazi, but never got around to listening to their records. The instrumental rock performances are fantastic (for punk that is), but the lyrics came off like the naive whinging of a child. It's the kind of music where you enjoy the pulse and bob, but then roll your eyes about how silly the lyrics are while munching down on a very early morning breakfast at an all-night Denny's restaurant. My favorite track was the instrumental "Brendan #1".

Kilimanjaro

The Teardrop Explodes

3/5

After hearing this album, as a fan of synths and new wave, it's okay. It doesn't strike me as one of the truly great 80s new wave albums, but if I had discovered this in the same year that I discovered Men at Work, Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, and The Specials, I probably would have enjoyed it.

Only By The Night

Kings of Leon

2/5

Rock without any new ideas. Pleasant enough, but not vital to moving the craft of songwriting, the craft of production, or even the genre of rock forward. Best thing about this family band is the drumming and percussion of Nathan Followill. Favorite track: "I Want You" Honestly, after listening to more than 650 albums on this list I can say that the British music press has shit for taste. Not one of Kings of Leon albums belongs on this list. You booted Sting's Ten Summoner Tales for 1 more Kings of Leon album? Seriously?

Southern Rock Opera

Drive-By Truckers

1/5

While the concept sounds fascinating as a story, the reality is a tedious double length album. Favorites: "Ronnie and Neil" Definitely not worthy enough to be on this list. An entire double album about a band (Lynyrd Skynyrd) that itself could be argued that it doesn't deserve a spot of this list as well.

The United States Of America

1/5

A truly psychedelic experimental album that I wanted to enjoy, but ultimately the songs never come together. Dorothy Moskowitz's vocals are dreadful. They never feel expressive of anything. Most bearable: "Where is Yesterday" Increasingly this list feels like a waste of time.

Too Rye Ay

Dexys Midnight Runners

4/5

With this album, I feel extremes of happiness and sadness, often both at the same time. It doesn't get much more Irish bittersweet than that. Not growing up in England, or Europe for that matter, I was convinced that Dexys Midnight Runners were a new wave band with synths. I was very surprised when I saw them perform on TV, and realized that no only were they not a new wave synth band, but also I realized that they had this odd obsession with dungarees. I can only imagine how outrageously warm it must have felt for the band wearing dungarees beneath the warm performance lights. While the band is from Birmingham, it just feels like it captures the essence of the Irish voice, with the funky jams of American soul music, and I am here for it. Favorite tracks: "The Celtic Soul Brothers (More, Please,Thank You), "Plan B", "Come On Eileen" Having said all the sincere pleasant things, I truly think this is the only album of Dexys Midnight Runners that belongs on the list.

The Poet

Bobby Womack

4/5

Indeed a fine album, but instead of the title of the album being "The Poet" it should have been "The Pump".

Emergency On Planet Earth

Jamiroquai

1/5

Doesn't feel very creatively fresh, even for 1993. Also sounds a bit like that jam band down the block that everyone knows who loves Grateful Dead and Phish a bit too much. Outfits feel like they were stolen when Funkadelic and Parilament weren't looking. And the lyrics don't feel like they work at all. I prefer more my funk be a bit more genuine and sincere. Too much imitation and not enough of their own originality. Feels uninspiring. "Revolution 1993" was a fun instrumental mix even if the lyrical rhythm rocked while the lyrical feeling felt phony and silly.

John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band

John Lennon

2/5

Perhaps my least favorite of the John Lennon solo albums. Favorite tracks: "Love", "God" Everything else just seemed like pointless whining.

Chicago Transit Authority

Chicago

2/5

Too much noodling and not enough focused songwriting. Excellent technical performers but the album (and almost every song) overstays its welcome and becomes tedious and boring.

Songs Of Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen

1/5

Tedious, not very adventurous music. Your typical singer songwriter bullshit. After Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen might be the second most overrated, singer songwriter.

Your New Favourite Band

The Hives

2/5

It is a compilation album, which is a violation of the rules, and it's not even remotely their strongest album (that would be THE BLACK AND WHITE ALBUM). While I have always loved "Hate to Say I Told You So", this band was largely a one hit per album band, and definitely not something that needed to be heard before death in order to understand the arc of music history. Better than The Strokes, but that is not saying much. After the one hit, the pyschobilly of "Mad Man" was vaguely interesting as well as "The Hives Are Law, You Are Crime", where the band at least tried something different. On this album, The Hives didn't really add anything to the punk sub-genre we haven't heard a thousand times before and it suffers from sounding a little too similar from track to track like a punk version of beige.

...And Justice For All

Metallica

3/5

It was while supporting this album that I first saw the band play live . It is without a doubt technically astute, but with the exception of "One", it is one of my least favorite Metallica albums. It is my opinion that the only albums from Metallica that belong on this list are RIDE THE LIGHTNING, MASTER OF PUPPETS, and METALLICA (THE BLACK ALBUM). ...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL doesn't move the genres they play in forward, nor did it move the band's sound forward, it just played on previous elements of thrash and prog rock that the band had exhibited on previous albums. It is the first album without any complete songwriting and performance contributions from bass player Cliff Burton who had died tragically during their RIDE THE LIGHTNING tour, so perhaps it was to be expected that this is more of a grief album (which might explain the complete absence of the bass guitar lines in the mix), before the band could allow themselves to move on emotionally and sonically into the next organic phase of Metallica's existence.

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

The Smashing Pumpkins

4/5

While I am not really a Smashing Pumpkins fan, even I have to admit this album is epic. The double album is too self indulgent. 30 to 45 minutes could and should have been cut, but it is an album that I have grown to appreciate more and more as I have aged from the young man I was when this album came out to the middle aged man I am now. Billy Corgan's cheese shredder grunts still irk, but the rest of the band's instrumental performances and song arrangements have grown on me over the years. The album is perfectly paced through the first 6-7 tracks on side one of this double album. The back half of the first side is a bit more spotty with in my opinion bright spots of "Love", "Cupid De Locke", and "Porcelina Of The Vast Oceans" where the band breaks up their typical grunge with instrumental and songwriting choices that are a bit more exploratory. I enjoyed the fresh change of the Jame Iha sang, "Take Me Down". While, objectively James Iha is a weak vocal performer that occasionally drops in and out of key, he manages to convey a different kind of vulnerability than the kind that Corgan typically evokes.

The White Room

The KLF

2/5

They were more interesting as marketers than as artists. A fun band to read about but not to listen to. Their whole schtick was dumb as shit. As a fan of Doctor Who and Gary Glitter's "Rock & Roll, part 2", I enjoyed their earlier track "Doctorin' the Tardis"., but let's not convince ourselves that they were anything other than the clowns with zero respect for just about anything, and proposed to support every batshit stupid idea that came around. THE WHITE ROOM, is certainly is not an all time album that needs to be understood by anyone. The only track from it that was great but is no longer on it , probably due to five finger liberating fartoo many kopyrights, was "What Time Is Love?". I feel like there are way more other significant artistic and cultural contributions from electronics artists both before and after this album that go missing so that instead we can get this twaddle. The only interesting tracks ("Build a Fire" for example) that the KLF have on this album are interesting only because they stole the riff or sample from a more creative artist. What they do with it isn't all that interesting itself. Do yourself a favor, ignore this and go find Enigma's MCMXC a.D., Ministry's LAND OF RAPE AND HONEY, or Yello's ONE SECOND or Yello's FLAG, and listen to something with a bit more heft of intelligence to it.

Electric Ladyland

Jimi Hendrix

3/5

With the exception of the hits, the cover of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" and "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" and "And the Gods Made Love", this album is fairly boring for anyone that is not a guitar player or guitar aficionado. "1983 (A Merman I Should Turn to Be)" began interesting but overstayed its welcome. Who has the urge to create a playlist that puts all of the years in order? Maybe this song, David Bowie's "1984", and "Paul McCartney's "1985"? I enjoyed the hits and "Crosstown Traffic". I think this album's relevance has more to do with the production techniques used during recording that would inspire other artists who would refine those techniques into things that were actually structured and interesting.. Hendrix also codified the stereotype of a studio diva and foreshadowed the kind of assholery it would inspire. 30 to 40 minutes of this album could and should have been cut to tighten this album up. Jimi's is certainly a guitar playing virtuoso, but for folks like me I am not particularly thrilled to listen to guitar masturbation exercises that go on endlessly. I prefer to hit it and quit while we are still ahead. Personally, I think he is a bit overrated, but this album is certainly a historical document.

Electric

The Cult

3/5

I've been a big fan of The Cult for decades. Personally, I would have included LOVE and SONIC TEMPLE on this list as well. Anyone who thinks they are a AC/DC derivative or just another pub rock band, is not listening closely enough. Faves: "Wild Flower", " Peace Dog", "Lil' Devil", and "Love Removal Machine"

Aha Shake Heartbreak

Kings of Leon

2/5

Destroyer

KISS

3/5

São Paulo Confessions

Suba

4/5

Enjoyed this seamless mix of acid jazz / world rock. The Brazilian samba, salsa, and bossa nova were tasty. They gave it a very unique voice and vibe that made them far more interesting than most of the world and electronica mixes that I recall hearing in and around 1999. You can practically feel the pre-millennial tension creeping around below the pulsing street anthems that Suba presented throughout the album. As a drummer and percussionist I enjoy hearing rhythmically driven songs and albums, and this was one of the better ones on this list in that regard. Faves: "Antropofagos (Cannibals)", "Sereia (Mermaid)", and "Pecados da Madrugada (Sins Before Dawn)". I am disappointed by some of the reviewers on here. It feels like they aren't sophisticated enough, or too lazy, to bother learning about South American rhythms and why from a song arrangement perspective these tracks are impressive. Instead, they would rather just dismiss them outright because they have electronic elements. Electronic elements actually make music more interesting spicing up the dreary same old instrumental arrangements that we have all heard a thousand times for the past century.

Hotel California

Eagles

3/5

"Hotel California" and ""Life in the Fast Lane" are the only tracks I've ever really enjoyed off this album before and it wasn't much different this time, even though I forced myself to be patient and really give the back half of the album a fair shake. I am so happy that the band departed from the hard core Country Rock sound after Bernie Leadon left. This time around while I did not enjoy the ballad "Wasted Time", I actually enjoyed the string arrangements of "Wasted Time (Reprise)". In all honesty, I prefer the solo projects, particularly with regards to Don Henley, although Glenn Frey had some classics over the 80s as well; over the output of The Eagles.

Supa Dupa Fly

Missy Elliott

2/5

Missy Elliott's raps and song arrangements are a bit more palatable to listen to then your typical hip hopper, but her album still suffers from the inexcusable bloat. This album is not tight, but it could have been if the intro and outro by Busta Rhymes and about half the songs (particularly the back half of the record where it seriously drags) were cut. Lyrically speaking, the subjects are a tad more universal and relatable than was typical for this era. Missy seems to focus on love, passion, and female pride/ego/narcissism. The album title comes from the track "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)" which misuses a sample from Tina Turner's excellent song "I Can't Stand the Rain". I feel like the sample added nothing creative or necessary for the track and it just detracted from Elliott's lyrical skill. The song also detracts from the flow of the album in general. While I can be convinced that Missy Elliott might belong on this list, I can not be convinced that this is the album of hers that belongs on here. Maybe MISS E...SO ADDICTIVE would have been a better choice. I cannot be convinced that more than one album of hers belongs on this list. I think the most notable thing on this album is how forward Timbaland's production design and sound moved hip hop. Nothing sounded like this at the time, but very soon after, it became far more common.

Underwater Moonlight

The Soft Boys

2/5

Meh. An innovative production sound that is unfortunately wasted on the worst of the British sardonic lyrics that are celebrated for being insightful and funny when they are truly neither. I can hear where they might have influenced The Stone Roses, REM, and The Pixies, but unfortunately those are not my favorite bands, particularly not from the 1980s. An album that, in my opinion, doesn't belong on this list. Decent, but not good or even great, and since we are all here to hear the best 1001 albums that must not be missed before we die, it comes as a big disappointment. The only track I actually enjoyed was "You'll Have To Go Sideways", where they finally rolled out the 80s synth, and kept it mercifully instrumental only. The rest of the album is the same overrepresentation of British lyrical cyncism, of which this list has too much already. Should have put Katrina and the Waves WALKING ON SUNSHINE on here instead.At least it actually had a hit on it.

The Only Ones

2/5

Not punk or new wave. A middling English rock album from 1978. Engineering, production, and most of the performances are good to great, but the vocalist is quite dreadful. I never did acclimate to his special kind of auditory hell. Song structures are acceptable. I'm not convinced this is an all timer that anyone needs to hear.

Water From An Ancient Well

Abdullah Ibrahim

3/5

A fine jazz album that extols its influences greatly while not bringing a whole lot new to the table. While he was born in South Africa, because he went into exile to America and stayed there until the 1990s, you don't hear many South African influences on here really at all. Just the standard American form of jazz with heavy influences from American jazz greats like Thelonius Monk and Duke Ellington. You can clearly hear the influence of Elington's "Caravan" on Ibrahim's "Tuang Guru". "Manenburg Revisited" has a bit of a Vince Guardi Trio vibe about it. It was an album that was perfectly suited to easing me into my Sunday morning with a bit of instrumental beauty that was blissfully bereft of lyrical ruination.

Femi Kuti

3/5

Competent, but doesn't differentiate much from his father's brand of acrobat. The jazz and funk of the afrobeat was pleasant enough, but no particular track stuck with me.

The Nightfly

Donald Fagen

3/5

Smooth, excellent production. A bit more enjoyable to me than his Steely Dan albums, but I'm not sure it would have made my 1980s album cut. While a fine album, it sounds far too 70s to have had any meaningful impact on the music that would follow it in the 1980s and 1990s. Personally, I prefer many others from the 1980s that I think were far more influential than this album.

Dear Science

TV On The Radio

3/5

One of the more bearable of the entries on this list, and my favorite of their albums. If you were going to include anything from this band, I think this is definitely the one. Personally I would remove their debut album DESPERATE YOUTHS, BLOODTHIRSTY BABES from the list. They absolutely nail their influences in these songs. Perhaps a bit too much on the nose for some, but personally I do think this was one of the better albums from the naughties. You can hear the David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, Brian Eno, and Talking Heads influences. Faves: "Golden Age" and "DLZ" I saw them live when they toured with Nine Inch Nails and if you thought their live performances might sound a bit more meaty and gritty then you would be mistaken. They sound almost exactly like what they do on the album. I was also puzzled by the number of people who think that Phish wrote "Golden Age". It is actually the other way around. Phish covered TV on the Radio's "Golden Age".

Suede

1/5

I remember being talked into this bullshit record back in the mid 1990s. I resented it then and I resent it now. I remember thinking at the time that it sounded like a rehash of the worst impulses of David Bowie and The Smiths. After listening to it again today, I still think that. Everything I have heard from this band seems so derivative. An album made entirely of fillers. This list has way too many well recorded and produced middling British rehash rock albums on here . I would have included albums by artists that in hindsight added more threads to the sonic tapestry rather than those that just revisit previous highs. You know what would have been a better selection for 1993? Sting's TEN SUMMONER TALES, which expanded the tapestry of AOR, with excellent lyrics, and top notch performances. Hell, "Seven Days" from that album has become a standard bearer for drummers to show mastery of groove on the instrument. Or how about Depeche Mode SONGS OF FAITH AND DEVOTION? Tool's UNDERTOW? U2's ZOOROPA? Primus' PORK SODA? I just thought of these off the top of my head without any serious effort and they are far more original sounding albums that easily could have been picked for 1993 instead of this piss. Imagine if Dimery had actually thought about it a bit more deeply? After listening to 666 albums on this list, I am beginning to lose faith that this list even understands what albums are ACTUALLY great and not merely the editor's favorites friends and bands that he wish were more recognized. It seems Dimery doesn't understand that the Brit Pop and Rock movement of the 90s was pretty much just all hype with no real meat on the bone.

LP1

FKA twigs

1/5

I plead with this list to include more electronic, synth, and pop related artists and you give me this junk? Why am I not surprised that it is another album that did not sell well, by an English artist that was nominated for things but didn't win anything and so of course you foist her upon us. Such a ridiculous English bias upon this list. If this had been recorded by anyone that did not have English citizenship, there is no way that it ends up on this list.

Third/Sister Lovers

Big Star

4/5

I enjoyed this album of Big Star more than their other entry on this list. I was prepared to be bored, but this album gripped racket and held on until about the last three songs or so. Kind of blows my mind that they landed on this in 1974. It seems to portend a sound that would become popular throughout the 1980s and 1990s. I dig the epic sort of cinematic vibe that was established over the course of the album. I relished the variety of the song subjects, instrumentation, and songwriting experiments. It is a shame that this never came out in the 1970s, but I can see how the public was probably not ready for such a forward thinking album (in terms of production risk). There is so many artistic ideas and techniques that the listening public would have had to acclimate to before they would be equipped to enjoy something like this.

Fisherman's Blues

The Waterboys

3/5

While I prefer other Waterboys albums to this one, particularly the one with "The Whole of the Moon" on it, I still enjoyed this throwback album of folk rock, blues, and country. Not entirely convinced it is essential listening to anyone's catalog, particularly if you are familiar with the original genres and the original songs/poems they are covering, but it was enjoyable diversion during this Thanksgiving week.

Little Earthquakes

Tori Amos

5/5

Finally the list got at least one of the albums right. This is one of those albums that almost singlehandedly set the table for Alanis Morrisette's album JAGGED LITTLE PILL to go supernova merely 3 years later. These female confessional albums practically set the stone from which the Lilith Fair would be built upon. Very hard to be objective about this album as it is one of my favorites. I've known so many people who leaned on this album to help them get through difficult times. Personally this album helped me to understand the perspective of the feminine in my life in a way I had not before, and I am very thankful Tori Amos shared that with us. Just banger after banger on here. A little something for everyone. You want surrealist lyrics? check. You want virtuoso on an instrument? Check. You want your songs to be more about the internal and less about the external? Check. An amazing vocal range and delivery? Check. One of the reasons I respect this album more than a recently released confessional by some female artist is that this one fairly looks inward rather than just pointing the finger externally. I appreciate that. It seems more honest and universal. And if you are a rocker and think this doesn't rock enough, do yourself a favor and check out the live version of "Precious Things" from the TO VENUS AND BACK. Recorded on her PLUGGED tour in 1998, it will blow your mind. Personally I think all 4 of her albums (LITTLE EARTHQUAKES, UNDER THE PINK, BOYS FOR PELE, and FROM THE CHOIR GIRL HOTEL), all released during the 1990s could have been on this list. Each is very different from the next and they are all peak performance and creativity.

A Date With The Everly Brothers

The Everly Brothers

3/5

A album with exceptional harmonies, but certainly not my favorite. That would be their debut album THE EVERLY BROTHERS. That is the one with the all of the hits, including "Bye Bye Love" and "Wake Up Little Susie", and personally that is the album of theirs that I would have included. For those complaining about the lyrics, me thinks you are projecting far too much. Sometimes sweet and innocent is exactly that and not some dark Lynchian lie that is waiting to attack. Silly hipsters.

Scott 4

Scott Walker

2/5

If anybody's music was desperately in need of some cocaine, it was this guy. A bit of urgency and tempo, just for a change periodically, wouldn't have killed him, would it? This is fine, but there’s better examples in the genre. Dig the orchestral performances, and the album is well produced and recorded, but it as dull and boring as it gets. An even worse version of Nick Cave and I didn't think that was possible. At many times it doesn't even feel like Scott Walker is connecting with his own material. As if he is just going through the motions. I can hear why I wasn't familiar with his work. Love pop, particularly from this era, but this was not my cup of tea. Now I am going to go listen to some Tom Jones THE LEAD AND HOW TO SWING IT or maybe even some Lawrence Welk to cleanse my palette of Scott Walker. Having heard both of his albums on this list, I am convinced that he doesn't belong on this list.

Playing With Fire

Spacemen 3

1/5

Important to shoegazers, but since Spiritualized already appears on here twice, I feel like shoe gazing is more than represented. Honestly, this was boring AF. Another example of a mediocre British band that was included because of the author's bias and not because they actually need a 3rd album of shoe gazing on here. If this band were not from England the author would have looked right past this. This is the kind of jamming that ever dorm band did in the late 1980s and into the 1990s. Nothing special here.

Roger the Engineer

The Yardbirds

3/5

A fine rocker and and blues album. As the only studio album of The Yardbirds and featuring Jeff Beck's impeccable guitar playing on all the tracks, I am inclined to agree that it belongs on the list as a pivotal album in the 1960s even if it is less relevant now.

Goo

Sonic Youth

3/5

My favorite of Sonic Youth albums, and they only one, in my opinion, that belongs on the list at all. I discovered this album in 1990 when I heard "Titanium Expose" on the PUMP UP THE VOLUME film soundtrack. Their noise rock seems perfect for this cover album image of teen lovers/murderers. The passionate, urgent, teenage angst and yet the detached noise with little real signal conveys the naïveté. Favorite track: "Titanium Expose"

Ogden's Nut Gone Flake

Small Faces

2/5

As a fan of progressive rock, I was hoping this would be my jam, but alas it was not. The music is wacky, verging very closely to the novelty album, which I am not sure I would include on a list like this. Not great, not bad. Just sort meh.

The Trinity Session

Cowboy Junkies

2/5

An album that is, in my opinion, miscategorized on Apple Music. It is not Pop or even Rock, it is clearly one of the early templates of Alt Country and more appropriately Folk Rock when it came out in the 1980s. While the performances and engineering are adequate, the arrangements are so sparse that it becomes dragging and boring pretty quickly. This could have been any quartet fronted by a jazz singer, of which there are many. What makes this one so special? Prefer the "Blue Moon" covers of the Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart song by either The Marcels or Elvis Presley. This version doesn't veer far enough from it to inject it with new life and makes the cover not worth doing in the first place. Same goes for their cover of the Hank Williams song "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry". Favorites: "Mining for Gold", even though it is another cover originally by James Gordon, and "Sweet Jane" (almost anyone can sing better than Lou Reed). One of the most enjoyable parts of the album was the chit chat that occurred after the final "Walking After Midnight" concludes. Not one of my personal favorites from the 80s. I was a fan of 80s production ideas that were more forward thinking and took chances on technology and this album avoids all of that and revisits traditionalism from decades before.

Feast of Wire

Calexico

3/5

I enjoyed the tracks that had no vocals.

Hearts And Bones

Paul Simon

3/5

Not as amazing as Graceland, but certainly a fine album. Doesn’t have any of the hits as far as I’m concerned from his career personally, I would’ve liked to have heard what Garfunkel sounded like on these tracks originally.

Grace

Jeff Buckley

1/5

Tedious, boring, overrated hipster rock. Almost any rock album from the 1990s was more enjoyable than this. Only slightly less soporific than his dad's music. When I was at university, in the 4 years leading up to this record's release, there were multiple music school dorm jam bands on every U.S. campus that sounded exactly like this and they played at all the coffee houses on campus. They were a dime a dozen. Nothing special. They too were filled with so much angst and narcissism that was filled with emotional immaturity. Guess we know his Dad never taught him about the buddy system when you go swimming. One nice "Hallelujah" cover and a bunch of wankery.

Queen II

Queen

3/5

I am a Queen fan, and II is a fine album. Definitely an expansion of their sound and scope from their debut album, but none of the hits are on there, so personally I would not have included it on this list. Instead, I would replace it with A KIND OF MAGIC, which is a cultural touchstone that still delivers nearly 4 decades on.

Ragged Glory

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

1/5

Half-assed terrible country rock from a guy who can't sing. No thanks. The kind of terrible junk that makes hipsters swoon. Unbearably bad.

Skylarking

XTC

2/5

Enjoyed "Dear God" for the decades, but never got around to listening to the rest of the album. I wanted to enjoy this album, but it just never worked for me. It is produced and engineered with skill, and while I could hear the influences (The Beatles, The Beach Boys, David Bowie, and The Moody Blues), like most Todd Rundgren produced albums, it just felt like a collection of ideas that never quite coalesced into something larger than the quirky parts. A bit too baroque and ethereal. Only track I ultimately enjoyed was "Dear God". I was not a fan of the drum arrangements on the rest of the album. A part of me wishes the whole of Skylarking had been recorded with the same college rock sound in mind as they pursued on "Dear God". I think Tears for Fears does better versions of all of these ideas, particularly on ELEMENTAL, which I think doesn't get enough love. 3 Stars for the one song and the meticulous production and engineering.

OK Computer

Radiohead

2/5

I appreciate , but it didn't move me in 1997 and it doesn't move me now. I am aware that I am one of the few people who feels this way. I cannot pinpoint exactly why I feel this way. I am a prog rock fan and yet the vast majority of Radiohead albums leave me cold. Some of it might have to do with the fact that I loathe the sound of Thom Yorke's lame singing and his lousy lyrical constructs, but usually I can look past that in a band and enjoy the actual music in the instrumental choices and arrangements. On paper I should enjoy this, but in practice, I do not. After nearly 30 years of OK COMPUTER not clicking, I am not holding out hope that it is ever going to happen. As a synth head, I much prefer KID A to this album.

Raw Like Sushi

Neneh Cherry

2/5

A one hit wonder that I would not have included on this list from the 1980s. I feel that much better and more popular albums from the 1980s were avoided in order to include this and it ultimately is not worthy of the spot. This was never considered a great album, not in 1989, and not now. So many great albums from 1989 from artists from the B-52s, Nine Inch Nails, Billy Joel, Madonna, The Cult, Motely Crue, and Don Henley, and Dimery ignores them for this? The only reason that ratings of the 80s on this list is so low is because Dimery has more often than not chosen among the weakest of the 80s albums and ignored many of the more time-tested albums that came from perhaps one of the greatest decades of Rock and Pop. There is also an overrepresentation of English acts that simply were not culturally relevant in the 1980s, while ignoring some of the other beloved and popular English albums because why? Not hipster enough for Mr. Dimery?

Rocks

Aerosmith

3/5

Mostly just a one hit album, with maybe "Nobody's Fault" meriting inclusion as well. I don't think I would have included the whole album on this list. I would have included either PUMP or GET A GRIP instead. I thought the songs they wrote and produced in the late 80s and early 90s were far superior to most of their 70s work.

The Dark Side Of The Moon

Pink Floyd

4/5

A progressive rock classic. Certainly belongs on this list as it helped define how a concept rock album could and should tell a story by using structural elements in the song arrangements and album arrangements that came from the program music of the Romantic Music Age, which was all about marrying music to story. Having said all that, I do not love the album and rarely if ever feel the desire to listen to it, nor is it my favorite Pink Floyd album. That would be THE WALL. To me it gets a 4 because of cultural relevance, but really feels like a 3.75 to me. I celebrate that they did not dwell on extended instrumental solos that often plagued their earlier albums, but TDSOTM songs while keeping the story motifs intact, don't vary enough stylistically from one another in the way that, in my opinion, other concept albums by artists like David Bowie, Rush, and Nine Inch Nails, even ANTICHRIST SUPERSTAR by Marilyn Manson do, in order to really experience the entire scope of the emotional range which is clearly the album's ambition. I applaud that Pink Floyd kept the album from being a double album, but perhaps this is one of the those rare times when it could have benefited from being a double album. Being a double album is what allowed THE WALL to cover far more narrative and emotional ground. I would have liked to see them keep the songs tight, but push even further out of their boundaries.

Darkness on the Edge of Town

Bruce Springsteen

2/5

Aside from Clarence on sax and Max on drums, this is a pretty tedious Bruce Springsteen album. And what's with the marbles in his mouth while singing? We get it, you read Grapes of Wrath. Let's not lose our minds over it. Don't over think it. The only two of his albums that belong on here are Born to Run and Born in the U.S.A. Basically, until Bruce puts the word "Born" in another album title, just leave the other albums off.

Vanishing Point

Primal Scream

3/5

Not getting of to a great start. Sounds a bit boring like another terrible Oasis or Blur record. Track 2, "Get Duffy" finally gets it going with some fantastic 70s film noir vibe. Thankfully with no vocals. Yep, there we go, more noir delight on "Kowalski". Love the driving bass guitar sample from Funkadelic, the dialogue from the film Vanishing Point, and the supporting atmospheric electronics. This is making me want to dig the film out and watch it this morning. While I had heard of this album, I had never gotten around to listening to it. It was definitely a pleasant discovery that I wish I had discovered in 1997, as I think I would have embraced more when I was younger. Now that I am older, I find that the album's strength is consistently in the tracks that have no vocals or very little vocals. Those are the tracks that also have the most funky and interesting musical interplay (admittedly built out of samples from funky greats, but they are arranged well!).

Ray Of Light

Madonna

3/5

There critics go again trying to make this more complicated than it needs to be. I am a Madonna fan, and her best works are unquestionably MADONNA, LIKE A VIRGIN, and TRUE BLUE. The rest of her work never sounded as urgent and earnest. Maybe LIKE A PRAYER, but definitely nothing past that. Far too long of an album. Most of the songs don't feel like they have truly great hooks and the only songs with any real sense of cohesion are the dual hits of "Ray of Light" and "Frozen", and maybe the organic bossa nova vibe of "To Have and Not to Hold" They also happen to be the only songs that Madonna sounds like she was having any fun recording. As someone who generally enjoys dance albums, this one feels incredibly....beige. Probably bold for an audience unfamiliar with the genres she is playing with, but tedious for those already in the know. Full disclosure, I have never enjoyed William Orbit's mixes of U2 and Depeche Mode singles either. So maybe it is just a me and William Orbit thing.

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