1001 Albums Summary

Listening statistics & highlights

86
Albums Rated
3.27
Average Rating
8%
Complete
1003 albums remaining

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1960
Favorite Decade
Jazz
Favorite Genre
UK
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
13
5-Star Albums
3
1-Star Albums

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By Genre

Top Styles

By Decade

By Origin

Albums

You Love More Than Most

AlbumYouGlobalDiff
Liege And Lief
Fairport Convention
5 3.09 +1.91
Brilliant Corners
Thelonious Monk
5 3.33 +1.67
Synchronicity
The Police
5 3.4 +1.6
The Village Green Preservation Society
The Kinks
5 3.4 +1.6
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Bruce Springsteen
5 3.42 +1.58
Green
R.E.M.
5 3.47 +1.53
Songs For Swingin' Lovers!
Frank Sinatra
5 3.52 +1.48
Young Americans
David Bowie
5 3.62 +1.38
Live At The Regal
B.B. King
5 3.66 +1.34
Born In The U.S.A.
Bruce Springsteen
5 3.69 +1.31

You Love Less Than Most

AlbumYouGlobalDiff
Master Of Puppets
Metallica
1 3.71 -2.71
Ill Communication
Beastie Boys
1 3.63 -2.63
Illmatic
Nas
1 3.61 -2.61
Doolittle
Pixies
2 3.74 -1.74
To Pimp A Butterfly
Kendrick Lamar
2 3.64 -1.64
Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Wu-Tang Clan
2 3.6 -1.6
Licensed To Ill
Beastie Boys
2 3.53 -1.53
Dirt
Alice In Chains
2 3.47 -1.47
Hybrid Theory
Linkin Park
2 3.39 -1.39
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
Public Enemy
2 3.36 -1.36

Artists

Favorites

ArtistAlbumsAverage
Bruce Springsteen 2 5

Least Favorites

ArtistAlbumsAverage
Beastie Boys 2 1.5

5-Star Albums (13)

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Popular Reviews

Heroes to Zeros by The Beta Band

Didn't care for this one. I stopped paying attention.

1-Star Albums (3)

All Ratings (86)

1999 by Prince
Jan 11 2024
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere by Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Jan 12 2024

I knew some of the content of this album but had never listened to the album itself. Nothing surprised me (which is good, because I expected to really like it). I was trying to figure out how to describe Neil Young’s voice but found this quote from Bruce Miroff of Rolling Stone on the Wikipedia page for this album: “perpetually mournful, without being maudlin or pathetic. It hints at a world in which sorrow underlies everything,” That’s a perfect analogy (so I stopped trying to create my own). It starts out with strong guitar and drum rhythm on Cinnamon Girl, which immediately placed me in time and mood for Neil Young. I didn’t love the title song (track 2) but I was fully recommitted with Round & Round. The jam of Down By the River was a little long for me (for a studio album) but I imagine it would be amazing to see live, even if it went on twice as long. Virtually flipping over to Side 2, The Losing End continues strong, leading into Running Dry which has some interesting violin sections. The album ends with Cowgirl in the Sand, with another bundle of long guitar riffs (which I like more than Down By the River.

Ill Communication by Beastie Boys
Jan 15 2024

Totally not my genre. I tried listening with an open mind, but the tracks were either too "head banging" or too electronic to engage me. Meh.

Master Of Puppets by Metallica
Jan 15 2024

Definitely not my genre of music. The tracks all run together for me. The heavy metal hard-driving rock all sounds the same (in a way that I don't enjoy).

Jan 16 2024

I was surprised at how much I liked this album. 1. Billy Jack - nice funky beat. I enjoyed it. 2. When Seasons Change - Intro church bells - kinda cool. 3. So In Love - One minute instrumental intro. Slow, but engaging. 4. Jesus - cool song, even if I'm not "the target audience" 5. Blue Monday People - really liked this one 6. Hard times - 7. Love to the People - nice closing to the album

Live At The Regal by B.B. King
Jan 19 2024

Wow - what a great album, from start to finish! I've loved B.B. King (and saw him live a year or so before he died) but wasn't familiar with this album. In "Everyday I Have the Blues", the album starts right out exactly as you would expect B.B. King to start out. Great guitar in this typical blues song. I especially liked "How Blue Can You Get?",

Revolver by Beatles
Jan 23 2024

Not my favorite Beatles album, but still great - after all, it's the Beatles! They were experimenting more (pre- Sergeant Pepper) and lots of the innovations now seem "normal" (or even old fashioned) to us more than 50 years later.

Tago Mago by Can
Jan 24 2024

I was unfamiliar with the term Krautrock, which is the genre for this album. I'm aware of Tangerine Dream and Kraftwerk (among others), but don't really know their music. After this album, I don't think I'll seek out more. Parts of it reminded me of early Pink Floyd, but not enough to make it really interesting for me.

The Poet by Bobby Womack
Jan 25 2024

I liked this a lot more than I expected I would. This album had a very 70s feel (even though it came out in 1981). Tracks that stood out for me included So Many Sides of You, Just My Imagination, Games (with lots of great guitar in the last few minutes), and If You Think You're Lonely Now (the highest ranking hit single from the album).

Paranoid by Black Sabbath
Jan 26 2024

This is another album taking me back multiple decades. I first heard this in high school in the late 70s, especially Paranoid and Iron Man. This is one of the earliest heavy metal albums (before the term even existed). I enjoy it more than many of the successors, as metal evolved to groups like Judas Priest, Metallica, and Iron Maiden. Still, I'm not a hard-rock lover, so it doesn't get a higher score from me. I must admit, however, that I loved the drums on Rat Salad. And the intro of Iron Man is iconic, of course.

Parallel Lines by Blondie
Jan 29 2024

This was (I'm pretty sure) Blondie's breakout album and is pretty typical of the pop-almost-punk-rock of the era. This album includes a few of Blondie's big hits that I remember from my end-of-high-school days: One Way or Another and Heart of Glass. I liked 'em then and I still like 'em now, even though I probably haven't heard them in a few decades. I wasn't familiar with the album, but the sound is unmistakably Blondie throughout. Of the songs I didn't know, I enjoyed Hanging on the Telephone the most.

Jan 30 2024

Electronic rock normally isn't for me. I was surprised that I enjoyed the first few tracks of this album, but then I lost interest and got bored for a little while. I liked "4th Dimensional Transition" and "Pieces of What". The coolest song title is "Of Moons, Birds, and Monsters", but I didn't love the song itself, except for the cool instrumentals in the last minute or two.

Synchronicity by The Police
Jan 31 2024

I have loved this album ever since it was released right around my college graduation. It's one that I've listened to enough that I know as one track ends, what track is coming next. The title track starts things off with (what I now consider) the "classic Police sound", with Sting's distinctive voice. The percussion on "Walking in Your Footsteps" has a cool African or Caribbean feel. I'm not sure I ever paid attention to many of the titles: "O My God", "Mother" (which I've never enjoyed and is the only track on the album that I really dislike), "Miss Gradenko" (which I always thought of as "Is Anybody Alive in Here?", and "Tea in the Sahara". The hits were hits for a reason - they're great: "Every Breath You Take", "King of Pain", and "Wrapped Around Your Finger". Having them come back-to-back-to-back on the same album is pretty amazing!

Pacific Ocean Blue by Dennis Wilson
Feb 01 2024

I was pretty sure I would give this a 2 rating, until a strong finish in the last 3 tracks bumped it up. I didn’t love anything though and in a year or two probably won’t remember that I ever heard any of it. 1. River Song started off interesting, but lost me about halfway through. 2. What’s Wrong has a bit of a Beach Boys feel, but not as good. 3. Moonshine sounds like a lot of other 70s angst-rock songs. It didn’t do much for me. 4. Friday Night has a long instrumental intro that I liked more than I did after he started singing. 5. Dreamer didn’t inspire me either, but a part of it made me think of Come Together by the Beatles, but I’m not sure why. 6. Thoughts of You had some interesting music effects. 7. Time - I liked this one a bit more at the beginning, especially the trumpet bit about halfway through, but the aggressively upbeat last minute didn’t fit with the early part of the song. 8. You and I – Brian Wilson said this was his favorite song that Dennis ever made. I didn’t love it, but it might be the best of the album for me. 9. Pacific Ocean Blues – it seemed odd for the title track to have a very different feel from the rest of the album. 10. Farewell My Friend – I also enjoyed this one. It’s a little depressing, but that’s the theme of the song. 11. Rainbows – similar to the previous track, I liked it. It seemed like the album is improving on Side 2. 12. End of the Show is a great title for the final track of an album. Spotify also had 4 bonus tracks from the 30th Anniversary edition. The instrumental “Holy Man” was a highlight of those tracks. The finale “Mexico” was just weirdly out of place here.

Black Metal by Venom
Feb 02 2024

This album didn't turn me into a metal fan. It starts out immediately setting the tone – heavy banging guitars and thumping drums. First track’s repetitive chanting of the song (and album’s) title got boring for me. “To Hell and Back” at least had some actual lyrics and its guitar work in the middle of the track was interesting. “Buried Alive” is interesting with 30 seconds of near silence, then a minute of gradual building of indistinct sound before establishing the metal sound and creepy lyrics. “Raise the Dead”, “Bloodlust”, “Teacher’s Pet” offer more of the same – they all sound pretty much the same to me. “Leave Me in Hell” seemed a little more interesting, but I didn’t figure out why. “Sacrifice” brought us back to “screaming angry rock” that isn’t for me. We stayed there through “Heavens on Fire” “Countess Bathory”, and “Don’t Burn the Witch” – I had lost all interest at this point. It ended with “At War with Satan”, which was consistent with the rest of the album.

Feb 05 2024

I’ve tried multiple times to become a fan of Nirvana’s music, but never got there. This album almost got me there and I can appreciate why people love them. I like the simplicity of the Unplugged format, which softens the louder grunge features that I don’t like. Highlights for me were: • Come As You Are – great guitar intro before Kurt starts the familiar (even to me) lyrics. • The Man Who Sold the World – I was predisposed to enjoy this because it’s a David Bowie cover • Something in the Way • Trio of songs from the Meat Puppets: Plateau, Oh Me (my fav of the 3), and Lake of Fire

Doolittle by Pixies
Feb 06 2024

I wasn’t familiar with the Pixies so didn’t know what to expect, but I didn’t find much to enjoy about this album. The first track, Debaser, was repetitive screaming of the song title that makes me tune out. I Bleed also had a lot of repetition of the pretty bleak song title. Here Comes Your Man was the first track that seemed to have a melody – I was surprised to enjoy it, after the first 4 tracks, but it also turned into “repeat the song title over and over”. With the next track, Dead, I was quickly disinterested again. Monkey Gone to Heaven takes us back to screaming rock. Crackity Jones is pretty fast-paced with cool guitar and I wanted to enjoy it, but I didn’t really get there. I found La La Love You to be a bit more interesting, but then there were 3 straight tracks that I drifted off again. Silver was really weird (and somehow not fitting with the sound of the rest of the album). Wikipedia says the final track (Gouge Away) “ends with everyone dying in a crush”, which seems fitting for my thoughts of this album.

Young Americans by David Bowie
Feb 07 2024

I’m not sure I ever listened to this album in full. Right from the first few seconds, the title track gives me thrills. It’s so familiar, but never gets old for me. “Win” shifts to a more R&B sound, followed by “Fascination” with lots of background vocal support. The end of Side 1 (which is an out-of-date concept) is Right, which starts with some great saxophone, but wasn’t a favorite track for me. Side 2 highlights were a cover of the Beatles “Across the Universe” (apparently with John Lennon on guitar and backup vocal!) and “Can You Hear Me?” (again with a slower R&B feel). The album ends with the familiar “Fame”, which I’ve never loved, but I found myself really connecting with this time. Overall – a great classic album from a true creative genius.

The College Dropout by Kanye West
Feb 08 2024

This album was not completely what I expected it to be. I expected a more complete “rap + hip-hop” than what I actually heard. As a result, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would (but not enough to become a Kanye fan). It started out promising – I enjoyed the fun beat of “We Don’t Care” (trying to ignore the frequent N words) followed by a short track with some brief (non hip-hop) vocals by John Legend for less than a minute. I also liked the rhythm (and background vocals) in All Falls Down. I’ll Fly Away then switched to a bit of a gospel sound for a short track. I got bored with Spaceship pretty quickly and then Jesus Walks and Never Let Me Down were more of what I expected (and thus liked less). This continued with most of the other tracks, which mostly ran together for me and didn’t keep my interest. The New Workout Plan and Family Business were exceptions – both were kind of fun. (I didn’t finish the monologue of the final track – I was just done)

Vento De Maio by Elis Regina
Feb 09 2024

I enjoyed this album as "nice background music". Without being able to understand the lyrics, I could only follow the music itself. Title track was really nice and made me want to be on the beach. Nothing stood out or seemed particularly memorable. In six months, I expect I won't remember even having listened to it.

Hounds Of Love by Kate Bush
Feb 12 2024

I've liked Kate Bush for a long time, but never loved her music. This album has her distinctive vocal sound (which I can't describe well). Highlights included "Running Up That Hill", "And Dream of Sheep" and "Jig of Life".  Meanwhile, I found "Walking the Witch" and "Watching You Without Me" a little too weird for my tastes.

Hot Rats by Frank Zappa
Feb 13 2024

I've listened to a fair bit of Zappa, but not this album. Wikipedia calls it "cosmic rock", which is appropriate. The album starts with an instrumental track with lots of keyboard - I liked it a lot (and more than I thought I would). "Willie the Pimp" has the only vocals on the album, along with some very long Zappa guitar solos. The next track follows the same theme of lots of Zappa guitar, but without the vocals. I was surprised to like the electronic experimentation of Little Umbrellas. "The Gumbo Variations" was my least enjoyed track from the album - I found the tenor sax sections surprisingly annoying, but the long guitar solos in the 2nd half were pretty impressive and way too long for me. The final track, "It Must Be a Camel" is an awesome title but it didn't do much for me (but Wikipedia's description makes me think Z would enjoy analyzing the musicality).

Pieces Of The Sky by Emmylou Harris
Feb 14 2024

I don't remember listening intentionally to Emmylou Harris before, but I know I've heard her music. I enjoyed this album - more than most country music I've heard. I loved the fiddle (or whatever those strings were) at the end of Bluebird Wine. If I Could Only Win Your Love was the biggest hit single from the album and was also one of my favorites. Other highlights were Before Believing, Coat of Many Colors and For No One (a cover of a Beatles song). I didn't enjoy Bottle Let Me Down or Queen of the Silver Dollar as much.

The Man Machine by Kraftwerk
Feb 15 2024

Right from the first notes, I can tell this is not my thing. Trying to keep my mind open, I found that the weirdness of the first track kind of felt good until the morphed vocals started in - then I was out of it for the rest of the song. I enjoyed Metropolis more than other tracks, but little in this album interested me.

Queen II by Queen
Feb 16 2024

Early Queen is "harder" rock than their later material, making it further from my "sweet spot". This album also has little that I'm familiar with, although I recognize the unmistakable sound (including Freddy's vocals). I loved the vocals in the last few minutes of Father to Son. Didn't enjoy White Queen, Some Day One Day, or The Loser in the End so much. Ogre Battle is an awesome title for a good song that lives up to the promise of its title. I also enjoyed The Fairy Feller's Mission. There was a passage in the last minute of The March of the Black Queen that felt like a precursor to Bohemian Rhapsody.

Melodrama by Lorde
Feb 19 2024

I admit that I didn't even know what kind of music to expect from Lorde. I really liked the first track, Green Light. I found the next few songs to run together a bit for me, but I enjoyed The Louvre. I also liked Liability (which had some nice piano) and its reprise later in the album. I wasn't a fan of the distorted synthesizer in Hard Feelings / Loveless. Sober II and Supercut were OK. Overall, I see the appeal of Lorde's music - I won't avoid it, but I won't seek it out.

Guero by Beck
Feb 20 2024

I've never listened to Beck and didn't know what to expect. It started poorly for me: I really didn't like E-Pro. I found it easier to listen to Que Onda Guero. Most of the rest was not interesting to me. I did like most of Broken Drum and kind of got into the rhythm of Go It Alone. The final track (Emergency Exit) was my favorite on the album.

Feb 21 2024

Although I know Simple Minds a bit, I don't think I've ever listened to a full album. It was pretty unremarkable for me. I didn't actively dislike any of it, but nothing stood out as interesting. It's nice background music for me, but not something I would seek out.

To Pimp A Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar
Feb 22 2024

Well, that was something. I kind of got into King Kunta, but then it lost me. These Walls was also interesting, with some cool instrumental licks. Alright is a BLM "rallying cry" song (which I learned from Wikipedia) and I understand why, even though it's not my kind of music. How Much a Dollar Cost was also interesting to me. The first half of the next-to-last track (i) was pretty fun - probably my favorite on the album. The last few minutes turned to social commentary that I appreciate, but took me out of my enjoyment.

Darkness on the Edge of Town by Bruce Springsteen
Feb 26 2024

As Zach pointed out to me, I didn't need to listen to this one to know I would give it a 5. I know this album better than anything that's been on the list so far. Badlands is simply awesome. Adam Raised a Cain is one of my least favorite Bruce songs - one minor blemish on the album. I really like The Promised Land and then the album finishes with my two favorite tracks: Prove It All Night and the title track. Overall - an absolutely wonderful album for me.

Songs For Swingin' Lovers! by Frank Sinatra
Feb 27 2024

I love Frank but wasn't familiar with this album - a lovely collection of uptempo pop standards of (mostly) the 40s and 50s. Even though I hadn't heard this album, I think I've heard Sinatra sing nearly all of the songs presented here (except maybe "We'll Be Together Again"). I certainly recognize all the songs and hearing them in Frank's golden voice made me smile from start to finish. 

Fulfillingness' First Finale by Stevie Wonder
Feb 28 2024

The first Stevie Wonder album I knew well was Songs in the Key of Life. This one immediately preceded that one, so I didn't know it. I find Stevie's voice really soothing and smooth, so I generally like his music, as I did here. Highlight songs were: Creepin' and You Haven't Done Nothin' (which I knew). I didn't really care for "They Won't Go When I Go"

Le Tigre by Le Tigre
Feb 29 2024

I didn't know anything about this going in. It reminded me a bit of The Runaways. Deceptacon had a variety of styles within the song (most of which were too "punk" for me). Hot Topic was a change of pace - I enjoyed it, with its very long list of feminist icons in the second half. The end of What's Yr Take On Cassavetes was weird, with the dogs barking. Really disliked The The Empty and The Phanta. I liked the first half of Friendship Station, but not the rest. The next two tracks (Slideshow at Free University and Dude Yr So Crazy) seemed like a completely different artist on a different album. The finale (Les and Ray) was a nice feeling to wrap it up. Overall, not bad, but not my thing.

The Holy Bible by Manic Street Preachers
Mar 01 2024

I knew nothing about Manic Street Preachers. The album didn't start great, with a first track that was just OK for me. Next came the awesomely title "Ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayit'sworldwouldfallapart", which is even more apropos today than in 1994. I didn't like the song as much as I liked its title. Not a fan of the next 4 tracks. I'm curious if any other listeners here understood the basic meaning of the title "4st 7lb". I didn't know the anorexia reference, but I at least understood it meant weight and was able to convert it to pounds or kilos. With context, it's a troubling song. The rest of the album matched the rest until the final track (P.C.P.), which felt like a solid rock song. Definitely not my thing, but probably good at what it's trying to be. I won't go looking for more MSP.

Ágætis Byrjun by Sigur Rós
Mar 04 2024

I liked this more and more as I listened. It started off sounding like relaxation music from a health spa and (with the last track, Avalon) ended the same way. The 3rd track (Starálfur) had more lyrics (in Icelandic, so meaningless to me) and a nice feel, with a lot of strings. In Ný batterí and in the title track, I found myself trying to parse the lyrics (which didn't work, of course). I think my least favorite was "Hjartað hamast (bamm bamm bamm)".

Pretzel Logic by Steely Dan
Mar 05 2024

I am married to the world's biggest Steely Dan hater, so I essentially never listen to their music. This album confirms that I'm not really missing much. I loved the instrumental East St. Louis Toodle-Oo. The rest of the album is "fine". The first track (Ricky Don't Lose That Number) was omnipresent through the 2nd half of the 70s and becomes an annoying earworm whenever I hear it. I enjoyed Barrytown. The rest of the album was undistinguished for me.

Liege And Lief by Fairport Convention
Mar 06 2024

That was really fun! I started this one completely blind, then looked up some background as I listened. I thought it was cool that most of the tracks were traditional Celtic or English folk songs.

Da Capo by Love
Mar 07 2024

This is another "I know nothing about the artist or the album" selection (which is part of why I'm happy to be doing all of this!). The second track, Orange Skies, was my favorite, with a cool 60s vibe that was really fun for me. "7 and 7 Is" was the biggest single of the album, but not something I liked. "The Castle" was a mostly instrumental track that was much better for me. It turns out I actually *am* familiar with She Comes in Colors, which rivaled Orange Skies for my favorite. It's interesting that all of Side 2 of the album is a single long jam - "Revelation". It didn't thrill me, but I was surprised to read how much the band itself disliked it - primary songwriter Arthur Lee called it "the worst fucking song I've ever done in my life" and drummer Michael Stuart said it was "a piece of shit" and "a waste of a side of an album".

Berlin by Lou Reed
Mar 08 2024

This was interesting - I don't have opportunity to listen to many concept albums for the first time. "Lady Day" seemed like a good intro track. The next one was forgettable but I liked "Caroline Says I". I could've done without the screaming kids in "The Kids". Overall, not bad, but I won't ever return to it.

Disintegration by The Cure
Mar 11 2024

I didn't expect to like this because somehow I had a negative image of The Cure (but I don't know where that came from). I was wrong - this was a great album for me. I especially liked Pictures of You.

Sign 'O' The Times by Prince
Mar 12 2024

I realize that I've never paid enough attention to Prince's music. This album was great, although there are a few tracks that must have been among the ones that made me think I didn't like Prince.

Mar 13 2024

First time listen to this album. Tainted Love was ubiquitous in the early 80s, when it was released, and has been part of pop culture ever since. It's incredibly catchy and totally ingrained in my mind. I didn't expect to enjoy the rest of the album as much as I did. Seedy Films was a highlight and Entertain Me was weird but fun. I didn't think much of Youth or Sex Dwarf.

Hysteria by Def Leppard
Mar 14 2024

I liked this more than I expected, probably because (to quote Wikipedia) the band's goal was to create "a hard rock version of Michael Jackson's Thriller, in that every track was a potential hit single", which disappointed their "heavy metal fans". Still, few of the "hit singles" were hits with me. Even though this album had 7 singles released, the only one that I recognized was Pour Some Sugar on Me. I liked Love Bites and I sort of liked Armageddon It and Hysteria.

Dirt by Alice In Chains
Mar 15 2024

With the first two tracks, I thought this would be an hour of being screamed at. The next two tracks softened a bit, with less screaming (and a small bit of real musical enjoyment for me). With tracks 5 (Sickman), we were back to screaming, then less screaming with Rooster (which I think I recognized as having heard before). Then I got bored with assessing which tracks were "more screaming" vs "less screaming". Totally not my music.

Highway 61 Revisited by Bob Dylan
Mar 18 2024

From the first-note-recognition of Like a Rolling Stone, I felt like I was hanging out with an old friend. I simply love this album and I have for a very long time. I listened to the lyrics much more carefully this time and, even so, they are so dense that I'm sure I missed some of the brilliance.

Mar 19 2024

Nothing about this album was good for me. I guess I can appreciate that it was innovative and influential, so I won't give it a 1.

Is This It by The Strokes
Mar 20 2024

This was interesting. Didn't love it, didn't dislike it, won't remember it next month.

Bitte Orca by Dirty Projectors
Mar 21 2024

It was fine, but not interesting to me.

Crocodiles by Echo And The Bunnymen
Mar 22 2024

I liked this more than I expected after the first track, but it's not a standout album for me. I enjoyed the guitar foundation of Monkeys. I wanted to like the title track (because a song called Crocodiles seems cool), but I got bored with it.

Grace by Jeff Buckley
Mar 25 2024

This was pretty good. I had no idea what to expect. Highlights for me: The Last Goodbye, So Real. In addition, I enjoy almost every cover of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah and this one was no different - I especially liked the simple acoustic guitar intro and accompaniment.

Time Out by The Dave Brubeck Quartet
Mar 26 2024

I didn't need Spotify for this one, since we own it and I've liked it for a long time. The frenetic piano to start the 1st track gives me high energy, then it moves into a calmer bass + saxophone middle section. Take 5 is so much fun to listen to!

Moving Pictures by Rush
Mar 27 2024

Never listened to this album fully through, but I'm familiar with many of the tracks. \"Tom Sawyer\" and \"Limelight\" were everywhere in the '80s. I've nevber been a big Rush fan, but I understand why people love them - they were innovative and creative and their music is very distinctive. I'm between 3 and 4 stars - I could give it 4, because I think it's impressive, but for me personally, I won't choose to listen to it, so it gets a 3.

Mar 28 2024

I see why this was influential and why it is highly rated, but it's not my style. I did really like To Zion (with Carlos Santana), I Used to Love Him (with Mary J Blige), and the cover of Can't Take My Eyes Off of You. I also liked Superstar (even before I read that it was a reference to the Doors' Light My Fire).

Architecture And Morality by Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
Mar 29 2024

This is one of those "I would never have chosen it and will probably never listen again, but it was interesting" albums. Track 3 (Souvenir) was interesting. Track 4 (Sealand) was like a long series of heartbeats on the drum - meh. The back to back songs themed around Joan of Arc were OK, but didn't excite me.

Apr 01 2024

I owned this album, which I can only assume was because of the ubiquitous Wonderwall (and maybe some nudging from Zach). I liked it more, listening now, that I thought I would. Don't Look Back in Anger, Cast No Shadow and Champagne Supernova are beautiful.

Brilliant Corners by Thelonious Monk
Apr 02 2024

This had (what seemed to me to be) some very complex solo sections, especially Monk's piano and some saxophone bits. I can never tell how much is "composed" vs "improvised" but, either way, it sounds great.

Infected by The The
Apr 03 2024

I knew about The The (mostly in the context of "That's a weird name"), but didn't know their music at all. This album was fine - not super interesting, not making me want to turn it off. I listened to Heartland a few times, since it was apparently the biggest hit and I thought its content (about UK economy and the Tories) would resonate with me. It didn't.

Axis: Bold As Love by Jimi Hendrix
Apr 04 2024

Hendrix is amazing. I'm surprised that I've never heard of this album (and therefore never listened to it). It starts out strange, with an experimental track, but gets flowing with distinctive Hendrix sounds on the following tracks. Spanish Castle Magic is a highlight, along with Ain't No Telling, She's So Fine and One Rainy Wish. Really strong album, but not the best Hendrix I've heard.

Channel Orange by Frank Ocean
Apr 05 2024

I started listening to this 4 times and it played all the way through each time, but my attention wandered. It was decent and I generally liked it, but nothing stuck with me or grabbed my attention

That's The Way Of The World by Earth, Wind & Fire
Apr 08 2024

The 1st track, Shining Star, was all over the airwaves, as a #1 hit in the 70s. I've liked it, but never loved it and that didn't change, listening to it this time. The rest of the album was mostly unfamiliar to me. The title track was the other hit single, but it wasn't familiar to me. Overall, I'm not a big fan of this R&B style, but it wasn't bad.

Debut by Björk
Apr 09 2024

We used to own the Sugarcubes debut album, so I'm very familiar with Björk's vocal sound, but have never listened to any of her solo albums. I guess Debut is the right one to start with. Most of the album is too electronic and experimental for me.

Cut by The Slits
Apr 10 2024

Not much to say about this one. I didn't really like anything. I read that it had Jamaican influences - I wish I had heard some because I may have enjoyed it more. The bonus track of I Heard It Through the Grapevine was mildly interesting.

Hybrid Theory by Linkin Park
Apr 11 2024

I knew that Linkin Park wasn't my kind of music and this confirmed that. It's a bunch of noise to me.

Fromohio by fIREHOSE
Apr 12 2024

I expected to like this one, since it was an 80s band from Ohio that may have been similar to other bands I enjoyed. However, it was a very mixed bag. A few tracks were fun but most of it was uninspired for me.

Kid A by Radiohead
Apr 15 2024

This one is all over the map for me. First few tracks were almost unbearable. Then "How to Disappear completely" was really musically beautiful, then Treefingers felt like relaxation music during a massage. The next few tracks weren't for me, but then I liked Morning Bell and Motion Picture Soundtrack.

Licensed To Ill by Beastie Boys
Apr 16 2024

I had a vague notion that I didn't like the Beastie Boys, but didn't really know anything more. This album confirmed it, but it wasn't as bad as I expected. I found nothing to enjoy until "She's Crafty" and "Girls", which were both catchy and fun.

Doggystyle by Snoop Dogg
Apr 17 2024

Another "it wasn't as bad as I expected" album. I was surprised to like the rhythm of The Shiznit. "Ain't No Fun" felt like a cool R&B song (if I ignore a lot of the lyrics). Still, it's definitely not my kind of music and I would never choose to listen to Snoop.

Apr 18 2024

I didn't know Spirit at all, which seems a little surprising. I liked this album, which (at times) reminded me of early Pink Floyd

Apr 19 2024

This really surprised me, partly because I didn't think it sounded like what I'm used to hearing from The Kinks. I really enjoyed it, but didn't expect most of what I heard.

Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division
Apr 22 2024

Good album that I didn't know at all. Parts of it reminded of The Doors.

Bryter Layter by Nick Drake
Apr 23 2024

This album was completely "fine" from start to finish. Nothing offensive, nothing shocking, nothing terribly interesting, nothing memorable.

Heroes to Zeros by The Beta Band
Apr 24 2024

Didn't care for this one. I stopped paying attention.

Born In The U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen
Apr 25 2024

I fully expected to give this a 4, since it's "not my favorite Bruce album", but I had forgotten how many great 80s songs are here. I think I kind of resisted this one has a backlash against the excessive hype, so I've never owned it. BTW, I really prefer the version of No Surrent on the Live 1975-1985 triple album.

Apocalypse Dudes by Turbonegro
Apr 26 2024

The best thing about this album was the title of "Don't Say Motherfucker, Motherfucker". It would've fit right in with Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson! Most of the rest wasn't that great for me.

Deep Purple In Rock by Deep Purple
Apr 29 2024

I like some Deep Purple, but it's mostly too heavy for me. This wasn't terrible, but wasn't something I enjoyed.

Five Leaves Left by Nick Drake
Apr 30 2024

Our 2nd Nick Drake album yields the same impression for me as the first one: nothing memorable, nothing objectionable. It was pleasant.

Urban Hymns by The Verve
May 01 2024

This one started slow for me, but I liked it more as the album went along. Probably wouldn't ever choose it intentionally.

May 02 2024

I'm just not a heavy metal fan. I didn't know anything about Pantera before listening to this album and don't need to go learn more. Meh.

Green by R.E.M.
May 07 2024

I own several REM albums, but this one is better than everything I have. I loved it!

Out Of The Blue by Electric Light Orchestra
May 08 2024

Good solid 70s rock by a premium 70s rock band. Their sound didn't change much as they wrote Xanadu!

Back At The Chicken Shack by Jimmy Smith
Jun 11 2024

I really enjoyed this one. It was upbeat and smile-inducing all the way through.

Chirping Crickets by Buddy Holly & The Crickets
Jun 13 2024

Great nostalgia here (for a time before I was born)! I had forgotten that "Not Fade Away" was a Buddy Holly song before the Stones and the Dead took it over. This was a very fun listen for me.

Wordsmith

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Other

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