792
Albums Rated
4.24
Average Rating
73%
Complete
297 albums remaining
Submitted Album
A City Dressed In Dynamite
That Handsome Devil
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1980
Favorite Decade
Punk
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Enthusiast
Rater Style ?
460
5-Star Albums
21
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
Top Styles
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Kollaps
Einstürzende Neubauten
|
5 | 1.93 | +3.07 |
|
Trout Mask Replica
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
|
5 | 2.29 | +2.71 |
|
L'Eau Rouge
The Young Gods
|
5 | 2.32 | +2.68 |
|
Opus Dei
Laibach
|
5 | 2.39 | +2.61 |
|
Public Image: First Issue
Public Image Ltd.
|
5 | 2.42 | +2.58 |
|
Metal Box
Public Image Ltd.
|
5 | 2.42 | +2.58 |
|
Suicide
Suicide
|
5 | 2.46 | +2.54 |
|
Butterfly
Mariah Carey
|
5 | 2.49 | +2.51 |
|
Shleep
Robert Wyatt
|
5 | 2.51 | +2.49 |
|
Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water
Limp Bizkit
|
5 | 2.51 | +2.49 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Hunky Dory
David Bowie
|
1 | 3.99 | -2.99 |
|
Young Americans
David Bowie
|
1 | 3.62 | -2.62 |
|
After The Gold Rush
Neil Young
|
1 | 3.62 | -2.62 |
|
Exile On Main Street
The Rolling Stones
|
1 | 3.6 | -2.6 |
|
Gorillaz
Gorillaz
|
1 | 3.53 | -2.53 |
|
The Gershwin Songbook
Ella Fitzgerald
|
1 | 3.51 | -2.51 |
|
Rust Never Sleeps
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
|
1 | 3.51 | -2.51 |
|
Cheap Thrills
Big Brother & The Holding Company
|
1 | 3.42 | -2.42 |
|
Led Zeppelin IV
Led Zeppelin
|
2 | 4.34 | -2.34 |
|
Melodrama
Lorde
|
1 | 3.31 | -2.31 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Beatles | 7 | 4.86 |
| Bob Dylan | 5 | 5 |
| Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | 5 | 5 |
| Radiohead | 5 | 5 |
| Björk | 4 | 5 |
| Metallica | 4 | 5 |
| Sonic Youth | 4 | 5 |
| Tom Waits | 4 | 5 |
| Morrissey | 4 | 4.75 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 3 | 5 |
| Prince | 3 | 5 |
| Marvin Gaye | 3 | 5 |
| Jimi Hendrix | 3 | 5 |
| Beck | 3 | 5 |
| Michael Jackson | 3 | 5 |
| Pet Shop Boys | 3 | 5 |
| Stevie Wonder | 4 | 4.5 |
| U2 | 4 | 4.5 |
| The Who | 4 | 4.5 |
| Black Sabbath | 3 | 4.67 |
| Pink Floyd | 3 | 4.67 |
| The White Stripes | 3 | 4.67 |
| Leonard Cohen | 3 | 4.67 |
| Steely Dan | 3 | 4.67 |
| Yes | 3 | 4.67 |
| My Bloody Valentine | 3 | 4.67 |
| Nirvana | 3 | 4.67 |
| Simon & Garfunkel | 3 | 4.67 |
| The Smiths | 3 | 4.67 |
| Willie Nelson | 2 | 5 |
| Yeah Yeah Yeahs | 2 | 5 |
| Green Day | 2 | 5 |
| OutKast | 2 | 5 |
| Dinosaur Jr. | 2 | 5 |
| Van Halen | 2 | 5 |
| XTC | 2 | 5 |
| Elliott Smith | 2 | 5 |
| Fela Kuti | 2 | 5 |
| k.d. lang | 2 | 5 |
| LCD Soundsystem | 2 | 5 |
| Public Image Ltd. | 2 | 5 |
| Iron Maiden | 2 | 5 |
| Motörhead | 2 | 5 |
| Dolly Parton | 2 | 5 |
| Tim Buckley | 2 | 5 |
| Pavement | 2 | 5 |
| Coldplay | 2 | 5 |
| Hole | 2 | 5 |
| Portishead | 2 | 5 |
| The Pogues | 2 | 5 |
| The Jam | 2 | 5 |
| Scott Walker | 2 | 5 |
| Ice Cube | 2 | 5 |
| Rush | 2 | 5 |
| Everything But The Girl | 2 | 5 |
| Love | 2 | 5 |
| Barry Adamson | 2 | 5 |
| Miles Davis | 3 | 4.33 |
| Elvis Costello & The Attractions | 3 | 4.33 |
| The Doors | 3 | 4.33 |
| Peter Gabriel | 3 | 4.33 |
| Nick Drake | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Neil Young | 4 | 1.75 |
| The Rolling Stones | 6 | 2.17 |
| Led Zeppelin | 5 | 2.2 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Taylor Swift | 5, 1 |
| Blur | 1, 5 |
| Madonna | 3, 5, 1 |
| David Bowie | 4, 5, 1, 5, 5, 3, 1, 3 |
| The Undertones | 2, 5 |
5-Star Albums (460)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
M.I.A. · 11 likes
5/5
Oh this is a total banger. Wow. A breath of fresh air in the rap world, M.I.A. is definitely one of the most inspirational artists of the 2000s. This album has great catchy hooks and fun verses with serious lyrics. The beats are phenomenal. I love M.I.A.
Aerosmith · 10 likes
5/5
I don't get why people seem to hate Aerosmith, this album fucking rocks. Front to back, no skips.
I mean hell, they pull out a fucking digeridoo. How can you hate that?
Hookworms · 8 likes
5/5
It's albums like this why I love the generator. Who the fuck are Hookworms? A 2018 album is essential listening? And I've never heard it? Well fuck all that, regardless of who made it or when this came out, this album is fucking fantastic. Hookworms magnum opus, so obviously they haven't made another since. No way to top this masterpiece
Slayer · 8 likes
5/5
I fucking needed this. Extremely aggressive and extremely fast. Thrash's finest hour. And listening to this album in full makes "Raining Blood" just hit SO much harder
Missy Elliott · 7 likes
5/5
This is a Missy Elliott exclusive. An album so influential, it can be heard today front and center on the top 40 charts, paved the way for many female MCs. Work It is an all time great song, and everything else here is almost as good. Phenomenal skills on the mic by Missy Elliott too
1-Star Albums (21)
All Ratings
Bob Dylan
5/5
Bob Dylan is a lyrical genius. You're an eeeeeaaaaaadiot babe
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
3 absolutely classic songs and other great deep cuts. What is not to love about CCR, iconic
David Bowie
4/5
Listening to music while stoned will sometimes make sober you question why you added bad songs to the playlist. Is this album one of them? I'm not sure. I liked the ambient stuff on my first listen, but nothing else. But now, I like almost all of this, some I didn't like before even becoming new favorites. Do I finally "get" David Bowie? Right now, I think I do. This was great
Elvis Presley
4/5
Elvis has a special charisma to his voice few other ever obtained. He himself can transcend any song into greatness. However incredible the gospel sound Elvis has on here, the album sort of teeters off near the end until "In the Ghetto". The bonus tracks from the 1998 CD release (it adds the best song from the sessions, "Suspicious Minds" and 3 other great ones) would have brought this album to a 5 star, but judging off just the original release, I can't give it higher than a 4
Black Sabbath
4/5
Killer riffs and great singing by Ozzy. I also did not expect a ballad from Black Sabbath nor a sweet instrumental. However high the highs of this album are, there are a couple forgettable songs here that keep it from a 5
Taylor Swift
5/5
Pure pop perfection. Even on songs I don't like (Bad Blood) I can really appreciate all the little production tricks that are hidden in the mix that add a lot to the song (also I just now noticed how empty sounding the first 2 choruses are on that song, so cool). Wildest Dream and I Wish You Would were big favorites, very well done catchy songs. Out of the Woods finally clicked with me after my 3rd listen and damn that song is good. So yeah, I think the 1 stars here are too harsh, this is a rare album to witness coming out
Meat Loaf
5/5
An epic plate of bodaciousness. Drenched in awesomesauce. That's this album
DJ Shadow
5/5
This album is unlike any DJ album I've ever heard. DJ Shadow creates an intense aura here. Love the drumming too. All around incredibly record, though a bit too long, but not long enough to dock any stars
David Holmes
4/5
The production is amazing. There's some great beats here too, but also a couple of forgettable songs. But mostly great stuff
Beatles
5/5
Truly great album. The harmony's especially
Serge Gainsbourg
3/5
I would totally rate this higher if I knew french, as reading the lyric translation so I can understand the story of the album really adds a whole lot, and Serge is regarded as a master of wordplay. But as is for me currently, the album is really carried by the last 2 tracks being so fantastic, while the first 5 are just okay
Talking Heads
4/5
Pretty odd sounding, but also catchy. Love all the instruments and Once In A Lifetime is a classic
Dr. Octagon
5/5
Genuinely odd and spooky hio hop album. Kool Keith has some crazy lines, sometimes seeming like he is reading straight from a chemistry book. And Dan the Automator's production and DJ Qbert's scratches take this to a completely different level.
Alice In Chains
5/5
One of the best grunge albums ever. Great crunchy riffs combined with the great vocals and lyrics of Layne Staley. Easy 5 star
Stan Getz
3/5
The Girl From Impanema is an all time classic and one of the best songs ever written. This album however never reaches those heights ever again. The album is alright but gets old pretty quickly
Black Sabbath
5/5
The birth of metal itself. And what a way to introduce itself. Great opening song, and it keeps the energy up the whole way. Fucking awesome record
George Michael
4/5
The first half or so is a breathtakingly beautiful album, very personal too. But the runtime is a bit too long and would have benifited from some dead weight cutting
John Martyn
3/5
This album is alright, starts pretty weak but still okay, then has a couple really strong songs. Small Hours though, is absolutely incredible and worth being on this list for that alone. What a beautiful track. So this album ends on a super high note, but the first half or so is a bit forgettable. I think 3 is fair
Pink Floyd
4/5
Incredibly produced, and plenty of incredible songs. This should be a 5 star, but it drags way too long near the end. The tear down the wall chant is great, but everything else after Run Like Hell is uninsteresting to me. Still, any other band and this is their magnum opus, for Pink Floyd it's still debated where it places on their best album list
GZA
5/5
Incredible beats and unique production only few rap albums achieve (mostly Wu-Tang alumni). But the real bread and butter of this album is GZA and every features lyricism. Truly incredible writing
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
My personal favorite Nick Cave album. Love the stories and the catchy choruses. Stagger Lee is also fuckin awesome
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
The Boss' biggest hits were here, which is funny because the biggest hit here is complaining that the label wants big hit singles. Overall it's a good record, I really like it. Merican as FUCK
Carpenters
5/5
What a beautiful album. Lovely harmonies and Karen's drumming is insane, especially on the closing track
Suzanne Vega
5/5
Incredibly lovely album. So many great hooks combined with great storytelling and impeccable guitar playing. An all time great
Astor Piazzolla
5/5
Honestly one of the most surprisingly stunning album on the list. So fucking good. Two absolute titans of their instrument teaming up to create an hour of mezmorizing tango
Sex Pistols
5/5
Right out the gate this album comes screaming at you. Must have been quite the culture shock back then. Plenty of punk classics are here, and Johnny Rotten's voice is just perfect with the rest of the aggression on display here
Supergrass
3/5
A pretty good album. Starts off really hot and only has a couple breaks, but they are all alright. I wouldn't personally call this something too special but it has got some great songs on it
The Police
4/5
Some of my favorite Police songs are on here (Mother, Synchronicity II) and their biggest hit by far, but I don't feel the record as a whole is as well rounded as it could have been. Probably due to the infighting as this was their last record
Miles Davis
5/5
Really beautiful album. I didn't care at all for it my previous 2 listens, but something clicked here and I finally got the hype. Wonderfully played all the way through
Arcade Fire
3/5
This album is okay. Some songs have incredible explosions of energy, other songs just kind of pass me by.
Soul II Soul
5/5
First off, Nellee Hooper is a cheat code of a producer. Everything I've listened to that he had his hands on sounds absolutely gorgeous. Second off this is the most appropriate album title I've ever seen. Every song is a club classic, the Back to Life into Jazzie's Groove alone makes this 5 stars, and that's probably the weakest part of the album. It's that good
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
I think I finally fully get The Boss. This album is incredible, the band is tight and the emotion in The Boss' voice is great
The Kinks
2/5
There are some great riffs and harmonies on here, and a good number of excellent songs. But there are also some that are just bad, and they not only leave a foul stain on the album but they are mostly near the end. Truly an album only a Brit could love
The White Stripes
5/5
A classic as soon as it came out, and you know it's a classic at the first song
Arctic Monkeys
5/5
One of the best albums of the 2000s. Just bangers after bangers on here, not a single bad spot. And for a debut too, unreal
Norah Jones
5/5
Truly one of the great albums of all time. So angelic. So mezmorizing. Incredibly calming and a perfect album to throw on when you want to unwind and just enjoy music. I love this record. It's like a heated blanket for your ears
Britney Spears
3/5
This has some amazing poo tunes, the title track, From The Bottom of My Broken Heart, and The Beat Goes On were huge stand outs. Spears has a great voice too. But there are also some songs that are rather bland or just corny and don't really work well
Lou Reed
4/5
Great varied album that is never boring. Lou Reed proves he can really write some great tunes, only a little bit odd at least compared to what he was doing previously. Really enjoyed this one
Animal Collective
5/5
One of the most insane and impressive auditory experiences ever. From the start of the first track, you have no inkling that there is going to be loads of catchy poppy choruses on this album, but there are, all over. The first time I heard this album, it was like sensory overload. After my 5th listen, I can really appreciate the production and all the keyboard stuff that happens. One of a kind album, and my belief that this is Animal Collective's masterpiece, and they already have a lot of great albums
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
Incredible album, with many beautiful songs and also many angrier songs. Absolutely zero skips here which is impressive for an hour long album, there's no way The Smashing Pumpkins can top that, right?
Hüsker Dü
3/5
Just an okay album. Zen Arcade is much much better (although "She Floated Away" is one of Hüsker Dü's best songs). This album is mostly just okay songs with a few great ones. Don't understand its inclusion when Zen freakin' Arcade is also an album Hüsker Dü has made
Morrissey
5/5
When I first started listening to the 1001 albums list, I did not want to like The Smiths or Morrissey. But goddammit, I love them, and this man is a genius. Great fucking album
Funkadelic
3/5
Pretty good album with great guitar playing, but I am not very well versed in funk and some of this album was just odd. Maybe it's a George Clinton thing
Adam & The Ants
5/5
Drums have never sounded better than on this record. The production on them is so good that Michael Jackson himself phoned up Adam Ant to ask how he recorded the drums. The rest of the music is really catchy and unique, nothing else really sounds quite like this record, especially in 1980
Big Brother & The Holding Company
1/5
The instrumentals are like a hot plate of biscuits and gravy. Janis Joplin's singing is the hippopotamus muckspreading all over it
Bee Gees
3/5
This album is a bit odd, starts with a story about a ship wreck, has a song praising Thomas Edison, some operatic and orchestral music. I don't get it. But somehow Bee Gees still have a few songs on here that are just incredible (Whisper Whisper) and I can't justify a score lower than three. Really lovely voices too
R.E.M.
3/5
Being high definitely enhaunces this album, at least for the first half. There were already a few of my favorites from R.E.M. on here like "Nightswimming" but I never realized how strong the first 2 tracks were as well. But, the album did sort of start to lose me near the end, so ultimately I think 3 is pretty fair
Leonard Cohen
4/5
Leonard Cohen tells such a great story and his deep voice is superb for the job. This album starts off very strongly, but has a fee dodgy spots. Overall great listen and I love the atmosphere that the jaw harp adds
Germs
3/5
I know this is a very important punk album, but I feel there are plenty more that are way better than this. Still a big what could have been for this band. Lexicon Devil and some other songs on here are amazing. Some songs I don't really care for though
Earth, Wind & Fire
5/5
Truly a beautifully made album. Great production and instrumentation, plus the singing is top notch. Crazy this was made as "just" a movie soundtrack
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
5/5
Great album that ends super strongly. I know nothing about these guys, but they sound like a dusty version of Prefab Sprout, I kept thinking of Steve McQueen when listening to this
The Everly Brothers
5/5
Lovely pre-Beatles pop album. The brothers have such a great pairing in their voices, and the songs here are so well done and catchy
Steely Dan
4/5
Steely Dan is classic, and always has perfect production. This album has some great tunes but I feel Aja and Countdown To Ecstacy are stronger showings than this one
David Bowie
5/5
This album has some of my favorite Bowie songs, so well made and so diverse, a nearly impeccable record. The cover art is fucking horrible though. But still a 5 star from me for how good the album is especially the second half. Being high also really enhaunces the first half for me
5/5
This is Yes' magnum opus. 37 glorious minutes of prog mastery, and yet still filled with catchy choruses
The Mamas & The Papas
3/5
Some classic songs, and amazing harmonizing. California Dreamin' is an all time great, but other tracks in the first half also have their share of good songwriting and better singing. The album ends on such a terrible note for me though, with 2 of my least favorite songs here ending the album, and the 2 before it being not very memorable
Duke Ellington
4/5
Pretty good jazz album, the horns are espescially delicious, and the drumming is insane. The full concert version is a fun if long listen, but the original LP is almost the perfect length and captures the concert pretty well when forced to condense into 40 minutes
Solomon Burke
5/5
It is sad we don't hear more of Solomon Burke. He puts all the soul into Rock N' Soul with his powerful POWERFUL vocal performance. Shaping RnB and Soul music for years to come, with a classic old style rock and roll sound on this album
Led Zeppelin
3/5
This is definitely my least disliked Zeppelin album. First half is actually really good. But the second half is just a huge fall off. I understand this is an important band and I see why people like them, but personally I really can't stand them. This album is okay though
Derek & The Dominos
2/5
This album starts off very weak. Meaning almost the entire first half and most of the start of the second half (outside of Bell Bottom Blues of course). But man oh man, does this album ever end strongly, with its 3 best tracks right at the end. Still though, it took a literal hour to get there, and I'm already not really a Clapton fan
Daft Punk
5/5
Daft Punk called this album Homework because they knew every electronic artist will be meticulously studying this. Masterfully made funky and fun dance tracks. Love this album, the start of an illustrious career
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
Probably Bob Marley's best, I gained much more appreciation for this album after seeing that Bob Marley movie that released earlier this year. Also, being high helps tremendously for an album like this. Just a perfect pairing really. I have no complaints about this record, all great songs here
The Kinks
2/5
A lot like Village Green, except instead of the bad songs being at the end, they are in the middle. And boy are some of these songs here annoying. But there are also some very strong tracks. I'd say it's about on par with Village Green if a bit more inconsistant with quality
Prince
5/5
Prince is a genius. This entire album is just pure gold, and so influential. Before I converted to Prince I still found this album to have great songs if a bit too bloated. But now I fully love every second, and wish it never ended. The songs are given so much time to breathe and absorb, get lost in, etc. This isn't even my favorite Prince album on this list
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
4/5
Truly one of the great jazz records out there. Lovely playing throughout though the album is a bit front heavy, but still all the songs are quality
Einstürzende Neubauten
5/5
This record is way funnier while high. Just imagining the band at a construction sight just doing whatever they feel like. This is a fucking awesome record, far from the worst record in the list. So cool how these guys can make songs with random construction equipment
Flamin' Groovies
4/5
Pretty damn good rock record, great riffs and nice songs, though there are a couple near the end that I just really don't care for, but Whiskey Woman ends it strongly.
Neil Young
3/5
So this is definitely one of Neil Young's stronger offerings, but I still don't really care for him all that much. Some songs have great parts but they are ruined by either bad lyrics, terrible singing, or just a totally boring instrumental. A couple songs manage to avoid those problems though, so I'm giving this a 3. But it is a low 3. Close to a 2 but wouldn't feel right rating this album as such
Drive-By Truckers
2/5
An ambitious project, having a rock opera all about living in the south, especially for an at the time very small band (they had to get fans and friends to help pay for its completion). There are some great songs here with great lyrics, Three Great Alabama Icons being a cool history lesson, but this album has a fatal flaw that completely ruins the entire thing for me. It. Is. Too. Fucking. Long. It's so long, that i tuned out a LOT of the songs because I felt it should have just ended at the end of disc 1. Sorry Drive-By Truckers, great effort, with some great songs, but the album is too fucking bloated and desperately needed some trimming, like 45 minutes of it
Orange Juice
5/5
It's albums like these that are worth doing this generator for. An album I would have never ever found on my own, and I love it. Love the sounds and aura of the record, along with great variety of instruments used. Just an all around incredible album, and that's really all that needed to be said
Television
5/5
Oh man, if you love guitar this is an essential listen. So good every track, with the title track being a song of legends. Fucking awesome album
Billy Bragg
4/5
This album starts off good (I won't say how gooooood)
But towards the end it slows down, and has a few songs I don't like (I'll not tell which sooooongs)
Bert Jansch
3/5
A nice relaxing folk album. Jansch is a monster on guitar, and I quite enjoyed the instrumental songs. Not much else for me to say about the record, it was good but nothing spectacular
Buzzcocks
5/5
This album did not originally release with its singles, and it didn't need to. This is a strong and fucking awesome punk record. I'm sure any Brit who ever thoughr about starting a band was super inspired by this
Fats Domino
3/5
Fats is a very influential figure in rock 'n' roll. He's got great old fashioned rock songs here, but the album has some noticably weak songs
Queen Latifah
3/5
Can't deny how important this record was for female MCs but it is sadly filled with songs that have many parts to them that annoy me (like the dumb sounding "kid" voices on Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children). Some great lines and flow but sagged by some lackluster songs, too many to look past regardless of the great ones on here. Still not a 2 star record, but close
My Bloody Valentine
4/5
Very influential, the sound created is incredible and creates some really odd music, with the pop songwriting and melodies hidden under noise. Though it is great, I am not a fan of the production and it starts a little weak. Their next 2 albums though prove my bloody valentine was no happy accident and I can't wait to get those
Willie Nelson
5/5
Beautiful album. The first half flowing perfectly into each other, like 1 side long song. Great story, great music, great all throughout, I had never appreciated it before but right now everything clicked, and it is in my upper echelon of country albums
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
3/5
This album is very slow, very sad. Most of it just doesn't catch me, but the title track and "Death to Everyone" are incredible songs and on repeat when I'm feeling worse for wear. Those 2 songs along bump this from a 2 star to a 3 star
Incredible Bongo Band
5/5
Easily the best ever bongo rock album ever made. Nothing touches this masterpiece. Sampled in hundreds of songs, this album if filled with superb playing from all mystery studio musicians who played on this
Marvin Gaye
5/5
Yeah this is easily one of the greatest and important records ever made. So goddamn groovy the whole way through, and masterful writing
Van Morrison
3/5
This album ain't bad, Van Morrison has a very distinct voice. There are some strong tracks here and some weak tracks, sort of evens itself out to be pretty average
The Beach Boys
4/5
Beach Boys are masters of the vocal harmonies, but it is a little sparse here. Surf's Up (the album) is filled with great songs (Student Demonstration Time is one of my favorites so that isn't a reason this isn't a 5) and it ends superbly, with Surf's Up (the song) having the best harmonies of the album. However, I have a problem with the production, not a big fan of how it sounds. And I didn't really care for Take A Load Off Your Feet
Sabu
2/5
Not terrible, I actually really love the percussion and guitar. But my god this album is super annoying to me
David Bowie
1/5
The first song and last song are alright, and there are small parts of others that I kinda enjoy, but everything else here is just garbage. I question Bowie for releasing this, and I question the writer for thinking this was essential listening. A spot that would have been better used by another Limp Bizkit or Kid Rock album
Stephen Stills
4/5
This is a really well done and well performed album, plenty of great tracks here to choose from. But, I have some qualms with it, production being spotty here and there, and the album being just a little bit too long. A 5 star single album, a 4.5 star double album. And I round down
Hookworms
5/5
It's albums like this why I love the generator. Who the fuck are Hookworms? A 2018 album is essential listening? And I've never heard it? Well fuck all that, regardless of who made it or when this came out, this album is fucking fantastic. Hookworms magnum opus, so obviously they haven't made another since. No way to top this masterpiece
Kelela
5/5
Always a great day to get an album you know nothing about and being pleasently surprised. The production on this album is insane. No wonder it got put on the list. And the album just has bangers after bangers, though it's slightly too long but that's just a nitpick
Kanye West
4/5
I can see why Kanye is so revered. The highs on this album are very high. The beats are just incredible, with a lot of great samples. But, this album suffers from bloat, especially that 12 minute song to end it
The Adverts
4/5
Not bad at all, very enjoyable punk record. There's some great catchy tunes and some that are eh but overall I really liked this
Donovan
5/5
Fantastic album, really one of the best offerings of the 60s psychedelic scene. Donovon shows he can do it all on this album here, varied yet catchy
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
5/5
Great fucking album. The more dance/pop oriented sound fits Yeah Yeah Yeahs really well, and Karen O has a superb voice throughout. It nearly lost me in the middle, but quickly brought my attention back into it with all strong songs til the end
Jeru The Damaja
5/5
Oh man this album is great. Love the flow and there's plenty of cool lines throughout, and the production and beats sound out of the world
Shivkumar Sharma
5/5
Excellent playing throughout this album. It is very soothing music
R.E.M.
4/5
I promise I don't hate R.E.M. I actually love quite a few of their songs. But when I put this on, the first half seemed like another R.E.M. album that just doesn't interested md outside of the singles. But, the entire second half is brilliant. Blew me away. The Wrong Child is an incredible incredible song too
Aretha Franklin
2/5
Aretha is a great performer and Respect is an all time cover, but nearly nothing else in this entire album even interested me slightly compared to the first song. But, this isn't a 1, because Respect and Aretha had a singer is just that good
Radiohead
5/5
Great album. Radiohead has a knack for making sounds so unnatural yet music so good. They have better than this, but that's more for how good Radiohead is rather than any fault of this record
The Rolling Stones
1/5
I know this is the start of a legendary band and this album had a big impact on the culture yadda yadda yadda. This album is just straight up bad. All covers. No originals. Not the worst I've heard, I actually quite like Mona (I Need You Baby), but it was the most unneccesary thing I've heard. Like adding Beatles For Sale just because The Beatles had a big impact
The Clash
3/5
A legendary first half. Some of the best punk tunes. I really wanted to give this a 5, but as it went on, the 5 turned to 4, and the 4 turned to 3. The second half is pretty weak and boring to me the more it goes on. Outside of "Cheat" nothing in the second half really shone
The Temptations
3/5
This album starts off super strong, title track and Runaway Child, Running Wild are both fantastic tracks. However, after Love Is A Hurtin' Thing and Hey Girl, the album quality dips into a seemingly random assortmant of love songs that sound alike. I also am not a fan of the production as a whole. But still, great vocals and killer 1st half of the record
Fugees
5/5
The first few times I listened to this, I wasn't impressed. But somsthing changed here. The production is out of this world. Really gives the album an aura few others ever get close to. On top of that, the vocal performances are incredible especially on Killing Me Softly With His Song
Femi Kuti
4/5
Sounds just like Fela, but with better production. Sounds so clean and you can hear everything easily. I really want to give this 5 stars, but it's just too long. It would have been perfect around 40 minutes, but an hour and 13 minutes is too much for this genre for me. Compared to Fela's which are usually 30 minutes or less, Fela's stick with you much more
Led Zeppelin
2/5
Outside of a small handful of good tracks, and the many cool riffs, this album is just plain boring. I wouldn't mind it as much if it were a single album, but this is a double. Not that I hate long albums, but there's quite a lot of filler here and that is a cardinal sin for double albums. Also Robert Plant's voice really annoys me. And Jimmy Page had a 12 year old girlfriend
Gillian Welch
5/5
Oh what a great album, love the storytelling and Welch has a great voice. Only thing about this album I really hate is the cover, just a bad picture to me
Stevie Wonder
5/5
I don't even need to say how legendary Stevie's mid 70s run is. This album is phenomenal is every aspect
Yes
4/5
Yes' 3 best songs are on this album, "Roundabout", "South Side of the Sky", and "Heart of the Sunrise". 3 prog classics, and truly remarkable the talent shown in these songs. Should be a 5 star easily, but I can't give it 5. The rest of the album is completely forgettable filler to me. That's 2/3rds of the album. So while The Yes Album and Close to the Edge may be better albums, Yes' best songs are all on this one
Herbie Hancock
5/5
This album is fucking incredible. So damn groovy with some very proficient playing. Love the drums, Harvey Mason is fucking nuts!
Queen
3/5
The album starts out with an epic intro and I thought I was really in for a treat, but then the real songs come in feeling a little lackluster. The first half I didn't like. But everything after "The Loser In The End" is pure genius and talent. Though I hate that fade out when the drums start going crazy
The Rolling Stones
2/5
Sympathy for the Devil and Jigsaw Puzzle are fucking amazing songs. Everything else here though, while well played, is just boring old blues numbers that don't at all interest me
The Band
2/5
Tears of Rage, Chest Fever, and Lonesome Suzie are gorgeous songs, but everything else on this album dragged on forever. Very dull and forgettable
The Yardbirds
4/5
This album started okay, but I thought it wouldn't get past that and stay as a 3 star album. But this is one of those albums that get stronger with each passing track. Also Jeff Beck is a fucking alien on guitar
Jeff Beck
5/5
This is Jeff Beck's masterclass on why he's one of the greatest guitar players ever. Totally transforming this album which would have been a good, if forgettable blues record into a must hear and memorable blues record. I don't like Rod Stewart's voice but I actually didn't mind it on this record
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Easily one of the best albums of all time, effortlessly doing something so different that I haven't heard anybody else quite like this band. Jimi is so good at guitar he somehow overshadows how great Mitch Mitchell is. So many classic songs, and even the bonus songs are golden. The production and especially panning just pushes it to the next level. I also enjoy hearing the studio or Jimi coughing and clearing his throat while the music just plays. And I find this to be the bands weakest album by the way, shows how fucking good they are
The Avalanches
5/5
They sample and scratch a fucking bird. All you need to know about this incredible record
Eminem
5/5
The start of a legend. Many catchy songs, filled to the absolute brim of brilliant wordplay and rhymes and storytelling. Lots of laughs on this album too, and Eminem seemed to have taken Kid Rock's advice (yeah seriously) to annunciate his words more, I can clearing hear at least 95% of what Eminem is saying no matter how fast he goes. Great album
Missy Elliott
5/5
This is a Missy Elliott exclusive. An album so influential, it can be heard today front and center on the top 40 charts, paved the way for many female MCs. Work It is an all time great song, and everything else here is almost as good. Phenomenal skills on the mic by Missy Elliott too
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Great fucking album that shows why CCR is so well appreciated. Some slight dips in quality on this album, but it always has a banger the next track that picks everything back up.
Raekwon
3/5
There are strokes of genius on this record, interesting beats and good rapping, but this album badly suffers from unneeded bloat, from the pointless talking parts to just annoying songs
Elvis Costello
3/5
I honestly can't tell if I like this record or not. Half of it is incredible, half of it sucks. I thought I finally "got" Costello on the first 2 songs, then the album just roller coasters til the end. Hard to rate this, I'm gonna just go 3
Gorillaz
1/5
Clint Eastwood and Double Bass are great songs. A couple of others are okay, and I think that everything else on this album is just pure garbage. And that Clint Eastwood remix at the end is fucking horrible
I hope I never have to listen to Daman Albarn again
Prince
5/5
This album is just fantastic front to back. I LOVE Prince. Oozing with creativity, and an iconic drum sound. The production is spot on too, love how a silly little engineering mistake makes The Ballad of Dorothy Parker very eerie and gives it such a unique sound. Prince is a genius, but this isn't even my favorite Prince album on this list
TLC
4/5
The beats remind me of Hypnospace Outlaw a bit. The singing and overlaying harmonies are great, lots of strong songs. This would have been a 5 star, but it should have ended at the Prince cover. Because everything after that, besides André 3000 and Busta Rhymes surprise appearance, was just weak
TV On The Radio
4/5
Boy is this album weird. The sound is really unlike any other I've heard. Like industrial electronic shoegaze? Lots of cool songs on here and I love the backing vocals. But man is it just so odd to my ears
Green Day
5/5
When I got this generated, my immedieate thought was "ahh a modern classic". But there is nothing modern about this record anymore. It's 20 fucking years old. It's now a classic. The singles are Green Day's strongest, and so is the rest of the album. Just so consistantly strong, every song an anthem. Truly one of the greatest career resurgances ever seen
Frank Black
5/5
This album is so consistantly strong. Every single song is great, even if the album seems to go on longer than it should, I can't think of any song I'd be okay with cutting. Love this album.
Also, I didn't expect Frank Black to look like that, his voice made me think of some super skinny guy with bronze skin lol
Emmylou Harris
3/5
The atmosphere on this record is great, some really lovely songs as well (I love the duet with Dave Matthews) but at times I felt this album was just a bit too slow. As in boring. Some of the bloat being trimmed would have helped a lot
Stan Getz
3/5
This album is nice, and has some great classic Samba tracks, it does sort of teeter on the quality of songs. Some are fun or are very well arranged and others are just....not very interesting. Suffering the same problem as The Girl From Ipanema. But this album doesn't have a song as good as Girl From Ipanema, but I do think it's a bit more consistant
Y'know, I already don't really like Rod Stewart's voice, and it is in full swing on this record. Despite having a couple good songs and some great guitar playing (ESPECIALLY on "That's All You Need"), the rest of the album just meanders on with some boring blues numbers that I don't care about
Erykah Badu
5/5
Fuck, this album is incredible!!!! ?uestlove is perfect on drums, love the snare sound. Badu has killer songs and a great voice. It's for albums like this that I love the generator, because I otherwise would have never heard this
The Velvet Underground
3/5
Very inventive and influential, but outside of a few songs (Sunday Morning, Heroin, European Son) this album is totally uninsteresting. I don't think I could name another song on here. But the 3 that are good are so good they are each worth a star
OutKast
5/5
Two albums. Same old flow
Speakerboxxx:
Holy FUCK this is one of the best hip hop albums I've ever heard. Oozing with style, filled to the brim with not just incredible wordplay and flow, but also SUPER catchy choruses. The features are all great too, and I love the beats
The Love Below: And yet somehow, André 3000 tops Speakerboxxx with a concept album detailing every single aspect of romantic love. So diverse, long, yet every song is incredible and an experience of its own. The fact that these 2 albums were sold together is astounding, because they both hold their own easily. But together, it's the greatest deal on Earth
Billy Bragg
4/5
Before this listen, I had thought this album was just alright but not sure why it was so essential. But now I do realise why, Billy Bragg has a unique voice and great lyricism. Also loved the guitar playing. I enjoyed this one a lot
fIREHOSE
4/5
I can't really tell how much I like this record. It has all the ingredients of something I should love, but for some reason I feel something is missing. The playing is all really spectacular throughout and I love the drum solos sprinkled through. Not something that I would probably seek out to listen to, but all good stuff
Red Hot Chili Peppers
5/5
This album shouldn't be as good as it is. The production is garbage, but pretty much everything else about the album is superb. Monster classics around every corner, and strong deep cuts. John Fruciante's guitar work is also insane, Anthony Kedis also writes some of his best songs here, and Flea and Chad Smith do what they do best
The La's
3/5
The La's were around for a long time, yet they only released one single album. They're a 90s one-hit wonder, so I'm always going to compare them to my favorite one-hit wonders of the 90s, Spin Doctors (Pocketful of Kryptonite should have been on this list!). "There She Goes" is a wonderful song, and there are other very strong songs here. But most of the album is just okay, not bad but not very memorable.
Radiohead
5/5
One of the greatest albums ever. The continuation of Radiohead getting more and more experimental with each album, every song here is a gem in its own way. The guitar playing is seriously kick ass too. The fact they went to Kid A 3 years later, nearly completely devoid of guitars, is astounding, even moreso that it actually made them more legendary and was an arguably better album
Turbonegro
3/5
Epic songs about pizza! Constant guitar solos! Classic glam/punk rock n roll feel! Hell yeah! This is AWESOME!!!!!
For about 15 minutes. Then it gets old really fast. Turbonegro really just put the best songs first
Ray Charles
5/5
Damn good album. Ray Charles is just phenomenal performer and the backing is just so classic. Very few misses on this, pretty much all great songs
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
If you're ever wondering why Nick Cave has so many albums, and ask why one from 2019 is on the list, all it takes is one listen to understand why. Haunting, haunting record. Heart breaking every step of the way. Proving without a shadow of a doubt how great Nick Cave is as a songwriter. Multiple times throughout the album I nearly cried (title track got the closest). This record is phenomenal and a true instant modern classic
Sebadoh
5/5
If Dinosaur Jr. and Pavement had an emo baby, it would sound like this. This album is fantastic, and the songs energy's changes a lot throughout the album, making it always sound fresh and never stale. Great album, never would have found it on my own
The War On Drugs
4/5
This album is really good, love the atmosphere, and at times it is very catchy. Only real problem I have is that the songs all seemingly last forever, I was kinda waiting for it to end already by the 40ish minute mark
KISS
3/5
Iconic album from an iconic band. Say what you will about their songs, but they knew how to sell themselves and they went all in on it. Worked out pretty well for them, and they have quite a few great tracks as well. I really wish this album was better though, great highlights, the lighter songs are still really good along the rockers, but the album is too up and down in quality to earn anything higher than 3
Air
5/5
Never seen the film, but this soundtrack really makes me want to check in out. Lovely album here. The perfect mix between cool keyboards and cool drumming
Girls Against Boys
5/5
Even after listening and reading up on this record, I'm still not entirely sure why it was included in the list. I guess it must have been very influential for other bands down the line, and I can't fault that. This album is still superb and totally unique especially with the way 90's rock was sounding when this released
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Really solid album. The start of Stevie's legendary 70s output. Although, I feel this album is just a bit weaker than the rest of his on the list. Has some monster bangers, but also a couple of "okay" songs, and one that isn't that good
4/5
Nice album. Reminds me of patrolling the Mojave. Lynn has a lot of emotion behind her voice and that really helps sell the great lyrics. Also, how insane is it for a female country singer to allude to spousal rape back in a time when it was still legal and nearly never talked about? The balls on Loretta Lynn are immeasurable
The Fall
4/5
This album is so odd, from the sound of the guitars to their weird riffs to the accent the singer has. It actually works out. Some really great tunes, "No Xmas for John Quays" is an all timer and one I put on constantly. The album does have some dips in quality though
Pink Floyd
5/5
Yeah this is a classic for a good fuckin' reason. Life changing audible experience, one of the greatest albums ever. Not much else to say as the music speaks for itself
PJ Harvey
5/5
For some reason I wasn't expecting this album to be very good. Maybe because I had to scrounge up some youtube downloads because this album randomly left spotify.
But boy, I was proven wrong. This is fantastic. Love the guitar work and the subject matter of the album. It's all great
Dinosaur Jr.
5/5
J Mascis is a guitar god. Love the noise on this record too. Also gotta love those abrupt endings and the funny cover of Just Like Heaven. Great fucking album
Björk
5/5
Nellee Hooper. Is. A. Fucking. God. This entire album has an aura all of its own, a dance album yet so unlike any other dance album I have ever heard. It's so much fun picking out every instrument and sound and sample on every track. The production is unreal. The beats are mezmorizing, just take "Violently Happy" for example, with its build up of loop after loop, then when it sounds full Hooper adds a SICK ASS FUCKING BASSLINE out of nowhere. Total perfection of a beat, and Hooper still doesn't drag it on the whole song, it switches it up quite a lot
And I haven't even mention Björk. This album would have been legendary even without her vocals, but she pulls it straight to space in terms of greatness. A wonderous and fun, soothing voice. It produces total relaxation throughout my body. This is easily a top 5 album of all time, and Björk would somehow overshadow this Debut with her even more experimental future. But for me, this is her best album. Everything comes into place perfectly
The Verve
4/5
I find The Verve, in regard to Brit-pop, to be so so much better than Oasis or Blur. Not anywhere near Pulp though. This album starts off with a bang with the instant classic "Bittersweet Symphony". There are plently of other great tracks strewn about too, like "The Drugs Don't Work". This album is a bit too long though, around the 40 minute range would have made it perfect
Aerosmith
4/5
Funny how Aerosmith was nearly forgotten at one point in time, before the mid to late 80s brought them back as a legendary force. This album is loaded with great riffs on great tunes. The tracks fall flat at some spots, but an overall very enjoyable record
Run-D.M.C.
5/5
How funny I just had the Aerosmith album with Walk This Way and the very next album is the Run-D.M.C. album with Walk This Way.
I love this record. Such a classic old school hip-hop sound that really broke down the rap/rock barrier with Walk This Way. And the skill on the mic is in full show here. It truly is tricky to rock a rhyme to rock a rhyme that's right on time it's trickay
Eagles
5/5
One of the strongest opening tracks of any album. Funny how their Greatest Hits was released a year before this came out. Great fucking tunes. Sort of teeters off at some points, but I can excuse that when there are so many bangers on this album even outside the title track.
Nirvana
5/5
I'm so sick of hearing Smells Like Teen Spirit. It's unnecessarily long and gets so boring after a while. Outside of that, this is an easy 5 star iconic classic record. Changing the game for rock in such a way that it sounds basic by todays standards because of how copied it has been. Funny enough, I have heard Breed a million times over because it's on the Madden 10 soundtrack and I never tire of hearing that. It's just Smells Like Teen Spirit that really irks me, much like it did to Kurt
Throwing Muses
5/5
What an unexpected masterpiece. Never heard of Throwing Muses before, and this album isn't on spotify. It isn't even on youtube, for one song only a bad sounding live recording exists. But still, this album is fantastic. I can hear its influence in multiple bands I've listened to. And what a voice the singer has too
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
Very good funky soundtrack. Pusherman is the big highlight, being copied by rappers later on. Not much else to say than I liked it
Elton John
3/5
It is obvious how talented Elton John is as a pianist and songwriter. There's quite a few really great songs, with nice vocal melodies. I am more of a Billy Joel person though, and only really was interested in about half of these songs
Booker T. & The MG's
3/5
Pretty good instrumental album. Definitely one to throw on at parties. The organ sound is cool as fuck. But let's be honest this album is really carried by the iconic title track. Couple of other really fun songs, but mostly background noise for the most part
Van Halen
5/5
This album is incredible. Just so finely tuned rock tunes that clocks in at a perfect time, 33 minutes. Doesn't overstay its welcome at all, and leaves you wanting so much more. Has Van Halen's biggest hits on here as well. EVH is a demon on the guitar but lets not forget the excellent drumming from AVH and the great complimentary bass playing from Michael Anthony. David Lee Roth's charismatic vocals is the cherry on top
Paul Simon
4/5
First song I listened to with my now girlfriend was Diamonds On the Soles of Her Shoes. Great memories. This album is filled with great catchy songs and more of Paul Simons great writing. I quite like all the collabs here. This album is so close to a 5, but a few blemishes stop me from it. Does have an insane run from Diamonds to Crazy Love Pt. II though
It's also uncanny hearing Paul Simon with 80s sounds
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
5/5
I think it's easy to say this is Elvis Costello's best album. Every song is a banger. The drumming in particular is great and I love the keyboard. Costello also has his catchiest tunes here. Love this album, almost makes me "get" the whole Elvis Costello thing
Black Sabbath
5/5
This album is perfect. Banger after banger after banger after banger. And those changes in the song are just godly. One of the best ever
Cream
2/5
Sunshine of Your Love and Tales of Brave Ulysses are excellent songs. Would love to give this album a higher score for that, but, there is just so much crap. So eh. Some shitty blues numbers and songs that don't work. Ginger Baker is consistantly great though
Fleet Foxes
5/5
Incredible album. Makes me feel like I'm with my friends exploring a forest and later settling by a campfire. The harmonies are beautiful, it almost doesn't even need anything else to be good
5/5
Such a shame this isn't on spotify, this needs to be heard by more people. The melodies are endlessly beautiful and there are plenty of them scattered throughout every song especially it's choruses. The lush arrangements are also incredible
Talk Talk
4/5
Some real ethereal and dreamy soundscapes and songs. I think at parts it was a little too slow, especially for that first half. I don't know what else to say
The Doors
4/5
Lesser bands would have made these blues numbers almost painful but The Doors are talented enough to keep it interesting and Jim Morrison is a great frontman. Also this album has some monster sized classics so that is also a plus. Not my favorite Doors album but it's up there
Django Django
4/5
Really cool album with a neat aesthetic. Some very catchy songs and the production is great. Bit too much bloat for me though but still a good record
OutKast
5/5
God I fucking love Outkast. They made 5 (or 6 if you count Speakerboxxx/The Love Below seperately) ice cold classics in a row. That is insane. This album in particular is filled to the brim with great choruses and even better verses. The beats are incredible too. But the best part is the song structure. What other rap song are you going to hear a guitar solo, DJ solo, and chant reprise power ending all after an explosive verse chorus energy burst. These guys are geniuses
The Slits
5/5
I fucking love this. So odd, out of place, yet completely enthralling and even catchy at points. The singer has a unique voice, kind of like Björk's voice. I think the drumming is the biggest highlight for me, so fun
Elton John
4/5
What a start to an album. The first 6 or so songs of this are absolutely glorious. Elton John is so talented. Just a shame this was a double album as it would have been perfect as a single, some of the songs in the second half just bored me
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
Ground-breaking debut. Lots of great songs and I love the beats and the back and forth rapping. But this album isn't nearly as good as Raising Hell. I can tell things were still kind of getting figured out, couple songs fall flat for me
The Specials
3/5
Normally I'd love an album like this, but this is my 3rd listen to it and still doesn't quite hit for me. Not a bad album by any means and there's a handful of songs I love, but More Specials is like 20x better than this album
Metallica
5/5
the band from fortnite
This was a turning point for Metallica, where just greatness seen on Ride the Lightning (should have made the list) is turned to legendary status. Killer riffs, bass, drumming, changes. And James actually sounds comfortable on vocals here
Sarah Vaughan
5/5
What a lovely voice. This album is so much fun and relaxing. I was in the perfect mood for this. Sarah Vaughan got some of the best pipes I've ever heard yet I rarely hear her name mention in the world of great vocalists
The Undertones
2/5
Yeah this is just okay. Drums and bass have interesting parts, singer has a recognizable voice, and the guitar tone is fucking awful. Not sure how to rate this. Some stand out songs I guess but mostly just mediocre. Very high 2
Sam Cooke
4/5
What a performer Sam Cooke is. He's got the audience in the palm of his hand over this entire record. Incredible. His voice is great and the performance is full of energy. Not a 5 star record for me though, objectively amazing but personally only 75% amazing, some songs didn't move me much
Beatles
4/5
Delightful pop tunes, these guys know how to make a song sound catchy. Ringo is superb as always, as well as Paul but having every instrument jammed on one side makes things get lost easily. Especially when that harmonica came in. Not The Beatles best work, iconic album art and a few classics but mostly just the same stuff. Still, no Beatles album is anything less than at least a 4
David Bowie
5/5
Geez what an incredible album. This list finally convinced me that Bowie is great and made me sort of a fan. I still think he's featured too much but yeah man's got serious talent. And good move teaming up with Eno, I love the glitchy synth sounds and LOVE the ambient tracks
Moby Grape
3/5
Alright this album ain't bad, some 60s rock stuff, but I don't think it's particularly great. Just sits in that okay to good range. Some really cool sections
Elliott Smith
5/5
Great record. The middle of the album is so incredibly strong it nearly overshadows the rest of the record. Smith has a really unique voice, and he was underrated as a guitar player. Great riffs and melodies all throughout
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
My personal favorite Hendrix album. A genius totally unleashed. The production and panning on this record is insane, sometimes the guitar sounds like it's literally walking away. And Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding go absolutely crazy on drums and bass throughout, while still complimenting Hendrix's intense guitar playing. I can't believe he also sings. Incredible
Talvin Singh
5/5
The mix of drum n bass and India classical works so well together. What utter genius. This is a great relaxing listen if a bit on the long side (some drag near the end)
The Strokes
5/5
What a great listen. A return to roots for rock as it is, simplistic but powerful catchy bops
Lauryn Hill
4/5
This album is very highly praised. Like very highly. I like the classroom skits, and there's some bangers here, but I think I'm just missing what's what about it. It's okay. Good even, outside that shit cover of Frankie Valli. But one of the best of all time? Nah
Liz Phair
5/5
Fuck this album is great. Love the lyrics/songwriting so so much. Not only unique in writing but also in sound, 90's alt rock, but with an air around everything making it stand out above the rest, production is solid
Mercury Rev
5/5
Fantastic. Goddamn do I love the strings, and the instrumental interludes are awesome. Great album with a great atmosphere
Beck
5/5
Great album. Catchy yet so so melencholic. Not what I ever expected from Beck but he pulls it off wonderously
Peter Gabriel
5/5
What an album. So odd and sinister sounding at times, yet flows neatly into catchy rock tracks. Love the lyrics/storytelling too, couple of weaker tracks but the overall product just can't be lower than a 5
Michael Kiwanuka
5/5
This album just got stronger and stronger as it went on, and it started off pretty fuckin strong. This is a modern classic, you can just tell how much heart and soul went into this record. Kiwanuka is so talented
Stephen Stills
3/5
Yeah this is okay. Love the One You're With is an all timer, and there's a couple other great moments, but most of this album is unremarkable and forgettable
Deep Purple
5/5
Takes just about 2 seconds to realise this album is an all time great. Fuck what an opening. And the rest of the album keeps the bangers coming one after another after another after another. Probably the greatest rock record ever made. Every song is a powerful showcase of pure talent all across the band, with solos from every instrument leaving your jaw broken from hitting the floor. I FUCKING LOVE THIS FUCKING RECORD
Fairport Convention
5/5
Wow what a masterful showing of talent. The breakdowns, solos, hell just the playing all over this album are incredible. Sounds like a description for somw prog or metal but this album sounds completely folk the whole way through. Amazing
Adele
3/5
This album was everywhere. Giant hits and tons upon tons of album sales. Adele has a great voice, though sometimes shows off too much. The singles are mostly killer, some great deep cuts too but also some songs that aren't that interesting or memorable. It's a good record
Paul McCartney and Wings
5/5
Okay wow. Thought it would be an album with a couple strong singles but meh the rest, after how bad Bluebird was, but this record is fucking incredible, in spite of that song. Sounds to me like it was very influential, something I'm finding out Paul was quite good at
Supergrass
5/5
I find this much much better than their previous album I had. Strong songs throughout and great guitar work and catchy melodies and choruses
The Triffids
5/5
Wow what a great album. I fucking love every arrangement, and sound, and lyrics in every song. Never would I have thought such praise for a work titled "Calenture by The Triffids"
Bad Company
4/5
Great production on this rock record with lots of highs. Good voice and catchy choruses with complimenting instrumental work. Nice
Fela Kuti
5/5
Man oh man. What an album. The title track is incredible. The military did not take kindly to its message and killed Kuti's mother in a village raid. I love the super long intros, they sort of lull you and you almost forget about Kuti's words until he jumps at you out of nowhere
Cat Stevens
5/5
Fantastic album. Very soothing, relaxing album that paints a great picture in the mind with Yusuf / Cat Stevens' words
Jefferson Airplane
3/5
Couple of legendary songs on here, and some other great ones. Should be an easy 5 or at least a 4, but I found a lot of these songs while nice are quite forgettable. I couldn't even tell you what 4 of these songs even sounded like and I just finished listening to them. Still though, White Rabbit is truly one of the great songs of the 60s, the female singer has such a nice voice.
Also it is absolutely insane to me that this is almost the same band that made that shitty ass "We Built This City" song. WTF
A very high 3 here
Bob Marley & The Wailers
2/5
It surprises me how much I really don't care for this album. The two best songs on the album were both written by Peter Tosh. Marley has a couple good ones, but a lot of this album was forgettable and I didn't connect to it at all
SAULT
1/5
Genuinely one of the worst albums I've ever heard in my entire life. This record is embarassingly pathetic. It tries way way too hard to be super "deep" and "a true statement!" that they forgot the most important thing about music. Making it listenable. This fails spectacularly especially in songs like "Don't Shoot Guns Down", which features the saddest attempt at "singing" I've ever heard. The short lyrics are read off like a fast food worker who just saw 30 people walk in right before closing. The saddest part is, outside of Michael Kiwanuka saving "Bow" and "Wildfires", this album was actually not bad before "Don't Shoot Guns Down". After that though, and especially after "Bow", this album nosedives. Every song's lyrics just get worse and worse. I swear they stenonographed a poetry slam night and called it a day. Garbage. Every song also goes on for far far too long. "Black" is an especially pathetic song that runs on 2 minutes longer with pretty much no change from within the first minute. None I can remember at least.
Vocals are terribly recorded, having a dumb echo and distortion sound nearly every song. How is this considered essential exactly? The message? There are 1001 albums out there with this message that are 10x better than this pile of shit. Hell, there were probably 1001 albums released in 2020 alone thaf were better than this and also had the same message. I'm not even sure I'd put it anywhere near a list of essential SAULT albums from 2020. This record fucking sucks. What a waste of an hour
Buck Owens
5/5
If you come out of this album thinking you still hate all country, idk what to tell you. This is fucking fantastic. Such a breath of fresh air getting an album with killer lyrics and storytelling. And the band plays so tight throughout. Buck Owens has a great voice. I think my favorite is "Wham Bam" featuring Buck's best delivery and the best line on the album
"First thing is matrimony
Next thing is alimony"
Love this album. This is going up there on my list
David Bowie
5/5
When I first heard all of these Bowie albums in this book, I didn't really like any of them fully. Great songs but never a great album. Once I got to Blackstar though, everything changed. This is a masterpiece. I have since relistened and relistened to the Bowie albums and I now actually really like 3 others he made.
Blackstar is a rare album. I'm just speechless coming up with anything else to say about it. It just left me stunned. By far my favorite Bowie album, I know he has a lot of albums on this list but Blackstar is one that can never be argued to take off. It's too good, and too important
Cyndi Lauper
2/5
Time After Time, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, and maybe Money Changes Everything are about the only great songs here. The rest range from fine to extremely annoying, with the last 2 songs being the absolute fucking worst. Not a fan of Lauper's voice, nor of the production. Funny how the big singles sound fine, but the rest of the album is just mixed oddly. Thought this would be a lot better than it actually is, disappointing
k.d. lang
5/5
I did not want this album to end. This is pure country perfection. I don't know what happened during this 3rd listen, but let's just say I became a superfan. So much emotion and heart packed into the delivery of every line, and the perfect arrangements. My god I don't know what else to say about this album. Best 35 minutes of my life
Japan
3/5
Uh this album was okay. Some real bangers in the middle, but the alnum started weak and the drawn out endings happen like every song so near the end of the album it just gets old. But I can totally see others loving this fully, just didn't quite land for me
Adele
4/5
Powerful singles all around, but also some really great deeper cuts that have more energy than the piano ballady songs Adele is known for. The middle of the album is incredibly weak to me, but the rest is really well done stuff. Quite like the drums in I Miss You.
Also this is Adele you already know these choruses are great as well. Just wish the album didn't have all those duds in the middle, would have been perfect with 3 songs cut
Queen
4/5
Queen kind of drives me insane. One of the most talentef groups of all time, have a million hits, extreme popularity decades after lead singer dies, and yet I still find all their albums have so many flaws. Tons of great songs, but no great albums. They are good albums definitely, and I love lots of their songs, but their albums just always have songs on them that make me think "what were they THINKING?!?!"
The first half of this is very disjointed, and varying degrees of quality. Second half picks up much better, and I think The Prophet's Song is wayyy better than Bohemian Rhapsody (BR is great too mind you)
I think this is a low 4, off the strength of the two songs previously mentioned (and other good ones) which save it from a 3 due to it's odd beginning half
Ice T
5/5
Ice-T is both hilarious and poignant. Great old school hip hop with killer lines and a great message. The Body Count song is also fucking awesome, some much needed variety that kept the later half of the album sound more fresh
Frank Ocean
5/5
Unreal how good this album is. Like The Love Below 10 years later, even with an appearance from Andre 3000 himself spitting an amazing verse. Super catchy and the production is nearly perfect. Lots of sick drumming too love the Hendrix sample
The White Stripes
4/5
Man Jack White is so talented. Great songs here and Meg White is a perfect compliment to Jack White's guitar playing. Would give this a 5, but the album is pretty top heavy and has less memorable songs sprinkled throughout. High 4
LCD Soundsystem
5/5
Great album. Doesn't seem like it's really an hour long til you get to the 12 minute ender, but that one is also great. These guys just know how to correctly harness the energy needed for each song, very well crafted
Mylo
4/5
An hour of eurohousetrash. And I.....
...actually enjoyed it?
Wow. If it weren't for a few weak tracks I would have given this a 5. Wonderful album
Peter Gabriel
3/5
I was hoping for something way better than this is. I dare not even say it.
Has some excellent song and it ends with one of my favorites from Gabriel but the rest of the album just doesn't quite work out a lot of the time. Felt underwhelmed with a lot of this.
N.W.A.
4/5
One of the best opening tracks for an album ever. All game changing classics for hip hop. Ice Cube is crazy good on this record. Would love to give this a 5 but I can't when the the rest of the songs outside the big 4 (track 1-3, Express Yourself) are just not very interesting nor memorable. A hugely influential album for sure though.
Also, Ice Cube thought this album would be placed in the comedy section of the record store. Thought that was a fun fact to share
Dennis Wilson
5/5
This album is nuts. Each song is 10x better than the last, and there's a LOT of great songs here. The intro to "Friday Nights" alone would have made me give 5 stars, but then "Thoughts of You" blew the previous song out of the sky, and so on and so on with this album. "Farewell My Friend" stuck with me, I wonder if it's about a pet because it sounds like a dog was barking through a walkie talkie at the bottom of the ocean
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
Great album with some epic highs, like the insanely moving title track. Sad to say this can't be a 5 though, because there were a few lackluster tracks and a couple that downright irritated me (did the horns have to be THAT loud?).
Still great record though, Simon & Garfunkel were an awesome pair
Muddy Waters
3/5
Blues legend, and he sings it well. Great voice and great band but holy hell I feel this went on forever. I like Muddy Waters and the blues but I think this was just too much of the same thing. Was waiting for it to end for almost 20 minutes
Nirvana
4/5
Yeah this is peak 90's rock. Lots of strong catchy songs. Dave Grohl is also one of the few drummers that regularly has actual drum riffs. Want to love this record but man I wish some of those deep cuts were better. Some absolute gold but it's surrounded by mediocre songs :/
Still a 4 star for me though of the sheer strength of the good tracks
The Smiths
5/5
Smiths are too good. Great atmosphere and Morrissey has a one of a kind voice, I quite like his singing. Love the writing too. I'm a little too high to think of anything else to say. Love this record and it's my least favorite Smiths record on this list lol
Michael Jackson
5/5
Michael Jackson's best album. Every song is so funky and sung with such confidence. Nobody else sounded quite like MJ. That's all I have to say about that
Justin Timberlake
5/5
Personally, the book should have had FutureSex/LoveSounds in their next reissue. But this debut is still stellar. So many interesting beats with JT doing his best neo soul impression. I love it. Very catchy album and sort of a sign to come for his next album which was somehow even bigger and better than this one
Metallica
5/5
I really don't get why some Metallica die hards hate this album so much. This is heavy as fuck and Metallica is as good as ever here, if not as fast. Lars is underrated as a drummer and contributor to the band. His fill selection is great and a little odd. Still not sure if I like this or Master of Puppets more but it's real close
10cc
4/5
Gee I would love to give this inventive, creative, and influential record a 5. But holy fuck did that opening song fucking suck. Seriously I don't think I've had that visceral reaction to a song yet in this generator. Terrible. Everything else though is glorious, sounding both exactly like a 1974 record and also nothing like a 1974 record
Beck
5/5
Boy is this album genius. Don't think I've ever heard this type of mix of rock, rap, and sampling before Beck. You'd never think this is the same guy that made Sea Change. What a legend
Sonic Youth
5/5
Should have been the magnun opus of Sonic Youth. But they kept making records, all of them incredible. This band is nuts. Also Teen-Age Riot is easily their best song
Aimee Mann
2/5
Aptly named. Probably the most forgettable album in the entire list. This is my third time listening to it and I still can't remember 95% of what this album sounds like. Couple of great tracks near the end save this from a 1, and it's not outright bad anyways. Just outright boring and forgettable
The Black Keys
5/5
Amazing blues album. I thought the 55 minute length would not hold, but Black Keys makes every song interesting. Love the drum work same with the guitar work
Beatles
5/5
An hour and a half of proof that The Beatles are the greatest band ever. So many ideas, so many jarring cuts between completely different feeling songs, and it all works. And yes even Revolution 9 is a favorite, what an insane work. Ringo shines on his 2 songs and is sorely missed on the first 2 tracks (though Paul actually does really well on drums).
Love this album. Even though I was sleep-hallucinating near the end due to being tired as hell
Wilco
3/5
Lots of great songs on here and some awesome guitar playing but I think this album is way too bloated. A lot of songs just pass by me without a thought. Would be a 5 star single album for sure, decent double though
Spiritualized
5/5
What a well crafted genius album. Definitely one enhanced by weed. Those violins get me everytime on "Broke Heart". This album was so good I didn't even mind that the last track was SEVENTEEN MINUTES
Willie Nelson
5/5
By god Willie Nelson. What a fantastic album. So peaceful, and filled with insane guitar work
Santana
4/5
Some absolute classics in the first half. Wow. 2nd half is okay, but still 4 stars for that great 1st half. Santana found his niche here and stuck to it
The Rolling Stones
2/5
I genuinely can't believe people actually think Rolling Stones were better than The Beatles. I mean really? Really? They couldn't even make a good album.
Gimme Shelter, Love In Vain, and Midnight Marauder are great though
Harry Nilsson
5/5
One of my favorites. This record fucking rocks and it doesn't matter what type of song it is Nilsson crushes it every time. No way an album can have songs like "Gotta Get Up", "Early In the Morning", and "The Moonbeam Song" in the first half and ALSO having "Without You", "Coconut", and "Jump Into the Fire" in the second, all being the same album. Nilsson went fucking nuts on this record. Masterpiece
Eric Clapton
1/5
This blues record sure made me cry alright. Bored me to fucking tears. Not sure why this even made the cut. Layla and Cream is fine for Clapton's contribution to this list. That John Mayall album too I suppose
Slipknot
4/5
Has some of my favorite Slipknot songs, Sulfur especially (oooof those drums!!!), but I feel this album is just weaker as a whole. I don't really know why this made the list over a 2nd SOAD album or even Iowa from Slipknot, which is their best album. Still this one does the job and scratches the itch perfectly fine
Public Image Ltd.
5/5
What an odd yet somehow enthralling record. It totally sucks me in, and it's not what I expected Johnny Rotten to do after Sex Pistols. I quite liked both Religions and even the weird ending song is a fun listen. This is great
Iron Maiden
5/5
Incredible musicianship all around, and with Iron Maiden's original vocalist. Outside of "Running Free" (which is an interesting call back to metals blues roots, but straight up sucks at the same time), I thought this album was great. Those 40 minutes just flew by. "Phantom of the Opera" and "Transylvania" are the biggest highlights for me
Elis Regina
5/5
What a truly magnificent album. Elis' voice rivals any and the backing band is superb. So tight no matter which song. This is one of those albums you wish you knew about sooner
Motörhead
5/5
Incredibly influential. Love this record. So much energy and killer riffs. Punk attitude with a metal sound and badass execution = Motörhead
ZZ Top
5/5
Loved this album. Such a tight band. I was so engrossed that I even forgot that "La Grange" was on this album so I was pleasently surprised when it showed up
Beatles
5/5
I mean what can you even say about this record anymore? It's all been said. This is the moment pop music drastically changed forever. Just "Tomorrow Never Knows" inspired thousands of ideas into music. George goes nuts on "Love You To". There's so many things about this record that make it amazing I can barely find something to pin down, my mind races to the next great thing about this record. No band should be able to overcome such shitty stereo mixing, but The Beatles songs are so good you don't even mind it.
This isn't even my favorite Beatles record. Arguably not even top 3 depending on how I'm feeling. And I give this album so much praise. GOAT band
Dion
3/5
I wish I loved this album more, because I love Dion, but it verges on sucking at points and then goes to gloriousness the next song. Dion is vocally great but lyrically hit or miss. Hard to rate for me, but I think 3 would be appropriate. As someone with tinnitus I enjoy the wall of sound. Blocks out the ringing
Madonna
3/5
Prince fucking carries on this album, which is insane because he's only 4 tracks. Madonna has some other pretty good songs on here, but a lot of songs were so forgettable I had already forgotten I listened to it by the time the next song got into the verse. Would have been a low 2, but Prince alone brings it to a middle 3
Beatles
5/5
My favorite Beatles album. The perfect blend of their early pop tunes and their later experimentation. Ringo proves here he's the best drummer in the business. Don't think so? Try "What Goes On?". Unless you drum a LOT of shuffles, you will be dead tired and off time by the 30 second mark. Then remember Ringo SINGS on it as well.
This album is just banger after banger after banger. Every song could have been released as a hit single. This is a greatest hits album for 99% of other bands. So incredibly strong all the way through. This is them at their absolute music making peak
Dolly Parton
5/5
Beautifully crafted country songs courtesy of 3 of country's finest. Their voices are incredible together, and they all deliver extremely heartfelt performances
Brian Eno
5/5
Wow how did Brian Eno ever get the idea to create this. Some rock type songs, the "regular" songs I'd say. Then there are the best songs, the atmospheric electronic ones. "Becalmed" and "Ziwunal/Lava" were standouts, making me float in space. 5 stars for that alone, overlooking some of the more forgettable tracks
U2
5/5
No wonder U2 got so popular. This album is amazing. I love the production, especially how demanding those drums sound, like I'm right next to the drummer
Neneh Cherry
5/5
Really love this album. The production is great throughout, but a funny thing is I think I like the demo of "Heart" more than the final product.
I'm not really sure why Lauryn Hill gets pretty much all the praise for the singing and rapping, but Neneh did it about a decade earlier but is never mentioned. She is underrated because this record is awesome
Stevie Wonder
4/5
I love Stevie Wonder and a few of my favorite songs of his are on this album. The prog instrumental is insane, then it gets followed by 4 incredible songs. Sad to say though that I was pretty much done with this album after "Ordinary Pain". But it just kept on going. Too long
David Ackles
3/5
Odd, last time I listened to this album I absolutely adored it. Must have been in the mood for piano led singer songwriter stuff at that time. Was a little underwhelmed this go around but the album was still solid.
High 3
Deep Purple
4/5
Some really impressive playing and jamming here. "Child In Time" is one of Deep Purple's best and there are other great tracks here. I have a pretty big gripe with the production though. It is garbage (most of the time). Wish it sounded better because it kind of influenced my star rating here. Deep Purple is still badass though
Aerosmith
5/5
I don't get why people seem to hate Aerosmith, this album fucking rocks. Front to back, no skips.
I mean hell, they pull out a fucking digeridoo. How can you hate that?
Tangerine Dream
5/5
A truly beautiful piece of work. I can't believe this is from 1974. The title track is the real obvious highlight here, but the 3 tracks after it all hold their own, if not as grand as "Phaedra". Love the interesting sounds and textures of this album
Joan Armatrading
3/5
Yeah this alright. Some good tracks with great guitar playing, but most of this just flew by without much thought. Not bad but I'm not quite sure why it's essential
Dr. John
5/5
The atmosphere on this album is truly special. Quite literally took me to a whole other place. Love everything about the instrumentation as well as the frequent chanting. This album is awesome front to back
Marty Robbins
5/5
Easily the greatest country album ever made. The storytelling is unreal, Robbins truly paints the picture in your head clear as day. I don't think many other albums come close to how strong this one is. It's unimaginable that a song like "Big Iron" is arguably the "weakest" on this album. As there's no way anybody could top that perfection. But Marty Robbins does. Each time I listen to this record a different song stands out to me and becomes my new favorite (for this listen it's "The Strawberry Roan").
There isn't enough good things to say about this album, it's iconic in every single way and has stood the test of time by still being quite popular today.
The Cardigans
5/5
One of the best pop albums I've ever heard. Every song is interesting and charming, the "Iron Man" cover is fucking awesome. Love the singers voice, it is very sweet. "Lovefool" is a banger and yet it possibly gets overshadowed by other songs here like "Heartbreaker", "Step On Me", and "Choke". What a killer fuckin album
The Beach Boys
5/5
Masters of the vocal melody. It's the melody alone that makes me turn from liking these songs to loving them. And the funniest part of that statement, is I think one of The Beach Boys best songs is instrumental!
But yeah, this album is special, but I'm waiting for SMiLE
The United States Of America
3/5
Yeah there are some killer tracks near the middle, and the experimentation is cool, but a lot of this album was just really underwhelming. I thought it would be a whole lot better considering its reputation. Still not a bad rating, but it's on the lower side of things
Tortoise
5/5
What a masterpiece. I was questioning whether I was going to even like this, but over the course of the 20 minute opener it slowly started winning me over, and throughout the album won me over more and more, and when the final track starts it was settled. Love the marimba incorporation as well
R.E.M.
4/5
I think R.E.M. is becoming my new Elvis Costello, where I like quite a lot of their music but somehow feel like I'm still not getting something. There are some really fantastic songs here, but sadly also others that I wasn't very fond of. But I still mostly really like this record
Gene Clark
4/5
Yeah this is pretty damn good. Some really nice long instrumental sections that give the tracks space to breathe, though this doesn't always work on the album. Lots of great songs but a few very forgettable ones dock a star for me
Genesis
5/5
One of my only thoughts on this album after listening is god DAMN was Phil Collins a fucking monster on drums. What a fucking beast.
Incredible prog album, Firth of Fifth is one of the best prog songs ever made, easily.
Le Tigre
5/5
The idea for this album is a 0/10. Dance/electro punk with a singer with a notoriously shrill voice? No way this is any good
The execution for this album is a 10/10. Holy hell this fucking rocks front to back. Every song is a banger
The Stone Roses
5/5
Definitely an album that is enhanced while high. Crazy these guys released a groundbreaking album like this and then decided to just watch football for like 5 years. Great jamming and love all the guitar playing. The backwards instruments on "Don't Stop" are really cool. Somewhat drags, but that's because the US version adds a single and an extra song at the end, and it's still all great songs
Bob Dylan
5/5
Bob Dylan released one of his best albums 35 years after his 1st. What.
The atmosphere of this album is insane, feels like I'm in a dusty quiet bar playing cards and listening to Dylan and the band play. The lyrics are of course incredible, "You could say I was on anything, but a roll" fuckin amazing. I don't think this tops "Blood on the Tracks" for me but it's pretty close. What a legend
Funny side story, my grandma knew Bob Dylan's cousins and they all said he was stuck up 😂
Genesis
4/5
Like their last album I listened to, it was filled with bangers. This one however is much longer and much more varied in quality. That docks it a point for me.
Last album, Phil Collins had something to show us. This album, the keyboardest completely shows off. Wow!
Elvis Presley
5/5
Elvis was special. He oozes so much character on this record, it almost sounds like a comeplete charicature. This is my 3rd listen and I've finally started really loving the middle of this album. I find Elvis is still strongest on this album during the slower songs, that take of "Blue Moon" is insane. I listened to it while on the verge of sleeping and it was mind blowing.
Also the guitar work on this album is fantastic
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
4/5
Some good ol fashioned rock n roll music. Tom Petty does a good job of it, and the guitar playing is great on this record. Perfect length too, just 30 minutes. All you need
Astrud Gilberto
5/5
What a story Astrud Gilberto is. No professional music experience until she sang a verse on "The Girl From Ipanema".
This album is dreamy. Instant smile on my face listening to this whole thing. I don't even mind the silly song she did with her kid, even though in a vacuum I'd just hate it. There's a certain warmth to Astrud's voice that I love, and boy the drumming on this album is amazing. So tight
The Hives
5/5
Robert Dimery: "Okay everyone, we need 1001 essential albums, but NO compilations, because that's just cheating..........
Except for that album by The Hives because that shit is the TITS!!!!"
The Cure
5/5
The gothic holy grail. Well crafted walls of sound and atmosphere, and I love Robert Smith's voice. This is a 5, but I gotta say it was fucking painful suffering through the ringing on "Closedown" and "Lovesong"
Common
2/5
The production is amazing, I love Common's voice and flow, and this album starts and ends phenominally. But I just can't get into the middle of this album at all. Pretty much all the songs after the first song and until "Payback Is a Grandmother" (minus "Dooinit" which is also great) are just crap to me. Can't connect to them, weak choruses, not really saying much. But when Common is telling a story oh man does he really shine. Kinda struggling to rate this, is it a high 2 for its inexcusable bloat? Or a low 3 for its shining moments of glory? I don't know. I'm going with a 2, since I already know "Be" is going to be a 4 or 5
Count Basie & His Orchestra
5/5
Pure genius. Excellent playing and composition. Not much else to say, music speaks for itself. And the cover art is fucking HARD
Foo Fighters
4/5
I like Dave Grohl. It's really impressive he does every instrument here. He's got some great well written tunes here, "Big Me" is super catchy though I have no clue what he's talking about. Or talking about talking about. Some other standout tracks too I really enjoy. Just misses on the 5 star mark for me but I had a good time listening
a-ha
5/5
Fucking killer 80s pop. Even outside the monster hit opener, this is filled with insanely catchy and well produced tracks. a-ha really knew how to write a hook. No complaints here I'm a total sucker for this sort of stuff
Devendra Banhart
5/5
This album really wins you over. When it started, I was sure I wouldn't like it based off the singing alone. It should annoy me, but when Banhart does it it's relaxing in a way. His songs are really well arranged, and the guitar playing is great. By the end, I really loved it, what a surprising find
Neil Young
2/5
Starts off so promising, thinking maybe I finally "get" the Neil Young hype.
Then it goes into his usual drivel with almost terrible instrumentation *sigh*
Fuck is he doing with so many goddamn albums on here?
Also it is not a 1 purely because there are a couple shining moments, so it wasn't purely crap. That the Neil Young experience. 2 good songs. Yay
Neil Young
1/5
Ugh another Neil Young record. Well let's get this over with.
Hey wait a minute, this song is awesome! Oh my god do I finally like Neil Young?
The next song answers that question. No, I don't like fucking Neil Young and his terrible voice and somehow worse band. He yet again tricks me with his 2 good song album and a bunch of junk surrounding them. Fucking asshole
The Rolling Stones
1/5
What moron gave the green light to a The Rolling Stones for a fucking DOUBLE ALBUM?!?!?!
They can't even make a good single album. Boring, boring, fucking boring, and boring as shit.
"Sweet Virginia" is great, the rest is fucking trash. I can't believe people seriously think this band was ever even on par with The Beatles.
The Young Gods
5/5
Gotta love how it takes about halfway through the first song before this album tells you just how industrial it's going to be. This album fucking ROCKS! Sounds like a parody, but is played so straight it still sounds menacing. Love the mix of the strings and horns with the super industrial sound, and that absolutely GUTTERAL voice is the cherry on top.
I'll throw this one in the "never would have found on my own" 5 star collection
ABBA
3/5
Tough one, on the one hand you got some monster hits and production genius, on the other there are some really dumb songs on here. And a few questionable choruses. Think I prefer their breaking up album more
Tori Amos
5/5
Absolutely nuts. Amos is a great storyingteller/lyricist, and her arrangements are great. So unique but still accessible. And can we talk about how fucking crazy it is to have the lead off single be an a cappella song about rape? Damn
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
Ugh. I tried so hard this whole album to get into it but I just couldn't. "Nothing Man" and "Worlds Apart" were great, but everything else was just flying by me with no thought.
Then we reach 2 songs near the end, "You're Missing" and "Paradise". Wow. Fucking incredible pieces of work. Love these songs. They almost save it to a 3, but it also took like an hour to reach that point. Should have cut a lot of these songs out and keep the really good stuff
Merle Haggard
4/5
Classic country. Great voice, greater guitar playing. Some really catchy and well written tunes, just wish it was much more consistant. It definitely gets stronger in the latter half though
Lorde
1/5
I thought this album was horrible. The production was its only redeeming quality, everything else I didn't like. Not a single good song. Why the fuck did they pick this but not "Pure Heroine"?
Skepta
1/5
British hip hop. And it's not Pete & Bas. So you just know it ain't gonna be good.
And I was right, production is fine, everything else is bad. Can't get into it at all. There were a few okay parts but that was it. At least this was only 44 minutes I guess but should have cut out all those dumbass phone calls
ABBA
4/5
WOW this album starts off incredibly! 3 killer songs. Doesn't keep that same type of quality all the way through sadly but it was still a very enjoyable listen. Love the production on this as well
Talking Heads
3/5
Yeah it's okay. Good production, couple memorable songs. Don't see what the big hubbub is about Talking Heads. They're fine but nothing super spectacular
Tracy Chapman
4/5
I did not realise just how good this album was the first 2 times I listened to it. Chapman has a golden voice, and the songwriting is superb. Really really want to give this a 5, but there are quite a handful of songs that have the instrumentation too busy to truly enjoy fully. Chapman's voice begs to be front and center, this would have easily been a 5 star acoustic album, or just a more subdued instrumentation
The Fall
3/5
The Fall's FIFTEENTH album. It was an enjoyable listen, with some really cool songs and sounds, but I'm struggling to understand why I need to hear this before I die. I've been more impressed with their other works more than this one. The instrumentation is often good but goddamn the singer always just sounds like some drunk dude at the bar just grabbing the mic and ranting
Gram Parsons
4/5
This was a very enjoyable country album. Gram Parsons has a very nice voice and Emmylou Harris adds a great element with her backing vocals. It's strongest in the middle of the album, wow what a stretch of good songs
Pixies
5/5
Oh what killer garage rock this is. Fucking hell the Pixies can write a good tune. Great energy throughout. And I like the singer's voice. I can definitely hear where Jack White got influenced on the track "Dead"
The Prodigy
5/5
I don't even know what to say. Wow. What a fucking album. I love every sound, every texture, every hook, every sample. What an apt band name
Wu-Tang Clan
5/5
One of the best rap albums of all time. Every time ODB shows up it's like turning the knob to 11. Each member lays down some insane verses throughout the album, and the production is so interesting. Don't think I even need say more about this album, it's pretty much all been said hundreds of times over
The Stooges
4/5
Straight up punk music before punk. Hard, raw, uhh powerful. It starts off with its best song by far, but the rest of the album was still quality and enjoyable. Also doesn't overstay it's welcome, a crisp 34 minutes. Nice
Burning Spear
3/5
Starts off phenomenally, then cools down about halfway through. Would love to love this record but the songs are much too samey to enjoy throughout the short album. Not bad though
G. Love & Special Sauce
5/5
I FUCKING LOVE RIMSHOTS 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣
God damn this album is fucking cool. The blues/rap fusion is genius and I'm shocked it didn't become the standard. It's a match made in heaven
Sepultura
4/5
Fast, hard riffs. Killer drumming. Harsh vocals. What's not to love?
This band has always reminded me of what Metallica would sound like with death metal vocals
Sade
5/5
Talk about smooth. Wow. This album flows so cleanly it makes 45 minutes fly by. Love Sade's voice. Great album. All I got to say
The Fall
5/5
Something about Mark E Smith is just so.....entrancing. I mean, dude is pretty much just ranting into the mic with some killer post-punk instrumentation, and on this album is works out beautifully well. What a great listen
Sepultura
5/5
What an absolute banger. This album goes so goddamn hard every single song that I'm surprised anybody found out a way to go harder than this. Fucking incredible stuff
George Harrison
5/5
Well that was quite a trip. Phenomenal guitar playing throughout, a true showing of what George Harrison brings to the table (it's a lot). Don't know why the version on spotify randomly has bonus tracks in the middle of the album, but outside of that it was a fantastic listen
Laura Nyro
5/5
Absolute masterpiece. God am I fucking obsessed with these tempo changes. Never ever know which way the song is gonna go and it switches with no warning at all. Every single song on here is absolute gold. Some of the best soul work ever on an album that sounds like it was tailor made for me, guy who is currently high as fuck
Alice Cooper
5/5
This album is just filled to the brim with excellent riffs, fills, songs, moods, solos. Fucking incredible. There's a reason Alice Cooper is who I've seen in concert the most of any artist. Puts on a damn good show in person and in the studio. Love the theatrical quality to this record
The The
4/5
This was a pretty cool album to listen to. I like the programmed drums and the songs are great. Not much else to say, I just rather liked this record
Dire Straits
5/5
Damn well done rock record, holy cow there are no misses on this album at all. No filler. Knopfler is a genius on the guitar, and the rest of the band is great (I love the drumming).
What a great record
The Auteurs
4/5
Damn fine record, quite a few bangers on here like "Idiot Brother" and "Home Again" (this one sounds extremely familiar). I got no complaints on this record it was all well done and no track over stayed its welcome
Tim Buckley
5/5
I love Tim Buckley. Always experimenting and always with a new sound. Love the psychedelic folk on this record. But the wrong Tim Buckley albums made the list. It should be "Star Sailor" taking up either this spot or one of the other 2 spots. And this record is amazing, it's just that "Star Sailor" is so far and away his best that I can't believe it wasn't included
The Temptations
5/5
Fantastic album. Loving the funk here and "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" is one of the best songs ever. The first song on here is good, but why the fuck does it only play out of the right ear? Other than that this is a terrific listen
Pavement
5/5
Pavement has such a unique sound and vibe in the world of indie rock. Talented songwriting and always interesting instrumentals. I first heard these guys on the Mlb 2k6 soundtrack if you can believe that. Thanks game for shaping my tastes.
Anyway this album rocks, never a dull moment
Crowded House
2/5
Yeah this album was just so.....eh. Bit too long as well, nothing really jumped out to me on this record. I almost have nothing to say because all of it was just so forgettable
XTC
5/5
Crazy, I didn't think I'd remember as much of this album as I did, so many melodies that just stick right in your head and never leave. Fantastic record. 50 minutes of complete bangers, there isn't a bad song on here. Production is amazing as well
The Doors
4/5
Definitely an album enhanced by being high, originally thought I'd only like 3 songs, but ended up loving most of the first half and "The End". Second half pretty forgettable though. Still Jim Morrison is an incredible frontman and the rest of the band is fantastic
Cocteau Twins
5/5
Oh I love this album. Wow. Third time (and being high) made everything click. Love the vocals, love the classic electronic drum sound, love the everything else in this album
Frank Zappa
5/5
Pure genius. Completely unapologetic Zappa fan here. This album kicks so much fucking ass. Some of the downright nastiest most disgusting playing ever comitted to tape is here. I wouldn't be surprised if all 6 of these songs were recorded in 6 different studios, due to the previous studio abruptly burning down after the song finished. The perfect album to either get lost in and let fade into the background, or to meticulously pick apart the many instruments playing
I was high as fuck for this album (and still am) and I gotta say, that was a fantastic experience
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
A lot of bangers on here, not enough for a 5 but this is totally a 4. In the realm of reggae I'm more of a Peter Tosh fan than Marley but this one is very enjoyable
Morrissey
4/5
The first half had me wondering if something was wrong, because I really wasn't that impressed by it. The second half definitely kills though. Wow is it good. I'm more of a "Your Aresenal" type of Morrissey fan, but this was very enjoyable
The Black Crowes
3/5
This is alright rock music. Some nice riffs, some nice choruses, singing's teetering between good and decent. "Hard to Handle" is the obvious highlight here, and easily the best song on this album. I kept wishing I liked this a lot more but I just didn't. It was fine
Wilco
5/5
This album is really fucking good. Most every song leaves an impression. Just everything was so well done. I got nothing else to really say about it, I don't know much else about Wilco besides the three albums on this list
Jeff Buckley
5/5
This is fucking magnificent. What a voice Jeff Buckley has, and he can seemingly do any type of song he wants and anything he covers becomes his. Just wow all over the board. Not a single bad moment on this entire record. One of my favs
Coldplay
5/5
Early Coldplay is fucking nuts. This album is goddamn beautiful. I fucking LOVE this!! Great songwriting and great guitar playing!!!
The Afghan Whigs
5/5
After the first track, this was a perfect album. Somehow getting better and better with each song. So much emotion packed into every single note. What a fucking gem
Arcade Fire
4/5
Coincidentally, the best parts of this album coincided with the peak of my high. Critics make this band seem so so so pretentious but the actual music here is really good.
Grizzly Bear
3/5
There are moments of real genius, 1st half is pretty strong. But I kept thinking just how much better this album would be if it were like 15-20 minutes shorter. The length and lack of anything matching some of the stuff of the first half started wearing on me
Slayer
5/5
I fucking needed this. Extremely aggressive and extremely fast. Thrash's finest hour. And listening to this album in full makes "Raining Blood" just hit SO much harder
Lucinda Williams
5/5
I'm a little shocked at how much of a banger this album is. Figured at nearly an hour of country there'd be some lull but all these songs are great!
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
Just bonkers how good this album is. Every other artist would kill to have 1 timeless track on an album, maybe even 2 if they're really lucky, but here Fleetwood Mac has like 7 of them, and the other 4 are also incredible tracks. One of the easiest 5s in this whole list, no wonder it's topping the highest rated list
Joan Baez
4/5
Great folk music and I really like Joan Baez voice....but oh my GOD put some sort of sound in the fucking left channel. 90% of this album is in the right channel or rightmost of the left channel. Absolutely infuriating
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
5/5
What a banger. If this doesn't get you pumped I don't know what will. This makes me feel like I'm there with everybody coming together in the joy of music. And the PLAYING?!?!?! Impeccable. Apprently Nusrat can sing like this for hours on end. What a fuckin legend
Radiohead
5/5
This is really fantastic, but since its Radiohead, it gets overshadowed by other albums they did that are somehow better. This album is nuts all over the place, hard to predict what's gonna happen next
Marianne Faithfull
4/5
This was a good album, ends super strongly with a great Lennon cover and after that the best song on the whole album. Wish I had liked this more to give it a 5, but it didn't all fully click for me
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
5/5
Boy does Jack Elliott have quite a voice. He really puts it all in there. Makes the album feel so genuine. Sort of teeters by the end, but I think I'm still giving this a 5 when I think about how much this album inspired some of my favorites
The Byrds
2/5
This album flew by, but not in the good way. More in the background music way. I prefer any other Byrds album to this, it's painfully alright music. Really only had 2 standout songs for me, the title track, and "Here Without You".
I like the Byrds, but this album is just not very good
Radiohead
5/5
I am in absolute awe. The opening track really sets the tone, one of the best intros ever, and the title of the song explains the whole album. Every little sound placed here is just perfect. Everything transports me to another universe. I don't think a keyboard has sounded better. Radiohead discovered the perfect set of notes and the perfect sound and tone
The title track sounds like what babies hear, I love it.
"The National Anthem" is the first song that sounds like "regular" rock music Radiohead primarily made before this album, and it's chaotic as fuck. The horns are just going crazy yet I can still pick out what sound is making what, and what it's doing to make everything sound chaotic, so it's not just random noise.
"How To Disappear Conpletely" is one of my favorite songs, I've listened to it a LOT over the years (not as much as the next song though) and it always takes me away from the world and into my mind thinking up what the world of this album looks like.
"Treefingers" is probably my favorite Radiohead song, and my most played Radiohead song. It's pretty much just ambient, but the placement and sound of the slowed down electric guitar just hits my ear just right and I can't get enough of it. My ultimate relaxation song.
The next 2 songs aren't as memorable as the rest of the album, but on any other album they'd be the standout tracks. They're just surrounded by what I think is Radiohead's best work ever, and they've made a lot of killer shit. Also the drum loop at the end of "Optimistic" is so cool
"Idioteque" is just insane. Another chaotic one but in a different way than "The National Anthem". Much more anxiety driven rather than full blown panic.
I love the drums in "Morning Bell" and the keyboard sounds.
"Motion Picture Soundtrack" always amazed me with the harp, and then the untitled hidden track feels like what walking out of Vault 101 felt like when I first played Fallout 3
2/5
Yes the proto-punk is very cool and this seems a wild live show, but c'mon we all know this is only on here for the title track. Almost everything else is just forgettable
Brian Eno
4/5
I cannot believe this was 1973. What the fuck was Brian Eno on to think of something like this? It's weird as hell, but masterfully produced and my god the guitar is just insane. Some songs are just too much weird and I can't get into them at all, but then a few songs later Eno will pull out this intricate yet beautiful song that pulls you right back into the album. Gonna be a middle tier 4, wish it were a 5 but I will probably have to have a couple more listens til I get to that point
Amy Winehouse
3/5
I'm a little disappointed. I went in expecting to absolutely love this, but the album was just kind of annoying for about 50% of it. Not sure making it an hour was the right choice, because if you kept just the best tracks this is an easy 5. Her next album vastly improves on this though, and this album was half great so I'l give it a 3
Quicksilver Messenger Service
2/5
Wow. What a surprisingly....eh album. Basically just a record of a really short song with an overly extended solo section. It's fine I guess but is really boring sometimes
Various Artists
3/5
Very much fits the mood, these are all classic Christmas songs but let's be honest here The Ronettes carry this album. Darlene Love is great too, everything else just misses the magic that those two artists had on these tracks
Nick Drake
3/5
I really do love Nick Drake, but this album is a prime example of too much going on. Sometimes, the wall of noise is quite lovely, but most of the time all its doing is taking away from Nick Drake. He should always be the spotlight on an album but here he seems to drift off into the background
The Who
3/5
I'm so torn between giving this a high 3 or a low 4. It has real moments of genius, the overtures and undertures as well as a leitmotif that shows up every now and again, are brilliant. On the other hand though, there is some inexcusable bloat that are only there to fill in story gaps
Think I'll go high 3 on this one
Spacemen 3
2/5
This album is just so eh. Fantastic guitar work but that's it. I didn't care for anything else on the album
The Go-Go's
3/5
Some awesome punk with some banger tracks, but also filled with lots of really forgettable tracks. I was teetering toward a 4 but "Skidmarks on my Heart" was so bad I can only give it a 3
John Lennon
5/5
Genius record. The atmosphere is just incredible, the songwriting is amazing. I can't think of anything else to say, this album left me speechless
R.E.M.
4/5
This album is almost totally fucking awesome, just drags a bit sometimes
Slint
5/5
The first few times I had heard this album, I thought it was okay, but I didn't get the hype. Next time after that, I was liking it more and more, but still not quite understanding it. But now, I get it. This record fucking rocks. Unlike nearly anything I've heard. The guitars are jaw dropping and the mix between softly spoken, singing, and screaming vocals fits just perfectly. I now love this record and I'm glad everything finally clicked for me on this
Van Halen
5/5
This album is fucking awesome. What more could you ask? Changed the whole game when it came out. Eddie is nuts on guitar, Alex compliments it perfectly, Michael has great little bass parts beneath Eddie's monsterous guitar parts, and David just oozes charisma every step of the way. This is rock n roll! 🤘
Michael Jackson
5/5
This album is just nuts, starts off with 2 banger tracks, then a goofy ass duet with fucking PAUL that still works in a super cheesy way, then 3 GIGANTIC hits. Absolute insanity. The 3 after the hits pale in comparison, but they're still well crafted pop tunes sung by the King of Pop. This is a 5 easily. But I still think Off the Wall is MJ's best
Christine and the Queens
4/5
I listened to the english version of this, and wow it was much better than expected. The production is amazing, I was listening to that most of the time. Gives me a CHVRCHES vibe. Was close to a 5 but a couple songs I didn't really care for, but still a nice album. I'l have to check out the french version sometime
David Bowie
3/5
Yeah this is some okay Bowie. Nowhere near my favorite but also not bad. Just doesn't really click with me at all
Supertramp
4/5
This album starts and ends extremely well (except for "Bloody Well Right" which I found to be annoying). It's just the middle of the album that drags its star rating down. Masterfully produced album though
Morrissey
5/5
Absurd to me how consistantly good Morrissey is. I go into every album of his expecting to hate it but always come out blown away. This album is hilarious at times with these ridiculous lyrics that only a guy like Morrissey could write or even record. Awesome record with lots of bangers
Pulp
5/5
Amazing album. JC (not Jesus Christ, the singer just has the same initials) really knows how to write a good powerful song, with perfect use of energy. The lyrics are great too. This album runs on a little long (especially if you listen to the CD version of the last song with a 10 minute outro) but there are in no way any bad songs here. They're all gold
Circle Jerks
5/5
The shortest album in the list, but still incredibly dense. Multiple songs stand out and I think it's because the drumming is so goddamn cool. Very interesting riffs and drum beats
Led Zeppelin
2/5
I tried liking this, but the more intently I listened the more I just started hating it. I really think this band is highly overrated. Talented, influential, sure sure. Not that good to me though. Everytime a song was starting to click with me Robert Plant would make a sound so utterly stupid that my enjoyment just ended. Not a 1 star level album though, because there are some cool parts to these songs, but I can't put this any higher than a 2. I really hope I am almost done with the Zeppelin on this list
Arrested Development
2/5
I really thought I was going to love this album completely. Old school southern rap? Sign me up! It starts great, and it ends great, but everything in the middle was a complete and total bore to me. How disappointing. Giving this a very high 2
Kings of Leon
2/5
Well this album was 85% totally fucking annoying. Singer has NOT found his voice yet, it sucks here. The only thing saving this from a 1 is the fact that the band is pretty good and there's 3 songs where the singer doesn't ruin the song
Ella Fitzgerald
1/5
Ella Fitzgerald is an amazing performer and one of the best interperators of song
George and Ira Gershwin are amazing writers and one of the best pop song writers ever.
But
Three.
Fucking.
Hours.
Reviewing this in an album format, marks this an inexcusably bloated mess, more akin to torture than enterntainment. Obviously, this is meant to just throw a disc on here and there, not listen to in 1 sitting. But I gotta review this as the latter because that's what I did.
It's torture. There's no variety, it's all vocal jazz pop. It starts to wear on you by the 45 minute to an hour mark. Then you remember you have over TWO HOURS left. You go insane. You try gaslighting yourself into thinking this really isn't that long. That the spotify link just goes to a super deluxe edition.
But no, it's really that long. It's literally the entire Gershwin songbook. I can't take it for that long. I don't care how well it's made and how good Ella is, I never want to sit through this entire thing again. It's far too much
Just for god's sake just have a best of and make it 45 minutes to an hour TOPS, because there are some gems on discs 4 and 5 like "Slap That Bass" and "Fascinating Rhythm".
Sorry to give this a 1, but there's no other choice. It's too fucking long
Marvin Gaye
5/5
Definitely an album that grows its genius over multiple listens. First go through, it feels like everything is the same. All one note and nothing much else. But each listen pulls back a layer of this incredibly funky yet heartbreaking album. The lyrics really shine and the horn playing is just perfectly placed every song. This may sometimes feel too long, but I quickly remember how good the rest of the album is, so I don't mind the light slog
Randy Newman
3/5
When I listen to Randy Newman, I immideately think of 3 things: Toy Story, Major League, and Family Guy.
Totally random which one I think of, but they change how I hear some of these lyrics lol
Dolly Parton
5/5
Marvelous album. The songs are well written and even better executed. The band is incredible and Dolly is Dolly, nuff said there. AND it's just under half an hour, perfect amount of time but I still yearn for more
Garbage
5/5
Sounds like the perfect CD to throw on at a party in the 90's. Fucking banger rock/dance tracks. God damn so many bangers
Pantera
2/5
Uh yeah Pantera. They're alright. This album starts great and "Walk" is a classic but after "Fucking Hostile" this album just nosedives and I don't care about any song
Goldie
5/5
I thankfully split this up in its discs throughout the day. Earlier I listened to disc 1, and now I'm finishing up disc 2. It really helps recognize how fucking good all these songs are, because I'm no longer being bogged down by that 2 hour runtime. This is some fine jungle work, I really wish I could dock points for the length but it's too good to bring myself to giving it any less than a 5. Still think Roni Size is best DnB, but this one is also amazing.
Also why the hell is Inner City Life on here 3 times 😂
Metallica
5/5
A total metal classic that doesn't have any bass (that's hearable anyway) and has songs that go on way too long. But it wouldn't feel right giving this a 4 because of that, because there are too many moments of straight awesomeness that I'm forced to give it a 5. Metallica is awesome
Eels
4/5
This album was mostly total and complete bangers. Starts amazing, but has a lull near the end (minus "Your Lucky Day In Hell" which is catchy as fuck).
I've really never heard of Eels but they always have sounded so familiar. Like the template for what 90's rock sounds like to me
The Who
5/5
Super influential album. And it still kicks ass! Keith Moon is a monster on drums and one of my favorites, making every song fun and lively
New York Dolls
4/5
This has gotta be the most influential album for punk music. The blueprint for what was to come near the end of the decade. The album starts with a bang, lots of great songs. Goes on for too long though
MGMT
4/5
This whole album is mostly overshadowed by 3 incredible songs, the rest sadly didn't reach those same heights, but this album is still pretty damn good and feels shorter than 40 minutes. I'm teetering between a high 3 or a low 4 on this one I think I gotta give it the low 4. "Time to Pretend" and "Kids" are too damn catchy
Anita Baker
4/5
Yeah this album is pretty damn good, but I'm not sure why it isn't on spotify. Seems random. But I had a good time listening to it, Baker really goes for it on some of those notes
Todd Rundgren
5/5
An incredible burst of creativity. So much variety and experimentation here that I can't believe Rundgren isn't more of a household name. This album does go on for too long, sure, but I can only think of about 10 minutes of the whole record I'd be okay with cutting. The rest is just that good. Gonna be a 5, but a bit of a lower 5
The Smiths
5/5
This is The Smith's best album. So obviously they broke up right after. The guitar is killer but what really makes this album shine is Morrissey. He's fucking hilarious
Madonna
5/5
This album is just nuts. What an insane experience, William Orbit carves out an other-worldly production and Madonna merely guides us through it. Genuinely one of the best pop albums to ever come out
Keith Jarrett
5/5
Beautiful concert. And the story behind it makes it so much cooler. Keith Jarrett was tired and arrived to the concert hall to a shitty piano that had some broken keys. He nearly canceled. But he still went out there, and delivered some incredible piano work. Those noises he makes are just from being so shocked at how good his improvisations sound. This album's a treat
Judas Priest
3/5
Judas Priest, along with Black Sabbath, influenced pretty much every metal band for the rest of time. This isn't the one album from them I would choose though. Sure it has their biggest hit, but I think it's one of their weaker offerings, mostly due to how fucking bad the two song run of "United" and "You Don't Have to Be Old to Be Wise" is. Some killer tunes are here but my god those 2 songs left a stain on the album.
Rob Halford kicks fucking ass
David Bowie
1/5
Going through this generator, I got Bowie albums that I didn't like before and somehow the 3rd listen made everything click. I figured the same would happen to this album, but no. This shit sucks.
I don't know what it is with the production, I can hear everything perfectly fine, but it feels like there is no air, making it sound....I don't know off? "Changes" for example has what should be a big chorus sounding empty, like something is just missing. The rest afterwords are just dribble. No idea what the hell I listened to because I forgot what it sounded like as soon as it ended. I'm extremely disappointed in this album.
"Andy Warhol" is a fucking killer song though, but it doesn't save this album.
Weather Report
3/5
Some fanrastic playing and some downright sheer beauty at parts. But by god Jaco Pastorius' bass tone fucking SUCKS! Great skilled player but he's got one of the worst tones in the business and it actively ruins songs, as seen on this album
Drummer is always going crazy though
Rod Stewart
2/5
This album's alright. Great instrument work, but not really a fan of Rod's voice sometimes. There were high moments in this album but not enough to be honest, felt like there was some definite filler
Muddy Waters
4/5
Classic blues. Muddy is great and he especially gets the crowd rolling on "Got My Mojo Workin'", so much so the crowd tells him to play it again. Awesome
Couple lull spots keep it from a 5 but still cool album, must have beeb even cooler in person
Suede
5/5
Great 90's album that ends on a euphoric note in "Still Life". It started a bit weak, but every track was stronger than the last.
Hole
5/5
God I fucking love Hole. All certified bangers here and that's all I got to say about that
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
Not a lot of songwriters can make an hour and a half long album with zero skips. But Nick Cave is one of those few. I discovered him from this list and now I'm a big fan, he's fucking awesome
"There She Goes, My Beautiful World" is one of the best songs he's ever made
Fela Kuti
5/5
Hell yeah! Fela is a great performer and Ginger is a great drummer. What an awesome live show
Miles Davis
5/5
Hella relaxing and superbly played, wow!
Portishead
5/5
Trip-hop at its best, great atmosphere
Janelle Monáe
5/5
Crazy diverse album. When I first listened to it I had never heard a Janelle Monáe song before, and I became an instant fan after this. So fucking catchy all over the place while still leaving some quite cool experimentation
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
God dammit, I went into this album super excited, and when "Jigsaw Feeling" finished I was so hyped. Then the rest of the album is just....a bit underwhelming :/
Led Zeppelin
2/5
"Whole Lotta Love" and "Moby Dick" are fucking awesome. Everything else (outside a couple sections in some songs) absolutely blows. Robert Plant is an annoying vocalist and I don't care at all for these songs
The B-52's
5/5
Yeah this is one of the greats. Fucking hell that outro to "Rock Lobster" is fucking HARD!!!!
"Planet Claire" is nuts too and the rest of the album keeps up the fun
Electric Light Orchestra
5/5
Very VERY Beatlesesque, but damn does ELO do it justice. Absolutely killer and catchy tunes which make up for any slog this album has through its runtime. "The Whale" especially surprised me, that was absolutely beautiful
Elliott Smith
5/5
Beautifully made album. Every song just hits like a truck. Elliott Smith had the perfect voice for his kind of music, I don't think anybody else sounds quite like him. Guitar work is superb as well, I heard it was in weird tunings that not even Elliott Smith knows what they are
Nick Drake
5/5
Beautiful intricate guitar work that's marvousely accompioned by other instruments and Nick Drake's voice and poetry being the cherry on top. What's not to love
5/5
I was not expecting this to have so much variety. Starts very electronic, then has a song I thought Coldplay did, then progressively gets a bit harder and rockier before exploding into futuristic wild west (?)
Fucking awesome is all I gotta say
The Residents
4/5
Oh my god this album is fucking weird. I really like it though. Can hear Les Claypool all over this album, so it must've been a huge inspiration for him. Somehow The Residents make these alien sounding songs catchy, fuckin nuts
k.d. lang
5/5
The second this album hits, I get chills, and start sinking into my couch. I am in pure bliss when listening to k.d. lang. This album may somehow be better than Shadowland, which shouldn't be possible as Shadowland is one of the greatest of all time. "Season of Hollow Soul" is her career highlight and one of the best songs ever recorded. That alome would've been worth a 5. But this album doesn't even have any skips. It's goddamn magnificent
The Verve
3/5
This was fine, really just had 2 or 3 big highlights surrounded by passable music. Album's a bit too long though
Little Richard
4/5
This is pure rock n roll. Pretty much every band has its influenced traced to Little Richard. What a pioneer and what great energy he brings. Some of these songs fall flat, but that's no fault of Richard, he's always the best part
Röyksopp
5/5
This is some incredible electronic music. I'm speechless. Great production everything sounds clear and beautiful
Spiritualized
4/5
Pretty nice album, some of it falls in the background but on the songs that grab my attention it really mesmerizes me. The guitar work and production is really top notch
Butthole Surfers
4/5
Man this album is weird. But I kinda like it. Butthole Surfers obviously know how to make a great "normal" song if you've listened to their more popular songs, here they make something almost alien just because they can. Really cool unique album
Sheryl Crow
2/5
Disappointed in how........disappointing this album is. Few excellent tracks but they actually hinder the album by making everything around them sound even more boring in comparison
Bill Callahan
5/5
Great album, Bill Callahan has a soothing deep voice, and the arrangements really moved me
Kanye West
5/5
Album of pure genius. The changes throughout songs are glorious and the production is INSANE. Albums like this make me understand why Kanye still got hardcore defenders no matter how bad it gets 😂
This is incredible
Mudhoney
3/5
This wasn't bad, just mostly fell into the background. Solid album, love the dual guitars, just not enough of it grabbed me
The Velvet Underground
4/5
This album is mostly okay, "The Gift" is a big highlight but the rest is fine. Then we get the giant "Sister Ray". Wow. What a fucking song. So goddamn cool. Bumps it up an extra star for that
Cee Lo Green
5/5
The album starts with a hilarious intro, and then goes into a song that's rather....blegh. I was thinking this was going to be a long hour. Then I was continually proven wrong with each passing song, very strong delivery, production, lyrics, arrangement, etc. Just an absolute masterclass
Dusty Springfield
2/5
Astoundingly disappointing. Dusty has a great voice and saves a lot of this album, because most of these songs are straight junk. Scrapping the bottom of the crap barrel here, very few hightlights, this is only half an hour but it felt double that. I have listened to the bonus tracks too, and they are wayyyy better than the original LP
American Music Club
3/5
Some incredibly strong songs here but the record is too inconsistant. Way too many songs are forgettable. But god damn "Jenny" and "Highway 5" are bangers
Buena Vista Social Club
5/5
Such a great vibe on this album, you really feel like they made this especially for you
The Teardrop Explodes
4/5
Hard one to rate, because there's some really killer tunes here and I like the overall sound of the album, but there was also so much that don't at all stand out. Either a low 4 or high 3 on this one. Bassist is incredible especially on 'Went Crazy" he just went OFF on that one
The Pogues
5/5
The Pogues are so fucking cool. Irish traditional fixed with folk-punk is fucking glorious. This isn't even their best album but goddamn is it magnificent. Love the playing on here
Neil Young
1/5
Just awful. I don't see the appeal at all. His voice is awful, his lyrics are awful, and his band is awful
Patti Smith
5/5
This is a masterpiece. The two long animal themed songs are just incredible. I'm at a loss for words. Also this album has the best opening line ever, and has other fantastic songs sprinkled about, like "Break It Up"
Public Enemy
4/5
Man I really wanna give this a 5 cause most of the 2nd half is so strong, but I can't really excuse the length or the underwhelming first half (outside of the sick Prince sample). Too many nothing songs in between the great ones. Chuck D got one of the best voices in hip hop, probably THE best, and the sampling on here is insane. Very high 4
The Byrds
4/5
This album starts pretty slow and forgettable, but goddamn do those 4 songs in the middle absolutely BANG! I mean, how influential and crazy is that guitar playing on "Eight Miles High"? Gets a 4 for that alone, what an album saving run. It ended fine just not as exciting as the middle
The Zutons
4/5
This album is a lot better than I thought it was going to be. Still some songs that don't do much, but there's so well recorded, well played, catchy music here. I especially love when they pull the sax out. Surprisingly high 4 on this one
Sonic Youth
5/5
Sonic Youth have one of the more consistantly great discographies in all of music, and this album no exception. Other bands would have this as their magnum opus but it was just another album for Sonic Youth as they would release more and more total bangers that Sister gets a bit forgotten in my mind. Excellent guitar work and I love the busy drum fills
The Streets
1/5
This album is fucking awful. Like it's laughably bad. I cried when this was generated because I knew it was fucking dogshit, and I laugh cried at how terrible the lyrics are and how STUPID the delivery is all over this album. Any decent beat is ruined by the vocals, and the decent beats are like 5 second loops with barely any change or addition at all. I hate this fucking album. I hate this fucking album. I hate this fucking album. I hate the stupid ass "oh the cash I needed was in the T.V. the whole time!" cop out shite ending this shit had
"Dry Your Eyes" is aight tho
LL Cool J
5/5
God damn is LL Cool J funny as hell. So many hilarious lines. This guy is a rap OG and after a few years of getting made fun of LL had enough and shit on everybody who doubted him, creating an album that inspired every rapper who heard it. Legend
Sleater-Kinney
4/5
Really cool punk album, the duel guitars is sick and although the vocals border that annoying line they fit really well with the music. It gets less consistant towards the end of this record but it was still pretty damn good
The Specials
4/5
The Specials are a band who inspire me and inspired countless others, but I actually don't like both their album as much as I want to. 3 killer tracks here, and 2 other great ones, but the rest was just not the same quality. But "Man at C&A" "Stereotype" and "International Jet Set" are so good they just barely bump this from a 3 to a 4. I wanted to give Specials 5s both times but it just didn't click with me. Maybe I need to take stronger hits
Christina Aguilera
3/5
This album is fine, a lot better than Stripped, but holy hell Christina why is this an hour and 20 minutes? Cut some fucking bloat please, every other song is filler
Great voice tho
James Taylor
5/5
The first song on here does not set it up good. Thought it'd just be some regular old singer/songwriter crap. But wow, the rest of these songs really prove me wrong. There's always something interesting going on musically, and the melodys are downright angelic in places. This album is extremely well played and the sound is varied while still having that 70s air on it
The The
5/5
I think this is slightly better than Soul Mining. Super 80s sounding but still kinda it's own thing underneath it. I was surprised at how many bangers are on here
The Zombies
5/5
Fed up with the industry, The Zombies were just going to call it quits. Then a hero bandmate suggested doing one more album of whatever they wanted. They agreed. What followed was the release of one of the greatest albums of all time. Listening to Odessey and Oracle is the equivelent to having an orgasm. The choruses are PERFECT! Each song sounds like a hit, each song is an earworm.
Then there's "Butcher's Tale", and wow, what a fucking song. Probably the greatest chorus ever, the sheer energy off the build and release is astounding not even taking in the song's subject matter. Masterpiece.
One of my all time favs, wish they changed their minds about quitting after releasing this
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
4/5
Pretty good blues album. Sometimes feels like just basic blues numbers ramblings but there's enough bangers here to warrant a 4. Clapton plays great on guitar, I guess he just works better when he isn't the leader of the band. I may be biased as a drummer but I found the best songs to be the ones where the drummer was most active, I especially loved the drum solo
Ministry
3/5
This is some alright industrial. There's really only 3 big highlights and the rest is pretty much just there. Gotta say I can't believe a song like "Jesus Built My Hotrod" got radio play, but I love it, weirdly catchy
Also a side note: I saw them open for Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie and I genuinely fell asleep during Ministry
Mariah Carey
5/5
To preface, I love Mariah Carey. "All I Want For Christmas Is You" is one of my favorite songs and yes I heard it a million times working retail. Yes Mariah often over sings, to the point of bringing the song down, but I still love it. Each song here is gold and even the Prince cover is not bad, but makes me wish I was just listening to the original. The Butterfly reprise is amazing, and the album as a whole is perfectly produced. It sounds great
The Beach Boys
3/5
Beach Boys are legendary, and while this album certainly has great harmonies, it mostly falls flat. The last 2 songs (not counting that food delivery/interview) really save this from a 2. "She Knows Me Too Well" is just insane, both in lyrics and vocal perfomance
Violent Femmes
5/5
This album is incredibly charming. The bass player is absolutely fucking nuts on every track. I don't really have much else to say except it was super catchy and a fun listen
Frank Sinatra
5/5
What a way to start off the book. Wow, this album is just so good. Sinatra's huge comeback, with this concept album on loneliness and lost loves, a real gut punch record in the right mindset. Sinatra's voice is pure gold and he always has perfect delivery and timing
Jurassic 5
5/5
Insane talent on display all around here. The album sounds like it's gonna be top heavy because it starts so good, then it just keeps one upping itself with each passing song. Even Kool Keith shows up and drops a crazy a cappella 40 second bug themed verse. These guys need to be talked about more holy hell what an album
David Gray
5/5
One of the craziest last grasps in history. David Gray had one more album to make it big and holy hell did this deliver. I think I read 2/3rd of British households owned this album, it was that big at the time. And not for no reason either, this album is all bangers, it's genuinely insane how good every song is
The Jam
5/5
Well this album finally clicked for me, it was good before but after this listen holy hell I fell in love with it. Bass is always interesting, the guitar hooks are incredible, great lyrics and an enjoyable vocal delivery. And can we talk about how good "English Rose" is? A real standout song in an album filled to the brim with great songs
Napalm Death
4/5
One of the more influential metal albums of all time, what's it doing so far down in the ratings? It's fucking grindcore what that's too good for you people?
This album mostly rips, but the weirdest thing is that the 2 halfs are practically completely different bands, as most of the first half guys left leaving just the drummer remaining I believe. It definitely sort of "devolves" in the 2nd half, having mostly super short songs, but it's still pretty cool
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
I fucking love the noise. This album sounds like me trying to listen to a regular album at work, where every machine is fully running at the same time. 2nd half of this album is really strong
Beck
5/5
Beck keeps surprising me with his wide range of genres. "Broken Drum" might be his best song and he's got a lot of great ones. This album was super solid front to back, I loved it
Deerhunter
5/5
Incredible album. The atmosphere here is one of a kind. I still don't even really know where this album takes me when I listen to it
Joni Mitchell
3/5
There's a few really incredible songs here, like "The Jungle Line" or "Harry's House / Centerpiece", but the rest of the album doesn't really live up to it. Seems almost deliberate as moat of the other songs just seemed way quieter than the 2 I mentioned. However this was overall a pretty nice album I think a 3 is in order
Scott Walker
5/5
This album doesn't always hit, but holy hell when it does it fucking HITS!!! "Jackie" and "Next" are worth a spot on this list alone, and those 2 songs alone would bump this up a star rating. Then you add in the other incredible tracks on here and it just has to be a 5, no matter the few dud songs
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
2/5
I don't get the fetish for Damon Albarn on this list. He's everywhere and his music is just boring 90% of the time. Sometimes he makes a really good song like a couple on the 2nd half of this album, but fuck me is most of this boring as hell.
This album sounds like listening to Radiohead at a really low volume and you can't tell what song it is
Robert Wyatt
5/5
This album is gorgeous and the perfect one to put on right before bed. I was in awe at the sounds, and this album made me sleepy in the best way possible, super relaxing
New Order
5/5
Must have been the blueprint for every 90's electronic pop hit, goddamn good record. Love the layers and production and the lyrics are hitting at the right time
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
Great fucking album, lots of good, strong choruses here
Led Zeppelin
2/5
Couple of killer tracks, and a few cool sections surrounded by boring blues garbage sung by a laughing hyena on helium
Not terrible enough to warrant a 1 though
Caetano Veloso
3/5
"Soy Loco Por Ti América" is a huge highlight, but the rest of the album is just alright. Some odd production where the left ear sounds muted at parts though
Minutemen
5/5
An absolute classic for good reason, unique punk sound and always has something interesting going on, not to mention the theme song for Jackass is found here
Carole King
5/5
My mom's favorite album, this one is pure gold
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
Beautiful album filled with some of their best work. Outside of Garfunkel's stupid sound collage
Terence Trent D'Arby
2/5
A couple of bangers here but wow the rest of the album is just filled with crap songs. Disappointed
Wild Beasts
4/5
Really fun album. And funny at times like how can you sing "this is my booty call" in that falsetto 😂
Van Morrison
3/5
If you're a big Van Morrison fan this is probably the holy grail of live albums. An hour and a half of perfectly played and well recorded live music from Van Morrison. He's got a lot of soul and emotion in his delivery and the band is tight but for me I don't really go out of my way to ever listen to Van Morrison, and an hour and a half of it was just too much. Not bad though
Dwight Yoakam
4/5
This album was really good and even with some filler songs that don't move me, it had enough bangers on here to warrant a 4 instead of a 3. Also sadly relatable currently 😭
Calexico
4/5
Starts off a bit weak, I was thinking this was going to be a 2 or 3, but that second half was really really good! Great instrumentals too
Can
5/5
Despite its length this album is kick ass, super interesting and odd songs, I fucking love it
The Band
2/5
A few cool moments and a couple of good songs weren't enough to save this ultimately uninteresting album
Nick Drake
5/5
What a beautiful and hearbreaking final album for Nick Drake. He's all alone here and that's where his music shines. Even on the instrumentals you can feel what Nick Drake is feeling. And there's a lot of songs here that just feel deeply familiar yet you can't quite place where you know it from. Love this album
The KLF
5/5
Surprising really fucking good. I loved this vibe, the samples are great, lots of fun beats with cool sound effects, and some great vocals. I liked the guy with the accent talking
The Vines
3/5
Wish this album was more consistantly good rather than consistantly in the background, but it had enough songs that grabbed by attention to narrowly avoid the dreaded 2 rating
Plus memories of Rock Band 3 when I hear "Get Free". Simpler times
Beyoncé
2/5
Never been a big Beyoncé fan. Like her in Goldmember though. This album is almost alright. Some big highlights, others that I just don't at all care for, couple bad tracks. But the real problem I have with this is the length of some of these tracks. They feel like they go on forever, should have cut some of those down to 3 and a half minutes instead of them being 5+
Travis
5/5
I went in thinking this would totally suck, and sometimes the lyrics do suck, but I walked away from it loving the album. The songs really grasped me and spoke to me. Probably because I'm heartbroken like this guy sounds like
5/5
X has such a unique punk sound provided by their duel vocalists that nobody else really sounds like. I like songs on other albums by them much better than what's here but it's still a great album
Ice Cube
5/5
Definitely a strong album already, before even getting to "It Was a Good Day" and "Check Yo Self". Powerful delivery with great lyrics and some great beats
Neu!
5/5
Great ambience. Wow, I'm pretty speechless on this album. It either speaks to you or it doesn't
The Soft Boys
5/5
Wow this album just rocks. Great guitar work and goddamn is this singer pissed at someone, the lyrics are pretty crazy
Gang Of Four
4/5
The bass is always great, and these are fun off the wall songs with good lyrics. This is very close to a 5, but something is holding me back
The Stooges
5/5
3rd time listening to this in my life, and it finally clicked how fucking awesome this record is. Goddamn that sax and guitar are just nuts, with great bass lines underneath but still very much audible. And Iggy Pop going nuts on vocals. Awesome
The Coral
5/5
Yeah, this album is just awesome. Don't care if they didn't love up to any future hype or everlasting legacy, this album is fun
Brian Wilson
5/5
One of the most beautiful albums ever created. Had this come out back in the 60s it would have completely changed the game. Sadly too many issues stopped this project from ever fully realizing back then, but at least now we have this. Superb vocals as always with a Beach Boy, but my god the arrangements are next level. One of my favorite discoveries on here is this album
Nico
5/5
Breathtaking album. The strings are exquisite and I adore Nico's voice
Frank Sinatra
2/5
I really do love Frank Sinatra, but this album just sucked. I did not really care for most of these songs. Frank's always got a great delivery but when most of this just goes in one ear and out the other it doesn't matter. And this is not because I just got dumped a few months ago because even before that I didn't like this album. Couple good tunes kept this from a 1
Snoop Dogg
5/5
Talk about influence. Snoop Dogg has permeated pretty much every aspect of culture. Just this album alone, can you count how many times a verse (yes, a VERSE) is recognized as a chorus for another rapper's song? I lost count 5 songs in. Iconic, all time great album
The Smiths
4/5
God I love how Morrissey writes. Seems so unapolgetic in anything he says, no qualms about how it would sound to other people. Straight from the heart. The band around is really nice accompionment. Some standout songs here but not their strongest, most consistant effort. Still really good though
Khaled
5/5
I FUCKING LOVE ALGERIAN POP MUSIC WOOOOOOO THE LIST NEEDS MORE OF THIS!!!
The beats are fucking fantastic by the way
The Roots
5/5
Incredible album. Some great catchy hits and some real experimental stuff like "Water". Black Thought and ?uestlove are just perfect together
Jacques Brel
3/5
The first half of this is great, very passionate singing. Wish I understood it though, I have heard he's one of the world's greatest songwriters. Second half was just ok
Also side note, why does "Le plat pays" sound so familiar?
Rage Against The Machine
5/5
Easily one of the greatest and most important albums of all time, lyrically and musically. The production is some of the best ever, every single piece is easily hearable and clear, allowing you to really pick out anything to focus on. Tom Morello is one of the most unique guitarists out there with his wacky insane solos, but he can throw down regular great riffs as well, proving he's not just a trickster. Zach de la Rocha's lyrics will live on forever for every nation, powerful messages every song
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
5/5
Awesome album. Very short too, which is perfect. Good old fashioned rock n roll. Wish Buddy Holly was able to keep making music. Damn plane crashes
Frank Sinatra
5/5
God damn does this hit. "Dindi" is one of Sinatra's best. And the light acoustic strumming adds so much to the arrangements. Just a great pair. Though Antônio's mic is a little messed up. And they really should have left "Baubles, Bangles, & Beads" off the tracklist because it kind of sucks. But still a 5 star record for me
Klaxons
3/5
Definitely an odd inclusion given how New Rave completely failed as a genre and went nowhere, but this album is actually pretty good. Not quite a 4 star good, but close
The Shamen
2/5
This album indeed does get enhanced by being high, but not by much. It still seemingly goes on forever and just sounds painfully generic, but there are some nice beats here and a couple really good tracks. It gets a 2 still because it's such a slog
The Pogues
5/5
Fucking great album. Love all the celtic instruments used and the writing is great
Pixies
4/5
Pretty damn good album. I like Black Francis' voice and the band is nice
Morrissey
5/5
Fucking phenominal album. This is the best thing Morrissey ever did, this albums rocks and has hilarious moody Morrissey lines and some genuine heartbreakers. Nearly perfect album
1/5
This album is rubbish. I'm assuming this joke has already been made a million times, but it needed to be said again
U2
5/5
Wow did not expect this much rocking and distortion on a U2 record. And it still has pop hits too on top of it. What a great record
Bill Evans Trio
4/5
Super tight playing and very relaxing jazz album. Nice solos and I think it's funny we can hear people talking during the performances. Very high 4
David Bowie
3/5
Another Bowie album. This one's actually alright. It's fine but must hear before you die? Definitely not, especially when Bowie has 9. This could have been cut
M.I.A.
5/5
Oh this is a total banger. Wow. A breath of fresh air in the rap world, M.I.A. is definitely one of the most inspirational artists of the 2000s. This album has great catchy hooks and fun verses with serious lyrics. The beats are phenomenal. I love M.I.A.
Curtis Mayfield
3/5
All time great album cover. Album sadly is just alright. Couple of stand outs, but mostly just funk that goes to the background
Basement Jaxx
3/5
This album starts off terribly. First 2 songs are just annoyingly bad, the 2 after are painfully okay. To me this album doesn't even start until the first interlude. Then it gets some actual bangers going. Some don't grab me, but others are just incredible, like "Don't Give Up". Intoxicating beats. But that damn first quarter keeps this from a 4
Nanci Griffith
4/5
Yeah this is a pretty good country album. Nice voice and some nice songs
Dr. Dre
5/5
Probably THE most influential rap album ever made. I mean, the genre it created was copied so many times by practically everybody that the genre died of overexposure, yet kept inklings in most songs made after its death. Also the first appearence of Snoop Dogg, who is on every song for good reason. He's always got the best lines, delivery, charisma, and voice. An endlessly copied rapper before his own album, which was also endlessly copied. Production is great as well
Ryan Adams
4/5
Real bluesy with some gospel thrown in, and it works really well. Ryan Adams has (usually) great lyrics, a nice delivery, and his band is fucking tight. Especially the drummer, he brings the perfect energy.
However, this was too long. There's a 5 star 40-45 minute record here, an hour and 10 makes it drag. Though, funnily enough, it's the first few songs that make it drag for me.
Also, I can't get over how stupid that pose on the cover looks, like what the hell is he doing with his hands?
Thelonious Monk
5/5
This was super relaxing to listen to, with a few parts that excite everything. Great jazz album
Fugazi
4/5
Yeah this was a really enjoyable post-hardcore album. Only a few songs really grab me but this record still kicks ass. Very high 4
Bob Dylan
5/5
Yes, Bob Dylan has a weird voice and a loud ass harmonica. But he also has beautiful songs with excellent poetry. And this double album just flies by because most every song is just so so strong
Mekons
5/5
Holy shit, this album is the definition of getting better with each song. That is a MONSTER second half!!
Roni Size
5/5
Pure euphoria while listening to this album. I don't care it's 2 and a half hours long, this is the DEFINITIVE sound of DnB. Nobody else even comes close to this masterpiece. The ultimate thinking album, or album you put on while working
Beach House
3/5
Really wanted to like this more, as there are some incredible tunes here, but to be honest I was bored through most of it and the albums feels very one note. Still, a song like "10 Mile Stereo" keeps this to at least a 3 no matter what
Leonard Cohen
5/5
Leonard Cohen 80s style kicks fucking ass! This record is awesome, pretty much every song stands out in its own way, but special mention to "Jazz Police"
Moby
5/5
When this album started, I was sure I was going to hate it. But, each track just got stronger and stronger, and the second half is just incredible. Also the perfect soundtrack to storm watching as a tornado warning went into effect 15 minutes into this album
Simply Red
4/5
A few duds on here (usually the cheesiest most generic 80s sounding stuff possible), but when Simply Red get into it, it's really good. The middle of the album is its peak, just banger after banger after banger
Björk
5/5
What a masterpiece. This album is so out there and yet so so enthralling. This album has nothing but bangers and yet "Pagan Poetry" stands out in a huge way, even when it's surrounded by all time great songs. This isn't even my favorite Björk album, she's just so talented and musically adventurous that she deserves all the praise in the world. I love Björk
Leftfield
4/5
Obviously, this us beautifully produced. And damn does it have a ton of bangers. But this felt like an eternal album. Just soooo fucking longggggg. I have no clue why I give Roni Size / Reprazent the benefit of the doubt but no other electronic act gets that. Oh well. Pretty great album, but not quite a 5 for me
Malcolm McLaren
2/5
Oh nice, this instrumental opener is beautiful. Cool glimpse into what the album is perhaps? Oh a radio show? Okay, I like these guys, and....wait what? What the fuck is this? Weird, a song that sounds like what they play during the dance week of gym class. Oh god there's more? What the fuck is this album? And now it's a spanish varient?!?! What is going on here?
This album is just so goddamn weird. Malcolm McLaren was just a manager too, I know his ass did not play on this at all. He once got kicked out of the studio after attempting to sing. I just, I really do not get this at all. Probably the most dated sounding album of all time. World Famous Supreme Team is pretty cool though
Traffic
3/5
This album starts off phenominally. Wow, "Glad" and "Freedom Rider" are such bangers. Sadly, the album never reaches those heights again, the two songs after being super weak and forgettable and the last two songs being pretty good but not as good as the first two
Rush
5/5
Masterpiece. There's not a single wasted second here. Each song is a banger. I have a lot of great memories of playing this whole album on Rock Band
Madonna
1/5
Wow, this "Music" is shockingly bad. What the helly happened to Madonna between Ray of Light and this? Pretty sure it's still with William Orbit, but unlike Ray of Light, all the songs here just suck! "Nobody's Perfect" might take the record for worst, most pathetically generic, song ever. The lyrics on that are especially bad, like a 4th graders first poem. I didn't even like a single song off of this, and I am quite trigger happy with likes (got 40k on spotify 😂). Worst inclusion of the list ever, I genuinely can't believe they went with this over Weezer or blink-182 or hell even Madonna's older albums. She was HUGE in the 80s and we only get "Like a Prayer"? Seriously? I'm completely missing some essential music history here. This never should have sniffed the list, this album is awful. Worse than The Streets and SAULT
Johnny Cash
5/5
A beautiful album. Johnny Cash transports me to whichever story the song is about, and I deeply feel every note. Some weak songs on the second half, but when this album is strong it is STRONG. "The Man Comes Around", "Hurt", and "I Hung My Head" alone make this a 5 star. Just masterfully done
The Byrds
4/5
The big country switch for The Byrds. It's funny Gram Parsons comes in, changes their whole sound, then leave before the album even releases. This album starts off great, the first side is excellent. But I got tired of it by the second side, with only a couple highlights. Still gonna give this a 4 though because it definitely was mostly enjoyable
Hugh Masekela
5/5
Lovely jazz album. Superbly played by everyone, this album is filled with soft moody sections and explosions of energy. Really makes this hour and 15 minutes fly by. I love the drum tone on here
System Of A Down
5/5
One of the most important and legendary bands of all time. Outside of music too, just on general impact among people.
Who could have possibly seen this coming, and eventually taking over the metal scene for a few years? Their mix of folk melodies in the metal sound is genius and works so well. SOAD is incredibly tight even on their debut which has a messier feel to it than their later albums (which all should have made the list btw). The whole band just gels together perfectly, creating music that is so good you can't help but be entranced by it. This is not a type of band I'd think to have radio hits with how heavy it is. And fuck can Serj really scream. I've heard "Sugar" a million times thank to my many years of playing Madden 10, and yet I have never gotten sick of it, not even once
5/5
What can you say about this album that hasn't already been said about the Mona Lisa?
Sonic Youth
5/5
Sonic Youth makes yet another legendary album. Their discography is somehow jam packed with classics, you'd think the last record they had released (in this case, Daydream Nation) would be their obvious magnum opus, but they keep one upping themselves. So consistantly solid. The guitar tone and playing is out of this world. "Kool Thing" is just so.... COOL!
Amazing album
Deee-Lite
5/5
Oh come on how can anyone hate this record? Fucking fun police. This record is full of FUN and interesting songs, never feeling one note but keeping the same vibe throughout. "Groove Is In the Heart" obviously steals the show, but the rest of these songs hold their own. I adore the amount of sounds on here, like a fucking slide whistle. So cool. Just look at the album cover, how can you look at that and say you hate it?
The Cure
4/5
Well a funny thing happened while listening to this. I had heard this album twice before and loved the first half but didn't really care for the second half. Now I didn't care for the first half but loved the second half! Not sure why. The atmosphere here is amazing but most songs didn't grab me. Actually all the songs on here grabbed me at some point just never in the same listen 😂. Not sure what to give this so I'll just go with 4 for now
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
There's a huge reason Jimi Hendrix is widely considered the best. Just listen to the first song on this album, it's Jimi making traffic noises on guitar! Mitch Mitchell is a beast on drums as well. It's a shame we only got 3 albums during Hendrix's lifetime.
Nightmares On Wax
1/5
This isn't an album you listen to. You just put it on in the background for noise. Granted, this isn't horrible, there are a couple (which isn't a lot on such a long album) great tracks, but fuck was this boring as hell. I really don't see the appeal because every song lasts for fucking ever and there isn't much interesting going on
5/5
One of those obvious perfect albums that changed music forever and everyone knows it. Then "A Day In The Life" comes on and it exceeds even those expectations
The Psychedelic Furs
4/5
This album's pretty good. Some interesting beats and the singer sounds perpetually drunk after chain smoking. Some bangers and some I totally forgot about as soon as they ended. But more bangers than that so it squeezes a 4. I like the bass solo
Fatboy Slim
4/5
Definitely some huge highlights here in the hits. "Rockefeller Skank" is an amazing single. "Praise You" is great too. I like how Fatboy Slim uses and distorts samples. The only thing I have to complain about on this album is that most of the time its every other song that are great. Makes it seem it would have just worked better as a shorter album, like 35-40 minutes range
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Masterpiece. The production is perfect, everything sounds clear and crisp. Stevie Wonder drops nothing but absolute bangers here. Legendary
Dexys Midnight Runners
5/5
A very surprisingly good album. Awesome hooks, especially love the riff in the opening track. The use of horns and fiddle is just awesome. And we got the superhit "Come On Eileen" to wrap it all up. Wow. What a treat. Didn't need THREE from these guys though, 2 is fine but 3?
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
5/5
What a brilliant album, no wonder it's such a highly regarded salsa album, often making THE top spot in lists. Impeccable playing. Always groovy. That bass is insane!!
Also, Willie Colón has some of the most badass album covers I've ever seen, check out those ones from 1968!
Little Simz
5/5
This album is so ridiculously good. The atmosphere is incredible. Little Simz is INSANE on the mic and the pen. Beats are always banger. I'm in awe
Wire
4/5
Can't believe this was 1977. Incredible. 21 short songs and while sometimes they blend together without thought, other times it really catches my ear. I like the guitar tone. This one is really teetering that 4/5 range. I really liked it, but how much? Maybe I'll put it in 4s just under Fragile by Yes
Korn
5/5
Called "Follow The Leader" because it's what every metal act copied to get popular. Thus, "nu-metal" is born. This album is Korn taking it to the masses of the world but it is not really as good as their debut or "Life Is Peachy".
But then again, "Korn" and "Life Is Peachy" didn't have a song like "All In The Family" on it, so maybe this is the best one?
Isaac Hayes
5/5
Masterpiece. One of the best soul albums ever, easily, and with only 4 tracks. "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" is an absolute epic that takes you on a journey
Lou Reed
5/5
This is a genius album. I wasn't really expecting the band to go so crazy but I'm glad they do. It sounds fantastic. The intro to "Oh Jim" sounds very goth. Sounds like where a lot of those bands got inspiration from.
Suicide
5/5
2nd "holy shit this is 1977?" album in a row. I might like this one even more than yesterday (Pink Flag by Wire). This album is WILD and innovative. Shame these guys' influence, Silver Apples, didn't make the list. "Frankie Teardrop" is just nuts and has probably the loudest scream ever committed to tape. Love the droning "drums" in the background and the eerie sound the keyboard always had. Singer is absolutely crazy at all times. Love it
Baaba Maal
3/5
This album is by no means bad but I didn't really feel captured by it throughout it run time. Still, impressive musicianship
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
5/5
I think this album starts of super weak. But by the 3rd track it gets rolling and just keeps getting better from there. Slows down again by the end but you're still fueled by that rush in the middle. "Maps" is iconic. I like Karen O's voice
Nine Inch Nails
5/5
This album was already an unreal experience before "Hurt" closes it out. But damn, it makes the whole album much more powerful. Great use of noise and distortion on this album and the atmosphere is heavy. I like the small break we get in "A Warm Place". This album's a masterpiece
Grant Lee Buffalo
5/5
Wow this album absolutely rocks! So catchy near every song. Very enjoyable experience. Don't have much else to say about it
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
5/5
On first listen, I couldn't even finish a single song. This was 10 years ago. Now, I am loving it and hailing it as absolute pinnacle genius. The playing is quite possibly the most impressive of any album to ever come out. The lyrics are on the surface sounding like absolute nonsense, but more often than not an actual look into what's being said shows Captain Beefheart knows what he's talking about. "Dachau Blues" being the most prominent example. Usually I would get rid of a star for this albums length, which makes it seem way more bloated and impossible to listen to than it already should, but I think with this listen the entire thing has finally clicked for me. This is incredible. Even if you hate it, I doubt you could name even one song that sounds even halfway like this album. That alone should be worth 2 stars
Blue Cheer
5/5
One of the first heavy metal albums. Wow does this kick ass. The guitar work is insane and I love the tone of these drums, and the drummer's fun fills. "Summertime Blues" is their big hit but the rest of these tracks well enough hold their own, "Doctor Please" being a total banger. Only 6 songs and 30 minutes but still world changing. Fitting I get a proto heavy metal album the day The Prince of Darkness passed. I had already gotten the other Sabbath albums earlier
Steve Earle
2/5
Y'know I really wanted to like this album, but this ended up being one of the most forgettable in the entire list. 3rd time listening to this and again almost nothing stands out. "Down the Road" is incredible though. Saves it from a 1 star
Aphex Twin
5/5
One of those albums where you think "why wasn't anyone else just making music like this?". As if it should just be expected to sound this crisp with so many added parts that make it all work. Masterpiece. And the fact he was 14 making some of these songs is just astounding. Shame that a couple tracks get ruined by an annoying high pitch nosie but whatever
Van Morrison
3/5
For some reason this album really annoyed me. But it was also pretty good. Impeccable playing
Arcade Fire
4/5
I've never quite gotten the hype for Arcade Fire. On top of everybody being super pretentious about them so that doesn't really help. I loved "Reflecktor" (the song) when that first dropped. Their albums to me have some obvious highlights, but also parts (sometimes even within 1 song) that bore the hell out of me and I start to lose focus. This one I found pretty strong mostly. Stuck between high 3 or low 4. Think this one's a low 4 because I'm high so some songs are enhanced
Jimmy Smith
4/5
Really groovy and chill. This was a nice ride. The drummer is great
Tom Waits
5/5
Yesssss finally got Tom Waits generated. This album is incredible. So many good tracks and that instrument is so COOL
The Dandy Warhols
4/5
This may seem an odd, generic forgettable choice at first. But I really think combining shoegaze and rock and pop together like this is really special. These guys do it well, where it doesn't sound like just some shoegaze music, it could also just be fun pop songs. But fuck me, why is this an hour long? There's an incredible album here just being hoisted down by fluff :(. Still a 4 star tho cause the first half is so killer
De La Soul
5/5
Really good hip hop album. So many great samples and beats with good lyricism and flow. My only complaint with this album is the padding. I didn't need to hear "De La Orgee", longest minute of my life
But outside of that, this is great stuff
Echo And The Bunnymen
5/5
I fucking love Echo & The Bunnymen. Ian McCulloch never phones it in on vocals, he's always going all out putting everything into it and I love that. The sounds are incredible, great production
Coldcut
4/5
This is a cool album. Some songs don't really hit for me, but there's quite a bit that do. Sounds like a a great record to throw on at parties
Dagmar Krause
4/5
Why is this album so hated here? Seriously, what's wrong with it exactly? I had a good time listening to this.
Hole
5/5
Absolutely incredible. The dynamics of the soft vs. loud is just perfect. Great lyrics. Even better vocal performance, going absolutely all out every time. I love this record
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
Incredibly average album. Not bad, but nothing that really grabbed me outside a couple tracks and some really cool moments on others. Not sure why this is on the list, we got the Elvis Costello thing with his debut and "This Year's Model". That's all we needed thank you
The Boo Radleys
4/5
Cool and mostly great album but again why is this an hour long? Cut the fluff please guys this drags in areas. Really cool guitar work throughout though
Roxy Music
5/5
Roxy Music's last album with Brian Eno. I guess it was bound to happen, seeing where Eno went and where Ferry went after this album. But my god, these 2 together create magic. This album is so consistantly good, and has some MEAN sax playing. Awesome
The National
4/5
This album is super solid all the way through. Reminds me of The Blue Nile but in a more indie way. Great album, this is gonna be a really high 4 for me
Iron Maiden
5/5
Great fuckin metal album. The riffs and melodies and changes are just awesome. The whole album is just AWESOME
AWESOME!!!!!!!!
Joy Division
3/5
I do know very well this album's importance, and I appreciate the dark mood of it, but this album mostly did nothing for me. Few great tracks grabbed me, but mostly this passed me by
Slade
3/5
Definitely an album where I can see how hard rock became solidified. Seems a lot of people tried to do this voice. The album is fine, but has a couple absolute bangers that keep this from a 2 star
TV On The Radio
5/5
Much more normal than their previous entry on the list, and boy is it still killer. Very catchy in places and fun to get lost in your thoughts to
Pet Shop Boys
5/5
This album sounds GREAT! Impeccable production, and the songs themselves are very good. Bouncy and dancey, yet a cloud of meloncholy hangs over it every second. This album is like crying on the dancefloor. Awesome
Koffi Olomide
3/5
This album is just totally okay. Not at all bad, quite enjoyable, but also not very attention grabbing at all. It's just there
5/5
So so 80s, but still so so good. Suoer catchy, great bass throughout, and a theatrical vocal performance. I thought it was a great album
The Kinks
2/5
It's fine. Whatever. 2 really good tracks. The rest are just okay. British
Def Leppard
3/5
This album is alright, kickstarted the hugeness of hair metal and all but most of these songs just pass me by. But holy hell does Def Leppard know how to make a single, each of them are just insanely good and super catchy. Also this is one of my mom's favorite bands (though she prefers their earlier work)
Marilyn Manson
4/5
Damn, this album actually has a LOT of bangers. Even if it is too edgy and goes on a little too long, this is a pretty damn good album
The White Stripes
5/5
This may not be as consistantly strong as "Elephant", but it starts off with absolute bangers and I appreciate all the different instruments used and the mix of acoustic songs and electric songs. Pretty cool album
Big Star
3/5
Ah Big Star, one of the most fucked over bands ever. How can such an acclaimed album have less than 10,000 copies? Absolute failure from the record label. This album pretty much showcases all of what power pop was going to sound like throughout the 70s.
As for the music itself, personally? Eh it's alright. Couple great tracks. Fine music
But do I think that because I've heard everyone copy them 100 times?
5/5
Fucking phenomenal. It sounds absolutely perfect and the mix of electronic and acoustic elements is genius. Shame Suba never got to show us what else he had in store, this stuff is really great
The Mars Volta
4/5
Obviously extremely talented band. The drums play the craziest shit and it's so smooth. Cool that Flea's on bass too, didn't expect that. But I will say this album kind of drags in areas, I much prefer Frances the Mute which granted does have those long sections in between songs but I felt Frances the Mute gelled together better than this one. Still great album tho
Bon Jovi
5/5
No clue how anyone hates this, one of the best pop records ever made. This album FLIES by because it's just banger after banger after banger. Super catchy and fun to sing along to, and some sick guitar playing too!!
D'Angelo
4/5
Smooth as fuck, but definitely one of those albums you gotta have sex to before properly rating it. This is soooo close to a 5 but too many songs just fall to the background, presumably so you can continue porking some chick. But damn when this album hits it really hits and holds my attention
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Not exactly bad, sometimes really good, and usually its decent but I honestly can't understand The Stones' extreme hype. People seriously think they're better than The Beatles? In what world? It's just some blues music.
The guitar work on this on is particularly good
Massive Attack
5/5
This album is so chill and relaxing. Which was just what I needed tonight. I love Tricky's voice, almost like a whisper throughout his verses. It's very cool
King Crimson
5/5
I mean, what else can I even add to the discussion on this album? I'l just say thank you Guitar Hero 5 for having this song on there
Peter Gabriel
5/5
This album is incredibly varied and a little goofy. I mean it starts off with a song called "Morbund the Burgermeister". Really cool album with a lot of high moments
The Isley Brothers
5/5
This album is just incredible. Opens up with the endlessly sampled "That Lady" and keeps the bangers coming no matter if it's funky fun or a sad ballad. Great playing and great singing
Sonic Youth
5/5
It's absolutely insane how consistantly great Sonic Youth's discography is. It feels like they always release a groundbreaking magnum opus record then just keep one upping it. This album is no different and that hour just flies by
Billy Joel
5/5
I mean, it's just simply put one of the greatest albums of all time. 7 of Joel's biggest hits or best songs and often both, with 2 lesser known deep cuts that are still incredible. "Get It Right the First Time" might be my favorite Joel song ever. The piano playing is top notch, just listen to that solo in "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant"!!
This album is just so ridiculously well made in nearly ever measure. I can't even find fault with this. Pure magic committed to tape
Bee Gees
3/5
Bee Gees are super talented singers and can write some heart wrenching tunes, but this album just has too many misses to be anything other than a 3. I love Bee Gees but this seems to only be on the list for the opening track and "The Greatest Man In The World" and "Remembering"
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
1/5
Still struggling to understand how people can like Neil Young. They rave on and on about his influence and you go listen and it's just a guy who sucks.
First 2 songs were fine then it just goes straight down to the toilet
The Undertones
5/5
Oh god this is fucking cool. Just some good old fashioned pop-punk. Then "True Confessions (Keyboard Version) sounds completely out of this world, and then you crash back down to pop-punk Earth. Cool album. So so cool
5/5
This album is just beautiful. How does this get often overlooked? Great 60's psych that is fun to pick apart
Björk
5/5
Björk can do whatever she wants. Absolutely anything. This isn't more apparent than here. 1 instrument on this album, which is a single gong hit. Otherwise it's all voice. And it is so texturally interesting. I love the guest vocals from Mike Patton and Robert Wyatt. This album also contains quite possibly THE most unplayable song for a party ever put onto a pop record, "Ancestors". And I still don't know if I love or hate that song either. I love Björk. Everything she makes is gold
Louis Prima
5/5
This is so much fun. Louis Prima really is the wildest! He's going all out and just oozing charisma and having so much fun playing. What a great time
Prefab Sprout
5/5
The greatest album of all time. The best production on an album ever. The most well written album ever. I mean, c'mon! I genuinely don't know how Paddy MacAloon comes up with this stuff, "Moving the River" is just banger line after banger line. "Faron Young" is the oddest sounding country song ever, like it came from space, and it works. "Bonny" is fucking heart wrenching, and Seal does a great cover of it. "Appetite" is a beautiful song about sex. "When Love Breaks Down" should have been a mega hit, don't think I've ever heard a better verse to chorus transition. "Goodbye Lucille #1" offers Paddy's best vocal performance (along with "When the Angels"). God, I fucking love this album. I'm too high to go more in depth as I cannot think past a sentence anymore, but this is probably my favorite album of all time. Thomas Dolby makes it sound like it's coming out of your mind instead of going into your ears
Also, the acoustic version is possibly even better than the original, depending on your mood. Prefab Sprout the fucking GOAT
CHIC
5/5
I now fully appreciate how groovy this whole album is. Great bass playing. The strings are a really nice touch. The whole album just feels so familiar, like it was always playing from before I could retain memories
Linkin Park
4/5
When this album hits, HOLY FUCK it hits. It's no wonder this resonated with so many people, Chester is an insane vocalist. This album is great but personally the deep cuts I don't care for as much, and sometime sound a corny
FKA twigs
5/5
Impeccably produced. I don't think there's a single flaw in any sound. Astonishing. These songs are odd and futuristic yet still catchy and enthralling
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
Bruce Springsteen constantly sings like he's about to cum
Heaven 17
5/5
This album is fucking amazing. Perfect production, really cool synth sound, and that fucking bassist going OFF!! Shame he disappears on the 2nd half, but Heaven 17 make up for it by making even more interesting textures for my ears to play in
Common
4/5
Production is incredible, love the jazzier feel. Common's got a great voice and flow, and this album is a nice 42 minutes, gone is the bloat that "Like Water For Chocolate" had. Just (almost) pure bangers. There were a few songs I didn't care for but this was mostly great. Also cool Chappelle's Show intro
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
Absolutely other worldly vibes. I love the atmosphere. Cool jazzy beats. Q-Tip with one of the best voices in hip hop. Great fuckin album
My Bloody Valentine
5/5
This album doesn't even feel real. The guitar effects are just massive and so cool. The song underneath the noise is good too
Oasis
2/5
Did I just have to be British in the 90s to enjoy Oasis? They're just okay, sometimes have a great song, but mostly I don't really care about the music. And this one doesn't even have Wonderwall so what the hell?
Guns N' Roses
5/5
Monster album. Just an instant classic. Don't think any band has ever had this energy and musicianship and sheer balls to the walls rocking ever since this. Axl Rose has a killer voice and Slash can really fuckin play, that solo on "Sweet Child O' Mine" sends the song into the stratosphere
Pavement
5/5
Despite it being noisy and having odd guitar tunings, this album just evokes being totally chill. Yeah, we just making music. It's whatever. So cool
The Style Council
5/5
"Hey what genre should this album be?"
"Yes"
Honestly how can you hate it, each song is different from the last and pretty much all if them hit. The rap and cheesy 80s one were a little suspect, but I couldn't help but laugh and kind of enjoy it, seemed like these guys were just having fun. "You're the Best Thing" is one of my all time favorite songs
Billie Holiday
5/5
What a beautiful album. It's like one long 44 minute suite on heartbreak. Billie sounds rough and raw but sincere and serene. The orchestration was created to sort of "cover" for her voice, but I find it adds so very nicely and doesn't ever intrude
Tim Buckley
5/5
Just 6 songs but that's all I need. I love Tim Buckley. The vibraphone on this record is just amazing. Love the jam sections too, it's pretty fun
Radiohead
5/5
Unreal how good this album is. I struggled picking one song to represent it for my playlist, because any one of these could be the best song on the album. It shouldn't be possible for Radiohead to have so many good albums
Richard Thompson
2/5
I enjoy the variety of instruments, and there's a few really good songs on here, but this mostly didn't really do anything for me at all. Great guitar playing though
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
4/5
This....album.....what. Incredibly dark and just overall odd. There is a weird energy all throughout here, like we aren't supposed to hear it, but we're listening anyway like mischevous children. The songs don't always work, but boy when they work they really hit hard. "Weighted Down" is like an emotional gutpunch, and "Grey/Afro" is just insane all around, the drums are just crazy constantly shifting in and out of tempo. I was going to give this a 3 for it being such a mishmash of quality, but that last track ("Grey/Afro") gave it another star on its own
Songhoy Blues
5/5
I love this album. The guitar work is just insane and the rhythms and beats are just mind blowing. Reminds me of Trout Mask Replica in places due to how it constantly subverts my expectations of the beats. And it's super catchy as well, I'm gonna have "Al Hassidi Terei" stuck in my head for days
JAY Z
4/5
I've never been big on Jay-Z but I can't lie this is mostly bangers. A few bloat that could have been cut but still pretty nice album. I like the beats
Tito Puente
5/5
Oh what a fun album! Perfect for parties! Very well played as well. Great time!
Scott Walker
5/5
Really nice album. I quite like the bassist who is often jumping around and seeming to really have fun playing, Scott has a soothing voice to me. I had a good time listening to this
Rush
5/5
I don't know what else I can hand to the discussion of this album. It's pretty highly regarded and literally saved the band from extinction. I loved playing the title track on Rock Band 3
Ah this is where U2 went back to their 80s sound after the 90s experiment. Sadly does not reach the heights I think Achtung Baby and Joshua Tree did. This seems more formulaic, and doesn't really grip me as much as the other 2 had. There are still some great songs on here though, like "Elevation". But listening to this just made me wish this generator would give me Joshua Tree already
Antony and the Johnsons
2/5
It's very hard to love the excellent songwriting and musicianship when Anohni's voice is so damn annoying. I hate it so much. I like a couple of these songs only because they are so well written it is liked in spite of the singing. I can't get over the singing
Gang Starr
5/5
Gang Starr. Rap at its most primal form, and as killer as ever. Guru is one of the smartest to ever hold the mic, and he's got such a cool flow. DJ Premier never has a bad beat, but big ups for "Who's Gonna Take The Weight?", god damm whata beat. "Lovesick" might be my favorite thing Guru ever wrote
Janet Jackson
4/5
Janet Jackson is definitely talented, and I like the 80s sound here even though it seems super dated, but my god I think an hour was a little long. Mostly because it seems like every song is 5 minutes long. A bit too long. But there's also so many bangers. Low 4 for me
The Pretty Things
5/5
The first rock opera. Wow. This is incredible. Odd 60s productiom but also super cool. "Balloon Burning" sounds pretty fuckin metal for its time. I loved this
The Modern Lovers
5/5
Damn this album is cool. Even after the huge single it doesn't let up on being catchy and fun. Shame this didn't release earlier as it should have been. The singer's voice is just the perfect amount of sincere awkward coolness. Like he is very nervous to sing but at the same time doesn't care how he sounds singing. I love it
Everything But The Girl
5/5
This album was incredible. I love the electronic feel and the singer's voice. Just well crafted songs that were enjoyable. Awesome
Pentangle
5/5
The local Renaissance Festival just ended for the season and I already miss it. Then I get this album and am filled with good memories. Lovely songs here and very talented some of these songs sound impossible to play
Rufus Wainwright
5/5
This one, while only being about 5 minutes shorter, doesn't at all seem to drag like "Want One" did. Great record that went by fast. Again lots of places sound like poppier Radiohead but Rufus makes it ethereal. The instrumentation is fantastic
Rufus Wainwright
4/5
Definitely didn't expect this to be as good as it is. Like a less crazy Radiohead. But man, that runtime is brutal. I was kinda just over the whole sound by the 40 minute mark and it had 20 minutes of songs I didn't at all care for. So I gotta dock it a star for that
Tom Waits
5/5
Incredible album. It actually scared me at points, the recording has a dark air around it. Like I just keep descending lower into the Earth with each song and Waits is trying to keep us entertained on the way down
The Killers
5/5
One of the best first halves in music. Jesus what a fucking run. The 2nd half is almost as good but it doesn't really have a hit and there's a couple okay songs. But this is still a 5 star record because the highs are insanely high and I like the drumming
Big Black
5/5
This album is nuts. I can't imagine how abrasive it felt in the mid 80s. The loud guitar seems it would be ear piercing but it tickles my ear just right. And it's somehow pretty catchy. Love the drum machine
Pet Shop Boys
5/5
Now, although I don't think a third Pet Shop Boys album was needed, and this is definitely the weakest of the 3, it's STILL a total banger. Moving even more into dance but still having that Pet Shop Boy charm and great production value. Damn. Did I become a Pet Shop Boys fan because of this site?
Boards of Canada
5/5
This album is pure insanity. I'm quite used to the electronic sounds but Boards of Canada make it seem alien. The album is downright terrifying at parts. I love it
Manic Street Preachers
5/5
Man I really love Manic Street Preachers. The singer sounds so familiar to me. Very nostalgic feeling. I don't think this album is nearly as good as The Holy Bible, but it's still a 5 star. That's more to just how good Holy Bible is than any fault of this record. This is very catchy and the strings are a nice touch
Pearl Jam
5/5
Ridiculous the album has this many BANGERS on it in such close proximity. Phenomenal album. No skips. No other words
The Monks
5/5
Jesus this album is fucking wild. Shame it never got a release in Americs when it came out, I feel it'd be even moreso heradled as a classic odd album. This is punk about 10 years earlier, it's insane. I can't imagine how much it influenced rock. And it's so catchy too. Hope it comes back to spotify soon
The Jam
5/5
Wow did not expect to love this as much as I did. Third time seems to be the charm with The Jam, I've liked their music more each time I listen to them. My favorite part is the bass playing. The drummer goes crazy too
2/5
Absolutely monster hits, but wow outside of that I didn't care for anything about this record. I couldn't even tell you anything about it if it didn't involve "Wonderwall", "Don't Look Back In Anger", and "Champagne Supernova"
3/5
I do love when the sax goes crazy, and the drums sound so big and un jazz like it makes the whole thing seem like a nightmare. But the shtick gets pretty old about halfway through.
Plus, it's an Ornette Coleman cover album and yet there's no Ornette Coleman. Seems weird
Mj Cole
1/5
Might be the worst album on the list. It fucking tricks you into thinking it'll be something cool, then it beats that horse to death with it. I kkow the beats aren't exactly the same, but when I'm listening to this album I can't recall anything about the previous song.
This shit gave me amnesia and gaslit me.
I thought it would be getting good again with the "MJ FM Interlude", then thr album just does the most bland shit imaginable the rest of the way. I hate how well produced and mastered this is, because it's a waste of talent. This album is so samey it almost seems as if you aren't even listening to anything. I can't remeber shit about this and I just listened to it
The Doors
5/5
My favorite Doors album, everything just comes together all the way through. No filler here
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
5/5
Oh come on this is just totally awesome. Even before pressing play that cover tells it all. Awesome. We're all here for Tarkus and ELP seem to know that as they do whatever they want on side 2 and have some fun. And these guys are insanely talented, especially the drummer, dude is just nuts
Fatboy Slim
5/5
Fantastic. My ears love picking these sounds apart, and this was a great soundtrack to my Borderlands The Pre Sequel grinding
Paul Weller
5/5
I guess I am officially a Paul Weller fan now. Loved both The Jam records, obsessed with The Style Council record, and this one is also just as superb as the other 3 previously mentioned. Very catchy rock tunes, production is great, love the guitar playing
Fairport Convention
4/5
This album is about half genius folk rock and half too weird to truly enjoy. There's more better moments than bad though, and "A Sailor's Life" has such a cool solo section that I couldn't give this any lower than a 4. But it misses that coveted 5 mark
The Only Ones
5/5
This album is really fucking good. The singer has an odd voice, but it doesn't really detract from the actual songs. It has a nice charm to it. "Another Girl, Another Planet" is seriously outerworldly
Baaba Maal
3/5
I enjoy the guitar playing a lot. The album made time fly by but at the same time it didn't really grab me much in any way. Some decent background music for me
The Rolling Stones
4/5
The Rolling Stones' most solid album. Doesn't seem to be filler as outside of even the big hits I love (yeah I'm listening to the U.S. version) the deep cuts actually hold their own too and are memorable. Wish more of their albums had this kind of consistancy without being total bores
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
The first 2 times I listened to this, I was pretty disappointed. Very slow and boring. But that all changed on this listen. It finally clicked. This is truly beautiful. Each lyric hits hard and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds put on a great emotional performance. Wow. Love love love this
Anthrax
5/5
Among the best thrash metal ever gave us. Their singer has a really unique voice and inflection, that I've only now really gotten to get used to and enjoy. The musicianship is nuts they were really on point instrumentally
Kendrick Lamar
5/5
Could quite possibly be the greatest hip-hop album ever. The production is fantasitc, and Kendrick Lamar is a total wordsmith. I'm pretty much speechless on this one. The album speaks for itself. Even at an hour and 20 it didn't feel bloated or long. Masterpiece
Destiny's Child
2/5
Really thought this album would have been better. It's got some high moments, and the beats are usually pretty good, but so much of this was just bland and forgettable. It was hard to keep my attention on this album. And I'm not sure if it's just the streaming version but there were some small audio cracks that annoyed me. Pretty long too
Fun Lovin' Criminals
4/5
So I paid to the patreon and got a user submission early. I chose a That Handsome Devil record. A whole lot of people compared that album to these guys. It had been a while since I had listened to Fun Lovin' Criminals, so I had no idea where they were coming from. After this listen refreshed my memory, it surprised me how similiar the respective vocalists sound. Same cadence and tendency to have the voice lower, though Huey's is not as deep as Godforbid's.
Therefore, I fairly enjoyed this album. Some fun songs and when they get all cool in their sound it always sounds great. Sometimes this album seems a little corny to me and it a little longer than neccessary. But still fun listen
Lambchop
5/5
Beautiful and serene. I actually dig the falsetto this guy is doing. "The Distance From Her To There" was a standout track, I got that falsetto chorus still stuck in my head.
This kind of reminds me of that Richard Hawley album that's on the list, and I love that one too
Pink Floyd
5/5
Crazy consistantly euphoric album. Doesn't quite reach Dark Side levels, but gets close. The title track is one I've probably heard my entire life thanks to my dad always spinning Floyd at some point on the weekends
Björk
5/5
An audio masterpiece. The production is perfect. The whole album feels terribly claustrophobic. Björk sings as if every note is her last breath. It's truly mezmorizing. I love the beats combined with the strings. Björk has a special way of always sounding incredibly unique and one upping her previous albums weirdness. GOAT artist
The Dictators
5/5
Definitely one of the solidifying sounds and attitudes of what later became known as punk rock. You'd think this came out in the early 80's or something. So ridiculous, hard, and who-gives-a-fuck at all times. I especially love the mock wrestling promo at the start of "Two Tub Man".
John Cale
4/5
This album is pretty much a perfect length. It's quite good and has a few absolutely soaring moments
Talking Heads
3/5
This stuff is just so okay. It's one of those albums that is both parts forgettable and unforgettable. I always remember their general sound but outside of some highlights and "Psycho Killer" I can't remember anything specific about what I just heard a short moment ago. I think you can just listen to "Psycho Killer" and get the gist of Talking Heads 77
Machito
4/5
Some great jazz music here. Played very well. Sometimes the panning decisions seemed odd but can't be that picky with albums from the 50s. I wish it had grasped me a little more than it did but this was overall a very enjoyable experience
Giant Sand
5/5
The album title and cover makes it seem this is gonna be boring as fuck. And it honestly is, but in a good way? Like it's so chill, like what my mind sounds like when I'm just sitting around thinking about nothing and everything. Really cool. Drums sound nice and dry
Yes
5/5
Great album. Consistant all the way through. "The Clap" is such a cool piece to go second in the track listing. Bill Bruford is so smooth on drums. The bass has a great tone. Love Yes. It's weird to me rating Fragile as their lowest (4 stars, compared to this and Close to the Edge 5 stars) because it has their best songs by far. But I guess I couldn't name a single song off that record besides those 3, possibly 4, songs. Regardless Yes is great
T. Rex
5/5
The guitar tone and riffs are fantastic. This music sounds like a whole different world of 1971. Really enjoyed this album
Teenage Fanclub
5/5
I could tell right on the first track that this album was gonna have some amazing guitar playing. And I was right. What a cool tone. This album has a lot of bangers on it and it felt like it just flew by. Great choice as I probably would have never heard this otherwise
Depeche Mode
5/5
This is really good. The production is superb, everything sounds clear and big
The Pharcyde
5/5
Wow this is incredible. So fun and full of personality, the jazziness is a perfect fit for the crazy antics and feel of the MCs. I mean, how can you hate an album that talks about masturbating to the sex you had last night?
AC/DC
5/5
Not much to say. This album and band speak for itself. Perfectly crafted rock and roll music.
Pet Shop Boys
5/5
Actually really good. It sounds fantastic and is wonderfully layered. So 80s and I love it. Very catchy with moments of pure awe
Echo And The Bunnymen
4/5
This album is filled with great tunes, but it didn't resonate with me tonight as much as I thought it would for some reason. Still great though
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
5/5
Not sure how you can hear this and not think this is one of the greatest albums ever. Masterfully produced and played, and totally immersive. I fall right into their little world. Or perhaps its a movie
John Martyn
5/5
Wait, is John Martyn GOATed? This is incredible! I got totally lost in the jazzy folk sound. The playing by everybody here is just nuts. I may have to revisit his other album on the list, cause I gave that one a 3 for some reason
Marvin Gaye
5/5
Just fantastic. The title track is iconic and basically the musical motif of sex. The rest of the album is just as good, Gaye's performance is full of emotion. Even the album art is timeless, you still see dudes dressing like this to this day
Madness
4/5
One of those album I wished I loved more. Some real bangers here, especially those last 3 and the hit "Our House". Although through some of this album I was just waiting for the song to end already. Probably would have been a 3 had it not ended as strongly as it did
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
5/5
This album is beautiful. It's reminds me of goth but much more synth. Fitting as it turns out this was practically the blueprint for synth-pop's prevalence in the 80s. I'm sort of a sucker for synth-pop so this is right up my alley
Death In Vegas
5/5
When I saw this, I was expecting some sort of grunge-y type of rock music. But it wasn't that exactly. It was more like dried out electronic music. I found it hypnotic, and loved nearly every second of it. What a deep cut from the author's nice
Love
5/5
Truly a beauty. A lovely sound with the folk and orchestration, you'd almost not believe this band was on the verge of getting fired, then actually getting fired after its release. I can't believe how early in the mid 60s music explosion this is. It sounds like the bands in 1969 more than 1966-1967. They seem like the lost band that should have also been huge in the 60s and known by most everyone today, like their labelmates The Doors. I love this album. Plus UK Parliament made a motion that this is the best, so you have to agree there
Soft Machine
4/5
A lot of albums called "Third" on here, I think this is my third one. Anyway, the music. Robert Wyatt is an inspirational story. Lost the use of his legs, yet pivoted from drumming full time to finding something else he can do. Sometimes just drumming without any kick. But it is really cool hearing him pre-accident. He was killer on the kit. Has an odd singing voice, but it's also comforting. This may be a bit too long at 4 tracks that are close to 20 minutes, but I mostly enjoyed this trippy ride
Blood, Sweat & Tears
5/5
This album rocks. Or jazzs I should say. Maybe both. The drummer is a fuckin madman and I remember plenty good times trying to get 100% on "Spinning Wheel" on Rock Band 3. Never could get the outro. The singer really puts his all into it. Love this record
Shack
3/5
Uhh. Yeah. Yep. That's some britpop. Yeah it's alright. Not bad. Has some real bangers near the middle to end. Probably the last time I'll ever listen to this in my life though
Big Star
5/5
Ah Big Star, probably the most screwed over band ever. Their first record was amazing and should have been huge, but for some reason they only made 10k copies and nothing more. This album then is recorded in 1974 and not release for another 4 years, nor properly finished. And the album regardless prevails in quality. This record is impeccable
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
CCR had such an insane 4 year run. 7 albums and seemingly a hit song every month. This album is a little less than 30 minutes yet makes its impact with banger after banger. Playing is great from everybody. Reading this band's accomplishments doesn't even seem real. These guys were fucking huge and are forever going to go down as the sound of American music
LTJ Bukem
4/5
I love a good D&B album, and this one is good for sure, but wow this is really really long. Roni Size is about the same length but I really gelled with every song there, this one has more of a background effect than Roni Size did, so it just seems like I'm listening to these songs for forever. Also technically is a compilation album but I guess they let it slide like they did for The Hives.
4/5
My favorite Kinks album on the list, catchy songs, cool drums fills, and some nice guitar. I had somehow previously missed that super cool riff in "Brainstormed", which was later sampled by That Handsome Devil and thus activated my brain like a Pavlov Bell. Bit bottom heavy though, as the first half isn't that strong
The Bees
4/5
Very chill home recording. Just some nice songs to relax to. Must have done a number on indie kids in the UK when it came out
Portishead
5/5
Absolute genius. The sounds are expertly picked, especially on "Machine Gun". My ears love picking this album apart and my brain loves getting lost in it
Laibach
5/5
At first, I just wanted to go listen to The Young Gods, but as the album went on I got more and more into it. Really fucking cool, dark, unwelcoming
Suede
4/5
The beginning of britpop takeover. Oh lord.
But this album is actually really fuckin good. Tough to say if it's a 5 star good like "Dog Man Star", or if it's a really high 4 star album. Some elating choruses and killer guitar work, but also a couple forgettable songs. I'm thinking high 4 here
Brian Eno
2/5
It's wild how much I didn't care about this album at all. I figured I'd have loved it since it was Eno and the album is widely praised, but outside of a couple songs I just didn't connect at all to this music
Franz Ferdinand
5/5
Got one of the best intros and transistions in rock on that huge single "Take Me Out", and the rest of the album isn't too far behind in terms of quality. Impressive. This could have backfired as ultra-pretentious dribble but they can actually make a tune and write a great hook
The Divine Comedy
5/5
Oh man this is fucking great. So tongue in cheeky about the way it goes about, and absolutely rips when it goes all out. I can't imagine why people hate this, other than being britpop by a band they don't know. Which isn't fair to the album
Ray Price
5/5
I can never trust someone that says "I hate all country music"
Bitch have you even heard Ray Price?
Fantastic emotional recordings, Price's voice is just perfect, and the songs really put me in a different place. Played so well with such a nice twang. Not to mention, Willie Nelson is on bass and singing backup. And Ray Price has a fucking beat named after him. Absolute legend, and incredible album
Drive Like Jehu
5/5
This album is insane. The only emo album on the entire list (somehow), but boy did they pick a fucking good one. It's own sonic space, like you're midway between your spirit leaving your body and time seems to slow down. That guitar tone is killer. "Luau" is a total earworm for me
Amy Winehouse
5/5
I love those brief periods in music where girl groups and doo-wop come back into the mainstream. This album is absolutely incredible. Sounds just like those classic soul records, and Amy's voice is full of emotion
Miles Davis
3/5
Yeah, it's Miles Davis. He's cool. This album's cool too. Not much else to say about it
Bob Dylan
5/5
Dylan goes electric, and the folk purists go fucking crazy. Love it. Dylan is such a great songwriter. I fall into each songs little world
Joni Mitchell
3/5
It's a little surprising to me that I'm not all over this album. Folky jazz should be up my alley but I just don't connect to it for the most part. It's definitely good, but not a favorite. Though it has at least 2 undeniable bangers that really got me moving
Syd Barrett
4/5
What a very strange album. Syd Barrett has an interesting story, slowly losing his mind from mental health issues. Musically it was hit or miss. Near the middle it nearly made me fall asleep, but the beginning and ends of the album were interesting enough to mostly enjoy this record.
Thin Lizzy
5/5
Fucking cool live album. Seems like a concert my dad would have taken me to had Phil Lynott not died so tragically young. The band is tight and the crowd is loving it, me included
Missy Elliott
3/5
Not nearly as good or consistant as "Under Construction" is. The Timbaland production is phenomenal but honestly most of these songs are either annoying or dull. There are enough pockets of everything actually coming together, and I'm a sucker for Timbaland so this barely escapes a 2 rating. Missy Elliott is fine on the mic, sometimes genius sometimes wtf?
Michael Jackson
5/5
What a special talent MJ was. The production is absolutely fantastic. Everything sounds great and that bass is always perfect, "Speed Demon" especially tickles my ear. There's hits upon hits and catchy chorus after catchy chorus. Hard to tell if I like this more than Thriller or Off the Wall though. It's definitely close
Everything But The Girl
5/5
This album just wouldn't stop impressing me. Beautiful drum n bass usage, the combination with Tracy Thorn's vocals and lyrics are sublime. Also, each line is hitting doubly hard tonight for some reason, just making this whole experience better. Many sounds on here that made me involitarily roll my behind my head, in a good way if that's not clear. Didn't much care for this too much on the first 2 listens, but this third time everything finally hit for me and I was in music heaven. What a superb album
The Who
5/5
Incredible album. So many good songs in the first half, then The Who hit us with a 1-2 punch of "Our Love Was" and "I Can See For Miles". Damn. Then the rest of the album ends about as strong as it started. The mixing is a little odd but what else can you expect from something from the 60's
Pere Ubu
4/5
Jesus this album is weird. I can't believe it's 1977. It could be this year and I wouldn't think twice. This was pretty but also probably the worst album to accidentally get way too high to
Fiona Apple
5/5
This album is pure genius. Also sounds way too mature to be a debut. Absolutely fantastic writing. Lots of moments on this album give me awe and it never gets boring. Iconic album art as well.
Holger Czukay
5/5
One of these days, I'll fulfill the dream of lazy around in my hot tub that's inside my mansion, sipping a piña colada while watching my wife walk around butt ass naked, and strumming along on my guitar or bass and playing what I think the television showing I'm watching sounds like as music. Much like Holger had did here. And it is going to be glorious. Much like this album
Very cool in the pool
X-Ray Spex
5/5
Oh my god I love this. Punk needs more saxophone like this. The songs are insanely catchy and all sound like they could have been hits. Before getting this album tonight, I still had some of these hooks pop into my head at random times.
Hot Chip
4/5
Well produced synth-pop album that has some genuine bangers. Never heard of this guys. A little odd sounding at times. But usually great stuff.
I will say however, this record was absolutely embarassing to listen to in front of other people. I'm not sure why, but the feeling was visceral.
Jorge Ben Jor
3/5
The album starts and it is VERY funky. Some excellent playing all around. But, there is only so many times you can feature electric jug before it gets annoying. It started taking over songs, I couldn't focus my hearing on anything but that goddamn jug
My Bloody Valentine
5/5
People waited over 20 years for this and wow it actually doesn't disappoint. Very cool sound that I can actually picture clearly in my mind
808 State
5/5
Oh how I fucking ADORE this album. I love this sound and these guys knew how to mold the sound perfectly. Interesting textures all throughout with insanely cool beats
Orbital
5/5
Damn Orbital. They know their shit. Sounds amazing, so many fun textures and beats. Does anyone else imagine little guys shaped like the sound they make dancing along to this? Just me?
The Spin Doctors sample is by far the coolest part of the album. The last 2 songs were really long but not bad, just made the album drag a hair at the end. But whatever, still a 5 cause it was so banging
LCD Soundsystem
5/5
This album is strange to me, very catchy and produced greatly with lots of fun sounds, and this really odd air around the whole thing. Maybe that's just how I always feel with LCD Soundsystem, but I tend to really like them. The closing track is beautiful but I much prefer with the Miles Davis duet which went viral on youtube years ago
50 Cent
2/5
Wished I had liked this a lot more, but really "In da Club" is just hard carrying this whole thing. That song is in such a completely different league to the rest of the album. Not really a fan of 50's flow on some of these songs. There's a few bright spots though. Just not enough. High 2
William Orbit
5/5
I'm assuming this was added merely because William Orbit would go on to produce Madonna's "Ray of Light". But damn it actually is really good. Super atmospheric, and sounds like a soundtrack to a dungeon crawling video game. Impeccable production and wonderful sounds
Doves
5/5
I think they should have probably scrapped "Words" as that albums corny refrain nearly soured my thoughts before the album could reallu begin. But then it saves itself, and pulls out a monster run of absolute bangers.
Talking Heads
2/5
I know Talking Heads are legendary but everytime I listen to one of their albums I just don't care about it. Definitely a band I only really love a few songs from. It's just so......meh
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
5/5
Wasn't having the best day before listening to this. Didn't help knowing in advance that is was legitimately 2 hours long. Of country music.
And it's an absolute BANGER!
Lifted my spirits almost immideately and kept them raised with the beautiful playing and singing. The instrumentals are a ton of fun to listen to, and the studio banter throughout makes it seem like you're sitting with them, playing the listener.
Masterpiece and definitely worth the 2 hours
The Monkees
5/5
The first album The Monkees "really" played. I'm honestly impressed. Very catchy 60s pop tunes, but this album also has some wild moments and it makes the whole thing seem like just a bunch of guys having a grand ole time making music, and I love that. "Band 6" is really odd, some out of time off sync no chemistry blooper then playing a stock tv music lick. But even stranger, "Zilch" appears and totally blows my mind. That's something Zappa would put on his record (and did, on his debut no less), not something I'd expect one of the biggest pop bands in America to do. Almost all these songs are amazing in their own way, but "Randy Scouse Git" absolutely wipes the floor with them. One of my favorite songs
Jethro Tull
4/5
An absolute prog classic, with some impeccable playing and nice grooves. That said, I do have a big problem with it. The mix is straight up weird, I'm not audio expert but something doesn't seem right about it. Also couple of filler songs in the 2nd half :/
Eurythmics
4/5
Glad to know the rest of this album is actually great like the title track single. Awesome. Although sometimes this album will have its impeccibly produced and wonderfully sounding music wasted on songs that aren't interesting to me. But when it hits wow, like right when I pressed play I was hooked with that synth sound.
Another high 4, I've been getting those a lot recently 🤔
The Beta Band
5/5
Last time I had listened to Hot Shots II, I absolutely hated it. So seeing this band had ANOTHER album in the list quite shocked me.
Turns out it's a fucking masterpiece. Everything came together for The Beta Band here, so what do they do?
Break up for 20 years
The Darkness
4/5
Some good ol AC/DC branded cock rock. Hell yeah. This falsetto voice is really unique, and quite fun to try mimicking. The singles really hit hard, you can tell they've gotten the most love on the album. The rest is pretty damn cool too but not as exciting
Jane Weaver
5/5
Holy shit this album is incredible. How did they find this? It doesn't even have a wikipedia page. Beautifully produced and great use of sounds. They really pierce my ear holes in the best way possible. This album is one of those gems that makes this whole generator worth it, cause how else was I ever going to hear of it
5/5
This album is just wild. The drum patterns are wonky and I love it. It was really fun trying to mimic what the beat was in the "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" cover. I know the opening track as that fun weird song on Rock Band 2, not the intro to Ridiculousness.
This album is just the oddest display of rock, like if an alien came down and tried its best to mimic human music. It's pretty close but something definitely seems off about it. Amazing
Don McLean
5/5
The title track had etched itself into a core part of the American songbook lore. Just masterfully written and performed. And I'm especially glad to see that the rest of the album is just as strong, though not as well known as the title track. Late cut "The Grave" blew me away
Meat Puppets
5/5
My god what an album. Just the genre itself got me pumped. COWPUNK! HA!
Anyways the guitar playing is simply superb and the songs are beautiful both sonically and lyrically. No wonder Cobain was such a fan
Happy Mondays
3/5
Y'know this actually wasn't as bad as I initially though based on that god awful album title, but it also wasn't really that good either. Couple of stand outs
Elvis Costello
3/5
Say what you want about the amount of Costello albums on this list, but at least they're mostly actually good. This one however, I am not really sure why they picked it. The book says it would have been a classic had it been released in Costello's heyday. Okay.
The drums have a great sound, love the rimshots. Some gnarly instrumental parts at times, and Costello's got some good material here. But I can't believe this things runtime.
56 minutes feels double that on this album. It just goes on and on. I just can't believe it's on the list, just such a weird pick. Whatever though, this album ain't bad it's just long and at parts very samey
The Cars
5/5
This seems like a greatest hits album. But it's their debut. They sound far into the future, the production and mixing is just soooo nice. It's catchy chorus after catchy chorus. I'm having a hard time even choosing a favorite. They all pop into my mind at once lile their pleading their case
Gary Numan
5/5
I love synth-pop, and this is a foundational piece of it. Gary Numan's synth work and arrangements are spectacular, and extremely catchy on the hit "Cars". I really love the instrumental outtake bonus tracks too
Al Green
2/5
Man, I can't believe how disappointing this album is. Title track is an all time classic but the only other attention grabbing part was the "How Can I Mend A Broken Heart" cover. And I was very intently listening. It's just mostly so dull and done far better by someone else
Elbow
5/5
With a band name like Elbow I didn't expect this to be such a banger, or as beautiful as it really is. The arrangements are really nice. "Grounds for Divorce" is like what if commercial music was actually good
Sugar
5/5
Oh hell yeah, Hüsker Dü former guitarist. And this album is really damn solid. Not a single bad song, nice melodies, loud ass guitar. So cool
CHVRCHES
5/5
The triumphant return of synth-pop to the mainstream. I remember hearing a lot of CHVRCHES back then, but never really delved into them because I was still listening to what was popular in 2000 (nu metal and pop-punk).
Well after expanding my taste since 2013, and since 2021 when I first listened to the album in full, I can confidently say this is a masterpiece. An utter masterpiece. Choruses hit every time, and sometimes choruses upon choruses upon choruses ("Recover") just take over the whole soul. I was jumping out my chair at that post chorus. And it is so well produced, it sounds beautiful in my headphones
Joy Division
5/5
When this album started, I wasn't really connecting to it again, like what had happened with their debut. But thankfully the albums got better as time went on and I ended up loving it by the time it finished. Ian Curtis is haunting here
Beatles
5/5
I mean, what else can I even add to the discussion around this album. It is one of the greatest of all time. If anyone suggests Ringo is a shitty drummer, this album easily disproves that, so you can just safely ignore them as they obviously haven't heard this. This album has one of the most overloaded with quality first sides ever, every song was amazing and a hit. Then the second side is also overloaded with quality. George Harrison only has 2 writing credits here but they are both considered the best Beatles song. Period. Paul goes all out both on bass and with his voice. I just can't say enough good things about this album. Sounds amazing production wise, each song is 10/10, and the cover art is legendary.
Still, I think Rubber Soul is their best
Parliament
5/5
God damn is this funky as hell. I've gotten a lot more into funk recently so it was lovely hearing this beast of an album. What a joy
Barry Adamson
5/5
This is awesome. A soundtrack to a noir film that doesn't exist in the physical world, only in the world of your mind. Love it. "The Swinging Detective" and "Intensive Care" really stood out to me
Jack White
5/5
God is Jack White good. Some nice bluesy tracks with no weakness. White's written some incredible stuff here, but for me that cover of "I'm Shakin'" just steals the show. So much damn fun it gets me moving every time
Ice Cube
5/5
Cube is a very talented lyricist. He tells a story effortlessly and with charisma. It's hard not to be pumped up by him and his voice. The beats provided by The Bomb Squad are phenomenal. There's not a bad moment on the album, superb
Les Rythmes Digitales
5/5
Oh my god this album. First off, just look at that cover! It screams early 2000s and my god does this album sound like it. Seems a lot of people copied him and after checking Wikipedia, he's worked with a ton of pop artists.
This album has a nostalgic feel for me. That good old 2000s culture was racing through my mind during the whole album. I was hoping "Disco II Disco" would have actually been titled "Discome to Disco" like I had heard in the lyrics. This dude has some odd synth sound choices sometimes, but it's endearing to me
The Byrds
5/5
Oh this album is just ridiculously good. So serene, and the transitions are just beautiful. Each song is a banger and I was begging for this album to be longer. Probably the Byrd's best collective effort so I was shocked to read about it and see they actually were going through a really rough time. Guitarist fired, drummer quits, rejoins, then is fired. Session musicians came to the rescue. And what followed was psychedelic genius
Method Man
4/5
The first solo from a Wu-Tang members. I am very close to absolutely loving it but there's a few too many songs I don't really connect to. So this will be a very high 4, the middle chunk of the album is fantastic. Unique production for hip hop, very dark. I don't know how RZA gets songs to sound that way
Prince
5/5
This is the greatest album of all time. Objectively. Go read Prince's wikipedia page, he was an influence on music as a concept. This is him grasping the everybody's attention in 1984. First artist with the number 1 album, movie, and single at once. Prince is near worshipped in Minnesota. The people talk about encounters with him as if it was Jesus Christ. Nobody ever forgets seeing Prince. I remember the day he died, it was like the entire world had just stopped. There was nothing else anybody cared to talk about.
The album starts with 2 bangers, one a party starter amd the other a beautifully done pop song. Speaking of beautiful, the next track has one of the strongest forced attention getters in all of music. The powerful vocal performance really lets me sink all my emotions into the song, and the scene in the movie (which you should go watch) makes it even more emotional, 2 shots, Prince, and the girl he's singing it to.
"Computer Blue" follows with more Prince guitar mastery, and a cool instrumental part. I'm still dying to hear the alleged 20+ minute version that exists where Prince played a bunch of distortion, which you can hear snippets of at the end of this track and into "Darling Nikki". And "Darling Nikki" continues the fun with a song about a woman freakier than Prince, and ending that with some badass double bass drumming. This is just the first half, and we haven't even gotten to the number 1 single yet. "When Doves Cry" is incredible. The emptiness of the lyrics matching the bass not being present made this click with everybody, genius move. The next 3 songs were all recorded live at legendary venue First Avenue. It is unbelievable how good they sound, 2 pumped up fun songs, and the most beautiful guitar playing you've ever heard in the title track.
Purple Rain
I love Prince. Purple Rain is top to bottom, filled with nothing but bangers. Go watch the movie as well, a musical that has the greatest songs ever as it's soundtrack
Ali Farka Touré
5/5
Absolutely beautiful desert blues. Ali Farka Touré is a legend. He was once offered some big huge tour around the world but said he's just a farmer, and so declined. Dude is doing this as a hobby on the side and making absolute gems. The riffs are incredible
Tom Waits
5/5
Ridiculously stacked album. All bangers. Waits really paints a perfect picture, and he doesn't even need lyrics to do that either. The instrumental itself is enough to give my brain and setting and it's characters. His stuff works on such a subconcious level I don't even try thinking what the song looks like, I just see it playing in my head. Insanely talented, I don't think he's ever made a bad album. Or even any below "great"
The Icarus Line
4/5
Loud and aggressive, this album certaintly has bangers. This might be the lists' most least known addition, barely cracking 50k plays on spotify. I think it's actually pretty good, but runs on a little too long. Also not really sure why it was even chosen for the list anyway
Tina Turner
5/5
Man this album rocks. Tina Turner is so talented she can take a song like "Let's Stay Together" and somehow almost take it away from the already legendary Al Green. Seriously powerful, emotive performance. I hung onto every word. Turner seems to be showing off just how easily she can command your attention, whether it be rocking the fuck out of a sincere ballad. The choruses all hit. "Help" might be the only weak spot but even that song is insanely good, for Beatle cover standards at least.
Walked away from this album wondering why it's not in rotation more, what a banger.
The Damned
5/5
Incredible punk album. So much fucking energy! I love this drums! They're fun! The songs are catchy as hell too
Mike Ladd
5/5
This album is insane. Some prog hip hop?! Absolutely nuts. Mike Ladd's got a unique flow and voice, and great lyrics. To go along with it, some really out there production and beats. Sounds like it is from the afterfuture.
What a great pick for the book, I probably would have never even heard of this without it.
John Grant
5/5
Masterpiece. Absolute masterpiece. God bless that band that brought John Grant to the music scene. What other album is going to make you cry on track 1 and laughing by track 4? None. No other album can.
Impeccably played and produced as well. Grant's writing hits me deep to my core, even if I no longer strongly relate to the sheer depression of this album like I did in the past
2Pac
5/5
One of the most iconic voices in music, Tupac has a commanding prescence. It makes it all the more poignant on this album, that is very introspective and personal. "Dear Mama" may possibly be the best hip hop song ever made. The beats are nice and don't distract from taking in the lyrics
Kate Bush
1/5
Man this album is really crap. It's incredibly annoying at almost every turn. Kate Bush's voice grates like crazy. The one good thing I liked was sometimes the drums were cool. I just don't see what everybody else is seeing about Kate Bush, this album was terrible
Megadeth
5/5
Finally got Megadeth, after over 700 albums. I have very fond memories of playing these songs on Rock Band over and over again because they were so fun. The riffs and solos on this thing are nuts and Dave's got some catchy choruses here. The cover was an odd choice, but "My Last Words" makes up for it
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
5/5
I know it seems Costello has way too many albums on the list, but I mean c'mon some of them, like this one, are absolute BANGERS! I don't mind as much Costello taking up space as a bunch of these other artists. He's consistantly at least okay to good.
This one he really creates a special album. Great sound, great lyrics, great hooks. "I Want You" is one of his best ever. Haven't seen the reviews yet, but I hope this isn't one people just decided to take their anger out on, because that would be a mistake
Taylor Swift
1/5
Wow. I am monumentally disappointed. At best its a series of almost good songs but not quite. Each song has such a similar boring progression that this really just becomes a test of patience. I expected better from the most popular pop star of today. Awful
Dinosaur Jr.
5/5
I love Dinosaur Jr. ever since I heard "Feel the Pain" on Rock Band and Guitar Hero. This album starts with "Freak Scene", which while being its best song was also one blink-182 covered on their first ever record. Mascis' guitar playing seem unreal at times, his solos are absolutely nuts. "Don't" is a funny ending I love it. Batshit noise
Coldplay
5/5
Good god was early Coldplay fucking fantastic. 2 absolutely beautiful albums. This was my longest album so far this week, and that time just flew by. The songs are slow, but so good that they must be distorting time. Felt like 20 minutes not 54. I loved this. I might have to listen to Parachutes to decide which is better though
The Replacements
5/5
Absolutely incredible. Minnesota continues to dominate the music scene. Fuck yeah.
"Androgynous" is about 50 years ahead of its time, and the rest of these songs got this punkish edge to the alternative rock that makes for incredible catchy songs. I need to listen to these guys more
5/5
If you don't like U2 that's fine but have you heard Joshua Tree? Holy fuck. This is amazing. Starts off with a side A that's one of the most frontloaded in history, then follows it with a side B that still blows my mind. The Edge shows here why he's a revered guitarist, beautiful riffs. The production is unlike anything I've heard. So big, like it could only be played in a stadium so the song can float into space
Leonard Cohen
5/5
Beautiful and haunting. Cohen's voice is so low. His writing impeccable. 2016 was spoiled with fantastic legendary career send offs. This is the kind of album that makes me want to check out the rest of Cohen discography
Jane's Addiction
5/5
One of the best alternative rock albums ever, right after Jane's Addiction already dropped one of the best alternative rock albums ever a couple years before. It's incredibly sad how they couldn't keep it together as a band after making this. First half has incredible energy and 2 of their best songs, second half has atmospheric masterpieces. Truly one of a kind record
The Young Rascals
5/5
This album truly surprised me. That cover is at the same time absolutely awful and endearingly cheesy. Love how it tell you the big hit is on this album. The music is surprisingly psychadelic, only on the under layers of these impeccably written pop tunes. You'll probably recognize some of these songs and wonder where you heard them (most likely covers).
I fear this album may be too overlooked, it's great
Motörhead
5/5
God damn is this killer! The band is tight and full of energy. I might honestly like this better than "Ace of Spades". The songs may sound the same but it's a great song so who cares
Gotan Project
4/5
Some electronic tango, or gotan as the group named themselves. It starts a bit weak, but quickly grabs my attention by covering Frank Zappa. That's awesome. Middle of the album is filled with bangers. This was a very chill album. Well produced
Pere Ubu
3/5
Pere Ubu is still just so weird to me. And I applaud them for it. This sounds like nothing else. I just don't like it as much. Some really cool parts but this album (and band) just continuely confuse me
Super Furry Animals
4/5
An eclectic mix, with some at times very distorted guitars. They make it poppy though. The album is a tad too inconsistant to get a 5 from me but it is a very high 4. Some killer tracks on here but their other album on this list blows everything on here away. Cool debut though, showing the seeds being sown for future records
Def Leppard
5/5
I find this album much more consistant than Pyromania. Wow this album fucking slaps. I can't imagine what it must have been like when they dropped, they were fucking huge. This album dethroned Thriller by Michael Jackson. That's how big they were.
And it is catchy as hell and it rocks. I love it. Feel like Peacemaker rn
Nirvana
5/5
A haunting but also cozy live album. My dad had this one on a lot when I was a kid, the David Bowie cover being permanently ingrained in my memory. This was a great time. Makes me want to watch the DVD of the performance, which I haven't seen since I was a kid
Joanna Newsom
5/5
This feels like Björk if she performed excusively at Renaissance Festivals. I fucking love it. Shame Joanna's husband, Andy Samberg, never made an appearance in this list, as I feel Incredibad by The Lonely Island would be a good companion piece to this 😂
Barry Adamson
5/5
Adamson is the master of mood. I can just see the movie playing out in my head, whole stories being told and mostly just through instrumentals. Incredible. Love the guest vocals too
The Allman Brothers Band
5/5
Was expecting this to be a bit of a slog, seeing as how it is mostly some long jams, but The Allman Brothers are so talented that it actually seems a bit too short. That time flew by as I was amazed by how great the band sounded, every solo was killer!
The Notorious B.I.G.
5/5
From the getgo the album grips you, all before a song even starts. Harrowing intro showcasing Biggie's life up until the point of the album. The story telling combined with flow combined with the rhyming ability, plus a sincerety and honesty only Tupac can match, equals one of the greatest albums ever. So good, I can easily overlook some flaws, mostly being the awkward to listen to interludes of Biggie having sex or getting his dick sucked. And a few songs seeming a little too long. But Biggie is too talented to have an album tainted in any way to those nitpicks.
The ending of "Suicidal Thoughts" still remains one of raps most depressing and disturbing songs. Masterpiece
Q-Tip
5/5
Incredible. The production is unreal. Q-Tip got one of the best flows in hip hop and he has top tier lyricism to go with it. The features on this album are also great
The Who
5/5
One of the best live albums. It's not actually originally released as over an hour, the 6 song 40 minute runtime is perfect. 3 of these I am very familiar with due to being famously fun (and difficult) to play in Rock Band. Keith Moon is a fucking monster, and Entwhistle kills it on bass. "Magic Bus" was a perfect ending
Public Image Ltd.
5/5
Unlike almost any other album I've heard. Might be even more bizarre than their debut, and also slightly better. The guitar sounds wicked, Wobble is great on bass, and I love the drumming. Funny how many drummers are actually all over this album, the wikipedia page says most of them left before sessions ended. And that they technically didn't even rent a studio they just snuck in.
I also still cannot believe this is the singer for Sex Pistols, I can't imagine the whiplash following his career and going from one side of punk right to the other
B.B. King
5/5
Goddamn. When you want to a show an alien what music is to humans, show them this. They'll get it.
Don't think anyone could compare to King's combination of soulful, bombastic, power vocals, and clean, stank face making perfect tone guitar playing
Bob Dylan
5/5
One of the most important albums ever. Just look at that wikipedia page! Every song has an in depth description.
I loved the album, even that loud ass harmonica
Steely Dan
5/5
Incredible. Production is beautiful, the songs are impeccably played. "Do It Again" is magical.
Blur
5/5
Blur decides writing lame ass Britpop shite isn't fun anymore. Thank God. This album is actually good, interesting, catchy, well written. I'm shocked at how much I like this because I HATED Modern Life Is Rubbish. Cool guitar playing. Glad that it is Pavement inspired. They should have been doing this from the start
Kings of Leon
4/5
For some reason, the singer's terrible voice is more endearing on this record than on Aha Shake Heartbreak. Must be better overall songs, great riffs and a dusty garage vibe. The shrills and voice going out on "Trani" really shocked me, but I kind of actually loved it
The Sonics
5/5
Just crazy. I cannot believe this is 1965. This is so punk. There's a fucking saxophone making it sound like a fuzz tone guitar. And the singer can really scream. This must have blown people heads up back then. Punk as fuck
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
5/5
One of the most important albums ever, if soley for its title track. However, this album is insanely diverse. They tried everything here just because they could, and for me it works every time. No matter what they do, I know it's a banger. "The Message" was both a pioneer in a genre and ahead of its time all at once, that beat still sounds like it came from the future
Stereolab
4/5
The first half absolutely bangs. The loop based songs lead to a really cool feel throughout the album. The second half didn't live up to the first, but it was still pretty good
Elastica
5/5
Fuckin awesome! I swore this was a 70s record, cool to see that classic punk sound all the way into 1995. And they really killed it. Super consistant, with to the point short catchy songs all the way through. Reading about them, I can't believe they got lumped into fucking Britpop. Sounds nothing like it
Tom Waits
5/5
Immaculate vibes. I feel like I'm there. I can vividly see the painting in my kind that Waits is giving with his lyrics. The band is perfect. Might be my favorite Tom Waits record, it's such a treat to listen to
Bobby Womack
5/5
Wow. 8 songs and they are all perfect. I loved it so much, I read up on his whole life story. I gotta say, where's the movie version?
Onto the album, his voice is so chockful of soul, backing vocals so tastefully done, and THAT BASS!! Whoever played bass was a genius
Solange
5/5
Beautiful, well produced and well sung album. It was dreamy and funky and I just floated through it's tracklist in bliss
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
This might be the best folk album I've ever heard. Etheral, beautiful, smart, and catchy. I can't believe how well rounded the album is, and it's only half an hour so you're just left demanding more!
Metallica
5/5
So what happens when you mix metal and orchestra into one concert? 2 hours of pure fucking awesome! I loved this.
The mix is great too, I love how the orchestra seems to swell above the guitars
Steve Winwood
5/5
It's incredible this is all one person. Steve Winwood does everything here, but it sounds like a tight band with chemistry. It sounds like that blue eyed soul that was everywhere, but something about this record just hits different.
Mott The Hoople
2/5
I really don't fucking like anything about this band. The name is offensive to me in how stupid it sounds. Their big hit written by David Bowie is dumb and annoying. This album is much of the same, but at least it's not that song. Admittedly, there are some killer riffs and good solos on here, especially the Cadillac song. Those elements make it juuuuust barely scrape into a 2. But I would still never want to hear this band ever again
The Mothers Of Invention
5/5
I love Frank Zappa. This being his debut is insane. He practically found a band that would take them, and said here play my music, no more RnB covers. And this was born. I think a record exec had moved the tracklist around, and figured "Who Are the Brain Police?" is too fucking scary without having the comedic doo-wop ballad "Go Cry On Somebody Else's Shoulder" right after.
This album is intense but catchy. It sounds sinister, I think of factory smoke when listening to this, and picture the lyrics as a cartoon in my head. Sometimes it makes the avant garde aspects suddenly make sense. Or perhaps I've just listened to this and studied it too many times. The horns "How Could I Be Such a Fool" are such a nice touch. Now that I think about it all of this album has instrument or riff choices that just satisfy my ears.
"Wowie Zowie" was apparently a huge favorite with the record execs toddlers. Well it's a huge favorite with me too, such an earworm. Minnesota shoutout in "Help, I'm a Rock" is so cool. Frank's proto-rap on "Trouble Every Day" is really neat. As is the song's lyrics. Also this album was an inspiration for Sgt. Peppers. Then Zappa would parody the cover of that album.
Love
5/5
Wow this album flew by!
*sees "Revelation*
Oh.
Still though, this album is a fucking banger. 7 perfect songs, all a different genre and all ahead of its time. How the fuck are these guys not hailed as one of the greatest of all time? I only heard of them because of this book. They should just be known from the get go like The Beatles or The Rolling Stones
Lupe Fiasco
5/5
Damn, from start to (almost) finish, this album is nothing but smart, catchy, well produced BANGERS. His very audible inhaling is sometimes a distraction, but also a little charming. I think the extensive 12 minute thank you was excessive, but at least the string laden beat is cool. Loved this record
Green Day
5/5
The album cover has dookie on it. Poop.
It eventually went double diamond.
Do you know how good the music has to be for the general population to just look over the fact the album is named after and features on the cover, POOP!
There's so many memories with this one. A whole new musical world opened for me and I became obsessed with pop punk. Many summers spent browsing YouTube for music videos of Green Day, blink-182, Sum 41, and Yellowcard. It's a damn shame none of those other 3 bands got to be on the list. Pop punk is a huge part of the late 90s and early 2000s, and those are some obvious choices.
The band I'm in played a lot of Green Day covers, mostly from this album. "Burnout" was my favorite to play. These guys are good, they know how to make something groove, and fun. It gives everything the extra oomph to make it even more hype. I just want to play it. Tre Cool on drums and Mike Dirnt on bass sound like their having the time of their lives. The outro to "Chump", the fun bass on "When I Come Around", the many drum solos Tre Cool has.
Fuckin' hell this record is good. Total opposite of dookie. I still think blink-182 self titled is the best pop punk record though, but this is the most important
Queens Of The Stone Age
5/5
Super fucking cool album. Badass riffs on guitar and bass, trancy and catchy tunes. Airy production. Awesome
Still don't get why Songs for the Deaf wasn't chosen though 🤔
Steely Dan
5/5
God damn, this actually outdoes their debut. Plenty of memories of playing "Bodhisattva" on Rock Band 2, and my god was that a great choice for that game. Such a unique chart to play. The rest of the album holds up as well as that incredible opener. "My Old School" being another super cool hightlight. Not sure how it wasn't a hit