654
Albums Rated
3.43
Average Rating
60%
Complete
435 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1960s
Favorite Decade
Indie
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
122
5-Star Albums
19
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bone Machine
Tom Waits
|
5 | 2.86 | +2.14 |
|
E.V.O.L.
Sonic Youth
|
5 | 2.89 | +2.11 |
|
Kick Out The Jams (Live)
MC5
|
5 | 2.91 | +2.09 |
|
The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators
The 13th Floor Elevators
|
5 | 2.96 | +2.04 |
|
Nowhere
Ride
|
5 | 3.01 | +1.99 |
|
Another Music In A Different Kitchen
Buzzcocks
|
5 | 3.09 | +1.91 |
|
I'm Your Man
Leonard Cohen
|
5 | 3.1 | +1.9 |
|
Rid Of Me
PJ Harvey
|
5 | 3.11 | +1.89 |
|
The La's
The La's
|
5 | 3.15 | +1.85 |
|
Let England Shake
PJ Harvey
|
5 | 3.15 | +1.85 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Graceland
Paul Simon
|
1 | 3.74 | -2.74 |
|
Talking Timbuktu
Ali Farka Touré
|
1 | 3.13 | -2.13 |
|
Your Arsenal
Morrissey
|
1 | 3.05 | -2.05 |
|
Will The Circle Be Unbroken
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
|
1 | 2.98 | -1.98 |
|
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Simon & Garfunkel
|
2 | 3.97 | -1.97 |
|
Arc Of A Diver
Steve Winwood
|
1 | 2.88 | -1.88 |
|
Grievous Angel
Gram Parsons
|
1 | 2.86 | -1.86 |
|
Colour By Numbers
Culture Club
|
1 | 2.84 | -1.84 |
|
Harvest
Neil Young
|
2 | 3.83 | -1.83 |
|
Dire Straits
Dire Straits
|
2 | 3.72 | -1.72 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| PJ Harvey | 4 | 5 |
| David Bowie | 6 | 4.5 |
| Beatles | 6 | 4.5 |
| The Rolling Stones | 6 | 4.5 |
| Radiohead | 4 | 4.75 |
| Bob Dylan | 4 | 4.75 |
| Pink Floyd | 4 | 4.75 |
| Led Zeppelin | 3 | 5 |
| Sonic Youth | 4 | 4.5 |
| Joni Mitchell | 3 | 4.67 |
| The Clash | 2 | 5 |
| Jimi Hendrix | 2 | 5 |
| Yeah Yeah Yeahs | 2 | 5 |
| Tom Waits | 2 | 5 |
| Nirvana | 2 | 5 |
| Black Sabbath | 2 | 5 |
| Michael Jackson | 2 | 5 |
| Green Day | 2 | 5 |
| Talking Heads | 4 | 4.25 |
| Pixies | 3 | 4.33 |
| Miles Davis | 3 | 4.33 |
| Bob Marley & The Wailers | 3 | 4.33 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 3 | 4.33 |
| Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Paul Simon | 3 | 1.67 |
| Emerson, Lake & Palmer | 2 | 1.5 |
| Morrissey | 4 | 2 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Ray Charles | 2, 5 |
| Madonna | 2, 5, 4 |
5-Star Albums (122)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Stan Getz
2/5
This is the background music my background music plays at it's dinner parties.
7 likes
Ride
5/5
One of the very best shoegaze albums. So rich and dense, but the melodies are there to reward those with the patience to seek them out.
3 likes
Deerhunter
4/5
Lovely, dreamy indie music. I'd forgotten how good this is. No skips, but misses one or two standouts to take it to a 5
2 likes
5/5
It's hard to fathom how this must have sounded in the context of 1968. Just 5 years after the Beatles shocked the world by having slightly long hair, and just 3 years after Dylan caused a stir by using electric guitars, the aggression of this album must've sounded like being in a wind tunnel.
2 likes
4-Star Albums (204)
1-Star Albums (19)
All Ratings
DJ Shadow
4/5
R.E.M.
3/5
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
Beastie Boys
5/5
Elvis Presley
3/5
Dire Straits
2/5
Fela Kuti
5/5
Guns N' Roses
4/5
Jefferson Airplane
4/5
Youssou N'Dour
2/5
Motörhead
3/5
Sheryl Crow
3/5
4/5
Kraftwerk
3/5
Isaac Hayes
3/5
The xx
4/5
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
Underworld
3/5
The Zombies
2/5
ZZ Top
4/5
Steely Dan
2/5
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Nas
4/5
The Byrds
3/5
TV On The Radio
2/5
Portishead
3/5
Neil Young
2/5
Tortoise
4/5
Venom
1/5
Snoop Dogg
3/5
George Harrison
5/5
Scritti Politti
1/5
Brian Eno
3/5
Prince
5/5
SAULT
3/5
Elvis Presley
4/5
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
Thundercat
2/5
Radiohead
5/5
Sonic Youth
4/5
David Bowie
5/5
Mercury Rev
3/5
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
Beastie Boys
3/5
Bon Jovi
3/5
Shack
2/5
Todd Rundgren
2/5
The Clash
5/5
Amy Winehouse
5/5
David Bowie
4/5
AC/DC
2/5
Serge Gainsbourg
4/5
Joan Armatrading
4/5
Marianne Faithfull
2/5
Judas Priest
2/5
Amy Winehouse
4/5
Happy Mondays
2/5
Frank Sinatra
3/5
Jamiroquai
2/5
4/5
Parliament
4/5
The Flaming Lips
4/5
The Young Rascals
3/5
Rufus Wainwright
2/5
Wilco
4/5
M.I.A.
3/5
Kings of Leon
4/5
The Prodigy
5/5
Iggy Pop
5/5
3/5
Lou Reed
3/5
Beatles
4/5
ABBA
2/5
Sisters Of Mercy
3/5
Duke Ellington
2/5
Manic Street Preachers
4/5
Pixies
4/5
Jeff Buckley
5/5
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
2/5
Malcolm McLaren
2/5
Willie Nelson
3/5
Killing Joke
4/5
Le Tigre
4/5
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Steve Winwood
1/5
CHIC
2/5
Ute Lemper
3/5
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
2/5
Primal Scream
3/5
David Bowie
4/5
Derek & The Dominos
3/5
Iron Butterfly
3/5
Arcade Fire
4/5
Pixies
4/5
Deep Purple
4/5
Kings of Leon
3/5
Queen
4/5
Bob Dylan
5/5
Gene Clark
3/5
TV On The Radio
3/5
Common
3/5
Boards of Canada
2/5
Steve Earle
2/5
Rush
3/5
Brian Eno
3/5
Kraftwerk
4/5
Brian Eno
4/5
Radiohead
5/5
Les Rythmes Digitales
1/5
Herbie Hancock
5/5
Fleet Foxes
3/5
Metallica
4/5
Shuggie Otis
3/5
Neil Young
4/5
Talking Heads
4/5
4/5
De La Soul
5/5
The Stooges
5/5
Slayer
2/5
Run-D.M.C.
5/5
Dolly Parton
3/5
Nine Inch Nails
4/5
Pink Floyd
4/5
Linkin Park
2/5
Thelonious Monk
3/5
The Who
5/5
Missy Elliott
3/5
The Who
3/5
Funkadelic
4/5
Suzanne Vega
2/5
The Jam
4/5
The Rolling Stones
5/5
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
Jazmine Sullivan
2/5
Nick Drake
4/5
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
Supergrass
4/5
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
XTC
4/5
4/5
Super Furry Animals
3/5
Korn
2/5
Madonna
2/5
Aerosmith
4/5
The Who
4/5
Arrested Development
3/5
The Everly Brothers
2/5
Eminem
2/5
Beck
4/5
Gram Parsons
1/5
Soul II Soul
2/5
Billy Joel
3/5
Sister Sledge
4/5
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
Sepultura
1/5
The Strokes
5/5
Public Image Ltd.
2/5
Bauhaus
3/5
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
R.E.M.
5/5
James Taylor
2/5
Hawkwind
2/5
Stan Getz
3/5
Ash
4/5
Iggy Pop
3/5
Depeche Mode
4/5
Simply Red
2/5
Slipknot
2/5
Milton Nascimento
3/5
MGMT
4/5
Cypress Hill
3/5
The Fall
4/5
Beastie Boys
4/5
Cornershop
2/5
Van Morrison
3/5
Spiritualized
4/5
Big Brother & The Holding Company
5/5
Norah Jones
4/5
The Who
4/5
Alice In Chains
2/5
UB40
3/5
Billy Bragg
2/5
Tim Buckley
3/5
Aretha Franklin
5/5
The Doors
4/5
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
Dusty Springfield
3/5
Destiny's Child
2/5
I'm not going to diss you on the Internet.
Marty Robbins
2/5
Marvin Gaye
5/5
Frank Ocean
3/5
10cc
2/5
The Auteurs
2/5
The Band
4/5
Ray Charles
2/5
Why do country songs recorded by a jazz/soul artist in 1962 sound like Disney Christmas songs from the 1930s?
Throwing Muses
3/5
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
3/5
Queen
4/5
Massive Attack
4/5
Lorde
4/5
Queen
4/5
N.E.R.D
3/5
Lupe Fiasco
3/5
Pulp
5/5
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
5/5
Jack White
4/5
Death In Vegas
4/5
Neil Young
2/5
Paul Simon
2/5
Marilyn Manson
2/5
The Chemical Brothers
4/5
Franz Ferdinand
4/5
The Avalanches
3/5
The Louvin Brothers
1/5
The Temptations
3/5
Pink Floyd
5/5
PJ Harvey
5/5
Ice Cube
2/5
John Lennon
4/5
Traffic
3/5
Adele
4/5
Jorge Ben Jor
4/5
The Notorious B.I.G.
3/5
Biggie's flow and rhyming are fantastic, but this album is bloated by all the skits and filler, and the lyrics are about the things that have put me off 90s hip hop for decades - violence and misogyny - which prevents me from enjoying his obvious talent. It's such a a shame we didn't get to see the rapper he could have matured into.
The Undertones
4/5
The Mars Volta
3/5
Bill Evans Trio
3/5
Mariah Carey
2/5
Beck
4/5
Cream
4/5
Stereolab
3/5
Merle Haggard
2/5
Drive Like Jehu
3/5
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
4/5
Sonic Youth
4/5
This is a harsh 4. More of a 4.5 really, and with about 3 tracks trimmed it would be a 5. Noisy and melodic, varied but coherent, raw but slick. it's a real experience.
Particular shout out to the superb drumming.
Joni Mitchell
5/5
Not as good as Blue, but still worthy of 5 stars
The Mamas & The Papas
3/5
The Boo Radleys
2/5
Afrika Bambaataa
2/5
Miles Davis
4/5
Hookworms
3/5
The Sonics
4/5
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Metallica
4/5
Manu Chao
3/5
Bob Dylan
5/5
Pixies
5/5
A benchmark album for truly alternative rock
Meat Loaf
3/5
Can
3/5
Great first 4 tracks, then tails off into madness
Sigur Rós
5/5
One of THE great post rock albums, in my opinion. Probably one of the most unique too.
Cheap Trick
4/5
Mudhoney
3/5
I get its importance, and it's enjoyable, but does an EP really belong on this list?
Sonic Youth
5/5
"Experimental double album" is usually a phrase that sends a shiver down my spine, but this is a joy from start to finish. My only criticism is starting with the wonderful Teen Age Riot seems like a waste; just imagine how great it would feel if it was the payoff after one of the more difficult tracks instead.
5/5
Really stands the test of time. Not an inch of fat on this album (and they had plenty of b-sides from this period that are album worthy)
Little Richard
5/5
Violent Femmes
5/5
Surprisingly great. Acoustic pop punk that must've sounded way before it's time, as it has aged really well.
Ray Charles
5/5
Probably the best example of the style, so it gets a 5
Carpenters
4/5
Cheesy, and a bit too candy sweet for me, but you can't knock the songwriting.
Pink Floyd
5/5
I've been pretty careful about giving out 5 stars, and I certainly don't use this term lightly, but this is a masterpiece.
The production, the musicianship, and the songwriting is all awesome. It's varied but has an extremely cohesive theme, and the pay off of the "I'll see you on the dark side of the moon" in Brain Damage always gives me goose bumps. It's not my favorite album ever, but it is the standard against which all others are compared.
Country Joe & The Fish
3/5
Starts off really strong, but didn't keep my attention for the second half of the album. Might've been 4 star worthy of I'd had chance to listen more closely.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
The Shamen
2/5
Track one: oh yes, I remember this one - choon!
Track two onwards: well, this is embarrassing
Guided By Voices
3/5
5/5
Easy 5 stars: iconic
Otis Redding
5/5
Felt every word
Laura Nyro
3/5
Tom Waits
5/5
AI, make me an album of sea shanties, children's skipping songs, blues, jazz and folk songs.
Here you go
Thanks. Now make the singer a chain smoking ogre, but make it bizarrely awesome.
Like this?
Yeah. Now throw in a Rod Stewart cover version that isn't a cover version.
This one?
No, the other one.
This one?
That's the one. Perfect
Depeche Mode
3/5
Super Furry Animals
2/5
Christine and the Queens
2/5
Moby
4/5
The Darkness
3/5
Great fun, but not really sure it belongs on the list
Leonard Cohen
5/5
Sure, the 80s production is cheesy, but it perfectly contrasts the dark, razor sharp and occasionally sexy lyrics and vocals. A big surprise for me.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
5/5
My favorite PJ Harvey album. A great collection of songs that show off her range, but have a cohesive theme. The Thom Yorke cameos are the icing on the cake.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
Hasn't aged well for me. The excellent singles are still overplayed on the radio and consequently have lost some of their appeal, and the album tracks are pretty forgettable.
Bert Jansch
3/5
Enjoyed the guitar work. Pleasant vocals and lyrics, but fairly forgettable
Muddy Waters
5/5
Sounds like they had a lot of fun recording this album
Wire
4/5
Gillian Welch
3/5
Carole King
5/5
When I first heard this album I thought it was a greatest hits. It's incredible that the same person wrote all these gems.
Santana
3/5
Big Star
2/5
The Gun Club
2/5
Stan Getz
2/5
This is the background music my background music plays at it's dinner parties.
Goldfrapp
3/5
Public Enemy
5/5
The layers of samples are so thick at times that it risks sounding messy, but somehow it never does. Albums like this just aren't viable any more.
Ms. Dynamite
3/5
Not my style at all, but wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. There are a few decent tracks in there, but it sounds more like she's copying American R&B than making her own sound.
Radiohead
4/5
Peter Frampton
3/5
Arctic Monkeys
5/5
Still great. This album really captures a certain romance of being young, going out to bars/clubs, first relationships etc with catchy tunes and sharp lyrics. It also reminds me of the era of downloading and sharing bootleg versions of the songs before they were released, as the music press hyped them up, which was more rewarding than the immediate gratification of today's streaming. I'm glad they have matured since then, but this album will never not be fun.
5/5
I've listened to this album before, but I don't think I had HEARD it until today. I knew it was going to be a 5/5 from the tracklist alone, but it was even better than I had expected.
The themes/story are present through most of the album, but never detract from the songs (I read some were written before the theme was decided then tweaked to fit it, which makes sense when you listen). It's grand but never over the top like I've come to expect anything called a "rock opera" to be. The songwriting is obviously amazing because Bowie, but the production is also superb, and I love how it starts and ends so strongly.
Ziggy was right to be concerned - he's still blowing minds all these years later.
Kid Rock
2/5
Sounds like trailer trash Beck. Wasn't as bad as I was expecting, but I didn't make it through the last few tracks.
The Damned
4/5
Sounds exactly how you expect British punk to sound...but with plenty of twists and turns along the way to keep you guessing - moments of glam, hand claps, a hair metal guitar solo. I enjoyed it.
John Martyn
2/5
Dull, dull, dull
Radiohead
5/5
This one really tests my ability to put nostalgia aside, and the basis I have been rating some albums on.
Radiohead are my favorite band, and this album was my entry point to them as a 13 year old, so holds a special place in my music journey. For that reason it's really difficult to be objective about how good it is.
I've also tried to limit my 5s to the best of the best, and there are some great albums I've given a 4 because they aren't the artist's best album. I've tried to leave myself room to differentiate only their very best works as a 5.
The Bends is probably my 4th or 5th favorite Radiohead album (my exact ranking changes depending on my mood), but try as I might to take an objective and strict perspective it's still a 5 star album. There isn't a weak track. Thom Yorke's vocals are probably the best they've ever sounded, and Jonny Greenwood's trademark crunching guitar still does funny things to me all these years later.
Sinead O'Connor
2/5
Taylor Swift
3/5
Elliott Smith
5/5
Elliot Smith was a special talent and a tortured soul. I've listened to this album a hundred times, but I still manage to find something new every time.
David Bowie
4/5
Funky/jazzy Bowie isn't the best Bowie (for the record, that's Labyrinth Bowie), but it's still pretty great
Mekons
1/5
The Police
3/5
Every Breath You Take saves it from being a 2
Björk
4/5
When Bjork commits to a concept for an album she commits hard, sometimes to the detriment of the album.
This isn't my favorite Bjork album by a long shot, but it's hugely ambitious, always interesting, and has some really beautiful tracks.
Robert Wyatt
2/5
Beatles
5/5
There isn't much more I can say that hasn't been said about this album, but when it starts with my two favorite Beatles songs it's going to be hard for me to give it any less than 5
Lana Del Rey
4/5
I'm a fan of Lana Del Rey and this album, but got to admit I was surprised to see this on the list. It's not her best album. Hell, it's not her best album released in 2021!
That said, it's still a good album - moody, dramatic, with just enough pop hooks to keep you reeled. I just wish Lana Del Rey was represented by Norman Fucking Rockwell! instead.
Primal Scream
5/5
I can't be objective about this one. It probably has a little too much filler to truly deserve a 5 star rating, but the whole album is such a vibe, and the standout tracks are such classics in the indie/dance crossover genre, that anything less would be a disservice.
Can we talk about the album cover too? Iconic.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
I wasn't prepared for how much I love this. I'm a bit of a sucker for piano-lead rock, but throw in the saxophone, great vocals (which I was expecting, 'cus Springsteen), and fantastic production, and this really hit hard. There's just not an inch of fat on it.
"Springsteen envisioned the songs taking place over one long summer day and night." - what a frickin' day that must've been!
Paul Simon
2/5
Sorry to the Paul Simon fans, but every track is either boring or a bit cringey
Scott Walker
2/5
William Orbit
2/5
The War On Drugs
3/5
Started off strong, and I enjoy the Springsteen vibes, but every song is too long, and there's too much ambient noise filler.
Culture Club
1/5
Various Artists
5/5
I enjoy this every Christmas 🎄☃️🎅
Simon & Garfunkel
2/5
Stereo MC's
2/5
Two classic early 90s dance singles (Connected and Step It Up) get a star each, but like most albums in this genre there's just a ton of filler around them
Fiona Apple
4/5
Not Fiona Apple's best album, but it's truly remarkable that she was a teenager when she wrote and recorded this album. I struggle to think of many more mature debuts.
Songhoy Blues
4/5
This album is a vibe.
Aphex Twin
3/5
Reminds me of my university days. This is the perfect music to study to; not distracting, but has a level of energy so it doesn't put you to sleep. Not sure I can give background music more than 3/5 though.
5/5
It's hard to fathom how this must have sounded in the context of 1968. Just 5 years after the Beatles shocked the world by having slightly long hair, and just 3 years after Dylan caused a stir by using electric guitars, the aggression of this album must've sounded like being in a wind tunnel.
Joanna Newsom
2/5
I feel like I should like this more than I do, but the songs are too long and too...twee. I'm sure I'd enjoy it more if I relistened and really focused on the lyrics, but it didn't draw me in for a second spin.
Beck
4/5
I view this album like a companion piece to Odelay, much like how Morning Phase is a companion piece to Sea Change. It has a similar mash up of styles, but feels a little less frenetic and a little more mature. Only 4/5 because it doesn't have the killer singles that Odelay has.
The Specials
3/5
Miles Davis
5/5
Very chill, but the quality of musicianship really stands out even to someone who doesn't know much about jazz
Foo Fighters
3/5
I've always thought I should like Foo Fighters more. They release good singles, they're a great live band and Dave Grohl is a legend, but I've never been tempted to dive into their albums.
This isn't the album to change my mind. Sure it's really impressive that it was recorded in 6 days by the guy everyone thought was "just" the drummer from Nirvana, but ultimately it's a pretty mediocre grunge/rock album without any particularly memorable songs.
Ali Farka Touré
1/5
Sorry, but this was a real struggle to get through. I found myself skipping the last minute or so of most tracks, which is pretty damning
Nirvana
5/5
I tend to approach albums I know and love with more scepticism than those I'm not familiar with; is it really that good when viewed objectively in comparison to great albums? Often that results in me listening to my head over my heart and reluctantly giving it a 4 star rating, and I thought this would be the case here.
However, Nevermind still holds up for me. Sure it's front loaded, but what a front half that is! The second "side" doesn't have the same hits/hooks but it's still aggressive, lean and always engaging.
It's the best grunge album in my opinion, and the iconic cover art tips it over the edge of there was any doubt it's a 5/5 album.
Rocket From The Crypt
3/5
I was dreading this based on the name of the band and the album, but it turned out to be pretty fun
King Crimson
4/5
Not sure why but I wasn't expecting to enjoy this, so it was a pleasant surprise.
The Band
4/5
Doves
4/5
Contrary to others, I found it a pleasant surprise to find this on the list. Doves were a favorite band of mine in the 2000s, and although their debut is my favorite, this is a more commercial/accessible album. Personally I think it still stands up, and I'll defend it's place on the list to represent that era.
U2
4/5
I haven't gone this far back in U2's back catalogue before but I enjoyed this. The production is great, especially the drumming which reminds me a bit of Joy Division - it gives the album a coldness that suits the political subject matter of some of the tracks.
Taking a star off because although there were no skippable tracks, after the first 3 none really stood out to me as special.
Miles Davis
4/5
Nice!
Brian Eno
3/5
I was happy to get Brian Eno album after recently reading about his role in producing some of Bowie's most interesting albums, as well as U2, Talking Heads etc. However, whilst this album is definitely a collection of interesting and diverse soundscapes, they rarely turn into anything more than that. Oh for Bowie to work his magic over these starting points.
Black Sabbath
5/5
Riffs on riffs on riffs, over great drums. The lyrics are pretty corny these days, but I'm here for it.
The opening salvo of War Pigs and Paranoid is hard to beat, and the reprieve of Planet Caravan is welcome before Iron Man completes one of the strongest side 1s I've heard. I was fully expecting it to drift off a bit after that, but side 2 is strong too
Michael Jackson
5/5
It's just wall to wall hits.
My only gripe with Thriller are: i) Paul McCartney isn't the right for The Girl Is Mine, and ii) the album title doesn't really fit with the vibe - Thriller is an outlier. Aside from that it's pretty perfect.
The Isley Brothers
5/5
I first heard this album 9 months ago, and immediately became pregnant. The pregnancy was smooth, the contractions had a funky rhythm, and today I gave birth to our child who emerged wearing a velvet robe.
Skepta
2/5
One of the things I love about this project is I've listened to more hip hop than ever before, and I've really enjoyed a lot of it.
I was excited to get an album from a non-US artist thinking the different accent and terminology would offer something new, but I just found the lyrics to be pretty cringe worthy to be honest. And why in 2016 were artists persevering with the awful "skits" between tracks - I don't think I've heard one that adds anything to an album after about 1988.
Ya get me, fam?!
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
It's hard to dislike Creedence. This one starts off a bit slow for me, but side 2 is packed with jams.
50 Cent
2/5
I thought it would be the lyrics that would make me dislike this album, but I actually objected to the slick and super commercial production more.
The Magnetic Fields
2/5
I find double albums rarely justify their length, so I wasn't too excited about this monster.
There are some really good songs in there, some catchy melodies, great lyrics and moments of humor, all of which would be memorable if they weren't buried under mounds of filler. Some tracks are just forgettable, some are too twee, some are cringe worthy attempts at humor, and some don't even pretend to be more than filler.
The good moments would make a great album. Maybe even a great double album! But I shouldn't have to go digging through so much dirt to find the gems, and you sure as hell don't get bonus points for it. It actually made me pretty angry to listen to.
The Kinks
4/5
I'd say I was a fan of The Kinks, but that's based on their greatest hits - I don't think I've ever listened to one of their albums before. This felt like a breath of fresh air compared to yesterday's album (69 Love Songs by Magnetic Fields); the perfect length to listen to on my morning commute, and no skippable tracks.
I enjoyed how British it sounds - there's even a song about afternoon tea! Aside from the singles, Love Me 'til the Sun Shines was a standout.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
3/5
Surprised by how many of these I knew. Classic stuff that I'm glad I've listened to, but not something I'd revisit.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
I was surprised to see that this renowned album doesn't have any of the Stone's big hits, but from the get go this album is an absolute riot. Between the variety of US influences and the production with Jagger's vocals low in the mix battling with the instruments, it made me feel like I was in a small venue in New Orleans with the band packed onto a tiny stage, and having a blast. I love how different members of the band take center stage on different tracks.
If I'm being picky I'd drop a couple of tracks, and use that time to extend a few tracks that fade out to give them time to wrap up properly, but it's still a definite 5/5.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
Starts out really strong (love Papa won't leave you, Henry and Straight to You in particular) but fades out in the second half.
I listened to the remastered version, so I'm not counting the original production issues that Cave didn't like against it.
4/5
2/5
I didn't dislike this as much as I thought I would, but it sure does wear you down after a few songs
Os Mutantes
4/5
Weird but really fun
Alice Cooper
3/5
Aged 8 I developed an unlikely love for Alice Cooper's song Poison. That and School's Out were the only of his songs I knew before listening to this, so this album was a big surprise.
I was expecting hair/glam metal and dark lyrics, but what I got was a variety of styles that decidedly don't rock. Fun at times, but ultimately a bit too camp
Beatles
3/5
I get why it's on the list, and I'm tempted to rate it higher because it's the Beatles, but it's nearly half cover versions, and they're just lacking a bit of... something. Maybe it's just too polished compared to their rockier live performances before they were picked up.
Coldplay
4/5
There's so much anti Coldplay sentiment these days, that I've found myself starting to believe it (when in fact I loved their first 3 albums, and have subsequently found them a bit boring and over commercialized).
Revisiting this album was a welcome reminder of how good it it. No skips for me, and I had forgotten about some great non-single tracks.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
It's been interesting to get early albums by the Beatles and the Stones back to back.
I marked the Beatles down for half the album being covers, but the reality was it was the covers just being a bit... whisper it... average.
I found this mostly covers album much more enjoyable. Jagger's vocals, and the energy of the performances, plus a better choice of songs channeling their love of American R&B makes this much more of an essential album for me.
The Beatles plodding their way through Please Mr Postman just can't hold up to the likes of Not Fade Away and I Just Want To Make Love to You just a year later.
The White Stripes
5/5
Easy 5 stars for me. The best album by one of my favorite bands, and the one where Jack White's guitar playing really hit it's stride.
Hardly any wasted space on this album (only the introduction narrative to Little Acorns is potentially a skip). 7 Nation Army gets the most attention, but with the likes of The Hardest Button to Button, Ball and Biscuit and Black Math it's got fierce competition for my favorite on the album.
Alanis Morissette
5/5
With all albums on the list that I already know and love(d) I start out assuming it's a 4/5 when put in the context of some of THE great albums. Sure, I loved it when I was 14 and hadn't heard that much music, and I'm sure I'll still enjoy it, but it's no longer going to hit the same now.
Surprisingly, this album absolutely holds up for me. It has hits spread throughout (I'd forgotten that Ironic is at track 10), and the album tracks all contribute variety and depth. It struck me that word perfect 14 year old me didn't really appreciate the subjects Alanis Morissette was singing about - I was able to enjoy this on a different level today.
Scott Walker
3/5
Gets better as the album goes on. I appreciate the songwriting and his voice, but ultimately this over dramatic style just isn't for me (and probably actually detracts from what I'd imagine are decent lyrics and interesting subject matters).
Interesting to see where the Arctic Monkeys took inspiration from their last couple of albums, though.
BTW what's with the photo used on the cover - was that really the best shot they could get of him?
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
I enjoyed this musically - angular, catchy and cleanly produced.
Vocals and lyrics not so much. It also lacks variety, and the last couple of tracks nearly dropped it a star.
R.E.M.
4/5
I enjoyed this one a little more than I was expecting - this album doesn't get the same sort of hype as their 90s albums. Really hits it's stride in the middle of the album, but there wasn't a weak track.
Eminem
2/5
Despite not being a fan of 90s hip hop I've got a lot of time for Eminem. I like his multiple personas (little bit Bowie-esque), his rhymes are very clever, he's definitely got an ear for a good sample, and he's undeniably influential.
That said, this is the second Eminem album I've listened to now and the second I haven't enjoyed. There are some really good tracks (The Real Slim Shady, Bitch Please II) but there are also some I hated (Remember Me, Kim), and others that were ruined by attempts to shock with violence, misogyny and homophobic slurs. Then there are the awful skits that unnecessarily pad the album out to a bloated 72 minutes.
And no, Eminem, I'm not going to suck your cock because I don't like your music.
3/5
Pretty enjoyable. I appreciate the variety, but it makes for an album without coherence. It left me not really knowing what sort of band Spirit are, or whether I wanted to check out their other albums.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
The one where the Stones found their sound
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
1/5
I'd rather listen to a classical piano suite than listen to someone wank off a keyboard to it
The Byrds
4/5
I wasn't too excited about getting another album by The Byrds, but this was better than I was expecting. 1967 was a special year for music.
Talvin Singh
2/5
I really love the sound of some of the opening tracks, but it's far too long and I stopped paying attention half way through, which is never a good sign
The Killers
5/5
I really enjoyed revisiting this album. It definitely drops off in the second half, and I wish the 4 great singles had been spread out better (imagine All These Things That I've Done as an album closer), but the first half is so strong I'll forgive them.
As an aside, I saw Bill Bailey at a festival where The Killers were playing, and he did a version of All These Things That I've Done with a chorus of "I've got ham but I'm not a hamster) and it's been how I sing along to it ever since.
Willie Nelson
3/5
Living in Texas I feel like I should make more of an effort to listen to Willie Nelson. I wouldn't say he's bigger than Jesus here, but he is treated somewhat similarly (it's not unusual to see either's imagine on someone's wall).
I liked the really relaxed tone of this album. It's the sort of music I'd love to listen to live in the background, sat outside with a cold beer in my hand. His voice is great, but there's nothing that really caught my attention, or informed me why this album was chosen over his 101 (literally!!!) other studio albums.
Mike Ladd
2/5
I appreciate the interesting production, although a few of the tracks were quite annoying.
I got to To the Moon's Contractor and thought a 10 minute instrumental was a bit of a flat way to end the album...then realized there was another 25 minutes to go.
It's bloated and pretentious, but I made it through which gets it 2 stars (just).
N.W.A.
4/5
If you can turn a blind eye to the absolutely rampant misogyny, this is a pretty great and undeniably important album.
Blur
4/5
One of the holy trinity of Britpop albums (the others being What's The Story... and A Different Class) but this definitely isn't my favorite Blur album. It's a lot of fun, but I find the almost cartoonish levels of Britishness slightly grating at times.
Janis Joplin
5/5
That voice. That soul. I'm pretty familiar with this album, but it never fails to give me goosebumps at several points.
Me and Bobby McGee is the greatest cover version ever (fight me!), and Cry Baby is up there with the great vocal performances, but every other track is great too. Top musicianship too, although Joplin always takes center stage. It doesn't matter to me that she didn't write most of these songs, because she makes them all her own
808 State
4/5
Sounds surprisingly fresh; only a couple of tracks sounded dated, and even they sound more early/mid 90s. I was expecting every track to be 8 minutes, but it's much more restrained than many electronic albums.
I'm not going to revisit this album, but I appreciate it's good and was probably groundbreaking.
Arcade Fire
5/5
For me, this isn't just one of the best albums of the 2000s, it's up there as one of the best debut albums of all time.
It still stuns me that Arcade Fire arrived so fully formed, with their own distinctive sound and an album that's wonderfully coherent, both musically and thematically. Most bands don't reach that level until several albums in, and many never get there.
The downside is each of their subsequent albums will always be compared to Funeral, and they haven't been able to reach that height again.
The Zutons
3/5
First reaction to seeing this album come up was it shouldn't be on the list. I remember it having its brief moment, but doubt I ever listened to it past 2004 and the Zutons are probably better remembered for Any Winehouse's cover of Valerie than their own releases.
However, this was an enjoyable listen with some great singles and not much filler. Still not sure it's a "must hear", but pretty decent nonetheless.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
4/5
I don't really like jazz and I don't really like taking baths, but I really quite enjoyed listening to this in the bath.
The Smiths
3/5
I don't like Morrissey's voice (or some of his political views for that matter, but I try to put things like that aside), but despite that significant blocker I enjoyed this more than I thought I would.
Maxwell
2/5
I get it, I get it, you have sex. Thanks for sharing that information over and over again via songs that mostly sound the same and are all about a minute too long (unless you're having sex to them, in which case they're about 3 minutes too long).
I don't normally have a problem finishing, but I just couldn't make it all the way through this album.
The Doors
5/5
A great album, especially for a debut. I always find it remarkable when a band appears fully formed with their own distinctive sound, but it's even more remarkable in 1967 - bear in mind that only a few years before that undisputably great bands like the Beatles and the Stones started out releasing covers interspersed with pretty generic tracks before establishing themselves as the bands we know today.
This album sounds unmistakenly like The Doors, and includes several of the bands iconic songs (Light My Fire, Break on Through, The End), a long with some really solid album tracks. I was very familiar with the likes of Alabama Song and Back Door Man, but the likes of Soul Kitchen and 20th Century Fox are great too (and I bet sounded terrific live if Morrison and co let loose).
Digital Underground
1/5
This was a real struggle for me. I checked the date of release several times, because the rapping felt like something from 1985, with 1990's shock value thrown in. A few tracks gave Flight of the Concords vibes - silly songs about who they are and about rapping itself.
I didn't make it through all 65 minutes, but I'm just thankful I wasn't listening to the 85 minute cassette version!!!
Harry Nilsson
4/5
Maybe it's because yesterday's album was so awful, or maybe it's because the subject matter of this one is so relatable for a middle aged man (reminiscing about staying out to 9:45, driving, the morning blues) but I found this surprisingly enjoyable.
Let's face it, it was never going to get less than 4/5 with that title!
Let's not talk about the accent on Coconut though.
The Roots
4/5
I was pleasantly surprised by this. Has some mix tape energy at times.
Pantera
3/5
Probably a good day to get a metal album, as I listened to it on a run (although my slow run turned faster than I intended). Didn't hate it - it rocks pretty hard, and I appreciate the clean production allowing the musicianship to come through, and the vocals weren't too roary.
I'm sure this is because I'm not a regular listener to the genre, but the tracks did start to sound a bit samey after a while.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
It's the Stones, so it sounds great, and it's a bit of a milestone album for them. Some of the tracks feel a little generic, but I listened to the US version and Paint It Black is my favorite Stones song, so it gets a bonus star for that. I wish it didn't omit Mother's Little Helper from the UK version, though.
Ozomatli
4/5
No idea how it compares to other albums in the same genre, but it's fun, varied and I enjoyed the vocals.
Rage Against The Machine
4/5
This is never going to be my favorite genre (is this Nu Metal? Do people still use that, or was that a fly-by-night NME name?), but this is as good as it's going to get.
I appreciate that this isn't anger for the sake of anger like some other albums on the list, they're angry about very real and legitimate things. Definitely pumped me up on the way into work and warranted another listen on the way home, but the songs do get slightly formulaic by the end of the album.
Anthrax
2/5
Some meaty riffs, but the vocals are lacking and it just feels a bit... silly
Pink Floyd
5/5
My dad was a big Floyd fan, but growing up I always felt like their albums didn't have enough "proper" songs - too many great ideas that blend into the next track instead of being fully realized.
Now I realize their music needs to be viewed as an album, not individual tracks, and the Wall as a whole is terrific.
I love the recurring themes (both musically and thematically) throughout the album, which give it great coherence despite the range of styles. Despite it's length I do wish some tracks were longer, and I could do with the number samples being cut a bit. I prefer Dark Side of the Moon, but it's still a solid 5 for me.
James Brown
3/5
The recording quality is surprisingly good for the time, and based on the crowd reaction it was a hell of a show, and I don't doubt for a second it was. However, for me this didn't translate to a particularly great listen.
Paul Simon
1/5
At first I was tempted to use for my review what I said out loud to myself as I turned this off after about 4 tracks : "Fucking... it's just shite, isn't it?!!!"
After listening to the whole album I have decided to leave a more considered review: You know those people who have interesting stuff in their house, but when you ask them where it's from it turns out to be mass produced and sold in mall furniture stores or Hobby Lobby? Or worse, they bought it from an independent store that peddles them a story about it's origins, and they tell you the story like they actually went there and met the person who made it. You know, they go on cruises so they can say they went to interesting places, but what they actually like is sunning themselves on the boat and they're scared to get off. The people who mention that the ethnicity of people in their stories, even though it's irrelevant. You know them, right? They listen to Paul Simon.
Hugh Masekela
4/5
Generating a jazz album doesn't excite me. Generating a double jazz album REALLY doesn't excite me. However, I really quite enjoyed this (in fact I listened to it twice!). I appreciate the variety, with every musician getting tracks where they get to shine.
Rahul Dev Burman
3/5
I'm something of an authority, having been a paid extra in a Bollywood movie and subsequently watching most of that movie, and this is without doubt the best Bollywood soundtrack I've ever listened to.
One Two Cha Cha Cha is a legit jam.
Van Morrison
4/5
Not a bad track
Grateful Dead
2/5
I reckon this'll get pretty good when they finally finish tuning up.
Probably not the best way to be introduced to the Dead
Beatles
5/5
Probably my favorite Beatles album (depending on my mood) which makes it a solid gold 5/5
Aerosmith
4/5
Mj Cole
2/5
Initial impression was this is harshly rated. Couple of good singles, and whilst the style hasn't aged that well, it's a good example of it.
Then it goes on.
And on.
And on some more.
There's a decent 48 minute album in there, but it's about 25 minutes too long, which dilutes the highlights and makes it too repetitive.
Michael Jackson
5/5
It's a real struggle for me to be objective about this album, but I'll try.
Probably my earliest music memory is lying on the floor with the Bad LP sleeve open reading the lyrics as I sang along. My parents couldn't afford a leather jacket for me, but they bought me a denim jacket and my dad painted "Bad" on the back in the typeface from the album sleeve. Yeah, you could say I was a fan.
Revisiting it, and it really is astonishingly good pop music. Obviously the big tracks - Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, Man in the Mirror, I Just Can't Stop Loving You, Dirty Diana, Smooth Criminal - are classics. Seriously?! Any three of those on an album is probably enough to make it a 5/5 as long as the other tracks aren't complete garbage. However I also love lesser known tracks like Speed Demon (anyone remember the video?!), Liberian Girl, Another Part of Me and Leave Me Alone.
I reckon this is MJ's best album.
Dirty Projectors
3/5
They have a unique sound and plenty of interesting ideas, but it rarely results in a memorable melody or hook.
Brian Wilson
4/5
I love that this album exists, and it's a testament to Brian Wilson that he was eventually able to revisit it and complete it.
It's beautifully arranged, whimsical and fun. It's no Pet Sounds, but what is?
Hüsker Dü
2/5
What's with the super muddy production? I can't understand a word he's singing, and it makes the songs sound very similar.
And there's 20 of them. 20!
Talking Heads
4/5
Listening to Talking Heads for the first time has been one of my big takeaways from this project so far. The songs I already knew were fun and quirky, but I figured a whole album like that would be grating - I was very wrong.
I didn't like this one as much as Remain In Light, but it's still pretty great. Apart from Psycho Killer, different songs stood out to me on my two listens, so I suspect I'd like it more with repeat listens.
Madonna
5/5
Getting this and Michael Jackson's Bad a few days apart has been interesting timing - two sides of the same 80s pop coin. The King and Queen of pop music at the time.
Whilst I don't like Madonna nearly as much S MJ, if she's your thing this is pretty perfect too.
Spacemen 3
2/5
As a fan of some Spiritualized's albums it's interesting to hear what Jason Pierce was doing before.
There are some similarities, and I appreciate the shifts between the louder tracks and more melodic/thoughtful tracks, but none really stand on their own for me. I could imagine this being a better live experience than an album.
Beach House
5/5
Beautiful from start to finish, although admittedly it peaks early with Zebra and Silver Soul. My favorite Beach House album, and they're the best dream pop band I know, so this gets a 5 from me.
A lot of the negative reviews seem to be from people wanting immediate gratification; the album cover lets you know exactly what to expect - you have to go looking for the beauty a little bit, but once you find it you can't believe it was ever less than obvious.
The Yardbirds
4/5
I knew Jeff Beck was in the Yardbird, but today I learned that Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page were as well - that's quite the legacy!
If only they attracted a vocalist of the same caliber they'd be a more memorable band. As it is, this is enjoyable more for Jeff Beck's restrained guitar parts than anything especially original or gendre defining.
Morrissey
2/5
Morrissey's voice has a very unpleasant effect on me.* If he warbled "I love you, I love you, I love you" to me in person, I'm fairly confident I would vomit.
Unlike with the Smiths there isn't Johnny Marr's great guitar playing to balance that out. On top of that, the lyrics on this album are so self pitying. No one understands me, it's so difficult being me, no one likes me...Bog off, Morrissey!
*For the record, his face makes me want to punch him too, but I'm not factoring that into my review as it doesn't impact his music.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
I just haven't clicked with Neil Young. Neither After the Goldrush or Harvest did anything for me.
I liked this one a little better - possibly due to low expectations. There were several good songs, although some others were too country for my taste.
I think ultimately I just don't find his voice powerful/emotional enough. When he sings "Down by the river I shot my baby", I just don't believe him.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
I was surprised to see some of the negative reviews; who doesn't like Bob Marley?!
I'm not familiar with his albums (like many, I'm extremely familiar with his greatest hits) so can't comment on how it compares, but despite not being packed with the hits I'm familiar with I really enjoyed it. On first listen the tracks in the first half didn't stand out, and the album really took off from Stir it Up onwards. However on second listen I found it more consistently paced. Nice blend of political and non-political subject matter.
I'm looking forward to checking out more of his albums.
Tim Buckley
3/5
I first explored Tim Buckley's music after reading a biography about Jeff Buckley (the parallels between their lives are striking!), and at the time it didn't resonate with me at all.
This time around I quite enjoyed the Summer of Love vibes and androgynous voice
...
Robert Wyatt
2/5
Not for me. Mostly because I have ears.
2 starts for the lush instruments and variety, but the vocals and lyrics made it tough to get through.
Orbital
1/5
Very few albums of this genre stand up to listening as a whole because it's, by it's nature, repetitive and better suited to dance to than to listen to on the commute into work.
This is not one of those few albums. It's a long old 65 minutes, with only a couple of tracks standing out as worthwhile listens now (and even they are too long).
Maybe this was revolutionary at the time, but somehow by 1993 I doubt it.
Roxy Music
4/5
Saint Etienne
3/5
This was a pretty relaxing way to start the day.
The singles are all highlights, and there are enough of them to balance out the slightly more bland album tracks and keep things interesting.
It very nearly gets an extra star for having a Countdown sample.
Dion
2/5
Skunk Anansie
2/5
I had completely forgotten about Skunk Anansie. On paper they should be really memorable; there aren't many rock bands fronted by women, people of color, or with a great vocalist so Skin is a bit of a unicorn in that respect.
However, none of it felt very memorable. My favorite moments were the more ballady tracks - think I'd rather listen to a Skin solo album with more of that.
Donovan
3/5
First listen I enjoyed it more than I had expected, and the Beatles-y tracks stood out to me. Second time around and the folksiness got a bit annoying. Averages at 3 stars across those listens.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
4/5
The 13th Floor Elevators
5/5
I dig this
The Pogues
4/5
Thought this would be all about Fairytale of New York (my favorite Christmas song, btw) but it's actually pretty solid. Sounds like they're having a great time.
The Beta Band
4/5
The Beta Band remind me of my days of skipping lectures to tour the second hand CD stores in search of a mental list of albums (a mixture of albums from bands I knew and liked, classic albums I hadn't heard but knew I "needed" in my collection, and hot albums I'd read about in NME).
The Beta Band's 3 EPs was one that I searched for at length. I eventually found it for more than I wanted to pay, and with a damaged cover, but I was excited to add it to my collection. I couldn't tell you what it sounded like - that one was definitely more about the chase than the prize, and it never made it into regular rotation. I thought about it for the first time in years recently when I saw a question about EPs worthy of the list.
This album reminds me of those simpler times. It's very "of it's time", but that's not a bad thing and it made me happy.
The Police
4/5
I underestimated The Police. I'm not the biggest fan of Sting's vocals, and I thought the white reggae would grate on me, but the big singles on this album are obviously great, and I really enjoyed the drumming. In fact the whole rhythm section gives a lot of tracks a real drive/energy that I wasn't expecting.
Mott The Hoople
4/5
I guess I was in the mood for some glam rock, because I enjoyed this. Yes, they sound like a Bowie knock-off, and on one song a Dylan knock-off, but I don't have a problem with that
Teenage Fanclub
2/5
Of all the albums on the list, this is definitely one of them.
I respect how it puts itself out there, just being an album, and not caring how instantly forgettable it is.
The Associates
2/5
This is the sort of album that gives 80s music a bad name.
The hysterical vocals in particular made it tough to get through.
Elbow
4/5
A beautiful album.
It might just be Elbow's best, and I'm a fan, but for some reason I don't think it deserves to join the echelons of my 5 star albums. More like 4.5.
Deerhunter
4/5
Lovely, dreamy indie music. I'd forgotten how good this is. No skips, but misses one or two standouts to take it to a 5
Sepultura
3/5
Musically it's great, especially the drumming, but the roaring just isn't for me
Circle Jerks
2/5
Over quickly, frantic and shouty.
Edit: Sorry, wrong app - that was my wife's review of my "performance" last night.
Red Snapper
2/5
Hanoi Rocks
3/5
Not released in the US
Cocteau Twins
4/5
Never listened to Cocteau Twins before, and didn't know what to expect, but I really enjoyed the lush peacefulness of it. A number of the songs have the flow of breathing in and out. I did get distracted by trying to work out what language the lyrics were being sung in, but I was fine with them being indecipherable once I found out it wasn't just me.
Interested in hearing more from them.
Turbonegro
3/5
I'm pleased to see Norwegian music represented, and this was good fun...but nothing more. I'm sure Norway has more deserving artists.
The Style Council
3/5
This one's tricky to rate. It starts off great - cleanly produced jazz and soul with great vocals - then A Gospel is an abomination and Strength of Your Nature isn't much better, then You're The Best Thing is a classic and pulls you right back in.
Close to being a solid 4 without those two tracks spoiling it.
Yes
3/5
Yes was my dad's favorite band. In fact I was named after the lead singer. As a teenager getting into music I felt irrationally compelled to dislike his music, but with time I came to love lots of it. First it was the likes of Led Zeppelin and The Who; prog rock took longer, but with some more time I came to love Pink Floyd too.
Yes is a band I never got. To me they sounded like a collection of extremely talented musicians more invested in demonstrating how great they are than making good songs. I don't get that from this album so I liked it more than I was expecting, but they're still a band that just don't do anything for me. I think it's largely part to my namesake's vocals sounding like his vocal chords are strung too tightly.
Sorry, dad - I tried
New York Dolls
4/5
Germs
2/5
There are probably some good songs in here if they were slowed down and given a little space to breathe. Going at 100mph doesn't get me pumped up like good punk does and, let's face it, the singer isn't capable of spitting out lyrics at that speed.
I get it was influential, but I'm not certain that's a good thing.
M.I.A.
4/5
I find it odd how polarizing this album seems to be. I enjoyed it - it has a unique sound, good energy any interesting themes. Paper Planes is obviously a banger.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Putting this out there: best debut album ever
Finley Quaye
2/5
Ah, Scottish reggae - the genre absolutely no one asked for.
Sure, the singles were fun radio fodder back in the day, and it was fine for someone to throw on at a bbq (Jack Johnson wasn't around to dominate that particular area yet), but that doesn't make it essential listening. I'd have preferred more roots reggae to be included over this.
Raekwon
2/5
I feel like I write the same review about a lot of 90s hip hop albums. There are some good songs in here, his flow is good and I like the aggressive delivery, but I find myself focusing more on the dumb skits and casual misogyny than those songs which makes it impossible to enjoy.
Drive-By Truckers
3/5
Jurassic 5
4/5
Neneh Cherry
3/5
I've never listened to this before, but it's oddly reminiscent of that style of pop when I was just starting to take notice of music.
Makes me think of listening to Weetabix Top Track cassettes on my walkman (even though Nenah Cherry wasn't on any of them - I checked).
Also reminded me about Save Tonight by her half-brother, Eagle Eye Cherry - a 90s banger
The Stranglers
4/5
Maybe it's just the caffeine talking, but this is pretty great. I had no idea classic British punk was missing an organ player!
The perviness of Peaches is pretty shocking though.
FKA twigs
3/5
Not my favorite FKA Twigs album, but I'm glad she's on the list because she's a talented artist doing creative things. In hindsight this album feels a bit like she's still working her sound out.
Joy Division
5/5
The lyrics, the production, the controlled aggression - an absolute classic
Klaxons
4/5
The "New Rave" movement was very brief but good fun, and I don't mind it being documented in the list. Excellent singles, and good energy throughout the album.
Rod Stewart
4/5
My mom loves Rod Stewart. She loves him so much she hung a 6 foot tall cardboard cutout of his face on the wall; not a life-size cutout, just his face like 5 times larger than life with his mole about the size of a fist.
Obviously I was duty bound to make fun of Rod Stewart at every opportunity: his raspy voice that made me need to clear my throat, his reliance on cover versions, him wearing skin tight leather trousers into his 70s etc.
As a result of doing that for years to get a reaction from my mom, my immediate reaction to getting this album was to groan. However, you know what? This album is alright, mama.
The Divine Comedy
2/5
Something For The Weekend was a pleasant reminder of a song I'd completely forgotten about, but by about track 4 I'd started to find this kinda annoying. I'm just not a fan of the over theatrical, musical-ish style.
Also, the Britishness of it gets a bit much (references to GCSEs, the NHS etc), and I'm British!
Terence Trent D'Arby
3/5
Massive throwback - I had no idea I knew a few of these songs
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Straight fire from start to finish. What an unexpected gem, and what a frickin band
Fever Ray
4/5
In 2009 I appreciated this album, but didn't really connect with it, and today I feel the same.
I enjoy Scandinavian electronic music, but the likes of Bjork has a warmth that is missing here. Fever Ray is icy cold.
Scissor Sisters
4/5
Fun in 2004 and still fun today. What a wild range: pop, disco, glam rock, prog...
The Black Crowes
3/5
Nothing original in terms of their sound - straight up blues/soul influenced rock - but they do it well and I don't doubt that 1990 needed it.
Belle & Sebastian
5/5
I often find myself reminiscing about the CD age, where I'd have to carefully decide what to buy based on written reviews, and often bought an album without hearing anything by the artist before. If it didn't appeal to me straight away I was invested in relistening to try to appreciate it.
One of the downsides of that era was if I still didn't connect with an album I'd completely disregard that artist going forward. This is what happened for me with Belle and Sebastian; I bought one of their albums (think it was Tigermilk, and I probably found it too twee at the time), didn't care for it so never revisited them. As a result I missed out on this terrific album until now.
It's beautiful, varied, catchy with no wasted space, and it makes me want to check out some of their other albums.
George Michael
3/5
Hole
5/5
Don't think I've ever listened to the whole album before (maybe when my wife has played it), so didn't realize all the Hole songs I know are on it. Great stuff.
Fatboy Slim
4/5
It's no You've Come A Long Way, Baby, and for that reason I rarely played this even though I owned it. Plus it predated me being able to get into clubs, which is where this type of music obviously belongs.
However I find it really interesting to hear this in the context of a stepping stone to Fatboy Slim blowing up commercially. The beats, hooks and samples are all there, and often land, but they were all finessed a little in the next couple of years.
The album does tail off on the back end, making the 70 minute US version feel a bit long, but the first half is essential listening to see how early 90s dance music transitioned to the late 90s sound.
Earth, Wind & Fire
3/5
Oh my God that's some funky shit
- Beastie Boys
- Prodigy
- Me
Bebel Gilberto
2/5
My Bloody Valentine
5/5
Simply a masterpiece
Charles Mingus
2/5
Not my thingus
The Cardigans
4/5
I thought Gran Turismo was the only Cardigans album worth listening to, but this is a pretty solid album too
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Soft Machine
1/5
Really tough listen for me, and a very rare 1 star. I'd like to think I'm open to enjoying a wide range of music, and there's plenty of music I enjoy that others might say is pretentious, and I would vigorously defend it. However, at least that music has a decent sound quality. If you get past the freeform, improvised (I assume), noodly style of this album, it's horribly produced. It's really muddy and flat sounding, which makes the most listenable moments sound like a high school jazz band.
Julian Cope
2/5
The Go-Betweens
2/5
At various points this is reminiscent of the Smiths, the Cure, U2, a cleaned up Jesus and Mary Chain etc. It sounds like a tribute act to those bands decided to make original music... that's not really original.
The Smiths
3/5
For the second time I didn't hate a Smiths album.
Ew.
Curtis Mayfield
5/5
This might just be the coolest album I've ever listened to. I want to watch the movie now.
Tina Turner
4/5
Tina Turner's voice is spectacular, and there are some great and memorable songs on this album that really showcase it.
However, the super 80s production is an unwelcome distraction at times. I really think this would have been a great choice to rerecord at a later date, day for it's 25th anniversary - it would be 5/5 with a more classic sounding backing band.
I wasn't the biggest fan of the cover of Help! on the US version of the album - I don't think that added anything.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Finally after nearly 500 albums I get a Led Zeppelin album. They're just a perfect band to me; a brilliant singer, guitar player and drummer, yet somehow more than the sum of their parts. The music combines perfectly with the artwork, on which no detail is accidental (I love how the cover of this one interacts with the two sleeves inside). It all blends together so perfectly. I also love the mystique behind the band; I can only imagine what it must've been like to scour the album sleeve for clues/details, and hear about playing the records backwards etc by word of mouth. You just don't get bands like that any more; the closest thing I can think of is the White Stripes.
Whenever I'm in the mood for Zeppelin I play one of albums I - IV; they're easily consumable and have the biggest hits. However, this sprawling double album might actually be better in some respects. It has such variety, but somehow remains cohesive - there's never any doubt who you're listening to. My only criticism is it's maybe a couple of songs too long (I read that they had 3 sides of material, so threw in some discarded tracks from earlier sessions to make it up to a double album) but I'd struggle to choose which songs to drop.
Supergrass
4/5
Supergrass might not make clever or revolutionary music, but this album has great energy and is packed full of pop hooks. I really enjoyed revisiting it.
Ian Dury
3/5
I find the divisive reviews on this album - lots of 1s and 5s - interesting. It's a hugely diverse collection of songs (from drunk guy in a pub on the piano, to full band with horn section, to classic rock 'n' roll, to punk and even a bit post punk), and the very literal lyrics brought a smile to my face several times. I can see the influence on a few (frankly better) bands. It's not going to make it into my regular rotation, but I'm glad I've heard it.
Elton John
4/5
I've never listened to an Elton John album before. Of course I'm very familiar with a few songs on here, but it's pretty interesting to hear them together on the same album - a great diversity of styles, and surprisingly it kept me engaged through all 70-something minutes.
Paul McCartney
3/5
I actually like the lofi production, and there are some lovely moments in there, but it has too much filler to get more than a 3/5.
Queen Latifah
4/5
Sounds like something I would've listened to on my walkman on a Weetabix Top Trax cassette, which is a good thing.
How did we go from Ladies First to rapping about bitches and hoes for the next decade?
Donald Fagen
3/5
Smooth
Caetano Veloso
2/5
Neu!
4/5
Imagine if Brian Eno turned into the German Sex Pistols when he gets angry.
A bit schizophrenic, but I enjoyed both sides. I might've enjoyed it more if the two distinct styles were integrated rather than being a shift half way through.
Incubus
2/5
I have an aversion to "nu metal". Even the name triggers me. Consequently I wasn't looking forward to this.
The first half of this album was much better than I was expecting though. It's not very metal or "nu"; not particularly memorable either, but streets ahead of the likes of Korn and Limp Bizkit. It dropped off for me in the second half though, where the turntable comes to the fore more and, ironically, where the two hits I was familiar with sit (Drive and Pardon Me sound horribly dated to me). This is not the album to win me around to the genre.
fIREHOSE
3/5
The Beach Boys
5/5
A beautiful masterpiece.
R.I.P. Brian Wilson
Fela Kuti
4/5
I wasn't sold at first by the whole "featuring Ginger Baker" thing, but the drumming on his tracks is straight fire.
Ananda Shankar
3/5
Damnit - now I want Indian food
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
Side 1 is great, and ends strongly with the title track.
Side 2...holy shit. Had to check I hadn't somehow started playing his greatest hits.
If there's a better reggae album on the list I can't wait to hear it.
John Grant
3/5
Interesting album. Strong Pink Floyd vibes, and I suspect a lot of depth to the lyrics with some reslistens.
Yes
3/5
I want to like Yes, I really do, but they don't make it easy.
There's some great stuff in here (like the surprisingly funky Roundabout) , but there's also plenty of noodling for the sake of noodling that frustrates me.
Heart of the Sunrise is the best and worst of Yes all within 11 minutes. In the hands of a more restrained band that guitar part has the making of an absolute rock classic, but instead it's a sprawling opera that dilutes it to the point where it could barely be considered a coherent song, let alone a great one.
Bumping it up to a 3 just so I don't disappoint my dad too much.
George Jones
2/5
Mercifully short
Madonna
4/5
This is Madonna's spiritual techno era, and I'm here for it.
It is a bit long, but multiple strong singles, good variety, and superb production throughout.
The Fall
4/5
I always thought The Fall was some sort of a "difficult" band, but this is very easy to like. Maybe it's because of the recent resurgence in post-punk by bands clearly influenced by them.
John Coltrane
2/5
Method Man
3/5
Nice flow, but how is the production so bad. I legit thought my headphones might be broken based on how muddy the vocals sound - like the mic was underwater.
3/5
Not as noisy or challenging as I thought it was going to be
G. Love & Special Sauce
2/5
I was not at all excited about a blues/hip hop hybrid, but I quite liked the vibe. However, vibe alone isn't enough, and a lot of the album sounded like rough demos, and the singles weren't all that.
Mudhoney
2/5
I get this was hugely influential for the whole grunge scene, but (unpopular opinion) grunge is overrated. I quite like the fuzzy, unpolished sound, and the hard drumming, but the songs just aren't memorable.
Eels
5/5
I'm always extra critical of albums I loved in .y teenage years; was it really that good or had I just not heard enough music at that point, has it aged well, does it really stack up against truly classic albums.
I was fully expecting to give this one 3 or 4 stars, but I still love it today. Obviously I was going to enjoy Novacaine For The Soul, Susan's House and Beautiful Freak, but there are multiple other gems in here too like Rags to Rags, My Beloved Monster, Flower and Your Lucky Day In Hell. It still sounds pretty unique today too.
Jethro Tull
5/5
I always figured no one else uses rock flute because it's a crap idea.
Turns out it's because it's already been perfected on this album.
Bad Company
4/5
I often wonder how much the timing of albums affects my ratings. I was just in the right mood for this sort of thing yesterday - Saturday, on the way to the gym, pre workout kicking in. On another day it might've felt a bit cheesy.
White Denim
4/5
I was familiar with White Denim, having listened to their first couple of albums, quite enjoyed them but promptly forgotten about them.
Nothing in those first couple of albums suggested they would be capable of producing an album as complex and rich as this one. Sounds like I've been missing out by not keeping up with them.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
4/5
This is my sort of hip hop. Does stray into after school special territory a couple of times though.
The Jam
3/5
Spiritualized
3/5
There's a lot of beauty here, but it does get a bit backgroundy/droney
Elastica
5/5
I'm a sucker for music at the crossroads of edgy and commercial, and this is exactly where this album lives.
Justine Frischmann's casual vocals balance out the unabashed pop hooks, and the excellent rhythm section drives the whole thing along.
Cyndi Lauper
4/5
This album is so 80s, after listening to it I had a mullet and started referring to my car as “The Ride” while blasting it on cassette. I put Girls Just Want to Have Fun and Time After Time on a mixtape I named my "Rad Mix". I don’t remember buying roller skates, but I woke up wearing them, craving Tab, and emotionally invested in a John Hughes love triangle.
The Blue Nile
2/5
Some interesting production and song structures...and that's about it
Aimee Mann
2/5
Elton John
4/5
Dagmar Krause
1/5
Ride
5/5
One of the very best shoegaze albums. So rich and dense, but the melodies are there to reward those with the patience to seek them out.
The Sugarcubes
4/5
I'm a big Bjork fan, but for some reason I don't think I've ever listened to the Sugarcubes for some reason.
First reaction is it's fully fledged Bjork vocals with more traditional guitar and drums, which is pretty frickin awesome. Birthday is a particular highlight for Bjork's vocals.
There are some mis-steps that prevent me giving it a 5 though. Unfortunately the tracks lead by the male vocalist didn't really work for me - they give B-52 vibes. Maybe I'm just having a hard time thinking of them as anything other than "Bjork's former band".
Morrissey
3/5
Death, taxes and disliking Morrissey. Those were my three certainties in life that I could always cling to.
Then comes along this friggin list. First it persuades me that I don't absolutely hate The Smiths. Fine, but Morrissey is still unbearable on his own on the first solo album I got, so I wasn't really wrong. Then this comes along and I...I...I...quite...like...it. Like his voice doesn't make me want to punch him, and some of the lyrics are interesting. Damnit.
Don't get me wrong, he's still an absolute twat, but he's now an absolute twat with at least one decent solo album.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
I'm 517 albums in, and it feels like about 5% have been Elvis Costello.
This is by far and away the greatest Elvis Costello album I have heard. By which I mean it's fine.
Simple Minds
2/5
I thought the Cyndi Lauper album I listened to recently might be the most 80's album ever.
Simple Minds: "hold my beer"
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
Springsteen's vocals aren't at their peak here, but the E Street Band certainly is. There's a certain muscularity to the sound on this album.
Mylo
3/5
A solid, slick and extremely well produced album. Takes a little while to get going, but the singles kick the second half up a notch.
The challenge with electronic music on this list, though, is they sound dated even just 20 years later.
The Hives
4/5
Listening to this album appears to have a very practical benefit.
Back in 2001 when I played this on my Sony Discman I'd knock 2-3 minutes off my usual walk time into university due to the extra pep it put in my step. 25 years later listening on my usual commute into work, and traffic was lighter than usual and my drive time about 5 minutes shorter. In both cases I had a smile on my face.
Got to knock a star off for this being a compilation of their first 2 albums and an EP, but this is great stuff and I can't wait to see The Hives live for the first time later this year.
The Last Shadow Puppets
4/5
I sort of overlooked this on release as a bit of a novelty project. I didn't dislike it, but it didn't get regular rotation and it sure as hell wasn't a patch on the Arctic Monkeys.
Now after a couple of Arctic Monkeys albums that draw from similar inspiration, I'm viewing it differently. It sounds lush, the lyrics are great, and there are a few pop hooks in there.
Well worth revisiting.
Eagles
4/5
This is the sort of album I look forward to on the list - a classic and beloved album that I've somehow never got around to listening to.
Unfortunately I only actually like every other song. That makes for a disjointed listening experience, and I never truly got into it. The good songs are pretty great though.
System Of A Down
3/5
My initial reaction was this is far too angry for my taste, but then I drank my pre workout drink and someone cut me up on the drive to the gym, and I started to get it.
It's not Nu Metal, isn't too too roar-y, and I appreciate the song structures and variety. If I had been an angrier teenager I could totally imagine getting into this.
The Mothers Of Invention
2/5
I was going to write a long, considered review, but ultimately it comes down to this: I will never listen to this album again, and if it wasn't for this project I wouldn't have listened to the whole thing.
Ministry
3/5
Not as scary as I thought this would be based on the album cover and description. I actually quite like it musically - it's fairly cleanly produced and is quite danceable at times. Not a big fan of the vocals, but I suppose it would sound a bit silly if they weren't somewhat growled.
The Icarus Line
2/5
There isn't an inch of space on this album; every last moment is filled with some sort of sound. I think that's why the song structures all feel so flat, and no track stands out to me. They need a chance to breathe.
Black Sabbath
5/5
RIP Prince of Darkness
The Cure
4/5
Musically this is pretty stunning, but why were the vocals recorded from the next room? Really odd production choice that holds the album back.
Nico
2/5
Should've quit when she was ahead after The Velvet Underground & Nico
Holger Czukay
1/5
Didn't get through it - too weird
Little Simz
4/5
Such a nice surprise to be put onto a contemporary artist in a genre I don't tend to listen to, and really enjoy it.
Venom was the standout for me, but there are plenty of highlights and Little Simz flow is great throughout. As a middle aged white man I haven't experienced many of the lyrical themes, but she delivers them clearly and eloquently, and doesn't over rely on some hip hop traits I don't care for.
After listening to this a couple of times I also listened to her follow up album, Sometimes I Might be Introvert, which is even better.
The Kinks
4/5
So British!
Nirvana
5/5
Nevermind is a 5/5 album for me, but I've listened to this one a lot more.
I love the choice of covers, and how relaxed Kurt seems throughout. It makes it all the more powerful when he lets rip on Where Did You Sleep Last Night - a performance that never fails to give me goosebumps.
Christina Aguilera
2/5
Kudos to the producers of the first half - they really nailed that soul meets classic hip hop sound - and Aguilera's voice is great.
The second half lasts forever though, without anything memorable. I could have done with it being about 12 songs shorter.
Traffic
4/5
A very chill, concise album with a lovely live recording sound. Really enjoyed it.
Just realized they're from my home town too!
The The
3/5
Let's start with the elephant in the room. That band name. It's shit. I get how you might come up with that stoned at 3am thinking it's hilarious and clever, but surely they should have been embarrassed they even thought about it in the cold light of day.
Now to the album, which was a real mixed bag for me. I thought I was going to really like it based on the first track, but This Is The Day didn't do much for me, and I disliked the next track, but it got better again over the next few tracks and I loved Giant.
Probably should give it another listen...but that band name, man.
Crowded House
2/5
This is not edgy music. In fact it's completely edgeless. It's like a musical sphere.
Sure, the singles are decent radio fodder, but there's nothing else on here I needed to hear before I die.
The Dictators
3/5
I really wanted to love this, but it just didn't hit like I had hoped.
I really like the Beach Boys gone punk tracks, but there are some misses. I Got You Babe is a great idea for a punk cover, but it sounds really amateurish.
Definitely deserves its spot on the list though, for its part in the origins of punk.
Sugar
4/5
Really solid album from a band I hadn't heard of before.
Seeing that it was Name's album of the year I couldn't help but look up what else was on that list. I personally wouldn't rate it higher than REM - Automatic for the People, PJ Harvey - Dry, Sonic Youth - Dirty, and Nick Cave - Henry's Dream, but I don't think it's completely out of place in that company either.
Curiously Right Said Fred appear at #30 on that list!
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
I typically struggle with double albums. It's extremely rare for an artist to have so much great material that there's no filler (there's often an album and a half of good material, and they seem to feel obligated to pad it out to a full 2 sides), so I was prepared to give this 3 or 4 stars before listening purely on that basis.
However, there's just no weakness here. I didn't identify any songs I would rather have been excluded, and there's good variety throughout. Cave is one of the great musical storytellers.
Green Day
5/5
Not sure why I never owned this on CD, but I certainly heard it played plenty of times (perhaps that was why!).
This holds up surprisingly well today. Even the songs that have been played on the radio for over 30 years now sound pretty fresh.
The La's
5/5
Legendary album.
For me it's also the quintessential Liverpool album (sorry John & Paul)
PJ Harvey
5/5
I'm a huge PJ Harvey fan, but I'll admit that in recent years she has a tendency to allow the concept of an album interfere with how enjoyable it is to listen to (see also Bjork).
However this album is for me the peak of having a strong concept that's meaningful to me (as an Englishman) and sounding great. I don't love it quite as much as I did in 2011, but it's still a solid 5/5.
Joni Mitchell
5/5
Simply one of the greatest and most beautiful albums of all time.
Bob Dylan
5/5
There's nothing more that needs to be said about this classic album. It has some of my favorite Dylan songs on it.
Ryan Adams
4/5
I am a fan of Ryan Adams' early albums, but never connected as much with this one as I did with Gold.
Still, it's a lovely collection of beautifully written songs. And harmonica. I'm a sucker for harmonica.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
3/5
This makes me feel like a middle aged white woman who shops at Anthropologie
The Saints
4/5
Never heard of them before, but great to hear a band prove you can be punk and be good musicians. They deserve to be better known.
Not completely sold on the inclusion of a horn section, but I appreciate the variety.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
5/5
This is my third Neil Young album, and I just didn't connect at all with the other two.
I don't know if it's the live-sounding production, the more rock vibe on side 2, or just the brilliant opening, and closing track, but I really enjoyed this one - it's exactly what I wanted the others to be.
Elvis Costello
4/5
This is about my 17th Elvis Costello album so far (did Dimery confuse him with the real Elvis!)
Either my expectations are now so low that's anything listenable by Costello is a pleasant surprise, or this is actually a decent record. Nothing mind-blowing or anything, but catchy rock and roll delivered with a little bit of an attitude/snarl that got me tapping the steering wheel like a dad.
Only the last track is a mis-steps. Maybe he was warning listeners of the disappointments that lie ahead?
PJ Harvey
5/5
Make PJ Angry Again
Massive Attack
5/5
Possibly an unpopular opinion, but I think this is Massive Attack's best album.
It also birthed the trip hop genre. Often imitated, but never bettered.
How could this possibly be anything less than a 5?
Waylon Jennings
3/5
Surprisingly enjoyable
The Dandy Warhols
3/5
I'm surprised this was selected over Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia, and I'm also surprised by the largely positive reviews when people seem to like shitting on many (better) albums from this era.
It's a solid album for the most part. I like how they mix a shoegaze type sound with some very commercial tracks, but there's a lot of filler in here. Just skipping the last 2 tracks (which seem to go on forever) would improve it.
Sade
3/5
No, Sade, YOU'RE the smooth operator
Genesis
2/5
Musically this is pretty great - so many unexpected twists and turns.
However, Peter Gabriel's vocals don't do much for me, and the lyrics are often too twee and Renaissancey for my taste. The track where he does the characters' voices alone took a star off.
Moby Grape
3/5
Couldn't listen to all tracks, but what I heard was... fine
Bad Brains
3/5
Janet Jackson
3/5
This is such a Jackson album - songs about rhythm, the state of the world, and saving the children.
There are some bangers on here, but unlike an MJ album the ballads just don't land for me.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
I'll always say I'm a big Stones fan, but in truth what I mean is I adore their greatest hits. Before I listen to a Stones album I pre-judge it based on how many songs I already know. On that basis I wasn't overly excited about this one, but it actually blew me away.
I think the magic of the Stones is with those musicians and those vocals they can really make any average song sound great, then when they hit you with a Gimme Shelter or You Can't Always Get What You Want it takes them next level.
The 7:28 album version of You Can't Always Get What You Want is nothing short of thrilling, and one of the best album closers of all time.
Barry Adamson
4/5
I wasn't familiar with Barry Adamson or his background, and for some reason based on the name and album cover I was expecting some sort of weird chamber music, so this was an unexpected delight.
It starts off strong with the first two tracks, and thereafter it's both varied and coherent. I would totally watch the imaginary movie this soundtracks.
Silver Jews
3/5
Some really good songwriting and worthy of being on the list, but ultimately not an album I'll be revisiting.
Blue Cheer
4/5
Bonus points for being groundbreaking, and I like the rawness, but after the two covers and the great Doctor Please it's pretty much a jam session.
k.d. lang
2/5
30 seconds in and checking how long it is on Wikipedia. 35 minutes; I can do this.
It must nearly be over, right, but how is this still track 1?
This would've been fine 30 years earlier, but just feels pointless in 1988.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
3/5
Is this the horniest album on the list?
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
There are a couple of great songs here, but mostly they just sound like Flight Of The Conchords to me now.
Roxy Music
3/5
Daft Punk
5/5
Best dance album of all time.
For some reason I haven't listened to the album in full for years, so I was a little surprised to see the 70 minute run time. But here's the thing that the reviews saying the tracks are too long don't realize: you can't do what Daft Punk does on these tracks in 3 or 4 minutes. Even the most straightforward and repetitive tracks evolve through their duration, with different elements rising to the surface before being replaced by others, while the groove just grows and grows. They really mastered their craft on their debut. Maybe it could benefit from being 2 tracks shorter, but I struggle to pick which 2 I'd drop.
Boston
4/5
What a song to open your debut album with! The second track is pretty great too.
It is downhill a bit from there, but it's still a fun listen.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
I can't give every Zeppelin album on the list 5 stars, can I? I've made a point of being selective with my 5s to distinguish an artist's very best work.
But 4 seems ludicrously low for an album of this quality. The only criticism of it is it's not Led Zeppelin II, or IV or Physical Graffiti.
Fuck it, 5s across the board for this perfect band.
Bobby Womack
3/5
It's all perfectly pleasant, but I can't help but think there are other Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, Smoky Robinson, Curtis Mayfield, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles or Stevie Wonder albums that could've made the list ahead of it.
Simon & Garfunkel
2/5
I feel like I should like this more than I do, just because it's a classic.
Sure, there are some great melodies in there, but they're delivered in an oddly diluted way. It's like drinking a flavored fizzy water when I'd prefer a soda, or better yet a rum and coke.
Emmylou Harris
2/5
She has a good voice and it's relaxing, but I find it difficult to give an album of covers more than 2 stars, especially when the two songs I knew were done better by The Beatles and Dolly Parton
Leonard Cohen
4/5
I've been looking forward to getting another Leonard Cohen album after really enjoying I'm Your Man (despite the super 80s production).
It was really interesting to go back in time 6 albums and see where he came from. His voice definitely didn't start off so "golden", and his style was a lot more similar to Bob Dylan at times - I don't feel like he had really found his own style yet. Still, there are some terrific lyrics and I'll definitely be revisiting it.
John Cale
3/5
As a huge Velvet Underground fan I was looking forward to this, but was disappointed. All a bit twee and lacking the edge that Lou Reed's vocals provide.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
1/5
Fucking hate this. Makes me wanna kick a horse
Beatles
5/5
I can never settle on my favorite Beatles album, but it's sometimes this one.
It perfectly captures the mid point between the early Beatles sound.and the more experimental albums that followed. In my head you can really feel the coopetition between John and Paul as they try to outdo each other.
Dolly Parton
2/5
I've got a lot of time for Dolly, but this is my 3rd country album in about a week, and I'm so over it.
Sufjan Stevens
4/5
Beautiful album, but I think Carrie & Lowell is his best
Stephen Stills
3/5
I wonder what the allure of making a double album is for musicians. You'd think they would realize they're rarely justified, and listeners typically don't want them.
Is it an achievement they feel they need to check off at least once in their career, or do they genuinely think they are one of those rare exceptions who has created such a great selection of songs they couldn't possibly leave any of them out?
This is not one of those exceptions.
Kate Bush
3/5
I struggle to rate this one. An interesting album by an interesting artist, and I'm sure it would benefit from a few listens...but I somehow doubt I'll revisit it
Kacey Musgraves
2/5
Perfectly pleasant and listenable, but also completely inessential for me
Madness
3/5
Travis
3/5
This is very nostalgic for me - the opening seconds gave me that feeling you only get from hearing something extremely familiar that you haven't heard for years.
However, this album is indicative of that lull in the British alternative music scene between the end of Britpop and grunge (which culminated in some classic albums released in 97) and the arrival of The Strokes, The White Stripes and The Libertines (seemingly the "The" band period) from 2001. I'm not saying that period was full but the NME tried to coin the phrase "New Acoustic Movement" to get people excited about the likes of Turin Breaks.
That's not to say this album is bad or not deserving of a place on the list - it was popular for a reason. But at most other points in music history there would have been a lot more competition. Also anything slightly cool or edgy about Travis (ooh, they diss Wonderwall) was lost the moment a teacher on a school trip after hearing a few tracks and asking who it was, announced: "I might have to get myself a Travis tape".
The Sabres Of Paradise
2/5
Sounds more like a soundtrack than an album. Not a bad soundtrack by any means, but for me it didn't live up to listening to it in isolation.
Kings of Leon
4/5
I don't get the hate for Kings of Leon at all. Sure, they sold out and went after playing arenas, but we can hardly blame them for that.
Before then their first 3 albums were fire, and demonstrated a fast development from straightforward high energy southern rock to more interesting song structures. Whilst this isn't my favorite from them, and it's definitely pretty testosterone-driven, there are some great songs here and no skips for me.
The Pharcyde
4/5
Oh Shit*
*in a good way
ABBA
2/5
Abba absolutely deserve their place in music history, and therefore the list. But sorry, it's just not for me.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
5/5
As much as I love the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' more rock first couple of albums, this is my favorite. It should be used as an example of how to "go electronic" while still staying edgy and not alienating your fan base.
Green Day
5/5
As a teenager when Green Day became popular I dismissed them as too silly; I just didn't want to like a band name their albums Kerplunk and Dookie and had cartoon album sleeves.
Jumping forward to 2004 and I enjoyed the singles off American Idiot, and the band having something serious to say, but my longstanding prejudice meant I still didn't listen to the album until now.
Now I've got to confess - this is a great, and mature, album. It's varied in sound but consistent in themes, and I think the best compliment I can pay it is those stellar singles don't stand out that far from the album tracks - they're integrated really well. There's also a vibe running through the album that sounds like a coming together or marching that's really uplifting. I can only imagine the live shows on that tour really popped off.
The Crusaders
4/5
When it starts off with a song as good as Street Life it's not going to be bad. It's the obvious highlight by some distance, but the rest of the album is an enjoyable coast downhill from that high
Khaled
3/5
I found myself quite enjoying the vibe, but the Imagine cover version should never have happened. There are some songs you just don't touch.
Coldcut
4/5
Really fun album and sounds surprisingly 90s considering it was released in 89.
I don't mind this type of album being long, but some of the tracks definitely drag on a little.
The National
5/5
I'm a big fan of The National, but I understand they're not an easy band to get into - their hooks are subtle, lyrics often obscure, and their sound doesn't vary hugely between albums or even songs. This is the first of their albums that I really connected with, and after that I heard their previous albums differently too.
Musically, lyrically and vocally this album is terrific. I know it's difficult when you're listening to a new album every day, but I encourage those who don't connect with it straight away to give it a couple more listens. It might just open up their entire back catalog to you.
John Prine
3/5
I was prepared to hate this based on the cover being the most country thing ever, but it actually wasn't bad. Somewhat Dylan-esque in parts, and some great lyrics stood out even on a casual listen.
Van Halen
5/5
So apparently 80s hair metal peaked in, erm, 1978.
Nearly took a star off for the out-of-place Ice Cream Man, but that would be harsh.
The Flaming Lips
5/5
My favorite Flaming Lips album.
I think about Yoshimi often.
Rufus Wainwright
2/5
Gang Of Four
5/5
So spiky.
I really enjoy hearing the inspiration drawn from Gang of Four by numerous bands from this century.
Rod Stewart
2/5
Adequate cover versions. Nothing more.
Eagles
3/5
Tom Tom Club
4/5
This whole album is a vibe, and there are some great standout tracks too. Pleasantly surprised (think my expectations were low mostly due to the awful cover art).
Morrissey
2/5
Yet another album with the delightful Morrissey on it, and once again it's musically great but ruined by his stupid warbly voice. Lyrics are mostly meh, but occasionally cringey.
Syd Barrett
3/5
This is a tough one to rate. There are parts that grate on me with the over the top Britishness and forced kookiness and there are some truly terrible vocals, but in amongst that there are some really charming Beatles-esque moments and catchy songs, and the whole thing sounds like it was written and recorded in a day. I can't help but think about what his mental state was like at the time.
3 stars feels like a bit of a cop out for an album that absolutely isn't run of the mill, but anything else feels wrong.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
2/5
It's never a good sign when Wikipedia only say "...is the 1st/2nd/3rd album by" an artist.
Imagine how low my expectations were when I saw "Rising Above Bedlam is an album by Jah Wobble's Invaders of the Heart"!
Cee Lo Green
3/5
This started out pretty enjoyable, listening whilst walking the dogs in the sun, but boy does it go on. It's about 20 minutes too long.
Buena Vista Social Club
4/5
It would've been a 5 if I had a canchanchara in my hand
Buzzcocks
5/5
Very solid punk album - amongst the best of the genre.
I was tempted to knock it down for not having any knockout singles, but 4 would definitely be harsh.
Slade
4/5
Slay(d)
Glam without being too glam, but still good fun.
What's with the hair on the guy in the right though?
Dwight Yoakam
2/5
With a name like that you can only be a country singer, so I don't blame you, Dwight, I blame your parents.
Johnny Cash
4/5
I was so over country albums on this list. Dwight Yoakam yesterday was the final straw. So you can imagine how the first track on this album hit me like a ton on bricks...in a good way.
It perfectly tees up his Hurt cover, which although played to death on the radio still gives me the feels. It deserves it's reputation as one of THE great cover versions.
That's not to say the other covers on this album are all successes, for me. I don't think we needed am even more morose version of Bridge Over Troubled Water (what a waste of a Fiona Apple cameo), or Danny Boy.
Just as I was getting a bit bored I see In My Life come up. Great, someone else who thinks they can improve on the Beatles; that's not just lazy, that's arrogant. Well fuck me what a cover version that is. I nearly had to pull over. Sure it's not as left field as covering Nine Inch Nails and completely changing how that song is seen/heard, but it's the highlight of this album and his legacy cover version for me.
Tom Waits
5/5
Can't believe I slept on Tom Waits all these years. The voice that once put me off is so perfect for these songs.
My second Waits album, and my second 5. Much less weird than Rain Dogs (not sure if that's a good or a bad thing) but no less essential.
Antony and the Johnsons
4/5
A beautiful, intimate and personal album.
Shivkumar Sharma
3/5
Very relaxing and a pleasant way to start the day, and top musicianship. Deserving of a place on the list to represent this style of music, but a bit too much like yoga/Indian restaurant music for me.
Electric Light Orchestra
3/5
I'm a bit surprised by the consensus positive rating on this one. As much as I wanted to like a band from my hometown, this album didn't do much for me.
Erykah Badu
3/5
Really chill album; nice grooves and unlike some others I enjoy her vocals. Does suffer from a lack of variety though - too many tracks of the same tempo and vibe.
Anita Baker
3/5
All very pleasant and Sunday afternoon-ish, but quite forgettable apart from Sweet Love
Metallica
4/5
I hadn't gotten laid in years, in part because my husband spends all his time in the garage pretending to work on his truck, but actually drinking Bud Lights and (judging by the crumbs in his beard, eating pork rinds).
However, after hearing this album on repeat coming from the garage one day he came in sporting a freshly trimmed goatee like he had when we got together and (to use his words) laid down some sweet axe on me like it was the 90s. Thank you, Metallica.
4/5 - I took a star off because I could really have done without his "sexy talk" about how I have more bass than the production on this album.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
I'm not certain if I've listened to this album before, because the second track really took me by surprise. I thought I was in for a wild ride (well, wild by Joni Mitchell standards) but apart from that track there isn't much in the way of experimentation - just usual Joni Mitchell loveliness.
I've only taken a star off because there were no real standout tracks, and she has better albums.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Sometimes I like to daydream about what it must've felt like to be a teenager in the late 60s. It's so hard for me to get my head around how such a radical shift in music happened in just a few years. Just imagine dropping the needle on the debut album of this band you'd heard about from your friends, to hear Good Times, Bad Times followed by Babe I'm Gonna Leave You, shortly followed by Dazed and Confused! If those songs give me goosebumps today they would've melted my brain back then.
Even amongst the stellar albums released in 1967-1969 this stands out as one of the best, and one of the best debuts of all time...and they'd go on to better it a couple of times too!
Baaba Maal
3/5
I don't really know how to rate albums like this. It's fine, but I have no idea how it stacks up against other similar artists or works. It's interesting, but I wouldn't listen to it again.
Talking Heads
4/5
Belle & Sebastian
4/5
I really enjoy the combination of the retro vibe with modern day lyrics and themes. A strong debut album that didn't sound like the music being produced at the time.
Girls Against Boys
4/5
Quite enjoyed the driving rhythm section and vocals that carry a hint of violence. Reminds me of one or two bands I enjoyed in the early 2000s.
Steely Dan
2/5
I could remember not liking the previous Steely Dan album I listened to, but couldn't remember the style of music. And that's the problem I have with them; what is it?
It's like they dip a toe into jazz, a toe into prog, a toe into swing, and throw in some nods to the Beatles without doing any of those things justice. The result sounds like show tunes from a show I don't want to see. Don't give me this watered down, commercialized shit - give me the full fat albums that inspired it.
Talking Heads
5/5
Sometimes with this project I ask myself, "Well, how did I get here?"
But then sometimes I get a great album by a band I've never really paid attention to, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
This is my third Leonard Cohen album on the list so far, and as I've gone back in time I've enjoyed them less.
This one is a bit inconsistent for me. There are some songs with really interesting lyrics that warrant relistening and analysis, some are pleasant enough slightly Dylan styled numbers, and there are a couple of skips.
Missy Elliott
3/5
I quite like Missy Elliott, and appreciate this album probably broke ground for female artists, but it's just a bit dull for me.
More r&b than rap/hip hop, and whilst it's impressive she was able to attract a producer and guest stars on her first album, it feels like it relies on them a lot.
Big Star
3/5
Muddy Waters
4/5
I love the blues, and Muddy Waters is one of the best.
Unfortunately a lot of this feels like a slightly restrained version of the blues, recorded in the afternoon to be recorded and easily consumed. Only later on does he seem to open.
What I really want to hear is the concert I imagine he played in the club that evening, with smoke and bourbon, where he let himself go.
The Velvet Underground
4/5
This is the Velvet Underground at their noisiest, fuzziest and most experimental, so I'm not surprised it isn't too well rated, especially for those for whom this is their introduction to the band.
For me this feels like post-punk before punk had even happened, which makes it pretty remarkable. I also feel like it captures the band jamming and improvising, which shows the talent in their ranks.
That said, it's the VU album I listen to the least, and I'm knocking it down to 4/5 because they have 2 better albums, plus another album with more standout tracks.
The Clash
5/5
I always approach albums I already love with a sceptical eye. Are they really that great when compared to the very best.
Even with that perspective, this is a flawless punk album. Smart, edgy, catchy, no filler. This might be controversial, but it's my favorite album by the band, despite London Calling having more of my very favorite tracks. In fact, I'd put it up there as one of THE great debut albums.
Easy 5 stars.
Sonic Youth
5/5
Dark, noisy but always interesting. More than once I did that thing dogs do where I tilted my head at an unexpected sound. Borders on Post Rock at times, which I love.
Q-Tip
5/5
Smooth flows, fantastic production and it doesn't have the usual downside to hip hop albums of violent and misogynistic lyrics (or stupid skits for that matter). I'm a big fan.
Koffi Olomide
2/5
Astrud Gilberto
3/5
Nice vibe. Parade is awful though.
John Martyn
4/5
3rd day in a row of artists I'd never heard of, so my expectations were low. However, this is a quite lovely, and varied, collection of songs.
I've no idea how he evaded my attention after releasing 23 albums!
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
This is a stunningly beautiful album, with thought provoking lyrics mixing love, sex and religion. Delivered in Cave's rich baritone it gives Leonard Cohen vibes.
It's close to a 5, but the overwhelmingly sombre tone makes it slightly one-note and prevents it from being an absolute classic for me.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
3/5
What a frustrating album this is. On first glance it's pretty ridiculous that the same band made 3 of the best pop songs of the 80s, let alone all on one album, and their debut too! You could throw in 5 synth pop filler tracks and it would be a great album, right? Right?
At the first "Ooh hah" of the title track I was already drafting my 5 star review in my head. Then it keeps going. And going. And ends...nope. Ends again...nope. FFS, are you frickin' trolling me?! It's like they knew listeners would be waiting for Relax, so they deliberately stressed them out.
War isn't a terrible cover version, but Born to Run is a cover absolutely no one requested, and the Burt Bacharach cover sounds completely out of place.
Sure The Power of Love is a classic, and normally I love it when an artist is confident enough to leave one of their best songs to near the end of the album, but I was pretty fed up with it by the time I got there.
So all in all it's a pretty terrible album with 3 stellar songs. 3/5 feels a bit too straight down the middle for an album that gave me strong feelings, but I don't know how else to rate it.
The Only Ones
2/5
Can't cope with the singer's voice
Astor Piazzolla
2/5
Like music for a silent film. I'd probably enjoy listening to it live, but on record it did nothing for me.
Animal Collective
3/5
I struggled to connect with this when it was getting lots of acclaim in 2009, so I was excited to give it another try...and I struggled to connect with it again.
I appreciate the density, musicianship and creativity, but it just doesn't move me.
Black Flag
4/5
Now this is punk!
Morrissey
1/5
I literally swore out loud when I got this as today's album. Fucking Morrissey again?!
I've rated the previous Smiths and Morrissey albums I've gotten so far as either 2/5 (good musically, but hate his voice and lyrics) it a begrudging 3/5 (musically great and his voice isn't really that bad). This one is a stretch too far though.
His voice (which is my main gripe) is actually the least grating I've heard it on this album, and musically it's fine, but some of the lyrics are really problematic, especially in the context of some of his later comments and actions.
Lyrics like "At heart, what's left, we sadly know
That we are the last truly British people you've ever known", "England for the English", "to the National front disco, because you want the day to come sooner" and "London is dead, London is dead" are really triggering, especially in a time when White Nationalism is again on the rise in the UK (and elsewhere).
Some will argue that these don't reflect Morrissey's opinions - they're characters , expressions of cultural alienism, or maybe just being provocative. However, I can't help but view them in the knowledge that Morrissey has expresses sympathy with hard line anti-immigration politics and groups, uses racial stereotypes in other songs, has draped himself in the Union Jack whilst performing those songs, thinks Chinese people are a subspecies, has made comments about Britain being "taken over " and its identity being erased by outsiders, and blamed a terrorist attack on multiculturalism.
I'm normally pretty good at separating the art from the artist, but there's just too much to ignore. Fuck Morrissey.
Oh, and the cover is gross; stupid, sexy xenophobe.
The Teardrop Explodes
3/5
As far as 80s pop music goes, this isn't bad at all. Shame it's still 80s pop music though.
Stephen Stills
4/5
This is some juicy dad rock.
It makes me want to wear some comfortable high rise, mid blue jeans, inexplicably take the newspaper to the bathroom, and say things like "as long as it's my name on the mortgage I'll be the judge of whether the TV is too loud", or completely unnecessarily mention a person's race when telling a story.
The Verve
5/5
1967: Sgt. Pepper, Are You Experienced, Axis Bold as Love, Piper At The Gates of Dawn, The Velvet Underground & Nico, The Doors, Disraeli Gears...
1997: Urban Hymns, Ok Computer, Homogenic, Homework, Fat of the Land, Dig Your Own Hole...
2027 is going to blow minds. You heard it here first
Miriam Makeba
4/5
I nearly always seem to give "world music" a 3/5 which is a bit of a cop out. However this one stands above most, in part because The Click Song and Mbube alone are gems.
Glad I've listened to this one.
T. Rex
4/5
🦖🦖🦖🦖
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
Probably one of the best albums of the genre...but I just don't care for the genre.
Fred Neil
3/5
The album cover is quite distressing, but I enjoyed the album and learning about his influence. Everybody's Talking is a classic.
I'm giving it a 3 based on one listen, but it could grow on me with some time.
Talk Talk
4/5
This album has the feel of a very accomplished band. It has a sort of easy going vibe that makes it sound like they're not trying too hard to make a pop hit.
The production is great; it sounds 80s but not too 80s, thanks to the relative lack of synths. I also enjoyed the variety of interesting instruments (Spanish guitar, harmonica, recorders) that give the album variety but never sound gimmicky or an after thought.
LCD Soundsystem
5/5
I'm a big fan of the point where indie/alternative meets dance music - even Radiohead fans want to dance, right?
New wave in the 70s, the baggie/Madchester scene in the late 80s, and whatever the scene in the mid 2000s was called (the NME tried to coin the phrase "New Rave", but I don't think it ever caught on, or included LCD Soundsystem).
Of those mid 2000s bands, LCD Soundsystem was the most consistent, and has aged best. To my ears this still sounds great today, and it's my favorite of their 3 albums (although I love them all).
Ghostface Killah
4/5
65 minutes, 26 tracks, multiple tracks with "skit" in the title, and "The album follows an organized crime theme, and is named after a term for uncut cocaine": I couldn't have been less enthused.
My scepticism lasted until about 90 seconds into track 2. This album has some fire tracks, and has some of my favorite elements of hip hop.
However, I can't give it 5/5 because it's 65 minutes and has too much filler. There's an absolute classic of a 45 minute album in there though.
Flamin' Groovies
4/5
I like blues based rock, and I quite enjoyed their pretty raw take on it
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
A bit of a mixed bag for me, listening to the band for the first time.
I enjoy joining the dots in music history, and you can hear the Bowie influence here, as well as the influence they must've had on the baggy Manchester music scene a few years later. However, I found several songs pretty grating for some reason; maybe I just wasn't in the mood for this today, and I would've loved it on a different day.
Fugees
4/5
This was, for a long time, my sole hip hop CD. That just goes to show what a cultural phenomenon this album was - even white indie kids in the UK had a copy, and I remember hearing the Fugees on the radio in France.
It's held up pretty well too. It's varied, well produced, political and refreshingly non-gangsta. Plenty of solid tracks alongside the 3 great poppy singles. Shame they didn't make more music together.
The Young Gods
3/5
We were somewhere around 3 and a half minutes into French class when the drugs began to take hold.
David Bowie
5/5
It took me a while to really "get" Low, after overlooking it for a while because of the lack of big hits, and the number of instrumental tracks.
It was only while reading a Bowie biography that I came to appreciate it. One of the interesting takeaways from that biography was that I had always thought of Bowie as a multi-skilled can do anything sort of musician, but one of his most important skills was actually knowing his limitations, selecting brilliant musicians and producers to work with, and then trusting them completely to do their thing. Bowie was responsible for the lyrics and vocals, of course, plus the very deliberate vibe/theme of each album (and selecting the right people for that vibe), but within those parameters he trusted those musicians deeply. The lack of ego is admirable. In this respect he could be studied not just by other music artists, but from a business management perspective too!
Low is a great example of this. Together with Dennis Davis, Tony Visconti developed a really unique drum sound. Meanwhile Eno, although not formally the producer, used extremely experimental techniques that many musicians would really struggle with. In addition to utilizing synths, loops and soundbeds, Eno treated the studio as an instrument, encouraged improvisation and adopting "mistakes", and did things like giving each musician a cryptic prompt card they would keep to themselves. Bowie and co all trusted these techniques would not only produce something good, but also music that wouldn't sound like anything else.
Low is one of Bowie's benchmark albums, the start of his infamous Berlin trilogy, and inspired a whole host of ambient, post punk, and post rock musicians. How there isn't a biopic of Bowie and Iggy Pop in that period is beyond me.
To say it's a remarkable album would be an understatement, and 5 stars doesn't feel enough.