757
Albums Rated
2.89
Average Rating
70%
Complete
332 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
2010
Favorite Decade
Jazz
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
54
5-Star Albums
61
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
Top Styles
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Spy Vs. Spy: The Music Of Ornette Coleman
John Zorn
|
5 | 2.23 | +2.77 |
|
Trout Mask Replica
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
|
5 | 2.29 | +2.71 |
|
Heaux Tales
Jazmine Sullivan
|
5 | 2.68 | +2.32 |
|
Histoire De Melody Nelson
Serge Gainsbourg
|
5 | 2.74 | +2.26 |
|
I Am a Bird Now
Antony and the Johnsons
|
5 | 2.84 | +2.16 |
|
69 Love Songs
The Magnetic Fields
|
5 | 2.85 | +2.15 |
|
Second Toughest In The Infants
Underworld
|
5 | 2.85 | +2.15 |
|
Gris Gris
Dr. John
|
5 | 2.88 | +2.12 |
|
Music Has The Right To Children
Boards of Canada
|
5 | 2.91 | +2.09 |
|
Brown Sugar
D'Angelo
|
5 | 2.93 | +2.07 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Metallica
Metallica
|
1 | 3.78 | -2.78 |
|
Transformer
Lou Reed
|
1 | 3.67 | -2.67 |
|
Highway to Hell
AC/DC
|
1 | 3.65 | -2.65 |
|
Lust For Life
Iggy Pop
|
1 | 3.6 | -2.6 |
|
Madman Across The Water
Elton John
|
1 | 3.59 | -2.59 |
|
Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
Ray Charles
|
1 | 3.5 | -2.5 |
|
Tusk
Fleetwood Mac
|
1 | 3.47 | -2.47 |
|
Imagine
John Lennon
|
1 | 3.45 | -2.45 |
|
Cheap Thrills
Big Brother & The Holding Company
|
1 | 3.42 | -2.42 |
|
Different Class
Pulp
|
1 | 3.42 | -2.42 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Radiohead | 4 | 4.5 |
| Nirvana | 2 | 5 |
| Miles Davis | 4 | 4.25 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Kings of Leon | 3 | 1 |
| Blur | 3 | 1.67 |
| Siouxsie And The Banshees | 2 | 1.5 |
| Bee Gees | 2 | 1.5 |
| Grateful Dead | 2 | 1.5 |
| The Verve | 2 | 1.5 |
| The Rolling Stones | 6 | 2.33 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Super Furry Animals | 5, 1 |
| Sonic Youth | 2, 1, 5, 2 |
| Emerson, Lake & Palmer | 4, 1 |
| Fleetwood Mac | 4, 1 |
| Kraftwerk | 4, 2, 5 |
5-Star Albums (54)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
AC/DC · 6 likes
1/5
What an uninteresting, boring, waste of time. The songs on this album sound like 1) a knock off of the song highway to hell, 2) a car commercial, and/or 3) a diary excerpt of a very horny gremlin. The average guitar solos are NOT enough to redeem this album. Not a good listen. 1/5
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds · 3 likes
2/5
I wanted to like this, but honestly found the vocals to be so repetitive that it became a tedious listen. The instrumentals were generally strong, but not enough to enjoy listening for an hour. 2.4/5 -> 2/5.
Kings of Leon · 3 likes
1/5
Drinking bleach, tearing off fingernails, hot sauce enima, self-circumcision - a list of things more enjoyable than listening to kings of leon.
Not only are there at least TWO albums from this talentless, shit-stain of a band on this list, but this one is an early release for them even before the horrible hits off of their later album. I truly hope I'll never need to listen to this band again. This is my new top pick for worst addition to this list, and is time in my life I'll never get back. 0/5
Janelle Monáe · 3 likes
5/5
This album was phenomenal. Her voice is amazing, the amount of genres is incredible, the album is dramatic and well sequenced. Great listen and an easy classic to throw on repeat. 5/5
Slade · 2 likes
1/5
Laughably bad. I swore this was a parody album until I looked them up. Horrible lyrics, painfully derivative vocals and instrumentals - every song felt worse than the last. A truly bad experience. 1/5
4-Star Albums (127)
1-Star Albums (61)
All Ratings
Prince
5/5
This album is a classic, no dull spots.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
2/5
All in all this album was o.k. I can see how it pioneered certain indie esthetics down the road. However, in the grand scheme of things, it seems like this will migrate off of this list as many of the tracks are underwhelming or forgettable. 2/5
Kendrick Lamar
4/5
This album defined the early 2010s, and has stood the test of time. Sing about me, Real and Compton are not the strongest end to the album.
Pretenders
2/5
This album started strong but by mid-way through the songs lost their luster and listening felt like a chore. Not terrible but certainly not enjoyable. 2/5
Ray Charles
1/5
I did not enjoy listening to this album. 1.25 hours of the same love some repeated over and over. Ray has limitless talent but it didn't shine through on this album. 1/5
Aerosmith
3/5
This album is good. Part way through it seemed like it was dependent on it's singles a bit, however You See Me Crying was a great closer and wrapped up the experience well. 3/5
Talking Heads
3/5
It's pretty impressive that an album this experimental gained the popularity that it did. I enjoyed most of the songs: the bass was funky, I liked the repetitious elements, the droning sections, and the vocals. Though I found the album to not have much of an identity or personality. It felt like the songs were just clumped together with a few singles mixed in. Both the opener and closer were weak. 3/5
Manic Street Preachers
4/5
This album is great: it has a unique sound, I love the music and the vocals, and the first and last song are really good. The content of the lyrics seems to be great. I love the album art. My only gripe is that it's a bit bloated toward the middle of the album (this may lesson on future listens). All in all a good listen and this will stay in my rotation. 4/10
Ray Charles
3/5
I had the misfortune of listening to Ray's "Modern Western" album before this and disliked it immensely. This album has much more character, talent and personality. The songs do all suffer from similar themes, but they are distinct enough. The first and last song are great openers and closers. 3/5
Neil Young
3/5
This album is a solid folk album. Most of the songs are pretty pleasant. Some haven't aged well (Man Needs a Maid - not just the lyrics, but also how over the top and melodramatic the song is). All in all: not bad, not excellent. 3/5
Anita Baker
4/5
That was a pleasant listen. It's always fun to listen to an album for the first time and recognize most of the tracks from the radio in my childhood. Same happened with the album Diamond Life by Sade. This album had a few dips in the middle, but otherwise was solid. 4/5
Tom Waits
4/5
I'd tried to listen to Rain Dogs a number of times before and I could never get into the Tom Waits character on that album. Maybe it's that the clean studio recording didn't match the character? Whatever the reason, I have never taken it seriously.
I was initially disappointed when I saw this album as my album of the day because of this preconceived notion. I must say, the live nature if this album gave validity to the TW character, and I really enjoyed the music and stories. I feel that time hasn't smiled too kindly on the references etc. as many went over my head. But all in all, I'll probably listen to this again. 4/5
Beck
4/5
I listened to this album growing up, but haven't put it on for a number of years. My thoughts were about the same - the tracks on the first half of this album are damn-near flawless. Unique, groovy, catchy. But the second half has some pretty mid tracks (scarecrow, farewell ride, rental car, emergency exit). On top of that, the album doesn't have a feeling of cohesion between tracks, other than maybe some slide guitar and sun-kissed guitar giving a "western" feel. I'd probably rate this a 3.5/5, so I'll round up. 4/5.
Sheryl Crow
2/5
That was a very underwhelming listen. Very few songs were interesting or memorable, other than All I Wanna Do (of course) and We Do What We Can. Even this albums contemporaries significantly outclass it (Natalie Imbruglia - "Left of the Middle" comes to mind). A few good songs and an overall positive "vibe" elevates this score from the bottom. 2/5.
Guided By Voices
2/5
This album is in desperate need of a remaster. Lo-fi is one thing, but this sounds like garbage with how compressed the audio is. Virtually unlistenable.
The music itself was ok - the vignette style keeps things interesting at least, though no songs stuck out. 2/5.
Tito Puente
3/5
A very classic mambo sound. Solid "vibe" of an album, but essentially wallpaper at this point. Would give this a 2.5 but must round. 3/5.
David Bowie
4/5
I initially was unimpressed by how all over the place this album was compared to Ziggy, however after looking it's recording process up it makes sense. David Bowie constructed lyrics for most of the songs on the fly in a studio just meters from the Berlin wall. Robert Fripp apparently finished all of the guitar work for this album in 3 days. Now that I have that context I'll need to register.
I'm glad that I listened to this and that I took the time to review it's history. Still not my favorite Bowie record but I'm excited to revisit soon. 4/5.
The Cramps
2/5
This album has not stood the test of time well. It's raw garage appeal is apparent, but by no means is this album in the top 1000. Good enough "vibe", but that's about it. 2/5.
Soft Machine
3/5
I've listened to a lot of prog and prog-adjacent music in my day. This album was o.k. I've listened to it before but it is pretty forgettable. For example, I had only listened to Gentle Giant's "The Power and the Glory" once, yet immediately recognized the sample of "Proclamation" in Travis Scott's "Hyaena".
The same sticking power can't be said of this album. Still good, but middle of the road prog that is slightly elevated by the ethereal second half of the album. 3/5.
The Flaming Lips
3/5
The music on this album is good, but the vocals and lyrics aren't that great. I've tried to listen to it a number of times in my life and it never sticks, unlike Yoshimi.
It also feels like a very long album. 3/5.
Fatboy Slim
1/5
I like some of the smash hits off of "You've Come a Long Way, Baby" as much as the next guy, but this album is a stinker.
Talk about plain, muzak-esque electronic music. This album is souless, void of unique elements, and to top it off way too long. I will not be listening to this again. 1/5.
Run-D.M.C.
2/5
This album has not aged well. I respect it for the impact that it had, but I am not a fan. The beats are paper thin, and their back and forth style is silly. 2/5.
Os Mutantes
3/5
A pretty good album, certainly for it's time. A number of tracks stood out. Some were unexciting.
All in all I'd give this a 2.7 rounded. 3/5.
Common
2/5
This album was entirely forgettable. It tried to be profound, and the first and last track were pretty good. Other than that I wouldn't listen again. 2/5.
Neil Young
2/5
Honestly, if you've heard one Neil Young track you've heard 'em all. This album was underwhelming and had no standout tracks, but wasn't unlistenable. 2/5
Solange
3/5
All in all, a goodish album. It ran a little long for the homogeneous sound of most of the songs. The interludes were too abundant and more of a distraction than anything in the end - for a self-titled album there wasn't too much of her personality shining through here. The songs that stood out were very, very good. All together: 3/5.
The Clash
3/5
This was actually much more interesting a listen than I expected. I was expecting an album of back-to-back punk songs. My expectations were subverted. There was jazz, ska, funk etc. All in all not a cohesive album, and too long given the content. But not horrible. 3/5.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
This album was good. I liked it's carefree sound. The string were nice and the vocals were good. Nothing striking that blew me away, and contemporaries that released similar albums were much better (Stone Roses self-titled comes to mind). 3/5.
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
This was better and more interesting than their self-titled, but that's probably because their hit singles were off of this record. I have the same stylistic gripes with Run DMC as before, but this is slightly improved. 3/5.
Derek & The Dominos
2/5
This album is average. Most of the songs are simple and relatively uninteresting. All in all not horrible, but definitely in the bottom 50%. 2.4/5 but will need to round down. 2/5.
Paul McCartney and Wings
2/5
This album is plagued by the "first and last song are great, and the middle songs are subpar" scenario. The song Band on the run is good enough, but Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five makes the album. Not strong enough to hold the rest of the album up. 2/5.
Iggy Pop
1/5
This album was a disappointment. I really thought every song was uninteresting, and especially disliked the song sixteen. 1/5.
The Byrds
3/5
I thought that this album was pretty good. It was more experimental than I expected which was a nice surprise. All in all not bad. 3/5.
The Rolling Stones
2/5
Another disappointing dad rock album. There was virtually no distinction between songs and the album sequencing was subpar. Sympathy for the Devil was obviously the big hit here then the band were comfortable filling the remainder of the album with sun-baked southern guitar and uninteresting content. It wasn't offensive but really not for me. 2/5.
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
This was a good album. The songs were distinct and pleasant, and I enjoyed most of them. There were just a few duds on the small tracklist. All in all I wouldn't listen to it again, but not bad. 3/5.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
This album is great. There are some duds in the tracklist (Out on the Tiles, That's the Way, and Hats Off) but out of 10 songs that's still 3.5/5 hits. I'll be generous and round up. 4/5.
OutKast
4/5
This album is mostly a classic. The first half is phenomenal and the interludes are well-constructed and funny. The second half gets a bit bloated and the songs don't hit as hard. Although it's bloated, it is an enjoyable album that I'd give a 3.5/5 and will round. 4/5.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
I listened to Beggars Banquet a few days ago and wasn't the biggest fan. This album was more enjoyable a listen for me. Pretty simple and a bit long, but not bad. 3/5.
Liz Phair
1/5
This album was sterile, and an absolute bore. It was only just under an hour, but with 17 tracks I kept hoping it would end so I could move onto something more substantive. I won't listen to this again. 1/5.
Supergrass
2/5
An alright alt. rock album. All in all it was a bit bloated and uninteresting. There were a few unique bits here and there, but nothing I'd go out of my way for again. 2/5.
I ended up listening again (despite what I said above). I think what dissuades me is that the album isn't sequenced all that well. The music is good/great on individual songs, but they fade out in uninteresting ways and feel like a connection of similar singles. I'd probably give this a 2.4/5 or relisten, but still rounds to a 2/5.
Steely Dan
3/5
A very plain and lackluster dadrock album. There are some good string bits and I appreciate how short an album in is, but altogether pretty standard. 2.5/5 rounded to 3/5.
Jimmy Smith
3/5
This was a pleasant organ-led jazz album. i enjoyed having it on and listened to it a few times. Is it groundbreaking? Not necessarily. But it's something I'll put on in the background every so often. 3/5.
Madonna
3/5
This album was a pretty good pop album. A few of the songs were superhits from back in the day. All around it seemed to be pretty experimental with it's glitchy sounds and futuristic uses of electronics. It didn't succeed all the time, but was pretty good nonetheless. 3.3/5 -> 3/5.
Christina Aguilera
3/5
This album had some highs for sure - a lot of big hits from the early 2000s. It was pretty funky and jazzy, too. There are a few weaknesses. Though it is a double album, the album is bloated at 1 hour and 20 minutes. Length isn't necessarily an issue, but there needs to be variety to keep the audience engaged. I think this was accomplished musically on this album, with jazz, strings, soul, funk, hip-hop coming together well. Christina's vocal delivery is just identical on every track which is grating given the length. Also the fact that she is so rooted in her inspirations on this album makes the whole thing come off as a bit derivative.
There are a few notable stinkers on the album as well, with Thank You and Nasty Naughty Boy coming to mind.
All in all a good album but would give a 3.4/5 given the above considerations. Rounded down: 3/5.
Moby
2/5
I grew up with this album, but I'm not ignorant of it's many flaws. A ton of the songs are repetitive and rely too heavily on their samples. This makes some songs unlistenable (looking at you "Find My Baby"). Three of the big hits are pretty great: Porcelain, Run On, and Natural Blues. South Side isn't my favorite, the simplistic lyrics, short little verses, and Gwen Stefani feature stinks of generic soulless radio fodder for the time
A number of the other songs are pretty good, but now that years have passed, on relisten, this record scores below the 50th percentile for me. 2.4/5 -> 2/5.
Lightning Bolt
4/5
Finally, something that is unique and stands out on this list! I can't believe this came out in 2003, it has a very modern appeal and I can see how this band may have influenced later groups like Death Grips, LustSickPuppy, etc. I love abrasive music like this so glad it was on the list.
The drumming is phenomenal, as well as the noisy glitch sounds.
My only qualm is that there could have been a little more variety in the songs (thinking of Sunbather as a perfect example). Other than this, a great album I'll listen to again, and I'll look into Lightning Bolt more. 4/5.
Paul Simon
4/5
PThis album put me on a fence. 80s soft rock hasn't classically been something I listen to or enjoy. But every song on this album was good and fit the album. Paul experimented with styles outside of his typical Simon & Garfunkel wheelhouse and I appreciate that. Some lyrics are definitely cheesy and haven't aged well, and some songs are less interesting than others, but overall I'm leaning closer to a 4 than a 3.
3.6/5 -> 4/5.
Gorillaz
3/5
Gorillaz is a good, but flawed album. It is clear that Damon Albarn wanted to move in a different artistic direction than Blur, but this album didn't uncover a unique personality for Gorillaz. A number of songs were interesting and catchy, others were wallpaper. Clint Eastwood is great to this day. All in all, a good album. 3/5.
Skepta
3/5
This album did not meet my expectations that were set by it's wikipedia entry (#1 on several lists for 2016 over Blackstar and A Moon Shaped Pool).
For what it is, it is a fine hip-hop album from the UK. It's well made and there are some earworms in the tracklist. The album didn't flow in an interesting or cohesive way, it just sounded like an assembly of tracks. Skepta's voice and flows are alright. 3/5.
Paul Weller
2/5
What a painfully average rock/blues-adjacent album. It sounds like muzak playing in the background of a JC Penny or a Hooters. Other than a few artistic gleams, overall generic. 2.4/5 -> 2/5.
Elis Regina
3/5
This album is alright. Music is pretty good as well as her voice. I could see this being nice in the background in certain scenarios. Is a a must listen? No. But pretty good. 3/5.
Elliott Smith
3/5
Not a bad album. The songs blend together and aren't super distinct but they have a nice, indie sound. I likely won't listen to it again but all in all not bad. 3/5.
Robert Wyatt
3/5
This album was alright. The final song was especially good. Many of the tracks are a bit forgettable but I want to keep trying the listen to this one. 3.3/5 -> 3/5.
Talk Talk
3/5
Talk talk is one of those bands I can't really get into. The music is good, but the vocals are too underwhelming and washed out. That is the case with Laughing Stock also the case with this album. 3/5
AC/DC
1/5
What an uninteresting, boring, waste of time. The songs on this album sound like 1) a knock off of the song highway to hell, 2) a car commercial, and/or 3) a diary excerpt of a very horny gremlin. The average guitar solos are NOT enough to redeem this album. Not a good listen. 1/5
The Young Rascals
4/5
I gotta say this one surprised me. The number of genres/styles The Young Rascals hit in 34 minutes is impressive: funk, bassa nova, doo wap, french waltz, R&B, the list goes on. I was initially dissuaded by how similar the themes of love were across the tracklist but they varied that toward the end of the album. All in all, especially compared to their pre-prog rock contemporaries, they made something pretty cool here. 4/5.
Curtis Mayfield
2/5
I'm a fan of Curtis typically, but this album was uninteresting. If I wanted to hear a movie soundtrack I'd put on the movie so I could see the context. 2.4/5 -> 2/5.
Throbbing Gristle
3/5
I remember throbbing gristle being one of those joke bands people mentioned in highschool. Needless to say they've stood up to their reputation. All in all a unique listen. 3/5.
Santana
4/5
That album was solid! Good funky grooves, great drums, the songs in Spanish were great, the ones in English were ok. All in all, a very impressive album by Santana!
Brian Eno
4/5
This album holds a special place in my music library, Brian Eno's discography, and music history. It's an imperfect album (hence the 4), but that's part of what is so great about it. It represents the messy and uncertain transition between Eno's art pop Warm Jets era and his ambient work on Discreet Music and Music for Airports (an easy 5/5).
While this album boldly displays a chaotic transition between two drastically different musical eras, it stands on its own as a unique album. The only things going against this album are that some of the instrumental cuts weren't as flushed out as they could be 4.4/5.
Merle Haggard
3/5
This album wasn't bad. Some of the tracks are corny and some a bit out-of-touch, but a pleasant enough listen. 3/5.
Buena Vista Social Club
5/5
It's hard to put this experience into words - the songs were so familiar, yet so new. It sounded aged, but the song construction was flawless and timeless. Every song is distinct and range in the feelings they evoke. This is a really impressive album that I'm glad to have discovered through this process, and am excited to continue to throw this on for years to come. (As well as buy on vinyl ASAP)
5/5
The Byrds
2/5
This album really should not be on a list of this magnitude. it really listens as purely average psych rock with no standout tracks. It pales in comparison to it's contemporaries, and I have no interest in listening to it again. 2/5.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
This album is good, but mostly due to it's hits. The sequencing of the album is abysmal - it sounds more akin to a collection of singles than a whole experience (The Power of Equality is about the most boring opening track). The hits are fantastic, of course, and make the album. All in all, could have been better, but the music is good across the board for the most part. 3/5.
Donald Fagen
2/5
This album must have been a product of it's time, as it's aged rather poorly. All in all some ok vibes but the songs all had a similar sound and it doesn't have much replay value. 2/5.
David Bowie
3/5
A good Bowie album but certainly not his best. I like the lean toward ambience. All in all an ok listen. 3/5
Malcolm McLaren
2/5
Well that album was a mess. I guess I appreciate the artist approach and enjoy the variety of genres, but it really felt like an absolute disaster. The cool ideas hold it up a bit, but not too impressed. 2/5.
The Darkness
2/5
I've listened to "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" since it came out, but I never took it seriously. That continues to be the case on this mid-tier 80s resurgence album. Other than a few standout tracks, not impressed. 2/5.
Booker T. & The MG's
2/5
The title track was good but the rest of the album was covers are reprise of green onions. 2/5.
Goldfrapp
4/5
This album was stunning. I was really impressed with the lush instrumentation and the variety of musical styles in such a short project. "Deer Stop" and "Horse Tears" were the two songs that felt a bit weak comparatively, but generally this was a strong listen. 4/5.
Youssou N'Dour
2/5
That was entirely forgetful and pretty disappointing. The songs were ok. 2/5.
Elvis Costello
2/5
An incredibly boring and uninteresting album that was way too bloated for its own good. His voice is pretty ok, but can't redeem this sad excuse of an album. 2/5.
Dolly Parton
3/5
This was a generally pleasant listen. The slower ballads certainly stood out better than the faster and more edgy tracks. I could relisten to this in certain contexts. 3/5.
Thin Lizzy
2/5
Listening to this live album feels equivalent to those times when your friend pulls out their phone and shows a video of some concert they once went to and talk about how amazing it was.
Honestly it sounded like a great show, but it's horribly grating to have to listen to an ~80min compilation of live Thin Lizzy songs. The only part that caught my attention was the transition from Cowboy Song into The Boys Are Back in Town, but even that is pretty common among live performances.
Only a select few live albums come to mind that would be appropriate on this list, ones that stand uniquely on their own for one reason or another. Folsom Prison by JC, Nirvana MTV Unplugged, and Portishead at the Roseland
This album is not trash by any means, but this should absolutely not be on this list. 1.5/5 -> 2/5.
Meat Loaf
3/5
A fairly good album. Really nothing too stand out or special, but not offensive. 2.5/5 -> 3/5.
GZA
3/5
I've listened to this album for years and have always thought it's alright. That perception continues on this listen. Some really stand out tracks on the first half of the album, but it fades by the end to just ok. 3/5.
Otis Redding
2/5
I like Otis Redding, but an album of covers and ok originals doesn't cut it for this list. 2/5.
Richard Thompson
3/5
This album was fine. Pleasant enough, but nothing special. 3/5.
Bon Jovi
3/5
Ok, I was expecting to hate this album but it really wasn't all that bad. All of the hits on it take me back, and it's short enough not to overstay it's welcome. A lot of the unknown tracks weren't too memorable, but still not bad. 3/5.
Pearl Jam
4/5
I've listened to Ten for years, and it's always an amazing experience. Honestly, the first 6 songs (Once -> Jeremy) are perfect in my eyes. The last 5 (Oceans -> Release) are mid to weak tracks. All in all I keep coming back for the first half of the album, but the second isn't strong enough for me to give near a 5.
3.7/5 -> 4/5
Leonard Cohen
3/5
That felt much longer than it was. He has a good voice and the strings were a nice touch, but there was nothing interesting or challenging on this album. Very straightforward. 3/5.
Doves
3/5
I like a good prog rock album, but this one came off as bloated, derivative, and self important. I don't think there was much variety in the tracklist, and the songs presented were simply ok. Not bad, but not impressed. 3/5.
Ramones
2/5
I'm generally not a punk rock fan, and this album didn't change my mind. Fast, short, samey songs with washed out vocals. At least the project was short. 2/5.
Manu Chao
3/5
This was a pretty good album. I really enjoyed it's laid back nature and the mix of styles. It didn't seem super unique or ambitious so I'm giving it a 3, but not a bad listen. 3/5.
Harry Nilsson
3/5
This album was ok. It was definitely a "pop" album of the time, where it sounds engineered to make hits rather than express an artistic concept.
Not amazing, not horrible. Solid 2.5/5 -> 3/5.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
4/5
That was a really good album. I loved the variety of styles and that it kept me on my toes. I definitely heard some Larks Tongues in Aspic influence in there. I also recognized some Godspeed You! Black Emperor in the song Chartered Flight. My only qualm is that the album was a bit too over the place which sacrificed cohesion. Still though, a great album. 4/5.
Coldplay
3/5
I've heard these singles since they came out, but this was my first listen to the whole album. It was ok, just some nice, safe, alternative rock. 3/5.
Erykah Badu
4/5
That album was good, but a bit bloated. I definitely prefer the streamlined Baduizm. That being said I like the lyrics and grooves of these songs and could see myself listening to this again. 3.6/5 -> 4/5.
The Byrds
2/5
The byrds. Why is it always the byrds. Another mid-folk/country album. 2/5.
The Doors
3/5
I really like Jim Morrisons voice and appreciate the bigger hits on this album. Sure it could be a more experimental album, but all around good. 3/5.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
4/5
Great album. The songs Tarkus and Bitches Crystal are the best for sure. Jeremy Bender and Are You Ready Eddie? are a bit out of place. All around a great listening experience, but not a perfect album. 3.5/5 -> 4/5.
Suede
4/5
For most of this album I admit I was ambivalent, but goddamn The Asphalt World into Still Life may be the best two closing tracks I've heard on this list so far. So much so that I'm going to have to relisten now the I have the full album as context. An easy 4/5.
Dr. Octagon
2/5
I'd listened to pieces of this album for years but this is the first time I made it through it's entirety. God this this is bloated and dated.
A Visit to the Gynecologist and Girl Let Me Touch You are absolutely horrible tracks. Other songs are ok, but just thematically repetitive across the album. Blue Flowers is really the best track on here. Sadly, this album is on its way out for me. 2/5.
The Cure
2/5
Certainly not a cure for boredom. This soft rock is so uninteresting. Every song sounds like the last, and for an hour and 12 minutes. This is not something I'll ever come back to. 2/5.
Bee Gees
2/5
The Bee Gees did much better with disco than soft rock. I'd happily go through my life not listening to this again. 2/5.
Aimee Mann
1/5
I can safely say, from the bottom of my heart, that was the worst album I've heard on this list thus far. Her weak, nasally voice, the uncomfortable lyrics, the sophomoric musical talent, all pulled into almost an hour long album. What an absolute waste of time. I refuse to listen to Aimee Mann albums again. 0/5 -> 1/5.
The Band
2/5
Not a fan of this one. Generic southern rock that I can in no way connect with. The lead singers voice is weak and muted. The yodeling at one point made it more interesting. All around not a fan. 1.5/5 -> 2/5.
Fiona Apple
4/5
I listened to this album when it first came out and enjoyed it. Since 2020 it's aged relatively well. A ton of tracks stick out while a few fall to the back. All around a strong album. 3.7/5 -> 4/5.
TV On The Radio
3/5
This is an album I'll need to listen to again to give an accurate score. Few of the tracks really made my jaw drop, but I really like his voice and thought the whole experience was pretty pleasant. I'd give it a 3.4/5 today, but may listen again tomorrow.
I listened again and agree with my rating. 3/5
Abdullah Ibrahim
3/5
This was some good jazz. Not exceptional, but good. 3/5.
Jethro Tull
3/5
A painfully O.K. prog album. There are some songs that stick out, but most don't do much for me. 2.5/5 -> 3/5.
3/5
This is the original "Chill Beats to Study To". Some fun time signature play occasionally, but otherwise stock-standard. 2.6/5 -> 3/5.
Hole
3/5
Perfectly alright grunge album. It came out a few years after Kurt's death so I imagine some of the concepts are related to him. I'd give it a 3/5.
Thelonious Monk
4/5
This album is a classic. Generally strong, my only gripe is that sometimes the album is too trumpet-forward which washes out the other musicians. Otherwise very strong. 4/5.
Everything But The Girl
2/5
Boring-ass snoozefest of an album. Sounds like a bad performance at a lounge. Hasn't aged well. I like her voice and the song "Apron Strings", but that's about it. 2/5.
Butthole Surfers
3/5
This album was ok. I appreciated the experimental nature of the music and the sampling. I may try to listen again, but for now: 2.7/5 -> 3/5.
Missy Elliott
2/5
Not a huge fan of this one. Repetitive, generally uninteresting - it hasn't aged all that well. There were a few sticky rhymes that I liked, but other than that, not my favorite. 2/5.
Michael Jackson
3/5
A good album. The first half was very strong, the second was meh. 3/5.
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
This was an ok album. It sounded a bit like Thom Yorke without the benefits of the members of Radiohead. Nice listen, but I probably won't put it on again. 3/5.
Fred Neil
3/5
I liked his voice. The music itself was ok, but the concepts were generally interesting for the time. Not too enthusiastic about it, but deserves at least a 3.2/5 -> 3/5.
Black Sabbath
3/5
Solid early metal album. A lot of great songs and elements that would be built upon by later bands. War Pigs is a great opener. The second half of the album has some weaker tracks, but this isn't bad. 3/5.
Belle & Sebastian
4/5
I really liked this album. The State I Am In is a really strong start. The momentum keeps up for awhile but dips in the midpoint. I'll definitely relisten but for now very good. 3.8/5 -> 4/5.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
A fine classic rock album. It's essentially Gimme Shelter and You Can't Always Get What You Want with some filler songs in between. Still, not a bad time. 2.5/5 -> 3/5.
Orbital
4/5
I'd heard rumors about how tough a listen this was, but honestly I felt it was pretty enjoyable. The electronic elements keep you on your toes and you aren't sure what the next segment of the song will sound like. The repetitive intro and outro segments are great. On this list, an easy 4/5.
The Zombies
3/5
An alright album. I didn't realize The Zombies did the song Time of the Season, so learned something new. Other than that very generic. 2.5/5 -> 3/5
Devendra Banhart
3/5
This was a pretty solid indie/folk album. Some areas got a bit stagnant, but overall pleasant. 3/5
Nanci Griffith
3/5
A pleasant enough country/folk album. It felt like it took longer than 30-some minutes but this isn't a genre I typically enjoy. Anyway. 2.7/5-> 3/5
Stevie Wonder
3/5
A really good album. A few songs were plagued by some preachy bits, and "They Won't Go When I Go" would have been a much stronger close, but generally not bad. 3/5.
Muddy Waters
3/5
It's good? Blues rock really all sounds alike to me. That being said I did like some of the extra emotion/yelling on Mannish Boy, so I'll give it a 2.8/5. -> 3/5.
Tricky
2/5
I'm a big fan of Portishead and Massive Attack when it comes to Trip-Hop, but I've never been able to get into this album. I find it meandering and uninteresting, even for background music. I don't find the music offensive to the ears or anything, but I do believe this album is overrated. 2/5.
Arcade Fire
4/5
This is a really solid and well produced album. You can tell they put a lot of thought and effort into each song. My only gripe is that some songs are a bit on the forgettable side. Other than those few, really solid. 4/5.
Kanye West
5/5
I knew this divisive one was coming. I listened to it thinking of how Kanye was at the time, not perfect but with more substantive and impactful things to say.
Honestly, the sequencing of this album is phenomenal. Dark fantasy is one of the best opening tracks that comes to mind, and Lost in the World into Who Will Survive in America are a near-perfect pair of closing tracks. Every other song on the album is distinct and unique, with almost all being standouts.
My biggest complaint with this album is that almost all of the tracks are 1-3 mins longer than they need to be. If the extra bloat was removed this album would be near perfect. That is except for the song "So Appalled", which is an incredibly boring and unnecessary track.
All things considered, this is a strong album and deserving of a very positive score. 4.5/5 -> 5/5.
Marilyn Manson
2/5
If I was looking to scratch an industrial itch I think I'd rather listen to Nine Inch Nails. The amount of controversy that continues to follow this man makes the music all the more uncomfortable to listen to. It wasn't horrible, but I won't be listening to this again. 2.5/5 -> 3/5.
On listening again and thinking about this album, I really think the most interesting parts of the music are captured by bands like NIN, and the juvenile "shock" factor is childish. Lowering this to a 2/5.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
The first six songs on this album are funky and relentlessly catchy. Unfortunately, after the song "Californication" they paint themselves in a bit. They redeem a bit on the last song Road Trippin', which is a nice closing track. 2.8/5 -> 3/5.
Janis Joplin
3/5
This album was ok. A bit underwhelming when it comes to sticking power but the folk vibes were strong. 2.5/5 -> 3/5.
Iron Maiden
3/5
An o.k. metal album from back in the day. Few standout tracks but not bad. 3/5.
The Beach Boys
3/5
A very ok album. Funny that this is commonly cited as one of the best albums of all time. A solid 2.5/5 -> 3/5.
PJ Harvey
4/5
This is a really catchy and well made grunge-adjacent album. I really enjoy most of these songs and have a real appreciation for PJ's ability to craft a song. 4/5.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
A boring, long-winded album that has no place being on a top list. There were some ok throwback vibes but other than that not a good one. 2/5.
Jefferson Airplane
3/5
A good album all together. A few standout tracks amidst a lot of general psychedelic music. 3/5.
U2
2/5
I had medium-high expectations for this album and was completely underwhelmed. Generic alternative rock with a few notable hits - like the imagine dragons of their time. 2/5.
The Notorious B.I.G.
2/5
This album was disappointing. Outside of the "hit" tracks (Give Me the Loot, Juicy, Big Poppa) which are o.k., the tracks were uninteresting or awkward. The interludes were egregious, and the sequencing of the album was missing. The moments that painted this as a concept album were overblown (Intro and Suicidal Thoughts). Not a great listen. 2/5.
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
I really enjoyed this for the most part. Some songs were a bit forgettable, but others blew me away. All together, a great experience. 3.3/5 -> 3/5.
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
This album has no personality. It is very flat and unassuming, with stale and simple songs. Cohesion was missing across the album. Some tracks were ok (the finale was pretty good) but other than that not impressed. 2/5.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
1/5
I really did not like this album at all. I was desperate for it to end. His voice, the electronics, the lyrics. It was all horrible. 1/5
Miles Davis
5/5
One of the best jazz albums of all time. 5/5
Dusty Springfield
3/5
This album was pretty good. My only qualms were that her singing was generally lackluster, and that Son of a Preacher Man stood out as a single, with no other songs coming close to matching the quality. All in all not bad vibes - 3/5.
Baaba Maal
3/5
That was a unique and interesting listen. The individual tracks were good but resulted in an o.k. album experience. 3/5.
OutKast
5/5
Honestly, this was a crazy cool experience. Big Boi and Andre 3000 have such unique approaches to art, and the fact that they pieced together this behemoth of a double album which so distinctly captures each of their styles is crazy. It took me several days to fully experience this thing, but it is certainly deserving of a spot on this list. 4.5/5 -> 5/5.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
This album is nearly flawless. The only blotch is the preachy jesus children of america. Other than that each track is perfectly placed. 4.5/5 -> 5/5.
Leonard Cohen
2/5
Mindless wallpaper drivel. Other than some nice guitar, this seriously lacks substance. 2/5.
Gotan Project
1/5
This was and excessively long (even without the bonus tracks), repetitive movie soundtrack. Many of the tracks sounded like knockoff Sade instrumentals with some electronics and accordion thrown on top. Not even close to deserving a place on this list. 1/5.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
This album was good, definitely meant for a red-blooded blue-collar American. The hits stood out and some fell by the wayside. All together a good listen, seems like a cool dude. 3/5.
k.d. lang
3/5
A very o.k. album. She has a nice voice and there were some interesting musical concepts. 3/5.
Scott Walker
4/5
Scott Walker is an incredible songwriter and composer. I've loved his albums Scott 3 and Bish Bosh, but this was my first time listening to Scott 4. I was definitely impressed. The layered instrumentals across the album were certainly embellished a bit from Scott 3, and the musical styling was more homogeneous than the chaotic mix on Scott 3. That being said, the small downsides of this were that the album was too clean, and the closer "Rhymes of Goodbye" didn't pack too much of a punch. All around great album though. 4/5.
Cat Stevens
3/5
This album is pretty good. I like Yusuf's voice and some of the songs were really great (Where Do the Children Play?, Longer Boats, Father and Son). Others were pretty forgettable. 3/5.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
I was excited to see this album pop up, as I knew Heads Will Roll and Zero well and really liked those songs. Unfortunately many of the other songs on this album pale in comparison. Good album overall, but I was expecting much better. 3/5
1/5
This album was not for me. It's rare to hear LPs with such dry, uninteresting sounds. This has no personality and none of the songs stood out. I really don't think I can give this higher than a 1. 1/5.
Orbital
4/5
A horrible album cover and name, but the Orbital folks have delivered another interesting album. The hypnotic beats and music keep me entranced. This will be good for working. 4/5.
Tears For Fears
3/5
This album was good, though the singles really keep it afloat. That being said Shout, Everybody and Head Over Heels are bangers. 3/5.
Fever Ray
3/5
I've always liked the Knife, but this album never really wowed me. On relisten I wish there was more variety across the tracklist. Still good, but could be better. 3/5.
Holger Czukay
3/5
This was an interesting listen. Cool In the Pool is an interesting juxtaposition with the other songs on the album. I like his voice, and appreciated the experimental nature of the album. Oh Lord and Persian Love we're not as interesting to me as cool in the pool and Hollywood. 3.4/5 -> 3/5
Nick Drake
5/5
Honestly, this album is pretty incredible. I hadn't heard anything from Nick Drake before, but the depth of composition on these tracks is impressive, his voice is great, and the album is well structured. I feel like this will be a common rotation for me going forward. 4.5/5 -> 5/5
Christine and the Queens
3/5
This was an interesting listen. First, it was WAY too long, given the content (it was listening to the same album twice, essentially). I certainly prefer the second half of the album that is mostly in French. This is not the first case of releasing two versions of the same album in different languages, so I'm not sure why this is here. Side A: 3/5. Side B: 3.4/5. 3.2/5 -> 3/5.
Fela Kuti
3/5
This album had a lot of personality and soul, but was plagued by repetitious and drawn-out song structures. To make 20+ min songs interesting there needs to be a sticky moment that resonates with the listener and motivates relistening. This album didn't have that. A good listen generally but not one I'd soon go back to. 3/5.
The 13th Floor Elevators
1/5
...DOOKADOOKADOokadookadookadOOKADOOKADOOKADOOKADOOKADOOkadookadookadookadookadookaDOOKADOOkadookADOOKADOokadookadookaDOOKADOOKADOOKADOOKADookadookadookadOOKADOOKADOOKADOokadookadookadookadooka...
shit
1/5
Joy Division
2/5
Honestly, this album was an underwhelming bore. For an album that is so talked about and a cover that is so recognizable, I was truly expecting more. 2/5
Hanoi Rocks
3/5
This was a pretty good 80s rock album. I appreciated that some of the songs had hook that I could see myself returning to. Not bad. 3/5.
Tortoise
3/5
I've listened to the album TNT a number of times over the past few years and always thought that something was... missing. That is also the case on this album. I prefer instrumental music that is either: dramatic, ear catching, bombastic (Lift Your Skinny Fists, Earth 2, Fashion Week); or more subtle (Music for Airports, any Time Hecker or Phillip Glass). This middle of the road music (Tortoise, Explosions in the Sky) always feels lacking. 3/5.
Aretha Franklin
3/5
A good, classic album with a few standout tracks. Chain of fools is always great and A Natural Woman was a great surprise. 3/5
Minor Threat
3/5
A good punk album. The opener Betray was good, but the closer Cashing in was great. Some of the songs in the middle were same-y. I may listen again. 3/5.
D'Angelo
5/5
D'Angelo is really beyond compare when it comes to interesting and catchy R&B. His more recent album Black Messiah won me over and is an easy 5/5 for me. Brown Sugar may be a bit more traditional, but the songs are catchy, and break the mold of what you'd typically think is an R&B song. I have few complaints about this album, other than it wasn't as experimental as Black Messiah (but BM came out almost 20 years later!) 4.5/5 -> 5/5.
George Harrison
3/5
This album was purely ok. Few songs stood out and many were far too preachy, but not bad. 3/5.
Sister Sledge
4/5
This was a great disco album. The bass was addicting and the vocals were beautiful and powerful. There were just a few songs that didn't grab much attention. Otherwise extremely solid. 4/5.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
I've been pretty critical of all of the Neil Young on this list, but honestly this one is pretty great. The instrumentals are the majority of the album, and I enjoyed the rock. Good vibes. 3.7/5 -> 4/5
The Pogues
2/5
My oh my that was dull. If I wanted to listen to an elevated version of that style I'd listen to "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. Really no peaks and a few troughs throughout the runtime. 2.4/5 -> 2/5.
Beatles
4/5
I've been critical of how the Beatles are overrated in the context of modern music, but this album was really good. Certainly it didn't have a natural flow or a cohesiveness between the different tracks, but it showed the groups ability and interest in multiple genres. Not a perfect album, but very well done. 4/5.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
Reggae is a genre I haven't gotten too deep into. All around this album was ok. Good vibes but not much else. 3/5.
Radiohead
4/5
I've listened to this album for years and have liked it. Most of the songs are phenomenal but there are a few underwhelming moments. 4/5.
The Black Crowes
2/5
A boring southern rock album with the most interesting song being a cover of an Otis Redding original. Not impressed, though it wasn't the worst I've heard on here. 2/5.
The Rolling Stones
2/5
There is far too much rolling stones on this list. Like I said before, their style is very dry and uninteresting. There are hardly any memorable songs other than shine a light. 2/5.
Kings of Leon
1/5
There is no universe where this pandering, underwhelming, sack of shit of an album should be in the top 1001. Kings of Leon clearly intended for Sex on Fire and Use Somebody to be the singles (both of which are not interesting nor good), with the rest of the album padded by bad songs with repetitive lyrics, grating vocals and basic song structures. This is an all time low on this list so far, and I sincerely hope the author removed this album to make room for other albums. 0/5 -> 1/5
The Sugarcubes
3/5
That was an interesting listen. Of course Bjork totally stole the show on this, but it was cool to see her back in her early days. It was pretty fun an experimental. Some of the songs were repetitive or fell flat for me, but all around a worthwhile listen. 3/5
Franz Ferdinand
3/5
This is a good enough album. I'd listened to the singles off of it since I was young, and while the rest of the album didn't match up to the singles they at least tried. 2.5/5 -> 3/5
Todd Rundgren
2/5
This album was fine, but a double album was entirely unnecessary. Most of these songs were alike, and they all melded together. I didn't find it unique nor engaging, outside of a few tracks. Bloated listen but not unpalatable. 2.4/5 -> 2/5
I listened to this behemoth again today and feel the same. Just props for him doing this mostly by himself.
Miles Davis
5/5
The perfect, experimental jazz rock album. Timeless classic. I loved reading about the recording process. 5/5
Bauhaus
4/5
This album was very impressive to me. Despite being released in the early 80s it has a very modern sound (like a grittier version of Depeche Mode's Violator). The random dog noises that screech at you twice is a good touch. All in all I'm a fan. 4/5
Janelle Monáe
5/5
This album was phenomenal. Her voice is amazing, the amount of genres is incredible, the album is dramatic and well sequenced. Great listen and an easy classic to throw on repeat. 5/5
Bobby Womack
3/5
This album was pretty good, but the CLEAR standout imo is "So Many Sides of You". All around this was a pretty sensual listen. Not sure how often I'll come back to this one but not a bad listen. 3/5
John Prine
2/5
Repetitive with stupid lyrics and boring themes. Really not that great other than a few of the instrumentals. 2/5.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
2/5
A very plain and uninspired album. Ok songs. 2.4/5=> 2/5
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
2/5
I never want to hear another Neil Young album in my life. It's absurd that he has >10 slots on this list of 1001 albums and only ~75 albums have been added from between 2001 and 2021. 2/5.
Doves
3/5
There is some technical skill here, but if I wanted to listen to Coldplay (which I never do) I'd listen to Coldplay. 2.5/5 -> 3/5
Fishbone
3/5
A pretty good and interesting funk/ska album. Wouldn't listen again, but it is innovative. 3/5
Deep Purple
4/5
This album really impressed me. I love the songs where they have more of a hard-rock lean rather than a blues-rock lean. Highway Star is a great opening track and Space Truckin' is a good closer. Smoke on the water is a tad overplayed and simplistic but still good. The only song I wasn't a huge fan of was Lazy. All around great album. 3.5/5 -> 4/5
The Flaming Lips
5/5
This album is a classic that I've listened to for years. It's well sequenced, has good balance in song type, and has great hits. The album art is phenomenal. Some of the songs are a little forgettable, but this album mostly does a perfect job. 4.5/5 -> 5/5
Björk
4/5
Debut is a very special album. It certainly has a feeling of Bjork finding herself after the Sugarcubes era, exploring a number of styles and genres. The result is a bit messy, but certainly prevews the incredible talents that would make Homogeneous, Vespertine, Biophilia and Vulnicura (albums closer to a 5). For this one, 4/5.
Pixies
2/5
I'm a big grunge fan and hoped the pregenetor of the genre would be more standout, unfortunately the lo-fi garage aesthetic with meh sound construction and weak vocals across the board really didn't do it for me. Where is my mind is ok. 2/5
The Cardigans
3/5
This album was pretty solid. Fairly distinct tunes with a great singer and a unique sound. Lovefool is a classic and I liked Your New Cuckoo as an opener. 3/5.
Spiritualized
4/5
This was an interesting one. I found some of these moments transcendent. Others I felt like there could have been more drum presence to up the stakes as the song went on. Regardless, this album definitely got my attention and was a strong shoegaze presence. 3.7/5 -> 4/5
Can
3/5
I really, really like Ege Bamyasi by CAN which came out a year earlier. I feel like it has superior balance when it comes to catchy hooks and Krautrock instrumental passages. This album has a bit too much of the latter, making the album more of a jam session. Unfortunately, I can only give this a 3.3/5 -> 3/5.
Depeche Mode
3/5
This album surprised me, and not in a good way. Their subsequent album Violator is perfect, 5/5. This one suffers from forgettable songs, uninteresting instrumentals, and an ok vocal performance. I can only really give this a 2.5/5 -> 3/5.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
I'm always praying that I've listened to my last Neil Young album on this list, and am always disappointed.
Another basic-ass boomer rock album. 2.5/5 -> 3/5
Wire
3/5
Some really good punk rock. I've listened to this before and yet didn't recognize too much of it. There aren't too many hooks. But I like the vocals and instrumentals. It's weakest point is there isn't much distinction between songs sometimes. Otherwise not bad. 3/5
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
Honestly, I've listened to this a number of times over the years but this time I was surprised. I think I usually make it through the first half of the album, which is certainly "catchier", but the real quality of this album comes from the second half. Us V Them, Watch the Tapes, Sound of Silver and NY really elevate the album experience. Especially Sound of Silver which probably became my favorite track. While it's not perfect (the minimalist electronic instrumentals are more of a hinderancs in some places than a boon), still a really solid album. 4/5.
Lorde
4/5
This was exciting to see on here - I'd heard good things for years.
All in all it's a pretty strong album. Green Light, Homemade Dynamite, Liability, and Sober 2 through the end of the album are amazing. Sober, the louvre and hard feelings aren't all that great. Not perfect, but great listening experience. 4/5
Simple Minds
3/5
This album had some good spots, but generally this is utterly forgettable and not ideal for a list of this magnitude. Some good songs and bass riffs though. 2.5/5 -> 3/5
Keith Jarrett
3/5
I read the entire background of this record, and while it sounds impressive and really feels like the stars aligned to make it, it was just relatively drab. His piano playing must be more technical than I can perceive, because oftentimes I found specific passages oversimplistic and repetitive. These passages were so cheesy they sounded like they could act as the opener of an 80s sitcom. I also had the weird grunting and breathing sounds throughout the album - very immersion-breaking.
I'll give props for the accolades this album received and the unlikely way it was recorded, and acknowledge that many of the passages were more interesting and technical. But I can only go to a 3 for it's shortcomings. 3/5
Electric Light Orchestra
3/5
This is a good album, but it's really held up by Turn to Stone and Mr. Blue Sky. I also like the song Believe Me Now, though it's too short. Most other songs are meh or uninteresting, though Jungle is just plain bad. 2.5/5 -> 3/5.
Duke Ellington
5/5
This album was a really cool experience, and it's history really earned it the rating. I love the energy that these guys inspire from the crowd, especially during that insane sax solo on Diminuendo in Blue (the best song on the album). I really felt like I was transported back to this Jazz club. Very impressive album that I'll check back on for years to come. 5/5.
ZZ Top
3/5
That album was some o.k. blues rock. Better than being forced to listed to racist clapton. Not too bad. 3/5
Radiohead
4/5
I've listened to this album for almost 15 years now, and it has stood the test of time well. This album isn't necessarily cohesive, and instead comes off similar to it's album artwork - a series of loosely connected vignettes with similar themes. Yet it's through this style that this album stands out amongst Radiohead's catalogue of more seamless albums.
Some of the tracks are not as strong as others given this style of delivery, which lowers the overall score a tad, but all around an iconic album and a unique one in Radiohead's discography. 4.2/5 -> 4/5
A Tribe Called Quest
3/5
This album is pretty good. The jazzy elements have really stood the test of time, but the flows and lyrics haven't aged as well. 3/5.
Alice In Chains
5/5
From start to end, this album is a masterpiece. 5/5.
Kate Bush
2/5
This album was disappointing. Certainly it is experimental, but I don't believe that many of the tracks succeed is sounding *good*. Most of them combine strange instrumental palates and vocals in a way that is abrasive (and not in a challenging, fun way. In a grating way.) The three exceptions to this are Leave it Open, Houdini and Get Out of My House. Each of these tracks explored different registers of Kate's vocal range and really positively surprised me. Leave it Open was especially impressive. But only really liking 3/10 songs and appreciating the general experimental nature of the album only takes this to a 4/10. 2/5.
R.E.M.
3/5
Wow, this album is incredibly mid. His voice is interesting and some of the songs were relatively interesting, but very much a bore. 2.6/5 -> 3/5
Scissor Sisters
4/5
This was a really fun album, and I'm glad it was on this list. Take Your Mama took me back, and Filthy/Gorgeous was a great listen. I remember listening to their version of Comfortably Numb when I was going through a The Wall phase in 2008 or so. All in all a pretty solid album with just a handful of underwhelming tracks. 4/5
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
All around a good album with a bit of a ska twist. Not my favorite, but the vocals and instrumentals were a bit sticky and it was a unique listen. 3/5
Willie Nelson
3/5
A good vibe to this album. Willie has a great voice and a lot of passion. Good all around. 3/5.
T. Rex
2/5
This album was an absolute bore and a chore to listen to. The vocals were too processed, it was too plain without any interesting points in the songs. Not the worst on here, but more than deserving of a 2/5.
The Fall
3/5
I enjoyed how raw and hypnotic this album was. Rough around the edges garage punk vibe. I love the song No Xmas for John Quays. 3/5
Moby Grape
4/5
This album really caught me by surprise. Really great vocals, high quality recordings, and a unique sound for the time while also staying pretty catchy/accessible. The Spotify version isn't the correct version, I had to find it on YouTube. Really solid listen that I'll come back to some day. 4/5
The Beach Boys
3/5
I honestly have tried to listen to this album for years and have only been marginally impressed. Wouldn't It be Nice is an incredible opener and some other songs hit pretty well, but as an album experience it sounds more like a collection of singles of varying quality. Majority of tracks are strong. 3/5
Bad Brains
3/5
A pretty good album. Some songs were bops and I enjoyed the energy. Others were forgettable. Evens out to a 3/5.
Bob Dylan
3/5
A solid listen from Bob. Some classics on here, but overall conventional. 3/5
Eminem
3/5
A pretty good album. Eminem is clearly trying to be a troll in these songs with some hits and a number of misses. The skits/flows were mostly good. Some of the songs were too long and became uninteresting. 3/5
Blondie
2/5
A few good bops does not a good album make. The thought that came to mind while listening was "Isn't there six people on this album cover? Six people and they can't make more interesting music?" 2/5
Pet Shop Boys
5/5
I loved this album. From start to end it was full of so many interesting sounds and textures, and the music itself was so vibrant. Each song was destinct and creative. Honestly there were really no low spots for me, and I'm glad I discovered this through here. 5/5
Big Brother & The Holding Company
1/5
This music itself was mid, but honestly I question the judgement of any group that would give the o.k. to have several instances of blackface/Black caricatures on the cover (even in the 60s). I mean, that puts forward a pretty clear statement about what audience they'd like to listen to this. And I guarantee that audience is not the Black audience that revolutionized blues music and rock. 1/5
Beatles
2/5
An ok (though understandably simplistic and undercooked) piece of 60s pop. While I understand why it's on here, I think other Beatles albums are better spent on a list like this. 2/5
The Go-Go's
2/5
Two hit singles don't make an album one of the most important of all time. Similar gripe to that horrible Kings if Leon album. At least this album has some groove to it occasionally, though many of the songs sounded identical. 1.5/5 -> 2/5.
Pulp
1/5
The most drab, boring and tasteless bits of Bowie, Arcade Fire and Coldplay combined. This album was a slog and I couldn't wait for it to be over. No distinct style or personality of its own. 1/5
Lynyrd Skynyrd
3/5
All around a pretty good vibe. Tuesdays Gone is great and Free Bird is a phenomenal closer. Other than those the other songs were just a bit more interesting than wallpaper. 3/5
Laibach
2/5
I wanted to like this album, but that fact that multiple of the more interesting tracks were covers, and the rest of the songs were repetitive and uninteresting left a sour taste. The best part of this album is the album art. 2/5
Super Furry Animals
5/5
This album really blew me away. I was very impressed by the seamless mix of different styles and genres. "Receptacle for the Respectable" and "No Sympathy" really stood out as amazing surprises. I loved every song but "Presidential Suite", which was the clear low point on the album. All that considered, 12/13 is pretty damn impressive. 4.8/5 -> 5/5
The Incredible String Band
1/5
This was horrible. Diddling and unstructured nonsense with weak vocals and uninteresting songs. To top it off it was much longer than it deserved to be. One of the worst albums I've heard on here. 1/5
The Cars
3/5
I didn't realize how many hits were on this album. All around good. The ones that didn't gain much attention were just ok, but the star power of the big songs elevate the album a bit. 3/5
4/5
This was a challenging, technical album that definitely took a lot of skill to pull off. It sounds very ahead of it's time: I hear some examples of sounds that would pop up later on Radiohead albums. I've gone back several times and have gone between a 2 and a 4. Given the aforementioned skill and some fun hooks that keep me coming back, this is a 3.5/5 -> 4/5
Femi Kuti
3/5
This was a pretty meh album. His voice is great and the music is pleasant enough, but 73 mins of unrelenting upbeat sound that really doesn't vary much in it's structure is exhausting. 2.5/5 -> 3/5
Bill Evans Trio
3/5
This is some serious "cool jazz". It's goodish but very safe and predictable, which isn't necessarily my jam. Easy music for the background when guests are over for a winter cocktail party. 3/5
Jane's Addiction
3/5
I generally liked this album. I really liked his voice specifically. Some songs went on a bit, but I really enjoyed a few, namely Then She Did... and Been Caught Stealing. 3/5
Bonnie Raitt
3/5
Very meh, ok album. The blues elements were pretty good, the country elements less so. 2.5/5 -> 3/5
Bruce Springsteen
1/5
What horrible, preachy, dribble. Sure, put this on a top 1001 albums to play in church, but not of all time. It's cool he released this as a tribute to 9/11, but really the song quality here is so basic and simple, with an aggressively christian lean that makes the whole thing cheesy and unbearable. His "Blue Collar" stuff from the old days is much more palatable. 1/5
Duran Duran
2/5
Rio is a 5/5 song and Hungry Like the Wolf is a classic, but the rest of the songs just bloat the album. The vocals are too washed out, the songs are samey and uninteresting. 2.4/5 -> 2/5
The Doors
3/5
A good album. Very consistent. No high highs, no low lows. Morrison's voice is always great. 3/5
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3/5
This album had a lot of different styles, that made it hard to distinguish this bands style compared to its contemporaries. All around a pretty good album though. I liked the personality of the lead singer. 3/5
Aretha Franklin
4/5
A very great and compelling album. Really no low points, just the fact that it's very simple in nature holds it back. But will keep listening. 4/5
The Offspring
1/5
I really grew up liking the song Come Out and Play. Self Esteem never did it for me. The rest of this album is not good. Thin instrumentals with very similar songs throughout. The punk aesthetic is not appealing, the post-grunge aspects are grating, and the ska is obnoxious. Not one I'd ever listen to again. 1.4/5 -> 1/5
Richard Hawley
2/5
I had high hopes for this album, but it really ended up being a one-trick pony. No variation on his delivery or instrumentals for 46 mins was a pretty grating experience. 2.4/5 -> 2/5
Grant Lee Buffalo
2/5
This is not a good album. Generic singer/songwriter music that sounds exceptionally derivative of David Bowie (though a watered down version). 1.5/5 -> 2/5
The Rolling Stones
2/5
This album was ok. Some of the songs were fairly good, and some were forgettable and uninteresting. All together below average. 2.4/5 -> 2/5
Deerhunter
3/5
All around an interesting and ethereal listen. There were some songs on this that were amazing, beautiful drones; Others were uninteresting indie pop. Overall a favorable impression. 3/5.
The United States Of America
4/5
Impressive. A combination of a number of great styles, and a very avant garde style for the time. The vocals and instrumentals were great. All around not a perfect album (some of the songs ran a bit similar) but still very good. 3.5/5 -> 4/5
Dire Straits
3/5
Pretty good. The hits were solid, I liked the longer, instrumental songs mixed in. I may go back occasionally for the vibes, but just o.k. overall. 3/5
Sigur Rós
5/5
One of the easiest fives so far. A whimsical and beautiful postrock/artrock/dreampop masterpiece. Every song is lush and compelling and sounds destinct. 5/5
Fleetwood Mac
4/5
Honestly, I think that many of these albums are significantly overrated. And while this one's rankings near the top of the list is a bit too much, I understand most of the hype.
It's rare to have an album so packed with distinct hits that have stood the test of time and are this well sequenced.
Sadly, one of the members clearly didn't pull their weight (looking at you, Christine McVie), putting three dull songs into the album (Songbird, You Make Loving Fun, Oh Daddy). That and Gold Dust Woman is a pretty meh closer. If Christine McVie's solo songs were removed and Gold Dust Woman was improved, this would be an easy 5. Unfortunately, those blemishes reduce the score. 4/5
Public Image Ltd.
2/5
A very grating and uninteresting listen overall. Some sections were ok, but mostly this was one of those times I couldn't wait for the album to end. 1.7/5 -> 2/5
Fleetwood Mac
1/5
This was night and day from Rumors. No cohesion, no chemistry in the members. The songs were universally uninteresting. And to top it off it is >70min. Christine McVie put on as bad/sleepy a performance as ever and was far more prevalent. Bad listen and shouldn't be on this list. 1/5
Billy Bragg
4/5
This album was very moving and complitative. Lyrics aside, it had me reflecting on some of the saddest and happiest times of my life. The lyrics themselves were great and really represented some positive political messages. Some of the songs were less interesting than others, but all around this was a good listen. Though I doubt I'd ever have the emotional bandwidth to listen again. 3.5/5 -> 4/5
Talking Heads
2/5
I really don't understand why this album is on this list. It really seems to be The Talking Heads looking for their style. There are very few interesting songs, and David's vocals don't even shine on this album. Other than a handful of groovy moments, disappointing and should not be on this list. 1.7/5 ->2/5.
The Stone Roses
5/5
This album is exceptional. The Stone Roses both really captured the sound of their points of inspiration from the 60s and 70s, and also made an airy/atmospheric listen unique to both the 80s and 90s. There are so many peaks on this record, but "Bye Bye Bad Man", "I am the Resurrection" and "Fools Gold" are flawless in my eyes. A joy to listen to, and I go back at least once a month. 5/5
Nico
3/5
I've listened to the Velvet Underground and Nico for years and have my own thoughts on that album, but this was the first time I'd listened to Nico solo material. It was ok. The strings are lush, but the other instruments and Nico's vocals are fairly sparce. It was a good vibe while on, but other than that just fine. 3/5
Pixies
4/5
After the last Pixies album I got I was unsure how much I would like this. Turns out Doolittle is a significant improvement on its predecessor! Most of the songs are great, and while it doesn't veer too far out of its comfort zone it is a good listen while it's on. 4/5
Ryan Adams
1/5
What an insufferable collection of ear numbing muzak. I can't believe this charted anywhere in the world. I can't believe how basic and uninspired each individual song was, and what a tedious experience listening to the whole album was. The fact that this was shorter than anticipated and was still 70 minutes of this shit is something else. 1/5
Sam Cooke
4/5
The crowds enthusiasm really gives this album a leg up - it's a really fun snapshot into how a live venue must have sounded at the time. Some songs have become a bit dated, but generally a fun album. 4/5
Mudhoney
3/5
A grunge original. While I prefer later grunge with better hooks and production value, the core tenants are here and done well. 3/5
William Orbit
3/5
A chill Morcheeba-esque album. Very calming and will be good for working. 3/5
Metallica
1/5
A horrible slough of an album. No progression, uninteresting song structures, tinny/grating instrumentals and annoying vocals that didn't change throughout the album. I'm super disappointed in this and am NOT looking forward to the other Metallica albums on this list. 1/5
Cheap Trick
2/5
Most of these songs were jams or just generally uninteresting, other than "Surrender" which was a pretty hype moment on this live album. Didn't outweigh the low-lights, though. 2/5
JAY Z
4/5
All around a solid album. A lot of the songs had solid instrumentals and I really liked his flow. Pretty impressive and I'll listen again in the future. 3.5/5 -> 4/5
Norah Jones
3/5
A pretty good listen. It's pretty drawn-out and one-note at times, but she is an amazing vocalist. 3/5
Metallica
3/5
This was much better than their self-titled album. Fewer songs which were more distinct. Battery and Master of Puppets were great opening tracks. The only thing holding it back is just how samey his vocals are on every track and how dated and compressed the instrumentals are. 3/5
The Shamen
3/5
A good enough listen that fills the background. The sounds have dated a bit but a fun nostalgic listen. No complaints. 2.7/5 -> 3/5
The Dandy Warhols
3/5
Generally, this was a good album. I really liked the songs that were a bit more atmospheric and ambient in nature. The song "Last Junkie" was AWFUL and dragged the album down a bit. That and the run time was about 20 mins too long. 3/5
Kraftwerk
4/5
I generally this Kraftwerk is a bit too repetitive, but on repeat listen I kinda get it. Front to back a futuristic experience that pulls you in. A pleasant listen I'll come back to. 4/5
Portishead
5/5
This album is an absolutely critical listen. From front to back it is perfect. It pushed the envelope for it's time, and very few albums or artists have come close since. It is still the trip-hop standard next to Mezzanine by Massive Attack. 5/5
Roxy Music
3/5
I was surprised at the quality of this. I never heard Roxy Music before and generally found thelis album to have a diverse array of styles and (usually) more of a modern sound. Some songs came off as a bit dated and underwhelming but all around good. 3.2/5 -> 3/5
Grateful Dead
1/5
My initial thought seeing this album: "damn it, this is going to be a two hour long dad-rock jam session, isn't it?"
I was almost spot on. This has to be one of the most bloated and uninteresting records in here. A misguided mess, guised as the pinnacle of "improvisation". All they did was stop playing the cohesive sections of their songs that they rehearsed them let the guitarist diddle around a bit every time. This is the epitome of an album that should NOT be on this list. I was hoping for it to be over the minute it started, what a waste of my time. 0/5
3/5
This was an alright listen from War. It was less bumping then I'd have hoped for and not super memorable. Not exactly sure why this is on here but not horrible. 2.5/5 -> 3/5
The Police
2/5
Honestly, after message in a bottle this album never really regains its footing. The classic rock leaning ska approach just isn't for me. Some good moments but overall unimpressed.
The Lemonheads
2/5
A mediocre dad-rock album with no unique elements. It's a shame this is taking the place of other potential albums. The only redeeming qualities are that many of the instrumentals are at least average and it's relatively short. 1.8/5 -> 2/5
James Brown
3/5
A pleasant enough live experience. Few high-highs, no low-lows. 3/5.
The Fall
3/5
This album had some high points and some "meh" points. Does it belong on this list? Probably not. But ok listen nonetheless. 2.8/5 -> 3/5
Kanye West
3/5
It's so funny/sad how Kanye's albums act as portraits of a man's rise and fall, and how money power and fame can corrupt people. The general concept of this album is great. I love the skits and find them hilarious, and I enjoy a lot of the songs. Unfortunately this album suffers significantly worse bloat than MBDTF. Every song is about 1-2 mins too long, and many tracks on the second half of the album weren't entirely necessary. That being said I generally enjoyed the album. 3/5
Queen
3/5
A good album I've listened to off and on over the years. A few duds in the mix (White Queen, The Loser in the End, Some Day One Day) and some that are a bit too theatrical (The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke, Seven Seas of Rhye). But most of the other tracks are good to phenomenal (Father To Son, Ogre, last 2 mins of Black Queen). I may have to listen again before I rate.
Listened again and my rating generally went down. But still not bad. 3/5
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
Not too shabby. Not the most engaging or dynamic listen, but some ear-catching tracks nonetheless. Not as intriguing as "It's Blitz!". 3/5.
The Electric Prunes
2/5
I can't believe this album was <30mins, it felt like it went on forever. Songs were immediately forgettable and generic. Absolutely ridiculous placing on the list. There are a few songs that were mildly interesting, but that's about it. 2/5
Def Leppard
3/5
An o.k. 80s hair metal album with a few interesting moments. Woo. 2.5/5 -> 3/5
Massive Attack
3/5
I love massive attack, though have never thought Blue Lines is even close to being their best album. Some songs are masterful, but then you have horrible duds like One Love. Net positive of an album, but give me a Mezzanine or Heilgoland any day. 3.4/5 -> 3/5
The Last Shadow Puppets
3/5
Despite this being a supergroup of well known individuals, of an album with well played rock instruments with lush string embellishments, this album was relatively forgettable. I've listened to it 3 times now and when done i cant remember any distinct moments. Not bad by any stretch but a bit too derivative of other bands and styles without its own personality. 3/5
Kraftwerk
2/5
Honestly, not a very good album. The repetition was a bit more refined and less jarring on The Man Machine. On TEE the electronics are more muted and less vibrant, and the repetition is maxed out. 2/5
The Sabres Of Paradise
2/5
I'm a fan of electronic music generally, but this is so uninteresting. Aphex Twin was releasing music around the same time that was leagues more complex and better constructed. Not the worst on this list but shouldn't be here. 2/5
Stan Getz
2/5
Musak-jazz with very little bite. Sits in the background but does not mean to be ambient. A weak piece of cool jazz. 2/5
Elliott Smith
3/5
It was almost nauseating how color-in-the-lines this album was. Every buildup and swell felt very forced. He used the same formula for building drama in at least 7-8 songs (the strings coming in and him repeating his vocals). Reusing this formula is what made the second to last song lose it's impact. All elements considered he has a good voice and the album wasn't garbage, just a little too "safe" and white-bread to be expected on a list like this. 2.7/5 -> 3/5
fIREHOSE
2/5
A great bass player can only get a band so far. Most of these songs were a diddling, scratching, low-fidelity mess. 2/5
Beck
2/5
I grew up listening to this album but unfortunately it hasn't aged well. Only the hits have stood the test of time, including: Devils Haircut, the New Pollution, Where it's At, and High 5. Outside of those, the songs were underwhelming or too "experimental" for their own good. 4/14 songs is not a good ratio (1.4/5), however the quality of the good songs bumps the up a tad. 2/5
Pink Floyd
5/5
The song(s) Shine on You Crazy Diamond are some of the best composed and atmospheric rock songs to-date. The song Wish You Were Here is beautiful in its simplicity. Have a Cigar and welcome to the machine are about 3/5 for me. Considered as a whole, while this isn't their most seamless listening experience, a damn good album. 4.5/5 -> 5/5.
George Michael
3/5
A middling poprock album. I'll give George props for mixing up the styles, though his vocals came off very airy and weak sometimes. Didn't overstay it's welcome but wasn't the best while it was on. 3/5.
Antony and the Johnsons
5/5
I had to listen to this album at least four times to fully appreciate all of the depth and nuiance. What a haunting and beautiful album. Anohni has such a unique voice, and she really structured the album well. Great experience and will listen again and to more of her works. 5/5
Funkadelic
4/5
A pretty good and groovy album. The doo doo song was a bit too long and tedious for my taste...
Relistened and actually loved "Promentalshitbackwashpsychosis Enema Squad (The Doo Doo Chasers)" - the juxtaposition of the filthy chaotic chanting and the beautiful melodic and hypnotic guitars and vocals is cool, and I like that they take turns going up and down in the mix. Fun album overall though some songs stood out a bit less than others. (4/5)
Bob Dylan
3/5
Another mid-tier album from a certain era. The issue with Bob songs is they often ramble in far to long. Some good passionate singing throughout though. 2.8/5 -> 3/5
Big Star
2/5
Occasionally adding strings/piano/woodwinds to crappy alternative music does very little to make the final product good. The uninspired cover if femme fatale and the fact that there are a ton of different versions of this album with the tracklist shuffled along makes me question the integrity of this as an album-listening experience. Not great. 2/5
Dire Straits
3/5
A good classic rock album. Sultans of swing was a clear stand out but good all around. 3/5
Funkadelic
5/5
This album is phenomenal from front to back. The song Maggot Brain itself is a perfect song and intro to the album, taking you through a well sequenced rest of the project ending in another experimental and instrumental track. 5/5
Eric Clapton
1/5
A bad blues album comprised of a bunch of half-assed covers. One of the only "original" tracks is a rip off of stairway to heaven's iconic chord progression. Simple said, this is a shitty album by a talentless bigot. 1/5
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
A very beautiful and haunting album. I've very impressed with the ambient and atmospheric nature of most of these tracks. Dragged a bit sometimes and his voice is meh but very good. 4/5
Queen
5/5
A perfect album, front to back. They really nailed down their sound on this album, one of my favorites. 5/5
Q-Tip
3/5
This was a refreshing change from the usual British dad boomer bops. The beats were great and the mixing, and electronics were really nice, I'm just not big into Q-tips flow or presence. It was just a bit one-dimensional for my taste, and he was easily outshined by D'Angelo and Norah Jones. All around a good listen. 3/5
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
A very straightforward and generally uninteresting rock/pop album of the time. At its best when Bruce is singing passionately. At its worst when the repetitive portions come in. It felt exceeding long. 2.5/5 -> 3/5
Miles Davis
3/5
A really good album by a jazz great. Not jaw dropping or iconic, but good nonetheless. 3.3/5 -> 3/5
Rahul Dev Burman
3/5
Pretty good considering it's a soundtrack. Some songs would be better accompanied by visuals, others are stand alone. 3/5
The Triffids
1/5
For coming out in the late 80s, this sure comes off as a derivative copy of several 70s and 80s artists. The difference is this sounds like a copy of those artists at their worst. A mediocre vocalist, forgettable songs that drag on and on. Really there is very little to like about this album, so it's a shame it is on a list like this. I'm glad that I realized "Save What You Can" is the true ending of the album as I was starting to be miserable. 1.2/5 -> 1/5
Madonna
2/5
I really wanted to like this album, but honestly found it exceptionally dull. I tried to listen and relisten about 7 times until I finally made it all the way through. Other than the title song, the others were repetitive and not musically interesting. The lyrics and concepts were overall good. 2/5
Talking Heads
3/5
I've never been huge into Talking Heads. This album sounds pretty alike to their other releases. Not bad but probably won't come back to it after this list. I appreciate some of the funkier bits. 3/5
Brian Eno
4/5
Brian Eno is a master of subtlety, though I think this was a slight step back from the progress he made on Another Green World. The atmospheric/ambient elements of this album weren't as well balanced as the tracks on the album, and both the instrumental and lyrical songs have a bit less sticking power. However, this is still a great album in it's own right. I would have just chosen to omit it on such a list to leave breathing room for Here Come the Warm Jets, Another Green World and Ambient 1. 3.7/5 -> 4/5
The Bees
3/5
This is one of the few albums that made the cut for this list a handful of times before being cut. It's an ok album, very homemade standard indie rock with a nice enough vibe. 3/5
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
3/5
I was expecting to hate this but was pleasantly surprised. It has a nice sound and the song styles are varied and interesting. Buddy Holly has a good voice. All around not bad. 3/5
Megadeth
3/5
The Megadeath album(s) I had before didn't impressive me, but I thought this one was well constructed and had quite a bit of variety in it's sound. All around pretty good. 3/5.
The Kinks
3/5
A solid album though sounds very much like many of it's contemporaries. No complaints though. 3/5
Neil Young
3/5
Another Neil Young. My god it never ends. I actually thought this one was ok, but WAY too many on this list. 3/5
Joan Armatrading
3/5
Pretty good album. Not especially ground breaking but I like her voice and no complaints. 2.5/5 -> 3/5
Tom Waits
5/5
I really had to chew on this album. I listened to this years ago and didn't think too much of it. Now I think I'm beginning to understand the full picture. Most songs on it are really phenomenal, it's really just the couple of NOLA style saloon jams that are almost a bit of a caricature that detract from the whole.
That being said, my impression of Rain Dogs only continues to improve with time, and I'm really glad I can appreciate it now. 4.5/5 -> 5/5
Eagles
2/5
I really wanted to give the eagles a chance, but this album was disappointing even with low expectations. The musicianship and instrumentals were laughably basic at most points, and the songs were mostly forgettable. The lyrics were the worst part, cheesy and cringe, especially when talking about women. "Chug All Night" and "Most of Us Are Sad" were the clear low points. The some of the songs did have a pleasant vibe when I turned out the lyrics. 2/5
Nirvana
5/5
One of the all time best live albums. The acoustic environment, dialogue from Kurt and the guys, and a setlist that includes unique covers and unexpected songs (and almost no "hits") is so Nirvana. Where Did You Sleep Last Night may even be one of their best songs. My only gripe is the song Pennyroyal Tea which I've never been huge on. Otherwise perfect. 4.8/5 -> 5/5
Throwing Muses
2/5
A pretty meh listen. No real standouts other than the last few mins of Flying (the last song). Not really deserving of a spot on this list. 2/5
Afrika Bambaataa
3/5
I'll give them props, this was quite the endeavor to make this sound in the mid-80s. It was very unique, and interesting how they worked with Kraftwerk. Also turns out "Renegades of Funk" by RATM is a reimagining of this track - didn't know that, but I appreciate the original. All around it's not great, but I understand why it's on the list. 2.5/5 -> 3/5
Aphex Twin
5/5
A masterpiece of electronic and ambient music that stands up to any album in 2024. 5/5
The Band
2/5
An underwhelming album. More organ does not equate to more quality. 2.4/5 -> 2/5
M.I.A.
3/5
A bunch of 4 songs and 2 songs from a controversial artist. 3/5
Adam & The Ants
1/5
A truly disappointing album. Completely derivative of Here Come the Warm Jets era Brian Eno, but to the point of sounding like a bad cover band. Tribal drums cannot make this album more interesting, and only acted as silver lining to an otherwise repetitive and uninteresting mess. 1.4/5 -> 1/5
Michael Jackson
3/5
For an album that is as iconic as this, it's pretty clear that consistency across the tracklist is not the draw here. Four categories are apparent:
Amazing tier: Thriller, Beat It, Billie Jean
Good tier: Wanna be Startin' Something, PYT
Meh tier: Baby Be Mine, Human Nature, The Lady In My Life
The Girl is Mine tier: The Girl is Mine
Despite the inconsistency, and the fact that TGIM exists, it still has some classic bops and good tracks and needs to be on this list. Just certainly NOT Michael Jackson's best. 3/5
Django Django
2/5
An underwhelming listen. I had high hopes, but most of the tracks were just the same group harmonies and meh instrumentals. Not horrible but not needed on this list. 2.4/5->2/5
Slade
1/5
Laughably bad. I swore this was a parody album until I looked them up. Horrible lyrics, painfully derivative vocals and instrumentals - every song felt worse than the last. A truly bad experience. 1/5
Alice Cooper
3/5
I was prepared to give this a 1 just given a preexisting impression of Alice Cooper, but honestly that was unfounded. This was a solid album - well-sequenced, diverse musical styles that all had a cohesive sound, and a pretty solid second half. Unfortunately, there were a few low points: Luney Tunes, Gutter Cat, Street Fight and Public Animal #9 were less than impressive. I especially thought the west side story nods in the album were tacky. Grande Finale was a great closer. All around a net positive: 3.4/5 -> 3/5
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
90s hip-hop is always hit and miss for me, and I've listened to the Low End Theory and Midnight Marauders off and on over the years and have never been that impressed. That being said, this is a very impressive debut album for the group that I prefer to those other releases. The sampling was great, the lyrics were good, and the jazz elements fit well. 3.5/5 -> 4/5
Boards of Canada
5/5
Really a transcendent and flawless album from front to back. 5/5
Dirty Projectors
1/5
I really hated this, but acknowledge it's probably a personal preference thing. I find the lead singers voice to be shrill, with an effect on my ears reminiscent of styrofoam. The backing vocalists cooing and yelping are tedious and gets under my skin. The instrumentals are proficient and technical (I'll give them that), but the meandering flow, and changing time signatures and tempo in top of my other criticisms made this album unlikeable, and virtually unlistenable. The last 30 seconds of the album were very good. But certainly a net-negative experience. 1.3/5 -> 1/5
Led Zeppelin
3/5
I've listened to the album for years - it is good but certainly not their best. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You is a classic. Not an album experience I return to often, but good nonetheless. 3/5
UB40
5/5
This album really hit it out of the park for me. I'm not typically into Reggae/Ska as genres, but the lyrics, themes, beats, instrumentals and even subtle electronic elements really elevates this project. Thoroughly impressed. 5/5
Todd Rundgren
3/5
A messy messy album. I commend the vast array of musical styles that went into this. While I think it's generally disjointed and chaotic, this album was certainly cutting edge. 3/5
The Cure
3/5
I enjoyed the subtlety of this album. Not too bombastic or standout, but pleasant enough in the background. 3/5
Lou Reed
1/5
Weak vocals, forgettable songs, and severely dated lyrics rendered this album embarrassing to listen to. Some good instrumentals keep it afloat (Perfect Day is a great song, and the last minute of Satellite of Love is really hypnotic), but I could get better versions of these experiences on a David Bowie release.
And the colored girls go: "Meh, I'll pass."
1.4/5 -> 1/5
Living Colour
4/5
I was afraid that this album was going to stand on the power of Cult of Personality but am pleased I was wrong! Some really great rock, with phenomenal vocals and story telling. A few songs toward the middle-back half that paled in comparison to some early tracks, but Which Way to America is a great closer. 4/5
3/5
I don't hate it, but it certainly comes off as generic garage rock/punk adjacent music. Some songs stood out, but overall pretty flat. 2.5/5 -> 3/5
Frank Sinatra
3/5
A good listen that only suffers due to the passage of time. His voice is good and the instrumentals are nice, I just wish there was a bit more variety and less covers for the length. 3/5
Incubus
2/5
This album suffers from being both post-grunge and nu-metal at the same time. Really cheesy, unappealing, dated songs other than a few exceptions. 2/5
Various Artists
4/5
A good Christmas album that has quite a few singles in constant rotation. Is it meant to be an album experience? Not at all (especially compared to a '5' like the Charlie Brown Xmas soundtrack). But good listen nonetheless and appreciate the staying power of some of these songs. 4/5
Paul Simon
3/5
Really just o.k. all around. I actually much prefer his Hearts and Bones album to this. This album reads as derivative and soulless, like he was creatively bankrupt then decided to adapt the music of South African and African American artists to refresh his sound and capitalize on the apartheid press. I'm sure this wasn't intentional, however the result is an album that, while sounding good, doesn't represent Paul Simon. 2.7/5 -> 3/5
David Bowie
3/5
A good album but really pales in comparison to the other albums in his discography. The disco elements are nice and show his adaptability. 3/5
Hot Chip
4/5
A very interesting listen that I went back and forth on. On one hand I LOVE the electronic elements, and songs like These Chains, Night and Day (my god that's a banger) and Flutes are crazy good. On the other hand I really didn't like the indie elements at all, including Look at Where We Are and Let Me Be Him which are songs I really hated. All other songs were fairly good or just ok. The album structure was weird, in that the first half was ok, it peaked in the middle, then ended flat. All around I think Night and Day is what pushed this from a 3.4 to a 3.5, awesome song. 3.5/5 -> 4/5
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
3/5
A purely o.k. soft rock album. Some instrumentals that were maybe a bit influential to 90s bands like Radiohead. 3/5
The Velvet Underground
3/5
While Sunday morning is a great song, I've never been especially impressed with the rest of the album. Nico is underutilized, and Lou Reed, while a talented musician, is not a vocalist or lyricist I prefer. Not bad overall but not amazing. 3/5
The Who
3/5
Pretty good/mid 60s rock record. 3/5.
Tim Buckley
3/5
He had a great voice that was very reminiscent of his estranged son Jeff Buckley. The songs were very much 'meh' singer songwriter music with no clear standout tracks, but definitely a vibe. 3/5
Kraftwerk
5/5
When I got this album I groaned because I really didn't want to sit though another repetitious early electronic album from Kraftwerk (Trans-Europe Express was not for me, and Man-Machine had some highs and lows).
But honestly, Autobahn is clearly head and shoulders above the rest. The instrumentals and electronics are constantly changing and shifting, with a minimal use of vocals (which significantly decreases the repeatitious fatigue heard on other albums). Kometenmelodie 1&2 are perfect follow ups to the gargantuan track Autobahn, with #2 resulting in a moment of catharsis from 30 mins of buildup. Mitternacht is a great short little industrial transition to the fancifal and gentle closer that is Morgenspaziergang. I have no complaints, this album is very impressive. 5/5
Rush
3/5
I'm a huge prog fan (specifically 60s-70s prog) and I'd never listened to rush so thought this would be right up my alley. I was a bit disappointed, I felt like they didn't bring much of a unique sound of their own that so many other bands of the time did other than Geddy Lee's vocals. A fine album but a fading memory in prog history. 3/5
Morrissey
3/5
Morrissey seems to be a flvery enigmatic person. I think the music is overall pretty good, and had themes that are generally pretty interesting and progressive, I just feel like the instrumentals and song diversity is itself pretty one-note. Not bad and definitely piqued my interest, but not one to revisit often. 3.4/5 -> 3/5
Pink Floyd
4/5
Very rarely do I think it is imperative to listen to the first album of an artists discography to see how far they've come - Pink Floyd is certainly one of these cases. A totally unique sound from the Beatles clones of the time (and much of the other crap on this list). They truly excelled with their instrumentals and the depth of production on this album. The vocals are nonsensical and often childish which much can be attributed to Syd Barrett. Comparing this to how he directly influenced multiple of the bands biggest records as a theme (DSOTM, WYWH, TW) is mind boggling.
Not even close to the best album in the bands career, but a necessary piece of psychedelia history. 3.6/5 -> 4/5
The Smiths
2/5
A very plain album - I prefer Morrissey's solo work, though neither are that interesting. Unhappy Birthday was a kind of funny. 2.4/5 -> 2/5
John Lennon
1/5
Good god, what a nothing album. The lyrics were basic as hell and extremely repetitious. Really nothing to like about this one, even if the song "Imagine" has stood the test of time. 1/5
Kanye West
4/5
I listened to this years ago when industrial hip hop was a relatively new concept and I thought it was super messy. These days, while not being a perfect album, and paling in comparison to it's predecessors/contemporaries (The Money Store or Exmilitary by Death Grips should really be on this list) it really has grown on me.
This album really feels like the transition into the unstable side of his career, rapidly expanding from the structured themes of power and excess expored on MBDTF into chaotic godhood on this record - a chaos that would continue to affect and eventually plague later releases in his catalog and his personal life.
The record starts incredibly strong with On Sight, Black Skinhead, I Am a God, New Slaves (many of my favorite tracks on the album). Things dip a bit for Hold My Liquor through Guilt Trip, then pick up again for Send It Up and Bound 2.
Pretty impressive though it certainly has its flaws. 3.8/5 -> 4/5
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
It took me three listens to really understand what made this album/group unique. Great, deep vocals, and some interesting song structures and hooks. Some of the songs are pretty basic and uninteresting, and generally this album sounds like more of a 'vibe', but not bad. 3/5
Marty Robbins
5/5
I listened to this multiple times over the course of several days and it just kept growing on me more and more. I love the old West aesthetic and the timeless sound. Each song was very distinct for the time, each having it's own unique hook that on relistens I was excited to hear. I can't wait to go on a road trip through the plains and blast this album. 5/5
Lucinda Williams
2/5
Not ultra unique and does not veer far from safety. Some songs were nice enough but many were repetitive. Not a very engaging listen. 2/5
Jack White
3/5
An ok album from Jack. He definitely improved in later releases, but overall a net positive release. 3/5
Isaac Hayes
4/5
Pretty impressive listen - the influence that this one album has on so much later music is clear. It's insane to think this was released in 1969 with how modern it looks/sounds. Some bits drag on but overall I'm very glad I heard this album. 3.6/5 -> 4/5
The Gun Club
2/5
A couple of interesting moments that stood out as more "jazz" adjacent, and other moments where you could tell grunge music would eventually take inspiration. However all together it's a pretty shabby album that doesn't offer much in the way of an interesting listen. 2/5
Bob Dylan
4/5
Probably his best work. I really enjoy the overall album and think it has quite a few great tracks. Great sequencing too. The biggest thing that holds it back is it's repetitiveness at certain points. 4/5
The Louvin Brothers
1/5
Really tinny mandolin music with squeaky cartoonist country vocals. "The Pines" and the vibes can't save this one. 1.3/5 -> 1/5
Lauryn Hill
3/5
A good and ground-breaking album. While it makes sense that it's on this list, I don't find it ultra exciting in the second half, I find the barrage of skits with identical themes to be tedious, and only a few tracks were deeply memorable for me. 3.4/5 -> 3/5
The Who
2/5
An odd little album, and not especially in a good way? Apparently it was supposed to be a concept album, but I think with the cultural differences between the US and the UK and the passing of time much has been lost. 2.4/5 -> 2/5
Grizzly Bear
3/5
Pretty good all things considered. A little rough around the edges for my taste but not bad. 3/5
Fatboy Slim
3/5
The hits on here are very good (albeit a bit repetitive) and the other tracks are generally good. A groundbreaking album but not necessarily a top listen. 3.2/5 -> 3/5
The Rolling Stones
2/5
A big ol' album of covered songs, neat. Not that jaw dropping but not horrible. 2.4/5 -> 2/5
David Bowie
2/5
A thoroughly unimpressive rendition of other soul/funk/R&B of the time. Most of the tracks are forgettable other than the singles (which really aren't that good). Not his best work. 2/5
The Hives
1/5
A waste of 28 minutes.
There have been a number of poorly sequenced live albums on here that I thought were stupid additions to this list, but I can't believe a compilation album of bad garage punk songs from a one-hit-wonder band made the cut. At least live albums typically have a story or personality.
Really a huge disappointment and a contender for one of the worst uses of a spot on this list. 1/5
Steely Dan
3/5
Pretty good. Calm and safe music. Some tracks were better than others. The closing track was repetitive and weak, but a net positive experience. 2.5/5 -> 3/5
The Young Gods
3/5
A pretty strong start that mellows out quick in the middle and end. Not bad at all, but certainly inconsistent. 3/5
Digital Underground
1/5
What an awful album. I love modern hip hop and appreciate the rough patches we needed to get here, but damn. Over an hour of weird horny repetitive rapping in weird voices, with bad skits mixed in. 1/5
Nick Drake
4/5
Nick Drake was an amazing musician and vocalist. I'm constantly impressed with the high quality albums on this list. The only deficits are really that this album is too short, and they some of the songs in the middle of the album get slightly less memorable. Great music overall though. 4/5
Bill Callahan
3/5
The instrumentals were pretty good throughout with some exceptions, but I found the singing and lyrics to be very grating. Very repetitive, monotone and non-stop. Sometimes you need to give the music space to breathe man. Also I love a good long song, but that last song way WAY too long for how little it has to say and how repetitive it was. 2.5/5 -> 3/5
The Mars Volta
5/5
Amazing to see the Mars Volta in this list. The band is certainly the definition of an acquired taste, but if one can learn to enjoy/tolerate Cedric's vocals and appreciate Omars intricate musicality then you'll really see each one of their works as a masterpiece.
Deloused is often touted as the fan favorite, though I personally prefer most of the later releases of the band (if you liked this album DEFINITELY listen to at least "Frances the Mute" and "The Bedlam in Goliath", especially if you're a fan of funk music). That being said, the ideas presented on this album are foundational the the band, and I wouldn't change a thing. The only thing that pulls this back a bit from a solid five is that is doesn't go far enough - but definitely still rounds up. (Especially when all the competitors on this list are either The Byrd's, Neil Young, or unknown UK groups)
4.5/5 -> 5/5
The Jam
2/5
At first listen I found most tracks to be pretty toothless and forgettable. On second listen a few moments arose that I liked, but still not a listen I'd ever return to. All in all not horrible, but still just below average. 2.4/5 -> 2/5
Sex Pistols
2/5
I like most genres of music, but punk and post-punk are just not my thing.
Most of the tracks sound the same, using the same guitar passages and vocal delivery as in Anarchy in the UK (which is one of the o.k. songs). Pretty vacant wasn't bad either, but still an unimpressive album overall that would probably be more interesting live. 2/5.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
2/5
I really didn't enjoy this for the most part, though the size and scale is fairly impressive. I like how the first song started, but after that it became dull and lost it's luster. The punk elements did not help, of course. Make enough of an impression, but I really don't think this is a "must-listen". 1.5/5 -> 2/5
Little Richard
3/5
Pretty good. Pretty dated sound with that basic rock n roll style but that's to be expected from the 50s. 2.5/5 -> 3/5
3/5
All around a pretty good release from PJ. All around I found the songs pretty homogenous. Thom Yorke was of course a pleasant surprise. All around not bad. 3/5
Soundgarden
4/5
I love grunge, and Superunknown is no exception. Such great hooks and amazing and timeless songs. The song "Superunknown" has to be one of my favorite grunge songs of all time. That being said, the album is pretty bloated at 70 mins with several tracks towards the second half being less than memorable. Still though, a great listen all around! 3.7/5 -> 4/5
The Verve
2/5
This album was such a neutered mixture of both 90s radiohead and grunge music. Some nice string elements that you could definitely see translate to Bittersweet Symphony. 2.3/5 -> 2/5
The Byrds
3/5
I've given the Byrds a lot of shit because this author saw fit to include seemingly every one of their albums on this list, but honestly this one wasn't so bad. Minimal country elements, and more psychedelic folk rock with lyrics, samples and instrumentals that subvert expectations. Still could be a bit more interesting by going much much further outside of the box, but much much better than I had expected. 3/5
Eagles
3/5
I really was going in with negative expectations on this one given how overplayed the title track is, but it really wasn't all that bad. Catchy songs, some good themes... Not bad. 3/5
Travis
2/5
A muted, neutered alternative rock album that trembles in the shadow of it's predecessors. Some songs had a few budding ideas, but ultimately it fell short because it sounded like Pablo Honey era Radiohead, mixed with early Oasis about 9 years too late. 2/5
The Velvet Underground
2/5
I'm now convinced I dislike most things that came out of Lou Reed's head. The album actually started strong with the chanting "White light/White heat" elements on the first song. The vignette described in The Gift was also very good. After that things got either forgettable or annoying. Sister Ray is a tedious trash song which the experimental aspects were improved upon by kraut rock bands of the 70s.
All around a few moments of interest in another meh Reed album. 2/5
Air
4/5
A classic album that definitely sets a mood. A handful of less memorable tracks and the annoying "Sexy Boy" hold it back from its full potential, but the great tracks (especially Ce matin-là) really stand the test of time. 3.5/5 -> 4/5
Leonard Cohen
3/5
This was an interesting listen. Some really good songs ("First We Take Manhattan", "I Can't Forget"") some really meh songs ("Ain't No Cure for Love", "Take This Waltz", "Everybody Knows") and maybe the best/worst song I've ever heard ("Jazz Police"). All and all more good then bad I think. 2.8/5 -> 3/5
Spacemen 3
3/5
I really enjoy the subtlety of the vocals against the music - very mid-career Brian Eno-esque. Other than that though the songs were generally pretty though forgettable. More good than bad for sure. 3/5
Ghostface Killah
4/5
This was a pretty impressive listen. A lot of really catchy songs and good uses of features and skits. Pretty badass all around.
It'd have been nice itlf there was a bit more variety song to song and less dependence on J Dilla samples but I'll definitely go back again. 3.7/5 -> 4/5
Creedence Clearwater Revival
2/5
Really an ok southern rock album. Kind of boring to listen to - despite it's short length I was finding it hard to be interested in listening to it. 2.4/5 -> 2/5
Sonic Youth
2/5
This was too "post-punk" lo-fi garage for my taste. A couple of ok moments in the latter half of a few songs, but really can't give it more than that. 1.7/5 -> 2/5
Hole
2/5
This was an enormous disappointment. I love grunge and always heard Live Through This was pretty good, but after the great song "Violet" the album basically tanked. Some props to Love and the band for some energetic performances, but give me a Nirvana or Alice in Chains any day. 1.5/5 -> 2/5
Led Zeppelin
3/5
A good album, though certainly not Led Zeppelin's best. Some great hits and progression, and then you have bad tracks like The 🍋 Song and Living Loving Maid.
Still an all around positive experience. 3/5
De La Soul
3/5
Not bad - it was a bit bloated and while the skits were nice and short it didn't feel like they were used to their full potential. Some bops some flops. All around pretty good. 3/5
Hüsker Dü
3/5
Inoffensive alternate rock/"dad rock". Comes off as wallpaper but was never horrible to listen to throughout. 2.5/5 -> 3/5
The Dictators
2/5
While there is some good instrumentals in here, the lazy and sophomoric songwriting is very tedious. The two problematic titles on the album (while not entirely "problematic" in their content) are still juvenile. Not a great listen. 2/5
Arcade Fire
3/5
When I started this album I really thought it was gonna be a 5. The first five songs (through Empty Room) are phenomenal. Unfortunately City With No Children on the songs lose their luster and interest (11 songs). Not a great album from a sequencing perspective imo. 3/5
Jeff Buckley
3/5
A good singer songwriter album I've heard about for awhile now. Not bad but I found his voice to be pretty shrill. 3/5
Bob Dylan
3/5
A good album. Not many standout moments but not bad, though the first song was annoying. 2.7/5 -> 3/5
The White Stripes
4/5
Many of these songs are really top notch, just a few duds hold back the album (I Just Don't Know, Cold Night, Be the Boy). All around a great album though that I'm happy I listened to. 4/5
The Stooges
3/5
I wanted to hate it, but it really wasn't all that bad and was pretty experimental for the time. We Will Fall is certainly a failed attempt at something more profound, but still gotta give props. 3/5
The Boo Radleys
2/5
I wanted to like this, but honestly it was kind of a diddling mess. The styles throughout the album didn't meld well, and it sounded like uninteresting musical charcuterie. The vocals were soaked in reverb which didn't help. Some impressive instrumental work, and I like the elements of shoegaze and prog that are mixed in, but overall a negative experience. 2/5
The Beach Boys
3/5
Honestly, though there were no songs on here that were mind blowing, I was impressed by the variety and more serious topics. I guess I assumed most of the beach boys stuff was generally surface-level and vapid. Not bad. 3.4/5 -> 3/5
Rod Stewart
2/5
Really nothing stands out as special to this album. The most interesting this was probably the repetitive portion towards the end of the last song with the stand up bass. Generally underwhelming. 2.4/5 -> 2/5
Beastie Boys
4/5
I didn't go in thinking this was going to be good, but it ended up really impressing me! The songs were pretty varied, the sampling was pretty impressive, and I loved the rock elements that really came in on the second half of the album. 3.7/5 -> 4/5
George Jones
3/5
I really do seem to find many of these old county records kind of charming/a vibe. George Jones has a great voice, and the content of the songs are pretty unique. Pleasant album! 3.4/5 -> 3/5
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
I wanted to like this, but honestly found the vocals to be so repetitive that it became a tedious listen. The instrumentals were generally strong, but not enough to enjoy listening for an hour. 2.4/5 -> 2/5.
The Monks
3/5
While punk is one of the genres I typically do not care for, this proto-punk album was actually pretty varied and interesting. Not bad. 3/5
Amy Winehouse
5/5
This album is a masterpiece. It's so short, but every second of each track is meticulously crafted to describe the emotional rollercoaster of losing love, while also threading in a consistent undertone of addiction (to both the person, and alcohol). Each song is completely distinct and stands on it's own merits, but the track list is very cohesive in its overall sound. There will never be another album quite like this album, and it's a goddamn tragedy Amy didn't have the opportunity to continue to grow her talent. 5/5
Björk
3/5
Pretty good, I generally like bjork but this one has never blown my socks off. Stonemilker is a great song and there are a few other good moments. Quicksand is a pretty underwhelming closer. But all around not bad. 3/5
Roxy Music
5/5
Wow. I assumed Brian Eno's best work was predominantly in his solo work, but this is damn well up there. I listened to Country Life before by Roxy Music and felt generally lukewarm towards it. But each song was really a standout here. The beginning is slightly more impressive than the end, but otherwise a great listen. 4.5/5 -> 5/5
Ananda Shankar
2/5
Really wanted to like this but it was generally middling sitar playing with some synths thrown in. The covers made me want to rate a 1 because they sounded like bad "Sitar Hero" versions, but Metamorphosis and Sagar both elevated it. 2.4/5 -> 2/5
The Human League
3/5
An up and down listening experience. Generally more positive/pleasant than bad. Like a discount Depesche Mode. 3/5
Don McLean
1/5
Really all this album has going for it is the title track. Some others sound like o.k. alternate versions of American Pie. Not that impressive if 1/10 songs is worth listening to. 1/5
Anthrax
3/5
This started strong but mellowed out a bit towards the end. The spoken vocals weren't as strong and the heavier ones. All around not bad though. 3/5
Serge Gainsbourg
5/5
I loved this album for years, and really feel like it continues to stand out as a unique and beautiful piece of work.
I don't know any French so had no idea about the Lolita-esque "ick" factors with the concept. Unfortunately this initially soured my previous appreciation of the album and I have had a tough time listening through and connecting with the vocalists as much as I used to.
At the end of the day, I remind myself that these are characters in a story created by an artist who prides himself in being controversial. No children were harmed in the making of this album and the goal does not seem to be an "advocation" of the narrators egregious acts (though again I don't know French so can only read synopses and do not understand the nuisances of the language).
Reflecting on what initially drew me to the album: his voice is amazing, there is so much musical variation and depth across it's short runtime, it was and continues to be cutting edge, it's funky and expressive, and it all comes full circle through masterful sequencing. For a non-french speaker like me, what is there not to love? 5/5
Tori Amos
3/5
This started off strong, but over an hour of runtime it became a bit of ear fatigue with little variation. Still pleasant, and stuck the landing with Little Earthquakes, but could have been more engaging. 2.6/5 -> 3/5
Faust
4/5
A really great krautrock/shoegaze album. Not as many interesting hooks as a CAN album, but was engaging throughout and I'll listen in the future. 4.2/5 -> 4/5
Blur
2/5
Really not Damon Albarn's best work. Pretty boring and uninteresting outside of the first song, with a few exceptions. 2/5
Le Tigre
3/5
I was pretty impressed with this album. While I'm typically not the biggest punk fan, I found the lyrics to be great, the music to be unique and the beats to be pretty bumping. Not bad. 3/5
1/5
A bloated nothing of an album. The only song worth listening to was Chemical World which was instrumental. 1/5
Fairport Convention
3/5
Really not bad - a pleasant enough listen that took me several days to absorb. 3.2/5 -> 3/5
T. Rex
3/5
A very OK rock album. The jazz and string elements were pretty nice, though overall pretty plain. 3/5
The Police
3/5
Not a bad listen. Some songs stood out more than others, and a few were flops (my god and the mother song). Fine album. 3/5
Julian Cope
3/5
While it was all over the place and very long, it was definitely a unique experience. Some very high highs (eg safesurfer) and some meh mehs. 3/5
Elbow
2/5
A paint by the numbers average indie album. Unfortunately it had 2-3 "anthems" which just make my blood boil I hate them so much (Divorce being the worst offender). But there was good instrumentals throughout. All around not for me. 2/5
Dwight Yoakam
1/5
Shit bsginnung, shit middle and extra shitty end. Must be a bad album, and a waste of the longest 30 minus ever. 0/5
Jorge Ben Jor
2/5
Other than the song Taj Mahal, this album really didn't come off as distinct from skng to song. That straw in a cup noise was way too prevalent for me. Not the worst but kinda tedious nonetheless. 2/5
Joni Mitchell
2/5
I really wanted to like this more but found it pretty lackluster. The jazz and synthesizers were cool but there was a lot of meh moments throughout. It took me days to make it through so really didn't keep my attention well. 2.4/5 -> 2/5
Lenny Kravitz
2/5
I was pretty underwhelmed with this one - mostly made of forgettable tracks with eye-rolling lyrical clichés about love/peace etc. Easy going dad rock that hasn't aged too well. 2/5
Missy Elliott
3/5
Not bad, over 20 years old and still sounds modern. A lot of great features kept the track list fresh. Some tracks were forgettable and the intro / outtro tracks were a little silly for my taste. 3/5
Tom Tom Club
2/5
Other than the chorus in the first song and the well known second song, not a lot of memorable moments. Not a big fan. 2/5
Mekons
1/5
I thought from the description I'd hate this album and wasn't far off. The instrumentation was actually better than I expected. But every song sounded like a mess and the fiddle was too much. Really the only song I enjoyed was Psycho Cupid. Not enough to save the album though. 1.4/5 -> 1/5
The Magnetic Fields
5/5
Goddamn. I listened to this one from 5am-8am in my way to work, what a behemoth. I thought I listened to much of this before but soon realized I've mostly listened to songs off of disc 1.
It is absolutely masterful that they conceived of this many distinct songs with the same theme. At no point does it feel like there is repetition, and the tracklist is constantly engaging. Outstanding piece of musical history, though I think I'll only listen to it all the way through this one time. 5/5
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
3/5
A very OK dad-rock album. Not many high highs or low lows. Comfortably listenable. Neil Young was under utilized in the lineup. 3/5
Beach House
3/5
Not a bad listen, though some of it was pretty boring/wallpaper (and not in a fun, ambient way). Not offensive, just not a standout indie album. 3/5
The Temptations
2/5
I was pretty disappointed with this, honestly. I'm surprised because I typically enjoy older R&B. But the first song is mixed so badly it's basically unlistenable (only in the right ear and the vocals are too low in the mix). Run Charlie run has good intent but it's super repetitive. Papa was a rolling stone was long and didn't land the hook as well as I expected. The second half of the album was pretty forgettable. Some good vocals of course, but hopefully the Temptations have a more interesting album on this list. 2/5.
Miles Davis
4/5
This was a really good cool jazz album. Some big jazz hits on here and some chill moments. Not the most impressive or standout of all time but certainly very great. 4/5
Iron Butterfly
3/5
Most of these tracks just seem like filler alongside in-da-gadda-da-vida, though there is no denying the titular 17min track is outstanding. 3/5
Germs
3/5
I'm usually not into punk, but the hardcore elements if this, the ridiculous vocals, and the attention to detail on making some of the bass/guitar passages memorable was nice. The last song was a tedious listen which brought my rating down a bit. 2.7/5 - > 3/5
Skunk Anansie
4/5
This is the direction that postgrunge should have gone - instead we ended up with creed and nickel back.
Really interesting songs and lyrics, a really powerful vocalist and some very catchy/standout bars. The ballads were a bit too many and dramatic for my taste. All around an enjoyable listen from a band I hadn't heard of before! 3.5/5 - > 4/5
3/5
Not a bad album all considered. Some pretty cutting edge themes and lyrics for the time (I'd imagine). Some WAP energy on some tracks.
Not the best, not horrible... Pretty good. 3/5
Depeche Mode
5/5
Violator is a masterpiece. Every song is meticulously constructed - amazing electronics, swelling strings, great vocals. World in My Eyes is a great album opener to kick off with. I've been looking forward to getting this album since day 1 of this musical journey (and now am almost half way through). 5/5
Bee Gees
1/5
good god, what a slog of an album. I get that this was a necessary stage in the bands growth but why is it here. There are far too many uncooked ideas floating around while the band found itself. Each track was incredibly derivative of the bands contemporaries, just watered down versions. The instrumental cinematic moments were OK, but pretty basic and just randomly tossed about in the second half of the album. no thank you. 1/5
The Verve
1/5
Bittersweet symphony can't make up for the fact that this album is 75mins of soulless, pandering softrock muzak. A proper waste of time. 1/5
Les Rythmes Digitales
4/5
Albums like this give me such an appreciation for this list. You listen to Darkdancer and can clearly hear the influences to 2000s euro dance music (Daft Punk, Justice) and see that it was inspired by Dare by The Human League (which itself was likely inspired by Kraftwerk). All of these artists and bands are on this list, and I feel like I have a much more complete view of some of these genres.
This album is really interesting and engaging. It's only downsides are that some of the songs are a tad repetitive and go a bit too long. Other than that it's fun and I appreciate it. 4/5
The Kinks
3/5
This wasn't bad. Short but with OK variety and songs that aren't about standard 60s stuff. A little dime-a-dozen for the time but the clown song bumps this up. 2.5/5 -> 3/5
N.W.A.
3/5
This was really a groundbreaking album. It's a snapshot of a specific time and lifestyle - one that persists for many communities in the US today. The rapant sexism is tough to listen to, even when many of the tracks are full of important social commentary (e.g. Fuck the Police). The flows are pretty good and often hard hitting, but the runtime allowed some tracks to seem redundant. A flawed album but good. 2.5/5 -> 3/5
Gil Scott-Heron
4/5
A great album. Socially conscious, bold, great lyrics and flow. It just needed a tad bit more variety. Watergate blues was awesome. 4/5
Eurythmics
4/5
Listened to this one taking the ferry into Seattle. The sun was rising behind the city and the Cascades, while Mt. Rainier was out, clear as day, towering over to the right. Each song felt perfect for the experience, and I'm grateful to have gotten it today.
Not a perfect album and a bit dated, but fit my morning very well. 4/5
Soft Cell
1/5
This is not for me.
Watered down, weak electronic beats over shrill vocals, and unflattering repetition that fails to succeed like in other electronic/dance albums. The only song that is listenable is tainted love, and even that song is so one-note. Say Hello, Wave Goodbye has to be one of the more annoying and tedious listens on this list so far (500 albums in) AND it's the closer. Bad bad bad. 1/5
Jazmine Sullivan
5/5
I'm floored. This is an absolutely outstanding album.
What an amazing exploration of modern female sexuality, crafted with a unique interview style that flushes out each story in the subsequent track. And not just that, but every track is so smooth and hooky as hell. Bodies is amazing opening track (which will be stuck in my head for the foreseeable future), and Girl Like Me is the perfect closer. Honestly, I have no complaints and will likely buy this vinyl. 5/5
Van Halen
3/5
A pretty good album! Talented guitar playing and catchy enough songs (though a few were forgettable). 3/5
American Music Club
3/5
The first half of this album wasn't great in my opinion. The band sounded like an early barenaked ladies. Then bad liquor was a big surprise, and the second half actually was a big step up. Avg: 2.7/5 -> 3/5
Brian Wilson
2/5
I know this album is supposed to be legendary but I think it's just not my thing. I appreciate the bleeding/overlapping elements between songs, and that each song has multiple distinct parts, but it's a bit of a double edge sword because it's hard to pick out key songs that stand out when it's a bit of a repetitive blob of an album. Talented, but a little too messy and rambling for my taste. 2/5
3/5
There are some timeless songs on this album, and the intro and outtro are great w/ a nice transition into a day in the life, but this album is also full of very meh psych rock and other tracks that are just o.k. (e.g. Lovely Rita) not the best and not the worst. 3/5
Paul Simon
2/5
An OK, meh, album. Of course Me and Julio is a bop but most of the other tracks are entirely forgettable. I get why Hearts & Bones and Graceland are on this list, but this album is certainly one too many. 2/5
Emmylou Harris
2/5
A painfully mid album that is in bad need of a remaster. Some nice enough tracks but generally repetitive and forgettable country music radio fodder. 2/5
G. Love & Special Sauce
3/5
I had to revisit this one a few times over several days. It's definitely unique, and I enjoy the distinct rapping over the nice jazz instrumentals and stand up bass. I wish there was a bit more variety in the track list, and the run time was pretty bloated at about an hour (should have been 40, 45min tops). 3.4/5 -> 3/5
Kings of Leon
1/5
Drinking bleach, tearing off fingernails, hot sauce enima, self-circumcision - a list of things more enjoyable than listening to kings of leon.
Not only are there at least TWO albums from this talentless, shit-stain of a band on this list, but this one is an early release for them even before the horrible hits off of their later album. I truly hope I'll never need to listen to this band again. This is my new top pick for worst addition to this list, and is time in my life I'll never get back. 0/5
Animal Collective
3/5
Some really excellent timeless songs on here, but also some diddling pretentious tracks. I love the song My Girls - had a nice father/daughter dance to it in the kitchen with my little daughter.
Sentimentals aside, a good album that isn't entirely my thing.
Motörhead
2/5
A pretty standard live album. I like Lemmy's voice but outside of the ace of spades and overkill I could not distinguish a song from the next. I bet this would be fun live, but not essential enough for me. 2.4/5 -> 2/5
Joe Ely
2/5
Not for me. I can see how this is different than some of it's contemporaries, but I just don't see the appeal. 2/5
Cocteau Twins
3/5
A pretty pleasant shoegazy ambient pop album. Not anything that holds a candle to Loveless but nice while it's on. 2.5/5 - > 3/5
Jane's Addiction
4/5
A hard hitting listen with some really good ear worms. It was well sequenced and had quite a bit of musical variety. Some of the songs were duller than others, but all around this was impressive and I'll listen again in the future. 3.6/5 - > 4/5
Belle & Sebastian
4/5
A nice vibe of an album, and a very pleasant listen. I enjoyed it and will listen again in the future. 4/5
The Doors
2/5
OK, but other than Light My Fire and Break on Through, not many standout songs. I especially disliked Alabama Song - they should have just kept that song cover off the record. A meh listen. 2/5
Badly Drawn Boy
3/5
Not a bad album, but it really didn't have much cohesion or direction for its runtime. It jumped around stylistically so much that it really didn't have much of a personality. Elliot Smith and the Microphones have a very similar feel with a more refined sound. 3/5
The Coral
2/5
Really not a great folk album. Pretty messy and wandering with lifeless paint by the numbers instrumentals, and bad vocals and lyrics. Some moments were OK but not close to deserving of a spot on the list. 1.5/5 - > 2/5
The Divine Comedy
3/5
I had to listen to this album a few times to solidify my opinion.
It was pretty good. Some songs are very strong (In Pursuit of Happiness), some have a meh start and an amazing end (Someone, I'm all you need), one is annoying but gets stuck in your head (everybody knows) and a few are meh/less than impressive (if, if I were you, timewatching). All around a positive experience but not one that blew me away. Would rather listen to 69 love songs. 3/5
Black Sabbath
2/5
Very ok, older metal album. Very few tracks stood out. Not their most interesting work. 2/5
Frank Black
1/5
god this was a frustrating listen. When I saw the cover I immediately thought I was going to dislike it, but once I saw it was Frank Black of the Pixies fame I thought it might be interesting (though my enjoyment of the pixies is mixed).
This album was a mess. Bloated to all hell, with 90% of the songs being entirely uninteresting. I was the 10% that experimented with more loud rock elements was extended. Unfortunately this one doesn't make it to a favorable rating for me. 1.4/5 -> 1/5
Stereo MC's
1/5
I feel like I just sat in JC Pennies for an hour. What a boring slog of an album, with no personality or unique qualities. Not good. 1/5
Sonic Youth
1/5
This is incredibly unpleasant to listen to. Diddling off-key garage quality punk rock is not my thing. 1/5
The Specials
3/5
Ska is not a genre I've spent much time with. I generally liked this though. Some colt spots, but the passion was there and I love the song Enjoy Yourself. 3/5
Queen Latifah
1/5
Incredibly disappointing. Paper-thin beats, basic lyrics which all just try to flex. Really expected more from Latifah. 1/5
a-ha
2/5
Another instance of an album predominantly included for the hit single. The rest of it is OK, if not a bit subpar. 2.3/5 - > 2/5
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
There are a few standout moments in this tracklist for sure, but generally I feel like the overall experience is attenuated given how long the album is. It's not a bad listen for sure, but just a tad bloated with some songs that are pretty bland. 3.2/5 -> 3/5
Sarah Vaughan
3/5
This started off strong, but fell off a bit around the halfway point. Sarah had a beautiful voice and a lot of talent. This recording was just a bit too long without much variety (especially in the second 30 mins). 3.4/5
Venom
3/5
I was initially underwhelmed but it warmed up on me as I went through the album. Not bad for early heavy metal and much more palatable than much of today's nu metal. 3/5
Ice Cube
3/5
Some great socially aware tracks and some others that haven't aged perfectly. All around a good listen. 3/5
Stephen Stills
3/5
A very OK nothing that special type of album. Nothing offensive but nothing that stands out. 2.5/5 -> 3/5
Emmylou Harris
2/5
Emmylou is really just fine - I find it hard to believe she drastically impacted musical history with her inability to break away from mid covers of better artists. OK but not impressive. 2/5
Dolly Parton
3/5
Pretty good. Dolly steals the show on most songs, and the slower ballads are pretty uninteresting. Generally a net positive experience though. 3/5
Adele
2/5
I expected more of this but was underwhelmed. Other than her voice being very nice, the songs themselves are lyrically vapid, instrumentally barren, and pandering to a simple-minded pop audience. She wrote few of these tracks on her own, and predominantly got help from people in bands like One Republik that are known for making soulless muzak. Rounding up because she is vocally talented, but this was not successful as an album experience. 1.5/5 -> 2/5
Rage Against The Machine
4/5
Great beats, memorable lines, important lyrics - all around this album hits the mark. The biggest detractor is how repetitive some of the moments are. Repetition can be great to hammer in a point, but too much and it just dilutes the impact. 4.3/5 -> 4/5
Air
2/5
Hey, I like the band Air as much as the next guy, but a mostly instrumental movie soundtrack from the year 2000 does not really qualify as one of the 1001 albums to listen to imo. Some songs are OK of course, but this is one of the bands weaker and more forgettable works. 2/5
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
Not super impressive. Pretty basic for the time with no memorable tracks, other than the tracks with tasteless lyrics. His voice is sometimes good but not enough to keep this afloat. 2.4/5 - > 2/5
Nina Simone
5/5
This was a beautiful album. She has such a beautiful voice and the piano is phenomenal. 4.5/5 - > 5/5
Joni Mitchell
4/5
A very lyrically dense and impressive pop album. I really enjoyed the instrumentals and Joni's voice. Some songs went on a bit too long but it was all around good. 4/5
Love
2/5
A pretty OK album. It's pretty forgettable outside of that beautiful flue in Orange Skies. Not enough to round it up. 2.4/5 - > 2/5
Arctic Monkeys
4/5
This really warmed up to me throughout the end of the first listen and into the second. They have great musical talent and the singers voice is animated and interesting. Some really great songs on here and some that fade a bit, but I'm generally impressed. 3.7/5 - > 4/5
Madness
3/5
Pretty good! Our house stuck out like a sore thumb a bit but many of the songs were interesting and generally well crafted. Just a tad boring now and again. 3/5
Nitin Sawhney
3/5
Had to chew on this one for a few days. It's a little bit of a spotty album, with some areas being very lush and invigorating and other moments being relatively uninteresting trip-hop. The spoken word bits are OK. I like the chanting. All around an interesting experience. 3/5
Elton John
1/5
Wow, this was not good. Definitely sang like a number of B sides after the songs Tony Dancer and Levon. A weird country twang, inconsistent and forgettable songs and a weird reflection on folks who are Native American from an englishman? Really disappointing album put here for the singles. 1/5
Traffic
3/5
A pretty good prog album. No songs that left me speechless, but pleasant to listen to. 3/5
Patti Smith
4/5
This one took a few listens for me to warm up to it. Originally I thought her voice was jarring and I really didn't like the song Birdsong, but after a few listens her voice was unique and I appreciated every song (except birdsong). 3.5/5 - > 4/5
Goldie
2/5
I can't in good consciousness say I enjoyed this marathon of an album, but I have respect for the impact it had on the Drum & Bass genre and it didn't sound awful. 2/5
The Fall
3/5
I usually don't like post punk, but that kept it pretty interesting. Some electronics mixed in and performative vocals kept it listenable. Not bad. 2.6/5 - > 3/5
James Taylor
1/5
I promised my wife I'd give this album a 1 because James Taylor's voice has always creeped her out. She describes his shallow weak vocals as "singing like he doesn't have a throat" (I don't disagree). The instrumentals were passable most of the time, but otherwise found this dull with his singing being what pulled it down further. 1.4/5 - > 1/5
Suzanne Vega
2/5
An exceptionally dull album. Some nice instrumentals here and there, but generally this could be made by anyone. 2/5
Madonna
2/5
My hopes were up a bit after the last album I got from Madonna on this like (like a prayer) and how critics generally praised this release. Honestly, I found it pretty mundane, and derivative of other artists in the 90s electronic and trip hop space I'd rather be listening to. Some good moments (especially in the beginning) but all around a pretty drab listen. 2/5
John Martyn
3/5
I was expecting more from this, but it was o.k. Really just that. Kinda felt empty and not in a good way. Some decent songs here though. 2.5/5 - > 3/5
Underworld
5/5
It's taken me days to fully absorb this one. Very impressive listen that has a pull to it. This will be in my rotation for the year for sure. 5/5
The Blue Nile
2/5
My god this is in need of auditory viagra - might have been the softest soft-rock I've ever heard. It's like they thought Discipline era King Crimson and the Police were far too experimental. I wanted to rate this a 1 because it sickens me that this is in the 1001 list where there are >10 million albums in existence, but the ambient bits warmed me up a tad at the very end. 1.5/5 -> 2/5
Elvis Presley
2/5
Relatively unremarkable album with a few standout tracks and many that have become very dated. 2/5
John Grant
3/5
Pretty good indie album that sounds very similar to Father John Misty. Will I listen to it again? Probably not. But good enough when it's on. 3/5
Elastica
2/5
A pretty weak alt rock/post punk album. Some OK moments but generally this was not an ultra enjoyable listen. 2/5
Little Simz
3/5
While this is a good album, it certainly lacks the polish on her later releases. I especially liked the tracks Venom and Wounds. 3/5
Barry Adamson
3/5
Some very interesting, cool moments. Also, some extremely tacky and cheesy moments. All around not bad and I enjoyed the jazz and electronic elements. 3/5
Gillian Welch
3/5
"Wonderbread: the album". Very standard folk with little in the way of surprises. 3/5
Ash
3/5
I listened to this album almost four times to figure out what I thought about it - Its OK.
I hear a lot of promise when the group is really playing hard rock on... Lose Control and Darkside Light side, but everything in the middle is generally pretty toothless pop/alt rock with a noise lean. There are a couple standout moments in the middle: I'd Give You Anything is nice and loud, the strings on Oh Yeah are pleasant though the song is repetitive. All around not bad but really wished the band just went for it. 3/5
5/5
A progressive rock masterpiece. 5/5
Public Enemy
3/5
Other than the important social commentary, I'm not usually into old school hip hop. This album started strong but very much dragged in the middle with repetitive beats and samples. Bring the Noize was just what I needed to snap out of it, and rounded the album up a bit. 2.7/5 - > 3/5
Ian Dury
1/5
It's like someone's uncle from Essex stole the karaoke mic for a half hour and slowly got drunker and drunker while preforming. This at no point was an enjoyable listen. 1/5
Foo Fighters
3/5
While post-grunge has to be one of the WORST musical successors of all time, spewing out shit bands like Bush, Nickelback, Creed, Staind, Puddle of Mudd, Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace, Shinedown, Seether, and Matchbox Twenty; I have to give this album sine street cred for it's historical significance. Dave Grohl creating this entirely on his own and finishing within a month is insane. Makes me a proud Seattleite to see how for the FF have gone, even having their own stand in Jojo.
While the movement they created is one of the worst, I appreciate this album as a relic of the time. 3/5
Sleater-Kinney
4/5
I love me some grunge and grew up in Seattle but have never listened to Sleater-Kinney before - that was really good! Nice hooks and I love the lead vocalists voice. Some songs were forgettable but this is a group I'd be curious to listen to more. 4/5
The Monkees
2/5
A discount Beatles knockoff group from the US - Much less personality and attention to detail. Very very meh. 2/5
The Who
4/5
Dad rock doesn't typically do it for me, but this was much more interesting a listen than other Who records I've listened to. Some lulls, but an even mix of 3s and 4s. 3.5/5 - > 4/5
The Chemical Brothers
2/5
Honestly, I like both electronic music and trip hop and this album doesn't scratch either itch. Some interesting moments at the beginning and end of the album but otherwise pretty lacking. 2/5
Happy Mondays
2/5
The shoegazy elements of this album were OK, but the "funk" was nonexistent other than some bass passages - mostly sounded like badly sung punk/post punk other than a few moments. 2/5
Green Day
4/5
Pretty impressively built and executed album. Good sequencing, varied song styles, catchy hooks, great instrumentals. The only thing holding it back it some of the middle tracks are a tad forgettable and have uninteresting concepts. All around a good album. 4/5
808 State
2/5
Uninteresting muzak with only a few enjoyable moments. 2/5
Iron Maiden
4/5
A super solid album from start to finish. Pretty distinct and interesting, with some decent heaviness. Run to the Hills was a pleasant surprise. 4/5
Joanna Newsom
4/5
Lush orchestrations and a interesting voice. Some moments were a little sleepy but overall this was a memorable album. 3.7/5 -> 4/5
System Of A Down
5/5
I wish I could listen to this album for the first time again. SOAD is just stacked with talent. Amazing performances, lyrics and a welcome break from the usual English rock crap this list is saturated with. 5/5
Rush
3/5
A pretty good prog album mostly lifted by Tom Sawyer and YYZ. 3/5
Alanis Morissette
4/5
I was astounded by how many hits were on this record. I had heard about it for years but was still impressed. A couple of forgettable tracks in the middle but this is absolutely an icon of the 90s. 4/5
Finley Quaye
3/5
I went in with the lowest expectations, but was pleasantly surprised. The first half of the album has some super interesting and memorable tracks, but it really lost the momentum at that point. 3/5
Happy Mondays
2/5
Really bland album that would deserve a spot on the "1001 Albums You Don't Need to Listen to Before You Die" list. Cheesy songs, annoying vocals - Happy Mondays is not my cup of tea. 2/5
David Holmes
2/5
I liked a few of the more experimental moments but generally this fell mostly flat for me. The vocal snippets were hit or miss. 2/5
The Killers
3/5
I really have mixed feelings on this album. I've listened for years and thought I liked it OK but then I took it song by song:
1. Jenny Was a Friend of Mine 5
2. Mr. Brightside 4
3. Smile Like You Mean It 2
4. Somebody Told Me 4
5. All These Things That I've Done 3
6. Andy, You're a Star 1
7. On Top 2
8. Change Your Mind 2
9. Believe Me Natalie 2
10. Midnight Show 2
11. Everything Will Be Alright 2
Very front-loaded for me. That, and I'm a basic bitch and only really like the singles and hits ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I really don't enjoy Brandon Flowers' voice or that they put him so high on the mix over the music. Ah well. 2.6/5 -> 3/5
Carpenters
3/5
Pretty good; sad about Karen. 3/5
Peter Tosh
2/5
This list has made me realize I have more of an appreciation for Reggae than I thought before - unfortunately this album is nowhere close to many others on this list. It's repetivite, Peter's vocal delivery is pretty shallow, and there are very few memorable moments. The piano is very nice throughout but otherwise not that impressive. 2/5
Beastie Boys
2/5
Honestly, this sounds like a collection of B-sides dropped from other projects. No cohesion ordirection; jazz rap, funk, punk, psychedelic jams, chanting, 90s hip hop... The list goes on. None of it is particularly bad, but the song Sabotage isn't able to keep this whole album afloat. 2/5
Talvin Singh
4/5
This was an interesting one - Indian, classical, electronic. The first half of this album was crazy good, the second half was fine. I'll certainly keep coming back though. 3.5/5 -> 4/5
Nirvana
5/5
An absolute classic - the sound of the PNW in the 90s. Love every moment of In Utero. 5/5
The Beta Band
2/5
My issue with this album is that while it has nice instrumentals throughout, it utterly lacks a unique identity nor focus. The sequencing seems to be hit or miss and the vocals are entirely plain. Can't say this screams "must listen" but almost OK enough to be a 3. 2.4/5 -> 2/5
Beyoncé
4/5
This one took me days to fully absorb. What an ambitious and well structured project that seems to show such a progression. The first half exploring identity/lust is just non stop bops. I was floored by Beyoncés rapping on the first half of partition before the beat switch.
Unfortunately the love/infatuation era was pretty weak: jealous and rocket were just OK, Mine was garbage with a shit drake feature, and XO is an abysmal early 2000/2010s era poprock throwaway ala imagine dragons or kings of leon. These four tracks really did this album dirty.
Flawless is pretty good with a nice meaning, superpower is pleasant and the frank ocean feature is well used, and Heaven really starts to bring everything to a close. But Blue is an absolutely outstanding closer.
All around this was an intricately crafted and well produced album with a few duds (and one skip) in the middle. 4/5
Ali Farka Touré
3/5
Pleasant and talented guitar work on the final, posthumous album of a local legend with international reach. The songs were a tad repetitive and there weren't many standout moments but not bad. 3/5
Sufjan Stevens
3/5
While Sufjan is great at structuring intricate and lush instrumentals, I find his christian leanings preachy and the songs to listen a bit pretentious. Illinois is also a bit bloated, with many of the songs on the second half of the album not feeling necessary. A good album, but flawed nonetheless. 3/5
Muddy Waters
3/5
This wasn't bad. Muddy is a killer vocalist and really stole the show. Unfortunately many of the songs didn't have much vibrance or take me back to the live environment (like the 1956 Ellington at Newport). 3/5
The Cult
1/5
It bamboozles me that someone was thinking of a list of 1001 MUST LISTEN albums and this was what came to mind. It truly sounds like an AI genererated 80s rock album.
Wall to wall paint by the numbers rock. Nothing unique, nothing special, no distinct personality, weak instrumentals, and an opening and closing track that are utterly unremarkable. Honestly the 38 mins felt much much longer.
Love Removal Machine is not enough to salvage this generic nothing of an album.
1/5
The Libertines
2/5
Pretty meh. The vocals were the toughest part, but the rough around the edges garage esthetic is also not for me. 2/5
Tim Buckley
1/5
I found this album atrocious. A mediocre opening two tracks, cheesy/stupid lyrics throughout, a reliance on medieval and circus music? Just when there is a nice ethereal musical moment it is immediately dashed away when he opens his mouth. Very unessential listen. 1.4/5 - > 1/5
Stan Getz
3/5
I typically enjoy my jazz with more teeth but this was pretty good for bossa nova. 3/5
Saint Etienne
1/5
One or two interesting songs cannot redeem this bloated, uninspired slog of an album. Tedious samples, very forgettable songs. Not for me. 1.4/5 - > 1/5
Maxwell
2/5
My two takeaways from this album:
1) Maxwell has sex
2) Maxwell wants me to have sex
2/5
Black Sabbath
4/5
A very solid early metal album. Not cheesy, great instrumentals and Ozzy had a great voice 😥 enjoyed a fair bit. 4/5
Gang Starr
3/5
Some tracks were pretty dated and uninteresting, and some were super lyrically complex and continued to be relevant. Not a bad listen overall. 3/5
5/5
My god, thrash jazz is something I didn't expect to hear on this list.
Such exciting chaos, it's like a jazz fever dream. A constant barrage of noise that was pretty ahead of it's time.
5/5
R.E.M.
3/5
A pleasant enough listen. A pretty understated album. Good opener, pretty weak closer. Bit bad. 3/5
Cypress Hill
3/5
Not horrible. I liked their vocals and beats, but the album dragged on about 20 mins too long. By the end I had lost interest. Pretty good at the beginning though. 2.7/5 - > 3/5
SZA
3/5
A pretty meh album. Some songs were strongish and others entirely forgettable. The little vocal snippets throughout didn't have much impact. 2.6/5 - > 3/5
Nas
5/5
An absolute banger from front to back. Life's a Bitch is one of the most quotable songs of all time. 5/5
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
4/5
This album reminds me of the time my Serbian friend Milos drove me to a Death Grips concert in San Francisco.
We pile into his old, brown Mercedes-Benz with a orange leather interior. The ignition sputters on and the car grumbles to life, opening the vents and blasting hot air into the car (Milos always kept the car a hellish temperature, for whatever reason). As I settle in to the soft leather seat, I hear chanting mixed in with the hum of the engine and fsssh of the forced air. It's an album of Hare Krishna chants. He raises the volume with a twist of a cracked knob and we roll into the darkening streets of Palo Alto. We drive in moderate silence for about an hour, only occasionally reflecting on the work day before, a movie we were interested in seeing (he made me watch "A Serbian Film" at one point, would not recommend), but were mostly silent under the mantra: "Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare" endlessly looping.
I remember being taken aback initially. Milos was most certainly not any form of Buddhist, and at the time I felt that the music was mellowing out the vibes I wanted to feel before the DG show. But in the end we were both transfixed. We park downtown and attend the concert which was fast-paced, phenomenal and LOUD.
I left the show mostly unscathed (just a fall or two in the mosh). Milos developed a diagnosis of tinnitus, expected to be lifelong.
We drove home in a dark silence. In the subsequent weeks we saw each other less and less, then inevitably both moved away and never spoke again.
This album elicited those memories in a palpable way. While the context, culture and music is different than the Hare Krishna album above, the goal is to be enveloped by the music to be taken to a place of thought and reflection. Nusrat Fateg Ali Khan certainly did that. And while it's not a perfect album, his voice is beautiful and impactful and I believe he achieved his purpose. 4/5
The Damned
3/5
I'm not a huge punk guy but this was pretty good. A very Jim Morrison-esque voice and some catchy songs. Not groundbreaking but better than I expected. 3/5
Portishead
4/5
Though it's not as impressive as Dummy and Portishead, Third is beautiful in it's own way. It masters the art of subtlety across the track list. The sequencing is also top notch. Knocking it down a tad because several of the songs are closer to a 3 or 4, but a great listen nonetheless. 4.3/5 - > 4/5
Also, if you're a fan of Portishead's work and are reading this, do yourself a favor and listen to their Roseland NYC Live album. It's filled with swelling strings, deep bass, and of course Beth's haunting voice over trip-hop record scratches. It's something to behold.
The Velvet Underground
3/5
I have learned I really don't like Lou Reed going through this list, but this was better than many of his other works. It was more refined and subtle than his other works. 3/5
Pentangle
2/5
Medieval diddling in the 20th century does not make for a timeless album. The few sparse moments of nice instrumentation improves a bit but not by much. 1.5/5 - > 2/5
Girls Against Boys
3/5
OK, I thought I was going to hate this based off the description but was pleasantly surprised! It sounds a bit like discount Alice in Chains, but would rather listen to some sick riffs than some of the other UK shit on this list. 3/5
Beth Orton
3/5
A pretty plain, singer/songwriter album. Not horrible but shouldn't be on this list. 2.5/5 -> 3/5
N.E.R.D
1/5
Three of the worst genres of the early 2000s: pop-rock, pop-rap and Rock-rap. this album is all three, and was doomed to fade away as irrelevant as soon as the popraprock fad ended.
Here is my list of grievances with this album. 1) the cover is egregious. I'm someone who enjoys a album art, but this is on another level 2) the songs are incredibly repetitive 3) there is no attempt to sequence the album, it's like a mix of bad standalone singles 4) while Pharrell's voice is pretty good, all of the other features are not well used 5) four hidden tracks do NOT make for an interesting album, it's just tedious 6) again, popraprock is an awful genre.
1/5
Fun Lovin' Criminals
4/5
Damn.
I got a rap/rock album from NERD yesterday and not only did I hate it, it made me weary of the rap/rock genre as a whole. Come Find Yourself made up for that in a major way.
An interesting blend of hip-hop, jazz, rock, ska - I found myself excited for what was next. The album was extremely well sequenced, alternating track styles to keep it entertaining (We Have All the Time in the World into Bear Hug being the most striking) and ending with the excellent closer Methadonia.
The biggest blemish on the album is the song Scooby Snacks, which totally breaks the vibe with tacky Pulp Fiction Snippets and a cheesy popraprock chorus.
All around an impressive listen. 4/5
Steely Dan
4/5
This was a pleasant enough and nostalgic listen. Good for warming the air on a rainy night. 3.5/5 - > 4/5
Can't get much softer "soft rock" than this. As inoffensive as listening to a small cup of yogurt. 2/5
Elvis Presley
2/5
An almost sufficient list of covers, maybe interesting at the time but hardly interesting in 2025. 2.4/5 - > 2/5
Massive Attack
2/5
I'm generally a Massive Attack fan, but this is truly one of their least impressive albums (P<BL<100W<H<M). The songs are pretty forgettable, though the best tracks imo are the instrumental tracks. Ending with that horrible Doors cover was a serious lapse in judgement. 2/5
Garbage
3/5
Pretty good. A few standouts and a few forgettable. 3/5
DJ Shadow
4/5
This was impressive and groundbreaking for the time. Nowadays it blends in a bit with it's contemporaries, but the first half of the album still slaps. 3.5/5 - > 4/5
Traffic
2/5
Unfortunately, this album suffers from a complete lack of personality. I kept forgetting it was on, and not in a fun, purposeful ambient way. No Time to Live was pretty good, but other than that entirely forgettable. 2/5
Turbonegro
4/5
I typically never enjoy punk, nor post-punk albums - but this was on another level. Amazing production, great instrumentals, and an interesting band dynamic. As a person of color the band name was initially a turn off until I looked into the group. 4/5
4/5
Just a few underwhelming moments on what is an extremely impressive record. Very cohesive and sticks to the otherworldly themes and sounds. Knights of Cydonia" is an all time classic. 4/5
B.B. King
4/5
B. B. King has an amazing voice and stage presence. I like the audience participation in the beginning of the album. It got a bit draining toward the midpoint because blues songs all have very similar structures. But still impressive. 4/5
Koffi Olomide
1/5
I can only handle so much repetitive, middling, tinny guitar. This album was easily 25 mins too long. It seems like Koffi had been influential to the African music scene, however his history of both alleged and confirmed violence (toward women in particular) is frightening. All together I did not enjoy this one bit. 1/5
Circle Jerks
3/5
Not typically a punk fan, but this was fast and to the point.
The bigots on this list will be the people who praise this album in one breath, and say Heaux Tales isn't an album because it's "only 32 minutes" in the other.
Anyway, pretty good punk. 3/5
Goldfrapp
3/5
I got Felt Mountain before this and was floored and how dark and brooding it sounded - such a unique sound that I appreciated. Seventh Tree is a step down. Stripped back singer songwriter vibes with a few electronic elements here and there. Really did not impress me much, though pleasant enough while it's on. 2.7/5->3/5
Neu!
4/5
I really enjoy the CAN so figured this would be right up my alley, and was right. I especially love the ambient portions and how low they put the vocals in the mix. No moments that wowed me per say but a great and cozy background listen. 3.5/5 - > 4/5
Country Joe & The Fish
2/5
Not for me - too much clicking, dinging, and rambling along. 2/5
Boston
2/5
OK, I tried to be fair here, but while the first leg of this album is DENSE with classics, generally everything from Rock & Roll Band through that trash pile of a final song are either middling or bad. Really, the best moment on this whole album is Foreplay. Not one I'll come back to but, again, appreciate the first leg. 2/5
Soul II Soul
2/5
Unfortunately not a very interesting, nor compelling dance album. Paper thin beats, duplicate songs, and just the teaser "Back to Life" - apparently the expanded remix was a B-side? Really could be a bit more impressive. 2/5
Tina Turner
3/5
Pretty good, though it is a bit annoying that the song sequencing changes from version to version (makes it seem like it doesn't matter). Some good bangers on here though. 3/5
Elvis Presley
3/5
Not bad. Better at showing off his voice than other albums. 3/5
Primal Scream
2/5
A messy disjointed album. I feel like it doesn't quite know what its going for. 2/5
KISS
2/5
Really quite a number of weak songs in this album. Not a personality enough for me to perceive. 2/5
The Style Council
3/5
A totally fine modernish jazz album. 2.5/5 - > 3/5
3/5
Started more interesting than I expected, but ended a bit forgettable. All around a fine pop album. 3/5
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
A few long winded jams but a few tracks that hit hard. All around positive. 3/5
The Yardbirds
2/5
Subpar psychedelic rock. No standout moments other than Becks guitar solo. 2/5
Tracy Chapman
2/5
An exceptionally uninteresting listen, other than many of the themes. 2/5
LL Cool J
3/5
A pretty good album altogether, though sounded a bit dated and I didn't like how they removed most of the profanity. 2.7/5 - > 3/5
Wild Beasts
2/5
A pretty drab and dime a dozen indie record. The last song was probably the best. 2/5
LCD Soundsystem
2/5
Honestly, this was a big empty vaporwave dissapointment. A few songs sounded similar to some of their older stuff, but nothing here is worth a relisten. 2/5
Randy Newman
2/5
Interesting to hear Newman's work outside of childrens movies, but honestly the faux southern accent and janglin sound is not for me. I appreciate the perspective behind a track like "Rednecks" but the lyrics are too on the nose for my taste in spots. 2/5
Taylor Swift
3/5
This music was not meant for a happily married man with kids over the age of 30 - definitely has a suburban white girl teenager sort of appeal.
That being said the hits do hit pretty well (especially Blank Space) - many of the others are pretty mid, and her voice comes off as plain. The electronic elements throughout elevate the project a bit. 2.7/5 - > 3/5
Rod Stewart
3/5
Pretty good vibes on a hot sunny day, but also fairly basic classic/southern rock. 3/5
Teenage Fanclub
2/5
I think this was trying to meld indie and shoegaze sounds, but it comes off as lazt with weak instrumentals and vocals. Some moments are slightly memorable, but meh overall 2/5
Talking Heads
2/5
I was expecting a lot more from this.it sounds like a bunch of B side demos with psycho killer thrown in. I really don't like his voice either. Maybe this is where my dislike of post punk stems from?
Anyway, a few good moments at the tail end. 2/5
Ice T
4/5
This one surprised me. I never gave much thought to Ice T, but his flows are good and the lyrical content of his songs are great. There was quite a but if variety in styles throughout. The only detractor is the length. 4/5
Ray Price
3/5
I feel like I've listened to at least 10 albums just like this at this point on the list. Just fine. 2.5/5 - 3/5
Michael Kiwanuka
3/5
This album was nice, but it was also so cleanly produced and smooth around the edges it sounded like something Ed Sheeran might create (not a compliment). Needed more of a distinctive sound for me. I did really like the string passages. 3/5
The Birthday Party
4/5
I was not expecting to like this as much as I did, but it was dynamic, gritty and short. Reminded me more of pure punk or grunge than post polunk which is probably why I like it a bit better. 4/5
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
3/5
The first song on this album is what keeps this from dropping to a two, especially considering that awful lord, lord, lord song. 2.5/5 - 3/5
The Stranglers
2/5
Really very few songs stood out here for me, except the one that was a single which sounded like a sea shanty. 2.4/5 - 2/5
Sparks
2/5
It's like a more unintelligible, bubblegummy version of queen. The songs were repetitive and seemed to have little to say despite how many words were being thrown around. I was coming in optimistic, but left with Dollartree Day at the Races. 2.4/5 - 2/5.
Pavement
4/5
I was impressed by this - interesting guitar work, nice vocals, some memorable songs. I'll come back to this again in the future. 3.7/5 - 4/5
Neneh Cherry
2/5
This hasn't aged particularly well - it's a modicum better than several of its contemporaries. 2/5
TV On The Radio
4/5
On first listen I was absolutely floored by this album. It was a great, experimental, rock, gospel type of crossover. On subsequent listens I realized that the second half of the album (Poppy onward) is really just OK. Came out on top though. 3.8/5 - 4/5
Mudhoney
4/5
The original version of this album was so short - every tack was a bop. It was a good call adding in some of the later songs. Impressive early grunge. 4/5
The Psychedelic Furs
2/5
Really not a standout album. Pretty standard other than that wailing saxophone. 2/5
Suicide
4/5
That was wild. Went from the tron soundtrack, to the napolean dynamite soundtrack, and ended with a whatever the hell Frankie teardrop is. I kinda dug it. 4/5
The Beau Brummels
2/5
Pretty mediocre outside of the song 9lb hammer. 2.4/5 - 2/5
Joy Division
3/5
I'm split on JD - I think the music is pretty interesting but I find the lyrics and vocals to generally be lackluster and uninteresting. I think I'll round up because some songs on the second half of the album were pretty good, including Heart and Soul and Decades. 2.7/5 - 3/5
Blur
2/5
I kind of assumed that this was Blur's debut album considering how messy and all over the place it was. Damon Albarn went on to do much more interesting stuff with Gorillaz. 2/5
Supergrass
3/5
Better than I expected from supergrass/a post punk album in general. 3/5
Bad Company
3/5
I feel like this could be better described as "mild" company - nothing to standout of horrible. 3/5
Tom Waits
4/5
Another dark and mystifying album from Tom Waits. It left we wanting a bit more than Rain Dogs, but was still very impressed. 4/5
Gang Of Four
2/5
Far too long for the type of content presented here. Not bad in the beginning but by the end I wasn't impressed. 2/5
Elton John
3/5
The songs on this album generally fit into 3 categories for me:
Perfect/Great ("Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road")
Good ("Candle in the Wind", "Social Disease" "Harmony", "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting")
Meh ("Bennie and the Jets", "This Song Has No Title", "Grey Seal", "Jamaica Jerk-Off", "I've Seen That Movie Too"
"Sweet Painted Lady", "The Ballad of Danny Bailey (1909–34)", "Dirty Little Girl", "All the Girls Love Alice", "Your Sister Can't Twist (but She Can Rock 'n Roll)", "Roy Rogers"
While the sheer volume of meh songs should edge this toward a 2, the great singles (especially the opener funeral for a friend) makes the album well worth it, imo. 3/5
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
1/5
Listen, I like 70s English prog as much as the next red blooded American millennial, but a live version of these toothless, diddling, prententious, go nowhere jamfests which crescendos in an encore of a bad organ rendition of the Nutcracker is NOT one of the albums you need to hear in your lifetime. 1/5
The La's
2/5
This is like if your friends dad's band accidentally made a one hit wonder. It felt much longer than it's runtime, due to the songs being repetitive, and preachy yet empty lyrics. It's only saving grace was some of "Failure" and the tail end of the last song "Looking Glass". 1.5/5 - 2/5
Tom Waits
3/5
I'm finding out more and more that Tom Waits is a talented musician that I enjoy. This is probably the album of his I've liked the least so far. While generally it was a pleasant experience, many of the stripped back songs were more forgettable. Dirt in the Ground is great. 3.4/5 - 3/5
Earth, Wind & Fire
3/5
Not a bad record. Of course shining star is a classic, and I really liked Africano and See the Light, but many of the others didn't hold my attention. Still, good overall. 3/5
Mercury Rev
3/5
After the second listen, I was generally pretty indifferent to this album. Some songs were great and really interesting (the Funny Bird) and others were really not for me. 3/5
Miriam Makeba
5/5
What an interesting, creative and beautiful album. Thus is exactly why I follow this list, to find albums like this. Her voice is gorgeous. 5/5
Stereolab
3/5
A pretty lackluster and plain album. Pleasant enough while it's on but few tracks to keep me engaged nor coming back. 2.5/5 -> 3/5
Marianne Faithfull
3/5
Though I had a few initial reservations about her voice, I ended up liking this album ok. I appreciated how blunt the last song was, though it probably could have been written with a tad more tact. 3/5
Frank Sinatra
3/5
A fine bossa nova album with Frank Sinatra on it - whoopee. 3/5
Robert Wyatt
3/5
Canterbury prog is good enough but did we really need it to seep into the 90s? Not bad overall but just kinda ok. 3/5
Jamiroquai
4/5
That was pretty funky. I gotta say, for an English white guy who is pulling directly from classic african american funk and created the group name based off a native american tribe, he's got some groove. Especially like the electronic elements. 3.5/5 - 4/5
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
2/5
I'll give this a 2 for John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers' sake, but any time Eric Clapton was front and center my balls crawled up into my throat. 2/5
2Pac
4/5
Damn, this album is thick with imagery about mortality and loss. So much so that I thought it was a posthumous release. While several of the songs were a tad similar and forgettable, most of them lyrically or musically made a serious impact. Tupac was talented at his craft and it's a damn shame we lost him the year after this release. 3.5/5 - 4/5
Morrissey
2/5
A whole lotta aimlessly rambling soft pop tracks, like most other Morrissey/Smith releases. Some ok songs here and there but otherwise underwhelming. 2/5
Radiohead
5/5
This album is about as close to perfect as you can get. Well sequenced, every song stands on its own. 5/5
1/5
Wow, what a horrible album, I hope there was never a volume 2. 0/5
Deep Purple
4/5
I definitely prefer this to early deep purple! Good funk mixed in. 3.5/5 - 4/5
The Pogues
4/5
A pretty engaging and interesting listen. Definitely a precursor to Gogol Bordello. 3.5/5 - 4/5
k.d. lang
2/5
This started pretty ok then quickly become forgettable and stale. Not for me. 2/5
Pere Ubu
3/5
This wasn't as bad as I had anticipated! The straightforward parts were just fine, and it was experimental enough to gain respect. However, much of the record didn't necessarily sound good. Still though, essential for post punk. 2.7/5 - 3/5
Motörhead
3/5
Sure, I'll admit most of these songs sound the same, and "The Chase is Better Than the Catch" is an abysmal track, but I do like the energy of motor motorhead songs and Lemmys vocals. 3/5
Death In Vegas
3/5
Pretty good. Some trip hop, some electronic. If anything this record could be more focused, but not bad at all. 3/5
David Bowie
3/5
This must be Bowie's least iconic album cover. The music itself is pretty good, but drastically overshadowed by its predecessors and Blackstar. Still the beginning and a lot of the middle was outstanding. 3.4/5 - 3/5
David Crosby
3/5
Not incredibly exciting though the most atmospheric second half improved this albums score. 3/5
There was really nothing enjoyable about this. The songs were so basic and tasteless. Not a fan. 1.4/5 - 1/5
PJ Harvey
4/5
PJ is such an interesting and talented musician. I love that her songs inspire thought and reflection. Really good album. The only thing that might improve it is some more variety in the track listing with style and tempo. 4/5
The Who
2/5
Not an offensive listen (I sought out the original 37 min version on YouTube for my sake and the sake of the Who's score), but truly not an important record to listen to before I die. 2/5
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
I wasn't able to find the original UK version, but the US version is pretty solid (it has all the early singles, after all.)
Over the course of days relistening, I really think this album has a bit more filler than I expected. The main hits are good but most other tracks fade into the background. 3/5
Adele
2/5
Adeles music is just so obviously constructed to sell singles that I can't discern any personality in her albums. This is no different from 21. Beautiful voice with absolutely no depth/personality. 2/5
The Prodigy
2/5
I really like most of The Fat of the Land, but this Prodigy album was a pretty uninteresting slog to get through. A few good moments but not too impressed. 2/5
Jungle Brothers
3/5
Not a huge fan of old school hip hop musically, but lyrically very important and robust. 3/5
Elvis Costello
3/5
Pretty good album. The first half is especially strong. It got a bit tedious to listen through even though is was only 30 something minutes. Still a good experience. 3/5
Ministry
4/5
A little gimmicky with all the biblical stuff but certainly an interesting and refreshing industrial listen. 3.5/5 - 4/5
Sugar
2/5
Rock so soft I could eat it without teeth. 2/5
Queen
3/5
After many relistens, I've come to the personal conclusion that this is okay. Specifically that the beginning of the album through ~about the halfway point is outstanding, but it really deflated after that. Still though, a nice enough listen. 3/5
The Adverts
2/5
Pretty paint by the numbers punk. In the grand scheme of punk releases to put on this list a bit underwhelming. 2.4/5 - 2/5
Klaxons
3/5
I was initially excited by this album after the first song, but soon the tracks became a bit messy and same-y. I like the experimental aspects and might listen to it again later to see if I feel the same, but for now I think its good but could have been executed a bit better. I heard the Soulwax Remix of Gravity's Rainbow before this which i much prefer to the original on this album. 3/5
After relistens I continue to think this is a 3.
Stephen Stills
3/5
Blues rock that is better than what typically shows up on this list. Some variety and interesting mix ups. 3/5
MGMT
2/5
I was pretty disappointed with this album. I was expecting it to be more interesting but outside of the hit singles (of which many are "meh") the others just sounded like reverb-soaked bores. I did like the last song and some if the electronics but over all not for me. 2/5
Radiohead
5/5
The only song I go back and forth on is paranoid android, but the rest of the album is basically solid. The only thing missing is more experimental bits and a tad more cohesion, which arrives on the next album 4.6/5 - 5/5
Syd Barrett
1/5
I'm sorry Syd, but what the hell was that shit. slowly losing his marbles diddling around on a guitar with no direction. Any moment a reasonable track starts to turn up it's way too self aware ("I remembered this song/kinda catchy"). Sorry many, I'm gonna stuck with mid era Floyd. 1.4/5 - 1/5
Heaven 17
4/5
Ok that was really pretty great. The song Fascist Groove Thang is amazing and relevant today with all the maga bullshit going on in the usa. The last three songs on the album are a bit less attention grabbing than everything which precedes, but still a great album. 4.2/5 - 4/5
Robbie Williams
3/5
Pretty ok soft rock. Really nothing to be excited about, but more songs were goodish. 2.5/5 - 3/5
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
Not a bad album by the Pet Shop boys, but certainly not their best I've heard on this list. Mostly forgettable but some nice strings added throughout. 2.7/5 - 3/5
SAULT
4/5
I absolutely love the meaning behind this album, and find it pretty empowering on it's surface. Sonically, I can't say it is particularly well-sequenced, nor do many of the tracks (especially later in the album) add much to the experience. However the beauty of some of the tracks in tandem with the overall meaning elevate it a bit. 3.5/5 - 4/5
Frank Zappa
5/5
An outstanding jazz fusion album. Peaches En Regalia into Willie the Pimp are such a hype way to start the album. The second half if the record never comes close to the highs of the beginning, but the whole album feels like a technically played warm hug. 4.5/5 - 5/5
Slayer
4/5
I very disturbing point of inspiration, with the overall message exposing evils rather than supporting them. Through the discomfort is a very competantly-made, interesting and heavy thrash metal album. That moment of dissonant guitar whines that transitions between Postmortem and Raining Blood is *chefs kiss*." I'd like if there was a bit more variety in the middle of the album sonically, and would have preferred the concept to be more general and less specific, however those reservations aside i still left this album impressed. 4/5
Peter Gabriel
3/5
Not too shabby. Pretty descent 80s pop hits some of which i've heard before. 3/5
Ryan Adams
3/5
I was expecting to absolutely hate this album given that it's 2000s "Alternative Country", "roots rock", and is "51:57". But I was pleasantly surprised. Definitely an elvis/Dylan thing going at the beginning that turned into slower ballads later in. Not something I'd replay but not too shabby. 3/5
Fiona Apple
5/5
The fact that Fiona wrote and composed this lush, meticulously crafted album before she was 20 is absolutely incredible. A jazzy, well constructed breath of fresh air. 5/5
Screaming Trees
3/5
Being from the seattle area, I grew up with grunge. It's amazing the diversity of sub-genres within the genre (which makes sense, as "grunge" is largely a geography and time-based concept) - Alice In Chains leans metal, Mudhoney and Green River lean punk, Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam all lean comfortably between hard rock and alternative rock. Screaming trees are about as far toward alternative rock as possible. Many songs have very melodic hooks and are catchy, and Mark's vocals sometimes leaned a bit country. They had cool ideas, though I generally am less excited listening to their albums than many others in the genre due to the softness of the music and "meh" guitar playing. A landmark album nonetheless. 3/5
Curtis Mayfield
3/5
I love the album artwork here, it's really provocative and is the highlight of the album for me. The music is good, Curtis just has a really delicate voice that doesn't always do it. The song jesus is incredibly annoying and preachy. All around good though. 3/5
Public Enemy
4/5
Super compelling and cacaphonous album that has a great meaning. Some moments feel a bit stale in the middle but impressive nonetheless. 4/5
Genesis
4/5
A great progressive rock album that has mostly stood the test of time. His vocals are a bit silly, and it's not as iconic as many of it's contemporaries, but nice overall. 4/5
Eels
3/5
That'll do, Eels, that'll do. 3/5
Bob Marley & The Wailers
2/5
I was on the fence here. Really not much staying power with most of these songs. Maybe it'd be pleasant for the background, but I can think of a number of other reggae albums i find more interesting. Just ok. 2.4/5 -> 2/5
Arcade Fire
4/5
A tough one. This is my personal favorite of the Arcade Fire albums I've heard but it's by no means perfect. I had to break it down song by song:
Amazing - Black Mirror, Neon Bible, Ocean of Noise, My Body Is a Cage
Good - Intervention, Bad Vibrations, The Well and the Lighthouse
Meh - Keep the Car Running, Black Wave, (Antichrist Television Blues), Windowsill
Shit - No Cars Go
On one hand Neon Bible absolutely nails the bookends with Black Mirror and My Body Is a Cage which gives it a leg up, but between those 4.5 songs are "good" and above, and 4.5 songs are "meh" and below. All around it is an inconsistent album with high highs and some lows, but at the end of the day I keep coming back. 3.5/5 -> 4/5
Roni Size
1/5
I'm going to create a new genre where I whisper in a small Styrofoam cup while stomping out a beat. I'll get my wooden clogs on, grab my favorite one-use dixie drinking receptacle, and go to the local studio to record a 139 minute album. Folks won't get it at first, but years from now it will be known as one of the pioneering albums of stomp 'n' hushcup.
I'm being facetious, and I typically like off the wall music, but honestly who would go out of their way to listen to nearly 140 minutes of drum and bass!? And not just that, the fact that it won so many prizes?? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills.
I listened to this years ago and thought i liked it, but in retrospect I made it through maybe half of disc 1. I'm sorry Roni Size, but I was just begging the album to be over by the 30 minute mark. I'll give an extra .4 for the craftsmanship. 1.4/5 -> 1/5
The Associates
2/5
This was not my thing. Disc 1 was especially grating, and while disc 2 was an improvement it still wasn't a great time. 2/5
Bob Dylan
2/5
A weak comeback album from Bob. The songs were all about 2× longer than they needed to be, the content was pretty homogeneous, and really there were no standout moments. Sometimes more or less pleasant, but not enought to average up. 2.4/5 -> 2/5
Dinosaur Jr.
3/5
Pretty interesting and grungy listen. Most of the songs I felt were "good" but some were great when they got a bit more "noise rock". Poledo was a great finisher. 3/5
Sabu
2/5
Ugh, I was on the fence here. One one hand some of the guitar work and beats are kind of nice, on the other some of the other songs are annoyingly repetitive. I especially didn't like the second song which sounded like a lesson in Spanish 101. Overall less impressed. 2.4/5 -> 2/5
Terence Trent D'Arby
2/5
A derivative, and generally uninteresting album. He sings way too high in the register which makes his voice sound at the breaking point much if the time. Most of the songs sound like bad Michael Jackson/Jackson 5 covers (horn sections and all). The slower ballads also weren't amazing, other than Sign Your Name which is a bop. If he had gone in more of a Sade direction with this I think it'd have been more successful. 2/5
Deee-Lite
3/5
Love some good dance music. Not many high highs or low lows but pleasant while it's on.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
This album was exceptionally tedious. Elvis didn't hit a successful balance between the claimed "experimental musical pallets", and his vocals. He just barrels over everything without taking a pause, and with himself sitting way on top in the mix. The songs all listened the same, and while there were some good moments this was all around nit my thing. 2/5
Wu-Tang Clan
5/5
One of the best rap albums ever created. We pulled out the vinyl for a listening party just for the occasion. 5/5
Janet Jackson
3/5
While I can appreciate the music of most of this record, the lyrics and themes read as shallow reflections of the ills of the world. Ones that Janet Jackson likely didn't face head to head due to her family's success (most of them, anyway). Like that one story about little Johnny - definitely an eyeroll there. Not a horrible record but one i won't return to. 2.5/5 -> 3/5
Suede
2/5
A painfully mundane listen. As "alternative" as rock can get. Some interesting buts at the midpoint but not enough to salvage. 2/5
Yes
4/5
Fragile is an iconic album - I remember downloading roundabout onto my old iPod classic and listening to it in high school. After listening to most of Yes' discography over the years, it is clear that the sequencing is not as tight as other releases, with back to back interludes and variable song quality. Still, I have a lot of love and nostalgia for this record.
Also, It's fun to see it have such a popular recurrence today via jojo.
<--To Be Continued---
4/5
The Pretty Things
3/5
I started off less than impressed, but by the end I liked a few tracks. Not going to go down as one of the best/most interesting rock operas of all time, but an interesting timepiece. 2.5/5 -> 3/5
10cc
2/5
Other than the song "The Worst Band in the World" which has been immortalized via sample by J Dilla through "Workinonit", i found the rest of this album to be messy, sophmoric and uninteresting. 2/5
Can
2/5
I LOVE Ege Bamyasi, and I LIKE Future Days and Monster Movie - but I really think that Tago Mago is much less interesting than Can's other albums. It doesn't strike the balance between krautrock noodling and shorter more structured songs that other albums do. 2/5
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
3/5
A good album. Some of the songs blended together a bit, and it fell on it's face in the last moments, but not bad overall. 3/5
Pixies
2/5
I tried two times, but I feel like there is a clear reduction in interesting elements and quality as you go through this tracklist. The first two songs start the album off on a unique high, then after that a general progression into alt rock muzak. 2.4/5 -> 2/5
Ms. Dynamite
1/5
I wanted to love this album. Hell, I wanted to *like* this album. But it was a total and utter flop for me.
First, her vocals are SO nasally that every word she says is like nails on a chalkboard.
But what about the samples and beats? Surely there must be redeeming qualities there? Nope. Samples are awkward and fit poorly (see the DY-NO-MITE sample on "Dy-Na-Mi-Tee"), and the beats are paper thin (see "Put Him Out"). On top of that the run time was over an hour, making this a truly miserable experience.
The lyrical content can be very good l, and have important themes about feminism, racism and systemic injustice, but the package that they're wrapped in is so painfully mediocre there is no impact because I can only focus on how poor the music sounds.
1.4/5 -> 1/5
Beatles
3/5
The first half of this is really well sequenced and had a lot of iconic songs, though the second half fell flat for me. Still a good album, and nice of the Beatles to dedicate part of "I Want You" to your mother.
3/5
Quicksilver Messenger Service
4/5
I haven't been the biggest fan of the psychedelic rock on this list so far, but this really impressed me. I liked how it didn't sound just "jammy", it had a lot of variety in speed, structure and vocals. The tracks that really stood out were Cavalry and Happy Trails as the closer(s). A unique combo i was a fan of. Also the lead singer died from complications of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency which is in my family. Some areas in the first half could have been a bit more engaging but all around i liked it. 3.7/5 -> 4/5
Led Zeppelin
5/5
I try to be critical of these albums where I can, but LZ4 really has no blindspots, and its runtime passes in the blink of an eye. 5/5
Grateful Dead
2/5
A very "meh" album for me. I found the constant group harmonies to be tedious and the music to be pretty underdeveloped/underwhelming. Not horrible but not my vibe. 2.4/5 -> 2/5
The Smiths
4/5
I've been plenty critical of much of the Smiths' and Morrissey's musical output up to this point, but I'll be dawned that Meat is Murder is actually really good. It's well constructed, funky, and has a good variety and mix of tracks. The two closing tracks do a great job of closing the curtain on the album, and the song meat is murder is quite a heavy listen for us omnivores/ex-vegetarians.
Xmas prime rib dinner is gonna have a more pensive chew to it this year, that's for sure.
4/5
Ella Fitzgerald
2/5
Ok, so...
On one hand, Ella is a beautiful singer and what a major music milestone to have her collaborate so extensively with the Gershwin brothers outside of the skat style shes known for.
On the other hand this was such a goddamn slog to get through. Most of the songs sounded similar and the vast, vast majority were love songs (and not in a fun, tongue in cheek way like 69 love songs). And I won't be listening to all of the alternative takes on disk 4, which might be the first time 700 albums into this I'm not ~technically listening to the whole album?
The thing is, what i value in albums is a story and a point of view. I enjoy when the songs are meticulously created and placed in a specific order, specifically: 1)the openers and closers act as strong bookends that make sense, 2) there is variety in the track list with extra points for a few interludes, 3) there is a cohesive sound and "vibe" that elevates the tracklist from just being a collection of songs 4) the album art acts as the ~environment by which you can imagine the music in, 5) the artist is practicing at the top on their skillset and I can see a genuine picture of who they are or what they're trying to say, 6) there are some experimental moments that make the record stand out amongst its contemporaries at the time. A record doesn't need all of these to be great, but again they are traits I personally value.
This one didn't scratch that itch. It was a large anthology of works from very talented musicians, but I would have preferred an album with more personality and diluted to the strongest moments.
"Beginners Luck" is a goddamn bop, though.
2.4/5 -> 2/5
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
5/5
An experimental classic. Weird as hell but perfectly suited for a list like this. 5/5
Jane Weaver
3/5
On first listen I was pretty excited by this release, but after a subsequent listen it has quite a few meh cuts throughout. I Wish is a really good closer. Mostly just curious why albums like this with little to no legacy nor distinct personality make this list but I digress. 3/5
Creedence Clearwater Revival
2/5
I was on the fence between a 2 and 3 for awhile, but it was the extended mid-tier take of Grapevine, combined with the fact that there were 4 covers on the album and a number of meh blues tracks that finally lowered it for me. Not an album I'd return to, just some singles. 2.4/5 -> 2/5
Brian Eno
2/5
I appreciate most of the work Brian Eno does, but this album was way too David Byrne forward - many of the songs sounded like instrumental stems of talking heads songs. That mixed with repetitive audio loops that were too long and uninteresting, and the prayer lean which was taken. Really just a mess that is mildly elevated through Eno's skill. 2/5
Justin Timberlake
2/5
Another I had to break down track by track to evaluate:
Señorita 1
Like I Love You 4
(Oh No) What You Got 2
Take It from Here 3
Cry Me a River 4
Rock Your Body 4
Nothin’ Else 1
Last Night 2
Still on My Brain 2
(And She Said) Take Me Now 1
Right for Me 1
Let’s Take a Ride 2
Never Again 2
Avg 2.23
Overall a pretty inconsistent album with a weak end. Several bops toward the beginning which were great and I loved the Clipse feature, but not Justin's strongest work (though he made it in 6 weeks which is crazy). 2.2/5 -> 2/5
Fleet Foxes
4/5
While indie music can be relatively hit or miss for me, Fleet Foxes do a good job constructing a vibe. As I've listened to this over the years, the highlights have only gotten better and the lowlights have stayed "meh". 3.7/5 -> 4/5
Guns N' Roses
3/5
I had high hopes for this album that weren't met. The hits from this record are timeless, and can really display G&R peak lyrical and musical abilities (Sweet Child of Mine is the clearest standout) but so many other tracks are mindless, poorly written or just bloat the runtime. If this was a 35 min album comprised mostly of key tracks this score would have been higher. 3/5
The Black Keys
2/5
While the majority of the music on this album isn't so bad, I hate the vocal effect that plagues every song, and cannot forgive the black keys for shitting out two of the worst car commercial songs of the the 21st century (Tighten Up & Howlin for You). 2/5
Big Star
3/5
A solid record. It starts off a bit stronger in my opinion, but is pleasant enough while it's on. 2.9/5 -> 3/5
Jacques Brel
4/5
It's great to hear the first interesting live performance in awhile! He seems super charismatic and entertaining. Great to see the origin of a lot of Scott Walkers songs. Some songs got my attention less but Tango Funebre was awesome. 3.5/5 -> 4/5
PJ Harvey
4/5
I absolutely loved the first half of this album. Such a cool ethereal sound with unique samples which were sometimes challenging. The second half was nice enough but didnt keep up the momentum as much as I'd like. 4.3/5 -> 4/5
Pavement
3/5
This pavement album has been pretty hyped up but it really doesn't do too much for me. Some good moments but also a bit forgettable. Not bad all and all. 3/5
Giant Sand
2/5
On first listen I kinda dug a few songs, but god on relisten it was such a chore to get through. The recording quality is poor, and it sounds like you went to your friend' roommate's singer/songwriter performance at a local café and his mom recorded it on her phone. Not something I'd return to for another hour, despite the pleasant moments. 2.4/5 -> 2/5
Judas Priest
3/5
Some of these songs are pretty one-note. Not bad overall, but not anything which I'd return to. 2.7/5 -> 3/5
The Sonics
3/5
I really loved the song Witch and appreciated the early grunge sound throughout the album (very protomudhoneyesque), though got bored of all the covers and themes. Cool they covered motown/R&B hits though. 3/5
Donovan
2/5
So repetitive over lame psych instrumentals. Really not for me nor essential. 2/5
Beatles
2/5
Fine overall, and relatively unique for 60s standards (musically at least, not so miluch thematically: "love love love love love"). 3/5
On second listen, I really can't get past how so many songs are about love and just how repetitive they are. My 4 year old were listening with me and even noticed: "this song is about love too??". Sorry Beatles, but give me yeat/charli xcx any day. 2.4/5 -> 2/5
The Cure
2/5
A noisy nightmare of an album, and not in a good way. Very muddy and dark, with very little variation from track to track. Feels like just an amorphous blob of music. I did like some of the moments but this was not overall for me. 2/5
Joni Mitchell
3/5
While it started off a bit slow, I really enjoyed the second half of the album. The closing track twisted is pretty funny. 3/5
Kate Bush
4/5
I had to break this down track by track to understand my thoughts:
1. "Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)" 5
2. "Hounds of Love" 5
3. "The Big Sky" 5
4. "Mother Stands for Comfort" 4
5. "Cloudbusting" 5
6. "And Dream of Sheep" 3
7. "Under Ice" 3
8. "Waking the Witch" 5
9. "Watching You Without Me" 3
10. "Jig of Life" 3
11. "Hello Earth" 4
12. "The Morning Fog" 3
Turns out I think Side A is close to perfect, but Side B I generally consider "mid". And Dream of Sheep" and "Under Ice" are way too slow and underwhelming to continue the story. Waking the Witch is so cool and unique. I found the Jig of Life and the Morning Fog to be the weakest tracks, which is too bad because the latter is the closer. All around my score averaged to a 4, which is still high given the relative weakness of the second half. 4/5
Siouxsie And The Banshees
1/5
What a goddamn earsore. I started out with an open mind but I was ready for this meandering, repetitive, nothing of an album to be over from by a few tracks in. I'm happy for folks who like Siouxsie And The Banshees, but it's not for me. 1/5
Super Furry Animals
1/5
I loved the album Rings Around the World. I thought it was unique and cutting edge and give it a glowing review.
This was like listening to nothing for 41 minutes. Generic uninteresting brit alt rock.
I think I'm especially annoyed because this represents the biggest issue with this list. That there appears to be no editing after the final albums were picked. For artists with undeniable worldwide impact and very musically diverse careers (Beatles, Radiohead, Dolly Parton, Prince, Michael Jackson, Madonna, etc etc), sure, give them multiple great albums. I only need the ONE best super fuzzy animals album (if that). I don't need an awkward, identity-less debut.
I'm giving this a one on that principal, combined with the fact that I see no inherent value to this album or any of it's tracks. 1/5
Britney Spears
2/5
I love that modern pop is included on this list. But my issue here is that this isn't a good album, it's GREAT singles surrounded by a number of filler tracks. Baby One More Time, Crazy, and Sometimes are so goddamn good, but if I ever have to hear Soda Pop again I'm gonna yeet myself off a building. Great tracks for a best singles of all time list, but doesn't quite meet the high expectations I had for this album. 2/5
Mott The Hoople
3/5
A pretty good album from a group I had only heard of in passing. Some of the songs stood out, with Violence being the most interesting imo. Not bad. 3/5
Kings of Leon
1/5
Finally, the long awaited final shit stain on this list of albums.
To its credit, the fact that it leans more toward rock-'n'-roll and blues rock is marginally better than the audience-pandering pop-rock dribble they'd fart out years later, but my gripes with this band remain:
I hate the singers voice, the guitar solos are basic and weak, there is no cohesion to the album and it sounds like a bunch of bad singles, I hate the singers voice.
Now I can sleep well, knowing I will die before I willingly listen to another KOL song or album. 1/5
Dr. John
5/5
Honestly I didn't know what to expect, but this album impresses me each time I come back to it. The first time I heard of Dr. John was when I saw him on the Top Chef hot sauce challenge. He seemed like a weird dude.
He seems to have gone full voodoo, not just putting on a persona of the Black NOLA community. He is also celebrated by his community for his work and music.
I really don't have any complaints and this stands out among the other albums of the time. 5/5
Steve Winwood
3/5
I feel pretty neutral to this. Some more interesting moments in the beginning of the album. Later in the album dragged on a bit with several songs overstaying their welcome and being too repetitive. Meh. 2.5/5 -> 3/5
Astrud Gilberto
1/5
This is a reminder that even in the "golden age" of music artists still released ass.
"Parade" might be one of the worst songs I've ever heard. Many of the other tracks are either instrumental messes, or boring love ballads.(or both). Then the album burst into "You Didn't Have to be So Nice" which brought in the worst goddamn child singer, and ended in her badly scatting. The whole album was <30min but it felt like forever and a waste of my time when I'm sure there is better samba out there. 1/5
CHIC
2/5
Honestly, other than Good Times this sucks. The songs overstay their welcome (including Good Times). They are funky but all sound similar enough that it's not very interesting. And all of the tracks are SO repetitive. Made for a 70s/80s dancefloor and not my headphones I suppose. 1.5/5 -> 2/5
Metallica
3/5
The beginning of the album that was instrumental and before the big hits came up was really impressive... The Master of Puppets came on - the symphony awkwardly trying to fit itself in while Metallica only sings half the lyrics, not what I was hoping.
...
So now that I finished the album, my feelings are mixed. You can tell the orchestra spent more time defining their sound on bigger songs (MOP, One, ES, Battery) but others they didn't contribute much. Of those hit songs audience participation was always annoying. While that is fun at a live show, if they knew this was being recorded I wish they would have just done a complete job. I'm also ok with Metallica in small bits, but over two hours was a bit much.
TLDR this album was a cool concept that would have been much improved through full performances by the band, and editing the setlist down to 60-75 mins. 3/5
The Soft Boys
3/5
Not bad by any means. Did it absolutely blow my mind? No. Was it all that unique in the history of music? No. But it was not an earsore when it was on. 2.7/5 -> 3/5
Röyksopp
4/5
I've listened to this for years, and while it's not Royksopp's best album (that honor belongs to Junior) it still has a nice, pensive, sunsetty vibe. 4/5
The Waterboys
2/5
I wanted to like this one, but found it incredibly boring and tedious to sit through (though it's probably a personal taste thing). Not for me, though I acknowledge some musical talent throughout. 2/5
Oasis
3/5
I was honestly expecting to dislike this but it was pretty engaging, though a bit long and the tracks blended together a bit. All around not bad at all. 3/5
Sonic Youth
5/5
I saw this cover show up and let out a huge groan. I really have not liked anything I've heard from Sonic Youth on this list so far. I figured Goo would be another drab and uninteresting post-punk/alt-rock album.
I was totally wrong
From the start, Goo is such an interesting move into noise rock (dare I say there are some grunge sensibilities here too?) that varies the track list from song to song. Each song either stands on it's own laurels, or is a great transition moment. The only thing I'd change from Dirty Boots through Mildred Pierce is to make a seamless transition between Mary-Christ and Kool Thing, but maybe there was a technical reason for that or something. There are cool post-rock and metal elements throughout as well. Cinderella is a bit of a boring track, and Titanium is a bit weak at the start but picks it up at the end. All around I am shocked I loved this so much but it's well deserved. 4.5/5 -> 5/5
Faith No More
3/5
This album is good, but hasn't aged particularly well over the years. It's successors are all superior albums, especially Angel Dust which would be an easy 5 for me. Still though, ok while it's on. 3/5
LTJ Bukem
3/5
I've been pretty rough on all things Jungle and Drum'n'bass, but compared to bloated albums like New Forms or Timeless this is a small breath of fresh air. While having numerous different artists contribute makes this feel a bit like your friend LTJ Bukem burned a CD mixtape for you to listen to of his favorite songs, the variety did help the tracklist feel a bit more fresh, and how LTJ mixed them into one 67min mix at the end of the album did make me feel more forgiving here.
I actually really liked Night Train, as it fit my 4am bus ride in the dark well, with Music and Jazz Lick both doing interesting things as well.
So while this certainly has it flaws, it made me appreciate the experience. 3/5
...Also, this album made me realize the Super Monkey Ball soundtrack has d'n'b elements, which made me happy. 🐒
Cornershop
1/5
This was one of the most poorly sequenced and inconsistent albums I've heard in this list. There was no rhyme nor reason for the song lengths, some songs were >5mins and far too long for the limited content/repetition, and some were 2 mins and not flushed out. The album had numerous moments where multiple interludes were in a row that only detracted. The most "exciting" descriptions of the band "Indian music" and "danceble-pop" were either rarely used (the former) or totally absent (the latter).
Overall this sounds like a bad debut album, but sadly it was their 3rd. The moments of Indian style music were the most interesting though barely present. 1.4/5 -> 1/5.
Morrissey
3/5
While I am generally hit or miss with Morrissey/Smiths stuff, this was more of a hit. Some fun and interesting tracks with a good closer. It's still a pet peeve of mine that he is so relentless and continuous in his singing (doesn't give the music time to breathe) but still good. 3/5
Pere Ubu
2/5
There were some experimental moments that were interesting, but mostly this gave off bad post-punk recorded in a garage vibes. Meh. 2.4/5 -> 2/5
King Crimson
5/5
A flawless progressive rock masterpiece from start to finish. 5/5
2/5
Fred Durst knows the f word.
One of the most disturbing titles and pieces of album artwork. I was expecting to hate this, but it was a modicum more interesting than I expected. Extremely juvenile with little to say, but the nu metal riffs were heavy. Like a trailer park rage against the machine. 1.5/5 -> 2/5
Sonic Youth
2/5
There are too many albums for many artists on this list. One of the biggest offenders is Sonic Youth. While I admit their albums all hit differently, I would almost consider inconsistent rather than innovative as their general sound doesn't evolve or change (with the exception of this album's predecessor Goo, they figured it out for that one).
The first half of this record gets off to a poor start, with the band returning to their garage quality post-punk roots. I like the messaging of Youth Against Fascism of course, with the songs that follow getting much better over the course of the second half. It wasn't enough to salvage the record, though. 2.4/5 -> 2/5
Einstürzende Neubauten
2/5
Well I can't say I enjoyed listening to it all that much, but the innovation is there and that deserves an extra star. 2/5
The Prodigy
4/5
This might be the single greatest work out album I've heard (tied with The Second Toughest in the Infants for favorite running album. Smack My Bitch Up and Breathe and both outstanding. I don't much care for the Diesel Power (not a huge Kool Keith fan these days) or Funky Shit. But when I'm running it's all good. 5 for exercising and 3 for casual headphone listening. 4/5
Common
3/5
This is ok. Overall, very mellow and inoffensive (except when gay men are mentioned, then it gets offensive in a different way). Looks like Common has since denounced his homophobic lyrics which is good to see.
If I wanted to listen to jazz rap I'd probably go for A Tribe Called Quest or Nujabes but this is fine. 3/5
Violent Femmes
3/5
Very mild, pleasant, diddling music. 3/5
Fela Kuti
3/5
Short, simple, fun enough, no complaints.3/5
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
Different style and a good closer. Some forgettable songs but not bad. 3/5
Slipknot
4/5
This was a heavy and fun listen. There could have been a bit more variety in the tracklist, but I thought it was overall interesting. 3.7/5 -> 4/5
Jeff Beck
3/5
This one barely made the cut for me. One of my big pet peeves of the rock bands of the 60s and early 70s was all of the blues covers on the first albums. Jeff back did have a unique voice though, and some of the instrumentals were pretty nice. Ok, overall. 2.5/5 -> 3/5
50 Cent
3/5
On one hand this album goes hard on some tracks, but on the other it's pretty repetitive with it's themes and beats. The features were not well used (eg it was annoying to see Eminem twice). Overall it was fine. 2.5/5 -> 3/5
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
2/5
I definitely preferred his work when he was a member of Quicksilver Messenger Service. The folk elements were good enough, but the psychedelic elements were basic and uninteresting. Overall I found the album forgettable which is its biggest detractor. 2.4/5 -> 2/5
Mariah Carey
2/5
Honestly, I may have had higher hopes than I should have going into this. I liked the warm, nostalgic throwback to cozy smooth jazz winters in the 90s at my parents' house, but really this album didn't do much more while it was on. Not to mention that Prince cover was absolutely atrocious. Sorry Mariah, I'm going to stick with your xmas work. 2.4/5 -> 2/5
Louis Prima
3/5
Some bops, some annoying tracks, but all around not bad. 3/5
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
I liked this infinitely more than his The Rising crap (finished this album at 9:11, sorry Bruce). But as a collection of songs this really dragged on. Nice guy and good voice so more positive than negative. 3/5
Cyndi Lauper
4/5
Really impressed with this one overall. It's a shame that some of the songs are either covers or not written by her, but she owns every performance. She Bop is a killer track. Some meh bits but overall good throughout. 4/5
4/5
I was fully prepared to come at this album with a 1 or a 2 due to how annoying I find wonderwall and champagne supernova in a vacuum. But I'll be damned if this is one of those cases where everything sounds more palatable in the context of the album. Good instrumental layering, pretty good variety, and while I find the vocals unappealing they weren't a deal breaker. 3.5/5 -> 4/5
The Replacements
2/5
Pretty uninteresting punk/post punk. Androgenous was ok, but most of the other songs didn't do it for me. 2.4/5 -> 2/5