Possibly the worst album I've ever heard. She should start a band with Yoko Ono.

This album is a masterpiece. Thanks for including it this week.

Much better than I feared. I was familiar with "We Got The Beat" as I used to play that back in the day, but I never explored this album any deeper. I'm glad I did. It's not exactly a beacon of substance but as is often the case with me, I was turned off by the radio tracks and never delved deeper. This album is worth a full listen IMO. 4 stars.

Not my type of music but I'll give it two stars for its popularity back in the day.

Interesting, not really what I expected

An old familiar one. He was always a bit too pop for my taste but the wife was dancing around the house and singing along while it was on. 4 stars for longevity and wide appeal.

Possibly the worst album I've ever heard. She should start a band with Yoko Ono.

A fun time of recalling the songs that my parents enjoyed. Americana personified.

A classic that brought back fond memories.

Interesting album, and more enjoyable than I feared. First time I ever heard of this, thank you!

Outstanding, an old favorite. Thanks for starting my day with this.

An old favorite and a blessing with which to start my day, thank you so much!

The alleged "genius" of this album must be over my head. Sounds like a bunch of high school kids making noise in the garage.

I'm struggling to come up with something insightful to say. Everybody knows this one. I feel like I'm trying to introduce my kid brother to everybody at a family reunion.

Excellent album, previously unknown to me.

I can find nothing "wrong" with this, it's certainly masterfully laid down. I guess I just don't see the purpose. Why go to the trouble? What's the point? "Art doesn't NEED a point, it is because it IS!" Yeah, ok. Wake me up if I doze off.

Not bad. A bit whiny at times for my taste, though much of the music from back then shared that characteristic.

I've never heard of this band before, or this album. I read a review from a guy that attended one of their live shows. "14 outcasts in denim and pearl buttons, standing onstage and staring at their shoes, playing the pro-social sounds of country and soul with the graceful reluctance of indie rockers too polite to beg for attention but too obstinate to shut up and go home. " The wife liked it. I didn't hate it. 3 stars.

Not bad. Drug addled and spooky but, as Dr. John's debut release, it carries historical significance. Plus it's only 33 minutes long.

Marc Bolan and the boys. This one was my favorite of their releases. I wasn't a big fan back then, didn't dislike them, I just got distracted by other acts. 4 stars.

I got excited a couple of times when I thought I heard the beginnings of an actual song. False alarm. Just another abstract, meandering mess. 2 stars.

I can't believe I've never heard of this album. Although I've never been much of a country fan, this album is top shelf. Thanks for "broadening" me.

Interesting. I liked this. BTW the female singer on this album, Sandy Denny, was also the female singer on Led Zeppelin's song "The Battle of Evermore." She is the only guest artist ever to record with Led Zeppelin.

Never been much of a fan of the Byrds. This album didn't convert me.

A real classic. Personally I preferred "Sticky Fingers" from this era but this one is a monster as well, though with a bit more filler.

A big success at the time, though some of us that loved the first couple of albums found this one to be a bit more "pop" than our taste would prefer. There's no doubt that Eddie Van Halen redefined rock guitar technique and style in the 1980s.

I like The Kinks. I had never heard this early album before. I enjoyed it. Thanks!

This just isn't for me. Did his family own the record company back then?

I actually came into this prepared to hate it but was surprised. I managed to finish it and was pleased. Kudos to the brevity of it.

Not for me.

Other than being bald, the one characteristic I shared with the late David Crosby is that we both find Bonnie Raitt to be our favorite singer, period. This isn't my personal favorite album of hers, but any work by Bonnie beats the crap out of anything else this record club has turned up thus far. Thank you!

Any album produced by Danger Mouse and a fellow named Neill has got to be worthy. I'm well familiar with this one. Thanks! :)

I came. I saw. I tried. I can't do it. Not a Beach Boys fan, including independent splinter projects.

This is one of those albums that transport me back to when it was around, in this case the early 90s. What a strange time for me. Anyway, this isn't about me, it's about the album. Still worthy. 4 stars. :)

Not my favorite work from the era but there's lots of tunes on this album that were later (and better) covered by others. To me this album is memorable for introducing me to Larry Graham, one of the pioneering e-bass players.

Although old school, I enjoyed this. Plus the singer is from solid ancestral roots. :)

I started this all prepared to not like it, but surprisingly I started to tolerate it pretty fast. I've made it through track 5 without cutting it off, in spite of the wife's screams, curses and launching projectiles in my general direction. This might be my favorite hip hop album. I'm certainly no expert on the genre though.

I don't know about this. It seems rather silly to me. The wife likes it better than the last two though. She said it didn't make her want to kill people, so there's that. I'm just not sure that this fits into my lifelong internal definition of "music."

Oh yeah, now we're getting into my world. A high school/college classic for me. Not the best Steely Dan album, but definitely an old favorite. 4 stars.

haha! An old frat party staple.

These rifs remind me of 1970s tv theme songs and backing tracks. I keep thinking of Buddy Ebson as Barnaby Jones wandering into a nightclub to investigate a case.

Never heard of this band or their music before. Thanks for the introduction.

The best album the club has turned up thus far.

This album changed music for everyone in my inner circle back in the day and for me it's hard to think of one with more cultural significance. I think I am probably the only person I know that prefers Candy-O to this one but, that said, it's a short list of musical works that merit the ratings I'd give this album. Thanks for the jump start to this week.

Enjoyed this album. It was my first exposure to Elbow.

An excellent album which I hadn't heard before.

I made it through but it's not for me. I don't understand the appeal.

Mediocre at best.

While I personally find myself listening to the "Best Of" compilations these days, this album was a LOT of influence in my youth. Thanks to the album club for providing something of substance to start the week. :)

What better way to try to get Ray Charles to "cross over" than to orchestrate his voice like Frank Sinatra?

I had forgotten why I didn't like it in 1974 either. Thanks for the reminder. :)

I enjoyed this. It caught me in the right mood. :)

I like this album and have never heard it before today. I have to dismiss my preconceived notion that the Beastie Boys are a one trick pony. They can be much more varied. I saw a review on Youtube where a guy said that "I played a couple of songs from this album for my ten year old daughter who said it was awful, terrible. She's now doing well with her foster family." :D

A staple of my youth, such that I tired of it's constant play. I was reminded today that Babylon on this album was covered by Manfred Mann later on in the 70s. 4 stars for longevity.

I had never heard this album before and enjoyed it. The wife didn't run away screaming either.

Early Elvis that was a bit before my time but was well loved by lots of the parents in my life. Just not mine. :D

No AI, no autotune, just real musicians making art. One of the finest bands of the 70s IMO. Thanks for this one. :)

It's a good one. I preferred the first couple of Springsteen albums, before he got all racing themed, and quit him after The River, when he decided he needed everyone to know and adopt his politics. Still, this is a good album to show someone that needs an introduction to Springsteen.

No comment. It's not worthy of one.

Heard of this guy in passing but never listened to his album. The whine meter on this is pretty consistently high for my taste, and he seemed to be reaching to fill space with his chord progressions and lyrics, making it feel forced. Nevertheless I liked a good bit of it.

I liked this album.

An oldie from back in my day. It struggled to be contemporary at the time, which made it as dated as Hawaii 5-0 today.

Elvis's return to pop music and break from movie soundtracks. It was a notable album and a favorite of Elvis fans.

A bit pretentious and "highbrow" for me. I saw the movie and had the soundtrack album. It's just not an album that I'd sit down to and listen.

I very much enjoyed this album.

A well known pop album with folk undertones. Too soft and sweet for my taste but props for longevity and popularity.

This album's all right, it's like a backing track for sex. Mariah's voice is all over the place as usual. More popular with women I think. I'll give it 3 stars since it sold a bajillion copies.

Excellent album.

Not a fan. It was a bit before my time and it really shows. I wonder if Buddy Holly would have had such a legacy if he wasn't a martyr?

I hate to sound like a broken record (hah) but I am not the world's largest U2 fan. Thinking back on it, back when they were the biggest band in the world I wasn't into them, I was more into blues and R&B, and the stuff I had to learn. I had a few U2 albums along the way. My trial partner in law school was into them and tried to get me more interested, and one album he made me listen to was "Joshua Tree" which had just been released and remained and remains my personal favorite of theirs. I think I was later turned off with Bono and his egomaniac self designation as the Messiah or something. Some people were acting like Edge was some guitar phenom back then, which led me to laughter. All that said, I rather like this album. I'm pretty sure I've got it on cd around here somewhere unless it got donated to the library or borrowed by the kids. It keeps popping up with familiar tunes from back in the day, and I'm enjoying it. I'm going to give it 4 stars since I understand it's significance and it's status as an international monster.

Not bad for an early morning listen. Too slow/sweet for me to take a steady diet.

Listen, I've got to get blood work in the morning for my physical and I don't need all this sugar and estrogen skewing my results. I don't loathe these Yankee homos, but their "talent" has always been lost on a cement head Rebel such as myself. Its most redeeming virtue is that the wife enjoyed it.

Never heard this particular one but I have always been a Kinks fan. They get the vote out of me. :)

Rest in Peace to The Killer, gone now but not forgotten. The audio quality of this one is poor, due to the era and due to the live venue, but it's a greatest hits album. 3 stars.

This album is a masterpiece. Thanks for including it this week.

Not my thing.

This album was around a lot back in the day. I always preferred a couple of the less played numbers like "Hanging On The Telephone" and "Pretty Baby" to the radio favorites but that's usually the case with me. A solid selection today.

I remember this album from 2004. The radio wore out a couple of the tracks but many of the others are the real gems IMO. I like it more today than then.

haha, I used to play music with a guy that was into The Hives, but I never much listened to them. I am digging this album though. Very high energy.

I just can't see it. Or feel it. Why is this album worthy of playing, anyway?

Not bad. Suitable for background music.

I just don't know. Everybody says this guy is a genius. I must be getting old.

I was receptive to this one today. The wife loved it, even back in 2011, and I can see why it was such a hit back in the day.

A top shelf album of which I had remained oblivious until now. Very much enjoyed, thanks.

Ok this album sold a lot of copies and I sure heard it a lot when it was new. It wasn't made for my generation. At least it wasn't made for me. :)

I'm struggling to make it through this abomination. I can't believe it made it onto the list.

Oh good, let's close out the weekend with an old friend. I grew up on this one. Many of my friends consider this their finest work. It's hard to dispute it's reach and influence.

Not an album for dancing, partying or for background music. It's a serious headphone and attention demanding work. I'm not the biggest PF fan in the world, but this is a good example and one which I've owned since it came out.

Good album of which I was previously familiar. He's not the kind of guy I seek out but I usually don't skip him when he comes up in a random playlist.

I've actually seen and heard this album before. I was in a roomful of guys proclaiming their advanced musical taste while it was on. What a discombobulated mess. It's not for me. I'm not refined enough. (rolleyes)

Well all right! Thank you album club for kicking off my morning.

I liked it all right. I'm not a jazz guy but I liked this one much better than that Mungus one,

I know this one all too well. I actually had to hold off playing it until this evening because Vicky wanted to hear it again and she was at the water park today. Lots of big 1960s hits on this album.

Never heard of it, and I now wish that was still the case. I'm not supposed to have that much sugar without a shot in the gut. I'm sure the 14 year old girls in 1985 were squeeing with delight.

Back when guitars were guitars and men were men, there was this screaming hot band leader named Louis Prima that owned the stages of an upstart American gambling town known as Las Vegas. Along with Keely Smith, Sam Butera and his shining band of misfits, this bunch made music that held audiences in amazement. I'm so glad to listen to this album again today, it's been too long. 4 stars. PS Wiki just told me that Louis Prima was also the voice of the orangutan King Louie in Disney's Jungle Book. I hadn't put that together until today.

Bowie was not my favorite artist.

I don't hate this, and so far I haven't turned it off. That surprised me.

Ouulala. I had this one on 8 track in my car in high school. This one and the first Rush album held sway over me but the later ones caused us to drift apart.

This one is just outside my scope of musical appreciation. I guess I'm just not musically broad enough to appreciate it. That was rather diplomatic, wouldn't one say? :-)

I remember when the record companies were constantly pushing this. It's not for me, and I've heard it before. I did make it all the way through though, and didn't turn it off. It has its moments.

I enjoyed this album. I was surprised that I had never heard it before.

An important album, even if it has more than its share of Motown covers.

Hah. Pronounced. I could play most of this one before I could drive. Not my favorite Skynyrd album but it deserves its props.

I was a slow study with Talking Heads, but one day in the early 1980s they clicked for me.

I tried this, and quickly decided that my life's too short to spend time filling my head with this satan suicide soundtrack.

Worst. Album. Ever. I thought my stereo was broken.

I had never heard of A Tribe Called Quest until today. I didn't mind it. :)

Creedence. Yay. :-)

I know people that will fight you over this band. Aside from a couple of their studio albums I find their work unappealing to me. This live album, which I've heard before, seems like some guys just noodling around with no structure or plan, just jamming as they moved along.

I really REALLY enjoyed this album, and had never heard it before. Thanks for the insight. I'm broadened! :)

Well I wondered when something like this would come around. I always thought Dylan was a tremendous writer and a mediocre player/singer. I've managed to hear much of his work over the decades though. This morning when this album was over the wife turned Dylan on the house system and has been listening to him ever since, she's a fan and you guys have gotten her started. 3 stars out of me for his writing, longevity and broad appeal. :-)

A great album. I still run it on occasion.

I remember these guys from the 70s. They were too sweet and pop for my taste back then, and this album sure didn't do anything to change my mind to the contrary. Meh.

No point on commenting on this one, I suppose. IYKYK :)

4 hours and 13 minutes? Thank you sir, may I have another? I ran it as long as I could in the background while I did my morning routine. This is music from my parents' generation. World War II. I'm sure it made a difference to many back then. I don't hate it but I've got a life to live this morning. You say "comprehensive", I say "too long", let's call the whole thing off.

I really do not like this. I remember back in the mid 80s when the record companies and radio stations were demanding my devotion and assimilation to it by playing it every 5 minutes. I gave it the old college try this morning and ran it in its entirety. No minds changed here.

This album changed everything. Nobody played guitar like Eddie Van Halen at the time, and all the kids worked like fiends to learn his licks.

I really enjoyed this album as well. I don't know why I was so late in learning more about this band, I think Come On Eileen stereotyped them in my mind back then. Learning more about Dexys Midnight Runners really drives home the benefit of participating in this club to me. :)

Meh. When it came to the Kiss Army, I was a draft dodger. They are less a group of musicians as they are an act. Like professional wrestling. I suppose this one is about as good as they get though.

I'm familiar with this album though it's been decades since I've played it through. Thanks for the memories.

I burned out on this album early on, I used to have to play Two Out Of Three and Paradise in the clubs when I was a young lad. I don't know, the album was certainly huge, but to me it seemed like pretty much the same stuff repackaged into 7 songs. I was all set to give it 3 stars and the wife came into my office and adamantly said "Give Meatloaf 5 stars!" She's been singing and dancing around the house to it all morning. I'll compromise. :-D

Whoa, what a great album! It just keeps giving. It really is all killer, no filler. I'm glad to learn of this one. It only took me 25 years. :-D

This album has so many good memories for me. Vicky and I saw her live on the Private Dancer tour before we were married. Probably the biggest album of Tina's career.

This one was pretty much stereotypical of the late 90s for me. Courtney Love's struggle to remain relevant. The first track was the one that got the radio play and also the one I had heard before. There's not much to the rest of the album IMO.

I've actually played some of this stuff with a Brazilian guy I know that plays guitar and sings. Of course it's foreign to me but I recognize some of the tunes. I suppose I'll give it three stars for being a big deal in the bossa nova world.

I really don't know what to say about this one. I didn't hate it and I made it all the way through, but I don't think I'd run it again unless I was getting paid or something. I guess I wonder why it made the list.

The Temptations were a solid part of my upbringing. I loved those guys.

I'm sure this one had plenty of fans back in my Mom's day. From back in the time when they'd bring an entire 100 piece orchestra into the studio and simultaneously record all the music at the same time. The Chairman of The Board. I can't diss it, it's just not for me.

I think one significant benefit to joining this project is learning that there is more to the Beastie Boys than "Fight For Your Right". This is the third lp I've listened to by them and enjoyed them all.

Interesting. A lot of random chords often with no lyrics just humming and "domdoming" along. Decent background album for getting some things done around the house.

Great old album that I've owned since new. Really good for snuggling. Fun Fact: The Isley Brothers gave Jimi Hendrix his first big break when they hired him as their guitar player.

Oh yes! Brother Solomon Burke. The Bishop! The King of Soul! I loved this guy. He was overshadowed in his day by the likes of Ray Charles, Aretha and James Brown, but he sure had a God given voice and was a real character, on-stage and off. I'm throwing my first 5 stars, a royal flush!

Meh. I didn't hate it and made it through.

Ordinarily I wouldn't give something like this a chance but I read the Wiki article first and pulled it up. Thus far I'm at track 7 and haven't yet deleted it. I've heard much worse. UPDATE: Near the end my hand involuntarily reached for the delete button but I managed to fight off the compulsion and made it all the way through.

I don't know, the cultural rift between this album and my taste is rather broad. :D

I actually quite liked this album. I had heard a lot of it before, and I suppose familiarity breeds acceptance.

An AM staple with several radio hits from my youth. I imagine this one is dated around many participants in this group.

I really liked this album. I might run it again this weekend. Thumbs up. :)

Thanks for the introduction. Incredibly I had never heard of this influential band, and they were from my time. :)

This is another one that was played a good bit around the house by the kids. I like it all right, but it's the kind of album that didn't have a lot of lasting power with me.

What a great, influential album. I've never listened to this all the way through and didn't know what I was listening to when I heard a track or two back in the day. Most excellent!

A cover band from 1965 with all the sonic clarity of a 1970 cassette recorder. On most songs I was thinking, "Ok, that's Motown", "Ok, that's the Beatles" or "That's the Beatles covering Motown." I read that they were influential in Seattle. Maybe so. I don't know.

This one just isn't for me, it seems rather redneck white trash in my opinion. I remember everybody talking about it when it came out. I didn't like it then either. At least I gave it a full run through today.

Meh. This isn't my genre. I'm sure Loudermilk would be raving about it, but non-critics like me find it meek and effeminate.

I'm well familiar with this album, it was in the clubs and all over the pop radio stations in the 80s. This one had to sell a bajillion albums back then, it had quite a few songs that charted. I think "She Bop" is the one I liked the best.

I'm not a punk music guy but when people want to talk punk with me I know a bit about the Ramones and a bit more about Black Flag. This album is a classic punk mile marker. I hope listening to it didn't ruin my day. :p

Not very interesting to me.

This album really caught my attention with that power funk opener. I like this one better than many rap/hip hop albums.

Props for being a big seller. Prince has some good dance tunes, but as for an album that I'd sit down and headphone, it's not for me. I know this is nigh near blasphemy to lots of folks. :-D

I used to scare my peers with this album. It's got a lot of raw power and energy and was unlike most others at its time. Morello had a weird technique and relied almost exclusively on gadgets and tricks for tone.

This one is timeless genius. If I had to find something critical to say about this album it would be that it seems to draw more women than men, like barren cat women, even though every breeder woman I know loves it as well. That said, if this album doesn't deserve 5 stars, there is no method to the madness. "Way Over Yonder" has always been my personal favorite on a difficult set list to rank.

I don't know why I had never heard of or been warned about Bjork until I started this record club, but this is the second album they've sent by her. They say she's got a following in Europe. Good. My buddy Robert recalled a review he read a while ago, "Bjork is who you can picture naked and alone in the woods, singing to the trees." "Bjork sounds like a disenchanted emo witch, lamenting the world through music that appeals to others that also feel disenfranchised from the world."

This was a good way to enjoy my morning coffee. Thank you!

At the time this came out in the 80s I didn't much care for it, I was busy with blues and rock and considered this as culturally questionable fodder for the masses. As the years rolled by I became more acclimated to it, then comfortable, then quite liking it. This old dance album has paid its dues and earned its props.

I was never much of a fan of Radiohead, though I guess I'll give this one 3 stars out of recognition of its denseness. It seems a shame for me to rate this as high as the Duran Duran album. BTW I hope you boys noticed we've gotten through 200 albums so far. :)

This was all right. It could serve a purpose as background music while cleaning the house.

This one's a blessing to listen to. A real singer, a real voice, real talent.

I heard this album when it came out in 2012 and didn't much care for it, but today's listen gave me a bit more appreciation for it. It has its moments for me. 3 stars.

Meh. Not really bad.

Meh.

I enjoyed this one rather well, and was unaware of it until yesterday.

Why? Please make it stop.

Familiarity breeds acceptance. The kids wore me out on this one back in the day. This album was/is big time.

Amazon only had the single of this, not the album by the same name. My rating is for the single only.

I like this one better than the other Ian Dury and the Blockheads album I own. It seems representative of Great Britain in the late 70s.

I like this album a lot better than most punk genre albums, it's more melodic and musical than most. Glad to listen to it this morning.

My favorite of this week. This album did a lot of good in its day, and tracks were copied and covered in lots of stuff over the decades. A heavy hitter for sure.

I've got this album around here somewhere and remember it when it came out. Props for its success.

What a pile of nothing. I remember the era where anybody could be a "singer". I don't miss it. At least it didn't irritate me, that's why I gave it a 2.

Meh. I hate to keep coming up with negative comments. It's too soft and effeminate for me. Just not my style of music.

Based on the Wiki article I was really looking forward to checking out something this highly acclaimed. I found it to be a soundtrack for suicide. No thanks.

All I could find on Amazon was a "Deluxe Edition" that went well beyond the original 12 tracks. I enjoyed this morning's selection, somebody my age heard all of this stuff along the way, either by Little Richard or covered by others. Thanks!

My favorite Elvis Costello album.

I didn't much care for this.

I like the second half better than the first.

Oh yeah! This album really appeals to me. Having never heard of it I wasn't expecting much, but this album has got power and appeal. I'm glad I've learned about it! 4 stars.

This just didn't do it for me.

Decent background music for doing other things.

These odes to depression and grief don't do much for me. This one was rather well done though.

I guess everybody from my generation is well familiar with this one. I was never the biggest fan as it's rather soft for me. The wife would give it 5 stars if allowed to vote.

I'm not a big jazz guy but this one has been my favorite jazz album for a long time. Classic!

One of the bricks in the wall of sound of my college days.

Meh. Sounds like high school kids in the garage.

Trio jazz like this really places demands on the players and these guys are/were some of the very best. Again I'm not a jazz guy but these artists are real masters.

Excellent album that, based on prior experience with this artist, I would not have chosen.

Thank you for this blast from the last. A great Stooges work, probably my favorite!

My favorite of the so-called British Invasion bands.

I was surprised that this soundtrack compilation was deemed worthy of the list. But ok, 3 stars for longevity and American cultural significance. :)