Brilliantly produced album with some serious flaws that can't be ignored. On one hand, the central theme of life in South Central LA in the late 80s/early 90s is enlightening for those that didn't experience it and likely serves as catharsis for those who did. I remember seeing the Rodney King beatings, subsequent trial, and riots after the unconscionable aquittals of the LA PD officers from afar through the lense of CNN. Listening to this in 2024 puts in stark relief how little things have changed in regards to police violence and accountability; it's easy to identify with the anger and calls for uprising. On the other hand, the ever present misogyny is impossible to ignore and hard to get past. So is the imagery of the fantasy tyrant that rules his hood with a gun and kills for any and all infractions committed against them, no matter how small, which I think cheapens the overall message. The repeated suggestion? threat? of homosexual felatio, while obviously hyperbolic, is frequent enough to be a bit off-putting. Gangsta rap isn't really my thing, and there aren't any tracks that resonate with me on a lyrical level, but Dre's beats, mixing, and use of samples is masterful. Genius use of the Bernie Worrell synth sound, too. It's also pointing out that, while Dre has plenty of verses and is the genius behind it, this is Snoop Doggs album as much as anyone else's. Doc clearly knew he'd struck gold there. The interstitial skits are hit and miss, but "$20 Sack Pyramid" is objectively funny. Overall, technically impressive and a cultural touchstone.

If you asked me if I like funk as a genre, I would probably say yes, but in reality I'm not sure whether I like it or more the idea of it. In practice, for my tastes it either seems to be too repetitive or indulges too much in goofiness that takes away from the musical experience. Not so with Nation Under a Groove. The creativity and musicianship here are superfluous. There are a few spots where it threatens to float away into '70's vocal band' territory, but Bootsy and Stingray are ultimately able to keep it grounded (we definitely need more bass singers in popular music). Each track has its own vibe and personality while remaining a cohesive collective, and the exact same can be said for the players; one nation under a groove indeed. This is exactly what it says on the tin, and everything you'd want in a funk album.

It's hard to believe Buddy Holly was this polished and had found his unique voice before he was even 21. You can certainly hear the influence on the Beach Boys, the Beatles, etc. A few of the tracks are a little unremarkable, and at times the saccharine style doo-wop backing is grating, but overall a very good album with a high density of classics.

A beautifully recorded album that I struggling to find much personal connection with. Heart of Gold, Old Man, and Needle and the Damage Done are the only tracks I truly enjoy and/or stir strong emotion. Dig Tim Drummond's bass tone.

Being mostly covers, this one is a little hard to rate. The originals, "Old Man Trouble," "Respect," and "I've Been Loving You..." are a part of the '60's R&B canon for a reason, and the covers are mostly fantastic. "Shake" feels a little lacking in energy, though, and I could take or leave "You Don't Miss Your Water, but Otis Redding's voice and delivery won't be denied. The backing band is a veritable who's who of session players, and something about these Stax recordings just feels like home. Overall a great listen that's easy to latch onto.

Not much to say that hasn't already been said about this album, but it's a very special one to me and one of my favorites by the Beatles.

Brilliantly produced album with some serious flaws that can't be ignored. On one hand, the central theme of life in South Central LA in the late 80s/early 90s is enlightening for those that didn't experience it and likely serves as catharsis for those who did. I remember seeing the Rodney King beatings, subsequent trial, and riots after the unconscionable aquittals of the LA PD officers from afar through the lense of CNN. Listening to this in 2024 puts in stark relief how little things have changed in regards to police violence and accountability; it's easy to identify with the anger and calls for uprising. On the other hand, the ever present misogyny is impossible to ignore and hard to get past. So is the imagery of the fantasy tyrant that rules his hood with a gun and kills for any and all infractions committed against them, no matter how small, which I think cheapens the overall message. The repeated suggestion? threat? of homosexual felatio, while obviously hyperbolic, is frequent enough to be a bit off-putting. Gangsta rap isn't really my thing, and there aren't any tracks that resonate with me on a lyrical level, but Dre's beats, mixing, and use of samples is masterful. Genius use of the Bernie Worrell synth sound, too. It's also pointing out that, while Dre has plenty of verses and is the genius behind it, this is Snoop Doggs album as much as anyone else's. Doc clearly knew he'd struck gold there. The interstitial skits are hit and miss, but "$20 Sack Pyramid" is objectively funny. Overall, technically impressive and a cultural touchstone.

More polished than their earlier releases, Technique certainly has a vibe: smooth, droning vocals and jangly guitar backed by melodic, chorus soaked bass lines and sequenced drums, liberally peppered with strident synth sounds. I would describe the songs as alternating between 'John Hughes coming-of-age' soundtrack and Neo Geo VGM, -- which to be clear is not a bad thing -- though that's really revisionist nostalgia on my part; the influence goes the other way here. This is all to say, I don't hate it, but I'd be hard pressed to pick a single individual track out of a lineup. The whole album leaves an impression similar to a night of good dreams; a wistful feeling for what was with no distinct memory of it. In all, not really my thing, and while this is worth a listen at least once, I'm rounding down for ultimately being kinda boring.

This is a cozy album, the kind that makes you fantasize about having nothing that needs doing, drinking coffee while staring at the rain out the kitchen window, reminiscing. The music is equal parts Jim Croce and Vince Guaraldi, with beautifully balanced and recorded arrangements. Van's unique voice has a timbre that pulls you in and makes you want to listen, though frankly it teeters on the edge of abrasive after 3-4 songs, thankfully never quite getting there due to his grasp of dynamics. The lyrics are poetic without being oblique, with accessible narrative themes. Into the Mystic is probably my favorite track, and Moondance my least. It may be in part due to being overplayed in my lifetime, but even listening as objectively as possible I think it's overrated. Glad Tidings is a good tune, but reads as a Brown Eyed Girl retread, or more charitably, a sequel. There's not really anything bad to say about "Moondance" as an album, but the lack of variation in themes hurts the replay factor for me.

I'll start by saying it's really cool how much control Taylor has over her own music, and by all accounts she works very hard to make it. I like the electro-pop direction/sound a lot, and don't think it's unfair to compare this to prime 80s Madonna or Cyndi Lauper except Swift wrote much more of the material. Her voice is appealing (nobody does an 'mmm' quite like Taytay), if lacking range, and I don't think it's technically possible for production to be more polished thanks to Miller, Antonoff, Shellback, et al and Taylor's reportedly high standards. That extreme polish is honestly one of the biggest demerits to me, not just for this album, but this type of pop music in general; at what point does the artist no longer really matter? I know Taylor hand picked this team to work with, and they really are talented artists in their own right, but there is something about manufactured, air-brushed, reconstituted from concentrate recordings that I find hard to swallow. Some of the magic of music is just lost when you make it this way. That said, "Shake It Off" is a straight bop (though I could do without that pseudo-rap breakdown), I appreciate the shade thrown on "Blank Space," and "I Know Places" has a welcome darker tone from most of the rest of the album plus what I assume is an homage to/imitation of Regina Spektor that didn't go unnoticed. A lot of the rest of the tracks are either generic to my ear, or would benefit from a more mature storyteller. Perhaps my younger self would identify more with the overarching theme of young love lost, but it just doesn't resonate with me. In all, not bad, but not for me.

Elliott Smith's "Either Or" seems to answer the question, "what is the sound of one Beatle clapping?" Musically, nearly every song sounds like a remix of the other; same key, same -- I'm not sure what to call it, diminished modulation? -- chord progression trick, same vocals delivered through a string and tin can. Lyrically, I couldn't get into it at all. Look, it's not bad, and I can see how this would really be people's thing, but it's not for me.

Fuck yeah, The Cars! What a debut album, just incredible. Listening to this one on repeat today. From the opening guitar riff of "Good Times Roll" to the fade out sax solo on "All Mixed Up" they've got me hooked. Individually, The Cars are such an absolute cluster fuck of styles that you'd be excused for thinking it would never work, but somehow the fusion of Elliott Easton's glammed out rockabilly guitar, Greg Hawkes' technology forward keys, David Robinson's (not that one) straight ahead rock drumming, Ben Orr's 70s mod style/singing , and Ric Ocasek's off-beat voice, sarcastic writing sensibility, and Muppet-like stage presence make for a truly sublime fusion. Several all timer tracks on this album, and even the lesser ones are very good. In the past I've not liked "I'm In Touch With Your World" or "All Mixed Up" very much, nor given them much of a chance. The former is very much a Zappa style piece, which I'm no great fan of, but listening all the way through there's something about it that manages to pull the screwball style together for me. The latter I probably mostly skipped in other listen throughs due to the slow start, but this is a fitting outro one would swear was produced by Jeff Lynne if they didn't know better. The Cars were influenced by and an influence on so many it's basically impossible to enumerate here, so suffice to say this album stands the test of time.

Echo and the Bunnymen have a unique sound I'd describe as 60s psychedelic rock meets post punk and new wave. In contrast to a lot of their contemporaries, I appreciate Ian Mccullochs direct, wide awake vocals (anyone else thinks he sounds like young Neil Diamond here?). It's nice to understand the words, even if I'm still not quite sure what he's yelling about. Although I wasn't familiar with any of these songs, in a lot of ways this album exemplifies the characteristics I think of as English counter culture pop. I honestly like all of the tracks, though I'm not sure I love any of them, with my main gripe being most of them just go on too long. Favorites are Silver, Crystal Days, and Seven Seas. I'd definitely give this one a listen again.

This is obviously a seminal and influence album for the electro-pop to come; if you squint you can just make out the outline of video game music. I really dig Numan's synth sound for the most part, but disaffected android voice wears thin after a while. I think I'd prefer most of the tracks as instrumentals in the vein of "Films" and "Random", with only the best lyrical songs like "Cars" sprinkled throughout the album. This is a cool piece of history to get to listen to, but in this case I'm much more interested in listening to the music downstream from Gary rather than the originator.

An honest exploration of sex, relationships, and bodily autonomy. Heaux Tales starts off strong for me with the narrative of "Bodies" and the groove of "Pick Up Your Feelings," which I also appreciate as a turn of phrase. I would like "Put It Down" a lot more if it weren't for that infernal trap style hi-hat. "On It" is fun lyrically, but otherwise boring to me. "Price Tags" I mostly like (wish I could place that sample), and the Anderson .Paak feature is great, but the languid chorus parts bring it down a bit. In general this type of R&B influenced rap isn't really my style, but I liked it more than I thought I would.

If you're looking for a prog funk-jazz fusion, this is probably the place. Chameleon is funky, fun, and certainly is the most accessible; the album seems to get more esoteric and experimental as it goes on. "Watermelon Man" is a bit of a jarring transition with its African inspired intro, but it settles into a much more western vibe that honestly wouldn't be out of place in the background of Peanuts special. I'd bet money "Sly", or at least a section of it, has been used over an extended Blaxploitation chase scene. "Vein Melter" has more of an X-rated cartoon scenery vibe, but both are very much 70s time pieces. Oddly, I hear some echoes of Nobuo Uematsu's FF6 in some of these pieces, maybe he is a fan? Head Hunters is a cool album with virtuosic instrumental displays, but for me there's not a lot to come back for either.

Nas has bars and rhymes for days, and there's some good beats on here, but there's absolutely nothing on "Illmatic" that speaks to me; I was bored throughout this album. Maybe in missing a deeper meaning or message here, but the repeated bragging about money, drugs, street cred, and guns are really off-putting. I respect the skill, but I wouldn't listen to this again.

It's hard to rate such a talented group of people this low, but in short, I don't really like this. In theory, I like psychadelic soul; in practice every song is either a vamp to nowhere or head in the clouds falsetto caterwauling. "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" would be a much better song at half the length with twice the singing. No way can this be The Temptations' best work; hoping we get to revisit them.

Was expecting the album with "Insane in the Membrane" on it and was disappointed. B-Real's voice is compelling, and the beats and sampling are pretty good, though sometimes the mix isn't so great. Like on "Pigs" that guitar stab was so forward I couldn't hear have of what they were saying. Content wise I just don't appreciate "Cyprus Hill" as an album very much... outside of the understandably anti- police message this plays like a smorgasbord of pandering to 8th grade juvenile delinquents. I get it: you're smoking weed, drinking a 40, and looking to shoot a person for any perceived sleight or disrespect... get some new material.

I like a lot of the elements of Indian Bhangra and have really enjoyed other Indian/western fusions (think Cornershop), so I was a bit disappointed with "OK." For one, the drum n bass and Indian elements seem to be kept apart a lot more than I'd like; " Butterfly" and "Sutra" get the closest to what I was hoping for, but none of it ever quite got there for me. The rest of the songs tend to go on entirely too long, and the longest sections also seem to be the dullest parts. Case in point is the intro track "Traveler." At 8 minutes it would be a fitting lead in to a more energetic album, giving hints of what is to come, but then the strings come in for no apparent reason and meander for more that 3 more minutes. I feel like this album would be better suited as an ambience setting soundtrack for a video game or short film than as something to listen to on its own. Overall, "OK" is cool but not what I'm looking for.

Don't have time for a full review of this, but it would be extremely biased anyway; I've probably listened to this album 100 times or more. Suffice to say, not perfect and not even their best, but "II" kicks ass.

I don't think I get Neil Young. I appreciate that he's an important figure in American music, and that the reputation is well earned, but so much of his most lauded music just hits me as "meh" or "huh?" Rust Never Sleeps is no different. "Thrasher" is a pretty song with a wistful, melancholy vibe. "Powderfinger" is pretty cool; an interesting narrative over an extended electric slow burn. Otherwise, I find this album dull and forgettable.

I had not heard of Fairport Convention before so had no idea what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. The strong English folk influence mixed with electric rock and American songwriting sensibilities is hard not to compare to Led Zeppelin's similar work. This is especially true with the duet voice from "Battle of Evermore," Sandy Denny (poor, poor Sandy), on vocals. In fact, given the connection and he fact that this moatly predates Zeps foray into this style, Convention undoubtedly influenced them in some way. The varied instrumentation is welcome here; fiddle, accordion, dulcimer, harpsichord, and mandolin blend sublimely with the blues based rock for a unique but accessible sound. Something about Sandy's vocals immediately took me to the world of Tolkien and Tolkien inspired fantasy cartoons. The recording sounds very warm and organic and I can't say there is a bad song on here. Fairport Convention really struck an incredible balance in the folk-rock fusion, with none of the elements ever becoming saccharine or cloying even on their longest tracks. My favorite track is the Dylan penned "Su Tu Dois Partir," it's very catchy and has the sound of everyone in the cafe singing along with a local favorite; a beautiful, heartwarming feeling. I also readily took to "Genesis Hall" and their take on the traditional "A Sailor's Life." Not to be forgotten, Denny's "Who Knows Where the Time Goes" is a helluva song. While there isn't anything truly groundbreaking on "Unhalfbricking" it's a beautiful album with a lot to offer.

What the fuck was that? This is like an entire album of teenagers messing around in the sound toys aisle at Walmart. Is this somehow better if you can see them wearing the eyeball hats (which are admittedly cool)? Every time you think there might be a song with redeeming features they quickly disabuse you of that by doing whatever it is they are doing. I simply can't imagine this bringing joy or catharsis to anyone, though I feel it does somehow explain the existence of Les Claypool. Fuck this album and the Residents. 0 stars.

This is much more my speed when it comes to hip-hop. Common's rhymes are smooth, and the more introspective and thoughtful lyrics and subject matter are much easier for me to identify with. The samples and beats are peak Kanye-before-he-lost-his-entire-mind; I found myself bobbing my head and grooving to each track. I also appreciate the lack of misogyny and bragadocious violence, though the references to Christianity take me out of it a bit. "Be," while not my perfect hip-hop album, is a masterful work and certainly worth listening to.

I was in high school when this came out and I remember very clearly "Breathe," "Firestarter," and to a lesser extent "Smack My Bitch Up" having regular radio and MTV airplay. I also remember generally enjoying the songs and style, but not really having any desire to seek out the album or other Prodigy material. Having listened to "Fat of the Land" in its entirety it turns out that was a prescient decision. The three singles still stand out and "Diesel Power" (feat. Kool Keith) is a sort of hidden gem, but this is otherwise filler. It's well done to be sure, and it all paints a vibrant scene in my mind of seedy, underground clubs and such, but much better suited to a background concentration soundtrack or VGM. I also never realized just how little anyone else really contributed to the songs beyond Liam Howlett, though without Keith Flint's grimy Cockney accent they tend to fall flat. I would listen to this again, but I wouldn't be paying very close attention.

Musicianship, arrangements, recording: superlative, A+. Songs: hit and miss. "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" and "Superstition" are all-timers, part of the canon of human arts. "Maybe Your Baby" is a hot slab of soul- funk that goes on entirely too long. "Big Brother" and "Blame It On the Sun" are beautiful, emotionally touching and resonant songs for very different reasons. The last part of the album isn't particularly memorable and drags quite a bit. "Talking Book" isn't quite perfect, but it's honestly close. This certainly isn't the last we've seen of Stevie.

I ain't reading all that. I'm happy for u tho. Or sorry that happened. I don't care how good Ella's voice is, this kind of music is like spending eternity in a purgatory modeled as an infinite department store.

Never listened to this when it came out, though I always did like "Big Me" (in large part due to the Mentos parody video), I can safely say to my younger self that I didn't miss much. While impressive for a largely solo production, and one done simply for fun and catharsis at that, it doesn't change the fact that it's pretty boring. This would have been a lot better as a demo or EP, as Grohl seemed to have run out of ideas after the first 3 songs, and those aren't really all they exciting. A lot of the rest is just diet Nirvana or Weezer B-sideish. That's not necessarily damning, but combined with the repetitive lyrics I just find it dull. I understand Dave is a good member of the music community and seems to be a decent dude, so I don't want to shit on "Foo Fighters" too much, but I just see no reason to listen to this over something more character. It's better than anything I've ever put out, but it's definitely not anything I ever feel the need to put on again.

"The Downward Spiral," I remember that, should be easy to get into again, I thought. Turns out the opening of this album is rather difficult and not very good. "Mr. Self Destruct," whether by design or accident is just awful to listen too. It starts off with an upsetting sample (apparently from George Lucas first film THX 1138) before becoming a noisy mess, and not the good industrial music kind, the hurts my ears kind. The lyrics don't redeem it, and it goes on far too long. I hate it. "Piggy" is much better from a noise and composition standpoint, but the audio mixing is so unbalanced it's distracting and hard to get past. As a song it's fine, but intentional or not, I don't remember it sounding this shitty. Thankfully, the difference between the second and third tracks follows a similar curve on the upswing from the first to second and settles into a coherent, though not necessarily easy, listening experience. The standout songs are "Heresy," "March of the Pigs," "Closer," "A Warm Place," and "Hurt." "Eraser" goes on entirely too long, and "Reptile" is all buildup for no payoff. The track "The Downward Spiral" is interesting, recontextualizing the ending motif from "Closer," but the electric "swarming" sound present throughout most of it is unpleasant. Then at the end there's the screaming and edgy spoken word about...let's just say trigger warning; overall I'd rather not listen to this track. This is a flawed album with a pretty enormous delta between its best and worst pieces and some tracks that make it a difficult listen at times, but it's hard to ignore the genius of the work as a whole. For this and the handful of really great songs rounding up to 4 stars.

I've never heard of the Triffids, so I went into this with fresh ears. While "Calenture" wasn't nearly as dark as the Wikipedia synopsis implies, there is a distinct feeling of longing and loneliness to the album. The music is interesting and hard to classify. In places it sounds like INXS and others like Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, which is fitting, but it's all blended with tinges of New Wave, Irish folk, and post punk. "Trick of the Light" really hits home, and is probably my favorite track. Definitely worth a listen and will probably come back to it.

It's been a while since I listened to "Homework," and I found myself wondering why it's been so long. There's a lot of great, funky grooves, and Daft Punk show how deft they are at taking what could easily be an entirely too repetitive loop and using it as the backdrop for a complex musical collage. From "Daftendirekt" to "Around the World" you just kind of get lost in the beats and textures... then I got to the back half of the album and was reminded why I don't put this on. All that carefully considered composing and production from the first half gets thrown out, and the tracks seem custom made to feel like an ice pick in my brain. Just the shrillest stabs, the most clipped drum/bass sounds, and almost monolithic recordings made me want to turn this off. I suffered through and am no better for it. The first 7 tracks would be a 5 star EP, as an album, nah.

Dolly Parton is a force. Stylistically, this album is a bit more towards the Nashville style than I prefer, but Dolly is such a good story teller those elements fade into the background. Lyrically, this is exactly what I want from country music; honest expressions of real life, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Sprinkle in Dolly's wry sense of humor and you have a truly compelling set of songs. The backing band really understood the assignment here, playing just enough but never in the way and letting Parton's sweet warble lead the way. That's not to say Dolly can't hold her own, she's just selective about showcasing her power on songs like "Mystery of the Mystery" and "Here I Am." Kudos, too, to the Nashville Edition. Backup singers are normally a huge sticking point for me, and they avoid the pitfall of saccharine "oohs" and "aahs" and add real texture and beauty to the music. I've got to say somewhere, too, that I was not expecting the "Walk on the Wild Side style bassline on "Early Morning Breeze" (though this predates that by a year). You know what? I can't find any fault with "Coat of Many Colors," so fuck it, 5 stars. This is a perfect country album.

Don't really get the reverence for Wilco. There are other bands that have done the same thing better, and Jeff Tweedy's voice is middling at best. There's some decent tunes on "Being There", but there's nothing nothing special about any of it.

Well, I finally get the "round the outside" reference in that Eminem song. This is a weird album if you can call it that. Kudos to McLaren for bringing African mbaqanga and American hip-hop to a broader audience in the UK, fuck McLaren for the classic colonialist move of not crediting the artists properly (or at all). Outside of the short lived cultural significance this has, there's not a lot to recommend it. It's more listenable than I expected, and the mbaqanga grooves on "Double Dutch" are infectious, but I'd much rather be listening to the real stuff over this pastiche.

Great album with several classics and just a little bit of filler. "Tres Hombres" is filled with rocksteady groove, dirty Texas blues, and just a little bit of weirdness. "Waiting for the Bus" is a killer intro tune and the nearly seamless transition into "Jesus Just Left Chicago" is inspired. "Beer Drinkers...," Master of Sparks," and "Hot, Blue,..." are three very different tunes that stand out in ZZ Tops catalog. "Move Me on Down the Line" and "Precious and Grace" are fairly forgettable, especially after you hear what comes next. With an unforgettable intro, Billy's guitar heroics and unique vocals, Frank's sick drum fills, and Dusty holding the whole thing down, "La Grange" is a smoking hot boogie oozing with style. "Sheik" is a nice pallette cleanser that reminds me a bit of War's "Low Rider." The album ends on a satisfying note with the gospel tinged slow burn of "Have You Heard."

I'll take it at face value that this album is historically significant. Other than that I can't really find anything to recommend this. "Electric Music..." starts off with the middling blues rock of "Flying High" and gets progressively more boring from there until hitting bottom with the unlistenable "Masked Marauder" and "Grace."

Oh, man... this doesn't have any of the good ones on it. "Something Else" is like if "Revolver" or "Sgt. Peppers" were all Ringo tracks. This isn't bad, I guess, but I don't like anything about it.

"Karma Chameleon" is an all-time pop song. Tracks 2-10 are not. There was a point on "That's the Way (I'm Only Trying to Help You)" I thought to myself, "Who's that singing backup, more of her please!" Then I got my wish on "Church of the Poison Mind" and wished I hadn't. There's good musicianship here, Boy George has a nice voice, and there's a surprising amount of harmonica on "Colour By Numbers," but every song beyond the first is so forgettable I don't understand why this made the list.

Certainly we were robbed of some amazing music when he died, and I love Jimi, but I don't think "Axis: Bold as Love" was particularly impressive or innovative even for 1967. "Little Wing" is such a beautiful song, and I really love "Castles Made of Sand." "Spanish Castle Magic," "If 6 Was 9," and "Bold as Love" are solid tracks, but the other 8 are absolute filler and at times even annoying. As far as albums go, "Are You Experienced" is a lot better in my opinion, but albums just weren't Hendrix' strength, anyway.

The best part about "A Wizard, A True Star" is the production trick of all the tracks transitioning into one another. The worst part is the music. The entire album sounds like the Beatles invited over a bunch of the bands they inspired, they all got fucked up on mushrooms and LSD, and recorded an hour long jam session. Which is basically what happened, except no one was there but Todd Rundgren. I was fooled into thinking I'd like this early by "Tic, Tic, Tic..." into "You Need Your Head," but it kust kept falling off from there. Chops and musical talent be damned, I can't stand his shrieking style of singing, and in general this was just an obnoxious slog of a listen.

Some people get genuine pleasure out of long distance running. One year in college I made a concerted effort to add cross country running to my fitness training and really pushed myself. By the end of the summer I could run 3 miles averaging 7 minutes a mile, and I ran over 7 miles one time. I hated every second of it; there wasn't a single moment that I didn't wish I wasn't running anymore. "Shadowland" is like that to me. Look, I'm not saying anyone did anything wrong, but...I don't want anything to do with anything on this album. Surely Lang is a talented vocalist (though she does seem like an imposter in the country space), but no thank you.

Honestly disappointed in this one. A couple of their best songs ever, brought down by what seems to be an odd obsession with bringing back vaudville. There's a few sleepers like "I'm In Love With My Car, " and '39, but I'll stick with the greatest hits if "A Night at the Opera" is Queen's best album.

I was really hoping to have my preconceived notions turned on their head, but I was disappointed to find I just can't stand this. I have always hated "Son of a Preacher Man," and that's probably my favorite song on the album. There's no deficiencies here from a musical standpoint, I just don't like Dusty Springfield's voice and I don't like this style of music.

Cindy Lauper rocks. Listened to this one a hundred times or more. Easily one of the greatest pop albums of all time, no notes.

Second in a row that I'm intimately familiar with, and wow, what an album. In many ways this is the antithesis of Springsteen's work with the E Street Band, but just as much himself as when he's playing with Clemons, Van Zandt, Weinberg, et al. "Nebraska" is spare and absolutely devastating, but also beautifully crafted. Though they're all (mostly) fiction, each song tells a real story of modern Americana; hopes and dreams tempered by struggle and strife. An amazing piece of art.

Meh? This must be some horny gen-x thing... with the exception of "50 Foot Queenie," which is pretty rad, the songs on "Rid of Me" are sloppy, repetitive, and boring.

I think I'd b rather listen to Shari Lewis's Lambchop.

Typically I hate soft rock, but Tapestry really does transcend that label. The writing, composition, musicianship, recording, and performance are all essentially perfect while still being heartfelt. King's originals are really what make the album, but "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" and "Natural Woman" are a cool way to fill out the album (and a sweet flex, being she cowrote and/or arranged both). Add in Mary Clayton et all on backup vocals, and it's not hard to understand the critical accolades and commercial success. There's just a universally understandable feel to this record. This also happens to be my favorite James Taylor album.

I really just don't understand the pedestal Nirvana is placed on, and I never have. I was there when they blew up, so I understand the timing, the counter-culture component, etc. I get the appeal of the raw, barely under control sound, and they absolutely have some great songs, but so many tracks are just noisy, amusical angst. Cobain is at his best when he's coherent (see Nirvana Unplugged), and so much of In Utero is just not. For me, "All Apologies" is the top track here. "Serve the Servants," "Rape Me," and "Dumb" are worth a listen, too. I could take our leave "Heart-Shaped Box," and the rest I'd skip. Nirvana is certainly a good and important band, but massively overrated by a lot of people, and In Utero isn't even their best work.

Color me surprised that Supertramp is considered progressive rock. After listening to "Crime of the Century," I guess I can agree in the sense that they're like Yes if Yes sucked like REO Speedwagon. I can't stand Roger Hodgson's voice and that Wurlitzer piano sound makes my skin crawl. Look, I'm not saying these guys are bad at their instruments, I'm saying their music sucks. Supertramp has one good song, and it's not in this album.

First off, why is this album so goddamned hard to find to listen to? Aside from that, I enjoyed "Marcus Garvey." I'm not a huge Reggae fan, but this leans much more towards rocksteady and ska; I would compare it favorably to Maytalls more than Marley or Tosh. I realize it's an album named after an important figure in Rastafari, but the subject does wear thin after a while, especially given how... not great the real dude was.

I actually revisited this a few years ago. It wasn't my thing when it came out while I was in middle school, but "Jagged Little Pill" has stood the test of time and was ready for me when I was. Banger after banger; a masterpiece really. Hard to believe how young Alanis was when she wrote this, and kudos to Glen Ballard for letting her do her thing and putting the exact right support in place.

Hmm. It's like Simon and Garfunkel, but without the harmony. Or the melody. I would compare the poetry to brutalist architecture; it's functional and certainly stands out from its surroundings, but also confusing to look at; surely that slab- sided thing could have been made slightly more aesthetic? I don't hate it, but I also don't get it, and there's nothing about it that makes me want to figure out what "it" is.

I like a fair amount of Aerosmith across the years, but they're not my favorite by any stretch, and I was not into "Toys in the Attic" as an album, so I was surprised how much I liked "Rocks." A few of the tracks, like "Last Child," I already knew and liked but didn't know the name of until now. Aerosmith's sound here is a unique crossroads of influence; at various times you can hear their big influences like Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones (not to mention their contemporaries ZZ Top), but also those they influenced like Red Hot Chili Peppers and Guns 'n Roses. Rocks isn't the best rock album of the 70s, or even 1976, but it's full of tasty funk and blues tinged riffage. It's mostly what I like about Aerosmith and little of what I don't.

I have a passing familiarity with Can, but I'd never heard Holger Czukay's mane before. "Movies" is very eclectic, but always musical, which is a lot more than I can say for some of the other, stranger albums I've reviewed so far. It's interesting and pleasant, but also not really moving in any way.

Fuck Sinatra.

The worst parts of the Beach Boys and Fleet Foxes blended with a bar of Xanax. Every song sounds the same; not every vocal needs to be winsome call down the hallway of an abandoned sanitarium. Not offensively bad, but blech just the same.

Certainly better than the noisy mess that was "Rid of Me," but "Stories..." doesn't strike me as a remarkable album at all. Kamikaze does rip, though, and We Float is a beautiful composition. Otherwise, this is generic alt-rock with songs whose length well exceed their content. Thom Yorke does his thing a couple of times, which is fine I guess, but doesn't move the needle for me. I know this album is a love letter to New York, but damned if it isn't a bit corny and heavy-handed.

Fairly enjoyable listen, but it's not quite the Talking Heads I'm looking for. You can hear some of the funkyness and weirdness that makes them great, but they hadn't quite gotten it all together in 1978. "Take Me to the River" is the best track, but man it's a hell of a cover. Rounding up from 3.5 stars

Number of the Beast is in a really interesting place, seemingly squarely in the middle of the UK-North American rock and roll feedback loop. The influence of Sabbath plus Iron Maiden's UK contemporaries are clearly on display, but I don't think there's any denying that Harris, Murray, and Smith were listening to a fair amount of Rush leading up to this album. That's not to say this is a collection of lifted riffs; the song witting, the guitar harmonies, the galloping bass, and Dickinson's alternating snarl and operatic wailing are all Maiden. Not every track is exactly my jam, but this is a seminal album with no filler and very little to criticize.

I hope "Wheels of Fire" is on this list, too, because it's superior to Gears in every way. Outside of Sunshine of Your Love there's just not much to recommend this album. Most of the songs are dull Mod bull crap and the rest listen like rough demos for "Wheels..." The raw musicianship just doesn't really show up here, either. Truly dull.

Ray Manzarek is the man, Jim Morrison's voice is mostly insufferable, and the singles are the only good songs on the album, though they do rip.