A time capsule record, from the London rave scene of the late-80s/early 90s. First few songs I was into, but then it became repetitive. I can see how this fits into the acid house/dance genre. But I honestly wouldn’t listen to this again.

This sounds very Billy Joel to me. But Joel’s breakthrough didn’t happen until 1977 (although “Piano Man” was in 1973). This album was 1974, which makes me think they were aware of what each other were doing. Some songs alternate between blues riffs and jazz. Or even Tin Pan Alley piano. Basically the prog-rock-lite version of Billy Joel 5/10

This is what happens when a bunch of RISD art students are shown rock ‘n roll and African polyrhythms. Walks a very fine line between accessible and interesting. The layering is incredibly complex but meshes so well together. “Once In A Lifetime” is the obvious single but “The Great Curve” is a beast of a jam, and “Houses in Motion” has such a slippery guitar part. Incredibly impressive.

Objectively beautiful music, insanely tight harmonies to the point that they sound fake. But after a few songs it’s like, “that’s enough of that.” I appreciate the craftsmanship, but there’s zero excitement here. Folk can have energy, too. If you need to sleep, and you already took ambien and Xanax but they’re not working, this is the album for you.

I fucking love this album, and I love Rush. The band just has an endless supply of rocket sauce, to quote Jack Black. Chronically overlooked. 1) Drums. Neil Peart was called “The Professor” and it’s clear why. He’s technically perfect. Switching in and out of time signatures, different rhythms, transitions. It’s so academic and interesting but primal and toe-tapping at the same time. If Zeppelin was coming from below the belt, Rush comes from above the neck. 2) how do three guys make this much sound? 3) Geddy Lee’s voice must be fake. No person has a voice that high. 4) I think the only thing holding Rush back for me are the lyrics. They’re kind of dopey. But when you’re in the mood, they sound kind of badass, so whatever.

This album occupies the space between Stevie Wonder and The Roots. Kind of like the Jay Z unplugged album when he was backed by the Roots, but a lot more soul/funk infused. This is good backyard party/BBQ music. Also love to see some N.E.R.D./Neptunes-era Pharrell on there. In the end, a good blend of styles but not exactly groundbreaking.

Admittedly, New Wave British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest is possibly my least favorite genre of all time. To me, it’s fast and loud but not much else. The devil iconography and themes sound like a 13yo goth kid who shopped at Hot Topic and drank red koolaid “blood” because their life is SO dark. But they’re so earnest about it, which is even sillier. I half-expected Spinal Tap to make a cameo, along with a 3ft dwarf threatening to knock down mini-Stonehenge. But, I’m trying to understand where this genre came from. Apparently, mid/late-70s Britain was shitty. Bad recession, high poverty, labor strikes, riots, etc. Young people kind of checked out, and the more nihilist movements were born, like punk and NWOBMH, to escape everyday life. So I guess I understand where the immature rebellion and escapism came from, and I wouldn’t be surprised if another similar movement sprang up today.

Clapton was raised in the style of Chicago blues. Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, etc. After he was in the Yardbirds, Mayall, Cream, Blind Faith, people started calling him “God,” I think he just wanted to be in a band and find his roots again. The “Dominoes” were relatively unknown. This is much more “southern” than his previous work, which I think we have The Band (the reason he left Cream) and Duane Allman on slide guitar to thank. Many of these tracks sound like live cuts, and his vocals reach emotionally raw levels. This isn’t a “love is awesome” record - it’s a “love is agony” record. The title track gets all the glory but its placement is weird - it should be last. “Anyday” and “Bell Bottom Blues” are my favorites. But as a whole, this is a top 5 blues-rock record.

Ah, the record that broke up the Byrds. Nevermind, that was just David Crosby being a dick. While it’s a great record, with some PHENOMENAL songs, to me this is a transitional record that starts to hint at the full country-rock statement of “Sweetheart of the Rodeo.” The track listing starts with a very retro song (Artificial Energy), moves through some psychedelia and experimentation (the MOOG!!) before ending with “Triad,” which acknowledges their new lineup reality. Some really cool stuff here, though, with some super cool drum parts. Without this record, there would be no Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, etc.

Really good synthpop album that feels like an updated New Order. Really danceable but not repetitive. “Motion Sickness” is one hell of an opener, multilayered and with a bunch of cool samples (did I hear “Homework”-era Daft Punk?). Synthpop often sounds a little empty and tinny but from a production standpoint this is really full and balanced. I listened a second time on headphones, which was way better.

A time capsule record, from the London rave scene of the late-80s/early 90s. First few songs I was into, but then it became repetitive. I can see how this fits into the acid house/dance genre. But I honestly wouldn’t listen to this again.

The absolute gold standard of singer-songwriter albums. It’s hard to review such a seminal album that went 14x platinum and inspired a generation of female musicians to find their voice. But mostly this album feels honest and real. You never doubt that King felt everything on this record. Her voice is unpolished but capable and sincere. Great piano work. Beautiful melodies and just the right amount of hooks. This was the work of a master songwriter.

A lot of ups and down here. They are certainly the kings of southern boogie rock, and write perfectly portioned 3 1/2 minute grooves. That’s great because I don’t think I could listen to much more of each one. “La Grange” is the famous standout (although Phish often covers “Jesus Just Left Chicago” in concert) and establishes their guitar-on-the-upbeat Texas style. His solos were annoying though. Whiny, high-pitched screeches that made me skip the songs often. This album shows them at their “youthful rough” stage before they went on to more radio-friendly rock with “Eliminator.”

Morrissey needed Johnny Marr’s jangly guitar in the Smiths to balance out his morose and “woe is me” lyrics. Now, post-Smiths Morrissey is just mopey and pretending to be spoken word poetry about death and sadness. Granted, he might have been a major influence on 90s/early 2000s emo, but at least they had the good sense to have actual melody. If you ever meet a diehard Morrissey fan, run.

Gonna get some hate here…. Beyoncé needed to leave Destiny’s Child if she was going to develop from this Star Search crap. The beats sound like they were produced by an 8year old on meth with a drum machine and a Casio keyboard (ex: Sexy Daddy, Independent, pt2). Due credit: Beyoncé co-wrote every song on the album. But as a lyricist, she had a lot of growing to do. If you want to write songs about overcoming and being independent and strong, the lyrics need to be better than “I’M TOUGH!” and “I BUY MY OWN THINGS!” At least not a full hour of that.

Interesting but not enjoyable. Albums like this are like concept cars. They’re not actually meant to be driven, but merely to display ideas. What’s funny is that Faust’s fans thought they “sold out” with this album. German rock is interesting. Let’s take a culture, destroy it with two world wars, and Great Depression, 12 years of Nazi rule, then see what kind of art the kids who grew up in that bombed-out wasteland create. It’s disjointed, little melody, industrial and ambient. Kind of makes sense when you think about it. Still wouldn’t listen again, though….

Talk about an about-face from the previous day!! This is one of my favorite albums of all time. Even the cover photo is iconic. The Clash promoted themselves as “the only band that matters” and, for a short time, they were kinda right. This album is DEEP. So many influences (rockabilly, R&B, obviously reggae, 2nd wave ska), it’s the moment punk grew up. Lyrically, heavy themes of war, alienation in the modern world, commercialism, fascism. Where the Sex Pistols were nihilist punks, the Clash were leftist and progressive, dragging rock back to a place where it gave a shit about something other than glam and money. My favorite songs are the deep cuts on the album: Spanish Bombs, Death or Glory, I’m Not Down (!!). Hell, even “train in vain” was originally buried as a hidden track! Unsung hero is the drummer - so much driving energy there.

Disappointed. I had high hopes for this one, since I’ve never actually listened to the whole album. It started out strong, obviously, with the title track, “new kid in town,” and “life in the fast lane.” But then it just turns into sappy, overproduced, hallmark card ballads. Great harmonies, yes, but it’s simply too shiny. The album starts with these themes of fame and the perils/vices of stardom. Then they suddenly abandon those themes halfway through. I see now why the Eagles “Greatest Hits” compilation sold more than any of their albums.

A great trip-hop album that predates DJ Shadow’s debut by a year or two. I had listened to Massive Attack and really enjoyed them but didn’t know Tricky split off for solo work. It seems there’s nothing he won’t sample and the end result is very atmospheric and cool. It’s the kind of album that your attention can come in and out of.

I imagine this album will be polarizing between casual listeners and those more into music theory. But this album is groundbreaking. Full stop. The birth of modal jazz. By transitioning from playing within chords to playing within modes, the players were suddenly much more free to explore atmosphere and feeling. And who were those players? Cannonball Adderley on alto and John Fucking Coltrane on tenor. Flamenco Sketches is so perfect and Coltrane’s solos on the album are some of the most beautiful put to record. The freedom of modal jazz quickly worked itself into R&B, soul, and rock, setting up the musical revolutions of the 60s. But it started here first.

Thank god they evolved from this. Reminds me of a junior high band that thinks their “passion” makes up for bad musicianship. The Ramones and Sex Pistols had already done this stripped-down style, and better.

CCR reminds me of riding in the car with my dad, so I’ve got a soft spot for them. If you chop 6 minutes off of Graveyard Train, this would be an excellent album, but it’s still great nonetheless. The songs are more about the groove and the sound rather than virtuoso playing. But CCR’s sound is totally unique - no one else sounds like them, which is pretty special. Where this “bayou” sound came from is still kind of a mystery to me, since the members were all from the Bay Area. I loved “Penthouse Pauper” and their cover of “Good Golly Miss Molly.” But wtf is chooglin’?

Very hit or miss. I remember a wave of people liking Nick Drake after the “Garden State” soundtrack but I think they mostly liked the idea of liking a lesser-know musician. This album has kind of a weird mix of jazz and folk. And his voice seems so fragile that a soft breeze would blow it away. It’s at times annoying and other times very beautiful. “Northern Sky” might be one of the most beautiful songs about new, innocent love out there. But most of the songs kind of sound like a slightly worse copy of someone else. Like Van Morrison’s “Astral Weeks” or Love’s “Forever Changes.”

I know it’s not the critical darling, but this album is fucking fun. I would’ve loved to see this live in concert. It’s straight up musical theater. There’s dialogue, humor, scenes, etc. and the fact that a guy like Meat Loaf can become a rock star gives hope to us all.

The vocals really ruined this for me. A “holy shit” breakup album. This was intense, lyrically. And it’s musically very different than the other Sub Pop grunge bands of the era. But I couldn’t get past the voice.

Shoegaze is the musical equivalent of putting your full meal into a blender until everything is homogenous with no textures. Why the fuck would you do that?

Not as toe-tapping and full of hits as his debut but in some respects more interesting. Lots of cool studio effects were developed on this album, and the songs are more complete than his other solo-heavy stuff. You could tell he was trying to write songs and then, as a guitarist, play within the song. “Wait til tomorrow,” “Little Wing,” and “bold as love” are favs.

Pre-robot Daft Punk, back when they were still very much house music. I remember dancing to “Around The World” at junior high dances and feeling so damn cool. BUT, most of these songs get pretty old halfway through them, especially in the second half of the album. Still, the difference between this and that Shamen album is light years apart. Yes, Daft Punk are awesome, but they didn’t get truly awesome until Discovery, in my opinion.

At first I viscerally hated this but it actually started to grow on me. This was an all-black thrash punk band from the 80s DC scene. A lot of the beats/rhythms have funk and reggae vibes. And the vocals are all over the place but in kind of a cool way, I guess?

There are some live albums that make me feel insanely jealous that the audience got to be there. This is one of those. They got their damn money’s worth! Sam Cooke is revered by vocalists for his vocal attack. He has that clear-throated, powerful tone. It’s confident and compelling, just forces you to stop and take notice. Damn, this would’ve been a fun dance floor.

I can appreciate it, even if I don’t enjoy it. The teaching aspect was actually really interesting. I can see George Harrison hearing this and it blowing his mind.

This is so cool and different for rap and hip-hop. Her vocal delivery brings in that South Asia vibe. And the beats sound like someone who had no preconceived notions of how to produce. The result is kind of a “mad scientist” record.

This was the most heavy metal of all of the Seattle grunge bands. And that’s exactly why I don’t like it. His voice is amazing though.

Baby making music. Gotta respect the Isleys. They made the Billboard 100 every decade from the 50s to the 2000s.

Holy shit. One of top 5 hip hop albums of all time. Easily. Not since “The Message” had such a real and honest portrayal of inner city life been recorded. Nas isnt trying to preen or battle anyone. He’s documenting his life. He shows us the kids selling crack on the corner, people free-basing in the stairwell of his project, and the sense of hopeless hedonism that permeates everything. Lyrically, this was a massive jump from what came before. Multiple rhyme schemes at a time, poly-syllabic rhyming. At times it’s even hard to keep track. A classic.

In general I like the garage rock revival bands from the early 2000s. KOL has 3 brothers, sons of a preacher, which makes it more interesting as a group. The music here is much more interesting than the vocals. I don’t mind when vocals are difficult to understand, as long as they add a layer of complexity or mystery to the overall composition. But these vocals nearly overwhelm the songs with what sounds like drunk Cajun extras from “The Waterboy.” Music 4, vocals 2, overall 3.

This is beautiful music, it really is. The range of styles and genres is quite large, from folk to jazz piano, all with the subtle electronica touches. The string arrangements are nicely layered. Her voice can be fragile and powerful, almost like a Natalie Merchant. The vibe is definitely a “reading a book on a rainy day.”

This is a time capsule. The downside of this record is that James Brown was an incredible dancer and showman, which is hard to capsule in audio. But you can certainly hear the screams from all the women reacting to him. His band, The Famous Flames, were tight as hell. But you can literally hear glimpses of R&B morphing into soul and funk on this record.

Nirvana was always very melodic but the distortion and volume somewhat obscured it. By toning it down, this performance allows the emotion to shine through. This broadcast originally aired 4 months before Cobains suicide, but this album was released after. This makes the pain and straining in his voice even sadder.

Shrooms.

Just pure, catchy, toe-tapping rock and roll. It’s not exactly complex but who cares? AC/DC has always been primal, below the belt kind of stuff. Malcolm Young’s guitar holds down the riff while Angus is given the freedom to explore the solos. And the drummer NEVER plays a fill, just holds down the beat. The result is a simple, stripped down sound that just gets in your head.

Production-wise, this sounds really new and fresh. Her rapping is crazy impressive at times but kind of too frenetic for me.

Tight, taut new-wave rock. Kinda sounds like very early REM. The real star here is Stewart Copeland, the drummer. He’s just so much better at his instrument than the others. That said, I will always love the riff on “Message in a Bottle.”

I like this a lot more than “Homework.” It’s more melodic and uses more interesting samples.

Pretty boring.

The amazing thing about Sly was integration. One of the first bands to have both black and white members, one of the first to combine rock, soul, funk, and blues together. It has so much energy, borderline chaotic. Horns come out of nowhere, vocalists all doing their own thing, but it still seems like they’re all together.

There was a period when I was really into this album. “No Action” is a favorite. Musically, I love the manic circus organ vibe, and lyrically Elvis Costello has always been “rock and roll’s scrabble champion.” But thematically, I guess I’m identifying less and less with the youthful anger aspect. The cool part is that his music changed as he did over the years - he wasn’t trying to retain his youth like other artists.

You can really hear the jump from country to rock and roll here. There’s an energy in his vocals and in the guitar that feels more raw and jubilant. But it still has the backing vocal arrangements that keep it rooted in country. Buddy Holly was a total hick, and this is the music you get when you hand a hick a fender Stratocaster.

I like that it’s minimally-produced because it feels more intimate. But this felt like a chore after a while.

On the short list of greatest debut albums of all time. Basically introduced a whole new way to play the guitar using feedback and distortion. But then he brings it back and plays such beautiful blues on Hey Joe and Wind Cries Mary. This was a master statement.

Love this shit. Booker T and the MGs were the studio house band for Stax Records, and this album came about because of them just messing around in the studio. The most important part of their sound is the groove. It didn’t need to be fancy or a million notes or key changes. Steve Cropper’s guitar style is also totally unique to him - such a hard attack to the notes, it’s an interesting juxtaposition to the smooth organ and bass.

1970s Germany was not a happy place.

Really cool and different style. Kind of like the Beck of hip hop. A) massive vocal range. That falsetto is spot on. B) the mix of ambient, trip-hop, 90s R&B, and even psychedelic is really engaging. You don’t want to stop listening because he keeps bringing in new elements. C) delicate at times. He doesn’t hammer you over the head with beats or melodies. Well-mixed.

This album was like spaghetti at the wall. Some sticks, some not so much. It’s probably my least favorite album of theirs from the second half of their career.

The zenith of blues-based acid rock. Sunshine of Your Love is iconic and Tales of Brave Ulysses is absolutely insane. Definitely a portrait of late 60s London.

This is why I love this album thing. I’d never heard of this band before but this might be one of my new favorite albums (all 2 hrs of it). It starts off as pretty standard post-punk stuff. Wait, that’s a major key. Wait, that’s psychedelic with some sitar thrown in. Surf rock? Blues? Jangly Byrds-inspired songs? So so cool and extremely listenable.

His voice is a bit monotone but overall I can see how an album like this in 1980 heavily influenced 90s alternative.