290
Albums Rated
3.49
Average Rating
27%
Complete
799 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1950
Favorite Decade
Blues
Favorite Genre
other
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
56
5-Star Albums
3
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
Top Styles
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
I’m a Lonesome Fugitive
Merle Haggard
|
5 | 2.86 | +2.14 |
|
Shadowland
k.d. lang
|
5 | 2.87 | +2.13 |
|
Elephant Mountain
The Youngbloods
|
5 | 3.07 | +1.93 |
|
Wild Wood
Paul Weller
|
5 | 3.09 | +1.91 |
|
Bluesbreakers
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
|
5 | 3.16 | +1.84 |
|
Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs
Marty Robbins
|
5 | 3.33 | +1.67 |
|
At Fillmore East
The Allman Brothers Band
|
5 | 3.38 | +1.62 |
|
Come Away With Me
Norah Jones
|
5 | 3.38 | +1.62 |
|
The Köln Concert
Keith Jarrett
|
5 | 3.39 | +1.61 |
|
Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs
Derek & The Dominos
|
5 | 3.39 | +1.61 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret
Soft Cell
|
1 | 2.87 | -1.87 |
|
Violator
Depeche Mode
|
2 | 3.7 | -1.7 |
|
Music
Madonna
|
1 | 2.68 | -1.68 |
|
Hounds Of Love
Kate Bush
|
2 | 3.61 | -1.61 |
|
The Velvet Underground & Nico
The Velvet Underground
|
2 | 3.61 | -1.61 |
|
Illinois
Sufjan Stevens
|
2 | 3.5 | -1.5 |
|
Blackstar
David Bowie
|
2 | 3.48 | -1.48 |
|
Tusk
Fleetwood Mac
|
2 | 3.47 | -1.47 |
|
Music for the Masses
Depeche Mode
|
2 | 3.37 | -1.37 |
|
Ágætis Byrjun
Sigur Rós
|
2 | 3.37 | -1.37 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Neil Young | 3 | 4.67 |
| Miles Davis | 2 | 5 |
| Jimi Hendrix | 2 | 5 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| David Bowie | 2, 3, 5 |
5-Star Albums (56)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Dire Straits · 1 likes
5/5
Killer debut — “Sultans of Swing” written after playing a nearly empty pub, an outlier guitar style right when punk was exploding, recorded on the cheap but somehow sounding like a massively produced peak-career album.
1-Star Albums (3)
All Ratings
Harry Nilsson
4/5
Lot of classics on here - a few whose origins I'd never considered before.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
I understand the importance of the album, but don't need to listen to all the songs often. But a few of my favorite Stones tunes are here.
Green Day
5/5
I'd forgotten about this album for 2 decades so I'll make up for it now in a regular rotation. Scores high for getting me going.
Marty Robbins
5/5
Take me to a stoked whiskey barrel fire with burbling water in the background and at least a half full jug of Rossi. And a Swisher Sweet.
ZZ Top
5/5
Not sure why I haven't listened to this album ever before. It gets a 5 to make up for my guilt and the numerous future listens it will have.
The Who
3/5
Pretty good live album. I guess I need more context on why it's amazing.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
4/5
Yeah I got into this Siouxsie album. Monitor, Arabian Knights those are some catchy grooves.
N.E.R.D
3/5
I liked this more than it seems a lot of folks did. It's not quite In Search Of... but gets the job done. Solid 3.
The Replacements
3/5
So was "Gary Has A Boner" about themes of teenage rebellion, social alienation, and the struggles of adolescence? Or was it in fact just about Gary's boner?
Miles Davis
5/5
Solid. Play the record and get into a zone. Bill Laswell thought so too and remixed into Panthalassa.
Fela Kuti
5/5
A Funk-Fueled attack on the Nigerian Military, Afrobeat as protest weapon, political sermon wrapped in a trance-like groove. All middle fingers from his Kalakuta Republic (until they burned that mother down).
Grizzly Bear
3/5
Fine for a listen here and there but nothing grabs me in a powerful way
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
2/5
You know, there's some gritty stuff in here but overall it feels too chaotic, unstructured given its potential. Was Beefheart changing up his band too often?
Madonna
1/5
David Bowie
2/5
A lot of pressure on this one, what with the praise and the grief from all corners of the world. I probably need to listen more attentively and more often, but it's a 2 at this time.
Talking Heads
4/5
My crew and I are in a late 80's movie, this is our soundtrack, and we're on a mission. Don't know what the mission is, but we're not to be diverted, except by the frequent hijinks that occur... and then bam, we're back on the trail with focus and purpose.
Stevie Wonder
3/5
The catalyst for the explosive breakup of the Bill Guidara Quartet, and subsequent founding of the cult supergroup spin-out Maddog Trio. Eventually, the BGQ did reunite after 48 hours when the remaining members finally agreed to cover Boogie On Reggae Woman. The band did not need to consider covering any of the other songs on this album.
Lambchop
3/5
I'll for sure consider playing this anytime I end up in a field of daffodils, with ample puppies, and a picnic blanket, and beautiful families in the distance smiling and frolicking in slow motion, while I have a head 1/2 full of mellow mushrooms.
Willie Nelson
3/5
I was pleased, and impressed by the recording quality. I'll gravitate more toward his own dope smoking and/or cowboy tunes, however.
Deep Purple
3/5
It sounds like they were having a lot of fun at this concert. I wasn't there, so I didn't have as much fun.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
Played twice, each while working on a project. It filled a useful role of keeping me well focused on my task for the duration of the album... maybe there are some binaurals happening? But it didn't ever distract me from my task with awesomeness.
Steely Dan
3/5
So this album is a great example of how my current emotional state impacts my musical ratings. First played when what I really needed was an energy boost - said 'fuck no' after 2 songs and reverted to Green Day; would have rated a 2 or maybe even a 1. But then this afternoon, cooking and chilling, listened again and felt the right groove. Would rate a 4. I'll dollar cost average to a 3.
The B-52's
3/5
I would expect to have a grating headache and hate it. Yet there's something catchy about that Rock Lobster song. Although not for when you need thought-provoking inspirational music, it's more for those times when you're hosting a spazzed out beach party with like a crazy lobster or something.
Ute Lemper
2/5
Well this was a strange journey. I pulled the plug multiple times, assumed it was a 1. But then somehow later ended up listening through and even briefly considered a 5. What is this anyway? Is it supposed to be an opera somehow? A musical? I took away 2 things - one part of a song reminded my of a James Bond romance soundtrack, like perhaps after he defeats Dr. No and is snogging out at sea in Her Majesty's rescue raft while the evil island explodes in the background. The other take away is I haven't listened to any good tangos in a while, and I should.
Violent Femmes
5/5
High marks for establishing a sound that's both distinctive (in a good way) and influential to heavy hitters that followed.
B.B. King
4/5
There's great BB here. But I think live albums are tough for me... it's like a know that everyone there in person was having a more exceptional experience than me just listening to the recording. FOMO steals a bit of my enjoyment.
King Crimson
2/5
This album was released 22 days after Dark Side of the Moon. It even has a moon on its cover too. It is not Dark Side of the Moon.
Mudhoney
2/5
meh
Bad Brains
4/5
I especially like that he recorded some of it from prison.
Depeche Mode
2/5
As I've gained wisdom with age, I realize I may have been closed-minded -- even wrong -- about certain convictions I harbored in my younger years. One of those was that 80's music for any reasonable fellow must be screaming hair metal - (Master of Puppets '86; Appetite for Destruction '87; Hysteria '87; Dr. Feelgood '89 and so forth - you get the idea). Well I was dead-on-balls accurate. No 'music for the masses' on that list. Also Moonlight Sonata without the 3rd movement is like Stairway minus the guitar solo.
The Verve
4/5
For whatever reason, this was just the right album to be playing on my speaker in the garage as I spent way too long packing skis and ski gear and poles into these Christly ski travel bags.
Soft Cell
1/5
Nope. Not even Sex Dwarf.
Coldcut
3/5
I'm ok with this. Nothing stands out but I can put it on repeat for hours in the background while I'm doing work - it's the right tempo to keep me focused. And may I say that I found it on YouTube, and there was not a single irritating blaring ad spliced into it to break up the rhythm. And for that I'm pleasantly surprised.
k.d. lang
5/5
A raucous prime rib party must be going on somewhere
Hugh Masekela
3/5
This earns a spot on my background music library but isn't something I'll seek out directly.
Yes
4/5
Unlike other reviews, I think there's a sufficient amount of funk infused in here to garner a 4 at least.
Neil Young
5/5
Scores a 5 because it keeps growing on me.
Keith Jarrett
5/5
More than 1,000 trains daily pass over the Hohenzollern Bridge which connects the Köln Hauptbahnhof with the other side of the Rhine. But Jarrett arrived by automobile, tired and sore, like an imbecile. The opera people provided him a tired and sore piano too, but nevertheless he served up this improv masterpiece. Can you even imagine if he did go by train instead?
Sigur Rós
2/5
Relative to the size of its economy, Iceland's systemic banking collapse was the largest of any country in economic history. Was Sigur involved with that?
MGMT
4/5
Exceeded my expectations and got a few replays, so MGMT nabs a 4-star for this one. Why was I listening to some of these hits recently? Am I doing the 1000-album challenge in a parallel universe?
Radiohead
3/5
This isn't my favorite Radiohead. While I appreciate the musicianship, it's just a little bit too much moaning for my tastes.
Hookworms
3/5
Fine for a background listen - doesn't seem like any great inspiration behind it, and based on a quick lookup maybe certain members of the band were distracted by troublesome diversions.
Lauryn Hill
3/5
I dunno. It's fine. Nothing really gets me excited though, not like the original Score.
Ella Fitzgerald
4/5
Great for extended background music, or perhaps a Sunday morning. There are some classics in here.
Mike Ladd
2/5
Some decent cuts and samples, but will not seek this out.
The Velvet Underground
3/5
I know this is a classic and everything. But I've listened through a few times and haven't felt inspiration - I attribute that to listening in the wrong settings. A misalignment. Eating some drugs may have aligned things better, but I'm moving on to the next album.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
2/5
Some potential. Not enough potential. I wasn't as into this album as the previous Siouxsie on the list.
Fleet Foxes
5/5
Fleet Foxes shall not be fleeting for me.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Some of his best work. Stuck in Mobile gets my vote in spite of other, more popular, tracks.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
3/5
Sometimes a 3, with moments of 4. E L & P should have leaned in more to the potential of those 4's.
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
More background music for me, when I definitely wasn't paying attention to the music and at no point was called to give attention.
Dizzee Rascal
2/5
Not doing it for me. Sorry Dizzee.
Janis Joplin
5/5
Pretty rad. A fitting final album. Half Moon is a funky jam.
Pixies
3/5
I wanted to rate a 4, but couldn't quite get there.
Mj Cole
2/5
I didn't hate it quite as much as everyone else. But that doesn't mean I liked it.
Faust
3/5
This krautrock has potential - I really wanted to rate a "IV" but there's just a bit too much screechy progressive experimentation at times, which takes away from the talented krautwork.
Aerosmith
4/5
Joe Perry: "There's no doubt we were doing a lot of drugs by then, but whatever we were doing, it was still working for us."
Gorillaz
4/5
I knew that Clint tune but not many of the others. Quite enjoyed overall.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
This is real Stones doing what they do best.
Orbital
3/5
Well most of its midsection is fine background music, it's going to earn a 3, but I'll tell you it was darned close to dropping to a 2 because of the first and last tracks. So fucking annoying. Why does that happen on albums? Is it supposed to be artsy or something? Like go on, let's do the most irritating noise and see how everyone interprets our art?
The Stooges
3/5
Not my favorite Stooges compilation - the first songs are a bit monotonous and the last bit is too frantic, it makes me feel edgy but in a distracted sort of mosquito buzzing around in the background anxious, not "I'm Hip" kind of edgy.
Mudhoney
3/5
I can appreciate they've laid the groundwork for grunge to follow; and pushing back against slick production in favor of more raw sound on the album, that seemed on-brand.
Prince
3/5
I know this gets 100%'s across the board from everybody, and intellectually I understand there's a lot of impressive stuff going on from musical talent to genre-setting to cultural messaging. Yet on a personal preference level, I can't for the life of me get into it, and I've tried. So I don't know what's going on. Maybe I need to watch the film again?
Kendrick Lamar
4/5
Kendrick bypassed me somehow, I never heard even one of these songs before let alone the whole storypiece, but it's a great group of collaborators he's brought together. Is this avant-garde-hop? Extra points for the 2pac interview.
Dinosaur Jr.
2/5
I understand that this was influential for bands, particularly punk, that followed - like Nirvana. And overall it was pleasing enough while I worked on a statement of work document. But then there's that track "Don't" which is just unnecessary screaming and shrieking - and when something like that shatters my flow state then you're losing some big points pal.
Antony and the Johnsons
3/5
Great job of conveying the emotions of inner turmoil on some big questions. The trembling voice makes it both authentic but a bit hard to listen to at times. There are a few soulful numbers here.
Isaac Hayes
4/5
“Walk on By” is classic soul with a riff built for sampling, while “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” is a dramatic monologue that tests my patience. But this is where the mythic '70s soul man truly arrives—gold chains, strings, and all.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Sociopolitical anthems, romantic ballads, funky jams. Funk, jazz, gospel, Latin, pop, classical — sometimes all in the same song.
David Bowie
3/5
Bowie names half his heroes and tries on glam like it’s a new jacket—some of it fits. “Life on Mars?” soars, but the rest is him still tuning the radio.
Duran Duran
4/5
I don't consider myself a lover of most popular culture 80's music, for me hair metal owned it. So I never delved into Duran Duran, for example. But I must say this quite surpassed my minimal expectations - there's some rock guitars and bass and funk blended in there and it's good.
Ministry
4/5
Have you heard the phrase "no one else can do your own pushups for you"? Well in this case, I selected this album to pair with an upper body strength workout, and it paired well. I achieved extra pushups above and beyond what I would have otherwise, and I'm attributing those extras to Ministry. They've proved the exception to the pushups rule.
Herbie Hancock
5/5
Chameleon and Watermelon Man are defining. Great work on jazz<-->funk. Good thing these make up majority of the album, I can turn it off by the last song, which is in a hard spot to follow these first tunes. But still gets a top rank.
Bob Dylan
4/5
Dylan grabs a band and goes rock n roll
Air
5/5
The birth of chill - a lush, spacey sound that fuses French pop, ’60s lounge music, and sci-fi soundtracks.
George Jones
4/5
Classic old school country
Radiohead
5/5
Brian Eno turned them down for this album, which is funny because it’s the most complete and rewarding one they ever made. It’s a rare front-to-back experience—alienation, grandeur, plastic surgery panic—and enjoyable to listen to all the way through.
Eagles
3/5
A couple of the biggest songs in rock history, but they’re so overplayed they almost blot out the rest of the album. It’s hard to check in when the lobby soundtrack’s been looping since 1976.
Neil Young
5/5
Recorded in a barn with a broken back, Harvest somehow still feels like comfort food. We played this LP about seven million times back on 130 College Ave—so it’s less an album now and more a permanent room in my memory.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
4/5
Feels like the Beastie Boys moonlighting as Tarantino extras—greasy, stylish, and oddly endearing. I’ve always liked the Fun Lovings, just somehow never gave them the airtime they clearly deserved.
Love
3/5
Part of the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry. Lush orchestration, Spanish-style acoustic guitars, mariachi horns, and delicate folk-rock arrangements. I guess they self-destructed while recording it.
Super Furry Animals
4/5
I was happy to receive this unexpected surprise on this day, my birthday.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
5/5
A breakout for some supergroupers, a harbinger of bringing folk into rock, some classic songs. Wooden Ships.
The Band
4/5
Vanguard of Americana. I didn't realize they were Dylan's backing band? Up on Cripple Creek is the sound.
Missy Elliott
3/5
Recorded in two weeks but still sounded like it beamed in from five years in the future. Nothing jarring here—Missy’s flow, Timbaland’s beats, and a Busta cameo all glide along like they’ve known each other in a past life.
Robert Wyatt
2/5
When Wyatt retired he said "there is a pride in [stopping], I don't want [the music] to go off," a conclusion that perhaps he should have reached a wee bit sooner? I learned about his very interesting early pedigree but this album didn't inspire me to dive in further.
The Go-Go's
3/5
"widely considered the most successful all-female rock band of all time" - strong for them, although it makes one consider the disparities in the constitutions of successful rock bands. Nonetheless we recognize their groundbreaking initiative.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
Where Bob Marley and the Wailers stopped being a Jamaican phenomenon and started becoming a global force. It’s the first reggae album packaged like a Led Zeppelin record. Raw roots, Western rock sheen, and Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer still in full force.
Curtis Mayfield
5/5
Outsold the movie, outlasted the moment, and laid down grooves that still echo through Doggystyle and Kendrick. Excellent funk right here.
Rufus Wainwright
2/5
Never really listened to Rufus before. I'm having difficulty figuring out where this would fit into my broad spectrum of "that's what I'm in the mood for." As of now it doesn't fit, in spite of some talent he seems to have.
3/5
Average. Nothing that annoys me, but not much that grabs me either.
Killing Joke
4/5
Killing Joke is no joke! I wasn't familiar before but I'm listening to this a few times; it earns a solid rating.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
Beautiful, ambitious, and quietly falling apart—the album won six Grammys, then they split. With multiple classics on here, it's clear why it sold like wildfire.
The Beach Boys
5/5
Brian stayed home, dropped acid, and hired the Wrecking Crew to build a sonic dreamscape that confused his bandmates. But it ends with a classic early diesel streamliner, which is one of my core criteria—so the rest is just harmony.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
2/5
Before he went barefoot and spiritual, Michael Franti was shouting over industrial beats about American imperialism. It’s got Public Enemy energy, but more like a stern lecture than a full-on riot.
Underworld
3/5
The title comes from a schoolyard fight ranking, which might be the most concrete thing on the whole album. It’s fine background music—like a rave remembered through half-closed eyes and tube station echoes.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Canadian poet picks up a guitar and starts singing his poems
Buzzcocks
2/5
I put it on while working, and didn't take notice of anything until it was over. Well except for one thing - my concentration was briefly interrupted by irritating flailing of instruments which must have been at the conclusion of one song. Not good when that's the only thing that catches my attention.
Blur
3/5
Features a guy from Quadrophenia yelling about pigeons and joggers, which kind of sets the tone. It’s Britpop doing a full English breakfast—nothing standout, but solid enough to eat.
Fiona Apple
4/5
Never listened to much Fiona. Don't judge me. This is a pretty strong album. I guess especially for her first one at a young age.
Rocket From The Crypt
3/5
Fine - I'd listen to another crypt rocket album if I came across one. As I understand it though, the live performances were really where the entertainment was. I find myself wondering, what prizes do you think they raffled off?
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
Isn't my favorite Neil Young, and I won't likely gravitate towards it when I'm feeling like a Neil fix.
Jazmine Sullivan
2/5
No, not my kind of jam.
R.E.M.
3/5
“Stand” was a parody of bubblegum pop. But it became a hit, and then they had to perform their own joke on big stages.
Common
3/5
Hip-hop jam session energy. D’Angelo, Questlove, and J Dilla were all in the kitchen. This album was born out of the Soulquarians collective, with sessions held at Electric Lady Studios—yes, Hendrix’s old haunt.
Neil Young
4/5
A eulogy-in-song for two friends lost to overdoses within 2 months of each other. He played the entire (unreleased) album at shows before touching any hit, which audiences hated, but Neil didn’t give a shit. It’s not all easy to listen to, but that’s the point. “Go Downtown” is one of my favorites, a cool insert of Danny Whitten’s live voice on what’s essentially his own memorial album.
Simply Red
3/5
A little disco-soul flavor mixed in, so I'm ok with that.
Kate Bush
2/5
Fine for a listen in the background, however I did take a bathroom break in the middle of it and didn't bother to go back to what I had missed.
Beatles
5/5
Yeah, strong. I realize I don't listen much to Beatles "albums" as opposed to mixes, and I really should do that. Ok I'll do that more.
The Prodigy
3/5
If I remember a few of these songs from a couple raves at Cornell, does that mean I wasn't actually at them? Regardless, I feel my rave days are over. Rating down the middle of the road - I do appreciate the middle finger sentiment this album gave to the British authorities.
Blondie
3/5
“One Way or Another” is based on Debbie Harry’s real-life stalker, which makes its bouncy menace hit a little differently. The rest of the album is polished, catchy, and era-defining—even if it doesn’t all stalk you back.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
That's straight up the middle of the road for me. It was background music, I cruised through with no complaints, I also wasn't stirred from my work by anything that jumped out and grabbed me.
R.E.M.
3/5
I only knew “Stand” and “End of the World” going in—everything else was new terrain. But “Oddfellows Local 151” stirred something weirdly personal. When I was a kid, my dad owned the old Oddfellows building in Erie, Colorado. It felt enormous, abandoned, and faintly haunted—a great dusty gathering hall with creaky floorboards, dark passageways, and closets full of forgotten ritual objects. Most memorably: a child's coffin, complete with an actual old child's skull, supposedly used in Oddfellows ceremonies. So yeah, that song landed a little differently for me.
Adele
5/5
Already knew and liked the radio hits, but found even more once I dove in. Her voice is ridiculous and knowing “Someone Like You” was done in a single take makes it all the more unthinkable. I wouldn’t get there in infinity takes.
The Undertones
3/5
Instead of making overtly political punk, they wrote about chocolate, girls, and boredom. It sounds like five kids in a room just trying to get the songs down before their ride home shows up.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Epic. I will note that one should probably be "actively experienced" in order to appreciate the title song, while other songs don't have those conditions. Party on Wayne, party on Garth.
John Coltrane
5/5
First, I'll say that just a casual listen to this isn't going to seem anything that special. However, I've been in a few jazz clubs. If you put yourself there, completely immersed, likely having smoked on a full reefer just prior, and you're totally living inside the jazz, man, then... well...
Jethro Tull
5/5
Where Jethro Tull stopped being a blues-rock band and became... something much stranger. It’s not actually a concept album—except it kind of is. Ian Anderson’s flute work helped set Jethro Tull apart, adding a baroque, pastoral weirdness to songs that were otherwise about God, homelessness, and nuclear anxiety.
Massive Attack
3/5
I thought it was a different album going in, and I think I prefer other trip-hop. But I appreciate the legacy—this is where the genre got invented, slow and smoky like the Bristol air it came from.
Queen
3/5
It's on my radar now as a cult album—gothic, theatrical, and totally over the top. I’ll need more time with it before it becomes a favorite, but I can already hear the seeds of Queen’s madness in full bloom.
Pulp
3/5
“This is the sound of someone losing the plot”—an early lyric that pretty much sums up the whole purpose of it. It was decent, even if I wasn’t locked in the whole time.
Michael Jackson
4/5
The title track was supposed to be a Michael vs. Prince duet, but Prince bailed after asking who exactly was meant to sing the line “Your butt is mine.” Smooth Criminal, a fav, is the standout for me—and I applaud MJ for keeping it in despite Quincy’s insistence it didn’t fit, which is surprising. There are other hits here, then the slower numbers that feel like sensitive filler I don't need. Fortunately, Smooth Criminal does enough heavy lifting on its own.
Alice In Chains
3/5
I listened more to other A in C, particularly Unplugged. That was an Antho favorite. Not quite as much nostalgia on this album.
The Associates
1/5
It’s oddly magnetic for a few minutes—sort of like the draw to stare at a car accident. These guys must have been out of their mind weird, but I don’t need to listen again.
Prince
3/5
I know it’s a masterpiece, I know he’s a genius—but emotionally, I’m blank on it. That’s always been the case with most Prince (solo on “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” excluded).
Don McLean
3/5
The hit, and then pleasant but unmemorable other stuff. He spent much of his career trying to remind people he wrote other songs too.
Boston
5/5
It’s a 4-ish on sound alone, but learning that Tom Scholz recorded most of it in his basement while sending a fake band to a studio to trick the label? That’s worth the extra star.
Linkin Park
3/5
I always thought I hated it, so it gets points for me not hating it. I don’t really have that kind of angsty screaming emotional side—or maybe I’m just repressing it—but either way, it doesn’t speak to me. Still, reading about the lead-up to Chester’s suicide while listening helped me appreciate the vibe more—at least in that moment.
Khaled
4/5
My first knowing dip into raï—“Ya Aachkou” and “El Aadyene” have the beats. Interesting context, what with Khaled escaping Algeria’s Black Decade (without getting murdered) to push the whole movement global.
The Gun Club
3/5
I like the sound. As an album... some of it makes me think of a young band playing one of their first shows, sounding fine, but looking around at each other frequently like should we keep playing this song longer? Are we still on the guitar solo? Should we just play it again? Donny isn't looking at us, how long should we let him keep playing this riff?
Simple Minds
3/5
I like that Breakfast Club song the most—even though it’s not on this album. Everything here is fine for background. Interesting that it influenced U2, but since I didn’t know early Simple Minds, the style shift doesn’t mean much to me.
Arcade Fire
4/5
Never listened to the album before, and I wasn’t familiar with many of the songs—but I’ll be listening again. Cool that it exploded without a major label; I like those stories. Baroque pop with punk energy—like Springsteen orchestrated by a haunted marching band in Montreal.
John Cale
3/5
3 at best—it’s probably a stretch. You’d think the historical and literary references would draw me in, but I just couldn’t stay focused. Not sure what else to say—it floated by like arty wallpaper.
The Saints
4/5
Pleasantly surprised by the brassy punk vibes—there’s snarling here, but the kind that adds grit, not the kind that's incessant whining snarling.
Pulp
3/5
Um, fine? I wasn’t paying that much attention and I’m not going back right now. It was fine in the background—clever, probably, but I wasn’t clocking it.
Basement Jaxx
3/5
“Bingo Bango” is the clear standout here, with “Red Alert” as runner-up, but as someone who was never much of a club-goer I can’t really parse the finer shades of house music—this just strikes me as the energetic party kind, not the ethereal drug-floating kind.
Sonic Youth
2/5
I didn't listen to much Sonic Youth in my youth, and not this album, so I don't have that nostalgic feeling that I think would help me appreciate this more.
The Velvet Underground
2/5
3/5 Cool to know about, less cool to listen to.
The Flaming Lips
4/5
Good for Saturday morning chill, doing a little work.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
3/5
Deep, meditative bass anchors a fusion of dub, Middle Eastern/North African/Indian textures, and ambient/post-punk DNA—less confrontational, more transcendent. Wut? Anyway it was good background, 3 for me.
Neneh Cherry
3/5
Sure thought I was going to hate this at the start of the first song, Buffalo Stance, but I ended up liking that tune. Not my kind of music, but it surpassed my very low expectations—and for that it gets a 3.
Rush
5/5
Now that’s a real beauty, eh? Top-shelf stuff!
Lorde
3/5
It’s nice enough in the background, but since I’m not a young adult wading through that particular brand of angst, the words—which seem to be the main event—just slide past me.
The Police
4/5
Side two beats side one—“Synchronicity II” and “Every Breath You Take” are the standouts. Crazy that they couldn’t even be in the same room to record; a lot of this feels like it has a suspicious, uncertain scowl on, but then they still delivered those tunes.
Terence Trent D'Arby
2/5
Arrived with one of the cockiest promotional campaigns in music history when he declared it "the most important album since Sgt. Pepper’s".
Did I miss something?
The White Stripes
3/5
Hit song but some question marks on the others. Could have been better.
Beck
4/5
A couple songs anchor this—catchy, weird, and classic. Some of the rest feel like switching channels on a stoned TV, which is kind of the point.
The Cure
3/5
Atmospheric goth rock - ok fine. I get along with some of it, some of it I don't need so much. I liked that hit A Forest.
LCD Soundsystem
2/5
So this was a "comeback that almost wasn't" album. But having missed the first act anyway, I was unenthused by the reunion.
Solange
3/5
Well I learned that Solange is Beyonce's sister that flies below the radar. By writ of birth and upbringing I'm not an authentic audience for the messaging, but I get it's important. The music is nice for background.
Jack White
5/5
I've returned multiple times for the bluesy, barroom-style playing. Jack gets a 5.
Supergrass
4/5
My buddy's 3 year old daughter came out of potty training knowing a poop as a "coco." She's also a bit of a firecracker. Doesn't mind popping a squat and doing a coco right outside, or on the sidewalk even, because the dog can do it, right? So from the very beginning, I imagined this album as the soundtrack running in her head as she blasted around getting into things, frantic, at some point realizing she should coco. I found the experience pleasant and amusing.
The Lemonheads
3/5
Straight down the middle upbeat background music.
Baaba Maal
3/5
I don't speak Pulaar so I didn't fully appreciate the storytelling of migration, love, cultural heritage... but I do appreciate the style.
Jeff Buckley
4/5
Never listened to anything but the Hallelujah before, but I can get into this style. Blending Led Zeppelin with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (I had to go look up) is unexpected for sure.
Nirvana
5/5
Fascinating that this was only a few months before his death. I enjoy the stripped-down style as much—or maybe even more—than their default electric grunge sound.
Erykah Badu
4/5
Listened some more—this really is a cool, chill vibe with some real jams. Great atmosphere and just loose enough to keep it feeling alive.
Steely Dan
4/5
Shorter, and funkier, than I expected.
Beastie Boys
5/5
Fantastic - haven't listened to it in a long time and that was overdue, I won't make the same mistake again.
Ali Farka Touré
4/5
“Blues is my music. It comes from the Niger Delta, not the Mississippi Delta.”
The xx
3/5
Good background music while troubleshooting and then rolling into some creative marketing brainstorming—pleasant enough, and it feels like it might keep growing on me.
The Band
3/5
Kudos for birthing roots rock—and “The Weight” is one of my favorite classic rock songs. The rest feels like a bunch of cool guys jamming in a house, but in a historically important way.
Teenage Fanclub
3/5
Spin magazine named this Album of the Year over Nevermind, and Kurt Cobain once called Teenage Fanclub “the best band in the world.” Meanwhile, I’d never even heard of them—though to be fair, I was 12, in peak mullet mode, and deep into my ’80s hair metal phase. Lofty title or not, I’m not sure I’d crown them world’s best off this album alone.
The White Stripes
4/5
Good stuff from the White Stripes—sometimes a little raw, and I catch myself wishing it were polished just a bit more, but I guess that rough edge is the whole point.
U2
3/5
This is fine with a few hits. Like a Song was a new one for me I enjoyed. Is it because of the protest rock that U2 perhaps garnered more popular acclaim than the music maybe deserved?
Solomon Burke
4/5
The King of Rock n Soul. Deserves a listen every now and then.
Nick Drake
4/5
Pleasantly surprised, this was the right vibe at the right time for me. Too bad it all ended prematurely for this fellow.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
2/5
I genuinely want to like Jon Spencer better. I feel that it's almost there sometimes to the potential I imagine it is. And then there's some godawful screeching or some shit to break me out of my daydream
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
5/5
The Beano, a blues classic. I've dusted off the guitar and the blues picking for this one.
Steve Earle
3/5
“Think It Over” stood out to me—good stuff overall. I like that it’s about cheap motels, small-town shows, and chasing a dream in a broken-down van; it’s got that 3 a.m. truck stop feeling.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Awesome that they were only 20, 22, 22, and 24 when they did this. I didn’t realize some of these were covers or interpretations. But their signature rocking blues sound was there from the very beginning. Great stuff.
3/5
Not a lot to say. Absolutely fine. Some hits.
Talking Heads
4/5
Eccentricity with a tight, funky backbone.
Paul McCartney
3/5
Well done on the solo recording—this feels like a sketchbook, loose and unguarded. It seems like he pushed it out a little prematurely, maybe even vindictively in the wake of the breakup; I’d probably be more into it if I were closer to the Beatles drama it’s quietly reacting to.
Gotan Project
4/5
I like tango; I like some electronica but a lot more selectively. This is a fairly well executed mashup. Is it worth a 4? I wasn't sure about that until I heard the train horn in El Capitalismo Foráneo. Train horns in electronica tango is innovative.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
“Billy Jack” lays down a steady, funky beat, and the whole album is slow and lush—a good way to deliver social commentary without losing the groove.
Ozomatli
2/5
I like the self-titled first album significantly more.
Peter Frampton
3/5
So this was a pioneer of live album success, huh? Sort of repetitive, but I sure would have liked to be there live when they rip out of that voicebox solo into the jam on Do You Feel...
I enjoyed this album. As I understand it, they and their sound got a little discombobulated during the ’90s, with real questions about whether they could still make real music or if they’d become the butt of their own jokes. Good recovery.
Common
4/5
Well I never listened to Common before, and I definitely never knew what Kanye actually did before he became a deranged Nazi shoe designer, so I must say this surpassed my expectations by quite a lot.
Santana
5/5
Classics from his distinctive style, good for many occasions.
Chicago
4/5
There's some funk, and some jams, sprinkled in throughout. And there is a lot of horn work. Some might say too much, but the BGQ goes big with horns as well and it is powerful and triumphant, so there.
Mercury Rev
3/5
I was looking forward to hating this as much as some other reviewers. Alas, it didn't live up to that. In fact, I found I enjoyed some of the songs (to be fair, there is a bit of carnival sounding nonsense too). I must have been caught in a moment of weakness or something.
David Bowie
5/5
Any album that begins with a steam locomotive is probably getting a 5 from me regardless, but in this case it backs it up and gets better and better. Funk and soul. Listened to it 3 times in a row.
De La Soul
4/5
So when everyone zigged to killing muthaf'ers and cops, De La zagged to fun and frolicking. That's positive, as is the use of such a broad range of samples. Well done. They also apparently invented the hip-hop skit which became prevalent on many albums, but my thought about that is it's fun the first time, but gets real annoying afterwards when you're just trying to bounce to some dang beats.
Brian Eno
3/5
I'll give this another listen sometime. Maybe it was just me being distracted but I didn't really connect with it. Appreciate the talent, but unlikely to proactively select.
Foo Fighters
3/5
“It was really just an experiment,” said Dave Grohl. Well that worked out pretty well for him. I kind of like All for the Cows, even if the lyrics are basically surreal nonsense.
Sly & The Family Stone
5/5
Utopian funk at its peak—packed with goodness. Its DNA reaches from Stevie to Public Enemy.
Sing a Simple Song, and My Brain.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
5/5
Great album to listen all the way through - it's been quite some time - and full of classics. Simple Man always one of my favs. They codified Southern Rock and produced a hell of a lot in a few short years before that plane crash.
Nine Inch Nails
3/5
Recorded at 10050 Cielo Drive—the Manson murder house—which seems fitting for how brutal and strangely accessible this is. There’s some undeniably cool stuff here, but I just don’t go to this level of psychological collapse, nor do I really want to.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
I appreciate Joni's contribution to the genre, but for Canadian folk my preference lies with Ian & Silvia.
Turbonegro
4/5
I've recently been testing out a new strength workout for the upper body, old school HIT style... which is basically go to muscle failure where your arms are jello and you're quite possibly puking. Your brain doesn't want to let you go that far, of course, so you need to override it with some serious rocking aggression. Turns out Apocalypse Dudes was made for just this purpose.
Paul Simon
3/5
I never listened to the full album so there was new experience for me here. All generally pleasant.
Elton John
4/5
I was expecting a 5—there are plenty of great songs I already knew, but the ones I hadn’t heard didn’t grab me. Probably just a case of expectations set too high.
Pere Ubu
2/5
Some good songs, unfortunately interrupted by periodic shrieks and an entry that's mostly just smashing glass. I don't understand why... this kind of thing... it's not art to me, it's irritating.
Johnny Cash
5/5
Late in life, Johnny Cash rose like a phoenix—conquering the charts one last time before ascending to the heavens. Going out on top is rare for anyone, and he did it deliberately, with an album that makes mortality sound like triumph.
Elliott Smith
4/5
This is my favorite Elliott sound, and it deserves more exploration from me. Junk Bond Trader... moral and emotional bankruptcy.
Fleetwood Mac
2/5
I prefer the hits Fleetwood Mac to the avant garde Fleetwood Mac.
The Notorious B.I.G.
4/5
Ready to Die is the song for me. I was never into Biggie as much as the west coast dawgs at that time. I'll give this one more attention though. Of course, i guess there was shared agreement between both Westside and Eastside to include lush interludes of rowdy fornications on their albums.
Funkadelic
4/5
Found on YouTube. I was never in doubt regarding the funkadelic content, so here's what caught my interest: the complete failure of the YT ad engine. Yikes! Don't they have some AI or something over at Google? Here's the list:
- corporate document management
- dog food
- HPV meds
- Disney
- moderate to severe plaque psoriasis meds
- Hilton
- Olay body wash
- dog food
- Disney
- bent finger meds
- ancestry.com
- eye drops
And finally, back to the jams, there's soaring rock ballad guitar to finish this record - a nice feat on the back of the funks.
Caetano Veloso
3/5
I guess there's a lot of heavy political and paradigm-shifting shit going on in here. I respect that, but it's not fully resonating with me. I'll spend some more time on it.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
“Born to Run” became an FM rock anthem, with stations from Cleveland to New York blasting it at 5 p.m. Fridays to start the weekend. But in 1975 I wasn’t yet born generally—let alone to run—so it never became my anthem.
The Temptations
4/5
A pleasant surprise with that psychedelic soul groove and clear Sly influence. I wanted a few more tracks to stick as keepers, but it earns a 4 to encourage more listening.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
A different kind of social consciousness—raising your libido between the sheets instead of your fist in the streets—but no less revolutionary than What’s Going On. Recorded mostly live with Motown’s tightest players, and that tight playing earns the 4.
Radiohead
4/5
I never listened to this album before but it will get more listens from me. Warmer than past albums and less moany.
Sarah Vaughan
4/5
I’ve listened to this a few times—it’s good. Sassy’s fun, and like most live albums, I’d have much rather been there. Not my favorite live or jazz record, but it’ll keep getting the occasional spin.
The Beta Band
3/5
I have no problem with this - good as background album.
The Last Shadow Puppets
4/5
When the Arctic Monkeys were selected to compose the score for a lost James Bond film.
Syd Barrett
2/5
“You took too much man, too much, too much.”
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
A sprawling, chaotic journey packed with stone-cold classics—I can taste the drugs from those late-night sessions. Rainy Day, Dream Away and Still Raining, Still Dreaming make a great pair, both easy highlights.
Elliott Smith
3/5
I'm always afraid that I'll become overly melancholy when I listen to Elliott Smith. So I have this subconscious hesitation. Maybe without that I'd really appreciate more? Not that I don't appreciate it.
Al Green
4/5
The inspiration for the song Let’s Stay Together was more political than romantic. Many people would say Al Green is lovemaking music, but I used it for work focus and it was great. Soul minimalism at its most efficient.
Bad Company
3/5
Well hitherto I've only listened to Bad Company by happenstance when some other fellow had put on FM radio or a classic rock playlist. But I should be at least a little more intentional about that going forward.
The Style Council
3/5
Early acid jazz? I like some of this - generally the earlier songs on the record. The synthy poppy stuff not so much.
The Youngbloods
5/5
An unexpected 5... good energy throughout, mixing folk-rock with touches of jazz and country. Beautiful is a pick-me-up jam. Decided to listen through the album two times in a row, because it was working for me.
Various Artists
4/5
So this is why I have to endure every artist’s own crappy Christmas album these days. But I’ll set that aside—this is the OG, it has a spot in the holiday rotation.
Wu-Tang Clan
5/5
Grim, grimy, grindhouse—raw, muddy, and menacing, born from RZA’s Staten Island apartment studio. My upbringing couldn’t be further from these fellas, but somehow they still speak to me, lol.
Flamin' Groovies
4/5
An IYKYK album I hear. Groovies and the Stones started running the same race, but Groovies got forgotten. Strange how that happens... no charismatic frontman?
Gene Clark
3/5
Very popular in Europe! Dutch thought best album of '71. Nice and laid back—he’s got a bit of Tom Petty twang in his voice.
Miles Davis
5/5
Well the album name says it all. Of note is that they recorded it like a decade before they actually released it, when cool had become cool, that's a nifty OG move.
Queen
4/5
"I think we'll go with a little Bohemian Rhapsody, gentlemen?"
"Good call!"
Sonic Youth
2/5
Not doing it for me. Maybe there was a moment in counterculture time when if you happened to be there, and you happened to be into it, then this made sense. Kim Gordon sounds like she's literally projectile vomiting the lyrics in one song (Shoot).
“I would like to thank everybody for not going to see Guns N’ Roses tonight, and for coming to see Pavement and Sonic Youth instead,” Thurston Moore told a crowd. I'm at Gn'R.
50 Cent
4/5
Never listened to the album or knew that much - it was a little after my gansta rap phase in life, and my favorites were already nailed down. But the story is pretty fascinating - wrote Ghetto Qu’ran, got shot 9 times, got blacklisted from the industry, got found by Eminem and Dre, sold this album at Beatles-level numbers (just with more Glock references).
Taylor Swift
2/5
Fairly boring to me—fine as background music when I’m not paying attention. Probably best appreciated by full-fledged Swifties, which I am not.
Meat Loaf
3/5
There's some fun here, but if I'm looking for an over-the-top rock opera, Tenacious D is where my loyalties are. I guess I'm just a younger generation.
Beck
3/5
East L.A. vibes, some funk and heavy sampling, festival-ready bangers. With this pedigree I'd have expected something to grab my attention a little more than it did (although fine overall).
The Divine Comedy
4/5
I get a Zappa vibe going on here, filtered through Britpop, replacing California freakdom with London smirk.
The Chemical Brothers
4/5
Are they making club music a little less clubby by infusing more live rocking? I do appreciate that and will rate a 4 so that I reinvestigate at some point.
Drive Like Jehu
3/5
At first song i was prepared to dislike this strongly. But subtly not subtly in the background it recovered and i found myself certainly not disliking it.
The Allman Brothers Band
5/5
Rocking or jamming? It's a fine line here. They're at their peak, just months before Duane’s motorcycle accident. This is the lightning right before the storm of destruction.
Aretha Franklin
5/5
That's a powerful voice for a 25 year old. She also arranged and played the piano - often overlooked.
Alice Cooper
3/5
The album came with a wallet-shaped cover and a billion-dollar bill inside, which tells you most of what you need to know. I appreciate the influence—KISS, guillotines, and glam excess—but the songs themselves feel like props without the stage. #1 in US and UK charts - so tremendous.
Frank Sinatra
4/5
Soothing to have in the background—at times I felt like I was supporting cast in a 50s movie, pondering some late-night challenge in a smoky back room somewhere.
Merle Haggard
5/5
Authentic Bakersfield Sound, inspired by time in San Quentin. Album cover is Merle riding the ladder of a boxcar, so that's an automatic 5
Leonard Cohen
3/5
I’ll need more time with this one—I wasn’t in the right mood for it this morning. Feels like it deserves a different kind of attention.
Arcade Fire
5/5
Never listened before, surprisingly, was pleasantly surprised, will listen again so giving a high rating for this masterful blend of indie rock, baroque pop, and post-punk to create a sprawling, cinematic experience.
The Mothers Of Invention
3/5
I've been searching for a ruthless takedown of the Summer of Love hippie culture, commercialism, and the hypocrisy of both the establishment and counterculture. This is getting close.
Gary Numan
4/5
Wouldn't have imagined rating a synth-pop record higher than a 2, but here we are. This was my background music while reading Bruce Wasserstein's "Big Deal," a fiery recollection of all the big-swinging dick hostile takeover battles of the 80's and early 90's... pretty much the perfect soundtrack.
Joe Ely
4/5
West Texas Country Rock Punk. Sounds like a sweet name for a fusion restaurant whose food doesn't hold up to the name. But in this case it's country music and Joe puts it together well. And is it a coincidence that Boxcars, which became one of his signature songs, is a train theme? I don't think so.
The Mamas & The Papas
3/5
A lot of dirty laundry with these folks huh? 4 part harmonies are lovely but deceptive.
Dusty Springfield
5/5
Bashful Brit tries to make a name for herself in America, but too bashful to sing in front of the soul greats. All-time case of imposter syndrome?
Happy Mondays
3/5
Transplanting the most Manc band imaginable to southern California results in the Mondays trashing the mansion, fighting each other, and accidentally making their best album.
David Ackles
2/5
This sounds like an off-broadway musical that I missed. I understand why Elton John reached popular and critical acclaim, but this fellow didn't.
The Byrds
2/5
Psychedelic sound Byrds are my least favorite I guess... preferring Dylan cover Byrds and Christian Country Byrds.
The Temptations
3/5
There’s some good hard funk in the beginning, but I don’t really know where to fully categorize this—half groove, half something else.
Depeche Mode
2/5
"The exact date and location for the moment that Depeche Mode morphed from cult British band to million-selling mainstream success would be March 20, 1990 at Los Angeles music emporium Wherehouse Records. It was here that the then-quartet turned up for an in-store performance to celebrate the release of their seventh record Violator. The shop could hold 150 people. An estimated 17,000 fans turned up. With the numbers swelling, police evacuated the band from the store and shut the place down, prompting disgruntled members of the waiting crowd to start rioting."
I was not part of that swelling crowd.
Hole
4/5
Somehow manages to sound like mascara running, or as drummer Patty Schemel put it, “a girl gang beating someone up behind a 7-Eleven.”
Released 4 days after Kurt Cobain died.
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
This one sort of passed me by in the background. Pleasant enough, but I don’t quite see how it ended up being called one of the greatest albums of the ’90s.
Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying
Billy Bragg
3/5
This is cool. I don't know about Billy Bragg, or enough about Wilco, or even enough about Woody Guthrie to be over the moon, but it works. “California Stars” was such a hit that many people don’t realize it’s a posthumous collaboration with a man who died in 1967.
Muddy Waters
5/5
Surprising a jazz‑oriented crowd with pure Chicago blues, James Cotton ripping on harmonica, and the first major live blues album—this one earns its landmark status.
Patti Smith
3/5
This is like a random museum piece for me—cool to see it once and know it exists, but not an exhibit I need to return to.
Adam & The Ants
2/5
yeah... this sort of reminds me of when i throw all the old stuff in the fridge into a skillet for mystery surprise dinner... except my skillets taste better than this. #1 in the UK? 1980 must have been a desperate time there.
The Pogues
3/5
Interesting Irish folk+punk rock, although not something that will be in my regular rotation.
The Boo Radleys
2/5
This feels like it's all over the place and requires a great effort from me just to figure out which music brain to apply to it—not happening.
Fatboy Slim
2/5
Club beats aren’t really my thing, and this isn’t quite close enough to club beats that I’d enjoy anyway.
The Smiths
3/5
I don’t actually know anything about The Smiths, so the interesting parts of this album didn’t have any anchor for me—I listened in the background, but it never popped to the foreground.
The War On Drugs
3/5
I never heard of these guys before. Was good for my background music—overall, it’s too hazy and “on the highway at dusk” for me to reach for often.
Minutemen
3/5
Minutemen injected funk, jazz, spoken word, and political poetry... one of punk’s most inventive and unpredictable records.
3/5
This had some moments that made me stop working and listen, which I appreciate—seeds of great progressive/psychedelic rock, but it never quite flowered all the way.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
“Born in the U.S.A.” was a protest song, but jeans, a white T-shirt, and an American flag made it easy to co-opt—even though the album itself is full of broken dreams, layoffs, PTSD, and disillusionment.
Norah Jones
5/5
Timeless feel. Smoky vocals. I'd like to have her in my living room singing at a party. The extended deluxe album has some good cuts.
T. Rex
3/5
Pretty good glam-rock pioneering.
Paul Weller
5/5
I'm going high. First play was enough to make me repeat, and each time it grew on me. More than one moment that reminded me of Digger Jones / Stiv belting it out.
Dire Straits
5/5
Killer debut — “Sultans of Swing” written after playing a nearly empty pub, an outlier guitar style right when punk was exploding, recorded on the cheap but somehow sounding like a massively produced peak-career album.
Earth, Wind & Fire
4/5
Dance-floor funk, with intervals of smooth R&B.
Happy Feelin' & Africano.
The Jam
3/5
Never listened to The Jam before. Not bad. “That’s Entertainment” was written in ten minutes while drunk
Slint
3/5
Oddly soothing in the background, is that because I only slept for 4 hours and am a little hazy? Long stretches of near-silence, spoken vocals, and skeletal guitar lines suddenly explode into violence.
4/5
Straight-up street-level funk.
Interesting fact: this was the best-selling album of 1973, outselling Dark Side of the Moon.
Deep Purple
3/5
Kudos for being a pioneer of real rock, not something I’ll go to often tho.
Tom Waits
3/5
Apparently with this album Tom Waits transformed from drunk poet on the piano to junkyard theatre. It *feels* like art. Not necessarily the kind of art that's exciting to me.
Sufjan Stevens
2/5
The John Wayne Gacy song sent me down a Wikipedia rabbit hole about that clown monster, ruined my productivity, and left a stain I can’t unhear—now unfortunately all the pleasant melodies feel like they’re masking a serial killer.
The Libertines
3/5
3/5 as a prelude to the Arctic Monkeys.
Derek & The Dominos
5/5
Apparently the key ingredients for a scorched-earth blues-rock masterpiece are heroin, a love triangle, and schizophrenia.
Pixies
3/5
I appreciate that they were a huge influence on some of the biggest bands of the ’90s — interesting to hear, but not something I’ll put on intentionally. The Happening.
Wild Beasts
2/5
British art-pop. The guy's voice reminds me of Dominick's when he puts on the "ref didn't call a foul" whining inflection that I dislike so much.
Jacques Brel
3/5
From my research, the most impressive moments of this album were best witnessed in person: clenched fists, hunched shoulders, wild eyes, gasps for air, and physically collapsing on stage. I imagine that fitting well with all the accordion.
Thelonious Monk
4/5
The title track was so difficult it had to be stitched together from multiple takes like jazz Frankenstein. Pleasant, intricate, and elusive — I enjoyed it twice, but nothing ever tapped me on the shoulder.
The Kinks
3/5
Quaint. Small town sober hippy dippy.
Bobby Womack
3/5
fine soul, not too 80's. it was background jams for me.
Mylo
3/5
Enjoyable-enough background energy. When electronic albums could be clever, compact, and personality-driven instead of maximalist festival fuel. Zenophile.
ABBA
3/5
It’s fine — I got distracted. Cool that they kept working after the breakups, and the happy sound hiding sad songs is real, but I’m moving on.
Louis Prima
5/5
Fun!
The Electric Prunes
2/5
Their mates probably thought they were pretty cool during the summer of '67 or something, but I can understand why no one else ever heard of this.
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
I’ve enjoyed some of the hits since my younger years — metal rage Butterfly — and while much of the double album is merely fine, its status as a defining moment (with some good tunes) carries it.
Little Richard
5/5
"Rock n' Roll's stem cells"
The The
2/5
“That freedom — along with Johnson’s admittedly liberal use of MDMA — would fuel one of the 1980s’ most distinctive pop records.”
Am I supposed to be rolling or something to enjoy this more?
Alanis Morissette
4/5
Pumpkin's favorite. I hadn't listened in a long time and it seemed a little squelchy at first; but there's good stuff here.
Machito
4/5
First time w/ Machito. Afro-Cuban jazz I know I’ll revisit. Hilton Ruiz afterward from the algo was another win.
Sonic Youth
3/5
Best Sonic Youth I've listened to. But here's the thing... I don't give a shit how confrontational a vibe you want to exude, I'm never going to listen to an album with periodic banshee screaming because that's annoying.
Nick Drake
4/5
I’m cautious about mainlining depression through music, so setting that aside, this is a good listen.
Songhoy Blues
4/5
Modern West African blues rock — I like it a lot.