There’s not much I can tolerate less than a “singer” whose main goal isn’t to sing but to instead be some sort of sly, enlightened, hip shit-cock who babbles atonal drivel over a largely monotonous (and already dated upon release) musical backing. With a couple of decent exceptions, The Infotainment Scan is roughly 40 minutes of just that. Lucky me. 4/10

My first time actively listening to Sarah Vaughan. This is, simply put, really damn good. Absolutely beautiful voice, interesting and delicate instrumental accompaniment, as well as lovely, sincerely intimate and lite-hearted atmosphere in the club. 8.5/10

I understand one mildly..fine..(?) Kings of Leon album in the generator. But another, even more boring and corny, Kings of Leon album? Why is this here?

A very cool album. Sonically this will last with you even in places the songwriting won’t, but those sonics are absolutely hypnotizing and uniquely foreboding. This is absolutely something music listeners should hear and a great inclusion to the book. Put it near the top of your “to listen on headphones” list. 8/10

A notable album and series of recordings. While I don’t find the majority of this record to be Neil’s writing at its absolute best, there is tasteful material spanning from gentle, including a southern duet, to practically the sludgiest riff in rock up to this point. The bookends of this album alone show, with clarity, a successful blend in Neil’s writing as well a boldness to not be tied to one or two sounds. Sonically, the closing track makes a clear path for bands of the next 5 to 15 years (Melvins, Sonic Youth, Soundgarden, Pavement…) to find their footing. Along with the album’s first and last cuts, Powderfinger is a highlight and Thrasher offers a beautiful balance of acoustic guitars as well some of my favorite Neil lyrics on this record or any other. Welfare Mothers, while not being my favorite of Neil’s more rock mode tracks, is an interesting track that seems like an attempt to write his own Tie Your Mother Down, or at least something in the realm of Queen’s stadium sound by way of the Crazy Horse garage charm.

Natty Dread is another completely colorful record and solid tracklist in Marley’s catalog, as well one that is rewarding upon return listens. For me, Marley takes a big step forward in writing and arranging from Catch a Fire (another very good album in its own right). Additionally, the band successfully incorporates so many cool elements of other styles and sensibilities into their unmistakable brand of reggae. From slinky psych to haunting harmonica backdrops, there doesn’t seem to be a shade that didn’t fit this album’s pallet. I think the sonic exploration aids this album in moments where the writing might not be at its most sturdy or successfully hooky. The guitars, piano and horn charts are mostly pretty excellent across this whole album. And not to be forgotten, Marley’s voice is such an amazing and versatile weapon in its own right. Natty Dread offers some undeniable classics, a hook-laden opener and a closer that could have gone on for another 15 minutes and I would have loved every second. 8.5/10

Credit where it’s due, this record is proof of the identifiable Offspring sound. From the clawing-at-your-face guitar cadences to lumbering high-tempo drum grooves to the unmistakable shriek of Dexter Holland, the band presents a barrage of catchiness through their anthemic styling of punk. On top of a focus on anthems, a handful of tracks benefit from a pretty hefty bass tone which, by itself, carries certain riffs into a heavier weightclass. The band commits to their sound from the jump and, even when dipping into ska or intensely thrashing for a full track, put out a record that never breaks character. Unfortunately, it’s not a sound I ever found incredibly attractive from afar and upon a slightly more thorough investigation, my feelings of “eh” remain pretty solidly in tact. Some decent tracks, some really good hooks but it’s very samey. 6/10

Band On The Run stands out the most to me as what might have been the next logical step after Abbey Road in terms of Paul’s contributions had the Beatles continued. You can feel a lot of the same approach to writing on some of these songs as the Beatles’ swan song. Take for instance the studio glitz of Mrs. Vanderbilt, the power-balladry of Let Me Roll It, and of course the multi-movement medley of the title track. What’s more is I’d say Paul’s efforts in crafting a medley this time around are even more cohesive this time around. This is one of the many phenomenal examples of Paul McCartney stretching, but not reaching, in an attempt to explore different realms of pop melodism and sonic worldliness. He excels with so much of it. 8.5/10

- David Eric Grohl found his spark again after the tragedy that took his friend and his band out from under him in the blink of an eye. Beginning with four of the best songs he’s written to this day, Foo Fighters is the sound of that spark. One which would blossom into a decades-long fireworks display. The self titled Foo Fighters tape is interesting in that it’s completely unique given the circumstances but simultaneously lays the ground work for Grohl and (his future) company to accomplish almost everything they eventually would. From the walls of percussive guitar to the stadium ready hooks, it’s remarkable to think this isn’t the full lineup of musicians Dave would soon fill the project out with. With a more DIY sound and production, some tracks almost take on a shade of shoegaze, if they aren’t just sort of messy. His riff and melody writing, too, would soon take an overall step up. However, much of this album is Dave’s songs already at their best and charged up with power pop charm and punk rock energy. 7.5/10

While Björk would soon expand on a number of these ideas and release 3 absolutely sensational records in a row afterwards, Debut serves as an enjoyable and ambitious sign of what’s to come. Björk is already an amazing vocalist and visionary on this record. What’s more is, lyrically, she’s expressing different confessional aspects of her life and love as vulnerability graces many of these upbeat and dance oriented arrangements. Her production and sequencing would get better but Human Behaviour, Venus As a Boy, and Like Someone in Love stand as some of Björk’s best songs to this day. 8/10

LA Woman is an album that succeeds in moments. Moments where Morrison shines as a vocalist and narrator (LA Woman), moments where I can’t help but make a stank-face at what Ray Manzarek is doing on keys (Riders on the Storm), and moments when I have to acknowledge Robby Krieger as one of the most unique guitarists of his time (the latter half of Been Down So Long). Additionally, there are moments on here so murky and spooky that they must have inspired music I love like Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. But then there are portions of this album that go by where I’m only hearing different takes on the blues. Not necessarily elevating any material, just giving it a Doors-esq spin. The record begins with two of the best tracks in the Doors’ catalog and offers a couple more before the album reaches its close including the pretty and hidden gem Hyacinth House. From there though, the rest of the material feels a bit inconsequential. Again, good takes on the blues but, ultimately, kind of just that. It’s interesting to hear the Doors commit to this mode more than it is something I feel compelled to return to. This is a solid 7/10 for me. But in the scope of this project I’m giving it 3/5 for how necessary I feel it is as “An Album I must listen to before I die.”

In a vacuum, Darkness is a great album. Unfortunately, my brain has to compare it to my love of Springsteen’s previous release, Born to Run. While I don’t usually let an artist’s other work cloud my judgement, Born to Run is such a gargantuan achievement and one of my very favorite albums ever. It was also Springsteen‘s “last shot” record and it sounds like it. I feel Born to Run set the pace for Darkness and no part of it is able to top the raw, going-for-broke glory of its predecessor. Alright.. so what’s good about this album? A lot, of course. For one, the production is cleaner and the band is tighter than on any previous Bruce album. As a vocalist, Springsteen takes a step forward in his confidence as, on a couple moments through this album, he is absolutely howling. Badlands, Prove it All Night, Racing in the Street and the title track are all top tier E Street songs. Darkness, in spots, even finds the band exploring heavier riffs and more soulful arranging than ever before. There’s just something here preventing me from feeling it as genuinely and thoroughly as his previous album. 8/10

This is one incredibly harrowing hour of music. War, trauma, sickness, mental anguish, giving in and giving up. But Dirt excels where many dirge-fests fail to capture intrigue that may warrant future listens. Even in some of the album’s darkest, most pleading moments, there is light trying to break through the cracks like a setting sun through clouds. These hooks are, pretty consistently, spectacular. Dirt benefits from AIC’s melodic sensibility as well as their unique and identifiable sense of harmony. Even on more ubiquitous cuts like Rooster and Would?, Layne and Jerry’s harmonies give listeners something they may miss in passive/radio listening. What’s more is Alice In Chains has one of the most solid and underrated rhythm sections of their era. The band shows a balance ranging from softer, more sorrowful performances to riffs like raging floods of acidic rain. Lyrically, Layne more than successfully deflates any glamorization of addiction and pain. “I want you to scrape me from the wall and go crazy like you’ve made me.” ..Christ. Dirt reminds me of a Black Sabbath album but the scary creature isn’t a monster or the devil, it’s waking up to face another day as yourself. 9/10, the first record I’ve awarded 5 stars to over the course of this project.

Pelican West’s best attribute in my opinion is the clean and nuanced production and sonic presentation. Guitar voicings and synth linings add so much to the audible depth of this record even being tucked away into one channel or the other. The expertly performed Latin percussion is remarkable too. However, song-wise there just isn’t much here for me to return to. Decent new-wave approaches but not a ton of personality behind the gloss.

So very ahead of its time and informative of (not limited to) the fusion era to come, from the classical-tinged juggernaut Peaches En Regalia to the more tight jazz club groove of Little Umbrellas. Zappa was going further into rock, blues, and psych than most “composers” at the time and he would for many, many years to come. But it’s also that most rock outfits weren’t leaning into nearly as much composition at the time. The soundscape is loaded (but not crammed) with instruments of all kinds whose players are all playing their hearts out and asses off. Hot Rats is simply a really excellent album that works as both passive or active listening. It sounds like a Broadway musical from the year 3,000. 9/10

Almost as if Talking Heads came up after the rock revitalization of bands like White Stripes and the Strokes, Sound of Silver is an impressively produced batch of bangers ranging from glossy to glitchy. James Murphy’s lyrics and delivery are unique and fitting for the manic, hazily-up-until-dawn nature of a lot of these songs. His controlled chaos is also fitting for the arrangements built often times on one idea or motif and grooves that never end which lend themselves to having anything gliding over the top of them. These melodies are sticky, as are the basslines. In (but not limited to) those two elements, it’s remarkable how timeless they sound regardless of the influence of music released two or more decades prior being so imprinted in them. Furthermore, how did a song like Someone Great not already exist? It sounds like two things, A.) a song that’s been in collective consciousness for decades and B.) a sentient radio slowly learning to control itself. Perhaps that’s one of the direct and necessary takeaways from this album.. the “sound of silver” is that of tech, machinery, and a human life that’s slowly molting into something much less human. Sound of Silver is, at worst, something I can understand not everybody being into. However, if you’re in, you’re in. This tracklist is entirely sturdy and well-sequenced, almost to the point of having a live show quality. It sounds like a party I had no idea I was going to be invited to. Maybe a little bit like life itself 🤔 “Bells..” 9+/10

Physical Graffiti is remarkable in the way of being a stupidly great rock record but it serves, too, as almost a compilation of the band’s sound and evolution through this point in their discography. From dystopian opuses to cutting room-floor blues jams. From some of the bands fattest grooves to their most delicate orchestral backings.. It’s all packed within this 80 minutes of music. While there’s no truly objectionable material here, a few tracks on the latter half simply aren’t on the level that the other 75-80% of songs here are. These couple of tracks range from somewhat decent to pretty good. However, for an album with so many towering achievements, this is more a testament to the level on which Physical Graffiti’s best songs reside. Kashmir, In My Time of Dying, Trampled Under Foot. These are S tier Zeppelin tracks. If you were to boil this down to the best 60 minutes of material, I don’t believe there’s a contest to what the best Led Zeppelin album is. Regardless and as is, Physical Graffiti is such a monolithic and gargantuan record that reaches such high peaks and so successfully illuminates every corner of what a “rock band” is capable of. This is essential to the rock canon. 5 stars unquestionably. 9+/10

Power in Numbers was a new discovery for me through this generator journey. There are things I enjoy here and things I don’t find to be essential listening at all. This album boasts rock solid (though eventually somewhat monotonous) production and a crew of spitters all on a pretty high technical level. Unfortunately, it feels like a lot of fun wordplay and not much else. Certain tracks feature good hooks and something of a lyrical narrative to them, others are more rapid fire posse cuts. A problem I have with this album is it feels like it’s about a half-decade too late to have the feel of something really significant. Oh and Chali 2na (and his closer to a decade and a half late delivery) takes me out of some of these tracks completely given his corny voice and emphasis on not very substantive word acrobatics. Why he would get the first full verse on the album is beyond me. 6/10

As classic as it is, and yes I know it’s a Motörhead record, I am same-y’d out by the end of Ace of Spades’ runtime. That said, it is indeed still a classic album with some of the bands best, most vicious, and most completely and exquisitely Motörhead songs of their decades-spanning catalog. I would probably take Overkill before this one, but Ace of Spades is one of heavy music’s most exemplary pieces to showcase accessible tunefulness behind hardened vocals and eardrum blasting instrumentals. 8/10

There’s a lot to like here and a lot of charm. I love the use of acoustic bass as well as more gentle and subtle drum touches against propulsive folk punk. Some of it becomes a bit samey for me, but what stands out most to me about the Violent Femmes’ debut is that it sounds anywhere between 10-20 years ahead of its time.

If the first seven tracks were anywhere near listenable, compositionally controlled and genuinely intense as the closer, I could see this being album an absolute necessity for this list… ..However, those first seven tracks have very little to latch onto, especially not without my least favorite part of this album’s stew, the vocals (the album’s true broth), coming to crash all sensible semblance. There are elements and attitudes behind this record that are decades ahead of their time. Those same genuinely interesting facets are held back by shoddy tech of the time. The guitar sounds (especially) and drums are very cheap sounding, giving the whole thing a presentation of hokey rather than cutting edge. It’s an interesting listen, for sure. But the kind of *confused head-tilt* kind of interesting.

Hotel California is one of the most overrated albums in the pop/rock canon. One masterpiece track and two other pretty good songs do not make up for the other severely self-indulgent destinations of drivel the band decides to go. This record is pompous without having anything to back that attitude up. The most memorable things about this record for me would be that it feels remarkably plastic and repulsively unsexy (especially when Don Henley actively tries to make things “sexy”). Undeserved, self-aggrandizement and self-bloviation. Oh, and some DAMN good vocal harmonies too. 4/10

The easiest 5 I’ve given any album on the project so far. This record changed my life when I was around 15 years old. And each time I return to it, some of that immense energy and intrinsic magic remains. Born To Run is a rock and roll opus. From the spirit to the instrumentation to the absolutely blissful sequencing the record features, Born to Run is a perfect album. This is the sound of youthful exuberance meeting time-hardened frustration. Open-ended opportunity meeting disappointing dead-ends. If you can find me an album with stronger bookends (as songs themselves and as representatives of an album’s themes) I would be pretty impressed. Thunder Road and Jungleland are two absolutely perfect songs. Two of the best songs written by Bruce Springsteen or anybody. Thunder Road opens the story with a heart full of hope, a gust of wind blowing our hair back and making us believe anything is possible for the people documented in this song. What’s more is these people aren’t kings and queens, they aren’t world-traveling rock stars, they aren’t from another planet. They’re ordinary people from an ordinary town with families and things they are proud to claim. But they want more. Springsteen embodies this character most in the song’s final lyric “It’s a town full of losers and I’m pulling outta here to win”. Bruce, himself, was fighting for his professional music life at the time. Born to Run is famously a “make-or-break” album and the last chance the E Street Band was given to deliver a hit to Columbia Records. That powerful, frantic energy can be felt all over Born to Run in the best way possible. And nowhere more palpably than on Thunder Road. Jungleland closes our story with a similar energy and similar characters living their lives how they choose, in bands, in bars, in gangs, in cars cruising down the coast of New Jersey. At around 10 minutes long, Jungleland encompasses so much spirit and so many different dynamics. There’s a rock section, an epic Clarence Clemons sax solo that can bring tears to my eyes, and finally a soft but brazen outro where Springsteen flexes absolute poetry to put an end to the lives these characters live, in calamity or daily platitudes. When the swirling crescendo takes us to the album’s close, you know you’ve just listened to a classic. Born to Run is the sound of poetry in motion. This is the sound of life unchaining its leash. Lights camera action.. and go. The world is yours for the taking or the breaking. 10/10

So foundational. Floyd gets (deserved) abundant credit in the prog/art rock world, but this is a hugely important moment in the world of fuzzy and avant psychedelic.

I think this, along with Harvest, is the best Neil Young record. My favorite for sure. On The Beach begins with a catchy banger yet features some of Neil’s darkest and most intense blues dirges throughout. 9+/10

70 minutes of cheap, tacky, hacky, proto-hick hop. This is really as bad as it’s made out to be in this community.

One of the great singer-songwriter records in pop rock, hooks and catchy melodies aplenty. 9/10

This is a pretty divisive album in a number of different circles but I happen to like it a lot. Of course the album is creative and ambitious, but still interesting and well-executed, something that not all “ambitious” projects can lay such a prominent claim to. 5 albums in a Björk hasn’t missed. 8/10

This is one of the gnarliest, nastiest, noisiest albums that I can think of that is still fairly accessible and is supported by a back bone of such beautiful songcrafting. 8+/10

Interesting album, that’s for sure. Tusk naturally gets compared to the White Album given its length and sonic variety, but it doesn’t have near the same amount of good/great songs, nor does it boast the same level of cohesive-by-way-of-patchwork quality like the White Album or a number of other great double records. The first disc is actually pretty strong with Stevie Nicks hitting three home runs in three at bats (Storms being my favorite). Disc 2 has a couple gems, but definitely more misses than hits. Lindsey Buckingham shines most on some spectacular and spirited lead guitar as well as auxiliary instrumentation through this record. I find the majority of his songwriting on Tusk to be self-indulgent cocaine diatribes with cool production.

My first time actively listening to Sarah Vaughan. This is, simply put, really damn good. Absolutely beautiful voice, interesting and delicate instrumental accompaniment, as well as lovely, sincerely intimate and lite-hearted atmosphere in the club. 8.5/10

Absolutely essential. Guitar solos both weeping and blistering. Folk jams, funk jams, farts. A little bit of something for everybody here. 9.5/10

Fun record and definitely a key representative for 80’s pop on this list. Ubiquitous, influential hits aside, Cyndi has a more than solid voice with quite a range to carry her young-lady-meets-grown-woman aesthetic. It bolsters the majority of this tracklist to relevance in the 21st Century and beyond.

With a mix of enough hits that hold up (Black, Alive, Even Flow) and a few somewhat unheralded deep cuts (Ocean, Garden, Release), Ten is one absolutely essential rock record. The feel of this record, though moments range from gentle to agro, can be a tad samey as the runtime goes on. However, there’s grit and substance and guitar-driven musicality from top to bottom here. 9/10

A lovely and stormy album exploding with potency and proficiency. A 90’s classic with a tremendous sonic balance between grunge, hard rock, and shoegaze. 9+/10

Hard Again pretty solidly exceeded my expectations. Definitely anticipated a good blues record and it’s that for damn sure, but most of these songs are simply mighty. Tons of good energy to these songs, some of which is captured through in-studio howls or post-tracking banter. The band and production help to make these songs thick as Delta mud. And of course, what a voice.

Good songwriting and hooks, and when those might be lacking, there’s generally very solid energy coursing through these tracks. Production is very solid too. Just not enough *great* tracks here for me to consider it a true standout. 7/10

Breezy, catchy, charming, interesting. 7.5+/10

I understand one mildly..fine..(?) Kings of Leon album in the generator. But another, even more boring and corny, Kings of Leon album? Why is this here?

A very solid debut album that displays an already congealed “Dire Straits” sound, highlighted by (of course) the tasteful and truly intrinsic guitar playing of Mark Knophler. While there are a few great tracks, namely the guitar expose (a descriptor for the whole record, really) Sultans of Swing, some of the material here isn’t on equal ground. The band goes in a few unique directions, not all of which land. Worth listening to, just not something I see myself coming back to a ton. 7/10

Maps is one of the greatest songs of all time. Full stop. Definitely more lukewarm on the record as a whole, but there’s good stuff. And quite the album cover, huh?

A very cool and colorful record. This was my first time hearing Sunshine Superman and I’ll definitely be returning to it. More people should be hip to this.

Different Class has a lot of character and, on it, Pulp proves to offer an interesting thumbprint of songwriting and arranging. Some of these songs blossom into completely different entities by runtime’s end. The record carries a really solid and successfully varied track-list highlighted by a couple of genuine monsters: the opener, Mis-Shapes and of course Common People.

While this album’s predecessor Music of My Mind is a classic record and Stevie’s best up to that point in his career, I think Stevie levels up exponentially further on Talking Book. Truly the stuff of musical legend, its a trend that wouldn’t let up until the end of the decade. From the moment it starts, Talking Book greets us with a warm and enveloping futuristic r&b flavor. You Are the Sunshine of My Life is one of Stevie’s most touching and most lively love songs. Great chords, great chorus. A real mission statement for a guy trying to tackle the world with nothing but a musical genius’s IQ and sincerity without a punchline. To counter the sunshine, track 2 Maybe Your Baby sheds light on the more dour days of relationships (“In the morning when I’ve got a heartache, I can’t call up the doctor for help. Cause the only person that could ever do me any good is steppin out with my best friend”). It also happens to be one of the funkiest damn tracks Stevie ever put to tape. You And I is another impressive and extraterrestrial sounding ballad that reaches a passionate climax. A testament to the earnestness and purity behind Stevie’s writing and performances at their very best. Blame It On The Sun is another underrated ballad-ish piece from Stevie’s classic era. Speaking of underrated, Big Brother is one of the most scathing and overlooked politically charged soul songs ever. Talking Book wouldn’t be complete without it. Superstition, his signature track to many, starts with a stomping Stevie drum groove that gives way to a 5-layer clavinet cocoon. Instantly recognizable, innately catchy, and features a horn arrangement that absolutely burns. I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever) is nothing short of a masterpiece as well a triumphant and majestic closing to the journey in search of love Stevie finds himself on over the course of Talking Book. We are greeted by a wave of instrumentation that feels like an ominous sky which you can’t figure out if the sun is setting or rising. We’re awoken to a particularly catching drone not directly in the middle of the mix. This song is loaded with brilliant sounds and beautifully crafted instrumental work, but for me, it is this synthy drone that tells the most story by saying the least. It’s a deep, chest-filling and sordid sound coming from what I believe to be the TONTO. It guides us through Stevie’s sorrowful uncertainty during the entire verse, but by the time the chorus arrives, that drone rapidly switches gears and starts gleefully floating around the mix like a speck of fairy dust or an orb caught on a paranormal investigator’s night watch camera reel. Listen closely for that your next time around. So much feel and storytelling expressed with one sound. Stevleland’s approach to this sonic experience is akin to a frequency a film director might choose to include which subliminally nauseates the audience during a particularly unsettling scene of cinema. I Believe just might be Stevie’s Irréversible in terms of sonic text painting. Stevie’s 70’s catalog will change your life for the better. And this is only the beginning. 5 stars, 9.5/10

I mean.. come on. What can one say at this point about such an omnipresent, iconoclastic piece of work? Well, let me make the attempt. Every good word uttered about The Dark Side of the Moon is wholeheartedly earned. Immersive and expansive are terms that only begin to scratch the surface of what this record is and what it has to offer. As an album experience, I would argue Dark Side is unmatched in its sequential completeness and its heady, through-line intensity. From the ominous tolling of Time to the batshit vocal performance that leaves me breathless on Great Gig in the Sky to the one-two outro punch of Brain Damage/Eclipse closing the album with a preposterous amount of grandiosity, there’s nothing quite like The Dark Side of the Moon. With headphones, Dark Side is like staring into the void for 40 minutes, coming out on the other side with something that resembles a lesson. And the lesson I continue to take from it is that.. life, while cacophonous and just straight looney at times, is all we have and it’s precious. Don’t overthink it because of the ubiquitous emblem. Don’t discredit it just because of its popularity… 5/5..10/10 is not enough for this album.

Seminal and enjoyable on all accounts, not just for jazz-heads. Proficient (to say the very least) playing backed a lot of soul. Head Hunters offers slow-burn groove-fest jams as well as absolutely fiery fusion. At least half of the tracks here have become jazz standards, deservingly so. If this album interests you at all, definitely check out every album Herbie released from 1969 through the latter portion of the 70’s. Funky fusion for a lifetime.

I’m a fan of a lot of Prince’s work, but this has never been one of my favorite full listens in his catalog. 1999 contains some funky, anthemic and overall outstanding highlights of 80’s pop including the title track, Little Red Corvette and DMSR. But it feels like a few of these tracks outstay their welcome. Whats more for me is that Prince would go on, very shortly after this album, to up his production and writing game at large significantly. An example for me is the “I sincerely want to fuck the taste out of your mouth”. While that, undoubtedly, gets the narrator’s point across, within 5 years Prince would be approaching sex and relationships in a much more layered and mature way. A song like If I Was Your Girlfriend shows him writing from multiple perspectives, one of which proclaiming “We don’t have to make children to make love, and we don’t have to make love to have an orgasm. Your body’s what I’m all about.” TL;DR: Solid album, very high highs, but he would go on to make much more compelling work.

One of my shakier 4’s, but there’s enough convincing material here to put it over that edge. That is especially true about the record’s absolutely loaded back-half. This is the best Police album with highlights showcasing every side of the band’s strengths. Their writing is on a collectively higher level than before and the sonics are excellent here. The two-part title track is so cool, definitely one of the songs that put me on to the band long ago. The first half of this record is, frankly however, not great. I’m not into the dinosaur track that much and Mother is better left untouched in this review. Overall though,.. put Synchronicity on the list of essential 80’s records and start the album over again because that Tea In The Sahara melody which brings the album to a close is so damn good.

One of the most steady, impactful, and enjoyable albums of the 1990’s, Dummy is a sublime sonic trip through the subconscious folds of your mind and spirit. Close your eyes and this is music that truly sends you somewhere else entirely. This album still holds up and then some. Songs like Glory Box and Roads get a lot of credit, rightfully so, but Wandering Star is one of the true gems on here for me (that bass!). A transformative ear-worm. 9+/10

Not my very favorite by Zappa, but it’s still quite a monument in the scope of pop music’s culture and rock history. In essence, he took pop culture of the time and flipped it on its face. We’re Only On It For The Money is a bit of a grower of a record, but it’s genuinely funny, witty, and scathing in spots. I think that of the majority of Frank’s early material, but this album and Freak Out! should be considered essential listening and absolute musts to understand how experimental music gets where it does.

Another pretty easy 5 star Neil Young album from this generator. This is such a songwriting masterclass. This is Neil near his very best and most methodical while making things feel completely organic and heartfelt. There’s an earnestness to Young’s voice here that only makes these songs stronger and more unique. Some of these songs feel like they could snap at any moment. After The Gold Rush is in the conversation for greatest Side-A of an album ever. The whole record is pretty remarkable and a wonderful mix of light, shade, beauty, thoughtfulness and brutal honesty. But, man, Side-A is so brilliant. 9+/10

Although this is a monumental release in so many traceable ways, it just doesn’t hold up as a full album. Certainly some Earth-shattering moments of rugged and respectable brilliance, but they are few and indeed far between. Within 3-5 years, hip-hop graduates a few times over both from where beats and lyrics were at this point. But Straight Outta Compton is one of the true blueprints of the entire genre. A record that contains both some outrageously awesome quotables and some cringe too.

I understand Thriller being the more important, impactful, and “essential” album in a lot of ways.. but I’m just gonna say it: Off The Wall is Michael’s best album. Ornate production, ripping grooves, and some brilliant ear-worm melodies. One of the greatest A-sides in pop music. 9/10

As noted and acclaimed as their debut is (and it is a great record), Closer is the ultimate Joy Division album for me. The band takes a step forward as players and writers and I’ll be damned if this isn’t one of the most spectacular forays of lyricism ever put to tape. Especially when considering the extenuating circumstances.

Especially for the early 60’s, this is such a mindblowing piece of music. Cacophony and catharsis, beauty and brutality. Mingus takes his already spectacular ensemble composition chops and levels them up again for this release. This is undoubtedly jazz at the end of the day (influenced by other styles, classical included), but I can see this having an impact on a number of different notable names. Not only the free jazz and fusion artists to come but noise-rock and post-rock which focus on massive instrumental climaxes. 10/10. The Black Saint is a sophisticated, unstable masterpiece.

I’m something of a Metallica apologist. But this one has slipped for me over the years. I have a ton of burnout factor going against the hits, and a number of the album cuts aren’t all that strong. What’s more is that this is one of the few key albums you can trace back to as a direct forefather over 2+ generations of the shittiest mainstream heavy rock imaginable. This is a solid enough album.

I know The Miseducation is an easy 5/5 for a number of people, but I’m not entirely convinced. This is a great album with some absolutely great songs, singing and rapping performances, beats, instrumentation (just ask Robert Glasper about that) and so on.. Doo Wop and Ex-Factor are classics. Final Hour is bars and bars and more bars that prove Ms. Hill to be a top tier MC. But as the record moves on, it’s somewhat evident the concept doesn’t quite carry its weight the whole way through. The classroom sketches only end up offering so much sustainability and to me there’s not really that big of a payoff or punchline given the concept. There are a couple tracks that don’t feel all that connected to the core of this record as well (I’m really not into the D’Angelo duet on this record.. feels shoehorned). So.. anyway.. One of 1001 Albums you need to hear, absolutely! The tenth greatest and single greatest album ever according to Rolling Stone and Apple respectively? Not for me. 8.5/10

To start, let’s get them out of the way.. Welcome to the Jungle, Paradise City, and especially Sweet Child O’ Mine are great songs. Boldened by tight production and hooks at every turn. Are they the very best songs on the album? They’re certainly up there. But what I am certain of is that Slash’s guitar solo in Sweet Child O’ Mine is the album’s centerpiece, and what I consider the band’s signature moment. Moving away from the album’s biggest hits.. Some people might find it hard to believe, but the majority of this album is genuinely really fucking good. Some songs are catchy, thoughtful, and melodic (Think About You, the second half of Rocket Queen) while others are aggressive, curse-laden pitfalls providing a deeper view into some of the real experiences of the band and their contemporaries (It’s So Easy, the first half of Rocket Queen). Just about every track on this album is backed by a thick but unobtrusive rhythm section playing with unique charisma of their own and some particularly fat pockets on tracks like Mr. Brownstone and My Michelle. Duff McKagen is one of the real MVP’s of Appetite for Destruction and Steven Adler’s drumming is a performance worthy of a “Recorded Rock Drumming Hall of Fame”. Guns N’ Roses, like the guitar/vocal icon groups that laid the path before them (Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, the Stones) would not have been able to produce this magnum opus without the immense contributions of their overshadowed drum and bass department.. Appetite for Destruction was one of the first full albums I listened to by one of the very first musical ensembles I was ever intrigued by. As a result it’s a record I’ve returned to over the years with mixed feelings and to varying degrees of enjoyment. But with this listen and the few before it being overwhelmingly positive, I’m buying this album’s “classic” stock. 9/10

Although I’m not that well-versed in country/adjacent records, I feel Grievous Angel is quite the good one. Haunting honesty overtop pleasantly detailed arrangements ranging from silky to rugged. What Gram himself may have lacked in vocal technicality, he more than made up for in his simple-man charm and absolute knack for delivering on vulnerable narrations. Especially with gang vocals or along with female-accompaniment, Gram’s voice becomes an understated weapon that perfectly glues his songs together. There are really good songs scattered all throughout this album. 8/10

One of my favorite (somewhere in the top 50-75 range) albums of all time. Although he has a number of tracks worth hearing before this, I see Hunky Dory as Bowie’s first masterpiece. An earthbound yet eclectic work of art, Hunky Dory began my fascination with Bowie’s work around a decade ago. The bombastic catchiness many of these songs offered was quite new to me then and the record still feels fresh now. Changes is a classic opener, Bewley Brothers is a chilling closer, Life On Mars? is one of his, or anybody’s, very best songs full stop. There’s some sort of palatable charm and measurable charisma on every song and in every cranny of this album. Oh! You Pretty Things is a favorite of mine too. Not only is it a bipolar banger musically, it’s one of the first examples I think of regarding Bowie’s uncanny ability to paint imagery with his words. This is a pretty solid set up for the project Bowie had been working up to for a few years, Ziggy Stardust. But at the same time, it’s very impressive how convincingly his pulls this set of ideas so shortly beforehand. It’s fun to listen to this and hear the breadcrumbs like Queen Bitch leading to his glam rock to come. Mick Ronson’s guitar playing and orchestral arranging is another element in the midst of fully blossoming here. But before Bowie blasts off into the stratosphere on his next release, the height he reaches here is vastly impressive and not to be forgotten. Easily 5 stars, 9.5/10 overall.

This album is a pretty unbelievable blend of punk rock demeanor and power-pop sensibilities. The Holy Bible is simply hook after hook after hook matched by some of the most grotesque and stomach-churning lyrical imagery a rock record could contain. How this band was able to make banger after banger about some of the most sordid and traumatic topics is a marvel to me.. Through the tracklist we meet a perspective piece on prostitution from the words of the worker, tumultuous tales of worldwide (and still unfortunately relatable 30+ years on) governmental corruption, a morose day in the life of someone afflicted and in the throes of an eating disorder… it’s all here. In devastating droves. And every last one of these tracks has a chorus that will burrow its way into your psyche like a diseased worm. The Manics have a damn solid catalog, and The Holy Bible is their magnum opus. Essential 90’s material. Great call for this list! 5 stars, 9+/10.

Honestly one of the more interesting and overall likable out of the records I’ve given a 3/5. Just a couple too many tracks that feel flat compared to the other, better ground they cover through the album. Good energy, convincing enough mix of styles. Perhaps a bit too obviously Clash-coded. 7/10

Without question, Revolver is a major turning point for the Beatles, but that doesn’t quite tell the whole story. Revolver is truly one of pop music’s key moments of evolution and the format becoming something drastically new and different (while still being great) right before our ears and eyes. Not only was the band eager to expand their artistic and sonic pallet for this release, all 3 of the Beatles main songwriters were leveling up so notably it makes this album such a showcase of both worlds, the writing and the production. From the distorted to the dreamy, from psychedelic obtuseness to the sunshiny-pop bangers, Revolver boasts the world’s greatest band in the middle of their true ascension. Any day of the week, any time of the day.. Revolver is a 5 star album. 10/10

There’s not much I can tolerate less than a “singer” whose main goal isn’t to sing but to instead be some sort of sly, enlightened, hip shit-cock who babbles atonal drivel over a largely monotonous (and already dated upon release) musical backing. With a couple of decent exceptions, The Infotainment Scan is roughly 40 minutes of just that. Lucky me. 4/10

A worthy inclusion for this book in representing 21st Century rock/power-pop, Hot Fuss is impressive in how it shows a band in such a forward charge right out of the gate. Not to mention, an identifiable sound and style. This is a good mix of ubiquitous anthems and solid album cuts. 4 stars, 8+/10

Although it’s probably only my third favorite record from Paul & Artie, it’s still a *very* fine record. One that’s slightly more ornate and delicate than some of their material to follow, but it’s hardly any less effective. 4 stars, 8.5/10

Simply put: Extraordinarily beautiful and lush to an exquisite level, while simultaneously being drop-dead devastating. ..And you can listen to it twice in an hour? You’ll need that long to digest the album’s spectacular cover alone. 5 stars, 9+/10

To the album’s benefit, there are very few places this LP won’t go over its 40 or so minutes. Definitely a Beefheart influence filtered through something else entirely. Even down to the instrumentation used from track to track, Waits is going to leave you pleasantly, puzzlingly guessing as to what’s coming next. Even as the record’s grout tracks waltz their way in and out like tertiary characters in a haphazard theater play, this album has a brilliant flow to it. Just Another Sucker On The Vine following the might In The Neighborhood as one particularly potent example. Although I think he goes on to better this.. whole thing(..?) ever so slightly with the Rain Dogs LP to follow, this is pretty fuckin cool too. 8.5/10

A very cool album. Sonically this will last with you even in places the songwriting won’t, but those sonics are absolutely hypnotizing and uniquely foreboding. This is absolutely something music listeners should hear and a great inclusion to the book. Put it near the top of your “to listen on headphones” list. 8/10

Kate Bush, the prog-pop goddess. Hounds of Love, her magnum opus. As colorful in its aesthetics as it is concentrated in its approach, Hounds of Love is one of the greatest albums of all time. 10/10