Tago Mago
CanWait, this is some high music. I don't hate it, but definitely hits the background music feel for me. Some really cool experimental moments.
Wait, this is some high music. I don't hate it, but definitely hits the background music feel for me. Some really cool experimental moments.
I think Prince usually puts together albums that have some misses. This is one of the albums I own and I know it front to back. I remember my brother was really into Prince when he was like 7 or 8--this was in the 80s when there were only a few (mostly) filthy albums. Weird. Anyway, it's good!
Ugh, is this going to make me a Neil Young fan? Probably not fully, but I've always appreciated his songwriting and grungy style. He's also really good to harmonize with--great backing on this whole album.
Classic stuff on here, but I've always thought I could do 3-4 BB songs in a row and that's about it.
Very funky. I've never been a fan of the falsetto, but Curtis makes it work--kind of a proto Prince feel. I could do without the Jesus song
Brilliant from start to finish, love how it's economical. A couple more tracks and it would probably get repetitive. The bass hit me right up front and the lyricism is straight from Del and some 80s old schoolers--and a lot of the way these beats are set up are subsequently copied on Deltron 3030 (my #1 hip hop album). Also love the subtle 'Human Nature' (Michael Jackson) sample in the last track.
Not a big blues fan and while this is really solid, it just doesn't do anything for me. Loved when he sang, I gave her 7 kids, she gave em back!
Getting closer to the Queen we know here, but just barely above Queen II. Still not a style I like, but Killer Queen is an all timer!
Look and listen, this is a landmark album and all Beatles albums are 4s and 5s for me. However, this is a collection of some of the more meh songs from them in my mind, She Said, She Said is a standout but the rest (almost all classics) don't really make a dent with me. Would probably go 3.5 here if I could.
Wait, this is some high music. I don't hate it, but definitely hits the background music feel for me. Some really cool experimental moments.
Definitely not my style, but this is a very smooth album--the last 2 tracks really hit!
Enjoyed this much more than I thought I would--some really iconic music here and Ozzy's voice just rules.
I had never really heard a full Blondie album before and it's a bit what I imagined it would be like. Some cool stuff here and I would totally buy an album and stick it in my collection--and is Heart of Glass one of the best songs ever?
Hypnotically good--I only knew that one single on here that was and is played everywhere, but I love it!
Not the biggest Police fan, but this is definitely peak and the second half slaps--I wonder if the record company begged them to make the 2nd half the 1st half! There are not many voices as singular as Sting's.
I can't believe I've never heard of this album, it's great! Reminds me of solo McCartney. Very ecclectic and changes from song to song.
I guess this album is unironic, but I might be wrong. It's like a basic ur-text for other metal. Love the spelling out of sacrifice which I can only assume inspired Fergie. Maybe it's hilarious? Like, the song titles came first? There's no denying the musicianship, even if I never quite got metal--my older brother tried, but I just don't care, this album almost makes me care.
Iconic
This group should be right in my wheelhouse, but I'm always underwhelmed. Love Kim Deal and even Black Francis' songwriting is very cool. It just doesn't overall gel for me, even though Wave and Here Comes Your Man are top songs for me. Album is like 3 songs too long and is Crackity Jones problematic, or what?
Interesting that the first Bowie is his biggest transition. From glam superhero to crooner, sort of like he's glamming Elvis. Young Americans the song is an all timer for me, I particularly love how the pronoun of who wants the Young American changes. The rest of the album is nicely funky with amazing backing vocals, but none of the tracks really stick with me away from the album. Even Fame is a bit too basic funk. To me this is a Bowie 3, but any other artist would call this a 4.
This one never grabbed me like the next few Kanye albums. It also makes me sad to listen to these albums because he has slid so deep into what must be mental illness. I mean, these albums are artistically brilliant, funny, real, and are 180 from where I would've imagined he would end up. Okay, maybe marrying a Kardashian, but everything else?! Nope.
Love this, reminds me of Carly Simon. Jazzy, but with cool rhythms.
Never the biggest fan of A Deal With God, so I never really explored Kate's music. I love the epic and serious quality of her songwriting, clearly presaging Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, and others. And Dream of Sheep almost brought tears to my eyes. This is almost a 5.
I had a friend who was a huge Zappa fan, but I never quite got there. I think I've listened to Sheik Yerbouti and Joe's Garage and they're fine. My old band used to cover Camarillo Brillo. Before that, I remember the Monkees episode where Zappa plays Mike and Mike plays Zappa--definitely odd. Anyway, this album is a great background listen, or waiting for a film soundtrack--I could see Tarantino using it for something. I think I like it more because Zappa isn't saying weird things and the only singing is from Captain Beefheart (also weird and maybe not necessary). I assume there will be more Zappa to come, so we'll see if my feelings change.
That Beatles song snuck up on me. I always preferred old Hank Williams country (though still too twangy for me overall). Very solid album that nods to HW and nails the ballads.
Hypnotic, bordering on repetitive but CAN'T STOP LISTENING!
Ok, so here's the thing, I don't like this. But the serious dedication is worth a 3 ... would rate 2 if it wasn't tight as hell.
I remember having high hopes for this one after Pure Heroine and being a bit disappointed. Where PH is spare, this album is a bit overdone to the point of sounding the same. This extra listen has helped it in my esteem and Green Light is such a great opener. I wish there was a 3.5.
The only Beck album I have ever owned and I wore it out. That said, it's not completely a 5 for me.
Honestly, kind of boring. I'll bet if you listened to it 10 times in a row it would be your personal album to gatekeep, but I'm not doing that! However, I again do realize the intricacies of the songwriting and it gets a 3, but would probably be 2.5.
I like the way this album experiments and crosses genres--the transitions are really great, but I've never particularly been a fan of the Lamar flow. At times it's brilliant, but too often he does the Shakespeare thing of being profane just for the sake of being shocking and it doesn't quite fit. Apparently that was his original MO, so it's probably the easiest place for him to go, but when he rises above it, he's just more interesting. Would be a 3.5 for me, but I'm going with a solid:
The old school beats here are amazing and the album flows nicely. I would pick this up again.
I just did a Springsteen discography in the last few months and a lot of Bruce fans put this one in their top 5, it might not even get top 10 for me. It's still a
It's odd how much I enjoy showtunes and crooner style standards when in person, but could completely do without them as listening pleasure. This is lovely background music, but Sinatra's style doesn't grab me. Some amazing orchestrations here, though!
Fantastic! I did not know a single song off of this album, but it was great!! Could be a 5 someday ...
This band is my exact wheelhouse and when I mentioned to my wife I listened to this great band I had never heard-she had heard them! I was very mad. Anyway, even though I've only listened once I already know it would be a 5 someday so I'm cutting to the chase:
The most interesting thing about this album is that one of the members disappeared after this one and was officially declared dead sometime in the 2000s. A big mystery. The music is good, but I couldn't name one song or tune. I would put it on as background maybe.
Wow, this is really not my thing. I dig using nontraditional methods for a rock album (I mean, I have Kid A and Amnesiac), but it wasn't until listening to this that I just am not interested. This would be a 2.5 for me, but a 3 based on technical musicianship. I felt like I was watching the end credits for a movie for an hour.
This album on 1st listen is very close to a 5 for me. Every song is great and the musicianship is always on another level with SD. I wish I had this on vinyl.
This is fantastic and sent me down a Richard Thompson rabbit hole.
Fascinating. At turns this guy sounds like Micky Dolenz, then Jim Morrison, then Iggy Pop. There are some good songs, but veers toward the type of psychadelic pop meanderings I am not wholly a fan of.
I love the VU, but never really got into Lou Reed solo--maybe his 'hits' that were radio played never grabbed me. This album absolutely grabbed me and somehow I hung on every word. I'm not sure how the math adds up here to Lou Reed being good. He's so weird. But I dig it.
I enjoy a lot of Cure songs, but they all sound similar to me. I can't BELIEVE how long these song intros are. I think you have to be in the right mind space to listen to a full album and I've never been in that mind space.
This took me 2 listens to get, even though I love Prince! The album is like a long dance party and that's not necessarily a bad thing, but I've always had a hard time with this many drum machines--(why is HOT THING so long?) particularly when they're this obvious. But this could be his best overall album even though I will definitely rate Purple Rain higher.
It's funny that this follows a Prince album on which I bemoaned drum machines. I thought this was interesting, but not sure why it's on this list. Perhaps the inventiveness on creating this entire album on a home recorder? It's basically a demo tape that hit hard, so I get the homegrown thing. Too bad it didn't originally include Where Did Our Love Go as that might have made this more interesting. But, I didn't hate this any more than the Cure album so it might be a 2.5 but I'll go with:
This is my middle school soundtrack and while I left behind this style of music, this re-listen gave me chills. It's a 4.5, but not willing to hit 5.
I split from heavy rock like this before ALICE IN CHAINS hit, so I never really subscribed, even though I always liked Them Bones. After actually listening I was kind of blown away. I still don't like the heavy guitar sound, but Cantrell harmonizing with Staley is next level--they sound perfect. I thought it was a studio effect (it kind of is), but watched some live stuff. Still not going to go all AIC army, but VERY solid album. Would be 3.5, but I'm bumping.
I just realized this is the first 'classic' Dylan album (I have Time Out Of Mind and Love and Theft) I have ever heard all the way through which is absolutely bananas. When I was in high school, a friend made me a double cassette personal Dylan collection and I always felt that was satisfactory, so I jumped into this with a lot of anticipation. I was a bit underwhelmed because of it and would probably rate this as 4.5, but the songs I do know are some of the greatest songs ever written, so bumping this to 5 knowing after listening more it would get there.
The black hole in my rap listening fell at such an innovative time and I wish I had not changed gears before this era. This is such good shit (even though the machismo always hits wrong for me) and the thing that jumps out are the great references and imagery the group uses. The album gets better as it goes along which is wild! The only knock I have is it still has a foot in old school where it could've taken a giant leap (even though it's a bound and did Wu-Tang save East Coast Hip-Hop?).
I have always loved the Strokes, including when Last Nite dropped, but didn't get into them until well after this. They (with Interpol/Shins/et al) seem to have kept true rock moving in the aughts while other mainstays were effing around with electronica or being dwarfed by Hip Hop/Pop. I like the feel of this album and their sound is so good and inventive--it was fun to read about their origins. I like their next album more, but probably because it's the only one I own and I WORE IT OUT!
I'm only not rating this a 5 because I need more time with it--it's sort of absurdist rock (Velvet Underground meets Car Seat Headrest?), twists and turns everywhere. Love the backing harmonies. Really cool discovery!
I think this would improve with more listens as it has an early REM feel to it and the sound of it resonates with me, so I'm going 4 here as it's a 3.5 after 1 listen.
I like a lot of things about this album and it's hard to put a finger on why it's just not for me. It's completely different than anything else out there? Wavering too much between Soul, Rock, and Easy Listening? It's too emo? What I like is the passion behind everything and I assume it's the cover of Hallelujah that really keeps this on the map. Also, his tragic death makes this somewhat of an album of promise unrealized. I really like the song Grace and feel it was a blueprint for one of my favorite singers Jay Clifford of Jump, Little Children.
Wow, a jazz album I actually own--I think it's just 2--this one is iconic and an easy listen. I would go 4.5 here, but actually knocking it down to 4 due to how my attention span wavers toward the end.
Am I going to be a Rush fan? Probably not, but I'm going to go through their catalog for sure. The one issue I can never get past is that I don't like Geddy Lee's voice. I have the same problem with Led Zeppelin, but I was today years old when I found out Peart wrote their lyrics too! That creates another knock on Geddy--although the bass lines are next level. In fact all of the music is off the charts good. Still a:
I have only heard pieces of this album so it was great to get the full thing--and interesting how much a lesser album we listened to in Kanye's steals from this. The only knock I have on this is how the songs are similar, relying on Lauryn's amazing voice and also flow (I mean who has those skills!) which is pretty much enough, but would love to hear some over the top production with wild samples. Too bad nothing like that ever happened and too bad she noped out of the star life--we could've used her genius.
I almost gave this a 2 because I can only take so much of this sameness, but upping to 3 for the song named after my daughter. And no, her name is not Joan or Sealand. The songs on their own are lovely and make me think of Tron or drops in movies that would be dope, but this is too much Mellotron for one sitting!!
I know this album like the back of my hand and love everything about it. I will say that it's probably best that Liam went bananas as I think his nasally delivery expired after this album and I'm not sure how Noel's songwriting fell off after this--maybe he got bored? But this album and Definitely Maybe are wall to wall perfect.
The think I like about jazz is I think the improvisational aspect is as close to mapping the creative human mind we have. That said, the music itself (outside of a live setting) doesn't do too much for me besides background music. Although I do love playing it when I write. Monk is exceptional for me because of his eccentric playing style and I really liked a lot of this more than I thought I would. I like to think he's playing with hot dog fingers.
Very interesting album and had some lovely moments, but didn't really make a dent with me. Electronica just doesn't get me going.
It took a second listen, but I really dig how effortless this feels. I think this is the key to Hendrix is making the craziest noises with the guitar while making it look like he's barely trying. I feel like Prince had a similar style with his playing. I also appreciate the length of the songs, almost as if they are besides the point--more of a vehicle to try new things.
I actually own this one! But ... I don't really revisit it. It's definitely got some great moments, but overall a bit too samey for my taste.
Okay, here's the thing--All 'n All and Raise are both better albums by EWF, but since this is the only one of their albums on the list it's a 5. Nothing beats these guys IMO and they took funk/dance to another level, sort of combining the feel of Stevie Wonder with the sound of Parliament Funkadelic. Every album is a party and smooth as hell--also, they're still touring (RIP Mo White). I wouldn't normally suggest this, but putting their Greatest Hits Album on this list would completely make sense and I would recommend anyone enjoying this album go to the albums I mentioned or the Greatest Hits and you're welcome!
Love this album, but I had friends who were fanatical about it when it was released. Bjork is like a vocal unicorn. Doesn't quite hit 5 for me because I have to be in the correct mood.
This would normally be something in my wheelhouse and I like the idea of it more than the execution. I'm not a big fan of Reggae tho, so probably why I checked out. Probably awesome to see live!
I've never knowingly listened to LP, but I didn't hate this album. It's VERY slick and is like RATM/311/NIN formed an emo band. The songs don't really speak to me, but it was almost like watching an action sequence (these songs could totally score one). Also, super tragic story about the lead singer.
I really like finding albums like this through this list. Maybe that's the point, but there is part of me that wonders how it got on here--seems like an indie or local band feel. If this is on here, where's Head of Femur? Anyway, it's a:
My guess is that Radiohead were as surprised by this album's success as I am--it sprawls in a way that made me misremember the album would be a long slog but it's a pretty tight 10 songs. It looks like Thom was having writer's block and didn't want to write rock songs anymore putting the group in a weird place. I know this album very well, but it's not my favorite of theirs and I wonder if their work here and on OK Computer led rock down a strange electronic path for a decade or so. The songs here absolutely KILL live!
This album is completely groundbreaking and then they toured with Madonna? Wtf. I still stand by my no more than 3-4 Beastie Boys tracks in a row for me, so albums are tough. I don't need 3 dudes taking turns hollering at me for an hour. Still rips!
The only reason this isn't a 5 is because I have only listened once through, it's basically a 4.5. The beats are insane! Snoop is so smooth! Loved it.
I really dug this groovy album.
Honestly, a big reason I'm on this journey is to have a reason to finally listen to the Kinks. This album is so easy to listen to. It would be a 3.5 for me, but bumping to:
I'm POSITIVE this resonates with someone, but I am not that person. This kind of goes with my luke warm attitude for sad or emo stuff, similar to The Cure. I appreciate the effort and sound, but this would probably be a 2.5 for me. Giving it a bump to 3 since if I found it at 14 years old it would've been gold.
The story of Nick Drake is much more exciting to me than the music, although there is something captivating about his style. Belle and Sebastian, Rufus Wainwright, owe his estate a couple of bucks I would say! I did listen to the album twice and I can't say it made a dent, but I appreciated it.
I remembered someone suggesting the Beta Band to me, but it turns out it was the movie High Fidelity. This is a really good album--I went back and listened to some of their other stuff and it was not as good. Too bad this was their last album!
I don't think there is anything else like this album--it's complete bangers from beginning to end and sounds different from anything else. Like a bar band with a country songwriter. Plus, the apex of The River, Nebraska, and this album is absurd. This might be a top 10 album ever.
Really fun and tight album. Jello Biafra approved, so that checks out. Rating 3, but it's more a 3.5 and maybe over time could move to 4.
I'm into it! Particularly hearing Jesus in his natural rock band setting. This would go 3.5 for me, so I'm going 4 due to the technical ridiculousness of these songs. Loved the Rat one. Apparently this is a change of direction for the band after hearing Zeppelin and I actually like it better.
This is some really calming stuff and it's clear to see why it was kind of dismissed upon release--it's so subtle.
My take is that Bitter Sweet Symphony is brilliant and I was really excited with the first part of the album. However, as it went on, none of the other songs really landed. I like the feel and tenor of the band more than the songwriting. I'll need to come back to this one as it could raise over time, but it's a:
While I appreciate the technical proficiency of the music, this is not for me. It's my first 2, but I am also fascinated by the unhinged mass shooting that came from the guitar player forming a new band. WILD! This music definitely speaks to people.
This album is great! I have heard a few of these songs randomly on my local radio station, but did not know where they were from.
I'm not usually into recorded jazz, but this was great!
This album is one of my life soundtracks. Stand was my gateway drug into R.E.M. and Green was one of the first albums I bought (and it's not even a top 5 R.E.M. album for me). Their major label debut after inking a multi-million dollar deal with WB, it could be titled Enter the Mandolin. Highlights on this listen: Get Up, You Are The Everything, Hairshirt, and Untitled. Even the least interesting/most cloying track The Wrong Child is so interesting to listen to with the mandolin strum and overlapping lyrics. The stretch from Pageant to Automatic is Stipe at his lyrical best and this album has some BRILLIANT lines.
I have always love Turn to Stone as a radio song, but never had the opportunity to listen to a full album. I like a lot about this and they really have no fear of orchestration. I'm fascinated that Jeff Lynne wrote all of these songs quickly in a burst of inspiration. I'm giving this a 4 because I was caught in a rain storm during the weather part and Mr Blue Sky hit just after the clouds broke. However, overall there is a bit of same-ness to the tracks due to the incessant orchestration.