I can see why this is a classic. Very ahead of its time and lays a lot of groundwork for different genres that would come after it.
Ray Charles sounds great here. Some good interpretations of the standards he re-worked. There are sections of the album that can feel repetitive–particularly during a string of slower songs–but once the more up-tempo songs kick in, there's more variety in the sound. Kind of wish the country and western was more prominent in the musical arrangements to create a stronger fusion of the worlds he was bringing together.
Perfect album. This is 90s west coast rap at its finest.
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. This genre is not my cup of tea and feels dated if you didn't grow up with it but it's pretty badass. The guitar work, drums, vocals, and storytelling all stand out and the energy doesn't let up. The title track is a banger.
Coming from someone who isn't very well-versed in jazz, this album seems like a good place to start. It strikes a nice balance of the familiar and the more abstract side of the genre so it doesn't feel overwhelming for a newbie.
Funky, groovy, soulful. Superstition is definitely the best on the album but Big Brother, You Are The Sunshine Of My Life, and Maybe Your Baby are big standouts. A few songs don't quite reach the same heights as most of the album so that keeps it from being a 5/5. Overall, a really great feel-good album.
It's not bad, it's just not remarkable. The even-keeled nature of the album wore me down after a while. Norah's voice is the big highlight here but the instruments hold back most of the songs.
80s hair metal just doesn't hold up at all today. From someone with no nostalgic attachment to this kind of music, there's nothing positive or enjoyable I can pull from it aside from a few cool instrumental parts.
What a beautiful, ethereal album. It strikes a wonderful balance of happiness and melancholy that can either let you get in your feelings or pull you up out of them. The fact that the lyrics are indecipherable also allows the listener to take away whatever they need from the music.
Really solid, weird, fun, experimental album that still holds up over 30 years later.
The production is solid and Common is definitely a great lyricist. Personally, I'm just not a fan of his voice which makes it hard for me to appreciate the album. I feel like I would get into it more if a lot of the track lengths were tightened up.
Radiohead isn't a band that I typically listen too and only know a few songs here and there. I'm stoked that this is an album I can listen to with fresh ears and get more and more familiar with.
Pure 90s nostalgia. Longview, Basket Case, When I Come Around, and Welcome To Paradise are classics. While not every song can match those highs, they're all strong tracks and keep things rolling at a fast pace.
I knew absolutely nothing about this artist or album going in and was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it. It's very theatrical but in an intimate and personal way rather than a grand, showtune-y kind of way. You can definitely hear the influence this had on singers such as Leonard Cohen which makes me see why Jacques Brel's would be included on this list. The instrumental work is also quite nice considering this performance is heavily focused on vocals. It's clear, punchy, and supports the singing perfectly.
3 + 3 = 5
A straight up feel-good album. So funky, soulful, and smooth. Some might knock it for being very cover-heavy but those covers are seriously great.
Frank is a good album but feels more like a taste of what's to come than the kind of classic I'd expect on this list. There isn't really anything that stands out to me like her later work.
Great compositions and a strong, emotional delivery. The only hurdle for me is her voice. It's not necessarily about not liking the tone but more that it doesn't feel authentic.
No thank you.
This album sounds like it's trying to decide whether to be good or ironically bad every few seconds. It just ends up being unpleasant and unlistenable.
Kicks off with an all-time classic in Like a Rolling Stone which is the obvious highlight of Highway 61 Revisited. Having not listened to this album before, I was expecting a let down after a high like that but Tombstone Blues keeps things "rolling" and really sets the tone for the quality of what's to come. While nothing tops the opening track, every other song compliments it so well to create a wonderful listening experience from front to back.
Pretty good. I wasn't amazed and I wasn't disappointed. It made for a solid album to throw on in the background when you want something upbeat and pleasant.
After trying to listen to this album for the first few minutes, I was ready to give it a 1. But after deciding to stick it out and I'm gonna bump it up to a 2.
This thing is wildly unlistenable but occasionally, there are some moments of interesting music. Most of the credit I'm giving this album comes from the fact that it came out in 1969 and actually managed to garner success while being so unprecedented and out there.
It feels more like performance art to me rather than music. Maybe I'd feel differently if I gave it more time to sit with me and settle in but I can't imagine wanting to spend more time and patience on this album.
Pretty good arena rock album. It can feel a bit too polished and safe at times but they nailed the kind of huge sound you'd want to fill up a stadium. While I enjoyed in the moment, it didn't grab me enough to warrant repeat listens.
It's a fine album but nothing about it speaks to me. With no nostalgic connection to it, the album just feels a bit too dated.
I hate to say that they don't make music like this anymore but that's so true in this case. This album is a perfect example of what was great about late 90s/early 2000s hip-hop. The boom bap beats, the clear and punchy flows, and the positive messages come together beautifully for a solid and engaging album from front to back.
Lana delivers a very vulnerable and intimate vocal performance and is backed up with great production. Out of all her albums, this isn't the one I would include on this list as she has stronger and more varied projects that better showcase her abilities. Still worth a listen though.
Everybody's Talkin' is an absolute classic song but the rest of the album doesn't quite live up to it. It's not bad at all, just a bit underwhelming and forgettable.
Based on the first song, I thought this would be a weirder album than it turned out to be. The overall vibe of Teenager Of The Year brings together different styles and genres but weaves them together in a distinctly 90s indie rock sound. I enjoyed this much more than I expected but wished the album was significantly shorter than its 63 minute runtime.
Fantastic album. It starts off great but to me, really jumps to another level in the second half with some absolutely beautiful music. Reckoner is the standout track. It's one of the best not just in Radiohead's catalog but amongst the best things I've heard so far in this journey through 1001 albums.
I'm a bit neutral to this one. Didn't love it. Didn't dislike it. Outside of "Here Comes Your Man", there wasn't anything that I would come back for.
One of my favourite albums of all time. This thing is bursting at the seams with fun, thoughtfulness, creativity, and joy. It may not have the polish and mastery of their craft as found in Midnight Marauders and The Low End Theory but the energy and enthusiasm here is so intoxicating.
Not sure why this is the N.E.R.D album chosen for this list. Both In Search Of... and especially Seeing Sounds are much better examples of what made these guys some of the biggest hit-makers of the 2000s.
You really can't go wrong with throwing on some Jimi. Electric Ladyland has a great mix of the different styles he could bring to the table. Crosstown Traffic and Gypsy Eyes have that classic, catchy Hendrix sound. 1983 moves more into and early prog rock style that offers a glimpse of what could have been. Finally you have an absolutely perfect pair of powerful closing tracks with All Along The Watchtower and Voodoo Child (Slight Return). The album really only stumbles a bit in terms of focus. The album is longer than it needs to be and some songs feel disjointed.
Sounds like most of the other folk rock on here. It's not bad but I've heard this so many times before and there's nothing at sets it apart from the others.
Teen Dream is a well-composed, dreamy album that's nice to throw on when you want to just kick back and chill. Lots of soft, intimate melodies but can sound grand at the same time.
It's hard to judge an album like this just because of how early it is in the timeline of rock music. You really have to avoid thinking about through a modern lens and appreciate the music for what it was at the time. And in this case, Chirping Crickets was a pioneering album that helped lay the ground work for a lot of guitar-based music that came after it. Overall, this is still a great album with a strong sense of rhythm and melody and just generally really pleasant to listen to.
A wild ride of an album. This is exactly the kind of music that I hoped for in this list: something that I haven't paid attention to before, catches me off guard, is wonderfully unique, and technically well-made.
Not bad but pretty generic. The grooves here are solid for the most part. The issue is a lack of excitement and repetitiveness in the music that give it an easy-listening vibe. Back To Life is a classic banger but I don't think it's strong enough to lift this album to the status of something I need to listen to before I die.
I learned today that I've been sleeping on Kraftwerk. Autobahn is a truly timeless album. It was made 50 years ago, feels about a decade ahead of its time, and still sounds contemporary today.
This album inspired me to move to America and become an idiot. Thank you, Green Day.
Such great energy in this performance. What makes it so special is how much care and consideration Cash put into catering to his audience to give them the best possible show they could hope for. The song choices tell a story that surely rang true to the people he was playing for and that positive energy was returned right back to the stage.
Chill music. Good vibes. Classic album.
I wasn't expecting to see some Irish folk punk pop up on here for me today but I'm definitely not mad at it.
Starts off pretty fun but quickly loses steam.
What's a Tribe album without 5 stars?
Love me some Franz Ferdinand. These guys are expertly adept at switching up the rhythm. The grooves are consistently infectious and could be easily drawn out for much longer. Instead, they change things up often and at the perfect time to keep the energy rolling and never letting up. Absolutely killer debut album with bangers from start to finish.
The album started off really strongly and I thought I was actually gonna love it. As it went along though, it began losing my interest more and more. Some of the songs felt like long-winded narratives and internal monologues that weren't interesting enough to keep me engaged.
The official album of getting it on. Over 50 years later, still holds the title.
It's funny, one of the recent albums I reviewed was from a certain modern musician who draws a lot of similarities to Joni. A negative I had for that other album was that some of the songs felt like long-winded narratives. Where the two separate themselves is in Joni's voice. Her distinct sound and style can carry a less orthodox lyrical approach like that with greater ease and keep the listener drawn in to her stories.
+ A few classics
+ Mostly solid beats throughout
+ Nostalgia
- Way too long of an album
- Can get repetitive
- Hasn't aged well in content and style
I'm usually down for some upbeat, positive, early 90s hip-hop but this one didn't do it for me. The beats and rhymes are solid but not very impactful or memorable. Most of all, it's pretty heavy-handed in the messaging. They were clearly setting out to be an antithesis to the era's over-the-top gangster rap but sometimes it feels like it goes too far in the other direction. There's a good amount to appreciate here but in the end, this album feels more like part of a time capsule than essential listening.
It's fun. It's boisterous. It's got some of the best sampling I've ever heard. It's one of those albums that I keep coming back to constantly. Simply put, it's a classic.
This was a fantastic listen! KIWANUKA expertly blends genres and styles from 60s and 70s jazz/soul/funk/rock/ambient into fresh, modern compositions. At any given moment, it's hard to tell if this album came out just yesterday or has been a long-standing classic for decades. On top of that, he's got one hell of a beautiful, soulful voice.
War Pigs, Paranoid, and Iron Man are absolute classic tracks and on their own make this a 5/5 album. Planet Caravan was a surprise for me and might be my favourite song of the bunch. I love how they could switch gears into this rather delicate song but still carry over some heaviness in the drums and ethereal, psychedelic tone in the vocals and guitar.
