I guess I don't really dig the modern electro-pop sound. Nothing really stood out to me after the album's completion, plus the translated lyrics (I presume) sounded nonsensical to me.

I think I prefer Davis’s earlier work, this style of experimental jazz didn’t seem to do it for me. It just felt like there was too much dead air and disjointedness, especially in disc 1 (which consists of two tracks each over 20 min in length I should add). Just never really landed for me, but I appreciate the effort that went into trying something different.

This album is expertly bookended with two of The Who's (and rock & roll's) most iconic songs. Opening with the anthemic "Baba O'Riley" and those mesmerizing synthesizer-like notes which act as a motif all throughout. "Won't Get Fooled Again" is one of those timeless rock ballads that reels you out and hooks you back in with its buildups. Among the lesser known tracks, I enjoyed "This Song Is Over", as that had more of that operatic rock sound heard throughout the album. This might be The Who's best work, maybe rivaled by "Tommy" from a few years prior, but I'd argue that this is more expressive and grand. Just an epic in its own right. Also I just now noticed that the album cover art is the band after taking a leak? Learn something new everyday I guess.

Half of this album is “Roundabout” and “Heart of the Sunrise”. Not really a complaint, but I don’t know what it is with prog rock and its marathon songs. The thing is, most of the rest of the album were short instrumentals that didn’t really match the energy of “Roundabout” or even “South Side of the Sky”. Makes me think that the construction of the album was fiddled with a bit too much, but I guess that was normal for prog rock of this era.

Interesting album to say the least. A much different take on indie rock, with country, Tejano, and jazz thrown in. It definitely SOUNDS southwestern and desert-y, which makes sense considering that this group was apparently formed in Tuscon, Arizona. There seems to be an even mix of vocal and instrumental tunes as well, really bringing the spotlight to this interesting fusion of western genres. Just shy of a 3.5/5 for creativity, as there weren't really any specific tracks that I was pining to go back and listen to, but the body of work was certainly interesting.

I tend to prefer instrumental funk, and those types of track really shine in this album (moreso funk-rock I guess, especially Maggot Brain). The other tracks weren’t that memorable (save for the title track) and kind of drag on a bit. Maybe a product of its time, as a lot of these early funk records are a bit similar in that vein.

I was familiar with some of the singles prior to getting this album. I haven't been exposed to a ton of electro house, but this album was pretty solid. It starts off strong with 'Genesis', to the iconic single 'D.A.N.C.E' (which feels a tad out of place in this album). The ending three tracks ('Stress', Waters of Nazareth', 'One Minute to Midnight') also prove to be a killer finishing combo after reeling the listener back in. I can see this type of music not being for everybody, so the reviews may be a bit polarizing. But as someone who likes Daft Punk, this record is somewhat up my alley.

Well this album definitely flies by. The Ramones have a pretty signature "sound" and that's very evident in this album. As a result a lot of this album sounds very similar, save for the two singles and a select few tracks. Very uptempo, as was much of "first wave" punk rock during this era. Punk rock definitely evolved to better things in my opinion, but this was part of punk rock's foray into the mainstream radio and I can appreciate that.

I was familiar with some of the singles prior to drawing this album. It's an alright listen, as I've been exposed to other Britpop from around this era. If anything, though, listening to this made me want to listen to Oasis. This album runs a bit long, with a few 5+ min tracks including the interesting final hidden track that literally contains like 7+ min of silence. The singles themselves are memorable (talking about the iconic "Bitter Sweet Symphony" and "Lucky Man" of course), but nothing else really stands out.

First album I've gotten that I knew nothing about (outside of the artist). Very much has that "new wave" sound, complete with mesmerizing, yet subtle drums and bass. The album goes by pretty quick and stays pretty "down" beat. If you're looking for energy, you're not gonna find it here. I think I'd say that I prefer the Cure's later stuff, but this was easily digestible.

So this is the album before 'Doolittle' huh? I gotta say, this album is all over the place. Very few highs and mostly very strange and inconsistent lows. Really raw-sounding and gruff throughout. Kind of had to force myself to finish the album after 2/3rds of the way through. Guess I'll wait until I draw 'Doolittle' (assuming it's on this list) to give my true opinions on the Pixies.

Was not familiar with this band whatsoever prior to listening. Was greeted with a very glam-rocky sound, akin to David Bowie, which I can enjoy. A few of the tracks felt like something I've heard before, but couldn't place my finger on them. No song really overstays its welcome and consists of some catchy & silly hooks/choruses too. Particularly memorable tracks included: "Metal Guru", "Rock On", "The Slider", and "Telegram Sam".

This is quintessential 60's soul and R&B, complete with the powerful tones from the Queen of Soul herself. I've gotta be honest though, I never really dug deep into Ms. Franklin's discography before this, as I was only really familiar with her hit singles. Will definitely be checking out her lesser-known work after this. As for the album itself, every track is just a joy to listen to as you can feel the energy and spirit radiating from Franklin's voice. Evident immediately after starting off with a bang in "Chain of Fools". The same feeling applies to the slower songs from the album as well, such as with "Ain't No Way" and of course the massive "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman". It's infectious, really.

This album doesn't pull any punches right out of the gate. I wasn't familiar with this group prior to today, but just looking at the song titles told me what I needed to know. This album isn't "pleasant" to listen to, but it isn't supposed to be. Michael Franti is very up-front and clear with his delivery about a variety of societal issues throughout the album. His delivery honestly reminds me of the likes of Ice-T and Chuck D from that era. One FYI, Spotify omits four songs from the album on their platform for some reason (some pretty big ones too).

Wow, all of Bon Jovi's hits are really on here. Although, I feel like everyone's heard them at this point. A fun listen, although glam metal/rock can feel a bit cookie-cutter at times. It's always a mix of high-energy choruses and then some slow ballads mixed in. Not bad, though.

Eminem is very much a polarizing figure in hip-hop, that much I will agree with. I was exposed a bit to Em growing up, and thus am very much familiar with this album. This might honestly be his best work, but I usually go back and forth between this and his previous album "The Slim Shady LP" in determining that label. Em's..."charged" delivery and explicit lyrical content may not be for everyone ("Kim" has all of that and then some), but the first half of the album sets the tone nicely, featuring some of the more iconic songs from Em's vast library.

This album has a surprising amount of singles, which I guess makes sense considering the timeline of this album releasing after the commercial success of Wham! There really is quite a fusion of musical genres here, with rock, funk and even some soul mixed in throughout. Very... sexually-charged too, if that wasn't already a given with George Michael.

I'd consider myself somewhat of a big beat fan. The sound combination of heavy breakbeats with a variety of sampling can be energizing. I've been exposed to acts such as The Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, and of course, The Chemical Brothers. Although I will admit that I wasn't familiar with much of this album outside of the first track coming in. Many of these tracks sound like they were designed to be idle tracks or in club mixes and as a result, skipping through these tracks means you're not really missing much. This is exemplified in the start of the back half of the album. Although things do take an interesting change of pace at the end. I dunno, I guess I was expecting more, especially after starting with "Block Rockin' Beats".

I have never listened to an album from a folk artist like this all the way through before now, just never a genre that I crossed paths with. I've always possessed an open mind (or ears!) when it comes to music and this challenge just reinforces that. Pretty soothing album overall, and I could hear and see some Americana in the lyrics too. Nothing groundbreaking, but this type of music comes across as more pure and authentic to me I guess, likely due to the limited instrumentals and simplistic sound. The lyrics and the delivery have to shine as a result, and Mrs. Welch does a good enough job throughout. A word to first time listeners, the final track is a marathon song (15 min).

I do not know much of Bowie's work post 1990s, so this was an interesting listen. Very ominous, depressing, and introspective throughout, which makes sense given the state of Bowie's health at the time (and ultimately his passing a few days after this album). "Lazarus" and "I Can't Give Everything Away" were standout examples of those aforementioned themes. I'd be lying if I said this was Bowie's best work, though

Vaguely familiar with the Scissor Sisters prior to listening. I'm not sure how I would describe this sound, they're labeled as glam rock but all the glam rock I know and have listened to is from the 70s. I guess this is the natural evolution of a music genre into the current century. Anyways, there's a good mix of jovial, high-energy jams and slow ballads on here. Complete with an...interesting cover of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb".

I guess I don't really dig the modern electro-pop sound. Nothing really stood out to me after the album's completion, plus the translated lyrics (I presume) sounded nonsensical to me.

Sounds very much old-school yet modern at the same, with a blend of what feels like soul and rock/indie rock. Starts off great with the opening track & single of "You Ain't The Problem" then really just flows nicely from there. Wasn't familiar before, but this won me over. Great overall album experience.

This is contemporary/folk rock at its best. Poignant & tender, simple, yet complex. Above all though, it sounds authentic. "Fast Car" is a timeless classic, but the other two singles found in the front half of the album hold their own, as well as the chilling notes of "Behind the Wall". The album also doesn't overstay its welcome, as Tracy says what she needs to say in an impactful 36ish minutes.

I think I prefer Ice Cube's later work. This album starts off hard early on, but kinda loses me midway through. Echoing everyone here, but could've done without the misogyny too. Seems like a lot of gangsta rap from this era had similar content. Ice Cube is still one of the greatest lyricists in hip-hop though.

I feel like I had a transformative experience whilst listening to the lengthy "intro". Sounds familiar despite not being super familiar with this group. I guess because prog rock has a signature, yet strange mix of sounds.

More artsy and melodic compared to the Bowie works I'm used to (I believe this is directly before the Ziggy Stardust era). You can certainly hear flashes of Bowie that would come to be later in the decade following this release. Closer to a 4 than 3 if we're using the five-star scale.

As a fan of modern punk, going back to listen to early punk is always interesting. Much like the punk of that era, this album is loud, messy and a little silly too. Rollins' delivery throughout the album is ferocious and emotional. The lyrical versatility is seen starting out with the iconic "Rise Above" and then a few songs later in the silly & satirical "TV Party". I will admit that the songs included do sound a bit "samey", though. I also think that the front half of the album shines a bit more than the back half.

The overall sound in this is pretty timeless and unique for its era. You could drop some of these songs into the 90s/2000s and they wouldn't feel out of place. Like I thought "Blister in the Sun" was an early 2000s indie/alt rock song for a while after first being exposed to it. This feels more alternative than punk to be honest, but I guess the acoustic-like sound throughout plays a big part in why I feel that.

I feel obligated to compare this to George Michael's first album, "Faith", due to it already having appearing on this list for me. "Faith" felt like the more "fun" album due to the mix of upbeat genres throughout. This feels more soft and emotional. One of the review snippets from the Wikipedia article describes a good portion of this album as "cocktail music", which is a bit unfair but kind of fitting honestly. I think "Cowboys and Angels" is a pretty fitting match of that aforementioned sound. George Michael has range for sure but when I think of him, I hear Wham!/his early solo stuff over this and any future work.

Man, the UK hip-hop scene is fairly unknown to me. Grime is even MORE unknown to me. If I were to describe the genre after listening to only this album, I would mark it as aggressive and loud hip-hop. Like the breakbeats in each track are super loud and booming. Everything quite literally sounds "grimy", so the genre name is certainly fitting. As for the lyrical delivery, Skepta & guests are certainly commanding with each verse. A lot of the Brit slang flew over my American head though. Not really my type of hip-hop at the end of the day.

Perfectly weird, as new-wave and Talking Heads usually are. The more I listened to "I Zimbra" the more I became addicted to it.

Can't think of a bad Marley album, though I haven't quite listened to them all. Strong start with "Lively Up Yourself" and the iconic "No Woman No Cry". Everything just flows effortlessly for the most part, makes for a laid-back listen.

Felt almost too grandiose at times I guess? Maybe I'm just a little tired of all the britpop that I've been getting lately. "Common People" and "Disco 2000" do stand out, though.

I'm sure it's been said already, but this is one of the most versatile albums of all time. You can choose to get lost in the sounds of the jazzy modulation/chord progression, or just throw this on as background music. Regardless of how you listen, 45 minutes goes by just like that and your time with Miles Davis & co. is over (until you replay the album of course!)

Hmm, quite a few songs I've heard despite not having ever listened to this album. I would assume most, if not all, of the songs are covers? Still good recordings nonetheless. I always forget Dusty was from England.

This album takes a tonal shift almost immediately, starting with "No Other". It's almost like a country-psychedelic rock fusion all throughout, which is interesting I'll say.

Fine, I'll listen to Nevermind again. But seriously, I can't think of a better starting three tracks, or even FIVE tracks to an album. Just massive hits right out of the gate before you're even finished strapping in for this grunge excursion. Even the "lesser" known songs, including the two acoustic ballads in "Polly" and "Something My Way" stand out too. An influential album for its era and still 30+ years later for sure.

Blues rock at its best pretty much. Also the last Doors album while Jim Morrison was still with us. A lot of big & familiar hits here, including "Love Her Madly", "Riders on the Storm", and even the titular ode to the city of LA, "L.A. Woman". To be honest, this almost feels like an end to this particular blues rock era, as the subgenre appeared to transition to more of a harder and edgier rock sound as the 70s went on. What a way for the Doors to go out!

I think I prefer Davis’s earlier work, this style of experimental jazz didn’t seem to do it for me. It just felt like there was too much dead air and disjointedness, especially in disc 1 (which consists of two tracks each over 20 min in length I should add). Just never really landed for me, but I appreciate the effort that went into trying something different.

I'm really digging this Bowie sound. It's different, but refreshing compared to his previous (at the time) works. His work leading up to Young Americans is good, don't get me wrong, I just tend to prefer funk/soul if it's being compared to glam rock. Definitely a prominent sax sound throughout that sounds straight from the 80s. I'm sure most will agree that there is nothing particularly groundbreaking found in this album, but it's still fun throughout.

I think every human adult recognizes the opening few notes of the title track "Let's Get It On". An album can't start much better than that. This really started a "sex revolution" of sorts in the industry too, as Motown and R&B as a whole really began to embrace slow and sensual jams. Short and sweet listen.

Do yourself a favor and listen to this with some good headphones. I had some reservations upon getting this album, and I imagine the reviews will be VERY mixed prior to looking, but I enjoyed this slightly more than I expected to. This album is almost entirely all a cappella, with help from plenty of other voice talent throughout. Yes it's weird (this is Björk after all), and I'll admit I felt uncomfortable at times with some of the lyrics and strange...breathing/sounds heard throughout (oh God what the fuck was 'Ancestors' even?). At the end of the day, my experience listening could be described as somehow both ethereal and confusing. Guess I'll go right down the middle then.

Just sounds like droll, proto-punk to me. Kept waiting for things to pick up or get interesting and they never did. I think the vocal delivery played a large part in making me feel that way.

Fun (and and also some downright depressing) country-western ballads. Such is the life of a gunslinger in the Old West! The storytelling in "Big Iron" and "El Paso" will have you coming back to this album.

This album kinda rips ngl. I’m not a huge heavy metal guy, so this seems like a good launchpad for those who aren’t familiar with the genre or are hesitant to listen. Don’t expect anything world-class here, but give it a listen will ya?

Just starting with the lengthy opening track, I feel like I was warped into the soundtrack of an 80s sci-fi/horror flick. I swear I was hearing tracks like this in Stranger Things or something. Very mystifying and ominous music, but not something I think I would come back to.

I'm sure many will agree that this is one of those essential albums for all of humankind. It's one of the best-selling albums of all time and it's taught in music history classes of varying levels for good reason (shout out to the Foundations of Rock course I took freshman year of college). It transcends rock and pop. I've always appreciated the sheer variety of sounds & instruments across the album's 39 minutes too. Among everything else, you've got: glockenspiels, sitars, tablas, tambourines, and even comb-and-paper kazoos! Plus it all ends on an absolute high note (erm, a long E-major chord to be specific) with "A Day In The Life", really showcasing the collective effort of each one of the Beatles. I hate to be hyperbolic, but it really is a melding of musical greatness rolled up into 13 songs. I'm not a massive Beatles fanboy either, yet this album always commands my attention whenever I come across it.

I'm a little familiar with MBV's next album after this one, so listening to this was a bit interesting. It's funny seeing all of the genres that Wikipedia classifies this album as, I think I would classify it as quiet, yet loud-post punk rock. Seriously, everything just kinda sounded subdued and suppressed throughout the album? Especially the vocals, but it didn't help that Spotify didn't have lyrics available during my time of listening. I guess I'm learning about "shoegazing" in real time. Not a terrible listen by any means just, a little unusual from what I'm used to.

Didn't expect to be familiar with any of this coming in, but I've definitely heard "Dominion"/"Mother Russia" before (in the in-game radio for GTA IV of all places). If anything, the sound is mostly consistent throughout. The reverb drums really grab you immediately. A few duds keep the overall experience down, though.

A ton of the hits are on here, these songs are what you hear when you think of Peter Gabriel. Outside of the singles, the rest of the album has a “softer” and melancholic sound, which I wasn’t expecting but certainly welcomed it. Listening to this while walking in the rain was fitting and honestly amplified my experience too. Always a great storyteller, that Peter.

Delectably funky, soul-y, and rock-y!

I figured this was a cover album after hearing "Georgia on My Mind", but that doesn't (or shouldn't) devalue this album at all. You can tell Willie has a ton of respect and reverence for these songs as he likely was inspired by them while starting out his music career. Willie gives these tracks a tender touch and a ton of his usual vocal charm. Just another reminder that I need to take a look at the rest of Willie's discography.

Just didn't really move the needle for me I guess. Started to cook with Hot Burrito #1 and #2, but nothing else really stood out from there. Might be one of those albums that was probably influential at the time, but sounds a little tame when heard through modern ears with decades of country music that are easily accessible.

Fun album. I know there are quite a few of these "Johnny Cash at X Prison" live albums, but this is the first time I've fully listened to one of 'em. Really transports you to the time/place with the crowd reactions and Cash himself shooting the shit with everyone in-between songs.

Lots of different genres represented here, a little all over the place as a result though.

Honestly a few bangers here ("Move Any Mountain", which I guess was only in the later US release so that probably can't be counted here, and "Make It Mine") but mostly everything else wasn't really close to rave-worthy. Slightly too long too. This isn't to say that I hate electronic music, though. In fact, I'm hoping that some 80/90s house music appears during the continuation of my journey through this list (only about 50 albums in at this point).

Ms. Lynn had quite the discography I see. Great vocalist for this type of weepy-country music. Album itself is short and sweet despite having 12 songs too.

ABBA seems to transcend all generations. That's very evident in the fact that some of their songs have gone viral again with the TikTok crowd. The pop sound is just easily digestible. I mean, you've got mega-hits in here such as "Dancing Queen" and "Fernando". The earworms are plentiful in this album. Put on your dancin' shoes!

When you get an album titled "Post Orgasmic Chill" (still not sure what that name came from) from a group you've never heard of, it's hard to anticipate what you're expecting. What I really got was passion-fueled vocals with a hard-hitting rock sound and an overall satisfying and refreshing experience. Everything just flows together nicely and even slows down and gets intimate at times. A pleasant surprise!

This might be THE Bob Marley & The Wailers album. It's already the second one I've received on this list and I think I slightly prefer it to the only other one I've previously listened to (Natty Dread). Politically charged and also a little tender at points. 'Concrete Jungle' is a great opening track indicative of what's to come for the rest of the album.

I guess I'm a simpleton, but this album seemed on the safer side. Maybe I was expecting "more", especially since this was a live album. An easy and comforting listen, sure, but I was hoping for some more of that improvisational jazz "oomph". I guess listening to a few Miles Davis records skewed my view on this classic era of jazz.

It's amazing what human voices can do when they are THE instrument. You can feel the pride of Africa through the rhythmic "oooo's" and "mmmm's". I also wasn't aware that this was the group heard within Paul Simon's "Graceland", so perhaps I'll be seeing (or hearing) these guys again real soon!

Appreciate and understand the message, but the whole album felt bloated and heavy-handed whilst delivering said message. Just a lot of repetition on some tracks. Also, the strange ASMR-like interludes that the other reviewers mention kind of take you out of the listening experience (which defeats the purpose?). You could probably cut 1/3 to 1/2 of the album and it would be a slightly better listening experience. Unrelated to the album rating itself, but being taken back to mid-2020 was not an experience I wanted (for obvious societal reasons).

I dig acid jazz and downbeat-style music. This album dips its toes into both of the aforementioned subgenres and gives everything a Latin twist. I'll be honest though, the second half of the album didn't grab me as much as the first half did. Almost felt like a slight sound & tempo change, like the album took a detour.

Simple and similar-sounding melodies, very folksy-Americana sound. Gets a little more energetic near the end. It's not music that'll amp you up, but the gentle storytelling will transport you to a specific moment in time & place. Pretty indifferent to this as a whole, though.

Honestly the opening and closing tracks were pretty strong. Everything in-between kinda lost me though. It's important for an album to keep and maintain momentum (if that even exists in music), and I think this loses its way just a teensy bit. The sound feels ahead of its time for the most part, though. A lot of the melodies and overall song construction feel at home in 80s/90s alt rock/britpop (artsy and a bit lengthy, perhaps a big inspiration to those later artists?)

Timeless. Always an adept storyteller in the genre of hip-hop/rap, Kendrick Lamar tells a coming of age story in the streets of Compton through his eyes and carries the west coast hip-hop torch well. Like his albums before and after, "good kid, m.A.A.d city" is a concept album and thus flows along effortlessly. There isn't a wasted moment throughout, including the voicemail and dialogue snippets as both serve as transitions into the proceeding tracks. Heck, even the album itself seems to come of age with each passing track. The storytelling matures in real-time as the album transitions into a more introspective tone near the end. To top things off, the album loops pretty well for repeated listens.

I did not know of Nick Drake prior to getting this album, but now I'm interested in learning more about this fellow. Immediately it's easy to tell that he was a talented songwriter. A quick Google search tells me that Mr. Drake battled depression and was unfortunately not on this Earth for long. The melancholy and loneliness seeps through in this album specifically but if you zoom out, you're also entranced by the easy-going, folksy-jazz sound heard throughout. I can only assume his other work is just as (instrumentally) pleasing to listen to.

It's a given that there will be a lot of jazz on this list due to the genre's cultural impact in the early-mid 20th century. Jazz itself is timeless and easily digestible (in my opinion). This live album is no different and also appears to be one of the earlier albums (chronologically) in this list. Let Duke and his boys cook, as you're taken back to 1956 for the Newport Jazz Festival. Hearing the live crowd go into a frenzy as the sax solo progresses during "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue" is as good as it gets.

I'll admit I'm a Beach Boys fan, but I've never heard anything from this album outside of "Feel Flows" (from the 2000 motion picture "Almost Famous") prior to listening. This does not sound or feel like any other Beach Boys record that you're used to. Way more political and socially aware than the surfer jams from years past. The messages don't really land for me either, I must say. I get that the group wanted to change their image and sound at the time, but some of these tracks just feel outta place, especially "Student Demonstration Time". It's a bit jarring honestly, especially compared to the closing tracks in the same album that feel more at home coming from the Beach Boys. Side note: I guess I'm working through the Beach Boys discography in reverse order as this is the first album of theirs that I've drawn thus far. I don't necessarily see this as a bad thing!

Hey, it's the "Bohemian Like You" and "We Used to Be Friends" guys! Onto the album itself, this is probably the most britpop-sounding album from a non-Brit group. Not a slam or anything, the singles really pop and the overall sound they bring is just different enough. Middle of the album was really strong, carried by the big single "Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth". Rest of the album didn't do much for me, as a few songs had a tendency to drone on I feel (especially towards the end of the album). I find it difficult to give this anything more than a 3 here.

A perfect Friday album! This is already a top 10 favorite album of mine, but will update with a proper review when I listen (again). Post-listen: This is always a fun listen, every aspect of the Green Day trio gets to shine throughout the 14 tracks. The guitar riffs are iconic to anyone from ages 25-50, the bass lines are tasty (especially to start in "Longview"), and the drums consistently make their presence felt with a very clean, yet crashing sound. Lest I forget to mention the iconic choruses too (just start singing the opening chorus to "Basket Case" around anyone remotely interested in rock music and see who joins in). I would imagine that this pop-rock/punk sound was pretty fresh back in 1994 too, with grunge and heavy metal being the forefront of rock at the time. Argue whether or not "Dookie" can be considered "pure" punk rock, but it's hard to deny the impact this album had on the punk rock/pop-punk scene that emerged in the coming years. I'd consider that era of punk rock my "comfort" music too, so the fact that this album is always in my rotation makes total sense. Plus it's always nice to find another excuse to listen to Dookie, even in a house with unlocked doors and I'm fuckin' lazy...

Never really dug deep into U2's discography outside of the massive hits. This is politically charged and consistently powerful & raw throughout. Plus, you're probably doing something right if you knock 'Thriller' off the top of the charts!

Never been a massive Led Zeppelin fan or anything, but I grew up hearing some of their biggest hits and definitely appreciated them for what they were. Shocker, a few of those hits are on THIS album, including THE hit. There aren't many rock songs that can be dissected and analyzed into three separate parts like the revered "Stairway to Heaven". (Side note: today I learned that "Stairway to Heaven" was never commercially released as a single) But I was more interested in the "other" songs in the album, which is ultimately what *I'm* looking forward to most as I progress through this expansive list of albums. What else does X album have outside of that big hit or two? How does X album come together as a result? To that point, the second side of the album didn't really grab me as much as the first. Tough task with two of the group's biggest hits on the first side of course, but I guess I was just expecting "more" or something in the 2nd half. It seems that I prefer the harder rock songs from Led Zeppelin a little bit more than the folk ones, although I did enjoy the cover of the old country blues song "When the Levee Breaks" as the closer. It almost feels sacrilegious to give this Led Zeppelin album anything less than a 5, but (in my eyes) a 5 would imply that every song is a banger and/or unskippable and I just didn't find that to be the case here. It sounds like I'm denouncing this album entirely, which is far from the truth. This is a great and influential album in the scope of rock music. Maybe more of a personal Top 50/100 favorite, as opposed to a Top 10 favorite of mine (which is totally fine).

Fun, Brazilian samba sounding music with a twist of funk. Inoffensive enough, but the entire album felt and sounded like one whole song though. The top review for this album dissecting some of the Portuguese lyrics was an interesting read as well.

A coming-of-age album that doesn't take itself too seriously at times. I'm a little more familiar with The Replacements later work, so it's interesting to hear their early punk sound transition into the post-punk/alt rock sound that I'm familiar with. That transition seems to happen in real time, almost as if it's maturing along the way like this album's subject matter.

These tracks sound like an amalgamation of descriptive and wordy sentences, like the kind of stuff you would hear at a slam poetry session. Honestly, the vocals sound eerily similar to that of Björk too. Actually, are we sure this isn't Björk? Jokes aside, I will say that this is a very serene-sounding album with the harps and orchestral sections. Definitely well produced and mixed as well (S/O to the great Steve Albini who very recently passed away). The few songs that are on here wander a bit much for my liking, though.

This was certainly an album of all time. It's bad enough that this list seems to have an over-representation of britpop, but this was overly cheesy and pompous. A few of the singles keep this afloat for me, but mostly skippable at the end of the day.

You can pinpoint this as when the Stones exit their psychedelic era and go back to their roots/country/blues rock era. This whole album is kind of a mishmash of the latter-mentioned rock genres, bouncing around between the three. I actually don't think that "Sympathy For The Devil" works as a starting track here though, as it doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of this album from a thematic standpoint. Not a bad listen overall, but guess I was expecting more or maybe I just prefer the Stones harder rock sound (which I'm sure I'll get to later in this list)

I'm usually down for these strange & quirky albums, but this was a little too out there for even me. The group's sound is one thing I found interesting though; with hints of Joy Division, Talking Heads, and even the B-52's in terms of vocals.

Was only familiar with "Wake Up" prior to listening. I've always dug this era of indie rock, but perhaps I've only been exposed to the tip of the iceberg, or the more "poppier" acts. This album seems to alternate between high-energy and low-energy which I wasn't totally expecting (although I guess with an album title like "Funeral", one should expect some melancholic vibes). I guess what I'm trying to say is that I didn't really warm up to the "overall" experience, while some of the separate "parts" were well-orchestrated.

It's funny to see many of the featured reviews complain about repetition on a TECHNO/HOUSE album. Something, something, "Around the World", I get it, but these genres are predicated on rhythm and repetition and were really made for the dance/club/DJ scene. As for "Homework" itself, pretty good for a debut album, eh? Daft Punk (literally) just threw together a bunch of singles and made it their first album. The "proper" singles are crafted well thanks to Daft Punk's funk and disco influences. The album as a whole does run a bit long, though, which is noticeable in some of the 7-minute tracks. Slight aside, but it's disappointing that Daft Punk's massive second album "Discovery" doesn't appear on this list at all (I took a peek out of curiosity). I honestly feel that it is more structured and is a more fun listening experience. That would've been my pick if only one Daft Punk album had to be represented here, but I understand why "Homework" was included and recognize the influence it had on the house scene at the time

This sounds mostly refined and complete for being a debut album. It's got the blues-rock inspired sound that many know Led Zeppelin for, plus big-sounding rock hits in "Good Times Bad Times" and "Communication Breakdown". Side two does sound a bit filler-y when comparing to the rest of the album, though.

Man, this takes me back to college. You couldn't escape anything from this album back in late 2014. (Honestly, has anything changed in that regard nearly 10 years later?) This is when Taylor Swift fully embraced pop (but let's be honest, she's always been a pop artist) and I think it's safe to say that "1989" has Swift's largest hit per album ratio. The synth sounds are really noticeable all throughout, taking obvious influence from most of 80's pop. Very clean from a production standpoint too, but that's always a given with any T-Swift album nowadays. Among the best in the contemporary pop-sphere. Breakup and lovelorn-inspired pop music does get kind of tiring to hear on the radio as it's mostly overdone, but Swift sells it well (I think she knows a thing or two too). Most of the songs on "1989" are wistful and musing, rather than teetering on the edge of mopey or even vengeful (which is funny in this context considering her next album's theme after this one). As a result, everything just sounds...good. It's simply a fun and catchy listening experience and that's what you should expect from pop music, right?

Third Led Zeppelin album in less than two weeks. I guess we're just gonna pound all of these out at once, huh? Let's listen. Eh, it's no masterpiece. Starts off strong with the iconic "Immigrant Song" but kind of peters out after that. I don't think it's Led Zeppelin fatigue, I just don't think the highs hit quite as high as in Led Zeppelin I and IV (the LZ albums I've already drawn so far). Interesting that this is the point in time in which LZ shifted into a more folk rock sound, but a few of the tracks feel...experimental as a result.

Never heard of this artist before but right out of the gate I kinda respect the bravado & swagger displayed. Little Simz talks a big game and lyrically flows nicely for the most part. I was a little worried that this bombastic lyrical onslaught was going to be the entire album for a bit, but things open up a bit and thankfully get a little more layered and vulnerable by the fourth track. Because of that, the album evolves quite nicely over the span of 35 minutes. The overall production and sampling is high quality as well. The UK rap/hip-hop scene is still largely unknown to me and so the lyrical delivery is still somewhat off-putting, but I can say that Little Simz is the best of the (small) bunch from what I've heard out of this regional genre thus far.

Majority of the album is pretty simple and mellow-sounding (which makes plenty of sense after later reading that Young was nursing a back injury throughout the duration of this album's recording and couldn't physically play an electric guitar). I guess that's to be expected with a folk/country rock record. Not my biggest cup of tea, but a few tracks stood out (for better or for worse). "There's a World" almost sounds too ornate for this album, and the same can be said for "A Man Needs a Maid", which was probably my least favorite song in the album performance-wise. The mold is broken a bit with songs like "Alabama" and "Words", as both feature more guitar work. Also have to mention "Heart of Gold" as it's Young's most iconic song and a folk/country rock staple. Looking at the whole body of work, this album didn't do a whole lot for me. I respect and appreciate the songwriting of Mr. Neil Young, but I've never been huge on this era of folk/country fusion. Perhaps I'll be surprised later in this long list of albums though.

The current top review perfectly encapsulates my feelings after listening, just unremarkable really. Not sure what makes this stand out from other synth-pop records from the time. A few tracks did not have much going on and took me out of the listening experience.

I remember this one quite well from my youth. I've listened to OutKast's entire discography up to and including "Speakerboxx/The Love Below" and I must admit that this is not my favorite of the bunch. Not to say that's it's a bad (double) album by any means, I mean it's one of OutKast's more creative works and I still get a lot of the track's beats & samples stuck in my head from time to time. With any double album, you obviously have to split it into two and in this case, you have to look at both halves of OutKast. With Big Boi's "Speakerboxx", you've got a noticeable southern hip-hop sound (much like most of OutKast's previous work) featuring many regional collaborators as well. Rooted within is some progressive and socially aware content matter like religion and politics. Then you have Andre 3000's "The Love Below", which is a more tender, jazzy, funky pop sound concentrated on well... love! Andre 3000 really flexes his creative juices here too, opting to showcase his singing over his familiar rapping "voice". When comparing the two, I prefer "Speakerboxx" because that kind of hip-hop sound was what drew me into OutKast in the first place. "The Love Below" feels like too long of a comedown and gets to be a little much in its lovey-dovey-ness. Though it's really interesting hearing the mammoth hits like "Hey Ya" and "Roses" within the context of "The Love Below", as both are conveniently smacked together. A bloated album for sure (11 interludes?) but always a worthy listen. I'd also implore everyone to check out OutKast's prior work if they want know why OutKast was such a big player in the southern hip-hop scene. I'd assume "Stankonia" will appear later in this list for me, but can't speak for the others.

Probably one of the better G-funk albums of its time. Those slow bass beats, synthesizers, and funk samples have always been mesmerizing to me. Also some familiar names in 90s hip-hop such as Nate Dogg, Warren G, and some dude named Snoop Dogg got their respective breaks with their work on "The Chronic". This album is very much top-heavy, with all three singles squeezed in the first five tracks. I mean, when one of those singles is "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang", almost everything is going to pale in comparison. Through plenty of acts contribute and honestly carry this album for the most part. Snoop is the shining example of this, as he is literally involved in more of the album than Dre is. Lots of animosity throughout the album too, mainly sparked by the recent (at the time) split of N.W.A.. Dre goes AFTER Ruthless Records and his former comrade Eazy-E early on. Sprinkle in some raps about street life in South Central L.A., some funny (but mostly cringy) skits, and some in your face misogyny (gangsta rap was a different time...) and you've got yourself a pretty impactful hip-hop record for its era. I hesitate to give this a 5 though, as "The Chronic" shows its age a little bit.

Banger after banger, but that's to be expected for almost any Prince album. Guy was a natural musician and performer (as well as the ultimate horndog!). Now I've never actually seen the film this soundtrack was created for, but you can immediately tell that this album has a "big screen" aura to it as it starts with the iconic, upbeat "Let's Go Crazy", and cools down nicely with the power ballad and self-titled track "Purple Rain". Makes up for a fun, instrumentally-layered pop-fueled 44 minutes. A perfect Friday album as we enter a long holiday weekend. "1001 Albums" seems to know exactly when to give you the appropriate album. Now excuse me as I watch Prince's Super Bowl halftime show performance again...

Ian Curtis has a distinctive voice, almost Jim Morrison-like. It's not easily digestible for everyone, though. Now I haven't heard any of Joy Division's previous albums (only the single "Love Will Tear Us Apart"), so I can't speak on how this stacks with their other work. In a vacuum, this is an uncomfortable listen. Having read into Curtis' struggles in his short life, that discomfort makes more sense. Don't know what else to say really. It's a pretty dark and gloomy album made even more depressing given the close proximity of time between Ian Curtis's death and the release of this album. The backing instruments are odd-sounding and haunting too. Combine that with the monotone vocals of Curtis, and you've got a very weird trip that I'm not sure I enjoyed.

Wow, I can see where Tracy Chapman was partly inspired from. Don't think the delivery quite matches Chapman here, but the sound is pretty unique and maybe a little country-ier.

This album is expertly bookended with two of The Who's (and rock & roll's) most iconic songs. Opening with the anthemic "Baba O'Riley" and those mesmerizing synthesizer-like notes which act as a motif all throughout. "Won't Get Fooled Again" is one of those timeless rock ballads that reels you out and hooks you back in with its buildups. Among the lesser known tracks, I enjoyed "This Song Is Over", as that had more of that operatic rock sound heard throughout the album. This might be The Who's best work, maybe rivaled by "Tommy" from a few years prior, but I'd argue that this is more expressive and grand. Just an epic in its own right. Also I just now noticed that the album cover art is the band after taking a leak? Learn something new everyday I guess.

It's always interesting listening to the solo/follow-up endeavors from rockstars after splitting up from their main groups. I know this is not Paul McCartney & The Wings first album, but this is the first of theirs which I've listened to. The opening single and album namesake "Band on the Run" is a trip of a medley and quite the starter. What follows is a fun and playful jaunt that experiments with some musical styles, but doesn't go too overboard with it.

I listened to "The Very Best of Supertramp" quite a bit growing up, so I'm already familiar with pretty much half of this record and all of "Breakfast in America". Supertramp has always sounded whimsical and a bit peculiar to me. A fun peculiar, that is. Each song from this era of theirs is a journey in itself, with plenty of twists and turns and their signature bubbly keyboard sounds plus melodic piano chords to guide you, the listener, along. I think "Hide in Your Shell" and "Dreamer" are perfect examples of that description when focusing on just this album. It seems like a lot of people like to poopoo on prog rock (and it seems like there's a lot of it on this list), but Supertramp seems to maximize their creative juices when it comes to the genre at large and that is very evident here. They simply blend pop and prog rock well, curating an enjoyable listening experience.

This record is oddly nostalgic for me, as a white boy who listened to this a ton throughout middle and high school. Not that I was trying to be "gangsta" per se, but I was consuming a lot of media at the time that included this era of hop-hop (The in-game radio for GTA: San Andreas was highly influential to me in that regard) and I fell in love with this "Golden Era" of hip-hop the more I was exposed to it. N.W.A. was a force, albeit a short lived one. They were clear and concise in their messages and opinions on the establishment and the police force (which makes you question how much has really changed nearly 36 years later). I think the first three tracks summarize this album and N.W.A. pretty well: displaying their gangster image and character ("Straight Outta Compton", "Gangsta Gangsta") and their aggressive, anti-law enforcement views that many know them for ("Fuck tha Police"). Complete with hard, yet clear, delivery from each of the MCs involved as well as some pretty iconic sampling and mixing scattered throughout. Listening with older ears though, makes me a little more aware on how poorly some of the lyrical content has aged. Misogyny, toxic masculinity, extreme violence, etc, these were all too common in hip-hop from this era and it's hard to block them out when you listen to these albums nowadays. This was a genre-shifting album and has a rightful place on this list. You can honestly hear this shift in real time as the album progresses, with a lot of the samples and beats you'd hear in early 80's hip-hop, combined with the hardcore lyrical delivery. This launched gangsta rap into the mainstream for a bit and in a more general sense, gave the west coast an even bigger seat in the hip-hop scene.

Fun and mostly innocent 60s garage/bubblegum rock record. You know you're in this era when you hear a prominent combo organ sound all throughout. A few of these tracks sounded familiar to me (namely "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone") and then I realized that the Monkees had actually covered some of these tracks. I think I prefer those Monkees covers too.

A good chunk of this album was unfamiliar to me prior to listening, so its was refreshing being able to fill in these "listening gaps" per se. Long gone is the LSD-fueled psychedelic rock and now enters a wide array of musical genres and styles. This almost feels like a compilation album as a result and add in the fact that the group was largely at odds throughout the duration of the album's recording, then things start to connect. Tough to say if this hurts or strengthens the album, as each Beatle was able to feature their own musical creativity. However, it is hard to ignore just how much this album zig-zags as a result of the aforementioned infighting. I do appreciate the different sounds offered ("Helter Skelter" among others) but there were a few tracks that felt like filler or had a completely asinine premise (See: "Wild Honey Pie" or even "Why Don't We Do It in the Road?", inspired by Paul seeing two monkeys porking in the street). An uneven, roller coaster of an album...but it's still the Beatles at the end of the day. The signature songwriting and composition is still there. Some of their greatest works and personal favorites of mine are also found here (i.e. "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" & "Blackbird"). Maybe this would've worked better compacted into a single album, who knows? Reading about the background and production of this album was very enlightening, though. (Side note: that's the first and only time I'll ever listen to "Revolution 9". I neither gained nor lost from that experience.)

Kate Bush is an interesting artist. Her vocal delivery especially. It's almost Björk-like in it's otherworldly style, but she can go high ala Lauper and other 80s pop divas. She's kind of in her own world in that regard. I'll admit that I haven't explored enough of her discography outside of the singles, though, so this was a fairly new listening experience. I thought the middle to back half of the album shined the most. That's where the power chords started to hit a bit more and the backing vocals became prominent. Everything culminates with the beautiful "This Woman's Work" as the emotional closer. Things took a bit to get going, but I enjoyed the overall body of work nonetheless. A high 3 for me, so let's round up.

Right off the bat, I was NOT expecting that kind of breathy, gruff delivery. Especially paired with the gentle music I was hearing. It kind of...doesn't fit I hate to say. Instrumentally, a pretty easy and interesting listen with the artistic choices made on each track. Vocally, I could take it or leave it.

I've never gone quite this far back in R.E.M.'s discography. I also wouldn't have guessed that this was R.E.M.'s debut album if I didn't read up on it before listening. While a little understated compared to their later work, it honestly still sounds pretty polished and familiar. The jangly guitars, clean drumming, and melodic basslines and choruses, it's all there. R.E.M. would obviously go on to reach great heights after this, but "Murmur" was very much an announcement to the alt rock world that R.E.M. was here and ready for an extended stay. The current avg rating of 3.41 accurately reflects my feelings on this I'd say.

Like many, when I see the name Elvis I hear rockabilly and 50s rock & roll. He’s always had some blues in him too, so this record simultaneously feels both new and somewhat of a return to familiarity. “Late” era Elvis (only in his 30’s at the time!) still has some of that signature vocal delivery, but you can tell it’s dialed back a bit and more mature. I understand that this was a return to non-soundtrack albums after a period of… questionable quality soundtrack work, so perhaps Elvis and co. wanted to play it safe and dip into the blues side of his musical roots. Production quality was certainly not lacking, with the house band, The Memphis Boys, doing a lot of legwork too. Alright album, gets a bit sleepy at times but I can appreciate the evolution in Elvis’ music at the time.

Holy moly, that’s a lot of collabs. Wasn’t too familiar with Mr. Hooker prior to today, seems he had quite the career longevity. Perhaps this isn’t the greatest album to get a sense of what he brought to the blues table, given that the first seven tracks feature a collaborator. Although we do hear some solo mellow blues near the end of the album, in what I would assume is more akin to the sound of Hooker’s earlier work. Album as a whole didn’t really grab my interest, but I am more interested in the artist himself now. Closer to 3.

Erykah Badu's debut album "Baduizm" is one of my favorite albums of all time. That, and "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" were both my first exposure to the neo-soul genre and are what I think of when I see the word neo-soul. Considering how much I enjoy funk, hip-hop and R&B, plus all of the genre fusions that comprise of neo-soul, it's no surprise that the few albums of this genre that I've been exposed to are among my all-time favorites. But back to Erykah Badu. For whatever reason, I never really explored the rest of her discography. I almost feel bad, because now I'm asking myself where "Mama's Gun" was all my life! This is some more of what I loved from "Baduizm". Almost like a spiritual sequel of sorts, albeit a bit more toned back and introspective here. A lot flows together, which some view as a negative, but that makes an album's overall listening experience pretty smooth. "Baduizm" will always be the "bigger" album to me (an easy 5 if it were on this list), but "Mama's Gun" peels back the curtains a bit and gives us a glimpse into Badu's personal life at the time, as the listener witnesses her artistic evolution in real time.

Ah, so this is the Stevie Wonder album that's sandwiched between "Innervisions" and "Songs in the Key of Life". This one must've slipped under the cracks for me. Early on, this didn't sound like any Stevie Wonder album I had listened to. Further through (specifically at "Boogie On Reggae Woman") it started to grow on me. This album seems to be more somber and personal compared to the others, but there are still the familiar chords and clavinet that Wonder is known to feature in his work (Heavy shades of "Superstition" in "You Haven't Done Nothin'"). From a production and personnel standpoint, I was surprised by some of the names involved in the work for this album. For vocals specifically, you've got talent such as Paul Anka, Deniece Williams, The Persuasions and even the Jackson 5. Heck, even Michael Sembello of later "Maniac" fame plays the guitar throughout. Tonally, a different Stevie Wonder album for sure. I still enjoyed this more than I expected to, which speaks to the talent of Stevie Wonder who was already a giant in the music industry around this time.

It's got the hit single "Groovin'"... and that's about it. Gets overly sappy at times and the rest is your run of the mill 60s pop & blue-eyed soul music.

I'm hearing shades of punk and hardcore rock all throughout, but I think noise rock is a better classification. That noisiness almost drowns out the lead vocals, which are already kinda wheezy and muffled. Pretty dreary and unremarkable album as a whole.

Q-Tip was no stranger to solo endeavors at this point in his career, although "The Renaissance" came after a nine year hiatus since Q-Tip's first solo album. Q-Tip doesn't really miss a beat here and while I was not really familiar with this album prior to listening, I was/am very familiar with Q-Tip as a lyricist in a group many know as A Tribe Called Quest. There's honestly nothing super groundbreaking going on here, but the album is still pretty engaging as a whole whilst being a mellow listen thanks to Q-Tip's usual clever lyricism and smooth production. It just goes to show that the jazz-rap, progressive hip-hop sound is pretty timeless. Is this 2008 or 1991? 3.5/5

It probably took a second for many to realize at the time, but Wu-Tang Clan was a hip-hop dream team. When you consider the solo and future careers of the vast roster, it's pretty apparent that this group was a force in retrospect. Not to mention that this was Wu-Tang Clan's DEBUT album. A classic in not only the East Coast hip-hop sphere, but in ALL of hip-hop. As for the album itself, it's pretty raw and gritty throughout. After reading up on some of the album's production, this grittiness makes sense given the limited budget the group apparently had to deal with. Nothing about it sounds "cheap" though, if that makes sense. The group clearly leans into this somewhat hardcore and menacing theme all throughout, complete with many soul samples and clips from old kung-fu movies that have since been made iconic. Plus, the large roster allows each rapper to bounce off of each other and essentially "tag team" in many of these tracks, prominently shown in "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'" and "Protect Ya Neck". I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention the classic single "C.R.E.A.M.", which still has a resounding impact on hip-hop 30 years later. The hard-hitting, dusty sound and production of 36 Chambers might be off-putting for some people (I'll admit that the intro to "Method Man" still makes me cringe...). This is still a culturally significant album in the scope of hip-hop and even more so when zooming into the East vs West Coast hip-hop picture from the time, as the West Coast had all the momentum with the emergence of G-funk. I'd say that the East Coast hip-hop scene fared pretty well when you look at the rest of the 90s and what followed 36 Chambers.

Not familiar with this group at all. It is funny to listen to an Irish-based group sing about American cities & locations though. It seems they took a lot of inspiration from visiting the American West Coast. Early on, their sound is pretty catchy with elements of jangle rock/pop. Some country & western creeps in more towards the later half. Honestly, the vocals and overall sound remind me a bit of Ben Gibbard & Death Cab for Cutie in that they are subdued and a bit calming/lo-fi. There's a sense of longing and escapism all throughout the album, but it starts to feel a bit clumped together at a certain point and never really ventures out past that. An alright indie album, but nothing special. Just makes me want to pop on some Death Cab for Cutie to be honest. A high 2.

This is one of those hit or miss albums, as is the case with pretty much anything classified as "art rock". This sounds both of its time and ahead of its time if that makes sense. If I were to pick a specific track that encapsulates what The Velvet Underground is trying to sell here, it would probably be "Heroin". This track is a trip (pun intended) with its up and down tempo and eventual buildup into chaos with the backing instruments, eventually overtaking the vocals for the last minute or so. Likely simulating the feeling of taking heroin (not that I would know, please don't shoot up on heroin). The rest of the album is admittedly a tough listen outside of a few other songs. Much of it meanders too much in no particular direction for my liking. Groundbreaking for its time? That I can probably agree on. Would I listen again? Probably not. But what the hell do I know? I do know that having Andy Warhol design your album cover is pretty damn iconic. That's probably the most famous banana in history, next to the Bluth's Original Frozen Banana Stand.

I got this album long after its release when I was in college and driving an old car with a CD player as its best option for playing music. This was ALWAYS in CD slot 1. I knew most of the singles already, but was drawn in even further by the raw, visceral lyricism from one Alanis Morissette. It sounds so poppy despite the anger displayed. Many listening to this album for the first time will probably write off Morissette as "bitchy" and her voice as "grating", but her performance just sells it even more for me with each consecutive listen. This album never loses momentum. I mean there are SIX singles scattered across and are paced nicely in my opinion. Starting with the strong, anthemic "All I Really Want", right into the raw & emotional "You Oughta Know" (Who is the ex-boyfriend? Is it Uncle Joey from Full House? We'll never know!). It isn't all cranked to the max at all times though, with some lighter jams such as "Hand in My Pocket", "You Learn", and my personal favorite, the silly and iconic "Ironic". I'm a male in my mid-20's, but something about strong female artists/vocalists from this era just draws me in. I guess it's no coincidence why I also listen to Garbage, No Doubt, The Breeders, and others. These female-led groups & solo artists tend to grab my attention more than others, and I'm always willing to listen. "Jagged Little Pill" is the cream of the crop in that regard. Easy 10/10 for me.

It's interesting getting all of these Beatles albums in a non-chronological order. The group underwent a stylistic and musical evolution in such a short amount of time that it's almost fitting to listen to their work out of order due to their mostly self-contained nature. "Rubber Soul" is an album that surprisingly hasn't graced my ears much too, so I should be fortunate to listen to a majority of this for the first time. This album doesn't get too crazy, but it still has quite the range if that makes sense. You can hear the soul inspiration all throughout as well as some precursors to the psychedelic rock sound that would dominate in the following years (AKA the fellas started to dabble with drugs during the recordings). "Rubber Soul" feels like an inflection point in the Beatles discography and overall artistry when you consider what came before and what followed. This didn't blow my mind or anything, but this is still a very solid album from start to finish. Paul and John equally shine as songwriters and the production sounds clean while not being overdone. Helps that this is a fairly easy listen with every song falling in-between two and three and half minutes. Feels like a mid 9ish/10 to me but I'll round up.

I'm not here to talk about the character and beliefs of Kanye West (especially after recent years). This isn't the place for that. Instead I'm going to separate the art from the artist for the moment, transport myself back to 2004 and analyze Kanye's debut studio album. I've always been fond of this album and the whole "Dropout Bear" trilogy. This era of Kanye is him at his artistic best in my opinion. The production is top-notch, which makes sense given Kanye's history as a producer. Very soul and gospel-inspired too, given the samples featured throughout. This was also the height of "chipmunk soul" in hip-hop, which featured those noticeable sped up and pitch shifted samples of the aforementioned soul and R&B. (I was today years old when I learned that this style of hip-hop had that name. Pretty apt name I guess!) Kanye has always been socially/politically conscious and introspective in his work and the see the start of that here. The stretch of "Jesus Walks" immediately followed by "Never Let Me Down" are good examples, with the former focusing on religion and its lack of representation in media/music in favor of more "marketable" content. The latter, along with "Through The Wire", recount Kanye's experiences and reflection on life after enduring a near-death car crash during production. There is a lot to this album. The skits and what essentially amounts to a monologue in the finale "Last Call" bloats the album a bit. Some big names in the hip-hop industry lend their talents nicely here, though. It's still high quality and served as an announcement to the hip-hop world that Kanye West was more than just a solid producer and could rap about some thought-provoking content while having a little sense of humor. I wouldn't peg this as my favorite in the "Dropout Bear" trilogy, but it's still pretty damn good.

This is one of those revered albums that I’d only heard bits & pieces of prior to today. REALLY strong opening. There's a sense of unease and mystique all throughout given the dystopian and paranoia-fueled theme. Tracks like the multi-layered "Paranoid Android" and beautiful yet melancholic "No Surprises" warranted careful re-listens (among others). It's also interesting picking up on the many musical influences are are scattered throughout this album. I hear the Beatles, Beach Boys, even some prog rock in the song construction, despite everything not all being sunshine and roses. With "Britpop" dominating British rock at the time, I'm sure the experimental and gloomy sound of "OK Computer", along with Radiohead themselves, stood out and caught people's attention. This change in rock was definitely felt and 27+ years later, people are still talking about it. I think I understand the hype now.

There are hints of a distinctive jazz flair here, I like the use of the electric piano in "Part of a Whole", "Inner Crisis", and "Maesha". Reminds me of Herbie Hancock. Much of the rest slows down and shifts into the background. It's still pleasant sounding, don't get me wrong, but when you've been exposed to the likes of Miles Davis and Duke Ellington already, it's hard for a jazz record to really stand out and blow you away. In terms of ratings, jazz generally has a safe floor with me though.

There are some LONG guitar intros, outros, and breaks throughout. As a result, most of this album feels very manic-filled, chaotic, and noisy. "Noise rock" is the label I'm looking for I guess. I get that this was kind of the makeup of some alt rock from this era (Pixies, Dinosaur Jr., Steve Albini-led acts, etc.). At least there's some song structure here, compared to a few other acts just from this list that I've already come across. For instance, I'd say that this is more digestible than say, "Surfer Rosa" from the Pixies which I drew many albums ago and didn't care much for. A 2.5/5 I'd say. Guess I better prepare myself for the four other Sonic Youth albums that are supposedly on this list.

Can't say I'm familiar with Elliott Smith. Immediately noticeable was the very subdued and somber delivery, almost like a whisper. It certainly matches the album's common theme too. The short run time (sub 40 min) allows for easily repeatable listens, though, and that allowed me to appreciate the content a tad more. I can see how this album (and artist) inspired some of the current lo-fi indie artists and acts. Still a little too subdued for me to get really immersed in at the end of the day, but I'm at least curious enough to check out Smith's other singles and work. Apparently he was featured quite a bit in the 1997 box office hit "Good Will Hunting", a movie I'm quite fond of. Guess that warrants a rewatch!

At this point in their careers ABBA had gone through some rough patches, notably within the group (getting romantically involved with your bandmates seems like a recipe for disaster...). They were coming off an immensely successful decade and probably had one last hurrah left in 'em at this time. This is not your standard ABBA mega-pop sound fare ala "Arrival" from a few years prior. Instead, we get an introspective, slower and more synth-laden ABBA sound here. The production and effort are still there, but I was left pining for the old ABBA midway through. "Fractured relationships" ABBA just doesn't hit the same as "happy-go-lucky" ABBA I guess. I just didn't find much of these songs memorable. Still a well-produced album, though.

It was interesting reading up on the production of this album, as many will notice the two decade gap from MBV's previous studio album to this. Sounds like there were some recordings completed prior to the band's breakup, pretty much making "mbv" a mishmash of both old and new work. You can kinda hear that here, though. There's not really much of a flow across tracks. The only other MBV album I've listened to was their debut album earlier in this list and this just feels like more of the same: the obscured vocals, and atmospheric, distorted guitar sound that MBV is known for. This just reaffirms that I still don't care much for shoegaze. That leaves one more MBV album yet to appear for me on this list ("Loveless"), maybe that one will finally impress me, but I doubt it.

I've never heard a synthesizer used in so many different ways. Just in the title track alone, the synthesizer is clearly mimicking the sounds you'd hear on the highway (or "der Autobahn") such as vehicles cruising by, the tuning of the radio in your car, and even other industrial sounds. The remaining tracks range from unnerving to happy and serene. It's hard to believe that this was released in 1974. This was my first exposure to Kraftwerk, and it's pretty evident that they were pioneers of electronic music. I'm sure their reach extends even beyond that though, as you hear Kraftwerk's influence in much of 80s synth-pop and even early hip-hop samples. The influence is recognizable, but the title track carries this album and I don't see myself coming back to this.

Is this Billy Joel's greatest album? Perhaps. This seemed to signal a breakthrough for Mr. Joel at this point in his career. Almost all of the hits are packed in here. Some of the highlights for me personally: "Just the Way You Are" - always loved this song and its construction, it's sappy but those sax breaks are delectable "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" - probably the centerpiece of the album, a epic medley of sorts telling the story of young love (and subsequent heartbreak) "Only the Good Die Young" - a jaunty tune, telling a tale of lust (and actually got Joel into a bit of trouble with religious types, making the song even MORE popular as a result) Billy Joel has always been an adept songwriter, and later a great showman, but that is probably the most evident in "The Stranger". The album itself might be a little top heavy, but it has some of the best pop-rock that the 70's had to offer and just...sounds like New York despite me never having visited there. Billy Joel went on a roll after this album.

I appreciate and acknowledge the songwriting ability of Bob Dylan, but man I quickly lost interest here. Majority of the songs and performances sound way too similar to each other, especially in the first half. There just wasn't that much energy despite being a live recording. His signature, nasally delivery takes a lot of getting used to as well. The second half, while having a bit more energy, wasn't enough to save the overall album experience for me.

I had only heard the titular track "Ray of Light" prior to this. This is an interesting Madonna album, especially if you're coming straight from her mega-hits from the 80s. I also did not know this album was that critically acclaimed. There is quite a bit going on with this album, as it melds different genres and represents a new direction for the former "Queen of Pop". "Candy Perfume Girl" literally sounds like something that a band like Garbage would've written and performed. Most of the album is centered around electronica and techno-pop, with singles such as "Ray of Light", "Nothing Really Matters", and "Frozen" leading the way. The rest of the album slows down, offering more of a downbeat and tender sound. It's unusual to me to see this album considered by many to be Madonna's magnum opus. Like many I'm sure, when I see Madonna I hear her early career pop-oriented sound rather than this. I get that most artists tend to branch out as their musical career goes on, but this album eliminated any momentum it had the longer it went on. It's really only the singles that could be labeled as techno-pop, as the rest of the album slows to a crawl. Points for trying something different and daring to be deeply emotional, though.

I think what plagues a lot of these art-rock/pop records from yesteryear is that they'll occasionally just DRAG on aimlessly without an end in sight, whether it's instrumentally or via repetition in lyrics. I totally get that this genre is setting out to be unconventional and experimental (this project has exposed me to plenty of its kind already), but it doesn't make it any more pleasant to listen to. That being said, I think this has been the most digestible of the artsy albums I've listened to from this list thus far. Something about this one didn't really irk me as much as the others. Reading on the creation of this particular album was interesting too, as Eno himself purposely sought out musically incompatible musicians to perform together, seemingly out of curiosity. I guess when you're as eccentric as Eno, you can get away with something like that. Although this album came early in Eno's career, making that kind of artistic choice even bolder.

I only know these guys as the “Scooby Snacks” guys, so wasn’t aware that they were a potentially significant group. After listening, I’m not really sure why this album was included. There are quite a bit of rock n roll samples featured which I guess seems unique at first, but then you realize the Beastie Boys were doing that for almost a decade prior. The album as a whole is pretty easy to listen to and doesn’t take itself too seriously, so I’ll give it that. Just don’t know what this album has to set itself apart from the gigantic rap acts of the 90’s. I wasn’t really buying what they were selling if that makes any sense. Like a 5/10 for me.

Half of this album is “Roundabout” and “Heart of the Sunrise”. Not really a complaint, but I don’t know what it is with prog rock and its marathon songs. The thing is, most of the rest of the album were short instrumentals that didn’t really match the energy of “Roundabout” or even “South Side of the Sky”. Makes me think that the construction of the album was fiddled with a bit too much, but I guess that was normal for prog rock of this era.

Some pretty iconic hooks here, and to think that this was the Go-Go’s debut album too. This album and group melded pop and punk together nicely (call that “New Wave” I guess). You could argue that the Go-Go’s paved the way for many pop artists too, especially female-led groups. A pretty fun listening experience overall.

Mostly pleasant folk & country rock. Coming in with newer ears, I honestly hear a twinge of Adam Duritz from the Counting Crows in the vocals. Not much stood out, though. Couldn't tell what the singles were, if there were even any. "Up on Cripple Creek" was maybe the closest thing.

Definitely a turning point for the Temptations, as the group seems to have evolved a bit from their signature Motown soul sound into more funk and psychedelia here. Of course, that soul isn't gone entirely as the second side of this album features it prominently. However, the first three tracks are very indicative of the aforementioned new direction with the title track "Cloud Nine" showcasing this right off of the bat. Honestly wouldn't have minded if the rest of the album had followed suit with side one, but it was still enjoyable nonetheless.

I can honestly say that I've never heard of this group before. Very interesting name. Right off the bat in "The Cutter", I'm instantly reminded of the Beatles with the use of stringed instruments in what one could only describe as "psychedelic" sounding. This isn't the last time you'll hear these eerie, yet charming strings either. The rest of the album is pretty gloomy, but something experimental was certainly brewing. Kind of reminded me of a discount Cure.

With any live album, you're really keying into the artist's performance itself as opposed to WHAT is being performed if that makes any sense. This is basically a greatest hits album at the end of the day, with each song having its own extended cut and flair. The sound mixing is also pretty damn crisp for being live. - the performance of "Highway Star" honestly sounded just as good as the studio recording, one of the highlights of this live album - drum solo on "The Mule" was pretty cool, albeit a bit long - capped by a 20 min performance of "Space Truckin'"...cool I guess... I actually enjoyed listening to this but I don't really see how live albums merit an inclusion on lists such as these, unless they are truly one of a kind and culturally significant (such as Johnny Cash's "At Folsom Prison" or Nirvana's "MTV Unplugged in New York" to name a select few). Regardless, I'd give this a low 3.

I've always had a soft spot for this era of garage rock revival. I guess the simplicity mixed with the crashing drums and focus on unique guitar play draws me in. The White Stripes were among those in the forefront of this revival in the early 2000s and I'd wager that nearly every human knows at least one of their songs. For the album itself, there's quite a bit packed into the 40 min of playtime. "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" is a great opener, the feverish pace of "Fell In Love With a Girl" always entertains, and even some of the slower, less-known tracks such as "I'm Finding It Harder To Be a Gentleman" and "I Can't Wait" were standouts to me while listening. Jack White isn't the greatest vocalist, and I don't think he is setting out to be, but I think his style, mixed with the drums of Meg White fits the garage rock energy sound well. Now I wouldn't say that this is the greatest White Stripes album, as I think their best stuff is yet to come from this point, but this was a good entry for them to enter the mainstream rock world with.

Quite the direction to take following a release such as "OK Computer". I came into this album completely blind, so hearing a mix of familiar Radiohead with electronica and what some can describe as ambient sounds was a bit jarring. It just never really struck a chord with me while listening though. I do acknowledge that this was a brave endeavor for a group of Radiohead's caliber. Burnout is very much a real thing and artists should be encouraged to experiment and change things up if they feel the need to do so. Guess I just don't have the right ears or mindset for this kind of experimental "rock", though. Nothing really stuck with me after listening, except for maybe "Idioteque".

I already received "Speakerboxx/The Love Below" on this list and while that may be OutKast's most commercially successful album, I think "Stankonia" better represents who OutKast is and their artistic evolution at the time. Those familiar with OutKast's previous work know that they were more laid-back with a strong funk influence (like most other hip-hop acts from the south), but here in "Stankonia" the tempo is noticeably cranked up and draws a wider array of influences with psychedelic rock, funk, and soul. "B.O.B." is probably the best representative of this if you're handpicking one track from this vast album. Its frantic flow, drum and bass inspired rhythms, guitar break, and the gospel-like chants of "power music, electric revival" near the end make for one hell of a five minute track. "B.O.B." is the song I hear when I think of "Stankonia". Others likely know "So Fresh, So Clean" and "Ms. Jackson" from the radio, and both are also iconic songs in their own right. The rest of the album is pretty broad and introspective in its subject matter and definitely worth closer listens. I never care for interludes in hip-hop albums, but the ones included here don't overstay their welcome too much and flow well into the proceeding tracks. I did end up scanning ahead on the 1001 albums list and it's a shame that no other OutKast albums are going to appear for me after this. I firmly believe that any of their first three albums are worthy of inclusions as each one has a signature sound whilst staying true to their southern/ATL hip-hop roots. But even if artists were limited to one album only on this list, "Stankonia" would take the cake for best representing OutKast in my opinion. A strong, "stank"y 9.5/10 for me.

I'm not super well-versed in Blur, but I can tell that this album was a departure from their early Britpop sound. Britpop was largely through by this point anyway, so perhaps it was the right time to change things up. Of course, "Song 2" (or the "Woo Hoo" song as many likely know it) sticks out like a sore thumb. A song that wasn't supposed to be that massive, as it was apparently intended to be a joke for the record company. 25+ years later, that short song has been covered, sampled, and featured almost everywhere. But that's only two minutes of an album that could be seen as a canvas for all sorts of alternative rock-adjacent sounds from a Brit-based group. Most of it is pretty noisy to be honest, but I did hear some hints of what would later become Gorillaz in Damon Albarn's vocals, a group I'm quite fond of. Not bad.

I like the comic book-style album cover. Without knowing anything about this group, makes me think I'm in for some geek rock. Hmm, not totally what I was expecting. This album jumps around quite a bit; between folk/indie rock, electronica and even funk at one point. I guess I was expecting something more high-octane, but this landed more on the Coldplay side of things when it comes to the "rock energy" scale. Not awful, but a bit forgettable at the end of the day. Teetering between a 2 and a 3. In an effort to be more critical, I'll go 2.

Those who enjoyed Wu-Tang Clan's "36 Chambers" would probably enjoy this solo endeavor from GZA. Keeping with the martial arts theme, complete with excerpts from old martial arts movies and aggressive, attacking lyricism, etc. While the production sounds cleaner than that of "36 Chambers", "Liquid Swords" doesn't quite reach those peaks. That's fine though, as a few tracks come close on their own, notably the singles and the few collabs.

This felt so much longer than 32 minutes. I guess it was the mix of the sludgy, distorted rock sound with some of the long instrumental breaks thrown in. I would say that there is some merit to this album basically laying the foundation of what would become the "heavy metal" sound, but it was a bit of a mess otherwise.

Another prog rock double album... At least it's ELO! ELO were big players in the prog rock/pop era of the 70's. I mean, it's hard to deny the catchiness of their music. Every song feels like a grandiose production, with its mix of pop and classical inspired arrangements, as well as the catchy hooks. "Mr. Blue Sky" is easily the most recognizable song of the bunch, as most movie-goers have heard it at least once. I will admit there is a lot of pomp, especially for an album of this length. One thing of note is the extensive use of the vocoder, which gives that distorted, synthesized-human voice sound. This obviously wasn't the first use of such an instrument in music, but some may have noticed its use in other popular music immediately after and even more prominently later on by the likes of Daft Punk. The experimentation in this album didn't stop there though, as some tracks such as "Jungle" and the instrumental "The Whale" stand out simply for being unique compared to the rest. A fun album, if not a bit long. Time seemed to fly by whilst listening though, so that was hardly an issue. Easily recommendable for those new to this era of prog rock/pop. Personal favorite portion of the album was side 3, "Concerto for a Rainy Day".

Well, I've officially finished the Led Zeppelin quadrilogy. Crazy that the entirety of these first four albums were recorded in less than a two and a half year span. The music production process was just different back then. This might be the better of the first four LZ albums. Like the others, "LZ II" has a few of the notable singles including "Whole Lotta Love", "Heartbreaker", and "Ramble On" (my personal favorite of theirs). Once again, one can hear the mixing of blues-inspired rock with harder rock here. The iconic riffs from Page (see: "Heartbreaker" and the drum playing from Bonham (basically the entirety of "Moby Dick", for those who like those types of instrumental showcases) are notable. Lyrically still sexually charged as ever, if you're paying even an ounce of attention. The folk and fantasy inspirations records creep in with "Ramble On" as well. As with any other LZ album though, the other songs don't really stack up with the mammoth singles featured and tend to feel "filler-y" as a result. Although "Thank You" and Bring It on Home" stand out for me; the former for being more mellow and tender, and the latter bringing an interesting twist to a blues classic. I'd still consider this on par with, say, "Led Zeppelin IV".

I remember the radio playing the absolute piss outta the singles from this album back when I was in high school. As a result, I sort of despised Adele by association. In retrospect, that didn't seem fair to the artist as they themselves don't necessarily control radio play. Listening to this album in full now with more open ears just confirms the enormous talent of Adele. Starting with the signature single of hers that everyone has heard, "Rolling in the Deep", it is as emotionally charged as I remember it, complete with authoritative vocals from Adele. The rest of the album continues to explore failed romantic relationships, along with the healing and introspection that comes after. The piano ballad "Turning Tables" is a beautiful example of this introspection, as well as the more optimistic "I'll Be Waiting". Everything culminates with the powerful "Someone Like You" as the album closer. There is some musical range here. Soul is in the forefront, but there are tinges of R&B, gospel, and even country. Heartbreak-inspired songs and albums generally come off as trite to me, but a select few can add to and sell it well, and I think Adele is among those acts here. Her commanding presence via her voice bears strong resemblances to certain women of soul from the past. Even more impressive considering this was only her second album. I'd put this in my personal top 10 pop albums from the 2010s.

This album just sounds like Middle America., not sure how else to describe it. The songs are structurally simple, but also catchy thanks to Springsteen and the E Street Band's slamming guitars, crashing drums, and signature emphatic vocals. But what makes Springsteen really special is his songwriting ability. The characters he creates is his music are meant to be relatable in their hardships. While most of this particular album sounds upbeat and bubbly, the actual lyrical content is frankly pretty depressing and authentic. I mean, name a more misinterpreted song than the titular "Born in the U.S.A.". Shows you the power of a strong chorus, as that's all everyone remembers. The rest of the album explores the flaws of the so called "American Dream", complete with disillusionment and struggles experienced by the working-class. Not to say that the entire album has a doom and gloom outlook, as you could argue that optimism immediately follows themes such as these. Leave it to "The Boss" to explore this sort of subject matter whilst being the seminal entertainer that he is.

Somewhat surprised to see some Incubus representation on this list. Not that I'm disappointed, in fact I quite like Incubus. It's just that with how much this messy era of nu metal/alt metal/rap rock seems to get pooped on, I guess I wasn't expecting there to be any representation. Regardless, the album has a lot of jams, albeit a bit backloaded. "Drive" is obviously Incubus's biggest hit to many, but "Stellar" and "Pardon Me" both surpass it for me personally. Heck, even "I Miss You" was an unexpected surprise given it's one of the few slower tempo songs on the album. This is definitely a softer, more radio friendly take on nu/alt metal, or whatever you want to call it. That is totally fine by me though, as a majority of that genre is too much for me at times. However, I personally think the follow up to this, "Morning View", is the better Incubus album. The group moved away from this sorta nu metal sound and carved out a more creative project there. But on its own, "Make Yourself" is solidly enjoyable (outside of "Battlestar Scralatchtica") and a fun product of its time. 3.7/5

Goodness this was unpleasant to listen to. I get what the group is going for, basically telling storybook-like tales centered around murder in the form of song, but it became too grating at points. Nick Cave's monotone and low vocal style didn't really help with that either. The songs with guest vocalists were tolerable at best. Perhaps Mr. Cave is better suited for narrating crime fiction audiobooks.

I remember this record being a massive departure from Kanye's previous work and I honestly didn't care for it much at the time. 11 years later and this is still a tough listen. I mean, right from the start you're greeted with electronic and industrial "beats" WILDLY differing from what you've heard in the Dropout Bear trilogy or even "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" just a few years prior. This continues all throughout and mix that with Kanye's extra-abrasive and brash lyrics, and it all becomes a bit too much sonically. Kanye was always one to strive for greatness and reach for the stars from a production standpoint, and he certainly reached some high highs in his first five studio albums (plus "Watch The Throne" if you wanna count that), but I was never into this one. Drill and trap music have never really been my thing and my tastes were certainly not swayed after this recent listen.

Fleetwood Mac's magnum opus and 70's pop-rock at its best. This is a VERY recognizable album, made even more so by iconic singles such as "Go Your Own Way", "Don't Stop", and "Dreams" (the latter being especially trendy in recent years). Heck, repeated listens made me appreciate "Gold Dust Woman" a little bit more after initially brushing it off. The electric and acoustic instrumentation is blended well here, making for an easily digestible listen. Who knew that troubled relationships and drugs would make for good musical content?

Slightly tolerable noise rock at points, but the occasional unwanted guitar/instrument shrieks became piercing to my ears. Nothing really ever stands out in noise rock in my opinion.

OK, we're firmly into the meat of R.E.M.'s discography now. And boy, that's some good meat. It's interesting reading into the production of this album and how some say it marked a departure from R.E.M.'s "typical" style of music, and yet you've got singles like "Pop Song 89", "Stand", and "Orange Crush" which are memorable in their own right, and thus becoming R.E.M.-like on the way. For the product as a whole, it does a good job (for the most part) of balancing between almost bubblegum pop and then slower, more emotional mandolin-laden songs. I thought the first half of the album heavily outweighed the second half, but this is still a high quality album amongst a plethora of high quality R.E.M. albums during this era.

I’ll give it props for being one of the more interesting and creative prog rock albums, as the prominent usage of the flute stood out to me. As is the case with a lot of other albums though, one track overshadows the rest of the album. The self-titled major rock hit “Aqualung” being the obvious case here. Otherwise very folksy and mostly tolerable.

I was beginning to get burned out from this list, with some recent travel + being obsessed with the Summer Olympics causing me to fall behind as well as a stretch of mediocre albums taking up my backlog as a result. But albums like this make this challenge worthwhile. "The Dark Side of the Moon" is far from new musical territory for me, but it's always nice to have the peace of mind that a titanic album such as this was always waiting in the wings of the random generator. The greatest concept albums flow effortlessly and don't overstay their welcome. One could argue that this is THE definitive concept album, I mean there's a reason that this album is taught in pretty much any music/rock history class. The themes explored are fairly general; among those being conflict, death, and the passage of time, which are things every human experiences. These are conveyed well through their respective tracks via their instrumentation and on-the-nose existential lyricism. Those seemingly random excerpts of dialogue scattered throughout the album make sense now after reading up on the album's production, as those voices are of the staff at Abbey Road answering questions related to the themes central to the album. The album is ultimately bookended with sounds of a heartbeat, driving home the overarching theme of human life and its experiences. Definitely one of the few classic rock albums that deserves its spot on the pantheon of the "greatest of all time" lists. The production is top-notch, as the instrumentation featured throughout is the main character here in my opinion. Guitar solos, synthesizers, ticking clocks, cash registers, etc. An already memorable album made even more so by it's unique instrumentation.

Nice to see some Foo Fighters representation on this list, although I think their best work came in the albums immediately following this one. It's weird, but I've noticed that the author(s) of this list seem to have a bias for artist's earlier work, almost looking past an artist's overall body of work. Regardless, Foo Fighters are always a fun listen. This album in particular feels a bit top-heavy though. Hard to fault the Foo Fighters for that, considering that this album's production was practically a one-band band in the form of one Dave Grohl.

Very summery and reggae-y, but with an indie twist. Pretty comfy, but nothing earth-shattering. Never really took off I felt.

Probably the most recognizable of the Doors albums, and it was their debut album to boot! Mostly everything sounds very polished, with iconic psychedelic rock tracks such as "Break on Through", "Light My Fire", and one of my favorites "Soul Kitchen". The Doors really exemplify this era of late-60's psychedelic rock for me, as I was exposed to them frequently throughout my youth. I will agree that some songs tend to meander a bit here (that's a Jim Morrison special), but The Doors are still a psychedelic rock-era staple to me and I never tire of listening to their hits.

Prince's first solo endeavor. Immediately noticeable were the electronic drums featured throughout, almost sounding like a futuristic version of rock for the time. The album as a whole was a bit too up-and-down energy-wise for me, though. It just never maintains a high level, alternating between classic Prince horndog ballads and outright forgettable tracks. It almost feels directionless. I had heard that this album was one of Prince's more critically acclaimed coming into my first listen and I couldn't help but leave a bit disappointed. I can't deny that the album as a whole is produced well, which keeps my rating of it afloat.

Laid back and more subdued glam rock, but that's to be expected for those familiar with Lou Reed and his previous work. "Walk on the Wild Side" is the most notable track here (hip-hop heads will recognize that bassline sample...) as it sounds simultaneously seedy yet cool, indicative of the subject matter. I hadn't heard any of the other tracks prior to getting this album, so other ones that stood out to me were the sarcastic "Vicious", the softer "Perfect Day", and the more traditional glam rock-y "Satellite of Love". You can certainly hear Bowie's influence on this album. Yet Lou Reed is distinctively different from Bowie in many ways with his performance. "Transformer" is a fun jaunt and over quick enough to warrant another listen, so take a walk on the wild side one more time why don't ya?

Pretty easy to listen to, albeit safe and somewhat cliched heartland/country rock. Seemingly riding the wave of the Springsteen heartland rock sound of a few years prior.

Interesting album to say the least. A much different take on indie rock, with country, Tejano, and jazz thrown in. It definitely SOUNDS southwestern and desert-y, which makes sense considering that this group was apparently formed in Tuscon, Arizona. There seems to be an even mix of vocal and instrumental tunes as well, really bringing the spotlight to this interesting fusion of western genres. Just shy of a 3.5/5 for creativity, as there weren't really any specific tracks that I was pining to go back and listen to, but the body of work was certainly interesting.

At least "Autobahn" was fun, this one was...significantly more dull. Things only started to get interesting at and after the title track, as the rest of the album ranged from monotonous to almost tedious. I'm already aware of Kraftwerk's impact on electronic music, I shared my thoughts on this when I drew "Autobahn" a few months ago. This one just felt more of the same and less exciting to me. At least "Trans-Europe Express" gave us "Planet Rock" a few years later.

OK, this is more like it. Second Kraftwerk album in a row for me, but THIS is what I was expecting to hear from the group. Electro pop that one can dance do, but also simply sit down and digest. Most of the album sounds soft and uplifting, which you didn't really hear much in this era of early electronic music. I think this is the Kraftwerk album that you can point to in terms of being the bridge to the synth-pop era of music that emerged in the early 80's.

Strong opening track and overall debut album for a fairly well known rock group that I don't claim to be familiar with. I don't know why, but CSN was just never a group I was exposed to. Could be that they're way before my time, but even then I tend to lean towards older rock music thanks to my dad or whatever is featured in pop culture via the way of video games and movies. There's some good folk rock here, and each member harmonizes very well with each other. Super reminiscent of Simon & Garfunkel, but these guys certainly weren't nobodies in the rock industry at the time. Easy recommendation for those looking for something lighter in a sea of psychedelic and hard rock from the late 60s.

I've always appreciated the guitar playing of J Mascis. I think the usage of feedback and distortion in the guitar always been the main draw of Dinosaur Jr (Nothing against his vocals, though I think there's actually a charm to his drawl). It's weird, I normally despise noise rock but I'd put Dinosaur Jr. on the fringe of that label as their noise, while in the forefront, isn't completely overwhelming like other acts. Their sound is more melodic and will feature extended solos from time to time. "Bug" probably isn't their greatest album (Mascis doesn't care for it himself, apparently), but the opening track "Freak Scene" is classic Dinosaur Jr. wrapped into one song. Simple and short lyrically with prominent guitar solo breaks to bridge the verses. The rest of the album stays afloat until around the penultimate song or so, then gets a little too wacky for my tastes. The overall body of work isn't bad, though there might be better album representatives for Dinosaur Jr.

I'm sure getting a lot of politically charged albums lately, huh. Hard not to hear Radiohead in early Muse, though I think that saying Radiohead is the more impactful group is the obvious statement of the century. I dunno, this album started out well enough but sort of lost its legs midway through. I was expecting it to be a little harder and rawer given the theme, but it all got softer to me. Credit where credit is due though, some various and unique musical inspirations bleed through here. Specifically "Knights of Cydonia", with its mix of hard rock with surf rock riffs.

An interesting mix between frantic and and calming jazz. Outside of the track titles, I don't really hear or see this religious subtext that many critics seem to mention, but I do hear Coltrane essentially sing or narrate through his saxophone. This is mostly evident in the final movement, "Psalm", which takes a more gospel or soul-like approach in its mood. This list has given me an opportunity to expose myself more to jazz, with some being seminal works, and others more mixed in public opinion. I'm not sure I'd quite put this on "Kind of Blue" level, but it's still grandiose in its own right.

This is interesting, as it's supposedly a soundtrack/concept album for a non-existent crime film. Not sure I've ever come across a work like this but I'll be honest, this music does not sound like anything that you'd expect to hear in any serious crime film. Maybe more for a film noir-type thing (not that those types are unserious, per se), which is probably what Adamson was going for here. Not sure about its inclusion on this list, though. I don't know how impactful a fake film score can really be and I couldn't possibly imagine anyone choosing to sit down and listen to this from start to finish. 2/5 solely for the honor of being the first (and probably only) fake film score that I've ever listened to.

This might be too much RHCP for some people and that's totally understandable. This is undoubtedly one of their better works though, as the group embraces their funk roots whilst entering the alt rock era of the early 90's. Also their lewdest album, for better or for worse. Despite the latter point, some of their biggest singles make an appearance here; including "Give It Away" and "Suck My Kiss". But my personal favorite track of theirs doesn't follow their traditional sound and song structure, that being the vulnerable and soft "Under the Bridge". Almost odd that it is featured on this album when you think about it. With all of that being said, fatigue does set in at a certain point on this album, namely after track 12. The highs are high, but the flaws rear their ugly head a few times throughout.

So from what I understand, this is a collection of songs from a German composer encapsulating the Weimar Republic-era, sung (mostly) in English by a German vocalist. Very much theatrical or cabaret, as well as being the first record of its kind that I've willingly listened to. I can definitely appreciate the vocalist here, but I'll be honest in saying that this was a slog to listen through. I think a performance like this is more appreciated as a live offering.

Definitely more glam rock inspired britpop, but I find myself becoming less and less interested in these 90s britpop albums as I go along. It also doesn't help that much of this is overly and uncomfortably sensual, so I guess the album cover should've been a sign. Much different than "Different Class" from a few years prior, but I don't think this quite reaches the heights of that entry in Pulp's discography. I'll leave this one behind.

Knew nothing of this group or album prior to listening, but immediately hearing "Intro" felt like an epiphany. I've heard that track so much across YouTube, social media, and in adverts that I honestly thought it was royalty-free music or something similar until now. The more you know... Now onto the rest of the album. "Less is more" is the theme here, as the sound production is minimalistic, yet very crisp. Touching on themes such as love, desire, and loss, everything feels and sounds intimate as a result of this combination. Intentional or not, some of the songs that feature both of the vocalists come off as romantic duets. However, I do think this style of production tends to result in the separate tracks bleeding into each other a bit. If you've heard one track with short guitar figures and clapping percussion, you've almost heard them all. This is a very 2009 album, pretty much smack dab in an era of budding indie pop acts. Not to say I completely hated this album, in fact I quite enjoy that era of indie pop/rock. This album hits a sort of ceiling midway through and doesn't strive to do much more than that.

Leonard Cohen is a name I've heard, but never really heard his work. Go figure that the first album of his that I'll listen to was apparently his last recorded album. I'm sure I can expect some dark subject matter. Due to Cohen's unfortunate health issues later in his life, he was subjected to recording this album from his living room, and it certainly sounds the part. Very personal and stripped down, with Cohen's noticeably aged and low delivery. Everything is obviously introspective and poetic, as Cohen and co. were well aware that this would be his swan song from the music industry. Hard not to be reminded of David Bowie's "Blackstar" from earlier that same year, with very similar circumstances and theme. These "swan song" albums are never easy listens, but there's a certain charm to the end product we receive when an artist knows that his or her time is running out. It really allows them to step outside their comfort zone and get more artsy and self-reflective with their work.

More jam band live album-madness. This one was palatable due to the easy-listening of their blues/country rock style, which I'd say lends itself somewhat well to the live environment. Not much more than a 3 though, as I don't consider too many live albums "ground breaking".

Imagine creating such an anti-government/military album that you get yourself severely beaten and your mother killed as a result, all while pioneering the Afrobeat genre into popularity. Reading the background of this album and immediate aftermath was eye-opening to say the least. Fela Kuti was one of a kind, standing in the face of corruption from the Nigerian government and military complex, sharing his views via a music genre in which he largely created. Just goes to show you how powerful music can be as a weapon, commanding everyone's attention whether they want to hear the message or not.

Faithfull certainly has a unique voice, giving her this sort of "edge" compared to other vocalists from around this era. I personally think it sells the emotion better, and Faithfull certainly had a rough go of it in the years leading up to this album's production from the sounds of it. That emotion really culminates all throughout. The closing "Why'd Ya Do It" is probably the stand out track here, as it's basically six minutes of scathing bitterness directed towards an unfaithful lover. To be honest, a lot of this sounds like it could've been released a decade or two later, given the popularity of women in rock that would come later. But alas, this one can certainly be appreciated on its own.

This is as synth pop as synth pop gets. I mean, the title track is probably the flagship song of its genre. Lennox's vocals and image paired with Stewart's production made for a powerful musical duo. As for the album, "Love Is a Stranger" and "The Walk" stood out as the other fun and standout synth-pop hits (especially if you're me and hadn't heard much outside of "Sweet Dreams"). But I thought the album noticeably slowed down and changed tone after the title track. This almost feels like a mini double album as a result. Not awful, but just took me out of the listening experience a bit.

Today I learned what swamp rock & blues are. Today I also learned that I do not care for swamp rock & blues music. I will give it one thing, this definitely sounds the part of "swamp rock". Very inspired by R&B from the deep south, specifically New Orleans, with the "swampy" sound being brought on by the psychedelia and voodoo influences that are displayed. It all becomes a bit much to take in and eventually becomes tiring to listen to, though. I feel like I just sat through a voodoo ritual in the middle of the bayou swamp. The underlying R&B rhythms are somewhat catchy at least.

The Beastie Boys were highly influential, using their punk origins to blend hip-hop with rock. Born from that was their massive debut album "Licensed to Ill", eventually becoming the first Billboard #1 rap/hip-hop album ever. All from three white Jewish dudes in New York. This is probably one of the greatest debut records of all time. It certainly got a lot of play from me when I was younger and still getting exposed to hip-hop. The rock samples (as well as ACTUAL guitar play from Kerry King himself) mixed with the group's goofy delivery (and equally goofy lyrics) commanded my attention then and still does to this day. Not really a bad track here, although I think the run of tracks from "Fight for Your Right" to the end especially are matched by few in all of music. The best part is that their discography somehow gets even better from here depending on who you ask. It turns out that these dudes were just getting started.

Alright, let's start here: instrumentally, this whole record SOUNDS pretty ahead of its time. Could be that synth-pop was still somewhat in its infancy around this era. It's all pretty minimalist in the production too, with some obvious nods to 50's rock melodies, somehow sounding simultaneously classic and modern. That being said, I didn't care too much for the trying-to-be-Elvis-like talk singing vocals. It somehow got more uncomfortable as the record went on. I don't think anything of value would've been lost if this was just purely instrumental.

This album was all over the place, but in a good way. I saw the "art rock" label for this album before turning it on and expected the worst, but I was pleasantly surprised. Some of the highlights were surf rock, psychedelia, synth rhythms, etc. all with a modern twist. Not much else to say honestly, would recommend listening to this at least once through.

You know what you're getting when you pop on some CCR. This particular album is short and sweet and sticks to its blues rock roots amidst a crowd of drug-induced, psychedelic rock from the time. The fact that Fogerty and the boys pumped out three albums in 1969 alone (this being the 2nd of the 3) was impressive. Never a dip in quality, plus gave us some iconic hits such as the self-titled "Green River" and "Bad Moon Rising".

One-fourth of the great quartet of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, this was the debut solo album effort of Stills. Starting with his biggest hit, the jubilant "Love the One You're With", this album jumps between some folk rock that many would expect and some harder and funkier rock with the help of names like Hendrix and Clapton. Heck, even Ringo came in to play the drums on a few tracks, so this album is actually pretty loaded with talent. I don't know if that helps or hinders Stills in terms of showcasing his solo chops (seemed like only a handful of songs featured him prominently), but there's definitely no lack of effort in the production.

Can't say I know too many Brazilian metal groups, so this one caught me a tad by surprise. The lyrical content is usually the same throughout thrash/death metal (I feel) but it's generally overshadowed by the heavy guitar or, more notably here, the drum playing. The breakneck pace in which Igor Cavalera plays the drums throughout is almost mesmerizing. Rest of the album kind of blends together to me, though. Death metal has never really been my scene but I can appreciate the craft in moderation. I'm sure this album is more important in some music circles.

This might be my first time ever willingly listening to worldbeat music. Pretty interesting getting a taste of traditional music (in this case, originating from Senegal and Pulaar-speaking regions) mixed with pop. Despite not being able to comprehend the Pulaar language, the rhythms are pretty soothing and the tracks feature a different mix of musical styles & instrumentation all throughout. The instrumentation definitely sounds of its time too (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, the 90's were an eclectic time for music in my opinion). Some tracks dragged on a bit too long for my liking, though.

I'm somewhat aware of The Cure and their contributions to post-punk and new wave in the 80s, but it felt many of the tracks on this particular record were the same. Long, droning guitar progressions as the intro, followed by the first of a few introspective verses 1-2 min later. A formula was certainly followed here and the allure isn't as special when there's only a slight variation of it a few minutes later. They certainly nailed the gloomy aesthetic they were setting out for though, I can't deny that. I guess I just don't have the nostalgia everyone on the review board seems to have for this album. I didn't hate it entirely, but there's definitely a specific subset of listeners that would really dig this.

Getting more of Cohen's discography I see. I got his very last album just a few weeks ago, so it's nice to be able to hear something from Cohen's prime to get a better idea of what he brought to music. With only two Cohen albums under my belt, it's clear that he used his signature, low vocal delivery the best way he could; creating a sense of gloominess without being totally serious. "Everybody Knows" is probably the best example of my aforementioned point. Instrumentally, the album is a bit here and there (i.e. "Jazz Police"), but that doesn't negate the poetic chops that Cohen displays brilliantly here.

This album tries to do too much while simultaneously being cookie-cutter. Like, there's country and blues rock, but also some of what sounds like R&B (almost Sade-like). Nothing seemed super special about the lyrical content, some of it falling under standard country fare to my ears. Now I have nothing against Raitt, her next album has some good stuff, but I was honestly surprised to see that this album won a Grammy in 1990.

Album #200! Here it is, the first real big rock opera. Not so much a popular concept for albums nowadays, but The Who's "Tommy" is probably the first album many think of when it comes to the classic rock opera format. It's grandiose in concept, but also authentic to its rock roots ("Underture" comes to mind, as it's a solo like many are accustomed to hearing from The Who). It's fun and also a little disturbing at points in its content. You would think that a work like this would spawn from a well-seasoned and experienced group, but realizing that the members of The Who were largely in their mid-20's during this album's recording was pretty surprising. Rockstars from the 60's certainly grew up fast (maybe the drugs helped with that). Anyway, hopefully this inspires you to drop some acid and play some pinball or something.

Mostly light Latin rock with hip-hop elements. Although as a Jurassic 5 fan, I did have to do a double-take when I suddenly heard Chali 2na in "Who's To Blame". I feel like I've heard "Saturday Night" somewhere else before as well (maybe because it sounds like the Black Eyed Peas, which is apt for this time period), but nothing else really pushed the needle for me. It all sounded pretty safe and by the book.

I went on a huge 90's power pop kick within the last year and there's just something about the cheeriness and the focus on melodic hooks that I can't get enough of. Fountains of Wayne, Jellyfish, Matthew Sweet, etc., all of these artists were commonly in rotation. Sugar was among those too, but something was slightly different about them. I was wowed by the explosion of sound I was hearing, especially in their debut album "Copper Blue". Not to say it was anything like Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound", but the thick & vibrant guitar riffs mixed with frontman Bob Mould's baritone and sort of nasally vocals leading the melodies kind of did it for me. Some of the tracks on "Copper Blue" sound like they drag on a bit, but otherwise the middle of this album is really strong. There are some absolute earworms here too, which is the point of power pop. This wave of power pop kind of briefly came in and out of the spotlight, but it no doubt paved the way for pop-punk to emerge later, which is another one of my favorite genres. For that, I am grateful to these power pop acts such as Sugar & others. Who knew that songs based around yearning & despair would be so damn catchy?