Feb 27 2024
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Getz/Gilberto
Stan Getz
No. Just no.
70s stereo with vocal in one ear. Sounds like a porn movie.
2
Feb 28 2024
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Illmatic
Nas
5
Feb 29 2024
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The Suburbs
Arcade Fire
This is an album where everything is “good enough”. Melodies are fine, production is fine, lyrics are mostly fine, and the album turns out to be fine and super generic. To me this album could have been made by hundreds of other 90s bands and I would be unable to tell the difference.
Play a backbeat and hit record.
3
Mar 01 2024
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Rubber Soul
Beatles
It's the Beatles. It sounds like the Beatles. I'm sure it's great if you enjoy listening to the Beatles. I don't enjoy listening to the Beatles.
3
Mar 02 2024
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Music From Big Pink
The Band
I find this album frustrating. Every track has a spark of something I would be extremely interested in listening to, but - with very few exceptions - no track ever really get there.
3
Mar 03 2024
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My Generation
The Who
I thought I liked The Who, but after sitting through this I'm less sure. Based on reputation, and my own imagination, I was expecting a rebellious hard hitting album. What I got was fairly boring pop rock. Not bad, but really not noteworthy either.
3
Mar 04 2024
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Can't Buy A Thrill
Steely Dan
Albums like this is why I signed up in the first place. I know Steely Dan, and individual tracks by Steely Dan, but I've never sat down and listened to a complete album. I should have.
It likely helped that my first week of this 3+ year project has been generic 60s pop rock that did absolutely nothing for me. Listening to a band with some different takes was great.
4
Mar 05 2024
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Oracular Spectacular
MGMT
The good songs are great, the less good songs are mostly fine. Different sounds to a lot of the albums on this list.
4
Mar 06 2024
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What's That Noise?
Coldcut
This hit the sound that most electronic music went for in the 1990s. Some absolute bangers, and some truly weird stuff. Maybe slightly long.
4
Mar 07 2024
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A Northern Soul
The Verve
3
Mar 08 2024
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Songs Of Love And Hate
Leonard Cohen
He's kindda sad, right?
Great lyrics, great melodies, back when Cohen could actually sing. The album with Avalanche, Last year's man, Diamonds in the mine & Sing another song boys. This was always going to be an easy 5/5
5
Mar 09 2024
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A Girl Called Dusty
Dusty Springfield
I don't understand how this album made the list.
Every album so far - even the ones that absolutely were not my taste - has had some cohesion and creative vision. This is, a skillfully done, compilation of cover tracks.
Great vocals, good backing band, but still a collection of covers. Almost every track is available in more interesting versions.
3
Mar 10 2024
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Killing Joke
Killing Joke
I really liked this.
Not sure how I would describe it, but it somehow felt heavier than it really was. Despite knowing basically nothing about this band, I have a sneaking suspicion that this would be your favorite bands favorite band - except if your favorite bands favorite band was Butthole Surfers who seems to overlap in both sound and timeframe.
The bonus tracks felt like a bit much.
4
Mar 13 2024
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New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84)
Simple Minds
Very generic 1980s sound and feel. Not great, not bad. Nothing really left any impression.
3
Mar 14 2024
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Ananda Shankar
Ananda Shankar
Never listened to an album of sitar rock before. I'll do my best to not do it in the future.
2nd half of the album is much more interesting than the 1st.
2
Mar 15 2024
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Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes
Oh. Oh no.
I should like this. Tons of energy, basslines that are very forward in the mix. The vocals though. I just can't... I find it actively annoying. And why did one of the tracks have what sounded like a 10 year old with a xylophone?
2
Mar 16 2024
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Aja
Steely Dan
This is the 2nd Steel Dan album I've had on this list. I loved the first one, so I had high hopes for this. I just don't get it. Nothing about this feels inspired or interesting. Fine as background music, but that's about it. Even Bernard Purdie sounds uninteresting on the 2 tracks he got - that's almost impressive.
3
Mar 17 2024
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Seventh Tree
Goldfrapp
I really liked the first track, but everything after that turned into a blur of songs that I could not separate out, and that left no lasting impression of anything. Perfectly fine for background music, but don't expect to remember that you had it on.
3
Mar 18 2024
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The Renaissance
Q-Tip
Extremely forgettable. Super polished, but also super uninteresting. I really prefer rap that has some hint of an edge, and there's none to be found here.
I did make it through, but I completely checked out during "Life is better", when I realized that the name dropping was really just a (maybe overly long) list of artists, I'd rather listen to than finish this album.
2
Mar 19 2024
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Aftermath
The Rolling Stones
Some great tracks, and some complete misses.
Minus 1 start for the 10 minutes of nonsense in going home
3
Mar 20 2024
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Buenas Noches From A Lonely Room
Dwight Yoakam
Very old school sounding country. Really not a fan of the lyrics, and his vocals do not sound all that convincing
3
Mar 21 2024
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Fuzzy
Grant Lee Buffalo
A few interesting ideas, but never really got going for me.
3
Mar 22 2024
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Movies
Holger Czukay
What a trip.
I absolutely loved this. It's not gonna go into regular rotation for me, but albums like this is exactly why I started listening to 1001 albums. This was far away from anything I'd normally listen to, and made by someone I didn't know. Great album.
4
Mar 23 2024
View Album
C'est Chic
CHIC
Why everyone, before they die, should spend what felt like 20 minutes listening to a lady repeating "I can hardly see what's in front of me" in a dramatic voice is insane to me.
I guess it's a decent dance album, but every track is double the length it needed to be, and absolutely nothing happens or evolves.
2
Mar 24 2024
View Album
Now I Got Worry
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
What a colossal waste of time.
I guess the type of person who think starting an album with an obnoxiously loud and distorted scream, is also the type of person that believes the rest of this nonsense album could be interesting to anyone not involved in making it.
After surviving the first track, there's still more than an hour of this muck to wade through. Lord have mercy.
1
Mar 25 2024
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Nilsson Schmilsson
Harry Nilsson
This didn't really do much for me. Nothing is truly bad, nothing is truly great.
3
Mar 26 2024
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Blonde On Blonde
Bob Dylan
I'll never be a huge fan of Bob Dylan, but it's hard to deny that there are some amazing tracks on this album.
Somehow this album feels like it spans 3 decades, with a wildly varied style and expression.
4
Mar 27 2024
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Reggatta De Blanc
The Police
Perfectly fine album, with a few genuinely good tracks. I really don't like Sting as a singer though.
4
Mar 28 2024
View Album
Very
Pet Shop Boys
I love this album, and I have absolutely no reason why this should be. I still remember buying the CD in it's orange case with the lego look and feel.
I know this album is a big thing in the queer community, and I can see why, but my love of this album is really not affected by that.
I guess I just grew up with this album, and heard it at the right time to have it leave a lasting mark on me.
I absolutely hate the impact "go west" had on media for years, but at the same time I absolutely love the track.
To me this the absolute picture of early european EDM. It is the sound of thousands and thousands of poor people dancing their issues away on any given weekend. The upbeat sadness propably didn't start with this album, but it provided a blueprint for how it would build for the next 20 years.
5
Apr 01 2024
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Crossing the Red Sea With the Adverts
The Adverts
British punk. It's not my thing, but this was a lot more catchy than I expected it to be. Tons of energy, even if it's not going to be one of my favorites.
4
Apr 02 2024
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The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses
This is an album I grew up with and have always known about. I know basically every track, but I would never actually choose to play this album myself. The music is super pleasant, so nothing really to complain about. It does top out at a 4 though.
4
Apr 03 2024
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Rid Of Me
PJ Harvey
I'm really struggling to think of something nice to type out. I absolutely hated this album. I don't like her voice, I don't like the lyrics, I don't like the production.
2
Apr 04 2024
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Faith
George Michael
Faith alone ensures that this will never be less than 3 stars.
Jackson and Prince most likely did music better. Morrissey most likely did gay better. But there's still Faith.
3
Apr 05 2024
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Bookends
Simon & Garfunkel
Some absolute classics, and some tracks that are an absolute waste of time.
3
Apr 06 2024
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Talking Heads 77
Talking Heads
Not really my kind of music.
Fine as background music, and a few interesting twists.
3
Apr 07 2024
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Djam Leelii
Baaba Maal
This one is not for me. I actually like the sound, and almost all of the tracks, but why in the world are they so long? Nothing evolves... The sound at the start of a track will be the sound at the end of the track.
2
Apr 08 2024
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Music for the Masses
Depeche Mode
Not my favourite Depeche Mode album. Well crafted and most of what I'd expect from the band, but just doesn't really get all the way for me.
3
Apr 09 2024
View Album
Remain In Light
Talking Heads
I just had "Talking Heads 77" 3 days ago, and wasn't impressed at all. In the 3 years between "77" and "Remain in light" Talkingheads have somehow moved from something that I didn't enjoy at all, to something I absolutely love, and that will enter my normal music rotation.
It's faster and more upbeat, and just all around more stuff going on.
Absolutely brilliant.
4
Apr 10 2024
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Highway 61 Revisited
Bob Dylan
I'm not a big Dylan fan. Mostly I really don't get along with his singing style - not his voice, but his way of phrasing lines. The constant pitch shifting in every word seems to be more controlled on this album though.
The production seems to be fairly dialed back, but constantly highlights different instruments, so while all the tracks are somewhat long, there's more than enough going on to keep the energy up.
Desolation Row might be one of my favorite ways to spend 12 minutes.
5
Apr 11 2024
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Hybrid Theory
Linkin Park
This really hasn't aged well.
I had this album when it came out, and I'm fairly sure I listened to it non-stop for months. Listening to it now, I have no idea why. It has all of the distortion and volume of metal, but absolutely none of the edge. And what in the world is the flow on those rap parts?
2
Apr 12 2024
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The Stranger
Billy Joel
It's just so smooth.
Joel's lyrics are always great. The production is outstanding, and the musical ability is more than enough to carry the tracks. Everything is catchy, and I found myself just enjoying the album from start to finish.
4
Apr 13 2024
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This Is Fats Domino
Fats Domino
I'm not sure how anyone is supposed to rate or review this album. It's one classic after another, and it's immediately obvious how influential this album (well really this man) was.
Can only be 5/5.
5
Apr 14 2024
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Vol. 4
Black Sabbath
The heaviest of heavy metal.
What an album. Supernaut is the standout. I think my first time hearing the track was the "1000 homo DJ's" version, but the original was so far ahead of it's time. Nothing will ever beat that riff.
5
Apr 15 2024
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Felt Mountain
Goldfrapp
My 2nd. Goldfrapp on the list, and I think I'll just have to accept that this band is not for me. The good tracks, are really good, but the bad tracks are downright annoying.
Other bands do the same thing better.
2
Apr 16 2024
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S&M
Metallica
Oh god no.
How did this make the list? Not only a live album, but a compilation (I trule hope this is not considered a greatest hits) album on top? Just no.
It's not that I hate Metallica, I just find them bland and uninteresting. I tend to like most classical music, but the combination of the two just ruins any interest or enjoyment. And why is this nonsense album so incredibly long?
I want my two hours back.
1
Apr 17 2024
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I Am a Bird Now
Antony and the Johnsons
This is not for me.
Albums like these are really the reason I'm going through the list in the first place, but I absolutely cannot stand the vocals. Unfortunately there's very little going on besides the vocals.
Somehow the shortest album I've heard in a long time seemed to go on forever.
2
Apr 18 2024
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Like A Prayer
Madonna
I remembered this album as being stronger.
Like a prayer, and express yourself are absolute classics. The rest of the album is somewhat irrelevant.
3
Apr 19 2024
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Histoire De Melody Nelson
Serge Gainsbourg
Well that was certainly something.
Not a fan of the concept itself, but this is the type of album I would expect to find on this list. I'm not gonna listen to this regularly, but going through it once was an interesting experience. The backing music is catchy, even if the vocals don't do much for me.
4
Apr 20 2024
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Music in Exile
Songhoy Blues
I love it. So different from what I usually listen to, but so much energy.
4
Apr 21 2024
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Pink Moon
Nick Drake
So incredibly stripped down and personal. There really are no layers to go through in the music. It's just this one man and his songs.
4
Apr 22 2024
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First Band On The Moon
The Cardigans
I absolutely hate the overly sweet half whispered vocals. The rest of the band could have been absolute magic, and I would still hate the album.
As it is, the first few tracks are so incredibly annoying that I more or less checked out. Lovefool is catchy, but that has to be the worst Iron Man ever.
The crowd on the cover cannot possibly be reaching to anything made by this band?
2
Apr 23 2024
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Endtroducing.....
DJ Shadow
I loved this album in the 90s. It was such an interesting new feel to have an album constructed from only samples.
I'm not sure it has aged all that well. I love most tracks, but that's most likely because I loved them long, long before listening this time. I think there's a fairly clear line from this album to his later productions, but this isn't DJ Shadow firing on all cylinders, and many tracks feel a bit longer than they had to be.
4
Apr 24 2024
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GI
Germs
I didn't enjoy this on my first (and focused) listen.
For various reason the pretty short album kept repeating for the next hour and a half while I worked, and this really turned the experience around. The energy alone gives a few stars, and by the third time round I caught myself thinking "that's neat" at a few points.
I'll never be a big fan of punk, but this album turned out to be fairly enjoyable.
4
Apr 25 2024
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25
Adele
So much talent. So incredibly safe and boring.
Yes, "Hello" is a great track. "Water Under the Bridge" is more interesting than the rest of the album, but that's about it. Take a chance, do something less safe.
3
Apr 26 2024
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The White Album
Beatles
If this album did not have The BEATLES on the cover, it would never, ever have been even considered for a list like this. There's a couple of good tracks, but the rest is just grab-bag of whatever the dudes felt like throwing at the wall. We get everything from embarrassingly bad fake American accents to eight minutes of a random dude saying "number nine" - what artists!
On the plus side there's one less The Beatles album left to suffer through on the road to 1001 albums.
2
Apr 27 2024
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Funeral
Arcade Fire
My 2nd. Arcade Fire album on this list. I still don't get the hype.
There's not really anything wrong with the music, but it's just not all that interesting either. Fine as background music.
3
Apr 28 2024
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The Velvet Underground & Nico
The Velvet Underground
I don't know about this. Like everyone else I've been preached to about this album for years, but I just don't get it. Some of the tracks are great, some are filler, and some feature Niko prominently, and should be ignored.
3
Apr 29 2024
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Vauxhall And I
Morrissey
It's not the Smiths, but it's good enough.
Morrissey is such an unpleasant man, with horrible politics and beliefs, but he is so good at being relatable on records.
4
Apr 30 2024
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Metallica
Metallica
Another album that I listened to non-stop when it was released, but that maybe hasn't aged that well. The first half of the album is incredibly strong, but it runs out of steam.
3
May 01 2024
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Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo
MC Solaar
I have absolutely no idea what was going on, but what an album!
4
May 02 2024
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Paris 1919
John Cale
This really didn't do much for me. A couple of great tracks, and a few tracks where his voice is straight up annoying.
3
May 03 2024
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Trans Europe Express
Kraftwerk
Super sparse early electronic music. I love it.
4
May 04 2024
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Moon Safari
Air
It's incredible how boring this album manages to be. I love the basslines an the old school synth sound, but it still just blend into a grey soup of boredom. Absolutely nothing happens.
2
May 05 2024
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Talking Book
Stevie Wonder
Some incredible tracks, but all my enthusiasm for the album got killed with the opener. How can this man write such great tracks an also pump out that overly sweet nonsense?
2
May 06 2024
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Sex Packets
Digital Underground
Pretty great 90s hiphop. Upbeat, funky and having a laugh.
4
May 07 2024
View Album
Exodus
Bob Marley & The Wailers
I'm not really a huge fan of reggae in general, but how could you possibly dislike this?
Some absolute classics, and the remaining tracks are more than good enough.
4
May 08 2024
View Album
american dream
LCD Soundsystem
I love this. It's not my favorite album by LCD Soundsystem, but it's still a super solid 5. It's just such a unique sound, and I find it extremely hard to be even slightly bored listening.
5
May 09 2024
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Steve McQueen
Prefab Sprout
This is a strange one.
I really liked the opening, but it just got progressively more grating with every track. By the time I got to "Horsin' around" everything from the lyrics and phrasing, to the lazy latin inspired drumming, and the feel changes, seemed almost custom designed to be as anoying as possible to me personally. Then "Desire As" started.
I did not enjoy this.
2
May 10 2024
View Album
Step In The Arena
Gang Starr
Honestly I think the rap and lyrics are a bit too old school for me, but the beats are absolutely crazy, and the combination is amazing.
I never gave Gang Starr a fair chance when this album came out, but I absolutely should have.
5
May 11 2024
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Van Halen
Van Halen
I want to like this more than I actually do. The guys are clearly immensely talented, but the end product ends up a bit over the top, and mostly just playing all of the notes all of the time.
3
May 12 2024
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Californication
Red Hot Chili Peppers
I loved this when it came out. Not so sure I still do. First half of the album is great, but the last half is a complete waste of time.
3
May 13 2024
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Sunshine Hit Me
The Bees
This one is absolutely not for me. It's trying so hard to have chill and happy vibes, but the vocals are just straight up grating.
I have no idea what this album is doing on a list like this? What did it influence? Who remembered this band or this album even 5 years later?
2
May 14 2024
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L.A. Woman
The Doors
A lot of classics.
This seems to be a cleaner sound, and fewer 20 min. songs. Just a great album.
4
May 15 2024
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Miriam Makeba
Miriam Makeba
I'm super surprised with how much I enjoyed this. Not a genre I would normally go for, but what a pleasant way to spend half an hour.
4
May 16 2024
View Album
Vincebus Eruptum
Blue Cheer
Well, that was a waste of time.
I don't know who this noisy mess is for. It has the sound and distortion, but it lacks anything catchy or interesting.
2
May 17 2024
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Connected
Stereo MC's
Very dated. Great opening track, but everything is downhill from there. Lyrics are not great, and the overall sound just screams early 90s in a way I did not miss.
2
May 18 2024
View Album
Different Class
Pulp
Brilliant, brilliant album. Common People, Disco 2000, Mis-shapes and Underwear are the standout tracks, but the rest of the album is good enough to have been lead singles from most other bands in that period. Very close to a perfect album for me.
5
May 19 2024
View Album
Actually
Pet Shop Boys
Really, really not a fan of the first track, but the rest of the album more than makes up for it. Very 80s. For some reason Pet Shop Boys just hit my personal sweetspot for the mix of upbeat synthpop and undertones of sadness. I love this.
5
May 20 2024
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Tusk
Fleetwood Mac
An interesting album, with a lot of different ideas. Some of them work, others not so much. The intense tracks are almost manic, and the chilled tracks are bordering on boring.
It's going to be a small 4 for me.
4
May 21 2024
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Pearl
Janis Joplin
What a voice. Just pure power.
5
May 22 2024
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Electric
The Cult
This one really surprised me. Not really an amazing creative triumph, but tons of energy, and power without pretending to be super complex.
4
May 23 2024
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New York Dolls
New York Dolls
Everyone is saying how influential this album was. I'm sure they're right. It's also a great album.
5
May 24 2024
View Album
People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
A Tribe Called Quest
Great beats, good vibes. The lyrics and flow is too old school for me. I really don't get the whole story-teller setup of many of the tracks.
4
May 25 2024
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Machine Head
Deep Purple
It seems that this is an album with strictly one idea/riff per track. Most of the ideas are great, but every tracks is much, much longer than it should have been.
4
May 26 2024
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Kind Of Blue
Miles Davis
This is going to be a super unfair 4. There's absolutely nothing wrong or suboptimal about any part of this album or performance, but it's just so smooth that it ends up melting into somewhat boring for me.
4
May 27 2024
View Album
Songs Of Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
Just classics from start to finish. The music matches the voice that matches the lyrics. The production is very understated, and the tracks are somewhat similar. I can see how this album would be tough to get through if you're not into the feeling and vibe, but for me it's a very secure 5/5.
5
May 28 2024
View Album
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
No thanks!
This album is at best boring, and at worst actively annoying. Everything is just so uninspired. It’s almost like 90% of the album was made with the one objective of not offending anyone or taking any chances. The remaining tracks are some sort of whiny country knockoff.
I think everyone understood that he was a very sad boy after the first 5 tracks, so you could have saved the horrible violin stuff at the end.
Other reviews mention that this was released 4 months after his first album. Maybe he could have spend a bit longer and produced something worth listening to.
2
May 29 2024
View Album
Let's Stay Together
Al Green
Half an hour of funky tracks with incredibly smooth vocals. I'm not sure I would have stayed on board for much longer, but this was exactly the right amount.
5
May 30 2024
View Album
Stripped
Christina Aguilera
I have to admit that I was surprised to see this one the list.
I remember hating most of this album when it came out and was played constantly. I was probably wrong.
This is not my style of music, but it's not bad. I'm not sure what makes this album different from a ton of other pop albums from the same decade. Why did this album make the list instead of them? Or are they all here and I just haven't gotten to them yet? Overall good, but slightly too long, pop album. Not sure how influential it actually was.
3
May 31 2024
View Album
Queen Of Denmark
John Grant
The music is fine, but sounds very close to tracks released decades before. I really had a feeling that entire riffs had been lifted, but I can’t really place any concrete examples.
Then there are the lyrics.
Surely the dude can do metaphors that don’t involve fruit loops, or caramel, or chocolate. Why is everything candy or movies? Congratulations on finding the edge to say "shit", and "fuck" a lot though. We even get some racial slurs. All of the edgy 12 year old tropes, and the he's even bad at swearing convincingly. There's just nothing worth listening to, or reading here. Edgy teenager stuff even if he was technically older when he wrote it.
3 for the music, minus 2 for the lyrics.
1
Jun 01 2024
View Album
Highway to Hell
AC/DC
Look. It's ACDC. We all know what this will sound like.
4
Jun 02 2024
View Album
OK Computer
Radiohead
This was a struggle for me. I absolutely hate Radiohead in general. I've never understood what so many enjoy in the mess of whiny and jangly noise.
I was actually suprised that I almost liked the first two tracks, but then the depression kicked in. Background music that's not great, but not bad enough to get up and change.
3
Jun 03 2024
View Album
The Hissing Of Summer Lawns
Joni Mitchell
I've just realised that I absolutely do not like Joni Mitchell. It's rare for me to be this bored while listening to an album. Everything just sounds dated, and the few bits that are not incredible uninteresting are straight up annoying.
2
Jun 04 2024
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Surfer Rosa
Pixies
One outstanding track, and a lot of decent but not great filler. I wanted to like this more than I actually did.
3
Jun 05 2024
View Album
Don't Stand Me Down
Dexys Midnight Runners
I went into this knowing one track by Dexys Midnight Runners, and not entirely convinced I liked the track that I knew. I honestly don’t know what to make of this. The talking between band members' gimmick is just absolute rubbish. The music is fine-ish when they stick to the upbeat (possibly strings driven) basics, but they seem to want to create a different album than what their strengths would play to - maybe to ape Dire Straits. I really do like parts of this, but it’s drowned out by so much pretentious art wank that a 2 is generous. I’m still sticking to no skips, but this album was the closest to breaking that.
2
Jun 06 2024
View Album
Grievous Angel
Gram Parsons
This seems indredibly uninspired and honestly designed to be middle of the road and not offending to anyone. The faster tracks are passable, but the slower entries are everything i dislike about country.
2
Jun 07 2024
View Album
Let's Get Killed
David Holmes
I liked it more than I thought I would. Some great tracks and a lot of filler that's really just background music. Nothing is truly bad, but there's just too much og it. Seems to be a general problem with 90s albums.
3
Jun 08 2024
View Album
Raw Power
The Stooges
I honestly don't love this as much as I thought i would. The energy is clearly there, but to me it sounds a bit dated. Not bad in any sense, but didn't completely win me over either.
4
Jun 09 2024
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Madman Across The Water
Elton John
Nothing to dislike about this. The tracks do seem a bit longer than necessary, and the start of the album is a lot stronger than the last half.
4
Jun 19 2024
View Album
Abbey Road
Beatles
Enough with the Beatles albums.
Yes, yes, very influencial. I still don't get why these guys are always held up as the gold standard of music. It's fine, but that's it.
3
Jun 20 2024
View Album
American Gothic
David Ackles
What in the world is this?
If you want to do an artsy album, the first track needs better writing than "He trades the milk for booze, and Molly wants new shoes".
The last track is nowhere near good enough to be 10 minutes long. This was just overall stupid. A poorly written musical with no actors.
2
Jun 21 2024
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Dusty In Memphis
Dusty Springfield
Amazing voice, good instrumentation, tons of passion, but really doesn't move
the needle for me. Nothing to dislike, but maybe an hour was a bit much.
3
Jun 22 2024
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Sticky Fingers
The Rolling Stones
This really is the sound that I will always think of when someone mentions The Rolling Stones.
4
Jun 23 2024
View Album
The Message
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
This is too old school for me. The beats are great (even if they sound a bit dated) but the lyrics are not amazing. Not sure I needed the soul numbers included.
3
Jun 24 2024
View Album
Vulnicura
Björk
I struggle with Björk.
This album, and artist, has absolutely everything I’ve complained about in other albums. The talent is completely undeniable, there’s risk-taking to an almost unbelievable degree, and there’s just tons of creativity.
The problem is that I hate absolutely every second of it. I hate the creative goal, I cannot stand the way she insists on hard rolling on r’s seemingly at random, and I find the lyrics almost laughably bad.
I guess I completely agree that this belongs on the list, but it’s absolutely not for me.
2
Jun 25 2024
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Paranoid
Black Sabbath
This is an obvious 5. There's really not much to say - just absolute bangers from start to finish.
5
Jun 26 2024
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Rust Never Sleeps
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Incredibly boring. First half is the same song with a minimum of variation, but the album gets slightly better as it goes on. Would be an uninspired 3, but I hate his voice, and whatever he was trying to do with the solo in powderfinger.
2
Jun 27 2024
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To Pimp A Butterfly
Kendrick Lamar
A bit of a fever dream. The opening tracks are from a completely different level, but I honestly think they lead into a bit of a lull before going full throttle at the end.
Even if I think parts of the album are slightly boring, the total score can only be a solid 5.
5
Jun 28 2024
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Band On The Run
Paul McCartney and Wings
Surprisingly I like this album a lot more than any of the 20 The Beatles albums on this list. That doesn’t say much, but it’s a solid 3. The first tracks are much better than the 2nd half of the album.
3
Jun 29 2024
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Innervisions
Stevie Wonder
I want to like this album. I really do. But besides 2 or 3 tracks I'm just bored.
3
Jun 30 2024
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Pictures At An Exhibition
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
How are live albums on this list?
Why would I want to listen to this version rather than the original Mussorgsky?
Who did this influence or inspire?
This really should be a 1, but the guys can play…
2
Jul 01 2024
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Street Life
The Crusaders
Very surprised how much I liked this. Maybe not the most challenging album, but super smooth, and great as background music.
4
Jul 02 2024
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Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Going out the gate with that first track on a debut album… What an absolute statement from Bonham. Not every track on the album is amazing, but the ones that work really, really work.
5
Jul 03 2024
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Green River
Creedence Clearwater Revival
It's fine. Better than I expected, but not really something I'll remember tomorrow.
3
Jul 04 2024
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Duck Stab/Buster & Glen
The Residents
I have no idea how to rate this. I hated almost every second, but this is what I signed up for in the first place.
You just have to admire this complete commitment to whatever artistic vision they decided on.
If you think Tom Waits is only slightly odd, this might be for you.
5
Jul 07 2024
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Born To Be With You
Dion
I really don't get the hate for this album. Not sure it's my thing, but it's certainly competent.
I absolutely love the Phil Spector sound. Everyone knows why he's a terrible human being, but man was he good at producing music.
4
Jul 08 2024
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Shaft
Isaac Hayes
Great music, but not sure it's really something that works without the movie.
3
Jul 09 2024
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The ArchAndroid
Janelle Monáe
I liked this much, much more than I expected to. I had heard of Janelle Monáe before, but had really listened to anything she made.
This is an album of wildly different tracks that still somehow seem connected. Not really a huge fan of every single tracks, but certainly worth a listen.
4
Jul 10 2024
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Basket of Light
Pentangle
Somehow medieval folk, but with some almost rock feels on a few tracks. I didn't expect to like it, and not sure I'll listen again, but great performance, and pretty unique.
4
Jul 11 2024
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Home Is Where The Music Is
Hugh Masekela
Loved it.
It seems like background music, and really that's how I treated it, but it had focus for more of my workday than I would tell my boss.
4
Jul 26 2024
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Eagles
Eagles
I'm not sure that I hate the fucking Eagles, man, but I certainly don't love them either. This was just boring.
2
Jul 27 2024
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Five Leaves Left
Nick Drake
I absolutely loved Pink Moon, so I was looking forward to this. I was incredibly bored the whole time. It's not bad, it's just boring.
3
Jul 28 2024
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Eternally Yours
The Saints
Great energy.
4
Jul 29 2024
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Nighthawks At The Diner
Tom Waits
I absolutely adore Tom Waits. I don't think this is his strongest album, but it's more than good enough. For some reason this man can distill jazz down to a format where I actually enjoy it. He seems to be able to improvise but still reign it in, and his stage persona keeps it strange and interesting where I'd have given up on other artists.
5
Jul 30 2024
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There's No Place Like America Today
Curtis Mayfield
What an album. Absolute everyone in the backing band are putting on a show, and then that voice on top.
5
Aug 02 2024
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No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith (Live)
Motörhead
I absolutely cannot even begin to understand why this album is on the list. I actually quite like Motörhead, but the recording quality is completely off on this, and the end result is just messy.
2
Aug 03 2024
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Time Out
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
The one jazz album that absolutely everyone already know. This was always going to be a five. It's not super challenging, but there's a ton of variety and great skill.
5
Aug 04 2024
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Deja Vu
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Very laid back album of great backing music, and not so great singing.
4
Aug 05 2024
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Rio
Duran Duran
I liked this much more now, than when I heard it as a child. Hungry like the wolf and The Chauffeur are great tracks.
4
Aug 06 2024
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Blunderbuss
Jack White
Not a deep or complicated album, but great fun.
4
Aug 09 2024
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Sea Change
Beck
Not a happy dude on this album. Some great tracks, but somewhat slow.
4
Aug 10 2024
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Back In Black
AC/DC
One of the most popular reviews of this, is how simple the construction of songs turns out to be. Pick a popular phrase, add a power chord, call it a day.
I completely agree.
But it just works.
4
Aug 11 2024
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In Utero
Nirvana
I will never understand Nirvana. I'm the right age, I listened at the right time, I even like some grunge, but Nirvana is just noise.
3
Aug 12 2024
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Halcyon Digest
Deerhunter
This did absolutely nothing for me. Pure distilled boredom for 46 minutes.
2
Aug 13 2024
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The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
I will never understand the hype around The Velvet Underground. It's not bad, but it's not very interesting either.
2
Sep 09 2024
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Solid Air
John Martyn
I had no idea what I was in for here, and I absolutely hated the first track. The vocal style seems to be different on the rest of the album though, and it turns out to be a pretty diverse and interesting 40 minutes. Not something I'll listen to often, but not everything on this list has to be.
4
Sep 10 2024
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Synchronicity
The Police
I absolutely hate Sting as a vocalist. I absolutely hate lyrics that Sting is involved with.
"Reggatta de Blanc" had enough interesting choices to somehow overcome this and be a good album, but this is just actively annoying from start to finish - except "Every Breath You Take", but that track has so many other problems that including it is not a plus for the album.
On the other hand it's +1 for "Murder by numbers"
2
Sep 11 2024
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Ragged Glory
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
What I imagine I sound like when I'm 3 beers over my limit. Overly emotional and sad about regular shit.
The skill is clearly there (even if I don't love his voice), but the vibe is just dramatic with nothing to back it up.
2
Sep 12 2024
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Peace Sells...But Who's Buying
Megadeth
I'm an age where Youthanasia was the first Megadeth album I remember - and I listened to that on repeat forever. Maybe it's my memory, or maybe I'm just older and more jaded, but this album sounds almost flat compared to that.
It's clearly Megadeth. Tons of energy, tons of riffs, but it never really peaks for me.
3
Sep 13 2024
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Timeless
Goldie
I'm not sure I loved this, but it was perfectly fine for focusing at work. Then I got to "adrift" and was so annoyed I felt like throwing furniture. I think this is an album that works well when being slightly understated music that sounds good, but that's really all I see here.
3
Sep 15 2024
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The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
The most Bob Dylan sounding Bob Dylan album. Not my favorite, but still up there.
4
Sep 16 2024
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Here, My Dear
Marvin Gaye
What a whiney dude. The talent is clearly there, but it's just so fucking boring. I don't care about your lawyer bills, or what a judge said. How did you ever get married in the first place if you're this bitchy about everything?
Other artists have used divorces and break ups for interesting albums or tracks, but this is an hour and thirteen wasted.
2
Sep 17 2024
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American Idiot
Green Day
I had this sitting in the queue for a week because I dreaded listening. I absolutely loved Dookie and Nimrod, and I was so disappointed with American Idiot that it still strings 20 years later.
I'm not sure I was wrong to be disappointed, but I have to admit it's a good album. This is the best they've ever sounded, and the easiest to listen to, but that's not really what I want from Green Day.
It's a well played, well produced album, but it's just less interesting than their earlier work.
4
Sep 18 2024
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Happy Sad
Tim Buckley
How did this make the list? Every track on this album could have been the weakest part on hundreds of other albums, by hundreds of other artists, in the same period. Who did this inspire?
2
Sep 19 2024
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Doggystyle
Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg has managed to reinvent himself as a quirky dude loving his weed, but this is the version of Snoop that I grew up with. Before Snoop Lion, before Just Eat, this was the laid back, almost lazy, but also charged with first-degree murder, Snoop.
It's vulgar, and gross, but it also has the charm to make you forget how offensive it really is. And that laid back feel is just amazing.
4
Sep 20 2024
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Kimono My House
Sparks
Not for me. I get it, I get the influence. I hate the vocals. I can see why it's on the list, and why it's rated reasonably highly, but not for me.
4
Sep 21 2024
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Live At The Regal
B.B. King
I've been super against live albums on this list so far, but I have to admit that it improves this. Must have been an amazing concert.
5
Sep 22 2024
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The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill
I will never, ever, understand why this is rated so highly that Lauryn can still tour, and be a diva, on the back of it.
A few good tracks, but so much uninspired filler. It's not that this is badly produced or performed, but it's just not for me. I was bored for an hour.
2
Sep 23 2024
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Pet Sounds
The Beach Boys
This is clearly a classic, and hugely influential. I didn't really enjoy it though, and honestly I think it's a bit long. Did this album really need a version of a traditional song? It's obviously still a great album, but it could have been leaner and sharper.
4
Sep 24 2024
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A Love Supreme
John Coltrane
Jazz will never be something I enjoy. The technical ability is off the charts, but I really don't enjoy the combined product.
2
Sep 25 2024
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The Bends
Radiohead
There's some really amazing moments on this album, but I have the same problem here as with any other Radiohead album, I hate his voice, and can not stand the weird mix of sad and noisy. Possibly my favorite Radiohead album, but that's a very, very low bar.
3
Sep 26 2024
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Parachutes
Coldplay
I hate current Coldplay as much as anyone else, but this is a genuinely good album. In fact it's so good they spend the next 20 years recording variations of it, and everyone got fed up - but this first iteration was great.
4
Sep 27 2024
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Odessey And Oracle
The Zombies
A better version of the Beatles.
First half of the album is much stronger than the end, but there's generally not a bad track - there's just not really any great ones either.
3
Oct 03 2024
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Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs
Marty Robbins
One of the most American sounding things I've ever heard. New quite a few tracks but never knew who recorded them.
I doubt this will be something I listen to often, but I enjoyed listening through it once.
4
Oct 04 2024
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Lam Toro
Baaba Maal
I honestly didn't enjoy this, but I also have no frame of reference for the intentions. I have very little idea of the music scene this comes from, and I don't understand the language.
There's a lot of very interesting things going on, but I'm out of my depth with this one.
3
Oct 05 2024
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So
Peter Gabriel
This is clearly solid and well crafted, but I'm not blown away - possibly because I've heard every track tons of times without knowing.
3
Oct 06 2024
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The Good, The Bad & The Queen
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
Decent album, but I'm not at all sure that this is a "must listen". Could have been any other Albarn side project, but maybe they're all on the list and I just haven't gotten to them yet.
Bass lines get this from 3 to 4.
4
Oct 07 2024
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Make Yourself
Incubus
This was perfectly decent, perfectly middle of the road background music. Cannot possibly offend anyone, but no idea how it made this list.
3
Oct 08 2024
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London Calling
The Clash
I have to admit I wasn't ready for the ska sax, but it was very welcome.
This is just an amazing album. Punk, but less angry, and played by people who can truly play their instruments.
5
Oct 09 2024
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Bad
Michael Jackson
I was sure that this was an easy 5, but I have to admit that while the hits are absolute bangers, the in between songs are very average at best.
This is an album that helped change music for a generation, but I'm not entirely convinced "Liberian Girl" played much of a part in driving that.
4
Oct 10 2024
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Seventeen Seconds
The Cure
I'm clearly missing something here. This was one of the most uninteresing albums on list so far. Not bad, not good enough to remember.
3
Oct 11 2024
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She's So Unusual
Cyndi Lauper
It's not quite a 5, but it's pretty damned close.
After a week long streak of sad indie music and folk, this was so bright and sparkly. I absolutely loved it.
4
Oct 12 2024
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Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd
If this isn't a 5 I don't know what would be.
5
Oct 13 2024
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Loveless
My Bloody Valentine
I hated this. Vibes and textures, but mostly noise. I don't get it at all.
2
Oct 14 2024
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Only By The Night
Kings of Leon
Surprisingly decent. I absolutely hate his vocal style, but honestly not a bad way to spend 40 minutes.
3
Oct 15 2024
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Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Wu-Tang Clan
Honestly this was a weaker front half of the album than I remembered. After Mystery of Chessboxing things truly kick off.
4
Oct 16 2024
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The Predator
Ice Cube
I'm not sure if I ever listened to this album end to end before. I should have.
"When will they shoot" is an incredibly intense opener to an album that is still relevant in most ways, and the album never really slows down.
4
Oct 17 2024
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Channel Orange
Frank Ocean
My expectations were at ground level, but I still want my hour back.
Floaty non-music with pretentious slice-of-life lyrics of a bored clown. I absolutely hate his vocal style. The man can't sing for shit, but he can do pretend vocal flourishes that might have worked for someone with talent.
1
Oct 18 2024
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Queen II
Queen
I'm not a huge Queen fan, so I only knew one or two of these tracks before listening to the album. I'm not a bigger Queen fan now, but I enjoyed my time with Queen II.
3
Oct 30 2024
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2112
Rush
So much talent, and so much wasted time. There are Rush tracks that I absolutely love, but this album is a few steps further than my taste.
4
Oct 31 2024
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Mermaid Avenue
Billy Bragg
I'm not American or British, so I have absolutely no idea who any of these people are. I fully accept that there might be some context that turn this into a masterpiece, but my impression while listening was mostly confusion.
I truly do not understand how an album like this made the list. The lyrics are subpar. There's no amazing musical ability on display. Who did this influence?
This did nothing to change my view on past albums, or my perception of future listens. It did not provide any insight into the evolution of anything.
2
Nov 01 2024
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At Fillmore East
The Allman Brothers Band
No thanks. This is just 80minutes of guitar wank. Really, really did not get into this.
2
Nov 02 2024
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Is This It
The Strokes
This is an amazing album. When it came out 18 year old me had never heard anything like it. The sound is distinctly theirs, but still clearly influenced be older bands. Every tracks seems to be one idea distilled down to the essence. There's no overly long tracks, or 10 minute solos, everything is just sharp and perfectly paced.
5
Nov 03 2024
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Trout Mask Replica
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
How do you even begin to review this?
I truly didn't like most of this in the way you would enjoy a pop or rock album, but that isn't the point. This is challenging, but at the same time wildly entertaining.
Once you get over the immediate shock, the pieces seem to fall into place, and a 2nd listen is much smoother than the first.
5
Nov 04 2024
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Porcupine
Echo And The Bunnymen
This is....fine.
I never heard of this band before listening to Porcupine, and I'll be hard pressed to remember them going forward. Not bad, not great, not memorable.
3
Nov 05 2024
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Violator
Depeche Mode
This is such a colossal album. Nothing else sounds like Depeche Mode, and this has everything from moody tracks to beats that absolutely drill into your soul.
5
Nov 06 2024
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The Score
Fugees
Somehow I had forgotten about the skits between tracks. I was happier before rediscovering them.
There's clearly some great tracks here, but I don't think it's aged particularly well. The flow seems somehow stuck between oldschool and some newer more complex schemes, but I didn't enjoy coming back to this album.
3
Nov 07 2024
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AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted
Ice Cube
The delivery is so sure of it self, and the beats are so smooth. A very angry dude, with opinions have maybe not aged all that well in all areas, but the album is an absolute classic, and for good reason.
5
Nov 08 2024
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Heaux Tales
Jazmine Sullivan
Oh you have to be joking.
This is just bad in every single sense. Since this was added to the list after the initial release, I assume something else was removed to make room for whatever this is?
Explicit content is only really worth listening to if there’s some kind of talent involved aswell, and there’s absolutely none to be found on this album. I absolutely hate this style of music, and I absolutely hate the vibe based non-singing.
1
Nov 09 2024
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Siamese Dream
The Smashing Pumpkins
No other band sounds like Smashing Pumpkins. Super distorted, very distinctive vocals. I prefer other albums, but this is very, very solid.
4
Nov 10 2024
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Double Nickels On The Dime
Minutemen
Punk will never be my preferred genre of music, but this is more enjoyable than I thought it would be. A large part of that is having a (very) large number of short tracks, with quite a bit of variation in sound. That said it does get a bit samey - I think I would have been happier if there had been 30 tracks rather than 43.
4
Nov 11 2024
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Kenya
Machito
This was super fun. So much bongo bashing! It did get a bit samey after 20 minutes though.
4
Nov 12 2024
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Arrival
ABBA
How do you dislike ABBA?
It's so incredibly cheesy, but it's too catchy to really ignore. Just fun.
4
Nov 19 2024
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Forever Changes
Love
This was a complete surprise to me. Everything is just so incredibly pleasant without being boring. Honestly it doesn’t really sound like any other album - and especially not 60s albums. I absolutely hate the old style stereo recordings with instruments separated in left/right. Who prefers this to mono?
4