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Tue Feb 27 2024
Getz/Gilberto
Stan Getz
No. Just no.
70s stereo with vocal in one ear. Sounds like a porn movie.
2
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Wed Feb 28 2024
Illmatic
Nas
5
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Thu Feb 29 2024
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
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Fri Mar 01 2024
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
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Sat Mar 02 2024
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
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Sun Mar 03 2024
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
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Mon Mar 04 2024
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
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Tue Mar 05 2024
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
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Wed Mar 06 2024
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
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Thu Mar 07 2024
A Northern Soul
The Verve
3
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Fri Mar 08 2024
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
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Sat Mar 09 2024
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
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Sun Mar 10 2024
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
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Wed Mar 13 2024
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
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Thu Mar 14 2024
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
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Fri Mar 15 2024
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
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Sat Mar 16 2024
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
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Sun Mar 17 2024
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
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Mon Mar 18 2024
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
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Tue Mar 19 2024
Aftermath
The Rolling Stones
Some great tracks, and some complete misses.
Minus 1 start for the 10 minutes of nonsense in going home
3
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Wed Mar 20 2024
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
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Thu Mar 21 2024
Fuzzy
Grant Lee Buffalo
A few interesting ideas, but never really got going for me.
3
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Fri Mar 22 2024
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
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Sat Mar 23 2024
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
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Sun Mar 24 2024
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
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Mon Mar 25 2024
Nilsson Schmilsson
Harry Nilsson
This didn't really do much for me. Nothing is truly bad, nothing is truly great.
3
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Tue Mar 26 2024
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
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Wed Mar 27 2024
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
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Thu Mar 28 2024
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
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Mon Apr 01 2024
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
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Tue Apr 02 2024
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
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Wed Apr 03 2024
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
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Thu Apr 04 2024
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
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Fri Apr 05 2024
Bookends
Simon & Garfunkel
Some absolute classics, and some tracks that are an absolute waste of time.
3
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Sat Apr 06 2024
Talking Heads 77
Talking Heads
Not really my kind of music.
Fine as background music, and a few interesting twists.
3
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Sun Apr 07 2024
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
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Mon Apr 08 2024
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
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Tue Apr 09 2024
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
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Wed Apr 10 2024
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
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Thu Apr 11 2024
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
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Fri Apr 12 2024
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
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Sat Apr 13 2024
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
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Sun Apr 14 2024
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
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Mon Apr 15 2024
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
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Tue Apr 16 2024
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
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Wed Apr 17 2024
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
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Thu Apr 18 2024
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
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Fri Apr 19 2024
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
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Sat Apr 20 2024
Music in Exile
Songhoy Blues
I love it. So different from what I usually listen to, but so much energy.
4
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Sun Apr 21 2024
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
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Mon Apr 22 2024
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
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Tue Apr 23 2024
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
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Wed Apr 24 2024
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
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Thu Apr 25 2024
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
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Fri Apr 26 2024
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
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Sat Apr 27 2024
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
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Sun Apr 28 2024
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