My 1001 Albums Journey

Album	You	Global	Diff
D.O.A. the Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle	5	1.87	+3.13
Cupid & Psyche 85	5	2.39	+2.61
Idlewild	5	2.57	+2.43
Chore of Enchantment	5	2.64	+2.36
Bubble And Scrape	5	2.65	+2.35
A Grand Don't Come For Free	5	2.67	+2.33
Bright Flight	5	2.68	+2.32
Movies	5	2.7	+2.3
G. Love And Special Sauce	5	2.74	+2.26
Group Sex	5	2.74	+2.26

Album	You	Global	Diff
Exile On Main Street	1	3.61	-2.61
Fulfillingness' First Finale	1	3.56	-2.56
James Brown Live At The Apollo	1	3.46	-2.46
Hot Buttered Soul	1	3.43	-2.43
Cloud Nine	1	3.41	-2.41
Come Away With Me	1	3.39	-2.39
The Band	1	3.37	-2.37
461 Ocean Boulevard	1	3.12	-2.12
Lady Soul	2	4.05	-2.05
Back To Black	2	4.02	-2.02

Artist	Albums	Average
Radiohead	3	5
Beatles	5	4.4
Talking Heads	3	4.67
Neil Young	3	4.67
Leonard Cohen	3	4.67
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds	3	4.67
The Smashing Pumpkins	2	5
Can	2	5
Metallica	2	5
Sonic Youth	2	5
Beck	2	5
Prince	2	5
Black Sabbath	2	5
Nirvana	2	5
The Clash	2	5
Elliott Smith	2	5
Fatboy Slim	2	5
David Bowie	6	4.17
Nick Drake	3	4.33
Pixies	3	4.33
Creedence Clearwater Revival	3	4.33

Artist	Albums	Average
Christina Aguilera	2	1
The Band	2	1.5

Artist	Ratings
The Temptations	4, 1
The Rolling Stones	4, 4, 3, 2, 1

Ella Fitzgerald

2/5

Amy Winehouse

2/5

Ahhh the modern Ella Fitzgerald lol. Man, you never think too much about the song "Rehab" but what a cry for help if there ever was one. Amy was the female equivalent of Kurt Kobain... Well sort of. Maybe not. She was something. I remember my mom hating her music. I never gave her much listen as she seemed pretty poppy, but listening to her later in life has made her more enjoyable. She's like a fine house wine - she appreciates with time. Her story is intriguing. I need to watch the biopic. Oh man. As I listen it doesn't get better for me. It's starting to sound like Ella Fitzgerald more and more and it even sounds like big band music. Nevermind. Not a fan of this album. It's fine. Just not my type of music.

More Songs About Buildings And Food

Talking Heads

5/5

This is the first album on here that I actually made it all the way through without skipping (cheating I know), but who has time to listen to music that doesn't do it for you! This music does it for me. It started off admittedly a bit off with "Thank You For Sending Me An Angel" but after that I loved every song. The major themes I picked out were love, creativity, and not wanting to be human and man that resonates. I originally wondered how David's voice was received back in the day and I guess it was received well. Another unique voice in this series for sure but at least this has very unique and varied backing music to go with it. And as I said the themes give it an easy 5 out of 5 in my opinion.

Home Is Where The Music Is

Hugh Masekela

5/5

Who the fuck is Hugh Masekela?! Holy shit. I honestly didn't expect that there would be artists on here I didn't know but here we are! This is so obscure the wiki page mentions it's inclusion in 1001 Albums in the first paragraph! Soul jazz is not a genre I can say I'm familiar with. Oh shit... This shit is smoooothe. I immediately like "Part of a Whole." I love trying to contemplate how the music itself relates to the titles in jazz. I have no idea how this music equals "Part of A Whole" and maybe song titles in jazz don't always have to sound out their titles in the music. Can you imagine if this music backed Ella Fitzgerald or Amy Winehouse or the Talking Heads? Holy shit. That would be something. But I'm glad it doesn't. I'm glad it stands alone and I love that 1001 has introduced me to it. Wait what the fuck was there a duck whistle around 8:15 in "Part of a Whole?" Gettin loose at the end there. I like it. Oo Minawa is taking it down a notch. What does Minawa mean? Minawa is a beach in Wisconsin. 1 family in the US is named Minawa. It's a rail station in Japan. I'm gonna guess the rail station in Japan fits this mood. Not a bustling city station but a barely populated countryside station that picks up 5 people at 5 am to take them into the city. Minawahhhhh. The Big Apple is obviously about a large piece of fruit or New York. Probably the fruit. But really does exude a city full of life and assholes. Unhome is sad just by the title. I finished the album and loved the entire thing. I also really appreciated the production quality. Even listening in Spotify, this sounds very clean and almost like I'm in the studio. I have to check out more Hugh Masekela!

Natty Dread

Bob Marley & The Wailers

3/5

I thought "No woman, no cry" meant not to cry if you didn't have a woman but for the first time in my life I realized it's about telling a woman not to cry. I never actually listened to the lyrics until this. The wiki page for the song let's me know other people think the same thing, but I kind of like it better this way. This album as a whole isn't my favorite. Maybe it's too polished sounding? Too electronic or something? Not sure. The instrumentation isn't my cup of tea either. I kind of hate the harmonica. Not sure why. I actually fell asleep to some of this because it is pretty repetitive and not very upbeat but that kind of goes to show this is some chill music. It just didn't wow me across the board. Bob's great and I would love to learn more about his story, but most of this I wouldn't revisit.

Fred Neil

2/5

Who the fuck is Fred Neil?! I'm starting to wonder if some of these albums don't actually exist or maybe I'm in some alternate universe. It's opening my eyes to how much music I don't know.oh this some Tom Jones knockoff... Oh good more harmonica... Not into his voice... Not much special... Hoping when I read the wiki page this guy killed his entire family or something because the music is not doing much for me at all. Oh he was just born in Cleveland, Ohio and instead of touring as a musician he was more interested in dolphin preservation. I kind of like Ba-Di-Da but fuck the harmonica. Oh Faretheewell was sung by Oscar Isaac in Inside Llewyn Davis! I don't like this version. I'm seeing now that it's also called Dink's Song and was first recorded with a woman singing it in 1909 but then all these folk singing men stole it. At this point I'm just antsy to hear "Sweet Cocaine" cause I'm sure that's gonna liven things up right? Everything Happens is ok... I like the more melancholy sounding folk songs like this. Of fucking course Sweet Cocaine would have harmonica because you probably have to be on cocaine to enjoy that sound. And of course they'd use a harmonica (maybe) in a raga. Don't fucking do that.

The Slim Shady LP

Eminem

2/5

Oh fuck yes. Maybe the first album I already know front to back! I made my dad buy this CD and I played it for him and I'm pretty sure he hated it. I guess I am a little embarrassed to say I loved this but fuck it. There is a reason it ended up as one of 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. It is a classic. It was my punk rock, the album I used to differentiate myself from my parents. It gave me the tools needed to never be offended by anything and to have the darkest sense of humor. I mean the album cover is a woman dead (Oh, mama, she's takin' a little nap...) in the trunk of a car while a man contemplates getting rid of the body with his little baby. Dark shit. Men love to shit on their wives for some reason, but Eminem did that shit darker than them all. I can't wait to listen to this at almost 37 years old and see if it holds up. "Try 'Cid" never realized that was a shortened form of acid. Eminem is apparently the only person who could ever rhyme anything with orange (door-hinge) and that's why this album is on this list. At the same time... Has this aged well? Was it good or do I just have some weird nostalgia for it? As I listened to it today I got very bored with the kill-this-bitch-please theme. Over and over. What was wrong with this man? Or was it all an act? Oddly enough I think this came out when I was within a range of ages that this album was made for. Kids who liked terrible music and made their parents listen to it because they wanted to offend them, that was the age I was. It probably worked a little but looking back it was very immature. Kind of the same as this album. It was made to offend. Made to shock. As a kid I wasn't shocked and a lot of this went over my head, but I found it funny. I do appreciate when rap makes me laugh and I believe good rap has a comedic aspect to it. But this is actually pretty violent. I am not offended and I know it's a joke, but when I listen to this now it seems boring. I thought the whole album was good when I was younger, but now I realize there are a few songs I enjoy and the rest is just the same themes over and over. When I saw this come up today, 12 year old me was ready to give this 5 stars. 36 year old me appreciates some of the music behind the lyrics and Eminem's flow but the jokes haven't aged well and neither has the mysogyny.

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

4/5

First, Neil, please let me listen to you on Spotify. Have you not made your riches? Anyway, Cinnamon Girl is decent, I guess I haven't listened to a ton of Neil Young. I like how electronic this album is. I usually don't think of electronic instrumentation with Neil Young. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere is a cool song. The theme of not having a woman or a home to return to is interesting especially in the way he puts it that everybody knows this doesn't exist. Round and Round is slow and sad. The passing of time in one's life is both long and short and full of crying I guess. Down By The River starts with a good little rhythm. Not sure about all the la la las. This guitar solo is sounds fucking cool. This might be my favorite song on here so far. The Losing End didn't do much for me. "Alright Wilson, pick it!" what the fuck was that? Running Dry is slowwww but I like the dreary sound and the violin. Cowgirl in the Sand has a really cool vibe. Digging this one a lot too. Interestingly my favorite songs on this have long instrumental sections. Normally I'd be like get back to the singing and shit but these instrumental bits are so cool and loose and fun. Too bad I'll probably never hear any of these again because Neil doesn't like Spotify.

The Score

Fugees

3/5

I had no idea Ready or Not was from this album, but that's a banger. Lauryn Hill shitting on the mic literally in this one. HOLY SHIT. Is Fugees short for "Refugees" like Lauryn raps on Zealots? I never would have thought. Wikipedia can confirm. Wow. I never knew! Songs that use sirens piss me off when I'm driving. All the Star Wars references in The Beast make me wonder if George Lucas got the idea for Jar Jar Binks while listening to this album. The background music and beats on this album are nice. Kind of unique. The flow sounds like 90's hip hop. Getting Tribe and Diggable Planets vibes. That smooth flow interlaced with intelligence spewing and nerdy references. So 90's. Rappers these days gave up on that shit. They don't have anything to prove like the Fugee's did. The only thing I dislike about this album is all the skits. When I want to listen to music I want music. I don't want people talking to each other in between songs. If they're split out from the other songs, that's fine because I can skip them but when they're embedded at the end of songs, I don't like it. Aside from that this is a solid album. Killing Me Softly has always been a hit. The No Woman No Cry cover (coincidentally on this album after listening to Bob's version a few albums back) isn't bad but I guess I prefer Bob's version. Solid beats, solid intelligent lyrics, and overall a decent listen minus the skits.

The Soft Bulletin

The Flaming Lips

3/5

The Flaming Lips are one of the strangest bands I've ever listened to. They sound fairly normal on one hand but then they do or say something out of left field and somehow it works. I think this album was the start of their more saccharine poppy sound. Had I not known they had darker more rock heavy previous albums, albums like this would probably be higher rated and more easily accepted. Once you've heard the dark side of The Flaming Lips, it kind of pushes the second half of their career back a bit. Wayne has a voice and I'm starting to realize through everything we've listened to already on 1001 that having a unique voice gets you everywhere.

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

The Smashing Pumpkins

5/5

I don't care what anyone says about Billy Corgan or The Smashing Pumpkins, this is a masterpiece of modern alt rock. There aren't many 2 hour albums I can say I've enjoyed as much as this. It's very raw and intelligent and catchy as fuck and Billy has possibly the most unique male voice on this list, which yet again has played into the inclusion of this album. The lyrics aren't pretentious in any way and almost read like teenage poetry but teenage poetry is sometimes the best kind of poetry and for catchy music like this simplicity just works. But it isn't just catchy, it's abrasive and loud and quiet and soothing and it has a gamut of feelings and sounds that other albums can only hope to achieve. It deserves its rightful place on this list because it is a masterpiece.

At Newport 1960

Muddy Waters

2/5

I am just not that into the blues. The repetition kills me. I see the merit in this album, but it just didn't do it for me. And there is a lot of harmonica on this album and it may be at its most annoying here because it seems to mostly only make one sound where it vibrates on one note for the entire song. It is actually kind of interesting this way but still mostly annoying to me. I feel so good I feel like balling the jack? I put a tiger in your tank? What is Muddy talking about? And the people love the mojo song so much that muddy plays it twice? Goodbye Newport Blues kind of hits weird right now because there was a shooting at Newport on the Levee last night and people were running and hiding and families were just trying to listen to music and eat dinner and it's almost not safe to leave your house anymore. I wasn't there but I didn't like reading about it because it seems like one of those places that should be immune to this sort of thing. Unfortunately this song failed to elicit much emotion from me. I'll give this two stars though because Muddy vibrates his mouth sometimes while singing and it makes me laugh.

Power In Numbers

Jurassic 5

2/5

Ooo an album/group I know almost nothing about! I've heard the name, I've heard of Cut Chemist, but I don't know that I ever fully listened to a Jurassic 5 album. My god this is 22 years old. In 2002, emo was about to blow up and take over my ears so I must have missed this. I don't like Chali 2na's voice. It's too much like a radio announcer? It sounds too polished and I think maybe the album in general sounds that way. It was also kind of preachy after awhile. Like it wanted me to be a better person but it was also like look how nice we can rap! I think there were maybe 2 fucks on the whole album? While I appreciate their messages in general, it felt a little too much like Schoolhouse Rock. Not sure how else to describe it. It generally didn't do it for me and that's I guess why I never listened to them much.

1989

Taylor Swift

2/5

Welcome to New York... OK thanks, but no thanks. Blank Space is a catchy hit but when I actually read the lyrics it sounds like Taylor Swift is the biggest player and isn't afraid to dump your ass. Style is so obviously about Harry Styles that I knew that and didn't even know she and Harry dated but, girl, it reads like a 16 year old's break up poem (no wonder the tweens are infatuated with her - she speaks to them like she is still one of them). Out of the Woods - another breakup song. "You were lookin at mayyyyyyyyy." All You Had To Do Was Stay - oh good another breakup song. I'm starting to think I would need to be a teenager going through a breakup to like this album. Stay! Stay! Stay! Stay! Ok now that you're broken up with... Just shake it off. This song, Blank Space, and Bad Blood are the hits off this album for good reason. They're catchy AF. Nothing too unique really. Actually they're very standard pop songs. Soooo formulaic. Instant moneymakers. I Wish You Would - oh good... another breakup song! Bad Blood - fuck now I'm a Swifty. Band-aids DON'T fix bullet holes! I was hoping there would be more breakup songs on this album. Poor Taylor must have gone through some shit. It makes me sad she is two years younger than me and about 1.1 billion dollars richer than me all because she got broken up with a lot - worth it I suspect. Wildest Dreams - breakup song but fuck it's good. It's giving Lana Del Rey. How You Get The Girl - you don't want this one... it only ends in heartbreak apparently with this one. Am I ever going to listen to this entire album again? Absolutely not. Am I ever going to hear the major hits and kind of like them... Yes. I can't give this one star because of that so two it is.

John Prine

4/5

A guy I work with introduced me to John Prine and I fell in love with this album. I'm not the biggest country music fan, but John Prine leans heavily toward the folk side of country. He's also on the classic side of country which helps too. Illegal Smile is a great song touting the harmless effects of marijuana use. And I just learned that isn't what it was supposed to be about at all! John apparently said in an interview once that it was really supposed to be about how when he was a child he found himself smiling at things people normally didn't smile at. I can relate to that. Finding humor in all the darkness is my forte and it's John Prine's as well. Spanish Pipedream lets you know John Prine isn't normal country, he's hippie country. Hello I There is one of the saddest songs ever written. Wandering through a boring life of work that leads to potentially just losing your mind and then dying. What an American Dream. This song is followed by Sam Stone, another depressing song. But the way John weaves the tales isn't inherently sad, it's honestly got a bit of humor in it, which I think makes them even better. Who wants to cry about Daddy putting all his money in his arms? But if you can kind of get an illegal smile from hearing these lyrics, John knows he did his job. Want another illegal smile? How about a song about a woman getting raped by a dog? Is it an actual dog or is he just calling men dogs? Who knows, but if those lyrics make you snicker... you're going to jail. And all those gods are the same... yep jail. The majority of these are well thought out catchy tunes with just a few in the second half that don't capture my attention as well. The lyrics are both funny and sarcastic and dark all at the same time and the music has a country twang but leans to folk and the album just gives me illegal smiles left and right.

Imperial Bedroom

Elvis Costello & The Attractions

2/5

Elvis Costello is one of those artists I like to grab out of a candy bowl and savor every now and then. I don't want to consume his material all at once because it's so vast and I don't want to get to a point where I have heard everything. I'm strange. I do this especially with artists who have passed and aren't still making music but Elvis is still alive and well and actually made a decent album back in 2020. And now I see he made an album in 2022 that I hadn't even heard of. Anyway, all that to say I have never heard this album but I'm looking forward to it like unwrapping a new piece of candy. So... This candy was not as good as I'd hoped. I could see it being a piece of candy I might try again, but the first try did not wow me. I liked Shabby Doll and The Loved Ones, but the rest just didn't do it for me in one listen. I also like when Elvis Costello sounds a bit more dark and brooding and this album has very little of that sound. Thematically this album can be heavy and somewhat dark, but I didn't feel like the music itself matched the lyrics. It felt a little like Elvis was trying to take some lyrics he wrote and slap them against some music and when I read about how this was recorded... I mean it sounds like there was a lot of experimentation in the studio. For me, it mostly didn't work that well, but maybe it's a grower album.

Sticky Fingers

The Rolling Stones

4/5

Another artist I am familiar with but haven't taken the time to listen to everything they've released. I have found in the past that the Stones are about 50/50 with me. Sometimes I find something by them I really love and other times they just annoy. It's rare that I listen to them in whole album chunks though so let's see how Sticky Fingers does. I know the vinyl sleeve for this album had a working zipper that revealed a piece of underwear. I will keep that concept in mind as I listen to see if thematically the music is about taking a man's pants off. And why would the man have sticky fingers? Let's find out! Ok, so we start with a little interracial sex. Absolutely nothing wrong with that but the way it has been lyricized here is very cringey. I could see this offending some people and is most likely the Stone's MO with the song and the album art in general. They are ushering in a new age of rock and roll and it's going to be right there in your face and they don't give a shit how you feel about it! Musically, I actually kind of found this song pretty catchy. Same with Sway. They introduce the album being about sex and drugs and rock and roll mannnnn. But hold on... The Stones have a softer side... Oh but it's a beautiful lullaby that might be about a heroine overdose? But damn it, it's not bad and has solidified itself in pop culture. I honestly don't think I even had a clue this was a Stone's song. OK another sex drugs and rock and roll song next. Starting to see a pattern, but it's interesting and varied enough that I actually am enjoying it. I enjoyed almost every song on this album, which I honestly didn't expect because I have been so iffy on the Stones in the past. But I would say this may be one of their best albums. Despite the majority of the songs relating to drugs, the music itself is really good and I would definitely listen to most of these songs again and feel that a second listen might even solidify this as a 5 star album.

Green Onions

Booker T. & The MG's

3/5

It turns out when you take the repetitive lyrics out of the blues and play them electronically, they seem to actually be a little more interesting. There are no sappy lyrics here, just stripped down blues riffs and covers that make heavy use of an organ. Organs aren't my favorite instrument sound. They remind me of church. But they kind of lend a smoothness and electronic sound to this album that I enjoy. As suspected Booker T. Played organ in church growing up. But it almost sounds a bit sacreligious here as if he's rebelling against the normal church organ sound. It also felt a bit jazzy at times with flair added to sections to spice them up a bit. I generally liked this album even though it's not music I would typically listen to.

The Trinity Session

Cowboy Junkies

3/5

Just reading about how this was recorded has me intrigued and I know very little about the Cowboy Junkies' music. Oh fuck... Harmonica? I like the sound of this so far even though Misguided Angel is not something I would probably listen to again. She has a beautiful voice. One of those 80's/90's female fronted band voices. Oh this bass in Blue Moon Revisited. This is a good one. Half cover, half original. Goddamn. She has a great voice. I understand the church recording session now. The acoustics are amazing on this. Lost a little interest in the middle but sonically this album sounds really good and I could see myself returning to some of these songs.

The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn

Pink Floyd

3/5

I know there is a lot of Pink Floyd I haven't listened to and The Piper at the Gates of Dawn is one I know I need to listen to. What a cool name for an album. So not my favorite Pink Floyd album but it was cool to hear for the first time. Next time I'd like to be on LSD and really get into the Syd Barrett mindset. Also cool to learn this was produced at Abbey Road at the same time The Beatles were recording Sgt. Pepper. I heard a lot of similarity to the Beatles here so who (or what) influenced who? Maybe Syd and John were taking LSD together. Who knows. Cool album but I probably won't listen again sober.

Can't Buy A Thrill

Steely Dan

4/5

I looked up why Steely Dan is named Steely Dan not too long ago and it was the name of a vibrator in Naked Lunch. When I think of Steely Dan's music I don't associate it with Naked Lunch or vibrators but after listening to this album maybe I should. Steely Dan is superficially just good 70's pop music but there is a layer of weirdness and depth in there that you don't notice until you really listen to them. Do It Again, Dirty Work, Only a Fool Would Say That, and Reelin In The Years are the highlights. I'd definitely revisit the rest of the album too as the underlying themes are less superficial than the music sounds.

The Band

1/5

Woof. This is either not my music entirely or I wasn't in the mood. I don't mind Up On Cripple Creek, but I wouldn't say I love it. It's fine. But the rest of this did nothing for me.

The Velvet Underground

3/5

I had never heard this before and I enjoyed most of it. Seems much different than other Velvet Underground albums. Simpler maybe? I kind of liked that. It isn't pretentious. I could do without the Jesus song. I'm not sure whether to like The Murder Mystery or not. I can't tell if I would ever want to listen to it again, but it was interesting once. I generally found this album... interesting.

Hot Shots II

The Beta Band

4/5

I've never listened to The Beta Band. Not bad! Like a precursor to Alt-J. Pretty minimal folkpoptronica.

Bryter Layter

Nick Drake

4/5

Nick Drake is an artist I have heard here and there but have yet to really sit and listen to. I always enjoy hearing his soft smooth songs. I've never listened to this whole album but I love One of These Things First. Hazey Jane II is a cool song. The trumpet is strange for a Nick Drake song. The song itself is strange for a Nick Drake song but damn I bet you could put his voice and lyrics against any form of music and it would elevate it. At the Chime of a City Clock... Wow. How depressing in the best way. Beautiful. One of These Things First is probably the hit everyone hears. The lyrics are so symbolic in this song, but simple enough to easily apply meaning. I even enjoyed the instrumental compositions. Interesting to note that John Cale of The Velvet Underground played on this with members of Fairport Convention. I was sad to learn that Nick Drake overdosed on anti-depressants and died at 26. His music and voice seems so much more mature than that. Maybe he felt older than he was. This is a beautiful album and Drake's voice, lyrics, and compositions have stood the test of time and managed to resonate with generations of people who weren't even alive when he was. He might have hated that, though. Who knows.

Synchronicity

The Police

4/5

I've been wondering when/if we would get some Police on here. I can see this one being a bit divisive as The Police can sometimes make me sing along or roll my eyes with their occasional fake reggae. The only song on this album I instantly know I've heard is Every Breath You Take, the sweetest sounding song about a stalker you'll ever hear. A song that has confused many into thinking it is a pretty love song, but at its heart is about stalking someone. It's actually interesting to have achieved this level of confusion in a single song, arguably their greatest hit. Don't get me wrong though... it deserves its status. Catchy, pretty, light, dark all at the same time. So this album isn't that bad! In fact there are two songs that made me say... Wait... This is The Police? The two songs are Mother and Murder by Numbers. What the fuck are these songs? Mother is some weird Pink Floyd/Beatles shit where this screaming voice complains about his mother calling him and all his girlfriends turning into his mother. And then Murder by Numbers describes how to become a famous serial killer. This album has some baggage but it makes it so much better than the standard world pop that it might first seem to be.

After The Gold Rush

Neil Young

4/5

I'm happy that Neil Young read my review of Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere and decided to put his music back on Spotify. I didn't know it was because of Joe Rogan and now I respect him more. I thought he just wanted to get paid more from Spotify. Anyway, I can listen to this on Spotify now! Neil Young has one of the most unique male singing voices. It sometimes sounds like he's putting it on, like it could be a joke, but he's dead serious. Of course he comes from a musical time in which it was fashionable for men to sing falsetto. Anyway it's in full force on this album and I actually love it. Damn Southern Man... I wish the lyrics to this were different because it's a damn good song! Not that I don't like the lyrics, but I almost wish this one had lyrics that I wanted to sing along with. The message is strong though and the music is great. The guitar solos in this song are delicious. Till the morning comessssssss flugelhorn solo.

At San Quentin

Johnny Cash

3/5

The prison albums are cool to listen to every now and then and are generally recorded well, but all the stage banter prevents repeat listens. Still has any other artist had the guts to play for a crowd as rough as a bunch of men in prison? Who could? Only Johnny Cash had those balls. Those were his people. And despite their shortcomings he brought them a little bit of rebellious joy. These albums actually may have been better as movies so you could see the crowd interact. While it isn't something I'm going to necessarily pull up for repeat listens on a whim, the concept was unique enough to warrant a good rating and they actually sound decent. It's fun to transport yourself to a prison full of rough and rowdy cooped up men getting an hour of entertainment from one of the roughest country music singers in the middle of your years of imprisonment.

The Sensual World

Kate Bush

3/5

I do appreciate Kate's voice and lyrics and the music is very unique, but Kate is not music you listen to lightly. Kate is classical literature that you struggle to understand in a good way. She's hard to decipher. I listened to this mostly in my car without access to lyrics and felt like I only caught words here and there. Come home, read the lyrics, and find out one of the only songs I liked was about accidentally dancing with Hitler. I would like to come back to this one and devote more time to it. It's pretty heavy.

Djam Leelii

Baaba Maal

4/5

What the fuck is this?! This was a little treat. I sometimes find myself enjoying instrumental works or music with lyrics that aren't the focus either because they are washed out or in this case a foreign language. I would love to know the translated lyrics to this album and I briefly tried to find them before I gave up, but sometimes the mood the music evokes is worth not knowing. I loved all the instrumentation on this album. I see it was recorded in 1984 but it wasn't released until 1989. I wonder why it took 5 years to release? The music sounds both very old and very modern at the same time. The fusion of the modern guitar combined with Baaba Maal's singing which sounds very Arabian is very soothing and interesting (not sure what language most of this is... I thought I may have heard some French but it may be a mixture?). Without being able to focus on the meaning of the lyrics, this is a very meditative album. It also displays a wide range of moods, sometimes happy, sometimes not so happy, sometimes upbeat, sometimes droning (in the best way). Repetition plays a large role in this album and I am not mad about it. That is what gives it its meditative quality. Some songs sound like the same string is being plucked over and over and over on the guitar but for some reason it isn't annoying. I did find myself starting to lose interest in the later songs because it is a decently long album, but I think had I started this album in the middle I would have enjoyed them as much as the first songs. It's just not easy to digest in one sitting. Generally though I liked every song and would love to hear them again.

Permission to Land

The Darkness

4/5

Wow, ok, so I don't know that I know a single song by this band that isn't "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" but I do like that song and I am excited to hear the rest of the album. I feel like they may be a one hit wonder, so I am worried the rest of the album may be lacking what the one hit has. We'll see. BLACK SHUCK that dog don't give a fuck! Haha interesting opening. Get your hands off of my woman motherfuckerrrrrr. Lol. Without the lyrics in front of me I don't think I'd know what they were saying in any of these songs. For some reason on Spotify they sound a little fuzzy in general... Not sure if that's just how they are or if it's the quality on there. Growing on Me is good too. Damn I can't believe I never listened to this whole album. I ended up enjoying most of this album! The homage to hair/glam metal is strong but doesn't ever truly step into the realm of parody. Some of the songs are hilarious (my favorite being Get Your Hands Off My Woman (motherfucker!)), but honestly they still rock! I can't understand half the lyrics without looking them up, but when I do I am surprised that they actually aren't all jokes. There are some heavy themes here. Heroine use (may just be an homage to rockstardom), rocky relationships, finding new paths, and, of course, love. I did not expect to enjoy much of the rest of the album this one hit came from but I admittedly did and, you know what, it does deserve to be on this list!

Let's Get It On

Marvin Gaye

2/5

Oh it's about to get sexy. Reading about Marvin Gaye and this album actually presents a sad story. Apparently, Marvin's father abused him and was very strict with him religiously as a child causing him to be impotent later in life and have sadomasochistic dreams. This album was a way for Marvin Gaye to escape that, to explore his spirituality through sexual healing. Anyone who listens to this without knowing that would probably just see Marvin Gaye as a sex-crazed musician who wanted to make people fuck. Knowing that Gaye is sexually healing through this album gives it a whole new meaning. Unfortunately, this is just not my kind of music. Let's Get It On is good but the rest bored me.

Iron Maiden

5/5

One might have a lot of preconceptions about Iron Maiden based on their album art. I guess I did. I'm not sure what kept me from listening to them but I'm mad it tookme this long. This is good stuff. I have been judging Iron Maiden by their cover for years and I'm mad I never gave them a chance.

Autobahn

Kraftwerk

3/5

I listened to Autobahn while driving yesterday and almost fell asleep. It's a meditative album. Very simplistic sounding. Good for when you're trying to nap. It's not good driving music. Don't listen to this while driving the autobahn.

Jazz Samba

Stan Getz

4/5

This is white people jazz, there's no getting around that. But it's recorded really well and it's smooth and it's great to cook to. I enjoyed this album quite a bit. Listening to this while driving is not the best way to hear it but I still enjoyed it. When I got home and started making dinner with my wife, I turned it on again. I would like to see this album not make someone dance. So don't drive to this, dance to this! I know it's not your kind of music but just try letting go for a second and let this album sweep you off your feet.

Black Holes and Revelations

Muse

3/5

I got high in a house that was under construction once while listening to Muse, but that was probably 2004 or 2005 so more than likely we were listening to Absolution. I had Absolution on CD and I can clearly remember listening to it while my dad took me to a car show in Dayton. Absolution got me through that day. Then this album came out in 2006 and by then I don't think I cared much for Muse anymore. By 2006 we were all downloading single songs (viruses?) from limewire and cds were quickly phasing out as MP3 players became the new fad. Anyway, I will happily experience this album 18 years after its release. So Muse somehow seems to make the same song/album over and over. I don't know how to explain it but I could have sworn some of these songs were on Absolution because they sound like they should be. It's not necessarily a bad thing but it doesn't say a lot for their creativity. They do have a set style and they stick to it and that's what most artists do. And it works mostly. They tried some things on this album and while they sound good, it also sounds like Muse just trying to emulate different styles of music to break away from their own. I actually enjoyed most of these songs so why do i still feel compelled to give this album only 3 stars? I think this is more just me feeling like they made the same album twice in a row.

Tracy Chapman

4/5

Nice, the Fast Car album! There have to be other good songs besides Fast Car right?! No idea where I know Talkin' Bout A Revolution from but what a great song. It inspires revolution or more importantly just change. And it is so sad to me that a song (and album) like this is still absolutely relevant (and perhaps always will be) 36 years later. This album came out a year after I was born and we still need to talk about a revolution because our society is still failing so many people and it is not right. For this universal song to lead into a song that is also universal but moves to a more singular and personal level is an amazing transition. Fast Car is not only a very deep song but frankly it is über catchy. In sitting and reading the lyrics and really trying to comprehend the story Chapman is telling I can see the depth of the lyrics and the multiple meanings she has instilled within the song. After this the album kind of deflated for me... on the first listen. I listened to this twice because I was walking my dogs and didn't feel like getting my phone out to change the playlist. On the second pass of the album I found some of the rest of the album to be more beautiful and interesting than I first found it to be. There are still a couple of songs that feel out of place on such a political album, but I also realize Chapman is also interested in the politics of private relationships and love and the ways in which humans treat each other. There aren't many albums that are so straight to the point about what they are trying to say but also as layered and varied thematically as this. I can't say I want to listen to every song again, but as a whole this album is very good.

The Number Of The Beast

Iron Maiden

4/5

Is 1001 going to make a fan of Iron Maiden out of me?! Not quite as strong as their debut in my opinion. I felt a little like the debut had more original ideas (but then I don't remember the lyrics). The ideas on this one seem a bit trite. Invaders is a good song but it's just about vikings pillaging. Children of the Damned rips off the movies. I enjoy the continuation of Charlotte the Harlot's story. I enjoyed the album overall but felt like some of the themes could have been more original.

Rain Dogs

Tom Waits

5/5

Oh the ninth album by Tom Waits huh? Wow. Dude was prolific! I am majorly iffy on ole Tom. I get him, but I can't say I fully enjoy him. HOLY shit Keith Richards plays guitar on this album? And Rod Stewart (bleh) covered Downtown Train? "Play it like a midget's bar mitzvah!" ha! Waits contributed vocals and piano on the Stones Dirty Work?! Thanks Wikipedia! Oh that isn't Tom Waits on the cover?! "While making feet for children's shoes" is the best way to say "while having sex" that I've ever seen! I didn't like listening to this in the car. It's not car music. It's fireside music. It's comfy chair with headphones music. I had every intention of rating this lower from my listen in the car but I'm going to rate it very high because I still want to listen to this differently. Someday. Maybe.

Raising Hell

Run-D.M.C.

4/5

Old school rap/hip-hop can sometimes be a bit corny. Definitely the case here. But then you read the lyrics and it isn't just variations on nursery rhymes. And there's a rock and roll sample or even a collaboration with one of the biggest names in rock. Some of it is too corny but most of it is iconic.

Tago Mago

Can

5/5

What a cool album. Admittedly the first four songs and the last song are the most accessible. Aumgn and Peking O are pure experimentation. Oh it was recorded at a medieval castle where the band was asked to stay rent free for a year because some guy wanted to turn it into an art center? Tagomago is an island where related to the Aleister Crowley lore and where the drummer Jaki Liebezeit was living depressed playing drums for Chet Baker wanting to learn to die and taking Palfium a drug three times stronger than morphine and wanting to jump off the rock into the sea. I listened to Aumgn while walking my dogs on a nice spring day. Don't make the same mistake. That is not dog walking music. Again, this is an amazing album with some standout tracks. The more experimental tracks are as experimental as experimental gets. They're cool to listen to once; maybe twice if you have a Halloween party. But the rest of the album is a smooth jazzy cool drum sounding pile of greatness, hence the high rating.

Live At The Star Club, Hamburg

Jerry Lee Lewis

3/5

My dad used to play Great Balls Of Fire all the time when I was a little kid and I loved it. It seemed more popular back in the 80s and 90s than now. I feel like original rock and roll has been forgotten a bit or it's at least fading quickly. I tried to find significance in this album aside from the music because the album itself didn't thrill me that much. It does sound good for a 60 year old live concert recording, but the music itself isn't something I'm going to revisit. And then I read that Jerry Lee Lewis had married his 13 year old first cousin once removed a few years prior to this show and it kind of kills Jerry Lee Lewis for me a bit. He would have been so canceled today. This show would not have existed today. Not that that makes the music better or anything. It was interesting, but live albums aren't typically something I find myself returning to.

Kid A

Radiohead

5/5

Rust Never Sleeps

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

5/5

It's better to burn out than to fade away... This album obviously had some influence on Kurt Cobain, which is interesting considering this song is mostly related to the end of rock and roll. This album is really good. Nice mix of live recordings and studio recordings with interesting titles and themes.

LP1

FKA twigs

4/5

Post Orgasmic Chill

Skunk Anansie

4/5

This was initially pretty bad but after listening with headphones and in the car it's not a terrible album! I actually liked a lot of the songs.

Aftermath

The Rolling Stones

4/5

The fact that I've heard (and liked) Paint It Black, Mother's Little Helper, Stupid Girl, Lady Jane, and Under My Thumb without ever having known they were all essentially from the same album is enough for me to know the importance of this album musically. Those are all hits to this day almost 60 years later! The rest of the album seems to have been overshadowed by those a-sides but there's some good stuff hiding in the rest of the album. The misogyny is a bit intense out the gate but as other critics have said, it almost seems to be critical of itself and subversive. Regardless the songs above are catchy as hell and have cemented themselves in popular culture. Can't say I will listen to the rest of the album much after this (the bluesy stuff isn't my jam) but I recognize the importance of this album as a whole.

KIWANUKA

Michael Kiwanuka

5/5

Now I Got Worry

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion

4/5

This album is bizarre. Crunchy. Punk. Nonsense lyrics. Jams and grooves. Seems pretty far from normal blues. Maybe that's what blues sounds like exploding? It's a cool little jam.

Goodbye And Hello

Tim Buckley

3/5

I'm not sure about Tim's voice. I mean he has a great voice but I don't know if it's for me. The lyrics are very wistful and folksy which I appreciate but I think his voice is maybe too high-pitched for me to fully enjoy. I'm not sure how to explain it. It's a nice album but it isn't one I see myself falling in love with. Maybe with more listens.

Metallica

5/5

So many great songs on this. It's just a classic. Some of it can feel a bit like filler now that so many songs are so well known, but the filler doesn't disappoint either. Good stuff.

All Directions

The Temptations

4/5

I had no idea The Temptations were so bad ass. This album kind of blew me away. This is not typically my kind of music but Papa Was a Rollin' Stone is an almost 12 minute jam. The first lyric isn't until you've grooved through 4 minutes of smooth funk. Oh it's a cover? Interesting. It's still good! The fact that the My Girl band put out this album is crazy. And unfortunately Run Charlie Run is constantly stuck in my head now.

Debut

Björk

5/5

I had heard bits and pieces of this album but never listened to the entire thing. It's hard sometimes to get through an entire Björk album in one sitting. Another very unique voice finds its way to this list and there may be no other voice that is more unique than Björk's. It's abrasive and scratchy and delicate and wistful all at once. She screams into whispers and whispers into screams. I was caught off guard by the pure dance beats some of these tracks are backgrounded with, but that's actually why I am rating this so highly. She has since shifted to a more symphonic sound, but the 90's dance music here is actually perfect for her voice. I think I enjoyed every song on this album, which is not an easy feat for a Björk album. A very good Debut indeed.

Disraeli Gears

Cream

4/5

Great album. Some of the best psychedelic rock (I wouldn't say it's trippy though). The only song I hate is Blue Condition and I'm not sure why. Why Disraeli Gears? Something something some guy mixed up a British prime minister's last name from the 1800's with a type of bicycle gear. SWLABR? (Great song by the way) She Walks (or is it Was?) Like A Bearded Rainbow! I immediately fell in love with Sunshine of Your Love years ago. Arguably Cream's best song. What pisses me off though is that Clapton said shit like "Keep Britain White" and then didn't want to perform on a stage where there was a "discriminated audience" during Covid when concert-goers had to be vaccinated. So on the one hand the man is discriminating about who can live in the country he lives in and then feels his audience is discriminated against because they won't do something not only helpful for themselves but helpful for everyone in attendance at a concert? Hypocrite. Now I can hardly stand to listen to Clapton. I'm going to still rate this highly because it is essential and it is a great piece of music and because other personnel were involved (I do not know their political stances). Fuck Clapton though. I used to look up to him when I was little. Now I just see another old racist conservative white man that used to play the guitar really well (and probably stole most of his riffs from black music anyway - hypocrite).

Welcome To The Pleasuredome

Frankie Goes To Hollywood

3/5

I think I only know Relax (and who doesn't know Relax?) by Frankie Goes To Hollywood. This should be interesting. And it was... There's some stuff here that is just kind of weird (the covers) but I think that was kind of the point. We're here, we're queer, and we're weird and we don't give a fuck. Highlights of course include Relax, which has been featured heavily in pop culture despite its raunchiness. Krisco Kisses also gave me a bit of a chuckle. Black Night White Light is musically maybe one of my favorites. Great synth sounds and funky 80's bass grooves. There were a couple others that grew on me but it was a bit hit or miss. Relax hit it big for them, but it's obvious why the rest don't seem to be as well revered.

Idlewild

Everything But The Girl

5/5

I don't even know what this is. How many albums are on this list again?! Will I like it? Let's judge an album by its cover. We have a very aged looking photograph of a man and a woman and the man has a suit on and a boutonnier - classic prom shoot. But they look like they may be a gay couple (she has short hair - could just be the 80's; and he is maybe a bit ambiguous - I'm not judging, just guessing). The title is Everything But The Girl, which could either mean he has everything but he laments losing her or he wants everything but the girl. Let's listen and read some Wikipedia and Genius Lyrics and find out! Well I was wrong, the title isn't Everything But The Girl... That's the band name. The album name is Idlewild, which evokes images of being wild within the confines of your home. I imagined the man singing but now I think maybe the woman will sing based on some of the song titles. So, they're married and forgive me about the assumptions I made earlier. Do I know any of these songs? Well this is 80's prom music so I guess I was sort of right. Woof. I'm not sure I like this. It's like it made way for some Jewel or Pink or Natalie Imbruglia in the 90s. OK but as a guy whose wife is pregnant with twin girls, These Early Days got me. The harpsichord crap is terrible though. Oh but she ruined it by using a boy's name at the end. Damnit Jimmy. There were other songs that I kind of weirdly enjoyed. I kept saying this isn't for me. This is a lounge act. This isn't good. But then I started liking songs and I said fuck it. There's something here, but I'm not sure what it is. Fuck it. 5 stars. I was going to go with 3 stars, but no. 5 stars. Don't tell anyone.

Fear Of Music

Talking Heads

4/5

Maybe not as good as More Songs about Buildings and Food but still good. I'd like to dive into this more!

Tapestry

Carole King

2/5

There are some very famous pop culture songs here, but I don't think the Carole King versions are the ones everyone knows. I think the Aretha Franklin versions are more well known (and better). She may have co-written some of these with her ex-husband or others (James Taylor) but the other singers are the ones I associate these songs with. I didn't find Carole King's voice very unique or very good. My wife said she might have been the Taylor Swift of her generation and that's almost true except I associate Taylor's songs with Taylor and not another artist. I do like the songs and I do appreciate that some of them were originally created by Carole King but I did not care much for this album.

Soul Mining

The The

5/5

Love the The The band name. I've maybe heard one of the The The songs but I've never listened to the The The's albums in full. Eager to check this The The album out! Uncertain Smile was the song I knew from the Left of the Dial box set that highlighted so much great 80's music. It's still probably my favorite song on the album but I enjoyed every song almost as much as the next. This band had a great style. They had a distinct 80's sound (a lot of synth and bass) but also they sound more advanced than a lot of 80s groups both musically and lyrically. I wonder why The The never exploded. I suspect the name may have given them issues. This is a great album regardless of their band name (which I don't hate, but I can see trouble from a marketing perspective).

Kimono My House

Sparks

4/5

I listened to this entire album thinking this was a female band and was surprised to find it is a duo of brothers. And I have heard about the Sparks brothers because of the more recent album and movie that was released about them. Listening to this, I couldn't help thinking how unique the sound was. This is an interesting album and I ended up liking most of the songs because it really isn't like a lot of other music. And to know this was made in 1974 also blows your mind because it sounds so ahead of its time.

It's A Shame About Ray

The Lemonheads

4/5

I liked a lot of the songs on this album but I wasn't totally sure about Evan Dando's voice. It sounds a bit as if a rock band brought in a singer who was more attuned to solo acoustic instrumentation than rock/punk. It's an interesting dynamic, but I'm not sure it worked perfect for me. Again, there were a lot of songs I liked and I should probably revisit the entire album. I enjoyed reading about the band's experiences with all these other larger acts that aren't that well-known. I also thought it was awesome that Dando helped write "The Last High" with The Dandy Warhols! Such a great song.

Hot Fuss

The Killers

4/5

This really is a great album. I think I gave this to someone once and they burned a copy for me and it stayed in my CD player for quite some time. Looking at the track list, I know the first 6 songs were amazing but I do want to make it all the way through to the end because the rest have to be as good right? I don't care if The Killers made it big and are too popular. They do make good music that I enjoy and I am not afraid to admit it. The second half of the album really trails off from the first half. I'm not even sure why. The songs aren't that bad, but they just aren't as catchy as the first half. And the last song about indie rock just kind of sucks. But the first half is so strong I have to give it 4 stars.

Mothership Connection

Parliament

3/5

The funk is heavy with this one as it should be. But I'll be honest and say the talking kind of makes me not want to listen again. We want the funk though! The music itself is good but all the concept album story setup is kind of overkill for me.

Come Find Yourself

Fun Lovin' Criminals

3/5

Never heard of this or ifi have I don't remember. It did seem slightly familiar. I liked Scooby Snacks and so did the UK apparently. There were a couple of good songs but generally nothing that wowed me.

Kenza

Khaled

1/5

I listened to maybe 4 songs of this on YouTube before I gave up. I know others have had a hard time finding this album too. I'm not entirely sure why that is. What I heard sounded like contemporary middle eastern music and it wasn't bad but it's definitely not something I'm going to seek out.

You Want It Darker

Leonard Cohen

4/5

I remember this being released and then hearing some of the songs on NPR after Leonard Cohen passed. The prophetic lyrics (I mean he knew he was at the end) made me sad. I didn't know much about Leonard Cohen aside from his name being mentioned in Pennyroyal Tea by Nirvana. I believe I looked him up based on the lyric and I was probably too young to be into his music. Such a deep dark voice on this album. It's not entirely my type of music but there are songs here that I enjoy and all of the lyrics are deep and sound as thoughtful as a man on his death bed could write. It's just not an album I want to listen to all the time but the background makes it something special.

The Low End Theory

A Tribe Called Quest

5/5

I have a few Tribe albums on vinyl but for some reason I can't remember ever listening to this one. As always Tribe perfectly incorporates the best jazz music and rhythms with their own brand of hip hop. The lyrics are great, the music is great. Great album front to back.

Young Americans

David Bowie

4/5

I remember hearing Young Americans at the end of Dogville by Lars von Trier. It fit so well with the film because it felt like a sharp commentary on American life (much like Dogville itself). Young Americans feels so snarky and feels like it is almost making fun of the black backup singers and the soulful music. I didn't expect to learn that Bowie loved that sound and was basically making an entire album in that style. And then I find out Luther Vandross is one of the backup singers. And the Across the Universe cover actually has John Lennon playing guitar and singing backup. Oh and Lennon helped write Fame and plays on that as well?! Insane. Those three songs are probably my favorites, but while listening I also enjoyed Win and the titular Right. I'm honestly not keen on the soul, R&B sound Bowie was emulating but I definitely understand it's place in music history. It's just not my style. But there are enough songs that either seem snarky to the style or are just bizarre enough for me to enjoy here.

Dirty

Sonic Youth

5/5

I enjoyed this album way more than I thought I would. I'd heard 100% and liked it but I've always found Sonic Youth to be too abrasive for my taste. I like metal. I like Screamo. But Sonic Youth is always heavier than everything. But listening to this album in full gave me a chance to see through the grit. Dirty is real fucking dirty. Kim Gordon sends out the most gutteral screaming grunts. The guitar work is all fucking over the place, but it somehow works. It's like they put a ton of practice into making it sound like they didn't give a fuck. The lyrics are obscure and hard to hear but they are very socially conscious while also being very personal to the band. This album is incredible. There wasn't a single song I didn't want to hear again. And thank you 1001 for finally making me listen to an entire Sonic Youth album and for helping me understand their rightful place in music history.

Queen Of Denmark

John Grant

5/5

How have I never heard of John Grant? I found this album to be incredible! From the first song you can tell John Grant is gay and he has something tortured inside him trying to come out. There is a lot of humor in this album but also a lot of self-deprecation, two of my favorite things but not always combined well to make good music. But thankfully John Grant teamed up with Midlake for this album and the music is as beautiful and interesting as the lyrics. Come to find out I have many more John Grant albums to discover and I plan to one day, but I am thankful this was thrown at me because it was a beautiful little surprise.

Hot Rats

Frank Zappa

4/5

I am ashamed to admit that I have never been able to get into Frank Zappa. I also have never listened to a Frank Zappa album front to back. I was surprised by Hot Rats. I do like jazz and that's what Hot Rats is more than anything. But it's weird jazz because I know how weird Frank Zappa was. But it isn't bad jazz. I'm not sure if it's a right of passage or something that all dads must like Frank Zappa as soon as they become dads. Or maybe Frank Zappa tapped into the insanity that is being a father. I don't know what hot rats are but I liked them.

Lust For Life

Iggy Pop

4/5

Most people don't know that Iggy Pop and David Bowie used to collaborate and David Bowie produced this album and composed Lust for Life. I think because the two went their separate ways for so long people and history kind of forgot these two music giants worked together at one time. That fact only makes this album even better. Lust for Life has unfortunately been overplayed at this point, though. Pop must have sold out because this song makes me think of a car commercial. It's still a great song if you can separate it from that cultural identity. Same with The Passenger, which would make an even better car commercial song and probably did. Again, still great, simple lyrics and all.

We Are Family

Sister Sledge

5/5

I did not expect to enjoy this album as much as I did. We Are Family is iconic, but the rest was unknown to me. The disco vibe is strong, the bass lines are prominent, and it was just generally a fun album to listen to. Disco is so far from what I normally listen to, but I must have been in the right mood for this album!

The New Tango

Astor Piazzolla

4/5

Learned about the Bandoneon reading about Astor. And Burton is a mean vibraphonist. Not entirely my cup of tea but the instrumentation was varied enough to keep my interest. Vibraphones and Bandoneon's are not what I think of when I think of tango music or even jazz, and that's kind of what makes this collaboration and album special.

Woodface

Crowded House

5/5

I am pretty sure Don't Dream It's Over is the only Crowded House song I know and I am glad to have now listened to an album that does not have that song on it! I enjoyed this album. Looking at some of the track titles had me worried this would be overtly religious but it does an ok job at not going that route. There are some very tongue in cheek lyrics here. Reminds me of REM a bit. No idea they were from a land down under. I loved Four Seasons in One Day but was very sad to hear that song was used as a tribute to their drummer and founding member Paul Hester at performances after he killed himself.

Siamese Dream

The Smashing Pumpkins

5/5

Another amazing album by the Pumpkins. I think they got a lot of bad press once and it kind of made everyone think Billy Corgan was an asshole. And he very well might be, but damn he made some cool music. Reading about this album and how Soma has over 40 guitar overdubs, that's insane especially for a song nobody knows. Cherub Rock, Quiet, Disarm, Hummer, Silverfuck, and of course Today and Mayonaise steal the show. They are undeniably catchy and heavy as fuck when they need to be and light and airy when they don't. The loud quiet loud formula is strong here and I'm not mad about it. I saw The Smashing Pumpkins live a couple years ago at a smaller venue outside. It sounded so good and the entire show had so much energy. I was waiting for Billy to lose his shit or something. He seems the type. But it didn't happen and he even at one point brought one of his kids out on stage with ear protection and let him jam out to one of their songs. It really humanized Billy in a whole new way for me. He wasn't just the asshole musician trying to take over his band anymore. He was a dad and successful wrestling league owner. Oh wait. He's still a bit weird but seriously one of the best live shows I've ever seen. James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlin also made this band what it is. Darcy is the Kim Deal of the Pumpkins unfortunately but I am sure she left some influence on the band the same as Kim.

Wish You Were Here

Pink Floyd

5/5

There's No Place Like America Today

Curtis Mayfield

4/5

Dig Me Out

Sleater-Kinney

4/5

I think I need another listen. On the first listen I almost couldn't stand Corin Tucker's voice. But on some songs it's actually catchy? Maybe I just liked the music? I couldn't understand most of the lyrics because the songs are so fast and loud and because Corin is shrieking them. I did actually like some songs but others seemed maybe too abrasive. I'm all for the feminist message, but Corin's voice kind of blew it for me a bit. On the other hand... I find myself wanting to listen again... I see the appeal.

Remain In Light

Talking Heads

5/5

I had only ever heard Once in a Lifetime and who hasn't heard that? But the rest of this album is just if not more amazing than that song. I never realized I would enjoy every song by the Talking Heads and I'm not sure why I have never listened to their entire catalog. I do think sometimes David Byrne's voice and flow can get repetitive. But as evidenced by this album, the other members actually put in a lot of work to keep the music moving in interesting directions. And in reading about this album that seemed to be the case. They were fed up with Byrne running the show and wanted to have more of a full collaborative feeling. I believe they achieved that here. The manual looping of sounds, the African influence, and the foresight that rap was going to hit it big so they should embrace the style to some extent make this album amazing.

Pink Moon

Nick Drake

5/5

Beautiful album. What a gentle but troubled voice. Pure poetry and pure music with only an acoustic guitar and his voice (and a single piano line being the only piece of the music not played by Drake). I want to dive deeper into the lyrics because they do garble a bit. Never realized Pink Moon was about the full moon in April and the depression and lunacy (lunar...) that can come with it. Every year I get another year older in April. Another year closer to death. A terrible way to feel in the spring when the birds are chirping and the flowers are blooming and the rain is falling. Pink moon gonna get ye all...

3 + 3

The Isley Brothers

4/5

We constantly sing Who's That Lady to our dogs (but we change lady to baby). I had no idea this was by the Isley brothers. And I believe my wife and I only know this song from shampoo commercials. It is a good song and aside from that song this album as a whole is pretty good. I can't say I loved their cover of Listen to the Music, but they do a mean Summer Breeze. Some of the songs leaned a little too R&B for me but most are in the funk realm and have great bass lines and grooves. There are also some great guitar solos sprinkled throughout. For an album from 1973 the recording is crystal clear too.

Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs

Marty Robbins

3/5

That was quite a lot of gunslinger ballads. I started very interested and loved the stories but after awhile I felt like there was no way that many characters had 20 notches on their guns. The storytelling was still the most interesting part. The music itself wasn't bad per se but after a few songs it sounded a bit repetitive. The western music genre has had a resurgence of popularity due to its use in popular media, and that's a fine place for it, but I don't think I would sit and listen to this album again.

Cafe Bleu

The Style Council

1/5

Well, there have to be some albums I hate and this is one of them. I think this is my first one star album. Who thought it would be fun to have an album with lounge music mixed with Ska music mixed with jazz and then throw in a song with a fiddle reminiscent of country music and oh wait you aren't confused enough? Here's an awful rap! It's a mess. It's a bloody mess. Some of the jazz is... OK. I especially liked the title of Dropping Bombs on the Whitehouse, but the jazz in that does not match that title very well. All I can say is it's a mess and I didn't like it.

Moon Safari

Air

5/5

I thought Air was a band from the 60s or 70s. I had no idea this album came out in 1998. If you go into this album thinking it came out in the 60s or 70s it will blow your mind because you will think this is one of the most ahead-of-its-time bands! But then you find out the album is from 1998 and you think woah they made it sound like this was an album from the 60s or 70s that sounded like it was from the future but it really was from the future and trying to sound like it was from the past but with a future vibe... Mind blown 🤯

B-52's

The B-52's

5/5

My wife always sings Love Shack and it drives me insane so I was pleasantly surprised to have enjoyed this album so much. The B-52's are nothing short of quirky but the music on this album is actually really good. It sometimes reminded me more of a punk sound like the Dead Kennedys but if they were wearing beehive hairdos. I really was surprised at how much I enjoyed this because Love Shack became so popular and kind of ruined any chance of me listening to their other stuff until now. I'm glad I did.

Moondance

Van Morrison

3/5

I love the song Moondance, but I found the album as a whole a little annoying. I can't quite put my finger on why. I think this one needs a relisten at some point.

One Nation Under A Groove

Funkadelic

5/5

I had Mothership Connection by Parliament and was a bit iffy because it seemed like that album was more of a skit than music. Now I get Funkadelic and I have to say this blows Parliament out of the water. Funkadelic's got the funk. I'm mad this album isn't on Spotify and I had to listen on YouTube and I can't ever randomly hear these songs on Spotify again which is a shame because I actually really liked this entire album. Sorry Parliament, Funkadelic funked me up.

Very

Pet Shop Boys

4/5

Everyone knows West End Girls. But this album did not seem to have the same popularity it had in the UK in the US. I could only vaguely recall hearing some of these or maybe they sounded like other PSB songs. But I did enjoy this album. Heavy subjects laid out in lyrics alongside some of the most danceable music. It just didn't have the same connection some of their more globally popular songs had. Maybe hearing them a second time will solidify them for me.

I’m a Lonesome Fugitive

Merle Haggard

4/5

This is not my typical genre of music but I mostly enjoyed this album. I love how rough the recording is. It has such hazy vocals that sometimes get clipped in the peaks but it gives it this feeling like you're sitting in some hillbilly's kitchen watching him smoke a Marlboro in his Marlboro jacket next to his Marlboro ashtray and Marlboro table. You can smell this album. It smells like cigarettes and desert sand. Not sure why but that was the feeling I got from this album and if an album can transport you to a time and a place it can't be all that bad.

Swordfishtrombones

Tom Waits

4/5

I think I liked Rain Dogs better, but this is still an amazing precursor to that album creating a dark and gloomy atmosphere.

Music From Big Pink

The Band

2/5

I officially hate The Band. I'll give them The Weight just because "Take a load off, Fanny," is kind of funny. Oh and the going rumor is that "Fanny" was a woman who slept with three members of The Band and gave John Belushi his lethal overdose? I no nothing about The Band and am surprised Bob Dylan made the cover artwork and they toured with Dylan before making this album. Still, this music doesn't do it for me. I was driving and it put me to sleep. A little later in the album it picks up a bit and switches from country to a more rock kind of sound - We Can Talk, Chest Fever, and This Wheel's on Fire all piqued my interest, but that's not enough to make me rate this album highly. 2 stars because I didn't hate everything but I hated more than I enjoyed.

Elvis Presley

3/5

There is no denying this album's place in history. Potentially solidifying rock and roll as a musical genre and popularizing it to a level never seen before, this album essentially started it all (well... except that most of it was stolen from music that had already come before...). The hits are the hits and the other songs are slowly fading into history. I can tell. I'm not a huge Elvis fan. I know and like the hits. I ignore most of the ones that didn't make it. This kind of rock and roll is fading fast, but gave birth and evolved into what we have today so it must be recognized. Coincidentally on my Rolling Stones Rock Trivia daily calendar at work this Saturday/Sunday's question was who was the singer that Elvis disliked so much he shot his television (the answer is Robert Goulet...) and then the question for Monday was Elvis gave Richard Nixon what gift while he was president (the answer was a pistol). Elvis has a place in the history of music, but unfortunately I feel him fading quickly. Again, the hits are the hits, the rest kind of bores me at this point.

John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band

John Lennon

3/5

I could definitely feel the therapy John Lennon was undergoing behind this album. "I don't believe in Beatles" is so harsh after The Beatles made Lennon who he was. But I wasn't there to experience all his traumas and it sounds like he had many. Did it make for a good album? Hold On, I Found Out, Working Class Hero, Isolation, and God stood out for me, but the rest was kind of background noise. Maybe more listens are required. Also, I learned the album photograph was taken by the lead ape in the beginning of 2001: A Space Odyssey, which is quite interesting if you think about the album's association with the primal scream therapy...

Hejira

Joni Mitchell

4/5

Not my favorite Joni Mitchell album, but I need to read the lyrics sometime. It's got a weird stream of consciousness thing going on, almost like she's rapping more than singing. Can you imagine Joni Mitchell rapping her lyrics? "Between the forceps and the stone." These songs seemed much moodier than other Joni Mitchell songs I've heard. And apparently she was kicking her cocaine addiction around this time. Apparently she was also sleeping around a lot. Wild woman Joni Mitchell. I'm not sure how to describe the first few songs other than stream of consciousness singing, and they give me major Sun Kil Moon vibes (but now I feel like Joni and Mark Kozelek may have been the same type of person at one time...). Conflicted a bit on this one but I think the lyricism saved it. Need to try it again someday and I'm sure I will. Can't digest Joni all at once.

Rage Against The Machine

5/5

Every song on this album is filled with burning rage just like the band's and album's name. My only minor gripe with this album is that it begins to sound repetitive as a whole, but because every song contains the same energy and little flourishes get sprinkled in, I can still give it 5 stars. I'm not sure I will listen to the album as a whole again, but I liked every song individually because every song has something special and the energy is amazing. We need this kind of energy in politics today. I cringe when people who swing to the right-wing listen to this and think it speaks to them. I cringe because punk rock sometimes confuses these people into thinking this music is for them and then they steal it and it becomes difficult for left-wing liberals to even listen to, but I don't give a fuck. I like it and I understand the message and I will rage against the right-wing machine who is killing in the name and FUCK YOU I WON'T DO WHAT YOU TELL ME. Right-wing fascists fuck off. Rage is for lefties. Rage is for the people, not the people creating the machine. You have no right to rage against the machine if you are supporting it and helping it grow. You have every right to rage against the machine if you are an unwilling participant in the machine, a slave to the man who put you there. I admit I am a straight cisgender white male and thus I am public enemy number one. My kind has destroyed society as we know it. But please understand there are those of us who are on the side of those who have been buried by society and care for and want to fight alongside those who are frequently disenfranchised. Fuck the machine. Destroy the machine. Break down the walls that keep us locked in our cells. Music like this can inspire these emotions in the right people who will use it to try to make our society better and inclusive for everyone.

Wild Is The Wind

Nina Simone

4/5

Four stars for Four Women, which is an amazing song and actually coincidentally makes me think of my wife with some of the names mentioned in the song. She said it made her cry. It is an emotional song and the album on the whole has a lot of emotion behind it. Four Women had the best musical accompaniment. The jazzy sound is slow and moody in most songs. It's not something I think I will revisit as a whole that often, but I appreciated having the chance to listen to it.

Lady Soul

Aretha Franklin

2/5

Chain of Fools and (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman are the two songs that made it from this album. You Make Me Feel has been ruined by commercials. The rest of the album was mostly background noise for me. Nothing really stood out. Aretha's definitely got a voice, but this isn't for me.

Leftism

Leftfield

4/5

Yep, sounds like 90's electronica. But I do love some 90's electronica. I don't know that this fully wowed me and I found it hard to dance to maybe because the beat was often subtle, but I generally enjoyed this and it was not something that I'd ever heard of. For some reason the cover seems familiar. Maybe I've seen it on vinyl at a record shop and had no idea what it was. Glad to have checked it out.

Surfer Rosa

Pixies

5/5

This is debatably my favorite album and it may be my favorite album out of 1001 Albums. When every song is perfect and catchy and stuck in your head for days, that's a perfect album and Surfer Rosa is that album. I heard about The Pixies from Kurt Cobain and liked them as soon as I heard them. Around that time I think they were still disbanded. In college I saw Frank Black on his solo tour with his backup band. It was Halloween and he got locked inside his tour bus but the crowd patiently waited and then he came out with a mask on and played solo acoustic versions of quite a few Pixies songs. The crowd exploded. Frank's solo music is not bad but can't begin to approach the original Pixies. They reunited with Kim for a tour but I think the closest they came to me was Chicago and I couldn't go (that may have been high school). She again left the band and I missed my chance to see the original lineup. I dated a woman and wanted to take her to see the Pixies. We went to the show and things were going well but she walked outside through doors that had no re-entry on them. I left too missing half the show. I get outside and she tells me we should just be friends. And so she ruined the Pixies for me temporarily. But then j realize they are coming to Cleveland in a month and I grab tickets and my best friend and I say "I'm going to see the full show in Cleveland damnit." So we ride to Cleveland listening to the Pixies for most of the ride. And we see the Pixies and they are amazing. Joey Santiago is playing his guitar with a drumstick and frank is having a good time, only getting pissed off here and there but he doesn't throw a tantrum. Great show. I meet another woman and she's the love of my life. And the Pixies return. I have to go. And we get her niece tickets for her birthday along with Head Carrier on vinyl. We go to the show and it's fine. Not as much energy as the last show I had seen but nothing wrong. Anyway, I tell people I've seen the Pixies two and a half times because of the one show I partially missed. And Surfer Rosa is an amazing album. Some of their more recent music has been good but I'm not sure it will stand the test of time like this album and other albums from their original lineup have. Kim Deal was an integral piece of the Pixies puzzle. Paz was spunky and filled in nicely but her politics got her kicked out. I have not seen the new lineup, but I think it's interesting the revolving door of female bassists they've had. And numerous other bands like the Smashing Pumpkins have had issues with male/female band dynamics. All of that to say I love this album and always will.

Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo

MC Solaar

3/5

I'm not sure this one is fully for me. There were a few songs I was able to enjoy without fully knowing the lyrics but rap in a language you aren't fluent in is always difficult. I mean it's my fault for not being fluent in French. Again, some songs were likable without knowing the lyrics but generally it didn't wow me. Maybe one day I will read through the lyrics in English and appreciate it more.

Birth Of The Cool

Miles Davis

3/5

I love Miles Davis, but this album sounds mediocre until you read about it and find out all the planning that must have gone into who would play what when. It was very much a background album for me while driving. Nothing wrong with it except for how standard it sounds. Miles usually wows me, but Birth of The Cool doesn't wow me all that much. It's fine. It's great for background music, but otherwise it sounds pretty standard for jazz.

Electric Warrior

T. Rex

3/5

This didn't really wow me. Everyone knows Bang a Gong (Get It On) but it's another song that has slowly been so overplayed that it no longer excites. I was excited to hear the rest of the album but it too didn't excite me all that much. I did like Cosmic Dancer's bizarre love of dancing and Life's a Gas and Rip Off. The rest just kind of played. Maybe you need to hear the entire album played as much as Bang a Gong to appreciate it. Or would that make you hate it?

Led Zeppelin II

Led Zeppelin

3/5

Too bluesy. They stole too much. Whole Lotta Love is damn catchy though.

The Velvet Underground & Nico

The Velvet Underground

4/5

Oh Nico. Why do you sound like you've smoked a thousand cigarettes and like you're faking your German accent? I like that your Wikipedia page mentions a quote from a music reviewer saying your voice "sounds like a cello getting up in the morning." Highly accurate description. What did Andy Warhol hear in your voice? How the fuck were you friends with Jim Morrison? I guess you get a lot of opportunities when you're a beautiful woman and nobody really cares that you sound like a cheese grater attempting to shred melted Muenster (get it? Cause she's German...and because I wasn't sure if Muenster cheese was actually from Germany and looked it up, now I know it is an American cheese made by German immigrants to be similar to Munster cheese which originated in France). Anyway enough about Nico because she actually isn't featured heavily on this album. She doesn't even ruin the songs she sings. She lends a strangeness to the album and after having heard her songs a few times, one might even start to enjoy them and find comfort in them. Here I go again writing about Nico. Ok, the rest of the album isn't bad. I enjoyed Sunday Morning, I'm Waiting for the Man, the titular Venus in Furs, Heroin, and even the Nico lead I'll be Your Mirror. It's a strange album with strange singers and strange musicians and strange banana pop art that sounds kind of basic but in a good way.

The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators

The 13th Floor Elevators

3/5

I don't believe I've ever heard of The 13th Floor Elevators before this so I went in blind. Obviously, the name of the album and the cover art gave away the psychedelic experience I was about to have (while driving to and from work...). And what a groovy time it was man. Roller Coaster, Splash 1, Don't Fall Down, and You Don't Know were my favorites. I think by the time I got to You Don't Know I started to really hear a strange instrument. It was like a vibration of some kind with a rhythm. Upon looking up the Wikipedia page for the album I saw that one of the band members played an "Electric jug." I needed to know more and honestly the electric jug presence on the internet is very low. But this lead me to Tommy Hall's Wikipedia page where I find out he is now a registered republican and never wants to play the electric jug again. Anyway, the electric jug was cool on one track but by the end of the album I was kind of getting annoyed by it. So no wonder it never took off. We could have had Taylor Swift backed by electric jug. We could have had emo bands of the early 2000's moping over an electric jug sound. But luckily for all of us the Boomers in the 60's decided the electric jug just wasn't meant to become the most popular instrument. Best thing they ever did. Thanks Boomers.

25

Adele

2/5

Fuck me. Please don't make me listen to this. I will give it a shot, but fuck me really? OK, I will admit Hello is a good song. It's catchy. She actually sounds good. She doesn't belt like she wants to be Amy Winehouse. But aside from the very first song, I found the rest boring and not my type of music at all. This album sold tons of copies and people go apeshit over Adele for some reason as if she is Pavarotti or something. But I don't see the hype. I'm gonna go for two stars just because I did get Hello stuck in my head over the weekend, but the rest of the album is narcissistic pandering to the masses.

This Year's Model

Elvis Costello & The Attractions

4/5

With 6 songs I liked I'm giving this 4 stars even though there were 7 other songs that I was indifferent to. My faves include: The Beat, the commercialized Pump It Up, (I Don't Want to Go To) Chelsea, Lip Service, Living in Paradise, and Lipstick Vogue. There's a lot of energy here and even in my driving listen I picked up on the mysogyny talked about by the many reviewers in the Wikipedia article for this album. But then you also learn that The Rolling Stones Aftermath was a major influence on this album and you understand. It's art. It doesn't mean that Elvis Costello wants to be a woman-hater. Anyway, there's a lot of good stuff here and then some other stuff that's just kind of here, but the good stuff is really good stuff hence the 4 stats.

Hail To the Thief

Radiohead

5/5

I used to think Radiohead was too slow and sad for my taste so I shunned them. Then they came to play in my city and I got tickets mostly because there is a lot of hype surrounding them and they do not come here very often. I decided I would listen to their discography before the show. I ended up finding at least something off of every album that I enjoyed. And then I saw them live. My seats were so far from the stage that they looked like ants, but the music and the energy and the lighting all contributed to an amazing experience I will never forget. Sure I didn't see Thom's wonky eye up close but the music sounded amazing and that's what I was there to discover. This album was probably my least favorite of their discography, but I couldn't tell you why. It just didn't excite me as much as the others. But upon listening to it again, I've found myself enjoying almost every song. I need to read the lyrics because old mumble mouth just mumbles right along through this one too, but musically this is a beautiful album. I like the political stance as well even if it does seem out of place for Radiohead. It was definitely the right time to protest what was happening in global politics. Radiohead is a slow burn. One definitely needs multiple listens to digest this music, and I've found those types of bands and albums my favorite.

Life's Too Good

The Sugarcubes

5/5

I admittedly only knew Birthday by The Sugarcubes going into this and I worried it was maybe their only good song. I was so wrong. This album is great. Björk is a very hit or miss artist. You either love her style or hate it. My favorite part of any Björk song is when she growls. The growls pull you out of her pristine vocals and let you know there is a lion inside this woman. I thoroughly enjoyed this album and almost wish Björk had never gone solo because Einar does a great job on vocals too. They seemed to have a good chemistry. Maybe someday they will collaborate musically again.

When I Was Born For The 7th Time

Cornershop

5/5

I had definitely never heard of Cornershop or this album (although maybe I had heard Brimful of Asha somewhere). But I found this album from 1997 refreshing. It sounds like it was made yesterday. The fusion of indie rock with Indian sitar is super unique. I enjoyed this one a lot.

Neon Bible

Arcade Fire

5/5

I thought Funeral was my favorite Arcade Fire album and only remembered liking a few songs from Neon Bible. But listening again I realize the entire album is good. Unfortunately, when I listen to the Arcade Fire now I can't help but think of the accusations made against Win Butler. I guess they ended up not going anywhere, but it does linger in the minds of the fans because he didn't deny it, but merely said it was consensual. There's no way to prove it either way, but when multiple people come forward saying the same thing happened... It is hard not to think it might be true and this person may have done something wrong. And then I have to wonder why bands that I enjoy keep getting accusations made against them? Brand New for example. How can I listen to Brand New without thinking about the accusations against Jesse Lacey. Maybe the shit these artists do makes for good creative fodder which is really fucked up, but I'm just theorizing here. Anyway, I have a hard time separating the artist's personal life from the art they create, but if I really objectively do separate those two things the art does stand up on its own.

1984

Van Halen

4/5

Astral Weeks

Van Morrison

4/5

The Rolling Stones

3/5

Route 66 is famous as hell but I can't say I had really heard the rest. Walking the Dog was fun. I didn't enjoy the majority of this album. R&B isn't my favorite genre and the Stones were in full R&B mode here.

So

Peter Gabriel

4/5

In Your Eyes is an amazing song. I guess I'm a bit lukewarm on the rest of the album. The Kate Bush song is ok (thankfully he couldn't get Dolly Parton like he originally wanted). I do like This Is The Picture with Laurie Anderson. I find the lyrics to Sledgehammer odd. But I do generally enjoy the 80's sound.

Crosby, Stills & Nash

5/5

I remember immediately liking Suite: Judy Blue Eyes upon first hearing it. I can't entirely explain why I liked it. It has a sound that screams hippie to me, especially with all the different sections and instruments and languages. But I had never listened to this album as a whole. Of course Teach Your Children is a beautiful song too, but I discovered some other amazing tracks for the first time. Wooden Ships and Helplessly Hoping are also amazing. CS&N had something and even 55! years later it still resonates with people. They were ahead of their time. What beauty Cuba brings me, The queen of the caribbean Sea, There’s no blood in the sun or sky. Oh, how sad I cannot go. Oh go, oh go, go.

good kid, m.A.A.d city

Kendrick Lamar

5/5

Traffic

3/5

Had no idea Feelin' Alright was by Traffic. I think this is a band that has fallen into obscurity although some of their songs remain in the mainstream. There were some interesting songs on here. The album could generally be described as quirky. What the hell is Shanghai Noodle Factory? Why was it written? Why do I kind of like it even though it's bizarre? I can't say I dug the whole vibe of the album, man, but there were a few songs sprinkled throughout that I enjoyed.

Double Nickels On The Dime

Minutemen

4/5

I have tried for years to get through this entire album. I think this is the closest I've ever come, but Spotify fucked my queue up so binaural sleep music interjected at a certain point towards the end (what? It's good for sleeping!). I think I missed a couple of songs towards the end. I finally understood why they called themselves Minutemen... their songs are only a couple of minutes long. Which is so punk rock. But for this to have come out in 1984 blows my mind. It's very progressive for punk rock. I always forget the Jackass theme song Corona comes from this album. Not every song thrills me, but there are enough cool little snippets to keep me interested. I wish some of the songs were longer but than they'd no longer be the Minutemen, they'd be everyone else and that is not so punk rock. I may not have liked every song, but the influence this album had on punk rock even through today is undeniable.

Let It Bleed

The Rolling Stones

2/5

Please don't let the Stones make another R&B record. I can't stand it. Gimme Shelter and You Can't Always Get What You Want bookend a pile of R&B songs that I almost couldn't stand. I'm not sure what my deal is with that genre of music but it really isn't for me.

Aqualung

Jethro Tull

4/5

The Stone Roses

5/5

I've heard the name The Stone Roses but cannot recall ever listening to them. I guess they were bigger in England than the States. I found this album to sound so progressive for 1989. It sounds like it came out tomorrow. It does not sound like an 80's album (albeit on the cusp of the 90's). It was refreshing to listen to this album and I liked every song, especially Fool's Gold, which almost sounded different than the rest of the album so I'm ashamed to like it best but it seems like one of their most popular songs so I guess I have good taste. There aren't too many songs close to 10 minutes long that I can say I like this much but it is a jam. I would love to listen to this again and dive into the lyrics more as they sometimes get lost in the mix a bit, but even without them I give this 5 stars.

To Pimp A Butterfly

Kendrick Lamar

4/5

I could do without all the skits, but overall a great album.

Behaviour

Pet Shop Boys

3/5

Like most Pet Shop Boys albums, I like a handful of songs a lot but the rest is kind of meh. I think my favorite song off of this album is So Hard. It's a jam. Some of these were too slow and weepy for me though.

Eagles

3/5

Take It Easy and Peaceful Easy Feeling are the hits here. I discovered Train Leaves Here This Morning and Earlybird. Aside from that, this album didn't really do it for me. The hits are the hits but are really a bit overplayed. Not even sure why. It's pretty mellow stuff. Easy listening. There were some electric guitar flourishes I wasn't expecting and enjoyed throughout, but it was a bit dull overall.

Disintegration

The Cure

4/5

A beautiful album that verges on just a bit too weepy, but that is The Cure and that is why we love them.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Beatles

5/5

Is there a better Beatles album? The answer is no. My only gripe with this album is Good Morning Good Morning which sounds like the song they use to wake everyone up in Hell. It's not that bad but it would rank at the bottom of the list of songs on this album for me. Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds would rank at the top. I remember the first time I listened to this all the way through and enjoyed every song. It's quirky, it's endearing, it's psychedelic man, it's Hare Krishna man, it's the pinnacle of Beatles albums.

Bitte Orca

Dirty Projectors

4/5

Such a unique album. I find a few of the songs a bit annoying but the variety of sound here is amazing. I would love to really dove back into this one someday because every time I listen it falls into the background. I find it very math rock at times and meditative but also sometimes a bit too spastic. Overall it is a unique piece of art.

Time Out Of Mind

Bob Dylan

2/5

I "liked" two songs on this album - Love Sick and Can't Wait. The rest of the album is overly long blues songs and it's just boring. Dylan's voice is peak annoying here and the music is forgettable at best.

C'est Chic

CHIC

3/5

Parallel Lines

Blondie

4/5

Are You Experienced

Jimi Hendrix

5/5

Listened to this one on vinyl. What an amazing album. So crunchy. So ahead of the time. Hendrix sure knew how to make the guitar sing.

Among The Living

Anthrax

5/5

I'm not typically a thrash metal fan but this album surprised me! The first song Among the Living had me a bit worried for the rest of the album but it kind of warmed me up for what was to come. I can't say I comprehended all the lyrics, but what I could hear were very progressive, very liberal ideas. It always surprises me for some reason when a metal band has progressive lyrics because I feel like metal at some point became associated with machismo. But more often than not you have these lyrics that nobody can hear or understand and because the music is so fast and loud a certain type of person adopts this as their music. There is a guy I work with who loves System of a Down, Pearl Jam, and Rage Against the Machine. He plays them all day every day and he is clearly a right leaning republican. It kills me. He has no idea. Anyway, I should have never judged Anthrax by their deadly chemical powder name because I surprisingly enjoyed the messages they scream on this and the thrash they exude. For anyone not into thrash, this is maybe the best there is.

Second Toughest In The Infants

Underworld

5/5

At Folsom Prison

Johnny Cash

4/5

Rumours

Fleetwood Mac

5/5

What is this? Never heard of this band before! Never seen this cover with this weird man dangling his balls and some lady majestically dancing around him. Which one is Mac? In all seriousness, this album definitely deserves to be on this list. Hell, I have two copies of this album on vinyl from 1977. And it has stood the test of time by returning to the Billboard charts over 40 years after it was released because some guy on the internet decided to drink some cran-grape while skateboarding to this song. There is something magical about this album. Maybe it is the controversy behind all the relationships in the band or maybe it's just the music itself, but it isn't going anywhere. It has ingrained itself in global society and could be around for the next 100 years or more.

Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea

PJ Harvey

5/5

I never fully got into PJ Harvey so I was happy to have this project force me to listen to an entire album by her. I've heard songs here and there and have generally liked what I heard, but this is a very cohesive album to listen to and at the same time the songs vary enough in sound to keep things interesting. Those are my favorite albums, where one song ends and leaves you excited for the sounds you're about to hear in the next. I never felt bored listening to this and the Thom Yorke duets were surprising as well.

Real Life

Magazine

5/5

I had only ever heard Song from Under the Floorboards from the Left of the Dial box set so I was excited to have a whole Magazine album to listen to. It did not disappoint. Such a unique band with a unique sound especially in 1977/78.

Mama Said Knock You Out

LL Cool J

2/5

Here's my story with this album. My wife gave birth to twins the day after I received this album and I had not finished it. We listened to some of it in the car together the day before and both of us felt like it wasn't that great. I didn't want to abandon it so I tried relistening after my babies were born (in the 3 hours between feeding sessions) but I was so tired I passed out to it. Then I tried again, but damn this is just not that great in my opinion. The lyrics don't have any punch or humor. The beats and loops are boring for the most part. I only liked a few songs and wanted to move on.

G. Love And Special Sauce

G. Love & Special Sauce

5/5

At first I was annoyed this was the album I had for the day my twins were born because it was something I had never heard of and sampling it for a bit made it sound like something I would hate. But then I actually found two seconds out of my first week with the babies and relax to this album. It was actually really weird in the best way. Weird as in unique. I actually appreciated the weird inflections of some of the words being sung (said? Rapped?). I ended up enjoying every song on this album.

Ready To Die

The Notorious B.I.G.

5/5

This album just missed the day my twins were born which would have been amazing considering the album art and the song "Big Poppa." I love Biggie's cadence and rhyme. There is a smooth and crunchy sound to his voice that makes it so good. Some of the lyrics are your stereotypical rap theme (women, money, drugs, murder, cars) but when Biggie raps about these things it feels real. Biggie sounds like a motherfucker you don't wanna mess with. Probably what got him killed unfortunately.

Let's Stay Together

Al Green

3/5

Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

Wu-Tang Clan

4/5

KE*A*H** (Psalm 69)

Ministry

3/5

Jesus Built My Hotrod was one of the first random songs I can remember downloading off of Napster (or Limewire, or Frostwire) back when downloading music was cool. Don't worry, now I pay a company a monthly fee to not pay the artists when I listen to their music. Anyway, I thought I was cool for knowing about Ministry all those years ago, but until now, that was the only song I could reference. I was slightly disappointed listening to this entire album. It is very abrasive but also very droning and repetitive. There seems to be a deep message here but there is also a lack of substance. I felt pretty lukewarm about the album as a whole and was expecting more.

Bandwagonesque

Teenage Fanclub

2/5

This did almost nothing for me. First, I had no idea they were Scottish. Second, how did Spin magazine ever rank this higher than Nirvana's Nevermind in 1991? I could see this having a heavy influence (or being heavily influenced?) by some of the Seattle sounds, but this isn't my cup of that Pennyroyal tea. The vocals are too mellow. The rock doesn't rock me. It just didn't do much for me overall.

Bayou Country

Creedence Clearwater Revival

5/5

Today I learned Creedence Clearwater Revival originated in California and not some Louisiana swamp. They were not Born on a Bayou and they never choogled (which is also made up). Bunch of posers. That being said... I don't care. They made a persona and they pandered to the masses in a way that actually produced some of the greatest hits in rock and roll. Other musicians have done worse for stardom and fame. Everyone has heard Born on a Bayou and Proud Mary. The cover of Good Golly, Miss Molly is interesting and may be more recognizable than Little Richard's original. And then there are the lesser known tracks that I actually enjoyed as well. Creedence may not have been authentic swamp rock, but they can keep on chooglin' in my book.

xx

The xx

4/5

I don't think I could fuck to Intro so I do find it very surprising it is the song on most playlists containing the word Sex. I had not paid much attention to The xx before this. It isn't my normal wheelhouse for music. But I have to say the minimal compositions and lyrics hooked me. I enjoyed most of the album with only a few songs leaving me a bit bored or disinterested. This album goes to show that you don't have to complicate your sound in order for it to be relatable or interesting.

The Idiot

Iggy Pop

5/5

Peggy Suicide

Julian Cope

4/5

Doolittle

Pixies

5/5

One of my favorite albums from one of my favorite bands. It's hard to explain why I love Pixies so much. Kurt Cobain introduced them to me and this album was my initiation. I've seen them 2 and a half times and Frank Black solo once. At the half concert the woman I was with and was trying to date walked out of the no re-entry doors. I debated staying for the show but I liked her and did not want to make her wait outside without me. I get outside and get the old "I think we should just be friends." At the time, my heart was broken. But in retrospect I'm just mad she made me miss the rest of the concert. Less than a month later, they played another city in my state and I drove 3 hours with my best friend to see that show, which I consider my favorite. Joey Santiago was grinding the guitar while flipping drumsticks off the ground. It was amazing. The last time I saw them was to take my niece to her first concert with my wife. It was just not that great for some reason. I think partially because a new album had come out that they were pushing and that had not set in yet with us. Anyway, I don't know what it is about Pixies that I love, but I do. I miss Kim Deal and believe she was essential to the Pixies vibe. Paz was good, but is obviously canceled after her political views came to light. We will see how the newest "Kim" can do. Since I had heard this album many times before and know it by heart I decided I would try to listen to as many of the alternate versions and live versions of all the Doolittle songs as possible. I wanted to hear the original song followed by all the other takes so I put them in a Spotify playlist organized as such. The link is here if anyone would like to try to listen this way. I made it through the first three songs and couldn't take it anymore. There are 5 hours of music in this playlist so good luck! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/29j7msVdE0yRlZOtXzfZ7T?si=Md5TdmjeTr2V0A8d57g0ww

The Köln Concert

Keith Jarrett

4/5

This Is Hardcore

Pulp

3/5

Deja Vu

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

4/5

BEYONCÉ

Beyoncé

2/5

Sound of Silver

LCD Soundsystem

4/5

The Genius Of Ray Charles

Ray Charles

2/5

Tommy

The Who

3/5

Siembra

Willie Colón & Rubén Blades

3/5

Let England Shake

PJ Harvey

4/5

Paul Simon

5/5

Straight Outta Compton

N.W.A.

3/5

L.A. Woman

The Doors

4/5

The Scream

Siouxsie And The Banshees

5/5

Holy shit. Blown away by this album. I know I've heard of Siouxsie and the Banshees but I am not sure I ever listened to them. Honestly probably judged a band by its name and rightly know I made a mistake because this is one of the coolest albums I've ever heard. So angsty and angry and bleeding influence into the bands that followed them. Pleasantly unpleasant. Never ever judge a band by their name because you never know what you're missing until you actually listen.

Live!

Fela Kuti

3/5

Amazing drumming from Ginger Baker. The music was generally a little too upbeat for me and had a lot of horns, but definitely an interesting live set.

Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music

Ray Charles

2/5

Ray just doesn't do much for me unfortunately. Or maybe this style from him doesn't, if he has another style. Glad to have checked it out, but it's not for me.

The White Album

Beatles

4/5

What a bizarre album. Half the songs seem like they're from a subversive kids album and the other half are pretty normal Beatles songs. Definitely seems like the end was nye for the band although some amazing stuff came out of this album.

Something Else By The Kinks

The Kinks

2/5

All Things Must Pass

George Harrison

4/5

Bright Flight

Silver Jews

5/5

Ágætis Byrjun

Sigur Rós

5/5

Such a beautiful album. I recently became a father to twin girls and Svefn-g-englar touched me very deeply. And who can't relate to having been born?! I find it interesting that the initial theme seems to surround being born and being a child but then evolves into self-referential self-pity regarding the unsuccessful first album of Sigur Rós. While I was hoping the album would be more generalizations about growing up from childhood to adulthood, in a weird way that is exactly what it is albeit more difficult to relate to for every person given very few of us have had an unsuccessful album produced in Iceland. Interestingly, the self-referential nature of this album became celebrated and lead to its success. Musically it deserves everything anyone has ever said. There was a time in my life when I could only fall asleep to Riceboy Sleeps by Jónsi and so I assumed Sigur Rós was also a very sleep inducing band. I found Ágaetis Byrjun to maintain my interest with every note and never induce sleep. It's an album that will stick with me for a long time.

Come Away With Me

Norah Jones

1/5

Saccharine lounge drivel vomited out of the daughter of a great sitarist. Only grandmas listen to this while driving very slowly and running red lights in their silver Toyota Camrys. It's listenable, sure, but does it have any substance? I couldn't find a single song I felt I would want to hear again. I know why she didn't come...

461 Ocean Boulevard

Eric Clapton

1/5

Damn anti-vaxxer. Only song I like on this album is the one about the Sheriff. Everything else is as trashy as Clapton.

Odelay

Beck

5/5

The Coral

4/5

Five Leaves Left

Nick Drake

4/5

Bossanova

Pixies

3/5

Ahhh, my least favorite Pixies album. I still love a good chunk of these songs and others I found a new appreciation for on a fresh listen, but, damn, I can't pinpoint what exactly doesn't work with this album. It feels off.

16 Lovers Lane

The Go-Betweens

4/5

I was pretty indifferent to the first seconds of each song but then somehow The Go-Betweens either through repetition or lyricism made me appreciate their sound. I found myself generally liking most of the songs on this album. It's hard to describe the vibe of the album other than with the word melancholy and it kind of pushes you into that mood.

New Forms

Roni Size

4/5

Nothing's Shocking

Jane's Addiction

5/5

If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears

The Mamas & The Papas

2/5

I guess I always assumed all The Mamas and the Papas songs would be as good as California Dreamin' but I had never really listened to much else. Well unfortunately the rest of this album anyway didn't do much for me. But oddly enough for the first time in my life did I accidentally hear "and I pretend to pray" instead of "and I began to pray" and apparently it was originally supposed to be "pretend" but Mama Cass sang the wrong lyric. I'm not sure how I heard "pretend" but it's strange that I did and then read about the lyric switch.

Bat Out Of Hell

Meat Loaf

4/5

I think I groaned when I opened to see this album this day but I give everything a shot. I really only knew Meatloaf's hit I'd Do Anything for Love but I knew his general sound. Very piano based. Strangely semi-romantic but weird lyrics. And this album didn't disappoint there. But I have to say I enjoyed this album overall and some of the songs got stuck in my head. Pleasantly surprised by this one! I'm sure the other album with the hit is also on this list right?!

A Little Deeper

Ms. Dynamite

4/5

I had never heard of Ms. Dynamite before but I honestly didn't hate this album. I enjoyed most of the songs. For being 22 years old at this point, this still sounds fresh to me.

Group Sex

Circle Jerks

5/5

I had seen posts about this being the album with the shortest length on this list and at just over 15 monutes, I have to say it was maybe the only album I will ever have a chance to listen to front to back all the way to work and then again on my way home. I didn't think I would enjoy such a spastic album and it turns out my only gripe is that the songs are so short because there is some really good stuff here! But in true punk rock fashion brevity is key and it shouldn't take too long to get uour message conveyed. They certainly do that here with some great riffs to back up the humorous and yet semi-serious lyrics. I liked it. It definitely didn't overstay it's welcome.

The Holy Bible

Manic Street Preachers

5/5

What an amazing album. I feel like this album got swept under the rug with Kurt's suicide the year prior basically signaling the death of the grunge movement. And to have a depressed guitarist/songwriter who disappeared in 1995 never to have his body found and only declared legally deceased in 2008 makes for an even interesting backstory to this album. I can't believe I hadn't ever listened to this. Such a precursor to post-grunge and emo in the early 2000's. I enjoyed this album beginning to end. I couldn't understand a lot of the lyrics but the music itself carried my interest. I need to read the rest of the lyrics as they seem to all be pretty depressing.

The Wildest!

Louis Prima

4/5

I had no idea Jump, Jive, An' Wail was a cover and honestly the original really is better! I found a lot of the songs humorous and that mixed with the general upbeat intensity of the album made for a fun listen!

Catch A Fire

Bob Marley & The Wailers

3/5

Some good stuff here like Stir It Up and High Tide or Low Tide but it was a little too much of a laid back reggae sound for me. I prefer more upbeat reggae. I'd have to be in a particular mood for this slower stuff.

Pretzel Logic

Steely Dan

4/5

Red Dirt Girl

Emmylou Harris

2/5

Throwing Muses

3/5

I need to go back and listen to this one. With it not being available on Spotify or Amazon Music, I had to listen to it on YouTube which is always an annoying experience. What I listened to was very unique and I definitely think I want to explore it further.

1999

Prince

5/5

I ended up enjoying every song on this album. I had no idea this was from the early 80s. I always thought it came out sometime near the year 2000, but never expected it to have been from 1982! It sounds like an album from the 90's emulating the sound of the 80's! Despite 1999 and Little Red Corvette, the rest of the album maintains the sex and romance and quirk. As I mentioned the sound feels like both a fresh take on the 80's sound while also transcending it despite it's creation before most of the 80's sound really took off. This album must have been a trendsetter for that sound and it is obvious.

Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols

Sex Pistols

4/5

Never listened to this whole album. The first handful of songs didn't do much for me but maybe they warmed me up for the rest of the album because starting with God Save the Queen it gets good. Johnny Rotten's vocal delivery sounds just like a pissed off 21 year old Brit should sound and the rest of the band sound pissed off at their instruments. It verges on being humorous at times despite the underlying anger present - punk rock in a nutshell and maybe one of the earliest instances of this type of sound. Yes, a lot of bands came after this with a similar sound that owe a tremendous debt to the Sex Pistols for paving the way.

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Elton John

4/5

I can't say every song on this album gets me going as much as Candle in the wind, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, and buh-buh-Bennie and the Jets, but on this listen I did discover some of the forgotten tracks that were obviously overshadowed by those hits. Grey Seal is fun and Jamaica Jerk-Off may be the only time Elton John tested the Reggae waters. Not sure what The Ballad of Danny Bailey is about but the tune was good. I can't wait to sing Dirty Little Girl to my twin daughters in the bath. Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting is another one of the hits. Overall a lot of good stuff here with just a few songs that didn't make my cut.

Reign In Blood

Slayer

5/5

Low

David Bowie

3/5

Station To Station

David Bowie

5/5

Bad

Michael Jackson

3/5

Street Life

The Crusaders

3/5

Bongo Rock

Incredible Bongo Band

3/5

Cypress Hill

4/5

Sea Change

Beck

5/5

Abbey Road

Beatles

5/5

Beauty And The Beat

The Go-Go's

4/5

Clube Da Esquina

Milton Nascimento

5/5

Oracular Spectacular

MGMT

4/5

Exodus

Bob Marley & The Wailers

3/5

Bookends

Simon & Garfunkel

4/5

A Grand Don't Come For Free

The Streets

5/5

(Pronounced 'Leh-'Nérd 'Skin-'Nérd)

Lynyrd Skynyrd

3/5

Heartattack And Vine

Tom Waits

3/5

Murmur

R.E.M.

4/5

Sheer Heart Attack

Queen

3/5

American Idiot

Green Day

3/5

A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector

Various Artists

5/5

Paranoid

Black Sabbath

5/5

(What's The Story) Morning Glory

Oasis

3/5

Odessey And Oracle

The Zombies

4/5

Automatic For The People

R.E.M.

4/5

Caetano Veloso

3/5

Slippery When Wet

Bon Jovi

3/5

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme

Simon & Garfunkel

3/5

With The Beatles

Beatles

4/5

The Healer

John Lee Hooker

2/5

Sorry, the blues just ain't my thing. The title track with Santana was pretty interesting and some of the grooves in other songs were good, but I am just not into the blues.

Happy Sad

Tim Buckley

4/5

Fromohio

fIREHOSE

3/5

The ArchAndroid

Janelle Monáe

3/5

My Aim Is True

Elvis Costello

4/5

Zombie

Fela Kuti

4/5

Henry's Dream

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

4/5

School's Out

Alice Cooper

3/5

In A Silent Way

Miles Davis

4/5

The Queen Is Dead

The Smiths

5/5

Fire Of Love

The Gun Club

4/5

Nilsson Schmilsson

Harry Nilsson

4/5

Ocean Rain

Echo And The Bunnymen

4/5

Cosmo's Factory

Creedence Clearwater Revival

4/5

War

U2

4/5

Parachutes

Coldplay

5/5

Odessa

Bee Gees

4/5

Urban Hymns

The Verve

5/5

Red Headed Stranger

Willie Nelson

2/5

Songs For Swingin' Lovers!

Frank Sinatra

3/5

I’ve Got a Tiger By the Tail

Buck Owens

5/5

Medúlla

Björk

3/5

Nowhere

Ride

4/5

MTV Unplugged In New York

Nirvana

5/5

Tres Hombres

ZZ Top

4/5

Nixon

Lambchop

5/5

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Hill

2/5

Sunshine Hit Me

The Bees

4/5

Abraxas

Santana

4/5

Blue Lines

Massive Attack

4/5

Punishing Kiss

Ute Lemper

4/5

This is not an album I think I ever would have listened to without this generator. When I started the first song I worried I was in for a whole album of showtune-esque songs that I would begrudgingly have to sit through. And while I felt most songs did have a show tune aesthetic to them mostly because of Ute Lemper's voice (Ute actually did star in musicals), they are so dark and moody and strange enough for me to disregard that feeling. They also oddly feel as though they are covers of songs the artists featured on them would have already released. The song Nick Cave is featured on sounds like a Nick Cave song. The Elvis Costello song exudes Elvis Costello while being sung by Ute. The Tom Waits song sounds like Tom sung it to Ute first and then she spun it into her own. The music is very well orchestrated and while sometimes also feeling a bit showtune-esque, it comes as no surprise that the backing band was The Divine Comedy who I have not had a chance to dive into their entire discography but based on the one album I know and enjoy (Bang Goes the Knighthood) they too seem to lean heavily into a musical sound without being too annoying about it. I can't stand musicals unless they are dark and bizarre and this album feels like it could have soundtracked one of the darkest most bizarre musicals.

Surf's Up

The Beach Boys

4/5

Such an activist themed album from a surf rock band. I like the one about taking care of your feet.

Slayed?

Slade

3/5

Not entirely my style of rock, but interesting to listen to nonetheless. I liked a few songs here and there but it all kind of blurs together.

Reggatta De Blanc

The Police

5/5

A near perfect album. I only didn't care much for the title track which I find interesting."On any other Day" is maybe the most interesting song by The Police...

Violator

Depeche Mode

5/5

Exile On Main Street

The Rolling Stones

1/5

I was really hoping the song "Turd on the Run" would change my opinion of this album as a whole, but they even managed to fuck that one up for me. I don't know what it means that the only song I liked was "Soul Survivor." I felt it had drifted away from the rest of the stolen R&B sound of the album back into the moodier rock sound that I enjoy from the Stones. Having heard the title Exile on Main Street before, I knew this album was iconic. It just isn't for me. The blues ain't my thing, man.

Axis: Bold As Love

Jimi Hendrix

4/5

All Hope Is Gone

Slipknot

3/5

In Utero

Nirvana

5/5

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan

4/5

Brilliant Corners

Thelonious Monk

4/5

The Fat Of The Land

The Prodigy

5/5

Foo Fighters

5/5

Meat Is Murder

The Smiths

3/5

Not my favorite album by The Smiths. The lyrics are still moody and sexual but they're often paired with a more upbeat sound that creates a bipolar discordance I wasn't enjoying. May need more continuous listens to get the bigger picture.

Fear Of A Black Planet

Public Enemy

3/5

Songs From The Big Chair

Tears For Fears

4/5

Lam Toro

Baaba Maal

4/5

Time (The Revelator)

Gillian Welch

4/5

The Wall

Pink Floyd

4/5

The Man Machine

Kraftwerk

5/5

Le Tigre

5/5

Hunky Dory

David Bowie

4/5

Future Days

Can

5/5

Kind Of Blue

Miles Davis

5/5

Hounds Of Love

Kate Bush

5/5

Sign 'O' The Times

Prince

5/5

Rattus Norvegicus

The Stranglers

5/5

Illinois

Sufjan Stevens

5/5

Licensed To Ill

Beastie Boys

4/5

Live At The Harlem Square Club

Sam Cooke

4/5

Movies

Holger Czukay

5/5

Vento De Maio

Elis Regina

4/5

Truth

Jeff Beck

2/5

I wondered why I hadn't listened to much of the OG Beck. And this is why. Not sure what exactly I didn't like. Too blues rocky. I didn't even really care much for the Shapes of Things revamp (my favorite version is by The Allman Joys mostly because I think I heard their version first). And on top of all that I am not a fan of Rod Stewart and, even though he isn't prominently featured, it's not doing this album any favors. Reading about "Beck's Bolero" makes it sound like it was the first heavy metal song ever written, but I didn't see the appeal.

People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm

A Tribe Called Quest

4/5

Arrival

ABBA

4/5

I think I let out an audible groan the morning I got this album. Who wants to sit through their commute listening to ABBA? And I have to say as I was driving home still listening to this album, I became of fan of ABBA that day. First I never noticed (or paid much attention) to the fact that ABBA is always in all caps until I typed this. Lo and behold, it is an acronym of all the letters of the members first names. It is also a fish canning company in Sweden, but don't worry, they asked permission to use the name first. Anyway, this album by ABBA has all the hits you know and love. Who can deny a straight man a good singalong to "Dancing Queen" and "Fernando?" And what a fun little ditty to be found in "Dum Dum Diddle." I may not be selling it, but this album isn't as terrible as I expected and dare I say I had fun listening to it? Do I want to listen to it again right now? No. But did I find myself pleasantly surprised - yes. Relax a little. Throw on some ABBA (not to be confused with the fish cannery) and let your cares and worries disappear.

Billion Dollar Babies

Alice Cooper

3/5

Meh. I'm starting to think I only like Mr. Cooper's hits. "No More Mr. Nice Guy" is truly the only standout track musically. Lyrically, I appreciate a lot of the subversive themes, but I feel like I'm supposed to laugh at the subversion and I can't find the actual humor. Trust me, I'd be the first to laugh at a song about necrophilia or sexual harassment. It doesn't work that well for me here. Maybe it's a little too subdued for me and I prefer a more in-your-face approach. And maybe that's what this was at the time, but now it feels relatively tame.

Cupid & Psyche 85

Scritti Politti

5/5

I don't think I have ever come across Scritti Politti before and if I had I likely would have immediately written it off as some weird 80's boy band of sorts. And maybe that was my initial feeling but then I found comfort in how it both sounded like it was from the 80s and modern at the same time, how it sounded like it was a boy band but also a band emulating and subverting the sounds of a boy band. At times I found it to be a little funny because it sounded so corny. But that is exactly why I also enjoyed the entire album. It's so cheesy at times it feels like an SNL skit. And there is a weird discordance in the music too. Like something is off. Like it wants to be catchy so bad, but it can't, but the lack of catchiness in itself becomes catchy? I both liked this and laughed at this, but in laughing at it I liked it more.

D.O.A. the Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle

Throbbing Gristle

5/5

I'm not sure if Throbbing Gristle had ever been on my radar as a band I needed to listen to. The name is familiar as is Genesis P-Orridge, but I had only ever heard single songs if anything and never took the time to listen to an entire album. I am glad I finally did. I love music that pushes the boundaries of music. I may also be a bit contrarian when it comes to music sometimes as I get off on music that makes other people upset or hate it and I often despise the mainstream popular music. Don't get me wrong, I like the hits too, but I really like when people hate something so much and I hear it and think "hey, that wasn't that bad!" That is this album. An obvious "fuck you" to anyone who thinks "music" has to have structure and melody. In my opinion, Donald Trump could record an album of his nightly farts during his second presidency and that may completely change my extremely low opinion of him as a president into a very high opinion of him as a trolling avant garde artist who, thank God, was just fucking with us his entire life. "Farting on Melania in My Gold Plated 4-Post Bed in Mar-A-Lago next to a banker's box of sensitive documents @ 3:14 AM 4/16/25" would have to be played at my funeral. I would eat that shit up. One can dream, right? This is all a joke, right? Back to Throbbing Gristle. As others have mentioned, this album evokes a mood. I am not sure exactly what that mood is or was meant to be, but it ain't happy. It's the existential dread of life mixed with life's surreal underbelly. Why are we here? Why do we make and listen to these sounds? Do they have meaning or do they exist as a random assortment of noises that someone took the time to record? And how does one find meaning amid the meaninglessness of it all? Throbbing Gristle knows this isn't Top 40 material. They know it is bottom 40 material, but they are sending it out into the universe to ask us to challenge our perception of what "music" is. To be contrarian in a world of yeasayers. I appreciate that. It gets my blood flowing and melts a little bit of the plaque and microplastics in my brain. Would any of the songs on this album go on a playlist containing my favorite songs that I would want to hear again? Absolutely not. Can you sing along to Hamburger Lady or Hit By a Rock? You can try if you want to. Did this album evoke more emotion from me than Christina Aguilera's Back to Basics? Yes. And what was that elicited emotion exactly? I am not sure, but I felt something listening to this and I am of the thought that feeling something even if it is painful or depressing is much better than feeling nothing at all. So, as you listen to this, ask yourself what it makes you feel. A lot of music is just someone trying to make a buck by trying to make you happy. Throbbing Gristle said fuck that. We will make no money to make you depressed. Your happiness is not our concern, if you want to be happy listen to Van Morrison or Raffi, but if you want to think and feel something completely different, give us a try.

Machine Head

Deep Purple

4/5

Van Halen

3/5

Back to Basics

Christina Aguilera

1/5

I try to find one song from every album that stands out as the reason the album made the list. I have no idea what song that would be on this album. We're any of these hits in 2006? Did music die in 2006? I can't say I'm a fan of Christina but I know her hits and I was disappointed to not recognize having heard any of these songs. It's almost like this album just appeared on Earth today. Anyway, I didn't find anything here worth ever listening to again. Some of the hip hop beats were decent on the first disc, but I can't help feeling like Christina's entire repertoire has existed as a rip off of music created by black artists. C'est la vie though when that has been the case for a very long time. White artists exploit and steal the sounds created by black artists. What if Christina had collabed with Throbbing Gristle? Wouldn't that have been something? And if anyone knows where I can hear a song Christina sang about oral sex which was supposedly drunkenly recorded for this album and titled "Fuck You, Suck You," I would love to hear that so I can add that song to my playlist as the standout track from this album.

Inspiration Information

Shuggie Otis

5/5

Go Girl Crazy

The Dictators

3/5

Led Zeppelin IV

Led Zeppelin

5/5

The World is a Ghetto

War

3/5

Bubble And Scrape

Sebadoh

5/5

São Paulo Confessions

Suba

5/5

Live / Dead

Grateful Dead

4/5

American IV: The Man Comes Around

Johnny Cash

5/5

The Clash

5/5

The Seldom Seen Kid

Elbow

5/5

A Hard Day's Night

Beatles

4/5

Ah the teen pop days of the Beatles. Before the LSD and Hari Krishna meditation. The boring but catchy Beatles that are obsessed with young romance. A Hard Day's Night is a great album, but I do prefer the psychedelic Beatles more. This feels like the standard early 60's earworms they would play at the sock hop. It's fine. Sounds like a car show your dad takes you to when you're 7 and your parents are divorced and he thinks standing around staring at car engines in the heat is fun for you but really you're just listening to the music that is already old as shit anyway. Anybody else get that vibe from this album? No? Just me? Anyway, it's got some real bangers and a few that I can't say I've ever heard or ever care to hear again. After the 5th song about unrequited young love or how much that love makes you happy, the message runs stale. We get it. Thanks for the catchy tune.

Rip It Up

Orange Juice

4/5

It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back

Public Enemy

4/5

Rock 'N Soul

Solomon Burke

3/5

Smile

Brian Wilson

3/5

Tea for the Tillerman

Cat Stevens

5/5

Your Arsenal

Morrissey

4/5

Crime Of The Century

Supertramp

4/5

The Village Green Preservation Society

The Kinks

3/5

Fuzzy

Grant Lee Buffalo

5/5

Untitled (Black Is)

SAULT

4/5

Will The Circle Be Unbroken

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

3/5

It's Blitz!

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

4/5

Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul

Otis Redding

3/5

Figure 8

Elliott Smith

5/5

Entertainment

Gang Of Four

5/5

Pictures At An Exhibition

Emerson, Lake & Palmer

4/5

Appetite For Destruction

Guns N' Roses

4/5

From Elvis In Memphis

Elvis Presley

2/5

Daydream Nation

Sonic Youth

5/5

Searching For The Young Soul Rebels

Dexys Midnight Runners

3/5

Copper Blue

Sugar

4/5

Ramones

5/5

Band On The Run

Paul McCartney and Wings

4/5

Born To Be With You

Dion

3/5

Take Me Apart

Kelela

3/5

S.F. Sorrow

The Pretty Things

5/5

That's The Way Of The World

Earth, Wind & Fire

3/5

London Calling

The Clash

5/5

Highway 61 Revisited

Bob Dylan

4/5

Fulfillingness' First Finale

Stevie Wonder

1/5

Pet Sounds

The Beach Boys

5/5

You've Come a Long Way Baby

Fatboy Slim

5/5

Violent Femmes

5/5

Smash

The Offspring

5/5

High Violet

The National

5/5

Brothers In Arms

Dire Straits

5/5

Be

Common

4/5

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

David Bowie

5/5

Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

Arctic Monkeys

5/5

Beach Samba

Astrud Gilberto

3/5

John Barleycorn Must Die

Traffic

3/5

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

OutKast

4/5

In Rainbows

Radiohead

5/5

The Chronic

Dr. Dre

4/5

Songs From A Room

Leonard Cohen

5/5

Mr. Tambourine Man

The Byrds

2/5

Sunday At The Village Vanguard

Bill Evans Trio

4/5

A Girl Called Dusty

Dusty Springfield

2/5

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Kanye West

5/5

Either Or

Elliott Smith

5/5

Paul's Boutique

Beastie Boys

3/5

Ghosteen

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

5/5

Cloud Nine

The Temptations

1/5

The Yes Album

Yes

4/5

Songs The Lord Taught Us

The Cramps

3/5

Black Sabbath

5/5

Sincere

Mj Cole

4/5

Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

5/5

Marquee Moon

Television

3/5

Here's Little Richard

Little Richard

3/5

Chore of Enchantment

Giant Sand

5/5

James Brown Live At The Apollo

James Brown

1/5

Hot Buttered Soul

Isaac Hayes

1/5

Garbage

5/5

For Your Pleasure

Roxy Music

4/5

Rocks

Aerosmith

3/5

Roxy Music

4/5

Imagine

John Lennon

5/5

I Should Coco

Supergrass

4/5

Frampton Comes Alive

Peter Frampton

2/5

Every Picture Tells A Story

Rod Stewart

2/5

Want One

Rufus Wainwright

3/5

Cheap Thrills

Big Brother & The Holding Company

5/5

On The Beach

Neil Young

5/5

Eli And The Thirteenth Confession

Laura Nyro

1/5

Holy bleh. At points I tried to say to myself that there was merit in her voice, but after awhile it became clear she just sounds like she is belting the same high notes over and over. This was not for me at all. Too showtune-y.

Better Living Through Chemistry

Fatboy Slim

5/5

Alien Lanes

Guided By Voices

4/5

Songs Of Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen

5/5

Green River

Creedence Clearwater Revival

4/5