My 1001 Albums Journey

Album	You	Global	Diff
Ingenue k.d. lang	5	2.94	+2.06
The Dreaming Kate Bush	5	2.96	+2.04
Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle Bill Callahan	5	3.02	+1.98
Exile In Guyville Liz Phair	5	3.02	+1.98
Veckatimest Grizzly Bear	5	3.05	+1.95
Golden Hour Kacey Musgraves	5	3.1	+1.9
The Hour Of Bewilderbeast Badly Drawn Boy	5	3.13	+1.87
Dear Science TV On The Radio	5	3.16	+1.84
The Bones Of What You Believe CHVRCHES	5	3.18	+1.82
Deloused in the Comatorium The Mars Volta	5	3.2	+1.8

Album	You	Global	Diff
At Newport 1960 Muddy Waters	1	3.55	-2.55
Safe As Milk Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band	1	3.01	-2.01
Felt Mountain Goldfrapp	1	3	-2
Physical Graffiti Led Zeppelin	2	3.92	-1.92
Want Two Rufus Wainwright	1	2.84	-1.84
Born In The U.S.A. Bruce Springsteen	2	3.7	-1.7
Blood On The Tracks Bob Dylan	2	3.68	-1.68
L.A. Woman The Doors	2	3.67	-1.67
Bayou Country Creedence Clearwater Revival	2	3.66	-1.66
Live At The Witch Trials The Fall	1	2.64	-1.64

Artist	Albums	Average
Beatles	7	4.86
Radiohead	5	4.4
The Beach Boys	3	4.67
Simon & Garfunkel	2	5
Bob Marley & The Wailers	2	5
Arcade Fire	2	5
Coldplay	2	5
John Lennon	2	5
Pink Floyd	2	5
Kate Bush	2	5
The Smashing Pumpkins	2	5
Stevie Wonder	4	4.25
David Bowie	7	4

Artist	Ratings
The Doors	2, 5
Iggy Pop	5, 2

L.A. Woman

The Doors

2/5

A Night At The Opera

Queen

5/5

Blue Lines

Massive Attack

3/5

Physical Graffiti

Led Zeppelin

2/5

At Newport 1960

Muddy Waters

1/5

I’ve Got a Tiger By the Tail

Buck Owens

2/5

Grace

Jeff Buckley

4/5

Automatic For The People

R.E.M.

4/5

Standout tracks: Drive, Ignoreland, Man on the Moon. Pretty good, would listen to again.

Murmur

R.E.M.

3/5

Standout tracks: Pilgrimage, Perfect Circle (A+ song), Shaking Through. Was an enjoyable listen, and I can respect how bold they were in their style for a debut album. Overall, it was decent, but did not match expectations based on the acclaim this album has received since release.

Let's Get It On

Marvin Gaye

4/5

One thing is clear: Marvin Gaye fucked. “Let’s Get It On” is solid throughout, with Gaye’s vocals shining as the centerpiece. It’s short runtime across 8 tracks is a strength, as every song feels deserving of it place on the album - perhaps with the exception of “Keep Gettin’ It On.”

Born In The U.S.A.

Bruce Springsteen

2/5

Each song on “Born in the U.S.A.” sounds like a Bruce Springsteen song. Personally, I can only take so much of that sound before getting bored. But, there are some solid tracks on this album: “I’m on Fire” “No Surrender” “Bobby Jean” and “Dancing in the Dark.” Would have been a 2.5, but songs like “Glory Days” make it hard to make it a 3.

Graceland

Paul Simon

3/5

Pretty good, really liked “The Boy in the Bubble,” “Crazy Love, Vol II,” and “Gumboots.” Overall, a little hard to get into though because Paul spends a lot of the time singing as if he is rambling - the music itself is often more enjoyable than his vocals. That being said, it was an interesting listen. Wouldn’t hate listening to it again, but wouldn’t choose it over Simon & Garfunkel.

At San Quentin

Johnny Cash

4/5

I didn’t expect to like this as much as I did - I have listened to Cash’s songs here and there, but have never listened to any of his albums. But there was a such a fun and lively energy to this performance that I couldn’t help but smile as I listened. I felt transported to another time and place, and could imagine the scene of Cash playing at San Quentin to a prison crowd. The banter between the inmates and Cash, and the numerous references to the guards that I visualized lining the room, helped create a sense of place that I haven’t experienced before in a live album. “San Quentin” (the song so nice, he played it twice!) was the standout for me. The crowd reaction elevated an otherwise “eh” song to a pretty unique experience. The downside is that some of the songs are not very memorable once they are over. The album is great because of the experience listening to it, and less so for the individual tracks.

Jagged Little Pill

Alanis Morissette

5/5

Yo, what a good fucking album. 5/5

Let's Stay Together

Al Green

3/5

Decent, enjoyable, but ultimately nothing (with the exception of the title track) left a lasting impression.

Van Halen

3/5

Super energetic and upbeat throughout. Great for car jams. Not my favorite style of music, but I can respect the quality of this album within the genre.

Figure 8

Elliott Smith

3/5

On paper, this would be an album I would love and give a 5/5 - I’m a sucker for sad indie singers. But while there were some great tracks (“Son of Sam,” “Everything Means Nothing to Me,” “In the Lost and Found,” “Can’t Make a Sound”) the album is kinda boring overall. Not bad, not great, just kinda is.

The Modern Dance

Pere Ubu

2/5

Totally outrageous. “Modern Dance” and “Street Waves” were good though.

Tapestry

Carole King

5/5

Holy shit!

Hot Rats

Frank Zappa

2/5

Would give it a 1, but “Peaches En Regalia” is a 5/5 track sooo…

Blood On The Tracks

Bob Dylan

2/5

Dust

Screaming Trees

3/5

The Band

2/5

Pretty boring

Foo Fighters

4/5

Night Life

Ray Price

2/5

I liked how the album felt themed, like you could imagine Price playing a late-night set while the audience drinks and mingles. Songs weren’t too memorable, but were pleasant. Would have been a 3 if he didn’t say “honky tonk” so much.

Aladdin Sane

David Bowie

3/5

Pretty good, better on the second listen through.

The White Album

Beatles

5/5

There is not a single album in The Beatles’ discography that comes close to being as audacious, innovative, and inconsistent as The White Album. Is it perfect? Hell no. But it is extremely interesting. Whereas other albums have bad songs that you don’t want to listen to, The White Album has bad songs you can’t help but listen to because they are so varied and out there that to skip them would change the listening experience entirely. In isolation, some of the songs are downright stinkers. But combined, the album shines as the best example of talented artists throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks. That being said, one can only dream of an alternate reality in which The Beatles released a modest, 14 track album in place of the sprawling 30 track double album. Without hyperbole, it would probably have been the best album of all time. Here is my take on that track list: Side A 1. Long, Long, Long 2. Back in the U.S.S.R. 3. Dear Prudence 4. Rocky Raccoon 5. Don’t Pass Me By 6. I’m So Tired 7. Helter Skelter Side B 8. Revolution 1 9. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da 10. Happiness is a Warm Gun 11. Martha My Dear 12. Blackbird 13. While My Guitar Gently Weeps 14. Julia

If I Should Fall From Grace With God

The Pogues

3/5

Pretty darn good

Safe As Milk

Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band

1/5

Logical Progression

LTJ Bukem

1/5

Nope

Cloud Nine

The Temptations

3/5

Pretty good. “Runaway Child, Running Wild” took me by surprise.

Foxbase Alpha

Saint Etienne

3/5

Enjoyable, but not super memorable.

John Barleycorn Must Die

Traffic

2/5

Roxy Music

4/5

Really enjoyed this one. Wasn’t a bad track on the album.

Led Zeppelin III

Led Zeppelin

3/5

Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, Celebration Day, Immigrant Song, and That’s the Way were standouts for me. Other than that, I thought it was good but not something I would revisit.

Bayou Country

Creedence Clearwater Revival

2/5

It was alright

Violator

Depeche Mode

4/5

Birth Of The Cool

Miles Davis

3/5

Fun fact: nothing was cool until this album released in 1957. Thanks, Miles Davis.

Crossing the Red Sea With the Adverts

The Adverts

3/5

Super solid, 3.5

Rubber Soul

Beatles

5/5

My favorite Beatles album. So fucking polished and smooth. A perfect bridge between Beatlemania and the experimental albums that would follow.

On The Beach

Neil Young

5/5

I don’t know if I’ve ever consciously listened to a Neil Young song before, so this was a total surprise. But man, I loved this album.

Melodrama

Lorde

4/5

This albums gives off strong early 20s vibes. That coming-of-age era in which you feel both like an adult and a teenager in an adult suit. Lorde sings passionately about lost love, partying, the invincibility of youth, and self doubt in a way that feels larger than life while also feeling intimate. The music is crafted with precision and polish (perhaps too much polish for my taste), and the lyrics are catchy and impactful (for the most part). Green Light is the standout track - if every song was as brilliant, it would be an easy 5 stars.

There's No Place Like America Today

Curtis Mayfield

2/5

It was ok, but boring. “Love to the People” is good though.

All Hail the Queen

Queen Latifah

3/5

Nice flow, good beats and instrumentation, and Latifah’s smooth voice combine for a pleasant (if a little lengthy) 80s hip hop album. Lyrically is where the album stumbles - I can take some self-referential lyrics, but literally every song contained at least one line containing the word “Queen” or “Latifah,” and almost all songs reference being a female rapper. Not to diminish her accomplishments as a female in a male-dominated genre, but it was hard to relate to the songs as someone who is not a rapper or named Queen Latifah. “Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children” was the best track.

The Queen Is Dead

The Smiths

3/5

Some really great tracks on here (“I Know It’s Over,” “Never Had No One Ever,” “Cemetery Gates,” and “There is a Light That Never Goes Out”), but some of the others were meh (“Vicar in a Tutu” “Frankly, Mr. Shankly”).

The Libertines

3/5

Pretty solid, but ultimately kinda forgettable.

Felt Mountain

Goldfrapp

1/5

Jesus Christ, so boring. The album cover is 100x more interesting than the music. The only tolerable song was “Utopia” but I don’t even want to listen to that again tbh. No joy man, no joy. Fail.

Talking Book

Stevie Wonder

4/5

Great overall, with Superstition being Wonder’s best song of all time (imo). Favorite tracks: Superstition You Are the Sunshine of My Life Maybe Your Baby Tuesday Heartbreak You’ve Got it Bad Girl I Believe (When I Fall in Love it Will Be Forever)

Paranoid

Black Sabbath

5/5

Damn, that was good.

Billion Dollar Babies

Alice Cooper

3/5

Pretty fun, with some misses (what the fuck was “I Love the Dead”??). A little too campy to listen to on a regular basis, but I wouldn’t turn it off if I heard it again.

Slayed?

Slade

2/5

Pretty forgettable

This Year's Model

Elvis Costello & The Attractions

3/5

I really enjoy Costello’s voice, the music is tight, and there isn’t anything majorly wrong with any of the songs. But there also wasn’t much that was distinct within the album. I would find myself surprised that multiple songs had passed and I didn’t realize. The “hits” sounded like every other song. Which again, wasn’t a bad sound, but there wasn’t a single song that stood out that I was eager to listen to again.

Music for the Masses

Depeche Mode

3/5

At Fillmore East

The Allman Brothers Band

2/5

There is no denying this is a group of super talented musicians, and there wasn't anything egregiously bad about any of the songs, but listening to a 18 minute live jam of a song I don’t know is hella fucking boring. Maybe not the best intro to the band, I might have had a more positive experience if I knew some of the tracks ahead of time.

Since I Left You

The Avalanches

5/5

You wanna know how many times I’ve quoted “Frontier Psychiatrist” over the years? I would like to know as well, because it would probably be a crazy (in the coconut) high number.

Let It Bleed

The Rolling Stones

3/5

Not bad, but the only 2 amazing songs were “Gimme Shelter” and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” - the rest were ok but weren’t super interesting.

Kimono My House

Sparks

4/5

Super fun throughout

She's So Unusual

Cyndi Lauper

5/5

Pop perfection. “Time After Time” is a classic. Super strong vocals throughout. Some surprising moments (“Yeah Yeah”).

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme

Simon & Garfunkel

5/5

So good. Every song is great. “Scarborough Fair” gets on my nerves a bit but that’s probably a personal problem since the song is a classic.

A Hard Day's Night

Beatles

5/5

The fact that this album is overshadowed by SO many other Beatles albums is a testament of their genius. This album is back to back bops, and the most straight-forward stylistically of any of their “all original songs” albums. Not to say it isn’t without surprises - the opening of “A Hard Day’s Night” or 1:33 of “Tell Me Why” come to mind - but rather you know from the start you are gonna have a short, lively, and fun rock album and they 100% deliver.

Goodbye And Hello

Tim Buckley

2/5

Pretty boring

Wild Wood

Paul Weller

2/5

If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears

The Mamas & The Papas

3/5

You've Come a Long Way Baby

Fatboy Slim

3/5

Each individual song is great and enjoyable…at first. Unfortunately the album outstays its welcome by at least 20 minutes or so, and there isn’t a single song that was short enough for me to want to play again immediately after it was over. Would listen if it was on, but won’t seek out any songs other than the hits (with “Praise You” being the clear winner here) again.

New Boots And Panties

Ian Dury

2/5

Meh, could’ve died without listening to this.

Wild Is The Wind

Nina Simone

4/5

What a voice! Would definitely listen to again.

Disraeli Gears

Cream

2/5

Some great songs, some terrible songs, but mostly ok.

Throwing Muses

4/5

Super good

Live At The Witch Trials

The Fall

1/5

“Bold and Brash? More like: Belongs in the Trash.”

Ellington at Newport

Duke Ellington

3/5

More Songs About Buildings And Food

Talking Heads

3/5

Killing Joke

3/5

I liked “Requiem” a lot

Dookie

Green Day

5/5

Frampton Comes Alive

Peter Frampton

3/5

Live And Dangerous

Thin Lizzy

3/5

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan

3/5

“Blowin’ in the Wind” and “Don’t Think Twice It’s All Right” save this album for me. Some drums or a piano (or something!) would have gone a long way in elevating Dylan’s poetic lyrics, but there is only so much I can take of his guitar-harmonica style in one sitting.

Green

R.E.M.

4/5

Cypress Hill

3/5

Fun, but dated lyrics keep it from regular listening.

Guero

Beck

3/5

I like Beck a lot, but had a hard time getting into this one. Still solid though. Will probably listen again, but not in a hurry.

Seventeen Seconds

The Cure

2/5

Live At The Harlem Square Club

Sam Cooke

3/5

Pretty solid throughout, lots of energy. The story of the album is more interesting than the music itself, but was enjoyable.

Nilsson Schmilsson

Harry Nilsson

5/5

Loved it - every song was a treat.

The Sounds Of India

Ravi Shankar

2/5

There is no denying the talent and influence of Ravi Shankar. But personally, 50 minutes of this sound was a bit much. And since the tracks are so long I can’t even pinpoint which ones I liked or not even though there were great moments.

Bookends

Simon & Garfunkel

5/5

A goddamn CLASSIC. Best S&G album, in my opinion. “America” is incredible and one of my favorite songs of all time. And damn, I fucking love how they drop the album title in “Old Friends” but not in the 2 (!) songs titled “Bookend Theme.” “Save the Life of My Child” is a fun and unique song for the duo, which is a contrast to the morbid lyrics. And man, man oh man, “Hazy Shade of Winter?” Get the hell outta here, it’s a masterpiece! A+ album.

Rumours

Fleetwood Mac

5/5

*chef’s kiss*

I See You

The xx

4/5

Smooth and consistent throughout. Great for nighttime drives. “On Hold” was one of my top songs of 2017.

Catch A Fire

Bob Marley & The Wailers

5/5

A damn good album, it was nice hearing so many songs that I didn’t know by him. True legend.

Hunting High And Low

a-ha

2/5

Couldn’t get into this one. “Take On Me” is one of the GOATs of 80s synth pop, but the album peaked there for me. Everything following was alright, but I probably won’t listen again.

Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby

Girls Against Boys

3/5

Fly Or Die

N.E.R.D

4/5

Super fun, will definitely listen again.

Songs Of Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen

3/5

Some good songs, mostly snoozy

Kala

M.I.A.

3/5

“Paper Planes” is the clear star of the album. The rest was pretty good.

Blunderbuss

Jack White

4/5

Jazz Samba

Stan Getz

3/5

Very pleasant, I liked how prominent the saxophone and guitar are. The percussion was lively without being overbearing. Would put on again, but I think this is best suited for background music vs. active listening.

Endtroducing.....

DJ Shadow

3/5

Interesting - best suited for inactive listening / playlists.

Eliminator

ZZ Top

2/5

Meh

We Are Family

Sister Sledge

4/5

Heck yeah

Live At The Star Club, Hamburg

Jerry Lee Lewis

3/5

Pretty fun, thankfully short

Green River

Creedence Clearwater Revival

4/5

Some good songs, and liked the twangy guitar. “Lodi” cracked me up.

Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)

The Kinks

3/5

Not bad, but nothing I would go out of my way to listen to all the way through. Added some songs to my giant playlist for variety.

C'est Chic

CHIC

4/5

Musically this album is great - that bass is grooving.

Shake Your Money Maker

The Black Crowes

3/5

Enjoyable, but kinda forgettable

Sweetheart Of The Rodeo

The Byrds

3/5

Twangy af, would’ve been a 4 if it weren’t for the s t r o n g C h r i s t i a n o v e r t o n e s

Phrenology

The Roots

4/5

A complex, interesting, and ambitious hip hop album. Will definitely listen again.

In A Silent Way

Miles Davis

3/5

Good stuff, but can’t see myself listening to it again (except as background music)

School's Out

Alice Cooper

2/5

A couple good songs, but mostly meh

The Stone Roses

5/5

Hell yeah, I’ve never heard these guys before so this was an awesome surprise!

Be

Common

4/5

Very smooth and interesting stuff. “Testify” and “Be (Intro)” really caught my attention, but the album didn’t drag throughout.

Solid Air

John Martyn

2/5

“Can we get Nick Drake?” “We have Nick Drake at home.” Nick Drake at home: Solid Air by John Martyn

Inspiration Information

Shuggie Otis

3/5

Pleasant, some great guitar and bass, but nothing super memorable.

Hot Fuss

The Killers

5/5

2004 was one of the first years of independent music discovery for me. I remember Fuse TV being on whenever my sister (Brandy) had the opportunity, so naturally I saw the music videos for “Mr. Brightside” and “Somebody Told Me” more times than I can count. While 12 year old me was mostly excited that I was old enough to pick up that Brandon Flowers cheekily avoided saying “dick” in “Mr. Brightside,” I could also appreciate the music for being catchy as hell and sounding both retro and modern simultaneously. “Hot Fuss” is an album that is best remembered for its hit singles, and for good reason. The rest of the album is solid, no doubt, but few songs come close to reaching the same heights as “All These Things That I Have Done” or “Smile Like You Mean It.” However, “Jenny Was a Friend of Mine” and “Everything Will Be Alright” are 2 non-single standouts. It isn’t perfect, but it is strong enough to warrant a 5 in my book.

Slippery When Wet

Bon Jovi

3/5

The sing-along hits are fun, the rest is alright.

Parklife

Blur

4/5

Some great stuff here. “Girls and Boys” was one I already knew, but really enjoyed hearing “End of a Century” “Badhead” “To the End” “Jubilee” and “This is a Low” for the first time. Some skippable tracks, but overall really enjoyable.

Smokers Delight

Nightmares On Wax

2/5

It was terrible, but I didn’t find it interesting enough to actively listen to it and I don’t think I would choose to listen to this in the background. Can appreciate the quality, but not for me.

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Wilco

5/5

Incredible from top to bottom. May be one of the best albums of all time.

Myths Of The Near Future

Klaxons

3/5

KE*A*H** (Psalm 69)

Ministry

2/5

It was interesting, I’ll give it that.

Tragic Songs of Life

The Louvin Brothers

1/5

The only tragedy was listening to this album

Out Of The Blue

Electric Light Orchestra

4/5

This album felt like a huge slice of chocolate cake. A lot of flavor, well crafted, and overall really enjoyable. A bit too rich when eating a whole slice at once, though.

Savane

Ali Farka Touré

2/5

Background music only

One Nation Under A Groove

Funkadelic

3/5

Fried ice cream is a reality! Fried ice cream is a reality! Fried ice cream is a reality! AHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOO

Thriller

Michael Jackson

5/5

It can’t be denied: this is a damn good album

The Atomic Mr Basie

Count Basie & His Orchestra

4/5

Heck yea

So Much For The City

The Thrills

3/5

Beach Samba

Astrud Gilberto

3/5

Very pleasant

Blackstar

David Bowie

4/5

It’s hard to separate this album from Bowie’s death 2 days after release - but I guess that was his intention. Musically, this album is a solid 3. But the emotional heft and the inescapable feeling of listening to art from beyond the grave elevate this to a 4.

Exodus

Bob Marley & The Wailers

5/5

A lot of classics on this album, but the lesser known songs elicited just as much head-bobbing. Messages of peace, love, protest, and hope. Timeless.

You Are The Quarry

Morrissey

3/5

Some really good songs, but mostly not very interesting.

Sticky Fingers

The Rolling Stones

5/5

“Wild Horses” is one of the GOATs

The Rising

Bruce Springsteen

2/5

Doesn’t click with me at all. 2001-2003 American patriotism is front and center. Only saving grace is the music is decent, if a little bland.

The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway

Genesis

4/5

I dug it a lot. Tons of genuinely fun and interesting moments. I just wish it wasn’t like 5 hours long.

21

Adele

5/5

The popularity of this album was/is justified - 21 is fantastic from start to finish.

Liquid Swords

GZA

3/5

Who Killed...... The Zutons?

The Zutons

4/5

“Pressure Point” is still my favorite song after first hearing it on a PSP music video UMD almost 20 years ago, but there was a lot to like beyond that.

Blonde On Blonde

Bob Dylan

4/5

I’m not a Dylan fan at all. But this one was pretty good.

Giant Steps

The Boo Radleys

4/5

Right on

Debut

Björk

4/5

Searching For The Young Soul Rebels

Dexys Midnight Runners

3/5

I can see why “Come On Eileen” is their most popular song lol. Pretty good/enjoyable overall, but very little stood out as a must-listen.

Revolver

Beatles

5/5

I’ve heard this album countless times, but one thing to stood out to me this time was how tightly paced all the songs are. The longest song is just over 3 minutes, and the whole thing is wrapped in 35 minutes. Songs like “Eleanor Rigby” and “And Your Bird Can Sing” leave you wanting more and ready to play again. It also feels varied when it comes to lead vocals - all of them have a chance to shine, even if “Yellow Submarine” is one of the goofier Ringo songs. Not my favorite Beatles album, but a damn great one and 100% deserving of its accolades.

3 Feet High and Rising

De La Soul

4/5

Fun, and it sounds like they were having fun too.

Tea for the Tillerman

Cat Stevens

5/5

Tommy

The Who

5/5

Celebrity Skin

Hole

3/5

With The Beatles

Beatles

4/5

Still miles ahead of most bands (especially at the time), but not one of their stronger albums when viewed objectively. The hits really hit, and the rest is still great, but it is one of the lower Beatles albums in my book.

Getz/Gilberto

Stan Getz

4/5

Very nice

Parallel Lines

Blondie

5/5

Every song hits, the vocals are strong and varied, and “Heart of Glass” is a classic.

I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight

Richard Thompson

3/5

Some good songs, but mostly good for a one-time listen.

Doolittle

Pixies

4/5

Hella quirky one second, completely manic the next. And then there’s stuff like “Here Comes Your Man” which is just *chef’s kiss* Good stuff, I like it.

Mask

Bauhaus

2/5

Some of it was good, but overall not very enthused.

Third/Sister Lovers

Big Star

3/5

It was alright, and some of it was pretty surprising (“Blue Moon” was a standout for me), but not anything I would listen to in entirety again.

American Pie

Don McLean

4/5

The title track is the clear star, but I really liked “Crossroads” and never knew that he was the original songwriter of “Vincent” (both NOFX and Josh Groban have great covers). His lyrical style makes the album feel like a collection of short stories. Really interesting stuff.

Stardust

Willie Nelson

3/5

I got Stardust for free at my local record shop (shout out to Tigers & Daggers Records in Merced, CA!) a few years back, but haven’t listened until today. Pleasant and inoffensive throughout. Lots of great classics here. Hard to give it more than a 3, because… 1. All of the songs are covers. Which would be fine, except… 2. I wouldn’t consider any of these covers to be the definitive versions. It doesn’t feel like an album that is necessary to revisit. But enjoyable, nonetheless.

Idlewild

Everything But The Girl

3/5

Very soft, not great, but not terrible

The Only Ones

4/5

I liked this one a lot!

Eagles

3/5

https://youtu.be/-JlmvtAHhnc?si=Iu1PJW8V1mtYzYc0

Vento De Maio

Elis Regina

4/5

This one was a nice surprise!

Horses

Patti Smith

4/5

A Northern Soul

The Verve

3/5

Get Behind Me Satan

The White Stripes

4/5

G. Love And Special Sauce

G. Love & Special Sauce

2/5

Eh

Electric Prunes

The Electric Prunes

3/5

Not bad, not great

Ready To Die

The Notorious B.I.G.

3/5

Nice beats, and I have a soft spot for Biggie’s flow and voice. Album could have been 20 minutes shorter, and lyrically some of the stuff doesn’t hold up. But it wasn’t terrible.

Kollaps

Einstürzende Neubauten

1/5

Excuse me, what the fuck? It is laughable that the author of the book heard this album and was like “Everyone needs to hear this!”

Neon Bible

Arcade Fire

5/5

A goddamn classic. 2004-2011 indie is unparalleled IMO, and Arcade Fire is such an important part of that era. Neon Bible seems to get overshadowed by Funeral and The Suburbs, but it holds up as an equal. I could listen to this start to finish any day.

Hunky Dory

David Bowie

5/5

Is there life on Mars…?

Me Against The World

2Pac

3/5

Enjoyable, but about halfway through it was just sounding very same-y. Wouldn’t skip a song on shuffle, but won’t listen to the whole album again.

Bone Machine

Tom Waits

4/5

Hot take: this shit was interesting as hell. It just sounds so maniacal. I have a hard time saying it was enjoyable in a traditional sense, and I didn’t like all of it, but I was eager to hear what strange music would come next. It was a unique and unexpected experience.

Parachutes

Coldplay

5/5

Emergency On Planet Earth

Jamiroquai

3/5

Enjoyable, but all the songs mesh together. Would listen again in the background, for sure.

Come Away With Me

Norah Jones

4/5

Really good. This album could do with a bit more of the variety featured in later albums (“Little Broken Hearts” is my favorite of hers), but there isn’t a bad track.

John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band

John Lennon

5/5

Best solo John Lennon album in my book. I’d even say better than some (emphasis on some) Beatles albums.

Metallica

4/5

1984

Van Halen

3/5

Great guitar, but had trouble getting into it as much as I wanted to.

Deloused in the Comatorium

The Mars Volta

5/5

Hell yeah

Kind Of Blue

Miles Davis

5/5

So good. I might be biased, but there is no finer jazz album IMO.

The World is a Ghetto

War

3/5

It was alright

Red Headed Stranger

Willie Nelson

3/5

This is definitely the type of country music I like, but no standouts to return to IMO.

Machine Gun Etiquette

The Damned

4/5

Solid as heck, man

Rust Never Sleeps

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

4/5

They Were Wrong, So We Drowned

Liars

1/5

:(

Pretenders

3/5

Pretty good, I recognized “Brass in Pocket” from the movie “Lost in Translation”, so it got some points for that. But overall I wanted to enjoy it more than I did.

What's Going On

Marvin Gaye

4/5

Some really high highs, some pretty “eh” lows, but overall pretty darn good. Gaye has an amazing voice.

Bad Company

3/5

Life Thru A Lens

Robbie Williams

4/5

Enjoyed this more than I expected

Rain Dogs

Tom Waits

4/5

Man, Tom Waits is just so damn interesting. Definitely not a singles album, and I can’t imagine turning this on around anyone else…but there is something so manic and strange about his style that really draws me in and made the 54 minutes fly by.

Exile On Main Street

The Rolling Stones

4/5

Probably the most fun Rolling Stones album I’ve heard to date. Didn’t need to be a double album though, I feel like a tighter runtime would’ve made this a 5.

Veckatimest

Grizzly Bear

5/5

This album makes me want to put on a slouchy beanie, grab an oat milk dirty chai, and hit up my local thrift store while complaining about how I liked Portugal. The Man before “Feel It Still” got big. In other words, this shit is chicken soup for my aging hipster soul and I love it.

Close To The Edge

Yes

4/5

Super enjoyable, love the vocals

In Rainbows

Radiohead

5/5

Perfect

The College Dropout

Kanye West

4/5

Kanye West 👎 The College Dropout 👍

I’m a Lonesome Fugitive

Merle Haggard

3/5

T w a n g

Music From Big Pink

The Band

3/5

Not bad, but I liked the cover more than the music

Doggystyle

Snoop Dogg

3/5

Love Snoop’s flow, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to.

Dub Housing

Pere Ubu

2/5

🙂‍↔️

Bluesbreakers

John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers

3/5

Pretty good

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

David Bowie

5/5

Best Bowie

Tellin’ Stories

The Charlatans

2/5

Kinda bland IMO

Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols

Sex Pistols

3/5

Actually

Pet Shop Boys

3/5

I really liked “It’s a Sin”, but otherwise pretty generic

Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea

PJ Harvey

4/5

Right on

Funeral

Arcade Fire

5/5

One of the best and most influential indie albums of the 21st century. Like, damn. There are so many goosebump moments throughout. 6/5

Street Life

The Crusaders

3/5

Not bad, not great, not anything I’m going to listen to again. I can respect the craft though.

Blur

4/5

Pretty darn good, but loses steam in the second half

Fever Ray

4/5

I dig it!

Pornography

The Cure

3/5

Sulk

The Associates

2/5

Yikes no thank you

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Kanye West

5/5

Kanye West: 👎 My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy: 👍👍

Lost In The Dream

The War On Drugs

5/5

Such a great album!

Zombie

Fela Kuti

3/5

Good, but likely won’t listen to it again

If You're Feeling Sinister

Belle & Sebastian

4/5

At Budokan

Cheap Trick

2/5

No thanks

The Joshua Tree

U2

4/5

U2 really did a disservice to themselves by arranging the track list the way they did. The first 16 minutes of this album are literally perfect. The rest of the album is really great. But I felt like I was waiting for there to be another song that matched the high of the first 3 tracks, but it never came. Still really enjoyable, for sure.

The Wildest!

Louis Prima

4/5

Pyromania

Def Leppard

3/5

Fun, but not my taste so probably won’t listen again.

Midnight Ride

Paul Revere & The Raiders

4/5

Good fun!

The Cars

4/5

Phaedra

Tangerine Dream

2/5

Would’ve liked it better as a video game soundtrack or something…kinda boring to listen to by itself, but would have been cool as background music

Bongo Rock

Incredible Bongo Band

4/5

Enjoyable throughout

Hybrid Theory

Linkin Park

5/5

Ton of memories with this one

Purple Rain

Prince

4/5

I Am a Bird Now

Antony and the Johnsons

3/5

I also hope there will be someone to take care of me when I die

Good Old Boys

Randy Newman

2/5

Couldn’t get into it. Couldn’t stop thinking of Toy Story and that one joke in Family Guy: https://youtu.be/bPagzl4EQ4Q?si=JQwt_7Enlnuyk1c5

Blood Sugar Sex Magik

Red Hot Chili Peppers

4/5

Sounds like a RHCP album! Good stuff, would be a 5 if they cut it down by like 25 minutes.

Stankonia

OutKast

5/5

I Against I

Bad Brains

3/5

Unhalfbricking

Fairport Convention

4/5

I kinda dig this shit

Young Americans

David Bowie

3/5

Didn’t really capture my attention, and Across the Universe was just bad. Overall pleasant, but not my favorite by Bowie.

In Our Heads

Hot Chip

4/5

Shalimar

Rahul Dev Burman

3/5

Surprising! Can’t see myself listening on repeat but it was an enjoyable ride

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Hill

4/5

Smooth as heck. Could’ve done without all the talking.

Broken English

Marianne Faithfull

3/5

The way she sings the word “guilt” is really annoying. Otherwise wasn’t too bad

Wish You Were Here

Pink Floyd

5/5

Raw Power

The Stooges

4/5

Shit’s on fire, yo

D

White Denim

4/5

Countdown To Ecstasy

Steely Dan

4/5

https://youtu.be/mAcUPTWvjJQ?si=n1TVh0ClrzO3yp39 (Pretty good stuff though)

MTV Unplugged In New York

Nirvana

4/5

A good example of what a live album should be - an experience distinct from the studio albums, as opposed to an extension. Could’ve benefited from fewer cover songs, though “The Man Who Sold the World” was fantastic.

Sheet Music

10cc

4/5

Just the right amount of whimsy and eclectic style to fuck my shit up.

Kick Out The Jams (Live)

MC5

2/5

This album could have been an email

The Dark Side Of The Moon

Pink Floyd

5/5

Classic and timeless album

KIWANUKA

Michael Kiwanuka

4/5

Ingenue

k.d. lang

5/5

Brothers In Arms

Dire Straits

3/5

I really liked Walk of Life and Why Worry, but otherwise was OK and didn’t do too much for me.

Brothers

The Black Keys

5/5

Crosby, Stills & Nash

4/5

Low-Life

New Order

4/5

The Grand Tour

George Jones

2/5

I liked the title track and “The Weatherman,” but otherwise pretty bland.

Garbage

4/5

Lust For Life

Iggy Pop

5/5

Iggy Pop was an artist I knew about, but never listened to. This album was awesome.

Halcyon Digest

Deerhunter

4/5

Heartbreaker

Ryan Adams

4/5

Started out really strong, and I was like “Yeah!” But got a bit bored in the middle and I was like “Oh…” But by the end I was like “🌝”

Bert Jansch

3/5

On one hand, kinda boring. But also pleasant in a very minimalistic sort of way.

The Velvet Underground & Nico

The Velvet Underground

5/5

It’s crazy how there are moments that sound so modern, even 50+ years later. Hooked from “Sunday Morning.”

Highly Evolved

The Vines

3/5

Good, but a bit boring

Floodland

Sisters Of Mercy

3/5

Hmmm…I guess. But probably won’t listen again.

Brilliant Corners

Thelonious Monk

3/5

Pretty standard jazz

Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs

Marty Robbins

3/5

Kinda fun in the same way that watching movies from that era is kinda fun, but not anything I would play on repeat.

Alien Lanes

Guided By Voices

4/5

This was super cool. Love the short songs - not everything was good though, some songs were downright off-putting.

Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

The Flaming Lips

5/5

Hell yeah. My kids hate this album.

(What's The Story) Morning Glory

Oasis

5/5

This album’s electric (can I be electric too…?)

We're Only In It For The Money

The Mothers Of Invention

1/5

So fucking obnoxious.

Marquee Moon

Television

4/5

I dig it

Nevermind

Nirvana

4/5

The beginning and ending of this album are truly amazing, but if I’m being honest it drags in the middle.

Brutal Youth

Elvis Costello

4/5

Rage Against The Machine

4/5

🔥🧘‍♂️🔥

Ramones

3/5

But the whole album sounds like 1 song. A good song, for sure, but just not enough variety for me to want to listen to it as an album.

The Bends

Radiohead

5/5

Second favorite Radiohead album, so good. Probably the best example of a band shaking one-hit-wonder status while simultaneously avoiding the sophomore slump.

Tarkus

Emerson, Lake & Palmer

3/5

Not bad. Second half was better IMO. Album cover was arguably the best part.

Heaux Tales

Jazmine Sullivan

2/5

Meh, aside from “Lost One”

New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84)

Simple Minds

3/5

https://youtu.be/TjFNdxmewKo?si=Ccfb0FmUdW2j1utx

Shadowland

k.d. lang

4/5

Silky smooth, the best kind of country. A bit too hokey at parts though.

Pretzel Logic

Steely Dan

3/5

Not bad

Crime Of The Century

Supertramp

4/5

Pretty darn good

Sister

Sonic Youth

3/5

Pretty good, but didn’t catch me enough for future listens

The Bones Of What You Believe

CHVRCHES

5/5

I heard this album at a pivotal time in my life, so it’ll always be special to me. Nostalgia aside, it is such an amazing album.

Meat Is Murder

The Smiths

4/5

Every song on this album was new to me, and I really enjoyed it from start to finish. Surprisingly liked it more than “The Queen is Dead”

Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water

Limp Bizkit

2/5

MRW looking at the cover art: https://youtu.be/wLg04uu2j2o?si=6GA_ShOtlMfaGa2Y Sounds like something a 10 year old would write. I don’t know why this album was included from an objective standpoint. It is only spared from a 1 rating since little Sean thought they were badass because they said bad words, and it does have a late 90s/very early 00s “in your face IDGAF to the EXTREEEME” feel to it that I have a nostalgic soft spot for.

Appetite For Destruction

Guns N' Roses

3/5

Guns N’ Roses are obviously talented, but this just didn’t do too much for me outside of “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Sweet Child O’ Mine”.

Black Holes and Revelations

Muse

5/5

One of the few CDs still in my car. So good!

Now I Got Worry

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion

3/5

It was interesting. A lot of energy. Pretty fun overall but the individual tracks were not super memorable.

Gentlemen

The Afghan Whigs

4/5

Hell yeah

Maverick A Strike

Finley Quaye

2/5

Not awful, just boring.

Pearl

Janis Joplin

5/5

Damn!!

Faith

George Michael

3/5

Great voice, but didn’t click with me beyond being a pleasant listen.

Ace of Spades

Motörhead

2/5

The title track brought back good memories of playing Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3. Other than that, I wasn’t into it.

British Steel

Judas Priest

4/5

I was surprised at how much I was jamming to this.

good kid, m.A.A.d city

Kendrick Lamar

5/5

Incredible

A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector

Various Artists

5/5

Great Christmas album. But also a great album period. I tried to shed my lifetime of experience with these classics while listening, so I could better assess the album. I can confidently say that this album would be a masterpiece if these were the only renditions that existed. Pure, sugary, rocking, fun, happy, and overall enjoyable. 5/5 holiday album, 4.5 album overall. Didn’t know about Phil Spector murdering that actress though, so reading about this on Wikipedia went from festive to dark real quick.

Tres Hombres

ZZ Top

3/5

Fulfillingness' First Finale

Stevie Wonder

4/5

Musically great, lyrically cheesy at times

OK Computer

Radiohead

5/5

It is not uncommon to see this album listed as one of the best albums of all time - and for good reason.

The Pleasure Principle

Gary Numan

2/5

Pretty lame Milhouse

A Love Supreme

John Coltrane

4/5

Those drums!!

Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus

Spirit

3/5

Not bad, but not very interesting

Before And After Science

Brian Eno

3/5

It was alright, 2.8

Darkness on the Edge of Town

Bruce Springsteen

2/5

Not for me

Talking Heads 77

Talking Heads

5/5

This shit slaps

Coles Corner

Richard Hawley

4/5

Super smooth, great voice

Peter Gabriel

4/5

Some real good stuff!

Illmatic

Nas

4/5

Life’s a bitch, and then you die…that’s why we get high! (cause you never know when you’re gonna go…)

Nebraska

Bruce Springsteen

3/5

Good, if a little bland. Favorite Springsteen album so far though, pleasant surprise.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Beatles

5/5

This is some serious gourmet shit

Hounds Of Love

Kate Bush

5/5

What a cool fucking album!

Innervisions

Stevie Wonder

5/5

Favorite album by Wonder so far!

...And Justice For All

Metallica

2/5

Didn’t enjoy it much beyond “One” and “To Live is to Die”

Lady Soul

Aretha Franklin

4/5

A classic voice for sure! The hits are the stars here. The rest is really good too, but don’t stand out next to heavy hitters like “Chain of Fools.”

Led Zeppelin

4/5

Best Zeppelin yet!

Green Onions

Booker T. & The MG's

5/5

I could listen to this all day!

Psychocandy

The Jesus And Mary Chain

4/5

I listened to this on a car stereo first, and was a bit underwhelmed. I listened again with headphones and it was a different experience. I prefer the sound they have on “Just Like Honey” and “Sowing Seeds” over songs like “In a Hole” but it was good stuff overall.

Remain In Light

Talking Heads

4/5

Buenas Noches From A Lonely Room

Dwight Yoakam

2/5

Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh some of the music was ok

Take Me Apart

Kelela

3/5

Good, but not enough variety to justify the runtime.

Superunknown

Soundgarden

4/5

One of the better/best grunge albums I’ve heard. Could’ve been a 5 if it cut like 20-30 minutes off the runtime.

Ocean Rain

Echo And The Bunnymen

3/5

Pretty good

Suzanne Vega

3/5

Some of it was really good, but a bit inconsistent

Imagine

John Lennon

5/5

Classic!

Court And Spark

Joni Mitchell

5/5

Hadn’t heard this one, definitely adding to the rotation!

Licensed To Ill

Beastie Boys

5/5

The great thing about this album (and BB in general) is how low stakes everything is. No emotional heft AT ALL, just a few lads fucking around and doing it exceptionally well. And the album is short enough that the shtick doesn’t wear out it’s welcome. RIP MCA

Either Or

Elliott Smith

5/5

Now this is some fine shit

Cee-Lo Green... Is The Soul Machine

Cee Lo Green

4/5

Smooth as Cee-Lo’s bald head, with some misses

Synchronicity

The Police

4/5

Pretty good!

All Mod Cons

The Jam

5/5

Damn! Great fun

Led Zeppelin IV

Led Zeppelin

5/5

Yes

Here Are the Sonics

The Sonics

3/5

It was cool listening to it as a precursor to bands like The White Stripes or The Black Keys, but the inferior cover songs (“Do You Love Me,” “Roll Over Beethoven,” “Money,” etc.) distracted from their style.

Songs In The Key Of Life

Stevie Wonder

4/5

Some great stuff…but it didn’t have to be nearly 2 hours long…

Very

Pet Shop Boys

4/5

Yesss very good very good

All Things Must Pass

George Harrison

5/5

Obvious 5, a feast of George’s talent. To be honest though…could’ve been a bit shorter…but that’s just preference.

Coat Of Many Colors

Dolly Parton

4/5

Really good, I can see why Dolly Parton is such a big name in country!

Nowhere

Ride

4/5

This was pretty damn good, I really liked “Dreams Burn Down”

A Rush Of Blood To The Head

Coldplay

5/5

So good

At Folsom Prison

Johnny Cash

5/5

Even better than the San Quentin live album!

Dance Mania

Tito Puente

3/5

Great vibes, but all the songs blurred together for me.

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Elton John

5/5

Really great stuff, but a bit bloated. There’s a solidly 5/5 album in there, but I’d give it a 4.7.

Low

David Bowie

4/5

Vibe

Led Zeppelin II

Led Zeppelin

4/5

Dang! Great stuff

25

Adele

4/5

Not as good as 21 IMO, but still miles ahead of her contemporaries

The Who Sell Out

The Who

3/5

Not bad, but I don’t think I’ll be revisiting it very often

My Generation

The Who

4/5

Pretty good. Peaks with “My Generation” and kinda fizzled by the end though

The ArchAndroid

Janelle Monáe

5/5

Damn, now THIS is an album I’m glad I heard before I died.

Paul Simon

3/5

Pretty good, but a bit underwhelming

Truth And Soul

Fishbone

4/5

Fun as heck

Five Leaves Left

Nick Drake

4/5

Lovely

Born To Run

Bruce Springsteen

4/5

Not a Springsteen fan, but this one was really good.

Teen Dream

Beach House

5/5

Love Beach House

1989

Taylor Swift

4/5

When 1989 came out, I wanted to hate it. I remember when Taylor’s first album came out. Back when she was a teenager (so was I). Back when she was country. I was all like, “I hate country. I hate Taylor Swift.” I felt the same about the other 3 albums. But then 1989 came out. I was ready to be like “I hate country. I hate Taylor Swift.” But then I heard “Shake It Off” for the first time, and I was like 😡…🎷🌝 It’s not a perfect album, but the great songs are great and the hits hit hard. Pretty fun overall. But it’s not as good as Folklore.

Cosmo's Factory

Creedence Clearwater Revival

3/5

https://youtu.be/FpN4Lkp2Wb4

Shaft

Isaac Hayes

3/5

It was fine, but listening once was enough

Abbey Road

Beatles

5/5

The best swan song of all time from the best band of all time.

Dig Your Own Hole

The Chemical Brothers

3/5

Enjoyable, but aside from a few tracks it is best suited for the background

xx

The xx

5/5

Love this album

Elephant

The White Stripes

5/5

🎸🧍‍♂️🥁🧍‍♀️

Your New Favourite Band

The Hives

2/5

The album did not deliver on the title’s promise. Not awful, but instantly forgettable.

Station To Station

David Bowie

4/5

Good stuff

Californication

Red Hot Chili Peppers

4/5

Probably my favorite RHCP album. First half is amazing, but loses steam halfway through. As always, if they had cut the runtime down by like 15-20 minutes it would’ve been a 5.

Wonderful Rainbow

Lightning Bolt

1/5

I beg your pardon? What the fuck was that?

Hms Fable

Shack

4/5

Really good, solid Britpop. Like a bowl of mashed potatoes. Could’ve used a bit more seasoning and it would’ve been a 5. 🥔🥔🥔🥔 / 🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔

Siamese Dream

The Smashing Pumpkins

5/5

Yes

Don't Come Home A Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind)

Loretta Lynn

3/5

A pretty standard classic country album, with warmth and melancholy in equal measure. Didn’t stand out much though.

Smash

The Offspring

5/5

I’ve always like The Offspring, but this was my first time listening to Smash from start to finish. Pretty damn great! The vocals are what elevates them IMO.

Back To Black

Amy Winehouse

5/5

What an incredible voice, gone too soon

Golden Hour

Kacey Musgraves

5/5

A strong contender for my favorite country album (which is admittedly a small pool) - I love that almost every song contains a moment that genuinely surprised me when I first heard it.

Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space

Spiritualized

3/5

Histoire De Melody Nelson

Serge Gainsbourg

3/5

Musically it was interesting, but I had a hard time not focusing on the rapey storyline. I wish I had listened to it without knowing, probably would have enjoyed it a lot more.

Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul

Otis Redding

4/5

Great, but not a 5 since the album is almost all covers, and I wouldn’t say Reddings renditions are the definitive versions. Hell, even his own composition (“Respect”) is better sung by Aretha. But, still great and worth a listen.

The Hissing Of Summer Lawns

Joni Mitchell

4/5

Really interesting and different from the other Joni Mitchell albums I’ve heard!

More Specials

The Specials

2/5

Meh

American Beauty

Grateful Dead

4/5

🌹

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

3/5

“American Girl” is a 5/5, the rest didn’t live up unfortunately

Smile

Brian Wilson

4/5

Bold and creative - a bit dampened by having heard “The Smile Sessions” first, but still a fantastic album with an interesting history.

In Utero

Nirvana

3/5

Some songs were great, don’t get me wrong, but I just didn’t see the appeal for a majority of it.

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

3/5

Now Neil, why would you go and shoot your baby down by the river?? What were you thinking??

The Dreaming

Kate Bush

5/5

Kate Bush is so cool!! This album sounds way ahead of its time.

Group Sex

Circle Jerks

4/5

Brings back memories

Private Dancer

Tina Turner

3/5

No expectations going in, but was surprised at how good some of the songs were. Probably wouldn’t listen again though.

The Doors

5/5

Really great, though admittedly it drags at the end…heh heh

Chemtrails Over The Country Club

Lana Del Rey

4/5

A bit one-note…but I’m a sucker for this kind of boring music I guess

Moondance

Van Morrison

5/5

“And It Stoned Me” and “Everyone” are some of my all time favorites, rest of the album is great as well.

Hot Buttered Soul

Isaac Hayes

4/5

Accurate album title - this is some buttery shiiiit

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

The Smashing Pumpkins

5/5

One for the history books!

The Beach Boys Today!

The Beach Boys

4/5

Style over substance on this one - lyrics aren’t anything super memorable, but the harmonies and “CA vibe” elevate it to a 4

Hysteria

Def Leppard

4/5

Very fun! Sounds like it would be a good album to sing along to in the car.

Music

Madonna

3/5

Tical

Method Man

2/5

Meh

Os Mutantes

3/5

Interesting! But probably won’t listen again.

Heartattack And Vine

Tom Waits

4/5

He sounds like black coffee that has a bunch of grounds in it. But I dig it.

Gorillaz

5/5

Love this shit! One of the better albums by one of my favorite bands.

Under Construction

Missy Elliott

4/5

Fun!

Highway 61 Revisited

Bob Dylan

4/5

If only all Dylan could sound like this, I would be a fan!

The Hour Of Bewilderbeast

Badly Drawn Boy

5/5

Oh my god yes yes

Queen Of Denmark

John Grant

4/5

Really great music and voice, though felt a bit wordy at times

Surf's Up

The Beach Boys

5/5

Weird and wonderful

Cupid & Psyche 85

Scritti Politti

2/5

Department store ass music.

Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle

Bill Callahan

5/5

Very good

Forever Changes

Love

4/5

I liked this a lot

Trans Europe Express

Kraftwerk

2/5

Super repetitive and the songs could’ve been way shorter. But, I got a good laugh imagining these people on stage taking this very seriously and every few minutes leaning into the mic and just saying “Trans-Europe Express” over and over. So at least there is that.

Liege And Lief

Fairport Convention

3/5

Solid!

Power In Numbers

Jurassic 5

4/5

Loved the beats!!

I'm Your Man

Leonard Cohen

3/5

pretty good but not super memorable

Fever To Tell

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

3/5

Maps is a classic. The rest is fine.

Public Image: First Issue

Public Image Ltd.

2/5

Yawn

Dry

PJ Harvey

4/5

Rockin!

Olympia 64

Jacques Brel

3/5

Very theatrical, pretty good, -1 point for being a live album

The Lexicon Of Love

ABC

3/5

I liked it more than I expected to, but still pretty standard 80s pop at the end of the day

The Age Of The Understatement

The Last Shadow Puppets

4/5

Reliable Alex Turner! Enjoyable throughout. Not as good as Arctic Monkeys though.

Bitches Brew

Miles Davis

3/5

Cool, but way too long

Devil Without A Cause

Kid Rock

1/5

Traaaaaash

3 Years, 5 Months And 2 Days In The Life Of...

Arrested Development

3/5

Pretty good

Exile In Guyville

Liz Phair

5/5

I loved this!

Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1

George Michael

4/5

I really liked it! Better than anything from Wham! IMO

Steve McQueen

Prefab Sprout

4/5

Nice surprise!

High Violet

The National

5/5

So good

Two Dancers

Wild Beasts

4/5

Very interesting sound!

Arrival

ABBA

4/5

For a very long time, I thought the lyrics to Dancing Queen were “You can dance, you can die, having the time of your life”

Boy In Da Corner

Dizzee Rascal

2/5

Kinda grating, but a few ok songs

The Velvet Underground

4/5

Great!

Superfuzz Bigmuff

Mudhoney

3/5

Not bad. (Note: Listened to the OG 1988 6-track EP, not the rerelease)

The Idiot

Iggy Pop

2/5

Not fantastic

Superfly

Curtis Mayfield

4/5

“Super Fly” is right!

Surfer Rosa

Pixies

3/5

Rocking and quirky

It's A Shame About Ray

The Lemonheads

4/5

I really enjoyed it!

Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim

Frank Sinatra

4/5

Such a great voice!

Queen II

Queen

4/5

Hadn’t heard most of this before, a great listen!

m b v

My Bloody Valentine

3/5

Parts of this album absolutely soar. But other parts were boring and went on for too long. Not bad overall.

Pet Sounds

The Beach Boys

5/5

🚨Classic alert🚨

Amnesiac

Radiohead

3/5

Good, but not my favorite era of Radiohead.

Surrealistic Pillow

Jefferson Airplane

4/5

Enjoyed this a lot!

Aha Shake Heartbreak

Kings of Leon

4/5

Snappy, brisk, and fun

Hail To the Thief

Radiohead

4/5

Really solid! Could’ve been a 5 if it was cut down by 15 minutes or so.

Unknown Pleasures

Joy Division

5/5

What a moody album, I love it

Signing Off

UB40

2/5

I was signing off while listening to this

Dear Science

TV On The Radio

5/5

Damn, this SLAPS

Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge

Mudhoney

3/5

Some good songs. Not extraordinary but not bad

Behaviour

Pet Shop Boys

3/5

“How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?” sounds like a Genesis-era Sonic the Hedgehog song haha Some great moments, but it didn’t really stick in my brain. Overall enjoyable though.

Madman Across The Water

Elton John

4/5

“Tiny Dancer” is a helluva opener, the rest is great but doesn’t top that

The Renaissance

Q-Tip

3/5

Nice flow and beats.

Maggot Brain

Funkadelic

4/5

Damn! First half is better than second, but that first half is great!

Too Rye Ay

Dexys Midnight Runners

3/5

Not bad, but a lot of these songs should work better than they do. Overall was just boring. “Come On Eileen” is a classic, just a shame that nothing sounds even close to how good that is.

Roger the Engineer

The Yardbirds

3/5

A brisk and fun time capsule!

Channel Orange

Frank Ocean

4/5

I prefer Blonde over this album, but still, really great stuff!

Head Hunters

Herbie Hancock

3/5

Pretty good!

The United States Of America

3/5

Pretty interesting/great in parts, but balanced with some really obnoxious parts.

Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs

Derek & The Dominos

3/5

There is clearly a lot of talent here, but it just didn’t keep my attention after listening.

Want Two

Rufus Wainwright

1/5

Overly wordy, boring, and irritating.

It's Blitz!

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

4/5

I liked this one a lot more than the other Yeahx3 album on the list. No singular song was better than “Maps” but it was more consistent.

I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You

Aretha Franklin

4/5

Ya gotta R E S P E C T this legend

Meat Puppets II

Meat Puppets

2/5

It was ok. I liked the variety but it wasn’t anything special.

Document

R.E.M.

4/5

Great, as always!

There's A Riot Goin' On

Sly & The Family Stone

3/5

Not bad, but also not super interesting. The bass and vocals were the strongest part.

Something Else By The Kinks

The Kinks

4/5

Really enjoyed this!

You're Living All Over Me

Dinosaur Jr.

3/5

Not bad, but not something I would seek out on a regular basis. “In a Jar” was catchy.

Fifth Dimension

The Byrds

3/5

Quick and energetic, but a bit generic. Not bad though.

McCartney

Paul McCartney

4/5

I’m amazed (maybe) about 1/3 the songs on here. The other 2/3 is filler, but still enjoyable. I’m biased though, because if this were a by non-Beatle it would probably be a 3. While we are on the subject - why the hell is this album here, but the far superior Ram is absent??

Sunshine Superman

Donovan

3/5

“Season of the Witch” is the clear star. The rest is good, if a little campy.

Untitled (Black Is)

SAULT

3/5

Musically beautiful and interesting, but lyrically repetitive.

This Is Fats Domino

Fats Domino

4/5

Really great!

Don't Stand Me Down

Dexys Midnight Runners

1/5

Shit was irritating. Reminded me of “Steal My Sunshine” but just the talking portions lmao

Moss Side Story

Barry Adamson

3/5

I wanted to think this was very cool. The concept of a soundtrack to a non-existent film sounds so interesting. Sadly, I think it is only kiiinda cool. I do like how it guides a “story” with the song titles and the mood of the music, but it is up to the listener to decide what the story beats and imagery would be. That being said, the music itself is often is repetitive and/or abstract. So much so, that I found myself on multiple occasions thinking: “why the fuck would anyone choose to listen to this??” But, in spite of that, I still had a good experience. I dunno. I’m a sucker for concept albums, especially unique ones.

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