I loved this album when it came out, and I still love it. It goes without saying that Kanye is a controversial figure. But this album is an all-timer, and the first six tracks might be the most re-playable album leadoff in history. I was surprised at how the production sounded tinnier than I remember (not sure if that was lower fidelity streaming, or maybe it's just like rewatching a classic movie after years of HDR). This album is great, and as they say, I miss the old Kanye.

A few seconds in, I was ready to give up. Then I decided to put in headphones and really listen. This album was eclectic with a wide range of influences. The sax solo on Zen Archer made me pump my fist. The animal noises on Dogfight Giggle had me scratching my head. It was at times bizzare, but I'm so glad I listened thru this, it's strange and I'd like to revisit it.

I thought this was fine. Didn't really jive with it.

Filing this under "how did I not know about this album earlier"? The drum solo made me want to get up and dance, so I did

Love the title track, and Treaty always gets me. I think the existence of this album is more compelling than the actual musical quality. Will inevitably come back to this, even though it's more spoken word than song

Angsty, but weirdly I didn't find it distracting while trying to do work. \"Where Is My Mind?\" is one of those tracks I didn't knew I knew

Loved how the first track ramped up from strung out to excited. FX felt ahead of its time (no synths, I assume). Much less satanic than the name suggests.

Wasn't feeling this at first, but the vocal harmonies really got to me around Oxford Street. Production feels a bit dated. Would have written this off if it weren't on the list.

This was kind of a nothing burger, but I found some tracks catchy.

Chilled me out

Album evokes a big range of emotions while staying artistically and aesthetically consistent. Behind the Wall was a revelation on this listen. Why? did remind me of parody protest songs though (looking at you, Flight of the Conchords).

Enjoyed getting Pt II at the end of the album - this just isn't an experience I typically get with my current listening habits.

At times this felt like appropriative whitewashed claptrap, but then the track would change and the artistry would shine through. Settles on a 3 for me, but I do find myself wanting to relisten

Took me a few tries to get thru this album, but on the successful attempt, I was grooving to Red Eyes. Not totally sure where to place this in terms of genre - it's accessible and varied, but not the most distinctive.

Why does the saxophone sound so out of tune? Almost gave this a 1, but found parts of this catchy, so upped to a 2.

Some lyrics didn't age well, but this really got me nostalgic for New York.

This feels of a piece with bands I love like Tycho and Alt-J. Will definitely be listening to this again!

Took me a few attempts to get my way thru. Fairly approachable but a bit underwhelming. Some of the 90s era rock came off as dated

This wasn't bad, but I'm also questioning why it was in a list of 1001 albums you MUST listen to before you die. Really?

This sent me down a bit of a reggae rabbit hoe, but I still wanted to come back to this album. Such a classic!

Great listen, not sure I had heard the 11-minute version of Papa Was A Rollin' Stone before.

Started off way more classically rock than I associate with Queen. Definitely saw some of their eccentricity in tracks like Bring Back Leroy Brown.

The tracks blended into one another a bit, but I loved the fullness of the sound. Not an everyday listen for me, but I dug it.

AW really shows off her jazz bona fides in this album, it felt like a breath of fresh air having listened to Back to Black many times. I particularly enjoyed the references to Lullaby of Birdland.

Good to work out to. Enjoyed the very LA aesthetic.

Super funky! I can't count the number of times I've heard Move on Up, but it was great to hear all these other great tracks.

Really enjoyed the funky instrumentals to start this off. By The Time I Get To Phoenix is an 18min track - maybe that made less of a difference when playing on vinyl, but it took me a few times to get through it playing digitally and not remembering where I had left off. I did like the groove, but I'm not rearing to relisten.

May have felt experimental when it came out, but the mix of punk and electronic felt disjointed to me.

Ended up listening to this on Election Day 2024, and found United and Red, White, and Blue particularly poignant. Really excellent head-banging energy, without too much misanthropy.

Pretty accessible hip-hop, I liked SZA's flow. Want to revisit more!

This was goofy and weird but still super engaging. I loved the wandering melodies and at times irreverent lyrics

I loved this album when it came out, and I still love it. It goes without saying that Kanye is a controversial figure. But this album is an all-timer, and the first six tracks might be the most re-playable album leadoff in history. I was surprised at how the production sounded tinnier than I remember (not sure if that was lower fidelity streaming, or maybe it's just like rewatching a classic movie after years of HDR). This album is great, and as they say, I miss the old Kanye.

Super sexy, it's been a while since I listened to a new R&B artist. Felt classic but also very much of the current decade.

Started rocky but I really liked the French tracks (trying to get more francophone). We made pizza while listening

The lyrics on the opening track are inexcusable. Musically, there's a lot to enjoy on this album; I particularly enjoyed the hip hop influence on Diesel Power. Cut the first track and I'd bump this score a whole star.

Gave this many chances, and while a few tracks felt soulful, the overall vibe just didn't speak to me, and I found the repeated lyrics pretty underwhelming. It's time to put this record away.

The old school beats gave me a pep in my step as I was on an afternoon walk. But the later tracks were really hard to get through - Tupac's death really hangs heavily over the lyrics. Don't think I'll be revisiting this one, as much as I enjoy some of 2Pac's other work.

Listening to this made me realize I was introduced to Oasis first via satire (an old SNL sketch), not to mention various parodies and jokes that poke fun at the band. But just focusing on the music, I was really blown away, despite having heard so many singles before.

My enjoyment of this album was much more academic than emotional. I found the dissonance and eclecticism really intriguing, but also didn't feel inspired to want to come back to this. Does make me think about listening to this album in the context of Radiohead's artistic progression over time.

Really liked the freewheeling acoustic guitar solo on Bluebird. A pleasant blend of folk and rock, I found this pretty easy listening, wouldn't mind hearing again.

My previous exposure to grime music was mostly parodies in Desus & Mero sketches. This isn't my favorite genre, but I found it compelling, especially the spoken word interludes

Monk has such a distinctive sound that makes me feel like I can really hear every note even during complex, virtuosic runs. As soon as I listened to this album, I started again back from the top. Definitely one with some staying power.

I hadn't heard this album before, and while I did enjoy it, I don't think it reaches the same heights as Rumours. Made for pretty solid music to work to, as well.

Not for me. Really interesting sound, but not something I enjoyed listening to. Got about halfway through the album, finishing it would have felt like homework.

Some of the production felt dated, but other tracks came thru more as classics. Really enjoyed listening to this one, didn't realize how talented a rapper QL is

Rebel Without a Pause is an all-time great. Public Enemy's sound is so distinct and also feels very rooted to a place and time. Really enjoyed listening to this

Face-melting guitar solos, high-intensity drum rolls, what else could you want in a metal album to work out to? I'll have this one bookmarked for future bike trainer routines, as the tracks felt all cut from the same fabric.

Don't let the horrendously dated album art deter you - this is a representative slice of rave petrol that would feel right at home at the club scene from The Matrix. I listened to this while cycling, and found my heart rate racing faster than normal.

Heard a lot of shared DNA with other Britpop groups like Oasis. Bittersweet Symphony is a classic; I wouldn't mind revisiting this later. Also, hidden track? What a throwback!

Grew up listening to Manhattan Transfer, so some of the tracks (especially Birdland) brought me to a happy place.

Pleasant listening, but this felt like of like elevator music to me.

First two tracks are undeniably catchy. I had to dig a bit to remember why I know Father Figure so well; it's on the excellent soundtrack for Atomic Blonde.

So many bangers! A few of these tracks are almost indistinguishable. Maybe that speaks to just how unique a sound Alanis has on the album.

Higher Ground is an all-timer, but Living For the City really got me in the feels. Immediately re-played this one, and it makes me want to explore Stevie's catalog even deeper.

Much bluesier than my impression of Led Zeppelin. Enjoyed this, but didn't have any of their classic all-time singles.

Perfectly corpulent.

Not quite the stone-cold classic of Nevermind, but some fantastic tracks (I like some of the strings in the arrangements, too).

Da Funk and Around the World are all-timers, but I found some of the tracks less accessible (maybe I needed to be at a dance party to really get in the mood).

Don't Think twice It's All Right really got me. Some tracks were less memorable, but I immediately replayed half of this

Felt a bit like generic hair metal. Kind of wafted over me for the most part, but I did find myself groovying along at times.

I like how this was a bit more avant garde than their peers in the punk world, and it's refreshing to hear a female voice fronting this kind of sound.

I tend to process negative emotions by listening to music that really externalizes turmoil via fast rhythms, hard production, and angry lyrics. This album offered some of that (tracks like Big Man With a Gun, Eraser), but would pivot sharply to near silence. I felt like I was riding straight off a cliff. Knowing someone who's struggling with depression, I found this haunting and a bit disturbing. I think it really achieves what it sets out to, but I don't imagine I'll be giving it a cover-to-cover relisten again. The last track really hit too close to home.

Glitzy, fun 80s pop. Played this while cooking dinner, was great for kitchen dancing energy.

My dad bought me a few Robbie Williams CDs when I was a kid (I had his Greatest Hits), so this was a bit sentimental. Still catchy, more ballads than I might prefer

Some of these tracks are so embedded in the cultural ether, it's wild to think they all came on the same album. While I might reach for a different Marley album for most listens, this one is undeniable. We're jammin.

Liked the breadth of sounds on this album, I checked a few times to see if the album had ended and transitioned to some adjacent Spotify recommendation. Ranking this over the various ensemble work I know of Stills

I think this is probably very good for what it's trying to be. Love the hardness of the instrumentals, and the production is quintessentially 90s. Made me think of grungy carpet and gory FPS games on Playstation. Not a genre that speaks to me, but I am glad to know of Ministry when I do need to put on something to rage to.

Good listening, but it peaks at the first track and doesn't quite return to those heights. Might have been the speakers I listened on, but some harmonica parts sounded a weirdly off key.

There were some James Bond vibes on Unfinished Sweet, direct interpolation perhaps. I also enjoyed the rock opera aesthetic, and the whining vocals reminded me of a proto Smashing Pumpkins, many years earlier. Overall, enjoyed this more than I expected

Feels like a bit of a forefather to Kamasi Washington. Melodic with a healthy dose of cacophony; definitely not something I'd put on for a quiet evening. Complex in a way that makes me want to listen again and decipher more.

I enjoyed this album more knowing it was released on SubPop. Didn't listen to the full Deluxe edition (stopped short realizing I had already heard some tracks). Solid grunge fare. Requires a glum mood.

Sense of Doubt giving John Carpenter horror vibes Heroes reminds me of Moulin Rouge, whose cover is maybe more familiar than this classic. Very high concept, especially the final few tracks.

Ray Charles cover got me thinking about appropriation of the Blues. This felt like the kind of music they'd play at the Stevedore bar in The Wire season 2.

Right off the bat, I dug the funk. L'America had me shaking my head and jamming along. Riders on the Storm felt endlessly groovy. This album was harder to swallow knowing that Jim Morrison died shortly after it was released.

Surprisingly good music to work to. Some of the vocals weren't my favorites. I did like the Doors cover as the final track.

I finished my first listen thinking I love the music this group inspired more than these actual tracks. Daft Punk, Justice, The Midnight: all these groups (and so many more) are standing on the shoulders of these Kraftwerk giants. But this album is so blessedly short; I found myself coming back to it. No earworm, but in the moment, it's so catchy.

This was a pretty interesting album. At once a peer of the Beatles and early rock, but also some more dissonant punk-like elements. Love Can Tame The Wild was pretty catchy, and some of the later tracks got very trance-y.

Black Hole Sun is catchy as ever, and I really found myself digging Chris Cornell's vocal virtuosity. His musicianship really makes Soundgarden stand out from their grunge peers. Listening to this also left me a bit melancholy; it was hard not to think of his preventable death.

Mr. Disco was a revelation. Also dug Vanishing Point and Dream Attack so much that I immediately re-listened to the final 3 tracks. Felt more intrigued by the electronic elements than the pop punk, but that's perhaps personal taste.

Found some of the vocal harmonies on the first track a bit whiny, and slightly out of tune. Unfortunately, that continued on the second track. The third track started better, but then had the same issue. Pretty much had to tune out to make it to the end of this one.

Like it says on the tin, this was excellent ambient music. I had this on while working and it faded smoothly into the background while letting me stay focused. Could equally see myself listening to this with eyes closed at a late-night electro club with the bass thumping in my chest.

First got to know the Pogues as the band that plays the police wake song as cops are laid on a bar pool table in The Wire. I own a few Flogging Molly albums, so it was nice to visit one of their forebearers. Fairytale of New York has a slur in the lyrics, that took me out of the song pretty jarringly.

Nowhere near the heights of Morning Glory, though the style felt roughly equivalent. Would I really dig this album more if I were almost over-exposes to it? Maybe the melodies just aren't as developed. Still solid.

A few seconds in, I was ready to give up. Then I decided to put in headphones and really listen. This album was eclectic with a wide range of influences. The sax solo on Zen Archer made me pump my fist. The animal noises on Dogfight Giggle had me scratching my head. It was at times bizzare, but I'm so glad I listened thru this, it's strange and I'd like to revisit it.

Some tracks were on the side of elevator music, but others reminded me of deeper jazz roots. I found this album wholly pleasant, but not quite earth-shattering.

Some tracks (like You Can See Me) edged past refreshingly experimental to excessively avant garde. I'm impressed Bowie was still pushing his limits later in his career, and there are still some bops here. Intriguing, but probably not something I'd revisit eagerly.

I enjoyed the punk aesthetic, but this just doesn't go as hard as modern equivalents. Maybe that's just dated production. Felt a shared thread of heritage with modern bands like Sprints

Plenty of bangers, but none of them really captured me beyond that jolt of recognition. I do think Taylor's music is thoroughly listenable, but I still don't really understand the hype.

Quintessential bossa nova. Desafinado is a bit of an acquired taste, but it's now the kind of tune that's just fun to try to hum to yourself, the dissonant harmonic intervals like a bitter apertif.

So many classic tracks on this one, and the vibes have really held up well. I remember oogling the album cover art as a young kid, and giggling at the silliness of the final track. Aging wonderfully.

Title track is on that has so permeated the musical ether that I knew this song without ever having really listened. Fela's energy on live recordings is unmatched, but even the studio recordings are all timers.