1001 Albums Summary

Interesting that a band would bloom this late in their career, but the songs are good and certainly better than what Pulp would produce later. 3.5/5.0: Very Good

Meh 1.5/5.0: Bad

Fun stuff. 3.5/5.0: Very Good

One of those rare perfect albums. Every song is strong with original ideas and excellent musicianship. A true classic. 5.0/5.0: Iconic

A few of the songs are straight filler, more than a few overstay their welcome, and the production quality is quite poor, even for the era. Nevertheless, the band's creativity and songwriting abilities shine through nicely on a number of tracks, resulting in some fantastic moments. A reluctant 3.5 stars rounded up to four. 3.5/5.0: Very Good

The first song is awful, but if you push past that the album becomes more experimental and you can hear the clear influence this album had on many other artists. 3.5/5.0: Very Good

The blueprint for making a risk-avoidant and derivative album with minimum artistic effort. 1.0/5.0: Embarrassing

Intriguing album. Very cohesive. 4.0/5.0: Great

A lot of interesting ideas, even if some of them should have been cut form the album. 3.0/5.0: Good

Live fast, die young. 5.0/5.0: Iconic

Jazz stylings over rock without ever approaching prog is a clever sound that really works for the band. 4.0/5.0: Great

The grunge and pop bits are very interchangeable with almost any other post-1990 group, but when the band are exploring different ideas the album is excellent. Somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. 3.0/5.0: Good

Lots of bold choices on this album, even if it is a little boring. 3.0/5.0: Good

Alexander "Skip Every Song on This Album" Spence. An absolutely intolerable, lukewarm mess. 0.5/5.0: Unlistenable

Now we know why the Blues died. Almost every other blues album I've heard is better simply by virtue of not choosing to be annoying. There's more sounds of dying fowl then blues chords on this record. Points for creativity, so 2 stars. 1.5/5.0: Bad

I never want to hear steel guitar again. 1.5/5.0: Bad

Jazz/jazz-fusion with an ebb and flow to the compositions that I really liked. 4.5/5.0: Excellent

5 stars if it had no vocals. 4.0/5.0: Great

The quintessential one-star album. A talentless predator riding on the coat-tails of better men and better artists. 0.5/5.0: Unlistenable

Worth the two hours for the guitar melodies alone. 5.0/5.0: Iconic

Perhaps THE defining New Wave of British Heavy Metal album. This is the album where Maiden began to embrace proggier sounds, but the tight, bass-driven songwriting remains. An all-time classic, and an easy five stars. 5.0/5.0: Iconic

Great start, tailed off at the end though. 3.5/5.0: Very Good

Interesting ideas, but always ends up sounding like Sesame Street. 2.0/5.0: Disappointing

Really interesting album with great production but an annoying vocal style. 3.5/5.0: Very Good

It's very creative, but almost sounds like someone is pulling a prank and convincing people this is a serious album. 2.20/5.0 Disappointing

This would be a great album if it was 25 minutes shorter. As it is, Mick's vocals really wear thin by minute 55. 3.0/5.0: Good

Nothing to see here. Basic, run of the mill, exactly what you'd expect barely-rock. 1.0/5.0: Embarrassing

I really enjoyed the grooves and melody on this one. 4.0/5.0: Great

Really Interesting album. The best Talking Heads album I've heard so far. 4.0/5.0: Great

Interesting use of strings. 3.5/5.0: Very Good

Classic album. 5.0/5.0: Iconic

There were no more riffs left after this album. Easiest 5 stars I'll have to give. 5.0/5.0: Iconic

Classic - 5 Stars. Easy to see why some consider this the greatest album ever made. 5.0/5.0: Iconic

Not their best, but still a very good album. 3.5/5.0: Very Good

She can definitely hold a note without coming up for air, but musically this album is the equivalent of C-grade middle school project. 1.0/5.0: Embarrassing

Kinda boring tbh. 1.5/5.0: Bad

Weird yet accessible. 5.0/5.0: Iconic

Super catchy songs. 4.0/5.0: Great

Sounded kinda goofy ngl. 2.0/5.0: Disappointing

The ultimate classic hard rock album. 5.0/5.0: Iconic

Interesting album. Like if you crossed The Doors and The Cure. 3.5/5.0: Very Good

Pretty run of the mill. 2.5/5.0: Mixed

Some interesting ideas but pretty boring overall. 2.5/5.0: Mixed

This album is so cheesy Kraft Foods called - they want their Velveeta back. 1.5/5.0: Bad

Just like the band, I almost threw a dead sheep when I heard this album. JK - it's alright, if a little annoying. 2.5/5.0: Mixed

This probably was the birth of the cool to be fair. 4.5/5.0: Excellent

This was good, but they have better albums. 3.0/5.0: Good

I recently saw a list that had this as the greatest album of all time. I don't agree with that, but this is still amazing. 5.0/5.0: Iconic

The only street sign this album needs is "CAUTION: Great Musicians at Play". 4.5/5.0: Excellent

OK, this is actually incredible. 4.5/5.0: Excellent

Noel Fielding's and Matt Lucas's portrayal of Kraftwerk in a Great British Bake Off cold open had me fully prepared for this. 3.5/5.0: Very Good

They took a lot of chances on this album and not all of them worked, but points for trying. 2.5/5.0: Mixed

This is a cool album. 3.5/5.0: Very Good

Every song is a single 4 second idea repeated for 5 minutes. 1.0/5.0: Embarrassing

The Woolworth's in the background of the album cover is the only place she could convince to play this driveling wannabe-sixties-country-folk pablum. 1.0/5.0: Embarrassing

Not as good as "The Marble Index" but a good album nonetheless.

Nothing interesting or new here.

I mean, it's Sgt Peppers.

So this is what it would sound like if Adele sang with a mouth full of peanut butter while driving on a bumpy road.

One of the first and best concept albums

Cheesy electronica. I didn't hate it. Good background music.

The best live album from one of the best live bands ever.

A mixture of some very forgettable songs and some very powerfuls songs. 2.4999 stars rounded down to 2.

He just talks about himself at a quick pace for 78 minutes.

I enjoyed this one

OK pop music.

A personal favorite.

When my dog attacked an armadillo in the yard at 4:00 am I ran outside shouting "What's going on?!!" and that was a lot more chaotic then this album. Great bass though.

It's called Deja Vu because it sounds like every other country/folk/rock/blues mashup album released at around the same time. OK in places.

Such a unique sound

Interesting pop

Great production, great songs.

Thrash has been completely abandoned on this album for a generic heavy rock sound. Still a great album, but things predictably went off the rails for Metallica in subsequent releases.

Yeah, not good. It's bloated both as a whole and each song individually. The music is an incoherent mess. I can't even give it points for creativity - it's just poorly done electronica.

I Beck this album was big

Was expecting something a little heavier for a straight-edge band but I guess it was early in the scene.

Fun album

This was around the point when someone should have taken Lou aside and told him to stop making music, but he never did until death did him from us part. This album does sneak in an extra star for creatvity though.

90s B-movie background music

LZ really gets experimental on this one. A bloated but still 5 stars

Never unplug.

Rumour has it they were, indeed, born on the bayou

Enjoyable. A little too same-y and bloated to get 5 stars though.

This album is very reliant upon the audience's emotional response and I don't have time for that today

everything about this is wrong

Pretty standard late-era swing crooning, but dang are the performances top-notch.

Normal pants are not an option

THIS ALBUM BEGS THE QUESTION, "WHY IS MY CAPSLOCK STUCK?????" (IT DOESN'T REALLY BUT HOW DO I GET IT UNSTUCK ASKING FOR A FRIEND)

Love Thin Lizzy, but live albums are rarely 5 stars

Cinnamon Toast Crunch review: Honestly not that toasty but definitely comes through on the cinnamon and crunch aspects.

Octopus Schadenfreude or something

Mostly boring and pretentious. Art rock should still be interesting, which this album definitely isn't. A few good punk moments.

Hit or miss. Opening track is great. Title track is garbage. The whole album is like this. A tug-of-war between good/interesting and bad/dull.

Distractingly, Kid B never returned from his hike in the forest and was lost to us forever.

Turns out this WAS NOT the last broadcast. I checked.

Fantastic, really. Incredibly eclectic selection of songs without losing any quality or cohesiveness, regardless of genre attempted.

Interesting album musically. Vocals wear a little over time. 3.5 stars.

Music is great, and I get that it's live, but the talking in the background is unacceptable and not charming at all.

Great voice, although the live production kinda sucks. The music is also corny - the type of stuff Martin Scorsese would play over the 17th montage of his latest 4 hour film

Rumor has it they were only in it for the money.

More like broken voice. Wailing in the wrong key over simple loops does not make for a good time.

Fun album, but not all that unique for the genre

Surprisingly coherent for a debut album. Every song is good, and there are a few bangers as well (Moral Kiosk)

Music is really great, but the vocal performance definitely dates this album. 3.5 stars for me.

1. The songs are good. 2. The sonic textures are really interesting. 3. The fade-out-sudden-switch structure of each song lends a unique sound to the album.

Mediocre vocals on every level (rapping, metal screams, melodies), but some killer drumming and interestign musical choices

I don't think this was meant to be listened to as an album. If it was, this is one of the least interesting records ever.

Mind-numbingly boring and formulaic rock. Everything is humdrum and by rote. Save yourself the time and skip this one.

It was OK but nothing really that special

Great songs; diverse selection; good voice. Only a couple of annoying ones.

I had to stop halfway through. Good lord this was awful. References to "Honky-tonk angels" and doubts as to whether his girlfriend would make a good wife are the general tenor and thrust of this mashup of the endlessly rehashed musical pablum that is country music.

Lyin' Badams

Hair salon at the mall kinda music.

Not great, but still better than Presley.

Probably a bad idea to wear a watch in the shower.

Really interesting, diverse selection of good songs. Elements of everything from early glam to English folk.

Maiden at their punkiest. Paul Di'Anno was still on vocals, providing a grittier, less dramatic sound than his successor. The star of the album is Steve Harris' melodic and driving baselines. The songs are catchy and well-written (even if they bear a heavy resemblance to late seventies New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands like Judas Priest, Saxon, or Diamond Head).

Absolute fire

Too catchy not to be five stars even if it's nothing new.

The music is pretty good, but the vocals are just trash. If you want to hear this style of vocal done well, listen to Layne Staley.

Very rarely does any band write such great vocal melodies over such heavy guitar parts. One of the best albums ever made.

Super creative album with a lot of diversity in the song selection, especially for dance album. Also very catchy (of course).

Clearly influenced by Jim Morrison here, but the music isn't nearly at the level of The Doors. OK album overall.

Not only is the musicianship great, but the album is fulll of fresh-sounding ideas and unusual choices. A little long perhaps, but the quality of the album makes it feel shorter.

A tad long, but the songs are really good.

Fantastic vocal performance over subtle jazz.

What are the chances that someone would pick up a bass for the first time at exactly the same moment as another person standing next to a hot mic was attacked by a chicken, all while inside a recording studio?

Nope, that definitely wasn't it.

Absolutely outstanding in every facet - songwriting, performance, use of genre, etc.

Interchangeable boring folk rock. The bluesy parts are better, but even then the musical performance is below average.

Mostly good songs, but I don't know if I'd go back for a second listen.

I'm a sucker for bossa nova, so this is an easy five.

Instant classic mixing jazz/trip-hop/post-punk

Another slightly different than what was expected at the time R.E.M. album. Nothing special, but the nods to country-folk and pop punk are nice.

If nothing else, it's interesting.

There's better music in this vein made at around the same time but it's still enjoyable.

Vocalist is in the wrong key and sounds like he's falling asleep. Production is incredibly cheesy - like what a 14 year-old thinks rock should sound like. Drummer is just drumming random time signatures. Low-effort nonsense.

oof.

The only temptation I had was to skip every track.

Great bass and some interesting and (intentionally) amusing artistic choices.

A lot of good songs, but a few very annoying ones bring this down to a three.

Exceptional. Really had to Take Five after it was over to soak it in.

I get why some people might like it, but it's intolerably slow with annoying vocals. At its best, its background music.

Yes, he nicked Scott Walker's sound, but the music does sound like Scott Walker, so 5 stars.

More like "yeah - no".

More like 5 stars, am I right?

Performances are off the charts on this one.

A tad long with some filler, but the good moments are very good.

Annoying vocals, utterly predictable lyrics, basic guitars, and cheesy sounding "new age" drumming accented with inexplicable honking that might be saxophone.

Excellent music but honestly could afford to drop a few of the tracks at the end.

I've always been stunned that anyone could listen to this paragon of boring, run-of-the-mill rock. Everything is by rote, and nothing that hadn't been done a million times before is attempted.

Has a weird sound, even for early hardcore, but still very enojayable.

It's a classic for a reason

If you ignore the incredibly moronic lyrics and forced country accent (both par for the course), the instrumentation isn't bad.

Not a great live album - I know they recorded in a prison but at least try to get the production into a listenable state.

Should've been The Banned. Like many artists of this ilk, the country/folk aspects are repetitive and boring, and the bluesy/funky parts are good. Unfortunately, the majority of the tracks lean hard into country/folk.

I honestly don't know if I've ever heard a more annoying and whiny album. The music is utterly predictable, throwing every well-worn post-punk trick at the wall. The guitars, bass, and drums do exactly what you expect (slow-builds, 2-note riffs, etc.) and never surprise or create interesting melodies. On top of this, the vocals are horrendous. The vocalist spends the whole album accidentally drifting out of key, which would seem to be almost impossible given that the vocal melodies are also incredibly unimaginative. Every note is the most predictable (and whiny) note available to choose – and he still struggles to belt it out correctly. Definitely an album to skip.

The hooks/choruses are pretty basic, but the rest is interesting and sometimes surprising.

GOod music, but unfortunately boring.

Some interesting songs and great melodies, but entirely too long to the point of being obnoxious.

The title track is one of the worst songs ever written, wallowing in insipid melodies and whiny intonations. Several other songs re-tread the heavily trodden (and never interesting) ground of basic-chord country/folk. Lowest common denominator music.

Actually interesting, creative, progressive music.

Really well done album with some great performances.

Some good music can be found here, but my goodness. Not every song has to end with Rod repeating the same line for 3 minutes and/or an out of place hymn.

Very predictable songwriting, but at least he knows not to overstay his welcome for the most part. Still, I was wishing the album would end by the third-to-last song, so two stars.

Unfortunately, The Man was still trying to make music at this point, which essentially boils down to inane, out of breath mumbling, with no (or very poor) vocal melodies, and basic musical arrangements. Additionally, the celebrated covers on this album are decidedly worse than the originals.

A little whiny tbh

This sounds like it was recorded in a closet full of straw, but it is entertaining, and you can even hear the clear influence the band had on future hard rock bands with tracks like "Have Love Will Travel", "Walkin' the Dog", and "Strychnine." These (and other) forays away from 50s rock'n'roll staples are also the strong points on the album. With a little more originality this could be five stars, but ends up at 3.5 for me.

My only regret with this album is that my headphones only play music so loud.

Super creative progressive pop full of unexpected moments that fit the music perfectly. Probably Supertramp's best album - which is saying a lot for band that pretty much only made good music.

The music isn't bad, which is about as much of a complement as I can give this record. The songs feel unedited (constant repetition) and incomplete (the repetition leads nowhere). Additionally, The production is rough, lending to that feeling of incompleteness (a remarkable feat for an album well over an hour long). If FM had cut 7 or 8 songs, and edited or re-produced the rest, this album has great potential. As it stands, however, this is a bit of a mess.

This album is far removed from the band's blackened-thrash beginnings that yielded such brilliant records as "Beneath the Remains." They've exchanged their heavy metal credentials for (early) Nu Metal trappings, and, as far as Nu Metal goes, it's not bad. The liberal sprinkling of traditional instrumentation is nice and provides variation for the band’s primary songwriting method – A simple, heavy, repetitive riff. Nevertheless, the aforementioned repetition can get tiresome, especially over the hardly justified 72 minute runtime. As a piece of heavy metal history this is an influential and controversial album that is worth listening too, but lacks the songwriting chops, actual heaviness, or variation to reach the 5 star level.

This album is a mashup of '60s contemporary influences - The Beatlesesque harmonies, The Doors-y keyboards, and the riff-heavy songs structures of Cream. Unfortunately, the whole is less than the sum of its parts. The various elements of each song seem to clash rather than cohere, making the listening experience unintentionally uncomfortable. For example, the track "Termination" begins with an interesting groove but somehow ends up with almost medieval melodies sparring with child-like keyboard noodling before fading away inexplicably, leaving the listener thoroughly unsatisfied. Finally, the title track is wholly unworthy of being 17 minutes long given that it consists of a single riff and some out of place solos. The album does earn an extra star for a nice bass tone.

If you've ever wondered what a blues album would sound like with the reverb-drenched '80s production style, this album is your chance to experience that. In a word, the glossy production feels antithetical to the blues. The "perfect" production makes the music lose grit, and feel pre-packaged. However, the production does lend the album a unique sound. As for the music, the performances, both from JLH and his guests, are excellent, and only a few of the songs overstay their welcome. That said, it's diffcult to give this album more than three stars given the plethora of much better blues albums out there.

The story behind the creation of this album is fascinating, and it unsurprisingly resulted in fascinating - even enthralling - music. I was truly bummed out when the album ended. An easy 5 stars.

The music isn't just boring - it's a simple amalgamation of pre-set drumbeats and basslines, with nary a melodic lead apart from Adele's voice. And this is where the album really fails. While Adele has a strong voice, her vocal meoldy choices also feel like pre-sets. It's like she went with the first melody that came into her head and never tried actually writing anything. The result is a thoroughly boring, unimaginative, album with no surprises.

Great songwriting with memorable melodies even if some songs (anything Yoko-related) initiate a gag-reflex.

Sounds like The Beach Boys playing punk - which I'm not mad about. There's a lot of variety to the songs, including insertions of accoustic guitars and organ. Also, nice bass sound.

When they stray towards country, the music is atrocious (utterly predictable vocal lines, half-hearted musical arrangements). When they stick to rock, it's actually interesting, with a killer rhythm section. Unfortunately, there are a significant number of country tracks on this album, which really drags the final score down.

Has the potential to be a great album, with lots of variety and great tracks. However there's a ton of filler and unnecessary interludes, and, at well over two hours in length, the album is far too long to thoroughly enjoy. 3 stars.

Very entertaining with good performances. 32 minute runtime helps as well.

Oh my god. His voice is just terrible. From the first few seconds of the album all the way through minute 90(!!!!!). His nasality and generally lazy vocal delivery quash any chance his lyrical ability had at shining through. Also, the harmonica is at a level beyond grating, and the entire first half of the album is painfully driveling accoustic folk. The second half of the album finally shows some energy, but no amount of average rock can save the travesty that is the first half of this record. Overall, this album is pure torture; a test of endurance that only the most masochistic person would put themselves through.

Fun album. Slide guitar in a punk record works surprisingly well.

The music sounds like New Order playing an Amon Duul II album (post punk, electronica, and krautrock genre mix). A very engrossing experience. While there are no "bangers", the album as a whole has a great flow and really works as just that - the album as a single piece of art, rather than a collection of songs.

One of the most influential albums ever made, In the Court of the Crimson King essentially created a genre (progressive rock) out of thin air. On top of this influence, the album holds its own to this day. It's a potent mix of heavy riffs, bizarre folk, and weird jazz fusion, all while remaining chock-full of great melodies, memorable hooks, and astonishing virtuoso performances. Quite easily one of the top ten records ever made.

A lot of good stuff here, but the second half of the album drags a bit.

I don't know if I'd ever listen to it again, but it's very soothing.

First track is hot garbage but the rest of the album is really good yacht rock/lounge jazz.

I didn't think I was gonna like this album based on "Soul" being in the title, but this isn't run-of-the-mill Goodfellas background music. There's some very interesting musical interpretations of rock and/or soul here, including some fairly intricate accoustic guitars. And of course, his voice is great.

Yes, the skits are unpleasant, but the music is really good, and importantly, is not one-dimensional.

Powerful voice, but the songs themselves are also great (Adele, take notes).

Good songs for the most part with great performances. The one or two tracks emulating Bob Dylan bring this down to four stars.

Just no. All Christmas music is negative 10 trillion stars.

Great music, even if it's prog at its most excessive.

Arguably the greatest album cover of all time and arguably the most influential album of all time. Easy 5 stars.

A good rhythm section does not automatically translate to a good album. The vocals are nasal, the melodies are pure whine, and the lyrics are a melodramatic mess. 2 stars for Flea.

Clearly not much effort went in to the writing of these songs, but the DIY sound is what punk is all about, and the songs are fun.

Art rock must be interesting, and this is not that. Weak vocals struggling to produce mediocre, repetitive melodies over music, that, while unusual, is utterly forgettable.

This album is intentionally hilarious, and I'm here for it. Literally made me laugh out loud. Also hugely influential in the Rock In Opposition movement Henry Cow started a few years later, and you can even hear that influence in more modern bands like System of a Down.

Really phenomenal new wave/post punk. Boasts some super-creative songwriting, great sing-along melodies, and some early rock influences.

The music isn't bad per se, but his voice is grating, and every song is much too long given the lack of muscial development in the songwriting.

Good music, but like a lot of post-CD revolution albums, it feels a little bloated.

There are some OK moments in the back half of the album, and no one can say it isn't creative, but not every musical idea needs to be recorded. However, if you enjoy mooing sounds, fire kazoo, and grade-school level recorder, this album is for you.

Another 90s album with bloat, but the songwriting is really good - full of unexpected moments and melodies.

Phenomenal latin jazz/blues.

While a few of the songs are catchy, the music is plastic, shiny, and safe. On top of that, the vibrato vocals sound like the braying of a donkey. This combination means that the music is neither interesting nor well performed.

While his voice takes some getting used to, the songwriting and performances are great. This album must have been a light in The Darkness at a time of alternative rock slop.

I can't help it; I like disco.

All talk-singing and sing-talking sucks. The sing-talkers/talk-singers should all have their vocal cords removed and save us from the pain of listening to them. I would also say the vocalist was out of tune, but I'm not sure there was a tune, and the songs were moving so slowly it would be hard to tell anyway. The production also sucks. The music is decent enough but is buried deep behind the ever-present talking. Some parts were so bad I couldn't help laughing.

The number of amazing songs on this is unbelievable. Will always be my favorite Hendrix album.

Sure it's bubblegum pop, but it's difficult to believe how many absolutely fantastic vocal melodies are on this album. Combine that with clever, succinct songwriting and unusual instrumentation, and this is one of the very best albums on this list. The nods to Black Sabbath (both the cover and sneaking the riff to "Black Sabbath" into "Heartbreaker") are nice, totally unexpected touches.

It's been a few years since I listened to this album in full, so it was an interesting experience going back to it. The music is phenomenal - untouchable outside of the realms of metal, prog, jazz, or classical. While Dave's vocals really are atrocious, even for a subgenre not particularly noted for great vocal performances, it doesn't particularly matter when you have such a heavy, on-the-nose album with mostly concise songwriting. 5.0/5.0: Iconic

Same old story here. The country folk parts are some of the worst sounds ever recorded and are further proof that this unimaginitive and annoying genre should be banned. The title track and few of the others are stray from country folk and are actually OK in places, but even when exploring other genres this album is still grating and uninteresting.

Weird album, but I didn't hate it

Super interesting songwriting and good performances.

Despite the preoccupation with insects, this album doesn't suck. Unlike the pretentious and posturing country/folk of the seventies peddled by Neil Young and Van Morrison, there's a real, bluesy, gritty edge to this music. It's just a man and his guitar, and it's enjoyable.

Really interesting album with creative and varied song ideas.

Kinda hypnotic.

I didn't hate this, but pretty forgettable rock with punk influences. I can't imagine ever going back to this, but again, not terrible.

Another very interesting album from Talking Heads.

The first track is unlistenable, and the closer is not quite interesting enough to warrant its runtime, but the five songs in between are surprisingly good with a lot of variety.

Incredibly boring with almost toneless singing. Some interesting ideas bring this up to a 2-star album.

Not even my style of music, but the songwriting/vocal melodies are too good for this to be less than a four.

Great songs/performances with more than a few classics.

Very interesting music, but the over-16 minute long drum solo brings this down from a 4 to a 2.5.

Easy to see how influential this album was. Good music, too.

Not really my style. A little repetitive and shouty, which leads to exhaustion quickly. Still - not terrible.

A minute and a half in and I was Googling "cliffs near me". Somehow I survived all 75 minutes of this cookie cutter, country-tinged, pre-packaged garbage, although it took me several hours to get through it.

Super fun album with great songwriting and instrumentation (especially the bass).

The Beach Ramones.

This started strong, but by the time that "Hey sha-la-la-la" showed up in the lyrics to the fifth song I knew that the creativity was spent. The rest of the album was pure filler and forced emotionalism.

Fun album, but undeniably goofy.

I understand the appeal, but the album just moved too slowly for me and didn't warrant its overly-long runtime.

Vocalist sounded like he cared and was definitely trying. Big fan.

As soon as he answered the telephone mid-song on the first track I knew this was going to be a fun album. A little repetitive, but fun.

Great idea for an album. Some good songs, some not so good ones.

Absolutely incredible melodies over a phenomenal rhythm section.

Great album, although the Chicago blues style isn't my favorite

Fun album. Interesting music with an edge, but also a sense of humor.

Not run of the mill rock; some interesting ideas but definitely doesn't need to be over an hour long.

Fantastic vocals and great instrumentation.

"Changes" is kind of a weak song and doesn't fit the flow of the album, but the rest of the record is straight fire - a masterclass in riffing.

Each track is a single idea repeated ad nauseam, but at least some of the ideas are good.

Classic album, despite what the Reverend Smithy might think.

Kinda goofy, but fun nonetheless.

Very strange album. Don't know if I'd ever listen again, but extra points for creativity.

It's hard to imagine a worse singing voice being paid to be recorded. Dude sounds like he was shocked awake in an unexpected location and asked to sing. Some of the instrumentation isn't bad but the voice is just terrible.

This was fantastic. Should've never gone into pizza.

Really fun album with some heavy hitters and a lot of variety. A little bit filler at the end brings it down to a 4/5

This album gave me a new perspective on how bad music can be. Nevertheless, the first track is so bad that the rest of the album doesn't feel quite so terrible. Still even just giving out one star feels too generous.

Crystal clear production with some very weird instrumentation/arrangement choices that are somehow both ambient and jarring. Fairly concise album at only 38 minutes, despite the 5-6 minute song lengths. A couple of the slower songs do drag a bit, but overall the album is too interesting to give less than a 3/5.

Well-put together album, but the vibes are more interesting than the music.

Very interesting album with a ton of variety even if some of the songs demonstrated questionable decision-making in the songwriting process.

I liked the other Love album on this list better, but this is serviceable psych rock.

This wasn't as good as I remember it being, but points for being monumentally influential.

Interesting album, but not as good as the later album of theirs I've gotten on this list.

Some fun songs but also the usual grating glam sound.

Interesting album with a lot of variety and some cool instrumentation choices. 3.5/5: Very Good

Almost textbook rock songwriting with nothing unusual on the surface but a few weird moments on closer inspection. Enjoyable throughout. Only real complaint is it was too short - but maybe that's just right. 4.0/5.0: Great

Jeez, some of the lyrics really haven't aged well, but musically this album is quite an achievement. Catchy songwriting, unique instrumentation (for the time), lots of variety, and a gritty, dark feel to the music. An unnecessarily long closing track brings this down a notch. 4.5/5.0: Excellent

I don't know why anyone would listen to a full album of PJ Harvey when Kate Bush, Patti Smith, and Joni Mitchell did what she does much earlier, and much better. Still, there are good individual tracks to be found, but this album isn't great as a whole. 2.0/5.0: Disappointing

This is about when Jack White really started to make weird music, and the oddness feels fresh. And, while the record is a bit all over the place, it works as a whole. 4.0/5.0: Great

In an utterly predictable outcome, the heavy-handed 80s influence added absolutely nothing to the music and made most of the songs a complete drag. There are some interesting ideas and (of course) some fantastic guitar parts, even if they are sparsely populated throughout the album. 2.5/5.0: Mixed

An almost progressive approach to bluesy/psych rock yields a lot a variety and very few, if any, dull moments. 4.0/5.0: Great

4.0/5.0: Great

Hit or miss, but mostly miss. While most songs have their moments, the album is plagued by two issues. First, the production has this really annoying, almost wheezing sound that's constantly there. Second, every song is 90% a repetitive refrain that consists of Elvis repeating the song title over and over until any chance of the song not being irritating is completely pulverized into nothing. 2.5/5.0: Mixed

A great mix of aggression and emotion, with great songwriting, cool vocal melodies and a slew of really enjoyable moments. 4.5/5.0: Excellent

This album contains at least the best bossa nova song, and several other contenders. It's impossible to do anything else when listening to this record other than pay complete attention. Absolutely iconic. 5.0/5.0: Iconic

This is the direction country music should have taken. Great songwriting with interesting musical ideas and zero stupid lyrics. 4.0/5.0: Great

The album begins with a solid rock track, then cuts to some (jazzy?) folk, before finishing off with a slew of pretty good jazz numbers. However, those folk songs (tracks 2 – 5) are truly brutal and should have been cut from the album. Mixed: 2.5/5.0

Throw-away early ‘00s rock offering nothing new except for the inexplicable choice to have a dying chipmunk on vocals. 1.5/5.0: Bad

This album has exactly zero interesting or catchy melodies, a rambling half-hearted rhythm section, and no creative ideas apart from a random sitar passage. They had about four minutes worth of music and somehow stretched it into 58 minutes. 0.5/5.0: Unlistenable

Immaculate album from the music down to the album art. Iconic: 5.0/5.0

Perhaps the most iconic album from a band that was releasing an iconic album every year at this point. 5.0/5.0: Iconic

I understand why some people consider this one of the greatest albums ever made, but it's a tad over-long to really be 5 stars. 4.0/5.0: Great

Grandad rock but with really good songwriting, a lot of variety, and a strong vocal performance. 4.0/5.0: Great

Pretty crappy, pre-packaged, cliché-driven, ultra-compressed, dime-a-dozen 2010s pop. 1.0/5.0: Embarrassing

There's a lot of quality songwriting incorporating everything from rock, to blues, to grunge, and even some jazz melodies. The album is brought down by two factors. First, almost every track is about a minute too long - the band doesn't seem to know how to end a song. Second, Cigarettes and Alcohol is a blatant rip-off of T-Rex's hit song "Bang a Gong". It's almost a carbon copy and should not be on the album. 3.5/5.0: Very Good.

Incredibly diverse and well put together album. 5.0/5.0: Iconic

Super interesting album. It utilizes all sorts of genres, from bossa nova, to folk, to psychedelic rock. The melodies and rhythms are interesting, catchy, and very, very chill. This album apparently also created the genre of tropicalia, and how many albums can say they created a genre? 4.0/5.0: Great

This is easily the best Elvis Costello album out of the three I've heard. It's stuffed with great melodies taken from early sixties pop and psychedelic rock, performed over a groundwork of reggae, fifties symphonic arrangements, and a thunderous bass. While the vocals are not great, the combination of interesting musical choices, fine melodies, and vitriolic anti-war lyrics makes this album outstanding. 4.5/5.0: Excellent

5.0/5.0: Iconic

3.5/5.0: Very Good

Every song (and there’s far too many of them) starts out with an OK melody and rhythm and some cool production, before the loathsome vocalist joins in. Then the song drones on and on with no change whatsoever until the bands drives home the point that they are obnoxious, and only obnoxious. The best song is easily “Empty Room”. Not coincidentally, it’s much, much shorter and has a different vocalist. 1.5/5.0: Bad

Creative and intriguing album. 4.0/5.0: Great

Perfectly at the cross-section of prog, pop, rock, and electronica. Pulls off the almost impossible task of being both catchy and creative. 4.5/5.0: Excellent

Groovy noise-rock should be more of a thing. 4.5/5.0: Excellent

Some interesting musical ideas on this. Some of them worked, some of them didn't (RE: ukulele). The hushed singing (which has unfortunately become prevalent these days) may have been interesting at the time, but is nevertheless terrible - just as it is today. 2.5/5.0: Mixed

Nice music, but his voice sounds like he has a lozenge stuck in his throat and is singing through a cardboard tube. 3.0/5.0: Good

Maybe it was the version I listened to, but the production is absolutely abysmal on the electric piano on the first track. The vibration of it and its constant changes in volume made the song positively unlistenable and I almost stopped the album entirely. However, I persisted and found some really great (parts of) Jazz/R&B crossover gems. Nevertheless, not one of the songs came even remotely close to justifying its length, with many tracks ending with two or three minutes of repetition. Additionally, the slow jams were less jammy and more drifty, leaving me frustrated – as did this album as a whole, because it has a lot potential. Addendum: H2Ogate was a beautiful take-down of Nixon. 2.0/5.0: Disappointing

For the reviews that criticized this for being repetitive . . . correct. This is electronic dance music. That's kind of the point. For dance music, this album displays a lot musicality and variety. 3.5/5.0: Very Good.

Lots of interesting music on this one. 3.0/5.0: Good

Proof positive that all the crap music came from Neil Young. CSN >>>>>>CSNY 4.5/5.0: Excellent

Very weird album with a cool backstory. It's like jazz-fusion, but it only takes the odd instrumentation choices from prog, and the more ambient, strange soundscapes from experimental jazz. Only three stars because his voice is just not good, even though I understand that the whole "childlike" singing was intentional. 3.0/5.0: Good

I liked some of the forays into different genres, but this album definitely felt a little dated. I also thought it maybe could've gone harder at times. 3.0/5.0: Good

Mamunia and Let Me Roll It aren't great, but the rest of the album is pretty close to perfect, with unusual song arrangements and Paul's usual stellar vocal melodies. 4.5/5.0: Excellent

5.0/5.0: Iconic

5.0/5.0: Iconic

4.5/5.0: Excellent

1.5/5.0: Bad

This album came out in 1963, and somehow, the harmonica has STILL not been banned and it’s 2025. When the hilariously incongruous nails-on-chalk-board sound of the harmonica first waded blindly into the opening track I burst out laughing. It’s inconceivable that anyone would subject themselves to this sonic torture. I would understand it if there was some sort of attitude behind the music but it’s just lazy lyrical platitudes and half-hearted instrumentals. Addendum: His attempts at playing the blues are a travesty to the genre. 0.5/5.0: Unlistenable

Why is this tagged as metal? This is not even remotely metal. It’s missing the rhythmic complexity/intensity and the musical aggression (NOT the false chest-beating of Kid Rock) that defines the genre. Chuck Berry is musically closer to Thrash than this is to metal. Instead, this is genuinely terrible (and pathetically imitative of ‘90s hip-hop and rock) music that drains intelligence from the listener. It presents no ideas worth hearing either musically or lyrically, yet astonishingly drags itself out for seventy-one minutes. But while we’re on the subject of metal, why do we get a Kid Rock album, but are missing seminal metal records from Bathory, Mayhem, Death, Incantation, Darkthrone, Meshuggah, Opeth, and Mastodon? This is a seriously under-represented genre in this list and we’re filling up precious few slots with some of the worst music ever made; music that isn’t really even part of the genre. What a tragedy. 0.5/5.0: Unlistenable

4.5/5.0: Excellent

4.5/5.0: Excellent

4.0/5.0: Great

4.0/5.0: Great

4.5/5.0: Excellent

5.0/5.0: Iconic

4.0/5.0: Great

3.5/5.0: Very Good

3.0/5.0: Good

The three country ballads ("Strong Enough", "No One Said it Would Be Easy", "I Shall Believe") are downright terrible. They offer exactly nothing interesting at all, and consist entirely of interminable whining and boring country music. However, the rest of the album shows a lot of variety and is actually pretty good. 2.5/5.0: Mixed

There are a lot better swing, jazz, and Latin albums from that time period, but still enjoyable nonetheless. 3.5/5.0: Very Good

4.5/5.0: Excellent

2.5/5.0: Mixed

4./5.0: Very Good

3.0/5.0: Good

2.5/5.0: Mixed

2.5/5.0: Mixed

4.0/5.0: Great

2.0/5.0: Disappointing

This is the final album with Peter Gabriel on vocals (and the last truly great album Genesis made). While earlier Genesis albums may turn off some listeners because of their disjointed tendencies, this album showcases Genesis’ progressive peak. It’s polished, flows well, and is full of virtuoso musical performances. Gabriel is at his most dramatic and Hackett’s guitars are ethereal, but the Rutherford/Collins rhythm section is the real star of the record, constantly driving the music forward with a peculiar bass tone and weird time signatures. While the music is more refined than usual, there are still experimental elements to the music. However, these elements fit seamlessly into the structure of the album and contrast with the melodies and storyline quite well. Pure genius. 5.0/5.0: Iconic

3.5/5.0: Very Good

2.0/5.0: Disappointing

3.0/5.0: Good

2.0/5.0: Disappointing

3.5/5.0: Very Good

4.0/5.0: Great

This is the definitive industrial metal album, but I’m somewhat confused why this obscure (and frankly not great) subgenre gets an album on this list but far more important/influential subgenres like death metal, black metal, progressive metal, or even djent have zero albums (I’m aware that Venom’s “Black Metal” is on the list, but that is not black metal, despite the name). In any case, this is an OK metal album. It has cool rhythms but suffers from the usual repetitiveness and cheesy production of most industrial metal. Every week there are multiple better metal albums released than this, so it’s a bit disappointing that this record is taking up a spot on this list. 2.5/5.0: Mixed

4.0/5.0: Great

One great opening track and then a bunch of cringy takes on country rock. 2.0/5.0: Disappointing

This is the best and most influential thrash metal album of all time. While Metallica’s Master of Puppets has arguably better songwriting and Megadeth’s Rust In Piece is better technically, Reign in Blood perfectly captures the pure aggression, breakneck speed, and riff-centrism the genre is known for. Additionally, this album had a major a influence on the burgeoning death metal and black metal scenes. Not many albums on this list are as technically proficient as this one (shout out to Dave Lombardo’s drumming), very few are as influential, and none are as musically aggressive. 5.0/5.0: Iconic

Half-baked attempt at Celtic-infused-reggae-turned-new wave, with every song dragging on too long, far too many many tracks (15!!!), and the usual not great post-punk vocals. Some cool rhythms and melodies, but nothing original. 1.5/5.0: Bad

2.0/5.0: Disappointing

Not as good as Fear of a Blank Planet. 1.5/5.0: Bad

2.0/5.0: Disappointing

2.5/5.0: Mixed

Absolutely iconic in every way imaginable, from creativity to variety to influence to performance to production to melody choice, etc., etc. 5.0/5.0: Iconic

2.5/5.0: Mixed

3.5/5.0: Very Good

4.0/5.0: Great

3.0/5.0: Good

Kind of wild how a lot of the great, most interesting albums on this list have low ratings. This is infinitely better than the dross dished out by Springsteen, Dylan, etc. that seem to always have high ratings here. 4.5/5.0: Excellent

3.0/5.0: Good

Lyrically it's great, but musically this just isn't good. 2.0/5.0: Disappointing

Lots of variety in the instrumentation while maintaining early hardcore aggression. Tight, inventive songwriting with a nasty guitar tone, piercing lyrics, and good performances. 4.5/5.0: Excellent

Kind of like if Bob Dylan made interesting music. 3.0/5.0: Good

No real reason for this to be an hour long. Background music, but nothing terrible. 2.5/5.0: Mixed

1994 produced Emperor's genre-defining record "In the Nightside Eclipse", and yet here we are with another cheesy Beastie Boys album. 2.0/5.0: Disappointing

Without the cheesy saxophone this is an easy 5 stars because everything else is pretty fantastic. 4.0/5.0: Great

This is hilariously terrible music, and it turns out the artist is a seriously terrible person, too. 0.5/5.0: Unlistenable

Hard to rate this less than a five just based on influence, but it's also a really fun album. 5.0/5.0: Iconic

This is a really fun album with unusual instrumentation (or maybe that is usual for new tango?). Only a couple of complaints. First, waaaaayyy too much xylophone or marimba or whatever that was. Second, there are literal cartoon "slipped on a banana peel" sounds throughout - which only add to the silent movie-music feel of the whole record. Still, the music itself can be very moving at times. 2.5/5.0: Mixed

3.0/5.0: Good

1971 reveals a much more mature version of The Beach Boys then the silly surf rock they had made in the previous decade. The production is slick, the variety is immense, the songwriting is clever, and the themes are overtly ecological and political. Combine all this with a succinct runtime and striking cover art and this is a fantastic album. 5.0/5.0: Iconic

Great instrumental performance, but the song structures are kind of meandering and his vocals are annoying. 2.5/5.0: Mixed

Fun, clever, creative, and politically aware, but undeniably sounds like an Ali G. skit at times. 4.0/5.0: Great

Very well done although a little boring at times. 4.0/5.0: Great

Like most Queen albums, there are a few incredible songs, some good ones, and some straight filler. The amazing (as always) performances keep this at a 4.0/5.0. 4.0/5.0: Great

For the first five songs, the vibrato vocals are uproariously bad, the songs are meandering or downright absurd, and the lyrics are painfully cringey. Combine all this with a colossal runtime and you would have a candidate for worst album on the list if it wasn’t for some fairly interesting instrumentals on 2 or 3 of the songs. However, the band turns it around on tracks 6-8, before returning to the interminable garbage they started with. 1.0/5.0: Embarrassing

Really fun album with strange instrumentation and weird artistic choices. The kind of pleasant surprise that should be on this list. 4.0/5.0: Great

It's very rare for an album to have such great musicianship, performances, and melodies all packaged together with perfect production values. 5.0/5.0: Iconic

How did country music go from the great melodies, performances, and story-telling of Marty Robbins to the utter travesty to music that is Morgan Wallen? If nothing else, this album demonstrates just how terrible modern country music is, and that's a shame. 5.0/5.0: Iconic

The music is OK on this one, definitely better as a whole than Achtung Baby. However it suffers from the same problems. Each song stops developing musically after the first minute, yet the band insists on playing for another 4 minutes. Additionally, most of the tracks are very safe early eighties rock. Finally, Bono's vocals are average at best, and the production fails to lend any edge to the music. 2.5/5.0: Mixed

The bluegrass tracks are really good, but the old-time-baptist-church-music, while well-executed, is just not my taste (PTSD). Combine that with a gargantuan runtime and copious studio chatter, and unfortunately this gets a mixed review. Still, this is an eternity and a half better than the utter swill spewed forth from the auto-tuned maw of Morgan Wallen. 2.5/5.0: Mixed

Just about perfect pop music. Incredible melodies (like almost anything that comes out of Sweden except Meshuggah), tons of variety, exceptional songwriting, and strong performances. Only knock is the sometimes fuzzy 70s production. 5.0/5.0: Iconic

5 stars on attitude and politics alone, but the influence, variety, and performance clinches it. 5.0/5.0: Iconic

This is much, much worse than the other Gene Clark album ("No Other") on this list. The main culprit? A despicably grinding harmonica sound that very well might be the most hateful sound I've ever heard. It's a shame, because his voice and songwriting are actually pretty good. 1.5/5.0: Bad

Great album dragged down by an enormous run-time caused by an excess of filler tracks and completely unnecessary skits. Still gets 3 stars because some of the music is fantastic. 3.0/5.0: Good

Finally! An album with RIFFS. A highly influential album with top quality performances and an outstanding album cover. 5.0/5.0: Iconic

I don't particularly care for his voice, the album cover is pretty bad, and the instrumentals feel a little cut-and-paste, but the songwriting is good and the record isn't too long. 3.0/5.0: Good

Significantly better than the whiny American folk rock (a mostly crap genre to be fair) he pushed earlier in his career. The bombastic eighties instrumentals and production actually fit his voice quite well, and the songwriting is inventive and unpredictable, even if it does drag at times (predictably during the folky sections). 3.0/5.0: Good

Yes, it is a VERY long album, but the truly amazing part is how the time flies while listening to this record. There are so many incredible songs on this double LP that the few (possible) missteps can be easily forgiven. Not just an album you must hear before you die - this is an album you must own before you die. 5.0/5.0: Iconic

Lots of great songs with catchy riffs and melodies. A tad overlong and a bit whiny vocally, but generally this is well done grunge. 4.0/5.0: Great

Album is not on Spotify, but is available on Bandcamp if you want to listen without being interrupted by YouTube ads. Review: Not my cup of tea, but I'll try to be objective. The lyrics are actually pretty good - the kind of definitive American folk poetry that would land this album on this list. The music is well done for what it is, but is only interesting in patches, while meandering into poorly done country at times. The vocals range from not memorable to just talking. I want to give this at least a "mixed rating" for being different, but there are literally no moments I truly enjoyed on this. 2.0/5.0: Bad

Tracey Thorn's vocals are fantastic - they fit the music perfectly. Ben Watt's music is mostly cool instrumentation with jazzy vibes, but is often unpredictable, which is nice. Only knock is sometimes the music feels like it isn't going anywhere. 3.5/5.0: Very Good

Yeah, it's long (like a lot of Metallica's albums), and Jason Newstead's bass is inaudible, but this is a masterclass in melodic thrash with a ton of variety and some killer riffs. I am a little confused as to why this made the list and Ride the Lightning didn't, but I'm not going to complain when this list offers up albums more to my taste. 5.0/5.0: Iconic

The vocalist is wildly out of key at times, and the music is mostly basic and unimpressive, apart from a few transitional synth parts. The problem with a lot of these indie rock albums is that they always sound like the band phoned them in - partly because the music isn't challenging at all, and partly because the style demands simplicity. Nevertheless, if the album is short enough and takes a few chances, indie rock can indeed be interesting. However, while Wilco does take some chances musically, the album is also almost a full hour in length, and each song is stretched at least 2 minutes past where it should've ended. 1.5/5.0: Bad

24 songs and 72 minutes is just too long to make a good album. Some of the music is great, but there's entirely too much filler, including far too many interludes/skits. 2.5/5.0: Mixed

Just what we needed: Ol' Bruce still sounds like he's singing while taking a dump, but now that dump is drenched in 80's reverb. But wait - there's more: every song consists of the most predictable melody repeated ad nauseam with no development of theme whatsoever and not a single note or rhythm to challenge the ear. Even when Bruce decides to branch out and attempt more challenging genres than regurgitated two chord American folk slop, it ends up being a pale, pathetic, plagiaristic imitation (see the rockabilly of "Working on the Highway"). But generally, this album is about as basic as music can be - essentially what would happen if you wrote music for people who don't like music. Lyrically, this sounds like ChatGPT being asked to write the least self-aware doggerel possible. The first two Springsteen albums on this list got 1 star for being a blackhole of creativity and this makes it a trifecta. 0.5/5.0: Unlistenable

This scores points for taking a different creative path - They kind of took the idea of the album and bent it to the band's own vision. Still, the demo-like feel to all the songs really does detract from the album (in my opinion). Also, the music itself isn't all that good, although the constant change in sound due to the many very short tracks makes it enjoyable for the most part. Finally, that album cover is just so so so so bad. 2.5/5.0: Mixed

Ticks all the usual Stones' boxes: - Hasn't aged well lyrically - Has a few bangers - Has lots of filler 3.0/5.0: Good

Great melodies, succinct songs, good lyrics - hard to find fault with much on this album. 4.5/5.0: Excellent

Unpopular opinion, but the heavier songs are much, much, much better than the mellow songs on this record. They allow the drummer to really display his talent, and the crunchy guitars kind of drown out Billy's whine (most of the time). In contrast, everything (lyrics, music, enjoyment) is drowned out by Billy's whine on the mellow/emotional songs, all of which are supremely skippable. In fact, it seems at this point in the band's career, Billy Corgan has decided that the focal point of every song should be his quite frankly subpar vocals. Overall, while the record is ambitious and has a lot of great moments, the enormous run-time and the vocal slop don't just prevent this record from achieving greatness - they make it a genuine disappointment. 2.0/5.0: Disappointing

Iconic reputation, but the reality of the matter is the music is great, but even for the time not especially innovative. Still, it is a great album 4.0/5.0: Great

4.0/5.0: Great

A little syrupy for my tastes (with very little in the way of nuance), but the melodies are undeniably great. 3.5/5.0: Very Good

Fourth best Icelandic band after Sólstafir, Misþyrming, and Svartidauði. Super creative & unique post punk/pop. 4.5/5.0: Excellent

Love the punky, aggressive bass - it's easily the best/most interesting part of the album. There's also a lot of creativity in the musical ideas here. Unfortunately, each song consists of only one half-formed idea that runs its course after thirty seconds, and PJ's vocals are still incredibly annoying (although lyrically she's very good). Still, the rawness of the whole album is enjoyable. 3.0/5.0: Good

Weird after 400+ albums to finally to get an album in a genre (prog rock/metal) and era (2000s) that is one of my favorites. Really good musically. The guys are clearly at the top of their game, and the musicality, variety, freneticism, and thematic darkness really hit the spot. Also, hugely influential on modern prog. Easy to see their influence on Haken, Leprous, Soen, Riverside, etc. Yes, the lyrics are bizarre, but so is the music and conceptual storyline, so that's not really an issue. 4.5/5.0: Excellent

Pretty forgettable run-of-the-mill alternative rock. I kept waiting for something interesting or different to happen, but it was a fruitless fifty minutes of nothingness. Cut-and-paste melodies, totally expected instrumentation, and below average vocals. Difficult to understand why this would be an album anyone must hear, unless it's just to get Courtney Love on the list or perhaps as an example of the yawnsville American alt-rock scene of the late 90s. 2.0/5.0: Disappointing