I can see how this sort of thing fits a movie soundtrack or a passive activity like video gaming, but there's no way you can tell me that people actually put this on (with a clear mind) and actively listen for 75 solid minutes. This is decent background music at best. And not one, but TWO 15+ minute songs at the front of the album???? getthefuckouttahere... Banstyle isn't bad but it needs to be about 10 mins shorter. Blueski is cool.

Did this group really need 2 entries on this list? Thinking of all the other great artists that aren't included AT ALL, subjecting us all to another go-around of this boring vibe music feels malicious. If you like this sort of thing, great, but this isn't radically different from the other XX album here to warrant a 2nd inclusion.

Meh. I remember a few of these songs from back when they came out. I was deep into my late teenage punk phase at that point so this wouldn't have done much for me then. Can't say a lot has changed in 24 years tbh. There's a bit of nostalgia here but honestly I don't think that I would choose to listen to any of these songs again. Top tracks: South Side, Bodyrock

This is an album that i'm ashamed to say that i've probably never sat and listened to front to back, even though i'm intimately familiar with like 75% of the songs on here.

I hate this with every fibre of my being. This album in particular is especially offensive, but really most of this kind of thing from that era is intolerable. It's not Bon Jovi's fault, there are a ton of classic songs on here and the ones I know, I know quite well. It's just that this stuff has been played endlessly on mediocre classic rock station and dive bars. It's just cringe at this point. If I never heard Dead or Alive again in my lifetime, it won't be soon enough.

I probably should have given this album more of a chance in the 90s than I did, but electronic music wasn't cool to punk kids of that era. The video hits from that time are classic and I gained an appreciation for them when I got a little older, but listening to this in full now I see why this was such a big album at the time. Fav tracks: Smack My Bitch Up, Firestarter Surprise fav tracks: the L7 - Fuel My Fire cover and Diesel Power

I probably wouldn't choose to listen to this album of my own accord, but I did enjoy my time with it today. It's the kind of thing I could see playing in the background in the garage on a Saturday night with the boys. Would go well with lite beer, hockey and darts.

Like most 90s kids I owned this CD but i'm probably only familiar with half of it at best. Listening was a trip down memory lane and much of this still really holds up, but some of it is experimental and overall forgettable. I still enjoyed the songs I remember from the 90s and rediscovered a couple more that were largely forgotten. I wouldn't rush out and buy it again though. Favs : Where It's At, Devil's Haircut Surprise Favs : Minus, Ramshackle

Initial familiarity 2/11 I was never a big REM fan though I do enjoy most of their hits/singles enough so that I could make a pretty solid mix CD, they're just not a band i've ever really felt compelled to seek out any full albums. This one isn't doing much to change that opinion. It's decent enough but ultimately fails to really capture my interest. Favs: End of the World..., One I Love

You know what? I don't think this album was intended for Monday mornings and getting caught up on emails. I need different drugs and a different mindset to get on this level - the coffee just ain't cutting it. It's far less irritating and dated than some of this kind of thing i've heard before but I still had to skip a lot of it. Not for me, probably never was.

Technically masterful yet profoundly uninteresting. American Idol-core. This is music for shopping at Macy's.

The Specials had some truly great songs but this is not a great album. The first album absolutely deserves a place on this list but i'm not so sure this one does. The ska tracks (Enjoy Yourself, Do Nothing, Rat Race, Man at C&A, Rude Boy Outta Jail) are stellar but the rest is just a hodge-podge of styles that never really hit for me. The first album + 4 or 5 from this album + Ghost Town is really all the Specials anyone needs.

Uncle Neil has a lot of records. Some are great, some decidedly less so. After the Gold Rush is one of the great ones. Neil ain't for everybody but man that 5 album run from 'Everybody Knows This is Knowhere' to 'Tonight's the Night' is legendary. God-tier.

This is somehow both familiar and completely alien. I wouldn't say I loved it but I certainly didn't hate it either. 25 albums into this project and this is the kind of thing I was hoping to get. While not something I would seek out again this is definitely an album I wouldn't have found on my own so I'm happy to have been exposed to it.

I love all the user reviews, especially the multiple 1 star "Girl, leave your man already" ones. It's either that or glowing praise. Not much middle ground. I have a tough time with classic country. Most of it sounds very repetitive and thematically shallow to me. Thankfully this one rises above the dreck a bit. Musically it comes off a little more sophisticated with some nice instrumentation punching up the typical 2 chord country gallop thing, and Loretta has a lovely voice that shines above the repetitiveness of the songs. I wouldn't say I loved it but it had it's charming moments for sure. Still reeks of tears-in-your-beer country. I prefer the less produced folky/outlaw flavour. i'd give it a 2 or 2.5 though i'm happy to have gotten another one from outside my wheelhouse.

NOOOOOOPE For albums this bad, youtube in an icognito browser is the way. Like hell i'm gonna let this mess up my YT or Spotify algorithms. Get ready skip button, you're getting a workout today my boy. Great singer. Awful, awful songs.

I think the highest form of praise I can give an unfamiliar album is to say I liked my time with it and will plan to revisit it. I'd probably give this a 3.5 after one listen. Fav tracks : Victoria, Brainwashed, Mr Churchill Says, Nothing to Say

I can see how this sort of thing fits a movie soundtrack or a passive activity like video gaming, but there's no way you can tell me that people actually put this on (with a clear mind) and actively listen for 75 solid minutes. This is decent background music at best. And not one, but TWO 15+ minute songs at the front of the album???? getthefuckouttahere... Banstyle isn't bad but it needs to be about 10 mins shorter. Blueski is cool.

I drew this album after 2 other mediocre dull british electronic albums and to be honest, I'm reaching my breaking point here. Had I gotten this after a truly great album I might be more receptive to this overproduced pop crap, but today is not that day. I won't be finishing this.

A strong 4-4.5 but there's a few duds on here keeping this from being a full 5/5.

2+ hours is an awful lot of bluegrass to ask someone to consume, but I must say i'm actually really enjoying this album though it did start to drag and get very same-y by disc 2. I probably should have broken this out over a few sessions.

A guy I knew in high school gave me a copy of this on a blank tape. It was 97 or 98 and I had no idea who the Violent Femmes were. He offered it with no context or explanation that I can recall. One listen and I was sold. I assumed they were a 90's band cause it sounded relevant to that time - weird and quirky and alternative and all that. It wasn't until a couple years later when I actually went out and bought a copy that I learned that it was released in 82. The Violent Femmes were way ahead of the their time man. Probably a 4 or 4.5 for me cause a couple songs drag a bit, but nostalgia pushes this to a 5 today.

This was a pleasant surprise, sounds way ahead of it's time.

The good thing about an album with songs this repetitive is that you can scrub ahead 2-3 mins at a time and you haven't missed anything. I estimate I shaved a good 35 minutes of the runtime of this 74min slog. Around the World, Alive and Da Funk do kinda slap though.

Great beats and production. This was never my kind of thing back in the 90s but i've come to appreciate it in recent years.

I still don't get the hype for this record, and i've given it a fair shake plenty times. I always think "this time will be different" but it just doesn't speak to me I guess. It feels too reserved and doesn't go hard when I feel like it should. It has it's moments sure but not enough to make me want to come back. 2.5/5

Now this one is a surprise. Did not expect to like this as much as I did. Great early nineties alt-rock with some excellent melodies. I will be revisiting. Strong candidate for worst album cover of all-time though.

I remember listening to this a few times back when it came out during the big garage rock revival. My feeling at the time is that it was pretty good but nothing really sunk its hooks on to me beyond Maps. That one has been on my playlists ever since. Revisiting today, my feelings haven’t really changed. The album is decent enough and has some raucous fun moments but it never reaches the heights of Maps, although the run of Maps > Y Control > Modern Romance is probably the most interesting part of the album. I think this band is better when doing mid-tempo moody stuff. 3.5/5

This album was playing in the car when I drove past a fertility clinic. Now i've been named in a class action paternity suit. Thanks Marvin...

I listened to the singles and then noped out. This is about as good as early 2000's pop music gets and it's still unlistenable.

Gonna have to agree with a number of other reviewers here and say that this album has some interesting moments but the repetitiveness and minimalism of the "songs" plus all the interludes/affirmations/ASMR things really detract from what could have been a decent album. I get it, this isn't meant to resonate with me. 2 or 3 cool songs and 17 duds. Not a great ratio. Favs: Monsters, Stop Dem, Eternal Life

I have been a Johnny Cash fan for as many of my 40+ years as i've had functioning eardrums. His music is some of the first that I can remember hearing as a child when my dad would play his tapes in the truck on road trips and we'd sing along with hits like One Piece at a Time, Ring of Fire, 5 Feet High and Rising, etc. ... His music is a foundational memory for me and a big part of my childhood and i'm not even a country fan. John's late career comeback with these Rick Rubin albums was a welcome surprise. I listened to these records some at the time but haven't really stuck with them since. The album as a whole is pretty solid for being a collection of covers. I appreciate Cash's stripped down approach and these songs (mostly) tend to work in his style and delivery. The star here though is the updated recording of Give My Love to Rose, an early Cash classic. I would have LOVED to have gotten an entire album of re-recorded 50s and 60s hits in this stripped down style. Now let's talk about the big 'Hurt' shaped elephant in the room. I know this song gets heaps of praise as being his literal swan song. It's poignant and autobiographical but I'm just too emotionally tied to the original. It's the cathartic closer off of one the nineties greatest masterpieces, so this version just feels disconnected and wrong to me. It's "crown of shit" John, not "crown of thorns"! 3.5/5 Favs: Give My Love to Rose, Streets of Laredo, Sam Hall Least Favs: Danny Boy, Hurt (fight me)

I have a tough time objectively reviewing this kind of early rock n roll stuff cause it just sounds like the soundtrack to every nostalgic 50's movie and tv show. I don't think of this music as actual music, if that makes sense. It's decent enough but viewed backwards through the lens of nearly 70 years of popular music it just sounds rudimentary and adolescent to me.

3 good songs, 21 mediocre/filler tracks. Not a great ratio.

It's easy to goof on the Chili Peppers, and in almost every case it is warranted. Their songs are terribly overplayed on radio, the lyrics are juvenile, and Anthony Kiedis plain sucks. I'm not going to sit here and preach about how this album is some masterpiece, but it is GOOD and it does rise head and shoulders above all the other garbage they've released in the 25 years since BSSM. If you can manage to listen to this without the weight of all the music that came after tainting it, this is a great record. The good: pop on just about any random song and it's easy to get lost in the groove. There are obvious standout tracks like Under the Bridge, Give it Away, I Could Have Lied, etc... but most of the deep cuts are great too. The bad: this is one long album and it wears out its welcome long before the end of its 75 minute runtime. Even back in the 90s when I listened to this regularly I was skipping a lot of songs in the back half. Should have been 13 or 14 tracks max.

I hated the Darkness when they hit the scene at the time. I was a little too entrenched in my "death to false metal" phase. I've since softened my stance and in retrospect this is actually a surprisingly well crafted piece of work. It's as good or better than a lot of the stuff it's paying homage to and you can tell they absolutely love this stuff and it's not just a gimmick. If we could just do something about those vocals i might actually want to listen to this again. Those falsetto "oooOOOOoooo"'s are killing me.

I'm not sure what to make of this. It's at times both familiar and completely alien. Musically it's refreshing to hear someone taking much bigger swings that your average pop/R&B artist would and I certainly appreciate that. I listened to the whole thing, no skips. It's eclectic and ambitious but ultimately not much really grabbed my ear. I guess it's just not really my thing.

This album is so important it's not even on Spotify. There's over 50 other Jah Wobble albums on there but not this one. I had to find it on youtube and now i'm irritated that I had to go through all that hassle to listen to this nonsense. The bass is decent. That's it.

Never listened to Kendrick Lamar before but I was floored by this. Is progressive rap a thing? The arrangements and choices here are wild. I didn't love all of it but it had my attention. I listened via a playlist on youtube and I think that was the right choice here, cause he's got some great videos that really add a lot to the songs.

This is....fine... i guess. Kinda bland and inoffensive. I don't hate it but I don't really like it either. 2.5/5

I never really got Depeche Mode. Though strangely, I do like when people cover Depeche Mode and 'heavy' the songs up a bit. The songs are good, I guess I just don't really dig the dark synth & beats thing they do.

I wish these songs felt more complete. Another reviewer (or maybe several of them) said that this album felt like a demo for a great album and I think that's what i'm hearing. Loads of potential and a lot of cool parts, but most of the songs feel unrealized.

Oh cool, some long droning songs filled to the brim with dumb synth and electronic drum sounds. Yawn.

FINALLY a good 90s album. I'm sure the reviews for this are going to be polarized. I'm in the camp that Corin Tucker's vocals are amazing but I get why they might not be for everybody. This album is a fantastic slab of indie-punk and somehow not even SK's best album. 4.5/5

Did this group really need 2 entries on this list? Thinking of all the other great artists that aren't included AT ALL, subjecting us all to another go-around of this boring vibe music feels malicious. If you like this sort of thing, great, but this isn't radically different from the other XX album here to warrant a 2nd inclusion.

I mostly hated this stuff in the 90s. Given 25+ years of perspective a lot of these songs are actually really great.

A masterpiece.

I would probably enjoy watching this movie but I hated listening to this album.

It's been a long time since i've heard these songs, and I was a little too cool for them at the time (even if I secretly vibed to the videos when they played on Much Music). It's easy to forget just how absolutely massive this album was in Canada in 95/96. It was everywhere. I still remember the hits word for word. But have I changed much in the 30 years since this album came out? I'm vibing to these songs right now but I still probably wouldn't go out of my way to listen to them.... so I guess not. ::shrug::

The big songs on this are monsters and some of my favourite Beasties tunes, and i've always been partial to the hardcore punk jams too. But as an album I rarely get past the halfway point. It feels like a mixed bag of ideas most of which are never fully realized which gives it a mix-tape/bsides vibe. Listening today though down with most of it. I probably should experience the full thing more often. 3.5/5

This was nice but no particular song really stood out to me on a first pass. I think i'd like to listen to more but 55 minutes of this kind of thing is bit too much of a nice thing. I kinda wish the music had a little more room to breathe, the vocals (while impressive) seem to be taking full focus 98% of the time. That's a little too vocal-forward for my tastes.

I wish that I could go back in time and slap the guy in charge of recording Dylan's harmonica.

This was grunge's high water mark and one of my all-time favourite albums. 5 stars doesn't feel like enough.

You know when you're at a house party with some friends and then the acoustic guitars come out, and the one friend with no musical ability grabs the old dusty bongos in the corner and starts hammering away? This album is that experience, except all these people are capable musicians. This is a collection of competently played and recorded cover songs but with percussion nobody asked for. Pro tip, the version of this album on spotify has 19 songs, but the original release (according to Wikipedia) only had 8 so stick with those unless you're looking for extra credit, or you're that bongo guy from the party jam.

I've never liked U2 and i've never forgiven them for that time when they forcefully downloaded their new album onto everyone's iPhone. I want to give this a spiteful 1 just because of all the truly awful music this band subjected us to in the late 90s and 00s, but I should be fair and rate this particular album on its merits. In that respect, I will admit that some of these songs are huge and I can't deny their importance and relevance but they still don't resonate with me. I didn't hate this as much as expected but I didn't really enjoy it either. Also, as a fellow guitarist who also uses too many effects to hide his mediocrity, i've got to at least give props to the Edge here. We can smell our own...

The nostalgia is strong with this one. I was 13 when this came out and it feels like it was genetically engineered to imprint directly onto my adolescent brain but here in the year 2025 it doesn't quite measure up to those memories. Like a lot of kids of the era, Smash was my entry point into punk but this didn't really stick with me for the journey. There's a lot of other big punk albums that came out circa 93-95 by NOFX/Rancid/Pennywise/Green Day/etc, that i'd rather listen to these days, but a few of these songs are stone cold classics and still grace my playlists today. Smash also deserves a ton of credit for being such a big hit that it afforded Epitaph records the ability to release a bunch of other great punk music over the years that it might not have had otherwise. 4/5 rose-coloured nostalgic stars, drawn directly onto my social studies binder during study hall.