A beautiful and complex album from start to finish.

This album has a strong point of view from beginning to end, which I appreciate. It was interesting to hear the context around “Layla,” which I’ve heard 1,000 times, so hearing the whole album gave me more appreciation for the urgency of that song as it tells part of a story that’s told across the album.

Another strong point of view album with so much going on that I catch something new everytime I listen.

Another strong point of view album with so much going on that I catch something new everytime I listen.

This album was rocking right from the start and as a lover of theatrical rock (think Meatloaf), I needed to accept how great this album is, which my husband will be thrilled to hear.

Great vibe and consistent.

This album feels like Seal’s main inspiration for making music. Very chill and vibey. Not really my thing, but soothing and lovely.

I knew 1 song on here, the rest was fine, very much of an era and style.

This album starts strong and has a trend in sound/style that runs throughout. Seems like they run out of steam on the back end of the album, starting with “TV Dinners.”

This is the album from Springsteen that I know the least so it was nice to rediscover it.

This is the album from Springsteen that I know the least so it was nice to rediscover it.

This is the album from Springsteen that I know the least so it was nice to rediscover it.

Found it interesting that the UK version was almost completely different. Also interesting to listen to this with 2024 eyes and hear the clear influences from Black American music and the lyrics harkening to a very different era of womanhood.

This was my first time listening to the whole album and honestly a lot of it sounded the same and was one note.

I just can’t with her voice. From listening to a lot of Velvet Underground, I knew I would have a hard time with a whole album, and indeed I did. Not for me, but certainly a representation of the scene.

I knew 1-2 songs from this album, but it was great to dig into the whole thing. “Don’t let up” was playing as I was on a tough hiking trail, the perfect motivation music.

This album goes HARD. I knew 1-2 songs, but it took listening to the whole album to realize how unique this sound was for that time period.

I’ve always loved their harmonies and tone.

Interesting psychedelic instrumentals mostly. This is earlier stuff than I knew of his. I appreciated the use of clarinets.

Atmospheric and a chiller vibe than what I know of their other albums. Good background working music.

This album is a wave of nostalgia. Just gorgeous falsettos and a vibe that is both chill, moving, but simple. I miss old Coldplay.

Never listened to a whole mudhoney album. This was a nice time capsule of an era.

Love Tribe, but never listened to this the whole way through. Love this era of rap and acid jazz, trip hop, etc. Reminds me of listening to the radio as my main source of music. Such a great vibe.

Was happy to be introduced to this style.

A classic.

Have always been partial to this album. Has a strong point of view, albeit one that was heavily influenced by American musicians. Still holds up and goes.

One of the best starts to an album. You know what you’re in for.

Not for me.

How far music has come. What a time capsule.

Oh the Smiths. Not one of my preferred albums of theirs, it’s just kind of there. But then “Girlfriend in a Coma” comes on and there it is.

To be in the right frame of mind to listen to lost cause. Beautiful album.

Can’t tell if the run on nature of this album was intentional or not.

Chill and I see where a lot of samples from that time came from.

Love “California Stars” and had no idea this was a whole album of Woody Guthrie lyrics. So good.

Not as full of bangers as some of their other albums and I don’t love the synth era as much, but still solid.

I knew a couple songs off of this album, but it was great to listen to the whole thing. Just great and interesting tunes and musicality from beginning to end.

Fun!

Interesting to hear them before Bruce.

Such a classic. I almost understand Frank Black being such a dick because of how good this album is. But let’s be honest, a good amount of the magic here is Kim Deal so I’ll keep my allegiance with The Breeders.

A classic.

A classic.

Forgot how much I love Elvis’ voice. This album is certainly a vibe and suspicious minds will always be a favorite.

What a cohesive, well done album.

I just can’t do Geddy Lee’s voice, but it was less grating on this album. Prog is fine, this just went on for too long with nothing to keep it exciting.

Never been a Tom Waits fan, but I get it a bit more after listening to this. Interesting to hear “Jersey Girl” and realizing that it likely served as inspiration for Springsteen’s “Atlantic city.”

This album just goes from the jump and doesn’t really have any filler songs. Classic 💎 Dave.

A beautiful and complex album from start to finish.

Rock lobster is an all time fav.

Meh. Blues rip off.

It was interesting to listen to the song that all of us have heard too many times in context with the rest of the album.

Interesting. Have never heard of this guy and although it’s not my typical vibe, it was good to have in the background.

Missed this group somehow, fine.

Like every other Nick Drake album

I see where Budos band gets their inspiration from. Chill but meh

Starts strong, and ends softly, much like the act he sings so much about on this album.

Some of this, I feel like I can get to a place where I get it. It’s bluesy, political, forces you to deal with discordant sounds as a form of expression. But then other times, I felt like I just needed to be on mind altering substances to appreciate it. And then I got distracted by thinking about my father being the same man who loves this band and also voted for Trump. Again, the answer probably has to do with drugs (or lack of them).

I liked it better as Iron Maiden. Guitar solos just came out of nowhere.

Somehow, I’ve never listened to the whole thing front to back. So many good samples and a great cohesive vibe.

I only knew the big hit off of this so it was great to hear the whole thing, which is incredibly nostalgic. Went in a little long and stuck in the 60s, but great.

The first half of this album is the version of Dylan I just can’t do. It all sounds the same and his vocals are hard to handle, let alone understand. The electric half is more my speed, he seems to benefit from playing off of other musicians to keep more structure and pace. So it was nice to hear both and pin point that difference.

Just kinda there, nothing groundbreaking, but solid.

Noise is not really a genre I can handle. I appreciated some of the rhythmic elements, but otherwise this just made me anxious.

Somehow never heard of this guy so this album was a fun discovery.

I’ve never listened to any of her albums so this was great to dive in. Such a strong point of view from beginning to end.

This was sappier than I was expecting.

It’s certainly a vibe and time and place.

Loves the single from this. The rest of the album is fine, not sure it needed to be in this list though.

Solid album from start to finish with maybe the most on the nose song title I’ve ever seen, “Most of Us are Sad.”

This is the Dylan I prefer. I can understand him, his voice is more melodic, and his lyrics have a bit more of an edge to them.

Starting an album with “When I Kissed the Teacher” is certainly a choice. I now know that “Arrival” is apparently the song that The Darkness plays before every one of their shows, so there’s that.

I’m a fan of new wave, but had never heard of these guys so glad I had the chance to check them out, but none of this really stuck out to me.

I preferred this one to “Like Water for Chocolate,” just a vibe.

Well the beginning of the album certainly sets a tone.

Listened to this album constantly back in the day. The only weak spot is “What Happened to You,” which clearly signaled what their sound was going to change to in the future, unfortunately.

You can tell where Richard’s def took some blatant influences from other guitarists of the day, but a fun record nonetheless.

Some good tunes and jam moments.

This is the kind of repetitive, impossibly hip music that I hear in pretentious clothing stores or trendy cocktail bars. Not for me, but ok for background music I guess.

Strong point of view from beginning to end.

Better than I remember

Great album that had a bit more depth than I expect from punk of this era.

Somehow I’ve never listened to this whole album and so thankful I did. What a snapshot of an era and an incredible talent.

A little repetitive but a classic.

Strong point of view and throughline across the album. Felt more like poetry at times.

Love QOTSA. As I was listening, I was considering whether this album needed to be included on this list. Certainly “Songs for the Deaf” should be on here, but this one is a quieter, more chill vibe. The instrumentals changed my mind a bit.

The last song I knew and is a fav, the rest is just a bit much for me.

All the classics. Really a vibe from beginning to end.

A classic.

Love discovering records from this era. Great background music for cocktail time, just like my grandparents intended.

Strong point of view from beginning to end.

I didn’t know as many songs on this particular album of theirs, but great Kinks vibe either way.

This album is very much a time capsule of the 00s so I was #triggered a bit as this was certainly the worst time for music (popular music at any rate). The message is good, despite some trite lyrics, but the package on some songs like “(Who discovered) America?” just reminded me too much of the “Smooth” era of popular music.

Sigh. This is a great album and …New York, New York is one of my favs. Too bad it’s tainted by him being an ass, but I guess many musicians are so….

Love this album. Always a spooky good time and love the banter at the start of teenage Werewolf

Don’t think I ever listened to this front to back and clearly understood from hearing all the hits how iconic it really was. Minus that song with Paul McCartney, which just sounds creepy now.

Great album, so many hits I don’t know came from them.

A classic.

I think I am constantly surprised by how prolific the Beatles catalog is in such a short amount of time and this is just another great reminder

I wanted to like this, but some of the lyrics weee just too on the nose. Felt more like a parody album in spots.

Great vibe, so many hits, even a little prog in there. Another solid album, this man just did not miss.

A quietly beautiful album.

Ah the “upbeat” Elliot Smith album. The “Bye” at the end of the album is bittersweet.

More low key than the albums I know better, but still a great listen.

That was a whole lot of energy, no wonder it’s only 22 minutes.

Have seen this album done in its entirety and it’s a great collection of songs that work well together. Forgot how strong it starts and the quiet way it ends. Takes you in a journey at a time in life.

Great album with some of my faves.

I knew most of these songs, though it ended more quietly and moody than I anticipated.

I knew most of these songs, though it ended more quietly and moody than I anticipated.

Great cohesive album with fun instrumentals that I didn’t know were a part of their catalog.

I only knew the massive hit single from this album, so had no idea how great the beats and vibe were in the rest of the record. Really catchy and made commuting a little less terrible.

Love Donavan. This album is a bit low key than his others, but still a vibe.

This is the album that made me realize that they are a ska band and I’m ok with that.

Sounds like other albums of his, always good, but nothing remarkable.

Love Willie as a person, but this album is pretty one note. “Down Yonder” is the one exception, was not expecting to hear a kazoo.

I tried, it’s just not for me. This felt very one note, almost literally. Not sure I needed to hear it before I die.

Great album and a good vibe to have in the background.

Took a as minute to get going and settle in, but a great album with a quiet, weird, but fun ending I had never heard.

Interesting concept album I had never heard of except for the one single.

I like an atmospheric album now and then. This was a chill vibe, but not so chill that I was completely uninterested or disengaged from it.

Just not for me. Everything sounds the same.

This album wasn’t filled with a ton of hits, but was a lovely listen.

This almost felt like more of a Pavement album than the big ones.

Such a great album that I’ve never listened to the whole way through.

I’m sorry, but this just all sounds the same to me.

I know it’s a classic, it’s just not for me. I was also sleep deprived when I listened to this, so not great timing.

Sigh. I got the odd luck of seeing Perry’s last semi-coherent outing with Jane’s this summer (2024) and these songs resonate with me more than I thought they would given that I’m more familiar with the other albums. So pure in a weird, dirty way.

This feels like a joke, but ok.

Some of these songs I’ve heard way too much, but it was nice to hear them in context of this debut, which is excellent. You can certainly hear her vintage influences, but they’re packaged in a modern take with a poise and knowing that is wise beyond her years.

I know this album well so it was nice to revisit it after so many years. A little inconsistent and a little too on the nose with vintage inspiration, but still a great listen and a lovely reprieve from mainstream music at that time.

I have never heard of this artist, which is surprising given how clearly she has influenced others that came after her. Great album.

“Saturday” is always a song that will hit for me, even when I was in middle school and saw him in concert. I was not into, but then he played that and played the piano while laying underneath it with his hands on the keyboard. Iconic.

CSN and Neil young separated for a reason, better off as separate entities.

Way too chill with nothing of interest to grab my attention.

This was a slow burn more than I realized.

I don’t think I’ve fully appreciated how good and ground breaking this was at the time and still is.

That last song is a doozy.

I heard the hit off of this album, but never listened to the whole thing. It was surprisingly great.

Pretty chill, laid back rock n roll.

Somehow have never heard of this guy despite his music being very up my alley. Love a concept album and this one def hits me in my new wave/emo heart.

Another British rapper I’ve never heard of but was really into.

It’s crazy how Jim Morrison sounds like a 40 year-old man when he’s only in his 20s at this point. A classic.

I forgot how simply gorgeous this album is. It starts off so sweeping and bombastic, then has tragically and quietly beautiful songs that end softly and resonate with you when it’s over.

Love this band and the first few songs, but this album gets sleepy.

This definitely a sub genre I haven’t learn too much about. But I enjoyed it for the most part. It was great for working in the background.

What a way to start an album. Hearing these songs for the first time back then must have been like a record scratch.

Another classic, though the title track goes on for waaay too long and is like a quarter of the whole album length.

Never realized how much of an orchestra was involved in this TV theme and score.

A little too atmospheric for me, but a good vibe.

It’s interesting to go back to this after everything he has become.

I love Paul Simon. But this was almost unlistenable. It felt very much like a commercial, especially cars are cars.

Just not for me. I need more structure in my music.

I somehow have never listened to this album and it’s entirety and it’s really well known for a reason. Such a quietly beautiful snapshot of a point in time before it all changed.