Jun 30 2024
Different Class
Pulp
Kind of like New Wave David Bowie . . . but not as interesting.
3
Jul 01 2024
Let's Get It On
Marvin Gaye
Smooth and sexy!
4
Jul 02 2024
Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Red Hot Chili Peppers
This album has always seemed a bit overrated to me.
2
Jul 03 2024
Ready To Die
The Notorious B.I.G.
3
Jul 04 2024
Synchronicity
The Police
This was a seminal album of my college days, and the truly great songs on it remain truly great. But I'd forgotten the number of much less successful "filler" songs it includes. In some ways, it might be seen as a fine encapsulation of Sting's career. When he is good, he is so good that he makes you forget how often he could also be just plain mediocre.
4
Jul 05 2024
Marquee Moon
Television
This started out as an unexpectedly fun album that had somehow slipped my notice for many years. About halfway through, the shtick seemed to have run its course, though.
3
Jul 06 2024
Blackstar
David Bowie
The poignancy of Bowie essentially writing his own requiem here will always be a huge part of this album's effectiveness. But it also seems like there's very little that's memorable enough here to to stand in the truly top tier of Bowie albums, especially to those who are not already huge fans. He was a genius, and this might very well be a work of genius. But it's also, sadly, largely forgettable when held up against the larger Bowie pantheon.
4
Jul 07 2024
Teen Dream
Beach House
Not unpleasant, but I'm also not hearing much that's innovative. Pretty sure I'll have forgotten this album and group ever existed by next week.
2
Jul 08 2024
Freak Out!
The Mothers Of Invention
Frank Zappa was certainly an innovator, and this album shows a lot of the ways he experimented with what could be done in popular music. But listening all these years later, I have to wonder: What was the point?
2
Jul 09 2024
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
The joy that comes through early Elvis recordings is always palpable and infectious. This was a guy who was having the time of his life figuring it all out.
4
Jul 10 2024
Introducing The Hardline According To Terence Trent D'Arby
Terence Trent D'Arby
2
Jul 11 2024
Copper Blue
Sugar
Seemed pretty generic to me. Is it really a top 1000 album of all time?
3
Jul 12 2024
Let Love Rule
Lenny Kravitz
I remember when Lenny was the epitome of cool. This album shows just how much he deserved that reputation!
4
Jul 13 2024
Murmur
R.E.M.
Still a lot of fun after all these years. And the lyrics remain virtually indecipherable!
4
Jul 14 2024
Fred Neil
Fred Neil
2
Jul 15 2024
Apple Venus Volume 1
XTC
"Greenman" is a banger! Otherwise, I was rather underwhelmed.
3
Jul 16 2024
Tres Hombres
ZZ Top
These guys just rocked!
4
Jul 17 2024
Arrival
ABBA
It's ABBA. What is there that anyone can add to the discussion of ABBA and this late date. Back when they were big, I was always pretty indifferent to them, but "Fernando" (from this album) has always been my favorite song of theirs.
3
Jul 18 2024
The Sun Rises In The East
Jeru The Damaja
2
Jul 19 2024
Blood And Chocolate
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3
Jul 20 2024
Bossanova
Pixies
Some fun here, but not the Pixies best by any means.
3
Jul 21 2024
Dare!
The Human League
Their one hit is on this album (in case you were wondering).
2
Jul 22 2024
Halcyon Digest
Deerhunter
Generally uninspired background noise.
1
Jul 23 2024
The Gershwin Songbook
Ella Fitzgerald
What a sweet voice! And great orchestrations of some classic songs.
4
Jul 24 2024
Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim
Frank Sinatra
Sweet, mellow and soothing. When Old Blue Eyes took his music seriously, he could create absolute masterpieces like this.
4
Aug 02 2024
Moondance
Van Morrison
An absolutely singular voice in the history of music.
4
Aug 03 2024
With The Beatles
Beatles
Even in this early cover-laden work, the Beatles are already showing the wide musical interests and influences that made them the greatest band of all time.
4
Aug 04 2024
Songs For Swingin' Lovers!
Frank Sinatra
The voice was the voice, of course. But Sinatra was also great at picking the songs that always seem to take it to another level. This is plain and simple an album for ALL lovers, not merely the "swingin'."
4
Aug 05 2024
Cosmo's Factory
Creedence Clearwater Revival
For a little while there, these guys were absolute hit-makers.
4
Aug 06 2024
Red Headed Stranger
Willie Nelson
I love Willie, and this was certainly a breakout album for him. However, I was struck hearing it again all these years later by how slim a lot of it is. Most of the songs are great, but they often feel a bit underwritten.
3
Aug 07 2024
Seventeen Seconds
The Cure
Not much memorable here.
2
Aug 08 2024
World Clique
Deee-Lite
I wanted to make fun of this when I started, but darned if it isn't quite infectious!
3
Aug 09 2024
Dog Man Star
Suede
I was very underwhelmed.
2
Aug 10 2024
KIWANUKA
Michael Kiwanuka
Some infectiously catchy stuff on here. I liked it better than I thought I would.
3
Aug 11 2024
Led Zeppelin III
Led Zeppelin
\"Immigrant Song\" might be the best album opener ever. This remains a timeless classic for good reason. A complete banger!
5
Aug 12 2024
Felt Mountain
Goldfrapp
Beautiful voice, but not seeing much point to the very safe arrangements of these songs. I suppose just not my cup of tea.
3
Aug 13 2024
Home Is Where The Music Is
Hugh Masekela
The man can play a horn!
3
Aug 14 2024
Bitte Orca
Dirty Projectors
Didn't see the point to this one.
2
Aug 15 2024
So Much For The City
The Thrills
This is no doubt the most overtold joke in rating this group, but I was NOT thrilled. In their best songs they sound a little like they're trying to be the Beach Boys . . . if the Beach Boys had been boring and predictable.
2
Aug 16 2024
Too Rye Ay
Dexys Midnight Runners
Yeah, they're a one-hit wonder, but this whole album brims with infectious enthusiasm.
3
Aug 17 2024
Liquid Swords
GZA
3
Aug 18 2024
Bright Flight
Silver Jews
Not bad as far as it goes. Sort of like a slow-down and less pithy They Might Be Giants.
3
Aug 19 2024
The Man Who
Travis
These guys were a nice surprise! I'd rank them up there with Oasis.
4
Sep 06 2024
Blur
Blur
Rather bland and one-note.
2
Sep 07 2024
C'est Chic
CHIC
I was never much of a disco fan back in the day, but the talent here is undeniable.
3
Sep 08 2024
Now I Got Worry
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
This rocks pretty hard. Not sure why I'd never heard of this guy before.
3
Sep 09 2024
Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite
Maxwell
Some super smooth easy listening here, if you're into that kind of thing.
3
Sep 10 2024
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Simon & Garfunkel
Unmatched beauty in songwriting and performance have rarely (if ever!) been more clearly on display than in this album. Just sublime.
5
Sep 11 2024
Triangle
The Beau Brummels
This was a surprising little gem!
3
Sep 12 2024
Back At The Chicken Shack
Jimmy Smith
This guy is great. Infectious and fun.
4
Sep 13 2024
Guero
Beck
A decent album, but nothing I'm likely to be seeking out to listen to all that often.
3
Sep 14 2024
Pretenders
Pretenders
They hit the ground running here, though greater songs were to follow.
4
Sep 15 2024
The Dark Side Of The Moon
Pink Floyd
An all-time classic for good reasons.
5
Sep 16 2024
Raw Like Sushi
Neneh Cherry
Smooth sound and a nice voice. Nothing overly memorable, though.
3
Sep 17 2024
Fragile
Yes
Some all-time great jams on here, but also a lot that feels like filler.
4
Sep 18 2024
Groovin'
The Young Rascals
These guys seem to be somewhat forgotten or underrated in hindsight. Some great musical variety here!
4
Sep 19 2024
In A Silent Way
Miles Davis
Smooth and always surprising. David was the bomb, baby!
4
Sep 20 2024
Unknown Pleasures
Joy Division
Felt generally kind of dull at first, but kept growing on me the more I listened to it.
3
Sep 21 2024
American IV: The Man Comes Around
Johnny Cash
"Hurt" was just about the perfect song for Cash at this late stage in his career, and his version here is wonderful. But with only a couple other exceptions, it is clearly an album recorded by someone being indulged because he is (obviously) an all-time great. I'm glad we have it, but it's not even close to most of his earlier work.
3
Sep 22 2024
Bone Machine
Tom Waits
Interesting and competent, as always from Waits. Not one of his most memorable, though. A pretty spooky October listen, maybe!
3
Sep 23 2024
Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill
For an album that seemed so much "of its time," this has held up surprising well over the past three decades.
3
Sep 24 2024
...And Justice For All
Metallica
2
Sep 25 2024
Third
Soft Machine
2
Sep 26 2024
Everything Must Go
Manic Street Preachers
Not a band I remember at all, but a fun, highly listenable LP.
3
Sep 27 2024
The Lexicon Of Love
ABC
Still enjoyable as far as it goes, but sounds very much of its time.
3
Sep 28 2024
Since I Left You
The Avalanches
Kind of all over the place musically. Nothing I would call particularly memorable.
2
Sep 29 2024
You Are The Quarry
Morrissey
Fun, but also largely forgettable.
3
Oct 01 2024
16 Lovers Lane
The Go-Betweens
Enjoyable, but quite "of its time," in my opinion. There were a lot of groups that sounded pretty much like this in the late 80s.
3
Oct 02 2024
m b v
My Bloody Valentine
This group's name should be My Boring Valentine. Mostly just a lot of vaguely rhythmic background noise.
2
Oct 03 2024
Ys
Joanna Newsom
At first I found this uninteresting, but it soon became actually irritating. Like she's trying to be Kate Bush but without Bush's sublime vocal talent.
1
Oct 04 2024
Get Rich Or Die Tryin'
50 Cent
Iconic.
3
Oct 05 2024
After The Gold Rush
Neil Young
My wife says he sounds like a goat. I say he IS the G.O.A.T.
5
Oct 06 2024
Fly Or Die
N.E.R.D
Not typically my type of music, but generally infectious.
3
Oct 07 2024
Another Music In A Different Kitchen
Buzzcocks
This rocks!
4
Oct 08 2024
Live At The Harlem Square Club
Sam Cooke
The songs are still delightfully infectious after al these years, and Cooke sounds like he's having a blast in this live performance. A great choice if you're ever feeling the least bit down!
5
Oct 09 2024
1984
Van Halen
I hadn't listened to this full album in maybe 30 years, and hearing it now was both enjoyable and a little bit sad. Some iconic VH songs of the David Lee Roth era here, of course, but it's impossible to listen to this without realizing that it was clearly the beginning of the end.
3
Oct 10 2024
L'Eau Rouge
The Young Gods
An interesting combination of styles and instruments here, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I spoke French. The prevailing heavy metal vibe is not overly unique.
2
Oct 11 2024
Sunday At The Village Vanguard
Bill Evans Trio
Smooth and mellow. Nice for quiet background music, I suppose.
3
Oct 12 2024
Hounds Of Love
Kate Bush
This sounded like an instant classic when it first came out in 1985. Today, it sounds like a timeless classic. Bush is amazing! I can't think of any artist more deserving of the renaissance she got a couple of years ago.
5
Oct 13 2024
This Is Hardcore
Pulp
Not anything I would turn off if it came on to a stream I was listening to, but also unlikely to be anything I ever seek out again.
3
Oct 14 2024
Back In Black
AC/DC
There are almost certainly better rock and roll albums in history, but this is flawless in its execution of its scope. Rock and roll ain't noise pollution, baby!
5
Oct 15 2024
Siamese Dream
The Smashing Pumpkins
I think I had seriously underrated this group. Very listenable music.
3
Oct 16 2024
Hunky Dory
David Bowie
Bowie had really found his voice by this album.
5
Oct 17 2024
Metal Box
Public Image Ltd.
Didn't do much for me. Mostly just dark and grinding.
2
Oct 18 2024
Don't Come Home A Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind)
Loretta Lynn
Her sound and voice are so happy and upbeat that it's sometimes easy to miss just how angry a lot of these songs are about the double standard for women and men in 1960s America. Sadly, much of what she sings about is still relevant today.
4
Oct 19 2024
Fever To Tell
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
I'd forgotten just how much energy they always brought to their music! Unfortunately, despite that energy, most of the songs are also individually forgettable.
3
Oct 20 2024
All That You Can't Leave Behind
U2
I mean, it's U2, so there are some great songs here. But somebody needed to say no to the various versions and edits included.
3
Oct 21 2024
O.G. Original Gangster
Ice T
Some smart commentary on life in America that still seems as timely today as it was over 30 years ago.
3
Oct 22 2024
OK Computer
Radiohead
Not overly upbeat, so I have to be in just the right mood for this.
3
Oct 23 2024
That's The Way Of The World
Earth, Wind & Fire
Infectious. "Shining Star" is an all-time banger, of course, but there's also a lot of "filler" here.
3
Oct 24 2024
Life Thru A Lens
Robbie Williams
Mostly harmless.
3
Oct 25 2024
Pink Moon
Nick Drake
Not disagreeable.
3
Oct 26 2024
Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs
Derek & The Dominos
Sounds just like you expect it will: like a foundational work of blues-inspired rock and roll. Or like Eric Clapton, which is essentially the same thing.
4
Oct 27 2024
Mask
Bauhaus
Very much that mid- to late-80s sound, with maybe a bit of Frank Zappa influence mixed in. Mostly forgettable, though.
2
Oct 28 2024
Back To Black
Amy Winehouse
What a voice. Gone much too soon.
4
Oct 29 2024
So
Peter Gabriel
Holds up surprisingly well.
4
Oct 30 2024
Sincere
Mj Cole
An incredibly eclectic mix of styles and genres, most of which ultimately hold little appeal to me.
2
Oct 31 2024
Drunk
Thundercat
I found myself largely indifferent.
3
Nov 01 2024
The Blueprint
JAY Z
2
Nov 02 2024
Grace
Jeff Buckley
His "Hallelujah" is quite good, of course, but for my money only the second or third best version of that song. Other than that, there's a lot of forgettable stuff here.
3
Nov 03 2024
(What's The Story) Morning Glory
Oasis
If not the best album of the 1990s, this is certainly in the conversation for that spot. Every track here is solid.
5
Nov 04 2024
The Atomic Mr Basie
Count Basie & His Orchestra
Smooth as butter!
4
Nov 05 2024
In The Court Of The Crimson King
King Crimson
Undoubtedly ground-breaking in 1969. Now, it sounds largely just self-indulgent, I'm afraid.
2
Nov 06 2024
Revolver
Beatles
An all-time classic for a reason. The Beatles at the top of their songwriting and performing talents.
5
Nov 07 2024
Disraeli Gears
Cream
Cream at its best--which is very good indeed!!!
4
Nov 08 2024
Space Ritual
Hawkwind
2
Nov 09 2024
Hail To the Thief
Radiohead
Really highlights the limited diversity of this band musically. Not quite as good as OK Computer, but it's sort of hard to tell the difference.
2
Nov 10 2024
Moon Safari
Air
Largely forgettable.
2
Nov 11 2024
Lazer Guided Melodies
Spiritualized
Mostly harmless.
3
Nov 12 2024
Frank
Amy Winehouse
A generational voice, gone too soon.
3
Nov 13 2024
Mama Said Knock You Out
LL Cool J
Still musically solid (the title track is one of the all-time great bangers) and lyrically clever enough to surprise a laugh when you least expect it. A seminal album for good reason!
4
Nov 14 2024
Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes
Still some fun here, and "Blister in the Sun" is a bop that stands the test of time.
3
Nov 15 2024
Nowhere
Ride
Meh . . .
2
Nov 16 2024
Bad
Michael Jackson
The guy was screwed up eight ways to Sunday psychologically, but man, he could write hit songs and sing. His voice on "Man in the Mirror" is just amazing.
4
Nov 17 2024
Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
Dead Kennedys
Loud and fast, if you like that sort of thing.
2
Nov 18 2024
Maverick A Strike
Finley Quaye
Fun, but somewhat repetitive.
3
Nov 19 2024
xx
The xx
Decently mellow, but not overly memorable.
3
Nov 20 2024
Signing Off
UB40
They had found their sound here . . . which never really changed much on subsequent efforts.
3
Nov 21 2024
Deloused in the Comatorium
The Mars Volta
I guess My Chemical Romance would be the best comparison, though this album never hits the highs of the best of MCR.
3
Nov 22 2024
Psychocandy
The Jesus And Mary Chain
Remember when dark and discordant was a thing? Then you might like this! Otherwise, not much to recommend.
2
Nov 23 2024
Smash
The Offspring
Some great bangers here!
4
Nov 24 2024
Giant Steps
The Boo Radleys
At best, some smooth but forgettable easy listening. At worst, so experiments with how much irritating noise a listener might be able to tolerate.
2
Nov 25 2024
One World
John Martyn
Some smooth-sounding jazzy riffs here.
3
Nov 26 2024
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Wilco
Sometimes clever lyrically, but I always hope for more from this group musically. There's just too often a kind of slow, plodding sameness to the songs.
2
Nov 27 2024
Frampton Comes Alive
Peter Frampton
The virtuosity of Frampton's guitar playing is match only by the joyful energy he exudes on every track. There's a reason this was a seminal album of the mid-1970s.
4
Dec 03 2024
Disintegration
The Cure
A decent group that seemed dedicated to producing largely non-objectionable music. Their sound is definitely memorable, though very few individual songs are.
3
Dec 04 2024
Dry
PJ Harvey
Decently listenable, but nothing really stands out here.
3
Dec 05 2024
Figure 8
Elliott Smith
I'm sure there are fans for this kind of music out there, but to me it sounds like he's trying to perform the least memorable songs he can produce.
2
Dec 06 2024
John Prine
John Prine
What a great album! Even if you don't recognize any of the songs by their titles, they're likely to set off memories as soon as you start hearing them. Prine was a terrific songwriter, and the number of artists who covered his work in the 70s and 80s would make up a long list indeed. These performances are sometimes rougher than the covers you might have heard, but they all highlight just how terrific the songs themselves are.
4
Dec 07 2024
The Clash
The Clash
Not completely up to their highest standards, but everyone has to start somewhere. The sound is definitely already there in this debut.
3
Dec 08 2024
The Stooges
The Stooges
Probably too much forgotten in terms of their influence on the music of that era. They certainly liked to experiment, but not everything they try here is successful.
3
Dec 09 2024
Cheap Thrills
Big Brother & The Holding Company
Janis's voice is sublime on "Piece of My Heart," but though the group was clearly aware of her as a standout, they weren't quite ready yet to give themselves over to her completely yet. Thus, there's some unevenness of this album. (Though that might also be because it's a live performance).
3
Dec 10 2024
3 Feet High and Rising
De La Soul
These guys were having a lot of fun!
3
Dec 11 2024
Vespertine
Björk
Feels like she had lost a lot of her early energy by this album.
3
Dec 12 2024
461 Ocean Boulevard
Eric Clapton
The sheer artistry is absolutely undeniable, of course. But with only a couple of exceptions ("I Shot the Sheriff", "Let It Grow"), there's a lack of energy that I don't remember from when I listened to this album many years ago. The album hasn't changed, obviously, so it must be me.
3
Dec 13 2024
I’m a Lonesome Fugitive
Merle Haggard
Listening to this nearly 60 years after its release certainly confirms Haggard's reputation as the original outlaw of country music.
4
Dec 14 2024
Ten
Pearl Jam
Hits all the right Pearl Jam notes, if that's your thing.
3
Dec 15 2024
Beyond Skin
Nitin Sawhney
Some pretty orchestrations and a beautiful voice, but not really my cup of tea.
3
Dec 16 2024
Highway to Hell
AC/DC
You can't spell "heavy metal head bangers" with AC/DC!
4
Dec 17 2024
2112
Rush
This is the album that made me a lifetime Rush fan (as it did for Dave Grohl, as well, apparently: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTz2TDr79eI). It just simply rocks!!
5
Dec 18 2024
Autobahn
Kraftwerk
2
Dec 19 2024
Exit Planet Dust
The Chemical Brothers
Competent, but only sometimes interesting.
3
Dec 20 2024
Sister
Sonic Youth
Really doesn't seem to hold up as classic after all these years.
2
Dec 21 2024
At Newport 1960
Muddy Waters
The bluesy roots of so much of what was to come. A great album.
4
Dec 22 2024
Peace Sells...But Who's Buying
Megadeth
I don't think there's ever been a band whose sound is easier to define just from its name. This is exactly what you'll expect it to be. Skillful guitar work, and songs like "Peace Sells" almost rise to an Alice Cooper-esque level of songwriting.
3
Dec 23 2024
Kimono My House
Sparks
Cute.
3
Dec 24 2024
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
Not quite to the iconic sound that made up their greatest hits here.
3
Dec 25 2024
Your Arsenal
Morrissey
Lyrically witty with over-the-top orchestrations? Must be Morrissey!
3
Dec 26 2024
A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector
Various Artists
A very strong Christmas album, with versions of some classics that have really held up. Some very talented folks working here.
4
Dec 27 2024
Scott 4
Scott Walker
Surprisingly good! Walker had a smooth crooner voice, but his subject matter was surprisingly edgy. I'll be looking for more from this guy since he seems completely overlooked these days.
4
Dec 28 2024
Parklife
Blur
Kind of seems like they're trying too hard here.
2
Dec 29 2024
The Chronic
Dr. Dre
3
Dec 30 2024
Ritual De Lo Habitual
Jane's Addiction
3
Dec 31 2024
Dusty In Memphis
Dusty Springfield
A singular voice of her generation singing a fine selection of great songs from the 1960s. "Son of a Preacher Man" still bangs almost six decades later.
4
Jan 01 2025
Stand!
Sly & The Family Stone
At least three all-time classic songs on this album, including the title track and "Everyday People." Though much of the rest feels like funkadelic filler, those tracks alone make this a great album.
4
Jan 02 2025
Bug
Dinosaur Jr.
Better as a middle of the road pop group than when they revert to screamo mode.
3
Jan 14 2025
A Short Album About Love
The Divine Comedy
Some funny lyrics. Musically bland, but that's likely what they were going for in a generic love song kind of way.
3
Jan 15 2025
Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Black
Public Enemy
3
Jan 16 2025
NEU! 75
Neu!
Interesting, but largely forgettable, I'm afraid.
3
Jan 17 2025
The Specials
The Specials
A very reggae-esque Clash sound. Not bad. But also not The Clash.
3
Jan 18 2025
Abbey Road
Beatles
Well, yeah, an all-time classic. Very few albums ever made have this many good songs on them. What the Beatles were able to do musically is unlikely ever to be repeated.
5
Jan 19 2025
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Never has an album been more deserving of the renewed recognition this one is getting.
4
Jan 20 2025
Penance Soiree
The Icarus Line
This generally rocked, but nothing really grabbed me and said, "You must hear more!"
3
Jan 21 2025
Catch A Fire
Bob Marley & The Wailers
This is the Bob Marley sound, all right!
4
Jan 22 2025
Medúlla
Björk
There's a pretty voice here, but musically it often seems to be just making noise.
2
Jan 23 2025
Underwater Moonlight
The Soft Boys
Some fun stuff here, from a group I'd never heard of before.
3
Jan 24 2025
Tarkus
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
No one did prog rock like ELP.
3
Jan 25 2025
At Mister Kelly's
Sarah Vaughan
A really great voice, and a fun live recording.
4
Jan 26 2025
Roger the Engineer
The Yardbirds
Mostly harmless.
3
Jan 27 2025
Headquarters
The Monkees
All the great songs that you remember from the Monkees are NOT on this album. But it does show that they were actually musicians who put out a lot of music worth listening to.
4
Jan 28 2025
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
David Bowie
A classic. Bowie at one of the several distinct peaks he reached in his career.
5
Jan 29 2025
Out of Step
Minor Threat
Rocks pretty hard. Not for the faint-hearted.
3
Jan 30 2025
Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul
Otis Redding
Otis is still remembered primarily as one of those singular talents who died way too young (at age 26), about a year before his biggest hit--"(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay"--became his only #1 single. But this album, released two years before his death, really highlights just how great and versatile he was. Chances are you will recognize every song here--though usually from a version by another artist. Otis makes each of these great songs his own, though. A really terrific record!!!
5
Jan 31 2025
Music From The Penguin Cafe
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
Some really beautiful stuff hear, though sometimes marred by less successful sound experiments.
3
Feb 01 2025
Hard Again
Muddy Waters
This guy was having so much fun! An album to listen to if you need an instant shot of pick-me-up!
4
Feb 02 2025
Power In Numbers
Jurassic 5
I was 40 years old when this album came out. A white guy. I can't imagine I was any kind of intended audience for this. But listening to it now has been a lot of fun.
3
Feb 03 2025
The Next Day
David Bowie
Not among Bowie's top works, but he certainly showed he could still make interesting music well into his 60s. He was definitely taken from the world too soon!
4
Feb 04 2025
Aja
Steely Dan
Seven songs all nearly perfectly made. One of the great albums of its time, and it hasn't lost any of its luster.
5
Feb 05 2025
Penthouse And Pavement
Heaven 17
The closest equivalent is probably DEVO. Some fun stuff on this album, but ultimately less cutting than that ground-breaking group.
3
Feb 06 2025
Definitely Maybe
Oasis
Like very few groups, Oasis seemed to emerge fully formed with this debut album, and only got better on the efforts that followed! It now seems sort of inevitable that something this good could only exist for a very limited time.
4
Feb 07 2025
The Poet
Bobby Womack
Some smooth, easy-listening here.
3
Feb 08 2025
Songs Of Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
A truly wonderful songwriter, but definitely more "vocal stylist" than "singer" as a performer. :-)
3
Feb 09 2025
Survivor
Destiny's Child
Much more my daughters' jam than mine, but three obviously talented ladies.
3
Feb 10 2025
Jagged Little Pill
Alanis Morissette
A great example of how anger and vitriol can be turned into timeless art! Still fun to listen to more than a quarter century after its release.
4
Feb 11 2025
The Köln Concert
Keith Jarrett
Absolutely beautiful.
4
Feb 12 2025
Talk Talk Talk
The Psychedelic Furs
Absolutely a sound of their time in the early 1980s, but still upbeat and fun to listen to more than four decades later!
3
Feb 13 2025
Mr. Tambourine Man
The Byrds
Highly innovative in their time, of course; but what stands out about listening to this album now is how comfortable and familiar it all seems.
4
Feb 14 2025
Unhalfbricking
Fairport Convention
Some great Dylan covers on here, among other songs. A beautiful voice, reminiscent of Joni Mitchell.
3
Feb 15 2025
Sticky Fingers
The Rolling Stones
4
Feb 16 2025
Tuesday Night Music Club
Sheryl Crow
An amazing number of great songs here, especially considering it's a debut album. Crow definitely hit the ground running!
4
Feb 17 2025
Miriam Makeba
Miriam Makeba
Upbeat and generally fun. A terrific voice.
3
Feb 19 2025
Live And Dangerous
Thin Lizzy
A high-energy performance of some of their greatest hits.
3
Feb 20 2025
Rust In Peace
Megadeth
This is going to be exactly what you expect: high-speed riffs and screaming guitar wails. Great for what it's doing, but limited, of course.
3
Feb 21 2025
Remedy
Basement Jaxx
Smooth and easy to listen to. Not particularly memorable.
3
Feb 22 2025
Beauty And The Beat
The Go-Go's
Wow, this takes me back to my college years! As fun and infectious as I remember it!
3
Feb 23 2025
Antichrist Superstar
Marilyn Manson
2
Feb 24 2025
My Aim Is True
Elvis Costello
Infectiously fun.
4
Feb 25 2025
On The Beach
Neil Young
One of the greatest songwriters of the rock era. This is an often overlooked gem from Young.
4
Feb 26 2025
Low
David Bowie
"Sound and Vision" is among the second-tier Bowie songs that 95% of that artists out there would probably kill to have written. It kind of sums up this album, which is experimentally instrumental in its second half in ways that Bowie returned to on parts of Blackstar.
4
Feb 27 2025
Green
R.E.M.
I've always had a soft spot for this one, though I get the impression true R.E.M. fans might be a little embarrassed by it. "Stand" is one of my all-time favorite bops!
4
Feb 28 2025
Cafe Bleu
The Style Council
A very smooth, jazzy sound from this group I don't think I ever heard of. Really like the often tongue-in-cheek titles, like "The Whole Point of No Return."
3
Mar 01 2025
Achtung Baby
U2
One of the greatest albums of the early 90s; U2 at their best. If you haven't ever heard this album, why not?!
5
Mar 02 2025
Real Life
Magazine
Kind of a fun late-70s sound, anticipating groups like Shriekback from a few years later (though not nearly as hard rock as that example).
3
Mar 03 2025
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
Raekwon
3
Mar 04 2025
Melodrama
Lorde
Seems almost the definition of a sophomore slump after the wild success of her first album, but there are some decent tracks here and her voice is beautiful.
3
Mar 05 2025
Tellin’ Stories
The Charlatans
Very much of their time, with a bit of an Oasis vibe. Entertaining to listen to, but not all that memorable for me.
3
Mar 06 2025
Natty Dread
Bob Marley & The Wailers
It's Bob Marley. Anyone who can't find joy in this needs to reexamine many things about their lies. Possibly at his most political here, but you're hardly going to notice as you bop along with him.
4
Mar 07 2025
A Northern Soul
The Verve
Listening to it now, this is something of a mess. There's nothing NOT to like here, specifically, but somehow it doesn't really add up to anything.
3
Mar 08 2025
Gorillaz
Gorillaz
Mostly harmless.
3
Mar 09 2025
It's Too Late to Stop Now
Van Morrison
Morrison is a generational talent, no doubt. But this is a surprisingly low-energy set.
3
Mar 10 2025
Fifth Dimension
The Byrds
This album shows both the strengths and weaknesses of The Byrds. Tremendously innovative, and when it works (Eight Miles High), it's absolutely iconic. When it doesn't work, it's largely forgettable.
3
Mar 11 2025
Vol. 4
Black Sabbath
"Heavy" is the word here. If you like metal, it's not going to get much better than this.
3
Mar 12 2025
I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
Aretha Franklin
Wonderful.
5
Mar 13 2025
The Beach Boys Today!
The Beach Boys
An important transition album for the group with a couple of songs that have become iconic. But not the first Beach Boys album anyone is likely to turn to when they want to listen to them, I think.
3
Mar 14 2025
Rattlesnakes
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
I don't remember this group, but, yeah, they sound a lot like my college days.
3
Mar 15 2025
Here's Little Richard
Little Richard
A transformational figure in the history of rock. And still a pure joy to listen to today!
5
Mar 16 2025
Let's Stay Together
Al Green
A wonderful voice and talent. In addition to the classic, "Let's Stay Together," this album also includes a pretty great cover of the Bee Gees "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart"!
4
Mar 17 2025
Who's Next
The Who
I've long argued that song for song, this is the greatest album of the rock era. This is obviously a subjective judgement, but break breaking it down by track makes it hard to argue, I'd say. It includes three all-time classics in "Baba O'Riley," "Behind Blue Eyes," and "Won't Get Fooled Again." It's "middle three" tracks, quality-wise--"Bargain," "Love Ain't for Keeping," and "Getting in Tune"--would almost certainly be the top songs on about 90% of the albums ever released. And even it's "bottom tier" is a terrific mix of tracks, with "My Wife," "The Song Is Over," and "Going Mobile." There is absolutely no filler here! This is my go-to for solid greatness all the way through! It gets five stars only because I can't give it six.
5
Mar 18 2025
Kind Of Blue
Miles Davis
4
Mar 19 2025
Exile In Guyville
Liz Phair
I've always wanted to like this album more than I do. An early-thirties father of three young girls when this came out, I wanted it to give me insights into what I myself had always done wrong as a man and use this knowledge to help my daughters not become the disappointed women Phair so often writes about here. Alas, though I can see certain flashes of brilliance, instead of insights, I've mostly only ever heard anger. Instead of guidance, grievance. I still blame mostly myself for my lack of understanding. But after more than thirty years, I'm resigned that I will never change enough to truly appreciate what others see here. My daughters have turned out fine despite those limitations on my part, thank goodness.
3
Mar 20 2025
Emergency On Planet Earth
Jamiroquai
Upbeat and not hard to listen to, but highly derivative of stuff Stevie Wonder was doing much better roughly a quarter of a century before this came out.
3
Mar 21 2025
Good Old Boys
Randy Newman
This feels like the album where Randy Newman fully found his folksy, R&B infused, political commentary voice. "Rednecks," "Birmingham," "Marie," and "Louisiana, 1927" are all essential tracks in his discography. Somehow, messages that would feel strident from other artists always invite a sharp laugh of recognition from Newman. He'll give us a moment to feel superior, then quickly pull it out from under us. A wonderful talent.
5
Mar 22 2025
Is This It
The Strokes
I've always wanted to like this group more than I do. There's nothing wrong with what they're doing. I just never find it all that compelling or memorable.
3
Mar 23 2025
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Surprisingly hard to rate this one. By my count, 5 or the 13 songs here are among the greatest written in the past sixty years or so. But (not surprisingly, I guess) there's a pretty big drop-off from the best of those to the filler. Still, this is an essential album for everyone to listen to if they care at all about popular music is the second half of the 20th century.
4
Mar 24 2025
Night Life
Ray Price
Some timeless stuff here.
3
Mar 25 2025
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
My wife says Neil's voice is the Greatest Of All Time! Or maybe she's just saying he sounds like a goat. Either way, a fantastic songwriter and performer.
4
Mar 30 2025
Two Dancers
Wild Beasts
Yeah, this one just didn't do anything for me.
1
Mar 31 2025
Roxy Music
Roxy Music
Still pretty rough and unformed here, without the smooth polish that would characterize the later stuff that they are still primarily known for.
2
Apr 01 2025
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
A surprisingly fully formed debut album that includes all-time Petty classics "Breakdown" and "American Girl." Most of the other tunes feel less polished by comparison, but still a great listen nearly fifty years after its release.
4
Apr 02 2025
The Velvet Underground & Nico
The Velvet Underground
Groundbreaking in its day, of course, but still surprisingly listenable today in a way that most of the "experimental" efforts of the late 60s are not. Lou Reed anchors it with a keen awareness of how to prioritize the music and assure the shock of the experimental parts are not overshadowing.
3
Apr 03 2025
Coat Of Many Colors
Dolly Parton
It's almost impossible to listen to this while you're trying to do something else. Parton tells stories that just suck you in.
3
Apr 04 2025
Buenas Noches From A Lonely Room
Dwight Yoakam
I've never been a big country music fan, and 80s country usually sounds to me like the most generic, cliched version of the genre. I'm glad Buck Owens got another hit with his duet with Dwight on "Streets of Bakersfield," but this version is almost laughable if listened to back-to-back with Buck's original. Just not much here for me, I'm afraid.
2
Apr 05 2025
The Score
Fugees
Entertaining, with some fun takes on a couple of classic songs from the seventies. Parts feel overindulgent in the way a lot of rap from the nineties can feel today.
3
Apr 06 2025
Nick Of Time
Bonnie Raitt
It was great that Raitt finally received some long-deserved accolades and financial success from the album.
3
Apr 07 2025
More Songs About Buildings And Food
Talking Heads
This is certainly where they found the sound we still remember them for. But better albums were to follow.
3
Apr 08 2025
Fear Of Music
Talking Heads
My second Talking Heads in a row! That's not a bad thing, I guess. They were building their canon here by adding all-time classics "Life During Wartime" and "Heaven." And they had definitely discovered their signature sound in this second collaboration with producer Brian Eno.
3
Apr 09 2025
Welcome To The Pleasuredome
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
I was all set to really ravage this one, because these guys were not much more than a joke to me back in the day. But unbelievably, I found it much more entertaining than I thought I would. Never underestimate the power of nostalgia!!
3
Apr 10 2025
I'm Your Man
Leonard Cohen
This is a guy in peak form after nearly two decades of great songwriting. While his vocal styling could be off-putting, the man could make music!
4
Apr 11 2025
The Modern Dance
Pere Ubu
I wonder if albums haven't been added to this list just for their irritation value. Given the sound and the time period, this was probably an inspiration for groups like Devo and the Talking Heads, but it shows little of the musical skill and only some of the humorous charm of those groups. A six-minute noise experiment that serves as the album's penultimate track (and roughly one-sixth of its total running time) feels like time I'll never have back in my life now.
2
Apr 12 2025
The Man Machine
Kraftwerk
3
Apr 13 2025
Honky Tonk Heroes
Waylon Jennings
This is the sound of it all coming together, man! Fifteen years after being discovered by Buddy Holly, Waylon finally found the sound here that he would ride to superstardom in the '70s and on into icon status for the final decades of his life.
3
Apr 14 2025
Pelican West
Haircut 100
This sounds exactly like you'd expect an album from a British new wave group of the early 80s to sound. I wonder if their band name might have inspired all of those "number" band names from the next decade: Sum 41, Matchbox 20, Blink-182, and the like. :-)
3
Apr 15 2025
Cloud Nine
The Temptations
No one did R&B any funkier!
3
Apr 16 2025
Rage Against The Machine
Rage Against The Machine
It doesn't get much more metal than this!
3
Apr 17 2025
Run-D.M.C.
Run-D.M.C.
3
Apr 18 2025
Crosby, Stills & Nash
Crosby, Stills & Nash
These guys immediately sounded so good harmonizing together that it's sometimes hard to remember that each of them were actually already established stars with other groups. Some beautiful, timeless stuff here.
4
Apr 19 2025
Surfer Rosa
Pixies
A fun band.
3
Apr 20 2025
California
American Music Club
A nice sort of folky rock collection that seems like it might have set the stage for later, more successful groups like Counting Crows. An easy listen.
3
Apr 21 2025
The Renaissance
Q-Tip
Mostly harmless.
3
Apr 22 2025
Odessey And Oracle
The Zombies
Much of it sounds as cheesy as you remember most British Invasion songs of the early 60s sounding. Then comes "Time of the Season."
3
Apr 23 2025
The Number Of The Beast
Iron Maiden
I think of this as heavy metal in its purest form. Listen only if you're ready to rock!
3
Apr 30 2025
White Light
Gene Clark
I have no memory of this album (or any of Gene Clark's other solo efforts after the Byrd's disbanded), but I was pretty young at the time. After listening to it, it strikes me as a quite competent collection of songs that have kind of a mellow Grateful Dead vibe. It's certainly much better than you might expect an album so thoroughly ignored by the American audience to be. But neither does it rise to the level you might imagine from the Album of the Year award it received in the Netherlands.
3
May 01 2025
Follow The Leader
Korn
As heavy as you imagine it to be.
2
May 02 2025
Songs The Lord Taught Us
The Cramps
Kind of like if the B-52s married the Ramones. Only now that I've typed that, it sounds way more interesting than the songs on this particular album.
3
May 03 2025
London Calling
The Clash
This is the sound I think of when I think new wave/punk of the late 70s and early 80s.
4
May 04 2025
Imagine
John Lennon
Starts with one of the greatest songs ever written and it doesn't decline much from there.
4
May 05 2025
Heroes
David Bowie
A hallmark of Bowie's career was his ability to keep reinventing himself. This album falls pretty much in the middle between those early harder rock hits that I still like the best and his later, more commercial pop-synth mega-hits that took him to a whole new level of superstardom and brought him an entirely new generation of fans. But even in leaving one phase behind on his journey to a new, he was writing classics like "Beauty and the Beast" and "Heroes." Just a truly singular talent.
4
May 06 2025
Bayou Country
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Iconic.
4
May 07 2025
Dig Me Out
Sleater-Kinney
A solid bop!
3
May 08 2025
Sweetheart Of The Rodeo
The Byrds
The musicianship is fine here; the songs well-chosen and well-performed. But hard to hear this as a seminal Byrds album.
3
May 09 2025
Supa Dupa Fly
Missy Elliott
Not even close to my usual jam, but not painful to listen to.
3
May 10 2025
The Doors
The Doors
Hard to imagine a better debut album than this. They would have greater commercial successes, of course (particularly after Morrison's death), but it really feels like they could only repeat themselves of go downhill from here.
4
May 11 2025
90
808 State
Sometimes, I forget that there are entire genres of music--enjoyed by millions--that have touched me only obliquely. How do I rate albums like that? Objectively, I know many people love to lose themselves in the kinds of beeps and squeaks of electronica ably showcased here. Subjectively, I'm not typically one of those people.
2
May 12 2025
Haut de gamme / Koweït, rive gauche
Koffi Olomide
Joyful and upbeat.
3
May 13 2025
Sea Change
Beck
Two Becks in three days is at least one too many! This one felt tired and repetitive, not nearly as fresh and upbeat as Odelay (my other recent Beck selection). Both Odelay and Sea Change apparently came out of periods of personal loss and change, but in the former, life events lead to interesting insights and musical inspiration, while the latter just seems to focus on bleak feelings in the bleakest manner imaginable.
2
May 14 2025
Crocodiles
Echo And The Bunnymen
A sound that underwhelmed me in my high school/college days. Apparently, not much has changed in my musical tastes since then.
3
May 15 2025
Odelay
Beck
A lot of sly wit and sneaky energy in these songs.
3
May 16 2025
Savane
Ali Farka Touré
The man could do fascinating things with a guitar. There's no doubt about that. And some my find this an interesting exploration of the variety of sounds possible when our traditional concept of "blues" music interacts with certain varieties of world musical styles. But it doesn't feel like anything I'm going to deliberately come back to revisit.
3
May 17 2025
The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady
Charles Mingus
Chaotic and not always easy to listen to. Probably the point, but needs a very specialized and committed audience for appreciation I'd say.
2
May 18 2025
Rock 'N Soul
Solomon Burke
A pure gem from an artist too much forgotten. A wonderful voice in the manner of Otis Redding or Percy Sledge.
4
May 19 2025
Amnesiac
Radiohead
This is one of those groups I've always wanted to like more than I actually do. I love that they experiment with incorporating so many different elements into their music, , but the results often seem more incoherent than innovative to me.
2
May 20 2025
Black Holes and Revelations
Muse
Really quite listenable despite the general pretentiousness and self-importance of its lyrics.
3
May 21 2025
Blue Lines
Massive Attack
Nothing here should make your ears bleed, either literally or metaphorically.
3
May 22 2025
#1 Record
Big Star
Quite delightful, though it's likely to disappoint those who come to it from the over-hype of the several "rediscoveries" it has experienced over the years. If you go in expecting something like a cross between a lost final Byrds album and a George Harrison solo effort, that seems to hit it about right, I'd say.
4
May 23 2025
Elephant Mountain
The Youngbloods
This one surprised me! I was doubtful that an album from a one-hit wonder that came out two years after their one hit and never even made the Billboard top 100 should be on a list of 1001 great albums of all time, but there's some good stuff here. "Darkness, Darkness" is the real deal, as about two dozen covers over the years has shown.
4
May 24 2025
Garbage
Garbage
This album is a total banger! I can't believe these guys were never bigger than they actually got.
4
May 25 2025
...Baby One More Time
Britney Spears
Solidly produced and performed bubble gum pop. If you expect neither more nor less than that, you won't be disappointed.
3
May 26 2025
In Utero
Nirvana
Somehow, this still doesn't seem to get the same kind of love as Nevermind, but it definitely rocks! Parts feel like an attempt to over-correct the sense that the band must have been selling out in some way to achieve their success, but more than three decades after whatever may have influenced the choices Cobain and the band made, it still mostly just sounds like a flat-out work of genius.
5
May 27 2025
Juju
Siouxsie And The Banshees
Mostly harmless.
3
May 28 2025
Machine Head
Deep Purple
Includes one of the most iconic songs of the rock era, of course, in "Smoke on the Water." But "Highway Star," "Space Truckin'," and "Never Enough" are also great tracks.
4
May 29 2025
Street Life
The Crusaders
Some easy-on-the-ears late-70s jazz/soul fusion.
3
May 30 2025
Tical
Method Man
I'm clearly not the intended audience here, so feel free to disregard this rating. All I can give is my gut reaction, which is to hope I'm never forced to listen to this again. I hope others enjoy it, though.
2
May 31 2025
Pet Sounds
The Beach Boys
Undeniably one of the most influential albums of the rock era, but what struck me most on this listen was how really just three songs here managed to seep into the consciousness of the general public and remain more than six decades later. As revolutionary as it was for its time, most of the tracks here seemed to serve as pointers for what others (most notably the Beatles, of course, on Sgt. Pepper) would quickly be doing much better.
4
Jun 01 2025
Only By The Night
Kings of Leon
Remember that hot minute in the summer of 2008 when Kings of Leon seemed destined to become kings of everything? If you were alive and paying attention then, this will take back to those days. Subjectively, "Sex on Fire" never really worked for me, and it seems even lamer all these years later. I can still listen to "Use Somebody" and "17" though.
3
Jun 02 2025
If You're Feeling Sinister
Belle & Sebastian
There's a golden age for works like this. I'd say it's probably about 13.
2
Jun 03 2025
Stardust
Willie Nelson
An album that proves (if proof was needed) that great music is great music and great artists are great artists. I can still remember just how crazy it seemed that Willie Nelson of all people, Mr. Country Outlaw, had done a record featuring romantic standards from decades past. But every song and performance here is amazing. You can not like the type of music; that's just a matter of personal preference. But what can't be denied is the quality and beauty of the performance.
5
Jun 04 2025
Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes
Is it possible for an album to sound paradoxically timeless and completely and totally "of its time"? If so, I'd say that description is perfectly apt here. Fleet Foxes were at the forefront of that hugely popular turn in music that would soon bring us Mumford & Sons and The Lumineers, with a sound strongly influenced by traditional folk with a mix of features that seem to go all the way back to the Renaissance. "White Winter Hymnal" is an amazing song, with a video that's probably the most heart-breaking animation you've seen since the first ten minutes of Pixar's "Up."
4
Jun 05 2025
Tanto Tempo
Bebel Gilberto
A sweet voice and pleasant bossa nova beats. Mostly harmless.
3
Jun 06 2025
Joan Baez
Joan Baez
A beautiful voice singing timeless songs.
4
Jun 07 2025
Hot Buttered Soul
Isaac Hayes
Is there anything to say about this one? It's Isaac Hayes singing/speaking soul in his uniquely Isaac Hayes style. Even if it's not the kind of music you typically like, it's hard not to have fun with him.
3
Jun 08 2025
Your New Favourite Band
The Hives
Some skilled musicianship put to use in largely unmemorable songs. It was easy to see The Hives as a next generation Sex Pistols back in 2001, but now that a whole 'nother generation has passed, they really come off the worse for the comparison, possibly due to a sense they became a phenomenon more manufactured than organic. To be sure, there are probably no songs here that you WON'T like. But 25 years later, there are also no songs we're still rocking to in the same way as we rock to "God Save the Queen" and "Anarchy in the U.K." nearly 50 years after they came into existence.
3
Jun 09 2025
Yank Crime
Drive Like Jehu
Well, they certainly succeed in the "loud and chaotic" department, which seems to be what they are going for. If that's the kind of music you're wanting to hear, they will not disappoint.
2
Jun 10 2025
The Slim Shady LP
Eminem
Not a big fan of rap music in general or Eminem in particular, but there's some funny shit here.
4
Jun 11 2025
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
Don't quite see the appeal of this one.
2
Jun 12 2025
Daydream Nation
Sonic Youth
For me, one of those albums that's more fun to think about in terms of its influence than to actually listen to.
3
Jun 13 2025
Smile
Brian Wilson
I guess I had gotten too old and dismissive of the Beach Boys as a 60s phenomenon by the time Brian Wilson got around to "finishing" this album twenty years ago, nearly four decades after he started working on it as his perceived ultimate masterpiece. I vaguely remember it coming out, but I honestly don't think I ever listened to it fully until today, the day after his death. It's really quite amazing, and I had a far more positive reaction to it than to a coincidental re-listening to Pet Sounds a couple of weeks ago. The songs of that LP have been just a part of my life since before I was even aware of music, so they tended to underwhelm. This album, while maybe a bit too "slick" at times in its efforts to provide cohesion to some songs that were first written and recorded at a time when Wilson himself lacked complete mental cohesion, really feels like the revolutionary effort Pet Sounds was in its own time. Not perfect, by any means, but really quite great.
4
Jun 14 2025
Abraxas
Santana
3
Jun 15 2025
Hypnotised
The Undertones
These guys slipped under my radar back in 1980, and it's kind of easy to see why. Nothing wrong with the tracks here, but nothing all that notable either. I'd say they're comparable to The Tubes and Gary Myrick and the Figures, both groups I enjoyed back in the day.
3
Jun 16 2025
Broken English
Marianne Faithfull
I can't imagine a rawer, more moving album. She had been through six kinds of hell by this point in her life, and she turned it into true art.
4
Jun 17 2025
Wild Is The Wind
Nina Simone
A truly amazing voice that peals the layers beneath every possible emotion.
4
Jun 18 2025
Django Django
Django Django
Not quite sure what the attraction is here. I guess some people must like what these guys are doing, but it all seems very generic and forgettable to me.
2
Jun 19 2025
B-52's
The B-52's
All the fun sound and upbeat humor that were the group's signature style feel fully formed in this debut.
3
Jun 20 2025
S.F. Sorrow
The Pretty Things
This one raises an interesting question. Is paving the way and serving as an inspiration for some great rock operas that followed it enough of a reason to include an otherwise pretty pedestrian album like this on a list with the greatest albums of all time?
3
Jun 21 2025
Electric Warrior
T. Rex
One all-time classic song surrounded by a lot of very competent but otherwise unmemorable tracks. There are worse things to listen to if you just want to have some fun.
3
Jun 22 2025
Harvest
Neil Young
My wife always says that Neil Young is the greatest of all time. At least, that's what I think she means when she says he sounds like a goat! :-)
Whatever you might think of his voice, the power of these songs is undeniable. Wonderfully written, produced, and performed, this album absolutely has to be in the conversation for greatest of its era.
5
Jun 23 2025
New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84)
Simple Minds
This is Simple Minds finally sounding like Simple Minds. It will depend on your musical taste whether you consider that a good thing or a bad thing.
3
Jun 24 2025
Illinois
Sufjan Stevens
Sometimes somewhat self-indulgent, but always interesting, with humor and pathos perfectly blended. I always wonder if my tolerance for the albums over-indulgences comes from my own connection to the state itself and its rich variety of stories, both personal and public.
3
Jun 25 2025
Toys In The Attic
Aerosmith
A rock and roll classic, now half a century old! If you haven't known at least half of these songs for most of your life, you haven't been listening to rock!
5
Jun 26 2025
Pearl
Janis Joplin
Yeah, we lost Janis just as she found her fully adult voice with this album. Some unforgettable renditions of some great songs.
4
Jun 27 2025
The Cars
The Cars
I've never been a big Cars fan, but I have to admit this album has stood the test of time as one of the great debuts, right up there with Boston The Doors, and The Killers. Iconic songs that you can't get out of your head if you try (and believe me, I've often tried!).
4
Jun 28 2025
Eliminator
ZZ Top
I remember when this album came out, and a band that had been just sort of an interesting piece of background noise in most people's musical perception became suddenly omnipresent. The hot women in their music videos were a big part of that, I suppose. But the songs themselves are just plain fun to listen to, even forty years later.
4
Jun 29 2025
Doggystyle
Snoop Dogg
3
Jun 30 2025
Nighthawks At The Diner
Tom Waits
Man, this is fun! Just sit back and take the ride of a lifetime.
4
Jul 01 2025
Green Onions
Booker T. & The MG's
Some pretty iconic stuff here. The title track alone pushes this into the "above average" range, but pretty much every song is groovin'.
5
Jul 02 2025
Picture Book
Simply Red
This was an easily dismiss-able group in the 80s, so I was anxious to see if they might have been better than I remember. Not really, though I did gain a slightly higher level of respect for the variety of music on this album and the musicianship itself.
3
Jul 03 2025
Stripped
Christina Aguilera
An absolutely singular voice and an album where we can listen to a performer reaching musical maturity.
4
Jul 04 2025
Welcome to the Afterfuture
Mike Ladd
2
Jul 05 2025
Nevermind
Nirvana
An all-time classic. This is one of those albums that showed us that most of what we thought was good music was really just crap and that there were a lot more possibilities out there. Great writing, great performances, the perfect capture of the mood of the nation at a particular moment in time.
5
Jul 06 2025
I Should Coco
Supergrass
A group I'd never heard of before, and an album that's fine. "Mansize Rooster" and "Alright" are two pretty nice bops. Coincidentally, I had a Nirvana album yesterday. Though roughly from the same era, these guys are pretty much the opposite of that.
3
Jul 07 2025
Traffic
Traffic
This was pretty clearly a group that was losing its direction by this time. Some decent track, but no real coherence to the music or approach here.
3
Jul 08 2025
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Beatles
One of the most wildly entertaining albums ever produced. This is the Beatles at their best: and that's saying quite a lot, of course! There's nothing I could say here that would add to the voluminous commentary already written about this record, so I'll just note how much FUN they all seem to be having here.
5
Jul 09 2025
Yeezus
Kanye West
3
Jul 10 2025
Central Reservation
Beth Orton
Seems like a talented voice. Nothing really stood out for me, though.
3
Jul 11 2025
Logical Progression
LTJ Bukem
Of the hundreds of albums I've listened to so far from this list, this was, without a doubt, one of the longest.
2
Jul 12 2025
Neon Bible
Arcade Fire
3
Jul 13 2025
...The Dandy Warhols Come Down
The Dandy Warhols
Very uncompelling, except for some great wordplay in a few of the tracks and titles.
3
Jul 14 2025
Rock Bottom
Robert Wyatt
2
Jul 15 2025
Lust For Life
Iggy Pop
3
Jul 21 2025
Every Picture Tells A Story
Rod Stewart
This is the album where, in my opinion, Rod Stewart discovered his best voice. Later in the decade, of course, he would become a megastar with albums and singles selling far more than this. But if you listen to those later songs now, they seem very jokey: like Stewart is parodying himself. The songs here, especially "Maggie May," "I'm Losing You," "Every Picture Tells a Story," and "Mandolin Wind," still feel fresh and timeless with each new listen.
5
Jul 22 2025
Music in Exile
Songhoy Blues
Great opening riff on "Soubour," the first song! Mostly infectious fun throughout, but one day after listening to it, I can't say I specifically recall any of the songs.
3
Jul 23 2025
Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby
Girls Against Boys
I suppose that until I come up with my very own list of the 1001 greatest albums, I should stop making comments like "How is THIS one of the 1000 greatest albums of all time?!" Certainly, there has been an effort to include a diversity of musical styles on this list, and this is absolutely a decent example of heavy metal machine-blasted music from the 1990s. I suppose if I had heard it at just the right age in my emotional/musical development, I might even have found myself smitten by it like I was with Shriekback a decade before this came out. But hearing it now leaves me just pretty much "Meh [shrugging emoji]." I don't know. Kind of like Rage Against the Machine without the thoughtfulness or the really terrific guitar shredding?
3
Jul 24 2025
Paranoid
Black Sabbath
This album rocks, now and forever. RIP Ozzy! Or maybe I should say Rest in the Joyful Chaos you were so terrific at creating!!
4
Jul 25 2025
Floodland
Sisters Of Mercy
Really not much memorable here, despite the efforts of Jim Steinman, who was a god of rock and roll melodrama.
2
Jul 26 2025
Sound of Silver
LCD Soundsystem
This is another one of those albums that I just plain missed because my kids were growing up and I guess I was just getting old. But while I was a bit dismissive of it through the early tracks, when "All My Friends" came on, it just knocked me out! Am I the last person over 30 in the English-speaking world to find this truly terrific song?! In fact, it made me go back and listen to the earlier tracks again with a much greater appreciation. This is definitely worth a spin or three.
4
Jul 27 2025
Eli And The Thirteenth Confession
Laura Nyro
Every once in awhile, I think about how many women like this with beautiful voices and remarkable talent have flickered through the musical world, then quietly disappeared. Nothing wrong with this album, but also nothing remarkable memorable either.
3
Jul 28 2025
Next
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
Some fun songs, but often problematic thematically in our more politically correct times. This one really shows its age both musically and lyrically.
3
Jul 29 2025
War
U2
Here's U2 coming into their own with confidence and energy.
4
Jul 30 2025
Queen II
Queen
Yeah, every group started somewhere, and I suppose it's still interesting to look back at Queen as they were figuring out who they wanted to be. Obviously skilled musicians by this point, but the song-writing feels almost painfully young.
3
Jul 31 2025
The New Tango
Astor Piazzolla
Entertaining and well performed. Mostly forgettable if you're not a tango fan, though.
3
Aug 01 2025
Something/Anything?
Todd Rundgren
Like almost every double album I can think of (Pink Floyd's "The Wall" might be an exception), this one suffers from unevenness. There are enough great songs to have been at least a 4 (and a serious candidate for a 5) if they had been on an album with half as many tracks. But there are also plenty of songs to place this in the 2-3 range if they had been the sole material on the album. The result is something more like a 3.5+ effort, so I'll go ahead and round up for the sake of those great songs, but if I consider the experience of sitting through the entire album every time I listen to it, this should probably be a 3.
4
Aug 02 2025
1999
Prince
Starts out incredibly strong, but fades in the final few songs. He's mostly trying to have fun and be dance-y here, which is fine. But in hindsight, this is an album that has to be seen as just starting to hone the genius that would come a couple of years later with Purple Rain.
3
Aug 03 2025
This Is Fats Domino
Fats Domino
A fun album from an iconic artist.
3
Aug 04 2025
E.V.O.L.
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth has never really done much for me, so I have to resist the urge for rating them lower than they probably deserve simply because we've never clicked for some reason. Still, much of this album seems self-consciously noisy and messy, an attempt to avoid seeming "too mainstream." I can't imagine ever wanting to listen to any of these songs again.
2
Aug 05 2025
A Night At The Opera
Queen
This album truly begs the question: Can a single indisputably outstanding song lift an otherwise mediocre collection of songs into the realm of greatness? The other songs on this album are certainly serviceable. While taking part in this project, I've listened to dozens of albums (possibly over 100 of the 350 I've rated so far, actually) filled with songs just as competent but forgettable (and occasionally embarrassingly cringe-worthy) as most of the songs on this album. What those other albums lack, of course, is their very own "Bohemian Rhapsody." If two or three other songs here were even one-quarter as good as that song (almost certainly a consensus top 5 of all time, so a big order, admittedly) this is a slam dunk 5 instead of a 4 rating. Or, looked at another way, this would have been Led Zeppelin IV instead of what it actually is.
One more note. A couple of weeks ago, I got Queen II, and commented on how it reflected a very talented but ultimately immature group, with somewhat embarrassing tracks about evil trolls versus white queens and other such clearly Tolkien-inspired lyrics not uncommon for the era. The band had largely (but not completely) moved away from that by this point (two albums later), but "The Prophet's Song" is clearly still revisiting that phase of their development. On this listening, though, I came to realize that "Bohemian Rhapsody" is also a song like that. Or a parody of a song like that which somehow spirals into a greatness that a more straight-laced approach could never have achieved.
4
Aug 13 2025
Dub Housing
Pere Ubu
Perhaps this was ground-breaking in its day (though I question that assertion a bit, since it largely mixes a lot of bits and pieces that others were already doing in more interesting ways), but it doesn't feel all that relevant anymore. It generally just feels scattered and unfocused.
1
Aug 14 2025
No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith (Live)
Motörhead
No surprises here. This album will sound exactly like you expect it to.
3
Aug 15 2025
Pretzel Logic
Steely Dan
I have mixed feelings about Steely Dan. Their songs are typically smooth and easy to listen to, but almost aggressively so, if that makes any sense. There's nothing NOT to like here. "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" and "Pretzel Logic" are the standouts. But there are better overall choices (just about every song on AJA, for instance) if you really find yourself needing a Steely Dan fix.
3
Aug 16 2025
Thriller
Michael Jackson
Some all-time greats here, which still sound just as good as you remember them: "Wanna Be Startin' Something," "Thriller," "Beat It," "Billie Jean," "PYT." And some songs like "The Girl Is Mine," which sounds even hokier than you probably thought back then. On those great songs alone, there's probably an argument that this is one of the best albums of all time, and I can objectively understand that argument. But music is ultimately subjective, and while I might smile nostalgically when I hear a line like "Show them how funky and strong is your fight," Jackson just never did it for me. And besides, he stole that tune from poor, long-suffering Weird Al Yankovic! ;-)
4
Aug 17 2025
The Rising
Bruce Springsteen
Some powerful tracks on here, and it was a great return to recording for Bruce and the E Street band. Not quite in his top tier of work, though.
4
Aug 18 2025
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Elton John
One of the few double albums that is not too over-bloated to deserve a top rating. Sure, there are some songs here that are a bit weak, but in many double album playlists, you'll find enough dross that you wonder why the artist didn't just go for a single, really great album. Here, a single album would almost certainly have left out too many terrific tracks.
5
Aug 19 2025
Exodus
Bob Marley & The Wailers
This albums moves along nicely, if not spectacularly, through most of its tracks. Then we get to those final two!
4
Aug 20 2025
In It For The Money
Supergrass
It's easy to see why these guys are still beloved by so many fans. And just as easy to understand why the rest of us remain staunchly indifferent. Nothing here nearly as fun as "Alright," from an earlier album of theirs I reviewed for this 1001 albums project.
3
Aug 21 2025
Dr. Octagonecologyst
Dr. Octagon
Maybe if I was still 14 years old? "Halfsharkalligatorhalfman" is kind of fun, I guess.
2
Aug 22 2025
Car Wheels On A Gravel Road
Lucinda Williams
I've been trying to figure out what's missing here. The song-writing and production are outstanding, and Williams has a voice that can soar or ache as the situation warrants. I'm old enough to remember the acclaim this album received when it came out nearly three decades ago, and it certainly deserves all the plaudits. But it never really grabbed me emotionally, so it's not a recording I've thought about in at least fifteen years. This latest listen didn't move the needle at all. Put it down to the subjectivity of musical taste, I guess.
3
Aug 23 2025
You've Come a Long Way Baby
Fatboy Slim
Often quite delightful.
4
Aug 24 2025
Birth Of The Cool
Miles Davis
The title pretty much says it all here. It doesn't get much jazzier than this!
4