Jul 08 2024
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Exodus
Bob Marley & The Wailers
Have never been a big reggae fan but this definitely challenged my tastes in a good way. Some very interesting layering and Bobs voice is incredible.
4
Jul 09 2024
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The Number Of The Beast
Iron Maiden
Really fun album. Just the right amount of cheesiness. Dickerson’s voice is great and Adrian Smith guitar parts are very fun. Love the prog rock aspects and the themed lyrics.
5
Jul 10 2024
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The Dark Side Of The Moon
Pink Floyd
Great album front to back. Such interesting recording. Can definitely hear the influence on Radiohead - love the atmospheric stuff pulsed by more straight rock songs like time and money. Can see myself listening to this again sometime, but less relisten value only because I would need to pay more attention than just listen passively.
4
Jul 11 2024
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Deja Vu
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Wonderful album from front to back. Not a dud in the bunch. Harmonies are amazing. Rockers are good and the ballads are just as good.
5
Jul 12 2024
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Thriller
Michael Jackson
Honestly a lot less exciting than I expected. Songs are a little dragged out and sounds a little flat. A lot fewer surprises on this album compared to the others I’ve heard this week. Know this is a foundational album - I’ll give it a few more listens!
4
Jul 15 2024
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Hotel California
Eagles
Fun album overall. Really like Try and Love Again.
4
Jul 16 2024
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Oracular Spectacular
MGMT
Fun nostalgia album
4
Jul 17 2024
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Future Days
Can
The first very unexpected find. Might not be an enjoyable listen all of the time, but it was tonight. Sounds of Radiohead for sure, and surprisingly modern given the release date. Excited to hear more of this band someday.
5
Jul 18 2024
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Better Living Through Chemistry
Fatboy Slim
Good beats but way too long. Somewhere between a 2 and 3 but not everything can hit! Fun enough for one listen through, but I had never heard it until now, so couldn’t rely on nostalgia to carry me through this one. Probably no relisten.
2
Jul 19 2024
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What's Going On
Marvin Gaye
A bit of a snooze at first listen, but really grows after a few more through.
4
Jul 22 2024
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Talking Book
Stevie Wonder
Love Stevie but not a super consistent album overall.
3
Jul 23 2024
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Catch A Fire
Bob Marley & The Wailers
Really enjoyed the first half of the album. Would give 3.5 if able. Think I like Exodus a bit more. Like High Tide a lot.
3
Jul 24 2024
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Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge
Mudhoney
Some good sounds and even some decent tracks but doesn’t feel like it ever takes off.
2
Jul 25 2024
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Let It Be
The Replacements
This one started out as a 2 or so for me, but after a couple of relistens, notched its way up. By that point found very few duds in the bunch and the whole album holds together so well. Definitely raw, but you can hear the building blocks of where they, and the other bands they influenced, are going. Looking forward to more of the catalog.
5
Jul 26 2024
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Signing Off
UB40
Fun album overall. Very easy listening.
3
Jul 29 2024
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Beauty And The Beat
The Go-Go's
Love this album. Great 80s vibe and much more punk sound than I expected. 4.5 rounded up to a 5. Great band!
5
Jul 30 2024
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Ellington at Newport
Duke Ellington
Wonderful live album. Loved the shorter original version, and the longer play added some fun live elements to it as well. So many great sax solos.
5
Jul 31 2024
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Triangle
The Beau Brummels
Nope nope nope. So boring. Not a single song worth going back to.
1
Aug 01 2024
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Blur
Blur
Like the idea overall. Great musicians, nice song writing, but the album just doesn't hang together that. I wanted it to either be catchier or weirder and doesn't feel like it went in either direction.
2
Aug 02 2024
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Life Thru A Lens
Robbie Williams
Who made this list? Make it stop.
1
Aug 05 2024
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Songs For Swingin' Lovers!
Frank Sinatra
Very enjoyable but a little repetitive.
3
Aug 06 2024
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Aqualung
Jethro Tull
Really fun band. Surprised by this album - great mix of prog rock and other genres.
4
Aug 07 2024
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Legalize It
Peter Tosh
Nice listen but not much variety. Not a huge fan of reggae and this doesn’t feel like an essential album from the genre.
2
Aug 08 2024
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Bryter Layter
Nick Drake
Knew the name and a few songs but hadn’t dug in. Beautiful album from top to bottom. Love the guitar work with backing instrumentation, especially the piano tracks. Enough familiar folk sounds to hold onto, with some unexpected layers. Stand out was Hotline Bling.
5
Aug 09 2024
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First Band On The Moon
The Cardigans
Had a bit of trouble at first getting past what sounds like kind of a muddier mix? But love the songs - Sabbath references are fun. Step On Me was a highlight. Some sounds of Mitski, Beths, Big Thief throughout. So much more than just Lovefool.
5
Aug 12 2024
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In Utero
Nirvana
Nice mix of some raw and some more polished songs. Not too easy on the ears at times, but the tension tends to finds a quick enough resolution. I gravitate toward the mellow moments in the end - Dumb and All Apologies stand out.
4
Aug 13 2024
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Superunknown
Soundgarden
Cornell has a great voice but I can’t seem to get into this. Feels like every song is the same on this very long album, musically and lyrically not very interesting.
2
Aug 14 2024
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Dirt
Alice In Chains
Found the vocals pretty annoying and the guitar style just not my thing. Sounded much more dated than other grunge albums we’ve been suggested - and man have there been a lot lately.
1
Aug 15 2024
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Live At The Regal
B.B. King
Three sad grunge albums followed up by the BLUES, talk about kicking a man while he’s down.
BB brings so much emotion into simple his vocal melodies and guitar licks. It’s My Own Faul stands out but it’s a short album that has few dull moments. Fun to hear the interplay with the crowd and think about this being performed live in Chicago.
Extra points for some really helpful advice to not go upside your woman on the head.
4
Aug 16 2024
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Night Life
Ray Price
Love the introduction and title track - Night Life. What an amazing song. Get’s a little repetitive from there, but Ray’s vocals shine throughout.
Had no idea this was Willie’s beginnings in music!
3
Aug 19 2024
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Maggot Brain
Funkadelic
Very weird and very fun. Probably something I will put on a ton, but really enjoyed it as an album.
4
Aug 20 2024
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Figure 8
Elliott Smith
Sad stuff but always love his songwriting, and influenced so much of what I like today. Goes beyond singer songwriter stuff, interesting chord progressions and layered instrumentation. The early part of the album starts off so strong and feels like it stretches a bit at times in the middle, but overall really like the pacing.
5
Aug 21 2024
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Rio
Duran Duran
Was never huge on 80s synth stuff, but am starting to like it a lot more, branching out from the earlier Go Gos album.
Thought Last Chance on the Stairway was the biggest surprise on this one and am also surprised it wasn’t a single. Found the third single, Save a Prayer, a little boring.
4
Aug 22 2024
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Teen Dream
Beach House
Remember really loving this album when it came in college, listened to it a ton on the pre-Spotify streaming platform Grooveshark.
Thought it would be an easy 5, but just found it a lot more boring than I remember. Kind of crazy that this album is on this list but not a single Vampire Weekend album made it.
Still love the band and their sound.
4
Aug 23 2024
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The Good, The Bad & The Queen
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
Mostly a boring slog and a chore to get through. Some interesting moments in the instrumentals, especially great drumming, but Damon’s vocals and melodies just really don’t do it for me.
2
Aug 26 2024
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From Elvis In Memphis
Elvis Presley
Elvis loomed large in my childhood. In third grade music class, we spent an entire month on an Elvis module. Mrs. M believed he had faked his death to escape his celebrity status, and she made a bunch of nine year olds sit cross legged on the floor and watch a documentary about how it was actually a wax body in the casket. My first encounter with a good conspiracy theory. Later in high school, Brian would regularly perform Elvis songs with a pretty great Elvis impression at all-school assemblies. And at Sunday mass with my family, there was always an off-duty Elvis impersonator in the congregation, doing his best to blend in with jeans and a t-shirt, but given away by his huge black-dyed pompadour.
To the music, I always thought Elvis was incredibly corny - an over the top personality who doesn’t even write his own songs. But I really enjoyed going through this album. I love his voice, even the silly Elvis vibrato, and his arrangements (which I believe he had a bigger part in) really bring to life some rather simple songs. Long Black Limousine, True Love, and Suspicious Minds stand out.
Somewhere between 4 and 5 stars for this album, with an extra bump for nostalgia. As Mrs. M said, the king is alive.
5
Aug 27 2024
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Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
The Smashing Pumpkins
Disc one was pretty close to a 5 for me, loved almost all of it, such great blend of loud and soft tunes. Loved Muzzle and the singles. Disc 2 felt like much more of a drag and didn’t really hit its stride as much. Plan to return to this one though, as there seems to be more here. Listened to this one live from their hometown of Chicago!
3
Aug 28 2024
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American Idiot
Green Day
Love pop punk, but was never a massive Green Day fan and kind of thought their newer stuff was a little lame. After listening to this one, I think my only major gripe is how overplayed so much of this album was growing up, and how everything on this album sounds like it’s trying to be an anthem. But the songs are great and I love the double song, Rock opera thing. Had never heard Are We The Waiting / St Jimmy - liked that one in addition to some of the singles.
5
Aug 29 2024
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Physical Graffiti
Led Zeppelin
This album ROCKS - I’m sure - but just found it a little boring and even annoying at times. Some great songs on here but not enough to carry the album.
3
Aug 30 2024
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Kilimanjaro
The Teardrop Explodes
Some cool moments on here. Catchy bass lines and some horn parts. Feels a little aimless in the end, likes it’s not building toward anything. Wanted to rate it higher.
2
Sep 02 2024
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(Pronounced 'Leh-'Nérd 'Skin-'Nérd)
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Side A is flawless - and a great summer album.
5
Sep 03 2024
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The Next Day
David Bowie
Definitely an important album in the overall Bowie story, even if not musically the most interesting. Some nice songs on here - first few tracks stand out - love almost all instrumentals across the album.
3
Sep 04 2024
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Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1
George Michael
Hell of a voice but just a little too corny. Needs more Limp Bizkit covers.
2
Sep 05 2024
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The Colour Of Spring
Talk Talk
I had seen the band name in passing (and unfortunately have heard the No Doubt cover of It’s My Life) but had never looked into their story or catalogue. From what I’ve read, this was a transition album from Brit synth pop to a less structured style, which didn’t come into full view until the next two albums Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock, neither of which are on this list. Just an insane trajectory of reinvention for a band that seemed to be on a fast path to a more commercial life.
I think this band and album may be my favorite new discovery from this list so far. I love the way they play with volume and space in the arrangements, and the vocal melodies have some unexpected turns without sounding too arty - jazz influenced but keeping some of the pop and rock footing. Clear influence on later bands like Radiohead and Slowdive.
I listened to Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock as well, and think Spirit is probably my favorite of the three but this one is definitely the catchiest and most upbeat.
5
Sep 06 2024
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The Score
Fugees
This album came out a year or two before I started finding and listening to my own music and for whatever reason I never listened to this one cover to cover beyond the singles. I grew up knowing Wyclef and Lauren Hill more as solo artists. I don’t know hip hop well enough, but love 90s stuff and thought this was super fun. Love the Beast and the Score.
5