197
Albums Rated
3.16
Average Rating
18%
Complete
892 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
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Rating Timeline
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Ratings by Decade
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Activity by Day
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Taste Profile
2010s
Favorite Decade
Jazz
Favorite Genre
other
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
29
5-Star Albums
15
1-Star Albums
Taste Analysis
Genre Preferences
Ratings by genre
Origin Preferences
Ratings by country
Rating Style
You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shaka Zulu | 5 | 3.09 | +1.91 |
| First Band On The Moon | 5 | 3.29 | +1.71 |
| The Slim Shady LP | 5 | 3.29 | +1.71 |
| The Band | 5 | 3.37 | +1.63 |
| Doggystyle | 5 | 3.38 | +1.62 |
| Beauty And The Beat | 5 | 3.39 | +1.61 |
| The Köln Concert | 5 | 3.39 | +1.61 |
| Pretzel Logic | 5 | 3.4 | +1.6 |
| Amnesiac | 5 | 3.41 | +1.59 |
| If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears | 5 | 3.42 | +1.58 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| In Utero | 1 | 3.83 | -2.83 |
| So | 1 | 3.55 | -2.55 |
| Debut | 1 | 3.37 | -2.37 |
| Blur | 1 | 3.33 | -2.33 |
| Nebraska | 1 | 3.32 | -2.32 |
| Fever To Tell | 1 | 3.29 | -2.29 |
| Before And After Science | 1 | 3.09 | -2.09 |
| Meat Puppets II | 1 | 3.02 | -2.02 |
| Fly Or Die | 1 | 2.86 | -1.86 |
| Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge | 1 | 2.84 | -1.84 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Steely Dan | 3 | 5 |
| The Beach Boys | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Brian Eno | 2 | 1 |
Controversial Artists
Artists you rate inconsistently
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Red Hot Chili Peppers | 5, 2 |
5-Star Albums (29)
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Popular Reviews
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Gimme Shelter is an absolute all-timer. Gets me so fired up. The rest of the album (and the Stones in general) don't really click with me. I think it's MIck's voice I don't love? All the other tracks on this one just kinda felt like background music to me. Didn't hate, didn't love
1 likes
Joni Mitchell
5/5
Twelve stars. I fucking love Joni and this is pretty unquestionably her best album (For the Roses is up there too but think Blue has gotta be #1). All I Want, Little Green, Carey, California, River, a Case of You, all on one album!?!? Fuck me. So good. Her melodies never go where you expect them to. So inventive. Her voice isn't for everyone ('reedy' is a fair word for it) and some songs on here border on indulgently sad (she's straight up wallowing for 3 minutes on Blue), but man she is for me.
Tragically my dear wife hates Joni more than any other artist (Mitski is her only rival). Every time she hears her voice, she yells 'WHO IS THAT WHINY BITCH!?' so I rarely get to listen to her. At the end of the day I love my wife more than I love Joni so I don't put Joni on around the house, so I really relished the excuse to invite her into my headphones today. Welcome back baby.
1 likes
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
1/5
Made it 4 songs in. It’s all noise to me. More like the No No No’s, amirite fellas!?!?!?!??
1 likes
OutKast
3/5
The highs are high, the lows are weird, and there’s plainly way too much in here. 2 hours 15 minutes is a joke album length and they know it. I love the random bullshit OutKast tried and I’m glad they tried it even if it didn’t always land. Some fun ones on here I’d never heard before, and the hits are so fucking good (even my mom still loves Hey Ya). I want to add though, they play the chorus on Roses probably 8 times in a row, which is at least 4 times too many. Kinda a microcosm of the album: INDULGENT. But still pretty fun
1 likes
1-Star Albums (15)
All Ratings
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
4/5
Eagles
4/5
MGMT
4/5
Can
2/5
Fatboy Slim
2/5
Stevie Wonder
3/5
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
Mudhoney
1/5
The Replacements
3/5
The Go-Go's
5/5
Duke Ellington
4/5
The Beau Brummels
1/5
Blur
1/5
Robbie Williams
1/5
I hated this
Frank Sinatra
3/5
Jethro Tull
4/5
Surprisingly good. Whimsical and kinda gay in a good way, like Billy Eichner
Peter Tosh
2/5
Good elevator music, not great everything else music
Nick Drake
4/5
Nice music. His voice is a little nasal and flat for my taste. Instrumental tracks are my favorites. Don’t see myself going back to this often but I enjoyed most of it
The Cardigans
5/5
This album rules. I fell in love by the time I got to Lovefool and then wanted to marry this album. Great stuff. Call me Mr Rogers because I’m a huge cardigan guy now
Nirvana
1/5
Soundgarden
2/5
Alice In Chains
3/5
Surprisingly good. Didn’t get through all of it but like his voice and some good harmony. Guitar is rad too
B.B. King
3/5
Blues is a little boring to me
Ray Price
3/5
Pleasant but hard to get excited about most of it. Some nice harmony in a few songs. I’d keep it as background music
Funkadelic
2/5
I like the vibe but the music just doesn’t do it for me. Too many meandering jam tracks, and the rest of it doesn’t feel memorable
Elliott Smith
2/5
Some nice songs but so, so whiny. Can’t imagine a time I’d like to listen to this
Duran Duran
3/5
Hungry like the wolf FUCKS. The rest of the album is kinda annoying
Beach House
4/5
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
3/5
Enjoyed it and think I’d like it more with more listens. No real weak spots (but no major highs either)
Elvis Presley
4/5
So many classics on here (Gentle on my Mind, Suspicious Minds, In the Ghetto…). Enjoyed this a ton.
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
Liked this more than I expected. Their hits were hits for a reason. Billy Corgan’s voice is so annoying that I like it, and I love the melodramatic tone of some of these. But docking a full star for length and some duds along the way
Green Day
2/5
Wake me up when September ends is the best song on this album. That says a lot more about the quality of this album than anything else. I can’t fathom how this album is on this list. No one wants to listen to watered down pop punk from a band that once made actual punk. I was 15 when this album came out and I remember it being lame then, and this is one of the few times I agree with my 15 year old self on music
Led Zeppelin
3/5
I know I should like Led Zeppelin but I just don't like most of it. I've tried so many times. Their music bores me. I don't know if they're doing stuff I don't understand, or if it's just a vibe that I don't vibe with, or what, but it doesn't work for me. Every song feels like they figured out a guitar riff and just do it over and over again for 4-10 minutes. When the riff is good (Kashmir) it's good, but when it isn't (most other songs) it's incredibly boring.
Giving 3 stars tho bc some songs on here fuck. Obviously Kashmir, and Trampled Under Foot, and a couple others. But they aren't my rock gods.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
4/5
George Michael
3/5
This album is super gay and I’ll be honest I kinda dig it. Freedom 90 is deliciously gay. They won’t go when I go is really nice - has kinda an elegiac showtune vibe that I really enjoyed. Album drags a little and is slow later on but didn’t hate it
Fugees
4/5
Overall such a solid album - I loved this. It’s held up a lot better than a lot of 90s hip hop. Lauryn Hill obviously stands out - she elevates some mediocre songs (eg Fu-Gee-La) and makes the good ones even better (eg Ready or Not). Killing Me Softly is a gorgeous combo of understated production and her voice in center stage. Some great production in other spots too - super creative Enya sample on Ready or Not that spawned several remakes since then
Metallica
3/5
Bruce Springsteen
1/5
This album is boring and shitty. Acoustic doesn’t play to Bruce’s strengths. His voice kinda sucks and there’s no energy anywhere in this album. He takes a great song like Atlantic City and makes it shitty and boring. Fuck this album
The Jam
2/5
Pretty unremarkable to me compared to other rock from this era. Some parts sound like the Beatles, some feel like the Clash, all of it is a worse version of that music. Can't see myself coming back to any of this.
Fela Kuti
2/5
i’m not sure who this music is for, but it isn’t me. It’s unobjectionable but doesn’t do anything for me. This one felt like one I need more background info on to understand if there’s some cultural significance or novel musical approach here that I’m unaware of. Otherwise just kinda meandering and repetitive without doing anything beautiful or impressive or catchy.
Thin Lizzy
3/5
Two stars just for THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN. 1 star for the rest. This sounds like it was a fun concert to be at, but the music doesn't rock my socks off for the most part (weird that the Spotify version they link here is only 4 songs when the full version is way longer. Feels like they didn't get a fair shake on this). Execution is super sharp (guitar and drums are so tight it's awesome to behold) but the songwriting isn't my favorite from this era. And the vocals on THE BOYS is a little disappointing – lead vocalist is flat on a lot of the fun high notes. Can't give em less than 3 for a classic though.
Snoop Dogg
5/5
A great example of early hip hop that's aged well – it's fun, it's got a ton of bounce, and man Snoop is charismatic. The g-funk and synth is so iconic. Even the intro is good. Tried to listen to this while doing work and was having too much fun to focus. I'm all about this.
Koffi Olomide
2/5
A Tribe Called Quest
3/5
Decent but not my favorite early hip hop
Leonard Cohen
4/5
Such an eerie, haunting album. It’s a VIBE. This is basically a spoken word album which sounds awful but it somehow works great. I haven’t listened to a lot of Leonard Cohen but this made me want to listen to more.
Al Green
4/5
What a nice listen. Such a great voice and fun funk/soul grooves. Feels like I'll like it more and more as I listen to it more. Nothing revolutionary but a really nice piece of music.
Korn
2/5
Oh boy. I'm not sure why this is an album anyone HAS TO LISTEN TO BEFORE THEY DIE, unless it's what you listen to immediately before you die / during the act of dying.
Has to be said that Freak on a Leash is a great song if you're in like 8th grade so that warrants a star. It isn't good, but it's still fun in a shitty way. I like how confidently shitty it is. The rest of it is, well, not good. It sucks.
Ananda Shankar
4/5
How many Shankars played sitar?? On this list I was maybe expecting some Ravi, maybe some Anoushka, but never even heard of Ananda (apparently Ravi's nephew).
This is basically Indian jam band music. I don't like this style when it's on Western instruments, but when it's a sitar, for some reason I dig it (probably because it feels exotic to my gringo ears, like shopping in the ETHNIC aisle at Whole Foods). So maybe I'm giving too much credit for novelty, but I dig it. Also any album that I can listen to while I'm working gets an extra star, which is basically the opposite of the point of what we're trying to do with this exercise, but this is my truth / lived experience / personal journey so I can give stars however I feel like it
A cover of Light My Fire was unexpected and fun.
Peter Gabriel
1/5
Pretty lame stuff, Peter Gabriel. Even the 'hit' didn't hit for me (Sledgehammer). Solsbury Hill is a shitty fun song but it isn't on this album. ONE STAR.
Sufjan Stevens
3/5
3 stars. Really torn on this. Musically I love Sufjan’s stuff - it’s pretty and inventive. but lyrically it’s too cutesy and self consciously quirky for me. How many song titles with 15 words does one album need? He feels like the kind of person who would say “I’m a nerd” in an annoying way
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
If you don't like this album, you don't like music and I don't like you. Some goddamn classics on here. I've listened to it a thousand times before and I'll listen it a thousand times more.
Brian Eno
1/5
What a cruel move to put this right after Simon & Garfunkel. Why is this album on this list.
King Crimson
3/5
I enjoyed parts of this. If I'd heard it with no context, I'd have said the Court of the Crimson King was by David Bowie (in a good way – the Ziggy Stardust kind of way). Some interesting folk tracks too – I enjoyed the harmonies. Some parts felt intentionally discordant and challenging (21st Century Schizoid Man), but overall it pleased my ear more than it grated. Fascinated that Kanye dug this deep on a sample.
Jungle Brothers
3/5
Fine stuff overall. Nothing remarkable compared to what came later, but apparently this album pioneered a lot of the sound that became rampant in the 90s (especially funk and jazz beats)? I don't think this era of rap has aged too well, though – every song feels like they found something cool and stuck with it for 3-4 minutes with no variation. But at the time it was revolutionary, I guess. For my money, from this era I'll take Souls of Mischief over this, but a real RAP HEAD might school me on how much Souls of Mischief owes to Jungle Brothers anyway.
Common
2/5
It's easy to hate Common for being a lax faux intellectual rapper. And I hate him for it. I'll give 2 stars for good production on this album though – a lot of socially conscious rap has such sparse and uninspired beats that you have no choice but to listen to the preachy lyrics, but the highest compliment I can give Common is that he picks good producers who can distract from his annoying persona. I actually found myself enjoying a few songs when I could just enjoy the beat without listening to him waxing poetic. But that's as far as I'll go
David Bowie
3/5
Is this known as Bowie's saxophone album? Man that thing is WAILING for half this album. The backup singers are pretty fun – gives it a Gladys Knight and the Pips feel. It isn't my favorite Bowie album, but Young Americans and Fame are classics. Bowie's stylistic range was pretty impressive, even if musically most of the stuff on here isn't too inventive.
On the negative side, I could have done without the Across the Universe cover, and some songs are corny and shitty (Can You Hear Me). 3 stars in my book.
Einstürzende Neubauten
1/5
This album really made me question why we're doing this exercise. This is obviously intentionally discordant; it's the musical equivalent of the worst kind of modern art (they want you to say "it really makes you question: what IS music!?"). These guys are the Jasper Johns of whatever the hell genre you call this. It feels pointless even to give this 1 star, but what else am I supposed to do?
Sarah Vaughan
4/5
Needed this palate cleanser after yesterday's cacophony. This gets 2-3 stars alone for being a beautiful period piece. I'd never heard of Sarah Vaughan before, but what a gorgeous voice – that vibrato, that lilt, that range. From a vocal perspective, I'm sure people have made a ton of comparisons to Billie Holiday, Ella, Nina Simone. But as great as her pipes are, and the vibe, and the backing band, the songs aren't super catchy or memorable compared to those artists – to my ear at least, they mostly sound like jazz standards – which is probably why she doesn't have the same legacy as those greats. And I'm not a huuuge fan of scat so I cringe a bit when I have to sit through it. But overall really enjoyed the listen and will definitely come back to it.
Dr. Dre
3/5
Some great stuff here (eg Nuthin but a G Thang is so goddamn fun), but a lot that I don't love (most of the others I hadn't heard before).
Maybe when I was an aggro teenager I would have vibed more with this, but a lot of this and other gangsta rap is too serious for me. My favorite parts of this album were wherever Snoop was on the mic, so what I really want is to listen to Doggystyle again. Also too many skits (any number of skits is too many skits).
Meat Puppets
1/5
Not my cup of tea
Neneh Cherry
3/5
I loved parts of this. The super frenetic ultra 80s synth production on tracks like Buffalo Stance were really fun, the unusual chord progressions on Manchild reminded me of Mitski (the highest compliment I can give).
Other parts were forgettable, but had some real high points for me. Fun time capsule.
Steely Dan
5/5
5 stars all fucking day. I love this album. What a TREAT. Gimme all that Fagen and Michael McDonald. Such a tight album. So many jams. Top 10er all time for my money.
Marvin Gaye
2/5
This album really bored me. I thought I’d like Marvin but this didn’t excite me in any way
Van Halen
4/5
Jump and Panama back to back is insane. What a fun album. I faded a bit on the back half but the rest was like heroin
LCD Soundsystem
3/5
Not my favorite style of music but a fun stretch for me. Overall takeaway: vocals are kinda lame, but the instrumentals are fun
Sheryl Crow
2/5
Uhhhh this was not good. Why do people like Sheryl Crow? Not for me
Dusty Springfield
4/5
Had never heard this before. Really fun vibe. Didn't knock my socks off with hits, but I was very charmed.
Pink Floyd
5/5
This is some indulgent classic rock I can get on board with. Shine on you Crazy Diamond is so, so fucking long, but I love the buildup and the atmosphere. I heard this song for the first time in a gem store in Evanston, Illinois (I have no idea why I was there) and was captivated listening to this long buildup while I looked at sparkling gems. Thinking back, I wonder if they only played gem-themed music there (or if they think of all hard rock as on-theme...). I had never like the Pink Floyd I'd heard before that (Dark Side of the Moon didn't grip me the way it got other people), but after hearing that track I put on this album and it clicked. Wish You Were Here is beautiful too. I really like this album.
Johnny Cash
4/5
What a nice listen. Incredible banter and rapport with the inmates, so smooth even when he's tuning his guitar. I don't go crazy for his music but it's a nice listen.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Gimme Shelter is an absolute all-timer. Gets me so fired up. The rest of the album (and the Stones in general) don't really click with me. I think it's MIck's voice I don't love? All the other tracks on this one just kinda felt like background music to me. Didn't hate, didn't love
The Only Ones
3/5
Enjoyed this - mix of psychedelic and grungy sound that I enjoyed. Not likely to spin the whole thing again but was glad I listened
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Realizing I like early Stevie more than later Stevie. This one still has some jams on it (boogie on reggae woman, you haven’t done nothin).
Fats Domino
3/5
I dunno man. Was this at one point groundbreaking or genre defining? I assume so (confirmed). I guess this is how pioneering music goes - if you’re inventing a sound, it’s by definition in its infancy and hasn’t been perfected yet. So as an achievement or a time capsule on its own terms, significant, but looking back now, kinda meh (however unfair it is to judge by later standards). 3 stars for inventing a genre I guess
I do appreciate that this was an era when if you were fat, your stage name was just Fats. We need more of that straight shooting. Ball’s in your court Lizzo
Bob Dylan
2/5
This album almost no impression on me. What a snooze fest. You can’t just trot out Bob Dylan’s 30th album and act like it’s some sort of treasure. Boooooring. 2 stars
Pere Ubu
1/5
This is some challenging stuff. It’s objectively annoying to listen to (the vocals on the title track and the intentionally shitty sounding instrumentals on ‘Laughing’ are good examples). Only got 4 songs in before I had to pull the ripcord, so someone please tell me if the back half really picks up.
I liked reading their wikipedia page more than I liked listening to their music, which is always a bad sign.
“Describing their sound as "avant-garage," Pere Ubu's work drew inspiration from sources such as musique concrète, 60s rock, performance art, and the industrial environments of the American Midwest.”
I don’t know what any of this really means
Led Zeppelin
4/5
I'd never heard a lot of this. Some really cool stuff in here. Highlights for me:
'Friends' has such an unsettled feel to it – I'd be curious what musical trick they're pulling to achieve that effect.
Herbie Hancock
2/5
When I say I like about half of the songs on here, I don't mean I 100% like 50% of the songs; I mean I 50% like 100% of the songs. I like the funk bassline and percussion in every song, and I hate the brass jazz on top of it in every song. Unfortunately 50% is a failing grade, so I did not enjoy this overall
Pretenders
3/5
Liked some songs, didn't like some. Brass in Pocket was really fun. Some of the spoken word / dialogue was really funny and quirky. Most of the album didn't jump out to me though
Dinosaur Jr.
2/5
Having trouble giving this anything more than 2 stars. Some pieces I liked, but far more pieces I viscerally disliked. Is Dinosaur Jr versatile or unfocused? Fearless or oblivious? Who's to say. I'm not sure I know anyone who would like every genre they're doing on this album.
It's so punk rock to have lead vocalists with fucking terrible voices. Kinda a flex. Doesn't make me like it though. 'No Bones' is a good example. I can't imagine having the gall to be a lead vocalist if my voice sounded like this
Having said that, I enjoyed the instrumentals on a few songs. They Always Come was fun and had some nice rawk elements going on.
Having now said something nice, I really hated "Don't". Who honestly likes screamo
Keith Jarrett
5/5
I've dabbled in listening to various forms of jazz and classical piano in my adult life (Glenn Gould and Maurizio Pollini especially) and I've never heard anyone blend the two genres like this. Super cool. This one felt like a revelation – can't believe I've never listened to this before, especially since it's apparently the #1 selling piano recording in history. The elements of the live performance are extra fun (eg hearing the crowd whoop a few times). I'm fucking all about this.
Dire Straits
4/5
This album gets 3 stars for Walk of Life by itself. Love that song. A real chillllllll vibe through the rest of it – Your Latest Trick has some real smooth cheesy sax and blues guitar that I can't pretend I don't like. Other than Walk of Life nothing really grabs me but I dig it all, man
Steve Winwood
4/5
Stray notes
Not sure if Steve Winwood is classified as 'easy listening' but it intuitively fits the definition to me. Most of the value for me is as a time capsule, but since I'm so nostalgic for this era I barely lived through, I can't evaluate the art objectively. I had never heard any songs on this album before, but enjoyed it all the way. Imagine this is gonna get a lot of 3's and 2's, but I'm throwing up 4 fingers for my guy Steve.
Such good cheesy 80s pop. Give me as much synth as I can handle. Guy just got in a three-point stance and leaned on the keys, chord after chord. Winwood is like Phil Collins minus the self-seriousness – just pure earnest cheddar. This kind of music makes me want to unbutton my shirt and rip a few lines with the boys.
While you See a Chance is so fucking cheesy it feels tailor-made for a movie montage of someone packing up a small but tidy apartment to move out to the west coast, only to realize as they're on the on-ramp to the highway that what they've wanted all along has been in front of them the whole time
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
How were so many hits on one album!? This is like a greatest hits album. Hell yeah
OutKast
3/5
Pretty uneven album for me. I’m glad it exists bc So fresh, so clean and Ms Jackson are great, but some real duds on here too though. Snappin & Trappin, Xplosion to name a few, and way too many goddamn interludes to make this a good album overall. I don’t need a break before AND after Spaghetti Junction
Red Snapper
3/5
To me, this is a better version of Fatboy Slim. This music all seems tailor-made for a heist scene in Ocean's Eleven, but I kinda mean that in a good way. Some fun grooves and brass on some tracks. Some absolutely outrageous lyrics on The Rough and the Quick. The production on Alaska Street was pretty sweet – if I were a hip hop producer I'd be all over sampling this. I'm never going to listen to this album again but I didn't hate it.
The Mamas & The Papas
5/5
I love the Mamas and the Papas. Such gorgeous harmonies. Some obvious hits on this album that already get this to 4 stars for me, but also loved some deeper cuts I hadn't heard (e.g. Do You Wanna Dance)
Miss you Mama Cass. God damn that ham sandwich
The Beach Boys
5/5
If you don’t love this album I don’t like you.
I grew up listening to the Beach Boys’ greatest hits that my parents had, and thought of them as an unserious band for surfers and wannabe surfers. I think that was maybe true for the beginning of their careers even at the time, but when they came out with Pet Sounds, they viewed it as a gauntlet thrown down at more respected bands like the Beatles. Pretty sure the Beatles credited this album with firing them up to do some of their best work in the late 60s. This album rules - so much more musically interesting than their early poppy stuff. I don’t know the full story of why they did two versions of the same song on this album Hang Onto Your Ego and I Know There’s An Answer (some sort of fugue-like exercise?).
Steely Dan
5/5
I love Steely Dan and I love this album. It isn't my favorite of theirs, but has so many good songs. Wild range of styles on here and they do them all well. Distinctive for having the original lead vocalist on Dirty Work (I'm sure someone in this group has looked up his name).
Carole King
5/5
Catching up on reviews so don't have time to rhapsodize, but boy would I like to. What a great album. A 10-years belated thanks to Frank for introducing this album to me when we lived in New York. Pretty sure Sean is a Carole King stan so very excited to read his review of this album. This has been a fucking hell of a week of albums. Makes it all worth it to put up with all the weeks where we have Pere Ubu and Fela Kuti
Norah Jones
3/5
A real coffeehouse vibe of an album. She’s got a zone and she stays in it the entire album, for better or worse. It’s inoffensive and she has a nice raspy voice but it’s pretty one dimensional. Feels like taking painkillers
3/5
Liked this more than I expected to. Some nice funky grooves in here. Not likely to come back to it, but enjoyed it
Cocteau Twins
4/5
I'd never heard of this band but I enjoyed this. I was paying half attention and had it on in the background so can't say I really picked it apart, but I enjoyed it as a period piece
Grant Lee Buffalo
2/5
Lead singer's voice sucks
Red Hot Chili Peppers
5/5
I mostly joined this exercise to discover music I’d never heard before, but it’s also resurfaced music I love that I haven’t listened to in forever. This is one of those. This album came out when I was emerging from the cocoon of listening to whatever my parents listened to (mostly the Beatles) and figuring out what I liked. I love this album. Having trouble distinguishing between nostalgia and objective preference, but man this album takes me back. The music videos for Californication (video game) and Otherside (black and white art hellscape) are burned in my memory. God bless this exercise
The Cars
3/5
They really frontloaded this thing, huh? An onslaught of jams at the beginning and then a bunch of duds after that. I appreciate how weird some of the lyrical choices are ("I NEEDED SOMEONE TO FEEEEEEEEEED") and weirdly The Cars greatest hits was one of like 3 non-Beatles albums my parents had in the car growing up, so I fancied myself a real Cars guy. But as an album this doesn't really hold my attention. I'll stick with the greatest hits (especially since it has YOU MIGHT THINK on it)
R.E.M.
4/5
Another album I listened to growing up since my mom is an REM fan. Michael Stipe is kinda whiny at times and Everybody Hurts has become almost a joke, but taking a listen with fresh ears, there are so many songs I like on here (Man on the Moon, Try Not to Breathe, Nightswimming, Everybody Hurts).
Haircut 100
3/5
Was between 2 and 3 stars on this. Went with 3 because even though it kinda sucks it's pretty fun to have on in the background. Great inscrutable band name and album title. Who the hell are these guys? Has a real Wham-lite vibe...just confidently and unabashedly goofy. So much sax on this album. Every song is so corny and lame that it's pretty endearing, even if not very good
Beatles
4/5
Not my favorite Beatles but still great
5/5
Obviously 5 stars. What am I supposed to say about this.
Unpopular opinion though: not my favorite Beatles album. I'm an Abbey Road guy
Led Zeppelin
4/5
I know I'm supposed to worship Led Zeppelin and all, but it just isn't MY favorite type of music. I'm sure one of you Big Rock Music Fans can/will tell me why I just don't get it, man, so go ahead. It's still objectively very good but not a 5-star experience in my book.
Since everyone is going to give this album 5 stars, I'll focus on the parts of this album I didn't like (but first one acknowledgement: the hard rock stuff on here obviously rules. The drums on When the Levee Breaks, all of Black Dog, and an entire song called ROCK AND ROLL make me reflexively mean mug and headbang in my office chair. John Bonham drums some fucking drums).
My observations as an untrained man of the people who has never played in a Rock Music Band with my friends:
- The baroque type stuff on here (The Battle of Evermore) isn't for me. If I want to feel like I'm at a ren faire I'll listen to Jethro Tull thankyouverymuch
- Misty Mountain Hop just kinda annoys me. It's repetitive and it isn't that good. If you're gonna have the guitar line and the vocals run together, it better be a REAL NICE melody, and this one just grates on my little ears. We aren't gonna get any Chief Keef on this exercise, so I'll have to be the one to say it: that's the shit I don't like
- Too much screaming. Why screaming so much
The Cure
4/5
Such a good example of a band I never thought I'd like but really enjoyed. Instrumentation especially. I'm a sucker for some good synth, and this album had plenty. Vocals reminded me of the Cars in a good way, but the production was what I liked the most. Such a consistent atmosphere it felt like a movie soundtrack
- Fun groove on the bassline in Play for Today
- Another really fun groove on Secrets. The driving hi hat the entire time is money
Doves
2/5
Meh
Paul Revere & The Raiders
2/5
Not great. At its peak it was tolerable (3/5), at its nadir it was irritating (1/5), so it's getting a 2 from me. I'm tempted to give it a 1.
The two car songs (parodies?) at the end were baffling – were they Beach Boys parodies or real songs?? I genuinely can't tell. SS 396 isn't over the top enough to feel like a parody, so I think it's just a shitty ripoff. Feels like someone at their record company told them they had to make a car song
Some fun nuggets from Wikipedia:
- One of the founding members was actually named Paul Revere
- They were known for wearing Revolutionary War clothes
- They have had 37 band members at various times
Jacques Brel
4/5
I couldn't understand a single word this guy was saying. Was this Spanish or something?? Honestly if it's 2025 and you don't know how to speak English, you shouldn't be making music
Ok ok on a serious note, I love the emotion JACQUES sings with. Guy lets it fucking rip. Le Plat Pays was a favorite. Overall a really nice listen. Never would have listened to this otherwise. Redeemed this week after a couple duds in a row. His Wikipedia says he was quite influential on other singers after him, which is some I factor into my scoring when I like an artist's music and I completely ignore if I don't like their music (fuck you Fela Kuti)
Metallica
3/5
As a fan of the 1990s-2000s New York Yankees, Enter Sandman gets me fucking jacked up. 3 stars on the board right out of the gate. MARIANO RIVERA IS COMING TO TURN OUT THE LIGHTTTTSSSSSAAAAAHHHHHH
Otherwise, their run-of-the-mill metal songs (85% of the album) just feel like noise to me. (One exception: I liked The Unforgiven as a nice change of pace from the DUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUN guitar on pretty much every other song). For my metal money, I'll take a wailing Iron Maiden over a growling/snarling Metallica. At least Iron Maiden feels whimsically fascinated with the devil. Metallica just feels self-serious in a pathetic way. Stop trying to impress me with how tough you are
Fun fact: Lars Ulrich's son is my wife's patient and she says he's a really nice guy [sorry for violating HIPAA but it's just braces]. I also just love that this fuckin METALHEAD lives in beautiful Marin County. Hey Lars!
Steely Dan
5/5
Love this album. Lotta weird songs on here. Such specific weird characters in every song. Not one of my favorite Steely Dan albums but still a real good one
The Velvet Underground
3/5
I've always wanted to like Velvet Underground bc it seems like a cool band to like. Now that I've listened to an album, my overall take is that they're a little too arty for my taste
-Pale Blue Eyes was a fun playful contrast between lyrics and music
-The Murder Mystery was a real trip, man. I didn't like it but it was distinctive
- Overall just doesn't do it for me. I rate on vibes, and the vibes were MID
Stereo MC's
2/5
Man, this stuff didn't age well. Another example of the rampant pro-British bias in this collection. Robert Dimery (the editor of '1001 Albums...') was a patriot first and a music critic second.
Wikipedia tells me this album won Best British Album at the 1994 Brit Awards, so at least the Brits loved it. As a non-Brit, I made it 4 songs in and decided it isn't worth listening more. If someone has a revelation about the other 9 songs, let me know
2/5
Felt like a knockoff Bowie doing showtunes. Not for me
Prince
4/5
Started out slow. Let’s go crazy doesn’t grab me. But The Beautiful Ones rocked. I don’t often love screaming vocals but this song joined Oh Darling in my scream hall of fameDarling Nikki was weird and awesome. I think I get Prince now
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
3/5
Some fun elements in here. He had a lot of personality in his vocals - charisma really comes through. Style is pretty one-note so the album doesn’t really hold my attention, but good to listen to understand why he was so popular
Buffalo Springfield
3/5
Didn’t love this, didn’t hate it. Nothing really caught or offended my ear.
Cocteau Twins
4/5
There’s something about their sound I love. Lorelei, Beatrix are sick - so weird and offbeat, but compelling. Reminds me of Mitski in the best way. This band has been a real discovery for me in this exercise.
The Monkees
2/5
I'll be honest, I listened to like 3 songs on here and it felt like such a ripoff of the Beatles that I dismissed it. They were apparently a made-for-TV band (like O-Town plus a sitcom), so I can't get on board. Why is this on here
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
I don't think I love guitar enough to love Jimi. As far as I can tell, he's a musician's musician. What he's doing is (I am led to believe) innovative, technically difficult, and subtly expressive, but to my naive ears, it just kinda sounds like rock music. He's strumming some strings with one hand (his LEFT HAND!?!?) and pressing some other fingers onto some frets and stuff, and it's plugged into an amp over there, but it isn't really doing a ton for me.
This feels like it's my 10th review with this flavor, so maybe I should just have a stock "classic rock isn't my bag" review that I copy and paste every time. Go ahead, SHOOT ME
Sade
3/5
I solidly like Sade, and solidly do not love Sade. Low ceiling, high floor on every song here. This could not be any more of a 3/5. Even Smooth Operator is just pretty good.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
5/5
My high school English teacher told us “the best essay is a short, good essay. The worst is a long, bad essay.” This album (if you can call it an album?) is definitely a short, good one. My only complaint is that it’s Too $hort. 5 seconds in I had the same realization many of us probably did – ahhhhhh THIS is who was all over Graceland. Such beautiful harmonies. Of course I never bothered to look up who was backing Paul Simon and just gave him all the credit for discovering/arranging everything. Glad we had this album to highlight these guys. Going to dig around and see what other music of theirs I can find.
Steve Earle
2/5
This kinda sounded like a spoof of a country album. Such an over the top twang in his voice, so so heavy on the bendy guitar, so many lyrics about being from a small town and wanting to get out. This isn’t for me. If we have this in here, I demand more hip hop
Genesis
2/5
Wow this was not at all what I was expecting when I saw we had a Genesis album. So much more avant garde than their music I'm familiar with – way less poppy, way more in-your-face-prog-rock. Feels both ahead of its time (lot of synth for 1973!?) and retro (has that baroque Jethro Tull feel to it, but shittier).
All of that said, I didn't like this album. Too progressive for me. Jethro Tull felt like whimsical renaissance faire music from guys who knew it was all in good fun, but I think Genesis take themselves a little too seriously for my taste. Iron Maiden is to Metallica as Jethro Tull is to Genesis
Elton John
4/5
The highs on this album are all-timers for me. Title track and Benny & the Jets especially. Candle in the Wind is so over the top and I love it. At one point in my 20s, I had Goodbye Yellow Brick Road stuck in my head for over a week. It never got old. The guy does DRAMA better than anyone. I love that music with such weird Bernie Taupin lyrics was ever so mainstream. Guy somehow got us all singing along about a howlin old owl in the woods hunting a hawwwwny black tooooaaad
A little too sprawling to get 5 stars from me though – the weird ones (like Jamaica Jerkoff???) dilute the good ones enough to knock off a star. If this were a tighter 12-track album, it's 5 stars for me. Gonna have this stuck in my head for a week again, and I don't mind
Joni Mitchell
5/5
Twelve stars. I fucking love Joni and this is pretty unquestionably her best album (For the Roses is up there too but think Blue has gotta be #1). All I Want, Little Green, Carey, California, River, a Case of You, all on one album!?!? Fuck me. So good. Her melodies never go where you expect them to. So inventive. Her voice isn't for everyone ('reedy' is a fair word for it) and some songs on here border on indulgently sad (she's straight up wallowing for 3 minutes on Blue), but man she is for me.
Tragically my dear wife hates Joni more than any other artist (Mitski is her only rival). Every time she hears her voice, she yells 'WHO IS THAT WHINY BITCH!?' so I rarely get to listen to her. At the end of the day I love my wife more than I love Joni so I don't put Joni on around the house, so I really relished the excuse to invite her into my headphones today. Welcome back baby.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
A bit of a weird album, but always love the harmonies and songwriting
Joan Armatrading
3/5
Didn't hate this, didn't love it
Björk
1/5
Wow I am not a Bjorn fan. This is like Alanis Morisette fan fiction. Boo
N.E.R.D
1/5
Pretty annoying kind of music. I forgot about this era where everyone thought rap-rock was cool and innovative. I like Pharrell a whole lot more as a producer than a vocalist (side note: if I could remove one song from history, it'd be Happy. Fuck Despicable Me). The background vocals on this (like JUMP! JUMP! JUMP!) make me really mad. Who is this music for???
Was tempted to give 2 stars bc the production is interesting sometimes and they could arguably get some points for experimenting. But ultimately, I wanted to skip every song after 30 seconds – and I pretty much did
Nick Drake
4/5
Man, this guy's sadness really comes through in his music. One of those times you're really not surprised to learn that a musician was depressed and died young. His music is pretty though. I like it
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
This doesn't do a lot for me. Some nice harmony in places, but not really my cup of tea. Unobjectionable as background music but will never seek this out
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
1/5
Made it 4 songs in. It’s all noise to me. More like the No No No’s, amirite fellas!?!?!?!??
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
I love Elvis Costello but really didn't enjoy this album. Sounds like it was some of his later, more pretentious stuff, and it sure feels like it
The Stooges
2/5
This really wasn't my cup of tea. Felt kinda like a fake rock album. 'Your Pretty Face' is a good example. Don't waste my TIME with this
Rage Against The Machine
5/5
Man, I love this album. Went through a gigantic Rage phase in early high school (right along with peak hormonal angst) and listening to this takes me right back to being 14 years old, hyping myself up to play squash. This music let me pretend I was something cooler than a strait laced suburban kid at a private school, blasting this noise in my shitty Skullcandy headphones as loud as I can to impress girls
FUCK YOU I WONT DO WHAT YOU TELL ME
Kendrick Lamar
4/5
Still love this album. Kendrick brought a lot of pop rap fans into more lyrical rap (at the same time Drake was bringing gangsta rap fans into modern emo rap, which was a lot lamer). This album is still my favorite of his - it’s earnest and thought provoking without being self serious and arty like much of his later stuff. Really puts you in his teenage head in a relatable way.
The production is glorious on these tracks and carries a clear tone throughout the album, and the interludes actually add useful context to the songs (usually I find rap interludes pretty useless). The ponderous lyrical stuff is paced nicely against the party beats so it has a good balance.
My only knock is that it’s probably a song or two too long (Real is objectively a shitty song)
OutKast
3/5
The highs are high, the lows are weird, and there’s plainly way too much in here. 2 hours 15 minutes is a joke album length and they know it. I love the random bullshit OutKast tried and I’m glad they tried it even if it didn’t always land. Some fun ones on here I’d never heard before, and the hits are so fucking good (even my mom still loves Hey Ya). I want to add though, they play the chorus on Roses probably 8 times in a row, which is at least 4 times too many. Kinda a microcosm of the album: INDULGENT. But still pretty fun
Dolly Parton
5/5
Man, Dolly has PIPES. I’ve never listened to her stuff extensively, and this was a joy. Songs like Here I Am just blew me away – the amount of control and emotion she pulls into her songs is unbelievable. The songwriting is a bit one-note like a lot of the older music we’ve had on here, but I don’t really care. I’ll sit here and listen to this all day
Bee Gees
2/5
This album kinda sucked. Why is there a pre-Saturday Night Fever Bee Gees album on here?? If it ain’t falsetto disco, I don’t want it. So much saccharine melodrama on here. At its best it’s inoffensive, but mostly it’s corny, trite, maudlin, etc etc etc
The Fall
2/5
Got 3 songs in and made the call to bow out. Not my cup of tea. Thanks guys.
The Kinks
2/5
Was there some obsession with the renaissance in the 60s-70s? Feel like we've had at least 3 albums with this weird baroque vibe (Jethro Tull, one other really shitty one, now this one). [Wikipedia seems to confirm: this album's inspiration was the Kinks' yearning for an "idealised past England." Britain's MAGA of the 1960s?]
It's a bit too much for me. I like other stuff from the Kinks but this one has more flute and harpsichord than I care for. The songwriting was apparently influential, but it's lost on me
Buena Vista Social Club
5/5
I remember when this album came out, my parents and all their friends were obsessed with it and played it at all their dinner parties, so my parents played it around the house a lot. I remember at some point feeling cynically like it was a 'world music' play that was more about novelty than anything. But then I listened to it myself as an adult, and I've landed on two things: 1, it's great if people get exposed to a new genre of music, and 2, this album rules. I love it. It's nostalgic for me and from reading about it, for the musicians who made it. Made in the 1990s but with a 1940s sound. I love the horns and the guitar especially – beautiful stuff.
The La's
2/5
I was wondering why the hell this album was on this list until I got to There She Goes. Instantly recognizable. Here's the murderer's row of soundtracks it's appeared on (I'm sure I'm not the only one who looked this up):
The Parent Trap; Fever Pitch; Girl, Interrupted; Cold Case; The Adventures of Pete and Pete; Snow Day; So I Married an Axe Murderer; the pilot episode of Gilmore Girls
Otherwise, a pretty boring album. There She Goes is kinda fun but not good enough to lift this above 2 stars.
Cypress Hill
3/5
I went through (more accurately, forced) a Cypress Hill phase in high school, right around my big Rage Against the Machine phase and maybe because I wanted to hear who originally recorded How I Could Just Kill a Man. B-Real has a distinctive nasal voice and rapping style – it's kinda corny but it's pretty fun. Of all the rap from 1991, I'd say this has aged on the better side. How I Could Just Kill a Man is an improbably likable song. The hook should be annoying but it's fun, the verses have so much attitude. Great example of early 90s hip hop production – simple repetitive loops that just get the job done. On the other end of the spectrum, sampling Duke of Earl for Hand on the Pump is kinda gratuitous
I hadn't heard most of this album – had mostly listened to their bigger hits (Tequila Sunrise, Insane in the Brain, etc.). Other stuff is okay, but some good high points.
Charles Mingus
2/5
Man this is not my preferred kind of jazz. I’m sure there’s a lot going on here that’s difficult and complex and interesting but to my ears, this sounds like a lot of noise. When I listen to this I feel like the Grinch hating the Whos of Whoville for just making noise noise noise noise. Not for me
Audio visual aid:
https://youtu.be/UsMlsDgMXJM?si=nlOhFs1cDrpkn69z
Fleet Foxes
2/5
On paper I should like Fleet Foxes, but for some reason they really rub me the wrong way. They have a contrived renaissance feel (like Jethro Tull but way more grating to my ears). They're just kinda lame
k.d. lang
3/5
I enjoyed this very much as chill background music, and it segued nicely into some easy listening jazzy/coffeehouse music. I wouldn't seek this out specifically within the genre, but I enjoyed it
Muddy Waters
3/5
A whole lot of rollicking bass and wailing harmonica and twanging guitar and mourning blues...over and over. I guess this was a Historically Important Album, but taken out of context it's just a pretty one-note. Seems unfair to judge it now. One star for fun bluesiness, one star for being apparently extremely influential on rock and roll, and one star for a great name. I should have named my son Muddy Waters
The Band
5/5
One of my favorite albums. Not a dud in the bunch, and so many great songs. I'm not sure why a mostly Canadian band made a concept album as a diehard confederates, but by god it's a great one. Glad to have this one resurfaced so I have an excuse to listen to it again
Baaba Maal
2/5
I'm not sure why this is an album you have to listen to before you die...I can't really imagine breathlessly recommending this album to anyone. It was fine?
Lauryn Hill
5/5
Love this album from start to finish. What can I say. Another one where the skits actually add to the album
Kanye West
4/5
This album surprised me...I didn't really like it when it came out, but in hindsight seeing this as right around the time when the wheels started to fall off for Kanye, I'm kinda into it. Now that we've seen the wheels come all the way off, the lines that used to strike me (and probably most people) as arrogance and bravado now just feel like clinical delusions of grandeur, which for some reason is much more interesting and fun. Get em, you crazy bastard
Musically, the production on this album is pretty nuts. Such huge sounds on some tracks, some minimalist production on others
Hold My Liquor fucking slaps, Blood on the Leaves is sick, Bound 2 is unique. There's no one like Kanye
Red Hot Chili Peppers
2/5
Can't really get on board with this. 1 star for Under the Bridge but that's about it
Morrissey
2/5
Felt like a mix of Fleet Foxes and bland 80s rock. Another time I wonder why an album is on this list
The Beach Boys
4/5
Nice stuff from the boys
Aretha Franklin
5/5
How can you not love Aretha. So much energy, such PIPES. Makes me feel like a natural woman
Ravi Shankar
3/5
I mean, I'm not a big raga guy, but I guess as far as ragas go, this is top shelf stuff. Nets out at "fine background music" (unless you're my wife, who immediately demanded I turn it off when she came into the room). But she would have done that for most music
Super Furry Animals
2/5
Liked parts of it more than I expected to, but didn’t like most of it
The Notorious B.I.G.
4/5
Caught between a 3 and a 4, went 4 bc of the historical value of the album. Obviously big was the first great storyteller in rap and deserves a ton of credit. This is simply a harder, more interesting, and more poetic form of rap than almost anything that’s come since. Some fun soul / R&B samples on the production too
That being said, the album is a bit uneven for me. Super high highs, but a couple meh tracks in there, so not all aces
Rush
4/5
This was actually pretty fun. They lost a star immediately bc of the 20 MINUTE OVERTURE but got me back with some tasty licks in later tracks. I’m picking up what they’re putting down
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Ok I’m on board with this Led Zeppelin album. It still isn’t my favorite type of rock but can’t deny the greatness
Adele
4/5
I’ve never really listened to Adele and think of it as music for sad women. Well sign me up to be a sad woman because I enjoyed this. Sure it’s all familiar pop chord progressions but the gal has PIPES and she uses em. This was fun. Fuck me up
Crosby, Stills & Nash
5/5
Between 4 and 5 on this, and I love the hits just enough to get up to a 5. What can you say about these harmonies? Simply lovely
The xx
2/5
Got a few songs in and wondered why I was listening to this. Never figured it out
The Velvet Underground
2/5
Velvet underground just isn’t for me. Nothing catches my interest
PJ Harvey
2/5
Kanye West
5/5
This album aged SO WELL. Holy fuck. Got better with time. The production on this is absolutely mammoth. Favorites are Runaway (Pusha T is a gawd), Dark Fantasy, Monster (other than Jay-Z's verse - one of the worst guest verses you'll ever hear). Even Nicki Minaj is great on this album (shout out to whoever her ghostwriters were).
As always with Kanye, he left some breadcrumbs of mental illness that are more obvious in retrospect (looking at you, Who Will Survive in America). But hey gotta take the bad with the good
Michael Jackson
4/5
Between 3 and 4 stars on this one for me. Love the openers so much it put me over the top
2 stars just for Don't Stop Til You Get Enough. This song FUCKS. What a groove on this puppy. The horns in the chorus, the percussion, the bass line, the keyboard dabbling. It's all working. Quincy Jones fuck me up.
Back to back with Rock With You is an all-time one-two punch. This album is already at 4 stars even if the next 10 tracks are white noise.
Rest of the album: not that great. She's Out of My Life is some cornball shit. The last 30 seconds of that song almost made me take back a star. But I think that was the era, and they were figuring out MJ's sound so wanted to throw some stuff at the wall (or off the wall!?!?!)
TLC
3/5
Some nice surprises in here - Kick Your Game was fun. Not gonna come back to this if I’m being honest, but I enjoyed it
Michael Kiwanuka
3/5
I like his voice and singing style, but the album was pretty one note and didn’t grab me at any point. A bit boring
Television
4/5
Felt like the Strokes mixed with Elvis Costello. I liked a lot of this. Nothing super duper catchy or memorable but I enjoyed it for a band I've never heard of. I'll come back to this one!
Joan Baez
3/5
Is Joan Baez one of the best cover artists of all time? I just watched the Bob Dylan movie a few weeks ago so Joan is top of mind. I had no idea she and Bobby D were such a thing (musically and romantically). She's got PIPES. I like her version of Bob Dylan's songs (and their duets) much more than I like his songs. Seems like a match made in heaven: an incredible songwriter with a mediocre voice + a mediocre songwriter with an incredible voice. Talk about strategic fit. But in her own albums, the meh songwriting really comes through (except in covers like House of the Rising Sun). This seems like why she's not the household name that someone like Joni Mitchell is, even if she's a better performer. She'll do a beautiful rendition of any song but her own stuff isn't up to par
Side note: her cover of The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down is sick
Slipknot
2/5
What an EXPERIENCE. I listened to this during work so had my heart rate at a solid 150 while I was building a spreadsheet. Pretty intense.
This genre is such a novelty that I'm more able to treat this like an exercise than something like Morrissey that's a shitty example of a genre I usually like. As music, I find it hard to evaluate because it's such sensory overload. I'm mostly just amazed they can keep this up for an entire concert. Is the lead singer / screamer just burning out his vocal cords for our entertainment? The musical equivalent of football players giving themselves CTE. Tough to listen to in more than one way.
I feel like I've heard here and there that the musicians in these screamo bands are often technically very good. Curious whether this group of Music Men agree. To my ears, I throw on a gas mask and muscle some power chords out there and no one would know I wasn't in the band.
From an anthropological perspective, this is pretty fascinating. Screamo was such an interesting era. It clearly spoke to some group of people (15 year old boys I think?). I wonder what people with those feelings are turning to these days....maybe this was a healthier outlet for rage than alt right stuff on the internet. Looking back on it, there was such a lifestyle with all this stuff - you listen to Slipknot or MUSHROOMHEAD, you shop at Hot Topic, you might have a skateboard, you watch Saw movies. Since this music feels pretty squarely aimed at angsty teenagers, it's pretty funny thinking about how the band members were in their 20s when it came out. I wonder if they were putting on an act (like Mr Rogers appealing to kids) or if they all genuinely felt it when they were screaming FUCK IT ALL, FUCK THIS WORLD, FUCK EVERYTHING THAT YOU STAND FOR. Either way I hope these guys eventually found happiness
Serge Gainsbourg
4/5
Is this another CHANSON album!? After Jacques Brel I’ll be honest I’ve kinda been craving another. This is pretty nice stuff. Instrumentals are beautiful and it’s artistic without feeling arty (maybe it’s a little arty but I’m into it). I know Gainsbourg became a super controversial figure (was he a pedo or am I slandering him?) but if this is his early stuff I’m into it.
k.d. lang
3/5
Actually kinda nice. Not my absolute favorite but liked this a lot more than I expected to. Some cool variety in here
The Killers
4/5
I never appreciated the Killers when they came out (in 2004 I think I was too deep into thinking the only cool music was hip hop, which I don't regret bc the crunk era of rap was so dumb and good). But listening now, I'm pretty into this! Mr. Brightside is firmly on my list of wedding songs that I am always fucking pumped about. The rest of this album is fun too! Jenny Was a Friend of Mine was fun, I had forgotten about Somebody Told Me. I dig the 80s-style synth on Smile Like You Mean It. Is this GREAT music? No. Is it fun? Hell yeah.
Solomon Burke
4/5
Love Solomon Burke. Had listened to Cry to Me a lot before during some of my big Motown phases, but hadn't gone deep on any album. I'm not sure how much historical significance he had in the R&B genre, but as someone who loves Sam Cooke I appreciate his range (Sam is great but pretty one-note and safely written, almost sterile manufactured songs). Solomon has some edge to him - love the rasp at the high end of his range. Nice harmony on You're Good For Me - not sure who the other vocalist is but I dig it. Good find!
Billy Bragg
2/5
Wow, I really didn't enjoy this. What a grating combination of voice, accent, lyrics, and music. His singing style feels intentionally annoying. His accent sounds like someone doing a dumb English accent on purpose. Sounds like this guy is some sort of activist? As I typed this sentence, Billy whined "Is there more to a seat in parliament than sitting on your arse?" Oh wow I see this song is called 'Ideology.' These sound like some very UK-specific grievances. If you want me to care about your cause, I need you to appeal to something universal, like when the Beatles did Taxman. Make it relatable, man!
The Marriage had some fun horns on it, but that's the only positive thing I can say about it.
I can't be the only one here who googled this guy and thinks he looks like a British Owen Wilson, right? Never thought I'd see someone else with schnozz like that!
The Zombies
3/5
I love Time of the Season so was excited for this. Other than that song, I liked but didn't love pretty much everything. Feels like a pretty generic 70s baroque-influenced pop/rock band. Some nice harmonies and fun instrumentals, but nothing special other than Time of the Season
Sigur Rós
4/5
When I'm in the right mood (which is often), I love Sigur Ros. It's pretty stuff and easy listening. Heavy bias towards music I can listen to while I'm doing work, so prob inflating my rating by a star or so above what's fair, but whatever.
Michael Jackson
4/5
Wow this album had a ton of hits! Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, Man in the Mirror, Dirty Diana, Smooth Criminal!? We're at 4 stars already, buddy. The rest of the album has a lot of meh filler, and tbh The Way You Make Me Feel kinda sucks. But 4 stars for the HITS.
Side note I can't listen to Bad and not think of Fat by Weird Al. "Your butt is wiiiiiiiide..." Love that Weird Al made not one but two MJ songs about being fat. Now that I'm on this tangent, can we get a Weird Al album on this list please???
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
Obviously 5 stars. No point in even having this on here except as a benchmark for what a 5-star album sounds like
Gorillaz
2/5
The best part of this album is obviously Clint Eastwood. I'll be honest I thought Del Tha Funkee Homosapien was part of Gorillaz, not a guest act (and in my memory, I definitely thought the rap on Feel Good Inc. was also Del until I just googled it and found out it was De La Soul).
I don't really love the rest of the album. Just feels like Blur, and I'm not a big Blur fan
Only other comment: the cartoon band thing is pretty fun - a cool open acknowledgement that the persona behind the music plays a big role in how much we like the music (like when you find out a rapper is white, you're automatically like oh fuck off this sucks). And obviously it makes the band more memorable.
In other words...it's a good gimmick, but I don't love the product
Aretha Franklin
4/5
How can you not love Aretha. She could sing The Wheels on the Bus and it would sound huge. What a delight. I haven't heard the title track before but loved it (and obviously Respect).
I love that the microphones from this era distorted and kinda flattened the sound a little when the singer really belted into it. Aretha and Stevie Wonder both nail that effect (I don't think intentionally, just naturally). This is an album I'll just keep listening to over and over
The Byrds
2/5
Pretty boring, this album. This band feels like a mediocre example of the music of the era, and you'd be better off listening to any of their contemporaries than them.
The Beach Boys
4/5
I had never heard most of this album (Disney Girls was one). I really enjoyed it. A very different, somber vibe from the Boys (much closer to Pet Sounds in tone than Surfin' Safari), which I think suits their strengths.
Elton John
3/5
This just doesn't bring the sauce as consistently as Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Tiny Dancer is obviously great, but the rest just kinda blend together. This isn't Elton's finest work. I considered giving it 2 stars but Tiny Dancer is 3 stars by itself
Erykah Badu
3/5
I remember Erykah Badu performing "...& On" (maybe the worst-titled song I've ever seen, like Elon Musk naming his kid !6&&XUYG or whatever) on All That when this album came out. My sister and I lost our minds laughing at her get-up (a gigantic headdress and a Cruella DeVille style long cigarette). I kinda get her music more now that I'm older, but I still don't love love it. It's just a little arty and overwrought for my taste. Her pretty recent album with Andre 3000 was an extreme example. But I still like the vibe enough that I'm kinda into it
Incredible Bongo Band
4/5
Is this a great album? Probably not. Is it exactly what I want to listen to when I'm working? Oh yeah. It's fun, there are no lyrics to distract me, the band has a grandiloquent name...what more could I want. Objectively this is a 2 or 3 star album, but subjectively it's a 4. 4 IT IS
Tracy Chapman
4/5
I liked this. She’s got such a distinctive sound.
Linkin Park
4/5
Am I going to sit here and pretend I don't kinda like Linkin Park? They're the pinnacle of the rap/rock/pop metal era. As someone who was raging with hormones when they were big, this speaks to the angsty teen still deep inside me. This makes me want to go watch motocross and chain my wallet to my JNCOs. Bonus points in retrospect that Chester was genuinely depressed and not just acting (RIP). Brings a level of authenticity that's missing from other supposedly hardcore acts of the time (looking at you Slipknot - take off your masks and show us your souls!!!!)
Richard Hawley
2/5
Man, this album was fucking lame. I was so bored by every minute. This guy sounds like he's on a near lethal dose of lithium at all times. What a comedown from HYBRID THEORY
Tito Puente
4/5
I was grooving to this album. How can you not be in a good mood listening to this. Fuck me up Tito!
Amy Winehouse
5/5
I fucking love this album. Plug for the HBO documentary about Amy - so good, so sad. Wish we’d gotten 10 more albums from her after this. She was the shit
Eminem
5/5
It's hard to think of an original take on an artist that's been so heavily discussed (what a burden for this humble amateur reviewer to bear). At this point you basically decide which of the existing camps you fall into: he's a great rapper, or he gets undue credit because he was the first superstar white rapper (I don't think Vanilla Ice or Marky Mark quite made it). I've gotta say, as someone who has listened to a stupid amount of hip hop, I'm firmly in the former. He's funny, clever, crazy talented, and fun as hell to listen to (especially this album - he really invented his own weird tongue-in-cheek brand of rap). I won't be the first or last white guy to say this, but it doesn't change that I believe it: I can't think of a rapper who's technically more impressive. As a middle-aged man I can't listen to this regularly, but as a piece of art I think it's pretty great. I can see how this turned him into a superstar.
A lot of songs on here I'd never heard before and had me grinning as I listened. I wanted to hate Cum on Everybody based on the title but it had such great bounce that I kinda loved it, and Rock Bottom showed what he can do with (dare I say) socially conscious subject matter. And then As the World Turns was so dumb but so funny.
I wanted to subtract a point because a lot of the subject matter is obviously sophomoric and inane, but I was too entertained to pretend I didn't love this. I was surprised to learn that Eminem was 27 when this album came out (and 30 by the time of The Eminem Show). I definitely thought he was like 18. For a full-on adult, he sure got a ton of mileage out of the immature twerp persona.
Rocket From The Crypt
2/5
Not really sure why this is here. Is this a canonical punk/ska/post-grunge album? Not my cup of tea, I'm afraid
Brian Eno
1/5
I didn't get very far into this one before I had a visceral impulse to bail. Consider this a shot from the hip
Radiohead
5/5
I sometimes love Radiohead and sometimes don't vibe with it. This album ruled. I thought it was fascinating to listen to - a challenging listen in a great way. Going to listen to this a hundred times and see what shakes out. Great find.
Wilco
2/5
I’ve tried so many times to like Wilco. I like the idea of them for some reason. But I really don’t like this music, and this is supposed to be their best album I think? A lot of it feels intentionally shitty. Maybe I just can’t get over the lead singer’s voice. This really doesn’t do it for me
Coldplay
2/5
Has Coldplay been described as a lamer, less challenging/interesting, more eager to please version of Radiohead? That's how they feel to me. Coldplay is a great argument for why we need to be able to use the word 'gay' to describe things. Even though the hits on here are pretty nice easy listening, it's gay. I'm gayer for listening to it.
I like cosplaying as a snobby music critic and shitting on Coldplay when the playlist next to their album in my Spotify is called '2000s Crunk Hits.' That's REAL music