This has to be the kind of album "you had to be there" to appreciate. There's nothing here that makes it set itself apart from anything that ever was and has been since. Do we, in the year of our lord 2024, really need to hear this before we die? Probably not. Key tracks: Nick of Time

So many songs, but so many highlights. I really enjoyed this one. It was a strange mix of prog and pop that works incredibly well. Great arrangements. Key tracks: Turn to Stone It's Over Sweet Talkin' Woman Mr. Blue Sky

Not my favorite Dylan album, but definitely a very influential one. Key tracks: Like a Rolling Stone Ballad of a Thin Man Desolation Row

Great late career offering from Cash. Very interesting and varied song selection with arrangements that make them sound both band new but also like they have been around since the 50's. Key tracks: The Man Comes Around Hurt First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

Probably the greatest disco album of all time. Filled with amazing songs all the way through, greatly balanced between dance numbers and ballads. Key tracks: Chic Cheer Le Freak I Want Your Love At Last I Am Free

For some reason, this has a cozier vibe than their pervious albums, which makes sense given the concept. Still, Arcade Fire continue their perfect streak, although I do admit there is a fair amout of nostalgia at play here for me. Key tracks: The Suburbs Ready to Start We Used to Wait Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)

Pearl Jam's debut is without a doubt a landmark album in grunge, as it served as the main blueprint for the terrible post-grunge bands that started appearing later in the decade. Thankfully it is way better than any of them. Key tracks: Once Even Flow Alive Black Jeremy

A great Muse record, with tracks taking cues from different genres. This was before Muse went completely downhill and became absolutely ubearable. There are a few traces of that here already but the true jumping the shark moment was still a couple of albums away. Key tracks: Take a Bow Starlight Supermassive Black Hole Invincible Knights of Cydonia

It's not bad, but I definitely don't see the hype. I sound like perfectly standard early-80's New Wave to me. I guess I had to be there. Key tracks: Precious

Not one of my favorite Bowie albums, but one I've grown to appreciate more over the years. I quite like the concept of a self-consciously artifitial soul album, like stripping the actual soul from the music that gets its name from it. In the end, the idea is better than the execution and also some of the best songs were unfortunatelly relegated as B-sides. Key tracks: Young Americans Fame

I'm not a hip-hop guy at all, but I don't mind this type of early-90's jazz-rap. It's pretty good. Key tracks: Step in the Arena

I always found Nina Simone to be greatly overrated. Not as bombastic as a soul singer as Aretha Franklin, and not as sophisitcated a jazz singer as Ella Fitzgerald or Billie Holiday. Also, something about her persona is off-putting to me, not quite sure what it is. Still, there is great and undeniable talent at play in her music. Key tracks: Four Women Lila Wine Wild Is the Wind

This one simply isn't very special. It is supposedly influenced by Scott Walker, an artist I absolutely adore, but I just don't ear it. Key tracks: The Age of the Understatement Only the Truth

A classic of the genre, so it merits its inclusion on the book. Sadly, the genre just isn't for me.

Grizzly Bear have never been one of my favorite big Indie acts of the 2000's. That being said, this is without a doubt their best album, even if it is not very memorable outside of its big hit "Two Weeks". Key tracks: Southern Point Two Weeks All We Ask

This has to be the kind of album "you had to be there" to appreciate. There's nothing here that makes it set itself apart from anything that ever was and has been since. Do we, in the year of our lord 2024, really need to hear this before we die? Probably not. Key tracks: Nick of Time

It's and alright sounding album, but it presents an incredibly gentrified version of Bossa Nova. I can't think of a situation I would pick this up over the real thing whenever I want my fix of 60's brazilian music.

Absolutely phenomenal! This may be my favorite live album of all time, and I'm not even that big a Metallica fan. However, I do love Symphonic Metal as a genre, and although this isn't quite that, it is the closest we get in this book. Fantastic perfomances all around, amazing larger than life arrangements, great setlist. No flaws. Key tracks: Master of Puppets No Leaf Clover Nothing Else Matters Sad But True

A transitional album between Eno's more glam-inspired early solo albums and his later, ground-breaking ambient work, however it's probably the best transitional album ever made. The ambient tracks really work to highlight the vocal songs and the bright, airy atmosphere is undeniable. Key tracks: St. Elmo's Fire The Big Ship I'll Come Running Zawinul/Lava

I didn't enjoy this one at all. Very dated, very same-y, and needlessly long.

I enjoyed this, I didn't love it. The vocal talent is obviously there and the context behind the album's recording and release is still poignant to this day. Besides all of that, it is just an above average blues rock record. Key tracks: Move Over Cry Baby Me and Bobby McGee Mercedes Benz

This was fun, not sure if it's really essential but it's alright. Key tracks: Tokyo Friend Zone

I had never heard any of these songs' studio versions, but I still enjoyed this album a lot more than I was expecting. Key tracks: I Want You to Want Me Surrender

Good, but not my favorite R.E.M. album. I feel like this album is all about the big singles and the deep cuts are rather lacking and forgettable. Key tracks: Finest Worksong It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine) The One I Love

The Rolling Stones' debut doesn't seem like an essential listen to me. Sure, it has historical significance but stylistically it is not any different from the dozens of other british guitar bands of the times, and it only sets itself apart retrospectively because of how big the band would become.

I'm not really a Soul kind of person and this it a bit too long, but I can't deny the artistry. Key tracks: When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You

This is a pretty fun a low stakes indie album, as most jangle pop tends to be. I have no idea if this is influential of significant in any way, as I have hardly every heard about it outside the discourse around this book. Key tracks: There She Goes Feelin'

Absolutely stellar! This type of authenticity the other Stan Getz bossa nova release on this book was lacking. Key tracks: The Girl from Ipanema Doralice Desfinado Corcovado Vivo Sonhando

I didn't find the Pixies to be particulary impressive at first, but then it clicked. I can't say I listen to them all that often but whenever I do, I like them a lot. Key tracks: Bone Machine Gigantic Where Is My Mind?

Never saw the film so I don't have any context for the soundtrack. It sounds very stereotypically 70s in an almost funny way. Key tracks: Theme from Shaft

Very smooth, atmospheric even. Pretty good. Key tracks: Papa Was a Rolling Stone The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

Very fun and at times even funny. These guys fire in all sorts of directions and hit a lot more than they miss. Still hadn't come up with their iconic hats yet. Key tracks: Uncontrollable Urge Mongoloid Jocko Homo Shrivel Up

I really enjoy this one. Great pop songwriting, very ecletic and original. Key tracks: Zero Heads Will Roll Soft Shock Hysteric

I truly appreciate the variety this album brings to this list, I wish there were more non-anglo records represented. However, this type of music just isn't for me at all.

This one is simply amazing. Some of the best male vocal performances ever recorded. Even tough it's a cover song, this is where all the endless versions of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" stem from, as hardly anyone has heard the original and you can practically hear Coldplay being born while listening to songs such as "So Real" or the title track. I do wonder, however, whether this would be held in such high regard had Buckley not tragically died before being able to finish his second album. I think it's great regardless of that, though. Key tracks: Mojo Pin Grace So Real Hallelujah Lover, You Should've Come Over Dream Brother

He really was ready, wasn't he?

There are so many random 60's and 70's UK rock albums on this list, do we really need to listen to all of them? Wouldn't it be nicer if we got more variety of genres and a greater number o more recent releases? Instead we are recommended all of these cookie-cutter bluesy and/or folky psych rock records.

This album is all about the atmosphere. Brooding, eerie, and cold. It sounds just exactly how the cover looks. Key tracks: A Forest M

I don't know about this one. I feel there's a cultural barrier at play here. This is SUPER AMERICAN and not in the way country or bluegrass are, so it lacks the regional folky charm of those releases.

Great listen! Incredibly energetic and original take on punk music. The tracklist format of short songs but many of them works wonders here. Key tracks: Reuters Three Girl Rhumba Ex Lion Tamer Mannequin

I liked it. It's a bit chaotic, though, but I think that's the point of pretty much all post-punk, especially in its early days. Key tracks: Annalisa Public Image

I was never a big Joni Mitchell fan, but I love a lot of the artsy female singer-songwriters she inspired. So I'm always somewhat surprised by how underwhelmed I get by her albums. In theory I should love this, but I find it to be just ok. Key tracks: Help Me Free Man in Paris

Very grand and moody. One of the best grunge albums of all time. Killer vocals. Key tracks: Let Me Down Black Hole Sun Spoonman 4th of July

I went into this expecting it to be all about the big hit single "Take On Me" and nothing else would measure up, but actually I was impressed at how great a lot of these songs were. Recommended. Key tracks: Take On Me Train of Thought Hunting High and Low The Sun Always Shines on TV

Despite being sort of a transitional album, the band is able to come up with amazing songs all throughout. These songs and the ones on their next album completely re-wrote the rules for rock songwriting a lot of their influence can still be heard in music being released today. Key tracks: Planet Telex High and Dry Fake Plastic Trees Just My Iron Lung Street Spirit (Fade Out)

Wild Beasts were, in my opinion, one of the best indie acts of the late-2000s/early-2010s. Massively underrated, and even if I think their best album is 2011's Smother, I'm very pleased they made the cut to begin with. Don't sleep on this band! Key tracks: Hooting & Howling All the King's Men We Still Got the Taste Dancin' on Our Tongues This Is Our Lot

I can't think of another album with such a singular vibe than this one. The washed out distant vocals, the shimmering guitars, the childlike melodies, the unintelligible lyrics. Even the tracklist has a specific vibe, with every song have an uncommon person's name. I guess this must have been the moment when dream pop really began, and it sure sounds very dreamy and otherworldly. Key tracks: Ivo Lorelei Persephone Pandora (For Cindy) Amelia Domino

Somewhat similar to Isaac Hayes' Shaft, in that it is a funky soundtrack for a blaxploitation film I have never seen and it sound incredibly 70's. Key tracks: Superfly

So many jazz greats are left out of this book but this one made it? Is this more essential than any Mingus, Coleman, Blakey, Shorter or Dolphy? Definitely not.

I liked this one, the close harmonies sound great. It's fun to imagine that this type of thing is the 50's/60's equivalent of the boy bands of the 90's-onward. Key tracks: Made to Love That's Just Too Much Love Hurts

I couldn't connect with this at all. This pure Straight Man Music(tm). Nothing wrong with that, just not for me.

This was huge back in its day, and it still is huge today. Not only is it huge, it is also long, and once you dig into it, the deeps cuts aren't anything that special. Overall, it is pretty fun and well-written and performed. Key tracks: Stan The Way I Am The Real Slim Shady

Really liked this one. Like a bridge between pre-rock era traditional folk music and the more familiar contemporary folk stylings of artists like Bob Dylan or Neil Young. Lovely singing voice, too. Key tracks: Silver Dagger East Virginia Fare Thee Well (10,000 Miles)

The benchmark for divorce/break-up records. Very moving but not in your face like these types of thematic albums sometimes end up. This is also the album that usually gets compared to whenever Dylan releases new material, there's always at least one music journalist that declares the new album as "Dylan's best since 'Blood on the Tracks'". I find that vaguely amusing. Key tracks: Tangled Up in Blue Simple Twist of Fate

I enjoyed way more than I was expecting. Quite interesting mix genres, both traditional and contemporary. Key tracks: Clandestino Desaparecido Bongo Bong / Je Ne T'Aime Plus

Amazing album, a true pioneer in the Rock Opera format. The plot is actually not that hard to follow, as far as rock operas are concerned. And despite having a lot of tracks that don't stand on their own at all outside the context of the album, there are still plenty of great and memorable songs here. Key tracks: 1921 Christmas Cousin Kevin Pinball Wizard Go to the Mirror!

This is where the Rolling Stones really became the Rolling Stones we came to know, with some absolute classic songs on here. With that being said, the Stones have never really appealed to me all that much outside of their most well-known material. This is one of their better albums, though. Key tracks: Paint It Black (only on the US version) Lady Jane Under My Thumb Out of Time

Bluuuues. And not even American Blues, just a bunch of brits in cosplay. Not really worth your time, and definitely not essential.

Undeniable masterpiece! Half the album has some of the most perfectly written pop songs of all time, the other half is a highly conceptual song cycle that keeps throwing new ideas and influences at the listener without every losing its focus or becoming cluttered. Truly remarkable in every possible way. Key tracks: Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) Hounds of Love The Big Sky Cloudbusting And Dream of Sheep Jig of Life

I was never a big Bob Marley fan. I get the appeal, but it just come across as very sappy and also all Reggae songs kinda sound the same to me. Key tracks: No Woman, No Cry

Despite being so long and having benefited from some trimming, this is actually a great pop album. Very cool application of older styles of music such as Jazz, Blues and Soul into a modern day Contemporary R&B and Dance Pop frame. Needless to say, top notch vocals too. Key tracks: Ain't No Other Man Here to Stay Candyman Hurt

I was never a big fan of hardcore punk so I knew exactly what I was in for. Thankfully, at only 21 minutes, this didn't overstay its welcome.

Absolute classic and influential album. Because of all that, I wish I liked it more than I actually do. The harmonies and arrangements are all pretty impressive but only a few songs really stuck with me, even after multiple listens. Oh well... Key tracks: Wouldn't It Be Nice God Only Knows

I love Liars, they have several great albums, so I am baffled this is the one that was chosen. It is awful, completely tuneless and not in an interesting way. Why they didn't go with their following album, Drum's Not Dead, is beyond me. It's also pretty experimental, but unlike this one, that one is amazing. Key tracks: There's Always Room on the Broom

This one's not too bad, actually. The constant breakneck speed does get tiring towards the end, but there are some cool moments throughout. Probably not going to return to this a lot or at all but it definitely merits the inclusion on this list. Key tracks: Wake Up Dead Peace Sells

Great listen. It may not be as flash as their previous two album, or as epic as the few that follow it, but this record shows Led Zeppelin branching out and experimenting to very positive results. Don't go into this expecting banger after banger (even if there are a few of those here), this is a more subdued type of record that unfolds on repeat listens. Key tracks: Immigrant Song Friends Since I've Been Loving You Out on the Tiles

I was surprsed by how dynamic this was, seeing as it is a 40-track album of a genre that I'm not fond of at all. Pretty interesting and engaging through its entire runtime. Key tracks: Corona

As far as somewhat random 90's electronic albums go, this one is up there with the best of them. Very cool mix of genres from around the world, very well written and quite catchy more often than you'd think. Perfect for an afternoon chillout. Key tracks: Broken Skin Letting Go Homelands Nadia

Incredible! Masterpiece! The precursor of pretty much all indie music, before that was even became a thing in the 80's. Perfect balance of immediately catchy tunes and off-the-wall experimentation. Lou Reed doesn't need to sing in tune to ooze coolness. A classic for a reason. Key tracks: Sunday Morning I'm Waiting for the Man Femme Fatale Venus in Furs Run, Run, Run All Tomorrow's Parties Heroin

This one was pretty great too. Not every song is a winner here, but there are some amazing moments. Jim Morrison's voice is very commanding, even on a silly song like Kurt Weill's "Alabama Song". Great playing, particularly the keyboards, an instrument that doesn't usually get the spotlight in this kind of blues-y psych rock. Key tracks: Break On Through (To the Other Side) Light My Fire The End

Phenomenal live album. I'm not a big Deep Purple fan, but this truly is a band performing at the top of their power. Every song on the set is improved upon. Full of memorable moments like the call and response between guitar and voice on "Strange Kind of Woman", the long keyboard solo with the Holst interpolation on "Space Truckin'", and many more. Key tracks: Highway Star Child in Time Smoke on the Water Strange Kind of Woman Space Truckin'

This is a nice little contemporary folk album. Very depressing, which is something I usually like, but found it to be just ok. I definitely had heard of this before, though, so it probably does warrant inclusion on the list. Key tracks: A Minor Place I See a Darkness Death to Everyone

Really boring. No songs registered with me at all except the one I already knew from that one Seinfeld episode. I don't think we need to hear this one, Hotel California would suffice. Key tracks: Witchy Woman

Let's be honest here. The only reason this album was included in the list was because at the time the book was first published (2005), this was Amy Winehouse's sole album, and for some reason they really wanted to include her. This is made even more obvious by the fact that by the second edition (2007), this album was already out of the 1001, rightfully replaced by its successor. In conclusion, we don't really need to hear this one, even the book's authors agree.

Fast-paced, rocking, rolling, very fun, very heavy, influential, a bit same-y, quite good. Key tracks: Angel of Death Raining Blood

Even though this came out in 1986, it sounds like the first album of the 90's, that alone is pretty cool. Sonic Youth would go to make better records after this, so I'm not so sure this one stands out enough to be essential. Key tracks: Star Power

Great album, even if the band hasn't found their signature sound yet. There are some absolute classics songs on here. I can only imagine how greater it would be if Bruce Dickinson was already the lead singer. Key tracks: Running Free Phantom of the Opera Iron Maiden

I've so many critics raving about this album when it came out that I was expecting something groundbreaking and unique. However, that is not what I got. Looking at the cover alone, I don't even know why I thought this could be remotely interesting. This is the most generic, dime a dozen, and anonymous country pop singer-songwriter music imaginable. Overrated to the moon and back.

Fiona goes in a very surprising Tom Waits-esque direction with all the pounding percussion and other strange sounds. Very pointed songwriting, with powerful imagery, intimate but surreal. Truly uncompromising record from a truly uncompromising artist. Key tracks: I Want You to Love Me Shameika Fetch the Bolt Cutters Rack of His Cosmonauts

This is a true critics' album. I don't know a single person who listens to this nor do I ever see it being discussed in online music communities, or in the mainstream really. The kind of album you only hear about when the year-end list season comes around.

Arctic Monkeys was never my favorite 00's indie rock band, but their debut is still quite a good album, albeit nothing groundbreaking. Also impressive they became instantly as successful as they did considering the sheer amount of band of this genre existed at the time. Key tracks: The View from the Afternoon I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor When the Sun Goes Down

Very light and folky prog album, which makes it stand out in the genre. I liked it a lot. Memorable tunes and the flute throughout made it a very unique listen. Key tracks: Aqualung Cross-Eyed Mary Up to Me Hymn 43

This one is fine, not as great as the band's first two records. I didn't find the songs to be generally as memorable, but stylistically they were definitely on par with their earlier material. "Changes" does stand out like a sore thumb, but I find the idea of having an Elton John-style song in the middle of a metal album quite funny. Key tracks: Changes Snowblind

It's ABBA, you know what you're gonna get. Big catchy hooks, great vocal harmonies, and very smart songwriting. They really could've have gone with almost any ABBA album and it would have been ok. Great stuff! Key tracks: When I Kissed the Teacher Dancing Queen Knowing Me, Knowing You Money, Money, Money

Pretty similar to the other Megadeth album on this list, and that's not a bad thing nor a good thing. Some good songs, and several forgettable ones. Key tracks: Hangar 18 Poison Was the Cure

I know this is a classic album by an influential band, and I have even listened to it more than once. I just don't get the hype, it just sounds like regular pop rock to me. Key tracks: Feel

This is probably her best album. It does lack some of the jazzier and more inventive elements of her later albums, but this crop of songs is generally stronger. Key tracks: All I Want River A Case of You

The White Stripes' best, and one of the best rock records of the 00's. Riffs upon riffs upon riffs. Great balance of immediate catchy tunes and experimentation. This is how you take sounds from old american rock traditions a successfully bring them into the 21st century to make a modern classic album. Jack White proves how genius he is as songwriter, even within his self-imposed limitations, and he also sounds a lot like Robert Plant sometimes. Weird. Key tracks: Seven Nation Army Black Math There's No Home for You Here Ball and Biscuit The Hardest Button to Button The Air Near My Fingers Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine Well It's True That We Love One Another

The fact there is even one Robert Wyatt album on this list is amazing on its own. The fact there is a second one is even more amazing. Wyatt remains one of the great musical hidden gems, a musician's musician if you will. While I understand the general music listening public isn't really atuned to this type of left-field stuff, I'd say this album in particular is actually quite catchy and accessible. Sure it has its weirder moments, but it's just so fun and quirky and lyrically insightful and sounds totally unique. Love it. Key tracks: Heaps of Sheeps The Duchess Free Will and Testament Alien A Sunday in Madrid

This is a fun album, albeit with bit too many filler tracks. It's probably the Chili Peppers best album, at least it seems to have the biggest amount of hit songs on it. Key tracks: Scar Tissue Otherside Californication Road Trippin

Absolute masterpiece. So many of these songs went on influence entire genres of music it's actually unbelievable. As amazing as the suite on side B is, I've always preferred the songs on side A. So many highlights. This is the perfect swan song from arguably the most influential band of all time. Their next album (recorded first) was kind of a let down, but that's fine. Key tracks: Come Together Something Octopus's Garden I Want You (She's So Heavy) Here Comes the Sun Because

This is when Yes became the band they are known as. Long, multi-part epic songs, filled with moments of technical display of every member. This alone could be a recipe for a really boring wankfest. Thankfully the songs are all pretty great, and band would get even better right after this. Key tracks: Yours Is No Disgrace Starship Trooper I've Seen All Good People Perpetual Change

It's very slick and smooth. For some reason, Neo-Soul vocals sometimes get very nasally and sound very goofy to me. Not really my thing. Key tracks: ....& On Bag Lady

Looking over the tracklist, I was only familiar with one of the songs. This wasn't a good sign, as Elton John is all about the hits. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how well crafted and cohesive this album was. Not very many highlights, but a very good album listening experience. Key tracks: Tiny Dancer Indian Summer

Very showy and energic live performance. Unfortunately, every song is pretty much the same standard 12-bar blues thing. As good as Lewis is at hammering that piano, he will always seem like a C-tier 50's rock & roller to me. Key tracks: Great Balls of Fire

"Metallica sold out!" This phrase was probably uttered so many times since this album came out. But I wasn't even born then so I come to this album in a completely different context, in which Metallica were already the biggest metal band of all time. I couldn't care less if something is trve metal or kvlt or whatever, all I care about are if there are great songs, and there sure are great songs on this album. Key tracks: Enter Sandman Sad But True The Unforgiven Wherever I May Roam Nothing Else Matters Of Wolf and Man

Surprisingly great! Love those harmonies. Although I can't help remembering their other album Satan Is Real, whose cover art became an obscure internet meme. Key tracks: Kentucky

So many songs, but so many highlights. I really enjoyed this one. It was a strange mix of prog and pop that works incredibly well. Great arrangements. Key tracks: Turn to Stone It's Over Sweet Talkin' Woman Mr. Blue Sky

I recognized "Music Makes You Lose Control" from being sampled on Missy Elliott's "Lose Control" and I recognize Stuart Price from producing credits on many records I like. Other than that, this album was fun and ok but not very memorable. Key tracks: Music Makes You Lose Control

The beats are pretty run of the mill for the times and the flows are alright. I'm not a hip-hop guy at all, so this album isn't very appealing to me. I can't even tell if this is an essential release or not, it just sound like every other rap album of the era. Key tracks: Lifestyles of the Rich and Infamous

This is Metallica's proggiest and most complex album. It is also the one with that muddy mix where you have to squint your ears to tell what's going on. That's not too big an issue to knock it down completely, though. It also features the song "One", which earned to band their first Grammy award and pointed them into their more streamlined and mainstream direction. Key tracks: Blackened ...And Justice for All One

This one is obviously silly tongue-in-cheek music. I do appreciate the variety and introduces into the list, but I can't say I liked it.

It's alright. I don't think of Aerosmith as one the greats, they're just above average at best. The choice of this album seems a bit random to me, as the real late-80's comeback album from them is Permanent Vacation. There are some fun songs on here, but most of this is pretty bland and forgettable. Key tracks: Love in an Elevator Janie's Got a Gun

This is the best Bob Dylan album, in my opinion. The songs are great, there is good mix of lyrica themes, even Dylan's singing is the best it's ever been. This is also, I believe, the firsr rock double album (of original music, that is) in history. Quite the achievement, considering it doesn't feel like it drags at all. Key tracks: Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 Visions of Johanna One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later) I Want You Just Like a Woman

Steely Dan, and this album in particular, is something I have seen being given high praise in multiple music discussion sites. However, I honestly do see what the hype is all about. Sure it's jazzy and all, but it's also so boring. I get nothing out of this and I've given it multiple chances.

I kinda liked this, but I don't think it's something you absolutely must listen. It's fairly regular 90's singer-songwriter stuff. Some good songs, some uninteresting ones. I have no ideia how big it was in its day, but certainly doesn't seem very relevant now. Key tracks: Babylon This Year's Love

Another Joni Mitchell album, and once again I feel I should enjoy it more than I actually do. Good jazzy arrangements, good vocals, good lyrics, but no melody jumps out at me. Maybe one day it will click Key tracks: In France They Kiss on Main Street The Jungle Line The Boho Dance

This is the exact kind of hip-hop I can't stand.

What a coincidence! This album was just re-released for its 20th anniversary. I've always liked TV On The Radio, they stood out for the crowd of 00's New York indie bands by bringing a fresh sound, with inventive arrangements, rather than simply falling into revivalisms like most of their peers. This is a very good debut, but I prefer their following couple of releases. Key tracks: Staring at the Sun Dreams

This one is not too bad, actually, but I'll likely never want to listen to it again. Key tracks: It Was a Good Day

Incredible and unique! The genre fusions at display here are unlike anything else in electronic music. Is this even electronic? I have seen this album described as downtempo or trip-hop. And sure a song like "Utopia" definitely falls into downtempo, but I think those descriptions don't make it justice. To me this is a sort of uncanny valley lounge music, something you will hear in your dreams and then wake up and wonder if it really exists. All tracks here are top-notch, even the weird circus cut "Oompa Radar". Goldfrapp's subsquent albums all sound different from this and from each other, going into Electropop, Folktronica, Synthpop, and Chamber Folk, and mastering every single one of those genres as well. Key tracks: Lovely Head Paper Bag Human Pilots Utopia

Bowie's big comeback after retiring from music in the mid-00's is a good, but not great, set of songs. In hindsight it feels more like Bowie is dipping his feet back into the creative pool, but it did feel like a major event back in 2013. I actually remember the day this album was announced, together with the release of lead single "Where Are We Now?". It was Bowie's birthday, sure, but it was also the same day Pokémon X & Pokémon Y were announced. Completely unrelated, but that always stuck with me. Still, it's a very safe record, more of a reminder to the public how amazing Bowie had been throughout the years, and there wasn't much of an indication of how amazing he would be still be. Key tracks: The Next Day The Stars (Are Out Tonight) Where Are We Now?

An album completely made out of samples is truly a remarkable achievement on a technical level, and it doesn't sound like a jumbled mess. However, this is an album I appreciate and admire rather than actually enjoy. Key tracks: Building Steam With a Grain of Salt Stem - Long Stem Midnight in a Perfect World

This one is ok. A very chilled-out take on trip-hop and downtempo. It does get a bit repetitive sometimes, which is not unusual in electronic music, but at least, at only 47 minutes, it doesn't overstay its welcome. Key tracks: Dirge

I really like this one. Initially I wasn't getting what it was going for, but then it became obvious it was supposed to be larger-than-life Springsteenian rock but for intimate venues rather than arenas. I do love larger-than-life rock music. Key tracks: Under the Pressure Red Eyes An Ocean Between the Waves

I don't know if this is was the first trip-hop album, but it certainly was the one that defined what the genre was about in its early days. Hip-hop beats, gloomy atmosphere (although it would become gloomier in years ahead), soulful singing, and only occasional rapping. This last bit is relevant to me because, while I'm not a rap person at all, I love trip-hop. My parents were huge into trip-hop during the 90's when I was a small kid, so there is also a big nostalgia associated with this sound, if not necessarily with this album. Later Massive Attack albums are better but this one is an undeniable classic. Key tracks: Safe from Harm Unfinished Sympathy Lately Hymn of the Big Wheel

I do like this more chaotic and psychedelic take on britpop. Is this even britpop? Or is it more in the Spiritualized lane of neo-psych. Either way, some good songs, some forgettable ones. Overall pretty good. Key tracks: A New Decade On Your Own History

Despite not being an Elvis Costello fan, this album is actually pretty good, possibly his best. Lots of very hooky songs that will stay in your head for days. Key tracks: Accidents Will Happen Senior Service Oliver's Army

I see Queen as mora of a singles band rather than an album band, even if there are albums of their I do enjoy. This one is alright. It's more a Hard Rock affair than most of their later, better known material. Knowing what came immediately after, it does feel somewhat transitional in nature. Key tracks: Killer Queen Now I'm Here

Very chill albu with beautiful soundscapes. It does sound like your cruising on the german autobahn, across green fields and under a clear blue sky. There are other tracks here which, while nice, can't stop this album from being all about the title track. Key tracks: Autobahn

A sweet and cute little country album from Dolly, who is a huge legend in America but never made a big splash over here in Europe. I think her 1974 album "Jolene" is even better. I wonder why that one didn't make the list. Key tracks: Coat of Many Colors

Phenomenal album! Great songs, huge arrangements, insanely catchy, enough variation in between tracks. There's also the political commentary aspect, which doesn't really help or detract from my enjoyment of the album. I don't what else to say, it's just great! Key tracks: Born in the U.S.A. Cover Me I'm On Fire No Surrender Bobby Jean Dancing in the Dark

Not really my thing, but I can appreciate the musicianship involved. Key tracks: If You Were There

One of the best and most inventive jazz albums of its time. By using uncommon time signatures, like 5/4 or 7/8, Brubeck and co. effectively break the conventions of what should sound like. Most impressively, the compositions never come across as impenetrable "high art" but are instead quite streamlined and accessible. A multi-layered masterpiece. Key tracks: Blue Rondo A La Turk Take Five Three to Get Ready

This one was ok. Not bad, simply not a lot of it stood out. Key tracks: Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth

Possibly the best album by a solo Beatle. Really massive sound, which makes sense given it was produced by Phil Spector. Harrison was probably sitting on these songs for a long time, so it's no wonder the album is so long. Even then, it more than justifies its length. Key tracks: I'd Have You Anytime My Sweet Lord Wah-Wah Isn't It a Pity (version 1) What Is Life

There was enough here to intrigue me, but while listening no particular songs stood out and I can't say I remember much specific either. I do wonder, how famous and/or critically aclaimed it was at the time and does that warrant an inclusion on this list.

A very and sweet album, but given the band released another, much better one later that same year that is also on this list, I don't think this is necessarily essential. Key tracks: The State Am I In

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. This kind of ultra-macho guitar hero rock isn't even remotely my kind of stuff. But I have to admit, when it's well made, it's well made. Many great and iconic tunes here, and the deep cuts aren't too shoddy either. Key tracks: Welcome to the Jungle Paradise City Sweet Child O' Mine

This is a great and classic jazz record, despite being a transitional album between Davis's Cool Jazz and Jazz Fusion periods. I don't have much else to say here other than I wish there was more jazz on the list. Key tracks: Shhh/Peaceful

Crunchy and heavy grunge record. I like it and it has grown on me a lot since I first heard it years ago. However I don't think it does that much to distinguish itself from the crop, other than having a female vocalist. The Kurt Cobain association definitely help, of course. And no, I don't buy into the conspiracy theories. Key tracks: Violet Miss World Jennifers Body Doll Parts

Great album, this one. A lot of variety throughout the tracklist, which is crucial for a long album like this one. Intricately orchestrated, psychedelic, folky, and all sorts of descriptors could apply here. I do understand the language, but I'm not brazilian so the political undertones are a bit lost on me. That's fine, it doesn't seem necessary to understand those things to thoroughly enjoy this. Key tracks: Tudo o que Você Podia Ser O Trem Azul Cravo e Canela Um Girassol da Cor de Seu Cabelo San Vicente

This album was hailed as Blur's pivot from Britpop into the Alternative/Indie territorry. However, when I first heard I couldn't really see the difference all that well. I was already familar with "Song 2" but the rest of the album doesn't sound anything like it. I actually think this is one of Blur's best albums, and it didn't need to disassociate itself from the Britpop scene, although I do understand why they did it, as the whole movement came crashing down after Oasis released Be Here Now. Key tracks: Beetlebum Song 2 Death of a Party Strange News from Another Star

The Divine Comedy remain one of the most unfairly overlooked acts of their time. They were never as "cool" as some of their indie contemporaries, nor were they ever as widely popular as the Britpop bands of the time. Their Chamber Pop stylings and witty lyricism meant that their sound was often seen as pretentious by the larger public and relegated them to cult band status. Personally, I think they are absolutely fantastic. I love the arrangements, the humour and overall ultra-britishness of it all. The very pronounced 60's Scott Walker influence does help, as he is one my favourites, although I did discover Neil Hannon and co. first. This album is probably their most accessible and presents the greatest balance between their more poppy and baroque moments. Wholeheartedly recommended. Key tracks: Something for the Weekend Becoming More Like Alfie Songs of Love The Frog Princess A Woman of the World

Incredibly influential. The oppressive and claustrophobic atmosphere is palpable. Ian Curtis' not-always-quite-in-tune vocal delivery has been emulated countless times. The guitars were probably the first music critics described as "angular" (whatever that means). Truly iconic. Key tracks: Disorder Day of the Lords New Dawn Fades She's Lost Control Shadowplay

Fantastic album. As good as their previous one "The Yes Album", also from 1971. Between the long prog rock epic, the records find the time to include some oddities such as "The Fish" or "Cans and Brahms", which give it an odd flow. Nonetheless, very enjoyable. Key tracks: Roundabout Long Distance Runaround

I had never heard of this group before going through the book the first time and never heard of them outside of that context since then either. While I applaud this list for highlighting what is seemingly an underground act, this sort of preachy hip-hop is definitely for me. Key tracks: Satanic Reverses

This is actually (hehe) a very good album. Endlessly catchy, high-octane dance pop containing some all-time classic songs. The deeps cuts get a bit lost in the mix, though. That is something their following album, Instrospective, solved tremendously by only having six tracks. But alas, that one is not on here, so this will have to suffice. Key tracks: What Have I Done to Deserve This? Rent It's a Sin

Very funky and energetic. Never quite reaches the heights of those 70's Fela Kuti records, but is great nonetheless. Key tracks: Survival Frustrations Plenty Nonesense

Amazing album, every song at good and a lot of them are great. I'm not very familiar with this genre of music and given the whole project was lead by an american musician, I don't know how authentic it really is. Either way, I'm glad this was picked for the list and that we got a very well put-together album from a side of the music world not particularly focused on "albums". Key tracks: Chan Chan De Camino a la Vereda Amor de Loca Juventud Orgullecida

An all-out pummeling punk album. The social and political commentary may be too much sometimes but it's always delivered in this sardonic and cynical way the makes it more appealing for me. Surprisingly fun. Key tracks: Kill the Poor California Uber Alles Holiday in Cambodia

Spiritualized's debut is expectedly hazy and spacy. Very much the kind of music to let wash over you. That also means a lot of the time the songs themselves don't necessarily stick with you and whole album is just one long mass of sound, which is not completely a bad thing in this context. Later on, the band would strike the perfect balance of hazy and memorable, but I'll get to that one some other day. Key tracks: I Want You Run