Journey in Progress
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460
Albums Rated
3.45
Avg Rating
64
5-Star Albums
42%
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629 albums remaining
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7
Per Week
459
Days Active
Reviews
451
Written
98%
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vs Global
0.19
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3.45
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Taste Profile
2010s
Favorite Decade
Indie
Favorite Genre
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Balanced
Rater Style
17
1-Star Albums
Taste Analysis
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Ratings by country
Rating Style
You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Third/Sister Lovers | 5 | 2.79 | +2.21 |
| Bone Machine | 5 | 2.86 | +2.14 |
| Gentlemen | 5 | 2.9 | +2.1 |
| Like Water For Chocolate | 5 | 2.96 | +2.04 |
| Meat Puppets II | 5 | 3.02 | +1.98 |
| Slanted And Enchanted | 5 | 3.03 | +1.97 |
| Heartbreaker | 5 | 3.03 | +1.97 |
| New York Dolls | 5 | 3.12 | +1.88 |
| Dear Science | 5 | 3.16 | +1.84 |
| Rain Dogs | 5 | 3.2 | +1.8 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hybrid Theory | 1 | 3.38 | -2.38 |
| System Of A Down | 1 | 3.26 | -2.26 |
| The Hissing Of Summer Lawns | 1 | 3.11 | -2.11 |
| Close To You | 1 | 3.11 | -2.11 |
| Street Life | 1 | 3.09 | -2.09 |
| Music For The Jilted Generation | 1 | 3.07 | -2.07 |
| Kimono My House | 1 | 3.06 | -2.06 |
| Foxbase Alpha | 1 | 2.94 | -1.94 |
| Off The Wall | 2 | 3.78 | -1.78 |
| Life Thru A Lens | 1 | 2.73 | -1.73 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums and high weighted score
| Artist | Albums | Avg | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce Springsteen | 4 | 5 | 4.14 |
| Radiohead | 6 | 4.67 | 4.11 |
| Jimi Hendrix | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| David Bowie | 4 | 4.5 | 3.86 |
| Bob Dylan | 4 | 4.5 | 3.86 |
| Pixies | 3 | 4.67 | 3.83 |
| Tom Waits | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Fleetwood Mac | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Beatles | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| The Cure | 3 | 4.33 | 3.67 |
| Prince | 3 | 4.33 | 3.67 |
Least Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums and low weighted score
| Artist | Albums | Avg | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Prodigy | 2 | 1.5 | 2.4 |
5-Star Albums (64)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Linkin Park
1/5
I'd only ever heard "In the End", and the rest of this is about what I expected. The whole thing comes across as like a 10-year-old's idea of badass music. Chugging alt-metal riffs, angsty lyrics, bad white guy rapping, and production elements that probably seemed dated in the year 2000. It's bad, but it's not even really groundbreaking in any sort of way. They mainly come off as a less fun version of Limp Bizkit. I did not need to hear this before I died, which might be sooner than before I listened to it. 0.5 stars.
10 likes
Carpenters
1/5
I feel like this album answers the question, "How can I make the least cool album of all time?" This album is particularly infuriating because there's good songs here. "Reason to Believe", "Help", and the Bacharach tunes are good songs at their core, they're just arranged and performed in a way that is so white, it's painful. I'd say this is grandma music, but I think my grandma may have found this a little soft. 1 star.
3 likes
Wilco
5/5
Love this album, and for most bands, it would be my favorite album in their discography, but *Being There* will have to settle for second place. It's very much the alt-Country version of Exile on Main Street. It's kind of stylistically all over the place, with the power pop of songs like "Monday" and "Outtasite", the Stonesy country of "Forget the Flowers" and "Someone Else's Song", and the noisey freakouts of "Misunderstood" and "Sunken Treasure". I do think the album fizzles out a bit at the end, but there's still a ton of great songs here. 5 stars.
2 likes
Guns N' Roses
5/5
This was a huge album for me when it came out in 1987. A lot of hard rock at that time had become pretty sanitized and formulaic, but I think GNR really sought to change that. The guitar parts and song structures were more creative, the lyrics were a darker version of the typical Sunset Strip party anthems you normally heard. Where Poison was singing "Nothin' but a good time", GNR were singing about prostitution, alcoholism, being strung out on heroin, and casually dropping f-bombs. They were like the Velvet Underground of hair metal. They also drew on a diverse set of influences, including punk and 70s pop, which was super cool for me at an age where I was just getting into music. Highlights for me are "It's So Easy", "Rocket Queen", "Mr. Brownstone", "Sweet Child O' Mine", and "You're Crazy". "Welcome to the Jungle" and "Paradise City" are definitely overplayed, but good songs if you haven't heard them in a while. The only real weak spot is "Anything Goes", but everything else is a jam. 5 stars.
2 likes
Travis
4/5
Starts off really great and fizzles out a bit at the end. Favorite tracks are "Writing to Reach You", "As You Are", and "Driftwood". 4 stars.
2 likes
1-Star Albums (17)
All Ratings
Supergrass
3/5
Good, but I don't think it's anything I haven't heard done better elsewhere. "Richard III" and "Cheapskate" are probably my favorites. Feels like a 3.5. Enjoyable, but probably nothing I'd ever go back to.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Great album. The last side is pretty inessential, but there's a ton of greatness on the first three sides -- Custard Pie, In My Time of Dying, Houses of the Holy, Trampled Under Foot, Kashmir, In the Light, Down By the Seaside, Ten Years Gone -- these are some of the bands greatest songs. The last side keeps it from 5 stars, but still a 4.5 for me.
Carole King
5/5
Normally, I don't think this type of album would be in my wheelhouse as 70s Singer-Songwriter is not a genre I usually jibe with. However, I think Carole's songwriting really elevates something that would normally bore me to tears. I think her background in 60s pop and R&B really gives the material an ethos that is unlike the typical guy/girl at a piano stuff from this era. I also really like her voice and the fact that she sings in a normal register. There's a nice soulful quality and some imperfections there that really set her apart from her peers. 5
Talking Heads
5/5
Really cool blend of funk, afrobeat, electronic music, sampling, punk, and new wave. Super groundbreaking and ahead of it's time. 5 stars
Radiohead
5/5
Perfect album. Excellent opener, super groundbreaking and influential. One of the greatest albums ever. 5 stars.
Hüsker Dü
4/5
Not the most essential Husker Du album by a long shot, but there's still some good stuff here. I was always higher on the Grant Hart songs than the Bob Mould songs, and this album continues that tradition -- "Charity, Chasity, Prudence, and Hope", "Too Much Spice", "She Floated Away", and "Actual Condition" are the best songs here. 4 Stars.
Songhoy Blues
3/5
Ice Cube
4/5
This rules. Might be Ice Cube's finest album and one of the best hip-hop albums of the early 90s. Written around the time of the '92 LA Riots, the lyrics are still relevant today and the production, mostly from DJ Pooh and DJ Muggs, is fantastic. 4.5 Stars.
Meat Puppets
5/5
Rules. That is all. 5 stars.
Pulp
4/5
Starts off great, but fizzles out midway through the album. "Common People" is probably the best song of the Britpop era though. 4 Stars.
Garbage
3/5
Released in 1995 when the alternative rock boom was winding down and it wasn't clear what the next big trend in rock was going to be. As result, it incorporates some sounds that were big at the time, but ultimately feels very dated. "Vow" is great, and the other big singles are decent, but as a whole the album is just okay. 3.5 stars.
TV On The Radio
5/5
Awesome album that beautifully blends post-punk, art rock, funk, and electronic elements. Every song rules. 5 stars.
The Beach Boys
3/5
Good, but not deserving of the GOAT-level praise regularly heaped upon it. The big singles are great, but you also get a pair of instrumentals and and some lesser songs that are just okay. It gets some props for being pretty revolutionary in terms of production and arrangements, but the songs leave a lot to be desired for me. 3.5 stars
The Killers
3/5
First side is incredible, second side is filler. Would've made a great EP. 3.5 stars.
Gillian Welch
4/5
Great album. Super pretty folk/Americana songs - 4.5 stars
Donovan
4/5
Pretty cool slice of early freak folk. The title track and "Season of the Witch" are obvious highlights, but pretty enjoyable throughout - 4 stars.
4/5
4.5 stars
Fatboy Slim
3/5
Meh. Very repetitive and the songs go on forever. Even the songs you think you know and like, like "Praise You, are twice as long and monotonous as the single versions you're used to hearing. 3 stars.
Nitin Sawhney
3/5
Lots of diverse sounds, but overall pretty sterile and dull. Much of it has the feel of a film score, where it work nicely in the background of a scene, but it's not interesting enough to be a standalone work of art. It's not bad, but it's not that great either. Light 3 stars.
The Residents
2/5
Sounds like Les Claypool fronting Ween and releasing and album of circus music. 2 stars.
Muddy Waters
4/5
4 stars
Shack
3/5
Inoffensive, but bland. 3 stars.
Pavement
5/5
Awesome Slacker Rock classic. 5 stars.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
3/5
like the sound of the band -- there's some very cool fuzz guitar -- and Janis' voice is cool, but the songs themselves leave a bit to be desired. The stuff I knew was my favorite, but the rest was kinda filler. 3.5
The Go-Go's
5/5
I knew the Go-Gos singles from hearing them all the time as a kid, but never listened to a full album until much later in life. I was surprised at how cool and punky they were, and at least on this album, how great their deep cuts were. They have a similar aesthetic to the Ramones for me, where they take what's essentially the sound of the early 60s and give it a modern sheen. I really like the vocal interplay between Belinda Carlisle and Jane Wiedlin, and Charlotte Caffrey has some really cool surf-influenced guitar work. Probably my favorite album of 1981. 5 stars.
Lupe Fiasco
4/5
I remember hearing this when it came out and not being quite as enamored with it as critics were, but I really liked Lupe's last couple of albums, so I was excited to revisit it. It's very reminiscent of Kanye West's early albums -- the College Dropout and Late Registration most notably -- but with notably better lyrics. Lupe actually got his big break appearing on Kanye's "Touch the Sky". Overall, I think it's really good -- one of the more sophisticated mainstream rap albums of the 00s -- but it does suffer from being way too long. You could cut like 40 minutes and there's probably a 5 star album in here somewhere. There is some cool stuff here though -- really like "Kick, Push", "I Gotcha", and "Daydreamin'". Going with a light 4 stars.
Frank Black
4/5
Some really great material here that rivals Charles Thompson's best work with the Pixies, unfortunately at 22 tracks, there's also a lot of unnecessary filler. Highlights include "Headache", "Thallassocracy", and "Superabound". 4 stars.
The Temptations
3/5
First side is cool, second side is kind of sappy.
Destiny's Child
2/5
First three tracks are solid, rest of the album is pretty forgettable. Not essential at all. 2.5 stars.
Donald Fagen
2/5
Really wimpy yacht rock that makes Boz Skaggs sound like Black Sabbath. 2 stars.
Roxy Music
4/5
OutKast
3/5
Moments of greatness, but bloated and messy as is. I prefer the Speakerboxxx half. 3.5 stars.
Elliott Smith
5/5
Perfect. 5 stars
Ian Dury
2/5
Eh 2 stars.
The Velvet Underground
5/5
Beautiful album. One of the best of the late 60s. Candy Says, Pale Blue Eyes, What Goes On, Jesus --- some of Lou's best songs. 5 stars.
King Crimson
2/5
This just isn't my thing, I'm afraid. It's not bad, there's definitely some moments I think are cool, but the songs are so devoid of structure and hooks, I really have a hard time getting into it or wanting to go back to it at all. 2.5 stars.
Doves
3/5
3 stars. Good but forgettable
Ryan Adams
4/5
A slightly lesser batch of songs than Heartbreaker, and I definitely like the overall sound less. I also think the second half, with maybe the exception of "Harder Now That It's Over" and "Goodnight Hollywood Blvd" is mostly filler. However, there are some excellent songs here. "New York, New York", "La Cienega Just Smiled", "The Rescue Blues", and "When the Stars Go Blue" rank with his best songs. There's probably an album here that gets close to the excellence of Heartbreaker with some scrappier production and some of the fat trimmed. 4 stars
Blur
4/5
Excellent Blur album. 4.5
King Crimson
3/5
21st Century Schizoid Man is cool, but the rest of the album doesn't do much for me. 3 stars.
Travis
4/5
Starts off really great and fizzles out a bit at the end. Favorite tracks are "Writing to Reach You", "As You Are", and "Driftwood". 4 stars.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
4 stars
Buena Vista Social Club
4/5
Great! 4 stars
Steely Dan
3/5
Peg is cool, Josie is pretty good. Deacon Blues and Black Cow are okay, but this is sort of the beginning of the yacht rock era of Steely Dan that I don't really like that much. 3.5 stars.
Roni Size
2/5
Started off okay, but got really repetitive and boring after a while. Not really enough hooks to keep me interested. 2 stars.
David Bowie
5/5
Excellent follow-up to The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Bowie gets a little less glammy and a little more rockin'. Highlights include "Panic in Detroit", "Cracked Actor", "The Jean Genie", "Drive-In Saturday" and a rockin' cover of "Let's Spend the Night Together". 5 stars.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
3/5
Good playing, just not that enthusiastic about the fairly straightforward blues covers here. Obviously, British blues rock would get a lot more interesting. 3 stars.
Eagles
4/5
4.5. Great slice of 70s California coke rock.
Pink Floyd
4/5
Would definitely be a 5 if the album ended with "Comfortably Numb", but the 4th side is largely forgettable. Even "Run Like Hell", which was the second single from the album, is just okay. Lot's of awesome highlights otherwise, including "In the Flesh?", "Mother", "Young Lust", "Hey You" and the aforementioned "Comfortably Numb". 4.5 stars.
The Byrds
4/5
I think the band has a really cool sound on this album and it really foreshadows a lot of 90s alt-country. They're working withing the folk rock framework, but adding a lot of really interesting elements and taking it in new directions. Highlights for me are the title track, "Mr. Spaceman", "What's Happening!?!?!", and of course "Eight Miles High". Second side of the album isn't quite as strong as the first -- I'm not super high on their version of "Hey Joe", but overall, it's probably my favorite Byrds album. 4.5.
ABBA
2/5
Soulless European pop. Dancing Queen is okay as is Knowing Me, Knowing You and the instrumental title track. 2.5 stars.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
Great. 4.5
Joni Mitchell
3/5
I've always kind of struggled with Joni Mitchell. I think she's a good musician and a reasonably good songwriter, but I don't like the way she sings at all. I don't like the constant shifting between her lower register and higher register. I just find it totally irritating.
I think River and A Case of You are good songs in spite of the vocal stylings, but I don't think I can do more than 3 stars.
Tears For Fears
3/5
I think "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" and "Head Over Heels" are really good. Never been too crazy about "Shout". The rest is just sort of meh filler. 3.5 stars since there's a couple of gems in there.
Tom Waits
5/5
One of my favorite albums of all time. Waits is just firing on all cylinders here, and you get such a weird mix of genres from blues, jazz, and caberet to heartland rock and country.
It's also one of my favorite guitar albums of all time. Marc Ribot is a mad scientist making me rethink what lead guitar on an album could sound like. And Keith Richards and Robert Quine show up too. Side one is perfection. Side two is a little more uneven, but certainly enough highlights that it's still an easy 5 star album.
Highlights for me are "Singapore", "Clap Hands", "Jockey Full of Bourbon", "Tango 'Til They're Sore", "Hang Down Your Head", "Time", "Union Square", "Downtown Train" and "Anywhere I Lay My Head".
5 stars
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
Near perfect album with great production, great songwriting, and tremendous musicianship.
Highlights include "Second Hand News", "Never Going Back Again", "Go Your Own Way", "Dreams", and "I Don't Want to Know". If only they could've made room for "Silver Springs".
Still a classic. 5 stars
Sister Sledge
3/5
Not bad 3 stars.
Van Morrison
5/5
Terrific album with numerous highlights. Into the Mystic is awesome.5 stars
The La's
3/5
Decent proto-Britpop album. There She Goes kind of overshadows everything else. 3 Stars.
Billy Joel
4/5
A few clunkers, but some good stuff here. Only the Good Die Young and Movin' Out are the highlights. 4 stars
Talking Heads
3/5
Good debut. Not as good as subsequent albums. 3.5 stars.
Elis Regina
2/5
I guess this is actually a compilation and it's pretty obvious since it starts of as fairly standard MBP and turns into this smooth jazz thing by the end. 2 stars
Amy Winehouse
3/5
I like when she mixes in more modern production elements, but when she doesn't, it kind of sounds like it's trying too hard to be this retro throwback thing. Some of her vocal mannerisms are a bit over the top too. 3 stars
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
There's a 5-star album in here somewhere, but it really suffers from bloat. The first disc is really good, but outside of the hits, the second one is mostly forgettable. 4 stars.
Giant Sand
4/5
I like that they kind of build off an Americana sound, but end up in a place that isn't what you'd typically associate with an Americana/Alt-County artist. At times, it's reminiscent of what I like about Meat Puppets II, but it's a more modern, less abrasive, more eclectic version of it. My favorite tracks are "(Well) Dusted (For the Millennium)", "Raw", "Shiver", "Astonished (In Memphis)" and "Satellite". 4.5
Happy Mondays
4/5
Cool, fun Madchester album. "Kinky Afro" and "Step On" are both pretty great. 4 stars.
Linkin Park
1/5
I'd only ever heard "In the End", and the rest of this is about what I expected. The whole thing comes across as like a 10-year-old's idea of badass music. Chugging alt-metal riffs, angsty lyrics, bad white guy rapping, and production elements that probably seemed dated in the year 2000. It's bad, but it's not even really groundbreaking in any sort of way. They mainly come off as a less fun version of Limp Bizkit. I did not need to hear this before I died, which might be sooner than before I listened to it. 0.5 stars.
The Crusaders
1/5
The title track isn't bad, even if it goes on about 8 minutes longer than it should. The rest is competently played muzak. If you've ever wondered what it would be like to get a root canal while being on hold with the cable company, this is the album for you. 1 star.
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
I think it's pretty good and it definitely influenced some things I like, but I don't really enjoy the songs as much as their contemporaries, like the Jesus and Mary Chain or Pixies or even Sonic Youth. "Lose My Breath" is probably the highlight for me here. 3.5
Siouxsie And The Banshees
4/5
This album is pretty great. One of the best examples of gothic post-punk and one of the finest albums of 1981. The tribal drums and flanged out guitar parts make for a really cool sound. "Into the Light" is awesome and one of their best songs. 4.5 stars
Fishbone
3/5
Decent but not great album that was probably somewhat influential at the time but feels pretty dated now. I do think it's fun at times, but nowhere near essential enough to be on this list. 3 stars.
Hanoi Rocks
4/5
Super fun and catchy and really reminded me of New York Dolls/Johnny Thunders stuff. I really liked "Malibu Beach Nightmare" and "Tooting Bec Wreck". 4 stars.
Cheap Trick
4/5
Great live set from a good point were pop band. 4 stars.
Nick Drake
3/5
Nice sounding album. 3.5 stars
The Cure
4/5
Super awesome goth rock that's one of 1982's finest albums. 4.5 stars.
Big Star
4/5
like Big Star, but I prefer the next two albums by a good margin. I think they got better after Chilton took more control over the band. His songs here are really the cream of the crop, where Chris Bell's stuff is more a mixed bag. I don't find Bell's more rocking stuff like "Feel", "In the Street", and "Don't Lie to Me" to be very good. Still there's some great stuff here. "The Ballad of El Goodo", "Thirteen" are excellent, and Bell does stick the landing with "My Life is Right". 4 stars.
Nirvana
4/5
Great live set that did an excellent job of showing the more rustic side of America's favorite abrasive grunge band. A lot of their originals didn't translate to the unplugged format, so the set relies heavily on covers -- from Bowie, Leadbelly, and three songs from Meat Puppets II. 4.5 stars.
fIREHOSE
3/5
Thought it was overall pretty good, but kind of sagged a bit in the middle. I don't know if any of the songs were truly amazing, but "In My Mind" and "Time With You" were a couple that kind of stood out. 3.5 stars
Sonic Youth
4/5
Sonic Youth's most complete work -- it's noisy and abrasive, but also really catchy and accessible in it's own way. The guitar work throughout is really cool and inventive. My favorites are "Teen Age Riot", "The Sprawl", and "Total Trash". 4.5 Stars
Madness
2/5
"Our House" is good, but the rest is a little too British Granny Music for me. 2.5 Stars
Franz Ferdinand
4/5
Cool 00s angular dance punk. "Jacqueline", "Take Me Out", "This Fire", and "Auf Achse" are all super cool. 4.5 stars
Frank Sinatra
4/5
It's very good and Frank sounds incredible as always, but maybe a little ballad heavy for my taste. Not quite my thing, but I appreciate it. 4 stars.
The Sonics
4/5
Cool garage rock. Too many covers hold it back a little. 4 stars.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
3/5
Objectively, I think it's great, but it's just not something I would ever really get the urge to sit down and listen too. Apologies in advance for the jazz nerds out there. 3.5 stars.
The Streets
4/5
I think A Grand Don't Come For Free is a pretty sweet album. I'm normally not high on concept albums/rock operas, but this takes the idea of having a cohesive narrative throughout the album and makes it work. I think the rapping/speak singing makes it somehow less cheesy than when a traditional rock band does it. It kind of feels like a UK Garage version of the first few Hold Steady albums. This genre of music definitely isn't something I normally gravitate towards, but I think Mike Skinner really elevates it. Highlights for me are "Fit But You Know It", "Blinded By the Lights", "Dry Your Eyes" and "Empty Cans". 4.5 stars.
Bee Gees
3/5
I don't really care for "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart", and some of the other songs featuring prominent Robin Gibb vocals (he kind of sounds like Kermit the Frog to me), but the rest is all pretty good. "Israel", "Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself" and "It's Just The Way" are all highlights. 3.5 Stars
Julian Cope
3/5
There were some parts I liked. Sometimes he gets into this Iggy Pop/Nick Cave sort of sound I like, like on "Hanging Out and Hung Up On The Line". Other times, it's kind of almost like INXS or something, like slightly funky pop rock which is okay, but not the greatest. Then there's some instrumentals that are sort of pointless. I normally like eclectic double albums, but this just feels too disjointed. 3 stars.
The Cure
4/5
Cool, icy goth rock classic. "A Forest" rules. 4 stars.
ABBA
2/5
This is supposedly ABBA's turn toward a darker sound, but if you're expecting they suddenly turned into Joy Division, prepare to be disappointed. It's the same vapid Europop they always did with some synths and no tunes. The title track is okay and the last couple songs are okay, but the rest is as insufferable as ever. 2 stars.
The Beta Band
3/5
Very average album. Not bad, but pretty forgettable. 3 stars.
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
Jane's Addiction
4/5
Really good album. Flow is weird with all the longer spacier songs in the back. 4 stars.
Public Enemy
4/5
Despite being an '80s rap album, I think it holds up incredibly well. There's a lot of modern elements PE pioneered, including more complex rhyme schemes, more dense sampling, and the shift to more conscious lyrics. Highlights for me are "Bring the Noise", "Don't Believe The Hype", "Rebel Without a Pause" and the goofy Flavor Flav showcase, "Cold Lampin' with Flavor". 4.5 Stars
Belle & Sebastian
4/5
I own this album and have heard it many times. These first couple Belle & Sebastian albums are the best. Stuart Murdoch wrote and sings most if not all the songs and they just feel like more singular visions compared to the more collective style they went to after this. They've got a cool, slightly twee jangle pop sound. Stuart Murdoch's style kind of reminds me a little of Morrissey at times. I think all the songs are good -- standouts for me are "The Stars of Track and Field", "Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying", and "The Fox in the Snow". 4.5 stars
Elvis Costello
4/5
Really cool pub rock classic. Highlights are "Alison", "Mystery Dance", "The Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes" and "Watching the Detectives". 4.5 stars
Nine Inch Nails
3/5
I like "Piggy", "March of the Pigs", "Closer", and "Hurt", but most of the rest of it just doesn't do it for me. It's too long and there's too many songs that are more soundscape that song. 3.5 stars.
Cocteau Twins
4/5
Really good dream pop album. Highlights are the title track, "Cherry Colored Funk" and "Ice Blink Luck". 4 stars
Black Sabbath
3/5
Not as good as the two proceeding albums, but still good. "Changes" is a cool departure. 3.5 stars.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
This is an all time favorite for me. I got into Hendrix when I was in my teens -- probably like 15-ish. I bought a cassette that had Are You Experienced? on one side and Axis: Bold as Love on the other. I used to listen to it on my Walkman while mowing my grandma's lawn. In retrospect, it helped shape a lot of my musical tastes -- notably my appreciation of fuzz guitar, but also really got me into more music from the 60s as well as more blues based stuff. For being lumped into the blues rock scene, this is a surprisingly diverse album. Personal favorite track is "I Don't Live Today". 5 stars.
Dolly Parton
3/5
I think it's good -- they're all great singers -- I did find it a bit samey though. "Telling Me Lies" was probably my favorite. 3.5 stars
The Undertones
3/5
Decent, slightly punky and quirky power pop. 3 stars.
John Lennon
5/5
Validates my opinion that John was the most essential Beatle and I won't heard otherwise. Lots of greatness here including the title track, "Jealous Guy", "Crippled Inside", "Gimme Some Truth" and the charmingly goofy "Oh Yoko". I don't think it's quite as fantastic as Plastic Ono Band, but it's still awesome. 5 stars.
Baaba Maal
3/5
It's really outside of my wheelhouse, so that keeps me from going too high on it, but I thought the stretch from tracks 3-5 was nice and I also liked the closing track. 3 stars.
Saint Etienne
1/5
"Wilson" was my favorite "song". I just found most of it really boring with the stock beats and piano stabs. Maybe it didn't sound so boring in 1991, but I feel like at least the Pet Shop Boys had worn out this sound by then. 1.5 stars
Elliott Smith
4/5
I don't think this is as good as Either/Or, but there's still a lot to like. My favorites are "Son of Sam", "Happiness", and "Somebody that I Used to Know". I agree with the sentiments that it's a bit long and it especially drags near the end. I think you can make the case that it would've been a better album if it just ended with "Happiness". 4 stars.
Eels
3/5
A couple of good songs, but mostly sounds like B-tier Beck. 3 stars.
Dire Straits
4/5
Some great stuff, but occasionally sounds like a classic rock band trying to navigate the mid-80s. "So Far Away" and the title track are the best tunes. 4 stars.
Sparks
1/5
Sounds like some hyperactive theater kids forgot to take their ritalin and made a glam rock album. 1.5 stars.
Paul Simon
4/5
Lots of great songs here including "The Boy in the Bubble", "I Know What I Know", and "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes". I do think it loses a little steam near the end which keeps it from a 5, but it's still a great listen. 4.5 stars.
Pere Ubu
4/5
The first half is especially cool. I really hear a lot of influence on 80s post-punk bands like Mission of Burma, the Minutemen, and Pixies. Highlights for me are "Street Waves", "Non-Alignment Pact" and the title track. 4 stars
The Police
4/5
First half isn't very good, second half is amazing. 4 stars.
Depeche Mode
3/5
The singles are good, the rest of the album is pretty meh. 3.5 stars.
Eminem
2/5
I've always struggled a bit with Eminem. I think he's a talented rapper and I do enjoy some of his songs, but I don't really find the content of most of his songs to be very enjoyable. That type of shock humor just isn't really my thing. "My Name Is" is the clear standout and I think the two songs Dr. Dre produced are a lot better than the Bass Brothers stuff. 2 stars.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Perfect album. Every song is a highlight. 5 stars.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
Fine, but forgettable. Mostly seems like B-tier U2.
Neil Young
3/5
I've always been kind of lukewarm on this one. I think it's fine. I prefer the first half to the second. A lot of people think this is Neil's best album, which I just don't see. "Revolution Blues" is probably my favorite. 3.5 Stars.
Afrika Bambaataa
3/5
This is actually a compilation, which is why it seems dated by 1986 standards. I think there's some good ideas here, and it's clearly influential to both electronic music and hip-hop. That being said, the rapping is super basic and the songs mostly outstay their welcome. The latter is probably a reflection of the genre's origin in club culture. Highlights are "Renegades of Funk", the title track and "Go Go Pop". 3 stars.
Lambchop
4/5
This is a really cool album. Much like their 1998 album, What Another Man Spills, Lambchop blends immaculately played old school country with orchestrated soul, and adds an element of weirdness over the whole affair. It's not perfect -- the last two songs are an odd fit for the rest of the album -- but there's a lot of standouts here -- "You Masculine You", "Grumpus", "Up With People", and "The Book I Haven't Read". 4.5 stars.
Prince
4/5
Really cool , ambitious album from Prince. Highlights include "It", "U Got the Look", "If I was Your Girlfriend" and the title track. 4.5 stars
Bon Jovi
3/5
Solid hair metal album. The singles are all enjoyable as is the closer, "Wild in the Streets". Not my preferred style, but good for what it is. 3.5.
Various Artists
3/5
I think it's well made, though a lot of these songs I'm just either sick of or there's other versions I prefer. I think the Darlene Love tracks are the best and the Bob B. Soxx songs are the worst. "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" is the clear standout and makes me wish there were more originals here. Don't need to ever hear "Frosty the Snowman" again no matter how well Phil Spector produces it. 3.5 stars.
The War On Drugs
4/5
I like the overall sound, and I think there's some good tunes here, like "Red Eyes" and "An Ocean Between the Waves", but I feel like it's just too samey overall. By the end, I kind of knew when the next song was gonna sound like before it came on. I thought 4 might be too generous, but knowing the other music that came out in 2014, 4 stars seems appropriate.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
Classic Neil Young album. Highlights include the title track, "Cinnamon Girl", and the epic "Cowgirl in the Sand". 4.5 stars.
David Bowie
4/5
There's some great stuff here -- notably "Changes", "Life on Mars?", and "Queen Bitch" -- but I do think it sags in the middle a bit and isn't quite S-tier Bowie. 4.5 stars
Kelela
3/5
I think it's well produced and pleasant, but I don't think it's as revolutionary as the critics seem to think it is. It's solid modern R&B. "LMK" and "Frontline" are probably the standouts for me. 3 stars.
Kendrick Lamar
3/5
Kendrick's always been an interesting case for me. As someone who really loves a lot of hip hop, I appreciate his talent as a rapper, and I think he does do some kind of interesting stuff with the genre. However, it's never gonna be my favorite style of hip hop. He really relies on that laid back west coast sound most of the time (albeit with a modern twist), and I've always preferred the grittiness and energy of east coast hip-hop. I think he adds some funkier, more upbeat stuff on TPAB ("King Kunta" is the best example) that are kind of missing for me here. 3.5 stars.
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
Not the best LCD Soundsystem album, but still really good. "Oh Baby" and "Call the Police" are great. 4 stars.
Common
5/5
This is a classic. The amount of talent on this album is incredible, with contributions from the Roots, Mos Def, D'Angelo, Cee-Lo Green, Jill Scott, Macy Gray, Roy Hargrove and more. The production is excellent too, mostly from Detroit's own J Dilla, but additional production from DJ Premier, D'Angelo, and the Roots. Like Water for Chocolate was a welcome shift from the bling era of hip-hop that dominated the late 90s, instead going for jazzy beats and socially conscious lyrics. Highlights include "Time Travelin' (A Tribute to Fela)", "The Light", "The 6th Sense", "Geto Heaven Part Two", and "A Song for Assata". 5 Stars.
Terence Trent D'Arby
2/5
I've only ever heard "Wishing Well" and "Sign Your Name", and that's with good reason I suppose. The rest is pretty mid 80s R&B. 2.5 stars.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
I think Hendrix builds on what made his debut great, plus introduces some new ideas. Highlights include "Spanish Castle Magic", "Little Wing", "Bold as Love", "Castles Made of Sand", "One Rainy Wish", "Up From the Skies". The only blight on it is the non-Hendrix sung "She's So Fine". Still 5 Stars though.
Peter Tosh
4/5
Never hear this album before. I have heard the title track, which honestly never did a lot for me, but I'm glad I checked this out because it's a really solid rootsy reggae album. Not as great as my favorite Bob Marley albums, but still plenty enjoyable. 4 stars.
Radiohead
4/5
t's a little long, but there's nothing bad here, and there's some legitimately great tunes like "There There" and "Myxomatosis". I still think it's their weakest album of the 00s, but they still sound like a band at the height of their powers. 4.5
Stevie Wonder
3/5
I think my problem with this album is mostly that I want more things like "Superstition", and less jazzy love ballads. My biggest issue with Stevie from an albums perspective, which is very similar to my chief complaint about Prince, is that his default songwriting mode is the ballad. Not to seem like I'm anti-ballad, but if that's more than half your songs, I think it ruins the impact of those songs and ruins the album. Still there's some great stuff here, even if I don't love it all. 3.5 stars.
Sinead O'Connor
4/5
If you'd asked me around track 7, I thought this might be headed towards 5 stars, but the last few tracks are kind of sleepy. Between tracks 2 and 7, I think this is a great album. "I Am Stretched on Your Grave" is cool, blending a 17th century song with a "Funky Drummer" loop. The middle section of "Three Babies", "The Emperor's New Clothes", "Black Boys on Mopeds", and "Nothing Compares 2 U" is a chef's kiss. And "Jump in the River" is another cool uptempo track. Still probably one of the best albums of 1990. 4.5 stars.
Queen
4/5
One of Queen's best albums. "KIller Queen" and "Stone Cold Crazy" are highlights. 4 stars
Sex Pistols
4/5
Very good punk album.
Stan Getz
3/5
3.5 Stars
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
I'm not too high on this album -- they bring in some chamber pop and baroque elements that don't really work for me and the whole thing feels too precious and overly serious to me. "Homeward Bound" and the Dylan aping "A Simple Desultory Phillipic" are probably my favorites. 3 stars.
The Dictators
4/5
I didn't know what to expect from this, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. You can definitely hear elements of American punk here -- they kind of seem like the missing link between the New York Dolls and the Ramones. The do bring an element of goofiness to the table, but I don't think it gets in the way too much. 4 stars.
The Kinks
3/5
It's fine, but think it's a bit overrated in the Kinks discography. They add in a bit too much British whimsy here, and I really think the albums that came before and after it are a lot better. Nothing here reaches the highs of Something Else or Arthur. 3.5 stars.
The Smiths
3/5
like the Smiths a bit, but for me, their best stuff is singles and B-sides. Their album cuts usually leave a lot to be desired. My favorites here are "Girlfriend in a Coma", "Stop Me if You've Heard This One Before", and "Death at One's Elbow". Most of the rest I could live without. 3 stars
The Doors
4/5
I always thought this was a cool entry in the Doors discography -- it's a lot bluesier but still retains some of their psychedelic leanings, so you end up with this weird blues album that's almost like Captain Beefheart or future Tom Waits. There's a couple tracks I don't love, but even those are interesting. My favorites are "Riders on the Storm", the title track, "Hyacinth House", and "Been Down So Long". 4.5 stars.
Yes
4/5
Prog isn't my favorite, but this is a pretty good example of it. Roundabout and Long Distance Runaround are classics. 4 stars.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Just some all time classics here, including Lodi, Commotion, Bad Moon Rising, Sinster Purpose, Wrote a Song for Everyone, and the title track. 5 stars.
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
I think it's better than Parsley, but not as good as Bridge. "America", "Mrs. Robinson" and "Hazy Shade of Winter" are the highlights, but I do think it sags quite a bit in the middle. 3.5 stars.
4/5
At times it gets a little too quirky for me, but there's a lot of great tunes here including "Uncontrollable Urge", "Mongoloid", "Gut Feeling", and their iconic cover of "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction". 4 stars
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
4/5
I think this is a super strong album, especially for the 1950s, when most artists were really singles focused. My chief complaint about it (also a complaint from the band) is the overly intrusive backing vocals from the Picks. I understand that was somewhat of a style at the time, but it's just overwhelming on about half the songs. Apparently, there's a reissue from a couple of years ago called the Alternative Chirping Crickets which scraps them. Still, there's some great songs here -- Not Fade Away, Oh Boy, That'll Be the Day, Maybe Baby, Looking for Someone to Love are all standouts. 4 stars.
New York Dolls
5/5
I was at a 4.5 on this, but as I look though my ratings, I like it as well as some of my 5s, so I'm gonna bump it up. Just some great sloppy glam punk. "Personality Crisis", "Trash", "Vietnamese Baby", and "Lonely Planet Boy" are all great and nothing it really bad here. 5 stars.
2/5
This is one of those albums that's tough for me to rate, because I don't think it's bad, but it's also not something I would ever voluntarily listen to. Like if this was playing at a trendy Brazilian steakhouse or used in a commercial for a luxurious day spa, I wouldn't think twice about it. It's totally fine. But, it's also pretty boring. No one except for Robert Dimery is going, "Hey, you gotta check out this Suba album!" It's the definition of inessential music that somehow made into a book about the most essential music ever made. 2.5 stars.
Robert Wyatt
3/5
I liked this better than I thought I would. Musically, I found it pretty interesting throughout, but the vocals are a bit of a barrier for sure. An old man warbling off-key in a British accent definitely holds back my enjoyment of it overall. I liked "Heaps of Sheeps", "Free Will and Testament", and "Blues in Bob Minor" the best. 3 stars.
Ramones
5/5
Very few albums bring me joy the way this album does -- it's just packed with energy and every song is a gem. I've said it before, but the Ramones are great at making deceptively simple music. While it's true they take a minimalist approach to the instrumentation, the songs themselves are expertly crafted, with song structures going beyond the standard verse-chorus-verse structure and filled to the brim with hooks, usually inside of a 2:30 song. The album also sounds great -- the tones are great, the band is tight, and everything stands out in the mix. Easy 5 stars.
Beastie Boys
4/5
This a really cool album that blends hip-hop, punk, and intstrumental funk. "Sure Shot", "Sabatoge", "Root Down", and "Get it Together" are all standouts.4.5 stars.
Tori Amos
2/5
I don't like Tori Amos. I'm sure she's a fine person, but I don't like her music much at all. I kind of feel bad saying this, as I know a lot of people can relate to her songs and this is an important album for them, but stylistically, I find it really difficult to get into. The arrangements are probably a little too piano-forward for my tastes and I really hate the way she sings. It's that overly theatrical style that is just like nails on a chalkboard for me. There's a few songs I think are alright -- "Crucify", "Silent After All these Years", the title track -- but probably not to the extent I'd go out of my way to hear them. 2.5 stars.
Amy Winehouse
3/5
On the surface this is a pretty cool album with it's retro sound, but I think in a lot of cases, she doesn't do enough to put her own spin on that sound and it just ends up sounding like a copycat version of classic pop. I think "You Know I'm No Good" is a great example of modernizing that sound, and it's the clear standout here. Still, she's a solid performer and this is a well-made album. 3.5 stars.
Miriam Makeba
3/5
Sebadoh
3/5
Heard a few Sebadoh albums, but this wasn't one of them. There were some songs I really liked -- "Soul and Fire" and "Homemade" were great, but there's a fair amount of stuff that just sounds like Lou goofing around too. So, it's pretty inconsistent. Some nice highs and some low lows. 3.5
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
3/5
feel like it's kind of generic 80s jangle pop. I thought it got a little stronger near the end, but all-in-all, nothing really stood out to me. If I heard any of these songs in the wild, I wouldn't know if it was Lloyd Cole or Simple Minds or Psychedelic Furs. 3 stars.
Gorillaz
4/5
I'm gonna go 4.5 on Gorillaz. I think the Dan the Automator/Damon Albarn collab is really cool and there's a lot of interesting styles coming into play here. You get Del tha Funkee Homosapian, Chris and Tina from Talking Heads, Miro Hitori from Cibo Matto, and even Ibrahim Ferrer shows up for a song. There's a ton of really cool tracks that go beyond "Clint Eastwood". "5/4", "Punk", "Sound Check (Gravity)", and my personal favorite, "Slow Country".
Elton John
3/5
I like "Candle in the Wind", "Bennie & the Jets", and the title track a lot. Could take or leave most of it. Some of the tracks like "Jamaica Jerk-Off" and "Your Sister Can't Twist" are downright bad. Never really liked "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" either. 3.5 stars.
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
For some reason this doesn't get the same attention as their next two, but I think this is a great debut that more than holds it's own. "I Left My Wallet in El Segundo", "Bonita Applebum", and "Can I Kick It?" are bona fide hip-hop classics, but there's a ton of great deep cuts here too -- "Push it Along", "Luck of Lucien", "Go Ahead in the Rain", and "Description of a Fool" are all bangers. I think it sounds as fresh today as it did in 1990. 4.5 stars.
Meat Loaf
3/5
I've always thought Jim Steinman was sort of an interesting songwriter with a pretty distinct and recognizable style My biggest problem with this album is in it's execution. If you just took the songs on their own, it kind of comes off as a poor man's Born to Run, which is perfectly fine. I might even get to 4 stars on such an album. But, I think Todd, Jim, and Meat threw in equal parts Grease soundtrack, and it comes out sounding more like Born to Run: The Musical. There's like an element of cheese spead over the whole affair. But, I do enjoy the title track and "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad", and I think there's a good song in "Paradise By the Dashboad Light" somewhere. 3 stars.
PJ Harvey
4/5
I'm normally not one to talk about production making or breaking an album, but in this case, the production absolutely makes this album. I'm not a PJ Harvey superfan, but I just love the way this album sounds. Steve Albini famously downplayed his role as a producer (to the point where he didn't even refer to himself as a producer), but the man was a true genius. In a world where everything is hyper-compressed, the dynamics of this album are incredible and make it sound like a million bucks. The title track, "Man-Size" and "Yuri-G" are probably my favorites here, but there's a lot of solid tunes here. The Dylan cover is also a cool re-invention. 4 stars.
Calexico
4/5
I really love the sound of this album. The instrumentation and stylistic influences here isn't your normal alt-country/Americana sound, and it just has this cool southwestern vibe that is pretty unique. All the songs feel very cinematic, like I'm taking a road trip through the desert and meeting a bunch of seedy characters on the way. My favorites are "Sunken Waltz", "Quattro - World Drifts In", "Black Heart", and "Güero Canelo". It's a beauty. 4.5 stars
Digital Underground
3/5
"The Humpty Dance" is a classic, and "Doowhutchyalike" isn't far off, but I think it's a big drop-off after that. I guess it's a concept album about some magical condoms or something, which is kind of interesting for 1990 -- It seems like it kind of paved the way for something like Dr. Octagon -- but, a lot of the rapping is pretty basic and old school and that sort of brings it down for me. The P-Funk based beats are generally pretty cool. 3 stars.
Bill Evans Trio
3/5
I liked it, but it's not something I would sit around an listen to. If I was a private investigator in a film noir, I'd give it 5 stars. But, since I'm not, 3 stars.
R.E.M.
4/5
Not my favorite R.E.M. album, but it's probably my 2nd favorite R.E.M. album on this list. I think this is a great sounding album -- the instrumentation is really cool (string arrangments from John Paul Jones!) . I like that it's a departure from what they were doing in the 80s, but their voice as a band still shines though. The mood of the album is also really nice -- it's sad in a way, but also uplifting. Favorite tracks are "Try Not To Breathe", "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite", "Sweetness Follows", "Man on the Moon", and "Nightswimming". 4.5 stars.
Don McLean
2/5
I'm not a fan of this. It mostly comes off as a poor man's Simon & Garfunkel. As much as I never needed to hear the title track again, it's the best thing on here. The rest of it is mostly Ambien in musical form, except for "Everybody Loves Me, Baby", which sounds like the title track with different lyrics. 2.5 stars.
Fela Kuti
3/5
Not totally my thing, but it is pretty cool. 3.5.
Nina Simone
4/5
There's definitely some great songs here, and Nina has a great voice. I do think it kind of sags a bit in the middle, but plenty of good stuff here including "Lilac Wine", "Four Women", "I Love Your Lovin' Ways", and the title track. 4 stars.
The Divine Comedy
3/5
I was prepared to not like this very much as baroque pop isn't a genre I really gravitate toward, but I thought this was pretty cool. "Everybody Knows (Except You)", "If..." and "I'm All You Need" were my favorites. 3.5 stars.
Spiritualized
4/5
The opening title track is super awesome with it's Elvis interpolation. After that, I initially wasn't completely sold on the album. I think the more rocking tracks take me out of it a bit. However the second half of the album is really where it's at. It's weird, spacey, and transcendent. Standouts for me were the title track, "Broken Heart", "Cool Waves" and "Cop Shoot Cop". 4.5 stars.
Ray Charles
3/5
This is nice enough, but it sounds kind of old fashioned even for 1959, and as a result comes across as a bit boring. What I'd Say was released the same year and packs a bit more punch. 3 stars.
The Yardbirds
3/5
I think the first couple tracks are cool, and I always loved "Over Under Sideways Down", but I think it gets pretty mid quickly. I don't think it's nearly as good as what the other British invasion bands were doing by 1966. 3 stars.
Justice
3/5
This is one of those things that's well-made, but just not my preferred style. I was kind of on board for the first few tracks, but ultimately, I just found it too repetitive. The fact that it was mostly instrumental didn't really help that. Ultimately, I'm going with 3 stars.
Janis Joplin
3/5
I've never been super high on Janis. I think she's got a cool voice, but in terms of the music she put out in her lifetime, it's never really blown me away. I do think there's some good stuff here -- "Cry Baby", "Me & Bobby McGee", "Get it While You Can", but there's some lesser stuff in the middle of the album. 3.5 stars.
Pulp
4/5
I think I actually prefer this slightly to Different Class. Some really good songs here, including "The Fear", "A Little Soul", "Sylvia", and "Like a Friend".4 stars.
Queen
3/5
It's definitely missing the banger single or two that typically elevate Queen's other albums. I'm not even that high on "Seven Seas of Rhye". I prefer the Brian May dominated side one to side two, which has some of Freddie's worst instincts as a songwriter. "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke" is one of the worst songs in their discography. 3 stars
The Birthday Party
2/5
I don't actively hate it, but I'm not sure I actively like it either. It's kind of interesting, and I can hear the beginnings of some stuff I do like. I kind of like "She's Hit", "Several Sins", "Kewpie Doll" and the title track, while others like "Dead Joe" and "Big Jesus Trash Can" sort of test my patience a bit. 2.5 stars.
John Coltrane
3/5
I'm gonna seem like an uncultured luddite here, but I just don't really get this style of jazz. I'm not going to say it's bad or anything -- these are obviously great musicians -- but, it's not something I'm really ever gonna go out of my way to listen to. Now that I've outed myself as a Philistine, I'm just gonna go 3 stars and try to be better tomorrow.
Willie Nelson
3/5
This is good, but I think at times, it's a bit boring. I like Willie -- I think he's a good singer and guitarist. The songs are all classics, but the arrangements are often too vanilla. My favorites were probably the title track, "Unchained Melody", and "Someone to Watch Over Me". 3.5.
3/5
I think it's a good album, but I think the songwriting does drop off quite a bit after the title track, which I love. High 3.5.
Nick Drake
4/5
I think this is a bit better than Pink Moon, which I'm not that high on. I think the songwriting is a bit better and I like the more fleshed out and diverse arrangements. It reminds me a little of Van Morrison's Astral Weeks. Highlights are "Northern Sky" (probably my favorite Drake tune), "At the Chime of a City Clock" and "Fly". A few of the songs on the second side don't quite do it for me, but it's still great. 4 stars.
Slipknot
1/5
Never listened to a Slipknot album in my life, so wasn't sure what to expect with this one. All the songs that come in with a double kick drum and growly vocals confirmed my worst fears and were just anxiety inducing for me. However, there were a couple of moments where Corey Taylor actually sings and the drummer plays normally that I didn't really hate. "Dead Memories" was probably the best thing here, but I also thought parts of "Psychosocial" and "Snuff" were alright. 1.5 stars.
Jimmy Smith
3/5
I'm at 3 stars for this. I thought it was good, but maybe a little samey, and it's not totally my thing.
Mylo
2/5
This isn't bad, but it's not something I'd actively listen to either. It's like the music that's playing in the background if you're at a trendy shop or cafe/bar. Definitely not essential. 2.5 stars.
Frank Ocean
5/5
I think this is a great modern classic of an album. Frank took a genre that had gotten pretty damn cheesy, and made it cool by incorporating a bunch of eclectic elements and themes that were different from the typical R&B album. Tons of highlights here, including "Thinkin Bout You", "Lost", "Pink Matter", "Bad Religion", and "Pyramids". 5 stars.
Youssou N'Dour
3/5
I like it, but it gets a bit jammy after a while, especially "Taaw". Some really nice melodies and playing on it though. 3.5
Stevie Wonder
4/5
4 stars for me on this one. Probably my favorite Stevie Wonder album.
T. Rex
5/5
I'm not that high on T. Rex overall, but I think it all comes together for Marc Bolan and the gang on this album. I think it has a super cool sound with great production from Tony Visconti and Bolan's songwriting is peak here. This album kicked of the glam rock era, and while it was often imitated, only Bowie really was able to duplicate it. Stand outs for me are "Cosmic Dancer", "Jeepster", "Monolith", and "Life's a Gas", but really the whole album is filled with highlights. "Lean Woman Blues" is the closest thing to a dud on the album. 5 stars.
The Byrds
3/5
I'm at 3.5 on this. I think the title track and "Feel a Whole Lot Better" are pretty awesome, but outside of "Feel a Whole Lot Better", the other originals on the album are kind of meh or at the very least they're overshadowed by the Dylan covers.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
I've always gone back and forth between this and My Aim is True as my favorite Elvis album, and I think this probably narrowly edges out that album. There's a lot of strong songs on this and it sounds great, which are two things you couldn't say about Punch the Clock and Goodbye Cruel World. Highlights for me are "Uncomplicated", "I Hope You're Happy Now", "Next Time Round" and especially "I Want You", which is probably the greatest thing Elvis ever wrote. 4.5 stars.
Metallica
3/5
I think the orchestra concept is interesting and works well in songs with quieter parts, but once the band gets into their heavier chugga-chugga stuff, the orchestra might as well not even be playing. Songs like "Master of Puppets" and "Battery" do not need orchestral parts, and you can barely hear them anyway. I think the softer stuff works pretty well -- "The Call of Ktulu" and "Hero of the Day" stood out as working well. I probably could've gone higher if the album was shorter, tighter, and arranged so it played to the strengths of the orchestra more. Light 3 stars.
Miles Davis
3/5
While the playing is great, it's not for me. I get that this was sort of groundbreaking in the jazz fusion world, but that's just not a genre I've ever latched onto. 3 stars.
Black Sabbath
3/5
I'm not a big Black Sabbath guy, and I find this album a bit boring as a whole. I think they get a lot better on Paranoid. "NIB" is probably the standout for me, but the rest I could take or leave. Light 3 stars.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
2/5
This just isn't my thing. There were a couple of moments that I didn't mind. "The Sage" was alright, and so was "The Great Gates of Kiev". 2 stars.
Jurassic 5
3/5
This is the first Jurassic 5 album I've listened to in full. I'm normally not super high on West Coast Hip-Hop, but this is pretty good. I'm not crazy about them as rappers, but I think the production work from DJ Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist is really cool. "A Day at the Races", "What's Golden" and "Thin Line" are the big standouts for me. 3.5 Stars.
Big Star
5/5
This is an all-timer for me. I first heard it in the early 2000s. I was vaguely aware of Big Star, but hadn't really heard any of their music, so I ended up checking out their first three albums from the library (be thankful for streaming, kids). This was an immediate favorite. Where #1 Record clearly sounds like a product of the 70s, I this is super timeless. It doesn't sound like much else from it's time and if you told me it came out last week, I might not question it. It strikes a nice balance between experimentation and great songwriting. Too many highlights to choose, but "Thank You Friends", "Jesus Christ", "Stroke it Noel", and "Holocaust" are all pretty amazing. I think the "Femme Fatale" cover also eclipses the VU version. I love the French backing vocals courtesy of Chilton's girlfriend Lesa Aldridge (one half of the titular Sister Lovers -- Jody Stephens was dating her sister). 5 stars.
Taylor Swift
4/5
I'm not the biggest pop fan, but I unironically think this is a really good album. A lot of pop music for me is sort of style over substance, and while I don't always find Taylor's lyrics that relatable, I think she's a solid songwriter with a knack for crafting catchy melodies. I think the first 9 tracks on this are all good songs, and think there's quite a few highlights, including "Blank Space", "Style", "Out of the Woods", and "I Wish You Would". I think it kind of fizzles out at the end though. 4 stars.
Peter Frampton
3/5
Growing up, I heard "Baby, I Love Your Way", "Show Me the Way", and "Do You Feel Like We Do?" too many times to count, and I always thought it was weird that I never heard anything from Peter Frampton that wasn't on this album. In the pre-internet days, I just assumed he had one live album and that was it. But, no, he has a pretty large discography. What I learned after listening to this album was that the songs I knew were pretty much the extent of Frampton's good songs. And I'm not even that high on "Do You Feel Like We Do?". So, what I've learned is that unless it's a live track with the word "Way" in the title, it's probably not great. There's a few other songs here that aren't terrible, but mostly it's just anonymous sounding 70s rock that could be anyone from the Doobie Brothers to Aerosmith. 3 stars.
The Prodigy
2/5
Every song seems like it should be playing in the background during a scene in a 90s futuristic sci-fi thriller where the protagonist has to go to a seedy nightclub. A few tunes are alright, but a lot of it is kind of irritating. "Diesel Power", featuring Kool Keith, is probably the highlight for me. There's a couple other tracks I don't mind, but I'll likely never listen to this again. 2.5 stars.
Steve Winwood
3/5
"While You See a Chance" is great, but most of the rest veers too far into adult contemporary/sophistipop for me. 3 stars.
Iron Maiden
2/5
While there were a couple tracks I found tolerable, I'll probably never listen to this again. The guitar tones are crappy, but musically, it's okay for the most part. I just can't get past Dickinison's vocals. They're so over the top and the lyrics just sound like he's describing the plot to a fantasy RPG game. 2.5 stars.
Ray Charles
3/5
The orchestra and choral arrangements are way over the top and overshadow the source material (which is a pretty great collection of songs). It ends up sounding like the music my grandma used to listen to when I was a kid. For example, "You Win Again" is a great Hank Williams song and it just sounds really corny here. I think the first few tracks are the best. 3 stars.
Television
4/5
Excellent album. Great guitar work and it just has a cool art-punk vibe throughout. My favorites are the title track, "See No Evil", "Venus", and "Torn Curtain". Doesn't quite get to 5 stars, but it's very close. 4.5 stars.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Heard this a million times, and it's of course incredible. I think it's interesting that just a couple years prior, he was primarily known for being this angry young folky protest singer, and by this album he's completely re-invented himself with these complex songs and rich arrangements. Younger me always gravitated to Bob's '65 albums, but I think in recent years, this may have jumped into the top spot. It's super varied -- you get lush, romantic Bob, goofy Bob, bluesy Bob, ramshackle rocker Bob, and maybe even a little angry Bob. If I were going to make the case that Bob Dylan is America's greatest songwriter, this is probably the album I'd use as evidence. Tons of highlights here, but my favorites are "Visions of Johanna", "Absolutely Sweet Marie", "One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)", "Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again", and "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35". 5 stars.
Jefferson Airplane
4/5
This is a pretty cool album. I think the songs that everyone knows -- "White Rabbit" and "Somebody to Love" -- are definite standouts, but there's some other cool stuff here, like "Today" and "Plastic Fantastic Lover". Occasionally they drift into this hippie folky sound I don't quite love, but when they stick to the psych rock stuff, the results are great. 4 stars.
3/5
I think this is a cool, funky album. My favorites are "The Cisco Kid", "Where Was You At", and "Beetles in the Bog". The longer jams in the middle wear out their welcome a little bit, but still a good album. 3.5 stars.
The xx
3/5
I think this is a perfectly fine album, though it's hard to make a case for it being essential in any way. I actually think the xx's debut is great, but I feel like they were running out of steam by this, their third LP. That being said, I think "On Hold" is a really cool song, and the rest of it is pleasant enough. My favorite tracks are the ones with both Romy and Oliver on vocals as I like the interplay between them. The songs where it's just Romy tend to be a bit sleepy. 3.5 stars.
Joe Ely
4/5
Hadn't heard much Joe Ely before this, but it's really cool. I don't think I've heard too many country songs with both an accordion and a Moog synth on them, "Boxcars" and the title track are probably my favorites, but it's a super solid album. 4 stars.
Fiona Apple
3/5
While this is Fiona's most commercially successful album, it's also the least representative of her, and the least essential. There's some good stuff here -- "Criminal", "Sleep to Dream", "Carrion", and "Sullen Girl" are the highlights for me -- but, she hadn't really found her groove in terms of songwriting yet, and a lot of the rest of it is just merely okay. 3.5 stars.
Joni Mitchell
1/5
This is one of those albums I kind of feel bad about not liking, because I know it's beloved by a lot of people, but this is pretty much the antithesis of everything I like in music. Don't like the singing, don't like the melodies, and it's too soft and smooth. The only tune that I found mildly interesting was "The Jungle Line", but even that was kind of soured for me when I read Joni's explanation of it.
"I thought I was black for about three years. I felt like there was a black poet trapped inside me, and that song was about Harlem—the primitive juxtaposed against the Frankenstein of modern industrialization; the wheels turning and the gears grinding and the beboppers with the junky spit running down their trumpets."
1.5 stars.
Guns N' Roses
5/5
This was a huge album for me when it came out in 1987. A lot of hard rock at that time had become pretty sanitized and formulaic, but I think GNR really sought to change that. The guitar parts and song structures were more creative, the lyrics were a darker version of the typical Sunset Strip party anthems you normally heard. Where Poison was singing "Nothin' but a good time", GNR were singing about prostitution, alcoholism, being strung out on heroin, and casually dropping f-bombs. They were like the Velvet Underground of hair metal. They also drew on a diverse set of influences, including punk and 70s pop, which was super cool for me at an age where I was just getting into music. Highlights for me are "It's So Easy", "Rocket Queen", "Mr. Brownstone", "Sweet Child O' Mine", and "You're Crazy". "Welcome to the Jungle" and "Paradise City" are definitely overplayed, but good songs if you haven't heard them in a while. The only real weak spot is "Anything Goes", but everything else is a jam. 5 stars.
Deerhunter
4/5
I like this album a lot, but I think it has maybe the most questionable start of any great album I can think of. The 1-2 non-punch of "Earthquake" and "Don't Cry" are perhaps the worst way they could've started this album, and I wouldn't blame people if they bailed at this point. However, on track 3, we finally get cookin'. I think they have a pretty cool aesthetic. Much like Panda Bear, it's sort of a modern psychedelic twist on surfy 60s music. Highlights for me are "Revival", "Desire Lines", "Helicopter", and "Coronado". 4.5 stars.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
5/5
This might be my favorite Neil Young album. I really love the contrast between his pretty acoustic numbers and abrasive fuzzed out tunes. "Thrasher" might do the best job of explaining this album. Neil's old friends in Crosby, Stills, and Nash went as far as they could with their sound, but Neil was just getting warmed up. Highlights for me are "Hey Hey, My My", "Powderfinger", and the aforementioned "Thrasher". 5 stars.
Radiohead
5/5
Love this album. I think it nicely balances Radiohead's more experimental era with the more organic sound of their earlier albums. I've long toyed with the idea of saying this is my favorite Radiohead album, and I think I'm finally there. Kid A and OK Computerare both fantastic, but here, there's no fat, just great tune after great tune. Hard to pick highlights, but for me I think "Bodysnatchers", "Weird FIshes/Arpeggi", "All I Need", and the haunting "Videotape". 5 stars.
Motörhead
4/5
I'm a notorious hater of metal, but Motorhead is cool . They avoid the pitfalls of a lot of metal bands -- they don't have a guitarist who sounds like like he's trying to impress someone at Guitar Center, their singer doesn't sound like he's auditioning for the role of a possessed person in a horror movie, and their lyrics weren't written by the dungeon master in a D&D tournament. Their songs are tight and economical, too. They're like the Ramones of metal. This is a great live set. All killer, no filler. 4.5 stars.
Pixies
5/5
first became familiar with this band when I was about 14. I was just starting to get into music that was outside the mainstream -- I knew bands like R.E.M. and the Cure, who were sort of "alternative", but still got played on the radio, but not much else. One night while watching 120 Minutes on MTV, I saw the video for "Here Comes Your Man" and instantly thought it was one of the most perfect songs I'd ever heard. It wasn't until a few years later I actually bought the album, but it quickly became a staple of my listening. Throughout my 20s I turned a few people on to this album who'd never heard it and their minds were instantly blown.
More than any other band, I think this album really encapsulates my taste. It's catchy, but also abrasive. Black Francis/Frank Black/Charles Thompson famously recruited Kim Deal by posting an ad looking for a bass player who liked both Husker Du and Peter, Paul, and Mary. That's the essence of Pixies. Abrasive, yet pretty and tuneful. Even the songs that seem abrasive and noisy have this hidden beauty that shines though -- the incredible bridge on "I Bleed", the cool surf rock breakdown on "Dead". But of course, there's plenty of songs that are just simply catchy too. Highlights for me are "Debaser", "Wave of Mutilation", "Here Comes Your Man", "Monkey Gone to Heaven", "Hey", and "Gouge Away", but all the others are perfect too. 5 stars.
The Who
3/5
Good album. "I Can See For Miles" is the obvious stand out, but "Armenia in the Sky" and "Mary Ann with the Shaky Hand" . After that, it thins out quite a bit for me. Light 3.5 stars.
Koffi Olomide
1/5
I always hate rating stuff like this, because I always wonder if there's some cultural barrier affecting me, but then I remember there's African music I actually like -- Mdou Moctar, Fela Kuti, Songhoy Blues, Youssou N'Dour. This one isn't those. I think it comes across as pretty cheesy and sounds pretty 80s, which isn't good for an album from 1992. The keyboard sounds are horrific. All the songs overstay their welcome too -- it's an hour long for 9 songs, and the songs don't really go anywhere. A couple people said it sounded like cruise ship music, which is pretty accurate. I keep waiting for Buster Poindexter to jump in and be like "Feeling hot, hot, hot!" . "Conta de Fees" was alright. 1 star.
N.W.A.
3/5
I'm kind of on the fence on this one. While I realize it was a landmark album in west coast hip-hop, specifically gangsta rap, that's never been one of my favorite subgenres of hip-hop. When you look at the hip-hop landscape overall, it feels almost dated by 1989 standards. Over in New York, you had Public Enemy, Eric B & Rakim, De La Soul, Beastie Boys, and A Tribe Called Quest all releasing classic hip-hop albums that hold up much better, all within a year of this. I also think Dr. Dre hadn't really found his style yet, and the Ice Cube kind of overshadows the other other rappers. Still, there's some good songs here. The title track and "Express Yourself" are both great, and "Fuck The Police" is more than just shock value. 3.5 stars.
Prince
4/5
I think this is a very good album, and the album when Prince really blew up. The first few tracks are stone cold classics, but there's some good deep cuts too. The title track, "1999", and "Delirious" are my favorites. 4 stars.
Carpenters
1/5
I feel like this album answers the question, "How can I make the least cool album of all time?" This album is particularly infuriating because there's good songs here. "Reason to Believe", "Help", and the Bacharach tunes are good songs at their core, they're just arranged and performed in a way that is so white, it's painful. I'd say this is grandma music, but I think my grandma may have found this a little soft. 1 star.
The Afghan Whigs
5/5
I picked up a used copy of this in 1994 on the strength of "Debonair" and "Gentlemen", which had been getting some play on MTV. It was different from the grunge that was was dominant at the time, being a little more soulful than your typical alternative band. Over the years, Greg Dulli's become a staple of alternative/indie music for me with the Afghan Whigs and with his other project the Twilight Singers. The first half of this album is flawless with every song a standout. I really like how Dulli reintroduces the chorus of the opener "If I Were Going" in "Debonair", three songs later. It's a cool use of a motif you don't see a lot in alternative rock albums. The second half isn't quite as strong, but there's some cool ideas nonetheless - I like bringing in Marcy Mays as a guest lead vocalist on "My Curse" and I like that they throw in a cover of a Tyrone Davis song, which is unusual for an album that's supposed to be a concept album about a breakup. Anyway, awesome album. Highlights are "If I Were Going", "Debonair", "Gentlemen", "Be Sweet", and "When We Two Parted". 5 stars.
Prince
5/5
Classic album, full of bangers. Nearly every song is a standout and Prince is really at the height of his powers here. Highlights are "Let's Go Crazy", "Darling Nikki", "When Doves Cry", "I Would Die 4 U", and the amazing title track. 5 stars.
Eric Clapton
4/5
I think this is Clapton's one stab at greatness as a solo artist. I think the album has a cool vibe and there's plenty to like here. Highlights for me are "Let it Grow", "Give Me Strength", and "Motherless Children". The "Willie & The Hand Jive" and "I Shot The Sheriff" covers are also pretty enjoyable. 4.5 stars.
Joanna Newsom
3/5
I heard this back in 2006 when it was all the rage, and it didn't quite click with me. Listening again this morning, there's some elements of it I do like. A lot of it has an anachronistic, almost Tom Waitsian quality to it where it feels like it was unearthed from many decades ago. I don't mind Joanna's voice, which seems to be the primary sticking point for a lot of people. It has some interesting character to it. I think the big problem for me is the songs kind of outstay their welcome. I don't think any of these really warrants being over 5 minutes, but the shortest track is 7 minutes and a couple surpass the 10 minute mark. Standouts for me are "Emily" and "Monkey & Bear" I think tighter songwriting might get me to 4 stars as I think it is pretty cool over all, but as it stands, I'm gonna go 3 stars.
The Black Crowes
4/5
Heard this album a million times -- it was one of my favorites in high school. For me, it was super fun to try to learn these songs on guitar as they use a lot of alternate tunings. When it came out, hair metal was still kind of the popular genre for rock, so this was definitely a welcome change, even if their sound owes a lot to the Faces and Rolling Stones. I think there's a ton of highlights here including "Twice as Hard", "Jealous Again", "Thick & Thin", and "Seeing Things". "Hard to Handle" and "She Talks To Angels" are a bit overplayed, but still good songs too. 4.5 stars.
The Isley Brothers
3/5
Pretty good album with some excellent fuzz guitar courtesy of Ernie Isley. "That Lady" and "Summer Breeze" are clearly the best songs here, but there's some unevenness in the rest of the album. 3.5 stars.
Elastica
3/5
Some really good songs -- "Line Up", "Connection", "Stutter", "All-Nighter", but also some filler. I do give Elastica credit for having a different sound among all the Britpop in the mid-90s. High 3.5.
Jack White
3/5
I was a big White Stripes fan back in the day, so I was excited for this album when it came out, but at the time, I was pretty disappointed by it. Somehow, being freed from the minimalistic limitations of the White Stripes resulted in Jack making a less interesting album. It's not all bad, and there's certainly some good stuff here. "Sixteen Saltines" is one of the best songs he ever wrote, and "Love Interruption" and the "I'm Shakin'" cover are also quite cool. But beyond that a lot of it is pretty uneven. 3.5 stars.
Thin Lizzy
4/5
This is a great live set from one of the best hard rock bands of the '70s. Great energetic versions of the band's best era. 4.5 stars.
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
I'm not super high on electronica or big beat, but this is decent. My favorites were "One Too Many Mornings" and "Alive Alone". Still, a lot of it is just too repetitive, which is tough for the largely instrumental tracks. 3 stars.
Merle Haggard
3/5
Thought this album was just alright. I don't think Haggard had really come into his own as a writer yet, as the best songs on the album are the ones he didn't write. The title track is good as are the last few songs. 3 stars.
B.B. King
3/5
Live at the Regal is pretty good. It's a little to straightforward for my tastes, but I think B.B. is a great singer and guitarist, and definitely makes the most out of the material. It's a great sounding live album too. My favorites were "How Blue Can You Get?", "Woke Up This Mornin'" and "Help the Poor". 3.5 stars.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
For a long time, it's been a toss-up between this and Led Zeppelin IV for their best album. I feel like III is sort of an underdog, as it really didn't get as much love from classic rock radio as II & IV. Other than "Immigrant Song" and "Gallow's Pole", you were unlikely to hear much from this. While those are great tunes ("Immigrant Song" is very high on my list of greatest hard rock songs ever), every song on this is incredible. "Celebration Day", "Out on the TIles", "Tangerine", and "That's the Way" are some of my other favorites here. Strong 5 stars.
Slayer
3/5
I'm definitely not a metal guy, but I kind of don't mind thrash metal. I feel like it tones down a lot of the theatrical elements of metal that are a non-starter for me. While I don't love this album, there's some parts of it I can get behind. I think the guitar tones are pretty solid and the vocals aren't too cheesy. Kind of reminds me of Metallica from around this time. 3 stars.
Doves
3/5
I can't say I really get the appeal of Doves. They're not terrible, and pretty inoffensive overall. But as a result, they're very boring. They're offensive in their inoffensiveness. Most of the time, they just kind of come across like a dollar store Coldplay. Very light (much like a dove) 3 stars.
Iron Maiden
3/5
My least favorite aspect of classic-era Iron Maiden is Bruce Dickinson's Dungeons and Dragons on Broadway lyrical style, so this was a welcome change. 3 stars.
Wilco
5/5
Love this album, and for most bands, it would be my favorite album in their discography, but *Being There* will have to settle for second place. It's very much the alt-Country version of Exile on Main Street. It's kind of stylistically all over the place, with the power pop of songs like "Monday" and "Outtasite", the Stonesy country of "Forget the Flowers" and "Someone Else's Song", and the noisey freakouts of "Misunderstood" and "Sunken Treasure". I do think the album fizzles out a bit at the end, but there's still a ton of great songs here. 5 stars.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
As much as I love Rumours, I think Tusk may actually one-up it. All three main songwriters are at the top of their game here. I think Christine's stuff is a little less syrupy than it had been and Stevie continues to operate at a high level, but the real surprise is the cocaine fueled weirdness Lindsey drops through the album. It all maintains the catchiness of their previous two albums, but it's a lot more ambitious. Highlights for me include "Think About Me", "What Makes You Think You're the One", "Storms", "Never Make Me Cry", "The Ledge", "Over & Over", and the excellent title Track. 5 stars.
Jungle Brothers
4/5
This is a pretty cool album. The flow does feel a tad old school at times, but I think the overall sound is pretty fresh. It brings in a lot of elements of house/dance music, so you get something that's quite a bit funkier than their contemporaries, including the other Native Tongues acts. They were also pretty pioneering in the world of positive, Afrocentric lyrics. I don't think it's quite to the level of De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest (both of whom appear on this album), but overall, it's a really good album that's deservedly held in high regard in the hip-hop world. Highlights for me are "Beyond this World", "Feelin' Alright", "What U Waitin' 4" and "Doin' Our Own Dang". 4 Stars.
The Cure
5/5
This is a classic. A lot of what I love about this album is what I love about Pink Floyd's classic run in the 70s -- the production is immaculate and the songs, while long and spacious, are still very tuneful and catchy. "Plainsong", "Pictures of You", "Lovesong", "Lullaby", and "Fascination Street" are among the many great songs here. 5 Stars.
Curtis Mayfield
3/5
Boards of Canada
3/5
I actually didn't mind this, but as is my problem with a lot of instrumental electronica, a lot of the songs are just too long and repetitive. Some of it's kind of pretty, but overall, not my jam. 3 stars.
Rage Against The Machine
3/5
I have really mixed feelings on this one. On one hand, it takes a bunch of subgenres I hate -- rap rock, funk metal, nu metal -- but against all odds, it kind of works about half the time. I think Zack De Le Rocha kind of saves the band from their own worst instincts. He's a cool frontman. I do think it's still kind of cheesy at times, but there's some cool stuff here, particularly "Killing in the Name" and "Freedom". 3.5 stars.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
I think the first half of this album is pretty good. "Beyond Belief" is great, and "Man Out of Time", "Tears Before Bedtime", and "...And in Every Home" are all good songs. However, the second half is really a slog for me. I feel like in this era of Elvis, he's afraid of rocking out too much ("Show me where the electric guitar hurt you, Elvis!") and there's just no energy anywhere. 3 stars.
U2
5/5
Love this album. I think it's a great example of a band doing a huge left turn, getting a little bit more experimental, but also making a super accessible album. Sounds great with Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno collaborating on the production work. Not really a dud track here, though I tend to be a little sick of the big singles compared to some of the deeper cuts. Highlights for me are "The Fly", "Until the End of the World", "Ultra Violet (Light My Way)" and "Acrobat". 5 Stars.
Black Sabbath
4/5
4 stars
Blondie
3/5
Blondie's always been my least favorite band that came out of the CBGB scene in the 70s. I do think there's some good songs here -- I always liked "One Way Or Another" and their cover of "Hanging on the Telephone", and even though I've heard it a million times, "Heart of Glass" is a good tune. I think the rest of the album is kind of a mixed bag for me. 3.5 stars.
Lenny Kravitz
3/5
This is another case where 1001 picked the wrong album for an artist. Lenny Kravitz gets crapped on a lot, but I think his first few albums are pretty good. However, his second and third albums are better than this. There's definitely some cool sounds and catchy songs here, even if Kravitz's songwriting prowess is a little thin. One reoccuring issue is that a lot of the songs kind of overstay their welcome, even when they start out good. My favorite tune is probably "Mr. Cab Driver". Light 3.5 stars.
System Of A Down
1/5
I really didn't like a second of this. I guess the one compliment I can give it is that Serj Tankian is sort of an interesting vocalist for this type of music. Kind of similar to Mike Patton of Faith No More, he has a big range of stuff he can do. So, I get why this might be interesting to the metalheads. But, I didn't really like any of these songs and found them pretty torturous to listen to. Maybe the mad circus music of "Peephole" was the closest to something I didn't hate. 1 star.
CHIC
3/5
I'm at a 3 for this. "Le Freak" is a cool song, but the rest kind of runs the gamut between okay and not very good.
Robbie Williams
1/5
This is one of those cases where the album isn't like offensively bad, but it's so bland and the songwriting is so lousy, it makes you wonder how it had any acclaim at all. Britpop as a genre was already on life support by 1997, and this is like a lousy example of it. It's very much the Dollar General version of like Shack or late-period Oasis. A guy with questionable talent trying to come off as reasonably cool. 1 star.
Simple Minds
3/5
I'm gonna go 3.5 on this. I don't think it's the most original sounding thing, but it's pretty good.
The Adverts
4/5
This is new to me, but I liked it quite a bit. "One Chord Wonders" is a great song, but the whole album is quite good. They remind me a bit of the Buzzcocks. It's punk, but with there's almost a power pop element underneath it. It's very catchy. 4 stars,
The Stooges
4/5
I don't know if this is my favorite Stooges album, but I think those first three are all great. It's just pure rock and roll energy. Plenty of great songs here -- "Search and Destroy", the title track, "Gimme Danger", "Shake Appeal". The production could be better, but it's a minor complaint. 4.5 stars.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
3/5
This is nice, but I think there's a cap on my enjoyment of an a capella vocal group. I was into it the first couple tracks, but it definitely got pretty samey after a while and felt longer than it's 36 minute run time. 3 stars.
Dolly Parton
3/5
I've never been super high on Dolly Parton, but I thought this was pretty good. Favorites were probably "My Blue Tears" and "Here I Am". 3.5 stars.
Jeff Buckley
4/5
For me, the middle section of this album is where it really shines -- "Last Goodbye" through "Lover, You Should've Come Over" is a great stretch of music. I do think some of the more rocking tracks feel a bit dated, like the title track and the last two tracks. Still, it's a great album, though not quite a perfect one for me. 4.5 stars.
Brian Eno
3/5
"Needle in the Camels Eye" is awesome, the rest is pretty good. 3.5
Sonic Youth
3/5
Not my favorite era of Sonic Youth -- their next three albums are the sweet spot for me -- but you do get some signs of greatness here. I think the first few tracks are cool, and "Expressway to Yr. Skull" is one of the band's best songs. 3.5 Stars.
Japan
3/5
I thought this album was pretty cool. It's sort of a missing link between the 70s Art Rock of Roxy Music and David Bowie and the 80s New Romantic bands like Duran Duran. I didn't love the VU cover, but I think everything else is pretty good. I especially liked the first half of the album. High 3.5 stars that would probably grow on relisten.
David Bowie
4/5
This has always been a weird album for me, because although I like Bowie a lot, it's not my preferred style of Bowie and probably my least favorite of the Berlin trilogy. It's also one of those albums where my appreciation of it sort of outweighs my enjoyment of it. If I were solely grading it on impact, influence, and importance, it'd be an easy 5, but if I totally ignored that, it's much lower (no pun intended). The first side has always been a bit easier for me to grab onto, and I do think songs like "Sound And Vision", "Always Crashing the Same Car" and "Breaking Glass" are pretty cool. The second side is a bit tougher for me, but I do think it's pretty, if not totally my thing. 4 stars.
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
This is another one of those albums that's here more for impact than anything. Run-D.M.C. really marked a sea change in hip-hop, from the more disco/party style of early hip-hop, to the more street style of east coast hip-hop. I don't think this is the greatest example of that sound, but they did it first and you can definitely hear the influence this album had on artists like the Beastie Boys and L.L. Cool J. The beats and flow are pretty simple by modern standards, but I do think tracks like "Rock Box" and "It's Like That" are deserved classics and hold up well. 3.5 stars.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
I liked this a little more than I thought I would. It's kind of a more soulful version of the 2 tone scene that was happening at the time. Kevin Rowland's vocals are probably an aquired taste for some, but I think the weirdness of his vocals kind of makes it kind of cool. My favorites are "Tell Me When My Light Turns Green" and "I'm Just Looking". 3.5 stars.
The Notorious B.I.G.
3/5
I think this is a pretty good album. Biggie's flow is one of the best of all time, and the production is generally solid from Easy Mo Bee, Bluez Brothers, P. Diddy and others. I think what probably keeps it from a higher score is: 1) the skits/interludes are pretty terrible, and much like Eminem, I don't care for a lot of the lyrical content. But, still pretty enjoyable overall. 3.5 stars.
The Mothers Of Invention
1/5
I don't care for this much at all. I feel like it's just trying to be goofy for the sake of being goofy and nothing here is memorable enough to really warrant it's existence. Some of the production is kind of interesting, but that's about all I've got. 1 star.
OutKast
3/5
I'm always kind of surprised that Outkast are one of the more agreeable hip-hop acts for people who otherwise don't really like hip-hop. I think when it's on, this is a really good hip-hop album -- "B.O.B", "Gasoline Dreams", "Ms. Jackson" all fantastic. But, it's also kind of a mess with a lot of filler and pointless interludes that in no way warrant a 73 minute runtime. There's a great album in here somewhere, but as it stands, it's a 3.5.
Suede
3/5
I don't really get the acclaim of this album. I think they sound like a lot of other British artists, most notably David Bowie, but I don't feel like they really do anything interesting on top of being influenced by some good artists. "We Are The Pigs" is probably the highlight here, but I don't think the songwriting is that memorable though the rest of the album. Definitely my least favorite of the major Britpop artists. 3 stars.
David Bowie
5/5
I think this is a super cool album. Probably the first of many curveballs in Bowie's discography. It incorporates elements of soul and funk, but still sounds very much like a David Bowie album. It sounds like the 1970s in the best way possible, with that phased guitar and sax. Lots of highlights here including the title track, "Fame", "Fascination", the spacey lounge lizard version of "Across the Universe", and especially "Win", one of Bowie's greatest and most underrated songs. "Right" is probably the only track that doesn't quite do it for me, but that's a minor complaint. 5 stars.
JAY Z
5/5
This is often considered one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time, and rightfully so. No dumb skits, it's just all killer and no filler. It also defined hip-hop in the 00s, putting a couple of up-and-coming producers named Just Blaze and Kanye West on the map. It sounds great and it feels not just like a classic hip-hop album, but a classic album. "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)", "Girls, Girls, Girls", "Song Cry" are all great, but the Doors sampling, Bowie interpolating "Takeover" is one of the best tracks Jay-Z ever released. 5 stars.
Janet Jackson
3/5
I think this album has a few issues. First, I think it sounds super dated. You don't hear a lot of these songs in the wild anymore, and I think there's a reason for that. Secondly, I think it's kind of samey. I'm not entirely sure "Love Will Never Do" and "Escapade" aren't the same song with different lyrics. Thirdly, I'm pretty sure whatever fondness I have for any of these songs is just from hearing them a million times when I was a teenager. Still, it's pretty well-crafted, so I can't hate on it too much. 3 stars.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Another classic album from Hendrix. While this is probably my least favorite of the three albums released during his lifetime, it's still really cool. The numerous highlights include the title track, "Crosstown Traffic", "Long Hot Summer Night", "1983", and Voodoo Child (Slight Return)", plus his covers of "All Along the Watchtower" and "Come On". 5 stars.
Fugazi
3/5
Fugazi has always been a bit of a blind spot for me despite seeming like a band I should like a lot. I know a little bit of their stuff, but have never heard this. I thought it was pretty good overall, kind of catchy, kind of punky, but nothing earth shattering. My favorite tracks were "Turnover" and "Blueprint". 3.5 stars.
Bebel Gilberto
3/5
I'm going 3 stars for this. I think it started off pretty good, and I thought the title track was quite good, but kind of got boring as it went on.
R.E.M.
4/5
I'm definitely not as high on Document as a lot of people. I think all three singles are terrific -- "The One I Love", "It's the End of the World as We Know It" and "Finest Worksong" are all perfect -- but I think when you get past those, this album is a bit of a mixed bag. I do like "Disturbance at the Heron House" a good bit, but stuff like "Lightnin' Hopkins", "Fireplace" and "King of Birds" are sort of mid for R.E.M. Still a very good to great album, but not my favorite from the band. 4 stars.
Deep Purple
3/5
I've never been that into Deep Purple outside of a few songs. I sort of see them as the genesis of a lot of styles and tropes in hard rock/metal that I really hate -- unfocused songwriting, extended wonky solos, vocal histrionics, etc. While some of these songs have a decent framework, there's a lot of aspects of it I just find irritating and don't get a ton of enjoyment out of it overall. I think "Speed King" is decent, and "Living Wreck" is pretty cool. I can see why people love "Child in Time", but it's doesn't quite get there for me. Light 3 stars.
Fela Kuti
3/5
I thought the first track was really cool. Second was fine, but took a while to get going. 3.5 stars overall.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
Echo & The Bunnymen have long been a band I feel like I should like more than I actually do. Even before I heard this album, I always thought "The Killing Moon" was a great song, but I'm not that into the rest of it. I think it's a bit backloaded -- the last four songs are my favorites -- but the rest is just okay for me. 3.5 stars.
Nirvana
5/5
I've always talked about how my favorite music tends to mix beauty with ugliness, and this is one of the very best examples on that. On its surface, it's a noisy album with abrasive guitar tones, blasts of feedback, dissonance, and screaming, but on the flip side, Kurt Cobain clearly knew what he was doing. The songs are well constructed with catchy melodies, interesting lyrics, and great production from Steve Albini. Though Nevermind was more influential, I think this is the better album. The sequencing is masterful -- "Serve the Servants" is a perfect opener with it's opening line of "Teenage angst has paid off well, now I'm bored and old", "Dumb is a great ending to side 1, "Very Ape" is a super cool opening to the slightly weirder side 2, and "All Apologies" is a great closer for both the album and the band's career. Other highlights for me are "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter", with one of Cobain's coolest bridges, and "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle", which is my favorite Nirvana track. 5 stars.
Green Day
3/5
Despite being a decent fan of Green Day in the 90s -- especially Dookie and Nimrod -- I kind of felt like this album was a "jump the shark" moment for the band when it came out. I felt like they'd abandoned their punk ethos in favor of trying to be the punk Meat Loaf or something. Not to mention, while they were always sort of pop-punk, they were more pop then punk now. I was probably a little harsh on it when it came out because I do think there's some good stuff here. I think it particularly starts strong -- the title track, "Jesus of Suburbia", "Holiday", and "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" are all pretty solid bangers. From there though, I think it's a bit of a mixed bag. I think the rest of the songs kind of range from just okay to not very good. And while the multi-part rock opera stuff is certainly ambitious, sometimes it works ("Jesus of Suburbia") and sometimes it's a flop ("Homecoming"). The album does end on a good note with "Whatsername", but overall, I don't think the album's execution quite matches its ambition. 3.5 stars.
Taylor Swift
3/5
This album isn't bad, it's just kind of meh. It's too long, and every song is kind of the same. Also, I'm not a hater of the National, but I think the Dessner brothers production style is really one note. Taylor's a talented artist and singer, but I think she needs someone who can challenge her a bit and make the songs come alive. The Dessners aren't those people. There's a million albums that sound exactly like this. 3 stars.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
4/5
I think the first half of this album is really great, and I think it starts really strong with "Around the World", "Parallel Universe" and "Scar Tissue". Really, all the singles from this album are quite solid. The band sounds great and this is some of their most consistent songwriting. I think the second half falls apart a little, and overall, trimming this by about 15 minutes probably would've given us a 4.5-5 star album. As it stands now, I'm going 4 stars on it.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
My favorite Bob Marley album and possibly one of my favorite reggae albums of all time. More than any of his other albums, I think this really captures his vibe. The production is great, the band is tight, and it just sounds like a hot night in Jamaica. My favorites are "Stir it Up", "Kinky Reggae", "Concrete Jungle", and "400 Years". 5 stars.
Gang Starr
3/5
While I think this is an important and influential hip-hop album -- it really put DJ Premier on the map as one of the greatest hip-hop producers of the 90s -- I think they would go on to bigger, better things. It's a good album, but it's not on the level of Hard to Earn or Moment of Truth. 3.5 stars.
Neneh Cherry
2/5
I've only ever heard "Buffalo Stance", and hearing the full album, it's kind of evident why. Where that song is really hooky, the rest of the album is sadly really mediocre, dated pop. Definitely not an essential album. Put "Buffalo Stance" on a playlist and call it a day. 2.5 stars.
Paul McCartney and Wings
4/5
I've always been pretty lukewarm on Paul's solo stuff. I think the title track and "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five" are great, but the rest is kind of just okay. 4 stars.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
4/5
Parts of this album haven't aged all that well -- the funk stuff especially -- but I do think when they move away from that, it's a pretty great album. "Breaking the Girl", "I Could've Lied", "Give it Away", "Suck My Kiss", and "Under the Bridge" are all pretty excellent songs. The rest isn't all bad either. Even though the first half of "Sir Psycho Sexy" is questionable, that coda is great. Too much filler, but I do think there's a classic album in here somewhere. 4 stars.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
This album has always been a bit of a frustration for me. On one hand, I think it's probably Cohen's best batch of songs he ever wrote. On the other hand, he seemingly decided to record those songs with a cheap Casio keyboard he picked up at K-Mart. So, it's basically an A for songwriting, a D for execution. "Everybody Knows" is my runaway favorite, but "Tower of Song", "First We Take Manhattan", and "Ain't No Cure For Love" also rise above their rough production choices. 4 Stars
Brian Wilson
3/5
This sounds great and has really intricate arrangements, but unfortunately most of the songs just don't do it for me. "Heroes & Villains", "Good Vibrations", and "Vege-tables" are probably the standouts for me, though I'm not sure if I prefer them to the Beach Boys versions. 3.5 stars.
Booker T. & The MG's
3/5
Green Onions is a pretty good album. Thankfully, it's pretty short, because the instrumental soul/blues stuff does sort of wear on you after a bit. Still, the title track is an all-timer and there's some good covers of "I Got a Woman" and "Twist & Shout". "Behave Yourself" is also cool. 3.5 stars.
AC/DC
5/5
One of the greatest hard rock albums of all time and it almost plays like the band's greatest hits. The title track, "Hell's Bells", "Shoot to Thrill", "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution", and "You Shook Me All Night Long" are all classics. Great guitar tones and excellent performances all around. 5 stars.
Jane's Addiction
3/5
Jane's Addiction has always been one of those bands whose legacy sort of outweighs my actual enjoyment of their music. It's kind of easy to forget how much these guys shaped 90s alternative rock. They brought in a lot of the hard rock elements 80s alternative bands like R.E.M. and the Smiths deliberately avoided. They definitely walked so the big alt-rock bands of the 90s could run. That being said, I definitely don't think the songs are as great on this one. "Mountain Song" and "Jane Says" are both classics, but after that it gets a bit thin. There's some other relatively solid tunes, but also a few clunkers, which isn't great for a relatively short album. I think they'd get better on their second album. 3.5 stars.
Lou Reed
4/5
Great album with some excellent tracks including "Walk on the Wild Side", "Perfect Day", "Vicious", and "Satellite of Love". A few weak spots prevent this from getting to 5 stars, but it's a strong 4.5.
3/5
Thought this was a pretty good album from a band that doesn't really get talked about that often. I probably enjoyed the first half a little more than the second half, but it's pretty solid. "Nature's Way" and "Animal Zoo" were the standouts for me. 3.5 stars.
The Stooges
4/5
Definitely a cool album that was ahead of it's time in 1970. I think the opening run of songs is terrific, especially "Loose" and "T.V. Eye". I don't like it quite as much as Raw Power, even if it sounds a lot better. But it's still an enjoyable record from one of the all-time greats. 4.5 stars.
Bob Dylan
4/5
Not my favorite Dylan album, but still a great one. It's amazing how much Bob grew as a songwriter between his first and second album, and it's amazing how far ahead of the curve Dylan was compared to his contemporaries. "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright", "Girl From the North Country", and "A-Hard Rain's Gonna Fall" are the standounts for me, but plenty of other enjoyable songs here too. 4.5 Stars.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
Heard this a million times and it's one of my favorites. Some days, it's my favorite Bruce album. Some of my very favorite Springsteen songs here -- "I'm On Fire", "No Surrender", "I'm Goin' Down", "Dancing in the Dark", and what's probably the most underrated Bruce song for me, "Bobby Jean". A heartland rock classic. 5 stars.
The Pharcyde
4/5
I thought this was a pretty cool album. I think the Pharcyde was one of the first real alternative hip-hop acts -- ignoring the prevalent gangsta rap happening on the west coast and really doing their own weird thing. I think I preferred the highs on their '95 album, but this is a bit more solid overall, minus some skits. Highlights for me were "Passin' Me By", "Oh Shit", and "Soul Flower". 4 stars.
Fever Ray
4/5
I've only been a little familar with Fever Ray, but have heard some stuff from Karin Dreijer's other project, The Knife. It was a pleasant surprise. I wasn't into some of the vocal processing, but other times it worked, most notably on "If I Had a Heart". The album is dark, but also strangely catchy. Highlights for me were "If I Had a Heart", "When I Grow Up", "Seven", and "Keep the Streets Empty for Me". 4 stars.
Michael Jackson
2/5
This is probably a bit of a hot take, but I don't really like Michael Jackson that much. I grew up in the 80s at the peak of his popularity, and compared to other pop stars of the era, like Prince and Madonna, MJ never quite did it for me. I feel like even his best stuff has a bit of a cheesy element to it. I think this album starts off pretty decently with "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Rock With You", but it goes quickly downhill from there. The mix of wimpy ballads and bad disco just isn't my thing. 2 stars.
808 State
1/5
This one's a no from me, dawg. 1.5 stars.
Culture Club
3/5
This actually surprised me a bit. I knew "Karma Chameleon", "Miss Me Blind", and "Church of the Poison Mind" by virtue of being alive in 1983, but really, the whole album is pretty consistent. Some of the deeper cuts like "Black Money" and "That's the Way (I'm Only Trying to Help You)" are pretty cool too. Boy George is a better singer than I think I realized -- there's a nice blue-eyed soul quality to the whole affair -- and it doesn't sound totally dated like a lot of the pop from this era does. Probably not an all-timer for me, but I thought it was a good, enjoyable listen. 3.5 stars.
Sufjan Stevens
3/5
Sufjan Stevens has always been a weird artist for me. While I think he's objectively a talented guy, his sensibilities are a bit at odds with what I want out of music. Where I tend to lean into music that's raw, loose, and minimal, Sufjan tends to lean into this sound that's very ornate and precious with these kitchen sink arrangements. I feel like if you took Sufjan Stevens to one of those places where you can build your own sundae, he's the guy who puts every conceivable topping on it -- sprinkles, gummy worms, bacon, kiwi fruit, fresh basil... I think there's some good songs in here, but his overall vibe kind of wears me out. 3 stars.
Kate Bush
3/5
I think the first couple of tracks on this album are pretty great, but after that it gets pretty hit or miss for me. Much like Tori Amos, Kate Bush too often drifts into this over-the-top theatrical vocal style that is just nails on a chalkboard for me. Still, based on the strength of the first couple tracks and a couple others, I'm going with a 3.5.
Drive Like Jehu
3/5
I think this is pretty good, and I can see why it's in the book -- it definitely helped spawn a lot of new subgenres like emo and math rock. It's not totally my thing, but I did enjoy a few of the songs -- "Here Come the Rome Plows", "Golden Brown", and "Super Unison" are all pretty cool. I didn't really like the longer songs, which I found to be a bit plodding. 3.5 stars.
The Byrds
3/5
I've always been kind of lukewarm on this album, and not totally sure why it's considered their best (or one of their best). I think the two Goffin/King songs are easily the best things here, but after that it gets a bit messy. With Gene Clark and now David Crosby out of the band, McGuinn and Hillman are forced to do a lot of the heavy lifting and I'm not that crazy about them as songwriters. The aforementioned Goffin/King songs and "Draft Morning" are the highlights for me. 3.5 stars.
Thelonious Monk
3/5
Tangerine Dream
2/5
I don't know about this one. On one hand, I can see how it's groundbreaking, but on the other hand, it doesn't do much for me aside from provide some nice background music. I don't know that it's something I'd ever return to. 2.5 stars.
Napalm Death
1/5
So, despite having 28 songs on this album, I've learned that Napalm Death really has two types of songs.
The first type of song sounds like you threw a group of hyperactive kids in a room without their Ritalin and gave them some instruments. Then you invited a guy who appears to be the child of the Cookie Monster and the girl from The Exorcist and had him growl over it.
The second type of song starts with a fairly cool thrash metal riff, and you think to yourself, "Hey, cool, an actual song." But after ten seconds it just turns into the first type.
I almost want to rate this higher for the comedy of it all, but I cannot. 0.5 stars.
The United States Of America
2/5
I'm not too crazy about the United States of America. Parts of it were alright, but then the rest of it is just like psychedelic circus music. It's like they learned all the wrong lessons from the Beatles. Some nice fuzz bass helps it a little, but I don't think the songs are that good. 2.5 stars.
Radiohead
4/5
Great album. I always say this is like my fifth favorite Radiohead album, but that's more a testament to how strong their discography is and not necessarily a knock on this. I think "Planet Telex", "Fake Plastic Trees", "Just", and "Street Spirit" are really great and are harbingers of things to come. A few of the songs kind of feel like they're holding on to their Pablo Honey sound a bit -- I don't really like the title track at all -- but it's a great leap in quality from their debut. 4.5 stars.
Kanye West
5/5
Before he turned into an insane person, Kanye West was one of the more innovative hip-hop artists of the 21st century, and this album is really his magnum opus. The production is masterful. There's a super weird collection of artist features including Jay-Z, Raekwon, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Justin Vernon, Drake and Elton F**king John. And there's just a ton of great songs here -- "POWER", "All of the Lights", "Monster", "Devil in a New Dress", and "Runaway", which is still one of the best songs of the 21st century. If I had a minor complaint, it's that the album is a bit long, and it would've been killer to just have "Runaway" be the closing track. Still, it's a fantastic album and one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time. 5 stars.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
2/5
"Hey guys, I know we just jammed on a Bo Diddley song for 25 minutes, but maybe we should throw something different on the album."
"Like what?"
"How about a 7 minute jam of a different Bo Diddley song?"
The playing is pretty good here, but as an album, it's boring as hell. It's just some guys jamming for 45 minutes and ending with a goofy cover of "Happy Trails". 2.5 stars.
Fleet Foxes
3/5
I've always been kind of lukewarm on Fleet Foxes. A lot of my complaints about Sufjan Stevens also apply to them -- there's this layer of preciousness that kind of takes me out of their music a bit. They kind of remind me of a less rocking, more precious My Morning Jacket. Still, I think there's a couple of great songs here in "White Winter Hymnal" and "He Doesn't Know Why". 3.5 stars.
Cyndi Lauper
4/5
I've actually never heard this before, despite knowing all the singles from when I was a kid. I think the first six songs are all great here, and up through "All Through The Night", I was pretty sure I stumbled upon a 5-star classic here. "Money Changes Everything" is a cool opener. "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and "When You Were Mine" are a pair of cool covers that take on new meaning when sung from the opposite gender. "Time After Time" and "All Through The Night" are essential 80s ballads. And "She Bop" is the most fun song about masturbation ever.
However, the album feels like they ran out of ideas after that. The last batch of songs are as inessential as the rest of the album is essential.
Still, I can't deny how good the first 60% of the album is. The standouts for me are "Money Changes Everything", "Time After Time", and "All Through the Night". 4.5 stars.
Rod Stewart
5/5
This album rules. It's the same energy as the classic run of Rolling Stones albums where it has this sloppy, loose, tossed-off feel that somehow all comes together in a perfect way. Ronnie Wood just kills it through the whole album with some incredible guitar and bass parts. Stewart sounds like a grizzled old rock singer at the age of 25 . The songs are all perfect too, featuring a mix of Wood/Stewart originals and some cool covers. The standouts for me are the title track, "Seems Like a Long Time", "Maggie May", "(I Know) I'm Losing You", and "(Find a) Reason to Believe". 5 stars.
The Police
3/5
Regatta de Blanc is a classic Police album -- a few great singles and some other songs. 3.5 stars.
Coldplay
5/5
I think this is a great album. Sounds great, and the songs are just beautiful. It is a bit frontloaded, but there's not a bad song here. "Politik" is an incredible opener, and other standouts include "In My Place", "The Scientist", "Clocks", and "Warning Sign". 5 stars.
Sisters Of Mercy
3/5
I've somehow never heard a song by this band, despite having heard of them. I kind of enjoyed the overall sound of the album -- they remind me of early 80s Cure, Bauhaus, and Nick Cave. However, I think the songwriting could be tightened up a bit. A lot of the songs go on forever without much happening. I was suprised to see Jim Steinman of Meat Loaf fame produced two of the tracks on the album, which is a super weird fit. Highlights for me were "Dominion/Mother Russia" and "Lucretia My Reflection", the latter of which is the catchiest thing here. I wasn't really that high on the rest of the songs. 3 stars.
Britney Spears
2/5
I'm not sure why this album is in the book. Even by the standards of Britney Spears' discography, I don't think this is her best work. The title track is a pretty catchy track with some nostalgia value, "Sometimes" is okay, and the cover of Sonny & Cher's "The Beat Goes On" is probably the most palatable thing here. The rest is generic late 90s pop filler that's as timeless as a glass of milk. 2 stars.
3/5
I've never been super high on Muse. They kind of remind me of like a less cool version of Radiohead. They're like OK Computer-era Radiohead with some cheesy elements mixed in. I do think "Starlight" is an enjoyable song. The rest of it is kind of a mixed bag for me -- I'm not as high on "Supermassive Black Hole" and "Knights of Cydonia" as others seem to be. 3.5 stars
Michael Jackson
4/5
I've always thought this was one of the most overrated albums of all time. It's good, but it often gets mentioned in the greatest of all time conversations, and that I do not see. The album starts off pretty well with "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", a good song that does overstay it's welcome a little bit (the single version actually shines here) . The next two songs are god awful. "Thriller" spawned one of the greatest music videos of all time, but taken out of context, it's a very mediocre song and the Vincent Price bits don't make nearly as much sense. "Beat It" and "Billy Jean" are both pretty great. "Human Nature" is okay, but leans a bit too far into yacht rock territory. "P.Y.T." is a good song with lyrics that have aged as well as a glass of milk. The closing track is awful.
So really, we're talking about an album where 1/3 is great, 1/3 is awful, 1/3 is merely decent. I'll settle on a low 4 stars.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
This isn't my favorite Nick Cave album (I think the albums released before and after it are better), but there's some pretty great stuff here, and the overall concept of the album is pretty interesting. Highlights for me are "Kindness of Strangers", "Death is Not the End", and the incredible duet with P.J. Harvey, "Henry Lee". 4 stars.
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
I thought the first few tracks of this album were pretty cool. After that, it was kind of diminishing returns. I think the guitar textures are pretty cool, but overall, I don't love it. 3 stars.
Adele
4/5
I actually never head this (or any Adele album) before despite knowing "Rolling in the Deep", "Rumour Has It", and "Someone Like You" via their early 10s ubiquity. Overall, I think this is really good -- I think Adele is a great singer and I think the retro-modern style she employs on "Roliing in the Deep" and "Rumour Has It" is really cool. If I had one complaint about it (and Adele is far from the only singer guilty of this) is the sort of over-reliance on somber ballads. Still, there's some great stuff here and nothing really bad. Standouts for me are "Rolling in the Deep", "Rumour Has It", and "Don't You Remember" (which was cowritten by Dan "Closing Time" Wilson). 4 stars.
Arcade Fire
4/5
I think this is a great album, which for the most part streamlines the sound the band developed on Funeral, while bringing in a few fresh ideas too. It's more refined. The first half really shines here with "Keep the Car Running" and "Intervention" being the big standouts for me. But, I think everyhing else in the first half is uniformly great -- "Black Mirror", the title track, "Ocean of Noise", and the interestingly structured "Black Wave/Bad Vibrations". The second half has it's moments too, but I think what kind of holds it back for me are the last two songs (which I realize everyone but me loves). It's not that they're terrible songs, but they kind of lose the tone set by the rest of the album, since they kind of retreat to the band's more bombastic approach on their first album. Still, there's a lot of great stuff here. 4.5 stars.
The Black Keys
3/5
The Black Keys have long been a band I just thought was pretty good. I first heard them around the time of Rubber Factory. I heard this when it came out and that's probably the last time I really thought about it. The first few songs are really good -- "Everlasting Light" and "Next Girl" being the clear standouts here. After that, it's kind of just okay. There's nothing egregiously bad, and everything sounds good, but the songs are just not that exiciting for the most part. 3.5 stars.
Frank Zappa
3/5
Hot Rats is pretty good for a Frank Zappa album. Frank not providing any vocals automatically bumps it a star or two. "Peaches en Regalia" and "Willie the Pimp" are the standouts for me, with Captain Beefheart swooping in to save the day on the latter. 3.5 stars.
Marty Robbins
4/5
I first heard Marty Robbins the same way most people under the age of 70 did -- playing Fallout: New Vegas. This is a pretty fun album, and I've always liked these story songs from the 50s. This album definitely walked so Nick Cave's Murder Ballads could run. Highlights for me were "Big Iron", "El Paso", and "They're Hanging Me Tonight". 4 stars.
Nico
4/5
This is a really cool album that acts as sort of a prettier, less-abrasive cousin to The Velvet Underground debut. Lou Reed, John Cale, and Sterling Morrison act as the backing band for about half the album, with Jackson Browne showing up for the other half. The songs are all very good, with Reed, Cale, and Browne contributing most of the tracks with songs from Dylan and Tim Hardin rounding out the set. The whole affair kind of mixes chamber folk with some art-rock elements and has a really cool, unique sound. Despite my fondness for the VU, I probably give the slight edge to the Jackson Browne stuff here -- "These Days", "I'll Keep it With Mine", and "The Fairest of the Seasons" are the standouts for me -- but I think the VU stuff acts as a nice, weird complement to the prettier Browne tracks. 4 stars.
Hugh Masekela
3/5
Solomon Burke
4/5
This is my preferred flavor of soul music -- the early 60s southern soul that inspired a lot of the British rock bands of the 60s. It's a great album with seven of the albums 12 tracks becoming hit singles. "Cry to Me", "If You Need Me", and "You're Good For Me" are the clear standouts here, but the whole album is quite strong. 4.5 stars.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
Heard this album a million times -- it's one of the greatest ever recorded and it might not even be their best album. This is really the first Stones album where they start to sound Stonesy. It's a great batch of songs -- "Sympathy for the Devil" remains one of the greatest rock songs ever, plus you get "Street Fighting Man", "No Expectations", "Jigsaw Puzzle", "Stray Cat Blues", "Factory Girl", and "Salt of the Earth". Great playing, effortlessly cool, and perfectly sequenced. 5 stars.
The Electric Prunes
3/5
This is a pretty good psychedelic garage rock album. Highlights are "I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night", "Get Me to the World on Time", and "Luvin'". However, there's also some filler and some downright corny stuff like "The King is in the Counting House" and "The Toonerville Trolley". When it's on, it's great. Just not super solid. 3.5 stars.
Radiohead
5/5
This album was really a game changer for me when it came out in my early 20s. At the time it really changed my perspective of what a standard guitar/drums/bass/keys rock band could sound like. It was weird and ambitious, but at the same time really accessible. I think the first half of this album where it really shines -- "Airbag" through "Karma Police" is just a great set of songs. Things get a little iffier on the back half with "Fitter Happier" and "Electioneering" being the chink in the armor. Thankfully, it does pick back up with the excellent "No Surprises". Highlights for me are "Airbag", "Paranoid Android", "Let Down", "No Surprises", "Subterranean Homesick Alien", and "Exit Music (For a Film)". 5 stars.
Duke Ellington
3/5
This type of big band jazz always reminds me of my grandparents. Being a jazz dummy, I don't know if it's good or bad, but I there's some nostalgia involved here, which brings me some enjoyment. My favorites were Festival Junction and Newport Up. 3.5 stars.
David Gray
3/5
Despite knowing and liking "Babylon", I've never actually heard this album in full. My general take on it is that it's pretty nice and inoffensive, but also a little boring. I think the first two songs -- "Please Forgive Me" and "Babylon" -- are the best things here. The rest is kind of lesser versions of the same style -- folky acoustic guitars with some programmed drums. "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" is a great song too, but I don't think Gray's version holds a candle to the original Soft Cell version. 3 stars.
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
3/5
I thought this was pretty enjoyable, if a little rough around the edges. "San Francisco Bay Blues" and "Cocaine" were the highlights for me. Definitely and interesting slice of proto-Dylan. 3.5 stars.
Patti Smith
4/5
This album isn't perfect, but I do think it's a super cool, influential album. Patti does something similar to other bands of the CBGB scene in that she takes her idea of what rock 'n roll sounds like, but takes it in a new futuristic direction. So the end result is an album that doesn't really sound like what was happening in rock at the time, but if you listen to a lot of the alternative/college rock albums of the '80s, this is sort of the genesis of that. Highlights for me are "Gloria", "Free Money", and "Break it Up". 4 stars.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Armed Forces is a really good album that is ridiculously front-loaded. Side one is nearly perfect, however, I think it falls apart a bit in the second half -- the run of "Sunday's Best" (rightfully scrapped on the original U.S. release) through "Chemistry Class" feels like some serious filler. Depending on whether "What's So Funny 'Bout Peace, Love, and Understanding" is part of the tracklist, it's somewhat redeemed in the end. Standouts for me are "Accidents Will Happen", "Oliver's Army", "Big Boys", and if it counts, "What's So Funny 'Bout Peace, Love, and Understanding". 4 stars.
Megadeth
3/5
I actually liked this album more than I thought I would, but still not really up my alley and I don't anticipate ever listening to it again. 3 stars.
Alanis Morissette
3/5
When I was 20, this album was pretty huge. Everyone had a copy, and you couldn't avoid hearing one of the 6 singles on the radio. It was like the alt-pop Thriller. Listening to it 20 years later, it's not as good as I remember. The singles are mostly fine. The deep cuts leave a lot to be desired. I think Alanis has a tendency to lean into this quirky alternative girl style that seems pretty dated and cheesy now and the production is very dated. Highlights for me are "Hand In My Pocket", "Head Over Feet", and probably "You Learn". "You Outta Know" and "Ironic" are alright, but so overplayed, I could go the rest of my life without hearing either. 3.5 stars.
Finley Quaye
3/5
I expected worse based on some of the comments, but I thought this was decently enjoyable. Probably not essential, but I did enjoy a fair number of tracks here. "Sunday Shining" was the highlight. 3.5 stars.
Spiritualized
4/5
Spirtualized was a band I never really listened to before this 1001 project, but think both of their albums in this list are really cool. I slightly prefer Ladies and Gentlemen to this one, but this is really nice, and it sounds more timeless than a lot of the stuff coming out of the UK at this time. I do think this sags a little bit in the middle, but it really bounces back -- the last 4 tracks are really nice. Highlights for me are "You Know It's True", "Shine a Light", "Angel Sigh", and "Sway". 4 stars.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
4/5
It's a great album, but maybe not even a top 5 Tom Petty album, so it's inclusion as the lone Petty album is an odd one. Obviously, "American Girl" and "Breakdown" are awesome. The rest of the album is solid too, with "The Wild One, Forever" being the other big highlight. 4.5 stars.
Johnny Cash
4/5
Good live set from Johnny Cash. Performing one song twice is a bit weird, but give the people what they want, apparently. 4 stars.
Circle Jerks
3/5
I'm not a huge fan of this style of hardcore punk, but it's kind of a fun album. 3 stars.
The Psychedelic Furs
3/5
This band is kind of a blind spot for me -- I knew "Pretty in Pink" and "Love My Way", but never heard anything else. Think album was pretty sold, though probably a bit front loaded. "Pretty in Pink" and "Mr. Jones" were the highlights. 3.5 stars.
Dr. Dre
3/5
Despite generally being a hip-hop fan, I've never been that high on this album or the west coast g-funk sound in general. I think Dre is a pretty good producer, though he's far from my favorite. But I don't think the rapping here is very good. Snoop is a lot better than anyone else when he's on. The lyrics are generally kind of terrible. "Nuthin' But a G Thang" is the highlight here, and there's a few other decent cuts ("Lyrical Gangbang" stands out as a good deep cut), but I think this is a super overrated album as far as 90s hip-hop goes. 3 stars.
Christina Aguilera
3/5
This is a weird album that should've probably been two separate albums. My feeling is they didn't quite have enough material for the Linda Perry half, so they just jammed it on a second disc.
The first disc isn't bad -- it features a lot of production from DJ Premier and Mark Ronson and has that sort of retro-futuristic sound similar to Amy Winehouse and early Beyonce. I think "Ain't No Other Man" is pretty cool.
The second disc, written and produced by notable Non-Blonde Linda Perry, is kind of a mess. Some of it attempts a throwback sound similar to the first disc ("Candyman", "Nasty Naughty Boy"), but a lot of it is just run-of-the-mill 00s pop that feels super anonymous.
I think it could've been improved by maybe keeping it to one disc and scrapping the generic Linda Perry tracks. As it is, it's pretty disjointed. A very light 3 stars.
Beastie Boys
4/5
Not my favorite Beastie Boys album, but arguably their most important. In 1986, hip-hop was still a predominantly black urban artform. This album changed all that. It's not the greatest hip-hop album of all time or maybe even of it's time, but I think it helped hip-hop reach an audience it may not have otherwise. There were countless white suburban kids like myself who probably would've never given rap much of a shot prior to this album. The Beastie Boys did with rap what Elvis did with R&B in the 50s. That's not to say this album doesn't have merits. I think there's some innovative structures compared to other hip-hop albums of the time ("The New Style" does this really well), the flow is pretty good for the era, and I think Rick Rubin does a good job of mixing his mostly classic rock samples with 808 beats and some actual instrumentation courtesy of himself and Slayer's Kerry King. Standouts for me are "Rhymin' & Stealin'", "The New Style", "No Sleep 'Til Brooklyn", and "Fight for Your RIght". 4.5 stars.
The Icarus Line
3/5
I thought there were parts of this that were kind of cool -- "Up Against the Wall Motherfuckers", "On the Lash", "Spike Island" -- but a lot of it was pretty mediocre. It sounds like a lot of other stuff at the time, so I can see why it may have gotten some praise from critics like Drowned in Sound and Tiny Mix Tapes, but when you dig deeper, the songwriting isn't very good -- it's just like this mid-2000s garage-y noise rock without any legs. 3 stars.
Coldplay
4/5
I don't think it's the best (or even second best) Coldplay album, but it is a good debut with some great highs, including "Don't Panic". "Yellow", and "Trouble". It does run out of steam a bit after "Trouble", and if I had a minor complaint, it's that it gets a bit samey. I think A Rush of Blood to the Head has more sonic variance. 4 stars.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
I'm a big fan of this album, and I think it occupies a unique space in Springsteen's discography. It's notably more stripped down than it's predecessors and Bruce gets a little grittier and rocking here. He was reportedly enamored with the punk scene around this time, and while you're never going to confuse him for the Ramones, some of that angst-fueled energy finds it's way into this set of songs. "The Promised Land", "Badlands", "Racing in the Street", "Adam Raised a Cain", "Streets of Fire", and the title track are all standouts. Heartland rock at it's finest. 5 stars.
The Fall
3/5
I thought the first song was cool. The rest less so. 3 stars.
Snoop Dogg
3/5
I prefer this slightly to The Chronic. I think Dr. Dre refines his G-Funk sound a little, the rapping is way better, and Snoop does a good job of lightening the mood. There's still a good deal of unevenness here, and the skits are pretty bad, but there's some really good highs here including "Gin & Juice", "The Shiznit", "Murder Was the Case", "Who Am I?", and "Pump Pump". 3.5 stars.
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
This is probably the best of these 90s electronica albums we've had. While at times, it does fall into the trap of being too long and repetive without much happening, there's some tracks that are really good here. I which the Chemical Brothers would have worked with vocalists more often because the tracks with Noel Gallagher and Beth Orton are my easy favorites. Standouts for me are "Block Rockin' Beats", "Setting Sun", and "Where Do I Begin". 3.5 stars.
Norah Jones
3/5
So, from an objective standpoint, I think this is a very good album. Norah's a great singer who has surrounded herself with good musicians and the songs are all fine. Still, there's something I don't quite like about it. It feels very safe. Movie people talk about films being Oscar bait a lot, and this feels like Grammy bait. Slightly jazzy, slightly bluesy ballads with pristine, timeless production. So, while I think it's good, I think it's also a little lacking in the excitement department and that holds me back a bit. Highlights for me are probably "Don't Know Why" and the title track. I also kind of appreciated the countryish "Lonestar" for bringing a different vibe to the album. 3.5 stars.
Billy Bragg
4/5
This is my first time hearing this album, but I had Billy's 2003 compilation *Must I Paint You a Picture*, which had four of these songs on it, I believe. I got into Billy in the late 90s with the *Mermaid Avenue* albums he did with Wilco, and finally decided to check out some of his solo albums. I think he has a really unique sound that's based on this Guthrie/Dylan style of political folk music, but he mixes in elements of punk and jangle pop and crafts something really interesting. The instrumentation is pretty minimal -- usually just an electric guitar -- but there's some other touches that keep it interesting. Highlights include "Levi Stubbs' Tears", "There is Power in a Union", "Greetings to the New Brunette" (which features Kristy MacColl and Johnny Marr), and the excellent "Help Save the Youth of America", a hilarious and poignant flip of the "We Are The World" type benefit songs which suggest America is the country that really needs help. It's funny, but true. 4.5 stars.
Neil Young
4/5
I think this is a really good album, even though it's not my favorite flavor of Neil. Parts of it I really like, but it occasionally sounds too much like Crosby, Stills, and Nash, which isn't a sound I'm that high on. Highlights for me are the title track, "Don't Let it Bring You Down", the "Oh Lonesome Me" cover and "When You Dance, I Can Really Love". The title track is possibly my favorite Neil song. Top 5 anyway. Strong 4 stars.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
2/5
Never heard of this one before. Jah Wobble was apparently the bassist for PiL, which this album sounds nothing like. It's a very generic blend of world music (Latin, dub, Middle Eastern). It's not bad, but it's not cohesive in the slightest. Every song feels like a completely different artist, especially since there's a handful of wildly different vocalists on the album (including Sinead O'Connor). Not the worst, but devoid of personality. 2.5 stars.
The Style Council
2/5
When I first heard this album, I thought it was really bad. Hard to believe this guy made The Jam's Sound Affects just a few years prior. I've kind of warmed up a little this time there are a couple good songs here, namely "You're the Best Thing" and "My Ever Changing Moods". But the overwhelming majority is just the cheesiest music you can imagine. Someone should've intervened with Paul Weller before stuff like "Me Ship Comes In!", "A Gospel", and "Strength of Your Nature" were ever committed to tape. 2.5 stars.
Michael Jackson
3/5
Another album from the King of (Mediocre) Pop. I think the first half of this album is quite bad, and not in the way the album thinks it means. "The Way You Make Me Feel" is okay, the title track sees Michael trying to convince us how cool his is over the cheesiest 80s music one could imagine, "Liberian Girl" is awful as are the other tracks. Things get better on the second half. "Man in the Mirror" and "Smooth Criminal" are both solid pop songs, but the real highlight here is what might be the best thing Jackson ever put to tape -- "Dirty Diana". It's the closest Michael comes to actually seeming cool. The rhythm guitar has like a proto-Mk.Gee thing going on, it has a cool cello part that comes in, and I like how Michael's voice almost seems broken at the end. You have to wade through some cheese, but you finally get some badness. Light 3.5 stars.
The Who
4/5
Going with 4 stars for *Live at Leeds*. The first half is especially strong with their "Young Man Blues" and "Summertime Blues" covers and a rousing version of "Substitute".
Radiohead
5/5
My hot take, which surely no one agrees with, is this album is better than *The Bends*. I think this album represents Radiohead at the peak of their powers, when they were just wildly experimenting with their sound and still managing to craft some of the best music ever. I don't love everything here, but there's a ton of great highlights including "Pyramid Song", "You and Whose Army", "I Might Be Wrong", "Knives Out", the alternate version of *Kid A*'s "Morning Bell", and one of my absolute favorite Radiohead songs, "Life in a Glasshouse". 5 stars.
Ali Farka Touré
3/5
This was pretty cool. Not sure how much I'd return to it, but I thought it was pretty enjoyable throughout. 3.5 stars.
Muddy Waters
3/5
I love the version of "Mannish Boy" here, but the rest is a little less successful for me. There's some other good tunes like "I Can't Be Satisfied" and "Crosseyed Cat", but a lot of it just veers into generic Chicago Blues territory. Still good though. 3.5 stars.
Deee-Lite
2/5
"Groove is in the Heart" is a timeless classic, but I'm not sure I've heard anything else by this band, even the other supposed charting singles. I guess the reason for this is that the rest of this album is pretty mediocre early 90s dance music. Lady Miss Kier isn't that engaging of a frontperson on her own, and without Bootsy Collins and Q-Tip adding their special sauce, it's pretty dull stuff. 2 stars.
Sonic Youth
3/5
Thought this albums was pretty good, and kind of in-between EVOL and Daydream Nation in terms of my enjoyment. There's some stuff I really like here, like 'Schizophrenia", "Tuff Gnarl", and "Catholic Block". The songs where Gordon and Ranaldo take vocals are a bit less successful for me. Still pretty good overall. 3.5 stars.
Wu-Tang Clan
5/5
This is a super cool album. I think it's really groundbreaking for 1993 -- it doesn't really sound like a lot of stuff that was happening at the time. It's neither gangsta rap nor socially conscious jazz rap, but instead occupies it's own space. All eight members bring a unique vibe to the album, but it somehow all works together. The flow is great, and their vocabulary and wordplay is some of the best ever. RZA's production is also fantastic. There's an offbeat, gritty, almost lo-fi quality to it, but at the same time, it's super catchy. Not really a weak song here, but the highlights for me are "Bring Da Ruckus", "Shame on a N***a", "C.R.E.A.M.", "Protect Ya Neck", and "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'". Certainly one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time. 5 stars.
Marvin Gaye
3/5
I always liked the title track for this one, but the rest of the album isn't as good. The first side is quite good -- second side less so. The title track is the standout, but "Please Don't Stay" and "If I Should Die Tonight" are also highlights. 3.5 stars.
Mott The Hoople
3/5
This was a bit better than I remembered it. I'm still not super high on Mott the Hoople overall, but I think the first few tracks are pretty solid here. It sags a little bit in the middle, but bounces back at the end, with a song that might be my favorite Mott the Hoople track. Highlights are "All the Way to Memphis", "Hymn for the Dudes", and "I Wish I Was Your Mother". 3.5 stars.
Ryan Adams
5/5
It's a shame Ryan Adams turned out to be such a turd, because this is a fantastic album. For my money, it's one of the best alt-country albums ever. There's elements of 70s Americana and Dylan-esque folk with a nice raw edge to it. Gillian Welsh and David Rawlings act as Adams' backing band here and the album sounds excellent throughout. It's sparse, but there's also some really cool subtle production elements. Emmylou Harris, Kim Richey, and Allison Pierce also show up for some great guest spots. Highlights for me are "To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High)", "Why Do They Leave", "Call Me On Your Way Back Home" (I love the drums and harmonica coming in at the end here), "My Sweet Carolina", and "Come Pick Me Up". 5 stars.
Yes
4/5
Despite my overall indifference to progressive rock, I think this is a really good album. I've always liked the "I've Seen All Good People" suite, especially "Your Move". I'm a little more mixed on the "Starship Trooper" suite, but "Life Seeker" is pretty awesome. I think I prefer this slightly to *Fragile*, but they're pretty similar in quality for me. 4 stars.
Orbital
2/5
I thought this started off all right, but it really went on for too long and was too repetetive for my tastes. The first track was probably my favorite. Some more tracks with vocals definitely would've been welcome here. 2 stars.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
3/5
My mom played this album a lot, so I've heard it a number of times. I know this score probably seems low, but I do think it's a good album, and probably one of my favorite instrumental jazz albums. "Take Five" is the standout here, but it's a solid album all around. 3.5 stars.
Fats Domino
3/5
Going 3.5 on Fats. I thought the first half was better than the 2nd, and it definitely got a little samey after a while. "Blue Monday" was the standout for me. There's some other Fats stuff I prefer that wasn't on this album.
Wild Beasts
4/5
I think Hayden Thorpe's vocals are an acquired taste (a bit of an understatement, I know), but if you can get past it, I think this is a pretty interesting album. They kind of remind me of a slightly funkier version of Grizzly Bear. Funky maybe isn't the right descriptor, but there's sort of a rhythmic quality to it that stands out among this type of of arty, baroque-inspired late 2000s indie rock. I think there's a lot of standouts here including "The Fun Powder Plot", "Hooting & Howling", "We Still Got the Taste Dancin' On Our Tongues", and "This is Our Lot". 4 stars.
Holger Czukay
3/5
I thought this was alright. I thought the first track was the best -- it kind of reminded me of the art disco of Of Montreal. Beyone that, "Persian Love" was kind of cool. I wasn't crazy about the other two songs. 3 stars.
The Verve
5/5
This is a terrific album. Most people know this for "Bittersweet Symphony", which is great, but I think a lot of songs eclipse it here. It kind of covers a lot of the various genres going on in the British music scene in one album -- you get some baggy style stuff, anthemic Britpop, and some spacey proto-Coldplay all in one package. Highlights for me are "Bittersweet Symphony", "Sonnet", "The Drugs Don't Work", "Lucky Man", "One Day", and "Velvet Morning". 5 stars.
Dusty Springfield
4/5
I don't think anything else really reaches the heights of "Son of a Preacher Man" here, but I thought it was really good all around. There are a few tunes that get a little syrupy for my tastes, but it's solid nonetheless. Highlights are the aforementioned "Son of a Preacher Man", "Breakfast in Bed", and "So Much Love". 4 stars.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
3/5
I don't really see the genius in this album, but I don't quite think it's the worst thing ever either. There's a few songs here that lean into Beefheart's wild experimentalism, but still sound pretty cool -- like "Moonlight on Vermont" and "Frownland", but unfortunately, there's also stuff like "Dali's Car" and "Hobo Chain Ba", that are just stupid. 3 stars.
Little Simz
4/5
Took me a while to fully appreciate U.K. hip-hop, but I think Little Simz is one of the best, blending grimey hip-hop with jazzy neo soul. I think the first half is stronger than the second, but "Offence", "Boss", "Selfish", and "Venom" are incredible. 4.5 stars.
The Band
3/5
The Band always seemed like an artist I should like more than I do. I certainly like adjacent artists (like Bob Dylan) a lot, as well as artists who were clearly influenced by them, but for whatever reason, I'm not that into them. There are individual tracks I think are really cool, but as a whole, I'm kind of indifferent. I think this is a good album, but I don't think it's as great as a lot of other stuff from this era. I've also learned I like Levon Helm a lot better than the other vocalists. Highlights for me are "The Weight", "I Shall Be Released" and "Tears of Rage". 3.5 stars.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
4/5
This was a really cool album. Bonnie Prince Billy kind of reminds me a lot of Nick Cave's material from this era, where it feels a bit out of time and there's these elements of darkness and sadness underneath. Lots of highlights here, including "Nomadic Revery", "I See a Darkness", "Madeline-Mary", and " Death to Everyone". 4.5 stars.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
I like this era of JAMC quite a bit, and think this is a fantastic album. They kind of take the 60's girl group aesthetic of the Ramones, but add this dreamy, surfy layer to it. I think this is the band's most consistent album, and there's a lot of highlights, including the title track, "Deep One Perfect Morning", "Happy When it Rains", and "April Skies". 4.5 stars.
Kraftwerk
3/5
This isn't totally my jam, but I have to give it props for being as futuristic as it is in 1977. Kraftwerk definitely influenced a lot of stuff, some of which I like better than others, but you certainly can't deny their impact. I was really taken aback how modern it sounds for the time too. Even on songs I don't love, there's some really cool, beautiful elements. Highlights for me are probably "Europe Endless", "Abzug", and "Franz Shubert". 3.5 stars.
Steely Dan
4/5
I tend to like this early era of Steely Dan, before they went full jazz nerd. I know this album doesn't seem to get as much love among the Steely Dan purists, but I think there's a lot of great tunes here, like "Do it Again", "Only a Fool Would Say That", "Dirty Work", and "Reeling in the Years", which has one of the greatest fuzz tones put to tape. 4 stars.
Public Image Ltd.
4/5
I thought this was a pretty cool album. John Lydon abandons the punk scene that made him a household name and makes something totally different, but also influential in it's own way. I can see why it's an acquired taste for some, but I think it's neat. Probably longer than it needed to be and there's a few tracks that don't really work for me, but "Swan Lake" is amazing, and there's some other tracks like "Memories" and "Poptones" that are very cool too. 4 stars.
Sepultura
2/5
This very much was not my thing. I do appreciate some of the Brazilian elements that pop up, and it makes it ever so slightly more interesting than the average metal album from this era, but the vocals are awful. Highlights were probably "Roots Bloody Roots" and "Ratamahatta". 2 stars.
Pixies
4/5
Heard this album a million times. I think it's a great album, and would probably be at the top of most bands' discography, however, in the Pixies' case, it was preceded by two of the greatest albums of all time. I think it lacks some of the highs of the first two Pixies albums, but still, there's plenty to love here including "Rock Music", "Velouria", "Alison", and "Dig for Fire". The second half is a bit more uneven than the first and drags it down ever so slightly. 4.5 stars.
Buzzcocks
4/5
I really enjoyed this album. The Buzzcocks really pioneered the idea of pop punk, and every song on this album is super catchy with cool punky guitar riffs. Pete Shelley was the man. Highlights for me are "Fast Cars", "Love Battery", "Sixteen", "I Don't Mind", and "Autonomy". 4.5 stars.
The Go-Betweens
4/5
Thought this was a really good album. I'd previously only heard "Streets of Your Town", which I wasn't that high on, but the rest of the album is incredibly consistent. 4 stars.
Sheryl Crow
3/5
*Tuesday Night Music Club* was one of those ubiquitous 90s pop/rock albums, in the same vein as Alanis Morrisette's *Jagged Little Pill *or Hootie and the Blowfish's *Cracked Rear View*. Even if you didn't own it, you probably heard the whole thing due to the record companies milking everything they could from the album. I think this starts off really good -- "Run Baby Run", "Leaving Las Vegas", "Strong Enough", and "Can't Cry Anymore" is a solid run of tracks. From there, it gets a little dicey and there's much filler from there on out. "All I Wanna Do" is pretty fun, but not a song I need to hear again, and "I Shall Believe" is a decent closer, but the rest is pretty forgettable. I do think Sheryl improves with her next couple albums. Light 3.5.
Bob Dylan
4/5
This has never been my favorite Dylan album, but I think it's excellent, nonetheless. I do think it sags a little in the middle and that keeps it from getting to 5 for me, but there's some great stuff here. "Idiot Wind" is an all-timer, "Shelter From the Storm" is lovely, and my pick for underrated classic no one talks about enough is "If You See Her, Say Hello". Very high 4.5 stars.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
3/5
Thought this was a good album with some really nice melodies. Maybe my favorite "world music" album we've had so far. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan has an incredible voice. 3.5 stars.
Neil Young
3/5
For whatever reason, I'm not as high on Neil's ditch trilogy as everyone else seems to be. I just don't find the songs as consistently strong as his run up through *Harvest*. This is still a good album, it's just not a great one for me. I prefer the more rocking stuff here like "World on a String", "Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown", and "Lookout Joe". 3.5 Stars.
The Temptations
3/5
Apparently, this was the Temptations attempt to switch up their style and sound more like Sly & the Family Stone. I'm not sure I'm particularly sold on that version of the band, but by the second half of this album, it kind of reverts to a more classic Motown sound, which I found pretty enjoyable. 3.5 stars.
Earth, Wind & Fire
2/5
I'm not very high on this at all. I knew "Shining Star" going in and it's a decent track. The only others that really did anything for me were "Yearin' Learnin'" and "Africano". The rest just was not my cup of coffee. 2.5 stars.
The Smiths
3/5
Gonna go 3.5 on this. Not my favorite Smiths album, but not my least favorite either. In general, I prefer side 1 to side 2. "Rusholme Ruffians" and "That Joke isn't Funny Anymore" are the standouts for me.
Robert Wyatt
2/5
I wasn't too high on this Robert Wyatt album. Kinda liked "Sea Song" and "Alifib". The rest, not so much. 2.5 stars.
The Clash
5/5
Before starting this project, this is one of the albums I thought could potentially top the whole list for me. It's long been among my favorite all time albums, and for my tastes, it's my idealized version of a rock album. It's a punk album at heart, but the band really transcends the genre, incorporating new wave, rockabilly, ska, and reggae on top of their existing punk style. It sort of serves as a blueprint for what would become alternative rock. The band also bucks the notion that punks were talentless hacks. The songs are all extremely well-crafted, and the musicianship is excellent, with the band adding piano, organ, and horns to their standard guitar/bass/drums instrumentation. Highlights for me are the title track, "Hateful", "Rudie Can't Fail", "Spanish Bombs", "Lost in the Supermarket", "Death or Glory", "I'm Not Down", and "Train in Vain", but truth be told, every song is a highlight here. It's perfect. 5 stars.
Fairport Convention
3/5
I think the slower tracks work a little better than the more upbeat stuff. "Genesis Hall" and "Who Knows Where the Time Goes" are the highlights for me. 3.5 stars.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
This is a terrific album, and I what I think is the start of one of the best runs of albums in rock history. He really develops the heartland rock sound he'd be best known for, and records some classic songs in the process. Having "Thunder Road" and "Born to Run" on the same album is an achievement in itself, plus you get "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out", "Backstreets", and the epic to end all epics, "Jungleland". 5 stars
Malcolm McLaren
2/5
Not the worst thing I've heard, but I don't quite get what they were going for -- it's part African music (which is the best part), part old-school hip-hop (which is much less good), and part dicking around in the studio (which is not good at all). Was probably going light 3-stars before "Duck for the Oyster" which was like the proto version of Rednex's "Cotton Eyed Joe" I never needed to hear. 2.5 stars.
The xx
5/5
The other album by this band is really questionable for inclusion, but I think this is a great album with a cool sound that was really fresh at the time, combining dream pop, indietronica, and alternative R&B. I like the icy minimalism of the music, combined with the sultry vocals of Romy and Oliver. At times, it kind of seems like a modern, more realized take on Young Marble Giants. I think there's numerous standouts here including "Intro", "Crystalized", "Heart Skipped a Beat", and "Infinity". One of the best albums of 2009. 5 stars.
Arrested Development
3/5
I'm not super high on this. I think the singles are pretty good, "Tennessee" being the best of them, but I think there's a lot of filler on this album, and a lot of the album is dated and corny in retrospect. I get why this was popular at the time -- it's messaging is very light and positive compared to the hip-hop that dominated the charts at the time -- but I don't think it broke any new ground and I don't think it holds up that well. Light 3 stars.
Funkadelic
3/5
I've never really been that high on Funkadelic, but this is a pretty solid album. I previously only knew the title track and "Can You Get To That" from the sample on Sleigh Bells' "Rill Rill". The last two tracks bring the album down a bit for me, but otherwise, it's good. "Super Stupid" is probably the highlight for me. 3.5 stars.
Kacey Musgraves
3/5
I thought this was a pretty good album. My main beef with it is probably that it leans too far into pop a lot of the time -- there's like a pop sheen that I don't think needs to be there, and somewhat related is I find Kacey's vocal delivery kind of off-putting at times. It's like she's trying to walk the line between country and pop and it comes off kind of weird on some of the songs. Still, there's a number of good, catchy songs on here, including "Slow Burn", "Butterflies", and the highlight for me, "Rainbow". 3.5 stars.
Soft Machine
3/5
The first track on this is an acquired taste to say the least, but if you can make it through that, the rest is kind of cool. It's closer to jazz than a lot of the fusiony albums from this era, but has some other weird elements mixed it. The middle two tracks -- "Slightly All The Time" and "Moon in June" are the best part of the album for me. Going 3.5 on it.
Elbow
3/5
This album is pretty good. I think half of it falls into the trap of sounding too much like other British albums from the same era, but the middle section of the album gets kind of interesting and brings in some other influences that set it apart from the pack. Highlights for me are "Audience With the Pope", "The Fix", and "Some Riot". 3.5 stars.
Neu!
4/5
This is a cool album. I like how it goes from a prettier, spacier sound on the first side with tracks like "ISI" and "Leb' Wohl" to punkier, more aggressive tracks on the second, like "Hero" and "After Eight". The only track I'm not super high on it "E-Musik", but everything else is terrific, with "After Eight" being the highlight for me. It sounds really modern for an album recorded in the mid 70s and you can hear it's influence on modern rock. High 4.5 stars.
Caetano Veloso
2/5
I'm just not into this Caetano Veloso album. I think it's mostly just a style of music I find kind of irritating rather than it being outright bad, but it was definitely a struggle for me. 2.5 stars.
CHVRCHES
4/5
Despite my initial reservations, Chvrches kind of won me over. I still think they either sound like an edgier version of Taylor Swift's 1989 or a less edgy version of The Knife, but I think the songs and production are really cool throughout. Standouts for me were "The Mother We Share", "Recover", and "You Caught the Light". I do think Lauren Mayberry's voice is a little to pop sounding at times and that's what holds it back most for me, but still really good. 4 stars.
Pixies
5/5
I don't think this is quite the achievement Doolittle is, but but it's pretty close and certainly one of my favorite debut albums ever. The band really took a diverse set of influences and created a special sound here that changed the trajectory of rock music forever. It's punky and abrasive, but also super catchy. Listening to it now, there's a timeless quality to it that didn't seem apparent in 1987. I don't think there's a weak track here, but the highlights for me are "Bone Machine", "Gigantic", "River Euphrates", "Cactus", and of course "Where is My Mind?" 5 stars.
The Charlatans
3/5
I feel like most of the baggy/britpop bands that made it to 1997 were stretching their wings and experimenting with other sounds by 1997, but these dudes are still partying like it's 1992. It's not bad, but it's not exactly good either. It feels super dated for 1997. 3 stars.
Bonnie Raitt
3/5
This is kind of a weird album. Definitely has the energy of a mid-career musician trying to have some success on the pop charts. Don Was would try the same thing with Bob Dylan and Iggy Pop the following year. Stylistically, it's all over the place, and there's some very questionable '80s production elements. Bonnie's slide guitar playing, which is what really got her noteriety in the '70s, takes a back seat on the album. Which is a bummer because when it's present, like on mega-hit "Thing Called Love", this album really works. The rest of the album is kind of a mixed bag. Some of the songs are alright, but a lot of the production is really dated and cheesy, even by 1989 standards. Going with a light 3.5.
Scritti Politti
1/5
I thought the first song on this was alright. Not good exactly, but it kind of had a bit of that 80s pop reggae flair. After that though, it went down hill really quickly. This is almost like a parody of 80s pop music -- it takes all the elements that make 80s pop cheesy and beats them to death throughout the album. It's hard to believe there's actual instruments on this album (including the great Robert Quine), because everything sounds processed to within an inch of its life. 1.5 stars.
Talvin Singh
2/5
The title of this album is super appropriate. It's OK. Is it essential? No. I feel like Robert Dimery really crapped the bed in the late 90s -- devoting a bunch of spots to mediocre electronica instead of actual classic albums. 2.5 stars.
Tom Waits
5/5
I'm a big fan of music that combines ugliness with beauty, and in a lot of ways, this is sort of the granddaddy of that. Waits crafts an album about death, violence, and old age, but also manages to throw in some genuinely beautiful and hopeful moments. This record sounds amazing -- the guitar and percussion tones are all terrific and Waits has neve been better with the wide array of vocal stylings he uses here. He's joined by Waits' album regulars Larry Taylor and Ralph Carney, but there's also a great, eclectic cast of guests including Les Claypool, Brain, Los Lobos' David Hildago, Waddy Wachtel, and the man himself, Keith Richards. There's tons of highlights here including "Earth Died Screaming", "Dirt in the Ground", "Jesus Gonna Be Here", "Black Wings", "I Don't Wanna Grow Up", "That Feel", and "Who Are You", which is likely my favorite of Tom's tender ballads. "I fell in love with your sailor's mouth and your wounded eyes" is the most badass thing to say about the woman you love. Some days, this is my favorite Tom Waits album. High 5 stars.
Les Rythmes Digitales
1/5
The Pogues
4/5
I'm not totally sure if I like this as much as Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash, but it's very good nonetheless. Very cool punky Irish jams. The first half was a good bit stronger for me with the title track, "Turkish Song of the Damned" and "Fairytale of New York" being the big standouts for me. 4 stars.
Slade
3/5
I thought this was pretty good. "Gudbuy T'Jane" and "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" were the standouts, but I also thought the cover of Janis Joplin's "Move Over" was pretty good. The rest was decent. 3.5 stars.
Richard Thompson
4/5
This is a cool album. "The Calvary Cross" and the title track are the big standouts here and both contenders for the best songs of 1974. Some of it drifts too much into folky territory, but still a great album. Richard's guitar work is terrific. 4 stars.
Rush
3/5
I enjoyed parts of the title suite ("The Temples of Syrnix" is pretty good), as well as "Passage to Bangkok" and "Something for Nothing". The rest didn't do a lot for me. I'm not a huge Rush fan to begin with but this era where they go full prog in particular isn't my jam. Light 3 stars.
Bob Dylan
5/5
This album is one of the best examples of a comeback album for an older artist I can think of. I think Dylan and Daniel Lanois do a really nice job of crafting an album that sounds modern, but doesn't fall into the trap of using a bunch of production elements that make it sound dated. Much like Tom Waits' stuff from this era, it has a timeless feeling to it that feels both fresh and old at the same time. I think the style of the album really plays to Dylan's strengths too. His voice isn't what it used to be, but in this context, it's perfect. Dylan also turns in some of his best songs too -- "Standing in the Doorway", "Cold Irons Bound", "Make You Feel My Love", "Love Sick", and "Not Dark Yet" being among the highlights. 5 stars.
Beatles
5/5
In a lot of ways, this is the quintessential Beatles album. Better than maybe any of their other albums, it captures the sound of the Beatles as a band. They haven't become wild studio experimenters yet. It's just 13 great no frills songs. Lennon really shines on this album, contributing 9 of the songs, with George turning in his first great song and Paul limited to three all wheat, no chaff compositions. Lots of classic tunes here including the title track, "Can't Buy Me Love", "And I Love Her" and "I Should've Known Better". And while the first half contains most of the hits, I'm kind of more partial to the more rocking second side, which has two of my favorite songs from the album -- "You Can't Do That" and "I'll Cry Instead". 5 stars.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
Possibly my least favorite of Bruce's legendary Born to Run -> Born In The USA run, but it's still a fantastic album. I think the songwriting is great here, and the the stripped down arrangements really hammer that home. The first side of this album is really where it shines for me -- the title track, "Mansion on the Hill", "Highway Patrolman", "State Trooper" (which sounded super cool while driving to work in the dark this morning), and "Atlantic City", which might just be my favorite Springsteen song. The second side doesn't quite live up to the promise of the first, but it's still super solid. I do like that for all the darkness on the album, Springsteen ends the album reminding us that people still find a reason for hope. 5 stars.
The Strokes
4/5
Great album that really kicked off the indie rock boom in the 00s. "Barely Legal", "The Modern Age", and "Last Nite" are the highlights for me. 4.5 stars.
George Michael
3/5
"Praying for Time" and "Freedom! 90" are pretty great, but I thought this album feel off heavily after that. "Waiting for that Day" possibly the only other contender. 3 stars.
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
4/5
I thought this was a cool mix of psychedelic folk, country, and blues. Kind of a similar vibe the Grateful Dead were going for, weirder and IMO better. It reminded me of a lot of the things I liked about Meat Puppets II. "Diana" and "Cripple Creek" were both really cool. 4 stars.
White Denim
3/5
I've only heard this band's 2013 album, and I was not that crazy about it. This doesn't really move the needle for me either. It's funny that I mentioned the Grateful Dead in my Skip Spence review yesterday, because this also reminds me of the Dead, but moreso in execution than spirit. It's not terrible, but it's not a style of rock I want from this era of music. "Burnished" and "Street Joy" were probably the highlights. The rest was very meh. 3 stars.
Living Colour
4/5
I thought this was a really interesting album when it came out. Not only was it from an all black band in a very white hard rock landscape in the 80s, but it really merged a lot of diverse styles. Hard rock, metal, funk, hip-hop, and alternative rock are all present here, and I think they brought some socially conscious lyrics to a genre that was pretty thin in terms of meaningful lyrics. In a way, they walked so Rage Against the Machine could run. The playing is really good here too, especially from guitarist Vernon Reid, but Muzz Skillings and Will Calhoun are a pretty killer rhythm section too. Some of it is a little dated in 2025, but I think there's still some really cool stuff here. "Cult of Personality" and "Glamour Boys" are great singles, "Broken Hearts", "Which Way to America", and "Open Letter (To a Landlord)" are solid deep cuts, and there's a cool Talking Heads cover. 4 stars.
David Ackles
1/5
I don't know about this one. Ackles sounds a lot like Neil Diamond, who I generally like, but it's like Neil at the height of his really schmaltzy period filtered through a really corny Broadway musical. "Love's Enough" is probably the best thing here, but it's not really enough to save this. 1.5 stars.
American Music Club
3/5
I was somewhat familiar with American Music Club, though I'm not sure I ever listened to a full album before. I thought it was a pretty cool album that was kind of ahead of it's time -- they remind me a lot of Red House Painters, who wouldn't surface until years later. "Firefly", "Laughingstock", and "Blue & Grey Shirt" were some of the highlights for me. 3.5 stars.
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
4/5
I thought this was pretty cool, actually. It's essentialness is probably debatable, but I thought it was super solid, and my favorite tracks were "History Song", "Hurculean", "Nature Song" and the title track. It feels kind of Bowiesque, but with some modern bleeps and bloops. 4 stars.
Johnny Cash
4/5
On the first few American Recordings albums, the covers were used sort of sparingly, mixed in with Cash originals. Even the covers that were used, were often deeper cuts, like Beck's "Rowboat". By the fourth installment, you kind of get the feeling Rick Rubin just gave Cash a list of songs he heard on the radio on the drive to the studio. I think Cash does the best he can with all of these, and nothing is bad, but I kind of wish the track list was a little more interesting. I didn't really need Johnny to cover already iconic songs "Bridge Over Troubled Water", "In My Life", or "Desperado". That being said, there's some great stuff here. The two Cash originals are great, his version of "Hurt" probably makes most people forget it was originally a Nine Inch Nails song, and his cover of Sting's "I Hung My Head" is far superior to Sting's. And though it's not the most exciting Hank Williams song they could've picked, Johnny Cash dueting with Nick Cave is a thing of beauty. 4 stars.
Deep Purple
4/5
Really good album. "Space Truckin" is the best thing here, but "Smoke on the Water" and "Highway Star" are cool too. 4 stars.
Gil Scott-Heron
3/5
I think this is probably a great album to a lot of people, but it's just too far out of my wheelhouse to get any real enjoyment out of. 70s soul is just not my favorite to begin with, and the incorporation of jazz-funk and spoken word doesn't really help. "Peace Go With You Brother" was my favorite. 3 stars.
Public Enemy
3/5
Though there's some great tracks on this, I think it's definitely more uneven than It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. "Fight the Power", "911 is a Joke", "Brothers Gonna Work it Out", and "Welcome to the Terrordome" are all pretty awesome, but there's a lot of tracks here that feel sort of half-baked. I do think the production is really ahead of it's time though -- there's samples here that are still getting used today. 3.5 stars.
Sarah Vaughan
3/5
Thought At Mister Kelly's was pretty nice and a breezy listen. I think some of the ballads get a little sleepy, and the last track with all the scat singing tested my patience, but overall, it's a good sounding album and Sarah and the band sound very good. 3 stars
The Auteurs
4/5
This wasn't really what I was expecting when I saw the Britpop tag. I figured it would be another Oasis/Blur knockoff, but there's more of a Bowiesque art-rock quality to it. Luke Haines sounds a lot like Dan Bejar of New Pornographers/Destroyer fame. Highlights for me were "American Guitars", "Junk Shop Clothes", and "Idiot Brother". 4 stars.
Pantera
2/5
I actually didn't hate this. It's not something I'd go out of my way to listen to, but I prefer this thrashier style of metal compared to most subgenres. There's still some of the cheesy elements of metal present, especially in the lyrics, but if you ignore that, there's a handful of decent songs. I kind of like "Walk". 2.5 stars.
Laura Nyro
3/5
This was much better than I anticipated based on the description. There's a pop soul quality reminiscent of Carole King that pops up on songs like "Lu", "Poverty Train", and "Stoned Soul Picnic", and that's pretty enjoyable stuff. There does seem to be a bit of a more showtuney, Andrew Lloyd Weber quality that surfaces from time to time, maybe most noticeable on "Eli's Comin'" and "Luckie" and that's much less enjoyable, but overall it's a pleasant album. 3.5 stars.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
5/5
I think this this is a super cool album that sort of combines the two big 2000s indie rock movements -- post-punk revival and garage rock revival. The first half definitely leans into the garage rock style (and is the weaker half), but starting with "Pin", it starts to transform into to something else. Nick Zinner gets some excellent guitar tones throughout, and I think Karen O's voice works perfectly with the album's transistion from a harsh rocking album to a beautiful, ethereal album. Higlights are "Pin", "Maps", "Y Control", and "Modern Romance". Hidden track "Poor Song" is really cool too. 5 stars.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
I think this is a great album. I think Cohen's songwriting is getting a little darker and more interesting here. You can definitely hear the influence on people like Nick Cave. I do wish some of the arrangements were more fleshed out, but there's some great stuff here. Highlights for me are "Avalanche", "Famous Blue Raincoat", "Dress Rehearsal Rag", and "Diamonds in the Mine". 4 stars.
The Prodigy
1/5
I'm sure this style appeals to someone, just not me. At least The Fat of the Land had some vocal hooks to break up the monotony, but this is like an hour and a half of getting a tooth drilled at the dentist. I find it super exhausting, it's super dated and it overstays its welcome by a good hour. 0.5 stars.
Beatles
5/5
This was actually the first proper Beatles album I owned, and some days it's still my favorite. It sounds amazing for an album recorded in 1969. George really shines here, with "Something" and "Here Comes the Sun", and this is probably the first Beatles album since the early days where I'd say my favorite song was written by Paul -- "You Never Give Me Your Money" is fantastic. Of course there's plenty of other highlights here, including "Come Together", "Oh Darling", "I Want You (She's So Heavy" and "Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight" (really the entirety of the medley is terrific). The only songs that I think misfire are "Octopus's Garden" and the dreadful "Maxwell's Silver Hammer", which might be a low point for Paul. Still, there's enough greatness here to push this into classic territory. 5 stars.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
After three pretty wild albums, Nick returns to the softer side he displayed on 1990's The Good Son. Normally, I'm not high on albums that are really ballad heavy, except the ballads on The Boatman's Call are incredible. The first half of this album is possibly the best thing in Nick's discography. Unfortunately, the second half isn't quite as strong. Still, it's a pretty great listen overall. Nick is possibly at his peak lyrically, and there's just some beautiful songs here, including "Into My Arms", "Lime Tree Arbour", "People Ain't No Good", "There is a Kingdom", and what is possibly my favorite Cave song, "(Are You) The One That I've Been Waiting For?" Would be an easy 5, but I think it fizzles out at the end. Strong 4.5 stars.
John Martyn
3/5
This was just okay. I liked "Couldn't Love You More". "Dancing" and "Small Hours" were also alright. The rest not really my cup of tea. Steve Winwood plays on it, and it kind of reminds be of his early solo stuff at times. Light 3 stars.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
I think this is a really good album. The title track, "Mercy Mercy Me", and "Inner City Blues" are all great, but some of the deeper cuts like "Save the Children" and "Wholy Holy" I'm much less high on. 4 stars.
Billie Holiday
3/5
I thought this started off really good, but got a little samey and syrupy after a while. Like a lot of these 50s albums, it's very front-loaded. "I'm a Fool to Want You" was definitely the highlight, but "For Heaven's Sake" and "You Don't Know What Love Is" were also very good. 3.5 stars.
Madonna
4/5
More than any other Madonna album, it sounds like an album -- a singular creative vision. William Orbit is a really interesting fit for her and it ends up kind of being her coolest album since he debut. It's a bit long and some of the tracks don't quite work for me, but there's some of her best stuff here -- "Drowned World/Substitute for Love", "Swim", "Frozen", "The Power of Goodbye", and the title track are all really good. 4 stars
Baaba Maal
2/5
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
I think this album was pretty ahead of its time for 1985 and there's certainly some cool stuff here, unfortunately, there's some stuff that doesn't work as well too. Ultimately, I appreciate it more than I enjoy it. Highlights for me are "Just Like Honey", "The Hardest Walk", and "Cut Dead". 4 stars.
Beck
5/5
This is a really cool album that captures Beck as his most wildly creative and experimental. Since this, most of his albums have seemed like genre experiments that are hit or miss, but this is all over the place, and better for it. Beck hooks up with the Dust Brothers of Paul's Boutique fame and turns in a sample heavy album that combines hip-hop, electronica, rock, blues, punk, and psychedelia. Coming of the heels of the demise of grunge and britpop, it's a weird album that may not have had the success it did in another time period. Lots of great tunes here including "Devils Haircut", "Lord Only Knows", "The New Pollution", "Jack-Ass", "Where It's At", and "Ramshackle". 5 stars.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
4/5
I don't think I'm quite as high on Gram Parsons as a lot of people around here, but I still think this is an influential album that does a good job of reclaiming country music for the cool kids. Highlights for me are "Sin City", "The Dark End of the Street", and "Hot Burrito #1". 4 stars.
Scissor Sisters
3/5
I think some of this album is very good. They're obviously influenced by Elton John, and when they lean into the glammier side of Elton, it's really solid. I think where things go awry is when they lean into Disco Elton. The Pink Floyd cover is a true crime against music. That being said, there's some good stuff here, like "Laura", "Mary", and "Take Your Mama". 3.5 stars.
The Jam
3/5
On this album, the Jam moves away from the punkiness of their first two albums and settles into a more Elvis Costello-ish pub rock sound. It's a pretty solid album overall. Highlights for me are "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight", "In the Crowd", and their energetic cover of the Kinks' "David Watts". 3.5 stars