414
Albums Rated
2.83
Average Rating
38%
Complete
675 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
2010
Favorite Decade
Hip-hop
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Perfectionist
Rater Style ?
11
5-Star Albums
28
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
Top Styles
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
2112
Rush
|
5 | 3.37 | +1.63 |
|
The Köln Concert
Keith Jarrett
|
5 | 3.39 | +1.61 |
|
Arrival
ABBA
|
5 | 3.52 | +1.48 |
|
Madman Across The Water
Elton John
|
5 | 3.58 | +1.42 |
|
To Pimp A Butterfly
Kendrick Lamar
|
5 | 3.63 | +1.37 |
|
good kid, m.A.A.d city
Kendrick Lamar
|
5 | 3.63 | +1.37 |
|
Live At The Harlem Square Club
Sam Cooke
|
5 | 3.76 | +1.24 |
|
Yeezus
Kanye West
|
4 | 2.76 | +1.24 |
|
Bad
Michael Jackson
|
5 | 3.81 | +1.19 |
|
Kings Of The Wild Frontier
Adam & The Ants
|
4 | 2.83 | +1.17 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Wild Is The Wind
Nina Simone
|
1 | 3.65 | -2.65 |
|
Born To Run
Bruce Springsteen
|
1 | 3.63 | -2.63 |
|
The Gershwin Songbook
Ella Fitzgerald
|
1 | 3.52 | -2.52 |
|
3 Feet High and Rising
De La Soul
|
1 | 3.45 | -2.45 |
|
The Downward Spiral
Nine Inch Nails
|
1 | 3.34 | -2.34 |
|
Blur
Blur
|
1 | 3.33 | -2.33 |
|
You Want It Darker
Leonard Cohen
|
1 | 3.32 | -2.32 |
|
Nebraska
Bruce Springsteen
|
1 | 3.31 | -2.31 |
|
S&M
Metallica
|
1 | 3.26 | -2.26 |
|
Selling England By The Pound
Genesis
|
1 | 3.18 | -2.18 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Kendrick Lamar | 2 | 5 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Bruce Springsteen | 3 | 1.33 |
| Metallica | 3 | 1.67 |
| Leonard Cohen | 2 | 1.5 |
| The Fall | 2 | 1.5 |
| The Beta Band | 2 | 1.5 |
| Blur | 2 | 1.5 |
5-Star Albums (11)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Simon & Garfunkel · 1 likes
3/5
I honestly don’t k ow how to rate these albums that are kinda bland but there’s nothing necessarily wrong with them. This just felt like such generic music. There were some songs that were highlights though and I’ll give them that. But maybe this music just ain’t for me.
Ute Lemper · 1 likes
1/5
You’re 10 years old. Your mom drags you to a department store. She looks at clothes, she looks at furniture, she looks at appliance, she looks at shoes. You’re being dragged around wondering “when are we going to be done?”. Finally get to checkout, nearing the end (in this case, the last song in the album). But then she chats up someone and you’re stuck waiting again (why is this song so long). “When will this misery end” you think to yourself.
This is the soundtrack to that feeling.
Kendrick Lamar · 1 likes
5/5
Certified hood classic. One of my favourite albums. Less than To Pimp a Butterfly, but before that, I was obsessed with this album. I love the concept of a kid (a good kid) growing up in Compton (maad city) and being pressured into gang activity but then finding God after one of his friends gets shot from a rival gang. I think the story telling throughout the album is incredible and it paints a vivid picture to the listener. Some of my favourites is The Art of Peer Pressure and Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst.
To me, this is one of, if not the best concept album I've heard. What I love about Kendrick is his ability to be able to pull an entire album together and be able to not just produce "party singles" like most hip-hop artists.
Muddy Waters · 1 likes
3/5
Very traditional Blues album, down to its roots. As much as I can appreciate how influential Muddy Waters was and, I'm sure, this album was too, there's a lot of similarity throughout this album. Some people like that and would call it a "theme", but I do like a bit of diversity. So again, while I can appreciate the album, I don't think it's for me, and that's okay.
The Killers · 1 likes
3/5
A tale of two halves. The front half, incredible. Even the B-sides, awesome. Then the second half came on… and I wasn’t sure I was listening to the same album. It was awful, nothing memorable except the feeling of dread that I couldn’t skip the songs.
4-Star Albums (77)
1-Star Albums (28)
All Ratings
R.E.M.
4/5
On first listen, it didn't really vibe with me. However, the more I thought about it throughout the day, the more I enjoyed the cohesiveness of the entire album and how the songs flowed into each other.
Muddy Waters
3/5
Very traditional Blues album, down to its roots. As much as I can appreciate how influential Muddy Waters was and, I'm sure, this album was too, there's a lot of similarity throughout this album. Some people like that and would call it a "theme", but I do like a bit of diversity. So again, while I can appreciate the album, I don't think it's for me, and that's okay.
Muddy Waters
3/5
The more I listen to Muddy, the more I can understand how good and soulful he truly is. This album from 1960, talked about a full generation after The Great Depression, and I feel like that’s the roots of Blues. People struggling, singing about their problems and trying to connect with others.
R.E.M.
2/5
Kinda boring. Same pace, no standout songs, bleh. 2/5
Foo Fighters
4/5
4/5. The OG Foo Fighters album all written and recorded by Dave Grohl.
As a successor to Nirvana, this first Foo Fighters album achieves just that. There are grunge elements, there are definitely Nirvana riffs, lyrical patterns, and song structures incorporated into this album.
Overall, a fun listen.
Lou Reed
3/5
What a weird album, to say the least. I feel like Lou is just talking to me with music in the background.
However, the deeper I got into the album, the more I didn't mind the singing style. The instrumentation was unique and interesting. Nothing was overpowering, everything was balanced. The piano was nice, even adding a trombone/horns I thought was really cool and kept me interested.
This album surprised me. I didn't think I was going to like it after the first song, but it grew on me.
3/5
Duke Ellington
3/5
TL;DR: 3/5
My first thought, 1956 is a long time ago...
Why is there a whole song dedicated to introducing the band? I know it's a "Live" album, but come on!
This album is one that requires attention. There are little details that are really neat, for example, listening to this album with headphones is a very different experience than listening to it with speakers. The balance and the way everything is space is mesmerizing (in an audio sense). Every instrument has its place in the mix, and every instrument can be heard with absolute clarity. A huge breath of fresh air when comparing to todays mixes and music where everything is punched in your face at maximum volume.
From wikipedia about Duke Ellington:
Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based in New York City from the mid-1920s and gained a national profile through his orchestra's appearances at the Cotton Club in Harlem. A master at writing miniatures for the three-minute 78 rpm recording format, Ellington wrote or collaborated on more than one thousand compositions; his extensive body of work is the largest recorded personal jazz legacy, and many of his pieces have become standards.
That's really interesting, 1000 compositions! This explains how influential he was and why he's featured in the top 1001 albums.
Overall, an enjoyable listen, but not something that I would come back to, which to me, deserves a 3/5
Metallica
2/5
As much as I love Metal and Hardcore music, I was never really a fan of Metallica... They have some really iconic songs, even ones that I enjoy, but to listen to a whole Metallica album filled with B-Sides and all, ehhhhhhhhh.
The first two songs were great, but by the time I got to the third song (The Things That Should Not Be), I wanted to skip it very badly. I wasn't vibing with it at all.
There are moments in this album that definitely got me headbanging. But I feel like for every highlight in this album, there's usually a lowlight that follows it.
Despire Master of Puppets being one of their most well known and renowned songs, I really enjoyed Orion, not because James Hetfield wasn't singing, but because the song made sense from start to end with no jarring changes. Which is weird for me to say since I'm into time signature changes and key changes and Progressive Rock/Metal where stuff like that happens all the time. Just the way that Metallica does it, it feels very... raw? forced? It doesn't flow well in my opinion.
Overall, the experience of this album is a lot of energy and a lot of angst. Definitely skippable songs, but also some memorable parts to the album. 2/5 for me (which makes me wish I can change my R.E.M. - Murmur rating to a 1/5, because man that album was a snooze-fest)
Led Zeppelin
2/5
The first album of the legendary career of Led Zeppelin.
I never realized how Blues influenced Led Zeppelin was until I listened to this album. There's definitely some HEAVY blues featured here.
There were times where the guitar sound gave me a headache, as well as Robert Plant's voice. He just hits a specific pitch that pierces my ears and goes straight to my head. When comparing the guitar solos to the Muddy Waters album, I now have a greater appreciation for Muddy and how clean his solos were.
Overall, this album was okay. If I can give it a half star, I'd give it a 2.5/5. But since I can't, I would say that this album was on par with Metallica's "Master of Puppets" album, which was a 2/5.
Malcolm McLaren
3/5
Weird doesn’t even begin to describe this album. When the album started, that first song had me questioning what the hell I was listening to. When I look at photos and read descriptions on who Malcolm McLaren was, I was definitely not expecting these kind of sounds from this album.
As the album progressed, and the vibe of the album became more clear, I found myself enjoying it more and I caught myself tapping my foot multiple times throughout the album. Yes, I do think the DJ bit throughout is corny/cheesy, but for 1983, I feel like it was par for the course.
Overall, I enjoyed the album. I listened to it on my way to and from work yesterday, and both times, enjoyed it the weirdness to it. Also, I didn’t realize that Buffalo Gals was the original to Eminem’s “Round the outside, round the outside, round the outside” bit. The more you know
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
1/5
One song in particular made me feel uncomfortable.. You can probably guess which one.
I don't think this album is for me. Musicianship was cool, but nothing special in my opinion. There's nothing really that memorable about this album. Honestly sounds like something you'd hear at a diner on the jukebox.
Next was a cool song. Very different then the rest of the tracks on this album. Sounds like it could be part of a musical.
I don't think this album is something I'll think about ever again. To be honest, I'm glad it was short. Really just, not enjoyable for me. 1/5
John Lennon
2/5
I feel like this album are songs that just didn't make the cut for any Beatles record. It's a nice listen, nothing that was "I really want to skip this", but also just kinda boring. Nothing really stood out for me.
2/5
5/5
First of all, the name of this album is amazing.
Right away, I love the production and the mix. The drums are punchy but not in your face, which is perfect as it allows you to hear everything else.
I've never gave David Bowie a proper chance before. I knew of him, I knew a lot of people liked him, but I've never really listened to anything more than his singles, and maybe even just Space Oddity at that.
Starman is a song that stood out to me. Never heard this song before and it's absolutely fantastic. Catchy, great guitar parts, great rhythm, this song is definitely added to my rotation.
I can kind of hear how modern artists have drawn influence from Bowie. In Suffragette City for example, there's a "punky" kind of vibe with how Bowie sings.
"Wow", is the only descriptive word I can find to describe this album. Every song was great and had my foot tapping and head bobbing the entire time. The mix of the album is great as I've said previously and by the end of the album I maintain that thought. A lot of really catchy riffs and melodies throughout the entire album and nothing too in your face.
The best way I can describe this album, "It doesn't try to do too much, and it's absolutely perfect". I'm trying to find a reason to not give it a 5/5, and frankly, I can't. I will definitely be coming back to this album and will listen to it for years to come.
5/5
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
I love listening to full albums of artists where I only know their singles. CCR has always been mentioned around my friend group and my family as something they listened to, but again, I was really only shown the singles (Bad Moon Rising, Proud Mary...)
When the album started with Born On The Bayou, as soon as the singer gave that first note, my face was in completely shock of, "WOW, this guy is incredible". I don't remember that power in the songs that I knew CCR from. That feeling was maintained throughout the album, what an incredibly powerful voice.
All the musicians are fantastic. The bass player is who stood out to me as his lines were unique and just kept my grooving the whole time.
Having just listened to David Bowie's "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy" and giving that a 5/5, I also had that same thought of "Is there something about this album that wouldn't give it a perfect rating?". The short answer, yes. There were sections on this album where it just felt like the band was "jamming", which to their defence, keeps the Blues spirit. In particular, this occurs on "Keep on Chooglin'". As someone described to me one time, "They kept soloing until the cows came home".
Because of that, I'd give this album a 4/5. I'd give it 4.5 if I could.
Erykah Badu
3/5
This is an interesting album. Not a genre I'd typically listen to, but I quite enjoyed it. There were a lot of sections throughout the album that were really cool. I'm a sucker for jazz fusion, and this has A LOT of jazz influence throughout.
Every song has its moments and every song is worth listening to. What I really enjoyed about this album is that it never did the expected. Key changes, odd time signatures, those were the main take aways from this.
It's definitely an album that needs a lot of attention, like, "Sit in a dark room with no distractions". Fortunately, I was commuting while listening to this so I was able to close my eyes and let the music take me on a journey.
Enjoyed my time with it, but probably will not be returning.
Sam Cooke
5/5
The energy that Sam Cooke brings and maintains pretty much throughout the whole performance is intoxicating. You can hear how much enjoyment he's getting from performing in front of the crowd in this live album.
I think this is the first live album where I was really happy to have listened to. I honestly can't believe Sam's voice and how he's able to maintain that cadence and passion.
I find it kind of funny that there are imperfections of the recordings, even digitally. At the beginning of Feel It (Don't Fight It), you can hear it repeat or skip. Does it give it charm? Is it annoying? Maybe a bit of both?
This album is so much fun. I loved every single second of it. The pacing is great and the vibe throughout is consistent and my foot never stopped tapping.
I've been having a debate in my head all morning whether to give this album a 4 or a 5. On one hand, I don't know how much I'd be returning to this album, on the other hand, I really did LOVE listening to this album.
Even if I don't return to it, I feel like I'll be thinking about it a lot.
I had to give the album a second listen with headphones to settle my internal dispute. Maybe I just gave it a second listen because I didn't want the party to end.
Highlights:
Feel It (Don't Fight It)
Cupid
Twistin' The Night Away
Ultimately, I think I'd regret not giving it what it deserves.
Stevie Wonder
2/5
Overall vibe of the album, "It's cool, but it's nothing special"
There's nothing that really stood out for me. It's funky, it's soulful, but I don't find it, "fun"? I can't really describe it, but I honestly just thought most songs were boring. Until we got about 3:00 minutes into "He's Misstra Know-It-All" and Stevie hits you with this ground shaking voice "tremor", I'll call it. That was cool af.
I don't hate the album, I just don't like the album.
2/5
De La Soul
1/5
I really struggled with this one. I was ready to skip just about every song in this album.
To me, there's nothing here that stands out. All the songs kinda blended together. I was happy the album was over and I struggle to find one song that I enjoyed.
1/5
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
3/5
I didn't hate this album. Breakdown and American Girl were both cool songs. However, I feel like it's very "generic".
There are times where I feel like Tom is mumbling his words or trying to do be "too cool"? Kind of like a teenager who can't make it seem like they're trying at anything.
It's a 3, but a pretty weak 3
The Kinks
2/5
The beginning of the album started off really strong, but started to lose me in the middle, and really lost me at the end.
It honestly feels like having a night out where it starts really nice and really fun and then it spirals down to a terrible night because you drank too much.
2/5
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
I loved the horns throughout the album. It really reminds me of ska music, which I'm guessing was heavily influenced by Dexys Midnight Runners. If you want more horns in punk music, Streetlight Manifesto was something I listened to back in the day.
There were times where the singers voice was pretty... whiney? Usually I don't mind, but when you listen to a whole album of it, it starts to get to you in some way.
I enjoyed my time with this album, some highs (and these were great highs) and lows but ultimately I think every song was worth listening to at least once. I was debating between a 2 and a 3, but I think 3 is my correct rating for this album.
The Smashing Pumpkins
2/5
Way too long of an album. And I can't believe there were so many songs that were already cut! Why not just make multiple albums? Does the saying "throw enough wet paper at a wall and eventually something will stick" apply here? Sure there's some really good songs in here, some of their best singles (1979, for instance). But 2 hours for an album is absurd. Now... for my review.
I can imagine if I were a teenager listening to this for the first time, I would probably absolutely love this album. The mixture of angst and sadness pretty much describes a lot of what teenagers are going through and also describes a lot of songs on this album.
I loved the intro piano. I wish there were more songs like that, even with singing. In fact, a lot of the slower sections in this album are very well put together.
There's a lot to like about this album, but the length of it is such a turn off, I just wanted it to end.
2/5
Black Sabbath
4/5
There was a lot to like about this album. A lot of sections throughout the album are so memorable and stick in your head throughout the day. The bass player had no business adding all his tasty licks into these tracks. I think the highlight for me was learning how incredible and unique Black Sabbath's bass player is.
The drum solo in Rat Salad is definitely dated. Drum solos at a concert are cool, drum solos in an album... not so much. I don't want to listen to the same drum solo over and over again when I want to listen to the album.
Anthrax
1/5
I think the best thing about this album is the cover art.
For the music.. What is with these 80s metal bands and just changing tempos at the snap of a finger? I don't get it. When I'm vibing with the guitars and the drums, it suddenly changes to something completely different! I hate it! I can only imagine the writing process was something along the lines of "Hey this riff sounds cool, let's add it in!"
All of the intros to the songs were great. They all had me hyped up to hear the rest of the song. And then I was met with disappointment with the rest of the song.
The most "consistent" song in that sense, and the one I enjoyed the most from this album, was I Am The Law. Indians was okay too.
There's only 1 feeling that can describe this music, anger. I just felt like I wanted to break stuff while listening to this record.
By the 4th song, I was ready to turn the album off. However, I actually enjoyed the back half of this album more than the front half. In contrast to my previous statement, there were actual transitions between sections and so I felt like the songs flowed better.
I don't think there's any reason for me to return to this album. Not even for a single.
1/5
Funkadelic
4/5
Do you promise to funk?
This album was fun! I found myself grooving to the whole album. Never did I think to skip a song.
4/5
Michael Jackson
5/5
Despite the albums name, this record is very good! So many bangers from "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror", "Smooth Criminal"... Even the filler songs, if you want to call them that, provide a lot of context to the rest of the songs. I find that these songs allow the record to breathe and shows versatility in the ability to write both upbeat, dance tracks as well as sentimental tracks where both can be catchy and memorable.
I loved this record. I listened to it twice before giving my rating and loved it both times. Every song has a quality to it that make me want to come back to it. Guitars, bass lines, synths, vocals, overall vibe, all on point for every song.
5/5
Elton John
5/5
Elton John is what I'd describe as "A Showman". It's another way of saying, he's music is very theatrical. If I think about music that would best fit in a musical, he'd be the first person that comes to mind.
This record takes time to digest. It's not filled with singles and ear worms and really requires actively listening to appreciate. I listened to it the first time, and I thought it was okay. I listened to it again, very actively. Listening to every element in each track.
The drums, they're punchy when they need to be and adds a real rhythm to get your foot tapping. It's never in your face, and it's exactly what it needs to be in the context of the song. Masterfully crafted.
The bass lines, are never bland. If you take the time to listen to what he's playing, it's fun. Rotten Peaches is a great example of this. Listen to it, it's a good track.
Elton's singing and piano is absolutely where his theatrics shine. In "All The Nasties", Elton is singing with a choir behind him. Of course he is, he's theatrical.
The instrumentation arrangements are interesting. It's not a record that you would get bored of for a really long time. Each song is different, but on a theme; each song has something that makes it unique, for example, an added instrument.
I think the biggest takeaway I learned about listening to this, is this. Elton John doesn't write music to write singles, Elton John writes records. And this record, is incredible.
5/5
Leonard Cohen
2/5
Guitar playing: 4/5
Singing: 2/5
Vibe: 1/5
Overall rating: 2/5
I didn't particularly like this album, but I can appreciate that some people might. It's very sentimental, but me + folk music don't get along very well.
Kendrick Lamar
5/5
Straight and clear, I've never been a huge fan of hip-hop. What I love about Kendrick is that he's not afraid to incorporate other musical elements into his tracks, thus eliminating my biggest gripe with hip-hop, repetitiveness. From the first track it immediately stands out as "This isn't just a a rapper on a beat".
I remember listening to King Kunta for the first time and being absolutely blown away, from the opening all the way to the ending. Upbeat, catchy, funky.. one of my favourite lines "Most of y'all share bars like you got the bottom bunk in a 2 man cell".
The biggest takeaway I had from this album was the poem that is read aloud after (almost) every track. You get a bit more every time and then an entire song is written about the last line he says in the poem. And by the end when he ties it all together, I was floored. Probably the first album, and maybe the only album, that did that to me. I think I remember sitting there in silence just taking it all in, trying to make sense of everything I just heard.
I still don't listen to a lot of hip-hop, but I'll always listen to Kendrick Lamar.
Primal Scream
2/5
Not what I expected from a band name "Primal Scream".
I didn't hate it, I didn't like it, I thought it was good background music. It was nothing groundbreaking in terms of music, and probably not something I'd revisit willingly.
Although I'm sure I'll probably hear it in some movie soundtracks.
2/5
The Fall
1/5
This sounds like "My kid's first band". What the heck is this? How could this possibly be a top 1001 album of all time? OF ALL TIME?! If this was made with children's toys as instruments, then maybe I can understand and appreciate the limitation that was put on the artists.
The bass player deserves to be here, everyone else needs to take some music lessons. The drummer needs to practice with a metronome.
Here are some sounds that I prefer over this album: babies crying, someone chewing gum with their mouth open, rubbing cotton balls together...
I struggled big time just trying to get through the album. This is terrible. I don't understand.
1/5
Derek & The Dominos
2/5
Definitely felt that the front half of the album is better than the back half. Front half sounds more structured, like the band took more care writing those songs. The back half sounds like a solo-fest, and not in a really good way. It's not ground-breaking music by any means, there's some parts and songs that are skippable. Layla still bangs though and is just an iconic riff.
Overall, 2/5
King Crimson
2/5
It’s a shame that this album is filled with filler for how absolute killer the first song is. I don’t mind listening to it, but when l compare it to other albums it’s just not quite there. I’ll give it a 2 just for the sake of the first song.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
I don't mind this record, I think it's okay. It had sections that made me pause what I was doing and say to myself "What the heck is this?", in a good way. Mainly the song "Excuse Me" is a good example. Is it the best song in the album, no I'd give that to "Solsbury Hill", but it grabbed my attention with how wacky and different it was. Same example of the section where Peter sings "I will find out" in "Moribund The Burgermeister" (great name for a song)
Would I listen to this album again, probably not. Did I appreciate my time with it, yeah I did.
3/5
The Pretty Things
2/5
I don't really know how I feel about this album. There was nothing that I particularly liked and I think what I'm learning from listening to this (and a few other previous albums) is that I'm just not a fan of psychedelic rock.
It's not that I hated the album, I just didn't find anything that I particularly enjoyed.
2/5
Calexico
4/5
There's a lot I like about this record. It's moody, it's eerie, it's emotional (which I guess all kind of describes the same thing...) and because of that, to me it's what makes it interesting. When an artist can accomplish moody without it being cringe, I tend to bias towards it more. Black Heart captures that feeling perfectly with the violins. Loved that track.
I think a lot of the instrumentation throughout the record is really good. The layers of guitars and strings are mixed really well and I would guess a lot of care was put into the sound of how those two are interacting with each other.
4/5
U2
2/5
Felt like the album started off really strong and then faded off towards the end. The sound was more of the same and by the end of it, I wasn’t even sure what song I was on.
2/5
The Strokes
4/5
Something I’ll always appreciate with The Strokes, their instrumentation it’s always a foot tapper. Something too complicated but always puts your in a fancy kind of mood.
Something I can never appreciate with The Strokes, the singer. I just don’t get it. Maybe it’s good that he’s more hidden behind the music because of how much I like the guitar and bass, but his melody and words don’t vibe with me.
Interesting enough, I think you can pick any song from this album and find it enjoyable. It’s an interesting listen to and I very much enjoyed my time with it.
The deeper I get into the album, the more I absolutely love the sound. I was even vibing with the singer and the energy he brought to the sound. Such a vibe. Upbeat and fun all the way through. Honestly maybe as close to a 5 you can get without it actually being a 5. But 100% an album I’ll come back to.
4/5
Baaba Maal
2/5
It’s tough to listen to an hour long album that isn’t in a language you understand. Definitely affected my listening experience. That being said, I didn’t hate a lot of what was going on. If someone had it on in the background I’d probably be vibing to it but I wouldn’t actively put on this album myself.
2/5
Genesis
1/5
Honestly, I don't think I said "Wow this music is really good" once while listening to this album. I found it was very messy, coming from a Prog Rock fan. I understand they're one of the pioneers, but this music really just isn't for me.
1/5
Michael Kiwanuka
2/5
I thought this record was interesting. Nothing I'd normally listen to, but there are elements about it I like. I thought the the rhythm section was really strong and I enjoyed his vocals throughout the record.
However, with some filler songs and some weaker songs, I think I'd have to give this album a 2/5 but I did enjoy my time with it.
Metallica
2/5
Honestly, it’s a better album than their first album. But I feel like songs can be cut from here to make it better. There are some very skippable and forgettable songs, as well as I think some of their best songs as a group.
Overall, I’d probably give it a 2. If some of the filler songs were cut, it’d be a 3
Dire Straits
3/5
I thought it was okay. I didn’t hate anything, and some parts I thought were nice.
I liked it more than I didn’t, so 3/5
Meat Loaf
3/5
I never listened to Meat Loaf before and I didn't realize how cinematic his music would be. Reminds me a lot of Elton John, however, I didn't like it as much as Elton John.
Although cinematic, I think there was too much repetition in terms of his voice and the vibe of the record. I loved the opening track, but was kind of disappointed that the rest of the songs sounded very similar.
Regardless, I enjoyed my time with it.
3/5
Kings of Leon
3/5
I've never heard early King of Leon, and I thought it was interesting to hear their roots. I don't find it as good as their modern stuff (post Use Somebody), but again it's interesting to listen to.
I didn't find anything particularly amazing about this record, but I did enjoy my time with it and I'd have no problem listening to it again or if someone else put it on.
3/5
The Doors
4/5
I really liked this album until I got to the last song. It felt like it dragged in forever. Still, if I don’t let that one song affect my rating, then I’d give it a 4/5.
Super solid record, I enjoyed every song and Break on Through is an absolute classic (first heard it playing Tony Hawk Underground 2)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2/5
This album is very edgy. I had no idea the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s were like this. The only song I knew previously was Maps and so you can imagine my surprise when I heard the rest of this album.
I didn’t particularly like this record. I thought it was nothing more than a venting session, which music is and can be at times.
It felt like some songs were a bit messy, there’s chaos which I guess is the intention, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good, at least in my opinion.
2/5
Cyndi Lauper
4/5
I really liked this album. Almost every song was catchy in its own right without it being an annoying ear worm.
Plus time after time slaps again and again.
4/5
Iggy Pop
2/5
I don't know what it is about Iggy Pop, but I just can't get into his music. The fact that David Bowie couldn't save my from liking an Iggy Pop album says a lot about my liking for Iggy Pop.
The music was great, the bass lines were sharp at times and caught my interest, but I really don't care for Iggy.
2/5
Incubus
3/5
I'm torn by this album. I absolutely LOVE the drums. It's extremely groovy, kept me on my toes, kept my head bopping, incredible performance throughout. Some of the filler songs were absolutely saved by the drummer.
However, speaking of filler songs, depending on how much you enjoy nu-metal, this album could be riddled with them. I thought there were a lot of very interesting parts scattered throughout the album, but there are also some lows that I don't particularly care for.
Overall, I think I'd give this album a 3/5
Haircut 100
3/5
I thought this record was a lot of fun, however, a bit repetitive at times (mainly the drumming with it's typical "boom-tsk-bap-tsk", for lack of a better term). I also find the singer has a pretty limited range, but I loved the rest of the instrumentation. The bass player is fantastic and kept me involved, the horns I really enjoyed, the guitar is super funky and fun.
Overall, it's a solid record, but when comparing to the other records found throughout this list, it doesn't hold that same "wow" factor that others can make me feel.
3/5
Marty Robbins
3/5
I thought this album was cute. Fun to listen to an album from the 50s. I enjoyed my time 3/5
OutKast
4/5
I very much enjoyed my time with the album. It’s far from perfect, but there are some songs on here that I discovered that are fantastic.
This was a great car ride album, vibes were great throughout.
4/5
JAY Z
4/5
There's a lot to like about this record. It's easy to listen to, doesn't really challenge any musical norms, and doesn't really try to be "different" (maybe for 2001, I'm not sure). There really wasn't a section that I didn't like, everything was solid.
I really like the production throughout the record, the drums are tight and they sound like they would fit really well with live musicians (makes me want to hear some live versions for some of these songs).
Overall, very solid album. 4/5
Django Django
3/5
I liked the diversity of the record. A lot of different sounds and genres were incorporated which I enjoyed. What I enjoyed about it most is how "listenable" they made each song while also being very different. I find that can be a very trick combination but I think they executed it well. I think "Art Rock" is a very suitable genre for this band/album. It's artistic, it's different, but it works!
I've never really been a fan of the "low effort" singing with any band, and this is no different.
I think overall, it was interesting to listen to and easy to listen to. It might be an album that needs to digest and listen to multiple times in order to appreciate it more.
3/5
The White Stripes
4/5
What a fantastic album! I listened to it twice, back-to-back. It's not a perfect album, but I enjoyed the heck out of it.
I absolustely hate how "The Nurse" just abruptly ends, literally in the middle of a riff. Not even at the end of a 4/4 bar, just right in the middle. Why? Grinds my gears.
What I love about Jack White is how he can incorporate blues in this Garage Rock style, and absolutely rock its socks off.
Great album 4/5
The Black Crowes
3/5
I thought this record was okay. It's nothing special by any means, and it hits the nail on the head when it's described as "Blues Rock".
There's no earth shattering guitar solos, there's no crazy powerful blues voice, it's all more "in the pocket", so to speak.
3/5
Public Enemy
3/5
I imagine back in 1990, this was a very good record. Nowadays, I'm not too sure.
Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate any part of the album, I just think it's a bit dated as hiphop has progressed a lot in production since then.
3/5
Bob Dylan
2/5
It was interesting, but ultimately, not for me. I thought the songwriting was okay and his voice at times was cool, but it still had me bored throughout the album.
2/5
Bebel Gilberto
2/5
I thought this record was interesting, but a bit repetitive. Not really my cup of tea for the most part but some sections were fun. I particularly liked Bananeira.
Overall, I think I'll give it a 2
Animal Collective
2/5
An optical illusion for an album cover automatically gets a +1 from me, especially given it's a psychedelic genre of album.
However, not for me
2/5
4/5
Maybe I'm biased, but I love Muse. I think their discography is incredibly diverse from their early days to how they sound now.
That being said, I love this album. I've never listened to the full thing before. So many highs with Starlight, Supermassive Black Hole, and my personal favourite Knights of Cydonia (thanks Guitar Hero).
And I discovered a new song from here that I really enjoyed, Assassin!
Not a perfect album, but really solid. 4/5
James Brown
3/5
If I'm to just judge the music from the album, and not the James Brown himself, I'd give it a 3.
There wasn't really a time where I thought the music was particularly bad. His performance was definitely over-the-top, in a good way. He shows a lot of energy throughout the performance. But would I come back to this album and listen to it on my own time? No
Ali Farka Touré
3/5
Each song sounds like it's own jam session. Similar to ones I would have with my band where we keep the same rhythm and just allow each person to have a solo. I guess when it's described that way and the more I listen to it, it's very blues influenced, and I can hear. Which to me is strange but cool at the same time, I like when artists blend all their influences into their own sound.
It's an interesting album and I enjoyed my time with it. 3/5
Deee-Lite
2/5
I am definitely not the target audience for this type of music, so that'll influence my rating a bit.
This is a forgettable album. The beats were good, but the repetitiveness is what gets me. By the end of every song, I was glad it was over so I can listen to something else.
Is it a 1/5? Probably not, it's not like I despised the songs. I was just sick of them by the end, and it does have some good parts.
2/5
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
Abattoir Blues was a decent disc. A mixture of blues, rock, and a bit of gospal in there as well. Honestly a nice blend of sounds.
The Lyre of Orpheus however, not so great. A lot of skippable tracks in my opinion that brought the vibe down. By the end when I finally got to the most popular song, O Children, I was pretty sick of the sound and didn't even enjoy the track.
Overall, I'd give it a 2/5
Violent Femmes
4/5
The sound of this record is very raw, which definitely works in this case. The bass player has some licks that I can't believe are done on an acoustic bass, that shit is not easy. The guitars have their moments too and they're very short and sweet. Definitely kept me interested throughout the record. I loved the sound of this record, even if they're songs I'll likely not return to. I really enjoyed my time with it, and I still think it deserves a 4/5
Curtis Mayfield
2/5
The first track was fire. The bongoes kept me in tune and it was fun listening to that throughout the track. Bass lines were tight, instrumentation in general was tight, loved the track.
Second track was okay, but started to lose me. Third track, even thought the most popular track on the album, I wasn't vibing with it and that pretty much persisted throughout the rest of the album. Felt like I was getting preached to and overall not a great vibe.
2/5
New Order
2/5
I don't really know how I feel about this album. On one hand, there were parts that made me vibe, on the other hand, I don't think anything particularly stood out and it all sort of blended together. Realistically I don't see myself ever coming back to any of these songs.
2/5
Sly & The Family Stone
2/5
I didn't hate this album, I just didn't think it was very good.
Abdullah Ibrahim
4/5
This album was such a nice surprise! I absolutely loved it to bits. I've been searching for nice instrumental music that isn't lofi (which I feel like ALL "chill" music is lofi these days). And whenever I search for chill jazz, it's not "quite my tempo" so to say.
It's not too simple where it's boring, it's not too complicated where solos are melting your face, but complex enough where replaying songs allow you to hear new things each time. It's nice, it's smooth, it's "buttery", it's interesting, it's a great freaking album.
4/5
Fleet Foxes
3/5
George Harrison
3/5
This album was way better than I thought it would be. I think I took George Harrison for granted in his role in The Beatles as his solo work is nicely composed and thought out.
I really enjoyed my time with the first disc. These songs had a lot of life, which is shown not only in Harrison's guitar playing, but also with his voice and composition of the songs. Despite being the lead guitarist, he doesn't take his solo album as an opportunity to shine his ability to play guitar (he does in the second disc, but we won't talk about that just yet). Instead, he takes the opportunity to craft beautifully written songs.
The entire second disc could have been removed from this album. The first disc is a really good compilation of songs and it's kinda tarnished from the second disc. Both from the full length of the album, and the quality of the songs. The last few songs are full length guitar solos.
First disc, 4/5
Second disc, 2/5
Overall, 3/5
Air
2/5
Although I can appreciate the atmospheric sounds, I don't think I can give this a higher rating than 2. I'm impressed that a movie soundtrack made the list of top 1001 albums of all time, and I do think its earned its place here.
It's not quite a 1 star because it's not like I hated the album, there was just nothing exciting or memorable about it. I'm sure it's a great movie score, just not a great album
2/5
k.d. lang
2/5
I actually liked this album more than I thought I would after listening to the first song. Once I heard that country twang, I kind of rolled my eyes a bit thinking "Oh boy, buckle up", but there's some good tunes in here.
Miss Chatelaine and Constant Craving were great! Still Thrives This Love's guitar intro is also cool, but then it fades away. The vibe of the song is cool though. I can see someone performing some interpretive dance to this song and really bringing out the emotion from the song.
The rest of the album... meh. I did notice that a lot of the songs started off weak, but the more it played and as the song unfolded, it became decent.
It's a 2/5, but a strong 2
The Libertines
2/5
edgy, raw, rebellious are a few words I can think of when I listened to this album. It was cool at times and just noise at other times. Considering this came out in 2004, I feel like there were other punk bands that were just better (at least in my opinion) so it's not like they were "ahead of their time" and I can't give them that benefit.
I did however, like the vocal exchanges between the two singers. I think they play well off each other.
2/5
Rush
4/5
Man I love this album. Neil Peart was one of my idols growing up. The Godfather of complex drumming (at least to me). He really opened my eyes to what you can be done on the drums. Honestly, this whole band was so innovative and so many bands that I currently love are heavily influenced by their sound.
Tom Sawyer, YYZ, and Limelight were already in my love list of songs. Honestly I want to give this album a 5 stars, but I don't think it's a perfect album. The last 3 songs are kinda lack luster, especially when the first half of the album are just BANGERS!
4/5
Tracy Chapman
3/5
A very powerful album. I really enjoyed the first half and not so much the second half. Fast Car still holds up as an amazing track and also very bold to have a song with just vocals. I really like her style, I just don't know if I would listen to an entire album at once.
Kendrick Lamar
5/5
Certified hood classic. One of my favourite albums. Less than To Pimp a Butterfly, but before that, I was obsessed with this album. I love the concept of a kid (a good kid) growing up in Compton (maad city) and being pressured into gang activity but then finding God after one of his friends gets shot from a rival gang. I think the story telling throughout the album is incredible and it paints a vivid picture to the listener. Some of my favourites is The Art of Peer Pressure and Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst.
To me, this is one of, if not the best concept album I've heard. What I love about Kendrick is his ability to be able to pull an entire album together and be able to not just produce "party singles" like most hip-hop artists.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
I've never gave The Rolling Stones a full album listen before, and I gotta say, I enjoyed this! I loved the guitar work. I 100% see their appeal and why they're given their acclaim.
Some of the songs were meh, for example, You Gotta Move and honestly the rest of the album after that point. The album started off with great energy and after this point, it dies down. I can understand a song or two and spreading out the high energy songs, but it was just one after the other after the other and really brought down my overall appeal of the album.
Overall though, better than I thought it was going to be
The Teardrop Explodes
1/5
This album is awful. Not a single song I enjoyed. Extremely repetitive and just honestly terrible. I also find it funny that the most played song from this album wasn't even on the original release of the album and was released in 2000 as a bonus track...
Wilco
4/5
I actually really enjoyed this album. I think younger me would have enjoyed it more. I'm like debating between a 3 and a 4. On one hand, the album as a whole felt really well put together. On the other hand, I don't think there's any real singles I can pull from this record that I would listen to again on their own, but I definitely think I'd listen to the album again.
I found myself vibing a lot throughout the album. Maybe I'll regret it later, but I'll give it 4/5
David Bowie
3/5
Definitely not my favourite Bowie album, but it's cool reading from the Wikipedia article that this album is when "Bowie starts to become Bowie", so it's interesting to hear that transition album. There are definitely sections and songs on this album that are very good and it's good to hear that he was able to carry that forward to future albums.
3/5
Hawkwind
3/5
One of those "set and forget" kind of albums. Meaning you put it on, and you can just let it play on for a while without needing to change any songs. That's probably the one benefit of this album being over 2 hours, otherwise, it's way too long of an album to actively listen to. Great to have on in the background though.
That being said, there were a lot of riffs and sections that were really cool that'd I'd go back to the song just to jam out. Particularly the bass line in Down Through the Night. But then you get to songs like Electronic No 1 and it's literally (not figuratively) just noise.
I think overall, I still enjoyed my time with it and I can safely give it a 3/5
Various Artists
2/5
I think given it's a Christmas album, I'll review it with context that it is always Christmas time when I listen to this. I think it's only fair.
I mean... I guess it's a collection of songs I've heard a billion times. Very traditional sound, very traditional songs, great for Christmas morning with the family, but otherwise I'd pass.
But also, what's with Phil Spector's monologue in Silent Night? So strange.
Elvis Costello
2/5
Elvis Costello really likes to repeat the same words over and over again in his songs, kinda forcing the ear worm.
There's some pretty funky sections in 13 Steps Lead Down. However, falls victim again to saying the same words over and over again.
Elvis' voice really doesn't stray away. He has a typical sound that persists in all of his songs. I like the band more than the singer, and I'd like to hear more from them.
I think I'd like Elvis' music more if I didn't have to listen to an entire album of it.
Leonard Cohen
1/5
This is just not for me.
4/5
First 3 songs are fantastic! And then it falls to the rest of the songs to try and match the "greatness(?)" of these and frankly the rest of the songs are not even close to being as good.
I didn't hate the rest of the songs, but I think to better format this album, they should be scattered throughout and have the good songs in between. It would result in a better paced album.
These other songs have their moments and have a likeable quality to them. I think I'd come back to this album, there wasn't really anything I hated about it. I could listen to it front-to-back again
4/5
Lynyrd Skynyrd
4/5
Felt like I was in the heart of The South listening to this record. It's funny when you know a band from just a couple of songs throughout their career, but you've never listened to an entire album. This was one of those cases with Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Obviously Free Bird being the most popular song and still a great tune, but I had no idea that Tuesday's Gone was the song featured in Happy Gilmore. This is a great debut album
4/5
The Temptations
2/5
Was is a funky album, yes. Was it missing something? Yes, but I can't put a finger on it. I just wasn't vibing with this album like I do with other funky albums.
2/5
Nico
1/5
I wanted to turn this off when it got to the second song. Spoiler alert, the album doesn't get any better.
I think this is the worst album I've heard on this list so far.
1/5
A Tribe Called Quest
3/5
I enjoyed this album more than I thought I would. I've listened to A Tribe Called Quest before and I thought their music was pretty lack lustre. But I definitely enjoyed it this time and I recognized a couple of samples in some songs which I thought were cool. Nothing particularly "wowed" me, but I also didn't think any song was worth a skip.
Maybe after listening to more music on this list, it made me appreciate this album a bit more.
3/5
The Stone Roses
4/5
The words that come to mind when I try to describe this album is "Teenage Freedom". For whatever reason when I hear this music, I picture a teenager from the 80s not having any worries and just wandering about.
I enjoyed it. Definitely no skippable tracks on here. I'm just surprised that this is #11 on the top 1001 albums. I'm not blown away by it where it deserves to be just outside the top 10 albums of all time. It was just a good, consistent listen all the way through.
It's one of those albums that you can put on pretty much any time and listen to it cover to cover. I'll save it for future feel-good listens.
4/5
The Clash
3/5
AC/DC
4/5
Typically, I'm not a huge fan of AC/DC. I've heard their songs enough times, I find the singer's voice quite annoying, and the drum beats are just too simple for my taste.
However, I actually did enjoy my listen to this album. Debatably something I'd actually re-visit on my own.
4/5
Gang Starr
1/5
I understand the appeal to those who enjoy this kind of music, but this style of hip hop isn't for me. That old school "thug" rap just doesn't do it for me. It reminds me of that De La Soul album, and honestly I thought that was better because it was more original than this. I couldn't tell you a song that stood out throughout this whole album.
The xx
4/5
I've definitely heard Intro before on some instrumental playlist. It sounded way too familiar. And it's weird when a song called Intro is the most played song, but in this case, it's really good! It totally sets the tone for the rest of the album.
The intro riff for Islands is incredible. Caught my attention right away and loved it throughout. I think my favourite song from the album.
This album was a really fresh listen. The vocals remind me of Of Monsters and Men (guilty pleasure of mine). The instrumentals don't try to do too much but compliment the vocals nicely. It's one of those albums that I can put on in any mood, and I'd happily listen to it cover-to-cover.
Did it blow me away, no. Did I enjoy the heck out of it, yes.
Paul McCartney and Wings
3/5
This album was way cooler than I ever thought it would be. I'm actually pretty amazed at how much enjoyment I got from some of these songs. I'm a sucker for non-repetitive songs that bring a lot of variety, and a lot of these songs did exactly that. I can totally understand that it can sound messy, but I eat that stuff up.
There are, however, some filler songs that I'm just not a fan of. i.e. Mrs Vandebilt, Mamunia
The Icarus Line
2/5
Started off pretty cool, and then faded into the background and forgettable. Probably should have been a shorter album.
Traffic
3/5
I had a really good time with some of the songs from here. Was very surprised to hear singing on the second track, but I still enjoyed it. The sound was pretty raw, one of those cases where "less is more" in terms of production.
Metallica
1/5
The symphony was cool, but I really get listener fatigue whenever I have to listen to Metallica for more than 2 songs. I couldn't wait for this album to end so that I could listen to something else, but this album just carries on forever.
I think they could have taken advantage of the symphony a bit more by playing their slower songs more. Or at least space those out better because the front half of this album really dragged on. The fatigue faded a bit when Nothing Else Matter came on, and I thought it was a really nice song to have with the symphony.
I appreciate the ambition to add a symphony to Trash Metal, and for the most part I thought it worked. But like I said at the beginning, I just can't listen to so much Metallica in one sitting.
Sex Pistols
4/5
It's kind of amazing that the Sex Pistols only have one official album, and how much of an influence they had on punk music.
I thought this album was fantastic, and I totally see why it was so well received. I don't think I really have too much to say about it, I just really liked it.
The Isley Brothers
4/5
I loved this album! Funky, soulful, the solos were tasty and not tacky, absolute treat of an album today. Recognized the first song that was sampled in Kendrick Lamar's "i" and I really enjoyed that. Definitely heard it before somewhere, and after researching, it was in Anchorman. I can easily listen to this album again.
4/5
The Fall
2/5
The more I wrote, the more I realize that this review is more like a stream of conscious then a thought out, concise review. Read it as such.
It's not nearly as bad as the previous album. I actually didn't hate it and thought it was okay as background music. I would rank this album above some of the worst ones we've heard so far, even some of the others that aren't ranked 1 star. I thought the singer "fit in" with the music more on the album, I thought the instrumentation was far better where it actually works and is listenable throughout the entirety of the record.
This feels like a proper punk record. One that I totally understand if people enjoyed. At times, it does sound like the singer is on another planet and a different song is playing in his head while he's singing. Maybe he looked at his shoes and realized they were tied the wrong way mid way through recording and started mumbling to himself. I'm willing to bet that most of his vocals were done in 1 take (it's not like he's hitting any notes that require pitch perfect vocals).
The Boo Radleys
4/5
Very first though, this sounds like the "always melodic Smashing Pumpkins".
It's funny... listening through it the first time, I thought I didn't like this album. But then I heard Lazarus, and I loved the heck out of this song. It made me rethink about what I just listened to and now I need to listen to the album again with a difference perspective.
This is an active listening album. There's a lot of layers to these songs that just won't go appreciated when listened to in the background. For example, Run My Way Runway has this really annoying helicopter sound that I absolutely hated and I probably never want to hear again. But the feeling it gave me, of being driven insane to the point where I was getting angry, if that was the goal of that track, it 1000% succeeded. Wouldn't have appreciated the feeling it made me feel if it was in the background without headphones! The layering that happens about halfway through The White Noise Revisited was absolutely brilliant. I also liked how they did the layering. To me, it sounded like the introduced instrument or voice was loud to start to get your attention that this is not being added to this repeating rhythm. And then it faded back into the music to then be introduced by a new sound.
I feel like a lot of my annoyances from this record come from some of the distorted parts. Any time it's a simple melody over a simple guitar, I love it.
I also feel like this album is a great choice to be a part of listening groups, because I feel like there's so much to digest musically and you can talk about parts you loved and parts you hated while everyone having a unique opinion.
Overall, I really have mixed feelings about Giant Steps. There are just parts I absolutely love and are so beautifully written and performed, and then I completely opposite feeling a few moments later. I like the ambition of the unique sound, and I believe the intention of the album is exactly what it's meant to be. I would love to listen to this album again. But I might skip a few parts.
4
Miles Davis
3/5
I feel like this is kinda mid for Miles Davis. It was a nice listen through, but nothing really stood out to me. I guess I can appreciate the "major development in post-bebop jazz" these songs were, but considering this came out in 1957 and I'm no where near that age, it's hard for me to be able to understand that well.
I'm debating between a 2 and a 3, but when comparing to other 2 star albums I've given, it's better than those so...
3
Sister Sledge
3/5
There were songs on here that were incredible and just all time classics. He's the Greatest Dancer, We Are Family, I was even cool with Lost in Music, something I've never heard before. But then the "heartfelt" songs kind of brought me out of it. Somebody Loves Me for example just brought the overall "fun" vibe down. Still a fun listen
The Stooges
2/5
I'll admit, it was better than I thought it would be. But that's not saying much since I'm just really not a fan of Iggy Pop. I thought the song structures weren't too bad, I thought the overall tone and vibe was pretty good. It's punk, it's rebellious, it's raw, I can see people who enjoy this album. But that's not me.
Public Image Ltd.
1/5
I didn't finish the album. I didn't want to. It made my work miserable and I want to listen to something else.
The greatest part of this album, was when I turned it off. This album feels like an extension of "Live at The Witch Trials". In other words, it's terrible. I think if you wanted to torture someone, you would lock them in a room replaying Metal Box and Live at The Witch Trials over and over again.
There's nothing to salvage this album. There's nothing to analyze. There's nothing to like (the bass lines were decent, but repetitive). I can't even imagine how the producer of this record feels listening to these tracks over and over again getting the mix "just right". Although given the quality of the tracks, that probably didn't happen.
I can't believe that even Rolling Stone magazine rated this as a top 500 album. Seriously, what is their criteria?!
1
Travis
4/5
I went into this album with no expectation as I had no idea who they were. I have to say, I was pretty impressed. I actually think there's a lot to like about this album and for me it was the songwriting. I thought each track was unique and intricate and it formed the album very well. There's also so pretty catchy parts throughout. It really reminds me of Radiohead and I honestly thought the first song could have been a ripoff of Wonderwall with the guitar intro.
I think I liked it more than most of my 3 star ratings
The Go-Betweens
2/5
Honestly, this was the biggest "whatever" album I've ever heard.
Common
4/5
Gospal, Jazz, Soul, and Hip-hop. The way that Common is able to blend these different sounds so seamlessly is what makes this album stand out. I love his flow, it's easy to follow along but not so simple where it's the same cadence for too long. I love how he enunciates his words and you're able to clearly hear everything that he's saying. I love the mix of the record, everything has its own little island and nothing is clashing with each other.
That opening bass line had me hooked right away. Groovy, deep, immediately had my head bobbing. And then when Common comes in, again, his flow it's not like it's a simple cadence, it's got rhythm, it's got flow, it keeps me captivated.
I love how the bass is mixed throughout the entire album. It's deep, it keeps everything in line and is the backbone to each song. Great album.
4
The Rolling Stones
3/5
The more albums that I'm listening to from The Rolling Stones, the more I'm becoming a fan. It's easy listening music, which can be both a pro and a con. There's nothing "exciting" in terms of their songs (at least from this album), but there's also not a lot of bad other than nit picks here and there.
This is kind of a jam out record. Put it on, crack open a cold one, and sit on a rocking chair on the front porch on a summer night. That's the vibe.
Amy Winehouse
4/5
The uniqueness in her voice is definitely a standout. I enjoyed the album. I don't really know what I can say about it apart from that I really liked it
The Beta Band
2/5
Sounds like a bad Weezer. Not to mention it was just weird throughout.
Some songs and riffs were cool, while others fell completely flat. I disliked it more than I liked it. Almost fell asleep while listening to it
Culture Club
2/5
First song = BANGER
Rest of album, not really that good. It's got some high-highs, but also low-lows.
The Rolling Stones
2/5
Maybe I'm just sick of The Rolling Stones at this point, but this album, especially compared to their others, just ain't it.
Boston
3/5
Honestly, if this was a biased review, I'd probably give this 4 stars simply because I love the first 3 songs on the album where I've repeatedly listened to this album just so I can hear those songs.
As an unbiased review, I think it really only deserves 3 stars because the back half of the album is simply not that great. It's listenable, but pretty meh
Bill Callahan
2/5
A modern and more upbeat Leonard Cohen.
I was okay with it at first, but the problem with a monotone voice over an entire album, is that it just gets stale. The instrumentation is cool throughout, but it's just the same voice with no really variety in the tone.
The last song "Faith/Void" really dragged on. I think he wants to put God away.
2
Ray Charles
2/5
Too many love songs.
This album makes me feel like a hopeless romantic. And honestly just made me sad.
2
The Who
3/5
There's some great songs on this album, but honestly also some forgettable ones. Personally, I love The Who and they have some great tracks/singles. But the album as a whole I think only deserves
a 3
Michael Jackson
3/5
I'm torn because I liked the album, but I'm unsure if I want to give it a 4 because I think in comparison to the other 4's I have, it doesn't quite hit the same as those ones.
It's got the typical Michael Jackson dance bass grooves, it's filled with finger snappers, foot tappers, and party smackers, but by the end of the album, I was done with it and ready to move on to something else.
Radiohead
3/5
I enjoyed my time with this album. This is a very tame version (on a scale of “weirdness”) of Radiohead which I enjoyed.
Adele
4/5
After the first 4 songs, I was ready to give this album 4/5, but it did seem to drag on. I like her sentimental songs more than I like her upbeat songs. There was a lot of really cool instrumentation throughout her music that kept me interested even though it was slower. For example, the syncopated drums in "I Miss You" was really cool, the acoustic guitar paired with her vocals in "Send My Love" I thought was incredible, the piano and vocals in "Remedy" were captivating. That's where I said to myself, "Yeah this album is incredible, wow!"
"Water Under the Bridge" came on, and I thought it was okay, and by "River Lea" I was starting to have second guesses on my 4 rating and the album kinda went downhill from there. Not in a "crash and burn" sort of way, but the magic that the beginning of the album had went away.
I think I'll still give it 4/5 because I did really like it and I'd like to remember how much I liked it.
Norah Jones
2/5
I found that her voice was basically the same in every song. I think if I heard a few of her songs at a time, I'd be okay with it, but the slow pace mixed with the same tone of vocals for every song just made me want to move on to something else.
Soft Cell
1/5
Talk about a one-hit wonder considering the variance in the amount of listens on this album. From almost 1 billion on "Tainted Love" to 300,000 on "Insecute Me" and "Fun City". Usually that's a case where the album doesn't live up to the single. Definitely the case here.
Jurassic 5
3/5
Listened to it this morning. There are ups and downs. The downs just being the repetitiveness, but considering it's 2002 rap, that's pretty typical. I recognize "A Day At The Races" from Tony Hawk's Underground (one of my favourite games as a kid).
For the most part, I liked the flow from the MCs. I don't mind the album,
Rage Against The Machine
4/5
This album rocks, kicks, slaps, and raps. I can totally understand if someone has never heard of RATM, they probably wouldn't like them. They're aggressive, the rap flow is strange, the lyrics are very politically driven. But that's what I love about it. And, it's a fantastic album to workout to.
The rhythm section is what carries the band, with Tom counting as part of that because he's incredible and his guitar definitely makes you groove and fits so well into the bass and drums. When bombtrack plays, and if you're not banging your head when the band comes in, I'm convinced you're not a fan of music. And what bass player hasn't listened to Take the Power Back and not immediately fall in love?
This band rules, this album rules. It's not perfect, but I love it.
The Go-Go's
3/5
I listened to it all the way through and enjoyed my time with it. It's an easy listening album and if it was ever on, I wouldn't complain about but wouldn't go out of my way to put it on.
Love
3/5
I was actually disappointed to hear the first song and realize that the Calexico song that I love is just a cover of this song... :( Still slaps though but I really miss the instrumental interlude with the claps
I really enjoyed the instrumentation from a lot of the songs. I thought each song was pretty unique and had its own flavour. I wouldn't mind listening to it again, but I probably would never reach out for it on my own.
The Undertones
4/5
I don't think there's a song on here that's worth a skip. Maybe because they're all short, maybe because they're just good songs, either way, I enjoyed each and every one of them.
Pixies
2/5
I think the album is okay, just the music isn't my taste. I can hear how they've influenced other music but I don't think I would ever go "I really want to listen to the Pixies today!" I actually think giving it a 3 would be a disservice to the other albums I have a 3
Beastie Boys
3/5
For the most part, I find the Beastie Boys annoying (mainly the voice of the main guy) but there are still some songs that I've enjoyed. I was pleasantly surprised with the album and found there were some instrumentation sections that were really cool and well done. It suffers under the same problem (at least with me) with most hip-hop albums which is repetitiveness. I enjoyed the first half, and then the second half, while vibing, I was done with the album when it wrapped up.
Tom Waits
2/5
You know what they say, "11th time's the charm."
What a weird album, to say the least. The first couple of songs, I thought it was cool. Kinda edgy, strong and unique voice, decent enough melody. And then it gets.... weird. I mean, I guess it's weird throughout the whole thing, but I think after a few songs, you start to realize the whole album is going to be like this. Honestly there are some songs on here that should have been filtered out. QA'ing your own music should definitely be standard practice.
I feel like it's at least interesting enough and unique enough to deserve at least a 2
Ravi Shankar
3/5
I actually liked this album wayyyyy more than I thought when I originally say what the album of the day was. I loved that he introduced what he was going to do, the keys, the time signatures, it made me appreciate the music more. It was awesome, but in terms of replay-ability, probably not. I'm also amazed that this came out in 1957
Dire Straits
3/5
I honestly don't really know how I feel about this album. All the tracks are decent enough, just maybe not my style. Sultans Of Swing was a good tune. I can understand if other people enjoy this music, but not for me.
Good enough to deserve a 3
The War On Drugs
2/5
Imagine it's raining, and you hear thunder. You think "this is great weather to take a nap". That would be the scenario where this album would be okay. Otherwise, it's pretty bland.
Black Sabbath
3/5
I thought was okay. No complaints, some nice guitar work and drum licks throughout. Nothing much to say about it honestly.
Faith No More
2/5
1. The bass player is sick.
2. When I listen to this, I think of a more modern version of this sound, Korn.
3. If this was the origins of nu-metal, then man did it start out in rough shape. This feels like an edgy and soulless (if those can be combined). At least that's the vibe I get from the singer.
The songs are a hit or a miss. And most of them for me, are a miss.
Janet Jackson
2/5
A lot of the reviews say it's overproduced. I think it was fine and I believe this was the norm for Pop music back in the day. For me, there wasn't a lot that I liked about this album. Just a personal taste, really.
DJ Shadow
4/5
There were a lot of really cool sections throughout the album. Looking at reviews, it seems that this is a hit or a miss, probably because of it being just an instrumental album. I've always been a fan of instrumental music, so that never bothers me, and lo-fi hip-hop has always been in my rotation for certain occasions.
There are definitely some bops. I can see myself putting on this album again.
Franz Ferdinand
4/5
Honestly, I was going to give this album a 3. But I thought to listen to it again and there's not much music that fit the vibe that Franz Ferdinand has. It's a really fun album, front to back obviously headlined with Take Me Out.
The bass and drums obviously carry the "dance" vibes of each song, but it's the guitar work that I think really makes each song unique and give it its own "soul". To explain this further, I find that when the bass and drums are doing their own thing, I'll tap my foot and start vibing with it. But as soon as the guitar comes in filling in the gaps between beats, that's when my head starts to get into the rhythm as well and I'm fully engrossed into the song.
This is a fun album. I'd happily put it on again.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
I feel like this album has aged really well. It still holds up, nothing sounds dated at all.
a-ha
2/5
I'm surprised to read that there's 5 singles from this album. After listening to the album, I thought this album only sold because of Take On Me. I didn't HATE it, I just thought it was boring
Buena Vista Social Club
3/5
The first few songs I thought were amazing. I’ve heard these songs covered by bands when I visit Cuba, so it was awesome to hear the original. As the album went on, I found that it grew more… stale? More boring? I don’t know how to describe it but basically I didn’t like the back half.
I’d put it on again so I can listen to the first few songs again.
Killing Joke
3/5
It's weird when at first I thought it was repetitive, but then caught myself in the groove once it clicked with me later on in the song. I feel like these are songs that grow on you over time. There are a couple songs from here that I think are really cool, but I just don't think as an entire album I'd listen to it again.
Johnny Cash
3/5
Glad I listened to it, but just too depressing to come back to it.
Bob Dylan
3/5
It was a nice album. Definitely better than a 2, but not quite a 4 in my book. But it was nice to listen to a full Bob Dylan album.
The Dandy Warhols
3/5
It was a vibe album where it was on, it was cool, I enjoyed it, but that was pretty much it. Nothing to hate about it, nothing that really sticks out as "Wow, what an incredible song"
Death In Vegas
2/5
Reminded me of that Trainspotting album. This album was just boring. Nothing, absolutely nothing, persuaded me to keep listening to this album except for the fact that I wanted to power through it.
I didn’t hate any of the songs so it’s not worthy of a 1, but it was a very boring album.
Super Furry Animals
3/5
After listening to the first song, I thought I wasn't going to like this album. But giving it a chance and listening to it all the way through, I caught myself liking a lot of the album. Way more than I initially thought.
I can't believe they used (I think) a train whistle in one of their songs. I had to rewind because I couldn't believe what I heard. Anyway, yeah, it was cool.
Aretha Franklin
5/5
It's crazy to me that music from 1968 can still hold up today. Aretha Franklin is truly one-of-a-kind. Literally every song on this album is awesome. Even "Niki Hoeky" which is the least listened to song from this album is still fantastic.
Subjectively, would I return to this album? Maybe? Maybe not? It's not something I'd listen to every day. Objectively, it meets all the criteria of being a 5 star album. Every song is good, great stand-out singles, highly influential, there's really nothing wrong with this album.
Frank Zappa
3/5
I knew of Frank Zappa, however, I was not familiar with his music. This was a pretty cool album. I hated the singing, I wish the whole thing was instrumental. Kind of reminds me of a really watered down King Crimson. Yeah I didn't know what to expect going into this, and the album art is really weird and doesn't really give a good image to the music at all. Nice Jazz-Rock fusion, right up my alley. However, not quite a 4 star album
2/5
I didn't really know what to expect from Blur. I know them for 1 song, "Song 2" and I've tried to listen to some of their other stuff and I wasn't a huge fan. Basically, that's how I felt about this album too. It's just not exciting, it's not innovative, it just kind of exists. I think if someone said they liked this album, I'd understand, but I'd just disagree.
Nick Drake
3/5
This album is okay, I have no qualms about it apart from it being boring. But I'm honestly tired of using that word to describe folk music. The guitar was pretty good throughout, so I liked that. I definitely don't think the album is worthy of a 2, so...
Steely Dan
4/5
I thought this album was pretty cool! Very easy to listen to, fun songs throughout. I liked the guitars, the rhythm, basically everything. By the end of the album, I wanted to listen to more Steely Dan.
Patti Smith
2/5
The more I listen to old school punk, the more I realize that I don't like old school punk. It feels like how others feel about metal music and screaming, I just don't get it. Not for me. I was glad it was over so that I can move on with my day.
During Birdland, my wife said "This sounds like a goat. The album is called Horses? Is she trying to mimic one? maahhhhhh (mimic goat sound)"
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Yeah it was another rolling stones album. I've come to have an expectation now as I listen to them as I think this the 3rd or 4th album I've listened to so far from this list.
It's still a decent album with some great singles that start and end the album. Everything in between was okay. I'm just ready to roll on from the stones to something else.
The Crusaders
3/5
I’ve been trying to make sense of this album. I liked it a lot, but it was also kind if forgettable at the same time?
It’s smooth, it’s fun at times, it’s easy to listen to. Like I said, I liked it a lot. But why can’t I recall any of the rhythms in my head? Nothing stood out as a “wow” moment.
The best way I can describe it would be, “great background music”.
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
2/5
This was an interesting listen, and a change from the music we normally get from this list. It really got me thinking about Wild West movies and Red Dead Redemption 2 (still need to finish that game) and thought it'd be cool to listen to this while playing that game.
I don't think I'll ever listen to this again, and I don't think I'd ever have a desire to play any of this music again (apart from what I mention above). It wasn't really good, but like I said, it was interesting.
I'm sure it had its place in history. But it doesn't translate to today very well.
David Bowie
3/5
Maybe I just had high expectations because David Bowie, but this album didn't really hit. Nothing really caught my ear throughout the whole thing. It was the middest of mid albums.
Miles Davis
2/5
A foot tapper, a finger snapper, a wood whacker, and a pea packer. All of these are very good descriptive words while listening along with Miles Davis. The foot just kept going...at least for the first song....
I thought it would keep that vibe going but it definitely slowed down. It got to a point where I wanted to move on from the songs. It's sad really, I really wanted to enjoy this album more, but I just didn't.
Blur
1/5
I actively did not like this album. I kept looking at the song list and thinking "is it over yet?" The first 2 songs started off okay, and I thought "Maybe I was wrong about Blur". Nope. Same opinion.
What would this be equivalent to in North America, since this is considered "Brit-pop"? Green Day? Third Eye Blind? Or is more along the lines of Nirvana, Soundgarden? Anyway, this is a terrible album.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
3/5
I took some time to digest this album. It's your typical 50's diner jukebox music that is cool to listen to as a time capsule. I enjoyed my time with it, and I wouldn't "kick it out of bed for eating crackers" if I had to listen to it again.
David Bowie
3/5
There are times throughout this album that I thought was good. What I appreciate about David Bowie is that he never does too much with his music. In this album though, I could definitely hear him struggling in some of the vocal parts. At 60 (I believe he was this old when he recorded this album), I can't expect someone to have the same voice as when they were 20-30-40.
My overall feel of the album, I think I'd give it a 3
Ozomatli
4/5
Never heard this band before, and I stank-faced when the rapper came in on the first track. Came out of nowhere and I was totally not expecting it at all.
What a unique album. I've never heard anything like it. There's so much to unpack here with influences from latin music, Indian music, hip-hop... honestly a one-of-one kind of album.
Honestly, I like A LOT of this album. And I need to save it and show it to others.
4/5
Bruce Springsteen
1/5
Man, I did not like this album. Even the saxophone got old once I realized it was in almost every song. It was his voice more than anything that bothered me.
Call me a hater, call me a liar, disagree with me because I know that Bruce Springsteen is a beloved figure, but I really did not like this album, musically.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
I have a love-hate relationship with RHCP. I love their singles, as does most people. They're catchy, groovy, just overall really, really well made. Then they have their B-Sides, which are usually just straight up terrible. It's almost like they make 3 songs, and then just mess around for the rest of the music on the album.
That said, Flea is still one of the greatest bassists around, Chad Smith is an incredibly underrated drummer, John Frusciante has such a unique style to his playing that you can definitely hear a difference when he's not involved with the band. Lastly, Anthony Kiedis is a character. He writes completely nonsensical lyrics that make absolutely no sense, I don't think I've ever seen him with a shirt on, and he sings in a voice that's so easily accessible to the audience that it's incredibly easy to sing along to.
Overall, an incredible band with incredible singles throughout the many years they've been around. As for this album as a standalone art piece, I'll give it a 3.
ABBA
5/5
I honestly felt like this album flew by. Which I guess is a good thing. Honestly I can probably listen to this album on repeat and it'd still be a fun listen. Even their "worst songs" from this album aren't even bad. They got their own style and rhythm.
Add on top of that their singles from this record, "Dancing Queen", "Fernando", "Money, Money, Money" are all incredibly good and featured everywhere.
To me, there's absolutely no reason to not give this album 5 stars.
Aimee Mann
2/5
This started off really strong and I thought I was in for a hidden treat. While it isn't a terrible album, I just didn't find it particularly good either.
For a first album (and for a first listen to this particular artist), there's potential for good songs probably throughout her discography.
The Pogues
3/5
Honestly I didn't hate this album as much as I thought i would. When at a bar after a few drinks would definitely give this a better rating.
The Police
3/5
I find it's incredibly difficult to judge albums that came out in the 60s, 70s, 80s... The technology was different, the era of music was different, what was probably "progressively moving music forward" and challenging the status quo for music at the time just doesn't hit the same when it's been 40 years since the album came out.
When I judge this now, I have all this forward knowledge of how music has progressed in 40 years! Mainly this line from the wikipedia page The album was widely acclaimed by critics. Praise centred on its cohesive merging of disparate genres and sonic experimentation to me, it's hard to judge that since music nowadays is all about blending different genres into your own unique style.
To me, while I understand this take, I don't agree with it. I love it when genres blend, but when every song sounds completely different than the other, it sounds like a mish-mash and each change of song is so jarring. I feel like there's a better way to do this nowadays (again, comes back to 40 years of music that's been doing this now).
I'm nit-picking obviously, there's plenty of gems on this album too. I'm just trying to justify my rating to myself.
Beck
3/5
NOTE: please wear headphones with this album
There are so many subtleties in this album that can easily be missed. By all means, this album could have been a folk/singer/songwriter type of album, and in some ways it kind of is. But the instrumentation and SFX in some songs make it really unique and interesting. Often times, there are multiple guitars going on in each ear that are incredibly pleasing to listen to. Like I said, most of these songs could have probably been guitar chords and Beck singing, but there are added strings, added lead guitar riffs, added little elements here and there that make it more interested than most, and I can appreciate the effort put into these songs from Beck.
Skunk Anansie
3/5
I had no idea what to expect from this. Never heard of this group before and the first song didn't really set me on the right track for the rest of the album. But I was pleasantly surprised as I progressed through, and found that there's some solid songs in here.
Rush
5/5
This is peak "Dad Rock", and I love it. It's also peak "Prog Rock", which I also love. 2112 is an incredible song. Let's all remember too that classical music is all long as well with different movements, that's no different than this song! All you complaining about long songs should get better attention spans.
There's so much to unpack in just this one song alone, which is obviously the highlight of this record. I can understand if you don't like Geddy Lee's voice, it took me a while too but I've gotten past it now because the music is just so well written (minus the guitar tuning part, why is that here? hahaha).
Bee Gees
2/5
My initial reaction was "Wow, this is the Bee Gees? The same Bee Gees that wrote Staying Alive?" I'm honestly impressed at the diversity of this group, but let's talk about this album as a standalone.
There's clearly a favourite song from this album that has 76 million players whereas the second most played song only has ~600,000 plays. I find that kinda strange because I feel like most of the songs have a similar vibe.
Overall, sad vibes. Didn’t really stand out to me in any way and I’m surprised this is included in the list.
Arcade Fire
2/5
I dislike Arcade Fire, both for their music and their attitude towards others. From my memory, they act entitled when on tour and treat others very poorly. Again though, this is from memory and I'm pretty sure it was Arcade Fire that everyone was complaining about.
Regardless of that fact, I don't really like their music. I don't hate it, I just don't find it enjoyable either.
Supertramp
3/5
I didn't think it was too bad. Listened all the way through with no complaints really. The only song I knew was "Dreamer" because of some commercial that it's on. Although I've heard of Supertramp, I've never been exposed to their music.
The Young Rascals
3/5
I don't mean to be a quality snob, but hearing the levels peak at times just irritated me. 'Tis the curse of mono audio...
The album itself actually wasn’t bad. I feel like this would totally be my jam back in the day. Simple, pleasant, and having 3 vocalists made each track pretty unique. The bass player was great too and it was definitely.... groovin'....
The Doors
3/5
The Door continue to surprise me with how much I seem to enjoy their music. I just really enjoy the fact that the guitar is usually doing something pretty cool and the bass player is solid as well. The instrumentation in general is a highlight, and it stands out in this album too.
There are just some songs on here that are kinda boring (i.e. Blue Sunday, The Spy).
Overall, decent album.
Belle & Sebastian
2/5
This is the UK food equivalent for music, bland
Guns N' Roses
4/5
Honestly I'm impressed that some of their greatest hits all come from the same album. Welcome to the Jungle, Paradise City, Sweet Child O' Mine. This was a really solid album. I'm actually surprised I liked it as much as I did just because I typically am not a fan of the older hard rock groups. But I guess they're iconic for a good reason.
Dolly Parton
3/5
Honestly, I thought I'd hate it more given my past with country music. But I actually didn't mind my time with it. Maybe because it's only a 27 minute album and I didn't feel like it dragged on. But each song was unique in its own right and still flowed well together. It's a well put together album.
Alice Cooper
3/5
I was pleasantly surprised by this album. I thought Alice Cooper would have been one of those old guys I didn't like. There seems to be a theme here where I think an old band is overrated but then when I take the time to actually listen to the entire album, it's actually good!
I enjoyed my time with it.
k.d. lang
2/5
Get me off this k.d. lang train please.
You know what, there are some songs on here that aren't too bad. I didn't mind Waltz Me Once Again Around the Dance Floor. It was a fun foot tapper. Not to mention, I can't ignore her voice being incredible and powerful.
But seriously, please no more k.d. lang.
Cocteau Twins
3/5
A snooze fest ... but not necessarily a bad one? This album flew by, but part of it was because it was easy to ignore. There are sections of this album that are good that grab my attention, but I find there are sections where I'm totally tuned out (the ins and outs of ambient music I guess).
I get ambient music, some people are into it, some aren't. I kinda fall in between where it's based on a mood, but also I really feel like there are ways to execute (at least in my opinion) good ambient music.
Take for example one of the epitome's of post-rock, Godspeed You! Black Emperor. There are experimental sounds within their music that make the ambient sounds interesting and thoughtful and like "Wow, I've never heard this before." I feel like, I didn't get that vibe from this album. I could be wrong and I could have missed some parts, but that's my first impression.
Songhoy Blues
4/5
This album is incredible and so unique. The story behind the album, amazing. The instrumentation, brilliant. And blues in 2015? Heck yeah! They definitely captured the spirit from those before like Muddy Waters, Stevie Ray Vaughan...
It's a foot tapper for sure, and just for kicks, they wrote "Al Hassidi Terei" in 11/16? You don't hear that everyday, and it was awesome! I gotta checkout their other stuff sometime.
Nina Simone
1/5
Holy smokes what a snooze fest. I couldn’t wait for the album to be over
Ray Price
2/5
The album ended, and I didn't even realize. Which probably means that it was so backgrounded in my head. I didn't hate it, but clearly my brain also didn't like it.
Elton John
3/5
It's a good album, but way too long. I've learned that the ~40 minute range is a good album length.
Beatles
3/5
Honestly, I understand why The Beatles were highly acclaimed. Honestly there's not a song on here that's bad, and they're all so bite sized. There's more to their music than their singles and if I can be honest, I think Ringo is an extremely underrated drummer. It's not the "I'm going to amaze you with skill" kinda way, but the creativity and the uniqueness to his drumming is what stands out. It's never just a "simple beat"
Isaac Hayes
3/5
It's got some good grooves in here. Hot Buttered Soul honestly is a good description on how this music felt.
Adele
3/5
The “bookends” to this album are incredible. Unfortunately the middle of the album kind of felt a little underwhelming, especially when comparing to her other album after this.
Talking Heads
2/5
I only knew Psycho Killer beforehand and honestly listening to this album gave me a lot of context into their music style. It was cool to understand, but I didn’t particularly like it.
Gillian Welch
1/5
I never thought I'd listen to a mix of country and folk music... but here we are.
In simpler terms... I hated this. Personal taste is more of a factor of that then the actual music though.
Morrissey
2/5
I found the music quite boring. The vocals were bland and very similar in each song. Listening to a single would be fine, but an entire album just feels like a broken record.
Beatles
3/5
The story behind this album is fascinating. "The beginning of the end" for the Beatles. This is also a very long album, but with the songs being so diverse, it never really felt boring. But it did drag on a bit.
Why was Revolution 9 included as a song in this album? It's just 8 minutes of hearing random noises and "Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9". After reading a Wiki article on the song, "The composition was influenced by the avant-garde style of Ono..." and that explains that.
The Cure
2/5
This is a “listen more than once” kind of album. I’m wasn’t a huge fan on first listen. But for some reason I want to listen to it again? I like the moodiness of it, but I disliked the repetitiveness.
Maybe it’s just the vibe I enjoyed but overall the songs were meh.
John Prine
2/5
Folk and country, still not my jam. However, this was at least more upbeat and had some funny lyrics thrown in. Although some of the rhymes really felt forced at times.
Serge Gainsbourg
3/5
I don't want to like this album, but I do. I hate the concept, but maybe not understanding the lyrics is an advantage here because of the weird-ass concept.
I kept thinking about how captivating the instrumentals were. So subtle, so intricate, so delicate. There's enough strings to keep it interesting, the bass lines throughout are so incredible, the drums, like I described above delicate. They're played so soft and with such precision and swing that it just remains so freaking cool and interesting to listen to.
My heart can't give it a 4, so 3/5
Randy Newman
2/5
Kinda sounds like a drunk guy at an open-mic night. But I also can't stop thinking about the Family Guy skit about him signing about everything he sees... and honestly it just makes listening to his music so much harder, haha.
Iron Maiden
3/5
Honestly a pretty kick-ass debut album for Iron Maiden. Given the quality and production, almost sounds like an EP instead of a full album, and I don't necessarily mean that in any disrespect. I kinda like the "rawness" to it, listening to the guitars and bass just freaking "dual it out", so to speak. Yeah idk, the guitar work is just great.
R.E.M.
2/5
Apart from Orange Crush, I did not like this album. I don’t think I like REM in general.
Bad Brains
1/5
The only thing good about this album was that it ended.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
CCR kicks so much ass. I'll never be mad if someone puts their music on.
Brian Wilson
3/5
What a strange album but I definitely didn’t hate it. I definitely appreciate the writing because I have no idea how any of these ideas would have came up. And a song all about vegetables? Made me laugh.
Pink Floyd
3/5
Typically throughout this list l, I’ve not enjoyed “Psychedelic Rock” and I’ve never been a big Pink Floyd fan. Some of their songs are okay.
I found this album intriguing though. Maybe it finally clicked? It’s definitely a “sink into the couch” kind of album, but there’s something about this particular Pink Floyd album that got me. I think it was the intricacies of the instruments.
Aretha Franklin
3/5
It was okay, didn’t hate it didn’t love it. Some good tunes.
Pantera
3/5
Given the fact that the other metal "Gods" on this list really disappointed me with their full albums, I had pretty low expectations of this going into it.
Thankfully, I was wrong, and this was better than I originally thought it would be. Pantera keeps it pretty simple and their songs don't jump all over the place for no reason. Each song has their own lane and it stays in it. The only thing I didn't like was the singer, just not my cup of tea, but he's bearable.
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
I definitely got the feeling of, "Is this album almost finished yet?". The songs started to blend together and honestly this music just isn't for me.
Everything But The Girl
1/5
So. Boring.
100% not my style of music at all. Next please!
Beatles
4/5
Alright, I've officially converted to being a Beatles fan. I absolutely love George Harrison's guitars throughout the album. It's never just simple chords. Also shoutout to Paul with some sweet bass lines and Ringo with some creative drumming.
This album also dabbles into psychedelic rock, prog rock... Maybe it's because we've been listening to the later albums of the Beatles, but they're more than just the girl-adoring "Beatle-mania". These are legit musicians who crafted their legacy as one of the greatest groups of all time.
Kudos Beatles, kudos.
Blondie
4/5
This album was really solid. Terrific vocals throughout. A couple of great singles from it too.
Pere Ubu
3/5
This album definitely has its peaks and valleys. Real World is most definitely a valley, but then at the same time, the phrase "Out in the real world" might definitely stick to me as an ear worm. I think I hate that.
This is one of the albums of all time. It's interesting, it's experimental, it shines, and it crashes and burns. A little bit of everything!
Kanye West
4/5
One of my favourite lines from any Kanye song is "Keep it 300, like the Romans", because it just says a lot about Kanye.
Given this is Kanye, I went in with pretty low expectations. Especially because his recent music has been.... less than ideal. Some would say straight up bad, and I would agree.
Something I respect from Kanye is that he doesn't just create music, he creates his art. He is his own sound, his own style, and does whatever the hell he wants with his music. Some of it is good (Black Skinhead, Bound 2) some of it, strange (some of the lyrical choices, the beat switches in On Sight are so drastic). Whether it works or not, I always appreciate trying to push music forward.
Hot Chip
3/5
Great intro song. Wide sound, great bass tones, catchy without being too annoying. Great dance tracks that aren't linear or overly repetitive.
Pretty consistent throughout with how I felt about it. I liked it more than I anticipated
B.B. King
2/5
I kinda zoned out while listening to this album. I don’t remember anything from it, and I don’t remember there being anything too special about it.
T. Rex
2/5
Kind of a boring to mid album.
Elvis Presley
1/5
Honestly, awful boring not what I expected out of an Elvis Presley album at least there could’ve been one good song. There wasn’t even one good song.
The Killers
3/5
A tale of two halves. The front half, incredible. Even the B-sides, awesome. Then the second half came on… and I wasn’t sure I was listening to the same album. It was awful, nothing memorable except the feeling of dread that I couldn’t skip the songs.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
There wasn’t anything I particularly hated about this album. I think I enjoyed my time with it. It sounds very different than the other Nick Cave album we listened to. I think “interesting” would be a good word to use to describe what it was like to listen to this album.
Radiohead
4/5
This was one of the first albums I ever got on vinyl. I’ve never listened to it before then, just a blind buy because everyone seems to have it in their collection. One of the better albums of my collection, simply because it sounds so rich on vinyl comparing to the digital version (snobby opinion, I know).
This is an album to get lost in after taking a few hits. The sounds leave you in a trance and it’s such an experience to listen to. It loses steam by the end of the album, but I do feel that this is something that everyone should listen to at least once and definitely deserves a spot on this list.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Ice Cube
3/5
Felt like a thug, today was a good day.
4/5
Man this album absolutely flew by. I feel like there was nothing about it I disliked. The guitar work was unique and catchy. This album was Right up my alley
Stephen Stills
3/5
A bit too gospel for me but there were some decent tracks on here
Amy Winehouse
3/5
Will never complain if anyone ever puts Amy Winehouse on the aux, but as a whole, this album was okay.
Iggy Pop
3/5
This was the first Iggy Pop I didn’t hate. It was actually pretty good. His music sounds matured, more put together and more thought out.
Santana
3/5
Santana is such a vibe. Honestly sounds like elevator music with kick ass guitar solos.
Janelle Monáe
3/5
I felt like this album dragged on a bit. There were some cool songs and sections but the length of it was a bit much. Although the album as a whole seemed a bit scattered to me, there did seem to be a bit of a theme throughout which I appreciated.
It was an interesting listening experience but I don’t think I’ll ever return to any of these songs.
Slint
2/5
An interesting listening experience. Very raw, which I liked about it. But it just wasn’t the style of music I’d typically listen to. It’s definitely possible that it could grow on me, but first listening experience, I’d give it a 2.
The Clash
3/5
You get what you expect with the clash. Super British, pretty groovy. However this album didn’t really have any of their memorable songs
The Specials
3/5
Hmmm.. this album was cool at first and then it kinda felt same same after a while. I enjoyed the upbeat energy, and there are songs I’d come back to. But I don’t find it a very diverse album and listening to it all at once wouldn’t be my first choice.
James Taylor
2/5
Country folk... this list seems to really enjoy country folk. This one wasn't too bad but heavily plays into the country stereotype with its lyrics.
Black Sabbath
3/5
Rest in Peace Ozzy. I loved that it recommended this album the day after he passed. I think I would have been a big Black Sabbath fan back in the day. The music is eerie, doomy, and it’s different than all these other types of metal bands from that time.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
2/5
Believe it or not, I thought this album was pretty bland. There’s nothing really here that makes me think this should be a good album.
Pretenders
3/5
Stevie Wonder
4/5
This is what I’m talking about! This Stevie Wonder is incredible with smooth vocals, funky riffs, and catchy melodies.
Prefab Sprout
2/5
It was cool at first but then I couldn’t wait for it to end. Maybe it was just my impatience to listen to something else, but sometimes that’s just the way the cookie crumbles
Lenny Kravitz
3/5
A little too… stylish for me? I think giving it a 2 is a bit harsh so 3 it is!
Hookworms
3/5
This album was pretty chill. Not too much to complain about but also nothing to write home about. I originally didn’t think it would be for me but then I felt like the album just flew by.
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
I honestly don’t k ow how to rate these albums that are kinda bland but there’s nothing necessarily wrong with them. This just felt like such generic music. There were some songs that were highlights though and I’ll give them that. But maybe this music just ain’t for me.
Harry Nilsson
4/5
I am so happy that I was able to hear the original song of coconut. After hearing that on a commercial years ago, it’s been stuck in my head ever since.
I thought this album was great. A lot of diverse music in here that conjured into a fun to listen to album.
Willie Nelson
2/5
Definitely not for me, particularly the vocals. The guitar work is pretty cool though. Although the mix, for me, was painful. Hearing the raw plucks of the strings on the guitar, that’s cool and all, but it was way too loud. It physically bothered my ears. Which is how I feel about his voice too, it’s just too loud in comparison to the mix and it’s too harsh.
Pavement
1/5
Yeah… this ain’t it chief. At least not for me. Why does punk music have such an affiliation with shitty recordings? I don’t understand the appeal of purposefully sounding bad.
3/5
I like her voice and I thought the music was put together very well.
Not my cup of tea but I still enjoyed my time with it.
Bill Evans Trio
4/5
Fun album! Absolutely fantastic working music. Upbeat to keep you moving, interesting enough to keep your attention, not distracting because there are no lyrics and it’s not too in your face with the mix and sound levels.
Loved it!
Dr. Dre
2/5
Maybe it’s just me not generally being a fan of hip hop but I wasn’t really feeling this album. Maybe I’m spoiled, maybe I’m picky, I can totally understand someone liking this album. Especially when it was fresh at the time of release. But this just ain’t for me. The beats were cool, but something about listening to the entire album just felt exhausting
My Bloody Valentine
4/5
The guitars are definitely awesome, and for a shoegaze record it’s really upbeat. At least from what I’m normally used to. Felt like the album flew by. While no particular song stood out, I was so entranced by the guitar work
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
This list has taught me something about Bruce Springsteen. While he’s undoubtedly a talented musician, I believe he’s overrated as an album maker. He has some great singles, but I can’t stand listening to an entire album of his filled with filler tracks.
This album was particularly long, and I found his songs to be a bit clichéd and repetitive.
Miriam Makeba
3/5
I really enjoyed my time with this album. I thought it was so unique and very fun all the way through.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
Apart from the one single I constantly hear in the radio and am completely sick of, this was a decent album. I can safely say I’m a fan of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Pixies
3/5
I liked the raw punk songs more than the polished songs. I thought there was an interested collection of songs on this record, something a bit for everyone. But I didn’t find it too “all over the place”. It was kinda nice.
Joy Division
3/5
I could never get into Joy Division. Still can't. It's okay and yeah I enjoyed my time with it, but I just don't understand all the hype around it.
The Band
3/5
As tacky as the name “The Band” is, there’s some good tunes on this album. I even recognized 1 of them which I was surprised by. By the end when things get soft I was kinda done with the album, but since it was wrapping up I was fine with it
Joan Armatrading
4/5
The way the first song started, I needed to pick up my jaw from the floor. I was not expecting the guitar and the mix to be so incredibly well put together. And the voice has so much soul which carried out throughout the album. There’s definitely flaws within the album, but this was a terrific discovery
Elliott Smith
3/5
I didn’t mind the album. It’s chill, it’s a vibe. I’m not sure if I’m a fan of the shifted, overdubbed vocals. But I appreciate the song writing
The Cars
4/5
I feel like this would be my guilty pleasure band back in the day. It’s like early days pop punk, and I’m absolutely here for it.
Sebadoh
2/5
This started off pretty cool and melodic but by the time it got to the meat and potatoes in the middle, it lost me. There are some decent tunes but then some far out bad sections. Like real bad sections. Enough to turn me off from the whole album
Adam & The Ants
4/5
An interesting album. Every song felt different (in a good way) and the vibes were pretty good. I loved the drummer, kept my foot tapping throughout the album. This was an unexpected find. I feel weird to say I liked this album, but I definitely did!
Kacey Musgraves
3/5
For a “country pop” album that I definitely thought I was going to hate… I didn’t hate it. It was nice, it was calming, never really thought about skipping any songs.
Johnny Cash
3/5
For a “country pop” album that I definitely thought I was going to hate… I didn’t hate it. It was nice, it was calming, never really thought about skipping any songs.
Cocteau Twins
2/5
Dream pop? More like “dream popped me to sleep”. Although the last song was catchy and pretty good
Radiohead
4/5
Trying to understand the time signature and find the downbeat in Pyramid Song hurt my brain. I loved it.
What a weird, weird album. I’ve never heard this before and typically I’ve never been a big fan of Radiohead. But I freaking loved this album. Maybe they’re finally clicking for me. Maybe I only like a few of their albums. Whatever the case, this album was amazing.
The Vines
3/5
I think Get Free was a song in one of the older NHL games so I know that song really well.
This was a fun album that’s up my alley in terms of energy and vibes. I’ll probably revisit this album but at the same time it doesn’t really stand out to me. I think as a whole it’s a very well put together collection of songs, just something about it doesn’t leave it memorable.
Teenage Fanclub
2/5
I actually have no words to describe this album, but not in a good way. Boring? Dull? Forgettable? All of the above.
Thelonious Monk
2/5
For lack of a better phrase, this album feels like a “grower, not a shower”. I’m sure the more you listen to this the better it gets. There’s a lot of great instrumentation and things that define “jazz”. But it’s also the type of jazz to fill a room to play at a dinner party just to fill the silence.
Thin Lizzy
3/5
This album grew on my the longer it went on. It started off as “why am I listening to a live album” but the dual guitar solos were awesome, the drummer was very good, and the charisma of the front man is unmatched.
Elis Regina
3/5
Instrumentation was cool, catchy melodies, interesting blend of genres. Foot tapped the whole way through, but I’d never go out of my way to out this back on.
The Black Keys
4/5
Today I learned there’s a lot more to The Black Keys than their singles. This was a great album, not a song went by that I wanted to skip. Each had their own soul and feel and it flowed well all the way through. This one surprised me, I always thought of them as single hunters by nah, this is a great album.
Echo And The Bunnymen
2/5
All I gotta say is thank god this was only a 38 minute album.
Beck
3/5
You really don’t know what you’re going to get with Beck. I found that after 1 play through I was kinda whatever with this album, and then I started playing it again to test some speakers and I was enjoying it more now that I was familiar with the songs. Still giving it a 3 though but probably one of my higher rated 3s
3/5
Instrumentation is incredible. City, Country, City is a great jam out song where everyone is just vibing and having a good time.
Fun album, has a lot of good moments. Drummer and bassist were the highlight for me.
Fats Domino
3/5
It was okay, probably good for its time but just sounds extremely dated now.
Cee Lo Green
3/5
I said this about a few albums now but it’s really a tale of two halves. First half was incredible. The soundscape was amazing. It produced really well and then it got the second half and I just felt like the album fell flat.
Guided By Voices
2/5
Wtf did I just listen to? A compilation of high school recordings? Some songs are actually not too bad with decent melodies and other songs are just atrocities to my ears.
What the hell is with the choice to include snoring noises in Ex-Supermodel?
Why does he sound like he’s under water in Chicken Blows. Not to mention the random volume in the backing vocals. How did these recordings pass QA?
The few selection of good tunes saves this album from being a 1/5
Joni Mitchell
3/5
I didn’t think this was too bad, especially considering that I’ve poorly rated previous albums of similar genres from this list. This one was more upbeat and I really enjoyed the guitar tone
Yes
3/5
There’s always a fine line for prog rock between pretentious and cool music. This really walks that line but maybe that was also for the time period since bands like Metallica were doing hard cut overs for transitioning between sections.
Anyway, overall it was alright.
The Stooges
2/5
1969, the guitar sounds weirdly off time and I can’t tell if it’s intentional or not.
I actually didn’t really like this album and I have no idea why.
Machito
3/5
I enjoyed the blend of African and Cuban music. Although it became a bit repetitive by the end of the album. Still, fun listen
Faust
1/5
Nope.
I couldn’t wait for this album to be over. Way too artsy-fartsy for me. How do you listen to “It’s a bit of a Pain” and not want to blow your ear drums out. Oh, you don’t have to, Faust does it for you with that obnoxiously loud … noise.
Terrible record. Not for me
Pink Floyd
3/5
Kinda overrated album to be honest but maybe that’s just my opinion since I don’t understand the time period in which it came out? Maybe it was revolutionary at the time? Maybe it’s just pop culture that took the album and carried away with it?
It’s not a bad album by any means, it’s just not this mind blowing record that everyone else seems to make it out to be.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
3/5
This will be my most elaborate review ever.
It was cool.
Bauhaus
1/5
Man I was really not vibing with this album at all. I’m not even sure if there was anything in here that made me think this was good. No redeeming qualities. Hated it. Counting the seconds until it ended.
ZZ Top
4/5
This album kicked so much ass, that my speakers filed for workers comp.
Ella Fitzgerald
1/5
First of all, it should be illegal to create a 3 hour album with 6 discs. It should then be more illegal to include this type of album on this list to force everyone to listen to it.
Quite literally the definition of “Throw enough wet paper balls see what sticks”. Everyone should QA their songs and just weed out the ones that don’t fit in a collection of songs or just aren’t as well put together.
Live update, currently about to finish Disc 3 which is only HALF WAY THROUGH. I don’t know if I’m going to make it… the urge to listen to something else is very strong.
All these songs are foot tappers, but they’re all not necessary for 1 album. Half way through Disc 4 and I gotta tap out. I need to listen to something else.
Kudos to anyone who made it all the way through. But because I couldn’t, it gets a 1.
Steely Dan
4/5
I think this perfectly describes how I felt about this album
“Fuck I am turning into a dad, I appreciate Steely Dan now”
The Beach Boys
2/5
Kinda boring, kinda bland, kinda like a boiled potato
The Who
2/5
I like The Who. I did not like this album. I feel like this took away from The WHO that I know and love. It’s an interesting album, and something I’m sure was an artistic venture for someone in the group. But I miss The Who.
Tim Buckley
2/5
I don’t think I really cared about any of these songs. Fundamentally they are fine, I just thought they had no character. Nothing that defined it as intriguing but instead just something safe and easy.
Iron Maiden
3/5
Number of the Beast is one of my fave songs from Iron Maiden. The album as a whole is okay. They’re definitely a better singe maker than they are album makers, which seems to be a trend in most “old-school” metal bands
Fleetwood Mac
2/5
Definitely not my favourite Fleetwood record. It’s hard to listen to their best work (Rumours) and then listen to something like this and be like “wow this is great!” It’s like eating the freshest grape straight from the vine where it’s crispy, juicy, and then eating a raisin being like “yeah they’re the same thing”. This album is the raisin.
Ramones
3/5
Sometimes, simplicity is good. The Romones are a straight forward, in your face, all gas no brakes type of band.
The problem that comes with this, is all the songs sound the same. So honestly it’s an internal debate for me. But personal bias, I like the Ramones.
Nightmares On Wax
3/5
It’s chill, I got lost in the music to the point that it turned into background music. But it’s fantastic background music.
Scott Walker
2/5
This is the most generic music I’ve ever heard, There’s just nothing with this music that stands out to me. It’s kinda boring, it’s very forgettable. I couldn’t even recall a single melody directly after listening to it. The only thing I can recall is his voice. The tone of his voice was good.
Minor Threat
3/5
An entire album being 21 minutes long is so punk. Minor Threat is so punk. Dugga-datta-dugga-datta is so punk.🤘🤘🤘🤘
Pixies
3/5
I liked this way more than the other Pixies album that was on this list. This one felt cohesive, more mature, less experimental but still pretty unique. I’d put it on again for a vibe
Moby
3/5
Pretty iconic album when I can recognize the album art but have no idea who the artist is. Clearly I’ve seen this around on some playlists.
Definitely some really good tracks on here and some really well written tunes. I’m always happy to hear more diverse tunes from electronic artists that aren’t just 4 to the floor or the same beat repeated over and over again. Each sone here is very unique and adds to the overall experience.
I feel like most electronic musicians should use this record as inspiration.
2/5
Reviewing this the day after listening to it, I honestly don’t remember anything about it.
Glimpsed through the album again, and it’s a very generic sound. There’s not much to write home about.
Fairport Convention
2/5
Truly not an album for me. I can appreciate the art but I was just very bored listening to it.
The La's
3/5
There She Goes definitely still slaps. Great tune.
I enjoyed my time with this record but I don’t think I’d return to it. It’s pretty generic but still an easy listen.
Nine Inch Nails
1/5
I’ll come out the gate saying, I have never, NEVER been a fan of Nine Inch Nails. And I gotta say… I still hate NIN.
Seriously, WTF is this? I get the whole experimental thing, but how did they get as popular as they did? Experimental groups like this are usually extremely niche.
Lorde
3/5
I have an extreme soft spot for Lorde. I loved her voice, I love her style, and it’s not your typical pop music. But I really only know her from her singles.
Listening to an entire album, her style can get a bit repetitive. At least the first half of this album was like that. The second half was more diverse and it’s nice to hear her style and voice in different contexts.
The Sonics
3/5
Felt like i travelled back in time. The mix was a bit of a headache but there are some good tunes from here.
Radiohead
2/5
Not my favourite Radiohead album. Not by a long shot. I’m not even really sure I liked this album. It’s very forgettable.
The Everly Brothers
3/5
The voices and harmonies were cool. Nothing to complain about it was a nice time.
Beatles
3/5
This is what I expect when I stereotype The Beatles. Love-y, dove-y songs and simple progressions. Honestly, even though this is by far not their best album, it’s not bad by any means. And it makes me appreciate the direction they took for music later in their careers when they got super weird.
Supergrass
3/5
I REALLY enjoyed the first half of the album, but then it faded away by the back half. Probably because my expectations of the album changed as I heard the first few songs.
I wish they kept the catchy up tempo vibe throughout.
The B-52's
3/5
Minus the last 2 songs, this was a great album. The guitar work is awesome, super catchy, very memorable, instantly gets your attention and keeps it throughout the song
Frank Ocean
3/5
I have a weird relationship with RnB. Sometimes it’s incredible and other times it’s awful. While no songs here were awful, some definitely did not click with me while others did.
I like Frank Ocean still, just not an entire album of this vibe
New York Dolls
3/5
They sound like they’d put on a terrific live show. Good energy throughout, interesting sections in pretty much each song
Wu-Tang Clan
3/5
I remember reading an article about “unique words used in rap lyrics” and ranking rappers on this metric (https://pudding.cool/projects/vocabulary/index.html).
Back in 2014 when it was first published, method ma was number 1. But what I find more impressive is that there is a dedicated “Wu-Tang Clan” filter and they are all pretty high up on that list.
Felt the urge to workout or drive in a convertible while blasting this music. Good vibes, enjoyed my time.
Keith Jarrett
5/5
The fact that you can hear him moaning and groaning at times makes me laugh. He’s really feeling the music. And I don’t blame him because holy cow, what an incredible performance.
Legitimately took me on a musical journey with highs and lows and the route that we took was just filled with incredible scenery. Not exaggerating when I say, not a minute went by where I thought this was bad. Front-to-back, page-to-page absolutely beautiful.
100% saving this album to come back to.
Ute Lemper
1/5
You’re 10 years old. Your mom drags you to a department store. She looks at clothes, she looks at furniture, she looks at appliance, she looks at shoes. You’re being dragged around wondering “when are we going to be done?”. Finally get to checkout, nearing the end (in this case, the last song in the album). But then she chats up someone and you’re stuck waiting again (why is this song so long). “When will this misery end” you think to yourself.
This is the soundtrack to that feeling.
Finley Quaye
2/5
This style just ain’t for me. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it (maybe? Idk). I just didn’t like it.
Scott Walker
2/5
This guy slaps… ass.
Beatles
2/5
Old Beatles 🙅♂️
New Beatles 🙆♂️
Aka, this was not great. And maybe my 2 star rating is related to some Beatle fatigue, but this was just a boring record.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
3/5
The musicianship on these songs are really good. It was so lowkey but they are all incredible at their instrument. The bass player especially kicks ass.
Red Snapper
3/5
This surprised me a bit. I was not expecting it to be so “punchy”? (If that’s the right word)
I enjoyed it though, some good grooves and some good vibes.
Beck
3/5
Another Beck album, another review of me saying “This is weird”. Honestly, it’s a compliment. I might have said it before but I appreciate the artist that is Beck, while I don’t enjoy the music all that much.
To be able to create such different sounds and to have every album be completely unique is a tough thing to accomplish, especially with the amount of music he’s put out.
I’ll still look forward to listening to a Beck album but I don’t think I’d ever come back to it.
Stan Getz
2/5
It was cool at first but then I got bored of it pretty quickly. Bossanova is just too repetitive for my liking and all the songs just start to blend together.
Ray Charles
2/5
I appreciate Ray Charles. I am unsure if I appreciated this record. It was okay but maybe my expectations were a bit higher when it’s called “The Genius of Ray Charles”
Bruce Springsteen
1/5
You know what, I really don’t like Bruce Springsteen. I said what I said. Not only that, this is the worst Bruce Springsteen album yet.
He probably doesn’t deserve this 1 star but I’m just so sick of hearing his music.
Julian Cope
2/5
Long album. There’s some interesting tunes and sections but I’m just not a fan of his voice.
Ananda Shankar
3/5
I like the rock + sitar fusion. It was unique and my ears were pleased.
Jamiroquai
4/5
I liked this more than I thought I would when reading the description. Upbeat jazz is up my alley and I had a good time listening to this.
Neil Young
3/5
I don’t think I’m a Neil Young guy. While I was okay with the album I don’t see myself ever returning to any of this songs. Except Old Man. That’s a good song.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Listening to this album takes you on a psychedelic trip in itself. Let alone if you took some before listening to this, like everyone else did in the 60s.
Seriously though, what a journey this album is. I don’t think there was a second that went by that wasn’t absolutely worth my time.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
I feel like this album just started, and then it ended. What a strange feeling to start to vibe and then have it cut off.
Little Simz
3/5
I really like her voice and her style. She’s very clear with how she pronounces words and her lyrics and rhyming scheme is literal poetry. Enjoyed my time, and I look forward to hearing new music from her.
Eels
3/5
This was an interesting listen. I didn’t hate it, I didn’t love it, but it was well worth my time to listen. It was unique enough to pique my interest and I respect it being on this list. But I’ll never come back to this album.
Depeche Mode
3/5
This could be the soundtrack for TRON. A couple of really iconic songs from here.
Queen
3/5
It didn’t really sound like Queen. At least not that Queen that I know. It was strange but I kinda liked it too?
Ice Cube
4/5
I never thought I would enjoy ice cube as much as I do, but I really like his music. I enjoyed this all the way through, a very easy listen.
The Beta Band
1/5
Maybe it was a bad day to listen to an album like this, but man I was BORED listening to this album.
Nah after finally finishing the album, I hated this. The final song was the nail in the coffin of this just being awful.
No pizza for you.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
3/5
War, was is it good for?
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would, especially after the dragged out second song. I was buckled up for a doozy after that, but the rest of the material was pretty good.
The White Stripes
3/5
Not my favourite White Stripes record, but it’s not bad by any means. I think I just hold a higher standard for their music and nothing from here really stood out and as a whole just kind of blended together
Michael Jackson
4/5
Just reading the track list from this album, I was already ready to give it 5 stars. After listening, mayyyyyyyyybe changing it to a 4 but I’m torn. I don’t think it’s a perfect album, the song with Paul McCartney is weird in a lot of ways but Beat It, Thriller, and Billie Jean are all BANGERS
Coldplay
3/5
Credit to Coldplay that this is a much better album than I anticipated. Ideally I’d give it more than a 3, but not quite a 4. I liked it more than most but I didn’t love it. Maybe my ratings are too harsh? Oh well, gotta be consistent now
Boards of Canada
2/5
20-30 minutes of this kind of music is good. But an entire hour can feel like a slog. It is cool, it is chill, but maybe a little too chill for a work day.
The Temptations
4/5
Fun lil album. Bass grooves were awesome and I was definitely vibing with that the whole way through. It’s also funny listening to their previous albums and finding out that this one is just so different than the rest.
Television
4/5
I’m genuinely shocked by this album. I thought it would be one of those typical old rock albums that were good at the time but doesn’t age that well. But man the emotion this album brought out of me is something I did not expect.
Alanis Morissette
3/5
Alanis definitely has a very unique voice. I just don’t is if I enjoy it on every song. With that said, I totally understand why this was such a popular album in the 90s.
Moreover, the amount of singles and songs I recognized from this record is crazy. Did all her music come from 1 album??
N.E.R.D
4/5
What an interesting album. This was not what I was expecting at all. Like a mix of funk/soul, hip hop and pop rock.
This is my first introduction to NERD, and from this album I can hear the potential and I feel like there’s probably better music in their discography.
The Doors
3/5
When I hear Riders on the Storm I think of Need for Speed Underground 2. That takes me back.
I’m learning that The Doors is a pretty good band. I have 0 problems listening to any of their music, and this album is no different.
Pentangle
2/5
I thought it was cool until I realized it’s just more of the same for the entire album.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
Apart from this being one the most sensual albums ever, this is genuinely very good music.
Yes
3/5
Kind of a “let’s be weird for the sake of being weird”, which I guess is a bit of a time period. The opening track is an absolute banger, even if it’s overplayed because of a meme, but hearing the whole song was cool.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
2/5
When I compare something like this to CCR, it honestly doesn’t compare. This is a jam band, an excuse to throw shit together with a particular progression and call it blues.
Mudhoney
3/5
Punk will be punk but this one wasn’t too bad. Especially comparing to other punk albums from this list (looking at you The Witch Trials). Still, I wasn’t suffering while listening to this, and when I limited my listening to the original tracks, it was a good length.
The Beach Boys
3/5
What a wholesome album. I wish music was innocent again like this, I feel like no one makes music that just asks a girl to dance anymore. When I think of The Beach Boys, I think of my mom because she loved them.
Kate Bush
4/5
While this album doesn’t “blow me out of the water”, there’s a lot to like here and a lot of experimentation that pushes the boundaries of pop music that I respect greatly. I can hear Chapelle Roan from this, and I would be shocked if Kate Bush wasn’t an influence of hers.
I loved Jig of Life, was a really fun track. Obviously Running Up That Hill is the most famous song, and rightly so. Great album, deserves to be a 4 star.
Steely Dan
4/5
HOW OLD AM I THAT I REALLY LIKE ALL THESE STEELY DAN ALBUMS. SEND HELP
Simple Minds
2/5
The numbers on this album is the amount of times I got caught asking “is this album almost over?”
This was B-O-R-I-N-G. A snooze fest. A certified temperpedic bedtime album.
Rahul Dev Burman
2/5
Kinda weird to have a movie soundtrack on this list. I’m surprised it qualifies as an “album”.
Regardless of that, it’s not a good album. There’s just better music out there.
Marianne Faithfull
3/5
Why’d Ya Do It actually made me laugh. Felt like a ridiculous, very old fashioned diss track.
There’s album deserves to be on the list, I just didn’t like it all that much. But there are times and moments that I did enjoy the music, I just feel like some of the songs dragged on a bit.
U2
2/5
This is a version of U2 I don’t really care for. I feel like Bono is sensually whispering in my ear, and I’m not particularly a fan of that. I enjoy hearing the drummer from U2 because I think he’s extremely underrated. He never plays just simple hi-hat snare patterns. He’s always doing something that totally works in the context of the song.
Nick Drake
4/5
When I initially read that this was a folk album, I went in thinking I would hate this album like all the rest of the folk albums I rated already. But this one hit different.
The instrumentation wasn’t boring, the melodies were unique and kept me interested throughout the whole album.
There’s more depth to this folk album than most. Kudos Nick Drake, kudos.
LTJ Bukem
1/5
Drum&Bass&Drum&Bass&Drum&Bass&Drum&Bass&Drum&Bass&Drum&Bass&Drum&Bass&Drum&Bass&Drum&Bass
Once I learned there was a single track that was just a continuous mix with vocals, I just went ahead and clicked on that track. Kinda confusing to only release the individual songs as instrumentals and only the vocal mix is a continuous track.
And just to kick me in the face, the “vocal mix” is just a dude saying a single phrase of words every so often.
AND THEN TO KICK ME IN MY BALLS AFTER KICKING ME IN THE FACE, THIS ALBUM ON SPOTIFY ISNT EVEN THE ORIGINAL ALBUM! Unfair to the artist but this whole fiasco brings down the album rating pretty horrifically.
Simply Red
2/5
I bet his favourite colour is green.
This album started off really cool, but then kinda dragged on. It’s not even that the album is too long, I think every song was just more of the same. This is a time piece for sure, that should stay in the time period it was released in.
Jefferson Airplane
3/5
Honestly, this didn’t vibe with me at all, although a couple songs were good, mainly the singles.
There’s nothing wrong with the music, and I guess I never felt like it dragged on I just didn’t subjectively enjoy it.
Talking Heads
3/5
Big time Dad Rock. Honestly it’s not bad, I enjoyed my time with it.
Curtis Mayfield
3/5
Album was pretty fly. Sweet grooves throughout, but I still think it’s weird to have movie soundtracks on this list. But I guess music is music, origins don’t matter.
Jerry Lee Lewis
3/5
Fun album, but now I have no idea if good golly miss Molly is an original or cover.
Bob Dylan
3/5
As much as I don’t like folk music, I did enjoy this Bob Dylan album. It’s more upbeat and fun than most other folk records which is probably why I enjoyed this more.
Eminem
3/5
This is a very conflicting album to review. I don’t normally do this, but I decided to read some of the other reviews before forming mine, and this is a great point raised by someone else.
“while I realise all the bigotry and homophobia is part of the act, it is hard to digest at points, Kim being the biggest challenge.”
It’s important to note that Slim Shady and Eminem are two different personas, but it’s easy to forget and also easy to just lane it as an excuse to say some pretty crazy things.
There is a theme that whenever I listen to an Eminem album, there are parts that are so good. Like one of the best things I’ve ever heard. And then there are parts that are just can be both absurd and other parts that are just straight up terrible.
Overall, I did enjoy the album. Maybe more than I’d be willing to admit, but there are definitely songs I’d skip.
Duran Duran
4/5
Maybe I’m a bit naive to the 80s music, but this is one of the more unique sounding 80s bands I’ve heard. And every song rocks!
Tina Turner
3/5
Incredible voice, some songs are very powerful (I.e. I Wrote A Letter). I didn’t vibe with every song but I did enjoy the listen all the way through.
Chicago
4/5
My only gripe with this album is Free From Guitar. I don’t know what I listened to when that song came on. Can that even be replicated live or is it just improvised?
Let’s take out that song. What a collection of music. Super funky, groovy, some slick solos and verses that just keep kicking me in the face.
Madonna
3/5
I’ve never been much of a Madonna fan, but I didn’t hate this music. I thought the production was fantastic, I think it’s different than what I typically stereotype Madonna and her music and considering this is her 8th album, it’s easy to write off a lot of artists at that point.
Solange
4/5
I loved this album. That said, I don’t think I’d ever listen to it again. But I loved the vibe and the production. I couldn’t even pick out a single from the record, but it flowed from front to back extremely well.
After sitting on my thoughts overnight, I confirm my stance. This is a really good album.
Louis Prima
3/5
It’s always interesting to listen to music from the 50s. I’m sure this was a certified banger back in the day.
It flowed well, I thought it was okay. But I think it’ll take more than just some simple swings to get me to vote more than a 3 on stuff like this.
The Flaming Lips
3/5
Parts of this album were cool, other parts were pretty bland. The singing style is too much of the same thing for me.
Kind of a cool shoegaze record, if you’re into that.
Motörhead
3/5
Honestly better than most, if not all of the 80s metal bands. Might be my favourite from the era after listening to this. There’s at least a consistency in their music vs Metallica and Anthrax.
Massive Attack
2/5
Song-by-song Live Commentary:
Protection: felt like I was in an elevator
Karmacoma: an I listening to the same artist? Feels like someone made this song on a really good quality recording of garage band.
Three: might be her lucky number, but this is the number of songs off this album I can stand before going crazy from boredom.
Weather Storm: back in the elevator, but now it’s raining.
Spying Glass: I totally zoned out and didn’t even realize I missed a song at first. I guess that’s a good summary of all of these songs.
Better Things: I like the bass line.
Euro Child: euro-killing me with this music. Although the lyrical flow was nice.
Sly: Boop. Boop boop. Beep boop. Boop boop.
Heat Miser: that piano riff sounds like it belongs to the Halloween soundtrack. I like the build up with that and the drums. But then they took away that piano riff :((
This album is not for me.
Dirty Projectors
3/5
Kind of a weird album. A good mixup after listening to so many of these albums now, so at least it’s got that going for it.
Credit earned where credit is due for having a pretty creative sound but nothing was jaw dropping for me.
Pulp
3/5
I definitely got baited by the Wikipedia summary. I thought this would be a life changing album. It’s kinda your typical British rock album. It’s still a good album but I think I just had higher expectations.
The 1 caveat, is that Common People is an absolute BANGER.
The Notorious B.I.G.
2/5
“I got the cleanest, meanest, penis”. Actually made me laugh.
This honestly felt like an album glorifying this man’s dick.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
“Mow the lawn” kinda music. Super chill, nothing spectacular but just good vibes with every song (except the last song, honestly could have been skipped).
This is an album that you can put on and pass a joint around, which before digital music and playlists, you would have had to do in the 90s.
Madonna
4/5
This felt like Prime Madonna. I can’t believe I’m saying this about Madonna but this album is great throughout.
Honestly nothing I can pick out as a sore point.
Bob Dylan
4/5
I feel like if Bob Dylan made music and existed in his prime in the current generation, he’d still be popular.
I wish there was a bit more variety in this album. I feel like his singing style is the same throughout every song here. There’s still some really good tunes on here though and it’s still a good vibe.
Beastie Boys
4/5
Beforehand I always Beastie Boys music a hit or a miss. Sometimes it’s catchy as hell (YOU GOTTA FIGHT. FOR YOUR RIGHT. TO PARRRRRTAYYYYY) and then other times it just gets on my nerves because I find it annoying.
There’s some real gems in here that aren’t Sabatoge. I thought the instrumental track Sabrosa was awesome with that bass line.
Actually I loved all the instrumental tracks. I think they were the highlight for me. I thought it brought a lot of depth to the album adding in a nice jazz touch and a break from the craziness that the MCs bring.
Loved this record. Really shined a light and it brought on a new respect to the Beastie Boys
Fatboy Slim
3/5
As a kid, whenever I played FIFA 99 (or FIFA 2000, I can't remember), the "Funk Soul Brother" song came on when I paused the game and I wouldn't resume the game right away while my sister and I jammed out to this absolute BANGER. What a classic song, still an awesome track.
Decent album too, albeit very repetitive. But the repetitiveness isn't as bad here as it is in other albums (not sure why that is)
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
I'm actually a little conflicted because while this was kind of a boring album, it was also kinda chill? Like I wouldn't tell someone to turn this off if they had it playing but I also don't love it enough to actively seek out this kind of music. Kind of like lo-fi in a way? Or like post-rock?
This album was good at creating a vibe. A "angsty teenager locked in their room" kind of vibe. I didn't hate it, I didn't love it, and that's where I'm at with that.
Tom Waits
3/5
I think just for weirdness and uniqueness, this deserves a 3
The Electric Prunes
2/5
I guess it is an album from 1967, but man this was blander than bran flakes.
Prunes is appropriate to be involved in the naming of this band.
Peter Gabriel
2/5
Wha I like about Peter Gabriel is that his makes very unique music and sounds. What I don’t like about Peter Gabriel is that his music is boring.
Dusty Springfield
2/5
Yeah I’m not the target audience for this.
Sparks
3/5
It was a decent album, I can see that if you’re into this music that this album would stand out in 1974.
The Pogues
3/5
Fun album, feels like early ska music.
3/5
I have SO MANY thoughts and comments that I must get through.
1. I legit had to take breaks listening to this album. It occupied my entire brain, and I gotta tell you, I’ve never felt so much mental clarity in my life than those breaks from this album.
2. This must be music that the Joker listens to on his day off to unwind.
3. This is like one of those things that stands out as a talking point. Like an extremely flashy watch or a middle piece of a table that is so absurd that people bond over talking about it and it serves as a great ice breaker.
4. I wonder if this is how my mom feels when I listen to “screaming music”.
5. The back half of this album is much more stable than the front half (kinda)
6. This album makes me question everything. Why are we here? How do magnets work? What choices in my life did I make that ultimately led me to listening to this album?
Closing thoughts. No music has ever made me feel this sort of chaotic energy. This is a very unique experience that I have never felt before while listening to music. I don’t think I’ll ever stop thinking about this album, but I’ll probably never want to listen to it again.
Deep Purple
3/5
I mean, I rocked out. It was alright.
Al Green
4/5
Let’s Stay Together is such a classic.
Fun album, very chill with good vibes and smooth bass lines.
The Smiths
2/5
I’m so sick of these generic ass UK rock bands.
Linkin Park
4/5
I’m genuinely shocked to see this album on this list. I love this album, I just didn’t think I’d see it here. I hope Meteora is on here too.
Honestly, I can understand if people don’t like it if they didn’t grow up with it. There’s still some really good stuff in here though and In The End is an absolute classic.
I love this album, I’ve been a big fan of Linkin Park my whole life so maybe it’s a bit biased. But hey, that’s kinda the point of these ratings, right?
Eric Clapton
2/5
The more Eric Clapton I listen, the more hollow it sounds. And the fact that this is mostly cover songs also really rubs me the wrong way.
The Who
3/5
I like The Who. I enjoyed this album. I’d listen to it again.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
What a stacked album.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
I saw that this was Nick Cave, and my initial thought was a revolting “ugh”.
Lo and behold, I kept looking at how much of the album I have left. Glad it’s over, I’m not coming back.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
It’s not a bad album. I feel like this would really be my jam back in the day and probably one of my favourite bands.
Pavement
3/5
Indie rock is always a bit of a hit or miss. More often than not it’s a miss for me as I find that (for whatever reason) I find most indie rock lifeless. It’s like the songs have no body (no “oomf”).
There were some catchy riffs from here though. Although I did feel my above statement in some of these songs.
Crowded House
3/5
Top 100 album on the list according to Larkin? It’s a good album, I can see why it’s ranked like that. Consistent throughout and each song has its charm.
A bit dated for my taste though. Kinda reminds me to REM.
The United States Of America
2/5
The original track listing stops at “The American Way Of Love” and so will this review. And honestly, thank god. I couldn’t stand this album it made no sense to me.
Van Morrison
3/5
That opening line that starts immediately after hitting play doesn’t do him any favours.
“Half a mile from the county faaaaair”
Although the album is just good vibes. Honestly was never boring and just feel good album. Sit by the pool/on the front porch and a rocking chair with a beer kinda vibe.
Can we talk about the album art though? What are we doing here? Contemplating life?
Def Leppard
3/5
I guess this is one of the few old metal bands that I enjoy an entire album of.
Big Star
4/5
HANGING OUT. DOWN THE STREET.
What a tune. I thought this album was great, no skips, no sense of dread listening to any song from this record. I enjoyed the singer, the instrumentation, honestly no notes.
Emmylou Harris
3/5
Well I thought I would hate this album more than I actually did. So it’s got that going for it.
By the end of it though, I was sick of it and needed to move on.
Wilco
2/5
Give me a B!
Give me an O!
Give me an R-I-N-G, BORING!
It’s not bad music, it’s just boring music. If you’re into that soft rock country vibe then this is just for you.
Sisters Of Mercy
3/5
Hey now! Hey now, now! Catchy af.
I enjoyed my time with it but I’ll probably never come back to it. Definitely a time piece that existed and did well at its time, but not so much today.
Goldfrapp
3/5
The vocals were good. Obviously she’s talented. The production is also good, a lot of elements going on. But man this is not my style of music.
It’s impressive that this came out in 2000 because it sounds way ahead of its time.
I’m really conflicted, there are parts I like and I like the moody, dreamy, dark vibe. I just wish there was a louder, dramatic payoff in some of these songs.
Manic Street Preachers
4/5
This group reminds me of Steven Wilson.
Lowkey, this is a really good record. I actually found that I wanted to listen to it again when it was finished.
Fred Neil
4/5
A pretty badass album. This is what it must have felt like to be cool in 1966.
Still holds as a “vibes” album. Rock in a rocking chair on the porch vibe. The guitar solos are sweet.
Quite a charming record.
SAULT
3/5
A repetitive album, which makes it feel like the album is too long. Beats tend to loop for an entire song and it can make it seem like songs are longer than they are.
Some of the bass lines are great, the vocals are also very good, it’s just the repetition that bothers me.
Röyksopp
3/5
It has some good vibes but falls under the same problems with most electronic music with repetition.
I do like the production, I think some songs has some pretty unique elements and there’s enough from this group to stand out from other electronic artists.
This is probably a “listen to it more than once” kind of album. I did enjoy my time with it.