Sep 25 2024
View Album
Hard Again
Muddy Waters
3
Sep 26 2024
View Album
In The Court Of The Crimson King
King Crimson
21st century schizoid man is holding this album up by itself. Influence cannot be d denied, though it gets a bit slow in the middle.
4
Sep 27 2024
View Album
The Slim Shady LP
Eminem
A couple are pretty corny, but honestly holds up better than I expected.
4
Sep 30 2024
View Album
Young Americans
David Bowie
Very nice 👍
4
Oct 01 2024
View Album
Illmatic
Nas
Life’s a bitch and then you die.
Probably have been underrating this one. Not at the very top of my personal rap list but still really good and understandably a classic.
5
Oct 02 2024
View Album
Jazz Samba
Stan Getz
Makes me feel like I’m on an elevator in a good way. Easy listening, love me some Stan Getz.
4
Oct 03 2024
View Album
Murmur
R.E.M.
Admittedly I’ve never really been an R.E.M. fan but I don’t really find much to latch onto. It’s not bad but I’m unlikely to be listening again anytime soon.
2
Oct 04 2024
View Album
Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde
The Pharcyde
I wrote a long review but it didn’t save. Love this album, lyrically tight although goofy. The storytelling really shines through and the group bounces well off each other. Production is fun, can definitely hear how/why it influenced future artists. Sounds a little dated beats wise but they more than hold up and provide a good backing for the rap.
West coast = best coast
5
Oct 07 2024
View Album
Led Zeppelin II
Led Zeppelin
Possibly my favorite Zeppelin album, it simply rocks.
5
Oct 08 2024
View Album
Back At The Chicken Shack
Jimmy Smith
Who doesn’t love a good organ? Good sunday morning album, but fades into the background a bit for me. Would give a 7/10 if if was an option.
3
Oct 09 2024
View Album
Music
Madonna
Did not enjoy this. A couple songs were okay I guess but more than a couple were just straight bad. Production was… creative, but often not enjoyable. I really don’t that this was an album that I needed to hear before I die.
1
Oct 10 2024
View Album
Grievous Angel
Gram Parsons
I have a sudden urge to head south
4
Oct 11 2024
View Album
Rock Bottom
Robert Wyatt
Too artsy fartsy for me. There were some interested elements mixed in but overall I was kind of bored. I probably just don’t get it.
2
Oct 14 2024
View Album
Hot Fuss
The Killers
Has lost a little bit of its luster over the years for me but still a top tier album.
-1 because I don’t trust Mormons
4
Oct 15 2024
View Album
Songs From The Big Chair
Tears For Fears
Everybody wants to rule the world is an all-timer. The rest of the album doesn’t really do it for me
3
Oct 16 2024
View Album
Back to Basics
Christina Aguilera
A 78 minute Christina Aguilera album? Really Robert?
Undeniably great voice, but her singing style doesn’t really do it for me. Trying a little too hard imo. Production is good, content is not very interesting. Pretty forgettable overall.
2
Oct 17 2024
View Album
Off The Wall
Michael Jackson
Spent longer than I’d care to admit last night unsuccessfully trying to moonwalk
5
Oct 18 2024
View Album
Peggy Suicide
Julian Cope
Had some highs and some lows. Pretty weird listen overall. Probably would have liked it better if it was an hour shorter.
3
Oct 21 2024
View Album
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
The Smashing Pumpkins
Good fall album. Don’t think I’ve ever sat down and listened to it all the way through and I enjoyed it more than I expected.
4
Oct 22 2024
View Album
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Elton John
Had a very good time listening to this one. Forgot how much I love some Elton. Funeral for a Friend is awesome and really enjoyed some of the deeper cuts like Roy Rogers. Of course the hits rock. Really close to a 5 for me but just a few too many that I wanted to skip, and Jamaica Jerk Off is weird af
4
Oct 23 2024
View Album
Oar
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
I liked the more psychedelic stuff but overall it was a bit boring
3
Oct 24 2024
View Album
John Prine
John Prine
Supreme storytelling. Simple but effective instrumentation. John Prine is simply that dude.
I bet Wes Anderson loves this album.
5
Oct 25 2024
View Album
Murder Ballads
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Weird, self-indulgent, murder porn. This guy sounds like Lin-Manuel Miranda’s cringier older brother. Way too theater-y for me. I get the impression the lead singer was jerking himself off the entire time he was writing this.
1
Oct 28 2024
View Album
Violator
Depeche Mode
Like most of the new wave bands (in my opinion), Violator’s high are through the roof, but it also has some pretty forgettable lows. Dan Gahan also doesn’t have my favorite singing voice if I’m being honest. It’s an enjoyable enough listen through and through, but not an album that I’m likely to listen to end-to-end again.
3
Oct 29 2024
View Album
Moondance
Van Morrison
Damn near perfect
5
Oct 30 2024
View Album
Talking Heads 77
Talking Heads
We’re getting spoiled this week.
4
Oct 31 2024
View Album
Sound Affects
The Jam
Pros: really fun, Paul Weller reminds me of Morrissey, not a bad song on the album
Cons: sent me down a ska rabbit hole
5
Nov 01 2024
View Album
Pacific Ocean Blue
Dennis Wilson
Dennis needed to pick a lane. It was enjoyable enough, but a pretty disjointed listening experience.
3
Nov 04 2024
View Album
Deja Vu
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Tough one for me to rate. Objectively, this might deserve a 5, but I guess the point of the exercise is to give our opinions. While the vocal harmonizing is nice on some songs but overdone on the album in my opinion. Kind of makes the whole thing sound dated to me. I wish they had given more songs to individual singers. Otherwise, it’s a very enjoyable listen and the talent of these guys really shines through.
4
Nov 05 2024
View Album
At San Quentin
Johnny Cash
A great artist and a great piece of history. The track list is pretty strong, but honestly I just don’t really like live albums.
3
Nov 06 2024
View Album
Blue Lines
Massive Attack
James Bond nightfire soundtrack meets house meets hip hop? Very 90s. Not my style.
Fuck Donald Trump
2
Nov 07 2024
View Album
Arrival
ABBA
Dancing queen is lightning in a bottle. The rest of the album pales in comparison
3
Nov 08 2024
View Album
Planet Rock: The Album
Afrika Bambaataa
Fun early hip hop album. Definitely can hear the influence it had on east coast rap. I like the writing style of this era, with a focus on goofy stories/situations instead of the swag rap we hear so much of today. Good punchy beats that remind me of ssx tricky, which is always a plus. Feeling a 7/10 but gonna round down on account of Afrika being a diddler.
3
Nov 11 2024
View Album
Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Wu-Tang Clan
Classic album. It’s crazy how much talent came out of Wu Tang.
4
Nov 12 2024
View Album
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Wasn’t expecting such revolutionary messaging in the first several songs, but my god what a snooze fest.
2
Nov 13 2024
View Album
KIWANUKA
Michael Kiwanuka
Kiwanuka’s got a great voice. A little slow in parts but very beautiful.
4
Nov 14 2024
View Album
Ray Of Light
Madonna
This was bad. Like really bad. What was the formula here? Madonna does madlibs over generic Dance Dance Revolution-type beats? Lyrically, this is one of the worst albums I’ve ever heard. The production ranged from bland to jumbled, at some points sounding like they were just randomly hitting a keyboard to see what stuck. I am left with more questions than answers: why was this included on the list? How did Madonna get so big making music like this? What was going on in the 80s? I’d rather grab a beer with Stagger Lee than listen to this pile of garbage again.
1
Nov 15 2024
View Album
Fisherman's Blues
The Waterboys
Really enjoyed the first half of the album, in particular the title track. The Van Morrison cover was also a very nice inclusion. The second half didn’t hold my attention as well.
3.5/5
3
Nov 18 2024
View Album
Joan Armatrading
Joan Armatrading
Not bad, not great.
3
Nov 19 2024
View Album
Power In Numbers
Jurassic 5
Production was definitely the highlight for me. Punchy beats throughout that were easy to bop my head to. Lyrically, I thought it was kind of corny. Flows were strong and they worked off each other well, but it was just missing something to make it interesting. I also can’t get over how wacky the deep voice dude sounds. Had a few songs that I’ll return to, but mostly just felt like a dollar store De La Soul.
3
Nov 20 2024
View Album
The Contino Sessions
Death In Vegas
This one had some interesting tracks. Was pretty hit or miss for me, admittedly 90s electronic isn’t exactly my cup of tea.
3
Nov 21 2024
View Album
New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84)
Simple Minds
Some good clean 80s fun
4
Nov 22 2024
View Album
The Village Green Preservation Society
The Kinks
Good enough. Not that interesting to me though
3
Nov 25 2024
View Album
Different Class
Pulp
Enjoyed this quite a bit. Got some real Bowie going on
4
Nov 26 2024
View Album
People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
A Tribe Called Quest
Gary admitting to eating eggs at the end of Ham n’ Eggs is one of the greatest twists in modern music. Really good album, I mean it has Can I Kick It. Probably a couple songs I could do without, and I do think they have a couple better albums, so I’m gonna go with a 9/10
4
Nov 27 2024
View Album
Dog Man Star
Suede
I mean, I like Bowie as much as the next guy. But it’s a bit much, innit?
3
Nov 28 2024
View Album
Surrealistic Pillow
Jefferson Airplane
A psychedelic standard. Has some good jams, a few great even. A lot of it is pretty forgettable to me though.
3
Nov 29 2024
View Album
Rumours
Fleetwood Mac
Incredible album. Makes you dance, makes you feel, makes you cry. This could be a list of the top 25 albums of all time and you could still make a strong case for Rumours.
5
Dec 02 2024
View Album
Rubber Soul
Beatles
Good tweener for the Beatles. Still fairly poppy with plenty of replay value, but they were also starting to experiment with new and more interesting sounds. Enjoyable listen, although in my opinion their best was yet to come.
4
Dec 03 2024
View Album
Disraeli Gears
Cream
The cream rises to the top.
Oh yeah
5
Dec 04 2024
View Album
School's Out
Alice Cooper
Enjoyed more than I expected. Good rock album with some jazz elements that I wasn’t really expecting. Got a little theatrical at times which I didn’t love, but overall I liked the album a lot.
4
Dec 05 2024
View Album
Skylarking
XTC
XTC should stick to making plans for Nigel
2
Dec 06 2024
View Album
Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
Provocative
4
Dec 09 2024
View Album
Fulfillingness' First Finale
Stevie Wonder
Stevie is a talented dude. I probably should have listened more before reviewing, but it’s not his most memorable week after one listen.
3
Dec 10 2024
View Album
Get Behind Me Satan
The White Stripes
Raw, for better or worse. Some of my favorite white stripes tracks come from this album; see: Blue Orchid, The Denial Twist, Take Take Take. The pure creativity and ability of Jack White really shines through. On the other hand, some of the other tracks probably could have used a bit more time in the oven. But that’s always been White’s style, and that’s why we love him.
4
Dec 11 2024
View Album
Horses
Patti Smith
I liked the Van Morrison cover, but I’m not really a fan of Patti’s singing style.
2
Dec 12 2024
View Album
Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes
Gorgeous album and perfect time of year for it. This is one that I used to listen to a lot so there’s some nostalgia around it, but it more than holds up. Might only be a 4 in the summertime, so good job 1001albumsgenerator.com on the timing.
5
Dec 13 2024
View Album
Behaviour
Pet Shop Boys
I wish that I had not spent 49 minutes listening to this.
1
Dec 16 2024
View Album
Nevermind
Nirvana
Based on t-shirt sales, the #1 band since 1998. More than enough has been said about the music, but why aren’t more people talking about the wiener?
4
Dec 17 2024
View Album
Crime Of The Century
Supertramp
Perfect 2.5 for me. Not unpleasant but also not very memorable. Unlikely to listen again but wouldn’t complain if someone else put it on
3
Dec 18 2024
View Album
...The Dandy Warhols Come Down
The Dandy Warhols
Much has been said about The Dandy Warhols (by me), but I honestly enjoyed this album more than I expected. Moody and psychedelic at times, upbeat and jammy at others, they displayed more range than I would have given them credit for. Whipping Tree was downright Floyd-esque! That said, it wasn’t particularly innovative. I’m feeling a 3.5/5 but going to round down because it was too long imo
3
Dec 19 2024
View Album
Gasoline Alley
Rod Stewart
Good music for us fellas that bleed the red, white, and blue
3
Dec 20 2024
View Album
Movies
Holger Czukay
🎶 cool in the pool 🎶
3
Dec 23 2024
View Album
American IV: The Man Comes Around
Johnny Cash
Brutally honest and hauntingly beautiful portrayal of a legends final days. Really remarkable work of art. While not every cover was my favorite, it is very interesting to consider why Cash selected each of them. Hurt is such a deeply moving song, the kind that I will always slow down to listen to closely. The deepest theme is clearly death here, but not necessarily despair. I think the album ultimately portrays a man who knows that he is not long for the world, and while he may have some regrets, is at peace with his fate. Given the context and just how beautiful much of the album is, this is a pretty easy 5 for me.
5
Dec 24 2024
View Album
Imagine
John Lennon
Imagine (song) is deservedly an all-timer. The rest of the album was fine but not that interesting to me.
3
Dec 25 2024
View Album
Darklands
The Jesus And Mary Chain
Did not bring me joy
2
Dec 26 2024
View Album
A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector
Various Artists
Classic versions of classic songs. Not gonna punish it for my being late to review. Could’ve done without silent night at the end.
4
Dec 27 2024
View Album
Chore of Enchantment
Giant Sand
Dollar store Lou Reed. Inoffensive, but ultimately uninspiring.
2
Dec 30 2024
View Album
To Pimp A Butterfly
Kendrick Lamar
One of the best hip hop albums to ever grace my ears. But is it Kendrick’s best? I’m not so sure.
5
Dec 31 2024
View Album
The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses
Good stuff
4
Jan 01 2025
View Album
Music in Exile
Songhoy Blues
3.5
Happy to see a non-English album on here. Really enjoyed the music, love some African guitar. Rounding up because I like the variety.
4
Jan 02 2025
View Album
One World
John Martyn
Kinda chill. Kinda sleepy. I liked small hours.
3
Jan 03 2025
View Album
Destroyer
KISS
Classic rock album. Good music for fixing cars.
4
Jan 06 2025
View Album
Pretenders
Pretenders
Another classic rock album. Made me want to play guitar hero.
4
Jan 07 2025
View Album
Brothers
The Black Keys
Never was the biggest black keys guy but this is a solid offering from then with some strong tracks
3
Jan 08 2025
View Album
The Lexicon Of Love
ABC
Robert Smith on lithium. I almost really like it but there’s just something off that I can’t quite place my finger on
3
Jan 09 2025
View Album
When I Was Born For The 7th Time
Cornershop
I’m glad smellphones don’t exist yet because this album stinks!
1
Jan 10 2025
View Album
D
White Denim
Very black keys-esque. Thought it was a bit more interesting though so I’d bump it to a 3.5. Enjoyed well enough but don’t really understand why it’s on the list.
3
Jan 13 2025
View Album
My Generation
The Who
Mods rise up
4
Jan 14 2025
View Album
Purple Rain
Prince
The highs are about as good as it gets. The lows are not bad by any means, but there are a couple songs that I could live without. I’ve been really waffling between a 4 and 5. Might be harsh, but just doesn’t quite get there for me.
9/10
4
Jan 15 2025
View Album
Songs The Lord Taught Us
The Cramps
One of the albums of all time
2
Jan 16 2025
View Album
Hot Shots II
The Beta Band
Pretty good! Wishing this list was less Brit-centric tho
3
Jan 17 2025
View Album
Street Life
The Crusaders
Lovely. Made me feel good inside.
4
Jan 20 2025
View Album
A Hard Day's Night
Beatles
The early Beatles stuff just doesn’t really do it for me. Definitely some classics on here tho
3
Jan 21 2025
View Album
Dookie
Green Day
How can you tell Green Day from other popular artists?
Other artists play in major or minor key, but Green Day plays in Dookie.
4
Jan 22 2025
View Album
Aladdin Sane
David Bowie
Really good Bowie album.
4
Jan 23 2025
View Album
The Message
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
The message (song) is a classic. The rest was kind of whatever to me
3
Jan 24 2025
View Album
At Budokan
Cheap Trick
Did not have a Cheap Trick live album on my bingo card. Would’ve been a fun show to be at!
7/10
3
Jan 27 2025
View Album
Van Halen
Van Halen
Some truly remarkable guitar, but overall not my cup of tea
3
Jan 28 2025
View Album
Californication
Red Hot Chili Peppers
I know I’m in the minority on this one but man I’m not a fan of this band. The instrumentation is fine, even great at times, but I just can’t stand Anthony Kiedis
2
Jan 29 2025
View Album
Eternally Yours
The Saints
Really enjoyed. Those aussies never miss! More of this please 1001albumsgenerator.com
4
Jan 30 2025
View Album
War
U2
Undeniably god music. Talented group even if they’re not my go-to
4
Jan 31 2025
View Album
Tago Mago
Can
Love can. Really enjoyed 1/2 of this album. But like most can albums, there was a couple songs that I could barely get through. Usually I can look past this, but 30 minutes of haunted house sounds is capping this one at a 3 for me.
3
Feb 03 2025
View Album
Achtung Baby
U2
2 U2 albums in a week is too much. I liked the first one better
3
Feb 04 2025
View Album
Rust Never Sleeps
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Neil Young seems like a real douchebag. Nice album tho.
4
Feb 05 2025
View Album
The Genius Of Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Enjoyable but not something unlikely to return to
3
Feb 06 2025
View Album
My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts
Brian Eno
Ahead of its time. Jammy, psychedelic, shadowy. I’m sure this was a trip to hear when it first came out. 2 great minds come together and while the album may not have the most replay value, I really enjoyed listening to it.
4
Feb 07 2025
View Album
Teenager Of The Year
Frank Black
Secret pixies album! Really loved it all the way through and never knew it existed until today. This is why we slog through the 2s and 3s folks
5
Feb 10 2025
View Album
Bayou Country
Creedence Clearwater Revival
In a past life I probably would have regarded this more highly
3
Feb 11 2025
View Album
Dusty In Memphis
Dusty Springfield
Short and sweet. Dusty has a great voice
5
Feb 12 2025
View Album
Deserter's Songs
Mercury Rev
Thought we might be in for a treat after the first song but was pretty let down for the remainder. Sort of flaming lips-esque but lacking character. Idk not for me
2
Feb 13 2025
View Album
Lady In Satin
Billie Holiday
She’s got a great voice and I do really love some Billie from time to time but it just didn’t do it for me yesterday
2
Feb 14 2025
View Album
It's A Shame About Ray
The Lemonheads
Never really understood why xrt seems to prefer this version of Mrs. Robinson
3
Feb 17 2025
View Album
Live At The Harlem Square Club
Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke is incredible. I do not think this was a necessary recording to hear of his.
3
Feb 18 2025
View Album
L.A. Woman
The Doors
The Doors are great man. Riders on the storm is an all time favorite. Really no skips in this album, maybe 1 or 2 that are just fine but very solid from top to bottom.
9/10
5
Feb 19 2025
View Album
Kimono My House
Sparks
A couple of the songs were decent but overall not really my style
2
Feb 20 2025
View Album
Come Find Yourself
Fun Lovin' Criminals
Nothing says badass like writing an album about all the crimes you intend to commit
2
Feb 21 2025
View Album
Viva Hate
Morrissey
It’s alright
3
Feb 24 2025
View Album
Fear Of A Black Planet
Public Enemy
Pretty fun. Probably not something I’ll put on super regularly but I’m glad I gave it a listen
7.5/10
4
Feb 25 2025
View Album
Definitely Maybe
Oasis
Writing music with your brother so you can explore the hard questions in life. Like, “how does it feel when you’re inside of me?”
4
Feb 26 2025
View Album
Safe As Milk
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
Pretty fun, nothing super special
3
Feb 27 2025
View Album
The Beach Boys Today!
The Beach Boys
Honestly The Beach Boys aren’t my favorite. It’s sunny and fun, definitely good music, just not my exact cup of tea.
3
Feb 28 2025
View Album
Mothership Connection
Parliament
If you don’t like this, you can go funk yourself
4
Mar 03 2025
View Album
Hot Buttered Soul
Isaac Hayes
Next time I’m whipping up biscuits, I know who I want on the butter knife.
Incredible album, definitely one of my favorites we’ve had so far. So groovy and cool, Walk On By is a masterclass. Maybe could have cut down on the spoken word portion of By The Time I Get To Phoenix, but honestly I don’t mind it. Easy easy 5
5
Mar 04 2025
View Album
Ready To Die
The Notorious B.I.G.
One of the GOATs for a reason. Really good album, some great tracks, could’ve done without the sex recording though
4
Mar 05 2025
View Album
Paranoid
Black Sabbath
War pigs is such a banger start to an album. The rest keeps up the energy
4
Mar 06 2025
View Album
461 Ocean Boulevard
Eric Clapton
Never been the biggest Clapton fan but the talent is undeniable. This isn’t his most engaging album imo, doesn’t help that he’s a huge jerk. But not bad.
3
Mar 07 2025
View Album
Bossanova
Pixies
Love the pixies, haven’t listened to this one as much but it rocks
4
Mar 10 2025
View Album
Live At Leeds
The Who
Of the great rock groups, I’ve always found the who to be a bit underwhelming. This album helped dispel that notion in some ways but backed it in others. The music was good, especially toward the end of the show, though it started slow imo (I also agree with Peter that the recording quality was kind of bad at the beginning). I did find the crowd interaction to be a bit uninspiring. I’m not sure if this is a recording issue (definitely at some points) or if they just didn’t have it that night. Overall, a solid listen but still not one that is making me rush back for more who.
7/10
3
Mar 11 2025
View Album
Station To Station
David Bowie
Loved it. Stay is incredible.
5
Mar 12 2025
View Album
Run-D.M.C.
Run-D.M.C.
Definitely an album everyone should listen to before they die. Fun. Provocative. And… dated. I’m sure this blew a lot of minds when it came out, its importance to the genre really can’t be overstated. But it’s a little earlier than the hip hop that I usually go for. Maybe that’s just because I don’t own a boombox.
6.5 for enjoyability + 2 for significance.
4
Mar 13 2025
View Album
Black Monk Time
The Monks
It’s pretty insane that this came out in 1966. Definitely way ahead of its time, and easy to hear how this could have been massively influential. Sort of a Marty McFly in Back to the Future moment. That said, it was be a case of “just because we can, should we?” Honestly it’s pretty hard to listen to at points, so it’s one I’m okay with leaving in the past.
2
Mar 14 2025
View Album
The Infotainment Scan
The Fall
What’s with all the negative reviews? I liked this a lot, Mark Smith has a unique singing style that I really dig. The 80s/90s punk scene was very fun and this slots right in. I can definitely see a lot of my favorite 2000s artists having been influenced by The Fall.
4
Mar 17 2025
View Album
Diamond Life
Sade
She sure is a smooth operator. I hope we get love deluxe too.
9/10
4
Mar 18 2025
View Album
The Chronic
Dr. Dre
It’s a landmark album for a reason. Dr. Dre is an undeniable production beast. I have a hard time not thinking that snoop is a bit corny though.
4
Mar 19 2025
View Album
Either Or
Elliott Smith
More like Smelliott Ith
2
Mar 20 2025
View Album
Ogden's Nut Gone Flake
Small Faces
Tough one to rate. On the one hand, I really do enjoy the music, especially the first half. On the other, the “storybook” portion of the album felt very half-baked.
Conceptually, I like the storybook concept a lot. However, I was pretty confused when the story portion started as it seemingly came out of nowhere. However, having looked into the original track listing, I see that it was side B of the record, so I guess it’s more of a modern issue of streaming. That said, I still think that to properly accomplish what they were going for, the Happiness Stan story should have been it’s own (probably more fleshed out) project.
To that point, the story itself doesn’t really make any sense. There isn’t much impetus, the action doesn’t ever really rise, and the resolution is hardly satisfying. This is all compounded by the fact that the narrator is hardly intelligible, even when reading the lyrics. I realize this isn’t an English assignment, but it would be nice to be given a reason to care about the story.
The music throughout is definitely the star of the show. I thoroughly enjoyed the first half and we were well on our way to 4land, or day I say even 5ville, before the break. Some fun early psych rock mixed with that classic 60s British sound almost in the vein of Sgt Pepper himself. The music on its own I think would have made for a great album although I guess some of it wouldn’t have made much sense without the narration.
Overall, I think I would give this a 2.5. Strangely enough, if the two sides had been split, I might just rate both of them more highly than the sum. For sure the first half. I just don’t think it comes across as a cohesive album. This is definitely the most I’ve thought about one of these albums in awhile so I suppose it does belong on the list.
3
Mar 21 2025
View Album
Electric Warrior
T. Rex
I must be a paleontologist the way I love T. Rex
5
Mar 24 2025
View Album
Electric Ladyland
Jimi Hendrix
What an insanely good album
5
Mar 25 2025
View Album
Sunday At The Village Vanguard
Bill Evans Trio
I like the band, but this was kind of a snooze fest. Not unpleasant but Waltz for Debby is far superior imo
2
Mar 26 2025
View Album
Amnesiac
Radiohead
This is what- Radiohead’s fifth or sixth best album? Insanely consistent discography. There are some real highs on this one, “Pyramid Song,” “You and Whose Army,” and “Knives Out” are real standouts to me. I also think that there are some (relative) low points on this album and it doesn’t play as well all the way through as some of their more acclaimed releases. The fact that this is still flirting with a 5 speaks to the talent of the group, and maybe on a different day I would rate it as such.
9/10
4
Mar 27 2025
View Album
Permission to Land
The Darkness
We all know that I Believe in a Thing Called Love is living in rare air. But I have t confess that I wasn’t expecting to like this album as much as I did. Some really enjoyable glam rock that sounds like it fell right out of the 80s. I’ve always thought of these guys as one hit wonders, and I’m glad to discover they’ve got plenty more in the tank.
4
Mar 28 2025
View Album
If I Could Only Remember My Name
David Crosby
Liked the first few quite a bit, the more folky stuff I could take or leave. In that sense it was very much like a CSNY album to me. Would listen to again.
7/10
3
Mar 31 2025
View Album
Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
The Flaming Lips
Really good album and band. I’ve been listening to the flaming lips a lot lately, trying to decide what my favorite album of theirs is. This is a strong contender, with in my opinion some of their best songs. Yoshimi pts 1+2 and do you realize are really standout tracks. It’s an album I’ll never get tired of, although I do think it is maybe just slightly overhyped, at least to the extent that it seems to overshadow the rest of their discography. Not a pure 5, but probably like a 9.5/10
5
Apr 01 2025
View Album
Illinois
Sufjan Stevens
Very fun album and project, although it never was completed. I’m definitely biased toward this one as a Chicagoan, but it really is a beautiful and whimsical listen that I always enjoy. With moments of grave, sadness, innocence, and even humor, this album really has it all. I do agree with Kyle that the second half probably could have been pruned down some, but at no point I find myself not enjoying the music. Definitely an album everyone ought to listen to before they die.
4
Apr 02 2025
View Album
Rust In Peace
Megadeth
Pretty much review 100% with Kyle. It’s not bad, but there are other bands doing the same thing better
3
Apr 03 2025
View Album
Face to Face
The Kinks
Only 868 albums to go until Robert Dimery grants me permission to die
3
Apr 04 2025
View Album
Rattus Norvegicus
The Stranglers
Pretty fun punk album
4
Apr 07 2025
View Album
Let's Stay Together
Al Green
Really great album. My favorite of Al Green’s. Anyone wanna see him at Ravinia this summer?
5
Apr 08 2025
View Album
Bookends
Simon & Garfunkel
Art Garfunkel might just be the Yoko Ono to Paul Simon’s John Lennon. It’s not bad but doesn’t do that much for me, although Mrs. Robinson was one of my favorite songs when I was a wee lad
3
Apr 09 2025
View Album
No Other
Gene Clark
Pleasantly surprised by this one. A little Jerry Garcia, a little Neil Young, a lot of fun. Love the choir backing. Probably one of my favorites of albums I hadn’t heard before so far.
4
Apr 10 2025
View Album
Leftism
Leftfield
90s club trash. Sounds like title screen music for gran turismo.
2
Apr 11 2025
View Album
Will The Circle Be Unbroken
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Honestly I liked it more than I thought, but my god was it long. Doesn’t help that a lot of the songs sounded very similar
3
Apr 14 2025
View Album
Pornography
The Cure
Whatever you do, don’t google this album and then spend an hour and a half looking at the search results!
4
Apr 15 2025
View Album
Time Out
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
Excellent
5
Apr 16 2025
View Album
Midnight Ride
Paul Revere & The Raiders
Pretty fun, not groundbreaking
3
Apr 17 2025
View Album
Honky Tonk Masquerade
Joe Ely
There’s a couple tracks I liked, but isn’t really the kind of country music I usually go for.
5/10
2
Apr 18 2025
View Album
First Band On The Moon
The Cardigans
Another nice surprise. I really like the singers voice, she reminds me of Joanna Wang. Nothing too over the top here but it just sounds nice in my ears.
4
Apr 21 2025
View Album
You've Come a Long Way Baby
Fatboy Slim
Interesting case of an album that was groundbreaking and unique at its time of release, but just has not aged well. It sounds old and simple. Electronic music has come a long way since this came out. There are still a couple bangers on here, but even those are pretty nostalgia driven.
3
Apr 22 2025
View Album
I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
Aretha Franklin
It’s annoying that Spotify doesn’t have the bonus tracks differentiated in any way, how hard is it to put -Bonus Track?
Anyway, excellent album. Aretha is one is the greats.
5
Apr 23 2025
View Album
Supa Dupa Fly
Missy Elliott
I’ve never been the biggest Missy fan. She’s definitely talented, and there were a few tracks on here that were petty good, but I mostly thought it was just okay
3
Apr 24 2025
View Album
Get Rich Or Die Tryin'
50 Cent
Well this one really came out of nowhere. This album was huge back in the day. The hits are iconic and the less well known tracks are still good, some even great. It’s funny to me given the contents of the rest of this list that Robert chose to include this one, but I certainly think it was a valid choice.
4
Apr 25 2025
View Album
Graceland
Paul Simon
It’s Graceland. Nuff said
5
Apr 28 2025
View Album
Highway 61 Revisited
Bob Dylan
I get the love, I just have never been able to get past his singing voice.
3
Apr 29 2025
View Album
Lust For Life
Iggy Pop
Doesn’t get much cooler than Iggy Pop
5
Apr 30 2025
View Album
Jagged Little Pill
Alanis Morissette
Honestly I don’t fully understand the hype on this one. Not bad I guess but not extraordinary either. I guess it doesn’t help that I don’t much like her voice
3
May 01 2025
View Album
Raw Like Sushi
Neneh Cherry
Robert man what are we doing here?
1
May 02 2025
View Album
The Hour Of Bewilderbeast
Badly Drawn Boy
I liked it. Kind of slow and one note but I got it on a rainy day so I didn’t mind. I enjoyed the variety of instruments, but kind of found myself losing focus at parts.
3
May 05 2025
View Album
Live!
Fela Kuti
Fela is one of the greats. This was a lot of fun, although there are multiple Fela recordings that I prefer to this one. The drum solo just went on a bit too long for me (sorry Kyle). I love some drums, but I don’t think the live experience quite translates over wax.
7.5
4
May 06 2025
View Album
Red Headed Stranger
Willie Nelson
Easy going album for a Tuesday morning. An evocative story told over well constructed music. Glad I got to hear this one.
4
May 07 2025
View Album
Under Construction
Missy Elliott
2 Missy Elliot albums that I must hear before I die?
There are some highs here, missy is a talented rapper and the production is mostly pretty good. But she sure is corny, and sone of the songs on here are borderline unlistenable.
2
May 08 2025
View Album
The Poet
Bobby Womack
Maybe on another day this would have caught my attention more. But today it kind of just faded into the background. Definitely wasn’t unenjoyable, just not too memorable.
2.5/5
3
May 09 2025
View Album
Your Arsenal
Morrissey
I like it better than Viva Hate, but Morrissey just has never really done it for me.
3
May 12 2025
View Album
Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand is like the girl who was way too hot for you in high school. She smiled at you once and you’ve never been the same. You know you were never cool enough, but god damnit if you didn't feel alive then. You keep the valentine she wrote you in 6th grade in the glovebox of your car, and whenever you need to remember what it was like to believe in yourself, you dig it out and give it a spin. What’s she doing now? Do you really want the answer to that question? (Trust me, you don’t.) But locked away in your memory palace is the hottest piece of ass to ever walk the Earth.
Anyway uh, pretty good album.
5
May 13 2025
View Album
Let It Bleed
The Rolling Stones
“Any questions?” - David S. Pumpkins
5
May 14 2025
View Album
The Sounds Of India
Ravi Shankar
Believe it or not, I own this one on CD (thanks Andy). When Ravi talks, this has some major Wes Anderson energy. It’s interesting to learn about the structure of Indian music, I wouldn’t have really thought about the time signatures being different, but it makes sense. It made me consider music to be more like language in the sense that it evolved differently in different cultures. As far as the music is concerned, my guy was definitely jamming. It was very impressive, but probably not something that I will return to with any frequency. I am glad I heard it though.
3
May 15 2025
View Album
Goo
Sonic Youth
Some of it I really liked, some of it not so much. The dissonance is pretty cool, but it does come across as pretty unpolished. I know that’s what they were going for, and in some spots it worked well, but not always.
3
May 16 2025
View Album
Let It Be
The Replacements
Probably would benefit from a relisten but didn’t really jump out at me
3
May 19 2025
View Album
Kind Of Blue
Miles Davis
Tell me a better album to listen to on a stormy evening while you’re reading the paper and smoking a pipe at the local diner, wearing a fedora and a trenchcoat, waiting for the weather to clear so you can get home to your wife and 6 kids in 1958. I’ll wait.
5
May 21 2025
View Album
90
808 State
I get the hate. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea. For me though, there are a few songs on here that absolutely slap (Pacific 202 and 808080808 especially). It teleported me back in time to an abandoned warehouse in the early 90s where my only problem was deciding what color glowsticks I’m about to crack. Does it sound like every other techno/acid house/euro step album of the 90s? Sure. But it’s the first techno/acid house/euro step of the 90s, and to me that counts for something.
7.5/10
4
May 22 2025
View Album
Modern Kosmology
Jane Weaver
This was a nice listen. Started and ended strongly, I thought it got a little slow in the middle, but enjoyable throughout.
4