215
Albums Rated
3.49
Average Rating
20%
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874 albums remaining
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2010s
Favorite Decade
Soul
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other
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Rater Style
37
5-Star Albums
7
1-Star Albums
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You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teenager Of The Year | 5 | 2.99 | +2.01 |
| Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde | 5 | 3.13 | +1.87 |
| John Prine | 5 | 3.22 | +1.78 |
| GREY Area | 5 | 3.24 | +1.76 |
| Sound Affects | 5 | 3.26 | +1.74 |
| Hot Buttered Soul | 5 | 3.42 | +1.58 |
| Fleet Foxes | 5 | 3.43 | +1.57 |
| Odelay | 5 | 3.46 | +1.54 |
| Disraeli Gears | 5 | 3.47 | +1.53 |
| Dusty In Memphis | 5 | 3.47 | +1.53 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murder Ballads | 1 | 3.08 | -2.08 |
| evermore | 1 | 3.04 | -2.04 |
| Behaviour | 1 | 3.03 | -2.03 |
| Ray Of Light | 1 | 2.99 | -1.99 |
| When I Was Born For The 7th Time | 1 | 2.91 | -1.91 |
| Tracy Chapman | 2 | 3.78 | -1.78 |
| Californication | 2 | 3.71 | -1.71 |
| Raw Like Sushi | 1 | 2.7 | -1.7 |
| Music | 1 | 2.68 | -1.68 |
| Green | 2 | 3.48 | -1.48 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| David Bowie | 4 | 4.5 |
| The Doors | 2 | 5 |
| Jimi Hendrix | 2 | 5 |
Least Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Madonna | 2 | 1 |
5-Star Albums (37)
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Popular Reviews
Frank Black
5/5
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
2 likes
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
1/5
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.
2 likes
Black Sabbath
4/5
War pigs is such a banger start to an album. The rest keeps up the energy
1 likes
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
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.
1 likes
1-Star Albums (7)
All Ratings
Muddy Waters
3/5
King Crimson
4/5
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.
Eminem
4/5
A couple are pretty corny, but honestly holds up better than I expected.
David Bowie
4/5
Very nice 👍
Nas
5/5
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.
Stan Getz
4/5
Makes me feel like I’m on an elevator in a good way. Easy listening, love me some Stan Getz.
R.E.M.
2/5
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.
The Pharcyde
5/5
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
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Possibly my favorite Zeppelin album, it simply rocks.
Jimmy Smith
3/5
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.
Madonna
1/5
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.
Gram Parsons
4/5
I have a sudden urge to head south
Robert Wyatt
2/5
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.
The Killers
4/5
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
Tears For Fears
3/5
Everybody wants to rule the world is an all-timer. The rest of the album doesn’t really do it for me
Christina Aguilera
2/5
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.
Michael Jackson
5/5
Spent longer than I’d care to admit last night unsuccessfully trying to moonwalk
Julian Cope
3/5
Had some highs and some lows. Pretty weird listen overall. Probably would have liked it better if it was an hour shorter.
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
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.
Elton John
4/5
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
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
3/5
I liked the more psychedelic stuff but overall it was a bit boring
John Prine
5/5
Supreme storytelling. Simple but effective instrumentation. John Prine is simply that dude.
I bet Wes Anderson loves this album.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
1/5
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.
Depeche Mode
3/5
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.
Van Morrison
5/5
Damn near perfect
Talking Heads
4/5
We’re getting spoiled this week.
The Jam
5/5
Pros: really fun, Paul Weller reminds me of Morrissey, not a bad song on the album
Cons: sent me down a ska rabbit hole
Dennis Wilson
3/5
Dennis needed to pick a lane. It was enjoyable enough, but a pretty disjointed listening experience.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
4/5
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.
Johnny Cash
3/5
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.
Massive Attack
2/5
James Bond nightfire soundtrack meets house meets hip hop? Very 90s. Not my style.
Fuck Donald Trump
ABBA
3/5
Dancing queen is lightning in a bottle. The rest of the album pales in comparison
Afrika Bambaataa
3/5
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.
Wu-Tang Clan
4/5
Classic album. It’s crazy how much talent came out of Wu Tang.
Tracy Chapman
2/5
Wasn’t expecting such revolutionary messaging in the first several songs, but my god what a snooze fest.
Michael Kiwanuka
4/5
Kiwanuka’s got a great voice. A little slow in parts but very beautiful.
Madonna
1/5
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.
The Waterboys
3/5
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
Joan Armatrading
3/5
Not bad, not great.
Jurassic 5
3/5
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.
Death In Vegas
3/5
This one had some interesting tracks. Was pretty hit or miss for me, admittedly 90s electronic isn’t exactly my cup of tea.
Simple Minds
4/5
Some good clean 80s fun
The Kinks
3/5
Good enough. Not that interesting to me though
Pulp
4/5
Enjoyed this quite a bit. Got some real Bowie going on
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
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
Suede
3/5
I mean, I like Bowie as much as the next guy. But it’s a bit much, innit?
Jefferson Airplane
3/5
A psychedelic standard. Has some good jams, a few great even. A lot of it is pretty forgettable to me though.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
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.
Beatles
4/5
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.
Cream
5/5
The cream rises to the top.
Oh yeah
Alice Cooper
4/5
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.
XTC
2/5
XTC should stick to making plans for Nigel
Sex Pistols
4/5
Provocative
Stevie Wonder
3/5
Stevie is a talented dude. I probably should have listened more before reviewing, but it’s not his most memorable week after one listen.
The White Stripes
4/5
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.
Patti Smith
2/5
I liked the Van Morrison cover, but I’m not really a fan of Patti’s singing style.
Fleet Foxes
5/5
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.
Pet Shop Boys
1/5
I wish that I had not spent 49 minutes listening to this.
Nirvana
4/5
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?
Supertramp
3/5
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
The Dandy Warhols
3/5
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
Rod Stewart
3/5
Good music for us fellas that bleed the red, white, and blue
Holger Czukay
3/5
🎶 cool in the pool 🎶
Johnny Cash
5/5
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.
John Lennon
3/5
Imagine (song) is deservedly an all-timer. The rest of the album was fine but not that interesting to me.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
2/5
Did not bring me joy
Various Artists
4/5
Classic versions of classic songs. Not gonna punish it for my being late to review. Could’ve done without silent night at the end.
Giant Sand
2/5
Dollar store Lou Reed. Inoffensive, but ultimately uninspiring.
Kendrick Lamar
5/5
One of the best hip hop albums to ever grace my ears. But is it Kendrick’s best? I’m not so sure.
The Stone Roses
4/5
Good stuff
Songhoy Blues
4/5
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.
John Martyn
3/5
Kinda chill. Kinda sleepy. I liked small hours.
KISS
4/5
Classic rock album. Good music for fixing cars.
Pretenders
4/5
Another classic rock album. Made me want to play guitar hero.
The Black Keys
3/5
Never was the biggest black keys guy but this is a solid offering from then with some strong tracks
3/5
Robert Smith on lithium. I almost really like it but there’s just something off that I can’t quite place my finger on
Cornershop
1/5
I’m glad smellphones don’t exist yet because this album stinks!
White Denim
3/5
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.
The Who
4/5
Mods rise up
Prince
4/5
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
The Cramps
2/5
One of the albums of all time
The Beta Band
3/5
Pretty good! Wishing this list was less Brit-centric tho
The Crusaders
4/5
Lovely. Made me feel good inside.
Beatles
3/5
The early Beatles stuff just doesn’t really do it for me. Definitely some classics on here tho
Green Day
4/5
How can you tell Green Day from other popular artists?
Other artists play in major or minor key, but Green Day plays in Dookie.
David Bowie
4/5
Really good Bowie album.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
3/5
The message (song) is a classic. The rest was kind of whatever to me
Cheap Trick
3/5
Did not have a Cheap Trick live album on my bingo card. Would’ve been a fun show to be at!
7/10
Van Halen
3/5
Some truly remarkable guitar, but overall not my cup of tea
Red Hot Chili Peppers
2/5
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
The Saints
4/5
Really enjoyed. Those aussies never miss! More of this please 1001albumsgenerator.com
U2
4/5
Undeniably god music. Talented group even if they’re not my go-to
Can
3/5
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.
U2
3/5
2 U2 albums in a week is too much. I liked the first one better
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
Neil Young seems like a real douchebag. Nice album tho.
Ray Charles
3/5
Enjoyable but not something unlikely to return to
Brian Eno
4/5
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.
Frank Black
5/5
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
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
In a past life I probably would have regarded this more highly
Dusty Springfield
5/5
Short and sweet. Dusty has a great voice
Mercury Rev
2/5
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
Billie Holiday
2/5
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
The Lemonheads
3/5
Never really understood why xrt seems to prefer this version of Mrs. Robinson
Sam Cooke
3/5
Sam Cooke is incredible. I do not think this was a necessary recording to hear of his.
The Doors
5/5
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
Sparks
2/5
A couple of the songs were decent but overall not really my style
Fun Lovin' Criminals
2/5
Nothing says badass like writing an album about all the crimes you intend to commit
Morrissey
3/5
It’s alright
Public Enemy
4/5
Pretty fun. Probably not something I’ll put on super regularly but I’m glad I gave it a listen
7.5/10
Oasis
4/5
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?”
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
3/5
Pretty fun, nothing super special
The Beach Boys
3/5
Honestly The Beach Boys aren’t my favorite. It’s sunny and fun, definitely good music, just not my exact cup of tea.
Parliament
4/5
If you don’t like this, you can go funk yourself
Isaac Hayes
5/5
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
The Notorious B.I.G.
4/5
One of the GOATs for a reason. Really good album, some great tracks, could’ve done without the sex recording though
Black Sabbath
4/5
War pigs is such a banger start to an album. The rest keeps up the energy
Eric Clapton
3/5
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.
Pixies
4/5
Love the pixies, haven’t listened to this one as much but it rocks
The Who
3/5
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
David Bowie
5/5
Loved it. Stay is incredible.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
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.
The Monks
2/5
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.
The Fall
4/5
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.
Sade
4/5
She sure is a smooth operator. I hope we get love deluxe too.
9/10
Dr. Dre
4/5
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.
Elliott Smith
2/5
More like Smelliott Ith
Small Faces
3/5
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.
T. Rex
5/5
I must be a paleontologist the way I love T. Rex
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
What an insanely good album
Bill Evans Trio
2/5
I like the band, but this was kind of a snooze fest. Not unpleasant but Waltz for Debby is far superior imo
Radiohead
4/5
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
The Darkness
4/5
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.
David Crosby
3/5
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
The Flaming Lips
5/5
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
Sufjan Stevens
4/5
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.
Megadeth
3/5
Pretty much review 100% with Kyle. It’s not bad, but there are other bands doing the same thing better
The Kinks
3/5
Only 868 albums to go until Robert Dimery grants me permission to die
The Stranglers
4/5
Pretty fun punk album
Al Green
5/5
Really great album. My favorite of Al Green’s. Anyone wanna see him at Ravinia this summer?
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
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
Gene Clark
4/5
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.
Leftfield
2/5
90s club trash. Sounds like title screen music for gran turismo.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
3/5
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
The Cure
4/5
Whatever you do, don’t google this album and then spend an hour and a half looking at the search results!
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
5/5
Excellent
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3/5
Pretty fun, not groundbreaking
Joe Ely
2/5
There’s a couple tracks I liked, but isn’t really the kind of country music I usually go for.
5/10
The Cardigans
4/5
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.
Fatboy Slim
3/5
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.
Aretha Franklin
5/5
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.
Missy Elliott
3/5
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
50 Cent
4/5
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.
Paul Simon
5/5
It’s Graceland. Nuff said
Bob Dylan
3/5
I get the love, I just have never been able to get past his singing voice.
Iggy Pop
5/5
Doesn’t get much cooler than Iggy Pop
Alanis Morissette
3/5
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
Neneh Cherry
1/5
Robert man what are we doing here?
Badly Drawn Boy
3/5
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.
Fela Kuti
4/5
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
Willie Nelson
4/5
Easy going album for a Tuesday morning. An evocative story told over well constructed music. Glad I got to hear this one.
Missy Elliott
2/5
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.
Bobby Womack
3/5
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
Morrissey
3/5
I like it better than Viva Hate, but Morrissey just has never really done it for me.
Franz Ferdinand
5/5
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.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
“Any questions?” - David S. Pumpkins
Ravi Shankar
3/5
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.
Sonic Youth
3/5
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.
The Replacements
3/5
Probably would benefit from a relisten but didn’t really jump out at me
Miles Davis
5/5
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.
Pearl Jam
5/5
I’ve never considered myself much of a Pearl Jam fan but I don’t think I’ve ever listened to a full album before, either. Honestly, this went fuckin insane
808 State
4/5
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
Jane Weaver
4/5
This was a nice listen. Started and ended strongly, I thought it got a little slow in the middle, but enjoyable throughout.
Little Simz
5/5
It feels like I’ve been giving a lot of 5s lately but if Pearl Jam got one, this deserves a 6. Little Simz kills it and the production is top tier. No skips at all. The drop on Venom is insane.
Bob Dylan
3/5
I think I liked it a little better than the first Dylan record we got, but it still didn’t really stand out. To be fair, I wasnt listening that closely.
Beck
5/5
Probably not a true 5, maybe more like in the 8.8-9.2 range. But this is such a fun album, some of becks best work imo. So much nostalgia and such great production. Great album cover too
Marvin Gaye
4/5
The OG Baby Maker. The Fire Starter. The Bed Rocker. The Potato Masher. The Bo Jangler. The Clam Shucker. The Meatball Grinder. The Floor Creaker. The Muffin Muncher. The Taffy Puller. The Tongue Twister!
I once saw a stat that between the years of 1973-1975, 1 out of every 8 children was conceived to this album. Get freaky, grandma!
Of course I just made that statistic up, but I bet you believed it.
It doesn’t get much smoother than this, folks. Not something that I’d put on in day-to-day life, but when the mood is right… is there a better choice?
UB40
3/5
Enjoyable. Not really my preferred genre, but nothing to complain about.
The Zutons
2/5
This was fine. I don’t really understand Britains obsession with ska/ska-adjacent music tbh. I didn’t dislike this album, but it struck me as something I’d put on once when it first released and then never listen to again. Fun band name/album artwork though. Don’t really understand why it’s on the list.
Sigur Rós
4/5
Powerful. Beautiful. Stoic. Not good music for fixing cars.
Norah Jones
3/5
Don’t know why is a banger and I’m not afraid to admit it. The rest of this is pretty meh. The kind of music that you’d hear at a coffee shop in Napa Valley where the lattes are $12 and the barista “can’t imagine living the city life.” If I was a 48 year old woman I would probably love this, if only life was so simple.
Tina Turner
4/5
Great 80s fun here. Tina’s got an amazing voice. The second half lost me a bit and nearly dropped me down to a 3, but there are some real hits on the first half that saved the day. Pretty annoying that you can’t listen to the original track order on Spotify.
Gary Numan
4/5
I thought this was a lot of fun. Obviously got the big hit with Cars, but honestly thought the whole thing was a great listen. Definitely could see this being a big influence on the 80s scene.
George Michael
2/5
A 9 minute song about how George Michael wants my sex? Wow Georgie, if only I’d known sooner… I’m glad that he clarified that he wasn’t my brother or father too. Although that was a bit confusing considering that the previous song he promised to be my father figure.
I mean what was going on in the 80s man? Whenever time travel is invented, the first thing I’m doing is going back and taking their synthesizers away. Just awful. He tried to be George Michael Jackson, but he could only achieve George Michael Bluth. The fact that this charted at all is bananas (How much can it cost?), much less that it was #1 for 12 weeks.
Oh and I’m glad that he clarified in the final song that he did in fact want to have sex with me, I wasn’t sure.
Faith is a banger though.
Funkadelic
5/5
Excellent. The guitar solo on maggot brain is such a sick start to the album.
Gorillaz
4/5
To me, this doesn’t quite fully sound like a Gorillaz album. I like it and there are some excellent songs on it, but I think Damon was still finding his sound here.
The Psychedelic Furs
3/5
Pretty mid
Tori Amos
2/5
Thought it was pretty boring. A lot sounded like it could have been from a Disney soundtrack.
The Beach Boys
3/5
I must confess, I’ve never really had my breakthrough moment with The Beach Boys. I do like this a bit more than their average offering though.
4/5
Good stuff
Air
4/5
What a fun safari! Didn’t know the moon had such lovely flora and fauna. Now it’s time to relax at the Astro Lounge
Def Leppard
3/5
There were more songs on here that I liked than I expected. But it was still just pretty generic hair metal that could probably have stayed in the 80s. Pour some sugar on me is an all timer tho
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
An all-time classic rock album. Jimi is the man, obviously. Not sure if it’s my absolute favorite of his, but it’s definitely up there. Castles made of Sand, Little Wing, If 6 was 9… what an album
Taylor Swift
1/5
TSwizzle, forever searching for the answer to the age old question: how many men can one girl fall in love with?
I’ve never listened to a full album of hers before, and expected the songs to not be to my liking, but well made. After listening, I don’t know man. Lyrically weak. Conceptually weak. Instrumentally okay, I guess? I understand it wasn’t written for me, I just can’t decipher what the appeal is.
I wanted to not give this a 1, I really did. But god is it painfully disinteresting.
R.E.M.
2/5
I’ve always found R.E.M. to be pretty annoying
The Cure
4/5
A Forest is my favorite Cure song, but this isn’t my favorite Cure album. I think it’s good, and definitely sets a vibe, but the individual tracks don’t really stand out to me. The sum is better than the parts.
Daft Punk
4/5
I think I would give this a 5 if I was 10 years older. Some of it doesn’t really hit home for me, but it’s the birth of arguably the greatest electronic group ever. There’s also just some absolute heaters on here. Da Funk really gets me going.
Travis
2/5
Dollar store Radiohead
Kanye West
4/5
We all know what a huge piece of shit Kanye is, but I’ll be damned if this isn’t a great album.
The Doors
5/5
I think this is my favorite Doors album. Just a great listen all the way through.
Violent Femmes
4/5
Great album. Feels like they could have been a big influence on the Pixies, and if so thank you for your service. I feel like Violent Femmes are a band that I forget about, but I’m always pleasantly surprised by their deeper catalog when I give them a spin. Maybe a slight victim of overplaying on their bigger hits, although the hits are still great. Really just a fun album all the way through.
9/10
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Having a hard time with this one. I kind of don’t like Cohen’s singing voice but it’s also kind of cool. It gives big Sopranos energy. Could see this album working well in a movie.
Stan Getz
3/5
An undeniable classic. And hey I get it. The album that changed our nation’s trajectory forever. From hard at work to loungin’ around. Is Stan Getz solely responsible for what we have become? Maybe.
It’s definitely enjoyable music, and I doubt many would disagree with that. But this could be a case of an album that suffers from its own fame, or maybe I just don’t love bossa nova. It’s excellent background music, but to me, stays in the background. It’s extremely possible that is because it has been played to death, and once again, it really is a nice listen. I’ll never ask to turn it off, nor will I likely ask to put it on; and maybe that’s what life is really all about.
Also Portuguese sounds like simlish.
The Undertones
4/5
Was prepared to be a hater, but actually enjoyed this quite a bit. Very punk. Very fun. Really enjoyed “Get Over You”.
You win this round, Robert.
David Bowie
5/5
Aside from Sound & Vision, I haven’t really listened to this album before. Wow. What a listen. The soundscapes are just gorgeous, it really took me away. Subterraneans was an incredible way to end the album, when the horn came in I got goosebumps. Incredible production all around, I’m not surprised to see that Brian Eno was involved. Not your usual, gaudy Bowie fare. But absolutely stunning.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
It’s a bit bloated, but there’s a lot to like here. Very eclectic, like a sample platter of Led Zeppelin.
Crowded House
2/5
Inoffensive in the worst way
D'Angelo
4/5
Damn that boy smooth
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Stevie makes it look too easy
Ali Farka Touré
4/5
Desert Blues just really hits the spot for me. Does it help that it’s 100 degrees out right now? That certainly possible. But something in this music calls to mind a night around a campfire, sitting with friends and relaxing. There’s some magic here that scratches an itch in my soul. Really just lovely, relaxing music.
I don’t think this is necessarily Toure’s best album, but I still enjoy it very much. Anyone else who liked this one should give Ali’s son and Khruangbin’s collaboration album “Ali”.
Black Sabbath
4/5
Good night, sweet prince
The Mamas & The Papas
2/5
I just generally don’t enjoy these multi-singer groups. There’s some good songs on here for sure (California Dreaming = banger) but I just can’t imagine myself returning to this.
AC/DC
5/5
Another one that isn’t exactly my typical cup of tea, but this is just an undeniable force of rock.
Guns N' Roses
4/5
Not exactly my style but there are some undeniably classic rock songs on this album. Definitely one of the landmark albums of the 80s.
The Zombies
3/5
A couple great songs. Mostly unremarkable.
7/10
Common
4/5
Liked this quite a bit. Very jazzy and Common has good flow. A little too long for my taste, but I never found myself wanting to put something else on.