240
Albums Rated
3.14
Average Rating
22%
Complete
849 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1970s
Favorite Decade
Country
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
29
5-Star Albums
12
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Planet Rock: The Album
Afrika Bambaataa
|
5 | 2.8 | +2.2 |
|
Teenager Of The Year
Frank Black
|
5 | 3 | +2 |
|
Pacific Ocean Blue
Dennis Wilson
|
5 | 3.07 | +1.93 |
|
Roxy Music
Roxy Music
|
5 | 3.11 | +1.89 |
|
No Other
Gene Clark
|
5 | 3.18 | +1.82 |
|
Let It Be
The Replacements
|
5 | 3.25 | +1.75 |
|
Sound Affects
The Jam
|
5 | 3.26 | +1.74 |
|
Private Dancer
Tina Turner
|
5 | 3.3 | +1.7 |
|
Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes
|
5 | 3.5 | +1.5 |
|
Talking Heads 77
Talking Heads
|
5 | 3.56 | +1.44 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears
The Mamas & The Papas
|
1 | 3.42 | -2.42 |
|
Ágætis Byrjun
Sigur Rós
|
1 | 3.37 | -2.37 |
|
You've Come a Long Way Baby
Fatboy Slim
|
1 | 3.35 | -2.35 |
|
System Of A Down
System Of A Down
|
1 | 3.27 | -2.27 |
|
Little Earthquakes
Tori Amos
|
1 | 3.23 | -2.23 |
|
Hysteria
Def Leppard
|
1 | 3.21 | -2.21 |
|
Tanto Tempo
Bebel Gilberto
|
1 | 3.07 | -2.07 |
|
evermore
Taylor Swift
|
1 | 3.04 | -2.04 |
|
Peace Sells...But Who's Buying
Megadeth
|
1 | 2.98 | -1.98 |
|
When I Was Born For The 7th Time
Cornershop
|
1 | 2.91 | -1.91 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Beatles | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Megadeth | 2 | 1.5 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| David Bowie | 5, 3, 5, 2 |
5-Star Albums (29)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
The Waterboys
4/5
Beautiful folk. I like the violins.
Kurt Wallinger was the keyboardist on the album but he left the band to do more important things, mainly making the Lin’s Bin theme song.
1 likes
Frank Black
5/5
Punk, pop, grunge, garage. And even though this is an hourlong album of brief songs, it remains unified. A real breath of fresh air.
1 likes
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
Everyone tells me CCR is a great band, but I don’t give those takes too much credence
1 likes
1-Star Albums (12)
All Ratings
Muddy Waters
4/5
This shreds. I sleep on the blues until I come across great albums like this
King Crimson
4/5
Prog rock makes for good listening. Not my fave though
Eminem
2/5
Tbh not a huge fan of this one. Little too much murderin for my tastes.
David Bowie
5/5
Hell yea!!!!!
Absolute beauty from the 70s. Sublime dance music for us all!
Nas
4/5
East coast rap goes hard. Great, driving, pounding beats.
Stan Getz
4/5
Wow this is really great! Sort of chill lofi music to study to, but way better.
R.E.M.
4/5
This is a good album. Radio Free Europe and Sitting Still are my favorite songs.
Michael Stipe sometimes uses his ability to sing catchy nonsense, which somehow resonates with us.
The Pharcyde
4/5
I’ve got more flavor than 7-11 slurpees
If Magic can admit he got AIDS, fuck it I got herpes
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Total rock— I’m not very good at these reviews
Jimmy Smith
4/5
Dad music, rad music.
The organ sounds like a moog and is brilliant.
Madonna
2/5
Not very good— some of the beats are actually terrible.
The beat in the title track, at the end, is used in an Edward the Confessor song from Sleeping Dogs. That later song is much better.
A lot of it sounds like Ratchet and Clank background music.
Gram Parsons
4/5
This was some good country— something I could hear on Mojave Radio
Robert Wyatt
2/5
Not a fan — too dissonant.
The ending couple of songs are pretty good though
The Killers
4/5
I loved this when I was younger. I still do but I used to too
Tears For Fears
5/5
I was surprised by how fantastic this album is. The tv show Psych, with frequent 80s “homage,” gave Tears for Fears special place in their 80s pantheon. I thought that whatever band held that spot would be kitschy and overblown.
But I was wrong! Shout and Everybody Wants… are both deserved hits. The Working Hour is my favorite song on the record. Big fan!
Christina Aguilera
3/5
I think she was an Avril Lavigne type, but she’s really that Alicia Kets type.
Not bad.
Michael Jackson
4/5
Great pop record. Some all-time tracks that are always popular at weddings and parties. We can ride the boogie!
Julian Cope
2/5
Sooo long and not energizing or inspiring. A lot of it was ambient dance track sounding things. Like Moby
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
Not bad— kinda forgettable songs that fill up this long album though. A few of them are xrt standbys though which is a plus
Elton John
4/5
Very fun. A bit front-loaded though. Huge hits that are widely beloved, but some pretty meh songs on the back end
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
2/5
Psychedelic folk. The folk half is meh and the psychedlic half is rough listening.
John Prine
4/5
Great lyricism, beautiful twangy voice.
🎶 There’s a hole in Daddy’s arm, where all the money goes
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
I didn’t expect the album name to be a literal description.
I won’t rate it highly because I do not like the lyrics (I’m sure you all know by now that I am staunchly against murder).
But the music is kinda fun. And nick cave’s voice is really compelling.
Depeche Mode
3/5
Some fun songs, some xrt classics, but overall I’m not very excited by this record.
Van Morrison
5/5
Great album - van’s the man!
Caravan is a lot tamer in studio, but there’s still a fantastic six song stretch from the And It Stoned Me to Into the Mystic.
Talking Heads
5/5
Really fun
The Jam
5/5
Great album— tightly written and composed songs. Lyrics that can really be spit out
Dennis Wilson
5/5
Really great— who’s the better Wilson?
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
3/5
I got tired of it as the album went on. I do like some songs, but it all blends together
Johnny Cash
5/5
Short but exhilarating. Songs are pretty good but the scene is incredible.
“I’d like to thank the warden and the guards for setting this up”
(Crowd boos and jeers)
“Awwww… you don’t really mean that”
Massive Attack
3/5
Blue Lines and Be Thankful are Great. The rest is pretty meh.
Fiddler on the Roof “sample” sparks joy though.
ABBA
2/5
A great classic and an okay one are on here.
But I can’t stomach the idea of listening to this as a full album again.
Afrika Bambaataa
5/5
Brilliantly fun— an exhilarating first listen and a groovy second
Wu-Tang Clan
3/5
I’m honestly not that into this, and I once saw a RZA concert and it was sick
Tracy Chapman
2/5
Pretty boring. It’s crazy how popular these songs were. I guess it was just the hippie resurgence of the nineties
Michael Kiwanuka
3/5
Idk kinda bland but not bad
Madonna
2/5
Bad, but not as bad as stagger Lee so it gets two stars
The Waterboys
4/5
Beautiful folk. I like the violins.
Kurt Wallinger was the keyboardist on the album but he left the band to do more important things, mainly making the Lin’s Bin theme song.
Joan Armatrading
3/5
Not bad, not really my style
Jurassic 5
2/5
I don’t like it. This could lull me to sleep I spose
Death In Vegas
3/5
Sometimes it’s sick, especially imagining listening in a crowded dark basement. Sometimes it’s dull
Simple Minds
4/5
I really liked the songs. Music accompaniment for the movie scene where the hero looks at VHS tapes of the family he’s lost
The Kinks
3/5
I think Monica is a great song. Animal Farm is good too, tempo and instrumentation, but the lyrics are kinda dumb.
The rest I don’t enjoy too much. A lot of the songs are subdued and a bit boring. I also don’t think the theme, the modernization of England, was expertly developed. It all just seems a bit hammy and silly.
Do we really need two songs to explore the deeper meaning of photographs?
Pulp
4/5
I get the hype, great album. Very influential to the bands that would be featured on the OC it seems. Much better than those later bands though
A Tribe Called Quest
3/5
This is fun, but not nearly as fun as the pharcyde. The bears are subdued, instead of exuberant.
Suede
3/5
I agree with Dylan, some pretty good songs on the first listen that deserve a relisten, but overall it doesn’t seem like a great album
Jefferson Airplane
2/5
The names are so bad it’s crazy. Surrealistic Pillow? Embryonic Journey? Easy on the acid fellas.
Music ain’t that bad though. Some of it is 60s schlock, but the blues tracks are fun. My dad said he liked White Rabbit when he was younger, not a huge fan myself
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
Love it! So fun
Beatles
5/5
Loved this album on my Walkman, but I haven’t listened to it since those childhood days.
I really like it!
Did anyone else notice the crystal clarity of the tambourine in the Spotify audio?
Cream
2/5
Alice Cooper
4/5
Surprisingly eclectic, the West Side Story song was a joy
XTC
2/5
The stuttering madness of the singing is a big turn off. Some songs are worth a relisten
Sex Pistols
4/5
You know what Johnny? I do mind the bollocks and I think we all would feel a lot more comfortable if you put some pants on
Stevie Wonder
3/5
I just didn’t groove with a lot of the backend songs. I love some Stevie songs, but these can be dull. Some deserve a relisten, like It Ain’t No Use
The White Stripes
3/5
It’s alright. Some modern rock classics and some tracks I will never listen to again
Patti Smith
2/5
I did not care much for this album. I am running out of novel things to say, so I can’t really say anything but that her voice is offputting
Fleet Foxes
2/5
Vanilla pudding, not much else to say really
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
This was really cool and moody. Definitely a consistent album, but there aren’t any standouts.
Nirvana
4/5
This is good. Can be really head smashing at times. I honestly don’t think there’s that many great songs on here, but it does deserve a 4
Supertramp
4/5
This is tough, Bloody Well Right is such a jam. And, beginning with Rudy, the end is great. Fuck it, gets a 4
The Dandy Warhols
3/5
It sounds pretty good. I’ve heard, from credible sources, that the guy is a dick though
Rod Stewart
3/5
Pretty good. Not as ecstatic as A Nod is as Good as a Wink, but there all still some keepers on the album, like the first two songs
Holger Czukay
4/5
Very fun, very cool in the pool. The drumming is impeccable on this album. I didn’t care for Oh Lord Give Us More Money.
Johnny Cash
3/5
This is fun, but the covers don’t match the originals and I can’t say this is a necessary album to listen to
John Lennon
3/5
I like a few of the songs, but in general this wasn’t that inspiring
The Jesus And Mary Chain
2/5
Fuhgetttaboutit!
Various Artists
3/5
Fun Christmas album, Baby Please Come Home is an all-timer, can’t say that it is a 4 though because it’s just a Christmas album
Giant Sand
2/5
It’s like Smog, but just the boring songs
Kendrick Lamar
3/5
Meh— I used to really like a lot of the songs and listened to it often, but I’m just not into it anymore. 3 out of respect
The Stone Roses
4/5
Great rock album. I’ve slept on The Stone Roses, probably because they’re Adam Eget’s fave band
Songhoy Blues
2/5
How is this on the list? It is okay, not great by any means. Kinda good I guess. It seems so random and recent to be worthy of the “essential” list
John Martyn
3/5
I live John Martyn, but there’s not a lot of great songs on this record, unlike Thin Air. Couldn’t Love You More is beautiful and some of the other songs are alright
KISS
3/5
This is actually quite fun for a hair metal band— but none of the songs stick out to me as particularly great. Maybe I’ll relisten, but I’m unsure if I’ll give KISS the chance
Pretenders
3/5
Some certified xrt classics but I just don’t love it
The Black Keys
2/5
I just don’t love the songs.
4/5
Really fun eighties pop— the bass lines are greasy, the lyrics are a kind of lovestruck funny hysteria.
Cornershop
1/5
Not fun at all. In fact, this album was excruciatingly boring. It’s like they wanted to make indie rock music, but decided to replace any edge with the dull twanging of a sitar throughout.
White Denim
2/5
This might deserve a relisten, but I didn’t find it that great the first time. The songs had a timeless sound, kinda like the dead, but nothing really stood out to me. It’s odd to say really, there’s a lot of different instrument interplay in the songs, but it doesn’t amount to a whole lot
The Who
3/5
My dad is a big Who fan. Me? Not so much. The James Brown cover is good but not as good as James Brown. My Generation is timeless. The rest is chaff.
Prince
4/5
I also only knew the hits, which are superb, but had never heard the rest. Honestly, the other songs on this album are a bit underwhelming.
The masturbating line in darling Nikki is rough.
Still gonna give it a 4
The Cramps
2/5
Halloween kitsch and rockabilly revival. Doesn’t seem to belong on this superlative list, but hey, what do I know?
It was only okay
The Beta Band
3/5
Wow, Sean’s right! He does sound like Paul McCartney. (Exclamation does not mean surprise by the way). I really like the song Dry the Rain, which I think is from Trainspotting, but I’m less excited about these songs, although the tensing and soothing sensation is still palpable.
Eclipse is a good closer.
The Crusaders
3/5
Great vibes, but I can’t see myself listening to this a lot again— except for maybe a fun cleaning day. Seems like rough judgement, but hey it’s my choice
Beatles
3/5
I agree with Bryan, the hits are fun but every song I don’t recognize doesn’t get me going. Take, for instance, “I’ll be back,” it has some sweetness to it, but it’s pretty boring.
Way more cowbell than I remembered
Green Day
3/5
I’m not a fan of the three hits on this album, welcome to paradise, when I come around, and basket case. But there are a lot of other good ones. Coming Clean might be my fave.
Not enough to get a 4
David Bowie
3/5
Watch that man is a balls to the wall opening track. A lot of the rest didn’t really stick out to me (even the title track) but this deserves a relisten. But a lot of it was just good Bowie songs, not transcendent ones
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
4/5
The Message is an all-timer. The rest isn’t nearly as great but there’s still some fun to be had.
The Stevie Wonder track was good and a funny homage. You Are is so similar though, and I have to ask, why are there two Stevie Wonder songs?
Cheap Trick
4/5
I’m really glad live albums are on the list. This is also a great one. I heard it first on xrt fr their Friday night lives (or some shit). The energy just courses through your veins. The Cheap trick hits sound great and the other songs can be pretty good too.
Van Halen
3/5
Not bad, just nothing exciting
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
Tough to rate for me. I think the instrumentation is great… at times. When the songs get into psychedelia I think there’s a big drop in quality. I also find Anthony Keidis’ voice to be annoying and the lyrics can be very bad.
The Saints
3/5
Good, fun punk rock. Deserves a relisten but I’m only giving a 3 on the first time around
U2
3/5
New Years Day and Sunday Bloody Sunday are great. The rest is unremarkable.
Can
2/5
The unlistenable tracks got to me. Won’t revisit
U2
2/5
Comparison is the thief of joy. This is worse than War, even if One and Wild Horses are alright. In generally I just think this album is bland
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
Didn’t really think of myself as a Neil Young fan before, but this is a great record. Powder finger and Thrasher are both great, and the bookending My My songs are really haunting
Ray Charles
4/5
The first half is great. Exciting songs with incredible vocal range. Let the Good Times Roll is an all-timer, but maybe not as good as some of the other Ray hits. The second half takes on a sleepy/romantic lounge vibe, which is pleasant but unremarkable.
Brian Eno
2/5
Muslim call to prayer with percussion, although it is admittedly good percussion
Frank Black
5/5
Punk, pop, grunge, garage. And even though this is an hourlong album of brief songs, it remains unified. A real breath of fresh air.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
Everyone tells me CCR is a great band, but I don’t give those takes too much credence
Dusty Springfield
3/5
She sounds nice but this doesn’t knock you off your feet. Some songs sound like they could be in a Kill Bill movie (a flashback part)
Mercury Rev
3/5
This isn’t bad. It just doesn’t knock your socks off which you kinda need a new album to do if it’s going to earn a 4 or 5.
Billie Holiday
2/5
Her voice is kinda annoying, lyrics come out at a torturously slow pace
The Lemonheads
3/5
This was really pleasant. It reminded me of road trips listening to early aughts indie rock. Not better than a theee though
Sam Cooke
5/5
Incredible live album, certified by my dad as a classic. Infectious energy from an amazing vocalist
The Doors
3/5
LA woman is one of the few doors songs I actually think is great.
L’america really sucks
Sparks
3/5
This has a real kooky fun quality to it. It really reminded me of the ABC album we listened to early. Overall, I was lulled to boredom by too many of the tracks to rate it highly. I’ll listen again
Fun Lovin' Criminals
2/5
Douchebag music
Morrissey
3/5
Everyday is Like Sunday is such a beautifully lonely song. But overall, this album is far lesser than its greatest song
Public Enemy
2/5
Blends together. I would preferred it to be shorter but I really just think the songs don’t do it for me. There are some exciting parts, but I really started to roll my eyes whenever some clip of a speech was in the background of a song
Oasis
3/5
Live Forever is incredible. The others range from pretty good to meh
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
3/5
Sounded a lot like any other sixties American rock band, but with better drums
The Beach Boys
3/5
Yea it’s fun and the harmonies are nice, but this doesn’t strike me as a great, incomparable album
Parliament
4/5
Very groovy, makes me want to shake my butt
Isaac Hayes
4/5
My my, how hot and buttery this soul is. It’s over the top. It’s baroque and there are fantastic songs on the record
The Notorious B.I.G.
3/5
Quite good. Funky samples mixed with lofi East coast drums.
I’ve got the cleanest, meanest penis made me lol
Black Sabbath
4/5
This was really great! The first four songs are sick— Paranoid is close to being my favorite, but War Pigs is amazing. Some days you just need to listen to hard rock and metal
Eric Clapton
4/5
This is a really great album. Funky and bluesy. Please Be With Me is beautifully tender
Pixies
4/5
Really good album— wailing rock songs with spitting lyrics
The Who
3/5
This audio was kinda off for the first songs, right? Also, what is the real track list of the album? On Wikipedia it says the album is like 20 minutes. A Quick One is my fave Who song but I think I like a different recording. The My Generation medley was pretty good but my socks stayed FIRMLY on. Magic Bus is fun
David Bowie
5/5
Really vibed with this one… Bowie Forever!
Run-D.M.C.
2/5
Not cool! I’ve heard some great drumming on DMC songs but this was so stale. The drum effect was like listening to people clap continuously, unaffected by the changing songs.
The Monks
3/5
An album that I couldn’t find on Spotify? Yeah it’s cool, but it makes you think of the hubris of this list. Was this the holy grail of brown paper bag bootleg recordings before the age of internet music? Is that where that hard-to-pin-down-best-ever quality comes for on this record?
Honestly though, it is pretty fun and I enjoyed it, but not ecstatically.
How do you pronounce Higgly Piggly as Hig-uh-lye Pig-uh-lye?
The Fall
4/5
Definitely a great album. Reminded me of Pulp. Not much to say, but I find it annoying how Spotify doesn’t have original releases often, only offering a 2 hr + extended addition.
The money is sur le table. The palace of excess leads to the palace of access
Sade
3/5
Honestly not that inspiring— sort of like a very sleepy collection of global coffee house music.
I like Why Can’t We Be Together though
Dr. Dre
3/5
Tough to rate, there are some great songs with really great, funky beats. Then there’s a lot that I would have left off the record (skits, sex recording again). I also don’t like Bitches Ain’t Shit
Elliott Smith
2/5
This was pretty meh. I loved the depressive discography of Elliott Smith when I was an angsty teenager but not anymore. Ballad of Big Nothing used to be a fave, but I didn’t care when it came on this morning.
Small Faces
3/5
Agree with Sean, too much kookiness — I was thinking I would give this a two, but then a few good sixties songs changed my mind. The voiced lines and recordings talks (like a lot of those 90s rap albums) were silly and annoying
T. Rex
4/5
Really good album— lots of different styles. This is the album that broke my left earbud. Was it chance? Who knows?
Life’s a gas!
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Bluesy, effortlessly cool (other than the effort needed to be this good)
Bill Evans Trio
2/5
Kinda music you pretend to feel when on a date at the Green Mill
Radiohead
2/5
Yo this album sucked dick
The Darkness
4/5
Awesome but a pervasive sense of derivativeness comes over you as you listen. But, as an old friend said about lawnmowers…
David Crosby
3/5
Some good and fine moments, but wasn’t amazing. The album cover is cool
The Flaming Lips
4/5
Tough one to rate— really great highs but my mind was drifting during the rest of the tracks. Those futuristic guitar distortions are pretty sick though
Sufjan Stevens
4/5
Country folk album with millennial sensibilities. And I’m quite partial to it
Megadeth
2/5
Didn’t care
The Kinks
3/5
Some classic kinks like Sunday afternoon (which tbh isn’t that great) and some others that I had a pretty tepid reaction too. Overall just ok
The Stranglers
4/5
The first few albums had repetitive riffs and dull songwriter. I remembered all the great ratings from my bros and felt I had to cut against them. Boy was I wrong. This was awesome.
That’s what you get for distrusting your friends, a sexy grimy proto-punk album
Al Green
5/5
Just brilliant, rich soul music. One of my dad’s favorite albums that I heard so often in the car.
I also remember that guy singing Let’s Stay Together at karaoke one time and it was great. One of the more universally recognized great albums on this list. Everyone feels the longing and appreciates the expressiveness
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
America is an amazing song. Mrs. Robinson is a classic— the rest are not inspiring
Gene Clark
5/5
Amazing country album — sweet and melancholy
Leftfield
2/5
Boring and repetitive video game music
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
4/5
This was a great listen— very long and I won’t be listening to it through again (I did it in parts the first time anyway) but I really enjoyed the musicianship and folk while driving on a sunny day
The Cure
3/5
Cool and chilly, spooky and unsettling— I liked the vibe but nothing stood out to me
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
3/5
Meh, kinda cool but not my jam
Not Dave’s fault but I clearly recognize that Turk song from an annoying series of commercials and it kinda hard he’s my mellow ya dig?
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3/5
This is a decent album, great band name.
My fave radio show, the Hoodoo Party (third Saturday of the month at 11 AM), was talking about this band and album over the weekend
Joe Ely
4/5
I like it— good country. Great instrumentation and really fitting lyrics.
Meet a fine lady banker and sure I oughta thank her—- the credit she gave me really set me out
Like how do I describe how good this is?
The Cardigans
3/5
I think that it’s fun. Lovefool is a classic great song.
It’s odd how much this sounds like music from the OC
Fatboy Slim
1/5
DISLIKE!
Aretha Franklin
5/5
Incredible album, beautifully rich voice
Missy Elliott
2/5
Kinda cool at times, otherwise I didn’t really care about listening too much — sex tracks are bad
50 Cent
2/5
A couple songs I bump to but too long and repetitive
Paul Simon
5/5
I really like the world music and some of the songs are fantastic: Graceland and Diamonds in particular. It’s not all great and there are some dull songs, but you gotta go with what your heart says
Bob Dylan
4/5
Like a Rolling Stone is an incredible timeless song — the rest doesn’t click. Idk that song is so good it gets a 4
Iggy Pop
4/5
Definitely a cool and sexy album. It’s not something I think of when I think about the greatest albums but I deserves it’s spot on the list
Alanis Morissette
2/5
Not a huge Alanis fan (although I had an old boss who was, and it seemed out of tune with the rest of his personality). I think a lot of the songs are boring
Neneh Cherry
2/5
I saw the other ratings and was expecting the worst— it’s not quite the worst but I don’t understand how this is on the list. It just sounds like STEREOtypical 90s club music, right?
Badly Drawn Boy
2/5
Reminded me of Elliot Smith with the slightly fuzzy vocals and simple strumming. I preferred this one but it was a long listen without any songs that really grabbed me
Fela Kuti
4/5
I thought this was pretty great. The last song, the drum solo, was a bit of a waste though (we were supposed to listen to the one with Ginger Baker, right?)
Willie Nelson
4/5
Lovely country album - soft and forlorn
Missy Elliott
2/5
I liked this better than the other Missy album but I still didn’t really care about it. Some of the songs could kinda bump and the guest verses were cool (especially Luda) though
Bobby Womack
4/5
Great stuff — great soulful voice with gospel quality. The instrumentation can sound like the smooth and upbeat jazz from Nintendo (and I’m not sure if that’s even a bad thing)
Morrissey
2/5
Not incredibly captivating, fun song names though
Franz Ferdinand
2/5
I mean it’s got an early aughts rock cool factor, but I just don’t think this is that good
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Great album and nothing too much to say for me— some of the live tracks are better but that’s something I disagree with Bryan on (presumably). For instance Midnight Rambler has a great 12 min live track.
Ravi Shankar
3/5
Honestly quite good— I was doubtful when I heard the first track (about letting go off your preconceptions from western music, which I assumed were subconscious since I didn’t know the terms), but this was definitely cool. A real get lost in the sauce record
Sonic Youth
2/5
I’ve thought some youth songs are pretty good but this was really discordant and bad
The Replacements
5/5
Great album— unsatisfied is a top tier track and the others are great too (seen your video anyone?). Incredible garage rock that shaped the mould of tons of imitations I listened to in college. This is the original and its impact is lessened not one bit by its cultural impact and created cliches
Miles Davis
5/5
Hip jazz, ya dig? It’s not discordant and hyper-modern, but it’s not your grandad’s jazz. This cat really liked it
Pearl Jam
3/5
Some of the songs really do rock, but I just don’t have a strong connection or desire to go out of my way and listen to— enjoyable XRT fodder
808 State
3/5
Bryan’s right… It’s crazy how many English electronic pop groups from the 80s are on this list. But this is actually pretty sick. Knocking it down to a three in solidarity with my mate, but I did enjoy it a bunch
Jane Weaver
2/5
Kinda bland— just not that into you!
Little Simz
3/5
Not my jam— she does spit I do admit
Bob Dylan
4/5
I did like this one a lot. Easy to sleep on Dylan (or at least for a guy like me I can’t speak for the rest of you) but he is great. Good lyricism that make you feel great indescribable emotion
Beck
2/5
Do I like Beck? Sure, and a lot— he has some great songs and his shows are incredible. Do I like this album? Not really.
The kookiness and novelty, which I do like, is there but the songs don’t really hit me.
Marvin Gaye
5/5
Love it! What an incredibly soulful album about love and desire
UB40
4/5
I really thought this was cool. It’s difficult to assess music genres that you aren’t familiar with, but that you still like the vibe. But I’m going to just agree with my heart and rate this highly.
Sounded like the music for Guybrush Threepwood in Monkey Island— great game with great music
The Zutons
3/5
Funny to hear an MVP Baseball 2005 song (Pressure Point) on this list of greatest albums. I think it’s a fun pinky record but I really didn’t think was that great— not bad
Sigur Rós
1/5
Bryan zigs and I zag. This album sucks, multiple unlistenable/grating songs and the others are just boring.
Staralfur used to get heavy airtime on xrt and I liked it then (read, middle school), but it holds nothing for me now.
Norah Jones
4/5
Amazing! So lovely and tender. Beautiful voice and unpretentious songs
Tina Turner
5/5
Wow— what a banger. These songs are fantastic! Smooth 80s instrumentation, great lyrics and an amazing voice. The covers are amazing too
Gary Numan
3/5
Yes this has a real cool aspect to it and I do really like the song Cars, it just lulled me to sleep
George Michael
2/5
Faith is a great song— there’s some cool tracks throughout, smooth jazz and drum beats. The sex song is terrible though, and even though the lyrics say this isn’t going on, it seems like he’s singing c-c-c-c-cum
Funkadelic
5/5
Really great record, Maggot Brain is such an incredibly good guitar song and is a main feature of the Shredd Aquarium. The other songs can be more soul than funk but are still great.
Can. You. Get? (Bass voice— I wanna know…)
Gorillaz
4/5
Quite good, had never really given this a full listen before since I have never been a Clint Eastwood fan (he’s an actor? I just like him for his politics)
Really cool and great beats. Classic hip hop album
The Psychedelic Furs
4/5
Iconic and distinctive voice— moody and gothic rhythms. I realize that I’m using some of the same adjectives as I use for the Cure. I think the Cure are better, but this is really cool
Tori Amos
1/5
Definitely boring— actually bad instrumentation mixed with trite lyrics.
The first couple of songs with lines like “crucify myself” are the hackneyed commentary of 90s alternative. The later songs on the record are, like Bryan said, Disney songs without the fun.
The best song is White Horses and it sounds like a Joni Mitchell song (but I don’t even really like Joni Mitchell)
The Beach Boys
3/5
Moody beach boys— pretty good stuff, just no standouts
2/5
Not bad really— I’m just finding I don’t really like the Kinks (other than Lola). Take Australia, it starts out like a perfectly competent 60s rock song and then devolves into meaningless nonsense. And then the rest of the songs that are on wacky old instruments (kazoos, harpsichords and ragtime pianos)? Not for me
Air
2/5
Definitely some cool beats, beat a lot more soporific than I expected. The album cover is iconic and you see it on t-shirts, but I guess I was expecting the high energy of Jamiroquai? This was really slow and, as a result, a bit uninspiring
Def Leppard
1/5
What tripe and what a waste of time
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
Honestly didn’t bold as love this one— the sixties rock sound is not really my thing. I think the classics are good songs (bold as love, if 6 was 9, Spanish castle magic) but this isn’t a great album to me
Taylor Swift
1/5
They’re not sending Taylor’s best!
Honestly this album sucked. The most anodyne composition I’ve heard yet on this list. The lyrics are just fine but the singing is uninspiring. I definitely like the pop songs more than this
R.E.M.
3/5
Some good songs— Stand and Orange Crush are xrt classics. I don’t think it’s a great album and probably doesn’t deserve a spot on the list. Kinda plain ya know?
The Cure
4/5
Gothic and chilly cool, really great stuff. The eno influence is strong and I would have bet he was credited, but I looked it up and he’s not
Daft Punk
2/5
Kinda boring after the first few songs (which admittedly were some good club hits). Or, to be more exact, it got repetitive
Travis
3/5
Not bad, a bit whiny and not something I expect to listen to again, but not bad
Kanye West
1/5
Apparently Lou Reed is a big fan, but I’ve always hated Yeezys
The Doors
3/5
I think this is a pretty good album.. idk it’s not my favorite doors stuff but I really only love a couple of their songs
Snoop Dogg
2/5
It’s an okay album. I think the samples and rapping are pretty good (although I don’t really stand for the lyrics, guess I’m just not a G).
The radio interludes sound like Cumtown bits: “This is the Jack Off Hour on WBALLS and I’m your host, DJ Eeeeeeeasy Dick”
Violent Femmes
5/5
Wow! What an album!
Midwest alternative bands reign supreme. While the replacements album we listened to was melancholic, this is madcap joy and anger fused— kinda like Pulp tbh.
I had a lot of comparison bands actually for this album. It really blends a lot of different styles of rock music. My first thought was Jonathan Richman but it also can sound like early aughts rock.
Fave songs are Blister (obv) and Add It Up.
If you want to break up with a girl make a mixtape for her with Ugly on it
Primal Scream
2/5
Some of the songs have an eerily cool factor, but I hate the distortion ones. And that cool factor is not overly prominent. Kinda dull overall but with nice points
Leonard Cohen
3/5
It is dark, which is what I wanted (?)
Some of the songs are really haunting and beautiful (title track HITS). Some are just skippable. I also am not entirely sure how to interpret the lyrics and message. Seems to be about but God is ambiguous, as well as who men are. Not sure what to make of it.
Beatles
5/5
Absolute classic, some really great Beatles songs that are more mature than the earliest boy band stuff but not too heady or dissonant. Tomorrow never knows isn’t great, but I love Taxman, Eleanor right, she said, and and your bird can sing
Stan Getz
3/5
Hey I liked the other Stan Getz album, but this didn’t do it for me. Pretty but slumber-inducing. I’m not in the mood or situation for that, but hey, albums don’t get second chances when you’re down 20
Joanna Newsom
2/5
This has been weighing me down and I have out this off for a while since it’s not on Spotify.
I really was hopeful after while starting the first song. Medieval country with interesting Joni Mitchell (a harmonic at times) type singing. But the voice grew grating and I didn’t care to much for the music. Sad.
The Undertones
2/5
Very mod and very mid.
I used to listen to Teenage Kicks and I’m unsure how I ever heard of it. I remember that some British music critic thought it was the best pop song ever (after it went on Top of the Pops). Kinda tough to listen to now though, right? “Teenage sex, ba da buh buh bah! Teenage sex, buh duh buh buh buh”
Fugees
3/5
Honestly I think the beats kinda blend together and the lyricism is a bit dull. Killing Me Softly is an all-timer though and I do appreciate Lauryn Hill. I’m a big fan of her Unplugged album.
David Bowie
2/5
Sound and vision is a good song, wasn’t aware that the second half would be part nature documentary and part blade runner soundtrack. Kinda cool but not something I think to be great
Led Zeppelin
3/5
My fave Led album is II— this is not my favorite. Too long, and too many meandering songs. Zepp is for concentrated power.
Some song are still quite good. Kashmir and Houses of the Holy are the most famous but I really liked Down By the Seaside.
Why are we getting the Led out in rock music when we could be getting the lead out of our water supply? Really makes you think…
Crowded House
3/5
A bit fun but not a standout or something I consider to be great. Another album with a lot of different styles, I was getting heavy (lol) yacht rock vibes at the start. Then it got to more classic 80s (I’m a big don’t dream it’s over fan). And some interesting 90s indie at the end
D'Angelo
2/5
I think some D’Angelo songs are great (how does it feel? + I’ll stay) but this wasn’t amazing to me. This album didn’t really show off the vocal range enough and didn’t have stand out music
System Of A Down
1/5
Suck my fat one
Little Richard
4/5
Really fun record from when rock n’ roll was real dance music. It’s Jaunty Rock, and wow the lyrics and vocals pop!
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Superstition is an exceptional song. I also like I Believe… and some others. Strong entry for the list
Ali Farka Touré
4/5
West Kentucky bluegrass, African tribal music, delta blues, indian sitar jams: this album has it all. Kinda like Taj Mahal
Black Sabbath
3/5
I mean, it rocks. It also kind of blends together and I don’t see myself coming back to it. Idk maybe it’s a 3 album day fatigue
Leonard Cohen
2/5
I liked the first song: “First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin”
Otherwise this was a bit dull, not much to say
The Mamas & The Papas
1/5
So incredibly boring and I can’t believe this was ever popular. (Weren’t they the best selling American band from the sixties?)
California Dreamin’ is famous but not incredible and not enough ballast to save this sinking ship
2/5
Not great, nineties coffee house music. A lot of these albums have been really dull recently. What’s going on? Don’t you expect the greatest albums to be made by virtuoso musicians and not singer-songwriters? I understand that these albums are well-liked, but do they sound like the greatest records ever?
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
Fantastic album from the Boss! Dancing in the Dark is an all-timer. I really like I’m on Fire (although I prefer the fat guy’s cover on youtube). Glory Days, Cover Me and the title track are all great examples of what John Mellencamp could never be. My Hometown is a great closer too.
I definitely prefer earlier Bruce but this still hits the heights.
Bebel Gilberto
1/5
A real snoozer
AC/DC
4/5
Real rock hard with your cock hard music
Guns N' Roses
3/5
Real rock out with your cock out music. On an unrelated note I have a meeting with HR at the end of the day.
It’s funny to have this back-to-back with ACDC. With the comparison of such recent experiences, I have to say that Guns is much less fun than ACDC
The Zombies
2/5
I saw that Bryan reviewed this poorly and I was sad (“Time of the Season” is such a cool song). Now I know bryan was right.
This album makes 35 minutes feel like an hour. It is actually bad, not just mediocre. Everything but the aforementioned best song are incredibly boring and simple songs. And at the end when Time came on I was just ready for it to be over.
Today I learned that the Alan Parsons Project guy is from the Zombies
Destiny's Child
2/5
Odd record, 90s r&b but clean lyrics and really tonally inconsistent. Weird to listen to sappy songs at work like “I know he loves me because he kisses me” (I hated Brown Eyes btw). Also weird to go from the R&B to the gospel medley and the back to “Dance Everybody DANCE!!”
Linkin Park
2/5
Pardon my hate speech but this is so gay. I hate the spoken lyrics (both the sound and content). I will admit that the singing voice is powerful.
I remember when Chester died and people came out of the woodwork to say what a genius he was— and I couldn’t understand it. I have never liked Linkin Park, though I suppose it’s a tragedy he never got to score the Bionicle movie like I’m sure he always wanted
Common
3/5
Socially conscious rap with disparate musical styling: pretty good! I loved the first song, although I do admit I got a bit bored throughout some of the later songs. It was smooth and ambitious, but could be a bit soporific at times
Judas Priest
3/5
Honestly the metal is kinda fun it’s just not my kind of music and I don’t anticipate to ever return. But where other genres that I appreciate from afar can really blow me away with a distinctive sound, this is just for head banging.
The last song is unintentionally hysterical: “GRINDER! (du nuh nuh) Searching for MEAT”
Stevie Wonder
3/5
After the first couple of songs (the string quartet!?! and the moody jazz tune) I was fearing that I would be really put off by the record.
It got much better but I still think this was too long and the songs didn’t really hit me like they do in Talking Book. I love “Isn’t she Lovely” but I could do without songs like Black Man. Overall pretty good
Fever Ray
3/5
If someone put this on while I’m chilling at the beach and a bit stoned I’d think it was cool. But listening to it in different circumstances I know this isn’t an amazing album. It’s solid
Roxy Music
5/5
Great Eno album! This is the type of Eno that behind: wide ranging musical styles, cleverly bizarre lyrics, and haunting vocals. The first five songs are incredible. The next few distortion heavy songs are a bit of a step back to me (the Eno I don’t care for), but Chance Meeting and the whimsical Bitter End keep this firmly in the 5s
The Fall
3/5
Interesting album but I preferred the Infotainment Scan. Rebellious Jukebox was one of my faves and the punk energy was going hard throughout. I think it deserves a relisten (and first listen to all the live recordings I skipped on the two disc Spotify album) but it’s not a great album to me right now.
Neil Young
2/5
On the Weekend started off really strong. The rest just didn’t do it for me. I’ve always disliked heart of gold. The other songs were just bland. A real disappointment. I’ve never really been a Neil young fan and I hoped this would be great but this wasn’t it
Pixies
3/5
Just didn’t like it like the other pixies and frank black fare we’ve had so far. It’s punky and fun but I just wasn’t feeling it ya know. What am I supposed to say?
Bee Gees
1/5
A bad album. Are there people who really think that the BeeGees were a good band but then disco ruined them? This is so boring and sounds like a knockoff version of the Beatles, lacking the creativity and lyricism to make truly great songs. What a bore, and it was over (barely) an hour!
Megadeth
1/5
I just don’t like metal and I dont listen to eat with a discerning ear. It was a chore to listen to this man… idk I’m just a square
Buena Vista Social Club
5/5
An easy 5 as my good friend has said. There is something beckoning in the rhythms, to live better with soul
Radiohead
4/5
I’ve discounted Radiohead and never really given them the deep dive. I wasn’t expecting much but this was great. Really ethereal and tensely beautiful music. A lot of the songs are also just great. I really liked Let Down
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
When this started I was curious as to why a later Costello album was chosen. What about Armed Forces or This Year’s Model? But this was a great record. I love Elvis Costello. Blue Chair really stuck out to me as a great song