My 1001 Albums Journey

Album	You	Global	Diff
GI Germs	5	2.54	+2.46
Chelsea Girl Nico	5	2.62	+2.38
The Madcap Laughs Syd Barrett	5	2.62	+2.38
Arise Sepultura	5	2.73	+2.27
Nixon Lambchop	5	2.75	+2.25
Roots Sepultura	5	2.79	+2.21
Da Capo Love	5	2.81	+2.19
Damaged Black Flag	5	2.86	+2.14
Out of Step Minor Threat	5	2.93	+2.07
Reign In Blood Slayer	5	2.96	+2.04

Album	You	Global	Diff
The Queen Is Dead The Smiths	1	3.67	-2.67
The Joshua Tree U2	1	3.66	-2.66
Parachutes Coldplay	1	3.46	-2.46
Shaka Zulu Ladysmith Black Mambazo	1	3.08	-2.08
When I Was Born For The 7th Time Cornershop	1	2.92	-1.92
Rattlesnakes Lloyd Cole And The Commotions	1	2.9	-1.9
Destroy Rock & Roll Mylo	1	2.89	-1.89
Picture Book Simply Red	1	2.88	-1.88
World Clique Deee-Lite	1	2.87	-1.87
I Am a Bird Now Antony and the Johnsons	1	2.84	-1.84

Artist	Albums	Average
Beatles	6	4.67
Pink Floyd	4	4.75
Steely Dan	3	5
Nick Drake	3	4.67
Radiohead	3	4.67
PJ Harvey	3	4.67
Led Zeppelin	3	4.67
Nirvana	2	5
Sepultura	2	5
The Smashing Pumpkins	2	5
Creedence Clearwater Revival	2	5
Queen	2	5
Michael Jackson	2	5
Elvis Costello & The Attractions	2	5
Black Sabbath	2	5
Love	2	5
David Bowie	5	4

Artist	Albums	Average
U2	2	1.5
Dexys Midnight Runners	2	1.5

Lou Reed

4/5

Track 1: Vicious (7/10) Great album opener with a very proto-punk style riff. Not sure how I feel about his vocals yet, it's almost like spoken poetry. Track 2: Andy's Chest (8/10) Loved the guitar in the intro, but the drums and backing vocals kicked it up a notch! Loving these lyrics, very creative and fun. Track 3: Perfect Day (5/10) I've heard this song with better vocals before. The strings are nice, though. Track 4: Hangin' Round (6/10) Pretty good rock track. Feels like it came out of the mid-60s. Track 5: Walk on the Wild Side (10/10) That opening bass slide is so iconic. Lou's lyrics and vocal delivery make this song, it's the first one where I think his voice matches the song perfectly. Absolute classic in my books. Track 6: Make Up (6/10) The tuba is kind of hilarious but adds a lot to the song, I feel like there wouldn't be much here without it. Track 7: Satellite of Love (4/10) Not for me. Sounds like the worst kind of song Paul McCartney would write with terrible vocals. Sorry y'all. Track 8: Wagon Wheel (7/10) Another punky song. I enjoy how upbeat this one is and the drums are on point. Track 9: New York Telephone Conversation (7/10) This is a fun little track that tells a funny story. I feel like Lou thrived writing these type of nonsense songs. Track 10: I'm So Free (7/10) A nice rock song about feeling great! Had my head bobbing along the whole time, really fun! Track 11: Goodnight Ladies (7/10) Imagine this song sung by Frank Sinatra. I like the jazzy feel of this track, one of the better ones on the album. Overall: 7/10 I was hoping to love this due to it's reputation but I'm not a big fan of Lou's vocals for the most part, which brings it down a point. It may grow on me, but for now it's an enjoyable album with some glaring flaws in the middle.

Boston

5/5

Track 1: More Than a Feeling (10/10) This is one of the most overplayed staples of classic rock radio, and for good reason. Great riffs, beautiful harmonies and enough variety to keep it interesting make it worth listening to. Track 2: Peace of Mind (9/10) Just realizing that I'm probably gonna know all of these songs lol legendary chorus, the harmonies are easily the best thing about Boston. Track 3: Foreplay / Long Time (10/10) Oh my god I love this! The keys especially stood out to me, super proggy in the intro and perfectly utilized throughout the rest of the track. Plus the guitar solos! Man... Track 4: Rock & Roll Band (7/10) Pretty fun, but a little disappointing after 3 bangers in a row. Track 5: Smokin' (10/10) Amazing riffing and a super catchy keyboard solo! I can't hear this song without thinking about South Park. Track 6: Hitch a Ride (8/10) This song has my favourite guitar solo so far! Also, I didn't expect to love the keyboards as much as I do since they're not normally my favourite instrument. Easily the highlight of the album for me! Track 7: Something About You (7/10) The filler tracks on this album are honestly still really great thanks to the guitar solos. This song felt super short for some reason... Track 8: Let Me Take You Home Tonight (8/10) The lyrics may be generic by today's standards but it's too sweet for me to care! I think this song is really cute and I would totally use it for a wedding or something similar. Overall: 9/10 I knew I would like this album but it somehow beat my already high expectations. It deserves it's stellar reputation and I would say the 3 elements that made me love this were the guitar solos, harmonies and especially the keyboards! This'll be getting much more attention from me in the future. Fav Song: Foreplay / Long Time Least Fav Song: Rock & Roll Band

Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols

Sex Pistols

4/5

(12 Track US Edition) Track 1: Holidays in the Sun (9/10) This is the first of the four songs I already knew. Even though it's artificial, I still think no band personified punk as much as these guys. The guitar playing is honestly pretty great and Johnny Rotten was the perfect punk frontman. Track 2: Bodies (7/10) I like the lyrics on these first two songs. Pretty fun track. Track 3: No Feelings (7/10) A song about narcissism. I'm wishing this album had more variety at this point but it's what I expected so far. Still pretty good! Track 4: Liar (7/10) There's a section in the middle of the song I really enjoy, but it's more of the same otherwise. Track 5: Problems (5/10) This song is kind of boring, repetitive and too long... Track 6: God Save the Queen (8/10) I always found this song to be very clever! It's nothing mind blowing but it gets me moving and the lyrics are *chefs kiss* Track 7: Seventeen (6/10) Meh, not much to this one. Filler track. Track 8: Anarchy in the U.K. (10/10) I still think this is one of the best punk songs ever written. The lyrics embody everything that punk stands for, Johnny's snarling is incredibly influential and the guitar work is good enough to keep things interesting. Classic. Track 9: Sub-Mission (8/10) Is this about banging underwater? Lol one of the highlights so far cause it's so weird, I wish every song was like this one. Track 10: Pretty Vacant (9/10) Another classic song, which probably has my favourite guitar and drum work on the entire album. Track 11: New York (6/10) I don't think this song has aged particularly well but the instrumentals are pretty good. Track 12: EMI (6/10) The Sex Pistols were true punks despite their origins, and I think that's what this song is going for. Pretty enjoyable but not really noteworthy. Overall: 7/10 This entire album sounds exactly as I expected it too. Johnny Rotten was the perfect frontman for this band and I always felt like the behind the scenes stories were more interesting than the music. That being said, its all pretty classic punk and I had a good time overall. Only one song outside of the big four popular ones surprised me at all. Fav Song: Anarchy in the U.K. Least Fav Song: Problems

Appetite For Destruction

Guns N' Roses

3/5

Disclaimer: I'm not really looking forward to this one... Track 1: Welcome to the Jungle (9/10) I want to try and judge these songs as they are but it's difficult when some of them have been so grossly overplayed throughout my life. With that being said, I do think this is a pretty great song overall. Slash is a great soloist and Axl's voice fits the song nicely, I just hate all the moaning he does. The bridge before the last chorus is the best part. I never want to hear this song again. Track 2: It's So Easy (6/10) Duff is the secret weapon for GnR and I love that he gets a great bass intro this early into the album. The rest of the song does nothing for me until Slash's solo. Track 3: Nightrain (6/10) The lyrics are so generic, it gives me a headache. However, I really liked the instrumentals. Once again, I feel like I'm taking crazy pills when I hear people praising Axl's vocals cause most of the time he sounds like a dying cat to me. Track 4: Out Ta Get Me (4/10) A song so generic that I zoned out and had to restart it. I still don't remember anything about it. Track 5: Mr. Brownstone (9/10) This has always been the one GnR song that I've never gotten tired of and I still stand by that statement. I actually adore Axl's vocal delivery in this song and the chorus is so much fun! Track 6: Paradise City (9/10) I remember seeing Slash live in the 9th grade (a long time ago) and being so hyped that he closed the show with this one. It's my favourite riff in their discography and another song where I don't hate Axl's vocals. It's horribly overplayed now though. Track 7: My Michelle (8/10) That riff made me do a hardcore stinkface lol easily the best song I hadn't heard so far. I wouldn't mind hearing this one if it came on the radio. Track 8: Think About You (7/10) I had my foot tapping with this one! Pretty good song overall, not something I see myself listening to all the time though. Track 9: Sweet Child O' Mine (5/10) I'll give this song the credit it deserves. The opening riff/bass interplay is incredible. I hate everything else and I'm not sure if that has to do with it being the single most overplayed song on the planet. It's hard to listen to it objectively cause rock radio has ruined what I genuinely think could be a good song. Maybe I'd rate it higher otherwise. Track 10: You're Crazy (5/10) Another forgettable song that I have nothing to say about it. I guess the guitar work is good but that goes without saying. Track 11: Anything Goes (3/10) What is with the squeaking in the beginning? The lyrics are gross and the music is boring. Track 12: Rocket Queen (6/10) Another song where Duff gets to show off! I don't think it's a great album closer though. Overall: 6/10 I don't hate this album. The high points are incredible (even if I'm sick of hearing them) and the lows make me either cringe or fall asleep. It's still the best thing that GnR ever released and I believe it deserves to be in this list for it's cultural impact alone. Fav Song: Mr. Brownstone Least Fav Song: Anything Goes

Stardust

Willie Nelson

3/5

Track 1: Stardust (7/10) I would love to listen to this while out in a field, looking up at the stars. Very beautiful and Willie has a classic country voice. Track 2: Georgia On My Mind (5/10) I enjoyed it, but it feels emotionally flat for me and I have a hard time connecting to it. Track 3: Blue Skies (7/10) This might be my new favourite version of this song. Very pretty! Track 4: All of Me (5/10) I don't think Willie's voice fits most of these upbeat songs actually, the instrumentation is fine but the vocals aren't powerful enough for me. Track 5: Unchained Melody (8/10) In contrast, his voice is gorgeous in the slower songs. I can see myself listening to this one over and over again. Track 6: September Song (6/10) Pretty song. Not much else to say. Track 7: On the Sunny Side of the Street (5/10) Uh oh, I'm running out of things to say about these songs. They're all starting to blend together. Track 8: Moonlight in Vermont (5/10) I'm officialy so bored, the songs aren't bad but they all sound the same. Willie's voice can't save it at this point. Track 9: Don't Get Around Much Anymore (6/10) This is a bit better, we needed a song that was more upbeat at this point even if Willie is better at singing the slower songs. Track 10: Someone to Watch Over Me (6/10) Decent closing track, one of Willie's better vocal performances on the album. Overall: 6/10 Not a bad album. I found it hard to concentrate near the end due to the samey feeling of the songs. I get bored easily by slow country unless I switch it up in between, but then I wouldn't get a full album experience. Willie is still a legend and I'm hoping to enjoy his other albums better. Fav Song: Unchained Melody Least Fav Song: On the Sunny Side of the Street

The College Dropout

Kanye West

4/5

(I won't be rating skits or interludes) Track 1: We Don't Care (9/10) I love this song. It's a perfect introduction to Kanye as a rapper, and his rhymes flow perfectly with the creative beat. Track 2: All Falls Down (9/10) I love the acoustic guitar in this beat! Syleena Johnson's vocals also add a lot to this one. Track 3: Spaceship (8/10) This one is a good showcase of Kanye as a singer, even his rapping is melodic. The featured artists also understood the assignment and I actually like the second verse more than Kanye's. Track 4: Jesus Walks (10/10) Kanye's first masterpiece. I'm not even religious but Kanye has a way of making his faith feel authentic. Or at least, he used to... Track 5: Never Let Me Down (7/10) Kanye did some producing for Jay-Z before this so it made sense for them to collab on this album. It works pretty great but I don't love Ivy's verse. Still a good song that shows what Kanye and Jay-Z can do together. Track 6: Get Em High (7/10) A low stakes, fun song to jam to! Talib and Common we're legends at this point so it shows how much influence Kanye already had. Track 7: The New Workout Plan (8/10) The type of song that makes me laugh and dance in equal measures. Hilarious. Track 8: Slow Jamz (8/10) Pretty decent until Twista shows up and demolishes Kanye. The only thing that sucks is that it's just a song about sex but it's not really sexy at all. Track 9: Breathe In, Breathe Out (6/10) The rhymes weren't good enough to go with the decent beat, still enjoyed it though. Track 10: School Spirit (7/10) Good story to go with this one! Not the best but definitely Kanye lol Track 11: Two Words (6/10) I think this album could've had a couple songs cut and it would be better. This is one of those songs I'd cut cause it was nothing special. Track 12: Through the Wire (7/10) The lyrics made me laugh which brought it up a point. The beat is nothing special really. Track 13: Family Business (9/10) Oh man, this one got me. Kanye is at his best when he gives off a vibe of authenticity, which I totally got from this song. Loved it. Track 14: Last Call (10/10) I honestly love that this doubles as a great album closer and a behind the scenes look at the making of the album. Great stuff, I could listen to it forever and never get bored. Overall: 8/10 Look, I have no love for Kanye West the human being. He's arrogant, antisemitic and disgusting. I do, however, have a lot of respect for him as an artist. I think it's important to be able to separate the art from the artist because if you can't do that then you might as well stop listening to music, or watching movies, or looking at paintings, etc. because so many artists are shitty people. I'm not saying that other people should listen to music that makes them uncomfortable, because it's truly up to the individual what they want to listen to. I just disagree with that mindset. Looking at this album for what it is, I think it's a borderline masterpiece. The only reason it isn't getting a perfect rating is that it's a little lengthy and I wish he cut out one or two of the weaker tracks. I still love this album despite hating Kanye and his politics. Fav Song: Jesus Walks Least Fav Song: Two Words

Survivor

Destiny's Child

2/5

Track 1: Independent Women, Pt. 1 (7/10) Very much a product of it's time, enjoyable and the ladies are talented vocalists. The Charlie's Angels shoutouts didn't age well at all. Track 2: Survivor (4/10) I've never liked this song. Generic early 2000s r&b garbage. Track 3: Bootylicious (8/10) On the other hand, banger! The only Destiny's Child song I'll defend, it has a fun chorus, I love the Edge of Seventeen sample and it makes me feel fierce as a cis white male with no butt. Track 4: Nasty Girl (1/10) Oh okay, we're just gonna slut shame after 3 female empowering anthems lol what a tone deaf, terrible song. Track 5: Fancy (1/10) What the H happened here? Another song about hating women. This is kind of lame. Track 6: Apple Pie À la Mode (3/10) This song is kind of weird but I actually didn't hate it as much as the last two. It's just the ladies simping over a hot dude. Track 7: Sexy Daddy (3/10) Filler garbage I'll never listen to again. No substance and not catchy enough for me to care. Track 8: Independent Women, Pt. II (2/10) Very strange reprise. Could have been cut out to shorten the runtime cause this is one looooong album. Track 9: Happy Face (6/10) Pleasantly surprised by this one, it isn't great but it's uplifting and showcases their vocals beautifully. Track 10: Emotion (3/10) I liked the acoustic guitar. Not much else to say. Track 11: Dangerously in Love (6/10) Pretty love song. Kind of blends in with nothing standing out besides Beyoncé's vocal performance. Track 12: Brown Eyes (4/10) I just don't care about this album at this point. I'm in physical pain listening to how generic these songs are. Track 13: The Story of Beauty (2/10) I'm glad it's a female empowerment song rather than a female hate song but that beat is so bad. Track 14: Gospel Medley (5/10) I'm very anti-religious so I should hate this more but it's generally inoffensive and I'd rather listen to an a capella gospel medley with beautiful singing than another generic r&b song with crappy beats. Track 15: Outro (DC-3) Thank You (1/10) Thankfully this is the last track cause I don't think I can handle any more of this. Overall: 3/10 This was genuinely so painful to listen to outside of a couple songs. Bootylicious is so good that it bumped up the rating. It's obviously a product of the early 2000's. Tonally all over the place and I can't stand the percussion on almost every track. Never gonna listen to this again. Fav Song: Bootylicious Least Fav Song: Nasty Girl

MTV Unplugged In New York

Nirvana

5/5

Track 1: About a Girl (10/10) The definitive version. So beautiful and perfectly adapted to an acoustic setting, especially thanks to Dave's restrained performance on drums. Track 2: Come as You Are (8/10) One of my least favourite Nirvana songs, but it's one again made better by being acoustic. Track 3: Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam (10/10) I want to approach live albums by watching the performances if they're available so I'm watching this one. I started this song giggling at how goofy Krist looks with the accordion and ended it with tears in my eyes. No matter how many times I watch this unplugged I get emotional thinking about all the what-ifs surrounding Kurt. Absolutely beautiful rendition here. Track 4: The Man Who Sold the World (10/10) I can't even put in to words how much I love this song. It's up there with Hendrix's "All Along the Watchtower" and Cash's "Hurt" as one of the best covers of all time. I might actually need a break cause I'm getting extra emotional this time lol Track 5: Pennyroyal Tea (10/10) I'm a mess right now. Kurt going solo on this one was genius. Track 6: Dumb (10/10) This performance would already be perfect, but you add in that cello and it brings it to a whole other level. So hauntingly gorgeous. Track 7: Polly (9/10) I won't write it down here, but this song is incredibly dark if you know the story behind it. Great performance, love the harmonies. Track 8: On a Plain (10/10) Incredible. Dave going lower on his harmonies gives it a different feel than the studio version that I love. Track 9: Something in the Way (9/10) That cello, man! I feel like a broken record but this song is beautiful lol Track 10: Plateau (8/10) Another solid cover. I've heard these songs a million times and I still haven't listened to the original Meat Puppets versions besides Lake of Fire, and I'm saving them until it pops up here. Love the lyrics. Track 11: Oh Me (9/10) Love Kurt's vocals, I think he benefitted from not playing guitar on these songs. Track 12: Lake of Fire (10/10) This song is so hard to sing, you could tell Kurt was straining his vocal chords but it was so worth it! Probably my favourite performance from him in the entire show. Track 13: All Apologies (10/10) Once upon a time, I tried to convince an old girlfriend to make this "our song" (I was in highschool) lol she actually hated Nirvana so I knew we weren't meant to be...this is still one of my favourite Nirvana songs and this performance is wonderful. Track 14: Where Did You Sleep Last Night (10/10) Goosebumps. When he starts to scream you can feel every emotion he was feeling. Masterful, powerful, all the hyperbole you can think of. Overall: 10/10 Nirvana was an important band when it came to the development of my music taste. I fell in love with the emotion, the aggression, the punk rock attitude. It wasn't until I got older that I was truly able to appreciate how important these guys were to the entire landscape of music, and regardless of how overplayed or overhyped they might be, I think they're one of the most important acts in all of music history and there will never be another band like them. Kurt died before I was born, and now I'm the same age he was when he died. He's such an important figure in my life and the lives of so many other people that I know, and I hope that if there is an afterlife that he knows just how much he means to the world. Also his songs in acoustic are banging oh my lord Fav Song: The Man Who Sold the World Least Fav Song: Come as You Are

Dear Science

TV On The Radio

4/5

Track 1: Halfway Home (7/10) I like the vibes of this song, I would love to listen to this at 2 am while driving on a busy highway. (That sounds like hell actually but it's what this song makes me think of lol) Track 2: Crying (8/10) This one is kind of funky! I loved the last minute especially when all the instruments are given time to shine. Track 3: Dancing Choose (8/10) I can see the punk influences on this track. Has some of the best lyrics so far as well! Track 4: Stork & Owl (8/10) I appreciate how diverse this album is while still feeling like the same artist. This song is a pretty slow burn with some lovely string arrangements and it's probably my favourite one so far. Track 5: Golden Age (7/10) I'll have to look up a live performance of this song cause there's so much going on and I feel like seeing it live would make me appreciate it more. Still a pretty great song! Track 6: Family Tree (8/10) They're very good at these pretty slow songs. The lyrics are true poetry. Track 7: Red Dress (7/10) The intro made me laugh after such a slow string-laden song lol this is another funky, danceable song. I enjoyed it. Track 8: Love Dog (7/10) The type of song that feels like they wrote the music around the lyrics, and I mean that in a good way! It makes it feel poetic. Track 9: Shout Me Out (9/10) So great! The drums especially got me with this one, they change the vibe of the song constantly. Track 10: DLZ (6/10) There wasn't much in this song that really stood out to me compared to every other track. Not bad, but the only song that made me think "I've heard this before". Track 11: Lover's Day (8/10) The vocals are so great on this song. All the instruments come together in an interesting and beautiful way. Overall: 8/10 I'd heard of TV on the Radio for well over a decade now but somehow never actually heard a single song by them until today. I had zero idea of what I was getting into and what I found was a pleasant surprise that made me think of Talking Heads, Radiohead, Arcade Fire, etc. Very different artists to compare to for sure, but I got all of those vibes from these guys. I'm not sure if it's something I would have ever seeked out if it weren't for attempting this list, but I'm glad I got to listen to it and I'm gonna try to listen to it a few more times and maybe I'll appreciate it even more. Fav Song: Shout Me Out Least Fav Song: DLZ

Bone Machine

Tom Waits

3/5

Track 1: The Earth Died Screaming (6/10) This doesn't feel like a song. It lives up to the album title cause it just sounds like a bunch of bones being hit by even more bones. Track 2: Dirt in the Ground (6/10) The piano is nice but I don't like whatever Tom decided to do with his voice here. I respect his commitment to being as weird as possible though. Track 3: Such a Scream (9/10) This is what I'm talking about! This song came straight out of hell. Waits is wailing like a demon and the percussion is all over the place. I love it. Track 4: All Stripped Down (4/10) This is minimalism at It's worst. Tom needs to give up that falsetto thing he's doing cause it doesn't work for me lol Track 5: Who Are You (8/10) It seems like I'm gonna judge the songs mostly based on his vocal performance. This one is pretty stellar, I love the guitar behind it. Track 6: The Ocean Doesn't Want Me (N/A) Hard to rate poetry over dissonance, so I'll skip this short interlude-like track. Track 7: Jesus Gonna Be Here (7/10) Sounds straight out of the 40s. Waits must have sold his soul to the devil to achieve this sound. Track 8: A Little Rain (7/10) A little bit country, a little bit reminiscent of his early dive bar days. Track 9: In the Colosseum (8/10) I love the percussion here, and Tom sounds so evil! Very fun track. Track 10: Goin' Out West (9/10) This is possibly the most accesible song on the album. Pretty rockin', and Tom has so much power in his vocals here. Track 11: Murder in the Red Barn (6/10) The story telling is great, nothing really caught my attention though. Track 12: Black Wings (6/10) I like the guitar, and Tom's vocals feel so menacing. Not much else to say. Track 13: Whistle Down the Wind (9/10) Beautiful. I feel like I'm on a farm, far away from society, pining after a sweet lady. Love the vibes. Track 14: I Don't Wanna Grow Up (6/10) It's fine, but the Ramones did it so much better and I struggle not to compare this version to that one. Track 15: Let Me Get Up On It (N/A) Interlude Track 16: That Feel (6/10) Decent closing track, I like the weird choir vocals that come in. Overall: 6/10 I've always found Tom Waits to be hit or miss. He has some big hits here and a few misses but, surprisingly, I felt a lot of it was kind of meh. I could see myself checking it out again but I'll stick to Swordfishtrombones for the most part. Fav Song: Goin' Out West Least Fav Song: All Stripped Down

Dirt

Alice In Chains

5/5

Track 1: Them Bones (10/10) Hits you in the face like a train. Quite possibly the heaviest riff that Jerry ever came up with. Track 2: Dam That River (9/10) I've always considered this to be one of the weaker tracks on the album, and it still slaps hard. Another sick riff and great harmonies in the verses (that's pretty redundant to say about AiC) Track 3: Rain When I Die (10/10) That opening bass line makes me do a hardcore stink face every time. This has to be one of the sludgiest songs ever written. Layne's vocals are so incredible. Track 4: Down in a Hole (10/10) The prettiest song on the album. It used to make me cry every time I heard it and I got a little close on this relisten. Track 5: Sickman (9/10) Time to give Sean Kinney some props! He makes this song so much better with his drumming, opening the song with some great tom work and controlling the pace throughout. Very underrated drummer. Track 6: Rooster (8/10) I love the lyrical content of this song and the opening harmonies are so gorgeous. I also tend to skip it a lot when relistening to the album as I've heard it 10,000,000 times. Track 7: Junkhead (10/10) Best chorus on the album! I sometimes think it's my single favourite song on Dirt as well. Very heavy and emotional. Track 8: Dirt (10/10) That opening mixed with the bassline (props to Mike Starr) destroy my brain in a good way. Sludgy, doomy, heavy and badass. Track 9: God Smack (9/10) Layne's vocals are so strange here and fit the song perfectly. He was a true artist who knew how to make every song better. Track 10: Untitled (N/A) Hard to rate this as it's barely a song, but Tom Araya from Slayer is on this track! Track 11: Hate to Feel (10/10) Once again, Sean Kinney makes this song. His drumming impresses me so much here, I can tell it was fun to come up with his parts. Track 12: Angry Chair (8/10) The lyrics are inspired and knowing the background makes it much better. Track 13: Would? (10/10) One of the best radio hits I've ever heard. Jerry gets to sing lead on the verses, Layne shows off his chops during the chorus and that outro gives me goosebumps every single time. Overall: 10/10 I didn't even need to listen to this one considering that it's a Top 10 album of all time for me and Alice in Chains are a strong contender for my all time favourite band. I love how depressing and doom-laden their songs are and it's always amplified by the haunting harmonies of Layne and Jerry. Sean ans Mike are also on top form here and I can point to quite a few moments where they stand out. If I had even one small complaint it would be that Jerry doesn't sing lead as much as I would like. Fav Song: Dirt Least Fav Song: Rooster

Exodus

Bob Marley & The Wailers

4/5

Track 1: Natural Mystic (8/10) As laid back as I imagined. Classic reggae sounds with a bit more of a rock feeling. Track 2: So Much Things to Say (8/10) I'll have to look up the meaning of this song, but it feels angry despite the chill atmosphere. It's interesting they're able to pull off that vibe. Track 3: Guiltiness (7/10) Pretty good track. Not much to say as it kind of blends in with the first 2 tracks. Track 4: The Heathen (7/10) I should have gotten stoned before listening to this lol Track 5: Exodus (9/10) Awesome, hypnotizing song. I loved the vocals on this one, and it's groovy as hell! Track 6: Jamming (10/10) Classic. Everything about this is perfect reggae and it's got a bit of funkiness to it as well! Track 7: Waiting in Vain (7/10) Another one I feel I would appreciate more with a few bong rips lol Track 8: Turn Your Lights Down Low (7/10) This is the most different song on the album. A full on slow jam about doing the nasty. Track 9: Three Little Birds (10/10) My favourite Bob Marley song, and by entension, my favourite reggae song. I love the guitar, the lyrics, the background singers and the message. Track 10: One Love/People Get Ready (9/10) Beautiful and uplifting. Overall: 8/10 I'm not a huge fan of reggae as I feel it can get same-y very quickly. For some reason, Bob Marley's music doesn't have that affect as often for me. This was an enjoyable listen, even if I didn't love the songs I hadn't heard yet. I look forward to the other Bob Marley albums in this list. Fav Song: Three Little Birds Least Fav Song: The Heathen

Hybrid Theory

Linkin Park

3/5

Track 1: Papercut (6/10) Decent enough opening track. The outro is the best part cause Chester is actually singing. Track 2: One Step Closer (9/10) Very nostalgic and fun to listen to. Might not be a technical marvel but I love Chester'a voice and the chorus is so catchy. Track 3: With You (6/10) Good little track that sounds on par for this era of Linkin Park. Mike's raps are hit or miss for me but this one was okay! Track 4: Points of Authority (7/10) On the other hand, his rapping is the worst part of this song. Love the vocals and everything else sounds the same as he rest. Track 5: Crawling (5/10) Even when I was super into Linkin Park's singles, this was one that never got much of a reaction out of me. Not bad, but nothing special. Track 6: Runaway (5/10) I'm starting to get really bored of their formula. There's not much variety and I think they figured things out better on later releases. Track 7: By Myself (6/10) Chester's screams are so fire. Everything else is meh. Track 8: In the End (9/10) This is easily the best song on the album due to the piano intro and the chorus. I even love Mike's parts. Track 9: A Place for My Head (5/10) I liked the intro and it all went downhill from there. Track 10: Forgotten (4/10) The most straighforward nu-metal song on the album. Not a fan. Track 11: Cure for the Itch (5/10) Instrumental track that goes by quick and makes me feel nothing. Track 12: Pushing Me Away (4/10) This is a worse version of Crawling and I already don't enjoy Crawling. Overall: 5/10 For nostalgia's sake, I wanted to rate this a 6 but it's not a good album. It probably sounded slightly different to everything else at the time but it isn't unique enough to be interesting and there's truly no diversity on the album. The only song that differs from the formula even a little bit is In the End. I love Chester's voice but nothing else about these guys really grabs me anymore. Very thankful for their existence though as High School me had a great time with them. Fav Song: In the End Least Fav Song: Forgotten

Being There

Wilco

4/5

Track 1: Misunderstood (8/10) The piano in this track is gorgeous. This is my first exposure to Wilco, and while I'm a bit anxious about the album runtime, this song is a good first impression. Track 2: Far, Far Away (8/10) Awe man, this is a great country rock song. Super chill and I really enjoy the vocals. Track 3: Monday (7/10) Didn't capture me like the first two tracks but I like the horn arrangements and it's pretty catchy. Track 4: Outtasite (Outta Mind) (7/10) Good track, short and to the point. Track 5: Forget the Flowers (8/10) Banjo makes every song better. Great guitar solo in this one too. Track 6: Red-Eyed and Blue (9/10) What a beautiful song! I even love the corny whistling near the end, this is easily my favourite song so far. Track 7: I Got You (At the End of the Century) (7/10) Solid rocker, could have been a huge hit in the early 2000s. Track 8: What's the World Got in Store (7/10) Cute little track. Track 9: Hotel Arizona (6/10) This one kind of went by without amy emotional response from me, which I found weird cause it's definitley a good song. Just one of those moments where I felt nothing from something that's obviously worthwhile. Oh well. Track 10: Say You Miss Me (9/10) So cute I wanna cry! Great end to the first half of the album. I'm enjoying it so far, but I'm gonna take a slight break before I start to feel the length of the album lol Track 11: Sunken Treasure (7/10) Pretty good, slightly longer than it could have been. Track 12: Someday Soon (6/10) Pretty standard southern rock tune. Track 13: Outta Mind (Outta Sight) (6/10) Meh...not too into the second half of this album so far. Track 14: Someone Else's Song (9/10) Very folksy, a highlight for sure! Great lyrics. Track 15: Kingpin (7/10) Pretty good, I loved the intro but the rest of the instrumentation isn't bad. Track 16: (Was I) In Your Dreams (6/10) Pretty boring track, wasn't wowed by his vocal delivery either. Track 17: Why Would You Wanna Live (8/10) Loved the instrumentation for this one. Very laid back but still fun! Track 18: The Lonely 1 (6/10) Couldn't keep my eyes open for this one lol Track 19: Dreamer in My Dreams (7/10) This feels like an improvised jam, but in a good way. Good end to the album. Overall: 7/10 The biggest weakness of this album is definitley it's length. I don't think the material was good enough to justify this being a double album. The first half would have made a pretty stellar album on it's own, but as a whole it's not that special. Still enjoyable and I have a couple songs I'm saving for later. Fav Song: Red-Eyed and Blue Least Fav Song: (Was I) In Your Dreams

Superfly

Curtis Mayfield

4/5

Track 1: Little Child Runnin' Wild (7/10) Love me the funky junk, the fact that this is from a film soundtrack is so cool. On a side note, I've been meaning to watch Superfly for years now, and I think this'll give me the motivation to see it just to see how they use these songs. Track 2: Pusherman (9/10) Damn, this one is a banger. Love the lyrics and the percussion. Track 3: Freddie's Dead (8/10) The strings are to die for! And is that a flute? Great instrumentation. Track 4: Junkie Chase (7/10) The funk flows through this short little instrumental that's obviously used in the movie for a chase scene. Very fun. Track 5: Give Me Your Love (Love Song) (7/10) The fun part of listening to this soundtrack is trying to figure out what kind of scene each song is from. I have a theory this is from a sex scene lol It would work perfectly in the background of gettin' freak-ay. Track 6: Eddie You Should Know Better (7/10) I haven't mentioned this yet but Curtis Mayfield has a lovely buttery voice. This song has so far been the best showcase of that and it's great. Track 7: No Thing On Me (Cocaine Song) (7/10) Continues the funkiness of the other tracks while still feeling fresh. Track 8: Think (9/10) I transcended into another plane of existence while listening to this. Stellar stuff, especially the strings. Track 9: Superfly (8/10) I really thought I might recognize this song but I somehow went my whole life never hearing it lol Lyrically the best song on the album, the bass line had me doing a stank face with how much it funked me up. Overall: 7/10 This was a very consistent album with some obvious standouts. I'm not incredibly well versed in the worlds of soul and funk music, but this makes me want to hear more. I also want to watch the movie now. Fav Song: Think Least Fav Song: Junkie Chase

Crime Of The Century

Supertramp

4/5

Track 1: School (8/10) Outside of doing this list I've been listening to lots of prog rock so I'm very happy to get this album. I love this first track, the vocals are great and I enjoy the instrumental break in the middle. Track 2: Bloody Well Right (9/10) They hit gold with that chorus. The saxaphone is also stellar. Track 3: Hide in Your Shell (7/10) This was a very talented group of musicians. I don't think this song stands up to the first two but the instrumentation is impressive and I thought the last minute was great! Track 4: Asylum (8/10) The best song on a lyrical level so far. Great end to the first side of the record. Track 5: Dreamer (9/10) I don't know about the rest of the world but this song is a staple of Canadian rock radio so I've heard it all my life. It's such a classic. The vocal harmonies and the keyboards are highlights, and the song hits that perfect pop song length of 3½ minutes. Track 6: Rudy (7/10) This one was, again, impressive from a musical standpoint. Wasn't super into it for the whole time though. Track 7: If Everyone Was Listening (7/10) Pretty nice little track. Didn't wow me. Track 8: Crime of the Century (8/10) Awesome ending to the album, with some nice piano bits and my favourite saxaphone part on the album. Overall: 8/10 This didn't excite me as much as I hoped it would, especially cause I adore Breakfast in America and was shocked that it wasn't included in the list. That being said, this really is an amazing album that I'll need to give a few relistens to. The first half was much better than the second half. Fav Song: Dreamer Least Fav Song: If Everyone Was Listening

Wonderful Rainbow

Lightning Bolt

4/5

Track 1: Hello Morning (N/A) This is my first exposure to noise rock. I'm considering this an intro instead of an actual song. Track 2: Assassins (7/10) I'm shocked at how weirdly normal this song is? It definitley wasn't what I was expecting, it almost just sounds like a strangely atmospheric version of dance punk. I wouldn't say I love it but I dig it's vibe and I wouldn't mind it if the rest of the album was similar. Track 3: Dracula Mountain (9/10) I'm not aware of what a crowd at a noise rock show would be like but I could see myself having a life changing experience in a moshpit to this song lol it's just straight up hardcore punk to me and love that stuff. Track 4: 2 Towers (6/10) This is the first song so far that mostly just sounds like "noise", but I still think it would be great to see live. It's bursting with energy and it's almost hypnotic. Track 5: On Fire (8/10) The drumming is insane here! I'm really impressed by this honestly. It's got me headbanging hardcore. Track 6: Crown of Storms (9/10) This song is so cool. It reminds me of other genres yet feels completely new to me at the same time. That makes it hard to describe lol Track 7: Longstockings (5/10) Again this song is creative, though it wasn't as pleasant a listen as the other ones so far. Track 8: Wonderful Rainbow (N/A) I'm counting this as an interlude. Track 9: 30,000 Monkies (6/10) Tracks like this are more along the lines of what I imagined the entire album to be. I don't hate it but it's not something I see myself listening to again. Track 10: Duel in the Deep (6/10) I still really love the energy and I would love to experience music like this live, but this one ain't for me. Overall: 7/10 I'm incredibly conflicted over this one. On one hand, some of the songs sound so familiar in style that they don't sound unpleasant. On the other hand, a lot of it really is just "noise", but it's a noise that I've never heard before and I respect it for making me experience a new form of music that I wasn't at all familiar with. I almost think it belongs in the list for that reason alone, cause I wouldn't have gotten to experience this otherwise. Not at all surprised it's rated so low. Fav Song: Dracula Mountain Least Fav Song: Longstockings

Sign 'O' The Times

Prince

4/5

Track 1: Sign 'O' the Times (8/10) Prince was such a great lyricist. This is a pretty dark song and I think it's great. Track 2: Play in the Sunshine (7/10) I like the backup vocals in this song. The lyrics are weirdly apocalyptic? At least that's how I interpret it. Track 3: Housequake (7/10) The poppiest, most danceable song yet! Track 4: The Ballad of Dorothy Parker (9/10) Excellent storytelling! Very funky bassline. Track 5: It (7/10) I like the 80s sounding percussion on this track lol it's a pretty fun song about doing "It" Track 6: Starfish and Coffee (9/10) All Prince needed to make a great jam was a piano and some backup singers. Such a great song. Track 7: Slow Love (6/10) I'm not incredibly into these slow "bedroom time" songs, but it's good for what it is. Track 8: Hot Thing (7/10) Hell yeah, more music to dance to! Track 9: Forever in My Life (5/10) Found this kind of boring tbh Track 10: U Got the Look (7/10) Fun song, not incredibly diverse. Track 11: If I Was Your Girlfriend (8/10) This is the only song I knew going in, it's so great. Love the slappy bass. Track 12: Strange Relationship (6/10) It was okay, nothing really stood out to me. Track 13: I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man (8/10) Very fun and funky! Track 14: The Cross (8/10) The most rocking song on the album! Track 15: It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night (7/10) This one was kind of hypnotic, I was digging it. Track 16: Adore (7/10) Great track! Overall: 7/10 The only issue with doing this for me is that sometimes you'll get an album that you may not be into at the moment. I'm gonna have to relisten to this on a day where I'm feeling more mentally up for it but I did enjoy it still! Fav Song: Starfish and Coffee Least Fav Song: Forever in My Life

Kenza

Khaled

2/5

Track 1: Aalach Tloumouni (5/10) I have no frame of reference for this type of music, and I'm not entirely sure if I like it. Dude's got a pretty good voice though. Track 2: El Harba Wine (6/10) I like the female vocals, goes well with the male vocals. Track 3: C'est la Nuit (7/10) French! I understand this kind of! Very cool, I like this one. Track 4: Imagine (2/10) Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhaahahahahahahaha Track 5: Trigue Lycee (4/10) I truly don't know how to feel about this album at this point lol it's okay I guess but not really my thing Track 6: E'Dir E'Sseba (4/10) I can't even review this lol Track 7: Ya Aachkou (2/10) No thank you, I hated this one lol way too poppy Track 8: Melha (3/10) I just find this really comical honestly Track 9: Raba-Raba (?????) Overall: 3/10 So I listened to the whole thing but I had to abandon my usual track by track format cause I have nothing to say about this. It's not that it was bad but I have no idea how to rate something like this so I'm just gonna leave it at that. Fav Song: C'est la Nuit Least Fav Song: Imagine

Funeral

Arcade Fire

5/5

I realized yesterday that going track by track is gonna give me terrible fatigue so I'm just gonna give a rating and general thoughts from now on. Overall: 9/10 I first heard this album at the age of 13, when I saw the music video for "The Suburbs" on TV and wanted to check out their music. The Suburbs album hadn't come out yet so I downloaded this album to see what I was getting into and I couldn't believe just how good it was. I'd never heard this kind of indie rock before and I was blown away by the multiple instruments and I loved Win Butler's voice. Fast forwarding to my listen from today and it still sounds as fresh to me now as it did 14 years ago when I first heard it. Stellar stuff that I will always love. Fav Song: Neighborhood #3 (Power Out) Least Fav Song: Une Annee San Lumiere

The Specials

4/5

Overall: 8/10 It's refreshing to hear an earlier version of ska, since nowadays that term is associated with 90s skate punk and has become somewhat of a meme. I really liked this, I think the old school punk approach fits this genre much better. The vocals feel kind of like The Clash to me. Also love the guitar work. Fav Song: (Dawning of A) New Era Least Fav Song: Do the Dog

Getz/Gilberto

Stan Getz

4/5

Overall: 7/10 This was my first bossanova album. It was pretty enjoyable! Very relaxing, love Getz on that saxophone always injecting some much needed flavour. I'll be listening to this one again. Fav Song: The Girl from Ipanema Least Fav Song: Só Danço Samba

The United States Of America

3/5

Overall: 6/10 Fhis album was kind of hit or miss for me. I think the electronic elements are ahead of its time and there's some jard rockers on here, but I'm not a big fan of the male vocals and a few of the songs seemed to just drone and drag. Still a good album, not really something I see myself listening to ever again. Fav Song: The Garden of Earthly Delights Least Fav Song: Love Song for the Dead Che

Repeater

Fugazi

4/5

Overall: 8/10 This is such a great album! The guitar work is so interesting and the classic hardcore vocals sound amazing. I feel like this'll just get better with subsequent hearings. Fav Song: Repeater Least Fav Song: Two Beats Off

Garbage

3/5

Overall: 6/10 Pretty decent alt rock from the 90s, nothing stood out as amazing to me but it does a good job of blending rock with some electronic elements and the songs are consistently fun to listen to. Fav Song:Queer Least Fav Song: Supervixen

Haut de gamme / Koweït, rive gauche

Koffi Olomide

1/5

Overall: 2/10 I don't really connect with this, I don't think it has anything to do with it not being in english cause I listen to Rammstein lol I just found the music kind of boring and the singing wasn't good enough to elevate the material. Edit: Just read the wikipedia article about this dude and YIKES...I'm able to separate the art from the artist but it's a good thing my rating is already low Fav Song: Koweït, rive gauche Least Fav Song: Conte de fées

Berlin

Lou Reed

5/5

Overall: 9/10 I must be crazy or something cause I actually much prefered this over Transformer! It seems more cohesive and I feel like the songs fit his voice better for the most part. I had a stupid grin on my face for most of the album and there's a couple songs that are definitely gonna be overplayed over the next few weeks. I'm a little sad I got both Lou Reed albums so early, but thankfully I still have some Velvet Underground coming up! Fav Song: Caroline Says I Least Fav Song: Berlin

This Is Hardcore

Pulp

3/5

Overall: 5/10 This was long and unimpressive. I found the songs to kind of drone on in the background of my thoughts and I kept wishing that I was just listening to David Bowie. There's obviously talent here but it isn't for me. Fav Song: A Little Soul Least Fav Song: Seductive Barry

Aladdin Sane

David Bowie

4/5

Overall: 8/10 Wow the generator saw my review from yesterday and said "I got you, fam". David Bowie is easily one of my top 10 favourite artists of all time, but this album never connected with me as much as some of his other works. That being said, I really enjoyed it on this listen! Maybe it just needed time to click for me but I really love the elements that gave me pause before (it's an incredibly excessive album). So glad to have more Bowie love in my life! Still not a Hunky Dory or "Heroes" but I'll still be adding most of these to my library! Fav Song: Cracked Actor Least Fav Song: Let's Spend the Night Together

Tragic Songs of Life

The Louvin Brothers

1/5

Overall: 2/10 I actually tend to enjoy country from the 50s, I just find these songs kind of annoying. The higher voice of the two is really grating to my ears. The songs themselves aren't terrible but I didn't like listening to this. Fav Song: Alabama Least Fav Song: I'll Be All Smiles Tonight

Third

Portishead

5/5

Overall: 10/10 I am incredibly hungover today (not a big drinker but I went to a halloween party) and I found this to be the perfect music for today. This is a very chill album with gorgeous, haunting vocals and interesting uses of different instruments. I've also been a big fan of Geoff Barrow's collaborations with Ben Salisbury on the films of Alex Garland so it was cool to see a different side of him! Update: For the first time since I've started doing this I've not only relistened to an album in the same day but I've now listened to this 4 times today and I'm blown away by it. I love finding a new favourite and this is easily the best discovery I've had with this list! Beth Gibbons may be an all-timer vocalist for me now. Fav Song: The Rip Least Fav Song: Deep Water (only because it's too short)

Songs For Swingin' Lovers!

Frank Sinatra

4/5

Overall: 8/10 I absolutely adore how lively ol' blue eyes sounds on this album. Some of these songs have been so huge to pop culture in general that it's shocking to hear that they all come from the same album. I wish I could go back in time and hear these songs in the 50s. I'm also one of the few people (that I've seen) that prefers Sinatra's version of Pennies from Heaven to Luis Prima's, though Prima is a legend as well. Fav Song: Pennies from Heaven Least Fav Song: Anything Goes

The Queen Is Dead

The Smiths

1/5

Overall: 1/10 I'm happy for the people that enjoy this but I've always hated The Smiths with a passion and listening to this album in full didn't do anything to sway me. I truly think that Morrissey is a godawful vocalist and the music behind him bores me to tears. I think it might be mostly the guitar tone, it's like nails on a chalkboard for me. One of the easiest 1 stars I'll ever give out, and if I hadn't promised myself to give every album a chance, I'd have completely skipped it (and I'm wishing I did). Fav Song: Cemetry Gates (They're all garbage but the bass is actually pretty great in this song) Least Fav Song: Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others

Figure 8

Elliott Smith

3/5

Overall: 6/10 This is my first Elliott Smith album, and on a forst impression I can see what makes him such a special artist for a lot of people. His lyrics are interesting and the songs have catchy poppy melodies. However, on a personal level nothing really stood out to me as being exceptional. Maybe it's a case of needing to hear it in the right setting but for now I think it's a pretty good album that I wanted to love but didn't get much out of. I also think a couple of track could have been removed to make it a smoother listen, cause this is a looooong album. Fav Song: L.A. Least Fav Song: Everything Means Nothing to Me

Welcome to the Afterfuture

Mike Ladd

3/5

Overall: 5/10 This one is a weird one for me. The beats are exceptional, and I think the rhymes are pretty good. For some reason, the songs just mostly seem to come and go without a second thought given. I couldn't tell you a single hook or line that stood out to me. I will say that it gave me MF Doom vibes at times. It's certainly a well made hip hop album but it didn't do much for me. Fav Song: Welcome to the Afterfuture Least Fav Song: I Feel Like $100

Ill Communication

Beastie Boys

4/5

Overall: 8/10 The styles used on this album are incredibly diverse! I think there's something in here for everybody and I especially love the punkier side they explore on this album (they started as a punk outfit). The guest spots from Q-Tip and Biz Markie also work really well and there's some instrumentals that help flesh the album out. It's one of those rare lengthy albums that I believe earns it's length. Not my favourite Beastie Boys album but definitely deserves it's spot in the list. Fav Song: Get It Together Least Fav Song: Shambala

Antichrist Superstar

Marilyn Manson

2/5

Overall: 4/10 I avoided this album for years. I loved the song The Beautiful People so much that I thought there was no possible way that the rest of the album lived up to the hype. Turns out, I was right! I wouldn't call it an outright bad album, there's some stuff in here I genuinely do enjoy, and the industrial elements give it a slight edge that I think is great. The worst thing about the album is Manson himself. His vocal delivery gets really grating after a while and his lyrics have aged like milk. It hurts to give something this heavy a low rating but I have to be true to myself, y'all. This one ain't it. Fav Song: The Beautiful People Least Fav Song: Kinderfeld

Coat Of Many Colors

Dolly Parton

3/5

Overall: 6/10 Country really isn't my favourite genre of music and any artists making it needs something that stands out to differentiate them from the rest. Thankfully, Dolly stands out for two BIG reasons...her voice and her charisma! While it's not something I'm going to listen to a lot, this was enjoyable and I would recommend it to people who have a better relationship with Country than I do. Fav Song: Early Morning Breeze Least Fav Song: A Better Place to Live

Deja Vu

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

5/5

Overall: 9/10 This is my first time listening to a full album featuring any of the members of this band and that's honestly kind of embarrassing. I'm glad to start closing this horrific gap in my music listening. In terms of this album, it's a country/folk/rock album that I absolutely adore. The harmonies are shockingly gorgeous and I love that Neil gets to shine the most on this album because he has the most unique voice of the four members. I've seen some people don't enjoy Neil's voice and I'm not sure why I do but he's one of the few whiney singers that isn't grating to the ears. The instrumentation is also diverse enough to keep the album interesting throughout. Can't wait to hear so many more albums from all of these guys. Fav Song: Woodstock Least Fav Song: 4 + 20

Back to Basics

Christina Aguilera

2/5

Overall: 3/10 I have to admit, I think Christina Aguilera is an incredibly talented vocalist. It's a shame that the songs she's singing never hold the cake to her immense talent. I wanted to like this a lot more than I did but it really just sounds like generic mid-2000s pop music that follows a formula that I don't particularly enjoy. I didn't hate it but it was overlong and there wasn't much variety. Fav Song: Without You Least Fav Song: Candyman

Infected

The The

2/5

Overall: 4/10 I really wanted something good today due to the STRESS I'm feeling about a certain election, but I really didn't like this. The title track is actually really good and there's a couple other tracks that have potential, but it was overall disappointing. The production is really off-putting and the vocal delivery leaves a lot to be desired. This may have actually added to my anxiety instead of calming me down. No thanks. Fav Song: Infected Least Fav Song: Twilight of a Champion

A Grand Don't Come For Free

The Streets

1/5

Overall: 1/10 This dude sounds exactly like Taron Egerton! I hate it. The beats are trash and his flow is awful. The concept isn't interesting and the protagonist is unlikable. Never listening to this one again. Fav Song: Could Well Be In Least Fav Song: It Was Supposed to Be So Easy

The Doors

4/5

Overall: 8/10 I like to affectionately call this band "The Bores" because 90% of their music bores me to tears. With that being said, they struck gold with their debut and other than a couple tracks, this thing is loaded with catchy choruses, stellar organ work and underrated drumming. It's a shame that (in my opinion) they never made anything that comes even remotely close to replicating the greatness of this album. Highly recommended. Fav Song: Break on Through (To the Other Side) Least Fav Song: The Crystal Ship

Roots

Sepultura

5/5

Overall: 10/10 I was so incredibly happy to see this pop up today because it's an all time favourite album of mine! There was something special about the Max era of Sepultura, and even though it would have been better if he had stayed with the band, I'm glad that he left after such a high note. What makes this album special for me is not only the stylistic shift from previous albums (thrash/death -> groove metal) but the addition of brazilian elements and contributions from the Xavante tribe. This album is a showcase of their love for their home country and they wore their influences on their sleeves. Many will disagree with me but this is quite possibly one of the best metal albums ever made. Fav Song: Born Stubborn Least Fav Song: Jasco

I’m a Lonesome Fugitive

Merle Haggard

3/5

Overall: 6/10 This is a pretty solid country album, and it's very close to being the best country album I've gotten so far. Merle had a wonderful voice and a great band backing him up. I could see myself putting this on during my next playthroughs of Red Dead Redemption 2 or Fallout: New Vegas. Fav Song: Drink Up and Be Somebody Least Fav Song: Mary's Mine

Let's Get It On

Marvin Gaye

3/5

Overall: 6/10 The horny levels are off the charts with this one. I don't really have any major issues with this album but I expected there to be more variety. The talent is obviously there. Marvin is a legend for a reason. I just can't imagine myself ever listening to this seriously. It just sounds like the same song over and over again. Fav Song: You Sure Love to Ball Least Fav Song: Come Get to This

Time Out

The Dave Brubeck Quartet

4/5

Overall: 8/10 Really interesting jazz with some crazy time signature business going on! As someone who doesn't listen to a lot of jazz, I find it hard to analyze critically so I just kind of judge it by my experience while listening to it. I thought this was a lot of fun and I especially liked the piano playing done by Mr. Brubeck. This is classy, hip and cool and I highly recommend it. Fav Song: Blue Rondo à la Turk Least Fav Song: Three to Get Ready

Metallica

4/5

Overall: 7/10 While I agree that this album was "the beginning of the end" for Metallica, it's actually a pretty good album in it's own right and I have a sense of nostalgia for it as it was my first Metallica album. James sounds vocally at his best here, you can actually hear Jason's bass (!) and Kirk gets some great solos! If anything my biggest issue with this album is that the songs get overplayed. It's pretty great and I recommend it. Fav Song: Wherever I May Roam Least Fav Song: Of Wolf and Man

Hunky Dory

David Bowie

5/5

Overall: 10/10 This is my absolute favourite Bowie album and I've listened to it an insane amount. I can't really pin down why it's my favourite Bowie but I love how much piano there is on this album and every song is so dang catchy that I can't help but sing along every time I hear them. I hope I don't get every Bowie album early on cause I love him and I wanna space it out, especially with the ones I haven't heard as often. Fav Song: Life on Mars? Least Fav Song: Eight Line Poem

Green

R.E.M.

3/5

Overall: 6/10 R.E.M. is a band that's always just kind of been in my life in some form. I've never had much of an opinion on them either way beyond liking a few of their singles. This album doesn't really sway my opinion in either direction and I feel like they'll always be one of those bands that just exists. I really like the different instrumentation on some tracks though and Orange Crush is one of my favourite R.E.M. songs. Fav Song: Orange Crush Least Fav Song: The Wrong Child

California

American Music Club

3/5

Overall: 5/10 This isn't a bad album, but it feels lackluster compared to so many other great albums in this list. They're like R.E.M. with a bland vocalist, and if you saw my review from yesterday you would know that I'm not a huge fan of R.E.M. I got some enjoyment from this but it doesn't belong in the list when so many other great albums we're passed over for this. Fav Song: Laughingstock Least Fav Song: Bad Liquor

Chelsea Girl

Nico

5/5

Overall: 9/10 This album really surprised me. I only know of Nico from her collaboration with The Velvet Undeground but I haven't actually listened to that album so I didn't know what to expect. I'm glad I had no idea cause this is so cool. Nico's vocals are haunting and beautiful and I adore the sparse, minimal instrumentation. I didn't think it was perfect and a couple of tracks seemed to drag on, but I love this style overall and I'm so glad to have had it recommended to me! Fav Song: These Days Least Fav Song: It Was a Pleasure Then

Graceland

Paul Simon

4/5

Overall: 8/10 For some reason I never had much interest in Paul Simon. I've always liked You Can Call Me Al, especially with it's Chevy Chase starting music video, but none of his other songs got any attention from me. Now that I've listened to a full album, I'm a bit more intrigued! I love the use of world music (exclusively Africa?) and Paul has a pretty good voice. It at least made me interested in hearing more! I also have to point out the incredible bass playing of Bakithi Kumalo, easily my favourite part of the whole album. Fav Song: You Can Call Me Al Least Fav Song: Homeless

Play

Moby

4/5

Overall: 7/10 This was a pleasant surprise, as I've always heard of Moby but never actually listened to any of his music. It's fun music that you can dance to, and I loved the gospel vocal samples. Fav Song: Honey Least Fav Song: 7

Rock 'N Soul

Solomon Burke

3/5

Overall: 6/10 Mr. Burke has a pretty great voice, but most of the songs didn't impress me on their own. Pretty good time capsule of the early days of soul but not something I see myself coming back to. Fav Song: If You Need Me Least Fav Song:

Siamese Dream

The Smashing Pumpkins

5/5

Overall: 10/10 An album filled with banger after banger! I think Disarm is one of the best songs of the 90s and I absolutely adore their mix of Alt Rock, Shoegaze and Heavy Metal! If you can can get past Billy's strange vocals then you'll love it. Fav Song: Disarm Least Fav Song: Sweet Sweet

Illmatic

Nas

4/5

Overall: 8/10 This album inspired so many rappers that its hard to analyze it on its own. The beats are chill, which I find hilarious given the lyrical content (Nas grew up in a violent environment). Pretty stellar album that I'll need to revisit. Fav Song: Memory Lane (Sittin' in the Park) Least Fav Song: Halftime

Eternally Yours

The Saints

4/5

Overall: 7/10 This is a pretty good punk album! I like that it slows down the tempo occasionally and tries to stand out from the insane amount of punk bands coming out at the time. They even use acoustic guitars and trumpets! Nothing stands out as exceptional but it's still a fun time. Fav Song: No, Your Product Least Fav Song: Memories Are Made of This

The Only Ones

2/5

Overall: 3/10 So uninteresting that it's already left my brain. I enjoyed only one song and it seems to be the band's biggest hit. Big pass on this one. Fav Song: Another Girl, Another Planet Least Fav Song: The Whole of the Law

Electric Warrior

T. Rex

4/5

Overall: 8/10 Just some classic rock to spruce up your day! T. Rex should have been bigger than they were, and this album is why. It's a lot of fun and I'll be listening to it lots! Fav Song: Jeepster Least Fav Song: The Motivator

Chirping Crickets

Buddy Holly & The Crickets

3/5

Overall: 6/10 The songs get a little repetitive but they're still really fun! Buddy Holly's personality really shines through in his vocals. Fav Song: Oh, Boy! Least Fav Song: An Empty Cup (And a Broken Date)

Street Life

The Crusaders

3/5

Overall: 5/10 Decent instrumental album, the title track with vocals is the best song though. Not something I'll listen to a lot. Fav Song: Street Life Least Fav Song: Carnival of the Night

Picture Book

Simply Red

1/5

Overall: 2/10 Ooey gooey vanilla music. Big pass from me. Fav Song: Sad Old Red Least Fav Song: Jericho

Let It Bleed

The Rolling Stones

5/5

Overall: 10/10 This is (in my opinion) the quintessential album from a band with a long history of hit or miss albums. Every song is great, they take risks without straying too far from their established sounds and they honestly just sound like they're having a great time making music together. If you're gonna listen to any Stones album, it should be this one. Fav Song: Country Honk Least Fav Song: Midnight Rambler (Oh god every song is so good this hurts)

John Prine

3/5

Overall: 6/10 Lyrically, Prine's music is really impressive. I find his voice to be pretty whiney though and it really stops me from being able to appreciate it the way I'd like to. I'm also just not a huge country fan and this doesn't do anything different enough to amaze me. Still enjoyable and I think it has merit. Fav Song: Pretty Good Least Fav Song: Sam Stone

Entertainment

Gang Of Four

5/5

Overall: 10/10 An album so loved that I avoided it in fear that it could never live up to the high expectations that it's reputation instilled in me. I'm such an idiot cause oh my god this is so so so so good. I wish I was smart enough to decipher these lyrics but I can tell they're incredibly political. The guitar work is disjointed in a way that adds to the music and that bass is gorgeous. This is gonna be a favourite of mine for a long time. Fav Song: Damaged Goods Least Fav Song: Return the Gift

Can't Buy A Thrill

Steely Dan

5/5

Overall: 9/10 Coincidentally, I just got really into Steely Dan this year! I love this debut, it's a bit disjointed and a couple of tracks are less than stellar, but I give it a pass as they were still figuring out their sound. Songs like Do It Again, Kings and Only a Fool Would Say That will never not get me hyped. Now I just need a copy on vinyl that doesn't skip during the guitar solo in Reelin' in the Years. Fav Song: Do It Again Least Fav Song: Change of the Guard

Woodface

Crowded House

3/5

Overall: 6/10 This album started out really strong to the point that I got Beatles vibes from it, but I got pretty bored by the end. There's much better rock from the 90's that was missed in place of this. I still enjoyed it for the most part. Fav Song: It's Only Natural Least Fav Song: All I Ask

Millions Now Living Will Never Die

Tortoise

4/5

Overall: 7/10 I'm glad I got to experience this. It's very heavy on atmosphere and I find the compositions to be (mostly) relaxing and beautiful. It's not something I see myself listening to on a constant basis, but it's definitely worth your time and it makes me excited for more post rock to pop up. Fav Song: Glass Museum Least Fav Song: Dear Grandma and Grandpa

The Libertines

3/5

Overall: 5/10 Not much to say about this one, I really don't see what makes it stand apart from all the other garage rock bands that were popping up in the early 2000s. The songs are catchy and inoffensive but kind of boring with not much variety. I will say though, they at least beat Arctic Monkeys to the punch...too bad Arctic Monkeys did it better. Fav Song: Narcissist Least Fav Song: The Man Who Would Be King

(Pronounced 'Leh-'Nérd 'Skin-'Nérd)

Lynyrd Skynyrd

4/5

Overall: 8/10 Pretty classic album, I don't normally love this style of southern rock but Lynyrd Skynyrd were really great with this style. My friends and I love to make fun of Free Bird but it's actually an amazing song (if a little lengthy, but it earns it's length). Well worth your time! Fav Song: Simple Man Least Fav Song: Things Goin' On

Heavy Weather

Weather Report

3/5

Overall: 6/10 Every musician on this thing is incredibly talented (especially the god-like Jaco Pastorius on bass), but I can't help but think that this album feels empty? I definitely got enjoyment out of it, especially with the closing track. Maybe I just haven't listened to enough jazz but at least the stuff I've listened to in the past elicited some sort of emotion out of me. I'd recommend giving this a listen just to experience Jaco's bass playing. Fav Song: Havona Least Fav Song: Rumba Mama

Dig Me Out

Sleater-Kinney

5/5

Overall: 10/10 Perfection. Sleater-Kinney were the first "all girl" punk band I ever listened to and they showed me that not any can women rock out, but they often do it harder and better than the men. This is actually my 3rd favourite album by them which shows just how amazing their entire discography is (I would have at least added The Woods to this list). Corrin's incredible vocals, Carrie's creative and interesting lead work and Janet Weiss's pounding, infectious rhythms make this one of the greatest statements in rock/punk history. I can't say enough good things about how much this album and band mean to me. Fav Song: Dig Me Out Least Fav Song: Not What You Want

Aja

Steely Dan

5/5

Overall: 9/10 The generator seems to know that I'm really into Steely Dan right now. This album is much closer to actual jazz than Can't Buy a Thrill was, and in my opinion that's a good thing because it feels more focused and consistent. The crazy amount of perfectionism that went into this album also paid off cause every track is so so good. My biggest complaint would be that a couple tracks are longer than I would like them to be but it's a minor complaint. Such a great album! Fav Song: Peg Least Fav Song: Home at Last

Every Picture Tells A Story

Rod Stewart

2/5

Overall: 4/10 The opening title track is actually pretty good, and Rod's voice is uniquely raspy. I just found the rest of the album to be pretty bland. Fav Song: Every Picture Tells a Story Least Fav Song: Tomorrow is a Long Time

Veckatimest

Grizzly Bear

3/5

Overall: 5/10 Not bad, but not great. This is music you put on to clean up after you've hosted a party. I feel like so many indie bands sounded just like this at the time and I blame Arcade Fire (who I actually really like). Fav Song: Two Weeks Least Fav Song: Dory

Meat Puppets II

Meat Puppets

4/5

Overall: 8/10 I mostly knew Meat Puppets from the Nirvana MTV Unplugged, but the songs from this album that were featured there sound way different than expected. It's a raw, punky album with the type of vocals that I feel I should hate but fits so well with their music. I also like the instrumental tracks. Really interesting album. Fav Song: Lake of Fire Least Fav Song: The Whistling Song

Debut

Björk

4/5

Overall: 7/10 There's really nobody on this planet like Björk. Her music is so interesting and her voice is unique. This isn't my favourite album of hers as I find the songwriting quality to be a little inconsistent but the great tracks hit hard and it's the perfect introduction to the crazy world of Björk. Fav Song: Human Behaviour Least Fav Song: Come to Me

Solid Air

John Martyn

4/5

Overall: 8/10 Folk music with an incredible voice and some experimental tracks. I found myself mesmerized for most of the runtime. Excellent for relaxing late at night. Fav Song: Go Down Easy Least Fav Song: Don't Want to Know

The Joshua Tree

U2

1/5

Overall: 2/10 Listening to this album felt like when you go to a restaurant that everyone in town tells you is amazing and you're incredibly hyped up about it but when you get your food it's just a big pile of crap on a plate...it's corny and makes you nauseous. Fav Song: I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For Least Fav Song: Trip Through Your Wires

Bryter Layter

Nick Drake

4/5

Overall: 7/10 My first Nick Drake album. This dude had a pretty great voice and he was a talented songwriter. I always imagined his music being just vocals and guitar so it was a pleasant surprise to find out that he's playing with a band on this album. Even if this is generally his least celebrated album, I can definitely see why people love his music so much. Fav Song: At the Chime of a City Clock Least Fav Song: Bryter Layter

Space Ritual

Hawkwind

4/5

Overall: 7/10 I think I appreciate this a lot more than I enjoy it and I think that has a lot to do with Hawkwind's visual presentation rather than the music. Their live performances were basically performance art for people on shrooms, and they even credit poets and dancers as band members because of it. The music itself is very trippy and spacey. I think I would have rather watched a performance than listen to this but it's still a great piece of music worth checking out. Also, Lemmy from Motörhead played bass in this band! Fav Song: Brainstorm Least Fav Song: Lord of Light

Bright Flight

Silver Jews

2/5

Overall: 4/10 Honestly, what are you supposed to expect from a band called "Silver Jews". Well, country-tinged indie folk wouldn't have been my first guess but I'm not complaining! Or at least, I wasn't complaining at first. This is the kind of music that I tend to like in shorr bursts, but an entire album of the same nasally monotone voice gets really grating on the ears after a while. The music behind that voice is actually pretty great but one thing I'm realizing by doing this list is that vocals seem to be incredibly important to me when it comes to how much I enjoy an artist. Fav Song: Transylvania Blues Least Fav Song: Let's Not and Say We Did

Music From The Penguin Cafe

Penguin Cafe Orchestra

4/5

Overall: 8/10 Usually I can get a good sense of how I feel about an album after one listen but this was a twofer if I ever heard one. I found it to be challenging yet rewarding. This certainly isn't your typical mainstream pop album. I'd even go as far as to say that it's experimental in it's blending of genres that feels cohesive and eclectic. It may not be something that you decide to listen to every day but the occasional spin would be a delightful change of pace. Fav Song: Penguin Cafe Single Least Fav Song: Coronation

Blue Lines

Massive Attack

4/5

Overall: 8/10 At times I'm reminded of Portishead (who I've fallen in love with since getting Third a couple months ago) and at other times I'm reminded of the more chill, experimental hip hop emerging around this time. The highlights are definitely the songs featuring female vocals but the rapping is actually pretty great too and I think it's pretty cool how well they mix the two different styles. I'm way more open to listening to more trip-hop after listening to this. Fav Song: Unfinished Sympathy Least Fav Song: Be Thankful for What You've Got

Here Are the Sonics

The Sonics

4/5

Overall: 7/10 This is great! It's some of the earliest proto-punk I've heard and it's incredible knowing this is from 1965. The energy and passionate vocals (he sounds like a maniac at times) make this standout from most of the other music being made at this time. The instruments sound like weapons, as if the drums and guitars were replaced with AK-47s. If I had any major complaints it would be that there are too many covers (which was actually common at the time) and the songs start to lost steam by the end. Still, it's pretty great and I recommend it to anyone who gets sick of the old school rock n roll being made at the time. Fav Song: Psycho Least Fav Song: Roll Over Beethoven

Public Image: First Issue

Public Image Ltd.

1/5

Overall: 1/10 I'm usually open to experimental music but this is straight up garbage of the highest degree. Fav Song: N/A Least Fav Song: All of them quite honestly I can't even stand a second of this trash

Straight Outta Compton

N.W.A.

4/5

Overall: 8/10 This album is very obviously from the 80s but it honestly hasn't aged that terribly! The beats are fun and the lyrics were super edgy for the time. Eazy E was easily the most charismatic and fun rapper of the group, it's a shame he never got to have much more success before his death. Oh well, that's life! Fav Song: Fuck Tha Police Least Fav Song: Something Like That

The ArchAndroid

Janelle Monáe

4/5

Overall: 8/10 I really appreciate the genre-blending Monae does on this album. It's still a pop album at the end of the day but she experiments with making danceable bops and beautiful ballads, all with a futuristic angle. Tightrope is also may be the most fun song I've heard while going through this list, I adore it. I could see this getting a perfect rating from me after a few more listens. Fav Song: Tightrope Least Fav Song: Say You'll Go

A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector

Various Artists

3/5

Overall: 6/10 The production of these songs is quite honestly really impressive and shows off why Phil Spector was such a highly sought-after producer at the time. I'm personally not a big fan of christmas music but these songs are well done. Fav Song: Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) Least Fav Song: I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

My Aim Is True

Elvis Costello

4/5

Overall: 7/10 I'm a huge Elvis Costello fan already. I think I would like this album more if the quality of his music didn't improve as much as I feel it did in the future. The songs are catchy and fun but nothing really sticks out to me as exceptional. Still, it's a great introduction to Costello's music and a pretty good album overall! Fav Song: Less Than Zero Least Fav Song: Mystery Dance

Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs

Derek & The Dominos

4/5

Overall: 7/10 Eric Clapton is someone I really respect as an artist but hate as a person. I won't get into that here because I want to focus on the music, which is awesome. Clapton really was one of the best blues guitarists out there. This album is full of memorable riffs and solos, and his singing is actually pretty good too. There are two tracks that standout the most to me. The first is Layla, which is a song that I have nothing new to say about that everyone else hasn't already said. The other is Little Wing, a song originally written and performed by Jimi Hendrix. I'm shocked this cover isn't talked about more because I think Clapton made it his in the same way that Hendrix claimed All Along the Watchtower. I'm sure the lack of praise comes from who Clapton is as a person. The rest of the album is full of great blues songs and I recommend it to anyone who can separate the art from the artist and wants to hear some good blues songs. Way too long though. Fav Song: Little Wing Least Fav Song: Nobody Knows When You're Down and Out

Feast of Wire

Calexico

3/5

Overall: 5/10 Well, that is easily the worst album cover I've come across so far, and it doesn't even fit the music. I was expecting some sort of hip hop project but this is more latin/country/indie rock. While I enjoy some of the songs, I don't really see a reason why this was included in the list. I ended up zoning out on multiple occasions which is rare for me with music. Unless you're hardcore taking this list seriously, I would recommend just skimming through this one. Fav Song: Black Heart Least Fav Song: Güero Canelo

Eli And The Thirteenth Confession

Laura Nyro

4/5

Overall: 8/10 After reading about how influential and important this album was, I was surprised to see that not many people have actually listened to it (or Nyro in general). It's a very soulful album and Nyro has the perfect voice for this type of music. It also mixes fast and slow paced songs in a way that keeps the album interesting and fresh throughout. I'm very thankful for this discovery. Fav Song: Poverty Train Least Fav Song:

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

4/5

Overall: 8/10 Really good, rocking album from my fellow countryman. I was shocked that there were only 7 tracks but that's what happens when an album from the 60s has two nearly 10 minute songs lol my biggest complaint would be that he should have edited a couple tracks down, but even those songs are really good so it's hard to complain about it. I've always loved Neil's voice because it's so unconventional and interesting to me. I can't wait to get more Neil (5 more albums in the list with his involvement as far as I know) Fav Song: Cinnamon Girl Least Fav Song: Down by the River

Penthouse And Pavement

Heaven 17

1/5

Overall: 1/10 What a way to end the year. It blows me away that a group of musicians got together and decided to make this. The synths are annoying, the drums sound like crap and the vocals are so stuck in the 80s that they're wearing leg warmers. I wouldn't even bother with this one in any other context. Fav Song: Penthouse and Pavement Least Fav Song: (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang

The Cars

5/5

Overall: 10/10 :) :) :) :) :) :) After ending 2024 with a 1 star album, 2025 is off to a good start cause this is one of my all time favourite albums. When I was in high school I decided I wanted to get into records and my mom gave me all of her old records since she didn't listen to them anymore. I remember looking through her records and being intrigued by this album cover. There's something about it that just instantly felt iconic to me. It ended up being the first album I ever listened to on vinyl and I think it's an understatement to say that it was life changing for me. As soon as the opening chords of Good Times Roll came in I was entranced. You might think I'm crazy for saying this but it's a core memory for me. To this day (about 12 years since I first heard it) I still listen to it at least once a month. Every single song is a banger and Benjamin Orr was such a rockstar 😍 Ugh, gonna go listen to it 20 more times today Fav Song: Moving in Stereo Least Fav Song: ????? Impossible, are you nuts?

Amnesiac

Radiohead

4/5

Overall: 7/10 I recently got over my hatred of Radiohead and can now acknowledge how experimental and cool they are. That being said, I still don't really enjoy Thom's voice and it sounds especially whiney on this album for some reason. I understand that it was recorded at the same time as the songs from Kid A and you can tell as it's stylistically similar. It feels somewhat more claustrophobic than Kid A but it's still a pleasant listen with lots of cool electronic sounds peppered in. Not the best introduction for a newcomer to Radiohead but it's worth your time. Fav Song: Life in a Glasshouse Least Fav Song: You and Whose Army?

Sea Change

Beck

3/5

Overall: 6/10 There are moments in here that I enjoy, but listening to this kind of felt like listening to one 50 minute song. Hopefully one day I can come back to it and learn to appreciate but for now it's kind of bland. Slight Update: I had time to listen to this more than once so I took advantage of that. Upon relistening I definitley enjoyed it more, I still think it's way too long and I don't think Beck has a great voice for the type of sadboy vibe he's going for but it's a solid effort. Fav Song: Lost Cause Least Fav Song: Round the Bend

Talking Timbuktu

Ali Farka Touré

3/5

Overall: 6/10 This is my 100th album! I found it to be a pleasant listen. There are times the solos get bluesy which is probably my favourite part, and Ali has a nice voice. I likely won't ever sit down and think "I wanna listen to Talking Timbuktu" but some stuff here might end up on a work/chill playlist. Fav Song: Diaraby Least Fav Song: Sega

Eliminator

ZZ Top

3/5

Overall: 6/10 The hits off of this album belong in some sort of hall of fame. Possibly for rock. As for the deeper cuts, those can be put in a box and be forgotten about. Fav Song: Gimme All Your Lovin' Least Fav Song: If I Could Only Flag Her Down

Bayou Country

Creedence Clearwater Revival

5/5

Overall: 9/10 I like to discuss my list process with a couple friends of mine and as a little joke they ask me every day what album I thought would generate for me, and every single day I say "Bayou Country by CCR" and the day has finally come! John Fogerty is one of the all time great rock vocalists and the entire band are so talented and fun to listen to. This isn't even the best album they released in 1969 and I think that says a lot about how incredible their music is. I personally would recommend everything they made (skip the last album). My only real problem with this album is that it's too short!!! Fav Song: Born on the Bayou Least Fav Song: Good Golly Miss Molly

Slippery When Wet

Bon Jovi

3/5

Overall: 5/10 The very definition of "okay". The best thing about the album is that if you're able to get over how cheesy and outdated the songs are then you'll end up having a pretty good time. The hits are good, the non-hits just exist. I certainly wouldn't have included it in the list, just listen to the singles and you're good. Fav Song: Wanted Dead or Alive Least Fav Song: Wild in the Streets

Brilliant Corners

Thelonious Monk

3/5

Overall: 5/10 First of all, I'd like to acknowledge the incredible talent that went into making this album. Evey musician here is clearly a master at what they do. With that being said, I find Jazz to be a tough genre to fully immerse myself into. Monk is obviously a class A pianist and there were moments here that I really enjoyed. I just couldn't find anything about this album that I could sink my teeth into. I would still recommend it to people who are already into Jazz cause it's certainly a rollercoaster of an album that's worth giving a shot. Fav Song: Pannonica Least Fav Song: Bemsha Swing

Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

4/5

Overall: 8/10 I have to admit, my exposure to Nick Cave's music is incredibly limited. Without looking him up, the only thing I'm aware I've listened to is his collaborative score for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Based on that score and my overall preconceptions of what Nick's band would sound like, I was really shocked to find how energetic this is! Nick has a lot of range with his voice and I love the gospel-esque backing vocals on some of these tracks. I also enjoy the fact that they aren't afraid to get a little weird (Fable of the Brown Ape is such a strange song but I love it). I haven't decided which half I enjoy more and I'm not sure if I'll ever listen to the whole thing in one sitting again due to it's length, but it's the rare double album where I think every track deserves to be here. Fav Song: There She Goes, My Beautiful World Least Fav Song: Spell

Music for the Masses

Depeche Mode

4/5

Overall: 7/10 I only know three Depeche Mode songs and they all came out after this album so I found this very interesting! It's pretty much what I expected them to sound like. It's like synthpop made in the lower depths of hell. It's danceable music but there's something sinister behind it, and I think a lot of that comes from the haunting vocals and ambient soundscapes added into the back of some of these songs. I'm honestly shocked that I'd never heard any of these songs before but I can't wait to hear more from these guys! Fav Song: Behind the Wheel Least Fav Song: Little 15

La Revancha Del Tango

Gotan Project

3/5

Overall: 5/10 This is the kind of music I picture being played in the background of a Bond film where he spends most of the runtime seducing ladies across South America. Cool concept to mix Dub and Tango music, it's just not something I see myself coming back to. Good music for studying or relaxing. Fav Song: Tríptico Least Fav Song: Una Música Brutal

A Night At The Opera

Queen

5/5

Overall: 9/10 This is just a classic. Filled to the brim with fun, entertaining operatic rock and roll. Freddie is one of the all time great vocalists. This is almost a 10/10 album but there's a couple songs that I don't love (why does Brian May sing on this one???). I love Queen and I always will. Fav Song: Bohemian Rhapsody Least Fav Song: Good Company

Oracular Spectacular

MGMT

4/5

Overall: 8/10 I know and love the singles off of this album passionately but for some reason I've never felt compelled to listen to the entire thing. What a dummy. I do think the singles are far and away better than every other track on the album but when the singles are this good it doesn't really matter. I just enjoy that they tried to do something a little different with each song, with electronic and folky sounds co-mingling in a pot of insanely catchy pop music. Has it aged well? That I'm not sure, but it's at least a great capsule of what 2007 was like (I would assume, I was only 10 at the time). Fav Song: Time to Pretend Least Fav Song: Of Moons, Birds & Monsters

Fleet Foxes

5/5

Overall: 10/10 This is such a gorgeous album. The tone of this album is immediately warm and inviting. The production makes you feel like you've stumbled upon the band performing in the middle of a forest. The harmonies are mind blowingly beautiful and give me so much comfort. This might also be the best an acoustic guitar has ever sounded on record. I say all of this while not being a huge fan of this style of folk rock that was so popular at the time, but these guys do it better than anyone I've ever heard. I'm gonna have to check out more of their stuff now. (I didn't want to give this a perfect rating cause I feel like I rate albums too highly but man, I can't help it when artists are making bangers like this.) Fav Song: White Winter Hymnal Least Fav Song: He Doesn't Know Why

Shaka Zulu

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

1/5

Overall: 2/10 This was one really long "song". There's obviously talent involved in arranging these vocal harmonies but there's nothing interesting going on in my opinion. Fav Song: The Whole Thing Least Fav Song: The Whole Thing

Architecture And Morality

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark

3/5

Overall: 6/10 I enjoyed this more than I expected. The vocals are okay but it's the synths that are a lot of fun. I found the whole album to be pretty relaxing overall and I would recommend it even for just one listen. Fav Song: Georgia Least Fav Song: Sealand

Live At The Harlem Square Club

Sam Cooke

4/5

Overall: 8/10 My approach to listening to live albums is to try to put myself into the audience because realistically it's the only way I can truly enjoy a live performance. That helped a lot with this one and even though I'm sick today I found myself having a lot of fun with this one. The only Sam Cooke song I actually know wasn't a part of this performance but I actually preferred that because I wasn't waiting around hoping for the one song I knew! Cooke's energy is infectious and it's easy to see why he was such a big star at the time. The best part about his demeanor is that it seems so effortless and cool. The songs are pretty good too, much more energetic than I expected. (Also I get that it was recorded in 1963 but the album itself wasn't actually released until 1985. If Dylan's 1966 Royal Albert Live counts as a 1998 release then this should get the same treatment from the list and the website.) Fav Song: Chain Gang Least Fav Song: Twistin' the Night Away

3 Years, 5 Months And 2 Days In The Life Of...

Arrested Development

4/5

Overall: 7/10 Funky and fun! I appreciate that these guys tried to do something different in Hip Hop and I think they succeeded. I can hear their influence in a lot of modern rap. My big problem is that it can be lyrically preachy but it doesn't stop me from enjoying it! Fav Song: Mr. Wendal Least Fav Song: Fishin' for Religion

Olympia 64

Jacques Brel

2/5

Overall: 3/10 You can hear the emotion and power in his voice, but this really is not my type of music. Fav Song: Amsterdam Least Fav Song:

3 + 3

The Isley Brothers

3/5

Overall: 6/10 So far I've noticed that funk and soul are genres that I enjoy but never really love. There's so many great, danceable songs on this album with great vocals and especially some funky ass basslines for me to groove to. Plus, look how fresh these guys look on that album cover! They're the definition of cool. This isn't something I see myself coming back to often but I might give it some more attention in the future. Fav Song: That Lady Least Fav Song: What It Comes Down To

The Slider

T. Rex

4/5

Overall: 8/10 T. Rex are so under represented in the history of rock music, because I never hear about them unless I'm talking to hardcore fans of their music (which is almost never). They had the ability to rock hard but more often they went for a groovier, laid back sound. Just listen to the opening track, Metal Guru, and tell me it sounds anything like you expected. I also enjoy this one more than Electric Warrior and feel like this is Marc Bolan's magnum opus. It's sad that Marc died so young, I feel like he still had so much to give the world. Fav Song: Buick Mackane Least Fav Song: Rabbit Fighter

Modern Life Is Rubbish

Blur

4/5

Overall: 7/10 So I'm a huge Gorillaz fan and I remember when I found out that it was basically just one dude AND he was in the band that did the "woo hoo" song I was ecstatic to listen to more of them. Sadly, I was a dumb teenager at the time and I was just dissapointed that Blur didn't sound like Gorillaz (besides Albarn's distinctive vocals). I wish I could go back in time and force myself to listen to them without that context cause I was missing out. Getting into this album specifically, there's so much to love here. First off, Albarn has such a great voice that you could recognize a mile away. To go with the vocals, the lyrics can be very strange but in a fun way. The real star of the show, however, is the guitar work. I feel Graham Coxon isn't talked about enough because he's always doing something interesting and cool. The reason this isn't getting a higher/perfect rating is because it's waaaaaaaay too damn long. I would have cut out at least 3 of these tracks to make it a shorter and more pleasurable listen cause you really start feeling that length around the 40 minute mark. In any case, it is a really good album and I think a good introduction to Blur (although you'd be better off starting with Parklife or the self-titled album). Fav Song: Blue Jeans Least Fav Song: Chemical World

#1 Record

Big Star

4/5

Overall: 7/10 Was sort of feeling "meh" about this until the second half and I had to relisten to the first half. This is a pretty good album overall, I don't love it as much as it seems a lot of people do but there are certainly times I got lost in the music and assumed I was listening to The Beatles (very big compliment). They definitely wore their influences on their sleeves and it sounds really great. The slower songs are superior to the higher energy songs as well, I wanted to float away at times. I would recommend this to someone who had just finished The Beatles discography and want something similar. Fav Song: My Life is Right Least Fan Song: In the Street

If I Should Fall From Grace With God

The Pogues

4/5

Overall: 8/10 Quite possibly the best band I've heard fuse traditional Celtic folk music with the raw intensity of punk. I love the instrumentations so much and the slurring, drunken vocals add so much energy to an already energetic style of music. I also enjoy that they tried to include different styles of folk into this album as well, it shows that they had a love for folk in general and I really respect that. My Poppy would have loved this. (RIP) Fav Song: Metropolis Least Fav Song: Fairytale of New York

Bandwagonesque

Teenage Fanclub

3/5

Overall: 6/10 Honestly, this didn't do much for me. It has a lot of elements of rock music that I love but the energy and enthusiasm doesn't translate through the production. Not bad but not my thing. Fav Song: What You Do to Me Least Fav Song: Guiding Star

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

The Smashing Pumpkins

5/5

Overall: 9/10 This album is considered a classic for a reason. It's pretty much just (a lot) more Siamese Dream but that album is a banger so it's hard to complain...just make sure you've got lots of time to listen to this one cause 2 hours is insane for an album. There isn't really any filler either, some songs are of course not as good as others but overall there's not a bad song on the album. It's too bad Billy and company seem to have depleted all of their songwriting talent to make this album cause it's the last Smashing Pumpkins album I enjoy. Fav Song: Bodies Least Fav Song: 1979

Jazz Samba

Stan Getz

4/5

Overall: 7/10 I think I preferred this one over the Gilberto collab. This album flew by so quickly that I didn't even realize I'd listened to the whole thing! Getz's saxophone playing is incredible and so relaxing to listen to. Definitley listen to this if you're a big jazz fan. Fav Song: Desafinado Least Fav Song: O Pato

At Mister Kelly's

Sarah Vaughan

3/5

Overall: 6/10 Enjoyable for a one time listen. Sarah had a great voice and lots of charisma. Not much else to say really. Fav Song: Honeysuckle Rose Least Fav Song: How High the Moon

Hearts And Bones

Paul Simon

2/5

Overall: 4/10 I really enjoyed Graceland when it appeared in the generator a while back. This album is like if you took every good element out of Graceland and replaced it with super 80s synths and drums. I can see why he was starting to fall out of love with music around this time. Mediocre, bland, boring, and all the worst things that Paul Simon can be. Fav Song: Hearts and Bones Least Fav Song: Cars Are Cars

Pink Moon

Nick Drake

5/5

Overall: 9/10 The beauty of simplicity is displayed on this gorgeously minimalistic folk album. I'd already gotten Bryter Layter earlier in the generator and thought it was really good but I felt like something was missing. As it turns out, nothing was missing at all...Nick just needed to pick up his guitar and let the songs speak for themselves. He was such a talented guitar player and he makes these songs sound so rich and full. My favourite folk album I've gotten so far. Fav Song: Free Ride Least Fav Song: Horn

Reggatta De Blanc

The Police

5/5

Overall: 9/10 I got into The Police a few years ago solely because my mom hates them lol I'm glad I got into then though cause they're now one of my favourite bands. This album has so many classic songs and it shows off just how talented every member is. Sting is a songwriting genius, Stewart Copeland is the greatest hi-hat drummer on the planet and Andy Summers is so underrated. Also, I really love On Any Other Day despite it's problematic lyrics (it was the 70s so I'll give them a pass) Fav Song: On Any Other Day Least Fav Song: Reggatta de Blanc

1977

Ash

3/5

Overall: 5/10 It's fine and innoffensive, I didn't get much out of it. Some of the fuzzy guitar work was really cool but this feels like something I'm gonna forget about tomorrow. Fav Song: Lost in You Least Fav Song: Kung Fu

Country Life

Roxy Music

4/5

Overall: 7/10 Boobies! Pretty decent music too. It took a while for me to get used to the vocals but I enjoyed the second half of the album a lot. Not sure how often I'll listen to these guys but this way enjoyable. Fav Song: Bitter Sweet Least Fav Song: Triptych

Disintegration

The Cure

5/5

Overall: 10/10 Oh boy, this is stupid good. I love how moody and doomy this album gets while still having some hard rockers here and there. Robert Smith is an insanely good vocalist who makes everything sound effortless and soooooo gothic. I surprisingly really enjoy the keyboard contributiond as well, I feel like they add a lot to the atmosphere of the music. This is easily my favourite album I've generated from the 80s so far and I feel I'll only grow to love it even more. Fav Song: Lullaby Least Fav Song: Closedown

World Clique

Deee-Lite

1/5

Overall: 2/10 Aged like milk left out in the sun for an entire summer. Can't believe people used to rave to this. Fav Song: Groove Is In the Heart (duh) Least Fav Song: What is Love?

En-Tact

The Shamen

1/5

Overall: 2/10 I genuinely can't find the UK version anywhere so I'm comprimising by listening to the US version. It doesn't really matter though because I'm realizing after two repetitive electronic dance albums in a row that it's not a style of music that resonates with me. Apparently these guys used to be psychedelic rock? I might check out that version of the band instead. Fav Song: Omega Amigo Least Fav Song:

Vespertine

Björk

4/5

Overall: 8/10 This is a hauntingly gorgeous pop album from the queen of Iceland. My favourite thing about Björk is that her strangeness feels authentic and you're always anticipating her next move (which never ends up being what you expect). The only reason it's not getting a perfect rating is because I don't anticipate this being the type of album that I'm constantly going to be coming back to. Regardless, I love Björk's voice and her mind and I recommend this to everyone. Fav Song: Heirloom Least Fav Song: An Echo a Stain

Natty Dread

Bob Marley & The Wailers

4/5

Overall: 8/10 I'm not normally a "wake and bake" type of person but I usually listen to these albums in the morning and it would just feel wrong if I didn't burn some herb to listen to this one. I don't think this album is as good as Exodus but it's pretty close. The highlights here are definitely Bob's voice/lyrics and the guitar playing. It's just classic reggae which is awesome if you're into that sort of thing (I am). Get chill and listen to this one, folks, cause it's great. Fav Song: Natty Dread Least Fav Song: Bend Down Low

Sister

Sonic Youth

4/5

Overall: 7/10 Three things I want to highlight with this album. One: The guitar work is insane. Whether it's hard rockers or dissonant soundscapes from hell, there's always interesting guitars to keep your attention. Two: The drumming keeps everything from falling apart. I would go so far as to say the drums are my favourite part. Three: The vocals. Neither vocalist is what you would call an amazing singer but their voices fit the music they make perfectly, and I especially find some weird comfort in their Lou Reed-esque delivery. I wouldn't be able to recommend this to just anyone. If you're familiar with Sonic Youth's later, more mainstream music then check this out. I wouldn't approach it as your first Sonic Youth album though, it's closer to their noise rock era than anything. Fav Song: Schizophrenia Least Fav Song: Beauty Lies in the Eye

Boy In Da Corner

Dizzee Rascal

3/5

Overall: 6/10 Starts off strong but this is a pretty long album and his style gets old pretty fast. Still glad I listened to it cause the good songs are awesome! Fav Song: Stop Dat Least Fav Song: Wot U On?

Stankonia

OutKast

4/5

Overall: 7/10 I'm so glad these two made music together for a little bit cause their voices and different styles work so well together. I do think this album is a little hit or miss on a personal level but the best songs are so good that it's still a classic. It's way too long and although it's become a staple of hip hop, I couldn't care less about the interludes/skits. B.O.B. is on this album though and that's a top 10 rap song of all time. Fav Song: B.O.B. - Bombs Over Baghdad Least Fav Song: Snappin' & Trappin'

A Hard Day's Night

Beatles

4/5

Overall: 8/10 It took way too long to get to my first Beatles album. I don't care if it's cliché to say this but The Beatles are my favourite band of all time and this was their first really great album. It's not hard to imagine how they became the biggest band in history when listening to this, John and Paul are so charismatic and dominate (especially John). I'm probably gonna watch the movie tonight as well, I love the clean old man and the sad Ringo scenes so much. Fav Song: And I Love Her Least Fav Song: I'm Happy Just to Dance With You (Sorry, George)

Honky Tonk Heroes

Waylon Jennings

2/5

Overall: 4/10 I'm really trying NOT to be a country hater cause I actually think there's a lot of merit to country, I just rarely if ever enjoy it. Even when I do, I never want to relisten to it. When it comes to this album, I mostly don't enjoy his voice. Fav Song: Old Five and Dimers (Like Me) Least Fav Song: We Had It All

Hms Fable

Shack

3/5

Overall: 5/10 It's not bad but it's soooo generic and boring and sounds like every post-Oasis british band from the 90s. I liked the vocals I guess. Fav Song: Beautiful Least Fav Song: Captain's Table

Fragile

Yes

4/5

Overall: 7/10 Roundabout is one of the best songs I've ever heard in my life and Chris Squire is an insanely underrated bassist. With that being said, this album almost feels unfinished? Maybe that's just me but there seems to be a lot of short and instrumental tracks that feel like they're there to fill out the album (is there a word for that?). I still enjoyed myself and the 3 lengthy tracks make it worth it in the end. Fav Song: Roundabout Least Fav Song: We Have Heaven

When I Was Born For The 7th Time

Cornershop

1/5

Overall: 1/10 Half porno music Half George Harrison Fav Song: N/A Least Fav Song: Sleep on the Left Side

The Velvet Underground

5/5

Overall: 9/10 The best showcase of Lou Reed's non singing that I've heard so far! The other vocalists fit in pretty good as well. The best thing about this one is the slow songs. I found myself mesmerized by the guitar work at times. I also really enjoyed The Murder Mystery, which was a wild 8 minute ride. It's like the musical equivalent of a french new wave film. I finally understand why they're considered so influential and I might just go straight into their debut. Fav Song: Pale Blue Eyes Least Fav Song: Jesus

Cheap Thrills

Big Brother & The Holding Company

4/5

Overall: 8/10 Janis Joplin is one of my mom's favourite artists but I somehow have only heard one song off of this one. Every time I hear her voice I just get shocked that a human being can sound like her. The rest of the band are great too but let's be honest, this is the Janis Joplin show. If she wasn't involved it wouldn't be even half as good as it is. If I have a major complaint it's that the "live" atmosphere of the album encourages these long jam sessions that would fit in better on an actual live album. Still, great album with some incredible vocals (wish she stuck around to do some metal). Fav Song: I Need a Man to Love Least Fav Song: Oh, Sweet Mary

Behaviour

Pet Shop Boys

3/5

Overall: 6/10 There's some good songs on this one, but I didn't really love it. The atmosphere is great, probably the best thing about it. I think it's the vocals that keep me from liking it more, he's kind of whiney. Not a terrible album but not great either. Fav Song: Being Boring Least Fav Song: Nervously

Be

Common

4/5

Overall: 8/10 I've seen this album cover so many times and somehow never heard anything from it. That's probably why I had no idea how involved Kanye is. Musically, that was really exciting but it's also Kanye...ANYWAY Common himself is a talented lyricist with a good voice for hip hop. As much as I don't like the man, Kanye's production is truly what makes this album special imo. It reminds me of The College Dropout while still feeling fresh and different. I don't think I'll be diving into this one daily yet but I could see it growing on me. Fav Song: Chi-City Least Fav Song: Faithful

At San Quentin

Johnny Cash

4/5

Overall: 7/10 I've mentioned before not enjoying live albums, but I'm trying to judge these albums fairly. Johnny had a way of capturing an audience that feels magnetic and his energy is the best thing about this album. He was a wonderful live performer and I would have loved the chance to see him live at this time. Fav Song: San Quentin 1 Least Fav Song: Starkville City Jail

Seventeen Seconds

The Cure

4/5

Overall: 7/10 It took some time to get into the groove of this album, but the second half is almost perfect. They would get more depressing as their career went on but there's plenty of doom and gloom here as well. I might just focus on side 2 from now on but overall it's a solid album. Fav Song: M Least Fav Song: Three

Faust IV

Faust

4/5

Overall: 8/10 Wow, that first track is hypnotizing and almost ambient, then all hell breaks loose. Is all Krautrock like this? I think I like it! Just when you think you've heard everything, some other strange sound invades your eardrums. So unique and cool. I will admit I didnt love the end of the album but the rest was really great! Fav Song: Jennifer Least Fav Song: Just a Second (Starts Like That!)

Future Days

Can

3/5

Overall: 5/10 It feels weird that I didn't like this too much after loving Faust yesterday (it's been a krautrock weekend). I appreciate what Can is doing with their music but it's not pleasant for me to listen to beyond a few really great moments. Maybe I'll come back to it at some point cause I'm not sure why it didn't click with me. Fav Song: Future Days Least Fav Song: Spray

Unknown Pleasures

Joy Division

5/5

Overall: 9/10 I listened to this one twice: once in the morning before I went to work and once on my way home. The first time I picked up on the vibes and I knew I'd have to listen to it again when I could really pay attention and soak in a the melancholy. That's exactly what happened on the second listen. This album hits like a brick. Peter Hook plays the bass like he's the only person in the world who matters. The mix of acoustic and electronic drums can give the tracks an eerie vibe. The guitar work is simple yet effective. And then there's Ian Curtis...who's voice I have mixed feelings about. He seems to have graduated from the Lou Reed School for People Who Can't Sing But It's Chill Cause They're Chill. He had a way of showing off his energy and personality with his voice that a lot of classically trained singers can't pull off. I'm rambling a bit but overall, I think this is really great and well worth your time (just be patient with the vocals). Fav Song: Disorder Least Fav Song: Candidate

Ocean Rain

Echo And The Bunnymen

3/5

Overall: 6/10 Man, those strings are corny as hell and date the album terribly. The first half had me considering giving this a lower rating but the second half had some pretty good guitar work and catchier songs. The guitars are incredibly jangly. Maybe it's cause I've gotten a lot of sad sounding albums lately but I'm feeling a teeny bit burnt out from the doom and gloom. Fav Song: The Killing Moon Least Fav Song: The Yo Yo Man

Out of Step

Minor Threat

5/5

Overall: 10/10 If anybody ever asks me to describe hardcore punk to them, I'm just going to take them to the nearest music store and buy them this album. The vocals are perfect, the riffs are aggressive and the drums are classic punk rock. Plus, it's an incredibly short album so you can listen to it sooooo many times in one day. In fact, you can listen to Minor Threat's entire discography in less than an hour! Fav Song: Think Again Least Fav Song: Sob Story

Dry

PJ Harvey

5/5

Overall: 9/10 Patti Smith for the modern age! I loved this, it rocks hard and doesn't hold back. PJ not only has an incredible voice, but her lyrics are some of the best I've ever heard about women, how they perceive the world and how they are treated. It's brave and thought provoking stuff. Definitely a favourite so far. Fav Song: Dress Least Fav Song: Water

You've Come a Long Way Baby

Fatboy Slim

2/5

Overall: 3/10 This is music for commercials. But also RIGHT ABOUT NOW THE FUNK SOUL BROTHER CHECK IT OUT NOW Fav Song: The Rockefeller Skank Least Fav Song: Kalifornia

Bookends

Simon & Garfunkel

4/5

Overall: 8/10 This is a good little dose of folk rock. Simon and Garfunkel obviously have incredible harmonies and their music can range from fun to calming for me. I think I prefer Graceland (I know its only Paul but still), but it's still a great, short album with songs worth adding to your life. Fav Song: Fakin' It Least Fav Song: Old Friends

Junkyard

The Birthday Party

2/5

Overall: 4/10 I respect this one a lot. It's chaotic and messed up and hard to listen to, which I feel was the intention. I wasn't aware that Nick Cave was even in another band so hearing his voice was a bit of a shock. The problem is, it's so out there that, while I think it has merit, it wasn't something I enjoyed and I certainly won't be listening to it again. Shame it's not on Spotify. Fav Song: Hamlet (pow, pow, pow) Least Fav Song: The Dim Locator

Odelay

Beck

4/5

Overall: 7/10 Every time I listen to Beck I think about the Futurama episode where he helps Bender become a folk singer. I prefer this side of Beck to the slower stuff he started doing around Sea Change. It's sometimes TOO quirky but for the most part it feels like a good mixture of folk, rock and hip hop type beats. Fav Song: Where It's At Least Fav Song: Hotwax

Too Rye Ay

Dexys Midnight Runners

2/5

Overall: 4/10 Sigh. This was bound to happen. I like to discuss my list progress with friends and I constantly make jokes about how the listmakers couldn't add Milo Goes to College because they just HAD to make room for 3 Dexys Midnight Runner albums. This album is fine. The songs range from upbeat and danceable to incredibly annoying. I like the violins and, of course, Come On Eileen is their only truly impactful song for a reason. I hope the next two albums from them are a bit better. Fav Song: Come On Eileen Least Fav Song: All in All (This One Last Wild Waltz)

Hard Again

Muddy Waters

3/5

Overall: 6/10 Pretty good. Blues seems to be repetitive and simple to the point that you sort of wish more was going on at times. Great guitar work (of course) and great voice. Fav Song: Crosseyed Cat Least Fav Song: Bus Driver

Abbey Road

Beatles

5/5

Overall: 10/10 One of those albums I never need to hear again, yet I'll always take the opportunity to do so anyway. The songs are so ingrained in my life that I couldn't even tell you where I heard most of these songs for the first time because they've always been here. I'm actually struggling to write about it for that reason. I will, however, write about one of the coolest songs ever written: I Want You (She's So Heavy). I personally consider this song to be the closest thing to metal anyone wrote before Sabbath came along, and it never fails to astound me with it's doomy mood and incredible bass work. Plus, don't even get me started on Ringo's drumming. Anyone who disses Ringo needs to listen to this song cause they'll realize quickly how ignorant they are. He's a beast. Anyway, the last thing I want to point out is I love the suite on side two a lot. It's just hard to listen to the individual tracks on shuffle lol Also, Maxwell's Silver Hammer SUCKS Fav Song: I Want You (She's So Heavy) Least Fav Song: Maxwell's Silver Hammer

Fulfillingness' First Finale

Stevie Wonder

4/5

Overall: 8/10 My exposure to Stevie Wonder's music is pretty limited. Before listening to tis I could only name 3 of his songs, none of which are on here. Of course, this made me excited when this one popped up cause I now have an excuse to listen to more of his music. It's fantastic, filled to the brim with songs that'll make you dance, make you think and make you feel. The fact that he produced this himself astounds me, I've never heard of him described as a great producer but I feel he got everything perfect here. There's a couple songs that didn't connect with me but for the most part I loved the tracks and was excited for the next one. Now that he's on the board, I can see Stevie becoming an MVP for me. Fav Song: They Won't Go When I Go Least Fav Song: Creepin'

Ragged Glory

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

4/5

Overall: 8/10 I love the raw, jamming atmosphere of this album! Sometimes you just want to rock out and that's exactly what this crew provides with this album. I've seen this described as Grunge, but I think calling it an inspiration is more fitting. Since there was such an emphasis on jamming during rhe recordings, that obviously leads to some lengthier tracks and a longer album overall, but I think it's fine for this one. Great album and I look forward to even more Neil! Go Canada! Fav Song: F*!#in' Up Least Fav Song: Love to Burn

Off The Wall

Michael Jackson

5/5

Overall: 9/10 Bro who plays bass on this thing??? Somehow I've never listened to this album despite being a big fan of Michael's music (I won't discuss his controversies), and Don't Stop Till' You Get Enough being my favourite Michael song. I think it's because I had a bad impression of disco in general. I wish I hadn't waited so long cause it's funky and fun and sooooo entertaining. If you can get past his eccentricities then you'll love this one. Fav Song: Don't Stop Till' You Get Enough Least Fav Song: It's the Falling in Love

Melodrama

Lorde

5/5

Overall: 9/10 Imagine a world where Lorde is the biggest popstar on the planet. In my mind, that world has flying cars, coffee that never gets cold and everyone is bisexual. What an awesome world to be in. This album is so so good and Lorde deserves to be much more popular than she is. The songs are obviously very good but it's her breathy voice and incredible lyrics that draw me in. I also have to mention that while album covers don't factor in to my rating, this one is gorgeous and I love it. The album loses a bit of momentum near the end with the reprises and twin tracks but it's not enough to change my rating. I have South Park to thank for getting me into Lorde lol Fav Song: Hard Feelings/Loveless Least Fav Song: Sober II (Melodrama)

Nowhere

Ride

4/5

Overall: 7/10 I would first like to point out that Slowdive's Souvlaki should have been included in this list... This is classic shoegaze. Super distorted guitar, monotone vocals, v i b e s, it's all here. What makes this one stand out from it's peers is that there seems to be an emphasis on really great drumming, and that element is certainly a highlight here. This isn't the type of music I can listen to for an incredibly long time but small doses when you're in the right mood can really make this music feel special. Check this one out if you wanna v i b e. Fav Song: Polar Bear Least Fav Song: Decay

Marcus Garvey

Burning Spear

3/5

Overall: 6/10 This reggae album started off incredibly strong for me. I was really loving the political nature of the lyrics and the (obviously) chilled out atmosphere. Then the songs started to blend together and I admittedly got a little bored. Still, it was nice listening to some reggae not made by Bob Marley. Fav Song: Marcus Garvey Least Fav Song: Red, Gold and Green

Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul

Otis Redding

3/5

Overall: 5/10 I'm going through some stuff so I'll keep this short. Otis had an incredible voice but that's really the only element of this album that drew me in at all. I don't typically enjoy this era of music where every artist seemed to be covering the same handful of songs. A lot of talent here but nothing I feel the need to revisit. Fav Song: Down in the Valley Least Fav Song: Loving You Too Long

Rio

Duran Duran

4/5

Overall: 7/10 Duran Duran is just a fun time, man. I used to get roasted in high school for that opinion all the time, but once we graduated everyone I knew all of a sudden loved these guys! That's why my friends always trust my music opinions now. Anywho, there's some bangers on here. The title track alone is not only a fantastic song, but it has one of my all time favourite music videos. Hungry Like the Wolf is a classic, Last Chance On the Stairway is super underrated and overall I had a great time with this one. It isn't Tchaikovsky or anything but it makes me happy. Fav Song: Rio Least Fav Song: Save a Prayer

In Rainbows

Radiohead

5/5

Overall: 9/10 I would like to apologize for my previous Radiohead hate, I have no idea what I was thinking... Jonny Greenwood has been one of my favourite film composers for a really long time so it shouldn't surprise me that I would eventually enjoy Radiohead, but this album caught me by surprise. The songs are so beautiful and make me feel happy (not sure if that was their intent but it works). I'm still never going to be a huge fan of Yorke's vocals but he's also never sounded better. To be fair, I've only listened to 2 of their albums in their entirety now but they definitely have a new fan. Fav Song: Weird Fishes/Arpeggi Least Fav Song: Nude

xx

The xx

4/5

Overall: 7/10 Chill as hell album with breathy vocals and relaxing guitar work. I like the electronic drums for this type of music, it adds to the atmosphere in the best of ways. I don't have a lot of exposure to this band but I'm gonna check it more of their stuff if it's like this! Fav Song: Basic Space Least Fav Song: VCR

Rubber Soul

Beatles

5/5

Overall: 10/10 Not my absolute favourite album of all time, but certainly my favourite album from my favourite band. It's not the artiest Beatles album, nor their most fun, nor their most commercially successful (though it obviously was incredibly popular), but I think it's the most cohesive and the tracklist feels deliberate to make the pacing smooth. Listening to Help! right before this shows just how much of a leap they made in their sound. In My Life, Norweigan Wood and Michelle are three of the most beautiful songs ever written. George's compositions are cool and show emotional maturity and What Goes On is a nice little country track to show off Ringo's vocals. I could listen to this album every single day and never get bored of it. Fav Song: In My Life Least Fav Song: What Goes On (Sorry, Ringo)

I Should Coco

Supergrass

3/5

Overall: 6/10 I didn't expect this to feel as "punk" as it does. I like the vocals and it's a pretty fun album, the songs just don't wow me enough to give it a super high rating. I do find it impressive considering how young these guys were at the time. Fav Song: Mansize Rooster Least Fav Song: Lose It

Third/Sister Lovers

Big Star

2/5

Overall: 3/10 I got Big Star's first album a while back and gave it a 7/10 (4 stars) but it's since became the album I've soured on the most. I decided to go with it since that was my original impression. With that being said, I don't really like this one much. I find the vocals infuriating and the music ranges from bland to insufferable. A couple of tracks were okay but there's so much great music out there and I think this could have been removed for something more interesting. The one thing I will praise is the lyrics, but they would work better as poetry. Fav Song: Kizza Me Least Fav Song: Big Black Car

Talking Heads 77

Talking Heads

5/5

Overall: 10/10 First off, this is one of the best albums of all time. I've been a Talking Heads fan in some capacity since high school when I heard Psycho Killer and Burning Down the House for the first time. It took years for me to actually dive into their music, but the catalyst for that was my random decision to watch Stop Making Sense in my early 20s. I genuinely couldn't believe my eyes and ears. David Byrne's stage presence set an incredibly high standard for me. Not only that, but the music made me cry because it was so shockingly good. Also, as a bassist, it's not hard to fall heard over heels in love with Tina Weymouth, who may be my favourite bassist? (Very debatable) The first time I listened to this album is a core memory for me. I was living with my parents and they were away for the night. I put the album on and I danced by myself for the next 40-ish minutes, losing myself in the rhythm. To this day it's tough for me to listen to pretty much any Talking Heads song without getting emotional in some way. Personally, Speaking in Tongues is slightly more important to me just for the fact that it was the first Talking Heads album I heard all the way through, but this is an incredibly close second and a rare album where I have zero complaints. Fav Song: New Feeling Least Fav Song: They're all amazing, but I listen to The Book I Read the least

The Wall

Pink Floyd

4/5

Overall: 8/10 I have incredibly mixed feelings about this album. I'll start with what I enjoy: lyrically, it's a masterpiece. The story is cohesive while still leaving room for ambiguity. While this is Roger's baby, I consider Richard Wright's work on the keys to be the highlight of the entire album. Now for the negatives. I enjoy Roger's voice in small doses, but he sings on a good majority of this thing. This thing, by the way, is so overbloated and full of itself. That would be fine, but this feels like an album you need to listen to all at once and it's not as easy to set aside almost an hour and a half (!) of your day for one album. Despite my complaints, I truly do think this is a great album. I wish it was shorter and I wish more of the songs worked on their own. There's maybe 6 tracks on this 26 track album that I ever feel like listening to. I honestly would probably give this a lower rating but I do enjoy listening to it on occasion (usually when I have a full day to myself). This is an album that everyone should definitely listen to at least once in their lives and I know I'm in the minority with my complaints. Fav Song: Hey You Least Fav Song: Is There Anybody Out There? (Should this count?)

Elephant Mountain

The Youngbloods

3/5

Overall: 6/10 This was a mildly pleasant surprise. I've never heard of this band or album so I didn't know what I was gonna get. It's very much a product of it's time, mixing psychedelic rock, folk and country. I actually think this mix is a detriment to the album, as it feels like they were trying to do everything at once. Only one track really stood out to me, but I enjoyed experiencing this album overall. Fav Song: Don't Let the Rain Bring You Down Least Fav Song: Sunlight

Endtroducing.....

DJ Shadow

2/5

Overall: 4/10 This one was promising based on the first song but everything was so boring and repetitive that it elicited zero emotions from me. I can see why some may enjoy it but I need more variety. If he had some guest artists to rap over these beats then I may enjoy it but the instrumentals just weren't enough. Fav Song: Building Steam with a Grain of Salt Least Fav Song: Stem/Long Stem

Cloud Nine

The Temptations

3/5

Overall: 6/10 I've realized by doing this project that I don't enjoy soul as much as I thought I did and that's honestly a bit dissapointing. The vocals are great and I enjoyed the funkiness of the early tracks. It's also a very easy listen at just 35 minutes. I think it's the constant strings that started to get grating to my ears. Maybe I just need to listen to more of this type of music outside of the project cause I'd like to enjoy these albums more than I have. Fav Song: Cloud Nine Least Fav Aong: Love is a Hurtin' Thing

In The Wee Small Hours

Frank Sinatra

4/5

Overall: 7/10 This album is all about the mood, and the album cover is a perfect representation of the kind of moody, melancholic sound that dominates. While there's lots of romance, Frank sounds sad as hell all throughout. It's impressive to me how well the music paints a picture of a lonely man in a bar, drinking a scotch and rethinking life choices at 3am. The problem is that every song has a similar feeling and they all sort of blend together. Some variety would have been nice, but I can't imagine any other type of song fitting with these ones so I'll give it a pass. Good work there, Franky boy. Fav Song: In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning Least Fav Song: Deep in a Dream

Blonde On Blonde

Bob Dylan

4/5

Overall: 8/10 I'll get this out of the way since I always have to mention this with double albums: LONG! Anyway, I've never listened to a full Bob Dylan album before. I understand from reading about this one that it was one of the earliest albums he made after "going electric" so that obviously makes this an incredibly important album. It's pretty good, and a lot different than I expected. It's sort of bluesy in a way. Bob didn't have a great singing voice, but it works well for the music that he wrote. There's also a lot of harmonica on here which adds to the folksiness that people were probably missing at the time. In retrospect, Bob made the right decision to go electric. I guess I like Bob Dylan. Who knew? Fav Song: Just Like a Woman Least Fav Song: I Want You

Joan Armatrading

3/5

Overall: 6/10 I enjoyed this one. Joan has a lovely voice and is obviously a talented songwriter. I like the folk rock feel that this album has going for it, and there's more variety in the music than I expected. I don't think it'll end up being something I listen to frequently but I'm glad to have heard it. Fav Song: Help Yourself Least Fav Song: Tall in the Saddle

Gorillaz

5/5

Overall: 9/10 It's my birthday today and I almost cried from happiness when I saw this one pop up. I've been a huge Gorillaz fan since Plastic Beach came out (15 years ago!). I'm gonna mostly focus on Damon Albarn here because to me, he IS Gorillaz. I know that Jamie Hewlett is also incredibly important from a visual standpoint but this is Damon's baby. This is what happens when an artist is unchained and free to do whatever the hell they want. The genre hopping on this thing is crazy, with elements of hip hop, punk, ambient, electronica, etc. There's so many interesting sounds going on, and while it tends to be inconsistent in places, it's never boring. The guest artists add a lot to the album and that trend would continue with further Gorillaz releases. This isn't the best Gorillaz album but it's probably the most important album in their (his?) discography. The idea of a fully animated band was completely original at the time and we've had other completely animated musical artists since. Plus, it showed just how great of a musical mind Damon Albarn has. (Also coincidentally my second "perfect" rated album in a row to feature Tina Weymouth lol) Fav Song: 19-2000 Least Fav Song: Man Research (Clapper)

Dance Mania

Tito Puente

3/5

Overall: 5/10 It's good for what it is (I think?) but this type of music is only enjoyable to me as background music if I'm being honest. Fav Song: Cuando Te Vea (Guaguanco) Least Fav Song: 3-D Mambo

Faith

George Michael

2/5

Overall: 3/10 Faith is such an incredible song that I kind of got my hopes up. I forgot that this was a pop album from the 80s, which means they made one REALLY good song to sell some absolute pandering garbage. I liked a couple other songs but for the most part this is some sappy, oversexualized crap. Oh well, I guess I gotta have faith. Fav Song: Faith Least Fav Song: Father Figure

Who's Next

The Who

4/5

Overall: 8/10 This is my favourite album by The Who for the fact that it isn't trying as hard as some of their other albums. It seems they just wanted to rock the hell out for a bit in between the goliaths that are Tommy and Quadrophenia. This is also the only album by The Who that I own on vinyl and that might have a big influence over how I perceive the album. I remember being blown away the first time I listened to it. The keyboard work is so incredible, then you've got Keith and John killing it in the rhythm section. I also think Roger has never sounded better. The middle section of the album isn't mind blowing but it's bookended by four of the band's best songs. I'd also piss on that stupid looking rock. Fav Song: Won't Get Fooled Again Least Fav Song: My Wife

Live / Dead

Grateful Dead

2/5

Overall: 4/10 I'm impressed by the musicianship on display here, and I'm sure it would have been an incredible experience to witness this live. However, almost 60 years later, I just don't find myself enjoying this. It's overlong, overindulgent and, quite frankly, boring. I found it hard to get through and I certainly won't be checking it out again. Great musicians though. Fav Song: The Eleven Least Fav Song: Dark Star

Channel Orange

Frank Ocean

4/5

Overall: 7/10 Frank has such a beautiful voice and the ability to convey so much passion and emotion into his lyrics. I was feeling a little anxious this morning and this album helped me chill out immensely. Modern R&B doesn't tend to be a genre I listen to a lot but I really respect it. Fav Song: Crack Rock Least Fav Song: Bad Religion

Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle

Bill Callahan

4/5

Overall: 7/10 There's a lot to love about this album. It's sort of indie rock with a country/folk twang to it. Beautiful acoustic guitars all over this thing. The lyrics are deep but not pretentious. I think Bill Callahan is a godawful vocalist and that's a shame. His singing doesn't necessarily ruin any of the songs, but when his vocals come in I just start to cringe. His drawl is unbearable to me. I was really close to loving this but the vocals are just so grating to my ears that it brings my rating down quite a bit. The good still outweighs the bad, though. Fav Song: Rococo Zephyr Least Fav Song: Too Many Birds

The Chronic

Dr. Dre

3/5

Overall: 6/10 I honestly expected to like this more but it was just okay. The beats are fire for the most part but they start to seem similar after a while. A lot of the lyrics feel kind of primitive to me, with Dre's raps especially feeling outdated. Having Snoop on here was pretty genius as he has a unique voice and a lot of charisma. I don't feel this is on par with a lot of other 90's rap but it's still a good time. Fav Song: Lil' Ghetto Boy Least Fav Song: Let Me Ride

Nighthawks At The Diner

Tom Waits

5/5

Overall: 9/10 This album is all about the mood. I feel like I'm in a seedy dive bar, half in the bag with a cigarette in one hand and a glass of scotch in the other. It's the kind of album you truly need to give full attention to and let the atmosphere wash over you to fully enjoy it. Tom Waits is the ultimate showman. He has more charisma and charm in his pinky finger than the rest of us have in our whole bodies combined. He seems like the type of man who would treat everybody like his best friend. It's no wonder that he ended up getting into acting as it seems like that was the next logical step. The idea to make an album like this is honestly genius in my opinion. If you don't want to hear a man basically do standup over some light jazz then this may not be for you. If you want to lose yourself in another world and vibe then you'll not find anything better than this. This may also be the highest rating I give to an album I don't plan on listening to often. Fav Song: Spare Parts I (A Nocturnal Emission) Least Fav Song: Putnam County

Triangle

The Beau Brummels

2/5

Overall: 3/10 This may have been exciting and fresh when it came out but I mostly find it generic and annoying. It sounds like the vocalist is trying way too hard to be Bob Dylan and it just doesn't work for me. The orchestration is the highlight for me as it actually adds a lot and the songs would feel pretty empty otherwise. At least it was short. Never revisiting this one. Fav Song: It Won't Get Better Least Fav Song: The Wolf of Velvet Fortune

Hot Fuss

The Killers

4/5

Overall: 8/10 Man, this album brings back so many memories despite the fact that I don't think I've ever listened to it in it's entirety? The first 5 tracks are not only bangers but I still know so many people who can belt out every single lyric from them. I was actually shocked that all of those songs came from the same album. It's honestly just really good, creative pop rock. It's hard to talk about the individual elements cause I feel on their own they wouldn't be noteworthy but together they create a great mood. The one thing I can pinpoint for sure is that Brendan Flowers is an incredible vocalist with a lot of power and personality in his voice. He's the reason every white person on the planet has to stop what they're doing and sing whenever Mr. Brightside comes on. Would have gotten a 5 from me but the second half loses a bit of steam. Fav Song: Mr. Brightside Least Fav Song: Everything Will Be Alright

Tusk

Fleetwood Mac

3/5

Overall: 6/10 This album's biggest sin is that it comes right after THAT album. It's second biggest sin is Lindsey Buckingham. That's a bit of a joke but there's some truth to it. While the rest of the band decided to keep up the same sound they perfected on Rumours, Mr. Buckingham went for a more experimental approach. I'm not positive about this but I'm pretty sure his songs are mixed differently because I could tell which songs were his before his voice even came in. The songs from Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie are pretty good for the most part. They both have beautiful voices (obviously) and seem to understand what made Rumours such a special album. Sadly, all the different sounds make for a very inconsistent album. It's rare for a band to follow up a mega hit with something that lives up to the same quality, and that's why I'm not being more harsh on this one. It's not an amazing album but there's some good tunes on here that any Fleetwood Mac fan would be happy to add to their playlists. Fav Song: Sara Least Fav Song: That's All for Everyone

The Score

Fugees

5/5

Overall: 9/10 This is my kind of hip hop. It's three incredible MCs putting their skills together to rap about something meaningful. There isn't a second wasted on this thing. I don't live under a rock, so obviously I knew about the endless critical acclaim this album has received. Still, I avoided it for so long cause I was afraid it wouldn't live up to the hype. What a dummy. Like many people, I have a soft spot for Lauryn Hill's voice, and I found myself loving everything 10 times more whenever she started rapping. The other two guys are great rappers as well and get their chances to shine. I can't consider this my all time favourite hip hop album (I'll talk about that one day as it's in the list) but it's amazing and I'll be listening to it nonstop for a while. Fav Song: How Many Mics Least Fav Song: The Beast

Apple Venus Volume 1

XTC

4/5

Overall: 8/10 I'm obviously not the first person to mention this but this album is very reminiscent of Pet Sounds/Smile era Beach Boys. Lush orchestration and beautiful harmonies dominate and I love it so much. We need more modern music like this in my opinion. I've never listened to XTC before but they definitely have a new fan. It's a shame this isn't on Spotify cause I want to add so many of these songs to my playlists. Fav Song: I'd Like That Least Fav Song: I Can't Own Her

This Year's Model

Elvis Costello & The Attractions

5/5

Overall: 10/10 Already one of my all time favourites. Just a perfect pop rock album with a punk attitude. Costello is a lyrical genius in my opinion and these songs still blow me away every time I hear them. I honestly don't have much else to say, it's just stellar in every way. Fav Song: Living in Paradise Least Fav Song: Hand in Hand

On The Beach

Neil Young

3/5

Overall: 6/10 This generator seems to want to get all the Neil Young out of the way early lol I enjoyed this one but it was definitely my least favourite of his albums I've heard so far. The music is pretty chill for the most part while the lyrics are depressing as hell. It's a good contrast actually. If I'm being honest, there were times I felt myself dozing off due to the vibes. It's not his best work but it's enjoyable. Fav Song: See the Sky About to Rain Least Fav Song: For the Turnstiles

Pretzel Logic

Steely Dan

5/5

Overall: 9/10 YEAH STEELY DAN WOOHOO STEELY DAN GIMME DAT STEELY DAN WOOHOO YEAH My love of the Dan kind of started out as a joke cause all my friends would laugh whenever I would play them and constantly yell STEELY DAN, but after a while the joke turned into a full on obsession. Now I listen to them pretty much every day. I love all of their albums but I think this is the one they really hit their stride. There's more emphasis on the jazzier elements compared to the first 2 albums and Donald Fagen sounds more confident than ever. I think I slightly prefer Aja but this is a close second for me. I wish Gaucho was in the list but it's not like it's going anywhere lol Fav Song: Rikki Don't Lost That Number Least Fav Song: Through With Buzz

The Gershwin Songbook

Ella Fitzgerald

3/5

Overall: 5/10 So, I'm laid off from work this week. Apparently that's a blessing in disguise because I can listen to this goliath throughout the day instead of devoting 3 hours straight to one album. It didn't help. This is good music, and Ella Fitzgerald had an incredibly smooth voice that's soothing and exciting all at once. That album length though....you get fatigued pretty quickly then check how many songs are left and start to groan. If you want to listen to this much of one thing in one sitting then that's your perogative, but I prefer short doses of perfection and I didn't enjoy this enough to excuse the runtime. Fav Song: N/A Least Fav Song: N/A (hard to choose when it all kind of blended together)

Here Come The Warm Jets

Brian Eno

4/5

Overall: 8/10 I've enjoyed most of Brian Eno's work as a producer in the past so I've been excited and anxious for one of his albums to pop up and the day has finally come. What a strange, fun, experimental and cool album! There are so many moments that reminded me of all the groups he wound up producing for in the future and I had to keep reminding myself that this came first! I hope it's not too much to suggest that the new wave blueprint came from Eno himself. This is an essential work with intentionally disjointed and fun instrumental work (those guitars blow me away). Not all of the songs hit hard but the ones that do are masterpieces. This won't be for everyone but if you keep an open mind then you're bound to find something you enjoy here. Fav Song: Dead Finks Don't Talk Least Fav Song: Driving Me Backwards

Abraxas

Santana

4/5

Overall: 7/10 The guitar work is obviously great but I want to give a shout out to the rhythm section, those guys killed it! I respect this kind of latin music and there were a few tracks here that I liked but this generally isn't the type of stuff I listen to. If anything, I just kept thinking about the film A Serious Man instead which was really distracting lol pretty enjoyable overall though, I may listen to this a bit more in the future. Fav Song: Mother's Daughter Least Fav Song: Incident at Neshabur

Logical Progression

LTJ Bukem

1/5

Overall: 1/10 I feel this could only be enjoyable when you're under the influence of many illegal drugs. Fav Song: Not even gonna bother, man

Disraeli Gears

Cream

4/5

Overall: 7/10 If this was the first time listening to this album it would have gotten a lower rating, but I've grown to really enjoy it. Obviously Clapton sucks as a person, but I love his guitar playing here. Jack Bruce also has an underrated voice and Ginger is THE drummer of the 60s. The first half is much better than the second half, it seems they saved the worst for last. I don't know if psychedelics would make this album more enjoyable quite honestly. Fav Song: Sunshine of Your Love Least Fav Song: Mother's Lament

Red Dirt Girl

Emmylou Harris

3/5

Overall: 6/10 I've never knowingly listened to an Emmylou Harris song before today and I find her to be an impressive songwriter. I find her lyrics poetic and her vocals very beautiful. I also love that this album seems to be a departure from the traditional country sound (and let's be real, any departure from country tradition is a good one). I could personally do without the religious imagery in some songs but it doesn't affect my rating at all. Fav Song: J'ai fait tout Least Fav Song: Red Dirt Girl

Stripped

Christina Aguilera

3/5

Overall: 6/10 I liked this a lot more than I expected. I already got the other Aguilera album on the list before this (does she really need 2???) and wasn't a huge fan but this one caught me off guard. There's quite a bit of variety, and I enjoyed the latin vibes. Christina has such an incredible voice and the songs on here are a great showcase for her talent. I personally wouldn't have included it in this list but compared to some of the other garbage that the listmakers added, this isn't a bad addition. Fav Song: Fighter Least Fav Song: I'm OK

It's Blitz!

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

4/5

Overall: 7/10 I mostly knew Yeah Yeah Yeahs from the songs Maps and Heads Will Roll (which is on this album) and Karen O's work on the Her soundtrack. I like the sound of this album, it has a very disco inspired feel while retaining a punk sound that I'm sure fans of their early work would appreciate. Almost every song makes me want to dance. Fav Song: Dull Life Least Fav Song: Skeletons

Cee-Lo Green... Is The Soul Machine

Cee Lo Green

2/5

Overall: 4/10 This isn't bad, but no matter how hard I try to give it a fair chance, it just ends up being background noise for the most part. I don't really like Cee-Lo's voice that much and I don't think he's a great rapper. There were definitely moments that caught my attention but they were few and far between. Fav Song: My Kind of People Least Fav Song: Scrap Metal

White Light

Gene Clark

3/5

Overall: 6/10 This was incredibly okay! Sort of country, sort of folk, sort of rock. There were moments of greatness but for the most part, it wasn't anything that usually catches my attention. Fav Song: With Tomorrow Least Fav Song: The Virgin

Doolittle

Pixies

5/5

Overall: 10/10 As I was relistening to this for the 5000th time this morning, I was thinking about how much this album has meant to me over the last 10+ years since I first heard it. It's quite possible that this album has shaped my taste in music more than any other and for that reason I'm pretty confident in saying it's a top 3 album of all time for me. It's rock music, but it's so original and creative and brings in influences from so many different sources. It sounds like it's trying it's best to be a 50's rock n roll album made by an inmate serving 25 to life. Black Francis is one of the most unhinged vocalists to ever exist. Kim Deal may not be the most technical bassist out there but her basslines are so hypnotic and engaging, and I love her backing vocals so much (big fan of The Breeders as well). The guitar work from Joey Santiago came from the dark recesses of his brain, it's really the only way to explain it. David Lovering....OH MY GOD he's the secret weapon, not too flashy but you find yourself air drumming some of his parts, not realizing how impactful it was to a song. I genuinely think every single musician on the planet should listen to this album. It reshaped my brain and made me able to enjoy a wider variety of music than anything I'd heard before it. Also, sometimes I find a song that makes me cry because of how good it is, and I'm pretty sure Hey was the first song that made me cry for that reason. Fav Song: Hey Least Fav Song: Silver

2112

Rush

5/5

Overall: 9/10 Rush is one of my all time favourite bands. This isn't their best album in my opinion, but the title track is so epic and worth listening to on it's own. The second half of the album has some bangers as well, though they almost seem like an afterthought. It's insane that the (possibly) greatest drummer of all time was in the same band as the (possibly) greatest bassist of all time, it makes it hard to focus on just one of them! Geddy's vocals also sound awesome on this album, I know his voice can turn some people off but I love it. Alex is also no slouch on the guitar, his solos are a huge highlight for me. I'm sad that I never got to see these guys live. RIP Neal Peart. Fav Song: 2112 Least Fav Song: Lessons

Murmur

R.E.M.

4/5

Overall: 8/10 I love this early version of R.E.M., it's very energetic and mysterious. After not loving Green, I kind of assumed they were one of those bands that I would only like the radii hits but this album changes my opinion on that. Pretty much every song is enjoyable. I think it all comes down to the guitars for me. I don't normally love that "jangly" sound but it's utilized to perfection here (mostly). I also love Michael Stipe's voice even if I don't understand most of his lyrics. Great album, so glad I gave it a fair shot. Fav Song: Radio Free Europe Least Fav Song: Shaking Through

Bringing It All Back Home

Bob Dylan

4/5

Overall: 8/10 I've been in a Bob Dylan type mood lately so I'm very glad to get this one. I've mostly stuck to listening to Blonde on Blonde so I don't spoil these other albums for myself before they pop up, but it turns out I already knew most of the first half of this one! I can understand why some folk purists at the time would have been mad about this album but it's kind of ridiculous now that I think about it. I don't think any artist should be forced to make one style of music for their entire career. Dylan obviously had a love for bluesier rock and roll and he transitions to that style perfectly. The folk side of this album is great as well, and this is where the lyrics really shine. If you don't enjoy his voice this album isn't going to change your mind, but give it a shot cause it's such a great album. Fav Song: Maggie's Farm Least Fav Song: It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)

Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music

Ray Charles

4/5

Overall: 7/10 Ray Charles was incredibly charismatic and I love his voice. I think I wouldn't have enjoyed this even a few months ago but doing this list has changed my perspective a lot. I enjoy these slower tempo songs and Ray brings so much personality to songs that could have dragged and gotten boring. I could even see this one growing on me. Fav Song: It Makes No Difference Now Least Fav Song: Hey, Good Lookin'

Dig Your Own Hole

The Chemical Brothers

2/5

Overall: 4/10 More likeable than most electronica I've listened to, but still so repetitive that I can't bring myself to enjoy it too much. I need variety in my music and this isn't providing enough of that. Each track features one really good beat looped over and over again. I'm glad the beats are good and danceable but, again, it's not enough. Fav Song: Setting Sun Least Fav Song: Elektrobank

Bug

Dinosaur Jr.

4/5

Overall: 8/10 My friends and I will listen to Dinosaur Jr. and see who can do the best J. Mascis impression. It's a lot of fun and has led to some serious laughing fits. This is such a great album. I can understand people not enjoying it due to the vocals and excessively distorted guitars, but the songwriting here is awesome. The songs are catchy (almost pop rock in places) and the lyrics are raw and real. I prefer some of their albums more but this is a solid addition to a list that is hit or miss. Fav Song: Yeah We Know Least Fav Song: The Post

You're Living All Over Me

Dinosaur Jr.

4/5

Overall: 8/10 I knew it was possible to get two albums in a row by the same artist but it still caught me off guard lol I have a lot of the same opinions on this album that I do with Bug. The guitar work is awesome and interesting and if you don't enjoy J. Mascis as a vocalist then you might want to avoid this one. I like it slightly more than Bug, but I also think it's less accesible, especially with the wall of distortion that starts the album. Lou Barlow also does some lead vocals on this one. Great album if you're into the noisy side of rock. Fav Song: Raisans Least Fav Song: Poledo

The Next Day

David Bowie

3/5

Overall: 6/10 I love Bowie with all my heart. When compared to the few albums that came before this one, I would call this "a good start". It's obvious with this album that he still had something up his sleeve, and he proved that with the album that came after but this one still has some kinks to work out. I'll start with saying there's some absolutely WEIRD stuff going on with this one, and this is coming from one of the weirdest mainstream artists in the history of music. I guess that's what happens on your 25th album. However, there's also a lot of great songs that almost remind me of peak Bowie (though not quite). It's all pretty rocking at the end of the day. The biggest issue for me is it's length. I think he could have cut 3 or 4 tracks out of this and it wouldn't feel so bloated. Still, this is an album worth listening to if you're a die hard fan of Bowie'a work, and it's a good listen before the absolute masterpiece of Blackstar. Fav Song: Boss of Me Least Fav Song: How Does the Grass Grow?

Gentlemen

The Afghan Whigs

3/5

Overall: 6/10 There's some really good songs on this album but most of the lyrics make me cringe. It's not often that I'm listening to music and have to replay a section of a song just to make sure they actually said what I imagined. It's a shame too cause I love the instrumentals of pretty much every track. The guitar work is especially good on songs like My Curse (with a great female vocalist) and Debonair. I'm sure I'll come back to a few of these songs but overall it's not something that I want to infect my brain with on a regular basis. Fav Song: My Curse Least Fav Song: Be Sweet

Sheet Music

10cc

4/5

Overall: 7/10 This is a very strange album, and I love how weird and creative it gets. There's so many moments of greatness, with every song being sort of a mini-suite of ideas. With that kind of songwriting, the songs obviously aren't all perfect. There were almost as many moments that weren't so enjoyable. I think with an album like this, I'm gonna give it a slightly higher rating due to the fact that there's not much like it out there. Very fun and cool for the most part. Fav Song: Somewhere in Hollywood Least Fav Song: The Worst Band in tbe World

Juju

Siouxsie And The Banshees

5/5

Overall: 10/10 I can't believe how good this is... I've always heard of this band being important to punk and gothic music while never actually hearing a single song by them. Now that I have, I wonder why their music hasn't made a bigher impact in pop culture in general. Siouxsie has the perfect voice for this brand of post punk awesomeness and the drumming is out of this world, sometimes giving the songs a tribal vibe. The guitar work is as fun as it always is in post punk and the bass holds down the low end very effectively. It's albums like this that keep me coming back to this generator. It's something I've never heard that's sure to become a staple of the next few weeks/months/years of my music journey. Fav Song: Monitor Least Fav Song: Voodoo Dolly

New Forms

Roni Size

1/5

Overall: 2/10 I really don't like this type of music. The repetitiveness is annoying and the same constant drum beat really sucks. Fav Song: Railing Least Fav Song: Heroes

Don't Stand Me Down

Dexys Midnight Runners

1/5

Overall: 1/10 This album is actually much worse than I expected. Kevin Rowland has an incredibly annoying voice, and I genuinely hate how often he just speaks over the music. Although I know there's bigger problems going on than this list, it still frustrates me that these guys have 3 albums in here. Fav Song: The Occasional Flicker Least Fav Song: This is What She's Like

Bossanova

Pixies

4/5

Overall: 7/10 There's some really great moments on this album. Is She Weird and Velouria are two of my favourite Pixies songs. However, compared to the previous two albums they made, this one feels like a mixed bag of half finished ideas for the most part. The one thing I REALLY love about it is the surf rock feel of a lot of songs. These guys tend to use that sound a lot but it's amplified on this one. Santiago is clearly the MVP of this album as his guitar work keeps even the worst songs from going off the rails. I still think it's a great album and maybe I would like it more if it was the first album I heard from them, but it's impossible for me to not compare it to their best work. Fav Song: Is She Weird? Least Fav Song: All Over the World

Black Holes and Revelations

Muse

4/5

Overall: 7/10 I went on a date with a woman I matched on with on tinder years ago who had absolutely monstrous sized breasts and she showed up to our date wearing a Muse shirt which I thought was so awesome and after the date she messaged me to tell me she didn't want to go on another date with me cause I was a huge pervert who couldn't stop staring at her boobs and I spent the next half an hour convincing her that I just really loved her Muse shirt and we ended up going on a few more dates after that cause she didn't know I was such a huge Muse fan but sadly it didn't work out. God, she had great tits. For real though, this is a pretty good album but I've listened to it so much that it kind of became background noise for me. I think they have better albums but I love the stadium rock/Queen feel that they have going for themselves. Knights of Cydonia is an incredibly epic song that I used to absolutely smash on Guitar Hero and Supermassive Black Hole could have been a Prince song honestly. Fav Song: Knights of Cydonia Least Fav Song: Hoodoo

Goo

Sonic Youth

4/5

Overall: 8/10 This was the only Sonic Youth album I listened to for a very long time because I wasn't even sure if I really enjoyed it. I've grown to have the opinion that it's great! The guitar work is so interesting on every Sonic Youth album. I love that they just don't care about doing anything within the accepted structural confines of music. I also love how effortlessly cool Kim's vocals are. I'm not so in love with Thurston's vocals on this album but he's fine. I still haven't heard every Sonic Youth album but to me, this one is probably the best to start with for anyone wanting to get into the band. The music is accesible while still retaining the weird noise rock of their earlier days. Fav Song: My Friend Goo Least Fav Song: Tunic (Song for Karen)

Live At Leeds

The Who

3/5

Overall: 6/10 I like The Who, but I didn't really love this. Live albums are so hit or miss for me already, but then half of the album is cover songs? They had 4 acclaimed albums at this point to choose from and they chose to cover Summertime Blues. I just find that kind of lame personally. Good performace from the band otherwise. Fav Song: My Generation Medley Least Fav Song: Summertime Blues

White Blood Cells

The White Stripes

4/5

Overall: 8/10 The best thing about The White Stripes is their simplicity. Jack wrote these short, rocking songs that just kick ass and leave you wanting more. The drums are so basic that they're borderline laughable (sorry, Meg). It's just a really fun album and there's not much else to say about it. Fav Song: Fell in Love with a Girl Least Fav Song: I Think I Smell a Rat

Liquid Swords

GZA

5/5

Overall: 10/10 I adore the Wu-Tang clan. I think their 90s albums are the peak of hip hop and this is my favourite of their solo albums. RZA is on the top of his game with these beats, and I love all the guest spots from other Wu-Tang members. Of course, it's GZA who reigns supreme on this one. He's such an incredible lyricist, has a great voice and the ability to adapt his flow to whatever beats come his way. He truly is a genius rapper. Fav Song: 4th Chamber Least Fav Song: Labels

Trio

Dolly Parton

4/5

Overall: 7/10 Man, I still don't really love country but it really helps having Dolly on vocals. I enjoy Linda and Emmylou's voices as well, and the three of them harmonize so beautifully together, but there's just something about Dolly's inflection that tickles my ears in the best way. The songs are twangy and kind of corny like country usually is, but it's fine here. Some of the songs are straight up bangers and some of them bore me to tears. Fav Song: Those Memories of You Least Fav Song: Telling Me Lies

Achtung Baby

U2

2/5

Overall: 4/10 Very glad to say that I don't hate this. I still don't think it's a great album but I've been talking smack about U2 since I got The Joshua Tree and it's nice to know that not everything they made is unbearably bad...just slightly not great. This album still has some elements that I hated about JT. Most of the songs are whiney (thanks Bono) and I don't really enjoy the guitar tone. U2 tend to write very droney songs most of the time that irritate me. But there's also some more upbeat songs that add some variety to this album. Mysterious Ways is my favourite U2 song that I think is genuinely really great. One is also a great jam, Ultra Violet has my favourite guitar work in any U2 song and theres a couple other songs on here that didn't piss me off. This still isn't a good album in my opinion, but it's at least listenable at times. Brian Eno's production is obviously really good and adds a lot to the songs. I'm praising it more than it deserves honestly but I'm just glad it's not horrible. Fav Song: Mysterious Ways Least Fav Song: So Cruel

Nevermind

Nirvana

5/5

Overall: 10/10 It's Nevermind. I could think about what I would want to say about this album for the rest of my life and I'll still end up regurgitating the same old shit everyone else on the planet says. It's great, poppy rock music for the masses. It's vulnerable in it's lyrics and the songs range from punky rants to pretty ballads. It changed the landscape of music forever and most bands in the rock, metal and pop scenes have been influenced by it in one way or another. That's it. End of story. RIP Kurt. Fav Song: On a Plain Least Fav Song: Smells Like Teen Spirit (Overplayed)

Elephant

The White Stripes

4/5

Overall: 8/10 I got White Blood Cells only 5 days ago so I might just compare this to that one. I like this one slightly more. The production is bigger and there's more variety in the songwriting. One problem I have is that Meg does vocals occasionally and I don't really enjoy her voice. Seven Nation Army is horribly overplayed but I still enjoy it. I also really like the slower, acoustic based songs a lot. This is peak White Stripes in my opinion. Fav Song: I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself Least Fav Song: In the Cold, Cold Night

Post Orgasmic Chill

Skunk Anansie

4/5

Overall: 8/10 I had absolutely no idea what to expect from this as I had never even heard of this group or album in passing before, so I decided to just put it on and go along for the ride. I'm so glad I did that cause I enjoyed it a lot more with the element of mystery involved. First off, the vocals are straight fire, and so much of the singer's personality comes through in the music. Second, the bassist absolutely slaps (lol). He's incredible and I found myself focusing on him a lot. The music itself ranges from heavy, in-your-face rockers to pretty, slow ballads and the vocalist handles both equally well. This is why I'm doing this challenge. I want to discover new music and this is certainly something new that has the potential to join my regular rotation. Fav Song: Least Fav Song: Good Things Don't Always Come to You

Revolver

Beatles

5/5

Overall: 10/10 There were shades of brilliance in every single Beatles album before this one, including Rubber Soul which I consider to be my favourite album they made. This one though....this is the one that changed everything. Quite possibly one of the most important albums of all time, it tows the line between pop and rock. The creativity on display here is almost unmatched, and every song is a trip. You never know what to expect (unless you've heard it a million times like I have) and every member of the band brings their A-game. I don't particularly enjoy Yellow Submarine but not enough for it to ruin the album in any way. Such a great record and one that has stood the test of time and many would argue is their best work. I'd probably put it at 4 or 5 in my Beatles ranking, but that just shows how much I love this incredible band. Fav Song: Eleanor Rigby Least Fav Song: Yellow Submarine

Ctrl

SZA

3/5

Overall: 6/10 I would have loved to give this a higher rating cause the music itself is really fun and I had a good time jamming too it. Those lyrics though....super hit or miss. I like the vulnerable nature of her lyrics. There were moments that made me think that she must have been an inspiration for Charli xcx (or maybe the other way around? I'm still new to modern pop). There were also moments where she just talks about her pussy for a loooooong time. I'm all about female empowerment and it would have been fine a couple times but it happened more often than I would have liked. Some more lyrical variety on that front would have been nice. Some great highlights and some other songs that just didn't do it for me. I'm a girlboss at heart but I have my limits as well. Fav Song: Prom Least Fav Song: Supermodel

Ten

Pearl Jam

3/5

Overall: 6/10 Honestly, I've never been a big fan of Pearl Jam. At one point in time they were the band I hated the most. I've mostly gotten over that hate, but I still don't enjoy their music. I think the biggest hurdle I need to get over to actually liking Pearl Jam is Eddie Vedder. As a person, he seems great. He seems charitable and aligns with my politics, but I can't stand his voice. To me, he sounds like he gargles glass for 20 minutes before he steps foot in the recording booth. His lyrics tend to be hit or miss for me too, with songs like Even Flow and Jeremy being beautiful poetry, but a song like Porch being kind of lame. The best thing about Pearl Jam is every other musician in the band. I couldn't name any of them if I'm being honest, but their bassist and drummer are especially good. Their guitarist(s?) is good too but I'm not a fan of their guitar tone. Overall, there's some great songs and some stuff that I enjoy, and I would definitely say it's the best Pearl Jam album I've listened to. However, this time listening to it didn't change my opinion in any way and I still don't think it's as great as everybody else seems to think it is. Fav Song: Even Flow Least Fav Song: Porch

I See A Darkness

Bonnie "Prince" Billy

3/5

Overall: 6/10 I really like the lyrics for this one. There's an underlying sadness to every single song and it's obvious that the lyricist went through a lot of tragedy to be able to write like this. I found it to be a bit of a bore instrumentally though, and the urge to skip through a couple of tracks was strong. I still think it's a good album and worth checking out though. Fav Song: Another Day Full of Dread Least Fav Song: Knockturne

Parachutes

Coldplay

1/5

Overall: 2/10 Well, I hate Coldplay. I always have and I always will. They bore me to tears and Chris Martin sucks as a vocalist and a person. This entire album went in one ear and out the other and I quite honestly forgot I was even listening to it at all. Straight up garbage, thank you Coldplay. Fav Song: Shiver didn't suck that bad Least Fav Song: Yellow

The Healer

John Lee Hooker

3/5

Overall: 6/10 I have mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, Hooker has a great voice and is an OG who understands the blues and how to implement it best. On the other hand, the album is overproduced and features too many collaborators that take away from Hooker's performance. In the end, it's worth checking out, especially if you're a newcomer to the blues like I am. Fav Song: I'm In the Mood Least Fav Song: The Healer

Face to Face

The Kinks

4/5

Overall: 7/10 Kind of a hit or miss album, but I enjoyed more than I disliked! I like the artpop feel and the vocals quite a bit. It's definitely trying to be as artsy as possible and that's okay. The one thing I don't really like is the overuse of the harpsichord. It got a little irritating after a while. Fav Song: Sunny Afternoon Least Fav Song: House in the Country

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

OutKast

4/5

Overall: 8/10 For anyone who doesn't know, this is a double album where esch half focuses on one member of the duo. The first half is Big Boi's time to shine, with the music being pure hip hop in the style of Outkast's previous work. The Big Boi half is pretty great in my opinion. It's a really solid hip hop album and I love all of the different guest spots (especially Killer Mike). Big Boi has always sort of been in Andre's shadow, but he's just as important to the success of Outkast in my opinion. If I was just rating Speakerboxxx then this would likely get a 9/10 from me. Criminally underrated. The Love Below is Andre 3000 deciding he doesn't want to be a rapper anymore, and it's more R&B/Rock/Soul oriented. Very eclectic and lots of variety. It's experimental for Outkast and it's self indulgent and overbloated with ideas. I enjoy most of what's going on and I appreciate that Andre wanted to do something different, but I enjoy Speakerboxxx more. Overall, I think this messy double album is probably in the middle of my Outkast album rankings. They have better stuff and they have worse stuff. I would never recommend it as the first Outkast album anybody listens to but it's something I think any fan of the duo would enjoy. It's interesting to see what both members bring to the table. Fav Song (Speakerboxxx): Church Least Fav Song(Speakerboxxx): Knowing Fav Song: (The Love Below): Happy Valentine's Day Least Fav Song: (The Love Below): Prototype

If I Could Only Remember My Name

David Crosby

3/5

Overall: 5/10 I was really looking forward to this one. I really like Crosby, Stills and Nash and David Crosby is obviously a big part of that love. For some reason, this album took a few songs for me to really get into it. There's nothing wrong with it at all, I just wasn't vibing with it all that much. It feels like a bunch of unfinished ideas that he decided to slap onto the same album. I'm sadly dissapointed by it. Fav Song: Traction in the Rain Least Fav Song: Music is Love

Tres Hombres

ZZ Top

4/5

Overall: 7/10 I prefer this early bluesy side of ZZ Top to their later stuff. The solos are so much fun to listen to. There really isn't much to complain about, I just had a good time with it. Fav Song: La Grange Least Fav Song: Move Me On Down the Line

The Last Of The True Believers

Nanci Griffith

2/5

Overall: 3/10 Sadly, this is the type of country music that I really don't enjoy. You have to have a truly special voice for me to like country and Nanci just doesn't have a voice that stands out enough for me. That's not to say I hated the entire thing though. There were some songs that caught me off guard. More Than a Whisper is a beautiful song with great instrumentation. If the whole album made me feel the way that song does then it would have been much better. Also, this album flys by very quickly which is a very good thing. Fav Song: More Than a Whisper Least Fav Song: The Last of the True Believers

The Atomic Mr Basie

Count Basie & His Orchestra

3/5

Overall: 6/10 The musicians here are top notch. The sounds here are huge and played with tight precision. I'm still very new to jazz but I enjoyed this. Hopefully I'll like it even more when I'm more accustomed to this style. Fav Song: Flight of the Foo Birds Least Fav: After Supper

I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight

Richard Thompson

4/5

Overall: 7/10 This was really good! As much as I enjoyed Linda's contributions, it was Richard Thompson's voice that made me enjoy this more than I would have. It has a soothing quality to it. Plus his songs were closer to folk whereas Linda's were more country. I prefer the folkier stuff. Fav Song: The Calvary Cross Least Fav Song: We Sing Hallelujah

All Mod Cons

The Jam

4/5

Overall: 8/10 I knew these guys were british exactly 22 seconds in. Such a great, fun, punky album. The instrumentation is creative and unique. I love the vocals, they fit so well with the songs they wrote. If anything, I'm just surprised I never even remotely had this on my radar. The bassist is insane. Fav Song: Mr. Clean Least Fav Song: Fly

Physical Graffiti

Led Zeppelin

4/5

Overall: 8/10 Anyone who's ever read my reviews for double albums has likely picked up on the fact that I really don't like the concept of a double album. There's only so much time in a day and I don't like having to make room for such lengthy projects. However, this is Led Zeppelin. I will make an exception. The first half of this album would probably be my favourite Zeppelin album if it was it's own thing. Songs like In My Time of Dying and Kashmir are epic and tickle my brain in ways most other artists can't. The song Houses of the Holy, named after my personal favourite Zeppelin album, is also a favourite of mine. I adore Bonham's drumming so much. The second half isn't as good sadly. It's good enough that I can still give this a high rating, but the first half is better. I still really enjoy stuff like The Wanton Song and Ten Years Gone. Those songs are rockers. This was the last truly great album from Zeppelin. They had other great moments in the end of their career together but this is their swan song (how appropriate) in my opinion. It shows how great of a band they are that this is one of my least favourite of their albums. Fav Song: In My Time of Dying Least Fav Song: Boogie with Stu

Astral Weeks

Van Morrison

2/5

Overall: 4/10 I think a lot of the instrumentation on this album is interesting and has moments of beautiful brilliance. It's Van Morrison himself that completely turns me off from enjoying this more than I do. The way he "sings" these songs isn't very melodic and feels like a stream of consciousness mess to me. The lyrics themselves are great but he's pretty much just talking over the music the entire time. I found myself getting incredibly annoyed by him at times. It's a shame, because I really wanted to like this one. Fav Song: Sweet Thing Least Fav Song: Beside You

Paranoid

Black Sabbath

5/5

Overall: 10/10 I don't even know where to begin. This album is 55 years old and it hasn't aged a single day. It's dark and doomy and may be the most important metal album of all time (or tied with Sabbath's debut). War Pigs is still the greatest metal song ever written in my opinion. It's heavy, lyrically relevant and every member of the band gives such an incredible performance. It blows me away every single time I listen to it. Every other song is amazing as well. Paranoid is pretty much punk, Planet Caravan is hypnotizing, Electric Funeral and Hand of Doom are both epic and Fairies Wear Boots is one of my favourite Ozzy performances. Tony is a riff lord, Geezer showed me how creative bassists can be and Bill is just incredibly underrated, bringing ferocity while adding bits of jazz influences. One of my favourite drummers of all time. I'll stop there because I could go on forever and still never say anything original because IT'S PARANOID. I love it so much. Fav Song: War Pigs Least Fav Song: Planet Caravan

Hypocrisy Is The Greatest Luxury

The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy

3/5

Overall: 6/10 Pretty good for the most part. I enjoy how jazzy the beats can get and the social commentary in the lyrics. A lot of the songs remind me (and most you, I'm sure) of Public Enemy, which can never be a bad thing. However, the beats can get a little boring at times and the lyrics, while I enjoy how they're used, can be a little cringey and preachy. It's easy to recommend it just for people to make their own opinions about it, but I'd say it was interesting at the most. Fav Song: Satanic Reverses Least Fav Song: Music and Politics

Harvest

Neil Young

5/5

Overall: 10/10 This album is incredible. It's easily Neil's peak, not only as a songwriter but as a vocalist. His voice sounds so good on this album, especially on songs like Old Man and The Needle and the Damage Done. I honestly can't believe how many great songs are on this one. This is my 5th Neil Young related album since I've started doing this and I've come to really appreciate how great his career was. Fav Song: Old Man Least Fav Song: A Man Needs a Maid

AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted

Ice Cube

4/5

Overall: 8/10 Cube is fun to listen to. It's still primitive hip hop in the way that he doesn't switch up his flow very often and the beats can be very repetitive, focusing on percussion. It doesn't matter though cause it's so entertaining. His lyrics are good despite being gangster stuff, which I generally don't love. There are times where he switches it up. Fav Song: A Gangsta's Fairytale Least Fav Song: You Can't Fade Me

It's A Shame About Ray

The Lemonheads

3/5

Overall: 6/10 These guys make pretty decent mid-tempo jangle rock, but that seems to be their only schtick. There's not really a bad song but nothing stood out as exceptional either. Reminded me of a less noisy Dinosaur Jr. My favourite song was the country influenced Hannah and Gabi, which was the only song to really break from the formula. Fav Song: Hannah and Gabi Least Fav Song: My Drug Buddy

Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs

Marty Robbins

5/5

Overall: 9/10 I used to play a lot of Fallout: New Vegas when I was in high school and the song Big Iron played on one of the radio stations you can listen to in that game. It was always my favourite song and years later, I found this album in a CD store and bought it as a joke just because Big Iron is on it. I ended up listening to it on the way home and fell in love with it. The best songs on this album are the ones that tell a story about outlaws. Storytelling seems to be Marty's biggest strength. I also love the harmonies. I don't listen to a lot of country but this is my favourite album from the genre that I've heard. Fav Song: Big Iron Least Fav Song: The Strawberry Roan

Sheer Heart Attack

Queen

5/5

Overall: 9/10 This is my favourite Queen album. Every song hits so hard. I love the mini suite in the first half but the two big highlights for me are Killer Queen and Stone Cold Crazy. Killer Queen is such an interesting song to me. I've never listened to the first two Queen albums but I can imagine that this was a big step up from those in terms of originality cause it's a song that still sounds so fresh today. Stone Cold Crazy is the heaviest, most metal song that Queen ever made. You can hear how it influenced speed and thrash metal. Metallica even covered it. This album rocks hard and still shows off how tender these guys could get. It's also the most complete album they ever released and I will always recommend it for newcomers to Queen. Fav Song: Stone Cold Crazy Least Fav Song: Tenement Funster (sorry, Roger)

Sulk

The Associates

1/5

Overall: 1/10 I went to read the reviews of this one to see if everyone else thought it was as garbage as I do and I'm glad to be vindicated. I'm not glad that I had to listen to this annoying crap. Fav Song: No Least Fav Song: All of them

Pet Sounds

The Beach Boys

5/5

Overall: 10/10 Way to make a guy bawl his eyes out first thing in the morning! Brian Wilson passed away yesterday, and the world is worse because of it. He was such a towering presence in the world of music. He literally sacrificed so much in his pursuit of music and it worked out best for him on this masterpiece. There are so many songs on this album that make me teary eyed. The instrumentation is so genius but it's the vocals and lyrics that get me, especially on songs like Wouldn't It Be Nice and God Only Knows. These songs have been talked about to death, and for good reason. I also love Sloop John B, which is the most "fun" song on the album. RIP Brian. Thank you so much for your contribution to all our lives. Fav Song: Wouldn't It Be Nice Least Fav Song: Let's Go Away for Awhile

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Kanye West

4/5

Overall: 8/10 Honestly, I don't really feel like listening to Kanye lately. I used to adore this man's music and now he just leaves a sour taste in my mouth. I still listened to it, and I still added songs to my playlist, but man. I just don't like nazis. It's sad too because he was so talented and this album is soooooo great. It probably would have gotten a perfect rating but, again, I don't like nazis. Fav Song: Runaway Least Fav Song: Devil in a New Dress

Freak Out!

The Mothers Of Invention

4/5

Overall: 7/10 Well, I was dreading getting to Zappa cause I've always heard how strange his music is and I've been a little weary of it. It's just as strange as I expected but I don't think I needed to be worried. I didn't do too much research so I don't know if this is considered his most accessible album or not but the weirdest thing about it was the mixing of genres. There's a lot of psychedelic rock but also some influence from groups like The Four Seasons. The lyrics are also totally out there. I actually found the weirdest songs to be the most charming and will probably be the ones I come back to the most. Overall, this is a fun time. I didn't love it like I was hoping but I also think this is an album you need to let sit with you for a while and listen to multiple times to really appreciate. Fav Song: Help, I'm a Rock Least Fav Song: It Can't Happen Here

Surf's Up

The Beach Boys

4/5

Overall: 8/10 The only reason this was on my radar at all is because of that incredibly depressing and beautiful album cover. It's so NOT Beach Boys that you can't help but be drawn to it. The music inside fits the cover surprisingly well, with this being a bit of a melancholic departure for these guys. Honestly, I'm surprised this album isn't more popular. It obviously isn't their best work but it's very artsy and shows that Brian (RIP) wasn't the only member of the band capable of making these types of artsy pop songs. I highly recommend it to any fans of The Beach Boys who want to hear something different from them. Fav Song: Take a Load Off Your Feet Least Fav Song: Student Demonstration Time

Aqualung

Jethro Tull

5/5

Overall: 9/10 First of all, I love the amount of acoustic guitar. I love the flute. I love the vocals. I love how weird this thing is. Get this flutist on top of a mountain and watch all the little children in their lederhosen dance around in a circle. I don't know if I'm gonna listen to this all the time but I loved it. I'd only heard the title track before and loved it but never felt compelled to explore their discography further. I kind of want to check out some of their other albums now cause this was so awesome. Very proggy and strange. If you aren't religious (I'm not at all) some of the lyrical content may bother you, but it was fine for me. Fav Song: Mother Goose Least Fav Song: Hymn 43

No Other

Gene Clark

4/5

Overall: 7/10 This was a bit of a surprise as I didn't really have a lot of love for the first Gene Clark album I got. While there are some similarities here, this one is more creative and artistic, with some songs being absolutely gorgeous. There's still some country based songs on here but this is definitely an album that knows how to rock hard. I'm still not a big fan of Gene's voice overall, but it doesn't ruin the experience for me. The harmonies are a big highlight for me. Fav Song: No Other Least Fav Song: True One

Savane

Ali Farka Touré

3/5

Overall: 6/10 While it's not really my thing, I really respect the artistry behind this kind of music. I'm thankful the cover goes with the music, as I imagined a man sitting on his porch in a rocking chair the entire time. Fav Song: Soya Least Fav Song: Hanana

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Elton John

5/5

Overall: 9/10 I love Elton. Whenever I'm asked about my favourite fruits I say "Apples, but Elton John is a close second." (Big compliment.) This album starts off so epically and keeps up that momentum for a majority of it's runtime. I obviously knew the hits (Bennie and the Jets, Saturday Night's Alright, the title track) but it's the deep cuts that make this album so great. They're pretty consistent in quality for the most part. I'm gonna talk about my favourite song. The title track, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, is one of the most beautiful songs I've heard in my life. It gives me chills every single time. I still remember the first time I heard it. I was in a corner store and they were playing the film "Breaking the Waves" on a TV. If you know that movie, you're probably thinking "wtf why would anyone play that in public". Anyway, there's a bit of an interlude in the movie and they played Goodbye Yellow Brick Road over it. I remember asking the cashier if they knew the song and he just looked at me like I was crazy. "If you don't know that song, I can't help you". What a dick. I went home and figured out what the song was and my life was forever changed. So thank you, random cashier who was fucked up enough to play Breaking the Waves in a public place. You're a homie. Jamaica Jerk-Off is hilariously terrible. Fav Song: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Least Fav Song: Jamaica Jerk-Off

Catch A Fire

Bob Marley & The Wailers

4/5

Overall: 8/10 It's interesting to listen to this early iteration of The Wailers. Bob Marley still dominates this album but it feels like a more cohesive unit with other contributions. The musicianship is incredible, especially the drums. I quit smoking weed in the last few months but this made me want to toke it up. Fav Song: Midnight Ravers Least Fav Song: 400 Years

Young Americans

David Bowie

3/5

Overall: 6/10 Bowie had so many different eras and personas that it's almost impossible to love everything he did. This is one that I don't particularly enjoy as much as his other works. It's his attempt at making soul music. There's moments of brilliance to be had. I like the title track and Fame always manages to make me excited. Nothing else really stands out. That's not to say any of it is bad (except his cover of Across the Universe), but they don't do much for me. Thankfully, every Bowie album I've yet to get is albums that I love so I'm looking forward to those. Fav Song: Fame Least Fav Song: Across the Universe

Let's Get Killed

David Holmes

2/5

Overall: 3/10 Not the most abysmal electronica I've heard so far but still not great. I've realized that it's not necessarily the repetitiveness of the genre I don't like (I listen to lots of punk after all), but it's that what's being repeated just isn't all that interesting to me. Something nice to dance to in a party setting but not enjoyable otherwise. Fav Song: Let's Get Killed Least Fav Song: Head Rush on Lafayette

Foo Fighters

4/5

Overall: 8/10 The most impressive thing about this album to me is that it was all written and performed by one guy. Dave Grohl has become a slightly controversial figure lately, and I totally get it, but he truly is an incredibly talented musician. Foo Fighters were actually one of the first bands I remember being my FAVOURITE band so I have a very soft spot for them despite not enjoying their music as much as I used to. They're still fun to me and this album is especially nostalgiac. The second half isn't amazing compared to the first half though. Fav Song: Alone + Easy Target Least Fav Song: Wattershed

Like A Prayer

Madonna

2/5

Overall: 4/10 Other than the title track, which is an absolute banger of a song, the best tracks here are the slow songs. They seem more vulnerable and real than anything else on here. The straight up dance songs are pretty horrendous though and I can't bring myself to enjoy the album as a whole, which is dissappointing cause I actually wanted to like this one. Fav Song: Like a Prayer Least Fav Song: Act of Contrition

Songs From The Big Chair

Tears For Fears

5/5

Overall: 9/10 Honestly I've listened to this a million times and was prepared to give it an 8/10 but man.....this thing slaps. It's just an excellent synth pop album that manages to be dancy and commercial while still featuring some almost ambient sounds in the mix. I wish the entire 80's pop scene sounded like this album. Fav Song: Head Over Heels Least Fav Song: Broken

Car Wheels On A Gravel Road

Lucinda Williams

2/5

Overall: 4/10 While there are some good moments on here, I found it pretty underwhelming overall. The big highlight is the lyrics. I think if the instrumentals were better I'd enjoy this more but I found them bland, especially the drums. Not for me. Fav Song: 2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten (what a dumb 90s name) Least Fav Song: Greenville

It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back

Public Enemy

4/5

Overall: 8/10 So 80s hip hop tends to feel very "barbaric" in a way. It's the same as any new movement really, and most 80s hip hop albums tend to be bare bones and basic. This album suffers from that slightly but it's saved by the fact that Chuck was the most gifted lyricist of his time and he actually had something to say. Top that off with Flavor Flav's hype work and baby, you got a stew going! The beats also occasionally dip into some interesting sounds that other hip hop artists weren't really producing at this time. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that this album feels like an important stepping stone in the evolution of hip hop, and that alone makes it worth listening to. Fav Song: Bring the Noise Least Fav Song: Cold Lampin' with Flavor

The Good, The Bad & The Queen

3/5

Overall: 6/10 This one wasn't really necessary to include on the list at all....even though I liked it, I'm more upset this is here than some of the albums I've hated (Joshua Tree, for example. At least that one is culturally significant for some reason). I love Damon Albarn, but it's not essential for us to listen to every single thing he does. With that being said, this is a decent little sidetrack of an album. Very mellow. Just lacking in anything super interesting. Fav Song: 80s Life Least Fav Song: The Bunting Song

Live At The Regal

B.B. King

4/5

Overall: 7/10 This is a really fun album. The blues is ironically very upbeat at times and when it comes to this album specifically, I actually enjoy the live atmosphere compared to other live albums. It adds a lot to songs I haven't heard before. B.B. King is a great singer and guitarist. Fav Song: Worry, Worry Least Fav Song: Woke Up This Mornin'

Deep Purple In Rock

Deep Purple

4/5

Overall: 8/10 This album ROCKS. Every element of the band comes together to make something that's way heavier than most of the music that was coming out today. A lot of people consider this a metal album and, while it is tame by today's standards, I can see where those people are coming from. I can hear how they may have influenced the Judas Priest/Iron Maiden types of metal. Neither of those bands had an organ player though so who's the real winner there? Fav Song: Child in Time Least Fav Song: Bloodsucker

This Nation’s Saving Grace

The Fall

4/5

Overall: 7/10 I'm having a tough time with this one. On the one hand, it's unique and there's some jams on here that I really loved. The lyrics are always pretty great and I love the guitar work. On the other hand, the songs get very strange and avant-garde at times. I love weird music but for some reason it's a bit of a turn off here. I also liked the short song Mansion that opened the album and it got me excited for what seemed like it was gonna be a goth rock album. Not at all. I don't know how to feel at all but I liked more than I disliked. I may need to listen to this one a few more times. Update: My second listen was much better, I think I mostly get what they're going for now. I still think it'll grow on me with time but for now I really like it. Fav Song: Spoilt Victorian Child Least Fav Song: What You Need

Rattlesnakes

Lloyd Cole And The Commotions

1/5

Overall: 2/10 The music is fine itself but man, those vocals and lyrics are awful. I'm reminded way too much of The Smiths (who I despise). So annoying. It just kept getting worse the longer I listened to it. Fav Song: Rattlesnakes Least Fav Song: 2cv

Signing Off

UB40

3/5

Overall: 5/10 Everything about it is fine and there's nothing that I really disliked, but I was kind of bored and it became background music pretty quickly. Reggae is hit or miss for me if discovered. Fav Song: Tyler Least Fav Song: Adella

Wish You Were Here

Pink Floyd

5/5

Overall: 10/10 Beautiful. I've always adored this album. Shine On You Crazy Diamond is an epic tribute to an old friend. Welcome to the Machine is electronic goodness. Have a Cigar is the hard rocker with probably my favourite bassline in any Pink Floyd song. Wish You Were Here is just one of the best songs ever written. This is definitely an album everyone should listen to before they die. Fav Song: Wish You Were Here Least Fav Song: Welcome to the Machine

Roxy Music

4/5

Overall: 8/10 I'm glad this was as strange as I was hoping it would be. It's crazy that this came out in 1972. I think this is one of those bands where every single member brings something special and unique to the table. I love the vocals and drums especially. Very ahead of it's time and worth checking out. Fav Song: Sea Breezes Least Fav Song: 2HB

I Am a Bird Now

Antony and the Johnsons

1/5

Overall: 1/10 I hate to say this but that is probably the single most annoying voice I've heard in my entire life. I truly couldn't stand this and I'm upset that I listened to it. Fav Song: For Today I'm a Boy Least Fav Song: Hope There's Someone

Hounds Of Love

Kate Bush

5/5

Overall: 9/10 I got really obsessed with the song Wuthering Heights a few months ago and for some reason I never dived that deep into Kate's discography. Of course, I ended up loving this album. She had such a unique sound and her vocals are otherwordly. I already knew Running Up That Hill but pretty much every track here slaps. Easily the coolest pop artist of all time. Fav Song: Cloudbusting Least Fav Song: Waking the Witch

Made In Japan

Deep Purple

3/5

Overall: 5/10 So they sound amazing. I can't deny that. Sadly, I just don't want to listen to a live album that's half noodling around. Especially when almost every single song appears on other albums in this list. I just find that incredibly annoying. Fav Song: Highway Star Least Fav Song: The Mule

The New Tango

Astor Piazzolla

4/5

Overall: 7/10 It's always interesting to me when an album like this pops up in the generator. I usually start out heavily dissapointed that it's not something I already know I'm going to enjoy, and then I end up having a good time anyway. Maybe it helps that I didn't have very high expectations. This music is so fun and strange. I can see it being the score of some romantic comedy where they're travelling through europe. The vibraphone was probably my favourite part, you don't hear that kind of instrument a lot in music. I'm glad I got to listen to this. Fav Song: Laura's Dream Least Fav Song: Little Italy

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Wilco

5/5

Overall: 9/10 This album felt like a ray of sunshine peeking through the cracks of my mind. I felt incredibly chill throughout the listening experience but I was able to pick up on some dancey, catchy bits too. The production is insane and there's a lot of sounds added that enhance the experience. Such a great album, glad it was part of this project. Fav Song: I'm the Man Who Loves You Least Fav Song: Radio Cure

Here's Little Richard

Little Richard

4/5

Overall: 8/10 I think Little Richard is my favourite of all the early rock n' roll stars. He had such a powerful voice and maybe more than anyone, he was able to show off his personality in his vocals. This album still suffers from the issue that most 50s rock does and that's the fact that the songs start to sound the same after a bit. It's not as much of an issue here as I just love this dude so much. Fav Song: Slippin' and Slidin' (Peepin' and Hidin') Least Fav Song: Ready Teddy

Kenya

Machito

4/5

Overall: 7/10 Pretty cool african (inspired?) jazz music. A lot of it reminded me of the type of music they would play in Cowboy Bebop. It's all very energetic and doesn't let up for a second. I won't be listening to it very often as it's not my favourite type of music in general but I had a really great time with it. Fav Song: Frenzy Least Fav Song: Cannonology

Sticky Fingers

The Rolling Stones

4/5

Overall: 8/10 Another pretty great album from the Stones. I think they kind of had their formula in place to the point that they could sleepwalk into writing a good song. I think what makes this album for me is the slower tracks, which I think the band is generally hit or miss with. I really love the idea of someone hearing Wild Horses on the radio and thinking "I'm gonna look up the album this is on!" only to have some bulge staring them in the face. Fav Song: Wild Horses Least Fav Song: You Gotta Move

In The Court Of The Crimson King

King Crimson

4/5

Overall: 8/10 I absolutely adore prog rock, so I obviously have a lot of love for the first fully prog album (some would argue The Moody Blues did it first with Days of Future Passed in 1967 but those people are nuts.) It opens with one of the best songs ever written, 21st Century Schizoid Man. This song blew my mind the first time I heard it and it still blows my mind years later. I Talk to the Wind isn't bad but it's a bit of a letdown after such a scorcher. Epitaph is another masterpiece. Moonchild starts off pretty good but becomes a little too minimalistic for me by the end. Finally, The Court of the Crimson King has some great harmonies and ends the album off on a high note. It's truly a great album, even if I prefer others in the King Crimson discography. Fav Song: 21st Century Schizoid Man Least Fav Song: Moonchild

One Nation Under A Groove

Funkadelic

4/5

Overall: 8/10 I love me some funk. Bootsy Collins on the bass makes this the funkiest album I've ever heard. George Clinton is also an underrated vocalist in my opinion, he gets a lot of praise for being the bandleader but his vocals are so groovy. I wish this was on spotify so I could save some of these songs to my playlist, but oh well. It's still so great. Fav Song: Who Says a Funk Band Can't Play Rock?! Least Fav Song: Promentalshitbackwashpsychosis Enema Squad (The Doo Doo Chasers)

Crazysexycool

TLC

3/5

Overall: 6/10 A pretty good pop/r&b album. I honestly just don't have much to say about it, most of the songs were pretty good but it didn't do much for me overall. Fav Song: Waterfalls Least Fav Song: Take Our Time

D.O.A. the Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle

Throbbing Gristle

1/5

Overall: 1/10 Sometimes people will discuss music and say "oh it's just a bunch of noise it's not actually music" and 99.9% of the time I argue with that statement. This is just a bunch of noise, it's not actually music. A sound collage? Sure, I'll give you that. Whatever it is, it's straight up trash. Fav Song: None of them Least Fav Song: All of them

Led Zeppelin II

Led Zeppelin

5/5

Overall: 10/10 It's hard for me to even give this a perfect rating because it deserves so much more than that. It's a classic in every single sense of the word. The songs on this album have made their way into pop culture and invaded our lives for over 50 years now and we're all better off because of it. I couldn't praise Jimmy's riffs, JPJ's low end, Bonham's incredible drumming or Plant's wailing vocals enough to give them justice. All around a perfect album. Fav Song: Ramble On Least Fav Song: What Is and What Should Never Be

The Rise & Fall

Madness

3/5

Overall: 6/10 I had pretty low expectations for this one but I was decently surprised. Still not a great album or anything but it certainly had it moments of instrumental creativity that kept it interesting. I was certainly never bored while listening to it. Fav Song: Mr. Speaker Least Fav Song: New Delhi

London Calling

The Clash

5/5

Overall: 10/10 This was one of the first albums I ever bought on CD and I only bought it cause it had 19 songs and it was on sale so it seemed like a good use of my money. Thankfully, I was right! I didn't love it as much at the time as I do now though, I think almost every song on this one rips. I love the amount of different genres that they pulled from to craft these songs. I hear influence from ska, 50s rock, surf rock, classic punk and even some pop music! The fact that it all works is a testament to how talented these guys were. They were much more than a punk band. Fav Song: Rudie Can't Fail Least Fav Song: Lover's Rock

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan

5/5

Overall: 9/10 Filled to the brim with beautiful songs about love, war, and anything else Mr. Dylan could think of. It's honestly weird listening to this now after getting into the rockier side of Dylan, but not in a bad way as I think it's way better. Dylan going electric was never a problem itself, but he did lose a bit of the intimacy that was present on albums like this. The lyrics are incredible, borderline surreal at times, and the only complaint I really have about the album is the overuse of harmonica. Fav Song: Bob Dylan's Dream Least Fav Song: Girl from North Country

Illinois

Sufjan Stevens

4/5

Overall: 8/10 Very twee and ho hum and pretty melodies and indie pop and John Wayne Gacy and zombies and great vocals and maaaaan, this is a long album. Very good though, some might not like this style but I dig it enough to give it a high rating. Fav Song: Chicago Least Fav Song: Casimir Pulaski Day

Black Sabbath

5/5

Overall: 10/10 Well, this is a big one for a lot of reasons. First of all, this is the first metal album ever. Sure, there were songs in the past that had similar vibes and elements of what would become metal, but this was the first full album that really captured this dark and doomy tone thag would go on to define metal. You couldn't ask for a perfect pairing of killer riffs, chunky low ends, the most amazing jazz inspired drumming you'll ever hear and wailing, awesome vocals. Speaking of the vocals, the reason this album came up in the generator today is because Ozzy Osbourne, that awesome vocalist, died yesterday. It's truly something a lot of us knew would happen someday, but it almost doesn't feel real. Realistically, the fact that he even made it to 76 years old is almost a miracle considering his hard lifestyle. He just always seemed like one of those celebrities that would never die. RIP Ozzman. One other thing: the drumming in The Wizard blows me away every single time I hear it and I can't believe a human being came up with it. Incredible stuff from the endlessly underrated Bill Ward. Fav Song: The Wizard Least Fav Song: Sleeping Village

Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea

PJ Harvey

5/5

Overall: 9/10 PJ Harvey is just in a world of her own. Her songs are simultaneously cool, fun and beautiful. I've actually listened to most of her discography since I got Dry in this list a while ago and I love that even though they all sound like her, they also sound very different from each other. This is one of her best and the vibes are immaculate. Fav Song: Horses in My Dreams Least Fav Song: This is Love

People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm

A Tribe Called Quest

4/5

Overall: 8/10 This feels like it must have been a big game changer in 1990. The beats feel more sophisticated than most rap that was being released at the time and the lyrics are astounding. The only thing that's really stopping me from rating this higher is the fact that I just don't know if I want to listen to it all the time compared to other music I've found. The replayability seems limited but that might change over time. For now, it's a very good album that I'm glad I listened to. Fav Song: Push It Along Least Fav Song: Pubic Enemy

At Fillmore East

The Allman Brothers Band

4/5

Overall: 7/10 I honestly didn't know much about The Allman Brothers going into this one and it ended up being bluesier than I expected! I enjoyed it for the most part, these guys obviously knew how to play their instruments and it shows. My big problem is that the live atmosphere leads to a lot of extended jam sessions, with multiple tracks around the 20 minute mark. I don't mind long songs with lots of substance but I don't consider a bunch of solos enough to justify that kind of length. Of course, that's just my personal opinion and I'm sure others will disagree. Still, it's an album worth your time. Fav Song: Stormy Monday Least Fav Song: Hot 'Lanta

GI

Germs

5/5

Overall: 9/10 Such a great hardcore punk album. Is this considered the first??? Darby Crash had the best voice for this style of music and so much personality. I also think the drumming on this album is pretty underrated. It's not the best in the world or anything but I love it. I don't normally comment on the other reviews on this site but I feel like I'm taking crazy pills reading all of these negative reviews. Y'all must just not like hardcore punk (which is fine) cause this is awesome in my eyes. Fav Song: Richie Dagger's Crime Least Fav Song: Our Way

All Directions

The Temptations

3/5

Overall: 5/10 This one honestly just wasn't my thing. The vocals are awesome, don't get me wrong. The music itself just wasn't very interesting to me and I had a hard time focusing on what was going on. I'm sure this would be someone else's greatest album of all time but to me it was just meh and I don't have much to day about it. Fav Song: The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face Least Fav Song: Run Charlie Run

Another Green World

Brian Eno

4/5

Overall: 8/10 This is a transitional album for Brian Eno as it blends poppier music with some more ambient stuff. I kind of wish there were a couple more pop songs on here but it doesn't make much of a difference to the quality of the music. It's obvious that Eno was ready to take the next step toward ambience anyway. Fav Song: The Big Ship Least Fav Song: Little Fishes

Let Love Rule

Lenny Kravitz

3/5

Overall: 6/10 Decent album but there were so many moments that I thought "I've heard this done better by other artists". Nothing against Lenny Kravitz, either. I enjoy some of his hits. Every time I think of him it's because of that video where his pants split in half but he wasn't wearing underwear so his weiner flings out and he's wearing a cock ring. Good stuff, Lenny. Better than the music on this album. Fav Song: Mr. Cab Driver Least Fav Song: Be

A Date With The Everly Brothers

The Everly Brothers

3/5

Overall: 6/10 This album is like you and your brother pouring each other a glass of milk and sitting on your porch and catcalling every girl that passes by. Pretty much every song is about how girls are made for loving. Lyrically outdated but these white boys can sing a tune and the music itself had my head bobbing along. Fav Song: Love Hurts Least Fav Song: Donna, Donna

There's No Place Like America Today

Curtis Mayfield

5/5

Overall: 9/10 This is the best soul album I've ever heard. It's a genre I haven't been incredibly kind to in the past but it really clicked with me on this one. Curtis has an incredible voice and he can hit some crazy high notes. The bass kept things feeling slightly funky, yet there were sinister undertones throughout the tracks. Really great album, check it out. Fav Song: So in Love Least Fav Song: Jesus

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx

Raekwon

4/5

Overall: 7/10 So I really love Wu-Tang and all of it's members, and this is a really solid album. For some reason, it doesn't do it for me the way that other solo Wu-Tang albums do. The beats are great, yet some of them feel a little light. The rapping is awesome (especially from Ghostface) but Raekwon has always been the weakest lyricist to me and his voice isn't as distinct as Method Man, GZA or Ol' Dirty Bastard. Overall, I do really like this album but it's hard not to compare it to other Wu-Tang albums. Weirdly negative review for an album I really enjoy. Fav Song: Guillotine (Swordz) Least Fav Song: Rainy Dayz

Home Is Where The Music Is

Hugh Masekela

4/5

Overall: 8/10 The kind of "background music" that infects your soul and dictates your entire emotional state. I certainly felt different while listening to this then I did before I started. The compositions are incredible and every musician brings their all. There were so many little moments that made me stop what I was doing to really pay extra attention and that's just impressive and awe-inspiring to me. Jazz is still a bit tough for me to enjoy all the time but this was a good day for me to have something like this pop up on the list. Not sure if I would rate it so highly on a different day, but I think it's great. Fav Song: Minawa Least Fav Song: Blues for Huey

Raw Power

The Stooges

5/5

Overall: 9/10 I got really into The Stooges a few months ago and this was the album I was finding myself coming back to the most. It's a perfect example of how the production of an album can make or break it. It's incredibly raw and dirty, and I think it works incredibly for something like this. Cleaner production would just ruin the atmosphere completely. The guitar work might be my favourite thing about this album, some great work there. Iggy also sounds great and I think his vocals improved a lot since their first album. This is true punk and anyone who argues otherwise is a lunatic. Fav Song: Raw Power Least Fav Song: Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell

Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)

The Kinks

4/5

Overall: 8/10 So artsy and fun. Lots of beautiful melodies and it quite honestly felt like a broadway musical at times. I'd say there were a couple songs that I didn't enjoy enough to bring down the rating but it was overall a great time. Very worth listening to. Fav Song: Victoria Least Fav Song: She Bought a Hat Like Princess Marina

Little Earthquakes

Tori Amos

2/5

Overall: 4/10 I'm sorry to say that this just wasn't for me. The talent is obviously there, and the one thing that really stood out to me was the piano playing. Unfortunately, I'm not only not a fan of her voice but I also don't like her lyrics. I found so much of it strange in a bad way, which is weird because I love strange artists. Maybe I'll come back to this later in life and discover what I'm missing, but right now it's not something I plan on revisiting. Fav Song: Winter Least Fav Song: Girl

Reign In Blood

Slayer

5/5

Overall: 10/10 SLAYYEEEERRRRR Imagine my delight when I opened the generator to find this pop up while wearing my Slayer shirt. Coincidence??? Yes. In my opinion, this is one of the best metal albums of all time. The riffs are heavy, the lyrics are messed up and the vocals match. There's obviously heavier albums out there but I just think this has aged so well and hasn't lost it's spark. Plus it's such a short album that you could listen to it multiple times a day, which I love. I also have to give a shoutout to Dave Lombardo. What an absolute beast behind the drumkit. He adds so much to Slayer's sound and I wish the band gave him the credit that he deserves. Fav Song: Jesus Saves Least Fav Song: Altar of Sacrifice

The Wildest!

Louis Prima

4/5

Overall: 7/10 Louis has such an instantly recognizable, infectious voice that puts you in a good mood as soon as you hear it. This is such a fun album to listen to and all the songs are very catchy. I also enjoy Keely Smith's contributions, her voice fits this music perfectly. The songs started to sound similar after a while but it didn't stop me from enjoying the album overall. Fav Song: Just a Gigolo/Ain't Got Nobody Least Fav Song: Body and Soul

Psychocandy

The Jesus And Mary Chain

3/5

Overall: 6/10 I really wanted to love this one, and I definitely enjoyed it for the most part, but it kind of droned on for me a little too much. I'm usually a fan of overly distorted guitar (bands like Dinosaur Jr. and My Bloody Valentine do it great) but I feel like with these guys it doesn't immediately wow me. The songwriting itself is actually pretty strong, with some of them being more melodic than I had expected. If someone told me this was their favourite album of all time, I'd tell them it was a great choice even if it's not for me. Fav Song: Inside Me Least Fav Song: In a Hole

Hunting High And Low

a-ha

3/5

Overall: 6/10 Painfully 80's (derogatory) but there's a lot to like here. Starting their album with one of the best songs ever written was certainly a choice, but one that leaves the listener wishing that every other aong was just as good as the first. After that, we're met with a very hit or miss album. Lots of stuff to dance to but not a lot of emotional substance. The vocals are truly out of this world though. Fav Song: Take On Me Least Fav Song: Love is Reason

Licensed To Ill

Beastie Boys

4/5

Overall: 8/10 These boys were so much fun. I would say that this album hasn't aged as well as their other albums, but it doesn't stop me from having a good time. It's an incredibly influential album and there's a lot of cool samples that keep the songs interesting. MCA was one of the coolest dudes ever and he's always been the member that I gravitate towards when listening to these guys. They made better music after this but it's still so good. Fav Song: Brass Monkey Least Fav Song: Girls

São Paulo Confessions

Suba

2/5

Overall: 4/10 I enjoyed the Brazilian flavour added to what is essentially another repetitive and mediocre electronica album. I wouldn't say I hate it necessarily but there's way too many of these types of albums in this list. It's just not a genre I enjoy. Fav Song: Segredo Least Fav Song: Whatever, who cares?

Bongo Rock

Incredible Bongo Band

3/5

Overall: 5/10 There's lots of bongos on this album. The songs are fine. Don't know what else to say, you get what you expect. Fav Song: Apache

My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts

Brian Eno

3/5

Overall: 5/10 I hate to give an album made by two one of my favourite producers and one of my favourite musicians such a low rating, but this didn't wow me the way I was really hoping it would. There's lots of cool sounds being explored here, and moments that remind me of the best parts of both artists. I just can't get behind all the chanting. Maybe one day I'll enjoy it more, and I admittedly need to listen to more of Brian Eno's solo stuff, but for now it's a pass from me. Fav Song: Moonlight in Glory

Buena Vista Social Club

3/5

Overall: 6/10 Not something I think I'll listen to again, but I had a good time with it. There's a great amount of energy in these songs and you can tell the musicians had an amazing time making this. I think I might watch the documentary one day to find a better appreciation for this. Fav Song: De Camino a la Vereda

I'm Your Man

Leonard Cohen

3/5

Overall: 6/10 I've always been vaguely aware of Leonard Cohen as an artist, but I've somehow never heard any of his songs until today. That's pretty crazy to me considering how much of a legend he was in the music scene. With that being said, I'm a little sad this was my first exposure to him, as I can already tell this isn't even close to some of his best work. The production and songwriting here is stuck right in the 80s, a decade I have a very hit or miss relationship with. The same goes for the songs on this album, which aren't entirely terrible but there's just some strange instrumental choices that I can't get behind. On top of that, while Cohen is obviously a talented vocalist and godlike lyricist, his voice is a little too dull and droney for the type of music we find here. It's still a good album overall, but I really wish I had skimmed through some of his better songs beforehand to get a better forst impression of his music. Fav Song: Take This Waltz

The Stooges

4/5

Overall: 8/10 Despite a couple droney tracks that I don't enjoy, this is a really solid effort, and I consider it to be the first true punk album. I love Iggy Pop, but he also wasn't in his most unhinged form yet. Totally worth listening to. Fav Song: I Wanna Be Your Dog

The Fat Of The Land

The Prodigy

4/5

Overall: 7/10 My first thought when this popped up was "damn, another electronica album!" I was not excited in the slightest. Then a couple tracks in, I realized how much I was actually enjoying this. It's certainly not without It's faults: it's repetitive, it has a couple annoying tracks and it's singles are way better than all the other tracks...but it's also heavy, loud and super fun to listen to. They certainly knew how to make dance music enjoyable outside of the club. I still won't listen to this a ton, as I feel overplaying it could lead to a change in opinion, but I really dig it right now. Fav Song: Breathe

The Notorious Byrd Brothers

The Byrds

3/5

Overall: 6/10 This is my first real exposure to The Byrds. The harmonies on this album are so incredibly beautiful. The best part of it by far. There's a bit of a country feel on these songs, but I'd still call it a rock album. I actually think some of the songs would have benefitted from being a bit longer, as a lot of this album feels unfinished. Fav Song: Goin' Back

Toys In The Attic

Aerosmith

4/5

Overall: 7/10 It's sleazy and gross and sexual and it's honestly kind of a good time. There's lots of fun, hard rocking riffs in this album and Steven Tyler had a killer voice. I try not to let people's personal lives affect my rating, but that isn't gonna stop me from pointing out that Steven Tyler is a disgusting human being. If you can separate the art from the artist then you'll probably enjoy this one quite a bit. Fav Song: Sweet Emotion

Two Dancers

Wild Beasts

2/5

Overall: 4/10 I would have enjoyed this a lot more if the vocals weren't so awful. Multiple people heard that falsetto before it got approved. That's infuriating. Other than that, the instrumentals are calm and pretty. I wish I liked this more but there's no getting past that voice. Fav Song: All the King's Men

Darkness on the Edge of Town

Bruce Springsteen

2/5

Overall: 3/10 I tried. I really did. I wanted to finally have it click so I could experience what everyone else seems to be enjoying, but I have to be true to myself when I say that I just don't like Bruce Springsteen's music. I find the songs schmaltzy and corny and it doesn't help that he sounds like a dying horse to me. That's not to say there aren't moments of brilliance to be found. Badlands was a good way to open the album and I also really liked the outro to Racing in the Street. But these great moments are few and far between. Hopefully after listening to more of his albums I'll change my opinion, but I'd be lying if I said that I'm not dreading getting to those albums. Fav Song: Badlands

I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You

Aretha Franklin

4/5

Overall: 8/10 Aretha has such a powerful voice, I believe she could make any song feel huge and noteworthy. There's lots of covers on here, and Aretha makes almost all of them her own. Respect is considered one of the best songs of all time for a reason, it still has such a big impact and she turned it into more of a female empowerment song than whatever it was meant to be before. Fav Song: Respect

Southern Rock Opera

Drive-By Truckers

3/5

Overall: 6/10 I think I would have liked this a bit more if it wasn't soooooo long. I don't ever want to listen to this much Skynyrd worship at once. That's my other problem, it's not very original. The concept of it is, but the music isn't. It pretty much feels like a tribute album in a way. They're obviously talented musicians and I enjoyed it for the most part but I had enough by the end of the first half. Made me want to listen to Tom Petty. Fav Song: Zip City

The Dark Side Of The Moon

Pink Floyd

5/5

Overall: 10/10 Pretty good stuff, I'd say. Still hits just as hard at 28 as it did at 13, maybe even moreso. Especially the song Time. It's always been my favourite song on the album, but when I was younger it was because of the incredible atmosphere and vocals rather than the lyrics and the way it makes me feel. I cry almost every time I listen to it now. I think I'll keep appreciating it even more as I age, as well as the other beautiful songs on this masterpiece. Fav Song: Time

Oxygène

Jean-Michel Jarre

4/5

Overall: 7/10 Very cool. Very ambient. When your dad composed the score to Lawrence of Arabia, you definitely need to prove yourself if you decide to make your own music, and I believe Jean-Michel did with this. It's mostly ambient and atmospheric but there are times when the music feels more bouncy and upbeat. I recommend it. Fav Song: Oxygène, Pt. 2

The La's

3/5

Overall: 6/10 Pretty mediocre rock that's propped up a LOT by There She Goes, which is a pretty great song. There genuinely wasn't anything else that really stood out to me but it's also hard for me to call any of it bad. I just didn't really care all that much. Fav Song: There She Goes

So

Peter Gabriel

5/5

Overall: 9/10 I JUST bought this album on vinyl a few days ago. I adore Peter Gabriel. His era as the frontman of Genesis is one of my favourite eras of any band and his solo career is pretty incredible too. This album is a slow burn for the most part, with ballads taking up most of the runtime. But then there's Sledgehammer, with one of the funkiest basslines ever written (thanks Tony Levin!) Then you have Don't Give Up with the Kate Bush guest vocals. Awe man, the more I listen to this and think about it the more I like it. I'm so glad this man gave us so much amazing music. Fav Song: Sledgehammer

Automatic For The People

R.E.M.

4/5

Overall: 8/10 This is a pretty chill album. It opens with Drive, which has to be one of the more calming R.E.M. songs. There's definitely peppier moments sprinkled throughout but this is more acoustic based than anything they had released prior. The slower stuff works really well for them. Fav Song: Man on the Moon

The Yes Album

Yes

4/5

Overall: 7/10 I got Fragile generated for me a long time ago and I must have been in a bad mood that day and wanted to take it out on Yes, cause I gave that album a 7/10 when it's easily a 9/10. I don't tend to change my ratings on this site so it'll stay that way. After listening to this album, I now know what a true 7/10 Yes album sounds like. The first thing I noticed was that the keyboard parts are less than satisfactory, and after looking it up I realized it's because Wakeman wasn't in the band yet. That's dissappointing. I do really like this album though. The vocals, drumming, and especially the bass are still all awesome. The guitar work is also a lot of fun but it's not really a big draw for me when it comes to this band. I think this album was a great stepping stone to get to the heights of Fragile and Close to the Edge. This is unrelated but Chris Squire was tall as hell. Fav Song: I've Seen All Good People

A Northern Soul

The Verve

4/5

Overall: 7/10 Honestly pretty good. I love the guitar sound on this album, it's very floaty and pleasing. The songwriting itself doesn't have a ton of variety and the vocals are kind of mediocre but the actual melodies and instrumentals work really well together. It reminds me of old Radiohead a bit. I might be giving it too much credit honestly, but I had a good time with it. Definitely shouldn't be on this list though. Fav Song: So It Goes

Songs Of Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen

5/5

Overall: 9/10 So glad to see the best of Leonard Cohen after not having the best experience with another of his albums on this list. I think his lyrics shine through the best with minimal instrumentation like this. Reminds me of Bob Dylan or Nick Drake. I think his voice sounds really great on this album as well. He doesn't have a huge range vocally but it's pleasant to listen to. I'm not afraid to listen to his other works now that I've heard this. Fav Song: So Long, Marianne

Fear and Whiskey

Mekons

1/5

Overall: 1/10 Quite possibly the most annoying album I've listened to in my entire life. The vocals are mediocre and they did a horrendous job of combining the attitude of punk with the melancholy of country. It's sad too cause I enjoy The Pogues and similar artists to them. Fav Song: Darkness and Doubt

Buenas Noches From A Lonely Room

Dwight Yoakam

2/5

Overall: 4/10 Not for me. I don't consider myself a country hater (anymore) but it's funny for me to imagine someone listening to this and going "No waaaaaaay, this is cool!" He has a nice voice but it feels formulaic to me. Fav Song: Streets of Bakersfield

Another Music In A Different Kitchen

Buzzcocks

4/5

Overall: 7/10 Pretty good album from the early stages of punk. There's a ton of energy and the album feels relatively fun and positive. The vocals are kind of hit or miss for me, but it's a great voice for this type of music. The songs can get a bit repetitive but it's punk so that's not entirely a bad thing. I'd recommend this to anyone who wants to know where a lot of their favourite bands got their sound. Fav Song: Moving Away from the Pulsebeat

At Folsom Prison

Johnny Cash

4/5

Overall: 7/10 This is my second "Cash Live at a Prison" album I've gotten. Not sure if there's more, but I absolutely adore the energy in these albums. Johnny seems at home with these types of audiences and he shows so much charisma and a bit of humour at times. It's nice to have albums like these that show off the artists personalities so well. Fav Song: Folsom Prison Blues

Dirty

Sonic Youth

4/5

Overall: 8/10 Move over, Goo. Dirty is now my favourite Sonic Youth album. It's probably their most accessible, and I admit that that is a big reason it's mt new favourite. I appreciate their experimentation, and there's still plenty of that here, but I also like to just rock out to some good tunes. I think this album is a good middle ground for that. I also love Kim's voice on this album so much. I like Thurston but it's always been Kim that was the big draw for me. She has the perfect voice for the punkier stuff. Fav Song: Shoot

The Sensual World

Kate Bush

4/5

Overall: 8/10 Kate Bush has one of the most beautiful and versatile voices I've heard in my life. Her music always makes me stop and listen no matter what, because her songs can be so beautiful or so strange that you can't help but notice it. I don't watch Stranger Things but the one thing I can say about that show is that it brought Kate's music a lot more attention and I likely would not have known who she was or showed any interest in her music if my friend's hadn't heard her in that show. Fav Song: Love and Anger

Electric Ladyland

Jimi Hendrix

4/5

Overall: 8/10 I love the weird, noodly experimentation on this one...to a point. The problem is that the album is so damn long that I have to put up with a LOT of noodling that is better taken in small doses. That's really the only big complaint I have though. There's lots of hard rockers on here to balance it out, but again, this album is just too long for me to love as much as I love the other 2 Hendrix albums. If anything, this one makes me really sad that Hendrix passed away so young. It's obvious that he would have been one of the biggest names in music who would have helped move music forward. Oh well, at least he left us with a bunch of bangers before he left us. Fav Song: Voodoo Child (Slight Return)

A Wizard, A True Star

Todd Rundgren

4/5

Overall: 8/10 This is a very strange album. I'm honestly surprised I like it as much as I do. A lot of the songs are so short that they feel unfinished, and the soundscapes here can be a bit of a turn off. However, I appreciate that this is an artist expressing themselves with complete freedom and he took that to the next level. Every track flows as one. It's very ahead of it's time, and although I'm not sure how often I'll listen to it, I think it's great. Fav Song: Sometimes I Don't Know What to Feel

The Lexicon Of Love

ABC

2/5

Overall: 4/10 I'm a little dissapointed in this one. It started off really strong with two great songs in a row, and then it just became a kind of generic, lame 80's british pop album. Way too many on this list. The bass parts were pretty great throughout though. Fav Song: Poison Arrow

Arrival

ABBA

4/5

Overall: 7/10 Before I get into it, I find it hilarious that they opened this album with "When I Kissed the Teacher". Abba are one of those groups that I can turn off my brain and just have some fun with some dumb songs. They don't blow me away with their lyricism or instrumentations but they know how to write a good tune you can dance to. There are lots of people in my life who fell in love with Abba thanks to the movie Mamma Mia, and I never really enjoyed that movie very much apart from the songs so I don't have a huge connection to them. Still, I enjoy the music and I think most people would as well. Fav Song: Money, Money, Money

25

Adele

3/5

Overall: 6/10 Although her songs don't wow me, it's obvious that Adele is incredibly talented as a vocalist and performer. There were moments on here that really showcased how powerful her voice is. Her lyrics are honestly a bit mediocre and I think that's what stops me from loving her music. Still, this is a pretty good album overall and I could see it growing on me if I cared to relisten to it, which I honestly don't. Fav Song: I Miss You

Nilsson Schmilsson

Harry Nilsson

4/5

Overall: 8/10 I love listening to a pop album that has banger after banger yet it's not afraid to get a little weird. Harry had an amazing voice that fit these songs perfectly and I found myself amazed by the production of the album. Really fun and I'd recommend. Fav Song: Coconut

The Nightfly

Donald Fagen

4/5

Overall: 8/10 I don't care how cheesy it is, I love Donald and the music he creates. It's like having an extra Steely Dan album to listen to, and I'll be honest...I LOVE STEELY DAN! WOOHOO YEAH STEELY DAN HELL YEAH WOOHOO YEAH Fav Song: Maxine

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme

Simon & Garfunkel

5/5

Overall: 9/10 I've always enjoyed Simon and Garfunkel's music but never thought I'd ever love one of their albums until now. This is a treat, honestly. The songs range from slow, beautiful ballads to straight up rockers in a way that I hadn't known them to pull off. Their harmonies are perfect and both members get their moments to shine. I might have found my next vinyl purchase with this one. Fav Song: Flowers Never Bend With the Rainfall

Five Leaves Left

Nick Drake

5/5

Overall: 9/10 Well, I'm not even a year into this journey and I've now gotten all 3 Nick Drake albums. I've fallen in love with his music over the last year and the discovery of him has been mt favourite thing about doing this project. In terms of this album, it's sort of somewhere between the sparse instrumentation of Pink Moon and the overproduction of Bryter Layter. It's noce to hear how his music was originally intended to be. There's acoustic guitars, piano and lots of strings going on here. I think it all goes perfectly with his uniquely beautiful voice. I still think Pink Moon id my favourite but this is a very close second. RIP Nick. Fav Song: The Thoughts of Mary Jane

With The Beatles

Beatles

4/5

Overall: 7/10 Potential hot take incoming: this is the worst Beatles album. There's too many covers, the originals aren't mindblowing and the making of the album isn't entirely interesting. With that being said, it's still The Beatles. There's great love songs here like All My Loving, Till There Was You and You Really Got a Hold On Me. I also really like George's first song that he wrote, Don't Bother Me. You may find yourself skipping about half of the album but there's still lots to like. Fav Song: All My Loving

Movies

Holger Czukay

3/5

Overall: 6/10 I find this more interesting than enjoyable. There's a lot going on at all times and it begs for your full attention. I really love that it's trying to do something different and weird while still being something that people can latch on to. It doesn't always work for me but I'm glad I had the chance to experience it. Fav Song: Hollywood Symphony

Is This It

The Strokes

5/5

Overall: 10/10 This one was a big one for me in my teen years. I've always loved these guys and the style they bring to their music. It's strange, but I find them kind of relaxing to listen to. Julian may be one of the coolest singers to exist. Fav Song: Soma

Chris

Christine and the Queens

2/5

Overall: 4/10 I wanted to like this a lot cause it's nice to see some queer representation, but I found it kind of boring. There's much better pop artists out there. The vocals were nice and I appreciate that there are french and english versions (the french version is better). I'm sure some people will really enjoy this but it's not for me. Fav Song: Doesn't Matter (that's the name of the song, I'm not being rude lol)

Bat Out Of Hell

Meat Loaf

5/5

Overall: 9/10 And the award for Most Misleading Album Cover goes to.... This is a crazy album. It's so over the top that its boiling over. Extravagant and wild. I always knew Meat Loaf from movies like Rocky Horror Picture Show and Tenacious D but for some reason never had any interest in listening to his music. I regret that now. So glad to have this in my life now. Fav Song: Paradise by the Dashboard Light

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Beatles

5/5

Overall: 10/10 My tastes have changed a lot since I first heard this one, but it will always remain a classic in my eyes. If people want to call it overrated, that's fine...but I'll always disagree. It's not even my favourite album by The Beatles, but it's probably their masterpiece. How did a band that essentially started out as a boy band make so many incredible albums???? It's so inconceivable to me. The concept of the album is so unimportant to how good it is either. Music just didn't sound like this before this came out. I don't even fully know what to say, I just can't believe these guys existed. Fav Song: Getting Better

Larks' Tongues In Aspic

King Crimson

3/5

Overall: 5/10 As a King Crimson fan, I have to admit that I've never really been a fan of this album. I find that there's just not enough going on for me to latch on to for a majority of the runtime. There will be these big moments of fun that are almost always immediately followed by a bunch of nonsense. I would have rather had Discipline on here to be honest. Fav Song: Easy Money

...Baby One More Time

Britney Spears

2/5

Overall: 3/10 I'm the farthest thing from a Britney hater. If something like Blackout or Circus was included in this list the I would be a very happy camper. However, this just ain't it. That's not to day I don't understand why this one was chosen, as it was obviously a big deal at the time and very influential. It's just aged so horribly and there's too many tracks that made me physically recoil. Thankfully, the title track is a banger and there were a couple other tracks that kept things interesting. I find it hilarious that almost every song has a key change. Fav Song: ...Baby One More Time

The Sun Rises In The East

Jeru The Damaja

2/5

Overall: 4/10 My rating would truly be higher if it wasn't for his lyrics cause the beats and flow are actually pretty entertaining and remind me of Wu-Tang a bit. Unfortunately, I find him to be an abysmal lyricist. I don't understand misogyny in any capacity and there's lots of it here. I just don't think he has the talent to pull it off and I found myself getting uncomfortable on multiple occasions. Fav Song: Brooklyn Took It

Beggars Banquet

The Rolling Stones

4/5

Overall: 8/10 The thing I like most about this album is the amount of acoustic guitar used in it. I find a lot of the songs very pleasant and relaxing to listen to. I wasn't incredibly aware of that side of the Stones until I started doing this challenge. With that being said though, Street Fighting Man is my favourite song cause it rocks so hard. It's the best use of Mick's voice and I'll never get sick of it. Fav Song: Street Fighting Man

Nixon

Lambchop

5/5

Overall: 9/10 Damn, what a beautiful album. An incredible mix of pop, soul and country that really shouldn't work but somehow it does. It's albums like this that keep me coming back to this list. Fav Song: What Else Could It Be?

Rid Of Me

PJ Harvey

4/5

Overall: 8/10 PJ has become one of my favourite artists lately. Her voice is just incredible and I love how she's able to paint a picture of her experiences through her lyrics. I think this album takes a bit of time to get going but the second half is perfect. Fav Song: 50ft Queenie

KIWANUKA

Michael Kiwanuka

4/5

Overall: 7/10 I enjoyed this one quite a bit! Kiwanuka has a pretty great, soulful voice and he can convey a lot of emotion in his music. There's a lot of variety in the sounds that keeps everything interesting. There was never a specific hook or song that grabbed me but the entire experience was worth a listen. Fav Song: Final Days

Swordfishtrombones

Tom Waits

4/5

Overall: 8/10 A real toughie to get into. On the one hand, I love Tom's storytelling, his gravelly voice and the weird experimentation. On the other hand, it can get a little TOO experimental and a lot of it feels sort of "stream of conciousness". I think it's a grower. I also think it's a borderline masterpiece but I won't give it a perfect rating cause it's just too tough for me to fully embrace at this point. Fav Song: 16 Shells from a 30.6

I Against I

Bad Brains

4/5

Overall: 8/10 Pretty great punk album with hints of heavy metal and reggae! I've always heard of Bad Brains, they're one of those bands that is considered legendary but a lot of people don't listen to them. That's a shame cause I thought this was pretty great and I'm gonna be checking out the rest of their discography as well. Fav Song: Re-Ignition

Dusty In Memphis

Dusty Springfield

2/5

Overall: 4/10 I'm gonna concede that this one just isn't my cup of tea. I had to listen to it twice cause I zoned out the first time and it became background noise that I was paying zero attention to. I think her voice is fine and the music is fine but I don't feel that it's something I'll ever want to listen to on a regular basis. Son of a Preacher Man is an absolute banger though. Fav Song: Son of a Preacher Man

Machine Head

Deep Purple

4/5

Overall: 8/10 This album opens with such a huge banger that the next couple of songs didn't leave much of an impression on me. With that being said, the second half is a masterpiece. The guitar work is what impresses me the most, but I also love that organ. It adds such an interesting flavour to their music. I think more hard rock bands should include organ in their music. Fav Song: Highway Star

The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn

Pink Floyd

5/5

Overall: 9/10 Hell yeah. I tend to love weird music made by absolute geniuses and this is no exception. Despite the fact that they would go on to make even better albums without Syd, it makes me wonder if they would have kept going down this strange route instead of becoming prog gods if he was capable of sticking around. It's one of my biggest personal "what if's" in music. He had a great voice and an overflowing imagination and his story overall just makes me sad. You can see on this album that he was truly gifted. Shine on, you crazy diamond. Fav Song: Bike

Fever To Tell

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

4/5

Overall: 7/10 I mean, Maps is a masterpiece. Such a gorgeous song. The rest of the album is pretty good but nothing else they wrote compares to that one song in my opinion. Everything else is kind of garage rock/punk revival, which I like. Karen has a nice voice overall and the guitar work is a lot of fun. I'd recommend this to most people. Fav Song: Maps

Dire Straits

4/5

Overall: 8/10 Weirdly enough, I actually think my favourite thing about Dire Straits is that Mark Knopfler isn't a very good vocalist. It forces him to be creative with the interplay between his voice and his guitar. This wad actually my first time hearing Dire Straits outside or Sultans of Swing and Money for Nothing, and it was pretty much what I expected. Lots of blues rock with some of the coolest guitar work you'll ever hear. The style of the music can get a bit same-y in parts but it's overall a really great album. Fav Song: Sultans of Swing

No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith (Live)

Motörhead

4/5

Overall: 8/10 I don't normally like rating live albums this highly but I'll give this one a pass for two reasons. 1. There's enough variety on here that it's not just "the album already in the list but live". 2. It sounds almost identical to the studio recordings, so it's essentially a "best of" album. Motörhead rocks, man. I love how dirty and gritty Lemmy's voice is, I love how their instruments always sound like they pulled them right out of a dumpster, I love that they don't care if one song sounds like the last one as long as people are having fun. Just a great band overall and this album captures the live energy they had. Fav Song: Overkill

Frampton Comes Alive

Peter Frampton

2/5

Overall: 3/10 Maaaaan, this is so lame. Sure, the guitar work is pretty impressive, but the songs are just so dull and forgettable. On top of that, this combines my two least favourite types of albums: double and live. The only thing keeping this out of my lowest rated albums is the guitar. Fav Song: Show Me the Way

Fly Or Die

N.E.R.D

4/5

Overall: 7/10 I never would have listened to this if I'd never decided to do this, mostly because I think of Pharrell as the "Happy" guy and I hate that song. As the first song came on though, I knew I wasn't getting that side of him with this album. Which makes sense, since he's not the only person involved in the making of this album. This is honestly more of a rock album than a hip hop album and I didn't expect that at all. There's also elements of r&b which I found interesting. Pharrell's biggest strength is easily his voice, he's an incredibly talented singer and I could never get tired of his voice (unless he's singing Happy, of course). While I didn't love it, I'm glad I got to listen to this album and I'll be checking out more of their stuff now. Fav Song: Maybe

Pretenders

3/5

Overall: 6/10 Pretty good, punky album. I like the vocals and the lyrics. Some of the songwriting was a bit underwhelming for me though. I was surprised I knew a couple of the songs, just never knew the name of them. Fav Song: Brass in Pocket

Get Rich Or Die Tryin'

50 Cent

3/5

Overall: 6/10 I never really thought 50 Cent was all that special when it comes to the rap world. There's better lyricists with better voices and the beats on this album aren't super interesting. Still, there's a lot to like about this album and it could have been a lot worse. I like all of the features and there are a few songs that make me want to dance. Fav Song: P.I.M.P.

I’ve Got a Tiger By the Tail

Buck Owens

2/5

Overall: 4/10 Not the worst thing I've ever heard. I just can't really get into Buck's voice if I'm being honest. The songs aren't really that special themselves and neither is the production of the album. That cover is also doing it no favours. Fav Song: The Band Keeps Playin' On

If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears

The Mamas & The Papas

5/5

Overall: 9/10 I seriously didn't expect to like this so much. I'm actually glad I had low-ish expectations, despite really loving the song California Dreamin'. What I didn't expect was the way this album reminded me of other 60's artists I adore (shades of The Beach Boys, The Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel). This is like Rubber Soul and Pet Sounds had a baby. Not only that, but there were moments that made me realize that these guys must have been influential on Abba and other 70s pop/disco artists. The songwriting is so good all throughout. I'll admit that the last few songs didn't wow me as much as the rest of the album but that might change as I relisten to them. It's a shame about the band's history though, truly messed up stuff right there! Fav Song: California Dreamin'

The Blueprint

JAY Z

3/5

Overall: 5/10 It's nothing special. His lyrics are lame, his flow is mediocre and so are most of the beats. Occasionally there was a song that got me hyped but they're few and far in between. Jay-Z always just seemed a little fake to me as well. Not bad, not good. Fav Song: Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)

Brothers In Arms

Dire Straits

4/5

Overall: 8/10 This album started off so incredibly strong, with some legendary bangers going back to back. Sadly, the album didn't keep up that momentum and became more of an atmospheric piece, which would have been fine if I had been expecting it. Not that the more atmospheric songs were bad or anything, I just wanted another rocker or two. As it stands, this was a bit weaker than the self titled, but it still gave me incentive to listen to more of their stuff. Fav Song: Money for Nothing (duh)

Hot Buttered Soul

Isaac Hayes

4/5

Overall: 8/10 I'm obviously not going to be the first person to mention this but I love listening to Chef sing. He was one of my favourite South Park characters and this was like having a little bit extra Chef. The songs are pretty great, lots of fun instrumentations and atmosphere. I genuinely think the intro to By the Time I Get to Phoenix almost ruins the entire album for me. It's way too long and should have been it's own track (though this was made in '69 so there was no way of knowing people would be "skipping" tracks on albums). By the time you get to the actual song, you almost feel like you're listening to an audiobook. The song itself ends up being really great too. The rest of the album was great enough that I'll forgive it. Once again, it's just nice to have more Chef. Fav Song: Walk On By

Innervisions

Stevie Wonder

5/5

Overall: 9/10 Yeah, this is awesome. Stevie has such a great voice, and he makes some incredible, funky music. He's capable of fun dance music, slower ballads, and he isn't afraid to bring up social issues either. Do we even have a modern day equivalent to Stevie Wonder? I don't believe we do. Fav Song: Living for the City

Life Thru A Lens

Robbie Williams

3/5

Overall: 5/10 It's at least better than I expected. I never saw that monkey movie about his life so I don't really know much about Robbie besides what people have told me. I guess he was in a boy band then made this album after they split and he was in some legal trouble? Again, I know nothing of the man. It sounds like he really liked the music coming out in the UK at this time cause this album sounds like everything else that was out there. Robbie has a decent (if a little nasaly) voice and some of the songs are pretty fun. Overall, it's a mediocre album that I'll likely not revisit often. Fav Song: Let Me Entertain You

The Madcap Laughs

Syd Barrett

5/5

Overall: 10/10 Honestly a perfect look into a man losing his mind. It's mostly just Syd and an acoustic guitar, showing off his beautiful voice and interesting lyrics. The choice to include some of the restarts and flubs is truly genius, in my opinion. I get incredibly sad whenever I think of Syd and what could have been, but it gives me comfort knowing that he got to share his gift with the world even for a brief moment. Fav Song: Long Gone

Sunday At The Village Vanguard

Bill Evans Trio

2/5

Overall: 4/10 I can appreciate the talent involved in making this, I just don't enjoy listening to it. Jazz is already hit or miss for me and it's even worse when it's improvisational. I try to find something to hook onto and I just can't. Fav Song: Alice in Wonderland

Kala

M.I.A.

3/5

Overall: 6/10 There were elements of this that I really loved and other parts that gave me a headache. I honestly didn't expect there to be so many elements of dance music. Lots of world music influences peaked through the cracks as well. Sadly, there were a lot of repetitive phrasing that I found pretty annoying. Paper Planes is one of the best songs of this century though. Fav Song: Paper Planes

Queen Of Denmark

John Grant

3/5

Overall: 6/10 I would have liked this a lot more if it was shorter. Besides that, the tunes themselves are very catchy and lyrically interesting. There was a lot of variety in the instrumentations, going from folksy stuff to pop. I dig it for the most part. Fav Song: Caramel

Court And Spark

Joni Mitchell

4/5

Overall: 7/10 I've been hearing about Joni Mitchell for years now but never really had the interest in seeking out her music for some reason. Now that I've listened to some of it, I think it's pretty good! She has a nice voice, there's some pleasant harmonies on this album and some pretty instrumentation as well. I sadly haven't been able to dive deep into her lyrics today but I probably will at some point. For now, this was a solid album that I can see myself relistening to in the future. Fav Song: Help Me

Lady Soul

Aretha Franklin

4/5

Overall: 7/10 Aretha is a legend. I don't think I need to tell you she has an incredible voice. The songs here were all good choices for her and I enjoyed pretty much all of them. At the same time, they all sounded a little too similar at times. Still a really good album. Fav Song: Groovin'

Da Capo

Love

5/5

Overall: 10/10 I'm blown away by the fact that this album came out in the 60s. There's a lot of genre blending here, with some folk, punk, psychedelia and even some latin influences sprinkled in for good measure. The album even closes with a goliath 18 minute track, a rare occurence in the 60s. I had such a great time listening to this and I'm glad to have a new favourite. Fav Song: ¡Que Vida!

Phrenology

The Roots

4/5

Overall: 8/10 Fun hip hop! I feel like more hip hop artists would benefit from having an actual band involved, it makes the music feel so much more dynamic. Great flow and lyrics as well. Fav Song: Water

British Steel

Judas Priest

4/5

Overall: 8/10 I love me some Judas Priest. Rob Halford has such a wide ranging voice and it blows me away every time I hear him. This album was actually one of the first ones where they started to include some softer, hard rock songs, but it still rips when it needs to. There's actually a few other Priest albums I would have included in this list over British Steel (Sad Wings of Destiny, Screaming for Vengeance, Painkiller) but those albums don't have Breaking the Law so I get it. This one rocks a lot too, despite a couple cringey songs/lyrics. Fav Song: Breaking the Law

Tellin’ Stories

The Charlatans

2/5

Overall: 4/10 Thrift store Oasis with annoying vocals. There were a couple good songs on here but it mostly sounded derivative and bland. Big pass for me. Fav Song: You're a Big Girl Now

This Is Fats Domino

Fats Domino

4/5

Overall: 7/10 Finding all the songs from this album was an absolute pain in the butt, but once I got them all in a playlist it was a breeze to listen to. Compared to other rock albums of this time, I found this album to be incredibly chill and relaxing. They were pretty much all mid tempo songs and Fats, while not having a crazy impressive voice, had a calming effect on the listener. I'd probably come back to this one if I didn't have to put so much effort into finding every track. Fav Song: Blueberry Hill

Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo

MC Solaar

3/5

Overall: 6/10 In a perfect world, the fact that I don't speak french would have no impact on my rating of this album. Unfortunately, we live in a very flawed and insane world. Lyrics are so important to rap music and I have no idea what he's saying. I'm not letting it affect the rating too much but it loses at least one point. Aside from the lyrics I don't understand, he has a really nice flow which I find pleasant to listen to. On top of that, the beats and instrumentals are pretty great, and I would have believed you if you said this came out in the early 2000s. Overall, I enjoy it more than I expected to, and maybe one day I'll learn french so I can understand the lyrics. Fav Song: Matière grasse contre matière grise

The Marshall Mathers LP

Eminem

3/5

Overall: 6/10 Eminem was huge with me and my friends in middle school, when we were all just getting into rap music. I remember finding his lyrical style hilarious and really liking his voice and flow. Maybe it's because I've been hearing these songs for my entire life, but they don't have the impact on me in my late 20s that they did in my early teens. I still find Shady to be a very talented lyricist, but he surprisingly doesn't have a lot of range. I'm still going to give this a decent rating because of nostalgia. These songs have been important to me my entire life and I don't want to punish the album for being overplayed. I will quickly talk about Stan though, which I think is Marshall's magnum opus. The concept of a crazy fan sending him letters that get increasingly unhinged is such a creative idea and I think he nailed it. I wish more of the album was like that song. Fav Song: Stan

Born In The U.S.A.

Bruce Springsteen

2/5

Overall: 3/10 My 2nd Springsteen album I've gotten so far, and it's shockingly worse than the 1st one. I just can't stand the man's voice. It's a shame because he seems like a very levelheaded and cool person, and the songs he writes wouldn't be so terrible if somebody else was singing them. I've just genuinely never heard a voice that I dislike more. I want to like it but it's just not possible. I will admit though.....Glory Days is kind of a banger and I always forget The Boss wrote it. Fav Song: Glory Days

New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84)

Simple Minds

4/5

Overall: 7/10 You may say this album hasn't aged well and I'd have no argument against that. It's very much a product of the 80s. For some reason, I enjoy this more than most of the 80s synthpop I've gotten so far. I found myself having a lot of fun with it. Fav Song: Colours Fly and Catherine Wheel

Truth And Soul

Fishbone

4/5

Overall: 8/10 This is a great ska album with heavy metal influence. I love how many genres they're able to mash up here, and the funkiest basslines known to man can be found on this album. So much fun. Fav Song: Bonin' in the Boneyard

So Much For The City

The Thrills

3/5

Overall: 6/10 The songs here are incredibly catchy and I love the harmonies. I love that the songs had a bit of a country feel at times. I don't think I'll be coming back to it very often, but I enjoyed it. Fav Song: One Horse Town

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

4/5

Overall: 7/10 I love Tom Petty's voice so much, I find it really unique in a way that I can't really pinpoint. Some of the songs on here feel fresh, despite the fact that Petty and the gang were obviously heavily influenced by groups and artists that came before them. The big problem with this album for me is that (apparently) a bunch of the songs were written and recorded in a single afternoon, and that's unfortunately pretty obvious once you know that factoid. There's quite a bit of filler for a 30 minute album. Regardless, Tom's energy saves this from being a dud, and I think it's still a solid debut. The band and Mr. Petty himself would go on to do better things. Fav Song: American Girl

Trans Europe Express

Kraftwerk

4/5

Overall: 8/10 Honestly this was such a vibe. Very hypnotic electronic music that was obviously a precursor for the 90s electronic explosion. I can see how Kraftwerk are considered so influential. I don't know why I enjoy this more than other electronic music, cause it's just as repetitive, but I thought it was great. Fav Song: Showroom Dummies

Djam Leelii

Baaba Maal

3/5

Overall: 5/10 I found this to be completely fine. The vocals were the most interesting part for me, the instrumentations felt incredibly repetitive and I found myself getting pretty bored throughout. I'll have to admit though that I'm still not too familiar with this type of music so my opinions on this may change one day. Fav Song: Salminanam

Pacific Ocean Blue

Dennis Wilson

4/5

Overall: 8/10 Oh Dennis, I didn't know you had it in you. This is a fantastic collection of rock songs and pretty ballads, with a little bit of funk in there as well! As a minor Beach Boys fan (I like maybe 4 of their albums in total), I never had much thought about Dennis. Seems he lived a very interesting but rough life. None of that really shows in this album though. It sounds like it was made by somebody optimistic and kind. Good stuff, Mr. Wilson. Fav Song: You and I

Odessa

Bee Gees

2/5

Overall: 4/10 I like the Bee Gees so I didn't expect to dislike this as much as I did. The biggest problem is that it's too long. The second problem is that it's incredibly boring. I'm not gonna diss it too much since the vocals are great and a couple of songs were interesting, but overall it's not for me. Fav Song: Suddenly

Thriller

Michael Jackson

5/5

Overall: 9/10 I don't have anything new to add to the conversation when it comes to Thriller. It's a great pop album that features many different styles and genres. Paul McCartney is in this album. You've probably heard all of these songs against your will at some point in your life. Fav Song: Billie Jean

Idlewild

Everything But The Girl

4/5

Overall: 7/10 Some may say this is boring, but I found it really interesting and relaxing. Not every song needs to get my blood pumping and sometimes you just want a beautiful voice singing chill tunes to you while you lay down. This was the perfect day for me to get an album like this. I don't think I'd want to listen to it all the time but I'll definitely be coming back to it occasionally. Fav Song: Goodbye Sunday

Shaft

Isaac Hayes

3/5

Overall: 6/10 Very funky, but I just don't like the idea of film scores being in the list. I gave a pass to Superfly mostly because I love Curtis Mayfield's voice and a majority of the songs featured his vocals, but how much is Isaac Hayes actually singing on this one? That's not to say entirely instrumental albums are bad, but I'd prefer if they weren't the soundtrack to a movie. The music itself is fine. Fav Song: Theme from Shaft

Power In Numbers

Jurassic 5

4/5

Overall: 7/10 A hip hop album that feels more old school than I expected. Other than the more modern (at the time) production, this sounds like it could have come out in the early 90s. I dig it, these guys have great voices for rap and great lyrics. Fav Song: After School Special

School's Out

Alice Cooper

4/5

Overall: 8/10 Crazy album, quite honestly. I didn't expect the musical styles to be so diverse on this thing. It would be nice if any song but the title track made it into the public consciousness because they're all infinitely more interesting to me. There's even a West Side Story reference! I'll not be underestimating Alice Cooper anymore. Fav Song: Alma Mater

16 Lovers Lane

The Go-Betweens

3/5

Overall: 5/10 One of the most "meh" albums I've heard in my entire life. I feel like I could listen to it 1001 times and I still wouldn't remember a single song or note from this thing. I almost wish it was a actually bad cause then I'd have something more interesting to say about it. Fav Song: The Devil's Eye

Homework

Daft Punk

4/5

Overall: 8/10 I love hearing the evolution of the greatest electronica group to exist. A lot of their later sound can be found here, especially in the masterpiece that is Around the World. For the most part though, it's a lot of repetitive beats. I usually hate that, but Daft Punk are so good at it that it really doesn't bother me here. I do think that Discovery or Random Access Memories are better, but this one is great too. Fav Song: Around the World

The Number Of The Beast

Iron Maiden

5/5

Overall: 10/10 Iron Maiden is truly one of the greatest band of all time (in my opinion). While their first two albums were great, this is the one where everything came together. The reason for that is the addition of the legendary vocalist Bruce Dickinson, who brought an epic voice to the music and gave Maiden the freedom to experiment and become even more epic than they had been. They even started to get borderline proggy after this album. There isn't a single skip here and I would honestly show this album to anyone who is interested in getting into metal but doesn't want to start with the super heavy stuff. Still, give me Powerslave any day. Fav Song: Run to the Hills

Arise

Sepultura

5/5

Overall: 10/10 Honestly shocked that this made it on to the list. This is the closest thing to actual good death metal that you'll find while doing this (even though it's closer to thrash metal). I love Sepultura so much, and the Max Cavalera era is the best they have to offer. This album gets pretty brutal at times, but it's also groovy and the riffs are killer. This was sadly the last time they got thrashy (during the Max era) and they became more of a groove metal band afterwards. Fav Song: Dead Embryonic Cells

Ambient 1/Music For Airports

Brian Eno

2/5

Overall: 4/10 Quite honestly put me on edge, which is (I would assume) the complete opposite effect that Brian was going for. I'm talkimg borderline panic attack levels of anxiety from listening to this. Something about it just really is not for me. There were moments of relaxation to be found (mostly at the beginning) but DAMN I don't want to feel like that again. Fav song: 1/1

Nothing's Shocking

Jane's Addiction

4/5

Overall: 8/10 This could have potentially been an all-timer if Perry Farrell wasn't such butt. He sucks as a person and a vocalist and he's easily the weakest link in a band that paved the way for a lot of alternative/grunge bands. Shoutout especially goes to Eric Avery, who's distinctive basslines constantly wow me with their versatility. Fav Song: Mountain Song

Close To You

Carpenters

3/5

Overall: 6/10 This isn't necessarily my thing, but it was pretty decent for what it was! The best drummer in the world had a beautiful voice as well. The title track is very pretty and they have an interesting cover of Help by those liverpool brats. It's also really cheesy but that didn't bother me as much as it normally would. Fav Song: (They Long to Be) Close to You

Hejira

Joni Mitchell

4/5

Overall: 8/10 I'm not afraid to admit that Jaco Pastorius playing bass on this album has skewed my rating a bit. Joni's voice is killer and all the other instrumentation is great and chill, but Jaco is on another level. Killer bassist. Joni'a biggest strength is also in her lyrics, which are great...but the vocal melodies tend to go all over the place at times. Fav Song: A Strange Boy

Fuzzy

Grant Lee Buffalo

4/5

Overall: 7/10 I really hate that album cover so I went into this with pretty low expectations. I really need to stop judging a book by it's cover! There's a country flavour to this that I expected but it's really more of an alt-rock type of album. The vocals are decent enough and I really like the lyrics. I might need to revisit this again but for now I really enjoyed it! Fav Song: The Hook

Aha Shake Heartbreak

Kings of Leon

3/5

Overall: 6/10 I have mixed feelings about this album and Kings of Leon in general. On the one hand, I listened to the first half of this album A LOT as a kid, which has given me a bit of a nostalgic reaction to it. On the other hand, reading the lyrics gave me a WTF reaction that my parents never should have let me listen to this. That's my biggest problem with the album. Lyrically, I find most of these songs really gross and weird. The music itself is really good, but the lyrics make me want to throw up. I'm still gonna give it a decent rating cause of the nostalgia factor, but the last half really drags this one down. Fav Song: King of the Rodeo

Queens of the Stone Age

4/5

Overall: 8/10 It amazes me that pretty much every single element of QotSA that we've grown to love was already there on their debut album. Of course, it makes sense considering Josh and Nick were already in Kyuss before, so it's not like they weren't experienced songwriters. There was definitely work to be done, and they would perfect this sound on their next couple albums (which should both be in this list by the way), but this is a very good debut and I come back to it often. Fav Song: You Can't Quit Me Baby

The Contino Sessions

Death In Vegas

2/5

Overall: 3/10 I listened to this twice and couldn't remember a single note afterwards. Not exactly terrible by any means but not at all engaging which made me a bit upset. Maybe I'm being too harsh but I don't have a lot of patience for albums like this being in the list. Fav Song: Aladdin's Story

Palo Congo

Sabu

1/5

Overall: 1/10 I don't enjoy listening to some people who can't keep a tune yell over some percussion. I don't see why this would be essential listening. Fav Song: El Cumbanchero

In It For The Money

Supergrass

4/5

Overall: 7/10 This one is pretty fun actually! I had the other Supergrass album (did they really need two?) pop up a while ago and wasn't blown away by it, so I was worried that this one would be a sophomore slump of sorts. Thankfully, I think it's an improvement, and I can't imagine this band gets any better than this. Not every album needs to be a masterpiece, and this is a good one for you to just vibe to. Fav Song: Going Out

Unhalfbricking

Fairport Convention

5/5

Overall: 9/10 I adore the guitar work and vocals on this album so much. It also has an almost celtic feel to it, it feels very nostalgiac and reminds me of listening to Great Big Sea with my dad as a kid. I see that Richard Thompson was in this band, and I loved the album I got with his wife a while ago. The VIP of this album has to be Sandy Denny (I hope I got that name right) on vocals, her voice is so haunting, yet soothing. Weird combo, but it works. I love the album cover as well, at first glance it makes you think this may be a boring slog but these ol' biddies fit the music very well. I'm so glad this exists. Fav Song: Who Knows Where the Time Goes?

The Man Who

Travis

2/5

Overall: 4/10 This is like if your friend Radiohead called you and said "I just had a baby with my boyfriend, Oasis!" so you go over to their house to meet the baby and you look at it and go ".....I mean, it KIND of looks like both of you, but its a bit ugly." Bland, boring and not worth your time. Fav Song: As You Are

Slipknot

4/5

Overall: 8/10 Nostalgia blast! ☝️🤓 Slipknot were one of the 3 bands (with Avenged Sevenfold and System of a Down) to really get me into metal. This album was huge during my formative years and I've listened to it probably a million ½ times. What I love about it is the pure aggression, Corey Taylor's killer vocals, and some of the best metal drumming you'll ever hear (RIP Joey Jordison). While this isn't my go to album anymore, and I think the second half is much weaker than the first, this is still a dope album and it holds a special place in my heart. Fav Song: Eyeless

Quiet Life

Japan

4/5

Overall: 7/10 At first this seemed like it was gonna be a mediocre slog, but the closer I listened the more I realized how cool and influential this album really is. This is basically 80s synth pop in a nutshell, but it came out in 79! Good stuff. Love the fretless bass, it's such a unique and cool sound. Fav Song: Alien

Kimono My House

Sparks

5/5

Overall: 10/10 Nobody on the planet sounds like Sparks, and that's rare in music. I genuinely can't even think of a singke artist who ever "stole" their sound. They are singular in their art and that's something special to me. Their lyrics are insane, and I don't think anyone else could write songs like this and be able to be taken seriously. I also thought the vocalist was female the first 5 times I ever listened to this until I watched their performances on The Midnight Special. Insanely good. Fav Song: Amateur Hour

Rejoicing In The Hands

Devendra Banhart

2/5

Overall: 3/10 I find this dude's voice incredibly annoying and it's destroying any good feelings I have about this album. To be fair, there really isn't much to like about it anyway. The guitar work is fine but doesn't really blow me away. Also, the melodies kind of get away from him at times. Fav Song: Rejoicing in the Hands

Forever Changes

Love

5/5

Overall: 10/10 "Man, what an album!" "Dude...it's just the first song." That's pretty much what happened to me when listening to this. I had gotten their previous album, Da Capo, earlier in my journey and gave that a 10/10, so I had pretty high hopes for this one. They were shattered almost immediately. I love how weird, beautiful and tender this album is. It feels incredibly medieval, and I kept picturing giant castles and peasants dancing in fields. The lyrics are so wild too. I kept going back and forth on if they are genius or nonsense, and I kind of settled on both. This is somehow a step up for these guys and I truly think they should have been mega stars. Fav Song: Live and Let Live

Eagles

3/5

Overall: 6/10 I hate the fuckin' Eagles, man. Not really, but it's impossible to listen to them without thinking about The Dude. Although, this is my first time listening to a full album instead of the three songs I always knew and had a slight fondness for. What I've learned from listening to this album is that I'm mostly indifferent to it. If this is the best they have to offer then I can understand why The Dude would loathe them so much. I like the southern feel of the album but it doesn't have the power of Lynyrd Skynyrd or the epicness of the Allman Brothers Band. The harmonies are nice but the vocals don't seem to have a lot of power overall. I'll probably add a couple of those songs to some playlists but overall it's just "okay". Fav Song: Train Leaves Here This Morning

Songs The Lord Taught Us

The Cramps

3/5

Overall: 5/10 I wouldn't say that I enjoyed this all that much beyond 2 or 3 tracks, but I think I get what they were going for here. It has a truly garage rock feel, complete with some of the shittiest production (intentional, I feel) I've ever heard. It's punk but it also feels a bit pretentious. I won't be revisiting this one but I certainly don't hate the artistic intent behind it. Just bad execution in my opinion. Fav Song: Garbageman

Armed Forces

Elvis Costello & The Attractions

5/5

Overall: 9/10 I love Elvis's goofy voice and unapologetic lyrics so much. I also love what the Attractions bring to the table, those guys are so talented. This album is poppier than his previous 2 albums and it works incredibly. Fav Song: Big Boys

Document

R.E.M.

4/5

Overall: 8/10 This might be my favourite R.E.M. album. After their stellar debut, they made a few good albums, but nothing that really stood out. Then this album comes out and they seem to have kicked things into high gear. The songs are just so catchy and poppy on this one, I can't help but love them. The rest of the world seemed to agree, as this was the album that broke them through to the mainstream. Fav Song: Disturbance at the Heron House

Porcupine

Echo And The Bunnymen

3/5

Overall: 6/10 Decent lil' thing, but entirely uninteresting to the point that I have nothing to say about it. Fav Song: The Cutter

Skylarking

XTC

4/5

Overall: 8/10 I found this album to be incredibly diverse, both in it's musical stylings and lyrical subject matter. I'm honestly shocked these guys weren't a bigger deal cause they had a lot of interesting ideas. There are shades of the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Byrds and lots of other B letter bands, but there seems to be only one XTC. Fav Song: That's Really Super, Supergirl

The Rolling Stones

2/5

Overall: 3/10 Well, we all have to start somewhere I guess. Much like the early albums of The Beatles and The Beach Boys, this first album from Rhe Rolling Stones is simple, pure rock and roll. The problem is that it lacks the charisma of The Beatles and the harmonies of The Beach Boys. Instead, you have a bunch of bland and boring covers. I could forgive the fact that it's all covers if the album at least sounded nice, but the production is terrible and Mick's vocals actually hurt my ears quite a bit. The band would obviously go on to make some amazing albums, but this first one is a hard pass for me. Fav Song: Little by Little

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

David Bowie

5/5

Overall: 10/10 Every song on this one is an absolute BANGER! Love me some Bowie and this is arguably his best work (even if I prefer Hunky Dory slightly). I don't have much to say that hasn't been said before, but I'll point out that I love how a weird thing like this became mainstream. Bowie deserves his legend status. Fav Song: Moonage Daydream

Rising Above Bedlam

Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart

3/5

Overall: 6/10 Honestly, this was super chill and I really enjoyed it. Nice music to relax to with a book and a hot chocolate. Fav Song: Erzulie

Selected Ambient Works 85-92

Aphex Twin

3/5

Overall: 6/10 This is pretty engaging stuff for just being background music. I've decided I don't like too much ambient music but there's enough going on to keep this interesting. I certainly wasn't bored listening to it. Fav Song: Xtal

Chemtrails Over The Country Club

Lana Del Rey

3/5

Overall: 6/10 This is my first time really listening to Lana. She has a nice voice, and I like her style for the most part. I find her lyrics to be incredibly cringey at times and that's truly stopping me from loving this. Also, this seems like a weird choice since this is her album I've seen discussed the least in pop culture. Fav Song: Dark But Just a Game

New Boots And Panties

Ian Dury

2/5

Overall: 4/10 Not really feeling the super heavy accent this man has when singing. On top of that, the songs just don't have enough punch for the most part. Fav Song: Blockheads

Rapture

Anita Baker

2/5

Overall: 4/10 Great voice. The music sounds like dropping a sandwich in a pile of mud. Fav Song: Sweet Love

Le Tigre

3/5

Overall: 6/10 I've loved the song Deceptacon for the past 15 years, but for some reason I never wanted to explore any more of Le Tigre's music. Possibly because it always felt like Kathleen Hanna's side project to Bikini Kill. With that being said, there's a lot of fun to be had with this album. I love punk music that makes you want to dance. I don't think all of the songs are mind blowing, but it's a good time. Fav Song: Deceptacon

Stephen Stills

4/5

Overall: 7/10 Stephen Stills was always my favourite member of CSNY. I adore his voice so much and he always seemed to not get enough credit. While I wouldn't say I love this album, I was happy to listen to Stills show off what he can do on his own. Good job. Fav Song: Old Times Good Times

The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators

The 13th Floor Elevators

3/5

Overall: 6/10 Haha that jug is so weird. It woukd have been fine as a novelty on one song but it dominates this album in the weirdest way. I've never heard anything like it. Besides that, this is a garage rock album that really isn't as psychedelic as I had hoped. The songs are pretty good though. The production is kind of ass and I don't like how this entire album sounds. I'd still recommend it, but try to get over the jug lol Fav Song: Reverberation

Violator

Depeche Mode

4/5

Overall: 8/10 Beautiful. I love how ethereal and gothic this album feels. The vocals are haunting, yet the music is danceable for the most part. These guys were totally different and unique. Fav Song: Enjoy the Silence

Under Construction

Missy Elliott

3/5

Overall: 6/10 Missy Elliott is a great lyricist with a good flow, but the real MVP for me is Timbaland and his great production. Sadly, much like a lot of Timbaland's other projects, I found it a little lackluster and not very memorable. Missy has a lot of charisma though, which makes it a fun listen. Fav Song: Work It

Music Has The Right To Children

Boards of Canada

2/5

Overall: 4/10 Ah, perfect. More background music for me to forget about as soon as it's over. The most eye opening thing I've discovered while doing this list challenge is that I can't stand lengthy repetitiveness. Fav Song: Rue the Whirl

Buffalo Springfield Again

Buffalo Springfield

4/5

Overall: 7/10 Started out incredibly strong. I love that every member is obviously involved in the writing and performing. I like the folkier stuff more than the hard rocking stuff. I do wish that Neil Young and Stephen Stills were more in the front of the band but that's what their later music is for. Fav Song: Mr. Soul

The Trinity Session

Cowboy Junkies

4/5

Overall: 8/10 It took a few songs for this to click for me, but those vocals are just so gorgeous that I started to really enjoy this. Seeing the name Cowboy Junkies gave me a certain expectation of what this album might sound like, but I was completely wrong. It's very slow and ethereal, not the type of honky tonk stuff I'm used to with country. This is the country I like. Fav Song: Dreaming My Dreams with You

O.G. Original Gangster

Ice T

4/5

Overall: 7/10 I like that Ice T basically did whatever he wanted. A lot of these songs are politically charged, but there's also a lot of humour to be found. Plus, he added a Body Count song to this one, showing off his love of rock music. I know he gets the sellout label and he can be a bit of a cornball at times, but this album shows that Ice T really did have a lot of talent. Fav Song: The Tower

Supa Dupa Fly

Missy Elliott

3/5

Overall: 5/10 I can appreciate what Missy was doing on this album while also not really enjoying it all that much. Her music just doesn't do much for me and I think it's because of Timbaland's production. I think her later albums are better. Fav Song: The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)

Green River

Creedence Clearwater Revival

5/5

Overall: 9/10 John Fogerty was really on something during '69, writing banger after banger. The covers aren't as mind blowing for me, and I prefer Bayou Country and Willy and the Poor Boys, but this album is still just do great and has an awesome atmosphere to it. Fav Song: Bad Moon Rising

In Our Heads

Hot Chip

3/5

Overall: 6/10 Nothing overly impressive, but a decent album nonetheless. I could see myself really enjoying this if it was played at a party. Is it really that noteworthy and important of an album to include here though? I don't really think so. The 2010's was actually a pretty good decade for music and this isn't the best that the decade had to offer. Fav Song: Night and Day

Electric

The Cult

3/5

Overall: 5/10 I wouldn't say this album is terrible, but it's incredibly bland and generic. There were very few moments of energetic excitement for me. It's honestly like an even blander version of late era AC/DC. The high points were pretty great though, the guitar solos are much better than the riffs. Fav Song: Love Removal Machine

Ananda Shankar

3/5

Overall: 5/10 While this wasn't amazing, I really love the sitar as an instrument and I found so much of this album to be incredibly relaxing. The covers are pretty weird, and they sadly add nothing to the originals. It's cool that Ananda tried to bring more indian music to the west, as it's pretty underrated over here. Fav Song: Metamorphosis

In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida

Iron Butterfly

3/5

Overall: 5/10 5 mediocre songs and one absolute banger of epic length. I almost want to relisten to this at a later date after taking obscene amounts of mushrooms. I was also told by a friend that Iron Butterfly were a super heavy band, but I don't agree. Even for the time, there were heavier groups than this. Fav Song: In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida

Teenager Of The Year

Frank Black

3/5

Overall: 6/10 Honestly, as a huge fan of the Pixies and the Breeders, I found this to be a bit lame? The whole album sort of feels like leftovers, and other than a few standout tracks, I didn't really feel like it was Black Francis's best work. Still, I enjoyed having more Pixies-esque music to listen to, so I can't complain too much. Fav Song: Olé Mulholland

Morrison Hotel

The Doors

4/5

Overall: 7/10 I think going back to basics worked out for these guys for the most part. I found that this album started out strong, but lost a bit of steam near the end before ending on the great Maggie M'Gill. The organ is still the best thing about The Doors. Fav Song: Peace Frog

Sound Affects

The Jam

3/5

Overall: 6/10 The music isn't bad, but they don't hide the fact that they deliberately wanted to sound like every other british artist out there, and I find that kind of lame. I actually enjoyed the other album I got from these guys so it's baffling to me that they'd make something so lame after that. The bass is still absolutely ripping throughout this thing though, and the vocals aren't bad. Fav Song: Music for the Last Couple

Safe As Milk

Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band

4/5

Overall: 8/10 I had a friend in high school who was obsessed with any music that came out in the 60s, and I specifically remember him being fond of Captain Beefheart. I heard all the horror stories from him about how insane this band was, and he made me never want to listen to them at all. I've since heard even more horror stories about how crazy Trout Mask Replica is, and seeing that it was in this list scared me a bit. This album, however, is nothing to be scared of. This is just folk rock, but a little bit silly. If anything, I could easily see this as a precursor to bands like Ween and Butthole Surfers. There's nothing especially strange on this album that would be enough to turn anybody off from it. In fact, if you can enjoy Beefheart's vocals then you're likely gonna have a great time, just as I did. His band truly sounds magical at times. His vocals actually remind me of Tom Waits at times. I'm still a little worried about Trout Mask Replica, but at least I got to hear what they sounded like before that monster was released. Fav Song: Plastic Factory

Phaedra

Tangerine Dream

3/5

Overall: 5/10 Before I look it up, I'm gonna guess that Tangerine Dream did some film scores at some point during their career. This totally fits in with the scores of Blade Runner or Dune. I'm pretty conflicted on how I feel about it if I'm being honest, I really love those film scores and the mood that they (and this) convey, but I don't enjoy them as much without the visuals. While listening to this, I just kept wishing there was a movie to watch to put all of this behind. In any case, there were moments I ended up really enjoying despite all of that, and this kind of electronic sound seems ahead of it's time. Fav Song: Mysterious Semblance at the Strand of Nightmares

BEYONCÉ

Beyoncé

3/5

Overall: 6/10 I've never been a huge fan of Beyoncé, but she's had a few big hits in the past that I really love. That didn't stop me from being a little upset when this popped up. I don't know why, but I had no interest in listening to this. It's pretty good actually. There isn't a ton of variety in the actual music, but Beyoncé has an incredible voice and she gets pretty vulnerable in the lyrics department. There's also lots of songs about how big her ass is and I get a kick out of how silly that is as a lyrical concept. Overall, it's a decent little album and gave me a little bit more respect for Beyoncé as a musician. Fav Song: Superpower

Live 1966 (The Royal Albert Hall Concert)

Bob Dylan

3/5

Overall: 6/10 This is honestly a pretty good recording for a bootleg. Dylan's voice is out of this world on this thing, and I really enjoyed hearing the stripped down versions of rock songs and vice versa. It'd probably get a higher rating from me if it wasn't a live album honestly. Fav Song: Mr. Tambourine Man

Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

Arctic Monkeys

5/5

Overall: 10/10 There's something special about this album. The band's energy oozes out of this thing. I love the guitar work, it's so much fun to listen to these riffs, and while the solos are simple, they're great. Alex Turner also has the best voice for this type of music. One of the best albums of the 2000s in my opinion. Fav Song: Fake Tales of San Francisco

Damaged

Black Flag

5/5

Overall: 9/10 Dude.....I'm so mad at myself for not listening to this sooner. First of all, this is hardcore punk, strong emphasis on HARDCORE. I love bands like Descendents, Dead Kennedys and the Germs, so this was right up my alley. Second, the vocals and lyrics of a Mr. Henry Rollins are just incredible. Sure, the lyrics can be juvenile at times, but they're raw and honest and real. You might say his vocals are just screaming, but I find them very powerful. Sure, the whole thing isn't perfect, but I think it's incredible and it's very easy for me to see why this is considered an important and influential album. Definitely something that I think everyone should hear before they die. Fav Song: Damaged II

Stand!

Sly & The Family Stone

4/5

Overall: 8/10 Man, this is funky as hell. Sly had a lot to say about the world and I'm so glad he used music to say it. His band had a lot of talented musicians and he had a good ear for funky pop music. I can't wait to explore this one further. Fav Song: Everyday People

Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge

Mudhoney

4/5

Overall: 7/10 This one just kept getting better the more I listened to it. Since I had the time, I ended up listening to it twice! I like that it reminds me of so many bands that I listened to in my formative years. It's the kind of stuff that is perfect for getting into rock music because it's catchy and simple, yet it rocks hard and has splashes of some real creativity. I loved the use of the slide guitar in Let It Slide (lol) and the harmonica in Pokin' Around. That song specifically, by the way, is SO Dinosaur Jr. that I thought the album ended and Spotify kept playing similar songs. I'm glad I finally got to hear these guys after so many years of hearing about them and the idea that they invented grunge. Fav Song: Broken Hands

Loveless

My Bloody Valentine

4/5

Overall: 8/10 Truly the dreamiest music you'll ever hear in your life. The obnoxiously distorted guitars and whispery vocals feel very ethereal and claustrophobic (that's a good thing for this type of music). I've always loved the song Only Shallow but all of my attempts to listen to this album in the past left me feeling melancholic so I avoided it for a very long time. I still feel the melancholy when I listen to it, but I think that's kind of the point. I'm not going to have this one on constant repeat but I appreciate it for what it is and I can see why others agree that it's special. Fav Song: Only Shallow

Destroy Rock & Roll

Mylo

1/5

Overall: 2/10 Oh god. Enough of this type of music, please. If it's not Daft Punk or The Prodigy then I tend not to enjoy these repetitive electronic dance albums. It's just not my thing at all. This one actually upset me a lot for some reason lol Fav Song: Drop the Pressure

Crosby, Stills & Nash

5/5

Overall: 9/10 There was something in the water in 1969. I've already had so many 5 star albums pop up from that year and it blows me away. I'm so glad these 3 found each other. The harmonies on this album are so beautiful and I love the folksier sides of these songs as well. These dudes all had their own problems but they made incredible music together. Fav Song: Suite: Judy Blue Eyes

The Bends

Radiohead

5/5

Overall: 10/10 Hey, so I'm so glad I got over my Radiohead hate a couple years ago. I never checked them out fully until after I started this project, but something clicked a while ago and I decided that they're alright. Now I'm fully on the hype train. I love the guitar work on this album, it's pretty stellar. I also, surprisingly, think Thom sounds incredible here. He's usually my least favourite element of any Radiohead song, so it's great that he doesn't ruin these songs in any way for me. This is my favourite of their albums so far, and I can't wait to hear even more. Fav Songs: Just OR Fake Plastic Trees, I can't decide

Dr. Octagonecologyst

Dr. Octagon

4/5

Overall: 8/10 This was such a cool album. A lot of the beats reminded me of the stuff RZA does with Wu-Tang. Keith's flow and lyrical prowess reminded me a lot of Andre 3000. Basically, he's reminiscent of a bunch of stuff I enjoy, and that rocks. This is also such a strange concept for an album and I have to applaud him for being so out there with it. There were times that I kind of lost the plot but then he's bring me right back in with some crazy rhyming scheme. Great stuff. Fav Song: Blue Flowers

m b v

My Bloody Valentine

4/5

Overall: 7/10 While I prefered Loveless, this was also a pretty great album. I was able to get lost in all the noise and vibe out. I found it surprisingly relaxing in a way that I didn't expect. I would've liked to be able to understand the vocals a bit more, and I found the mix was overshadowed by all the staticness of the overly distorted guitars. Overall, I'd recommend it if you've already heard MBV, but otherwise you should just check out Loveless. I'm gonna take this opportunity to point out that the choices for this list post-2010 are very strange to me and don't really seem to represent the decade very well beyond a few obvious choices. I wouldn't have included this album personally and I don't think most people would. 2013 was a great year for music and it's a shame that we have this, The Next Day and Beyoncé in favour of Random Access Memories, ...Like Clockwork or even Pure Heroine. Fav Song: New You

Group Sex

Circle Jerks

4/5

Overall: 7/10 Here's my thought process while listening to this: "Hey, this is pretty good!" "Oh, it's over..." "Hey, that was pretty good!" Fav Song: Back Against the Wall

Jagged Little Pill

Alanis Morissette

5/5

Overall: 9/10 Oh my Canadian queen, I love you so much. The songs on this album are so incredible that I barely care that the production is so incredibly dated. I can't imagine it would sound even remotely similar if it was made a decade earlier or later. I blame the drums mostly. But oh my god, those songs! The lyrics! I love me some vulnerability in my lyrics and you don't get more vulnerable than telling the world you blew Dave Coulier in a movie theater. How ironic it is that the song ironic gets irony wrong so often. One hand in my pocket, and the other one [redacted]. You la-hooooooz yaler. God, I love this album. Almost perfect. Too bad she never made another good album. Fav Song: You Oughta Know

Led Zeppelin III

Led Zeppelin

5/5

Overall: 9/10 For a long time, I couldn't get into this album. For some reason, nothing really stood out and I just saw it as the Zeppelin album that has Immigration Song. Then, one day, I was listening to some songs on shuffle and a few songs from III popped up and I actually really liked them. I ended up putting the full album on and everything clicked. I just love the atmosphere of this album. There's something about it that just feels magical compared to the other Zeppelin albums. It was obviously a stylistic change from the first two albums due to the more acoustic nature of the songs, but it works really well. It's still probably my 5th favourite Zeppelin album, but I'm glad that I finally got to a point that I could enjoy it. I usually need to be in a specific III mood, but when I'm in that mood nothing else can scratch the itch. Fav Song: Out On the Tiles

Warehouse: Songs And Stories

Hüsker Dü

3/5

Overall: 5/10 This album has a few highlights, but it's pretty forgettable. Not only is it way too long, but it's the biggest R.E.M. ripoff I've heard in my life. It made me wish I was listening to Document instead. After doing some reading, it seems like critics and fans of the band consider this a terrible introduction to the band and one of their weaker albums so.....thanks for making me listen to this I guess? Fav Song: Ice Cold Ice

The Seldom Seen Kid

Elbow

3/5

Overall: 6/10 Coldplay but not insufferable. Had moments I loved and moments I couldn't stand. Feels like it would be great music to fall asleep to. Fav Song: One Day Like This

Chicago Transit Authority

Chicago

4/5

Overall: 8/10 This was a lot jazzier than I expected! Sometimes I get bands named after U.S. cities confused so I expected this to sound similar to Boston or Kansas. Not at all. There were times that the musicians seemed to just be showing off and I wasn't a huge fan of that, but at least it wasn't constant. Will definitely be checking this out again! Fav Song: I'm a Man

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