I’m surprised at how much I enjoy this. I knew from hearing “Rehab” in high school, and various snippets over the years, what her music sounded like, but I didn’t realize how authentic it would come across in an album context. I also was surprised to learn that she wrote all her songs instead of covering old standards — I would have thought there’d be at least one or two covers on here. I realize, listening to this for the first time, that Amy Winehouse was a very unique artist, combining her lyrical and journalistic darkness and edge with a lush throwback soul and jazz sound — and yet coming across completely genuine. She sounds like she grew up studying the origins of the kind of music she makes. Admittedly, by the end of the album, my attention fades a little bit. I’d have to listen a few more times before I pick up on the lyrics and tracks that resonate most. Overall, though, I loved this first listen, added it to my library, and will likely revisit in the future.

Good album. Joni Mitchell’s voice is obviously stunning, and her songwriting and style of singing and song-making is next-level. I found myself frequently wondering “how did she come up with this instrumental bit in between verses?” or “why did she choose this kind of instrumental if the song has this many lyrics?” I do think that the album as a whole is overshadowed by “Help Me,” a masterpiece of a song, and the other songs I enjoyed, “Car on a Hill” and “Just Like This Train.” The rest of it kind of blended together. Overall though, it’s lush and beautiful, and I’m interested in checking out more of her material.

This was decent. I like the sound. I especially liked the really proggy opening track and some of the more subdued songs. By the end of the album, though, songs were starting to kind of blur together and I was getting exhausted of the sound.

The Beatles are the best band ever. Hot take, I know. But I do think they deserve the title, if nothing else, because they were such a force of evolution for rock n’ roll. This album was lovely, as pretty much any Beatles album would be. I definitely prefer their later albums, but this one had “And I Love Her” and “Can’t Buy Me Love,” and got more interesting as the album went on, which was cool. I’ll revisit it someday.

Killer opening track, killer closing track, and all kinds of good old human being rock and roll in between. Bob Dylan is one of the best ever and this is one of his best releases.

I hate to say it, but I’ve never really connected with this album, and that’s coming from someone who considers himself a Bruce Springsteen fan. I enjoy “Badlands,” “The Promised Land,” and the title track quite a lot, but the rest of the songs do very little for me.

Wow, this was a surprise, mainly because I’ve never heard of Jeru before. I was very pleased to find that the entire album was produced by DJ Premier, one of the best beatmakers of all time. Preemo’s fingerprints are all over this thing. It sounds amazing and is already gonna go onto my list of great 90’s rap records.

Totally kicked ass. I’ve only ever known “More Than a Feeling” and “Peace of Mind” and the rest of the album was almost every bit as good as those songs. This has to be one of the best rock albums of the ‘70s. It’s maybe closer to a 4.5 but it would still round up to 5.

This was great, better than I thought it was back when I was doing my R.E.M. binge earlier this spring. You can really tell it comes between Document and Out of Time; it splits the difference between those albums' sounds perfectly. It's in the upper half of R.E.M. records, I think, really good stuff.

It’s always going to be The Black Keys’ best, I think. It’s a good midway point between the authentically raw blues of their earlier career and the throwback pastiche of the later albums. The tunes are great but the production is sublime. I have to be in the mood to listen to this, but when it hits it hits.

At first I was bowled over by how ridiculously Y2K-sounding this album was. Like, the sort of "techno," as pop listeners called every electronic music genre at the time, along with futuristic production effects that I remember being really wowed by at that time, is all over this thing. If I'd listened to it closer to release I would probably rate it higher, but encountering it for the first time in 2024 does it few favors. It sounds extremely dated. Some songs really won me over though, especially in the last half, like "What It Feels Like For a Girl" and the moody and cinematic "Paradise (Not For Me)." Still, I probably won't revisit it unless I'm showing it to my wife to see her reaction.

Four songs in, this isn't really my kinda thing. It's a flavor of swinging, boogie down type of rock that doesn't usually connect with me. It's okay. I guess I can see where The Black Keys got some of their pastiche haha.

Loved this. There were many deep cuts I was unfamiliar with that I really enjoyed. I’ve already listened to it another time or two. I guess 60s folk is a preferred genre of mine! 🤷

Fine. I get swept up in some of the songs. It’s at least as good as her previous album, I think. Still not really my thing, but it’s good enough for a 3.

Dig it. Scratches the Beck itch. Doesn’t really maintain its appeal for the whole album, though.

Beautiful. All my 5s have been 60s folk artists (Blood on the Tracks is a 70s album). But you know what, they’re all excellent. This one might be my favorite, it’s soooo good. Pretty and calm, with obviously stunning lyricism.

Can’t say I’m a huge fan of Elvis, his ‘thing’ has never really been for me. That being said, I appreciate classic stuff. He’s a monumental figure. This album breezes by. I can’t be too mad about it.

I’ve always struggled to get into Blur, despite loving Gorillaz. Ostensibly I should enjoy Bowie-worshipping pop-rock, but very few BritPop bands or albums have ever impressed me. Every now and then a song will jump out at me, and maybe if I dug into the lyrics of this I would enjoy it more. But for now I can only report that it sounds fine, and is doing nothing for me.

Awesome. I'm really happy to find out about the existence of this band. It's like Pink Floyd veered into jazz fusion instead of prog rock. I'm gonna need to give this another few listens before I know how I really feel about it, but by the end of the first listen I was mightily impressed.

Not bad, not amazing. I really loved two or three songs. And I was pretty blown away by Johnny Marr’s guitar playing. Having avoided listening to The Smiths for a long time, I thought it was funny that they sounded almost exactly like I expected. But I didn’t expect to realize just how many of today’s artists are influenced by them. Jangle rock kings, maybe? I gotta learn more.

What a mood, what an interesting mood. Blues but wonky.

I mean, this is the classic metal sound. It’s hard not to enjoy this, it’s an easy 4 if not a 5 right out of the gate. The first thing I noticed was the bass. The bass lines on this album are godly. But focus on the guitars, or the drums, or the vocals instead, and you’ll be just as impressed. I love the metal ballad “Children of the Damned.” Obviously, the best song on here is the title track, but “The Prisoner” is a good second place. I do think that the album begins to wear out its welcome by the last two tracks — perhaps “Children of the Damned” would have worked better as track 6 or 7. The flagging quality toward the end makes it a 4 instead of a 5. I think this album is the reason Jack Black has the vocal abilities he does. Like, I think he grew up trying to imitate Bruce Dickinson.

I don’t think I can say why I’ve enjoyed this album so much more than Blur’s Modern Life is Rubbish, when on the surface they sound so similar. Both that album and this one I could accurately accuse of sounding like Bowie imitators. They both trade in 70s rock and glam aesthetics and they’re both made by scrappy Brits with the attitude intact. I guess I can identify a confidence that Super Furry Animals has that Blur seems to lack, that allows them to make weirder or slower songs like “Long Gone.” This kind of confidence Damon Albarn was able to achieve with Gorillaz. I don’t know why I’m talking about Blur so much. I guess I just expected to dislike this album just as much as that one, but instead, I’ve quite enjoyed it.

Album rules. I’ve had this one in my library for a while, and I’ve adored The Cars for years, so it’s likely this will get a 4 or 5. It really strikes me as one of the best pop-rock/power-pop albums ever made. It just has some great tunes, a wonderfully dry and crispy production, and extremely charming performances. How do you top the first three tunes? “Good Times Roll,” “My Best Friend’s Girl,” “Just What I Needed.” I mean, wow. But the vibe continues through the whole thing. “I’m In Touch With Your World” is silly and fun. “You’re All I’ve Got Tonight” is almost on par with the initial trio of bangers. “Moving In Stereo” is a moody vibe, and its seamless transition to “All Mixed Up” is killer. Honestly, it’s a lot like the Boston album…it sets up a high bar of quality and maintains it all the way through. It’s the execution that pushes it to 5 territory.

General impression: generic but well-executed thrash/speed metal Detailed review: It just gives off a very typical metalhead vibe. Unshaven, ragged and faded black t-shirt, long hair, a little beefy a little flabby, gravel-voiced, shouting about the darkness and Satan and rebelliousness. Nothing surprising or artsy. Deeper thoughts (context): The Number of the Beast came out this same year. Sorry to this band, but this just doesn’t compare. I guess Iron Maiden has a more polished sound, and these guys are more gritty, which some people probably prefer.

General impression: Rocks, but unmemorably Detailed review: This is an enjoyable listen. I’ve always been charmed by Foo Fighters. Dude loves to rock hard but knows how to keep it in the catchy, pop-oriented space better than most rockers. It’s hard not to enjoy the riffs, the drum beats, and the scrappy production all over this album. The problem is that none of the songs really stick in the mind. It’s a little bit faceless because of that. Still, it sounds great and makes me wanna head-bang. Deeper thoughts (context): Are there other Foo albums on this list? I’m mainly confused why this came up before some of the more popular albums with their real hits. We’ll see. I’d personally pick two or three other Foo albums before this one. Score: 3.2 (3 for this list) Number of albums left to review: 974 Number of albums from the list I’d consider “must-listens”: 15 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 12 (including this one)

General impression: another British self-styled iconoclastic rocker, but one who might be the real deal Detailed review: This album is pretty cool. It’s got a deeply committed rock n’ roll vibe. It feels pretty comfortably at home in each of the types of song it trades in. Lyrically, nothing has stuck out to me, other than the charmingness of “Pristeen.” Overall, it doesn’t sound that different or revolutionary. I’m probably less likely to return to it than the Super Furry Animals debut. But I still will keep it in my library and return to it at some point. Deeper thoughts (context): Was all British music of the ‘90s just a course correction from the ‘80s back to ‘70s style? Soooo much British music I’ve come across on this list just sounds like it’s trying desperately to hold on to ‘70s rock conventions, as if that era held all the possible “true” ideals of rock. Whatever. Score: 3.4 (3 for this list. It almost got to 4 level.) Number of albums left to review: 973 Number of albums from the list I’d consider “must-listens”: 15 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 13 (including this one)

General impression: beautiful and culturally specific Detailed review: This is one of those albums that I think is different to different people. By that I mean, it’s so direct and specific in its elucidation of the Black experience that I’m sure it feels much more relatable and deep for Black folks to listen to it than it is for me. And it’s very deep and beautiful and relatable in its own way for me! “Cranes in the Sky” is one of the most 5/5 songs to ever 5/5. It’s literally perfect and is one of the most impactful songs I’ve ever heard. It changed me, to be honest. I love it for very personal reasons. But the rest of the album, while gorgeous and impeccably produced, doesn’t reach that same level of universality. Still, it’s a defining piece of art and is definitely a must-listen. Deeper thoughts (context): “Cranes in the Sky” would be on my top 100 songs of all time. That’s all. Score: 4.3 (4 for this list) Number of albums left to review: 972 Number of albums from the list I’d consider “must-listens”: 16 (including this one) Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 13

General impression: one of my favorites from a decade ago, holds up amazingly Detailed review: I knew I loved this album, but I haven’t revisited it a whole lot since the year it came out for some reason, and going back to it, I was right to love it. Wow, it’s an incredible heartland indie-rock album, one of the best ever made, I think. Almost every song hits, and the best ones, like “An Ocean in Between the Waves” and “Under the Pressure” and “Disappearing” (at least half the tracklist honestly) are totally stunning in sound, production, performance, and songwriting. The words are deeply felt and sung. The guitar solos are the bleeding heart of the album. Everything feels true and right. Deeper thoughts (context): Hasn’t been topped by anything in the genre to come out since. Score: 4.9 (5 for this list) Number of albums left to review: 971 Number of albums from the list I’d consider “must-listens”: 17 (including this one) Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 13

General impression: awesome, obviously Detailed review: Going into this, I predicted I’d give it a 4. Listening to it, I’m going back and forth between 4 and 5. Obviously it’s a masterpiece, and it’s one of the albums I have a decent amount of familiarity with going in. I’ve definitely listened to the whole thing at least 5 or 6 times and several tracks many more times, but it’s been many years since my last “Sonic Youth phase” and it’s really nice to go back to them. It’s funny, after listening to a lot of Thurston Moore solo albums (and being largely bored by them), I feel differently about the band lineup. Kim is the spiritual leader, but Ranaldo is I think my favorite. I don’t know what guitar parts are his, but I love his vocals and lyrics. Anyway, this album is incredible and a lot of that is the perfection of the production capturing the raucous, chaotic Sonic Youth sound in a studio context. I am still not sure if this is my favorite SY album…I’m very partial to Goo and Dirty, not to mention later albums like Murray St. and Sonic Nurse. But I cannot deny that this album deserves its reputation as Sonic Youth’s defining piece of work. Deeper thoughts (context): Despite the influence this album has clearly had on future generations of rock artists, I still don’t think anyone’s captured the same magic since them. Score: 4.6 (5 for this list) Number of albums left to review: 970 Number of albums from the list I’d consider “must-listens”: 18 (including this one) Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 13