More British pop/rock! This list is loaded with it. It's fine for the most part, but if we're really talking about albums we must hear before we die, I don't think these late 90's, early 2000's British groups are what are meant to hear. There are a ton of better options. Oh well, on we go. This is a group I've never heard of before, and I have to say, I was mildly impressed with their album here. It's not outstanding, drop-dead, MUST listen to, but it's pleasant enough. A lot of weird, force fed commercial-like, "we need to sound trippy!" tracks on it. I don't get it, that was played out in the 90's, dudes. 3/5

SLAYER!!!! This is the penultimate Slayer album. Rick Rubin is a genius producer and made Slayer sound like they were playing in a studio and not in a garage like they did on Hell Awaits. Raining Blood is the best song on this, but don't miss Angel of Death and Jesus Saves. 5/5 because SLAYER!!!! and this album was and may be one of the best metal albums of all time.

Both of my parents were big folk music lovers, so I've heard this album many, many times growing up. As an adult, hearing it for this project just made my day. Excellent work here. Paul Simon writes the words about emotions that I have but can't put to words.

Ugh, stop sending me these horrible experimental krautrock albums! I hated this as much as that Holger guy. 1/5

Nope. Not even close. I think the author of this list is realllllly biased to mediocre British Pop/Rock/<insert whatever genre here>. Boring, nothing interesting here. 1/5

Outstanding album, lots of energy and great riffs.

Perennial classic Led Zeppelin. Moved away from the heavy blues-influenced songs and went for more classic rock with blues-inspired riffs. Contains the masterpiece, "Stairway to Heaven", but the real bangers on this album are 4 Sticks, Going to California, and Misty Mountain Hop. Not a bad song on this album.

I absolutely love Joni Mitchell and her work. I was raised hearing her early work and fell in love with it. I basically made it up to "Court and Spark" and was introduced to this album just recently. This album continues where 1974's masterpiece, "Court and Spark" left off and gives us the jazz-rock sound that was such a departure from her earlier work. Overall, I love this album and can't understand how it was panned when it was first released, but it makes sense because Court and Spark was a masterpiece and a sequel to a masterpiece always falls short. This one has it's highlights too and can be considered an equal. Highlights: "In France They Kiss on Main Street": The only single from this album that gained any popularity, and for good reason. It features Jeff "Skunk" Baxter on guitar who did a lot of work with Steely Dan, The Doobie Brothers and lots of other L.A.-based musicians. Victor Feldman on electric piano (read Rhodes), who also contributed a lot to the Yacht Rock scene of Los Angeles later in the decade. James Taylor, Graham Nash, and David Crosby all provide backing vocals to this song which is catchy and gets you right into the mood. It reminds me a lot of "A Free Man in Paris" and could be considered a sequel to that song although the lyrics have nothing to do with Paris or France. Heh. "Don't Interrupt The Sorrow" - Kinda funky, groovy and I love the guitar work on this one. Lyrics refer to a woman standing up to male dominance, which is just awesome. "Shades of Scarlett Conquering" - I wonder if Taylor Swift has heard this. It's very woman empowering and standing up for women's rights. Great tune. "Harry's House ⁄ Centerpiece" - Really good song, probably the best on this album. Love the bridge to classic jazz moving into the Centerpiece part of this song.

A must listen for any rap/hip-hop enthusiast. This is definitely east coast rap, not as funky as west coast. But still, this is an important album and very well done.

Classic country album, by the master of the "Bakersfield Sound". I was originally going to list what songs I liked those most, but after listening to the entire album, there really isn't a bad song on this one! Check it out if you want to hear some great classic country and western music. Don't miss/skip these tracks: Let The Sad Times Roll On Streets of Laredo A Maiden's Prayer 3.5/5 if I could, so I'll go for the higher of the 2 and rate it a 4. :-)

Full Disclaimer: I know this album is very influential for other prog rock groups to come, but to be quite honest, this album is just a bit beyond my level of prog rock enjoyment. It goes way too wacky in too many spots. It's a bit chaotic to start with 21st Century Schizoid Man, lots of noise and random bits of instruments thrown in there. I Talk To The Wind is a lot more mellow with a very nice flute solo to end out the song. I fell asleep listening to Epitaph and Moonchild. The last track, The Court of the Crimson King, is a nice wrap-up for this album. Again, not my favorite stuff here, but I appreciate the influential nature of it. 2.25/5, so I'm rounding down to 2.

Have heard of this group before because of the song "Maps", but really never listened to any of their full albums, this is my first full listen. This has a real garage band sound but so much guitar fuzz and awesome lyrics makes it approachable and I enjoyed it a lot. The song "No No No" goes a bit spacey and annoyed me. "Modern Romance" is a cool song but I had to give it a 1 star because they did the stupid "air of silence" to get to "Poor Song" which sucks. Songs I dig: Date With the Night Tick Black Tongue Maps (best on the album) Yeah! New York After doing the math in Apple Music, I came up with a 2.75/5 rating, so I'm rounding up to 3. Good album!

I really enjoyed this album. Not very long but filled with beautiful soul. Otis nails it perfectly. I really liked it, and recommend it to anyone who wants to experience a perfect soul and blues album. 3/5

I have never heard of this group, so this was a pleasant surprise for me. I liked this album a lot. Reminds me a bit of The Smiths, but less depressing. Songs I like the most: Rattlesnakes Forest Fire Four Flights Up Patience 3/5.

I'm a huge Fishbone fan. This album is probably their best as an overall work although their other albums have great tunes on it. This one covers the entire range of music that Fishbone embodies. Funk, Ska, Punk, Rock. They are extremely talented musicians and it shows in all of the songs on here. Top listens: Bonin' In The Boneyard Question of Life One Day Ma and Pa Freddie's Dead (great cover)

Was a bit of a rough listen for me. Sounds a lot like a mixture of classic country with Irish folk/bar music. Not as innovative as My Morning Jacket, just blah songs one after another. I did enjoy "Birds and Ships" though. 2.33/5 according to my album rating on iTunes, so I'm going with a 2.

A masterpiece of soul. The standard for which every soul singer should set for themselves. This is outstanding. 5/5.

I grew up listening to this album, and grew to love it more and more as time has gone on. Highlight songs: Sail Away Burn On 4/5

I really enjoy this album. Much different than their 90's work, but still heartfelt and emotion in the lyrics. Highlight songs: These Early Days I Always Was Your Girl Oxford Street Blue Moon Rose 4/5

Classic California folk rock album. John Phillips is a brilliant songwriter and it shows on this entire piece of work. Song Highlights: Monday, Monday Got A Feelin' Go Where You Wanna Go California Dreamin' Spanish Harlem 4.5/5 which turns into a 5.

Fun story about this album for me. When it first came out, and MTV couldn't stop playing Smells Like Teen Spirit over and over, I disliked it. As I got older, I started to respect the album more and more. Now, I absolutely understand that is one of the best rock albums of all time. Generation defining work here. Check out the bass line on Come As You Are and tell me it doesn't sound like Killing Joke's song "Eighties". Interesting! Great album all throughout. 5/5

Definitely one of her best albums. Goes away from the sugar pop music she had from her early releases and definitely hits more to home and she opens up a lot about herself. I enjoyed it, but it's nothing to write home about. Beautiful is a great song, along with Dirrty, and I liked Loving Me 4 Me too. 2/5

Not much that I like on this album. Lots of sitar music and it's like Donovan is on the cusp of the hippie psychedelic scene, but he's Scottish. 1.5/5 = 2 stars.

This is a very British folk album and I like it. Great drinking songs on here, even though I don't drink. ;-) Highlights: Come All Ye Matty Groves Farewell, Farewell Medley∶ The Lark in the Morning ⁄ Rakish Paddy ⁄ Foxhunter's Jig ⁄ Toss the Feathers 4/5

When this album came out, I was worried that Radiohead would fall into the infamous sophmore slump that many bands do on their second album. Their debut was excellent, so I went into this album a bit weary. Turns out, this is a great album, far better than Pablo Honey in my opinion and set that stage for their best album, OK Computer a couple years later. Highlight songs: (Nice Dream) My Iron Lung Fake Plastic Trees 5/5

Raw power hardcore punk music. Rollins is angry and he shows it through every song. My favorites: Six Pack TV Party Thirsty and Miserable Room 13 Must-listen if you say you like punk music. 5/5

I can thank the GTA series of video games to introducing me to Heaven 17. Penthouse and Pavement was in GTA Vice City Stories and I immediately enjoyed it. I went out and bought this album on CD not long after it and fell in love with it. It's by far their best album and completely envelopes the entire New Wave Synth-Pop song with some very funky bass playing thrown on top of it. Bonus points: The lead singer looks like an adult Draco Malfoy in the video for the title track. lol Must listen to songs: (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang Penthouse and Pavement Soul Warfare (check out the awesome bass solo in this one!) Let's All Make a Bomb Essential New Wave album. Rating 4/5. Not a 5 because a few of the songs are boring and I skip them even after trying to make it through them a few times. (I'm looking at you Song With No Name.)

More pub drinking tunes from the Fairport Convention folks. It's got a few nice songs, but mostly it's meant for drunks in a pub. 3/5

This album really changed how Ministry would sound going forward. Gone were the new wave synth and vocals. In comes a chain smoking Al Jougerson and heavy drum loops, samples and angry guitar riffs. This is my favorite Ministry album and it's not even close. Song Highlights: Just One Fix Jesus Built My Hot Rod Psalm 69 Grace 5/5

So if you've never heard any songs by Cocteau Twins, this album is a good introduction, but it can be quite jarring at first listen because it's a bit disjointed in areas. The genre can be described as Dream Pop, just a bit wispy and floaty with the music and singing. Speaking of lyrics, a lot of them are just thrown together with no real reason or meaning and they're often hard to understand. Overall, the album is OK, but it's not something I would listen to every day. 2/5 Song Highlights: Lorelei Pandora (For Cindy) Aloysius Cicely

Did not like this at all. Boring songs, can barely hear lyrics, just random feedback on the guitar. Just crap. 1/5

Good rock album for the most part. The songs sound a bit the same as I got further into the album. Hard driving drums, guitar and feedback vocals. Nothing really hit home as a masterpiece or outstanding track on the album. On the whole, it's fine, but just not my cup of tea I guess. 2/5 Highlight songs: Soma Someday

Throwback hip hop and soul with a message that everyone should hear. I love this album so much. Must listen songs: Zealots The Beast Killing Me Softly No Woman, No Cry 4/5

This album gets really going with "Sacrifice" and gets better and better from there. Great songs to check out: Sacrifice Break You Off Quills (nice sample of Swing Out Sister's Breakout)

This should be mandatory listening to anyone younger than 30 for what real music should sound like. Perfect album all the way through. Can't Miss Songs: Five Years Starman Ziggy Stardust Suffragette City

You can't say you like reggae music and not have heard this album and rank it in the top 10 reggae albums of all time. Must listen: Concrete Jungle Slave Driver Stir It Up 5/5

Definitely have heard of The Yardbirds, but really never listened to any of their work. I've definitely heard of Jeff Beck who's guitar work on this album is outstanding. The blues influence is felt throughout mixed in with typical 60's British Pop. Great album, I enjoyed it a lot. 4/5

I must have been sheltered growing up, because I've never heard of Fred Neil until today when this album popped up on my listen for the day. I had no expectations going into this, but overall I'm liking this. Definitely folk music, but with some funky psychedelic guitar work. Very neat. I had no idea Fred Neil wrote Everybody's Talkin', I love the Nilsson version, this one is excellent too. Best song on this album by far. I rated a lot of songs 2 and 3 stars because of how I listen to music, but overall I understand the importance of this album and I believe it should be heard by more people. 4/5

Definitely not my cup of tea. I appreciate the free-form electronic music here, but I can't get behind any of it. It's all over the place. 1/5

Ugh, stop sending me these horrible experimental krautrock albums! I hated this as much as that Holger guy. 1/5

Poppy bouncy Brit Rock. Not as good as The Smiths, but fun to listen to. 3/5

Reminds me a bit of Sonic Youth, with a bit of Foo Fighters. Nothing really stands out, but it's good overall.

Solid album, nothing standing out too much on it. Got kind of bored in the second half of it as all the songs started to sound the same. Not sure why this is an album I must hear before I die, I think I would've been fine never hearing it before. *shrug* 2/5

This is the one album that everyone should hear before they die.

Jurassic 5 came into my hemisphere in the late 90's with their first EP. It was full of quirky samples and songs, but nothing really cohesive. Power In Numbers is when they put it all together and delivered a great album. Again, loaded with samples and old school rap references, but now with a more powerful message. Great stuff here, don't miss out. 4/5

I've heard Bitter Sweet Symphony way too many times to really enjoy it anymore. I do think it's a good song, but I'm still quite burned out on it. I was interested to hear the rest of this album. Overall, I really liked this album and was going in expecting to hear a knockoff of Oasis or Radiohead and other 90's Britpop acts, but these guys are distinctly different. They remind me a lot of Echo and the Bunnymen in parts, and even older acts like The Beatles and Rolling Stones. 4/5

This is by far Echo's best album, although personally I like Porcupine on the whole better. This one has everything going for it, just amazing songwriting, and I pretty much love every song on it. Pinnacle of their career and never made an album close to this. 4.5/5 which rounds up to a 5.

When this album came out, I disliked it immediately. Mainly due to the fact that Enter Sandman was being played NON-STOP on every medium available to assault my ears. Granted, it's a good song, but overexposure caused me to really dislike this whole album. I was big into Metallica and especially thought their Cliff Burton works (Kill 'Em All, Ride the Lightning, Matser of Puppets) were brilliant and probably their best work. I did like And Justice for All a lot as well, and thought it was their most polished piece of work, and they finally got attention from MTV with their video for the song "One". When the Black Album came out, it was non stop hype. I bought the CD the first day it was available and listened to it all. I was impressed with a couple of tunes, but overall I hated it compared to their older works. Over time, I've listened to this album more and more and have grown to appreciate all of it. It's not their best, nor is it ground breaking in anything other than putting a heavy metal band in the mainstream media's eyes. Can't Miss Tracks: Sad But True Wherever I May Roam Of Wolf and Man Nothing Else Matters 3.25/5 which translates to a 3/5 on this scale.

I get a lot of Crosby, Stills and Nash off this album. The opening track, Southern Point is really good. Overall, it's a good album, but I highly doubt it's one everyone needs to hear before they die. 2/5

This is a big departure from other Byrds releases and it was a bit jarring to hear at first, but overall, it's a very good country and western album. 3/5

Not gonna lie, the sitar versions of Jumpin' Jack Flash were a bit odd, but on a re-listen, I actually dug it a bit. The sitar being used as a vocal fill-in is a bit jarring but it works in this case. Overall, this isn't my jam, but I appreciate it. 1/5

Got about halfway through this album and realized I didn't like a single song yet. I skipped ahead and listened to about a minute of each song, and nothing was great or amazing. Sorry, this is not an album I must before I die. It's not great. 1/5

Just to make sure, I listened to the 10th Anniversary Edition as opposed to the original release in 1989, which did not include the radio mix of Back to Life. The original release just has the a cappella version which is kind of boring compared to the radio mix. This album really gets you up and grooving, with a downtempo groove and smooth beats. Good stuff here. 3/5

I've heard Black Keys songs on and off for quite a while now, but this was the first time I've sat and listened to an entire album. This one is pretty good. Fuzzy blues guitar, feedback vocals, with a throwback to the 70's Blues sound of Zeppelin in parts. Overall, a good album and I would recommend it. 3.5/5 which translates to a 4/5 on this scale.

I've heard of the group and Iggy Pop of course, but never took a deep dive into their albums. I recognized I Wanna Be Your Dog and it's kind of cool, sounds a bit like a Rolling Stones ripoff, but somewhat different. I had to skip We Will Fall, it was boring as hell and really had nothing going on. Just incoherent rambling and chanting. Ugh, the rest of this album is just boring and lacks anything interesting. I could have died and not heard this album and been just fine. 2/5.

I had never heard of this group before this 1001 album project and I'm sure glad they came up. I'm a huge fan of the Stones' Sticky Fingers which came out a month after this album and it's like you could merge both and have a perfect double album. This is really good. I liked most of the tracks on this album, but don't miss out on City Lights and Yesterday's Numbers, and the title track. Just solid rock and roll blues here. 4/5

Pretty awesome album. Tons of samples used by later rap groups from World's Famous Supreme Team. Pretty groundbreaking for 1983. Love the African music that Paul Simon came along and made super famous with "Graceland". Must hear tracks: Double Dutch Punk It Up Jive My Baby 3.5/5 which translates to a 4/5.

I really like this album. I'm a big Kinks fan, seeing how much they influenced later music and rock music in general. So underrated for their contributions. 4/5

Interesting album. I've heard a bunch of Replacements tunes over the years. My first introduction to them was off of the Say Anything soundtrack with their song "Within Your Reach", which was really good. This album came out after that song, and after listening to it, it definitely has it high points and some low points. Mainly, I didn't really get into any single song and say that's a masterpiece. Overall, it's decent with some interesting guitar work. I dunno, something about this sounds like they're trying to be a punk band, but just lack the rage or creativity to get there. Maybe punk-light? Good songs to check out: We're Coming Out Black Diamond Sixteen Blue 2/5

I've always written Slipknot as some poser NuMetal band that wasn't worth my time back when they first came out. Wow, I have really matured with my music appreciation. This album is rock solid, and kicks ass! Reminds me a lot of Pantera at parts, with some heart and emotion (Snuff, Sulfur). Overall, I enjoyed this album a lot. 4/5

Ahh yes, OMD before they became "mainstream" in the US. This is really one of their best albums. No, it didn't produce the major hits like their latter works did, but overall, this is album was so influential to other synth-pop groups that would come later in the 80's. Sounds a bit like Depeche Mode and The Cure, mixed with New Order with more pop-friendly vocals. However, their sound is very unique. 3.75/5 which translates to a 4/5 on this scale.

The curator of this list REALLY music like Folk Rock, because a ton of these albums I've listened to are folk rock-related or 60's group finding their country rock roots or vibes. Whatever, I'm OK with it as long as it's enjoyable to listen to. Let's see how this one is... Starts out with a banger, Darkness, Darkness which grows in tempo and power as it goes on. Love the guitar work on it. And I knew it wouldn't take long, an instrumental on the third song in. It's decent, but runs a bit long. Same old pattern with these 60's folk rock groups. On and on... OK, I've made it through and I thought it was a decent album. Pretty solid and definitely doesn't sound like it came out in 1969, maybe more like a 70's folk act. I enjoyed the guitar work on this a lot. 2.75/5 stars which is a 3/5 on this scale.

Oh great, more krautrock. I'm not sure why the curator of this list thought that everyone needs to hear this music before they die. It's nothing special at all. In fact, it's boring. I turned it off after the first 2 tracks. Knew the rest was the same garbage. 1/5

I've never listened to much of Sufjan Stevens stuff before. I didn't really rate any of the songs on this list, because I imagined it needed to be heard as a whole album, not select tracks. It's an interesting album, and has some good music on it. I get that this is a concept album of some sorts, but I dunno, it just didn't feel like it was all that cohesive around a theme, except for stuff in Illinois. I've never been to Chicago or anywhere in Illinois other than airports, so maybe I'm just missing out the appeal of this album. Music-wise, it's fine. Lyrics, *shrug* I guess they're OK? 2.5/5, so I have to give it a 3, since we still don't have half ratings in the year of our lord 2024.

I'll be the first to admit, I really dislike live concert albums. There are a handful of artists I have that I actually own their live work. Frampton Comes Alive! is actually my favorite live performance album of all time. It is timeless and is amazing. This is ACTUALLY an album everyone needs to hear before they die. It's perfect. Highlights: Doobie Wah - obvious rip off of the Doobie Brothers, but it's great. Lines On My Face - Just beautiful. Show me the Way - amazing song, the first song I ever heard from this album. Baby, I Love Your Way - Instant classic. Do You Feel Like We Do - Surprisingly, this performance doesn't end the concert, instead it's on Disc 2 at the #3 slot. Oh well, this song is perfect in every way. Amazing guitar solo to end it. 5/5. Must listen.

De La Soul was rap pioneers by using classic jazz,funk,pop, soul samples in their music and this album was groundbreaking in showcasing that. Samples from everything from Steely Dan to Hall & Oates and Parliament and everything in between. This is a must listen album. It does have a lot of filler material, which makes it almost an album you have to listen from beginning to end to get it fully. But here's some tracks you can't miss: The Magic Number Ghetto Thang Eye Know Say No Go Buddy Plug Tunin (original 12" version) Me Myself and I (look for the 7" single version to get the one that they played on MTV and radio) This is a great album, and must be heard. 4/5

Wow, how many rap groups have sampled from this album? I'd say more than a few. Good stuff here. I prefer lyrics more than just instrumentals, but it's fun to listen to. 3/5

Both of my parents were big folk music lovers, so I've heard this album many, many times growing up. As an adult, hearing it for this project just made my day. Excellent work here. Paul Simon writes the words about emotions that I have but can't put to words.

Yup, this is a no from me. Not that it's bad, it's just I have a hard time listening and understanding all foreign language albums. What's worse is that I didn't even like the music that much, there wasn't anything that stood out as outstanding. 1/5

Yeah. No. Not for me. I think I forgot to turn off all foreign albums in my preferences for this project. Oh well, moving on.. 1/5

Never have heard of this group until this album popped up today. Interesting album, it's definitely got the post punk sound, but there's this REALLY ANNOYING keyboard sound on all the songs that goes along with the harmony. I hate it. Just for that alone, I just couldn't get into this album. 2/5

I guess the 1001 Album Generator hates me during this holiday season. 3 out of 4 days in a row with foreign music. I listened to about half of this album and again, didn't understand a word and the music wasn't anything that made it special. Just not my jam. 1/5

Good compilation of Motown Christmas songs. Merry Christmas! 3/5

This is a superb album. Love the blues riffs over the great drumming from Ginger Baker. Clapton is in his element here. Just perfect all the way around. This is a must listen. Highlights: Strange Brew Sunshine of Your Love SWLABR 5/5

Well, it's another foreign language album, although this one is a lot more fun to listen to. However, that being said, it gets too repetitive where all the songs start to sound the same. So -2 stars for foreign language stuff, and another -1 star for being boring. 2/5

This is my favorite Metallica album. I love every song on it. Musically, this is a bit different than Kill Em All. Much longer songs and more melody to them. Must listen: Master of Puppets Welcome Home Leper Messiah The Thing That Should Not Be 4/5

I first heard of this group from their song "This Corrosion" which comes off this album, but I must have heard the radio edit, I didn't realize it was 10 minutes long on the album. This album is really good, but a lot of the songs run long, especially the title track at over 12 minutes. Overall, it's a gothic masterpiece and has definitely influenced later acts to come. 3.5/5 which is a 4/5 on this scale.

I'm not a huge live album fan, but this one is decent, it feels a lot more intimate than other live albums. I love The Who and all of their early singles are done well here. Again, not an album everyone should hear before they die, I'd say other Who albums are more vital than this. 3/5

Just found out that he no longer goes by Terence Trent D'arby and now goes by Sananda Maitreya. They even re-released this album with his new name, which is cool, but I had the original on CD. It's a good, not as great as he thought it was when it came out, but it's a good listen. Does it need to heard by everyone before they die? Not at all, but it's decent. Good tunes: Wishing Well Dance Little Sister Sign Your Name 3/5

The Exorcist music. Long and drawn out. Not good for car jams. 2/5

First punk album I ever heard growing up. Loved it then, and still do now. Influenced the majority of modern punk bands. Just mad, angry yelling and pissed off lyrics about a bunch of society things. Pure energy and raw power. Good stuff. 5/5

Nope. Not even close. I think the author of this list is realllllly biased to mediocre British Pop/Rock/<insert whatever genre here>. Boring, nothing interesting here. 1/5

Chill hip hop. Space hop if you will. Never have heard of this artist or album, so it was a nice surprise. Lyrics are good, music is decent too. Nice to listen to when cleaning the house or just spacing out. 3/5

Absolute classic from Joy Division. The whole album is 🔥 🔥. Haunting vocals, amazing bass and guitar work. Everyone must listen to this before they die, especially if they claim they love New Wave 80s music. 5/5

I like some Björk songs, and have been a bit disappointed by others. Unfortunately, this album doesn't really get "going". It's really slow and doesn't get me moving in any sort or form. 2/5

A great Police album. It starts off great with Message In A Bottle, and ends it with No Time This Time, both solid songs. The album's title track is so, so good, even for being an instrumental. In between are a great example of what The Police were doing, bringing radio-friendly reggae to the world. Even the album's title, translates loosely to White Reggae, or maybe that IS the translation. That's what their early sound was, white boy reggae. Not that it's cultural appropriation or whatever people call it these days, it's more of a tribute to a great genre of music and bringing it to the masses in an approachable way. I don't blame them for playing music they like, and made it radio-friendly. This was happening a lot in late 70's Britain. The Specials, Madness, etc.. were all making similar music. The Police just softened up the ska and reggae sound and sold a lot of records. This album was followed up by Zenyatta Mondatta which is nowhere as good as this one. Their pièce de résistance would come a few years later with Synchronicity, which is on this list too and it truly is an album you must hear before you die. Is this album worthy of a must listen before you die title? Yeah....kinda. Must hear tracks: Message In A Bottle Reggatta De Blanc Deathwish Walking On The Moon 4/5

Wasn't expecting much from this group, as I did a bit of research and saw it was yet ANOTHER UK rock band from the 90's who the author of this list seems to love and forces them on us. I listened all the way through and actually didn't think it was all that awful. Nothing spectacular, but I found a couple of songs that worked. 3/5

I love Prince. A lot. He was amazing in everything he did. Sign ″☮︎″ the Times is a double disc masterpiece. A blend of rock, funk, rap, and just Prince. Great album, can't miss. 4/5

More British pop/rock! This list is loaded with it. It's fine for the most part, but if we're really talking about albums we must hear before we die, I don't think these late 90's, early 2000's British groups are what are meant to hear. There are a ton of better options. Oh well, on we go. This is a group I've never heard of before, and I have to say, I was mildly impressed with their album here. It's not outstanding, drop-dead, MUST listen to, but it's pleasant enough. A lot of weird, force fed commercial-like, "we need to sound trippy!" tracks on it. I don't get it, that was played out in the 90's, dudes. 3/5

Never heard of this group. So, cool, a new experience. 1st song fires up. It sounds like a really bad cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, meh, it's not that good. OK, let's try the next song... hmm, interesting in parts, but again, it's sounds like they're trying too hard to be "psychedelic" with weird sounds and senseless lyrics. Alright, seems the whole album is filled with it. I like it when groups experiment with different sounds, electronics, and whatever, but in the late 60's the technology just wasn't there to make it sound good. Hard no on this album. 2/5 (I give them a bit of props for messing around with electronic sounds before Kraftwerk mastered it)

I respect Frank Zappa and his massive influence on all sorts of music. I just haven't found anything of his that makes me want to listen to more than 15 minutes. This album is the same. *shrugs* 2/5 for some funny lyrics and making fun of 50's Dop Wop.

Pretty solid album from Kanye. Standout tracks: We Don't Care All Falls Down Get 'Em High Through the Wire Family Business

Ahh yes, their debut album. Lots of feelings about this one. Obviously, everyone who's heard of The B-52's knows at least 2 or 3 of their songs, Rock Lobster and Love Shack, and maybe Roam. But, this album is the one that started it all. It's one of the essential New Wave albums, and I consider it one of the pillars to show that genre off to people. Absolutely perfect. 5/5

This album is a lot different than other Sepultura's albums I've listened to. Much more NuMetal-esque, but still rocks. I enjoyed it.

SLAYER!!!! This is the penultimate Slayer album. Rick Rubin is a genius producer and made Slayer sound like they were playing in a studio and not in a garage like they did on Hell Awaits. Raining Blood is the best song on this, but don't miss Angel of Death and Jesus Saves. 5/5 because SLAYER!!!! and this album was and may be one of the best metal albums of all time.

Starts out with one of the best opening tracks for an album of all time, Running With The Devil and finishes with On Fire, which sums this album up perfectly. On Fire!!! In between we have an amazing guitar solo that Eddie used to do to warm up, Eruption. A cover of the classic Kings song You Really Got Me, and then classic Van Halen hits. One of the best debut albums of all time, and a standard. Van Halen followed up this album with solid work, and maybe 1984 was the only one that came close to how good this album is. 5/5

Solid debut from a good singer/songwriter. I enjoyed this for the most part. A couple of songs stood out: Straight Lines Neighborhood Girls The rest is pretty standard coffee house/college folk music. 3/5

Wasn't sure where this album was going with the first track, Misunderstood. I was thinking it wasn't going in the right direction as I rated that song a 1/5. After that, it got better, shorter songs, more classic rock feel to them. Sounds a bit like Beck, Tom Petty, Rolling Stones, My Morning Jacket... just a good mashup of styles. I dig it. 4/5

Hahhahaahah what is this crap? Sorry, dude, it's fine if you push the mediocre British pop rock bands on us, but this is, what do you English call it? SHITE. Listen to US rap more and you'll see why this is a complete joke. 0/5, even the god awful Krautrock was better than this.

This is yet another instrumental post-rock album, and I guess I don't like the post-rock music genre, as I've yet to hear one that's good. 2/5 (for at least having coherent music and not random sounds and bangs and electronic shit thrown in for weirdness).

I'm a big time Brian Eno and David Byrne fan from their other projects, so I was excited to hear this album for the first time. Never have heard of it before I started this project. Starts off with America Is Waiting and while I like the weird, funky electronic sounds and samples of what I assume is news media stuff, it didn't really strike me as amazing. From there, the album is getting weirder and weirder. Just not my cup of tea. Random sounds and unincorporated samples and electronic keyboards just isn't music to me. I liked their work with Talking Heads, but this is an album I didn't need to hear before I die. 2/5 because I like both of the artists a lot and I understand they're both a bit weird.

Definitely not like their older music. I actually like The Beach Boys acting more grown up and tackling modern day issues like the environment (still an issue), social issues (still an issue), and the overall contempt for the Earth that seems to be prevalent. Obviously, it's not Surfin' USA and Kokomo or anything like that, but it is a good album. Disney Girls is a pretty awesome song. Overall, I'd listen to this again. 3/5

A really amazing debut album from Missy Elliot. Raunchy and raw, it showed that a woman can rap about the same shit as male rappers (fucking, drugs, etc..) and do it with class. Good songs: Pass Da Blunt The Rain Hit 'em Wit da Hee 3/5

Echo and the Bunnymen's debut album is a lot different than their later works. I still maintain that Porcupine is their best overall album, with Ocean Rain not too far behind. This album is definitely a beginning to something greater. Lots of good music on it. Top tracks: Going Up Pride Rescue Pictures on My Wall 4/5

Angry, raw, pure grunge. I like every song on this album, but these stand out even more: Dirt Rooster Would? Dam That River Angry Chair If someone who has never heard grunge before asked you what it is, you'd have them listen to this album and Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger as the best examples of the genre. 5/5

I have a kind of love/hate relationship with Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground in general. I like some of their songs a lot, and some I absolutely think are garbage. This album is really good overall. Obviously "Walk on the Wild Side" is the most popular song from here, but there are other gems too. Check out: Vicious, Andy's Chest, Wagon Wheel. Definitely a must listen before you die. 4/5 because a few of these songs sound like Bowie rejects.

I imagine this album will get bashed heavily in the reviews because it's ABBA and Dancing Queen is so played out. It didn't help that Mamma Mia thrust ABBA back into popular culture, but with Dancing Queen, they've always been a popular group among party-goers and jukeboxes around the world. Overall, this album is really good. It has their biggest hits, and I would say only the "Gold" compilation has everything in one album, but if you had to go with a studio album of must-hear ABBA tunes, it would be this one. Must hear? Yes. Enjoyable? It depends on if the listener can get over the sappy bubble gum pop lyrics. Musically, it's very good. Tracks not to skip: Knowing Me, Knowing You Money, Money, Money That's Me Tiger Arrival (very good instrumental) Fernando 4/5

Big fan of Peter Gabriel's music. He's always a bit out there with some of his tunes, but he usually nails it. This album is a classic and should be heard by everyone before they die. Can't miss: Solsbury Hill Slowburn Waiting for the Big One 4/5

This is Joni at her finest. A must-listen, although I like Song to a Seagull more. But, you cannot go wrong here. She is amazing. Top songs: All I Want Carey This Flight Tonight A Case of You River 5/5 = Absolute perfection.

Pretty decent album. I liked a lot of the songs. Overall, it was a good 90 minutes of solid American alt-country music. Standout songs: La Cienega Just Smiled The Rescue Blues Gonna Make You Love Me 3/5

Yup, not enjoying this one at all compared to her 90's releases. Boring music. I giver 2/5 stars because she's got some decent lyrics, but that's about it.

This was a fun record to listen to. I appreciate the rhythms and jazz/funk stylings throughout. Not much else to say, but it's a good listen. 3/5

Solid Indie Pop album. I appreciated the Hall & Oates sample in "On Hold". Lots of powerful, emotional and raw lyrics. 3/5

Bowie is always a pleasure to listen to when it comes up on this list. Another one of Bowie's mid-70's transformation albums. Much less rock, more pop/jazz sounding than previous work. Highlights: Golden Years TVC 15 Stay Not my favorite Bowie album, but easy to listen to. 4/5

WTF is this?! Frantic guitars, weird vocals, just things thrown in there for "depth". Also, super long songs that suck. 1/5

Amazing album. A great mix of funk, psychedelia rock, soul... just outstanding. Everyday People is by far the best song on this album, but don't sleep on Stand, and I Want To Take You Higher. 4.25/5 which goes to a 4. Sex Machine is a bit too long and boring.

OK definitely not my favorite style of music. It all sounds the same. But! Buddy Holly was a really good guitarist. I enjoyed the main single from this, "That'll Be The Day" and "Oh, Boy!" was good too, but the rest sounds fairly vanilla and boring. I appreciate the music for the time. Is it an album you must hear before you die? Sure, but it wouldn't be awful if you didn't. 2/5

I swear I didn't select foreign music for ratings. I like the music a bit, but can't understand a single lyric. 1/5

Classic New Wave. A bit goofy at times, but Genius of Love is really really good. 3/5

I really do enjoy jazz/jazz funk music. This album is 95% instrumental with 1 vocal song ("Street Life"). I like that song, however, it is over 11 minutes long. Grab the single version of it and groove out to that instead. The album version is a bit too long for enjoying on a daily basis. The rest of the album is solid. You can hear a lot of Crusaders influence on more modern jazz fusion/acid jazz groups like Jamiroquai. Good stuff. 4/5

Hhahhahaha, yeah, no. I guess I'm just not that much into Classic Prog Rock, or maybe I haven't heard an album that really caught my interest. This is just a bunch of sounds with a keyboard, trying to make some semblance of a song. Hard No. 1/5

I grew up listening to all forms of the Beatles, from the early, bubble gum pop songs, like the ones on this album, to the complicated and more deep tracks in their later work. I appreciate both eras of Beatles, pre and post Sgt. Pepper's. This album is fine. No single song stands out as drop dead amazing, but it does what it was intended, make a lot of money. The music is tight, vocal delivery from Paul, John, and George are solid. Well worth the 33 minutes to hear the whole thing. 4/5

I really wish there was a Marc Bolan and David Bowie collab out there somewhere. Maybe there is and I'm just not knowing what it is. T. Rex is just pure glam 70's rock and I'm all here for it. Although I imagine a lot of people will say this is just ripping off Ziggy Stardust, I find it to be much different. Songs you won't wanna miss: Metal Guru, The Slider

Way back in the day, in 2013, Apple Music, or I guess it was called iTunes then, would release an up and coming sample song from various artists, and the lead single for this album, The Mother We Share, was the featured song of the week. I thought it was pretty solid, so I grabbed the entire album, and was fairly impressed. The pop vocals and voice of Lauren Mayberry really work well on the tracks, especially when they synthesize her voice. The beats are solid and the electronic mixing is good. Stand out songs: The Mother We Share, We Sink, Lies, Recover Good pop-techno overall. Nothing to get too caught up on. 3/5 (like 3.45/5, but we can't do that fine of ratings, it's almost a 3.5)

I enjoyed this album, although I had to skip Seven Nation Army because it is WAYYYYYY overdone at sporting events. I like the song and even rated it a 4/5 stars on my Apple Music library, but just couldn't bring myself to listen to it today. The rest of the album is great, lots of garage rock fuzz guitar, some definite blues influence and even a hint of Zeppelin on "Ball and Biscuit". Going off of my Apple Music rating for the album, it got a 3.28 score, but I'm going to give this a 4 out of 5 because I'm definitely going to listen to it a lot more.

Nope.

Enjoyed this album, having never heard it before. I've heard of the group but am not familiar with any of their songs. This was a good listen. Greasy, grungy, fuzzy. Sounded like listening to a friend's band in a backyard garage party in 2001. No song really stood out as amazing, but overall it's a good album to have on in the background in your house party in 2025. 3/5

Probably the one, if not the most, definitive 80's albums of the decade. It has it all, great vocals, lyrics, new wave synth work, rock influences. Just a masterpiece of an album. 5/5

Yesterday was Tears for Fears - Songs From The Big Chair, and today it's Violator. Violator is my favorite overall Depeche Mode album. As a whole. There are other albums that I think are just as good or better, but this one on the whole is pretty awesome. Dark, haunting vocals, amazing new wave synth. Stuff your goth girlfriend loved in the very early 90's. Do not sleep on this. Listen to it before you die. 5/5

3 days in a row of classic albums. I love it! This Violent Femmes album is a good mixture of alternative folk music, with some post-punk influences, with awesome lyrics. Yes, you should listen to it before you die. Also listen to these songs before you die: Blister In The Sun, Add It Up, Kiss Off, Gone Daddy Gone. 4/5

This good folkin' music! 4/5

I had not heard of this group or album before this project, and I grabbed this album before it actually popped up on my feed today, so I listened to the album before I have to actually rate it today. This is a lot different hip hop/rap during the early 90's. Much more on the lines of Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul, but more raw. Great album, good for any throwback rap session. Songs to not miss: Oh Shit Pack the Pipe Return of the B-Boy 3.25/5

Excellent post-punk / new wave music here. I enjoyed the whole album, but it's nothing super amazing that everyone needs to hear before they die. 3/5

Early Beatles work here again. It's 30 minutes of pure 60's pop music. There are some gems on this album, all written by John and Paul. No George Harrison tunes on this one. :-( Overall, it's a solid pop album for the 60's. There are Beatles classics here, and the movie with the same name was the same drivel you see from modern boy/girl bands. All light-hearted. The Beatles true genius would not be realized until Rubber Soul and onwards. 3/5

I absolutely disliked the MTV Unplugged series when it was going. I really only liked Nirvana's and Alice in Chains's Unplugged albums. This one has a wide range of their own material and covers (Meat Puppets, David Bowie, yayyyy!). It's fine, I do like the version of All Apologies off of this than the studio version from In Utero. 3.4/5 so it's a 3.

Wow, lots of feelings about this album. First, with the history. I disliked the lead singles from this album. I thought You Oughta Know was pretentious and sounded like a jilted lover or maybe the other girl in an affair. It was whiny and I avoided whenever I could. Hard to do when it was being played once an hour on MTV and radio. Ironic was stupid because none of the scenarios Alanis was singing about were about irony. Maybe that was the whole point? Also, her voice annoyed me. Fast forward 30 years to 2025, and I appreciate this album a LOT more than I did back in 1995 when it came out. I guess that's a big part of getting older, you start to experience all the things that songs or lyrics are written about. And lord knows I've had my share of those. Music is good, lyrics still a bit pretentious and cringey in 2025, but I'll take it over most of the crap out there today. 4/5

It must be Canadia week here at the 1001 Albums Generator. I got Alanis Morissette and Leonard Cohen twice this week alone. I liked this album a lot more than Songs From a Room. This guy gets the folk thing down pat. Not much to say, other than I wish he sang with more emotion like fellow Canadian folk singer/songwrite Joni Mitchell. 3.5/5 which means 4/5

Classic ZZ Top here. This album broke it wide open into the MTV era. No way do these guys sell many of this album without MTV. It's good solid guitar rock with blues-influenced riffs. Really tight melodies and simple lyrics. Got a bit repetitive after a bit. 3.33/5 Songs you can't miss: Sharp Dressed Man I Need You Tonight Legs Bad Girl

Really good album here. Lots of Rod Stewart classics on it, including the massive "Maggie May". But there are other gems as well. It's a good mixture of rock, country, blues, and soul. 3.35/5 so it gets a 4. Don't Miss Songs: Tomorrow Is Such a Long Time Maggie May (I Know) I'm Losing You Reason to Believe

Fugazi kicks ass. This is their debut album, although others that would follow are arguably better than this one. This one is more raw and less polished than those. This sounds like a group of college guys who can jam got together and made some angry punk/rock/hard rock music. Gives me serious punk vibes but I wouldn't call it that completely. Maybe post-punk if that's a genre? Anyways, don't sleep on this, you'll like it. 3.75/5

I had not heard of Nick Drake before this album popped up on my generator list. What a gem! I really like it. You can definitely tell that John Mayer was influenced heavily by this guy's voice and writing style, just more modern. Overall, this is a great album and I'm glad I got to enjoy it. Top songs: Pink Moon Place To Be Which Will Parasite 4/5

I have never hid the fact that George Harrison was my favorite Beatle and I loved every one of his songs in The Beatles. He was the true talent in that group, although John was right up there with him. Sad that him and George are no longer with us and we're stuck with Paul and Ringo. This album is absolutely perfect in every way. Do not skip this. Listen to it. Enjoy it, Love it. 5/5

Yeah, no. I am positive I checked no foreign language albums but here we are. I wish I knew what they were saying. 1/5