Journey in Progress
Discovering music one album at a time
273
Albums Rated
3.22
Avg Rating
26
5-Star Albums
25%
Complete
816 albums remaining
Rating Speed
5
Per Week
380
Days Active
Reviews
148
Written
54%
Review Rate
vs Global
-0.12
Avg Diff
3.22
Avg Rating
Rating Distribution
How you rate albums
Rating Timeline
Average rating over time
Ratings by Decade
Which era do you prefer?
Activity by Day
When do you listen?
Taste Profile
1950s
Favorite Decade
Post-punk
Favorite Genre
UK
Top Origin
Balanced
Rater Style
8
1-Star Albums
Taste Analysis
Genre Preferences
Ratings by genre
Origin Preferences
Ratings by country
Rating Style
You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| If You're Feeling Sinister | 5 | 3.18 | +1.82 |
| Music From Big Pink | 5 | 3.36 | +1.64 |
| It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back | 5 | 3.37 | +1.63 |
| War | 5 | 3.47 | +1.53 |
| Disraeli Gears | 5 | 3.47 | +1.53 |
| Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme | 5 | 3.62 | +1.38 |
| The Queen Is Dead | 5 | 3.66 | +1.34 |
| m b v | 4 | 2.71 | +1.29 |
| Dummy | 5 | 3.71 | +1.29 |
| Konnichiwa | 4 | 2.74 | +1.26 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live Through This | 1 | 3.28 | -2.28 |
| Clandestino | 1 | 3.22 | -2.22 |
| The Real Thing | 1 | 3.2 | -2.2 |
| Electric Prunes | 1 | 2.73 | -1.73 |
| Californication | 2 | 3.71 | -1.71 |
| Slipknot | 1 | 2.68 | -1.68 |
| Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby | 1 | 2.65 | -1.65 |
| Follow The Leader | 1 | 2.65 | -1.65 |
| Pink Moon | 2 | 3.65 | -1.65 |
| Wild Is The Wind | 2 | 3.64 | -1.64 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums and high weighted score
| Artist | Albums | Avg | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Led Zeppelin | 3 | 4.67 | 3.83 |
| Pink Floyd | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Beatles | 3 | 4.33 | 3.67 |
5-Star Albums (26)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Sebadoh
2/5
• 2/5
• A couple of good tracks, but album is inconsistent
• Vocals are a weak point
1 likes
1-Star Albums (8)
All Ratings
The Rolling Stones
3/5
3
• Overall 3/5
• Some great singles (Paint it Black, Under My Thumb)
• The more melodic tracks are strongest; the original Blues-formula tracks are pretty weak
• The misogyny is off-putting; fairly easy to ignore when Under My Thumb is heard in isolation, but the thread through the album is a serious demerit
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
• 5/5 - Siamese Dream is a straight up 4 that gets a 1 point bonus for being a touchstone of my 20s
• Several great singles that hold up after 30 years of play, especially Cherub Rock and Today.
• By the end of the album the distortion and Corgan's voice have run their course, but we're left sated, neither overstuffed nor wanting.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
• 5/5 - maybe the greatest Rock album ever
• Stairway isn’t even the best song on the album!
• They knew it was so good it didn’t need a name . . .
Isaac Hayes
3/5
• 3/5 - Not my jam
• Lot's of paradigmatic soul grooves, but the extended song length and ponderous spoken elements feel self-indulgent and my attention wanders
• Walk on By is a nice reminder of how versatile Burt Bacharach tunes can be. Who's been covered more than him - maybe Dylan?
K - tracks are too long for my limited attention span. Had a hard time getting other versions of the songs out of my head.
Little Richard
4/5
• 4/5 - 2.5 for the music, 1.5 for its place in history and influence on the genre
• Tutti Frutti and Long Tall Sally are deservedly loved. The innovations of tempo, arrangement, and vocals are apparent and created a new template for rock and roll to follow.
• Unfortunately, the rest of the songs on the album follow that template as well. It's monotonous and detracts from the key singles.
Buck Owens
2/5
• 2/5 - not my jam
• Opening track was fun, upbeat hillbilly rock (with questionable lyrics); but the rest of the album was just variations on the formula
Frank Sinatra
3/5
• 3/5
• aside from being morose and sleepy, I couldn’t say this album was any real innovation or break from The Chairman’s prior or subsequent work
• it’s a testament to Old Blue Eyes’ voice and artistry that a downbeat album consisting solely of covers could be considered for this list (and still earn 3 stars from me)
• if it were one of his Xmas albums I’d give it 5 stars!
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
2/5
• 2/5
• The album represents a garage-y turn for NY, so points for creative range, but that doesn’t make it especially good
• NY’s best tunes are master judo moves that turn his god-awful voice to his advantage. This is a judo-free album.
• Love the fuzzy 90s guitar work, though. The album is epitomized by Over and Over Again, where I started to groove on the guitar opener only to have the mood ruined when the vocals came in.
• This album might best be listened to in Karaoke mode
Johnny Cash
5/5
Arcade Fire
4/5
Primal Scream
4/5
Skepta
4/5
• 4/5
• Grime is probably my favorite flavor of rap/hip hop and Skepta is among the best
• Favorite tracks: Konichiwa, Shutdown, and That's Not Me
Stan Getz
4/5
• 4/5
• Girl From Ipanema is magic; the rest of the tracks could be death metal and I’d still give it a 3
• The bossa nova is cool and jazzy; a bit repetitive, but at 34 minutes it doesn’t overstay the welcome
The Doors
5/5
• 5/5 - Deserving of all the accolades
• Manzarek and Kriegler at their best; Morrison before becoming too self-absorbed and/or wasted
• I normally find psychedelic rock tiresome, but not this album; masterful balance of hooks, jams, and lyrics
• More organ!
Lorde
3/5
The Rolling Stones
5/5
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
• 3/5
• Not a deep album, but worthy of the list for Dexy’s unique sound and Come on Eileen
• I hadn’t heard their cover of Jackie Wilson Said before and liked it a lot - now I can say I like two of their songs . . .
The Streets
2/5
• 2/5
• I like this genre of hip hop. I don’t like this album.
• The tracks generally have good beats, hooks and production
• The flow, when its not strained, is pedestrian
• The lyrics bounce between insipid and inane. The tracks are reminiscent of Kate Tempest, but he’s no poet . . .
Jefferson Airplane
4/5
• 4/5
• White Rabbit and Somebody to Love are fantastic and make the most of Grace Slick
• I was surprised at the variety in the tracks: not solely psychedelic, but acoustic, blues, etc. Some good tracks but not at the level of the iconic singles
Pixies
3/5
• 3/5
• Love the driving guitar, surf influence, hooks, and overall post-punk proto-grunge vibe
• Demerits for the vocals
Thundercat
2/5
• 2/5
• Enjoyed some of the rhythms and instrumental elements; didn’t care for the falsetto vocals or lyrics
The Electric Prunes
1/5
• 1/5
• Curious why this made the 1001 list. Maybe as an exemplar of psych-era manufactured pop?
• Should be the soundtrack to a mockumentary . . .
PJ Harvey
3/5
• 3/5
• An album full of good tracks but none that hooked me
• Love her sound - the punk/indie/grunge aesthetic married with her excellent vocals. You can hear Steve Albini’s engineering at work
Lynyrd Skynyrd
5/5
• 5/5 - The prototypical Southern Rock/Blues album
• makes you want a cold beer on a hot night
B.B. King
4/5
• 4/5
• Great standards, great live performance
• More swing/jazz in the arrangements than I was expecting (in a good way)
• Would love to have seen that performance live
Culture Club
4/5
• 4/5
• Liked the album better than I had expected - not a masterpiece but thoroughly enjoyable
• Strength not limited to the singles
• Clear gospel, R&B, Ska, and Caribbean influences make for a fun a creative mishmash
• Production was rougher than I recalled
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
Franz Ferdinand
4/5
• 4/5
• Height of UK indie from the first few years of the century
• Great singles with Jaqueline and Take Me Out and strength across the rest of the tracks
• I can hear the UK post punk/early New Wave influence of The Jam, etc.
Beastie Boys
4/5
• 4/5
• Hardly high art, but fun throughout
The Band
5/5
• 5/5
• Beautiful album - The Weight is obviously the highlight, but every song holds its own
• Practically the Platonic ideal of Americana/Roots Rock
• The engineering is so in the background that it almost feels live, and they sound like they're having a ball playing together
UB40
3/5
• 3/5
• Quality songs, though none that particularly stand out
• Pretty impressive and fully formed reggae sound for a new band on their first album
The Damned
4/5
Serge Gainsbourg
3/5
• 3/5
• Love the arrangement and photo-trip hop sound
• Not a big fan of the spoken word vs. singing component
• If I could understand the French, the subject matter would make me like it a lot less . . .
The Beach Boys
5/5
• 5/5 - Maybe #1 all time; definitely top-10
• set aside that it represents a critical turning point in modern music, every song holds its own and makes the whole better
• So much complexity - headphones are best
David Bowie
4/5
• 4/5
• Love the singles (Fame & Young Americans)
• Enjoyed the blue-eyed R&B in between, but not really standout tunes
• Very adept pivot from the glam rock era
Pentangle
2/5
• 2/5
• Not a fan of folk or ancient music and this seems a blend of both
• Admirable musicianship though, especially the percussion
Various Artists
4/5
Sebadoh
2/5
• 2/5
• A couple of good tracks, but album is inconsistent
• Vocals are a weak point
R.E.M.
4/5
• 4/5
• Great album from their mature period
• Favorite tracks: Drive, Man on the Moon, Nightswimming
• The Atmos/Spacial Audio remaster is fantastic - so rich
George Harrison
3/5
The Triffids
2/5
• 2/5
• Ugh - don't like it; the lyrics and delivery of same are so unimaginative that some of the songs sound like they come from SNL skits
• There are reflections of other Aussie acts of the period (INXS, Midnight Oil, Hoodo Gurus) but this album can't keep pace
Eurythmics
3/5
Pink Floyd
5/5
Dire Straits
4/5
• 4/5
• Poppier than I prefer from Dire Straits, but solid tracks throughout
Tracy Chapman
3/5
T. Rex
2/5
• 2/5
• hasn’t aged as well as Bowie from the same period and with a very similar sound
Skunk Anansie
3/5
• 3/5
• first listen; glad I was introduced to them
• not my favorite genre, but really well executed
• love Skin’s vocals; seems like a big influence on Evanescence a few years later
Bob Dylan
2/5
Björk
3/5
• 3/5
• liked it better than I remembered from the original release
• I like the overlay of her sensibilities over the house/dance influences
Norah Jones
4/5
• 4/5
• Lovely blend of jazz, country, folk, and pop delivered with a torch singer aesthetic
R.E.M.
4/5
•4/5
• firmly in their mass-market pop phase, it felt a bit like a sellout at the time, but it’s still a really good album
• Stand and Orange Crush are undeniably catchy, but I prefer You Are the Everything and Get Up
Le Tigre
4/5
Dr. Dre
3/5
• 3/5
• Love the G-Funk sound; appreciate the flow and delivery of the lyrics (especially by Snoop); don’t like the lyrics at all
Al Green
3/5
• 3/5
• pretty anodyne outside the title track, but what a title track
• wacky to hear a gospel-ized version of a Bee Gees tune (How Can You Mend a Broken Heart)
Songhoy Blues
2/5
• 2/5
• Love the guitar work, but not the vocals
• the tracks largely sound alike
The Everly Brothers
3/5
• 3/5
• sappy pop, but influential
• surprising that the best tracks are on side B
Gene Clark
2/5
• 2/5
• exceptionally well executed unexceptional folk rock
• wild that it went #1 in Holland and never caught on anywhere else - what’s with the Dutch?
Otis Redding
4/5
• 4/5
• the template for great soul music
• hadn’t realized he penned Respect
Linkin Park
4/5
• 4/5
• apex of the nu-metal/rap rock heyday; not my favorite genre, but great in moderation
Massive Attack
4/5
• 4/5
• Classic from the godfathers of trip-hop
• Strong throughout- Unfinished Symphony is the standout track
CHIC
3/5
• 3/5
• can’t help but love Good Times, but not as fond of the rest of the album
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
• 3/5
• not a big fan of indie goth rock or of Cave’s vocals, but the songwriting and arrangements on a number of the tracks are great
• particularly enjoy There She Goes, My Beautiful World
Suede
3/5
• 3/5
• all the elements of a great 90s britpop album present, but doesn’t quite hit the mark
• overwrought, over-orchestrated, and too precious by half - Suede trying to out-Oasis Oasis
The Cure
4/5
• 4/5
• coherent and cohesive mood throughout and every track is listenable
• a couple of standout singles (Lovesong, Fascination Street), but the overall dour mood tempers my enthusiasm
Nina Simone
2/5
The Divine Comedy
2/5
• 2/5
• not sure the world needed a revival of Bacharach-esque 60s orchestral pop - at least not this one
Kings of Leon
4/5
• 4/5
• not my favorite KoL album (Aha, Shake, Heartbreak) but consistently good tracks with a few standouts
• more produced and orchestral than their earlier work
• I like Crawl and I Want You better than the highlighted singles (which are also good)
Tears For Fears
5/5
• 5/5
• Bonus star for being a favorite of my formative years
• excellent songs throughout., especially Shout, World, and Head
The Smiths
5/5
Public Enemy
5/5
• 5/5
• exhausting sustained energy and breakthrough production - a great album
• especially enjoy Don’t Believe the Hype, Bring the Noise, and Rebel Without a Pause
Faust
2/5
Girls Against Boys
1/5
Quicksilver Messenger Service
3/5
Amy Winehouse
4/5
• 4/5
• retro but somehow original and idiosyncratic
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Kings of Leon
4/5
• 4/5
• good debut, though I like the refinement of AHA Shake better
Grizzly Bear
3/5
Echo And The Bunnymen
4/5
Lou Reed
3/5
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Manu Chao
1/5
Fred Neil
2/5
Jamiroquai
3/5
Earth, Wind & Fire
3/5
Stevie Wonder
2/5
• 2/5
• inoffensive, but nothing remotely memorable on this album
Ian Dury
2/5
Rufus Wainwright
4/5
Booker T. & The MG's
3/5
Aretha Franklin
4/5
• 4/5
• tour de force
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
Hole
1/5
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
The Kinks
3/5
Beastie Boys
2/5
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
Korn
1/5
Dinosaur Jr.
4/5
Alice In Chains
2/5
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
Nine Inch Nails
2/5
3/5
Ice Cube
3/5
Cornershop
3/5
Steely Dan
3/5
Supertramp
4/5
M.I.A.
3/5
Dusty Springfield
4/5
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Miles Davis
5/5
4/5
Steve Winwood
2/5
G. Love & Special Sauce
2/5
Ravi Shankar
3/5
ABBA
3/5
5/5
Iggy Pop
4/5
• better than I remembered it, if somewhat uneven in the back half
• love the two big singles (though I prefer Soiouxie’s rendition of The Passenger)
• he presaged punk with the stooges and indie/new wave with this album
Stephen Stills
3/5
Faith No More
1/5
• both derivative and poorly executed
• the cover of War Pigs is well executed, but not an innovative interpretation
Eagles
4/5
The White Stripes
4/5
Kraftwerk
3/5
Not my jam, but an extra star for innovation, historical relevance and for what they accomplished with primitive instruments.
Black Flag
3/5
Queen
4/5
• 4/5
• Amazing diversity, yet everything is well executed, interesting, and fun to listen to
• hadn’t realized until listening carefully the extent of Freddie’s self-accompaniment through multitrack
Fela Kuti
2/5
Johnny Cash
3/5
Primal Scream
4/5
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
3/5
Chicago
3/5
• 3/5
• pretty much the only Chicago album I like - so much better than the insipid ballady schmaltz that came after
• they own their sound and do it really well, but the length and self-indulgence is trying
Sarah Vaughan
4/5
• what a beautiful voice and sensibility for using it
• some of the arrangements felt overly repetitive, especially Just One of Those Things, but the album is strong front to back
Sly & The Family Stone
3/5
Paul Revere & The Raiders
2/5
• 2/5
• wholly unoriginal
• sounds like a second derivative of the Monkees
Ms. Dynamite
2/5
• 2/5
• Meh. Liked Dy-No-My-Tee but the rest didn’t stand out and quality of tracks and production was uneven.
King Crimson
3/5
Eminem
2/5
• can appreciate the flow, but no like
Beatles
4/5
Marvin Gaye
4/5
• great depth - a couple standout singles and quality songs throughout
• love the lyrical content and song-cycle quality; if I were a bigger fan of the orchestration and genre it would be a 5
Alice Cooper
2/5
Fishbone
2/5
• 2/5
• props for trying out the ska/funk/punk/prog approach- let’s call it a failure and move on . . .
Frank Zappa
2/5
Santana
4/5
• 4/5
• breakthrough Latin prog sound, masterful guitar work from Carlos, a couple of great singles, enjoyable listening throughout while not so long as to be self-indulgent
• if the best tracks were originals rather than covers, I’d probably give an extra star
AC/DC
5/5
• 5/5
• So good - every track holds its own. Maybe the best hard rock album after Led Zeppelin II
Pink Floyd
5/5
• 5/5
• 4 stars for the album and one for nostalgia
• last of the great rock operas
• interesting throughout with some fantastic tracks
Yes
4/5
• 4/5
• seen All Good People is the standout for me, but every song is good
• one of the rare albums of non-ponderous prog
John Coltrane
3/5
• 3/5
• deeply felt and technically masterful
• not especially fond of modal jazz, and the utter lack of repetition or unifying melody or chord progression is impressive but leaves me feeling lost - I think that’s why it doesn’t resonate the way Davis’s Kind of Blue does
Steely Dan
4/5
• 4/5
• what a great debut album
• multiple memorable singles and the remaining tracks are all accessible (not necessarily true of later albums) if uninspired
Madonna
3/5
• 3/5
• it’s fine, I suppose. Well crafted, polished production, but kinda boring . . .
Megadeth
3/5
• 3/5
• Model of thrash metal genre. Technical virtuosity, particularly lead guitar and drumming.
• Vocally and lyrically weak relative to the instrumentality and production. A half-step (maybe a whole step) inferior to Metallica.
George Michael
3/5
• 3/5
• impressive solo breakout album shifting from teen pop to more of a blue eyed soul sound
• outside of Faith and maybe Father Figure, I don’t think it’s aged especially well
• synths on some of the songs make the production sound tinny
Radiohead
5/5
• 5/5
• brilliant album - the launching point of the Radiohead sound and a bridge from grunge to the indie rock of the new century
• a few outstanding singles (High and Dry, Just, Fake Plastic Trees), and no wasted tracks
U2
5/5
• 5/5
• U2’s best album and the height of their post-punk phase
- loaded with great tracks, especially New Years Day, Sunday, Two Hearts and 40
Elvis Presley
3/5
• 3/5
• Stylistically varied and polished performances, but nothing that really stands out
Jimmy Smith
3/5
• 3/5
• Enjoyable but not remarkable. Not sure why it made the list, unless it’s because of a breakthrough in Hammond organ jazz.
Elvis Presley
3/5
• 3/5
• slick production and an impressive artistic shift/reinvention for Elvis
• I like the country soul sound, but none of the songs really stick; if Suspicious Minds had made the album instead of being released as a separate single, it would be a solid 4+
Jeff Buckley
3/5
• 3/5
• the best tracks have lovely sparse arrangements; harder songs are less interesting and more derivative
• side A songs feel unbalanced, with an overemphasis on top-of-the-range volcals/falsetto
• Hallelujah marks a shift and is a beautiful standout
Electric Light Orchestra
4/5
• 4/5
• wonderfully crafted, if overwrought, prog-pop
• acknowledging that it doesn’t really live up to its grand pretensions (Jungle … really?), the album is so full of great pop hooks (even on the lesser songs) and the singles are so great that it earns a bump up from 3
Dr. Octagon
2/5
• 2/5
• like the innovative production and trip-hop beats, appreciate the flow, but find the lyrics to be inane and a major detractor
James Brown
3/5
The Beach Boys
3/5
• 3/5
• a few enjoyable tracks, but overall impression is of The Beach Boys self-consciously trying not to sound like The Beach Boys
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
• 5/5
• beautiful, eclectic, and packed with great tracks
• timeless
Yes
3/5
• 3/5
• love love the baseline on Roundabout, but don’t find the rest of the album enjoyable - too experimental/prog/self-indulgent
Mylo
3/5
• 3/5
• it’s fine, but nothing that really stands out
• curious why it made the list
Shivkumar Sharma
3/5
• 3/5
• unobtrusive - I kept forgetting that I was listening to it
Ray Price
2/5
• 2/5
• Good as a lounge act, but not worth an album
• Nearly every song sounds the same
Depeche Mode
4/5
Red Hot Chili Peppers
2/5
• 2/5
• never understood popularity of this album. It’s essentially two songs: one funky/rappy with the same beat each time and no great innovation in the wordplay or flow; and one funky/ballady. If the album were 10 minutes long it might be 4 stars, but the repetitiveness kills it for me
My Bloody Valentine
4/5
• 4/5
• A great shoegaze revival from the original masters
Gorillaz
3/5
• Mixed bag: a few really good tracks, a few fun and interesting experiments, and some filler that should probably have been left off
Foo Fighters
4/5
• 4/5
• No monster single, but several playlist worthy and every track is good
• A testament to Cobain’s talent that Grohl was overshadowed in Nirvana, and a testament to Grohl’s talent that he was able to credibly define a post-grunge sound of his ownp
The xx
4/5
• 4/5
• Nicely catchy dream pop from Romy and Sim that stands above the rest by virtue of being built on the scaffolding of Jamie’s beats
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
Sade
3/5
• Fully realized sound and mood and several good singles
• maybe it’s a victim of overplay, but I didn’t like it as much as when it first came out
The Flaming Lips
3/5
• Good but not great. It’s the album where they established the sonic foundation for what woukf become Yoshimi.
Bill Callahan
2/5
• zzzzzzzzz . . . Apnea inducing
Nirvana
4/5
Portishead
5/5
• 5/5
• The exemplar of trip-hop that excels in every component, beginning with the vocals and through to the beats, jazzy elements, fuzzy guitar, and mellow-yet-unsettling mood
• A great listen all the way through, with a few fantastic tracks; Sour Times should have been the theme for a Bond film (in the best, Shirley Bassey way)
Slipknot
1/5
• 1/5
• Some catchy riffs and song structure left drowning in overwrought noise
Tom Waits
2/5
• 2/5
• Sort of an extended performance art project from Waits, but the backing jazz band is legit and he’s entertaining
•It might be fun to see the imagined show live but I don’t need to hear the album again
Coldplay
4/5
• 4/5
• Iconic post-Britpop and a phenomenal debut album
• Several playlist-worthy singles and Yellow is still a gem after hearing it a billion times
• Only real criticism is that the pace of the songs Is so uniformly slow that grows monotonous by the end - the whole is a bit less than the sum of the parts. Still wonderful though.
Jurassic 5
3/5
• 3/5
• Propulsive and creative, with a few catchy standout tracks (A Day at the Races, Thin Line, Sun of Us)
• Love Cut Chemist’s beats and samples and Chali2na’s voice
• Nearly a 4, but a bit monotonous by the end
The Allman Brothers Band
3/5
• 3/5
• Hadn’t realized that they were such a jam band
• Fun listen and wild to hear some Blues standards expanded upon in such a southern rock / jazzy way
The xx
4/5
• more expansive, less subdued sound than their debut album
• good throughout and ends with the best tracks
Belle & Sebastian
5/5
• 5/5
• Indie chamber-pop at its best. The album is stacked front to back with great singles, and holds together sonically and thematically without feeling monotonous.
• Such stripped down production
Minutemen
3/5
• 3/5
• Liked it better than I remembered
• if only they could sing . . .
The Rolling Stones
4/5
• 4/5
• Stones at the peak of their early years - dirty yet polished, so loose yet it all fits together perfectly
Fatboy Slim
3/5
• 3/5
• A bit uneven, with some monotonous tracks, a few fun grooves and, of course, the one track that elevates it all: Praise You
Janis Joplin
3/5
• 3/5
• That voice . . . Hard to believe she was only 27
Black Sabbath
4/5
• 4/5
• The classic of the genre.
• Packed with great tracks. The only Sabbath album I like listening to all the way through.
David Bowie
3/5
•3/5
• Golden Tears is good but nothing else stood out
Run-D.M.C.
2/5
• Walk This Way is fun. The rest haven’t aged as well . . .
Johnny Cash
3/5
• 3/5
• A fun listen and Boy Named Sue is great
• I liked Folsom better
10cc
2/5
• 2/5
• Art rock maybe? If so, it’s dogs-playing-poker art
• Weird Al meets Yes vibe.
Def Leppard
3/5
• Quality hair metal (or is that an oxymoron)
Fiona Apple
3/5
• 3/5
• I like the title track and a couple others in isolation.
• Unfortunately, the repetitiveness of the rhythm, percussion, vocal cadence, etc across tracks dilutes and degrades the overall listening experience.
4/5
• 4/5
• wonderful, memorable, and the model for concept albums since - but still too hokey and backward looking for a 5
The Cars
4/5
• 4/5
• Pretty much a Cars greatest hits album
Adele
3/5
• it’s fine
• obviously a wonderful voice, but the songs are overwrought and pretty much all sound like they were meant to be interlude tracks for some Netflix series
Fugazi
3/5
• 3/5
• Some great riffs and tight rhythm and guitar work, but the vocals drag it down for me
The Black Crowes
3/5
• 3/5
• Talent and energy abound, but the sound is so derivative. Eminently listenable, but not memorable.
Elton John
3/5
• 3/5
• A good listen, but far from Elton’s best. Tiny Dancer is great, Levon is good, the rest are forgettable (except Indian Sunset, which is affirmatively bad)
Miles Davis
3/5
Venom
1/5
• 1/5
• Sounds like the soundtrack of a death metal mockumentary
Oasis
4/5
3/5
• 3/5
• can’t recall ever hear The MC5 before, but I like the album
• title track is the highlight and the remainder is a step down but still good blues/rock
Cream
5/5
• 5/5
• A tad uneven, but Strange Brew, Sunshine, Ulysses, and SWLABR carry the album to 5 status
Elliott Smith
4/5
Wire
4/5
• 4/5
• Super tight suite - better as a whole. So many post-punk threads across 21 tracks.
• How have I not heard Ex-Lion Tamer before?
Dolly Parton
2/5
Paul Simon
3/5
• 3/5
• Two great singles (Mother and Child, Me and Julio) and the rest is forgettable, if inoffensive
Fugees
4/5
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
The Young Gods
2/5
• 2/5
• Do I like it? No; Do I appreciate that they are at the vanguard of sampling and industrial when it came out? Not deeply; Do I dislike it as much as Korn? Not at all (maybe Korn should sing in French)
• Sounds a bit like Manhattan Steamroller went goth and scored the basement rave scene in Blade
The Velvet Underground
4/5
•4/5
• deceptively loose and unrefined, but the songs are great and they hold together so well
• love the album even though my favorite version of each song isn’t the original
Beatles
5/5
Blur
3/5
Astrud Gilberto
2/5
Kraftwerk
2/5
Jethro Tull
3/5
• 3/5
• maybe it’s the vocals but a lot of the songs sound similar . . . Except Aqualung is better
Joan Armatrading
3/5
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Radiohead
4/5
The Killers
4/5
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Nick Drake
2/5
Nick Drake
3/5
Giant Sand
2/5
• 2/5
• not offensive, but not engaging
Japan
3/5
• 3/5
• Not great, but a fun throwback to the early new wave, syth-pop sound
• I don't think I'd heard Japan before, but clearly Duran Duran had . . .
Scissor Sisters
3/5
Public Enemy
4/5
Joy Division
3/5
Mudhoney
2/5
• 2/5
• The raw, garage-grunge sound is cool, but the songs lack hooks
N.E.R.D
2/5
• 2/5
• Sophomoric R&B: musically simplistic and lyrically inane
Leftfield
3/5
Frank Sinatra
3/5
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
Bonnie Raitt
3/5
CHIC
2/5
Ozomatli
3/5
David Bowie
2/5
• Didn't really like anything other than the title track
Prince
3/5
• 3/5
• After the first few singles, it gets pretty repetitive (with the exception of Lady Can Driver)
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
System Of A Down
2/5
• 2/5
• Skillfully done, and Sugar is a good listen under the right conditions. I don’t need to hear the rest ever again.
Simply Red
2/5
AC/DC
3/5
Snoop Dogg
2/5
Dirty Projectors
2/5
• 2/5
• one good single (Stillness is the Move), but the rest is too art-rocky for my taste
Dinosaur Jr.
3/5
The Chemical Brothers
4/5
The Stooges
3/5
• 3/5
• Fun photo-garage / photo-punk sound. Sesrch & Destroy is a quality single, but I didn’t love the rest.
• The production is noticeably awful
Ray Charles
3/5
• 3/5
• Like how the selections highlight his voice
• Much prefer his rock/R&B work to the swing and orchestral pieces on this album
Christina Aguilera
3/5
• 3/5
• Straight forward R&B/Pop. I suppose it's good, but doesn't resonate with me.
• The tracks sound like they were written by committee - very polished, but uninspired and lacking a unique voice
The Icarus Line
3/5
Kate Bush
3/5
• 3/5
• Didn't much like this when it came out, but side one has grown on me (especially Running Up That Hill); side two is still arty for me
Depeche Mode
4/5
Neu!
2/5
Scott Walker
2/5
• 2/5
• Nobody needed translated covers of Jacques Brel songs . . . Next!
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
• 4/5
• A bit uneven, but the jams are great and Proud Mary is exceptional
Bob Dylan
4/5
Marvin Gaye
3/5
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
3/5
Tom Tom Club
2/5
Alice Cooper
2/5
R.E.M.
4/5
John Lennon
3/5
The Saints
4/5
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
The Divine Comedy
2/5
• 2/5
• Insipid
• Sounds like the soundtrack to a mockumentary
Radiohead
3/5
The Clash
3/5
Rahul Dev Burman
2/5
Hookworms
4/5
Aerosmith
3/5