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367
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3.07
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28
5-Star Albums
34%
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722 albums remaining
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Reviews
366
Written
100%
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-0.22
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3.07
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1950s
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12
1-Star Albums
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You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| KE*A*H** (Psalm 69) | 5 | 2.69 | +2.31 |
| Truth And Soul | 5 | 2.97 | +2.03 |
| Duck Stab/Buster & Glen | 4 | 2.03 | +1.97 |
| Kimono My House | 5 | 3.06 | +1.94 |
| The Slider | 5 | 3.28 | +1.72 |
| Bitches Brew | 5 | 3.3 | +1.7 |
| The Man Machine | 5 | 3.32 | +1.68 |
| Fear Of A Black Planet | 5 | 3.34 | +1.66 |
| Hot Rats | 5 | 3.36 | +1.64 |
| Ellington at Newport | 5 | 3.43 | +1.57 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jagged Little Pill | 1 | 3.72 | -2.72 |
| Rumours | 2 | 4.46 | -2.46 |
| A Rush Of Blood To The Head | 1 | 3.44 | -2.44 |
| Hybrid Theory | 1 | 3.38 | -2.38 |
| The Bones Of What You Believe | 1 | 3.18 | -2.18 |
| Blood, Sweat & Tears | 1 | 3.16 | -2.16 |
| Golden Hour | 1 | 3.09 | -2.09 |
| Make Yourself | 1 | 3.07 | -2.07 |
| Tellin’ Stories | 1 | 2.95 | -1.95 |
| Ten | 2 | 3.92 | -1.92 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums and high weighted score
| Artist | Albums | Avg | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Tribe Called Quest | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Miles Davis | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Pink Floyd | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Led Zeppelin | 3 | 4.33 | 3.67 |
Least Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums and low weighted score
| Artist | Albums | Avg | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce Springsteen | 3 | 2 | 2.5 |
5-Star Albums (28)
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Popular Reviews
Miles Davis
5/5
I'm glad I listened to this so soon after In a Silent Way, as that so obviously sets the table for this album. I think when I'm really in the mood for it, I prefer this one too the somewhat lighter and shorter Silent Way, but I thinks it's brilliant either way.
1 likes
Public Enemy
5/5
This is a fantastic album, and possibly my favorite rap album ever. The Bomb Squad evolves everything they've done over the last couple albums here, starting from their JB sample focus of It Takes A Nation Of Millions and widening it based on all kinds of sources to create a dense wall of sound rarely matched in this era. Chuck D pairs this with a wider range of social commentary that pulls no punches.
This album may show it's age a little bit around the edges, but it remains massively impressive. I will never tire of this album.
1 likes
Kacey Musgraves
1/5
Songs are at best poppy bubblegum, but are at least a bit varied. Production is pretty good. She can sing, but the lyrics are almost complete trash.
1 likes
Daft Punk
2/5
I'm Betty torn on this album, as I feel there's some very strong material here, but I also feel that a good portion of the album is just tedious generic EDM of its era doing nothing new or interesting and just taking up space. If this album were tightened up a bit it would score much higher for me. Ultimately it does show how talented they are and paves the way for their later more interesting work.
1 likes
1-Star Albums (12)
All Ratings
Coldplay
1/5
I've never listened to this entire album before, though I've heard a couple songs from it, but I have also rarely listened to Coldplay on purpose, so here we go.
On the plus side, it's clear this band can can construct a song, can layer parts, and sustain a build.
On the down side this album feels like it's trying to say a lot and emote a lot, but it ultimately feels hollow, repetitive, and cheesey to me. I get the impression they were going for some kind of Radiohead vibe with the emotional manipulation knob pinned at 11, but they push the feels too far and rarely let up, so they are unable to have much emotional range within most songs, leaving them feeling obnoxious yet flat. "The Scientist" and "Clocks" are particularly egregious examples. "Green Eyes" feels like a bit of a respite from the overwrought, overproduced feel of the rest of the album, but it just feels bland and generic. "Daylight" was interesting for a second, until I noticed they were just ripping off "Tomorrow Never Knows" by the Beatles. Maybe I'll listen to that as a palate cleanser.
This was the first album I got to review on this site. Ouch.
Norah Jones
2/5
This album was new to me, and an absolute delight compared to the last one, some Coldplay slog. She's a great singer, I enjoy the instrumentation, and the songs are pleasant in a moody loungy sort of way. None of that really speaks to me, so I can't really see myself seeking out more Norah, but it was certainly inoffensive.
Nick Drake
4/5
This is really a great album, and it's clear how massive it's influence is. I'd like to give it 5 stars, but this just isn't the type of thing I come back to much, despite it's mastery. I think I will catch up on the test of Nick Drake's work, though.
The xx
3/5
I enjoyed this album. Vocals are pretty cutesy, and some songs get a bit dark and meandering for my taste, but it's a really good sound overall. I think it's most effective when they aren't leaning to hard into the cutesy or the moody and find a really nice poppy middle.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
I already love the first seven Zeppelin albums, and at least a couple are real masterpieces to me. II has shifted up and down over time for me, and where I stand now it's just not quite in the top tier. Don't get me wrong, it's got some great songs, and there are moments in "The Lemon Song" and "Bring it on Home" that still give me goosebumps every time, but as a complete album there's enough missing from some songs to bump it just a bit in my view.
The Smiths
2/5
There are two or three good songs on here, and a couple more listenable ones, but I still feel like the Smiths are the budget Cure, and Morrissey's whiny snark really doesn't help. The band is good though, which saves it from one star territory. Morrissey has a distinct voice that works on occasion, but mostly just grates. He thinks he's very clever, but really just needs to lighten up.
Super Furry Animals
4/5
This album was great frenetic fun, and I really enjoyed it. It's all over the place and manages not too really do anything wrong, reminding me of genre benders like Ween or Electric 6. I had so much fun I almost gave it 5 stars, but while I liked most of the songs and didn't hate any, I wasn't in love with any either. Still, lots of fun, and I'm sure I'll come back to it.
Björk
4/5
I really like Björk, and I think that this is a very innovative, fun, carried album with a lot going for it. It also feels very much of its time and perhaps a bit dated. This is not my favorite Björk album, and maybe this gets 5 stars from me 20 years ago, but it is still quite strong.
Tim Buckley
2/5
There were a couple songs I liked alright but this album didn't do much for me.
The Blue Nile
3/5
I kinda casually listened to this and didn't think much of it, but then gave it closer listen and was pretty impressed. I don't love any of the songs, but it all works really well together and they're doing a lot of interesting things sonically and compositionally. I get the feeling this could really grow on me over time and would be more of a 4 star after a few listens.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
5/5
I remember walking to The Warehouse after school the day the album came out to buy it, and I remember recording an interview with a couple members before that so I could listen to some songs before the album dropped. 14 year old me loved RHCP more than any other band.
When it dropped I loved this album, and continued to loved for many years. As time went on, though, I became increasingly dissatisfied with RHCP, their sound, direction, energy, etc. I longed for rawer heavier feel of Uplift Mofo, Mother's Milk, and BSSM. One Hot Minute and Californication had moments I truly loved, but overall they felt weak and limp by comparison. I found some of their later stuff hardly listenable. I began to blame BSSM in my mind as the tuning point, the moment when they found their full artistic voice, pointing the way to the pandering softness to come, reaching to recreate the magic of Under the Bridge and Give it Away forever more. They'd sold out as far as I was concerned. None of that was fair or real, but that's what was in my head all the way up to this listen.
I probably haven't listened closely to this album in at least a decade, maybe longer. It's brilliant. I'm right back to where I was in the beginning with it. There are maybe a couple throw away songs for me, but it's a fantastic album with a nearly perfect flow and cadence Even the weakest songs, The Power of Equality and Naked in the Rain serve their purpose. I love the feel, the production, the musicianship, the variety, the creativity, and the guts. This might be one of my very favorite albums of the 90s.
I came into this album distant and jaded, expecting I might give this 3 stars. I listened with open ears and heart, and it has to be 5.
Ryan Adams
2/5
I think most of the songs I liked on here evoked other artists for me. There's some good stuff here, but most of it feels a bit monotonous just doesn't do much for me. This is a case of solid musicianship paired with forgettable vacuous songs.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
This has never been my favorite Hendrix album, but it's a strong showing with at least a few of his best songs in "Spanish Castle Magic," "Little Wing," and "Castles Made of Sand." I always liked the sketch-like intro of "Exp" setting the tone even if it's not really a song and is entirely skipable, with its bookend of "Bold as Love" driving a gradual build to an almost epic finish. And I love listening for all the big and little engineering tricks being pioneered throughout.
There are weaknesses, though. In particular I find "Up From the Skies"to be a wishy washy opening tune, though it might feel more at home in a different sequence. "If 6 was 9" seems a bit disjointed in the flow as well, or maybe the song just feels flat to me.
The rest of the album is fairly solid, most of them with moments that do get their hooks in me, but not as consistently exceptional as the tracks on Are You Experienced.
Simple Minds
2/5
This album has a couple ok songs, including "Promised You a Miracle," their greatest attempt at a Cure-esc new wavey Brit-poppy hit. Otherwise it's mostly forgettable despite their admonishment.
Derek & The Dominos
3/5
This album was never my favorite Clapton nor my favorite Allman, but I always kinda liked it. I've grown less tolerant of Clapton's wankery over the years, so my rating has fallen a bit. Still, if you're in the mood for some post invasion Brit blues spiced up with some Duane Allman, there's some good stuff here. "Anyday" and "Key to the Highway" were standouts on this last listen. I really just can't stand "Layla" anymore, speaking of extreme wankery. It took me four tries to get through that song this time.
The Beau Brummels
2/5
Not really my thing, but this was a fun listen. Inventive and varied, it has a few songs I really liked and some I really didn't. I'm not a fan of the tremulous vocals that dominate much of the album so this knocks the overall rating down a bit.
Kanye West
4/5
I think I've been turned off by Kanye's crazy for so long I sometimes forget he's actually a really good producer and occasionally a good lyricist. This album has its faults and dips into a bunch of played out tropes, but it also shows seemingly effortless understated production on tracks like "Hold My Liquor," "I'm In It," and "Blood on the Leaves."
It's been a long time since I listened to much Kanye, and I'm surprised how much I enjoyed this. Most days this probably gets a 3 from me, but today it's a 4.
Jerry Lee Lewis
2/5
Good stuff if you're into this brand of formative rock and roll. I had a much easier time getting past the person behind the music yesterday when it was Kanye.
T. Rex
5/5
I like this album more every time I listen to it. This time I got stuck on it and other T Rex all day. I think this is among the best glam albums I've ever heard, up there with Ziggy Stardust, Transformer, and Kimono My House. I can't get enough.
Alanis Morissette
1/5
I have it a shot but this album has not aged we'll at all for me. The production is decent enough, but very dated. The songs are ok musically, the lyrics are juvenile dreck, and the vocals are atrocious. I didn't realize until today just how bad a singer Alanis is, but it's a bit jarring on a close listen.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
I love this album. As a coherent album, it's among their best. Every song is where it should be and flow seems nearly perfect. "Hats Off to Roy Harper" is the only track the album could really lose, but it's still a fun closer.
The transition from "Friends" into "Celebration Day" might be my one of my favorite transitions ever, and still gives me goose bumps every time I hear it.
I also always loved the spinning inner cover sleeve too!
Nick Drake
4/5
This was a great album. I liked it even more than Pink Moon. Really fun instrumentation and discordance.
Kacey Musgraves
1/5
Songs are at best poppy bubblegum, but are at least a bit varied. Production is pretty good. She can sing, but the lyrics are almost complete trash.
Dusty Springfield
2/5
She's a very good singer, but most of her best songs were done better by her American counterparts.
David Bowie
4/5
This isn't my favorite Bowie, but it's close, and has a few of his best songs in "Changes," "Oh You Pretty Things," "Life on Mars?," and "Queen Bitch." For me the rest of the songs generally don't quite hold up, though it's a really strong well crafted album. On the right day, if I'm feeling those other songs, this could be a five star album for me.
Incubus
1/5
Not the worst nu metal ever; a few songs are listenable, but still pretty bad overall. Decent production I guess, but the songs are meh, and the vocals are shrill, and nothing stands out as particularly interesting.
4/5
I've always really liked X and their brand of punkabilly. I don't especially love their songs or albums, but no one quite sounds like them. There's just something in their formula that works for me.
Beatles
2/5
Early Beatles doesn't really do it for me, and at this stage their version of the invasion formula is still fairly generic, though I suppose they execute pretty well. That said, there are at least a couple good originals on this album. "It Won't Be Long" and "All My Loving" are standouts for me. Otherwise there are a number of ok to throwaway level songs and a bunch of Motown covers. Feels like a collection of singles more than an album.
Foo Fighters
3/5
It's been a while, but this is a pretty good album. Don't love it, but nothing bad on here either. It was nice to give a close listen to after so long.
The Stone Roses
2/5
This album was pretty meh overall. It had some ok stuff, but also some pretty bad stuff. Not much was really my speed.
Grateful Dead
3/5
This is great when you're in the mood for meandering psychedelia, and no one does it better. It's not really my thing, but it's great background music at least.
Pearl Jam
2/5
I remember this album as one of the first CDs I ever sold back cause I just didn't like it. I still don't really like Pearl Jam that much; I still think of them as bottom of the barrel grunge from this era, and this album hasn't really grown on me.
ZZ Top
3/5
I like the feel of old ZZ Top. Just fun party blues rock. I'll also never tire of La Grange, and i think this album gets a star for that track alone.
Koffi Olomide
3/5
I don't really know much Afro pop, and I know nothing of Olomide or Congolese music, but this album was a pleasant surprise overall.
I found the production to be a bit sterile and almost every song started out with a very saccharine poppy sound that really turned me off, but surprisingly, each song morphed into a satisfying grove, no matter how rocky the start.
I didn't love it, but I did really enjoy it.
Bee Gees
2/5
This is not great, but just about as good as the Bee Gees get. There are some real stinkers in here, but a good bit of it is actually somewhat listenable.
Lorde
3/5
I didn't love this, but I liked it more than I expected It feels like it's got some big swings, even if they don't all connect. She's got an intriguing style that I'm sometimes in sync with, and sometimes it rubs me the wrong way.
Justice
3/5
I'm not really into dance music in general, but this feels like kind of evolved Daft Punk. Not really my bag, but not bad for what it is.
Frank Ocean
4/5
I really liked this. It felt very coherent and complete with the arc of a full album. It reminded me of Outkast in a lot of ways. I didn't love all the music, but I liked most of it. The lyrics and musicianship were great. I'm coming back to this for sure.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
I'm typically not that into Cohen albums, though I always love his lyrics, but I really liked this one. Everything about this album feels expertly done and effortless. I also love how much he sounds like Tom Waits on this album. This is very close to a 5.
Marianne Faithfull
2/5
There are some fun synthy things going on, and the songs and lyrics are ok, but I don't really like the music or vocals much. Feels like the new wavy edge of the disco era and this album doesn't know what it wants to be.
Arctic Monkeys
3/5
This was pretty fun, a bit better than a lot of the other very similar stuff that came out around this time.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
1/5
It was interesting to pick out a couple bits that I've heard sampled, but there's not much of actually want to listen to here.
The Clash
4/5
I guess it's been a long time since I've listened to this whole album, but it's better than I remember. I guess I usually think of it as the hours with some filler, but that's not really fair. The whole thing really works, and there's not much I'd lose.
Alice Cooper
4/5
This album was much more of a delight than I anticipated. The songs and music are great, the album has a wonderful arc, and there's humor woven throughout. This album reads almost like Zappa to me. I really enjoyed it.
4/5
This is a fun concept album with a few real bangers on it. I didn't really know this album before, aside from the hits, but it further reinforces my love for the Kinks.
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
This is a very strong debut album, and it's their third best album for my money. The range of subjects, lyrics, samples, and music is fantastic, and feels effortless and refined.
I don't think this album is perfect, and I do have some minor technical and musical quibbles, but it's so strong I find it difficult not to give 5 stars. And they only get better over the next two albums.
Also Q-Tip is one of my favorite rappers ever, so I'm just not gonna be too objective here.
Michael Kiwanuka
3/5
He's got a great voice, and I thought it was interesting with some good compositions, it's was just a bit emotionally heavy for me in an exhausting sort of way. Glad I heard it though.
Various Artists
3/5
I'm not into Christmas music but this is about as good as a straight Christmas album can get. There are some really good versions of some traditional Christmas songs by some very talented artists here, and as deplorable a human as Spector was, this is a great example of his production prowess in shaping that presentation.
Pavement
3/5
I like Pavement alright. No surprises here, I didn't love it, but thought it was some solid music.
The Who
4/5
I think this might have been the only Who album my parents had on vinyl when I grew up, and I always really liked it. I still think it's a really great live album, and a really great Who album.
Frank Zappa
5/5
I've always liked this album but I've never counted it among my favorite Zappa albums. I think now I have to. It's really great and I'm glad I had a chance to give it a close listen. I sometimes love orchestral meandering groove Zappa even more than pointed poppy satirist Zappa. Today is one of those times.
Iron Butterfly
2/5
Another one I remember from my parents' vinyl stash growing up. The vocalist sounds like the poor man's Tom Jones. Musically it's ok, but feels like they're trying for somewhere between The Doors and Zappa and not quite getting there. The title track still cracks me up every time.
Iron Maiden
2/5
This had some ok stuff, but also some pretty bad stuff, and most of it was pretty forgettable.
Abdullah Ibrahim
3/5
This was nice. I enjoyed it, but it didn't blow me away or anything.
The Cure
3/5
I love me some Cure, and they epitomize my ideal of the early 80's goth sound, with perhaps Siouxsie and Joy Division not far behind. This album has that sound, period, and for me it's among those that sets the goth template. It doesn't have my favorite Cure songs, though "A Forest" and "Play for Today" are great songs.
All that said and despite all those strengths, this is just not one of my favorite Cure albums. It's lacking a bit of heft, has a few throw aways, and some of it just isn't that memorable. But I've always felt the tendency for this genre to kind of run together and get lost.
I'm really glad to hear it again, but as important as it is, it's not one of my go-tos for the band or the genre.
The Beta Band
3/5
This was pretty good, I liked it alright.
Marvin Gaye
3/5
There's some really great material here including the title track, but some really tedious religious stuff too. Great overall soul style, though.
Afrika Bambaataa
2/5
I'm a bit torn here, because this album represents a lot that I really like, including the overall electro style and references to Kraftwerk and such.
But it feels dated now, and honestly felt dated then. The rhymes are often goofy and childish, and the 808 style was not long for the world with more sophisticated layered sample based productions right around the corner.
As much as I truly like Planet Rock and Perfect Beat, this is just a collection of singles, and only about half are really worth while.
2/5
They are polished and have a few ok songs, but mostly its just monotonous and repetitive. They feel like a slightly less annoying version of Coldplay.
Public Enemy
5/5
This is a fantastic album, and possibly my favorite rap album ever. The Bomb Squad evolves everything they've done over the last couple albums here, starting from their JB sample focus of It Takes A Nation Of Millions and widening it based on all kinds of sources to create a dense wall of sound rarely matched in this era. Chuck D pairs this with a wider range of social commentary that pulls no punches.
This album may show it's age a little bit around the edges, but it remains massively impressive. I will never tire of this album.
Suicide
3/5
This is a really fun and interesting album but not the most listenable ever.
LTJ Bukem
2/5
Sounds like perfect background music for a hip coffee bar circa 1994.
Pulp
2/5
The lyrics are sometimes clever and fun but then get a bit rapey, so that's not great. Some of the music is alright, most of its a bit tedious. The vocals are pretty annoying.
CHIC
2/5
Overall this was actually better than I expected. Certainly not the worst funk influenced disco, just pretty boring and repetitive, even if there are a couple good songs in there.
Eagles
2/5
I don't hate the Eagles quite as much as the Dude does, but their main value is as parody fodder with such classics as Life on the Fault Line. And who could forget that they made the song Hotel California so that the Moog Cookbook could give the world the most brilliantly demented cover of all time.
JAY Z
3/5
There's some good stuff on here but it's not my favorite Jay Z. It seems to meander and lose focus a bit, it maybe that's just me. Still a strong album, just not my favorite.
The Go-Go's
2/5
Some of this album was surprisingly good with some very strong poppy songs even outside of the ones everyone knows. Unfortunately it's bogged down by a lot of dead weight and legitimately bad songs. I wanted to give this three stars but I can't quite get there.
Todd Rundgren
4/5
This album was a lot of fun, and sounds like it was a lot of fun to make. Sounds like experimental tape loops and Moog explorations ala Tomita or Carlos pulled onto some good song writing and dense production. I loved it.
Dion
2/5
This album displays some good musicianship, songwriting, and production. A few songs nearly convince me this is worthy of four stars. Unfortunately it's also bogged down by even more dull and/or cheesey songs that make the overall album pretty snooze worthy.
James Brown
4/5
I'm a bigger fan of later funkier JB, but this is a great live album, probably among my favorite. Live JB is amazing in any era.
Kate Bush
3/5
I've listened to this before and never thought too much of it outside of Running Up That Hill, which is just a phenomenal song. On a closer listen this is a really impressive album with some interesting, if often very dated, production. And I love Kate's power through all of it.
Still, I don't love most of the songs as much as I find them academically interesting, so I think I will always come back to that one song and I can live without the rest unless I'm really in the mood.
Dr. Dre
4/5
This was groundbreaking when it came out, and at least production wise, remains a brilliant landmark. The lyrics and subject matter of Death Row haven't aged too well but if you can look past that, this album, Doggy Style, and a bunch of other stuff from around this era shows how Dre basically invented a massively influential subgenre.
I still love this album.
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
These guys have kinda faded from my memory, and on revisiting them, that's just fine. They made quality pop for their time, but not much interesting is really going on. Billy's brand of earnest shrieking to whispering and back is very tiresome. Still, there's good music and production, and it's impressive how many big hits they had from this album.
Tracy Chapman
2/5
I really like Tracy Chapman as a lyricist and songwriter, but I'm not into the sound, and the production, while solid, sounds at times very dated in the worst ways. I don't feel I'd ever reach for this album, but she's really great.
Nico
1/5
The music isn't too bad, not at all remarkable, but unfortunately there's no Lou Reed here to rescue Nico from herself, so you only get her whiny warbly God awful vocals. I will never understand why anyone ever thought it was a good idea to put such an awful singer in front of a mic.
Simon & Garfunkel
2/5
They've got some good material and some truly iconic songs, but there are some major whiffs on here too. I don't think anyone needed that Dylan parody or that Christmas song for filler on an already very short album.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Sometimes I really like Elvis Costello and sometimes he kind of grates. I guess it's been a while since I found this album really delightful. It's probably not a favorite I'd reach for often, but certainly a cohesive album with fun lyrics and varied production and instrumentation. It's already kinda grown on me a bit.
Wilco
2/5
Musically well produced and kind of interesting, but also pretty snooze worthy, like if Eels and Beck had a really boring baby.
fIREHOSE
3/5
I've always kinda liked fIREHOSE, and after listening to this album, I still do.
Manu Chao
4/5
I love Manu Chao. They always bring a smile to my face and make me want to move.
The Rolling Stones
2/5
There are a couple really great songs on here, a few truly bad ones, and some very forgettable filler. It is funny going back to see how unremarkable the stones really are.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
2/5
Well, this was both fun and disturbing. Some of it was pretty interesting, but I don't think I'll be going back to it too much.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
I kinda prefer the sound of more crudely produced reggae, but Bob Marley is just brilliant. This album is pretty outstanding with a ton of great songs and very little fluff.
Simon & Garfunkel
2/5
I think their best song on this album is hazy shade of winter, but the bangles version is better. This album is better than the herbs album, but they still sound like they want to be Dylan or the Beatles.
AC/DC
3/5
There are a few good songs on here but lots of generic filler. I don't love AC/DC to begin with but this album feels like a precursor to all the garbage hair metal of the next decade.
Kid Rock
1/5
Impressively braindead. Almost entirely worthless. I wasn't able to get through an entire song.
The Charlatans
1/5
Even worse than Oasis.
David Bowie
4/5
I think this is definitely one of Bowie's better albums, and it does a lot of weird stuff. If I'm in the mood it's great, though sometimes it can be a bit too much. Today it was great.
Electric Light Orchestra
2/5
There's some good stuff in here, and plenty of fluff and stuff I'm just not into, but they get points for creativity. I think I'd this album were cut in half it would be a lot stronger.
Pet Shop Boys
2/5
If you like budget Depeche Mode this is for you. Kinda sounds like they want to be Kraftwerk a bit too.
Jane's Addiction
4/5
This is one I can't be very objective about, having listened to this album way too much in high school. I doubt I'd score it quite so high if I were new to it now, as there are a few skipable tracks on it, but I love the overall vibe and it's got a lot of strong content. It's still my favorite Jane's album.
T. Rex
4/5
Not as good as the Slider, but still great.
Jefferson Airplane
3/5
I think there was a time some decades ago I really liked this, but I feel increasingly bored by Jefferson Airplane. Still, this album does some good stuff and has a few really good songs.
Brian Eno
3/5
I like to think of Brian Eno as Aphex Twin minus the beat. I generally don't have the patience for him, but when I am attentive I usually find it worthwhile.
The Beach Boys
5/5
Sometimes I find the slower songs a bit of a drag if I'm not in the mood, but otherwise this album is pretty fantastic. Sloop John B is still my favorite off this album.
Van Halen
5/5
I'm such a sucker for this album. I know it's silly and ridiculous, but it just makes me smile no matter what. Van Halen might be one of my guiltiest pleasures
Nas
4/5
I love Nas's style, but the nihilistic attitude can wear thin if I'm not in the mood. I like a lot of the production, though it doesn't feel quite on par with the top shelf material of that era. An excellent overall album.
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
I'm On Fire is a genuinely brilliant song, and there are a couple other highlights on this album, but a lot of it feels really dated and cheesey. There are some good Springsteen albums, but this isn't one of them.
Queen
4/5
In some ways this feels like peak Queen to me. The material is all so varied and, well, operatic, it's all just so fun. Also bonus points for Bohemian Rhapsody.
Prince
5/5
This is not close to my favorite Prince album but it's still fantastic. It's pretty poppy and I can pretty much skip Doves and the title track, but there's just so much great stuff here. Let's Go Crazy is one of my favorite Prince songs too.
3/5
This was enjoyable relaxing ambient stuff. I liked it.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Maybe my favorite Elvis Costello album.
Miriam Makeba
3/5
This was a fun listen, and interesting to learn about, too. I'm excited to explore her work further. She seems like an amazing woman.
Underworld
2/5
This has some promising moments and nice builds, but doesn't really do much in the end. Also half the songs are ruined by the awful vocals like so much EDM of this era.
Daft Punk
2/5
I'm Betty torn on this album, as I feel there's some very strong material here, but I also feel that a good portion of the album is just tedious generic EDM of its era doing nothing new or interesting and just taking up space. If this album were tightened up a bit it would score much higher for me. Ultimately it does show how talented they are and paves the way for their later more interesting work.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
This album is pretty great, with a ton of great songs you know, a strong theme and some good variety. My only complaints are that there's to much material to keep up the quality, and the feel dips into a cheesier area that would come to be known as adult contemporary. Still, the pluses are so strong, it my be his best work.
PJ Harvey
4/5
I vaguely remember PJ Harvey and I guess I never listened to this album, but I really liked it. It has a nice thick grungy vibe, a few songs felt kinda like Sonic Youth to me, and a good bit of it felt like shows if go to in small rooms around 30 years ago. I enjoyed the range, the subject matter, the attitude. Great album.
Air
2/5
Ranges from pleasant to boring ambient stuff. Maybe depends on your mood a bit.
Janis Joplin
3/5
I actually like the Big Brother one with the Crumb cover more, but maybe that's cause I grew up with it. This is still a really good album, the songs just don't move me the same. But she's brilliant.
Raekwon
4/5
This really feels like the spiritual successor to 36 chambers. I really like it, and will definitely come back to it and so many other Wu Tang solos and sides. This is among the best of them.
Kanye West
3/5
Again I feel weird and uneasy cause I'm enjoying the music of a self-proclaimed Nazi. I guess I'm just a horrible person, but I kinda liked this album.
Neu!
3/5
Good stuff. I'm not too familiar with Kraut Rock but I did detect some Kraftwerk vives in there. Fun album.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
I'm not huge on Cohen, but he's a great song writer and lyricist. His very late stuff is incredible.
John Prine
4/5
I'd never listened to this before but it was a great find. I'm not typically into this kind of music, but these are some great lyrics and stories.
Pentangle
2/5
Some of this is ok, but a lot borders on unlistenable. Not my jam.
Sarah Vaughan
3/5
This was pretty good.
Beastie Boys
3/5
This album seems to age worse and worse over time, but even though it's frat broey, misogynistic, violent, and shrill, it displays a lot of talent in the production and some of the lyrical wit. If this we're all the Beasties ever did, they'd be a bit of a joke, but they followed it up with some far more evolved rhymes, themes, and production, and managed to separate themselves from some of the idiocy on this album. This maybe gets an extra star for the nostalgia, though as I said, it's not the greatest look.
Beyoncé
2/5
There's some pretty good stuff here, but there's a lot of fluff, or at least a lot of stuff I didn't really like. Great singer, great production, great collaborators, but a lot of boring generic music.
Pere Ubu
4/5
Sounds like a bridge between music concrete and Japanese noise bands. I didn't know how much I could stand to listen to it, but I really enjoyed it
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
2/5
Better than CSN, not as good as Y.
The Cars
4/5
I love this album. It's really tight and has a bunch of fantastic songs, and their sound is amazing. I think there's just enough dead weight to not give this 5 stars, but it's really close.
Digital Underground
3/5
I feel like a lot of this album is really ahead of its time in terms of its P-funk aesthetic, but it's a bit hit and miss. Still, there's plenty of great stuff on here, including the once inescapable lead track, which is still a banger.
ZZ Top
2/5
I'm a sucker for a couple of these songs, but the whole thing is just very one note, and doesn't do much.
Billy Bragg
3/5
I kinda liked this overall. Folky and varied, but not something I'd come back to a lot.
Merle Haggard
4/5
This is a really great album. I mean, the subject matter is entirely generic and predictable, but the songs and musicianship are top notch.
Nirvana
4/5
I didn't listen to Nirvana much these days, but it's pretty impressive coming back to it. This is still a really strong album with a bunch of great songs, and maybe a couple I generally skip. I still like Nevermind more, but I'm really happy I listened to this again today.
Linkin Park
1/5
The lyrics are bad, vocals are unlistenable. I guess there's a little bit to the crunchy staccato guitar punches, but it doesn't do much other than stay the same and eventually grate. There's one mostly listenable song with no real lyrics, but not much really going for it otherwise.
Cocteau Twins
4/5
I like the Cocteau Twins the more I listen to them. I love the use of really primitive drum machine sounds on this album. It also evokes a lot of Cure or Siouxsie for me.
Elton John
2/5
There's a lot of garbage here unless you're a fan of Tony Danza. Also, Indian Sunset is some pretty appalling red face. This is pretty close to one star.
N.W.A.
4/5
This is a tough one to rate. It's aged poorly in a lot of ways, feeling dated in style and especially content, but it's still so well done. Half the album is really amazing and I think if the fluff were trimmed and the violence and misogyny weren't quite so thick this could be one of the greatest rap albums ever.
Joanna Newsom
2/5
This was pretty adorable. It sounded like Bjork reading a children's story with orchestral accompaniment. Cute as hell.
Jeru The Damaja
4/5
Great album. I love Jeru's flow, and the production is perfect. I love the dissonance and the kinship with the Wu Tang sort of vibe coming up around the same time. Come Clean is an absolute classic.
Sisters Of Mercy
3/5
Pretty good 80s Brit pop. One of the few bands that feels like they're emulating the cure and that ilk and finding their own voice doing it.
The Temptations
3/5
I liked the music, but some of the songs were actually pretty bad. Great vibe over all though
Fever Ray
3/5
This feels like a throwback to a lot of 80s synth pop or goth stuff in a good way. It also sounds like they had fun making all kinds of sounds.
Eminem
2/5
I always found Eminem annoying, so I never really have this album a chance. I guess it's better than I remember in that he really is a good story teller and can be pretty clever, and the production is pretty solid. Also points for being open, self aware, and self deprecating, even if it doesn't always work. Unfortunately there just aren't any good songs, his flow just doesn't work for me, and it's all pretty juvenile.
Songhoy Blues
4/5
The was a gem I'd never heard before. I love all the different influences and rhythms. I knew nothing of music from Mali before this, and I'm excited to hear more, and especially to hear more from this group.
The Bees
3/5
This was some nice chill background your of stuff. A bit jazzy,a bit Beatlesy, a bit orchestral, it was a lot of fun.
Carpenters
2/5
I enjoyed this album in that it sounded like a parody of itself. Not really my bag otherwise.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
This is probably one of their better albums. It's got a few really good songs a lot of filler.
The Black Crowes
2/5
This is fine.
808 State
2/5
I guess this shows how they helped establish many of the norms that would come to define dance and techno for better and for worse. Mostly worse.
Moby
2/5
Never found Moby to interesting, and I still don't. Most songs are pretty boring and repetitive.
4/5
I didn't really like this album at first, but it seemed to pick up as it went, and I ended up looping it a few times, and I guess I'm hooked. I don't think this is my favorite PJ, but it really grew on me in a hurry.
Fairport Convention
2/5
Fine for what it is, but not my bag.
Fishbone
5/5
Fantastic album by the baddest band in all the land. This isn't even my favorite Fishbone album, but I love it. Great variety, subject matter, musicianship, attitude, flavor, just everything works.
Hawkwind
2/5
Sounds like a proggy synth sort of Dead inspired band, but very repetitive and boring, like late stage Dead. Not all bad, just not much substance.
Van Morrison
3/5
Doesn't measure up to Astral Weeks for me, but still pretty good.
Arcade Fire
3/5
Better than I remembered, but still mostly runs together and is not particularly memorable. The singer kind of annoys me at times, but otherwise the instrumentation is pretty good. The first track is my favorite.
The Waterboys
2/5
There are good songs on here, and some good musicianship, but it suffers from largely ridiculous lyrics and often obnoxious vocals. I do like varied albums, but somehow this one just feels disjointed. It's just too much in about every way. If this could be trimmed down by about an hour it would do so much better. At least I got to laugh/cry at The Stolen Child.
De La Soul
5/5
This album isn't perfect, but it is still amazing. The range of samples and what's created from them is pretty brilliant, even if it could be trimmed a bit. I also feel like this is one where I feel the goofy skits are sometimes a lot of fun, even if I usually skip them. This is one of my favorite albums of this era.
Miles Davis
5/5
Sometimes I forget how much I love Miles Davis. I think this is one of the best albums by possibly the most important musician of the last century.
Doves
2/5
There were at least a couple songs on here I really liked, but there were more I really didn't. I kind of enjoyed the way they played with melodic patterns, but then the singer came in and was a very generic clone of all the other Indy singers of this era who wish they were Thom Yorke, and unfortunately he grates even more than most. It drags everything else down.
The Cure
2/5
This is not close to my favorite Cure album. It maybe I just want in the mood today, I dunno.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
I haven't heard this for years, but this is a great album. Probably among his best.
Miles Davis
5/5
I'm glad I listened to this so soon after In a Silent Way, as that so obviously sets the table for this album. I think when I'm really in the mood for it, I prefer this one too the somewhat lighter and shorter Silent Way, but I thinks it's brilliant either way.
The Teardrop Explodes
3/5
This album started out feeling very generic and typical, but as it went on it definitely got a bit more interesting and grew on me a bit. Unfortunately the singer does sound very generic, even if some of the lyrics and music are pretty good. In the end it just doesn't do much for me, but it was enough to make me listen through more than once, so it just clears 3 stars for me.
Ella Fitzgerald
4/5
This is massive, so I didn't get through it all, but I'm really surprised how much I liked it. I always liked Ella, but never thought of myself as a Gershwin fan til today Who knew?
Bob Dylan
3/5
Lots of great classic stuff on here, but he's still really finding himself.
Cat Stevens
2/5
Not really my thing, but there were a few good songs in here.
Bill Evans Trio
4/5
Good stuff!
Elton John
3/5
The title track is really good, and there are a few other good songs, but there are some huge whiffs, like Jamaica jerk off. Sometimes instead of clever he shades into offensive or just smug.
The xx
2/5
I like some of the music and they do done interesting things, but the vocals all sound like they want to be either the trashiest 90's techno you can imagine our the whiniest 2000's indie garbage, so the positives are pretty much wiped out.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
4/5
Actually pretty good. Who doesn't love a burrito.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Love Zeppelin, love this album.
Willie Nelson
3/5
I like this album but I do find the theme to be a bit over done.
Rocket From The Crypt
3/5
I kinda dig this. Kind of an interesting makeup, especially with the horns.
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
I liked this better than I remembered. At it's best it's kinda got the catchiness and feel off the pixies mixed with the grit and dissonance of sonic youth. And I do like that kind of grainy early thing they're doing the whole time. Sometimes that gets old, but today it worked for me.
The Who
3/5
I like this album but I don't love it. There are some real bangers at least a couple have soured for me, especially "Bargain" after having been in those car commercials forever. Also why is it "Baba O'Riley" and not "Teenage Wasteland?"
The Doors
2/5
There's definitely good stuff here, but I could skip at least have of these so so blues songs.
PJ Harvey
3/5
I like PJ a lot. This is not my favorite of hers, but it's very worthwhile, and has some interesting bits. I'd been learning how to play triplets in 4/4 just yesterday, so Dress really caught my attention.
Duke Ellington
5/5
I'm generally much more a fan of more stripped down jazz than big band stuff, but this album is just undeniably phenomenal. This is one I absolutely need to get.
Scritti Politti
2/5
Very well done synthy poppy production of you're into that sort of generic sounding 80's stuff.
Sinead O'Connor
2/5
The Emperor's New Clothes is a fantastic song and Nothing Compares 2 U is a good cover, but the rest of the album doesn't really speak to me. There's good stuff there, especially in her lyrics and voice, but the music doesn't do much. The Funky Drummer track just reads as a joke now days.
SZA
2/5
I wanted to like this more, as there's some good music, ideas, lyrics, and vocal ability, but I just don't like the style, which sounds so generically poppy.
Lauryn Hill
3/5
I like this album, but it's always felt a little overrated to me. Plenty of good stuff here, though.
Dwight Yoakam
2/5
Not really into this.
Beach House
3/5
I liked this a lot more than I expected I would. A lot of adjacent stuff feels whiny, pretentious or overly earnest, but this felt playful without being frivolous. I liked just about all the music and vocals. Good stuff. I'd probably give it another star on the right day.
Thin Lizzy
3/5
This was actually pretty good, or maybe I was just in the right mood for it. I still don't really like this band but this album has some good energy.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
2/5
The title song and a few others are pretty good, and Scorpio stands out as a really nice electro entry, but there's a lot of dread weight in the form of wanna be Stevie Wonder and vestigial disco. I think payed way down this could be a fantastic EP, but it's a lackluster album.
Kings of Leon
2/5
A lot of the music is pretty decent but the vocalist is going for way too much and it kinda ruins everything.
Aphex Twin
4/5
This album is really solid, starting of really strong for the first half with the exception of a small break for I, but it kind of weakens about half way through. From about We Are the Music Makers on it just gets a bit more repetitive and less interesting, though in no way bad. The whole thing is just really impressive, though, and while it flags just a bit, it's still just at the cusp of 5 stars for me. All that said, it's not close to my favorite Aphex Twin album.
Amy Winehouse
2/5
She's got a great voice, and some of the music is ok.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
I'm generally not in the mood for this sort of heavy depressing thing, but it's got some great material. If I were after something like that, this is great.
Willie Nelson
3/5
This album was fun and really adorable. Good stuff.
Deep Purple
3/5
Deep purple is pretty silly, but this is a fun album that tends to make me smile, even if they're are a few misses in there.
Minor Threat
4/5
Great stuff. Never like this style of vocals, but the music is fantastic.
I feel like U2 has something to say early on, but this late stage stuff sounds like they're just still making rock n roll noses cause they're used to it.
The Verve
2/5
Pretty generic and forgettable, but at least I got through it.
Paul Simon
3/5
This album doesn't seem to know what it wants to be, but it's got some good stuff.
Venom
3/5
This album is a bit of a landmark in that it really points the way for some branches of metal while really showing it's roots. I don't think there are any great songs here, and the production is largely unimpressive, but the energy and its place in history make it worthwhile.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
I don't remember thinking much of this back in the day, but I actually quite liked it this go around. Nice little post new wavy rock thing.
The Velvet Underground
3/5
I think I always kind of romanticize this album in my head, but it's not nearly as good as I remember. The music and the band are great, even the sort of saccharine pop songs are pretty good, but Nico is just atrocious and drags the whole thing down with her. I'd generally rather listen to solo Lou Reed.
The Darkness
4/5
This album has a handful of really great songs and a few okay ones, but I'm just such a sucker for it. Every time I hear a song from this album I have to listen to the whole thing like five times in a row. I think I'm a Darkness junkie.
Isaac Hayes
3/5
Walk On By is a fantastic song, and Hyperbolic is great, but One Woman is just offensive and By The Time I Get To Phoenix needs to cut out the first 10 minutes before it starts to become a song. So all in all it's a bit of a confused mess with some brilliant material.
Tom Waits
3/5
Not my favorite Waits, but there's some really good stuff here if you're in the mood for it.
The Strokes
3/5
I'm not really into this band and their ilk, but the aren't as obnoxious as don't of the others. It all kind of blends together, but it's not bad as background music.
Cheap Trick
2/5
Pretty forgettable, but not too bad
Gang Of Four
4/5
This album is a good time. I really liked it.
Beatles
3/5
There's some great stuff here and some filter. I guess pretty meh for the Beatles.
Jurassic 5
4/5
This is a great album. I can't think of anything bad to say about it. J5 it's fantastic, and Quality Control is probably just as good as this album.
Lightning Bolt
2/5
I'm theoretically way into this. In practice I just can't get through more than a couple songs right now. I think I need to come back to this when I'm in a different mood.
Super Furry Animals
4/5
I don't know what it is, but I find these guys addictive and delightful. They got me again with this weird mish mash of an album.
The Kinks
4/5
Love the kinks.
Depeche Mode
3/5
This is ok, definitely has a couple really good songs and a bunch of forgettable filler. Not as good as Violator or their early stuff, but not bad
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
3/5
I was not familiar with this artist or these songs, but I dug it.
AC/DC
3/5
This is a pretty solid album. Maybe not their best, but definitely not their worst.
John Coltrane
4/5
I love Trane, and this might be my favorite of his.
Donald Fagen
2/5
No thanks!
MGMT
4/5
Pretty good album with a distinct sound and a couple of absolute bangers. I dig it.
Deep Purple
3/5
This is certainly a bit wanky and silly, but it's still a pretty fun time.
Metallica
2/5
It's got a couple good songs and a very refined production, but it's a far cry from the energy of their first few albums. It's been a while since I've listened to this, but it reinforces for me that And Justice For All was the beginning of the end for Metallica, and this is just further along down that decline.
Cornershop
4/5
Wow, this one's all over the place, and lots of fun. I really like it.
Beck
3/5
I go back and forth on this album. I think it's got some great tracks, but some of it really drags for me sometimes.
Prince
4/5
Not my favorite Prince album by a ways, but I still love it. It could lose a couple songs and might be tighter with all the bangers on there.
Sex Pistols
4/5
Still love this album. It's damn near perfect for what it is.
Brian Wilson
3/5
I enjoy this but I'm not always in the mood for it. I do like this reworking of the old album, though.
The Police
3/5
I feel like I liked the Police alright 30 years ago, but the pseudo reggae thing has worn a bit thin. Still, there's some good stuff here, and a fun relisten.
Iggy Pop
4/5
I love the feel of this album. Sometimes I think it might be my favorite Iggy Pop.
Jimmy Smith
4/5
I love Jimmy Smith!
Adele
2/5
She's got a stunning voice, but I couldn't get through most of those songs. Too bad such a talent is wasted on generic sad girl pop.
50 Cent
3/5
There's some really great stuff here, and 50 has a nice flow, but it ebbs enough it could definitely lose a few songs and get tighter. Good stuff.
Kraftwerk
5/5
I'm still shocked that this is from 1978. It's so far ahead of it's time, and so extraordinarily tight. It's not a long album, but there's no fat whatsoever. It's approaching perfect for what it's is, though I believe there are probably even better Kraftwerk albums.
Supertramp
2/5
Not a big fan of yacht prog.
Ian Dury
2/5
This was delightful for a few minutes, but it kinda becomes too much and just drags after a while. Glad I heard it, but not something I'd really come back to.
The Black Keys
3/5
I liked this. It's like if you want a little T-Rex in your blues.
The Doors
3/5
I loved this when I was I kid. Not so much now, but there's still great stuff on this album.
Public Image Ltd.
2/5
Far more annoying than I remembered but there are some good nuggets in there. I'd rather listen to either the Sex Pistols or Joy Division, but both at once isn't working.
Paul McCartney
3/5
This was better than I remembered. It a little self indulgent, but there's some pretty good stuff there. But the Beatles are still best together.
George Harrison
4/5
This is probably my favorite of all the Beatles solo or side projects, and I especially love it because it sounds like Harrison and not the Beatles. I do think it could use a little trimming and then it would be about perfect, but there's not a lot of dread weight cause even the excess fits the vibe. This is one that gets better every time I listen to it.
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
3/5
This was pretty enjoyable. Not sure how much is come back to it but I liked it.
Talking Heads
4/5
Not perfect, but it's a fantastic album. Lots of great stuff happening in there. I never tire of Talking Heads.
The Band
3/5
Pretty boring and repetitive, but not bad as background music if you're in the mood.
Q-Tip
3/5
I love Q-Tip and there's some great stuff in here, but this album doesn't completely hold my attention. Still very worth while and I'm not done with it at all, just not my favorite.
The Temptations
3/5
There's some great stuff in here, though not all of it works that well for me.
The Mothers Of Invention
4/5
I love most Zappa, and this is a really fun ridiculous album with a bunch of classics. This is not the Zappa I'll usually reach for, but it's still fantastic.
Fugees
4/5
It's been a while since I've listened to this and it's aged pretty well. There are still a couple songs that were so played out I really don't need to hear them again, and the energy does seem to dip a bit in the second half, but overall it's really will done and there's a reason it was so huge when it came out. I'm happy to hear this again.
Spacemen 3
3/5
It's kinda in some weird area between Kraftwerk and Tortoise and noise. I could see this being great in the right mood, but it was not really my jam today. Still pretty interesting, and I could see coming back to it.
Billie Holiday
2/5
She's a great singer, but her music really doesn't interest me overall.
Radiohead
4/5
I never really got into Radiohead that much, but this is probably my favorite of theirs. Lots of good songs on here.
The Youngbloods
3/5
There's some interesting stuff in here. And some silliness and some boringness. Overall ok.
White Denim
3/5
This was pretty fun. I listened a little distractedly, but I want to come back to it cause some interesting things were going on.
The Residents
4/5
This is like if musique concrete met my nightmares. It's kinda great. But this could easily shade into noise if I were in the wrong mood.
Stan Getz
4/5
Loved this.
Megadeth
4/5
Megadeth around this time is where I wish Metallica had gone. Similar sound, but more fun, less serious, and with a lead singer I can stand.
The Soft Boys
4/5
This album was a ton of fun. Never heard of them before, but I loved it. I'm looking forward to hearing the rest of their stuff.
Supergrass
3/5
I dig this a lot. Done of it was a bit derivative and the subject matter juvenile, but it's a good time, and I'd listen again.
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
This was ok. There are some interesting things going on, but they lean into some very tired techno tropes that threaten to sink the while things. Still, mostly listenable at worst and truly enjoyable at best.
Germs
4/5
This is a fantastic album, and it's easy to see how important they are even with such a short career.
Skunk Anansie
2/5
This album seemed pretty derivative and indistinct, though some of the music was fine, if unremarkable. The singer really can sing, so it's unfortunate there's so much unlistenable screamy shouty stuff going on. It made me skip a bunch of songs. This one leaving me scratching my head as to why it's on the list
David Bowie
3/5
Kind of a let down after Ziggy Stardust, but certainly a good album with some great material.
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
4/5
Never heard of this guy before, but this was a really good album. Not gonna be one of my favorites, but I'm really digging it now. This needs a few listens. Great find.
Machito
4/5
This is just a ton of fun.
The White Stripes
4/5
This is still a really strong album. I suppose they've faded from my memory a bit, but this album was huge, and it's still great in all the ways it was a couple decades ago.
R.E.M.
4/5
This was in such heavy rotation for me back when it came out I don't think I can be objective. Some part of me is sure there are better REM albums, but 12 year old me is still sure this is my favorite band. And on another somewhat biased listen, it's not perfect, but it really is great.
Black Sabbath
5/5
This is a fantastic tight album with some insane banners on it. I think it might be their best. Even though it's so lean, there are a couple songs that let off the gas a touch more than I'd like, but the whole flow is great. I think it's really approaching perfection. I do like heavier chunkier stuff, but this really was the bridge being laid to get there.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
I don't love Dexys, but they've got a couple real bangers on here, and they tend to leave me in a good mood, even if they feel like a bit much sometimes. This is one that swings a lot based on mood for me.
Arcade Fire
2/5
I kind of like the sound and vibe of this album, but it does downshift into drudgery a few songs in and never really digs itself out again. Also those vocals are soooooo damn whiney, it's just hard to listen to. Every song kinda feels like it's building to something, but really it's just a build, and nothing ever feels resolved. With a better singer or better songs this could get another star.
Beatles
3/5
I feel like this is academically a very interesting album, and it certainly has some landmarks in it in terms of recording techniques and the evolution of the psychedelic sound, but it's not the most coherent album, and has a few real throw away songs. Still, there's some great material, but it's not gonna be what I reach for as a Beatles album.
Fela Kuti
4/5
This is a pretty fantastic album. I don't know how I feel about Ginger Baker here, cause I feel like he both adds and detracts with such a different style, but it mostly works, as long as you're into that big drum duet song. I think there's better Fela, but I still love it.
Roxy Music
4/5
This is a pretty fun album. I don't know that I'd always be in the mood for it, but there's a lot of interesting stuff going on.
Green Day
4/5
I never really liked Green Day back around the time of this album or before that, but on this listen I really enjoyed it for some reason. Maybe I just heard it enough back then that it's pulling in some nostalgia I didn't even know was there. Whatever the reason, I dug it this time.
Talking Heads
4/5
I like some of their later stuff a bit more, but this is a great album.
Tangerine Dream
3/5
This was meandering and doodly, but I guess I found it a bit more interesting than similar stuff that can get a bit more monotonous. I'm happy to have finally heard this one.
The Byrds
3/5
This was pretty good for a Byrds album. I can see how it's in a weird middle space between psychedelia and country, with neither group really embracing it.
Metallica
3/5
It cant hold a candle to the first few Metallica records, but it's actually much better than I remembered. On a good day this might get another star.
Hole
3/5
I guess it was easy for me to forget how big this album was and how strong so much of the material was. This was a nice reminder. I still don't love Courtney as a singer, but she was much better than some of her more shrill contemporaries.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
There are some great songs here, but the production is so dated it sounds like a joke. Despite the quality songs, he has much better sounding albums for sure.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
This could be my favorite stones album. At least it is today.
Ramones
5/5
Perfection.
ABBA
2/5
There are a few ok songs, but the music is almost complete trash.
Sigur Rós
2/5
Largely pleasant and forgettable. A nice enough way to fall asleep if you need a soundtrack for that.
Stevie Wonder
3/5
There's a lot of Stevie Wonder that leans into that easy listening adult contemporary realm, and this album has a lot of that. Still, he has a very good sound and there are a couple good funkier tunes on here, so it ekes out a third star.
Kendrick Lamar
4/5
I like the production, the vibe, and the flow of this album. I also really like Kendrick as a lyricist, even if he's not the best rapper.
Pink Floyd
5/5
I still love Dark Side more, but this is a fantastic album. Good story, great arc, and some of their best material ever. A room of material and none of it is weak. An astonishing accomplishment.
Dire Straits
3/5
This has a few really good songs, but also a few really bad ones, and a few in the middle. The production is pretty painfully 80's at times. This could easily drop a star depending on mood and attention span
Joy Division
4/5
This sound of this album is amazing, and if it's something you're in the mood for, there's nothing better. Personally, I don't get there often, but I still think it's masterful.
The Auteurs
3/5
This seemed pretty generic and forgettable on my first listen through, but when I paid more attention I think there wasa bit more substance there. Not saying this is a favorite, but there's some cleverness and decent music going on here and there.
Maxwell
1/5
At it's best this is some pretty well crafted elevator music, or easy listening if you want to use more generous terminology. Either way, pretty bland stuff.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
3/5
This album is delightful. Not fantastic or anything, but always gonna make me smile.
Sugar
3/5
I enjoyed this. It felt a little generic at first but then it just felt familiar, though I couldn't remember one song. Good time.
Pulp
4/5
This is pretty fun. I think it's really grown on me.
Simply Red
2/5
This feels like a melding of the last dying gasp of disco and some fairly generic British new wave. It's pretty well produced for what it is, but it's not very engaging or interesting.
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
There are ways this album hasn't aged well, but those things are mostly minor and it's still pretty brilliant. One of the classics of it's era.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
This was ok.
The Velvet Underground
4/5
This is a beautiful and gentle album, with a different feel than the rest. In some ways this is their most important work and leaves the longest shadow outside of Reid's solo work.
The War On Drugs
2/5
Feels kinda like a modern melding Dire Straights meets The Boss. Pretty good if you're in the mood for that kind of thing, but I wasn't so much. This could have another star if I were in more of an indie flavored dad rock mood.
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
Pretty decent dad rock, but it doesn't do much for me.
The Adverts
4/5
This was a really great discovery for me. This is some top tier English punk as far as I'm concerned. It delivers on music, attitude, message, and vibe.
Beastie Boys
5/5
Not only is this easily the Beasty Boys' best album, it's one of the best albums if it's era, hip hop or otherwise. Largely thanks to the Dust Bros production it ranks with the greats of the post 808 sample heavy era of the late 80's and early 90's like De La, Tribe, PE, etc. A true masterpiece.
Alice In Chains
4/5
I've always loved this album. I think it's still my favorite by Alice in Chains.
Elliott Smith
2/5
This guy is ok, but gets a bit boring. He sometimes reminds me of Paul Simon.
Fleetwood Mac
2/5
There are a few good songs and maybe one really great song on here, but like most Fleetwood Mac, the album is mostly pretty boring.
Billy Joel
2/5
I've never understood the fascination with America's budget Elton John. At least Movin' Out proved to be excellent sample fodder for Das Racist.
The Pretty Things
3/5
This is a fun little classic. An early rock opera with a big Beatles vibe. They go a little too nuts with the extreme panning, but otherwise a nice listen.
Le Tigre
4/5
I liked this album a lot. Great vibe and some really fun samples.
Public Enemy
4/5
This album is strong but doesn't quite measure up to the brilliance of Fear of a Black Planet or their earlier material. The Anthrax team up for Bring the Noise is some bonus fun.
Pixies
4/5
Not my favorite Pixies album, but still great. Where is my mind is a fantastic song.
Sparks
5/5
Probably my favorite Sparks album.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Great stuff here, but not my favorite Wailers.
Sufjan Stevens
3/5
I like this more as a project and a concept than as a thing to listen to, but it is fun and has some good stuff in there. Just not the kind of thing I see myself reaching for too often.
B.B. King
4/5
Great stuff.
Elbow
2/5
Will done, but very sleepy inducing. Not my jam.
Michael Jackson
3/5
A pretty good melding of disco, funk, r&b, easy listening, and pop in general. Not a great album, but it had a couple of real bangers. With Quincy producing, it was a good formula that would peak with Thriller.
Fela Kuti
5/5
I love just about all Fela, bit this one's pretty special. I don't think my favorite stuff is even here, but I'll never get sick of it.
Dizzee Rascal
3/5
This grated on me at first, but I can't back to it later and it grew on me a bit. This will not work if you're in the wrong mood for it, but it was ultimately pretty fun.
Happy Mondays
2/5
Some of this was pretty good and overall it was fairly listenable, it's just a bit cheesey and tedious.
The Police
2/5
There are a couple of real bangers on here, but there are even more big misses. This just hasn't aged too well for me.
Megadeth
3/5
This was pretty decent. I still think of them as very similar to Metallica, but fun.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
3/5
Some pretty meh prog rock. Not as good as their contemporaries, but not awful. Some pretty skipable stuff, but some ok background music if you're feeling a little jammy.
Morrissey
1/5
Can't really find anything good to say about this one. At this point he's just obnoxious and self important and the songs all suck. At least the Smiths had some decent songs.
Fleetwood Mac
2/5
N.E.R.D
3/5
Pretty fun listen.
Turbonegro
3/5
The first track sounded kinda like The Who meets Jane's Addiction meets Faith No More. Pretty fun goofy stuff, though. I kinda liked it.
Pink Floyd
5/5
A fantastic album, succinct and focused. No fat to trim at all.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
3/5
They have a decent sound, but it all kinda runs together, especially with almost half an hour of Who Do You Love. If you're happy with super jammy psych blues that doesn't do much, this should work great for you.
Aerosmith
3/5
One of their best.
Rufus Wainwright
2/5
This was ok, very theatrical and show tuney, and much of it quite good. In small batches I can dig it, but an album worth kinda wears on me. It doesn't help that he reminds me of Thom York.
The White Stripes
3/5
Probably their best. This is fantastic when you're in the mood for it, but can get a bit grating when you're not.
The Mamas & The Papas
3/5
I guess this is fine but it is very confused.
Stan Getz
5/5
This is a great album. It's actually hard to stop listening to it.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
5/5
Fantastic album. It's not my favorite Neil Young but I've still got a good bit of nostalgia attached to it.
The Pogues
3/5
This really does have some good stuff on it, but I'm just not usually in the mood for it.
The Byrds
2/5
Pretty meh.
Chicago
3/5
This one's a bit all over the place, and sometimes that's a good thing, and sometimes not. There's some really creative stuff on here, but sometimes it just drags.
Also, I have to assume the band is the most direct inspiration for the Blues Brothers.
Portishead
5/5
This blew my mind when I first heard it, and to this day I still get goose bumps when I hear some of these tracks. Maybe it doesn't always work if you're in the wrong mood, but it's absolutely brilliant for what it is. It could maybe lose one track (It's A Fire) to tighten it up a tiny bit, but otherwise I wouldn't change anything. It's really not far from a perfect album.
Easy 5 stars.
Roxy Music
3/5
Roxy music is ok.
Ministry
5/5
This album has aged a lot better than I expected, and a lot better than the other industrial stuff of the era I was exposed to. I don't think this will ever be in heavy rotation for me like it was, but it's pretty damned great for what it is. It's also consistently strong throughout, and I think the last song is the only dead weight here.
Radiohead
2/5
Some of these songs were actually pretty listenable until the vocals came in but I couldn't get through most. An instrumental version of this might get another star.
Rufus Wainwright
2/5
I think I like this better than Want One, but my overall critique still applies. I like and dislike this the same ways I like and dislike Radiohead, even if this mostly better.
Lucinda Williams
2/5
I'm a little torn here, cause this is a case of some good artistry and craftsmanship that just isn't my thing. I appreciate it, but it's just not something I think I'd ever reach for.
Astrud Gilberto
2/5
I had high hopes but this just kinda wears thin pretty quickly. Not bad in bite sized bits, though.
Beck
4/5
This is one where helps to be in the mood for, but it is truly fantastic if you're in that space. I'm generally not this level of sad and depressed, but I still really appreciate it.
Madonna
2/5
I guess she's technically right.
Nirvana
5/5
I don't think I like this as much as when I first heard it, and it may not even be my favorite Nirvana album, but it's still great. It still has to be a 5.
Booker T. & The MG's
3/5
The title song is by far the high water mark. Some of the covers are kind of interesting, but overall it's a nice listen.
CHVRCHES
1/5
Very skillfully crafted ultra poppy saccharine garbage. I got my hopes up several times, but was unable to make it all the way through a track.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
2/5
They sound like they're somewhere between Cypress Hill, Beasties, and J5. Some of this is alright, but much was pretty forgettable. Maybe cause I was so high, or something.
Kings of Leon
3/5
This was pretty decent. A lot of it kinda runs together for me, but it's kinda light and poppy. It's hard not to like at least some of it.
Blur
3/5
Not too bad. Way better than Oasis, anyway.
3/5
I wish modern country music was a lot more like this.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
3/5
This is pretty good for what it is, but I really don't get into this kind of stuff. It's nice in small doses, though.
R.E.M.
3/5
Not nearly my favorite REM, but still pretty good.
2Pac
3/5
There's some great stuff here and a pretty good share of mediocre stuff too. I do like 2Pac, but this just isn't focused enough.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
4/5
This is one that I feel like I've been missing out on for way too long, but glad I finally found.
Metallica
2/5
I liked this better than I thought I would, but a lot of it doesn't really work.
Little Richard
4/5
So classic. Can't go wrong here.
David Crosby
2/5
I guess this is fine for what it is, and not as bad as some of the groups he was in. At least it's pretty short.
Madonna
2/5
Well done generic pop garbage with Madonna's name on it.
U2
3/5
I had this back in the day, but it really just doesn't engage me now. It's not really bad, but it's about the last U2 album I can take much of.
Mj Cole
2/5
Sounds like what you might hear in the late 90's or early 2000's at a coffee shop where trip hop is just too new and edgy. Generic and monotonous.
Nine Inch Nails
3/5
I really liked this back in the day, and I do still think it's a big step forward from pretty hate machine in a lot of ways, but it's just so dark, angry, and jagged that I have trouble sticking with it now. There are a couple true masterpieces on here but overall I just don't see myself coming back to this very much.
Elvis Presley
2/5
Is he, though?
Joni Mitchell
2/5
She's really good at what she does, it's just not really for me.
Butthole Surfers
3/5
I sometimes really like the butthole surfers in small doses, and sometimes I can't really take them. Today I'm about in the middle.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
4/5
Basie is classic and never gets old
Fleet Foxes
3/5
This isn't really my bag, and a lot of kind of runs together for me, but it's will done, and a really good sound. It's pleasant enough, but I doubt I'll ever seek it out.
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
This one has never worked for me. I can get into some Springsteen, but not most of this.
Echo And The Bunnymen
2/5
I feel like I want to like this more than I do. The Cutter is a really great song, but much of the rest of the album really runs together.
Steely Dan
2/5
There are a couple decent songs and over all the music is pleasant enough. It just doesn't do much that I find very interesting.
The Verve
2/5
I hope I never hear bitter sweet symphony again. Otherwise very excruciating and Oasis-like.
The The
4/5
This is some really good stuff. Very thoughtful, and simultaneously dark and optimistic. Musically lots of fun too.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
Great stuff. I don't think I'll tire of this anytime soon.
Hugh Masekela
3/5
Lots of great stuff here and some great variety. Some of it's a bit sleepy for my taste, but otherwise I really dig it.
Waylon Jennings
3/5
This is actually pretty great for what it is, it's just not something I get much into.
Mudhoney
4/5
I remember being less impressed with this back in the day, but I think this is actually pretty great. They're not all bangers, but it's a great overall feel.
Muddy Waters
4/5
Must waters is always fantastic. This one isn't my very favorite, but it's still great