1001 Albums Summary

Listening statistics & highlights

234
Albums Rated
3.68
Average Rating
21%
Complete
855 albums remaining

Rating Distribution

Rating Timeline

Taste Profile

1950
Favorite Decade
World
Favorite Genre
Other
Top Origin ?
Cheerleader
Rater Style ?
51
5-Star Albums
9
1-Star Albums

Breakdown

By Genre

Tap a bar to see the albums behind it

Top Styles

Tap a bar to see the albums behind it

By Decade

By Origin

Albums

You Love More Than Most

AlbumYouGlobalDiff
Bitte Orca
Dirty Projectors
5 2.69 +2.31
Orbital 2
Orbital
5 2.7 +2.3
Beyond Skin
Nitin Sawhney
5 2.76 +2.24
The Sun Rises In The East
Jeru The Damaja
5 2.9 +2.1
Music Has The Right To Children
Boards of Canada
5 2.92 +2.08
Pills 'n' Thrills And Bellyaches
Happy Mondays
5 2.98 +2.02
Nighthawks At The Diner
Tom Waits
5 2.99 +2.01
Music From The Penguin Cafe
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
5 3.02 +1.98
Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo
MC Solaar
5 3.09 +1.91
Hunting High And Low
a-ha
5 3.12 +1.88

You Love Less Than Most

AlbumYouGlobalDiff
Back In Black
AC/DC
1 3.83 -2.83
Lost In The Dream
The War On Drugs
1 3.38 -2.38
Low-Life
New Order
1 3.3 -2.3
Frampton Comes Alive
Peter Frampton
1 3.19 -2.19
Slayed?
Slade
1 2.87 -1.87
Elephant
The White Stripes
2 3.84 -1.84
In Utero
Nirvana
2 3.82 -1.82
Gold
Ryan Adams
1 2.82 -1.82
Green River
Creedence Clearwater Revival
2 3.76 -1.76
Live At The Witch Trials
The Fall
1 2.64 -1.64

Artists

Favorites

Tap an artist to see their albums

ArtistAlbumsAverage
Radiohead 3 4.67
Fela Kuti 2 5
Leonard Cohen 3 4.33

5-Star Albums (51)

View Album Wall

Popular Reviews

Crime Of The Century by Supertramp

Frequently rocked and was often strange. Excellent beginning to end

Band On The Run by Paul McCartney and Wings

Its always impressive when an artist makes an album where you can't tell when one song ends and the other begins. Usually it means the transitions are seamless. Paul McCartney does it by sneaking 3 completely distinct mostly-finished songs into the title track "band on the run". No shade, I love it. The end of this album is walking perfection

Rock 'N Soul by Solomon Burke

What a lovely voice. Unfortunately I’ve decided I will drop at least one point for instances of “little girl” or anything creepier in a romantic song

Gold by Ryan Adams

Ryan Adams: “I’m gonna make the next modern classic” Also ryan adams: writes the most milquetoast 4 chords Americana

I spent too much of this album thinking " these boys ain't destroying anything" before I thought about this genre, the vibesn for real. I don't think they're taking about the western ideal of destruction, as in something is there, then it's gone. I think it's Shiva, God of Destruction style. These samples aren't gone, they're dismantled, reshaped, and made into something completely new. And hey that's pretty cool.

1-Star Albums (9)

All Ratings (234)

Music in Exile by Songhoy Blues
Nov 28 2024

Best one yet Liked that it was international, the story, familiar musical elements but also different

Chris by Christine and the Queens
Dec 06 2024

quite good! i wish the french version was listed first

Come Away With Me by Norah Jones
Dec 09 2024

timeless classic sound, which comes with it never sounding terribly adventurous

The Fat Of The Land by The Prodigy
Dec 23 2024

This makes me feel like I could beat a lizard man in a street kung-fu tournament

Africa Brasil by Jorge Ben Jor
Dec 30 2024

If the coffee shop is playing this, you know it’s gonna be good

You Want It Darker by Leonard Cohen
Dec 31 2024

An excellent album, made more poignant by the fact that it was his last album released before he died (prehumously?) Leonard Cohen has always struck me as an unhappy dude, trying to find peace in religion or a near religious fervor of love & coitus, and ultimately stuggling with how both are deeply human. What I love in 'You Want it Darker" is how the love of his muse, his troubled mentor (whom he later describes as a 'filthy beggar, guessing), and the capital G God are intertwined almost inseparably. The OG Tortured poet. Fav: Treaty, for the verse "I heard the snake was baffled by his sin... The poison enters everything". I fear I still don't quite get the titular track, You Want It Darker, which I am assuming is on me considering it is the most well known of the album.

Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter
Jan 01 2025

pretty alright, no complaints. I enjoyed the album but I'd Love to know some context from the guy who made 1001 must listen albums about why this one in particular. My main takeaway is how usually when I say an album doesn't sound like it was made the year it was made, I am talking about how an old album sounds like it could have been made very recently. This didn't sound like a 2010 album because I would have assumed it was a good bit older. Whether that makes it stale or an homage to the Zombies is a matter of taste

The Clash by The Clash
Jan 06 2025

Hell yeah 4/5

Nick Of Time by Bonnie Raitt
Jan 09 2025

If this were just a little bit less about men, is want it playing at the old school lesbian cruiser bar

Kid A by Radiohead
Jan 14 2025

For the longest time I never gave Radiohead a fair chance. I had always assumed Radiohead was too angst, too sad for my taste. (Of course, the few songs I happened to hear I invariably love, as well as some of the members’ later projects) But this is the first album on my list that made me say “oh shoot, why hadn’t I heard this earlier?” 10/10, I’m hooked

Jan 15 2025

pretty good. I haven't listened to this since I was a kid, and I think I was holding a little too much U2 resentment since they put an album on my iPod touch without my consent, burrowing their way into my shuffle. That album wasn't great. This one is solid.

Imagine by John Lennon
Jan 16 2025

I've got a theory that "imagine" is ironic. He asks "why can't we all be nice? no war, no fighting, not that hard guys!" and then every other song answers his own question, seemingly without him realizing. 'just a jealous guy', 'how do you sleep', ' i frickin hate hypocrites'... its a budding theory, i haven't ironed out the kinks. Maybe I just think it would be funny if the universal "give peace a chance" anthem were written as a joke, and he never got the chance to lift the veil. Maybe that's nihilistic Great album, 4/5

Jan 20 2025

he said it himself- he makes music for high school kids. this did bring me back to freshman year (In the worst way). tough one to finish, but its not for lack of skill

Jan 21 2025

"Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me" is a standout track, I love the loving intro. I thought it was a pure instrumental track and was satisfied, but it only got better halfway through. Bit jarring to follow it with Unhappy Birthday, which was... not my favorite. Overall a pretty fine record, not the Smiths album I would have chosen but not bad

Low-Life by New Order
Jan 22 2025

Pop sellout garbage. I was in a wannabe-joy-division punk band in college. I was excited for this one, really! Someone needs to bonk this guy on the head and remind him he's a terrible singer, and that was OK in previous albums. This is a must-listen as far as it is a warning for any artist getting too big for their britches and think they're hot stuff.

Stripped by Christina Aguilera
Jan 24 2025

Pleasantly surprised by how much I actually knew off this album. Not my genre, but I grew up with a lot of these. I was also impressed by the range of style of both Aguilera and the production . It was dreadfully long, though. I made it through ‘soar’, thought that Must be the end, and realized there were 6 more songs. 1 hr 17 minutes? Have mercy please.

Pink Flag by Wire
Jan 29 2025

Pretty great stuff, definitely influential. there's a bassline in here that 100% must have inspired DEVO. I'm surprised I never heard of this, glad to have had the chance. My punk history isn't as good as I would like

Beyond Skin by Nitin Sawhney
Jan 30 2025

I don’t understand enough of anything to quantify how good this album is, but I was hooked line and sinker. How he can put together so many concepts, so many genres so cleanly is remarkable. Big winner here

Future Days by Can
Jan 31 2025

Apparently there’s a lot of history going on here, and it was indeed good enough for me to want to delve into it.

Planet Rock: The Album by Afrika Bambaataa
Feb 05 2025

lmao. for real? Planet Rock was alright, it was the best of the bunch by far. the PerfectBeat was the least compelling beat of the album. Where were these guys at? i spent most of this album wishing it were the Digital Underground.

Feb 10 2025

wildly good, i just wish when he said 'no one man should have all that power' he wasnt talking about jews. everyone wanted to be on a kanye track until ... they didnt. 5/5, and also 1/5

Feb 11 2025

Going to go against the grain here and say It's just good. I think I prefer when they're plugged

...Baby One More Time by Britney Spears
Feb 13 2025

Thematically, there are two songs: baby I love you, and baby I miss you. No points docked for that, I think it's a plus. A modern "I'll cry if I want to" by Lesley Gore, which I know realize might be an apt description as this album apparently revamped the teen pop genre. I recommend the deluxe edition for the club edits of ... Baby one more time, they're a time capsule of what remixes wanted to sound like in 1999

Amnesiac by Radiohead
Feb 17 2025

Is it Kid A? no. Is that a really high bar? certainly yes. I was in less of a constant fugue-like dream for this one compared to Kid A, which is a minus, but I suppose the plus is it's easier to listen to with company.

Bayou Country by Creedence Clearwater Revival
Feb 18 2025

You hear half this album and you've heard all of CCR

The first half of this album is a 5/5 for “raising kids” music. My mom loves U2, and I heard every track on here so many times growing up. The sappy lyrics, the spacey wailing vocals, the instrumentation, all as familiar and to me as the color of my bedroom or my childhood dog. I’m almost now my mom’s age when she first had kids, and this is hitting in a way I can’t say I expected. Stepping back from sentiment , the second half kind of dawdles

Young Americans by David Bowie
Feb 24 2025

It’s pretty good, but I honestly can’t stand the cover of Across the Universe

Lost In The Dream by The War On Drugs
Feb 25 2025

If these guys were contemporary with their genre, they would be 60% as interesting as anyone else. But they're not, and that's worse. Instead, it sounds like a 40th anni reunion tour that lost its spark, but without any original. It sounds like they were familiar enough with Americana to know that Mark Knopfler could jam on an intro/outro for 4+ minutes, but not enough to know that Mark Knopfler could do that because he had chops.

Blood And Chocolate by Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Feb 26 2025

Guy has some really interesting melodies and chord progressions. Its irresistable (and markedly difficult) to whistle along

Jack Takes the Floor by Ramblin' Jack Elliott
Feb 27 2025

Yeah, I like this. Great album for babies - he likes to sing about animals and places

Feb 28 2025

I foolishly went into this wondering “isn’t a-ha the quintessential one-hit-wonder band? Does the album with Take On Me really warrant a must listen?” I was immediately corrected. This is excellent, genuine, dramatic and sincere stuff. Have you heard Manhattan Skyline?

Machine Head by Deep Purple
Mar 03 2025

I came in skeptical for another old rock album that for it's way here on some guy's nostalgia. There's no playing around though- this is some tasty stuff. I was fully in it, head rocking, all that jazz, until Smoke on the Water. Maybe it's because it's all anyone could 'play' in middle school music class when they got out the guitars, but I couldnt seriously enjoy the song. Which is a shame, considering its probably more interesting than I ever realized.

Green River by Creedence Clearwater Revival
Mar 04 2025

I get it, they did that one song about Vietnam. I can see maybe one Creedence album on this list, but just cause 2 albums have 1 song worthwhile each doesn't make them both a 'must-listen'

Appetite For Destruction by Guns N' Roses
Mar 07 2025

Surprised by this. I expected more junk nostalgia mix, as I’ve come to expect from the list. What I forgot was that these guys are nerds for music theory and technique, and that makes the best rock/metal. Good stuff

Diamond Life by Sade
Mar 11 2025

Smooth operator? 10/10 The rest? Absolute snore. I thought “hey, maybe it’s just the genre that’s not for me.” No, every song that came on recommended after was a banger. This was just so same after Smooth Operator

Mar 12 2025

This album would have been great about 4 years ago after my last hard breakup. As it is, it's not my favorite Sinead O'Connor album, but still pretty good stuff

Transformer by Lou Reed
Mar 13 2025

Somehow I never realized these were all on one album. This is like a greatest hits

Jazz Samba by Stan Getz
Mar 14 2025

Quality stuff. Interesting that this kicked off the US craze for bossa nova, but of course it had to be the white guys' rendition. I wonder if there are any Brazilian bossa nova albums on here. If this is music I "must hear," I think it should be the music that Stan Gets heard, no? I'm sure he would think so

Maggot Brain by Funkadelic
Mar 18 2025

They're having a good time, I'm having a good time, everyone's happy. Real good stuff

Orbital 2 by Orbital
Mar 20 2025

I can't decide if this is a 2 or a 5. It's a 5 because this is really excellent, top notch. It makes me think I'm in a dirty basement in a college town, fog machine running, cheap lights. In the corner, a couple on something- who knows what- is getting a little too handsy and a little too undressed. Between sets I dropped my earplugs case while passing around a joint and a cig, and when I go back up to get it they ask me what are the pills inside. Estrogen and Adderall, I have class in the morning. It's only a 2 because deep in my heart I don't believe people listen to ~albums~ of this music. The subgenres are hyperlocal and niche because the artists know everyone that plays around here, and the variation in the gene pool is from those two guys from Worcester who come around every once in a while. I'm hitting 5 because I know the low scores here probably just don't get it, but I think you had to be there

Ace of Spades by Motörhead
Mar 21 2025

4/5 for the vibe, minus 2 for "jailbait."

Debut by Björk
Mar 25 2025

Big fan of Björk and the Sugarcubes, I was actually not wowed by this. There were some real winners here (Venus as a boy, Come to me, Anchor Song--a brilliant outro) , I was here for the Weird. I just don't feel like its very cohesive sonically for a debut album. Björk's vocals remain Björk, but the everything else can't decide what it's going for.

Music Has The Right To Children by Boards of Canada
Mar 26 2025

I wish I could quantify what separates Good trancy electronica from bad. It really is an ineffable groove, or something. Whatever it is, this has it in spades

My Aim Is True by Elvis Costello
Mar 27 2025

Some good fortune that the US release has watching the detectives. Great album

Fragile by Yes
Mar 28 2025

I love when British bands get a little "pish-posh queen of England", and dont realize how weird they are for it

Dirt by Alice In Chains
Mar 31 2025

I can't remember if I first heard these songs in Twisted Metal or ATV Off-road Fury on the PS1 & PS2, but goddamn does it bring me back

Surfer Rosa by Pixies
Apr 01 2025

I can understand the significance but it didn't really do it for me

Head Hunters by Herbie Hancock
Apr 03 2025

A relentless display of skill

Little Earthquakes by Tori Amos
Apr 04 2025

Man, what a drag. The mix and instrumentation suggest that these ballads are carried by the lyrics, but they're just not that great. She keeps threatening to do something interesting and then backing off. Way too long. "Precious Things" was ... almost good

On The Beach by Neil Young
Apr 07 2025

Quite good. I made the mistake of listening to this when I was late for work and thought I'd hated it. On second listen (casually doing some bike cleaning on my own time) I love it

Parachutes by Coldplay
Apr 08 2025

Dreamy sleepy sappy

Peter Gabriel by Peter Gabriel
Apr 10 2025

Peter Gabriel is capable of doing some epic shit. Peter Gabriel 3 and 4 are non-stop tour de forces of very cohesive sound, and some of my favorite albums . PG1 is... Interesting, because it's incohesive. I feel like it's his first foray finding his own sound after Genesis, and so its all of his experimental pistons firing at once. It's not my favorite, but I still really do like it. In between a 3 and a 4 star

KIWANUKA by Michael Kiwanuka
Apr 14 2025

Undeniably good, a little long

Iron Maiden by Iron Maiden
Apr 15 2025

This list is trying to make me metalhead, and it's so working. This rips the whole way through,starting strong and only getting better.

Damaged by Black Flag
Apr 18 2025

I can certainly see how it was so influential. The lisp is iconic. Also, I know it's supposed to be ironic but a TV party does sound pretty fun

The Stone Roses by The Stone Roses
Apr 21 2025

Really liked this, I didn't know the stone roses were so good. There's a surprising out of variety in their songwriting for such a long album

Live! by Fela Kuti
Apr 22 2025

Ginger Baker may not smell, but that last track drum duo was stanky. I will definitely be returning to Fela Kuti and the Africa 70

Faust IV by Faust
Apr 23 2025

The negative reviews for this one are so dramatic. They say they are in it for the weird and new, but I bet they mean they listened to "Revolution 9" and decided, while it wasn't for them it wasn't the worst Beatles song. This really isn't all that weird, the diarrhea noises in "just a second" notwithstanding. Influential, big yes. Interesting, big yes. Some of you haven't been in a sketchy basement show and it shows.

Songs Of Leonard Cohen by Leonard Cohen
Apr 28 2025

Excellent debut. Leonard Cohen got wiser, and more haunting, with age but that doesn't mean he was a fool to start. I'm sure he'd call himself a fool to the end, though

Hounds Of Love by Kate Bush
Apr 29 2025

The Drama! The Power! The Lights! The Rain! My Goodness!

Vincebus Eruptum by Blue Cheer
Apr 30 2025

I didn't expect to hear this guitar tone over generic surf rock lyrics, so that was a cool way to start. I kinda dig it, interesting historically but I probably won't put it back on

May 01 2025

I spent too much of this album thinking " these boys ain't destroying anything" before I thought about this genre, the vibesn for real. I don't think they're taking about the western ideal of destruction, as in something is there, then it's gone. I think it's Shiva, God of Destruction style. These samples aren't gone, they're dismantled, reshaped, and made into something completely new. And hey that's pretty cool.

Rising Above Bedlam by Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
May 02 2025

Pretty interesting post punk with "world music" fusion. I really don't like that term world music, and I think what complaints you could levee against it's blanket-encompassing nature of every non-white style, you might be able to throw at this album to some extent.

May 06 2025

This came at a perfect time because I was just wondering if REM was actually not that good and if it was just my family who liked them when I was growing up. Turns out they ARE pretty good, they're popular outside my family, and really its just not my cup of tea

Vespertine by Björk
May 08 2025

Already a 5/5 , then I read the wiki and wished I could raise it.intentonally choosing a sound that wouldn't lose fidelity over Napster downloads is a fascinating piece of history, and it makes me wonder about all the musical choices catered to the most likely medium it was to be played. Tom Sawyer by Rush sucks on Spotify, but is an otherworldly experience on an imperfect cassette

BEYONCÉ by Beyoncé
May 09 2025

Was surprised here. I never really gave Beyoncé a chance, but people seem to love her or hate her. The album may be produced, but you can’t deny its good production. I kinda felt like she wasn’t the most interesting part of her own album. Anyway, I was getting into it for sure, but 1.5 hours is far too long

Boston by Boston
May 13 2025

Sigh.... Yeah, this rips. Alright.

Raw Like Sushi by Neneh Cherry
May 14 2025

It just doesn't hit the way it really wants to

Crocodiles by Echo And The Bunnymen
May 15 2025

Good album, I never listened to it before. I was surprised that it didn't have any of the Echo and the Bunnymen hits , but it was still a cohesive piece

Roots by Sepultura
May 16 2025

This is the first I'm really noticing how metal screams use overtones. Sounds really cool with the harmonics on the bass and guitar Good album, The second half blows the first out of the water in my opinion

Stardust by Willie Nelson
May 20 2025

I wasn't sure going in that an album of standards should be a must listen, but hearing them without the big band, Broadway singer style is a necessity. Each of these tracks is fantastic. Keeping this one in the back pocket for if I ever do need to lullaby a baby

Bug by Dinosaur Jr.
May 21 2025
Butterfly by Mariah Carey
May 22 2025

It's like her whole brand is the worst Michael Jackson songs. She's been demoted to Macy's in December, and that's ok

Crime Of The Century by Supertramp
May 28 2025

Frequently rocked and was often strange. Excellent beginning to end

Sunshine Hit Me by The Bees
May 29 2025

This strikes me as a couple of dudes just kinda messing around, doing weird stuff and experimenting with their sound. Maybe that's the lo-fi talking. I dig it a lot. Is it a must listen, maybe not, but am I glad I listened to it definitely yes. I'll put this on again

Definitely Maybe by Oasis
May 30 2025

Was about to give this a 4.5 because I had a headache going in, then Slide Away comes on. What was I thinking?

S.F. Sorrow by The Pretty Things
Jun 04 2025

Big fan. It was consistently interesting, I'm actually quite glad it was a full hour. I'm surprised I never heard of this

John Prine by John Prine
Jun 05 2025

Thanks sarcastic country man for reminding me that our problems aren't new, just often worse

The Score by Fugees
Jun 09 2025

Oh hell yeah man

Darkdancer by Les Rythmes Digitales
Jun 11 2025

I like this. It said "don't dream too hard, just dance" and then laid out some nice beats

Basket of Light by Pentangle
Jun 12 2025

It's alright. Light Flight sounds like 1400's King Gizzard and Thee Lizard Wizard. I'll keep this in the back pocket for a Dungeons & Dragons campaign I guess

Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys
Jun 13 2025

I'll never forget my hippie farm coworker Dave who played Pet Sounds for the plants, saying it helped them grow. I was in high school, and it helped me grow at the least

Jun 16 2025

I don't really get this. Did "Country and Western Music" used to mean big band pops? Cause no shade to Ray Charles, it's a lovely record, but there's No Way a cowboy would be singing any of this

Bluesbreakers by John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
Jun 19 2025

Blues like this is like baseball - it's cool live at a bar sometimes, no one cares about re-runs. If you can get a group of friends together and play, it's quite fun! But the only people who watch religiously are old dudes who haven't realized there's something more interesting. Also, that was the weakest drum solo I've ever heard. I'm glad we've come a long way from that

Hms Fable by Shack
Jun 20 2025

It's hard to pinpoint exactly why this didn't wow me. It might be because the wall of sound was so dense that even the breakdowns were drowning in reverb. It may be because some of the songs sounded like Discount Oasis from a small fishing town whose main exports are tinned anchovies and 2 weeks of tourism. The more folky bits were good

Jun 24 2025

The one-two punch of "the man comes around" and "hurt" was a certain killer. The rest of the album was great, too, but that's the standout. I unfortunately cannot give a single hoot about Beatles covers, it's so hard to do well. I think he does... Better than most

Soul Mining by The The
Jun 25 2025

I dig this. They're some peculiar fellows

Hysteria by Def Leppard
Jun 26 2025

It rocks

Paranoid by Black Sabbath
Jun 27 2025

I feel like the nexus of this album was Ozzie finding a dope guitar tone and basing the whole album off it. Which is fair! It’s fascinating how technically simple it is, but it comes together so well

Live At Leeds by The Who
Jun 30 2025

This does rock. The Who were strange guys with their operas and affinity for writing about 'dumb and blind kids', but you can't say they didn't back it up. I like the bass prominent in the mix, it's more present than the studio albums

Californication by Red Hot Chili Peppers
Jul 01 2025

I know it's a meme to make fun of anyone who like the Peppers, but they really did kill this. It's unfortunate that I'm far too much of a New Englander to get any of the California Commentary

The Contino Sessions by Death In Vegas
Jul 02 2025

Great work. Some parts were definitely trancier than others, but the bar was high

Slayed? by Slade
Jul 03 2025

Man, this sucks. You can tell from the beginning it's going to have a borderline pedophilic song and --op, there it is , gudbuy t'jane. I'm glad I didn't read the song titles beforehand because it would have biased me even further against this band. He's worse at screaming than he thinks he is. What a chore to listen to

Jul 04 2025

I've always wondered what the deal with Wilco is, but I hadn't gotten around to it. I knew OF them, but only really knew Jesus, etc, and I feel like I've heard so much of them from who knows where. But I Get It. This influenced probably every indie band I listened to in college. I love how sloppy it is at times. 10/10

The Specials by The Specials
Jul 07 2025

Seem like cool guys

Is This It by The Strokes
Jul 08 2025

They really defined a sound that for years everyone tried (and failed) to follow up on

The Bends by Radiohead
Jul 09 2025

I prefer the later albums where they get double weird, but there's no denying this album slaps. There'd be no Rob Thomas without this album. Thats not like a huge thing, but it's interesting at least

Very by Pet Shop Boys
Jul 10 2025

Listen, the pet shop boys are iconic of ... something. This was a weird period for music. I do like it, but this isn't even the album with Wild Boys. What gives?

Jul 14 2025

Actually quite interesting, could be 5 star. Unfortunately "Electric Feel" made it's way onto my coffee shop's playlist, and I heard it hundreds of times in a year. I simply can't stand that one

Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morissette
Jul 17 2025

Iconic. The harmonica had an iron grip on the 90’s, an unshakable hold

Bitte Orca by Dirty Projectors
Jul 18 2025

At first I tried to like this and it didn't work. But then I tried to dislike it and that DEFINITELY didn't work. Secretly, I loved it the whole time

So by Peter Gabriel
Jul 21 2025

Constant 10/10, no skips. The gateway drug into not only Peter Gabriel, but Laurie Anderson as well. The bassist in me always dreamed of being a fraction of Tony Levin.

Songs From The Big Chair by Tears For Fears
Jul 22 2025

Quick aside: people who claim an album sounds "too 80s" to the albums detriment are fools. Who do you think defined the 80s? These are the definitive albums and you get that! Show some respect. Anyways this is great. I knew a lot of the songs before and expected a solid 4/5 but the song transitions really bump this bad boy up

Arise by Sepultura
Jul 23 2025

Absolutely excellent solos. Altered State is 11/10

Vol. 4 by Black Sabbath
Jul 24 2025

This sound drills right into my ear snail, thanks. I was surprised by all of the range in this album, absolutely excellent. RIP

Screamadelica by Primal Scream
Jul 25 2025

1% scream, 99% adelica While this is frequently The Vibe, there is an equal number of instances where it is Distinctly Not. Equal and opposite, Yin and Yang.

Are You Experienced by Jimi Hendrix
Jul 29 2025

This album surprises me with how dialed-back his guitar playing is. With everything I know about Jimi Hendrix, I assumed it would be lightning solos the whole album, but instead it's always perfectly paired to the music. Really excellent stuff

Jul 30 2025

New wave could not exist in a post-internet world. Call it self-awareness, call it irony, but all media now is dripping in something that these synths refuse to take part of. It's pure, it's genuine. That said, I don't think this is the best new wave album

Rock 'N Soul by Solomon Burke
Jul 31 2025

What a lovely voice. Unfortunately I’ve decided I will drop at least one point for instances of “little girl” or anything creepier in a romantic song

All Directions by The Temptations
Aug 01 2025

Papa was a rolling stone is great , couldn't get into the rest

...And Justice For All by Metallica
Aug 05 2025

It is a shame about the mixing, because I feel that this is just one special sauce from being truly bone-shattering

Darklands by The Jesus And Mary Chain
Aug 06 2025

Every one of these songs is some alt kids dream "last song" in an 80's prom, but they never played it. It was always simple minds there

Smokers Delight by Nightmares On Wax
Aug 07 2025

I like a groove track, I do. But I want them to at least pretend there's a stronger concept than "I'm gonna make music that's for smoking weeeeed bro". That said, it's alright , nothing special

Its exactly as good as any other 70s classic album. This has the benefit of being relatively lesser known, so the songs haven't been played to hell. 3.5 if I could

Band On The Run by Paul McCartney and Wings
Aug 12 2025

Its always impressive when an artist makes an album where you can't tell when one song ends and the other begins. Usually it means the transitions are seamless. Paul McCartney does it by sneaking 3 completely distinct mostly-finished songs into the title track "band on the run". No shade, I love it. The end of this album is walking perfection

Aug 14 2025

This is after his early jazz period, but just before he became the Devil in later albums. Its pure beat poetry, unfiltered Americanah. He really saw it all happening in front of him

Mama's Gun by Erykah Badu
Aug 15 2025

Erykah Bah Dooo

Tusk by Fleetwood Mac
Aug 18 2025

Tusk the song is excellent . I couldn't find myself getting into the rest

Eternally Yours by The Saints
Aug 20 2025

Eternally bores Maybe I'm asking too much of punk as a genre, but do all of the apparent "must listens" have to sound exactly the same? I know there's better stuff out there, I've heard it

Nevermind by Nirvana
Aug 22 2025

I thought this album would surprise me because I'd never given it a 'full album' listen. It actually doesn't, because I knew every song and they're pretty much in the order I'd expect. Pretty cool

Moving Pictures by Rush
Aug 25 2025

This is not a hi-fi album. If you listen on good headphones, it's pretty flat and uninteresting mix-wise. But that's ok, because they weren't mixing for 2025 audiophiles. This is mixed for radios with a physical tuning knob so you're never quite on the right spot. For tape decks, and best case scenario your buddy's sick aftermarket speakers his uncle helped him put in. You listen to this on tape, and it's a 10/10 iconic album. Otherwise sorry, but you're missing out

Odessey And Oracle by The Zombies
Aug 26 2025

The Zombies are endlessly charming and have n irrefutable control of music theory. Putting "The Butcher" after "This Will Be Our Year" is the most dastardly move in album order I think I've ever heard

Caetano Veloso by Caetano Veloso
Aug 29 2025

Really interesting excellent stuff. Hilda up better than most psychedelia

Back In Black by AC/DC
Sep 01 2025

Honestly tried to give it a shot. Hells bells has a killer intro, and then goes downhill from there. This is a consistent problem with hard rock

Elephant by The White Stripes
Sep 02 2025

Honestly, seven nation army is alright but it drags on

Mothership Connection by Parliament
Sep 03 2025

Funk like this doesn't care if you're in the mood for it or not. You'll groove either way.

Pictures At An Exhibition by Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Sep 04 2025

I actually fucked with this in high regard. Quite a surprisingly weird live performance

Suicide by Suicide
Sep 05 2025

Frankie Teardrop is like watching a David Lynch movie. I didn't LIKE listening to it, but it was a visceral and fascinating experience. These guys really are something

Innervisions by Stevie Wonder
Sep 08 2025

Everyone knows Stevie Wonder can party, but I was surprised by how much I was moved by the love songs . All In Love Is Fair is beautiful , and the way it rises to fill your ears is great. Big win here all around

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Sep 09 2025

Less groundbreaking than I expected. There's some great hits on here (American girl, breakdown) and a couple surprises (Luna) but overall not too memorable of a record

Nothing's Shocking by Jane's Addiction
Sep 10 2025

10/10 intro song, perfectly captured vibe. I do wish it went straight into the next song from it instead of a fade out, it would be electric. The ending was kinda weak, Jane Says feels like, dare I say, the least interesting song on the album

Sep 11 2025

A potential college hookup invites you to see a show. You think that sounds pretty hot, so you go. It’s The Fall doing Live at the Witch Trials. You leave early in the set, because he really isn’t hot enough for this. You’re going to start a band with some friends of friends. You ask one of the band mates “what are some of your influences?” He says The Fall. You realize that you don’t really want to start a punk band any more. If The Fall were really Live at the Witch Trials, the pilgrims and the witches would make peace and burn them instead, because Godlessness can be forgiven but this mediocrity cannot.

Parklife by Blur
Sep 12 2025

Girls & Boys is so queer I love it I also like when girls do boys like girls

The Genius Of Ray Charles by Ray Charles
Sep 15 2025

Its a good Ray Charles album, you know what you're getting. I think everybody in their life should listen to... Half a Ray Charles album. A boogie song, a blues song, a romantic song and one other of your choice. Anything after that is extra credit

Horses by Patti Smith
Sep 16 2025
In Utero by Nirvana
Sep 17 2025

It's alright honestly. Historically significant but almost none of the songs are nearly as epic or memorable as the average song on Nevermind

Graceland by Paul Simon
Sep 18 2025

Love this. Paul Simon with amazing artists, known or not he wanted them celebrated. Bakithi Kumalo goes wild on the bass, and was one of 2 inspirations for me to start playing fretless. Simon's wordplay and lyrical rhythm is always phenomenal. Good stuff

E.V.O.L. by Sonic Youth
Sep 19 2025

This sounds at times like ants crawling in my skull. Thanks!

Raw Power by The Stooges
Sep 22 2025

Surprised by this. I need to read more about the mixing drama, but I loved the Iggy mix

Highway 61 Revisited by Bob Dylan
Sep 23 2025

Look, here's the thing everyone knows about Bob Dylan. This isn't a new take. He writes lyrics capable of building a whole 400-level academic course on. He won a novel prize in literature, for God's sake, and it sure as hell wasn't just for his poetry book Tarantula. The fact is, unless you have the time and desire to listen to this 4,5 or more times, with space to think between each listen.... It's gonna sound like nonsense. 4/5 because it's not as grabbing as Sara, which pulls you in with every track. Know that I'm measuring this not on a general scale, but on a scale of Bob Dylan's own

Tuesday Night Music Club by Sheryl Crow
Sep 24 2025

Run Baby Run is a horrible opening track, it's maybe an early-second-half-of-the-album track. Honestly, this album isn't particularly notable. I could be convinced that Sheryl Crow belongs on this list, but not with this album

Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield
Sep 25 2025

This is proper weird, I like it! It's getting me upset about the arbitrary choice to exclude classical music from this list. Quite a few of the most influential folks in the the instrumental/experimental/ whatever this is genre, contemporaries to this album, are artists generally accepted as 'modern classical' artists. What, since he grumbles through a song and he was only 19 this counts for the list? The difference is arbitrary. If you want something that'll really knock your socks off, listen to Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians

Smile by Brian Wilson
Sep 26 2025

This is seriously beautiful. It's also Really sad for such a happy carnival sound. It really is dreaming of the good times, before things got tough. But for him, that's all the way back to nursery rhymes. That's tough, man

Off The Wall by Michael Jackson
Sep 29 2025

As someone who only knows about MJ through the American zeitgeist, I've never gave a full album a chance. This is pretty good. Obviously the funk is a strong suit, though it does suffer from long-song-slow-fade where it repeats with no changes for too long. This also confirmed for me that Michael Jackson's ballads are, in fact, a chore to get through.

The Age Of The Understatement by The Last Shadow Puppets
Oct 01 2025

I'm assuming this is on here because it influenced someone. It's not cool enough to be Arctic Monkeys, but not dorky enough to resonate with queer people. The result is... Fine, but I don't believe it's anyone's favorite album anywhere

Odessa by Bee Gees
Oct 02 2025

This had potential at some points, and failed to sustain. If it were separated from the Beegees title, it would never have touched ground

Bat Out Of Hell by Meat Loaf
Oct 06 2025

I don’t know where to begin with this. Bruce Springsteen mixed with the most wild Elton John, and an album cover fit for Iron Maiden. This immediately gripped me with a 10 minute insane fest title track. I honestly didn’t think the rest Astros up to the first song, but just for the insanity of this power rock opera, and the extremely high bar of “Bat Out Of Hell”, plus the fact that these songs have all been stuck in my head all weekend, it’s gotta be a 5

Nilsson Schmilsson by Harry Nilsson
Oct 07 2025

It’s real nice! I like how some of these sound like demos, really fits the album cover where he couldn’t even bother to get out of his jammies

Exile In Guyville by Liz Phair
Oct 08 2025

I bet every lesbian in 1993 was foaming at the mouth for this

Music by Madonna
Oct 09 2025

A true time capsule. The title track has a grip on my childhood I didn’t know I forgot - my neighbor Loved this album when I was barely a few years old. They had a big statue of a smoking monkey and a broken grand piano. Anyways, why is she dressed up all country on the least country album?

Rid Of Me by PJ Harvey
Oct 10 2025

This is the second 1993 Grrrl rock album of the week and i take it back, THIS is the one all the lesbians should have been drooling over

Dummy by Portishead
Oct 13 2025

Really funky stuff. Definitely a must listen, but some parts were notably more mind blowing than others.

Hunky Dory by David Bowie
Oct 15 2025

Has some of my favorite tracks, and honestly some forgettable ones

Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots by The Flaming Lips
Oct 20 2025

If you have a friend that says they don’t like psychadelia, show them this album. If you have a friend that says they don’t like noise, show them this album. Hell, if you have a friend that says they don’t like just about whatever, show them this album. It might not have anything to do with what they were complaining about, but you’d both be better off for it

All Hope Is Gone by Slipknot
Oct 22 2025

I maintain that good metal is always written by nerds, and you can tell. I don’t think these guys are nerdy enough

Reggatta De Blanc by The Police
Oct 23 2025

Overall not my favorite police album, but walking in the moon is a standout track

Technique by New Order
Oct 29 2025

I admit i braced myself for this album after listening to “Low Life”. Look, this isn’t groundbreaking at all for 1989, but at least it’s tolerable

Junkyard by The Birthday Party
Oct 31 2025

This is trash, i am into it. It scratches the itch of Tom Waits, a little Squirrel Nut Zippers, and like an evil Elvis Costello. Utterly bizarre.

Rubber Soul by Beatles
Nov 03 2025

Surprisingly this is the first Beatles album after almost 1/4 of this challenge. What are the odds of that? Usually i dock points for a sexualizing “little girl” in the lyrics, but in Run For Your Life its pretty clear the narrator is a Bad Dude. Pretty funny that people think its about John Lennon, at least he was self aware that he was a piece of shit

Sunshine Superman by Donovan
Nov 05 2025

Its a lovely album, great for breakfast. Its enough movement to get you going , but with enough spacey sitar for you to chill

Gold by Ryan Adams
Nov 06 2025

Ryan Adams: “I’m gonna make the next modern classic” Also ryan adams: writes the most milquetoast 4 chords Americana

Music From The Penguin Cafe by Penguin Cafe Orchestra
Nov 12 2025

Cute and good! I knew some of the penguin cafe orchestra, but i didn’t realize it was 1976. Definitely ahead of its time, i would have guessed late 90s at earliest

Pearl by Janis Joplin
Nov 14 2025
Tanto Tempo by Bebel Gilberto
Dec 03 2025

Great album, beautiful voice and restrained 2000’s synth. Great mix

Time Out by The Dave Brubeck Quartet
Dec 05 2025

Don’t trust anyone who says it’s bad

Autobahn by Kraftwerk
Dec 10 2025

Bet these guys were particularly fond of german roads

Jan 14 2026

Was good but never did it grab me. 10 minutes after finishing the album i was whistling an oasis tune

Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division
Jan 16 2026

There’s a lot to say here. Joy Division knew exactly what they were doing, and i don’t mean that in the sense of technical skill or tight musicianship. There’s a reason everyone and their mother covered Disorder in their first band. You know what it is

Zombie by Fela Kuti
Jan 26 2026
Fromohio by fIREHOSE
Jan 28 2026

If it were 10-20 years earlier it might be notable, but as it is…

The Soft Bulletin by The Flaming Lips
Jan 30 2026

Bizarre album, very weird dudes. Great at putting you in the middle of a story that almost makes sense

Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby by Girls Against Boys
Feb 04 2026

“Girls against Boys” is a good name for a riot grrrl type band, or at least one with a female lead. Anything else is a little suspicious. Ignoring that, this album is at best ok and at worst dawdling.

Greetings From L.A. by Tim Buckley
Feb 12 2026

I get that this guy famously laid a lot of pipe, but i think that his music interested me more when I thought he was a woman. Still good rock n roll

Birth Of The Cool by Miles Davis
Feb 16 2026

Perfect album name. It’s more laid back than some of the craziest Coltrane, but it’s so undeniably cool

Songs Of Love And Hate by Leonard Cohen
Feb 18 2026

Depressed. Visceral. He never fails to drag you into the depths with him, where all men are equal.

Cheerleader

Average rating: 3.68 (0.38 above global average).

Other

Album origins are grouped into three buckets: US, UK, and everything else. “Other” means the artists you rate highest are from outside the US and UK.