Not my favorite Dylan album, but hey, it's an objectively Great Record and all that.

This is going to sound really dumb, but I had no idea how good Oasis was. What a fantastic album. No wonder they're so popular.

Funny, I've avoided this for ages because I can't bear to hear Hallelujah. But you forget how much of the record sounds like Zeppelin. Also, dynamics-- loud louds and soft softs. On the whole, I enjoyed it more than I expected to, and the Hallelujah thing isn't his fault.

Relentless. Complicated. Joyless. One of those things where I can appreciate how perfect it is, but I can't love it. Is this what goes on in the heads of lapsed Christian Scientists? Is metal the counter reformation to the punk reformation? Can I please listen to the stooges now?

Another one where it's hard to get past the baggage, but I'm happy I listened. So much rawer than I remembered. And what about those instrumentals?

Sometimes, Adele just stops me in my tracks and I have to listen. But then it goes away. More of a Dusty Springfield guy, I guess. You can't deny that she's really, really good, of course. I have nothing but respect, and I wish I liked it more.

Never listened to a Deep Purple beyond Smoke on the Water and Space Truckin'. Much more fun than I expected.

Another record I've never listened to... Wow, get some South Africans, tone down the trippy production and that second track could be on Graceland. The old people thing is odd. Maybe it would be more meaningful if I were more focused.

This album made me buy an electric guitar. It was like the big fish of rock and roll was in the bottom of the boat almost dead, but with a mighty kick of its tail leaped back in the water to survive another day. And I will always have a crush on Meg.

Somehow, I missed this when it was new. It's very much of its time, but that was kinda my time, so I dig it. And mixed in with that are tabs amounts of Neal Young, which is also up my alley. And psychedelia! And Galaxie 500-ish sounds! So where was I in '97?

Wow. Never been a hip-hop guy, but there's so much to unpack here. And I know that he's kinda problematic, but this is a really good record. I guess it's all about being problematic, in a way, about what it's like to be Kanye, with some thoughts about how he got like that, but how everyone wants to be on his record anyway. Was he forgiveable in 2010?

For me, it's music to do stuff by. Pleasant, but didn't really get my attention. There may have been other factors at work though, and I think I'll give it another try sometime.

Look, I am not an electronica person. Not a hater, it just seems like something there's a lot to know about, and I never cared to learn. But I'm going to walk around all day listening to this on headphones.

My life was saved by rock and roll.

I wanted to listen to this with fresh ears, but honestly that was too hard. Great songs, a classic, etc. I suppose it deserves 5 stars, objectively, but for my own listening, not quite.

Very cool, though I liked the stuff Spotify played after more, with a rawer sound. Was a pleasure to listen, after a bad day.

Ouch. Kind of unpleasant, except for Season of the Witch.

I can listen to this. 1001 is a lot of records. I can believe that this makes the cut.

New to me. I wasn't put off, but not especially pulled in either. Deserves another chance.

Fine. My friend John liked this band a lot. I wonder how he's doing these days.

So this is what makes this exercise hard. Even though it's not exactly my thing, there's no denying that there is greatness here. This record doesn't sound like anything else, and if I gave another record 5 stars, this probably deserves 6.

Dolly alone can save us.

Who doesn't love Bodhisattva and Show Biz Kids? Or all of it, really. Not epoch defining, and tainted a bit by being a favorite of some real douches, but such a lovely thing.

Yep, that's a classic. I'd have played this even if it weren't an assignment.

The best songs on this record are amazing. The rest are pretty darn good. A pleasure.

Crazy that there was a time when this was new. And even now, it's kind of magnificent.

This is what I always hope Latin music will sound like, and then it doesn't. This always leaves me feeling vaguely racist. So I don't know if this is actually good, but it satisfies my white guy desires for exoticism.

The good parts sound like the Allman Brothers, and there's Layla, of course. The question of good artists who are lousy humans hangs in the background, but that's nothing new.

My favorite Pink Floyd album.

Cool.

I loved this. Different Waylon than I expected, and Billy Joe Shaver should be in charge of everything.

I missed brit pop because we were busy back then. This is great.

Elvis Costello isn't for everyone, I guess, but I admit that strikes me as odd. This works for me.

I gotta stop reading other people's reviews. Good record, though not really my thing.

Never heard this before, except Killer Queen of course. A pleasure to listen to, satisfyingly rockin'.

Wow. This is fabulous. I had heard of Fela Kuti, but never listened. Not sure if Ginger Baker is bringing much to the party.

I love this record. There's a great quote somewhere about the difficulty of listening to something influential when you have already been exposed to the world it influenced. And that's true, I can't even imagine how this would have hit me back in 1970-something. Thinking about that, remember that Memphis was a pretty dark place in those days, which is no doubt why Stax messed up the distribution so badly.

Not my favorite Dylan album, but hey, it's an objectively Great Record and all that.

Powerful stuff. Dark. Honestly, kind of creepy. I think I've only heard greatest hits collections, before this. And I never caught the scientology references in Famous Blue Raincoat, which adds to the feeling that you've wandered into the wrong club.

I don't even like reggae.

I feel like there's so much to know about dance music and I'm just ignorant. This is pretty cool, with lots to listen to, but not so hypnotic that you couldn't drive a car.

Leonard Cohen twice in a week is a lot of Leonard Cohen for me. This isn't as dark a record as Songs of Love and Hate, but still one has to wonder if Canadians are okay, or if we should bring over a lasagna or something.

So much better than I expected.

Good songs, great band. Sounds like it could have been released last week, except that nobody sings like that anymore. I wonder why not?

I didn't make it all the way through. But, hey, without this we'd never heard of the Clash, or any of the other punk bands I love. So thanks, Malcolm, for putting all this together.

What a terrific album. Rock on, dude.

I went to high school with Tammy Baker. No idea what she has to do with any of this. Maybe she moved to Australia? It was a long time ago.

I dug this. Found it curious how much it reminded me of the Malian guitar music I have listened to. Then I wondered if this was just an ignorant all African music sounds alike to me thing.

This is going to sound really dumb, but I had no idea how good Oasis was. What a fantastic album. No wonder they're so popular.

This was fine. There are some pretty good songs. 1001 is a lot of albums. Maybe it's easier to make the cut than I thought.

So good.

Elliott Smith just makes me sad. Sometimes that's good, though.

Enjoyable. Atmospheric in the sense that it sounds great while you're doing stuff. I'll listen again.

Huh, so that's Acid House.

It's all just a little too much. Like your vegan friend who can't stop talking about chicken farms.