It was so cool to see Tracy at last year’s Grammy’s after all these years. The hits have definitely stood the test of time, and the rest of the album too, as it fleshes out Tracy’s laser sharp commentary on the social problems of the day. Making this album almost essential listening; nothing’s really changed and the subject matter sadly is still relevant to this day. I don’t think it’s a perfect album, maybe it’s one weakness is it does stay stoutly within that lane, but I give it a 4 out of 5 stars partly for how smart it is. Favorite cuts for me are “Talkin’ Bout a Revolution”, “Fast Car”, “Across the Lines”, “Mountains O’ Things”, “For My Lover” and “If Not Now…”.

Welp, on my first album I get a perennially loved album… that is just “okay” in my eyes. It started strong for me, especially the songs focused on the need for social change, but toward the latter half of the album the songs became a bit repetitive to me.

The greatness of Miles is over the course of his long career, he had no interest in creating art that was what was expected by his audience. It may be apocryphal, but the story that a fan approached Miles at a hotel to say that they loved his music, but some of it was too "out there" and if he'll be making more music that fans can "get". Miles' response said it all: "What, I'm supposed to wait for you to catch up?" And that's the power of this essentially compilation album. It's fascinating to hear where he was at this time, especially concerning the sound he was chasing. Here we have more traditional bop, but you can hear that his Magnus opus Kind of Blue was on the horizon. This is special for the time it was created, the musicians playing with Miles at the time, and the simple quality of the songs. A mini-classic.

This album is beloved… by others, not me.

After doing this 1001 Albums Before You Die challenge for a bit, I’m regretting not sticking with my high school and college. But even fumbling through what words I could pick up, the music carried me through. Two things immediately jumped out at me: The name of the album is based on a real members-only social club located in Cuba and secondly, that Desi Arnez was associated with the group before making his way to America and marrying Lucille Ball of I Love Lucy fame. The musicians on the album spent multi-decades playing together, and it shows. Apparently American guitarist Ry Cooder was partly responsible to the groups international fame in the 90s by recording and producing this album after being exposed to the music and group during trips to Havana. I feel you Ry; I’d want to share this to the rest of the world if I personally discovered them too. It’s all about those rhythms! They move between traditional Cuban traditions, but also have flavors of Afro-Cuban rhythms and other styles such as Latin Jazz. Favorites from the album are “Pueblo Nuevo”, “Dos Gardenias”, “¿Y Tu Qué Has Hecho?”, “Veinte Años”, “El Carretero”, “Candela”, “Amor de Loca Jueventud”, “Murmullo” and “Buena Vista Social Club.” This album is a winner.

I loved it. Maybe it’s because right now Paul is my favorite Beatle (which doesn’t mean too much since that title tends to change between all four members, depending on when you talk to me), but this was a fun listen. It’s a weird thing with a lot of fans: somehow certain artists’ most commercial release is viewed by them as “lesser than” just because it’s popular. Sure, it can be mind-numbing to hear the same two or three songs from an album… but that’s just a reason to move beyond listening to singles; put the whole album on! You’re rewarded here if you put in the effort. Anyway, this is a great album, despite being Paul’s most commercial one as a solo artist. I liked all the songs except for two: “No Words” and “Picasso’s Last Words (Drink to Me)”. Because I like so much of the album I was debating giving it 5 stars…but I think it’s more of a 4-star album to me. Maybe it’s because Paul through all of his work has set the bar so high, I’m grading on a bell curve.

I appreciate Neil but I’m very much only surface level fan. I think the center of it for me is that what is its strength of showing Neil’s comfort in being able to handle a wide spectrum of genres, is a weakness for me. He and the band jump from grungy rock to acoustic and a lot of genres in between. And that strikes me that I may have the weakness and need more time with this release for its critically acclaimed status to wash over me. Or not. Having said that my favorite cuts are “My My, Hey Hey (both versions) and “Sail Away”. Since most of the album left me cold I give this a 2 out of 5 stars.

We have crappy, snowy weather today in Colorado. And what a great album to listen to in such conditions, staying warm by the fire and away from the cold. While I love Joni’s earlier work, this was more of a challenging listen. And I mean that in a good way; you just don’t get the lovely nuances in the instrumentation and chord progressions, which are typical Joni. Like a lot of music that demands deeper focus and attention. She doesn’t disappoint, especially in the writing, but it’s the band that gives this a cohesive vibe. Having said that, it’s that necessary deeper listening that goes against the idea of a 1001 albums challenge with one new album coming at you every day, that makes this one a harder than usual case. I’m rating it a 3 of 5 stars today, but I get the sense it’ll provide rewards for me if I revisit it regularly. My favorite cuts are “Coyote”, “Furry Sings the Blues”, “Hejira”, “Song for Sharon”, “Blue Motel Room” and “Refuge of the Roads”. My copy is from the Asylum Albums (1976-1980) box set released last year from Rhino Records, a great way to get an overview of her later work. < EDIT > Yup, it’s said that this album is a grower and damn if that experience didn’t happen for me. I listened again as if it was calling me to reconsider its merits, and I gave a focused listen with no distractions and I fell in love as if the universe was opened up to me. Not only a five star album, but a stone cold classic.

Is that a Theremin I hear in the mix on several tracks? I love the experimentation if that’s the case but still, I didn’t connect with many of the songs. Just when some of the ethereal quality and melodies that have an almost lullaby nature to them would pull me in, I’d get bored as the song continued on. The album is rated pretty highly in knowing circles but it’s a 2 of 5 stars for me

Wow, this was a bit of surprise how much I loved this album! My bad, I have to admit Arcade Fire has never been on my musical radar despite their success, but after hearing this I think I’m going to dive deeper into their full discography. It’s a five star album; I pretty much liked every song except a couple. My favorite on first listen is probably “Empty Room”. I’ll be revisiting this album a lot.

Nice! Nine albums into my renewed 1001 Albums to Hear Before You Die and I get a stone cold classic. What I love about Led Zeppelin is they have one of the best hard rock discographies of all time. I mean come on, how many bands can say their first six studio albums are ALL five star classics? Ok, Black Sabbath too but not many bands beyond that. Most bands either come out of the gate with a great album or two and then slip a bit beyond that, or they need some time and a couple of releases to find their sound before they’re hitting on all cylinders. I’d say this is my favorite Zeppelin album… except that changes every day, their output is consistently so good. The only knock on them is they could’ve given a bit more public love to their obvious influences, Chicago blues masters like Willy Dixon, Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. My favorite cut is “Ramble On” (one of my first songs to learn on guitar so it’ll always have a special place in my heart), but the whole album is filled with bangers. Maybe only “The Lemon Song” and “Moby Dick” strike me as a bit meh. No need to waste any more words; this is the easiest five out of five stars I’ve had so far.

Ah, this one brings back memories. In a world where we have WAP on the radio, it’s funny to remember the general public’s shock that Alanis had a song where she sang about doing naughty things in theaters. It’s amazing how this album definitely captured the zeitgeist at the time, sort of as a radio friendly version of angsty pop with a small sprinkling of riot grrrl energy. Sure, the production is a bit dated but I like it. She has the songs. I give it 4 out of 5 stars, with my favorites being “All I Really Want”, “You Oughta Know”, “Hand in My Pocket”, “Right Through You”, “You Leran” and “Ironic” (which she eventually admitted the stories in the song aren’t ironic at all). Who cares. It’s art.

I’m starting to think that if I hung out and went to more heavy metal concerts with some of my high school buddies, I may have surprised myself with how much I liked some of the bands. Iron Maiden in particular. The two guitars attack hits hard, but the band is also pretty melodic. Almost prog-like on several tracks, and it works. I surprised myself how engaging it was throughout. It’s a 4 out of stars for me. Favorite tracks are “Remember Tomorrow” (probably my top track from the whole album), “Running Free”, “Phantom of the Opera”, “Transylvania”, and “Strange World”.

First, we have to acknowledge that the Beatles aren’t four lads from Liverpool, but four aliens sent here to enlighten us with their music. How else to explain the way they changed the world in seven short years? And it’s as if they were gonna show all the musical ways they had changed the direction of music through their previous ten albums in one sprawling, messy, gumbo slop of a double album. I do think it may have benefitted from some editing to make it a tighter single disc…maybe. While there’s clearly no singular theme with just about every musical genre represented in some form or fashion, the songs from all four songwriters (go Ringo!) are just so good. Except for number 9; I’ve tried to dig into its avant garde vision but I can’t do it. Though my favorite three Beatles’ albums can change daily, The White Album is always in the mix. The easiest of five stars yet.

Not trying to be a hater but CCR has always struck me as being musical mimics. Great mimics, but still sort of copies of their influences. Doing a full album listen, I have to give it to them; they definitely are more than that. There’s a few covers here, but to use an overused, American Idol-like comment, CCR “make the songs their own.” Probably my favorite example of that is the enticing menace they bring to their version of “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.” The album starts a little slow, but once I got to “Lookin’ Out My Back Door”, I liked every track to follow. It’s a 4 out of 5 stars for me.

Man, these guys were pissed! I wonder who hurt Mick & Keith, leading to a somewhat misogynistic listen. Having said that, the songs are solid, especially with this being the first album of theirs that’s all original songs, no covers. For a band that’s been active for decades now, they have multiple “eras” that allow you to dive into their discography at multiple inroads, ranging from their early Blues influenced albums to more pop-based eighties sheen and everything in between. This stage isn’t my favorite (their early/mid seventies apex would be my choice), but I definitely respect their growth from their roots. You can almost sense what was to come. Here, the album strikes me as uneven. But the highlight go high. Favorite cuts for me are “Paint It Black”, “Under My Thumb”, “Doncha Bother Me”, “Flight 505”, and “It’s Not Easy”. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

I can hear their influences, especially on the production side of things. They bring their own style no doubt, but to me they sound like Public Enemy’s Bomb Squad if the Bomb Squad smoked a ton of weed in the production room while making the album. Listening to this with the distance of time means some of the subject matter is a bit grating, but there are undoubtedly some bangers that had me bobbing my head. Also, I definitely recognize their influence on mixing rap with Latin sounds, which would expand from here. Favorite cuts were “How I Could Just Kill a Man”, “Hand On the Pump”, “Hole In the Head”, “Light Another”, “Psycobetabuckdown” and “Latin Lingo”. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

It was so cool to see Tracy at last year’s Grammy’s after all these years. The hits have definitely stood the test of time, and the rest of the album too, as it fleshes out Tracy’s laser sharp commentary on the social problems of the day. Making this album almost essential listening; nothing’s really changed and the subject matter sadly is still relevant to this day. I don’t think it’s a perfect album, maybe it’s one weakness is it does stay stoutly within that lane, but I give it a 4 out of 5 stars partly for how smart it is. Favorite cuts for me are “Talkin’ Bout a Revolution”, “Fast Car”, “Across the Lines”, “Mountains O’ Things”, “For My Lover” and “If Not Now…”.

Damn, I’ve been missing out! This is a five star album for me. They’re so much more than a couple of hit songs, and I slept on them back in the day, assuming as much. I love the blend of genres built on a retro style of funk, with some rock and pop thrown in. The rhythm section is killer; I loved the horns and quirky synthesizers. Sure, the lyrics can be a little out there at moments but it all just gels. I like every song on the album except one (“Whatever It is, I Just Can’t Stop”), and even that track is not skip worthy. This is exactly why I’m doing this loooong challenge because it uncovers some unknown to me gems along the way. This album is a gateway drug to dive deeper into their entire discography for sure.

A bit disappointing for me, this one. I was thinking I’d like it more than I did. The highs are high, but the “mehs” are more. The cuts I like were slamming, but there just wasn’t enough of them for me. But when the songs hit they hit hard (the drums are amazing). My favorite tracks were “Tick”, “Black Tongue”, “Pin”, “Y Control” and “Modern Romance”. I give it a three out of five stars.

It’s a teenage boy’s wet dream (and cautionary tale) played out in a rock opera and I love it; it’s five stars for me. You got a little of everything here: 50’s style rock & roll, Springsteen-like horns, Rocky Horror Picture Show flourishes and all pulled together by Meat’s lusty drama club vocals. I like every track but “Bat Out of Hell” and the closer “For Crying Out Lous”. There’s little out there before or since that’s like it, all to the good.

Wow, two Beatles albums already as part of my 1001 Albums journey! I love this album… just nowhere near as much as several other Beatles albums; this wouldn’t even make my top three, probably landing at number five. And it’s interesting to see how it’s Baroque-style theme has fallen a bit out of favor over the years, once often landing at at least top five albums of all time if not number one on Rolling Stone’s lists, but often struggling to stay in the top 25 these days. Personally I like every track except “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” (both versions), “Fixing a Hole” and “She’s Leaving Home”. The reality is there’s not a discography like the Beatles; not a single album is bad or even mediocre. Because of this I’m open to being called nuts but I may be grading this on a curve, giving it four out of five stars.

I didn’t love it, more appreciated it than anything. The songwriting is solid and the songs about urban decay and with a melancholy view of the world at large did stick, but there were just as many songs that were just okay. I will say this original version of “Everybody’s Talkin’” is more of my liking than the cover by Harry Nilsson. It’s a respectable three out of five stars for me. Besides the aforementioned, the other songs I like are “The Dolphins”, “That’s the Bag I’m In”, “Everything Happens”, “Sweet Cocaine” (Eric Clapton would be proud), and “Green Rocky Road”.

I had heard that Shuggie was “Prince before Prince”, at least from the perspective that he was writing, arranging and producing his albums himself since he was 15 years old. At first that sounded like blasphemy but after I heard this, I get it. He’s in a more traditional lane than the more adventurous Purple One. But like Prince, he mixes styles from R&B to psychedelic soul, calypso and nuances in between. I love the whole album (except the palate cleanser “Happy House”, with the steamy vibe of “Aht Uh Mi Head” probably my favorite. Now in his 70s, I think Shuggie is still performing. If he’s ever in Denver, I have to see him. I’m lucky to have a 1974 original pressing (actually a DJ promo copy) that I picked up crate digging for a couple of dollars. Definitely worthy if you can find it! I give this one four out of five stars.

It’s my favorite of album of MJ’s and Quincy’s trilogy. Sure, what came next would bring him to heights I don’t think even he could’ve imagined, but here Michael sounds more joyous than on any solo album he would make. And he should, it’s a damn near perfect album. Every cut is essential (okay, “Burn This Disco Out” could’ve been left on the cutting room floor), and several songs are masterpieces of the post-Disco and R&B era. A big part of that is his voice. It’s like MJ had realized the scope of what he could produce just with his vocals; the hiccups and squeals that would become part of his trademark sound and are a rhythm instrument all on its own really started here. Just listen to the opening of “I Can’t Help It” (probably my favorite track on the album, and it’s not just because Stevie Wonder wrote it): his breathing alone instantly brings you into the song. I could go on and write a novel on why I love this album so much but Instagram isn’t the platform for such things. Instead I’ll just go listen to this classic again. I do have two solid options to listen with a physical copy, the U.S. and UK original pressings. Interestingly, because of a mastering mixup neither copies have the handclaps that are on “Rock With You” and are on most following pressings and even streaming. Once you know it, you can’t “un-hear” it. I might have to look at getting a later repress; I NEED my handclaps. It shouldn’t even need to be said, but this is a five out of five.

I don’t get it. At least not as much as the effusive praise it’s shown by critics and the general public alike. I thought the themes of loss and fighting addiction would pull me in, and they do on a number of songs, but I never fell in love with it. Looking at the songs I liked it’s actually quite a few and may suggest I should rare this a bit higher but I don’t know… I just don’t think I’ll be revisiting this one much. Not all classics are classics to everyone. It’s a three out of five stars. Songs that I did like were “Alameda”, “Between the Bars”, “Pictures of Me”, “Punch and Judy”, “Angeles”, “Cupid’s Trick” and “2:45 a.m.”.

Well, it had to happen eventually over the course of trying to listen to 1,000+ albums. My first one star album. The Parisian mix of Moulin Rouge soundscapes mixed with baroque instrumentation doesn’t work for me. And I don’t think it’s an issue of not knowing the words; it’s a slog to get through from start to finish. The only song I think is interesting is the album closer “Pas Mal” and the more I think about it, I may like it just because it ends the listening pain.

I usually don’t like live albums. I find that the studio albums sound better, and a recording just makes me sad that I’m not at the show since live music is the ultimate experience. But there are exceptions, and this is one of them. I think part of the enjoyment is the audience often brings just as much energy as James does. And all the hits are here. I like every song except the medley toward the end of the album. Toward the end of “I Don’t Mind” James sings the impassioned lyric “You’re going to miss me”, and coming from the audience a enraptured woman chimes in response “Yes I will, baby”. All these years after his death, she ain’t lying. I got to listen to this on King Records 1966 repress, which sounded great. I give it five out of five stars.

I tried, but this isn’t for me. I just couldn’t find any angle to connect with the album. Coming from that context there’s not much to say. Out of the original and deluxe editions the only song I like is “No One Has”. It’s probably no surprise; it’s a one out of five stars for me.

George Clinton is a genius. When most artists are ecstatic if they can make themselves successful, have one or two hits, this guy was leading two genre-defining groups. And producing major hits with both, each with their own distinctive style. I didn’t realize how much depth the album has, being more than a dance vibe. Funkadelic pushes the buttons of conservative America by challenging limitations around music, politics and social norms, all while delivering the funk and Hendrix/inspired guitars. It’s an easy five stars for me.

Nina is fierce. I’ve known her mainly from her fiery rebuke of those opposed to the civil rights era in the song “Mississippi Goddam”. That, and her ongoing support of black empowerment in the sixties and seventies always spoke to me on how much righteous anger was always percolating in much of her music. But it’s not all she was; her classical music training and love for folk music stands out here. This album still has her fiery side, as “Four Women” is a prime example, but she also shows her heart here with tunes of heartache and yearning. It’s apparently an album of leftover tracks from her most recent album, but they’re still pretty solid.

The great thing about the solo careers of The Beatles is each of them expressed different aspects of their artistry and personalities than what they provided in the group. In John’s case we get his vitriol towards the world (and his BFF Paul), as well as his raw vulnerability and sensitivity in equal measures. This album is a gem; every song (except “It’s So Hard”) an amazing track, and several attaining classic status. No matter how many times I hear it, “Imagine” never gets old.

Now THIS is why I’m doing this challenge, to find music that’s new to me and hopefully discover some gems. Today I hit the motherlode; I’m a new fan. I don’t know what I expected but the mix of Louisiana gutbucket blues, 50s soul & R&B, 60s rock and just about everything else they could throw in works. There’s even a track that sounds like the roots of what will become Punk. Every track is so different than the next that I find myself sucked in, waiting to be surprised. And how can you go wrong when the lead singer sounds like a buzzed Wolfman Jack?I know their next release has the famous “fish face” on the cover; if it’s anything like this I’ll be smiling.

I fell in love with them after seeing them in concert several years ago. That concert is easily in my top three concerts of all time. Having said that, this isn’t in my top tier of favorite albums from their discography. I actually prefer their later albums. That doesn’t mean this isn’t a banger; their mix of pop, alternative and hip-hop is amazing and innovative, especially for the time it came out. And all from a “fake” band that’s built a whole para social cinematic world that only enhances the music. In a world of Spotify driven A.I. playlists it’s clear Gorillaz were showing us a peek into the coming future.

Of course I had to try it. The band denies it, but the infamous “Dark Side of the Rainbow” synced up with The Wizard of Oz is strangely aligned at multiple scenes. It’s like an art rock experimental experience…enhanced if done with recreational substances. But even without doing the rainbow experiment, the album is worthy and a classic for good reason. It just sucks you in from the first note to the last. Another one where it’s rating may be slightly lower since I like a few other Pink Floyd albums just a bit more, so I give it four out a five stars.