Went into this expecting a 4/5 since I've really enjoyed what I've heard from Curtis Mayfield before, but also expecting it to show some age. It absolutely didn't. Soulful, funky, amazing. Title track and Freddie's Dead being my standouts. I'll have to listen again to see if I want to playlist anything, but this is an amazing record.

Timeless, lush record. Every track is a winner on this one. Only track that I'm not super hot on is Save the Children. A little too on the nose for me, but still good music wise. Don't got a ton to say about it, other than I appreciate that this album has two inductees on the "Marvin Gaye's Clueless Ass" playlist with What's Going On and What's Happening Brother.

Gonna be honest, I'm thinking I'm harsher on this album than I normally would be since I'm kinda feeling like I'm not in the mood for this record. It's something I might be able to appreciate more if I give it another shot in the future, but gonna go off my listen now. That said, I still don't think its particularly great. Extremely, distractingly overproduced, just way too much going on. Also way too long. Hour and 12 is indulgent, especially for how stuffed/overproduced this thing is. Kinda feels like budget Kanye to me. I Gotcha has a terrible beat. Like he's rapping over an Animal Crossing tune. Those two things don't mix unless you're K.K. Slider. Some solid tunes though. Sunshine (even though the start with the stutter was annoying, Hurt Me Soul has a similar start), Kick Push, Daydreamin'. But overall, I'm just not feeling it.

Very Bowie in singing. This is the Day is playlist material.

Maps is always great, and the rest of the album slaps.

Good album. Not a huge TFF fan, but when they sound more Depeche Mode, it's great.

Good album. Doesnt hit me like the rest of Radiohead's discography, but thats not saying much. Best 3/5 you'll ever listen to.

This one kinda gets screwed by the fact that I'm American who doesn't really listen to foreign folk music (aside from some European folk music when its involved in black metal), and when it does come up, it's used as a novelty or as soundtrack music in a movie to convey a specific culture, so that is (unfortunately) the association I immediately get listening to it. Basically a me issue, and not a fault of the music itself. That said, it's really good music (or at least, as best I can tell. I don't have anywhere near enough experience with bossanova to be able to tell if this is exceptional or run-of-the-mill as far as the genre goes), just something I can't ever see myself going back to listen to. If it came up sometime randomly, I wouldn't turn it off though and would chill to it. So yeah. Default 3/5 because I don't know how to rate it, but it was a fine listen.

Was going to give this a 4/5 based on the first half (despite not being thrilled to listen to it when it came up. Mariah is very much not in my wheelhouse as far as artists go, and I'm not too well versed in R&B to be able to accurately rate it), but the second half hit, and while not bad, the songs tended to drag a bit and could have used some cutting down. No reason for The Beautiful Ones to be 7 mins long. Lots of stuff getting close to 5 mins too. The more hip-hop, darker vibe songs (The Roof) are the better tracks. The more stereotypical, 90's slow ballad R&B songs are the more forgettable ones IMO. Honey also, despite doing everything in its power to be as repetitive and annoying as possible also managed to be a standout. Definitely grew on me. Very much a song that sounds ahead of its time and not trapped in the 90's like a lot of the rest of the album. Surprising album to me. Better than I was expecting.

Listened before, knew beforehand would be a 5/5, but good excuse to relisten. Don't think it's perfect, not a fan of "For Free? (Interlude)" and the album version of "i" is not as good as the pre-release demo version IMO, but this is a modern classic. Can't get anymore 5/5 than this. Absolute masterpiece.

Just not my thing, honestly. Part of it is, it's just really dated sounding (the raps are that really simplistic 80's style which just have not aged well IMO), and partly I just don't really care for it. What really turned me off was the 6 minute long African Dance which was basically one beat the whole song with (an admittedly good) flute solo. But 6 minutes of it was way too much. Then they followed up with the track Dance, which had the same exact beat, just with a dude telling me I should move to the music and how great it is. Did not need 3 more minutes of that beat drilled into my head. Unfortunately put it down there. It gets the 2 because while it's not for me and I wouldn't in a million years go back to it, I can understand why someone would like it, and despite my complaints, it's competently made.

Have listened to it before, but couldn't remember much from it other than the big singles that bookend the record. Kinda understanding why I didn't remember them. Never was a huge Stones fan, and especially am not a fan of their slow blues tracks. Not that they were bad, just they don't do anything for me (and honestly, time is starting to get to them). I like when the Stones are more rock than blues, and this album is heavy on the blues. This record for me gets propped up on the strength of Gimme Shelter and You Can't Always Get What You Want.

This album was made in 1974? Jesus this album feel incredibly ahead of its time. It wouldn't sound out of place in the 80's I wouldn't think on some songs. Always meant to listen to it, just never got around to it. Really good stuff, especially the lead song The Thrill of It All.

Kinda the same issue I had with Tanto Tempo. The unfortunate association I have with this music is either soundtrack or dance music, and not listening music. It's really good for those things, but not something I'd ever go out of my way to just put on and listen to.

Great album, nothing but classics.

Really good album. Just not my genre. Probably would have been a 4 or 5 if I was into classic funk.

I really want to like this, the production is amazing, and some of the music is fantastic, but I just can't stand his voice. When he's low it's that monotone Drake type voice, and when its high it's that high pitched R&B voice I dislike. He sounds a little more Bruno Mars on Bad Religion, which I don't mind, but still. Not a lot of heavy hitting songs either. Pyramids I guess, but a lot of downtempo R&B stuff. Forrest Gump is probably the standout for me, but even then it's a tepid standout.

Was debating between a 2 or a 3, but ultimately I just can't get past Janis Joplin's voice. She sounds like if Marge Simpson tried to sing after chain smoking five packs of cigarettes. It works on Piece of My Heart purely due the fact I've heard that song so much over the years that I've gotten used to it, but its just not working for the rest of the album. Music and talent is great, but just her voice is not doing it for me. That, and that 60's blues sound is just starting to feel too dated to me.

This one surprised me. Not that I don't like Johnny Cash, I just went into it thinking it'd be just fine, a solid 3/5. Ended up finding myself enjoying it quite a bit though to the point I put it on for a second spin. Guess it just hit the spot.

It shocks me that a band can write absolute classics like Take It Easy and Witchy Woman, and on the same album also write absolute garbage like Chug All Night, Most of Us Are Sad, and Earlybird. The lyrics in Most of Us Are Sad are unforgivable. Even the last single, Peaceful Easy Feeling is pretty mediocre. I almost was super generous and about to give it a 3 purely on the backs of the first two songs, but yeesh Earlybird. The sampled bird noises and the banjo are awful. I never understood the hate for the Eagles, but that was before I heard their non-singles. I get it now.

This feels like some good Fallout-core, and I'm always down for that. Just good jazz.

Yeaaah, this one just isn't it for me. It's extremely repetitive, some of the songs sound like they were constructed from really cheesy music sample packs, I'm not hearing anything that's catchy, a lot of songs grate on me. To be fair, I've never been a huge fan of Talking Heads, even on the songs I do like (Burning Down the House and Psycho Killer), but this is just not good. Maybe I'm being too hard on it, but stuff like Electric Guitar and Drugs are awful. Like, I can see where they were going on *some* of the album, but it just doesn't work at all. This'll be my first 1/5. Really struggled between a 1 or a 2, but yeah, nothing on this comes close to being enjoyable for me. (I somehow came out of this record with Psycho Killer stuck in my head... what?)

This is a really interesting album to get immediately after Talking Heads' Fear of Music, especially since I couldn't stand that album. This album feels a lot like that Talking Heads album, with the repetitive rhythm based music, some songs lacking in catchiness, really cheesy instrumentation here and there. All things considered, I should hate this album same as Fear of Music, but I don't. I think it's just due to how sincere and *fun* Adam sounds like he's having on this album whereas the Talking Heads' album didn't sound fun at all and felt way too up its own ass, I guess? Like they're doing all that weird experimental stuff because it's "true art", whereas Adam and the Ants are just fucking around and having fun. It may not work all the time for me, but at least it's fun.

Metal is basically one of my bread and butter genres, however I didn't really get into the genre until I was in college, and by that time, I was mostly into bands like Mastodon and Gojira, branching out into more technical, atmospheric stuff like Dillinger, Converge, Wolves in the Throne Room, Krallice, Gorguts, ISIS, etc ("hipster" metal, if you will, lol). So groove metal (aside from whatever Gojira mixed into their music) was never really my thing. Kinda always found it too "meathead" for my tastes. That said, while I probably wouldn't go back to listening to Pantera after this, it's definitely a good fun listen. Rhythms on drums are great, Dimebag's guitar work is fantastic, Anselmo has got a unique voice somewhere between Hetfield and Jens Kidman (Meshuggah). Walk sounds like one of those songs that are somehow 90's as hell, but also timeless. Not really my thing as far as metal goes, but it earns it's place on this list, not just from its influence and legacy, but just being a solid as hell metal album.

Really good folk music. Particularly liked Alice's Wonderland and Angie. You can definitely hear this guys' influence all over bands like Led Zeppelin, The Who, and The Rolling Stones. Some songs feel like unfinished ideas, but you still get the full emotional punch he was going for. Just a solid, great folk album.

It's just good. One of those "I can't really explain why I like it or why it's good, it just is". Can't say anything on it is playlist, but I enjoyed listening to it, not a dud on the album.

Never really been a fan of The Doors. A lot of the stuff on this album just feels incredibly dated to me, with the only thing propping it up being the singles, which have aged a lot better in my opinion (or it could just be that I've heard the songs so much, they don't sound as dated due to familiarity).

I feel like I've listened to her album Rid of Me (or maybe I'm mixing it up with Sky Ferreira's album Night Time, My Time, although thats definitely not punk???), but with an album name like Let England Shake, I was expecting more rrriot girl punk type stuff, not jangly indie pop/folk, haha. Either way, really solid album. I'll have to give it a few more spins.

15 years ago, this would have been my jam and would be an easy 4/5 assuming I had hopped on the Yes boat back then (as far as prog rock went, I was more into Pink Floyd/Coheed and Cambria, and then the metal stuff like Dream Theater and Opeth). Unfortunately since then, I discovered technical metal, post-rock and metal (similarly black metal) and punk music, which to me are kinda the opposite of prog. Especially punk, but technical metal accomplishes the virtuosity of prog without feeling noodly (assuming they're not sacrificing feeling/humanity/emotion for pure technicality). Post-rock and metal/black metal gets me the long run time that I do like, but allows me to just vibe to it which I can't do with prog. And punk music is self-explanatory, haha. So yeah, my tastes have basically changed to want music that is functionally not prog, lol. That said, still a solid album, the sounds on this thing are nostalgic to my childhood (parents big into classic rock), and the musicianship is great. I've Seen All Good People is a stone cold classic. Just, my tastes have changed, and I don't have a ton of patience anymore for prog rock noodling beyond what has been grandfathered onto my playlists.

This one surprised me a bit, and made me realize Rod Stewart is very Rolling Stones-esque. Never really thought to listen to a whole album by him, but it was a good listen. Like Stones if you cut out heavier blues stuff. Which I like a lot, because the deep blues stuff Stones do kinda has aged a lot to my ears. While Stones I think are better in general on their big singles (Nothing on this album comes close to something like Gimme Shelter), I liked this album as a whole better than Let It Bleed. Maggie May is a classic, and Every Picture Tells a Story and (Find a) Reason to Believe are fantastic. That's All Right is the only song I'm kinda "eh" on and even then, it's still solid, just doesn't justify it's length IMO. Great album.

It's fine I guess, but the whole time I was listening to it, I was just thinking how there is so much better rock music from around the same time. Doesn't have the songs I like from him, and a lot of his vocal affectations kinda annoy me/are all over the place. It's like there's three different singers on the record, and they don't really mesh. Was hoping for some good Fallout-core and unfortunately did not get it, haha (Although Fallout music is more 40's, but still).

Feel like if I was listening to hip hop back then, this would have been great, but in a world with Kendricks and Aesop Rocks, this album just feels ancient. Not necessarily aged poorly, just that the beats and rapping are very simple, there's a lot of "I'm a great rapper, I'll destroy you at the mic" lyrics. That late 80's "I need to hit every beat extremely hard with my rhymes" with a very hard flow (which is now, unfortunately, synonymous with awful corporate training videos that try to be cool). A lot of the music is great and some of the sung choruses are great (The Pros, which weirdly has some of my least favorite rapping on the record. Which is funny because the sung choruses have better "rapping" with rolled/trilled lines that the actual rapping does not). Monie Love was great on Ladies First. Also, recognized the sample used on Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children as it was used in an episode of Better Call Saul, fun fact (Scorpio by Dennis Coffey). But overall, it gets the 2/5 simply because this style of rapping, to me, has just kinda been left behind and does not really work for me in today's landscape. Not necessarily a knock against the album itself and more just a reflection of how far hip hop has progressed since this album came out (and how far it's progressed due to this album's influence).

Just like the debut, two great singles (Hotel California, Life in the Fast Lane) and a middling single (New Kid in Town) surrounded by awful to middling tracks. At least this album felt like it went by quick despite multiple songs dragging on way too long. Wasted Time felt like it wasted my time, and the reprise was wholly inconsequential. Pretty Maids All in a Row had awful singing, and The Last Resort was about 4 minutes too long. The Eagles are a singles band. Don't ever bother with whole albums, just listen to their greatest hits records.

Kinda in the vein of Tanto Tempo and Siembra. Vibe/experience music that isn't something I'd put on while in the car or just listening to music, but could get behind in the right contexts (Dancing, soundtracks, etc). Only difference is, a lot of it is just rhythm based with minimal music, so a lot of the album does not do anything for me really. I'd give it a 3 if it weren't for the rhythm based stuff.

Gonna be honest, don't really see why this album belongs on this list. It feels incredibly derivative and just bored me to tears. Reading on Wikipedia, it says it's pretty influtial to artists like James Blunt, Ed Sheeran, etc., but I wouldn't put any of them on this list either, so I don't really get it. Maybe it's a situation of the "original" feeling passe because everyone today does it now, but like I said, it feels incredibly derivative (Singing is like Bob Dylan, but not in a good way, a lot of the songs sound like folk music I've heard that was made prior to this album). Yeah, just a very forgettable, boring album to me.

Some really great afrobeat/jazz. Apparently some scathing political themes that got his mother killed and him nearly beaten to death, but not going to be able to dig into that for this review. Ultimately though, while I recognize it's great, it's just not for me. I'm super picky when it comes to jazz (Mostly just like 50's jazz and jazzy conscious hip-hop type stuff), so it just isn't for me.

Don't got a ton to say about it. 10 years ago might have been a 4, but not really looking for this kinda indie rock right now, personally.

One of the best hardcore punk records out there with biting lyrics that feel just as relevant today as they likely did back then. Every song is amazing, but especially stuff like Kill the Poor, Let's Lynch the Landlord, California Uber Alles, and Holiday in Cambodia. East 5/5 for me.

Don't have a ton to say. It's very Bowie, pretty good. Just not really into it much, and sounds pretty dated for a 90's album.

If you took The Beatles and gave them The Who's penchant for rock operas? Half the songs on this album I expected the chorus of Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds to break out. It's very Sgt. Peppers. Great album. Balloon Burning weirdly sounds a bit like a late 2000's, early 2010's indie rock song. Don't think I'll ever go back to it or playlist anything on it, but its very good.

I'm thinking this is a case of an album aging particularly poorly, but this album just sounds dated and cheesy as hell, which is what I imagine happens to most sensual "bedroom" R&B music (Marvin Gaye excluded). The funky record scratch type guitar sound (someone help me here. I dont think its a flanger, whats the pedal used for the guitar sound that comes out right away in the first song, assuming it is an effects pedal?) just dates this album so hard. Also comes off as a bit elevator-music or dentist music-y at times. But even still, I've listened to much better neo soul before (D'Angelo's Black Messiah is fantastic, and D'Angelo is a much better singer), so even for the genre, disregarding how poorly it's aged, it's still not good IMO.

The lack of an Oxford comma notwithstanding (I won't ding it for that, but I will register my dislike of it not being there. Mentally painful to not be able to write that comma in), solid album, but S&G have always felt like they never had enough of an edge for me. A little too cozy a lot of times, although 7 O'clock News/Silent Night does go hard. Thinking back, Mrs. Robinson is a political song, but I never thought of S&G as political despite coming from the 60's. Maybe should pay more attention to their lyrics. The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine felt very Beatles, so points for that.

Feel like Logical Progression is too good of a title for this record, to the point where it's kind of a detriment. The evolution of the record is so slow and drawn out that it just blends together and doesn't feel like you're hearing individual tracks so much as a two hour long song. And no album can sustain itself at that length IMO, even if all the tracks manage to differentiate themselves. It gets a 3 simply because what's there is solid outside of the 2 hour runtime, but I really, really didn't need 2 hours of very similar-ish music. EDM just escapes me everytime.

Pretty much see my review of At San Quentin. Just a solid live record. His voice is a little more strained on some songs, but it gives it character rather than taking away from the performance.

Went into this expecting a 4/5 since I've really enjoyed what I've heard from Curtis Mayfield before, but also expecting it to show some age. It absolutely didn't. Soulful, funky, amazing. Title track and Freddie's Dead being my standouts. I'll have to listen again to see if I want to playlist anything, but this is an amazing record.

It's fine, not offensive. Definitely not the type of country I like. It's very twangy and "generic" (maybe wasn't generic in 74 and that's just a function of a lot of country since then through the 90s sounding like that), and the lyrics aren't doing much for me outside of The Grand Tour. Well covered ground for these topics in country. Would be a 2.5 if I could give half points.

Feel like this album is feeling it's age a bit with some of its sounds, but its still basically one of the best examples of that sound. I do prefer Jackson's harder edge on some songs here, but Dirty Diana and Smooth Criminal are the only songs that I'd really come back to. Very much don't really care for the lighter R&B songs here.

Like if The Beatles and The Who had a baby who also were also slightly into shoegaze? Obviously a lot more influences than that, but those are the ones that jumped out at me. Good album, just doesn't hit me like I assume it hits a lot of other people. I'd just rather be listening to The Beatles, The Who, or My Bloody Valentine/slowdive, haha.

Absolute classic of an album. Excited to get this one, because I remember listening to it years back and not really being able to get into it aside from the big singles. But for some reason it's hitting right today. Kinda got that grunge edge to it, really raw and hurt lyrics. Of course the singles are great with You Oughta Know clearly being the highlight of the album (And one of my go-to karaoke songs, although Right Through You might be added to that, haha). Really want to give it a 5, but think I'll settle on a 4 simply because I can't put it into the upper echelon of albums like Abbey Road, Dark Side of the Moon, To Pimp a Butterfly, etc. It's an amazing, classic album, but not quite a masterpiece.

This is... not good. The first half was generic, but inoffensive jazz pop type stuff. And then the second half came with the bad hip hop song. Then it just kept up with the terrible songs. Props for the attempt at genre hopping, and the talent is there on the first half, but this is just bad. I've had one other album I said I don't understand why it's on the list, but at least that album seemed to have been influential in some way. But this one's claim to fame seems to have been getting a reappraisal due to its inclusion in the 1001 albums book? At least if I'm reading the dates in the Wikipedia article correctly. So yeah. Album IMO that has no business being on this list, unfortunately.

Gonna be honest, couldnt even get halfway through this thing (although I did skim the later songs just to confirm I wouldn't like those either). This album feels like it was specifically designed for me to hate it. It's excruciatingly 80's. You couldn't make a more 80's sounding record. The vocalist is insufferable to my ears and it's like they tried to take every 80's music trope, sound, and production technique, and cram them all into one 40 minute album. Like they took a soundboard of every cliche 80's sound that exists and made sure to hit every button on the board.

Not really a Zappa fan, although I've enjoyed pretty much everything I've heard from him before, and when I saw this this morning, was kinda not looking forward to it because just wasn't in the mood for weird progressive, bluesy, jazz rock type stuff. Not that it's appears on much aside from like the first track, but he has a knack for taking really cliche, overused sounds that come off as super dated and making them sound extremely fresh and interesting. But its undeniable that this thing is amazing. Definitely gets a bump up for being almost entirely instrumental, although I don't really dislike Zappa's singing, just that sometimes I am not in the mood for it.

Not that I don't think this album should be on the list, but if we're only picking one SOAD album for the list, it should be Toxicity. Anyways, I generally like System, just never really dug into them outside their big hits. This album is good, but I'm missing the melodies from their later stuff. And it feels more standard nu-metal compared to their later stuff, which I'm not as big as fan of.

Was definitely looking forward to this once I learned it was post-hardcore. Like if Nirvana and Sunnyday Real Estate had a kid who made post-hardcore music. Can definitely hear some Slint on here too. Great record, only complaint is the songs tend to be too long. Coulda used a little cutting down (30 second feedback to start Super Unison was a bit much), but other than that, fantastic.

Didn't realize I knew Lovefool until it came up, and yeah I understand why that was the big hit off the album. But while that is undeniably the best song on the album, I feel like the rest of the album is more interesting. Very unique sound, basically funneling a 60's sound through the 90's, with a fantastic vocalist and great lyrics. Also, one of the most interesting covers of a song I've ever heard, covering Black Sabbath's Iron Man.

My process of listening to this was initially thinking I'd give it a 3, halfway through struggling between 3 and 4, and by the end thinking I'd end up giving it a 5, but honestly don't think I can put it on the same level as an Abbey Road or TPAB, but it's a fun as hell record. If a greaser from the 50's traveled forward to 1978 and made hipster new wave music. Some of best 80's pop rock I've ever heard, and the record was made in 78. Never really been a fan of male fronted new wave music, but this just hits right. Great pop songs, Costello's got a fantastic voice. What I imagine truly cool/hip music from that time sounds. Hilariously I've only heard one Costello song prior to listening to this, Pump It Up (on Rock Band), and honestly that's probably the weakest song on the album. Don't even think I can pick highlights, whole record is class.

Was super excited to get this when I saw it last night, but unfortunately was a lot different from what I was expecting. I will give it praise, for an album that was composed on the spot in the studio, and lyrics being written as he was in front of the microphone, the album sounds insanely cohesive with a flow between the songs, to the point where halfway through I was curious if it was a concept/rock opera with a ton of time and thought put behind it. That said, the biggest issue I have with this record is the production. It's a lot, raw, and its loud. I'm not a big fan of electronics that sound raw and grating, I prefer electronics to be a little more produced in sound (but not so much that it becomes soulless). The first two tracks were the ones most heavily affected by that, so I didn't care much for them. The next 3 tracks were solid, with Heroes (classic song) and Blackout being my favorites. Then the next couple tracks felt kinda like nothing tracks. Honestly wasn't huge on the instrumentals either. They didn't feel fully fleshed out, but the detraction isn't necessarily from that fact as I don't think there was more to be done, it goes back to the album feeling like a rock opera. What the instrumentals are missing is a movie/story to be set to them. Overall, solid record, just not really for me unfortunately, which is a bummer because I love Bowie and Heroes is a classic song.

Funny how not random true-random feels. Got Bowie's Heroes yesterday, and today Ziggy Stardust. Anyways, went into this expecting a very easy 5/5 and while it's still a classic, surprised at myself for not liking it quite as much as I was expecting. Still a fantastic album with no bad songs, but mostly I just enjoy the big hits like Moonage Daydream, Ziggy Stardust, and Suffragette City. But this album has the classic Bowie acoustic guitar sound, so it's great.

I typically am not a huge fan of 80's pop and some of the sounds on this album are overplayed to me (but haven't aged like a ton of 80's pop), but this album is pristine and basically perfect. The songs are all so cohesive together. Extremely consistent sound through the whole thing. Shocking that this reviewed poorly when it came out. Last Chance on the Stairway and Save a Prayer are fantastic cuts, along with the two songs I've heard before, Rio and Hungry Like A Wolf.

Still not a huge Stones fan, although I liked this album as a whole better than Let It Bleed. You can hear this album's influence everywhere, from La Grange by ZZ Top to Shania Twain. Overall though, solid, just wasn't blown away.

Dunno, but this album feels like a transition between old alt-rock Radiohead and experimental Radiohead, and it isn't working for me. The lighter, airy-er tracks work (High and Dry, Fake Plastic Trees), but the more alt rock songs just sound dated. Also don't know if it's just me but I'm noticing a slight alt-country tinge to a lot of the music, and I'm not a huge fan of that either. Overall though, decent.

Not much to say, just a super fun album. Although hearing this makes it clear that Jamiroquai has a sound and sticks to it. Not the album with Canned Heat on it (Great use of that song in Napoleon Dynamite), but Canned Heat wouldn't sound out of place on this record despite that song being recorded 6 years later.

Perfectly fine folk rock, would be good music to listen to while sitting in a cabin on a lake (which makes sense as I hear it's influence on Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago all over this record). Mrs. Robinson and Hazy Shade of Winter being the standouts. But overall, I'm just not a huge S&G fan. It's got its time and place to listen to for me, but not something I'd go back to regularly.

Never listened to Joni Mitchell before, so didn't know what to expect, but wasn't necessarily expecting a fantastic jazz-tinged folk record. Incredibly dense for folk music, but still accessible. Definitely gonna spin this a few more times to pick out some playlist stuff, but immediately my favorites are In France They Kiss On the Streets and Edith and the Kingpin. You know an old record is great when you read that reviewers of the time thrashed it for being "too experimental", and then you listen to it and it doesn't really sound particularly experimental because it's influence is heard all over modern music (Bon Iver, Radiohead, Gorillaz). It just sounds like a damn good, classic record. It's funny because the one song they picked out as good, The Jungle Line, is easily the most experimental track on the record, and IMO one of the "weaker" cuts (still good). Weird pull, but this album has Animal Crossing vibes. Would not be surprised to hear Totaka took influence from this album for the soundtrack to those games, haha.

Perfect the whole way through, from the weird industrial jazz of Piggy to my favorite track Heresy. Closer is overplayed and a meme at this point but it's still the best track on the record being an emotional low point on a record that somehow manages to dig down further after that. A song that on any other album would be the most brutal song on the record lyrically, and here it's downright cheerful in comparison to some of the other tracks. The Becoming somehow managing to keep finding ways to one up the anxiety when you thought it was taped out. Reptile with its scratching that bores into your brain. And the finale, Hurt, which has kinda been overshadowed by the Cash version at this point, but is still a fitting and poignant end to this brutal, despairing album.

Fantastic album that's just really not my speed. Superstition is a classic that feels slightly out of place on the album. Couple other tracks I'm enjoying, You Got It Bad Girl and Lookin For Another Pure Love, but overall, just not my speed. Some songs just feel a tad long.

3/5 out of context 1/5 based on context Halfway through this album I was extremely confused as to why this album was rated so low. Music is solid, got a vibe to it, was enjoying it but not something I'd necessarily go back to. But looking up the context, yeah. Lyrics about grooming an underage girl. Fun. There's separating the art and the artist, and then there's the artist just straight up writing these lyrics. Maybe I'm missing context due to the language barrier, but my short time looking up the album doesn't seem to paint the plot of the album in negative light or some sort of cautionary tale, it's just straight up cool with it. I guess the album was vaguely based on his relationship with Jane Birken (who was thankfully 22 at the time of meeting him, but still side eyeing that relationship with him being close to 20 years her senior), but still. Hard to not feel uncomfortable listening to this album. I guess it influenced Portishead, so at least it did some good in having a part in making one of my all time favorite albums, Dummy?

Just some damn good blues, and the re-records on this are reminding me of this dudes influence. Unfortunately, I'm just not a blues person. Good for sitting in a bar during a live performance, but not something I'd put on in the car or just to listen to.

Timeless, lush record. Every track is a winner on this one. Only track that I'm not super hot on is Save the Children. A little too on the nose for me, but still good music wise. Don't got a ton to say about it, other than I appreciate that this album has two inductees on the "Marvin Gaye's Clueless Ass" playlist with What's Going On and What's Happening Brother.

Gonna be honest, wasn't a fan of this. Mostly it's issue is just being incredibly dated to my ears, and having a penchant for having fluff that doesn't really feel substantial. Stuff like Changes and Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914). That weird sound 60's music had that sounds like psychedelic ren faire music. Incredibly thin sounding. Just not my thing. Super simple piano lines that feel like they came out of a beginner's piano practice booklet as opposed to something I can actually sink my teeth into (A Rose For Emily). This is everything I don't like about a lot of psychedelic 60's music. Time of the Season is the only track on the album that really feels worthwhile and substantial to me. Stone cold classic song. Although Care of Cell 44 I thought was fairly solid. Yeah. I know this is a widely regarded album, but not only is it dated, but its got that issue where the big hit sounds nothing like the rest of the album, and I just feel weirdly let down by it. You expect one sound, and you get another. And unfortunately that other sound is a sound I dislike.

Firstly, I am objecting to this album's inclusion on the list for one reason, that it released too recently IMO. Feel like there should be a minimum of 5 years wait after an album releases before it gets added. Even in the rare case when an album comes out of the gate that's a clear instant classic (Nevermind, for example), waiting five years won't kill it. 99% of the time, there's no way you can judge an album's impact or influence on release. And this album got added in the 2021 edition too, so went on immediately. That said, still a great record, and Lana Del Rey definitely belongs on the list eventually. I slightly prefer Norman Fucking Rockwell!! as far as Lana albums go, but this still has great tracks. Breaking Up Slowly is great. Dance Till We Die has a fun little portion towards the end that breaks up the slow/chill vibe in a good way. Not a ton to say about it though, it's just good.

Pretty much same as the past Yes album. Would be higher if I was into prog music. Roundabout and Long Distance Runaround being the standouts and classics here. South Side of the Sky and Heart of the Sunrise are solid cuts too, but there's a lot of short little interludes that really don't smoke much for me.

First of all, dude's an unhinged nazi and aside from re-listening to him for the purposes of this project, I make a point of not listening to his stuff because I don't even want to give him $0.0001 for listening to his stuff on Spotify. Don't feel good even spending fractions of cents to bankroll his platform. But for the purposes of this project, since his awful views aren't present in the lyrics/materials of his albums included on this list, I will rate them based on the art present (whereas previously I got a Serge Gainsbourg album that has lyrics talking about grooming and raping an underage girl. Regardless of the quality of the music, that gets a 1 from me). All that said, this is an all-time classic of an album. So many great hits. POWER, All of the Lights, Monster, Runaway. This was Kanye at his absolute peak. Sure there are still the cringe bars that Kanye always had, but damn if this album isn't catchy and amazingly produced. The vibe/instrumental of So Appaled is insane. Shoutout to Nicki Minaj's verse on Monster, easily the best verse in her career, absolutely blowing both Kanye and Jay Z's verses on that track out of the water. Bon Iver closing out the track is just icing on the cake. There are a few songs that aren't as solid as I remember, Hell of A Life and Lost in the World/Who Will Survive in America, although still good. Blame Game did not need that outro. But still a fantastic album.

Pretty good album that has a decent breadth of sounds. I really liked the opener as it was very Bob Seger. Join the Boys definitely influenced Big & Rich's Save A Horse (Ride a Cowboy). Somebody Loves You is giving me slight vibes of Katrina and the Waves' Walking on Sunshine (Armatrading obviously making her song first). But like Big Brother and the Holding Company and Rolling Stones, blues rock doesn't do much for me. Definitely enjoying this one a bit more than the other blues rock records I've gotten so far. Joan had a great voice.

Like if Frank Sinatra, David Bowie, and Father John Misty had a baby together, but not as good. The music itself is actually fairly top notch but the singing just feels derivative, and the lyrics feel like Father John Misty (especially on If...), but without his weirdness and whit to stop them from feeling dumb. Throw this on the pile of albums I honestly don't think belongs on the list. Apparently the album's biggest claim to fame (aside from being used as a theme for a British TV show) is being included in the book, so thats the biggest tell to me.

Gonna be honest, I audibly groaned at seeing it was a sophisti-pop album. Feel like I've gotten one or two of those before and didn't like them. That said, pretty solid album. Think the first half is stronger than the second half. Appetite is great. Even when its trading in a lot of 80's sounds and production styles that I normally would dislike, it doesn't come off as unbearable to listen. And compared to other sophisti-pop records I've listened to, it's very consistent in sound and style throughout. That said, it sounds like a lot of music that I do dislike, it just happens to be the best version of that music I've heard, so while it's still not really my thing, I can appreciate that it is good.

Just some great bar jazz. Type of stuff I'd love to hear while sitting in a basement speakeasy, eating a salmon dinner, and drinking a whiskey cocktail. Love some of the teasing riffs they got going on here. Some passages that are almost catchy and would be if they repeated or had a few more notes put on, but aren't. Also love when the bass leads or the drums do the shuffling (like on the first track). The album is on the long side, but the quality is consistent throughout. Really enjoyed this, just chill listening.

It's almost offensive that this album is called Playing With Fire. Revolution is the first track that actually has any grit or bop to it (five songs in!!!), and it still manages to drone on and bore. Why was How Does It Feel so long? Honestly, it feels like my time was being wasted. Can the song Suicide please end, my God. At the very least, what is here is at least pleasant, if excruciatingly boring, so it doesn't get a 1, but this album is tough.

Up front, not a fan of the porny jazz-funk. It just sounds cheesy and embarrassing to me. Maybe when it came out it didn't have that connotation, but it does now for me. But honestly what's really doing this album in for me is the god awful singing. Can't stand his voice. Even on the one decent song, Dancing, it absolutely ruins the track. Close to a 1, but there's enough talent here (and the instrumental of Dancing) to save it from scraping the bottom of the barrel.

This type of music is tailored made to get a 3 from me. Not because I'm not into it or because it's just not great, but moreso it tends to be experience music (dancing, soundtracks, restaurant/bars music) and not listening music for me. Like 99% of the time I can't imagine myself listening to it in the car or something. And this album kinds still is that, but this is special. There's layers and little stuff in it that makes it stand above most other music of similar styles I've heard. Songs like Chan Chan, El Cuarto de Tula, Das Gadenias, and Buena Vista Social Club just have a vibe I love. Very dark speakeasy type music. Some of the more upbeat tracks I'm not so hot on, but they're still solid. If I had a real complaint, it'd mostly be that some of the songs (especially early on) tend to be repetitive and overly long, but there's enough riffing and soloing that it doesn't bother me a lot.

I can't help but notice this album feels like he took the best parts of 80's rock and just added country into the equation. Whether he was the influencer or the influenced, I don't know, but ultimately it's generally just fine to me? I'm not huge on country so it takes something special to get me interested, and I'm not hearing anything I haven't before (although thats partially a factor of it being 40 years old). That said, and couple tracks on the back end are solid, Fearless Heart and Little Rock 'N' Roller. But yeah. Not really my thing. Feels like John Mellencamp but Mellencamp did the heartland rock thing better.

This is the type of blues rock I can get behind. Not the deep blues stuff Rolling Stones do (not that there's anything wrong with it, just isn't my thing), but blues rock that's primarily rock. Classics all around on this album. Consistent throughout in sound (although a bit to a fault). Feel like Gibbons heard Duran Duran's album Rio and decided ZZ Top needed to keep up, but just in a blues rock way instead of moving to New Wave. Some questionable lyrics and one dud of a song (I'm looking at you TV Dinners), but overall a very enjoyable record.

So I kinda skipped ahead and listened to some Cure, Joy Division, and New Order records before getting them on this list (didn't care much for Joy Division. Liked some of The Cure. I can't remember the New Order record I listened to). Didn't listen to Technique ahead of time though, but I will say listening to those albums ahead of time has definitely helped me appreciate 80's post-punk/new wave/synth pop music a lot more. Previously I really only enjoyed Depeche Mode and a little bit of Souxie and the Banshees because a lot of these bands trade in 80's styles that aren't really my thing, and tend to be sickeningly bittersweet. And I generally wasn't huge on male fronted new wave in the past. That said, aside from a shaky start on the first song, this album is back to back to back bangers. Lyrics can be a bit off (not a fan of the "I do so much for you but you keep picking assholes who don't appreciate you, I could love you better" lyrics of Love Less, but the music and singing are great). This album comes off as very Depeche Mode but in major? Which is probably why I ended up enjoying it so much, because Depeche Mode is great.

Very good blues. Generally not my thing, but got enough of a Fallout-core thing going on that I enjoy it a little more than most blues. The crowd reactions are great and his voice is fantastic.

It's fine. Don't really got anything to say about it, just doesn't do much for me.

Very close to a 4 for me, but somethings not hitting my ears right. Definitely parts of it is Win Butler's vocals I don't think are very good. Wake Up is a classic, and I generally enjoy most of the rest of the record, especially everything after Wake Up, but yeah, just not quite doing it for me.

Another one of those good albums that just don't do much for me. The Weight is a classic and while the album comes off to me as a better Grateful Dead, it still doesn't do a ton for me. No complaints from me, but minimal praises.

This is probably that hardest album for me to rate so far. I can't give it a 4 because stuff like Duran Duran's Rio and New Order's Technique are just clearly better (which I gave 4s to). This album wears its influences on it's sleeves and isn't particularly original even if it is influential itself (I thought I heard The Look of Love Pt 4 before but nope, I'm remembering Cyndi Lauper's Time After Time. Better song, but clearly influenced by ABC). But I also don't want to give it a 3/5 because it's clearly a cut above. It may not be original, but its easily one of the most competent 80's pop records I've heard. I will say the flow of the lyrics/singing is the weak point. Kinda got a slight 80's hip hop Hit. Every. Word. On. The. Beat. feel. The most 3.5 album to rule the world, lol. But it'll have to settle with a 3 because it's just not Duran Duran.

Finally some more metal, haha. This list is in desperate need of it. Not usually a big fan of groove metal. Previously gave Pantera's album Vulgar Display of Power a 3/5. And while this album has a lot of that feel, it's got enough death metal in it along with the Brazillian tribal grooves to elevate it for me. Weirdly, the biggest song from the record, Roots Bloody Roots, is probably the weakest track for me, but its still solid. The album is on the long side so can't really pick songs out specifically, but its very consistent the whole way through. I'd cut the album down personally, but there isn't a wasted minute on this thing either.

This one's gonna get me crucified, but I'm not a Prince fan. It's a collection of immaculately produced and performed songs that just do nothing for me. And every time he goes into his high pitched screeches, it just takes me out of it. The one song that I enjoy, When Doves Cry still has the issue of being two minutes too long. Let's Go Crazy is a solid track too, but that's my extent of enjoyment from this record. It's just too pristine and doesn't have enough grit for me, and even when he tries to add the grit I'm looking for (such as with the aforementioned screams/screeches), it falls flat for me. I admit this album is good (and probably great), it's just not for me.

Great record. I think maybe better than Fever to Tell? Have to go back to that, but I gave that a 4 as well. Heads Will Roll and Dull Life being the standouts. If I had a nickel for every great piano driven song called Runaway (Kanye's and now YYY's), I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but its weird it's happened twice. I will complain a little, as great as both YYYs albums are, I don't think the list needs two records from them. Be tough to pick which to keep though.

Was really good, just didn't really wow me either. Kinda like an OK Computer era Radiohead if they mixed in Billy Joel influence?

So I'm not really a fan of prog. Used to be when I was younger, but ended up growing out of it when I decided I wanted more concise or "intentional" music (punk, technical/math rock), or, if you're gonna have ten minute long songs, it needs to be a vibey/atmospheric type thing (post-rock/metal, black metal). But even among prog, this is still one of the weaker ones I've listened for this project. I still gave them 3s, but I preferred the Yes albums. Mostly because those are rock, whereas this album is more folk influenced. Which is weird because I'm always down for folk, but I don't know what it was with some of those 70's prog bands and wanting their music to sound like a ren faire soundtrack. Mostly, though, this album is just fine for me, although The Battle of Epping Forest tries my patience. It's all over the place, some really annoying (if intentional) vocal inflections, and some really weird crushed guitar picking that feels out of time. Very plinky in a select few spots. But yeah. It's fine. Music is well done/performed. Mostly just isn't for me.

Very light four, not the type of music I'd go back to (although I did playlist the title track). If it weren't for the lyricism and the context around this album, would have been an easy three for me. The title track goes hard. Couple songs that are fine generally (although lyrics are great throughout Leaving the Table especially) but musically aren't as interesting to me. Travelling Light and on though are on the same level as the title track. Overall, fantastic record, and emotionally harrowing listenening to him basically on his deathbed recording this.

Charlie Brown-ass music. It's a very high 3, and I was going to give it a 4 at one point, but it went on a little too long, and for a 60's inspired folk album, even 41 minutes felt a tad indulgent. Maybe cut one song towards the back end or something and it'd be a perfect length, around 35-36 minutes. Me and the Major is probably the standout for me. Easily the most urgent, fun song with some great harmonica. Dunno if I'll playlist it, but yeah.

It's really interesting how with any grunge band you can generally pick out their major influence that they then work into the grunge sound. Soundgarden was Zeppelin/Black Sabbath. Pearl Jam was classic rock like The Who. Nirvana was punk/Melvins/Sonic Youth type stuff. Screaming Trees is apparently 60's psychedelic/Beatles type stuff. But yeah, I generally prefer the big grunge bands over the smaller ones (Screaming Trees, Tad, Green River, Mudhoney), and I think there's a reason why the Nirvanas, Pearl Jams, and Alice in Chains got big while the others didn't, and the influences they drew from were a bit more accessible compared to the smaller bands. Maybe that's a more in hindsight thing, but yeah. It's no different here for me. Dust is a fine album, but I'd rather be listening to an In Utero, Badmotorfinger, or Dirt.

Another one that isn't really my thing, probably won't go back to, but I appreciate that it has its own unique sound as opposed to sounding like a million other bands I've heard. Probably appreciate it a bit more so than the other 4s I've given recently. Really enjoying the spacey sounds on this album. Giving me racing video game space level song vibes, like from Diddy Kong Racing (there's a pull, haha). But yeah, this was a nice breath of fresh air after yesterday's Screaming Trees album. Not that I didn't like that album, just that it sounded like a lot of grunge I had heard before (just with psychedelic rock slapped on top). It's cool to get an album that you hear and go "Yeah. I could pick a Pet Shop Boys song out of a lineup after hearing them once" whereas I couldn't do that with Screaming Trees.

An album that jumps back and forth between great tracks and tracks that do nothing for me. Rolling in the Deep. Stone cold classic. Rumor Has It? Annoying chorus. Set Fire to the Rain, fantastic. Take It All? Not a huge fan of the gospel. He Won't Go is a great R&B track though, that one surprised me. Generally, her slower ballad stuff bores me, and when she gets the shrill highs, it takes me out. Fine record with some great classic, but the deep cuts generally let it down for me.

What a weird album. Feels really experimental, and kinda all over the place genre wise, but manages to stay consistent in tone/sound throughout. When Our House came up I was shocked since I was not expecting to recognize anything on this. And honestly, the fact that anything on this album broke through and became a hit is insane to me considering how much this album just does not care whether it's accessible or not. Overally, enjoyed the album for what it was, but it was kinda silly a lot of the time and generally sits in a style that I find hard to take seriously I guess. A lot of dated sounding bass and instrumentals that while they don't sound dated in the context of the songs (In fact, they manage to make those sounds come off as really unique and fresh), it's tough for me to separate them out from other music I hear those sounds in and are extremely dated/cheesy themselves.

Gonna be honest, I'm thinking I'm harsher on this album than I normally would be since I'm kinda feeling like I'm not in the mood for this record. It's something I might be able to appreciate more if I give it another shot in the future, but gonna go off my listen now. That said, I still don't think its particularly great. Extremely, distractingly overproduced, just way too much going on. Also way too long. Hour and 12 is indulgent, especially for how stuffed/overproduced this thing is. Kinda feels like budget Kanye to me. I Gotcha has a terrible beat. Like he's rapping over an Animal Crossing tune. Those two things don't mix unless you're K.K. Slider. Some solid tunes though. Sunshine (even though the start with the stutter was annoying, Hurt Me Soul has a similar start), Kick Push, Daydreamin'. But overall, I'm just not feeling it.

Really enjoyed this album. Fantastic country-tinged folk with some slight weirdness you'd expect from Beck. Spacey, dark at times, and beautiful. Definitely wasn't expecting an earnest folk album from Beck given his previous output, but it's welcome. Playlisted Lost Cause, Already Dead, and Little One (weirdly that ones giving me Nirvana vibes. Like if Cobain made a folk song). Paper Tiger is probably the weakest track on the record, but that won't stop me from giving this full marks. Overall, impressed by this record.

Despite this album showing it's age (especially with the flow and some of the lyrics), I really liked the raw production and the beats on this thing. Not used to hearing raw production I'd usually find on black metal records on a hip hop record (lots of crackling, sound levels vary across songs, etc), yet here we are, haha. The beats too have this really unique style to them I haven't really heard anywhere else. This really dark, uncomfortable vibe that's really cool. Definitely hearing this album's influence particularly in other ungrounded hip hop records like Dr. Octagonecologist (just without the juvenile humor and sci-fi weirdness. Will say Dr. Octagonecologist is a fantastic record). D. Original and You Can't Stop the Prophet being my standouts.

First of all, this album is perfect the way it is. That said, this album sounds like absolute shit, lol. I don't think I've heard a worse sounding album this side of black metal. The drums sound awful, the guitars/bass gets buried a lot of the time in the mix. It sounds like a live record recorded in their grandma's basement. But again, I wouldn't have it any other way. It gives it charm. Mostly the songs worth anything on this record are the covers and not the originals. They really add a hard punk edge to the covers that's great. The Originals I could take or leave. You can definitely tell when they're covering something and when they're playing originals (even if you don't know the originals). Strychnine is probably their best original. As much as I'm enjoying this record, I can't give it more than a 3 purely due to mostly being a covers record.

Sure. Immediately dissapointed by the dated funk of the first song with the cringe Right Said Fred vocals. The music on this record is generally fine, but way to kitschy too be enjoyable. Stereotypical elevator/mall-ass music in Miles. Some decent jazz (In a Moment of Clarity) that I'd enjoy a lot more if it weren't surrounded by all this cheese. Cheesy spy music around too, with The Big Bamboozle. Probably my favorite song is The Sweetest Embrace. Which makes sense, being the song with Nick Cave on it. Probably the most accessible, "standard" song on the record? Overall, just think this album is too silly. And I don't necessarily have a problem with that, it's just whenever you make music like this, it's very liable to age quickly. And this album is no exception. It might be good music, but hearing some of these songs out of the context of an Adam West Batman or 60's James Bond film (for example) isn't going to do this type of music favors.

It's weird, I think this is a better album than Talking Book, but Talking Book (If I remember right) was more listenable? Generally Innervisions sits in a very vibey space, whereas Talking Book has more bangers. Higher Ground and Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing being the exceptions on Innervisions. Those are bop. Either way, gets a 4 same as Talking Book for me.

Gonna be honest, although this has nothing to do with the quality because it's a good album, but this album probably shouldn't be on the list. Fundamentally I just dont think albums that are primarily covers albums should be on the list. But that's just me. That said, yeah, still a good album that I think is heavily buoyed by his magnificent cover of Nine Inch Nails' Hurt. Brutally haunting reinterpretation of the song. Most of the rest of the album is solid country/folk songs that vary in quality in comparison to their originals (at least the ones I've heard before), but they're never unnecessary I feel. For example, Bridge Over Troubled Waters is solid, but the original Simon & Garfunkel is better and Cash's cover doesn't particularly stand out (although nice to have Fiona Apple on Cash's cover). Same with In My Life. Can 100% understand where the idea of the Personal Jesus cover came up. Similar to him covering Soundgarden's Rusty Cage, they just recognized that the song is basically a country track, and went with it. Basically, the best covers are the ones where he takes a song from outside his wheelhouse and reinterprets them, as opposed to straight covers of folk/country tunes. The originals are solid too, Give My Love to Rose is great. But overall, with the exception of Hurt, it's just good.

This album generally sits between annoying and boring for me. Starting off with the Macarena sounding Release the Pressure, and then following it up with Afro Left where they do that thing with their tongue and make a noise with it against their lips like a school kid taunting someone... yeah. Not enjoying this one. Otherwise it's kinda atmospheric dance beats that are repetitive, and wouldnt be out of place on a video game soundtrack. Didn't listen to the whole thing, kinda skimmed around when I realized early on that I wouldn't like it. Was kinda enjoying the vibe of Original, but the vocals ruined it. Dunno what it is with EDM records and their monotone talk-singing, but it just doesn't sound good to me. Some songs like Original and Inspection (Check One) almost verge on Massive Attack-esque trip hop, but its not enough, and not good enough. On top of that, and hour and nine minutes of this is entirely too much.

So listened to this album previously because I was curious, and wasn't a huge fan of it. Getting it today, don't think my mind has been changed. Generally prefer New Order simply because they tend to have a more well rounded, full sound in my opinion. Joy Division, for me, just feels like it's either lacking a dimension or the sound is dated in a way I'm not a huge fan of. Generally for post-punk I'm looking for either a melancholic sound if they're going in a goth direction, or a new wave sound if they're going in more of a pop/upbeat direction. For the more goth songs on this record, they tended to be the more old-school Monster Mash type vibe as opposed to more melancholic like a Type-O Negative or Have A Nice Life. For the more pop/upbeat stuff, they were missing that new wave sound New Order tended to have. Probably my favorite track was the opener, Disorder, which came close to the New Wave-y New Order stuff that I like, but I'm not fully into it. Still a solid record, just not what I'm looking for in this type of music.

Inoffensive but boring IMO, nothing special. Not as good as the Simon and Garfunkle records I had before (gave those a 3). Basically what an entire album of songs that sound exactly like Rusted Roots' Send Me On My Way would sound like (so listening to this album, it's obvious what RRs influence was). Fine song, but I don't need an entire album of Send Me On My Way.

This one's weird, but easy. Music is great. Real World being the standout, instrumental wise. If this album were instrumental, it'd be getting a 4 from me. It's just consistently let down by the really annoying vocals. I get that's the point, but I just can't. Dude sounds like a manic Peter Griffin, haha.

Perhaps it's unfair to judge them based on their debut when they were still in their Mod sound, but a lot of this album just doesnt "feel" like The Who to me. There's some songs that are definitely The Who, namely My Generation (and some even when they're still in their mod sound, like The Kids Are Alright and I Can't Explain, although the latter isn't on the original tracklist, so I won't grade the album with I Can't Explain included). Keith Moon isn't quite as manic and explosive as he will become a lot of the time. Feels like on some songs he's being handcuffed from doing what he wants to do, mainly because the music on this record wouldn't compliment his insane style. The music can be a bit too "pretty" or standard sounding compared to their monstrous dinosaur rock they'd develop later on. The covers don't feel quite right for them either, even though they were definitely influenced by those bands, it wouldn't really be indicative of their later sound. Overall, still a good album, but it mostly hints at what's to come, which is some of the best rock music ever produced and my favorite classic rock band. As a side note, Quadrophenia being left off this list is unforgivable.