1001 Albums Summary

Great album. Kashmir and in my time of dying both killer songs. Some of the lesser songs drag a bit along the way.

This was really good. Not really a big Willie Nelson guy typically (but maybe I should be?). Just very pleasant, mellow jams. On the other hand, this album doesn't have a ton of tonal contrast, but it was pleasant as I did my work. Highlights: Blue Skies Georgia on my Mind--Is this an original take? I don't think so, but its a great standard performed well Don't Get around much anymore and someone to watch over me is a very strong finish for the album

Uhh, this is fine? Kinda unremarkable 80s pop vibes. I’m guessing it was added to the list because it started the 80s sound or something historic. Nothing wrong with this album, but I find it pretty forgettable. Though I guess I always like albums less on a first listen.

-1 for sounding like off-brand Pixies, but without their distinctive weirdness and humor--like what if you sucked their soul out and replaced it with horny teenager energy. Not very original. I guess heart-shaped box is pretty good, but if it's the hit meant to redeem this album, it's woefully insufficient (All Apologies is also good, but better when covered by others). But in "rape me" (a dubious song to begin with) they quote the "smells like teen spirit" riff--which they already stole from Pixies U-Mass! Makes me wonder if Nirvana really just put everything they had into Nevermind, with no ideas left for the rest of the work

Huh, they have multiple albums. Who knew? (apparently lots of people) First 30 seconds: ooh some interesting vocals. This could be a more interesting approach to post-punk(?). Yeah this album is fun and fresh. Love so many of these songs: California waiting and Joe's Head are a blast. Like the Modern Lovers with less grating of sensibilities. This is a great artist discovery; how did I never listen to these guys?!? Huge.

I've encountered War before, but a different super-funky album. This is a mellower offering from them. City, Country, City is is extremely pleasant. The melding of funk, jazz and the twang of harmonica is great. Still, feels like something is missing here. But I don't know what, and my revealed preference (listening to this album 3 times this weekend) suggests I'm a fan.

Discovering that I actually loved Bruce Springsteen in 2019 after years of making fun of him was an early lesson in backing off of my pretension. Compared to later albums, this is a very tight album, and more thematically consistent (though Nebraska has it beat there). But when they let it all out in Jungleland it's cathartic. It's a great album, and a sign of the wonders to come.

I like the darker vibes of the album (I'm the one of us who likes Depeche Mode), but I'm not really getting thing out of the lyrics, and the sounds are dissonant without my really getting much out of it. Compared to, say, sisters of mercy or Siouxsie and the Banshees, which are goth, but feel like there is intentionality behind it. It feels like the post punk era people know they have a new genre on their hands, but haven't quite figured out what to do with the sound. That said, I could see myself coming around on this if I listen more. But that seems unlikely.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Sounds good. I don't have an ear for jazz at all (also I had to listen on youtube, so it was interrupted by ads, because one song isnt available on spotify). But this felt like it had a meandering tone that didn't really go anywhere (somewhat true of all jazz), which didn't help. And Jazz without words is harder for me to get into. But anyway as far as Jazz goes, I find I like Esperanza Spalding and Dave Brubeck more than this for reasons I can't describe. This was fine though. I liked The Wedding and the second half better. 3 stars.

This was real fun. Pretty straightforward (to my modern ears; I guess they were revolutionary in their time probably) indie rock. Almost a power pop sound.

Great album. At times a little schmalzier than my standard fare, but Stevie keeps it a little more grounded. And the integration of gospel into this funkier stuff is good. You Haven't Done Nothin' for some reason doesn't bother me with its very Superstition-y riff like other cases of very similar sounds. Probably because he's doing something different with it instead of hopelessly trying to recapture past glory (ahem, Nirvana). Initial listen was maybe 3, Second listen pulled it up. Plausible that this is a five star album once I know it, but pretty likely I never get more familiar with it.

An all-time great A-Side. Big enough to admit that high school me didn't listen to the full length album enough to be as sure about the second half. The quiet start rising into the full dynamic contrast in the first 2 minutes: ooh you know it's gonna be good! And the start to Neigborhood #3--oh man. Update: 2nd half is very good. Not quite as good as the first, but this is good stuff, folks. Oh am I a pretentious hipster for loving this? Don't care this is exactly as good as its reputation suggests.

As an irritating partisan of George Harrison in all thing Beatles internecine fighting, I was prepared to hate this. And... it's okay? He's kinda doing a Bob Dylan impression in the first half, but without the cleverness and nuance. But the vocals are okay (note that Yoko does not sing on this album). And then it's like a store-brand Beatles for the second half. Now, the Beatles are one of the great bands of all time, so store brand is still passable, but it's just like if you took the best Beatles stuff and replace it with somewhat bland platitudes. "god is concept by which we measure our pain" o.k. pal. "I just believe in me, Yoko, and me, and that's reality" wow this is ground breaking. Still, musically defensible.

In general this album is very soft. My primary complaint is that van Morrison doesn't have quite as much edge to him--a little too smooth. Some Ray Lamontagne vibes on this album, which is a good thing. This album's hits--Into the Mystic and Moondance--are a lot of fun. And the rest are pretty passable pleasant folk/soft rock. Rounding a 3.5 down just because that feels right.

I really liked this. The combination of minimalist synth and bluesier stuff was a lot of fun. And it feels different that pretty much anything I've heard. Kraftwerk+Arcade Fire or something? Anyway, I doubt this is everyone's cup of tea, but this was great for me. I've never heard of this band and their significance is completely lost on me, but I'm glad to have been introduced.

Wow. Supertramp is one of those bands that has always been on the periphery of my interests but I’ve never given them a real shake. A ton of really cool sounds and pieces. I’m not sure I’m a big fan of the whole, but the musical ideas with which they play are all very interesting. Adding the musical complexity of prog with the more relaxed tone of something poppier? Excited to see more of them on later albums!

This album is nice. Gimme Shelter is obviously a perfect song. You got the silver is underrated and midnight ramble is very solid. I'm at like a 4.5 on this. Imma take the over.

Fairly unremarkable 60s era britpop. Looking this up, I guess it's "one of the first rock operas," which is neat. But the thing about rock operas is that I don't get them until listen several times, and it's unclear why I would do that here. Plenty of good riffs (balloon burning is fun musically) and some really nice transitions between songs (really cohesive album!), but the competition in this genre is intense, and this doesn't rise above.

I didn't know we were doing live albums here! I'm a fan of Ain't That Good News, but don't know any of his other stuff. This was nice. I've never been a huge soul person, just because I feel like it is too soft and smooth and I'm a little taken aback by such straightforward earnestness. But if you want smooth soulful earnest love songs, Sam Cooke does it about as well as anyone.

So, Take Me Out is an all-time banger. Would probably make a list of best tracks of the 00s, though I'd have to think about it. I was happy to see the album listed for today: "Oh I love that song, but have never listened to the album. Wonder how the rest is" And, uh, Jacqueline is good too. Darts of pleasure has a memorable last 20 seconds. But the rest of this album leaves much to be desired. And as I understand, we're rating albums not the best song on each album. And I doubt I'd ever listen to the album again.

Oooh early metal! As someone who likes metal but never really understood it's classic era, I'm always excited to learn more about this stuff. But this one is more a historical curiosity the anything that gets me really going. Several of these songs have stuff going for them, but they never come together quite right. The end effect is that I was a bit bored. 2.5 stars rounded up because of historical import.

I only knew Under my Thumb and Paint it Black beforehand, and everything else is fine, but unlike Let it Bleed, I think the non-hits are more filler here. 3.5 Stars, rounding down. A lotta misogyny on this album (even though Under My Thumb is a great tune), so, not sure what to do with that...

I initially thought this 1001 albums thing would be mostly albums I knew, because I'm reasonably into classic rock and interested in a wide range of genres, but when you do the math, it's 143 albums per decade (merging all pre-60s music as one decade, since the 50s were a little light and the 20s/30s/40s/ were pretty much just Jazz and Blues). That's a lot so I guess I should stop being surprised to see artists and albums I've never heard of. Anyway, here's another. I really enjoyed this. I listened to it on background (twice) so I'm not able to give specifics as to what I liked. Good solid well-built indie rock. Cohesive album that has tonal variation and yet sticks to a theme. Anyway this is great, but I wouldn't say anything in particular stands out such that it would be a 5.

I did not expect Slipknot on this list. Unclean vocals are good but in metal I generally prefer a mix of clean and unclean vocals, and I think they take a while to get to any clean vocals. Okay sulfur rocks. By vendetta, though, I'm just a little bored. Maybe its just my power metal fan coming out, but I thought the album could do with more range. Like, transgressive for the sake of transgressive only gets you so far. I love good metal, but they're just a little corny. And I typically like corny in metal. I'm a power metal fan who likes songs about Blade Runner. But something about this doesn't do it for me. It's much harder for me to articulate what I like in metal and what I don't like but this isn't it. Pass some Judas Priest or Sabbath, please.

Uh, Guilty Conscience is... a lot. I know that Eminem is famous for his transgressive style but, gee I dunno. This album ain't it. I like many of his singles, but I don't know why this album was chosen, nor do I like it very much. And the domestic violence on '97 bonnie and clyde. I know murder ballads are a thing, but it's too much for me. 2 stars because it's musically impressive at times, but it's just too much.

I really liked this! I usually gravitate towards music I "get" which this isn't quite. But this is excellent long Sunday afternoon vibes. 4.5 stars; I guess I'll round up because it's very different from other stuff which is a plus.

Soft sad boy music. I'm supposed to know Elliott Smith because he's a progenitor of everything I love in music. But I'd never at listened to him until now. This is very good. Ballad of Big Nothing is great. My own tastes usually prefer a grittier voice, but this is really solid stuff. Damn this whole thing is great. might pull me into softboi indie jams again

This isn't super "my genre", but Can't hold us down is pretty good. We'll see how this goes. Feel like its important to acknowledge that her vocal range and general vocal talent are off the charts, but I don't really think what she's doing with them is that interesting. The beats feel uninspired, the lyrics vapid, but at least she has pipes.

The first track is very centrally used in Russian Doll, which is a time loop show, so you hear it about a million times, so that was slightly jarring. Anyway this album is fun and light. Some great thematic contrast: Down was a lot of fun and very different from the rest of the album. Coconut was totally frivolous in a good way. I initial said three stars, but on a second listen I've convinced myself up to a 4.

Old rap is always a really cool vibe. Stripped down a little relative to the baroque stuff we get today (which is also nice). I would almost say it has jazzy vibes. Can I kick is a lot of fun. I am terrible at writing about music, but this laid bck vibe is really pleasant. Why does no one do anything like this now (or do they)? I can't really put my finger on what here is different: the beat is a simpler track, it's less produced? Something like that. It feels more down-to-earth. But long-story short this old-school album is great and I enjoyed it a lot. Did think it was a little too long. 3.5 rounding up.

I was initially excited about Black Keys, maybe the most straight white millennial man band of all time (in this respect I am typical for my demographic). And they're very good. but this album does less for me than El Camino and it's, again, badly in need of an editor to tell them to shorten it up. Especially because these songs want for variety in the first half. That said, this a pretty great garage rock. Tighten up? Banger. Too Afraid to Love You? Banger. Ten Cent Pistol? Banger.

I'm not gonna justify 5 stars because I think it's pretty self-evident--this is one of the greatest albums of all time. But Alex told me I should still write some thoughts. One thing that occurs to me is that this album works on so many levels. King Kunta is a fun top 40-friendly song, but it has enormous depth for those who want to plumb it. The interludes, backed up by jazzy something or other (I think Kamasi Washington), are clever and add a lot. On a lesser (but still great), the more philosophical stuff would be more separated from the broader experience. This is the perfect album to illustrate how far hip hop has come from Tribe Called Quest. Both great albums, but the minimalism of ATCQ stands in contrast to the over the top production of this album. Thundercat on bass, Kamasi Washington on brass. Every piece of this album is clever, thought through, and perfect. And the central poem as a organizing device for the whole album is inspired. I won't pretend to understand the full work. But this is what music, at its finest, is capable of, and it communicates something for which words on their own are insufficient.

I confess to not having listened that closely, but I don't feel like relistening, though I liked this. This is an interesting album--I don't think I know anything about intrumental (if that's the right word) hiphop. Cool beats, interesting compositions. This was definitely too long. No further analysis. My gut says 3 stars, but it's definitely a high 3.

I like the vocals here a lot. The instrumentation is very simple, but as yet, I'm unsure if that's good or bad. This is mellower than my standard stuff but it's put together well. I feel a little bad because I think he has a reputation as a lyricist, but I'm too busy to listen carefully to the words. Anyway, I liked this. Good relaxed folk. 3.5 rounding down, just because that feels right.

I, uh... huh. Lyrics are very superficial--unless someone else can point me to something interesting they're saying. Worse than that, they're trying way too hard. Beats are boring. To the extent this is rock rather than rap, the guitar riffs display real signs of talent, but nothing really special. It wants to do funk but others have done this so much better. 1.5 rounded up--this wasn't offensive to my ears.

Because of it's meme status, I think Free Bird is often underrated as a song. Simple man is country-southern ethics in a less offensive presentation than it often has. In general, I think the album tracks are quite good. I'm certainly not a big Lynyrd Skynyrd person, but if you're gonna make the case for them, this is the album to use (Sweet Home is trash).

Oh damn! I know their other albums a little, but I was ready for how nice this solid, blues rock would be. Think I like this more than the others of theirs I've heard. That said, the first two tracks set a standard the rest of the album did not live up to. It just mellows out a lot more than I'd like. Energy in the middle is a little lighter than ideal.

Didn't do much for me. Mostly didn't find it memorable. I could listen again and see if that changes things, but it's pretty meh 90s post-punk, I'd say. First song is good. 2.5 rounding up.

"Oh, fuck! Giuliani! He’s such! A fucking jerk" is a take that ages extremely well. Deceptacon is awesome. A good reminder that as much as I like the clash, I'm not a real punk. I know the amateurish approach lo-fi recording is a conscious stylistic choice, as well the kinda grating vocals, but they're not for me. Editing on my second listen: think this is true for Hot Topic and Cassavetes, but the rest of the album is not this way (But the "shout single words non melodically" technique on cassavetes very rarely works for me--not on Dude yr. so crazy!!! either). Guitar is pretty cool here though. The The Empty rocks pretty hard. Liked Phanta So okay, I liked this more on a second listen. Not sure it really would ever make my regular listening though. I really want to like riot grrrl. Maybe someday.

Well put-together album with good use of interludes. Feel like I'd have to listen a bunch more to really *get it*, but in principle, I like this a lot. A little mellower than my standard stuff, but maybe has a place in my listening. 3.5, rounded up.

So, first: the title track is one of the high points of rock history. Otherwise, this album is long but none of the songs are bad. I wouldn't say it drags, but I don't know that it's well served by it's length. The rest of the album is good to great blues rock, but the songs don't really stick so well. But Clapton is among the best guitarists so everything kinda works out. 4 stars.

Feels like the Beatles discovered some great new sounds but haven’t figured out what to do with them yet. Some all timers like Eleanor Rigby but uneven

Really like this album. Not sure why it never made the jump from "I really like thirteen and ballad of el goodo" to "album I regularly put on in full". It takes some classic rocks songs, but imbues them with almost childlike wonder that that the BritRock bands and the sarcastic/cynical/stoned other acts.

As I long-time reggae hater, it pains me to admit that this is really great. Don't know that it's gonna redeem the genre for me, but the one love/people get ready mashup was awesome, Natural Mystic was good. Just had a great time with this.

Dang. I've put out like 5 4-stars in the last week (only broken up by yesterday's 5-star). I guess I'm a kindly reviewer. And I'm not stopping now :( Loving the use of instrumentation on this. The horns are really fun, the beats are inventive and fresh. This album is a little long, but I don't really feel like it drags.

Oh man, the hits keep coming. Paranoid is an all-timer, War Pigs is great. All metal is at least a little corny, but this is so damn good.

Nice, laid back chill 60s vibes. Beatles before the Beatles got super innovative. And a little less talented. Easy to imagine this playing in the background of a chill spring day, but there's nothing here to elevate it above the mass of 1960s music. Hung up on a dream is aight

There's a lot to like here, but I don't know that it comes together as well as I'd like. I don't give bonus points for being from Ohio, but it is neat that we've got these folks. 3.5 stars, rounding down because I'm self-conscious of how many 4s and 5s I've given

I want to love this because I love their self-titled and many of the tracks, but it’s just a very uneven album. The weight and I shall be released are excellent pieces of the Americana tradition, but this album spends a lot of time with somewhat uninspired takes on classic tunes. Highs are there, but lows are very mid. 3.5 rounded down

In general, was pleasantly surprised by this entry. It rocks, pretty well. That said it starts slow, and never rises above pretty good. A little too much punky shouting , some of it kinda repetitive. My following of the lyrics was not super astute, but I’m gonna say 3 stars

Johnny cash’s preoccupation with death and execution has always been fascinating to me. He grew up in 1930s backwoods Tennessee, by all accounts a pretty grim world. Think he just really hails from a different world. Anyway, this is the best case scenario for a voice aging. Many of these songs (hurt, in my life) take on a wholly different meaning from an old man staring down his death. I can’t endorse all of the song choices (desperado and Danny boy are both a little tired), so I think 4 stars is about right.

No, I can explain what the difference is between good-corny (Paranoid by Black Sabbath) and bad-corny (Guns 'n' Roses). But this is bad. I thought maybe the classics would redeem it, but welcome to the jungle is just kinda gross (only Sweet Child is any good). 1.5 stars, thanks only to the strength of sweet child. But Imma round down because I did not enjoy this experience.

80s (and earlier) bands were horny in a way that I frankly don't really get. Like half of these songs are this way. Anyway this wasn't very good. On occasion I might listen to Jump but honestly not really. Everything else is corny guitar that, while probably technically impressive, doesn't really move me.

Someone will inevitably bully me for giving every Bob Dylan album 5 stars, but it will probably happen and I have come to terms with it. This is a perfect album that jumps effortlessly between serious personal introspection, bravado, and absurdist comedy. Subterranean Homesick Blues: The speed of lyrics here. This is the album where Bob Dylan went electric, and I'd say pre-Dylan folk was pretty much out of ideas. Maggie's Farm: What a way to say you're better than the music scene which birthed you. Love Minus Zero: Up there among the most underrated songs he wrote. It has this perfect way of contrasting attributes that aren't in opposition--"Some speak of the future/My love she speaks softly" Bob Dylan's 115th dream: "He said his name was Columbus, and I just said good luck" also "he gave me his card/said call me if they die" Mr. Tambourine Man: The most famous song from the album, does less for me than for many, but emblematic of the enormous range of this album It's Alright Ma: Nothing to add, just a perfect song. It's All Over Now Baby Blue: Bob Dylan can get into really heady philosophical stuff, but he's so good at writing simple songs about breaking relationships too. A neat thing about great music is it says so much more than can be unpacked in twice as many words.

I always say that it's too bad white listeners mostly know Marvin Gaye for Sexual Healing and Let's Get It On, giving the impression he's mostly about shallow sex jams. This album is mellower than my vibe has been of late, but it has a great backing music, really nice fusion of jazz and soul, and neat introspection about love and the disintegration of his marriage.

All really great arrangements of great songs, with a great voice to anchor them. I wouldn't exactly say anything *innovative* is happening here, but it's all good and very well done.

Before listening: When I first got into Parliament/Funkadelic, I tried to listen while studying. It was my first encounter with music that was too dancey to work to. Ever since then I've loved the *idea* of P-Funk, but my actual listening is rare. Also I'm sour I had to play this on youtube (especially because for a few minutes I hit play on my computer which didn't recognize youtube and played Otis Redding on top of it--me: "I don't remember them being so dissonant"). Anyway, I worry that my (and this group's) having listened to this while working will impact our ability to fully appreciate it. It's not work music Okay, now I'm listening: Less bombastically funky than other of their stuff, more mellow more a fusion of rock and funk, with some great extended riffs that are just jamming. Really cool mixing in of crazy rock-style guitar solos. A little too much aimless jamming for 5 stars, but a worthy entry nonetheless.

Love the backing track on the intro. This is kanye on production. I'm never really sure what to attribute to production v. the musician (i.e. how much of uptown funk is Ronson, how much is Mars?), but I guess you can see Kanye's fingerprints here, though common is a lot more restrained. I'm liking the duet on the second song. This is a nice middle between the maximalism of Kendrick and 2010s hiphop and the carefree laidback sounds of ATCQ. I thought Faithful was lyrically pretty engaging: the "what if god was a woman?" approach has been done many times, but I think Common does something neat with it. There's nothing transcendent about this album that would get it to 5, but this is a well put-together album that reminds me how good Kanye was at producing, among many other things. Common sounds pretty good (which is funny; I think of him a parent-approved rap vibes)

Some pretty great punk here. Also a lot of alcoholism. As a political program, this feels less like strident punk and more like primal shouting. As primal shouting though, it's pretty solid. Guitar is solid ,rocks pretty hard. You can't the lyrics that well, but you get enough, and they're often semi-coherent shouting anyway (complimentary). Runs out of steam on the back half a little. And TV party stinks. And the counterculture of the late 70s/early 80s was cooking. The way the pop art and angry-bitter art of this era separate is something to think on further

I gotta say: youtube with ads, really damages the music listening experience. Initially was worried this would be too soft-key for my vibes, but the instrumentation builds really nicely across the album. Minor place builds really nice. By the end of the track we're ready to roll. And we do! Title track kills it. Lots of other good stuff. Grim & pensive for the win. 4.5 rounding up Note: To anyone who endorsed Johnny Cash covering lots of songs. His "I See a Darkness" is absolutely worth looking up. American IV was in this program, but III, V, and VI are all great (people like Unchained, which is II, and American Recordings, which is I, as well).

Can't hear the Eagles without thinking of: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JlmvtAHhnc Anyway, the title track suffers from its success, but unlike Paranoid or other heavily-played tracks, it's harder for me to see its virtues. Dunno why. Still okay, but it wasn't starting from high bar. Don't think I've heard the rest of this album. Don't think I like it much. I'm not opposed to dramatic schmalzy stuff but this really doesn't do it for me much. This is just very boring. They take the most boring of country and fuse in some of the most uninspired rock. 1.5 stars, rounding to 2. This was bad in a nothing way, rather than the offensively awful GNR. But this and Van Halen have similarities in quality.

Herbie Hancock is a name I of course know, but I'm not sure I could have identified anything else about him before todays listen. Really good funk vibes. That's always a win in my book. That said, 5 minutes into the first track, I am slightly concerned it's going to run out of musical runway. This is a great riff, but do I want it for 15 minutes? After the rest of the album, yeah it's fine. Maybe if I was a jazz head it'd be really exciting. But I guess I don't really get it. We had a funky one, then got progressively less funky and more jazzy, but I can't say I understand. 3 stars--I would never mind this playing in the background, but I don't really have much to get out of it in the foreground.

This genre (Hard Rock? Metal?) is one where I definitely have strong preferences, but I can't articulate what makes me like some things and dislike others. But this is doing nothing for me. Nothing here seems obviously incompetent. But I just found it a little empty.

Awesome. Has a modern lovers-esque edginess that fits smoothly relaxed vocals and weird off-kilter lyrics. Instrumentation is varied and well-done. Love giving 5 stars to a band/album I've never heard of. That's the best case scenario for this program!

Getting started. Song 1: a little too poppy and smooth. Vapid? Maybe. We'll let 'em cook. Alright, getting better on this second track. This album feels super uneven. Half the time it's the most boring radio-friendly rock, but then its got these wonderful interludes like East St. Louis Toodle-Oo. Basically, any time they're singing, it's worse, but intrumentals are solid. Bizarrely, all the most popular tracks are the worst ones (thought Night by Night is good and pretzel logic is okay). 3.5 Rounding down

Very nice, well executed soft music. Really impressive fingerpicking guitar. 4.5 rounding down, because while everything was very well done, it didn't blow me away.

Fine. Nothing here is bad, doesn't do much for me. I don't really have much more to say.

I find Joni Mitchell's voice too ethereal to to get into her lyrics. It just sorta sits on top of you like a light dusting. This makes it boring. And very soft instrumentation doesn't help.

This is really good. Super Rich Kids is a standout. I wish I could spend more time with the lyrics, but I couldn't pay that much attention on this listen and spotify hates working properly while playing this album for some reason.

I feel like a big part of the Byrds success was repackaging Dylan for people who wanted music to be more boring. Starting this album with an uninspired Dylan cover did little to allay these concerns. Now I realize their thing wasn't so much repackaging Dylan as it was watering down distinctive music until it had no edge to it at all. Astonishingly empty album, now that I'm deeper in. What if we had the softest most boring band try to half-ass country for an album?

Meh. I like alt rock. The bones here are all good. I just don't feel like anything here was super impressive.

James Brown is just always gonna be so much fun. I feel like they could have gotten more mileage out of this being a live album; more audience banter, more interludes, even a little more clapping; I just wish we got a little more of the James Brown energy--they do this, but for whatever reason it just doesn't quite have the energy I'm accustomed to with him. So 4.25 rounding down, I'd say.

Ugh, All in the Family is musically intriguing but I think we've got a little too much of the Eminem shock value shit. I guess some of the music here works. I like the guitars and instrumentation (I mean, it's nothing to write home about, but listening while I work, it's kinda neat). But we may be at some of the worst, most irritating lyrics of the whole thing thus far. 2 stars.

My standing issue with these metal albums is that they seem to establish one sound and then ride it way longer that it has any need. The screechy growly unclean vocals are fun for a little bit, but they need contrast to really say much. While the soaring guitar solos all feel about the same by the end. I don't understand music well enough to know why this just doesn't hit like Judas Priest, but it doesn't. This Love is good because it changes the style of music for the first time on the album, which I think demonstrates my complaint precisely. Was gonna round up to 3, but I feel like I've been waiting on this to end for a while so Imma round this 2.5 to a 2.

On a first listen, this was good but pretty generic. On a second listen, we're up to a 4.5. Could be a five with time. Hard to say. But the laidback electronic sounds is really nice. VHS is a great song. Wish I could give the album more attention but busy times. 4.5 Rounding down because I want to get to know it better before handing out a 5

I was wobbling between 4 and 5, but this albums hits are all great. Title track is somewhat corrupted by its (mis)use as a patriotic anthem. But I love goin down, love I’m on fire (yes it also has the “little girl” stuff this group hates so much but it feels more intentionally villainous.) Of his big albums, this is maybe the least cohesive though. Just feel like more of a collection of (great) singles. But there’s some thematic link. I’m gonna round up

Lexi’s takes: generally positive. Wasn’t paying much attention at breakfast. There was one song that made me think of the movie shark tale specifically the whale wash because don’t you worry about a thing plays in that scene and the background instrumentation was reminiscent of that song. Premise of Shark Tale: main character fish’s dad owns whale wash. They’ve borrowed money from the shark mafia (they are fishes). Puffer fish is the enforcer. Main character fish has a crush on receptionist. He is pretty discontent but likes this girl fish. He finds out about mafia debts and is filled with defiant pride about standing up to the sharks. Meanwhile the son of the leader of the shark mafia feels bad about the family business. But his dads makes him do this job, threatening with cutting him off financially. Then the two sons decide to work together, both getting blackmailed by the sharks all the while. “There’s like this sexy fish” (a lady) voiced by some celebrity who has no business being in this movie. She works for the mafia and she’s sent in to try to get the son pulled into the mafia (weirdly seductive). There’s some big fight (no details remembered) and the head of the mafia gets stuck in the whale wash. And then he’s like “oh my gosh I’m squeaky clean”. Everything turns out fine except the puffer fish has something happen and he inflates and drifts away. And then at the end of the movie the son gets together with the receptionist fish (whose heart had been broken earlier because she saw the son with the sexy fish), and the shark son happily works for the the whale wash. Anyway that one song made me think of don’t you worry about a thing, which played at the start at the whale wash. My takes: good album. Patti Smith has a really nice grit to her voice. In the 70s women vocalists are often put into a pretty singing box and not able to do more interesting stuff and Patti smith really goes for weirder and better vocals than most. Gloria is such an excellent start to the album. Lexi wants to add: “I think the main character fish’s name is Oscar”

This was fine. Several songs on this have been covered by artists I like and those covers are all good. The vocal styling here is not my favorite. And in general this is a little too mild. But it’s hard for me to understand the deep dislike so many people seem to have for U2

I love this album. The overly schmaltzy vocals are a bit much, but this simple, earnest album is pleasant and works with it. Big Iron is a riot. Only major complaint is that it’s too long. But it also doesn’t quite rise above the masses, so it’s a solid 4 stars from me.

I liked this. Just kinda jammin out for 47 minutes. Some very cool sounds. I’m trying to catch up so not gonna be more in depth. But this was a vibe. More lyrics would have been nice for me. 3.5 rounding down to 3.

Oh man, I love this album. An easy 5 stars. My only nitpick is that it's long and the tail end doesn't quite have the highs of the start. London Calling, Clampdown, Guns of Brixton. Joe Strummer's sort of dazed vocals just kill this entire album long. And it rocks.

This is very good. It's funny to hear early Beatles, because they are cool, but just very old-timey rock. I said earlier (for Revolver) that it was like the Beatles had discovered a bunch of new sounds but didn't know how to use them yet. Here, they have not discovered as broad a vocabulary, but use a narrower range of sounds very competently. I'll say I think if I were making 1001 albums, this wouldn't make the cut--there are many Beatles albums, and this is neither the best, nor the first, nor particularly trailblazing, nor the best of its era. 4 stars. That said its better than albums that I absolutely think do belong.

I got really into this a few years back, but I find it a bit more grating these days. The overplaying of the first 15 seconds of blister at sports games does not help. But a lot off the back end of the album that people mostly don't listen to is quite good. And there's some pretty innovative stuff here. To The Kill, Gone Daddy Gone, I think they'll round it up to 4 stars.

This was better than I expected. At its best, adds a really pleasant twang to 60s style rock. Good lyrics, well put together. Missing whatever it is that would get them 5 stars, but very good.

lol at this title. Language truly is malleable and ever-evolving. My prior that Frank Sinatra is fine but generally boring remains. Such dulcet singing for such limited payoff. The lyrics are pretty shallow, the vocals are as conventional as they can be. This album feels really long because all of the songs are roughly the same. 2.5 rounding down. Every time I was listening to this I'd be like "okay that was fine", then I'd check and it was only half over. How can a 45 minute album feel so long?!?

Hmmm. This is good soul. If we hadn't already had some funkadelic and other similar stuff, it'd probably be more exciting to me. But as it is, it's some seriously funky soul that I quite like. But I guess I just don't see it standing out from a lot of other motown and soul, so it gets a 3.5 from me. The big standout hit doesnt do as much for me as for others, so I'll round it down.

Ohio Mentioned! (Or at least an Ohio City) Well, the lost cause ideology in "The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down" is really too bad, because it's their best song. My general approach has always been to appreciate the song for what it is, while keeping in the back of my mind that the Arkansan view of the Civil War is mythological at best. But ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Anyway, this is the high point of southern rock. This album is fantastic. Much better than big pink, which I was disappointed by (I remembered loving the band, but that album had only fleeting glimpses of greatness). My love for the Band must be mostly tied to Dylan and this album.

Shoutout to Alex for making me give this a second listen. I liked it quite a bit more. I don't know what value the lyrics are supposed to have when they're completely indecipherable from the vocals we're given. But also relistening gave me more appreciation for the instrumentation and drums here. Pretty good. Pre-second listen, 1.5 rounding up. But on a second listen, I've revised to 3.5 rounding down.

I absolutely love Hunky Dory, but I've never branched out much beyond that for Bowie, so it's fun to be pushed to expand my horizons. The hits are absolutely fantastic, but the guitar is varied and great on all songs. The album has great range, and cleverly uses a variety of instruments to enable that range. David Bowie's vocals at once complement his songs and are totally unique. I loved this listening experience.

Maybe my strongest contrarian opinion is finding Queen boring. I can't really articulate why, but I just don't find this album compelling. It's the beginning of the sort of stadium rock that is occasionally good for a song, but never translates well to full album. And this isn't them at their best either. That's not a very good articulation, I confess, but I don't like queen and can't articulate why any better than that.

This was a bop. Cloud 9 was especially good but all of these jams were fun and made me want to dance.

I mean, this is a perfect album. We start the sort of smooth vocals that I sometimes feel is boring, but the dynamism in mood and energy solves the problem that e.g. Frank Sinatra has. the sounds on the first three tracks are each totally different: from the earnest prettiness of the title track, to the latin-inflected songs alongside equanimity, to the almost raucous sound of cecilia. Distinct, and yet cohesive. Perfection. Some standouts: Keep the Customer Satisfied, The Boxer, The Only Living Boy in New York.

I did not listen to this in one sitting. It's way too long! And I got bored! But otherwise, it's pleasant on the first have. It slowly devolves into barely coherent rambling on the second half--like those prog rock bands with insanely indulgent solos that go on forever, except these aren't musically interesting either. Was gonna give 3 stars but the last 15 minutes cost it the third.

The screeching that opens this album is a pretty rough first impression. It is cool to see the thru-line here: a sort of missing link between punk of the 80s and blues rock revival that would follow in the form of White Stripes and Black keys. But the space between is pretty rough. Lots of extraneous punk style screeching and distortion that is jarring rather than, you know, good. If there's an artistic purpose to it that justifies the surface-level unpleasantness, it eludes me.

This is pleasant country. Nothing groundbreaking or anything, but pleasant enough. 3.5 rounding down.

This album goes so hard. Obviously all of the hits are winners, but Twentieth Centruy Fox is also a banger. I love the sound of Alabama Song but it's pretty obviously gross. Frankly break on through is such a banger of a start less than 4 would be criminal. Some of the slower songs drag a little (the end is good, but 11 minutes? I dunno), so 4.5, but I'm rounding up because Alex will hurt me if I don't.

"Sharp Dressed Man" used to be my pre-date psych up song. Still a 5/5 banger. But I never listened to the rest of the album. And now that I have, it's pretty good. Good guitar work, unique-ish vocals. Good stuff. 3.5 rounding up.

Good varied use of musical textures. Really good start two songs in. Less out there than I might have hoped given their reputation, but this is so early and the ways it prefigures a lot of popular music to come is noteworthy. In general, I really liked this. A lot of interesting ideas, just a bit too disjointed for me to give it the full 5 stars.

As electronics goes this is fine. Hard for me to see anything special in it. And voiceovers really detract. The most interesting stuff feels pretty unoriginal tbh. But I maintain that it’s broadly fine electronic music. 2.5 rounding down.

Start of the album: loving this combo of vocals/intrumentals. I can rock with this. Shout rock isn't generally my favorite (see: my black Flag review or my le tigre review), but when the band really knows how to use their instruments, maybe I can be convinced. First song is so good, but things go downhill a little from there. This is a 3.5, rounded up.

The smiths are always really good. Morissey's approach to vocals is dope. The instrumentation is totally distinctively them. Unfortunately, this album sounds a lot like less memorable versions of their other (better) stuff imo. So it's a 4.

Jeff Buckley does a nice job of introducing intentional strain into his voice when he wants to. This is very good. For whatever reason it doesn't move me in quite the same way 5-star albums do, so we'll round down to a 4.

Okay, first, this album is too long. Next, I do not think the genre blending works well here. To the extent he is incorporating what seems like rap (maybe it's just talk singing), it sounds poorly developed and childish. The incorporation of distortions that other musicians (White Stripes) sometimes pull off is not pulled off here. Uh, High 5 kinda pulls it off, but it honestly the whole album feels disjointed. The album starts okay. Devil's Haircut is a serviceable opening track. But each subsequent song drags on an album with no broader vision. I'm thinking 2.5, but I'll round down, because that's how I feel.

Wow, credit to 1001 albums for picking an album I never would have picked out in a million years. A revival of 20s communist cabaret music from Weimar Germany was not expected. But did I like it? It's certainly the type of music I'm prone to convince myself I like when I don't, so I'm trying to be careful here. But yeah, this was cool. My Germanophile tendencies make this (I expect) a hot take. The vocals are a unique blend of intentionally grating and pretty. I found this stuff pretty interesting. Reading about it, it's got some intriguing aspects. Hans Eisler is a contemporary of Bertolt Brecht, who was notable as a poet (I find most of his work to be heavy-handed, but his writing on exile is quite good). Also 1920s Germany is an absolutely fascinating era to me (though the refusal of communists--like these writers--to collaborate with social democrats to prevent totalitarianism rankles). Anyway, I'm glad to have listened. 3 stars

Okay, first three on this album are really great. I'll go to bat for them any day. Lyrical simplicity, even elegance, varied instrumentals, an interesting an appealing voice. he's got it. After ragging on the Byrds (which I will keep doing), I was surprised to learn that this musician who had something to say was at some point associated with them. But in the middle Clark seems to run out of steam. We get long, winding ballads that don't really seem to be saying much. "Some Misunderstanding" really costs this album so much of its momentum. It gets back a little of its mojo towards the end, but never really regains it's brilliant start. 3.5 stars, rounding up because of those first three songs.

Pretty solid. Marquee Moon is very good. I feel like I should have more to say, but the albums all kind of blur together. Uhhh. vocals are pleasantly grating without overdoing. Instrumentation is simple yet effective. Good stuff. Not sure if any of these songs stand out in a big way other than the title track, but cumulatively its a solid album. 3.5 rounding up

I knew two songs going in, and coming out, they're still the only memorable songs on the album. Not that anything else is bad, per se, just that it's generic and doesn't do much for me. Poppy, fun, simple. Catchy. But tbh after I've heard the big hits, I not sure how much this adds as an album. I'll always be on a wedding dance floor for Dancing Queen, but does adding 10 replacement-level tracks make this a great album? Two songs have to pull the weight of the whole album essentially. Abba can put some great pop out there, but they're not an album band, just a "collection of immortal singles" band. That said, Dancing Queen and Money Money Money are good enough to save this from a worse fate.

I love the base guitar on these tracks. A lot of the music is good, good sound. I find the lyrics have a... middle school complexity and astonishing transgressiveness. I gather that's the point, but I have limits.

This is really good. The integration of rock and newer, more electronic sounds is seamless. The soaring synths are used perfectly in e.g. the perfect kiss. This is like my favorite aspects of Kraftwerk in conversation with Prog Rockers. In short, it's awesome.

Impressive how much this feels like vintage Beach Boys. But like a lesser album than pet sounds. Does it recapture the old glory? At times. Heroes and Villains is pretty solid. But the beach boys schtick wears quickly. And this album is quite long, with sharply diminishing quality over its runtime. But how wild is it that this was assigned the day after his death? That's so odd it makes me suspicious of the randomness...

Having somehow skipped over Jimi Hendrix in my coverage of modern music, I'm very surprised by how much this feels like trad blues (side note: I'm bitter to know that the earliest albums in this program are 1956, robbing us of early blues recordings, though I get they were often not released as per se albums). Voodoo chile feels like a tricked out version of very familiar languid blues music, just kinda meandering for 14 minutes. I feel very stupid saying this feels a lot like santana, but I grew up with Santana and not with Hendrix. Some obvious precursor (itself following from live blues performance of 15 minute storytelling blues) to prog's heroic era of "2 minutes of a real song and then 20 more just jamming," which I only sometimes like. Astonishing how little of the above constitutes a review of the album in question. All just a meandering way of saying this is incredible guitar work. There's really not much else here--lyrics are okay, backing band is set dressing at best. So how far can lead guitar carry an album on its own? Well, if it's Hendrix, quite far. I will say though: The single LP's being limited to 45ish minutes is a useful limitation and this being a double album doesn't improve it, I think. Two separate albums would, I think have been better. You can even keep full length Voodoo Chile, but put Merman (which does a little less for me, but hey, it has some of the only noticeable drums on the album) on a separate record. Other thoughts: -All along the Watchtower one of the all-time great covers. I like both versions (Because of Hendrix, Dylan's is criminally underrated--it's on my favorite Dylan album, which is itself underappreciated), but I think Hendrix's relaxed, almost slurred vocals really work here. -Album tracks are real standouts here. Yeah the big hits are good, but he packs a lot of punch on the no name songs (Still Raining Still Dreaming, for example). I think this is a mark of a strong album. -Voodoo child reprise: I love a good reprise on a album. This one has the benefit of being closer to the length of a single (my mega-playlists ban songs >10 minutes). I think the 5 minute version is a lot tighter. While tight is usually a good thing, the laid-back drifting vocals works pretty well on the long version. Both good IMO. -It's a pity he didn't live. Him doing the retired superstar thing where you just jam out with other famous retired superstars would be pretty cool (also the human tragedy and all) I think I'm gonna round down to 4 stars here (from 4.5). My primary complaint is the length, but it's also just a little too "only guitar" for me. It's possible it'd earn 5 on a second listening. The lyrics are something that are hard for me to pay good attention to the first time on such a epic work. So another listening is in order, but with a 75 minute album (and me behind by several albums still), I don't think it will get that justice in the near future.

Fun story: A girl I had a crush on in high school was big into the strokes. Once on an orchestra field trip, we got talking about music; I broadly acquitted myself well, and she told me I had to listen to an album she really liked, passing me her ipod and headphones. I don't remember what happened after, but it was accidentally set to repeat song, so I only heard the one song (Macchu Picchu) on repeat for half an hour before we discussed further. I didn't have much interesting to say. Anyway, this is less repetitive than that. Moreover, it's pretty good! This band was rightly beloved by indieheads in the 2000s. For whatever reason, it doesn't quite move me the way I want from music, even as I recognize that everything here is very well-executed. So it goes. 3.5 rounding up.

I'm a sucker for the Pogues. I've always loved folk, and the integration of folk and punk is particularly inspired in their work (juxtaposing the small-c conservatism of folk with the avant-garde-ism of punk). Also my dad's erstwhile band loved doing the Pogues, and I'm a big fan. Probably the best Ireland ever had to offer (take that, U2 and Thin Lizzy--jk Thin Lizzy I love you too). The way these truly innovative musicians have such a deep love for centuries-old tradition. This is what the "leftist folk singer" always pretended to, but the Pogues nail this so well. Also, the audacity to be the greatest Irish band of all time and not even have a fiddle. Incredible stuff. And so well earned for a spot on this list. There's truly never been anyone who do it quite like the Pogues. I love the realism on this album. The lyrics feel earthy and real. The punk looking around at his world, and seeing a world that has defaulted on it's promises, but is yet somehow worthy of love because of (not in spite of) it's foibles and shabbiness. The soft vocals on "Man you don't meet every day" pair so well with Shane MacGowan's truly legendary drunk-ish splutter elsewhere on the album. I used to think Fall from Grace was their best work (and it has their best tracks), but I think this is a much more well-rounded product now. I used to think of this as a four star album, but it's so much more perfect than I realized. Strong contender for favorite so far. Often I give a first listen to these while working, with limited notes as I go, the try again paying at least a little more attention. But on a first listen this was endlessly distracting in a good way. It has too much to say and it demands attention. I kept turning back to it (this written on the 8th track). I think this is as good a case as anyone has ever made for vocals that aren't traditionally beautiful--the way MacGowan sings demands you pay attention. Alex reminds me to look up lyrics every once in a while while I'm listening, but on the great stuff, no reminder is necessary: I can't ignore MacGowan. Further thoughts: -Dirty Old Town is inescapable if you ever go to Ireland. And their version is dominant. Rarely is such tenderness and distaste for the same place given such clear voice. To me, this is what it means to really love a place. To know it, all it's grime, industrial soot, and to remember all the good that was accomplished there, the loves one met, the dreams it fostered. And to aspire to making it better (in this case by "chopping it up"; I'd advocate a more constructive vision, but this isn't a policy program -The forlorn defeatism of Waltzing Matilda is served so well by MacGowan's "I've just given up" voice. -Pistol for Paddy Garcia is a fun, almost western vibe. I forgot this existed. The genre-playfulness on this album work so well (I know, I don't always appreciate genre playfulness, but here I love it). -Again, love the way that some of these songs are even danceable! Like, we've gotten so many punk/hardcore albums that are immune to the idea that music can *move you*, and then the Pogues just do it -Body of an American: in days of rampant xenophobia, hard to imagine a more beautiful tribute to immigrants in America, and American values. It's not starry eyed about what America is, but there's a love for the idea of adopted homelands that I find beautiful (I'm probably just being a sop on this one and misinterpreting) -The parting glass is one of the oldest traditional Irish songs I'm aware of. And it gutting and perfect. And the percussive performance the Pogues give to finish their album is amazing. I love a band that can neatly blend deference to tradition with breaking new ground. Pogues are about as good as it gets here.

I'll be upfront that I strongly dislike Marilyn Manson completely independent of his music (which I've never heard) and they may bias the review (but maybe it should? idk I'm trying to keep my personal view of him out of the review). His whole shock value for the sake of shock value schtick is a bit much, and tries way too hard. Which makes it extra disappointing that this album actually kinda slaps. Normally it’s really fun when an artist I don’t like surprises me by being good, but I really don’t want to like Marilyn Manson. Actual listening notes below: -Ugh 71 minutes? -Okay the first track actually rocks pretty hard. Guitar shredding is solid. Scream rock is always gonna be an uphill battle for me tho. And I don't love these vocals. -Wow we're back to the era of white people using the N word. I don't love it. -I don't like how much I like the instrumental work on this. -As the person who did not fault Ghostface Killah for violence glorification, I will dock this album for it. -The lyrics here are annoying. In general they lack maturity, I guess there’s some thinking here about satanism and rising above our broken society, but doing that by being this nakedly transgressive feels at best “moody middle schooler discovers Nietzsche” (to be clear, I like Nietzsche, but in the hands of moody adolescents, not so much. -Antichrist Superstar is another good track. The use of a fake crowd works here. Won't be able to think of Manson without: https://theonion.com/marilyn-manson-now-going-door-to-door-trying-to-shock-p-1819565904/ Honestly, I liked this more than I expected. The music (that is, the non-lyrics component) is competently performed. The vocals are really not my thing, but I think they kinda work. 3.5 stars rounded down because of Marilyn Mansons whole thing.

Both of my listens were in the car, so I didn't take detailed notes. But this was a pleasant listening experience. I enjoyed this, though I can't say either time it left a big impression. Uneven for sure. Staring at the Sun was really solid, Bomb Yourself was annoying. Somehow very 3.5, and yet without a doubt deserving of a round down. I guess that makes it 3.4.

One of the all time great live albums. Cash’s energy, his authenticity, the play with the audience. I’ve been listening while driving, so no in depth notes, but this is a masterpiece! I particularly love the way his sense of humor shines through.

Totally fine replacement-level album from Willie Nelson. Pleasant enough in the background, but putting this on this list was a little perplexing, especially given his other one was much better and more distinctive. Also the 2 reprises of time of the preacher adds little. Like, this song was extremely mid to begin with, why do we need 2 reprises (this coming from someone who loves a good reprise). But at the end of the day, Willie Nelson is never gonna be bad per se, just not compelling. 2.5, rounding down, because we just had a country artist who was way better.

Kraftwerk was one of the key band discoveries helping me keep my grip on reality during early pandemic, and between that, my longstanding love for Germany, and the distinctive (and cohesive) thematic focus of their entire project, I have *feelings*, which are included below the review (most of those are about the band, rather the TEE, which is middle of the pack of their albums). Listening notes (first listen in original German recording): -Initially recorded in German, I've long felt that English (especially accented English as they speak) is the ideal language for Kraftwerk, because their work is about industrial society, and the merging of the "European Project". -While their other albums are arguably better, I will say (as an American who has spent a lot of time in Europe, so whatever that's worth), this feels like one of the most distinctively *European* artworks of any kind. Kraftwerk's music often feels like it's about transcending humanity through technology, and this particular album feels like it's about transcending nationalism and that feels like it goes to the core of the European Project--a dream that obviously faces headwinds, but is nonetheless visionary. -The minimalism of Kraftwerk is extremely admirable, especially given that electronic music by its very nature *begs* for overdoing it. -A further point here: even their lyrics say very little. And maybe it's just because I've listened a lot, but their music accomplishes almost all of its meaning through sound: form matching function (which itself is resonant of the way their music looks into the merger of machines and their creators). -Showroom dummies really sucks and drags this album down substantially. -In general this drags in the middle I'm sure there will be more Kraftwerk and I'll hold off of my most effusive fan-posting until one of their highpoint albums comes up. Honestly, the inclusion of this is perplexing to me. They have 6 great albums, but I'm guessing this program will not include many of them, and this would be imo an easier one to cut (Autobahn is effectively their first, and Man-Machine and Computer World are their best)--ignore this comment if in the future we get all 3 of these. I decided since this is an album I know extremely well, I'd listen to the original German one first, just for fun (hard to find!). Side note: the revamped Kraftwerk album covers are beautiful and perfectly compliment their soft-industrial vibes. Original covers are unremarkable, but the 2009 remasters might just be be the best themed release of updated album art (across the 5 classic era covers and also Tour de France). On the other hand, I think heavily inflected German accents speaking English actually really works for Kraftwerk in that it has a transhumanistic quality. Given how much I've written here and how much I love this band, it feels wrong to give three stars, but I think it's correct (though I’d say it’s rounding down). I'll save the top ratings for their other stuff.

This was good. Just like competently made hard rock. I don't know that anything here is particularly notable (and this seems like a weird inclusion for Aerosmith, but I guess maybe their bigger releases are here too). I tried looking up the lyrics and most of them look pretty empty. I think the prevalence of western motifs here is interesting. No further comment on it though. Still. Good, competent guitar and vocals. Hard to see much to complain about.

I allow myself pre-listening comments if I know the band. What a strange place to start our Nick Cave Journey. Serendipitously, this is the album that came out of his when I was at my peak Nick Cave fandom. As I recall, I found it good, if a little too brooding for me to fully process at the time. Brilliant Writer? Yes. But I do feel like this one benefits from seeing his evolution from 90s era transgressive southern gothic to haunted bereaved parent. In fact, I wish I knew his work better; I only know the 5 most famous albums of his. We'll see if I want to dig deeper after this. To Ghosteen! Listening notes: -I often complain about softer stuff. Not in this case. -I think the space-age sounds on spinning song (and IIRC throughout the album) really work with this very spare arrangement of music. -Kinda interesting that I'm finishing reading Beloved around the same time we're listening to this--artwork using ghosts as a means of discussing bereavement and loss (I guess that's not that surprising). This album is really good, but I just don't think it has the extra oomph necessary for a 5 star. 4.5 rounding down.

Slowly solidifying my system for this program: First listen with no research, read up on it (unless it sucks too much for me to care or I'm way behind), second listen, with occasional lyric looking up. Not specific here, but if anyone was curious. Also when I have the time, my review set up is standardizing: first impressions/pre-listen thoughts, stray thoughts while listening, actual review. Pre-thoughts: I basically only know Offspring because of "You're Gonna Go Far Kid" which just based on my searching for this album, appears to be a later piece, maybe not even well-liked, that would have gotten a ton of radio play in my riding the bus to school days, but perhaps is not indicative of their thing from their 90s prime (I would never have guessed that this was originally a 90s band). Stray Thoughts: -This has a nice, almost Motorhead, western vibe to it. I'm not sure that makes sense because I don't mean western in the sense of country, but it just has a "yee haw, I'm riding beyond the bounds of normal society" vibe (think Ace of Spades; I don't actually know if this is typical of Motorhead) -Really short tracks here. They are true to the punks of yore. -This is much more distinctive sound than I was expecting from Offspring -Ending with a 10 minute song. I'm not always super friendly to the concept of such long pieces. Oh it's a hidden track thing. These translate funnily to the digital era. Verdict: Freewheeling punk that for whatever reason make me thing of wide open skies and western biker gangs. This is really good; I had no idea the Offspring I know from "Dance Fucker Dance" had this much intensity 5 stars. I was on the fence, and tbh seeing Alex' rating may have biased me, but Imma give it to them.

So this is one of many bands I was "too cool" for in my high school years, preferring Bob Dylan, the Beatles and toher artists approved by my siblings (who actually also liked RHCP, but I didn't know that). Eventually, Alex had this record at home when we were roommates and I got very into it, so I finally came around to. This album rocks. Listening notes: -lol who are we kidding this will be a 5 star review. -An early version of this review had a long paragraph on the centrality of california in the American imagination and the way its failures (currently) and heyday (at the time of this album) are both deeply reflective of something about America. But I guess I didn't save it. Suffice to say, this album actually feels like it instinctively has something to say that gets at the contradictions self-evident in the Californian and American dream. I think the title track is much deeper than the radio rock it appears to be. -Love the genre variation of this. The funk/rock mix (with just a bit of the talk-singing in places) works really well here. -In keeping with the 80s rock tradition with which they are in conversation, RHCP are weirdly horny on several tracks, but unlike GNR or van Halen they keep it contained. -Something I generally think is a mark of a great album: the non-famous album tracks are also really good. Savior is a great song. overshadowed but imo inarguably better songs, but really solid. -I don't love Purple Stain. Musically solid but it's a weird treatment of the topic of menstruation, particularly as it only considers the male experience of it. I'm not sure I've listened to it well enough to give a thorough critique, but it definitely leaves an odd taste in my mouth. -A song as repetitive as right on time shouldn't go as hard as it does. But they did it. -Road Trippin' is so good. I am not sure what it's all about, but the ability to switch so neatly into a mellow song to finish such a high-octane album (not including Porcelain, which does little for me) is really impressive. 5 stars was known before I started, but I'm surprised to say this is rounding up rather than an unqualified 5 stars. The album loses substantial steam on the back half. The back half would still be a solid album but it doesn't live up to the standards it sets for itself on the front half.

Discovered Iggy Pop because he's very prominently featured in the Time Traveler's Wife. Many 80s punk bands appear in the book, but only Iggy (and the Stooges) was both new to me and awesome. In a world that gives so much credit to the British for the origins of Punk, it's important to me that Detroit's Stooges get proper recognition. But tbh I never really got into him outside of this album and the Stooges' '69 self-titled one. But enough about the grimy sweatiness of the stooges. By the time of this, his best album, he (and Bowie) has learned to use to sweaty chaos more strategically and artistically. Loose thoughts: -The Passenger is one of the best rock songs of all time IMO, but I think I like Siouxsie's version better. Not at all to disparage this version, which is awesome. Also a super obscure Cambodian band's version (https://open.spotify.com/track/3xHweP9GDLyeW8e3BcmKuH?si=fcf8cc497ec74661) -The banging-clanging sound at the start of Lust for Life is pretty neat. -Oof I dunno what to say about Sixteen. A lot of artists (especially from this era) are gross in their interest in "little girls", but they usually have the plausible deniability of not explicitly saying the age. Compounding this, he apparently had a relationship with a 13 year old when he was 23. And it's the only song on the album he wrote entirely alone. -Some Weird Sin is a dubious song to have following sixteen. But on its own it's pretty cool. -The Passenger. Wow. -Tonight is easily the most underrated on the album. The very simple, poppy guitar. -Turn Blue is such a strange song. Usually I don't like it. It's placement next to Success, juxtaposing aspects of the rockstar lifestyle, is really interesting. Success itself tends to be fairly sneering in its depiction of success (the material wealth doesn't seem to be so great). Then we get this barely intelligible ramble from someone who appears to be ODing on heroin. But on the other hand, he's become a hideous shell of himself and that's just not super appealing as a listener. -Neighborhood Threat has these just incredible grinding distorted instrumentals. Everything here is so fresh. L Review: I've listened to this album many many times, and any of those times, I'd probably give it 5 stars. But Sixteen is really rankling me this time, the first time I've actually paid attention. I'm quick to separate art and artist, but of course Sixteen *is* the art. And it makes the rest of the album a little nasty. What sort of "weird sin" are we talking? When you say "so young" in Fall in Love with Me", what do you mean? He really does seem like a neighborhood threat at that point... But I love this album. Unfortunately this is how a lot of artists were back then. In this case it negatively impacts the album a little, over and above making me dislike Iggy Pop as a person (for better or for worse, I try not to rate the personal behavior of the artists we listen to) To speak to the rest of the album, it is so so good. Musically inventive, with experimental and unique sounds and a protagonist who is as multifaceted as the music.

Listening Notes: -Run Baby Run has a fun chorus, but the verse seem bad somehow. -In general, this just feels very generic -Ooh a Talking Heads reference on All I Wanna Do! That's fun! Generic country-inflected rock. Very little exciting going on here. The little Sheryl Crow that I know hat a bit more of a punky edge. But this is totally sterile. I'll say this is better than a lot of the twos I've given (and certainly a few threes), but if this is a three-star album I'm inflating my ratings too much. It's just boring! So it's a 2 from me.

I've fallen behind again. Last trip of the summer where I plan to be unavailable on a weekday though! Probably only have time for one listen this time. Update: scratch that. this is a barrel of monkeys I'm definitely giving a second listen. Listening notes: -Infected is such a strong start for this album! Poppy vibes with a sort of off-kilter vocal arrangement. On a second listen, I appreciate starting such a varied album with something that feels conventional and yet hints at the genre-exploration ahead. -Out of the Blue--Didn't listen close on the first time. I don't think I'm crazy about this. -Heartland--I'm just loving this jazzy, minor-key(?) vibe. Don't really have a response to this being the 51st state of the USA, but it made me chuckle a little. Until I realized that part of being the USA is cutting the welfare state :( -Angels of Deception. What a fun ending! -Slow Train to Dawn--Any song with -The climbing up and down "piano" scales (I don't have a vocabulary for music criticism) around a minute in just totally captured it for me. -The Mercy beat has a really nice driving beat, but it was kind of annoying. My only miss for the album. Review: I'm feeling generous and I think I'm going to overlook being a little bored on The Mercy Beat and finding Out of the Blue a little bit of a dud. Everything feels fresh and fun. The set of keys is really neat. There's a sort of mysterious tone that I'm loving. The sort of dangerous alluring tone to the music is a lot of fun. Musically compelling AND made me want to dance. Crushin' it. 4.5 stars: Harmonica, Brass, and Organ give them the round up. If more artists incorporate saxes like this and organs like that, and strings and what not. Just such an expansive vision.

Oh man. More Jazz? I'll do my best, but I'm just not sure what I'll have to say. It's always fine, and it always has sophistication that my ears apparently are too stupid for. Listening Notes: -Yep sounds like Jazz -Moon Dream has a slow, languid feel I like Review: I really wish I had something to say about jazz stuff. I don't. I can recognize its influence everywhere, and it always sounds fine. It's clearly a unique contribution to music that American culture (notably, African-, and Jewish-American culture) is rightly proud of, but its more opaque to me than any other music. Not having lyrics doesn't help. Since I perceive this as a deficiency of mine and not of the music, I will continue to give every jazz album 3 or 4 stars until I know what I'm supposed to get out of it. This seems good relative to the other jazz. So 4 I guess?

Elvis is always a bit of fun, though his range is a little limited. Some portion of this review is responding to an argument that he adds nothing and is mostly a whitewashing of Black music. Music is always a process of blending, and he certainly borrows from Little Richard and Chuck Berry, but he's adding his own country twang. Mixing (mostly white) Country with (mostly black) Rock'n'Roll is a pretty formative moment for music, taking us just one step away from what I would describe as recognizable modern music (which in my conception starts in 1963 with Freewheelin', 2 Beatles releases, that James Brown live Album Alex hates, and a lesser Sam Cooke release) Listening notes: Blue suede shoes—a very fun track. I can see why he started to catch on! I’m counting on you—meh. He’s still shackled to slow crooning Sinatra-type stylings 🙄 I Got a Woman—okay so I think (or more properly like Chuck Berry) cracked the code on good upbeat songs. These all have great energy and never stay long enough to get stale One-Sided Love Affair--Banger. Tutti Frutti is fun since it gives a direct comparison to the Black artists Elvis was so much indebted to (and whom, despite urban legends, he credited profusely). Little Richard is better. A soft reminder that Elvis is partially about sanding down the rough edges of rock n roll--in this case I mean that literally: little Richard has a grit in his version, while Elvis sings coolly the whole time. That might have worked for 1950s (white) crowds, but it's not my preference. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry makes the country influences a lot more obvious here. The fact that this would be at home on a Cash record helps show what Elvis adds to the musical potpourri of the late 50s. Okay the slow stuff works a little better on the b side. I’ll never let you go and Blue Moon are solid offerings. Money Honey is maybe the best track on the album, slowing down with fastest stuff but preserving the energy of it. Review: This album works better than I expected (and I wasn't expecting it to suck ftr). In general I find his slow stuff pretty underwhelming (though I’ll never let you go was a little better) but as long as he keeps up the pace, it’s quite good, and it isn’t long enough to wear out it’s welcome. In general, after listening to a little Berry and Little Richard, it's clear that Elvis has a much smoother style, which as a stylistic choice doesn't do it for me. A lot of the album tracks here are really solid. I wish I could try dancing to this before rating. Obviously, Blue Suede shoes is epochal, but Just Because is quite good. This is a low 4, but certainly a four.

Basically know nothing coming in on this one. Listening notes: -Wow what vocals! Amy Winehouse-level pipes. But much less interesting arrangement and lyrics. -Blue-eyed soul to the max. This could almost be a motown record if there wasn't a white woman on the cover (actually after writing this I listened to some Gladys Knight and the Supremes: they too have much more interesting arrangements) -Mockingbird--well this is annoying. one of the worst single tracks of this program -hopin' and wishin' ugh. this stuff stinks. -Whoops I got bored and didn't pay attention to the rest of the album. I don't feel bad about it. Then I listened again and basically the same thing happened. Review: She has absolutely incredible vocals, but they're wasted on mediocre songwriting and instrumentation. Totally forgettable at best. 2 stars.

Woohoo! We love Detroit, don't we folks? Madonna is another in the esteemed category of artists I was too cool for until I listened to them, but in this case I've mostly only liked her as a singles artist--her albums haven't grabbed me much. Listening Notes: -Like a Prayer is a killer start. What a single to lead an album off on. It's a tad long but who cares. -I have mostly found the rest of this album forgettable, writing towards the end of my first listen. -Keep it Together: ah yes! finally some funk instrumentation. Give this album a little bit more substance to latch onto. Review: This album is unapologetically pure pop sound. With a fantastic start, the rest of the album feels fine, but not incredible. While the album tracks are reliably alright (Keep it Together stands out and Cherish is an ear worm), I wouldn't say this album is super special. But dang like a prayer is deep stuck in my head so good for her. 3 stars.

Wasn't really feeling country when this was suggested. We'll see how it goes. Wait lol this is the guy behind that awful byrds country album. Listening thoughts: -Good sad country opener. Emmylou Harris really elevates this. -Alt country vibes help a little. I thought we were headed for trad country, but I can probably roll with this. (On the other hand, how much trad or pop country has made this list? Just Willie Nelson? Not that I'm complaining; most of it's bad. But seems like an oversight) -nice slow country on brass buttons -Love the energy on ooh las vegas -I like how grave he gets ("In my hour of darkness" without embraces the full minor key bluesiness of Townes). Does this album tell a story, wherein he gets increasingly desperate? Something to listen for on a second listening. -Updating: yeah it seems to capture the feeling of returning home at the end of your rope, and being confronted with a lot of things you did wrong. As your demons begin to drag you down, you try to run away (Ooh Las Vegas). Ultimately, it's not enough and you hope for external salvation--which for Gram Parsons didn't arrive (at least not in a temporal sense: he died like a year after this album) Review: This is pretty good old alt-country. There's none of the Townes van Zandt spark or John Prine brilliance, but its good. I'm tempted to round my low three point something to a four just because it's fun to reward new out-of-the-blue discoveries. But I think it's hard to imagine coming back here much. It's definitely got more soul to it than the Byrds album where they couldn't decide if they were watery soft rock or watery country. The near cohesive storyline, I've decided on the second listen, is good enough, alongside Oooh Las Vegas and Emmylou Harris, to round it up to 4 stars. But it's close and he doesn't even get three without Emmylou Harris.

Pre listening: oh gosh another album where I'll never be able to separate it's reputation from my opinion of the album. In my recollection, Wilco was just too soft for me. But I'm excited to give them another try. +1 automatically for having album artwork of buildings I recognized long before I knew anything about music (not plus one star, just plus one) Interesting--I never knew Wilco started as an Alt-Country band (or rather, that the alt country band Uncle Tupelo was the progenitor of the indie rock band Wilco). The publication history of this album is wild. Hats off to indie artists for recognizing what they had and just releasing (also man the early internet was such a fascinating place-- :( such optimism for what eventually became sprawling networks of lies and truths). Also all that just to land on a different subsidiary label of the same company. Funny. Listening Notes: -I am trying to break your heart might be the only one I know well ahead of time. I'm not sure I can get behind his flat-toned singing. It's soft on instrumentation. (Second listen: this works better with the context of the rest of the album. Interesting choice to do that with a first song, since they initially exist without context per se) -Kamera is still sad boy vocals, but it turns out he has some vocal range. That makes I am trying to break your heart's flat vocals intentional, improving my opinion of both songs. Love the cowbell(?) here. -War on War was quite good. this album really works up a head of steam building up to the most famous tracks. An aspect of the album era that we seem to be losing over time (not in a crotchety way; plenty of people still make *albums*) -Jesus etc. is cheating. Jeff Tweedy knows that a short violin solo is the fastest way to my heart. I feel played. But it worked. (Edit: apparently not violin. this set off a silly search for the liner notes, but I can't figure out what it is. Just credited as "string arrangement," which I guess is obvious) -Ashes of American Flags has an inarticulable sadness (even with the distorted wail at the end) that I find really beautifully done. -It's incredible, given where we start, how natural such a fun track as heavy metal drummer feels in this space of slow somber reflection. -Reading Pitchfork's review from 2002 (I don't normally do this), it's so nice how unabashedly pretentious they used to be. Like, I'm an obnoxious dork, and there used to be a music review website for people like me. Ah well, it's probably for the best that they became more inclusive. Review: Ugh fine. After nearly a decade of raining on this parade, I have to acknowledge it's a perfect album. It builds perfectly to a full sound in the late second half. I'll have to listen a lot more to understand the album, but respect to an album I guess I never took the time to really sit with.

Pre-listening: I actually think I like Lazaretto more than this of the post-Stripes Jack White, but I love his bluesy garage rock sound. This will be fun! It's not relevant, but his stark color schemes are something I've found need about his work (first Red/White for the White Stripes, then Blue/White in his solo work) Listening notes: -Good, workmanlike construction on the lead track. -Sixteen saltines is musically great, but has a kind of hollowness to it I find hard to describe. All of Jack White's talent is still there, but there's something missing from the White Stripes days (other than Meg). My theory is that there's an intensity/anger with the White Stripes that is relatable and good in a 25 year old, but which comes across a little silly in his late 30s. -I'm shakin' is kinda dumb, but it bubbles to the front of my mind every 3-4 months and has for years, so I gotta hand it to 'em. -Many have tried to revive blues music, but few have as faithfully recreated the sort of low-grade misogyny that was (unfortunately) a part of the genre from the beginning (I love Robert Johnson but...). Nothing awful, just a sort of consistent "women be nagging/taking my independence" theme undergirding everything -That said, his blues revival-ism is more sincere and earnest (in the good ways too) than most--including one 1960s cover feels like a good amount of paying his respects without overdoing it. -Tail end of this album loses steam. Review: Mostly this is good blues rock music, but not particularly special. 3.5 stars. The fact that I come back to Jack White regularly does lead me to want to round up to four, but on the other hand the album I return to is Lazaretto. And I listened to the first half like three times and had to stop each time. Not because it was bad, just had other things, but that ultimately indicates a level of forgettability.

Ugh, I'm not sure how much byrds I can take. At least this one doesn't have any Dylan covers Listening -Vocals still seem trying to be Dylan-lite on this opening -I love Wild Mountain Thyme, an old classic of Irish music. And this is a good cover. But it just has a little too much going on -Mr. Spaceman is a stupid song. but fun. My primary memory of this song is a cassette tape when I was kid of Muppets playing with various human musicians. Anyway Jimmy Buffett played this with Gonzo, and obviously it had an impact. Anyway, I had fun, but this song is totally empty. -In general, I feel like their instrumentals are always a little too much going on. -Eight Miles High is quite cool. The slowly building open, the guitar solos. But I'm not sure I actually like it very much. It's just a peek into the fact they could be musically creative if they wanted. Review: I wanted to be more optimistic about this one, but it still feels like watered down 60s rock. Like, its just very soft and doesn't really feel like it has anything to say. Eight Miles High is enough to bring it to 2.5, but even the songs I like feel poorly produced and busy. At least it's short. Rounding down. Ostensibly the Byrds were one of the biggest bands of the 60s and I think it's the equivalent of small-town midwesterners getting excited when a dish has black pepper and is thus "spicy": 60s people just weren't ready for musical complexity in popular music yet. At least they helped give us that dope Gene Clark album from earlier by starting his career.

Oooh one I've never heard a whiff of. And such neat album artwork. Let's get into it. First listen: -Liking the ethereal chimes to get us started, into a sorta jazzy vibe. -Ahhh all my notes are gone. Oh well no one reads these anyway. -I liked the one with the reggae-ish beat, whose name was noted in the lost version of this review. -A Minha Menina was a highlight, but it turns out it's a cover. Still fun! -Sweet like a champion has a nice dark vibe. -Some of these songs feel, ah, a little elevator music-y. The incorporation of jazz is fun, but occasionally done poorly it has that effect -Really goes out with a whimper. Last three songs do nothing for me. Review: On a first listen I thought this might even be a 5-star album. But no. Lots of fun stuff here, but it's too uneven. Lying in the snow is a good illustration of how boring lots of these tunes are. I think the album bats like 500, but I really like its highs. We'll give it 4, rounding from 3.5 because my first listen was so much fun.

Wow research here is interesting. Dropped by his label because he got shot, made a mixtape, and Slim Shady brought him back. Listening notes: -Patiently Waiting--Good, tho I always feel like music about how awesome of a musician the artist is has a bit of a ceiling. But it's too catchy to complain. Edit: did research on this album and I take it back, what a comeback story. -Many Men--What a rich text about the violence perpetuates and the psychological effects of a violent culture (I didn't know he was shot--in the late 90s early 00s era must have been paranoia-inducing after Pac and Biggie) -Note to pay attention to in da club on second listen. Whoops I still didn't. This is his biggest song? I guess it's to be expected from a club dance track, but this isn't very compelling. The lyrics were written in an hour and yeah that tracks. That said, the beat is dope. -High all the time: what a powerful anti-alcoholism anthem. -I could do with less interludes tbh. -Heat--Okay I was excusing a lot of the violence here on the basis of his personal experiences with violence. But this one gets me self-conscious. It's pretty well done though. -Okay there's a lot of violence here. Hmmm. -Eminem is great on this album. Review: Banger. I'm probably reading too much into his personal story (the 1999-2003 era of his life seems really fucked) and doing that thing where critics uprate albums when the artist seems to have suffered. But I think that story really adds a lot to what might otherwise seem like self-aggrandizing lyrics. Other people on this project are typically the good behavior police; I didn't dock Ghostface killah for violence glorification and I was more Marilyn Manson-friendly than others. So I'm disinclined to make hay of the violence on this album. But it's prevalent enough to be difficult to ignore and impact the listening experience. I'd say holistically, the interludes, violence, and a few flatter tracks on the back half probably pull an amazing album down to 3.5. But I'll round it up.

Ah. Another album whose reputation precedes it. Listening notes: -NY State of Mind is just so anthemic. I love the fuzzy backing sound. -It's hard not to listen to this without comparing the other titan of East Coast Hip Hop, Biggie, whom I personally like a bit more (but who has much worse interludes). But there's really no reason to think of them in competition. (lol @ me writing this as if I know anything about 90s hip hop culture) -Life's a bitch: Q-Tips jazzy influences here are nice. I had a whole riff on Camus' responses to the absurd but it was too pretentious even for me. -A lot here kinda feels like looking at a Dutch masters painting (but not Frans Hals): I can see that this is artistically near perfect, but I just don't feel anything the way I might even with less talented artists like Grunewald or Giotto. This is a totally inaccessible analogy, but nobody reads these anyway so there we go. -One Love: Q-Tip is great on this. It's amazing. And the xylophone kills it(?). It seems at odds with the broader contours of the album, but I'd have to listen a few more times to get what the broader messages of both this and the album are. Review: I feel like I'm supposed to find this utterly spellbinding. It's frequently cited as one of the best hip hop albums of all time. It's certainly well built, with tight rhymes. I can't speak to any specific complaint, but for whatever reason, I just can't quite give the full 5 stars. Like, other albums just move me more, which is kind of an absurd complaint for me to levy (why should they feel like they need to move me of all people?). But that's how it is. Other artists with experiences far further from mine have more successfully connected with me. It's almost that it's too tight, too well constructed, for me to really be able to latch onto. 4 stars.

Pre-listen: She's really fun on her super famous tracks. I like them, even if they are often a bit empty. Excited to try out a full album! She doesn't write much of this. I don't really know if that's necessarily a full-scale dig, but it is noteworthy Listening notes: -Money Changes Everything: She really let's her vocals go crazy here. I like it! On the other hand, the "I'm rich so now my social life is hard" song is overdone IMO. -Girls Just Wanna Have Fun: on some level this feels a little vapid, but on further reflection, I think this is BOTH fun AND a nice little (in the sense that its a pop track that's not trying to do that much) statement about independence. And it really is so incredibly catchy its amazing. -Time After Time: This album has not one but two unforgettable pop bangers. It really is just a wonderful slow love song. Earnest simple love song is one of the most basic song premises and it will always be underrated (because no matter how highly rated, love in all its forms is always underrated. Okay I'll stop being sappy/earnest now). -She Bop: a lot of interesting stuff going on on the electronic instrumentation side here. -Witness has a neat ska-inflected(?) rhythm. Namely just it has these off beat chops. -She definitely starts playing around a lot more on the back half of the the album, which is hit or miss for me (Witness and She Bop work), but on "He's so Unusual" and "Yeah Yeah" , I find it a bit annoying. So I think we land at three kinds of songs: anthemic 80s bangers (the two super-famous ones, Money Changes Everything), weird hit-or-miss experimental stuff (mostly on the back half) Review: I feel I kinda have to dock the album for having relatively little writing credits for Lauper (Elvis didn't get 5 stars either), but as pure unapologetic pop goes, this is pretty solid. Lauper does truly impressive and creative things with her voice. While she can do straightforward pretty vocals, her vocals often do this sliding into pitch thing (starting from below) that I typically associate more Soul. Anyway, it's neat. The instrumentation, which can be pretty generic in the 80s (and even here often is, especially on the leading tracks), is broadly varied, with some fun experimentation on the back half (though some of it is irritating) 3.75. I hate how much I give 4 stars, but this is supposed to be a lot of very influential albums and they were usually influential for a reason.

My general prior here is that they put out a ton of music, most of it fine, but relatively little that's really great. And a bunch of Gen Xers adore them for it. Listening notes: -Box of Rain: nice chill start here. -Friend of the Devil: This has a nice folk back porch vibe. -Operator: Great harmonica solo here. -Twice I listened to this album and twice I forgot about it before halfway. -Truckin' is about what I expect from this gang. Boring, broadly meaningless, but fun. Review: I think this is a pretty chill album, and could see it being pleasant with a beer (more traditionally a joint?) on my back porch. But I wouldn't go out of my way to pick it for even that purpose, and pretty much any creedence clearwater or blues album would fill that roll more well. In fact, I put on CCR immediately after as a comparison--yeah Grateful Dead are fine, just a chill folk-rock band. Laidback pleasant vibes mean that I think it gets 3 stars. Anyway, I liked friend of the devil.

Okay, so it's definitely not *totally* random. I was skeptical after Brian Wilson but there's clearly some manipulation happening. I don't mind it though. RIP Ozzy. I loved Paranoid, and I hope to get into more of your work over time. The date on this is crazy early. [note after teeing this up: oh my, Paranoid is also crazy early. They did two albums that year? Respect.] I honestly was only aware of two Sabbath albums (and only familiar with Paranoid). So this should be fun. It feels like more should be written about the relationship between metal and non-mainstream music and genre literature: we've got Lovecraft and Tolkien here (and Tolkien is all over Led Zeppelin too; ironically I'm sure he hated both groups). But I'm not the person to write it. Anyway, a reminder that reading is always critical. Listening notes: -I admire the chutzpah to just go ham on the mildly corny doom/gloom mood. The slow high distortion that opens the album is cool -Interesting the way the songs are organized as sets of several songs. Weirdly similar to the way trad irish music works. -Wicked world is such cringe-worth writing that it damages the album just a little. But the music is still pretty solid -Second listen: title track slaps. I was interested for a little while, but the late build up and finish is such an incredible release. -The Wizard has an incredible start. I also just love the harmonica on the whole album so much. -Oh hell that bass solo is nuts. -Jaw harp at the opening of a bit of finger. They're just operating a such a high level. Review: I'm leaning towards a 5. There's a residual corniness here that I feel like should bother me more, but I think because it's such a full-throated embrace, it works where it might not for a more self-conscious act. This album just feels very genuine. I feel like I want to write more, but I think I'm pretty much spent on this one. It's really good. a tad corny, but always earnestly so. And just some wild stuff being done musically.

I love that this album cover explains exactly what is going to happen (at least on the first track, haven't listened to the album): outlaw rebel freedom with a weird neo-western edge that I can't properly articulate. On the other hand, as a German speaker I almost want to deduct a star just for the purely aesthetic use of an umlaut. Is 1001 albums gonna make a metalhead out of me? There have been some real duds (GNR if they count, Pantera, Korn), but Sabbath is putting the team on its back. Let's see if they'll get some support. Listening notes: -Ace of Spades is just such a rollicking good time -Love you like a reptile: why do I hate it when GNR is horny but think this rocks? I mean, it's definitely overdoing it and the song would be better if they took 15% off here, but it's still fun! (and my goodness, the biology here: reptiles don't love by sinking their fangs into each other! unless they're kinky reptiles. And electric Eels aren't reptiles!) -Shoot you in the back: fantasy is to Black Sabbath what westerns are to motorhead. Alas, Black Sabbath does more with it, but this still rocks. -I straight-up love the raspy vocals that sound like this guy's headed for a nasty bout of the flu. What's wrong with me. -Jailbait: this song hasn't started yet, but that's not a good sign in the title. Oh shit this really sucks. Why do all men from before like 1990 have these songs? I guess this is what I get when I ask for music that feels like it has a wanton disregard of the law, but man fuck this. The past is a different country with different values: a shitty different country with shitty different values. -Fast and loose. Okay "reptile" was good. This one is too much. -We are the road crew: I'm not sure how much they realize what they're doing here, but this is an interesting track about how terrible the life these guys live is for them. Alcoholism, women realizing that these men suck. I guess the road crew is the employees of the band. Which makes this much worse. Review: I'm an environmental economist, and this album made me want to burn so much gasoline for no reason at all. Noting that this came out a year after Mad Max. Yeah. I have trouble always understanding what GNR sucks and this doesn't, but this feels authentically dirty, where GNR feels like pre-ripped jeans: manufactured lawlessness. That said the horniness, which feels sleazy in a good way rather than too much of 80s horniness which is just gross (don't ask me to explain this), is still way too much. First off, the fetishization of teenagers is always gross. I always feel weird noting repugnant songs like this and being like "minus one star for sex crimes", but it's not like me giving a review that doesn't reflect my view of the album is some meaningful punishment. Second, 2 of these songs (for my money, love me like a reptile and fire, fire) is more than enough. And the random casual mentions ("I'm in your wife on the hammer"). Just. dial. it. back. a. little. (and don't do crimes) Maybe my evolving view of this album is it starts with the "glory" of totally reckless, careless living. How powerful it feels to live without regard for laws, norms, or morals. But as the album runs on, it (unintentionally) seems to show the accreting damage this carelessness causes: it's really cool driving dangerously, gambling recklessly, and sleeping with all these women. For four tracks. But then things start building up: your road crew is strung out, you're messing around with underage women, you're burning out. But you convince yourself it still feels great, and you push it aside and just dance (track nine). Then in the last few tracks, things really seem to be falling apart, and you realize "the chase is better than the catch" and the reckless living you've pursued so long is not good--that said at this point they don't see a way to turn back. They close with a song about having more or less become the villains, even as they don't seem to realize how fucked up things have gotten. But I'm pretty sure none of that is self-aware. This is a very interesting album about the unbridled pursuit of hedonistic pleasure. And how it leads to a hellish existence. Hell of a move to unironically write an album in which your life ends up looking like Blood Meridian and you think it's cool. But I do like Blood Meridian, and the start is so strong here. I could easily see giving this album literally any rating--depending on how much writer's intent matters, how much overinterpretation I do, etc., but I'm going with 3 stars. lol why did I write this much?

Ah, back to the stones. Here's an album I should know I guess on its own terms, but instead mostly know because of Matchbox Twenty's compilation riffing off the name (Exile on Mainstream) and Liz Phair's artistically impressive track-by-track response Exile in Guyville. Also I invited a friend to join the project: my old College friend Drew joined; alongside my brother, he's had more impact on my music taste than just about anyone. Hope you stick around Drew! Listening Notes: -I mostly listened without a note-taking apparatus on hand, so this is going to be a less insanely verbose review than my standard many paragraphs into the void. (editing later: lol. leaving this in because it's funny now) -Okay relistening because the last tracks were fun: Rocks off has such a satisfying build up. And I'm always a sucker for brass in popular music. Good shit. -Just such great energy on rip this joint. Not nearly as polished as it could be, but feels *alive* in a way I really wasn't expecting. -I've heard shake your hips three times now and can't hear anything other than ZZ Top's La Grange (on research, Stones are covering a Black bluesman--many such cases). Dope melody, but I keep expecting heavier instrumentation like on that song and ngl im a little disappointed its not there. -Alright now at Tumbling Dice, we've settled into the middle section of the album: a bunch of middling songs that expand the run time, reduce the cohesion of the album, and are nonetheless very good. But they don't get enough space to breath. Maybe they would in the original vinyl, where there's a break between each side. -At basically every point in this album, I've felt like I could dance. Too rare in the sort of music we usually get here! -Just want to See His Face: Always think it's interesting the way gospel music themes come into the work of the rock artists who were so inspired by black American music. -I think the slower songs arc in Just Want to See... and Let it Loose is a great example of something that would benefit from a little more breathing room, something this album sadly denies it. Review: After two listens, my main takeaway was that the Stones feel pretty generic on this album, despite its reputation. But I figured my listening to the tail end of the album was a little spotty, so I relistened to the last few tracks, and I was impressed. Stop Breaking Down into Shine a Light is a great couple tracks and Soul Survivor finishes that running really well. This made me relisten one last time. I think at the end of the day, there are flecks of gold here, but the album as a whole buries them by being too long with too many lesser pieces. There's a five star album here, but unfortunately buried and mashed up with a 4-star album. And the result is less than the sum of its parts.

Listening Notes: -Shout: oh so I know two songs by these guys. The sound feels very depeche mode, but less spooky. I think I can get behind that. -Everybody wants to rule the world is a fine pop tune, but I don't really feel like it gets me anywhere -Really fully-fleshed out use of synths and other stuff here. -Mothers Talk really doesn't do much for me. and its also about 2 minutes too long. -Now we try to slow it down for I Believe, and I really just don't think this vocal styling works. It feels mopey rather than reflective. -Head over Heels is pretty good, but doesn't go anywhere they haven't already been. -Listen feels like an ambient track to chill and study to, which I guess is fine. Review: It seems like this album has very limited thematic range, and beyond its big hits (which are famous and catchy, but ultimately don't feel terribly substantial), I don't think it has that much to say. Really cool synth stuff here though. We'll say 3.5 rounding down.

Credit for being the first band that I had never heard of before (I think?) with two albums on here! Listening Notes: -Kind of a slow start to this album. The first couple tracks feel like kinda generic indie rock, but by the time we're to Tonight, they've come into their own -G-Song rocks. Really nice guitar theme here. I'm not listening to lyrics atm, but this is a banger -Like the circussy vibe on Sometimes I make you sad Review: Meh. Good, well put-together indie rock, but what this band is really innovating with escapes me. But I enjoyed my listens and the state fair style instrumentals in a few places were cool. I don't really have much to say here and probably coulda listened closer. But this is where I'm at. 3.5 rounded up to be nice.

Listening notes: -Credit where due: I put this on and only knowing one Massive Attack song, I was like, "oh yeah, this is obviously the same band that did teardrop". Very distinctive style. -That said, this band feels very 90s puka shell necklace. I'm not sure thats a critique per se, but this musical affect seems largely not to have left the late 90s--no one seems to have imitated it or been inspired by it. -Euro Child: weird song. Could almost work in the background, but I don't love active listening. The sort of quasi-rapping that 90s band love is always a little hit or miss for me. On a second listen, the vocals here drive me up the wall. Review: Not entirely sure what this says about me/the album, but I found this album pleasant when it was in the background, but kinda annoying when I was actively listening. I wouldn't exactly say dislike it. And they have an absolutely distinctive sound that feels innovative maybe? Unfortunately the vocals here range from annoying but tolerable to really annoying. 2.5 stars. I'm rounding down, because I decided to be fair I'd look into the lyrics and they were empty. But if I want to be in a trance as I write code, this honestly isn't the worst option.

Pre-listening notes: Wow, I invite a friend to the group and we have a full week of ultra-obscure/ultra-90s bands. Hoping "string band" means we finally get a little bluegrass action. On researching, I guess these guys played at Woodstock. Maybe that sound better stoned? They also were scientologists for some period of time, which, yeah. That checks out. Listening Notes: -Nope not getting bluegrass vibes. This shit is weird. -I like to be open-minded, and I think I try a lot of strange stuff. But this is bizarre in a bad way. This is garbage. And I don't think it's *quite* experimental enough for me to give it credit for that. -If you're gonna be a string band, couldn't you at least tune your violin for -"A very cellular song" -Something that's been nagging at me a little while now: why is there a sitar here? There's great music, including great modern popular music, with sitars, but that seems like an odd thing for these people to adopt. -I typically do two listens, but I think not this time. Review: Feels very "weird guys who met and play at ren faires" (but for some reason have a sitar?). I guess they were influential in their day (again from research: Led Zeppelin apparently said they tried to follow this album in developing their sound? huh), but it's hard me to find much to appreciate here. Typically, I want to give credit for doing something different (as I did for Dagmar Krause), and this is decidedly that. I've been known to convince myself I like things that are "important" albums. But this sucks. And even my pretension can't find something to appreciate. 1 star. I listened to a 2010 remaster. Why would someone take the effort to remaster this?

Really nice to give this a full listen without even thinking about writing notes. But now I gotta write notes (I don't have to, I suppose). This rocks. An album that changed music. And easily the best the white stripes produced. Notably, I think this album kills while not really having as much of standout songs as their other work. The whole concept just works, start to finish. Okay I'll write some notes now. Listening notes: -Notable, I think, that this album succeeds despite not really putting much effort into lyric writing. These are not lyrically powerful songs. But they're GOOD. -These songs are all so short. That's cool. Review: I'm not putting too much effort into this review. An album which succeed without brilliant lyrics. Or single tracks that put the album on their back. Really near-perfect stuff. Just simple, well put-together blues rock. Crushes it. 5 stars.

Listening Notes: -Can't Nobody Love You: at this point, it started to feel that this was generic, if well done, soul music. Nothing very new or fresh. Of course like most soul music, the vocals are incredible. But I feel like everything here has been done before. Doesn't help that Burke directly references a few artists in this song who have said almost the same thing as him (But he's gonna say it better, he says) -In general by the end of the album I'm mostly just bored. This would be fine background music, but what has been accomplished here? -Out of reach feels like a combo of the worst of soul and the worst of Frank Sinatra. In general it took society longer to figure out slow slongs than it did to figure out fast ones... -On the other hand goodbye baby is much more defensible. Review: Frankly, maybe I'm not enough a soul fan, but I just don't really see what we've added from earlier soul records. I know with the benefit of being 60 years later that Mayfield and others will do crazy things with the genre, but this mostly feels like it's stalled in the wake of Redding or Cooke, but with less energy. It's absolutely fine soul, but the bar is high if you aren't going to do more with it.

Kate Bush had her whole little moment a few years back, and I was pretty happy to see her come up. Listening: -This s a bit jarring at the start. High drama here. -I swear if you wanted to do an over the top mocking british accent, "There Goes a Tenner" would still feel a bit much -Suspended in Gaffa--here the album really feels like it comes into its own. Good stuff. -The dreamer has a nice idiosyncratic rhythm to it. Review: This album is real weird. I liked it, but found it a bit too dissonant at times. 3.5 rounding down

Oooh. A very recent album. Neat. Since I feel like the editors of this book are fairly conservative about incorporating new stuff, the ones that do make it tend to be really good. Doing my research. Oh wow had no idea after almost a full listen that this singer was a woman. Interesting this album did well in the UK but didn't register at all in the states. I was surprised we had an album this recent by someone I'd never heard of. Also I didn't notice until it was called out, but there's basically no samples here. Apparently, the backing music was basically recorded Listening Notes: -Boss: didn't get the female empowerment when I thought the singer was a man here lol -Cool backing tracks. -Selfish: this is where I finally bought into the album -Flowers: Oooh I like Michael Kiwanuka hope they use him well. He's pretty solid, but this is not the barnburner of the album -Influence of Kendrick is really visible throughout, especially in the way she incorporates jazz, but she's doing her own thing (also this isn't a *journey* the way Kendrick's albums are--not a dig, just different) -Venom: very funny that Thundercat is on this--the main loves his bass-distorted vocals -After first listen, we're definitely in 4-5 territory. Really nice flow to the album. Chill vibe the whole time. And it's a tight 35 minutes. Review: Really really good. Just really smooth, well constructed, jazzy rap. I think if I kept listening to this a few more times, I'd have some deeper insights, but this review is late anyway, so I'll leave it at that. I don't necessarily feel like I connected as well with it as other albums, but I'm gonna round up to 5 anyway, because it's always exciting to get an album I've never heard of that's this good.

Pre-registering some takes: The original gross lazy rockers. By that I mean, lyrically uninvolved, but rocking on dope musicianship enough to gloss over that. OTOH Iggy Pop produced some tracks I love (including one on this album!) but in my experience doesn't really have much in the way of a cohesive album. I always want to like him, but come away feeling a little underwhelmed. Review: Yeah this tracks. Some killer songs to start (No Fun, 1969, I Wanna Be Your Dog), then runs out of steam fast. We will fall is a particular drag to me, but the whole backside is pretty meh. That said, those three leading songs are good enough to get this a 3.5. I'll round down though.

Such a big name. I've never gotten into this album across many tries though. Hopefully this will do it. Listening notes: -Holidays in the Sun is pretty fun. -Problems: I was worried at first, and I remain unconvinced that this guy's voice is up to the task -Okay but God Save the Queen is really solid. Who'da thunk the queen would hang around for another 4.5 decades? -Anarchy in the UK has all the depth of online anarchists (derogatory). I shouldn't get too focused on "what is practical political engagement for musicians?" but it does really bother me that this is the level of engagement so many musicians have with public affairs. -Second listen: Okay, I think I can get behind his voice (for punk only), but it was an adjustment. Review: Finally started on my catching up here! This was good. I still don't ever see myself picking up this album without an external push, but this is a cool album. I don't quite understand the centrality that is attributed to it in music journalism. It's good punk, but doesn't *feel* particularly innovative, nor is it particularly early (see the Stooges for early punk), nor is it as virtuosic as The Clash. And they have this way of occasionally playing at politics without really engaging (as I can tell) with the topics, which I find a little grating (yes I'm aware that this is perhaps some of what they're looking to confound). Probably need more listens to fully appreciate what's going on in this one (and in catch-up mode, affording 2 per album is already a lot), but feel pretty comfortable giving this 4 stars, adding a few songs to my randomizer playlist, and returning sometime again.

I feel like Dire Straits aren't *cool* in the way other bands of their era are, but I'll always have a special spot in my heart for them. Their vibe feels very meat and potatoes: they're not pop, but they're also really not doing anything particularly innovative by the 1980s. They're just making music and building it really well. Mark Knopfler's guitar skills are big of course. Listening notes: -So Far Away perfectly illustrates this. Is there anything here that couldn't have been done twenty years prior? I don't really think so (maybe someone else in this project will correct me when I post this). But it's good and well done -Money for Nothing--made them a bajillion dollars and got them a one-star rating from Daniel. When the buildup drops out and there's just the guitar. Oh that's what it's all about. Incidentally this song is pretty vapid, but with that intro, I really don't care. -Walk of Life--why am I even responding to individuals songs at this point? Just bangers on bangers. -Your Latest Trick--They even get away with kinda schmalzy kitschy sax stuff. They've got me good. -Why Worry--and they finally slow down. The transition from pop super-hits to this slower meditative second half of the album probably could be smoother. First 4 songs and and last 5 seem to have no cohesion. -The entire back half here is a little odd. Ride Across the River and Man's Too Strong have this "Are we the baddies?" view that I find conceptually interesting (and not too poorly done), but how they fit with the first half is anyone's guess and they don't get enough space to breathe. -I'll always love the title track here, ostensibly about the Falklands War (a bizarre footnote in history if there ever was one). Review: I like basically every track on this album. And I like them at a guts level, where their lyrics feel largely irrelevant. But if I stop to compare the artistry to other 5-star albums, it's difficult to say they hold up well. I think ultimately this is a 4.5 star for me, but I'm rounding down on account of lack of cohesion and not really developing the themes they explore well enough. But that's a very tough round-down for me. I've certainly given 5 stars to albums I loved less.

I've loved Wandering Star for a while, so I'm excited to give the whole album a full trial! Looking it up, this is tied into Massive Attack's work a lot. That's nuts. This is so much more interesting. Listening notes: -Nice slow buildup in the first track -Sour Times-the dark melody and here are such pleasant creeping sound. But it's that dope rattle that really crushes this. (research indicates this is a hammered dulcimer and it's actually a sample) Review: Forgot to write more but this is a banger album. Easy 5 stars.

Listening notes: -Love to Hate: nah. I'm pretty tired of "I'm a shitty person so I'm cool". Especially bragging about shooting places up with an unregistered AK. There's interesting stuff to be said about violence, but this isn't it. -You can't fade me: wow this really sucks. -Gangsta's Fairytale: okay, the music here (not the lyrics) kinda slaps? Gonna have to listen again and figure out if there's non-lyric stuff that's redeeming. -Meh, most of it is pretty forgettable. -Not giving this 2 listens because I didn't like it. I did sample a few tracks just to make sure there weren't redeeming qualities I was overlooking. -Man's World is pretty good stuff. Review: This album starts with a song in which Ice Cube proudly proclaims to be a piece of shit and then he substantiates his claim throughout the album. I get that a lot of this is bravado and he probably didn't do anything like he claims, but even if if he's lying for clout, is that exculpatory? And if we take the gangsta rap premise of being the villain the world assumes you are, I'm still not sure this really works. I dunno. You can't both be upset that there's ignored crime in black neighborhoods but also brag and cheer on committing that crime. So if the lyrics are bad, is there anything else that's good here? I guess the beats. Ice Cube's delivery and flow are pretty smooth. But frankly even that has been expended by track 5. The rest just kinda drags. Man's World is aight, but I don't think quite enough to round this up to 2 stars. Also, my initial time exposure to Ice Cube was, like many, the kids movie *Are We There Yet*, which is very funny given what this is.

Alright, I'm making a real push to catch up again. Excited that this album lives up to its title. A tight 30 good be great. Let's get into it! Listening notes: -A little theatrical on our first track. And a little schmaltzy. Could be fun, could be annoying. -Think I'm enjoying my first listen. "Someone" is doing it for me Review: A little dramatic for my tastes but pretty and pleasant with a couple solid tracks. And short. I'll round 3.5 to 4 again, on account of the tightness of the album.

I wrote a whole thing for this, but I didn't post it and I don't feel like rewriting it. The short is I've always been fascinated by religious themes in Kanye's music, the skits are actually good, and this has some killer tracks. Within the universe of Kanye's work, this is maybe 4 stars, but by broader standards, I think that's a 5. It's a little long, and I can get a little touchy about how much he's anti-education here (granted, I get a lot of what he's after, but this is my world...), but I'm broadly on board.

Oh boy. Jazz again. At least that's some vivid cover art: none of this generic Miles Davis with a trumpet stuff. Listening notes: -Wow I can tell that this is different than other Jazz (such is the bar). So lively and orchestral. Maybe a Jazz album can really impress me. -Maybe it's that I've been taking swing dance classes, but this feels very fun! -I still don't have an ear for good v. bad jazz (and I know my opinions of what is danceable only get me so far in the genres where I feel qualified to comment; plenty of bad danceable music out there). -It's going to be much harder to form an opinion if I have to do so without lyrics. Review: Jazz is always gonna be hard to review for me, but this big band stuff is a lot more up my alley than the more rhythmically abstract stuff we had earlier. There's good energy in this stuff! 4 stars. Maybe I'd bump it up if I got really into jazz. And maybe I'll try more to do so.

This is pleasant. I can already tell the challenge will be to rise above just anodyne background. In general it was really nice. A little background-y but felt very nice summer day. Four stars.

This is where I stopped? This is a pretty solid album that I enjoyed each of the many times I listened, but decided I didn't pay close enough attention to rate. Boys Better and Green were both fun. This seems pretty replacement level. 3.5 but I'll round up cause some of these were a barrel of monkeys.

Didn't write this as I listened. In general, like any Tim Buckley, it sounds pretty solid! I like the free form vibe and relaxed approach. I'll say 4 stars, because it didn't floor me, but it easily could if I revisit in the future.

This was okay. Other than heart of glass (a hall of famer) I liked hanging on the telephone. I've always found one way or another a little more annoying than it's intended to be. 2.5. Was initially gonna round up to 3, but with more time to think, 2 feels appropriate.

I'm really not sure it gets better than this. Having already warned that I will compulsively give probably every Dylan album 5 stars, I know where this is headed. One of Dylan's greatest virtues is that his songs have a cryptic quality that speaks to something that feels true, but which defies parsimonious explication. And yet, Dylan does it. No words do justice to such a masterpiece, but I'll write as I am moved. Several lyrics on this album occur to me out of the blue with great frequency. Listening notes: -Tangled Up in Blue--storytelling is perfect. I think one thing this album really nails (on a few songs) is these long timeframe stories--it feels lifelike in a very different way from a lot of musical storytelling, the way we have a relationship that bursts into bloom intermittently over a decade. "Took ten years to live and two years to write" indeed. -Simple Twist of Fate. Banger. Another perfect song. -Idiot Wind--perfect melding of Dylan's humor ("I can't help it if I'm lucky"), his poetics sensiblities, and the epic scale of this album. Alongside Simple Twist of Fate, the degree to which a core theme here is the indeterminism of life, the way life blindly chooses your course. I mean, I'm a a huge fan obviously, but this is him at the height of his power. -I stopped taking notes at this point, but I'll happily just say without further comment that basically every song on this album is one of the best of all time (for some value of "one of the best"). I'll keep writing my thoughts on a few of the songs -I particularly like Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts--no idea what it's about but calling it out since Alex hates this song. The inconsistent, barely sensible storytelling works in the mouth of Dylan and I will not elaborate. -If you see, say hello--Bob Dylan can reach for really high-minded poetry, but on most albums he just has at least one perfect love song (either abandoned love or current love). I think that's cool. Review: I usually describe other albums as my favorite, but this was a good reminder that on any day, 4 or 5 Dylan albums are capable of holding that title. The most fully realized vision I can think of offhand in a album. I don't know what more to say. This is one of the best albums ever made. And it gets credit for it, so not sure I need to say more.

Listening notes: -This rocks for a start. But music does not live by rocking alone. -I get the sense we've got a lot of politics here, which I'm definitely not listening closely enough to give thoughts on. But it seems a little unsubtle--I'm not going to review the politics though because I have too much music to catch up on. Actually, I will say: there seems to be a lot of self-destruction that our singers want to blame on the political/economic system and I think a lot of self-destruction is underrated in the degree to which it stems from within, which I guess is kinda bleak but w/e. -She is Suffering sounds cool, and after a few listens, I don't *think* it's misogynistic. Not even sure this is in reference a person though. Review: Good stuff. Nothing seems particularly amazing though. I liked the first track. 3 stars

Listening Notes: Ooh I think these vocals are super intriguing. And harps? How fun! Review: Not writing so much here, but this was dope. I enjoyed thoroughly and would relisten if it was on spotify.

So this was a lot. The bass is kinda dope. For some reason, this is kinda working for me. Religion is kinda dope and I also suspect that 9 times out of 10 I'd hate an artist who tried this shit. It also kinda sucks and is insufferable. No I will not explain. 2.5 Stars, Rounding down.

Oh man, Snoop has had such a wild career. From this to the Olympic commentator with at least one arrest for murder mixed in there. Glad to finally be pushed to get acquainted with his work! Notes: -Beats are a lot of fun here. Very smooth. -Like the Lodi Dodi version -I've read your reviews, but feel like it's important for y'all to realize if you aren't listening much, it's not nearly as obviously raunchy as y'all are saying. -Hustlas and Gz is dope and I love this backing track. -After first listen, I'm happy to say this is a 3-4 album. -We'll see where I land on second listen -Yeah some of the raunchiness is a bit much on some tracks Review: G-Funk is, afaik, new to me. I think I like it! The beats on all of these songs is dope. The flow is cool. I think we'll give it the old 4 stars. Lyrics are a bit rough in places, but I had fun.

Yeah, so I've always known I'm supposed to be blown away. But I never got into this one. Let's give it another try. Notes: -The sorta slow screech-moaning that Thom Yorke has as such a clearly integral part of his style isn't really my thing -No Surprises is very good. In general, when we get the much more conventional approaches, this is outstanding, which maybe means I should pay more attention to what they're doing when they're not -Paranoid Android has some just dope guitar riffs. Starting to think this album might be pretty solid. -Ugh my first listen was on shuffle. oops. gotta try again. -Okay this is so much better in the right order. -Much more down with the moan-screaming in context. No surprises as catharsis here feels really solid coming right after climbing up the walls. Review: I definitely can see how people can really sink into this album. I think it's probably even better for people who put an album on and listen intentionally for an hour. That's realistically not gonna be how I approach this for now, but this sounds really great. I think I probably need a few more listens to comprehend what's going on Do I really feel totally convinced this is a 5-star album? I dunno, maybe not. But I think there are depths to plumb here that will take a while and I want to be sure to come back to this. I think it's clearly a very well-realized vision. So sure. 5 stars.

Survivor is just astonishingly good. Does this album need to be an hour long? I don't think so. But the first half is top tier pop, and the lyrics, while straightforward, are fun and good. If they cut some of the dead weight and got it down to 35 minutes, probably gets 4 stars. But damn the first few tracks kill it. I think If you made an album out of the two parts of independent women and everything in between, *maybe* backfilling 1-2 songs from the b-side, you'd have a much better and more cohesive product. 3.5 Rounding down. I was curious and looked up the music videos for some of these. The 90s energy is out of this world.

Nothing groundbreaking here, but I enjoyed this album start to finish. The sort of blues-rock sound feels very late 90s. Getting strong My Morning Jacket vibes here, and that's great.

So this has my last.fm #8 listened song of all time (that is, since 2017), and I'm tempted to give the album five stars for These Days on its own. But I've listened to the rest of the album very little (in some ways this makes "These Days"' last.fm performance particularly impressive: every other song in my top 50 is on an album that contributes a lot of support) Listening notes: -Fairest of the Seasons--this hits that perfect melancholy-sad-reflective vibe so perfectly. Perfect intro for one of the greatest 3:30 of music ever. -These Days is a perfect song. One of my favorite of all time. I've cried while this played many times. The way it describes the sort of clipping of her own ambitions in response to her losses. There's no better song when you're on a losing streak and you want some therapeutic pity party jams. I wish I could justice to this in my writing. "Please don't confront me with my failures/I have not forgotten them" Yeah me too Nico. "But Tom, These Days isn't even her song! You can't seriously give such high praise to a cover" Yeah reasonable point but doesn't change my emotional connection to this recording. Also she has the first recording. I will not elaborate further. -Little Sister & Winter song a very nice, reflective songs. Good but meaningfully overshadowed. -It Was a Pleasure Then--Sometimes (Especially late 60s/early 70s) experimental artists like the velvet underground and their crew do these long drawn out dissonant tracks that must have some purpose. but drive me up the wall. My first listen on this was rougher than the second, and I can sort of see how this theme fits the broader tone of the album, as our leading lady fades into incomprehensibility -Chelsea Girls: a really sad story of how the industry (and Warhol) find these people, build them up as monuments, and abandon them and discard them like trash when they've had their "fifteen minutes of fame" (central to Warhol's world). Prescient in wys Nico surely had no understanding of. -I'll Keep it With Mine: Bob Dylan! Review: In the end, the rest of this album does not live up to its first two tracks, and yet is quite good. I feel I must be true to myself and give this 5 stars. What starts as this youthful reflection on missed opportunities ends up with a jumble of ideas on the back half, as she describes the beauty she finds (I'll keep it with mine) which juxtaposes harshly with the callousness of an industry and world. To quote another artist, "Sure it could look like dew, but they're laughing at you/And they'll send in the clowns when you're lost". And sadly, Nico would fade in the same way. I have since looked up Nico's later life and woof, the later years are bleaker than hell here. Heroin was not kind to her, but it's clear there was a lot of ugliness down there even beyond the drugs. In ways, it makes the tracks here, with the wistful youthfulness, all the more melancholic, as the woman herself fades into incomprehensibility as her kindest attributes fade away, leaving racism and cruelty as the most prominent remainders.

THis was really good and I keep trying to write a review, but it's been too long since I wrote anything, so I'm just gonna give it 5 and keep going.

British Steel is a cool name for an album. Always appreciate a band that takes their name from Bob Dylan. Listening notes: -Rapid fire is a little corny, but on the curve for metal, more or less acceptable -Metal Gods is dope. I like the little guitar riff that feels like it's quoting "You sexy thing" though I'm pretty sure that's coincidental. -Breaking the Law. Okay, now we're stretching forgivable corniness, but it is kinda fun. Overwrought comment (outgrowth on Breaking the Law): For months I've been trying to get a feel for when I like Metal. Metal is a weird genre. We have Sabbath, who I think are dope, and Zeppelin who aren't really metal, but are important and a top tier band. Neither of these feel like ideological bands, but both have an authenticity to their sound. But then there's GNR, Pantera, Van Halen. They also have nothing to say but feel vaguely manufactured for reasons I can't put my finger on, and I they feel machine-extruded. Motorhead has nothing to say but is at least proudly nihilistic. I guess where I'm landing here is that authenticity is really important for me to "buy into" metal. And the GNR, Van Halen, Pantera don't feel like they have it. Towards the end of writing this comment I noticed that all the metal I like is British and all the metal I dislike is American. I don't have a strong view on whether that matters. Anyway, Judas Priest feels fairly authentic, but the doomy low riffs of sabbath appealed to me more (probably couldn't just have copied them). A few of their tracks are kinda corny (common enough for metal), but in general I'm pretty okay with it. They have a lot of this like halfway political stuff, that refuses to take a stance but wants to be cool and comes out as platitudes (Who are "they" in United? If "you don't have to be old to be wise", what does your wisdom tell you? why are we "breaking the law"?). You don't have to be political for me to like you, but this sort of half-assed political stuff really grates. They're a lot stronger on "Metal Gods" when they're just talking about nonsense giant robots. So I think we'll give them a 3 star-review. I enjoy Metal Gods for sure, but a lot gets a bit too overdone to be my thing. Definitely a band that could get a 4 stars if I was in the right mood, but I doubt that mood will come around often.

This feels pretty unoriginal. Like an set of tracks from movie starring Michael Cera, it checks all of the boxes of 2000s indie vibes, but feels quite a bit more empty. Santa Cruz and Big Sur are okay. And I kinda like you're love is like Las Vegas, but mostly I found this forgettable, and I suspect I'll never return to the album. 2.5, rounding down.

This rocks. I was a little meh on the first half but the b-side is awesome. Favorite: Let Me Help. I bet there's deeper layers to it all, but that's what I've got for this one. 4.5, rounding down.

Reggae? Well I liked Marley; I'll be open minded. Listening notes: Tyler: this mournful blues is pretty solid. I Think It's Going to Rain Today: Pretty solid, reminds me of an old Irish tune (Wild Mountain Thyme), which is cool. Review: I enjoyed this. At it's low points, it has the common issue for reggae of sounding like total background music, but Tyler is good, and most of it is solid enough to be good for 3.5 stars. Rounding down because that feels like the right call (and because I've heard "red red wine" too many damn times.

The theatricality of Queen has always been a bit much, and my longstanding gripes with them aren't something I'll get over quickly. But I'm approaching with an open mind. Fat-Bottomed Girls is good (and kinda funny), after all. Listening notes: -15 seconds in and I already feel like this is "what if theater kids play rock music" (derogatory) -'39 is pleasantly understated. I like that one, but it's nowhere near enough to redeem the album. -Seaside rendezvous is a good illustration of my irritation with Queen: it's like a musical (with the overacting necessary for stage performance), but without any of the story or fun of showtunes! Yeah I hate this. One song I kinda liked, A bunch of theatrical over the top nonsense (so I guess it's well named) with none of the fun of the theater

I wrote up a bunch but it didn't save. This is a perfect album. A little rougher around the edges than others of his perfect albums (took me a long time to come around on rainy day women), but he makes it work. The series from Visions of Johanna through to Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again might be one of the all-time best 4 track runs.

This was fine. My review didn't save but I thought the instrumentation was cool but everything was just a little overdone.

Good stuff. Fun, interesting, good.

Generic rock. At times good (Bad Company is solid), but mostly forgettable. The latter half of the album is enough to fend off 2 stars, but not by much.

Good stuff. I way underrated this album apparently. It's real solid.

Boring rock n' roll. Nothing terrible here, but nothing really interesting either. 2.5 rounding douwn

I knew Michael Kiwanuka when I was just expanding my music tastes in college, but just fell out of the habit of listening to him. Imagine my surprise when a later album (after the time I had been following him) is basically perfect! The melding of more contemporary influences with some almost folk sensibilities makes this a big breath of fresh air.

I typically think of the Monkees as bargain bin Beatles. Listening notes: -Can't put my finger on exactly what is different, but this is in between Beatles and a band I can't quite place (folksier). That is, it's a bit more unique than I expected, by my expectations were low -Randy Scouse Git: this is actually pretty cool and structurally more interesting than the rest of album -The second half of the album is much weirder and imo better. Review: I liked Randy Scouse Git a lot. But the rest feels like a collection of forgettable Beatles outtakes. So I think I'll say 2.5, rounding down?

It's Elevator Music, but it's pretty good elevator music. And the first track is arguably not elevator music. This is too repetitive and background to rise above a 3. 3 even feels generous, but it's pretty inventive and fun.

This is really good. I'm falling behind so I won't say too much more, but I love an album that was clearly thought through as an album first and a collection of songs second... and then still nails holiday, which is probably my (uninformed) favorite Green Day Song

Given how much I like Hunky Dory, it's weird to me how little interest I've had in Bowie's other work. Glad I'm finally being pushed to give it a try. Listening notes: -There's so much going on here. Jazzy influences, Kosmische influences. Not sure it comes together seamlessly, but its cool. -Yeah kinda a hodgepodge, with a few very boring tracks mixed in -Lyrically not that compelling Review: The first and second halves of this album feel broadly unrelated to each other. Some really interesting pop-rocky songs in the first half, and some nice weird ambient in the back half. Altogether, less than the sum of its parts.

Sadly, I had a great review of this that I didn't save. I continue to think that it's too bad Marvin Gaye is pgeonholed into being "The Sex song guy", but this album is genuinely really inescapably sexy ("What's Going On" is the album that should lead to him having a more nuanced image) Fun story, I walked into my office and immediately started playing this album before making sure my headphones were connected. My officemate fortunately had headphones on (and might not have the cultural context to be offended) but it was almost super embarrassing. Anyway, this is a great album. Good work Marvin. Maybe just a touch more variety next time, but at 31 minutes you can get away with a lot.

Funny how early bands were able to get away with such simple band names. Listening notes: -Pleasant and chill without being a clone of other late sixties bands: orchestration is neat here. -Way more sophisticated strings than I was expecting on this album -Sonically cool, but these lyrics really aren't doing much for me Review: This was a fun little trip. Won't say it's groundbreaking but there's a lot of unique sounds in what I expected to be a beatles clone.

Pre-listening: Not thrilled here. Radio-friendly music without much to actually say. And no edge. But maybe I'll come around. Listening notes: -Tiny Dancer is at least Anthemic. Expansive in a Queen way, which isn't really a complement, but it doesn't overdo the drama like they do. -Madman across the water is a cool name for an anodyne song -All the Nasties sucks. So it goes. -Every song on this album seems to start calm, then rise to these exaggerated orchestral anthems. Does Levon really sound that different than Tiny Dancer? Tine Dancer was okay, but not really that special. And every other song on this album seems calibrated to copy its popularity. Snoozefest.

So many bangers. And the interstitial material is pretty solid too. Growing up, I always thought of Green Day as kinda sophomoric weak stuff, but over the course of many years, I've come to recognize their incredible value. I do think popular consensus correctly identified the best tracks here: Basketcase and When I come Around are clearly the strongest tracks but their awesomeness doesn't diminish the rest of the album, which is solid all the way through.

I mean, it's perfect. The bass (which isn't usually a highlight but Kim Deal >>>>). I do think its odd, because aside from Debaser and Here Comes Your Man, there aren't that many tracks I often want to listen to on their own, but they work collectively for a perfect album. Monkey Gone to Heaven, Gouge Away, I Bleed. Just perfection. Listening Notes: -Debaser: HELL. Yes. I don't really know what half this album *means* but it's to the hilt at all times and it rocks so hard. -La La Love You--Opening riff, so good. The whistling, Iconic. chickenbutt (edit: looked the intro up, apparently it's shake your butt. Oh well). Reasonably sure half this album is also danceable, which is unexpected and kinda awesome given how much else it has going on. -All of these songs are of appropriate length. Nothing overstays its welcome (which is hard with this more out there stuff) -There goes my Gun: Another reminder of what an incredible bassist Kim Deal is. Makes sense that post Kim Deal Pixies never did much interesting -Hey: Another song that just doesn't feel like it should work but it goes so hard. Review: You can gouge away, if you want to (laudatory)

I'm not pretentious enough to pretend that this is something I'd regularly listen to, but I found it much more interesting and engaging than I expected given everything else. It's like the backing tracks on a Tom Waits album. Title track was actually dope as hell. There's more interesting in this album than in plenty of much more listenable albums, which makes this kinda hard to rate. Was gonna take off some points for how long it is, but looking it up, it looks like the original release is shorter. Still don't think I can get to four, so three is where it lands.

2 hours?!? I like Bullet with Butterfly wings but we're about to find out whether this has earned such a run time Listening notes: -Nasal voice is fine for what Smashing pumpkins are after -Metal integration into other genres is always hit or miss for me but I think it's working here -Bullet with Butterfly Wings: Banger. 'nuff said. -This album is so long. So self-indulgent. Edit these tracks down! Review: All good music. A few awesome tracks. But not enough to justify an album half this long. 28 tracks is too many and half of them are twice as long as they should be. Overstays its welcome. Especially irritating because there's some good stuff here, but I'll never list to the album again probably. I'll round up to three because the highs are quite high. (Disclaimer. I normally give albums two listens for a rating, but that just won't work here)

One of those cases where I know it's five stars before the needle drops (editing from later: I guess I forgot about Moonchild). Just a joy to have an occasion to break this bad boy out. Though man that album art is a lot. Anyway, we'll see if I have further comments. Listening notes: -The start of this album is about as good as it gets. -We get a lot of the prog riffing where the band just does nonsense for way longer than makes sense. but here it works because they're just so good. Also I feel like I like prog more every year. -I think the first and last tracks here overshadow it, but Epitaph is dope as hell. -Apparently I totally forgot about Moonchild. Such wasted space in an otherwise perfect album. Can I give five stars when like a third of the runtime is this wet towel? -Love the fantasy allusions in the final track, prefiguring the centrality of fantasy lit in metal and prog that Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin would feature much more prominently. Review: This rocks, but I think I'm obligated to remove a star for Moonchild, a senseless wandering that wastes 12 minutes. No harm when I'm not paying close attention.

Only now, after already reviewing one Tim Buckley album, have I realized that he and Jeff Buckley are different people. This is a name thing; they're not that similar. But I feel embarassed and need to admit. Listening notes: Sweet Surrender is dope as hell as far as ways to defend(?) infidelity, though that's a dubious undertaking. He does some really interesting stuff with his voice here. Love the funkiness of Devil Eyes. Make it Right is an unquestionable banger. Wow. Love the guitar here. Review: Surprising myself by giving this a 5. Loved every track here. Groovy, varied, just solid all the way around.

I'm permanently gonna be biased in favor of this album because Would It Be Nice was the first dance at my brother's wedding. Also it's often cited as one of the first concept albums. The positivity and happiness of the California sound is refreshing in a world that's always so focused on being clever and cynical. Anyway I love a few tracks here. Sloop John B, Put Your Head on My Shoulder. But I'm kinda surprised at how well this album works without any memorable tracks (except the first). I don't know how often I'd come back to the full album though, so I'll leave it at 4 stars.

DOPE. I like Gorillaz, and Clint Eastwood was my introduction to them. Hope this lives up to high expectations (havent listened to full album in a while). The whole "virtual band" aspect of Gorillaz has always been really weird to me. But it's kinda fun. Definitely different. Listening notes: -5/4 almost seems to be an instruction into how the 5/4 time signature works. Anyway, works for me. -Tomorrow Comes Today, rocks. -Clint Eastwood: my introduction to Gorillaz. A huge hit and justly so. Few songs make me feel as cool while I'm listening. -This album has such a wide range of influences. Staggeringly eclectic. -Dang it's long. But not like Smashing Pumpkins long.

What a strange little random album out of nowhere. Listening notes: -Opening riff seems at least well crafted, if mildly generic. -Nature's Way is pleasant -Animal Zoo: catchiest song but a little annoying -Why Can't I be Free is pretty solid Review: Overall, a fine album with nothing too innovative, but some fun times and a chill laid-back affect.

Oh boy, Krautrock. Because of the way I'm trying to cover my missed albums, This and Kollaps are scheduled for the same day. I want to love German contributions to modern music, but I've never been able to engage with Krautrock (except the perfection that is Kraftwerk) the way I feel like I should. Hopefully this time is different. No listening notes since I did this while away from my computer. First half of the album seemed pretty good. Second half was too much construction noise. I know part of what Kosmische (Krautrock's preferred term for itself) is about is a rejection of traditional song structures, but they got too far away from that my the end of this for my tastes. But it was interesting and inventive. 2 stars.

I love This Year's Model, but haven't been able to get much into Costello's other work, aside from (What's so funny 'bout) peace love and understanding. Listening notes: -Man his voice can really grate if I'm not in the mood for it. -I Want You is really good. Has this creeping tone that really works. Review: In general, I think this album doesn't really work. But I like I want you.

No preamble this time Listening notes: -Wow, what an opening track. Huge bang -Lol 1995 is pretty late to be using "queer" seemingly exclusively to mean strange, and it such a sexually charged context. Banger nonetheless, no choice but to stan. -Poppy sounds, but not overdoing it. Combines poppy sounds with just enough edginess to be interesting Review: This is awesome. Gives a pop vibe to edgy punchy sounds. Has a nice creeping vibe. Crushed it. We love a new 5-star discovery. Review

CCR! What fun. Looking over the album, not as many of the big hits on this one, but that could be for the best. No listening notes (both listens while I was driving), but some observations: -These tracks are less the peak CCR stuff and more just a chill time. -Basically no better driving music than CCR -Lodi was awesome--there's a new CCR song that I liked -Other than that, Bad Moon Rising is obviously huge, but I feel like this is a collection of tracks that are nice and pleasant without ever really being a lot more. Review: I'm a solid 3.5 here. I'd definitely come back to the album, but its overshadowed by their more memorable tracks. CCR is always going to be great for porch sitting, medium length drives, etc., but I don't think they've done much *more* than that here. Rounding down.

A SECOND Slipknot album? I dunno... One was okay. Listening notes: -This feels a lot tighter than our last slipknot. Everything is just more cohesive. -Why does spotify have to keep adding more moving imagery? Just let me navigate the damn app! (not relevant to this album but gosh the app just keeps wanting to do more) -Not sure I'm ever gonna be an unclean vocals guy, but it works a lot better here. -All that said, this is a really long album, and the spotify version appears shortened from a version with a bunch more space between the last tracks. This irritates me. -The inclusion of rapping in Nu Metal (cf No Life) rarely works for me. -Finally decided to look up some lyrics on my second listen through. They clearly have angry punky vocals, but they aren't very articulate about their issues with the world. It seems they're just angry for the sake of anger, like high schoolers, which I find kinda boring. Review: Hard to rate an album that I think does what its trying to do well, when what it's trying to do isn't something I particularly like. Just gonna be true to myself and say that I didn't enjoy this. 2 stars. Guitar is clearly talented, if not particularly my thing.