Great opening song along with classic Jimi Hendrix shredding. The stereo effect on "May This Be Love" is incredible. Unfortunately, I've just never been able to get into Hendrix as much as I probably should so this doesn't rate super high for me. I can appreciate the raw talent and his contribution to music, though.

Absolute classic. Easy 5/5. Nothing more to say than that, really.

This is pretty generic early 2000s dance music but not that exciting, overall. It's fine.

A few of the songs have pretty good beats but this is quintessential egotistical Kanye. The themes for several songs and the lyrics for most songs are frankly ridiculous and flat out bad. Pair that with Kanye's horrendous public persona and it's really hard for me to get into this album. Also, he's a black Nazi somehow? Excuse my French but fuck that and fuck Nazis. 0/5

Halfway through, I haven't stopped nodding my head for a minute. Very groovy. Great harmonies throughout. Solid album from start to finish. 3/5.

Great opening song along with classic Jimi Hendrix shredding. The stereo effect on "May This Be Love" is incredible. Unfortunately, I've just never been able to get into Hendrix as much as I probably should so this doesn't rate super high for me. I can appreciate the raw talent and his contribution to music, though.

I can hear the beginnings of what we now know as Prog Rock/Prog Metal in this album and it's super entertaining. I've never listened to Yes before and I'm now unsure why that is. It was too short, in my opinion, but solid from start to finish.

She's obviously a talented singer but this is pretty generic and boring, overall. It was quite a drag and difficult for me to get through. Son a Preacher Man is a classic but the rest is pretty unremarkable, in my opinion.

This album has the classic Talking Heads feel. The opening to the The Good Thing immediately catches you. David Byrne's vocals somehow fall into the background of the driving groove. Take Me to the River is, of course, super familiar and a great song. The Big Country was unexpected but a solid song.

The Rolling Stones are so incredibly versatile. I've heard this album before but they still had me guessing with each song. This is solid from start to finish and it's not hard to see why it's often regarded as their best album and one of the best rock and roll albums of all time.

Electric jazz fusion from Miles Davis. I've couple of his albums that were more traditional jazz ("Kind of Blue", "Sketches of Spain") but also had listened to "Bitches Brew" (released after "In a Silent Way" and also jazz fusion) so this was definitely an interesting listen. His talent as a trumpeter and as a band leader shines in what is his first true electric jazz fusion album after a hard turn in genres, according to Wikipedia. I'm a big jazz fan and this album was no exception.

"Johnny the Fox Meets Jimmy The Weed" was unexpectedly funky. "Boys Are Back in Town" is super catchy and plays on classic rock hit stations all the time. The drum solo on "Sha-La-La" is legit and you can tell the crowd is really digging it. Overall, a pretty solid live album.

The Wikipedia page states that REM experimented on this album but, honestly, to my ear, it sounds very similar to any other REM that I've heard. Perhaps some new instruments were used but it's still definitely REM. That's not a bad thing, as I generally like REM. It's an easy album to listen to. Not ground-breaking but not boring or offensive, either.

This is totally different than anything I listen to on a regular basis. The Cuban rhythm on the congas is entrancing at times and so groovy at others. It's a surprising break from the typical rock and roll/jazz/blues that I've been recommended thus far and is super interesting. Some people complain about this album and say that they just don't "get" it, which is fine. This album didn't have that effect on me.

I'm a big fan of the guitars on the titular song. Torn Curtain has a hauntingly beautiful vibe, which is incredibly fitting for the phrase "holding back the tears" phrase that's repeated multiple times throughout. It's always interesting to hear the stark differences between these early alternative/punk bands and the more traditional 70s rock & roll/hard rock of the time. It's also easy to hear the influences bands such as Television have had on later music. Some parts have a punk sound, some songs have a new wave sound, some sound like they're straight from a 2010 indie recording studio. I thoroughly enjoyed this album. This album wouldn't sound too out of place today, which really shows how revolutionary it was.

Radiohead is one of my absolute favorite bands. I've been listening to them and this album for decades at this point so I'm perhaps a little biased. Thom Yorke stated that the album was a statement on the "the general sense of ignorance and intolerance and panic and stupidity" following the election of George Bush in 2000 and used many Orwellian references throughout. "Hail to the Thief" was a common phrase in reference to that election and is a play on the phrase "Hail to the Chief", the presidential anthem. This is one of those albums that takes a few sittings to truly begin to appreciate, especially for someone that's overall unfamiliar with Radiohead so I understand the low ratings from people who are probably hearing this for the first time with zero context. So many haunting songs on this album, which fits the overall theme and purpose of the album.

This album is very different than what people generally think of when they think 70s music. It's not really my taste, though, and was honestly fairly boring to me. Very rough around the edges. I appreciate the contributions to later music, though.

Very strange and incredibly unexpected. I can see the creativity involved in making the album but I fail to understand how this is being included in a list of "must listen" albums. It's honestly hard to get through, considering I listen to these albums while trying to get work done. Still better than Kid Rock and Limp Bizkit, though, because they at least tried to be creative. The creativity and the fact that they at least tried something different bumps it from a 1 to a 2 for me.

This is so 80s but not quite in a cool, Michael Jackson way. The first couple of songs are quite good but "I Want Your Sex" is very cringy for lack of a better word and, honestly, seems like a song that an awkward pre-teen would make to be funny. Michael Jackson's "I Want to Rock with You" says basically the same thing in a much more mature (and better) way and is all around a better song/groove, as well. Some of the other songs have a decent grooves. It's not the worst album in this list but it's also not the best.

Joni Mitchell has a distinct sound. Really well done album with some good songs.

Classic album that I've listened to dozens of times. The video version is worth a watch, as well. Nirvana is obviously known for grunge and heavy guitar riffs but this version, as with all "MTV Unplugged" versions of albums, peels all of that back so that you can appreciate the brilliance of the song writing without all of the distortion and volume (though I'm a fan of those things, as well). Easy 5/5.

This is so ethereal, as if I'm entering a trance. It's unfortunate that I don't understand Icelandic because I'm sure their lyrics are good, too.

I was already familiar with The Who, of course, but hadn't ever listened to this album in full. I enjoyed how the album flows together. It started to get a little too long for me towards the end. It has some impressive 100% instrumental songs mixed in, though, which I wasn't expecting.

The Cajun French on "Si Tu Dois Partir" was unexpected. "A Sailor's Life" has some fantastic instrumentation. The harmonizing on "Percy's Song" makes it sound authentically British-folky. This has a good folk sound and good vibe throughout. Great music to work to.

It's not bad but it's also doesn't blow me away. Overall, it's easy to listen to but that's really because it's super generic and not too exciting. I had never heard of Lloyd Cole and The Commotions so at least this list is exposing me to new stuff.

Bowie was such a talent and this album is no different. It isn't as grandiose (in a positive way) as some of his other albums but his talent still shines through.

"Hello" is a powerful song that serves as an excellent start to this album. Adele has such a huge voice and this album perfectly showcases it and allows her to use it to communicate the emotions that she's feeling in each of the songs. My only issue with the album is that it's kinda the same idea over and over. Yes, she's talented and she's really good at it but some variety would make this a better album in my book.

After reading the background of this album, I could definitely feel the emotion in the songs and in his voice. I get that it was super personal for him but for outsiders to the situation, it's one note and incredible depressing.

This was a fun album that had notes ska, punk, as well as straight up rock. I don't understand the relatively low rating because it was overall an enjoyable album.

I haven't had a ton of exposure to Motown and I honestly don't understand why that is because this album is so good. I know who The Temptations are, of course, but have only listened to a couple of their biggest hits. The main ding for this album is that it's too short. Just as I was really getting into a groove, it was suddenly over.

Absolute classic. Easy 5/5. Nothing more to say than that, really.

A solid album with a couple of familiar songs. Overall, I like The Police though they aren't super exciting.

This is so guitar-driven and raw. Pretty interesting album and it's easy to understand how it has influenced other guitar-heavy bands.

In classic Oasis fashion, this isn't super exciting but it is easy to listen to. Overall, an enjoyable album even if it isn't super technical or advanced.

This is so rough and punk. The lyrics hit hard and the rawness really ramps up the emotion. Classic punk album from a classic punk band that has influenced so many other huge bands that have come after.

I have always been a fan of Paul Simon and this album is no different. I don't think it's his best album but it's solid, overall, and has a few excellent songs and big hits.

I get that Coldplay is often thought of as overplayed or overproduced or whatever but their early albums are legitimately good. Parachutes is no exception to this. It's the album that kicked off their career and catapulted them into the limelight.

This is a truly beautiful album. Her voice is incredible and it's always super interesting to hear music that I have been exposed to very little in my life. Mbube was totally unexpected, as Lion King fan. Her version of this song is stunning. Overall, a really fantastic album. I think it's definitely underrated on here (3.18 as of this review).

I understand what they were trying to do and the concept is definitely interesting but this album had trouble holding my attention. I would find myself zoning out during the middle of songs to the point that I had to restart a couple. It's not a bad album but it just isn't interesting to me. It's a shame that Woody Guthrie didn't write songs to accompany these lyrics because he probably would have done a better job with them, in my opinion. This is the issue that I've had with Wilco, overall. Their music isn't bad. It's clear that they're actually quite good at what they do. It's just boring to me and I'm generally a fan of folk, indie, and alternative.

Solid Johnny Cash album. It's honestly a little surreal listening to him sing about murders and drugs to murderers. As another reviewer put it, it's super metal. I'm not the biggest fan of all of the songs that he chose to perform but the performance, itself, was impactful and will probably never be replicated.

Good blues. I've never really gotten into the genre so I don't listen to it too much but this is decent.

This was honestly really boring to me. I don't know what it was about it but it seemed to be more or less the same song over and over again.

I personally prefer Nevermind but this album is fantastic in its own right. It's so raw compared to Nevermind and the emotion comes through strongly. Heart-Shaped Box, Rape Me, Dumb, All Apologies are all great songs.

I don't understand much of the criticism that this album is getting from many of the reviewers here. While I don't find it groundbreaking in any way, I don't find it any more offensive than Coldplay or U2 but albums from those bands are consistently more highly-rated, for some reason. [Reprise] is an excellent send off to the album.

It's honestly hard to believe that this was released in 1969 because it could honestly be released today and sound completely relevant and modern. The beats, the instrumentation, the vocals, and everything in between are all solid. The strings and horns on One Woman are incredible.

Radiohead is one of my favorite bands and I have listened to this album probably >100 times so I'm obviously biased but it's hard to not give this album 5/5. Part of it is nostalgia, as I remember listening to this dozens of times with friends in high school, and part of it is a genuine love of Radiohead. This is one of my all time top albums from one of my top bands.

I can appreciate the Beastie Boys and their contribution to the world of hip hop but their music isn't really for me. Something about it just doesn't capture my interest or keep me all that engaged. I also don't like their whiney/shouty vocal style. Some nuance would be appreciated and, I think, would add to many of their songs. That said, many of the samplings on this album were super interesting. The use of The Beatles on "The Sounds of Science" caught me totally by suprise.

Meh. I had never heard of Hole but this didn't interest me much and I'm usually a fan of 90s alt-rock.

It's pretty generic mid-2000s alt rock. You can tell this band came around the same time as bands like The Killers or The White Stripes but they're aren't quite as exciting for me as those bands. It's mostly just noise, tbh.

I'm a Fleetwood Mac fan but had somehow never listened to this album all the way through. It doesn't compare to Rumors, obviously, as that's a masterpiece but this album absolutely holds up to many other great rock albums of the time. Stevie Nicks' voice and passion comes through in "Beautiful Child" and "Sara" is one of their classics.

Ah, the first electronic album to be recommended to me. This is exciting. I love this era of electronic music because it truly was the wild west. "EDM" didn't exist in the same sense that it does today and artists were experimenting with different sounds, rhythms, and instruments. This was very interesting.

It's pretty generic "alt-rock" and nothing really stands out. It's hard to believe that it received a nomination for best album and that "Use Somebody" actually won best song. It's just so incredibly boring yet still somehow gets regular airtime on the radio to this day. "Sex is on Fire" is a better song and actually has a decent groove, in my opinion. It's not a terrible album but there were much better albums in this genre from this time period.

This album has an interesting, old school kinda quality to it that I really dig. I definitely don't feel that this is a country album, as it's categorized. This is more just singer/songwriter or folk.

Classic Kendrick and a hell of an album from start to finish. Excellent storytelling that means that it's one of those albums that may take a listen or two to catch everything that's said. The instrumentation/beats is also great. It's a really well-produced album.

The Rolling Stones are one of those bands that I seem to enjoy any time that I listen to them but, for some reason, I don't listen to them all that much. This album was quintessential mid-60s British rock and is overall enjoyable.

Chris Cornell and grunge. What a combo.

I went from Soundgarden to this..... To say that was a disappointment is an understatement. This isn't bad, per se....it's just boring. There's nothing there. It's the kind of music that plays in the background at the grocery store to fill the silence. I looked at Lambchop's page on Wikipedia and they apparently had 20 different musicians that contributed to the album. 13 of those were actually in Lambchop, officially. I would have expected more complexity.

This was written and recorded shortly after Nick Cave lost his son, Arthur, in 2015. I can hear the emotion in his voice as he paints a picture of what he's feeling and what he's going through. Much of the album teetered between ethereal and melancholy and was incredibly interesting to me. It's super heavy even if the underlying music is light.

I know of Amy Winehouse, of course, but have never gotten around to listening to her, for some reason. I don't know what I was expecting but this definitely wasn't it. While every song is generally soul or R&B, they're all so incredibly different. She was incredible talented and versatile. "Rehab" is a sad song, considering how she supposedly died but well-written and well-sung, nonetheless. "Just Friends" has almost a reggae groove with the drums/horns/bass. "Back to Black" is a throwback to the 1960s girl groups that clearly influenced Winehouse. "Love Is a Losing Game" is beautiful. "Tears Dry On Their Own" allows her to show off the accuracy of her voice in a faster pace and just straight grooves the whole time. This song feels like it was ripped straight from the 60s, which makes sense considering the sample of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". I will for sure be listening to this album and other Amy Winehouse more. This is incredible. R.I.P.

I had only ever listened to titular song from this album. I have always liked the sound of country music from this time period and this is no exception. Dolly kills it on this album.

Jack White is undoubtedly talented but he's just never been able to capture much of my attention outside of The White Stripes, unfortunately. This album is fine but I probably won't listen to it again.

Quintessential 90s brit pop. Inoffensive, as some reviewers have put it, but I think that's actually a positive for this album. It's catchy and entertaining but maybe I'm just a fan of this genre--idk. Not award-worthy but not terrible.

How has Lauryn Hill only ever released a single album? I get that she has been featured on a bunch of songs but she definitely deserved to have more albums because this one is incredible. She is insanely talented and I can't believe I'm just now finding this album. I will listen to this many more times. I had heard several of the songs from the album ("Ex-Factor", "Doo Wop (That Thing)") before so it wasn't totally a virgin listen but, man, so many other songs deserve more playtime. I was also familiar with "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" but had never heard her cover. I can definitely hear how she influenced so many artists in the 00s and 10s.

Ah, Ray Charles. What is there to say about him? I've listened to so much of his music but never this album all the way through. It's a pretty classic Ray Charles album and an enjoyable listen.

I've long been a fan of New Wave music. I don't like much pop music from the 80s but this is one popular genre that's always hit me just right. This is a really good album from a really good band.

Either it's something to do with the albums included in this list or I'm just never enamored by early punk records. This album is honestly just boring to me.

This album definitely wasn't what I expected after reading that Wikipedia classified it as "hardcore punk, post-punk, post-hardcore". It has some punk but it is also funky on some songs and very singer-songwriter on others. It's quite an interesting album, especially considering it came out in 1984. It sounds like something that would fit in on alternative airwaves today. The bass on "It's Expected When I'm Gone" is so funky. I'm digging the groove on this one.

This is pretty generic early 2000s dance music but not that exciting, overall. It's fine.

Widely considered one of the greatest jazz albums of all time and one of the albums that all new jazz listeners should experience asap. This album is so well put together with all of the instruments seemingly have conversations with each other as the songs move from one to another. I believe this album can be listened to by anyone in any setting. I've easily listened to it >50 times in my life and recommend it to anyone looking to listen to jazz. Easy 5/5.

The musicians on this album played their hearts out and it shows. What an introduction to big band for someone that hasn't really listened to it all that much. Lil Darlin is a beautiful song and is incredibly romantic.

I'm a big fan of indie and alternative but, for some reason, Dinosaur Jr. just never really kept my attention. It's fine but generally pretty generic.

This is grunge before grunge was cool. I can hear the precursors to the bigger bands like Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden but it still has a rough, punk-like quality in many of the songs that isn't heard in those larger, more polished bands. It's pretty interesting stuff.

How the hell have I never heard this album before? I've heard of the name Carole King but have somehow never once had this album recommended for me. That's a shame because this is incredible. It's so smooth.

I love this era of indie music and while I haven't heard this particular album before, I'm familiar with The War on Drugs. This is a solid album and one that I'll probably listen to again.

Aretha Franklin is a national treasure and is so incredibly talented. It's a joy to listen to her music. This album was really good and is one of the best from the genre.

This is a solid album of enjoyable music. I don't think it's life-changing in the context of this 1001 album list but I did enjoy it, nonetheless.

This was a solid album and is a good album for this list, considering Elton John's influence on pop music, as a whole. Elton John isn't exactly *my* style of music but I can appreciate the talent.

Classic 70s classic rock sound from The Doors in this album. Really good to groove to.

Oh boy--as expected Slipknot is......controversial with the reviewers of this list. Metal/hard rock of this type is a "love it or hate it" kind of thing and I'm usually in the "love it" side. That said, Slipknot tries too hard sometimes and it shows. Psychosocial is legit good, though. The guitar riff, while very simple, carries the song. The clean vocals are quite good, too.

I like the raw feel of this album. It really captures that early punk feel without being in your face all the time. Solid listen, overall.

A few of the songs have pretty good beats but this is quintessential egotistical Kanye. The themes for several songs and the lyrics for most songs are frankly ridiculous and flat out bad. Pair that with Kanye's horrendous public persona and it's really hard for me to get into this album. Also, he's a black Nazi somehow? Excuse my French but fuck that and fuck Nazis. 0/5

Hearing the guitar riff on "Can You Get to That" was a fantastic surprise because I'm super familiar with "Rill Rill" by Sleigh Bells. This album is definitely funky and so smooth, overall.

Really good album with a couple of incredible, next-level songs: You Are the Sunshine of My Life Superstition It's unbelievable that he was only 22 when he released this album. It wasn't his first album but it was probably the first one that really put him on the map.

I've never listened to Run-D.M.C. besides "Walk This Way" but had obviously heard of them. This was surprisingly enjoyable even though I'm not usually the biggest fan of 80s hip hop.

Easy listening, which came during an overall stressful week for me. Thanks! Overall, I enjoyed it but it's probably not something I'll repeat.

This album has a very 50s feel even though it came out in 1964. It's also an album of just covers so I don't understand how this is considered so life changing as to include it in a list of albums to hear before I die. It's not bad - just fairly bland.

Solid alternative album that has quite a few songs that have hung around on the radio.

Nina Simone can sing. Her countralto vocals are so powerful and wonderful. She's an incredible singer. This album was very enjoyable to me.

It's pretty generic drum and bass so I'm unsure how this is an essential album to listen to before I die. Meh.