382
Albums Rated
2.67
Average Rating
35%
Complete
707 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1950
Favorite Decade
Metal
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Critic
Rater Style ?
48
5-Star Albums
86
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
Top Styles
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Homework
Daft Punk
|
5 | 3.29 | +1.71 |
|
Blur
Blur
|
5 | 3.33 | +1.67 |
|
Brilliant Corners
Thelonious Monk
|
5 | 3.33 | +1.67 |
|
The Downward Spiral
Nine Inch Nails
|
5 | 3.34 | +1.66 |
|
...And Justice For All
Metallica
|
5 | 3.42 | +1.58 |
|
Aqualung
Jethro Tull
|
5 | 3.43 | +1.57 |
|
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
OutKast
|
5 | 3.45 | +1.55 |
|
She's So Unusual
Cyndi Lauper
|
5 | 3.48 | +1.52 |
|
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
|
5 | 3.48 | +1.52 |
|
Crosby, Stills & Nash
Crosby, Stills & Nash
|
5 | 3.48 | +1.52 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Aladdin Sane
David Bowie
|
1 | 3.61 | -2.61 |
|
Funeral
Arcade Fire
|
1 | 3.55 | -2.55 |
|
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
|
1 | 3.53 | -2.53 |
|
Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
Ray Charles
|
1 | 3.5 | -2.5 |
|
Play
Moby
|
1 | 3.45 | -2.45 |
|
Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes
|
1 | 3.44 | -2.44 |
|
Debut
Björk
|
1 | 3.38 | -2.38 |
|
Meat Is Murder
The Smiths
|
1 | 3.34 | -2.34 |
|
You Want It Darker
Leonard Cohen
|
1 | 3.32 | -2.32 |
|
This Year's Model
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
|
1 | 3.31 | -2.31 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Jackson | 3 | 5 |
| Nirvana | 2 | 5 |
| Black Sabbath | 2 | 5 |
| Stan Getz | 2 | 5 |
| Beatles | 2 | 5 |
| OutKast | 2 | 5 |
| Dire Straits | 2 | 5 |
| Stevie Wonder | 2 | 5 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Leonard Cohen | 3 | 1.33 |
| Björk | 2 | 1 |
| The Velvet Underground | 2 | 1 |
| Orbital | 2 | 1 |
| Neil Young & Crazy Horse | 2 | 1.5 |
| Belle & Sebastian | 2 | 1.5 |
| Tom Waits | 2 | 1.5 |
| Ray Charles | 2 | 1.5 |
| Elvis Costello & The Attractions | 2 | 1.5 |
| The Smiths | 2 | 1.5 |
| My Bloody Valentine | 2 | 1.5 |
| David Bowie | 5 | 2.2 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Blur | 5, 1 |
| CHIC | 4, 1 |
| Van Morrison | 4, 1 |
| Kanye West | 1, 4 |
| Arcade Fire | 1, 4, 2 |
5-Star Albums (48)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Little Richard · 2 likes
5/5
You can't deny the fact that Little Richard and black artists like him are the direct link between earlier pop jazz and blues and the wave of (mostly white) rock and roll artists that took their style and ran with (and essentially everything that came after that). It makes me wonder how many amazingly talented black artists we missed out on due to racism in the '50's.
All this said, there's only so much earlier rock and roll that I can stomach in one afternoon. But, don't take that to mean that I am diminishing the influence this man and other like him have had on modern culture.
Nirvana · 2 likes
5/5
One of the greatest live albums ever recorded in my opinion. It's just a shame that we couldn't have gotten more music like this before Cobain died.
Tom Waits · 1 likes
1/5
I know people around here have a hard on for all things Tom Waits, but let's face it: his "music" is fucking weird.
OutKast · 1 likes
5/5
Live, from the center of the Earth
Seven light-years below sea level we go
Welcome to Stankonia, the place from which all funky things come
Would you like to come?
You better bounce motherfucker.
This album is fucking amazing. Atlanta rap is fucking amazing. I was there for it back in the day, I'm here for it today, and I'll be here there and everywhere for it in the future.
Leonard Cohen · 1 likes
1/5
This list would be SOOOO much better if it limited any singular group to ONE album. I get that some groups have an outsized impact on the direction of modern music, but Leonard Cohen does not need 5 albums!
Ok, now for the review. I'm tired today, and this album just makes me want to go back to bed. I know that he is considered one of the greatest lyricists, but his music is so damn boring. And, frankly, the lyrics don't really do anything for me. If I came to a bar and someone was playing his songs I would leave.
4-Star Albums (57)
1-Star Albums (86)
All Ratings
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
2/5
Cinnamon Girl is the best song on the album. The rest is typical late '60's folk rock. Not really my thing, but I can see the influence on later artists; especially during the '90's grunge/garage/alternative period.
Björk
1/5
Bjork appeals to someone, and I have heard enough to know that I am not that someone.
Just a little too quirky and out there for my tastes. That said I know she has had a profound influence on a lot of indie and electronic groups.
But, I just can't seem to get into her music.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
I like Bob Marley, but I'm more of a greatest hits kind of Bob Marley fan. Nothing bad, the music is good, but all the songs sound similar.
Cat Stevens
4/5
Makes me think of mom. I appreciate Cat Stevens for being a great singer-songwriter. I think I'll have to listen to this one again to get a better feel for what he's saying in some of the songs I've never heard before.
The Offspring
4/5
I love this album. It was one of the first ones I bought as a young kid learning to find my own music. I set it aside after a while, but for some reason it has come back into my life lately.
I love the hard punk edge. I love Dexter Holland's piercing voice. The messages remind me of some of life's events when I was in college, but some of the other songs seem pretty relevant in today's world too...
Arcade Fire
1/5
Definitely NOT for me. Music for the whiney kids that are way too into "indie" rock, PBR, and skinny jeans. The type of people that you find at weird house parties in gentrifying neighborhoods.
I can't tell the difference between this group, MGMT, and the Lumineers. Essentially backing track to sappy romance dramas staring the latest manic pixie dream girl and Michael Cera. I feel like I could go on, but that would be more effort needed for music that is not good.
Duke Ellington
3/5
Typical post-war jazz. Like the stuff you would hear at one of those expensive restaurants that are trying too hard to sell you an experience over actual ambiance and good food.
I don't know enough about jazz to really comment on it, but the production value and quality of the players is definitely really good. I think if I was more into jazz this would be at the top of my list. I can also appreciate that Ellington was super influential in the jazz arena.
Cyndi Lauper
5/5
I really enjoyed this. I grew up with Cyndi Lauper's music as background noise in the '80's, and never really listened to it because it was "girl music." But, now that I'm older, I really enjoy it. Her voice can be punchy and then sonorous in the same song, and the lyrics are great! There's a lot to recommend in a romantic way. Not so much in trying to woo someone, but rather in the way you do in a long term relationship.
I also like the synthy and eclectic sound. I miss the experimental nature music had from this era. Music has become so cardboardy and uniform. We could learn a lesson from Lauper in trying new stuff and making music sound different but also appealing to a wide variety of people.
Also, makes me miss Lou Albano and the Goonies...
Foo Fighters
5/5
Oh man, I love this album. It's so raw, and you can just feel the emotion in Dave Grohl's play and lyrics. You get the sense that he's just trying to figure out how to pick up the pieces after Nirvana.
Maybe not as refined as later albums, this was a great bridge into The Color and the Shape. I think the music is actually more creative than a lot of Foo Fighter's later stuff. Everything after the first two albums always felt kind of flat and like crack jack rock pumped out for sales. But this album is the real thing. (Side note: I'm a huge sucker for debut and sophomore albums)
It also came out when I was just getting into my own music, so it has a special spot for me there. I spent a lot of my teen years trying to figure out my place in life, which hardly makes me unique, but this was one of those albums that made me understand that maybe everyone else is just trying to figure out what to do next too.
Belle & Sebastian
1/5
First reaction: wtf is this crap?
Sounds like the long lost link between whiney '90's Portland grunge and early '00's corporate indie music.
It should have stayed lost. Most likely in a Wes Anderson film that I won't watch.
I really don't understand the appeal of music like this. The bland melodies and lyrics that are written by a freshman English lit major with a thesaurus and too much time on their hands just make me want to scream. It feels like music written by some insecure boy trying to impress a girl that is way out of his league, wrong for him, and will eventually completely ignore him because she realizes nobody wants to be with neurotic losers. Which will probably only further spur the boy to write more bad music like this bemoaning that no girl wants to date him.
The Cure
2/5
Not a huge fan of The Cure outside of some of their mainstream hits. Very dark and moody, and frankly at this point of my life I don't need that sort of thing. However, there was a time when I would have found that appealing.
I have never understood the ethereal instrumentals though.
Neil Young
2/5
Why is there so much Neil Young on this list?! It's not bad, but it just doesn't do anything for me. He has always felt kind of whiney to me. I like his stuff better that he did with CSNY.
I kind of dug the mellow guitar and bongo drums on "On the Beach" though. Good laid back summer night kind of song.
Eagles
5/5
This album is the definition of a deep cut. So many massive hits. One of the all time greatest albums made.
A Tribe Called Quest
2/5
I've always heard that early hip-hop like the Tribe is required listening to understand rap, but I've just never been able to get into it. The flows and rhymes are legit, and I can see the influence it had on later rap artists. That said, it kind of lands flat for me. Long tracks of them just flowing doesn't really do it for me. In this day an age, this seems like foundational listening for newer rap artists, but there's better stuff for pure listening.
It was kind of fun to hear an early Busta though.
Tom Waits
2/5
I'm not sure what kind of drugs you need to be on to find this music interesting, but I'm not on them.
There's flashes of...something...here, but I'm not grasping it. It's almost like a dark Disney movie narrator or villain soliloquizing his reasoning for doing whatever nefarious thing he's doing. With complete mumbo-jumbo lyrics.
Whatever it is I'm too sober to understand. Maybe I'll revisit next time I go on a bender, but I'll likely forget.
Gary Numan
2/5
I can see where this influenced a lot of other subsequent synth groups. Very raw sounding though. The synth is pretty one dimensional, but I'm guessing that's more a symptom of the limitations of the technology at the time. The drums and backing beat is right on though.
In the end, not really my thing though. The vocals really grate on me.
Side note: I checked out some of their recent stuff, and it's really interesting.
The Velvet Underground
1/5
I really wonder how some of these albums get onto this list. I get it, this is a prime example of psychedelic rock from the late '60's, but it's nearly unlistenable. Plus a 17 minute track about drugs, sex, and murder...I'm sure it was quite shocking in the day, but it just comes off as annoying now.
Albums and music like this make me happy we have moved onto better things.
Also, there was way better examples of music like this from the time, why aren't they on this list?!
CHIC
4/5
Disco! Freak out!
I'm not a huge disco fan, but I dig the beats. Makes me want to dance, and I have two left feet.
As much as I don't really listen to disco, I enjoy it when I hear it. The production quality is great too.
Pretenders
2/5
This is just not for me. I'm not into that early poppy punk stuff. I can elements of this in some subsequent groups from the '80's and early '90's. It also gives me some Heart vibes.
But, like I said, this isn't for me.
The Last Shadow Puppets
3/5
I enjoy the grittier take on '60's pop rock. Anything with the Artic Monkey's lead man is good in my book. Not great, but fun listening. I enjoyed the organ and orchestral baking on some of the tracks. Everything had kind of an impetuous back beat to it too.
I'll have to revisit this one after I've had some time to digest it.
Terence Trent D'Arby
1/5
Who is this targeted towards? It's not bad per say, but it's definitely not good. Sounds like something that is on an easy listening station or in the background at your dentist's office.
I don't understand the appeal of music like this. It's just innocuous and inoffensive noise. It could be on in the background while there's chaos all around and it wouldn't elevate the stress of the situation. Maybe that's the point?
I also get the feeling that the lead singer is one of those that wears weird ass shit and acts all hard on stage while playing the most vanilla garbage (side note, I googled him. Yep, his outfits are ridiculous and totally not matched to how bland this music is). Kind of like a soft Lenny Kravitz (who is basically the same thing with a mildly harder edge).
I don't get it. 1/5, but in the most polite way possible because being angry about music this soft seems profane.
Dinosaur Jr.
1/5
Garage rock. Sounds like it was recorded in a garage too. The lead vocals lead a lot to be desired as well. Otherwise sounds like early alternative stuff. Pretty boring stuff to be honest. Not sure how this one made a list of "must hear" albums...
Leonard Cohen
2/5
Cohen has a classical voice, and interesting lyrics. It's like what Dylan could have been if he had a decent singing voice. But, Cohen suffers from the same thing as Dylan, long rambling songs that become monotonous after the 8th verse.
Beastie Boys
5/5
I've always wondered how the hell do the Beastie Boys work? Three nasally Jewish white boys from NYC throwing down some of the slickest flows in the middle of the hip hop revolution should have been less than a blip on the radar. Yet it works.
And I fucking love it.
Tricky
2/5
Sounds like radio station background music. Like a mix of Massive Attack and Gorillaz. Very '90's London sounding. The smoother and mellower answer to '90's industrial music.
I like Portishead better though. This is too slow and grimy.
4/5
Album reminds me of the period of my life immediately after college when I was trying to navigate complete upheaval in my life. This was one of those albums that was always just on in the background. Good stuff then, and good stuff now.
The KLF
2/5
Super German dude pulls up in a BMW convertible: "Hey fun boys get a room! Hahahahaha"
That's all I have to say about this.
Aretha Franklin
5/5
Someone else said this album automatically gets at least a 4 because of Respect alone, and I wholeheartedly agree. I grew up to my parents listening to Motown, so I'm pretty familiar with this, but I hadn't heard some of the B-sides from this album. The music just wants to make me sing and dance along with it. Queen Aretha's vocals are amazing, and the backing tracks hop. Motown is one of those cultural things that was a product of it's time and the forces moving in the world then. I don't think it could be recreated with as much authenticity or power ever again. These artists moved the art of music in a way that we will likely never see again, and used their art and talents to draw attention to cultural norms and injustices that needed to change. They also left us with some of the best anthems and love songs ever created.
Alice In Chains
2/5
I was too young for this when it came out. I remember it being on repeat on the radio and listening to it. Then getting really burned out on hearing so often.
Revisiting it I'm getting the same vibes. I like it right now, but I think in after a day or so of listening it would start to get on my nerves. Heavy grunge has that effect on me. It all kind of sounds the same, and the lyrics aren't enough to overcome the chugging drone of very similar sounding songs.
Good for an occasional listen, but not much more than that.
Ian Dury
1/5
What the actual fuck did I just listen to? When the instrumentals started, I was kind of into it. It was kind of funky. Other tracks reminded me of a bad musical set
Then the lyrics started.
I think this guy stopped maturing at the age of 13. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Part of me was giggling at the juvenile nature of it, but the other part was like "I need to stop listening to this".
ABBA
4/5
I like ABBA. I'll never admit it openly, but I do. This was a curious album of theirs to pick though. I enjoyed it, but this is not what I think of when I think of them. Still pretty good, but I don't know that I would suggest this one to someone else looking for that definitive ABBA sound.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
One of the all time greats. 5 stars just for Stairway to Heaven. This was one of those albums that introduced me to a new (to me) genre of music at a young age. Should be required listening for everyone.
Nirvana
5/5
One of the greats, hence the high rating. But, to be honest, while I really liked it when I was younger, it doesn't hit the way it used to.
Ray Charles
2/5
Ray Charles' voice is amazing. Truly one of the all time R&B singers. I just don't really care for the big band sound. That said I can appreciate this as a bridge between the post war big band jazz sound and what Motown would do in the following decade.
The Birthday Party
1/5
Initial reaction upon seeing the album cover: what the fuck is this?
Initial reaction upon hearing the music: What. The. Fuck. Is. This?
After having some more time to think about it: WHAT THE FUCK?
Seriously, this list is so fucked. I was looking at the index of all the artists/albums, and when absolute shit like this is a "must hear" album but others like Tool, Linkin Park, Gorillaz, and basically any and all influential country music after about 1985 is left off it really makes me question the validity of this list and (more importantly) my desire to continue this fool's errand.
This is one of those albums that was forgotten for a reason, and should stay that way. I don't care if it has some link to a later singer or group that was influential. Shit is shit, and lots of groups have shit that has no reason to be dredged up again.
Hot Chip
2/5
Another day, another boring album that according to this list I have to listen to before I die. Pass.
Just so much more boring electro-pop that is better suited to backing music in a some expensive club; the kind that I dislike and never go to anymore and didn't like it when I did when I was younger.
At least it's not some nails on the chalkboard random punk group that happened to be the shitty starting group of some moderately famous lead man or guitarist. But it's like Sabrina Carpenter: plastic, tastes like cardboard, and fake.
Next album please. I think...
Gil Scott-Heron
3/5
Damn. This hit hard on a rainy morning. I can hear this reflected in Outkast, especially on Aquemini. It's there in Nate Dogg's singing, and definitely in some of the stuff put down by the Tribe and WuTang. I can hear some of the jazz influences in other artists like Jamiroquai too.
The keyboards picked me up and then let me float down. The phasing/reverb was something else too. So much soul!
I also liked the spoken word poetry.
Finally this is an album from this list that consists of someone previously unknown to me that I am able to get into.
Ray Charles
1/5
I think the same folks that composed Disney movies in the 50's and 60's help Ray Charles compose all this what with the string flourishes and chorale backing. All it needs is a princess with forest animals flocking to her to complete it.
Otherwise, makes me feel like I have more grey hair and need to drive around slowly in the left lane in my Cadillac while wearing high waisted slacks and complaining about young people and minorities.
The Who
2/5
I remember my best friend's mom getting mad at us and telling us to shut off that song that was making fun of people with stutters. I always think of that when I hear this album.
Otherwise, while there's flashes of what was to come, this album was too much of them trying to be the next Beatles. I think once they found their own sound later in the decade is when they really became something amazing.
Lightning Bolt
1/5
Honestly. What the fuck is this?
Never heard of these idiots, never would listen to them, and I don't understand people who think this qualifies as music.
Zero stars.
3/5
I liked this ok. I like how up tempo it is, but listening to it at work got a bit grating after a while. At some point the sound is just kitschy just for the sake of it. Good for an occasional listen, but I wouldn't want to hear this all the time.
Also, why is Tom Brady on the cover?
George Harrison
3/5
Others may not agree with me, but the Beatles are one of those groups that are more than the sum of their parts.
I like this fine, but when I want to hear a Beatle I'm just going to listen to the Beatles.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
I enjoy this. I like the raw feeling and the riffs and drum lines deliberately meant to compliment the in your face vocals of Robert Plant.
Led Zeppelin is one of the few '70's hard rock groups that I can listen to whenever.
Muddy Waters
2/5
It's was ok.
Kendrick Lamar
3/5
I'm old(ish), and love me some good late '90's and early '00's rap. Kendrick seems to be carrying the torch for that. Oddly enough though, I didn't get into him until his more recent shit.
I think I like this, but it's going to take more listening for it to land.
Maxwell
2/5
Brings back memories of that time in the mid to late '90's when the '70's R&B groove and disco permeated everything for a couple summers. I hear a lot of this influencing artists like Justin Timberlake and backing tracks and bass lines that were super heavy in Dr. Dre 2001.
The songs tend to run together after a bit. I'm not sure that's a bad thing in this case though.
Otherwise there isn't much to recommend here.
Leonard Cohen
1/5
This list would be SOOOO much better if it limited any singular group to ONE album. I get that some groups have an outsized impact on the direction of modern music, but Leonard Cohen does not need 5 albums!
Ok, now for the review. I'm tired today, and this album just makes me want to go back to bed. I know that he is considered one of the greatest lyricists, but his music is so damn boring. And, frankly, the lyrics don't really do anything for me. If I came to a bar and someone was playing his songs I would leave.
Frank Zappa
4/5
I didn't know anything about Frank Zappa except that he was a hippie era guy who did A LOT of drugs.
I went into it not really sure how I was going to like it, and honestly, I really enjoyed it. I don't know that I would listen to it with other people around or all that often, but it was worth the listen. It was definitely weird.
The drummer had it going ON, and there was specific instrumentalist later that really hit it too.
Sarah Vaughan
2/5
Nice voice and high quality recording doing jazz standards(ish). I think I prefer a lot of the originals better though.
Jazz just isn't really my thing. Might be nice music in the background at a dinner party or swanky restaurant.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
1/5
What even is this?
Mj Cole
1/5
It's just club dance music. Like one step above elevator music. I don't get the selection of some (a lot) of these albums. Doubly so when you consider a bunch of the albums on the "ex" list.
The Go-Go's
2/5
Poppy, early punky, girl rock. I know this was trend setting and popular when it came out, and it has been a common anthem since for girly power, but I'm neither a girl nor really into crack jack pop.
If I wanted to listen to something similar to this I would probably just listen to Cindy Lauper as she's way more complex musically and has deeper lyrics.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
1/5
Elvis Costello is one of those artists that everyone says you need to like in order to be taken seriously about liking "good" music. But, when you ask anyone why you should like him the response is, "I don't know, I don't particularly like him, but that's what they say."
His music is pretty middling at best. Maybe it was creative and new sounding at the time, but it's pretty bland and boring.
I see that he has a lot of representation on this list, and I will be giving him 2's at most just because no moderately talented artist like him deserves that much on a list like this. Especially considering he has similar representation in number of albums as bands like Pink Floyd, the Beatles, and Michael Jackson who arguably deserve much more representation than a bland corporate rocker from the late '70's and '80's.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
Well if this isn't prescient...Springsteen speaks out against all the idiots in charge at a concert last week, and then this album hits first thing Monday morning.
I'm all for it.
I'm not a huge Springsteen fan. I've always found his vocals a bit grating, but the guy is as good as them come as far as being a decent human. You can't deny that he is the anthem of post Vietnam America. That weird time of American history where things weren't great, people wanted to move on from years of conflict and pain of Vietnam and the social upheavals of the '60's and '70's, but the economy was changing and people weren't exactly sure what to think or do.
The funny thing about this album is that so many people misunderstand it. The take the light and happy sounding tunes, and completely miss the lyrics behind them. Again, it's like the '80's, things seem ok on the surface, but when you dig into it there's a lot of disfunction that people are trying their hardest to ignore.
Ryan Adams
3/5
I like a few of the songs on this. It's the type of stuff I put on to try and get my woman in the mood.
I think some modern artists could learn a thing or two about writing songs from Ryan Adams, but hopefully that's all they learn!
Moby
1/5
Moby is notable in that the main reason anyone remembers him is because of his arguments with Eminem. Otherwise he seems like a nice enough human, maybe he just needs to calm down a bit telling everyone that he's a vegan.
Looping other people's music over a drum track might have been interesting in 2000, but it's boring and derivative in 2025. Literally sellout music used for commercials. I'm not going listen to 2 hours of it. I lived through it in my younger days, and didn't enjoy it.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
1/5
Too weird. Maybe I could do it another day, but I've had enough oddball crap for this to land.
Judas Priest
3/5
Butthead: Uh huh huh huh, Beavis this freakin' rules!
Beavis: He he he he, YEAH! Breakin the law!
Elton John
5/5
Peak Sir Elton. All there is to say really. Just an epic album all around. It's definitely one that everyone should listen through at least once in their life.
Echo And The Bunnymen
1/5
They really like reverb and long drawn out yelling lyrics. Otherwise, more boring '80's proto-emo. Kind of like the Cure, but not as good.
Fleet Foxes
1/5
Oh. More "indie" (TM) music that is backing music for crappy dramas and rom-coms.
I bet these guys unironically ironically have mustaches, odd tattoos, and wear silly vests and ugly shoes. They probably also talk about bespoke man-bags and belts.
Ugh, I hate music like this. I would give it a zero if I could.
Also, why does it not surprise me these dingleberries are from Seattle?
Red Snapper
1/5
More random British electro dance music from the late '90's/early '00's. Just more trash.
Sounds like the soundtrack to a bad Matrix knockoff.
Depeche Mode
4/5
I like that the production quality of this album is so high. I also appreciate the influence Depeche Mode had on electronic and moodier music. Definitely worth a listen every once in a while.
That said, I have to imagine that being in a relationship with Martin Gore (or anyone that identifies with this music for that matter) must be insufferable after the first argument. I suppose bad mental and relational health is a catalyst for creative song writing, but good God, maybe you need to get some professional help for all those repressed feelings man!
Gorillaz
4/5
Such a cool album! It's Blur, but modernized, electosized, and produced with a mass market in mind. It was also completely creative compared to the corporate garbage that was being pumped out back then. Hence, you hear this stuff in regular rotation still today.
I like Demon Days better than this album, but this was the start.
Donald Fagen
3/5
This album started with so much potential, but then it fell into these silly sounds with cheesy vibraphone and synth lines that completely ruined the mood. If Fagen had just leaned into the more minor melodies and darker feel it would have been amazing. But, he didn't, and then he succumbed to lyrics that basically amounted an Ivy League bro chasing rich girls.
So much wasted potential...
Dusty Springfield
3/5
I can see the influence that she had on subsequent artists like Adele, Amy Winehouse, and similar. And frankly, I think they improved on what Dusty started.
I liked a few of the songs, but after a few they all are very similar. The lyrics also aren't super inspiring (though a lot were borderline raunchy). Her voice is amazing though!
Steely Dan
4/5
First, Steely Dan is great. Second, this is not my favorite album of theirs. They started so strong with Can't Buy a Thrill, and this is definitely a sophomore slump (of sorts). Their more long term sound is definitely coming out here, but not as solid as it was in later albums. Still worth the listen though.
DJ Shadow
2/5
I'm not sure that I quite get this one. It's really good DJ'ing to be sure, but when does it go from being a beat over a bunch of other people's work to something original?
I think if it had vocals over it I would be more into it. Just listening to a DJ mix isn't doing it for me today. Maybe on another day it would? I don't know.
That ambiguous feeling is what makes me have vague feelings (tending towards negative) about this.
That said, from the perspective of what music is used for as an art form, this is great, and would be awesome backing music. Especially in a movie or TV show.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
5/5
Not sure if I like CSN better or CSNY, but they are both great. Such deep lyrics, great harmonization, and intricate guitar work. Also, it seems that there's a song on this album to match any mood, though their more introspective songs seem to really snag me the most. I think Helplessly Hoping is one of my all time favorite songs ever.
The Yardbirds
2/5
Oh man, this album is all over the place. You can definitely hear the transition happening from the rock of the late '50' and early '60's to the sound of the later 60's. I even hear some hardcore/punky sounds in there. Other tracks make me hear the sounds of blues and/or jam bands.
And then there's just some weird stuff. I'll be honest that other than "For Your Love" I don't know much about the Yardbirds other than they were a British band in the '60's. Listening to it feels like something between the later Beatles and the Moody Blues, with a dash of extra drug use. I bet this was pretty edgy back in the day, but it kind of gets washed in with the rest of '60's Brit rock from the time today. Probably more famous for being the launch pad for Clapton and Page.
Orbital
1/5
I saw the cover and immediately knew it was going to be more random Brit-electro dance music that was on in the background of annoying dance clubs in the '90's. How do these albums keep getting added to this list?
Side note, was this sort of cover art and font the stock for albums in the '90's? I feel like it was used a lot.
The Beach Boys
2/5
This is a weird pick for the Beach Boys. This is definitely one of their more eclectic albums. It's like Brian was let loose to do whatever he wanted after the success of Pet Sounds. It is also dripping with political and societal commentary. Definitely a departure from their earlier content.
It doesn't really land for me though.
Also, weird that this album popped up the day after Brian Wilson died...
Elliott Smith
3/5
Didn't get a full listen on this one. Seems a bit slow and moody for me, but maybe in the right situation it could hit right. I'll have to revisit this later.
Tears For Fears
5/5
Such an awesome album. I wasn't even old enough to get it when it came out, but I still feel nostalgia when I hear it.
Definitely a seminal '80's album, and a soundtrack of the times.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
2/5
Blues...all sounds the same to me. I'm sure this is great, but I couldn't tell you the difference between it or bad blues.
The Streets
1/5
Drivel.
Sufjan Stevens
5/5
I really like Sufjan Stevens. His music stands on it's own as something unique. I just wish I had found it earlier in life.
I hadn't ever listened to Illinoise in one go before, and I have to say I wish I had! I'm going to have to give this one another full listen again in the near future.
The Notorious B.I.G.
3/5
Some classics on here, but in light of everything going on with Diddy...maybe we let this one go by the wayside.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
I'm getting more into Springsteen as I get older, but this earlier stuff of his is not as good as his later stuff. He hadn't really figured out his sound and cadence here. There's flashes, but it's just a little too down tempo on most tracks for me.
Bob Dylan
4/5
If Bob Dylan had tone and could actually sing he would have been the greatest singer of his generation. But, he can't, so we're just blessed with the best song writer and lyricist of the time (and possibly of all time).
I think the thing I like the most about Dylan is that I can find meaning in his lyrics at every part of my life, find nostalgia about the parts the used to, and hope in the parts that haven't hit yet.
Daft Punk
5/5
It's really hard to state how much this album blew my 14 year old mind when it came out. I was really just starting to listen to my own kind of music, and this funky, free flowing masterpiece showed me something I had never imagined could exist before that point.
I still regularly listen to tons of track from this album.
Overall, I like some of Daft Punk's later stuff better, but that's a relative statement because all of it is amazing.
New Order
2/5
The '80's called and want their moody Brit pop new wave music back.
It's not bad, but there's better examples of the same thing out there that I like more.
Some of the songs have riffs that sound like straight up copies of other more popular songs. Face Up, I'm looking at you.
Green Day
5/5
YES! YES! YES!
This was the first album I ever bought, and I love it. I can remember sitting up for hours trying to get the perfect tape recording off the radio without the DJ's talking over the intros. It was like one day I was a kid who only listened to his parent's music, and the next I was a teenager with my own tastes and preferences. This album was the soundtrack for suburban kids born between 1979 and 1984.
Every song is a classic banger. I know a lot of people probably write it off as just another pop punk album, but Green Day was the first to really do it right. Plus, they have somehow managed to stay relevant for over 30 years now.
I will always have a spot for this album in my playlists and heart.
The Smiths
2/5
I've been kind of dreading getting an album from the Smiths on this. On one hand, I really don't like the Smiths. The sound doesn't do anything for me, their lyrics come off as whiney, and just the overall vibe just turns me off. I'm by no means an alpha male or manly man, but they've always struck me as being super weak sauce. Like music for people with no confidence and that guilt their partners into bad sex.
On the other hand, so many other groups list them as influences. I have to respect that.
Slint
1/5
How in the world did this even make it on this list? It's barely music, more like spoken word poetry. And bad poetry at that.
Portishead
1/5
New Portishead is not old Portishead.
Nanci Griffith
2/5
Is it country? Is it proto-90's folk? Is it a throw-back to '60's western folk? I don't know. Lots of mixed sounds here. Definitely better than a lot of what passes for "country" nowadays.
That said, it doesn't do much for me. I think my wife would like this though, so I'll give it a bump for that. Anything is worth it if it keeps the Mrs. happy.
Another review said it's feminine country for middle aged white women to go camping, drink wine, and get a little rowdy and a little sad to, and I believe that's probably about as an accurate assessment is available for this.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
3/5
More post-war jazz. It's just not my thing, but this seems like a really crisp and high quality example of pops/jazz.
If I was into old time dances and getting dressed up for a night on the town this would be a go to, but I couldn't tell you when I've ever done that.
MGMT
3/5
I really liked this 17 years ago, but it hasn't held up after repeatedly hearing it for all these years. It was definitely innovative at the time though.
I think I've moved on from the content too.
Fela Kuti
3/5
Drums and weird yelling. That's all I hear.
Klaxons
2/5
Pretty generic mid-'00's pop alternative rock. Sounds super processed and contains a lot of the kitschy wail/woo noises that were all the rage back then. I feel like this would have been a track on Guitar Hero. Otherwise pretty forgettable.
Also, the recording quality seems really bad. Or, maybe that's part of the schtick?
The Jam
3/5
I really thought I wasn't going to like this, and while it wasn't anything earth shaking, I enjoyed the sound. Proto pop punk with a proto 80's new wave sound. Top it off with a lead singer that sounds like Colin Hay from Men at Work. There's no way it should have worked, but it kind of did; in a awkward teenaged all knees and elbows kind of way.
Pink Floyd
5/5
An all time favorite and great. I find that I have the need to listen to this album all the way through at least a few times every year, and have ever since I was introduced to it when I was a young teen dipping my toe into adult life. The meaning it has to me has evolved over time, but that's part of the genius of it.
Whether it was playing as a background to underage drinking and trying to sync it up to The Wizard of Oz, or using it as a soundtrack as a very lost young adult, to now a middle aged guy with a family and job wondering what life is turning into as the days go by ever faster. This album is truly magic.
I hope that as I continue to age it continues to hit in new ways.
I also hope that my children can find it and enjoy it like I have.
Adele
4/5
I like Adele. I said it on the Smokey Robinson album earlier, but between Adele and Amy Winehouse, I feel like they took the dusky soul singer sound Robinson started and perfected it. Or, at least took it up a notch.
I think a lot of people take her down a peg because of her non-musical career, but when this album came out it was awesome. A lot of people lose sight of that, or they say she only does one type of song, or it's music for moms and breakups. Whatever. She has he thing and does it really well.
Sam Cooke
4/5
That was high energy! I'm not much of live album guy, but all these songs are classics and it's fun to hear a different version than what the radio plays.
Van Morrison
4/5
This reminds me of late nights on the lake trying to sing these songs to impress girls. It never really worked, but I always associate this album with laid back good times.
Big Black
1/5
Really bad noise punk. Pass.
LL Cool J
2/5
Maybe it was more revolutionary back in the day, but it's kind of boring.
AC/DC
5/5
Can I say I like AC/DC better with Brian Johnson as lead singer? I love Bon Scott and his unique vocals, but the band really hit their stride under Johnson.
Ok, now that I have that out of the way, I love AC/DC. Their stuff, especially from this era, lets me retreat into being a hormone crazed high schooler with nothing to do and tons of time to do it. This music was the backing track to all of that.
Good times.
Queen
5/5
5 stars just based on Bohemian Rhapsody alone. Easily one of the greatest songs ever written.
Paul Weller
3/5
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
1/5
ehh.
Derek & The Dominos
3/5
4 stars for Layla alone. 2.5 for everything else.
The Stooges
2/5
Not for me. I've never been able to get into Iggy.
Black Sabbath
5/5
Classic heavy metal. This should be introduced to every adolescent child as they become aware of their own taste in music and the greater world around them.
RIP Ozzy.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
I'm not sure how to feel about this, but it's definitely weird. Peter Gabriel has always been either way too experimental or too Disney mainline for me. I did like the marimbas on No Self Control though.
U2
3/5
I'm like 3 years too young to have really gotten into U2. I've never quite figured out the appeal that my older sibling found in them. I've had Gen X'ers telling me for years that I'm uncivilized or have no taste if I don't like U2, and I take a lot of umbrage with those statements.
I mean I like a couple of their songs, but it doesn't really speak to me. Plus, Bono has a Jesus complex that is really off putting.
All that said, I understand that they've been influential on alternative rock and a lot of people in their late 40's and early 50's (as of this review; 2025) think U2 is the coolest band since sliced white bread. They can have it (and Coldplay while we're at it). It will keep them occupied while those of us with way better taste enjoy better music unmolested.
John Coltrane
2/5
I have to be in the right mood to really enjoy jazz, and sadly today I was not in that mood.
I can appreciate the quality of Coltrane's play though.
Tangerine Dream
1/5
I still don't understand how all these one-off weird electronic albums get on this list, but some major artists/groups (mostly from the early 2000's) are left off.
This is literally mass produced videogame background music.
Jethro Tull
5/5
One of my all time favorites. I have fond memories of my personal discovery of them when I was younger after I had exhausted Ozzie, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Stones, and Led Zeppelin.
I know Jethro Tull is a huge band, but I feel like they (and by they I mean Ian Anderson) flies under the radar a bit. I really enjoy the tempo changes, changes in composition between and within songs, and the creative lyrics.
Caetano Veloso
1/5
Stan Getz did Brazilian better than the Brazilians.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
5/5
One of my all time favorites. This and CS&N's self titled album are pure magic. Amazing melodies, great harmonization, and lyrics that leave you dazed and wondering. My only regret is that I wasn't alive to see them live when it came out.
Michael Jackson
5/5
This was the first MJ album I got. Automatic 5/5. Even if he was a deeply troubled person, his music was once in a lifetime.
This isn't my favorite album of his, but definitely captures a huge chunk of the prime of his popularity. Even the B-sides would be greatest hits for any other artist.
a-ha
3/5
Classic one hit wonder from the '80's. Take on Me is awesome. The rest of the album is forgettable which is sad because the lead singer has a great vocal range. Fun to think what this group could have been if they could have written more songs like their one big hit.
CHIC
1/5
It's telling when your best know for being the riff sampled for another group's chart topping hit. Otherwise I liked the disco beat, though it got really repetitive after about 2 songs.
Anthrax
3/5
For whatever reason I never got into Anthrax when I first was getting into metal in the early '90's. Metallica, Pantera, Megadeth, but Anthrax never really hit my radar. And I'm wondering why it didn't.
I was dorky kid who also played football, I should have been all over the in your face high tempo chugging riffs and double kick drum.
It's not really my thing now, just like most of the rest of thrash metal, but I'm feeling like maybe I missed something...? Guess I'll never know. Maybe I should blow it past my kid, maybe he'll get to enjoy something I missed out on...
Otis Redding
4/5
So smooth and cool, and then My Girl hits.
Solomon Burke
3/5
Good voice and well executed, but hardly groundbreaking. There's a lot of other artists that do the same thing better.
Fugees
5/5
This album always stands as an example of what east coast rap/hip-hop could have been. They were so different and talented. They could rhyme and flow just like tradition hip hop artists, but throw in Lauryn Hill's vocals, the remixing of classic R&B songs, and the smooth sound of Pras' and (especially) Wyclef's Caribbean roots and multicultural background and it was amazing.
They kind of came together on Wyclef's The Carnival, but this album has always stood as one of those big "what if's". If they hadn't broken up they could have completely redefined rap, hip hop, and R&B. That said, I think it opened the door for more creative acts to flourish and some of the other big acts of the time to branch out into different sounds.
The Band
3/5
Never knew this band was from Canada. The more you know...
This band sounds like a fusion of a lot of other similar bands from the same time, but the sum of the parts somehow is less than what the originals they were mimicking were on their own.
No bad, but just kinda boring. Just like every scene of every movie that uses The Weight as a backing track.
Astor Piazzolla
1/5
A xylophone and a squeezebox. This must be the inspiration for the Marble Machine guy.
I'm not sure what I just listened to, but I think I'm going to put it on in the car when I feel like annoying my wife.
Also, Final Fantasy wants its music back.
Butthole Surfers
2/5
I mean this is representative of their music, but why not pick the album with Pepper on it? It was only their biggest hit by far and away. Otherwise, it's not like this album or group influenced anything except huffing paint in teenage delinquents.
The xx
1/5
Another British group that nobody outside of the UK has ever heard of. They need to get the vast majority of these groups off of this list. Their one bigger song (Intro), from a different album mind you, is mostly known for being backing music on bad tiktok videos and commercials.
The music isn't bad, it's just not memorable. I would classify it as throw away stuff that nobody will remember next year.
Definitely not an album I "need" to listen to.
Black Sabbath
5/5
Never going to complain about a Black Sabbath album on a Friday morning. Maybe not their best album, but Changes is one of my favorite songs of theirs.
John Martyn
1/5
Bad porn movie rock. I mean the guy has a song called Big Muff...
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
2/5
wtf is this shit?
Feels like a cross from a '70's B cop movie set in Miami, a porno, and Latin music on in the background at a chain Mexican restaurant.
Well done, but definitely not something I would choose to listen to on my own.
Cream
3/5
It's interesting to me that there's only one Cream album on this list given that so many other artists that I would count as less influential and/or popular have multiple albums. (Guess it's the curator's biases showing through again) Also, it's interesting that they picked this album, but at the same time this is pretty representative of their work.
I like Cream; when I'm in the right mood. It definitely captures the sound of the psychedelic era and the late '60's in general. It has a hard edge that at the same time is all about embracing the vibe of drugs, free love, and experimentation that was a hallmark of that age. I think they could have been a lot better though if they did two things:
1. Varied their sound a bit more.
2. Expanded beyond drug anthems and sex.
I think that second point is what held them back. It definitely was part of the time, but it missed the social/protest component that made other similar acts better.
Suede
1/5
Whiney Brit crap. And a horribly long double album's worth of it too.
Can we please just skip all the random British bands that nobody outside of the UK has ever heard of?
Every time I think this list is doing something interesting and showing me some new music to dig into, it goes and buries me with a week of unlistenable bullshit like this.
I can hear undertones of Bowie and U2 in this, but it's faint and really poorly done.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3/5
I'll admit, I'm a sucker for the electric organ sound of the mid '60's. It was just such a cool sound that really hasn't been used much since.
I also really like the beats with the snare, tom, and tambourine coupled with the sharp guitar riffs. It just captures the shift of sounds happening at the time.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
1/5
Not bad, but just boring. Also, very pretentious.
Not every album or song is going to be a hit, and that's ok. But, they should probably stay in the era they were written and performed in and then left alone.
This is firmly in that category.
Sister Sledge
3/5
I hope Will Smith paid them well for stealing their riff on "He's the Greatest Dancer", but I'm guessing they're doing ok from the royalties they get from every DJ that plays "We Are Family" at every fucking wedding in the world.
Otherwise it's pretty good late era disco music. Clean beats and riffs. I'm just not that into disco.
Jean-Michel Jarre
3/5
Kinda cool, kind weird.
Would be cool backing music to a night run or ride.
Todd Rundgren
2/5
Holy crap this album was all over the place. The bouncing between hard (classic) rock, more melodic ballads, show-tuney songs, and just plain weird interludes was enough to send me into fits. The weird '70's "futuristic" sounds really grate on me too.
I think this artist had some grand vision for this album, but between being so whacked out on drugs and probably being someone who is completely incapable of communicating with normal people it just comes off as really weird, annoying, and confusing.
I'll give it an extra star though because if someone smarter and with an ability to translate an autistic savant's ravings this could have been really cool.
Stan Getz
5/5
The fact that I'm listening to this album on a Monday in my office at work seems sacrilegious. I should be by the ocean, with a cool drink, somewhere around late afternoon or early evening while listening to this. It kind of makes me really angry that I'm not, but the smooth vibes are keeping it all in check.
I think Samba Triste is my favorite. Just great guitar and sax play. I'm going to put it on repeat so I don't blow a gasket over the fact that this album hit on a damn Monday instead of Saturday.
I will also be revisiting this with that afore mentioned drink in hand this coming Saturday evening...
Beastie Boys
4/5
In my book, The Beastie Boyz so synonymous with NYC that I have to take them like I take in the Ciry when I visit: fully and only for 3-4 days at a time.
I enjoy every second I'm in it, but I'm ready to move on to something less intense after a few days.
Can
1/5
What the fuck did I just listen to? How is 41 minutes of '70's B movie backing music an essential album?
Next...
Bob Dylan
5/5
As I get older I feel like I appreciate Bob Dylan's work more and more. This album is incredibly dense. Put aside that he isn't a great singer and the harmonica gets a bit old; his influence on both music and society is way understated.
The Allman Brothers Band
2/5
It's not that I dislike the Allman Brothers Band, I just don't particularly like them either.
Blur
5/5
I love this album. My first real foray into Brit pop rock, and at the time I was all for it. I still come back to it occasionally.
If you look at the songs outside of Song 2, it was almost like a window into what Damon Albarn would do with Gorillaz later on. I know it didn't really land that well with American audiences, but I found it, and I'm glad I did.
Tom Waits
1/5
I know people around here have a hard on for all things Tom Waits, but let's face it: his "music" is fucking weird.
Beatles
5/5
It's the White Album, what else needs to be said?
Ministry
2/5
I hear a lot of NIN, White Zombie, and hardcore punk sounds in this, or more appropriately I hear this in them.
Not really my speed, but the opening to Jesus Built My Hotrod always makes me laugh.
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
2/5
Damon Albarn is a great musician, but this is just boring.
The Avalanches
2/5
Boring music comprised of mixing other people's music samples with drumming and record popping noises.
Who the fuck listens to this stuff? Or, is it just for use as background music at clubs and in movies?
OutKast
5/5
Live, from the center of the Earth
Seven light-years below sea level we go
Welcome to Stankonia, the place from which all funky things come
Would you like to come?
You better bounce motherfucker.
This album is fucking amazing. Atlanta rap is fucking amazing. I was there for it back in the day, I'm here for it today, and I'll be here there and everywhere for it in the future.
The Jam
2/5
That's Entertainment is a good song. The rest basically all sound the same. Which you would think is good overall, but none of them hit that well and it causes the album to drag.
R.E.M.
3/5
Another super influential late '80's/'90's alternative group that it seems like everyone loves and I just can't stand.
They're just too kitschy and poppy sounding for me. Like, let's have these major chord upbeat sounding songs singing about oppression and some major social injustices. It's just never clicked with me.
But, that was the early alternative schtick I suppose.
Pearl Jam
3/5
I think I heard Pearl Jam way too much growing up in the Chicago area. Every alternative and rock station played them on repeat. Eddie Vedder's voice just because grating afte too many listens. Plus all their damn songs sound exactly the same!
That said, you can't deny their influence on alternative rock.
My Bloody Valentine
1/5
Dull and boring. I don't want to waste anymore time on this than that.
Peter Frampton
3/5
Two really good songs on this album, but otherwise Frampton was always a better guitarist than front man.
Also, live albums...eh...
Van Halen
5/5
RIP Eddie. One of the most talented guitarists ever.
The David Lee Roth fronted Van Halen will always be the true Van Halen in my book. One of those bands that when they come on you know exactly who they are. They rock out and make it fun. Definitely the bridge between '70's rock and the power ballad '80's. They sit in a unique nexus of hard rock, metal, and hair rock.
This music fits so many situations: parties, sports, just driving around. Anything that involves fun.
The Temptations
4/5
The Temptations are a whole ass vibe. Super funky and smooth, and very much about social issues of the time. I like the experimental nature of it too.
Not necessarily something I would listen to all the time, but in the right situation it's super cool. I hear a lot of influence of Marvin Gaye in this too.
Magazine
3/5
The Temptations are a whole ass vibe. Super funky and smooth, and very much about social issues of the time. I like the experimental nature of it too.
Not necessarily something I would listen to all the time, but in the right situation it's super cool. I hear a lot of influence of Marvin Gaye in this too.
Afrika Bambaataa
2/5
"We are from the future. We are here to make you break dance."
That's what this feels like. Maybe could see some influence on the Beastie Boys. But, pretty much not good.
The Isley Brothers
2/5
Funky, but there's only so much of it that I can take in one sitting. It was probably a complete mind fuck in the day tho.
The Residents
1/5
People who "understand" art tell me that avant garde stuff like this is "important" and "creative".
I normally just shrug and say, "sure".
But in this case, no. No it is not. This stuff fucking sucks. And so do you if you like it.
I never knew Rod Stewart was in another group...and I love me some Rod Stewart.
Maybe not quite as good as his solo stuff, but this goes pretty hard. Really good classic rock.
Little Richard
5/5
You can't deny the fact that Little Richard and black artists like him are the direct link between earlier pop jazz and blues and the wave of (mostly white) rock and roll artists that took their style and ran with (and essentially everything that came after that). It makes me wonder how many amazingly talented black artists we missed out on due to racism in the '50's.
All this said, there's only so much earlier rock and roll that I can stomach in one afternoon. But, don't take that to mean that I am diminishing the influence this man and other like him have had on modern culture.
Dr. Dre
4/5
I don't know that I've ever listened to this entire album front to back. I listened to 2001 on repeat, but this was a little before my time. It reminds me a rougher cut of the later album.
I see a lot of people on here railing on the album for not aging well, misogynic lyrics, or other modern takes. It's fair, it hasn't aged super well, but all the artists on this record have be really open about that and the difference of the time it was made in and now. It's not excusing anything, but look at it in the lens of what it was in the time it was made. It was fucking revolutionary. It was such a departure of what hip hop and rap were at the time, and was a giant culture shock to people not initiated in gangster rap (especially west coast style).
Ok rant over. This album is one of the most influential rap albums ever made. The production value and mixing is amazing. The flows and hooks still hit even if the lyrics are dated.
Kanye West
1/5
Early Kanye was revolutionary. I refuse to listen to this crap though.
Prefab Sprout
2/5
The Ramones meet Pink Floyd's the Wall. Probably influenced all the Brit pop artists on this list. Also, some bad synth.
Otherwise forgettable.
Jurassic 5
4/5
Silky smooth flows and great production quality. I had heard a lot of these guys on other people's albums, but never listened to Jurassic 5 back in the day. I'm thinking I missed out...
Barry Adamson
2/5
Weird. Blase background music. Not sure what needed to be heard on this.
The Killers
5/5
Just a great early 2000's alternative rock album. It blows my mind that they still rock out to Mr. Brightside at bars 21 years later too.
The National
2/5
Dull and monotonous. The lead singer sounds like he doesn't care if you like his music or not because he isn't sure if HE likes it or not. I could see this music paired with credit rolls on drama films that people watch once and forget. They're probably set in the Pacific NW.
The Clash
4/5
I can't listen to the Clash all the time everyday, but when I'm in the mood they hit the spot. When I think of a band with edge and character the Clash are one of them that come to mind. So influential and unique, even 45 years later. There is no mistaking them when they come on the radio, which is way more than I can say about 99% of the bands making music nowadays.
London Calling isn't my favorite Clash album, but I'm not complaining either!
Skepta
3/5
I generally like rap and hip hop, but this was just kind of meh.
Taylor Swift
4/5
My wife loves T Swift. So, by association I listen to A LOT of her music. Of all of her albums, this is probably my favorite. All that said, being the best of a massed produced, hyper processed, ultra engineered genre of music isn't saying much in my book.
Pixies
2/5
The east coast answer to everything that was going on in Seattle is the way I have always see the Pixies. The problem is that they're a little more weird and harder to follow. Great heavy bass lines, but in the end it all kind of sounds the same (which is about the same for most early alternative).
I get they are pretty influential, but alternative as a genre is one of those things that resonate with you when you're young but then fades as you grow older and find out there's more to life that what you can do in your bedroom by yourself.
Sonic Youth
3/5
Loud music, minor chords, angsty lyrics, monotone singing, heavy hammering drums, and fuzzy recording quality. Yep, it's early alternative rock.
I've never really gotten into Sonic Youth. I know the Gen X crowd tends to love them, but I never got it. I think I was a couple years too young, and by the time I started finding my own music bands like Green Day, Offspring, and Sound Garden were cooler (and better sounding).
The Human League
2/5
With whiney lyrics and incelian veiled threats of what life would be like without him it's a wonder the lead singer is single at all!
Super '80's synth riffs that is instantly recognizable plus their one big hit. Otherwise not much to recommend here.
King Crimson
2/5
Reminds me of the Moody Blues. Their early stuff, not the weird stuff from the '80's.
I'm not really into prog rock, but I can tell there is a lot of talent and production that went into this. I also understand there was a lot of musical experimentation, innovation, and drugs going on in the late '60's that led to a lot of weird stuff like this getting made.
In the end though it's just not for me.
David Bowie
3/5
David Bowie is one of those artists that people say you're "supposed" to like. And, I do like some of his songs, but Hunky Dory is take it or leave it for me. It feels like a weird in-between from his early stuff before he started getting into his more main sequence glam rock.
And if I'm being really honest, this album is pretty sleepy other than Changes.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
4/5
This album always makes me wonder how much cooler RHCP could have been if Anthony Kiedis wasn't such a drug riddled train wreck. That said, this is one of those seminal '90's alternative rock albums. You can definitely hear the influence it had on the NuMetal/rap rock movement a few years later. Also, it's quintessentially LA music.
I'm guessing this album is polarizing, but I grew up with it so I like it. In small doses, but when I want it, it scratches that itch.
The Zombies
3/5
If every song had been like Time of the Season this would have been an easy 5, but honestly most of the majority of this album was too hippy-psychedelic concepty for me. Like a low rent Sgt. Pepper's album which I'm sure heavily influenced this. It's a shame because a lot of the Zombie's other hits are really good.
Paul Simon
3/5
Ehhh...
I know "everybody" loves this album, but it feels like safe music for Boomers that were finding out that being a rich 30 or 40 something was way cooler than being a poor artist in a shitty apartment, but they didn't want to admit it so they got a cool artist from their youth to record something new with the trendy international '80's sounds.
Orbital
1/5
Why the fuck did we need 2 albums by this completely unheard of band?
Hard pass.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
3/5
Another reviewer likened this to video game boss music and I have to agree. Otherwise pretty weird. Not sure I would listen to this voluntarily ever again...unless I'm trying to beat a Final Fantasy boss.
FKA twigs
1/5
Way too experimental for my tastes. She seems to not be sure if she wants to be ambient, electronic, or some experimental pop. There was moments where it started to feel like something was happening, but then no. Just a bunch of broken pieces jammed together in a haphazard mess.
Supertramp
2/5
This was probably pretty interesting stuff to the meat and potatoes crowd back in the day, but it's pretty boring now. I'm also not much of a Supertramp fan, so I'm biased.
I've always found their vocalists' voices to be really grating. Plus the tunes are just boring soft rock that was let to get out of hand.
LCD Soundsystem
2/5
I liked the first track, the rest were take it or leave it. Too much looping melody lines and the songs are waaaaay too long.
The Undertones
3/5
I hear a lot of this sound and cadence in groups like Rancid and Goldfinger. Maybe a poppier take on the Ramones? Just those simple driving punk rhythms and drumlines.
Not sure I will listen to this again, but if I hear it again I won't turn it off. Bonus points for it being a (Northern) Irish band.
Curtis Mayfield
2/5
I normally like R&B, but this was too sleepy for my tastes. Maybe good to put on in the background while the Mrs and I are enjoying some "mommy-daddy" time though...
The Monkees
3/5
For a cracker-jack Beatles boy band knock-off this was kind of fun. I'm not sure where this fits in my library of music seeing that it was all fake and made as a corporate response to capitalize on Beatlemania.
I guess there are songs/"bands" from movies and TV that have some fun songs, so I'll just take it as it is.: fun for a quick listen, but not much more.
Mike Ladd
1/5
Just didn't enjoy this. It was just a mess of bad flows with no continuity. The quality of the recording was ok, but there was no production value. It seemed like a really well mixed demo tape of random songs.
The Smiths
1/5
The Smiths are one of those groups that "everyone" says you need to like. But you know what? I'm not everyone.
The Smiths are garbage. Their music is boring and whiney. It's music for people who can't grow a pair and find a way to talk to someone they're attracted to, so they just sit in the corner of the bar and complain about how nobody comes and talks to their shallow, low self esteem self.
Were they influential on subsequent rock, grunge, and alternative groups? Sure. That doesn't mean that I have to like their music though.
"Everyone" else can have them, I'll be somewhere else listening to more enjoyable music that doesn't make me feel like I'm listening to my little sister's hipster ex-boyfriend whine about why she left him for someone more confident.
Bob Dylan
3/5
I like Dylan's older stuff than this one, but lyrically there's some really cool stuff here. I just have the same gripe I always have with him: his lyrics and tunes are great, but I have to listen to him sing and play them.
The good thing is there's a ton of better singers and players who take his stuff and turn it into greatness.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
I'm more of a of Bob Marley's greatest hits kind of listener, but this is good.
David Bowie
2/5
I feel like they should limit each artist/group on this list to 1 or 2 albums. This is obviously a late career album of an influential artist from an earlier era. If this had been made by some other lesser known group it wouldn't rate being on this list.
Now, as far as Bowie goes, I can't deny his influence and creativity, but I've just never really gotten into his stuff beyond Space Oddity.
The Velvet Underground
1/5
Something something this is an influential group and album, but it didn't resonate with me. I'm becoming a broken record with a lot of these late '60's and early '70's groups.
The production quality of this album in particular was really muted and poor. I have a weird feeling it was on purpose.
But what else can I say? I just didn't like it.
Sly & The Family Stone
2/5
I like some of Sly's big hits, but this was pretty sleepy.
Mercury Rev
1/5
It's like Strawberry Fields, Pink Floyd's The Wall, and Radiohead had a methed out love child. The combination is so much less than the sum of it's parts. Weird and boring.
I do hear sounds that echoed into the later indie rock movement 10 years later, but since I really can't stand indie rock that's not a compliment.
Janis Joplin
3/5
I appreciate this for the historical and political relevance it has. And, I can dig Janis rocking out. But, most of the songs sound exactly the same. Good for a decent listen through, but not going to make it into my regular rotation.
Fela Kuti
2/5
Not for me.
Sabu
2/5
Not for me.
Suicide
1/5
WTF even is this? A backing beat with weird looped melody and sparse lyrics with way too much reverb. And they can fuck right off with a ten and a half minute track of that bullshit.
These are the types of albums that make me think the writers of this book really lacked creativity and the slightest urge to look outside of what they already knew or had been told about. Just lazy and uncreative to include tripe like this.
The Who
3/5
Of all the major concept albums/rock operas that came out in the late '60's and '70's I think this one is probably the weakest and my least favorite. The Who were way better at writing major one off hits than cohesive story telling albums. Pinball Wizard is a classic, but some of the filler tracks are just annoying.
That said, you can start to hear sounds on this that they would later come to perfect on their hits from Who's Next and later albums.
The Zutons
1/5
Pretty forgettable pop rock. I can usually get into this sort of stuff for a track or two, but this just didn't do it for me. It was just really generic.
1/5
No. Just no. I made it through 3 songs and that was enough. Fuck this noise, the band that made it, and anyone who likes it.
I swear, I'm over 10 days running of absolute garbage on this list since my last halfway decent album. 1001 Albums...maybe 25 or so that are worth listening to. I think this whole project is a big fucking joke to see how much of our time they can waste.
David Bowie
2/5
Golden Years is a good song. Otherwise I'm just not a huge Bowie fan. He's also on this list way too many times.
Blondie
2/5
Cracker Jack pop rock with a hot lead singer. That's what I think about this.
One Way or Another is also one of thee most annoying songs ever recorded too.
Pantera
4/5
14 year old me is very excited about this. 40 something me still is enjoying it, but at a much lower volume. 🤣
Peter Gabriel
3/5
I always thought this album came out in the '80's.
Most of this album didn't land with me, but I hear the influence in his later albums and other artists so I respect that.
Steely Dan
3/5
I used to dislike Steely Dan because of the people who liked it. Then I actually listened to it, and I started liking it. Now I'm starting to go back the other way.
Steely Dan is music made by people with a really strong understanding of music theory and composition, but have the mentality of 19 year old fraternity bros (who used to be marching band dorks).
I have to appreciate songs like Rikki Don't Lose That Number for the musical masterpiece it is, but when I dig into the lyrics...it's just a bunch of guys who are trying to impress women with their masters in liberal arts and job in finance in an attempt to sleep with them. Plus hard liquor and cocaine. It just seems like such a waste of talent and musical aptitude.
...and that's basically yacht rock. Musically interesting and completely vapid at the same time.
Todd Rundgren
3/5
Todd Rundgren did not need multiple albums on this list. But, this is the one that should have been selected. Cracker jack '70's soft rock is not good, but this is a great example of it.
I'll listen to it, and then it's back to the dusty vaults of history.
James Brown
3/5
Seeing James Brown live back in the day had to be an experience! The hype, brass, and the pure soul of the Godfather himself. What a vibe!
Like a lot of live albums, the recording quality leaves something to be desired, but the energy is through the roof!
The Sabres Of Paradise
1/5
The first song sounds like a toilet. That's all you need to know.
Sade
2/5
Lite FM staple and the soundtrack of Boomer mom's who weren't getting enough attention at home. At least that's what I think of when I hear this. Also, porno backing music.
The Crusaders
2/5
I have to be in the right mood to listen to jazz, and today was not that day.
That said, this is barely above waiting room music, so I don't know that there is a day when I would be in that mood.
Kraftwerk
3/5
I hear the influence this had on later electronic music, but compared to what we're used to now for this genre it's slow, odd, and pretty boring.
Lou Reed
2/5
File under sing-songwriters that are horrible singers; next to Bob Dylan.
Also: do-do-do-do-do-do...
How can walking on the wild side seem so...boring?
Pet Shop Boys
1/5
I hear this music, and now suddenly a lot of the kitschy weird dance music from the late '80's and early '90's makes a lot more sense. It's still trash, but now I understand how it came to exist.
1/5
I know the creators of this list have a hard on for Damon Albarn, but having 3 albums from Blur plus Gorillaz plus a handful of random side projects by him is way over the top. The only Blur album that needed to be on this list is their self titled album. Full stop. Further, this is definitely their weakest offering.
Pass.
Grant Lee Buffalo
1/5
Yawn.
The White Stripes
4/5
I never got into the White Stripes beyond what they played on the radio back in the day. After listening through the album, I think I might have missed out a little. Maybe not something that would be on my regular repeat list, but worth listening to once in a while.
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
1/5
Where do they dig this stuff out of? There's literally nothing on this album that is interesting or original. I almost lost it when I saw how many songs there were, but then it's only about an hour long. Seems mostly like little experimental bits and jags that were never fully fleshed out by a good sound engineer/producer. To that end, the mixing is terrible. The vocals are washed out, and it's like it was recorded in someone's bathroom or front hallway.
Cowboy Junkies
1/5
What a yawn fest. This is the kind of stuff that needs to be excised from this list.
Nine Inch Nails
5/5
While I can't listen to this all day every day, this album came out right as I was starting to understand what my own tastes in music were versus what my parents listened to around me. The edginess of young teens listening to listen in the culture of public schools at the time added to the appeal.
I didn't even realize or understand how musically complex it was, how innovative Trent Reznor is, nor the influence it had on hard rock and electronic music. People older than about 30 at the time this album came out probably just thought this was annoying noise with dirty lyrics, but anyone younger than that can see this album (and what NIN was doing in general) was moving the needle in completely new directions for musical creativity.
Guided By Voices
1/5
The production quality was terrible, and the different players weren't all on the same page for any single song. I felt like this was music that more closely matched the sounds of the '60's, but it was made in the '90's. They also had an annoying habit of hitting these weird discordant off notes. The vocals were really bad too.
De La Soul
3/5
I'll preface this to say that I'm not a huge classic hip-hop fan. All flows with no hooks just kind of get monotonous to me. I liked a lot of this though. De La Soul wasn't on my radar when I was younger, mostly because gangsta rap was so big in the late '90's and this was seen as old school. I wish I had heard more of this though; more than the hits you heard on the radio. It's pretty good.
The Rolling Stones
2/5
Early Rolling Stones = not so great.
So many of these British bands of the early '60's were just copying the popular sounds of the day, and they were bland. It took them figuring out their own sounds later to find greatness.
Miles Davis
2/5
Not into experimental jazz. Miles Davis is a virtuoso though.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
1/5
Just more Birtish proto punk with a bassist given way too much leeway to strum his songs into oblivion before they even start. Next.
Missy Elliott
3/5
Missy was big when I was in high school, but just not where I lived. This one has a couple of her big hits that slap, but there's a bunch of duds here too.
I do like all the collabs with other big name artists from the time. Great production value too.
The Doors
5/5
I constantly wonder what we would have gotten out of Jim Morrison and the Doors if he had lived longer. I guess will have to be happy with this, which is fine because it's amazing. Such a unique sound with the heavy guitar riffs and organ all covered by Morrison's vocals. Completely captures the vibe of California culture at the time.
Jack White
3/5
Jack White is very talented, but he's also really weird. The sound is definitely unique, but it's never landed with me. Worth the listen, but I'm not sure this will end up in my regular rotation. I might have to revisit this one again in the future to get a better feeling for it.
5/5
Iconic album that was a great bridge between their early and later sounds. A Day in the Life is one of the greatest songs ever written.
Serge Gainsbourg
1/5
Meh, '70's French pop rock didn't do it for me. Talking in a language over music doesn't work; in any language.
Leonard Cohen
1/5
I know Leonard Cohen is considered a great poet, but his musical ability always feels lacking. Also, if this album was by anyone else it would be in the dustbin of washed up artists.
The Strokes
5/5
Such a great album.
Maybe it's nostalgia, but this always reminds me of my early 20's, crashing through relationships, trying to figure it all out. It seemed chaotic and uncomfortable at the time, but looking back at that time, it was fun and exciting. I just didn't know what I had going on.
This music reflects what it was like to be that age in the post 9/11, pre-recession world.
The Boo Radleys
2/5
Pretty typical early '90's alternative. Nothing earth shaking. I hear influences from or on from a lot of groups from that time: Pearl Jam, Sublime, STP, Live, etc.
The vocals and lyrics were really dull, and the rest of the mixing wasn't great either. Seemed really unpolished.
The Temptations
2/5
I like the Temptations, but this wasn't their strongest offering. There was a couple good songs, but the rest were nothing to get excited about.
Santana
5/5
Great album! So many hits that fly under the radar, and the other tracks are great too. People always want to chalk Santana up to a solo noodler or just another guitarist who only does collaborations with popular artists, but his range and variety of music over the years is crazy. Awesome on his own, and automatically levels up anyone else he plays with.
Big Star
1/5
Nothing astounding here. Just generic late '70's rock.
David Bowie
1/5
This list has made me realize/remember that I just don't like David Bowie.
I get it, he's a super influential artist. I just don't like his music, and that's ok.
Dusty Springfield
3/5
This is the only Dusty Springfield album they needed on this list. Her voice is like good lovin.
The Kinks
2/5
Would this album have made this list if they weren't the Kinks and/or from the UK? No.
Van Morrison
1/5
I like some Van Morrison, but this was bad.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
This is one of those super influential and experimental albums that everyone should have to listen to from start to finish. It's such a shame Marvin Gaye was taken from us so young. It would have been amazing to see what his musical journey would have looked like.
Jacques Brel
2/5
France in the '60's has that classic romantic sound, but that doesn't mean it makes for good listening. Doubly so when it's a terribly mixed live album.
That said, he reminds me of a French Sinatra or Martin; a crooner.
Happy Mondays
2/5
So much Brit-rock. I'm sure this means something to the folks over there, but my American brain can't connect to this.
I do hear some different influences in this. It's not just another early '90's alternative sound. There's some '90's "dance-y" vibes in there. There's alternative rock and sounds that remind me of some of the later techno groups like Moby or Fat Boy Slim. The production quality was good too.
All that said, the lyrics and melodies don't do anything for me. This sounds like backing tracks for a mid '90's dramedy; like a closing credits song, but not at the beginning of the credits, one later on when everyone has left the theater.
Also, can someone please explain the etymology of the term "Bob's your uncle"?
Tom Tom Club
2/5
They definitely have a unique sound. Good production quality too. I'm guessing they're more famous because Mariah Carey used Genius of Love as a base for Fantasy.
I didn't dislike this one, but I was finding myself wanting to move onto the next song halfway through the one I was on. They also have some really annoying sections where they are just making weird noises.
If Talking Heads is music by artists for normal people, then this is made by artists, for artists. Normies like me just don't get it, and that's ok.
Patti Smith
2/5
Not for me.
The Louvin Brothers
3/5
This was from the '50's, but sounded like it was from the '30's. I enjoyed the old timey sound. Wouldn't listen to this all the time, but it has a niche.
The Pharcyde
2/5
Not a huge early '90's hip hop fan, and there's better examples out there than this. That said, I can see the influence this had on other hip hop and rap artists that got big later in the decade.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
This album was pretty boring for a Stones album. A couple decent songs, but nothing that really jumps out. Mostly just blues-ey rock with Mick Jaggar's voice over it all. Seems like this was from that weird in-between time when their sound was moving from their early stuff to their later stuff.
Public Enemy
2/5
I just don't like East Coast hip hop. Nothing against it as an art form. It's definitely made a huge impact on American music, but it doesn't do anything for me personally.
Emmylou Harris
1/5
Nope. Not doing this one.
Dire Straits
5/5
Such a cool band. Such a cool album. I technically like Brothers In Arms better, but that's relative when talking about Dire Straits as it's all out of this world.
The vocals, the guitar, great drumming all with impeccable mix quality.
Dire Straits is just one of those super cool groups that flies under the radar way too much compared to other big name bands from the '70's and '80's.
The Flaming Lips
3/5
I didn't dislike this, but I wouldn't go so far to say that I liked it a lot either. Well made music, but kind of boring. It would be good music for a day when you're feeling blue and just stay inside because it's raining.
I did recognize "Do You Realize?" from movies/commercials.
I'm starting to realize (get it?) that a lot of albums like this that I don't like or am indifferent about are albums that a lot of people really like. No judgement in that, but I'm realizing (eh? eh?) I have different tastes in music than the masses.
...and that makes me happy that I'm not just another mindless drone.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
Extra point for Led Zeppelin being awesome, but if I'm being honest with myself this album tends to drag.
The The
4/5
I hear tones of the Cure, Duran Duran, '80's Bowie, and the Smiths in this. Is that why this is on this list? Otherwise pretty innocuous '80's pop rock.
It does have that sound that would probably play well again today.
Upon further listening of this, I actually really like it. It just took a minute to settle in.
Metallica
5/5
Automatic 5/5! Strictly on adolescent boy nostalgia.
Such a great album. "One" could make a strong argument for being the greatest metal song of all time.
The production quality, composition, lyrics, driving beat and rhythms, and imagery are basically the gold standard for metal. Regardless of the "type" of people that listen to Metallica regularly now, this is an album that should be required listening for everyone (and especially adolescent boys).
Joanna Newsom
1/5
This can fuck off with a 17 minute song. Especially because the whole album is a snoozer.
2/5
Various Artists
4/5
Arcade Fire
4/5
Arcade Fire has always been kind of at the periphery of my musical interest. A band I've always thought about listening to, but never quite got around to it. I liked this though. I'll have to give it a deeper listen.
Beck
4/5
Beck is super weird, but the good songs are really good.
Saw him spray vitamin D milk all over the front rows of a concert one time. Core memory.
2/5
Jon Anderson's voice has always grated on me. I think given the instrumental talent this band had, they could have been much bigger with a better lead.
That said, this album just strikes me as mostly experimental noodling and the brain child of someone way too high his own supply and overly impressed with their musical and compositional abilities.
Steely Dan
4/5
This is THE album that I think of when I think of Steely Dan. In all that encapsulates; good and bad.
I have a hard time with Steely Dan. I used to hate them, then I gradually turned to liking them as I began to appreciate them musically, but lately I'm starting to sour on them again. Their music is complex, superbly mixed, and interesting, but good God their lyrics are drivel. It's like a bunch of super talented private school rich kids who's only ambition in life is to make music and drug women so they can sleep with them. (Which as a side note captures the late '70's private school thing really well)
Great album, but flawed because of the lyrical content. This band could have been so much more.
That one song that once great band from the late '80's and early '90's that you know from every bad car and pharma commercial: IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY...when drive a new XXXX or take Analaleakostopian to prevent a hemorrhaging anus (talk to you doctor if you have side effects include migraines, loss of smell, death, and suicidal tendencies.).
The Psychedelic Furs
1/5
Simple. Boring. "Music".
How can you go wrong with songs with amazing titles like "Dumb Waiters" and "I Wanna Sleep With You"? Oh yeah, you make it work with a boring and monotonous lead singer and dull clangy baking rhythms that sound like every other band from the early '80's.
My Bloody Valentine
2/5
I'm not what shoegaze music is, but if this is what it is then it's not for me.
Kanye West
4/5
Oh man I'm conflicted about this one.
First, Kayne is a giant piece of shit. He's also certifiably insane.
But, this album was amazing. Kanye came in the scene and absolutely transformed what rap is and could be. He's also from Chicago, so I have a spot for that as I'm from there and came of age downtown and in that time when the racial issues in the city were really being pulled out and examined. His music from this era reflects that.
So, if I divorce who he is now from what this album is I have to give it a great rating, but you can't so...conundrum.
Jorge Ben Jor
2/5
Not bad, but doesn't really do anything for me. I'm not into the funky pop-rock sound. The fact that I can't understand the lyrics doesn't help either.
Marilyn Manson
1/5
Other than the fact that he's a complete pile of dog shit, his whole schtick was based on "shock" factor. It's a sophomoric attempt at upsetting late '90's Republican suburban mom's. Otherwise musically it was and still is annoying.
The Verve
2/5
I never understood how this band, and Bitter Sweet Symphony in particular, got to be so popular. It's all just mush. Corporate sound, corporate lyrics, and sold to be filler in commercials and movie credits.
Silver Jews
1/5
Boring music, monotonous vocals, and bizarre lyrics don't make for good listening.
The Everly Brothers
2/5
I feel like some Boomer is sitting in his basement bar or garage with his MAGA hat on listening to this and thinking about the "good old days" when pinching women's butts and copping feels wasn't considered sexual assault.
This music reminds me of being in the car with my parents with the "oldies" station on. It does harken back to a simpler time, but I don't think the people who "remember" the '50's realized how dark it actually was for a lot of people. This music just acts as cover for that.
Otherwise, musically early rock is a relic of it's time and other than it being a piece of the chain that led to more interesting music, it's pretty simple and boring.
XTC
3/5
Quirky music written by dorks, but I kind of like it. I'm not sure how often I would listen to it again in the future however.
I do have the feeling that whoever wrote the lyrics would probably be insufferable at a party.
OutKast
5/5
This double album is ice cold (...ICE COLD...!!!).
Hey Ya is probably one of the best song ever written too.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2/5
Maps was an ok song that got a decent amount of radio play. Otherwise this album is pretty forgettable. Some of the vocals and riffs are downright grating too.
Bob Dylan
2/5
I've said this on the other Dylan albums from this list: his songs are amazing, but mostly when they are sung by other people.
As for this album, if it was by anyone else it probably wouldn't have made this list. An album from a great artist 25-30 past his prime doesn't really qualify as a must listen album typically. Dylan's voice was especially raspy and rough sounding by this time. That said, the melodies and tunes are ok. I just don't have it in me to digest the lyrics this listen. Maybe another time if I ever revisit this.
The Doors
3/5
Of all the Door's albums this one comes in at #4 for me. It's good, but not quite as good as the others. It starts off awesome with Roadhouse Blues, but kind of just goes downhill from there. Too much blues, not enough electric organ and Jim Morrison wonkiness.
In a weird way, this is almost too polished for the Doors. I did notice some songs where they were trying to recapture their earlier sound with mixed results.
Dr. John
2/5
I'm curious why they picked this album rather than the one with Right Place, Wrong Time...
Anyway, do you like weird understated melodies with psychadelic spoken word poetry and harmonized backing vocals all about drugs and sex? How about long instrumentals with lots of percussion and more of the hippy dominated backing vocals? Then this is for you.
Alas, I'm not really into that, so this was kind of a miss. Maybe if I ever go on an extended ayahuasca trip I might change my mind.
Side note: I never knew Dr. John was a white dude.
Soft Machine
1/5
Get the fuck out of here with four nearly 20 minute long songs of poorly arranged and mastered noodling.
Manic Street Preachers
2/5
Not bad, just boring. I can't really understand the words either. I'm not sure if that's bad singing, poor mixing, or just the lead singer being Welsh. Just another UK band nobody on my side of the pond has ever heard of.
Also, nobody wants to see that album art.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
CCR is one of those groups that I will never turn off if I hear it, but I don't usually seek it out either. A group from San Fran playing southern rock has felt weird, but it works.
Public Enemy
2/5
I get the influence of Public Enemy, but I'm not much of a hip hop person. All flows over beat tracks with little or no hooks just kind of drones on and on in my ears.
The Youngbloods
2/5
Eh. More late '60's rock with little to distinguish itself from everything else going on at the time. Not bad, but just forgettable. Why would they pick this album? Their first album had their biggest hit.
ABBA
4/5
There's two types of people: people who like ABBA, and people who are lying when they say they don't like ABBA.
Morrissey
1/5
I find the lyrics to a lot of these songs creepy and rapey. I've never been able to get into Morrissey or the Smiths. Whining your way into sleeping with women never seemed gross.
Billie Holiday
4/5
Billie Holiday is the greatest jazz vocalist ever. The tragedy of her life story only adds to her legacy. Even though this is late in her career after her voice was losing it's edge, it's still amazing.
New Order
2/5
I appreciate the heavy synth lines and drum machines, but it gets really old really fast.
Nirvana
5/5
One of the greatest live albums ever recorded in my opinion. It's just a shame that we couldn't have gotten more music like this before Cobain died.
Ice Cube
3/5
I've always felt like Ice Cube was the raw edge that Dre and company lost when NWA broke up. Ice Cube's lyrics are raw and real. There's a hard edge that even if you don't listen to the lyrics you can hear in his tone.
The downside is that he did have the sick samples/beats and hooks that Dre's crew was known for.
I'm curious what it would have looked like if they had stayed together.
The Byrds
2/5
This is honestly one of their weaker albums. What's more is that I think the Byrd's best songs are covers of Dylan.
The Clash
2/5
Their early stuff all sounds the same to me. 35 minutes felt a lot longer.
Michael Jackson
5/5
Jackson's first big solo album hits quick and hard. Quincy Jones took a super talented but raw talent and turned him into a super star. Jackson's personal struggles aside, his music will get people out of their seats and onto the dancefloor forever. These disco-ey beats probably do it better than his later hits too.
Hookworms
2/5
Reminds me of the Strokes mixed with MGMT with a lead singer from Death Cab for Cutie. It's not bad, just boring, mass produced noise.
Jungle Brothers
2/5
More '80's NY hip hop. Not bad, just more of the same. Endless flows to a backing track/beat, but no hook.
Pixies
3/5
I would call this album about 20 years ahead of its time. Punk with an "indie" feel to it. I've never been a huge Pixies fan, but then I never stopped to listen to an album all the way through. I can definitely hear their influence in a lot of later alternative and punk groups. Definitely one I will be revisiting later.
I'm listening to the "remastered" version, and the mixing is terrible. Vocals drowned out, drums are too loud, and the other instruments seem to be variable as to whether they are in the right spot.
Also, can we talk about the album art? If my son found it I would have to give him a fatherly disapproving look, but secretly I'd let him have the win. It's worth letting him explore his tastes in music and art. Plus boobs.
Slayer
3/5
If you take the fastest and most in your face of Metallica's early songs (think of songs from Ride the Lightning or Kill 'Em All) and then speed up the drums and add more screaming, this is what you get.
I enjoy thrash, mostly because I'm a life long Metallica fan, but Slayer is too much for me beyond short doses. The benefit is that this is a short album.
Side note, Slayer will always play second fiddle to Metallica, and while that sucks for them, they could have read the market a bit better and course corrected earlier on. Either that or found a producer that could help them with their sound a bit.
Thelonious Monk
5/5
When I think of jazz, this is what I think of. His compositional and directorial abilities to arrange ensembles of talented jazz artists was something that only comes along once every few generations.
Tina Turner
3/5
'80's soft rock at it's best, which in of itself isn't say much, but there are a few good songs on this one. It's definitely targeted to the divorcee boomer crowd though.
I always felt that her voice was really rough in this recording. Like she had been screaming before she recorded it.
Bee Gees
1/5
This is not the Bee Gees you remember from the disco era. This is the sleepy boring rock precursor that nobody listened to.
Aimee Mann
1/5
This album has opening act on the B stage at Lilith Fair energy.
I should've known...
The Magnetic Fields
1/5
Oh wait, the album is actually 69 songs long? That's certainly a choice.
Not surprisingly this is totally uninspired, but it has 69 in it, so it's EDGY uninspired music. Three hours of bad "love" songs is a bridge too far.
Update: after listening to more of this I have this to add: what are these lyrics? I think they're going for the whimsical indie feel that was so popular in the late '90's and early '00's, but it just comes off as a bunch of self indulgent dorks sitting around thinking they're funnier than they really are. Kind of like a knock off Wes Anderson movie.
Soundgarden
4/5
Classic '90's grunge/rock album.
Iron Maiden
3/5
I understand Iron Maiden was a big deal in the rock/metal world back in the early '80's, but it's frankly just doesn't hold up. Later groups did it a lot better.
Bauhaus
2/5
I'm just not into groups like this or the Cure. The heavy synth lines and dark emo-ey lyrics, while distinctive, just don't do it for me. It's weird.
The Police
4/5
Is it weird to say that I think that the Police don't get enough credit for being cool? Because they don't.
Ride
1/5
Ugh. Early '90's shoegaze rock makes me want to lobotomize myself. We get it, you're depressed, women probably don't like you, and you do too many drugs. Stop singing about it and drawing every damn note out.
Sonic Youth
1/5
Was this popular because it had the new alternative sound and there just wasn't much else to turn to at the time? I honestly can't remember, and I'm not remembering why people thought this was so great at the time because it's just dull now.
Peter Tosh
3/5
If Marley was the social consciousness of the Wailers, Tosh was the recreational consciousness of the Wailers. They sound very similar, but where Marley was making songs racism, unjust institutions, and colonialism; Tosh was more concerned with the mind altering and expansion of his mind through weed.
I'm not throwing shade at Tosh, as the music is great, but commercially it's understandable why he wasn't as big as his former bandmate. All this said, he did lean into the social message later on, but in my opinion he didn't do it as well.
Arcade Fire
2/5
Why is there three albums from Arcade Fire on this list?
I've always felt like they made music that was supposed to sound independent and unfettered by corporate interests, but at the end of the day they are just another commercially bloated faux rock band from the '00's. None of it is bad, but it's just forgettable.
Also, compared to the other albums by them on this list, this one is by far and away their weakest.
Belle & Sebastian
2/5
Inoffensive and boring. That's all I can offer about this.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
I was told that Elvis Costello is only for people born between 1965 and 1975 (basically Gen X), and I have to agree. I have nothing to relate to in his lyrics, and the music is pretty blasé.
I've always found it curious that he was such a prominent social figure.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
This is probably peak listening if you are into hippy era singer-songwriters. I can appreciate it for that, and California is a pretty good song, but otherwise it's pretty dry.
The Beta Band
1/5
Pretty sleepy. Why is there two instances of this band on this list?
The Doors
4/5
Riders on the Storm is one of my all time favorite songs, let alone Doors songs. Love Her Madly is also a banger.
The whole album reeks of fast love on the rocks in the late '60's and early '70's California psychedelic rock scene, and it makes for great music.
T. Rex
2/5
I just don't care for glam rock. I will say that just based on when this was released compared to its sound, it was a little ahead of its time.
I'm not sure we needed two instances of T.Rex on this list. His other album is better.
R.E.M.
2/5
I feel like a broken record saying this about another band, but do we really need four instances of R.E.M. on this list? They were ok, but not that great. I've always felt they were too whiney.
As for this album, their later stuff is when they really started to shine (for as much as a whiney proto-indie band can shine). This is pretty meh.
Badly Drawn Boy
1/5
So fucking boring, AND now I have a headache from the phasing on "The Song".
Fuck right off with this bullshit.
Christine and the Queens
1/5
Do you like cheesy Michael Jackson pop ripoffs recorded 25 years after he was popular by some random girl from France? Then this is for you!
For the rest of us just keep walking.
Common
3/5
I'm not a huge hip-hop fan, but Common is Chicago's poet. His lyrics are super smooth. It's too bad Kanye went crazy because those two could have had some amazing collaborations.
Slade
2/5
Sounds like a cross between AC/DC and the Who. Pretty generic '70's rock.
Interestingly they are the original writers of "Kum on Feel The Noise", but not surprisingly Quiet Riot did it better.
New York Dolls
2/5
Early proto-punk-glam-rock isn't my thing. I'm sure there's some out there that will love this though.
4/5
I enjoyed this more than I remembered enjoying it years ago. I will say the good tracks a good, but the other ones are not so great.
Given the state of world affairs lately, slipping into a champagne supernova sounds rather appealing.
Arctic Monkeys
4/5
Great album. A little overplayed in the day, but set the trend for online release and streaming. Plus it covers everything good about Brit Pop and not much of the bad.
Mott The Hoople
2/5
Another Brit glam rock band...
I do hear some reflections of this in later Brit pop groups, and tones of Rocky Horror Picture Show, but I just can't get into glam rock.
Merle Haggard
3/5
Rednecks that live out in the middle of nowhere (relatively) near where I live in the middle of the midwest US try to tell me that true outlaws listen to classic country like this. When I listen to it I have a hard time understanding the "outlaw" part, but I definitely understand the racism and willful ignorance that boils just below the surface that keeps this music popular in those areas.
All that said, Merle Haggard had a great voice, and his classic country sounds influenced a lot of groups outside of country (like the Beatles).
Hole
3/5
I remember Hole being really popular with the alternative girls that wore ripped jeans, Doc Marten boots, band t shirts, and flannels that I was way too shy and sheltered to talk to back in the day.
It's a pretty good grunge/alternative album, but I've outgrown it.
I should have probably talked to those intimidating girls too...
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
1/5
Is Nick Cave Australia's Tom Waits? He definitely feels like it. Maybe with touches of Leonard Cohen?
Just like those two, I just don't get Nick Cave. I'm glad he believes in love, but you could have fooled me with his weird cadence and monotone singing voice.
The Monks
1/5
Just another random rock band from the '60's that comprised mostly of noodling and lyrics that were probably shocking at the time but are just weird now. Throw in hammering on an organ to compound the headache you will inevitably get from listening to this for too long.
Rocket From The Crypt
3/5
Oh look, another obscure punk/rock/ska group from the '90's So Cal. I'm guessing the author of this list didn't realize that this is a niche group that nobody except their fans have heard of or care about. It's a bit of a cultural oddity that a band from San Diego got big (in a relative sense) in the UK and not the US.
After it all I was left thinking this group needed to pick a lane: punk or alternative rock. Their songs that move to one side or the other aren't bad, but when they start blending the genres it breaks down.
On a Rope was a decent tune.
Parliament
4/5
George Clinton is the king of funk. When I'm in the mood for funk this fits the bill. I can't even begin to imagine what it would have been like hearing this for the first time back in the day. The production value is through the roof, and the overall composition is kind of mind bending with all the different melodies, counter melodies, harmonized vocals, and back rhythms.
Genesis
2/5
This just didn't hit with me. I typically like Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel, but more solo than in Genesis.
Dirty Projectors
1/5
Weird discordant sounds with really odd lyrics. It doesn't go together, and I think that was probably the point. But, I don't get it. This has the feel of a group that is targeted towards musicians that more casual listeners like me just don't get. Frankly it was really pretentious.
Dolly Parton
4/5
All the other songs aside, Coat of Many Colors is one of the best country songs ever written. Dolly Parton is gem, and we could all stand to be a bit more like her.
Buck Owens
1/5
I recognize that this sound was super influential, and not just within country music, but classic country like this just isn't for me.
Moby Grape
3/5
Not bad, just kind of indistinguishable from better music from this era/genre. I could listen to this, set it down, come back to it, and not remember anything about it.
I do hear some tones of the Dead in this though.
Lana Del Rey
2/5
Lana feels like a chameleon artist. She sounds like a lot of other similar artists and she has talent, but I think I would rather listen to the original she is mimicking. Not a slam against her per se, but nothing she has made has ever hit with me. Admittedly I'm not into female pop stars that much either.
Miles Davis
3/5
If I was really into jazz I'm sure I would like this, but jazz is something I have a very limited understanding of.
The Adverts
2/5
Early punk is not my thing. Too much slamming one chord and manic drumming for my likes.
Frank Sinatra
4/5
I like Sinatra's stuff from the '60's better, but this will do in a pinch.
Sinatra as a person, and the way he got and stayed big, are not so great when looking at it from a modern lens. But, his voice is amazing, and his music is the epitome of post war American crooning.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
Aretha is amazing, and this album is probably her best imo.
Wilco
3/5
I'm putting a pin in this one. I've heard all of these on before on WXRT growing up in Chicago, but it was always background noise. I'm not in the mood to explore today, but I can hear things that might hit another day when I'm in a more receptive state of mind. Today is not that day though.
R.E.M.
3/5
At least I'm 3/4's of the way through the REM albums on this list. Of all of them this is probably my favorite, but that's not saying much.
Man on the Moon is a pretty solid song, but Everybody Hurts makes me want to gouge my eyes out with a spoon. Why a spoon? Because it’s dull, you twit. It’ll hurt more...
Underworld
2/5
Background music for clubs.
Talking Heads
4/5
Other than Psycho Killer I've never listened to this album. It's raw, but it is definitely Talking Heads. I like their later stuff better, but it's all good.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
4/5
I didn't know that Janis Joplin had a named band she was a part of. I always just figured it was her solo with backing artists.
Piece of My Heart is one of the greatest love songs ever written and totally captures the free love vibe of the era.
Ms. Dynamite
2/5
This is very same-y to a lot of other female rap and R&B artists that came out around this time. Nothing really exciting here. Not bad, but definitely not noteworthy.
What's more noteworthy is that I've never heard of this artist before. I'm guessing this is one of those Brit-centric artists that never got airplay in the US.
Ramones
4/5
I'm going to rate this higher than my actual affinity for it because of its historical significance.
Otherwise, I liked this better when I was younger, but the raw, simple riffs don't land with me as much as they did when I was more controlled by hormones and impulsive behavior.
Also, as a side note to the haters: yes, their songs all sound the same, they use the same riffs repeatedly, and their lyrics are sophomoric. That's the point, and they were the first big name punk band to get popular doing it.
Stan Getz
5/5
One of the best Latin jazz/bossa nova albums ever made.
The Young Gods
1/5
Kid: Mom I want to listen to Rammstein.
Mom: No, we have that at home.
*Get's home to French speaking Swiss Rammstein.*
Kid: Ugh...FML.
Jane Weaver
1/5
Automobile commercial music. I get the feeling she wants to be cooler than she actually is. Completely forgettable.
Curtis Mayfield
2/5
The sound of Blaxploitation movies. Interesting.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
2/5
Sounds like a boring ripoff of the Doors and a half dozen other late '60's rock/blues-rock groups.
The Cardigans
4/5
Great album. 14 year old me had a crush on Nina.
Television
3/5
I hear influences of earlier (actually current to when it was made, but I digress) groups and sounds of this echoed in later groups. Weird to think there was groups making music that would have sounded mire normal 10-15 years later. I can honestly say that this group was ahead of their time; which is probably why I've never heard of them.
Aerosmith
3/5
I don't dislike Aerosmith, but I've never really been that into them either. They were always a little too kitschy for my tastes. Hard rock that you go to because your girlfriend was into it and you could tolerate.
Also, Steven Tyler is a major perv.
Public Image Ltd.
1/5
It was just all annoying noises; whiney singing, screeching, and feedback. All backed by a baseline.
Pretty awful stuff
Billy Bragg
3/5
Nothing wrong with this, just kind of boring. I'm not really into the indie sound. This feels like a spiritual ancestor to the stomp clap thing that I really hate.
Michael Jackson
5/5
This is an automatic 5 because of the historical impact and just altogether amazingness of Thriller, Beat It, and Billie Jean. Some of the rest of the songs are less exciting compared to them, but on ANY other album by any other artist they would be instant hits.
Say what you will about MJ as a person, but this album is pop music gold.
TV On The Radio
1/5
Poorly mixed. Way too much heavy droning bass. Annoying lead singer. Dumb lyrics.
Ozomatli
4/5
I feel like this is music that has been used for backing in early 2000's action/thriller movies. It's actually not bad! I liked the cameo by Chali.
Johnny Cash
4/5
Primal Scream
2/5
This feels like hard and/or electronic ambient music. There's something there, but otherwise pretty sleepy. Reminds me of music used in futuristic video games that came out around the same time.
Blue Cheer
2/5
Another generic late '60's psychadelic rock band with blues-ey tones.
Elvis Costello
1/5
I think you need to be a solid late Boomer or early Gen X'er to be into Elvis Costello. Not being in that group I've always just found him annoying and snobbish.
Dire Straits
5/5
Great album. Dire Straits is way underrated, and that's saying a lot since they are legends.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
3/5
I like the super '80's new age sound, but the lead singer is really bad. Also, their poppier sounding songs suck compared to their darker and moodier songs.
Marty Robbins
3/5
My father in law loves this kind of classic country. It doesn't really do much for me.
I will offer this though: his voice is really smooth, and the recording quality is surprisingly really great for something from the late '50's. The topics of some of the songs are surprisingly dark considering the carefree tunes.
Radiohead
5/5
Automatic 5 star. This is my favorite Radiohead album by a huge margin. It came during my senior year of high school and I saw them in concert right before I left for college. I will always associate this album with change, growing up, and experimentation.
Maybe it's just me projecting, but I feel like the same could be said about Radiohead's sound with this album.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
4/5
I would hazard to say that a lot of the songs on this album are swamp rock standards now, but the blatant racism of a lot of the band really hurts the credibility of this album.
3/5
I'll start off with I'm not a Bowie fan. I know he's rock royalty, but I've just never been into glam or '70's style drug fueled rock. I'm too young to have been around for it when it first landed, and my parents were too old to get into it.
The music itself is well done if a little kitschy, and the production quality is great, but I have no connection to the lyrics. And, that's the downfall for me. This album in particular just feels like an extension of music from the Rocky Horror Picture Show; another musical endeavor I appreciate for its impact but can't really connect to in a meaningful way.
ZZ Top
3/5
No bad, but get's pretty samey after about 3 songs. La Grange is the best song ever written about going to a whore house.
Adele
4/5
Great album, amazing vocalist. I like 25 better, but this is a near second.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Stevie Wonder is amazing. I think I like Songs In The Key Of Life better than Talking Book, but this album is a classic too.
50 Cent
4/5
Frat parties from my college years just called. Made me nostalgic of partying in a hot dark room with cheap drinks, a smoke haze, and everyone just letting loose after a week of trying to make sense of college in that period immediately following 9/11 and before the financial disaster.
Keith Jarrett
2/5
Inoffensive jazz piano music. Nice background music, but makes for dry listening. If I played piano I might have more appreciation for this.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Just an all around amazing album.
Björk
1/5
Bjork is just not for me.
Tim Buckley
2/5
Not bad, but nothing really interesting going on here.
Fiona Apple
4/5
The video for Criminal made 13 year old me have interesting feelings, and also wonder why she was wearing so many layers of undergarments...
Fever Ray
3/5
This one is a true 3 for me. It's a bit weird and outside my normal preferences, but there's a something factor I just can't put my finger on. I might have to revisit this one when I'm in a different mood.
Traffic
2/5
Mom can we have some Jethro Tull?
No. We have Jethro Tull at home.
Jethro Tull at home = Traffic
4/5
On one hand I'm not a huge U2 fan, but on the other this album is one of those quintessential alternative rock albums everyone should listen to at least once.
Rush
4/5
Alright. It's Saturday night, I have no date, A 2 Liter bottle of Shasta, and my all Rush mixtape. Lets rock.
Michael Kiwanuka
3/5
Interesting, I didn't dislike this, but none of it really stuck with me beyond a passing interest.
Sparks
3/5
Yoko Ono meets Rocky Horror Picture Show. Very avante garde