lol I can’t take rappers with a British accent seriously, sorry it just sounds wrong to my American ear After all, we did invent the form so can you really blame me?
This album would rip on Guitar Hero. As a listen in 2025, not so much. Obv Jump, Panama and Hot for Teacher are all-timers. I forgot about I'll Wait, which I know and like from the radio growing up, but never knew the name of. Girl Gone Bad was also fun too. I could go the rest of my life never hearing Top Jimmy, Drop Dead Legs or House of Pain. I don't think I'd ever put this album on but it's actually stronger than I'd imagine.
This was a rooough first album for me to listen to for this project. Listening on Spotify I found it interesting that the few tracks I half-liked were the least listened to by most people. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Sonic youth is not for me.
Not my typical genre but this was really good! I found out Mary already knows and loves Jazmine.
As a 90s kid who also learned guitar a few years after this album came out, I was very familiar with "Hallelujah" but hadn't heard the rest. I was primarily struck by how good the rest of the album was, with the possible exception of the last few songs that probably slapped in the 90s but now seem more stuck in amber. I was also struck by how long the songs were ("Hallelujah" alone is almost 7 mins!!). Seems like 5- and 6-minute songs were more commonplace in the 90s than today, but then again I'm no Phish fan like others in this group... This album is very 90s, from the sound of the drums and alternative rock instrumentation to its classic rock influences, occasional strings and coffeehouse ballads. And the quick fade out on the last track! So 90s. It was definitely in the rotation at your local cafe. All in all, Grace is a good album but not my fav.
Damn, I totally forgot I knew Catching That Butterfly and Lucky Man, both good songs. Some of the others are just okay; while this album would be groundbreaking in the 60s or 70s, in the 90s not so much. Bitter Sweet Symphony stands the test of the time, the rest of the album not so much.
Loved this album since Walk the Line
Look, I love Lennon. But I don't usually love solo Beatles. They just made each other better in ways that are lacking on their solo stuff. Paul needed John's edge, John needed Paul's joi de vivre and they needed each other as a creative counterweight Imagine is obviously an all-timer, but the rest of the album is just mediocre 12-bar blues and soft dad rock outside of the OG diss track How Do You Sleep? and Oh Yoko! The album is fine. Give me Paul's Ram over this any day.
Great album. I know it's not better, but I like it more than Black to Black. It has a more cohesive feel to me and I've always loved Stronger Than Me, F Me Pumps, (There Is) No Greater Love, In My Bed, and Amy Amy Amy. The highs of Back to Black are much higher, but this album is great throughout. It remains a tragedy we no longer have her.
Never heard of this jabroni before today. Now I know why. He’s like Father John Misty without the edge or cynicism, which is a no from me dawg. This album is like a collection of all the songs George Harrison didn't pick for "All Things Must Pass", which makes sense since the homicidal Phil Spector produced both. The one highlight for me was that I swear SNL based their “goodnights and goodbyes” song on the title track…
An all-timer but had never listened to it front to back. I'm definitely more of a "singles and B-sides" Outkast fan but even I can recognize the greatness.
Can't say I love an 11-minute song about doo-doo but that's just me. The rest of the album is pretty fun. I prefer Maggot Brain ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
In the immortal words of Tracy Morgan: EVERYBODY GETTIN PREGNANT TONIGHT
Never heard Ms Monae except for a 30-min stretch at Osheaga Festival but I wasn't exactly of sound mind at the time, so I don't remember much other than thinking it was very tight and fun. I liked Sir Greendown and Tightrope off this album but skipped a lot of the rest.
I like the Kinks, they're fun. But beyond Sunny Afternoon, a lot of the songwriting is like if a youth pastor got stoned and tried to write Beatles songs. That said, it bops. If you turn your brain off and/or get stoned, it's fun.
Funny that we got this the day after the Kinks' Face to Face... Came out a year earlier and is lightyears better. But that's what happens when you have 2 songwriting geniuses in the band (with an emerging songwriting talent in George as well). Rubber Soul is as far back as I go in the Beatles catalogue if I'm playing a full album, and it's because of the creative leap they took here. Love Rubber Soul.
AKA when a pop band is inspired by Kid A
a 90s alt classic!
Solid through and through! Always been a fan of The Police and it's between this and Zenyatta Mondatta for their best album.
Look, BB King is a legend. And I loved learning and playing blues when I learned guitar. But I don't think I've purposefully put on a blues record in years. Just not for me.
Big Chem Bros fan, but this album is just okay... Dig Your Own Hole is much better All in all, The Chemical Brothers are definitely in the top-5 brothers of the 90s along with Dust, Mario and Wayans
i respect the boss but i would never put him on myself. He's a lot like The West Wing to me – a timewarp to an america that never existed to me/in my experience That said, Born To Run the song is an all-timer. The rest... meh. idk im not a big fan ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Reviews by way of errant thoughts: -I've liked Deep Purple from the ubiquitous Smoke on the Water to deep cuts like Lazy, but I think at this point in my life I've had enough of this sort of thing -If my dad had been a big fan of Deep Purple and seen them in a memorable concert instead of Grand Funk Railroad, would I like them more than GFR? -These guys seems kinda stuck halfway between bands like GFR/early Led Zep that were updating old genres like blues and folk in a hard rock format, and bands like Black Sabbath that were really pushing boundaries into heavy metal. I know these guys are also heavy metal-ish, but the organ just doesn't do it for me. -Maybe I just don't like organ in rock music. -Or maybe it just comes down to the fact that the songwriting just isn't as good. They're good musicians but the songs aren't really compelling. -All that said, the breakdowns are good, and are probably when they're at their best. I would be curious what this band would sound like if they had leaned more into the jam band or psychedelic aspects and less riff rock. -I guess if I had heard this album when I was 13 - or if I was alive when it came out - I bet it would rip. But me hearing it in my late 30s in 2025, that's a no from me dawg.
You know, I actually liked this more than I thought I might... I know and like Supertramp just fine, but I mostly just know the hits and the later stuff. I never heard this early album beyond School on the radio. They are definitely easy listening and definitely not something I would put on, but this was a great album to put on while I worked my way through today's to-do list.
better album than the other kinks one we listened to recently. very fun.
meh, it was fine
a modern classic
another modern classic
Heard of T.Rex but never listened! I liked They were very clearly an influence on The Black Keys Fun album!
sounds like something my dad would've liked, but really not for me too 80s in all the wrong ways, though I always appreciate Carlos Santana killing in (either on guitar or at 1B)
i like this album more than their others, its prob their best
• Wow I really liked this! • Is it me or does his voice remind you of Nina Simone? • I really don't know Nick Drake outside of the song Pink Moon, but 15 year old shmekie would have loved him alongside Donovan, Bob Dylan and Van Morrison • I like his sound. Even if his songwriting/instrumentation doesn't offer a lot of variety, it is very good at doing what it is trying to do.
kinda like Duran Duran + The Cult + The Cure... it was okay. It was kind of interesting but I found myself 4 songs in and wondering how much more I had to listen to. I turned it off.
This was really nice! I think I liked this more than the other Nick Drake album, although both are good. Not sure if that's the consensus take. It's also much more pleasant to listen to than whatever British band was yesterday's album. Always tricky to start with the lead single but this album is good enough to pull it off without letting you down the rest of the way.
This was fun, really good work music. A nice changeup from my usual Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, Alexandre Desplat or Thomas Newman.
Who wrote this list? One minute it's some super obscure album that has no legacy or even a cult following, the next it's the greatest pop album of all time. 5 stars for Thriller, an essential 20th century masterpiece any music lover must hear before they die. It is absolutely essential to understanding all pop music that has followed, Michael Jackson, and the '80s as a decade of American pop culture (and the '80s revival of the 2010s). 1 star for this list. After we finish this project, give me a half hour, a cup of coffee and a red pen and I bet I can get the list down to 500.
An album for the true LZ heads. Or New Yorkers who accidentally stumble onto the buildings from the cover after having a few too many steins at Zum Schneider. Not as bluesy as I, as heavy as II, as weird as III, or as iconic as IV, Physical Graffiti is still a worthwhile endeavor – if you are indeed a fan. For any Led Zeppelin enjoyer who wants just the hits please, this album will likely disappoint, especially the back half. I was such a big LZ fan in high school/college my Xbox gamertag was Shmek_Zeppelin, and even I have never willingly put on Down By The Seaside outside of an album playthrough! Although, I'd forgotten how good the bridge was – so good it nearly redeems its boardwalk taffy schmaltz. There's no question that in addition to classic rock radio stalwarts Kashmir, Trampled Under Foot, and Houses of the Holy, tracks like Custard Pie, The Rover, The Wanton Song and Night Flight still shine. And I love Bron-Yr-Aur as a contemplative instrumental stuck right in the middle of it all. You can feel the band still searching for ways to grow creatively while staying true to their blues and riff rock origins, and it mostly works. But of course, as is the case with many double albums, there are tracks that leave you scratching your head as to why they were included (Down By The Seaside, Boogie With Stu) or why they're over 11 minutes when 6 would have been just fine *cough* In My Time of Dying *cough*. But that said, this album is still an incredibly solid effort. Though now I'm curious which other Zeppelin albums made it onto this list. Off the top of my head, I would say this album is probably middle of the pack so at least 3 others, right? II & IV definitely... Houses of the Holy? Or maybe I? In any case, I hope this was the first time listening to PG for some in this group and that they liked it. There was a time in high school when I could play this whole album on guitar from memory, and I still put the record on every now and then. It rocks.
Man, this was fucking weird! In a good (and sometimes bad) way. Kate Bush reminds me a lot of Robyn & The Knife, and was clearly an influence on both (whether they know it or not). But this album also had elements of Phil Collins, Talking Heads and other 80s sensibilities. I'm glad I listened to this precisely once before I died. I definitely won't revisit it, but it was certainly interesting.
An all-timer from the prog rock masters during their peak. None of their other albums can top Dark Side of the Moon, but this comes close, along with The Wall. But that one is so goddamn depressing to listen to, at least this one has a few fun moments amid the darkness. And by that I basically just mean their one fun kinda upbeat song that's still a funky, cynical take on music industry executives. But some of the Shine on You Crazy Diamond sections are fun, too. And though the title track is a somber, melancholic statement on the loss of Syd Barrett, it always struck me as hopeful or at least, accepting of that loss and not in any of the other stages of grief. There's a reason it was rated #18th best rock song of all time; I'd never rank it that high, but people def respond to it. Pink Floyd's early albums are more fun and weird, and their later stuff is less than stellar but their peak concept album phase is them at their best, and this album fires on all cylinders. It's a more than worthy follow up to Dark Side of the Moon, but I will add that I actually play Animals and Atom Heart Mother more than this album. The songs on those two albums are more enjoyable/easier to relisten to than these, at least to me. But I'm sure part of that is having way more fatigue with this album from classic rock radio growing up. Wish You Were Here is a better album than either of those two, though its inclusion on this list is interesting. The Wall is probably more popular/has a bigger cult following and DSOTM is an all-timer, so I'd expect those two to make it over this. But it's not a bad pick!
Never heard of these guys before - this was fun! Like some kinda Venn diagram of Talking Heads, The Clash & idk someone else... maybe the Ramones? Liked a lot of the songs and the overall vibe. I guess my one quibble would be that Marquee Moon didn't need to be so long, but I still liked it.
I turned it off after skipping 3 songs
Solid, not spectacular. I love Nina and the title track is great, but is probably the only memorable song.
Interesting but ultimately not for me. I think I'm a "just the hits" Depeche Mode guy
Mick Jagger + 70s pop-punk... It was interesting but I found myself wishing they had more instrumental/jam sections than noise/pop-punk. Didn't like his voice much, either.
Cash goes electric! I know it's not the case, but this one has a lot more life than Live at Folsom. Both albums are a fun time.
all-timer. do the kids still get high and sync it up with the wizard of oz? anyway, this one's an all-time medley up there with Abbey Road's back half.
i mean wtf? i turned it off after 3 songs
I do not like Sonic Youth.
sounds like if teenage shmekie tried to make a pink floyd album by himself in his basement on Fruity Loops doesn't mean it's bad, it's just very one-note. a very interesting inclusion on this list.
The weirdest Led Zep album but also still great. From the singles like Immigrant Song to the Lite Rock fare like Tangerine or That's The Way, to the bluesy hidden gem at the end, it's a great listen through and through.
fine, i guess I like a little ZZ Top, but so many of these songs are just repetitive blues fed through forgettable guitar fuzz. Maybe it was cool in 1973 but I don't ever have the thought "Oh I should put on ZZ Top right now" La Grange an all-timer.
1) oh man i've seen this t-shirt for years, nay, decades. now i finally know where it's from 2) ohhh so this is where interpol got their whole fucking vibe from, huh? I always thought the Interpol math was B-52 vocals + Heroin = Interpol. But now I think it's B-52's + Joy Division = Interpol. 3) never heard them before, it's pretty good even if it's not something I would regularly put on
ah yes, music for clearing out a bar at 2am i skipped most of this, not really for me but the ones i could stomach i half liked. im sure some of you like it and that's okay
Uhhhhh I really didn't like it listening to it on its own but in a 1,001 albums first, i put this on with a podcast playing over it. It worked a lot better as the soundtrack to some dumb conversation about Tom Cruise, but it still wasn't great. Marrying these two ideas together, I will just say this guy writing a soundtrack to a fake movie ON SPEC to hopefully get hired as a composer for a real movie one day is INSANE. BUT THEN ACTUALLY GETTING HIRED as a composer because of it is.... MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE (Bonus thought: track 10 "Intensive Care" sounds like it came directly out of Hans Zimmer's Blade Runner 2049 soundtrack, which for 1989 is, I think, a huge compliment)
One of the weirdest albums that I also like! The first time I heard it, I really didn't like it. I was hanging with a friend as he got a new tattoo, but since the tat took several hours there were several cigarette breaks. So between those, being hungover, and the artist's station being in the basement bc he was newer at the shop, I think I wasn't in the right headspace when he put this on. It freaked me out, man. But now, hearing it in a way better headspace, I can appreciate how Bowie just went for it in his swan song, diving headfirst into the abyss of knowing you're going to die soon. It's pretty incredible how he kept experimenting and making interesting music right up until his death. It wouldn't be the first thing I ever put on but I can appreciate how good it is.
A modern classic. Or maybe it's not modern anymore and I'm old, but that's for another day. This album has plenty of great tracks, a few great guest appearances, two all-time songs, and one incredible voice. I remember she once said she'd rather die than have a white person buy her album, but I guess she's walked that back, after some label exec convinced her that's bad for sales, no doubt. Still, listening to this feels like walking into a raucous party that is not for me, then immediately smiling and leaving. I can appreciate it but don't ever come here on my own volition, for I know I'm not wanted.
lol this sucked so bad
oh yeah, this album definitely belongs on this list... not many skips and a lotta great bops! It was perfect to put on during a home improvement project – a lot of energy, some all-time greats and even the ones I didn't love were still good, minus the skips but let's be honest, this album is probably 3-4 songs too long anyway. dunno that i ever listened to it front to back so i was glad to have done so today PS The Card Cheat has to have come out of jamming on I Fought The Law. It's literally the same rhythm and came one year after the famous cover, so that's the story I'm going with. Also it kinda sounds like Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band doing their version of I Fought the Law.
A fine album that peaks up top and slowly peters out. Very European.
Do the kids still listen to The Doors? I used to like them in high school. I don't really like them any more but they have their time and place when you're young and getting into music. This album is a great one – solid through and through, with iconic tracks and only one skip (I Looked At You). TBH this is probably in the conversation for greatest debut album of all time: a distinct, new sound, interesting lyrics and about as much variety as you can get from a band that consists only of a vocalist, guitarist, drummer and an organist. Anyway, any album that spawns a track used in a Coppola film is fine at the very least, and very good – if you like The Doors.
A perfectly fine album for the 90s Seattle coffeehouse in your heart
A fine album of pretty songs but I believe the below to be true: Crosby, Stills, or Nash – ⭐️⭐️ Crosby & Nash/any other pairing – ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Crosby, Stills & Nash – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – ⭐️⭐️⭐️ While I like Crosby & Nash joints like Mama Lion and Carry Me, and of course CSN&Y tracks like Our House and Teach Your Children, the sweet spot is the trio of CS&N. Their 3-part harmonies are incredible and they each bring a little something different to the gumbo that is missing when it's just one or two of them, and gets too muddled with the addition of Young IMO.
Look, I know U2 is important in the history of rock and roll but I’m just not a huge fan anymore. This album has a couple great ones but otherwise I would never turn it on. I think I probably just overplayed the U2 greatest hits CD in my car in high school
Never listened to this album before. It's good! Who knew. He Won't Go sounds like a track someone wrote for Alicia Keys that Adele ended up with.
I do not like this But I wonder if they influenced Red Hot Chili Peppers bc man, that guy was SLAPPE DE BÄSS MON
A fun idea for a concept album but I think it was probably more fun to make this than listen to it. Especially in 2025. Tattoo, and I Can See For Miles are great Who songs and the rest are fine, but it's not an album I would put on.
To quote Bernie Sanders: "Yeah, Good. OK." On the plus side, it was only 29 minutes. Still, I found myself skipping a lot of these. Other than Help Me, Ronda this is forgettable. Who do I write to about including it on this list!!??
Solid album! Never knew there was a whole intro song to Head Over Heels. Couple skips but a strong, tidy effort.
A classic rock classic. Politics of a white band transforming the blues for a white audience, this album is one of the first to combine blues and psychedelia. It works and was innovative at the time, even if it may sound a little boring or tame today. Speaking of, Tame Impala owes a small debt to Cream and this album, as do many other psychedelic bands. Love that it's just 33 mins, too. Though I would have preferred an actual song to the novelty song Mother's Lament.
lol I can’t take rappers with a British accent seriously, sorry it just sounds wrong to my American ear After all, we did invent the form so can you really blame me?
A prog rock masterpiece. Of course there's 1-2 tracks you can skip, but there's lots to love – if you like prog rock. And even if the runtimes or time changes aren't your bag, baby, you can appreciate the songwriting, harmonies and guitar SHA-REDDING. I would tell any young guitarist to learn this album front to back. Not only will you learn a ton of techniques and styles, you'll also hear a bunch of pedals and effects to blow all your allowance on. Miscellaneous other thoughts: -I think The Police, Pink Floyd and Rush are probably easier prog bands to get into for someone making their music journey because they're more pop-y. But Yes is still worth checking out -Roundabout – best Yes song? Probably. But more importantly and controversially – best prog rock song ever? I think it's up there, along with the best Pink Floyd or early Genesis tracks. It's got a lot going on. -I probably overrate Yes compared to the average person. But that's only because I was weird enough to ask for the box set for my birthday one year as a youth, then saw them at the NY State Fairgrounds. But hey, they still sounded great 40 years after they formed, so that says something about their talent -If you didn't like this one, just be glad they didn't pick one of the hourlong Yes albums with only 3 songs on it!
This was good to work to and I like it but all the songs kinda sound the same... there were a few that stood out but overall it's just kind of an hourlong groove
This was fine but... why the hell is Elvis singing about the ghetto lmfao... all I could hear is Eric Cartman singing it anyway. There were a couple others that were fine, but the rest were slow, boring, meh I just never got Elvis... the hair, the drawl, and the dance moves seem to be doing a lot of the heavy lifting w/r/t his aura. His singing & songwriting is nowhere near as good as McCartney/Lennon, or like, dozens of other rockstars. Mick Jagger and Ozzy Osbourne are better in every way and that's just off the dome. I get that he came first so sure, credit to the King. But only by default. If he wasn't first, someone else with good hair and the instincts to shake his hips on TV would have been.
not for me
Good if you like this sort of thing!
Why, it's an all-time classic, of course!
A weird, fun ride. Not his best work but Sound and Vision is an all-timer.
fine, yeah, okay
no need to listen, i know it's an all-time album and one of their best
I liked this album! Just not as much as the other two we already listened to on this list.
I made it 5 songs before I turned it off. Who could've guessed that the band that did Come On Eileen tried to make more music and was much less successful?