Very flat for me on the first listen—way too long as well. I just have to accept that I’m not hippie enough to endure this endless parade of songs in a state of ecstasy … and to enjoy the album cover. That said, a few tracks do stand out fairly quickly (Beware of Darkness, Let It Down, Wah-Wah, or Hear Me Lord). It goes down easy, with a blissful smile—like honey: smooth, a little syrupy, maybe even a bit sappy. More often than not, this sounds like The Beatles… just, well, not as good. And Harrison is no Lennon nor even McCartney when it comes to singing. I get the context on why people might give it 5 stars - the shadow of The Beatles, Harrison’s songwriting talents finally recognized, Clapton and Dylan in the mix—but honestly, I’ll save my high scores for albums from the same era that actually shook me. As one reviewer put it, … and that perfectly sums up how I feel : “There’s probably a 4 or 5 stars album buried in here, but I’ll be damned if I’m gonna spend another 2 hours trying to find it.”

There you go, another thing that excites nostalgics from Rolling Stone magazine and maybe old campfire enthusiasts. Even George Harrison feels punk in comparison to this. I can’t tell one track from another—at best, it works as background music for a nap. Since I don’t give a damn about Paul Simon’s sexual awakening or road trips, I also find the lyrics boring. Same for his voice.

I like its darkness and creativity, even if it still carries a lot of what I used to hold against Dummy back in the day : it rarely takes off and tends to stay locked in the same mood. Still, there are some nice guitar touches, and the atmosphere manages to move beyond the band’s original trip-hop roots, which keeps it from being just background music. Despite that evolution — and the 14 years between the two albums — you immediately know it’s Portishead. That’s one of the marks of the greats.

On m’a toujours vendu Revolver comme l’album qui a sorti les Beatles de la pop à fifilles. Dans le contexte de l’époque, sûrement novateur, il y a un avant et un après. Mais la je le réécoute sans grand engouement malgré les 2/3 hits qui sortent clairement du lot, sans pour autant souffrir. J’attends Sgt. Pepper…

Malgré une vibe country/folk que j’apprécie généralement peu, je considère cet album comme une belle réussite du style. La chaleur du son, la voix limitée mais pleine d’émotion de Young, la guitare parfois brouillon qui laisse entrevoir la facette rock du canadien, quelques harmonies vocales avec les potes,…. Ça sent la liberté, la route, un peu la nostalgie aussi. C’est simple, sincère, et ça touche comme un bon blues. Un classique que n’a pas cherché à l’être.

Un album de pop rap qui participe à signer la fin de l’âge d’or du style, entre autres avec cette reprise de killing me softly - succès énorme qui m’avait tellement saoulé à l’époque - ou celle de Bob Marley alors à nouveau hype. Le rap entre définitivement dans le domaine de la musique populaire. Reste la pâte caribeenne de Wyclef Jean et la voix de Lauryn Hill (qui, après Queen Latifah, a eu le mérite d’être l’une des toutes premières femmes à s’imposer dans le rap), mais tous 2 feront, selon moi, bien mieux par la suite et chacun de leur côté. Perso, Cowboys et Fu-gee-la en principaux highlights, le reste m’ennuie un peu et les textes ne sont franchement pas dingues.

A lot less “garage” than I expected, based on what I know of the band. Less energy too, and fewer killer riffs to mask the minimalism. On the plus side, the lyrics are nice, and the whole thing is easy enough to listen to. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that a real drummer and a solid bass wouldn’t have hurt—and that Jack White could have made the same record alone in his bedroom. In the end, meh.

Neil Young has always interested me because despite being a successivement folk veteran in the ’60s, he later chose to embrace a dusty, rugged rock sound, going against the grain of most of his peers. Both sides of him are present on this album, but being more « into the Black » than « out of the Blue » myself, I’m left frustrated—especially since the acoustic parts are disappointing. The whole “better to burn out than to rust” spirit comes through more clearly in latest parts of his discography. This record, however, feels unbalanced and rather unremarkable to me.

The only song I know from this album is Back to Life. It embodies everything I don’t like about ’80s music. Here, everything is a lie, jazzie’s Groove doesn’t sound groovy or jazzy, African Dance doesn’t sound African (though I do like the flute), and the rap is depressingly bad. Despite good videos showing drums, piano or guitars, it relies heavily on machines, only to prove how huge tech progress have been since 1989. The beats are repetitive, and the vocals are unbearable to me. I get why this album is on the list—its sales, its role as the dance music of the time—but I gain absolutely nothing from listening to it, and I find it particularly painful. As a teenager in ’89, I have depressing memories of all those kind of hits which were absolutely everywhere … and the result for me was to dive more deeply into alternative music. I understand that this era had to happen to pave the way for more mature movements. If we have to talk about soul, De La Soul released their debut the same year—and it was in my opinion much better.

« Drop peace, baby baby, yeah, Yeah! Baby!!» ! Haaaa!! Born to be wild… No!!! Come on guys…you just lost a point because of that. I don’t know The Cult at all, only by name. Not the only band to have lost its guts in this decades. But this album is less glam rock than expected (which is good), and I kind of like the voice - lyrics are useless though and 70s rock bands influence is too obvious in the music - this is absolutely unoriginal. Nevertheless, after reading about them and listening to this album, I feel kind of motivated to dig in their previous Goth work which is supposed to be more ambitious.

I hadn’t listened to anything from Beck since Odelay in ’96, and I’d been telling myself for a while that I should catch up, especially since his albums generally still get good reviews. Well, I finally did it—and it’s cool. So, it’s from 2005, but it sounds like the ’90s, and in the end, it’s quite similar to Beck’s albums from that era. Still offbeat, sometimes haunting, original… but logically no longer groundbreaking. That said, the influences are varied enough that you never really know what to expect from one track to the next, and that’s something I appreciate. Overall, it’s an easy and nice listen, and I enjoyed the experience— some songs are a bit weak but some are also surprisingly good in my opinion : « Rental Car » has been stuck in my head ever since.

Raised on alternative rock, I completely snubbed The Strokes when they came to fame. To me, everything had already been done in the genre, and the essential quality of this band was that they played a part in ending the Britpop movement. And yet, I was never objectively indifferent to The Stroke’s sound, so this is exactly the kind of album that this project allows me to revisit with a fresh perspective. Well, I think I preferred their next album, especially the excellent « The End Has No End ». While some moments are exciting, « Is This It » as a whole feels more flat to me, lacking the intensity I was hoping for. Their sound, though, really stands out and really makes me want to like them. But throughout the album, I keep waiting for something to click, and it rarely does. All in all, I feel more disappointed than really negative.

Very flat for me on the first listen—way too long as well. I just have to accept that I’m not hippie enough to endure this endless parade of songs in a state of ecstasy … and to enjoy the album cover. That said, a few tracks do stand out fairly quickly (Beware of Darkness, Let It Down, Wah-Wah, or Hear Me Lord). It goes down easy, with a blissful smile—like honey: smooth, a little syrupy, maybe even a bit sappy. More often than not, this sounds like The Beatles… just, well, not as good. And Harrison is no Lennon nor even McCartney when it comes to singing. I get the context on why people might give it 5 stars - the shadow of The Beatles, Harrison’s songwriting talents finally recognized, Clapton and Dylan in the mix—but honestly, I’ll save my high scores for albums from the same era that actually shook me. As one reviewer put it, … and that perfectly sums up how I feel : “There’s probably a 4 or 5 stars album buried in here, but I’ll be damned if I’m gonna spend another 2 hours trying to find it.”

There you go, another thing that excites nostalgics from Rolling Stone magazine and maybe old campfire enthusiasts. Even George Harrison feels punk in comparison to this. I can’t tell one track from another—at best, it works as background music for a nap. Since I don’t give a damn about Paul Simon’s sexual awakening or road trips, I also find the lyrics boring. Same for his voice.

I’m familiar with the previous Ziggie Stardust album, but from this one, I had only listened to The Jean Genie, which I really like. It’s still avant-garde and sometimes chaotic, but what a chaos! ! (the piano on Aladdin Sane is brilliant). Finally, some challenge, some eccentricity—I enjoyed it, even though I prefer some of Bowie’s other work.

One of Aretha Franklin’s finest. Aside from the somewhat average production quality, everything is flawless. This album - among few others from her - blows away all the pale imitations up to today—who, by the way, readily acknowledge that Aretha was and remains THE queen. On top of that, blues and soul fuse in a way rarely heard since in soul music. An ode to love set against a backdrop of resistance to racial and gender oppression. To me, a landmark of the genre and I really enjoy it.

Morrison, the perfect poster boy for every teenage crisis—the “tortured poet” (“back door man” is an example he wasn’t) who flew too close to the sun. Theoretically not my cup of tea, but this debut album is clearly more than just Morrison. From the first listen, it transports you straight to the late ’60s while still feeling quite relevant today. The keyboards are blending seamlessly with the guitar, a sound that is instantly recognizable. But The Doors always seemed a bit overrated to me … and they are quite bad when they try their hand at blues. Yet it is the band at their best, an exceptional debut and a great classic when it comes to the few really amazing songs.

I took a vague interest in Elvis Costello after seeing him perform in the series “Treme”—a show centered on the New Orleans music scene, where he plays himself with great enthusiasm. At the time, I downloaded a good portion of his work, but not a single track has stayed with me from that experience. My feelings have not changed since then: no song stands out, it is too polished. While not unpleasant, his music just washes over me without leaving any impact.

Drowned in the early ‘90s alternative rock wave, Teenage Fanclub only popped onto my radar when I first heard “Fallin’” (a cool collab with De La Soul) in ‘93. I’m now diving into this album that’s jam-packed with all the retro goodies I love from that era—including this touch of melancholy and even plaid shirts. It’s straightforward, heartfelt rock with some pretty neat vocal harmonies. That said, it doesn’t hit me quite as hard as it might have back when I was into bands like Pavement or Dinosaur Jr. Still, despite the album being a bit inconsistent, I kind of dig it! Alcoholiday yeah!

Being quite unreceptive to reggae, approaching UB40 is somewhat akin to listening to Pierpoljak, especially knowing the height of UB40’s career was into the reggae-pop of “I got you babe”. The social dimension of their first album might have appealed to me, but the saxophone, the vocals, this damn reggae rhythm, the ultra-naive denunciations set against music made for smoking spliffs… It might be good within its genre, but I’m not even sure, especially when compared to more authentic works. It lacks of magnitude, listener is never surprised or impress. I just can’t get into it… except “Food for thought, the only tune I kind of like, but only because it reminds me childhood times.

CCR were Leftist Southerners from the US—just for that, they’re exceptional. The band’s music is easy to listen to, surprisingly groovy, socially conscious, and warm like a good wood fire in winter. They didn’t invent anything new and this might also not be their finest work but what they do, they do wel,l it rocks and it is soulful.

I only know Cash’s later period—dark, even haunted—which I kind of like. Here, it’s about lighthearted tunes, relatively basic country music. Still, it’s hard not to be impressed by the charisma and voice of Johnny Cash, his humor, and the surprisingly fluid rhymes. I usually don’t enjoy this type of music, but I had pleasure listening to this live recording, punctuated by “beeps” for every swear word, where Cash holds the prison audience in the palm of his hand.

I laughed a lot just by listening the intro and the following song since it is a hell of a cliché. If I understand correctly, the guy divorces and releases a 14-track emotional outlet. This isn’t exactly what I like the most from Marvin, but there’s some kind of emotion if you relate to Marvin’s romantic troubles and If you’re not already tired of hearing the word “love” every ten seconds. It’s vaguely suitable as a soundtrack for sex. Yes, there are few good grooves, but this album mainly left me with a sense of fatigue after so much sentimental outpouring

Another British album on this list that seems to have reach success only in Great Britain. I was completely unfamiliar with them, but this is finally an interesting discovery. Once you get past the surprise of the vocals, the music sounds mostly pleasant, and the patterns are well-constructed and relatively rich. Listening with headphones, one can discern the folk-jazz mix, the medieval influence, as well as occasional Indian and Oriental touches. At first, I could hear some Cranberries, Alan Stivell, or Dead Can Dance in it, but it progressively switched to more uninteresting folky stuff. Whatever, I understand that the drummer has performed with Bowie or Aznavour, and It’s likely I’ll give The Pentangle another try.

No sensation, not even rejection. This thing only worked in England. Total emptiness to me

Being yet another classic from the master Hancock, this album is, without a doubt, a definitive work—not just in jazz-funk, but in music as a whole—owing to its vast and enduring influence. It’s not only fun and unpretentious, but also creative and fiercely groovy. At just 40 minutes and 4 tracks, with Chameleon and Sly both stretching past 10 minutes, each could have easily been 30 minutes long, and I would have still wanted more. Transcending genres and eras, Head Hunters remains one of my all-time favorite albums.

Reggae has always been too slow and repetitive for my taste. Also, the emotions it conveys feel almost otherworldly, as if they come from a place where men preach peace and tolerance while shooting each other and father 28 children with 28 different women. It’s just not something I relate to. Maybe I would if I lived under palm trees, spent my days barbecuing, and having sex while smoking pot. That said, Bob Marley is undeniably a legend who always struck me as someone who could transcend the genre, giving it a pop sensibility while remaining true to Jah, football and freedom. Listening to this album for the first time… well, ...except for few tracks, it doesn’t make it the expected way. Not unpleasant, but still mostly good as a song track for a backyard BBQ. The lyrics have a certain philosophical quality if you are high— ex : “Their minds are confused with confusion.” Still, there are some solid grooves here and there.

The first of only two albums, a band that barely plays on its own recordings, lyrics about gay sex which I hardly relate to. The hits are, however, fun to revisit, and there is an iconic voice, but beyond that, it’s not exactly groundbreaking except in the fact it came out in a conservative British era with outrageous lyrics. The whole thing is a well-packaged marketing product - a symbol of its time, but ultimately, a very artificial one. One of the worst overproduced excess of the 80s with “The power of love” sounding very delicate comparing to any other songs.

A unique work of dark, hardcore garage rap, where each member of the collective had to earn their right to rap through battles, giving it a very special raw spontaneity and yes, it’s fun. Only Onyx, emerging at the same moment and on the same scene, gave me similar chills. A definitive reference, one of the top album ever made in rap. Absolute fire.

Coldplay’s radical shift towards dance-pop is shit, but it literally highlights their two first albums. These were highly accessible yet imbued with an alternative sensibility and a dark, ethereal quality. Among others songs, “A rush of blood to the head“ ‘s fierce intensity and introspective spirit struck a deep chord with me back then. Clearly not a revolution in music, it has been overplayed and it sometimes also carries an annoying, whiny dimension, but it remains a good album that I enjoyed revisiting.

Yes is exactly the kind of prog band I want to dive into, but their music demands attentive listening so it’s perfect that this album dropped on a Friday! The sound is more rock-oriented than expected; it took me some times to get used to the vocals, but I immediately loved the instrumentation. If you take the time to truly get into it, the experience is rich. I truly enjoyed it, and I am pretty sure I’ll enjoy it more and more.

Two back-to-back prog albums aren’t easy to digest! I’m kind of discovering Rush—I only really knew Tom Sawyer before. And funnily enough, it’s the song I like the least on the album with the last one. The whole thing flirts with FM rock at times, but never enough to be off-putting and some riffs are actually very good. I really like it… but man, that voice is horrible! So much so that my favorite track is the instrumental YYZ. It’s such a shame… How did they end up with that voice? The guy’s an amazing bassist, but why, oh why, did he have to sing??

So yeah, it had a huge influence on metal, yeah, it was shocking, and yeah, it hasn’t aged all that well. Some solid thrash and hardcore punk dynamics, for sure, but not that many, and the over-the-top cliché satanism—probably a reaction to the conservative climate of the ’80s—can (and should) now make us smile. “Sacrifice, oh so nice!” Take it with about fifteen layers of irony—unlike our Norwegian friends— and, at the end, it is quite funny.

There’s definitely talent behind this, and the production is solid, but no matter how hard I try, I just can’t find a soul in it. Feels like a homework made by top-of-the-class students, a boring soundtrack, with, however, a few surprisingly modern highlights (the Daft Punk-esque The Big Ship, or Golden hours for example). Overall, I didn’t like it.

Only know the band by their song « do it again ». Cool music to start the workday—light, upbeat, and easy on the ears, maybe too easy as it seems quite forgettable at the end. Kinda gives me Chicago (the band) vibes because of voices harmonizing. Could use a bit more intensity and atmosphere, but there’s some good technical work and a nice jazzy, groovy touch.

The “incredible” Jimmy Smith—just in case any skeptics need reassurance. I liked it a lot. A laid-back Blue Note album with a nice touch of Soul and the distinctive sound of a Hammond B-3 organ (if Wikipedia is to be believed), which I love for its warm tone (Minor Chant solo, case in point). But… the double bass is quite discreet, I even didn’t hear it through headphones, only with good loudspeakers. Drums are also extremely discreet and that rhythmic void is hard to ignore for me. Bam! One star down!

It seems to me that they’re one of the few bands from the ‘80s synth-pop wave to have had a lasting influence. Some of their tracks are brilliant, but the second half of the album is rather forgettable. Overall, they bring a semblance of soul to a decade I find pretty dull musically, but this album is a bit too inconsistent for me.

After the major shake-up in rock during the early ‘90s, I never really get the hype around Britpop in general and more specifically around Oasis. Apart from their working class bad-boy attitude, musically, it’s honestly not good or ambitious. Production with added violins cannot hide the monotonous and annoying voice of Liam and the songs structures and the technical complexity are those of a local pub’s band. This is easy, risk-free, and hollow rock. To me, it’s a big scam, almost an affront to the Beatles and to rock. But I guess you had to be English and to read tabloids to really grasp their impact. In 95, I was embracing The Bends from Radiohead instead.

Henry Rollins, it’s 4 straight stars!! Maximum subjectivity, but I’ll give it a shot explaining. The man is inspiring to me … and as it must be the only Black Flag record on this list, I got no choice (even though ‘My war’ is better in my opinion). Coming from a troubled childhood marked by abuse, Rollins has become an iconic symbol of sobriety and maybe of wisdom in the US—he became stand-up comic, radio host, publisher, anti-racist and pro-LGBT/human rights activist, author, actor, spoken-word artist, and the champion of reason. None of this would have been possible without his wild stint as frontman (I cannot say singer :)) with Black Flag, the hardcore punk powerhouse, where his stage presence was legendary, like a rising psychopath in the making. Five years of raw violence with Black Flag that earned Rollins his punk cred and gave his later initiatives a unique touch. ‘Damaged’ can never quite capture the band’s fury; and the lyrics mostly tell stupid tales of drunken escapades and brawls, but this is a wildly cathartic outlet. Mayhem!!!

I had never heard of this band, and I just found out that Manchester, in 1990, could give birth to a group that sounds like it’s from 1985. I understand that they make sense because it vaguely contributed to the early days of the local electronic scene.Their most prominent member is a dancer/maracas player who can neither dance nor play the maracas. This album is supposed to be the peak of their short career.

When Led Zep tones down the epic stuff just a little, it’s still nothing short of phenomenal. Some songs here perfectly embodies their roots and the direction taken : a direct link in between blues and hard rock. A blues which stays heavy thanks to John Bonham - you don’t just hold back the man, you can bring out all your acoustic side, he’ll still lay down rock-solid grooves on top of it. Just 4 stars only because Led Zeppelin managed to top this on a handful of other albums.

More fun to listen to than ‘Get Behind Me Satan’, their other album we’ve been previously exposed to. Surprisingly, the rhythmic shortcomings don’t drag it down as much here. When this album goes garage, it really goes garage — the riffs stick with you way more, and there’s just enough bluesy nuance to make the whole thing an acceptable ride. Still their sound is a bit tiring at the end.

I like its darkness and creativity, even if it still carries a lot of what I used to hold against Dummy back in the day : it rarely takes off and tends to stay locked in the same mood. Still, there are some nice guitar touches, and the atmosphere manages to move beyond the band’s original trip-hop roots, which keeps it from being just background music. Despite that evolution — and the 14 years between the two albums — you immediately know it’s Portishead. That’s one of the marks of the greats.

I just don’t get what’s supposed to be so special about this album. It’s like being stuck in a Tennessee steakhouse listening to the house band. Sure, there are a few glimmers of greatness (very few), but the country vibe and that ultra-slick ‘80s production are like a brick wall for me. And don’t even get me started on that lady’s haircut.

At first I thought this album was a total miss. That wannabe Lou Reed / Bowie voice really threw me off, especially on the slower tracks where it just sounds awkward. But as the album went on, it really won me over. It’s sharp, well put together, and often delivers some proper post-punk energy while keeping a raw, punk edge. A really solid find in the end … but with an unpleasant voice.

Great listen. Loved it!

The icon who, for some reason, represents boomer’s pinnacle of musical poetry. Well, it had to happen sooner or later. Only two octaves to his name and a damn harmonica he somehow manages to play without using his hands. Where most hear the “rock era” of the master, for me only “Stuck Inside of Mobile…”, “Obviously Five Believers”, and “I Want You” (which my hippie aunt used to blast on loop when I was a kid) ever managed to break the weak blues and folk monotony. I’ve managed to reach the end of Blonde on blonde without too much suffering.

A pleasant surprise. I only knew one pop track (Summertime sadness) by Lana Del Rey, and here comes this slow, melancholic alternative pop album with hints of Lorde or even Agnès Obel, and it’s actually going down pretty well, … but now I want to return to something more energetic.

A bit too long. Tracks 2, 6, 8 and clearly 11 (with some French for the latest) stood out for me. When she sings softer songs, Ute’s voice reminds me a bit of Patricia Kaas. The vibrato gets a bit tiring after a while, but when she pushes it, it’s actually quite nice. The musical foundation is interesting — you can clearly hear the signature style of the artists involved. It’s a well-produced mix between jazz and film music, an interesting experience, but honestly, it got a bit monotonous in the end. I really wish the lyrics were available on Deezer. Maybe with more time, I could have appreciated it more.

Never listened to this before, but I did know Dr. Dooom from the same Kool Keith. With a talented and open-minded producer like Dan the Automator who’s worked with everyone from Gorillaz to Mike Patton, RZA or the Black Keys, I was at least expecting something original and off the beaten path. And yep, this is definitely the opposite of commercial rap. I’m really into this psychedelic, jazzy production. That said, even though there are some real gems in there, it’s a bit long, uneven, and not always the easiest to get into. Also, Kool Keith’s flow often feels a little too dated for my taste.

« Rolling in the Deep” was a massive hype when it came out, so I gave the rest of the album a shot, but I think it often drowns in too much drama for me. I get tired of those big-voiced singers pretty quickly, can’t help it. You can feel the vocal talent, but the songs sometimes feel a bit too polished. It clearly speaks to a wide audience—girls especially—it’s inclusive, smooth, and radio-friendly enough to please pretty much everyone, myself included… up to a point.

This is so far from In Utero, a bit too cheesy to me. An ok follow-up to Nirvana with some really good songwriting. Foo Fighters (actually Grohl alone) have proved they could last 30 years and keep winning people over long after the grunge era faded away… and that’s already saying something. Seen them live back in the 90s and it was really boring, so I am not very enthusiastic.

Some parts of the album feel like a blend of classical and jazz, sometimes it makes me think of Gershwin with a ’50s twist. That’s probably why the funky edge of hard bop, which was all the rage at that time, is pretty much absent. It’s simply a “white jazz” kind of vibe. That said, some of the tracks are absolute classics, and even if I’m not qualified to judge their technical merit, it’s a real treat to rediscover them in this setting. A very nice album to me.

What a good surprise to see this album in this list! Back in 1988 came Surfer Rosa, this total UFO of an album that totally flopped when it first dropped… but which has since proved to have been a game-changer in music. To this day, this unique, proudly weird, wildly inspired…and even occasionally gorgeous album rivals anything garage rock has produced since. However, it isn’t their most accessible work.

Damn… They really must have taken some seriously hard and illegal stuff to come up with something like that. I understand this is a very technical work but “Dali’s Car” and those a capella vocal horn noises are still hurting me too bad. In an attempt to stay mentally safe, I didn’t go through the whole 80’ of this trip. 2 stars just for the experience of listening something really unconventional which sounds like the thoughts of a drugged schizophrenic mind.