1001 Albums Summary

I liked: - Use of keyboard alongside the guitars - Commitment to grooves and motifs - Solos - Song structures and flow I didn't like: - Vocals and lyrics Favorite Track: Free Bird

I liked: - Orchestral influences - Vocals and lyrics - Melodic lines - Experimental song structures - The way the rhythm section complements the melody Favorite Track: The Age of the Understatement

I liked: - Blues instrumentation and arrangement - King's voice and guitar playing - The performance of the rhythm section, especially piano and drums - Audience interaction I didn't like: - Live recording Favorite Track: Worry, Worry

I felt I couldn't appreciate the messages of the album fully due to the rock feeling overly hard and the lyrics difficult to understand. Favorite Track: All Apologies

I liked: - Use of piano - Balancing melodrama without going overboard - Tasteful use of electronica - Still sounds like Lorde while definitely branching out significantly - Vocal overdubbing, painting a sonic landscape Favorite track: The Louvre

While I wouldn't say this is at the highest tier of songwriting, I still thorughly enjoyed my experience with the album. Favorite Track: Us v Them

This is not yet the Beatles' best work, but I appreciate both the Folk and Baroque influences on their standard Rock sound. Favorite Track: In My Life

I'm not usually the biggest fan of Grunge, but I appreciated some of the classical rock influnces in this one. I'd say I enjoyed it more than I did "In Utero", so I think I'd give this a 3 out of 5. Favorite Track: Black

Definitely a step up from Rubber Soul, and I really enjoyed the string and horn arrangements by George Martin (I think). Feels a bit incoherent still, and only a handful of the songs I would still listen to, but definitely deserves four stars. Favorite Track: Got To Get You Into My Life

I definitely see the vision he's going for, and I think he executed on it decently well. It just felt inauthentic, and it got a bit tiresome listening to a full album of Costello playing this miserable character. Still enjoyed some of the songs however. Favorite Track: Waiting for the End of the World

I haven't listened to much hip-hop, but I'd say this was a solid introduction. Reminded me a bit of the "talking blues" stuff made by Woody Guthrie and the like. I appreciated having multiple different vocalists. Still felt a little "samey" to me, as someone who doesn't tend to focus on lyrics as much. Favorite Track: What?

Reminded me a bit of Age of the Understatement, although I didn't feel like it did enough with the orchestra in order to stand out. Favorite Track: Drive

I listened to this album multiple times, and it never felt too special to me. I tried to like it, but nothing stood out. Nothing was bad, and I definitely enjoyed the band's sound, especially on the guitar, but it felt a bit too generic to me. Favorite Track: Bullet the Blue Sky

This one was a hard album to rate. It’s certainly a good album, but I don’t think it’s as good as any of even the lesser Beatles work. I liked the arrangement and production, but I found the songs to not be the most interesting. The political aspects weren’t my favorite, not because I disagree, but because it felt kind of virtue-signally to me, like Lennon was against the Vietnam war just because being against the Vietnam was what artists did at the time. Favorite Track: How Do You Sleep?

Sounds very nice. Reminds me a bit of the Grateful Dead with their Americana sound and extended instrumental jams. Doesn’t go above and beyond in any particular aspect, but it doesn’t really need to. Solid four stars. Favorite Track: Down by the River

I find that singer-songwriters tend to be a little hit-or-miss, and how well they are appreciated depends more upon the listener than the artist. This album felt like more of a miss for me personally, but I can see how it would speak more to other people. Favorite Track: Soap Star Joe

Took me a couple of listens to feel like I understood it in the slightest, but this is prog-rock if I've ever heard it. I wasn't even all that surprised to learn that it was inspired by Sibelius. Choosing a favorite track is weird, because this doesn't really have tracks in the traditional sense, but I guess I'd just say Side A? Favorite Track: Close to the Edge (I. The Solid Time of Change, II. Total Mass Retain, III. I Get Up, I Get Down, IV. Seasons of Man)

I’m honestly quite sad that I haven’t listened to this one before. Reminded me a bit of Blue and Graceland. Some things I liked: - Tasteful production. The producer added enough to complement her singing and guitar, without overdoing it. - Chapman’s voice is beautiful and warm-sounding. - The lyrics feel warm and inviting, but then devastating at the same time. Favorite Track: Behind the Wall

Some songs were really good. Others felt uninspired. I liked Nick Cave's voice on some tracks, and the piano and backing vocals worked quite well. Overall, I kinda liked parts of it, but it isn't consistent enough quality wise. Favorite Track: The Lyre of Orpheus

This is one of the few times that I hear string arrangements in pop music and I don't cringe a little bit. I find that strings are well suited to the complex arrangements found in classical music, and when they're used in pop music, it's often to give the aesthetic of depth without actual providing any. However, this album felt like it mostly really used the string section to great affect. Other than that, the production was really top tier, but some of the lyrics were far too on the nose for my tastes. Overall, the album was really great at its best, and slightly cringe at its worst. Favorite Track: Atom Dance

I’m probably giving out too many 5s, and I can see the argument for giving this a 4, but this album is truly something epic, and I feel like the sheer scale of it is enough to push it into 5 territory. Favorite Track: You Don’t Love Me

I hadn’t heard of Arcade Fire at all until this challenge, but I definitely intend to explore more of their discography in the future. I really enjoyed this album, and it reminded me of Automatic For The People, which I expected, but also of Bruce Springsteen, which was a pleasant surprise. Favorite Track: Windowsill

Loved the style, though it was just a tad soft for my tastes. Side A, was great, while Side B was just quite good. Favorite Track: Silver Raven

This is the first album that I've already listened to, and the easiest 5/5 yet. Choosing a favorite track is hard because almost all of them are top-tier, and "Friend of the Devil", "Box of Rain", and "Truckin'" are all among my favorite songs. However, in the end, I don't think anything can beat the track I ended up choosing. Favorite Track: Brokedown Palace

Based on how acclaimed this album is, my expectations were high, but were somehow still surpassed by this great album. I expected the album to be good, but I didn't expect it to be so experimental, political, and full of songs that would be the highlight of almost any other album. Favorite Track: As

This album is one where I appreciate that the band had something unique going on more than I enjoyed the music itself. Favorite Track: You Suffer

Woah look at me here, putting the 19 minute jam as my favorite track! Who could’ve seen that coming? In all seriousness, Side 2 brings it up to a 4 for me. I liked the baroque influence (if more bands started including harpsichord solos, the world would be a merrier place), and some of the flute/saxophone stuff. Favorite Track: Revelation

There seems to be a bit of confusion around the genre this occupies, with Wikipedia saying it’s blue-eyed soul, while the generator classifies it as pop and psychedelic rock. If viewed as a pop album, it’s pretty good (although pop isn’t usually my thing). If viewed as a soul album, it’s decent but doesn’t compare to likes of Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles. If viewed as psychedelic rock, it falls significantly short of where psychedelia was at the time (for comparison, Sgt Pepper released this same year). Overall, it sounded nice but didn’t feel too exceptional, especially for a list like this. Favorite Track: Groovin’

Certainly a fun album. Glad I listened, but likely won’t listen to again. Edit: On second thought, this album is awesome! +1 star for being that gorilla from the Jungle Book. Favorite Track: Buona Sera

I initially thought that this album would be a 2, but I wasn’t able to find the time to listen to it all the way through for a bit. This led to me listening to bits and pieces of music for a few days, before I managed to listen to it all straight. This repeated exposure gave me a better appreciation for the music, and the album is now bordering on a 4. I’m still not a huge fan of the songwriting or his singing style, but I really enjoy the warm, nostalgic feeling that this album gives me. Favorite Track: When The Stars Go Blue

This album is one where I know it's at least a 4, but I could see it going up to a 5, if I find myself going back to it frequently enough. This also inspired me to check out more of Keith Jarrett's stuff, who I'd never heard of before. I really appreciate his playing style, which reminded me a bit of Gould. I'm putting my favorite track as the last one mostly out of necessity, because while I prefer part 2, it's split across 2 tracks and so doesn't really function as 1 song. I also really got a kick out of the synchronized clapping at the end. Edit: I'm moving it up to a 5! Favorite Track: Part II c

Not very interesting to me, and not very memorable. I’ve already forgotten most of the album. Favorite Track: God Put a Smile upon Your Face

Nothing too special. I liked the singing and vocal harmonies, as well as the pulse and groove of the band. Favorite Track: Helter Skelter

I appreciate that this album attempts something new and different, and it didn’t sound bad, but man was it a chore to get through. Did Hollywood Symphony really have to be 15 minutes long? Favorite Track: Persian Love

From the Wikipedia page for this album: “ The lyrics on the new album marked a dramatic departure from the dense Romantic poeticism and Tolkien fantasy imagery of Bolan's first five albums, including the most recent T. Rex album”. Let me tell you, they should have stuck with the Tolkien stuff, since that would have been much more interesting than this. Nothing against this, but dense poetic fantasy music rules. Overall, this was fine but not took memorable. Side B was much better than Side A. Favorite Track: Bang a Gong (Get it On)

Listening to Songs in the Key of Life before this album was both a blessing and a curse, because while it meant I understood his style before listening and had a decent idea of what to expect. On the other hand, I was pretty sure my expectations would be disappointed. However, this is not what happened. While these songs are certainly not in the key of life, this was a fantastic album that would be the highlight of any other artist’s career. Favorite Track: Superstition

*distorted guitar starts playing* 2! 3! 4! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Favorite Track: Credit In The Straight World

It's interesting listening to recordings from the Rolling Stones before they had many of the defining features that made them so special in the first place. I didn't realize how much the Jagger-Richards partnership defined what I appreciated about the Rolling Stones, but here we are. Another interesting observation I had was about how so much of the Stones' "hard rock" sound was just the electric blues being heard by White people for the first time. My favorite track was "Now I've Got a Witness", because the instrumental nature of it forces the band to really explore their own sound. On the whole, it's a fairly standard early 60's rock and roll album. Favorite Track: Now I've Got a Witness

I liked this album. I was really interested in the use of multi-tracked vocals, which aren’t super common in acoustic music like this. Favorite Track: Between the Bars

Why did this album get much better halfway through? Anyway, I never thought Synth and Harmonica could go together so well. Favorite Track: Bitter Sweet

This album put me to sleep in the best possible of ways. Favorite Track: Sunday

I really liked the production and arrangement. I wasn’t a huge fan of the songwriting, but that wasn’t bad by any means. Definitely better than I expected. Choosing a favorite track is difficult because the tracks mostly sound pretty similar. Favorite Track: I’ve Got to See You Again

This album sounds very nice. A lot of the major innovations from it sound fairly standard to my 21st century ears, but it's good to remember that the Beach Boys were the first to do many of these things. Solid 4 stars. Edit: I was listening to this after Brian Wilson’s death and I must say I totally underrated the lush production and arrangement. Reminded me more of Bach than most pop music out there. +1 star in honor of Brian Wilson, and I’m sorry for not fully recognizing your genius in life. Favorite Track: Sloop John B

Karma Chameleon is, of course, a classic, but the rest of the album is pretty solid as well. Favorite Track: Karma Chameleon

I kinda liked this less edgy version of hard rock, but it didn’t stand out too much. Of Course really carries the album. Favorite Track: Of Course

Best swing album I’ve ever listened to. Favorite Track: After Supper

I perhaps haven’t given U2 their fair shot earlier. I prefer this one to The Joshua Tree, and I developed a new appreciation for “The Edge”’s guitar playing and tone. I felt like to rest of the band and producer did a better job at complementing his sound. Favorite Track: Seconds

The best tracks on this album are an incredible and interesting mix of Disco, Electronic, and Hip Hop (especially the ones featuring Lisa Stansfield). Unfortunately, many tracks just feel dull and like they’re trying too hard to be interesting. Favorite Track: Stop This Crazy Thing

Y'know, there's something pretty charming about when a band just doesn't give a twig and makes the crazy experimental music that they want to withouth worrying about listenability. Unfortunately, it also means that the album is lacking in listenability. Favorite Track: The Sad Skinhead

This was my introduction to punk music, and from what I’ve heard, this is a pretty appropriate introduction. I certainly liked the way they flip on its head the classic rock trend of trying to make the music into something more epic and grand than it needs to be. Favorite Track: Beat on the Brat

I’m not usually into this sort of virtuosic singing style, but the vocals combined with the great mixing and production make this one not terrible. Favorite Track: Breakdown

It’s a testament to how great Bob Marley was that even the palest of imitations is still a pretty solid album. Favorite Track: Ride On and Turn the People On

This one is right on the edge of being a 5 for me. Lovely music and a beautiful message. Side A was probably a 5, while Side B is a very high 4. Edit: I'm moving it to a 5! Favorite Track: The Heathen

It's like metal but with funk vocals instead of screaming? Can’t be terrible. Favorite Track: Cult of Personality

This doesn’t sound like electronica and hip hop had a child. Rather, it sounds like they thought about having a child, but were too tired so they just went to bed. Despite how painfully boring this is, it gets +1 star for the Fiddler On The Roof Episode eference. Favorite Track: Daydreaming

This is the first Joni Mitchell album I've listened to that appealed to me--I respect some of her other music, but it's not as appealing to me. I felt like she was just a couple of steps and technological advancements away from full on folktronica (which is possibly my favorite genre). Favorite Track: The Jungle Line

This is the first proper disco album I’ve gotten, and while I haven’t listened to much disco so I may have just gotten lucky with this one, I think disco may be one of my favorite genres. I truly cannot understand why disco was so hated back in its day. I feel like this album had everything: long instrumental solos, impressive and beautiful vocal harmonies, and saxophone! While it doesn’t quite blow my mind enough for 5/5, it’s still a great album! Favorite Track: Le Freak

Great band name, great album cover, great song titles. But I'm here to judge the music. At first, I was ready to give this a 1/5. I was sure there was something in there that people could enjoy, but I didn't think I was one of those people. Then I came to the realization: this band knows what they're doing. Moreso than most bands I hear, they have a vision and they stick to it. Despite the fact that the vision didn't land with me, I considered rating it higher out of respect for the artists. However, putting this at a 2 or 3 would be to put it among the bland and uninteresting albums I've encountered on this journey, and in some ways, that feels even more offensive than giving it a 1. So out of respect for the same respect for the artists that lead me to consider giving it a higher rating, I'm choosing to leave it at a 1. Definitely belongs on the list, and I'll die a happy man if I never have to listen to this again. Favorite Track: Wonderful Rainbow

I'm a little confused by this album. What does it exactly have going for it? It's not interesting, not exciting, and it stimulates me on neither an intellectual level nor an emotional one. However, it's also not calming or ambient and doesn't really work as background music. Favorite Track: Wilmot

IT’S THRILLER!!!!!!! Favorite Track: Wanna Be Starting Something

The History of Soul Music: Ray Charles: I can be fun and smooth at the same time! Stevie Wonder: I can be furious and smooth at the same time! Maxwell: I can be smooth and smooth at the same time! Seriously, there's such a thing as too smooth. I knew I'd one day get a mid Soul album, but it's still sad that Soul will be dethroned as my top genre. It's ok though. I'll get another Michael Jackson or one by The Temptations and it'll cancel out. Favorite Track: ...Til the Cops Come Knockin'

This album was so weird and experimental but also so comforting and inviting at the same time. I at first thought it was a bit too chill to earn a 4, but some of the later tracks really took me on a journey. I especially enjoyed the whistling, vocals, and occasional harpsichord. Favorite Track: Oompah Radar

This one is a difficult one to rate, because it feels intuitively like a 4, but it reminded me a lot of My Aim is True by Elvis Costello, to which I gave a 3. In the end, I decided that while I prefer it over Elvis Costello, it's still a high 3. Favorite Track: In The Colosseum

At first, I thought this was an album by a great studio band that wasn’t quite as good live. Then I learned that this was a studio album and I was left thoroughly confused. I liked Janis Joplin’s voice. The rest wasn’t too special. Favorite Track: Turtle Blues

Meh. The singing wasn’t great but wasn’t terrible. The songwriting wasn’t great and wasn’t original. Not much of interest to me, and it felt like the author of the list trying to squeeze in a bit more Costello, Cave, and Waits. Favorite Track: Die Dreigoschenoper: Tango Ballad

This is one of the few albums I’ve heard that are long and boring, but in a good way. This album feels like it works best when you shed the expectation of it being full of non-stop entertainment and variety, and just let each track take you on a journey. Favorite Track: Crash and Carry

Not quite as good as the Scream, but I liked it for similar reasons as that one. Once again the vocals are the most interesting part. Favorite Track: Sin In My Heart

The sheer breadth of this album, from the Ska rock of Ob-La-Di, to the folk style of Blackbird, to the Ragtime influenced Martha My Dear, to whatever the hell Revolution 9 is, give it a place among the greatest Beatles projects and among the greatest albums of all time. Favorite Track: While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Ooh… I still really like this for the same reasons that I like Purple Rain, but I didn’t enjoy it quite as much. Maybe it’s the fact that it stretched on just a bit too long, or that the lyrics were more overtly sexual (which I understand is a lot of what Prince music is about, but it’s still not my favorite). However, it still sounds great and the title track is excellent. Favorite Track: 1999

Just a touch better than being standard British 80’s synth pop. Favorite Track: It’s a Sin

I should really be listening to more Prince. Great Album. Reminded me of Stevie Wonder a bit. Favorite Track: When Doves Cry

This album is kind of harsh on the ears at points, but it also has a lot of great energy to it. Favorite Track: Narayan

I liked this one. It certainly didn’t feel like a typical hip hop album, but I really liked the groove that they got into, and it was fun trying to count the beats until a certain little lick plays again. The singing and rapping worked decently well too. Not too much to say on either direction, to be honest. Favorite Track: Connected

I’m not sure what I was expecting when I heard this was Jazz Rock, but this was 🔥. I liked the mix of English, Spanish, and Instrumental tracks. Favorite Track: Se a Cabó

Other than Celia Cruz, I hadn’t really listened to much salsa music, but this album (along with videos of salsa dancing) really turned me onto the genre as a whole. I really liked most of the songs, especially the last two and my overall favorite track. Despite what people may say, the tracks do *not* all sound the same. Favorite Track: Pedro Navaja

This album was hard to listen to, because both the beats and the rapping felt far too abrasive and in-your-face. While I understand that this is kind of the point of the album and that it’s not *supposed* to be easy to listen to, but it does raise the question: at what point have you gone too far in trading listenability in service of a political statement. Favorite Track: Party For Your Right To Fight

Before this, I had mainly just known War Pigs and Iron Man, and while I enjoyed them, I never felt the need to dive deeper into their discography. I'm glad I got this album, because it really solidified in my head what Black Sabbath was and why they were great. There were no bad tracks, and it took me two listens to even pick a favorite. I ended up going with the last track, because it most exemplified my favorite parts of the album. Favorite Track: A Bit of Finger / Sleeping Village / Warning

I’m really glad this album is included in the list, because we all know how underrepresented music from anywhere other than the US, UK, and Canada is. I grooved with the rhythms, but felt that the jazz horns and all that weren’t too interesting. Overall, though, great album. Favorite Track: Egbe Mi O (Carry Me)

I think Sinatra’s voice works much better in this intimate setting than in the usual grandiose big-band stuff that he’s best known for. I prefer Bossa Nova Sinatra to Swing Sinatra. Favorite Track: The Girl From Ipanema

Well this is certainly a different take on punk than the Ramones. Land: Horses / Land of a Thousand Dances / La Mer(de)

I’ve kind of struggled to get into Frank Sinatra. I can absolutely tell that he is one of the great singers, but his music doesn’t usually appeal to me, for the same reason that most other pop music doesn’t appeal to me: it just sorta sounds shallow and simple. It’s also hard to fully appreciate the complexity of the jazz ensemble when the center is around the simple lyrics and melodies that Sinatra sings. Favorite Track: We’ll Be Together Again

I’ve been a fan of the title track for a while, but I’d never really gotten around to listening to the album yet, so I was quite delighted to get this today. While Planet Rock is still the best song (of course), the rest of the album was definitely good enough to warrant a 5 star rating. One unexpected thing that I enjoyed was how disco-influenced everything is, and that allows it to bridge the gap between the Progressive Soul from the 70’s that I enjoy with early hip-hop like this album. Edit: ok maybe O was a bit over-enthusiastic Favorite Track: Planet Rock

I vibed with this album. Reminds me a bit of the film Boy and the World, because they both feel like they tell an abstract story through collage. Favorite Track: Frontier Psychiatrist

I really liked this album! It’s the best modern hip hop album I’ve heard so far. I really liked the R&B and Soul influenced sound, and the production was really good. I didn’t realize until halfway through that Q Tip is a member of A Tribe Called Quest. I may have to give The Low End Theory another listen and see if my experience is any different! Favorite Track: WeFight/WeLove

I hear about how in the 50’s, people called Rock and Roll the devil’s music and associated it with violence, and then you listen to Buddy Holly and it’s the tamest stuff you’ll ever hear! Anyway, I’ve got nothing to say against this album. I’d certainly believe that this was the coolest thing around back in the 60’s. Favorite Track: Rock Me My Baby

This is one of the threes I've given that I can most see the argument for it being a 4, because I can totally see how this might have a higher rating if someone else rated it. It had some nice energy to it, but felt lacking in substance. I dunno. I may move it up later. Favorite Track: Animals

I was initially quite skeptical of this album, feeling like it was trying to be overly artistic, but later in the album, I was hit with some good tracks (especially the final two) that I warmed up to it a little bit. Favorite Track: The Asphalt World

This album is really my first introduction to “shoegaze” or”dreampop” or whatever you call this genre. I overall liked some of the effects and techniques, such as the use of reverb, but I felt like this album didn’t explore these ideas to their fullest potential. I only really liked two tracks, of which one was the closing track. Favorite Track: I Wear Your Ring

Good album! I liked the way they blended both their voices but also the various instruments that are included, creating a clean sound. Favorite Track: Rikki Don’t Lose That Number

I liked this album more than I thought I would! I’ve getting more into this style of pop lately. This album had the perfect balance between cohesion and diversity! I was surprised to realize that “kids” was on this album, but it didn’t even end up being my favorite track! Favorite Track: The Handshake

It’s interesting getting a second album from a band, but much later in their career. They hardly even feel like the same band anymore (especially Side A). Still decent, just for different reasons. I liked the more acoustic and almost Dylan-esque style this one has. Favorite Track: Bummer in the Summer

Of the "Big Three" of farewell albums (being this one and those of Johnny Cash and Leonard Cohen), this is the one I was least familiar with. I find that for both Cash and Cohen, their final works are among my favorites of theirs, so I was excited to get this one generated. I found it a bit different from the others... where "When The Man Comes Around" is about Cash looking back at his life, and "You Want It Darker" is about Cohen looking at his impending death, this feels like an album by a ghost who is already dead. I found it less devastating and more... haunting. I think part of this relates to the cultural context in which Bowie died just a day or two before the album's release, whereas Cohen lived for another few weeks and Johnny Cash lived another year. However, it can also be heard in the music. From the lyrics ("Look at me, I'm in heaven") to the music videos, to the much grander Jazz instrumentation, this album feels like it, more than any other work by any other artist, is meant to mythologize Bowie's life and death, where he's fully embracing his mythical persona and abandoning the material world. Also shoutout to the Jazz musicians who he got to perform on the album. They really tie it together. Favorite Track: Blackstar

Woah! Folktronica! I'm not going to give an album 5 star just out of the genre, but if there was ever a case to, it's here. Most tracks are pretty solid, but at its best, this album absolutely rocks. The production was pretty good, although a bit inconsistent. Overall, great album! Favorite Track: Stolen Car

I’d never really heard much Madonna before, but I really liked this unique blend of Electronic music and Singer-Songwriter. Favorite Track: Skin

Metallica is actually the perfect name for this band and this album because it represents the pinnacle of what metal should be. They go beyond just screaming and shredding to create something musical and melodic while still keeping the aesthetic of metal. Favorite Track: The Unforgiven

This album is quite eclectic, but I liked it! It seemed like they were having fun exploring all the different genres that they do in the album. Favorite Track: Enjoy Yourself (It’s Later Than You Think)

This is a fine album! One thing I’ve learned through this challenge is that prefixing a genre with “dance-“ usually makes it better, and this is one of those cases. I liked the various influences on the sound. However, it was just not that memorable for me. Favorite Track: Run

It was... alright. The Celtic fiddle breakdown in track 2 was by far the best part, but I'd rather just listen to Clannad for that sort of thing. Favorite Track: I Am Stretched on Your Grave

This reminded me a bit of Bob Jovi, though not quite as good. They did get good use out of the guitar playing, and were good at “tactically” deploying the guitar where it would be most effective. Favorite Track: Eruption

This album just didn't really stand out to me much. I feel like Samba is pretty good, but this was just a bit too monotonous to do much with the genre. Only the first and last tracks realy stood out to me at all. Favorite Track: Tropicália

I’ve always struggled with noise music, and by extension grunge. While I can see why it might be impactful or interesting, it’s just no fun to listen to, which makes any deeper analysis difficult. However, I will say that this album did the best at making me understand this sort of music compared to the others I’ve listened to. However, understanding is different from enjoyment, and J can’t say I enjoyed very much of this. Favorite Track: Sugar Kane

Sometimes, I get an album that earns a 5 star rating mostly because of cultural impact. A good example of that would be Blackstar or The White Album. I like both of those albums plenty, but their cultural impact is really what brings them up to a 5. This album, on the other hand, feels like it was targeted directly at me. I wouldn’t be surprised if it has a low average rating, but I’m always in the mood for Celtic fusion music, especially when it’s with a genre I typically do not like, such as punk. Favorite Track: Medley: The Recruiting Sergeant / The Rocky Road to Dublin / Galway Races

Oh man. This album is honestly bordering on a 5 for me. Each song has so much force behind it that it almost approaches metal at some points. The use of percussion, the vocal mixing and overdubbing, the melodic style, and the repetition really turn give this album a great deal of power. I wasn't a huge fan of the lyrics, but they weren't bad by any means. Great album! Favorite Track: Relay

I oftentimes listen to an album, think it’s really good, and resolve to explore more music from the artist. Unfortunately I often forget to, and just move on with my listening (sorry Arcade Fire!). It’s nice to get another CHIC album so soon after I rated the first, and it was truly a delight to get this one when I opened the website and rated my previous album. I love disco. I really don’t understand why it was so hated. This album wasn’t that different than the first, and if I decided to move one up to a five (which I honestly may), I would go with C’est Chic. However this one is still super solid, and had a few absolute banger tracks. I feel like when my biggest criticism of an album is “too short”, it’s probably a good album. I hope they have a third album on the list! Favorite Track: My Feet Keep Dancing

Ehhh… they sorta had something going on, but this got a bit boring. I’m between a two and a three… I don’t really harbor much in the way of negative feelings towards this album, but there’s not really that much I liked either. I think I’ll go with two, but I can see the argument both ways. Favorite Track: A Reflection

I like this acoustic Nirvana more than In Utero. It was also quite haunting hearing Kurt Cobain’s banter with the audience knowing that he died before this album was released. Favorite Track: Where Did You Sleep Last Night?

What an absolute delight to get this album today! I've been waiting for this one for so long. This was the first Simon and Garfunkel album I heard, and the first CD I ever bought, and quite possibly my favorite album of all time. I even just finished up arranging the title track for a chamber ensemble just the other day! In addition, it was how I came across this challenge in the first place! I had searched the title of the album in Google and found the 1001albumsgenerator page for it. I listen to this album every couple of days, and for good reason! Each track is so good! Even the weaker ones like For Emily are still absolutely beautiful songs in their own right. The perfect blend of sincerity and satire, melodrama and exuberance, timelessness and timeliness. Each track seems to contrast the next: Patterns is dark and dramatic, while Cloudy is simple and content. Homeward Bound sincere in it's message while The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine is ironic. The 59th St Bridge Song is a reminder to appreciate the simpler things in life, while the Dangling Conversation grapples with our relationship with large scale of culture and history. Flowers Never Bend is sincere and expresses a profound message, while "A Simple Desultory Phillipic" is satirical and seems to be mainly about poking fun at Bob Dylan. For Emily is about love transcending space, whereas A Poem on the Underground Wall is about expressing thoughts and ideas in the material world. And to cap it off, the first and last tracks both hold this contrast inside themselves. Scarborough / Canticle and Silent Night / 7 O'Clock News both set old folk tunes against timely critiques of the present day. In doing so, these two tracks end up being the ones that best encompass the themes and totality of the album, and thus one of them will be the one I choose as my favorite track. While I really like Silent Night and it was part of what first sealed this album for me as one of my favorites, there is simply no way of matching the sheer beauty and contrapuntal harmony of the opening track. Favorite Track: Scarborough Fair / Canticle

I mostly feel similarly with this album as I did to Snivilization. Both great albums! I don't think I prefer this one quite as much, but it has some truly standout tracks. I also liked the polyrhythm thing they did at the start and end. Pretty cool! Favorite Track: HALCYON + ON + ON

This is the first straight country album I’ve gotten, since I’ve only really gotten country-rock before. As far as country goes, this is certainly not the worst! I liked how it reminded me of Joni Michell. The vocal overdubs worked better than I thought they would too. I like albums that don’t feel the need to oversell themselves in the manner of Pink Floyd and the like. Favorite Track: Lookin’ For The Time (Workin’ Girl)

Singer songwriters can be a bit hit or miss… this one had some good moments, but was more of a miss. Favorite Track: The Ballad of Lucy Jordan

This album was really good, and ahead of its time. I really liked the use of synthesizers and other more unusual instruments, and the first two and last two songs were amazing. This reminded me of a cross between Jethro Tull, Yes, and Bruce Springsteen. I super respect this album and think it has the caliber to be 5 stars, but I just don't personally connect with it enough for that. Favorite Track: Baba O'Riley

Honestly, I could see giving this a 3, but this album was pretty cool in a lot of ways. I liked the slight hint of R&B/Soul, which, when paired with the lush production and slide guitar, made everything feel so smooth. I also thought the lyrical content, while not the most deep, was still emotionally resonant. Favorite Track: A Better Place to Live

This album is nearly perfect, meaning the name is a lie. Since lying is evil, that makes this album no longer a good album, causing it to live up to its name. Favorite Track: Smooth Criminal

Truly a masterpiece. One of my favorite albums. Favorite Track: Road

It’s cool to hear this earlier piano-based rock before the guitar really took over. Favorite Track: Tutti Frutti

I've just realized that I generated this album just about 100 days after generating The Atomic Mr. Basie by Count Basie, the other titan of big band swing from this era. That's pretty cool This album was really good. It felt like a combination of classical arrangements with a lot of great dance energy, creating a cool fusion of the two approaches. I'm reminded of how both Jazz and Classical music started out common, popular music before being seen as two aristocratic/complex and faded out of the public view. This felt like how Jazz music should be listened to, in a live energetic environment rather than produced, mastered, and streamed. Favorite Track: Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue

A while back, I read the book "Ready Player One", and I remember one section that referenced some band releasing a 7 part rock epic about some city or something. I remember thinking it seemed like a neat concept, but knowing that life's too short to listen to every weird concept album from the 70's. Well here I am, listening to 2112 by Rush, and... it's pretty good! I can see why some people would absolutely love this sort of thing. I like prog, power metal, and rock trios, but this album doesn't quite do enough musically to earn a place amongst my favorite albums. The acoustic guitars that were used alongside the electrics were pretty cool, which give the album a softer and more intentional feel to it, and I would have liked to see them explored a bit more throughout each track rather than mostly at the beginning. I hope to listen to it again a few times, though, because I'm certainly enjoying it, glad it exists, and believe it belongs on this list. And who knows? It may click all the way in a future listen and earn that fifth star! Favorite Track: 2112

Pretty neat, but not too crazy. Well deserved 3/5 stars. I like this style of soul music. Favorite Track: Runaway Child, Running Wild

Solid live album. Jazz trios are cool. Shoutout to the bassist. Favorite Track: Gloria’s Step

My favorite rap album of all time, and a top ten album overall for me. Combination of great production and storytelling and a good overall message. It’s also cool the way each track stands on its own, but the sequencing shows the album musically heats up over the course of the tracks. I also find I’m able to justify the more “gangsta” songs, like Backseat Freestyle, because of the way they fit into the overall album. As someone who’s not usually a big rap fan, I’m glad I’ve been able to get multiple 5 star albums out of the genre through this challenge. It also makes me sad seeing so many reviews saying something along the lines of “why is this socially conscious of when the lyrics are so offensive?”. It’s fine if you aren’t interested in literary analysis, but you can’t refuse to look deeper then the surface and then act like there isn’t anything deep at all. Favorite Track: Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst

This is really fun! I like it when artists don’t take themselves entirely seriously and just make cool music. It reminded me of Africa Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force a lot. Seriously considering a 5, but I'm leaving it at a 4 for now. Favorite Track: Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)

This album is really on the edge for me. I can’t say I enjoyed it as much as their debut, but there were still some great songs on it. Overall, I think that this album lacks a bit in cohesion but is really good at its peak. Favorite Track: War Pigs

:( As much as I would like to, I just can’t give this album 5 stars. It had so much potential, with all the Dylan covers and the 12 string guitar and the harmonies, but… it just doesn’t quite get there for me. The album is dragged down by how badly they butchered the title track. They had probably my favorite song ever, and they: - Removed the best verses (probably due to studio constraints) - Didn’t even play on the track themselves (also due to studio constraints) - And abandoned every musical aspect that made the song good in the first place Ah, well. Still liked it. Can’t go too wrong with Dylan, Gene Clark, and David Crosby contributing to one work of art. Favorite Track: I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better

The only good thing I can say about this album is that I’m glad it wasn’t longer. Favorite Track: World Up My Ass

Oh man. I've only ever listened to Born to Run before, and I've kind of avoided the rest of his discography ("What could be as good as Born to Run?"). The most I knew of this album was The Band's cover of Atlantic City. This was a mistake. This album showed me another side to Bruce that I didn't expect. There are a number of great qualities in Born to Run, but I wouldn't really describe that album as "beautiful". This album, on the other hand? Everything from the cover, to the production, and the songwriting contribute to the same sort of dark, melancholy Americana. It was cleary inspired by Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan, but it also clearly has its own vision and takes inspiration from other media as well. What a great album! I may have a new favorite Bruce album. By the way, if you like this, definitely check out "American IV: The Man Comes Around" by Johnny Cash. Definitely a similar vibe. Favorite Track: Atlantic City

This might be the best ambient album I've ever heard, and I generally like ambient music. It just doesn't quite get to 5 stars. Favorite Track: Tha

I'm generally a fan of soft rock, and I certainly get that in this album. Hotel California is great, and there are a couple of other cool tracks as well (gotta love the reprise of Wasted Time coming right after the original), but too much of this album feels bland to me as well. I'd give the album 3 stars for Hotel California, and 1 star for the rest of the album. Favorite Track: Hotel California

What a funny coincidence! I've had Judy Blue Eyes stuck in my head all day, and now I generate this. That first track alone is enough to earn the album 4 stars, and the question is now about whether the rest of the album does enough to get that fifth star, and I believe it does. Great harmonies, influenced the Dead, and close to the pinnacle of this sort of Folk Rock scene. Favorite Track: Suite: Judy Blue Eyes

Argh… I really want to give this a five, but I don’t know if I can justify putting it above Sound of Silver. Still really good. High 4. Favorite Track: Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)

Fuck Kanye Favorite Track: Runaway

This is a really cool fusion of classical music, jazz fusion, and Prog. Reminds me a lot of Return to aforever (specifically Romantic Warrior). Favorite Track: Blues Variation

Excellent! One of my all time favorites. May write a more detailed review later. Favorite Track: The Boy in the Bubble

I thought this was interesting! I consider myself generally a fan of Jazz, but this was a certain niche within Jazz that I found pretty cool. It felt like a combination of early fusion MIles Davis (In a Silent Way, Bitches Brew) along with (interestingly enough) a hint of classical music, especially the more Jazz inspired composers such as Gershwin and Ravel. I also liked the variety of instruments he used, including an acoustic guitar at one point. Interesting is definitely the one word I would use to describe this. Favorite Track: Track B- Duete Solo Dancers

I thought this was interesting! I consider myself generally a fan of Jazz, but this was a certain niche within Jazz that I found pretty cool. It felt like a combination of early fusion MIles Davis (In a Silent Way, Bitches Brew) along with (interestingly enough) a hint of classical music, especially the more Jazz inspired composers such as Gershwin and Ravel. I also liked the variety of instruments he used, including an acoustic guitar at one point. Interesting is definitely the one word I would use to describe this. Favorite Track: Track B- Duete Solo Dancers

What a great album! So hard to choose a favorite, since so many of them are so good in different ways. I ended up going with the opener, since it just sounds like “Blue” (the album) to me. Favorite Track: All I Wanted

One of the great 70’s rock albums. Eric, progressive, cinematic, while maintaining the connection to classic rock and its other influences, including disco. I love disco. Favorite Track: Mr Blue Sky

This album serves as a great send-off to his folk era, both exploring the new opportunities that going electric offers him (Subterranean Homesick Blues, On the Road Again), reiterating his older songwriting style from Another Side of Bob Dylan in tracks like She Belongs to Me and Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream, along with the best acoustic output of his career, including what I consider his best song. Favorite Track: Mr. Tambourine Man

This album was really good! The start was a bit shaky, but after hitting Phantom and Transylvania, the riffs and solos go to the next level. I also really liked the lead guitar tone. This was one of my favorite classic metal works I’ve listened to. Favorite Track: Phantom of the Opera

Pretty cool, but not as good as Dark Side of the Moon. Liked the instrumental sections and the electronic aspects. Favorite Track: Wish You Were Here

This absolutely deserves its spot as one of the top rated albums on the site. So many classic songs. I feel guilty trying to choose a single favorite. Favorite Track: The Chain

It's been a while since I've had a Funk/Soul/Disco album. I've missed them! This reminded me of CHIC, of course. Getting all these Nile Rodgers albums through the generator has really made me respect him a lot as the brilliant musician that he is. While I didn't like this one as much as either of the CHIC albums I've gotten, it was still a really good album. One thing that surprised me was how the title track, despite being the biggest hit, was far from the best song. If anything, it drags the album down a bit. Favorite Track: Lost in Music

It’s cool to get a second Pogues album. This one was at least as good as the other, if not better. Some of the banjo was a bit much, but I really liked the overall album. Favorite Track: A Pistol for Paddy Garcia

I really wanted to give this album a 5, because the whole concept behind recording a live album in a prison was so unique and I think it really paired so well with his whole “Outlaw Country” way of telling stories from the perspectives of criminals, and also was so revolutionary that it makes me respect the album all the more. However, some of the songs didn’t quite work for me, and only a couple are truly memorable after the fact. I also had trouble choosing a favorite track, and considered Folsom Prison Blues, The Long Black Veil, Give My Love to Rose, and Greystone Chapel. All were really good. Favorite Track: The Long Black Veil

This was fine? Certainly not one of the Bowie albums I’d include if I were making the list myself. Kinda liked some of the piano shenanigans. Wasn’t that special. Might listen again and maybe move it up to a 4 someday . Favorite Track: Time

Ehhh… the acoustic songs were better, but still nothing special. Favorite Track: The India Song

Pretty cool. I liked Me and Julio, of course, and Stephane Grappelli is always cool. I liked some of the Blues inspired songs. Solid album. Favorite Track: Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard

This was one of the first albums I’ve listened to, and it took a while to grow on me at first, but it's risen to be one of my favorite albums of all time. I think most of this comes down to the production style: by emulating Phil Spector's whole "Wall of Sound thing, it really differentiates this album from a lot of similar works. During this listen especially, I really realized how orchestral it makes it sound, like a symphony almost. I heard at one point that Springsteen wanted this album to sound like "Roy Orbison singing Bob Dylan lyrics, with Phil Spector producing". While his lyrics aren't quite as good as Dylan's, and his singing is certainly not near the level of Orbison, I think that this production exceeds Spector's in a lot of ways. I'd even go as far to say that this is one of the best-produced albums of all time, although I'm not sure how much of that is just due to how good the E-Street Band is. In terms of songwriting, I like the contrast between the more energetic and fun songs like Thunder Road and Born to Run with the slower, more epic ones like Backstreets and Jungleland. This listen, I also really appreciated Meeting Across the River more than usual, but a lot of that has to do with the trumpeter on that track. Favorite Track: Jungleland

I thought this was pretty cool. Compared to other metal albums I’ve heard, it focused well on the instrumentals and had some cool solos and riffs. While it dragged on a little long and was a bit too heavy for my tastes, it was still a good album all the way through. Favorite Track: Eye of the Beholder

This made for some really nice background listening. It also felt a lot like Headhunters to me, which was cool. Definitely a lot funkier than a lot of standard Jazz from the USA. The grooves were really nice. Favorite Track: Inner Crisis

I'm glad I got this album, because I'm a huge Dylan fan but I haven't listened to this album (or any of the Bootleg Series) before. This was a real treat to listen to, especially the first half with the acoustic versions of some of the Blonde on Blonde songs. The second disk was a bit rougher, because the song selection wasn't as good (although I liked Tell Me Momma, which I'd never heard before), and the sound quality sort of fell apart on the last couple of tracks. Additionally, Spotify cut out the crowd heckling, which I've heard is an important part of the album. However, I really liked the backing band on the electric set, The Hawks (who later became The Band), and I think they added a lot to the sound. Favorite Track: Tell Me, Momma

This album was interesting. It did feel like each track did something unique musically, and the synthesizers were used in an interesting way compared to most 80's pop albums. However, the experiments didn't always work, and I found myself preferring some of the simpler tracks. I'm also generally not a huge fan of this sort of pop music, even though this album was more interesting than normal. Favorite Track: Time After Time

I really want to give this album a five. I loved the jams, jazz fusiony elements, and of course the epic guitar work. The Bob Dylan cover is among my favorite songs of all time. However, the whole project was a bit too all-over-the-place for my liking, and some of the tracks felt unnecessary. This is one of those double albums that maybe could have been a tighter and more consistent single album. But who knows? I may some day learn to love its sprawling nature, like I did for Blonde on Blonde and Songs in the Key of Life. Favorite Track: All Along the Watchtower

This is pretty cool! I wasn't expecting Desert Blues on this list. One of my favorite albums in Elwan by Tinariwen, and I'm super interested in hearing more from this genre. While this doesn't quite live up to Tinariwen, I thoroughly enjoyed this, and am glad it ended up on the list. More people need to listen to this type of music! I'm honestly on the edge of a five. Favorite Track: Soyo Yhinka

This isn't my favorite album, but I can totally see why it might be someone else's. I really liked the production (there's no denying that Kanye West is a good producer, despite what I think about his views), and the use of samples weirdly reminded me of The Avalanches. The last track was beautiful, and the other ones were fun as well. I liked the Jazz, Funk, and Soul influences, and they made it feel almost like proto-To Pimp a Butterfly. And I'm pretty good at math, so I guess it's really a wonder that I like this album so much. Favorite Track: It's Your World - Part 1 & 2

About half of the tracks had really good music with bad lyrics. About half had pretty boring music with bad lyrics. High 3. Favorite Track: The State I Am In

I know that this album is beloved and aclaimed, but I just can't hear it. It ranges from boring to bad, and rarely ever sounds good. I've heard that it was highly influential and spawned many different genres (punk, grunge, shoegaze, etc) but I honestly don't really like those genres either. Idk. It's cool that Andy Warhol sponsored this album, and the first track was kind of nice (reminded me a bit of KEITH - 98.6) but that's about all that I can say. Favorite Track: Sunday Morning

Budget Stevie Wonder is still good. I liked some of the covers. Favorite Track: Summer Breeze

Something that occurred to me is that this sounds a lot like Depeche Mode. Like a lot a lot. It was a really good album, even beyond the hot song. Really high 4. Favorite Track: Listen

This album was interesting in some ways, especially the vocals, but it didn’t do quite enough overall to get a 4 in my opinion. Favorite Track: That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore

I really like this sort of album. So many singer-songwriters and similar artists from the 60's and 70's put out a final album contemplating their life and death, and it's usually among their best works. Johnny Cash did it with American IV, David Bowie did it through Blackstar, even Paul Simon and Bob Dylan both did with Seven Psalms and Rough and Rowdy Ways, respectively (although they're both still alive). I've been a huge fan of the title track for a long time. Everything about it, from the Jewish cantorial vocals to the incredible groove and driving beat, and of course the beautiful poetic lyrics ("There's a lover in the story, but the story's still the same / There's a lullaby for suffering, and a paradox to blame"), absolutely blew me away when I first heard it. I knew the rest of the album wouldn't be able to match it (and it didn't), but I hoped it could come close. And I have to say, it did. Being by Leonard Cohen, I knew that the lyrics would stay consistently incredible throughout, so I focused a lot on the music. He did some interesting callbacks to his earlier work (like the backing choir sounding like Dance Me to the End of Love), and I really liked his use of strings throughout (including the instrumental reprise at the end). All in all, I think this certainly earns five stars as an album, and I'm encouraged to explore more of Cohen's backlog after this. Favorite Track: You Want It Darker

This is a tough one to rate. I already knew one of the songs off this album (Song With No Words), and I knew some Crosby stuff previously. I also knew that a few different Dead members played on this album, so I was really excited. I'll admit, I was a bit disappointed by the first couple tracks. However, the second half got really, really, really good. First half is an easy four star, and the vocal harmonies and beautiful, lush production on the second make it an easy five star side. So how do I rate the collection of them? It's hard. I think I've got to give it four, but I may move it up. Argggh. Floating Through Space Lava. Favorite Track: Song WIth No Words (Tree With No Leaves)

There are some albums like Thriller that are great because the songs are so good. I'm not thinking about any kind of broad album narrative when I listen to thriller, I'm just thinking about "Mama Say, Mama Sa, Mama Coosa". There are so many great songs on that album that I've no choice but to give it a high score. But then there are other albums that aren't like that. Some songs may be pretty good, but really what holds them together is the overall unitary piece that is the complete album. This is one of those. Not that I didn't like any of the songs; I was fascinated by tracks such as "It's Business As Usual", and of course Nick Cave on "Vermillion Kisses", and "The Sweetest Embrace". But I wouldn't want to listen to an album full of songs similar to any of these (except maybe the Nick Cave one). No, I'd much rather listen to the crazy, toxic, unhealthy, dysfunctional family that is the entire work as a whole. Favorite Track: It's Business as Usual

I really wished I liked grunge more than I do. This album is so highly acclaimed, and it certainly has a few good songs... but man I could have done without so much screaming (and the equivalent of screaming on each of the instruments. I hope I can learn to like this kind of music more, but maybe grunge and punk will just be genres that I always don't really like. However, this is still one of the grunge albums I've enjoyed most, and I liked a lot of the softer and slower songs. Favorite Track: Smells Like Teen Spirit

Some of the baselines were neat, and it certainly had a cool feel to it. Unfortunately, some weaker tracks drag it down. High 3. Favorite Track: Trainspotting

Could this album have been better if it was half the length? Perhaps. But part of me appreciates that it was so long. This interesting fusion of singer-songwriter music and orchesetral music was pretty cool, like a combination of Neil Young and Steve Reich. This album also feels very American, in a good way. It does a good job at capturing the essence of the country, with the songwriting voice representing individualism and the orchestral arrangements representing the country's vast landscapes. It was cool to read about the historical research that went into the creation of the album as well. My favorite tracks were Come On! Feel the Illinoise! and Chicago. A very high four. Favorite Track: Chicago

For someone who is so often compared to my favorite artist (Bob Dylan), Neil Young doesn’t quite hit the same and I’ll try to articulate why. In terms of lyrics, Neil Young’s are fine but about on par with most decent songwriters of the time. I’m not a huge fan of his voice, because it’s neither technically good sounding nor unique/charming. Musically, I’d say he’s more consistent than Dylan, but too often verges on overly smooth. I guess that’s how I’d characterize the difference between him and Dylan overall: Young is more consistent, but this comes at the cost of charm/authenticity. Not that this is a bad album by any means. I preferred Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, but I quite enjoyed listening. Heart of Gold and There’s a World definitely stuck out to me as particularly well put together tracks. Favorite Track: There’s a World

Bossa Nova! The second greatest genre to come out of Brazil since Brazilian Phon... ah never mind. This album was pretty cool at some part! It reached these neat little climaxes in most of the songs that really showed off her vocal ability. I also liked the progressive sort of instrumentation, like synths at a few points. I'd definitely say overall that it's better than Frank Sinatra's Bossa Nova album. However, it felt a little samey throughout, and I didn't understand a damn word she said >:( . Overall, I'd say it's a pretty high 3, and I wouldn't argue with anyone who gives it a four. Favorite Track: Só Deus É Quem Sabe

Reminded me a lot of No Other by Gene Clark but before I had listened to that album so much and learned to love it. Also a bit too soft in my opinion. Still some cool parts. Favorite Track: Paper Tiger

This is my second Bob Marley album, and I super respect him for basically creating a genre all on his own, which is something very few can claim to have done. Compared to Exodus, I think I actually prefer the instrumentation and production on this one (Harmonica, Acoustic Guitar, Saxophone, etc), but the songwriting isn’t as good. Favorite Track: Sol Jaj S’eh

- This was pretty cool. This felt like part Rock, part R&B, and part Blues. The singing was unique and interesting, and there was some pretty mean guitar playing as well. Additionally, the other instruments included did a good job of accentuating the main aspects of the music. All in all, this was a good, well-rounded album. Favorite Track: Down To Zero

Is this R&B? Is this Soul? Is this Jazz? Is this Country? Who's to say? Certainly not me. Favorite Track: Bye Bye Love

This album was bordering on a 3, but it got steadily better throughout. I keep a shortlist of tracks that might be my favorite from the album as I listen, and I shortlisted 2 from the first half and 4 from the second, showing the improvement. Now I've got to go in and relisten to those songs and choose a favorite, which won't be easy. The vocals were definitely the best part (reminded me a bit of Nick Cave), but I also liked the addition of keyboards and the songwriting as well. Favorite Track: Blinder By the Hour

Ehhh... it was not super interesting. I could've fallen asleep to this. Favorite Track: Super Rich Kids

Interesting album. Certainly not my favorite Radiohead album I’ve listened to, but I could tell that the pieces were there. It’s just that none of the tracks come together the way that Paranoid Android does, for example. High three. Favorite Track: Go To Sleep

Pretty neat album. Definitely had great energy to it, and I liked that it was so political and all that. Wasn't a huge fan of the musical element, and I'm generally not a huge fan of Punk, but this was overall pretty good. Reminded me a bit of Public Enemy. Favorite Track: Killing in the Name

A bit to noisy for my tastes, and it felt mostly samey throughout. However, I liked the energy to it and can understand why someone would rate it higher. Favorite Track: Area 51

I'm super glad this was included. Scrolling through the reviews for this one, I'm sad to see the average rating so low. So many people are acting like this is some kind of historical oddity rather than a rich tradition. Isn't the point of this project to expand your music taste? This album certainly did that more than most albums in the list. Before this, I hadn't really listened to much Indian music, mostly just fusion projects like Bela Fleck's collaborations with Zakir Hussein and some of the work of Simon Emmerson. I really appreciated the basic introductions, because I might have been completely lost without them. The album was definitely a hypnotic, meditative experience, like a less flamboyant version of Jam Band music, or an Indian take on Keith Jarrett. Favorite Track: Sindhi-Bhairavi

Bob Dylan is probably my favorite artist, and I sort of immediately took to his other albums like "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" and "Highway 61 Revisited". As I learned more about him, I kept hearing about this album, with many people claiming it was his greatest work. However, the first time I listened to it, it just didn't click. My favorite track that time through was probably "Rainy Day Women", as crazy as that sounds. Given how acclaimed this album is, I thought something was wrong with me for preferring his other works. To combat this, I spent pretty much a full month listening to this album repeatedly, and tried to learn to love this album as much as other people seemed to. After the month was over, I felt like the project was a failure, because I wasn't enjoying the album much more, and I stopped listening to it for a while. However, a few months after this, I gave the album another listened, and I realized I had been mistaken. The repeated listening from earlier seemed to have planted the seeds in my mind that later grew into my current appreciation for the album. It's still not my favorite Dylan album, but it's definitely up there. In addition, the experience taught me how it's possible to learn to appreciate music just through repeated exposure. Pretty cool. Favorite Track: Visions of Johanna

I’ve got nothing against this album or this music, but it just felt a bit too unserious for me to rate it higher. It was also interesting to learn that this was produced by Rick Rubin, because I mainly associate him with his Johnny Cash collaborations and other more sparse music. Favorite Track: Walk This Way

This album started out strong, but it didn't follow through with it all the way. The overall sound was pretty good, but got old quickly and didn't do enough to change things up. Really short albums (much like really long albums) can be a mixed bag, with some of my favorite albums and least favorite albums being extremely short. This one felt fairly middle of the road, but I did find myself wishing it was longer, if only so that it had more time time to grow/evolve throughout the record. Favorite Track: Paris 1919

Not as good as I had hoped, but not as bad as I was worried about. Much like the Cyndi Lauper album, I wouldn't ever give this a 2 but it's really not a 4 either. Favorite Track: ...Baby One More Time

This was pretty cool! I grew to like this sound more and more as the album went on. Felt very much like Blues Rock, but there were definitely other influences there too. My one criticism would be that it sounds a bit dated, but I suppose you can't fault them for not being ahead of their time. I should listen to more of The Doors. Favorite Track: Light My Fire

This one reminded me a bit of Vanishing Point by Primal Scream, by which I mean that it felt more artistically driven than most music that sounds like it, but still wasn't all that enjoyable to listen to. This one especially felt like it traded too much listenability for experimentation and ends up just fading into the background. Favorite Track: Theme From Retro

I was really going to give this album a 3 for most of the first half of the album. It felt a bit too derivative of the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and other 60's bands. However, towards the later half of the album as they leaned more into the vocal harmonies and the instrumentation became more interesting, my opinion started to improve. Something about it felt timeless and almost dreamlike, or anemoia. I also realized that it wasn't totally fair to compare them to some of the greatest rock albums of all time. While they certainly still aren't the Beach Boys, they're still good, and that, combined with the interesting cover, makes me think it deserves a decently high 4 stars. This overall felt a lot like Pet Sounds, which is one of my favorite albums. If the first half were stronger, and the production better, I could see this being a low 5. Favorite Track: Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914)

I wouldn’t be surprised if this has a low overall rating, but I actually quite enjoyed it. I generally like more ambitious projects, and this tribute to Southern Rock was especially cool, since I’m a fan of the genre. While not so much of a song, the track about George Wallace was actual super interesting to listen to. Favorite Track: Ronnie and Neil

Ngl, this album wasn't good. It somehow felt like it dragged on forever despite only being 45 minutes, and each song sounded exactly the same. The singing was technically competent but boring, and the arrangements felt like they didn't do anything interesting. Some of the songwriting seemed decent, but it was hard to appreciate due to everything else, and the songs weren't even by Nico anyway. Favorite Track: I'll Keep It With Mine

I've said it before and I'll say it again: There's such a thing as too smooth. I love how smooth some Soul music gets, but this is going a bit too far to the point that it's to the album's overall detriment. I liked the instrumental theme that it developed, because it was at least unique. Favorite Track: Rainy Day

It's rare that an album makes me change my score on a different album, but I think I might go back and give Rubber Soul a 5 star rating after this. I was sort of saving the 5 star for this album, but frankly this is a perfectly solid, mid to high 4. Some great tracks, some mediocre tracks, a decent concept, but not much that blew me away. Favorite Track: A Day in the Life

This was interesting. People often write off earlier Beatles music because of how much they changed over the years, but while this isn't Abbey Road by any imaginative stretch, it's still solid and holds up pretty well. They still had their nice three part harmonies and still had some solid songwriting. Favorite Track: All My Loving

Too much noise, not enough music. Favorite Track: No Life Singed Her

Interestingly enough, this is the 4th album I've gotten recently involving John Cale. I'm not the biggest fan of the whole Velvet Underground Extended Universe but this was a bit better than The Velvet Underground & Nico and Nico (as weird as it sounds to write it that way, I couldn't think of a better way to do it). Favorite Track: Roadrunner

This album was cool. I'm having a similar reaction as I did to when I heard Songs in the Key of Life for the first time, where I was worried about whether it would live up to its wide acclaim and then am still blown away. While this isn't as epic as Songs in the Key of Life, this album is still great for many similar reasons as that one. It also sounds so ahead of its time; I could imagine this having been releasing in the 1990's or 2010's. I think I'm just going to panic rate this 5 stars because I know that more listens will definitely make me like this better. Favorite Track: Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)

This album was originally going to be a 2 but once I settled in to listening to it and I kind of understood what it was doing I think I'm moving it up to a high 3. Favorite Track: Master of Sparks

This was an interesting album. It was a combination of this sort of standard indie rock songs with this really trippy electronic stuff mixed in. Each part on its own would have been a 3, but together I think this album deserves a 4. A low 4, maybe, but a 4. It reminded me ever so slightly of Tunng, which is one of my favorite bands. Favorite Tracks: Jesus, Etc.

I actually liked this album a lot. I didn't know any of the songs previously besides Season of the Witch, but this feels like some of the absolute best of the psychadelic rock scene of the 60's. The way he includes harpsichord, clarinet, and cello into rock music, and the way he moves between different song structures made thew whole thing feel unique, engaging, and dynamic. Favorite Track: Three King Fishers

I generally like metal, and this had some really cool solos and riffs. Unfortunately, the vocals were a bit too "shouty" for me and it felt like it was a bit too noisy and less musical for my own tastes. Overall, probably a solid 3 stars. Favorite Track: Among The LIving

I’ve listened to a couple of albums before that felt similar to this one, but this was probably the best of this sort of “atmospheric rock” thing. I especially liked the effect that the unique drum sound/mixing added. Favorite Track: Closedown

This was a pretty neat album. It was a smoother, more pop oriented version of the whole "singer-songwriter" thing, and it felt a lot like Dylan, Springsteen, and Simon at different points. "She's Always a Woman", in particular, felt very similar to "Just Like a Woman", but the latter is such a good song that I didn't mine. It was also well-produced, being reminiscent of Jeff Lynne's work as part of ELO. I only knew one song before listening, but there were a few good ones that I'd never even heard of. "Movin' Out", "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant", and "She's Always a Woman" were probably my favorite tracks overall. Favorite Track: Scenes from an Italian Restaurant

This album made me sad, because Solsbury Hill has been one of my favorite songs for a long time, and I was ready for a 5 star album. Unfortunately, the rest of the album is just weird. I was expecting some sort of progressive folk/acoustic thing (like Jethro Tull or the Grateful Dead) but instead it seems like this was an experimental album that happened to have one successful experiment (Solsbury Hill is in 7/4, after all) and several lesser ones. The rest of the album wasn't even that bad for the most part, but it was overall a disappointment. I have to give this 4 stars just for Solsbury Hill alone, but I wish there was more to it than that. Favorite Track: Solsbury Hill

Woah! Two Peter Gabriel albums in a row? That's pretty cool. My expectations were more in line with this one, and so it felt less unexpected how experimental it was. However, it didn't have any super standout tracks like the original Peter Gabriel did, despite feeling more cohesive overall. On the other hand, it shows some of the start of his venture into World music, which eventually resulted in his Real World record label which has produced some of my favorite music, so that was pretty cool. Favorite Track: Biko

I've known about Thelonious Monk for a while, and I've always wanted to listen to him, despite his absurd stage name. The way this group is so tight and how each solo works so well, even the drums and bass, really made this one of my favorite Bebop-style jazz albums I've listened to. I'm not sure if it's a 4 or a 5 yet, since that has a lot to do with if I end up relistening to it, but I definitely enjoyed it. Also, it turns out Thelonious Monk is his actual, full legal name. Weird parents I guess. Favorite Track: Brilliant Corners