So I have never really explored the Mekons, but a band I loved in high school - Too Much Joy - had a song called "If I Was a Mekon" and it made me curious about them. What little I had heard before today didn't do much for me so I didn't go any farther. This will be a good opportunity for me to give them a proper chance. Listening now, and on paper this sounds like something I SHOULD really like - it has rock, country(ish), and punk(ish) elements, which is what features in a lot of the new music I like today. But I think it's the vocals that bother me. And the production sounds very 1985/flat/muted to me. I've read that this band was great live and I bet they were, but this particular studio work doesn't do it for me. I got all the way to track 9 ("Last Dance") before I thought, "OK, I like this one."

Pre-listening: This album prompts an interesting question: what do you think is the single song you have heard the most in your life without ever hearing another track from its album? Because I think this one would be in the running for me (at least until today.) Listening: I would probably like Bittersweet Symphony more if it weren't played repeatedly at UT football games. It's obviously a catchy tune though. And I am reading the lyrics while listening and laughing that despite nearly 30 years of repeated listening I had NO IDEA some of these verses/words were in this song. Now for the rest of the album: This second song almost sounds like Tom Petty. Third song: sounds like Oasis. Losing interest... This fourth song sounds like something somebody would sing at a Scott Weiland tribute concert. Meh... OK, I'm starting to understand why I never heard another track off this album. I ABSOLUTELY did not need to hear this before I die.

I give this one three stars (out of five) and one of those stars is for Sunshine of Your Love being used so well by Scorcese. Never been a big Cream fan.

One of my all-time favorites, easy 5 stars. There was a considerable period of time when this was my favorite Hendrix album. I wore this thing out from about 1995 through 1998ish. It may just be my computer speakers but the production sounds worse than I remember it being.

10/10, no notes.

I suspect there will be several albums like this that I really don't need to listen because I already know it by heart, but I am listening anyway. So, so good. This may force me to adjust my ratings from this point forward. I of course loved Get Behind Me Satan but it seems silly to give it the same rating as Highway 61. I may need to save my 5-stars for the true classics.

This is fine. I think that I am going to give a 3 to all albums that don't really do much for me but are clearly from a genre that I am just not into. It did grow on me though. And I enjoyed reading the Wikipedia page about Jarrett and learning what an important figure he is. (He's still alive! He sued Steely Dan! He was referenced by Steve Buscemi's character in a Sopranos episode!) The album having 45 seconds of clapping at the end seemed unnecessary.

I've never heard this album other than the obvious hit. I had no idea she was English. I'm giving this the same 3/5 I gave the Keith Jarrett album yesterday (not my cup of tea but I won't penalize it just because I'm not into the genre.)

Of all the Stones albums from their peak years, I think this is my least favorite. It's a great album, obviously, but I am partial to Let It Bleed, Exile, and Sticky Fingers. So I'll give this one a 4 because those are all 5s IMO. I think the best songs on this album are as great as any Stones album but the other songs don't hold up for me personally like the non-hits on those other albums. (Also, I missed listening to this yesterday, so I listened AFTER listening to the Mekons album, and this one makes the Mekons album seem even worse by comparison - THIS is what Brits singing country music should sound like.)

So I have never really explored the Mekons, but a band I loved in high school - Too Much Joy - had a song called "If I Was a Mekon" and it made me curious about them. What little I had heard before today didn't do much for me so I didn't go any farther. This will be a good opportunity for me to give them a proper chance. Listening now, and on paper this sounds like something I SHOULD really like - it has rock, country(ish), and punk(ish) elements, which is what features in a lot of the new music I like today. But I think it's the vocals that bother me. And the production sounds very 1985/flat/muted to me. I've read that this band was great live and I bet they were, but this particular studio work doesn't do it for me. I got all the way to track 9 ("Last Dance") before I thought, "OK, I like this one."

Yeah, not my cup o' tea. Did not need to hear this before I die and DEFINITELY did not need to hear "Sweet Love" again. Because of this assignment, I did however get to learn that there is a German record label called Ariola, so that's pretty funny.

Never checked this band out before and happily surprised to see such a recent album included in this project. Listening now, this sounds NOTHING like what I expected - for some reason in my head I had them lumped in with all those early-2000s bands from New York and they are definitely not that. I don't know that this was an album I needed to listen to before I die, but I like this. It's a little more electronic than I am into, but good album, glad I listened.

5/5, no notes. Story time: When I had first started dating Elizabeth she came to my dad's for Sunday night dinner (Maryellen was there) and we were sitting around the table post-meal talking, which was kind of a Tipton tradition passed down from my grandparents. Dad was telling us that he had seen a VH-1 thing about the greatest rock n' roll bands of all time and he was going through the list from memory. When he got to #3, he told us - to our shock - that it was Def Leppard. It turned into a big Tipton-style argument, as I am sure you can imagine, with Maryellen and me absolutely incredulous and refusing to believe that what he said was true. Elizabeth was probably simultaneously entertained and looking for a way to politely leave. After at least ten minutes of this - and depending on who is telling the story it was closer to half an hour - Dad somewhat sheepishly said "Oh wait, I think it was actually Led Zeppelin." This story still gets referenced any time anyone in the family says the names Def Leppard or Led Zeppelin.

I am notoriously (at least among my music-discussing friends) not a big REM fan, though I definitely respect what they did for alternative music/culture, and there are some REM songs I do love. If you care about why I think I don't love REM as much as some others my age, ask me about my Older Sibling Theory. All of that being said, the hits on this album are among the first REM songs I remember being exposed to on MTV (after the tracks off Document that got a lot of airplay) and I generally like them. I like this album now but it annoyed me back then. I also like most of what REM did before this album more than I like what they did after it, so this was kind of an inflection point.

Ha, I have actually never listened to this (that I can recall.) I just realized for the first time ever that "Hello There" - which I only know as the intro song for Rock Band 2 on the Nintendo Wii - is Cheap Trick. What a fantastic song to open a show (or video game.) I was never a big Cheap Trick fan. I feel like they were a much bigger deal to people about a half-generation ahead of us (basically the kids in Dazed & Confused.) I've never really liked "I Want You to Want Me" but this version is pretty great. And holy shit, I don't think I ever knew that the opening to Check Your Head was sampled from the beginning of "Surrender" off this album. This was a fun listen. (P.S. - Another live album with 40 seconds of crowd noise at the end? This HAS to have something to do with pressing vinyl back then.)

Have heard a lot ABOUT Can (particularly in the context of their inspiring a lot of the Nels Cline-era Wilco stuff,) but had never made an effort to listen. Glad I did, this is cool and I can totally hear how this inspired Tweedy et al.

Ah, yes... So many memories of this album, so much to say... What an amazing debut album and what a bizarre career arc this band had (and continues to have!) I don't remember Pow R. Toc H. being this long, but it's possible I wasn't sober the last time I listened to it all the way through, lol. (Also, I could have sworn that Pow R. Toc H. was the song with "Tock! Tock! Tock!" over and over in it but that's actually the next track.) As much as I love this album and it brings back so many memories, I have to give it just 4 stars. I just don't find it as good as their best stuff.

Oh wow, really love this album. Choosing between 4 and 5 will be tough.

I liked that one song that was everywhere off this album ("Rockefeller Skank") but never had any desire to explore further, just not a genre I am into. Of course I've heard that "Right Here, Right Now" song about a billion times in commercials and at sporting events but I never knew that was Fatboy Slim. I did know "Praise You" was them. This album had some bangers, as the kids say. In the middle I got tired of it though - "Build It Up - Tear It Down," "Kalifornia," and "Soul Surfing" just annoyed me and the repetitive crap is why I don't like this genre. Ben used to listen to it constantly and I just didn't get it. But I'm sure it was great in the clubs, where I wouldn't be caught dead.

I've listened to this album before but never closely. This was a good excuse to pay attention. I didn't realize it was basically a break-up album about her split from Wyclef. And it's crazy that the guy she is singing to in the love songs led the 1993 Miami Hurricanes in tackles. I really enjoyed the game I saw him play in that year. I think this album is great but it doesn't blow me away like it seems to everyone else.

Pre-listening: This album prompts an interesting question: what do you think is the single song you have heard the most in your life without ever hearing another track from its album? Because I think this one would be in the running for me (at least until today.) Listening: I would probably like Bittersweet Symphony more if it weren't played repeatedly at UT football games. It's obviously a catchy tune though. And I am reading the lyrics while listening and laughing that despite nearly 30 years of repeated listening I had NO IDEA some of these verses/words were in this song. Now for the rest of the album: This second song almost sounds like Tom Petty. Third song: sounds like Oasis. Losing interest... This fourth song sounds like something somebody would sing at a Scott Weiland tribute concert. Meh... OK, I'm starting to understand why I never heard another track off this album. I ABSOLUTELY did not need to hear this before I die.

This is not my favorite album of theirs, though it obviously has some of their best work, making it tough to rate. I could take or leave Nico, but I think they were better with Cale. "The Murder Mystery" is unlistenable drek. It would be three stars for me without that song.

Wings! I hated this band for so long without even knowing anything by them except the title track off this album. When we were about to see McCartney live a couple of years ago and I looked to see what setlists he was playing, I finally decided to listen to some Wings and was kind of amazed at how good they were. Which is of course ridiculous, but I was young and dumb and too under the "John was better than Paul" spell. This album is a classic and has some amazing songs on it. "Let Me Roll It" was one of the highlights of the show for me. Glad I finally grew up a little bit. P.S. - This album also has a really interesting backstory if you haven't read about it.

To my undiscerning ear, this sounds like another Miles Davis album, a little heavier on keyboards than what I would expect. But reading about the context is interesting. My buddy Walker, who is a big jazz fan/player, got me into Weather Report (something along the lines of "You're such a big Primus fan, you should check out Jaco Pastorius,") and I've listened to their album Heavy Weather a lot. Miles's band around the time of this album included the guys that would go on to co-found Weather Report. Knowing that and listening to this, I can hear it. It's like Weather Report with a trumpet.

lol

Are we getting a second Hole because it's Masters week? I actually like this album. And it seems even better by comparison to yesterday.

Pre-listening: I own one Big Black album (Songs About Fucking) and it didn't do much for me so I never bothered to explore further. Maybe I will like this one more... Quite a week of personalities, going from two Courtney Love albums to a Steve Albini one. Listening: Yeah, this pretty much sounds like the other album I have. There may have been a time in my life when I would have liked this, but that time was well before 50 years old. This music just gives me a headache now. And I have always found Albini's lyrics pretty repulsive.

TWO Kurt Cobain albums in one week?!? ;-) Every time I listen to this album I am amazed by how SLOW it is - I've gotten used to the live versions of all these songs and they played them MUCH faster live. "In Bloom" almost sounds like a parody of itself. It's simultaneously cool and depressing that "Something In the Way" now reminds me of a Batman movie.

Immaculate. There was a stretch in my junior year at FSU where I listened to this album on repeat for weeks.

Ashamed to admit I have never sat and listened to a full CCR album start to finish. They would be high on a list of bands that I love what I have heard but have not really explored.

A pleasant surprise! This album (and group) are exactly what I was hoping for when I started this project - I had heard the name but couldn't have even told you what genre these guys were. Judging by the year I would have guessed some kind of electronic/dance/house thing. But this is a straight-up hip-hop group and they are great.

Love Nick Drake. Pink Moon will get 5 stars from me. This gets 4.

Desert island disc for me.

I remember these guys being on 120 Minutes occasionally. I kind of like the title track but this isn't really my cup of tea.

I had never sat down and listened to anything by John Cale other than Velvet Underground. Not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. A few songs (especially "The Endless Plain of Fortune") reminded me of a Welsh Warren Zevon. This is OK. I like "Half Past France." John Cale is obviously an important figure in the history of rock/popular music, but I am unable to see/hear why this was an album I needed to listen to before I died.

Well, this is a curveball! I was wondering when/if we were going to get something from before the advent of rock 'n' roll. LOT of local connections to these guys. And Dylan was heavily influenced by them so I have heard some of their music in documentaries about him and heard a lot of covers of their music. And of course I've known the brutal "Knoxville Girl" for years. (There's a marker across the street from my office recognizing that song and the Louvin Brothers that is part of the "Cradle of Country Music Tour" trail downtown.) It is frequently covered by local artists of all genres.

John Lydon's step-daughter fronted this group so I have read a lot more about them than I have heard from them. This album sounds kind of crude, almost like demos, but it has some interesting rhythms. Definitely hear the reggae influence, a lot more reggae-ish than punk-sounding to me. Some of it would probably be called appropriation today. At any rate, this album seems to have more historical significance than musical appeal, IMO. The Marvin Gaye cover is a novelty but Jack Black did it better.

The opening track is one of my favorite songs by any artist from the 2000s. THAT BEING SAID... Back when the Strokes-era NYC scene was exploding, these guys were critical darlings and I didn't really get it. I thought they were fine, but didn't see what all the fuss was about. I figured there must be something about seeing them live. I had the opportunity to do that at one of the Bonnaroos I went to and... I guess I sort of got it? Karen O definitely had stage presence. And she is certainly attractive but I never understood the whole "sex goddess" image the music press seemed to bestow on her. Oh well, I like these guys OK and this was pretty a good album. I just never understood what the big deal was. I guess like a lot of the albums in this project, you had to be there. ("There" being NYC at that particular time, not just being alive in 2003-2009.) P.S. - I listened to the "Deluxe Edition" on Apple Music and it included 4 extra acoustic version tracks and I liked those better than what ended up on the album. Good songs that I liked more without all the synthesizer crap.

Hell yeah! I was just reading about this album (and Outkast) yesterday, in two separate places for two separate reasons, one of which was the announcement they will be inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame this year.

Random Blondie thoughts: I don't have a lot of vivid memories from my early childhood - probably because of a combination of trauma repression, general old age, and alcohol killing brain cells - but one of them is of lying in my parents' bed and watching Blondie sing "The Tide is High" on Solid Gold. That song is not on this album, of course, but it's usually the first thing I think of when this group is mentioned. The second is the hip-hop "pioneering" they did in "Rapture." And the third is that Maggie and I used to have fun doing "One Way or Another" on Rock Band 2 on the Wii. I had never listened to this album start to finish. Now I can die. (lol)

I can feel my hipster bona fides strengthening with every track! lol I didn't know much about these guys before this morning, but it's kind of amazing to me that (at least according to Wikipedia) four of the five of them are still alive. The story of recording this album is interesting and sad (tl;dr: they broke up before it was released, and then "Time of the Season" became a hit after they weren't a band anymore.) Based on this album's reputation, I expected more of these songs to sound familiar to me. Like from TV shows and movies maybe?

This album is amazing. 14 songs in 29 minutes. "Blitzkrieg Bop" is on the short list of greatest opening songs on debut albums of all time. I vividly remember the first time I heard it (or at least a piece of it): I was in 4th grade (spring/summer of 1984) at a friend's birthday slumber party and his parents let us rent National Lampoon's Vacation. When the kids put on their headphones in the car on the interstate, the beginning of "Blitzkrieg Bop" plays. From that point forward I forever associated the song with coolness. I was 9. In middle school I was an Anglophile, so I always leaned Pistols over Ramones. But I was young and foolish then. I'm no longer young, still foolish, but I can admit now that THIS was and is the real shit. Sadly, the only time these guys came to Knoxville (1991,) I was out of town.

Lolla '93 may have changed my life more than any other single show/festival I attended. This album is sublime. These guys were at the top of their game (and would remain so through Jar of Flies.)