'Respect'- Aretha Franklin own; Redding wrote it. 'Ole Man Trouble' - Redding wrote 'Change Gonna Come' - Sam Cooke wrote 'Rock Me Baby' - blues standard
Pet fav: Either Way I Lose Liliac Wine: covered by J. Buckley-- Grace Four Women - banned for lyrics, written by Simone Wild is the Wind: covered D. Bowie Black is the Color... - standard American folk Leftovers compilation from previous studio albums. Interesting stuff; not samey-samey
1st released album s/p S&G Pet favs: Armistice Day; Peace Like a River-- guitar playing is beautiful on both. Well conceived album that flows along really well. And I'm not particularly fond of folk music.
This album is too long by 15 mins/4 songs for what it is. I cannot really come up with a fav song as they are all the same sounding. This album isn't for me and wasn't made for me which I accept. However it's endurance 23y after leaves me paranoid there is some conspiracy afoot against me specifically. What is being said to ppl I can't hear? If this album is someone's fav then they have given up or never tried. And tsk-tsking critics who feel the same way but hate being on the "wrong side" of history, vis-à-vis the popularity of this album, can pound sand.
3 monster hits still played with consistent regularity today: Longview; Basket Case; When I Come Around. Fav song: Longview Tight album of punk-pop.
Pet fav songs: The View From the Afternoon and Dancing Shoes. Good ol'fashioned British rock. Back to back Dookie then this album came up on the list. Neither had I listened to all the way through and I would choose this one again and again. I have always thought Brit rock has a more interesting sheen to it. This may be a matter of personal taste.
Fav songs: Paradise; Pretty Good; Donald & Lydia Never heard of this artist before and thoroughly enjoyed the album's humor. If you're a fan of folk-country, you cannot go wrong here. As an aside, I already knew how to pronounce Muhlenberg before listening to Paradise due to where I grew up. Did not ever occur to me there is likely an umlaut missing over the 'U'. 😊
Pet fav songs: The New Stone Age; Sealand; Maid of Orleans; Architecture and Morality. Heard of OMD and listened to couple songs in the past but never a full album. This was quite the revelation. Coming out in 1981, OMD put their mark on the synth-pop sound recognizable as "aggressively 80s". (To quote my husband.) Add the minimalist album art and pretentious title, there is so much to love. Definitely will have pride of place on my list of all-time favorite albums.
Pet favs: Shake Your Hips (Slim Harpo); Sweet Virginia; Stop Breaking Down (Robert Johnson) The Rolling Stones are fine. They have some great songs but I've always thought their reputation exceeds their grasp. Mick Jagger is no singer and should not be demonstrating this defect on songs like 'Let It Loose'. He's fine enough when he stays in his narrow lane. This album is too long but still listenable without being tedious. It's too messy in parts. (It's recording history reads like a rolling disaster.) I know I'm supposed to like this album, like this band, and accept it without argument. I won't. I await another RS album listen to change my mind because this one ain't going to do it.
Fav song: Since nearly every track is a banger, I'll say cull 'Serial Thrilla' and we have a perfect album. I bought this album when it came out in 1997. It was the hot shit then and continues to hold up. Every song is distinct and identifiable upon the first few beats. I only wish 'Narayan' had been a single at time.
Pet fav songs: Peter Piper; It's Tricky; Raising Hell Standout album from the golden age of hip-hop
Pet fav songs: Comin' Back to Me; Embryonic Journey; Plastic Fantastic Lover I've had a copy of this album for 20y and haven't listened to it fully in forever. The classic singles 'Somebody to Love' and 'White Rabbit' are always great. Many elements of the album make one want to scream "dirty hippies!" Grandpa Simpson-style, but still it's one of the best the 60s flower children ever mustered. And the last 3 songs of the album are a great, beautiful, weird finish.
Pet fav songs: Sweet Gene Vincent; Plaistow Patricia; Blackmail Man. It's albums like this that make me happy an Englishman compiled this list because an American wouldn't include this album. It's a culture shock which reminds one how different the UK and US are despite how much we share, and I'm here to have an egg of knowledge cracked on my head. I love the title. The musicianship and production are top notch. The best songs are at the end as the album verges on going off the rails. Fun, weird, very British. I will likely never listen to this again.
Not qualified to talk about jazz so won't, but it was a enjoyable album. I prefer later offerings from MD.
Pet Fav songs: Shoot to Thrill. There are a lot of classics in this album. It does peeter out in the end a bit though.
Pet fav songs: The classics Do It Again; Dirty Work; Reelin' in the Years. This was an easy album to listen to. It seemed to breeze by. As a younger person I likely would not be so tolerant, but I'm middle aged and listening to aggressive music constantly is losing its appeal. Sometimes it's just nice to listen to a competently made album. It also reminds me of childhood radio listening because these songs were on a lot even 8 years after the album came out. Good times.
Pet fav song: "Who Says a Funk Band Can't Play Rock?!" I had only ever listened to Maggot Brain before this album. I say between the two this is better. But it's hard to dislike George Clinton. And why can't it be on Spotify? Pour one out for my playlists.
Many ppl like CS but I'm not one of them. I've heard a couple of his songs in the past and nothing about them interested me to explore him further. This style of folk- singer/songwriter does not appeal to me. I'm not into "finding myself" nor contemplating the spiritual. CS is on this journey and I cannot follow. The songs are well done and the album is (for me mercifully) an appropriate length. I give this a 2 and no songs particularly liked because this is just not for me.
This album tests what a person wants out of a project like this one. Do you want the Rolling Stone top 500 doubled? Or do you want an interesting collection of albums which go into mainstream and subgenres highlighting the best on offer? I could choose either but I would prefer the latter. However I struggle to define what should be a 1 star album for this list - personal taste versus should it be on the list? It could have been 'Come Away with Me' but I can argue against as it was part of a zeitgeist moment whether I liked it or not. Might it be 'Peggy Suicide'? It achieves the stated goal but has deficiencies. It's experimental but not enough. The songs are competent but not blazing new trails. Many bands did experimental music or recording techniques and also wrote a banger song. None of these songs are bangers and mostly forgettable. I feel no need to revisit any of them. His vocals are uneven and generally just average without daring to be interesting. I had to break up listening into 2 parts due to the double album length. The second half did not catch my interest like the first. As a result, I resented having to sit through this much self-indulgent bloat. This guy was good enough to get a major label deal but not good enough to really break through. I'm not saying this album shouldn't be on the list. But I am saying good enough isn't good enough.
Pet fav song: Will Anything Happen One of the greatest, most perfect albums ever made. Pure joy. No notes.
Pet fav songs: Backseat Freestyle; m.A.A.d City; Swimming Pools; Compton. I don't know this a "masterpiece" but it is very good. Great production. Overstays its welcome a bit. Cut 'Sing About Me...' and 'Real' and I think this would be better. Albums hitting 40 to 45 mins or more start to drag. Just because technology lets you run up the play time doesn't mean you should. Forced restraint has helped more artists than anyone would like to admit. 30ish mins for an album is optimal just like 90ish mins for a movie. Make your point and keep it tight.
Fav songs: Fast Car--who doesn't like this song; For My Lover I remember when Fast Car came out and it was playing everywhere. I wasn't into it as an 11yo but it has grown on me as an adult. It's a great song. I feel like TC became accidentally famous and it wasn't something she really wanted. At least we all got a great song. The album is super easy to listen to and the songs do not blend together. It's not generally my thing but it isn't bad either. I really like her singing style.
Fav song: Re-Ignition I'm not a fan of hardcore or punk but I did like this album. I think the vocalist is what makes it.
Fav songs: Duet; After Supper Big band is enjoyable music. I prefer the slower songs.
Fav song: Every Breath You Take; Murder by Numbers on the extended cut I don't know. I'm not a huge fan of The Police or Sting. Not sure why. They aren't boring, Sting is a great front man. I guess it doesn't speak to me but also I'm totally fine with them too. They don't make me feel much of anything.
Pet fav songs: Love to Young; Tomorrow Never Knows I tried really hard in high school to get into the Beatles because all the popular kids were listening to them like they discovered something no one knew about. This was also the days of The Beatles Anthology (1995). I bought the companion album and listened in earnest. I've not gone further than that. The Beatles are fine.
This is a great concept album. Ethereal, sad, hopeful, haunting. All the songs are good with a cohesive structure. Perfect if you need to cry for an hour. And I love the album art.
Pet fav song: Round the Bend This is a nice album that is about 15 mins too long. Can no one edit anything? It wasn't a slog but you feel like some of the songs bleed together.
I like hearing the bridge between punk and what would become alternative. This album seems to be one men in their 50s would like because it's from their youth.
Pet fav songs: Bullet the Blue Sky; Exit; Mothers of the Disappeared U2 are pompous and annoying but goddammit they are a great band. I don't ever think of them as my favorite, but there tons of songs from their different artistic eras I love. At 50 minutes I should, by my own standards, knock this for being too long and a bit indulgent but I can't. The whole thing works. Production is amazing.
There are people who love reggae and people who cannot care. I'm in the latter camp. It's so inoffensive you can't bother to hate it, but that's also why it's so boring. It does not get the toe tappin' nor head bangin'. This is background pool music during a hot, summer day which is the only time I ever hear Bob Marley in the wild.
Pet fav songs: Dirty Boys; If You Can See Me Cull songs: I'd Rather Be High; (You Will) Set the World on Fire This is not Bowie's best work. It's too long. Not tedious, just too long. The song styles are all over the place. The songs I would cull are political and as a result uninteresting. If later Bowie is needed, Outside was more interesting.
Fav songs: Mouth for War; Walk; This Love; Regular People (Conceit) Super fun album IF you like metal. Otherwise at nearly 55 minutes, this would be a long, aural assault. RIP Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul.
Fav songs: Bitches Brew; Sanctuary Challenging album. This isn't something you just put on to listen to for fun and relaxation. Although as it went, it seemed easier listening because I got into the groove of the album. It definitely has an opinion on whether jazz should be art or broadly marketable to everyone. Extra points for the killer album art.
Pet fav song: Four Cornered Room I find the fact this was the best selling album of 1973 fascinating. It made me wonder why I didn't know about it. Honestly I wanted to like this album more, but I'm underwhelmed. This makes me think of a middle-aged man in his wood-paneled den drinking a Schlitz, and him thinking he's with it because he's listening to this album.
Fav songs: Help Me; Raised on Robbery JM is impressive as a songwriter and singer. I have not made any effort to look into her music since folk isn't my favorite genre. This is an engaging album and breeze to listen to. It's not really my thing but credit where it is due. Blue will come up at some point and I look forward to it.
This is definitely a hardcore album. I salute them for making it 15 minutes which is the same amount of time many albums over stay their welcome. I also appreciate its bratty provocativeness. Every once in awhile I heard some melody for a few seconds. I will likely never listen to this again but glad I did.
Being a younger Gen X, I'm fully aware of the person who is obsessed with The Smiths. I've never really gotten what magical hold they seemed to have over some people. They were fine. I like maybe one song of their's "How Soon is Now" and I'm not crazy about it. I'm sure there will be one more The Smiths album on this list. I will likely think it's just OK as well.
Fav songs: 'Sunshine Superman' and 'Season of the Witch' obvious choices. The album is archival tape of the '60s. Or at least what artists like Donovan made later generations think the '60s were. The album is a bit everywhere which keeps it interesting. However all the songs with a woman's name in the title tries my patience. 'Legend of a Girl Child Named Linda'.... Wtf. Nearly 7 minutes of all the twee in the world smashed into one song. The sitar was good in 'Three King Fishers' and effective. Using it over multiple songs made it lose its punch. My favorite Donovan song ever is 'Hurdy Gurdy Man' (1968) - slightly edgy, cool drum fills, a little electric guitar, weird lyrics sang with a bit of the sinister. Good stuff! The '60s aesthetic got better the darker it got. SS is uncut Flower Power.