Exceedingly rare for an artist to continue to make such compelling, inventive music at the end of their career. Doesn't reach the heights of Blackstar but some really good tracks here, I even liked it more than some 80s Bowie albums (and of course more than all the 90s stuff). Love is Lost is a standout track

Apparently RCA shelved this for two decades for being too raucous and raw. Thats exactly what I love about it. Sam Cooke's voice is beautiful, one of the best I've ever heard, and A Change is Gonna Come gives me chills every time I hear it, but his studio stuff is super polished. This is a totally different side of him. Feels like you're in the middle of the room where it happened. I love the banter with the crowd, and the band sounds terrific. An amazing living document from an era lost to time

Hypnotic, stunning, eerie. Really opens up in a beautiful way when you listen closely to the subtleties. Especially liked sixtyten, roygbiv, Aquarius. As good of a headphones album as this is, it would be at its peak piped through the speakers of a dead mall

Great record. These guys are like the sex pistols if the sex pistols were less political, more horny (love battery, goddamn), and way more musically talented. Punchy, surprising guitar riffs and phenomenal drums

The stuff I can remember people saying and writing about Courtney Love is just unhinged misogyny. Any male punk/alt artist with bad behavior is glorified, but I've seen her name dragged through the mud way too often. Hole is a great band, and this is a great, pop-tinged grungy rock album. Some songs are kinda samey, but plenty of cool stuff. Liked Malibu and Boys on the radio especially, pure 90s alternative

To my shame I'd never heard of the sonics. Some great classic rock and roll, I hear a direct line to The Stooges at the very least, can definitely see the protopunk vibe. Reminds me of "with the Beatles" but with sharper edges

Billy corgans voice is an acquired taste that I can't seem to acquire

Another childhood favorite. Some great songs on here (starlight, assassin, knights of cydonia) but too often overwrought/forgettable/both to make this more than 3 stars

One dimensional and annoying

Favorite Dylan, and one of the best of all time

Rapist scum

Some catchy stuff on here (title track, soda pop), but too much filler/dull ballads to get over the two star mark

Not my jam but interesting, can see how this influenced artists like Bowie and Leonard Cohen

Important album in the history of punk and rock, some absolute bangers and way ahead of it's time

Forgettable at best, cringy and fake deep at worst

We do not get Nebraska without this shit. That being said, I do understand why they got their asses beat on stage. Imagine hearing Frankie teardrop live

Pleasurable listen, a bit tiresome at times. Title track rules. Would be a good one to have on vinyl

Fun album, had never really gotten beyond schools out with Alice Cooper. Elected especially stood out as an absolute banger

Felt like Johnny Lawrence listening to this.. fun in small doses but unbelievably overwrought and corny. Photograph is a fantastic song though

So many cool albums and even artists probably could not exist without this one. Drums and bass are killer. RIP Ian Curtis

Pretty glorious at its heights, especially enjoyed repeater and greed.

Simultaneously the quintessential 60s album and ahead of its time. Sounds like the best elements of diverse contemporaries like the zombies, Fairport convention, flying burrito brothers, all rolled into one brilliant record. All killer no filler

Favorite pink Floyd and not even really close. Five stars for five masterful, cohesive, terrific songs

Great record. These guys are like the sex pistols if the sex pistols were less political, more horny (love battery, goddamn), and way more musically talented. Punchy, surprising guitar riffs and phenomenal drums

Impossible to be unbiased since Wilco has been my favorite band for years. One of four albums of theirs that's worthy of 5 stars, in my opinion. Some absolutely classic wilco tracks, from misunderstood' to 'outtasite' to 'Monday'. Some of Tweedy's most poignant lyrics ever. Some excellent deeper cuts, like 'forget the flowers' and 'what's the world got in store'. They could've maybe cut out a few tracks towards the end of the record that drag a bit and made them bonus tracks but, nonetheless, an amazing album. Early enough in the band's career, but more than any other album, feels like the perfect crossroads between where they were coming from and where they were headed.

Mixed feelings on this. Some cool tracks and experimentation but all together, pretty forgettable. Rounding up to 3 stars but probably a 2.5 for me. Not super familiar with The Fall but from what I've heard by them, this seems pretty far from their creative peak

Hell yeah. Great classic jazz album. Take Five is definitely the soaring masterpiece of the record but the whole thing is silky smooth, love strange meadow lark and kathy's waltz. Vince Guaraldi, Bill Evans, and Brubeck are the holy trinity of pretty-fly-for-a-white-guy jazz (sorry Chet Baker, please don't haunt me, your ghost would be terrifying)

A stark, often beautiful, sometimes plodding acoustic album from the man, the myth, the legend. First three tracks are stellar and some of the best songwriting in Cave's discography. It does drag somewhat in the middle for me, but ends strong with "Far From Me" and channeling Tom Waits on "Green Eyes." Overall, I do prefer nick cave when he's freaking the fuck out, but there are some gems here.

Any major dude will tell you that this is a pretty solid, entertaining, and musically impressive 70s rock record. Kudos to the hell of a gong player (gongist?) on "East St Louis Toodle-Oo"

Wanted to love this since it is undeniably groundbreaking and Ray Charles is an indisputable legend. Some lovely arrangements and beautiful vocals, especially on "Born to Lose" and "Worried Mind." Also love the rearrangements of some classic country tunes like "Your Cheatin' Heart." But this thing is so damn long, and to my ears it gets very samey, with the big band vocals growing reaally tiresome. Pleasant enough but probably an overrated record.

I mean, cmon. Gotta be one of the best classic rock records ever, almost on the strength of the first three tracks alone. "Money For Nothing" is a certified banger and the keys in "Walk of Life" give it a shiny nostaglic feel. Mark Knopfler is a terrific songwriter and even better guitarist, just such a fun listen every time. "Why Worry?" is an underrated song. The title track makes me want to rewatch The Americans

This one's got everything: smash hits, poignant stories about working class despair, smash hits with poignant stories about working class despair. Yet, like most of Bruce's discography, theres always an unshakeable sense of optimism threaded through. Times are tough and getting tougher but Born in the USA makes things better for 45 minutes every time. Favorite songs this time around: cover me, Darlington county, my hometown.

Hypnotic, stunning, eerie. Really opens up in a beautiful way when you listen closely to the subtleties. Especially liked sixtyten, roygbiv, Aquarius. As good of a headphones album as this is, it would be at its peak piped through the speakers of a dead mall

This album fuckin roooockkks. Favorite Rush record by far. Play it loud

I really enjoyed this. Interesting lyrics from someone whos clearly seen some shit, genre bending tracks, and a really cool john Lennon cover. Love how the last track just keeps going. Had only vaguely heard of Marianne Faithfull but I'll definitely listen to this again and check out more of her stuff

Feel pretty neutral about this. Some interesting percussion, impressive vocals, cool jazz guitar. Would probably not seek this out, but it was a decent listen

Not a big fan of the old Pulp. As far as britpop bands go, I put them squarely under Blur and somewhat under Oasis and Supergrass (don't know enough Suede to add them to the rankings - why do all Britpop bands have one word names?) I will admit that common people is an incredible song and maybe the Britpop anthem. Something about Jarvis Cocker and his Robert Smith-esque, whiny and precious delivery, really grates on me though. Some pretty cringy lyrics too. Outside of common people, disco 2000, and the last track, not one I care too much for

Iron Maiden meets Black Flag. Love the face melting solos, driving drums, intense bass and rhythm guitar. Vocals and lyrics are occasionally goofy but still technically impressive, appreciate the Stephen king references too. Surprised how much I enjoyed this

Great 70s pop album. Already knew the big hits, and a couple of their best are on this (Knowing Me, Knowing You and Fernando.) Enjoyed the deep cuts, like Dum Dum Diddle and Tiger, and the super random celtic vibes of the title track are great. Still will probably just throw on ABBA Gold if I'm in the mood for ABBA, but this was fun

Thought Michael Franti was just a one hit wonder with that awful song from like 2007, so this was compelling. Overall I liked this. As much as I agree with the politics here, it does come across as sanctimonious sometimes, but at its best there's some great socially conscious lyrics. It's too damn long, but I did enjoy that Dead Kennedys tribute/remix. Altogether a cool 90s hip hop project I'm glad to have heard, depressing that the US is way more fucking bleak than described in 1992

Great classic rock here. Houses of the holy - trampled - kashmir is an elite run. It does drag for me towards the end and the last side is really weak. But overall, awesome listen, sits below Led Zeppelin IV for me but still one of the band's best. Will round up from 3.5 to 4

Love some T Rex. Experts at toeing the line between Bowie-esque glam and classic rock n roll a la Elvis and Chuck Berry. Gets a bit samey but this has the best songs they ever did

Big meh. Not much here is noteworthy, it's perfectly listenable, very 2002, overproduced. Some decent songs, some snoozers, nothing that's outright bad, all pretty forgettable. Overall just an aggressively dull listening experience

Soo edgy and hateful for no reason. It's a shame because Marshall Mathers was a generational talent but in his prime he loved to waste it on trying to be as shocking as possible, to often really embarrassing results. A soundtrack for an angry suburban white kid who hates his mom and is weird about women. Give me the real slim shady and Stan and the rest can go fuck its mother, as Eminem circa 2000 would probably say. He also sounds like Linda Belcher when he sings on the godawful Kim

Had never heard any UB40 beyond Red Red Wine. I'm all for some good reggae, but goddamn this thing bored me to tears. Appreciate the lyrical content, but about as interesting as elevator music. Only exceptions are the title track, which is a cool reggae soundscape, and burden of shame.

Sweet 60s soul record. What a voice she had, really phenomenal. Nothing negative to say about this one, stone cold classic and will seek it out to own on vinyl.

East coast classic. Some great boom bap, creative samples and a nice flow throughout. Maybe hasn't aged as well as stuff from his contemporaries like Tribe and Public Enemy, and occasionally cringy lyrics, but still a fun listen and a highlight of the golden age of hip hop. Title track is an all time great

God this shit is boring. Just absolutely drags. Clapton: a confessed rapist, a loudmouth racist who made millions off of distinctly black music, a phenom guitarist, and a severely overrated artist. Harder to separate the art from the artist when the art is also mostly dull and soulless, and his guitar chops don't make up for it. First couple songs and layla are alright (not great), the rest makes for a sleepy listen. An hour and fifteen mins, could you love yourself any more? Boomer through and through.

Masterful guitar work from Slash, impressive vocals from Axl Rose. Brilliant hard rock album. First half is perfect, a couple stinkers in the second but mostly consistent. Icy and unrelenting, a snarling sonic kick in the teeth

Poetry, plain and simple. Evocative and eerie and beautiful. One of Cohen's best for sure, and on every listen I pick up on a new thing to love about it in the lyrics and arrangements. People may trash his vocals but I've always found his voice soothing, and the backing singers are exquisite. A stirring record with no skips

Could hardly believe this is a live album, the band sounds so tight. Enjoyed the hell out of this, especially loved Tiger in your tank and I've got my mojo working. There's a reason Muddy Waters is considered a blues legend, and just this alone can tell you why

Had never heard of this guy before. Given the year this came out I wonder if it was overshadowed by Dylan going electric. Just a man and his guitar, a pretty cool acoustic bluesy folk album. Nothing super special lyrically or vocally, but I love this guy's style of fingerpicking, really enjoyed the instrumental tracks especially. Might have to try to learn to play a few of these myself, although most of them are completely beyond me. Crisp and lovely acoustic guitar

I love Tom Petty, one of the best rock vocalists ever, and this is a great debut album. Starts super strong, a few forgettable tracks in the middle, but American Girl is a phenomenal finale, an amazing song. Petty was also a brilliant songwriter and that shines through on here. Only complaint is I wish some of the songs were longer, would love an instrumental freakout on Breakdown. A legend, gone too soon

This is that beep boop beep music. Only track I actually stopped and thought, 'this is cool', was philosophy by numbers. For the rest, might as well have been listening to white noise. I guess I prefer more ambient electronic stuff and less ravey. But to be fair to Orbital, my living room at 9 AM is neither the time nor place for this kinda music

Aw hell yeah. I'm convinced Jack White would rise to the top in any era of rock music. One of the best guitarists ever and I love his strange, warbly vocals. I also dont stand for Meg White slander, her percussion is perfect on this, and her lead performance on the atmospheric "In the cold cold night" is a highlight. They created an international anthem that's still chanted in stadiums around the world with Seven Nation Army and that's not even the peak of the album. Ball and Biscuit into Hardest Button goes incredibly hard. I also really enjoyed the deep cuts like Little Acorns. I think White Blood Cells is still my favorite White Stripes release, but this is probably their all-around best

Beck is a man who can't pick a lane, to glorious results on this one. Love that I can hear the influence of both The Beastie Boys and Hank Williams on this, mixing country and hip hop before it was cool. He hasn't made an album I've cared about in over a decade, but this is prime Beck and its a lot of fun.

Man, this is such a hard one to rate. Biggie Smalls was, or at least presented himself, as a misogynistic, violent bully, and that makes a lot of this a bleak and difficult listen. But, Ready To Die has top tier production and beats, and Biggie was fantastic at what he did. On a bunch of these songs, you're right there looking over his shoulder. He was a master of the craft, a storyteller, and his flow and technical skill is basically unmatched. Where Eminem is edgy for the sake of outrage, Biggie was at least honest, laying out his nihilistic and hateful worldview and seeming to mean every word. To be fair he grew up working class in 80s NYC, height of the crack epidemic, and that could darken anyone's perspective. As cringy as One More Chance and Me and my Bitch are, songs like Machine Gun Funk, Juicy, and Who Shot Ya are all time rap greats. He lived by the gun and died by it far too young, and I dont know how anyone could've been shocked if they'd heard this heavy, cold, cruel gangsta rap classic.

Was looking forward to this one, I love Everybody's talkin but had never heard much else from Nilsson. Way more Beatleesque than I expected. Serious shades of McCartney especially on Down and Jump into the Fire (fantastic tune), which were by far my favorites. Was taken aback by the schmaltz of Without You and the irritating Coconut, so that knocks it down a few pegs for me. Overall, a pleasant and tasteful 70s record, but dont think everything on here is essential.

So has everything.. gigantic pop hooks on Sledgehammer and Big Time, evocative lyrics, percussion and vocals from Brazil to West Africa, Kate Bush. Pretty easy 5 stars, sound is very 80s but in the best way

I'd never really given much UK hip hop or grime a chance for some reason, but wow, this is great. Propulsive beats, clever samples (queens of the stone age, nice), high energy delivery. Perfect soundtrack for my run. I even enjoyed some of the little skits which I rarely do on rap albums, the one with the American gamer edgelord was kinda funny. The two track run of Man into Shutdown made me a Skepta fan, goes hard. Wish it went a little deeper lyrically, a bit heavy on the bravado, and theres one or two flops, especially Ladies Hit Squad, but he's clearly a serious talent

Holy shit. What the hell is this? Had only ever heard Pet Sounds, and while I think its a great record, always felt like it was a bit overrated. But this is something else. They go full psychadelic on this, and I love it. Listening to this felt like watching a David Lynch movie, with the sunny, clean cut American pop veneer and layers of gloom and darkness underneath. The juxtaposition of the amazing album cover with a title like Surfs Up really sums that up. Definitely planning on repeat listens. RIP to the original king of pop

This has superstition on it, so basically an automatic five stars. One of the best songs of all time, and the best sesame street performance of all time (look it up, its awesome.) First half is great, but I absolutely love the second half of Talking Book, every song is essential. I would put Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life ahead of this one personally, but its a super strong beginning to a triumphant decade for Stevie Wonder

I liked this, but honestly thought it would be more interesting. Family affair is a great tune, love some of the instrumentals like the bass line on brave & strong, enjoyed the experimental funk country of spaced cowboy, but a good few of these songs kind of meander to nowhere rather than build into something special. Does get better in the second half, maybe needs more listens for better appreciation

Starting with the positives - kudos to the bassist, some really great, creative basslines throughout the whole thing. I also enjoyed the punky, offkilter drums. But oh my God, john lydon wailing rubbish like an alleycat made this damn near unlistenable at times. The prick couldn't hold a note with a gun to his head, and it just grates. If they had a different vocalist and written more interesting lyrics, would probably have really enjoyed this, but was a fairly insufferable Sunday afternoon soundtrack thanks to johnny rotten. Best tracks are graveyard, socialist, and radio 4 because he doesn't utter a word

Tribe is one of my favorite hip hop acts ever, and easily my favorite hip hop group, so was psyched to get this one. I always have listened to Low End Theory and Midnight Maurauders more, but this is an insane debut. These guys just loved listening to music and making music, and its all so vibrant. The joy of creating this record shines through. The witty lyricism of Q Tip, unique flow of Phife Dawg, and production skills of Shaheed are on full display. Fun samples throughout the whole thing. Even on the goofier tracks like El Segundo and Ham N Eggs, the precision and skill is unmatched. Foundational album right here

The stuff I can remember people saying and writing about Courtney Love is just unhinged misogyny. Any male punk/alt artist with bad behavior is glorified, but I've seen her name dragged through the mud way too often. Hole is a great band, and this is a great, pop-tinged grungy rock album. Some songs are kinda samey, but plenty of cool stuff. Liked Malibu and Boys on the radio especially, pure 90s alternative

Exceedingly rare for an artist to continue to make such compelling, inventive music at the end of their career. Doesn't reach the heights of Blackstar but some really good tracks here, I even liked it more than some 80s Bowie albums (and of course more than all the 90s stuff). Love is Lost is a standout track

Fun at times but cringey, annoying, and unlistenable more often Yo yo yo yo yo yo no

Very pleasant on the ears. I had only heard girl from Ipanema, so most was new to me. Bossa nova is soothing as hell, and I can appreciate this, but I struggled to really distinguish between songs at times, didn't find it super interesting. Would not go so far as to dismiss it as muzak though.

Very sonically interesting in a subtle way, definitely warrants more than one listen. Had only heard individual songs by Lambchop and liked them, so great to listen through an album. Pretty cool stuff, hooked by the various instruments and strange directions the songs would take that I barely could focus on any lyrics, but the ones I caught were weird and intriguing

Love this. You can just hear how great the band's chemistry is on almost every song. Kind of confused why Brass in pocket is considered one of their best songs, its alright but far from my favorite here. Think the energy they bring on songs like tattooed love Boys and the wait is brilliant

This is fine. Whirly-bird is a cool track. Can picture a guy born in like 1930 listening to this on an old timey phonograph, telling me they dont make music like they used to, snapping his fingers along to the beat and hollering "Hot damn these cats are cookin". Nothing against it, I guess I just prefer other forms of jazz to big band/swing, so I'm glad I listened to at least realise that.

I forget how good this band's output in the 90s and early 2000s is. Great debut, low budget but you'd never really know it, gorgeous arrangements and harmonies. Standout tracks for me are Shes Losing It and I Could Be Dreaming. Call them twee, call them precious, but its hard to deny their continued influence on indie pop/folk. Also clearly influenced by some groups i love, from Simon and garfunkel to Yo La Tengo

Hate this. Bittersweet Symphony's a good tune, but its been so co-opted by car and credit card commercials that its lost its shine for me. The whole album otherwise is just aggressively generic. They sound like Driveshaft, the fictional band from Lost, but worse. Lyrically ranges from bad to medicore, musically bland. Singer oscillates between weak Bono and Thom Yorke impressions. These guys aren't unique enough to be taking themselves so seriously. I give 1 stars sparingly, and if it were interesting or had real spirit behind it but still bad, I'd give it two. But the combo of soulless and bad is just too much. Outrageous that this is on the list when groups like Modest Mouse (for a great 1997 release see: The Lonesome Crowded West), and even all time legends like Louis Armstrong and Chuck Berry are omitted.

Its flamin', its groovy, it delivers. Is it just The Stones but less effective? Is it occasionally creepy? Maybe, but i can still dig it man, a fun new-to-me listen. The title track is great, Shakin All Over has a killer solo, love the Louie Louie cover. Often so raw, like you're just listening to these guys jam in their garage

Probably my fourth or fifth favorite Springsteen album, and an easy five stars. Title track and 10th Avenue Freezeout are two of the best rock songs ever. Also feels like the most cohesive Bruce record as a full unit, the keys and Clarence Clemons sax shine throughout the whole thing

Freak On A Leash brought me back to my ten year old self, shredding those weird off kilter riffs on guitar hero and attempting to sing along to the raving meth-addled madness. A decent track still, and I dont hate a lot of the album instrumentally, the drums in particular are impressive. But over an hour of this guy snarling nonsense at me definitely got old. Ice Cube feature was unexpected, what an awful song, and ditto for the Fred Durst one, hilariously bad and the worst song on the album. Pretty Korny, pretty shitty, but not quite as bad as I expected i guess

Pixies move away from the punkier edges of their 80s stuff for poppier hooks on this masterpiece, while still absolutely shredding. Probably their last five star worthy record, although there's definitely a case to be made for Trompe Le Monde. Feels like the pinnacle of the sound they're now chasing with their more characterless recent output

Apparently RCA shelved this for two decades for being too raucous and raw. Thats exactly what I love about it. Sam Cooke's voice is beautiful, one of the best I've ever heard, and A Change is Gonna Come gives me chills every time I hear it, but his studio stuff is super polished. This is a totally different side of him. Feels like you're in the middle of the room where it happened. I love the banter with the crowd, and the band sounds terrific. An amazing living document from an era lost to time

Musicianship on this is insane. From the lead guitar interplay between Duane Allman and Dickey Betts, to the organ solos of Gregg Allman, to the constantly riffing bass and jazzy percussion, just a masterclass. I've barely listened to The Allman brothers studio stuff, so this is maybe a weird entry point, and the sheer length of a couple of the jams took me out of it a bit, but still absolutely rocks.

Listened to this in 2017 and didnt get the hype, and I still don't. There are definitely some good songs here, with funny lyrics and funky bass lines, that are generally a good time. I like the Kendrick feature. But so much of this is just filler to me, its fine, not essential or enough to make the whole album worthwhile really.

Not gonna lie, I saw this and thought oh boy, another 90s English electronica album. But pleasantly surprised, this is a very cool project. Love the punkiness, aggressive beats, and overall energy of the thing. I always liked Sleaford Mods and these guys seem like a clear inspiration for them. Misogyny on first track is out of pocket, but the album is still banger after banger. Overall definitely a fan of this

Exactly what you'd expect, beautiful voice, singing sweet soul melodies, perfect instrumentals to complement, very much in the vein of the great Otis Redding. Nothing groundbreaking other than maybe the title track, but a lovely listen

Everyone wants to talk about Fear of Music, More Songs, Remain in Light, for good reason - but this is one of the best debuts in rock history. I love every single song, and it has some of their very best stuff. Don't Worry About the Government is top five Talking Heads for me, the energy of psycho killer into pulled up is just electric, easy five stars

My favorite White Stripes record. While Elephant may be more consistently great, it doesn't reach the staggering heights of this one. From the absolutely grimy guitar on Dead Leaves to the Citizen Kane-inspired freakout of The Union Forever, from the pure joyful innocence of We're Going to be Friends to the unhinged paranoia of Smell a Rat, this is the duo at their most versatile and thrilling

Lennon keeps things simple on this, and it works so well. The title track has been so widely covered and used in so many campaigns that its become almost trite, but its message really is radical and powerful at its core, even if John never lived up to his activism. Love the countryish vibes of crippled inside, with its ragtime keys. Jealous guy is confessional and raw. Gimme Some Truth is a snarling, fantastic rock song. Oh Yoko is one of my favorite love songs, such minimalist lyrics with the jangly, melodic instrumentals doing the heavy lifting in conveying so much emotion. One of the best solo Beatles releases

Remember loving this one when I was a kid, thank god I grew out of it. Anthony Kiedis, in addition to being a creepy, douchey pedophile by his own admission, is just really fuckin annoying. He pretty much ruins the very good instrumentals with his shitty lyrics ("cock my brain to shoot my load") and aggravating vocal style on a ton of these songs. Suck my Kiss sucks, and is even grosser with the knowledge that he's a sex pest. A Greatest hits RHCP would be an ok listen, and I remember liking Californication more, but they basically parody themselves on so much of this, and it's way too long, didnt know if it would ever end

I actually do enjoy this kind of stuff, as an ambient soundscape in the background while working. But definitely feel like I dont know or care enough about the genre to know what makes this special or essential listening. Also the apple music version is 3.5 hours, which is just insanity if you're not listening passively

Another discovery courtesy of the generator, had never heard of this band. Enjoyed this overall, appreciate the vintage Doors vibes. Nothing blew my mind but not a bad listen

Between Bjork and Sigur Ros, Iceland is the tiny world capital of freaks making ethereal, otherworldly tunes. This demands more than one listen. Its undeniably pretentious with the band even inventing their own language for a song or two, but whatever, they have created an absolutely immersive listening experience. Like youre vibing along to an alien soundtrack which randomly incorporates some classical music and other popular music genres that they overheard on earth. Truly one of a kind and deserves a spot on this list.

Probably the best thing I'd never heard that the generator has introduced me to so far. Expert guitar work, intriguing folky forays into jazz and blues, really cool collection of songs

I enjoy this more than the Marshall Mathers LP. It's got punchier, better production, it's more tongue in cheek, and (god forgive me) pretty funny at times, where Marshall mathers is just bleak. I really do struggle to stomach the insane misogyny though. Either Eminem has a psychopathic-level hatred of women or was just doing it for pure shock value, and idk which is more reprehensible. Like fuck dude, women throughout history and today have been through enough at the hands of shitty violent men. Wonder how his daughter feels now about the sheer hatred he spewed about her mother

I love Nick Drake's music, and he's one of my favorite acoustic guitarists. Always remarkable to me that someone who was in such a dark headspace most of the time created such comforting, beautiful, soulful music. The first four tracks on this are absolutely perfect, I love his unique tunings and picking style and the poetic lyrics. Does fall off for me somewhat in the second half with less memorable tunes, but still some gorgeous playing all the way through, and finishes strong with one of his best, From the Morning. Love the weird album art too

It's psychedelic, sure, but in the waaaay too many tabs of acid and shrooms kinda way, not really the fun way. Lyrically and musically very amateurish, but i do like a couple songs here, namely No Good Trying and No Mans Land. Maybe obvious to say but definitely a good move for Pink Floyd to go a different direction when they did, unfortunately Barrett really lost it by this point

PJ Harvey is one of those artists where, I recognise her influence over a generation of artists and appreciate her, but the music has never clicked. Had only heard Sheela Na Gig before and what a tune, any song that deftly references Carrie and obscure Irish paganism is great in my book. But overall to me this is a good, not great album. Ends strong with Water, but a lot of this I wouldn't necessarily seek out again.

Been seeing headlines lately about AI bands and how they're starting to fool people into thinking they're real. I hope I'm right anyway, but i dont think AI could ever emulate something like this. This is a courageously creative album with surprising, baroque-ish instrumentation and bizarro lyrics. The world needs more arty pop along these lines. Fave tracks - River of Orchids, Green Man, Fruit Nut, Harvest Festival

Automatic for the people is a gloomy, brooding, cohesive masterpiece. This opens strong and closes stronger, theres not a weak track here. Love Stipe's disbelief regarding the state of the nation on Ignoreland, Man on the Moon is a pure classic, and Nightswimming might be one of the most beautiful songs ever made. The production is really incredible too, sound is phenomenal

Only had heard a few tracks from this band, was not expecting to enjoy the album as much as I did. I love Shirley Manson's vocal style where you're hanging on every word, and the washed out, almost shoegazy tone of the guitars. My favorites here are As Heaven is Wide and Vow, which is kinda funny because they're probably the most melodramatic lyrically, but it works for me. Not everything feels essential, but a great album nonetheless

This is an album I find myself returning to often. I think it's Brian Eno's best work outside of his strictly ambient stuff. The wonder that St Elmo's fire evokes, the palpable emotion and epic feel of The Big Ship, and its tranquil sequel in Becalmed, the weird whimsy of I'll Come Running, just pick a track and there's something remarkable. Its a record that makes me feel something every time I hear it. Eno is a composer more than a musician at the core, and these songs are all wonderfully composed

The quintessential Americana album. Really hard to think of another album that threads together rock and roll, country, folk, blues, soul, and gospel so comprehensively. Phenomenal, I could listen to The Weight on a constant loop, but the whole record is just terrific, Caledonia Mission and Chest Fever are underrated.

Does anyone love Morrissey more than Morrissey? What is with the smolder into the camera on every single one of his solo album covers? And how can the son of working class Irish immigrants in Britain be such a far right, racist wanker? But alas, gotta separate the art from the artist. I like this album. The first half is a solid four, with the musicians really giving the songs the Smiths treatment. Second half to me is two stars, a lot of dreary, precious vocals and forgettable songs, although the last track is pretty good. So even though I give a 1 star to the man behind the tunes, this one is a solid 3

Was anybody, with the exception of maybe Zeppelin, making anything that sounded like Supernaut in 1971? These guys are the true pioneers of metal. Don't know if I admire Ozzy's killer vocals or the electrifying riffs and solos of Tony Iommi more. Also appreciate their ability to mix it up, like with the great ballad Changes and the lovely instrumentals on Laguna Sunrise. Would say rest in peace Ozzy, but I prefer to imagine him in some far off celestial space, still living a chaotic, creative existence

First time I've been able to break out the vinyl on this project. My favorite Bowie album. Not as flawless as Ziggy Stardust, but I would argue more fun in its flamboyance, with super compelling lyrics and bold strides in his sound. Has some of his very best with Changes, Life on Mars, Oh You Pretty Things, and my personal favorite, Queen Bitch. Also, screw the Kooks haters, it's a lovely little ditty. Hunky Dory pays homage to Bowie's contemporaries like Dylan and Lou Reed, but the sound is singular

Didn't realise how nerdy early Queen is, damn! I'm here for it for the most part, but the ogre one started to grate when they reenacted the battle. I'd be more of a Queen Greatest Hits guy honestly, had never heard any of this but love the glossy 80s hits like Radio Ga Ga and Under Pressure. A lot of this isnt really my thing but I do think its cool to hear them fully embrace anthemic 70s rock, Brian May could always shred. I like Father to Son and The March of the Black Queen a lot

I love political rap, and Chuck D is the high priest of the genre. Some terrific samples on this, love the James Brown on Nighttrain. Really hits its stride in the middle of the record with By the Time I Get to Arizona and Move. Today I learned from this that Arizona and NH voted against MLK day being a holiday, fucking insane. Bring The Noise with Anthrax is such a fantastic, ballsy move by a group that clearly loves all kinds of music. It doesn't quite stand up to their two masterpieces in Fear of a Black Planet and It Takes A Nation, more filler, but still a great one

Have to say I love the concept here, take a long dead composer's music and play it like gremlins who stumbled across a bunch of meth and a synthesiser. Wasn't too sure about it at first, first few songs are lackluster, but from Blues Variation on I was into it, a lot of fun to listen to. Will be checking out more ELP and Modest Mussorgsky, who I'd never heard of.

Hell yeah. Production on this entire thing is just insane, can't believe it's 40 years old with the quality of the sound, even if its the 80s at its campiest at times. Would probably give 4.5 if it was an option, but screw it, five stars for Everybody Wants To Rule the World and Head over Heels/Broken

I think this is pretty interesting, but a two hour live album with visual effects seems like an awful jumping-in point to a band I've never heard of. I like the sound, gotta love the theremin, but the sci fi slam poetry is goofy. One that certainly must get slated as pretentious, and doesn't always work, but has intrigued me. I can see how this inspired some great modern bands like King Gizzard, Orgone Accumulator is awesome psych nonsense and sounds like it could be one of theirs. Praise be to the generator for the introduction, even if its a weird one.

Kanye West is currently a Nazi piece of shit It has to be said. But in my head, Kanye West died sometime between 2016/17 and is now lost. Honestly I do listen to his music almost never because of who he has become, and have not listened to anything new since 2017 or purchased any music. I wouldn't be surprised if the time around Yeezus was the start of his mental unraveling. This thing is grim, ugly, narcisstic, profane. On I am A God, as ridiculous as the song's lyrical content can be, you can hear the isolation and desperation, almost like he's trying to convince himself rather than listeners that he's a god. I do think this is an incredible album, I can't lie. From a production point of view, its a feast of funk, punk, industrial, dancehall and rock samples that just works on every track. The beat drop on Blood on the Leaves is transcendent. New Slaves is one of his best songs. Bound 2 is a pathetic attempt at a love song by someone who I'm not sure is capable of love, but its also weirdly honest, and love the sample. No rapper is or was making anything that sounds like Hold My Liquor. So just like with Morrissey, it's one star for the person, I refuse to defend him, but I'll die on the hill that this is one of the best rap albums this century

I feel the same way about The Who as I do about Queen, i love the hits and maybe one album but never done a deep dive, so i didnt know a good few of these. I did do a project about Tommy being the first rock opera when I was in middle school, but the reason why really escapes me. Anyway. Always blown away by Keith Moon's percussion. I'd never thought this before, but it seems that Roger Daltry is a huge vocal inspiration for Robert Pollard, its uncanny on some songs, like Tattoo. Honestly would prefer a studio recording, some live albums really work for me but this one often doesnt. Occasionally a very entertaining listen, but i found it uneven and not very engaging, felt more like you had to be there

Mixed feelings on this one. Absolutely love California Dreamin, has to be one of the best 60s songs and spawned some great covers. Also like it when they get doo-woppy, like on Go Where you Wanna Go. I enjoy the vocals of Mama Cass and Michelle Phillips alot more than the guys, so i like the ones where they take the lead more. But, so much of this is so sanitized and clearly just churned out to make money on pop radio that it brings it down. Didn't go in expecting edge from the Mamas and Papas but they play it so safe that a lot of these tunes just utterly lack soul and are dull listens (looking at you, Spanish Harlem)

Totally new-to-me band, hadn't even heard of them. Really unique, sounds kinda like if young Rivers Cuomo fronted Dinosaur Jr. Enjoyed most it a lot, especially the songs that end with fuzzy guitar freakouts.

Much better to my ears than Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Kiedis is still pretty annoying, dont know what the hell he's saying half the time, but when I do understand him he's not always singing about his sexual prowess, and Californication is a lot more nuanced and interesting. Used to listen to this one a lot and a bunch of these songs hold up for me, especially Scar Tissue, Otherside, and the title track. It does fall off in the second half into more of a samey, bland sound, but ends strong with Road Trippin. If not for this album I would kind of hate RHCP, but its a pretty good one

Never been a big U2 fan, but credit where it's due, this is a great album. Probably my favorite of theirs, and definitely think it's their most creative. Every song sounds like it could be on a different album, which keeps it really engaging. The three song run of One - Until the end of the world (great guitar work by The Edge) - Who's gonna ride is elite. Also love The Fly. Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno on production makes up for Bono and his often mediocre lyrics, it sounds terrific

Enjoyed this quite a bit. Tasteful sampling, bouncy as hell, often pretty Daft Punk-esque. My kind of electronica. Liked In My Arms and Paris Four Hundred especially. Title track is funny, I mean sure Huey Lewis probably deserves hellfire for what he's wrought, but what's that preacher got against Weird Al? 3.5 rounded up

Really nothing to say about this that hasn't been said. It is a straight up masterpiece, a perfect album, Ive listened to it countless times from a young age. I imagine listening to this in 1967 was akin to whiplash, ending side 1 with Mr Kite, probably thinking "what the hell was that" and then flipping it over to Within you Without You. Wish that's how I first experienced it. It fires on all cylinders, contains their best creative impulses, and even though the loose chaos collage of the White Album is my favorite, I love the tightly constructed madness of Sgt Pepper, pushing so many boundaries in a clean 45 minutes

So many of these are essentially the same song, but its a perfectly pleasant, silky smooth song. Would never typically listen to an entire sinatra record for that reason, but I enjoyed it fine, especially You Make Me Feel So Young, Too Marvelous for Words and Pennies from Heaven. Also enjoyed hearing ol' blue eyes crooning the words 'silly gigolos'

Another one from the record collection. My copy is used and sounds pretty bad, previous owner must have played the shit out of it in the 80s. Starts with a bang on the title track, absolutely rips. I think Sting is in pretty top form on this one but the other guys bring it down. I just can't in good conscience give 5 stars to an album with Mother on it, that song is so bad. If this wasnt their last album Andy Summers shouldve been kicked out of the band for that monstrosity. Also maybe its just because I've heard it so much, but I think Every Breath you Take is overrated. On the other hand, this has some of their best, absolutely love King of Pain, both Synchronicity I and II, and the dub sound of Wrapped Around Your Finger. I prefer Zenyatta Mondatta but this is still a great one

Sensational is a real stretch. Reminds me of Alice Cooper but less fun, less interesting, and a lot creepier. Above all just boring with a lot of repetition of verses that did nothing for me in the first place. This might have been subversive when it came out but has aged like milk, found it lame

Good album. Always liked Metallica but never heard this one all the way through. The mixing is a bit off, its kind of flat and I feel like it could be more dynamic, but still nice to sit back and listen to some virtuoso percussion and lead guitar. Title track hits too close to home in 2025. One is one of their best songs, love the iconic opening riff/solo and the song's progression. I did find a few songs boring though, its definitely not as consistently good as Master of Puppets

A foundational album in the realm of dream pop, a genre I really enjoy. Like most people i dont understand a goddamn thing Elizabeth Fraser sings but it doesn't matter - her Kate Bush-esque vocals are stunning and perfect for the music. It's truly heavenly, so swirly and soothing. Impressive to me that only three people can achieve this sound. I love the title track and Fotzepolitic the most, but every song is fantastic, no filler for me. Feels timeless too, an album that continues to influence and I'm sure will for a long time. Enchanting listen

Maybe its cool to hate on Eagles ever since The Big Lebowski, as so many of the reviews here show, but frankly I think thats pretty overblown and dismissive. This is a solid dad rock album. A lot of stuff on here is cheesy for sure, the ballads (with the exception of Peaceful Easy Feeling) bore the hell out of me, but Take It Easy is one of the best country rock songs ever, makes me wanna just hit the open road. I like Witchy Woman too, and ends strong with the rockin Tryin'. A mixed bag for me personally, they're really a greatest hits band, but this is definitely worthy of this list for that nice 70s laurel canyon-style sound

I listened to loveless before this for context, since I know this is the band's big comeback but hadn't heard either. It didn't grab me at first like loveless did, but the latter half of this really grew interesting fast. Wonder 2 sounds like someone spinning the AM dial on a broken radio, with a distant station playing some kind of 50s pop cropping up amid the droney chaos. Super cool and unique sonic experience. A really hard one to rate, feels like an album and band thats very dependent on mood, sometimes might go 4 and other days 2 even, today I'll go down the middle with a 3

There's a good 35 minute album in here, but it's unfortunately bloated beyond belief. Aguilera is an undeniable talent, great voice. The middle section is the peak for sure, i liked Make Over, and maybe I'm a sap, but Beautiful is a lovely song. Lil Kim feature is good too, and Dirrty is kind of a banger. But a lot of this is absolutely forgettable and could've been cut, really brings it down for me.

Probably my favorite live album, i spin this pretty much every month at least once. Showcases the two sides of Neil with some excellent acoustic songwriting on the first side; I love the poetry of Thrasher and the wistfulness of Pocahontas especially. Then flip it over and you've got some incredible proto-grunge, Powderfinger is my favorite Neil Young song from a lyrical and musical standpoint, that chorus riff is just awesome, and it tells such a vivid, great story in so few words. And concluding the show with Hey Hey, My My, raucously inverting the intro in a way that matches the song's message perfectly. Old Neil decided to rust instead of burn out and I'm glad he did, saw his show last month and he's still got it

Pretty enjoyable, guitar-driven and super melodic alt rock. Some of the songs here felt a little generic and lacking flavor. It sounds really like Pixies lite on a couple songs like A Good Idea, I know husker du really influenced Pixies but in turn Mould was definitely going for that sound here. On the other hand, Hoover Dam and If I Can't Change Your Mind are great songs.

Listened to this in absolute darkness late at night, which elevated the experience for sure. Dirge is stellar, I'm a sucker for a good looped track and I love the slow build with the piled-on layers. Iggy Pop's manic vocals on Aisha are bizarre in the best way. Every song on this is interesting in some aspect, and just as things are getting increasingly grimy and sinister they throw a lighter curveball. One of my favorite new-to-me albums I've heard on this project so far, love how defiant of genre it is

Learned something from listening to this - I only really like the Smiths when the songs are tight, melodic indie pop songs. Really did not enjoy most of this at all, just a meandering, sullen, whiney Morrissey overpowering most songs. I like the funky bass riff on Barbarism Begins At Home, Marr's guitar work, and not much else. And I'd be sympathetic to vegetarianism, I've attempted it myself and I think factory farming is messed up. But Morrissey's sanctimonious bullshit on the title track is not convincing, I'm sure its just made people crave a big steak for dinner to spite him

Punk as fuck, in every sense of the word. Says on Wikipedia that this has been cited as an influence on artists as diverse as Yo La Tengo, the Dead Kennedys, and the White Stripes, can definitely hear it and I love that

13 year old me might have been appalled at this take, but sometimes there's a reason why music is popular. Despite hearing these songs in every dentist office and department store and getting sick of them for like a five year period, its a pretty decent album. I'll give my edgy teenage self one point of agreement that Someone Like You kind of sucks, I wish she ended on the Cure cover. The rest is a well-produced, if not a tad bland, pop soul album, with impressive vocals. Its not to my taste but still good on a technical level

That voice! Absolutely gorgeous. I'm somewhat skeptical of the term Afropop, since Africa is a whole damn continent, but I've always loved that genre and most of the music I've heard out of West and especially Southern Africa. Such a warm, breezy quality to it, and this record perfectly encapsulates that style with some American flourishes. Don't know how anyone can walk away from this one not in a better mood than when they went in

I'm a big fan of Joni Mitchell's early folk stuff and had never heard this.. not sure how i feel about it. Was enjoyable enough but I think I just prefer the sparse sounds of her unique guitar playing accompanied by great lyrics, like on Blue. I don't think the extra instrumentals add much to her music. Raised on Robbery is a great tune but I didn't find a whole lot else compelling. And I find the jazzier tracks, especially Twisted, kind of cringy in the context of Mitchell using blackface throughout her career and defending it as recently as 2017. You're a white woman from Canada, Joni, no matter if you say you feel like a black man in your soul (yikes). Its not a bad record but probably overrated, and doesn't have shit on Blue or even Ladies of the Canyon.

Plenty of fuzzy guitar goodness and I love the percussion section with so many fun fills. Cream had that psych blues sound down, really cool record thats very of the era

Some songs sound like if The Kinks went in a psychedelic direction, which is cool, but a lot of this is pretty generic 60s rock. It does improve in the second half. Not bad, but didnt move me, kinda doubting the essentiality of it

God I love this one, so nostalgic. Can't decide if this or The Suburbs is my favorite Arcade Fire. I love the creeping, propulsive darkness of so many of these songs, starting on the excellent opener. At the same time they maintain their signature punky/chamber pop/heartland rock mashup sound. I could write a paragraph about every track. Keep The Car Running is a truly Bruce-esque banger. I can't think of another song by any artist that utilises the organ better than Intervention, and then they do it again on the theatrical My Body is a Cage. Its a shame what's become of the band, but every good thing must end, and they were a great thing in their day.

Some of this is great, you can hear the Prince influence, and I love the baroque flourishes on tracks like Dear Jessie. Like A Prayer is a real earworm. Some of this bored me quite a bit. Pray For Spanish Eyes, for example, is just not a good song whatever way you cut it. Still, overall its not bad for super mainstream 80s pop.