170
Albums Rated
2.98
Average Rating
16%
Complete
919 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
2000
Favorite Decade
Folk
Favorite Genre
other
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
10
5-Star Albums
12
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
Top Styles
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Live At Leeds
The Who
|
5 | 3.31 | +1.69 |
|
Licensed To Ill
Beastie Boys
|
5 | 3.54 | +1.46 |
|
Funeral
Arcade Fire
|
5 | 3.55 | +1.45 |
|
Dummy
Portishead
|
5 | 3.71 | +1.29 |
|
Is This It
The Strokes
|
5 | 3.81 | +1.19 |
|
Brutal Youth
Elvis Costello
|
4 | 2.81 | +1.19 |
|
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Simon & Garfunkel
|
5 | 3.95 | +1.05 |
|
London Calling
The Clash
|
5 | 3.96 | +1.04 |
|
Sunshine Hit Me
The Bees
|
4 | 2.97 | +1.03 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Dust
Screaming Trees
|
1 | 3.16 | -2.16 |
|
Suede
Suede
|
1 | 3.1 | -2.1 |
|
Golden Hour
Kacey Musgraves
|
1 | 3.08 | -2.08 |
|
The Rising
Bruce Springsteen
|
1 | 3.05 | -2.05 |
|
The Nightfly
Donald Fagen
|
1 | 3.02 | -2.02 |
|
BEYONCÉ
Beyoncé
|
1 | 2.86 | -1.86 |
|
Disintegration
The Cure
|
2 | 3.86 | -1.86 |
|
California
American Music Club
|
1 | 2.69 | -1.69 |
|
New Boots And Panties
Ian Dury
|
1 | 2.69 | -1.69 |
|
Idlewild
Everything But The Girl
|
1 | 2.58 | -1.58 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Beatles | 2 | 5 |
5-Star Albums (10)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Kacey Musgraves · 1 likes
1/5
Definitely not my jam, but she has a nice voice. Every song seems the same as the last, mostly nouveau country blecch
1-Star Albums (12)
All Ratings
Michael Jackson
3/5
First 2 tracks were my favorite. Sounds a bit korny hearing all the synth and 80’s like jams.
Badly Drawn Boy
4/5
Quite enjoyable.
Get some Jeff Mangum and Wilco vibes.
Favorite tracks:
The Shining
Stone on the Water
Once Around the block
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Paul Simon
4/5
Fantastic! Not a real dud on the album and lots of great jams. Faves include:
Graceland
Homeless (lady smith black mambazo!!)
You can call me Al (holey saxamoley!)
Diamonds on the soles of her shoes
Crazy love
Beatles
5/5
Though it’s a bit all over the map and lacks album level cohesiveness there’s a ton of really great, hooky songs in here. My favorites include:
While my guitar gently weeps
Happiness is a warm gun
Blackbird
Rocky raccoon
Helped shelter
Revolution 1
Steely Dan
2/5
Not really my jam but you can tell the craftsmanship of the musicians. No real standout songs.
The Temptations
3/5
Solid funk. Papa was a rolling stone was a standout. Not too shabby.
Beyoncé
1/5
Very unremarkable. Too synthetic and overproduced. Lacking soul.
XTC
2/5
Jammy in spots, but overall just ok.
Standout is probably “dear god” and “earn enough for us”
CHIC
2/5
First 2 tracks are real bangers: “chic cheer” and “Le freak”. But the rest of the album feels a bit one dimensional and derivative.
Some slick bass lines.
Pere Ubu
2/5
Interesting, bit of an oddball. Starts pretty strong but tapers off. Fave track is “on the surface”. Off kilter vocals are a bit grating at times, but some fat bass and out there guitar licks.
The Who
5/5
KEITH MOON DRUMMING!!!
One of the best live albums start to stop, not a bad song in the whole album. Sound production is top notch. Entwhistle’s bass is on fire!
Fave tracks: I can’t explain, a quick one while he’s away, young man blues, substitute
Screaming Trees
1/5
Completely unremarkable. Not sure why this is on here?
Nirvana
4/5
Lots of great songs on this album, and no real misses. Forgot how good it is, was one of the first CD’s I owned
Eels
2/5
Mostly unforgettable tracks. 90’s guitar riffs and some plinky plonky piano but it doesn’t do a whole lot for me. Kinda like a harsher, grungier Weezer.
Fave tracks: Novocaine for the soul, my beloved monster
Metallica
4/5
Lots of really great tunes on this album that even a non-metalhead can appreciate. Love the guitar work and drumming. Standouts: enter sandman, sad but true, nothing else matters
Sigur Rós
4/5
Beautiful, unique, evocative and serene. Most songs are good. Faves include: Svefn-g-englar, ny-batteri, agaetis-byrjun
Talking Heads
3/5
Honestly not as good as their other stuff but of course psycho killer is fab. Original version doesn’t include sugar on my tongue which is also great. Tropical vibes and great bass lines but not their best.
Kacey Musgraves
1/5
Definitely not my jam, but she has a nice voice. Every song seems the same as the last, mostly nouveau country blecch
Grateful Dead
3/5
Jammy, jazzy, but just ok. I don’t know much about the dead but wouldn’t call this groundbreaking.
The Flaming Lips
2/5
Just an ok concept album. Decent in parts but not a lot I’d go back to relative to their other work. Fave track: “do you realize”.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Enjoyable but wouldn’t call it fantastic. Sea shanty vibes but Nick Cave has a stellar voice. Comes out hot but drags a bit in the middle. Fave tracks: Papa won’t leave you Henry, and John Finn’s wife
Elvis Presley
4/5
Pretty interesting, didn’t know this one. Great backing band and even better backing singers! Some real gems: wearing that loved on look (hooray for the Sadie’s introducing me to it), suspicious minds and in the ghetto.
Harry Nilsson
3/5
Didn’t know anything about him but do recognize a few songs. Pretty good! Cant tell what’s original vs cover though. I get some Beatles coming through interesting and varied.
Big Star
3/5
Decent. Recognize “in the street” from that 70’s show. Also dug “thirteen”. Get some big hair, zeppelin vibes.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Not really a bad song on the album even if it isn’t my favorite of theirs. Stones in their prime, just a great baseline floor. Does taper off a bit at the end. My faves include: “tumbling dice”, “rocks off”, “shake your hips”
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
So many great songs on here this album is a classic. Faves include: only living boy in New York, bridge over troubled water, el condor pasa, Cecilia, baby driver. Super harmonies!
Suede
1/5
Did nothing for me. Just go hum didn’t like the lead singers vocals.
Donald Fagen
1/5
Boring. Maybe the initial synth and computer generated sounding stuff was original at the time but this ain’t it for me.
Pixies
4/5
Just a great album. Love none machine, gigantic, where is my mind. Wacko lyrics and jammy guitars. Beaut!
Al Green
4/5
What a voice! Love the title track and “how can you mend a broken heart”. Groovy love (and loss) songs.
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
Lots of hits on this one: “zero”, “tonight tonight”, “1979”, “bullet with butterfly wings”. Kind of forgot how heavy it was! Loses a star due to sheer length (2+hours)
Aerosmith
2/5
No recognizable hits on this. Some decent guitar riffs and jangly boogie woogie type sounds (“get the lead out” being a fave). Feels like the early dawn of hair bands. Good for dive bars but top 1000? Feels like a stretch.
Sarah Vaughan
3/5
What a voice. First time hearing a live album of hers and it was pretty good. Liked the candid banter and improv at the end of “willow wait for me”. Honeysuckle rose is of course another classic and standout. Backing band is on point.
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
Enjoyed most of this but not as much as their other work. Classic hits include “America” and “Mrs. Robinson” but I also liked “At the Zoo” and “Punky’s Dilemma”. A bit too try hard at times. Eg. Voices of old people.
Elton John
3/5
What a start! Two instantly recognizable classics to kick things off though for me things tend to quiet down from there. Love the recording of the piano.
The Mothers Of Invention
1/5
Good lord this stinks. Think I need to be high to tolerate. Totally disjointed, barely music. Sure some of the production effects may have been interesting/creepy at the time but I can’t believe anyone would give these guys money.
Prince
3/5
This album is a bop! Great party anthems at the start. “Let’s go crazy”, “when doves cry”, “darling Nicki”. Purple rain is Prince’s stairway to heaven.
The Stooges
3/5
Fave track is the first. Equal parts garage rocking with some bluesy funk for god measure. “Search and destroy” is my fave
Napalm Death
1/5
Not my cup of tea. Some of the guitar riffs and drumming are actually good but boy do I dislike the vocals.
Arcade Fire
3/5
It’s good but not their finest work. Standouts to me are the title track: “the suburbs” and “we used to wait”
David Bowie
3/5
Pretty good. Hadn’t heard this except “golden years” which I thoroughly enjoy. Some funky-ness and operatic moments (hello thin white duke). Solid.
The White Stripes
4/5
Fun stuff but still not as impactful to me as their first album. Lots of output from just two folks. My fave tracks are: “hardest button to button”, “in the cold cold night”, cover of “I just don’t know what to do with myself” and “you have no faith in medicine”. Though overplayed the intro to seven nation army is classic too.
Metallica
3/5
Punchy start! Can see why impressionable teenage men would lap this stuff up. “Battery”, “master of puppets” and “disposable heroes” were the standouts for me.
The Prodigy
4/5
When this initially came out I didn’t enjoy it, but now I can appreciate some of these bangers “firestarter”, “smack my bitch up”, “breathe” are all popular standouts. Hype beats but it does feel like it all goes at the same BPM and as an album it can feel a bit one dimensional at times. Solid stuff!
Dolly Parton
2/5
Quite the super group! Unfortunately this probably needs more listens to appreciate the songwriting but a lot of these blended into the others. No real standouts for me.
American Music Club
1/5
Can’t find on Spotify but what I did listen to was meh. Pretty bland
Norah Jones
3/5
Pretty solid easy jazzy debut. Norah Jones has a stellar voice but no track shines brighter than her mega hit “don’t know why”. The rest is kinda background fodder.
Public Enemy
3/5
Yeah booyy! Pretty groundbreaking early hip hop that mostly stands the test of time. Chuck D waxes poetically and the beats are pretty great. Standouts: “don’t believe the hype”, “night of the living baseheads”, “party for your right to fight”
Franz Ferdinand
4/5
Not a bad song on the album! Great catchy grooves, highly danceable and up beat. Love it! “Jacqueline”, “tell her tonight”, “take me out”, “dark if the matinee”, and “this fire” were all bops.
The 13th Floor Elevators
2/5
You’re gonna miss me is great but I found the rest of the album a bit lacking redundant. That electric jug was driving me nuts by about the fourth song. Would have been more effective if used sparingly!
Curtis Mayfield
2/5
Good soulful jams and that voice! And that cover! But nothing that stood out as must listen on repeat.
Bruce Springsteen
1/5
1001 best albums? Really? Totally unmemorable to me. No real standouts, just bland and boring.
Stan Getz
4/5
Great inclusion I wasn’t aware of. Smooth, mellow and easy breezy. Great weekend listening all along.
Portishead
3/5
While not as strong to me as their earlier work it still has the haunting impending doom like march that i find intriguing. In addition to the vocals I quite enjoy the varied and downtempo beats too especially on “we carry on”.
B.B. King
4/5
What a great live album! Totally swingin’, BB at his peak, great licks, an awesome backing band and it feels like you’re right there in the groove. Totally dig it! Faves are “please love me” and “how blue can you get”. Also what’s going with the start of “you upset me baby”. Why the re-intro and switch? Loses all momentum of the live sequencing.
King Crimson
2/5
Totally new to me. Very out there get proto pros rock hints but fairly off kilter. Not sure I’d go back and listen again but the musicians have talent and seems like they were allowed to run wild with whatever instruments they could find. Could see a band like GYBE being influenced by this.
The Beach Boys
4/5
Great album. The harmonies, the orchestration perfectly arranged. A more mature beach boys. Love “wouldn’t it be nice”, “sloop John b” and “god only knows”. rip Brian Wilson!
The Cure
2/5
Lush instrumentation but a bit sandy same for me and doesn’t do a lot (I’ve never really gotten into the cure). Dig some of the guitar work on “pictures of you” but nothing something I’d rush to go back to.
The Charlatans
2/5
Unmemorable. A bit of a whinier oasis. Just fairly bland.
Death In Vegas
2/5
Just ok. Liked some of the moody beats on “dirge” but the rest just kind of blended and dint do much for me. Was excited by the prospect of Iggy on “Aisha” but it mostly fell flat.
The Adverts
2/5
I’ve been on a uk punk binge lately but this doesn’t really do anything for me. Meh.
Beck
3/5
Pretty solid. Like the samples but sometimes verge on being a bit corny (same with the lyrics). Good beats, fun to bop to. Faves are first 3 tracks: “E-Pro”, “Girl”, and “Que’Onda Guero”. Plus “Hell yes”.
Keith Jarrett
4/5
Wow! Totally caught off guard and surprised by this. Not sure I’d call it jazz more contemporary classical? I get hits of Rachel’s and post rock piano crossed with thelonious monk. Then I read it was all improvised?!? Brilliant!
Astor Piazzolla
2/5
Listened to this while running and another one I wouldn’t have picked (it also doesn’t do so well as running background). I like the vibraphone and accordion like sounds, clearly talented musicians but I don’t get a lot of tango from it. More jazzy fusion. Just ok for my taste buds. I’m ready to rock.
George Michael
3/5
Grew up on this album but it’s a bit funny to hear the lyrics now. All this singing about girls and knowing my man is just collecting a paycheck. First 3 songs are best: “faith”, “father figure” and “I want your sex”
Nanci Griffith
2/5
I’m not generally much of a country fan but this was just alright. I do like her voice and some of the lyrics in parts but it’s not something I’m likely to go back to. Not knowing anything about her or the context I’m struggling to see why this should be deemed essential listening?
Dire Straits
3/5
Starts out so strong “so far away”, “money for nothing”, and “walk of life”, but then falls off a cliff of quiet boring nothingness until “brothers in arms” for me.
Some of the lyrics don’t really stand the test of time either.
The Strokes
5/5
Not a bad song on the album really. This hit at a musical peak for me so I’m totally biased but it’s a killer album and still holds up. My faves: “some day”, “take it or leave it”, “New York city cops”, and “last night”.
The Smiths
3/5
Some good tunes on this but I do find the smiths a bit one dimensional. Lyrics are clever “frankly Mr. Shankley”, but Morrissey is a bit of a douche. Other fave tracks: “there is a light…”, “bigmouth strikes again”.
Marianne Faithfull
3/5
A bit of a mixed bag but overall enjoyable. She has an interesting sounding voice, swears like a sailor and it turns out has lived quite the life(all new to me). Looking past that and focusing on the songs I dug “broken English” l, her take on lennon’s “working class hero”, and “why’d you do it”
Big Star
2/5
Second big star album and not as initially catchy as their self titled album. Dug their cover of femme fatale but not much else going on with this.
The Only Ones
3/5
Was debating between 2 and 3 for this, but decided to round up. Tight guitar work and some good songs “another girl, another planet” is my fave, but it loses points for the singers voice. Like a crappier buzzcocks
DJ Shadow
4/5
Outstanding! Genre defining and really creative sampling technique in this long in the making debut album. Was waffling between 4 and 5, but will round down for the time being. Fave tracks: “organ donor” (what a beat!), “changling” and “napalm brain”.
Megadeth
2/5
Some grooves and wild guitar riffs but feels like second rate Metallica to me. That live second disk stunk.
3/5
A NY love letter. Didn’t know too much about PJ Harvey but did enjoy it overall especially the Thom Yorke collabs: “this mess we’re in”
Joni Mitchell
4/5
Classic! What more can you say really, lots of really solid tracks. “All I want”, “Carey”, “California”.
Black Sabbath
4/5
Genre setting! What a lead off in “Black Sabbath” (when the guitars really kick in and the second half). Totally rifftastic, this album is full of bangers: “the wizard”, N.i.B.” Sad to be given this just after Ozzy has died but this albums great!
Sonic Youth
3/5
I’m a pretty big sonic youth fan and this album starts out great “dirty boots”, but does tend to fall off at the end. Not their best stuff despite some of their biggest commercial hits. Dig “kool thing” too.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Waffling between a 3 and a 4 on this one. After “you are the sunshine of my life” it remains kinda slow and overly sappy, but of course kicks into high gear with the funky, stellar “superstition”. I also dig the closer “I believe…”. I’m feeling generous so we’re rounding up!
Billy Joel
3/5
Better than I expected! Lots to bop along to, didn’t realize “Just the way you are” was his and not Stevie wonder’s. Also dug “movin out” and “only the good die young”. Pretty solid.
Thin Lizzy
4/5
A fun romp, better than expected! Quite enjoyed the initial “jailbreak”, “Rosalie / cowgirls song” and “the boys are back in town”.
Coldplay
3/5
Don’t care much for their later stuff but I liked this album both when it first came out and still now. Most songs are above average and there’s some great stuff: “shiver” and “sparks” plus the hits “trouble” and “yellow”. They got a lot of flack and are a bit whiney but still deece.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
I like Nick Cave and this is definitely an interesting concept but as a result it feels a bit one dimensional (despite the interesting guest singers). Had high hopes for Bob Dylan’s “death is not the end” given the supporting cast of Shane McGowan, PJ Harvey, Kylie Monique ?! But it didn’t move me. Fave track: “Stagger Lee”
Rocket From The Crypt
3/5
As a native San Diegan I am pretty partial to all things Swami. This album is full of high energy, but its pretty 1-speed throughout. Fave tracks: "born in '69", "on a rope", "young livers"
The Temptations
3/5
At first I didn't like this as much as what I'd consider the "classic" temptations. More motown, less funk, but this grew on me with a second listen. Standouts: "Hey Girl", "I gotta Find a Way". Was pumped for I heard it through the grapevine but i'm not digging this rendetion.
Alanis Morissette
4/5
There are a lot of great songs on this I have to admit. My faves are "head over feet", "you oughta know", "ironic", "hand in my pocket". Alanis has a great voice.
Yes
3/5
Only knew Roundabout, and there's some great bass and guitar riffs on this (though I can do without all the various keyboard overload). "Heart of the sunrise" was a real ripper!
Funkadelic
2/5
Couldn't find this on spotify but listened on youtube. Not bad, but not great. Every funkin' song did nothing but funkin' look for funk to insert funk. Just meh
The Verve
2/5
Fairly boring. Had heard bitersweet symphony and lucky man before, with lucky man being my favorite but the songs kind of blend and I wouldn't go back to it.
Traffic
2/5
Decent but hardly essential. Dug the tracks with saxophone as player A. Rocky, jazzy but fairly unmemorable with no real stand-out tracks.
New York Dolls
3/5
First time hearing by a whole album by the New York dolls. Overall pretty fun, seems like some gritty, drug fueled looseness ala The Rolling Stones or the deadly snakes (for a more modern take). I get they influenced a lot of punk and progressive rock later but I’m getting more velvet underground rock and roll vibes. Solid but not blown away.
John Lennon
3/5
Overall I liked it. Imagine is iconic, but my favorite song is "jealous guy". There's some hits and some misses, but too me not as good as a full beatles album (the whole being greater than the sum of the parts). Good instrumentation.
The Last Shadow Puppets
4/5
Totally new to me, but I really dug Arctic Monkeys first album and the lead singers voice. Album starts really strong, and the first track "the age of the understatement" is my favourite. Its like arctic monkeys meets a cinematic orchestra. Pretty upbeat, good guitar work and overall consistently good songs.
Arcade Fire
5/5
Totally biased but who else do you rate the album you listened to when you first fell in love?
There isn't a bad song on the album (well maybe the last track "in the backseat"). Seriously, so good. Evokes memories of Montreal. Lush instrumentation, growing up and finding oneself.
Fave tracks: neighborhood #1, wake up, rebellion (lies), une annee sans lumieres.
My favorite album my them, that also happens to be their first (major).
Massive Attack
4/5
Ahead of its time! I like trip hop and I guess some claim this one kicked the whole genre off. That being said I don’t think it’s their best album. Dig the bass heaviness of “safe from harm” and the dubnovertones and Horace Andy’s deep bellows on “five man army” the most.
Sonic Youth
3/5
Really dig the guitars in this album, but it does devolve a bit too far at times for my taste. Overall solid and I hadn’t spent too much time with this album relative to their other work. Still not a huge fan of Kim Gordon singing. Fave tracks: “Schizophrenia”, “catholic block”, “Kotton Krown”.
The Clash
5/5
Top to bottom an absolute classic! One of the best albums of all time in my mind. Catchy hooks, great lyrics. Love the ska forays. Not a bad song in the album and tons of hits too. My personal faves: “London Calling”, “Rudy can’t fail”, “clampdown”, “train in vain”
Thelonious Monk
4/5
Love it! Another great album this week. Good background fodder, plainly plonk piano and Sonny on sax. Fave tracks: “Bemsha swing” and “brilliant corners”.
Elvis Costello
4/5
Really solid stuff. More polished than some of his early albums and a good number of hits. My faves: “kinder murder”, “13 steps lead down”, “just about glad”. But really every song is great, end to end.
Laura Nyro
2/5
Knew nothing about her and if I had to guess I would have thought late 70’s early 80’s woman power funky jazzy chanteuse. Boy was I surprised to find late 60’s instead, so feels a bit ahead of its time? That being said though I enjoyed it I don’t think it’s esssential. She has a nice voice and the album was well arranged and produced.
Jorge Ben Jor
4/5
This one caught me by surprise in the best way! Knew nothing about him, but really dug the samba meets soul + funk mash-up. Favorite tracks were the first: "Ponta de Lanca Africano" and "Taj Mahal". Sounds very bedouin to me, getting some mulatu atsaske vibes.
Paul McCartney and Wings
4/5
Knew "Band on the run" but not much else from Wings and post-beatles McCartney. There's lots to love on this album, and "Band on the run" is better than I remember and chock full of hooks and tempo changes. "Jet" is a great rocker too, put possibly my favorite is "Let me roll it". Closing track "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five" bops too. Great stuff.
The Beach Boys
3/5
Quite a dark, moody, and crazy over the top variety of sounds/instruments from a "typical" beach boys album, so in that sense its a bit refreshing. Unfortunately it didn't really resonate much with me. Lots of environmental references and it comes off a bit chintzy. Fave track was "Surf's up", and least fave is "student demonstration time" -- da fuk was that?
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
2/5
Heavy public enemy vibes. Some of the lyrics are prescient, had no idea this was Michael Franti. Fave track "Television the drug of the nation". Not an album I'd crave going back to though.
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
A groundbreaking album at the time, but hearing it back now it does come off as a bit simplistic and repetitive in terms of beats/sampling. Lyrics can be corny too, but interesting cross-over. Fave tracks are "It's like that" and "Hard times"
Miles Davis
3/5
2 songs in 40 minutes. Miles exploring guitar fusion, is good and full of interesting grooves and improvisations, but I think I still prefer the more straight-ahead, earlier work of his. Solid, but not essential.
Queen
3/5
So this is mixed really well and has super high-production values, I also really love Freddy Mercury's voice. But! Most of this isn't my jam, as it feels all over the place and lacking cohesion. Fave tracks "You're my best friend" and "Bohemian Rhapsody".
Chicago
3/5
Overall pretty enjoyable. Like the horn section. Lots of upbeat anthems, jazzy funk too. Some songs dwindle on a bit too long, and oh god I can do without "Free Form Guitar". My faves are "Poem 58", and "I'm a man".
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
A great album, not his absolute best hits but also not a real bad track on the album. A bit darker and more downtempo but still groovy. Fave tracks are: “Concrete jungle”, “stir it up” (though I prefer the early studio one stuff), “high tide or low tide”
Traffic
2/5
Second traffic album on this list another one I don’t plan to return to. Just ok. Had no idea they were the originators of “feelin’ alright?” And that’s the best track on this album.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
4/5
Love it. Big band big energy. Hits real hard out of the gate with “the kid from reels bank” and also really dug “spanky”. Makes me want to swing dance!
Talking Heads
3/5
Grew on me but not my favorite talking heads album. Liked their cover of “take me to the river” and “stay hungry”. All of these songs were new to me though.
Mekons
2/5
Didn’t do much for me. No real standouts. Kinda whiney.
Todd Rundgren
2/5
Not a fan. Maybe this was precursor to electronic music but it sounds pretty full of itself, and full of deranged circus samples. Just meh.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
Great debut album that still holds up. Love the guitar/bass and drumming. "maps" is stellar, but I also love the low end on "date with the night". "Y control" and "Pin" are good too, but not too many duds on this one.
Radiohead
5/5
While listening I forgot how many great tracks were on this album (and not later albums like I originally thought). Its still not peak radiohead for me, but pretty damn close. Favorites for me are "Fake plastic trees", "High and Dry", "Street Spirit", and "Just". And all of these have amazing videos that I still remember to this day. Phenomenal!
The Human League
2/5
80's synth is not typically my jam, and there were a few bops (of course the classic club anthem "Don't you want me baby" fits here), but the rest were pretty unmemorable. The lyrics are dated and don't hold up either.
The Byrds
3/5
Enjoyable. I liked it but not loved it. Nice melodies and pop sensibilities. Beatles-esque. Fave tracks are “Have you seen her face” and the Dylan cover “my back pages”
Bob Dylan
4/5
This one grew on me now that I’ve had some time to let it marinate. Yes Bob Dylan has a terrible voice but his lyrics often put a puzzling smile on my face. Not my favorite of his works but I do prefer bluesy rock Dylan over folksy Dylan. Faves for me: “like a rolling stone” (of course), “tombstone blues” and I really dug the loose organ and open recorded drumming of “ballad of a thin man”.
Bauhaus
2/5
Didn’t know anything about these guys and based on some of the lyrics I was thinking early goth German band around the fall of the Berlin Wall. Guess I was wrong! Overall this didn’t do much for me but I did enjoy some of the instrumentation. The mix sounded kinda crappy though and didn’t like the singers voice. Wouldn’t go back to.
MGMT
4/5
This was a fun, nostalgic listen. Just jammy though the singing is a bit meh. Love the smorgasbord of beats and instrumentation. Fave tracks are: “kids” and “time to pretend” but with a few duds in between.
Shivkumar Sharma
2/5
This was interesting and glad I got exposed to it. Cant say I’m a connoisseur of raga music or tabla etc. but I enjoyed the drumming and tempo changes. However it felt like one long song and was hard to tell them apart if this is supposed to be a shepherds journey through the day. Probably wouldn’t return to it.
Supertramp
3/5
Pretty fun, solid, and enjoyable. Was already familiar with "bloody well right" and "dreamer", but the rest was new to me. Not otherworldly but decent.
Nick Drake
4/5
A lovely 28 minutes. Have listened to a lot Nick Drake over the years and find his music simple yet comforting. Lead off track “pink moon” is a favorite (and like many my age how I found out about him long after he passed) but overall this album is solid back to front.
Primal Scream
2/5
Didn’t particularly enjoy this one. Get some hints of trip hop and dub but not a lot of grooves. Just kinda meh for me.
AC/DC
3/5
I think with AC/DC you know what you are going to get. Fun but not essential. Great guitar picks. “Highway to hell” and “beating around the bush” were best for me.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
3/5
Had this cd back in the day and this album runs hot and cold (Spotify version has a bunch of mostly crap in it). Love the sound of the drums and some of the guitar licks but Jon Spencer to me always sounded like he was going for a second rate Elvis. Dave’s for me are “wail” and “2Kindsa love”.
FKA twigs
2/5
Meh, every song sounded the same and this didn’t do much for me. The singer has a nice voice at times but everything feels overproduced and lacking soul. Seems like the type of thing a rich white kid in the burbs with a high powered laptop could put together. Slightly intriguing but certainly not essential.
Destiny's Child
2/5
Tried to go in to this one with an open mind and had obviously heard the first 3 tracks but looking back I didn’t recognize how corporate and produced this album was starting with the lead off Charlie’s Angels megahit “independent women”. Kind of funny to took about being bootyliscious and in the very next song calling someone a nasty girl. Talk about ironic! Are the harmonies good? Yes. Is there talent there? Yes. But is this music for the Starbucks sipping basic bitch set? Also yes.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
3/5
Didn’t realize how funky this album was. Knew its place in hip hop history (and “the message” is still great) but was a bit taken aback at how much funk there was. Very much a transitional record. Also dug “the adventures of grandmaster flash” for the scratching and was that Debbie harry rapping? Beats are pretty good if dated.
Ian Dury
1/5
Meh. Not doing much for me. Drunken pub songs that were probably a bit scandalous then but no one really bats an eye at now.
3/5
I’ve always felt oasis are a bit bland and overrated but there’s definitely some good tracks in here: “don’t look back in anger” and “wonderwall” being my faves.
Beastie Boys
5/5
What a debut album. Was waffling between 4 and 5 because it does sound a bit dated and juvenile now but this was pretty peak when I was a juvenile. Favorite bop is “girls” but anthems like “fight for your right” and “no sleep till Brooklyn” are still a blast. Great jams now where’s my Jammie.
Pere Ubu
2/5
I like the first song (after the shrill intro passes that is) but the rest sounds a bit amateurish and I don’t like the lead singers attempt at singing for the most part.
The Stooges
4/5
Great proto punk record. Possibly the best stooges record? First three tracks are killer: “down on the street”, “loose”, and “tv eye” do it for me but in 36 minutes this album packs a real punch.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
1/5
Tried to get into it but it’s too dissonant for me. Lyrics are funny at times in an ignatius j. Reilly sort of way but it’s pretty atonal and unmusical.
Queen
4/5
Pretty good but not Queen’s best. “Killer queen” is their standout hit on this album and my favorite track.
Portishead
5/5
What a debut. They say that portishead is music to cut your wrists too and it’s not necessarily wrong and that’s not necessarily a bad thing either. Sonically it’s great. Dark, brooding yet still grooving. Beth’s voice overtop is fantastic. There are so many good tracks here: “sour times”, “strangers”, “it could be sweet”, “numb” “roads” and “glory box” are all worth repeated listening.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
2/5
Definitely an interesting concept and these guys are talented musicians but this mostly falls flat for me. A super pretentious take on classical music that ends up sounding like video game music meets an organ grinder. “Nut rocker” and “the curse of baba yaga” were most interesting.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Pretty rocking for a Nick Cave album but I can’t listen to a whole lot of his stuff back to back.
The Cure
2/5
Doesn’t really do it for me. Just meh.
The Sugarcubes
2/5
Pretty campy and juvenile but bjorks voice is undeniably the star here. Wouldn’t go back to it, no real standouts.
The Bees
4/5
This one caught me by surprise in the best possible way. Quite the kaleidoscope of genres and arrangements for a (checks notes) 2 piece! Reminds me of Plants and Animals in their understated happy ways.
Standout tracks were: “A Minha Melina”, “Punchbag”, “No Trophy” and closet “Sky holds the sun”. Fun stuff!
Crosby, Stills & Nash
2/5
Love the harmonies but this incarnation of the band is only about 3/4 as good as it could be (adding the Y helps). Loved “suite: Judy blue eyes” and “Marrakech express” but it falls in gf quite a bit from there and feels somewhat samey same.
Goldfrapp
2/5
This one was a bit of a snooze for me and I find Goldfrapp hard to tell apart from some of the more modern breathy female singers. It’s not bad but not really interesting to me either.
The Beta Band
3/5
Cue the high fidelity I will now sell several copies of the beta band. Good but not great stuff from these guys and I honestly prefer their earlier stuff over this. Didn’t know they were Scottish though so plus points for that. Groovy but not standout.
Guns N' Roses
4/5
I hadn’t listened to this album front to back probably since grade school but i forgot how much it slaps. So many mainstream hits much of which i think stand the test of time. Musicianship is pretty tight. Faves are “welcome to the jungle”, “paradise city”, and “sweet chile o mine”
fIREHOSE
2/5
Knew very little about this band except Mike watt was in it. No tracks really stood out to me though.
Caetano Veloso
3/5
This one was a fun surprise. Digging the Brazilian tropicalia. Groovy makes you move, fun and upbeat though I couldn’t understand a lick of it. Faves were “Soy loco por ti America”
Bob Dylan
4/5
Might be my favorite Dylan album perhaps because it was my first non-all-the-hits compilation. “Corrina corrina” is beautiful. Plus there’s “don’t think twice it’s allright” and “a hard rains gonna fall”. Gems!
Snoop Dogg
2/5
Going back and hearing this it’s sounds totally juvenile and misogynistic. But Snoops voice and some of the beats are good. Faves are “gin n juice” and “what’s my name”.
The National
2/5
Kind of like a duller Nick Cave. Don’t really understand the hype behind this album. No really memorable songs. Not terrible but just meh.
Tina Turner
3/5
Ok so first off the voice. I love her singing and passion. But! I really can’t get over the 80’s production schmaltz. Sure “whats love got to do with it” and “private dancer” are the hits here but my favorite was “show some respect” and her cover of Al Green’s “let’s stay together”. I prefer earlier Tina because this instrumentation does zero for me.
Adam & The Ants
3/5
Pretty enjoyable. Funky twang. Getting some tangiers vibes.
Dion
2/5
Didn’t know Dion beyond Runaround Sue so this was flying blind. Overall it was just ok, the best for me was the cover of “the way you do the things you do”. Getting some Billy Joel vibes. Nothing really worth going back to.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
4/5
A bit all over the map genre-wise, but I can appreciate the production and musicianship. There’s a great run of “god bless the child”, “spinning wheel”, “you’ve made me so very happy” back to back to back tracks that really makes this album for me. Blues pt. 2 was an overdrawn stinker though.
The Mamas & The Papas
4/5
Didn’t know too much about them but it’s a solid debut! Loved the harmonies. “Monday Monday” and “California dreamin’” are essentials of course. But I also dug the slowed down cover of the beach boys “do you wanna dance” for some reason.
Eric Clapton
3/5
Trying to separate the (horrible) man and just focus on his music here. I didn’t hate it. It starts off quite ripping with the guitar work in “motherless children”. Lots of rocky blues. The cover of “I shot the sheriff” just felt like a white guy attempt at a carbon copy of the original. Ok but not a standout.
The Notorious B.I.G.
2/5
So does it biggie’s rapping flow? Yes. Is this tough to listen to also yes. Some of the over top sec stuff is just juvenile and misogynistic. I’d call this just ok. I like some hip hop but this isn’t really it for me. “Big poppa” is my fave.
Ray Charles
3/5
I love Ray Charles voice. This album starts out pretty swinging in the first half, lots of big band. But then quiets down in the second with mostly piano ballads. Ray’s voice is crisp and the highlight here but the songs tend to blend and lose their punch towards the end. No mega hits here but “let the good times roll” is my fave. Solid but likely not his best work.
Peter Gabriel
4/5
This plays like a greatest hits. Lots of popular jams in here like “sledgehammer” (the video always fascinated me as a kid), “don’t give up” (with Kate Bush), “big time” and “in your eyes”. The Kate Bush duet is probably my fave but this album is solid all the way through.
Beatles
5/5
I mean come on! It’s the Beatles. Not content to just jangle the pop sounds this explored new dimensions musically and I think it mostly works. Not my all time favorite album of theirs but it’s up there. “Eleanor rigby”, “and your bird can sing”, “I’m only sleeping” and “tomorrow never knows” are my faves.
Megadeth
3/5
Ok so this is better than I expected. Yeah it’s fast but it’s also melodic. It’s got riffs for days and real flat out drumming insanity. But I don’t like the lead singer’s voice. That doesn’t work for me. Still really solid. Faves are the lead off “holy wars… the punishment due”
Living Colour
2/5
Just ok. Pretty funky, their hit “cult of personality” stands the test of time but the rest is just meh. I also dug the Prince Paul remix of “funny vibe”.
Charles Mingus
4/5
Pretty interesting. I like jazz but didn’t know a lot about Mingus’ music. Thought this was good a new take departing from big band and swing roots. The low end bass stuff is particularly unique especially on track A. Track D went a bit off the rails at points but this is a unique and good listen to me.
Le Tigre
3/5
Dig Kathleen Hanna, bikini kill and riot grrl writ large, but this project I find I like less. Was pumped to see it on the list but Deceptacon is by far the high point on the album and its track 1. I want to like the rest of the album more but it just sounds pretty sophomoric and high schooly.
Björk
3/5
Pretty quiet but not her best stuff?
David Bowie
4/5
Lots of bangers on this album starting with the lead off “changes”. But my favorite is probably “Queen Bitch”. This also has “life on Mars” and “oh you pretty things” but there’s also a couple of duds so not quite a 5 but close!
Everything But The Girl
1/5
This album proves that this is a UK over indexed list and really doesn’t belong here. It’s unmemorable despite the lead singer having a nice voice. Just meh across the board with the worst of the 80’s instrumentation to accompany it.