An important album in the evolution of the sound of Talking Heads. Not my favorite of theirs but even so it's quite good. Funky rhythms abound and Tina's bass is spectacular. Glad to have revisited it on my first day of 1000.

An exceptional debut. "Change of the Guard" is a standout but the whole album is quite enjoyable. "Reelin..." and "Do It Again" suffer some from overexposure. Signs of great things to come!

A strong sophomore release from arguably America's best band, did these guys ever put out anything that wasn't excellent? It's short but it's got all the stuff that makes CCR great. I don't know what Chooglin' is but after listening to this, I did have a strong desire to keep on doing it...

I can only imagine how much this album freaked people out when it was released. It's a brilliant mish-mosh with absurd continuity that somehow works so very well. At this point it is so ingrained in to my brain that it feels like an old friend when I listen. It's got "Dear Prudence" for god's sake, how could it be anything but 5 stars?

I have loved this album for a long time. Mambo Sun opens it with an awesome groove and the killer guitar tone which sets the stage for the rest of the album. The thing about T. Rex is that no one else sounds like T. Rex. Great stuff here.

I promised I would listen to the first minute of each song before I skipped to the next so I would at least give this a chance. I didn't make it past that minute on any song. I found it pretty non-musical and the lyrics I heard were juvenile. I know I am not the target audience for this in general but I don't understand or relate to this at all.

This album is the sort of treasure that I know I will enjoy when I listen to it but for some reason it just doesn't seem to go in to regular rotation. Aretha's voice is just so amazing and this collection shows just how good she was. I am glad this was presented, it was a perfect Saturday morning mood lifter.

I liked this, the musicianship is top notch and Richard Thompson shows why he is a favorite even back then. I don't know much about Fairport to provide any contextual reference but it sounds like what I have heard from them in the past. I particularly enjoyed "A Sailor's Life"

Never has an album title fit the content better than this. I found this to be a really interesting listen as it remained in the forefront as an active listening experience but it wasn't distracting and never took me away from what I was doing, which seems to be exactly its goal. Just perfect for tasks where focus is critical but when silence is deafening.

Went in with zero knowledge or expectation and was sort of blown away. The music and musicianship is great and the vocals were almost instrumental since I wasn't able to understand the lyrics. Such an interesting story behind the music and I am glad that they are able to make it and put it out for people to hear. I really like it.

It's noisy and messy and raucous with a sense of controlled chaos, and I am here for every freaking minute of it!

It was fine. I don't think I appreciate it as much as others seem to. I liked "Look At You" as a standout track.

I didn't really much care for this at all. I thought I would, but I didn't.

Great band, funky as hell and James is on fire. It's short at 31 minutes but I can only imagine what it was like to be there to witness this. Makes me want to dig deeper in to his live stuff that came a little bit later.

Is it over yet? As I listened I really just wanted it to be over. Sweet Jesus please tell me it's over! I hated every second of this one.

I wanted to like this a lot more than I actually did. Just a little too much screaming vs singing and the repetition of the lyrics was a bit irritating. I thought some of the music was pretty good and Tom Morello for sure is talented but this just wasn't for me.

I am "I bought this on cassette when it was released" years old, but admittedly my 14 year old self wasn't quite ready for it at the time. Now though, I am here for it and can appreciate how remarkable Nebraska is (the album, not the state...)

This is probably good to those who can appreciate it. I am not that person.

After yesterday’s album I was so thrilled to see this one pop up for today. I adore this album, it is one of my very favorites. It is impeccable and perfect.

I struggle a bit with this album and always have, ever since I first listened in the mid 80s. I can appreciate it in context of the time in his career and location of recording. It's an unconventional record and it's not always accessible though. What I like I really like but it's not an easy listen for me.

I like R.E.M. a lot and have ever since I first heard "Radio Free Europe" on WXRT in 1983. I have mixed feelings about this album though. One one hand I dislike "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" and "Man On The Moon" so much that I rarely listen to the rest of the album. On the other hand it has "Nightswimming" which is gorgeous and probably my favorite song of theirs. Everything else is somewhere in the middle, which is fine. And that's my review of this album - It's fine.

I have really only heard a few songs by Billy Bragg prior to listening to this album, other than the Mermaid Avenue stuff with Wilco. I liked this a lot, It's full of protest songs and country songs and a phenomenal cover of "The Tracks Of My Tears"

What an amazing voice, so strong and forceful but with nuance and soul and a crackle. The band is great and she is great and the album is great. For me, her version of Kris Kristofferson's "Me and Bobby McGee" is the star here. I normally shy away from the big hit and the obvious but she puts everything in to this one and it slays. What a triumph.

In between listens I always remember liking this album more than I actually do. It's got some really good stuff but the misses are big, and Immigrant Song is quite possibly the worst thing they ever did, although I imagine The Crunge would maybe like a word about that. It's a strong enough album but when you're Led Zeppelin, that's just not good enough.

I liked a bit of this, there were some nice instrumental sections that were jams - celtic folk jams but jams nonetheless. It's really just not my thing though, I guess.

From the iconic self introduction through the ending visit to Greystone Chapel, we get an intimate tour of life at Folsom Prison through the eyes of Johnny Cash. The album isn't just a perfect representation of prison life though, it also serves as a perfect self portrait of the man himself. The tough guy deals with loss and despair. He faces mortality, and addiction. He brings June out to sing with him and compliments her, exposing a lighter side and the importance of family. His on stage banter is humorous and profane and shows his connection to his audience. You learn everything there is to know about Johnny Cash during these 45 minutes, encased in these classic songs. I don't know what has happened to bring about the suckification of country music since the times when this was recorded, but my guess is Mr. Johnny Cash would gladly give his middle finger to it... This is an essential work and thankfully it is recognized as such.

I can absolutely appreciate that different types of music can connect with different people and honestly that's sort of the coolest thing about music for me - the discovery - finding what affects me and allows me to really connect with it. When I read about people who like and appreciate this though, I try to understand what it is that they hear here that I don't. It just doesn't make sense to me. I hear a cacophony, nothing more. How anyone can listen to this and hear music, and can connect with whatever is happening here is baffling and outside of my comprehension. This is the opposite of everything that I know and love about the music that I enjoy listening to.

This was a fun record to listen to, probably because it's obvious they were having fun making it. It's swinging and joyous and oh boy the trumpet playing is fantastic. I am familiar with a lot of the songs because of remakes by contemporary artists, and swing music in general is something I enjoy. I just loved the voice of Keely Smith who sang on this, I sense a YouTube rabbit hole in my future.

Not being at all familiar with this band or album, I wasn't sure what to expect here from a band named Primal Scream, and the unexpected is exactly what I got. Screamadelica is an audio cornucopia of an album, it's overflowing with an assortment of different offerings and song styles. I hear some Poi Dog Pondering, and Blur, and Elbow, and my wife Gina heard Talking Heads at the beginning of "Come Together" I really liked the opener "Movin on Up" quite a bit. "Inner Flight" would fit right in on an updated house music version of Pet Sounds, and it also has an organ riff that Counting Crows seem to have borrowed for "Catapult" a few years later. Some of it is a bit too electronica and dancey and repetitive for my tastes but I didn't find any of it unlistenable and enjoyed quite a bit of it. It's a really solid album and I am glad that it came up as my assignment today, it's not something I would ever have chosen or come across otherwise.

I listened to this and I am not really sure what it is and I think I mostly hated it but I didn't skip through it and I think I might listen to it again.

After Murmur and Fables, Green is third in my top 3 R.E.M. albums. When it's great it's really great and even when it isn't really great, it's pretty great.

This did absolutely nothing for me, it's a nothing album that I played and I barely recognized that it was playing and I didn't realize when it ended. There was an occasional unpleasant scratchy dog barking like noise that would get my attention but then it would disappear again. I guess this is considered a great album but I don't get the appeal at all. I wish I had the 49 minutes this was on back so I could listen to something else.

What a great album. I know a ton of songs by Sly & The Family Stone but really never dug in to the actual album releases. It's classic and funky and socially conscious and just damn musically interesting. They don't make 'em like this anymore!

This is a really strong album and I am constantly amazed by her singing voice, so powerful and amazing control. I think I prefer Lion and the Cobra overall but that's more a reflection of the strength of that album rather than a failing of this one.

I think this is the 4th or 5th time I have tried to listen to and appreciate this album, and my efforts have failed miserably on every attempt. It isn't at all enjoyable to me and there is nothing I hear that I connect with or find interesting. You know how there is a gene that some people have that makes cilantro taste like soap so no matter what they just don't enjoy it. I think I have a gene that makes OK Computer taste like soap...

I haven't listened to this album all the way through in a long time and it doesn't feel like it has aged very well. I like "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes" a lot still but overall I didn't seem to enjoy this as much as I used to. It's not a terrible album but it isn't something I am likely to put on again any time soon.

I like to listen to The Psychedelic Furs but, with only a few exceptions, there is a sameness to their songs that makes me not really care which song is which or remember them once I am done. This album is a good album by The Psychedelic Furs but other than "Pretty in Pink" which I heard a good deal of on the radio, I couldn't identify any of the other songs as ones on this album or one of their other albums.

As far as Van Halen albums go, 1984 is not my favorite nor do I think it is their best, but it's certainly not their worst. Eddie plays his usual amazing guitar pyrotechnics and Dave is, well, Dave. There is some really good stuff here but unfortunately it suffers from extreme overexposure and I rarely ever listen to anything from it. It's actually been years since I put this on, but I don't feel tardy...

I imagine that it wasn't expected that The Band would, or could, top Music From Big Pink but damn if they didn't pull it off. Robbie Robertson steps in to the lead songwriting role but everyone plays an important role and together they create a(nother) masterpiece. I love the songs, I love the musicality, I love the harmonies, I love this album.

A landmark album I honestly had never listened to before. I certainly was aware of them and Iggy Pop but just hadn't taken the time to give it a spin until it came up here. I get the impact and influence but at 34 minutes, I thought it was long... I've listened, I'll probably never do that again.

I think I came pretty close to liking this one. There were moments when things would get interesting but then the vocals would start or it would shift and it would lose me again. There just might be something here though and it could be one of those albums that takes some time to really gel so I may listen again and see if it connects any better.

Well, that was an unpleasant experience. I wasn't a big fan of anything I had heard prior to listening to this whole album, and it did nothing to change my mind.

There is a part in Arlo Guthrie's Alice's Restaurant where he has the audience sing the chorus and when they finish he says "that was horrible" and that's my thought about Goo by Sonic Youth, but in Arlo Guthrie's voice.

After two albums that I struggled to get through, I was so relieved to see this come up as my assignment for the day. This album is an absolute treasure that I have listened to an astounding number of times. I really don't listen to a lot of jazz or solo piano but this album seems to hit all the right notes and it just creates a perfect place to escape to. I read something about this album a while ago and it mentioned that some people complain about his spontaneous utterances during the performance but to me they are magnificent. It is those moments when the music he is creating affects him deeply, an unconscious realization that "this is fucking amazing what I am doing here" and we all get lost in it with him. I couldn't love this album more than I do. Can I have a sixth star for this one?

In 1982, fourteen year old me listened to some heavy metal and this album was certainly required if you wanted to be a freshman in highschool. Thankfully I soon decided that my musical tastes were non-negotiable and I moved on to better things. I seem to remember being more impressed with the musicianship at the time but it is mostly unremarkable when listening now. Black Sabbath were always more my thing anyway.

I wasn’t familiar with today’s album by D’Angelo. I can’t wait until I finish this in three years so I can read the book this challenge is based on to see what the criteria for inclusion is. Anyway, I thought he had a decent enough voice for R&B / Soul and it’s not an unpleasant album, but honestly I found it only slightly more engaging or interesting than complete silence. If you want to listen to some music but don’t want the raucousness of smooth jazz, this album is for you. I figure if a song called “Shit, Damn, Motherfucker” is a snoozer, what chance does the rest of the album have.

Having listened to this, I can finally mark as completed the task "decide if I like Norwegian synth-pop" that has been sitting on my to-do list for the last 40 years. Apparently the answer is no.

Meh....

I have listened to Parliament in the past but usually it's been Maggot Brain so I wasn't really familiar with this one. That will change as this is incredible stuff here. Start to finish it's got more funk per minute than anything has a right to have. This is the real deal here.

For some reason I don't often just put on Jimi Hendrix albums even though he will play in my mixes. I have listened, and liked, but the urge just doesn't seem to hit me. Listening to this I think I understand why. While I love parts of this album a whole lot, anything that builds up to "All Along The Watchtower" with a "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" chaser is a knockout in my book. However, it's overall a bit uneven and while I appreciate the experimentation and his own artistic vision, sometimes it just wanders a bit. The musicianship is spot on and obviously there is no complaint with Jimi's guitar playing - it's a master class as always. This is a really good album with some outrageously great songs on it.

It was very interesting to listen to this album because even though I have only heard a few songs from it out in the world, I am really familiar with these songs because I have listened to the Ryan Adams cover version album dozens of times. So even though the instrumentation is different and Ryan made them sound like Ryan Adams songs, the lyrics are the same and the melodies are similar enough to make it feel like I have heard these songs before. I found myself tapping my feet and when I compare them I realize that these are just good, well written songs in either version. I am not a pop music kind of guy really but I have always respected Taylor Swift for being an artist who seems to really be true to her own vision and talent. I'm not likely to play this again but for what it is and the audience it is intended for, it's as good as contemporary pop music can be.

When I started this challenge I decided not to read anything about what albums are included or the criteria for inclusion. With that said, I have no qualms about this remarkable album being included in this list as I believe no life is complete without experiencing it at least once, but hopefully more often. Jeff Buckley has a uniquely beautiful voice and he puts it to good use in this set of songs. While "Hallelujah" seems to get all the attention, and it's outstanding, songs like "Lover, You Should've Come Over" display amazing talent and range. I just adore this album and am glad to see it included, it's certainly deserved. We can only imagine what else Jeff would have contributed to our world had we not lost him so tragically.

Some people say Steely Dan is boring. Fuck that noise. The only thing boring about Steely Dan is trying to be clever when writing yet another 5 star review for a Steely Dan album.

With my promise to myself to listen to at least the first minute of each song, I got through this in 11 minutes with minimal trauma. This just isn't the type of music I like.

This was completely new to me. I have heard of The Beau Brummels but had no idea what to expect. It's pretty interesting musically, sort of a psychedelic folk rock, but the vocals were a big detraction. The singer has a trill in his voice that is used to excess and a little goes a long way. It's sort of a case of this just not being for me. It's not completely awful or anything but I doubt I will listen again.

Finding a gem like this is why I wanted to do this challenge. I knew the radio hits but honestly had never gone deeper than that with War. I regret that now that as this was outstanding. In the instrumentals I heard some Traffic and I heard some Allman Brothers, really good stuff here. This is going in the library and I will queue up some more to listen to as well.

If you have read any of my reviews so far, it might be obvious that hip hop is not something that I enjoy and I don't normally choose to listen to it. Paul's Boutique is really the lone exception. I guess the difference between this and other albums in the genre is that this feels sort of like a rock and roll record, albeit one with samples and rap. Maybe it's an attitude that is conveyed, there is humor in the lyrics, it's clever. I don't listen often but occasionally, when Gina is not around, I put it on and turn up the volume really high. Then I tuck it back away until next time.

This album is shit, surrounded by shit, wrapped in shit, fried in shit and then dipped in shit. With a side of shit.

After yesterday I was looking forward to something different and today’s album really hit that mark. Moving from the noise that was Marilyn Manson to the bossa nova here is, well, I couldn’t have picked something so radically in contrast. With that said, this isn’t really my thing either. I mean, I didn’t skip through it like yesterday and I didn’t find it revoltingly repugnant, but it didn’t really connect. It played in the background and I listened, and I heard, but that’s the extent of it. I wish I had enjoyed it more.

I saw Joe Ely as part of a songwriters tour with Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt and Guy Clark at the beautiful Chicago Theater. It was a great show, four songwriters, four stools and four guitars. Each took turns telling a story and then playing a song, sometimes accompanied with additional guitar from one of the others. I was familiar with Lyle and John at the time but Joe and Guy were new to me. I was particularly impressed with Guy Clark but I thought Joe Ely was just fine. I honestly never did dig any deeper though beyond that show. This album from 1978 starts off a little cajuny zydeco but ultimately it’s a bit too country twangy for my tastes.