302
Albums Rated
3.25
Average Rating
28%
Complete
787 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1970
Favorite Decade
Folk
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
35
5-Star Albums
13
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
Top Styles
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Tarkus
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
|
5 | 2.79 | +2.21 |
|
Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Vega
|
5 | 3.02 | +1.98 |
|
Deloused in the Comatorium
The Mars Volta
|
5 | 3.19 | +1.81 |
|
Little Earthquakes
Tori Amos
|
5 | 3.22 | +1.78 |
|
American Pie
Don McLean
|
5 | 3.28 | +1.72 |
|
The Slider
T. Rex
|
5 | 3.28 | +1.72 |
|
Figure 8
Elliott Smith
|
5 | 3.33 | +1.67 |
|
2112
Rush
|
5 | 3.38 | +1.62 |
|
Either Or
Elliott Smith
|
5 | 3.39 | +1.61 |
|
Nilsson Schmilsson
Harry Nilsson
|
5 | 3.43 | +1.57 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Play
Moby
|
1 | 3.46 | -2.46 |
|
Hail To the Thief
Radiohead
|
1 | 3.44 | -2.44 |
|
Hybrid Theory
Linkin Park
|
1 | 3.39 | -2.39 |
|
Endtroducing.....
DJ Shadow
|
1 | 3.35 | -2.35 |
|
Maxinquaye
Tricky
|
1 | 3.05 | -2.05 |
|
Tom Tom Club
Tom Tom Club
|
1 | 3.03 | -2.03 |
|
Exile In Guyville
Liz Phair
|
1 | 3.02 | -2.02 |
|
Aha Shake Heartbreak
Kings of Leon
|
1 | 2.96 | -1.96 |
|
In Rainbows
Radiohead
|
2 | 3.85 | -1.85 |
|
Mask
Bauhaus
|
1 | 2.84 | -1.84 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Beatles | 3 | 5 |
| Bob Dylan | 3 | 4.67 |
| Led Zeppelin | 3 | 4.67 |
| Elliott Smith | 2 | 5 |
| Elton John | 2 | 5 |
| Stevie Wonder | 2 | 5 |
| David Bowie | 5 | 4.2 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 3 | 4.33 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Kings of Leon | 2 | 1.5 |
| Radiohead | 4 | 2 |
5-Star Albums (35)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Big Brother & The Holding Company · 1 likes
4/5
I wasn’t a fan of the opener but after that it got good fast “I Need A Man To Love” and “Summertime” show a bit more of Joplin’s softer vocals and “Piece Of My Heart” is obviously amazing and shows off her fantastic vocals. The next two tracks were also very good and “Ball And Chain” was a fantastic closer
Stevie Wonder · 1 likes
5/5
One of the greatest albums of all time. Perfection down to its last notes
Steely Dan · 1 likes
3/5
Boring but it’s ok ig
Bob Marley & The Wailers · 1 likes
3/5
I’m far from a reggae fan. However I always liked Bob Marley. I don’t love this record however. I love the opener “Concrete Jungle”, the guitar work and harmonies are excellent. I love the R&B sound and Tosh’s vocals on “Stop That Train”, personally I’ve always found “Stir It Up” to be incredibly boring, and I love “Baby We’ve Got A Date”, ultimately the band is in good form, Marley’s vocals are lovely and there are some real highs but the beats are so similar and many of the songs are very repetitive which loses the album some points
4-Star Albums (94)
1-Star Albums (13)
All Ratings
Queen
5/5
Thelonious Monk
3/5
Really bored mostly goes on too long and doesn’t change much, it’s really cool from a technical standpoint but not something I’d ever want to like “listen” to. It would be really good background music but for actually listening I found it very boring. I did somewhat enjoy “Pannonica” and “I Surrender, Dear” so it wasn’t a total wash but definitely not something I will probably ever return to. Unless at some point in the future I get into jazz which at this moment I find unlikely.
Herbie Hancock
2/5
I really hated this. Like I said on yesterday’s I’m just not a jazz person but this one like forced me to pay attention in a way the one before did while giving me personally nothing for it. I really hated “Watermelon Man” especially, just ear bleeding imo. I will never return to this.
But I listened to it before I died…unfortunately
Lorde
3/5
Cyndi Lauper
3/5
Beatles
5/5
The Police
2/5
Joni Mitchell
5/5
The Yardbirds
3/5
Beck
3/5
Frank Sinatra
3/5
Cocteau Twins
2/5
I was mostly bored here. I didn't like it very much. It may be because I don't like dream pop very much at all but I was not into this. Also I found the songs themselves to be boring and I really hate how buried the vocals are in the mix (something that is hit or miss for me depending on the album) I don't see myself returning to this
Bauhaus
1/5
Leonard Cohen
4/5
Not into the first track at all but the rest of it I really enjoyed, the music is beautiful and though Cohen’s voice got really deep in his older age the songs are still quite good for the most part and it makes for a beautiful and fitting send off for Cohen
Liz Phair
1/5
This one sucked in my opinion. Like the music itself was fine but her voice is awful she’s always flat I really didn’t enjoy this
The Dandy Warhols
3/5
I liked this one. The psychedelic soundscapes with 90s production worked for me I really liked “Not If You Were The Last Junkie In Earth”, “Boys Better” and “Minnesoter”. But it does kinda lag in the middle. Overall a good time I’d say 3.5 if I could to halves
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Really like this one I was already familiar with it but the first two tracks are great and the cover of “Good Golly Miss Molly” is fantastic. The album ends on an especially high note with “Penthouse Pauper”, “Proud Mary”, and “Keep On Chooglin’” back to back to back. The only one I didn’t care for was “Graveyard Train”. This is a great one but I do prefer most of their later output
Mj Cole
1/5
Not into the whole electronic sound and it was mostly a massive bore from start to finish
Röyksopp
2/5
Similar to yesterday, the whole electronic sound is just so boring. I found nothing to truly latch onto and enjoy and instead felt that I was just waiting for it to end the whole time
Heaven 17
2/5
I’m just not a fan of the whole 80s synth pop era (there are exceptions but this ain’t one of them) and this is one of the worst forms of the genre, I didn’t hate it but it’s just not my thing, the lyrics are hilarious though.
Aretha Franklin
4/5
Love this whole soul sound and this was no different. I loved my listening experience with this one, and Aretha’s voice is perfection in sound. This was great.
Marilyn Manson
3/5
Not really my thing here, but I kinda get it, it went on about 20 minutes longer than I feel I should have and it wasn’t my thing but it was fairly decent I’d be giving 2.5 if I could do halves
Terence Trent D'Arby
4/5
Really enjoyed this one, his voice is super soulful and really cool, and even though it drags slightly at the end it’s saved by a wonderful last two tracks and a very strong first half.
Patti Smith
4/5
The first two songs are pretty decent, I don’t really like the third one though it’s really long and boring and is kinda whiny. I really liked the entire rest of it though.
Mike Oldfield
3/5
I like the sounds, it’s generally pretty and fairly proggy, but it does run on a little and becomes tiresome after a while to the point where during both listens I kinda started tuning it out but it was always pleasant while I was listening, so I’d go a solid 3-3.5 stars
Gotan Project
2/5
This was decent - I found it somewhat forgettable at parts but consistently pleasant and never disliked it
Animal Collective
2/5
Found this kinda boring but not terrible. Definitely not my thing though, I liked a couple of songs and I really hated the closer but overall it wasn’t good.
Radiohead
2/5
I’m not a fan of Radiohead but this was fine. I liked the closer and a couple songs but I mostly didn’t feel very strongly positively or negatively, just kinda meh.
Kanye West
3/5
I’m not into rap/hip hop, I’m also most certainly not a fan of Kanye West - I do not support his Nazi rhetoric/comments.
However ignoring West as a person, and giving this album a fair shot — I was pleasantly surprised, the songs were all pretty decent and the humor sprinkled in was great. I didn’t love it as I usually don’t love rap/hip hop but it was certainly better than expected, and I would say it was good and I enjoyed it.
Paul Simon
4/5
I’m a huge fan of Simon & Garfunkel but wasn’t super familiar with Paul Simon’s solo career outside a few hits (“Me And Julio”, “Kodachrome”, “Mother And Child Reunion”, and “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover”)
I loved this album, the opener “Mother And Child Reunion” is fantastic and the next several tracks are great. “Paranoia Blues” is also really good and I’ve always loved “Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard” this was good.
Elliott Smith
5/5
I hated the mixing in the vocals on the first track. Other than that this was a good time. I loved say yes and pictures of me. Good album
Iggy Pop
4/5
I was surprised how much I liked this record. I wasn’t super into the production but the quality of the material here more than made up for it and made for a good listen. This was good
The Chemical Brothers
2/5
I did not like this it drags on forever! It’s so damn repetitive and the album goes on for more than an hour, there is no reason I should ever listen to this again. That being said, having thought about it, it wasn’t offensive or anything so probably like a 1.5 but I’m giving it a 2/5
John Martyn
4/5
Really enjoyed this one it’s got a bluesy funky feel while not being overblown with it. This is a good time and I loved his voice
Lauryn Hill
3/5
I’ve said before that this genre isn’t my thing but an album with a reputation like this one means I especially had to give this a fair shake, and I enjoyed it fine. Like her voice is wonderful I love it a lot and I enjoyed most of the tracks I just think it goes on too long (like many double albums). If 3-5 songs were cut then this would probably be a 4 star record but it’s good but it just goes on way too long for me.
Steely Dan
3/5
Sonically this one sounded really great but lyrically there was a bit to be desired. It was a quick fun listen overalls
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
This was a good time mostly, the middle section kinda dragged but it started and finished pretty strongly.
MGMT
4/5
I was pleasantly surprised by this, I enjoyed almost every track. I think particularly the opening two but the vocals were consistently pleasant and there’s nothing better than restrained use of synths, they’re certainly present here but not overused which is welcome. I also like the psychedelic sound on here, this was an all round good time.
The Darkness
4/5
This album was very good, it’s got a hard rock and glam edge that a lot of (popular) albums of its era don’t and the vocals are really good. I absolutely loved “Growing On Me” and “Holding My Own” this was a good album that I’d never even heard of before now.
Cowboy Junkies
2/5
Ok so on one hand this album was very pleasant it sounded good the whole way through. On the other it’s very very soft and mellow and sounds very similar the whole time, to the point where I kind of started tuning it out towards the end. Granted, that samey sound is very pleasant but this album is only barely less than an hour and felt like about thirty years of the same super soft, slow and samey music.
The Pharcyde
2/5
This is gonna be kinda short but I didn’t like this one. I found it to be quite boring and way too long for its quality. I mean it could’ve been worse but it could’ve been so much better. Really boring and way too long
Big Brother & The Holding Company
4/5
I wasn’t a fan of the opener but after that it got good fast “I Need A Man To Love” and “Summertime” show a bit more of Joplin’s softer vocals and “Piece Of My Heart” is obviously amazing and shows off her fantastic vocals. The next two tracks were also very good and “Ball And Chain” was a fantastic closer
Gene Clark
4/5
This album was really good. It’s got a really nice folky, and country-rock feel. Clark’s vocals are really great on almost every track, he also is very clearly doing a Dylan impression on the title track (not a negative just an observation that song was good) and there is a Dylan cover on here too. The highlights for me were “The Virgin”, “With Tomorrow”, “For A Spanish Guitar”, and “1975” but this whole record was very good.
Pink Floyd
5/5
I don’t know why it was such a shock when this generated but I relistened to it for the first time in a while. It was better than I remember, this album above all is beautiful sonically. “Breathe (In The Air) is actually a really great kickstart to the record “Time” is one of the greatest songs of all time. “The Great Gig In The Sky” is beautiful, “Money” has one of the greatest bass lines of all time. “Us And Them” is my favorite track here. “Brain Damage” has one of the most cathartic album title drops of all time and it’s two song suite with “Eclipse” is better than “Us And Them” imo despite individually both being worse than that song.
I love this album, though I don’t connect with it in the same way many do and therefore it is not quite as high up in my humble opinion as the general consensus leaves it and it also isn’t my favorite Pink Floyd album. With that said this is easily a 5/5
R.E.M.
4/5
I never particularly liked REM, like never disliked them but never liked them because most of their hits are A) not that amazing and b) have been played to hell and back at least six times. But I was pleasantly surprised here. Almost every song here that wasn’t a hit was better than 90% of their hits. The hits here were also quite good in a big fan of “Man On The Moon” and “Everybody Hurts” but the non singles here were also very good.
Supergrass
3/5
This one gives punk vibes, I’m not super into most of it, though I do think it got better as it went on, I really disliked the first three songs but I really enjoyed “Alright” and “She’s So Loose”. I do think much of the record was kind of boring, its whole vibe is definitely not my main interest in music so that makes sense, but it had some pretty strong songs especially near the end.
Scott Walker
3/5
This album was pretty good, it’s a little too slow/mellow for my tastes but it was solidly a good listen. I was a fan of his voice it’s really soothing and the instrumentation was very pleasant
Megadeth
3/5
Thrash metal is not my thing, hell metal isn’t generally my thing though I do listen to a fair amount of 70s and early 80s metal. But I just think thrash gets tiring after a song or two, the only exception to this for me is Metallica. I do respect Megadeth as a band for their importance, and I can see myself getting into them a few years ago and them being one of the bands that got me into metal, but at this point I just don’t find them super interesting compared to even other thrash bands. I also am not a fan of Dave Mustaine’s vocals or his lyrics, however the playing here is fantastic even if it isn’t really my thing when it comes to metal. This album it was pretty decent taking all that into account. It’s a solid thrash album but not one I see myself really returning to.
Gorillaz
3/5
Bee Gees
4/5
I’m going to be fully honest, I hate the Bee Gees’ disco era. Like fully hate it, their voices are very annoying to me and I already don’t like disco, but I had a small bit of hope because this one was from 1969, before they went to that sound so I was cautiously optimistic about this one. When they aren’t singing like a bunch of idiots they sound quite nice. I also really like the guitar work and string section on the first two songs. The album has a folky and country feel at times, and it’s jarring to enjoy an album by a group that I only know for music that I hate. I really loved “Melody Fair”. Despite having no vocals the “Seven Seas Symphony” sounds wonderful. This is my most surprising discovery yet.
Soundgarden
3/5
I like Chris Cornell but soundgarden is probably my least favorite of his bands, but I do like soundgarden. This album was better than I expected, I’m not a grunge person so I’m kinda picky about the grunge I do like and this was one of them. I like Black Hole Sun but find it a little overrated and my favorite was “My Wave”. I think though that it goes on a little longer than it should have but this is good.
Janelle Monáe
2/5
I was optimistic going into this one as it’s an album I’ve heard great things about that I’ve no experience hearing. I was pretty disappointed, I found most of this really boring despite all the sounds that seem to be desperately trying to make it interesting. I also think her vocals are really boring for the majority of this record it’s really monotone(?) and boring sounding. All that being said I liked the two overtures and “Neon Valley Street” but the rest of the record was just boring.
Louis Prima
3/5
I mean, ok so the first three songs here are very energetic and I enjoyed them a fair amount, it feels like a fun album, but around track four I began feeling really bored. I mean, these almost all sound the same and it’s not my first choice of sound either. It’s certainly good, like it sounds good and it has a good energy but it becomes very samey fairly quickly.
The 13th Floor Elevators
4/5
I was excited about this one as it’s in an era and genre I really like and I was glad my expectations were met. Almost every track was a good time, I particularly liked “The Kingdom Of Heaven”, and “Roller Coaster”
Despite the positives this album did begin to feel somewhat samey throughout but that was a nitpick as this was a good time
Michael Jackson
3/5
Here’s the first album I’ve gotten by the king of pop. “Don’t Stop ‘Till You Get Enough” is a fine opener but too long and one of his more overrated hits in my opinion. I love “Rock With You”. I enjoyed most of the rest of the album but this is a style of music I don’t like, though I will stand by that Michael Jackson does disco better than most but I prefer his 80s pop more. I think though and this is a problem with the album structure is that they feel like a bunch of songs meant to be singles not one unified album so I feel like his albums are less than the sum of their parts.
David Bowie
4/5
I really liked almost every song on this album. It has Bowie’s usual flair and sound but it’s better than his music had been for decades by that point. His voice also aged incredibly well and he sounds fantastic on this record. It does make me sad that “Dancing Out In Space” isn’t a better song because that name is wonderful but, overall I’d say this was a good album. Though, I’d say it is the least essential of Bowie’s 9 albums on this list and I’d argue not essential to hear before you die. But, this was still a good time.
OutKast
3/5
Jesus Christ, I usually listen to several albums a day outside of my daily album but I had to find time all throughout the day for this one due to its sheer length. Built off of one solo album by both Big Boi and Andre 3000 put together into one really long album, this is arguably Outkast’s most well regarded album. So I’ll split my review in two as well
Speakerboxxx: Big Boi’s half of the album is a progressive hip hop sound. Overall I enjoyed this half of the album but I found that it was a sound I wasn’t wholly fond of being that I’m not exactly a hip hop guy in my music. But I really liked “The Rooster” and “Knowing”. Other than that I felt that this half of the album was too long especially considering the length of the entire record. I award this half of the album a 3/5 or so, due to it not being a sound I love but still being pretty good.
The Love Below: Andre 3000’s half of the album largely departs from the hip hop sound of Big Boi’s part in favor of a soul, pop, and jazzy sound that I enjoy significantly more. I found myself enjoying much more of this one and not just because of the excellent “Hey Ya!”, but “Love Hater”, “Prototype”, “Roses”, and “Love In War” were all tracks I found myself enjoying quite a bit. But again this half of the album is around 80 minutes long which is kind of excessive for a regular album and I do believe is too long especially adding on the length of Speakerboxxx as well. Overall I’d give this part of the album a light 4/5
Overall: As you may have guessed if you read my review I found this album far too long, 2+ hours was too much, while I enjoyed much of it I found myself wanting the album to end fairly frequently due to the sheer length. This is not to say I didn’t like the sound of the music, I did especially The Love Below but I will likely never sit through the entire record ever again, and because of that I will give this album a 3/5 but be aware it’s closer to a 3.5/5
Ryan Adams
2/5
I like the opener but the rest of it is really boring. It’s a rock record with a heavy southern/country sound and I’m not a fan of it because it goes on a while and it’s a very samey sound.
Fleet Foxes
3/5
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes I liked this one, the folky indie feel is very pleasant and the vocals are very good. The album does blend together a little but the songs by and large are very good and have a calming feel. I’m around a 3.5 but that’ll get rounded up to a light 4/5
Sparks
4/5
A early/mid 70s glam record? Nice! Overall this was an enjoyable experience, the songs were good, the vocals were good, my only real issue was that it’s a bit much to listen to all the way through, for me it’s about a 3.5/5 so I’m deciding now whether to round it up to a 4 or down to a 3
Pavement
3/5
Is it weird that this reminded me heavily of Weezer, that’s not strictly a compliment, I like Weezer and specifically the blue album but they’re not a band I particularly like the sound of and the sound is pulled off very rarely. This was fine with some good moments
The Beach Boys
4/5
Like many of us I’m listening to this the day after Brian Wilson’s passing and it’s a sad day for music history, RIP Brian Wilson.
The Beach Boys for me had a very specific moment where they were great and this solidified that for me. Starting the record the first song was a huge mixed bag, certainly not “bad” but not very good either. The next three songs were actually quite good but they give off the vibe of trying really hard to remake that Beach Boys magic and falling just a little short, honestly that’s the vibe I get from the whole record, trying to recapture that sound they had in 65-66 and partially succeeding but falling just short. This whole record is a little odd in sound anyway. However easily the closest the record comes to touching that classic sound was “Til’ I Die” with wonderful harmonies that make a truly haunting song and the closing title track, that had been around since the Smile sessions.
This album is an odd, “trying to recapture”, and kinda disjointed album, but as much as I’ve mentioned them attempting to remake that magic they largely come very close, despite its lulls the 2-4 tracks and especially the final 2 songs really make this one come together, I’ll give it a 3.5/5 that gets rounded up to a 4
Talking Heads
2/5
Remain In Light - Talking Heads
I’m going to probably upset some people but, I don’t like the Talking Heads that much. This album included, it’s just really boring. The songs all have fairly uniform sound and that sound (combined with the production) is not one I enjoy. The vocals were ok I guess but this is overall an era I also don’t enjoy all that much. I did enjoy “Once In A Lifetime” though.
Aphex Twin
2/5
This sucked. I’m going to be fully straight on this one, it sucked. I am yet to genuinely understand the appeal of electronic music like it’s so boring, it goes on forever the sounds are so uninteresting. I genuinely don’t understand how anyone can sit down say “I’m gonna listen to music” and play instrumental electronic music!
Now, is this actually terrible? No. Is it even the worst electronic album I’ve gotten? No, MJ Cole is in the corner of my eye. But it’s so uninteresting like every other one I’ve gotten and I’m only giving it a 2 because I save a 1 for an album that truly made me hate it, and as is I find this far to boring to truly hate, it’s around a 1.5/5 that got rounded up.
Pentangle
4/5
This was alright. The vocals were good but a little annoying after a while but overall I really like the sound of this record, it’s a 3.5 I think which I’m going to round up to a 4/5
DJ Shadow
1/5
No, sorry, just no, this is a boring boring album, made almost entirely of samples, not into it
The Stone Roses
4/5
This was excellent, I’d never heard it before but this was fantastic. It has a little bit of a 60s vibe which is always a good thing in my book. I’m a fan of the opener, “She Bangs The Drum”, my favorite was “Waterfall”. “Bye Bye Bad Man” is also a pretty good one. “I Am The Resurrection” was also a fantastic song.
Method Man
3/5
I will say, as someone who is very much a rock fan and not a huge fan of hip hop, I have been consistently surprised by my enjoyment of hip hop on this list, while still not my preferred genre I think I was being lead away by artists I do hate like Drake. That’s all to say this is another in that lineage, while not a favorite even among the hip hop albums I’ve gotten, its beats are solid all throughout and the vocals are pretty good. It’s also solid in the background.
Björk
4/5
kinda have a weird view of Björk, on one hand she’s great, and has a lot of excellent work, but on the other, some of her music gets plain weird, not always in a good way. This album starts out kinda weird I wasn’t super into the first two songs but “It’s Not Up To You” was excellent. “Undo”, “Pagan Poetry”, and “Aurora” were also very good. Honestly I enjoyed the vast majority outside the first two tracks, though it’s not my favorite of Björk’s work.
Radiohead
2/5
I’ve said before, I dislike Radiohead quite a lot. I find their music incredibly dull and the vocals very whiny, and it’s not just that I dislike the music, it also does piss me off lightly that they are so beloved. (Obviously this is an exaggeration, I dislike them but I obviously don’t care that people do, it’s an exaggeration please).
This album didn’t change that, while certainly better than the last one I listened to for this challenge (Amnesiac), “Reckoner” in particular was a pretty song, but I just found most of the instrumentation dull and the vocals again were not something I enjoyed, but it’s not awful. I’m around a 2/5 it’s not something I like, or will likely listen to again anytime soon, but it’s not like terrible or anything I just fail to see the appeal.
Laura Nyro
3/5
This album started so damn good, the opening two tracks are fantastic, catchy as hell and an all round good time. Then it gets kinda eh. Not any “bad” songs but nothing particularly special to write home about, it picks up with “Stoned Soul Parade” but then it goes back to the general same level of quality. Again, nothing bad, but nothing too interesting.
The Band
4/5
This album was fantastic. I’m a big fan of roots-rock, so I was predisposed to like this one but holy ravioli this is good. “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” is super catchy, “Jemima Surrender” is high energy and fun, “Rag Mama Rag” is really good. “Up On Cripple Creek” is super catchy and awesome. “Look Out Cleveland” as well, and “Across The Great Divide” is a great pop song, and the closer “King Harvest (Has Surely Come)” is also really good. I realize that this review has kinda turned into a song list, but it truly is that good. It’s got this bluesy, and almost jazzy sound at parts, with a rock and country backbone that makes this an amazing listen.
Elvis Presley
3/5
One of the early rock n roll classics. But I’m going to be honest, I’m not a huge fan of Elvis, I certainly wouldn’t downplay his significance but as far as early rock acts go I generally prefer Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, etc. While nothing here is bad, in fact most of it is good, many of these songs I prefer the originals to Elvis’ renditions (the most glaring example is “Tutti Frutti”) but I am a fan of “Blue Swede Shoes” that’s a good one.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
I went into this not expecting much, alternative post punk is generally not my thing but I was very pleasantly surprised with this one. The first song is great and honestly one of the worse ones on the album. The next three are excellent, the second half is also quite good, I especially liked “Cherry Came Too” I think what makes this one better than this genre normally is for me is that the vocals are a lot more melodic and the record’s sound is a lot more fun than this genre usually feels.
Jacques Brel
2/5
On one hand this was pleasant enough, on another it wasn’t anything that interesting or worth writing home about, not to mention live albums are not generally my cup of tea, (I also don’t think live albums should be included because there will be glaring omissions but that’s another complaint) I also feel very confident I could’ve died without hearing this and not feel any different
Metallica
5/5
This opens with “Enter Sandman” which is probably their biggest song, and yeah, it’s great, that intro is a great way to kick off an album. “Sad But True” is fantastic, “The Unforgiven” is a softer song but one of my favorites. “Wherever I May Roam” is also a personal favorite. “Through The Never” is a great heavier one. As is “The God That Failed”. “My Friend Of Misery” oddly reminded me of Black Sabbath, not a bad thing that song is excellent. This album is start to finish a fantastic listen, it’s my favorite (toss up with Master Of Puppets) Metallica album and Metallica are the band that got me into metal. This is great.
Peter Gabriel
2/5
I don’t like this album very much. It’s full of a lot of the 80s sounds in not that big of a fan of. It also feels like a worse Phil Collins, and I don’t really particularly like Phil Collins.
Ryan Adams
2/5
This album was not good. I heard his other record on the list and it bored the hell out of me apart from the opener and this one was no different, incredibly derivative, basically not good.
Frank Ocean
2/5
Man I’ve had a rough weekend. This sucked, the music is bland and uninteresting while also being super thin, his vocals bordered on hellish multiple times, it went on forever despite all of this. Ok it wasn’t actually that long but I didn’t like it at all.
Radiohead
1/5
Look I promise I’m not that big of a hater but I just don’t understand why anyone enjoys this band. This is the third album by Radiohead I’ve gotten and they’re getting worse I swear. I hated this album, unlike the other albums I got there was not really one redeeming track here, this was nonstop boredom with the occasional earbleeding bit. And Jesus Christ why the hell is Thom Yorke’s voice so goddamn whiny, I really hated this album
1/5
Damn this week has been bad. This album doesn’t make it better either, this was so shit. It’s just noise, it sounds awful and it sounds like when in the movies there’s like a stereotypical tribal ceremony that no one wants to point out is probably depicted in a racist way. Anyway this sucks.
The Cure
5/5
This album was excellent. “Plainsong” is a really pretty opener. “Pictures Of You” might be my favorite song here it’s truly excellent. “Lovesong” is among their most popular songs and is there for a reason it’s really good. “Lullaby” and “Fascination Street” are also excellent. The first 7 tracks are really great, genuine 5 star material. But I didn’t care much for “Prayers For Rain”, “The Same Deep Water As You”, or “Homesick” though the title track and “Untitled” deliver very good ending bits to the album. If the second half was stronger it would be a 5, as is it’s around a 4.5/5
Nightmares On Wax
2/5
And the mediocrity is back, I got a moment of greatness in the form of Disintegration and now I’m back to this.
I really didn’t care for this, I mean it was fairly inoffensive as sounds but trying to like “listen” to the music is boring as hell. It’s also while not that bad also not that good sounding. It’s not the worst so I am going to give it a 2/5
Ella Fitzgerald
3/5
Ella Fitzgerald’s voice was a true treasure, she sounds absolutely wonderful through this whole thing, but there’s two downsides, I’m not that into Gershwin, and this is a box set that goes for 4 hours, upon finishing it I wanted to crawl in a whole and die, not because it was bad but because it’s really hard to muster the willpower to listen to Gershwin vocal jazz for that long. But her voice is truly magnificent
Miles Davis
3/5
So I’ve said before I’m not a jazz fan, but this was actually quite pleasant - the music itself was very pleasant, it was like background music that when I listened was very nice. Like a 3.5 but not quite a 4
Jane Weaver
2/5
The first song sucked but it got better and then in the second half crashed again. Her voice kinda annoyed me and the music wasn’t all that interesting to me
Alice In Chains
2/5
I am not a grunge person, and I really dislike Alice In Chains, I think the vocals are annoying and it sounds like it’s being recorded too slow, like it’s not fast enough for the sound. It’s long, it’s depressing, it’s not an enjoyable listen
Van Morrison
4/5
This was excellent, all eight songs were really good. The music especially was beautiful and exquisitely crafted, and his voice, while I can see how someone would view it as annoying, I really like, and he has a melodic sensibility I really like. The album is easily one of the best I’ve gotten in a while with only one or two from the last two weeks or so stacking anywhere close to this album.
Michael Jackson
5/5
And just like that I’m already 67% done with the king of pop. Of course I like the opening title track, it’s an excellent piece of 80s pop. My favorite Michael Jackson song is “The Way You Make Me Feel”, I’m a like “Liberian Girl”, “Just Good Friends”, “Another Part Of Me” I love “Man In The Mirror”, and I’m a big fan of the remaining tracks. The only one I don’t care for is “Speed Demon”.
Ultimately Michael Jackson is the epitome of 80s pop only challenged by one or two other acts of the era, and this is, in my opinion, his finest LP, while not held in as high regard as “Thriller” I think pound for pound it edges “Thriller” out.
Fever Ray
2/5
This was boring the music was basic electronic sounds, and I’m already not a fan of electronic music - like… at all, but the vocals were really annoying.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
This is the first time I’ve listened to a Neil Young album all the way through, I’ve heard songs but never a full record. I loved this. Opener “Cinammon Girl” is a fun higher energy song that leads directly into the title track, a more country rock sounding track that I personally enjoyed quite a lot. “Round & Round (It Won’t Be Long)” is an excellent song and one of my favorites. I really enjoyed “Down By The River” the solos spread out across the song are excellent. “The Losing End (When You’re On)” was great as well. “Running Dry” was my favorite on the record. The closer “Cowgirl In The Sand” despite its length was also really good. This album is a really good collection of country rock, and folk rock and I loved it.
Ali Farka Touré
3/5
This was actually fairly pleasant and an interesting listen at the very least. I thought the instrumentation was broadly interesting and pleasant and quite liked the vocals. However, I do believe it runs long and I probably would’ve gotten a higher appreciation for it if I’d understood any of the 5 or so languages used in this album
Paul Simon
4/5
This was a fun one, I love Simon & Garfunkel and I’m a fan of Simon’s solo career as well. His writing is still pretty strong despite what the 80s did to a lot of 70s and 60s artists. The use of South African vocal groups adds a lovely texture to this album that would’ve been a standard sounding 80s Paul Simon album. The album is worse than his early 70s records in particular his self titled which is also on the list and I got a month or two ago but it’s a very solid 80s record and a fun time. In particular I liked the title track, “Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Feet”, “You Can Call Me Al”, “Under African Skies”, “Crazy Love Vol. II”, and “All Around The World or the Myth Of Fingerprints”.
Frank Sinatra
4/5
I was fairly disappointed in the other Sinatra album I got on this list (the one with Antonio Carlos Jobim) but this one was a lot more like what I like and expect from Sinatra. This was very enjoyable, his voice is clear and great as ever the instrumentation is fun and overall this is a good time.
Thin Lizzy
3/5
Ok so to preface this: I have no real knowledge about Thin Lizzy, I know some stuff about the band and a handful of their hits but not a ton. This was a fun album, the instrumentation was ridiculously fun to listen to but at the same time it kinda just blended in, there’s nothing about this that screams essential. It is competently performed and sung and is a very very pleasant and fun listen but ultimately I don’t see myself necessarily coming back to this one
Circle Jerks
2/5
This album was so short, and that gained it points it was lacking on every other way. I’m not into this style of punk, there’s certainly punk I do enjoy from this era but this album was not that, it’s mostly kinda boring and dumb and I was bored through most of its 16 minute run time. I’m gonna go listen to Wings now
Queen
4/5
Queen were one of the first bands I loved when I was younger, they were my favorite band for a long time. This was the first Queen album I heard all the way through I considered it a 10 through and through. However, I find myself having this general issue with Queen albums a lot, they have next to no cohesion as one piece, like you could shuffle almost any Queen song from 1975-1977 and throw a mix on an album and you’d get the same effect. That being said, what usually saves a Queen album is the fact that their songs are all generally very strong.
This album opens with “Death On Two Legs” a rocking diss track that gets you pumped to start this album. However, the album they falls into a slump for the next two tracks “Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon” is fine but it lasts barely any time and “I’m In Love With My Car” is well… it’s not great. “You’re My Best Friend” takes us out of the slump though with an excellent song with a wonderful vocal performance from Freddie. “‘39” might be my favorite song on the record it’s folky sound is really pleasant and the lyrics are great. “Sweet Lady” is ok but I’m not that into it. “Seaside Rendezvous” is actually great, it kinda reminds me of songs like “You Gave Me The Answer” and “Honey Pie” by Paul McCartney and I really enjoy those songs and this one. “The Prophet’s Song” is one of the greatest epics Queen wrote the extended vocal break is super cool and the hard rock portions are excellent. “Love Of My Life” is a classically tinged and excellently performed love song. “Good Company” is ok I guess. “Bohemian Rhapsody” is great it truly is but like many Queen hits it has kinda lost its power for me and especially over the last several years since the film came out I’ve heard it soooo many times.
This album is good, I have my issues with it but in spite of its issues its a good record and a fun album
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
I love Sly & The Family Stone, and Sly Stone himself was a true genius and instrumental virtuoso in the true sense of the words. This album is also excellent. I love the opening title track, I did not like “Don’t Call Me N*****, Whitey” I found that it went on too long and was very repetitive. However “I Want To Take You Higher”, “Somebody’s Watching You” and “Sing A Simple Song” were all three excellent. “Everyday People” is one of the most famous songs on the record and is fantastic. “Sex Machine” is cool but goes in far far too long. And I absolutely loved “You Can Make It If You Try” despite its minor faults the record is great.
Tina Turner
2/5
I never particularly liked Tina Turner, specifically because I don’t like her voice very much, don’t get me wrong she very clearly can sing and can sing very well it’s just not a voice I like. This album is was fine. Most of it was somewhat forgettable except for three songs. “What’s Love Got To Do With It” is obviously a good song, I enjoyed it quite a lot. “1984” it was decent but at least memorable. And finally “Help!” a cover of the 1965 song by The Beatles. This cover was bad, like really bad, I’m sorry but turning a 60s classic into an 80s pop ballad is never a good idea, but her delivery on the lines, the 80s production, everything about this was “not good” as the French say.
The Byrds
4/5
As the title suggests this album is very country oriented especially compared to the generally folkier sound the Byrds go for. I enjoyed this a fairly high amount. I really loved the harmonies on “One Hundred Years From Now” I really liked “Nothing Was Delivered”, “You’re Still On My Mind” and “You Don’t Miss Your Water”. The only song I had a strong negative reaction towards was “The Christian Life” just a little too much. But I really like that older country sound this was good.
Marty Robbins
4/5
Country music is a genre I’ve historically had a little apprehension about, of course there’s plenty of amazing country and the greats are seriously amazing but country (especially in its modern form) is a little too far into that MURICA vibes I’m not into. That said I really like most older country I’ve heard and that’s no different here. A broadly fun and interesting country album with cool lyrics and some great harmonies. The vocals are generally very good here, I enjoyed myself.
Sinead O'Connor
4/5
Look, if there’s one thing O’Connor most certainly had it’s a voice. Her voice is constantly the thing I liked most about this album, including the opening two tracks and the final track which I didn’t particularly like. The remaining tracks however are all excellent. Of course there’s the song everyone knows “Nothing Compares 2 U” which is excellent but also “The Emperor’s New Clothes”, “Black Boys In Mopeds”, and “You Cause As Much Sorrow” which I particularly liked
Black Sabbath
5/5
Man, it got to a point where I thought we’d never see Ozzy go. The man was a goddamn legend who created consistently some of the greatest heavy metal of all time
By 1972 Ozzy and Black Sabbath were already world famous, their world shattering metal creating debut album was a big hit especially for a first time band in a brand new genre solidified in sound by them. Their follow up and major breakthrough “Paranoid” would release later that same year and contain several very well known songs including the hits “Iron Man”, the title track and “War Pigs” which despite not being a single remains very popular. The album remains the groups most commercially successful and well known. Their follow-up, 1971’s Master Of Reality (travesty it’s not included on this list) saw the group hitting the peak of their occultist, apocalyptic vision of music in yet another massively successful and amazing album. So by the time 1972 rolled around the band were looking for something else, trying to change their sound, and began leaning towards more experimental sounds in their fourth album.
Vol. 4 is my second favorite Sabbath record, the only one I’ll say I like more is “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” (another travesty that it isn’t included). This album I remember not caring for as much as their first three on first listen ages ago but upon relisten soon after it quickly became one of my favorites. That remains true on my most recent listen the opener is one of the single best heavy metal openers of all time. “Changes” is a change (heh nice) in sound for a ballad and sounds amazing. “Supernaut” and “Snowblind” are some of my favorites Sabbath songs. I love “Cornucopia”, “St Vitus Dance” and “Under The Sun”. Sabbath were also historically really good at instrumentals and “Laguna Sunrise” does not break that trend.
This is one of the easiest 5/5’s I’ve ever given, Ozzy Osbourne was so awesome man, like his first six records with Sabbath are so good and his solo career is also excellent. He also stood up for marginalized communities consistently and donated to great causes including at his final Sabbath gig just a few weeks ago. One of the greats here, Ozzy will never be forgotten, as a pioneer, excellent singer, and musician. Rest In Peace Ozzy: The Prince Of Darkness \m/
Manic Street Preachers
4/5
I liked this one. Not least because the band name is so good. But the record has a great feel, it rocks out without losing pro melodic vocals, the lyrics are solid and the overall feel the entire time is good. I enjoyed this one quite a lot. In particular “ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayit’sworldwouldfallapart” and “Mausoleum”.
Meat Loaf
3/5
I don’t remember what song by Meat Loaf I knew already that made me dread this one but I was not excited going into this one. But that opening roaring and wholly epic opener changed that immediately holy ravioli was it good. It immediately throws us into another excellent track in “You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth”. I disliked “Heaven Can Wait” but again it shot back up with the good “All Revved Up With No Place To Go”. I also liked “Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad”. However the most popular song on the record is “Paradise By The Dashboard Light” which started great but was ultimately ok I guess by the time it ended. Then the closer “For Crying Out Loud” which was boring for the first couple minutes but exploded into coolness before immediately dying down to meh again. This album was a mixed bag, some truly excellent stuff and some really lame stuff too.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
I’ve never been like a huge Stones fan, I’ve always found that they never had the musical strength or heart of The Beatles, that said I really enjoyed this one. Opener “Gimme Shelter” is fun and “Love In Vain” is cool from an instrumental standpoint. I wasn’t that into “Country Honk”, but I really liked “Live With Me”, and the title track were my two favorites thus far. The closer “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” is also fantastic.
My Bloody Valentine
2/5
This was not good. It was really boring and went on and on. I don’t know I was having a good time on this project for several days and this one kinda ruined it. Sucked
Frank Zappa
4/5
I would say I enjoyed this one, opening on the instrumental “Peaches En Regalia” which is an enjoyable opener and moving straight into the mostly but not completely instrumental “Willie The Pimp” which I enjoyed thoroughly, it was my favorite track on the record and that extended solo is just perfection. I also liked the instrumentation and solos on “Son Of Mr. Green Genes” however by this point I was feeling like it may have been going on a little long as this and the previous track were both 9 minutes. “Little Umbrellas” was a pleasant change of pace at only 3 minutes. But the next track was the worst for me and the longest running at 13 minutes and was called “The Gumbo Variations” I thought it felt like more of the same but longer. However I loved “It Must Be A Camel” ending it off. This was good but not quite great.
Thundercat
3/5
This was a pleasant enough r&b record from the 2010s, while I admit I enjoyed the record and my time listening to it, I found that very little stuck out to me. This includes the several tracks that feature prominent guest stars including but not limited to Kenny Loggins, Kendrick Lamar, and Wiz Khalifa. I honestly would mostly go through a song and go “that was nice” and then I didn’t remember why I liked or didn’t like a song a little while later.
4/5
My first Dylan album is a live album I didn’t even know was on the list. It makes sense, I like any well knowledged classic rock fan know the legends of Dylan going electric to the anger of fans of his earlier work, and I know the legends of the divisive shows he was playing from 1965-1966. The first disc is the customary acoustic set. It opens with “She Belongs To Me” which is a decent opener and goes into “Fourth Time Around” and “Visions Of Johanna” both off of the Blonde On Blonde album, I personally love the latter and solidly like the former. I really like “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue”. “Desolation Row” is among my favorite Dylan songs and it’s done very well here. “Just Like A Woman” is again done well. “Mr. Tambourine Man” is a great song performed well here. The problem I have here is that all of these songs sound near identical to the studio versions but with Dylan’s voice somehow more nasally.
Beginning the electric half of this record is “Tell Me, Momma” which immediately resets the vibe which is getting very low, (not boring necessarily) but this gets the energy rolling quickly. “I Don’t Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)” was solidly performed. The sound quality is surprisingly good, not sure why I was surprised but I was. I dunno as you might be able to tell I’m somewhat running out of things to say. I enjoy just about everything here. I really loved the rendition of “One Two Many Mornings”. I didn’t love the rendition of “Ballad Of A Thin Man” despite it being arguably my favorite Dylan song, and ending on a great rendition of “Like A Rolling Stone”
Skunk Anansie
3/5
This was not my thing. It’s very 90s sounding and 90s production and tropes are things I have a somewhat lower tolerance for, I don’t dislike 90s rock but I don’t love most of it and many of the more popular groups of the decade I dislike. This album was on the better end but it falls into one particular trap of 90s and to a lesser extent 80s music where they feel the need to make every song 4-5 minutes when they would’ve been good at 2. Then they stick 12 songs on the album so it’s a 60 minute album when I’ve signed up for 40-45 minute albums usually. It’s ok I guess there wasn’t anything I outwardly disliked here just broadly found much of it fairly uninteresting.
Moby
1/5
Man I’m so tired of getting electronic stuff. This is an hour long and super repetitive and not interesting at all. I was not in the mood for this today.
Tori Amos
5/5
I loved this one, from the opening song you get this perfect balance of vibe and melody. Her voice is absolutely gorgeous throughout much of this album and I liked most of the lyrics too. In particular I really liked “Girl”, “Silent All These Years”, “China”, and the title track. The title track in particular was fantastic in part because of the bass line which gives the song almost an earthquake feel that combined with it being just a really good song.
Tito Puente
3/5
I liked this. It was good to have in the background while I was baking. It was overall a soundscape I enjoyed I liked the horns it was fun. Though at the same time I don’t see myself returning to this one really.
Neil Young
4/5
I loved this album, I love Young’s brand of country rock and folk rock and this is among the better examples of it. Opener “Tell me Why”, is excellent and his voice sounds great. The title track is also pretty good. I really liked “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” and the great and biting lyrics of “Southern Man” compliment the excellent arrangement and sound. “Till The Morning Comes” is a nice little interlude before we go to a cover of “Oh, Lonesome Me” a well done cover that I enjoyed, my grandmother did not like it. “Don’t Let It Bring You Down” was ok but I found his voice a little annoying in it. “Birds” was awesome I loved the way the backing vocals came in on the chorus it was gorgeous. “When You Dance I Can Really Love” was excellent as well an absolutely amazing arrangement going with excellent vocals again. “I Believe In You” may have been my favorite on the record his vocals are superb again and the way the vocals come in is sublime. “Cripple Creek Ferry” was a very good short closer kinda an epilogue to an excellent album
3/5
I liked this one, it was pretty decent the vocals were all pretty good and I liked the production a decent amount. I particularly liked “Good Fortune”. It’s like three and a half stars.
The Velvet Underground
5/5
Honestly one of my big errors has to be listening to the velvet underground and Nico years ago, loving it, and then never listening to another song by them. I loved this album. From the opening called “Candy Says” which is wonderful. To songs like “Pale Blue Eyes”, “Jesus”, and “I’m Set Free” it was fantastic. The only song I didn’t like was “The Murder Mystery” sorry this is not my sort of thing.
Bad Company
4/5
This album is seriously like the textbook definition of hard rock of the 70s. I know some have stated that this album is overplayed and to an extent I agree but it is so damn good. Each track had a lot of energy, I particularly liked “Rock Steady”, “Don’t Let Me Down”, “The Way I Choose” and especially “Seagull” idk it was fantastic.
Common
3/5
One of the discoveries I’m making that I’m really happy about is learning I actually do enjoy hip hop. It’s still not my favorite I have always been and likely always will be a rock and roll guy but it’s a genre I’m learning I do have an appreciation for. All this to say I liked this album, it’s upfront but not overbearing in its production it’s lean. Common is obviously skilled at what he does and the lyrics are solid. I enjoyed this album, didn’t love it, as I said I’ve never felt hip hop/rap is my thing but I enjoyed it.
Small Faces
4/5
This album was a fun time. I really enjoyed the first half but the real magic is in the second half, an excellent multi part epic with parts of spoken narration. It’s really cool. I enjoyed it lots
Morrissey
4/5
Look as much as I consider Morrisey a pretentious douche, I mustn’t lie his almost concerning level of narcissism is well founded. The man can write a good song, this album as that intro may lead you to believe was a good time. Everything here was enjoyable at some level, multiple times rising up to be really good, I loved the closer “Speedway”, I also loved “Now My Heart Is Full”, “Hold On To Your Friends”, and “Used To Be A Sweet Boy” among others. The production is far less heavy handed than many mid 90s records and his voice sounds really good throughout.
Tracy Chapman
4/5
Look everyone knows “Fast Car” which is an excellent piece of music with very good lyrics, but outside of that song I was completely unfamiliar with this record. I liked opener “Talkin’ ‘Bout A Revolution” and “Across The Lines”, I really liked “Baby Can I Hold You”. I wasn’t a fan of the accapella of “Behind The Wall”, and look the whole record sounds 80s but the 80s on “Mountains O’ Things” is not my thing, and I do need to make clear, I have a fairly low tolerance for 80s production, sometimes the songwriting can rise above the production but things that sound really 80s are things I often have issues with and it’s generally specific parts of 80s sounds, if you went and looked at my other reviews you’d 100% see what I mean. Anyway, “Why?” Was really good. I also liked “For My Lover” overall this album was good,
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
I like Echo And The Bunnymen but I don’t love them, I previously had their album Porcupine and considered it a 3.5/5 a pretty good album but not great, this album was pretty similar I like the instrumentation and the vocals throughout but I find the production to be a little flat. I loved “Stars Are Stars” though
Minutemen
3/5
For an album as long as this I have fairly little to say. It’s a solid punk record with some great lyrics sprinkled in and some solid instrumentation but far from my favorite punk record
fIREHOSE
4/5
This is was a good one not a bad track in the lot I particularly liked the opener
The Killers
4/5
I liked this album, there’s of course one of the anthems of us white people “Mr. Brightside” and look I make fun of this song all the time but I can’t resist it’s catchiness. It’s great, and I of course liked “Somebody Told Me” and I really liked “Smile Like You Mean It”, and “Change Your Mind” and the closer, but really there was only one track (the penultimate track) that I didn’t like. This was good
Aimee Mann
4/5
Whatever - Aimee Mann
I was not excited for this at all. Mostly because I’m not a huge fan of all 90s albums having 14 songs each 5 minutes. Which this album is kinda guilty of but it’s really good. I loved the opener and straight until track 5 is excellent. Honestly there wasn’t an actual negative moment in the whole record I felt
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
I’ve gotten 3 Paul Simon solo records and I am of the belief that Paul Simon is one of the greatest songwriters pop music ever had. His music has this charm and fun while also being excellent actual written works. This album was the third consecutive album Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel had that struck gold. This one better even than their previous. I love the light integration of some psychedelic elements. I love the urgency on the vocals to “Save The Life Of My Child” the harmonies and power in “America” make it one of the greatest in their catalog. I’m a huge fan of “Overs”. “Old Friends” is great, “Punky’s Dilemma” is a fun one that feels different than the average S&G song. I of course love the classic “Mrs. Robinson” one of the songs of my childhood and one of the earliest songs I loved as a child. I also love the closer “At The Zoo”, though not quite the finest moment (that would come two years later with their subsequent album) it’s a somewhat close second place
LCD Soundsystem
2/5
Man I was never gonna enjoy this. It’s drawn out (the songs the album itself is a little longer than it probably should be but not terrible) and super electronic. Just not my vibe
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Man I love CCR, the ultimate southern rock band and honestly arguably the greatest American rock band of the late 60s and 70s if not of all time. This album is the group’s first proper killer record in my opinion: the opening title track has a great beat that gets you fully set for the album. The bluesy guitar on “Commotion” starts off an excellent song. The big hits “Lodi” and “Bad Moon Rising” are both excellent, the record has little if any low points.
SAULT
2/5
I wanted to like this so very much but I did not. It was musically really uninteresting to me with the production being really boring in my opinion. Also most of the songs boil down to one or two phrases repeated over and over again
Led Zeppelin
5/5
This album is as magnificent as the first time. From the nasty blues of “Black Dog” sending us up to the stratosphere, those vocals from Plant are amazing. The continued energy of “Rock And Roll” is great as well, the drums in particular are excellent. The next track is “Battle Of Evermore” - one thing I’ve always loved about Zeppelin is the mythological and fantastical elements in many of their songs - this one is one of the most overtly of that nature and the vocals are amazing and Page’s guitar sounds excellent. Then of course there’s Stairway. Look I genuinely couldn’t give less of a fuck, “oh Stairway’s overplayed” oh “stairway is overrated” I just don’t care this song has its reputation for a reason and I will stand on it being this record’s finest moment. How moves from this beautiful folk rock opening to an acoustic track and finally into bombarding hard rock makes it one of rock’s most true epics. That moment when the drums come in followed by Plant’s next verse is just heavenly, and that solo oh my god that solo.
Side two opens with the electronic tinged and fantastical “Misty Mountain Hop” another great track. “Four Sticks” isn’t super good but the drum work is amazing and fully redeem the track. “Going To California” has the mystical vibe and is one of the most gorgeous vocals of Plant’s career. Then of course there’s “When The Levee Breaks” and excellent piece of epic blues rock, again huge praise for Plant’s voice Page’s guitar Bonham’s drums JPJ’s bass, honestly it’s hard to say something else here, this is an amazing album amazingly crafted and written by four amazing musicians at arguably the peak of their powers. This album’s reputation is fully earned
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
I love Jimi Hendrix. Hot take I know. Insanely good guitarist who was taken from us far too soon. I got the middle child of the Hendrix albums - I know why people don’t talk about this one as much being surrounded by the debut at Electric Ladyland but it’s a shame because this album stands toe to toe with and may even be better than those albums (I’d have to relisten to them first tho) “Up From The Skies” is one of the more chilled songs on the album and I love it. “Spanish Castle Magic” is driving with a lot of distorted guitars and is one of the best on the record in terms of showing off Joni’s guitar skills, “Little Wing” is smooth and might be my favorite here, though my favorite also might be “Castles Made Of Sand”, “You Got Me Floatin’” is also really great. “She’s So Fine” is another with heavy guitar all over and it’s great. “One Last Wish”, “Little Miss Lover”, and “Bold As Love” are also amazing. Like seriously an album that deserves to be talked about with the same level of adoration or at least close to the same level as Are You Experienced and Electric Ladyland.
Depeche Mode
3/5
I’ve never liked this style of synth pop from the late 80s and early 90s. Not to mention I absolutely hate “Personal Jesus”. However this album was decent. I liked “World In My Eyes”, “Halo”, “Waiting For The Night”, and “Enjoy The Silence”. The bad was a lot worse than most albums but the good was pretty good.
The Thrills
4/5
I had never heard of this one, but I really enjoyed it. The opener "Santa Cruz..." was excellent, I also loved "Big Sur", "Don't Steal Our Sun", "One Horse Town", "Hollywood Kids", and "Just Travelling Through". The album has a really nice mix of Americana (despite them being Irish) sounds with early 2000s Indie Rock and the production is great. Not to mention the vocals throughout are very good.
Nina Simone
3/5
This album was pretty solid. Obviously Simone’s vocals are excellent here, but this has never been a style of music I particularly like so this isn’t my favorite. But still for something I don’t love it’s pretty good
The Divine Comedy
4/5
I liked this album. It was a fun time, while not my absolute favorite it’s certainly enjoyable all the way through, I like “Something For The Weekend”, “Becoming More Like Alfie”, and “Songs Of Love”, and the whole album is pretty enjoyable
Django Django
3/5
This album was pretty solid. It’s got a light and warm psychedelic 60s vibe several solid tracks but a little more average for the rest of the tracks
Beatles
5/5
Oh I always love when I open the site and see a Beatles album. This is the only Beatles album on the list that has a significant amount of covers so I’m gonna start with those. “Till There Was You” is the best Beatles cover, Paul’s voice is gorgeous on it and that solo from George is great. I’ve never cared particularly for the covers of “Please Mister Postman” and “Roll Over Beethoven” but both are good. “You Really Got A Hold On Me” is pretty good, “Devil In Her Heart” is one of my favorite Beatles covers, it’s so good. “Money” is also a good cover.
As for the originals: opening with “It Won’t Be Long” is genius, that song gets us energized and ready for a fun album. “All I’ve Got To Do” is beautiful and John’s vocals are amazing. “All My Loving” is one of the first songs I loved as a child, amazing track. “Don’t Bother Me” is George’s first song with the band, it’s pretty decent. “Little Child” is the only kinda bad song on the album, the tune is ok but those lyrics ruin it, most Beatles songs with questionable lyrics are catchy enough and musically interesting enough for the lyrics to be ignored, not this one. “Hold Me Tight” is pretty good. “I Wanna Be Your Man” is good. “Not A Second Time” is also good.
Look, if I’m honest this album is the least essential Beatles album on the list, I’d argue “Please Please Me”, “Help!”, “Magical Mystery Tour”, and “Let It Be” are all more essential. But this album is also one of the most singularly fun albums in history. The vibe is consistently fun and enjoyable even in the worst moments. If I’m being honest this album is a 4/5 but The Beatles are the greatest of all time and I will be awarding this record a 5/5 on principle
David Bowie
5/5
I love David Bowie, it’s hard not to, he’s so cool. This is also the first David Bowie album I love. Opener “Changes” is amazing, I absolutely love the vocals on “Oh! You Pretty Things”, and “Eight Line Poem”. Everyone with ears loves “Life On Mars?” that high note in the chorus is heaven. I love “Quicksand” and “Queen Bitch”. There’s not a bad moment on the whole record, there’s a reason this is often considered the first great Bowie album. It is a top 5 Bowie record for me as well, I generally like the glam stuff he did more than this, but it’s truly great.
Jorge Ben Jor
2/5
This was ok, I didn’t particularly care for it and it got kinda samey, it’s right on average for me (2.5/5) and ill round down for the generator
R.E.M.
3/5
It was pretty good, I liked it but it was significantly worse than the last one I got from REM.
Stan Getz
3/5
Decent little jazz album, a little repetitive but not long enough for that to be a big problem. Overall pretty enjoyable
The Sonics
3/5
A fun Little Rock and roll garage rock album of the early 60s but nothing insanely special. It’s mostly covers and I prefer covers by other artists or the originals of them, and the originals aren’t particularly good. But it’s a fun time
Paul Revere & The Raiders
4/5
This was a good album not my favorite but the first half is very good, though I will say it falls off a slight bit in the latter half of the record. Overall a fun album
N.E.R.D
3/5
Fairly well executed rap-rock. Not really my thing but it’s alright
David Bowie
4/5
Ahhh the first record of the Berlin trilogy. If I’m honest the Berlin trilogy has always been a little overrated for me. Not bad by any means still better than most artists ever did but I’ve always like glam Bowie best. This album is great. “Breaking Glass”, “Sound And Vision”, and “Always Crashing The Same Car”, are particular highlights. However it loses some points because the mostly ambient experimental music which isn’t my thing, but it’s interesting at the very least and I love Bowie.
M.I.A.
1/5
Nope.
Robert Wyatt
2/5
Mostly uninteresting. Some interesting stuff but the songs mostly go on too long.
Parliament
3/5
Solid fun funk album here. Little samey at times but it’s pretty good
The Saints
4/5
Fun ass punk album from the late 70s. 70s punk is hit or miss for me but this was a hit. Basically the first 6 tracks are a phenomenal run of songs. Then the second half while not as strong is still quite good. This album is a good
Sugar
3/5
It was decent but not insanely good or anything
The The
4/5
Excellent album here. The vocals in particular I enjoyed a lot, there’s a lot of interesting choices made and I really like it. I’m usually not as into this genre but I really liked this one
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
This was quite good. I’m not generally a hip hop fellow but I enjoyed this quite a bit. The lyrics are solid and the performances are pretty good as well. This is a good album
Country Joe & The Fish
4/5
Very good psych rock record. I enjoyed it immensely
Machito
3/5
This was actually a really pleasant album to go through in the early morning. Nothing particularly great but I can hear the influence this would end up having on salsa it was pleasant
Alanis Morissette
3/5
This was decent. I knew three of the songs really well. It did nothing to change my opinion of Alanis which is that I have no strong opinion either way about her. I like her voice. Hand In My Pocket is good
CHVRCHES
3/5
This was ok, I mean like it could’ve been worse but it was really samey and super poppy and I didn’t particularly care for it. It was an ok album
Alice Cooper
4/5
I do enjoy me some Alice Cooper. I absolutely love the opening “Hello Hooray”. “Raped And Freezin’” is super catchy. The title track is excellent, I really liked “Unfinished Sweet” and of course like everyone with ears I love “No More Mr. Nice Guy”, “Generation Landslide” is excellent and “Mary Ann” is a change from the other tracks and is excellent. The worst stuff here is only kinda meh and the best is excellent
Sabu
2/5
Really boring. And disappointing, like almost every song would start with a musical motif or sound I liked and then devolve into the same thing over and over again for 6 minutes. I didn’t like the vocals either
Blondie
4/5
Loved this. Obviously it’s blonde but there are no bad songs on the record it does a good job not blending together. It’s great
2/5
I just don’t like this genre. It’s fine but I don’t particularly like it. Sorry
Cream
3/5
I’ve never been a huge Clapton fan and that didn’t change. I love psychedelic rock but unless you’re listening to cream of the crop psych rock then it’s kind of overly repetitive. This album was more of the latter. Far from bad but “Sunshine Of Your Love” is a good example of what I mean. A solid song with a killer riff and bass line but it kinda just repeats over and over again. That said I absolutely love “Tales Of Brave Ulysses” and nothing here is bad.
Elton John
5/5
I love Elton John, and Madman Across The Water is early golden era Elton. It opens with “Tiny Dancer”, which for a long time was my favorite Elton song, the piano and string section combined with that warm 70s production and Elton’s gorgeous vocals made it a favorite, also that scene from Almost Famous makes this song that much better. The fact that it’s almost topped by the subsequent song “Levon” is insane too, another ballad (as almost this entire album is ballads) about Levon and his son Jesus. It’s one of my favorite Taupin lyrics and once again the piano playing and string section make this song for me. I’ve never cared tons for “Razor Face” but it’s a pleasant enough melody. The title track is a rare guitar lead track and Elton’s vocals are really impressive on it, the lyrics are also great.
The second side opens with “Indian Sunset” a song about the conquering of historically Native American lands by white settlers, it’s almost got a movie feel and the string section is truly epic, it’s great. I’ve always loved when Elton says “slow down Joe, I’m a rock and roll man” in “Holiday Inn” which is another good track. The country tinged “Rotten Peaches” is another fun one and “All The Nasties” is also great, followed by “Goodbye”
I love this album, that said I find it weird that this is one of two Elton John albums on the list - I’d personally argue Honky Chateau, Don’t Shoot Me, and especially Captain Fantastic should be here before this one, while great it doesn’t show off Elton’s versatility as much as it’s more samey. Despite that criticism it is still amazing
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
I think I just really like A Tribe Called Quest, because this one was also quite good. I liked the lyrics and the grooves are good. It was well written and well produced, my only issue when compared to the low end theory is it runs a little long. If it ended ten minutes earlier it would be on par but it’s a slightly lower 4
Hole
3/5
This was fine. I’m really not a grunge guy and I don’t love the vocals here but it was ok
The Mars Volta
5/5
God this album was good. I really loved the drums and guitar work, the vocals are jarring by at first but really cool. And the concept is fantastic. It’s a truly great (more) modern prog album
N.W.A.
3/5
This was a solid time. The beats are good the rapping is great obviously songs like Fuck Tha Police are great and the title track. It goes on a little longer than I’d like though. It’s like a 3.5 rounded down
Can
2/5
Boring repetitive goes on forever
Radiohead
3/5
I feel like I pray to not get more Radiohead and I keep getting them. Any previous statement I’ve made about Thom Yorke’s annoying voice, the boring music, etc is still true. But this is easily the best album of theirs I’ve gotten so far. It’s decent I really like “Bones”, and especially “High And Dry” and other songs like the title track “(Nice Dream)” and “Fake Plastic Trees” are decent
I hate the song Creep (which isn’t on this record) but this album sounds like it’s what Creep was supposed to be, like the same style but not awful
Sigur Rós
2/5
Mostly boring
Astor Piazzolla
2/5
God damn this was boring and drawn out. I just didn’t want to keep listening after the first billion year song
3/5
This is a solid live album but for a live album to be worth it to me I need the tracks to be significantly better than their studio counterparts and this - while good isn’t. Some live albums are good because the rawness improves the songs, this one doesn’t quite improve it for me. Enjoyable record
Pink Floyd
3/5
I really like Pink Floyd but idk this isn’t what I want from them. It’s very much Pink Floyd but psychedelic instead of proggy but I feel as though neither their playing nor their writing were as good here as they would later become. The prog sound suits them far more than the psych sound. I really liked “Lucifer Sam” a lot though
John Lennon
5/5
I don’t think it’s a controversial statement to call John Lennon one of if not the greatest songwriter who ever lived. His body of work in and out of the Beatles is parallel only by his fellow Beatle Paul McCartney. Not just that he’s a profoundly inspiring and interesting figure.
Imagine was John’s second album after the breakup of The Beatles and his first to be a proper pop/rock album after the raw, emotional, and beautiful John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band in 1970 and it almost meets that records highs. Opening title track is one of the most gorgeous lyrics in the history of music it’s poetry at its finest and the backing track is lush and beautiful to boot. “Crippled Inside” is a really interesting lyric and musical piece that finds an odd humor in its lyrics and is fantastic. “Jealous Guy” is arguably the greatest song of Lennon’s solo career, the lyrics touch on Lennon’s past behaviors and draw attention to the flawed man Lennon himself knew he was and tried to better himself from. “It’s So Hard” is another great lyric with great music (it’s hard to say praise over and over). “I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama” has a solid groove and great lyrics. “Gimme Some Truth” is one of the most scathing lyrics Lennon ever wrote and feels so relevant. You can hear his anger and it feels cathartic to listen to
“Oh My Love” is really pretty. “How Do You Sleep?” is John’s diss track on Paul after “Too Many People” this song has one of the greatest grooves of all time the performances are amazing and that slide guitar solo from George is excellent. The lyrics do turn me off a bit though. “How?” is deeply profound and asks an amazing and important question of how John should be expected to love and be as good as he can be when he never learned how. The record ends on the pop sensed “Oh Yoko” a great fun track to end the album.
Truly one of the greatest albums of the 70s which means one of the greatest of all time.
Elton John
5/5
This album has arguably the greatest opening 4 songs in music history. It opens with the 11 minute medley “Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” it’s gorgeous for the first half and turns into one of the greatest rock songs of all time in the second. It’s one of my favorite recordings Elton ever recorded. This immediately goes into “Candle In The Wind”, his tribute to Marylin Monroe, the soft guitar and backing harmonies have always been favorites of mine on this song. We then get the big hit “Bennie And The Jets” which is one of the most fun lyrical and musical moments in John’s career. It then moves into the title track, my favorite Elton song, the lyrics and vocals are amazing and the harmonies are amazing. The next track “This Song Has No Title” is fun and I love the opening piano line. The remaster of “Grey Seal” is so much better than the original it’s fun and a rollicking good time. “Jamaica Jerk-Off” is somewhat catchy but it’s the only truly weak track on the record.
“I’ve Seen That Movie Too” is one of my favorite Taupin lyrics and is gorgeous especially the instrumental in the middle. “Sweet Painted Lady” is really pretty as well. “The Ballad Of Danny Bailey” is a great mob story and I love the opening piano chords. “Dirty Little Girl” is decent too. “All The Girls Love Alice” is one of the great rockers on the album. “Your Sister Can’t Twist (But She Can Rock N Roll)” is super fun and echoes back to classic rock and roll. “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting” is a fantastic rocker and one of the best of Elton’s career. “Roy Roger’s” captures that feeling of nostalgia amazingly and is a go-to hidden gem for me. “Social Disease” is a fantastic country tinged tune and “Harmony” has amazing (well) harmonies. The track is a wonderful end to a wonderful album.
This album is one of the greatest double albums of all time. Only two tracks are below average and it’s not significant. The lyrical themes are amazing and there’s a reason it’s John and Taupin’s most celebrated piece.
The Beta Band
3/5
Pretty decent fun
The Pogues
4/5
I quite liked this, the Celtic style alongside punk sensibilities makes for an enjoyable record. I really liked “Streets Of Sorrow/Birmingham Six” and “Fairytale of New York”. I like Shane MacGowan’s vocals as well, they have an odd quality like he’s literally drunk while singing and it adds a good element to these songs
Korn
2/5
I dislike Korn. Quite a lot. They’re brand of metal is so slow sounding and annoying, also it’s bad
Gang Starr
3/5
Decent hip hop album, good beats, solid rapping, but not the best rap album I’ve heard during this challenge
Carpenters
3/5
I was softly disappointed in this one. I love the title track - maybe just because I like The Simpsons. But the rest of this album I found rather dull. Not bad by any means just kinda boring. Also that cover of “Help” was not it
The Notorious B.I.G.
2/5
The best thing this challenge has done for me is get me into liking rap and hip hop, and I understand that this is one of those rap albums you have to like but I found it largely boring. It was ok I guess but not what I like to hear in rap. It does things right it just isn’t for me
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
Kinda boring in my opinion. Wasn’t a super big fan
Suzanne Vega
5/5
I’d never actually heard a full Suzanne Vega album, I liked what I’d heard but this had been on my list for a while. And man was it good. The production is lush and isn’t awful in that 80s way, her voice is gorgeous and the lyrics are excellent. I genuinely loved all of this record
Joy Division
4/5
This was good though not my favorite thing I’ve heard. It got boring for a little bit in the middle but started and ended very strongly
Rush
4/5
Historically I didn't like Rush, Geddy Lee's vocals just kinda annoyed me. However, I've grown a lot since the last time I listened to Rush and I was pleasantly surprised by this record. It opens with "Tom Sawyer", and I'm not sure that there's many opening songs for a record. "Red Barchetta" was a better track than the opener. "YYZ" was my favorite track thus far. "Limelight" is great. It's got a damn good groove and Lee's vocals are the best on the record. Excellent song. "The Camera Eye" is the only true epic on the album and it does not disappoint. Lifeson's guitar work is stellar and Peart's drumming is excellent as always. "Witch Hunt (Part III of Fear) was also pretty good. I really liked "Vital Signs" as well. This record was a very good prog record from the early 80s and kinda made me "get" Rush.
Todd Rundgren
4/5
This was a good album. It's full of that early 70s goodness I love so much. It runs on a little long for my liking as I feel much of the second half is unnecessary. "I Saw The Light", "It Takes Two To Tango", "Saving Grace", and "Hello, It's Me" were among my favorites. There were others but around the second disc the album starts to drag on a little before picking up again at the end.
The Black Crowes
4/5
This is an excellent piece of southern rock and roots rock. I’m not fully used to the genre outside of the late 60s and early 70s but it’s a welcome change from most other 90s music. This is a great album, every song is a banger and I fully recommend you dive into this one.
Oasis
3/5
Fine record here. I’ve never really understood the appeal of Oasis, they’re a fairly boring and by the numbers band with only about 3 songs I actually care about. “Live Forever” is excellent but every other track here is fairly normal alt rock/britpop of the 90s. Also the production on Oasis records pisses me off because they’re mixed to be so loud that the music is lost in the noise and that’s not pleasant especially if you weren’t huge into the music to begin with. Plus Noel Gallagher is a dick, they both are but Noel having the audacity to act as if he’s better than Lennon is insane, his music isn’t even on the same continent as Lennon’s let alone better
Beatles
5/5
Abbey Road is the textbook definition of a perfect album. The record’s first 8 songs are a phenomenal run. “Come Together” is arguably Lennon’s greatest achievement and the song is crazy groovy. “Something” has one of the greatest lyrics in history. I don’t care about the hate “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” is excellent, and almost genius to be a kids song about a serial killer. “Oh Darling!” may very well be McCartney’s greatest vocal of his whole career. He carries that song to higher highs. “Octopus’s Garden” is impossible to dislike if you have ears. It’s so pleasant. “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” is one of the most intense buildups The Beatles ever did. “Here Comes The Sun” is essential 60s. The optimism, music, harmonies, that guitar riff. It’s just so perfect. “Because” is one of the band’s best uses of harmony in their whole career.
But then, there’s the medley. See on their own that list of killer songs isn’t enough to be as good as Abbey Road, the medley makes this album. The multipart suite that is “You Never Give Me Your Money” is an awesome start. John’s stretch with “Sun King” (great harmonies), a good groove in “Mean Mr. Mustard” and a rock n roll sounding “Polythene Pam” is excellent before jumping into the pop perfection that is the mini song “She Came In Through The Bathroom Window”. But the true greatness comes on “Golden Slumbers” a beautiful ballad that leads directly into the triumphant “Carry That Weight” which has an amazing callback to You Never Give Me Your Money. That leads into the rockin “The End” which has amazing solos and possibly the greatest lyric McCartney ever wrote. I always have loved the harmonies and guitar that follow that line and end the medley. Truly amazing medley, the grand finale to The Beatles as an entity and arguably the greatest 16 minutes of music in history. “Her Majesty” is a fun little epilogue
The Offspring
2/5
Not very good. Kinda boring and I never liked The Offspring, and it’s mostly just not very good. I don’t know what to say there’s not tons wrong with it they’re just not my thing
OutKast
3/5
Good rap record but I found their other album on the list to be more interesting. It was fine “Ms. Jackson” is great, but the rest of it was a little meh for me.
Willie Nelson
4/5
Excellent little record here. I am a big fan of Willie Nelson (as is anyone with a soul). I particularly liked the opener and closer, “All Of Me”, “Georgia On My Mind”, and “Moonlight In Vermont”, the album is really chilled out and fit the weather where I live very nicely. It was just a purely pleasant time.
Billy Bragg
4/5
This was a pleasant little folk punk record not a bad track on the record just overall very enjoyable
Germs
2/5
The music is fine but holy shit the vocals are so so annoying
Isaac Hayes
3/5
This was good for the first 3 songs but the last one was fairly boring
The Mamas & The Papas
3/5
This was fine. I had high hopes considering the strength of “California Dreamin’” which is excellent and “Monday Monday”. But the rest of the album I found a little boring. I did appreciate the cover of The Beatles’ “I Call Your Name” but I didn’t think this version lived up to the original
Marvin Gaye
4/5
I will be fully honest. I’ve never quite understood the amount of love this record receives. I love Gaye’s prior release: the seminal concept album “What’s Going On”. That record is quite literally one of the greatest records of all time and also as an added bonus directly inspired Stevie Won’s artistic expansion during the 70s so that album gets flowers for that.
Now to be clear this is not a bad record, it’s very good in that it’s generally good and there’s next to nothing “wrong” with this album but honestly I just don’t fully get it. The opening title track is the embodiment of “romantic soul song” and is an excellent track. “Please Don’t Stay” is also quite good. However the following two tracks on side two are not favorites of mine as they both fall into that slow sound and formula that this album employs for virtually its whole run.
The second side opens with my favorite track on the record “Come Get To This” a wonderful song that continues the themes of sexual healing found throughout this record. However I won’t lie the remaining three tracks aren’t favorites of mine. Again, I will make clear this is a good album and a pretty damn good one too but the album feels a little tiring falling into the same formula of slow soul songs that feel repetitive lyrically, outside of a few standouts this album wasn’t my favorite Gaye album
Nirvana
2/5
I will say this again. I. Am. Not. A. Grunge. Fan. I find the genre to be incredibly anti fun. I’m fine with not fun music but grunge seems to be viscerally and openly anti fun and it’s not something I like. All of this to show how I feel about grunge’s crowning act. I do not like Nirvana. I am not immune to understanding the how and why of their influence and popularity but I don’t like them.
In Utero opens with “Serve The Servants” a fine opener. But “Scentless Apprentice” has one of the most annoying vocals I’ve ever listened to and it sucks. “Heart-Shaped Box” is quite good and the only song on this record I actually like. “Rape Me” is ok, “Frances Farmer…” is ok. “Dumb” is ok. “All Apologies” is ok. The rest of the record is full of really annoying vocals and subpar music. The production is really annoying it feels as though it’s specifically geared to make me dislike this album. It feels deliberately produced in the most unappealing way possible.
Kings of Leon
1/5
The big two zero zero. Album 200 is here
I wish I had a better 200th. The music is fine like actually the production and music sounds really good but his voice just ruins this whole record for me. It’s not good at all
Tricky
1/5
Man this sucked. It was super boring and I swear to god I tuned out half the record both times I listened to it. Ridiculously boring and made me very sad
Red Snapper
2/5
I’m so don’t with electronic music atp
ZZ Top
4/5
An excellent rock record from the early 70s. I’m a sucker for that bluesy southern rock sound and this album is one of the best of that brand. The guitars sound fantastic and extremely groovy. The vocals and the drums are also excellent. Obviously “La Grange” is a classic with an amazing riff, but I also loved the opener, “Jesus Just Left Chicago”, “Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers”, “Master Of Sparks”, “Hot, Blue, And Righteous”, and “Have You Heard?”
This album was excellent full of great grooves and fun songs
Arrested Development
4/5
This was a good time, I’ve learned that I quite like several kinds of hip hop and a few artists and I really liked this one. I loved “Mr. Wendal”, “Raining Revolution”, and “Give A Man A Fish” in particular but this is an all round good album
Ravi Shankar
3/5
A very interesting record with sounds I have been exposed to but to a far lesser degree than hip hop beats or electric guitars. It was an enjoyable enough experience and a very interesting experience at the very least. This is a good
Prince
4/5
I loved this album. I’ve never been a Prince fan, until now I guess. The title track of this record is fantastic and a great opener. “Little Red Corvette” is a fantastic pop tune and “Delirious” is pop perfection. I did find “Let’s Pretend We’re Married” to be overly long and kind of boring though. “D.M.S.R.” Has a catchy ass chorus and I loved it. “Automatic” is also far too long and annoying. “Something In The Water (Does Not Compute)” was ok. But “Free” was a very good ballad, and “Lady Cab Driver” was fun. “The Critics All Love U In New York” is also good. And the close “International Lover” is excellent.
A very good R&B/Pop record from the early 80s, excellent record
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
3/5
Kinda boring but ultimately decently fun record
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Oh my my, what a day today
“Good Times Bad Times” is arguably the best career opener of all time, “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” is amazing. “Dazed And Confused” is awesome “Your Time Is Gonna Come” is great and “Black Mountain Side” is a very pleasant instrumental. However and this is my hot take for the day, this album is slightly worse than it’s generally considered. The first half is truly excellent but the second half falls off a little for me.
It’s very bluesy and pleasant but many of the songs are literally stolen and it kinda has very little variety in sound, something Zeppelin would get much better about in their career.
However despite that this is an excellent album
Astrud Gilberto
3/5
I liked this - above all it was a pleasant listen
The Kinks
4/5
A very good late 60s rock record, I love the folky sound of it. It’s truly one of the best of the latter of the decade AKA one of the best stretches of years in music history
Dizzee Rascal
3/5
Decent rap album - overall good time
Public Image Ltd.
2/5
Really boring, not a post punk fan and this was some of the most boring of that genre I’ve ever heard
U2
3/5
I’ve never been a U2 fan I find their music by and large kinda bland. “One” is excellent though
Don McLean
5/5
This album gained an immediate 3.5 stars for the title track and another half star for Vincent. The title track is one of the greatest songs ever written, it’s telling of the history of cultural changes and rock and roll from the mid 50s up to that point makes it one of the most interesting and memorable songs of all time. It’s truly amazing, the lyrics, the music, McLean’s voice it’s all here. “Till Tomorrow” is a very pleasant folk rock tune. “Vincent” is goddamn gorgeous, the lyrics are really beautiful and the guitar work is wonderful. The piano on “Crossroads” is amazing and the lyrics are wonderful. I love the country twang of “Winterwood” it was one of my favorites from the record.
“Empty Chairs” was a lovely tune with great lyrics. I really like the fun rockin vibe of “Everybody Loves Me, Baby” and the end of the chorus being the words “what’s wrong with you?” made me laugh. Fun song. “Sister Fatima” is wonderful. And “The Grave” is really good. I also loved the rendition of “Babylon”
Justin Timberlake
2/5
Fugazi
3/5
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Excellent southern rock record. “Travelin’ Blues” is a great rock n roller. “Lookin Out My Back Door” is one of my favorite CCR songs, it’s great. “Run Through The Jungle” is awesome as is “Up Around the Bend”. “Who’ll Stop The Rain” is perfection. “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” is also great.
Raekwon
3/5
This is a good
Guided By Voices
3/5
Jimmy Smith
3/5
Mostly meh jazz I liked the penultimate song but it went on too long in spite of that
Bob Dylan
5/5
This is an amazing album. Look I understand the controversy around this shift for Dylan at the time but I think it was the right move, as much as I love those early Dylan albums this is better. There’s not one bad track here, but particular highlights include “Subterranean Homesick Blues”, “She Belongs To Me”, “Outlaw Blues”, “It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” and of course the transcendent “Mr. Tambourine Man” in (I don’t know if this is a hot take) the best version of that song
Spiritualized
2/5
The Bees
3/5
David Bowie
4/5
Title track is far too long and not very good. Everything else is pretty good
Duran Duran
4/5
Good album love the title track but every song was a good time
Dire Straits
3/5
I love the opener and of course “Sultans Of Swing” but the rest of the album while good does not live up to that
Adele
3/5
It’s fine but mostly basic pop. Her voice is truly amazing but she refuses to be interesting with it
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
3/5
Christina Aguilera
3/5
Decent record better than I expected
2/5
Pixies
4/5
Good album
4/5
This is far better than their first album. Just about every song is good and it houses a truly amazing number in “Don’t Look Back In Anger”
Bert Jansch
4/5
David Bowie
4/5
All very good except the title track which is near perfection and the god awful “Across the Universe” cover
Dire Straits
4/5
Good album. The title track is excellent
Teenage Fanclub
4/5
Public Enemy
2/5
It’s not my thing
Miles Davis
2/5
Nanci Griffith
3/5
Steely Dan
3/5
Very catchy I had a good time with this one but it’s very much not an album that forces me to pay attention
The Cars
4/5
David Holmes
2/5
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
3/5
This one I was dreading.
And yeah this is awful, everything about this album feels like it was made as it was being recorded under the influence of many illicit substances. It’s truly an awful listen, and yet this was the funniest 78 minute joke I’ve ever heard and I kinda loved listening to it despite how much I hated the sounds I was hearing
New Order
3/5
Blur
3/5
Koffi Olomide
2/5
Sonic Youth
2/5
This is everything I dislike about 90s music but not as bad as them at the height of their powers
Bob Dylan
5/5
Common
2/5
The Kinks
4/5
A great little 60s record here
Little Simz
3/5
Pretty Decent
Miles Davis
4/5
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
5/5
This was amazing, love prog rock and this is some of the best
Cee Lo Green
2/5
Stevie Wonder
5/5
One of the greatest albums of all time. Perfection down to its last notes
Kings of Leon
2/5
I mean it’s leagues better than the other album by this band I got, but it’s still pretty average - this is around a 2.5/5 rounded down for me
Eminem
3/5
Various Artists
3/5
Fine album but I’m not a Christmas music fan
Nick Drake
5/5
A hauntingly beautiful set of recordings showing us a snapshot into the mind of a great songwriter but also a deeply tortured set of souls. The vocals are gravelly in a perfect way and the acoustic guitar is lovely through the whole record, I particularly loved "Parasite" but every song was amazing.
Deep Purple
4/5
An awesome hard rock record “Child In Time” and “Flight Of The Rat” are particularly good everything else is pretty good
Deep Purple
5/5
An amazing album, space truckin is perfection
Kraftwerk
3/5
Slint
4/5
This is a good
Deee-Lite
2/5
The Velvet Underground
4/5
Garbage
3/5
Steely Dan
4/5
I’m usually not a fan of Steely Dan but this one is actually very good
Harry Nilsson
5/5
Amazing, Coconut is dumb but everything else is absolutely lovely
Portishead
4/5
It’s very good but damn is it depressing to listen to while trying to get work done
Bill Callahan
4/5
Good album, the vocals are good despite their deadpan nature
The KLF
3/5
Iron Butterfly
3/5
Honestly kinda average and I’ve never loved the title track especially as a 17 minute long song, the shortened version is decent but this is too long
Pearl Jam
4/5
One of the few 90s grunge albums I can FULLY get behind
T. Rex
5/5
Perfection. No notes. A glam rock masterclass and among the best rock records of the 70s, which means one of the best rock records of all time
Missy Elliott
4/5
Elliott Smith
5/5
I’ve learned via this challenge and some exploration outside of it that Elliot Smith is one of my favorite artists of the 90s and 2000s. I love his songwriting style the production is lush and gorgeous and the layered vocals have a beatlesy feel that I love. From the second “Son of Sam” starts this record is just as good as his other album on this list. “Stupidity Tries”, “Wouldn’t Mama Be Proud”, “Somebody That I Used To Know”, “Happiness/The Gondola Man”, and “Pretty Mary Kay” are amazing and those layered vocals are all heavenly. His guitar work across the whole record is excellent
Elis Regina
3/5
Count Basie & His Orchestra
3/5
Good but a little dull after a while
Orange Juice
3/5
John Coltrane
4/5
One of the best jazz albums I’ve ever listened to. That being said I’m not a jazz guy so I’m not as high on this as some would be
Norah Jones
3/5
“Turn Me On” was excellent and other than that this album was a little meh but still decent
Finley Quaye
1/5
This is awful. Horrible. I hate this deeply. Why is it so reggae-y. Lowkey, reggae was only done well by one guy and Bob Marley this ain't. This sounds so repetitive and annoying the vocals are ass. It's truly just so awful.
Linkin Park
1/5
Downright awful. I hate nu metal in general but like the vocals here are so grating like why are we screaming and straining an already below average voice. Oh it’s bad. The only halfway decent song is “In The End” and even the barely scratches a 7/10
Steely Dan
3/5
Boring but it’s ok ig
Ute Lemper
2/5
No thanks
Iggy Pop
3/5
It’s alright
The Specials
3/5
It’s just so very boring and repetitive like most ska/reggae and inspired similar genres
Donald Fagen
4/5
Very good pop album
The War On Drugs
4/5
Pretty good
Coldplay
2/5
It’s just so boring lowk, I’ve never really heard a band quite as aggressively mid as Coldplay
PJ Harvey
2/5
I just really hate the vocals here, it’s the same issue I have with a lot of 90s vocals they just sound flat
Destiny's Child
2/5
Kinda bland r&b and nothing on what Beyoncé would go on to do
Tom Tom Club
1/5
This was awful. Straight boredom and awful, also what was that god awful version of “Under The Boardwalk”, like wtf, it would’ve been 2 stars but you can’t do that to such an amazing song and raise above 1
The Stooges
4/5
Great Little Rock album
Led Zeppelin
5/5
One of the greatest records ever and by far Zeppelin’s finest. It exemplifies everything that made them great. Hard rocking songs like the opener and “Houses Of The Holy”, grooving orchestral rock of “Kashmir”, the beauty of “Bron-Yr-Aur” and “Down By The Seaside”, the catchiness of “Night Flight”, and so much more it’s just a perfect rock album
Stevie Wonder
5/5
A truly amazing album. In my view the second greatest in history by a true revolutionary artist. Here Wonder sings about exactly what the title suggests. Every facet of life. Politics, religion, love, childhood, parenthood, and so much more. It’s a gorgeous album and will change your life
Johnny Cash
4/5
This is an excellent live album. You can’t not love Johnny Cash
Rod Stewart
3/5
Way better than expected
Fun Lovin' Criminals
3/5
Decent
Soul II Soul
2/5
Kinda bland but it’s ok ig
Rush
5/5
The opening title track's movements are so awesome. I love the rocker that is Temples Of Syrinx and the beauty of Discovery, Lee's vocals actually work very well for me and the guitar work is lovely. I also love when we shift into Presentation, it just feels so good when the instrumentation changes into the big instrumental. Lee's vocals during The Oracle are actually excellent and remind me slightly of Robert Plant vocals. The whole thing is amazing and among the best prog epics of all time.
The second side of the record, while not nearly as impressive is still very very good hard rock, "A Passage To Bangkok" is an excellent weedy song. "The Twilight Zone" makes enough weird production choices to live up to the show. "Lessons" is very good. "Tears" is a very good song with a great power behind its playing and vocals and it moves very slowly and deliberately with a lot of emotion. "Something For Nothing" has an amazing groove, and is one of my favorites and good God the guitar!
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
I’m far from a reggae fan. However I always liked Bob Marley. I don’t love this record however. I love the opener “Concrete Jungle”, the guitar work and harmonies are excellent. I love the R&B sound and Tosh’s vocals on “Stop That Train”, personally I’ve always found “Stir It Up” to be incredibly boring, and I love “Baby We’ve Got A Date”, ultimately the band is in good form, Marley’s vocals are lovely and there are some real highs but the beats are so similar and many of the songs are very repetitive which loses the album some points