This is already a 5 star album for me, but it was fun to do an experiment, as I listened to the streaming album, which I am sure 99% of the people on this site do, and then I listened to my personal Steven Wilson Mix of the album on vinyl, and it is truly night and day. So it makes me wonder how much are some of these albums missed, by listening on your phone or in your car with other distractions. I listened with headphones, no distractions (only to get up and flip the record over) and it was really the way albums were meant to be listened to.

This album makes me feel like I am watching any 80s movie that has a scene at some beach resort, and this is the live band playing in the background.

My ratings for popular music after 2000 tend to be pretty low. Even though Gorillaz is not a group that is in heavy rotation for me, I appreciate what they are doing in the modern age, the concepts are fun, and I like to check in every now and then to see what they are coming up with next. Crazy this project is 25 years old, but does not sound dated.

Solid album, starts with some banger tracks, then just settles in for awhile until we get nice 8 and 9 minute jams to end the record. Top 3 Songs: Waterfall (Song for My) Sugar Spun Sister I Am the Resurrection

I feel I am at a big disadvantage with Miles Davis, as the man has a massive catalog, and I have listened to so little. Also when looking at his discography, there was so much before this album. So is this considered his best work, was there better before or after? So, very hard to judge as this just sounds like a free form jazz jam session. Shhh/Peaceful is just a straight up jam, and a fun twenty minute groove. The Silent Way got me ready for some serious jams, as I kept expecting something big, but on every build up, it would just come back down. I like the mellow bookends to the song, but the editing seems choppy and feels like separate pieces instead of flowing. Again, with no other Miles Davis to compare it to, this was tough, but I can't give a legend any kind of low rating. Hoping with 1,001 albums, we will get another Miles Davis, eventually.

This definitely has the sound of a 90s soundtrack. I am a fan of a lot 90s cinema, but apparently not a lot of the soundtracks stuck with me over the years as much as the movies do, in this case, Good Will Hunting. Does that make these bands easily forgettable? Overall this is a good album but it had its ups and downs for me. I felt it had a weak opener, but then finished with a good track, almost like a closing credits song. Favorite tracks, Between the Bars, Pictures of Me and Angeles which felt like the most familiar track.

I have never been good with poetry, I don't read poetry as I tend to tune it out after awhile and I am just reading words. I did this on the first listen of this album. I have also never been one to find the deeper meanings in songs. I enjoy the overall feel, whether it gives emotion, or even just short lines or a verse that strikes me. I feel I would have to listen 100 times to figure out what Dylan is trying to say, and from what I have read, sounds like people still are trying to figure it out. I do like the lore behind the name of the album, and it's significance to leading down the Mississippi and crossing paths with many figures of the history of Blues. The bookends of this album are my favorites. Like A Rolling Stone is a classic and Desolation Row is just an onslaught of verse, but I really dug it as an album closer. Ballad of A Thin Man and Highway 61 Revisited are other favorites. After a second listen I really enjoyed this album. But still not sure how often I would turn back to it and listen again.

I think I got the "You Don't Know the Half of it Blues" after listening to all 59 tracks of the Gershwin Songbook! Much like the Miles Davis record earlier this week. I wish I had some earlier Ella Fitzgerald to compare to this later work. Don't get me wrong, Eight box sets to record the complete American Songbook is quite the feat. Favorites from the whole set, Sam and Delilah, Let's Call the Whole Thing Off (you say sasparila I say sasparila), Things are really looking up (I enjoy when she goes low), and Slap That Bass.

Jamiroquai is definitely a band that made their mark in 90s with the ever changing landscape of grunge, the swing revival, and bubblegum pop-alternative scene, with something that was just a bit different. I am more familiar with their hit album Travelling Without Moving, so it's nice to explore the beginning of the band. Bring on the funk as this album is just fun! Favorite tracks: Hooked Up, Music of the Mind (nothing against Jay Kay, but this instrumental is the jam), and Revolution 1993!

I would like to say, my tastes can be pretty eclectic, but I have to be completely honest, I do not listen to Reggae. I understand the cultural significance of the genre, and the political and historical messages, but it has never really been my thing. Maybe it has to do with when I hear that constant 4/4 time signature in every song, I begin to tune out. The end of the album was the best part for me as we get a little more variety with songs like Tradition, Jordan River, and Red Gold and Green.

What can I possibly say about this great album, instead I will share a story from the 2019 Remaster liner notes. During the recording sessions, Vertigo was not hearing a potential single, and asked the band to come up with one. The story goes, when everybody went out for a lunch break Tony stayed in the studio and came up with this riff. When the rest of the band returned Tony already had the bare bones of a new song in place. Without a word the rest of the band plugged in, got behind the kit and just started grooving with him, Ozzy just started singing along. In an hour they had Paranoid exactly as you hear it on the record. Roger Bain in the booth said "That's pretty good, what is it?" The band replied, "You're joking, we're just pissing around we just made it up!" Roger replied "No that's really good, that's a really strong riff, let's do it!" Eventually they dropped the original name of the album 'War Pigs' for 'Paranoid'. At that point it was too late to change the cover art, so the guy in a crash helmet waving a sword, the "War Pig" they felt also looked Paranoid! The rest is history. Favorite tracks ... all of them!

This album is described as a concept album about adult romance, from Maxwell's personal experiences ... Oh boy! This album was not really my cup of tea overall. The album was going okay from the beginning as I was just trying to groove with it ... until the Cops came knockin'. After that, the album became a bit sappy like an old tree in early summer, and I just started to tune out. The first three tracks were probably the best, but I don't see myself listening to this again.

The thing I am looking most forward to with this project is discovering artists, albums that I have never heard of and Joan Armatrading is definitely one of those artists. The opening track hooked me and I was instantly transported back to the music of that time. I enjoy the acoustic mixed with funk. Joan has great tone combined with the inflection she does on some of the words. Favorites are Down to Zero, Water with the Wine, People, and Tall in the Saddle.

As Lorraine said to Marty after he got off the stage at The Enchantment Under the Sea Dance, "That was some interesting music!?" Widely regarded as the Pioneers of the Industrial genre, the late 70s experimental and electronic music has always fascinated me. I have never listened to Throbbing Gristle, but I can definitely hear the early groundwork for the Industrial scene, with the various samples and in my favorites like Dead on Arrival, AB/7A, and Wall of Sound. Does the album deserve a spot on this list, absolutely. Does it deserve the overall lowest rating on this list, I don't think so. It's weird, it's experimental, I didn't love it and I didn't hate it, I will probably never listen to it again, but if anyone ever asks, I can say, "Yeah, I've heard that album".

It's better to burn out than to fade away. Much like Bob Dylan, I feel Neil Young is an acquired taste. After my initial listen, I found myself tuning out. I have not listened to a lot of Neil Young, so I only know his popular stuff, and what he has done with Crosby Stills and Nash. Still just not feeling Neil Young even after a second listen, I have to hope their are better Neil Young albums on this list. I did enjoy the bookends to this album Hey Hey My My Out of the Blue and Into the Black.

I really need to put more World Music in my life. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was a pretty amazing vocalist, and I can see why every song is pretty much over 7 mintues, as his voice puts you in a kind of trance. Woh Hata Rahe Hain Pardah nice opener to the album. Allah Hoo Allah Hoo is just a fun song. Haq Ali Ali Haq is another good sing along, probably will have that one stuck in my head later.

Man, a good chunk of this album is such a downer, but that classic country honky tonk is such an upper. Makes me think of a road trip, or some movie, a rustic bar, with swinging doors and a jukebox. Also one of the best album covers we'veon the list so far. I'm A Lonesome Fugitive, House of Memories, Mixed Up Mess of A Heart are favorites!

So a few years back I did the full Bowie discography, in chronological order. Bowie was interesting as I found just about every album he had one or two zingers and then the rest was pretty much filler. It's like he knew how to get at least one hit on every album! Bowie was a master at changing with the time, as this album saw the end of his glam rock era, and he begun to explore R&B and Funk, perfect as music was moving into the disco era. This album has a more than one zinger for sure, but I think he had a little help from his friend John Lennon. Favorites, Young Americans, Facination, and Fame.

So ... can we just talk about Jaco Pastorius.

I have heard the song In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida so many times, this pretty much came down to how well I remembered Side One of the record. I remembered most of it, and I still feel Side One stands the test of time, and makes the album a solid and classic release of its time. What more can be said about this album, it's a instantly recognizable classic. I can't help but consider it an album I love. Favorites of course include the entire Side Two, along with 'My Mirage' and 'Termination'

I really had a hard time staying awake through this one!

There is something to be said about an artist writing an album, when they know their life is coming to an end. Like Bowie's Blackstar (which is a phenomenal album), Cohen gives us a glimpse of what goes through one's mind, and an artists final thoughts to leave with the world, when the end is near. This album is dark and sad, but also beautiful, and I find this a great medium to leave your mark behind. Favorite tracks are the title track You Want It Darker, Leaving the Table, and Travelling Light. In Stephen King's afterword of his book You Like It Darker, he apologies for changing the verb.

I had previously never heard of John Martyn. This was a good album, I enjoyed the style changes of the songs, which kept me interested until the end. Favorites, the title track, Solid Air, Don't Want to Know, I'd Rather Be the Devil (which is a cover song) and the Easy Blues is a good closing track.

I feel like I have never heard this album all the way through, considering it was pretty much the Top 40 soundtrack of my childhood. After listening today, I know I have never heard side one, as all the songs we all know so well are on side two, which I found pretty unique. This album is already a classic, but I appreciate it even more after finally hearing side one. Another interesting fact when reading about it that when the album came out, it had 36 different versions of the cover. Favorite tracks, Synchronicity I, Mother, Synchronicity II, and King of Pain.

So I thought, finally, a band I have wanted to explore for a long time now. I remember the hits from the first two albums, but I always heard about how unique and experimental the band became with their third album and how much acclaim it received. I decided, I can't really start with their seventh album, so I decided to listen to everything from OK Computer to In Rainbows. Well to be honest, OK Computer and Kid A bored me. I was expecting some unexpected and experimental music, but not the moody soundscape those two albums pretty much were. I skipped Amnesiac as I read it's more of a continuation of Kid A. I felt I painted myself into a corner, so I pushed on to Hail to the Thief. This album was much better, so my hopes were high for In Rainbows. I have to give the band progressive credit, as in seven albums, they keep exploring, keep changing things up. In Rainbows is a good album, as with their previous record, but are these albums something I would buy or even listen to again? I a lot of their music is an acquired taste, and maybe take a couple listens to grow on you. I am sure more albums will pop up on this list, so it will be interesting to see if my view changes. I also plan to listen to their later albums to see where the bands journey takes them. These albums are definitely a far cry from songs like "Creep" and "High and Dry", which keeps listening interesting. Favorites from this album, "Body Snatchers", "Reckoner", and "Jigsaw Falling into Place"

The best thing about this album is it was only 32 minutes long. Modern R&B/Hip Hop is just not my thing.

I feel like if this was the "1,001 albums that would play well in a 80s and 90s dance club to dance to before you die" This album would be high on the list. But this is getting away from being a good album as a whole. I feel like this is a "one hit wonder" kind of album, with Back to Life, and the original studio album doesn't even include the version we all heard everywhere and saw on MTV. I spent a lot of time in 1989 watching MTV. When these kind of songs came on, It really wasn't my thing, some were fun and some I would tune out. But I went in with an open mind, enjoyed African Dance, Back to Life from the bonus tracks, and the end of the album. Is it just me or in Jazzie's Groove and Ambition, does Jazzie B just not start sounding like Jemaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords after awhile. Sorry, but that is all I could picture at the end.

Not sure why a bootleg live album made this list, but I guess because of the controversy surrounding Dylan's use of an electric band for the second half of the set. I was intrigued as I wanted to hear the hecklers. Unfortunately this album that made the list cuts out all the in-between song banter. Luckily I was able to find a version with no cuts between songs. Still the crowd is hard to hear and you mostly hear Dylan throw things back at the crowd like, "this is not British Music, this is American Music". I would much rather listen to the studio tracks, as the quality is not great, but I guess it's great considering it's a 60 year old bootleg.

I am a fan of electronic music, and remember well when this record came out. I haven't thought a lot about since the almost 30 years since it came out. The key with electronic music is how well it ages. Nowadays, anyone can make an album on their home computer with the right software. But let's take a moment to appreciate that Norman Cook created this album in his home studio, in 1998, on an Atari ST computer, Creator software, and floppy disks. So the question is, does this album stand the test of time, especially the song Praise You, which I heard so much when it came out. I think it does. Other favorites, Rockefeller Skank, Kalifornia, and Acid 8000.

I guess the only Joni Mitchell song I know is "Help Me", which I think is a good song. Other than that, at least this album is better and a bit more poppier than her sexcapade roadtrip album we had to suffer through last week.

I listened to this album first thing in the morning, so I was not fully awake. I think it plays better that way. It's kind of like when you fall asleep at night watching Tubi, and wake up to the next movie playing, and say to yourself through sleepy eyes, "What the hell am I watching!?" Notable efforts, Poughkeepsie, Fall, and Insect Eyes.

I can't call myself a fan of RHCP, but I appreciate the stuff they were putting out at this time. In high school I had a friend who was really into them, I went with him, to see them on this tour in '91 with opening acts (Nirvana and Pearl Jam) so this album was in heavy rotation for me. The hits were overplayed on the radio and MTV. So it's been awhile since I listened to this album in its entirety. The loss of Interest was helped, by the fact that the Chili Peppers became very mainstream, and never sounded like this ever again. I have lots of favorites on this album whereas I could listen to Give it Away at anytime, but then I would be okay if I never hear Under the Bridge again.

This album makes me want to shove nine inch nails through both of my eyelids, and does not age well. I mean I get Eminem and the impact he had on the industry, but he has never been my thing. There a handful of good lines, but I can't remember them now. The Slim Shady persona today just comes off as juvenile.

My only previous exposure to Suzanne Vega was 'Luka' and 'Tom's Diner', which were on heavy rotation on MTV and VH1 in the late 80s. So why are we not listening to her second album, and this leaves me asking myself once again why was this album included on this list. Other than those two songs, the rest of Suzanne Vega's career has never been on my radar, and this album did not impress me very much.

Much like Suzanne Vega, I don't feel like these one or two hit wonders are albums I need to listen to before I die.

Seems like we get a lot of debut albums on this list, and I can honestly say I have never heard Tom Petty's first album. Obviously Breakdown and American Girl are the best songs on the album, where there are no other real standouts for me on the rest of the album. Still a good album overall with a bit of variety, and a taste of the signature Petty sound to come in subsequent albums.

Recently I have been listening to the music that changed the trajectory of the charts. In a time when the top spots were reserved for Bobby Vinton and Pat Boone, in 1964 along came The Beatles and changes everything. Along with this brought in the British Invasion. So by the time we get to 1966 (when the music is about to make yet another shift in the 60s) I feel albums like this sound just like another British band trying to get that hit Beatle sound. There are some good tracks, but I feel we need to hear some of that more raw Kinks when they first burst on the scene.

My first exposure to Rap was back when I was in Junior High (1986-1987) when kids were trading around tapes, saying "Hey man check this out!" The groups I was listening to were, Run DMC, Fat Boys, Beastie Boys, Fresh Prince. These were the fun times, rapping and beat boxing about ordering a Big Mac at Burger King, and how Parents Just Don't Understand. Rap was fun back then. NWA changed this. Rap was no longer fun, it was violent and angry. I get the significance of this change, but now suddenly, this wasn't universal, it wasn't for everyone.This album is not for me.

Much like the Bob Dylan Royal Albert Hall 1966 show, I find the story behind the album much more fascinating than the album itself. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this recording, and I don't want to take anything away from the talent of Keith Jarrett. I knew nothing of him or of this album before today. Anytime I can get some education on musical history, and enjoy a good piece of work, that's a win win in my book.

This album makes me feel like I am watching any 80s movie that has a scene at some beach resort, and this is the live band playing in the background.

When I was 15, I took a trip to the East Coast to visit family. Lots of driving from New Jersey to Maine, so I had my trusty Walkman with me. When we stopped to see my brother in New Hampshire, he gave me Hotel California on cassette. On the drive from Concord all the way up to the most northern part of Maine, it's about an 8 hour drive, and it's nothing but trees, I had that tape on constant rotation. This may be the first time I have listened to the full album since that trip, 35 years later. So let's see if I enjoy the album as much as I did back then. The title track, in my opinion, is one of the greatest songs ever written, multiple interpretations of the words, a classic rhythm and melody, and an excellent solo and instrumental section to end the track. But that is just track one, how does the rest of the album stand up? I was just watching an interview with Billy Corgan last night, and he was mentioning how musicians just know when they have that hit song or record that is going to be remembered. So it's interesting that the Eagles released New Kid in Town as their lead off single for this album. They had to know Hotel California was the song that was going to carry this album. Regardless, New Kid is a great Glenn Frey song. Probably the only bad part of this album, is we only get one Frey song. I think the beauty of this album is the pace. It has all the ups and downs in all the right places as the third track is a banger with Life in the Fast Line, then we bring it back down with Wasted Time to end side one. We start side two off with another great rocker, Victim of Love, then it wouldn't be a classic Eagles album without Joe Walsh, and Pretty Maids All In A Row. The second half definitely mellows out, as Randy Meisner gives us another slower piece with Try and Love Again, but this does not slow down the momentum as we prep into the epic closer with The Last Resort. There is something to be said about 35 years ago, without the need to pull out my smartphone and look up every detail of this album. Just to have the grayish cassette with the song titles to look at, and just the music and your own thoughts to take you away. That old cassette is long gone, lost to time, but my love for this album remains. So I think I will be upgrading that old cassette, for the current preferred listening format ... new vinyl.

I have actually never listened to this entire album. I know the hits (the first three tracks) but the rest of the album was new to me. To be honest, after those first three tracks, the album starts to lose me. The tracks are good, but sleepy. I listened to the album twice to make sure my thoughts didn't change. I must say with not having listened to Mark Knopfler much (the most stuff I have heard from him was a recent live concert) I can safely say I enjoy his guitar playing more than his singing. I am not knocking this album, the songs are good, just not what I expected after the wham bam start of this album. Of the non-hits, I like The Man's Too Strong and One World.

I was introduced to this album shortly after it came out, when my coworker found out I am a fan of German Expressionism Silent Films, Progressive Rock, and Concept Albums in general. She said this album was definitely for me. Even though the album is only inspired by the 1927 Fritz Lang film Metropolis, and not actually based the picture, it's the fact that this is Monae's debut album, and the audacity to come out the gate with a concept story, is pretty bold and amazing in my book. The Lang Silent Film, is one of my all time favorite movies, but the concept of the two stories are vastly different, yet share some of the same themes. For this listen, I decided to also include Janelle's EP Metropolis, which is the first suite of the entire series. As I am listening, I also have the Fritz Lang film playing in the background (just for a fun Pink Floyd/Wizard of OZ vibe). But enough geeking out, let's talk about Archandroid. In my opinion what makes a great concept album, no matter what genre of music, is that it plays out as one piece or in Suites. This album starts with Suite II and just takes off from there. By the time we get to four songs in you don't even realize that you have listened to three different tracks, as the transitions are seamless. The songs do eventually start to feel individualized as we work our way deeper into the album, but it doesn't take away from the momentum and flow of this album. I was very happy to see this album pop up today, as it's been over 10 years since I have listened to it, and now I am already shopping around to see who has it on vinyl. Fun album, great concept, and definitely belongs on this list. Favorites: Dance or Die, Faster, Come Alive (War of the Roses), Neon Valley Street, and Wondaland.

According to Wikipedia the influences for this album are krautrock, surf rock, doo wop, and film soundtracks of John Carpenter. I heard none of this. As my first Portishead album, I was not impressed, in fact I was quite bored. Nothing really new here.

I owned a lot of 90s albums on cassette and this futuristic format known as compact disc. I own zero of those albums today. Recently, I have begun an obsession with collecting vinyl, and I ask myself a lot, in fact just yesterday when I had The Refreshments in my hand, does 90s music age well, and do I need to buy any of my favorites from this decade again? I did own this Offspring album on cassette, it was not one of my favorites, but I did listen to quite a bit. Does this album age well, I don't think so. When you hear a 90s album, it sounds like a 90s album. Of course decades of old have all had their signature sound. But after the very formatted 50s, the 60s 70s and 80s were all a very experimental time in music. The 90s I feel were just kind of picking up the scraps the previous decades have left behind, and piecing together what they could. I feel by 2000 everyone ran out of ideas, and the majority of bands in the last 25 years are just carbon copies of everything that came before. Ok now I will get off my soap box and talk about this Offspring album. I can honestly say I haven't listened to it in almost 30 years, and I can definitely say I will never listen to it again. I feel anything I once enjoyed about this album, has been lost to my changing tastes, and when I go back, I wonder, did I enjoy this? It's funny how that works, some things stick with you forever, and some things you leave behind.

It's the time of the season for The Zombies. Never heard the full album before, really dug the full album!

Never listened to the Flaming Groovies. I feel like I have heard the name before, but not even sure of that. Note: I listened to the original 30 minute version, not the extended CD version. It's a good garage rock album, nothing overly exciting, and I can see where the similarities were drawn between the Rolling Stones at the time. I think the best part of the album is the end of Side 2 with Evil Hearted Ada, Doctor Boogie, Whiskey Woman.

Didn't love it ... Didn't hate it. Highlights: Smokey River, Rambling's Gonna Be the Death of Me, and Angie. Funny note, more of my favorites were the instrumentals.

Never judge an album by the cover. I saw this album pop up this morning, and the first thing I thought was bluegrass. I did not expect an alternative British band who I have never heard of before, and will probably never hear again. There really is nothing new here. They sound like a lot of the bubblegum pop alternative bands of the 90s. Worthy efforts: Richard III, Cheapskate.

What more can be said about the mighty CCR. I feel like I have been listening to them all my life. Recently I just purchased all seven of their albums on vinyl, and would not hesitate to put one on at anytime. Creedence makes me happy, that is pretty much it, every song makes me smile. Cosmo's gets right into it with Ramble Tamble, signature CCR sound, but my favorite part is the long breakdown in the middle. Then we go right into the nice bluesy cover of, Before You Accuse Me, a song you can't help but tap your foot to, and I know every upcoming cymbal crash. Travellin' Band is a great energetic sing along, and one of the many CCR hits. Which to be honest, every Creedence studio album is a greatest hits. Another cover with Ooby Dooby, there is something about CCR cover songs, not only do they educate you on music history, but they Amp up their versions in the only way they can. "Dinosaur Victrola, listenin' to Buck Owens" is one of my favorite Creedence lines. Lookin' Out My Back Door is the ultimate classic, as we then end side one with that great dark Swamp Rock sound and a Vietnam anthem, with Run Through the Jungle. CCR can constantly entertain you through one side of a record, then equally impressive you with side two. "There's a place up ahead and I'm going, just as fast as my feet can fly" you know exactly what song this is from that opening riff. So great, let's go! Right into another toe-tapping cover with My Baby Left Me. Who'll Stop the Rain is filled with many meanings, but all I can think of are those images from Woodstock, yet another classic anthem. Marvin Gaye just scored a #1 hit with I Heard it Through the Grapevine only two years earlier, but Creedence does what they do best, covering this song and extending it to 11 minutes with one of the best solo, instrumental jams in music history. The album closes with with the soft As Long As I Can See the Light. But what more do you need, this album gave you everything from start to finish, not a bad song on it. All I can say, is at the minimum, there better be at least 5 Creedence records on this list.

I have had a lot to say about this album, when it came out, telling everyone about it, and the aftermath when it became what I call the last great Green Day album. I would call myself a Green Day fan from when I discovered them in 1994 with Dookie, seeing them in 1995 on the Insomniac tour, love Nimrod and Warning, celebrate the back catalog with Kerplunk and of course American Idiot. It was a good 10 years, and as I may not revisit the band as much, I could revisit any album in that span, anytime. My issue with Green Day is after American Idiot, when their followup album sounded exactly the same, and everything after that was a carbon copy, I stopped listening. So this will be the first time listening to American Idiot in a long time. (The last time I owned this album was on cassette). American Idiot starts it off as the signature Green Day sound of the time, but a great track nonetheless, quite the statement and opening track. Jesus of Suburbia is where the album becomes interesting, the first of two album capping suites. I have said I love concepts, suites, stories, and I love this part of the album. The album really plays out like a movie or a musical from this point on. "This is the dawning of the rest of our lives!" Holiday is a good track, but this feels like a foreshadowing now of the sound Green Day will continue to use for the next 20 years. The transitions are wonderful on this album as we blend right into Boulevard of Broken Dreams, "my shadow's only one who walks beside me" is still one of my favorite GD lyrics. The rythym and flow of this album is pretty perfect, as Are We the Waiting brings it down, before breaking into another favorite with St. Jimmy. The album at this point goes into that classic Green Day form I loved, Give Me Novacaine, She's A Rebel, Extraordinary Girl, and Letterbomb are all GD bangers in my book, and a great centerpiece to the album! Wake Me Up brings the album back down perfectly before we break into the second suite Homecoming, another favorite part of the album. And what has to be one of my favorite tracks on the album, Whatshername. If the album as a whole is a movie, Whatshername is the song playing as the credits roll. This album still sounds great to me as much as it did 20 years ago, and I think I will once again add it to my collection.

Eh ...

We should have had this album awhile back when Fat Boy Slim popped up! It could have been the Battle of Electronic Music of the Late 90s. Once again, like with my review of Fat Boy Slim ... this will come down to how well it ages, and how unique the production was creating this album. I listened to this album once or twice when it came out, but have forgotten all of it aside from the radio hits. This one just doesn't sit as well with me. I got it back in the day, but now it just sounds dated.

The longest train I ever saw was 19 coaches long, the only girl I ever loved is on that train and gone. Nothing like a 50s folk/country album of love and loss and some good ole murder ballads. Favorites: I'll Be All Smiles Tonight, In the Pines, and the dark Knoxville Girl. Note: I listened to the Original 12 track album, not with the extended "Religious Overtones" tracks.

Please see my review on The Offspring, which is mostly a rant on the state of 90s music. Nineties bands spent the whole decade picking up the scraps of the prior decades and trying to build something new. By 1999, those scraps were all gone, there was nothing new left, so instead of creating something new, most bands just borrowed from everything that came before and slapped on a new genre label to try and expain what they are doing. As for the Feminist statement, I get it, and I have no problem with that, the problem here, is the music is not that great.

As we continue to get more albums from the 90s, I am starting to feel that the 90s are a decade of music I want to forget. There are maybe a dozen 90s albums I can think of off the top of my head that I love from that entire decade. But the rest of it just has that 90s sound, and that sound is very dated. I was hoping that this project would help me re-discover some of that lost love from the 90s. I enjoyed the decade of music as it was all coming out. But a good 90% of it I have not gone back to revisit. On first listen of this Sugar album, it just sounds like another forgettable 90s album with that signature sound. Granted it came out just after the big three albums that kicked off the alternative craze of the early 90s (Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden), and maybe this album was part of that early movement, but it was never something that was on my radar. As per usual with this project, we get an album, very late in an artists career, particularly an artist that I am not well versed in. So I am going to go back to the early days of Husker Du and the two Bob Mould solo albums leading up to this album, to see if it changes my opinion of this record. 10 Hours Later ... I think after listening to a ton of Husker Du, a few songs from Bob Mould's solo era, and this album for a second time ... I have come to the conclusion, I am just not a fan of Bob Mould. Assuming Bob Mould was the main orchestrator on all of these projects, I am not knocking the other musicians, I just can't get into his style of songwriting. So far my average rating of the 90s is 2.6.

Beck is fun, but even with very little Beck exposure, Beck just comes off sounding like Beck. I guess he is one of those artists that you either love or you hate. I neither love or hate his music, but it's not anything I reach for on the shelf. Highlights: Black Tamborine, Broken Drum, Scarecrow.

Were the Kinks that significant that they needed multiple albums on this list? Most of this sounds like your typical late 60s record, good, but nothing groundbreaking. I picked my favorites that did not sound like just another Beatles copy. Last of the Steam Powered Trains, even though it has that CCR feel, Animal Farm, and Wicked Annabella.

That was a really long 40 minutes.

My ratings for popular music after 2000 tend to be pretty low. Even though Gorillaz is not a group that is in heavy rotation for me, I appreciate what they are doing in the modern age, the concepts are fun, and I like to check in every now and then to see what they are coming up with next. Crazy this project is 25 years old, but does not sound dated.

Progressive Soul! Love it!

I think I am going to write a book ... and call it, "1,001 Albums That You Can Die Happy without Ever Needing To Hear"

So ... it's the Beach Boys without the Beach Boys!

There are some bands, who due to creative differences, or tragedy, only have a small pocket of time in music history that make their mark. Sometimes it's just that flavor of the month, or they just pump out hit after hit and then they are done, much like the Beatles. I love these little music pockets. I feel they are there for a reason, to shape music trajectory, and create new sound and influences for generations to come. CCR is another good example and T. Rex, definitely fits in that category. T. Rex went as far as ditching their previous psychedelic folk sound and was a driving force behind the early 70s Glam Rock movement. You always have to wonder what T. Rex would be in modern times if tragedy did not take Marc Bolan from this world. But again, it's those pocket moments in time that make you one of the legends.

I have never listened to the first album by the Rolling Stones. I also had no idea that it's pretty much all cover songs. I get it, as a tribute to a lot of their favorite R&B stuff, but if this were a head to head battle with their main rival, The Beatles, they did not nail it coming out of the gates. Enjoyable for a listen, but will never listen to this one again.

I will keep this short as I tend to go on and on about 90s music. In 1994 I loved this album as well as the previous two albums by Soundgarden. Used to listen to the cassettes over and over back in the day. I felt the band was becoming very commercialized with this one, and very much so after. I did not listen or collect after Superunknown. In 1994 this was a 5 star album for me. I still hold some love for it, but now it's a solid 4 star album.

This was fun, started off strong then started to fade a bit. But do we really need another version of "I Heard it Through the Grapevine"?

I find it interesting that all of Presley's big hits came from singles, not the studio albums. So is this an album I need to hear before I die? It's pretty mediocre Elvis stuff.

...

That was some good Honky Tonk!

I know R.E.M. only from the overplayed music videos of the late 80s and early 90s, as well as the constant radio play back in the day. I have never listened to a full album by them, are they worthy of an album I need to hear before I die, we'll see. Drive is not the best opener to the album, Try Not to Breathe is pretty forgettable, by track three I am finally interested with The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight, Everybody Hurts is painful to listen to, as it was so overplayed and, I am ok never hearing it again, maybe I'm not a fan of Michael Stipe, because I enjoyed the Instrumental, Sweetness Follows I am losing interest, and already checking how many tracks are left, Monty Got A Raw Deal is better, but at this point I would feel I was getting a raw deal if I bought this album, Ignoreland is not bad, Star Me Kitten ... um how many tracks are left, Man on the Moon, my thumb is currently hanging over the skip button, so overplayed, very dated, yeah yeah, Nightswimming I think I would rather be experiening my own Rapid Eye Movement, one more track to go, I think the last two tracks were just filler with Find the River. I was definitely listening to other things in 1992, again I remember the hits, I would like to forget the hits. I could see them making the list of 1,001 songs, but albums, I don't think they have enough rocket sauce for that. It was OK, but mostly boring. I have heard their early records are really good, so who knows, I may explore that, but will never listen to this album again.

This is already a 5 star album for me, but it was fun to do an experiment, as I listened to the streaming album, which I am sure 99% of the people on this site do, and then I listened to my personal Steven Wilson Mix of the album on vinyl, and it is truly night and day. So it makes me wonder how much are some of these albums missed, by listening on your phone or in your car with other distractions. I listened with headphones, no distractions (only to get up and flip the record over) and it was really the way albums were meant to be listened to.

At first 8 was against Live albums on this list, as I feel we should just explore studio works. But the nice thing about the live albums that have popped up so far, is they are more than just a live album, but they have a story and include a piece for musical history.

Well it was better than the first album.

This is a no-brainer! I first heard this album when I wad 8 years old and when my brother dropped the needle on Tom Sawyer for the first time, my mind was blown and the trajectory of my musical life began.

This was a surprise for me as I had only ever heard Running Up That Hill and nothing else from it. The surprise was that I feel it's the first album on this list that, that I really felt, yeah, I needed to hear this before I die. I listened to it three times to grasp the conceptual side two, which in my opinion is the best part of the album. It's really like two albums, the first side are the singles and the second side is like a Progressive Pop concept album. Running Up That Hill is a five star song in itself. I enjoyed the other tracks on side one, but the standouts were, Mother Stands for Comfort, with that great odd time signature. Also Cloudbusting has a wonderful string melody that just carries the song. The second side and the Ninth Wave suite is a great listen as a whole, its eclectic, very experimental, and at times feels like it's tackling multiple genres. I also watched Daily Doug on Youtube's breakdown of the album, to wrap my head around the concept of side two. He mentions a radio interview, which I must look up later, where Kate is explaining the Ninth Wave and was thinking she needed helicopters in Waking the Witch. She could not find the right helicopter sound, so she got permission to use the sound clip from Pink Floyd's The Wall, which is very cool. I thought they sounded familar.

Yeah ... no.

Solid debut by an iconic band with a tragic beginning. Favorites, Space Invaders, Brass In Pocket, and Mystery Achievement.

That was a fun experience, one of the better Live albums ... like you were there.

I can easily think of 1,001 albums from the 80s that are way better than Scritti Politti!

There really is not a bad song on this album. I feel this is when the Beatles began to be at their best, they stopped touring and just made memorable melodies and experimental music.

I would love to hear some Willie Nelson ... but not Willie singing standards. Also should cover albums really classify as albums I should listen to before I die?

This album is cool, but I feel it needs a heavy amount of drugs to feel totally effective.

Ugh ... more 90s drek. Please see my review on the 90s just picking up leftover scraps of prior decades, Queens of the Stone Age sound like they were the last to show up at that proverbial scrap pile. I know nothing about the author of "1,001 Albums to Hear Before You Die" ... but it feels like they were born in the 80s, so they completey ignore the good stuff from the 80s. They probably learned about the late 60s and 70s from their parents. They most likely spent their teenage years in the 90s, and wanted a source to share all their favorites here. Granted I have only hit 80 albums on the list at this point, but 20 of them are 90s albums. So does that mean I have to listen to 230 more 90s albums?

Yet Another Nineties Album Chapter 22 Are NIN overrated? Absolutey! Current 90s Album Spawn Ratio: 27%

I have to be honest ... I have never sat down and listened to Tom Waits. My only exposure has been from when it comes up driving in my friend's car (who I already know, he has given this album 5 stars) I feel Tom Waits is definitely an acquired taste, but I appreciate that it is something different, than the normal 90s doldrums we have suffered through. I have to give it a bonus star for "I Don't Want to Grow Up" even though the version I am more familiar with is the Ramones cover.

Didn't love it, Didn't hate it!

Another classic Bowie album, this one in the prime of the Glam Rock Era. The second half of this album is my favorite with, Cracked Actor, Time, and The Jean Genie!

This was ... OK. I enjoy world music and I enjoy electronic music, but I don't care for them together. This album would have been better, if Talvin, spent nine months travelling the world and making folk music with different cultures, and not drowning out those world sounds with overpowering electronic music.

I am guessing this album made the list because Nick Cave is in it. Much like Tom Waits, I have not explored much of Nick Cave's career, and I feel he is another one of those acquired tastes. This album is pretty much just noise, and some of these tracks seem a bit long winded for punk. Is this album revolutionary? Maybe if you discovered it when it came out, and I can see where it probably had a big cult following back in the day. But I think discovering it 40 years after it's release, does not have the same effect.

Much like the Rolling Stones first album, this is just yet another album that made the list consisting of all cover songs. Does this album represent the talent of Joan Baez as a singer, absolutely. Does this album represent the talent of Joan Baez as a songwriter ... not at all.

I never really explored Bowie until the end. After Blackstar came out and Bowie died, that album was in full rotation for me, and then I decided it was time to go back and celebrate his career, by listening to the full discography. Bowie was an artist of the times, with a career spanning five decades, his music was always relevant. After listening to all of his albums, I found I really enjoyed the later stuff where he began to really experiment, he was Bowie, he could pretty much do whatever he wanted in the latter years. I also had watched a great documentary called 'The Last 5 Years' which covers the making of The Next Day and Blackstar. I feel like this album he knew the end was coming, so it plays out as an homage to his career, kind of a greatest hits, but all new music celebrating his own music. You can hear everything from his previous 24 albums in this one album, as well as the darkness one must feel when the end is near. It's not as bleak and wonderful as Blackstar, but we'll save those thoughts for when we get to that album.