Banger. Glam rock perfection. No bad tracks. Was supposed to contain “All the Young Dudes” but Bowie gave it to Mott the Hoople because he wanted to throw them a bone.
“I… don’t like that”- Annika, regarding “Fuck me (interlude).”
Really good but the messaging sure didn’t age well
I understand the merit here but I don’t like punk, I don’t like indie, and I don’t like the British. Three strikes you’re out
Love this album and love Nick Drake. Pretty unique blend of folk, classical, and jazz. This is a 5 star collection of songs that ultimately coalesces into a 4 star album.
Boy was I ready to absolutely hate this album. By “John Wayne Gacy Jr.” I was intrigued. By “Jacksonville,” I was smiling and toe-tapping. Weird album but very authentic and hey, that’s worth three stars even if it’s not in my lane.
From the hills of the misty mountains to the Mississippi delta, this album rips.
I was traveling and didn’t have time for a lengthy review but I wanted to pop back in and make it clear that this may be the best rock album of all time and maybe is my favorite ever. The big 4 get all the love but evermore, misty mountain, four sticks and especially going to California are fucking awesome. Ok back out.
A few years ago I tried to rank the songs on this album because I love ranking things and I was dismayed to find out that one of them had to be last.
I don’t like being growled at. There is some interesting instrumentation in some of the songs but it just isn’t my thing.
This album might be for you if you are a 90s skater boy with a bleached Mohawk and an inclination to sit on the stoop and say “oh shoot girl! Sick fit!” to passerby. Alas, I am not this.
A couple clunkers but the glimmers of Paul Simon’s writing excellence are here. Homeward bound in particular is fantastic.
Kind of tough rating for me because there’s some fun stuff on here. The only problem is I don’t think any of it is very good and it doesn’t feel like this album belongs on this list to me.
This is a really good album and it’s one of the better new wave synth albums I’ve heard. It’s just not a genre I really like that much. All through the night rips though.
Good pop gives it a 2. Go west is a banger and that gives it a 3
Upon further reflection, go west is not enough for a full ‘nother star. But great song.
Listen, there’s nothing wrong with this album, unlike some other bottom feeders of my rankings. But god damn it is unforgivably boring to me.
Not always huge on Prince and this album is way too dance-synth-pop for me. I like the couple big songs on the album but the rest do absolutely nothing for me. Sorry.
Pure undistilled rock and roll, baby. Don’t mind the double album here, even the less memorable songs fit well.
This could have been from the 70s and it could have been from 3 years ago
Great album. Some awesome hooks, licks, and solos.
There’s some interesting moments but the songs all kind of meander along. Need some structure or something with a little more pop
I made too many people listen to Jeff Buckley in college. Sorry Shane.
I don’t know what irks me about Bono’s voice so much. Maybe it’s the way that every note he sings is drawn out longer than it should be and it sounds like he’s moaning. One extra star for some interesting instrumentation on some of the songs
Far too angry. Once upon a time perhaps we could have danced but that ship has sailed
Really liked a lot of the rapping. However, a lot of the beats were mind-numbingly repetitive. Hard to keep much momentum in most of the songs
I don’t think I had ever heard a Cure song. Not too bad! But that’s about all I have to say
Some really awesome stuff. The first two thirds is really strong. Sex Machine kills the album. Can’t be having 13 min jams that don’t really go anywhere.
Long live Bowie. There is some fucking awesome instrumentation in this album. Dude was pushing the boundaries up until the end
I thought I was really over the songs on this album. I almost always skip them when they come on BUT in album context, they had fresh breath. The couple I didn’t know were really good too. Great album.
There is very little redeeming here for me. Can’t even appreciate the vocals because of how whiney it all is. I’m sure divorce is tough but this sounds to me like a teenage fanfiction on divorce. Sorry.
Some really awesome stuff in the first half. Lost me a bit in the second half but still an enjoyable listen
Need to listen a bit more but this could easily become a 4. Some real head bobbers
This was a real treat. I did not realize how varied of music the white stripes put out. Thought it was all garage alternative rock stuff. But this was delightful
This was good pleasant listening but nothing grabbed my attention very well. Instrumentation was pretty great but I think the vocals kind of smoothed everything over and not in a good way (but good voice)
I was ready to smoke this album early but it grew on me. Not bad. Not bad.
Adele certainly has a wonderful voice and it’s pretty impressive how many huge hits were on this album. Unfortunately, I found the songs themselves to be pretty bland. I was between 2 and 3 stars and settled on 2 because naming your albums after how old you were is so fucking stupid
That’s good listening. Sometimes I think jazz songs can lose the plot. Not the case here
Fun album with plenty of toe-tappers, but I’m afraid that as of now, that’s mostly what the Talking Heads are to me. Nothing that stands out as particularly strong
Is this the most one dimensional popular band of all time? Quite possibly. When that one dimension is this good? Keep on Chooglin’ indeed
Very pleasantly surprised. This straddled the hip-hop/pop line pretty well for me. Was close to a 4 but some of the lyrics were tough and it’s just too damn long
This is simply a delightful listen. Every song carries so much momentum and variety. The WALL OF SOUND is spectacular, always so much going on and different things to listen for, including the occasional bike horn.
Perfect harmonies. Perfect instrumentation. Masters of the art of the Coda. 10/10 no notes RIP Mr. Wilson and I wished more bands included timpani in their recordings.
Powderfinger is as good as it gets. Don’t get many songs with stories that good. Rest of the album is definitely a good listen but towards the end loses a little steam
This is maybe my 5th favorite Led Zeppelin album and still an easy 5. Not much to say here
WE ARE THE PRIESTS OF THE TEMPLE OF SYRINX
the opener rips pretty hard in spots. Rest of the album is just fine
I’m not sure exactly what it is about these types of 90s rock bands that I hate so much. The instrumentation can’t be both loud and chaotic but also really fucking boring. Combine that with mostly unintelligible singing (mumbling?) and you’ve got yourself a tough listen. The song about the junkie saved this from potential 1 territory.
Definitely fine! Pretty easy listening and certainly sounds of its time
I know next to nothing about the Smiths. So really pleasant surprise here. Probably closer to a 3.5 but some of the lyrics made me chuckle and it sounds like a pretty unique record to me.
What a weird album. Some of it didn’t age suuuper well but most of it hit pretty well for me. Some sweet heavy, spacey riffs
This album is awful and truly difficult to listen through. I like some Zappa and I’m not above enjoying good satire but this sounds as insufferable as a 26 year old undergraduate student ripping a bong and bemoaning the current state of affairs.
Not much to say here. Complete classic
Indie’s worst impulses. Yuck
Smooth as silk. One of the better singers we’ve ever had the pleasure of sharing the earth with. Found some of the arrangements to be a little lacking but this is spiritually a 4.5
Somehow made it to 30 without hearing most of this album. But I love The Who and I am an absolute sucker for goofy rock operas, so this should have been a home run. Alas, uncharacteristic of The Who and of goofy rock operas, I found this is be very boring musically. And far too many songs about rape. If only the makers of this list had the courage to replace this entry with a far superior rock opera of a similar era about a religious superstar figure and his followers.
The album starts off inoffensive yet uninspiring. Then with the introduction of some bluegrass instrumentation, we had a nice run of several good and interesting songs. Unfortunately, the album ends as it begins and it is too damn long.
Minus one for mostly covers but what a voice
I recognize the merit here. It’s not just doing much for me. Maybe if it was Saturday night this would be a different story. Also way too many grunts and oohs and gasps. Never liked that and never will. Sorry Michael
I thought I disliked Costello but i found this to be a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed hopping around from the 50s to the 90s and everywhere in between, including shades of Bruce?? My main complaint with the album is that our boy does not know how to end a song. Just kind of repeats himself for 30 seconds as the song fades out. But still! A success.
If this album ends with Swimming Pools it’s a stone cold 5. Even so, it’s still very close. I think his best stuff is here
Ska and British punk is kind of a nightmare genre combination for me. And yet there were still a couple songs here that I found enjoyable. Not enough to save the album but I thought I would despise it. So small victories.
I got to feel like the star of my very own bad 80s movie! Most of this was quite enjoyable, but I found the couple slow songs to be borderline unlistenable.
I’m not sure that this is a good album but it’s a perfect trap album for me. Hints of prog rock but not an onslaught to the ears and kind of silly. Not every album needs to be Pulitzer worthy. This was good fun and a perfect album to mow the lawn to, which I was doing.
This grew on me quickly. Really unique sound that evokes early America, nods to past country greats, and yet sounds fresh. Songs have some real weight and force to them. Lots of animal mentions. Winner.
I was ready to give this a 3. Nothing that impressive to me, lacks structure in most of the instrumental sections, but certainly not unenjoyable. Then “feedback” hit. It’s not often that one song can sway a rating by a full star, but 7 minutes of literal feedback did the trick!
Dude is an insanely talented player. This album is more impressive than enjoyable to me though. Maybe I just need more time with it
This is a funny one. As with many debut albums, you can hear the band experimenting with some sounds that they quickly moved away from. The lack of cohesion here is where the deduction comes, there are songs that are good listens but kind of come out of nowhere. This is more of a 4.5 though
British rap sounds bad and the arrangements are waaaaay too much for me, feels very overwhelming at times. But those are both personal preferences and not enough to drop this to a 1.
No one sounded like these guys at the time and no one has really sounded like them ever since. As the years went on metal became really loud and chaotic and busy but this is just fucking heavy. The entire band played (and sang) like John Bonham drummed. Then some really nice interludes with changes and Laguna Sunrise. Bravo. Fare thee well, Ozzy.
Perhaps could have been a 3. I appreciate the idea of a quirky, mostly instrumental album but I just found this to be a bit too boring. Don’t think I’ll be revisiting, hence the 2
Gah. White reggae vibes are just kind of tough for me. Nothing terrible here but it’s just all… eh.
Gah this was so close to a 4 because some of the music really does rip. But fuck me I just hate when singers growl at me. This album isn’t super egregious but just when I’m getting into a song, that little creed “uhh yeaaah” yanks me out
The Magical Mystery Tour stops in Brazil! What a whacky, enjoyable listen. Minus 1 point for Portuguese. I hope it doesn’t make me racist to prefer to understand the lyrics.
That was grooooovy. Herbie had been a bit of a blind spot. A lot more funk to that than I was expecting. The first two numbers in particular were spectacular.
Fun little album. Nothing groundbreaking here but nothing unenjoyable either.
This one stayed on my radar but unlistened to for a lot longer than it should have. What good fun
I fucking HATE Creep and thought I hated Radiohead. I was expecting lots of angst on top of a droning background. What a pleasant surprise! A lot of these songs are really well structured with some beautiful melodies. Didn’t love when things got distorted but otherwise this is a huge success.
I unapologetically think wonderwall, champagne supernova, and especially don’t look back in anger are great songs. I remember disliking the rest of the album more, but on this listen I found most of it fine. Still not a fan of their heavier distorted sound but still, a good album. Minus one more point for overt Britishness.
Sorry Shane :-( good songs and great instrumentation but it’s a voice thing
Rock solid. Nothing groundbreaking but such a pleasant listen
Very enjoyable but slightly aimless. That and the length of the songs is what keeps this at a 3 but it sure is a rock solid 3
This is like my 5th favorite Dylan album mostly because of that fucking harmonica. Rolling stone is one of his best songs no matter what the hipsters may tell you. Desolation row rips
I have always struggled a bit with the Doors. I can certainly appreciate them, but even the big hits never really connected with me and I’m not sure why. Same thing with the big ones on this album, and some of the other stuff was pretty forgettable (looking at you, blues numbers)
SHANE MALCOLM MCLAREN STOLE THIS MUSIC HOW CAN YOU LIKE THIS ALBUM WHEN HE STOLE THE MUSIC???
Groovy stuff
Nothing crazy groundbreaking here but good fun. Those couple moments here and there that sounded like peak Genesis had me rock hard
I think I like this better than the previous Doors album on here, little more eclectic, but the same concerns remain
It’s on the short list for my favorite album of all time. This album sounds both ancient and fresh. Every song on here is a winner. Deceptively proficient band. Rip to them all
The kinks rule but this was a year or two before they really found it. Harry Rag sounds like it could be on Rain Dogs. Waterloo sunset is elite
This is not nearly as offensive as the albums I usually reserve 1s for. But this might be the worst inclusion on this list so far. I could listen to this album every day for a year and still probably not be able to distinguish any of the songs from each other. And they’re all boring.
Wowza! I am shocked at this album. I always equated Aerosmith to a slightly heavier Journey but this album truly rocks. Really nice heavy sound that blew away my expectations. Will I deep dive Aerosmith after this? Probably not. But I’ll sure listen to this one again.
There are definitely some lulls, but the highlights here (specifically Tales of Brave Ulysses) is as good as that late 60s psychedelia blues sound gets
This was good fun. Nothing crazy here but hard to dislike
Wish I could give this 4 because I sure did like it. But it’s tough competition out here.
The only good thing about this album is it confirmed my surprise at liking the earlier Radiohead album. This sucks. It’s background noise with some moaning on top.
I recognize that everything about this album is pretty darn good. Lyrics, instrumentation, production, all of it. And Amy has a great voice. Still, it’s a voice that’s never really clicked with me and is mildly grating. I liked this more than I thought I would and will revisit, so maybe it’ll grow, but for now here it shall stay.
Was pretty bullish at first. That evaporated quickly. This album is so one-note it’s unreal.
Probably many favorite Hendrix album. Really leans into some softer, beautiful songs. This is close to a 5 but there are a few that just don’t do it for me. Either way, awesome album. Little wing is so damn good
Background noise. No business being on this list
What the fuck is this. But in a good way
The occasional fun pop song saved this from being a 1. But the majority of this album is dreadful
Once in a lifetime is so fucking good. Unfortunately, there are a couple numbers that just kind of go on. Talking heads isn’t my cup of tea per se but I certainly appreciate this one
When I embark on my large scale ranking projects (e.g., top 100 Beatles songs), I used to make a point of emphasis to include a relatively even distribution of songs from different albums until I realized that not all albums are created equal. I fear that the makers of this list felt like they had to include some lo-fi electronic albums on this list. They didn’t
Opening number was extremely strong. Thought we were on to something. The rest kind of fizzled, unfortunately. Still a fine listen
I am surprised at myself but for whatever reason this really worked for me. Really effective melodies and song structures. Will revisit.
Don’t know what he’s saying but for one, I don’t need to. Great vibes on this one. Bet my cousin Zach smoked a pipe to this one once upon a time
What an angelic voice. Nothing crazy going on with any of the arrangements but the voice is enough! undisputed queen of country
On the short list for the greatest live album of all time. Country music was so fucking COOL. If only we could send Morgan Wallen to Folsom Prison
This album goes hard. Hard is also about all it goes, so it’s a bit of a repetitive listen. But very enjoyable
I appreciate the format. I don’t appreciate the anger.
Was fairly high on the first couple songs. Severely downhill from there. Even I will not defend this Peter Gabriel
This is more what I expected from the white stripes compared to the earlier album. Too distorted for my tastes and also not a huge fan of that “the singer sounds far away” effect. The change of pace songs were nice though
By the shrieking in this album, you’d assume Cheap Trick was the Beatles. They weren’t. But they were good fun!
Not really my cup of tea but credit where credit is due- this is one of the more enjoyable electronic albums I’ve listened to. There’s a good amount of musical variety here that I feel like most similar projects lack
I liked this a lot more than I expected. I was worried we’d have growling and that’s about it, but there’s plenty of melody here.
I love the goofiness of prog rock. But even for me, most of these songs are a couple mins too long. Seems like sometimes another musical section was added just for the hell of it. But still, pretty pleasant listen.
Is this album 20 minutes too long? It sure is! Is there a bad song on the album? There sure isn’t! And the highs are so high and numerous enough that this is an easy 5 for me. Sweet is the night, turn to stone, sweet talkin woman, big wheels, stepping out… so many moments that make you make little noises and say to yourself “oo that’s nice”
Eh. Piece of my heart rips but Janis can be very grating.
Underrated band. So many hits, with many of them on this album. They all rock, and the new ones were good too. Big fan.
Is this punk? Whatever it is, I actually like it! Nothing too spectacular, but good listening all around. 3.5
Oh wow what a wonderful surprise. Funk, R&B, pop, hints of rock… every song is a mini masterpiece. Maybe the airport gin will wear off… but maybe it won’t.
Experimental avant-garde music sucks. This sucks.
I find this woman’s voice to be incredibly annoying. are we trying to sound disinterested? Most of the instrumentation is pretty uninteresting to me as well. A couple nice songs save this from the cellar.
This was pretty solid. Very violent femmes sounding. Some really nice moments, including some standout guitar parts that I normally don’t associate with this genre. but a little too much drone to justify a higher rating. Probably closer to 3.5
I can’t believe I liked this but I did. Every song is really well crafted. Not a big fan of the vocals or even this genre but something here still worked. 3.5
Alright this was pretty solid. Helped that it came on the heels of Dennis Wilson (which was good!), but the contrast really highlighted how much inertia these songs have. Still not a fan of the MJ things that MJ does, but this is rock solid pop
Such a fan of this country-late 60s rock sound. Title track is excellent. Rest is great. Does emmylou count as a backup singer if she sings every word?
20 year old Tyler scoffed at this album (while singing the praises of other dire straits albums (still valid!!)). 20 year old Tyler was a fool.
This started out in serious danger of a 1. Then we had a nice trio in our love was, I can see for miles (banger), and I can’t reach you… and then back to the gutter.
I guess I’m learning that maybe I don’t like the Who that much. Their highs are really really high but man there are a lot of lows.
Such excellent pop rock. You could swing your hips to anything here. Title track is such a fucking banger.
Of note-
Even this early on, some really excellent, varied bass lines and drum parts. Every song has some nice variety to it, even the short ones. Some really funky chord progressions. John and Paul were such good singers.
I have never really gotten the black keys, and I really don’t understand this album. There is so little here that catches my attention. For me, this is closer to lo-fi study music than it is to anything else.
I don’t know why, Mr. Frodo… it makes me sad.
Just kidding. I do know why. It’s because Billie sounds utterly spent. Tough one to rank. Beautiful in haunting way, but that’s about it.
This is an odd one. Might need another listen to really get ahold of it. Lots of variation in the sounds of the individual songs, but most songs themselves feel a little directionless. Maybe just needs another listen.
Sam Cooke simply has the best voice of all time. I can’t think of anyone else who matches that combination of power and smoothness. That bring it on home to me rendition was unbelievable.
Can’t believe this isn’t a greatest hits album. Only deduction comes from some songs sounding repetitive. But all those songs are bangers.
I started off enjoying this a fair amount but as a whole album, I found it to be kind of grating. Every song (with a few exceptions) is very similar. And that very similar sound is 90s punk. This is not a sound I enjoy
Eh. There are nice moments here but it just kind of goes on. A band I find quite boring.
Extremely pleasant surprise. This man is a ruffian that wears a sailor’s hat and this album is wonderfully eclectic. Honestly flirting with 5 territory but it is indeed too long. But will revisit happily and had some real standout songs
Tough one. A lot of really good here. But the album is fairly repetitive in tone and it’s quite long. Tough combo.
I was expecting to like Bobby McGee (which is an absolute fucking heater) and not much else. WRONG! What a wonderful surprise! Not sure why this worked so well for me. I guess when Janis pops on amidst other music, it’s very jarring, but when you commit, songs like cry baby absolutely rip. 4.5.
Nothing too spectacular here. Just kind of a weird blend of mid 60s rock and like a weird garage sound
Boy. I’m listening to this right after My Generation and am now thinking that I should have given it a 4 if this is what else is what was happening in 1965-66. Quite enjoy the title track and season of the witch fucking rips, but besides that we have a directionless stroll down hippie dippy lane.
Hit it and quit it is so good. Unlike its suggestion, I will be coming back.
Poor dumb girl. I hope she finds peace. This is all high quality but a tad one-note. 3.5
The last resort and November rain feel like the same song. Don and Axl tried so hard to write an epic……….. and they were successful. Album fucking rips start to finish. I have reached middle age
I was so ready to launch into my “I don’t like pop punk” review and then the album really surprised me. There was some really nice use of half time and broad triplets to break up the punk drone, and the back third was a true delight (highlight- sofa). Nice. This is what this exercise is all about
The first two minutes of every song were really delightful. But every song was much longer. I wanted to give this a higher score but I found myself excited for every song to end.
There is nothing redeeming here to me. I find this so boring. Same sound droning on and on and on.
I was pretty drunk last night and in the hot tub, so maybe the vibes were just spot on, but I quite liked this. Nothing too spectacular but there’s some originality here that I find missing in other similar-sounding bands. 3.5
The only thing I like less than being wrong is when Shane is also right. This is a better album than Blonde and Blonde and it’s his best. Tangled up in blue is probably the best life and love (a genre I may have just made up) song ever written, but in 2017 it still took me and Shane 2 minutes in to realize that Bob was, in fact, singing it before our very eyes. It took ten years for Bob and his team to get the fucking harmonica volume right, and we’re left with a collection of songs that range from beautiful to forceful to scathing to reminiscent and everywhere in between. Stone cold masterpiece.
The title track is an absolute HEATER and is one of my favorite songs. The rest of this album………. Is maybe not great? There is far too little structure in most of these songs. Mercy mercy me is fine, inner city blues is fine. Rest is really forgettable. WOKE rolling stone said in their 2020ish reranking that this is the greatest album of all time, which I assume must be a sociopolitical statement because the message is ham-fisted and the music is boring.
Eh. There are some nice moments here (I was quite into the opener) but then things regressed back to what I thought this album would be. I’m not sure that I did, in fact, have to listen to this before I died
I love bowie but this is not my favorite Bowie. Young Americans is really good but every other song has too much echo effect, too much sax, and is 2 minutes too long.
