May 09 2025
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Ellington at Newport
Duke Ellington
Album #1
Not a jazz or big band fan. Still, some of this was great. The rest was technically good, and I see why this is a highly regarded album, but I lost interest multiple times. Until the squealing trumpet brought me back.
Highlights:
Black and Tan Fantasy
Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue
3
May 10 2025
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The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses
I never heard of them before this. My first thought is that they wanted to sound like the Beatles, updated to the 80s. It's good enough that I added it to my library, but not an all time great. The 8+ minutes songs are too long and repetitive.
Favorites:
I Wanna Be Adored
Bye Bye Bad Man
This is the One
4
May 11 2025
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Axis: Bold As Love
Jimi Hendrix
I never bothered to listing to Jimi Hendrix. I thought I wouldn't like it. I was wrong.
Favorites: Spanish Castle Magic, Wait Until Tomorrow, Little Wing, Castles Made of Sand
4
May 12 2025
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Graceland
Paul Simon
My thought process before listening: Oh, Paul Simon. This will be ok. I've heard a few of these.
There's not a bad song on here. It seems I like the African rhythm.
Favorites: The Boy in the Bubble, Graceland, Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes, You Can Call Me Al, Under African Skies, All Around the World or the Myth of Fingerprints
5
May 13 2025
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Brothers
The Black Keys
The first album I got on this site where I already had something from it in my library. This should be something I like.
It's ok. Nothing bad, nothing great. Maybe that's because all the songs sound the same. It's good background music.
3
May 14 2025
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Birth Of The Cool
Miles Davis
So I probably just don't like jazz that much. There is obvious talent here, but it's just background music to me.
2
May 15 2025
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Low
David Bowie
First thought: Weird. But it's Bowie, so that's not surprising. I've heard Bowie's hits, but nothing from this album. It started as a 3 for me, then moved to a 4. I needed a second listen, and now it's a 5.
5
May 16 2025
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The Pleasure Principle
Gary Numan
So I got this right after Bowie's "Low". Coincidence?
There was definitely influence from "Low" here. Too bad none of the talent came over with it. This sounds like an AI tried to copy Bowie. There's no emotion here at all. Unless vaguely unsettling is an emotion. Cars saves this from getting a 1. It's actually a decent track.
2
May 17 2025
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People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
A Tribe Called Quest
I haven't really listened to a Tribe Called Quest before. I'm a bit surprised I missed out. It's groovy fun hip hop. The album is too long, though. It drags at the end.
Favorites: Luck of Lucien, Bonita Applebum, Can I Kick It?
It's a 3.5, but the great outweighs the ok, so I round it up to 4.
4
May 18 2025
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Parachutes
Coldplay
Early Coldplay is great. Yellow has been in my rotation for years. Trouble and Spies are favorites too. It's all good mellow pop/rock.
4.5, rounded down to 4.
4
May 19 2025
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Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Dark, broody rock with a gospel choir and some blues influence thrown in. It's also a bit pretentious Nothing here is bad, but none of it is particularly interesting to me either.
Ok, now it'd dark broody ballads with piano. Worse than part one, but not by a lot. Again, nothing particularly interesting. O Children isn't bad, it's just not someone I'm interested in.
In the end, not one of these songs made me want to add it to my library. But none of them made me want to turn them off.
3
May 20 2025
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Green
R.E.M.
I got into R.E.M. with "Automatic For The People". I've only listened to the hits from the 80s albums. So I knew Stand and Orange Crush are great. It turns out most of the album is great. It's not quite "Automatic" though. 4.5 rounded up.
5
May 21 2025
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Urban Hymns
The Verve
Bitter Sweet Symphony is incredible. The rest, not so much. I took a break after 5 songs where I thought everything after Bitter Sweet Symphony was uninteresting. The next day - Bitter Sweet Symphony - awesome. Everything else - meh.
Nothing here is really bad, it's just forgettable. I also got the feeling that every track is about 2 minutes too long.
3
May 22 2025
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I Against I
Bad Brains
This just isn't for me. The music isn't bad, and there are some good guitar riffs, but the vocals are just bad.
2
May 23 2025
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Nighthawks At The Diner
Tom Waits
What the hell did I just listen to? I'm really regretting my decision to listen to all of each of these albums. Waits is not funny, and I hate every moment he is talking (and singing, but there is much more talking).
+1 for the decent bluesy/jazzy music which I could probably like as an instrumental.
+2 for the bassist who is way too good for this.
-100 for the talking (and singing).
1
May 24 2025
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Remain In Light
Talking Heads
Another late 70s/early 80s experimental mashup of different genres. The experimental isn't too far out there. It actually works.
I've heard of Talking Heads, but never paid attention to them. It seems I should have. Of course, I've heard Once in a Lifetime many times before.
4.5 - I think this get rounded up. Once in a Lifetime is that good.
5
May 25 2025
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Myths Of The Near Future
Klaxons
Never heard of them. I wish I could continue to say that.
Obscure indie rock. Boring, but in a loud, in your face, obnoxious way that means you can't just leave it on as background music. Why is it even on this list?
1.5 - Golden Skans isn't too bad, and there is a minute here and there with decent music and no noise. It gets rounded down to 1 because, while not completely terrible, the annoying parts are VERY annoying.
1
May 26 2025
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Connected
Stereo MC's
This album is so very early 90s. Not that that is bad. I learned my musical tastes in the early 90s. The title track is great. Then the album goes into a bunch of mediocre dance music with rap that is on the bad end of mediocre. None of the tracks are bad separately, but put them all together, and it's just too much.
3
May 27 2025
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Automatic For The People
R.E.M.
The first album I got where I knew it would be a 5 before I started.
Automatic For The People was my introduction to REM back in the 90s. I knew it was great, but a fresh listen makes me think it's probably the best REM album and maybe the best on this list. Drive to Everybody Hurts is the best start to an album I've heard in a while. Man on the Moon, Nightswimming, and Find the River may be the best ending to an album ever. The middle drags a bit, but it's relative. There isn't a bad track on the album. I get some of the lower ratings. You have to be in the right mood for this. It's slower, emotional, and somewhat depressing at times.
5
May 28 2025
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Welcome to the Afterfuture
Mike Ladd
Another "experimental" album. This time at least it's weirdly different. The number of times I've used the words weird and experimental in these reviews is way more than I thought I would ever need, and I'm only 20 albums in. This time sci-fi hip hop. That's new. The first few tracks had a decent beat at times, but nothing else good. Then I zoned out and the rest of the tracks blurred together. I guess that means nothing was terrible enough to stand out.
2
May 29 2025
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The Slider
T. Rex
I thought I didn't like most 70s music. It seems I just never gave it a chance, especially bands like T.Rex that didn't last into the late 80s/early 90s when I started figuring out what I liked.
I've never heard anything on this album before. It's surprisingly good. There's some filler too, so it's not perfect. Favorites:
Metal Guru
The Slider
Rabbit Fighter
4
May 30 2025
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Station To Station
David Bowie
So, the cocaine album. Yeah, I hear that.
I had not paid much attention to Bowie before starting this. I was only familiar with some of his hits. After getting Low as my first Bowie album, I started looking at the rest. I think Station to Station may have sounded better if I heard it before Low. After the first listen, I was debating on whether this is a 4 or a 5. Like Low, I needed a second listen, and now I'm convinced it's a 5. It's not as good as Low, though.
5
May 31 2025
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Dusty In Memphis
Dusty Springfield
It's not really what I like, but it's not something a would turn off either. Her voice is great, though. Son of a Preacher Man is a keeper.
3
Jun 01 2025
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Heavy Weather
Weather Report
Bland is the best description I can come up with. Forgettable background music. Like other albums before it, if it fades into the background but isn't offensive enough for me to notice, it gets a 2.
2
Jun 02 2025
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Sweet Baby James
James Taylor
This is interesting. I thought I hated most music before about 1977. I was pretty sure I couldn't stand 60s/70s folk/soft rock. I've already decided that I haven't given 70s music a chance. I guess now I have to do the same with folk.
Rating this is a bit difficult. I already knew I liked Fire and Rain at least a little. It's actually much better than I thought. Sweet Baby James and County Road are great too. The tracks I didn't like, I really didn't like, though. Oh, Susannah? Really? It's a 3.5. So 3 or 4?
4
Jun 03 2025
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The Dark Side Of The Moon
Pink Floyd
My first Pink Floyd album on this list, and it's the one I'm supposed to like because it's the greatest album of all time.
I've never listened to The Dark Side of the Moon before. I have heard some of The Wall, and I don't hate Pink Floyd, I just never bothered to listen to them before. It's good. This might be the first album I have listened to that had to be heard as an album. That alone ups the rating for something on an album list. Time and Money are the only tracks that do well without the others. That may be why I liked them the best.
Best album ever? No
Will I listen to it again? Yes, but not often. It's not background music. It demands attention.
It is worth giving a 5? Yes
5
Jun 04 2025
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Aqualung
Jethro Tull
I seem to be getting a lot of 70s art rock and prog rock lately that need multiple listens just to get an idea of what to rate them. Aqualung has a couple of great tracks, a couple of clunkers, and a lot that is just good. It's about a 3.5, but I'll round up because the flute somehow fits in well.
4
Jun 05 2025
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Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd
I guess I'm a Pink Floyd fan now. This is why I started going through this list for. I found a masterpiece that I had never heard before. The only bad thing I can say is that I liked Welcome to the Machine a bit less than the rest of the album.
5
Jun 06 2025
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A Date With The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers
The music isn't terrible, and the harmonies are kind of nice, but this album is terribly dated. I guess it is possibly to be sappy and misogynistic at the same time. It's short at least, and it feels like every song cuts off early.
I guess I can hear some of what influenced music later in the 60s here. It doesn't keep this from being boring, though.
2
Jun 07 2025
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At Mister Kelly's
Sarah Vaughan
That voice is incredible. I don't care for jazz all that much (or live albums either), but the vocals carry this album. It's can see myself listening to it again if I'm in the right mood. The scat singing on the last track nearly knocked it down to a 3 though.
4
Jun 08 2025
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Modern Kosmology
Jane Weaver
An artist/album I haven't heard of. It's interesting, but just average to me. It kept my attention for the most part, so it's not boring. None of the tracks caught my interest enough for me to want to listen to it again. I have no idea why it's on the list.
3
Jun 09 2025
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Sunshine Superman
Donovan
This is so very much the 60s. Sunshine Superman is pretty good, and I was surprised by how much I liked it. Then it all went downhill. Renaissance faire lyrics with what sounded like only bass and sitar for music. I don't guess the music was all that bad, but for almost every track? Too much. The lyrics were definitely not my thing, though.
2
Jun 10 2025
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Tea for the Tillerman
Cat Stevens
Well this is a surprise. I haven't consiously listened to Cat Stevens before, but I have heard of him. I've heard Wild World before. I had to listen to this twice. The first time, I'm deciding between a 3 and a 4. Then I get into the second listen and it goes right past a 4. There's a not a bad song here, and the worst is still above average. Maybe I'm just in the right mood for this at the end of the day. It's a 4.5, but Father and Son alone makes me round up.
5
Jun 11 2025
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The Slim Shady LP
Eminem
Rap is not my favorite genre, but I don't hate it either. Eminem is probably my favorite rapper, but it's the Eminem more than 10 years in the future of the one that created this album. The older Eminem has mellowed a bit and exorcised a few of his demons. This Eminem, hiding behind a Slim Shady mask, is way too full of anger and hate for me to enjoy any of this.
There is certainly talent here. Eminem has a way with words that is unique. My Name Is was everywhere when this album came out. By itself it's pretty good, but not quite up to what Eminem would do later. Guilty Conscience is more cringey than shocking. 97 Bonnie and Clyde is disturbing, but I don't think I'm finding it disturbing in the way it was intending to be. The rest is bass, rhymes, misogyny, and shock value with no point.
So this is another instance where I wish there was a 10 point rating scale. I reserve 1s for albums I don't think have any redeeming qualities, and 2s for albums I don't like that I can at least see some talent in. There is talent here, but it's way overshadowed by the shock and hate. 1.5, and I'm rounding it down because I don't think I enjoyed a second of listening to this again.
1
Jun 12 2025
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Hail To the Thief
Radiohead
Do I like Radiohead? I honestly don't know. The few hits I've heard are good, but nothing on this album is doing anything for me. There are a few tracks that are above average (not great) and a few that are annoying (but not to the point of skipping them). The whiny vocals got to me after a couple of tracks too. It's a 2.5, but I'm rounding down because as an album it wears out it's welcome less than halfway in.
2
Jun 13 2025
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The Beach Boys Today!
The Beach Boys
It's strange. I generally hate sappy late 50s/early 60s doo-wop style albums, but The Beach Boys are pretty good. This album, though, isn't their best. The harmonies are there, but the album is just uneven and didn't really catch my interest other than Help Me, Rhonda.
RIP Brian Wilson
3
Jun 14 2025
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Nevermind
Nirvana
It's the single biggest influence on 90s music (and probably beyond). It's at least in the top 5 most influential albums of all time. It's a 5 just because of that. But beyond that, it's just an exceptional album. Every single track is amazing (let's just ignore Endless, Nameless).
I was 17 when this came out, so it's impossible to be unbiased, though.
5
Jun 15 2025
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The La's
The La's
There is so much great music from the UK. Even with the author's UK bias, why is this on the list? Because it influenced arguably better bands in the 90s? I'm getting sick of Britpop pretty quickly.
Yeah, I've heard There She Goes. It's good, not great. Everything else ranges from fades into the background to actively annoying.
2
Jun 16 2025
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Teenager Of The Year
Frank Black
Too long. Way too long. This is another one of those albums I'm not turning off, but I don't really care to listen to again. There are a few good to very good tracks, and a few that are annoying. Nothing great, nothing terrible.
3
Jun 17 2025
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Siamese Dream
The Smashing Pumpkins
There's a little of everything here. Grunge, alternative, metal, prog, 60s psychedelic influences. I love the layered guitars and wall of sound. It's not quite perfect, though. Silverfuck is too long and nearly derails the album.
It's one of the top 10 albums of the 90s. I got Nevermind a few days ago, so I guess there must be a comparison. Nevermind is more influential, but I think I personally like Siamese Dream more.
5
Jun 18 2025
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Zombie
Fela Kuti
I don't really get jazz that much. This, though, is pretty good. Maybe I just need a good rhythm to go with the jazz. I'm going to have to listen to more Afrobeat.
Digging into the Wikipedia articles on this album and Fela Kuti was really interesting. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I don't think it was protest music you can dance to. Fela Kuti was an influence on The Talking Heads "Remain In Light", which I (re)discovered on this list last month. Well that makes sense why I like this, then.
4
Jun 19 2025
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The Trinity Session
Cowboy Junkies
What genre is this exactly? There's country, blues, rock, folk, and this doesn't really fit any of it. I guess it's more country than anything, and I'm not big on pre 90s country. This album is frustrating to listen to. There's some great stuff here if you are in the right mood (and as I'm listening to this it's as close to in the mood for this as I'm ever going to get): Misguided Angel is incredible, Blue Moon Revisited has great vocals even if it's too slow, Sweet Jane and Walking After Midnight are good covers. The rest is just so, so slow. It's too slow even if you are in the mood for slow. That completely overshadows the good to great vocals on most of these tracks.
3
Jun 20 2025
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Arular
M.I.A.
This is terrible. After reading Wikipedia, I get it. Give an amateur a drum machine and this is what you get. I can't point to a single thing I like here.
1
Jun 21 2025
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Ramones
Ramones
Blitzkrieg Bop is pretty good. At least a 4.
Wait, I've heard this before. Is the track looping?
Yeah, every song is the same, just with different nonsensical lyrics.
Then it slows down (I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend) and it somehow gets worse.
Oh, good, we're back to Blitzkrieg Bop with different lyrics.
2
Jun 22 2025
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Aha Shake Heartbreak
Kings of Leon
The music is maybe a bit above average, but nothing special. Who thought having this guy be the vocalist was a good idea? Is he trying a fake accent or just intentionally mumbling everything? I had to pull up the lyrics to understand what he's singing. They also need a new songwriter.
2
Jun 23 2025
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Histoire De Melody Nelson
Serge Gainsbourg
2.5 for the music. As an instrumental, it wouldn't be bad in the background.
1 for the creepy guy whispering French words I don't understand in my ear. Seriously, don't listen to this with headphones (or at all).
-1 for the explanation of the French I got from Wikipedia.
1
Jun 24 2025
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Document
R.E.M.
I'm not even 50 albums in and this is my 3rd REM album. What I have discovered is that I love REM more than I thought I did. All 5 stars so far, but Document is below Automatic for the People for me.
5
Jun 25 2025
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Live And Dangerous
Thin Lizzy
There is way more overdubbing than live here. It feels more like audience noise was dubbed into studio recordings, but with the quality of live tracks recorded in the 70s. So not great. The music is generic 70s rock. Not great, not bad. I don't mind listening to it, but I wouldn't choose to listen to it.
3
Jun 26 2025
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Heartattack And Vine
Tom Waits
One thing I have leaned with this list is that I absolutely hate Tom Waits voice. Without the "singing" this may be decent background music. This is better than Nighthawks at the Diner, but that's really not much of a compliment.
1
Jun 27 2025
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Bert Jansch
Bert Jansch
4 for the guitar. I enjoyed the instrumentals more than the singing.
3 for the rest. Folk isn't my favorite genre. It was good, but not anything I would choose to listen to.
3
Jun 28 2025
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Paranoid
Black Sabbath
Paranoid is the only song I've heard before. I've been missing out apparently. I love 80s Ozzy but didn't go further back. But I still instantly knew the riff in Iron Man. This album sounds more 1985 than 1970. It's an easy 5 as the blueprint to every metal album of the 80s and 90s.
5
Jun 29 2025
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Midnight Ride
Paul Revere & The Raiders
It started off pretty good with Kicks, but everything else was just an average 60s pop album, which I don't like too much as a genre.
2.5, and I'll round it up to 3 because the grade bacd sound is a step above normal 60s pop.
3
Jun 30 2025
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Definitely Maybe
Oasis
It's good. Not great, not bad. There are a couple of very good tracks, then a whole lot of the same thing, average 90s rock. 3.5
3
Jul 01 2025
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Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand
Not great, not bad. I feel like I keep repeating myself. It seems I'm getting a string of average albums, and I really shouldn't on a list of albums I must listen to. I'm not turning this off, but no, I don't have to hear this. Take Me Out is the best thing here, but it's still just above average. At least they managed to make each track sound different.
3
Jul 02 2025
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The White Room
The KLF
My expectations were low and it met them. It wasn't terrible, but it's just not anything I would want to listen to again.
2