Guitar rock isn't really my jam, but this album pretty much rules. Plus...The Kinks. And that intro to "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love"…
A couple great songs but it didn’t keep my interest as an entire album. I can hear the influence on a lot of what came along later.
Great record. No skips. The band sounds amazing & Michael Stipe moves easily between singing melodically and yelping ferociously.
Kanye in 2025. Ooof! This one is spawning much internal dialogue about “art vs. artist.” There's an argument to be made for separating the two, but when the art is (partially) about race and racism, I don't think I can/should discount the outspoken racism of present-day Kanye. The production is fantastic, and though I think Kanye isn't the most proficient rapper, he can write a good line, and call in great featured artists. 20 years ago, this would be a 5. In 2025, a 4 feels like I'm giving him more grace than he deserves. I hope K gets the help with his mental health that he desperately needs, and does something to make up for the harm he's been doing to himself and his audience of late. "Through the Wire" is perfect, and I hope Chaka made a few million off it.
Absolute banger of a record. I actually have two copies because I played the first one so much that it was wearing out. So I bought a second. But it's not like you can throw out a copy of Rumors even if it's getting a little too crackly. “Second Hand News” is the underrated bop on this one.
Did R.E.M. invent jangle-pop? No. But they became the definition of it, starting with this record. "Catapult" is one of my all-time favorites and this album is instantly identifiable as R.E.M. which can be good or bad depending on your perspective. Full of great weirdo lyrics, some of which you can understand. There's a reason it's also known as Mumble. Great classic R.E.M. but not the most accessible if you're trying to get someone into the band.
There are reasons why Siouxsie is a post-punk goddess and they're all apparent here. A classic!
This is an album for dudes who pay $85 a foot for speaker cables. It's for the guy who tells you how much you have to hear it, and then talks through the whole thing while you're trying to listen and can tell you the exact temperature in the studio that one day in 1972. Super proggy. Some good songwriting, and great vocals from Peter Gabriel & Phil Collins. Peter Gabriel plays flute and oboe on this record. There's an electric sitar. Mellotron. Cello. You get the idea. More is more.
Good musicianship, but if prog isn't your thing, this won't be your thing. Maybe it works better if you're high? Glad I heard it, but probably won't be adding this to the rotation.
One of their best. It doesn’t represent their poppier side, but this might be the most Cure album by The Cure. 🖤
I was more of a Whiskeytown guy, but this is an ok record. Back then, it was a 3. First time hearing it in 20 years, it's closer to a 2. Mid. Listenable, not that exciting.
By most accounts Ryan Adams is a terrible dude, so there's that. Kinda fitting that it opens with an argument about Morrissey who also turned out to be a terrible dude.
Miles is a treasure, but improvisational jazz rock isn't really my thing. It felt educational, but this album didn't really hit the pleasure centers of my brain.
Best described as a Talking Heads fan's Talking Heads album. Great listen. Brian Eno is very apparent on this one.
Bob Dylan writes really good songs. Bob Dylan sings Bob Dylan Songs.
I liked it more than I thought I would. The music is great, and the swampy vibe is cool. If Grant-Lee Phillips covered this album, I’d play it all the time.
This is the Wilco record I think of when I think of Wilco records.
This is the best Vampire Weekend album.
Great record. It sounds dirty and raw, and was a great intro to MIA. Too bad she’s gone full conspiracy theory tin-foil hat crazy.
A Beach Boys nerd's Beach Boys album. If you're looking for more cars and surfing, this isn't it. But it's got amazing contributions from Carl (Long Promised Road & Feel Flows) and some of the best songs Brian Wilson ever wrote ('Till I Die & Surf's Up). Mike Love's cheesy Lieber & Stoller ripoff (Student Demonstration Time) is a definite skip. This album has some of the best Beach Boys songs that most people have never heard. Rest in peace Brian.
Absolute classic. No skips. Also, Beastie Boys maybe wouldn’t exist without this record.
Flea is a bass monster. But Anthony Kiedis’ voice isn’t my jam, and I don’t enjoy them on record as much as I do live.
One of those records that I’ve heard of, but never heard. It was a good listen.
David might have been a mess at the time, but this album is one of his best.
Great record. They get unfairly dismissed as an “MTV Band” unfortunately. This one’s in regular rotation.
Boomer jams.
The organ is cool.
Great record. I’ve heard the name for years but never got a chance to check out this band. Added to the rotation for sure.
Ok I was about to give Low End Theory a 4 (to give myself a little headroom to give Midnight Marauders a 5) but then Scenario came on and I’m jumping around my living room thinking I can rap the Busta Rhymes verse. (I cannot).
Scenario is the greatest posse cut in hip-hop. Also, sick Ron Carter bass. 5 stars.
Some great tracks on here. Their live set is phenomenal. It doesn’t hang together as an album as well as I would like, but lots to dig into.
Jangly guitar pop that influenced a lot of bands that I really love.
Ironically Funkadelic is the less-funky iteration of George Clinton’s collective. Fun listen.
This feels polished within an inch of its life, but it was fun to listen to. The electronic drums sound super dated in 2025. Loved the classic 80s guitar sound and shiny harmonies.
Not a genre I enjoy.
Bluesy hard rock really isn’t my thing. Cool keys though.
Fantastic album. It’s a vibe all on its own even after all these years.
Are all of these songs about banging? They’re all about banging. Golden age DM.
Some classic XTC tracks on this one. Still sounds great.
Remember in the 60s when everyone was really into panning everything hard right or hard left? Yep, that. Sigh.
Such a classic, clean sound. I’ve grown up listening to Boomers playing California Dreaming, so it’s hard to get excited about that one (again). Doesn’t resonate with me in the same way, but these are good songs, beautifully done.
Probably the last great U2 album. Saw the original Zoo TV tour (1992?), as well as the opening night at The Sphere in 2023. They’re still phenomenal performers, even if their changes in circumstance have dulled the fire of their later work.
Fun. Ska isn’t really my thing, but this is a good ska record.
Great record by a criminally underrated band.
Haven’t heard this in a while but it was fun to revisit.
This album was everywhere in the mid-90s… and somehow I heard it today for pretty much the first time. Maybe I just wasn't ready for it then, or maybe I was turned off by how much everyone was talking about it. But they weren't wrong. Glad I had a reason to finally give it a shot. I've been missing out.
My fave Elvis record.
Sounds like the 1990s. Grunge, but shiny and crisp.
Classic heavy 90s grunge. Layne Staley‘s voice pretty much defines the era for me.
Cool. The story behind it is kind of amazing.
The first “new” Elvis record I bought in the 90s. Loved it then. It holds up pretty well. Some great songs, and even a mid Elvis Costello album is pretty good.
Surf rock for goths
Oh man, the ‘90s. I loved this record back then. Hold up well.
Not my favorite genre, but this album is fantastic!
Turns out minimalist watered down blues rock still isn’t my thing.
Went into this one thinking Joni’s not my thing. Came out of it still thinking that. I’ll probably lose some credibility with folks, but yeah, it’s kind of boring to me.
Cool AF. Definitely going on the Easy Like Sunday Morning playlist.
I usually think of PSB as a singes band, but this album is great.
Great tunes on here. Nile is a magician.
Fun ‘90s flashback.
Some great singles, but 50 has never been able to hold my attention for an entire album. I know he’s an icon to some at this point, but I don’t see it.
French industrial isn’t my thing.
In 1995? 4.5. In 2025, a solid 3.5.
Does there need to be two Supergrass albums on this list?
I remember seeing tgis in the 90s and just never got around to it. What a great find after all this time.
The Camille Album. It’s possible this is Prince’s best work. Definitely under appreciated. Housequake is an absolute banger, and If I Was Your Girlfriend is my favorite Prince song. People wanted Prince to make Purple Rain 2 & 3 but Prince had other plans. 💜
No. Did not need to hear this before I die. I can hear a little of The Beatles and The Beach Boys in some of the instrumentation and I’m sure Colin Meloy of The Decemberists has this on repeat. But it’s just not enjoyable to listen to. It sounds like an SNL parody of psych folk rock.
Fantastic
It’s…fine. Remind Me still (gently) slaps, but the rest feels like adequate chilltronica. Better than a lot of the dreck from the time, but there’s not much that stands out now.
I always thought I was a Paul’s Boutique guy. But this still hits hard. Back into the rotation.
Her voice is beautiful. The production is smooth and shiny. It’s a great record, with heavy late-90s “coffee house” vibes. That’s not an insult. It’s good. Just not something I need to listen to more than I already did back then.
Freedom 90 is still a banger. Classic album.
Generic late 60s boomer-dad pop. There are a ton of bands that sound like this. Most of them are better.
Still in the rotation. Is this the best Beastie Boys record? No. Are the lyrics written by literal teenagers a bit awkward all these years later? Yes. Do most people miss the irony in “Fight For Your Right”? Also yes.
Groundbreaking used of rock samples, and the Beasties are important figures in hip-hop. Iconic album that will never be repeated.
Good record when it came out, but it’s hard to overlook Snoop’s recent hypocrisy and homophobia. Weird, because he was happy once upon a time to cash checks for appearing on “The L Word.” It’s disappointing to find out that he’s actually just a sellout.
Better than most of its genre. It’s worth a listen.
Despite hearing the name for years and knowing “Without You” I’ve never actually listened to Harry Nilsson before. Great songs, and now a new rabbit hole for me to go down.
The B side is heavy Brian Eno. Good stuff.
The best moments are mediocre pub rock that sound very similar to that other song that’s on the top of your tongue but you just can’t place.
Then there are the talky bits that kill whatever English Dad Rock groove you were about to settle into. This didn’t need to be on this list… and astonishingly there are 2 more Dexy’s albums to come apparently.
Primo Dad-stolgia record. It’s fine, just not my favorite genre of music.
Great production. A little overblown in that 90s rap album kinda way. It’s good, but I was still listening to backpack hip hop back then.
Classic old-school dirge-y atmosphere. This is what people who don’t know the full range of The Cure think of when they think of The Cure. Perfect for a gloomy day.
Boring. Predictable. Sounds exactly like I thought it would sound. Chugga chugga chugga guitars. Drumming as an endurance sport. Growly muppet vocals. Tempo and rhythm changes.
Maybe that means they made the blueprint that everyone else followed. Or maybe that means they’re just a bunch of metal cliches stacked on top of one another.
They’re both underrated as rappers. And the production is great. If this was edited down to a single album I’d give it a 5. As a double (really two separate albums) it’s a solid 4. Hey Ya will continue making wedding reception dance floors pop off for the years to come, but if that’s all you know of OutKast you’re missing out.
Great album. It was everywhere in the late 80s/early 90’s. Still sounds amazing
It’s fine. The dub influence is clear. I don’t mind anything on here, but I probably wouldn’t listen again.
Fantastic. Beautiful production.
It's a 3.5, but gets rounded up to 4 on the strength of "Genius of Love." Lots of fun grooves but the "Wordy Rappinghood" rapping is bad in that 1981 sing-songy way that a lot of people who had no business rapping ended up rapping around that time.
It’s fine. U2 still hasn’t recovered from auto-adding that one album to all of our iTunes libraries. The hate is mostly hyperbolic and melodramatic. They’re still a great band, but the reality is that their best creative period was several decades ago. Which is fine. If you like U2, you’ll enjoy this album well enough. Should this particular album be on this list? I can think of a half-dozen better U2 albums.
90s big beat electronic music.
The more you learn about how this album was created, the better it gets. I tend to think of this album as one piece of art and through countless listenings over decades, I can’t name a single “song” on it. This record gets at the project of this book in that it’s something every pop music fan ought to hear at least once.
Dylan just isn’t my thing. Influential? Yes. Talented as a songwriter? Sure. Someone I’m interested in listening to singing? No.
Arguably the album that spawned an entire genre of lackluster rap/rock imitators. It’s a Bay Area classic, but that sparkly early 90s production sounds kind of dated now.
