This is a surprisingly diverse album. Maybe I shouldn’t be stunned since there is 25 tracks on it, but I liked that there was a mix of styles in this. Some ballads, some rockers, a bit of Motown influence mixed in. I had heard a few of these songs before, but picked up some new ones for my own personal library which I really liked, such as Black Maria, Couldn’t I Just Tell You, Wolfman Jack, and It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference. Giving this a 5, even if every track on here isn’t amazing for me, because of the variety, his obvious talent, and the fact that you can tell that he had a lot of fun making this album (the Intro song was such a cool add). Definitely worth the listen. Fun listen for the first one on my quest (1,000 to go!).

I met Little Richard back in the mid 90s, so when Here’s Little Richard popped up as my next album, I must confess that I already was predisposed to wanting to like it. And maybe that brings some bias into my review, but I can’t adequately put into words how much I enjoyed listening to this record. Little Richard’s voice is infectious and makes this a truly fun listen. What’s amazing is how much energy he brings to these songs - for example listen to him basically run out of breath with 30 seconds left in Jenny Jenny. Beyond that, the piano work on various songs is great, especially at beginning of True Fine Mama and Slippin’ and Slidin’. Lots of great early rock songs on this album that delivers from beginning to end. It, like Little Richard himself, is a true force of nature, one that is well worth the listen.

This is a surprisingly diverse album. Maybe I shouldn’t be stunned since there is 25 tracks on it, but I liked that there was a mix of styles in this. Some ballads, some rockers, a bit of Motown influence mixed in. I had heard a few of these songs before, but picked up some new ones for my own personal library which I really liked, such as Black Maria, Couldn’t I Just Tell You, Wolfman Jack, and It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference. Giving this a 5, even if every track on here isn’t amazing for me, because of the variety, his obvious talent, and the fact that you can tell that he had a lot of fun making this album (the Intro song was such a cool add). Definitely worth the listen. Fun listen for the first one on my quest (1,000 to go!).

I know that Paul McCartney is one of the great artists of all time, but frankly I found this album to be pretty bland. The two popular singles, Band on the Run and Jet, are alright. I liked Mrs Vanderbilt and Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five the best. The rest of this is very average. An ok album, but certainly nothing special and not anything I would come back to.

I have this but it is has been many years since I have listened to it, so I was excited about revisiting. It’s an excellent album and is indicative of what made the Unplugged sessions great when approached correctly. A chance to represent yourselves differently musically, and Nirvana certainly did that. The coolest aspect is that they took some songs from other bands (the Vaselines, Meat Puppets) to bring into this session. It wasn’t just their original tunes. The best example: Bowie’s The Man Who Sold The World is a definite highlight of this set. What keeps this from being an 5 star album for me personally is that there are some songs on here that just aren’t that good, such as Pennyroyal Tea or On a Plain. As a result, the middle of the set wanes a bit for me. But I had forgotten about how cool some of these songs come off like Oh, Me. That all said, while I have never been as enamored with Kurt Cobain as many others (despite totally loving 90s alternative music), he is undeniably excellent throughout this set. Strong and straining (in a great way) in certain parts, restrained in others. Meanwhile, Grohl shows he can strip down his bombastic drumming style and settle in the background amazingly well. A fantastic performance from both of them.

I really enjoy a ton of 80s and 90s rock bands that are contemporaries of Def Leppard, but admittedly have never really been as big a fan of DL as a lot of others. But results are results and it’s hard to argue with a series of things: - Very few bands have sold 20m albums in their careers, let alone selling 20m copies of one record like DL did with this album. - Very few albums have a consecutive song run of hits like songs 2-6 on this album: Rocket, Animal, Love Bites, Pour Some Sugar on Me, and Armageddon It, all of which made the Top 20. - Rick Allen’s ability to adapt to playing drums with one arm is pretty incredible, and you would never know it on this album. Half of this record is still played on the radio (some more than others) so it wasn’t hard to burn through those and enjoy them. The non-singles I hadn’t heard before and each one of those was a bit of strange listen for me. They would all have parts that I enjoyed and started heading in directions that had a chance to be great, but they would all take turns that I didn’t really like as much, often into very generic choruses. As a result, I didn’t really find anything new that I have to come back to. Still, the sheer sophistication that DL creates at various points on this album and the hits that it generates sets Hysteria apart from most other albums of this age. And, to be honest, the hits hold up after all this time. So despite my lack of DL fandom, surprisingly, this album gets 4 stars from me.

I met Little Richard back in the mid 90s, so when Here’s Little Richard popped up as my next album, I must confess that I already was predisposed to wanting to like it. And maybe that brings some bias into my review, but I can’t adequately put into words how much I enjoyed listening to this record. Little Richard’s voice is infectious and makes this a truly fun listen. What’s amazing is how much energy he brings to these songs - for example listen to him basically run out of breath with 30 seconds left in Jenny Jenny. Beyond that, the piano work on various songs is great, especially at beginning of True Fine Mama and Slippin’ and Slidin’. Lots of great early rock songs on this album that delivers from beginning to end. It, like Little Richard himself, is a true force of nature, one that is well worth the listen.

Admittedly, I am a big fan of 90s alternative. There is a ton of great albums from this genre in the decade, from Pearl Jam’s Ten to Live’s Throwing Copper to Soundgarden’s Superunknown and Nirvana’s Nevermind. Lots of great music. That said, admittedly, I was not a fan of Alice In Chains when they first came out. It took me a while to come around on them, so I’ve never owned this album. Upon my first full listen to it, I realize I have been missing out all these years. The opener, Them Bones, really sets the tone for the rest of the album. It’s just in your face right from the jump. Lane Staley’s vocals are great throughout and the harmonies with Jerry Cantrell are excellent. Of course, the songs that everyone has heard like Down in a Hole, Rooster, and Angry Chair (saving Would for later) are highlights, but others like Rain When I Die help this record hold up from beginning to end. And as for that ending track, Would? is one of those songs that just defines this era of rock. A killer track that is one of my favorites of the decade, and a great end to what I found to be a tremendous album.

I love the 80s and I love rock music, which should have made this a perfect match for me and my tastes. Unfortunately, though it's a good record, I found this album to be a bit below my expectations. Certainly, this is ZZ Top's most commercially successful effort and one that appeals to the masses. It didn't hurt that their long beards made for a very original look that was best captured in the MTV video age. But chalking up their success with this record solely to that novelty would diminish what they had accomplished musically with this album. There are undoubtedly a series of catchy hooks on here. Gimme All Your Lovin, Legs, Sharp Dressed Man, and Got Me Under Pressure are all rightfully still played on radio today, which is a testament to their sound and songwriting. I looked up the chart success and this album only made it to #9 on the charts and yet, despite this, they sold 10m+ copies of it. That doesn't happen because of a flash in the pan, it happens because the songs have staying power. That all said, the rest of this album was pretty generic to me. There are a few other good tunes like I Got The Six and Thug (what they do with the bass early in this song is very cool), but then there were songs like TV Dinners which left me asking “what the hell?” That song shouldn't even be a B-side on any record. It was like the label said "we need X number of songs" or "we need it to be long enough" and the band said, "sure, let's throw that one on there." To be honest, I waffled between 3 and 4 starts because the highs are pretty high, but the lows are very low. I even gave this a couple of listens to see if it would impact my thinking either way. I ultimately landed where I did simply because while the hits are great, it is not a complete album for me.

There is certain metal bands that I like, but I have never really sought out Pantera. So I was coming into this album totally fresh, not really knowing any of these songs. There are some definite highlights here, but overall it was kind of a mixed bag for me. Walk is pretty cool tune. I guess it's their most played song on Spotify, so theoretically it's their most popular song. Does that equal the best? Not necessarily, but it can be indiciative, and if this is the best it gets, I quickly realized this wasn’t going to be a 5 star album. I liked Rise as well. I'm usually very amazed by how guitarists/drummers can play as fast as they do in certain metal songs. Rise is one of those tunes at different times. This song reminded me of Helmet's Unsung at points, which should be obvious to anyone who knows both (released around the same time). That's a tune I love, so I was drawn into Rise in a similar fashion. Meanwhile, Hollow was a cool closing track. It kind of blows me away that the album just goes along kicking you in the face the whole time, and then we get to Hollow, whose first half is a complete departure from everything else you just heard. It gives me a bit of a One by Metallica feel, even if it isn't nearly as long or as epic. Regardless, a great closer to this album. All the same, I see how people would predominantly only have two ratings on this - great (5) or truly horrible (1). With bands like these, there is limited middle ground, though perhaps amazingly that's where I landed. Some good songs. But remember when I said I’m typically amazed by really fast playing? That happened on the vast majority of these tunes, which led to some boredom, as most of this record ended up sounding pretty homogenous to me. I see how people could be into this, it's just not my thing other than in small doses. That said, it was worth the listen and I picked up a few new tunes for my own library, which means it wasn't time wasted.

This group wasn't that popular here in the US, other than I remember their song Missing being big in the early 90s (good tune). And after listening to this album, I kind of know why on both fronts. Let’s just say that the dance infusion into Missing is probably why it was a hit. The first thing that struck me on this album is that Tracey Thorn is an excellent singer who has a really nice tone to her voice. She reminded me a bit of Natalie Merchant, though Merchant's voice has more character to it while Thorn is a bit more breathy. Ben Watt is also a good signer, though not as good as Thorn, and his best moments on this album really come when the two of them are harmonizing together. The opener to this record (original release), Love is Here Where I Live, is a decent song. Breezy in some ways, though Thorn brings some nice emotion to it. As I listened further though, a lot of these songs just kind of floated along for me. They were easy listens, but they didn't really reach me that much. Many times, the song would just drift off at the end, causing a "really, that's it?" reaction. Frankly, as I listened to this album, I found myself longing to listen to Johnny Hates Jazz, British contemporaries of Everything But The Girl. Turns out I wasn't wrong for that, as evidently they both could be categorized as sophisti-pop, a genre I've never heard of before. Anyway, JHJ songs are just better, as they have more weight and are superior constructions. I would encourage anyone reading this to go find their Turn Back the Clock album, which blows this one away - Shattered Dreams, Heart of Gold, I Don't Want to Be a Hero, Don't Say It's Love, What Other Reason, and Turn Back the Clock are all better tracks than anything on this record. All the same, there are a few songs on here that I did like, such as Blue Moon Rose and Lonesome for a Place I Know. Also, their cover of I Don't Want to Talk About It, which was added to the re-release of this album, was decent. Some nice instrumentals in it. Maybe if this was the first song I heard from them, I might have really enjoyed it. But after listening to the rest of the album that sounded very similar, I just didn't care. A pretty weak album for me and probably not worth seeking out by most people. Off to listen to Johnny Hates Jazz . . .

My first experience with music was effectively just before the start of the MTV era, right around the turn of the 70s into the 80s, which means my earliest memories of Rod Stewart are Infactuation and Passion Rod (even Da Ya Think I'm Sexy). So what I heard on this album is a very different artist in certain ways. I had not found any of these songs before and this album had a pretty strong folk feel, not one of the flashy artist I am used to. A lot of this, frankly, reminded me of what I might hear on The Lonesome Jubilee album from John Mellencamp (who inexplicably is missing from this list), which is a great record. What stayed the same is Stewart's great, distinctive voice. The combination of his stellar vocals backed by a different approach (I recognize I'm the one who's not familiar with his older, less commerical stuff) makes for a very fun listen. It's far from a perfect album - It's All Over Now, very ironically, goes on for way too long - but there's a lot of great stuff on here and it's diverse enough to keep me listening. The title track and opener is a cool tune. The way his voice and the guitar compliment each other on this track is fantastic. Only a Hobo gave me a Gordon Lightfoot type of feel. The end of My Way of Giving reminded me of the beginning of Whiter Shade of Pale. Cut Across Shorty drives so well throughout that you don't realize it is 6+ minutes (unlike the afore mentioned It's All Over Now). Finally, the closer You're My Girl was a song I really enjoyed because of its great groove. What's astonishing about this album more than anything is that it didn't find a broad audience. His voice is so cool and considering that he found a lot of success just a year or two later (both solo and with Faces), it’s a bit surprising that this didn't translate commercially. As for me, I am happy to have found it this late in the game.

I've never listened to much of Earth Wind and Fire. I know the hits like September and Let's Groove, and they are good songs, I just never really dug into their catalog. Super glad this popped up as my next choice, though. This record was a very fun listen. Maurice White and Philip Bailey both have excellent voices and that alone would have made this really enjoyable, but the musicality of the group makes this great. I enjoyed different songs for different reasons on this record. Shining Star is a really catchy song with tight, good harmonies. That's the Way of the World has a nice groove to it. All About Love is a well constructed ballad. Reasons has some great vocals. Africano felt like an exercise in "how fast can we play and still sound musical" - like listening to great jazz musicians, just pure talent. Two things keep me from rating this a 5: Yearin' Learnin' I didn't really care for and I didn't think See the Light was that great a song as a closer. 6+ minutes and it felt longer. That said, the rest of this album was great for me and a fun find.

Going through these albums always makes for an exciting time. Sometimes it's an album that you have and can't wait to hear it entirely again. Sometimes it's an release with a few songs that are on the radio and you are curious about the rest of the record. And sometimes it's a record and a band that you have never heard of before, which allows you to explore something completely new. This one fell in the last camp for me. The best way I can describe this album is diverse. From it's songs to the theming to the way I felt about it. It was all over the place. A microcosm of this experience for me was Filthy/Georgeous, which is rather aptly name considering my take on this album. This is straight out of the 70s and the lead singer's voice could have fit very nicely on any of those disco records of the time. This song is totally different than anything else on the album. Fun and cool at times, and yet totally derivative and plain at others. Simultaneously georgeous and filthy, much like different parts of this record. Some of the highlights for me were songs like Mary, a song that felt a bit to me like Robbie Williams was leading it, which is a testament to the lead singer's voice. He demonstrates a lot range on this and hits all the right notes. An excellent tune. Take Your Mama is a bit of mix of Better Than Ezra and Neon Trees (Laura gave me some NT feel too). It's a well constructed song, and demonstrates that they actually have a good amount of talent. On the other end, the inclusion of Comfortably Numb on this is a really strange choice. It's not that their take on this is awful, per se, it has some interesting elements. I guess it was a big dance hit in the UK (equally as strange). However, given how epic a song Pink Floyd's original is, their version massively pales in comparison, effectively making it nothing more than filler and it an instant skip on this record for me. Meanwhile, Tits On The Radio is just a bad song, with lyrics that are pretty dumb. My daughter and I got a good laugh out of it though. Music Is The Victim is a better song, but again their lyrics are just very inferior and relatively meaningless. You can see how they think they are being cheeky with this, but it comes off as very poorly thought out. I imagine them in a room thinking "what rhymes with shotgun" and then celebrating when they finally come up with . . . "dog run"! Yes, spectacular. In addition, bringing in various cities comes across as pretty trite. To be honest, I was thinking of making this album a 2, but the record is diverse, their talent is decent, and the lead singer’s voice is interesting. Also, the fact that I grabbed a few songs for my own personal library pushes it up for me. Can't put it higher than 3 though, as this compilation is a roller coaster, with some pretty high highs and very low lows.

Second album in a row from a band I have never heard of. I guess this band is more of a folk band but had moved closer to psychedelic rock for this album. For my money, they pretty much failed. Only 29 minutes long, this is an album did not translate commercially nor does it appear to have influenced anyone. All on top of it being from a band barely anyone has heard of. I am really struggling to understand how this was included in a list of albums I must hear. Not that it’s terrible, it’s just sort of there, serving no obvious purpose. Only Dreaming Now is the highlight of the album for me. It at least heads in the direction of the intended genre. But that’s about it. A very substandard inclusion, a true head scratcher.

This is my second consecutive album which has been basically been at 30 minutes long. While the last one was from someone I had never heard of and really not good, that certainly wasn't true for this one. Tom Petty is one of the great rockers of all time. Saw him back in the mid 90s and it was a great show. That said, I don’t own much of his catalog, and I have never listened to this album at all. While I am very familiar with the couple of hits on this record, the rest of this was uncharted territory. The opener, Rockin’ Around (With You) is a great way to kick off the record. Breakdown follows and is a great tune, best one on the record for me. I wasn’t a fan of Hometown Blues, but the album picked back up with The Wild One, Forever. I quite like Petty’s voice, even if it isn’t the most technically amazing one in the business. And he’s great on this song, including in the harmonies. The yo yo continued for me as Anything That’s Rock ‘N’ Roll and Strangered In The Night were just average for me, though I liked the flipping of the guitar between speakers on the former. Fooled Again (I Don’t Like It) was a step back in the right direction, a definite highlight for me. I started listening to Mystery Man, and almost instantly it gave me an Into The Mystic feel. Since the theme is somewhat the same, and the titles aren’t that far apart, I wonder if Van Morrison’s tune inspired this one. Regardless, I really liked this song. Luna has some aspects that I liked, especially the flowing portions of this song, but the repetitive keyboard sections brought this down for me. Finally, American Girl is one of those classic 70s rock anthems and a truly great way to close the album. In summary, lots to like in this tight 30 minute set, but it’s not an album that is great from front to back. Frankly, I am surprised that this is Petty's only album on the list, either with or without The Heartbreakers. At least one of Full Moon Fever, Wildflowers, or Damn the Torpedoes warrant inclusion, if not all of them. Still, happy to have visited this album for the first time.

I've heard of the Flaming Lips but never really knew anything by them, so I was interested to see what this was like. The best way to describe this is one of two ways: 1. A crappy carnival with a few good rides, but it all started to melt. 2. A jack-in-the-box which was low on batteries. Anyway, a couple of things stood out: - They have a very interesting style, one that takes a lot of risks, which is very cool. Occassionally this is to their determent, though I generally liked this, except . . . - The singer is terrible. I'm betting he is revered by a few for some strange reason, but his voice is very inadequate. Strained but in a bad way, with limited vocal range that stays in a very annoying spot. - The lyrics might be worse. Singing fly in the air, comb your hair over and over again? Completely uninspired. I take that back, the vocals are worse. Definitely. If you want to get the gist, listen to The Spark That Bled. Some weird chords at the beginning, terrible singing, then some cool instrumentals in between more terrible singing. Unfortunately, the redeemable qualities are well outweighed by the lack of good vocals or excellent song construction. Very confident that some people love these guys, mainly because they are looking for something different. Sadly, in this case, different = very bad. Still, giving them a 2 because of the risks they take (respect). Edit: Essentially all of the 5 star reviews I have seen are from people who already love the band and/or have seen them a series of times. None from someone discovering them for the first time, which I find very interesting. This is definitely a band that you either love or hate, there really is no in between. For me, I can't get past how bad the singer and lyrics are. This album would have been much better for me as an instrumental.

I've heard of the Pixies, but I don't know a giant amount of their music and I wouldn't have been able to tell you that Frank Black is/was their front man. As a result, this ends up being another totally new album and artist for me, though this comes from an era of alternative rock that I love. First thing that struck me is that he is a pretty adept vocalist. It seems like he has toned down his voice a bit vs. what I think I remember of the Pixies, so kudos to him. There’s lots he can do with his voice, and he does a cool job of adjusting to the tone of the song. Interestingly, at certain points (e.g. I Could Stay Here Forever) he sounded like Julian Lennon to me. At others, he has a refined Bob Dylan feel (The Hostest with the Mostest). And then in other songs, he felt a like Mark Knopfler type of signer (e.g. Calistan). Bottom line is that I liked how he moved around his style. Beyond this, has a penchant for rhyming strange words with each other. I could see how people might find annoying, but I thought it really worked for this album. The album is only just over an hour, but with 22 songs, there’s a lot of variety on it. Some highlights for me were White Noise Maker, Pure Denizen of the Citizens Band, Headache and Calistan. A really solid album which I unexpectedly liked a lot.

Getting this album as my selection the day that Brian Wilson died is likely to make my review a bit more friendly. That said, objectively, this is an excellent album and I loved listening to this today. There’s a lot more depth to these songs than I would have expected. I’m so used to hearing their huge hits on the radio and they are good songs, but they all have a consistent high energy, positive vibe to them. This album shows how much more versatile as a band they were vs. what I had thought. Sure, there are the hits like Sloop John B, God Only Knows, and Wouldn't It Be Nice (all good songs), but this album hits higher notes for me on these lesser known songs, predominantly because of their depth. Songs like I Just Wasn't Made for These Times and That's Not Me are thematically and tonally a departure from the Beach Boys I am used to, which is a lot of fun to discover. The title track is like something an orchestra would conduct for a movie, which makes it a strange but pretty cool part of this album. The vocals on You Still Believe In Me are excellent, especially the way they layer at the end. All in all, an excellent record, way better than I would have anticipated.

Neil Young is an acquired taste. At least that's the true for me. Sure he had some songs that instantly struck me, like Rockin in the Free World. But his voice, however distinctive, wasn't really something I sought out. I've never listened to a single one of his albums straight through, so I wasn’t sure how I’d view this. It helped that this album started with My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue), an instantly recongnizable song and a classic. Thrasher is an interesting song, love the theme of it, but it just kind of sits there and then fades out. Other than the lyrics, it didn't really move me. Similar reaction to Ride My Llama, though I liked the music more and the lyrics less. Pocohontas is just a weird song - singing about the plight of the indians and then end up singing about the Astrodome and Marlon Brando? Just really strange lyrics. Sail Away I liked a lot better. I could see some people not liking this, but I thought it was just a more well constructed song than the previous few. All in all, though, an uneven first half. It's interesting how this album shifts from solo acoustic to electric with Crazy Horse for the second half. Unique and I liked the construct. Powderfinger is a cool tune, loved the lead guitar work on this. I was less a fan of Welfare Mothers, it's fine but it felt pretty basic to me. Sedan Delivery picks back up, a straight rocker with an interesting viewpoint. The highlight of this album is the dichotomy in styles from the first half to the second, underscored by the different versions of My My, Hey Hey. It's hard to say whether the Blue or Black version is really better (the distortion in the guitars at the beginning of the electric version is very cool), both are great, despite the repetition. To be honest, just focusing on the songs, I'd probably be at a 3 for this. However, given how this album has two distinct halves and the fact that he could take the same song in My My, Hey Hey and make it sound considerably different depending upon whether he goes acoustic or electric? This combines to elevate it for me, making it deserving of a 4. It's far from a perfect album though.

I have to admit that I started listening to this while mowing the lawn, which was a mistake. I couldn’t really get a good feel of it, I just knew it was different. Upon a re-listen, I will also admit that I had low expectations. What got me early on was not the creativity of what they brought into the recordings. Frankly, we can call that ingenious or innovative, but if it really only influenced future electronic music and nothing in the pop or rock realm, does it really matter? What I did like and ultimately drew me in to give this a fair shot was the rhythm of some of these songs. Sure there were some early misses like Help Me Somebody. Ok, a lot of early misses, with random screaming / narrative that might have had a place for others, but was totally lost on me. That said, songs like Regiment and Mea Culpa had something about them that I enjoyed. Unfortunately, as the album progressed, those pounding rhythms fell by the wayside, in favor of more and more randomness, which made this an opportunity wasted in my opinion. For those who might rate this a 5, I’d ask two questions: is this something you come back to repeatedly and is it close to a no skip record? I highly doubt you would find anyone to say yes to both. Anyway it’s very, very different and while different can be good, in this case it’s not. Interesting for sure, but I’m confused by why I had to hear it. Again, if it led to something that was huge, or if it was really influential on the direction of music, I could accept its place. But since it appears to have done neither, it’s just a departure that adds up to little more than noise save for a couple of highlights. Worse yet, its inclusion in a list of albums I had to hear at the expense of some tremendous records is really baffling. If you want instrumentals, do yourself a favor and go listen to something more influential and innovative that’s actually musical (and incredibly high level), like Joe Satriani.

Rap isn’t something I listen to an overwhelming amount anymore. High school and college is when I listened to it the most, mainly guys you would hear on the radio - LL Cool J, Dre and Snoop, Young MC, and later on Eminem. Never listened to Raekwon and though I’ve obviously heard of Wu Tang Clan, I’ve never listened to them much either. So I didn’t know what to expect from this, though the rampant explicit ratings certainly gave it away. To my surprise, I kinda dug this, even if I am probably a bit removed from the target audience. There were a good amount of songs I liked. Criminology felt like something off of a Public Enemy album (who I really like). Incarcerated Scarfaces had a LL Cool J type of beat to it. Guillotine was excellent. Beyond this, it has a bit of a movie type of feel to me, which tied it all together. Enjoyed this more than I thought I would.

Hilariously, my first experience with George Clinton and Funkadelic was when they, as Parliament Funkadelic at the time, popped up in PCU (a great underrated movie). Never heard anything from them before that, nor have I listened to them since. This album was totally new to me and while I’m not surprised that I liked it, I’m surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The solo that is the title track is a wild way to start an album - the way it bounces back and forth is killer. I guess this album is known for this solo, though the fact that it goes on for 10 minutes is a bit of overkill. All the same, a cool way to start off the record. The next three songs are, for me, the real high point of this album. Can You Get To That has some awesome vocals, especially the way the harmony works with the low and high voices that come in at different points. I loved Hit It and Quit It. This song just drives all the way through. Awesome. You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks sits in a great groove. Though it felt like a large departure from the prior song, I thought the contrast totally worked. At this point, I was totally sold on this album. Unfortunately, things waned a bit from there for me. Super Stupid is better than the title, but I didn’t connect with this as much as the last 3, even if the guitar work in this was great again. Back In Our Minds is best described as a very bent song. It’s psychedelic in nature and while it wasn’t my favorite, I could appreciate the musicality of it. Meanwhile, Wars of Armageddon bookends this album with another roughly 10 minute track and though I liked it more than the opener, it goes on a bit too long too. Still, a good jam. All tolled, this wasn’t something I would listen to over and over again front to back, but it was still a great listen with a series of songs I really liked. Fact is, I have been missing out all this time.

I know that U2 is beloved, but I have never been a huge fan of them, at least not nearly to the level of a lot of my friends were. I liked a decent amount of their songs (New Years Day, Angel of Harlem, etc.) and have seen them live (Innocence + Experience tour, great show), but I've never owned a lot of their music, nor do I ever find myself saying that I feel like listening to some U2. That said, I've listened to most of this album before. Everyone's heard One and Mysterious Ways, both of which are excellent songs. The Fly was a cool single as well. Some of the other singles - Even Better Than the Real Thing and Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses - I was less enamored with. The rating on this album from me was, as a result, always going to come down to the non-singles and how they hold up. Zoo Station is kind of a sleepy opener in my opinion. It just kind of sits there and never really diverges too much from the same centrally located notes. I did listen to it a few times and it did get better with different listens, but it's yet to register with me as a great song. Until the End of the World is a lot better. Lots more range, lots more heft to this tune. Really good. So Cruel and Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World I liked as well. Neither is truly amazing, but both change things up enough to be interesting. Ultra Violet (Light My Way) had some cool lyrics and I loved the guitar sound in this one. I liked Acrobat for similar reasons. Finally, though this album's closer, Love Is Blindness, starts out pretty slow, the guitar work on this really carries this home. This song is almost haunting in some ways and it builds well. It doesn't quite pay off in the way that I would hope, but it's still an excellent tune. All in all, this is a really, really good album that has a lot of interesting aspects to it. Probably better than The Joshua Tree in total, but it's been many years since I listened to that album. Regardless, this is a worthy listen for anyone.

I have a much more recent Traffic album, but nothing from their earlier catalog, so I was interested to explore this record. The main thing that stood out to me was Steve Winwood's amazing voice. Dave Mason is a decent singer too, and a pretty good writer, but his voice pales in comparison to Winwood's, though most do if we are being honest. Still, having both of them on this album makes for an interesting contrast. Beyond this, throughout this album, I enjoyed the lead guitar work and the keyboards. And then there's that flute! Ok, seriously, you don’t often hear flute on a lot of songs (unless you are a Jethro Tull fan), so that was unique. A few songs which were highlights: I loved the way guitar bounced back and forth in Pearly Queen, great listen with headphones on. Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring almost had a bit of a Motown feel to it, though this really soars because of Winwood's distinctive voice. Feelin' Alright? is a great song. No surprise it is one of their most recongizable, even if it was really made popular via the objectively better Joe Cocker version (speaking of distinctive voices). I thought 40.000 Headman was a great, great song, again carried by Winwood. Medicated Goo gives me an Almann Brothers kind of vibe. Very cool tune. Not everything on this album is great - You Can All Join In is a strange opener - but there's a lot to like. This is an excellent album.

Nu metal is division of rock that I like to a point. I was more interested in the bands which nu metal spawned from - I.e. Faith No More - vs the bands that are really in the genre at its height in the late 90s / early 2000s. Sure, bands like Linkin Park, Deftones, and Evanescence are excellent, very talented artists with really interesting mixes. Staind has some cool music and even Korn was a decent band for me in pockets, I just never listened to any of them on repeat back in the day. And on the less talented, less listened to side comes Limp Bizkit. Where to start? Maybe here: I’m still scratching my head about how Hot Dog ended up with an explicit rating. Were there any bad words in it? There were some ok songs - My Way is well constructed even if it is somewhat basic in the lyrics. But more often than not, they steal from better bands. Beyond this, when you are limited in the musicality, you really need something important to say or sing about, and LB fails massively on this front. In listening to this, three words come to mind: derivative, unoriginal, and uncool. Swearing has never bothered me in songs, I listened to plenty of metal, hard rock, and rap back in the day. But I much prefer when it is used limitedly and, more importantly, for a purpose. These guys just throw it around aimlessly and because they think it makes them seem hard. Instead, it just makes them hard to listen to.

Evidently, Nick Drake is influential to a variety of singer songwriters in the 80s. I suppose if I listen to this through that prism, I can kind of see why this album was included. In absensce of that, someone who has sold a few hundred thousand albums in the UK and was never popular in the US, simply singing and playing guitar, is pretty unremarkable. There's nothing inherently wrong with this album, it's just kind of there. Decent voice, good guitar, but just that. In listening to Nick, I found myself thinking about Jack Johnson, who has somewhat of a similar sound, though I would much prefer to listen to a JJ record. That's not to say there weren't any good songs on this. Things Behind The Sun was an excellent listen. Some of the cadence of the singing in this reminded me a lot of a song I love by Jars of Clay called Truce, so this one I really enjoyed. Others were fine, but not much more. Amazingly, though only 28 minutes long, this sounded very monotonous to me. An average album from an unremarkable artist.

I might not have appreciated this as much a few years ago, but since my son has taken up jazz band, I enjoyed this a lot more than expected. The playing on here is impeccable and in true jazz form, everyone gets to have their time in the sun. This was a great album to listen to with headphones, where you could better hear the nuances of some of the playing. It’s not just about the notes played, it’s the mood that is set, and the way they can go solo or blend together. It all sounds perfect. Love me some stand up bass. The saxes were amazing on this. The underlying drums and the off beat stuff was very interesting. And Miles Davis is a truly great player. So What was my favorite of this excellent album.

Another English artist I had never heard of. It’s interesting to me that Tricky is a rapper, but he paired up with a female singer, Martina Topley-Bird, to release his debut record (and a couple of others). This proved to be a very wise choice, as what resulted was a super intriguing album with a variety of different layers to it. I loved many of these tracks, including the instrumentals and Topley-Bird’s voice over the top on numerous songs. Right from the jump, Overcome is a great starter. It has a seductive, almost sneaky feel and it was an instant add to my library (joining Live and Better Than Ezra as the third “Overcome” in my playlist). The next two were totally different from Overcome and each other. Ponderosa has a basic but pounding rhythmic feel. Black Steel is driving rock based. Both were excellent in their own right. Hell is Round the Corner steals from Glory Box by Portishead (took my daughter to help me place it) and has a great groove to it as a result. Pumpkin felt like something off of a moody 90s alternative record. 5 songs in, all totally different styles, but all really cool songs. Amazing start. After this, the album wanes a touch for me. Aftermath is a bit of a sleepy track and is 3 minutes too long, but it’s the front part of the track that should be cut, as the random distorted guitar and flute (?) was cool. Having the two leads layered on top of each other in Abbaon Fat Tracks was great and it had an excellent groove, I just didn’t like some of the lyrics. Brand New Your Retro was similar for me in that I thought the song was interesting except for some of the lyrics. Suffocated Love was cool, gave me a bit of a PM Dawn type of feel for some reason. You Don’t had a reggae base, yet another style on this album. Good tune as well. The last three, You Don’t, Strugglin’, and Feed Me were all decent but somewhat unremarkable. What makes this record such a fascinating listen is the variety of styles. At times rap, at times sultry R&B (a la Silk), and on occasion one on top of the other. Other times it has electronic and harder rock alternative elements which borders on a Nine Inch Nails type of feel. Still others it is experimental in its sound and construction. On this effort to get through all 1,001 albums, there have been times when I was excited to dive into an artist or album I was familiar with but I hadn’t yet fully explored. In other cases, there were brand new artists which I’d never heard of, but they mostly have been underwhelming. This is the first time that an unfamiliar artist got me excited while I went through the record. It was a very cool experience. Still, some of the songs on here aren’t great, keeping me from making it a 5.

When I thought about what might make this project exciting, it wasn’t about trying to make it through 1,001 albums. It was about hearing music like this that I never would have found on my own. This is an astonishing recording. In fairness, I am a big fan of artists who are piano players. While everyone always thinks of Billy Joel and Elton John, there are plenty of others who are every bit as talented as them, such as Bruce Hornsby or Sara Bareilles (who has undoubtedly the best voice of the group too). But almost regardless of who it is, some of my favorite music comes from acts featuring lots of piano. The point is that I'm predisposed to any great piano playing and I'm bound to favor it more than others. That said, what makes this truly unique from anything I have heard before is not just that it is solely piano playing (no singing, no band), it's that it is nothing but improvisations for over an hour. With that as a backdrop, what results from this is truly jaw dropping. To know that he had something else planned, but completely shifted when the piano he requested did not show up, and then had the confidence to just play whatever came to him in that moment? And to have it come out as incredible and melodic as this does? It really speaks to Jarrett's masterful ability and ear for music. While there were a lot of highlights in this, my favorite part was from about 7:20 to just past 12:00 into the first song. I have to have listened to this part at least 10 times by now. It’s incredible to hear what he effectively created on the spot, just by focusing on the middle of the piano. Really an amazing album.

I find it interesting that I am about 30 albums into this project and this is the second UK rap / R&B / hip hop artist that I’ve received to listen to. That’s more than what I’ve received for similar US artists! That’s not inherently a bad thing, it’s just that when you consider what the US has to offer from Sugarhill Gang to Public Enemy to Eminem, East Coast to West Coast rappers, Motown to New Jack Swing R&B singers/bands, etc. there so many more influential US artists I would have been expecting to hear more of. The UK just doesn’t have much to offer from that scene to warrant a ton of inclusion in a list of albums anyone has to hear. That said, MIA’s admittance in this list is fair. Her infusion of rap, hip hop, Asian and African influences, and electronic music is interesting . . . to a point. Unfortunately, this album has a too many songs like The Turn and World Town which drag on aimlessly. Xr2’s name dropping was nostaligic but equally somewhat pointless. What’s interesting is that if you really think about her biggest hit on this record, Paper Planes, it’s reasonably different than what is on much of the rest of this album. She’s better when there’s more singing and melodic elements. Jimmy is somewhat in that vain as well, and it was one of the other songs I liked on this. Unfortunately, these were few and far between. Not that there weren’t other interesting elements at different points on this (eg Bamboo Banga), it just wasn’t strong enough throughout for my liking. All the same, credit given for all the different layers and elements she brings into this album. It’s not bad, it’s just not consistently great.

This was just an average album for me. I enjoy older rock, but there was too little here that I really loved. White Light / White Heat was a decent starter. Cool little jam song. The Gift being spoken the entire time proved to be a waste of almost 10 minutes. Lady Godiva’s Operation was one of the highlights for me and was well worth the listen. Here She Comes Now had a chance to be good, but managed to be pretty repetitive despite being only 2 minutes long. I Heard Her Call My Name reminded me of a Beatles song. Good tune. Sister Ray started off strong but just went on for way too long. So for every hit, there was a miss. I did like that this had a punk feel to it though. That’s enough to make this a 3.

This album did not get off to a good start. Admittedly, I’m not a country fan, but it wasn’t that. It’s that the opening 3 songs were all pretty sleepy and a bit slow for my taste. Low Down Freedom is when this album picked up from my perspective. The phrasing and cadence gave me a Gordon Lightfoot type of feel, even if it was a true country song. Omaha followed with some good harmonies in another well constructed song. Then came You Ask Me To, which might have been when this album peaked. Builds really well with tons of interesting guitar work. And Jennings voice really stands out on this one. An excellent song. The rest of this album is uneven. Ride Me Down Easy wore me down quickly. A boring song that’s just sort of there. Ain’t No God In Mexico picked back up and had a lot more energy to it. Same went for Back Rose, which had some cool guitar and harmonica work. The closer, We Had It All was better than some of the other slow songs on here, but still just wasn’t that great for me. Solid album, just nothing that exciting.

Fleetwood Mac is one of those bands where I haven’t owned much of their music, but when they are on the radio, I generally don’t turn away. So when this album popped up, I was genuinely excited, as I’d only heard a couple of these tracks before. This proved to be an excellent album with tons to like. I already knew Sara was an excellent song, but for the first time I really paid attention to the drums, and I just loved what Mick Fleetwood did throughout this track. Their voices blend amazingly well on many of these songs, but the harmonies on Beautiful Child and Think About Me really stood out. Other songs like the title track or What Makes You Think You’re the One were straight angry, making them interesting to hear for other reasons. Sisters of the Moon was one of the highlight for me in the tracks I hadn’t heard before. For some reason, this reminded me of Isn’t It Midnight, which might be my favorite Fleetwood song, but that could just be because it’s not one of those songs you hear on the radio from them. Even a tune like Storms, which I didn’t love, is inherently interesting because of the dichotomy between what Stevie Nicks is singing about and how amazing her voice sounds while singing it. The point is not everything on this is perfect by any means, but even when it isn’t, it’s always an interesting listen and well worth your time. A great selection.

Queen has always been an acquired taste for me. They undoubtedly have a lot of great music and are an incredibly talented/gifted band, but they’ve never been one of my favorites. What’s super interesting Queen II is that it is very much a metamorphosis album. You can hear all of these pieces which are representative of what the band will become, but they are not fully there yet, leading to a fascinating mix of straightforward rock and theatrics. For me, it’s the former that actually is a lot more appealing. All of this album was new to me, and I have to admit that it was a very good listen. Their songs are really intricate which I do appreciate. And some of the things which happen on this recording (shifting where the sound is coming from, changing of keys or even styles) are really cool. A microcosm for this album is definitely March of the Black Queen. It has all of these amazing parts, but it also has some bombast too it, much like the rest of the record. Other songs on this record were better than some of the more standard Queen fare. For example, White Queen was interesting because, frankly, parts of it didn’t sound like Queen at all. It was very much a song that fits in the middle of prog rock, which I generally love, and it was nice to hear them not be so bombastic. Some Day One Day, Funny How Love Is, and The Loser In the End were similarly non-traditional Queen - I.e. more straight forward rock songs. It was great to hear the band in this fashion, as it was much more about the musicianship as opposed to the show. Seven Seas of Rhye was a fun listen: at times Billy Joel-esque, at times straight guitar rock, still other times vocal mastery. I enjoyed this one a lot and a definite highlight. A quick additional note, it was amazing to hear how quickly the songs changed, both within songs and when moving to the next one. You almost never knew when you were on the next track, unless you heard the theme of the song change or actually looked at what was playing. In total, I enjoyed this way more than anticipated because while this was distinctly Queen at points, at others you wouldn’t know it was them at all. Meanwhile, the fact that you can start to hear what the band is going to become … it’s like listening to the teenage years of Queen as they move from boy to man. And to be honest, when it’s just about the songs and not about being over the top, as incredible as those theatrics can be, I personally like them much better. That all said, there’s no doubting the true talent and musicianship of this band, which is displayed throughout this album. For that, they earn a 4.

I know who Issac Hayes is, but I really haven’t listened to him that much. And he’s not really on the stations I listen to other than very sporadically. Well, at least the radio stations. I did know that he has a very cool voice though (trying not to state the obvious). This album was excellent. I loved Walk On By, just such a great groove, which is a consistent theme throughout this record. His baritone voice (perfect for voice acting, but we’re not talking about that) really soars on One Woman, which is another great tune. Loved the balance between his voice and the backup singers. Hyper… was another cool song, for totally different reasons. This is just down in it. Everything fits together so well (like a perfect recipe… no, don’t go there). The remake of By The Time I Get To Phoenix was my least favorite on this record. I don’t mind narration in songs, but this just went on too long and there wasn’t nearly enough to get me interested. In total, an excellent album that just didn’t finish off great. But, he gets a bonus half star because he’s Chef!!!! Damnit! I tried. The fingers were willing, but the mind was weak.

The Band. You could read that one of two ways. It could mean “that’s THE band”, as in a group who is truly great. Or it could be more like “who’s playing? I don’t know, the band”, as in “I have no clue who that is.” While I know who The Band is, this album is decisively in the latter camp for me. There is nothing that is interesting about this album. Even the hit, Up on Cripple Creek probably should have an “a” where the “i” is, because it’s an average song at best. There’s just so little here to really be that excited about. I guess at points like on The Unfaithful Servant, I could hear something that pre-dated early Counting Crows, but even that had me thinking, I could go for listening to August and Everything After right now rather than this. Evidently this is a concept album, though I would much rather listen to Pink Floyd’s The Wall or Queensryche’s Operation Mindcrime album. Just a below average album from a below average band that is unremarkable on both fronts.

Steely Dan is just an offbeat band. Their songs are generally pretty strange when compared to contemporaries. Sure there are songs that I love like Do It Again or Reeling In The Years, but a lot of their stuff is simultaneously interesting yet different enough to keep me intrigued, but not a big fan. This album proved to be no different. Really gifted musicians producing music that seems like it is slightly bent. There were some high points, no doubt. The Boston Rag had some very cool elements, including the way the guitar and piano worked together, the fact that this borderline turned into a march, etc. The closer, King of the World, also has some great guitar work, though the keyboard in the middle is aimless and sounds like something you would hear at Tomorrowland in Disney World. Surprisingly elementary given the what Steely Dan is known for. I really dug My Old School, especially the horn section. Surprised that this song was released as a single and barely charted. This is an excellent tune and happy to have found this one. Yet, the problem with this album is that this song is followed with a song like Pearl of the Quarter (both on the album and as the B side on the single release) which was just a sleepy tune and has little to offer. The guitar work was ok, but this was an instantly forgettable song, much like too many of the others on this record. And that inherently the problem with this collection. It might be technically sound, but few of the songs really grab your attention. I think this is part of the problem with this band and how they are viewed in many circles. They have a clear sound that is often an audiophile’s dream (e.g. the A’ja album), but what gets lost is that the songs aren’t inherently great on a consistent enough of a basis for them to be viewed as highly as they are. In short, they are inflated by people who want to believe they are cool, when all they are is just eccentric. This album is another example of that: an ok album with too many misses to be rated as highly as it is.

This is a direct quote from Apple Music: Though it was a bigger hit in the U.K. than the United States, 1995’s Scream, Dracula, Scream! remains a pivotal work of '90s rock 'n' roll. With the exception of Nirvana’s In Utero, no other album succeeded more in translating the sounds of late-'80s American indie rock to a modern radio rock setting in the '90s. In “Born in ’69,” “Young Livers,” and “Burnt Alive,” RFTC kept the spirit of Squirrel Bait and Dag Nasty for a generation that missed those bands. And despite John Reis’ cheekiness, “Used” and “Come See, Come Saw” are as rousing and inclusive as any songs by Springsteen. Let me translate: this album which didn’t chart at all in the US is evidently as important as an album from perhaps the most important artist of the 90s, brought to you by a band that neither you or me have ever heard of, keeping alive the tradition of another couple of bands that neither of us have ever heard of, fronted by a guy creating songs that are supposedly as great as those created by arguably the most important US rock singer of the last 40 years. Got it. With that as backdrop, I think I can sum this up more quickly. It was neither great, nor influential. In fact, it was repetitive and not good. And I, or really anyone, didn’t need to hear it. What a waste of a slot on a greatest of list. There is nothing about this album which provides any inkling of a reason as to why we had to hear it.

At first, it thought this album was ok. But the more I listened to it, the more it was the same thing over and over again. Worse yet, the singer lacks any type of range or strength to his voice. His falsetto is inferior. And their choruses are totally repetitive and uninspired (eg American Guitars and Starstruck). I’ll say it again, like I did on my last review for Rocket From The Crypt, there is no discernible reason why this album is on here. This band never did anything in the US, never had a top 20 UK album, top 40 single anywhere, nor did they influence anyone or anything. I don’t understand why this is included, and while it might be good enough to give a 2 (it’s better than RFTC), it gets a 1 because it does not belong anywhere near a list of top albums you need to hear. Go find the early albums from Live, Tonic, Toad The Wet Sprocket, or Vertical Horizon instead.

I could see some people not liking this, but I thought this was a fun selection. Curtis Mayfield has a cool voice and this album is best when the funk is present. Billy Jack was a great opener, loved the groove throughout this track. I was less of a fan of When Seasons Change, just a sleepy song that didn’t do much for me. You could make the same argument about So In Love - that it was a bit sleepy - but I liked this one so much better. It was just a much fuller song, sung with more emotion. An excellent track. Next up was Jesus, decent song with interesting lyrics, but again there wasn’t much to this song. So I liked others better. Blue Monday People was another ok track, but not great. Hard Times was much better, again because of the funk within. Love To The People was a good closer, elevated by the guitar and horn work in the song. Definitely not a complete album, but it had a series of highlights and was a good listen.

An old time Western on a record! I had limited time to listen to this but it was worth a spin. Big Iron, El Paso, and Cool Water were my favorites. A tip of the hat to Marty for being a surprisingly good singer too.

Another album which isn’t inherently bad, but shouldn’t be anywhere near this list because it is neither great nor influential, but is included solely because they are from the UK. If you listen to this album, it sounds like something straight from the late 60s with some later punk elements. Unfortunately, it’s the late 70s by the time they released it. Yes, an album that came a decade too late and the results, or lack thereof, shows. Sure, there are some highlights, such as the guitar work in the middle of Another Girl Another Planet, the construction of City of Fun (very interesting throughout). Sadly, the singer’s voice is very below average, like one of those 80s new wave bands, but without the interesting moments. And the lyrics are substandard too, eg the beginning of The Beast, which ruins what could have been an excellent song. It just isn’t, because everything about the signing is bad. When this happens, I openly wonder if this band knew that they were being held back by their front man? Then it occurs to me obviously not, as otherwise some of us might have heard of these guys before.

I had an old basketball coach who said he was front row at a Sly and the Family Stone concert and he had a terrible time because he had to hold the stage up so it wouldn’t collapse the entire time. That has nothing to do with this review and that’s 15 seconds you are never getting back. Though I will say, as I listen to this record, I would imagine S&TFS put on a great show, presuming you weren’t stuck holding up a stage the whole time. As for this album, I liked it. Stand is a high energy opener, good tune. The second song? Uhhh yeah, not touching that with a 39.5 foot pole. As this album progressed, I really liked a lot of the sonic elements, with different instruments or singers in different spots, and the overall sound of certain songs bouncing around from ear to ear. Everyday People is a genuinely great song. Short but powerful. Of course, that’s followed by the longest song on the album, Sex Machine, which was an ok jam but it just goes on too long. This is one of the lowlights, though those were few on the record. All in all, a good record and worth the time.