The soundtrack for so much of my late teens and early twenties - listened to this album almost every day while vacuuming the dining room of the camp where I worked. Iconic for me, and led me to a bunch of great music tracing back their influences.
Surprised by how much I loved this album. Never been a giant Cohen fan, always appreciated his lyrics, but it often seemed like his musical arrangements only highlighted the limits of his vocal range. Here, I felt like the musical elements created a perfect space for Cohen’s ruminations. Maybe it’s just because it’s my birthday and I’m feeling one day closer to death…
4 for the album overall, but 5 for their original songs - especially “Strychnine” - going to have to check out more
Always too much bloat in almost all of The Smashing Pumpkins catalog (I’d exempt Gish from that). Corgan’s voice is what it is - it works for me sometimes.
The bombast of this album still works for me. The band’s tight - the bass lines are always moving like a storm at the edge of breaking. I feel like the band isn’t taking itself too seriously on this one, and that definitely helps to swallow the excesses.
Two stars for the band - the instrumental end track convinced me this could have been a better band with a different lead
A classic, and for good reason
If you had to put an album by this p.o.s. on this list, at least make it Mechanical Animals - far less of a slog
Might be nostalgia goggles talking, but this still hits for me
Two stars because of Soda Pop
Probably my favorite of the pre-Rubber Soul Beatles catalog
I first heard this album in 1987 during a transformational Summer for me. This album was one of the first inklings that there was a much larger world of music than I had been exposed to in the small Massachusetts town that I had done most of my growing up in. “Big Mouth Strikes Again” is one of my all time favorite songs. Classic album.
Wanted more fun from this album, but it’s just okay.
Certain bands become part of your DNA if you grow up with hearing them all the time, and Led Zeppelin is one of those bands for me. I don’t remember the first time I heard them or what song it was. I underrated this album when I was younger because it didn’t have as much of the interplay between folk, blues, and rock that came later, and that immediately drew me in. This album was more of a slow burn for me as I came to appreciate more of the roots of the music that they were exploring. The rhythm section of this band is one of the best in rock history - the Johns thunder, howl, and thump like a prowling beast
Wayyyyy too long for the level of craft here.
Liked this much more the second time through - I could see it growing on me. The sonic textures build into each other, rising and falling slowly - chant-like and meditative - boringly interesting
“Highway Star” is prime 70’s rock in my book - enjoyed listening to this again - had been a while
Had never listened to a complete Alice Cooper album until today, and I feel like I’ve been missing out - the variety of styles, the absolute embrace of camp, just so good
I first heard this album when I was 12. It is so tied up in memories of my first 6th grade dance where not only did Michelle Zabka go, but she danced with me, and then I slept over my friend Cory’s house and we listened to “Foolin” about a million times. So, to make a long story short, can’t be terribly objective, here. But “Photograph” still rocks solid
Love this album, though the two EPs that were released before this album, still rise above this for me. Fugazi’s incredible rhythms and lyrics always move me. I never feel yelled at by them, more invited to stand next to them and add my shout.
Definitely one of my favorite albums of all time.
I always felt like this album allowed you to experience a band finding themselves in real time - each track an exploration of who they are and what they have to share. Endlessly creative. A classic, even if not as focused as what would come after this.
Love this album! I’m a huge fan of odd time signatures, and an even bigger fan of Paul Desmond’s sax playing - his tone and the way he adds these little triplet runs all over the place with ease - just perfect. The changing rhythms make it so arrangements don’t fall victim to the riff/bunch of solos/end with riff format that can make listening to a whole jazz album a bit maddening for me.
Fun fact - I absolutely hated Steely Dan until I reached my thirties - don’t know what can be drawn from that musical and physiological parallel, but figured I’d put it out there
Classic songs by a classic singer - a few with a sweet band behind him
Such a great variety of musical styles and lyrics. Not a weak track on the whole album for me.
I realized as I was listening to this album that I don’t think I have ever listened to it as an album. I know that is sacrilege, and in my listening group, even more so. Not a bad track, and listening in order was an even better experience.
I liked this a lot more than I expected to. It kept my interest much more than most ambient electronic music. It still is background music to me, but more variety in the sonic textures made all the difference for me.
One of my favorite albums. I’ve enjoyed albums from every stage in Rush’s career - incredible musicians and always thoughtful lyrics. Red Barchetta is one of my favorite songs (and lyrical short stories)
Had only heard individual songs from Marianne Faithfull, but I liked this. The Ballad of Lucy Jordan was a highlight for me, as was her cover of Working Class Hero.
I mistakenly bought This is Hardcore from Columbia record club because I thought Common People was on that album. That song is worth a listen, but Jarvis Cocker is uncomfortably horny or just okay for the rest of the album. 3 for Common People, 2 for the album.
Saw Anthrax open for Iron Maiden in the early 90’s - they are even better, live. That being said, I haven’t really listened to much of their catalog. I enjoyed this - really liked One World in particular.
A bit heavy handed at points, but overall, a thoughtful and pointed look at the social and political landscape of America, both in the recent past, and ongoing. Loved the production on this album - just so dense with layers upon layers feeding in and out each other. I was left pensive, in a good way. Still wondering how someone who saw the mindless and virulent nature of television would have reacted to a future peak at the internet…
Overly long, but not bloated, much like Kashmir. Don’t feel like I can adequately critique Led Zeppelin’s work - it feels like picking out your favorite child - there’s just this inherent love that gets in the way of my objectivity. Just love what they did. But 4 stars for stealing so much time out of my day lol
Liked this - surprised how much it reminded me of Donovan. Got a bit samey for me in parts, but a solid album all around.
I liked this more than I expected. That is not saying much since I hate most top 40ish pop. This at least had some maturity lyrically.
Surprised by the repetition in this - how many times do you have to say that you say whatever you want to say and don’t care who cares? Eminem’s diction is impeccable, which is a shame because you’re not able to miss a single word. And what is the purpose of sharing a personal cathartic fantasy like “Kim”? Who the hell listens to that more than once?! Ugghhh
This was so hard to get through. A good enough band in small doses, but this album drags.
A classic and great song interpreter. Particularly liked “No Easy Way Down”, which I had not heard before listening to this album.
Problematic lyrics aside, this album is even better than I remember - Slash’s amazing guitar work is immediately to the forefront, but Duff McKagan’s thumping and grooving bass lines are something I missed as a teen. Classic album that injected some much needed raw energy into rock at a time where most of it was being produced to death.
Blues is not usually my go to for listening. I acknowledge the influence and legacy of Muddy Waters, but much prefer listening to Mississippi John Hurt or Son House. That being said, still a solid blues set from a master.
Had heard of Bert Jansch, but never had actually listened to any of his work. Didn’t gel with me with a first listen, but sunk in on the next time around. Beautiful finger picking phrases and lyrics.
Nice aural textures, but even in headphones, still couldn’t engage me.
What benji2 said - verbatim what I was going to write, so won’t be redundant
Listened to this album for the first time at a listening station at Border’s Books & Music, and immediately was completely sucked in by the collage of sounds and lyrics. It felt new and exciting. I’ve listened to the album hundreds of times since then, and though it has lost that luster of newness, still a great album overall.
I don’t feel like I have the history or perspective enough to adequately review this album. I’m glad I listened.
A brilliant songwriter at the top of his craft. One of my all time favorite albums. “Mercy Street” alone is worth 5 stars
I’ll have to return to this one when I can look past the posturing - loved the production and flow, but can’t abide inflated male ego at the moment - can’t imagine why
Stevie Wonder’s voice is phenomenal - whether the sweet smooth ballad, or the growling funk - and this album showcases his range and creativity throughout. Songs in the Key of Life is still my favorite by him, but this album still stands proud next to it.
I can see the bands that were influenced by this album, but I enjoy all of their albums much better than this. The tracks where the bass was forward in the mix, I enjoyed a bit better, but overall it didn’t move me.
The sonic collage of this album was a fun ride - made me realize how much I miss good sampling. They were able to capture the sense of hanging out with a group of friends swapping stories and observations of life. Not a small feat. Also appreciated the overall sense of claiming who you are without pretense or posing.
Not sure that I would call this album an essential listen - there are much better albums in the same vein - anything by Joan Jett, for example. Celebrity Skin is a great track, but just a decent album.
Needed an edit to make it really hit for me, but still a solid Bowie album.
There was some good elements in this, but the repetition of electronic music always makes me check out.
Loungy and unrushed - smooth jazz but not saccharine - vocals are fantastic
Damn, what a debut! Great mix of styles and grooves. Loved the rawness of “Precious” as an opener and shifting gears until finally ending with the poppier groove of “Mystery Achievement”.
Just can’t get over how tight the band is on this album - the crazy runs both saxes and brass do in such perfect matching tones and lightening speeds. Always in awe
I’ve always felt like I should hate Stuart Murdoch’s voice but iI don’t. I love his lyrical and musical sense. It always takes me at least 4-5 listens for any given Belle and Sebastian song to really sink in, but then they stick with me. This album less than others, but still a solid debut.
Everything about this album is okay
Nothing remarkable here - a good down and dirty blues based rock band, but not quite sure it rises to the level of a listen to before you die album.
Simply one of the best rock albums of all time - has never gotten old for me - lyrically, musically, emotionally
Often sonically interesting, but so lyrically abysmal at points that I could barely make it through one listen, not two, like I normally do for albums I’ve never heard.
A great set from a fantastic writer and performer.
Sometimes virtuosity detaches me from the enjoyment of music. I find it more in jazz, but also here - where I find myself thinking “wow, look at what they are doing here with that instrument”, and have the realization that I have become detached from the music as an emotional experience and I’m experiencing it as a clinical one. This album still rocks, but I just never seem to find the extended jams move me the same way as a succinct tune.
This album could have been a masterpiece with better editing - got a bit too sonically repetitive as it wore on. That being said, it’s still a damn good album - his vocals are so smooth and the harmonies layered in perfect little petite fours of sound. A lot of Todd Rungren both in harmony and instrumentation. Loved this
Nope in 97, nope in 25 - though the last 2 tracks brought it up to 1.5
Soulful and smooth - definitely a slow groove of an album, but still a classic for good reason
Love the live energy of this album, and just the energy, in general - it feels like the whole group is just feeding and building off each other with every track - love it
If you need to listen to only one White Stripes album, this is what I would recommend every time - a feast of ideas served up loose - driving, loping, and grooving. Not perfect, but perfectly creative
It’s hard to rate an album that contains such an iconic song. It’s hard to imagine a world without “Imagine”, but you can do it if you try. But like so many one hit wonder bands, we ignore the wider scope of their music for one smash. I like the varied tone of Lennon’s solo work, at times playful, scathing, and hopeful.
I like the Chili Peppers in small doses, and sometimes not at all. But I do admit that every once in a while “Give it Away” strikes some chord in my lizard brain that makes me a slave to the beat for a radio blaring moment.
Another nope for me - just not my genre in any way, shape, or form. Okay background music, but their are much better backgrounds
Hadn’t heard of this band before listening to this. I like the way they blend all the elements of bluesfolkpsych rock - “Simon Diamond” sounded like what the Partidge Family might have sounded like if Peter Wolf stood in for David Cassidy… but I digress. Solid and fun and creative throughout - I’ll be checking out more
Have always liked, but not loved Sigur Rós. I appreciate so much of what they do on this album, but it fails to move me. The best way I can describe the experience is the difference between looking at a beautifully painted landscape, and being surrounded and a part of the landscape. There’s a distance in their music at times that holds me at arm’s length.
Had never heard John Martyn before this. Another artist I am so glad to be introduced to through this project. The mix of folk, jazz, blues and fusions in combination made for a great album. Heard some foreshadowing of Hozier in “I’d Rather be the Devil”. I’ll be listening to more.
Surprised by how much better this was than the Marshall Mathers LP. Much more varied - still hampered by trying too hard to be the most shocking and/or obnoxious man in the room, but some moments that almost seemed genuine. When Eminem takes a moment to speak to growing up poor and lost, he almost gets to someplace real, but usually quickly diverts our, and maybe more aptly, his, attention from touching any of that emotional rawness.
Thank you Levi’s jeans for using “Pink Moon” in an ad. No Shazam in those days, so I had to search out exactly who that was singing the most achingly beautiful melancholy. Easily one of my top albums of all time - guitar work, lyrics, vocals that highlight the best of both - night driving is so much better with this album on. Sad he never got to know how influential and loved his music would become.
Hear the roots of so many of my favorite artists in the work of Syd Barrett. Most notably Robyn Hitchcock, but also Neutral Milk Hotel, and all those willing to wave their freak flag with an earnest voice. Not always beautiful, but compelling and often playful.
So this is why there was so much buzz about PJ Harvey! The first album I heard by her was To Give You My Love, and aside from “Down By the Water”, it failed to move me, so I didn’t explore any further. But this album just kicks - I see direct lineage to Lady Lamb, with the raw rock and groove elements just driving the sound forward. Now I get it
This album was such a delight after waiting soooooo long for it. It could have easily been a disaster, but it felt more like a rebirth. An orchestral pop rumination on the ridiculousness of humanity in general, and the ways we have failed our world and each other. Actually, now that I think of it, that is pretty much XTC in a nutshell; but here, it is couched in a sonic garden of earthly delights. And the Bosch reference is apt - there is a ton going on in this album. It risks being too much more than once, but it all comes worked for me. One of my favorites
I don’t even know how to rate this album. It came out a few months after starting a new life with my wife of over 30 years, and it was a near constant soundtrack to those early years. I’ve tried to write more about twenty times now. If I was forced to choose 10 albums to take to a desert island this would be among them.
I had always enjoyed singles from Garbage, but had never listened to a full album. I was hoping to hear some more dimensions of their songwriting and musicianship, but it was just okay. All the parts are there - Shirley Manson’s lead vocals in particular - but it failed to coalesce into anything more than good parts for me.
Never have liked his solo work nearly as much, and this no different
One of my favorite of Bowie’s catalog - creative and playful in all the best ways. “Life on Mars?” Is one of the all time best rock tracks in my opinion, and “Bewlay Brothers” may be one of the most underrated. The whole album blends the rock and folk aspects of his songwriting with orchestral flair in places where it fits, and sparser arrangements where it helps to create a more intimate sound. Such an amazing chronicle of an artist seeming to find exactly who they are and what they have to bring to the world.
Much of this has not aged well - “Ogre Battle” in particular, but the parts that still hit are classic. “Father to Son” and “Seven Seas of Rhye” still rank high in their catalog for me. But I miss the playfulness of much of their later work.
I had only really heard “Fight the Power” and “Bring Tha Noize” from Public Enemy. I had always loved both tracks and hearing this full album has only solidified my appreciation of the band. Chuck D’s voice has such a resonant undertone - it immediately demands your attention and directs the flow of energy like a preacher - making his case and calling to action. Sadly, the issues demanding attention in 1991 are still the same in 2025. In many ways, it is even more important in this moment to take the blinders off and face what we have created and are creating as a country. Fantastic album
ELP has never been one of my favorites of the prog rock genre. Their excesses often outweighed their truly great works, and I found myself feeling like I was simply listening to someone’s organ-laden sonic masturbation (no pun intended). This album does not do much to change that for me. I think they are hugely talented musicians, and I see why they deserve a place in this collection, but I would have chosen Brain Salad Surgery to stand as the most consistent album from their catalog. On a different day I would probably rate this differently - I definitely move in and out of love with prog rock in general, so maybe this is just a rough patch in our relationship
Forgot what a great album this is - the way the tracks flow from one to the other as if it were a single symphonic opus - particularly Broken into Head Over Heels with the Broken reprise. 41 minutes of pop brilliance with no filler - what more could you ask for?
I try to listen through new-to-me albums at least twice. Not this one. I had to push through to get through disc 2. The band is great - if this was completely instrumental, it might have been an easier ride, but if I had to hear space ghost recite one more Spinal Tap worthy poem, I might have started to cramp. There will be blood from orifices indeed - ugghhhh
Liked this more than I expected. Sonically, it is consistently creative and engaging - interesting samples and loops that enhanced the central framework of the songs. Production all around was stellar. Lyrically, I would have given up early on if I was strictly listening outside of this project. Just so tired of macho bravado taking the place of any other male expression. There are other themes here, but they get overshadowed.
Truly one of the best live bands of all time - and when John Entwistle’s bass comes forward and starts driving with Keith Moon shotgun, there is nothing I like better.
Harmonies are wonderful, but the album started to feel a bit samey. Good album, overall, but the standouts are the songs you already know.
Really liked this. Not a band I had ever heard before. Although I could hear what bands had influenced them, they did not merely mimic, but took those influences and wove them into a tapestry all their own. Also appreciated the Star Wars sound effect to start the album, given the title. I’ll be looking for more if they have more out there.
I thought I liked the Chiles, but it turns out I had just never listened to a whole album. They need a producer who can be a serious editor. Every album I hear from them is bloated with too much filler. A tighter album would serve them much better, because there are great tracks here. Like the little girl with the curl right in the middle of her forehead - when it’s good it’s very good, but when it’s bad, it’s horrid.
U2 and I are like old flames - I’ll go years without listening to them much at all, and then, out of the blue, we meet up and end up spending a month together revisiting all our favorite haunts and memories. Then we part ways until the next time. I don’t really get why my relationship with them has always been so sporadic. Especially when an album like this can play three times through while I was listening and working, and I was happy to hear it again. “The Fly” is some of the best guitar and vocal interplay they’ve ever done. And I think that is the defining factor to this era of U2. Their early albums are fantastic, and have this forward and driving motion to them - anthemic with all the parts following a shared path on the journey. I’m oversimplifying, but pointing out the major impression. The era that Achtung Baby is a part of finds the strands of music weaving in and out of each other - meandering and dancing toward the last few bars. That is a long way to say I love this album.
EDM is just not my genre. It was pleasant enough, and more sonically interesting than many others. Liked how the preacher pronounced Cyndy Lauper as Looper
One of my favorite albums of all time - varied, creative, rich and melodic in a million different ways. Pivotal as the impetus for so much of what pop and rock music would explore after this album. One of the best when I was 5 - still one of the best when I’m almost 55 - enough said.
I appreciate Sinatra’s voice, but have always felt that no matter what song he is singing, it becomes a Sinatra song. He has a particular inflection and cadence that is unmistakable, but for me, I want a singer that truly interprets the lyrics for me, so that their voice becomes a medium to bring out the depth, joy, pain, or playfulness of a songwriter’s craft. I always hear and feel Sinatra being Sinatra, which is pleasant, but not compelling. I think the reason My Way and New York New York are two of his biggest hits is that you can hear that he is feeling those from somewhere deeper than simply performing. Great voice - good listen - but when I listen to anything from the American Songbook, I want Ella Fitzgerald to be singing, just can’t help it
Another of my desert island albums - a near perfect album with the mis-tied knot of “Mother” to keep it from making the gods jealous. “Synchronicity ll” is the perfect driving song - hitting the gas as that first sweeping riff kicks in makes it feel like takeoff. Every track delivers something different and interesting, and everyone brings their best game to this one. Easy 5 stars for me
This was a raucous good time - not much else to say
Lots of filler here for me. Great musicianship throughout, but trying to stand next to an absolute masterpiece like “One” makes a lot of these tracks seem like maybe they are at the wrong party. A seminal metal album that deserves its place on this list, but not as solid as I remembered.
Lovely voices, but blew by without much grabbing me. I remember liking this album much more when it came out - that probably says more about me than the album…
Liked this better than Loveless, but that is not saying much. Individually, the songs are sonically interesting, but as an album it starts to blend, and no single thread or progression makes it pull together. Just not my cuppa, I guess
This one surprised me. I expected just another overly bloated slickly produced, but ultimately empty listen; but, I found a lot here to like. The album is still too long - with editing, I think this could have been a more cohesive and meaningful listen, but it still manages to mostly stick to the central themes of selfhood, and how that can be empowered or scarred by life and love. I must admit, I rolled my eyes when this was the album of the day, but I walked away from my listen a bit called out for my snobbery. Still a bit too slick for my taste in parts, but it didn’t diminish the parts I did like.
This album highlights what I love best about Neil Young - his ability to excel at crooning like a lonesome cowboy at one moment and then turning around and knocking you back with an absolutely blaring, fuzzy, electric chord the next. Solid from beginning to end - I would have liked a bit more mixing of acoustic and electric, but as an intentional two sides of a band, I get it. Truly one of the greats from one of the greats.
Some good use of varied instrumentation and song structure made this much more interesting than I expected. This is not what I expect from
an “electronic” band. The genre moniker doesn’t seem to fit here, but that’s often the case with more unique bands. A lot to like here, not much I loved, but consistently interesting.
Having multiple albums by the same artist or band when there is little or no drastic change in style or content confuses me. It makes me want to seek out the actual book to read the preface of what criteria went into the picks. Meat is Murder is a good album, but as an introduction to The Smiths, it’s The Queen is Dead every time for me. For me, if I am choosing albums for someone to listen to before they die, it is the album that best defines a particular band/artist. This is not much about Meat is Murder, but I just found myself ruminating on that as I listened.
This was definitely the most work I had to do to listen to the album of the day. Only one track was available on Spotify, so had to go searching. Luckily, someone had posted the whole album on YouTube. They posted it out of album sequence, but at least I got to hear all the tracks. A great garage band album - really the embodiment of transition between rock and roll and punk. Especially liked the bass-forward tracks. Would have liked to have listened as intended, I’ll have to try to find a copy.
The maturity of delivery and vocal quality of Adele at the age of 21 will always amaze me. Remarkably talented. The album is solid from beginning to end, but seems to really just stay in the same wheelhouse. Nothing wrong with knowing what you do best, but, for me, I like to hear artists explore a bit further. Musical quality great, musical variety not so much. Rounded up 3.5 stars for how hard “Rumour Has It” kicks.
Another artist I may never have heard of not for this, and what a damn shame. What an incredible voice - the control and dynamics - remarkable and beautiful. “Suliram” in particular was so simply perfect in headphones. I’ll be searching out more. Could have done without “One More Dance”, especially at the end of the album, didn’t really share the humor and Coleman’s laugh annoyed me.
Another desert island disc for me - fantastic songwriting, varied styles and moods. Near perfection for me.
Such a tight and fantastic classic rock album - so much happening with all the parts weaving in and out of each other like a paisley automaton. “Strange Brew” is one of my all time favorite rock songs, and follow it up with “Sunshine of Your Love”, and it doesn’t get much better than that.
Another album that I would have left out to make space for something else. I love Traffic, and this is a great album, but John Barleycorn Must Die or The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys are a better representation. If a band’s sound only changes in tiny increments, one album is all you need to experience what they have to share. No complaint about the album at all - tight and loose at turns - you can feel the palpable joy of making good music together.
I want to love Arcade Fire - all the elements are there, but it only gels for me in fits and spurts. I’m in “like” with them. I can be aware that this is a great album, but it fails to move beyond that sense of appreciation to something more. 3.5 stars rounded down for friend zoning me
Some great songs here - “Express Yourself” in particular has always been a favorite. I found myself too distracted by several factors to really feel like I’mable to evaluate this album fairly. First off, can’t listen to “Like a Prayer” without hearing the music video pitch from Kevin Gilbert’s “Shaming of the True”. But most of all, every time the little moments where Prince shows up, which are pretty pervasive, I suddenly wished I was listening to a Prince album instead. Madonna deserves her place in pop’s history.
Hadn’t heard Ride before. My first time through was meh. Second listen I started to pick up touches and moments that I had missed and paid attention a bit closer. By the third listen I was feeing it. I still think the lead singer can often sound like he might be the front of a high school battle of the bands entry. But the band, and the overall vibe of the album won me over. Looking forward to exploring more.
Consistently sonically and lyrically interesting. Always love the way they crunch their chord structures so tightly - the guitars weaving and crashing into each other as Stephen Malkmus’ vocals dance in between the threads. Still sounds fresh to me, but that’s probably because I’m over 50
