Amazing I haven’t listened to this through with any concentration, ever. Blur-ey.

Smithsy. Very sameish. Thin production. Cult stole the bass for SDC and Dreamtime. Nothing to come back for. The cow sounds are annoying and so heavy handed.

So Beatley in parts. Did George provide the foundation for some of the Beatles' most swelling beds and choruses or did he learn this from being a Beatle? Overall, as I thought it would be. Some decent tunes but way to many that are uninteresting. A big old vomit of songs written over the years. I didn't find the magic. But better for trying.

How have I never heard of this. Funky AF for the first three then drops down to traditional Motown. Good anyhow.

This is where U2 got really interesting again. I bought it one of the first weeks I lived in Spain and it scared me. I thought they had sold out when really, I had no idea what that meant. I sold the record to a friend the next day. But I kept hearing "The Fly" though shop windows and it always entranced me. When I got to college, it was everywhere. I told people I was a fan of their "old stuff". Then, a couple of albums later, I bought Pop and went back and made up for lost time with this and Zooropa. I felt like a fool and, it was good to learn that I was. From then on, I never discarded another album after the first listen or bought into the sellout trope. Achtung Baby changed my mind, my life and my record collection - forever.

Good album. Solid outing. Missed it the first time ‘round.

Sorta sounds like the cover. I have a feeling this wasn't intended for 51-year-old retired dudes. Not terribly offensive but mildly annoying.

A juggernaut of an album. That unrelenting groove you hear? That's the sweet sound of the wheels falling off the best era of the band. They would reach pop success after, but this is their pinnacle for me.

It’s Kraftwerk. Reminds me of life in Germany.

Seriously? Today? A masterpiece.

I must have seen this 1,000 times. Each time, it got harder to believe I hadn't listened to it. Then, when it showed up here, I initially skipped it and circled back. Listening to it now, I hear how it influenced some of the lesser bands that I like and how it was influenced by some of the greater bands that I like. But I come away not thinking I missed a ton. It's got a self-important 90's vibe that I might have been into in the time. But listening to it now, it sounds too clever for its own good. It sounds like a big album from a guy that started playing in a cafe in the East Village. And it is. I might give it another listen. But I might not.

Where it all started. A flawless debut.

A fun foray into Cuban jazz. I played this at countless dinner parties back in the day. In fact, I got tired of it. Still, a great album from an era locked in time.

As a white kid from Nebraska listening to U2‘s, The Joshua Tree for the 858th time, this one passed me by when it was first out. That said, pieces of this music did not. The sounds you hear, as well as a certain cadence of rap, seeped into the musical culture. However, this was the first time I’ve listened to this album straight through and I must say it’s pretty damn enjoyable. Even for this white kid from Nebraska. But did everything in this genre derive from this or did this derive from everything? It's an honest question that I hope I'll discover on this journey.

Oh, geez. This often sits atop my list of favorite Velvets albums. The softer side of Lou Reed. Probably their best period.

I read about these guys a lot during the time this album came out. They were sort of in the orbit of some of the other bands that I listened to. But listening to it now, it just sounds like pretty frantic, coked-out music from some Brits. Maybe I would’ve liked it in another life but today, it just kind of grates.

I first heard this riding home in a buddy's Camaro. It hasn't changed one bit. One was their breakout hit, wasn't it? Meathead central. If I'm going to listen to over an hour of Metallica again, it damn better well have Lou Reed on it.

I love this album. Probably heard it first around 1987. So, at 14. Who knew I would work in the building that housed the namesake of the first track. It’s a fantastic debut. One of those timeless classics.

Another album from that Camaro. Endless evenings cruising up and down the strip. Led Zep in all their glory. Really with all the hype. So many good memories have been made with this album. Did I mention stairway was always the slow dance in junior high? Amazingly awkward.

I always get The Fall and The Alarm mixed up. But I don't know either. However, you can hear the roots of some pretty prominent indie bands here. Fontaines DC's Grian Chatten has clearly heard of them and my have even adapted some of the drawl of Mark E. Smith. This album appears to have unleashed a torrent of follow-ups. How have I never heard them? I listen to Television, Wire, Husker Du. Odd. But a good album. Something I could probably really grow to love on repeat listens in the right mood. Man, the 70's and the punk scene were so gloriously weird.

Sometimes the best but always the most accessible Radiohead album, it's where I picked up the plot and finally started listening to them after years of not buying the hype. They lived up to it with this. An airtight album from start to finish.

Mike Skinner at his storytelling best. Does this edge out the debut? Probably. A banger from start to finish.

A musically brilliant and lyrically ultra-violent album. The rhymes and rapping are pretty incredible. But to me, it's as if every song Lou Reed wrote was "Kicks" or "The Kids". And then he turned it up to 11. Over the course of the album, the shocks wear off. I think he gives himself away in the lyrics of Stan. "I say that shit just clownin', dawg, come on, how fucked up is you? You got some issues, Stan, I think you need some counselin'." I can see why there was controversy. But why anyone would play this whole thing straight through more than once is beyond me. I gotta go listen to some Beach Boys or The National or something.

My favorite Stones album. Hands (pants?) down. Worth the price for "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" alone.

Oh, come on. Really? I own this one on vinyl, CD, Blu-ray, dubbed it on cassette. The Beatles at one of the heights of their powers.

A great, great, great album. Emblematic of a time in the 80’s. Great singles as well. I actually prefer “On Every Street”, the successor but know I’m the minority there.

I did not listen to this all the way through. I really don't think this is my jam.

Classic Bruce. This is not an album I listened to in my youth. Unfortunately, I can't wax poetic about it. But, listening to it now, I can imagine being blown away. Full of longing, regret and aspiration, this is something else. This is pure Bruce.

Wow. A surprisingly good "classic" country album. I missed this the first time around. At the time country music sounded like a trap in my small town and hearing Lang sing didn't compute for a 15 year old kid. Hearing it here, it's compelling. The production is sharp without being slick and her voice is certainly something to behold.

My previous exposure to Bragg is via Wilco. Here he’s not much of a singer and the chip on his shoulder gets in the way of any saving graces in the music.

Decent album of African grooves. Helps to put into context the musical styles used by Stewart Copeland, Peter Gabriel, Damon Albarn and Paul Simon.

When you start off an album with a trifecta like that, it's hard not to give it four stars. I don't know about the deeper cuts but this is Prince at his finest - save for Purple Rain. A joyous listen.

If I'm in the mood for reggae, this hits the right balance. There are a couple of "hits" on it but it avoids the best of malaise that sets in with "Legend". A solid album given a real lift by its deep cuts.

I found this fairly monotonous and jammy. Sorta reggae. Sorta funk. Not bad but not something I'll likely return to.

The birth of shoegaze? I’ve been waiting 35 years to listen to this. It did not disappoint.