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Avg Rating
5
5-Star Albums
15%
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924 albums remaining
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164
Written
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-0.64
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1950s
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You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| So | 5 | 3.55 | +1.45 |
| Tracy Chapman | 5 | 3.78 | +1.22 |
| Dookie | 5 | 3.8 | +1.2 |
| Rattlesnakes | 4 | 2.9 | +1.1 |
| Copper Blue | 4 | 2.96 | +1.04 |
| Bridge Over Troubled Water | 5 | 3.97 | +1.03 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loveless | 1 | 3.17 | -2.17 |
| Tanto Tempo | 1 | 3.07 | -2.07 |
| A Hard Day's Night | 2 | 3.9 | -1.9 |
| Leftism | 1 | 2.9 | -1.9 |
| Axis: Bold As Love | 2 | 3.79 | -1.79 |
| Let's Get It On | 2 | 3.78 | -1.78 |
| American Idiot | 2 | 3.76 | -1.76 |
| Master Of Puppets | 2 | 3.73 | -1.73 |
| Superfly | 2 | 3.7 | -1.7 |
| Orbital 2 | 1 | 2.69 | -1.69 |
5-Star Albums (5)
View Album WallPopular Reviews
1-Star Albums (10)
All Ratings
Blood, Sweat & Tears
2/5
*Combination of typical Blood, Sweat, and Tears (which I like), and some weird horns. Horns were too much throughout.
*Fave Songs: Smiling Phases (Track #2) and Sometimes in Winter (Track #3)
*Started off loud, then some good songs, then alternated between loud and good.
*You Make Me So Very Happy was track #7.
*Tried to put this on in the background while I was working. Some was good and melodic, some was just too loud/shouty and not my cup of tea. Weird combo.
RATING - 5/10 based on personal taste.
Nick Drake
4/5
*Very chill, singer-songwriter vibe with some super light horns, lots of piano and guitar.
*Best track - One of These Things First (Track #4)
*Really good background music. Listened to it several times today because it was short (39 mins) and because I could work at the same time.
*Enjoyed it, but wasn't wow'd.
*Rating - 7.5/10
Supergrass
3/5
*Sounds like British Green Day.
*Dave says it sounds like The Monkees. I guess - British and there's a little 60s/70s musical stylings in there.
*Alright (Track #4) - We know this one! Never heard of Supergrass, and didn't realize this was their song.
*Fave Track - Time (Track #11). Sounded a little more mature than most of the album.
*Overall I liked the genre, but this felt like the band's first album (it is) and not refined at all. You can tell this is an early effort.
DAVE RATING - 4.9/10
RATING - 6/10
Harry Nilsson
4/5
*SONGS I ALREADY KNEW: Coconut and Gotta Get Up. Also knew Harry from The Point! and that he had some Beatles ties.
*RESEARCH: He's from Brooklyn. Died from a heart attack. Born with heart problems.
*Sounds like a combo of Billy Joel and the Beatles.
*Super short - 34 minute album. One song is 7 mins.
*Very solid, easy listening. Dave liked it too.
RATING - 8/10
The Band
3/5
*Knew: Up on Cripple Creek and Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (Whipping Post isn’t on this album)
*Combo typical The Band sound (CCR, Allman Bros, etc) and some Van Morrison vibes
*Really liked some of this album. Didn’t so much like the aggressive harmonizing and violin.
*Hard to rate because some is great. But definitely not all.
RATING - 7
Arcade Fire
4/5
*Arcade Fire fan, so I know all of the good songs on this one, but I’ve never listened to the whole album.
*Could easily get rid of 4+ songs in the middle and make it a fantastic 45-55 min album instead of 65 mins.
*Feels like a cohesive album as opposed to just a series of standalone songs.
*Love when their songs build and alternate between quiet and loud.
*Fave track - Sprawl II
RATING - 8/10
Beatles
3/5
*Fave song - Here Comes the Sun (followed by Oh! Darling and Golden Slumbers)
*Some great songs here. The medley in the second half is cool too.
*Definitely some misses here though.
*Not album I would listen to in full again.
RATING - 6.5/10
The Beach Boys
2/5
*RIP Brian Wilson
*Yup, sounds like The Beach Boys... Old timey harmonies about beaches and women.
*Fave track - Help Me Rhonda.
*Super short at 28 mins. That’s about as long as it takes to get really tired of the this sound.
*Wouldn’t be mad if someone were playing this. Would not actively seek it out though.
RATING - 6/10
Beatles
2/5
*Did not like this at all.
*Only 30 minutes - 13 songs, ~2 minutes each.
*Bubble gum poppy and boring.
*Fave Tracks - Can't Buy Me Love and Hard Day's Night
RATING - 4/10
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
*Several big ones here: Suck My Kiss, Give It Away, Breaking the Girl, Under the Bridge.
*73 minutes is too long for RHCP.
*Love the bass. And guitar.
*In fact, really enjoy the album when Anthony Kiedis isn't singing. His voice has never bothered me, but this is a long time to be subjected to it.
*The lyrics are awful, but you don't notice them most of the time.
*Fave tracks - Castles Made of Sand, Breaking the Girl, and Under the Bridge
RATING - 6.5/10
The White Stripes
3/5
*I like (don't love) the White Stripes.
*Fave Song - My Doorbell (also the only one I already know on this album)
*Starts out pretty standard Jack White - mellow and melodic, but still interesting. Turns into more experimental, and I'm just not here for it.
*Research - I didn't know White was Meg's surname and Jack took it when they got married in 1996. This was their 5th of 6 albums after breaking up in 2011.
RATING - 6.5/10
Jimi Hendrix
2/5
*Not a lot of strong songs here.
* best song – castles made of sand
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
*If you like CCR, you’ll like this.
*Short album at 33 mins, and every other song is a hit.
*Fave track - Keep on Chooglin’ (longer and more jam band-y than the others here)
RATING - 7.5
Spiritualized
2/5
*Kind of like if INXS but with absolutely no cool parts.
*Fine background music, but pretty boring and sometimes just annoying.
*Looks like Wiki described is as English space rock, which seems accurate. But light rock.
*Meh.
*Don't hate it, but very unsure why this would make any top album list.
RATING - 4/10
Scott Walker
2/5
*Like an off broadway musical - fun and different, but wouldn’t revisit.
RATING - 5.5/10
Guns N' Roses
3/5
*Fun album.
*Felt very hair-band 80s at times, but higher level music other times.
*Welcome to the Jungle, Sweet Child o' Mine, and Paradise City all on the same album is impressive.
RATING - 7/10
Green Day
2/5
*I really enjoy Green Day, but don't love this album. Same Green Day, but it's really whiny. And not in a fun emo or punk-rock way.
RATING - 5/10
Billy Bragg
2/5
*Folk rock, which I normally like, but this was mostly pretty boring.
*Natalie Merchant made an appearance! But only for a short 2 min song…
*Fave track - way over yonder.
*Pleasant, good background music. Just not very compelling.
RATING - 6/10
The Who
2/5
*Enjoyable but not memorable and wouldn’t listen again.
RATING - 5/10
The Pogues
3/5
*Weird not listening to this on St Patrick’s Day.
*These guys are premier Irish punk rock.
RATING - 6/10
Lightning Bolt
1/5
*Weird music - no singing/lyrics.
*Sounded like it could be used for a Tony Hawk video game.
*Worked well as background music - almost like white noise.
RATING - 3/10
Marvin Gaye
2/5
Nick Drake
3/5
*Very chill, sad acoustic music.
*This album was recorded the year before Nick Drake OD'd on antidepressants.
RATING - 7/10
Talvin Singh
1/5
*Ahhh, don't like. Weird mix of repetitive club beats with occasionally a cool Indian or Middle East sounding song/instrument.
*Almost entirely instrumental.
*There's an 11 minute 'song' - whyyyy?
RATING - 3/10
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
2/5
*Uplifting middle east music.
*Enjoyed it - good background music.
*Research - Nursat Fateh Ali Khlan is Pakistani and died in 1997 at age 48.
RATING - 6.5/10
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
2/5
*Classic Buddy Holly
*Fun listen, but wouldn’t listen again unless it happened to be on.
RATING - 6/10
Charles Mingus
2/5
*Short jazz album.
*Good stuff, but need to revisit to give it a better listen - just had it on in the background.
RATING - 6/10
Metallica
2/5
*Started off pretty cool, then got repetitive.
*Will try this one again - kept trying to listen throughout the day and just wasn’t in the mood for light metal.
RATING - 6.5/10
Curtis Mayfield
2/5
*Very 1972 fly music. Fun and groovy, but wouldn't actively listen to this on my own.
RATING - 6/10
Crosby, Stills & Nash
2/5
*Really like these guys, but missed Young.
*Good background music.
*Fave track - Guinnevere (track #3)
RATING - 6.5/10
Soft Machine
2/5
*Bizarre album. Basically a jam band experiment, but all over the place.
*Only 6 songs of about 15-20 minutes each.
*All over the places - lots of experimental noise, then some melodious parts. Instrumental except one track.
*Not my jam.
RATING - 3/10
Jazmine Sullivan
2/5
*Fun, but there are a ton of way better female hip hop acts out there.
RATING - 5.5-10
Willie Nelson
3/5
*Standard Willie. Good stuff.
RATING - 7/10
Talking Heads
3/5
*Love the Talking Heads.
*Only song I knew was taking me to the river.
RATING - 7/10
The Cardigans
2/5
*It’s like 90s ABBA… but not as catchy.
*Only knew Lovefool. Whoever identified that as a single among the rest of the meh songs really struck gold - I had tuned out by the time this one finally rolled around toward the end of the album.
*Not terrible, just not very exciting.
RATING - 5.5/10
The Auteurs
3/5
*Beatles meets Oasis.
Rating – 7/10
John Lennon
3/5
*Some hits and misses.
*Fave track - Imagine
RATING - 6.5/10
Ute Lemper
3/5
*Sultry and interesting.
*Enjoyed the singer’s voice and most of the songs, but not the ones by Elvis Costello.
*Fave tracks - split and little water song.
Rating - 7/10
Joy Division
2/5
*Yikes, I thought I liked joy division, but this was mostly rough.
*First song was 6 minutes of good vocals with obnoxious background noise.
*Improved after that, but will not be revisiting.
RATING - 4/10
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
*Dripping with Americana delight.
Fave track - Dancing in the Dark
RATING - 7.5/10
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
*Solid 30 minute album of all good CCR stuff.
*Fave track - Bad Moon Rising
RATING - 8/10
Cee Lo Green
3/5
*Actually not a bad album. Fun to listen to. Melodic and a little soulful.
RATING - 6.5/10
Metallica
3/5
*A few good songs, but pretty repetitive.
*Metallica is best when they're playing around with volume (loud and quiet parts).
*Fave track - Nothing Else Matters
RATING - 6.5/10
Soundgarden
3/5
*I love 90s alt/grunge, but I just find Soundgarden meh.
*This was fine.
RATING - 6.5/10
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
*I liked Born in the US better. This was Thunder Road and Born to Run, with a bunch of songs that sounded like watered down versions of those two songs as filler.
*Fave track - Thunder Road
RATING - 6.5/10
Le Tigre
2/5
*Like the 1999 version of The B-52s.
*Same lead singer as Bikini Kill.
*Don't much care for this style.
RATING - 4/10
Prince
3/5
*Fun but repetitive
*Fave track - LRC
*Worth the occasional revisit
RATING- 6.5/10
Pentangle
3/5
*Really interesting - folk rock but make it 1960s and British
*Fave track - Sally Go Round the Roses
*Would revisit and play in the background
RATING - 6.5/10
Black Sabbath
3/5
*Melodic, soft to medium rock - occasional blips of very light metal.
*Lyrics seem to have been written by a 10 year old.
*Lots of enjoyable songs though.
*RIP ozzy, but still not a fan of his voice.
RATING - 7/10
Sisters Of Mercy
2/5
*Strange combo of Depeche Mode style music mixed with a really deep growly almost metal voice.
*Kinda cool, but wouldn't listen again on my own.
RATING - 6/10
AC/DC
3/5
*Strong album, but everything kinda sounds the same.
*Didn't realize ac/dc is Australian.
RATING - 7/10
Lupe Fiasco
3/5
*Sounded like an off-brand Jay-Z, but not necessarily in a bad way.
*Lyrics were mostly about social justice, but were a bit elementary.
*Enjoyable album
*Fave track - Daydream'
RATING - 7/10
Orbital
1/5
*1993 English electronic album.
*Good for coffee shop background music, but that's about it.
*Just sounded like a DJ practicing. No real ebbs or flows - just the same sound on each track.
RATING - 3/10
James Brown
2/5
*Fun album.
*Only 30 mins.
*Listened as background music while reading - that worked great.
*Amazing music, but probably wouldn’t return to this album.
RATING - 6.5/10
Finley Quaye
3/5
*Low budget Bob Marley mixed with Boyz 2 Men and sometimes Jack Johnson and a lot of autotune or something going on.
*I would probably like this a lot more if I couldn’t just listen to Bob Marley instead…
*Wait, he’s Scottish? Definitely wouldn’t have been my guess.
RATING - 6.5/10
Lenny Kravitz
2/5
*Do not care for Lenny as an artist, and then didn’t change my mind.
*Just no soul and not compelling. It feels like Lenny was originally an actor or something, and then decided to try his hand at being a rock star now that he’s famous.
RATING - 4/10
John Lennon
2/5
*John was in full hippie mode here - lots of lyrics about love and God not existing. Found out after listening that he was undergoing Primal Therapy in 1969, so this is a therapeutic/trama-dump type album. Huh.
*God was an interesting song - seemed like a dig at the Beatles and everything else. Very consistent with his "more popular than Jesus" comment and general ego.
*Well Well Well had the worst lyrics but was the catchiest tune.
*Not sure John would have made it without the rest of the Beatles if this is the stuff he would've churned out. It's not bad, just forgettable. I listened to it twice today, and there were just a few bits that stood out to me.
RATING - 6/10
Queen
3/5
*Queen’s 4th album. 1975.
*Started out amazing in the first half, then got really noisy and bad in the second half (except for Bohemian Rhapsody).
RATING - 7/10
Machito
4/5
*35 minutes of Cuban jazz party!
*Lots of fun.
RATING - 7/10
Dennis Wilson
2/5
*1977 album. Mix of singer-songer with some extra production.
*2 discs - 1:52 total run time.
*I thought this would totally be in my wheelhouse, but I just wasn't digging it. Mostly boring and a bit self-indulgent.
*Didn't realize this was Dennis Wilson of Beach Boys fame. Died at 39 y.o. in 1983 from drowning/drinking accident.
RATING - 6/10
RATING - 6/10
4/5
*1972 - Bowie's 5th studio album.
*Really enjoyed this, especially the first half.
*Fave track - Five Years is the opening track, and hooked me immediately.
*Will be relistening.
RATING - 8/10
Erykah Badu
2/5
*2000 - In my wheelhouse, but never listened to this when it came out.
*This took me a few tries, and still couldn’t get through it.
*I like a lot of the music - very chill and smooth, but I really dislike her voice.
*Like Macy Gray but without the catchy melodies.
RATING - 5/10
Sugar
4/5
*1992 alt rock. Sounds like Tonic, Soul Asylum, etc. Right up my alley.
*Never heard of these guys, but enjoyed it.
*Will definitely revisit it.
RATING 7.5/10
Beatles
3/5
*1963 - second studio album.
*I liked a lot of this.
*Simple lyrics and melodies for the most part, with some cool bits thrown in.
*Not the bubble gum pop Beatles and not the drug-fueled, introspective stuff either.
RATING - 7/10
Blur
2/5
*1997.
*First time listening to this album all the way through. Starts strong with Beetlebum, Song 2, and Country Sad Ballad Man, then falls off.
*Really wanted to like this, but just didn't hit. Didn't hate it either though.
*Anyone who says Blur is better than Oasis is a pretentious contrarian.
*Will try giving it more listens.
RATING - 6/10
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
4/5
*1984 - British band formed in Glasgow.
*Never heard of these guys before.
*Sounds like The Church or pretty much every band on Sirius XM - Channel 33. Love that stuff.
RATING - 7.5/10
T. Rex
2/5
*1972. British glam rock.
*Didn’t love this, but didn’t hate it either.
*Pretty forgettable.
*RATING - 6/10
The Smiths
4/5
*1987 - 4th and final studio album.
*I really like The Smiths, and this was solid all around.
*Only big song was Stop Me if You Think You’ve Heard This One Before.
*Girlfriend in a Coma and Unhappy Birthday are lyrically wild.
RATING - 7.5/10
The Pogues
3/5
*1988. Celtic punk rock.
*I have no idea why there are two the Pogues albums on this list.
*I liked the first few songs, but then it got weird.
**Best song is fairytale of New York.
RATING – 6.5/10
My Bloody Valentine
1/5
*1991 - Irish-English rock.
*I'm not sure what I thought MBV was like, but this is not it.
*Not a fan.
RATING - 5/10
Sarah Vaughan
3/5
*1967 live jazz album.
*Very pretty album.
*Sarah Vaughan has a lovely voice.
*Made me think 'jazz is kind of cool' but didn't make me actually look into jazz any further.
RATING - 6/10
David Bowie
2/5
*2013 - Bowie's 25th studio album.
*It's fine - nothing memorable, but not bad either.
RATING - 6/10
Ozomatli
2/5
*2004 - Latin rock band from Los Angelos.
*Lots of Latinx horns and rhythm, then some rap/hip-hop in English sprinkled in.
*Felt like I needed to be on an island with an umbrella in my drink, but also the hip hop elements felt very big city LA/NYC. Cool blend.
*Wouldn't revisit but enjoyed the concept.
RATING - 6/10
Belle & Sebastian
2/5
*1996. Alt rock.
*Boring, quiet.
*Listened as background music while I was reading. That worked.
RATING - 5/10
Peter Gabriel
5/5
*1986.
*A personal favorite, but also objectively an amazing album.
*Red Rain and In Your Eyes on repeat would still make the album a 5 star listen.
RATING - 9/10
Venom
2/5
*1982. English heavy metal.
*Sounds like British Metallica.
*Fine for what it is. Just not my thing.
RATING - 5.5/10
*1971. English rock.
*Stay With Me was the only song I knew.
*I didn't realize there was another vocalist besides Rod Stewart.
*Pretty good overall and pretty much exactly what you'd expect.
RATING - 6.5/10
Michael Jackson
4/5
*1987.
*5 out of 11 tracks are massive hits. Hard to argue with that.
RATING - 8.5/10
Stan Getz
3/5
*1962. Latin jazz.
*Nice easy listening jazz with a Latin flair.
*Every song sounded fhe same except for slightly mixing up the tempo, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
*I would expect this type of band to be playing background music live in a nice restaurant.
RATING - 7/10
The Beach Boys
3/5
*1966.
*This is full of depressed Beach Boys songs, and I much prefer the mellow tunes to standard Beach Boys.
*Wouldn't It Be Nice and God Only Knows are the only previously-known-to-me songs.
*Would listen to this again, but not often.
RATING - 6.5/10
Stereolab
2/5
*1996. Per Wiki - Anglo-French avant-pop band formed in London in 1990.
*Chill and mellow, with some weird instruments/sounds going on.
*Liked this is small doses, but got a little annoying pretty quickly.
RATING - 6/10
Queen
3/5
*1974.
*Killer Queen is the only song I knew.
*I would rank this higher if there weren't better Queen albums. They're so innovative and fun, but this album doesn't have a lot of bangers.
RATING - 6.5/10
The Prodigy
3/5
*1997. English electronic.
*The Prodigy is oddly intriguing and catchy and enjoyable.
*Wouldn't listen to this a lot, but would be impressed if someone had it on.
*There’s more to this album than smack my bitch up and firestarter.
RATING - 6/10
Jeff Beck
3/5
*1968. English rock.
*Sounded just like generic brand Rod Stewart.
*Soul-type music from white people is weird.
*It was fine, but there are better options for the same music style.
RATING - 6.5/10
Wild Beasts
2/5
*2009. British indie rock.
*Quiet, boring, some weird percussion.
*Okay for background noise while reading.
RATING - 6/10
Paul McCartney and Wings
4/5
*1973.
*This was great - catchy, melodic, upbeat.
*All the best things about the Beatles.
RATING - 7.5/10
Elvis Presley
3/5
*1960. 4th studio album.
*Solid, polished sound.
*Enjoyed pretty much every song, but nothing memorable and probably wouldn't revisit.
*Would rate higher if Elvis didn't have better albums.
RATING - 6/10
Metallica
2/5
*1988. 4th studio album.
*One and Justice for All are the big songs off this one.
*It's fine, but a lot of it sounds the same.
*I like Metallica better in smaller doses - a whole album is a lot.
RATING - 5/10
Elton John
4/5
*1971
*Starts off with Tiny Dancer and Levon. Wow.
*Solid songs, nothing weird.
RATING - 8/10
Justin Timberlake
1/5
*2002. Debut solo album.
*Solo JT is not it for me - high pitched voice, latin flare with R&B but without any soul.
*I can see why people would like some of it.
*Flew through most tracks. Would not revisit.
*Big hits - Cry Me a River + Rock Your Body
RATING - 4/10
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
3/5
*1969 - Canadian-American singer-songwriter.
*Sounded like Crosby, Stills, Nash meets Bob Dylan vocals.
*Not bad, but not mind-blowing.
RATING - 6.5/10
Nick Drake
3/5
This is a repeat for me? Per my prior note:
*Very chill, singer-songwriter vibe with some super light horns, lots of piano and guitar.
*Best track - One of These Things First (Track #4)
*Really good background music. Listened to it several times today because it was short (39 mins) and because I could work at the same time.
*Enjoyed it, but wasn't wow'd.
*Rating - 7.5/10
Solomon Burke
3/5
*1964. Rock and soul.
*Sounds very 50s/early 60s.
*Enjoyable enough, but won't revisit.
RATING - 6/10
Björk
2/5
*1993.
*Like Bjork’s voice but the music is so strange. Sometimes melodic and pretty, other times it sounds like someone’s playing with silverware or banging on some pans.
*Fine background music.
RATING - 6/10
The Who
2/5
*1965.
*It was fine.
*35 minutes. Listened twice and didn't even realize it started over.
*Forgettable, but not bad.
RATING - 6/10
Radiohead
3/5
*1995. 2nd studio album.
*Big hits: Fake Plastic Trees + High and Dry.
*This was my first time really listening to Radiohead.
*I think of Radiohead as whiny and slow - there was a fair bit of that (literally a song called "Sulk"), but also some slightly more uptempo songs that I enjoyed more.
RATING - 6.5/10
Steely Dan
4/5
*1972.
*Several big hits - Do it Again, Dirty Work, Reelin in the Years.
*Pretty iconic - 41 minutes, 10 songs of pure 1970s vibes.
RATING - 8.5/10
Leftfield
1/5
*1995. English electronic.
*This is so not my genre, but I guess this is better than most for what it is. Maybe?
*Would be fitting for a video game soundtrack, but otherwise no good application for this.
*The vocals were like a non-English rap (couldn't really tell what language).
RATING - 3/10
The Mamas & The Papas
3/5
*1966.
*Quintessential 1960s - total psychedelic California sound.
*Monday Monday and California Dreamin'.
*Not a big fan of the slower songs, but the up-tempo ones were fun.
RATING - 7/10
Amy Winehouse
3/5
*2003. Debut album.
*Sultry and playful jazz-pop.
*Felt like a debut album - leaned more toward the jazzy side instead of the pop side.
*Not a big fan of the slower songs, but the up-tempo ones were fun.
*Sassy lyrics and typical Amy voice is a fun combo.
*I would listen to this again, although her later stuff is better.
RATING - 6.5/10
Hole
3/5
*1998.
*Quintessential late 90s California rock.
*Celebrity Skin and Malibu are top tier.
*I really like Hole, but I've somehow never listened to this whole album.
*I wasn't blown away by the album other than the well-known songs. Will revisit.
RATNIG - 7/10
808 State
2/5
*1989. English electronic.
*Thought I would hate this at first, but it was actually okay background music for working.
*Fairly melodic for being electronic.
*Some light vocal sounds - not really singing.
*Really not sure where this music belongs - it's not clubby enough for the club and not mellow enough to casually listen to... Maybe at a like a bad London house party?
*Didn't hate it, but definitely not revisiting.
RATING - 4.5/10
Dire Straits
3/5
*1978.
*Sulfans of Swing is the only big track.
*Fave track - Wild West End
*Love Dire Straits but none of the tracks here were memorable.
RATING - 6.5/10
Brian Eno
2/5
*1975. English ambient pop.
*I'm not really sure how to describe this - it was like something off of Garden State, but circa 1975 with some electronic elements.
*Good background music - very mellow.
*St. Elmo's Fire was a cool track - catchy but low-key.
*Pretty forgettable for the most part.
RATING - 6/10
Dirty Projectors
2/5
*2009. American indie.
*Did not like this very much.
*Sounds like something from Garden State, but not good.
*Boring indie with too high pitched voices.
RATING - 5/10
Peter Frampton
2/5
*1976.
*Hard to pull off a live album, but this was pretty good.
*It was a fine listen, but wouldn’t revisit.
RATING - 6.5/10
Tracy Chapman
5/5
*1988.
*Powerful.
*Tracy’s voice is enough to make this a 5/5 album.
*Started strong with talking bout a revolution and fast car.
*The a cappella song was only something Tracy could pull off.
RATING - 8/10
Eminem
4/5
*2000.
*Clever lyrics, catchy tunes, thoughtful tracks, and plenty of ridiculous over-the-top profanity in between.
*This is a long one (1 hr, 17 mins), so tried to hurry through it, but ended up listening to most tracks.
*Fun, irreverent, and classic Eminem.
RATING - 8/10
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
1/5
*1969
*Yikes. Just poorly played brass instruments for the sake of making noise.
*Definitely a lot of drugs involved in this concept.
RATING - 0/10
The Band
3/5
This is a repeat… from last review:
*Knew: Up on Cripple Creek and Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (Whipping Post isn’t on this album)
*Combo typical The Band sound (CCR, Allman Bros, etc) and some Van Morrison vibes
*Really liked some of this album. Didn’t so much like the aggressive harmonizing and violin.
*Hard to rate because some is great. But definitely not all.
RATING - 7
Public Image Ltd.
1/5
*1978. English post-punk.
*Not the worst thing ever, but this was a chore.
*Excessive guitar wailing.
*Combo of some good stuff with some annoying noises overlaid.
RATING - 4/10
David Holmes
1/5
*1997. Northern Ireland - electronica, house, some hip hop elements.
*Basically an hour of house music.
*Not the worst thing ever, but not for me.
*Long songs, and you can fast forward to the end and it still sounds the same.
RATING - 4/10
King Crimson
2/5
*1969. English prog rock.
*I don’t know what I think king crimson was, but this is not it.
*Really long songs, most instrumental, that sounded very 1969.
*Seemed like the type of music a group of people smoking would put on.
*Similar to Phish, where it’s not radio friendly music, but I’m sure they have a big following who appreciates good musicianship.
*Didn't mind it, but wouldn’t revisit.
RATING - 5/10
Fatboy Slim
2/5
*1998. English dance/electronic.
*Rockafeller Skank and Praise You are the only songs I knew, and definitely the most interesting.
*House/DJ music.
*Most of the songs are long and repetitive, but I guess that's the point.
*It's fine, but I wouldn't revisit.
RATING - 6/10
Mike Oldfield
2/5
*1973. English instrumental prog rock.
*Sounds like Manheim Steamroller's Christmas album... lots of bells.
*Totally fine background
RATING - 5.5/10
Aerosmith
2/5
*1976
*Only 34 minutes
*Back in the Saddle Again is a great intro song.
*Like many people, I like Aerosmith's music generally, but Steven Tyler's voice can be a bit much. This didn't have too much of the harsh vocals.
*This sounded more like Black Sabbath (in a good way) than modern, poppier Aerosmith. I take that back - the next few songs sounded like their modern style. Meh.
RATING - 6.5/10
Green Day
5/5
*1994.
*Longview, Basket Case, She, When I Come Around, Welcome to Paradise… completely stacked.
*Pop punk at its finest.
*Awesome when it came out, and still hits hard.
RATING - 9/10
Black Sabbath
3/5
*1970
*War Pigs is one of the best opening songs of any album.
*Lots of War Pigs reprises.
*Lyrics written by a 5 year old.
*Fine, not memorable.
RATING - 6/10
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
2/5
*1991. English indie.
*Interesting combo of Rusted Roots style reggae, English 80s pop, some Latin, electronica, and a few other styles fused in there.
*Started off strong but then wasn’t digging it.
RATING - 5.5/10
Run-D.M.C.
2/5
*1984.
*This sounded like such an early prototype for hip-hop.
*Most of the songs sounded the same - I didn't realize when the album had started over.
RATING - 5.5/10
Arcade Fire
4/5
*2004. Debut
*Neighborhoods, Wake Up, Rebellion (Lies)
*Great debut album.
RATING - 8/10
Frank Black
3/5
*1994. 2nd solo album after leaving the Pixies.
*A couple weird tracks to start, then it settled in and sounded like solid mid-1990's pop rock.
*I liked it.
RATING - 6.5/10
The Velvet Underground
2/5
*1967. Psychedelic rock.
*I had trouble getting through this one - it was fine, just boring.
*Decent background music.
RATING - 6/10
Wu-Tang Clan
4/5
*1993
*I only knew one song going in.
*This is fun, energetic, and edgy.
*Weird combination of excellent musicianship and just totally nuts and off-the-wall.
*Not something I would listen to every day, but I'll revisit.
RATING - 7.5/10
Tori Amos
4/5
*1992.
*I've never been a fan of Tori Amos - this took me a few listens to appreciate.
*The lyrics, melodies, and her voice are all haunting and beautiful throughout.
*Wintry vibes throughout.
*Tori sounds more like Ani DiFranco (who I really like) than I realized.
*I'm really surprised I liked this, and that I'll definitely be listening to this one again.
RATING - 7.5/10
Incubus
3/5
*1999.
*Lots of big hits here, and interestingly most of them are in the second half of the album.
*There's some meh stuff here, but Incubus is in my wheelhouse, and they get some nostalgia points.
RATING - 7/10
David Crosby
2/5
*1971.
*This was fine. Not memorable at all, but good background music.
*CSNY is better than solo Crosby, but this had the same vibe.
RATING - 6/10
Isaac Hayes
3/5
*1969.
*45 minutes, but only 4 songs…
*Really soothing, buttery soul music.
*Great quiet Saturday morning background music.
*Last song is preachy and talkative and I’m not into it.
RATING - 6.5/10
Echo And The Bunnymen
2/5
*1984.
*37 minutes.
*I thought I'd be biased because I like Echo & The Bunnymen... but this was a pretty dull album...
*Killing Moon is the only song I knew on here.
*It tried to be slow and haunting, but most tracks didn't quite hit.
RATING - 6.5/10
Morrissey
3/5
*1988. Morrissey's first solo album - I didn't know The Smiths were only together for 5 years.
*40 minutes.
*I like The Smiths, so I like this.
*Every Day is Like Sunday is the only song I knew.
*Great background music. Not much that really stands out.
RATING - 7/10
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
*1970.
*I love this album BUT I do admit it (understandably) does sound a bit dated at times, but not 55 years old!
*So many hits: Bridge Over Troubled Water, El Condor Pasa, Cecilia, The Boxer, The Only Living Boy in New York
RATING - 9/10
System Of A Down
2/5
*1998.
*This was pre-Toxicity.
*Almost every song is under 3 minutes.
*Fine in small doses, but a whole album is a lot...
RATING - 6/10
The Isley Brothers
2/5
*1973
*So there are 5 huge songs on here, but That Lady is the only one The Isley Brothers wrote. The other 4 are covers:
-Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight - original was James Taylor
-Listen to the Music - original was Doobie Brothers
-Summer Breeze - original was Seals and Crofts
-Sunshine (Go Away Today) - original was Jonathan Edwards
*Mellow, chill album - good for a lazy Sunday morning.
*Prefer all of the originals. Would not revisit.
RATING - 6/10
The Yardbirds
2/5
*1966.
*Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page... But I'm not sure if Eric left before this album.
*Strange album - it was all over the place, with what sounded like Beatles influence, Rolling Stones influence, some jam band bits...
*Some good stuff, but wouldn't revisit.
RATING - 6/10
Lynyrd Skynyrd
3/5
*1973.
*Hard to argue with this one - lots of big hits: Simple Man, Free Bird, Gimme Three Steps, and Tuesday's Gone.
*Solid album, if you're into this style of Southern rock.
*Appreciated and enjoyed, but wouldn't personally revist.
RATING - 7/10
LCD Soundsystem
3/5
*2017.
*I like LCD Soundsystem and house music in small doses. 68 minutes was a lot.
*Really good for house music.
RATING - 6.5/10
Pixies
3/5
*1998.
*33 minute album.
*Mix of hardcore punk and pop punk.
*I much prefer the songs with Kim Deal as the lead singer - Gigantic.
*Where is My Mind buried in the middle of the album at Track #6 is wild.
*This might take a few listens to appreciate. It grew on me as the album progressed.
RATING - 7/10
Count Basie & His Orchestra
3/5
*1958. Big band.
*Fun swing, jazzy, big band album.
*Good for what it is, but wouldn't revisit.
RATING - 6/10
Ray Charles
3/5
*1959.
*Pretty wild to call an album "The Genius of [your name]", but it's warranted.
*This was interesting because yesterday's album was also big band style (Count Basie & His Orchestra), and this was infinitely better.
*Really good and fun to listen to. Would happily listen if someone else were playing it, but wouldn't flip it on myself.
RATING - 6.5/10
Beatles
5/5
*1968.
*Side 1 and Side 2 are incredible.
*There's no reason this needs to be 93 minutes... Side 3 and 4 could've easily been cut.
*Hard to argue with the impact of this album and the singles. Wow.
RATING - 8.5/10
Buena Vista Social Club
3/5
*1997. Cuban.
*Fun, upbeat album. Feels like a Latin American party.
RATING - 6.5/10
Beastie Boys
4/5
*1986.
*Super fun album.
RATING - 8/10
Gene Clark
2/5
*1971.
*Singer-songwriter style, which is normally a fave genre for me, but this was largely meh. Pleasant, but meh.
*I guess Gene Clark was in The Byrds. Huh.
*Stand by Me cover randomly toward the end of the album is a nice surprise, but a boring cover.
RATING - 5.5/10
George Jones
2/5
*1974. Country - honky tonk.
*28 mins.
*Totally fine for what it is. I like country in small does, so this worked.
RATING - 5.5/10
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
3/5
*1970.
*Some good songs here.
RATING - 7/10
Cream
2/5
*1967.
*Some good stuff here, but it got boring and repetitive pretty quickly for me.
RATING - 5/10
Bebel Gilberto
1/5
*2000. Brazilian jazz.
*Sounded like music you'd hear on a night out in Cuba.
*Fun, but you have to listen in a specific atmosphere, not driving to/from work...
RATING - 4/10
Tina Turner
3/5
*1984.
*Fun album right from the start. Lots of great dancing tunes.
RATING - 7/10
Frank Sinatra
3/5
*1956. 10th studio album.
*A couple notable songs.
*This is just quintessential Frank.
RATING - 7/10
Everything But The Girl
2/5
*1988. British pop duo.
*The style of the whole album was very 80s soft, slow pop with a slight jazz influence.
*Some pretty stuff in here, but there are better alternatives if you're in the mood for adult contemporary.
*The Night I Heard Caruso Sing was the only song I really liked.
RATING - 5.5/10
Joan Baez
2/5
*1960.
*Beautiful and melodic, but I'm not a big fan of the high pitched soprano, so a little goes a long way.
RATING - 6/10
Iggy Pop
2/5
*1977.
*I guess I've never listened to Iggy - I thought he was more punk, this was more like Rolling Stones light.
*Not bad, but wouldn't revisit.
RATING - 6/10
The Rolling Stones
3/5
*1971
*Big hits: Brown Sugar and Wild Horses.
*Bluesy and southern rock ala CCR.
RATING - 7.5/10
Fishbone
2/5
*1988.
*Sounds like Guns N Roses and Metallica. But also there's like a soul or R&B component.
*It was fun and cool at times, but forgettable and all over the place.
RATING - 5.5/10
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
*1985
*Scottish alt rock.
*Pretty standard UK 80s music, but nothing memorable.
RATING. 6.5/10
The Cars
4/5
*1978.
*35 minutes.
*Super fun pop, rock, new wave mix with some big hits.
RATING - 7.5/10
Supergrass
3/5
*1997
*Let’s Go Coco has really grown on me since first listening on here (wish there was an update or edit option…) but this album isn’t quite as catchy. I listened several times, and I can’t remember a single song afterward. It’s an enjoyable enough listen, but I just kind of zone out after the first track.
RATING - 6/10
The Crusaders
2/5
*1979. Jazz.
*These are all like 10 minute jazzy songs. Very cool but not something I would regularly listen to.
RATING - 6/10
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
2/5
*1978. Panama and Puerto Rico.
*Sounded like cool samba music, but a little goes a long way for me.
RATING - 4/10
2/5
*2006
*I’ve never really listened to muse other than the title song. thought I would like them more than I do.
*Just didn’t hit for me.
RATING - 5.5/10
Badly Drawn Boy
3/5
*2000. English soft alt rock.
*Pleasant background music that’s up my alley in terms of alt rock, but just nothing memorable here.
RATING - 6.5/10
Brian Eno
2/5
*1977. British.
*Fine. Didn’t love it.
RATING - 6/10
Fiona Apple
4/5
*2000
*First deep dive into Fiona Apple.
*This is a really interesting album. I’ve listened a couple times and will listen more.
*I like it.
RATING - 8/10
The Verve
2/5
*1995
*This was before the verve hit it big with bittersweet symphony in the late 90s.
*Pleasant but not particularly exciting or memorable. Can’t honestly remember a single song on here…
RATING - 6.5/10
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
2/5
*1969.
*Hits: Cinnamon Girl and Down by the River.
*Boring. Normally I really dig Neil Young but this was not at all memorable.
RATING - 6.5/10