338
Albums Rated
2.89
Average Rating
31%
Complete
751 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1980
Favorite Decade
Hip-hop
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Critic
Rater Style ?
18
5-Star Albums
11
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
Top Styles
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Hybrid Theory
Linkin Park
|
5 | 3.39 | +1.61 |
|
So
Peter Gabriel
|
5 | 3.53 | +1.47 |
|
The Joshua Tree
U2
|
5 | 3.67 | +1.33 |
|
Moondance
Van Morrison
|
5 | 3.69 | +1.31 |
|
Jagged Little Pill
Alanis Morissette
|
5 | 3.72 | +1.28 |
|
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
|
5 | 3.79 | +1.21 |
|
Dookie
Green Day
|
5 | 3.79 | +1.21 |
|
Planet Rock: The Album
Afrika Bambaataa
|
4 | 2.79 | +1.21 |
|
Harvest
Neil Young
|
5 | 3.81 | +1.19 |
|
Siamese Dream
The Smashing Pumpkins
|
5 | 3.82 | +1.18 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Loveless
My Bloody Valentine
|
1 | 3.19 | -2.19 |
|
Tanto Tempo
Bebel Gilberto
|
1 | 3.07 | -2.07 |
|
Leftism
Leftfield
|
1 | 2.9 | -1.9 |
|
A Hard Day's Night
Beatles
|
2 | 3.89 | -1.89 |
|
In Rainbows
Radiohead
|
2 | 3.86 | -1.86 |
|
Let's Get It On
Marvin Gaye
|
2 | 3.78 | -1.78 |
|
American Idiot
Green Day
|
2 | 3.77 | -1.77 |
|
Phaedra
Tangerine Dream
|
1 | 2.73 | -1.73 |
|
Master Of Puppets
Metallica
|
2 | 3.72 | -1.72 |
|
Superfly
Curtis Mayfield
|
2 | 3.7 | -1.7 |
5-Star Albums (18)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Beastie Boys · 1 likes
4/5
*1986.
*Super fun album.
RATING - 8/10
Underworld · 1 likes
3/5
*1996. British electronic.
*I oddly liked this - it was great background all day, in the car, at work, right now on my computer...
*Long songs with catchy beats. There are some weird electronic noises, but it mostly didn't bother me.
RATING - 6.5/10
U2 · 1 likes
5/5
*1987.
*With or Without You, Where the Streets Have No Name, In God's Country, Bullet the Blue Sky... This is such a good album.
*Red Hill Mining Town is a sleeper hit.
*I've never listened to this album all the way through for some reason, so this was a new experience.
RATING - 8.5/10
1-Star Albums (11)
All Ratings
Blood, Sweat & Tears
3/5
*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 - 6/10 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
4/5
*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.
*I'm so glad there's an edit feature now! I've listened to this album quite a number of times since the initial listen, and now I quite like it.
RATING - 7.5/10
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
3/5
*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
De La Soul
3/5
*1989. American hip hop.
*This is a fun album.
*Easy hip hop, like Will Smith. Catchy tunes, not very deep lyrics, and easy to sing along to.
*This album is too long though.
RATING - 7/10
Magazine
2/5
*1978. English post-punk.
*Sounds very The Clash and like it could be in the sequels of a horror/halloween film franchise.
*Fun to listen to in small doses.
RATING - 5.5/10
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
Muddy Waters
3/5
*1960.
*Live jazz album.
*Upbeat, good singalong songs.
RATING - 7/10
Aerosmith
3/5
*1975.
*Key Tracks - Walk This Way and Sweet Emotion.
*Only 38 minutes.
*Not a fan of Aerosmith, although Sweet Emotion is a masterpiece.
*Pretty big variety of music here - some jazzy/bluesy tracks, some country stuff, then more rock and roll numbers. Not a big fan of any of it though....
*Overall this isn't for me.
RATING - 6/10
Brian Eno
2/5
*1973. British dude.
*This sounds like a bunch of B-side Beatles tracks... some okay stuff, but mostly not.
RATING - 5/10
Van Halen
3/5
*1978.
*Opens strong with Running with the Devil.
*Jamie’s Crying is the only other song I know off this album, other than a cover of the Kink’s You Really Got Me.
*Only 35 mins. Looooove that.
RATING - 7/10
Norah Jones
3/5
*2002.
*I didn’t know Nora was Ravi Shankar’s daughter. Huh.
*I want to like her, but she feels like a female Jack Johnson - like it should be interesting and compelling, but it’s just not.
*Come Away With Me always makes me thinks of Alli though, so Nora gets points for that.
*Pleasant enough music, but just not memorable.
RATING - 6.5/10
Aretha Franklin
3/5
*1967.
*Starts off hard right off the bat with Respect.
*Smoky, jazzy short songs. Pretty and sassy.
*A little goes a long way for me.
RATING - 6.5/10
Radiohead
2/5
*2003.
*Tried listening to this a couple of times, and it didn't really stick with me.
*Some decent stuff, but mostly it's way too whiny for me.
RATING - 6/10
Depeche Mode
3/5
*1987.
*Opens with Never Let Me Down Again, which I love.
*Strangelove is the only other song I know on this album.
*Standard Depeche Mode - which I dig - with some odd, not great tracks at the end.
RATING 7/10
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
The Sonics
2/5
*1965.
*two huge songs on here: Roll over Beethoven and good golly miss Molly
*Pretty much every song sounded like those two…
RATING - 6/10
Neu!
2/5
*1975. Krautrock.
*Dusseldorf band formed by members of Kraftwerk after they broke up.
*Mostly instrumental, including some that sound like nostalgic Christmas type music and others that are more like electronic-ish like you would expect from Kraftwerk.
*Some sounds like the clash.
*There’s an 8 minute song that’s mostly rain sounds with some light vocals…
*Not sure what to make of this album, but I didn’t hate all of it?
RATING - 6/10
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
My Bloody Valentine
2/5
*1988. Irish 'shoegaze'.
*I learned from the comments: Shoegaze is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by ethereal soundscapes, obscured vocals, and extensive use of guitar effects and distortion, often producing an immersive "wall of sound".
*I really didn't like the first MBV album that was this list. This album is much better.
*Some good-ish tracks, but also some unlistenable ones that really detracted from the good stuff.
RATING - 5.5/10
Gillian Welch
2/5
*2001. Country.
*I wanted to like this, but I just don’t.
*This is a throw back to old country ala patsy cline and Loretta Lynn, which is pretty cool, but it just didn’t do anything for me.
RATING - 6/10
Alanis Morissette
5/5
*1995.
*I love this album. Pretty much perfect.
RATING - 9/10
Sonic Youth
3/5
*1992.
*I haven't listened to much Sonic Youth, but they're in my wheelhouse (90s alt/grunge) so not surprisingly I mostly like this album.
*There are some odd songs on here (eg Drunken Butterfly) and some kind of annoying ones toward the end, but most sound pretty much the same. Decent slightly moody background music.
RATING - 6/10
Cocteau Twins
3/5
*1990.
*This is so incredibly 80s.
*I like this style a lot, but nothing about this album/band particularly stands out.
RATING - 6.5/10
Sufjan Stevens
3/5
*2005.
*Very pleasant, lots of piano and soft vocals. There are some interesting songs here and a lot of variety.
*This album is way too long. I lost interest after a few songs and did quite a bit of fastforwarding. May be worth a revisit, but I doubt I'll do that.
RATING - 6/10
Janis Joplin
3/5
*1971.
*A little Janis goes a long way for me, so this 34 min album is perfect.
*She sounds so young (she is) but her voice is complex and the songs feel layered and emotionally charged.
*I'm surprised I liked this, but I will revisit.
RATING - 6.5/10
The Sugarcubes
3/5
*1988. Icelandic alt rock.
*Apparently this was Bjork's band before she made it big in the early 90s as a solo artist.
*Fun album. Quirky and very-Bjork.
RATING - 6.5/10
The Louvin Brothers
2/5
*1956. Old school country.
*This is the type of country I actually like - very Southern and twangy, but a little goes a long way.
*Wouldn't revisit. Just too much country for me.
RATING - 5.5/10
Joni Mitchell
2/5
*1971
*I just can’t with Joni’s soprano. Occasionally she chills out and sounds more like Carole king, which is great.
RATING - 6.5/10
Hot Chip
2/5
*2012. Synth pop/electronica.
*Strange, like a combo of house music with alternative.
*Too electronic for me, but some cool underlying music if you take out the weird sounds and synth.
RATING - 5/10
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
*1968.
*Still totally unique and fresh - nothing else sounds like this.
*Not super my cup of tea (feels like you’d need to be pretty high to fully get it…) but even I can appreciate this sound.
RATING - 7/10
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
2/5
*1996. New York punk blues, whatever that is.
*I’ve read that this is a live, not studio, band, and they are band’s band and never write any radio friendly stuff for the masses.
*Eclectic and interesting at times, but a little goes a long way.
RATING - 5.5/10
Yes
2/5
*1971.
*I've only kind of heard the first song - Yours is No Disgrace.
*I'm not sure how this isn't Rush. Have we ever seen then in the same room before?
*Not a Rush fan.
*There's just so much synth.
*I don't hate it, but it just sounds silly...
RATING - 5.5/10
Steve Winwood
3/5
*1980.
*The first track (While You See a Chance) was great, and I was ready to be totally in on this album. But then the rest was pretty forgettable.
RATING - 6.5/10
Grateful Dead
3/5
*1970.
*I didn't expect to like this, but I mostly dug it.
*I haven't listened to much Grateful Dead, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but the whole album was consistent with the two big hits here (Friend of the Devil and Truckin') - pleasant, easy listening, and a little southern charm.
*I think I like the Grateful Dead. Huh.
RATING - 7/10
Joni Mitchell
2/5
*1974.
*Why more Joni Mitchell?!?
*She's really not growing on me. There are some good bits, but I just can't get into her music.
RATING - 6/10
Neil Young
3/5
*1970
*Southern Man was the big hit here.
*Solid album. Listened a few times.
RATING - 7.5/10
a-ha
2/5
*1985.
*Pretty standard 80s faire - nothing particularly remember other than Take on Me.
*It was fine, but wouldn't revisit.
RATING - 6.5/10
The Fall
3/5
*1985. English post-punk band.
*This is the Fall's 8th studio album - I've never heard of The Fall or any of them.
*I've tried to listen to this a couple of times. It starts out with a moody, creepy cool song with no lyrics. Then we get into the British post-punk world where it sounds like it could be any garage band ever.
RATING - 6/10
David Bowie
3/5
*1976
*Only 38 mins long but 8+ mins is one song…
*Some good stuff, especially Golden Years.
*Enjoyable listen, but not anything particularly memorable.
RATING - 6.5/10
Public Enemy
3/5
*1990. New York.
*Fun standard 90s hip hop, but like most early 90s hip hop, it's too long.
RATING - 6/10
The Thrills
3/5
*2003. Irish indie rock.
*Bizarre lyrics all about California or western America, but with an Irish accent...
*I mostly like it. Chill indie rock. But then there’s a little bit of Beach Boys 60s/70s influence too, in a good way.
RATING - 7/10
Pink Floyd
3/5
*1979.
*Never been an Pink Floyd fan, but stayed open minded and gave this one a fair chance.
*There are some good tracks here (Mother, Hey You, Comfortably Numb), and the whole concept was at least intriguing enough to make me spend some time looking up why this is such a renown concept album.
*Pretty cool, and was probably a lot better when it came out and was fresh, and 3 versions of Brick wasn’t just irritating.
RATING - 7/10
Portishead
3/5
*2008.
*Apparently Portishead has only made 3 albums total.
*Typical Portishead sound - like a mystery or spy movie.
*I like it.
RATING - 6.5/10
The Beach Boys
4/5
*1965.
*A little Beach Boys normally goes a long way, but this is much mellower than their normal stuff, and I really dig it.
*Started off strong with Baby Do You Want To Dance. Help Me Rhonda is also on here.
*I actually really liked this.
RATING - 7.5/10
Various Artists
3/5
*1963.
*Pretty great Christmas album - Christmas (Baby Please), Sleigh Ride, and Winter Wonderland are all particularly good.
*The spoken word Silent Night at the end is garbage though.
RATING - 6.5/10
David Bowie
3/5
*1973.
*This was my album of the day on 12/26. It's now 4/11 and I've tried a dozen times to rate this one, but it's so forgettable to me that I don't have any recollection of what I just listened to.
*I give up. It gets an automatic 2.5 stars because it's Bowie. I'll round up because there was nothing bad here. Just meh.
RATING - 6/10
Frank Sinatra
3/5
*1967.
*Starts out with Girl from Ipanema, so you really can't beat that.
*Sinatra's voice is obviously the star of the album, as usual.
*Jobim is a nice addition - he adds a little spice to an otherwise very white, vanilla album.
*Pleasant, but not very exciting or memorable.
RATING - 7/10
Fever Ray
3/5
*2009. Electronica artist from Sweden.
*I liked this more than I thought I would. There were some cool songs, and a good chunk of it sounded Bjork-ish.
RATINGS - 6/10
Leonard Cohen
4/5
*2016.
*Only 36 minutes long.
*Starts off strong with a cool baseline, but then Leonard comes in with a super low, weird baritone...
*Started to grow on me... kind of a cool vibe - really pretty, sorrowful music with moody, Halloween-y vocals.
*This is super different and I'll be revisiting.
RATING - 7.5/10
Miles Davis
4/5
*1969.
*Just 2 songs, 38 mins total.
*Beautiful, peaceful. Just a really pretty, lovely listen.
*As a non-musician, even I know the musicianship is fantastic.
RATING - 8/10
MGMT
3/5
*2007.
*Fun, catchy album with all their big hits (Electric Feel, Time to Pretend, and Kids).
*I would really dig this album if someone without the electronic sound covered it.
*RATING - 7/10
Yes
2/5
*1971. English prog rock.
*Starts with Roundabout, which is the only Yes song I know and has no business being 9 minutes long.
*Strange combination of sounds. Some is pretty typical 70s rock, but there are too many synths.
*When it’s more rock and less synth, it’s not bad.
RATING - 6/10
Queens Of The Stone Age
3/5
*1998.
*I didn't even know QOTSA were around back in 1998...
*This album sounds like a heavier Incubus sometimes.
*I'd be happy if someone else put this on, but I wouldn't voluntarily relisten myself.
RATING - 6.5/10
Dusty Springfield
3/5
*1969. French singer.
*Ope, I guess Buffalo Springfield and Dusty Springfield aren't the same thing...
*Combo of pop ala the Carpenters with a touch of soul. Very pretty.
*Son of a Preacher Man is the big hit here.
*Short, sweet songs. The website linked to a 56 min album with several repeats, which is waaaaay too much. But it looks like the official record is only 32 mins with 11 songs, which is perfect.
RATING - 6.5/10
The Rolling Stones
4/5
*1969.
*Starts with Gimme Shelter and ends with Can't Always Get What You Want.... hard to argue with that.
*Enjoyed this one.
RATING - 7.5/10
Joy Division
3/5
*1979.
*I like their sound, but it's just so depressing - can't listen to a lot of Joy Division at once.
RATING - 6.5/10
Morrissey
3/5
*1994.
*Pretty standard Morrissey faire, but nothing stood out here. You can tell it's a later album.
RATING - 6/10
Arctic Monkeys
3/5
*2006. UK alt.
*I really want to like these guys, but I can only do them in small-ish doses because the music is just so frantic.
*I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor is here.
RATING - 6/10
The Cramps
3/5
*1980. American Rockabilly.
*Strange album - very 80s with some touches of Depeche Mode, but like not good.
RATING - 6/10
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
*1973.
*Stir It Up is the only song I know here.
*Normally I love Bob Marley, but this was a little uninspired. Still good.
RATING - 6.5/10
Sonic Youth
3/5
*1990.
*Sonic Youth should be my vibe (90s alt/grunge) and I want to like them, but a little goes a long way.
RATING - 6/10
The Black Keys
2/5
*2010.
*Tighten Up, Next Girl, and Howlin for You are all on this album.
*I don't know what it is, but I can't get into these guys. Saw them live a few years after this album came out, and that didn't help.
RATING - 6/10
Adele
3/5
*2011.
*Rolling in the Deep, Set Fire to the Rain, and Rumor Has It are all on this album.
*Rolling is a great song, and Adele is definitely talented. Not my style, but I appreciate her.
RATING - 6/10
The Adverts
3/5
*1978. English punk.
*Quick 36 minutes of fun punk.
*Not as frantic-sounding as most bands in this genre, much more melodic.
*Never heard of these guys before, but I'll revisit this album.
RATING - 7/10
CHIC
3/5
*1978
*Le Freak is the big song here.
*Super fun album.
RATING - 6.5/10
Jamiroquai
3/5
*1993. English funk and acid jazz.
*Sounds very 70s jazz/funk.
*Fun album - I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.
RATING - 6.5/10
Van Morrison
5/5
*1970.
*So many good songs, but they're all at the beginning of the album, so the first half is better than the second (It Stoned Me, Moondance, Crazy Love, Into the Mystic).
*I love Van Morrison, so this is getting a 5. There's room for improvement, but it's a pretty solid 38 mins of music.
RATING - 8/10
The Byrds
3/5
*1966.
*I always forget who's in the The Byrds - it's David Crosby.
*Sounds very much like CSN&Y, which I dig. Although every song also sounds like Turn, Turn, Turn...
*Enjoyed it, but wouldn't go out of my way to listen.
RATING - 6.5/10
Madonna
3/5
*1989.
*Opens strong with Like a Prayer and Express Yourself.
*Cherish Is also on here.
*Pretty solid pop album.
RATING - 7/10
Black Sabbath
3/5
*1970. Debut album.
*Pretty standard Black Sabbath sound.
*As always, lyrics are abysmal.
RATING - 6/10
Super Furry Animals
3/5
*1996. Welsh rock.
*Never heard of these guys, but it's a pleasant album.
*Sounds like pretty typical Brit pop influenced by David Bowie, Beatles, etc. Melodic but experimental songs.
*Nothing groundbreaking, but an enjoyable listen.
RATING - 6.5/10.
Funkadelic
3/5
*1971. American funk.
*This is a pretty cool album - classic funk.
RATING - 6.5/10
Ice T
4/5
*1991.
*Listened to this a couple times - it's a fun listen with catchy upbeat tunes, but also excellent lyrics/commentary.
*I've enjoyed the rap/hip-hop selections on this list so far - glad to get some exposure to albums I probably wouldn't have stumbled across otherwise.
RATING - 7/10
The Rolling Stones
3/5
*1972.
*At any given time, this album sounds really solid, but it took me so long to get through. Apparently 70 mins of the Stones is a little much for me.
*There's not much nuance or volume play - just about every song sounds like it wants to be an anthem. Shine A Light at the very end is an exception, and a nice change.
*Rocks Off is a great way to start of the record. I don't think I know any other songs off this one.
*There's not much memorable here either. Nothing bad, just not a lot of standouts.
RATING - 7/10
The Stooges
2/5
*1970. 2nd album.
*Iggy Pop's voice is so distracting and unpleasant that I'm not sure how to rate the music. I think if someone covered this album, it might be pretty nice, but it's hard to say.
RATING - 4/10
The Kinks
3/5
*1967. British rock.
*This is classic Kinks music - fun experimental songs that are very much Beatles-esque.
*None of the songs were particularly memorable to me, but overall a solid album.
RATING - 6.5/10
The Stooges
2/5
*1973
*Two Stooges albums in 2 days is too much, so it took me a month to listen to this...
*Short album - 35 minutes.
*Just not my vibe. It's not bad, just not into it.
RATING - 5.5/10
Underworld
3/5
*1996. British electronic.
*I oddly liked this - it was great background all day, in the car, at work, right now on my computer...
*Long songs with catchy beats. There are some weird electronic noises, but it mostly didn't bother me.
RATING - 6.5/10
Goldfrapp
2/5
*2008. English electronic music duo.
*Ethereal, pretty sound with kinda high pitched but soft female vocals.
*It's giving crystals and tarot cards.
*It's fine, but not my jam.
RATING - 5.5/10
Led Zeppelin
3/5
*1969.
*Whole Lotta Love, Lemon Song, and Ramble On.
*Wanted to give this 4-5 stars before diving into it, but just didn't do it for me. Will revisit.
RATING - 6.5/10
The Band
3/5
*1968.
*The Weight and Long Black Veil are on here.
*I thought I would like this more than I did... it wasn't very exciting or dynamic.
RATING - 6/10
Love
3/5
*1967
*Very 60s hippie, groovy, California.
*It also has Baroque elements, like it would be appropriate for a Renaissance faire or a King's Quest old school computer game.
*No stand out songs, but all of the album is pretty solid.
*Would definitely revisit this.
RATING - 7/10
Duran Duran
3/5
*1982.
*Rio and Hungry Like the Wolf.
*Duran is just fun. Easy to sing along.
*Simon Le Bon does have an intriguing voice.
RATING - 7/10
Arcade Fire
4/5
*2010.
*I really like this album. Sprawl II is my fave Arcade Fire song, plus we have The Suburbs, Ready to Start, Modern Man, We Used to Wait, and City with No Children.
RATING - 8/10
Depeche Mode
4/5
*1990.
*Personal Jesus, Policy of Truth, and Enjoy the Silence.
*I'm a Depeche Mode fan. Dark but catch, and Dave Gahan's vocals are so cool.
*Lots of cool stuff here I wasn't familiar with. The album opens with World in my Eyes, which is an instant classic.
RATING - 8/10
Michael Jackson
5/5
*1982.
*This is just 42 minutes of pop perfection and nostalgia.
*Wanna Be Startin Something, Thriller, Beat It, Billie Jean, and PYT.
*Hard to argue with the cultural phenomenon that is this album, including the songs, music videos, and dances.
RATING - 9/10
Fairport Convention
3/5
*1969. British folk rock.
*I listened to this several times throughout the day - it's soft, pleasant, and calming. Good background music.
*Has elements of Celtic music, British folk, and also 60s hippie music.
RATING - 6.5/10
Air
3/5
*1998. French duo - electronic/space pop.
*I've heard bits of "Sexy Boy" which is apparently their big international 'hit.'
*Interesting listen - it's electronic, but not too much. Wiki described it as 'space pop', which is exactly right - pop music but a little trippy, like you're floating through space.
*I kinda like this in small doses.
RATING - 6/10
The Afghan Whigs
3/5
*1993. American Indie (from Ohio).
*This band vaguely rings a bell, but I don't think I had ever heard them, and certainly couldn't name a single song.
*This style is right in my wheelhouse. I love this vocal style - very 90s.
*The first song is a long slow build, then segues nicely into the second song ("Gentleman"), which is a little grungy.
*I can see why they didn't break through as a major player - there are a lot of bands that do the same thing, only better.
RATING - 6/10
Traffic
3/5
*1968.
*Opening song (You Can All Join In) is a fun start. There are a few other upbeat songs that are a good time.
*Some good stuff here, but 1 hour is too much Traffic for me. It took me several tries to not tune out the second half of this album.
RATING - 6.5/10
Radiohead
2/5
*2007.
*Tried this one a couple times. It’s not for me. I don’t find it interesting, I don’t like his vocals, and I don’t remember a single song I listened to.
*I can see why people like Radiohead, but there’s much better depressing, angsty stuff out there, in my opinion.
RATING - 5.5/10
Paul Weller
4/5
*1993. Engilsh singer-songerwriter.
*Not familiar with this guy, but I really enjoyed the album.
*Nothing groundbreaking, but solid. Sounded similar to Steve Winwood but in a good way.
*Would revisit.
RATING - 7/10
Pulp
3/5
*1998. Britpop, glam rock.
*This is fun. If you told me this was David Bowie, I would believe you.
*A little goes a long way.
RATING - 6/10
The Bees
2/5
*2001. British indie rock.
*This is odd. Every song sounds wildly different, with no coherent theme or cohesiveness that I could detect.
*Some songs are okay.
*Probably takes a couple of listens to grow on you, but one try is enough for me. Or maybe you need to be on psychedelics of some sort?
RATING - 5/10
The Specials
2/5
*1979. British ska, new wave.
*Bizarre combination of very British, and occasional good bits of actual ska/reggae. They need to just kick the white guys out of the band.
*Did not enjoy the British bits. Did enjoy the reggae bits.
RATING - 5/10
Nirvana
4/5
*1993. 3rd studio album.
*This album is pretty stacked: Heart-Shaped Box, Rape Me, Dumb, All Apologies.
*The opening song - Serve the Servants - should've been a single.
*There are some pretty screamy songs on here - eesh.
*I never had this one and have never listened to it all the way through - I really liked about half the tracks. The rest were either screamy or just.. not great.
*The good songs are really good though, so this gets a high rating.
RATING - 7.5/10
John Prine
3/5
*1971. Old school country.
*Interesting lyrically - super sophomoric rhymes (to and you, light and night, etc.) but deep themes like anti-war (no room in heaven because of the war) and drugs (dad putting the family’s money in a hole in his arm)…
*Musically it sounds like pretty standard country to me, but a little on the twangy side, which I like.
*Kinda intriguing but I wouldn’t revisit since country isn’t my jam.
*I read that he died of COVID in 2020. ☹️
RATING - 6.5/10
Elliott Smith
2/5
*2000. Chamber pop (which apparently means pop music that combines like orchestral and classic instruments like strings, horns, and piano, to make it a more complex sound)
*I had never listened to Elliott Smith before - this was soft and pretty, and the classic instruments did make it sound really full and complex.
*I wasn't much of a fan, but it sounded like if you know anything about music (I don't) then it's impressive.
*Wouldn't be mad if someone played it, but wouldn't revisit on my own.
RATING - 6/10
Dire Straits
4/5
*1985.
*Starts off strong with 3 bangers (So Far Away, Walk of Life, and Money for Nothing).
*The rest of the album is pretty good, but a completely different vibe. It feels like they got their radio hits out of the way, and then were able to jam and experiment a bit. I like both styles.
*Good stuff, would revisit.
RATING - 8/10
ZZ Top
3/5
*1983.
*All their big hits on one album (Gimme All Your Loving, Sharp Dressed Man, and Legs).
*I liked this better than I thought I would - there were some jazzy/bluesy bits, and pretty high quality musicianship, but just not my cup of tea.
RATING - 6/10
Sonic Youth
3/5
*1988.
*I really like these guys about 1/3 of the time. I'm here for the melodic, slower, grungy stuff, but they lose me with the more yell-y punk stuff.
*Teenage Riot is a good song.
*There are 5 songs on here that are at least 7 minutes, wtf?
RATING - 6/10
AC/DC
3/5
*1980
*3 big hits - Hell's Bells, Back in Black, and You Shoot Me All Night Long.
*There's a time and a place for AC/DC, and listening to 42 minutes of songs that sound like Hell's Bells with different lyrics is not it.
*Fun in small doses.
*Extra star for the big hits.
RATING - 5.5/10
George Harrison
3/5
*1970.
*2 disc album - 2 hrs, 5 mins... This is the remastered version, but it looks like the original album was still long (like 1 hr, 40 mins).
*My Sweet Lord is the only song I know. And I think I recognize What is Life?
*Very pleasant, soft, sweet. Great background music.
*This is a LOT of George Harrison - couldn't make it all the way through without skips.
RATING - 6.5/10
Jimmy Smith
3/5
*1963. Jazzy/bluesy instrumental.
*Very chill - sounded like something playing in the background at an upscale New Orleans restaurant at times.
*Wouldnt revisit and wasn’t anything that stood out. Pleasant and enjoyed it though.
RATING - 6/10
Scritti Politti
3/5
*1985. Synth-pop.
*This is so quintessentially mid-80s synth pop... it's so on the nose that it almost feels like a spoof.
*Dave walked in while I was playing this, and he immediately knew who the band was... I've never heard of Scritti Politti, but I guess they were a thing?
*It was a fun-ish listen, but I'll never revisit.
RATING - 6/10
Tangerine Dream
1/5
*1973. German electronic...
*It's just very long tracks of ambient music/sounds...
*This sounded like the background soundtrack music for movie set in Mars...
*Maybe this album is more complex and deep than I realize, but I'll not be doing any research or giving it any more listens to find out.
RATING - 3.5/10
Stevie Wonder
3/5
*1974.
*Nice soul, pop music. Very listenable - soothing and pleasant.
*Nothing exciting here though.
RATING - 6.5/10
Kraftwerk
2/5
*1978. Instrumental electronic.
*Sounds like a European Mannheim steamroller Christmas album… or it could be the telephone hold music when you’re being transferred to a different department.
*Only about 35 minutes, so it wasn't bad. The electronic stuff is not my vibe, but the music actually isn't terrible.
RATING - 5/10
Leonard Cohen
3/5
*1988.
*He's Canadian. Didn't know that.
*I started out skeptical, but this was a pretty haunting, gripping album with some catchy ear worms (e.g. No Cure for Love and Everybody Knows).
*I like this - would revisit. The first half is better than the second though.
RATING - 7/10
Patti Smith
2/5
*1975. American punk rock.
*Starts out strong with a cover/reimagining of Van Morrison's band's "Gloria." (Not the same as the 80s Gloria, although it seems like there's some overlap to me...)
*I thought I was really going to enjoy this - I really didn't. :/
RATING - 5/10
Nirvana
5/5
*1991. 2nd studio album.
*Smells Like Teen Spirit, In Bloom, Come As You Are, Lithium, Polly, On a Plain, and Something in the Way.
*Just stacked. Even the lesser known songs are pretty decent.
RATING - 9.5/10
Billy Joel
5/5
*1977.
*One of the best - stacked from top to bottom:
-Movin' Out
-The Stranger
-Just the Way You Are
-Vienna
-Scenes from an Italian Restaurant
-Only the Good Die Young
-She's Always a Woman
RATING - 9.9/10
Manu Chao
4/5
*1998. Spanish.
*This is super fun. It sounds like being in Latin America, and I'm here for it.
*Really catchy songs. Would revisit.
RATING - 7/10
John Martyn
3/5
*1973. British folk.
*Odd combo of some cool folk numbers (which I like) and then some much more off-the-wall experimental tunes that sound like a cheap David Bowie. There are also some jazzier and bluesy songs thrown in - it's all over the place.
RATING - 5.5/10
Pulp
3/5
*1995. British rock.
*I get excited whenever there's anything from the 90s because I like most of it. This was just okay though, and sounds very 80s to me.
*This sounds like a wannabe David Bowie, with lyrics like Joe Jackson's Is She Really Going Out With Him.
*I feel like I recognize Common People.
*Tried giving it another listen and liked it a little bit better.
RATING - 6/10
Afrika Bambaataa
4/5
*1986.
*The first two songs ("Planet Rock" and "Looking for the Perfect Beat") were sampled by Girl Talk! (From 2008's Feed the Animals animal.) This has happened several times over the past 20 years where I finally realize where some of the songs are coming from.*1986.
*The first two songs ("Planet Rock" and "Looking for the Perfect Beat") were sampled by Girl Talk! (From 2008's Feed the Animals animal.) This has happened several times over the past 20 years where I finally realize where some of the songs are coming from.
*OMG I had no idea that Renegades of Funk was a cover and not an original RATM song. I feel dumb.
*This is a fun album. Lots going on.
RATING - 7.5/10
*OMG I had no idea that Renegades of Funk was a cover and not an original RATM song. I feel dumb.
Adele
2/5
*2015
*Several radio hits - Hello, Send My Love to Your New Lover, and Water Under the Bridge.
*A little Adele goes a long way - it's so dramatic as we build up to the bit in each song where she sings VERY LOUDLY at us.
*Not a very exciting album. It almost sounds like someone doing Karaoke of Adele. I guess she is only 25 here, but it sounds like the voice control is off and she's just not doing much with that powerful voice.
*There are some pretty parts, but I just don't care for this at all. The last song had potential if she'd just chill out and not shout.
RATING - 5/10
Miles Davis
3/5
*1970.
*The album has 4 sides, with only 1-2 songs on each side that range from about 10-27 minutes.
*As much as I like the trumpet, this is a lot... There just aren't many settings where you can listen to this. In a jazz club? Yes. Otherwise, it gets old fast in the car, it's not great background music, and I just couldn't find a space where it made since to listen.
*It's definitely well done and I like it, but I just don't need 94 minutes of it.
RATING - 6.5/10
Sepultura
3/5
*1991. Brazilian heavy metal.
*If you told me this was Metallica, I would believe you (up until the vocals - which are more Brazilian Rammstein).
*This was pretty melodic and accessible for metal.
*I actually like it.
RATING - 7/10
Can
3/5
*1973. German Krautrock group.
*4 songs, 40 minute album.
*Sounds like Phish - kind of spacey, but really light and pretty good background music.
*I wouldn't listen to this again, but I wouldn't be mad if someone had it on.
RATING - 6/10
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
*1981.
*This sounds like Jefferson Airplane but with early 80s synth pop.
*I didn’t know Siouxsie is just a play on the lead singer’s name - Susie.
*Did not particular enjoy this, but it wasn’t awful either.
RATING - 6/10
5/5
*1987.
*With or Without You, Where the Streets Have No Name, In God's Country, Bullet the Blue Sky... This is such a good album.
*Red Hill Mining Town is a sleeper hit.
*I've never listened to this album all the way through for some reason, so this was a new experience.
RATING - 8.5/10
The Byrds
3/5
*1965.
*I didn’t know David Crosby was in the Byrds.
*Very chill, enjoyable listen.
*Mr. Tambourine Man is the only song I knew.
RATING - 7/10
Madonna
3/5
*2000.
*The first song and title track ("Music") was catchy and poppy when it came out, but no one loved it.
*Don't Tell Me and What it Feels Like for a Girl are the other singles off this album. Don't Tell is the same deal - catchy and maybe a guilty pleasure, but no one's favorite. What it Feels Like - that one's weird and creepy and skippable.
*After that, it doesn't get better. Madonna did the same thing as Britney - she chose to go for the club vibe with lots of electronics. It worked much better for Brit.
*I Deserve Better is a nice departure from the club music. It's closer to Madonna's Ray of Light album from 1998 which I liked (hey, I was 13 at the time...)
RATING - 6/10
3/5
*1966.
*I dig Bob Dylan, but this is a lot of Dylan (90 minutes).
*The harmonica is pretty harsh at times here, just because it's a live album.
*Mr. Tamborine Man and Like a Rolling Stone are the only songs I know here.
RATING - 6/10
The Replacements
3/5
*1984. American punk.
*This got old fast. This is the type of aggressive, chaotic punk I just don’t love.
*Androgynous is an oddly good song.
*Enjoyable in small doses for me.
RATING - 5.5
The Jam
3/5
*1980. British rock.
*Sounds similar to David Bowie style.
*Not memorable at all, but was a pleasant and quick 35 minute listen.
RATING - 6.5/10
Wilco
3/5
*2001.
*I feel like I should like Wilco since alt/indie rock is my thing, but they just don’t do it for me.
*The songs aren’t compelling or memorable. The vocals are meh. It’s good background music, but otherwise not great.
*First song is silly, but the most memorable of the bunch.
RATING - 6/10
R.E.M.
4/5
*1987.
*Starts out strong with Finest Worksong.
*End of the World and The One I Love are both on here too.
*Just a solid listening experience all the way through.
RATING - 7.5/10
Stevie Wonder
5/5
*1976. Double album.
*What a great Sunday morning album. Some big hits here (Sir Duke, Pastime Paradise and Isn't She Lovely), as well as plenty melodic, happy, lovely songs.
*I thought 1 hr, 45 mins was going to be excessive, but I listened to the whole thing while working.
RATING - 8/10
The xx
3/5
*2009. Indie English.
*I wasn't familiar with these guys until On Hold came out in 2017. I thought they were fine, not great.
*I enjoyed this more than I though I would, but toward the end, I was getting a little fatigued (even though it's only a 39 minute album).
*It's a little bit of a moody downer, but most of the songs were short (4 under 3 mins) and pretty listenable.
*I wouldn't revisit, but would be totally fine it someone had this on.
RATING - 6.5/10
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
*1979.
*Only 40 mins.
*I really like the style/songs, but I really don't like Elvis Costello's voice/vibe. If someone else covered these things, I think I'd dig it.
RATING - 6.5/10
LTJ Bukem
2/5
*2013. Mostly Instrumental.
*This could easily be the soundtrack for a space movie.
*Spacey and electronic is not my vibe.
RATING - 5/10
Buffalo Springfield
3/5
*1967.
*Only 34 mins.
*Odd combination of songs. There was some folk that I liked. But there were also like psychedelic rock songs that weren't my jam.
*Wasn't familiar with any of the tracks.
*Overall, this was hit and miss for me, and was definitely not memorable.
RATING - 5.5/10
Television
3/5
*1977. American punk/alt.
*Sounds a lot like the Rolling Stones to me.
*I like it well enough, but I'd rather just listen to the Stones.
RATING - 6.5/10
Moby
4/5
*1999.
*I only knew a few songs (South Side, Natural Blues, and Porcelain) even though these were my formative music years.
*I like this a lot. All the songs are chill, but it's a great variety of tunes. There are only a few misses.
*I prefer the ones where Moby isn't singing though.
RATING - 7.5/10
Parliament
3/5
*1975.
*38 mins.
*This is just a fun time.
RATING - 7.5/10
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
*1977.
*39 minutes of almost pure perfection. Have been looking forward to this one.
*Totally stacked with hits - Dreams, Don't Stop, Go Your Own Way, The Chain, You Make Loving Fun, Gold Dust Woman.
*Not a huge fan of Christine McVie's solo stuff (i.e. Songbird and Oh Daddy), with the obvious exception of You Make Loving Fun.
*Lindsay Buckingham is easily my fave, e.g. Second Hand News, Never Going Back Again, The Chain.
*Stevie Nicks only wrote 3 songs here (i.e. Dreams, I Don't Want to Know, and Gold Dust Woman), but obviously they're all great.
RATING - 9.9/10
Simply Red
3/5
*1985. English pop and soul.
*Very different - it was like R&B mixed with very 80s elements.
*Dave immediately knew Holding Back the Years - I guess that was their big hit.
*The lead singer is bizarrely a red-haired white guy, but his voice could pass for a female soul singer at times.
*Totally fine, but not at all memorable and wouldn't revisit.
RATING - 5.5/10
Lucinda Williams
4/5
*1998.
*I've never listened to Lucinda Williams, but she was a surprise hit for me. I'm not a country girl, but this felt bluegrass enough that I was here for it.
*Car Wheels on a Gravel Road (the song) is a total earworm and kind of a banger. I've been randomly humming it for weeks since I first heard it here.
*Lucinda has a cool voice - gravely but clear. I hope she transitions to rock one of these days.
RATING - 7.5/10
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
*1982. 7th studio album.
*Same with the last Elvis Costello album - great songs, but I really don't like his style/vibe/voice.
*Would like someone else to re-record this album.
RATING - 6.5/10
Carole King
5/5
*1971.
*45 mins.
*So many hits: I Feel the Earth Move, So Far Away, It's Too Late, Where You Lead, You've Got a Friend (she wrote it), You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman (she wrote it).
*Carole is always such a vibe.
RATING - 9/10
Neil Young
5/5
*1972.
*There are some weird songs here (i.e. A Man Needs a Maid and There's a World), but most of it is classic Neil Young.
*Harvest, Heart of Gold, and Old Man are all on here.
RATING - 8/10
Bauhaus
3/5
*1981. English goth rock.
*This is kinda cool. Sounds a bit like the Cure meets David Bowie.
*A little goes a long way, and I wouldn't revisit it. But it's a fine listen.
RATING - 6/10
Elvis Presley
3/5
*1969.
*Goodness this was depressing. Every song was mopey and sad.
*Suspicious minds was the most uplifting song on the album. Sheesh.
*Otherwise, it's standard Elvis faire - which is hard not to enjoy, even if he's being a sad sack.
RATING - 6/10
Queen Latifah
4/5
*1989.
*This was an intriguing album - I listened to it several times throughout the day.
*Queen Latifah is powerful but approachable in this album - the message seems to be that she's a queen, but she wants to raise everyone else up too. I like it.
*Most of the album had a raggae, latin flavor to it. It was different, but pretty cool.
*I'll revisit this one.
RATING - 7/10
X-Ray Spex
2/5
*1978
*This sounds just like the B52s.
*Didn't care for this much, but it wasn't horrible either. Just not my thing.
RATING - 5.5/10
Gorillaz
3/5
*2001. British alt rock.
*Clint Eastwood is the only song I know here.
*A lot of the songs sounds pretty similar to Clint Eastwood (not in a bad way), and then there are some that are more electronic and experimental, and then some that are Damon Alburn driven.
*Fun, interesting album. Very listenable, but not anything that particularly struck me or made me want to revisit.
*Even though Damon Alburn from Blur is one of the lead singers, this sounds nothing like Blur.
RATING - 6/10
Prince
5/5
*1984. 43 minutes.
*I'm not sure there's a better opening song than Let's Go Crazy.
*Only 9 songs, 43 minutes, but it's stacked.
*Let's Go Crazy, Darling Nikki, When Doves Cry, I Would Die for You, Purple Rain.
RATING - 8.5/10
Alice Cooper
3/5
*1973
*Only 40 mins.
*The opening song and No More Mr. Nice Guy are solid tracks.
*I was pleasantly surprised at first - this sounded like a normal rock album and not what I traditionally think of as Alice Cooper (creepy and weird), but then the last few songs were exactly what I anticipated… Some funhouse piano music, bizarre lyrics, etc.
RATING - 6.5/10
Arcade Fire
3/5
*2007. 2nd album.
*Some great songs: No Cars Go, Intervention, and Keep the Car Running.
*Overall I don't love the album.
RATING - 7/10
Joanna Newsom
3/5
*2006.
*This isn't available on Spotify, so I spent a minute listening on YouTube and then listened to a bunch of covers on Spotify.
*I really enjoyed the covers. Complicated, interesting songs.
*But her actual voice is a lot - very generic brand Bjork. A little goes a long way.
*Probably being a little generous, since I didn't listen to the actual album.
RATING - 7/10
Faith No More
3/5
*1989. San Francisco band.
*Epic is the big hit here ("You want it all but you can't have it // It's in your face but you can't grab it")
*This was fine - it's all kind of the same vibe as Epic. There are much better options though if I'm in the mood for grunge/rock.
RATING - 6.5/10
Beatles
4/5
*1965.
*Only 35 mins, but lots of gems: Drive My Car, Norwegian Wood, In My Life, You Won't See Me.
*This is mostly really solid, with just a few meh songs.
*It definitely doesn't sound 61 years old. Wow.
RATING - 8/10
Led Zeppelin
3/5
*1970
*Immigrant Song and Tangerine are the only big ones here.
*It was okay, but totally forgettable.
RATING - 6.5/10
David Bowie
3/5
*1971.
*Starts off strong with Changes.
*Life on Mars is the only other song I know here.
*I'm going to give this another listen. I like Bowie, but I always seem to zone out on his albums.
RATING - 7/10
Suede
3/5
*1994. English alt rock.
*Sounds like Midnight Oil, REM, Bowie, and Psychedelic Furs combo.
*More 80s-sounding than 90s.
*Some decent songs here and it was fine the background, but I wouldn’t revisit this.
RATING - 6.5/10
Portishead
3/5
*1994.
*I liked this better than the other Portishead album, but still not my favorite style.
RATING - 6.5/10
Dinosaur Jr.
3/5
*1988.
*This sounds like standard mid-90s alt rock (Toad the Wet Sprocket, Meat Puppets, The Replacements, etc) which is totally my jam.
*Unmemorable, but generally enjoyable.
*There was like 1 weird screamy song that came out of nowhere, but otherwise pretty chill.
RATING - 7/10
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
*2004.
*This is a my first foray into Nick Cave, and this is NOT what I expected.
*His voice is so beautiful, deep, and haunting - sounds just like Jim Morrison.
*The first few songs are jarring - loud, weird, creepy lyrics... But lots of great music here once you get your footing.
*It's a double album, so it takes a while to get through. The 2nd album is much chiller and softer, but still creepy and haunting.
*I'm totally intrigued - I'll keep listening to this one.
RATING - 8/10
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
4/5
*1959.
*Lovely jazz album.
*Beautiful horns and percussion - light and airy. The kind of music that plays in an upscale department store.
RATING - 8/10
Linkin Park
5/5
*2000.
*Total nostalgia - this was a listen-all-the-way-through album when it came out while I was in 9th grade.
*Still holds up - melodic but goes pretty hard. An emotional journey that sucks you right in.
*Initially would have given it 4 stars, but we'll bump it up in honor of Chester.
RATING - 8.5/10
The White Stripes
4/5
*2001.
*Fell in Love with A Girl and We're Going to Be Friends are the big hits here.
*I like Jack White, but a little goes a long way. This album length (40 mins) is about right.
*This is better than a 3, but maybe not quite a 4. Feeling generous though, so here we go.
RATING - 7.5/10
Genesis
3/5
*1973.
*This is such a wild album - sometimes it sounds like King Arthur with lots of strings and olde English/Irish rhythms. Other times it's almost like creepy funhouse Alice Cooper vibes. And then there are also plenty of tracks that sound like regular Genesis.
*I tried listening to it several times - it's just tough because it changes so often that it's hard to stay in the zone with this one.
*Definitely interesting, although it seems like a lot of drugs were involved in the making of this one.
RATING - 6.5/10
Maxwell
3/5
*1996.
*Soulful R&B - chill, interesting music. Would be great as instrumental only, but I'm not a big fan of his voice. It's a light Pinot Noir but the music needs to be paired with a full-bodied cab.
RATING - 6/10
The War On Drugs
4/5
*2014.
*I've listened to this several times now, and I'm totally digging it.
*It's melodic, soft but gritty, and interesting.
*Very early 2000s alt - similar to Band of Horses or Minus the Bear or Modest Mouse.
*Really good background music for reading.
RATING - 8/10
Beck
3/5
*2002.
*Sad, somber album. Sounds a lot like the Rhett miller album that came out the same year.
*I only knew one song - Lost Cause.
*Overall fine, but forgettable.
RATING - 6.5/10
Cornershop
3/5
*1997.
*Brim Full of Asher is the only song I knew. The opening song (Sleep on the Left Side) sounded very similar. I like this vibe - it's chill and very late 90s.
*There was also a bunch of oddball stuff disbursed throughout the album - talking rather than singing, etc. There were also some Indian instrumental parts (I assume sitar?) in there.
*I'd listen to the mainstream stuff again, but not the whole album.
RATING - 6.5/10
The Go-Betweens
3/5
*1988. Australian pop.
*Very 80s alt pop ala INXS, Midnight Oil, etc.
*Not life changing music, but I enjoy this genre.
RATING - 7/10
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
*1986.
*Same as all the other Costello albums - I really like the music up until he starts singing, and then I just can't.
RATING - 6.5/10
Sex Pistols
2/5
*1977.
*Normally I like punk, but this was mostly just loud and frantic without much melody or rhythm.
*I had trouble getting through this one and it's only 38 minutes.
*Wouldn't revisit except maybe to try to give it another objective listen, but I doubt I'd actually do that.
RATING - 5.5/10
The Go-Go's
3/5
*1981.
*Starts off really strong with "Our Lips are Sealed."
*We Got The Beat is the only other song I know.
*This is fine in small doses, but it's just a lot of the same thing - very poppy girl group.
*Fading Fast and Skidmarks on My Heart are some of the few exceptions - they had a little bit of grit to them, in a good way.
RATING - 6/10
Can
3/5
*1971. German krautrock.
*Experimental and avant garde, but also pretty 70s jam band and/or mainstream at times...
*3 songs over 10 mins on a studio rock album is wild.
*Someone in the Reviews said this is German Pink Floyd, and that seems accurate.
*I didn't necessarily dislike it, but I tried listening to this several times and just kept finding myself turning it down or just tuning out. I guess that means I didn't like it, but I kept trying, so there's that.
RATING - 6.5/10
Kate Bush
4/5
*1985.
*Very artsy album - haunting and ethereal, but also creepy and brooding.
*Starts off with the total banger that is Running Up That Hill, which was personal favorite until it started coming back in the last few years and was tragically overplayed.
*I'm going to have to revisit this one because there's a lot to unpack, it was an experience.
RATING - 7.5/10
The Only Ones
3/5
*1978.
*This is kinda cool - it sounds like modern day alternative (similar to Cage the Elephant or Group Love) but set in the 70s.
*Not memorable at all, but it was a fun 41 minutes.
RATING - 6.5/10
Motörhead
2/5
*1981.
*Don't care for this. I can tolerate it, but all the songs sound like the same to me.
*It sounds like Van Halen, but bad? I expected them to be more metal, but I guess 80s metal is a different story.
RATING - 4.5/10
Ryan Adams
4/5
*2001.
*This one is nostalgic for me - I listened to it on repeat 20 years ago.
*Such a good start - New York New York, Firecracker, Answering Bell...
RATING - 7.5
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
*1993.
*As one of the few people who loves Billy nearly as much as Billy loves Billy, I've been eagerly awaiting this album.
*I just love it so much. Masterclass on playing with volume in almost every track. Mayonaise is a fave, Cherub Rock, Disarm, Today, and Rocket are classics. But all the tracks in between are an adventure as well.
*So much delightful early 90s alternative goodness.
RATING - 9.5/10
John Martyn
3/5
*1977. British singer/songwriter.
*Pleasant, but not memorable.
*Might give it another try, but probably not.
RATING - 7/10