290
Albums Rated
3.03
Average Rating
27%
Complete
799 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1990
Favorite Decade
Punk
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
48
5-Star Albums
40
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
Top Styles
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Heaux Tales
Jazmine Sullivan
|
5 | 2.68 | +2.32 |
|
Group Sex
Circle Jerks
|
5 | 2.75 | +2.25 |
|
Scream, Dracula, Scream
Rocket From The Crypt
|
5 | 2.76 | +2.24 |
|
The White Room
The KLF
|
5 | 2.79 | +2.21 |
|
Damaged
Black Flag
|
5 | 2.85 | +2.15 |
|
Among The Living
Anthrax
|
5 | 2.85 | +2.15 |
|
Pelican West
Haircut 100
|
5 | 2.97 | +2.03 |
|
Copper Blue
Sugar
|
5 | 2.98 | +2.02 |
|
Post Orgasmic Chill
Skunk Anansie
|
5 | 2.99 | +2.01 |
|
Done By The Forces Of Nature
Jungle Brothers
|
5 | 3.04 | +1.96 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
The Wall
Pink Floyd
|
1 | 4.13 | -3.13 |
|
A Night At The Opera
Queen
|
1 | 3.95 | -2.95 |
|
At San Quentin
Johnny Cash
|
1 | 3.79 | -2.79 |
|
Dire Straits
Dire Straits
|
1 | 3.72 | -2.72 |
|
Blood On The Tracks
Bob Dylan
|
1 | 3.66 | -2.66 |
|
With The Beatles
Beatles
|
1 | 3.66 | -2.66 |
|
Bringing It All Back Home
Bob Dylan
|
1 | 3.64 | -2.64 |
|
In The Court Of The Crimson King
King Crimson
|
1 | 3.61 | -2.61 |
|
Machine Head
Deep Purple
|
1 | 3.58 | -2.58 |
|
The Suburbs
Arcade Fire
|
1 | 3.5 | -2.5 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| The Beach Boys | 3 | 4.67 |
| R.E.M. | 2 | 5 |
| The Smashing Pumpkins | 2 | 5 |
| David Bowie | 4 | 4.25 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Leonard Cohen | 3 | 1 |
| Bob Dylan | 4 | 1.5 |
| Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | 2 | 1.5 |
| Pink Floyd | 2 | 1.5 |
| Queen | 3 | 2 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Nick Drake | 2, 5 |
| The Who | 2, 2, 5 |
| Beatles | 4, 3, 2, 1 |
5-Star Albums (48)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Stephen Stills · 7 likes
2/5
Anybody gonna tell this guy he isn’t black?
The KLF · 2 likes
5/5
Bummed this isn’t on Spotify, I thought this was awesome! The mix of genres was working for me big time.
LCD Soundsystem · 2 likes
2/5
Really? Giving us the post-final show album? The “comeback” album. There’s two LCD Soundsystem albums that are far better than this mediocre attempt to recapture their glory days.
& it’s not like I don’t like this album, but it’s not even a good representative of LCD Soundsystem
Le Tigre · 1 likes
5/5
I wear a Le Tigre hat almost everyday. We just had Adele, the “once in a generation voice” to my actual favorite vocalist! Kathleen Hannah 4ever
Skunk Anansie · 1 likes
5/5
Before I looked at the year I thought “90s Brosnan Bond meets The Matrix soundtrack & 90s alt-rock like Eve 6.
1999 release, I was spot on. Self described as “clit-rock,” heavy metal meets black feminist rage….
Yeahhhhhh this shit hits.
1-Star Albums (40)
All Ratings
Public Enemy
3/5
Little long, but I love the noize
John Lennon
1/5
I can’t imagine ever liking this. Get it?
Pavement
4/5
DJ Shadow
3/5
Prince of Darkness sample?! Boogie Nights sample?! Nosferatu sample?! Twin Peaks reference?!
8 liked songs
Oasis
2/5
Gallagher? I hardly know her!
2 liked songs
The The
4/5
K-Mart Oingo Boingo meets Temu Tears For Fears with a dash of early Ministry & a dose of some Blancmange
The The is good good
Pentangle
2/5
Okay, the first song cracked me up.
Dah bah bah dooh dah!
I also thought they were saying “horse carpenter” instead of house carpenter.
I think I just have very little patience for hippie bullshit. Especially living in Ojai. I’ve heard worse hippie bullshit. & I’ve heard much better hippie bullshit.
Basketball of shite
1 liked song
The Beach Boys
5/5
RIP Brian Wilson. Nothing quite hits nostalgia like the sound of The Beach Boys. & the underlying melancholy (expect for their beach bops) have always really struck me.
Hugh Masekela
4/5
Ruled. Real variety of jazz soundscapes.
7 liked songs
Dire Straits
1/5
Who do I blame for this?
0 liked songs
Beyoncé
4/5
Maybe the worst Beyonce album to start with? I don’t think she has a bad album, but this is bottom two or three.
That said:
12 liked songs
Elton John
4/5
I never considered myself an Elton John fan, despite owning over half of his massive discography. I never actively put him on, but I do always enjoy what I hear. Maybe I AM a fan?
6 liked songs.
Scott Walker
3/5
A mix between a goof and a crooner. A gooner, if you will.
Humorous lines over 60s John Barry Bond sounding orchestral arrangements, yeah, I’m gonna like this a bit.
Would really love just an instrumental version.
Johnny Cash
1/5
I do need to be hitting a darkslide as Bam Margera around a pit of fire or be watching the jackass crew in assless chaps line dancing around some bulls or some shit to enjoy this.
Also never realized how the boomers wanted to be the silent generation so badly.
Sonic Youth
2/5
Trying to hard.
3 liked songs.
Arcade Fire
1/5
Ah the album that made me not like Arcade Fire. Insists upon itself (not a compliment), boring bloated bloviating.
Did they only know how to write songs to the same bpm?
0 liked songs.
Roxy Music
3/5
Listened to this going through The Rolling Stones Too 500 albums & thought it was trash.
After the ballad to the blow up doll track I thought “oh wait, these guys are just fucking around” I enjoyed it way more.
6 liked songs.
Dead Kennedys
5/5
💀💀💀💀💀
U2
4/5
I love U2, do you too?
Leonard Cohen
1/5
The Coen bros movie Inside Llewelyn Davis is about this a-hole folk singer who never gets a break cuz he’s just mediocre…..so…all folk singers? I hate Bob Dylan. This is worse than that. People were only sad this when this guy passed cuz he did the Shrek song.
Mediocre lyrics packaged in the blandest wrapping. Ojai hippie bullshit again. & he sings about being sad there’s no mail??? Dickhead! No mail is the best!
Like unwrapping a single Hershey kiss from the world’s 60th largest foil ball. Totally pointless and not worthy talking about. Oh and the Hershey kiss isn’t chocolate it’s a fucking dookie. Hated this so much.
Youssou N'Dour
2/5
Starts strong, ends mid. I could do without the middle. I’ll listen to that first track any day.
Bill Callahan
1/5
I also wish this guy was an eagle so he couldn’t sing talk to me anymore.
“Fucking me down” instead of “fucking me up” made me laugh out loud. I’m sick of hearing how these singer/songwriter fucks are usually considered lyrical geniuses & master storytellers or whatever when poetry is still like the least popular art form. Coffee shop open mic level shit. There ARE 10/10 singer/songwriter lyrical geniuses. He ain’t one.
A song like “All Thoughts Are Prey to Some Beast” is a good track, but I can find things like saying “brain tree” twice when it was already established in the first line. I hate feeling treated like a dummy, I knew the metaphor, didn’t need to be reminded. Fine, but not a genius. Don’t think I needed to hear this before I died.
This fucked my day down.
3 liked songs.
Franz Ferdinand
4/5
This is exactly what I want to get from these sort of lists. A band/album I never would have listened to because I think “Take me Out” is real lame & I never want to hear it again in my life.
Was bummed to see this album pop up at first…but every other song rips! Would’ve been listening to this so much sooner if Take Me Out didn’t suck so much.
Maybe I’m just happy to get an actual band after a string of duds.
Slade
2/5
They asked the question & answered in their own album cover!
“Slayed?” Thumbs sideways.
MID AF is right dudes.
Mike Ladd
4/5
With an album cover homaging Tetsuo, one of my favorite films ever, this had a lot to live up to. Did not disappoint.
T. Rex
2/5
I liked this enough but I could not focus on it, always faded into the background & I tried twice. I want to judge these albums harder because they’re supposedly ones I need to hear before I die but that’s too harsh; not like the bands are saying that about themselves. Well maybe Oasis would.
That said…I have to listen to all the Beatles albums, did we really need this & other “stepping stone” albums?
This was fine
R.E.M.
5/5
I love REM, top five favorite bands. This is a 5/5 album & not even in my top three of theirs.
My Bloody Valentine
4/5
This would be a 5 star album if they didn’t record it through a tooth tunes toothbrush.
Serge Gainsbourg
3/5
Would be a low key, chill out instrumental album if this French dude wasn’t whispering at me. Read some translated lyrics & it was fine, they added nothing to the tracks. That said, every time the lady dropped a “Melody Nelson” it made me laugh. Like some 1970 producer tag lol
Wes Anderson probably busts a nut when he listens to this.
More like put this guy in a full (Melody) Nelson amirite?
Billy Joel
3/5
I find that I like 2/3rds or 3/4th of every Billie Joel song. & that I only like 1/2 of his stuff. I always want to like him more but something just doesn’t connect. I think it’s that he feels so phony or something.
Dennis Wilson
4/5
Wow, I wish The Beach Boys took a note from their former member & sounded more like this in the late 70s.
a-ha
2/5
I can see why they were a one hit wonder. I can also see why they got a Bond song. Thankfully, Living Daylights is better than anything on this album. That was a long 37 minutes.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
I liked this album a lot when it came out, but I was also a senior in high school with the same amount of self-seriousness that the Yeah Yeah Yeahs had during & after this album. Or maybe I’m just projecting!
Haven’t listened in probably a decade or more. I still like this, but I’ve heard better remixes of most these songs since & do blame Karen O for a lot of cringe bad vocalists in the early 2010s.
The Killers
5/5
Also hadn’t heard this in about a decade & surpassed my memory of it. Real good
Justin Timberlake
2/5
Futuresucks/dumbsounds
Listened to Futuresex afterwards. That’s a 5/5. This was a lukewarm watered down version of a much better album.
The Lonely Island trilogy of songs with JT are better than this.
Curtis Mayfield
5/5
Smooth groovin’ to love, Jesus, no love, bad times, good times.
Adele
1/5
Everyone who I’ve ever said “I hate Adele’s voice” to thinks I’m just being a contrarian douche hater. As if “good vocals” are some objective truth. To my ears & my subjective taste, I can’t stand Adele. It’s nothing against the songwriting (which I find is a little bland at moments that is clearly bolstered by her voice).
Was hoping to find something interesting this time around but when Water Under the Bridge plays I just can’t do it. This album was everywhere in 2015 & I don’t wanna go back.
That said, at least enduring the whole album led to Sweetest Devotion, which I thought was kinda okay.
Morrissey
4/5
Morrissey’s solo stuff is to The Smiths what Jack White’s solo stuff is to The White Stripes. Just an extension of the stuff I already like.
Le Tigre
5/5
I wear a Le Tigre hat almost everyday. We just had Adele, the “once in a generation voice” to my actual favorite vocalist! Kathleen Hannah 4ever
Radiohead
2/5
I only kinda get it…maybe my expectations were too high since Radiohead has this “GENIUS” “Masterpiece” aura attached to them.
This was…whatever. But I do know this isn’t one of the two albums I know are considered their best.
Guns N' Roses
2/5
I guess there’s a reason I’d only heard those three big songs off this album.
I don’t hate Sweet Child or Paradise City (I do not like Welcome to the Jungle)…but the rest of the album, yeahhhhh didn’t enjoy it even a little bit. I was expecting to have a lot more fun. Disappointing.
Listened to The Emotron after.
Nirvana
5/5
This was the one Nirvana album I hadn’t listened to yet. I’m now sad we didn’t get more Nirvana. I think this is their best album, definitely not the most accessible, but their best & I really respect they didn’t play it safe.
Skunk Anansie
5/5
Before I looked at the year I thought “90s Brosnan Bond meets The Matrix soundtrack & 90s alt-rock like Eve 6.
1999 release, I was spot on. Self described as “clit-rock,” heavy metal meets black feminist rage….
Yeahhhhhh this shit hits.
Coldplay
2/5
When I was in 8th grade I thought this shit was so profound, looking out the backseat car window reflecting on LIFE.
I recommend to 8th grade idiots, & I do miss old Coldplay, but even back in the day this wasn’t the Coldplay album I was going to.
The Human League
4/5
I meant to listen to this after I saw them live a few years ago after I realized they weren’t a one-hit wonder like I had thought.
“Dinky” is how I’d describe this & lord knows I love the dink! There’s some real Sega Genesis energy to the synth.
Plus, bald icon.
Brian Wilson
2/5
Glad he finally this out of his system I guess…but the fuck? & this guy had the audacity to say that 2000s “rap music” was the lowest point of the music industry?
This is some Sgt Peppers shit.
Only reason it’s not getting a 1 is cuz Good Vibrations is that good & the occasional reminder that this is The Beach Boys guy.
David Bowie
4/5
A Bowie blind spot for me, I’ll add it to the rotation.
The first half of the album doesn’t meat with the second half, but I like them both separately. From a 70s Bowie rock album to a like Werner Herzog film score.
Prince
5/5
Not even my favorite Prince album, but still perfect.
I’m never mad to see it in the top five of best album lists.
Black Sabbath
4/5
Don’t get me wrong, I get the “importance” of this, but Black Sabbath often feels to me the same as trying to run quickly in a dream.
Eagles
2/5
There must be some trauma I have with Eagles because something about them fills me with a boiling rage. Consciously I know they’re a totally harmless lil band. Subconsciously I wish I every Eagle went extinct.
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
This was a pleasant surprise as I had only heard Purple Haze before & didn’t like it. I was expecting an album of Voodoo Chiles but surprised to find it wasn’t that!
Black Flag
5/5
Hey, wait a minute, my TV doesn’t work! It’s broken!
No TV party toniiiiiiiight
Cheap Trick
4/5
Dang, this get a whole star boost for goodnight ladies and gentlemen. More bands need to play themselves off. The vibes were a blast throughout. Minus a star cuz I’ll just never vibe with jam-y sounding bands I don’t think.
The White Stripes
5/5
Saw the music video for Hardest Button to Button on the big screen at Universal Citywalk in the early 00s, as I was eating Panda Express, & it blew my mind.
🟥⬜️🟥⬜️🟥⬜️🟥
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
4/5
I took one semester of jazz at CSUN, I know what I’m talking about.
Deee-Lite
4/5
Deeelightful
Underworld
3/5
It’s the Get Slippy band! I love that song.
Some of this album reaches that peak, I think the first track in its entirety would have been a 10/10 LP.
Even though I don’t necessarily have negative thoughts on it, hour plus is overstaying its welcome.
I can see listening to this again & just jumping in at the halfway point to give the second half a more fair shot.
Bob Dylan
1/5
Randy Newman wannabe
Aerosmith
2/5
Not enough honkin on bobo
5/5
I don’t know if I’ve ever listened to this front to back before. I can see why people were upset when he killed off Ziggy, but I’m glad he did
Judas Priest
5/5
Just one long “fuuuuuucccckkkk yessssss” throughout the whole album. Rapid Fire is one of the best opening tracks to any album.
Massive Attack
1/5
Massive attack of boredom
American Music Club
3/5
Couldn’t tell you why but I kinda dug this one.
Kanye West
3/5
Trepidatious going into this for obvious reasons & after the first like four songs I thought, “crap, am I giving this a 5?” But the wheels fell off big time in the second half.
King Crimson
1/5
I want wipe all late 60s music from existence to get rid of this album.
Hot Chip
3/5
“Hey YouTube! It’s ya boy, & today we’re doing to Hot Chip challenge!”
The clearest “3 star album” for me. I like a lot of Hot Chip remixes, a compilation album of that would be a 5. I feel like I was inclined to like them, but this album never added up to more than a solid 3.
4/5
What were these guys smoking????
Frank Zappa
4/5
What was this guys smoking??
Jazz fusion/jam band stuff isn’t for me but I really liked a lot of this. Will probably not listen again, expect maybe that first track, but I enjoyed my time.
The La's
3/5
There She Goes is undeniable. The rest of this album was so inoffensive that it became offensive. Is this list determined to make me dislike all British music?
*listened again & I think I was just in a bad mood or something? This is definitely better than Oasis in terms of 90s Brit pop stuff. There’s some stuff closer to REM.
LL Cool J
3/5
KL Cool J
Elis Regina
4/5
Showing my ignorance here but this had a real city pop vibe in some tracks that I really loved. Makes me upset there’s not more foreign albums because this was a really pleasant surprise
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
Look, it’s a five, but I also don’t need to hear most of these songs for another ten years.
Ice Cube
5/5
Listening to this like “this sounds like DAS EFX.” Then my man showed up on a track!
LCD Soundsystem
2/5
Really? Giving us the post-final show album? The “comeback” album. There’s two LCD Soundsystem albums that are far better than this mediocre attempt to recapture their glory days.
& it’s not like I don’t like this album, but it’s not even a good representative of LCD Soundsystem
Van Halen
3/5
Van Halen has an element of cheesiness that I can’t get on board with, but this was fun enough
Patti Smith
4/5
A name I’ve known forever with absolutely no idea what she’s about. It’s much better than I was expecting, I was ready to be snoozed
The Who
2/5
The Poo
The Dandy Warhols
3/5
Producer: Alright yall, I think we did. We have a 5 star, 40 minute seminal album, let’s start ironing out the finishing touc-
Dandy: nah nah nah nah nah. We got at least another 30 minutes, let’s get that five star down to a 3.
I could see this being an easy 4 if I’m in the mood for it. Shoegaze is very divisive for me apparently.
Bob Dylan
3/5
The closest I’ve come to “getting it”
Kraftwerk
2/5
I understand their pioneers yadda yadda yadda. This is good & unbearably repetitive. I think people like Brian Eno & Gary Numan also working in the electronic genre were doing waaay more interesting stuff.
The first & last two tracks would have made for an ok ep.
Q-Tip
4/5
Impeccable vibes on this one
The Velvet Underground
3/5
Look, I think Pale Blue Eyes is one of my favorite songs & I danced to a Velvet Underground song at my wedding…this was sleepy as hell
Aerosmith
4/5
Maybe I should have played Guitar Hero Aerosmith
Listened to this album when going through The Rolling Stones top 500 & I’ve liked it more each time. Also…9 songs, 34 minutes, it might be getting a 4 for that reason alone! Get in, get the lead out!
The Black Crowes
1/5
I don’t like this.
David Bowie
4/5
Probably only on here because of the connection to his death & I do think the context doubles the haunting quality of this album, but I think a lot of it stands on its own. Maybe wouldn’t have put this one on the list personally, but I’m happy I went back & listened to it.
The Offspring
5/5
🎵 Gotta keep it five star rated 🎵
Run-D.M.C.
2/5
It’s no Bad Credit
Sex Pistols
4/5
Glad to know there was more good stuff on here than just the one song of theirs I’d heard (too many times probably)
Eminem
2/5
Didn’t Mather that much to me.
Stephen Stills
2/5
Anybody gonna tell this guy he isn’t black?
Queens Of The Stone Age
2/5
Oh cool, my like fifth or sixth favorite QOTSA album. This list is often lame. Rated R, Era Vulgaris, Songs for the Deaf…all like twice as good as this album.
Lou Reed
4/5
Not one mention of the All Spark??!
Dr. Dre
4/5
Snoop Dogg elevates this album, the beats are undeniable, every track is a minute too long. Maybe I’m just ironically not down with any genre that has “stoner” attached to it.
Beatles
3/5
Barely squeaking up to a three. It should be a 2 because I think the songs I don’t like i really don’t like, but per my rule if I like half the record it’s a 3 & I liked 7 of 14 tracks.
Herbie Hancock
4/5
Herbie fully loaded this album with electric jazz n funk. Listened while I cleaned the house & it was a pretty sweet soundtrack, would love to have on vinyl
The Smiths
5/5
I don’t think I’ve ever thought about a musician as much as people do when they hate on Morrisey.
This is the first Smiths album I heard back in the day & remains my favorite
Janis Joplin
2/5
I honestly think I prefer Bette Midler in The Rose
SAULT
2/5
What, no PEUPPER?
TV On The Radio
2/5
I was excited when we got this album because I’ve heard two of their records I really enjoy.
I did not really enjoy this. Listen to Seeds or their debut album, this is not a good representation of the band
David Bowie
4/5
This is probably what a lot people think of when they think of “David Bowie.”
Go figure the two songs I don’t like on here are named after two people I don’t like.
Fairport Convention
2/5
I went to the Fairport Convention & all the swag sucked!
Stevie Wonder
2/5
I just can’t think of any context where I’m throwing this on. I’m slightly more favorable to this because I didn’t know Stevie Wonder had a certain level of humor to him. Creepin’ & saying things like 10 zillion make for At least a more interesting listen.
Ray Charles
3/5
Digging the big band sound in that first half & then what, they all fell asleep?
Fatboy Slim
5/5
Blast from start to finish. We’re past 100 albums & this is easily the most fun shit we’ve had. Read a lot of reviews that are like “duhhhh it’s repetitive” but that’s like saying a rap album has too many words.
The original album art is infinitely better.
So far I think this is my favorite album we’ve done????
Hawkwind
1/5
Cool…a genre of music that has no cultural impact & an album that is eclipsed by far more well-regarded psych-jam shit.
What do you do when you listen to this? I don’t understand the “smoke a j & listen to this!” review either. I’m doing all the right drugs & this still sounds as empty & soundless as space itself.
All that said, even though I didn’t like a track off of this, there were moments where I enjoyed the spacey sounds (I think there was a song with a sax that I liked for about thirty seconds) & I think I could have a much worse time with a similar type of album. Still…one star despite not having the worst time ever.
Metallica
3/5
I relistened to that Judas Priest album we got already & I think my preference is just faster metal. I’ll put some Metallica in my rotation but I find I’m wanting it to just get goin’ cuz when it does it’s really good.
I’ll be interested if the other Metallica albums offer any variation to this, which is pretty much what I expected from them.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
I don’t think I like Nicholas Cavern, but he did help make one of my favorite film scores: Assassination of Jesse James, which I listened to after & think that should have been on this list instead.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
4/5
10/10 album cover. Tan & I listened to a lot of this type of jazz, call it “Tower of Terror queue music.” So I still can’t really listen to this stuff without feeling a wave of grief. I’ll give it a three because I did love the atmosphere of this, but this is a DNF for me.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
I was totally lost cuz I haven’t heard the other three.
Went into this with the attitude of like “okay it’s a ton of songs I know? I really got listen to Stairway again?”
Off the mark, bangers. Stairway is good.
That mountain hop song was trash & I don’t think I like When The Levees Break at all cuz I associate that song with douchers.
Parliament
3/5
This was a fun funk time. Nothing all that special.
Neneh Cherry
4/5
Man, those first four or five songs are really something! I read that this is proto triphop & if that’s true then wtf happened to triphop. This album falls off once the electronic/synth takes a back seat.
It’s a 3 star but I listened to that first track no less than like ten times so it gets a full star boost.
Van Halen
2/5
How does a band make a banger like Running with the Devil & then just fumble every other song. Not a fan of the sound of VH guitar but I recognize the talent.
The KLF
5/5
Bummed this isn’t on Spotify, I thought this was awesome! The mix of genres was working for me big time.
The White Stripes
4/5
Jack White, & by extension White Stripes are in my top three favorite musicians…I wouldn’t say multiple White Stripes albums need to be on the list. & of all their albums this is the only one I’d give a four. Songs that I like I love extensively. But there’s a few tracks on here I’m not hot about.
Anita Baker
2/5
I appreciate the joke of listening to Rapture this week, but I appreciate the album a little bit less. Can’t deny any of the talent of the singer or the emotion of any of it, it just don’t hit me in any way.
Green Day
4/5
I did it all for the Dookie
Led Zeppelin
2/5
4>PG. def don’t need repeat artists if the albums explore the same sound. Led Zeppelin is fine, but I don’t need this much.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
Led Zeppelin >4>PG. I like about 2 minutes of each Les Zeppelin song.
Astor Piazzolla
1/5
I miss the french lady whispering “Melody Nelson” to me.
Earth, Wind & Fire
3/5
I think having heard September my too many times for too much of my life has ruined a lot of their upbeat flavor. Undeniable in their genre I suppose. Loved the horns.
Sigur Rós
3/5
I thought this was a cool ambient album. Might not throw on any song from it but I’d definitely listen again for that specific vibe
Incredible Bongo Band
4/5
I’m counting this as a ska band. Any song with horns was great. Ironically, the bongo heavy songs left the most to be desired.
Lambchop
2/5
If this list has taught me anything about myself….I don’t like song longer than 4 minutes.
These are LIL ditties if I’ve ever heard one! No reason to drag all these songs to 5+ minutes.
Is this guy the brother of the author or something? Bonus star cuz I love the album cover.
Cocteau Twins
5/5
Impeccable atmosphere. I don’t think I want or need another shoegaze/dream pop album, this is the top
Isaac Hayes
5/5
Look, I loved this stuff a lot but it’s made me so frustrated at this list. Put a film score in here but just one? I can think of 1001 film scores to put above Shaft, as much as I like it.
I would never recommend this experience, unless you’re a masochist like me
Leonard Cohen
1/5
That first song is the most listened to Leonard Cohen song, it was good. Nothing else was.
Joy Division
2/5
Well, turns out I only like the one Joy Division album. If I heard any of these on their own I might like them more but it’s a rough listen in one go through.
Wanna make it close to a three, but it ain’t quite.
Iron Maiden
3/5
I had a hunch & listened to two other Iron Maiden albums. This debut should not have been on this list. Look, it still shred, but their signature style & polish was missing.
Rocket From The Crypt
5/5
Would I put this on a list? No. Am I upset it’s on here? No. Would I rather it have been RFTC instead of Scream, Dracula, Scream? Yes. Am I still going to give it five stars? Yeah. Does it deserve five stars? Probably not, but this list is barren of ska so I’ll boost what I can get. Plus I loved this album in like 11th grade.
10cc
4/5
I’d love to give this a 5 just for how much it surprised me after that first track. I really loved a lot of this & it’s one of the first albums that I thought could’ve used another track?! Had a blast with this one
Bob Dylan
1/5
When I got to “Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream” it all came together. I do not like this ramblin’ loser.
Circle Jerks
5/5
First album I could listen to on vinyl!
Does in 15 minutes what takes others an hour and a half to do.
David Gray
3/5
Any of the straight acoustic stuff, hard pass. But that like drum machine sound with this genre kinda worked for me?
Lorde
3/5
In the name of the Lloyd!
Sade
2/5
Something about Smooth Operator is like nails on a chalkboard for some reason…the rest is nice, but not my tempo or what I really connect with.
Nitin Sawhney
2/5
Was thinking, “man, I might like this a lot more if it leaned more instrumental.” Then Tides came & I think that’s one of the best songs I’ve heard yet. & the track following was pretty good too.
I don’t like trip-hop & this is like what our third one?? Cmon mannn
Small Faces
4/5
Probably a 3, but I’m pump in it up cuz I like the personality of this band more than the music. Again, I’m more of a Monkees man.
Arcade Fire
3/5
Won’t pretend it doesn’t get a nostalgia boost, but it’s better than the other album we listened to.
Steve Earle
2/5
Giving it a two I know the floor for country is so much lower & this wasn’t fully atrocious. Also this guy says he’s a socialist. So bonus star.
Peter Gabriel
2/5
Knocking on three stars but no one answered. Each song overstays its welcome but has moments I really like.
He’s no Bowie or Phil Collins.
Jerry Lee Lewis
3/5
0 stars for the man, 3 for the album. It’s a fun time.
Pixies
4/5
I love the weirdo vibes of the Pixies. Did a full deep dive on them a year back & their post reunion stuff is some of the worst music I’ve ever heard.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
2/5
Solidified my opinions on Janis Joplin.
Michael Jackson
3/5
Heehee
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
Just for that one part in Mayonnaise alone.
The Youngbloods
3/5
I came into this very negatively. Just looked at the date, the vibes & thought this would be annoying and bad.
It was very pleasant tho! Maybe the best of this genre yet?
Jacques Brel
2/5
This was the Frenchest thing I’ve ever consumed. I wish I was alive in the 60s cuz apparently you didn’t need much talent to become popular or remembered.
Amy Winehouse
3/5
I was expecting to go I’ve this a one. & yes, I think a lot of the songs blend together & yes, it overstays its welcome & yes, it’s wordy & verbose….but I liked it! Maybe not any individual songs but I get why she was a such an icon
AC/DC
2/5
What a bunch of corn puffs.
Hey, Hart high wants their pre-game music playlist back!
Super Furry Animals
2/5
Man, that first track is a top ten of the list so far. 2nd track dipped but I still liked it….rest of the album was some real bullshit. Hey list, your biases are showing!
Made me yearn for Oasis. Also had the suspicion that this album is not representative of the band & I was right. But of course this list chooses the late 60s/early 70s sounding crude
The Beach Boys
4/5
Three star with a boost for the best Beach Boys album art! If I want to listen to a weirdo Beach Boys album I’d listen to this.
Rush
5/5
Zero notes. Listened to a 20 minute song twice, that’s a miracle. This is my favorite rock album so far
Yes
4/5
Yes, no, maybe so, ask again later.
Really only that first track is one I’d actively skip
The Zutons
2/5
A perfectly 2.5 star album.
Radiohead
4/5
Didn’t leave me high nor dry. More like this, less like that other album & I’ll be happier.
Wilco
1/5
I got my photo taken by a member of Wilco at a museum Halloween party. It’s a great photograph. That’s all I have to say about Wilco.
Harry Nilsson
3/5
I thought this was pretty enjoyable and pleasant until the wheels fell off in the tail end. Can’t believe the coconut song is in here. High highs, mid lows.
Spiritualized
2/5
One song was enough & I didn’t even dislike this. Every song had the same exact progression. I could have listened to just Angel Sigh & got the whole thing
The Black Keys
2/5
After the first song I thought, uh oh, was I wrong about them???
No.
Emmylou Harris
2/5
Not quite my tempo.
The Cars
5/5
This had at least four stars locked in but damn this album is even better than I realized.
OutKast
4/5
This was wackadoo. Really put the stank on ya.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
2/5
Puff puff hard pass
Frank Sinatra
2/5
I’m not from New York.
The vibes are something that bum me out, I’m not gonna put it on.
The Triffids
1/5
So innocuous that it became noxious
Paul Simon
2/5
This thing isn’t for me, but I did like it more than Dylan if we’re talking folk storyteller
The Pogues
3/5
It’ll be 1000 reviews that are all the same if I repeat the “runtime is too long” mantra, but I’m sorry, these songs are repetitive and each too long. There’s levels of frustration with the length, & this is a lighter infraction, but it keeps good albums from being GOOD albums.
Anthrax
5/5
As a postal worker, it feels blasphemous to like Anthrax!
2/5
Shame to give this the same rating as other worse albums, but it’s just not my jam, literally. I think those first three tracks are pretty cool like proto-punk though
Otis Redding
4/5
I think I’d only heard the one Otis Redding song before, this was a nice surprise. I might like some of these versions better than more famous ones.
Deep Purple
1/5
Kinda insane how I could sing along to every single note of Highway Star thanks to Rock Band.
Oh yeah, I hated this.
UB40
4/5
I came into this one today in a shitty mood & I’ll be damned if I didn’t come out in a good one.
Really connected with the instrumental tracks & the song King which is like my favorite reggae song??
I liked those songs enough to get it real close to a four & the album cover is one my favorites so far.
Queen
3/5
What’s Queen before they became Queen
if not a peasant!
It was whatever.
Ray Price
2/5
Not a Price you could pay me. Literally fell asleep after the third song & thought it was alright. Then I heard the rest of the album. It’s just not my thing.
Sugar
5/5
“More…sugar.” - Men In Black
Songhoy Blues
5/5
This was wild! Every song had this hypnotically catchy riff that made each song feel like they were 60 seconds but at the same time also 5 minutes?
Pink Floyd
2/5
They called this shit a concept album but didn’t even stick to a concept. & no, you’re 13 minute tracks aren’t impressive when they’re literally just four separate songs put into one long track.
I like two Pink Floyd songs, they suck.
Def Leppard
2/5
lmao
Manic Street Preachers
4/5
I truly don’t know where to rank this. It’s somewhere between a 4 & a 2. You might be thinking that’s 3, but it’s not. This is either four stars, or two.
Notably the first album where the lyrics really give it a boost for me, this was some dirt, dark weird bad vibes.
Pretenders
4/5
I wonder why I never listens to this before? This was way cooler than Brass in Pocket would lead you to believe
1/5
Saw what the album was & thought “War, huh? What is it good for? Absolutely nothing.”
Asked and answered.
The Cure
3/5
Appreciate this album more than I like it, but it has its moments & scratches the goth itch like nobody’s business.
Nick Drake
2/5
Pink Moon was really good….
I hate minor key folk
Beck
2/5
Well that isn’t what I was expecting. I’ve heard like four Beck songs & they’re all at least weird. This sucked.
I also know this list isn’t usually indicative of what the artist usually sounds like, but my once eagerness to dive into Beck albums is out the window.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
This would be a one star but for some reason Cinnamon Girl has always been one of my favorite songs.
I like Neil Young, but just one song at time. Is there anything wrong with that?
Björk
5/5
Bjorkest surprise! Passionately adored every second of this. Figured I’d love some, but not at all of & not as much as I did.
ZZ Top
2/5
Zztop playing this music please.
The Who
2/5
Not my generation thank god
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
I didn’t dislike much of this but good lord the songs didn’t need to be six minutes long
The Who
5/5
I often call my dog Bart, Baba. Loved this album in like 10th grade and meant a lot to me then, I don’t think it deserves the five stars, but I’d listen to this again anytime.
Literally the only Who I ever want to hear.
Iron Maiden
5/5
THIS is the Iron Maiden I was expecting to get. Liked it more than I ever remembered.
Number of the Beast followed by Run to the Hills is insane
Pixies
5/5
Another one I could listen to on vinyl! Have this thing memorized thanks to Rock Band. Wave of Mutilation coming in clutch.
Sly & The Family Stone
2/5
Pretty milquetoast
Paul Simon
4/5
Paul Simon is my Bob Dylan
Public Image Ltd.
4/5
Shocked how much I enjoyed this despite it being QUITE obnoxious.
Nine Inch Nails
5/5
Only listened to NIN in earnest like three years ago & I’m equally bummed I didn’t listen sooner as I am thrilled to have found a new favorite band in my 30s when you tend to just listen to the same things over and over.
So now I listen to NIN over and over.
Chicago
2/5
The Chicago best hits album is one of my favorites, I was expecting to dig this…other than the songs I already knew I did not like any of this sadly.
Ray Charles
3/5
Pretty slick that he even made this album, but I really only dug the upbeat ditties…which there wasn’t a ton of.
I am only 34, not 95, this is not my bag baby. I feel quite sick.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
3/5
Better than expected, too long. First two tracks and last two tracks are good
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
Couple undeniable classics, rest was good. Preferred that solo Simon album, but Garfunkel is the better actor
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
Blood Sugar? low.
Sex? yes please.
Magik? mid.
Badly Drawn Boy
2/5
1001 shrugs to give before…idk, doesn’t matter. Didn’t hate it, won’t remember it tomorrow. Don’t even remember now!
Morrissey
3/5
“I’m not sorry” - Morrissey
That made me laugh. Real hit or miss on this throughout. Didn’t add up to much in total
Various Artists
1/5
Bahumbug
Jethro Tull
4/5
Bahumbangers! I always liked Aqualung in whatever Rock Band game. The rest were also pretty good and each song was delightfully brief. Get in, flute out.
ABBA
2/5
I listened to like 6 hours of ABBA when I was going through the 500 Rolling Stones albums list…I’m forever done with ABBA.
Mudhoney
3/5
Quit playing in the mud, honey.
Listens to the 23 minute original version.
Cat Stevens
4/5
The length of this is such a boon. If this had been 10 minutes longer I’d be over it. There’s a simplicity here that I like, there’s like no ego attached unlike a Dylan where I’m like “dude I don’t care & I don’t think you’re as smart as you think you are.”
This guy is just like “your dads gonna die”
The Clash
4/5
Not as good as Rocket From the Crypt
Kraftwerk
2/5
Not as good as the Astro Bot soundtrack.
An interesting 22 minute long track that I will never listen to again in my life
Boston
5/5
Smokin’!
Linkin Park
2/5
In 5th grade my best friend showed me this cool new hip album. Hated everything about it then.
Rod Stewart
2/5
“Excuse me, sorry, but can you take this guacamole away. It’s a little too spicy” - Rod Stewart fan, probably.
This is when the list really needs that 2.5
Electric Light Orchestra
4/5
If I had listened to this in one go through I bet I’d comfortably give it a three. But I knew going in that I’d being doing myself a service to break this into like three different chunks.
Would be irritating if it was an hour of this very same-y wall of sound
Bob Dylan
1/5
Eh, shoulda been Blood on the Dance Floor.
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
I was going to give it a two but I really liked Castles Made of Sand so that 2.5 gets bumped up.
Snoop Dogg
4/5
I’m not a big “west coast” rap guy, but Snoop Dogg is a pass! Bonus star for making me laugh
Dr. John
1/5
Read multiple reviews that were praising how spooky this sounded. I’d hate for those people to hear about g-g-ghosts!
New Order
5/5
Weirdly doesn’t feel like a five star album, but I don’t dislike any song. Listens to it twice & liked them more the second time as well.
System Of A Down
4/5
I only ever knew them as a meme of sorts cuz of “wake up, brush your teeth” etc. Damn this thing was way better than I was expecting.
Why do I give it four stars? I wanted to.
Ghostface Killah
4/5
Listened to this many times today skipping, like, ten tracks, mostly skits. I don’t think I’ve heard any Wu-Tang adjacent that’s less than good. This was great
Queen
1/5
I’m really sad I didn’t enjoy my time with this, I always thought I’d enjoy Queen. But the songs that are “good” I just truly never need to hear again.
It also lessened my appreciation for Bohemian Rhapsody as this lighting in a bottle track, they were trying so hard in every track to make a Bohemian Rhapsody. Idk man, bummed me out.
Guided By Voices
3/5
Don’t know what to make of this thing. Could be one star, could be four. I think conceptually I like an album with songs that are all under 2 minutes, most under 1:30.
But if I’m talking about length, then the album didn’t leave much impression
The Bees
2/5
I needed something to fall asleep to
Boards of Canada
2/5
You’d think a band that has echoes of my favorite musician would be a slam dunk, but anytime I got an inkling of that Tobaxxo sound, it just made me pissed off
Talking Heads
5/5
I think I’ve seen Stop Making Sense more in theaters than any other film. Never listened to a Talking Heads album until now.
& I love hearing these classic albums & leading that the big hit off the album is probably my least favorite track on the album.
Jimmy Smith
3/5
Sounds like the Toy Story sega game meets a swanky party.
fIREHOSE
4/5
Fro mo he oh
Fela Kuti
4/5
Very cool guy, very solid jazz, quite repetitive but not the worst
Dizzee Rascal
2/5
Flatten this Rascal
That Danny Brown/Jpegmafia album from a few years back feels like the perfected version of this album.
The Fall
1/5
FLOP.
Bert Jansch
1/5
There’s probably a literal hundred blues albums that have better guitar playing & it’s not like this guy is singing about anything new or with any distinction.
That said, liked some of the instrumental tracks, but I’d never put them on before like Skip James.
Booker T. & The MG's
5/5
I always really loved Green Onions, had no clue the album was just 35 minutes of Green Onions. Music criticism is silly. It boils down to “I like this sound. I’d like to listen for 30 more minutes.”
I can’t speak to this being technically proficient or anything, but it makes me feel good listening & for this dumbass list, that’s a five
Led Zeppelin
3/5
Usually when I listen to some seminal band I find that I enjoy the deeper cuts more than the shit I’ve heard over and over. Not the case with Led Zeppelin, I don’t need the deep cuts AND I’m tired of the hits.
Grateful Dead
1/5
Ungrateful to be alive.
Beatles
2/5
“That’s as bad as listening to The Beatles without earmuffs” - James Bond
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
1/5
The only bad seed is the sperm that wriggled its way into Mrs. Cave and gave life to this talentless phuck
Siouxsie And The Banshees
4/5
Hooray! The type of album that makes this dumb ol thing worth it! I’d heard Hong Kong Garden & I don’t like that song so I never gave the album a shot. Turns out I like everything else.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
1/5
Knew within the first five se ones I’d be bummed. there’s a problem when I’m hoping for a country album
Nick Drake
5/5
Based on everything else in this genre we’ve had to endure, you’d think I’d give this another 1 or 2 stars…imagine my surprise as I enjoyed this entire album thoroughly.
This proves that I’m not bias against this genre inherently…it just usually sucks ass.
I thought this was incredible & sweeping & beautiful & bittersweet. Really incredible album. Listened to it three times. Probably the most an album has had to earn 5 stars, uphill battle.
John Martyn
1/5
The author of this list probably thinks “all lives matter.”
The worst part of lil pink skinned singer/songwriter & folk crud mixed with that wannabe black artist bullshit this list seems to love. I’ve mentioned Skip James in a review before with another wannabe black musician & this guy covers a Skip James song! Skip James is not on this list. Listened to that afterwards to get the bad taste out of my mouth.
Then I relistened to Nick Drake again after reading the first song was dedicated to him. Probably glad he kicked it before he had to hear that piece of shit song. Getting this album right after Nick Drake probably really hurt my take on this.
Iron Butterfly
1/5
In da garbo; a zero, honey.
Hate when this idiot author clearly includes an album for just one song. (& I’ve always disliked this song)
Anytime I have to endure a bullshit nothing psych album I’m putting on an album by a WuTang member. I’ll probably be out of albums by March. Listened to Ironman by Ghostface Killah - 3 stars
Kendrick Lamar
3/5
I’m gonna have to revisit this & actually read the lyrics cuz my dumbass can’t keep up/its all over my head.
Derek & The Dominos
3/5
This is the first Eric Clapton thing I didn’t totally hate. Can’t really deny that Layla riff & after hearing so many bad jam bands, this felt more competent & written.
Emmylou Harris
2/5
If this was my sort of thing I could see it being a three or four. Very pleasant, thoughtful album that I can’t fault, but I’ll never relisten probably. If my wife put it on, I’m not having a bad time. Maybe a 2 is harsh, but whatever
Haircut 100
5/5
Have I heard better songs & albums? sure yeah. Did I want to skip any song on here? Absolutely not. Underrated horns, underrated band.
Janelle Monáe
5/5
DAMN! Every track was tight as hell, yes even the backwards one. & the one that sounds like a Mighty Boosh song. Surface level they were all really great & also had a lot of complexity & depth if you wanted to look for it.
Glad I didn’t hear this in 2010 cuz I wouldn’t have appreciated it.
Can’t believe it was 3 hours long tho. Oh wait I listened to it three times. Instant top like 50 albums. (Well, if I exclude Tobacco)
Van Morrison
2/5
Nah.
One star for some good horns & instrumentation. Will remember zero of this before I go to bed tonight.
Jane's Addiction
4/5
This album title is wrong! Something IS Shocking: any time this list has an album I’d listen to again!
Neil Young
3/5
What a great 25 minute album with two shitty, long-as-hell songs totaling 15 minutes.
He seems to take it all a little less seriously, so I take him a little less serious? He’s singing about being a vampire oil baron. Idk, I think it’s funny.
Also I hope they invented a new circle of hell just for the guy who invented the harmonica.
D'Angelo
3/5
Men in Black if it was D’Angelo instead of D'Onofrio:
“More..brown sugar.”
Chalk it up to this just not being my genre so I really felt the length, but I never had a bad time. & Shit Damn Motherfucker made me laugh out loud so a bonus star
Muddy Waters
2/5
I ain’t dipping into these waters!
Jazmine Sullivan
5/5
Lyndsie told me to listen to this back in 2022 when she was listening to this a lot (I’d heard a good chunk of this already because of her) & never did. Turns out my wife knows my tastes pretty dang well. Loved all this.
The Specials
5/5
Oh crud! This whole time I’ve been doing the donkey!
Beatles
1/5
*jack off motion* *WWE cross chop crotch thrust* *farts*
Leave the postman the hell alone!
The Velvet Underground
4/5
The original Hobo Johnson. Three songs I love, three songs I really do not. Sounds about right for the Velvet Underground
James Brown
2/5
A live album isn’t a best of album, it a best of live performance.
Another case of not wanting to put a best of compilation so you give em a live album since they don’t actually have a BEST album.
Jungle Brothers
5/5
This is the second five star album that isn’t on streaming…which sadly means I will likely not listen to it as much as I’d like. Got that De La Soul vibe that I’m a sucker for, would love to find this on vinyl one day.
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
One of those “this meant a lot to me” albums that might be the worst type of music journalism/criticism. Equivalent to hearing someone talk about their dreams. It’s a five star for me, no need to say why other than “it just is”
The Pogues
3/5
I don’t know if they came up with the Irish-folk punk thing, but it’s certainly a signature sound. I’d probably listen to this before other bands…but The Pogued aren’t in Tony Hawk so idk! Somewhere between a 3 or 4, but leaning 3 cuz I realllly don’t like that Christmas song
Pink Floyd
1/5
It’s just another brick up my ass
Paul Weller
1/5
I don’t know how much more I’d like this album, but I’d like it more without this guy’s voice. Didn’t resonate with me at all. First half of the album I was like “this vocal type is so closely associated with white harmonica dudes & like “‘Merica Pride” songs and sure enough I got a harmonica. Takes two stars off, minimum. (His softer songs don’t fit that description, but I just found those to be pretty bland. He’s on a playlist with Nick Drake & I’m just reminded what a rich album that was in comparison.)
Leonard Cohen
1/5
If I were a fish & you caught me…maybe it’s the thought of not BEING SO ALONE…& when I’m back in Chicago I feel iiiiiit!…and the branch on the tree and the tree in bog…bewitched, bothered & bewildered aaaaammmmm iiiiiiii
Songs from The Room - 5 stars.
Songs from A Room - “this isn’t fudge…ah man this is shit!”
The Allman Brothers Band
1/5
Bullshit live album blues jam band crap by white people (plus a black drummer!) The AllWhite Brothers solidified my stance that talent is fucking overrated as a measure for greatness.
Supreme Clientele by Ghostface Killah - 3.5 stars.
The Beach Boys
5/5
What a salve after four stinkers in a row. I know this is considered like one of the best of all time, but idk why an album has to have that pinnacle status. It’s a five star, I don’t gotta go waxing poetic like I’ve been seeing for Allman Brothers, Leonard Cohen, etc.
ZZ Top
2/5
This reminds me of driving to work in 2014 listening to 103.5 THE SOUND. My go to classic rock station that was replaced by a Christian rock station. Long live The Sound…that said, not my vibe but I’ll always go to bat for “Gimme All Your Loving”
Queen
2/5
I appreciated the structure of this album, all the songs flowing into each other smoothly…but I did not like said songs. I could’ve gone my life only hearing the Best Of Queen & be happier for it.
That Bohemian Rhapsody movie was so bad that it actually did ruin the band for me. People are always like “well if they remake such & such you’d still have the original film to go back to” … doesn’t apply to biopics apparently.
Elliott Smith
3/5
I gotta really be in the mood for Elliot Smith…& I kinda was!
Although, I’ll never try to defend this as “good.” Why would I ever listen to “Everything Reminds Me of Her” when “Always Something There to Remind Me” exists & is a banger?
Also, of the few things I got after my best friend died, was an Elliot Smith vinyl So I have some sentimental/emotional something, even if I don’t love the music.
Mott The Hoople
3/5
Whoa, bold of them to put a 70s English rock album on this list!
I prefer Mott the applesauce.
David Bowie & Bob Dylan had a kid who couldn’t make up their mind who they wanted to be.
All that said, this was like kinda whatever.
*learned after writing my review that Bowie saved the band from breaking up, offered them Suffragette City, they said no & he gave them some other song that ended up being their biggest hit lol
PJ Harvey
4/5
2012-2016 I consumed all riot grrrl music I could find. Even had extremely rare stuff downloaded from extremely sketchy websites, surely loaded up the family computer with all the malware & viruses that existed at the time.
PJ Harvey was always in conversation with the genre but always separate. Kind of like Sleater-Kinney, on the fence of being “riot grrrl” or not. (Not that the label really ever meant anything. Just ask Bikini Kill)
Shockingly I had never heard anything from her until now, or maybe subconsciously saved this progenitor of the genre for later. She’s name dropped in a handful of riot grrrl songs.
Obviously this is my my shit, but I do think this album tapered off near the end. Regardless, I will listen to much more PJ Harvey now.
Side note: is the story of Sampson & Delilah the reason why bald men are considered less masculine/desirable? (& I don’t mean bald like The Rock, I mean like a Costanza)
The Verve
4/5
The equivalent of a 3hr movie. Shave off 40 minutes and this 4 star album is a 5 star baby!
Another fix: bittersweet symphony being the first song realllly drags those next three tracks down. But the second half of this is much more for me. Diet U2.
Ananda Shankar
4/5
Maybe this revolutionized sitar music, but it didn’t sound all that different from other sitar music I am familiar with (admittedly, not a lot).
Still a fun album that I think achieved its goal, but I found the two cover songs to be the most exciting of the bunch
And a million times better than that godawful sitar Gorillaz album!
(Jk, I just wanted Jon to get his panties in a bunch for a second haha it’s good)
Suede
1/5
You cannot perSuede me to like this Dog(shit) Man(ure) Shart
Arrested Development
4/5
Idk why I don't listen to more of this era hip-hop & this specifically (maybe naively) optimistic positive good vibes. Always lifts my mood, always gets me thinking, always gets me “swinging my legs”
Did James Cameron hear Dawn of the Dreads and create Avatar?! (Favorite part of the album was at the end of that song when they said it’s a brand new song by arrested development, dawn of the dreads, I hope you enjoy it. Thanks guys! I did!
Kanye West
1/5
The worst bros with the worst taste & worst personalities all praised Kanye like the second coming when I was in high school. Hated it then, had only aged worse. What’s the opposite of nostalgia?
N.W.A.
5/5
I think I prefer Ice Cube The Predator more but both are 5
Korn
2/5
I was hoping maybe being so separated from the “nu-metal sux!” era that I’d appreciate this more. & I kinda do. Freak on a Leash into Got the Life is good stuff (I only recently learned the lyric is “God paged me” not “God hates me” & it unlocked just how corny this album is).
Hard pressed to give more than 2 stars even if I think Jonathan Davis is a pretty remarkable vocalist. I was warned about All in the Family & the biggest crime about it is just how unfunny it is, not the “edginess.”
Moby
4/5
Was ready to give this a five as each song just really hit, then there was like 9 of the snooziest, uninteresting chill songs I’ve heard…then another like 10 all-time chills songs.
I listened to the whole 2+hr thing & out of 20+ songs only not vibing with 9 is really good!)
Plus I listened to the songs I liked twice so that’s like three hours of Moby. Glad to have these in my life now, didn’t know what I was missing.
Soundgarden
2/5
Every song is too long & annoyingly slow & droning for my taste.
Fond memories of Spoonman making me laugh playing Rock Band. Equally unfond memories of having to play Black Hole Sun.
Jed sang em better
R.E.M.
5/5
Really Enjoyable Music
Taylor Swift
1/5
nevermore.
As toxic to the culture as kanye.
Public Enemy
3/5
“The counterattack on world supremacy” aspect is five out of five….turns out I don’t like a hype man though.
On another day I could give this a four.
Mylo
4/5
Having listened to thousands of songs in this genre, I’m constantly shocked how remarkably unremarkable they all are. Outside of the legends, I can’t tell you difference between a Mylo, J Worra, Kloudd, Schmarx, Dombresky, Inaya Day, La Bouche, PBH & Jack…(all real names)
So I find it silly to include any house album on the list (equivalent to a live album)…I do still like dance music. My rating system is biting me in the ass because this is NOT a four star album but I liked all but a few songs.
As an ALBUM, totally not anything. As songs put on during a DJ set to dance to, yeah, but that’s a different list.
Meat Puppets
2/5
If the rest of the album lived up to that first track, I’d be tempted to give this five stars cuz I was definitely laughing AT that thing. “Thing,” not song.
What the hell even is this hahaha
Frank Ocean
3/5
I still don’t think I get why he’s heralded as an absolute genius, & I don’t have any soft spots for this sound/time.
But Lyndsie played this a lot when we were first dating so the nostalgia is high. Even minus that, this not being my genre of choice, real god.
John Grant
1/5
I was only kinda digging Jesus Hates Faggots & then he dropped the n-word & it’s like, idk, calling out the church for hating minorities and being generally very shitty to anyone that isn’t part of the church is a cold-ass take & I don’t think warranted the n-word? Took me way out. This was a hard miss.
The Divine Comedy
1/5
This isn’t one star but I gotta take my frustration out that they included a clearly “comedy” album that’s unfunny as hell & the lack of Weird Al is unforgivable.
Pulp, but not good. Scott Walker, but not memorable. It’s no Melody Nelson.
British comedy isn’t comedy, nor is it divine.
(I liked the first couple tracks but then I realized oh, it as a one trick pony & the one trick isnt even good. Like seeing magician do a double lift over and over.)
Aretha Franklin
2/5
One of those, “I know this is a classic & Aretha Franklin is beloved by everyone & considered a queen”
…
& yet…
Not to be disR-E-S-P-E-C-Tful, but I don’t listen to soul, am personally not impressed by vocals alone & found this to be not very varied.
So while I might “get it,” its still subjectively not for me.
Blur
3/5
I can’t decide between a 2 or 3…it’s such a mixed bag. The songs that touch on electro-stuff I found way more appealing and Boys & Girls was one of two Blur songs I knew & that’s an all-timer.
It somehow makes felt overambitious (& overly long) despite feeling kinda lofi at the same time.
PJ Harvey
4/5
I think I had the exact same response to this album as the last PJ Harvey. Though, maybe this one felt more cohesive as an album.