⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Maybe it was the steel pan band that Frances was playing at full volume in the office during my listening, but this just did not hit as strongly as I expected. Also could have been my mood.
⭐️⭐️/5
Look….I'm gonna be honest and say it, I’ve never been a Beach Boys fan. Every song sounds exactly the same and I just can’t be that hyped and harmonized for an entire album. Had to stop listening halfway through.
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 Some highs on this album, but still not a whiny 90’s band fan.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 honestly cannot believe I haven’t heard this album yet. And who knew a flute solo could rock so hard! Such an important and gentle commentary on religion’s place in society - and more relevant today than ever. Perfect album.
⭐️/5. Derek Shepard’s first red flag was his favorite band being the Clash. Only song I remotely liked was Police & Thieves, and it’s a cover! Near unlistenable.
⭐️⭐️/5. Would love to come back and give this another listen and try to see what everyone is seeing, but I am such a rhythm and beat person that free, experimental jazz like this is a hard lesson. Loved the story of them playing it exactly like this in concert tho - that’s musicianship.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5. Almost a 5 star but not a huge fan of the first few tracks. The rest of the album is a transcendent, psychedelic rise into a world beyond words and physicality. Simply stunning.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5. Again, almost a perfect album! The hits from this are nuts, and really made me appreciate Van more than I think I ever did. Last couple of tracks blend together, but the cohesiveness of the album as a whole is awesome.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. Had no idea that her career was only 4 years long, and only two solo albums. What a voice and legacy to leave. Loved the Apple Music notes that she died before putting vocals on “Buried Alive” so it was included as a “posthumous…moment of silence.” Damn.
⭐️.5/5 Just not really a 80s/90s pop punk fan. Don’t like the whiny voices and all the beats sound the same to me. Not my genre.
⭐️⭐️.5/5 So cool to hear the full record of such an iconic band. Not a huge disco/funk fan, but liked a lot of these songs. Just seemed to blend together after a few.
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. Old country really is best country. So much soul and grit in every song.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5. Easily top of best openings to an album ever. Again, loved the Apple Music explanation on this one for the subliminal political messaging.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5. Loved this weird little album so much. Such a vibe and hit it perfectly between weirdness and absurdity.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. Honestly perfect album. Every song is one you want to sing/shout/croon along to. Perfectly explains and demonstrates the Eagles at their greatest.
⭐️.5/5. Few songs with horns were OK, but the rest I found beyond strange/creepy and unlistenable. Not my vibe at all.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5. An excellent MJ album with some high highs - but the lows are pretty low. The King of Pop for sure.
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. What a delightful little album. Nothing super special to it, but a very tender and beautiful side of Willie. Loved all the covers, very peaceful and easy to listen to.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5. Only not 5 because I like San Quentin better LOL - these prison albums are just perfection in my eyes. I love hearing the inmates, Johnny’s joy and grit in performance, and the music and covers are just perfection.
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. Not my favorite Dylan album, but not bad either. Definitely upbeat and more poppy than some of his others. Last few tracks are more classic folky Dylan and a high point for me!
⭐️⭐️/5. Just not a big fan of early hip-hop as sacrilegious as that is.
⭐️⭐️/5. My first R.E.M. album and so far, not my fave. Get the feeling they’re more of a lyrics/emotion band when I’m so much more of a beats gal. Some little moments here - different instruments/sounds that may look to a future change I would enjoy more.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. Now I understand why it’s one of my dad’s favorites. Excellent musicianship, great vocals, recognizable and fun songs, and wonderful to hear the live audience.
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. It’s funny bc I just listened to Ice Cube which was only a year before…but this sounds so much more modern - I think a testament to how much Dr. Dre really shaped modern hip hop music. Some great classics on here!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. I mean it’s the number one jazz album of all time for a reason. Miles Davis with an additional quintet featuring Coltrane?! No brainer. Has stood and will stand the test of time.
⭐️⭐️.5/5. Not my cup of tea, but at least this is experimental music I can LISTEN to. It’s still challenging and uncomfortable, but there is a rhythm to it, unlike some others on this list.
⭐️⭐️/5. Too much like elevator music/Muzak for me, but it’s a cool electronic album. Not for everyday listening.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5. Some of the most famous West Coast, Dre-produced music out there. Iconic to say the least!
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. Not a huge fan of the Chili Peppers, but I can hear the influence they’ve had on music and Under the Bridge is always timely.
⭐️⭐️/5. Most were too ethereal for me, but Oompah Radar was dope.
⭐️⭐️.5/5. Not a bad album, but not my favorite. Definitely loved the horns and acoustic guitar in some tracks but overall pretty forgettable, and hasn’t won me over to the 80s.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. Perfect background music, and gave one of the best transitions in music!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5. Honestly an INCREDIBLE first album from a band. I think I heard about the antics and “Satanism” of the band and never actually listened, and I was really wrong about that. Loved it.
0/5. Hated every second of this WTF. I get the experimental, what is music, flow of this…but compared to MUSIC?! Nothing here.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. Just an unbelievably stellar debut album. So evocative, imaginative, and beautiful. One of my top favorites of all time.
⭐️⭐️.5/5. It’s iconic and shaped an entire generation, but with time I find most of the songs repetitive and trite, aside from the obvious break-out hits (which are truly incredible). Album as a whole is superseded immeasurably by American Idiot.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. There’s nothing quite like the musicality and lyricism of Traffic. Might be biased since I just saw Steve Winwood, but wow what a combo.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. If there’s one thing this project has given me, it’s a love and appreciation for Radiohead. True innovators but still listenable music that scratches all the itches in my brains. Kid A is not my favorite by them, but boy it is still incredible music.
⭐️⭐️.5/5. Never been a huge Arcade Fire fan, and this album helped me define why a bit better. Too rocky and evocative of other bands and eras I don’t enjoy, and none of it new or different. Felt like something I’ve heard a million times, and not in a good way. I did enjoy the lyrical focus on religion and struggling with it.
