It’s fine? That’s about as polite as I can be for this overall bland forgettable record. There aren’t enough peaks to outshine the boredom. It’s definitely produced well, tight, polished but that just spotlights the lack of rawness/depth/feeling. It’s noisy - and not in a way that’s feels authentic.

Synchronicity is in a unique position in that it’s a bad record with absolutely massive hits sprinkled in. This era of music (mostly the world music style) doesn’t do it for me but it’s hard to dismiss this one due to the hits. It mostly misses but when it hits, it’s great.

Punk, good

Buy

A few good tracks, feels a bit try hard and monotonous at times

Beautiful record, Miles smooth talking through brass - it’s a must own.

Live record, some good songs but too many breakdowns/fills/jam sessions

If you love country, this is top tier. If you don’t love country, this is top tier. She’s a legend. Excellent record.

White New Balances and a convertible corvette, white boy blues rock. It was probably a great show in person but live records typically don’t do it for me. Still has some good songs though.

As much as I appreciate the impact and pioneering efforts of the band, this record is overwhelming. The jug playing is distracting and it’s vocally chaotic at times - This is exactly what you’d expect from a group of musicians on a permanent acid trip. One listen is enough.

Respectfully, I just can’t.

Surprisingly good. Some tracks run a bit long and can be redundant but I enjoyed it overall. Reminiscent of montage sequences in late 90s action/heist movies.

Great variety of genres/sounds on this record. It never felt stale or too period specific and will have to add to the collection.

It’s a pretty good R&B record that suffers a bit from limited lyricism and overuse of basic harmonies. Some great vibe moments and good intention thematically pump this album up. Artful and expressive.

Dark, heavy, haunting and at the same time effortlessly beautiful. It’s an incredible record that highlights Nina’s raw skill as a musician and writer. Just a wonderful expression of emotion.

It’s fine? That’s about as polite as I can be for this overall bland forgettable record. There aren’t enough peaks to outshine the boredom. It’s definitely produced well, tight, polished but that just spotlights the lack of rawness/depth/feeling. It’s noisy - and not in a way that’s feels authentic.

This is not Willie’s best record (see: Red Headed Stranger) and I’m not sure why it’s even on this list? The covers are good but a bit of a snoozer.

Absolute vibe. Easy to see why this record was so successful, it’s a top tier soul/funk record. No skips, let it ride.

Typically not a fan of hushed singer songwriters, this record breaks the mold. The lyrics are brutal, chord progression fantastic, mood depressing, production a perfect reflection of reality. Elliot is a legend in this space and influenced many musician friends I grew up with and almost anyone in the indie rock or grunge genre. It’s not an everyday listen but if you’re feeling sad, plug in.

This album is tricky. It starts off as a pop record and then goes completely off the rails into a concept album. At first I was disappointed and dismissed as not my style/overrated until the second half of the album began. What a wild change. It’s as though Kate had to put a few commercial songs to appease the label so she could make what she really wanted: a true art project. It really is an amazing thing to experience. I wouldn’t say I’d listen on repeat but I completely respect the artistic vision and execution. The whiplash is real and the result is something completely unique. Worth it.

This is the first Radiohead record I owned so of course it’s a 5/5.

A Tom Petty tribute band played at my bard three times a year for more than a decade. I know all the hits by heart at this point and honestly, they sound better live than this record. Aside from a few major hits, I found the record messy and short.

I mean, yeah. Of course this is a good record.

This was a genuine surprise. It’s definitely background music - Very period specific to the late 90s in the techno/rave style and not what I expected from Madonna. The lyrics were garbage but the production really carried the record.

Beats are catchy and her cadence and lyricism are solid.

Metallica was never my jam but I can appreciate their impact on the genre/industry.

Funky and refreshing with incredible vocals, this record almost feels like a live interpretation of a video game soundtrack. It’s so smooth and pleasing while being technically complex. What a fantastic find - a must have on vinyl.

Probably a good record when it released in ‘02 but really doesn’t hold up over time. It’s a fairly basic forgettable record that has some decent tracks but those are blatantly obvious mimics of better artists. Not sure why it’s even on this list?

Best era of rap. Not much needed to say about how great this record is.

Hippie space blues for your mind stadium. Absolutely based.

Odd selection. Rough start leads to a few peaks and ends well… There are some truly great songs on this record but as a whole it’s underwhelming with limited lyricism. Listening to an artist perform a homage to specific genres only works if it’s either an adaptation or complete committal to the period - this feels more like a studio recording of someone acting the style out. Hard to understand why this made the list but I appreciate the exposure.

Paul Simon is a master of his craft and one of the best singer/songwriters to ever come out of the states. This record is a global sampling of genres aggregated into a light and technical composed platter of sound. It’s wonderful.

Good vocals, good harmonies, a few big songs….. not my cup of tea though. Soft white lounge music is fine just not appealing.

There’s not much that needs to be said about this record it’s top tier. It’s your favorite metal bands favorite band. As it should be. RIP Ozzy.

Synchronicity is in a unique position in that it’s a bad record with absolutely massive hits sprinkled in. This era of music (mostly the world music style) doesn’t do it for me but it’s hard to dismiss this one due to the hits. It mostly misses but when it hits, it’s great.

Incredible voice.

Poignant and emotional performances more in line with art than typical pop production. Respect the artist for the work even though the music doesn’t resonate with me. Vibrato can be distracting but thats just who they are, maybe that’s the point?. To each their own.

Ugh, I love Bell Bottom Blues. The rest of the record is fine but that one track carries the whole thing.

Two great tracks surrounded by forgettable quasi soul songs. Eh. The hits are massive, the rest is fine. So it goes with Bowie.

A surprisingly good record that only suffers from vocals that hold long loud notes a bit too long.

Bob gets at least 4 stars and this is a great record until Am-A-Do.

All over the place but all good.

No skips. I wish I wrote something as cool as this when I was a teenager.

Of course this is one the list, of course she’s a great singer and writer, of course the production is fantastic, but the thing that really gets me is that she did all this at 21. It’s almost unbelievable. It’s not even my cup of tea but gotta give massive credit where it’s due.

I guess a lot of folks either weren’t around or don’t recognize this is what things sounded like in the 90s. Production and songwriting are the focus of this album and those are both done well. I’m not saying it’s great, but it’s good for what it is - basic.

Costello is a great writer but I just can’t get into it no matter how I try. His vocal range is limited and it feels forced on this record. A couple have a Boss sound, a few Wilco types, but really it sounds a lot like Loud Bob Dylan and that doesn’t do enough for me. To each their own.

A couple catchy tracks but overall forgettable. Forgotten Works is the stand out song but it’s buried towards the end of the record. It’s fine but there’s better versions of this sound out there.

There’s one exceptional track in Heroes and the rest of the album is flat. A low rating surprised even me considering my appreciation for Bowie, but this record as a whole just doesn’t cut it.

It’s a fine record that lingers between alt and pop, in the sounds and style of the early 90s. Lyrically stunted and musically stagnant albeit loud and energetic. I just feel like there are better versions of this sound in the era that I would prefer to listen to.

No.

It’s a decent record but the rating really comes from their influence on the punk scene.

There is nothing I can say that hasn’t already been said. Absolutely incredible, full body and mind transitory sonic experience. A musical dream like state of consciousness that has to be lived. Thank you for your time. No notes. 5 stars.

This is a much better record than it deserves to be.

It has its place and made some noise back in the day… but a must listen? No. Nostalgia rating alone.

As my first exposure to Cuban music in my teens, this record blew me away. It’s still incredible. Instantly transported to a club in a Havana, with a cigar and some whiskey, lounging, hat over eyes, without a care in the world.

In the beginning, there was Kraftwerk…

It’s rare to hear a record where every track stands out, production is mint, the vibes are immaculate, and every rational person can agree on its merits. But here it is. It’s a perfect record. That’s all that needs to be said.

I mean, this is basically a greatest hits album for Van Halen. A record full of giant hits. It belongs in a museum as a showcase of 80s hair metal and theme songs for IROC owners. Respect the musicianship, style, and skill but after working over a decade in bars, I would be perfectly fine never hearing it again.

*Important to note: Steaming platforms combine two records into one 20 song mix. “Born to be With You” is the first 8 tracks. A fascinating record in that it sounds unfinished, raw, and underproduced. Something about it feels like a forgotten art project worn by time.

This is the type of thing I was hoping for when I started this project. It’s beautiful.

I don’t think the vocals have really stood up to time but the production and design is fantastic. Cool to see the beginnings of the genre.

Only criticism is that the record was mixed/produced too “clean”… really needed to be recorded live to get the full force of sound.