Violent, aggressive, raw yet melodic and emotional. The purists might think it a sellout, too watered down for a larger audience. I think it was just right - retaining the power but making it accessible enough to be heard.
Good soulful musicianship from the backing band but many of the songs are bit schlocky. This is later, more commercialized and less energetic Elvis; few of these songs rise to the level of Suspicious Minds.
I appreciate the attempt to craft songs that defy the typical thrash metal formula, adding musical flourishes and rhythmic changes to build a soundscape that adds drama. Yet there are still few melodic lines and the lyrics are often less than compelling. The Unforgiven, Don’t Tread on Me, and Nothing Else Matters were the highlights for me.
A groundbreaking album that has aged well from my perspective. Also demonstrates the ability of music to integrate across cultures into something new and compelling, esp when undertaken with authenticity and humility, which is an important lesson in today’s world where simplistic arguments over “cultural appropriation” might have stopped this creativity in its tracks.
First full album of the Pogues that I’ve listened to, and it was so worth it. Saturated with an unflinchingly Irish energy towards all of life’s vicissitudes and soaked in whiskey, it’s worth it for Fairytale in New York alone, the best Christmas song of the late 20th century. But others like Thousands are Sailing, Lullaby of London, and If I Should Fall from Grace provide more than enough to make it all a wild ride.
This felt like basic radio rock: nothing overly groundbreaking, but also quality craft. But personally I just wasn’t feeling it - not something I would choose to play much again.
Though I know all the songs, probably the very first time I’ve listened to the whole thing front to back. To think that he recorded all this when he was 21 years old. It’s a masterpiece.
Had never of this album, pleasantly surprised - good straight ahead rock. Nothing earth shattering but def high quality.
Basic decent rap album. Nothing overly consequential.
Such good music but limited variety
Hmmm. Well, it’s certainly an attempt to try different things. But for me it was mostly unlistenable.
Just wasn’t digging it
Really? Why is this special? Seems pretty pedestrian to me.
Undeniable punk energy. But never gives way to anything melodically or lyrically compelling.
A hellbent rush of storytelling steeped in attitude and atmosphere. Brilliant.
Really? I have to listen this before I die? Why?
Minimal instrumentation, monumental writing. Tangled Up in Blue and Idiot Wind alone make this an achievement. The quality remains consistent throughout and makes this one of the finest albums of its time.
Easy to see why she’s an American icon.
Was likely a revelation for its time, but hearing it now, does not reach the heights of some of Emmylou’s other work. Standouts like Boulder to Birmingham and Before Believing give a hint of what’s to come.
Sure, politically astute and she’s quite the performer. But little attempt to make the heady and heavily Brechtian influenced music and presentation more accessible to a general listening public. So it’s like being told that castor oil is good for you and then being forced to drink it.
These guys mean business from the very first pulsating riff and beats, and they don’t let up - the quality stays consistent and high throughout. “The One I Love” might be the weakest link on the whole album. A kick-ass achievement.
Nice harmonies, melodic flourishes, but lacking in the kind of consistent creativity and sophistication that would make it consistently compelling listening.
It’s like a movie score playing on the background as you go about living. And as such it’s a much about being white noise rather than music, w its emotion and story and melody.
I know it’s groundbreaking and all, being among the first punk records, and there’s no denying the energy. But boy do three chords go a long way - skip from song to song after thirty seconds, and it all just sounds like one long extended riff. Too much of the same for me.
Top-shelf writing and musicianship
Alternately awash in self-pity, desperation, pain, joy, cynicism, love, and even aggression towards his former beloved, it can be a difficult album to listen to front to back. But it’s also an artistic achievement.
Violent, aggressive, raw yet melodic and emotional. The purists might think it a sellout, too watered down for a larger audience. I think it was just right - retaining the power but making it accessible enough to be heard.
Intense but oddly soothing at the same time. Lyrically literate.
Loud. Raucous. Unintelligible. Probably important in the history of metal and mosh pits but that doesn’t make for compelling listening.
It’s like the soundtrack to a bunch of 80’s & 90’s TV shows and movies. Fun, inventive, catchy but ultimately more kitschy than compelling.
Good ole straight ahead rock w an attitude
Well, has a few nice melodies but overly earnest and simply overblown.
Arrives on a powerfully dark burst of guitar noise and unrelenting drumbeats, heralding a whole new genre of menacing rock that still thrives today.
Somehow I had no knowledge of this album, but even on first listen w zero background, it was easy to recognize it’s a masterpiece. Sophisticated, prescient, sometimes dark, sometimes light, it captures its era so completely.
Musically interesting, as one would expect from Bowie. Yet don’t feel as if it reaches the heights of his best work.
More evidence of how REM turned puck toward alternative rock. Good high quality throughout.
A bit mournful yet an interesting combination of styles and still full of hooks.
Had never heard of this, but made the mistake of reading about it before listening. What I heard was enjoyable but did not live up to the raves.
Solid outing from his days as a punk troubadour
Huh? This is…music?
Mildly interesting
Being so sleek, tight, and bluesy makes it enjoyable, but too slick and banal for it to rise to the level of something meaningful.
I appreciate being introduced to this band, and the music is raw, aggressive, and full of justice. But not anything I’d look forward to repeated playings of.
Real punk and also musical. Never heard of them before but ready to hear more.
Rollicking, bluesy, full-throated roll ‘n roll with bass lines that don’t quit. A great time but never gets too deep.
Don’t get why this is so lauded. Obnoxious sloppy punk.
Meh. Some glimpses here and there of what was to come via Crosby Stills Nash & Young. But on the whole I found it rather insipid.
Experimental, complex, alternately melodic and dissonant, and searching. One’s patience is rewarded, often unexpectedly - but you must actively listen and BE patient! No doubt this was a revelation in its day.
Marginally better than much the metal recommended on this list
Good reminder of how important Ry Cooder was in expanding our musical boundaries
Techno dance - lots of beats, lots of creative noises, some lyrics thrown in but I’m honestly reaching for why it would be so lauded. Nothing of consequence.
How did I not know this album previously? Such good musicianship.
Some iconic tunes here that are now part of the American songbook, but a couple of bland clunkers drags the album down a bit.
Raw, jangling, repetitive. Unfortunately too much of this white heat lack musicality.
From the first notes it’s clear that this will be a smooth melodic ride but insipid lyrics and some kitschiness ultimately did it in for me
Its complicated structures are not easy and require your active attention, but its depths pull you in and reward repeated listening.
Perhaps this represented something groundbreaking in its day, but except for one or two gems, most of it sounds fairly pedestrian to today’s ears.
It’s Bob Marley, so it’s quality stuff. It’s also reggae, so it’s all pretty much the same.
Consistent catchiness and the kind of insights you’d expect of The Smiths, but nothing sticks w you once it’s all done.
Beyond torch - the best of these hit serious highs
Just not enough variation for me
Inventive and energetic: 1001 ways to make distortion sound interesting. But the pervasive devil-may-care attitude ultimately makes this a meal lacking in any shred of nutrition.
There’s a reason why these guys hit it big - These are real songs, not just bravado and raw energy for its own sake. And oh my God can Eddie wield that axe.
Monk and Rollins know how to swing and groove in sync, though many of the extended improv journeys seem more for their own benefit than the listeners’.
A coherent album that is consistently full of surprises (and which took me by surprise).
Good solid rock but gotta admit I don’t hear anything earth shattering here - kind of a poor man’s Bruce Springsteenish vibe
Nothing to grab me in the least
Wow never thought too much of Jack White but this album is impressive. Such musicality, such variety - all so sharp and loud and melodic. This is a damn good record.
This is among the most melodic hip hop I’ve encountered
Operatic and otherworldly, this is as cohesive as an album gets
Leisurely, groovy, sensuous, almost luxurious - the musicality is so high and the consistency unbeatable.
Had not listened closely before - brooding rock that hits far more than it misses
Well, it’s Bowie, so it’s inventive, sophisticated, often surprising, and still sounds fresh almost 50 years later. But - nothing really sends it into the heights that would make it indispensable.
Hip California punk - who’da thunk it
A lot of loud guitars, a lot of passion and energy, a lot of driving beats. Not a lot of music.
The pleasures were indeed unknown, at least by me.
Great band. Mediocre album. Total failing of this list is that critics think the majority of every great band’s oeuvre needs to be on the list rather than the albums that are truly special.
Carefully constructed and other-worldly
This is soulful musicianship for sure, but the vocals are reedy and the lyrics schlocky.
Still fresh today… An album of such consistency it’s hard to remember which were hits and which weren’t. And what band is better named? Let the good times “roll”…
When these guys are feeling it, they are raucous, loose, bluesy and groovy, even w their sharper edge - hard not to enjoy the middle of this album w cuts like Walk this Way, Sweet Emotion, and No More No More.
Mildly interesting
Interesting in places - it’s REM after all - but in my estimation not at the top of their list.
Interesting music even if the vocals were sometimes ragged and some of it started to repeat itself
Mingus and his crew swing hard w complicated rhythms, extended solos, and some cacophony. It’s righteous - but sometimes hard to listen to.
Solid outing from one of the iconic voices of her generation but not at the level of her earlier efforts.
Hmm. Mildly interesting groove and he’s definitely got style. But at the end of the day it’s a confection, like eating some cotton candy.
Announces an inimitable style from the very note - sultry, smooth, with enough swing and groove to keep you afloat throughout
Solid pop rock if unfocused and a bit excessive at times
Intense interesting storytelling
A consistent pleasure: kinetic energy with sweeping vistas and melodic turns of techno
Anything w Tracey Thorn is certainly worth listening to and I’m a huge Everything But the Girl fan. But this lands a bit like milquetoast for me.
Bowie trying his best to push the boundaries and create a new type of sophistication w structures and layers. Not working for me.
Some of this is somewhat interesting and I certainly respect their creativity. At the end of the day, however, there is too little here that is compellingly melodic or lyrical.
Filled w the beats of Brazil - its cacaphony and its beauty - but not as consistently compelling as I expected
Lots of attitude, full of punk but honestly a bit boring
Smooth and soulful if skimpy on the type of songwriting and storytelling that makes it a must listen
I get that they have their own interesting identity and style, and are up for pushing the boundaries of rock and punk. But unlistenable to me.
Solid effort that mixes sharp edged guitars and urgency but short of their very best
Such musicianship, clarity, and rhythmic joy
The Queen’s rule is firm, soulful, edgy
Incentive indeed - these mothers surprised me
Wow did not know this album and glad I do now - consistent quality throughout with their own musical style that draws you in
A sophisticated stylistic arty collection that was likely groundbreaking in its day
From heavy rockets that border on metal to lighter fare that edges up to pop, this is surprisingly consistently enjoyable
Yeah it’s inventive and a level above mere metal and thrash, but that doesn’t mean it’s enjoyable for the non metal among us
There’s a reason why all the songs on this album are so well known that they are almost like comfort food - they are just filled w great musicianship and hooks.
Moody, atmospheric, arty - w a touch of 70s TV show theme music thrown in
These guys seriously know how to rock but man I can’t get past that voice - annoying as h*ll
I expected the furious unleashing of raw energy and attitude, since this album helped launch punk. I didn’t expect the consistency of quality and how musically adept these guys would be - not only do they rip things to shreds, but they know how to be catchy while doing it.
Classic after classic
Not my favorite type of music but it holds up
This is kinda hokey country, w pretty much zero gravitas that makes it stand for something.
Hmm. Furious energy, sharp-edged commentary. But man, it’s three chords over and over.
One outstanding song does not an album make
Not my typical type of music, but you have to admire the artistry and the listenability
Tightly crafted and hook-laden w a distinctive style. Not just one song, it’s a consistently good album.
Musically and sonically this album is close to a masterpiece, a demonstration of mastery of various styles that is might impressive. Lyrically however it sometimes soars but too often falls short of the poetry that would make it totally indispensable. Would’ve liked 4.5 option ;-)
The flat delivery and storytelling are still a winning combination, but while its solid listening, it never soars
She’s dreamy but sharp-edged with a style that softly pulls you in and then bludgeons you
Nothing makes it jump out as special
Yeah it might be political, hard-edged and full of mad beats, but it’s also surprisingly melodic
Jaunty, catchy, surprisingly engaging
Their meandering style has never really worked for me, and it will take a lot to convince me that I urgently needed to listen to this before I died
An album that’s coherent, creative, and a consistently compelling mash up of classical and modern styles - you keep hearing it long after you’ve stopped listening
Janis Joplin has soul enough for ten people and love to hear this live blues
Warhol’s visual art is much more compelling than this
Passionate, earnest - affecting.