206
Albums Rated
3.3
Average Rating
19%
Complete
883 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
2010
Favorite Decade
Jazz
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
27
5-Star Albums
4
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
Top Styles
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Kick Out The Jams (Live)
MC5
|
5 | 2.92 | +2.08 |
|
Copper Blue
Sugar
|
5 | 2.98 | +2.02 |
|
The Bones Of What You Believe
CHVRCHES
|
5 | 3.17 | +1.83 |
|
Rust In Peace
Megadeth
|
5 | 3.24 | +1.76 |
|
Shaft
Isaac Hayes
|
5 | 3.25 | +1.75 |
|
A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector
Various Artists
|
5 | 3.3 | +1.7 |
|
The Downward Spiral
Nine Inch Nails
|
5 | 3.34 | +1.66 |
|
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
Public Enemy
|
5 | 3.36 | +1.64 |
|
Either Or
Elliott Smith
|
5 | 3.39 | +1.61 |
|
Sound of Silver
LCD Soundsystem
|
5 | 3.42 | +1.58 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme
Simon & Garfunkel
|
1 | 3.61 | -2.61 |
|
Surf's Up
The Beach Boys
|
1 | 3.3 | -2.3 |
|
Grace
Jeff Buckley
|
2 | 3.73 | -1.73 |
|
Graceland
Paul Simon
|
2 | 3.73 | -1.73 |
|
Brothers In Arms
Dire Straits
|
2 | 3.73 | -1.73 |
|
All Hope Is Gone
Slipknot
|
1 | 2.7 | -1.7 |
|
Californication
Red Hot Chili Peppers
|
2 | 3.69 | -1.69 |
|
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill
|
2 | 3.66 | -1.66 |
|
L.A. Woman
The Doors
|
2 | 3.65 | -1.65 |
|
Out Of The Blue
Electric Light Orchestra
|
2 | 3.64 | -1.64 |
5-Star Albums (27)
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Popular Reviews
Pulp · 2 likes
2/5
By the time the Jarvis Cocker was tediously whispering in "Seductive Barry," I could only think, "Oh fuck off." His charms—and those of Pulp in general—are mostly lost on me. And they're especially strained during those interminable eight and a half minutes. I get this is Pulp's comedown album, but it is a fucking slog. The more I hear of them, the more I realize I'm good with "Common People."
The Rolling Stones · 2 likes
2/5
Listen, we all know the Rolling Stones are one of the two most important rock groups of the 20th century. But 60 years later, is their almost-entirely-covers debut REALLY essential? Is it crucial to understanding everything they did afterward? I'd say no and no. This is like hearing a recording of the covers they played in high school before they started the band for real. You're not missing anything if you skip this, and you're not wasting your time if you listen to it.
Motörhead · 1 likes
4/5
It doesn't really get more balls-out than this. Lemmy was a legend, though I always found Motörhead to be a bit one-note. That said, it's a fun note. Related, this band has nothing to to say (other than maybe Viv Savage's immortal "Have a good time...all the time"), but no one was expecting that from Lemmy. This doesn't pretend to be anything else than what it is, and live was undoubtedly the best way to experience Motörhead.
Radiohead · 1 likes
2/5
My biggest hangup with Radiohead is how bloodless their music sounds—cold, removed, heady to a fault. After a while, it blends together into a sort of white noise: ambient washes of percussion and synth, with Thom Yorke's heavily reverbed, barely intelligible vocals. My favorite moments on this are the ones have a stronger pulse: the second half of "2 + 2 = 5" and the almost NIN-esque "Myxomatosis." The rest falls away for me.
The Rolling Stones · 1 likes
3/5
The more I've explored the Stones' catalogue, the more I've realized I'm fine with the hits. Obviously "Sympathy for the Devil" is one of the most iconic rock songs of all time, and "Street Fighting Man" is one of their great songs. The rest are good to hear, but won't bring me back. Well, maybe "Stray Cat Blues" to marvel at how problematic it is.
1-Star Albums (4)
All Ratings
Bebel Gilberto
3/5
This is quite pleasant, but I don't see myself returning to it.
Lou Reed
3/5
I liked this more than I remember, but it's still not something I'll revisit much. I generally prefer Lou Reed in small doses and stick to the "hits." But he's an icon, so I appreciate how much he influenced people I like.
Michael Jackson
5/5
What else needs to be say about this album? Even with a dud like "The Girl is Mine" (and to a lesser extent, "The Lady in My Life" and "Baby Be Mine"), it's one of the greatest of all time, even with everything we know about Michael Jackson now. The controversy around him will inevitably fade, but the songs will remain.
Talking Heads
3/5
This is one of those bands I respect more than I enjoy. I totally appreciate how different they were and the influence they hold, and "Once in a Lifetime" is an undeniable classic, but... their music in general doesn't grab me.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
I'm generally good with the hits when it comes to Elvis Costello. "Radio, Radio" and "Pump It Up" are classics, and there's some solid stuff on here, but I'm fine with the best of.
Def Leppard
3/5
This is supremely cheesy '80s metal-lite, but it's very good at being supremely cheesy '80s metal-lite. Beneath all the "let's rock!" goofiness, there are some great melodic parts, and "Photograph" is still awesome.
Prince
5/5
C'mon. One of the greatest albums of all time by one of the greatest pop songwriters of all time. Five stars or fuck off.
Slipknot
1/5
We're not too deep into the 1001 project yet, but nothing compares to how much I hated this. The stunted adolescent angst of the lyrics, the awful vocals (screaming = fine,if tired; the singing = Creed-level cringe), the guitar wankery, the drum wankery (JFC that china cymbal)...I couldn't have liked it less. These dudes are huge, so this obviously this does something for a lot of people, but I was counting down the seconds till it ended.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
The more I've explored the Stones' catalogue, the more I've realized I'm fine with the hits. Obviously "Sympathy for the Devil" is one of the most iconic rock songs of all time, and "Street Fighting Man" is one of their great songs. The rest are good to hear, but won't bring me back. Well, maybe "Stray Cat Blues" to marvel at how problematic it is.
The Strokes
3/5
I remember when this came out and people freaking out about it, but I never quite understood the hype. "Last Nite" is great, and I like "Hard to Explain," "New York City Cops," and "Take It or Leave It," but this never struck me as a generation-defining album or anything. It's fine.
Raekwon
3/5
Like Enter the Wu-Tang..., this album has a LOT going on, though the production isn't as dynamic as the material warrants. Everything kind of sounds at the same level, and some of the vocals sound surprisingly rough. Regardless, this is one of the landmark albums of '90s rap, even though it's overlong and overstuffed. I think it rewards repeat listens, though, because it's easy to miss everything packed inside it.
Emmylou Harris
3/5
This is pleasant, charming '70s country. I liked it, but it's not my thing.
Cee Lo Green
2/5
There's no reason this needed to be 18 tracks (or 16, minus the intro & outro). Related: I find CeeLo's voice grating after a while, even with it's enmeshed with well-arranged soul music. I wish there were more of that and less of everything else.
David Bowie
3/5
With David Bowie, I fall somewhere on the spectrum between "just the hits" and "will dive into the classic albums." I've done the latter, but generally stick to the former. This is one of many in his string of classics, and it's one where I'm happy just to come back for "Changes," "Oh! You Pretty Things," "Life on Mars?," and "Queen Bitch."
Radiohead
2/5
My biggest hangup with Radiohead is how bloodless their music sounds—cold, removed, heady to a fault. After a while, it blends together into a sort of white noise: ambient washes of percussion and synth, with Thom Yorke's heavily reverbed, barely intelligible vocals. My favorite moments on this are the ones have a stronger pulse: the second half of "2 + 2 = 5" and the almost NIN-esque "Myxomatosis." The rest falls away for me.
Jeff Buckley
2/5
I don't know a ton about Jeff Buckley, other than "Hallelujah" and that he became pretty revered after his unexpected death at a young age. I know this album by reputation, but I don't think I'd ever listened to it from start to finish. While I enjoyed it more than I expected, I don't know that it's something I'll return to.
Black Sabbath
4/5
I bought this on CD 20+ years ago, listened to it once, found it boring, and haven't touched it since. Now I think it kinda rules?
R.E.M.
3/5
My whole life, I've found R.E.M. hit and miss, and Document bears that out. I can't remember the last time I heard this, but this time around I thought it dragged—though it surprisingly picks up at the very end with "King of Birds" and "Oddfellows Local 151." Obviously "It's the End of the World as We Know It" is a classic of the era, and "Finest Worksong" remains great, so there's plenty to like here (and plenty you can skip too).
The Prodigy
3/5
This is brainless party music, best enjoyed while rolling on ecstasy at a rave in 1995. It's a time capsule of mainstream electronic music 30 years ago, and I still like some of the beats and production.
Jefferson Airplane
2/5
It's always worth listening to full albums by iconic groups to familiarize yourself with the non-hits...but you'll often realize that you're good just knowing the hits, as was the case with me and Jefferson Airplane.
Elvis Costello
2/5
Maybe it's because I was startled to learn there are SIX (!!) Elvis Costello albums on this list, and maybe it's because I (unfairly) associate his '90s output with his crooner phase, and maybe it's because this album just isn't that great, but Brutal Youth did next to nothing for me. I was eager for it to end.
Goldie
1/5
There's no reason for this to be two hours. I understand it's from the CD era, far predating streaming audio and the variety of options for DJs to post full sets. But it's so long and so repetitious. And to make a point that's surely belabored by now, that this is called Timeless is funny, considering it sounds so very '90s. It's very much a time capsule of breakbeat electronic music of that era, which is neat...but way overstays its welcome.
Aerosmith
2/5
While I like some of the music on this—particularly when horns are part of it—the utter inanity of Steven Tyler's vapid cock-rock is insufferable. "Big Ten Inch Record"? Gimme a break. "Sweet Emotion" is a classic, though I prefer the version of "Walk This Way" with Run-DMC. Aerosmith is a legendary band and all that, but no thanks.
The Clash
5/5
It's a nice break to get something I already know well. This album is understandably heralded as a classic, because it is one. Particularly the first half has a wealth of some of the Clash's best songs. This album is so great, in fact, one of their most well-known songs was buried at the end and not included on the track listing, according to Wikipedia. Even its slower moments are better than other album's better songs. London Calling (the song and the album) rules.
The Temptations
3/5
I'm not surprised this was a polarizing album. People probably expected more "My Girl" from the Temptations instead of psychedelic soul message songs, but those are definitely the best part of this album. When they segue into the love songs, it gets repetitious and tedious.
Queens Of The Stone Age
3/5
This is fun, if a little repetitive. Not sure this is one I'll revisit, but I do need to dig back into their discography.
Roxy Music
3/5
This may be the first time I've had a desire to relisten to a Roxy Music album. It's not my thing, but there were enough moments on this that I've saved it to revisit later.
The Byrds
2/5
I was looking forward to listening to this, especially with the one-two opening punch of "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better." But I didn't anticipate that the rest of the album would be slight variations on the same sound, and that sameness made things drag after a while. Well, "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" is still great at least.
Radiohead
3/5
Considering how bloodless and bleepy-bloopy Radiohead's music has become, it's interesting to step back in time to when they were still a rock band. The seeds of OK Computer are here, but it's weird to hear them play straightforward rock music (relatively speaking) considering where they went after this.
The Pogues
4/5
I generally get my fill of the Pogues pretty quickly, but I liked this quite a bit. "Fairytale of New York" is a classic, and there's plenty to like on this—though I probably need to be in the mood for it.
Depeche Mode
3/5
I owned this album at one point, as well as Violator. I remember their being a bit of a slog outside of the hits. This leans that way—it really fades at the end—but DM does their thing well.
R.E.M.
5/5
I haven't listened to this in ages and was surprised by how well I remember it. I think I got this from BMG back in the day and played it quite a bit. "Everybody Hurts" feels pretty cringe 30+ years later—and I can't hear without thinking of Dwight on The Office—and "Nightswimming" is the better song anyway. "Man on the Moon" is solid, as are a bunch of other tracks.
Brian Eno
2/5
Some people I greatly respect worship at the altar of Brian Eno, but I've never really connected to his music. I was just thinking I need to give Hear Come the Warm Jets another try, though I'm sure it's on this list. Another Green World sounds a little undercooked to me, with songs that just sort of end—which makes sense if Eno had nothing prepared when we went into the studio and kind of winged it. Smarter people than I can argue for the genius of this album, but it doesn't do much for me.
CHIC
3/5
This is forget-your-worries dance music, and people always need that. "Le Freak" is of course a classic, and I appreciate CHIC's place in disco and pop-music history. It's not something I'll necessarily revisit—"(Funny) Bone" is a weird way to end this album—but it was a fun listen.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
I don't know why the YYYs aren't part of my musical diet more, considering I almost always enjoy them when they pop up. While I'm not sure this is among the 1,001 albums you need to hear before you die, it's very solid.
Cyndi Lauper
4/5
I'd forgotten how many hits were on this album. That run from "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" through "All Through the Night" is amazing—the rest of the album can't help but pale in comparison, though "Money Changes Everything" is pretty great.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
Joni Mitchell is an icon, and Blue is rightfully heralded...but I've never been able to get into her. This album gets me close, though—I immediately played it again when it was finished. When she sings in her upper register, as on "My Old Man," it's like nails on a chalkboard to me. But I can get into the songs where she avoids that, particularly "River," which is great. I can see why people love this, even if it isn't something I'll revisit a lot.
Koffi Olomide
2/5
It's always worthwhile to get something you know nothing about, and this couldn't be more foreign to me. At least I understood some of the French? This was enjoyable for a song, but stretched across nine 6- and 7-minute songs, it sounds like one hour-long track. At least I won't have to worry about separating the art from the artist.
Beastie Boys
4/5
This could easily be half as long and be a front-to-back classic. But even at a bloated 20 tracks, there are enough bangers on here to make this one of the Beasties' best and an iconic album of the era. (And I appreciate the instrumentals more now than I did in 1994.)
FUN FACT: They recorded this, and I think all of their '90s output, at a studio like five minutes from our place in LA. G-Son Studios, represent.
Kanye West
4/5
What a bummer it is to revisit this knowing what Kanye turned into. I've been wondering if I could stomach listening to his stuff anymore, because I haven't in years. There's still plenty to like on here, skits and filler aside. There just isn't anything to like about Kanye personally anymore.
Aimee Mann
3/5
This cover belongs in a museum under a sign that simply says "THE '90s." I like Aimee Mann, though mostly for the Magnolia soundtrack. I haven't listened to much of her solo stuff. This is charming but probably not something I'll revisit (though I liked "4th of July" and "I Should've Known).
Paul Simon
2/5
Aside from "You Can Call Me Al," I knew this album mostly by reputation, because it was so huge, and then, later, the blowback Simon got for it. I'm not sure what it says about him that the best parts are the ones with South African musicians. Otherwise I think this is kind of repetitive, though the bass work is top-notch.
Simply Red
2/5
I don't think this could sound more '80s—it all sounds so synthesized. I wonder if I'd like it more if that weren't the case, but probably not. I always found Simply Red schmaltzy, and the more upbeat, funky or even aggressive moments (like "No Direction") don't land, either.
I also can't think of Simply Red without thinking of 24 Hour Party People, when God (as Tony Wilson) speaks to Tony Wilson: "It's a pity you didn't sign the Smiths, but you were right about Mick Hucknell. His music's rubbish, and he's a ginger."
AC/DC
3/5
This is completely unvarnished, utterly brainless cock-rock. Which should be an automatic thumbs down from me, but for whatever reason I find AC/DC more charming than, like, '80s hair metal or Led Zeppelin—even though it's SO MUCH dumber. (The rapey vibes of "Night Prowler" aren't great though.) I'm pretty sure it's just because I like Angus Young's playing.
Supertramp
2/5
Aside from the iconic songs from Breakfast in America (notably "Goodbye Stranger," which I LOVE), I know next to nothing about Supertramp. There's a throwaway line in High Fidelity where John Cusack dismisses his ex's new boyfriend as a "Supertramp fan." I didn't even know they were British. This isn't grabby like Breakfast in America, but definitely offers a peek into their proggier early days. Not my thing, but a worthwhile listen.
Christina Aguilera
2/5
Err, I mostly remember the racy publicity Christina did for this album, not the music, though "Beautiful" was pretty inescapable. But this is from another era: 20 tracks, two "interludes," an intro and intro reprise, 77 minutes...it's overstuffed to say the least. The prefab platitudes in songs like "Soar," "The Voice Within," "Keep on Singin' My Song," etc., feel obvious and boring, but I respect the teeth in "I'm OK." I wish there were more of that.
Tom Waits
2/5
Listen, if someone said to me in 1975, "Hey, do you wanna go down to the Record Plant and listen to Tom Waits record an album?" I would've said for sure, even though I'm not a fan. Because as a live experience, this was probably a great time 50 years ago, though probably not something I'd ever revisit in album form. Also: Waits was only 26 when this came out. Dude has sounded like a fiftysomething his whole life.
BUT HEY now I know where Large Marge from Pee-wee's Big Adventure originated.
5/5
Hell yes. If all '60s music sounded like this, the Baby Boomers would have actually accomplished something.
Elton John
3/5
It's a steady descent from "Tiny Dancer" as you progress through these nine songs. They're fine, just a little same-y and overlong. (Even "Tiny Dancer" doesn't need to be 6+ minutes.) And "Indian Sunset" feels pretty cringe, even if its heart is in the right place.
Sarah Vaughan
4/5
I know Sarah Vaughan less than Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, so I was glad to dig into this album. I appreciate that it's not stuffed full of standards I've heard a million times—although she obviously sounds great on "Stairway to the Stars," and "Just a Gigolo," and her Ella-esque take on "How High the Moon" was fun. Her flub in "Willow Weep for Me" is quite charming too. Not sure I'll return to this, but it's lovely.
The La's
3/5
This came out during my peak 120 Minutes viewing, and the video for "There She Goes" was in heavy rotation back then. Because that song never did much for me, I never checked out the album. This is fun, jangly Britpop, given extra import by the "one and done" legend of the La's. While I can understand people's reverence for the album—I like "Looking Glass" in particular—I don't feel like I've been missing out these past 35 years.
Tricky
3/5
Trip-hop never did much for me, but it was nice to dive into this. I'm not sure what it says that my favorite track is his cover of Public Enemy's "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos." The Smashing Pumpkins-sampling "Pumpkin" is fun, but the songs kind of recede into the background.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
What else is there possibly to say about this album? It's one of the all-time greats for a reason. Many reasons, actually.
Frank Ocean
4/5
I'm not sure why it's been years since I listened to this, because it's great. Maybe I just have to be in the mood for it? This is the kind of album that rewards multiple listens because there are so many textures and ideas happening. I think I need to be in the mood for it more often.
Willie Nelson
2/5
Willie Nelson is a justly revered icon, and I appreciate his desire to revisit the songs he loved when he was young. This is pleasant, but I disagree that I needed to hear his take on 10 standards before I die.
Joy Division
3/5
Bold but not particularly enjoyable. Maybe it's weird to call something so cold and minimal "bold," but this is definitely an artistic statement. And as a lot of artistic statements go, it's not especially pleasant. All of my favorite Joy Division songs are elsewhere (though "Isolation" is solid), so I appreciate this more than I actually like it.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
This is fine. I probably prefer IV, in part because Physical Graffiti seems to go on and on and on. This has moments, but LZ just isn't my thing.
Randy Newman
2/5
Maybe the Toy Story films have ruined Randy Newman for me, because these kind of sound like variations on "You've Got a Friend in Me." I know they aren't really, but they aren't grabbier or more interesting than that, either.
Nine Inch Nails
5/5
This still rules. I haven't listened to it from start to finish in ages, and I'd forgotten just how dark it is. Trent Reznor was going through some shit, and this is an unflinching document of that time. This feels like when he really settled on NIN's sound, and I love all the elements he uses to assemble it.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Of the three Rolling Stones albums I've listened to for this so far, Aftermath has been my favorite. I'm probably still good with the greatest hits, but this album has more of my personal highlights than the others ("Paint It, Black," of course, but also "Under My Thumb" and "I am Waiting"). There's no reason "Going Home" needs to be 11 minutes, though.
LCD Soundsystem
5/5
This is LCD's best. "All My Friends" is their best song, and this is pretty great from start to finish. ("New York..." is kind of ehh, but I appreciate the sentiment if not the execution.)
David Bowie
3/5
While I like a lot about this, after a while the numerous instrumentals kind of makes it recede into the background. It's an interesting listen, and yeah, the Eno influence is palpable. I appreciate what Bowie was doing, even if it isn't necessarily something I'd seek out. I added several songs from it to my Instrumentals playlist, so that's something.
Goldfrapp
4/5
Other than associating them with electronic music, I know almost nothing about Goldfrapp. That made the opening track a real curveball, until I read that this album was a departure from what they'd done before. This is lovely and enjoyable, and "A&E" is downright great. Alison Goldfrapp's voice is incredible. I'll dig into their other stuff now.
Dusty Springfield
3/5
I only knew Dusty Springfield's hits, so I appreciated digging into an album, even if it was annoyingly repetitive. I blame it on the style of the time, but every song is either pining for love, sad about love, or talking about love in some capacity. Maybe that's why my favorite song of the bunch is "Summer is Over."
Also, I'm curious...Dusty Springfield had an incredible voice. She was also a blonde white woman who sounded Black. I wonder how much of her success came from white America's comfort with a white person making this music?
The Kinks
4/5
This feels like one that needs multiple listens to digest. While I've always liked the Kinks, I haven't dug deep into their catalogue. Everything on this album was new to me, which I appreciated, and I need to spend more time in their discography in general.
Rod Stewart
3/5
While I'd prefer fewer covers, this is fun. And "Maggie May" is a classic for a reason.
Justice
3/5
I expected to like this, but I found it surprisingly abrasive (not in a good way). I decided to give it a second listen and found it less abrasive, but definitely not the kind of thing I can listen to on headphones while working. This is meant for rolling on molly in a giant club. Even then, "Newjack" would still sound schizophrenic.
The Rolling Stones
2/5
Listen, we all know the Rolling Stones are one of the two most important rock groups of the 20th century. But 60 years later, is their almost-entirely-covers debut REALLY essential? Is it crucial to understanding everything they did afterward? I'd say no and no. This is like hearing a recording of the covers they played in high school before they started the band for real. You're not missing anything if you skip this, and you're not wasting your time if you listen to it.
The Beach Boys
3/5
I have attempted to get into this album multiple times over the decades, and this most recent one may be my most successful. That still isn't saying much, because I don't foresee ever listening to this on my own. I appreciate this as a landmark album and respect its place in music history. "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "God Only Knows" are classics for a reason, and there are great musical moments throughout. But I've always found their songs pretty trite (with some exceptions), and those vaunted Beach Boys harmonies just aren't my thing.
Pixies
4/5
I haven't listened to this in ages and had forgotten about all the songs I like on it. The video for "Dig for Fire"/"Allison" was a staple of 120 Minutes back when I watched religiously. "Velouria" is a classic. "Is She Weird," "The Happening," and "Stormy Weather" are fun. There's nothing on here I dislike.
2/5
I love "Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead" and "Mayor of Simpleton," and I like "Dear God"...too bad none of those songs are on this. I wouldn't expect XTC to be making their best music in 1999, and it doesn't look like they were! I respect their iconoclasm even if I don't really want to listen to it. And the Beatles-aping "Frivolous Tonight" and "Fruit Nut" feel out of place on here.
I remember the "return to form" hype around this album after U2's increasingly annoying dalliances with electronic music in the '90s. And it did feel like the band getting back to what they do best...at first. It's a steep descent after "Beautiful Day," and the back half couldn't be less memorable. By the end, I was actively annoyed by its blandness.
Minutemen
4/5
I bought this on CD like 25 years ago and made a few attempts to get into it, but it never took. Revisiting it now, I both appreciate it more and find it repetitious, if that's possible. But no one else sounded like the Minutemen, and I appreciate how hugely influential they were. "Do You Want New Wave or Do You Want the Truth?," "Corona," "History Lesson Part 2"...there's plenty to like on here, even if it's not necessarily my thing.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
2/5
It can be a challenge to back to the Foundational Texts of any art—music, film, books, etc.—because what followed in their wake is always more interesting. Even keeping in mind Buddy Holly's legacy and the context of this album's release, I found it tedious. Maybe it's due to the thematic repetition (love lost, love gained, love underappreciated, etc.), but these 25 minutes felt much longer to me.
Queen
4/5
I don't know that I've ever listened to an entire Queen album, and this was a pleasant surprise. It was not the slog I expected. There's just so much going on, and I appreciate the bold choices they made. While decades in the rock canon has worn down the edges of "Bohemian Rhapsody," it remains probably the weirdest hit rock song out there. I don't know that Queen will ever be a go-to for me, but I enjoyed giving this a listen.
Fiona Apple
3/5
I have a friend who's a huge Fiona Apple fan, and I know she still has a hugely devoted cult following. She has a great voice, and her whole thing works, but it doesn't do much for me. (Although my 20-year-old self was a fan of the "Criminal" video, as were many straight dudes).
Fatboy Slim
4/5
This is very fun and scratches a nostalgic itch for mid-'90s electronic music that I didn't know I had. It neatly captures a sound I intensely associate with that time that I have a surprising amount of affection for. It also made my walk to the grocery store sound waaaaay more exciting than it actually was. Currently adding several of these songs to my running playlist.
Elliott Smith
5/5
One of my big musical regrets is not seeing Elliott Smith live. I came to him late, near the end of his life, and it just didn't happen. I don't know Either/Or as well as his self-titled album, but this has a ton of songs on it that I like quite a bit. I should be listening to it more.
The Doors
2/5
It's easy to hate on the Doors and Jim Morrison's Lizard King tortured-poet horseshit, and it's not wrong, necessarily. I knew none of the songs from this album, but it definitely gave me a sense of his charisma as a frontman and vocalist. That's something. I still don't think I'll listen to this again though.
Beatles
4/5
There is nothing left to say about this album, or about the Beatles for that matter. For me personally, I admire their ambition, but my favorite songs are the first two. ("Dear Prudence is my favorite Beatles song, full stop.) That leaves a looooooong time with other stuff. There's plenty to like in there, and plenty that feels like it was fun to make but not at all essential.
4/5
There's nothing left to say about any Beatles album, but ESPECIALLY Sgt. Pepper's. To me, it sounds like a more focused White Album, and like every Beatles album, I appreciate it more than I actually enjoy it. At least this one felt like less of a chore than the White Album. These days I'm most struck by how heartbreaking "She's Leaving Home" is, probably because I'm the parent of a daughter. And, you know, "A Day in the Life" is a masterpiece, yada yada.
Culture Club
2/5
Let there be no doubt which decade gave us this album. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, about it it screams 1980s. I'm not sure what it means that my favorite song wasn't on the original release ("Man-Shake"), but Culture Club's charms wore off for me pretty quickly. I think I'm better off having "Karma Chameleon" and "Man-Shake" on a playlist and moving on.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
Sometimes debut albums are the best thing a group's ever done, and sometimes they're foundations for what follows. To me, Psycho Candy is the latter. The JAMC sound is here, but I think they found themselves later. I enjoyed this and particularly liked "The Hardest Walk," though it sounds same-y after a while.
Adele
3/5
Listen, Adele has a powerhouse voice. I understand and empathize with how a particularly brutal breakup inspired this album. But holy hell is it repetitious. "Rolling in the Deep," "Rumour Has It," and "Someone Like You" are great, but I was so ready for her to sing about something, anything else. The cover of the Cure's "Lovesong" is solid, though.
The Specials
4/5
The Specials are a blindspot for me, so I was excited to check this out. I enjoyed it quite a bit, despite some side-eye for "Little Bitch" (and "Too Much Too Young" goes on and on and on). But this is fun, and I'll need to dig into more of their discography.
Van Halen
3/5
No one ever expected great art from Van Halen, and nor should they. This is utterly brainless cock rock, led by goofball clown of a frontman and the wankiest guitar player in rock history. But David Lee Roth is a charming himbo, and Eddie Van Halen was undeniably talented. It all works when put together, and even if it gets tiresome, it's all over in 35 minutes.
Shivkumar Sharma
2/5
Spotify tells me that Shivkumar Sharma "was one of the truly great visionaries" of Hindustani classical music, and I will take their word for it. As a thoroughly Western punk rocker, I have a difficult time parsing this music, because it doesn't seem to vary much. After the first song, it seems like you've heard all that you're going to hear. The notable exception, I'd say, is the 20-minute "Raga Pahadi" with its percussive fireworks and guitar shredding. Otherwise I needed to double check that I hadn't set a song to repeat for an hour.
Taylor Swift
3/5
I appreciate Taylor Swift's versatility (and the hand of producer Aaron Dessner of the National), but this is repetitious—certainly thematically, but also sonically. Maybe it's my age, but I get bored when an album is so focused on relationship woes, which is probably why I like "Marjorie" more than most of the other songs. "No Body, No Crime" is a fun diversion, and of course "Champagne Problems" is quintessential TS. But when it comes to evermore, I'm like track five: I tolerate it.*
* - I actually don't mind this, but couldn't resist the zinger.
The Cars
3/5
Even though this album has a number of hits and hooks, it falls surprisingly flat for me. "Just What I Needed" deserves its classic status, and I appreciate the other songs that have become staples...but I also don't have much of a desire to listen to any of them. Shrug emoji?
U2
5/5
For part of my freshman and sophomore year of high school, I rode to school with a guy who was a year older. This was one of a handful of albums he played on repeat (at ear-splitting volume). It speaks to the quality of the songs that I still like them. Obviously "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New Year's Day" are classics, but I'd forgotten how great "Like a Song..." is. There's a lot to like on this, and I'll take it over anything they've released since, oh, 1991.
Morrissey
4/5
I tend to reach my fill of Moz after about 20 minutes, but I liked this more than I expected, particularly the first third. I only really know "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get" from this album, though "Billy Budd" and "Speedway" (love the drums toward the end) stood out most on this listen. This sags for me around "I am Hated for Loving" and "Lifeguard Sleeping, Girl Drowning," but this is solid.
Michael Jackson
4/5
I'm not sure the last time I heard this album, or if I've ever heard the entire thing, but I didn't realize/remember that it's full-on disco (excepting token ballad "She's Out of My Life"). The classics earned their status, and I appreciated the deeper cuts like "Workin' Day and Night." I think it sags toward the end with "I Can't Help It" and "It's the Falling in Love," but "Burn This Disco Out" is kind of a banger.
The Sonics
3/5
For years I only knew the Sonics by name and reputation as proto-punk cult faves. I still haven't gone deep in their discography, so it was good to hear their debut. I'm all for loose-and-loud, attitude-heavy garage rock. This sounds like everyone was holding on for dear life as they blew through the songs, and I'm into it. It wouldn't work as well if it weren't so lo-fi, but this was a fun listen.
Electric Light Orchestra
2/5
I appreciate the craft that went into this, I'm astonished that Jeff Lynne wrote the whole thing in three weeks, but I couldn't wait for it to be over. I feel like a lot of early punk bands cite ELO as a perverse inspiration, the embodiment of bloated '70s rock that had to be destroyed. They weren't wrong. But this is all harmless if occasionally cringe ("Jungle"). And hey, I respect Lynne's iconoclasm for releasing this when disco ruled the world.
Pink Floyd
3/5
I appreciate the ambition and craft that went into this, and I appreciate icons like "Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2" and "Comfortably Numb." I just don't particularly like it. By the time the full-on Broadway musical of "The Trial" arrived, I was more than ready for it to be over. I do actually like "Comfortably Numb," but the rest of this I never need to hear again.
Tears For Fears
4/5
Three of these eight songs are stone-cold classics: "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," "Head Over Heels," and "Shout." Any other album would be lucky to have one song as good as those. The rest of Songs from the Big Chair can't help but pale in comparison, with slow tracks that feel needlessly long (and in the case of "Listen," so very '80s). Those three songs, though.
Fever Ray
3/5
This album is about as icy and removed as it gets, and best listened to on headphones so you can be immersed in it. Even then it feels distant and frequently unsettling, which seems to be the intent. I'm not surprised "If I Had a Heart" and "Keep the Streets Empty for Me" have the most listens, because they are the grabbiest (relatively speaking). Otherwise this album seems deliberately constructed NOT to grab you, but to ease you into a cold embrace. There's certainly a place for that, but it's not necessarily something I'd revisit.
Stevie Wonder
3/5
The book notes this was the fourth and final album of a hot streak Stevie Wonder had at the beginning of his post-child-prodigy career. As such, it would've been preferable to hear the other three first for context. Not that this album's charms can only be understood that way. "You Haven't Done Nothin'" is one of the great protest songs—and still relevant in our current hellscape. This feels like an album that warrants repeat listens to digest it fully, though it didn't hook me as much as I'd hoped.
Simon & Garfunkel
1/5
Picture the most insufferable characters in a Woody Allen movie from the '70s. This was their favorite album.
Listen, I try to be open-minded. I don't want to judge albums by their covers, or even by the songs I've heard before and disliked. I'm open to the possibility that I'll be surprised. Hey, I didn't even hate Bookends! But this album is proof that you can do all that and still have your presumptions reinforced.
It starts with the cover, easily one of the wussiest in the history of pop music, and continues to the songs, which also earn that title. I'm not anti-folk. There's just something so acutely annoying about "The 59th Street Bridge Song," for instance, that turns me into John Belushi smashing the guitar in Animal House. The lyrics frequently come across as annoyingly self-satisfied (the nadir being "A Simple Desultory Philippic"), but are annoying in general. Ugh, and the ham-handed social commentary of "Silent Night" with news reports to close? The worst.
Johnny Cash
5/5
This is great, full stop. While I've heard this before, I'd forgotten about the banter between songs and announcements from prison officials peppered throughout. "Folsom Prison Blues" is an all-time classic, "I Still Miss Someone" is among Cash's best, and there's plenty else to like here. The mix of sentimentality, humor (gallows and otherwise), and Johnny Cash's authenticity makes it charming and real. What a legend.
Dire Straits
2/5
I think my affection for "Money for Nothing" and "Walk of Life" is due more to their ubiquity during my childhood than really LIKING those songs, because I found this album to be a SLOG. The songs are needlessly long—"Why Worry?" into "Ride Across the River" is just brutal—with production that makes no mystery of when it was made. That's doesn't have to be a bad thing, but it didn't help this, either.
Frank Black
4/5
At 22 songs and 62 minutes, this feels like too much of a good thing. I enjoy Frank Black, but leave us wanting more, you know? (That said, closing song "Pie in the Sky" may be my favorite.) There's a lot to enjoy on here, but it starts to blur together. And I've always found Black's music—solo and in the Pixies—a little too detached emotionally to really grab me. It still works and is fun, but never really goes beyond that for me.
Joan Armatrading
3/5
If you had asked me if I knew Joan Armatrading this morning, I would've said only that her name sounded vaguely familiar. But as I made my way through this album, I recognized her voice. While I don't get into this kind of singer-songwriter stuff much, I found it pretty charming. "Love and Affection" is the obvious standout, as its 42M+ plays attest. I don't know that I'll come back to this, but I appreciate it all the same.
The Beach Boys
1/5
My understanding of the Beach Boys' music falls into two camps: good-time pop claptrap ("Little Surfer Girl," "Surfin' USA," etc.) and ambitious, insanity-inducing epics (Pet Sounds, SMiLE). Because I don't care for their music, I've never thought about what lies between those points until Surf's Up. What a thoroughly strange album, starting with the completely incongruous album art and title. Even if it had a different cover, Surf's Up does not suit the music and themes here. In continuing with precedent, I didn't like it and actively hated "Student Demonstration Time." It has nicer moments, but none I plan to revisit.
Janis Joplin
4/5
I only know Janis Joplin by her hits and her place among rock icons who died young. I also knew enough to know she isn't really my thing, but this was still enjoyable—even if the first half of the album's focus on "man done me wrong" songs gets tiresome thematically. The instrumental "Buried Alive in the Blues" is pretty great (though the story behind it awful), and of course "Me and Bobby McGee" is a classic. Glad to hear it, probably won't come back.
Big Star
3/5
The great comedian Jimmy Pardo calls Big Star the world's most overrated underrated band. It definitely feels like Required Fandom for indie cognoscenti, though others would be forgiven for wondering what the big small deal is. I saw a live tribute concert to this album at SXSW, and it was fine—just like this album. As the book notes, this is Big Star's "difficult" album, and its quiet restraint isn't grabby like their janglier, earlier work. ("Till the End of the Day" is closest and inexplicably has the fewest streams on this album). This is definitely a slow burn, and it probably rewards repeat listens on headphones. 3.5 stars.
T. Rex
3/5
T. Rex is one of my blindspots, a band I know only by reputation and the hits ("Bang a Gong" specifically). This probably isn't the ideal entry point, but it was enjoyable all the same even if it started to blend together a bit by the time "Main Man" closed things out.
CHVRCHES
5/5
Hey, this one's easy because it was my 2013 album of the year. Here's the review I wrote for The A.V. Club:
At the end of 2012, Scottish electro-pop trio Chvrches had little more to its name than a couple songs online and a bit of buzz. When The Bones Of What You Believe, the group’s first full-length, comes out this week, the band will be on a sold-out U.S. tour, playing bigger rooms than it had when it came through those same cities earlier this summer. The polite yet insistent buzz from the beginning of the year has grown to a roar by fall, making The Bones Of What You Believe one of 2013’s most anticipated albums.
Much of the attention Chvrches attracted last year was due to “The Mother We Share,” which the band had released online. It opens The Bones Of What You Believe and is the album’s leadoff single, with good reason: It’s one of the year’s best songs, propelled by overlapping synthesizers and a triumphant chorus that vocalist Lauren Mayberry carries higher with her lilting voice (made more charming because she doesn’t attempt to hide her accent). “The Mother We Share” attracted a lot of attention toward the end of 2012, but the band wisely kept it off March’s Recover EP and let it anchor the full-length.
As good as “The Mother We Share” is, it wouldn’t be enough to carry the album, but Chvrches follows it with an even catchier song, “We Sink,” and another solid track, “Gun,” making for one of the strongest starts to any album this year. The rest of the album doesn’t sag, either; the only track that stumbles is the moodier “Science/Visions,” and that’s mostly because the discordant backup vocals clash with the other melodies. The song finishes strong, though, and is preceded by a pair of standouts, “Recover” and “Night Sky.”
A lot has been made of Chvrches’ similarities to The Knife, but The Bones Of What You Believe owes more to earlier electro-pop and electronic rock bands, such as New Order, OMD, or even Yazoo. (The New Order/OMD comparison feels especially apparent when multi-instrumentalist Martin Doherty—a former touring member of The Twilight Sad—takes lead vocals on “Under The Tide.”) “Science/Visions” veers away from the album’s poppier sound and into straight-up EDM, and moody album closer “You Caught The Light”—led again by Doherty—conjures Disintegration-era Cure.
Chvrches’ bread and butter remains highly melodic, synthesizer-based pop, but with just the right amount of darkness, thanks in part to Mayberry. She has a law degree and a masters in journalism, so she writes like she has something to say, not just to fill the space in the songs. She, Doherty, and multi-instrumentalist Iain Cook have crafted one of the year’s best albums, which means that buzz won’t be dying down any time soon.
Curtis Mayfield
5/5
This is one of the greatest soundtracks of all time, end of story. While it's a shame it has overshadowed the film—which is also great—you can't argue with what Curtis Mayfield created. "Pusherman" is one of the great songs of this era, which is saying something considering all the legendary stuff that came from this time. This rules, the end.
ZZ Top
2/5
Over decades of listening to music, one thing I have definitively learned is that electric blues and blues rock are not my thing. As a child of the '80s, I only knew ZZ Top from the Eliminator era, and it wasn't until much later that I understood how far back they went (and that they're the ones who did that "how-how-how" song). Turns out I much prefer the stuff I saw on MTV, but the live version of "La Grange" is solid.
Traffic
2/5
This came and went without my thinking about it much. When I did notice it, I mostly thought, "That's an awful lot of flute." I guess if I want to listen to Steve Winwood, I'll stick with "Valerie."
The Stooges
4/5
I feel like Funhouse gets all the attention, but I like Raw Power so much more. The title track, "Search and Destroy," and "Gimme Danger" are all great. This is what I hear in my head when I think of the Stooges. And goddamn right.
Duran Duran
4/5
I'm not sure the last time I heard this the whole way through, but I'm guessing I was in elementary school. Obviously "Rio" and "Hungry Like the Wolf" are iconic (though the former has no reason to be nearly six minutes), and "Save a Prayer" is among their classics. I have zero memory of the rest of this album, and it's pretty solid—and so very '80s—though they could shave at least a minute off most of these songs.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
This feels like Springsteen at his Springsteeniest, which is a good thing. I don't know this album particularly well, but it's great. That's it. That's the review.
Bob Dylan
3/5
I prefer Dylan electrified, and even then, I'm not a fan. "Like a Rolling Stone" is as good as it gets for me on this album. I don't actively dislike much of it—which counts as praise from me—but by the time "Desolation Row" went on and on and on, active dislike was bubbling up.
Miriam Makeba
4/5
I know nothing about Miriam Makeba, but the limited amount I read today is pretty incredible. I kinda want to read her autobiography now. As for this album, it's lovely—minus the two irritating novelty songs, "The Naughty Little Flea" and "One More Dance"—and it's the reason I'm doing this project. "The Retreat Song" stands out for me, especially how she comes out swinging with her vocals. I'll definitely check out more of her stuff.
Motörhead
4/5
It doesn't really get more balls-out than this. Lemmy was a legend, though I always found Motörhead to be a bit one-note. That said, it's a fun note. Related, this band has nothing to to say (other than maybe Viv Savage's immortal "Have a good time...all the time"), but no one was expecting that from Lemmy. This doesn't pretend to be anything else than what it is, and live was undoubtedly the best way to experience Motörhead.
Wilco
4/5
This was the first Wilco album I bought, right around when it came out. Nearly three decades later, it sounds so straight-forward, even with the swirling feedback in "Misunderstood." That's not a dig. Sadly, Wilco doesn't do much for me these days, so I have a lot of affection for this album, particularly the first disc. "Misunderstood," "Far, Far Away," "Monday," and "Outtasite (Outta Mind)" are all top-notch. The 2nd disc fades in the back half, but this remains great.
The Police
4/5
Aside from the great "Message in a Bottle," I don't think I knew any of these songs or have ever listened to this album. It's solid. The Police were coming into their own here, and there's quite a bit to like. My dark-horse pick is "It's Alright for You," which sits on the fence between punk and post-punk and should have way more plays.
Solomon Burke
4/5
I recognized Solomon Burke's picture but couldn't tell you what he sang, which is surprising considering he sits comfortably with other soul singers I like, such as Sam Cooke and Otis Redding. My first pass through this didn't do much for me (other than "Cry to Me"), but decided to listen again with headphones. That was the move, because I appreciated it a lot more. Not all of this hits, but it's pretty great regardless. Burke's voice is obviously amazing, the guitar is surprisingly intricate, and I'm generally a sucker for this kind of '60s soul. Thumbs up.
FUN FACT: Solomon Burke and I have the same birthday. What does that mean? Nothing.
Nightmares On Wax
2/5
I don't doubt the amount of craftsmanship George Evelyn put into this, but it recedes into pleasant background music for me—like what I'd hear while I wait for the barista to prepare my cold brew. The 1,001 book boldly asserts, "Smokers Delight is one of those albums that everyone will ask about when they hear it playing. Then they will probably head out and buy their own copy the very next day." Maybe in the UK in the mid-'90s, but for me in 2025, I'll save a couple tracks to a playlist I have on while I'm working.
Nico
2/5
My knowledge of Nico doesn't go much further than her time with the Velvet Underground and some stories from books. This is the only album of hers I know by name, and I didn't realize she had a lengthy discography. This doesn't do much for me, even with all the talented people who helped make it happen. While she isn't a great vocalist, a) she was partially deaf, which affected her singing, and b) my record collection is full of people who aren't good vocalists. Maybe something else in her discography will grab me, but in the meantime, I'll stick with "All Tomorrow's Parties."
The Stranglers
3/5
Having keyboards seems like it would've been heretical back in '77, but then again, X-Ray Spex had a saxophone, so maybe punk was less dogmatic then? Regardless, this is a fun time capsule from those early days. The bass and keyboards stand out, but the songs don't do a lot for me in general.
Oasis
2/5
I don't think I've ever listened to this album. When these guys blew up, I was at the peak of my punk stridency, and Oasis' rockstar bullshit was anathema to me (and I didn't think their songs backed up their egos). I also was also on Team Blur during the completely-invented-by-the-British-media rivalry between Blur and Oasis. I've softened since; I listened to the 20th anniversary edition of (What's the Story) Morning Glory a bunch of times when it came out, though I haven't gone back to it. All that said, this album still gets a shrug from me. The songs are too long for what they are—"Live Forever" would be so much better if they chopped a minute off—and the lyrics have no shortage of clichés. It's totally fine mid-'90s Britpop. I don't say this often, but 1994 me was on the right track.
Beck
4/5
I didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did, if you can "enjoy" an album about a devastating breakup. I'm generally fine with the hits when it comes to Beck (except for "Loser," which has annoyed me for 31 years and counting), and I only knew Sea Change by reputation. Twenty-plus years later, I probably take for granted what a stark departure it was, because this sound suits him well. I saved a bunch of songs from this for my "quietish" playlist, which counts as an endorsement.
The Gun Club
4/5
I know nothing about the Gun Club, though I have presumably come across them before. And now I need to go through their discography, because I liked this quite a bit. I'm a sucker for merging Americana and punk (see also the Gun Club's contemporaries in X), and I like how this diverged from the SoCal punk sound that was coalescing around this time.
Fiona Apple
3/5
I think maybe my brief, intense period of continually listening to Tori Amos' Little Earthquakes as a teen has put me off anything that sounds similar. Fiona Apple is clearly talented and has a strong POV, and I like this ok, but it's not something I'll come back to. (I also don't remember her repeating lyrics this much?)
Various Artists
5/5
Probably the best Christmas album of all time.
Fugees
4/5
The Fugees' heyday happened when I wasn't listening to a lot of hip-hop. I missed out on a lot of good stuff, including this. It's bonkers they never released another album, though I understand how things changed once they were thrust into massive success. Anyway, this is great and hits more than it misses. While the 1,001 book highlights Wyclef's reinterpretation of Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry," I found it a bit cringe, especially coming a few tracks after Lauryn Hill's take on Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly With His Song." (And two remixes of "Fu-Gee-La" are the definition of unnecessary.)
Paul Simon
3/5
"Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard" is a classic, but I can't get into Paul Simon or Simon & Garfunkel in general. When you have two songs with the word "hobo" in the title, that's a sign this won't be my thing. Rounding up to 3 for "Me and Julio."
Eagles
2/5
Eagles were/are one of the biggest American bands of all time, with egos to match, so this hardly needs any takes from me. But I did not enjoy this. The hits are fine (except "Peaceful Easy Feeling," blech), but "Chug All Night" and "Most of Us Are Sad" are godawful, and the rest of it is only nominally better. Hard pass.
Brian Eno
3/5
While acknowledging Brian Eno's huge influence, I struggle to consider this essential listening—though I guess the book only highlights this, the first of his ambient albums. There's certainly something to be said for its restrained minimalism, but Eno himself declared the music must be "as ignorable as it is interesting." In that case, mission accomplished, as this easily settles into background music while I work.
Ice Cube
4/5
You take the good with the bad with Ice Cube, the formerly ferocious and ferociously talented rapper who spends most of his time these days making crappy movies. His early solo albums are a mixed bag of blazingly great tracks and noxious misogyny (and occasional homophobia), both of which are plentiful here. You can't beat the Bomb Squad's production, though, no matter what Cube is saying. There needs to be more "Endangered Species" and "The Bomb" and less "You Can't Fade Me."
Pink Floyd
3/5
While I wouldn't put it past my more strident younger self to have hostility toward Pink Floyd, my memory is that I was more indifferent than anything else. Their looooong, proggy songs could sound like they were playing at the wrong speed on a turntable. Wish You Were Here still has elements of that, but I have generally positive feelings toward Pink Floyd these days. I'm not a fan and likely won't return to this, but I appreciate them and their artistry. 3.5 stars.
Jorge Ben Jor
3/5
This is very much outside my wheelhouse, but enjoyable all the same. The book highlights how much Jorge Ben incorporated James Brown-style funk, which I can definitely hear in songs like "Ponta De Lanca Africano." I saved that one to a playlist, but I doubt I return to this otherwise. Glad to hear it though.
Flamin' Groovies
4/5
First of all, I had no idea the Flamin' Groovies were this old. Second, this is exactly what I expected: loose, raucous, and lots of attitude. So, you know, fun. I can picture Jon Spencer listening to it and having a light-bulb moment. The bonus tracks are definitely inessential, especially because the closing stretch of "Whiskey Woman" was the perfect way to end the album.
Genesis
3/5
Spotify claims this album is one hour and 34 minutes, but I'm pretty sure it's twice that. At some point during "The Light Dies Down on Broadway," I had the thought, "Wait, this is STILL GOING." Toward the end of disc two, Peter Gabriel's vocals are less of a presence, and the proggy synth jams ratchet up (see "Riding the Scree"), and it's all too much. I enjoyed a lot of disc one, thinking, "Hey, this isn't so wanky!" That didn't last. At one point I looked at Spotify to see I had nine songs left. That seemed like an eternity, and it was.
FUN FACT: Genesis' Invisible Touch was the first CD I ever bought. What if I had accidentally grabbed this instead?
Van Halen
3/5
Maybe it's because I was a kid when this came out and loved "Jump," but this is the only Van Halen album I need. Actually, I'm good with "Jump," "Panama," and "Hot for Teacher," but it's good to hear the other songs on this album, even if they pale in comparison. As usual, Eddie Van Halen's guitar wankery is frequently insufferable—the solos in "Top Jimmy" and "Drop Dead Legs" are especially distracting and disconnected from the songs—but that goes with the territory. This is brainless fun and absolutely iconic. 3.5 stars.
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
There's no reason this needs to be two full hours, but there less filler on this than I expected. Unsurprisingly disc one is better, and disc two gets pretty sleepy toward the end. Billy Corgan may be an insufferable jagoff, but the dude knows how to write a riff. I still think Siamese Dream is the Pumpkins' best, though I get why people love this album so much.
Nirvana
5/5
This album sounds like such a visceral kiss-off to Nirvana's head-spinning success, with Albini nurturing their most abrasive tendencies. I was surprised by how the 1,001 book called In Utero melodic, when even the more pleasing parts still have a serrated edge. Not to mention songs like "Very Ape," "Milk It," and "Tourette's" couldn't be less poppy. It also has my favorite Nirvana song, "All Apologies"—and there's no more haunting way to end this album and Nirvana's discography than Kurt Cobain repeating "All alone is all we are."
Carpenters
3/5
This is syrupy '70s easy listening, dripping with schmaltzy production flourishes that underline every sentiment to avoid any understatement. I would love to hear these songs stripped down, because for all the thematic repetitiousness—love and wanting it, losing it, etc.—there's something to the compositions, and obviously Karen Carpenter had a singular voice. I want more "Crescent Noon" and less "I'll Never Fall in Love Again." Also more of the flute, organ, and drums jam at the end of "Another Song." (I also kinda like their cover of "Help"?)
Crosby, Stills & Nash
2/5
Nothing I've heard of Crosby, Stills & Nash over the years has done much for me, and precedent holds with this, their landmark debut. I can appreciate that they're great at what they do—and the three of them are icons—it just isn't my thing.
Talking Heads
4/5
The Talking Heads are another band I appreciate more than I actually enjoy. They've always skewed too cerebral for my tastes, which are more emotional and gut-based. But More Songs About Buildings and Food hooked me more than usual. Opener "Thank You For Sending Me an Angel" is great—and deserves waaaay more plays than it has—"I'm Not in Love" and "The Big Country" are solid, and of course their cover of "Take Me to the River" is one of their biggest songs. Thumbs up.
Prince
4/5
"1999" and "Little Red Corvette" are among the greatest songs of all time, and "Delirious" is fun, but this album steadily, precipitously drops from there. It drags, but at least it's never boring. It also has enough WTF elements (the sexy moaning in "Lady Cab Driver," the weird police-radio talk of masturbation in "All the Critics Love U in New York") to keep you guessing.
Nirvana
4/5
If you want to be interesting, you say this album is Nirvana's best. (Don't forget to mention how Die Hard is your favorite Christmas movie too.) An album that's almost half covers—three of them Meat Puppets songs—is disqualified from such a distinction, in my mind at least. While Cobain definitely curated his picks, and these versions of "The Man Who Sold the World" and "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" are especially great, it's hard not to wish for more Nirvana. These are the definitive versions of "About a Girl" and "All Apologies" as far as I'm concerned.
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
4/5
I haven't heard of Willie Colón and Rubén Blades before, and I know almost nothing about salsa, so this was another album where I was starting from scratch. I enjoyed it even as it started to blend together for me, probably because of the language barrier. But this was pretty enjoyable.
The National
4/5
It's jarring to have such a "recent" album on this project, as I ranked this #9 on my top 15 albums of 2010 (below Matt & Kim and above the Hold Steady). As much as I like the National, their tendency to stay in one zone makes their songs blend together for me after a while. It's not surprising my two favorite songs of theirs, "Abel" and "Mr. November," are louder and more dynamic. Here, "Bloodbuzz Ohio" does that best (and unsurprisingly remains a staple of their live sets). But "Terrible Love," "Afraid of Everyone," and "England" are also solid, as is this whole album, even though it could use more surprises.
The Doors
3/5
It's expected at this point to mock Jim Morrison for being a drunken, pretentious twat, even if he did plenty to deserve it. But if you wanted to make a case for why he and the Doors deserved the iconic status bestowed upon them, you could do worse than the songs that bookend this album, "Break on Through" and "The End." This band has never done much for me, but those songs are great, even if "The End" is almost a caricature of '60s psychedelic freakout. (I know "Light My Fire" is also iconic, but ehhhh.)
Black Sabbath
5/5
It's a shame I didn't appreciate Black Sabbath's greatness until middle age, but that also seems fitting. But even in my younger days I knew that "Paranoid" was a ripper. I came to "War Pigs" via Faith No More's cover of it, and it was my introduction to these supposedly scary bands being a lot more conscientious than hysterical conservatives gave them credit for. Anyway, this is great. A bunch of classics with deeper cuts I appreciate and yet another harrowing song about heroin.
The Isley Brothers
4/5
I was a little distracted while listening to this, so I felt like I didn't give it enough attention, even with repeating a couple songs. Or maybe I just wanted to listen to them again anyway? These dudes look totally badass on the cover, and the music delivers. I loved the long instrumental coda in "That Lady," and "If You Were There" and "What It Comes Down To" were also highlights for me. Into it.
Hugh Masekela
4/5
The extent of my Huge Masekela knowledge is vaguely recognizing his name. So, basically, nothing. But this is great from start to finish. Between Home Is Where the Music Is and Abdullah Ibrahim's Water From an Ancient Well, I'm now on my way to pretending I know a modicum about 20th century South African jazz. AREN'T I INTERESTING.
The White Stripes
3/5
This comes out guns blazing with "Seven Nation Army," "Black Math," and "There's No Home for You Here," then drops off and doesn't kick back up again for half a dozen songs (til "The Hardest Button to Button"). Aside form "Hypnotise," I think it fades out from there. The best moments on this are great, but the rest is a little snoozy. Kinda like the White Stripes in general. 3.5 stars.
Stan Getz
5/5
The 1,001 book mentions that Stan Getz's collaboration with Astrud Gilberto was more popular than this—but whereas Getz/Gilberto sounded like different versions of the same song, this feels more differentiated to me. Sure, you can say the basics are the same across the seven songs, but the interplay of Getz's sax and Charlie Byrd's guitar is awesome. It doesn't sound repetitive to me; this is great from start to finish.
2/5
Maybe this caught me on the wrong day, because I like the Kinks, but this struck me as meandering and campy—and it makes total sense that it was intended to soundtrack an aborted TV project. The songs feel written for specific scenes or story beats, so it's cohesive in one sense...but still kind of irritating and overlong (at only 48 minutes). I'll save "Victoria" to a playlist and skip the rest. Maybe I'll come back to this another time and see if it hits better.
Lauryn Hill
2/5
I don't think I'd ever heard this the whole way through, and considering what a massive success this album was (and how good Lauryn Hill was in the Fugees), I expected to like it. Instead I actively disliked it as it went on (and on). The cursive singing drove me nuts, with seemingly every syllable being dragged across multiple notes and dragging everything out interminably. These songs didn't need to be five-plus minutes or have all these interstitials. (This was the heyday of skits on albums, I guess.) Aside from "Doo Wop (That Thing)," this is shockingly a miss. 2.5 stars.
The Pharcyde
3/5
For whatever reason, I missed the Pharcyde back in the day, but I figured this would be my thing. This era definitely needed more light-hearted, sillier hip-hop to counter the supremacy of gangsta rap at the time...but I found this a little *too* goofy. It definitely didn't need to be as long as it is (ugh, skits), but it's hard not to be charmed by it in general.
PJ Harvey
4/5
I've kind of always felt I should know more about PJ Harvey, but for whatever reason have never dug in. The first half of Let England Shake makes a strong case, but it fades in the second half. The songs started to blend together for me by the time it finished. Maybe I was just distracted. I'll revisit. Rounding up to four because those first three or four songs are really solid.
Slint
3/5
Much as I have with the Beach Boys, I have tried many times to feel the way other people do about Slint. And, as with the Beach Boys, I'm ready to give up. Slint is an easier get for me than the BBs, and I do appreciate the music, like the simmering moodiness of "For Dinner..." and the cutting distortion of the guitar in "Breadcrumb Trail" and "Nosferatu Man." But that's about it. The ponderous vocals never did anything for me, and they actively annoy me in "Washer." Sorry, @knaffles.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
2/5
Legit question: Would I like this band if Anthony Kiedis weren't in it? Because musically there's stuff on here I appreciate, and these dudes are obviously all excellent players. Then there's Kiedis. The 1,001 book boldly proclaims, "Californication also produced new levels of vocal talent from Anthony Keidis." 1) LOLOLOLOL. 2) That's not how you spell his name.
Oh well. I liked "Otherside" for the most part! That's something, right?
James Brown
3/5
Listening to this, I had to wonder why the Apollo couldn't give James Brown like 45 minutes? Maybe an hour? It's crazy how much he crams into this. Pre-funk James Brown is less interesting to me, but I never knew him as a teen idol until I heard all the screams from the audience. He's great of course, and this is a fascinating document of a moment in time. 3.5 stars.
Dead Kennedys
3/5
All due respect to our punk forefathers as one of the iconic bands of the '80s, and to Jello Biafra as one of the great punk iconoclasts. Their legacy is secured, despite their later infighting, litigation, and embarrassing tours.
That established: This is a chore. I now remember why I own this but have listened to it maybe three times. Jello's preening affect quickly grates, even if his words hit their mark. These days, I'll save "Holiday in Cambodia"—which is legit great—to a playlist and skip the rest. (OK, "California Uber Alles" too.) 2.5, rounding up to 3.
Little Simz
4/5
I've never heard of Little Simz, who hasn't toured the States much and doesn't have as high a profile here as she does in her native UK. While Grey Area is so very British, I bet it found an audience among old trip-hop heads and Dizzee Rascal fans. Count me among them, because I liked this. "Offence" and "Sherbet Sunset" are the standouts for me, and I'll dig into her other stuff too.
The xx
3/5
I remember checking the xx out around when this album blew up, and now I know why I haven't revisited them. I do appreciate the minimalism, but in small doses. Throughout an album it starts to feel kinda one-note. Kinda shocked what a big deal this was, considering it's pathologically understated. If I saw them live, I'd be afraid to put my beer bottle in the garbage for fear of making too much noise.
Kate Bush
4/5
I feel like I'm listening to the source code for Tori Amos. My Kate Bush knowledge was mostly limited to "Running Up That Hill," which I really liked until Stranger Things pummeled it into oblivion. (It's still great.) While I like this, it doesn't feel like something I'll return to. The 16-year-old version of myself that listened to Little Earthquakes constantly would've been into this much more than his middle-aged counterpart. But I'm glad to have heard it. 3.5 stars, rounding up in tribute to my very sensitive younger self.
Michael Kiwanuka
4/5
I've never heard of Michael Kiwanuka, so this was an enjoyable surprise. "Rolling," "I've Been Dazed," and "Hero" were standouts for me, and the the first half in particular is solid. It fades toward the end for me, but I'll keep an ear out for more from him.
Beck
3/5
Beck has never done much for me, but this was a pleasing enough way to spend an hour. All of the songs have that pastiche that Beck has made his signature, and I liked opener "E-Pro" the best. None of it feels especially deep or substantive, but I don't think that's the point, either.
Eminem
2/5
This is surprisingly less noxious than the Marshall Mathers LP, probably because Eminem had something to prove here, and when he got successful, he indulged in his worst tendencies. There's still plenty of bad shit on this one too. The homophobia isn't as pronounced here, but the rape talk and gleeful nihilism are toxic. You can say he's doing a character, and I'll buy that to a point—but how many of the 10+ million people who bought this album thought that? And there's no reason this needs to be an hour with a million stupid skits. 2.5, but rounding down.
Michael Jackson
3/5
Following Thriller is basically impossible, so I empathize with the challenge that faced Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones. That said, "Speed Demon"? "Liberian Girl"? The 2nd quarter of the album is such a miss, but at least it comes back strong(ish) for the last three songs. There are obviously classics on here; it's just too bad everything is so saddled by the sounds of "synthetic everything" '80s production. 3.5 stars.
R.E.M.
4/5
I've always liked R.E.M.—"Radio Free Europe" is one of my favorites of theirs—but I never shared the "this band changed my life" reverence given to them by some folks (particularly the heads a few years older than I am). Among them, Murmur is a sacred text. I like it enough to own it, but not enough to listen to it much. Revisiting it now, more stands out to me to ("Catapult," "Shaking Through")—nothing life-changing, but that's ok.
Coldplay
3/5
Coldplay has been a punchline for so long it grows more difficult to remember what it was like before that time. This wasn't so long after "Yellow" was a non-mainstream sensation, so they were still new enough that they hadn't gotten dull. "Clocks" was obviously massive, but there's plenty to like on here, even as it sags in the back quarter. "Amsterdam" is a strong closer though.
Kate Bush
4/5
I found this to be an easier listen than Hounds of Love, but for me, Kate Bush remains best enjoyed in small doses. Something about her music just feels like...a lot, even though there's no one thing I can point to as the culprit. It's the whole package. "This Woman's Work" has earned its classic status—shout out to She's Having a Baby for introducing it to me—and I liked "Love and Anger." The rest is good to solid.
Joanna Newsom
3/5
This is a swirling maelstrom of quirk, with elements of other 1,001 faves Björk, Kate Bush, and Tori Amos that I find both off-putting and weirdly entrancing. I suspect live is the best way to experience this (particularly the shows she did with full orchestras). Recorded, it struck me as gratingly quirky for most of it, but I grew more tolerant as it progressed. Maybe it was Stockholm Syndrome. I appreciate it as a singular artistic achievement—nothing else sounds like Ys, that's for sure—but I won't be coming back. Rounding up to 3 for artistic merit.
King Crimson
3/5
Opener "21st Century Schizoid Man" makes a compelling case for adding more prog to my musical diet, but the rest of the album makes a superior case for NOT doing that. You could blame the giant drop from "Schizoid Man" into the light-rock flute of "I Talk to the Wind," but the plodding "Epitaph" and "Moonchild" are more tedious. "The Court of the Crimson King" brings things back to life, but doesn't make me want to return to this. Turns out my prog diet is just fine, thanks.
Rage Against The Machine
3/5
I was at the peak of my punk snobbery when RATM blew up, and I found them cheesy back in those days. I appreciate them more decades later. If I found their sloganeering kinda obvious back then, I respect that it blew and opened minds at the time. And their fusion of metal, funk, and hip-hop was waaaaaay better than the bro-y nü metal dreck that would follow years later. Musically this is repetitious and doesn't do a ton for me—"Killing in the Name" is solid, as is "Wake Up"—but there's no denying Tom Morello is a great guitarist, Zack de la Rocha is a fierce presence, and all the RATM components work well together.
Beatles
3/5
There is nothing left to say about this album or the Beatles.
For me personally, it's...
musically: expertly crafted '60s guitar pop
thematically: tediously repetitive
Madonna
2/5
The title track is still great, and the rest of this is...fine. It feels much longer than an hour.
Pulp
2/5
By the time the Jarvis Cocker was tediously whispering in "Seductive Barry," I could only think, "Oh fuck off." His charms—and those of Pulp in general—are mostly lost on me. And they're especially strained during those interminable eight and a half minutes. I get this is Pulp's comedown album, but it is a fucking slog. The more I hear of them, the more I realize I'm good with "Common People."
Mike Ladd
3/5
I know nothing about Mike Ladd, but his roots in the spoken-word scene are hard to miss. These songs sound like poems with musical accompaniment, heavily informed by the jazzy trip-hop. I'm not surprised he's more popular in Europe than Stateside—this feels pretty separate from the stuff you hear 'round these parts, even in the indie scene. Ladd is clearly smart and has a POV, and this is pleasant enough, but it's also kinda tedious. 2.5 stars.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
This is pretty great. I've never had anything against Jimi Hendrix—I got the greatest hits from BMG a million years ago, for what that's worth—but I really appreciated the deeper cuts and other songs I haven't heard a million times.
The Cure
5/5
My most anticipated album of 1989. I was a massive Cure fan, so I couldn't wait for this to come out. While I loved it, I found it to be a bit of a slog toward the end. I still think it's overlong, but it's also full of some of their best work.
John Coltrane
5/5
A Love Supreme was one of the first things I saved to my instrumentals playlist—currently 20 hours, 11 minutes and growing—which I listen to while working. At some point I removed "Pursuance" from it, because its instrumental freakouts—particularly Elvin Jones' drumming—were just as distracting as any song with vocals in it. That's not a complaint; the song is bonkers in a good way. This is an explosive album in general, well worth repeated listens.
Isaac Hayes
5/5
Hey hey, I wrote a whole article about this album:
With Shaft, Isaac Hayes fomented a soundtrack revolution
https://www.avclub.com/with-shaft-isaac-hayes-fomented-a-soundtrack-revolutio-1798240313
Isaac Hayes was a genius, and working on a film score for the first time gave him a chance to explore and try new things. Obviously the iconic "Theme from Shaft" is the highpoint, but there's a lot to love about this score (and the film).
Peter Gabriel
4/5
Between the Genesis albums and the Peter Gabriel solo ones, this project loves it some Peter Gabriel. I tend to prefer the less proggy solo material, and Melt is solid from start to finish. "And Through the Wire" and "Biko" were favorites for me, and I didn't realize I knew "Games Without Frontiers." You can hear the beginnings of So on this album too. Good stuff.
The Who
4/5
It's embarrassing that it's taken me nearly five decades to listen to all of Tommy. As with most concept albums, I appreciate the ambition even if it drags a little. But it's hard for anything to drag much when Keith Moon throws down on the drums, as he frequently does here, and of course Pete Townshend's guitar playing is never tedious. I'll need to come back to this one to fully digest it, but it won't be a chore.
Beatles
5/5
Again, there is nothing left to say about the Beatles. This is my favorite album of theirs: concise, focused, and minimal fluff.
Nina Simone
4/5
My Nina Simone knowledge is shamefully limited, so I was happy to be able to sit with a whole album of hers. The opening punch of "I Love Your Lovin' Ways," "Four Women," and "What More Can I Say?" is great, and "Wild is the Wind" is pretty epic. It gets a bit repetitive for me personally, but that's not a complaint. 3.5 stars, rounding up to 4 for an icon.
Def Leppard
4/5
This is big, dumb, '80s rock-pop. The Reagan soundbites in "Gods of War" aside, Def Leppard never had anything to say beyond rockin', lovin', and havin' good times. I know all that sounds like a dis, but it's not meant as one. Def Leppard did their thing extremely well, and it's never better than here. It's catchy, fun, and perfectly executed. As partial as I am to Pyromania's "Photograph," "Animal" may be their best song.
UPDATE: No, "Photograph" still takes top honors, but "Animal" is up there.
Public Enemy
5/5
This is a seismic album in my life. I forget how I came across Public Enemy as an adolescent, but this was their most recent release at the time. To hear everything they talk about on this album (and the liner notes, which I read cover to cover) as a 12- or 13-year-old middle-class white kid from Texas? It blew my goddamn mind. It was provocative, kinda scary, and thrilling, and I can still hear why when I revisit it. "Louder Than a Bomb" remains my favorite, and this album has so much good stuff on it (and a relatively light amount of filler). In short, this rules.
What DIDN'T rule was seeing them perform this album in full at the Pitchfork Music Festival in 2008. Chuck and Flav rapped over full backing tracks with vocals. Flav wasn't even there for the first song, but his vocal track was. After he finally showed up, he was booed when he plugged his supremely awful sitcom. Years later I would go onto work with the guy who created it, and he too was supremely awful.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
This project has more or less confirmed that I'm happy with the Stones' hits. I've yet to enjoy a full-length from start to finish, and it's not for lack of trying (even before this project). In this case, the best moments bookend Let It Bleed: the relatively svelte "Gimme Shelter" and the overlong-but-iconic "You Can't Always Get What You Want." The songs between those often feel meandering—or rambling, if you will—and I prefer the alt "Honkey Tonk Women" to "Country Tonk." It's useful to hear everything in its context, but I don't expect to return to this.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
4/5
I wish the music were as striking as the album cover. I liked it, but it kind of came and went without much notice for me. Maybe I was distracted. I saved a few tracks to my instrumental playlist, so I'll revisit. Rounding up to 4 because I'll be coming back.
Steely Dan
3/5
The Yacht Rock Era has given Steely Dan new life post-2000, and I'm glad for them. They're obviously masterful musicians who are the kings of this kind of smooth, jazzy rock. It's something I respect more than I actually enjoy. There's nothing disagreeable on this album; I appreciate their skill and what they pull of in these songs. But I wouldn't cue up Aja on my own volition. "Peg" is fun, but I prefer De La Soul's "Eye Know." Sorry, Jeremy.
Living Colour
4/5
I think heavy rotation "Cult of Personality" on MTV prompted me to pick up Vivid on cassette, and that song, "Open Letter (To a Landlord)," and "Glamour Boys" got a lot of play from me in those days. But I didn't keep up with Living Colour, probably because this style of melodic hard rock wasn't quite my thing. (The Cure and Public Enemy were my faves at the time.) Returning to it now, I appreciate "Which Way to America" and "Desperate People" more than I did back then, and of course "Cult of Personality" is iconic. Still not quite my thing, but well done regardless.
3/5
If the 1,001 book's assertion is correct that this album is the apotheosis of prog, then I'm not as anti-prog as I thought. Throughout this project I've been far less hostile to it than expected, and Close to the Edge continues that shocking precedent. I mean, it's still not my thing. But I appreciate the artistry involved and find it surprisingly palatable. 3.5 stars.
Elvis Presley
2/5
When long-running artists pop back up in the zeitgeist, it's usually by going back to their roots. Elvis broke through in 1969 with this schmaltz? I guess it makes sense that his audience wanted comfort, not rock 'n' roll, given the tumult of the era, but what a missed opportunity. "Suspicious Minds" finds the right middle ground—I wish there were more songs like that, because it's legit great (and I love "In the Ghetto" even though it's cringe). The rest of this I don't need to hear again, especially eye-rolling sentimentality of "Don't Cry Daddy" and "Mama Liked the Roses."
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Prior to this project, my exposure to Bob Marley's music was limited to the Legend greatest-hits collection, which I frequently played during my deeply mortifying Bob Marley phase. I was grateful to hear another slate of tracks that were new to me—save "Stir It Up," of course—and particularly enjoyed the first half of Catch a Fire. "Concrete Jungle," "Slave Driver," "400 Years," and "Stop That Train" are all great, and of course "Stir It Up" is a classic. The back half faded for me, and I found "Kinky Reggae" kind of annoying, but the great outweighs the not-so-great.
Deep Purple
3/5
This is the kind of dopey—literally and figuratively—hard rock my punk forefathers rebelled against in the '70s. You could call it clichéd, except this album helped establish those clichés! All that said, I've got no beef with this. It gets wanky and deeply silly ("Space Truckin'"), but the classics on here have endured for a reason.
Sugar
5/5
Roughly 200 albums in, we've reached an album that's not only one of my favorites of all time, but was truly life-changing for me. My introduction to it was seeing the video for "Helpless" on 120 Minutes—the video itself was nothing special, but Bob Mould's guitar hooked me hard...and has never let go. At the time I only knew the name Hüsker Dü, so Sugar was my introduction to him—and I've argued Copper Blue is the best place to start with his work. (See https://www.avclub.com/where-to-start-with-alt-rock-icon-bob-mould-1798232606.) This album is wall-to-wall great, with some all-time classics ("Changes," "Helpless," "Hoover Dam," "If I Can't Change Your Mind"), and equally essential is the Beaster EP, recorded during the same sessions. It has maybe my favorite Sugar song ever ("Tilted") and is as ferocious as anything Hüsker Dü ever did.
Bob Mould's songwriting is my secular religion, and Copper Blue is my sacred text.
Megadeth
5/5
I mean, the Onion captured it best: "Humanity Still Producing New Art As Though Megadeth’s ‘Rust In Peace’ Doesn’t Already Exist" (https://theonion.com/humanity-still-producing-new-art-as-though-megadeth-s-1819578062/)
This is both epic and silly ("Dawn Patrol," which I keep thinking of as "Paw Patrol"). Musically it slays. Mustaine's vocals were never the attraction, and his lyrics are...of their time and genre, but thematically in the right place. I bet George H.W. Bush and Gorbachev saw themselves on the cover and had their MINDS BLOWN, DUDE.
The Velvet Underground
3/5
Psst..hey, budding music cognoscente. You're fine with the Velvet Underground's greatest hits. They'll pluck "Pale Blue Eyes" and "Beginning to See the Light" from this album, which works. If what we'll very loosely call "hits" hook you, then take a deep dive into the albums. You may also discover, like I did long ago, that a little Lou Reed goes a long way.
Kendrick Lamar
5/5
Back to happier times for Kendrick and Drake. 💔
This is basically a movie. Kendrick refers to it as "a short film" on the cover, but there's enough here for a feature-length. It's dense and non-linear, the kind of album that benefits from headphones and repeat listens to digest it all. "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe," "The Art of Peer Pressure," "Money Trees," "m.A.A.d city," and "Swimming Pools" are particularly great, though there isn't a dud on here. And the phone call interstitials actually serve the story instead of dragging it out. I need to return to this more often.
Beastie Boys
5/5
I have zero memory of this album coming out, probably because their label opted to promote Donny Osmond's new record instead. Back in those days I would've been dubious anyway, because I hated License to Ill. It'd be years before I heard all of Paul's Boutique, but I quickly understood how great it was. The production and craftsmanship with its myriad samples is pretty mind-blowing, and it's home to a handful of Beasties greats.
The Beau Brummels
2/5
I've never heard of the Beau Brummels, which isn't surprising because the 1,001 book calls this album "a genuine lost classic." (I don't recognize their signature song, "Laugh, Laugh," either.) I'll take their word for it, because my knowledge of this era and genre is limited. While I liked parts (the title track), Triangle still managed to drag, even at less than 30 minutes.
The Doors
2/5
I'm so grateful this is the last Doors album I have to hear for this project, because what a fucking slog. It's not just that Jim Morrison is a buffoon—especially during this, his Fat Elvis era—but I genuinely dislike the music, the bluesier songs in particular. I appreciate the moody atmosphere of "Riders on the Storm" and its inverse, the concise, poppy "Love Her Madly," but I have no plans to return to any of the Doors' music.
Good riddance, dudes. It just wasn't meant to be.
Meat Loaf
3/5
This is as over-the-top as I had expected and hoped. I feel like I'm listening to an original cast recording of a Broadway production, which makes sense given Jim Steinman wanted to do just that. As such, I'm not a musicals or Broadway person, so this isn't for me. But it's fun and ridiculous and definitely worth a listen. 3.5 stars.
Beck
3/5
In keeping with tradition, I think this is fine. The best moments—"Devils Haircut," "Jack-Ass," "Where It's At"—stand out, and the rest comes and goes. The pastiche Beck and the Dust Brothers create is fun and pleasant enough to listen to, but not something that'd keep me coming back. 3.5.
Afrika Bambaataa
3/5
I didn't have to strain separating the art from the artist here. As is often the case with landmark albums, I appreciate Planet Rock for what it did more than I actually want to listen to it. I totally respect that it had a seismic impact in the nascent hip-hop world, and it was clearly on a whole other level at the time. Forty years later, it's more a history lesson than something I'll come back to. And, you know, Bambaataa was credibly accused of some pretty awful shit, so there's that.