Jul 02 2025
Tanto Tempo
Bebel Gilberto
This is quite pleasant, but I don't see myself returning to it.
3
Jul 03 2025
Transformer
Lou Reed
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.
3
Jul 04 2025
Thriller
Michael Jackson
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.
5
Jul 07 2025
Remain In Light
Talking Heads
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.
3
Jul 08 2025
This Year's Model
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
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.
3
Jul 09 2025
Pyromania
Def Leppard
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.
3
Jul 10 2025
Purple Rain
Prince
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.
5
Jul 11 2025
All Hope Is Gone
Slipknot
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.
1
Jul 14 2025
Beggars Banquet
The Rolling Stones
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.
3
Jul 15 2025
Is This It
The Strokes
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.
3
Jul 16 2025
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
Raekwon
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.
3
Jul 17 2025
Pieces Of The Sky
Emmylou Harris
This is pleasant, charming '70s country. I liked it, but it's not my thing.
3
Jul 18 2025
Cee-Lo Green... Is The Soul Machine
Cee Lo Green
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.
2
Jul 21 2025
Hunky Dory
David Bowie
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."
3
Jul 22 2025
Hail To the Thief
Radiohead
My biggest hangup with Radiohead is how bloodless their music soundsβcold, 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.
2
Jul 23 2025
Grace
Jeff Buckley
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.
2
Jul 24 2025
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
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?
4
Jul 25 2025
Document
R.E.M.
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 draggedβthough 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).
3
Jul 28 2025
The Fat Of The Land
The Prodigy
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.
3
Jul 29 2025
Surrealistic Pillow
Jefferson Airplane
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.
2
Jul 30 2025
Brutal Youth
Elvis Costello
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.
2
Jul 31 2025
Timeless
Goldie
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.
1
Aug 01 2025
Toys In The Attic
Aerosmith
While I like some of the music on thisβparticularly when horns are part of itβthe 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.
2
Aug 04 2025
London Calling
The Clash
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.
5
Aug 05 2025
Cloud Nine
The Temptations
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.
3
Aug 06 2025
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age
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.
3
Aug 07 2025
Country Life
Roxy Music
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.
3
Aug 08 2025
Mr. Tambourine Man
The Byrds
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.
2