Overall, a really solid album. Of course there are the well-known hits like "Sledgehammer" and "In Your Eyes," but "Don't Give Up" (with the incredible Kate Bush) and "Mercy Street" bring a quieter, softer feel, and the album is rounded out nicely with some synth pop/electronic fun stuff. Great listen start to finish.

To be fair, this album literally made up part of the soundtrack of my childhood, as my mom was a big Billy Joel fan and played it front to back often. These songs are very familiar to me, and in fact, when I was probably three or four years old and my mom came home from the salon with Ash blonde hair while I was used to her brown hair, I reminded her of "Just the Way You Are" when I said "Don't change the color of your hair, just like the song says!" Still, it was a wonderful journey to the past, and I enjoyed listening again today. It's got so many well-known hits.

Fun, peppy pop - lots of fluff, not a ton of substance.

I could listen to this album while hosting a dinner party, taking a good drive, or even just relaxing and reading a book while it plays in the background. Chapman's voice is hypnotic, and these are solid, very listenable songs. Very enjoyable overall.

Although I'm not a huge hip-hop fan, there's no denying that this group and this album features a powerhouse of talent. There are fun, recognizable, and infectious hooks, and intelligent word play in the lyrics.

I played this album so much in college and throughout my early 20s, I practically have it memorized. Amos' powerful lyrics tell great stories - not all with happy endings, but that certainly does mirror what happens in real life. It's a powerhouse of an album considering it's just Amos, a piano, and some backing vocals & instruments... not a full band in the true sense. The focus is always, as it should be, on her skillful piano playing chops and her hypnotizing voice. The first album I've rated as five stars, but for me, it deserves it.

Well, I was disappointed with this. Most of the songs are so stripped down and bare, and sound as if they were recorded in someone's basement. I got the sense while listening that this is what it must be like when your friends tell you, their son is starting a band and they want you to come listen to some of his songs. You'd smile politely and say, "Wow, that's great!" and then go home and think to yourself "meh." Nothing makes me want to listen to these songs again.

Wow! I was instantly fascinated by the classical orchestration in the opening track, and then equal parts captivated and impressed by the rest of the album. I knew I had heard Monáe's name before and it wasn't until I read more about her that I realized it's as an actress from the movie "Hidden Figures," but I don't know that I was aware that she was a singer as well. This entire album was so much fun with its poppy, experimental vibes and its concept album feel. "War of the Roses" sounds like a track ready for the Broadway stage and "Wondaland" and its poppy, upbeat self sounds like something Katy Perry or Janet Jackson, or a contemporary could easily have recorded. "57821" features wickedly gorgeous layered harmonies and reminds me of a 60s folk group. "Say You'll Go" has moments where she's channeling a lounge singer in all the best ways, ramping up into something akin to a movie score. Monáe's range of styles is quite different throughout the whole album, but somehow it all works together and I am so thankful to have found this because it is going to be added to my library for future frequent listens. What a great find! Fans of big voices like Janet Jackson, Adele, Diana Ross, or Whitney Houston, will no doubt enjoy this.

I listened to this album two times in a row, back to back. I was painting our outdoor bench on my patio and it provided a pleasant soundtrack for this task. Did I enjoy the music? Sure, as I tend to like Indie and folk music. Was there anything truly remarkable that stuck out to me on this album and made me say wow? Not really. It was nice background music and I can see myself listening to this album again in the background as I am studying or reading or cooking… But it will not be one that I will seek out all the Time if I'm looking for up-tempo or high energy stuff. It was mellow, it was pleasant enough to listen to, but as for being one of the 1001 albums, I must hear before I die, I was a bit underwhelmed.

There were only two or three songs on here that were familiar to me, but the whole album was really great! No surprise that Black Sabbath enjoyed the popularity it did for so long, and even listening to this album from 1970 in 2025, it's easy to see what solid rockers they were. I will say, I was pleasantly surprised to hear a few more "mellow" tracks from these gods of rock 'n' roll. A great rock album!! RIP Ozzy.

Well, I really wanted to like this. I mean, I really did. Electronica, scrappy West Germans trying to make a name for themselves in the 70s new music scene, ("Now is the time on Sprockets when we DAHNCE!") but honestly, I just found this to be rather redundant/repetitive and a bit of a snoozefest if I'm honest. Listening to other late 70s albums like those by The Police make this seem like a weak effort, and parts of this remind me of the demo tracks that came on a Casio keyboard.

I was in college when this album dropped. I listened to it a fair amount, but haven't heard it in many years until now. I think I had forgotten what an overall strong album this is. It's not something I want to put on all of the time… I would definitely need to be in the right mood for this one, but there's no doubt that Björk was a trendsetter, and if this is an incredibly strong debut album. Is her voice a little bit weird? Yes, but pleasantly weird, if that's a thing.

Wow...um, not sure how to begin on this one. Every song is completely different, which isn't necessarily a bad thing but is a bit jarring when you think that many albums do you have some sort of a theme or a flow to them and this one just does not! There are definitely moments of fun with clever, bouncy lyrics and melodies, and some catchy tunes that could easily become earworms, but I'm not certain that I will return to this monstrosity of an album very often.

As a child of the 80s, I knew Supertramp for radio hits, but this was my first full album listen. Interesting stuff- I'd like to listen a few more times to really gel with it, but my favorites were "Bloody Well Right," which I knew, and "Rudy," which I didn't. This album sounds like the love child of ELO, the Moody Blues, and Steely Dan.

I love this album so much! You can rock out to some tracks (Cherub Rock, Disarm) and relax to others (Soma, Mayonaise). I like that the Smashing Pumpkins' sound is so different from anyone else's, too. Several of these songs were popular, mainstream hits, and I find myself smiling and turning up the radio when they come on even now, many years after the album's release. Even if Billy Corrigan's voice or the whole band's style is not your thing, there's no denying that the Smashing Pumpkins made a big mark on 90s alternative for good reason.

When I got my album selection today, I thought to myself, "Wow...this is the second album from this band, and I have never heard of them?!" Then, I listened, and I see why. It's just meh - these guys would be fitting entertainment for the county fair, but not much else.

I enjoyed this album - "Heads Will Roll" is a fun one. Played it through twice and while there was nothing I can say I really disliked, I also can't say anything stuck out to me as being amazing.

Is this a Clash-esque band? Kind of, I felt like, only less interesting. Does it sound like something from 1979? No way. Would I listen again? Meh...probably not.

How appropriate that I listened to this while driving along Florida's A1A, as the beachy atmosphere and scenery were the perfect backdrops for the album's SoCal-inspired punk-pop. I was excited to get this album because I grew up listening to the Go-Go's, but hadn't heard this fully in a long time. These talented women were true pioneers in new wave music, writing & playing everything on their own, and that ought to be enough to give them a high rating, but the fact is, they also have serious musical chops and solidly earn their rating. Everyone knows and loves the hits "Our Lips Are Sealed" and "We Got the Beat" but tracks like "How Much More" and "This Town" are great examples of how talented the Go-Go's really are. Belinda Carlisle's voice is enchanting, and this entire album will stick with you to create the best type of ear worm .

Nice piano music - good background music to put on during a cocktail party… Impressive to know that the artist did this all on the fly and it was improvised. It's interesting enough, but I didn't find the hour-long album to be dynamic simply because it's just piano.

Not my thing. Yes, Biggie's rhymes are impressive, but as a woman, I struggle with too many of the lyrics.

Well, there's almost an hour of my life. I will never get back.

After a while, every song on this album began to sound the same to me. I enjoyed The Cutter but that's probably the only song I would add to a playlist..

I was honestly so excited to get this album today because I grew up on the Beatles and recognize them for their musical genius and sheer impact on the modern music world. However, I honestly tried to approach today's project as if I had never heard the Beatles before. I probably would have marveled at how different all of the songs on this massive album are. They honestly sound as if they have completely different personalities and styles and indeed they do, which is one great way to glimpse the individual personalities of the songwriters and singers. Yer Blues and Why Don't We Do It In the Road are two examples of their solid bluesy style , but then you get the honky-tonk piano of Rocky Raccoon, the bouncy, playful, Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, Harrison's wicked guitar on While My Guitar Gently Weeps along with its hypnotic sound and vibe, the simplicity and sheer beauty of Blackbird, and the sweeping orchestrations in many songs, especially evident in Good Night. Music critic I am not much to be said which I am missing here but this is when casual observers take on just how incredible this album is from start to finish. I would probably have also remarked that some of the stuff is just super weird, and I might have (accurately) guessed that there was a fair amount of drug-inspired/influenced content on this album. I might've remarked that in some ways, the album due to its track differences, lacks sheer coherence as an album, but further listens would prove to me to be quite wrong, and when taken as a whole, The White Album is a solid beginning-to-end coherent masterpiece. There's a reason these guys have been labeled musical geniuses and a reason they continue to impact artists today. Yes, they're worth all of the hype and this is the first album I have rated five stars in quite some time.

Sounds like a less-polished version of the alternative bands I loved in the 90s.

Sounds like a less-polished version of the alternative bands I loved in the 90s.

My favorite band growing up, and still a top favorite of mine today. These guys are excellent musicians, and both Roland and Curt's vocals are unique and add so much to their songs. Listening to Songs From the Big Chair after so many other recent albums, which I rated only a one or two stars , points out the stark contrast between Tears for Fears and these other bands. These guys are so polished and the studio album is just so tight. Songs flow extremely well from one track to the next. Starting off with the high energy, angsty "Shout" is an outstanding way to pull listeners right into the action on this album Things immediately seem to mellow out with "The Working Hour," but by the end of track two, there's ramped-up energy in that song as well. The album's, most famous song - in fact, probably the group's most famous song - is their third track, "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" which still sounds fresh and modern 40 years later. Other notable tracks include "Head Over Heels" and "Mothers Talk," but honestly, I can't really find much to critique on this whole album. It's just so polished and the musicianship and instrumentals are head and shoulders above most of the drivel I've listened to within the last several weeks through this platform. Tears for Fears are touring again in 2025 and if you've never seen them live, they put on a hell of a show! High energy, their voices still sound pretty damn amazing all these years later and their music quality has improved, if anything. Highly recommend you check them out.

I'm sure the 60s and 70s folk purists were upset about this one...they probably were as angsty as Dylan himself seems when he reminds us 300 times that he's not working on Maggie's farm anymore. Little moments like Dylan's laughter at a mis-start on "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream" make albums feel so much more personal and invite us into the fun of creating the music. Also, this album has an unusual amount of lyrics about hotdogs. "On the Road Again" (no, it's not *that* version), "115th Dream", and I'm almost certain I heard them one other time… But really, isn't two mentions about hots on the same album already a bit excessive? I was not looking forward to this album because honestly, I've never liked Bob Dylan's singing. I can absolutely respect his chops as a songwriter and realize his influence on the music and political scene of the 60s and 70s I just can't stand to hear his voice. Still, it wasn't a totally boring album.

Pretty music which would've been much better as an instrumental album.