1001 Albums Summary

Really liked this. Sat on the back porch with Justin, smoking cigars and enjoying this album. Lots of jazz influences. Ginger Baker's drumming is excellent. Definitely worth another listen.

Very familiar with "Take Five", but the rest of the album is pretty cool but not as good as "Take Five." This is good background music to have on while cooking or reading but nothing I'd seek out to listen to often. It's an album I'd listen to if I wanted to try to get into jazz again for the 1,000th time but then I remembered I'm not a huge fan of the genre but have a lot of respect for the musicians themselves.

The harmonies are great, but not for me. I'd rather just listen to Simon and Garfunkel if I was interested in music like this. Wooden Ships is about the only thing I'd want to listen to again.

Ozzy died yesterday and I had a feeling that one of the Black Sabbath albums would pop up this morning. I don’t need to listen to it to know that I love it. 5/5. But I’m going to listen to it happily. The music is great, the album cover is awesome and the lore behind how they recorded it is fantastic. I can’t imagine being alive in 1970 and hearing this for the first time, it was unlike anything else and it still holds up. RIP, Ozzy. Thanks for everything.

This was awesome. This isn't the typical music that I like, but I'm glad I listened to it. I've heard her sing before but I don't think I really got it until just now. Obviously, I've heard "Respect" before but the whole album just hits different. It's not the music I'd listen to on a road trip, but it's the music I'd listen to while cooking dinner with the family. And I don't mean that background music is a bad thing, it can elevate a mood and set a tone which is awesome. I just listened to it while working and it made my monotonous task much more enjoyable. So much is made about her voice and it's certainly one of a kind, but the band/music here is just as good. The Swampers are just excellent on this album...what this album is, is a perfect blend of an amazing vocalist and amazing musicians. 5/5 for sure.

Really familiar with the three major tracks on here, "And It Stoned Me," "Moondance," and "Into the Mystic." Was happy to hear the rest of this album and while it was good, the rest fell a little short for me. It was going well until "Everyone" came on which is just an abomination. The clavinet intro and the flutes were just terrible...it made it sound so old and dated on an album that holds up reasonably well elsewhere. Made me picture a kid with a bowl cut in orange overalls with a yellow longsleeve underneath playing in a field at sunset with a whole lot of lens flare. I can't be the only one who thinks about weird shit like this but those color schemes and that whole aesthetic fits the vibes of that song and that era. It ended on Glad Tidings, another song I'd prefer not to hear again. I'm giving this a 4 because the rest of it is strong, but not quite as strong as the three main tracks from this album that are certified classics but it ended on such a sour note.

Beats and beats and beats and beats and beats and beats and beats and beats... Takes me back to high school. I don't listen to rap much anymore, but when I do it's the stuff that I listened to in high school and this was one of the major albums that came out at that time. A classic, it's got it all. Clever lyrics, wordplay, Lauryn Hill's voice...the whole thing is great. The skits are a bit much but they're still fun. Can still listen to it the whole way through even though I haven't listened to it in years and probably won't listen to it again for awhile. Maybe it's because it transports me back to happy times, I'm not sure.

I was in jr high and high school when the Pumpkins were popular. I appreciated some of their singles but never really delved into listening a full album of theirs. But I was happy to listen to this...Cherub Rock and Rocket are awesome, Today is a classic. Disarm isn't the whiny emo crap I remembered it being through my teenage lens. I'll also say that Billy Corgan's voice sucks for the most part...I can't understand half the shit he's singing about, especially on Cherub Rock and Rocket...does that stop me from enjoying it somehow? No. I can't explain it. This album is a masterpiece. I get it now.

I’m four songs in and I hate it. I wanted to like it. The production, the rapping, the features…I mean, does every song have to have a feature? What if I just wanted to hear her sing? Finished it, because that’s the goal… listen to all of the albums and give everything a chance. I can’t tell if some of these songs are supposed to be funny, like On It and The Other Side. But I’ll never listen to this again. And I’m well aware that I’m not the target audience for this album. I also can't tell if some of these songs are supposed to be funny...like "On It" was hysterical. So was "The Other Side." Only thing that’s keeping me from giving this a 1 is her voice. She’s got a really nice voice. But too many features, poor production, stupid intros to every song…can’t give it more than a 2.

I saw someone else say this album is "kitchen music" which is a great way to say this is the music you have on in the background while cooking or having people over. There's a lot of cool shit on here, quite frankly the guy's voice almost gets in the way of some of the interesting music and sounds that are here. And he has a good voice, that's not a slam on him...I just find the actual instruments and effects used to be the real winner here. I liked this more than I thought I would, still not sure how often I'd return to it or if I would return to it but I'm glad I listened to it and learned about it.

This was really great and I'm surprised by how much I liked it. I'm not an expert on electronic music, but this sounds like it was way, way ahead of it's time. It's easy to tell that this still has influences on music today...again, not an expert but from what I've heard from Daft Punk, you can see where they draw inspiration from. It's a great album to listen to with headphones on with some of the music going back and forth from left to right, different layers and textures and moods, in and out, all around. What stops me from giving it a 5 is the vocals. Singing isn't their strength and it doesn't need to be heard, it just gets in the way of the music. Don't need to hear "We are the robots" repeated again and again. Every song after the first one had me hoping that that there wasn't going to be anyone singing. But my head was nodding and foot was tapping more than once. Really enjoyed this one, surprisingly so.

This was terrible. There was about a minute or so early on that delved into some jazz type stuff but that was the only part I enjoyed on the whole thing.

Great musicianship, but this was a miss for me. Some of the guitar on this album is absolutely fantastic which is why I'm giving it a 2 star rating. Lots of cool layers and sounds in some areas, too. I don't always dislike repetitive music, but this didn't do it for me The songs are also too long for music that doesn't really go anywhere and that's my biggest gripe here. If another reviewer can say that this is the music you can listen to in the desert (with a Land Rover), I can say it's the music that belongs in the background of a National Geographic documentary, on the credits for some iteration of the Lion King or some other African cliche. Never would have listened to it if it weren't for the project which is cool but I'm happy to not hear this again.

Very familiar with "Running Up That Hill" after hearing it on Stranger Things a few years ago and playing it over and over like everyone else did, so I was happy to give this album a shot. Really enjoyed it. I know a lot of people talk about her songwriting abilities, but I didn't pay too close attention to her lyrics since there's a lot going on here...sonically, a really cool album. Giving this a 4. Not sure if I'd return to it, but I'm glad to know this album has more to offer than "Running Up That Hill." "The Big Sky" was another banger. I also liked "Under Ice" and "Jig of Life."

Loved this. A lot of fun, great musicianship, something I can see myself listening to again. 5/5.

Really cool Brit-pop. I'd never heard of this band and wasn't familiar with their music and then "Alright" came on. I've heard this song a lot over the years, never knew who made it. Something I'd come back to again, for sure. Just started listening to it for a second time this morning...and this is what I was hoping for when starting this project, finding bands and albums that I'd never heard of (but should have, I was well aware of what was going on in 1995) and enjoying them.

This is the way I think jazz should sound. Earlier I listened to the Dave Brubeck album which was fine, but this is more my speed. Really liked this, and liked it a lot. If I'm going to play jazz, this is what I want to hear.

Ah, shit. This is a challenge...jangle pop. I've always wanted to like R.E.M. and I like some of their songs, the popular ones that you and I've heard for years on the radio....even What's The Frequency, Kenneth? I don't care that I like that song, but I do. I've just never really liked listening to their whole albums, the few times I've tried. It's been awhile since I've given one of them a shot but here we go. It starts off with Drive which is absolutely awesome. I love this song. Try Not To Breathe just doesn't really hit for me, it's got this almost celtic/mountain vibe feel that I just don't like. Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite makes my ears bleed. I like Stipe's voice enough but I feel like he's trying to do too much. I don't want to say he's off key but when he tries to reach for these really high notes, it sounds awful...when he's singing TeeeeEEEEEeeeeLLLL her she can kiss my ass...ugh, just bad. And is it me or does he try to do this fake Irish accent thing when he sings the chorus "call me when youtrytowakeherup." But kudos to the band for leaving the part in where Stipe starts chuckling to himself...endearing that they don't take themselves too seriously. Everybody Hurts...know it, love it. Love the video. Just a great song. Really liked New Orleans Instrumental No. 1, though I'm not sure how it really fits in with the rest of the album so far. Very cool, very chill. Sweetness Follows, dig it. Probably the best deep cut I've heard off this album so far. Monty Got A Raw Deal, really liking this one, too. Ignoreland is starting off strong...am I liking an REM album? Holy shit, this song slaps! Star Me Kitten, not bad! Man on the Moon is fantastic. Nightswimming, pretty good! Find the River, even better! I'm giving this a 4...I enjoyed it more than I thought I would but also not rushing out to listen to it again or buy it on vinyl. But I could also put this on during a road trip and skip Try Not To Breathe and Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite.

I’ve always wanted to like Neil Young. I’ve got a lot of respect for him but I’ve never really liked listening to his albums past one spin and the wondering why I gave it another try only to try again years later. I also can't help but thinking of that old Dana Carvey bit where he goes "this is every Neil Young song you've ever heard" and then proceeds to do a spot on imitation of every Neil Young song you've ever heard. I was going to give this a 4 based on the respect I have for him but I just can't get into this album until the last 3 songs.

It's good. For me, somewhere between a 3 and a 4. I don't always like her voice which is, I realize, blasphemous to some. I'm also aware that this album was made from scraps from her previous recording sessions so it makes me want to check out some of her other work.

One review I read said that this is Dave Matthews meets Celtic rock...I can see that on the track We Will Not Be Lovers, it's got that DMB early galloping violin action going. I hear a lot of different things going on in this album, some Bowie influences, some wannabe Springsteen, the aforementioned DMB. It all works really well, mostly, until the Blackbird breakdown in the middle of Sweet Thing. It's not awful, it's just not necessary...there's no one other than The Waterboys who thought "Hey, know what? This song of ours totally calls for us to inject a classic Beatles song right in the middle." I'm giving this a 4. I feel like a 3 is too harsh, and a 5 is me saying "I can't believe I haven't heard this before and it's now it's an essential part of my music collection." I'm only listening to the first side only as I'm not a collector and I don't feel the need to keep listening to whatever outtakes/alternate versions/live versions are on side 2. 4 sits right in the middle. 4 is, hey, this is pretty cool, I'm glad I listened to it, I might come back to it...and I can also recommend this to a friend who might appreciate it more than I do. 4 sits right in there.

Loved it. Not huge into reggae, but I get this album. The legendary songs on this album are legendary for a reason and the deep cuts are excellent. 5/5.

Had no idea what to expect here but I liked it. Glad I listened to it...to me, it's pure 70s country. And that's not a slam, but when I think of country music from that time, this is the type of sound I think of. Not sure if I'd return to this, but I liked it enough to suggest it to my wife while she's at work today. And if she wanted to listen to it on an upcoming road trip or if she wanted to put it on in the house I'm good with that, too. She has a hell of a voice, the songs are stuff you can tap your foot to and the band is tight. So, 4/5 from me.

Looking at a lot of the reviews written by others, a lot of motherfuckers are trying to show off how smart they are by trying to intellectualize this band and this music. It's not that deep. Just because the people that made it are whip smart art kids that went to RISD and were super creative doesn't mean that this music has to be deciphered at a micro level. It just has to be enjoyed...it's fun to listen to, David Byrne is a spectrum weirdo genius, Tina Weymouth is an all-time bassist. They all did a bunch of blow, experimented with a lot of different sounds and made some cool shit. Not my favorite Talking Heads album, but it's great. 5/5.

Really love this one. A big part of my youth, a bunch of 12 and 13 year olds running around pretending that they knew what Cobain was talking about...somehow, Nevermind gets more play when I'm in the mood to listen to Nirvana. Unplugged gets a lot of playing time, too. That said, I think this is the best album they made. I should listen to it more often. Much has been made and said about Albini's production and how Nirvana went from the polished sound of Nevermind to this..."raw" and "gritty" sound...which it is. No one talks about how this is album is almost proto-metal. Everyone talks about how this was a punk band...and maybe it was in attitude, but there's a lot of Black Sabbath here. Big, crunchy, heavy riffs. And it works, because Black Sabbath was an influence on Cobain. No one would dare call this a metal album because, of course, Nirvana single handedly came along and ended the metal bands of the 80s. That's partially true, but those bands were already teetering on the edge of being played out and overdone, they just needed someone or something to come along and give them a little push. So no one calls In Utero metal as a result because that'd be too confusing for everyone...but it's not the type of metal that Cobain helped kill. You couldn't hear this album and confuse it with Poison and Motley Crue. But anyone who wants to be honest about how heavy this album is can hear it. Scentless Apprentice is metal drums and riffs, Very Ape is metal, so is Radio Friendly Unit Shift and Milk It. It's not the glistening, shimmering hair metal of the 80s, but it's still metal. 5/5.

This was actually a lot cooler than I thought it was going to be, though I was thrown off a little bit because one of the brothers sounds like a female. Much has been made about the lyrics and I've gotta say that I didn't pay too close attention to them, though I'm giving it another listen while I'm doing some work. Really cool to hear "In The Pines" which would be most famously performed by Nirvana during their Unplugged show. Holy shit, this Knoxville Girl song is fucking dark. Jesus Christ...prime example of the music not matching the words. I think this is probably something that you really need to dig deep on the lyrics to get the maximum amount of enjoyability on and I've just not been able to do it for each and every song having listened to it while working a couple times. But I first thought this was going to be awful and it's far from that. 4/5

The soundtrack to a vasectomy. I'm giving this a 2, and one of those is for a great album cover. I've never been to Nebraska, but that's how I picture it...monochrome and everything. The other is for State Trooper and Open All Night...the only songs that have some sort of a beat that commanded my attention. The rest is just a meandering mess of quiet guitar, softly sung lyrics and some intermittent harmonica playing.

Didn't want to listen to the title track due to it being played to death in a cruise commercial and a car commercial years ago. Want to ruin a good song? Give it to a car company, they'll fuck it up. Thought it was an overall good album. Turn Blue was mostly terrible. Anyway, this is every review written about this album: Ohhhmigod! You can totally hear the David Bowie influence! David Bowie! David Bowie! DavidBowieDavidBowieDavidBowieDavidBowieDavidBowieDavidBowieDavidBowie You can totally hear how Bowie influenced Iggy on this album! Pedo Iggy Pop!

Shit, Chef made an absolute fucking banger. Praise up to L. Ron. I've been giving most of what I've rated so far a 4. 4 means I really liked it, I'm glad I listened to it, I might have sent it to a friend, I might come back to it...I really enjoyed it. This is somewhere between a 4 and 5 for me. 5 is reserved for indispensable....but man, 4 tracks, about 45 minutes...what a risk to take. ...holy shit this was good and unexpected. Gonna give this a 5. "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic" is my favorite track. The extended jam to close it out is amazing, as is the extended jam to close out "By The Time I Get To Phoenix."

David Bowie goes Germany and makes an album while doing heaps of cocaine that would make Tony Montana jealous.

The lead singer is a sanctimonious douchebag. If you knew anyone who acted and talked like that in your daily life, you'd want to smack the shit out of them...but give him a microphone and a band and all of a sudden he's some rock icon. It's not the fact that he has political/social beliefs, it's how he goes about expressing them that's a turnoff. And if he's bad, their fans are worse. Look here in the reviews, you'll find mentions of how The Edge is the most revolutionary guitarist since Hendrix which is insane. No doubt he's a great guitarist but that claim is going a bit too far and ignores Eddie Van Halen who might be able to lay claim to being the best guitarist ever. This album is fine. I really don't care for Sunday Bloody Sunday but New Year's Day is pretty good. You won't catch me saying that they're bad musicians because that's not the case...this is a band that has top shelf musicians at every position. Bono, despite being insufferable, is a great singer. Clayton's bass slaps throughout this whole thing, Mullen's drumming is fantastic. Would I listen to this again? Hard to say, I can't say this is a bad album or bad music, it's just not what I really want to listen to if left to my own devices. I'm not sure if that's because I hate Bono or if the music doesn't grab me...probably a bit of both.

This is music for a "Now That's What I Call Music" CD that you'd find at the checkout counter at CVS.

After listening to the steaming pile of shit yesterday that is The Killers Hot Fuss, this is a much appreciated change of pace. Well-crafted country music, a great voice, slide/steel guitar...this is fantastic. It is kitchen music...it's the music to play in the kitchen when making dinner. Or background music to have when friends are over. But I'm also working with my headphones on and doing menial daily tasks and it's great for that, too. I feel like that comes across as a slam, but it really isn't. This is somewhere between a 4 and a 5 for me...I will say that there's not a lot of diversity here, the songs all seem to have the same tempo and a really similar rhythm. But the recording and the mix is tremendous, you can hear all the instruments independently of each other, especially the bass...and his voice just glides smoothly over everything. I feel like records these days don't sound this good for some reason...sonically, this is so simple and yet so awesome...so I'm gonna end up giving it a 5. And fuck The Killers. What a shit album.

Never understood why anyone would want to listen to these clowns when you could listen to the Stones, Beatles or Zeppelin instead. This album didn't do anything to make me reconsider that. The reviews here are lazy, too. This album was released the same day in 1965 that Rubber Soul came out and there's no comparison between the two. Anyone who thinks The Who sounded like the Beatles in 1965 is kidding themselves. The Beatles were starting to head into their sounds that defined the late 60s, The Who were trying to...well, do whatever the fuck this is. Some rock inspiration from the early 60s, some early Beatles ripoff sounds and James Brown covers. I was going to give this a 2 but then the Bo Diddley cover of "I'm a Man" came on and that sank it lower. Legal Matter is terrible, though it's pretty funny that Pete Townshend is the one to write and sing it...might call that foreshadowing.

I liked this more than I thought I would. Tombstone Blues is a great song that I'd never heard before. Some of these songs go a little too long (Desolation Row...shut up, I know how revered it is) and his voice doesn't bother me a whole lot, but the harmonica is hard to listen to in places.

I don't want to listen to this shit. I remember when the main single was released for this album, it was catchy but it's aged worse than the peanut M&Ms I cleaned out from my kid's car seat last week. It's not that I don't like Madonna...she's got some songs that are certified bangers, they're just not found on this album. I also don't think she has a great voice...distinct, yes, but not great. It's insulting that the presence of a cowboy hat and an acoustic guitar here and there makes people say things like she's experimenting with country music. It's also insulting for people to keep repeating the line about how she was a genius at "reinventing" herself...no, she just paid attention to what was happening in clubs and pop culture and adopted trends early enough to where people thought she was a trendsetter. She was smart for doing that, but she's not an original. Music sucked around the year 2000 when this was released. Nu-metal and rap/rock, boy bands, Eminem, Spice Girls, that goddamn Santana/Rob Thomas song, Britney and Christina were alive while Tupac and Biggie were dead, a lot of artists from the 80s and 90s were trying to figure out where they fit on the landscape and it was just a really weird, shitty time. And that's this album, Madonna trying to figure out where she fit into a weird, shitty time in pop music history so she made a shitty album.

I wanted to like this more than I did. Her voice is tremendous, one of a kind. And the recording is perfect, the band is great. But all the songs sound the same. It's probably great kitchen music but there's also a lot of great kitchen music out there and this would be pretty far down the line. I'm glad I listened to it, but I don't know if I'd return to it.

The 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates. The Orioles blew a 3-1 lead and lost the series to Willie Stargell, Dave Parker and the rest....so, we're off to a not so great start here seeing as I'm an Orioles fan. Obviously familiar with the title track, but the rest just doesn't do anything for me. There are very few disco/dance songs that I like and I didn't find any new ones here. Great guitar from Nile Rodgers, the production is excellent and the sisters have really nice voices. But that's it. Really didn't enjoy listening to it, even though I was just trying to focus on Rodgers' guitar after the first few songs. The thing is, I WANTED to like this and I felt like from a few certain perspectives that I should have...the guitar, the bass lines, some of the beats but I just wasn't into it.

Oh hell yeah. Hell yeah. Giving this 5 stars and I don't even have to listen to it. That little boogie band from Texas just nails it on this album. Even the "filler" tracks are great. Found a 5 dollar beat to shit copy in a vinyl bin right after Dusty Hill died and was surprised that it played just fine. Inside gatefold with the Tex-Mex food is awesome. I love this band and I love this album.

I've never listened to Zappa because I never really knew where to start. There's so much to pick from. There's a lot to like about this album....I don't mind extended jams and I don't mind instrumentals. But I just want to hear him play guitar, the bass and drums and not the other sounds and shit he's experimenting with here...like, the back half of Gumbo Variations is great. The part with the saxophone? Terrible. Willie The Pimp is a great track, but I'm not sure if I'd return to this album or not...and if I have to wonder that, the answer is that I probably wouldn't and the last track dropped it from a 3 to a 2 for me. Too bad because there are some really good moments on here.

Thought the first couple songs were cool, but this is just average mid-90s If you were to ask me what rock music sounded like post-Nirvana, this would be the average of everything. Nothing really special about it...I don't hate it, but I'm also not planning on listening to it again. Quite frankly, I'm looking forward to it ending here in a song or two so I can listen to something else. I don't know much about this band but I'm assuming their fans are insufferable. Wild hunch.

Glad I listened to it, but the involvement of synthesizers and other electronic sounds was just too much to rate this any higher. I also don't think I'd want to listen to it again, but there were some parts I really liked. Overall liked it more than I thought I would. Jaco could sure play that thing though.

Not even Bono would have the audacity to name a U2 album "The Holy Bible." But what the fuck? I just had to listen to these dildos the other day, now I have to do it again? The second track is hilarious, it's some sort of a critique against American culture...you know, the rock n roll culture that these Welsh dipshits are glad to adopt. But yeah, nothing like a group of white guys from across the pond acting like they're morally superior. What a fucking eye-roll. Loved this verse from the third song: Mussolini hangs from a butcher's hook Hitler reprised in the worm of your soul Horthy's corpse screened to a million Tiso revived, the horror of a bullfight Ohhh, Hitler! Mussolini! Edgy! Wow, mom and dad won't like this! What are they gonna do next, put a painting of a morbidly obese woman in her underwear on the cover? Wait, they dropped Dahmer's name a few songs later, how much more daring can they get?! Calling Stalin bisexual, whoa!!! The eating disorder song 4st 7lb ends with the line: I've finally come to understand life Through staring blankly at my navel Which just summarizes everything about these assholes....navel gazing being confused for revelation. The most liked review of this album claims that "this is the greatest album of all time" which is complete bullshit. Just because it deals with a bunch of issues the pseudo intellectuals love it...but this is music for teenagers who think listening to it makes them profound and convinced of their own importance. Which is exactly who must have written that review; an idiot teenager. Fuck that guy's review and fuck this band. I never want to hear this shit again. I'm only giving it a 2 because I'll admit to liking some of the guitars, bass and drums....but as far as the lyrics, the singing, the "messages", the album title and the album artwork, go fuck off.

Really, really liked this. Not into jazz, but if I'm going to listen to jazz, this is how I want it to sound. The beats are great, the horns are bright and vivid...this is excellent. Perfect music for having to do monotonous work and wanting to listen to something.

I've always wondered if this album doesn't get the credit it's received if Kurt Cobain doesn't become an unofficial A&R rep after Nirvana blew up. If Cobain doesn't cite this album and the Pixies as influences, does anyone care about this? Does "Where Is My Mind?" land at the end of Fight Club and become the song that makes everyone go, "Oh, I love the Pixies!" I've tried listening to it before and I just don't get it. Some of it's pretty cool...glad I listened to it again but probably wouldn't return to it.

This is fine, but some of this sounds like a Beatles ripoff. The first half of She's Brought a Hat Like Princess Marina's made me think I had somehow switched over to a Beatles album. Thought it was cool, might return to it or I might not. Or I'd rather just listen to the Beatles. But there's enough to make me want to check out some of their other music.

What a heap of shit. The music is actually really good, but Johnny Rotten's vocals are just bad here...and I liked the Sex Pistols, but this is bad. I'd totally listen to this a bunch if I could strip his singing off it. The first song, the guitar, bass, drums...heavy. Slow, punishing and heavy. It's awesome. Religion I and Religion II are just stupid. Stupid spoken word bullshit. Fodderstompf is impossible not to nod your head to or tap your foot to but the lyrics and singing are awful. only wanted to be loved, only wanted to be loved, only wanted to be loved, only wanted to be loved, only wanted to be loved, only wanted to be loved, shut the fuck up...over an infectious groove and beat that doesn't sound like it's from 1978. This could have been so much better. I also hate the term post-punk. People use it trying to make themselves sound smarter than they are and it's a catch all for anything from this shit here to the Talking Heads to Joy Division to The Cure...all of which sound vastly different. It's a pretentious, lazy way to describe all the experimental music that was around in the late 70s and early 80s that wasn't arena rock and wasn't disco.

I should listen to this band more than I do. Great album and crazy to think that this was the first of three albums they released in 1969, and perhaps the worst. The Dude abides. Great music.

Pretty cool to listen to, kind of liked it...then later today I was trying to recall specifics about it and realized I couldn't. Just had it on while working and there was nothing about it that really held my attention, but also nothing that made me want to turn it off, so I listened to it again. Didn't like the Elvis inspired first song, the rest of it was good. Still, nothing here that makes me want to return to it and listen to it again. Glad I listened to it, though...very ambitious, a lot of cool things going on sonically...great to listen to with a nice pair of headphones.

Didn't want to listen to this, but it was a lot of fun. Dancing Queen, Fernando, classic songs. I usually don't like disco or whatever this is supposed to be but it's just hard not to like it, or at least respect it. Great singing, great production. Yeah, it's cheesy but so what? Not sure if I'd come back and listen to it again, but I'm glad to know that they made good songs past the two or three that everyone knows.

I liked this more than I thought I would. I remember being in high school and listening to this album when I first discovered Cream and thought every song was gonna be like Sunshine Of Your Love. Haven't listened to it since then. There's still some filler on here and the last song is stupid but it's still a really good album.

All I know is I took a jazz appreciation class in college to fulfill some useless credit and the guy teaching it was pretty cool. He always told us that Miles Davis was a really good trumpet player but was a way better bandleader. I use that every once in awhile to try and sound like I know what I'm talking about and hope no one presses me for more information. I don't really like jazz all that much. I've listened to this before, but whatever. Not sure what sets this apart and makes it some amazing album, but it's here and I listened to it again and it's fine.

Liked this more than I thought I would. Very cool beats, great guitar on some of the tracks. Kept playing the first song on repeat. Really glad to learn about this one.

Can't help it, but the hip hop sounds here are dated. The breaks, the scratching...just doesn't sound as good to me as it did when I was growing up. And in some places, it's just downright annoying. Really do like Chuck D's voice. Wouldn't see myself returning to listen to it again but I respect P.E. a lot.

I have a good buddy who refers to Alice Cooper as thin gruel, let's see if he's correct. Hard not to listen to the title track and not think of Dazed and Confused. And it's not a bad song overall, it's a classic and hard not to like. The rest, I can see where this was somewhat shocking or heavy back in the day, but not against something legit like Black Sabbath. It's not a bad album, I just don't think I'd want to listen to it again. My Stars is the only other track that I really like. Got a bit of a driving beat, some cool guitar. Public Animal #9 is good, too. There are bits and pieces throughout this album that I like and wish they'd just go more with THAT vibe but it invariably goes off in another direction. Overall still pretty cool and I can see why people like it but it's just not that great to me. It's not thin gruel, but it's alright.

68 minutes. People that make punk music love to say what they're not...and what they're not, according to them, are musicians that are not into making bloated, self indulgent albums with extended song times and masturbatory guitar/drum solos. And that's fine, but I'd argue making an album of 20 songs over 68 minutes (and was a double album when it was printed on vinyl) is just as bloated and self indulgent. There are some songs here I really enjoyed like Ice Cold Ice and Bed of Nails and Tell You Tomorrow that were different enough from the rest. The last song, You can Live At Home Now is the best thing on here and definitely the most different. I'd probably like this album if it were 10 songs and 30 minutes...but hey, it's better than The Pixies and Surfer Rosa.

Really, really liked this. Not sure what to expect and I hadn't heard of Nick Drake before but immediately recognized him as the guy that did Pink Moon. Didn't like some of the dated sounds (what is that, a flute or a clarinet?) and for a guy that writes lyrics like that I didn't see the need for the instrumentals. Can't give it a 5 it's almost there for me.

I love Lebowski, but I don't hate the Eagles. I also don't love them, either. They're very hit-or-miss for me...although I will say I loved the documentary that came out about them a few years ago, I watched that several times. Henley and Frey are assholes and wannabe tough guys which is interesting considering a good portion of their music they put out was soft rock. But this is the album where they get to play some harder rock songs and it's great. The title track is an all-timer and enough has been written about Walsh and Felder's dueling guitars at the end. I can listen to that all day. Henley's voice is fantastic, and it's back in the mix...it's not up front, it gives it that eerie kind of creepy vibe. He's narrating, he's not singing...he's not in the room with you, but he's walking you through the dream...or nightmare and the Eagles would probably want to tell you all about the loss of innocence (something Henley can't shut the fuck up about, no matter what he's talking about in his career). Not even Bono smells his farts as much as Don Henley does. I've listened to this album plenty over the years, mainly to just skip around between Hotel California, Life in the Fast Lane and Victim of Love, while trying to get used to the rest...I don't want to say the rest is filler, but I always wanted the Eagles to rock harder because they did it so damn well when they did. The best thing Henley and Frey ever did was to get Joe Walsh in the band. It's a really good album, even great. The softer songs have grown on me over the years to a point where I don't skip past them anymore. But ultimately I think this is a band where the people in it were much more fascinating than the music they made. And not that it really matters, but top notch artwork, and that pushes the score from a 4 to 5 for me. The photo on the front is so damn creepy, the neon letters in the bottom right with the album title can only come from the late 70s/early 80s. You can look at that album cover and let your mind wander about all the hedonistic shit going on in there.

I'd have enjoyed this more if there weren't any vocals. I also really don't get why it's on this list.

Not my favorite blues album, but I understand why it's here. Some awesome guitar work from Clapton on this album. Mayall's voice isn't the best.

I really wanted to like this more than I did. I really like some of the music, but I hate Alex Turner's vocals...and I'm not sure who the other guy is singing, but I don't like him either. Never really liked Arctic Monkeys and I certainly don't like this. Definitely wouldn't listen to it again. One of my issues is that they're trying to capture a specific kind of feeling, like spaghetti western music, stuff you'd find in a James Bond film and maybe some Bowie-like stuff. They have the sweeping orchestral vibe that's like movie theme music, that cinematic production style...these guys singing are trying to be crooners but they can't pull it off. I'd probably like this a lot more if it were JUST the music and no vocals...but even then, it's almost too polished. I said it before on the Hot Fuss review, but this is music for a "Now That's What I Call Music" CD that you'd find at CVS. I'm giving this an album a 2 because I do like some of the music.

Amazing album. Perfect in every way and I was thrilled to listen to this again.

When I listen to Led Zeppelin, it's not this album. It's Physical Graffiti, III, IV, Houses of the Holy, some of their live stuff and I think Presence is a really underrated album. You won't catch me listening to In Through The Out Door, though. It's rare that I listen to this one and their first album not because I don't like them, but just because their catalog is so expansive and there's so much to pick from. To me, their other albums are vastly more interesting, complex and diverse. I've always felt that Led Zeppelin was the exceptionally rare band that could take risks, experiment with different genres of music and make it work. That's due to technical mastery...this band had an all-star at every position but also had exceptional chemistry. That said, this album is still great. And it's rare that I listen to it but when I do I'm reminded of how fantastic and flawless it is.

It's fine, but I'd rather listen to Pretty Hate Machine.

Oh yeah. Oh fuck yeah. Hey, I get it. It's not their best album. But it's the first album of theirs that I heard and while I'd rather listen to the stuff that came before it, this is an album that cannot be ignored. It's rare that I pull this one out when I want to listen to Metallica, but when I do I'm transported back to being 12 years old and getting this album.

I never got it. I mean, it’s fine but I don’t understand why it’s so acclaimed. I’ve tried listening to it a bunch of times before and I never really understood it, but this time I think I started to get it a little bit. I’m not ready to proclaim this as one of the best albums of all time or anything but it’s good. Maybe my biggest gripe is that Tweedy’s vocals are just boring. But I actually can see myself checking this out again. Sometimes you just don’t get it on the first listen. Or tenth.

Was hoping for more songs like Superstition and Maybe Your Baby. That deep funk is great and I wish the whole album was like that. You Are The Sunshine Of My Life makes my ears bleed and so does a lot of the other stuff on here...it's like elevator music, easy listening/lounge music...I don't know how to describe it, but it just sounds dated and 70s. This isn't to say I'm unaware or don't appreciate Stevie Wonder's talents...he's fantastic. It's just not something I'd really want to listen to again outside of those two songs.

Is that a goddamn flute? There's a lot of shit on here that I like, there are some really cool moments, like the Epitaph song is great music and a great vibe. And then there's a lot I don't like, like the flute. So I'm gonna give it a 2.5 and round it up to a 3 cause of the legacy and the cool album artwork.

Was considering giving this a 3 when the track "Breathless" came on and just tanked the entire fucking thing. And then I realized that it wasn't even halfway over. I'm sure these were new and exciting sounds when this album came out in 1972 but it just sounds old and dated. There's some really good guitar stuff on here like Black Maria but it's few and far between. Would have liked this a lot more if there were more songs like "Couldn't I Just Tell You"and "Little Red Lights" which absolutely slaps. Yeah, give me a whole album of Little Red Lights, Some Folks Is Even Whiter Than Me, Black Maria, Couldn't I Just Tell You and Rolling Stones inspired Slut (which seems at odds with the rest of the shit he's got on this album). Overall, too goddamn long, too all over the place and just a slog. This is an hour and a half I can't get back.

Surprisingly pretty good for something that's got CSNY roots.

Wasn't interested in this at all, but I'm really liking it. She's got a great voice, the guitars and rhythms are driving. I could see myself listening to this again or checking out more of their music.

Saw it was from 2009, saw it was from London and just immediately lost interest. But we're here to give things a shot and try to be exposed to new music and I'm proud I haven't skipped it. First track, recognized it immediately and really loved it. I would want a whole album of exactly that. The rest of the album had some cool stuff but I didn't like the vocals. Glad I listened to it, wouldn't want to listen to it again though.

Couldn't find this one on apple music, found it on spotify and it wasn't playable. Found a stream of the whole album on youtube, glad I did. Here's a link to anyone who might be reading this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmDNMx9FRgI Really cool stuff, awesome guitar work...extended jams are awesome. Not sure why this isn't available on streaming platforms but it's great. Some of the talking over the tracks is a distraction...man, just let this music play, no one needs to hear your coked out ramblings.

Liked this more than I thought I would. Some of the vocals just don't hit for me, but overall this is pretty cool. Some great instruments, some great beats. Initially gave this a 3, but I'm bumping it up to a 4. There's some really great, different music on here that doesn't sound 70s dated...great, clear production and fresh. Really, the only thing stopping me from giving it a 5 is Bryan Ferry's voice.

This whole thing has always been the Beatles mixtape to me. A wide variety of eclectic shit like proto metal/hard rock "Helter Skelter" to the folk vibes of "Blackbird" to avant-garde weird stuff "Revolution 9" to the humorous Beach Boy parody, "Back in the USSR"...it's all over the place and without apology. And by 1968, they had the artistic license and freedom to do whatever the fuck they wanted. Sure, make a 30 song double album with some truly beautiful and great songs (While My Guitar Gently Weeps) with some up tempo almost reggae shit (Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da)...this album doesn't flow and it doesn't have to. I don't listen to the Beatles as much as I should...and that's not a knock on them, it's just that I grew up listening to them a fair amount and never really feel the need to return to their music. There's just so much to listen to....but I was really happy to see this yesterday because this album and the Beatles are always something you can come back to and it'll always be great.

Nice harmonies, nice jangles. Completely forgettable. Like most of the things in this exercise, glad I listened to it, didn't hate it but probably wouldn't ever return to it.

I've fucking tried listening to this multiple times over the years and I just don't get it. So since it's here, I'll try it again. It's been a little while since I've given it a shot. Contusion is just...70s schlep. Sir Duke, did I just get a music history lesson? I Wish slaps pretty hard, but it's followed by Knocks Me Off My Feet which is just boring. He starts off by saying "I don't want to bore you with my troubles" but it's too late. I know they can't all be bangers but the hard driving funk is the best thing he does...felt the same way on Talking Book a few weeks ago. Pastime Paradise, awesome. Isn't She Lovely has always made my ears bleed. I just can't get into it. I'm not saying this is bad music or that Stevie Wonder isn't talented...this is well crafted, well produced music. And they call Stevie a genius because he absolutely is. I can see why people love this album, it's just not what I want to listen to.

Absolute classic. Can listen to it start to finish, not skip a track.

Ever see an album cover on here and just go "Yeah, that's a 1." Probably like a lot of people, I first heard/saw Bjork on MTV for the video for Human Behavior, which was a cool song and a great video. Can't say I've listened to her since. Actually put on Human Behavior before listening to this album to see if I liked it as much as I remember and it's still great. But this isn't like that. This sucks. And it gets worse as it goes on...the track "Ancestors" is one of the worst things I've heard lately. As an aside, I'm seeing people marvelling that this was done with all vocals, minimal instruments...as if that's some sort of monumental artistic achievement. This isn't new or original, Todd Rundgren did the same thing back in the 80s.

I think this is The Black Keys version of Metallica's Black Album...this is where they went fully mainstream. Like Metallica losing most of their thrash and aiming towards a larger audience, this is where The Black Keys stopped being just two guys hammering out white boy blues and went for a full band sound. I can't fault musicians for cashing in, I think most people would do the same if given the opportunity to do so. But if someone absolutely had to include a Black Keys on this list, I'd have gone with Thickfreakness or Rubber Factory instead of this. And for my money, nothing they released after this is worth listening to, maybe with the exception of El Camino. Anyway, I was a big fan of theirs back in the day and I listened to this album a lot when it came out. I didn't mind the stylistic shift but it's an album that's fallen by the wayside for me over the years...and maybe that's because The Black Keys have fallen by the wayside for me since everything after El Camino has been played once or twice and never been played again. I'm rambling, but this feels right, this feels familiar. Next Girl is one of my favorites of theirs, Tighten Up, Howlin' For You, She's Long Gone, all great. Forgot how much I liked Black Mud, the mid-album instrumental. I think my only real complaint with this album is that its a bunch of mid-tempo songs. It's not a slog, but it's more subdued and that's fine. That, and they front-loaded the first half of the album. The second half is still good, but not as strong as the first. Unknown Brother is the weakest track on the album, it should have been left on the cutting room floor and maybe These Days, too. That said, I can't help but give this a 5. Maybe not for this particular album, but because it makes me think about a happy time in my life when I was excited to get this album, played it a ton and was really into the Black Keys. If anything, this makes me want to go back and listen to their previous work...especially the lesser known Chulahoma, the Junior Kimbrough tribute EP. And maybe because I had to listen to the absolutely terrible Bjork album yesterday, this was very much welcomed.

Shit, this album was a lot. There’s just a lot of shit going on here, horns everywhere, Terry Kath’s guitar…I mean I feel like I had to take a nap after cause it was so goddamn exhausting. I liked this more than I thought I would. But it’s about 20 minutes too long and that guitar shit in the middle was obnoxious. It was like he was trying to do some proto version of Eruption and it just didn’t work. Not sure if I’d return to it and if I’m not sure than I probably won’t. Still though, pretty good stuff.

Shitty pop music for teenage girls that want to be profound and have a soundtrack to their Instagrams. I'll even admit to liking most of Lorde's debut album. Tennis Court, Royals, 400 Lux...those are all catchy songs and even though I'm an adult male (not the target audience) I still get it. There's nothing like that on this album. Lorde has a really nice, distinct voice and if I had to listen to this or Taylor Swift, I'd probably rather listen to this. But really, what's next...another song about coming down after the party? Another ride home in a taxi? Processing emotions while she's alone after a party? It's a one trick pony. Thankfully, I don't have a teenage daughter.

Very cool. First track is a banger and the rest doesn't hold up quite as well, but this is something I really enjoyed. Would listen to it again, and plan on checking out some more of their music. Actually looked up their tour, I bet they're probably really good live but it doesn't look like they're headed to the States anytime soon.

It's fine. It's just not what I typically want to listen to. Fast Car is great, I also really enjoyed For My Lover....Fast Car, I've heard a ton of times, I'd never heard For My Lover before. She's got a great voice, the lyrics can be really great. The production is late 80s slick and polished but that's okay...the mix works. Her vocals are front and center. Like a lot of things on this list...liked it, glad I listened to it, probably wouldn't listen to it again.

First song...funny, I wouldn't have put this together had I not listened to it a week or so ago, but that's exactly what the Black Keys were going for on Brothers. Okay, it doesn't rock as hard as the name of the band and the album cover would lead you to believe, but that's okay. It's still really great....a lot of great grooves on here.

"Got you on the Handycam, fits in my hand" is actually a lyric. This is mostly jangle pop. The singer has a really nice voice, the production is strong. It's just not what I want to listen to. While he's got a nice voice and the musicianship is strong -and at times, great- the sum of the parts are just average. They can't decide on what they want to be...there's some Bowie influences here, there's certainly REM influences. I just don't understand what makes this great. A lot of this album is what I expect to be playing in a Starbucks or what I'd expect to hear in a Hallmark movie. As I've gone along here, my rating system for a 3 is that glad I listened to it, can appreciate it, but probably won't return to it. 2 is...not glad I listened to it, kept wondering when it'll be over. And for the last two songs, I kept wondering when this would be over. And not that it really matters but it's a terrible album cover.

Hard to divorce this from knowing that this is THE BEATLES and how I really feel about this music. I think when a lot of people want to listen to The Beatles, they want to listen to the later stuff...Rubber Soul and everything after and that's exactly how I am. I never really want to listen to the early boy band, ultra pop stuff. Can't Buy Me Love is a classic, so is Hard Day's Night. I think Things We Said Today is also fantastic. But I can't give this a 5, I don't really feel the need to come back to this music again. My rating system is....3 is glad I listened to it, liked it, but probably won't return to it. 4 is something I can see myself returning to. Hard to give anything by The Beatles a 3, but it is what it is. Amazing how they went on to release Rubber Soul a year and a half later and Revolver 6-7 months after that. For me, the most incredible thing about them is how they went from poppy, 3 minute songs to become what they became in the span of 18-24 months. Just unbelievable growth and output in a short time frame.

Oh this was awesome. Really, really enjoyed this. Felt like I shouldn't have because I don't care for a lot of jazz music and I don't like organ music but this just hit different in a big way. It's great kitchen music (that's not a slam, in fact it's a big compliment from my perspective) and it's also great to zone out to while working. I wouldn't listen to this on a roadtrip in the car, but I can definitely see myself coming back to this. Great album.

I really wanted to like this, but I just can't get into it. I think sometimes music just has to hit you on the right day to get across and stick with you. I like Good Will Hunting, I like this guy's voice, I like the instruments for the most part, it's just not something I think I'd return to. I know he has his diehard fans and how he died was tragic. I recognize the talent, it's just not something I want to listen to again.

Matty Groves fucking slaps. Amazing beat. Sandy Denny's voice and the jam at the end of the song is awesome. Unfortunately, that's all I really liked. I'm not huge into folk music but this was actually pretty good. Happy I listened to it and know about it, don't want to listen to it again.

As good as any Beatles album. Kept listening to this on loop all weekend, thoroughly enjoyed it.

An aural holocaust. Just shit music. Lead singer thinks he’s Bono, going for that sweeping hero, soaring vocals that only Bono can really get away with.

It's been said a million times before...but this is where the Beatles start changing from a pop band to what they became in the late 60s. Hard to believe they went from this to Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's in the span of about 15 months. Amazing transformation that they pulled off seamlessly. I wish Chris Cornell had done a dark version of Run For Your Life.

Immediately forgettable. Listened to it and when it was over, couldn't tell you much about what I had just listened to. It's very jangly. The singer seems to want to be some sort of a crooner or something. It's not offensive, it's not terrible...it's just average and I don't know why this is on the list.

I've always hated I Want You To Want Me. Just soft, stupid, bubblegum pop music. I wasn't interested in listening to this album. But it's pretty good....the first half, at least. Didn't need a cover of Ain't That A Shame and I Want You To Want Me is tolerable compared to the studio version. I wasn't aware that they did Surrender, another song I just don't like. Gonna give this a 3 cause I appreciated it and liked it more than I thought I would, just don't ever see myself returning to it. If I did, I'm probably just listening to the first 4-5 songs. Clock Strikes Ten is a solid track but kind of sums up my whole listening experience with them in one song...there's some hard driving guitars, some heavy-ish sounds but then there's some pop stuff sprinkled in that I don't care for.

I just don’t get it.

It's fine. It's not Kid A or OK Computer but it's still solid.

Strong, fun album. Didn't realize so many hits came off this album, but it's great.

Great album, forgot how good it is from start to finish. Prince was the defining solo artist from the 80s for me. Michael Jackson might have had some bigger hits but as far as I know he couldn't lift a finger to play an instrument. Quincy Jones produced and arranged it all. They grabbed Eddie Van Halen to rip a guitar solo which was a really cool move...but if Prince wanted to do something, he'd just do it himself. Prince damn near released an album every year throughout the 1980s. I'd say Michael Jackson's stuff might be slightly more accessible and appeal to a wider audience....but I'd put this album up against Thriller and Bad.

This is great music, but it's just not for me. A lot of layers, a lot of different sounds, expertly woven together. Just didn't connect with it. Glad I listened, probably won't listen again.

It's just a lot of fun. First song makes me think of the Bones Brigade documentary that came out in the 2010s. Put this album on in the morning before taking my kid to daycare, he started dancing and smiling. That's gotta count for something, right?

Holy shit, I just read the Apple Music writeup about this album and it's so over the top in it's effusive praise, it's hard to read. I'm not saying I don't get this album because I absolutely do. Yes, in a world where there were still abrasive, loud, male fronted bands in the post-Nirvana era, this guy just was doing things differently. Slow, quiet, BARING HIS SOUL LYRICS with simple arrangements. I get why people like this music, and I wish I did. It's not terrible, it's just not anything I'd want to listen to.

Can't say anything that's already been said. Lindsey Buckingham on Second Hand News going BAOW BAOW BAOW BAOW is easily the most obnoxious and insufferable thing on this album. It's really good, mostly flawless. I just wonder how much the mythology surrounding it adds to it. Like, if they weren't all hooking up with each other and not doing metric shit-tons of cocaine, would this be as celebrated? People can't mention this album without all the shit that surrounds it. But the shit that surrounds it is also really fun.

A little longwinded at times, but Whipping Post is worth the wait.

There are some great riffs and beats on here but I don't like industrial music. Sound clips over and over of people in the background just...it gets old after awhile. Glad I listened to it, wouldn't return to it. I really don't have much else to say about it.

Flawless album. Can listen to Moonage Daydream over and over (and I have). It's an album for anywhere, anytime, really.

I really want to like this, but I just can't get into it. R.E.M. is just one of those bands I'd see growing up and hear some of their songs that I'd like but their full albums just never measured up. I remember one of my cousins getting their CD at Christmas one year, I think it was Automatic For The People...and thinking, wow, they must be great if he likes them. They're just very hit or miss for me. Songs like Losing My Religion, Everybody Hurts...and off this album, Orange Crush is pretty great. And Turn You Inside-Out, I've never heard before and it slaps...but then Hairshirt is next and I just couldn't wait for it to be over. It's not that I think they're bad musicians....they're great musicians. Stipe has a nice voice, instantly recognizable even if I've never heard the song before. It's just not for me, as much as I'd like it to be.

Shit. I gotta be honest, I never liked Queen. That's actually not true, I liked their harder stuff...Stone Cold Crazy, Brighton Rock, Another One Bites The Dust...and yeah, everyone loves Bohemian Rhapsody. I just never liked all the other stuff. The operatic, silly, bombastic, the tender stuff...like, I've always hated You're My Best Friend. And it's not that I think they're bad musicians, far from it. They're all great, it just wasn't for me. You've gotta be at the right place in your life sometimes for music or movies to hit you right and grab a hold of you and for whatever reason the rest of Queen's music never grabbed me. I've tried listening to this before, probably like everyone else after the movie that came out about 10 years ago and Queen/Freddie went through their renaissance. I listened to it once, never wanted to listen to it again. So, I rolled my eyes at this when it came up this morning. And I guess I'm at a different place in my life where this music finally hits. All of a sudden, You're My Best Friend isn't so bad. I'm actually enjoying most of this and I'm on my 2nd spin. Not sure if I can quite give this a 5, but I'm tempted.

Never been so excited to listen to something and give it a 1. I think there's another goddamn Bjork album on this list, too, which is unfortunate. Maybe musically there's some interesting things going on here. Like, if this were an instrumental album and with all of these different sounds going off it could be really cool, especially on a nice set of headphones. But then she starts singing and it just ruins everyfuckingthing. Also insufferable are people who are proclaiming her as a "true artist," what the hell does that even mean? People that confuse eccentricity and being different with artistry are the worst. WTF, I've gotta listen to TWO more albums of her shit? Abominable.

Wow this was way better than I expected. Went in with exceedingly low expectations, came away surprised. Doubt I’d listen to it again but if I ever came across it again I wouldn’t mind. Their cover of heard it through the grapevine was actually really good.

One of the better Christmas albums I've heard. Glad I listened to it, obviously won't listen to it until next year. Made me think of the restaurant scene in Goodfellas, but in Christmas form. I've never quite understood what the "wall of sound" is, but I know a Phil Spector produced song when I hear one.

I remember when this album came out. A bunch of white people were playing this in an effort to...I dunno, make themselves feel more culturally astute or some shit. It was weird. I'm not saying this is bad music because it's not. It's actually quite good. Whoever's playing these instruments knows what they're doing, their voices are pleasant. And I know the most liked review for this album is some butthurt idiot whining about how if the fact that you can't understand what they're saying bothers you, than you're a racist or some shit. I'm not bothered by this, but fuck him. Like I said, it's quite good, but I fail to understand what makes it significantly better than what I hear when I go to my favorite taco joint, though. I'm sure people could educate me, but I really don't care. Glad I listened to it, probably wouldn't listen to it again...or at least until I get some ground beef, a packet of Taco Bell seasoning, mexican cheese in a bag, grocery store tortillas and make my kid some tacos one night.

I remember... I remember being a kid. I'm not sure how old I was at the time, but definitely elementary school age. I'd seen this cassette tape in my dads car, the black cover with the triangle and the rainbow shooting out of it and just looking at it over and over and thinking whatever it was had to be really cool. And I remember my dad...kind of not knowing how to explain the music, but that they had used a bunch of sound effects and there was a song called "Money" which he thought was amusing. And I remember going out to the garage, opening the door to his big sedan, grabbing it from the glove compartment and sneaking it back up to my room, putting it in my little boombox and pushing play. It was a cassette tape, right? Doesn't start from the beginning, it starts from whoever last listened to the tape had stopped it. And all I heard was a bunch of clocks going off which I didn't understand and certainly didn't like. And then I fast forwarded the tape a bit and heard more random stuff and then fast forwarded again and heard the sound of a cash register and coins. What the hell was this? I hated it. You don't know what you don't know and what I didn't know at the time was that I was just too young to understand any of it. Fast forward to my high school years and I've discovered Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin and that's all I'm listening to. I've got a discman that I take on the subway to high school and I still listen to my Pearl Jam and Nirvana CDs every so often but Jimi Hendrix is my favorite. And I learned that at one point, Pink Floyd (that terrible tape I heard?) and Jimi played on the same bill at one point. And so I get this album on CD and holy fucking shit did I get it all of a sudden. All of it was just so majestic and amazing and it all made sense. It never surpassed my love for Hendrix, but I played this album a lot. Listening to Brain Damage and Eclipse on the subway as a teenager, thinking I was profound somehow because I was listening to this profound music. Great memories.

Not bad but also pretty forgettable. I'm also not really the target for this, I'm not huge into folk music. It's a better Elliott Smith album, which isn't saying much since Elliott Smith is just garbage. I think the best thing on here was the track Smokey River...no singing, just a nice guitar track. Really great guitar all throughout. Glad I listened to it, probably won't listen to it again.

It's got that 90s electronic sound that I prefer to hear when I listen to electronic music which is almost never. But if I did, this is what I'd want to hear. It's perfect background music for doing monotonous work tasks. And I get that electronic music deserves to be represented here, but it's kind of hard to listen to Dark Side Of The Moon the other day and then listen to this and think they're somehow mentioned together in any kind of way.

Complete ass. This sucked. I don't even know what this music is or what it's supposed to be. It just sounds like it wants to be a lot of different things...at one point, it's trying to be the Beatles, the next it's trying to be some sweeping soundtrack to a movie's crescendo. The vocals are lukewarm thin gruel. The songs don't go anywhere, they just meander. The guitars are just mushy and indistinguishable. Symphony Space is just a mood noise mess that's not interesting at all. Really, I've made the promise to myself that I'm going to listen to the full albums no matter how much I hate them but this is pushing my limits. I don't get why this album is on this list. I mean, I listened to Dark Side of the Moon the other day and that's absolutely fantastic. One of their lesser known works is Meddle, which is absolutely fantastic and probably my favorite Pink Floyd album out of all of theirs. And I don't know why that doesn't make the cut over something like this. It's a vastly more interesting album and a vastly more talented band...even if it's not as well known as Dark Side of The Moon or Wish You Were Here, something like that deserves a spot over whatever this is.

Music for dorks. Check out these lyrics: And the meek shall inherit the earth We've taken care of everything The words you hear the songs you sing The pictures that give pleasure to your eyes It's one for all and all for one We work together common sons Never need to wonder how or why We are the priests, of the temples of Syrinx Our great computers fill the hallowed halls We are the priests, of the temples of Syrinx All the gifts of life are held within our walls If you start talking about priests and temples and science fiction and fantasy stuff, my level of interest starts to plummet dramatically. I've gotta think if you were a freshman in 1976 and wore a Rush shirt to school, you got stuffed into a locker. That said, there's some really cool stuff in here. Lee, Lifeson and Peart can play the hell out of their instruments, there's no doubt about that. And I don't even mind Lee's voice all that much, I actually kind of like it. It's just that what he's singing about is stupid. Yeah, I get they didn't want to sing songs about partying and stuff, fine. It's not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Which makes me a little bit of a dork, I suppose.

Really damn good. And fun.

The highs here are incredible. Some of the best music ever recorded...and I didn't know all these songs came off one album. But there's some filler here, too. Jamaica Jerk-Off is terrible. Ultimately, the whole album is just too damn long, too.

Taking a star right off the top cause they don't have it on Apple Music and Spotify. It's 2026, get your shit together. I'm sure there's a reason but it's probably not a good one. There's really cool instrumental moments here but I'm just not into it and I'm on the third or fourth song. There's some great riffs, great beats. I'd like this much better if they didn't sing. Quite frankly, the vocals and whatever lyrics I could make sense of just killed it for me.

It's bright, it's bouncy and it just doesn't know what the hell it wants to be. Ska? Funk? Disco? Why are there congas here? Is this Jazz? There's horns and horns and horns. I will say the musicianship is great. It's just too much going on and there's no identity here. It's shimmery, it's breezy, it's very 80s. And normally I like that but it doesn't land. Giving it a 3 cause I'm glad I listened to it, the musicianship and the ambition.

BuT iT's CuLtUrAL aPpRoPriATiOn!!!!!111 Does anyone fucking think on here? Does anyone know what they're talking about? Does anyone know anything about music? There's a certain type of idiot on here (and in life) that hears something like Graceland and sprints, whistle in mouth, to declare Paul Simon guilty of "cultural appropriation." These are the people who were hall monitors in high school and continue to look for infractions anywhere and everywhere in life. According to these assholes, Paul Simon didn't collaborate with musicians in South Africa, he only extracted their music and their culture. And they constantly ignore (or don't want to bother to look) that the music that's on this album shined a light on artists like Barney Rachabane, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Hugh Masekela and Clifton Chenier. They don't want to take a minute to understand that this album brought these artists some notoriety and that these artists were appreciative. They don't want to admit, by these artists accounts, that the album was a joy to make. And these assholes just never want to acknowledge the most obvious point, that music has always been a conversation across cultures. Genres exist because cultures collide...rock music exists because of Black Americans. Elvis didn't appear out of thin air fully formed, he was drawing from Black gospel, blues and R&B. The Beatles were borrowing Chuck Berry riffs, girl group harmonies, basslines from Motown, American R&B, Indian sitars and the list goes on and on. Jazz is a mix of african rhythms, european brass band instruments, carribean influences and blues scales. Country is a blend of scottish and irish ballads, Black blues structures, mexican influences on Western swing and African banjo classics. Hip Hip was built on sampling funk, disco, rock and whatever else they could find. But the "cultural appropriation" assholes never worry about nuance. As long as they can plant their flag on some moral hill, they'll ignore everything else. They'll ignore the musicians that wanted to work with Paul Simon, the breaking of a cultural boycott in an effort to collaborate on music and the positive feedback from everyone involved. These "cultural appropriation" assholes have one argument, and it's this: Paul Simon shouldn't have made one of the best and most innovative albums of the 80s because it violates my sensitivities. In doing so, these "cultural appropriation" assholes flatten the South African musicians into props for a moral lecture. And in thinking they're somehow protecting them, it reduces them to passive objects rather than creative artists who wanted to collaborate with Simon and brought the world some fucking awesome music. The "cultural appropriation" assholes just ignore that music isn't pure and it's not supposed to be. Humans borrow from each other and cultures mix and to ignore it is to willfully ignore the way culture actually works. They want rigid boundaries when it suits them and they want rigid boundaries in art when art doesn't obey boundaries. So fuck the cultural appropriation warriors, this album absolutely slaps. If you want to downgrade it for farty bass lines and lyrics you don't like, that's fine. But if you want to get on your high horse and write a review about "cultural appropriation" while ignoring all the music you've 5 starred on this site and think you're some sort of a fucking genius you might want to sit this one out.

I think I like it better than Thriller. Thriller's highs might be better and the songs might be more iconic but I've always felt that there's a lot of stuff on Thriller I'd be fine with not hearing again like Baby Be Mine, The Girl Is Mine, Human Nature, and The Lady In My Life. Granted, it's been forever since I've listened to Thriller and it's been forever since I've listened to this. Even the songs I haven't heard in forever that I thought I wouldn't like (The Way You Make Me Feel, Liberian Girl, Just Good Friends, Man in the Mirror) were pretty good and I didn't want to skip a track. It's hard to make Michael Jackson appear to be tough and they tried really hard but it was never gonna happen. Still, this album takes me back to a time when I was a kid and a Michael Jackson album release was a huge fucking deal. Maybe the nostalgia here is part of the reason why I like this. I'm gonna give it a 5 because I really enjoyed it but I also don't know when I'll reach for a Michael Jackson album ever again. Looking forward to whenever Thriller pops up to see how it compares.

Surprisingly enjoyable, but what killed it from being really fantastic is some of the spoken word stuff...just completely unnecessary. The track The Word Hurricane was fantastic...what a great, chill groove and then all of a sudden there's someone talking about actual hurricanes and how they start. Either sing and talk over all of the music or absolutely none of it, but to do it at random places throughout is just jarring and doesn't make sense. There's a lot of cool stuff here, I might want to come back to this.

Some certain songs aside, I've never liked his music. I'll try it again...and the first 30 seconds in, I'm just not into it. I've heard Badlands is some amazing song but the triumphant pianos, the mumbled lyrics. Adam Raised a Cain is pretty cool. I just can't get down with his voice, it sounds like he's drunk, almost. It's not as bad as I thought it was, but I don't like his voice. At times the raspiness is perfect and it serves the song. The next minute, he's so far into his throat that it's hard to make sense of what he's singing and it's almost comical. Like, is that for real? When he goes for those really high notes, it just doesn't sound good. I also just don't like too much piano with my rock n roll and there's always entirely too much piano with Bruce and the E Street Band and it sounds like shit. It's too theatrical, sweeping and elegant. It doesn't match his voice and it doesn't match the guitar. Combine the not so great vocals and the pianos and I just can't get into it. It's a shame, cause I really want to like it.

Is that Jesse Eisenberg on the cover? The other day, I got to listen to Graceland by Paul Simon which is an all-time favorite of mine. I've listened to that album thousands of times and despite hearing Simon name-check Clifton Chenier, I've never once bothered to check out Chenier's music. Curious, I did. And it was fantastic. Haven't been able to get enough of it over the past few days since hearing it. And now I've listened to this and I don't understand why this is on this list and something like Chenier isn't. I mean, I get it by now...the Brits have to be overrepresented on here...you'd think the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd and The Who would have been enough but here we are. This album started off pleasantly enough, it was jazz instrumentals and while I'm not a big jazz fan I thought this could have been good kitchen music. And then someone started singing on a track which was kind of a turnoff, her voice wasn't great, the lyrics weren't memorable and then there was that rap song which didn't fit the rest of the vibe followed by the ultra 80s pop song that followed and the one I'm listening to now that's titled You're The Best Thing. And now there's one that's poppy and upbeat called Here's The One That Got Away. This album is the one that got away, that's for sure. Went from being a pleasant jazz album that had a timeless feel to it (wouldn't have known it came from 1984) into just an average, disjointed mess. I was gonna give this a 3, which is my standard rating for something I listened to, appreciated it, understood why it was on here, wouldn't seek it out on my own again but would be fine with listening to it if someone else was playing it. I was thinking this was a 4 to start, then the vocals knocked it down to a 3. And now we're at a 2 as another average pop song has started. But back to Clifton Chenier, go listen to him if you want to skip past this album. Way more interesting.

Was excited to listen to this but didn't like it. And I like Bob Marley from what I've heard. Legend, of course, is an all-time classic greatest hits album....Exodus is a great album, too. This just wasn't that enjoyable, not even as background music while I was doing some work. There's a reason the live version of No Woman No Cry is the definitive version...the studio cut here just isn't nearly as good. Best thing I can say is that for some reason Apple Music suggested Jimi Hendrix after for some reason and started playing Purple Haze.

I can't believe there are 8 David Bowie albums on this list and that's way too many. I think Ziggy Stardust is pretty flawless and I'd like to give more of his albums 5 stars, but there's always some shit that doesn't make sense. This album was great until V-2 Schneider which...fine, okay. But then the following song Sense of Doubt was just a waste. It's filler. I didn't want to listen to a David Bowie album today and hear some soundscape bullshit. I'm assuming this is what happens when you make an album blasted out of your mind on cocaine. And while I'm sure it's good to create and experiment with things as an artist, these soundscape songs just feel like a cop out. Didn't have to write lyrics, didn't have to sing anything. Is he even playing any of the instruments on here? Is he controlling the direction of these pieces? It ends with The Secret Life of Arabia which is another filler track but at least it's got a beat and he's singing. I can't remember which other album of his I listened to that followed the same pattern...first half, great...second half just instrumentals and soundscapes. I don't think when someone wants to listen to Bowie, that's not what they're intending to listen to. I don't think anyone's ever said "Man, V-2 Schneider and Moss Garden are my favorite tracks off Bowie's Heroes album."

The first few songs just sound like one giant intro to Relax, especially the Welcome To The Pleasuredome song...12 minutes of buildup to the song they're most known for. It's a bit much. These songs just don't go anywhere for the most part...they seem like they're building and trying to take off but never make it off the runway. Two Tribes slaps pretty hard, actually. I like it better than Relax. Overall, just really self indulgent music, a little too pretentious.

Damn, this isn't nearly as bad as I thought it was gonna be. It's a bit disjointed in places...a bit chaotic. Beautiful songs one track, aggressive and hard the next, but they pull it off pretty well.

Didn't expect to see this on this website. This album cranks, but Serj is just a little too much sometimes. Love the heaviness, though. I guess maybe I've been too hard on this band over the years. I lump them in with nu-metal and while I guess they are technically nu-metal according to ChatGPT, they're a far cry from Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, Korn and the rest. If you want to know why this is considered to be in the same category as the rest, nu-metal is classified by the heavy riffs that groove (not so much shredding and soloing), the unique time signatures/dynamic changes and the raw/emotional vocals. Fine. So...rap isn't necessary to be considered nu-metal, but SOAD doesn't fit with the rest to me. This is weird, but I rank Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, Korn as like...the shittiest, nastiest cheeseburger you can get from McDonalds or Burger King. Everyone knows that it's cheap, that it's not good but it's heavy on salt and every so often you've had a few beers and you just need one. SOAD is a step above that. It's Five Guys. Still not the best burger you can get, but markedly better. Better quality, better ingredients. Vintage Metallica would be, for me, that really good burger you get at a good restaurant. Top tier ingredients, made to perfection. So like I said, maybe I've been too hard on SOAD...when they came out I just lumped them in with the rest of the nu-metal bands that had certain songs I enjoyed but wasn't confused for one minute that what I was listening to was well crafted music. I liked this album but again, Serj is just a little too much at times. Might want to check out some of their other stuff, though. Could also see myself returning to this.

I think I'm comfortable with the fact that OK Computer is the only Radiohead album I really like. This album is kinda cool, I just don't know what to do with it. I wouldn't listen to this while on a road trip. I wouldn't listen to this while making dinner. I don't want to listen to this while I'm doing work or cleaning up the house. You and Whose Army? is pretty cool. So is I Might Be Wrong. Life in a Glasshouse, cool jazzy vibe. Too much shit in between it all, though. Glad I listened to it, respect the talent...probably won't return to it.

This shit slaps, just like I heard it when I was in high school. I remember I had a cassette tape someone burned for me, it was like 74 minutes on each side. One side was this album, the other side was Evil Empire. But plant me smack in the middle of the group of people that didn't pay attention to their politics or care about them. I just liked the anger, the guitar...it is music to have on while you're lifting and working out. It's just hard to take their politics seriously and it was hard to take their politics seriously back in the day. I remember some magazine article where these guys were out golfing...the hypocrisy was just evident from the start. And while I'm sure these guys really believe the shit they're yelling about, they're just cartoons, especially Morello and De La Rocha. They built their identity and messaging on anti-capitalism and anti-corporate power while becoming hugely profitable, major label stars that sold out arenas. They Raged Against corporate exploitation and then sold tickets through Ticketmaster and Live Nation at prices that the working class couldn't afford. Yeah, they've donated money, yeah they protested Ticketmaster at one point but at the end of the day they used the system. They signed with a massive corporation in Sony and always claimed some bullshit along the lines of "we're using their money to spread anti-capitalist ideas" which was just fucking hysterical. Sony didn't sign these guys because of their ideological messages, they did it cause RATM made them a shit ton of money and you don't subvert capitalism by becoming a platinum selling band inside of it. Morello lives a really comfortable, elite life. The rest of the band members do, too (De La Rocha's house that went up for sale a few years ago is very nice but not over the top extravgent, I will give him that, but it was still 3 million) but Morello's a bit above the rest. It doesn't invalidate their beliefs but it's hard to take their moral high ground seriously. There's no personal sacrifice here. In their own way, they're completely safe. They felt somewhat dangerous in the 90s and were always loud and angry about US imperialism, capitalism and policing. They are consistently quiet on authoritarian left-wing regimes, labor abuses in countries that are aligned with their preferred politics and censorship when it comes to their side. I will admit that they've donated millions to activist causes they believe in, they've platformed radical politics since the start, they've never pretended to be neutral on anything and I think they've read the books they put in their albums instead of pretending to have read them. That all said, the self awareness is lacking. They exist inside of capitalism but they think they're morally superior while they rage from the penthouse that overlooks the machine. It's a band that rallied around being dangerous to power but always embraced it, especially when it suited them best. Now... what they should have done was adopt the philosophy of Ian MacKaye. MacKaye didn't just say anti-corporate things, he designed his entire life and career around never having the message and behavior be in question. MacKaye is the anti-RATM. No major labels. Ever. He never had to explain that contradiction because he never got there to begin with. He capped ticket prices for decades. Never gave in to festivals...it was always 5 bucks. It was a moral obligation and he never strayed from it....and he never needed Ticketmaster. Yet, he still sold hundreds of thousands of records. Toured a shit ton. Influenced a lot of bands. He never went to sell out arenas, he never made the luxury leap, he never bought the big house and the fancy car. MacKaye's politics weren't slogans that he tapped into whenever he felt like he needed to...it was DIY or don't do it, keep prices low for all ages shows, no corporate sponsorships, no gouging on merch. He just opted out of the system/machine instead of trying to play some sort of a game that RATM did. RATM chose maximum exposure, mass culture reach...MacKaye chose sheer autonomy and limits. Neither of these ways are invalid or bad, but one avoids hypocrisy completely. If RATM went the MacKaye way, fewer people would have heard them, they might not have been icons and they wouldn't have filled arenas. But no one could roll their eyes at them. So...yeah, I hate their politics. I'm not reading Howard Zinn, I'm not reading Marx, or Guevara or Alinsky or Chomsky. And a big reason why I never wanted to, even as an idealistic teenager, is that in 1996 when I saw RATM's reading list inside of Evil Empire, I just rolled my eyes. So why am I giving this a 5? It's music to lift weights to. As much as they don't want to be lumped into this category, it's music for football players and they had to have known that when they were making it but they did it anyway. It's great rock music, maybe even slightly innovative rock music, it takes me back to a time where I'd blast this album, not give a shit about their politics, understanding that the guys were making the music were hypocrites and realizing that most people are. And that's the lesson to be learned from RATM, it's not revolution, it's not anti capitalist politics...the lesson to learn from RATM is that most people are hypocrites.

Heavy, fast and brutal. This is what metal should be. Not a lot of melodies going on here and the satanic stuff is eye-roll worthy but it's pretty great. From this era, still want to listen to Ride The Lightning and Master of Puppets before this.

Pleasant music, but kind of boring. And it was too long. Crooner stuff can be cool but this misses a little for me.

I was expecting to not like this, but it's pretty good. Van Morrison has a great voice, the band is good. I might want to give it a second listen in order to formulate some more thoughts on it.

This is nice, pleasant music. All my life I've wanted to get into jazz and I've just never been able to. There's a good amount of it that I like, but don't love. I never think to put on Kind of Blue. I suppose you could say I respect the music and the people that play it but it's never my first choice of what I want to listen to. So to my untrained ears, this is just...like I said, really nice, pleasant music. This is the music I'd want to hear out at a nice dinner. I'm not listening to this in my truck, but I'd probably be listening to it if I'm making dinner for my family. Aside from the players being proficient at their instruments, I don't know what separates this from other jazz music that's similar in nature. It's also nice to hear jazz that's not driven by horns and saxophones. Glad I listened to it, probably wouldn't return to it is my criteria to give something a 3. But you know what? I probably would return to this. I can see myself putting this on in the kitchen.