Would repeat listen Holes, Opus 40, and Goddess on a Hiway. Not an album I need to listen to all the way through again.

Far too long, but a real survey of “everything George.” I love the uptempo songs with the Spector wall of sound and horns, but could have done without the stoner jam band elements towards the end.

4.5 / 5 - Has possibly the best first line on a Song 1, Side 1 of any album, and is also one of the most aptly named albums of all time. The influence of Raw Power is obviously far and wide for the future of punk, but this easily holds up on its own legs with door-blasting energy beyond just being an "influential album." I had never listened to it all the way through, and I listened to it 4 times in a row. Rounding down only because it's early in the reviews and I need to leave space at the top.

3/5 - Imagine bringing this record home in 1970 with this creepy ass album cover and the opening sounds of the rain and bells. This is a demonic, Halloween MOOD. It’s hard to believe a recording this thick with atmosphere is a debut, but the vision of what they wanted to be is clear. Like many, I’d probably listen to the follow-up Paranoid (from the same year) any day before heading back to the debut, but “The Wizard” rocks.

4/5 - Why do you need to hear this album before you die? So that you can hear exactly what 1995 and 1996 sounded like. This is not a timeless classic. This is a time capsule that you dig up, dust off, and feel all the disillusionment, angst, and GenX attitude wash over you in waves. written and sung by a woman who is flat out going for it, because who gives a flick what you think. The lyrics are sometimes brilliant, and frequently bad, while Alanis' voice is sometimes perfect and frequently grating, but this is catharsis on compact disc. There's thousands of singer-songwriter records, but few have this specific of a voice for a particular generation. Just sing along. You know the words.

2.5/5 - Why did I need to hear this album before I die? I suppose to hear what all the fuss was about. I had no connection to this album in 1998, though I've given it several listens over the last few years. I think it's fine. The hallway chatter interludes annoy me, and most of the album fades into the background for me, with a few strong standouts as the exception.

3/5 - Why did I need to hear this album before I die? To get the feel of the ambience in a mid-century jazz club in Chicago from a time well before I was born. Vaughn has a beautiful voice, and the standards are classic material, but this isn't the type of music I really engage with. In terms of musicianship and quality, this is surely higher than a 3, but it doesn't really move me.

3/5 - I’m pretty sure I didn’t need to hear this album before I die. Breakdown and American Girl are obvious standout hits, and Strangered in the Night is pretty good, but this isn’t an album of hidden gems. I love dozens of Tom Petty songs, but the debut is a bit thin for me.

2/5 - I didn't need to hear this album before I die. It's well executed, relaxing, and beautiful, but also really dull if you've never listened all the way through before. Not for me.

3/5 - Why did I need to hear this album before I die? To fill in a gap of what I know about David Bowie. This isn’t a Bowie record I’m going to revisit, but Fascination and Right were both worth discovering. The collaboration with John Lennon was also new to me. I didn’t expect to hear a cover of Across the Universe.

1/5 - I most definitely did not need to hear this before I die. Britney Spears was a cultural phenomenon, but this album nose dives after the first track and hits bottom on “E-mail My Heart.” This album is laugh out loud, wretched pop written and produced by an exploitative factory. I only made it through this because I had 9 hours of driving today, and it made all the other music feel like a savior.

5/5 - This is an example of why I started on this project — to be introduced to worthwhile recordings I would never have listened to on my own. This is way out of my usual listening tastes, but I absolutely enjoyed it. Would listen again.

5/5 - You need to hear this before you die because of the guitar tone of Tom Scholz. This is production perfection joined with great hooks and Brad Delp's voice. I've listened to this album hundreds of times, and it's a cornerstone of 70s classic rock.

4/5 - I needed to hear this because I am unfamiliar with the genre and this was a fun, easy listen. I wouldn’t have guessed this was from the 70s. Taj Mahal and the song after it were standouts for me.

5/5 - You need to hear this because Smith’s influence keeps living on. The whispered melodies and spare production keep the focus on the songwriting here, so I like this even more than XO I think. I’m glad this album came up because it had been a good long while since I sat with some of these songs. Great stuff.

2/5 - I needed to hear this record so I could say I tried. It’s hard to access this album without a guide when it’s so far outside what I typically listen to, especially lyrically. Obviously, this is a landmark hip-hop album, and it will get plenty of high marks. I was fine with several songs, but when you’re not in on the joke on the skits, it’s annoying, and the album doesn’t invite spending more time on it.