Not my favorite Beatles record but it is still tough to find many flaws here, just an absolutely wonderful work of art.

Is this the worst album on the list? Sweet merciful Jesus please tell me this is the worst album on the list. I can’t give it a zero so I’ll say it here. O/5

Not terrible, but also not good. Heavily Coldplay influenced and generically new wave/alternative. Only interesting song for me was NY. Everything else is background at best and annoyingly reminiscent of Chris Martin at worst

Absolutely brilliant album, created the Blueprint for 80s and 90s alternative, not a wasted minute anywhere. Ian Curtis was a great vocalist and the band is incredible. One of the best ever

A slow jams classic, incredible vocals and a top notch band execute an all time sexy R&B record. Drops off a bit at the end, but very strong, rewards multiple listens. This one really sticks with you

One of my favorite albums of all time and the greatest protest/socially conscious record ever. Still completely relevant, every song, every lyric, not a thing has changed since Marvin first sang these songs. And of course, the music is incredible and Marvin’s vocals are impeccable. A desert island disc for me.

My second ever concert was Paul Simon on this tour, so it’s a sentimental favorite. It’s also a terrific record that introduced me (and many others) to several new musical styles. Great set of songs and incredible musicianship.

I’m a big fan of Prince but I’ve never thought this was his best work and never understood why it’s generally accepted that it is. Disc 2 is absolutely a 5, banger after banger. But disc 1? A bunch of songs that either should have been left as B sides or work much better live (Housequake is the primary example of this, crushed live, flat here imo). The Sign O The Times lyrics sound like MAGA propaganda in 2025 and even in 87 they were cringe. This would have been an absolutely all timer as a single album. As a double, it’s very good but flawed.

If Sign O The Times is the White Album, the sprawling eclectic experimental brilliant but flawed sketchbook of a genius, 1999 is Abbey Road, 70 minutes of absolute perfection. Landmark of pop, rock, funk, and R&B, this is the album where it all came together for Prince after several excellent records. The first side is stacked with absolute classics, but everything that follows is on the same level of genius.

This is a fun listen, not my usual genre but really enjoyed most of it, great catchy pop mixed with electronica and rock and more. Some of the tracks on the back half of the album get a bit tedious and repetitive for me, but overall really good and will definitely return to hear this again.

I didn’t enjoy this at all. I can’t stand ska. I never need to hear a single note of this ever again.

I fully expected to struggle through this album. Before today, I’d heard Running (liked it) and Wuthering Heights (did not like it). Three listens in and I am absolutely in awe of this record. The first side is pretty close to perfect. Just outstanding pop music that sounds like nothing that came before. And obviously influenced a LOT of what came after. Side 2 is an interesting cycle, and I enjoy it overall, but it doesn’t hold my interest quite as much, esp the jig, but whatever, step up to the plate and take a big swing. Kate connects way more than she whiffs here. This should have been massive here in the States but apparently we preferred Bananarama.

I didn’t enjoy this at all. Not bad, just aggressively dull.

Ive been a fan of the Who my whole life but never liked this album on the past. This time around, I enjoyed it! The concept is still not my favorite and I find the ads pretty annoying. Still, there are a number of strong songs and overall I enjoyed it through several listens

This is good dance music, and would surely be really fun to hear in a club, set and setting, but just sitting at my desk and hearing thunk thunk thunk is just kinda, ok, cool. Anyway, for what it is, heavy industrial dance with a social bent, it’s good. Would never again just sit and listen to it but in the right context, good stuff

What more is there to say about this masterpiece? Either you get it or you don’t I suppose. Absolutely one of the greatest all time works of western music.

This was completely new to me, which is wild given my love for this era of British pop and rock. I really enjoyed this, some of the more Stones influenced stuff was just ok (Movin On Up, Damaged) but a lot of great tunes here.

Already a big fan of Roxy Music, this is my second favorite after Country Life. If only Eno and Ferry could have coexisted for a few more albums. Do The Strand and Editions of You are an incredible blend of pop and weirdness.

Back at it with the albums. First catch up, Surfs Up, Beach Boys. I really tried, I’m a BB fan, but think one isn’t good. The production is very good and every thing sounds great but the actual songs, a bunch of stinkers. And then, suddenly, we reach the end and Til I Die and Surfs Up are right there with Brian’s best work. Surfs Up in particular is brilliant. This is the end of the classic BB period and almost falls completely flat but for the end. Good enough to earn this one a 3/5

Beastie Boys, License to ill. Ok, I love the Beasties and I think Paul’s Boutique is the Mona Lisa of hip hop sampling and Gen X white guy rapping (Eminem is another category entirely). LTI otoh is kind of a rough listen. I think the two records from my generation that are way more important than they are good are Licensed to I’ll and Becks Mellow Gold, they both laid down the blueprint for a very Gen X style of music but neither one of them holds up next to the rest of their respective catalogs. I have a ton of nostalgia for Fight for Your Right and Girls and No Sleep Til Brooklyn but this is all so juvenile and stupid. If Rick Rubin has any genius at all, and I’m not sure he does, but here is his best case, as he’s really the guy that fused metal and hip hop together with all of the Zep and Sabbath samples here. Not to mention Walk This Way

There aren’t many albums that can boast producing as many standards as this one has: Girl From Ipanema, Doralice, Desafinado, Corcovado, So Danco Samba, just an incredible record, beautiful composition and brilliant musicianship. An all time great record.

Pretty solid 80s dance pop record. Enjoyed it overall, pretty nostalgic as everything sounded like this for a minute when I was a kid. Love Vigilantes, Perfect Kiss and Sunrise are great tracks.

I will never understand all of the love this band and this particular album get. Have any of you ever heard Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, or Tom Petty? They shamelsssly steal from those three, yet somehow makes it all less interesting, more vanilla, and incredibly bland. Imagine a CD created to play in a Starbucks that will be familiar enough to get the white people tapping their toes but also inoffensive enough that no one objects. That is this album.

I don’t typically listen to hardcore or punk, but enjoyed this one. Some great tracks and some others that weren’t for me. Even a bit of prog thrown in for good measure. Enjoyable listen

I have loved this album for 40 years, so I was pretty happy to see it pop up. Ok, maybe “happy” and Nebraska don’t naturally go together. One of Bruce’s finest sets of songs and I love that they went with the demos over a full E Street album that would have taken some of the magic and pathos out of these beautifully tragic songs. It’s tough to make solo acoustic interesting across an entire album, Bruce shows us how it’s done.

This is one of my all time favorites. Side 1 may be my favorite side of any album. Absolute perfection. Side 2 gets weird in the best ways. I like every TH record but they really crushed this one. I imagine if one had read an article about Talking Heads working on an album with Brian Eno that was heavily influenced by Fela Kuti, one might have be justifiably skeptical. But goddammit they pulled it off.

This is an interesting record, but I’m not sure it rises to the level of “must hear”. The music is great, love the beats and Keith’s flow, but the lyrics/concept are basically what you’d get if you locked 10 12 year olds in a room and told them to write dirty jokes. I’m not offended by the content, just by the lack of humor or originality. Great beats, great flow, puerile rhymes.

Quite simply one of the greatest records by anyone in any genre. Stevie is one of the GOATs and I honestly can’t believe that this isn’t a 5 here. People listen to this and think, nah, I’d rather hear (insert tepid garbage)? JFC.

One of the greatest records albums of the 90s, incredible song after incredible song. Liz rode an incredible wave of inspiration that populated her first three records with great songs, but most of the best ones are here. Everything after that is garbage and it honestly one of the most shocking drop offs of any artist I can think of. Anyway, she gets a free pass for this record alone. I guess if you weren’t around in the 90s, you can’t understand what this record meant to people and how revolutionary it was. Read a book, y’all

I like this record, it’s fun. I love a rock band that plays dance music. Rock and roll is supposed to be fun and these guys get the party started. They are solid live. Is there anything earth shattering or even slightly original here? No there is not. Is it a fun listen anyway? Yes it is

Mark E Smith isn’t really here for casual listening. But whenever I hear The Fall, I like it. Never heard this one, their first, but it is very very good. I can see how they aren’t for everyone but if you enjoy a belligerent drunken Englishman shouting at you over the sound of a killer post punk band playing their asses off, have I got a record for you.

All time dance record, with incredible composition and performance from Nile Rogers and Bernard Edward’s. The only track here I didn’t enjoy was At Last I Am Free

The best album of the post punk era and a huge influence on new wave and so much of what followed.

When I was younger I thought I loved Cream but really just liked their hits. Every time I try a Cream album, I’m left with the same meh feeling. There are the great tracks and then there’s the rest. Same here. Strange Brew, Sunshine of Your Love, Ulysses, and SWLABR are great. The rest runs from huh to meh to wha?

This one is definitely not for me. The music is anxiety inducing at best and the vocal is either spoken word or screeching. OTOH, it is utterly unlike anything I’ve ever heard before and I have to give them credit for that

Here is some more British synth pop for your (my, actually) ear holes. I enjoyed it, some good tracks, especially Its A Sin and What Have I Done To Deserve This. Bonus points for the commentary on Thatcher’s 80s England

One of the actual greatest albums of all time that you really do need to hear before you die. Brilliant from start to finish. Just a flawless record and easily 5 stars. I wish I had more stars to give

Yet another album that nobody needed to hear before they died. Utterly derivative music without bringing anything new to the table paired with insipid lyrics. Keep The Car Running and No Cars Go are ok. The rest is anywhere from dull to irritating

PJ is one of the great artists of her (my!) generation, and she is great right out of the gate on her debut here. No duds, not even a bit of filler. Strong vocals, great songs, killer band.

CCR was a great singles band but imo they don’t have a truly great album. And if they do, it is definitely not this one. Bootleg, Graveyard Train, Good Golly Miss Molly (Little Richard should have sued them for this abomination), and Keep On Chooglin are bad. Then there is Born on The Bayou (solid) and Proud Mary (one of the greatest rock songs ever). I don’t get it either. But go listen to Chronicle, you do not need to hear this before you die, because it may kill you

This is a fun album, no question. Dancing Queen is a classic. There’s some other good tracks and a few duds. Not an all time great, but I’m glad I heard it

I’ve loved this album since it came out, but haven’t listened in ages. A few duds, Sidewinder and Star Me Kitten, meh. NO Instrumental and Monty are filler-ish. But every other track is not just good, they are great great songs. 8 great songs on a record, if it were vinyl that would be the whole record. The CD era hurt a lot of classic albums by making artists think they had to fill every minute of available space

This is new to me but I do listen to a bit of Massive Attack, Tricky was a former member. So it’s an enjoyable listen overall, I like Trip Hop but it’s kind of background music for me. If I’m listening intently, I get bored after a few songs. Solid but once again, questioning why I needed to hear THIS before I died instead of just hearing MAs Blue Lines or Mezzanine

Not my favorite Beatles record but it is still tough to find many flaws here, just an absolutely wonderful work of art.

I’m not much of a punk fan, but a huge fan of what came out of it, so always interested to hear OG punk bands. I knew these guys by rep but hadn’t listened to an album. Pretty solid and, to me, more interesting than the Pistols or Ramones. A bit more melodic, perhaps. I Don’t Mind and Autonomy are very good songs. The rest is solid

This one is more interesting that enjoyable for me. Elizabeth Fraser is a terrific singer but really prefer her with Massive Attack. Clearly an influence on Dream Pop and shoegaze, but again prefer what came in its wake. Kind of a less interesting Kate Bush. Still, good stuff here, esp Ivo and Lorelai

This has been one of my all time favorite albums for decades now and the most amazing thing to me is how fresh it sounds. Highly influential but still utterly unique and impossible to replicate, this is Sonic Yourh at its absolute best, Thurston, Kim. And Lee peaking as song writers and the band at its absolute noise rock finest. A rare double album without an ounce of fat or filler. I can’t wait to see what other SY records made the list

one of you folks who was around for this has to explain to me why I needed to hear this album before I died. standard 60s pop that mainly alternates between mediocre Beach Boys impressions and mediocre Beatles impressions. Kicks and Stepping Stone are better here than their more famous Monkees renditions. Otherwise, this is not that interesting. But it’s pleasant enough.

The record that introduced me to Bruce but not nearly his best. A great collection of songs, a few duds as well. How did I’m Goin Down make this record with all of the great tracks left out? Also, the production is pretty dated. Still, a great record with some of his best material

Traffic is a great band, but this one falls somewhere in the middle of their discography for me. John Barleycorn and Low Spark are far better records, hopefully those are here too. Overall, it’s decent with some great songs, and a lot of filler.

One of the greatest albums ever, period

I’ve been a fan of his since I heard this record and continue to enjoy his first 5 records to varying degrees (but honestly don’t listen much at all these days, for obvious reasons). Anyway, this is one of the all time great hip hop debuts, and there was a LOT of expectation and anticipation and haters ready to shit on this record, and he came through. I hate hate hate skits, and there’s some filler here but it’s an audacious and auspicious debut. Rob Mitchum nailed it: a flawed, overlong, hypocritical, egotistical, and altogether terrific album

Queen is a great singles band that also made albums. But this one comes closest to greatness. Of course, Bohemian Rhapsody and You’re My Best Friend and Love of My Life. Death on Two Legs and ‘39 are also great. I’m in Love With My Car otoh is truly awful. This one feels heavily influenced by Sgt Pepper in the sense of smashing together a bunch of disparate British music styles, which works and doesn’t at the same time. It’s probably a 3.5 but I’ll round up because the best stuff here is truly excellent

Bob Dylan was the artist that opened my eyes to what music could be and how transformative and transportive it could be. I gravitate towards the electric material but this record has a stack of stone cold classics: Blowin In the Wind, Girl from the North Country, Masters of War, A Hard Rains A Gonna Fall, Don’t Think twice It’s Alright, I Shall Be Free. A great career for anyone else. For Mr Bob Dylan, its maybe his tenth best record

The Doors somehow became cool to hate but they produced a lot of great material. And a fair amount of less than great tracks too. But this is one of their strongest efforts for me. There are hits and oddities aplenty here but for me it’s interesting all the way through.

One of the greatest album of the era by one of its finest innovators. Takes me back to the early 90s instantly, and while it does sound very of its era production wise, who cares. It’s a classic

One of the strongest albums by one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century

This is an excellent mainstream pop album. Great vocals, great songs, great production. If you don’t like this, do you even like music? Or are you just here to be a snarky hipster?

This is a decent record. The band is good, and the songs are fine. I don’t know what it is, but it just doesn’t connect with me at all. I love Skynyrd and southern rock in general. This kind of sounds like paint by numbers southern rock. Insert Ronnie Van Sant and Bear Bryant reference there, Alabama song here, three guitars simultaneously soloing…everywhere. It’s all fine but it’s so long and so much of the same thing. Nothing bad but also nothing I would have regretted dying without hearing.

New to me, but very familiar with the bands that apparently followed in their footsteps. Starts strong and loses steam in the last few songs, but the best tracks here are synth pop at its finest

Not my favorite Zeppelin record but every track is incredible. The soundtrack of my high school years

TBH it feels unfair to rate this, it’s just utterly miles from anything I’d choose to listen to, but it’s unfair to say it’s bad. I just absolutely hated it. But you know, I’ve heard all the British Invasion albums a million times and never heard anything like this before. So, mission accomplished 1001 Albums project. Still gonna give it one star though. Sorry not sorry

Punk is one of those genres I respect for its influence and the bomb it set off in rock music, but really don’t love very much. This record has 14 songs and is 15 minutes long. It’s punk AF. I could see being into this when I was 13. Now it’s just a historic curiosity. But after Napalm Death, it is positively pastoral

Another Queen album. Again, I like Queen but they were a singles band. The albums are very hit or miss. Lots of both hits and misses here. Solid but a notch below Night At The Opera

This record came out when I was 14. I’m 52 now so I’ve loved it for almost 40 years. I’ve never gotten sick of it, never ebbed on any individual track. This is as close to a favorite album as I’ll probably ever have. I saw them on the original tour in 87 and again in 2017 when they did it again. Loved both shows, but they were right the first time to leave out Red Hill Mining Town, plodding in a live set. TBH I’m not entirely sure this is better than Achtung Baby but it doesn’t matter. Bury it with me when I die. Wish I had more thumbs

Is this the worst album on the list? Sweet merciful Jesus please tell me this is the worst album on the list. I can’t give it a zero so I’ll say it here. O/5

I haven’t listened to this straight through in many years and tbh it held up much better than expected. Side A is really incredible with Teen Spirit, In Bloom, Come As You Are, Lithium all right out the gate. There are a few throwaways but it still gets maximum points for being the album that spoke for my generation

An absolute work of genius, a gorgeous composition executed to perfection. I don’t know how many of these actually need to be heard before one dies, but if any of them do, it is this record. I’ve heard it hundreds of times and it’s still as fresh as the first time

Bowie is one of my favorite artists. He’s a bona fide genius with an incredible catalog of diverse and fascinating music. This record, however, is not one of his better ones and I’m honestly shocked someone thinks this is essential. Young Americans is a decent track, some solid blue eyed soul. Fame is excellent. The rest is pretty tepid warmed over R&B from an artist who did not excel in that genre. Frankly, some of his worst songwriting on display here. A vanity project that never should have been on this list.

One of the great live albums of rock and absolutely one of the greatest metal albums of all time, essentially a greatest hits on steroids, the best material played at breakneck speed and with relentless power. A landmark of rock that unfortunately launched a lot of awful bands.

I just can’t with this record. 21st Century Schizoid Man is by far the best track here, but of course it goes down a pointless alley for a few minutes, just to make sure it never gets played anywhere. The rest is just the most insufferable over composed nonsense. Like a good solid 5 minutes of keyboard noodles in Moonchild. Why? And then for good measure, more beeps and boops in TCotCK. Why not. I’ve never understood the appeal of prog for the most part and this really just leaves me shaking my head. For the record, I know it’s me. I just don’t get it

One of my all Time favorite bands and my favorite album of theirs. This one is just exactly perfect and does NOT sound like it came from 1987 like so many other records of that era do (hell even In The Dark sounds more 80s than Document). Anyway, there’s hits, actual hits for the first time for them, and there’s an entire side A of killer rocking album cuts and weird shit like King of Birds and Oddfellows on B. I love every second of it, even if it’s what my REM obsessed friend calls “The Safe Choice”

Here is a genuinely good CCR record, unlike Born on the Bayou. Great side A and no clunkers on side B, including a few enjoyable if slight instrumentals. Solid record with killer singles, especially Bad Moon Rising, which is just flat out one of the great songs of the decade.

ah yes, the hipsters’ white album. The album every record store nerd in the early 2000s used to test your indie bona fides. Well, friends, I have always failed because I have always hated this record. You hear the concept and wow, what a cool idea. Then you listen to Stephen Merritt’s awful voice mumbling boring sketches of songs for three hours and you say, ah that’s why no one ever did this before. It’s a terrible fucking idea. He recently toured this and you had to sit through two nights to get all 69 songs. I can’t imagine paying for that torment. Anyway, this album is my musical Gravity’s Rainbow. I don’t get it and no matter how many times I try, I can’t finish it.

This takes me instantly back to 4th grade when every girl in my class was singing these songs (and the ones from Vacation). At the time I liked the singles but didn’t think too much of it, I was 10. Anyway, this is an excellent album of new wave pop, the singles are absolutely killer and there are several strong album tracks. A few duds but overall, this is very good. I wonder what would have happened if they hadn’t hit it so big on this album, would they have lasted longer and stayed on the new wave track? We’ll never know, but this album is a tantalizing tease of what could have been.

This is a pleasant listen. Marlene on the Wall is a very good song. Neighborhood Girls is solid. The rest ranges from pretty good to fine to meh

I fully expected to hate this album. I didn’t which is nice, but also didn’t like it that much either. It’s extremely 90s and it’s a fine example of late 90s nu metal. Which is a genre I really don’t like at all. But if I had to listen to nu metal, this album would be fine. The best song here is Drive which is basically Dollar Store Alice In Chains

An artist that only recently (last 5 years) came into my consciousness, thrilled to see this here. A sprawling work of genius, helping to create and define a genre and give voice to a political movement, this record got CV banished to London for years. Good luck trying to describe the contents using familiar American/British artists. Traditional Brazilian music meets pop meets psychedelia

This album has been in my life since I was 19 and I love it as much now as I did then. Pearl Jam became a much better band in many ways over the years, and this isn’t their best album or maybe even top 3. But it’s still a marvel of 90s guitar riffs, when Stone was the primary songwriter and he churned out classic riff after classic riff for McCready to shred over and Eddie the wail over. One of the best albums of the decade in a decade that has a lot of my favorites.

Joan is a legend. So this is a me problem, but I just don’t like vibrato in vocals. That’s not her fault, but I really hate it and it’s her whole schtick, at least here (and pretty much everything else I’ve heard). Lovely tone but when that vibrato is vibrato-ing I just can’t. Sorry Joan

Funny this came up so soon after Caetano Veloso. One of my pandemic diversions was getting into some of this incredible Brazilian music from the 60s and 70s. This one tops the list, maybe alongside Jorge Ben’s Africa Brasil. A sprawling work from a group of incredible musicians, it’s a veritable Brazilian White Album, and honestly it’s more consistent than the actual White Album.