168
Albums Rated
3.1
Average Rating
15%
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921 albums remaining
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1970s
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24
5-Star Albums
17
1-Star Albums
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By Genre
By Decade
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Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Opus Dei
Laibach
|
5 | 2.39 | +2.61 |
|
My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts
Brian Eno
|
5 | 2.79 | +2.21 |
|
For Your Pleasure
Roxy Music
|
5 | 2.98 | +2.02 |
|
Safe As Milk
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
|
5 | 3.01 | +1.99 |
|
Deserter's Songs
Mercury Rev
|
5 | 3.02 | +1.98 |
|
Teenage Head
Flamin' Groovies
|
5 | 3.03 | +1.97 |
|
Clandestino
Manu Chao
|
5 | 3.22 | +1.78 |
|
Siembra
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
|
5 | 3.29 | +1.71 |
|
The Soft Bulletin
The Flaming Lips
|
5 | 3.29 | +1.71 |
|
Neon Bible
Arcade Fire
|
5 | 3.35 | +1.65 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
...And Justice For All
Metallica
|
1 | 3.43 | -2.43 |
|
Hybrid Theory
Linkin Park
|
1 | 3.39 | -2.39 |
|
The Slim Shady LP
Eminem
|
1 | 3.29 | -2.29 |
|
Cross
Justice
|
1 | 3.27 | -2.27 |
|
Repeater
Fugazi
|
1 | 3.12 | -2.12 |
|
Eli And The Thirteenth Confession
Laura Nyro
|
1 | 2.94 | -1.94 |
|
Out of Step
Minor Threat
|
1 | 2.93 | -1.93 |
|
Merriweather Post Pavilion
Animal Collective
|
1 | 2.9 | -1.9 |
|
Goodbye And Hello
Tim Buckley
|
1 | 2.83 | -1.83 |
|
Group Sex
Circle Jerks
|
1 | 2.75 | -1.75 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 2 | 5 |
| Bob Dylan | 3 | 4.33 |
5-Star Albums (24)
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Popular Reviews
2Pac
3/5
I expected to like this much more than I did. It was thankfully less misogynistic than other hip hop albums on this list. However it also lacked the hooks and lyricism of my favourite albums. After getting Ready to Die by Notorious BIG I was amazed by how good an album he created at such a young age. As a relatively contemporaneous album I had no similar feelings when listening to this.
2 likes
Blue Cheer
2/5
So I'm not saying that Jazzy Jo and the Bonheur Bros is a better band than Blue Cheer but I do think that at our last performance if we had have played this album as recorded, the audience would have cleared out almost immediately. The decent covers don't come close to making up for the mindless fiddling of the rest of the album.
1 likes
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Just like many people I have heard a lot of Led Zeppelin but not in album form and I have no idea what songs are on which album. Since it wasn't numbered I didn't have high expectations. I'm sure someone has made a listicle of this but Physical Graffiti must have a case for the strongest opening seven songs of any album. And we all agree that Kashmir is trhe best rock song ever written right? And Led Zeppelin have at least 3 albums rated better than this? I am going to be doling a lot of stars out to these guys. If only that awesome version of Kashmir on the Godzilla soundtrack could have been included in the original version. Oh...
1 likes
1-Star Albums (17)
All Ratings
The Notorious B.I.G.
4/5
Michael Kiwanuka
4/5
I had never heard of Michael Kiwanuka before this came up. I really liked this album. The singing and songwriting is great and it felt like the album itself was better than the collection of songs.
Dire Straits
5/5
Another review described this album as "A whole album of Sultans of Swing." I love Sultans of Swing, and I love this album. Mark Knopfler has such a distinctive sound. I love it.
The Who
2/5
Apparently there are few live albums on this list which I fully support. I don't really understand why this one is included. Maybe there are too many virtuosic parts being played simultaneously but much of this just sounds chaotic to me. I do have a soft spot for Can't Explain but it wasn't even on the original release of this album. I had Nobody's Perfect, a live album by Deep Purple, when I was younger and I think that album is way better than this one.
Foo Fighters
2/5
I didn't really like Foo Fighters when I first heard them in high school. Almost every song I heard sounded the same as the other ones. In the back of my mind I thought I at least liked Big Me. Listening to this album more than 20 years later I feel the same and don't even like Big Me that much. The story of how Dave Grohl created this album is cool though.
Otis Redding
4/5
A day after strugging through Foo Fighters' debut album I was blessed with this. Wow, can Otis Redding ever sing. He is one of those artists who I have probably heard many times but I couldn't name any of his songs. What a treat!
Can
3/5
It took me many listens but I eventually really got into this album. Could I take another 18 minutes of Halleluwah? Absolutely! It reminded me of a video art piece at the National Gallery that was one of the bright points of my pandemic experience. That said, much of this album is too experimental and improvisational for my tastes.
Radiohead
3/5
Yesterday I didn't wake up sucking on lemons. I did listen to this album a couple times though. I liked it but don't really understand what all the fuss was about. Nice sounding and atmospheric for the most part.
Deep Purple
3/5
Deep Purple rock really hard. I love the prominent organ (in Living Wreck it sounded like some kind of wildcat?). Ritchie Blackmore's guitar hooks and solos are great and so are the operatic vocals. In high school I listened to their live album Nobody's Perfect a million times and still love it.
I don't know why but for some reason In Rock doesn't hit like that album does. In Rock definitely sounds like an album that would be good live but it just doesn't have the same bite. Or maybe it just doesn't have all the hits. I'm not sure.
Gorillaz
4/5
I really really like this album. I'm not sure exactly why. Lot's of different sounds and styles, but it is all pretty distinctive Gorillaz.
Dr. Dre
2/5
I appreciate this album introduced a new sub-genre of hip-hop that, for whatever else you might think, sounds great. However Snoop really carries this album and it is not my opinion that Dr. Dre is a great rapper. It is a very long album and by the end I was really ready for it to be over.
Stevie Wonder
2/5
I actually really liked a couple songs on this album. However, I found most of it really slow and tiresome. Also, maybe this is an unpopular opinion but I don't really like the constant vocal embellishments that Stevie Wonder uses.
Michael Jackson
3/5
Even a hater like me can't criticize the three song run of Thriller, Beat It and Billie Jean right in the middle of this album. Best three song stretch of all time? Who knows, definitely not me. Anyway, I really struggled with the rest of the album. I'm happy to hear these songs in shopping malls but I won't voluntarily put them on at home.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
Going into this I would have put Stevie Nicks and Joni Mitchell on the very opposite ends of the singers I enjoy listening to continuum. But then I listened to this album and I didn't like it. And then I listened to it a couple more times and I still didn't like it. And I listened to it a few more times and I started to like it. Eventually I had my opinion of Joni Mitchell completely overturned. Did I get more sophisticated from listening to one album? I doubt it.
Blur
2/5
Do I even like rock music anymore? Definitely not this kind of rock music. This album just seemed to go on and on and on and on...Even Song 2 wasn't the joyous harkening back to my youth that I had anticipated.
Metallica
1/5
A common sentiment is that the album suffers because the bass track has been mixed so low as to be undetectable. I completely disagree, I think the guitar, drums and vocals need to be dropped from the mix as well so I can enjoy some piece and quiet. I am an unashamed fan of the more poppy Metallica offerings.
Laura Nyro
1/5
Is over-singing a word? I think I might like the instrumentation but Laura Nyro just sings and sings and sings in this sing-songy way that I find very grating. I am very glad that is over.
Jane's Addiction
2/5
I understand that this is a very talented band musically. I will just never enjoy Perry Farrell's nasally voice. I liked the dogs on Been Caught Stealing and the bass line in Three Days. Beyond that, things I liked about this album were few and far between. Rough patch of Blur-Metallica-Laura Nyro and now Jane's Addiction, 6 stars in 4 days. Oh well, there is always tomorrow.
Fatboy Slim
4/5
What a pleasant surprise! I didn't pay much attention to this album when it came out because I didn't really like Praise You. I still don't really like Praise You, but listening to it now, overall I really like the album as a whole. It doesn't take itself too seriously like other electronic artists of that era like The Prodigy. It is just really fun, interesting sounding music. I usually approach skits on albums with deserved trepidation...they nailed the one before Rockefeller Skank, though.
Public Image Ltd.
1/5
This is the most discordant, obnoxious music this list has inflicted on me. I really dislike it. From doing a little bit of reading about it, it seems like this was what Johnny Rotten created when he decided the Sex Pistols were too commercial. It is very bad.
The Thrills
4/5
How can you not like a bunch of Irish people doing their best to convince you they are from California? Never heard of this band and I'm suspicious they would not be a common inclusion in a list like this. Is my high rating somewhat overcompensation for having to listen to Public Image yesterday? I'm sure it is but this is a fun album and I also like California!
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
Wow, going in I thought I would like this album given Run DMC's place in hip-hop history. I found most of the songs sounded very similar to each other, the notable exception being Rock Box with that awesome guitar riff. I guess they walked so others could run, but listening to them walk isn't something I'll choose to do again.
The Prodigy
3/5
Judged purely on how it sounds this is a top tier album. However most, if not all, electronic music is going to have a pretty low ceiling for me due to my distaste for repetitive music. That plus the misogyny penalty leaves this album middle of the pack. Breathe and Mindfields are so awesome though...
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
2/5
This album starts with the most unpleasant screaming. It doesn't get much better than that the rest of the way through. However, it seems that when they try to make music that is less discordant they are able to. I actually quite enjoyed Can't Stop and R.L. Got Soul. I imagine many others didn't have the endurance to get to that part of the album.
Fever Ray
3/5
I enjoyed listening to this album. I liked the dual lead singers. I liked the atmosphere it created, it was very easy to just let it wash over you. That said, I doubt I would ever listen to it again.
Stan Getz
5/5
Did I know anything about Bossa Nova before hearing this? No, but I know a tiny bit now. Either way Stan Getz, Joao Gilberto make beautiful music on this album, especially the tracks with Astrud Gilberto. I wouldn't play it often as it is pretty laid back and liable to put you to sleep but this album will definitely be remembered.
John Martyn
2/5
What is the ceiling for an album in which fancy-pantsing is unironically rhymed with dancing? I really like that they recorded this album from a distance on a lake so you can actually hear geese honking in the background. That said I don't really like the songs very much.
Brian Eno
5/5
After this I am very excited for the generator to throw some more Brian Eno my way. Beautiful soundscapes with just enough use of vocal samples to keep things interesting. Top tier album. A couple tracks (Regiment and The Carrier) weren't available on Youtube Music. I definitely recommend checking out at least Regiment as it is available on compilations. It is my favourite track on the album.
Laibach
5/5
Where to start? I was apprehensive as this was my first bottom 20 album and based on some of the albums that didn't make the bottom 20 I was pretty nervous. This band is a living art exhibit that centres around authoritarian imagery and music. They have an amazing history replete with a ceremonial suicide and are the only band to have played in both North and South Korea. All that is to say they are absolutely fascinating. And their music you may ask? So much better than expected but at the same time exactly what you might expect. Top tier.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
4/5
Like many of the people on this list, I had heard of Count Basie before but hadn't heard his music. I really enjoyed it. Instrumental jazz that is nice to have on in the background.
Pink Floyd
3/5
Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd is very different. I am a huge fan of Roger Watters/David Gilmour era Pink Floyd and you can hear glimpses of the sound that became so distinctive on later albums. However it is unfortunately overshadowed by Barrett's silly lyrics which makes it a bit of chore to get through.
Justin Timberlake
2/5
The falsetto on the first song to mimic a female voice is pretty cringe. Really, the who Michael Jackson from Wish affectation is pretty off-putting. The music is great but can't overcome the frontman. Cry me a River is a classic though.
Jorge Ben Jor
4/5
This is the second awesome Brazilian album the generator has been kind enough to bestow upon me. I can't understand the lyrics but I think I read my favourite song is about a football player. I'll choose to remain ignorant. Also there is no such thing as too much cuica.
Animal Collective
1/5
I found this album very grating and repetitive. Usually after multiple listens I start liking albums more but not in this case. If they ever find out if they are all the things that are outside of them I won't be around to hear about it. Maybe a 2 but I am really trying to get the most out of this low resolution scale.
Depeche Mode
3/5
My first reaction was, "This rules! I think these are the guys who did Shout." I then realized that was Duran Duran and then found out it was Tears for Fears. Based on that, I don't think I should be given a vote on this one. It generally sounded good, especially the first song.
Portishead
5/5
That was a walk down memory lane. Did I need a reminder that my older sister listened to way better music than me when we were growing up? No, but I'm very glad I was reintroduced to Portishead. The fact that this was a debut album makes it even more impressive. I wonder when we are going to get to the Joe Satriani and Barstool Prophets...
Judas Priest
3/5
It has been interesting hearing the evolution of heavy metal music from Deep Purple through Judas Priest to Metallica. I am sure there will be more bands to fill in the gaps as I continue this project. I am all in for the Deep Purple leg of the trip and would be nowhere in sight by the time Metallica came around. I think I'd be on board for Judas Priest but would know where the exits were in case things kept going in the same direction. Lots of power and energy but I like music with more of an emphasis on melody.
Arcade Fire
4/5
When this came out I was in my Oyster head/Melwood Cutlery phase so I don't have anything to draw from there. I am bothered less by the shrill lyrics than I maybe should be given my distaste for Jane's Addiction. I'm a sucker for key changes and there is a great one on Rebellion (Lies). I really liked a few of these songs and think this is a really good album, outstanding for a debut.
Talking Heads
3/5
I liked it but not that much. It sounds like it would be fun to be in the band. Psycho Killer and First Week/Last Week are great but I wasn't really into most of the rest. I like that Tina Weymouth learned bass specifically to join this band and immediately performed one of the iconic bass intros (ever?) on Psycho Killer.
Meat Loaf
3/5
That was very theatrical. If nothing else Meat Loaf sure has a knack for theatrical, epic duets with powerful female singers. I was quite surprised to find out that Paradise and I Would do Anything for Love have different female lead vocalists. Also the one on I Would Do Anything for Love didn't get any royalties. That isn't cool. Anyway, I'll never listen to this again and won't mind. That said, I enjoyed this far more than I'll ever admit.
Mott The Hoople
4/5
Who is Mott? What is a Hoople? When will this be over?
On second thought, this album is awesome. I am such a sucker for listenable rock music. I still don't like the violins/violence song.
George Michael
2/5
This is not my cup of tea. I liked the Stevie Wonder cover and a couple others. The rest was really slow. He has a great voice but I find his singing lacks vitality or something.
Iggy Pop
3/5
This album grew on me after a few listens but ultimately The Passenger is the only song I really like. I was in a terrible band that covered this song in high school and I probably have a sentimental attraction to it.
Astor Piazzolla
3/5
It definitely wasn't bad but it is so far outside what I normally listen to that it is hard to say I enjoyed it. Orchestral pieces that were often too bombastic to become background music. I definitely won't be following up on this.
The Fall
2/5
Too discordant for me but I did like the bass parts.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
I really enjoyed this album. I was quite familiar with some of the songs as my parents had some of these songs on what must have been a compilation album that I listened to growing up. It is quite beautiful. Bonus points, for a project like this where I find it quite difficult to keep up with the album per day pace, was that it clocked in at only 28 minutes. More bonus points for the song Silent Night which is a top tier Christmas song. I can't wait to add it to the rotation in December.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
I was pretty sure I was going to love this album and I did. It was interesting reading a bit about the disconnect between the swamp rock content of their music and their origins in San Francisco. I definitely have a soft spot for the Americana of Mark Twain and John Steinbeck and this music fits in there perfectly. This was my first CCR album and perhaps if there are more I will get tired of the sound but as of now I can't get enough of this.
Elbow
4/5
I don't really understand why this album is on the list. That said, it sounds good.
U2
3/5
Looking at the track list and seeing Sunday Bloody Sunday and New Years Day I expected to be in for a treat. After all, clearly they were able to write great songs early in their career. Unfortunately, other than the hits, the songs I didn't already know didn't do much for me. Bono seems to be emoting 100 percent at all times.
David Bowie
2/5
I googled if the song Aladdin Sane is good. Gemini tried to convince me it is great but to me it sounds like the cacophony my grade six music class made when the teacher left the room. The other songs aren't as bad as that one but even the songs I like I don't really like.
PJ Harvey
4/5
This was Joni Mitchell-esque in that it took me a few listens to really appreciate it but I ended up really liking it. Despite limiting its thematic scope to being an unapologetically British anti-war album, the album never drags due to PJ Harveys lyrical and musical creativity. Really great!
The Smiths
2/5
Up until today I thought Donovan and Morrissey were the same person. Yesterday I couldn't tell you a single unique fact about either of them. I also couldn't today but yesterday I couldn't either. I do respect an album dedicated to vegetarianism though.
Lorde
3/5
This album sounds good but it seems soulless to me. She has a cool story though.
Christina Aguilera
3/5
I was unaware that Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake had parallel lives for a while. She put out a way better album than him in 2002. I enjoyed it but I won't ever listen to it again.
Screaming Trees
3/5
Hearing the sitar on the opening track reminded me of The Tea Party, a Canadian rock band active in the mid-90s, around the same time as the Screaming Trees. I immediately entered a Tea Party rabbit hole and may never leave. As it turns out I would probably by happy if The Edges of Twilight was the only album I ever listened to again.
Back to the Screaming Trees...they are fine, they sound kind of like another Canadian band of that era, The Headstones. They don't rock nearly as hard as The Tea Party.
David Bowie
4/5
I might have done David Bowie dirty with my rating of Aladdin Sane. It is amazing how 40 years elapsed between these two albums and he still makes interesting albums that are so distinctively his. I apologize David.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
3/5
Breakdown will forever be one of my favourite songs. It seems to be pretty unique in a sea of strummy Americana pop. The only Tom Petty album I ever owned was Full Moon Fever and I was totally unaware that he was recording albums in the mid-70s.
Love
3/5
This is what I imagine you would get if you prompted ChatGPT to create a bunch of songs that sound like they weren't quite considered for the Forrest Gump Soundtrack. They are lacking a little something...probably just cultural permeation. The cover art is great!
Frank Sinatra
2/5
If I had to listen to Frank Sinatra chug along in first gear for another minute...that would make 47 minutes, which isn't really very much but it felt like an eternity. I'm convinced that everyone who thinks they enjoy listening to Frank Sinatra sing Girl From Ipanema just hasn't heard the Astrud Gilberto version (which I heard thanks to this project).
R.E.M.
4/5
I've always liked R.E.M. but hadn't heard much of their earlier stuff. I really liked this album. The distinctly R.E.M. harmonies, Michael Stipe's unique voice and the understated guitar are all great. It always seems like R.E.M. have just done their own thing and it has always worked for me.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
4/5
I enjoyed this far more than I expected to going in. I mean, they are called The Flying Burrito Brothers, how good could this possibly be? Anyway, it doesn't seem fair that somewhere out there Melwood Cutlery is touring northern Ontario singing Loon on the Lake to anyone who will listen, while The Flying Burrito Brothers are...wait...are they playing Kirkland Lake tonight? I jest but it was a very fun listen.
Don McLean
2/5
Pretty much every time I hear a male singer/songwriter I wish I were listening to Sixto Rodriguez instead and this goes double for Don McLean. I actually think this would be a great candidate for "albums you don't have to listen to before you die" because everything other than American Pie is just filler. Don MacLean, Iron Butterfly, Snow...maybe there is something there. What a snoozer...
Siouxsie And The Banshees
2/5
I found this manic and discordant so I didn't particularly enjoy listening to it but at least it wasn't boring.
OutKast
5/5
What a strange double album. The first (Big Boi) half is incredible, maybe my new favourite hiphop album. The great beats + horns combo is pretty much the best thing ever. The second (Andre 3000) half is so much worse. Goofy lyrics and smooth jazz, not great. All in all, the positives outweigh the negatives.
Scott Walker
1/5
If Metallica's "...And Justice For All" was cruel, then this is clearly unusual punishment. What did I do to deserve this?
Blue Cheer
2/5
So I'm not saying that Jazzy Jo and the Bonheur Bros is a better band than Blue Cheer but I do think that at our last performance if we had have played this album as recorded, the audience would have cleared out almost immediately. The decent covers don't come close to making up for the mindless fiddling of the rest of the album.
A Tribe Called Quest
3/5
Everyone loves Paris because it is so beautiful. But it is just a nice building repeated thousands of times. This album is the Paris of hiphop albums, a good song repeated a bunch of times. I went in with high expectations and didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped I would.
4/5
This is my preferred electronica with less pulsing and more atmosphere. Saint Germain from Wish maybe? I like it quite a bit but I'm going to go listen to Tourist about a billion consecutive times now.
Soft Cell
3/5
If Soft Cell was going for 'totally fine' on this attempt they nailed it. I am guessing that the 1980s will be worst rated decade because this album was about the best I could have hoped for. There was interesting instrumentation and it wasn't obnoxious. However, it felt like too much style and not enough substance.
Slipknot
1/5
You've cat to be kitten me right meow. How can there possibly be more than twenty albums that are lower rated than this?
Oasis
3/5
This is most definitely a rock album. I like rock albums. I'll probably give every Led Zeppelin album I encounter on this journey five stars. This rock album just doesn't seem particularly notable. I'm glad I was in Canada bingeing Collective Soul while Blur and Oasis were fighting for the top of the UK charts in the mid 90s.
Blondie
4/5
Though I recognized One Way or Another and Heart of Glass, I don't think I had heard anything off this album or even the hits very many times before. Well...I remedied that with about a dozen relistens over the last couple weeks. Super catchy and Debbie Harry makes it sound so easy.
Bauhaus
2/5
Right after being introduced to the dulcet tones of Debbie Harry and Blondie I get this. 54 minutes of these guys braying and yelling and moaning, what a buzz kill.
Eminem
1/5
I actually like how it sounds but the lyrics are so hateful and vile that I can't really look past them. My daughter has a friend who also says mean things to get a reaction. He seems to have grown out of this...he is 8 years old.
The Everly Brothers
4/5
For years now I have been describing things I don't like as "puerile tripe", I think originally from a Calvin and Hobbes comic. So imagine my surprise when I came upon some genuine puerile tripe in the wild in the form of The Everly Brothers on their album A Date With The Everly Brothers. Each time I try to listen my neurons stop firing almost immediately and I have yet to even find out what girls are made for! All that said I kind of like it...
Traffic
4/5
I enjoyed this album quite a bit, especially the first half. I haven't heard much Grateful Dead-esque soft rock before but it was so easy to listen to, not in a smarmy Everly Brothers sort of way either. The vocal embellishments on the opening track were surprisingly awesome. As you might expect from a band called Traffic, it was my jam!
Flamin' Groovies
5/5
This is just a great rock album from tip to tail. There isn't a single song on it that I didn't enjoy.
The Temptations
3/5
This album washed over me nicely but after listening I had no particular inclination to listen to it again.
Girls Against Boys
2/5
I liked this about as much as you can like an album in which the best song is just the singer insisting he isn't on drugs. The driving rhythms and simply guitar melodies were fun. However I found that it quickly became quite monotonous.
Bob Dylan
4/5
I'm not really into strummy guitar most of the time. However, once I got over myself (somewhat) and just listened to the stories being told, I enjoyed this album a lot. Who would have thought this iconic album would actually be good!
Adele
3/5
The opening "Hello..." on this album is amazing. Adele's voice is great and I loved performing Rolling in the Deep with Jazzy Jo and the Bonheur Bros. All that said, there wasn't a single song on this album that I felt like listening to again.
2Pac
3/5
I expected to like this much more than I did. It was thankfully less misogynistic than other hip hop albums on this list. However it also lacked the hooks and lyricism of my favourite albums. After getting Ready to Die by Notorious BIG I was amazed by how good an album he created at such a young age. As a relatively contemporaneous album I had no similar feelings when listening to this.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
3/5
Many years from now (hopefully), lying on my deathbed, listening to my 1001 albums playlist, after confusedly asking the nurse who The Thrills and Flamin' Groovies were, something from this album will come on. I'll settle back in bed, smile and in that moment be genuinely happy. A worthy entry into the '1001 Albums to Listen to While You Die' list. Wait...that isn't what we are doing? Anyway, thanks for feeding me something different, generator!
Basement Jaxx
4/5
Felix - "I have the beginnings of a great opening song. Check out this beat and acoustic guitar hook. It is missing something though..."
Simon - "...autotune."
Felix - "This other song has been killing me. I have the beat and the synth part."
Simon - "Yo-yo-yo-yo-yo-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-yo! I know just what it's missing!"
Felix - "But what if there is some mentally unstable guy in Belgium who will use this as an excuse to give us a bad rating on the 1001 Albums Generator?"
Simon - "Seems weird, let's just name a song Bingo Bango so he can't help but love it."
Felix - "OK, mate."
Well played Basement Jaxx...well played.
Funkadelic
5/5
And on the last day god took a little bit of Bob Marley, some Jimi Hendrix, a dollop of James Brown and a powerful dilution of Andre 3000. And he looked upon his creation and he saw that it was good. He saw that it was VERY good. He called his creation One Nation Under A Groove. But he was a jealous god and he feared that his subjects would turn instead to and worship the false god George Clinton. So he hid his creation away, far from the greedy eyes of Youtube Music subscribers. But the people were not deterred and they seeked out Funkadelic, and they listened, and they swooned in joyous rapture. And it was good, very good.
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
5/5
Usually it takes me a few listens to get into music from genres that I am not familiar with. However, from the opening funk bassline of Plastico I was all in on this one. The musicianship is great and I am a sucker for a good horn section.
Funkadelic
4/5
Two Funkadelic albums in three days. I liked One Nation Under A Groove better but this one is still really good. The funk/rock combo is awesome. After listening to these two albums I went down a George Clinton rabbit hole. It is amazing to me that as a fan of both rock and early hiphop I was totally unaware of P-funk. I feel like at some point after this project I'll have to listen to the entire George Clinton discography.
Radiohead
4/5
"I'm not sure if Thom Yorke spends this entire album incessantly whining... but one distracted listen later it seems likely. I can't bring myself to find out.", was what I thought after my first listen.
Now a couple listens later I was prepared to write, "I think I'm starting to get the Radiohead hype. I don't have any idea what these songs are about but this is a masterclass in Thom Yorke using his voice to create compelling atmospheres."
So I must acknowledge that perhaps this whole project is just a Rorschach Test for my moods. Maybe Taylor is wrong and sometimes haters aren't gunna hate.
1/5
I was on such a great streak! Five 4 or 5-star albums in a row, and you ruined it John.
Minutemen
4/5
All the energy I associate with punk but so much more. Eclectic, cleanly presented, melodic (not always), technically proficient, this album is many things I don't associate with this genre. Bonus points earned for trolling Sammy Hagar with the album title, and covering Steely Dan. It isn't quite London Calling but it is great nonetheless. I now have a second favourite punk album.
Roxy Music
5/5
I'm not usually a fan of dramatic over-the-top vocal performances. However I think the controlled chaos of the circus-like arrangements on this album required some vocal acrobatics. Unlike many it seems, I think Bryan Ferry nailed it. My Brian Eno awakening continued with this gem.
David Bowie
2/5
You have to respect him for playing right until the final whistle. It is pretty incredible that he still had gas in the tank 49 years and 25 studio albums after his debut. What a fantastic experience for his fans to be gifted this album as they mourned his death. I like a few of the songs on it but overall, like much of Bowie, I could do without.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
94 albums in and I think this is the least challenging one I have encountered. Very sanitized and there is a song about shopping. How could I possibly give this more than 3 stars? But there are so many bangers, how could I possibly give this less than 3 stars?
Radiohead
4/5
But for this project I would never have spent a few hours listening and relistening to the Pet Shop Boys and then a couple more hours listening to OK Computer. It really makes you appreciate the creativity of Radiohead. I still don't love most of it but I do appreciate it. I didn't give Paranoid Android the credit it deserved back when it came out, what a great song.
Soundgarden
3/5
My heart says 4 but my ears say 2. I think I'll split the difference, give it a 3 and move on as easily as I apparently did from my obsession with playing Spoonman on guitar in high school. Nostalgia is a powerful drug but even in my inebriated state I couldn't help but notice that Chris Cornell spends a good part of this album wailing in a fairly unappealing way.
Steely Dan
5/5
Yes! Finally, on my 97th album....something good! Some philistines out there describe this as elevator music. I am sure this stuff is played on elevators all the time. However, if all music on elevators was this good I would have long ago changed my name to Deacon Blues and permanently moved into the Chrysler Building.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
Oops she did it again. The second Joni Mitchell album that converted me after a few listens. Plodding but beautiful nonetheless.
Pavement
2/5
What a relief when after seven songs there was finally one with no off-key singing. Are they the American version of Sloan? Once in university I walked into a Sloan show, didn't recognize the song they were playing and left to play Super Mario Brothers 3 with my partner at the time. We spent the hour or so we could have been at Sloan getting killed by this little sun that swooped from one side of the screen to the other. Never did beat that level. Still a better use of my time then going to Sloan, or Pavement if that had been an option. If someone out there is unfortunate enough to have read this review I apologize.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Just like many people I have heard a lot of Led Zeppelin but not in album form and I have no idea what songs are on which album. Since it wasn't numbered I didn't have high expectations. I'm sure someone has made a listicle of this but Physical Graffiti must have a case for the strongest opening seven songs of any album. And we all agree that Kashmir is trhe best rock song ever written right? And Led Zeppelin have at least 3 albums rated better than this? I am going to be doling a lot of stars out to these guys. If only that awesome version of Kashmir on the Godzilla soundtrack could have been included in the original version. Oh...
Circle Jerks
1/5
I would give a regular length album with these songs a single solitary star. However, my quality of life is meaningful improved by only having to listen to this for 15 minutes. I'm still giving it only one star.
PJ Harvey
4/5
Another good one from PJ Harvey. I don't really know what I like about her music so much. Maybe the unique vocal delivery? The inventive drums? The clarity of the mixing? Whatever it is it just works.
Dusty Springfield
4/5
Apparently she didn't write any of her own stuff. That is too bad but she sings other people's songs very very well.
Minor Threat
1/5
Yesterday I had this screen open and my 8 year old daughter came in. She said, "Group Sex? Circle Jerks? Minor Threat? Dad, this is bad." She was right. That was the longest 20 minutes of my life.
The Flaming Lips
5/5
Nerdy? Yes.
Shrill? Very.
Sloppy? Always.
Overly sentimental? Of course.
Somehow perfect despite all that? Absolutely!
The Yardbirds
3/5
This album made me feel nothing. Even after a couple listens, still nothing. Sometimes it sounded like The Who, the last song sounds a lot like Black Sabbath before Black Sabbath existed. I'm pretty neutral on those bands as well.
Stan Getz
4/5
A real nice album to have shuffling along in the background. After getting the a Sinatra/Jobim album I keep on expecting Ol' Blue Eyes to join in and ruin in.
Red Snapper
4/5
I'm no prude but there was one song on here that made me blush...actually who am I kidding. Anyway, I am very much enjoying some of the deeper cuts in electronic music that the generator is exposing me to.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
2/5
Sometimes this album reminded me of church. Sometimes this album reminded me of the 80s. I have experienced both of those things, sometimes simultaneously. For me, church in the 80s consisted mostly of looking at the clock, waiting for it to be over. That isn't exactly how I felt about this album, but it is a pretty good approximation.
Duke Ellington
3/5
You know, the clarinet tis real nice. The piano is real nice. The horns are real nice. The saxophone is real nice. The drums are understated but nice. But I can't help but feel like something is missing. Perhaps frequencies below around 300 Hz. Maybe I was listening to a bootleg recorded through a tin can pressed to the wall of an adjacent bathroom.
Rufus Wainwright
4/5
Halfway through the second track I had many questions racing through my mind, "Is Thom Yorke just Rufus Wainwright from Wish?", "Is my distaste for yet another Canadian singer (the first being Joni Mitchell) going to be upended by this project?", "Should I have stayed and watched his show at FolkFest 2008 instead of going for a burrito?".
Alas, a few songs later the melancholic pall descending almost Rufus-ifacated me beneath it's Wain-weight.
I was glad I survived though as the last two songs are bangers. What a voice!
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
3/5
I'm from a town in north Ontario so I can't help but like this album. Neil Young and Steve Nash are two of my favourite Canadians, but Stills, why would they sing songs with Bill Crosby after what he was accused of?
Duran Duran
3/5
I went in knowing the name Duran Duran but couldn't have named a song of theirs. It sounds exactly as I expected. Surprisingly enough I stuck around until the last song, which I actually liked. The rest I was very neutral on. Very sterile and dramatic, not for me.
Neil Young
5/5
The opening notes of Walk On open this album perfectly and it never lets up. See the Sky About to Rain is the highlight, something about the wavering organ and his wavering voice is incredibly evocative. 114 albums in and I'm not sure I have enjoyed an album more than this one.
The Teardrop Explodes
2/5
Once in university I had a paper due in half an hour and I was a page or so short. So I just grabbed a page's worth of text from a different part of the paper, stuck it in the middle and submitted it. When I got it back, just some sleepy check marks and a scrawled "84". I think something like that is going on with this album. Are we sure they aren't reusing verses or even full songs to fill it out? I wouldn't be surprised if some of their later albums are just re-purposed copies of their early ones. I tried to confirm these ideas on Wikipedia but the entry for this band seems to be longer than the one for World War II and I couldn't be bothered.
The Sonics
2/5
As someone who has been in not one but two bad cover bands I feel like I need to defend these guys. And, let's be clear, these guys are way better than any band I have ever been in. I imagine their live shows were a lot of fun. That said, yesterday after listening to Neil Young's One The Beach I really appreciated this project and how it exposed me to new music. I have no such feelings today.
Miles Davis
2/5
The musical prelude to the first two songs go on for...checks notes...the entire album.
Hüsker Dü
2/5
I agree with y'all, this IS the worst REM album.
Tim Buckley
1/5
It was not immediately apparent why this album was included in the list. I consulted Wikipedia and that was no help. It is times like these that I wish I had the book because I am stumped. I did not enjoy that at all.
Fugazi
1/5
This album was recorded during 1989 in Arlington, Virginia at Inner Ear Studios. Incidentally, that is the very body part that may need medical attention after listening to this album.
Bob Dylan
5/5
If we all strove for something unattainable like Bob Dylan for those high notes the world would be a better place. Alas we don't and all I can do is sit here and give him the stars he deserves.
Korn
1/5
This held up much better than its contemporaries. I guess a metaphorical Full Windsor rather than a Slip...sorry. I think Jonathan Davis said it best in Freak on a Leash, "Mmmmmm na da nnnnnnnn da da da. Mmmmmm na da nnnnnnnn da da da. Mmmmmm na da nnnnnnnn da da da. Mmmmmm na da nnnnnnnn da da da. Mmmmmm na da nnnnnnnn da da da. Mmmmmm na da nnnnnnnn da da da. Mmmmmm na da nnnnnnnn da da da. Mmmmmm na da nnnnnnnn da da da. Mmmmmm na da nnnnnnnn da da da. Mmmmmm na da nnnnnnnn da da da. Mmmmmm na da nnnnnnnn da da da. Mmmmmm na da nnnnnnnn da da da."
I take it back. This is every bit as bad as Slipknot.
Saint Etienne
2/5
I guess maybe I would put this on during a long flight but some of the songs are too upbeat for that. I can't think of a context in which I would put this on during a time I intended to remain conscious.
Nick Drake
4/5
There are some fun-Drake-mentalists out there that insist Nick Drake is a very top-tier artist. I would know because I am married to one. As an aside fun-Drake-mentalists rarely have fun. However, they are...anyway. As another aside, please feel free to use and popularize the term fun-Drake-mentalist, it is almost as bad as Nick Drake himself, but I digress. This album is totally fine, he sings nicely, good for him. While you gather your torches and pitchforks I'll be over here, probably listening to Arcade Fire or Blondie. If you see a 4 or 5 star review you'll know they got to me and they might be coming for you next.
Arcade Fire
5/5
You see, I have tied myself into a pretzel. This is a great album, five stars right? But in a moment of what I can only assume was insanity, I rated the other Arcade Fire album, Funeral, only four. Where is the problem you may ask? Well that album is actually better than this one. How do we right historical wrongs? By emailing the guy who runs this thing as it turns out, but is it that simple? Then I would be tempted to adjust Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd down a notch or two and all of a sudden I am an anchorless ship in the middle of a vast uncharted sea. And as Arcade Fire taught me, there is a great black wave out here somewhere.
Beastie Boys
5/5
I have been surprised by many albums on this list but I think this is the first time I have been floored. This is ambitious, eclectic and absolutely relentless. The rest of it is so good I am (easily) able to look past the occasional thrashy guitar and the nasally vocals.
The Stranglers
4/5
Hmmmm...these guys sound...belligerent. Starting it off with a song about beating up a woman was...definitely one of the options available. I am clearly not the target audience of this band. However, the instrumentation is heads above the punk and punk-adjacent albums I have heard during this project.
Kate Bush
2/5
On Youtube Music, Running Up That Hill has 724M listens, Hounds of Love has 9.5M, The Big Sky has 2M and Mother Stands for Comfort has 560K. That means that 99 percent of this albums listeners weren't able to make it to the end of song two. And over 99.9 percent of listeners weren't able to make it through track four. I imagine the vast majority of the 0.1 percent remaining were asleep.
For those who would quibble with my methodology, remember we are post-truth now.
Les Rythmes Digitales
2/5
The electronic music I like tends to have a variety of instruments and textures. This is not that, it is very repetitive and unremarkable.
2/5
80s showtunes? Is this what Hair sounds like? I hope to never find out. According to the lead vocalist, most other bands at the time were 'writing about electric pylons'. He also said they wanted to 'fuse the attitude of punk with the sophistication of disco'. Martin, blink twice if you are ok.
Admittedly I have less patience than normal after having to sit through Kate Bush and Les Rhythmes Digitales but this is no good regardless.
I just finished the album and the only song I sort of enjoyed was literally a showtune. "Mantrap"...I'll avoid that.
Kendrick Lamar
2/5
I found most of the music on this album plodding and the vocals delivery clunky. Not as much misogyny as much hiphop on this list but that is damning with faint praise. Is this just a trial balloon by the recording industry to see whether they can convince us that a mediocre artist is good? This reminds me of the bad (Andre 3000) parts of Outkast without any of the good (Big Boi) stuff. No one to save you from my true feelings here Kendrick.
Marvin Gaye
3/5
Let's Get It On, the song, is good. However there really isn't anything else on this album I would listen to again. Even with Let's Get It On, I can't even imagine being in a situation in the future where it would feel appropriate to put it on.
Manu Chao
5/5
Up until today I thought Manu Chow was a post-career foray into the pet food market by a former Spurs legend. Anyway, this is great! Five patchouli petals.
Britney Spears
3/5
This album was exactly what one might expect. Baby One More Time is an absolute top tier pop song. If these things were easy to write we would hear more of them, but we don't. If they just put this song on the album 11 times I would enjoy it much more, but they can't do that. That said, the filler in the rest of the album is totally fine.
David Bowie
2/5
There was some beauty on the instrumental tracks on the back half but overall I found this album pretty beastly.
Emmylou Harris
4/5
Familiar with the name but not the music. Boulder to Birmingham is great and I really liked a few other songs as well. 136 albums in and this is my first real country album. This seems too few. Perhaps some Britpop could have been sacrificed?
Tori Amos
4/5
In 1992 PJ Harvey and Tori Amos both released their debut albums. Meanwhile, there I was in rural Canada picking out my first ever compact disc. Celine Dion's self titled album. Time may not heal all injustice but at least love can move mountains.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Imagine releasing your fifth album in two years and having these songs left to put on it. This band is incredible, five bullfrogs.
John Coltrane
2/5
Is free jazz the longest, most disconcerting and most complicated cry for help in human history? I think so. I'm going to continue ignoring it but it is really making me uncomfortable.
My Bloody Valentine
1/5
m b e
my bloody earholes
Goldfrapp
3/5
Very atmospheric and seems very similar to Portishead's Dummy, which came out a few years before. With Dummy, when I actually listen to it rather than having it on in the background I still really like it. With this album I don't feel the same way.
Ella Fitzgerald
2/5
Ella Fitzgerald has a beautiful voice. However a chorus of angels or a singing elephant could be singing these songs and I'd be looking for a way to escape half an hour in. Does anyone pronounce oyster "erster"? I don't think so. What were they saying about the squawky woman from Milwaukee? Clearly the sound of the words are much more important than the meaning of the lyrics.
GZA
3/5
If there is one constant during this process (excluding British music I have never heard of) it is me being excited by a new-to-me hiphop album and then being disappointed. There wasn't much I didn't like about this album but it just felt like it never changed cadence and just plodded along.
Devendra Banhart
4/5
I could imagine wandering around a folk festival 20 years ago and coming upon a stage with this guy playing. I'd sit down, adjust my visor, and let out a big contented sigh. I'd have enjoyed a couple songs and then move on, maybe played some hacky sack or got a lentil burger. Oh the times I had! Nowadays time doesn't stretch before me in quite the same way. I'm listening to this guy on a laptop, one of three screens I am attending to, and it just isn't quite the same. Thanks for reminding me of simpler days Devendra.
Joy Division
2/5
The inevitable consequence of dividing joy is having less than you began with. That is a very apt description of my experience listening to this drudgerous album.
Rush
3/5
Like every properly raised Canadian kid my parents sang these songs to me as lullabies. I never really liked Rush night, which was Tuesday. Thursday, however, was Neil Young night which was great because by the time I was 4 I could play most of the guitar solos on my little plastic guitar. Three timbits.
Justice
1/5
I enjoyed this more than I would have expected based on how terrible it is. I usually try to give every album a couple listens and this album was only tiresome during the first listen. It was excruciating on the second. However, that was nothing compared to the real pain which arrived when YouTube Music served me up some Justice-adjacent suggestions after it finished.
Madonna
2/5
I had no idea Madonna was so concerned about the bourgeoisie and selling out! The downtrodden must have rejoiced upon hearing this. I covered my ears when hearing most of this.
Fiona Apple
5/5
They say an apple a day keeps the Britpop at bay. Thank you for the brief respite Fiona. May your remaining days be filled with brown sugar and cinnamon.
Butthole Surfers
1/5
I almost asphyxiated myself with acidic fumes cleaning limescale and mold out of my shower while listening to this album. I can honestly say the music was by far the least pleasant part.
The Charlatans
3/5
These guys sound more like Oasis than Oasis. Did these guys sound like Oasis before Oasis even existed? Possibly, as it seems like this band probably formed before Oasis did. I don't care enough to determine this myself because it all just 3 stars as far as the eye can see. My two favourite songs on here are the ones with no vocals. I think that fact speaks for itself.
Bob Dylan
4/5
This is my third Bob Dylan album and it has all really started to sound the same. His vocal delivery is unique and the songwriting is great but wow that is a lot of strumming.
Queens of the Stone Age
2/5
Are you sure this isn't late career Alice in Chains after they had run out of good song ideas and rebranded? That Rooster song is twice as good as all the songs on this album combined. Or it could be City and Colour trying to play rock music? Wait a moment...it is City and Colour, not Color...that can only mean one thing...that there is a chance the torturous experience of listening to Save your Scissors is uniquely Canadian? Go look it up, you will probably regret it.
Os Mutantes
4/5
Listening to so much music seems to have broken my brain or maybe it was Os Mutantes. Either way, my brain is now broken.
Burning Spear
3/5
I really liked the first song of this album. I just wish that they didn't keep repeating it over and over again.
Linkin Park
1/5
I object to this unholy alliance of emo and nu metal..
Mercury Rev
5/5
This kind of music appears to be my catnip. This album is every bit as shrill and nerdy as Soft Bulletin by The Flaming Lips, which I also loved. I don't know what it is but I can't get enough of this. Incidentally the lead singer of Mercury Dev used to be in (but not the singer of) The Flaming Lips...before they sounded like this. Parallel evolution in music? I wouldn't put it past either of these bands to have a song about that process.
Shuggie Otis
3/5
More like "Shrug"-ie Otis, amirite? Nothing wrong with this album but nothing right either. Probably good to fall asleep to.
Black Sabbath
4/5
This album is somehow very heavy without being noisy. Maybe Tony Iommi's sparse guitar leaves lots of room in the mix for the bass and drums? I don't know, I'm not a very sophisticated listener. However I do know that I enjoyed listening to this album.
Beatles
4/5
So...what I have learned today is that in the early 1960s the Beatles were basically indistinguishable from the Everly Brothers. I'm excited to get some more Beatles albums to see their revolu...er...evolution. Anyway, I like the Everly Brothers and, it turns out, I like this version of the Beatles.
Ute Lemper
2/5
I actually really like most of the instrumentation on this album. However the lyrics are at least a couple standard deviations worse than anything else I have heard during this project...and I sat through something like 4 hours of Ira Gershwin last month.
Blur
3/5
I found this album very uneven. The forays into punk and polka were not my thing but there are some great pop/rock songs on here. In my opinion this eclecticism worked for Damon Albarn much better on the Gorillaz albums than this one.
Public Enemy
5/5
This might be the most powerful album I've ever heard. Social commentary instead of misogyny in rap music? Yes, please! Do you think if Flavor Flav had have insisted he wouldn't sell out a couple more times he wouldn't have made those three glorious seasons of Flavor of Love?
The Darkness
2/5
This is far more falsetto than anyone could possibly need to hear before they die.
Joanna Newsom
4/5
Coeur de Pirate doing Bjork covers? I am interested by this but I also think I like it.
The Smiths
2/5
Frankly Mr. Shankly...that felt like it was never going to end.
The Byrds
3/5
After a couple listens I still can't find any edge to this album. The vocals are pretty, the harmonies are nice and the instrumentation is pleasant. I'll never listen to any of these songs again. I'm going to prescribe myself a generous dose of Jimi Hendrix to try to erase that polka cover of Hey Joe from my memory and hopefully the rest of this album with it.
Travis
2/5
A day after I commented that Fifth Dimension by The Byrds is edgeless, I get served up the absolute pinnacle of milquetoasity. This sounds like Rufus Wainwright without the ambition and creativity. Next to these guys Fifth Dimension sounds like a John Zorn/Captain Beefheart collaboration.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
5/5
Up until this album I always thought Captain Beefheart was a Frank Zappa alter ego. Apparently they did play together at times. Anyway, this album is great. Beefheart's unique vocal delivery makes every song interesting. I can't wait for Trout Mask Replica...