Not sure this was a great place to start this project. Kinda dug The Electrocutioner though
Started strong - have always like Blitzkrieg Bop - but the guitar riffs felt redundant by like song five
I owe you an apology Elvis, wasn’t familiar with your game. Suspicious Minds is so good. Really liked the whole album minus In the Ghetto. Didn’t know he had the country crooner element late in his career
Really only liked a couple songs here (Out of Time was the highlight). Decent guitar riffs but Jagger’s vocals really irritate me, especially in the first half.
Solid enough soul album, not especially memorable. Tall in the Saddle was my favorite, I guess
Thought most of it was just ok despite my love for the harmonica. Would’ve bumped a half star if I were allowed for Heart of Gold, which announces itself as a masterpiece from the opening guitar strum
Felt interminable listening to this dude’s off-key mumbling over low tempo guitar riffs. Outside of the Grey/This Time He has Come pairing, unlistenable
Consistently dig the Afro-Cuban stuff. The drums and vibe on this basically hit in every song. Rhapsodia probably my favorite but liked all eight to varying degrees
Really enjoyed Matty Groves, especially the guitar outro. Appreciated Quiet Joys as an almost dream pop feel. Got a little redundant though, playing as a lyrical combo of Middle Ages nursery rhyme and an anthem for a pagan orgy like the one from Seconds
Masterpiece. Banger after banger. The contrast between Sad but True and Nothing Else Matters, both incredible, blew me away
I still find The Who pretty grating. More energy on The Ox instrumental than the rest of the album combined. Found most of this pretty generic 60s stuff. A Legal Matter is nails on a chalkboard bad
Strong. Loved One, second half was pretty consistent
Had some decent guitar riffs but this was pretty indistinguishable for me and I don’t think there’s much chance I ever go back to anything here.
First four songs here were good, especially N.I.B.
Unmemorable aside from Rolling Stone but that song does a lot of the heavy lifting
Not my favorite Tupac. Second half is pretty generic and the album’s a little too long. First eight are pretty good though
The songs here were pretty indistinguishable
Blown away by this one. Figured this would not be my speed but Tucker’s voice has a unique intensity and the guitar riffs are consistently great. The first three songs, especially One More Hour, are so good
Fine mostly indistinguishable guitar riffs.
I get why this is a classic, just not my thing. Pretty good guitar but the vocals are the same on every song and none of these are ones I’d really go back to despite how iconic a lot of them are
This level of energy becomes a little tiring after 40 minutes but the back to back of Pacific and Donkey Doctor is pretty strong.
Takes a little getting used to but I mostly came around by the second half, when they softened it a little and were less likely to have the dude screaming shit in German over the top of it. First half probably more authentic but tough to listen to
My enjoyment of this was more a one but I’ll toss it a star for being weird as hell. Sado-Masodub is a low key banger
Preferred the more upbeat, funk-influenced stuff to most of the ballads here. Liked it but was a little underwhelmed overall given Wonder’s obvious talent. Assume there’ll be others of his that I like more
Knew this was going to be great and it was somehow even better than I expected. Go Your Own Way and Dreams on the same album is crazy enough, but The Chain and I Don’t Want To Know were discoveries for me
This was solid. Wild Horses only one I really love though. Moonlight Mile’s my favorite of ones I’d never heard. More 3.5 than 3
Really liked this one. Started as a kind of spa relaxing vibe and built energy as it went along. Hedphelym probably the best of both worlds
Maybe a little redundant in its downbeat tone but kind of blended country and soft rock in a way that worked. Title track was my favorite
Better than the movie but I still don’t really get the Prince appeal. Title track is great and the back half of the album generally is pretty solid, but the first five songs didn’t work for me
Liked this but don’t know enough about the genre to understand why this is viewed as so much better than most albums that do the same kind of thing
Liked this but kind of expected to be more in on it. Heaven and Drugs only two that I could see myself coming back to much
Perfectly solid background music. Take Five my favorite
Really good. Somehow felt both a wonderment for life and a sense of melancholy.
“Ooh we’re so edgy and provocative” fuck off
Speakerboxx is a bunch of bangers. Love Below kinda hit or miss but Hey Ya/Roses back to back is classic and I appreciate that the halves are so different stylistically
Whatever worries I had about this getting a little repetitive vocally are eased by how good Buckley is at that kind of ballad and the variety in the guitar through the album. Hallelujah the obvious classic but Mojo Pin probably my favorite
This was alright. Dug Maggot Brain
Back half wasn’t bad, liked You’re Looking Fine. Low-end three
Couple recognizable songs here I’ve never really liked. Kinda went for I’ll Wait but otherwise the synth rock just isn’t really my thing
Generally solid 80s rock without many standouts. Thug probably my favorite
It’s Tricky, blast from the past
Nuthin but a G thang only great song on here. Mostly a precursor to better West Coast stuff later in the 90s. Laughed my ass off at the pyramid one
That drum solo was electric
good kid and Art of Peer Pressure both really good revelations for me
Not sure any of these songs are memorable but credit for an album that combines square dancing and African drumming. Buffalo Gals and Soweto two best
Title track only one that works for me
It’s Too Late best song on here. Mostly solid beyond that, liked Will You Love Me Tomorrow
Generally fine but nothing that blew me away
Got a little redundant in the middle but pretty solid bookends. Ether or 5.45 the best
Liked the first two songs but it went downhill pretty quickly after that. Horsin’ Around sounded like the worst song from a Gene Kelly movie
Wish I found the singer a more compelling vocal presence because I dig the synth pop backgrounds on most of these. First two songs best on the album
Pretty good. I Got My Brand On You is super catchy
Mostly still just love the popular ones but Lovesong was a solid revelation
Can’t believe I liked this as much as I did. Title track and guilded splinters both good. Weird blend of jazz and horror?
No real complaints but the operatic Queen style still isn’t really my thing. This was fine but no reason to listen again
One-note provocateurs. Influential I guess but a miserable listening experience
On the 3/4 border, rounding up for the trippy We Will Fall. Vocals can be a little grating but weirdly entrancing instrumentals that feel like a cross between counterculture rock and early funk
Bass was consistently great but rest of this was a little up and down. Manhattan, Closer and Cold Desert worked. Revelry, 17 and Be Somebody not so much
Solid background music to vibe to. Not sure reggae’s really capable of more than that for me. Midnight Ravers elevates this to 3.5 though
Tonally and lyrically a little redundant but Chapman’s vocals carry it through and Fast Car is brilliant — combining the class commentary she’s after throughout the album with a genuine emotional impact and bittersweet search for connection in a lonely world
Guess it’s possible for me to love reggae after all. This is a banger. Natural Mystic, Exodus, Jamming, Three Little Birds all phenomenal. Dug the Marvin Gaye riff on Turn Your Lights Down too
Right on 3/4 border. Title track was great and mostly instrumental second half (especially contrast between Sense of Doubt and Moss Garden) was good
Not sure how to describe this. Felt like crossing a 60s piano singer with a rhythmic, sci-fi/horror new age background. Dug it
Human best song on here
Closed with its best three minutes, title track was top. Not sure why this didn’t really work for me overall though. Liked it when it toned back but felt a little derivative of Queen when they ramped up intensity
Still find that it’s more that I respect Dylan rather than love his work. This album is pretty frontloaded. Blowing in the Wind naturally best one here, Dylan’s Blues probably my favorite of stuff I’d never heard before
Low-end three. Don’t have much to say here, it’s fine. Liked Old Marcus Garvey and Red, Gold and Green well enough
Surprisingly lifeless vocal performance
American Girl is a classic. Breakdown/Mystery Man pretty his discoveries
Pretty inane lyrics and kind of redundant even with every song being pretty short. 50s music might just be too far back for me to really appreciate
No individual song that really jumped off the page for me (Sunbeam probably closest to that) but Cobain’s a great vocalist and I like the bass enough to have this on the 3/4 border
A little juvenile perhaps but first half is absurd (Stan’s an all timer) and you do get a sense both of Eminem’s outsider energy and his response to moral handwringing about rap
Pretty sure thrash is just not going to be my thing
Title track and Broken Heart were pretty good. Everything else was meh, low-end 3
Final few songs tipped this from 3 to 4. Blacker the Berry probably the rawest, but i and Mortal Man excellent ways to wrap this. King Kunta probably my favorite track on here overall
Wanted to like this more because Vaughan’s game for it and I appreciate her mix of self-deprecating humor, but this felt pretty generic overall. Just One of Those Things only one that felt distinctive to me
Weird blend of African influences and 80s pop that kind of worked
Perfectly solid, really a 3.5. No true standout tracks but Connected, Playing with Fire, The End were all enjoyable
Columbia, Slide Away, Up in the Sky all great
4/5 of the A-side (all but Niki Hoeky) are masterpieces. B-side “merely” great, but Since You’ve Been Gone, Groovin’ and Ain’t No Way are all fantastic
Liked this more than I anticipated but still not something I’d ever really circle back to. Pretty frontloaded, title track and The Passenger the best on here
If you’re going to force me to sit through an hour of smug, anti-music satire, you’ve gotta give me something funnier than cream cheese
This was fine but boring, most 2.5 star album ever
Feel like I can’t go lower than three stars on an album with Mrs. Robinson, but the rest of this is summed up by “I wish I was an English muffin”
A little hit or miss but Win, Fascination and Fame among my favorite Bowie songs. Fascination probably #1
Should be illegal to stretch something this boring into the length of a feature film
Liked Boy in the Bubble and Crazy Love well enough but it felt a little forced when Simon leaned more heavily into the African influences
Tough to evaluate these without the retroactive nostalgia but Ronettes’ version of Sleigh Ride and Darlene Love’s Christmas might be the two best Christmas songs out there
Liked the Jazz influence here. Last two songs and that weird East St. Louis instrumental diversion really worked for me
Pretty great intro to their music. Remember Tomorrow and Strange World might be masterpieces
None of this cohered lyrically for me but it captured an anguished vibe well enough that I could connect to it anyway. Never had any idea where it was going on any of their extended riffs, worked best in Eriatarka and Veil Cerpin
I’ve always liked but don’t love La Grange. Wasn’t familiar with anything else here, which is all fine but not exciting
Just don’t think Newman’s ever going to be my thing. His satirical bent on a Southern life I’ve never experienced feels pretty blunt to me
Side One much stronger, highlighted by the back to back of Blame It on Cain and Alison. A little more prickly lyrically than I was expecting, high-end 3
Mostly indistinguishable guitar, this was fine
This book’s love for angry British 70s punk just does not make sense to me. Fodderstompf is hell on earth
Fell into it more with headphones than while driving. Lyrics didn’t resonate with me the way they seemed to for critics but I liked the bookends here
Nothing here rises to Comfortably Numb or Wish You Were Here standards but still went for the psychedelic sci-fi blend. On the Run feels like a weird 80s synth thing, Us and Them/Brain Damage best on here
Feels somewhere between blues and rock, liked the slower stuff a little more. Little Wing and One Rainy Wish really good
Most S & G stuff remains indistinguishable except the one inferior Dylan ripoff. Liked what they did with the blending of Seven O’Clock News/Silent Night but not much else here for me
Last two here were pretty good but the mid-90s EDM stuff isn’t really my thing
Vocals are hit or miss, as she kinda loses me with how often she leans on the falsetto. Appreciated the downbeat nostalgic vibe though. Yosemite’s pretty good
Angry but one note gibberish
Crowd was great and Brown slides effortlessly between high energy rock and roll and ballad
Dig this, have always liked New Order when they come up. Elegia and Sub-Culture highlights
First half was pretty good, especially title track. Bible thumping second half was boring
Pretty effective but not something I have much interest in experiencing again. Steam Rose/Fenced best ones on here
Most of this just feels derivative of Elvis to me. Liked Whiskey Woman at least
3/4 border, a little repetitive in the downbeat minimalism but nothing bad here (definitely ripped off Chris Isaak with the one song though). Shelter/Heart Skipped a Beat tip the scales to a 4
Obviously impressive guitar, especially on Search and Destroy and Death Trip. Original mix production was a little too grainy for me, have to give the remaster a listen
This was hit or miss for me but I’ve got more respect for Sweet Child O’ Mine and liked Think About You
It’s not quite as consistent as I was hoping (e.g. Let’s spend the Night, Jean Genie) but Time, Lady Grinning Soul and Aladdin Sane are top tier Bowie
2/3 border. Pretty redundant and similar to a lot of classic country with the sad sack loner repetition. Liked it enough early on but got tired of it pretty quickly
Nothing really jumped for me here the way that One did on the other U2 album
Come Together/Something an incredible opening. Rest of the album doesn’t maintain that all time pace despite Here Comes the Sun
Respect its influence more so than love listening to this since it’s so produced and the call and response rap style feels a little forced. It’s Like That, Rock Box and 30 Days really good though
Loved this, never really heard a combination of sounds like this. Not sure about Atlantis but everything else works
Loved Amazing Journey and generally huge fan of Keith Moon’s work here but still has a lot of the shallow youth counterculture stuff that has bored me on all their albums
Feels like every ballad anyone sings is just trying to be half as good as River. California also great
Respect more than like. Strong guitar work and I dug Jane’s Song but most of this was a little too punk for my taste
Country blues, like the piano on some of the more upbeat stuff (Look Out Cleveland/Jawbone) but feels kind of inconsequential overall
Liked the final three tracks after being cold on the first three quarters of the album. Sound of Someone had a bittersweet vibe that was my favorite
Basically all I want in a jazz album. Recurring drum beat in the background and sick trumpeting
Felt kind of shallow as satire but mostly enjoyable to listen to. Victoria my favorite, liked Arthur and Shangri-La well enough
Djed didn’t work for me and that song’s half the album. Liked Glass Museum though
Don’t know enough about African music but I find it hard to believe this is among the best they have to offer. Feels like self-parody and the songs are mostly indistinguishable
Inconsistent lyrically but Californication and Otherside both really good
Only individual standouts were Where is My Mind and Gigantic but generally liked the moody vibe. 3/4 line
Generally solid but feels pretty conventional. Say Yes/Angeles my favorites
Really liked this one, had only ever heard Cult of Personality. Had so many different influences (metal, hip hop, hard rock, even funk) that I never knew what was coming
Below some of my favorite Smith’s stuff but this is solid. National Front Disco/Seasick the best
Starting to come around on the idea that I just don’t like Stevie Wonder
Masterpiece. Rolling Stone’s my favorite Dylan but everything here is good to great
Felt kind of shallow lyrically, mostly going for shock value, but was weirdly hypnotic by the second half
Fairport Convention did this much better. Wolf one my favorite I guess, but meh
Occasional offbeat blues sequences kept me from hating this as much as some other stuff on here but intentionally bad is still bad
Liked Me, Myself & I and DAISY Age. Rest of this was kind of lifeless
High end 3. Enjoyed this pretty well but no clear standout track. Strange Ones probably my favorite after Alright
Smith’s vocal style didn’t do much for me but really liked the vibe here, especially in the back half of the album. It’s a Curse/Paranoia Man great 1-2
This style of 80s rock not my favorite but this album feels like the archetype with a bunch of classics in a row
Great guitarist (Road/From the Morning my favorites). Vocals a little too delicate but one I could see myself coming back to
This is fine, background listen stuff. Frankie my favorite, I guess
Even the misses had pretty great bass/drums. Spellbound/Night Shift the best
This was fine, no strong feelings. Mostly indistinguishable background music
Repackaged disco for turn of the century dance music. Liked the first half more
This was fine, electric guitar heavy. Enjoyable enough but nothing here is sticking with me
Liked the acoustic well enough but the vocals in this wore on me pretty quickly.
Didn’t love this as much as the A-side of Lady Soul but A Change is Gonna Come is perfection basically
The bonus tracks aren’t great but the original album is pretty good. Spanish Guitar/Because of You the best.
Not as great as No Other though
Not sure why we needed a 90-minute album roleplaying a plane crash with reminding us that racism is bad
Lots of extended guitar riffs, which isn’t always my thing, but Kashmir is phenomenal and almost everything except Black Country Women works
German robots and Pac-Man because why the hell not
Low-end 3. More hit or miss than most electronic stuff. Zenophile/Valley two best on here but some of this (including title track) is terrible
Aside from Shut Down, a bunch of mini tracks with pretty good drumming but that irritating punk vocal where he just groans into the mic
Always liked Don’t Know Why and she’s got a good voice but nothing groundbreaking
No real opinion on Steely Dan’s jazz rock thing. Josie only thing here that’s kinda bad but didn’t love anything either. Peg’s the best
2/3 border, I guess. Liked Infatuation and respected the vulnerability of I’m OK but the dozen generic female empowerment ballads bog this down
Felt less significant and more freewheeling than the other Zeppelin album on here
