1001 Albums Summary

ABBA is a quintessential "singles" band- undoubtedly fantastic band but the album provides an overall good experience where a studio album cannot do them justice like a compilation can. Some of the stuff is really great- the odd time signatured "Soldiers" or hit single "One of Us," and nothing here is rough. It's just nothing more than pleasant as a record.

Too many songs feel like pastiches of better artists' songs: I hear Paul McCartney, (lots of) Led Zeppelin, and even Tom Waits- lending the record an identity crisis. Just go full alt rock, or full blues, or full "marimba rock" or whatever those first few songs were. Blue Orchid makes for a great opener, though. This is ultimately Greta Van Fleet-core with better production.

Really solid- not a bad song here, makes for an easy listen with excellent instrumentation and production alike, sounding very mid-90s for being a 1989 record. "She Bangs the Drums" is the clear best but everything is very good.

Super chilled-out and smooth. Not a single moment where I'm not enjoying what I'm listening to. I think the organ kind of outclasses every other instrument here, though. Would definitely vibe out to this again- actually super calming.

Iconic stuff. Super ahead of its time when it's great, and kinda sappy when it's not. Overall a pretty good listen though.

Very solid listen. Pleasant voice and instrumentation, pleasant experience. Sounded like a 90s record, in all honesty.

Really great album of top-notch early 70s psychedelia on top of its iconic cover. Blah blah blah Student Demonstration Time sucks.

At first, I was disappointed in its kind of lackluster sound. I do think it won me over a bit by the end. That one spoken word about the maiden was pretty funny and I thought a few tracks here were actually really great. Its main issue is its genre-leaping. It's hard to feel invested in the sound when at any moment it breaks its own cohesion song to song.

It's alright. She's got a pretty voice, and I dug their blend of British folk and old-timey American folk, but I did not get much out of it beyond being calmed a bit while listening

Not a dull moment to be found on this impeccably recorded, excellently presented, approachable yet artful piece of art. Incredibly impressive stuff that I will be relistening to as soon as possible.

A celebrated artist that I do not "get." I don't find his voice interesting at all, and his lyrics are not nearly ear-catching for me to get the appeal. The songs all sound the same to me, too, though I appreciated the orchestral aspects here

Might be the most obnoxious rapping I've ever heard. The same staccato, slurred flow on every track. Illustrative because it shows not every album here is redeemable and that the early 90s had some hot garbage music amidst an excellent string of years in music history. Plus it's nearly an hour long?! Why?

Not bad- but everything here is secondhand in comparison to the big single "Back 2 Life"

Probably my 100th listen. Every song is fantastic- even the interludes! Ian Anderson remains one of my favorite musicians of all time and this is my favorite project of his.

Every song is so powerful, so composed. The features are all deliberate, and the album's flow from song to song thoughtfully presented (although "Christian Dior Denim Flow" should have replaced "Blame Game" 100%). A reasonable contender for greatest hip hop album of all time. "Runaway" is my all-time favorite, but this re-listen solidified that "Monster" is one of his greatest songs across his career

I prefer Coldplay a little more punchy; Viva La Vida is one of my all-time favorite albums. This record is a lot more low-key, sometimes to its detriment, albeit with some exceptions- "Yellow" and "Don't Panic" are excellent.

I wish this site could let me give half star ratings, as three does not do this justice. Not a bad song here and his classic voice really elevates some of the more filler-y tracks in comparison to the massive title track and the standout "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart"

One really great song, a couple decent songs, and a lot of very forgettable 90s bubblegum pop. Particularly rough was that dated duet with Generic McAverage

Trimming like 4 songs off this would have resulted in a four-star rating. Some really great tracks up front, good production, variety, and instrumentation. Does not sound dated at all.

Everything here feels intentional and layered. Production sounds pretty great. Funky songs were really great. So why am I so lukewarm about it? Maybe not melodic enough for me?

Noticed this time how important Slash was to their sound, as much as Axl, honestly. Aggressive but not overly so- still super smooth and approachable sound. Every song hits. Fantastic instrumental performances pretty much from top to bottom. Really expected this to age poorly but it has held up since being amazed by this as a kid. No snobby RYM-brain is gonna tell me that "Sweet Child O' Mine" isn't a fantastic song.

Spectacular sonic atmospheres from track to track as per usual from MBV. My favorite was "New You." Reminded me most of the stuff I've most enjoyed from Loveless.

Important album but it's hard to listen to the same "My name is ____ and I'm hear to say, I like to rap in a major way" flow over and over again. "The Message" is pretty great, tho

Solid, but not outstanding overall. Liked the Philip Glass feature though

Nothingburger. His vocals are so bland. At least Bryter Layter had some nice orchestral instrumentals

So many classics. Another one of the all-time debuts in music history

Lots of really great songs here, but the length is not justified so I gotta give a 3, unfortunately

Difficult to rate, as the album was not made for me. It seems like people on this site are way too hard to please. This was really nice record to listen to and the reviews unnecessarily harsh

Funky from beginning to end. Check the Rhime is easily the best song here but not a bad moment

A fookin' quality album

While the songs overall aren't as strong as some of his other records, the creativity and talent still shines through, both in strong vocals and the overall songwriting.

Two Weeks and Ready, Able outshine the bulk of this. But it's a high 3/5 fs

Kind of a slog because it's just way too long. Iconic group but Chuck D is so much more interesting than Flavor Flav that it's not even funny

Perry Farrell sucks, dude. The music is pretty great but his constant yelping and whining kills the entire experience. "Then She Did" was my favorite track

Interestingly enough the collabs here brought the record down a notch. Ofc the title track really slaps, but some of the other songs were so generic and very reliant on the outside musicians that I was a bit underwhelmed and felt like Prince was drowned out here

Song after song on this thing hit. The iconic vocal harmonies, the dated but warm production. Classic

Songwriting isn't super strong, but Dolly's charisma makes up for that to provide a pretty good listening experience

Super smooth. 80s without sounding dated. Songs are all really easy to enjoy. I don't know why people don't like Mark Hollis' voice. Super unique and adds to the smoothness

Legitimately has a claim to be the greatest record of the 1980s. Incredible lyricism, production, and orgasmic African instrumentation and genre exploration (introduced me to mbaqanga, soukous, and township jive alike) plus to hear some of the greatest world musicians ever gathered here (Los Lobos, Bakithi Kumalo, West Nkosi, Ray Phiri, Boyoyo Boys, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Youssou N'Dour)- it's like 45 minutes of heaven every time I listen to it. Some of my favorite moments are the sax breaks on "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes," the beautiful accompanying vocal performance from Linda Ronstadt on "African Skies," or the iconic fretless bass run on "You Can Call Me Al." It's an album that has had a tremendous impact on my life and I will continue to love it throughout the rest of it.

It's probably the 200th time someone's said this but Mezzanine should have been the representative album for this group. Blue Lines is fine but immemorable

Lovely production. Great mixture of funky shit and really soulful love ballads that are equal in hitting the sweet spot. Reverb-y guitar sound does a lot for that. Love you Curtis

Dated production, esp on the rough-hewn vocals and the scratchy, borderline annoying guitar tone. Despite some good tracks (Wish I Was Skinny, Thinking of Ways) the entire thing is too long and mixed so poorly (way too loud) that I did not like it overall.

The sheer amount of great songs on this thing is so impressive. Incredibly influential on punk and punk-adjacent genres for decades following its release. Hard to find hour-long projects this re-listenable, well-conceptualized, and universally likable. Part of the reason why it's so strong throughout is that the Clash are so deft at switching between genres. New Wave, Ska, Reggae, Punk, maybe a mixture of a couple or even all of those? They make all of them sound good.

Album should have just started with "Tomorrow Comes Today" and it would have been much improved. Just kind of unfocused and uneven. "Clint Eastwood" is by far the best track here- is there a soul on Earth who doesn't love that song? Demon Days and Plastic Beach are much better records than this, unfortunately.

Classic. If I was a drummer, this might be the Holy Grail.

Composed super well, but does not strike me any particular way where I am impacted beyond finding the experience of listening pleasant

Instrumentals are class, pretty fantastic production, but the skits are so awful and a couple of the songs are so corny that both break up the flow so much that I can't recommend this.

Super ahead-of-its-time in sound. Experimental 70s stuff is very cool. David Byrne obviously really loved this group. I think I prefer the late 70s early 80s AOR stuff from them though

"Mother" is the ultimate pleb filter song as evidenced by the hilariously out-of-touch reviews all over this page

Upbeat Beck is best Beck. This stuff is just boring

Pretty much every track here is memorable. One of the better rock albums of the decade in every capacity- musicianship, production, hooks, and sound (while not the most unique, its still very recognizable.) Did not realize how great this album was until sitting down to listen to it. Super great stuff that instantaneously has become a classic for me

Dated production and aesthetic, with some eyeball roll-worthy lyrics. And the instrumental on "Afraid 2 Fly" is one of the worst I've ever heard. Feels like listening to a P!nk album, but without the hooks that made her worth listening to, so essentially, I'm saying she's just a poor man's P!nk. Yep.

Sounds like a home run on paper (world music mixed with late-60s psychedelia) but in practice it's more like a bloop single. Rather unimpressive but serviceable.

Your favorite bassist's favorite bassist kills it here. Pretty nice jazz to listen to. Liked side A quite a bit. Wished I could give it an extra half star.

Slick, well-produced sleaze. The hits heavily outswing the deep tracks ("I Got the Six" pales in comparison to "Got Me Under Pressure")

Always thought this was the weakest of the Berlin trilogy despite having arguably the best song of all time on it- now I can see I am probably wrong (although I do remember Lodger being pretty good). The three song ambient run on Side 2 is super underrated.

While the singles here are masterpieces, I don't think they quite make up for some of the filler tracks here which really break up the flow of the entire thing.

Repetitive, but never dull. Well-produced, charming, and fun. But not something I'd ever really think to listen to again.

Ultimately a fairly good rap record. No tracks that were nearly as good as anything off ITANOMTHUB except Shut 'Em Down (in particular the Pete Rock remix), which is top 5.

"CAUTION POLICE LINE YOU BETTER NOT CROSS"

What more needs to be said about the single greatest pop album ever made? The production paved the way for basically every commercially-produced record for the next several decades, the songs are all classic (7 TOP TEN SINGLES ON ONE ALBUM?!) and the performances, vocal and instrumental, are top-notch. Every song is worth the price of admission here. Even the supposed "weak" songs as their reputation suggests ("The Girl is Mine" and "The Lady in My Life") are excellent- with the former being Jacko's experiment with AOR, complete with Toto "Rosanna"-esque percussion and bass, but a lovely vocal duet with McCartney provides the song added meaning as a "passing of the baton" from one pop god to the next. The latter in that category is a funk soul track with a fantastic keyboard sound and a deservedly chilled-out conclusion to an all-timer album.

Not super interesting. The hits are all pretty great though. And there was one song ("Nightingale") which sounded exactly like a Kiss song lol

Late night Mexican beach walking sad boi hours music

Once again, I can't quite externalize what it is about TH that I don't resonate with, as they are excellent musicians and their records still sound fresh. Just not for me, I guess. I still do recognize it is a very good record

Radiohead's obviously quite a monochromatic band (that's kind of the point), but I prefer the records where there are brief splashes of color that invigorate that sound. Not enough of that here, despite some really good tracks

I used to think the Beatles were overrated. I also used to be hella stupid

The Steve Winwood stuff is so much better it's not even particularly close. And I don't even dislike Dave Mason. He just sounds bad on a lot of these songs

Back when pop music actually meant pushing the boundaries and making quality music with the best talent available. Look at the personnel on this thing for proof. Excellent transitions between moods and sounds. Fantastic record with so much to latch onto. While listening it is quite often you think to yourself, "shit every modern female pop star really has been influenced by her haven't they"

more like the Incredibly Shitty Band

All the pearl-clutching on this godforsaken website prove the man's point. He's provocative, he's loud, and he's timeless. The language is a tool to enunciate the message. Focusing solely on it and rendering the art invalid due to its coarseness is wrong. Despite a few bumps on the road (dated ICP diss, bad Sticky Fingaz and Disaster features) the album is still a really great listen nearly thirty years after its release.

Everyone knows and (rightfully) loves the big three hits, but the other songs here are just as good, from the beautiful ballad "I Believe" to the African-inspired "Listen." Immaculate on the production side with a great infusion of electronic and organic instrumentation. I expected it to be good, but it easily cleared my expectations and then some.

Huge amount of variance in quality here. "Fire and Rain" and "Country Road" are deserving classics- arguably two of the greatest folk songs ever written. Then there's dated white-boy blues slogs all over Sides A and B that drag the experience down significantly. Still, those two big hits really do a lot of heavy lifting here, so a 3/5 is in order.

Super engaging, forward-thinking 70s art rock that does not take itself too seriously. Great record overall!

Dated, but still fun. Some of it is actually pretty well-layered dance stuff, while the rest just reeks of the 90s. Did not mind it though.

An excellent series of albums; the highlights are particularly strong on this one ("When The Man Comes Around," "Hurt"), though I prefer I and II as albums since this one has a few clunkers ("In My Life," "Bridge Over Troubled Water") and is hampered by its unencumbered length.

T Rex has an enduring legacy because of Marc Bolan's distinctive sound and definitely not his subpar lyricism. Balances out into a pretty good record all things considered.

S'okay. "Respect" is a deserving classic, and the rest of the tracks are nice, but nothing special to me. Production definitely dates things a fair amount as well.

Suede is really great in theory but are somewhat bland in actuality. Brett Anderson's vocals are cool but are not prominent enough for me to find their sound effective. Lyrics are inconsistent and detract from the tight instrumentation. Still, I can appreciate the influence and their carving out a niche in Britpop history. As far as my preferences for the "big four" within the genre, I think I lean Oasis >> Blur > Suede >>>>>>>>>>>> Pulp

Digging the The Devil's Rejects vibes. All the songs kind of sound the same but it all sounds pretty good. Solid 3/5.

Kim Gordon's vocals are not my thing, but the guitar work absolutely is. It's a pretty good album but not something I'd ever rush to listen to again.

The people on this website reviewing this and giving 1s or 2s saying it's "repetitive" probably register zero on an EEG. There are way too many people here who have no business speaking about what might be some of the most influential music ever conceived. And so what if it is repetitive? That's kind of the point of blues music, moron

The album peaks with its first two songs, the big singles. A few sporadic moments of musical brilliance across the rest of the record (slap bass on "Get on the Floor," and properly melancholic orchestrations on "She's Out of My Life") don't elevate it the album beyond being a good debut by a classic performer who would improve immensely on his next few projects.

Excellent guitar work throughout ("The Rover", "In My Time of Dying"), so many recognizable songs, and despite, its length, excellent pacing and variance in structure to keep you engaged. Amongst my favorites here are the atmospheric opening to "In the Light," the Stevie Wonder-inspired "Trampled Under Foot," the pretty folk instrumental "Bron-Yr-Aur," the mysterious "Ten Years Gone," and the Cajun gumbofied "Black Country Woman."

Not one of Tom's best records, but still excellent; he's boozy, but still punchy, contrasts feelings of calm and bombast, and paints lovely pictures with his lyrics on each track.

Have never considered myself a fan of the Boss but this record is a very worthwhile pop/singer-songwriter crossover with equally catchy hooks and stellar songwriting alike. Second side is loaded with hit songs. Could easily see myself re-listening and liking just as much.

Enveloping atmosphere that instantaneously puts you in an urban mood. Very enlivening stuff. "Organ Donor" is one of the coolest rap instrumentals ever

Extremely atmospheric baroque pop with unique vocals that makes for a fascinating listening experience.

"Crystal Days" and "The Killing Moon" vastly outweigh every other track on here, which are all fine, but nothing I'd ever seek out

Immaculate production and some of the best renditions of these classic tunes. Laughed at the now-unintentionally ominous ending

Thom Yorke sounds the best vocally here across their entire discography, and the songwriting is still grasping at a bit of a Britpop sound to provide this record a very clear identity. Obviously many classics here to speak of: "Fake Plastic Trees," "Street Spirit" "Nice Dream" and "High & Dry"

Some classics, but I found the experience of listening to the whole thing sorta grating. The Clash really outdo them overall IMO.

Really like his multilingual approach. Unfortunately frontloaded and a little too long

Great vocals and warm production were the highlights. Didn't think anything was particularly fantastic, but it was a good record nonetheless. Dug the Beatles cover the most

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Hot damn the intro to "Where the Streets Have No Name" is one of the most amazing-sounding things ever. Across the entire record, The Edge gives some of the most amazing guitar performances ever recorded. His sound was so distinctive and carried their sound so hard. Those punchy stings he builds up to on "With or Without You" are so emotive. Brian Eno is also a huge asset here with his timeless, full production. While the deep tracks aren't nearly as good as the big singles, they are still quite enjoyable.

Has way better records across his discography than this one. "Breakdown" is so smooth, and "American Girl" is an iconic 70s track (makes me think of Silence of the Lambs every time I hear it) but the rest of the record is pretty generic and even somewhat bad- "Strangered in the Night" for instance is a sloppy Eagles castoff. And why did "Luna" sound like Bob Dylan singing a Christmas song?

Finally listened to one of my dad's all-time favorite albums. He bought it very shortly after it came out when he was 17 years old. So the album is special to me regardless of what I would rate it overall. Good album- certainly well produced and all the performances are good. A little bit too inconsistent to fully award a 4 to, and too long. I think I prefer their softer, poppier tracks to the punk. I will say that "Space Invader" is a really cool instrumental- that track took me by surprise. "Kid" and "Brass in Pocket" are also so nostalgic and lovely.

A very solid punk crossover album- the more melodic songs are the highlights. "Mannequin" is of course the big track here, just impressively influential. The whole thing never made me feel anything more than respect for how ahead-of-its-time it was

lol so you're telling me this was nearly 0.90 higher in rating than the Nico album when this was less interesting by a mile in comparison? Yeah, "White Rabbit" and "Somebody to Love" are both amazing songs, but the non-hits kinda suck ass. So much variance in quality across this band's entire career. For every "Jane" or "White Rabbit" there was also a "We Built This City"

Scratches do nothing for me. I like the band better without them for sure. Chester's shouty vocals have never been my thing. He sounds great when he croons but the throaty yelling gets very old for me. Shinoda's flows are mostly very dated and he interrupts the experience quite a bit. That being said, there are some really great songs here and I understand why it made the list.

It may be sacrilegious for me to say as a Wisconsinite, but I absolutely despise "Blister in the Sun." It's this twee, commercial-core garbage sung horribly and overplayed to death since its release 40 years ago. The rest of the album was all new to me, and it was fine, I guess. Like a lot of one-hit wonder bands, the other stuff is better than their one hit. Super lo-fi which is not usually my sound, but overall it reminded me of Neutral Milk Hotel, but not as good. Would not listen again, but defo not in "Incredible String Band" tier.

Tracks 1-3 fail to grab me in any way, but once that cover of JJ Cale's "Call Me the Breeze" revs into gear the album is a fantastic psychedelic experience of super cool production and sound. So many neat parts you would not expect to be included on a psych pop record fade in and out, like the honky tonk piano on "Take Your Time" or the bass saxophone on "Shine a Light." I can see why people would find this boring, but I was engaged throughout by the warm, smooth mix and the max-reverbed instrumentation.

The vitriolic hatred some have toward this album is really strange to me. The title track is simply one of the greatest songs ever written. Who doesn't know that song? Its influence and appeal being as widespread as it is contrasts its odd B minor key, its extended dual guitar solo, and the inscrutable, oft-discussed lyrics. It's on the "Hey Jude" tier for me- a pure pop song that will remain timeless, deserves so much praise, and carries with it an intangible quality of what Jack Black might call a "rocket sauce" song. The other songs on Side 1 are all at the very least pleasant and, at their best, are great songs in their own right. "New Kid in Town" is a pretty Glenn Frey countrypolitan ballad reminiscent of Gram Parsons featuring some actually resonant lyrics. "Life in the Fast Lane" was another huge hit, very much Joe Walsh's big track here with its riff-driven melody. Side 2, on the other hand, peaks early with the hard-edged "Victim of Love" and leans into a sappy AOR sound that unfortunately drags the album down a peg from being great to just good overall.

The stuff that sounds like Gram Parsons is not great, but the psychedelic rock stuff like the title track is a lot cooler, but the entire thing is a little overdramatic for me and very forgettable.

The softer Aretha Franklin worship stuff does not work for me. Pretty great stuff to be had, here, though, as her voice really elevates the songs. "Mercedes Benz" is such a banger though

What I most admire about Neil Young is his ability to punctuate his incredible lyrics and really make them stick out. They don't just lie there- his attention to writing excellent melodies allows that to occur. You can tell he has an ear for a tune- the title track's somber horn/piano duet, the grunge guitar on "Southern Man." Lovely album. May be his best

Always liked Steely Dan but this listen was so eye-opening for me. Such incredible music-making. Immaculate production and the entire thing feels so full- the lyrics never detract from the artistry of the music and vice versa. Everything fits together so well into this massive slice of timeless music. Pretty instantaneously elevated this band into my favorites. This record feels like a pop progressive rock and jazz combination without ever feeling offputting, boring, or messy. Cannot wait to hear more SD now.

Was excited to revisit because I used to hate this record. My appreciation has definitely grown, but I still find this thing massively disjointed. Nico's tracks are all great and the instrumentation throughout is so ahead-of-its-time, but the mid tempo pop rock tracks are so lousy and Lou Reed is a bit of a charisma vacuum. And just because the sounds attempted here are progressive, does not mean that the production sounds good- most of it sounds really dated.

The post-chorus riff on "Hanging on the Telephone" is such an earworm. There's quite a bit of that on this iconic album. Debbie Harry has so much swagger from song-to-song, and while not everything reaches the heights of that excellent opener, the power pop flair of "One Way or Another" or the smooth new wave classic "Heart of Glass," the vibes are strong throughout and it feels like the band was really coalescent. And why did the riff on "I Know But I Don't Know" sound like "Octavarium" by Dream Theater lol

Incredibly smooth- feels 90s but not dated. Speech fits into this weird pocket where he's both singing and rapping. The conscious hip hop messaging is mostly pretty likable and inoffensive stuff, which is why I think people call them "corny," but with instrumentals, melodies, and vibes this good, it does not bother me that they are borderline a Christian group.

One of the most influential albums of all time on my life. Controlled aggression and anger, with moments of beauty and interspersed melody peeking through. Simply one of the greatest moments in metal history. Metallica have been one of my favorite bands for many years and have provided me so much enjoyment. While the entire record has dips in quality, it is undeniable how much power songs like "Battery," the title track, and "Orion" have and will always have for me. That being said, how in the hell is Ride the Lightning also included on this list. That's clearly the superior record between the two lmao

Love this band. Their vibe and sound are so singular- sure it’s not anything high-brow, but it just makes you wanna crank the volume. Songs like “Rollin’,” “Take a Look Around,” and “My Way” are in total bangers of meathead attitude and 2000s nu metal nonsense. The problem here is its length. There’s a solid stretch of weaker tracks in the middle and the DMX and Xzibit remixes were very unnecessary. Despite the amazing work by the musicians and my overall loving the project, it gets a 3

Bold of Gary Numan to pay homage to the greatest film of all time Freddy Got Fingered in the tracklist As good as recall it being from middle school. Eerie, but still has sort of a danceable quality. The synthesizers both carry the melody and contribute to a cold, anxious atmosphere. His odd lyrics and vocal delivery make the thing still sound futuristic today.

Album was so boring it generated twice and I listened to the first three tracks before realizing the website glitched lol

The album opener "Dirty Boots" is actually incredible- how modern-sounding and excellently-produced! The roomy guitar and drums across the whole thing are a major contributing factor toward this record aging as well as it has. I really dig the Karen Carpenter tribute "Tunic" and the proto-grunge of "Kool Thing." The entire record has such a fiery energy, from its noisy but controlled guitar tone, energetic drum fills, and breathy vocals from Kim Gordon.

An incredible rap album. The run on tracks 8-10 is like a six out of five set of songs. And there's other incredible songs here. Not only are the songs all memorable, well-written, and musically excellent, but the story here is immersive and paints a picture of how Kendrick aims to portray himself as an artist. He's an aesthete for Compton, a wordsmith hero for 21st century black America. The songs are legendary and will make this record endure for decades as a monument in the genre. AH RIN KIN KIN KIN

Pretty unimaginative beyond its two hit songs. They made better records at all stages of their career

All 4 members legitimately have a claim to have each written some of the greatest songs ever made, and all of their solo careers have something to offer. BotR is no exception. Several exceptional pop hits with still-excellent production all throughout

One of the easier 5s to give amongst the albums I've heard through this entire journey. I'm not sure how you could give it anything but. The music here is exceptionally unique (what record by anyone else sounds like this) but it still feels so central to Bowie's catalogue and his prior works. The music is experimental and bordering on avant-garde, but melodically the album is still super strong. This time while listening I noticed how excellent the performances from the session guys are here- Donny McCaslin on sax, Ben Monder on guitar, and especially Jason Lindner's incredible contributions on the keys: touching piano arrangements, fun retro synth lines, and haunting organ alike. The idea of this being an artistic swan song, his last statement before passing, is captured perfectly here. I think the mood really reflects his real-life feelings on his impending death extremely well. There's an anxious, doom-laden mood captured throughout, along with intense sadness and distance, combined with moments of happiness, beauty, and acceptance. It puts you into his headspace and really involves you (to the point where I can understand how this record could be too much for some). But wow- every song here still sounds so fantastic, the record never has a dull or immemorable moment. It really affected me this time, nearly to the point of tears on "I Can't Give Everything Away." I still remember the day he died. My dad was distraught. He introduced me to his favorite musician of all time when I was very young and we have shared many memories together bonding over David's artistry and contributions to not only music, but film, performance art, and aesthetics. He means a lot to me and always will. As someone online once said, it's a wonderful thing to have experienced life concurrent to such a wonderful artist making his footprint on the world, even if the overlap was brief. RIP David Bowie.

As per usual, a good set of songs mixed within a whole lot of filler. Do these guys have an album that isn't like 40 minutes too long? Flea and Rick Rubin are probably the best two parts of the record for me.

Opener was a really great song that I thought would set the tone. It's clear that these guys don't do ballads really well. The lyrics were kind of distractingly bad, as well. The entire thing is pretty generic following that opener, too. I didn't hate what I was listening to but was very unimpressed.

DATED AF The MC in this group just made me think of this the entire time: "Me and me blokes got some chips and biscuits for brekkie, innit???" When you make your music this many genres happening all at once, the music takes on a swampy, very forgettable quality it never quite surpasses.

I wasn't totally sold until "Garbageman" and "I Was a Teenage Werewolf." Yeah it basically is horror-movie "Be Bop a Lula" several times over and over again, but it is a pretty fun sound for 35 minutes.

I really like Miles Davis but I am not exactly sure the point of this record. The length does not really lend itself well to the non-melodic nature of the sounds contributed. The instrumentalists are giving 110 tho, and the production is so ahead of its time. I would feel remiss without giving those aspects some credit.

Perfection. Every instrument played on here basically sounds the best it ever sounded on an album ever. The production is to die for. The songwriting emphasizes everything in such a pristine and thoughtful way. The structure perfects the album structure, flowing naturally over its 38 minute runtime with attention given to tempo, arrangement, and keeping your attention peaked. The vocals are excellent, with beautiful harmonies and trading parts layered on top of crisp strings, lovely harp and organ, and cavernous back end percussion. Listened to this two separate times in 48 hours and was amazed both times. The best album I have heard thus far without a single doubt.

A serviceably energetic new wave record that maybe owes a bit too much to the Sex Pistols for me to say is anything more than just alright. A shame that I keep on 3ing my dad's favorites

Much better than Beggars Banquet because of its better production and livelier tunes. "Tumbling Dice" is the big one everyone remembers, for good reason, with its earworm backing vocals and groovy blues guitar lick.

Pac was a master of flow. He always sounded good on any track. The instrumentals here are a different story- they vary quite a bit on the entire thing and make the entire experience feel a bit dull and repetitive at times. That being said, there are quite a few classic 90s hip hop tracks here. The entire thing is produced well and his excellent mc skills elevate it. I think he's better-suited for a compilation, though.

Cool futuristic-sounding record that's a bit of a complicated mess, leaning a bit cluttered in its experimentation. If it hadn't, though, I imagine it would have been a boring new age mess instead, which would have been much worse. So I don't know if I want to give this a higher score for that reason. Oh well. Still a big Eno guy regardless.

You wouldn't know it from the other music I listen to, but I am a pretty big fan of Xtina's. Her vocals are so fantastic and she clearly invests a ton of stock into hiring qualified production technicians and session musicians on her records. This one is probably her best, with its throwback sound in tandem with plenty of 2000s pop staples like scratches and sampling. It all works really well, though- the pop hooks just keep coming on this thing, including "Ain't No Other Man," a classic mid-2000s pop banger, or "Still Drrty," a sequel to her 2002 smash that "cleans it up" fitting the album's aesthetic while still staying in the lane of the original. Despite the album's length, it maintains a really strong energy for its whole runtime.

Yep, track 2 is an excellent early rap song, and the cover is beyond iconic. But the homophobia and misogyny is a little hard to justify as satirical on this one, and the songs are significantly weaker the farther you get in the tracklist. Quite overrated if you ask me. It's actually kind of hilarious how bad the album gets. The last three tracks are almost unlistenable they're so terrible

This relisten confirmed how amazing “Slow Jamz” is. Such a pretty song with a ALL-TIMER Twista feature that epitomizes this “chipmunk soul” thing he had going at the early stages of his career. An example of what I would call “easy-listening” hip-hop. The whole album feels like that. It’s got such a good energy and the comedy bits don’t detract at all from that. I honestly find myself singing that chant at the end of “New Workout Plan” often. The only thing I don’t care for here is Freeway’s verse on “Two Words.” Skip.

Misleading cover art oh my gosh. Super upbeat sounding 80's new wave music, complete with corny (but not unlikeable) synth horns and drum sampling. I recognized a few tracks having been raised on the SiriusXM station "1st Wave" growing up and riding around in my dad's car. The vitriol on this website is way too unnecessarily harsh- this record was alright!

Cohesive and consistently engaging record where the Boss announces his oeuvre and delivers on each track with tight and thunderous instrumentation and vocals alike. Pretty much every track is a classic. "Born to Run" is a hallelujah of a rock song, and "Thunder Road" and "Jungleland" bookend the record as pillars of emotional, earnest songwriting.

"Forrest Gump had a lot going for him" is just one of the lyrical """"""""""""gems"""""""""" on this thing. Here's a few more just for good measure: "Someone bring the tacos" "I'm sorry I don't shave my legs" "My booty getting bigger even if it ain't" "You know I'm sensitive about having no booty" "I wanna take all of my hair down and let you lay in it" Talking more objectively, her vocals are strong and "Prom" is legitimately a good song. But the lyrics really ruin a lot of the decent aspects here. I guess I should have figured given the hook on her biggest hit is "I might kill my ex"

What a find! This is the kind of experience I was looking for when I started this musical journey. This album is such a distillation of the early 90s. It feels so homey, so comfortable. Like it's April 1993, you and your best buds and maybe your girlfriend are riding your bikes over to the lake after school and this is playing from someone's portable jukebox. I absolutely love the nostalgic feelings that exude from the carefree lyrics, the Smiths-esque guitar, and that organ that pops up every now and again. The song lengths are all so short but it's paced pretty well in terms of upbeat, faster tempos and slowing things down. Ending on their recognizable cover of "Mrs. Robinson" was a nice touch, too. Too bad about their singer being a POS, but it doesn't take away from how good the album was.

Extremely mid "i'm just a boy girls suck" music- just made me want to hear the Buzzcocks instead.

I liked it when they did more to incorporate their blues influences- the majority of this album is very straightforward AOR with some blues guitar thrown in. When they really dig into that Texas blues sound on tracks like “Waiting for the Bus” and the incredible “La Grange” they really unleash their full potential. Compilation band it seems

Exceedingly uninteresting and overlong Oasis soundalike record

Some classics here- "Paint it Black" and "Lady Jane" compete for the "greatest Stones song" designation, while the deep tracks are actually still pretty interesting- the over the top misogyny on "Stupid Girl" that's so brusque that it is actually really funny, the super ahead-of-its-time sounding "Under My Thumb," the 11-minute blues improv of "Goin' Home" or the catchy Motown-inspired "Out of Time." My favorite of the Stones records I've heard on the list so far.

I know I probably shouldn't like the "lyrical spiritual miracle" flow here but their voices are actually quite unique- especially Chali 2na, who sounds like if Keith David could rap. The hooks here tend to be pretty catchy, too. Solid skateboard-core rap. I was pretty impressed and would re-listen.

Completely shitty listening experience. The soundscapes sound unfinished, haphazard, hollow, and murky. So little care seems to have been taken to distribute the repetition effectively which results in each song getting mind-numbingly grating by minute 2.

Attention-grabbing intro track goes right into one of the coolest songs ever, "Heads Will Roll"; it's hard to find synthpop that sounds as badass as the massive drama those cascading synth lines + claps create. Karen O's vocal chops are consistently excellent across the album as well- she has a unique, punkish drawl combined with beautiful high vibrato.

The songs are pretty good, but inconsistent in quality where the title track and "And I Love Her" stand far above the rest. Not my favorite Beatles album

The band really stretch their wings trying a variety of styles and genres with quite a bit of success- jugband blues on "You Gotta Move," jazz fusion on "Can't You Hear Me Knocking," country pop on "Dead Flowers," and singer-songwriter on "Moonlight Mile." Only problem is the horrid "Brown Sugar" to open- the most racist classic rock song ever written?

In which the Bee Gees blow their load on Track 1 (a timeless track) and the other 42 minutes of ballads, while well-arranged in terms of its orchestral parts, go absolutely nowhere and feel like lesser versions of the Beatles and Roy Orbison

The songs are all individually pretty good, although variant in importance and enduring sound. A lot of it is pretty interchangeable with other bands of the time, save for a few outlying classics- "Dixie" and "Cripple"

It's good but not nearly as groundbreaking as I remember Funkadelic's stuff being. Track 1 is the best thing here by a country mile, it never quite reaches the personality showcased all over that track

As I get older I realize that Paul Simon is one of America's greatest musical gifts to the world- and yes, I realize that that statement neglects half the band (who is rightfully due some major props as well, do not get me wrong). I love all of PS' stuff and find this record so well put-together. Sounds fresh, artful but not difficult, and most of all, with messages that still resound today. "Old Friends" is incredibly moving, especially with its extended tape-recorded intro factored in. Everyone knows and [hopefully] loves "Mrs. Robinson," a song that encompasses the guarded, tentative optimism of the late 1960s. Bottom line- the record is timeless and excellent- a classic.

The album should have been just a collab between Astrud, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and Stan Getz. They all sound wonderful- particularly ACJ's little piano runs on these wonderfully chipper bossa nova tracks- count myself a new huge fan. Joao Gilberto, on the other hand, really ruins the vibe a lot of the time for me. His vocals are so nasally and whispery- I get that it's supposed to be a mellow sound but it bothers me like almost every song. I am really interested in diving in to Stan Getz and ACJ from here on, though!

Well hello there 5-star album #19. Great to see you again. This like time #20 listening to this album- having grown up with a father whose all-time favorite artist was Bowie. This album is really perfect. I wouldn't change a thing about its eerie, drugged-out blend of funk, pop, and progressive rock. I really like how well its album cover sets the tone for the grimy feel a lot of these songs feature. My favorite has always been the wild "TVC 15"- a bouncy track about an evil human-eating television set, but special mention needs to be made for the epic, multi-parted title track opener, one of Bowie's all-time best, plus the beautiful ballad "Wild is the Wind" (a Johnny Mathis(!) cover), and the insanely catchy "Golden Years." This record really shows that a talented artist can be driven by darkness to create something as magical, if not more so, than other classic works in their catalogue.

Not one of the most cohesive albums I’ve ever heard, but it wins me over through its sheer number of great songs. Last three songs especially were all complete slappers: the dance punk of “Watch the Tapes” the Kraftwerkian repetition on the title track and the beautiful and completely unique ballad “New York I Love You”

Really nice live jazz record with intentionally-included hiccups for effect. Would I listen again? Probably not.

Michael Jackson followed up the greatest pop album of all time with another really really great pop album. It's not perfect, but there are some amazing tracks all over the runtime here. Let's go through some! "Bad" and "The Way You Make Me Feel" are wonderful little California, summertime jams, excellently produced and crafted. Bet you didn't know the "Bad" music video was directed by Martin Scorsese!!! "Liberian Girl" was a song I had not heard since I was really young, and it still hit just the same. Just the right amount of 80s cheese with absolutely fantastic vocals from MJ. "Another Part of Me" is an underrated little synth-funk jam. "Man in the Mirror" is simply divine. This guy could write emotional ballads like nobody else could around this time. I was stunned to read that horrific bullshit sprawled across this album's page as it's "Top" review and find that someone out there hates this song. THIS ONE?! God that review sucks. For being the supposed "corny" one, "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" unexpectedly might be one of my favorites. The melodies are amazing, the vocal interchanges with Siedah Garrett are beautiful, and it's so deliciously 80s that I can't call it dated, for the simple fact that it still sounds super pleasurable to the ear. "Dirty Diana" was always one I said was overrated, but now I see the light on that one. It's the song the Weeknd created his entire career from (lol) and it's this grimy, dark take on the hair metal craze. Awesome song. And of course there's the classic "Smooth Criminal," one I don't think I like as much as most, but there's no denying how classic that song is. And closer "Leave Me Alone" properly ends things on a powerful (while still funky) note with bravado and seemingly some 4th-wall breaking commentary from Jackson directed at the paparazzi. "Speed Demon" and "Just Good Friends" are definitely filler and don't hit nearly as hard. Not bad songs, just nowhere near as good as the rest of the tracklist. As far as how this record compares to "Thriller," in all departments its predecessor is better, but that does not mean this is not also an excellent record.

Who hasn't heard "Take Me Out" at this point? I would venture a guess it's the most iconic rock track of the 2000s besides "Seven Nation Army." That track plus many others highlight this band's really huge strength- THE RIFFS. So many memorable ones all over this record. The production really accentuates them, too, which makes me really happy while listening. The vibes here are so infectious for a pretty perfectly paced 38 minutes.

Ah that Leonard Cohen... never met a note he could hit. I think this album would be great if basically anyone else had been singing it. I have to give it some credit because the songs are written quite well and the instrumentation is good but I cannot get over the monotone "wa-wa"-ing from Len.

I recognized his unique vocal stylings from his collaborations on movie scores with Hans Zimmer and Peter Gabriel. Let me be clear that I absolutely love world music and consume it weekly, so it is absolutely sad for me to say that this album did not work for me. I don't really find his performances elevate the material and the repetition gets a bit sparse midway through the track list. I prefer West African music with a bit more liveliness or danceability. I personally recommend checking out Youssou N'Dour, Diogal, or Doudou N'Diaye Rose if you are seeking out great Senegalese music!

Thank you to Milwaukee Ballet company for dancing to "the World is Yours" and introducing that song to me in 5th grade

“Papa” destroys everything else on this record that ends up being quite mediocre all things considered.

I was today years old when I found out that Nick Cave did the song Harry and Hermoine slow dance to in the seventh film. If NC had picked a lane and lessened the length by about 25-30 minutes, this could have been great. I liked the more listener-friendly style he had put himself into here on the majority of it. And then there's some "weird for the sake of being weird" songs that do nothing for me and just end up taking time.

Surprisingly excellent. Le Tigre proves you've gotta be melodically interesting and prioritize that to successfully deliver an overt political message in your music. Love the atmosphere on quite a few of these tracks. The guitar sound, while repeated quite a bit, gives the band an incredibly easy-to-pick-out sound. Vocal style of each member works, too. "Deceptacon" is the big one, but I also am very impartial to "Eau d'Bedroom Dancing" and "Hot Topic."

Love Ray Charles but didn't find this anything more than "nice." The arrangements are good, but not great, the songs good, not great. I think Ray's a compilation guy, unfortunately. Still a good listening experience, but I'm looking for his great stuff.

Good to know this was what he was up to in the offseason before winning three straight NBA championships

His vocals sometimes border on being too Robert Plant, the songwriting often leans a little bit too much on Paul McCartney worship- (I audibly said "c'mon now" at how McCartney-ish "We're Going to Be Friends" is). But I cannot deny some really great tracks appear here: "Fell in Love With a Girl," "The Union Forever," and "Offend in Every Way" being my favorites.

Pure 80s fun but I'm not sold on its inclusion on this list. Several iconic songs but also several more deserving of being called forgettable and/or filler.

Really don't understand why Quadrophenia is not on the list but this is, when it's largely a dry-run of the "rock opera"/broadway-esque sound they continued to pursue on that record. Its successor has an easier to follow story, better lyrics, instrumental parts, and more memorable motifs throughout. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of big swings here and some aspects are done quite well, but it does not fully earn its length and was surpassed by a record largely of the same vein and style so I don't consider it essential Who.

"Buffalo Stance" is a very very cool track, treading this line between being dated (80s rap flow and record scratches) and timeless (house instrumental and keytar samples on the hook). I really love it. Same goes for its following track, "Manchild" which instantaneously springs to mind images of an underground 90s grotto club with its massive sound. Ultimately I really enjoy the vibe the album strikes in spite of some clunker tracks. She carries a great energy that is really boosted by the Massive Attack instrumentals.

I cannot stand the vocal diction ("____-ah" on every single word), and in combination with the obnoxiously-mixed low end, make this one of the worst things I've heard while doing this. A few moments where I was not hating what I was hearing does not make it any less terrible overall.

A couple of her greatest tracks reside on this record, but the sound is a bit unfocused overall here. Am I supposed to feel sorrow? Angry? Braggadocious ambivalence? I like Fiona's style when it's more well-defined.

Neil Young's "drunken hour" album. A couple of really nice singer-songwriter tunes and some tasty Nils Lofgren slide guitar, but not much to chew on overall.

Pretty consistently entertaining. Production still sounds really cool and her flow (seemingly a mix of Indian subcontinent Filmi vocal style and Missy Elliott-esque street swagger) is perfect. Liked it a lot and would probably still enjoy a second time!

Absorbing music that absolutely achieves its goal of sounding like a "dream" from the shimmering guitars to her inscrutable lyrics. Every song is great!

Really really great folk album that showcases 4 great songwriters putting together a great mixture of some of their strongest stuff. There's like 7 classics in a row on this thing. The finale track is kind of a bad ending, though.

Dr. Dre kills it, the raps are pretty good, and there's a couple really killer songs. Only problems here are its length and the repetitive nature of the lyrics

Without "Games Without Frontiers" this would not have the reputation it has. Much of the album is clunky and the musicians (Fripp and Levin) are unfairly pushed to the background production-wise, making the entire thing ultimately mediocre

Iconic album, down to its cover. "I Talk to the Wind" has always been my favorite song here. The extensive jazz influence on the tracks here separates it from other prog records, most often to its success, but unfortunately to its detriment on "Moonchild," a meandering mess. I think without that clunker it would be their very best album!

UB40 was once a socially-conscious bent reggae group before they were doing reggae covers of classic pop songs. I, contrary to hipster opinion, enjoy both eras of the band, and often forget how much I enjoy their stuff. It's not nearly as cornbread as a lot of "whiteboy reggae" tends to be- you can tell they came up in the new wave scene and they're not trying to sound "black" like many try to. This record is so early 80s, but the songs are all extremely easy to enjoy- "chilled out" would be an understatement- while still feeling politically-pronounced.

HELL YES SYNTHPOP LET'S GO Excellent soundscapes and equally excellent catchy melodies across the entire thing. Will easily return here many times over. The synthesizers are loud but never corny and really mesh without sounding like a blur thanks to some keen production from Shep Pettibone. Also that Ennio Morricone collab halfway through?!!! Had no idea about that, gah damn.

I am much more interested in the female vocalists than Dave Longstreth's stuff here. The strings are cool. "Stillness is the Move" is undoubtedly a fantastic song. I find myself humming that chorus a lot (thanks NBA 2K13 for introducing me to that one). The production really cranks up the space in between the instruments and the vocals which makes it feel somewhat tense and intimate. Liked it, did not love it.

But you see it’s too late- I’ve already listened to the Chad Ruben “Vibe Master” Blades while you’re still listening to the Virgin Bad Bunny

Really wanted to like this. I dig Will Oldham's vibe and the indie Americana thing he pushes, but this was just pale wallpaper music for me. No real big swings musically, lyrically, or sonically.

Fun concept, a fun listen, but largely feels like the band is screwing around and the big tracks are largely distant from the album as a whole. When 80% of the record feel like one-off half-joking demos it makes songs like "Maryanne" and "I Can See For Miles" feel like they would have been better suited on an EP.

Bowie and Luther Vandross with some bits and pieces of Lennon ends up being a pretty good record, all things considered, but not one I would rank as one of his all-timers. Couple of tracks here go nowhere (I'm looking at you, "Across the Universe") and there's only so much the title track and "Fame" can do.

s/o to the oscillating fan the vocals were recorded through

Pretty ahead-of-its-time sound, with pleasant vocals from both singers. Was sad to read they divorced a decade after making this together :( Make no mistake, this is a pretty good record, just not one I can see myself returning to.

"Take on Me" is one of the greatest songs ever and single-handedly brings this up several notches. The rest of the album is all pleasant, but I would not consider this quintessential new wave listening.

BOOBA Forward-thinking controlled aggression. Production kind of wavers in quality but the songs all still sound very fresh. And yes, "Where Is My Mind?" transcends its "overplayed" status many times over- that song is gigantic (no pun intended, also a good song lol).

Unexpectedly excellent, and seemingly an predecessor of the "chillwave" sound that become increasingly popular through the late 2000s until the mid-2010s. I enjoyed the carefree, quirky (but not twee) energy here. Lots of very catchy choruses, and nice bits of organic instrumentation. Surpasses its awful album cover.

Yeah it's seemingly impenetrable artsy shit, but there's just a lot of fantastic instrumental sounds here that have aged so well. I'm glad I gave it a second chance, bc the first listen resulted in a lot of shoulder-shrugging. I like how Ian Curtis and co. synthesize a lot of influences- Bowie, the Doors, King Crimson, Iggy Pop, Gary Numan, and the Police.

A live album that bares all: Johnny's spirit, oeuvre, attitude, and his incredible singing voice. The double "San Quentin" run is the highlight for me.

Once again I find very little enjoyment from these tedious sparse arrangements that highlight his extremely dull and joyless voice. Wasn't as bad as Pink Moon but still an album I can safely say I will never listen to again.

The dumbass who wrote the top review (also trying oh so hard to be so cleverly dismissive) claiming this is "the British [borrowing] Indian flavors" was one simple Wikipedia search away from reading the singer is Indian. The morons on this site never cease to amaze me. As for the record itself, I think it's okay. Anything world fusion will bring something up a notch by default for me, I think, but the dated scratches and Noel Gallagher ripoff vocals are big detractors that ultimately render the experience of listening to it a great big "ho hum" overall. By the time I was hearing that one sample repeating "turkey gravy" over and over again I was done.

I imagine a whole lot of Gen X babies were created while listening to "Savoir Faire-" what a smooth-ass song that is. Of course there are several classics here- "Le Freak," "I Want Your Love." Luther Vandross appearing here was a nice touch. Everything sounds really great, honestly. I would relisten and probably still enjoy.

What a terrible loss Amy Winehouse was. To me, this record was all about Amy's potential. She dabbles in about 12 different genres, most often in this "Sarah Vaughan meets rap soul" thing that works better on her successor album. That album, too, really hits the big choruses often where this one is not as melodic.

So flagrantly unappealing- non-melodious and repetitive, overlong and dated. The instrumentals were weak. The verses were so uncharismatic. The gimmick works when the entire WTC are together. Favoring one member over the rest results in tedious garbage like this

A lovely techno record that feels like it bridges the gap between the Pet Shop Boys, the Art of Noise, and Aphex Twin. "Donkey Doctor" is probably the best track, but the sounds throughout are all successful.

Pretty great songwriting- not a whole lot melodically so I am kind of uninterested overall, but you'd be a fool to deny he was a talented lyricist and guitarist.

Fantastic opener followed by one of the greatest pop songs ever written ("Solsbury Hill"). The rest of the album, while never bad, is a mess of non-cohesive ideas, ranging from very lovely ambient pop ("Humdrum") to epic prog ("Here Comes the Flood") with some less great tracks in between. He would find his sound more definitively later on.

Without the spoken word parts, this might have been good. I get that they are meant to be satirical, but they still aren't funny in spite of that. Plus, the humor of the lyrics is very much lost on me, and his lounge lizard-meets-David Bowie vocals get old by track 4.

Scattered thoughts: - "Go Cry on Somebody Else's Shoulder" had me laughing several times. Very funny parody of doo-wop. - The whole thing is actually pretty standard psych rock, produced well, sung well, and played well, with little bits of weirdness creeping in. Zappa always did just enough to show you he really could have been commercially successful, but just chose not to/avoided it intentionally. This album really exemplifies that. - "How Could I Be Such a Fool?" is great. Could totally see Teddy Pendergrass or somebody singing it. - The last three tracks are where things get really weird. "Help I'm a Rock" has this nervous free-form jazz energy. Still pretty funny, though, and same with the following a capella track (lol) especially "GONNA GET A TV DINNER AND COOK IT UP." "Monster Magnet," however, is so strange that it's somewhat scary, which I imagine was the intent. Overall, very enjoyable experimental rock record. Ween would not exist without stuff like this.

"The Fly" and "Mysterious Ways" are pretty good, but the de-accentuation of The Edge makes the record ultimately very blah to me

Engaging, melodic, and upbeat alt rock that is easily relistenable due to its perfect length.

I like JT and the album is nice overall, especially its contributions from Janet Jackson and Timbaland, but there's a lot of filler here. I think any one of his next three records probably would have been better inclusions.

Every record I hear by the almighty Zep, I am reminded that they are one of the greatest bands ever. Not a poor song to be found on this one. My favorites are "What Is and What Should Never Be," with its fuzzy, soft-rock solo, "Thank You" with its warbling, almost classical-sounding organ, and the classic riff duo tracks "Heartbreaker/Living Loving Maid"

ITS DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARE "Step On" is a neat track, but the rest of the album does not leave any impression, often feeling repetitive and a tad obnoxious (i.e. the Eurodance vocal samples that randomly pop up 2/3 through????)

She sounds so much like Karen O on this record it's kind of insane. I like the folksy/indie vibe she was going for here, but I don't think the songwriting was as strong overall here as it was on SFTCSFTS, where each track had a catchy chorus or strong instrumental part of some kind

Jazz rap's response to Public Enemy. Is this the worst great band name of all time, or the best terrible band name of all time? The lyrics are good, and beats alright, but I don't feel like Michael Franti really gets himself out of the hole that his repetitive, dated, monotone flow puts him in

Iconic art rock record that works in essentially every aspect. Hypnotic, beautiful, epic, pastoral alike. The gorgeous ballad "And Dream of Sheep" and march-tempoed "Cloudbusting" are my favorite two tracks.

40 minutes of very fun punk rock. The attitude is loose, but not the production or the performances, which are stellar. I look forward to looking further into this band- had no idea they were Scandinavian! Key track here was the immensely catchy "Zillion Dollar Sadist"

Didn't last long before I hit another landmark album on this list. It's actually insane how amazing each song is here. The performances really contribute to the entire album's flow and memorability, in addition to the catchy-ass choruses everywhere! If I had to pick a favorite, it's probably unexpectedly the deep track "Home At Last" with its infectious rhythm and out-of-this-world smooth guitar solo. I love this band so much now.

Pretty iconic stamp of a record that defines the American mid-80s and the headspace of the people at that time, from its iconic Annie Leibovitz cover photo to its infusion of synthesizers and maximalist 80s production (which may not be perfect but certainly recognizable). A pretty huge risk on Bruce's part to really take a bite out of the trendy sounds of the time, but he really gets them correct, especially on the synthpop "Dancing in the Dark," proto-Orbison revival "I'm on Fire," and the tejano rock "I'm Goin' Down."

Extremely complex, yet still expertly grounded. "Nude" is a stunning ambient pop gem, "Weird Fishes" is this Midwest emo meets Krautrock explosion of bright pastel color, the uber-downtempo "All I Need." The entire thing is really striking and ultimately their most beautiful album. I see the light on this album. It is a landmark art rock record for the 2000s as a decade. It distills what makes this band special into a very tight listening experience devoid of any real filler or less seen through aspects.

Some records are deserving of critical re-assessment when the pop culture zeitgeist dies down. I am not so sure this is one of them. I don't need to hear "Shake it Off" or "Bad Blood" ever again. I gave it a chance- I can admit that "Style" is a pretty great track, with a lot going on in the mix. Very Carly Rae Jepsen. It's not a bad album- it's a standard pop record with filler making up a good portion of the tracklist. Thanks for spoiling the run of 4 and 5s, Taylor.

Opening track sounds like an exact 50/50 Def Leppard/Deep Purple castoff. It's pretty fun IG, same goes for the following tracks "Yu-Gi-Oh! The Card Game" and certified white people national anthem "Squidward on a Chair." After that we get into some really bad territory with some horrible Ozzy and Def Leppard worship tracks that should have been left in 1986 In all seriousness though, Richie Sambora really elevates this- he is a fantastic guitarist. "Wanted Dead Or Alive" is this band's crowning achievement, one of the best glam rock tracks of the decade.

It's a Neil Young album. It's got guitar twanging and great songwriting aplenty, but it did not wow me.

A few too many lyrical cliches and stale arrangements detract from her stunning vocal chops

Is Mike Mills rock's greatest backing vocalist? I sure think so. This is a really good record of material from one of my favorite bands. I think side two is significantly tonally different from Side One's calming/uptempo feel- one's mileage will vary based on if that switch up to darker material on side two (announced firmly with big single "Orange Crush") works or not. I like it a lot.

Back when Iron Maiden had a punk flair and a different singer (RIP Paul), but they were still an absolutely killer (no pun intended) band. Fantastic songs abound on this thing, with exceptional guitar work on the more epic tracks, the ballads, and the hook-driven shorter songs alike. This record is amongst my favorites in their discography and I'm glad Paul seems to be getting his due for the most part in the many years since his contributions to what is perhaps the greatest metal band of all time.

GOOD FOR TUBERCULOSIS The title track is a stone-cold classic, but I find the rest of the album pretty generic by comparison. He has a ton of good songs on his other albums, though- check out "You Gotta Walk," his cover of "Johnny B Goode," and the iconic "Mystery Babylon."

Boring and unpleasant in equal measure. Production did nothing for me, felt like a corporation's attempt at recreating Sigur Ros' Agaetis Byrjun. The "Moonchild" interpolation was weird and unneccessary. The supposed "big" singles were snoozers

Kind of strange how much better "Our House" is than everything else. Not to say the rest is bad, just kind of messy and uncatchy.

A tentpole reggae release if there ever was one. So many iconic songs dot the tracklist. Marley truly excelled and brought the genre to so many new listeners because of his versatility, charm, and genuinely far-reaching lyricism. While I feel the record has some pacing issues overall, it is undeniable how important this album is to popular music history.

Consistently pretty and thoughtfully-composed folk pop that provides an easily returnable listening experience. Vocally the off-kilter style really befits the light instrumentation with small flourishes of orchestral flair. Each track works and the record really reminds me of the feeling at the end of the movie "Before Sunrise-" like you've spent hours with a beautiful woman but have to leave her soon and the feeling is creeping up. A new favorite record!

A bit too Bowie sound-alike for my taste. Good tracks and production overall, but I prefer their later records

Staggering riffs, soaring vocals, gigantic drum hits- this is a stone-cold classic metal release. To imbue metal music with this much of a pop sound without losing what makes this band special, with this much care given to a diverse sound (from balladry, to chorus-driven bangers, to slow chuggers, to fast thrash tracks)- there is no denying the power of the Black Album. I love each and every song, and to show that, I'm going to "rank 'em all" here and give a little blurb about why each one works: 12. "The Struggle Within"- military drums at beginning firmly anchor this in the Persian Gulf-era 11. "Don't Tread On Me"- an infectious chorus 10. "Through the Never"- that riff at the end is an all-timer 9. "Enter Sandman"- a classic? yes. but there are even better tracks 8. "The God That Failed"- great bass work and lyrical content 7. "Wherever I May Roam"- sitar intro???? YES 6. "Holier Than Thou"- the pissed-off feeling/attitude permeating from this one has always stuck with me 5. "The Unforgiven"- have always been drawn to the excellent vocal perf on this and 1997's part II in the same series 4. "Sad But True"- it's just so badass- so deliberately dramatic with those drum entrances and insanely well-produced guitar solo work 3. "Of Wolf and Man"- Catchy but still heavy- this one has aged really well production-wise and essentially launched Avenged Sevenfold's entire sound 2. "My Friend of Misery"- that atmospheric section in the middle with the reverb-y guitar laid over the orchestra is just orgasmic 1. "Nothing Else Matters"- a haunting piece of legitimately epic songwriting like no other in the power ballad oeuvre

A few years older, a few years less cutting-edge for a great band. Don't get me wrong, there's several ones to remember- "Velouria," "Cecilia Ann" at the top of that list. But a lot of what made the band special only two years earlier has been lost and really stripped of its ingenuity in favor of a slicker sound.

I've always had fond memories of listening to Buck's music having been raised a stalwart Dwight Yoakam fan from an early age. I recognize his importance to the Bakersfield sound, and really love his emphasis on steel guitar slides. The songs really don't leave too much of an impact beyond being upbeat and snappy. I'll be listening to a compilation of his big tracks at some point and most likely enjoy that much more as a record.

Solid in all aspects. Don't think I'll really remember much from it- he sounded really good doing this folk style, though.

Love this band and the launch point for their career, “Rock Lobster,” which is a shockingly popular song for its vast experimentation and singular sound. The rest of the album is quite a bit less subversive and as such doesn’t affect me.

Made me want to rewatch Trainspotting- just saturated with 90s British club vibes. Disjointed, though, in structure (is it a transitioning DJ mix or an album of distinct tracks) and in sounds (is it dissonant or supposed to be grooving)

Good proto-grunge from the father of the genre. Just way too long. A few really good tracks do not make it earn its length

"G Thang" is one of the most iconic rap songs ever, and I am impartial to the echoey hook on "Lil Ghetto Boy" but the rest of the album is GARBAGE. Especially the extremely unfunny and unimaginative skits. Overrated!

A fantastic vocalist who makes some fantastic contributions to Peter Gabriel's wonderful soundtrack to the 1989 film "The Last Temptation of Christ." These songs are all really good but don't have much applicability outside of their religious context for me to give this more than an objective 3. I think some of his earlier records might be better.

"Cybele's Reverie" is just a nice, breezy jam, as many of these songs are, bordering on a neo-psychedelia sound, with pleasant vocal delivery and bouncy, rhythmic looping/tape editing. This is yet another album, however, that does not earn the extended length. Cut 20 minutes from this and it's a really, really great record. At 57:15, I tire out about halfway through.

Did not really care for any tracks until "Streets of Berlin" then I saw who wrote it and was like "oh that's why haha." Couldn't really figure out if I liked her vocals or not. I think they just might not have been my thing.

Willie does not stretch any limits in any sense here. Songs are all sort of within the same headspace of calming mood pieces, and everything is pleasant without striking any memorable chords.

A record that I've always felt had some big issues- the glam stuff feels a bit like old hat after it reached its pinnacle on Ziggy. He begins to touch on an experimental sound here, but it's not explored enough to make the entire experience feel cohesive. The production is fantastic, and the musicianship top-notch (I see you Mick Ronson). This re-listen only solidified, however, just how inconsistent the songs are. For every smile and thumbs up I give songs like "Panic in Detroit" and "Lady Grinning Soul," I raise an eyebrow at the messiness of "Cracked Actor" and "Let's Spend the Night Together." A good album, but not a great one.

A mixture of jazz and new wave sounds really cool on paper but this was such a snoozefest. The instrumentation and vocals were extremely bland. No dynamic variation, no pace changing. Flat throughout

Anything less than a 5 is blasphemy.

I wouldn't consider myself a huge fan or anything, but it's ridiculous to deny an album its deserved praise when every song is as good as this record shows. Rhythm section here does a lot of really cool accelerating/decelerating tempo stuff on many of these tracks and the melodies on the ballads and rock tracks alike stick in the ear like clockwork.

I've always thought the religious commentary and the shouty, crustier material the weakest aspects of this group. That's pretty much the vast majority of this record. I will echo thousands of others and say Toxicity should have been the representative album for SOAD. The sound gets stale early, the production has aged poorly, the edginess is not offset like on their later records (or even on Serj's underrated solo projects). Bad record. Why do people like "Sugar" so much? God that song is annoying as fuck

A "sellout" record that actually encapsulates within it what makes the primary artist so special. His vocal perf on "Red Rain" is stirring. The infinitely catchy "Sledgehammer" just seems to keep getting better as it goes on [plus an amazing award-winning music video to accompany!]. His beautiful collaboration with Kate Bush on "Don't Give Up" has helped me immensely many times when I've been in the throes. The Duran Duran-inspired "Big Time" is so musically complex with a fantastic bass perf from Tony Levin. The Laurie Anderson collab "This is the Picture" really balances a zany avant-garde sensibility with the new wave sound he was going for. And of course "In Your Eyes" lights up the tracklist as a wonderful closer complete with a stunning, climactic cameo turn from Youssou N' Dour. I would say this is his best record bar none. No bad tracks anywhere on it.

I dig the sound of a lot of these tracks but I feel consistently distracted by David Byrne's yelping. Not a bad album once again I don't ever need to listen to it again.

Solid hard rock record (made me want to watch Maximum Overdrive again lol) with pretty much a perfect first side. The music ain't high art, but for its purpose, it's exactly what you need, from both a production and songwriting perspective. I like "Touch Too Much" the most.

Corny, overtly strange, dated, boring garbage. Get it FAR away from me

me when I have brown sugar all over my booger wooger

Informed quite a bit of popular music in the early 2010s, for sure, but the songs are frustratingly inconsistent, with many being extremely generic (never bad, though). Guitar work is alright, but never very boundary-pushing, except for "Go-Getter," which reminded me of Tame Impala. "Howlin' for You" is the best song here, amongst the better rock tracks of the decade.

It was not as bad as people were claiming it to be on here, but its inclusion on the list is truly mystifying because it is not a good record, that's for sure. Messy, boring, and immemorable.

A good record; though one that leans a bit too much on its influences (Kinks, David Bowie, The Replacements) and needs some of its middling fluff cut out, but has a few notable tracks: "Clover over Dover," "Badhead," and "Girls and Boys."

Front to back solid with some classics across its 50 min runtime

"That's Entertainment" is a fantastic new wave track- esp. that cool reversed guitar that pops up sparingly in the background (and on a few others). The rest of the album? S'okay. No bad songs. I do really like Paul Weller as a singer and the instrumentation is good, but paling in comparison to the Police who they are often compared with.

An absolute party from start to finish. Super ahead of its time with several bangers within different sounds and moods. My favorites were the sublimely catchy "Warrior in Woolworths," "Identity" with its earworm riff, and the proto-thrash metal "I Am a Poseur." Sax punk is a cool sound that should have been bigger than it was.

Classic upon classic upon classic- "Smack," "Breathe," "Funky Shit," "Mindfields," "Firestarter." A very impactful album on my life- I remember discovering it in middle school and thinking how "underground" it was to listen to because it treaded into some edgy territory lyrically. The album still sounds so awesome and informed much of what happened in the years following in the dance music scene both across the pond and in the US alike.

the good: Colin Stetson appearance!!! Synth outro on "Crying" was cool. "Family Tree" is a pretty song. the bad: Some of these songs were very annoying. Just loud, unappealing noise. Vocalist works much better on the slower, more atmospheric songs, which seems kind of strange considering their biggest (and probably best) song is an uptempo rock number. Ends up being extremely blah at the end of the day.

The singular showcase album for one of the greatest guitarists ever. Such smooth, lyrical, and expressive playing- he makes the instrument sound so cool. "Do You Feel Like We Do" remains one of the greatest songs ever for me- a legendary 14-minutes of 70s rock heaven. There are some ludicrous and laughable reviews on this website complaining that it's a live album as if that's a bad thing? The dynamism and sparks of energy exuding from these songs are made possible because it's a live album!