Absolutely incredible lyricism paired with an excellent voice that paints the picture of being on the road, isolation and love as clear as day. I just wish each song was trimmed by a few minutes since they can drag on for quite a while, which overall hampers my impression of this album. Still a great listen nonetheless, Hejira the song is absolutely a standout too!
Politically charged and filled with songs that stick with you like an earworm, Natty Dread really shows how effectively Bob Marley can hook you into themes of revolution and social commentary with both simple yet powerful lyrics that are constantly drilled into you during the length of this album.
Bob Marley has always has had incredibly catchy songs, but No Woman No Cry is where I feel he's at his strongest. I first listened to the live version of this song, which is where I feel it's at its best, but the Album version still lives up to this praise and is a song that stands out above the rest.
Unfortunately for me, Reggae is always a genre where you need to be in a certain mood to listen to, and while some songs land that perfect length of time, others may drag on a bit too long and can be a bit too repetitive for my taste. Still, that shouldn't take away from how consistently solid this album is all throughout.
When people talk about the classics, this is really what they must be referring to. Each song is perfectly crafted to make you want to move and dance along, and there's just this energy that just naturally brings a smile.
The negatives of this album really boils down to two things however:
1. Some of these songs can be a bit repetitive. Given the songs are all relatively short and fast paced however, this feels more of a nitpick compared to how fun they can be.
2. The album itself feels both dated while also not dated at the same time. While every song is great, none of these are songs are ones I necessarily want in something like my everyday playlist. I can't really hold this against the album however, as this is effectively the Ground Zero of what Rock & Roll would become, and laid a solid foundation for countless artists to come.
While others have certainly done it better, this is a consistent and monumental album with no real skips to it, and is well deserving of its spot on this list.
I'll start off by saying this album is super damn funky, mixing the best of samba and soul music to create what may be a masterpiece. It's an album that not just made me tap my feet to the beat, but actually made me get up and swing to the rhythm.
Being an album in Portuguese, there's naturally a language barrier for those that don't know the language. Still, the instrumentation keeps you hooked the entire way through, and he has such a passionate vocal performance that perfectly compliments nearly every song, to the point where it just leaves you with a smile.
Fortunately, there are quite a few English translations to this album you can find online (Special thanks to robert4289 and hakubin from lyricstranslate), which shows that this album is practically his love letter and celebration to Afro-Brazilian culture. When he does tackle themes such as racism in Brazil, he does so in such a positive light, instead focusing on the love for soccer, the children of Brazil, and the history, as if to encourage a sense of solidarity with both Africa and Brazil to show how much they've grown from those darker times.
Overall, this is a really fun listen I can't recommend enough. It marks itself above its contemporary by simply being infectiously compassionate and having an incredible ensemble to support this kindness.
"Salve, simpatia!" Greetings, Kindness!
This is the first Iggy Pop album I’ve ever heard, and it’s honestly made quite a great impression on me. Coming fresh off of his previous album, The Idiot, this was a a period of time where Iggy was trying to grow more independent from Bowie in his songwriting, pushing his own Punk Rock, rather than sticking with Bowie’s style of art rock. Of course, there’s some elements of these songs that feels like it wears his influence on its sleeves, but overall this album feels heavier than the average Bowie album of the time.
After years of addiction for not just him, but also Bowie as well. It feels like a majority of these songs are rehabilitation for Iggy, an acknowledgement of his previous drug addiction, and a way for him to express his frustrations at this previous point in his life so he can move on.
Unfortunately, there are a few pacing issues with some of the songs on this album, going on a tad bit too long, and Sixteen isn’t my cup of tea, souring a bit of the experience for me.
Plain and simple though, Lust for Life feels like a therapy album for Iggy in the best way possible. An absolutely monumental album for him that made him stand out much more in the industry, proving his potential as a solo artist, rather than making it seem like he’s been riding on the coattails of Bowie’s involvement in the studio.
The Beatles needs no introduction when it comes to their influence on the industry, but Sgt Pepper is one of their magnum opuses to the world. Challenged and inspired by the psychedelic sound of the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, this album takes the tight rhythm and lyricism that Rubber Soul and Revolver had and cranks it up to overdrive.
Variety is the name of the game here, and it’s what makes this album so relistenable. It’s like the musical manifestation of the feeling you get traveling around the world, in the sense that there’s always something new to hear. Whether it be from the truly psychedelic nature of songs like Within You Without You and Lucy in the Sky, the tender warmth the strings in She’s Leaving Home has, or the live feeling that sets the whole thing up, Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the album sets itself as a melting pot of ideas that each song flawlessly executes. There’s really no song that treads the same ground whatsoever (Besides Sgt Pepper Reprise), and there’s always something new and groundbreaking that hooks you in.
When it comes to pacing, there’s practically no album that’s as tightly packed as this one. It’s only a 40 minute listen, but it really feels like it’s longer because of how well it makes the most out of its run time. Each song has more than enough room to breathe, doesn’t overstay its welcome, and more importantly, tells the story it wants to tell.
For me personally, it’s my 2nd favorite studio Beatles Album, and the album everyone thinks about when you even mention the Beatles. There’s no better sampler platter of what makes these guys special, and deserves all the praise it gets.
This being one of the few Bowie albums I haven’t gotten to as of yet, I came in with really high hopes. Being a direct follow up to Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane is Bowie’s first studio album where he’s releasing it after he’s finally made it big. Through his new persona, we get to see what he thinks of the rockstar life, and how it’s affected him so far.
The opening song Watch That Man is such a foot tapper, and the Piano solo in the title track is so absolutely chaotic, it’s an embodiment of the anagram Bowie chose for this character, “A Lad Insane”. Time and Lady Grinning Soul steal the show for me, both songs that feel like parallels Rock n Roll suicide and Soul Love respectively: How do I not become obscure, reinvent myself with Time, and what is love and loving someone contrasting Aladdin’s urge to give in to primal desires in Lady Grinning Soul.
While I can give individual songs their own praise, as a whole this album feels like a sum of its parts rather than a complete story, which is something I didn’t expect out of a Bowie release in the 70’s after both Life on Mars and Ziggy. It’s more of a concept album in my eyes, with loose themes of being a rock and roll star tying the whole thing together.
The album doesn’t feel as tight as some of Bowie’s other albums, and while I currently don’t think it reaches the highs that his earlier works had, it’s still a great listen throughout its runtime, and is possibly the Black Sheep out of this era in his career.
As a spinoff to the Arctic Monkeys, rather than continuing the indie rock style they’ve been known for, The Last Shadow Puppets instead takes inspiration from Rock in the 60’s and 70’s. This project was formed after band mates Alex Turner and Miles Kane both talked about their love for Bowie’s Soul Love after all, and in some ways, this album feels like a love letter to this era in time.
Going into this album, I was already familiar with two of the songs on here: My Mistakes Were Made for You and the Meeting Place. Finishing up my album listen, I still think these two are by far the best on the record, but all the other songs feel really replayable, to the point where on my 3rd listen, I was singing to some of these while running.
Still, sometimes the lyrics for some of these songs can feel like a cheap imitation of the pop-rock influences they drew from, and if you’re not willing to play along with the album knowing this, it may sour the experience.
This album is by no means revolutionary to the industry compared to some of the albums I’ve been listening to up to this point, but it’s a fun album with a good portion of catchy and replayable songs, and that’s what music should be all about.
I don't think I've been more disappointed in this list than when listening to Sail Away. Not at all because Randy Newman is a bad singer or songwriter, but rather, it's because this feels like such an OK album. I usually give each album a fair shot by listening to it twice, once for first impressions and another to really analyze the lyrics, but this is genuinely the first time I've tried putting off my relisten before finally biting the bullet on it.
Half of the instrumentals on this album feels either somewhat dated or doesn't have enough of a hook to keep me invested for the whole runtime, which is baffling to say to an Orchestral Pop album. The lyrics on the otherhand can be so damn impactful and are by far the best part of the 30 minute runtime. Political Science is possibly the best song on the tracklist as a result, being tongue-in-cheek about how much of an ego the USA has, while also being pretty damn catchy.
The best I can say is that this album sounds nostalgic, even on its first listen. However, that feeling can only get you so far, and it results in an album that was practically made for me to not think too fondly of.
90's Hip Hop is something I have next to no experience with, so listening to The Score leaves such a high first impression that it makes me wanna go back to listen to this era of music.
On first listen, I thought the intro was a bit weak and thought I wouldn't enjoy the rest, but upon a relisten, it may actually be one of my favs on the whole album. It references practically the whole album in one way or another, kinda like what you'd expect an Overture to do. Meanwhile the Score (song) does something similar, except rather than referencing, flat out samples these songs as a part of the main chorus instead. It gives a sense of interconnectivity to the album, like the Hip Hop equivalent of a Rock Opera.
The skits throughout put on throughout the runtime are also pretty great, either serving as a nice transition between songs to keep the flow going, or just to break up the pace to show the artist's sense of humor, like reaching out to the listener to give a behind the scenes look at their personality.
As for the songs, I'd say Ready or Not is my favorite, with Lauryn Hill practically stealing the show with her bridge each time. It’s possibly the definitive song on the album in my eyes, mainly because of how much it puts a Hip-Hop spin on a classic. No Woman No Cry and Killing Me Softly both being covers do something similar, but rather than making a new song off of retreaded old ground, they instead ad lib new parts to these songs instead to give it a new flare.
All in all, this feels like an incredible jumping off point for this era in Hip-Hop, and one I'll be revisiting in the near future.
The track listing here is so weird on streaming platforms, it puts two singles that weren’t included in the original release up first. They’re fine singles on their own, short and simple, but ultimately don’t leave me wanting for more. These weren’t accounted for when rating this album, but rather for added context as others are bound to see something similar when first listening to this album.
Tangent aside, the album really begins with Lost Woman, and sets the tone really well for what to expect for the rest of the album. That being said, if you’re not a fan of this song, there’s a good chance you won’t like the rest of this album.
All the songs are short and get right to the point, really not wasting too much time. Farewell stands out here, being a great palette cleanser for the middle of the album. It’s short, sweet and honestly adorable, and on a Vinyl it’d mark the end of Side A on a rather tame note.
By the halfway point of almost every single one of these songs however, you get a sense of “ok I get it, now what’ll they do to switch things up?” And the answer is mostly that they won’t do much to blow your mind. Songs feel repetitive as a result, and it doesn’t leave a lasting impression whatsoever.
This album is solid, and for being one of the pioneers to psychedelic rock, it sets the groundwork for artists to come. Still, the album feels like it lacks the substance it needs to distinguish itself from its contemporaries, making it feel dated while still being a fine enough album.
I vaguely knew 10cc, mainly from songs like “I’m Not in Love” and “The Things We Do For Love”, so going in I was expecting a tone in a similar vein to these. My first listen proved otherwise however, and I thought it was completely chaotic, and just average at best. As I began to give it more of a chance on my registers however, I started humming along to the tunes, to straight up memorizing the lyrics by my 3rd listen.
A majority of the songs may sound a bit goofy, especially with some of their stories they wanna tell, but look beyond that and you’ll find some really sonically nuanced songs. Clockwork Creep for example is absolutely unhinged, placing you in the perspective of a time bomb on a plane, but the instruments all perfectly compliment the tension of it with a super fast paced rhythm that you can’t help but tap your feet to it.
There’s a ton of variety and not knowing what comes next is such a refreshing breath of fresh air compared to other entries in this list. This album took a couple of listens to really appreciate, and it’s far from a perfect album, but needless to say I’m now a fan. It’s like if you had an album full of oddballs like Maxwell’s Silver Hammer in how outlandish these songs are, while being so perfectly coherent you can’t help but be entranced by it.
Just like the name implies, this album gives you the same type of feeling you get randomly scrolling through the TV in the middle of the night, channel-surfing through the different experiences that Ocean both heard about and lived through.
The album itself can feel a bit disorganized as a result, lacking a consistent theme to tie it all together, but that doesn't take away from some of the peaks on this album. Pyramid is a 10 minute monster that just keeps on giving with each relisten, while other songs like Thinkin Bout You and Super Rich Kids have incredibly catchy hooks without them inherently being repetitive.
It may be the nostalgia talking here, but even with all the imperfections it has I still absolutely love this album. It feels so sincere, that almost every song has a vibe that you can’t help but chill out and sink your teeth into.
Having been introduced to Chameleon in my days when I was in the Jazz Club, with the addictive bass-line being the perfect song to do improv sessions off of, I already had a solid idea as to what to expect for the rest of this album. What I wasn't expecting however, was there to only be 4 songs in total for the full record.
This album is the definition of funk. It may be an overused word to describe these 4 songs but it's the embodiment of funk. The instrumentals are all incredible and it's all great vibes all around.
While none of the songs necessarily overstay their welcome, none of them are also songs that I feel like I'd be listening to at any moment in a day. You need to be in the mood to love this album, and if you're not, the length of these songs can be a turn-off point for sure. Overall, I would have preferred maybe 2 more songs in exchange for slightly shorter songs, but this is still an incredibly fun album.
There's just so much spirit in this album, you can practically feel passion and dedication oozing with every single one of these songs. The melodies all put you in a trance every single time you hear one of the songs, to the point where by the time the album was up, I didn't even realize an hour had passed by.
I can’t think of a better way to open an album like this. Teen Age Riot has always been one of my favorite songs ever since High School, setting the stage to the fast rock that's about to come, and the guitars are practically top notch Hendrix-quality when it comes to how they pump you up to listen to the rest of the album.
To say this is the grand daddy of most alt and indie-rock bands puts it lightly, but its roots grow strong and this is genuinely an album I'll be looking forward to revisiting for quite a while.
This is one of those albums you understand why it’s influential, but I personally just can’t bring myself to love. There are some great beats in here, and the rapping is solid enough, but I personally don't feel the hype quite yet.
I will say that it’s a perfectly funny album though when it comes to the skits, like "Oh shit there's a horse in the hospital!" is an incredible one liner that does nothing but helps you power through the album.
This will definitely be an album I keep an eye out on though for future relistens, since I'm sure my opinion will radically change once it properly hits.
Maybe it's my expectations from all of Radiohead's other incredible releases, but this album feels a bit weak compared to them. While I found the listening experience enjoyable, it felt as if this was more of a by-the-book release they did for fun rather than a completely revolutionary album.
It's just a bit of an inconsistent release for them, with songs like I Will not hitting the gold standard they themselves set. Still, Radiohead is one of those bands that really can't produce a single bad album, and there are still songs like There There and A Wolf At the Door on this record that absolutely blows me away with each listen. It's realistically a rapid fire album with no filler, but I do wish a few of these songs spent a bit more time in the oven to be up to fluff with their other releases.
I came into this album with absolutely no expectations, other than the fact that the album art looks cheesy as hell. Kinda cool in the edgy kind of way, but cheesy nonetheless. In the end, I found an album I didn't think I could relate to so personally, while also being so damn over the top about everything.
This is the epitome of dad rock, but at the same time, it's so unabashedly itself, a rock opera that feels so whimsical you practically get sucked right into it. The only part that realistically took me out of the whole experience was the intro of "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth", which while it sets the tone of how intimate the song can be, drags on for a bit too long, taking up like a fifth of the run time.
Out of any album I've rated so far, this is the album that's most likely to go down in my rating scale. It's not at all flawless, you need to be in the right headspace to listen to it, and songs may go on for too long sometimes, but passion practically oozes through this project you can't help but appreciate it.
This is one of my favorite albums of all time, and it’s one I've more than familiarized myself with well before even going into this list. Despite Billy Joel’s previous albums having critical acclaim, the sales didn’t quite match up, so The Stranger was a necessary release to practically save his career, and what a record to do it.
The Stranger is an apt title for this album, you're introduced to these characters you’ve never met before, and like a picture book, Billy Joel perfectly encapsulates their pains, their struggles, how they grow up, how they change, how they love, and their desires. In other words, it’s like if the Beatles' A Day In The Life was an album, where something people may only view as mundane is expressed with such conviction you get invested in their hopes and dreams. As for the title track itself, it's like getting a peek into a facade many people may put on, and it's a reminder to the listener that The Stranger, these masks you put on, aren't inherently good or bad. Instead, it's something you do as a form of trying to change yourself, and it can be alright to make mistakes when allowing these Strangers to control you.
The closer by far hits so close to the heart, Everybody Has a Dream is one of Joel's most introspective pieces. Coming from a time where he didn't know for certain if he had the capability of providing for his family, it's almost like he's calling himself a failure for half of the runtime. Still, he humanizes himself, he reminds us of his own dream, of settling down to be alone with his wife. Then ending it on The Stranger motif, it’s like Billy Joel is directly reminding you that even the people you’ve never met or even thought about all have these types of dreams, as if to remind you to treat everyone with compassion despite these facades people put onto themselves
My absolute favorite song on the record is Scenes from an Italian Restaurant, which puts you in the front seat of a full on gossip session. It's so upbeat despite the failings mentioned in the relationship, and the story of two lovers who slowly and mutually fall out of love after being on a perpetual downslope of living with eachother, permanently changed because of it, makes this practically the perfect parallel to the thesis of this album.
With a near-perfect runtime, the pacing is almost flawless, and it's filled with songs you'll hear on countless Billy Joel Greatest Hits compilations. Sure they may be a bit overplayed nowadays, but they're classics for a reason, and this album holds a soft spot in my heart
Having next to no knowledge of The Go-Go's, this album makes them seem like a Pop powerhouse. This is such an incredibly fun album filled to the brim with high energy earworms, it's like the album itself is invoking the vibes of the 60's while being very much an album of the 80's.
My two favorites here are definitely Our Lips are Sealed and We Got The Beat. Our Lips are Sealed gives small glimmers of Post-Punk while also being so damn bubbly and catchy, while We Got The Beat is like the raw manifestation of the teen fun and teen spirit in a song. While these songs are all great, the only nitpick I have is how many of these songs don't leave that much of a lasting impression on me. Still, I can't complain about a fun record like this one!
I always thought the pacing of this album was atrocious, only to discover that the 2014 Mix release, arguably the most accessible release on streaming services currently, adds in various alternate takes of a few of these songs right in the middle of the LP. What this results in is a lot of repeat tracks that would be great on something like a Super Deluxe edition, but disrupts the flow of the album it’s on. Going by the Original Release’s track listing however, this is so remarkable well paced for a double LP that it doesn’t even feel like it’s over an hour long.
Disc 1 is honestly as close to perfect as you're gonna get for an album of this type, with the first 6 songs being absolutely standout songs from Harrison's solo career, from My Sweet Lord to If Not For You they're all so iconic in their nature. Disc 2 on the other hand feels like the weaker of the two, with perfectly serviceable songs for sure, but the start of it doesn't really stand out as much as all of Disc 1 did. That changes however as soon as the title track begins, which is by far the most captivating track on the whole album. I originally heard this track on the Beatles’ Anthology 3, but the version here is by far the superior version.
My favorite song on the whole record is tied between this one and What Is Life. Both songs are inherently introspective while also autobiographical in their nature, the former being far more about coming to terms with the idea that nothing really lasts forever, something naturally human while also referring to the Beatles themselves, while the latter is both upbeat while also dealing with the dilemma of understanding what life must really be about without "Your Love", with Love being a key theme the Beatles promoted heavily in their songs.
To call this a landmark album is an understatement, as it's not only the album that properly marked Harrison as a standout solo artist following the Beatles’ breakup, but moments like the Apple Jam sessions, which are also included right after the main LP on the original release, would lead to the formation of Derek & the Dominoes, who would then go on to release Layla. It may not be my absolute favorite album of this era of rock history for me, but it's still a must listen in my books.
If you're a fan of Jungle and break, this will by far be your favorite album on this entire list. A behemoth of an album, spanning nearly two hours, it's practically non-stop with possibly the best Drums and Bass you can ask for.
Being a run time of almost 2 hours however has its consequences. Some songs may feel like they run on for way too long without really developing into something worthwhile, like A Sense of Rage, which ends up dampening the experience quite a bit.
This is an album you've gotta listen in multiple segments to truly appreciate. Going through it all is like a marathon that will absolutely leave you high and dry. In fact, while the flow is absolutely incredible between songs, this album arguably works better if you listen to each song individually rather than a collective group.
The title track is a work of art with how atmospheric it can be, and it may be the big reason why I'll be revisiting this album far more in the near future. You & Me is probably my current favorite if you don't include the Bonus Tracks, in which case Inner City Life (Baby Boy's Edit) may be my favorite. They're both far more digestible to my mind, which is something I believe makes it stand out in an album full of jaw dropping songs.
Enter the Wu Tang is the first album that’s genuinely stumped me the most, to the point where I’ve had to listen and think on it for more than a week to form a proper opinion on it.
First impressions weren’t great. It’s not that I hated it, more than acknowledging the lyrical genius that went into the making of this, but I just didn’t think that the album had a lot of standout moments. After making myself relisten to this a couple of times, I still stand by this to a certain degree, but now believe that this album is the culmination of all its parts rather than something I can listen to standalone.
The flow throughout the entire runtime is absolutely incredible, it’s tight, non-stop, and head-nodding rapping that kept me coming back for more each time. Songs like Shame On, Da Mystery of Chessboxin’ and Protect Ya Neck especially had me tapping along to the flow.
On the other hand, the beats here are something I had to, and still need to, grow to love. Maybe I’m more spoiled by modern beats, or maybe it’s purposefully rugged and harsh to go with the hardcore hip-hop style, but its grittiness wasn’t always my cup of tea. In terms of beats, CREAM is probably my favorite on the album, but it’s a slower pace than the rest as a result.
This is for sure a great album, but it’s one I’m gonna need to keep on revisiting in order to properly understand the hype for. Still, I feel comfortable enough now putting this among some of my favorites on this list.
Duran Duran is such an anomaly to me, I’m much more familiar with their name than their own music. Before going into this, I knew Rio was absolutely their biggest release, but aside from Hungry Like The Wolf, which is an absolute bop, I didn’t know any other song on this album.
Now listening to the group, I can’t say this album is the one that’ll convert me into a super fan. Rio and Save a Prayer both absolute standouts in this album, the former being far more energetic and poppy than the rest of the album, while the latter is more like a fusion of a ballad and synth pop.
The Chauffeur may be a bit of an underrated pick too, the intro sounds like absolutely nothing from this time period. It drops the ball roughly halfway through though, not developing the song enough for my liking, but it’s still absolutely jaw dropping what they have here.
The rest of the album, while still great on its own, feels like filler to these songs however. They’re solidly good songs there’s no doubt about that, but I don’t think much of it is anything I’ve found myself craving for after listening to this album. Ultimately this is the album’s greatest downfall, lack of replayability, and it’s what really brings the score down in my books.
