241
Albums Rated
3.41
Average Rating
22%
Complete
848 albums remaining
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1970
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Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
38
5-Star Albums
10
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
Top Styles
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Will The Circle Be Unbroken
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
|
5 | 2.98 | +2.02 |
|
Nighthawks At The Diner
Tom Waits
|
5 | 3 | +2 |
|
Berlin
Lou Reed
|
5 | 3.09 | +1.91 |
|
Time Out Of Mind
Bob Dylan
|
5 | 3.21 | +1.79 |
|
John Prine
John Prine
|
5 | 3.21 | +1.79 |
|
A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector
Various Artists
|
5 | 3.3 | +1.7 |
|
Tommy
The Who
|
5 | 3.32 | +1.68 |
|
Home Is Where The Music Is
Hugh Masekela
|
5 | 3.35 | +1.65 |
|
Music From Big Pink
The Band
|
5 | 3.35 | +1.65 |
|
Stardust
Willie Nelson
|
5 | 3.39 | +1.61 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Merriweather Post Pavilion
Animal Collective
|
1 | 2.91 | -1.91 |
|
I Am a Bird Now
Antony and the Johnsons
|
1 | 2.84 | -1.84 |
|
Kings Of The Wild Frontier
Adam & The Ants
|
1 | 2.83 | -1.83 |
|
Beyond Skin
Nitin Sawhney
|
1 | 2.76 | -1.76 |
|
Bitte Orca
Dirty Projectors
|
1 | 2.69 | -1.69 |
|
21
Adele
|
2 | 3.69 | -1.69 |
|
Slipknot
Slipknot
|
1 | 2.67 | -1.67 |
|
A Love Supreme
John Coltrane
|
2 | 3.63 | -1.63 |
|
Don't Stand Me Down
Dexys Midnight Runners
|
1 | 2.6 | -1.6 |
|
The Modern Dance
Pere Ubu
|
1 | 2.48 | -1.48 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Led Zeppelin | 3 | 4.67 |
| The Who | 2 | 5 |
| Bob Dylan | 2 | 5 |
| R.E.M. | 3 | 4.33 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Tom Waits | 5, 4, 2 |
5-Star Albums (38)
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Popular Reviews
Carpenters · 3 likes
3/5
Inside of you are two wolves.
One wolf is a simple creature, who enjoys peaceful, easy-listening love songs. Even if they are cheesy, some music is just meant to feel warm and romantic, with nice musical passages, piano chords, and string arrangements. Not every album has to be incredibly complex - these are simply timelessly smooth songs that have earned their way into wedding playlists for the rest of humanity's days. 5/5.
The other wolf absolutely despises this artificial, cheap, saccharine, plastic goddamn waste of half an hour. This is such an explosive assault on the free world that it could be charged with domestic terrorism-related offences in 47 states. I'm surprised this album isn't on the No-Fly list. If I was John Lennon, I would've a) ducked and b) sued the Carpenters directly into the cold, hard ground for destroying "Help!" and turning it into unlistenable, grey slop. This album is whiter than the Mormon Church. 1/5.
So we'll compromise and go 3/5.
Muddy Waters · 3 likes
5/5
Astounding blues album. One of my favourite albums I've never heard that this 1001 albums list has given me. Each track is terrific. THIS is what the blues can and should sound like. Buddy was in his 60s when this was released, and he absolutely owns it. Can't say much more other than absolutely great.
Mudhoney · 2 likes
2/5
This brand of grunge doesn't do much for me. Most songs just roll into another and you have no clue if three songs have rolled by, five songs have rolled by, or if its just one long song altogether. Still, it's not like BAD music, just not for me and very same-y.
Koffi Olomide · 2 likes
3/5
It sounds like royalty free vacation music the predatory travel agency in your local strip mall plays on its promo videos.
Kind of a vibe.
Bob Dylan · 2 likes
5/5
It's 5/5, but not without its faults.
I'm a big Bob Dylan fan, but I never quite *got* Time Out of Mind. It's a lot of people's favourite album of his, and I couldn't understand why. Then it finally clicked - this album demands to be listened to at either dusk or dawn, and no time else.
This isn't a 10am listen, or a mid-day 2pm listen, or a late afternoon 5pm listen. This is a 9pm with a cup of whiskey surrounded by wooden cabinetry listen. This is a 5am studying for your final exam in two hours listen - times where ruminations and meditations on one's mortality are inevitable.
This album singlehandedly saved Bob Dylan from irrelevant aging Boomer icon to modern Americana gatekeeper. And it's easy to see why. Not Dark Yet is one of his greatest songs ("There's not even room enough to be anywhere...It's not dark yet, but it's getting there"), with Love Sick, Tryin' to Get to Heaven, Standing in the Doorway, and Make You Feel My Love rounding out for a very strong tracklist. The palate cleanser blues numbers can be nice - Cold Irons Bound is good - but you can't tell me Million Miles needs to be 6 minutes long. As I said, it's not without its faults. The blues tracks are simply too long.
Speaking of too long, Highlands is like 16 minutes long. And you know what, I don't mind it. It's nowhere near the strength of other Bob Dylan long songs like Desolation Row, but it's kinda dumb fun that he can pull off.
Dylan has mentioned he doesn't like the Lanois production on it, but I think it serves the music well and creates a unique listen compared to all of his other records.
All in all, that's all to say that it's a 5/5 album. It's either one of the best albums of all-time or an unremarkable slog - completely dependent on how, where, and when you listen.
4-Star Albums (77)
1-Star Albums (10)
All Ratings
Grateful Dead
2/5
Never have given the Grateful Dead a fair shake, and I enjoy lengthy jams (Allman Brothers, Neil Young) so I thought this album being my Day 1 generated on this 1001 album run was some type of fate.
I don't think I will ever understand the Grateful Dead hype if this is what it sounds like. Long, uneventful slogs of songs with like maybe 5% of their runtime actually being interesting, with the occasional cool line, riff, improvisation. I'd be bored out of my mind if this is what the average Grateful Dead live concert sounded like - no wonder everyone was on acid.
It's not offensively bad, or awful. It's just boring.
The Police
3/5
Solid album - own it as a record (for like $2). Improvement from their first album, and the big songs (Message in a Bottle, Walking on the Moon, Bring On the Night) are some of their best. Nothing exceptional, however, and the style of the album tracks kinda blend in with each other and I forget which one's which.
A solid 3. Don't know if it's quite a 4? This is only my second album, so leaving room open for 4s and 5s.
The Who
5/5
One of the best straight-up classic rock albums. Behind Blue Eyes? Banger. Baba O'Riley? Banger. Won't Get Fooled Again? Banger. Love Ain't For Keeping? Banger. Bargain? Banger.
The Who have better albums (namely Tommy and Quadrophenia), but like Who's Next is still very good, and their best non-concept one.
Was going to go 4 because it's not their top album, but I maybe I should be less picky and more joyous. So we'll go a 5.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
4/5
It's kinda hot. Big band swing and all that.
Some of it blends in with each other and fades into background music, but that isn't necessarily bad. I do like me some jazz and this had some really nice passages.
Very enjoyable album - not the best in the world, but a solid 4.
Kendrick Lamar
4/5
Very good rap album. Acclaimed for a reason. Let it be known that I was a Kendrick Lamar fan way before the Drake feud and allat, which gives me such a musical superiority complex that simply may never go away.
I wouldn't call it a straight 5/5, but a solid 4. The theming throughout, interspersed with narratives and spoken-word passages, is captivating, and never sacrifices the actual music/content. It all flows well. It's not his greatest album, but a quite good one.
Dolly Parton
3/5
Solid country album. We enjoy some classic country. The common issue, however, through most of them is that all the songs kinda sound the same-y. I guess back then, country artists didn't like straying from the formula too much, and lots of the album tracks (including on this one) follow the same structure, the same major chords (in occasional differing order), and the same instrumentation.
That being said, I still like country and it's a good album. Just nothing spectacular.
Tears For Fears
4/5
Good '80s albums. For a decade that seemingly wiped their hands of anything remotely resembling sane quality control, Tears for Fears was always solid. Songs From The Big Chair is their best, with big singles (Shout, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Head Over Heels), and the album tracks are quite good, too.
It's nothing life-changing or anything incredibly eye-opening, but for what it's worth, it's one of the better sounding albums of the time.
Lou Reed
5/5
This appears to be a controversial album.
I get it, I really do. It's a concept album about domestic violence and heroin addiction ending in suicide with kid crying sound effects and a singer who can't, notably, sing. I get it.
HOWEVER, holy what an album. The music and instrumentation/production provides a haunting (the piano work on the opening track & Lady Day is phenomenal) backdrop to tragedy. The strings on the album are also really nice.
I'm not incredibly familiar with Lou Reed - his writing (on at least this album) is quite Hemingway-esque, which may turn people off due to its simplicity and conciseness, but it makes the story much more personable and sharp.
It's either a love-it or hate-it album. I loved it. It's not one that you can just throw on casually, or re-listen a bunch, but it's truly a great album.
Youssou N'Dour
3/5
Decent enough. Like I'm not a huge world music guy, and this album wasn't strong enough to turn me into one. But I can totally see how people dig it.
Good vibes music, just kinda carries throughout in the background. If someone was playing this as a soundtrack to a chill, evening backyard summer party, I wouldn't complain. I just wouldn't put it on myself.
AC/DC
4/5
If you don't like AC/DC's sound, then you're not gonna like the album. Luckily, I do, so I do.
Yes, their songs are all the same. Yadeyadeya. I understand. HOWEVER, I propose to you this:
Hell's Bells? Banger. You Shook Me All Night Long? Banger. Back in Black? Banger. Let Me Put My Love into You? Banger. Shoot to Thrill? Banger. Rock n' Roll Ain't Noise Pollution? Banger.
You get my point.
Bauhaus
2/5
I don't get it. The whole post-punk, gothic thing. This album is a blend of like Joy Division and Talking Heads, but is mediocre representations of both.
I can see how in the early '80s this may have been the soundtrack to high school gothics, but it doesn't do a lot for me. The production sounds bad. The music isn't very good. I know it's the "post-punk" sound, but to me, it doesn't sound too good.
It isn't offensively bad, but I don't see a world where I come back to it. But like, it isn't awful. I can see how people could enjoy it. The whole style just isn't for me.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
It's a 5/5 album. Don't know what else to say. Arguably a 6/5. One of the best albums of all-time. If not for Stairway to Heaven, it also has Going to California, and Black Dog, and Rock and Roll, and When the Levee Breaks, and Misty Mountain Hop, and Four Sticks, and Battle for Evermore....
That's the whole tracklist. Elite.
John Martyn
3/5
Fine enough album. Didn't do too much for me, but was still decent. There were different styles that kept it mildly interesting, but it wasn't like the fantastic 5/5 pinnacle of British folk that some people give to it.
The first half is solid enough. The latter half just kinda peters out. I had high hopes based on this album's reputation, but I just don't see it. Maybe I'll revisit it later, maybe I didn't listen as attentively.
Louis Prima
3/5
Fine enough swing album. I enjoyed it, but nothing exceptional. Fun for its runtime.
Kept the tempo up throughout, and the performance was fun.
Carpenters
3/5
Inside of you are two wolves.
One wolf is a simple creature, who enjoys peaceful, easy-listening love songs. Even if they are cheesy, some music is just meant to feel warm and romantic, with nice musical passages, piano chords, and string arrangements. Not every album has to be incredibly complex - these are simply timelessly smooth songs that have earned their way into wedding playlists for the rest of humanity's days. 5/5.
The other wolf absolutely despises this artificial, cheap, saccharine, plastic goddamn waste of half an hour. This is such an explosive assault on the free world that it could be charged with domestic terrorism-related offences in 47 states. I'm surprised this album isn't on the No-Fly list. If I was John Lennon, I would've a) ducked and b) sued the Carpenters directly into the cold, hard ground for destroying "Help!" and turning it into unlistenable, grey slop. This album is whiter than the Mormon Church. 1/5.
So we'll compromise and go 3/5.
The Mamas & The Papas
3/5
Another 3/5 album. Not bad, not great either. Pretty good, pretty solid. Any album with "California Dreamin'" on it can't reasonably be scored any lower.
A couple album tracks are nice, too. The Mamas and the Papas are better than your stereotypical '60s folkpop hippie band, so they've got that going for them.
Funkadelic
4/5
Very good funk album. The opening ten minute song is awesome, and the rest of the song follows suit fairly well.
It's acclaimed for a reason, but I just didn't feel it kicked into the highest gear or was positively outstanding. Maybe it's a genre thing. That being said, it was still very good.
Big Star
3/5
I don't get the hype. Lots of other reviews saying this is a 5/5 album.
It's kinda basic. Like, it's still decent. I can see it's influence, and it sounds like it belongs in the Cheap Trick power pop era despite being released at the beginning of the decade in 1972. It's just kinda an average classic rock album. The latter half of the record kinda peters off.
That being said, the melodies are catchy, the production is good, and some of the ballads are nice.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
I've never given Stevie Wonder a fair shake other than Songs in the Key of Life (which is very, very good). This album was still quite good, but highlights both his strengths and weaknesses.
Strengths being his funk and R&B grooves, and weaknesses being the schmaltzy gushy balladry. The ballads aren't inherently bad, they're just too sweet and saccharine. But the funk on this album makes up for it. I mean, look, it has Superstition on it. That's all you really need.
Dizzee Rascal
3/5
I actually didn't mind this. Which I thought I would've, given the other reviews, the idea of "grime", and, most of all, British people.
It isn't stand-out or anything, but it's a solid enough album. The performance was good and production was well-done. I don't like annoying or purposefully-obnoxious backing vocals/effects, which some tracks on here have at the start, but once the real song kicks in, it wasn't too bad.
I can see myself coming back to it later.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
The title track remains an certified swamp rock banger. One of their best songs.
After that, things kinda peter off into generic C.C.R territory, which makes sense for album tracks, but still. Nothing bad, just nothing too outstanding. Bad Moon Rising is on here, which is nice if you're a fan of it, but I am not, so it isn't.
Bordering on 4 stars just cause Green River and the album tracks aren't bad, but they also mostly aren't anything to write home about, so we'll settle on a 3.
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
One of the best albums of the '90s. Great production, great sound, great instrumentation. Billy Corgan's voice may turn off some, but his style works great with what he's trying to do here, and if you don't get it, then you just don't get it.
Disarm and Mayonnaise are two of the best songs of the decade, and the rest of the tracks are all quite strong. Siamese Dream works great as an album, but the songs are also great if listened to individually, as well.
White Denim
3/5
Just kinda an average album. Nothing too special. It's fine enough.
The second half of the album is better, and has some nice melody lines and progressions. Variety of different styles. They're clearly competent musicians, the album just never kicks into another gear, and just kinda stays at the same "yeah this is ok" level throughout.
Iron Maiden
4/5
One of the stronger metal albums out there, ESPECIALLY for the early '80s. Iron Maiden is more melodic, more memorable, more grand, more operatic, and better sounding than most of their peers, which makes for a great album. Not perfect - but still an enjoyable listen.
The lyrics are juvenile, but such is most metal music, I feel. It's profoundly life-changing poetry when you discover them in like the first year of high school, then you listen to it again a couple years later and go "this is kinda dumb, I'm too mature for this", then you listen to it again a couple years later and go "this is kinda dumb, I'm not too mature for this".
Still, the words and some themes remain clunky and "kinda dumb", and the music and sound retreads most of the same ground over the course of the album.
The Children of the Damned intro sounds like The River by Bruce Springsteen, for what it's worth.
Tom Waits
5/5
It's a vibe. Tom Waits haters gonna hate. Jazz club haters gonna hate. General feeling of enjoyment haters gonna hate.
It's honestly bordering on 5 stars. The jazz musicianship backing is incredible, the live audience adds a whole lot fun, and Waits interludes/comedy bits are awesome. Actually in writing this I have now changed it from 4 to 5 stars.
It's not an album you can throw on on a Sunday morning before you go to a family brunch. It's a dark, sarcastic, smoke-filled booze-y album that pairs perfectly with a stormy Saturday night's TV Dinner after a terrible week.
Dirty Projectors
1/5
This was actually dogwater. Holy. An astoundingly awful album. This being on a list of Top 1001 Albums You Should Listen To Before You Die is such a trolljob. I refuse to believe anyone actually enjoys this.
An unbearable cacophony of noise. A caterwaul of random effects. Nothing is in time, hardly anything is in key. Every instrument and vocal is constantly in conflict with each other. This sucks.
It's a goddamn pretentiousness, obnoxious, theatre-kid piece of crap coming from millennials who obviously were never told "no" as children. This is the direct product of gentle parenting.
I actually hate this album. Life's too short for this garbage. This is disgusting. Every single musical decision made in this album's runtime is offensive. The fact that a producer/engineer listened to this constant overstimulation of random rhythms, keys, and vocals and OK'd it for public consumption was the day that humans as a species have gone too far.
3/5
Fine enough album. I don't mind '80s synth pop, which is entirely what this album is. It's nothing revolutionary or ground-breaking, and meshes with what most pop bands were doing around the time.
Still, it's a decent enough listen if you don't mind that '80s sound. But there are better '80s bands. And worse ones, too.
Aretha Franklin
3/5
Has Respect on it, which makes it at least 3 stars minimum. Elsewhere, the other tracks are nice and pleasant enough - no real other highlights, though. Each song isn't bad or offensive, they just kinda flow in and out without much staying power. But it's nice enough, and for the time period, you can see how it was a major album.
Nine Inch Nails
2/5
This is a compassionate 2/5.
I get how people like it. It's an essential '90s album, and pioneered industrial rock and industrial metal as genres. It's completely valid.
I just, personally, don't like it. I'm not a huge fan of albums that cause migraines. It's constantly loud, thrashing, with few moments of reprieve over the hour. The lyrics come off as hackneyed and juvenile.
I recognize that this album and Trent Reznor/Nine Inch Nails are massive influences. I just won't listen to the album ever again. Painful, long, and eventually gets on your nerves.
Morrissey
4/5
Unfortunately, a banger.
I find Morrissey as insufferable as the next person. But this is quite a good album. It's in the signature Morrissey style of delivery and lyrics, with surprisingly nice instrumental backing. Every song has a keen and humourous line or two. "First of the Gang to Die", "I Have Forgiven Jesus", and "How Could Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel" are stand-outs.
This album does not reach the highs of any of the Smiths albums, but for what it's worth, this is pretty solid.
Caetano Veloso
2/5
I've never been a huge world music guy, and this wasn't the greatest. Mostly forgettable, boring. I've heard other stuff, like Fela Kuti, that was much more pleasant and memorable. This just didn't hit anything notable for me.
Not terrible, and again I can see how people like it. But didn't do anything for me.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
Under the Bridge is one of the greatest songs of all-time. Let's get that out of the way.
I like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, I really do. I like them more than a lot of people. However, do we really need SEVENTY PLUS minutes of this?
The whole CD-era is full of bloated, long slogs of albums. Which is a shame, because if you pared this down to a smaller tracklist, it'd be much stronger. Lots of filler that just kinda goes in one ear and out the other.
The band has one of the best rhythm sections and Frusciante is terrific. The instrumental backings are always funky and tight. But man, half these songs, Kiedis just spits inane, juvenile, half-baked rhymes. Like why.
Still, some songs are quite good (Under the Bridge, Give It Away, Breaking the Girl), and the instrumentation is always good. It's just bloated.
Supertramp
4/5
It ain't no Breakfast in America, but it's getting close.
Really solid album. "School" and "Bloody Well Right" are amazing to start off, then it kinda peters down a bit. "Asylum" kinda just drags for 6minutes, which interrupts a really nice listening flow.
Anyone will recognize "Dreamer", and "Rudy" is a great deep cut. And it finishes strongly with the title track. It's a great album, but it doesn't keep it up throughout. Still, Supertramp remains underrated and deserves more acclaim in the sea of '70s classic rock artists.
UB40
3/5
You can listen to the first two songs and be able to accurately predict the next hour of the album at the 95% confidence interval.
But I digress, I didn't mind it. And I've never really been a fan of reggae. It's good background music, but holds up for more astute listeners with its political/social themes.
That being said, ain't no way it's an hour and six minutes long. Guys, we get it. Still, the instrumentation is tight and it has quite a clean, polished sound. I respect it, it's just longggggg.
4/5
Quite good - got some grooves. Dug the first half of the album a lot, but felt it kinda petered off in the latter half. Regardless, I've solely associated War with "Low Rider", and I was pleasantly surprised by this album. Now I've got to listen to more War...
Magazine
3/5
I had no clue what to think heading into this album, and I was impressed. It started off strong and tasteful with the first couple tracks (the synth on "Definitive Gaze" was hot), then it just kinda petered down I felt. Didn't hold up on my initial thoughts.
All in all, still solid. Just didn't hold up throughout.
Animal Collective
1/5
Fun Fact! Warren Zevon does not appear on the 1001 albums. John Hiatt? Not a single one. Jackson Browne? Zero albums on this list.
Taking up their spots are albums like this. Excruciatingly painful to listen to, every song blends in with each other to the point of sounding like one long annoying song for the entire tracklist. Don't give me the "psychedelic pop" or "experimental pop" crap - the album sounds awful. One of the few albums I've heard that actively hurts your ears. Like it causes pain. How. It takes a special type of album to do that. Would never play it again. It's brutal, the constant keyboard droning, unimaginative lyrics. The only way to enjoy it is if you're on a lethal amount of heroin.
Doves
4/5
Never heard of Doves, and saw the label of "rock" and "indie" - the same labels given to some of the other 2000s albums on this list which were hot garbage. So I didn't have high expectations.
Nonetheless, I was surprised at this album. It simply was very good. Not an all-timer 5/5, but it was closer to it than you think. For a debut album, the production, songwriting, instrumentation, structure, etc. was all superbly done. It's an impressive album. It runs a bit lengthy, approaching an hour, but when the songs are good, the album can be as long as it wants. Some tracks did sometimes feel a bit unnecessarily long, but those moments were few.
I thought it was a strong album, and the production/atmosphere throughout was cool and interesting. None of it was painful to listen to - which some of the 2000s albums picks on this list can be.
Adele
2/5
Some of the up-tempo stuff is good, but most of this is a boring slog. And it's a shame, as most other people have noted, as Adele is one of the greatest vocalists of this century so far. Very talented, very strong. Ain't it a shame that it's wasted on this snoozefest. It's not offensively bad, but it's a melodramatic bore for most of the runtime. It's too safe, simple, and sterile to be noteworthy.
The Electric Prunes
3/5
You know what. Not a bad album. Don't get me wrong, it sounds very dated, inane, and doesn't seem like a significant album. But I can vouch for its inclusion. It's nothing special (which completely contradicts the previous statement), but it's also pretty good. Kinda reminds of Procol Harum and Strawberry Alarm Clock - kooky '60s bands that had quick songs with weird titles with sneaky strong structures and instrumentation.
Drive-By Truckers
4/5
I REALLY want to give this 5 stars. Drive-By Truckers perhaps the most underrated band of this century. "The Dirty South" and "Decoration Day" are (especially "The Dirty South") two of the greatest albums of the 2000s.
Unfortunately, this is not "The Dirty South". This is "Southern Rock Opera", a too-long but tightly performed concept album about Southern culture weaved through the career of Lynyrd Skynyrd. It's ambitious, and mostly pulls it off well. Though most of the songs make more sense in its album format, there are some great individual tracks on here: "Angels and Fuselage", "Dead, Drunk and Naked", "Women Without Whiskey". I really do love the production, instrumentation, and style of the Drive-By Truckers.
BUT.
A) This drags on for a while. No album should be an hour and 30 minutes long. I don't care who you are, or what your ambitions are.
B) The whole Lynyrd Skynyrd metanarrative kinda gets a bit ridiculous at times, with spoken word passages that makes you roll your eyes.
As such, it has non-insignificant flaws. It's just too damn long.
P.S. The Dirty South not being on this list is grounds for a criminal conviction.
Judas Priest
3/5
Solid enough heavy metal album. They're an incredibly influential band on the genre, and this is one of their trademark albums. However, I just didn't find it particularly exemplary or that memorable. "Breaking the Law" is fun, but it just kinda treads the same predictable heavy metal motions until it's over. Still good, just not great.
Daft Punk
3/5
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Fatboy Slim
2/5
Very repetitive album. Pretty well just kinda boring throughout. Not terrible, just not memorable in any sense of the word. No interesting melodies or musical decisions.
Bob Dylan
5/5
It's 5/5, but not without its faults.
I'm a big Bob Dylan fan, but I never quite *got* Time Out of Mind. It's a lot of people's favourite album of his, and I couldn't understand why. Then it finally clicked - this album demands to be listened to at either dusk or dawn, and no time else.
This isn't a 10am listen, or a mid-day 2pm listen, or a late afternoon 5pm listen. This is a 9pm with a cup of whiskey surrounded by wooden cabinetry listen. This is a 5am studying for your final exam in two hours listen - times where ruminations and meditations on one's mortality are inevitable.
This album singlehandedly saved Bob Dylan from irrelevant aging Boomer icon to modern Americana gatekeeper. And it's easy to see why. Not Dark Yet is one of his greatest songs ("There's not even room enough to be anywhere...It's not dark yet, but it's getting there"), with Love Sick, Tryin' to Get to Heaven, Standing in the Doorway, and Make You Feel My Love rounding out for a very strong tracklist. The palate cleanser blues numbers can be nice - Cold Irons Bound is good - but you can't tell me Million Miles needs to be 6 minutes long. As I said, it's not without its faults. The blues tracks are simply too long.
Speaking of too long, Highlands is like 16 minutes long. And you know what, I don't mind it. It's nowhere near the strength of other Bob Dylan long songs like Desolation Row, but it's kinda dumb fun that he can pull off.
Dylan has mentioned he doesn't like the Lanois production on it, but I think it serves the music well and creates a unique listen compared to all of his other records.
All in all, that's all to say that it's a 5/5 album. It's either one of the best albums of all-time or an unremarkable slog - completely dependent on how, where, and when you listen.
Steely Dan
4/5
One of the best debut albums of the decade. "Do It Again", "Dirty Work" and "Reelin' in the Years" are almost overly familiar to anyone who has listened to more than an hour's worth of classic rock radio. Staples for a reason. Very well played, very well produced.
I still think Steely Dan's later albums are a bit stronger, as some of the album tracks are a bit weaker and just kinda soft-rock jazzily wander. Though I will point "Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer Under Me)" as a highlight, a track or two before the album peters out disappointingly with "Turn That Heartbeat Over Again".
Fugees
3/5
Fine enough R&B. Some herald this as an incredible, timeless album, and I don't see it. Like, if you're already a fan of the genre, then I can see how this may be a landmark release, but it didn't really do much for me. Parts are catchy, then it gets a bit dumb/ridiculous. The famous tracks - Killing Me Softly, Ready or Not, are great. Asides from a few tracks, most of the album sounds kinda the same with not much interesting standing out throughout the 50 minutes not taken up by Killing Me Softly/Ready or Not.
Slipknot
1/5
I don't wanna waste more time on this wretched record.
I like a decent chunk of metal. Iron Maiden and Judas Priest have records on this list so far I've done that I've enjoyed. Slipknot brand of metal is so irritating, annoying, stupid, and moronic. No one over the age of 14 should tolerate this crap. Good news for Slipknot though - children will never stop being born, so there are always those without any frontal lobe development. As such, there will always be Slipknot fans.
Snoop Dogg
4/5
A little Snoop Doggy Dogg never hurt no one. Great rap album. Funky, catchy, and would 100000000% get cancelled today. '90s "gangsta rap" is known to be fondly remembered for its progressive portrayal of the independent women, after all.
It's smooth and carries by easy. Does not feel as long as it does. However, it's just a few points off of a 5/5 - some of it is kinda ridiculous and doesn't hold up over time, and I am also whiter than mashed potatoes, so some of it doesn't quite land as effectively. Still, a good album.
Marvin Gaye
3/5
Let's Get It On is a classic for a reason. Other than that, this half-an-hour album just kinda sounds the same smooth, soulful, sensual style. It's good, but to me, nothing much to write home about.
Taylor Swift
2/5
Folklore is much better. Let's get that out of the way.
I thought getting this album on a crisp autumn morning was thematic. Too bad it just isn't that good. And I think I've sussed it out. Her voice is too perfect. Like it hits the exact right notes and sustains them for the mathematically precise right time for indie/folky pop. Some chord progressions are interesting, but then the I/IV/iv/V hits in the second or third song and you just think to yourself "nvm it's just over". There's no imperfection or vulnerability in her vocals, most songs are the same tempo, the tracklist is too long, and the songs without features are written fairly weakily. Some people herald Taylor Swift as this generation's Bob Dylan, which is absolutely wild.
The music/piano/guitar work is kinda nice throughout though, so it saves it from the lowest score.
Come back to me when Swift writes a Desolation Row, Shelter From the Storm, or Mississippi.
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
I didn't think I was even marginally going to like it. It looked like some quirky "shoegaze" thing that only people who want to a) agree with critics or b) lie would like. I thought I was right too, with the opening drumfill of the opening drum track sounding like the band's about to pop off....and results in one of the most disappointing climaxes of my life (I will not expand).
As the album wore on, it actually started sounding like actual songs and instrumentation and melody. So I don't know if that's just being psy-oped by the album, or it legitimately just got better as it wore on. But with an introduction to the album that bad, I guess the only way to go is up.
Green Day
3/5
Fine enough punk music. I enjoy it, but it isn't anything crazy or something I'm gonna put on again anytime soon. The popular tracks (Basket Case, Welcome to Paradise, Longview, When I Come Around) are really the only ones that one needs to know. I'm also not a big punk guy, so while I understand this is a seminal pop-punk record, it isn't for me.
Spacemen 3
2/5
I thought I'd hate it. I didn't, but it also didn't leave any lasting mark. The same drum beat and keyboard droning would go on for what seemed like hours at a time. Occasionally there'd be a cool line or melody, but for the most part it was an uneventful, forgetful listen.
Antony and the Johnsons
1/5
I just didn't enjoy any of this. The guy's voice is offensive to listen to. And I have a Lou Reed, a Tom Waits and a Bob Dylan album rated as 5/5 on here so far. Buddy's vocals on this album is just annoying. I don't know who told him that he should maintain the most obnoxious tremolo throughout the entire runtime, but that person should be fired. The only people who actually like it are pretentious vocal coach experts who praise it as "unique" and "tasteful" because they thrive on being contrarian.
Elsewhere, the entire album is just aggressively melodramatic. It's the same pace of piano chording and unnecessarily climactic production for the most boring, yawn-inducing music.
The final track sealed its 1 star fate, as "Bird Gerhl" or whatever the hell is one of the most annoying things I've heard.
Coldplay
2/5
Inherently, not a BAD album. Like the melodies are predictable but effective, and the production is mechanically well done with sound songwriting. But it's far from memorable.
Every song sounds more or less the same, with the same piano style, with overly dramatic mid-tempo pace, and generic, uninspired lyrics.
I've never been a fan of Coldplay, especially their recent stuff, but still, "Clocks" is nice.
Mj Cole
3/5
Not a bad album. Had it in the background while playing Garry's Mod with friends, and I think that's the setting it performs in. Mindless backdrop noise to whatever you're doing that most of your brain is occupied with. The music isn't bad, but it's just so generic and bland and lacking in memorability. Like there's no real reason why your co-worker's bandcamp project should be on this list. But in all fairness, it really isn't that bad. It just kinda carries on the same "meh sure" vibe throughout.
Bad Brains
3/5
Not bad, not great. I'm not a big hardcore or punk guy. I don't really enjoy punk much at all - but I enjoyed this album decently enough. It was more melodic and pleasuring to listen to than most other hardcore/punk-adjacent albums.
Stephen Stills
4/5
The best solo album by a Crosby, Stills, or a Nash. Neil Young farms them all, but that's besides the point.
Anti-Boomerism will dismiss this as some gobbledygook, but it's quite a good album. It's bordering on 5 stars, but the weaker second side removes itself from 5 star contention.
Some great stuff packed onto here, with tasteful harmonies and catchy uses of rock, blues, and gospel. "Love the One You're With", "Do for the Others", "Go Back Home", "Sit Yourself Down", and "Black Queen" are definite highlights.
B.B. King
3/5
Fine enough blues album. Doesn't really feel that momentous, groundbreaking, or seminal or anything. Like it's good blues - it's B.B. King. Don't you know you're riding with the king and all that. But the blues just didn't hit like it can on this album.
2/5
I'm not giving it a 1. And I understand those who think any rating above a 1 is being unrealistically generous. This is a weird album with tracks that are white noise-adjacent. It's kinda pretentious and smarmy. Still, I can somewhat respect it.
Like it sucks to listen to, but interestingly?? Y'know, like it doesn't sound good, but it's intentional. So, respect.
Hole
4/5
Courtney Love, I owe you an apology. I was unfamiliar with your game.
The Who
5/5
A classic album for a reason. A terrific listen throughout. Yes, the instrumentation sounds kinda same-y as the album trucks along, but it keeps it contained and direct in the story.
Arguably the first rock opera, so its influence alone could nail it at 5 stars. But it's also a great album in a vacuum. "Overture" and "Underture" are fantastic, "Christmas" has been one of my favourite The Who songs for a long time, and "Pinball Wizard" is a quintessential classic rock track. The short minute-long story driving songs make the album roll along well and tell a great story, and there's still quality rock songs in between. An ambitious story performed incredibly well.
American Music Club
3/5
Some reviews are I think are quite harsh. It's not a bad album. I mean, it's not a particularly strong or notable album - I don't know why it's on the list - but it's not bad. It feels kinda generic, with average songwriting, average instrumentation, and predictable style changes as the album bears on to keep your attention. It's like if your cousin who loved R.E.M started a local band four years ago who have played two shows. This is that album. There's a lot worse influences than R.E.M, and it's listenable to the point of lasting through it without any strong feelings. No negative, no positive. An album.
Duke Ellington
5/5
Incredible live jazz album. He's the Duke. Terrific playing and a great backing band. There's not much else to say. The live audience adds to the record, with the real-time hooting and hollering feeling like you're with the audience, experiencing it for the first time.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Holy what a smooth album. Some terrific soul on here mixed with some nasty funk. The production is great, the musicianship is tight, and Wonder's voice acts like another instrument that pushes the song over the top. There's not much else to say. For an album that's considered one of his weakest of his "classic period", I've enjoyed it far more than others of that era. The lack of a true hit single or timeless Stevie Wonder hit adds to its allure - it's just a strong, steady, funky album through and through.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
A haunting, sparse album of the downtrodden. Recorded on a 4-track with just some guitar, harmonica, and the occasional keyboard, it was intended to be a demo tape only to be released as it stood with no other contributions. Bold, and for the most part, it works out. It's certainly a pioneering effort for more lo-fi, bedroom demo folk, which I can enjoy.
That being said, the lack of differentiation between tracks is a hindrance, where it's quite same-y. And after listening to The Band's version of "Atlantic City", the original just sounds bad in comparison. I do think this album is mandatory listening - some people will love it, some people will hate it. It's a good listening exercise, anyways.
Springsteen is at his best when he has the E Street Band with him, though. Born To Run, Born in the U.S.A, Tunnel of Love, and Darkness On The Edge of Town are some better Springsteen albums.
Kraftwerk
4/5
Landmark electronic album. My inner synth geek and keyboard lover found this album phenomenal. I was familiar with Kraftwerk before (I'm the operator with my pocket calculator.......beep boop bop), and this album has made me respect the group even more.
With that said, I don't think it's quite a 5/5 record, I do think there are improvements to be made and don't know if it quite matches up with other timeless indisputable greatest albums of all-time, but it's quite close to a 5/5.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
4/5
Very solid Boomer album. Elements of jazz, blues, orchestra, rock. It rolls along nicely and most songs are unique and notable. The blues numbers kinda roll on (the closing track does not need to be eleven minutes along), but the musicianship is superb. I can easily support its inclusion on this list - but it isn't a terrific, flawless album. Some numbers are too long, it feels rather disjointed at times between tracks, and it isn't like a groundbreaking album. But it is performed quite well.
Neil Young
5/5
We love Neil Young. Great album with great variety but all done in Young's distinct style. When "Heart of Gold" is one of the WEAKER songs on the album, it's a good goddamn album. The one flaw, of course, is the out-of-nowhere "There's a World", which in a vacuum is a fine enough song, but serves as a speedbump you have to slow down and slowly go over on a scenic freeway ride.
However, the strength of tracks like "Out on the Weekend" (one of the most Neil Young-y Neil Young songs), "Harvest" (a classic country ballad), "Old Man" (of his all-time best), "The Needle and The Damage Done" (also one of his all-time best), "Heart of Gold" (AM radio immortality), "Alabama" (sparking a great Lynyrd Skynyrd response), "Are You Ready for the Country" (a nice catchy rocker), "A Man Needs a Maid" (which, looking past the title, has grown on me), and "Words (Between the Lines of Age)" (a great album closer) keep the album as a must-hear classic.
Curtis Mayfield
3/5
Solid enough album. Had some good grooves, but that's about it. Mayfield is rightly regarded fairly high, which I totally get, but this album just kinda felt good, not great, and not fantastic. It's a good 3/5, not a meh 3/5.
Bill Evans Trio
4/5
Incredibly well-performed jazz album. Some of the best bass playing I've ever heard in any genre. The drumming was impeccable as well. The piano was mostly tasteful. Still, I felt the album didn't go to the highest gear it could've. While it was very solid, it didn't reach the highs it seemed it could, and stayed as very respectable dinner music.
Ananda Shankar
4/5
Who knew the sitar could bang so hard?
Sitar cover of Jumpin' Jack Flash goes harder than it has any right to, and Light My Fire isn't far behind. The other tracks on the album are quite strong, with very tasteful playing. The sitar just sounds so cool.
The only way someone wouldn't think this album is enjoyable is if they don't like the sitar as a sound. Which be a mighty shame, as it is a very cool instrument.
Willie Nelson
5/5
I sit here writing this, trying to gauge whether it's a strong 4 stars or worthy of the full 5/5.
I'm going for the full five stars. Such an easy, relaxing, calm album. Classic covers from the Great American Songbook performed perfectly. Fits a rainy day or a snowy night. Fits a Sunday morning drive or a 5pm commute. Truly a great album. Nelson's almost conversational singing brings ease and familiarity. Doesn't try to outshine or impress, but settles into the song with warmth. The instrumentation, everything from the guitar to the orchestra, is really tasteful. A great country album, and rightly regarded as one of the best.
The Flaming Lips
4/5
Generating an album entitled "Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots" does not inspire much confidence. It sounds much more like some dirt cheap under-developed animé that my university roommate swears he only watches "for the plot".
But it's actually good? I've heard of the Flaming Lips, but I haven't really listened to them on account of their band name is bad and this album title is also bad.
It's a good album. Weird concept but they make it work. Lyrics make sense aligning with the story but are also sneaky universal. The melodies are really good, the instrumentation and dreamy keyboards are done effectively, the warm production is unique but accessible.
However, it's still a bit down-tempo throughout, and doesn't really kick into another gear. The synths all sound the same, and while it makes for cohesive listens through the songs, it slows down the album and makes the last couple songs seem like they last a lot longer than they do.
The Yardbirds
4/5
Was surprisingly a catchy '60s rock album. The Yardbirds are perhaps more famous for who was in the band rather than the actual band itself. At one time had Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, and Eric Clapton among their ranks. This album only has Jeff Beck on it, but it's a strong album. Yes, it sounds dated and a product of its time. You could guess its release down to its MM/DD/YYYY. But the playing is sharp, it rolls along nicely, there's some catchy bits, and it's one of the better rock n' roll albums I've heard from 1966 from bands not named the Beatles or Rolling Stones.
Side note: I recognized the album track "Turn into Earth", as I've heard Al Stewart's cover version before. Which is quite likely the first time that sentence has ever been said. We take these.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
Great classic hip-hop. It has It's Tricky on it, which like. Come on. 4 stars at least. Walk This Way is good, too. The rest of it all sounds like what you'd expect Run-D.M.C to sound like. Not much variation, and it sounds quite alike, with the same productions and tempos. Nonetheless, I like classic hip-hop and this is one of the best.
Incredible Bongo Band
4/5
Lowkey a banger. bonger? incredible bongos. never enough bongos. we love bongos. bingo bango bobs your bongo
Stereolab
3/5
Decent enough. Didn't really blow me away, and was just kinda the same sound throughout. Some of it was in French, too, which immediately docks the album a few points due to the concept of French people.
A Tribe Called Quest
3/5
Solid rap album, but nothing more and nothing yes. Good flows and average beats. Other people saying this is somehow an ambitious "jazz hiphop" record? Either the occasional chord that is beyond a triad qualifies an entire album as "jazz hiphop" or I listened to a different album.
The White Stripes
4/5
One of the better rock albums of the 2000s. It doesn't tread any new ground, or do anything innovative and experimental. It's just 50 minutes of decent to very decent music. It knows what it is, and maintains an above average quality throughout.
Opens with Seven Nation Army, which y'know, hell of a way to start the album. But the next couple tracks started petering out and I was thinking "we got the big standout track already and now I'm just kind of waiting for the album to end for the next 45 minutes", but it started to turn around around "In The Cold, Cold Night".
ZZ Top
3/5
I can definitely vouch for its inclusion on this list. It's the quintessential ZZ Top album, and is certainly a certified classic of classic rock.
The big 3 hits that everyone with a working car stereo has heard - "Gimme All Your Lovin'", "Sharp Dressed Man", and "Legs" - are great. Even if you don't like classic rock, "Sharp Dressed Man" is a banger and you're wrong if you think it isn't.
That's about where this album ends, though. If you've heard those 3, there's no real reason to listen to the full album. The rest of it is just meh-sounding generic ZZ Top.
Koffi Olomide
3/5
It sounds like royalty free vacation music the predatory travel agency in your local strip mall plays on its promo videos.
Kind of a vibe.
5/5
Acknowledging the "white guy puts capo on 2nd fret is the signal to leave the party" legacy that "(Anyways, Here's) Wonderwall" has, this is an incredible album. If this album only had "Don't Look Back in Anger" and "Champagne Supernova" with the rest of the runtime eaten by mindless filler tracks, it'd still be a 4.
But this album is so much deeper than the big singles that get sung at football games. "Morning Glory", "She's Electric", "Cast No Shadow", "Roll With It", and the rest of the album are very strong, well produced, and flawlessly performed. Yes, the Gallagher brothers are divisive and maybe some people don't like the vocals, but man. Terrific album. Not a weak track on here.
Deep Purple
4/5
Deep Purple always gets forgotten in the "Big 3 Pioneers of Metal" discussion, with Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. For anyone who thinks Deep Purple isn't significant, or isn't an influence, or isn't anything more than "Smoke on the Water", then listen to this album.
James Brown
2/5
Honestly, disappointing. James Browne is known as this great, energetic coked-up live act. I've seen clips and performances where Brown is electric. So why is this album so moot? So uneventful? So inconsequential? So tame? For such a powerful live performer, this didn't seem to capture it at all. And I like live albums and live audiences, but it was just kinda half an hour of basic James Brown and live audience calling back.
Harry Nilsson
4/5
Harry Nilsson gets acclaim from anyone who was anyone in the '70s, but has seemingly fallen from the wayside here in the 2020s. And it's a damn shame, as this album shows. Asides from the dumb title, it's a strong album. Everyone will recognize "Without You" via Badfinger, and I had absolutely no idea that this man was responsible for "Coconut", which came so far out of left field that it was in another ZIP code.
The album tracks were either solid or better, and like, c'mon. It has "Coconut". Very good album.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Can not let myself give this album anything less than 3 solely because Gimme Shelter. One of the greatest songs of all time and my go-to hype song whenever I get aux before a game. However, holy this album was not as strong as I thought it'd be. I've seen the cover on best-of-all-time lists, but how? Gimme Shelter is phenomenal, You Can't Always Get What You Want is solid enough, and...? What else? There's nothing else. MAYBE Midnight Rambler and Monkey Man? MAYBE.
After an incredible start in Gimme Shelter it goes into sloppy county territory? Weird.
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
Not as good as their later stuff, but still half-decent. I like the classic hip-hop style and sound, and this album is the prime example. Yeah, it doesn't go anywhere exceptional, and sounds very dated listening 40 years on with 40 years of hip-hop gone by. The beats are basic and the flow is predictable, but still, doesn't mean it's bad. Decent enough.
AC/DC
4/5
You know what you're getting with AC/DC. And it's good. It's catchy rock songs either directly about one thing or heavily hinting at one thing. It's just a steady stream of bangers.
R.E.M.
4/5
R.E.M. is never not above-average. Always good production, instrumentation, lyrics, vocals, etc. Green isn't anything groundbreaking, but just a tight, solid, catchy collection of alternative rock from the fathers of alternative rock. Strong album.
Elliott Smith
4/5
Really nice album for an early morning rain or late night regret. Honestly close to 5 stars, but the songs can kinda blend together and sometimes sound same-y, and the tempo kinda stays the same throughout. Strong collection of strong songs, though. Great vocals and guitar playing.
Sepultura
2/5
It's a mighty shame the vocals suck more than that girl a few blocks down behind the 7-Eleven on a Tuesday night.
The instrumentals and actual metal music was good, and I was banging my head along but then the vocals would come in and ruin the song. A damn shame.
The Coral
2/5
The fact that this album (as of writing) had an absolutely perfect normal distribution of ratings was significantly more interesting than the album itself.
Fela Kuti
3/5
Like solid album, don't get me wrong. The original issue has two 12-minute songs on it, which like. 24 minutes is short. Plus it's good world music and vocals, but to me at least, didn't exceed the "decent sounding enough, not bad, nothing great" 3 star stage.
Digital Underground
3/5
Decent enough rap album. Had some songs that blew (both figuratively and literally), and some decent ones. Don't know why every song needed to be 6 minutes long. Made it a bit of a slog but it didn't sound bad.
Nick Drake
4/5
A smart album with fantastic arrangements. The music was more interesting to me than the lyrics and vocals. The guitar-picking was strong, the strings were real nice, and the piano work was really impressive and they all served the songs well. Like, the musicality was so good I want to give this 5 stars, but the vocals is where it let me down. The lyrics were fine enough, some interesting, some dull, but the vocal melodies were just kinda monotonous. They all hovered around the same notes throughout it felt, and it fell flat.
Al Stewart does this sort of '60s British folk with strong musicality a bit better - his vocal lines actually have melodies.
Blur
3/5
Solid enough album. A good 3/5. But didn't do anything too exciting, and seemed like a bit of a slog toward the end. Solid Britpop, not much else to say.
Hugh Masekela
5/5
Terrific album. Had the stank face going pretty quick and pretty often. The album starts off very strong, and keeps it up throughout. A long album, don't get me wrong, but each song felt different. They were each unique, with different progressions and sounds and solos, with distinct intros and crescendos and all of that fun stuff. Never heard of this album or of Hugh Masekela, and came away VERY impressed.
Alice In Chains
5/5
One of the best albums of the grunge/alt-rock era. Sometimes bordering on metal, Alice in Chains stands up as one of most consistently strong '90s bands. Yes, this album is long, and yes some of the tracks have the same style, and yes the last couple tracks before "Would?" seem to drag, but still. Terrific album. Above most other bands of the decade with stronger melodies, better vocals, and more interesting and ear-catching progressions and instrumentation.
Nitin Sawhney
1/5
I want to give 1 stars. I really do. I REALLY do. It's bland and pretentious. If modern art was an album. Superficially "philosophical" and "socially conscious" and "cultural" to try and mask the lack of any real talent.
However, some of the piano work is rather nice. The instrumental track "Tides" is quite nice. And I wanna reward the piano playing by bumping it up a star. But man, everything else.
Actually, you know what. Back to 1 star for you. Just looked at the album cover again. Absolutely awful. Disgusting. Don't wanna think of it again.
Beastie Boys
3/5
A fun album, but that's kinda all there is to it. Nothing wrong with fun, but it kinda overstays its welcome. The ones that everyone knows from the album - "Fight for Your Right", "Girls", "Brass Monkey", "No Sleep Till Brooklyn", are all serviceable '80s hip-hop, but the rest of the album is just kinda inferior versions of them.
Johnny Cash
5/5
Singing old-school country songs about murder and crime and prison live INSIDE a prison to the hollering and cheering inmates? Iconic.
Japan
4/5
Surprisingly good album. It's essentially an above-average '80s new wave album released before the decade even started. Can hear a lot of the '80s sound on this album. Nothing like groundbreaking or breathtaking, but still a strong album.
Joan Armatrading
4/5
Never heard of Armatrading, but this was really nice. Strong singer-songwriter stuff that embraced the sound of the latter '70s with some poppier/funkier strings and instrumentation and production. Has earned another listen for sure.
The Black Crowes
3/5
Solid enough classic rock. Feels just kinda like average dad rock throughout. The two songs everyone knows from the album - "Hard to Handle" and "She Talks to Angels", are really the only two songs one needs to hear. Still, fairly inoffensive and consistent. Not bad.
Tom Waits
4/5
When it's great, it's great. When it's bad, oh it's bad. I think that's just what you get with Tom Waits. Stuff like "Dirt in the Ground", "Who Are You", and "Goin' Out West" are really cool, while others just kinda meander and Waits' monotone growl and random percussion doesn't work. Still, I enjoy most of it and the production is cool.
Various Artists
5/5
Yes, it's a seasonal compilation album. Don't care. It's a perfect Christmas album. The soundtrack to the holiday season at every mall and party. Anyone who gives less than 5 stars is a Scrooge.
Amy Winehouse
3/5
It started off strong, then just kinda kept up the same tempo, jazz/soul backing, production, and arrangement to the point of disinterest by the end. So, like a 4-star first half and 2-star back half - 3 stars.
The Youngbloods
3/5
Passable. Kinda seems like a slightly-above average psychedelic folk album of the day. Some parts were nice, but asides from maybe "Quicksand", the other tracks were either fine enough instrumentals or songs that had parts and pieces with the potential to be really good, but never committed to any of them. Nonetheless, decent.
Belle & Sebastian
2/5
Not offensive, but just kind of a waste of time. Like each new song kicks in, and the instrumentation and production sounds decent enough, but the lyrics and vocals leave much, MUCH, to be desired. Never changes style, never actually "sings", and doesn't have the grit, insight, humour, or distinction to be interesting.
Muddy Waters
5/5
Astounding blues album. One of my favourite albums I've never heard that this 1001 albums list has given me. Each track is terrific. THIS is what the blues can and should sound like. Buddy was in his 60s when this was released, and he absolutely owns it. Can't say much more other than absolutely great.
Robert Wyatt
3/5
Thought it started out strong, then kinda petered out in the backhalf. The first half was above-average interesting progressive rock essentially, but then the vocals and lyrics of the latter part of the album made me roll my eyes.
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
He can kick it
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
Decent enough dance album. Very '90s sounding. Nothing much better than serviceable synth dance, but nothing less than either.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
4/5
When the Chili Peppers are good, MAN they're good. And when they're bad, it's juvenile mindless Anthony Kiedis over random funk vamping. Which isn't AWFUL, but it's a bit much. Plus, it seems most Red Hot Chili Peppers albums are the epitome of CD-era album bloating, with too many inconsequential boring filler tracks.
However, this album has the title track, "Around the World" (ding ding dong dong ding ding dong dong ding ding), "Road Trippin'", "Parallel Universe", "Scar Tissue", "This Velvet Grove", and "Otherside". So still good.
The Adverts
3/5
One of the better punk albums I've heard thus far in my life. They ain't no Clash or Ramones, but they're not that far off, either. If the album ended a few tracks earlier, probably a 4star album, but towards the backhalf I found myself routinely checking to see how many songs were left, as it dragged into generic territory.
Gary Numan
4/5
Really nice synth album. No electric guitars never sounded so good.
Sam Cooke
4/5
Terrific energy throughout, doesn't overstay its welcome, and breezes through. One of the better live albums I've heard. Not a full 5 star rating though - but I think it's just an age of the genre thing. Most songs are fairly same-y, with few deviations in sound, progressions, etc.
The KLF
4/5
Don't mind it. Started off as a strong electronic album, but just kinda falters into generic after that.
More importantly, the lyrics for "The White Room" on Spotify at the end read:
"The white room, the white room
[more spetta na noo ne na noo things]
The white room, the white room
The white room, the white room
[more spetta na noo ne na noo things]"
Which is literally what it is, so respect.
Also, this band's Wikipedia page is something. Made it 4 stars after reading.
The Avalanches
2/5
I guess if you're into like sampling and sample creativity and sample culture and all that, there's something here for you. But for me...
At best, passable background music and at worst, offensive cacophony of random samples.
Slade
3/5
The top review of this album says "perfect dive bar playlist fodder".
That.
Radiohead
5/5
It's a 5/5 album with no discussion. It sounds like nothing else of the time, and comes completely out of left field amid the '90s grunge-into-altrock-commercialism pipeline the decade was heading down. Incredible album not only in terms of uniqueness, but the songs are paced well and written superbly.
Talk Talk
3/5
Wake up another listenable but nothing special British new wave album
U2
3/5
"Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New Year's Day" are timeless - the rest of the album sounds fairly average.
John Coltrane
2/5
THIS is the album that's one of the most famous jazz albums of all-time? Often heralded as a masterpiece? THIS? Am I missing something?
Like the first three songs are just random vaguely sometimes sounding good saxophone riffing, with constant chunky atonal piano chording. Random bass noises and drumming that isn't that noticeable, but once you clue into it, it's just 8 minutes of 16th notes. I'm just confused.
The last song was the only good one. Mighty shame. I like jazz, and have jazz albums at 5 stars and will continue to have some more. This? Not even close to 5 stars.
Quite honestly, like it's not offensive. Probably I'd rate it 3 stars but it fell way short of expectations.
Justin Timberlake
2/5
Not my style of music at all. In-one-ear-and-out-the-other white 2000s Michael Jackson mockery. Michael Jackson was already white by then.
However, bumped up a star from 1/5 because, plastered at a dark club with my shoes sticking to every step, this type of music may enhance the experience.
T. Rex
3/5
Strong start and I was like "oh, glam rock actually sounds quite good", then after the Gong was Banged, it's fairly lacklustre.
Pere Ubu
1/5
This is just bad. It tries to be good, and it's bad. There's not much more discussion. Gives you a headache by the first song. Occasionally a good musical idea or riff, then immediately laughs at you for getting your hopes up and goes back into the unbearable. It's bad.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Great debut, with a great first side. It kinda falls off into standard blues rock "baby baby baby ohhh woman baby" Robert Plantisms in its worst moments. Which isn't bad, don't get me wrong, but isn't the best Led Zeppelin has to offer.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
3/5
Emerson Lake & Palmer were the most pretentious prog rock group, for better or for worse. I don't mind them, but any criticizers of prog rock could just point to ELP and go "god aren't they smarmy and pretentious", and no one could disagree.
Anyways. Not a bad album. Synth covers of old classical music sounds good, and it mostly is. But it just kinda exists.
Billie Holiday
3/5
Decent enough vocal jazz album. I can see how it was heralded back in the day, but Billie Holiday didn't sound like the all-time vocalist some praise her as. Not bad, and the music was alright.
Jeff Buckley
4/5
An either love it or hate it album.
I like it.
The singing is fine, the production is fine, the writing is fine. It's all above average, but didn't feel like the epiphany it's claimed to be. It just kinda weaves in one ear enough for you to go "this is nice", then weaves out before changing your opinion on it.
I like other versions of "Hallelujah" better. "Lover You Should've Come Over" is the highlight, but elsewhere it just kinda remains melancholily solid.
While still good album and I can see why it's engrained in so many people, and I'm sure upon some relisten somewhere down the line I'll fully appreciate Jeff Buckley, I'll still be reaching for "Late for the Sky" when I'm feeling heartbroken and irreparable.
Dexys Midnight Runners
1/5
What's with this list's hard-on for Dexys Midnight Runners? Apparently there's TWO more I have to slog through?
This is the most nothing-burger of an album I've listened to. Other 1 star albums suck. Dexys Midnight Runners doesn't even suck enough to suck. Does that make it even worse?
Like, the music is boring and the whole album is nonfactor. You will have missed nothing in your life if you do not hear this album. At least most 1 star albums are wryly interesting, with godawful vocals, or white noise, or terrible lyrics. This is just bad.
This album has a 6 minute long song that is essentially the "Werewolves of London" piano riff and has now ruined "Werewolves of London" for me.
Ali Farka Touré
4/5
The exact music you want smoking some African tobacco on a late-August backyard patio.
Deee-Lite
2/5
"Groove is in the Heart" is good.
The rest of the album is a nonfactor. Will lose nothing by not listening to it.
Adele
2/5
I think the consensus is that how can someone so generationally talented as Adele consistently put out the most "meh"lodramatic music out there.
Q-Tip
4/5
Wasn't expecting anything heading into it, but it turned out to be a tight hip-hop album. Sometimes they're way too long, but this one was the right length, had some good beats, and impressed a bit.
Beastie Boys
4/5
The first bit of the album I felt it was just kinda waiting to get "Sabotage", but after, I was impressed. Each track came by with energy, catchiness, and great underlying music and beats.
,
Leonard Cohen
4/5
There's something about old people talk-singing their way through meditations on love, religion, and mortality that gets me man.
Jethro Tull
5/5
Anyone who says anything negative about the flute needs to get an IQ test. You're embarrassing yourselves. "oOoOh there's a non-traditional rock instrument in my rock album oOoOh".
Get real.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
I've heard Elvis Costello get a lot of critical acclaim, and I think he has multiple albums on this list. But like? This feels like rather boring pop rock. The writing seems clunky, there's nothing very strong melodically, and it all kinda blends together as mid. Bob Dylan did the trigger/slur rhyme 10000x better.
That being said, the first song I ever heard from Elvis Costello was "Alison", which remains an incredible stone-cold classic, so there is hope for him.
Little Simz
3/5
Solid enough. Some of the lyrics in the backhalf are quite clunky.
R.E.M.
4/5
I feel R.E.M is the most 4/5 artist. Almost an all-time great, but never quite gets there. Their albums are always above-average, always worth listening to, but seem to lack the final push. Like "The One I Love" and "It's the End of the World As We Know It" are all good and fun, but the album tracks here seem to lack the melody or songwriting to push the album over the top.
Automatic for the People is 5/5, though. Murmur is probably that, too.
Television
4/5
Sounded real good, and plays like the first indie rock album, 30 years before indie rock was a thing.
Laura Nyro
4/5
I've heard of Laura Nyro tangentially through her connection to Jackson Browne, so I figured she was another Laurel Canyon folkie. Which I don't mind, at all. But this has real nice classical and jazz arrangements, with strong vocals and and instrumentation. Not what I was expecting, and enjoyed it quite a bit.
Elvis Presley
3/5
Presley just kinda goes through the expected motions, but like it's not necessarily bad, per se. It's just mostly predictable. But Elvis is good, most of the songs are good. "Suspicious Minds" is a classic, "In the Ghetto" is solid, and "Long Black Limousine" caught my ear.
Tom Waits
2/5
I've liked the Tom Waits so far on this list, but this one that comes and goes without much of anything interesting. "Nighthawks at the Diner" had a fun live boozey club setting, "Bone Machine" had cool production and percussion. This one doesn't have much going for it. The vocals can get comedic here, which is a given for any Waits album, but it happened quite often. The songs weren't all that strong.
John Prine
5/5
An absolute classic. Any album with "Sam Stone", "Hello in There", and "Angel From Montgomery" is at least 4 stars, and the rest of the tracklist fills out the album nicely. John Prine is one of the best songwriters, and he doesn't write particularly poetically and complex - he can sculpt a whole character's story in just a few key, wry observations. The instrumentation is run-of-the-mill country, with acoustic and slide guitars abound, but anything more complex would take away from the songs.
Mudhoney
2/5
This brand of grunge doesn't do much for me. Most songs just roll into another and you have no clue if three songs have rolled by, five songs have rolled by, or if its just one long song altogether. Still, it's not like BAD music, just not for me and very same-y.
Supergrass
3/5
Solid enough. Not much to write home about. I understand if you're British how this is a seminal album, but otherwise, fine poprock.
The Mothers Of Invention
3/5
I've always kind of dismissed Frank Zappa. Too try-hard kooky for me. Comes off as smug and a bit obnoxious. His kids names are stupid. "oHhH tHaTs tHe pOiNt". Stop yourself.
Anywho, the album itself wasn't actually that bad. Doesn't have to be anywhere as long. Just kind of an hour long string of 3star weird psychedelic songs.
Pixies
2/5
Just wasn't my style. Nothing really stuck out.
Elliott Smith
4/5
Was kinda distracted listening to this album, but from what I heard, sounded quite good.
Morrissey
4/5
Morrissey = bad person.
Morrissey albums = actually pretty solid.
Django Django
3/5
Another 2000s indie rock album that itself isn't bad and has some nice moments, but has no business being on a list like this.
David Bowie
5/5
160-odd albums in and get my first David Bowie. "Low" is a fantastic album - the production, melodies, atmosphere, instrumentation are all great. Has a unique sound, and the instrumentals to close off the album are all real nice and pleasant, without being complex or ornery. Can't go wrong with Bowie.
Earth, Wind & Fire
3/5
Solid enough soul
Saint Etienne
3/5
There's potential here for a really good electronic pop album, but it's mired down by too many songs, too long a runtime, with filler tracks and filler in individual songs.
Adam & The Ants
1/5
One of the most uninteresting albums. Like musically. Yes, there's a sea shanty and some choruses and percussion here and there, but none of it sounds good or relistenable. Half of it seems like random talking over some backbeat. Just got me angry halfway throughout as it never improved and seemingly got worse.
Kanye West
5/5
One of the greatest hip-hop albums of all-time. The incredible maximalist production with great samples and features. So many bangers, and incredible lyricism and themes.
Yes, Kanye West is a terrible person. You should be able to accept that current Kanye West is bad, while still appreciating this album as an absolute landmark in hip-hop.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
5/5
Seminal folkrock record. I think CSN is almost underrated in this day and age, especially this album. "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" is simply such an impressive song, "Helplessly Hoping" is one of the greatest acoustic fingerpicking songs of all-time even without the incredible harmonies. "Wooden Ships" is a really cool psychedelic song, "Long Time Gone" has some catchy guitars and organ along with their trademark harmonies, "Guinnevere" has a really interesting sound with jazzy chords, plus "You Don't Have to Cry" and "Pre-Road Downs", such a good album.
Most of Graham Nash's stuff, on this album and later, is typically overly saccharine and cheesy for my tastes. "Lady of the Island" just kinda comes and goes, and at least "Marrakesh Express" owns up to its cheese with perhaps the cheesiest sounding organ of all-time. Still, these flaws are nowhere significant enough to bring this album down.
Fiona Apple
3/5
I've heard a lot of how Fiona Apple is terrific, and I'm sure she is, but this album didn't meet those expectations. Most songs just kinda stumbled through some syncopated beat and piano line and some off-tempo vocals. Like it wasn't bad, and I enjoyed some of it, but it seemed to get old.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
Pleasantly surprised by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, who I really don't know much about other than "Maps", which nowadays just annoys me.
Great indie pop dance album. Great voice, production, melodies. Really solid.
Bob Dylan
5/5
My first deep dive into Bob Dylan was last year in my final year of university. Rather than doing homework, review, or anything remotely academically productive, I would stay up late and put on Dylan albums while playing Civilization V. In other words, peak.
With this album, and a few other Dylan ones that I'm sure will be on this list, I so often stopped playing, and sat back in my chair listening. "Love Minus Zero" is a quintessential Dylan track, "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" is one of my favourites of his, "It's Alright Ma..." should be a mandatory lesson in high school English classes everywhere.
I used to view "Mr. Tambourine Man" as kind of a children's song, with "Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me in the jingle-jangle morning" as somewhat juvenile, but upon further listening, it is way better than that. "Gates of Eden" is underrated, "Maggie's Farm" is fun, "She Belongs to Me" is also underrated.
I heard "Subterranean Homesick Blues" in high school, and if we actually had a high school yearbook (wiped out due to COVID), my quote was going to be "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows".
The Darkness
2/5
Not my style of music at all. The single most clichéd album I've gotten so far. But I respect it at least. It's melodic and catchy.
The Divine Comedy
2/5
Stays too long. Find it smarmy. Would be 1 star but some of the orchestration/piano/instrumental backing is nice.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Mind-blowing album. Everyone knows Kashmir, but stuff like "The Rover", "Trampled Under Foot", "Down by the Seaside", "In My Time of Dying" all add to the album. So many cool sounds, styles, instrumentations.
Yes, it's probably a bit too long, and somewhere in this 15-song album lies an even better 12-song album, but oh well. Still a terrific album.
Paul McCartney and Wings
5/5
Elite. The big singles are some of McCartney's best work. The album tracks are real nice and underrated. The title track is peak classic rock. Not much more needs to be said.
Os Mutantes
3/5
Felt like I was on some hot Brazilian drugs.
Johnny Cash
3/5
Step below Live at Folsom Prison, but the live versions of San Quentin and A Boy Named Sue are all good. A lot of monologuing for a 30 minute album.
Herbie Hancock
5/5
100/100. Classic album.
First heard Chameleon when I was in like Grade 9 and it became the entire class' musical stim.
Culture Club
2/5
"Karma Chameleon" opens the album. Bold decision, as it immediately falls back to the standard British new wave glook median.
Slayer
3/5
Never been a huge metal fan, but this stuff was pretty solid.
Jorge Ben Jor
3/5
Solid enough world music. Didn't leave much of a lasting impact.
10cc
2/5
So many half-decent ideas wrought by over-production and bad decision-making.
The Young Rascals
3/5
Not bad. Groovin' is groovin'. The rest of it is fairly inoffensive kooky '60s stuff.
Christina Aguilera
2/5
Somewhere in here is a 3 star single album.
The Temptations
3/5
Found it fine. The Temptations are solid R&B Motown. The latter half just kinda petered out into the generic.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
This is the first album I've listened to of Nick Cave. There's not really any singing, just monotone poetry reading. Mostly, the lyrics feel pretty basic and obvious. Occasionally a good line or two will strike, but I don't really feel like paying attention to every lyric over an hour-plus long album. Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, etc. all at least tried melodically.
However, the instrumentation and strings on this is incredible.
Sleater-Kinney
3/5
Solid enough. The your-local-band tier production works for this style of music. Not much really caught my ear, but I respect it.
R.E.M.
5/5
Terrific album, and perhaps R.E.M's best. Pretty well invented college rock. All the tracks have strong melodies, vocals, instrumentation, backing vocals, etc. I've never considered R.E.M.'s lyrics to be really impressive or anything, but they're always at least fine.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
5/5
5 stars, 5 stars, 5 stars. End of discussion. Terrific and approachable jazz, and serves as perfect high-class house party background music or a night with just yourself smoking by the record player.
Todd Rundgren
4/5
Screw it give it 4 stars. Lots of cool sounds, melodies, instrumentation. Doesn't really have to be this long, and has like 7 tracks in a row that are a minute long. Don't know if that was entirely necessary, but I like Todd Rundgren and I like this album.
Patti Smith
4/5
Pretty fun, the opening track is energetic as anything. 'Free Money' is a banger. The rest of the album unfolds rather nicely. I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Jimmy Smith
4/5
I will be returning to the chicken shack
XTC
3/5
"Dear God" is really cool. Shame you have to sit through 45 minutes to get to it.
The rest of the album is fine enough. Had a friend who was really into XTC. But asides from "Dear God", "Making Plans for Nigel", and "Love on a Farmboy's Wages", XTC has just never clicked for me. Like it's not offensive or inherently bad, just not my style. The lyricism feels really on the nose.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
Frank can't do much wrong. The album all kinda sounds same-y and drags on a while, but it's all solid.
Metallica
5/5
I'm a pretty casual metal fan. I don't like crazy screaming of death metal, or the headache of industrial metal, or the obnoxiousness of nu metal.
But this stuff. This.
THIS.
This I like.
The Incredible String Band
2/5
You know what. It's not OFFENSIVELY awful. It's just AMUSINGLY bad.
Would never play this when company's over, but I may relisten to it alone in sarcasm.
Some of the musicality isn't half-bad. I enjoy Celtic folk melodies, and there's an occasional tasteful flute. The sitar is wild. But you know what, I can almost appreciate its sheer lunacy.
Could rank it even higher when I listen to it on drugs.
Mariah Carey
3/5
You know what. Not my style of music but Carey has a generational voice and the songs all pass by rather pleasantly.
Stereo MC's
3/5
Honestly not bad, some catchy stuff here and there. But does not need to be that long.
Talking Heads
4/5
I thought I'd be giving this a 5/5, but rather it's a high 4/5. There's some really good stuff, but the other half of it just doesn't click at the highest level.
Simple Minds
4/5
Y'know, one of the better British new wave albums this list keeps on throwing at you. Not bad. Catchy. Some good poppy synth and some good dark synth. Vibed.
Carole King
5/5
Terrific album. It's a top three singer-songwriter album by a woman, and lemme tell ya it's not 2nd or 3rd.
Even the random "Smackwater Jack" is endearing. King is a great songwriter, and while her vocals are not as strong as the singers who cover her songs, her voice on her own songs adds to the home-y, early Sunday morning coffee atmosphere. "I Feel The Earth Move", "So Far Away", "It's Too Late", "You've Got a Friend", "You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman", "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", "Where You Lead"... at this rate I'm just gonna name the entire tracklist. Everything is great.
Janis Joplin
3/5
Solid blues rock album. Some great vocals, then on some they sound a bit too choppy. Nothing much more than solid, I fear.
U2
3/5
Not as bad as other reviews make it out to be. Not as good as other reviews make it out to be. Such is the plight of U2.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
5/5
Screw it 5/5. Yes it's over 2 hours long, yes there's a couple minutes here and there of just studio chatter, yes it stays in the same style throughout.
Don't care. ELITE album. This album almost singlehandedly bridged the gap between the new hippie country rock of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and the traditional bluegrass of the Scruggs, and is probably one of the most important country records of all-time. I love the sound of this music, firmly rooted in the centuries American folk tradition. It transports you to a rocking chair on the patio of an old country home looking up at the Appalachian.
I enjoy side 2 a lot, as it opens up with a good number of straight instrumentals. If you don't like vintage American folk like "Lonesome Fiddle Blues", "Cannonball Rag", and their version of "Orange Blossom Special", then you just won't like this album.
The Zombies
4/5
Electric Prunes but a bit better.
Lauryn Hill
4/5
I understand it's importance. I'm just not an extreme fan of this neo-soul hip-hop style. Like it's good, don't get me wrong. I like it. But it's long and the songs kinda sound same-y. Anyways it's a strong album.
Isaac Hayes
3/5
The first track is really good, then it just kinda peters out, with random spoken word stories. Still, pretty impressive for 1969.
Jazmine Sullivan
2/5
"Pick Up Your Feelings" is a fine enough song. I don't think this album is dreadful or offensive, but I could think of a thousand and one albums better than it. Wake me from a drunken stupor and I could still probably name like eight hundred.
The Offspring
2/5
I just don't like The Offspring. I can't say it's a 1star album, cause there is some half-decent alternative stuff, but man. I hate "Self-Esteem".
The Soft Boys
3/5
Goes in one ear and out the other, but you don't register it as "bad" at all while listening.
The Beach Boys
4/5
Really good album. "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "God Only Knows" are some of the greatest songs to come out of the '60s. The harmonies throughout are brilliant. But to me, it doesn't really hit the next gear. Most of the songs kinda sound alike. Yes, there's different vocal melodies chord progressions, but the instrumentation and production make it all sound mostly same-y. And it's not a bad same-y, but considering the acclaim this album gets, I guess I expected more variety.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
Hell yeah. Got contact high. Reggae so often is a self-derivative genre, with the same three chords and beat for the past 80 years, with the only changing element of who's singing it. Versioning and all that. No wonder Bob Marley is the pre-eminent reggae artist. He makes every song here unique and catchy, with social and political commentary, and great messaging. Such a vibe.
Guns N' Roses
4/5
Basically a Greatest Hits compilation as a debut album.
Happy Mondays
3/5
Honestly not bad. Not great or anything. But not bad.
Arcade Fire
4/5
I don't really understand the whole trend of slamming on Arcade Fire for their "tryhardness" or "indie pretentiousness". Yeah, they take music seriously and they're a bit arty and very polished and grand production. Doesn't mean it sounds any less good.
Otis Redding
4/5
Some really good stuff here. Some tracks kinda blend into one long one with the same style, pacing, instrumentation, etc. But hey, it sounds great throughout.
Ravi Shankar
2/5
Some of the theory explanations were a tad interesting, but listening to this whole album stone cold sober did not inspire joy.
The Residents
1/5
This is actually stupid.
Peter Gabriel
5/5
Fantastic album. "In Your Eyes" is one of my favourite songs of all-time. "Sledgehammer" is a banger. "Don't Give Up" is a great duet. The production, atmosphere, and instrumentation on stuff like "Red Rain" and "Mercy Street" is, for lack of better words, very cool. Borderline flawless.
The Doors
4/5
Not a huge fan of The Doors, but I enjoy this. Some classics on here, and the rest isn't bad at all.
Orbital
4/5
Above average electronic music. Don't mind it much at all. Enjoyed it a lot, some great beat, very pleasurable, good production. Some electronic music is just idle MRI noises, but this stuff has melody, feel, and rhythm. Kinda long but that's expected from an electronic album of the day.
Pleasantly surprised, considering all the reviews panning it.
a-ha
3/5
The big hit(s) from the album are all you need to listen to
Air
5/5
Never heard of Air, but holy what an album. It's great. Great electronic tracks, with really good melodies and rhythms. The opening track was really cool, the Beth Hirsch songs were great, and the album works real well as a set piece or as individual songs. Had no expectations heading into it, but caught me way off guard.
Elvis Costello
3/5
More of a 2-star album, but "Alison" is still terrific and bumps it up a rank.
I just don't get Elvis Costello. 99% of it doesn't hit at all.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
When Springsteen hits, it's peak classic rock. "Prove It All Night Long", "Adam Raised a Cain", "Racing in the Street", "The Promised Land", and "Something in the Night" are all great. Unfortunately, I was never a big "Badlands" guy, and stuff like the title track and "Candy's Room" and "The Factory" just kinda come and go, stopping the album from being a true classic.
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
Funky soul and R&B. I didn't expect much, and it was a pretty nice album to listen to. Good pop sensibilities and approachable. Did not need a 13 minute instrumental.
Paul Simon
4/5
For as often as I heard "Mother and Child Reunion" on the local radio growing up, I'd've assumed it'd have WAY more Spotify streams.
But that's not the point. Well it kinda is. But the other point is that it's a solid album, with some great highs and few lows. Some of the songs just kinda come and go without much additional thought, but none of it is below average.
Orbital
3/5
Good enough electronic. Didn't mind it. The intro and outro were dumb, but the actual tracks were inoffensive and tight.
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
Average Britpop. This list man.
Was going to be 2 stars, but some of the individual tracks were pretty good.
Beck
4/5
I've never given Beck a fair listen due to my loathing of "Loser".
However, this is just really solid 2000s alt-rock. I was quite impressed.
I still hate "Loser".
Bebel Gilberto
3/5
Good enough, kinda dragged on and wasn't too ear-catching, but twas fine.
George Michael
2/5
Epitome of a 3star album, but the title and atmosphere give this album a lofty social goal that it never lives up to.
Kendrick Lamar
5/5
One of the best hiphop albums I've ever heard. From the opening to "Wesley's Theory" right to the end. Not many, if any, dull moments. It justifies its hour length, and offers a great rhythm and vibe for casual listening and enough insight, care, and passion for a full in-depth dive.
Arcade Fire
4/5
I get it won the Grammy (a choice that rightfully remains controversial), but it's not their best work. It starts out 5/5, ends 5/5, but kinda drags in the middle chunk. Great first 15 minutes, great last 20 minutes, and the other half an hour just kinda exists.
Ian Dury
3/5
Nowhere as bad as the reviews make it out to be.
Weird and quirky, but the musicianship is pretty good and the melodies are nice.
The Stooges
4/5
Raw and powerful
The Smiths
5/5
One of the best albums of the 1980s. Like it ends with a one-two punch of "There is a Light That Never Goes Out" into "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others". Honestly brilliant.
Wu-Tang Clan
4/5
I have entered the wu-tang
wu-tang clan i am in you
The Band
5/5
I wanted to say something short and cheeky.
But then I thought about it. And like. The Band is SO underrated among the my 2000's generation. Their first 3 albums are absolutely fantastic. "Music From Big Pink" has the seldom legitimate claim of being the first album in a genre. Pretty well invented Americana music, with its mix of rock, country, western, folk, and blues styles. Also popularized the whole Big Pink thing, with countless acts trying to find and record at their own Big Pink - a communal house of creativity, music, friendship, and work.
The who's who of music have consistently cited The Band as an influence, and they still have their fingerprints on modern Americana, folk, and alt-country acts 60 years later.
All that being said, the music here is really good too. Like "The Weight" and "I Shall Be Released" are classics for a reason. But stuff like "Caledonia Mission", "This Wheel's on Fire", "Chest Fever", "Long Black Veil", and "To Kingdom Come" are all great songs played by five great musicians.
For what it's worth, and as a Canadian, I think Robbie Robertson is one of the most underrated musicians of all-time in today's world.
Hole
4/5
I owe you an apology Courtney Love, I was unfamiliar with your game.
The Go-Go's
4/5
Not bad at all. Firmly above-average.
The singles are above-average for the era.
The album tracks are above-average for the era.
New York Dolls
2/5
Below average classic rock
Lou Reed
4/5
Some good stuff on here and covers a variety of genres. Not every song reaches the greatness of a 5/5 album, but it should definitely be on a list like this.
Prince
4/5
Iconic album for a reason. The big hits, and obviously the title track, are stone cold classics. I can totally understand the 5/5 ratings, but personally, I don't vibe with the album tracks as much as other people, and they kinda come and go.
Moby
3/5
Some of the tracks here are good, some just kinda go by. Same style throughout. Taking old black spirituals and adding the most polished and commercial production and keyboards on it is kinda much.
The Birthday Party
1/5
Actual ragebaiting by the book to include this. Such a troll.
Milton Nascimento
4/5
A lot of neat instrumentation and piano, guitar lines. Quite nice to throw on in the background. Pleasant listening and doesn't demand your constant ear.