A very interesting style—eclectic, and with a very entertaining twist to it as a cross-ska, souls-y item.
Emotive writing & some beautiful instrumental sections just don’t personally do enough to salvage the album for me.
(Listened to Expanded Edition.) Some groovy sections, but … not great as a whole. Would probably mainly listen to the [presumably] expanded bits at the end of the live album in the future.
A little weird conceptually, but overall enjoyable (—and definitely with some individual stand-outs I’d save for the future!)
A solid album—similar to Wings, a couple of decent stand-outs saved separately for the future. Enjoyed it!
A good listen (—and, somehow, not what I was expecting.) Also have a few tracks saved for the future off this one, as well.
Strange, eccentric, borderline-noise but … not necessarily bad through-and-through? Truly, a weird one.
A very pleasant listen—a little folksy, a little Dylan, a little bedroom-recording-y. Probably my favorite of the list so far.
Very unique style—loved the multiple languages interweaved with both the West African & southern blues stylings.
Haven’t exactly had the greatest opinion of Steely Dan in the past but, this time, this album—as storied, hyper-aware delusional, apocalyptic yacht rock—actually made a good impression this time.
It was great to hear Michael Franti in his element & not just as a guest featuring role. Quintessential socially-conscious hip-hop.
It was great to hear Michael Franti in his element & not just as a guest featuring role. Quintessential socially-conscious hip-hop.
Very stylish & influential but, apart from a few stand-outs—(obviously) Immigrant Song, Gallows Pole, Hats off To (Roy) Harper—it just isn't really doing it for me all-around.
Reductive, but hearing Dropkick Murphys through a recording played back in a dim & crowded Irish bar isn’t doing it for me.
Oddly enough, stylistically felt like a blend between Radiohead & Procul Harum…? Some of the beginning/intro wasn’t doing it for me, but then the compositional stand-outs came—Sunshine, A Minha Menina, Sweet Like a Champion, Zia—& that really grabbed me.
A stylistic classic, but … eh?
Just absolutely loaded with the trademark sound & the classic bangers. (Such a crazy single-album spread, honestly, after having primarily previously spent time with CCR in the context of Greatest Hits.)
Soulful & passionate—a very pleasing, nostalgic listen.
Amelodic, atonal, unenjoyable. Clashing & completely identical to one another.
Soft-spoken with some underlying tribal influence. Okay, but not great.
Very classic, very stylistic—distinct themes for distinct acts. Just very beautiful instruments all-around.
Very ‘60s/‘70s psychedelia in a rejuvenating kind of way. Enjoyed this one much more than I expect I would, too!
Classic & nostalgic quintessential West Coast hip-hop; can’t knock that.
Strange—sometimes clever, sometimes grating. Clearly see where FF got a lot of inspiration from this for One by One. Overall, not really here for the total album flow, though.
Very technically proficient, but just not a sound/style/genre that does much for me, unfortunately.
Generally, not the biggest fan of The Cure; this didn’t really do much to persuade me.
Experimental; traditionally Bowie.
Quintessential bluesy hard rock classic. Gotta love it.
Classic country (—or Americana-adjacent.) Makes me want to fire up Fallout: New Vegas another time. Overall, sounded kind of same-y, but not bad by any stretch.
A very … industrially? … experimental & atonal Bowie album. Pass.
Admittedly, Iron Maiden’s vocal style has never really been my favorite, but there’s no denying it’s a genre-defining classic. (Also: “Run for the Hills”—wow!
Quintessential R&B/Soul—very, very enjoyable & relaxing.
Again, one of the classics when it comes to the time & genre; however, the psychedelic funk mixed with the bizarre, psychedelic instrumental grooves for the album opener & closer weren’t really doing it for me.
Classic country by a classic artist.
Lovely instrumentation-wise, but a little too …,strange? … for me.
Lovely instrumentation, but vocals a bit too gratingly-Dylan for me to regularly enjoy.
Saccharine Americana. Great for the historical context, but not much else.
Barrage of atonal punk-ish indie music of the late 80s. Not really my scene.
Classic rock opera. (It’s … alright.)
Kind of trippy & novel, if not a little same-y. Overall enjoyable.
Soft. Strange. Ethereal. Sweeping.
Warm, and with a nostalgic millennium level of underproduced production value.
Dreamy pseudo-psychedelia.
Classic, thematic, lo-fi Springsteen album. Instrumentation is very cozy, but the overall style & Bruce’s voice/tone just don’t really do it for me on this one.
Some bright spots & an iconic style, but—in all honesty—despite being super-important for the genre and/or music as a whole, not a top album for me.
Absolutely can’t argue with the selection of vintage classic rock tracks on offer here.
Tight & nostalgic. Fantastic example of mid-80s genre crossover.
Interestingly experimental, but not really my style.
A fun mix of ambient, 90s electronic, industrial, and ethnic/tribal sounds. Generally alright—definitely a couple keepers out of this eclectic mix for the vibes.
Some late-70s punk R&R—not really my scene as a general sound, again.
Classic ‘90s R&B with hip-hop influences & undertones. I understand the broader influence to the scene contextually, but—controversially?—this also doesn’t really do it for me, unfortunately.
I knew it was going to be a great follow-up to the prior Adele album I already encountered so far, but it still managed to exceed my expectations. Excellent record!
Just kind of noisy & whiny (—to my ears, at least.)
2.5 hours of same-y ‘80s alternative. Not unlistenable, but just … fine?
Great voice—and certainly not unlistenable—but a little one-note in theme & probably has some of the worst Disc 2 B-sides I’ve heard in my life.
Interesting style & themes, but a little too amelodic and all over the place for it to really be enjoyable for me.
Classic, soulful rock n’ roll.
Another 1999 rap classic—notoriously over-the-top. (3)
Charming European electronic that lets instruments just breathe and have fun; honestly, a very enjoyable listen!
Very timeless & nostalgic; nice deep[er] cut for me.
One meme-y stand-out unfortunately isn’t enough to save just how grating this album sounds as a whole.
Good turn-of-the-century female-led singer-songwriting here. Enjoyable!
Classic ‘70s rock with some definite stand-outs—enjoyable!
Just fun & classic; makes you nostalgic for a time you weren’t around for [aesthetically.]
Very cinematic soundscapes, interesting mixes & production, very evocative. True to their mission statement, very beholden to continuing in the vein of ‘60s/‘70s Beatles. (Plus: Mr. Blue Sky!)
Kind of same-y & “one-note”, but still solid overall.
Maybe just behind Back in Black as an album, but with the same appealing flair & flavor to it.
Unfortunately, a little too much experimental post-rock-y, shoegaze noise for my taste.
Delightfully strange & loaded with classics.
Downtempo, evocative story-telling; a good fit for a very specific kind of mood.
Yep, sounds exactly like classic ‘60s Beatlemania.
Eh, too noisy & atonal for me.
An eclectic throwback of styles.
Smooth & classic; soaked in vintage ‘80s style & tones.
Alright if you’re in the mood for it; however, the singing + style of JP has never quite been my cup of tea.
Certifiably strange, but also kind of … intriguing?
Just an incredibly unique style [for the time] with a truly captivating voice.
A standard Christmas album, but produced by Phil Spector.
One of the most landmark, pivotal live albums of all time.
…sounds like R.E.M. to me!
Strange & kind of same-y, but still enjoyable mid-70s from the mixing/mastering down to the style.
Strange, hallmark product of its time. (Just like the previous Funkadelic from ~6 years prior I’ve already previously listened to.)
A good album (—if you’re in the mood for the genre.)
Could be fun background music (depending on the setting) but nothing that really “stands out” as a whole, unfortunately.
Just kind of same-y, muddy, and downtempo. Blends all together.
Punk’s not really my scene.
An incredible album—it’s got the classics, the vibe, the tone, the guests. Very impressive.
Fun Wild West stories (—and, in my age range, inextricably linked with Fallout: New Vegas.)
A little noisy and “amelodic”—even for jazz, surprisingly—but still a couple stand-outs buried within.
“Jingly” instrumentals nestled between atonal, meandering messes of songs.
Cinematic & ethereal. A couple of “hits” on here, but the general vibe + Bono’s voice just doesn’t really do it for me.
Naturally, very strange and all over the place.
Unfortunately—although there are some interesting ideas & collaborations on here—so just find Q-Tip’s voice too annoying to listen to for any prolonged period of time.
Quintessential, trademark ‘80s pop.
Unique indie rock style that you can very much tell hails straight from the mid-‘80s.
Dreamy & kind of ethereal, peppered with some Bruce Springsteen-y overtones in the instrumentation.
Just generally kind of atonal & same-y…?
Just incredible ‘80s classic metal. Sometimes thrash-y, sometimes melodic.
Some great ‘60s jazz themes that really take you back, but … a little disorganized for my taste.
Consistently down-tempo, dreamy, & one-note.
Honestly, kind of middling for an MJ album. Outside of a couple front-loaded single hits, falls flat as a whole.
The slam poetry rasp of this one doesn’t exactly do it for me, either, unfortunately.
Sounds like an hour of The Rolling Stones sprinkled with some New Orleans jazzy twists.
Never been a fan of the hollow, noisy ‘80s thrash.
‘80s-sounding dreamy indie—not really anything you haven’t seen/heard before.
An immaculate funk album that really just has the right kind of “flow” to it.
Very operatic (obviously) early Queen from the early ‘70s. Some fun story-telling throughout—and certainly their trademark style—but just “alright” as a whole.
Better than the previously-reviewed Cohen album, but … not by much. His intonation & style is [personally] grating & just not that enjoyable to listen to.
Interesting stories with a strange cadence.
Just … okay? Some spots are higher points than the lower lows.
A classic—real, authentic, great story-telling that’s absolutely heartfelt.
Strange, eccentric—an interesting package. Definitely a surprising one.
Loaded with ‘80s staples—and classics—but yet another artist/album where I [mostly] don’t click with the vocals.
A little sedated and off-the-wall, but still interesting.
Strange songs & strange intonation.
Time capsule of classic hip-hop.
Also a very unusual one—some were okay, others were … less so.
Kind of relaxing, strong ‘60s flavor, strong melodies that tie together well.
Not bad! Aggressively British. Pretty much how you’d expect this era of UK rock to sound.
Technically impressive; can’t say I enjoyed it nearly as much as, say, AM.
Beautiful, timeless, ‘60s soul music sung by one of the best to ever do it.
A pretty quintessential classic rock albums; loaded with a bunch of classic songs that are certainly must-hears.
Obviously strong album start (“Tangled Up in Blue”) but still have trouble “getting into” Dylan’s strange vocal stylings throughout.
Over two hours of vibes with some ‘00s classics sprinkled in.
Just kind of … long tracks of noise?
Strange, but kind of interesting. (2)
Kind of same-y as a whole, but some interesting sounds & rhythms throughout. Aggressively British.
Smooth, moody, & soulful.
Very dreamy, very noodly, very ‘70s.
Very groovy! Sometimes a bit same-y throughout, but just such a good vibe & rhythm carried through the whole time that you kind of HAVE to love it.
Some interesting sounds, but a little atonal overall.
Smooth, catchy soul; loaded with classics.
The Beatles, but what if they were soaked in 90s grunge and cinematic orchestral?
Some cool sounds, but doesn’t ultimately really “gel” together.
Some classics on here—a bit of ‘70s pop, a bit of Beatles, some good variation overall.
Some songs are better than others; just never really “jived” with Bono’s vocal stylings.
Some classics, for sure, but overall just kind of … sub-par? … as a flowing record.
A very fun, songwriter-y style. Very ‘60s, very indicative of the San Francisco sound.
A truly unique sound/vibe. Very cool ‘80s rock record.
Title track is a classic, but just never really vibed with Courtney Love’s style.
Very strange, experimental, and … amelodic.
Interesting grooves that oscillate between catchy & obsessively experimental.
Leonard Cohen’s monotone still distracts me just as much as ever before.
Distinctly British, low-key.
Such a clever, strange series of instrumentals (or nearly-so.)
A beautifully-composed double-album that fills you with nostalgia for a time you weren’t alive for.
Two days of back-to-back Ray Charles! Same catchy, trademark style as always.
I understand the broader cultural & musical impact of The Smiths—and I do respect it—but, similar to The Cure, just never could really “vibe” with the sound.
Just kinda-trippy stream-of-consciousness. Strange lyrics.
Classic crooning Elvis: a classic sound.
A very classic grunge record. (Surprising that it’s about to hit its 35th birthday soon, as well!)
Another ‘90s hip-hop time capsule; a fun-sometimes strange—listen.
Very catchy, with interesting musical elements throughout (—a little pop, a little Irish, a little British, a little jazz/soul, a little … ska?)
A fun series of small vignettes and rock-y/blues-y Beatles-y songs ala the ‘70s.
