ACK, ACK, ACK, ACK, ACK!
3/5. Super catchy songs all throughout. I don’t usually enjoy such piano heavy albums, but it’s to be expected here. Standout: Vienna
Corgan’s voice has always been a huge hindrance for me as I’ve attempted to enjoy this band. Despite this, 1979 has always been one of my favorite 90’s songs so I at least wanted to listen that far. It was rough. I give this one 2 out of 5 stars, and that’s solely because of 1979.
Not my cup of tea, but I can definitely understand why it was/is so influential for the genre. Had I been driving while listening to this album I would’ve easily gotten a speeding ticket.
Short and sweet with a nice mix of fun, upbeat songs and slower ballads. Let the Good Times Roll and Jump Into the Fire were my favorites. Coconut gets a ton of hate and has a reputation for being a bit of a meme. Is it repetitive? Absolutely, and on top of that there’s only a single chord in the whole song, but the way that it slowly builds as the song progresses is endlessly entertaining to me.
Smooth and sexy from start to finish, but it felt like there was really only one tempo. The bass lines are great, as well as the sax. Clear standouts to me are When Am I Going to Make a Living and Cherry Pie.
I narrowed the track list down to 12 songs because there’s no way I was gonna listen to this for three hours. I’d have difficulty doing that for my favorite bands. I chose songs based on how interesting the song titles were to me, and I enjoyed it! It goes without saying, her voice is amazing. The band was great too!
I’m in the tiny percentage of people who can’t stand Janis Joplin’s voice. It’s never impressed me, and more often than not it irritates me. The band on this album was exactly fine, nothing to write home about. My favorite on this one was Buried Alive In the Blues for obvious reasons. I’m giving it 3/5 because I’m positive there are albums on this list I’ll dislike more.
As a Gorillaz fan who knows next to nothing about Britpop outside of a handful of Oasis songs, I was excited to check this out. It didn’t disappoint! Catchy songs all over the place, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out I already knew a couple. Standouts: Bank Holiday, London Loves
Some great songs on this one, and Victoria is such an awesome way to begin an album. Yes Sir, No Sir is so damn catchy, I couldn’t get it out of my head for hours afterwards. Some Mother’s Son and Shangri-La are a couple others that really stood out to me. I’ve always been told that The Kinks were just as good if not better than The Beatles and while i cannot definitively say I believe that or not, I’m excited to dig deeper
I’m really familiar with the singles on this album, but I’ve been meaning to listen to the whole thing for seemingly decades, and I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed. Everybody Wants to Rule the World just might be the best song of the 1980’s, but I particularly love the way the last four songs on the album fade into one another and share similar motifs. Of all the albums I’ve gotten up to this point this by far the one that excited me to get.
ZZ Top was created in a lab to write songs for your stepdad. When it comes to their albums it’s easy to predict what you’re gonna get: white people blues rock about having sex with beautiful women. All of the music is performed well, and occasionally the songs are good! I wasn’t psyched about this one, but it wasn’t as bad as I expected, and that might be because I found it so easy to tune out. Until one of them began singing about 69ing.
I expect someone paid big money to have this album included. I’ll give it one star because at least they knew how to play instruments, and I give myself five stars for finishing the whole thing.
I wasn’t in love with the instrumentation, a lot of it was very plain. However, I loved her voice, and each song was so well written. I feel like this is the kind of album I’ll love more upon release each listen. My favorites were California, This Flight Tonight, River, and The Last Time I Saw Richard.
This album has some excellent guitar parts, and Taylor’s voice was pleasing to listen to. The more blues focused songs were a little weird to me, but overall it wasn’t bad.
Of all the 80’s albums, this is definitely one of them. There really isn’t much to write home about here, it’s inoffensive, but I feel like it just misses the mark.
This isn’t the first time I’ve tried delving into The Smiths but unless they’ve got other albums on this list it’s likely my last. I wasn’t impressed by much here, but I guess it’s cool that so many people love it.
These boys sure do love reverb! I might’ve been in a poor headspace when I listened to this album, but I kept finding myself getting bored and distracted. If I had heard this album in high school I would’ve either loved it or pretended to in order to impress some hipster girl.
If we’re not counting the three hour Etta James album I narrowed down to roughly 41 minutes, this is the first album on the list I didn’t finish. I made all the way to track 8 before I tapped out because it’s all just the same format: One dude chooses a preset on his drum machine, the other dude finds 2 chords to strum, and the vocalist layers nonsense on top of nonsense. They add as much reverb as possible and boom, you’ve got this album.
I could’ve vibes with 2-3 songs layering the vocals like this during the last chorus or something but every song? No thanks. Perhaps if one of the fellas took over background vocals just to add some tonal difference it would’ve worked better. I don’t know. I’m not sure who this is for, but I know it ain’t me.
I had a good time with this one! The music is pretty typical 90’s Americana, and the lyrics were just fine. I enjoyed the more political songs, you could’ve told me they were written yesterday and I would’ve believed you. My favorite song might be the one where he fucks a ghost.
This album is a bit long in my opinion, I think 3-5 songs could’ve easily been trimmed. It’s easy to forget how inspired by blues music the Stones are if your knowledge of them extend only to their radio hits. I enjoyed quite a few songs, but I kept finding myself tuning out from time to time.
This album has everything that I love about Prog, and none of the things I hate about Prog.
5/5 every song on this one is fantastic, any time someone tells me they don’t like country I point them in this direction.
I’ve always enjoyed Neil’s songwriting, though I’ve never listened to a full album before and I’m not sure a live album counts. I enjoyed this, and I'm aware he’s got other albums on this list so I look forward to listening when they come up.
I enjoyed only two tracks on this album and they sit pretty far apart in the sequence. They also happen to be the only two songs with any noticeable percussion. I feel like more percussion would have been a nice distraction from Rufus singing primarily in whole notes.
I had assumed this album would be similar to the Cocteau Twins I listened to previously, and in many ways it was, but I enjoyed this one much more. I feel like the songs here felt more intentional and while it also struggled to keep me fully engaged with its all-the-sameness, there were some songs I really enjoyed.
I’m in the minority of people who just aren’t impressed by Queen. It’s undeniable that Freddie is one of the best vocalists of all time, and the rest are decent players as well, and at one point I did consider myself a Queen fan. I don’t really know what happened, maybe I’ve just been inundated by their biggest hits for too long that I’m turned off by the rest of it. This album was exactly fine in my opinion. My favorite song of theirs has always been Killer Queen, so for me that was the peak of this album.
I’m a fan of quite a few REM songs but I’ve never listened to a whole album before, and what a great place to start. I really enjoyed this one, and it’s hard to believe it was their first album.
As far as songwriting goes, it doesn’t get much better than this.
This is the second Joni Mitchell album I’ve been given in the last month. I’m not complaining though, I just think it’s a strange coincidence. Her albums are pretty far away from what I’d choose to listen to normally, but they just seem to work for me. I had more fun with this one than Blue!
I wasn’t psyched to be getting an Interview Elvis album, especially one from so late in his career but I was pleasantly surprised by track one. Unfortunately, it was mostly downhill from there until In the Ghetto and Suspicious Minds. Overall I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it.
I was pretty underwhelmed with this one perhaps because I was given Bridge Over Troubled Water earlier this week.
Of all of the needless versions of Summertime Blues this one was the worst I’ve heard, and unfortunately it was the highlight of this one for me.
I had more fun with this one than Sheer Heart Attack, but I still just don’t like Queen. If I never hear Bohemian Rhapsody it’ll be too soon.
This is one of the first albums I discovered when I was in my early teens just getting into music, and it still holds up.
This was super listenable 60’s pop that didn’t immediately strike me as just a Beatles clone, but ultimately this album is mostly forgettable.
This is what Country music should sound like. I know that genres have to change and grow as time passes, but a majority of what we’ve got today simply isn’t Country. My only complaint is that it was too short.
One star for Michael, three stars for Quincy.
This was a great soundtrack while I washed dishes! I’m glad I listened to it, but ultimately it’s not for me.
I’m pretty familiar with Pretenders’ biggest singles, but this is the first time I’ve listened to a whole album and I really enjoyed it. Brass in Pocket is obviously a classic, but I also really enjoyed Precious, Space Invader, and Private Life. I’ve never enjoyed Tattooed Live Boys for some reason, but I like it more now than I did yesterday!
This is the most brown album I’ve heard on this list so far, and I mean that in the best way possible. IYKYK. Several of these tracks went straight to my playlist immediately, I was pleasantly surprised and I’ll be digging further into their whole discography soon.
This album was definitely better than Heart and Bone, but after Papa Hobo it starts to get a little boring. Run That Body Down, Me and Julio, and Peace Like a River were the highlights for me.
I was about to give it three stars, but I’m giving it one more because I’m a sucker for well placed whistle solos.
This one was really cool, but it could’ve been shorter, and I feel like the beats could’ve been more varied.
This was not what I was expecting from a Beck album and it wasn’t bad, but from start to finish the vibes/sound didn’t change much. I feel like it’s a three for now, but it might grow on me with future listens.
I didn’t want to like this album because of the new Kanye, but unfortunately the old Kanye made a good album.
While i didn’t hate this album, none of these songs really held my attention. In fact, I forgot I had listened to it within two hours after the last track ended.
This album is definitely very dated, but it was upbeat and energetic so its age didn’t hinder my enjoyment. It’s not typically what I’d listen to, but that’s the entire reason I started this list in the first place.
I’m pretty familiar with U2 but despite that this is my first time listening to a full album. I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would.
I thought this was a really fun album, with a few weird moments. I’m a big Prince fan and I think he wrote incredible songs but I don’t think he ever released a truly flawless album.
The highlights for me were the title track and It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night
Boilerplate 60’s music. I feel like I would have liked it more if they had spent 10-15 more minutes working out the melodies for each song. I’d be giving it three stars if not for 2-4-2 Fox Trot, which might be one of the worst songs I’ve ever heard.
A bit of a long album but it didn’t feel that way because it was so playful and fun. I love De La Soul and I love Tribe so this album is always a treat to listen to.
This is a foundational album for me and my taste in music. Easy 5/5.
This is another one that I don’t really feel belongs on the list, and the final track being 9 minutes long is a bit excessive. The only highlight for me was hearing the chorus to Babylon and thinking, “ Oh yeah, I remember hearing this all the time when I was eight.”
I was familiar with War before this, but only a few songs. I was not expecting to be blown away like I was! 10/10.
This album is great, and so is Blondie. I wish I had been around to see them live in this era!
This is my favorite album of all time. It always has been and it probably always will be. It’s album 55 for me so I’m hopeful this list hasn’t peaked for me so soon.
The Eagles are an interesting band to me because when I listen to them I oscillate between enjoyment and dissatisfaction, and it seems to happen every other track.
I didn’t hate any of it, but it all sounding like the exact same song kept me from liking any of it.
I distinctly remember when all of the hipsters in my high school discovered this album and deified Sufjan for about a week. He’s got a good voice and I definitely understand how some people really enjoy this album, but around track 10 I started to get the feeling I’ve heard all there was to hear with this one and I was ready to tap out.
1089 albums is such a huge undertaking, and I’m trying to keep my DNFs under 10. I got really close to skipping halfway through but I managed to finish.
Everyone else’s review for this one had me prepared for something truly awful, and this wasn’t that. I didn’t really like it and I don’t think it belongs on this list, but I was expecting worse.
Wow, what a weird album to be included. If you have me an afternoon I think I could get pretty close to naming 1001 other albums that should be on this list that aren’t. Also, I don’t pay for YouTube so getting an ad between every song is kind of a pain. That’s not Dagmar’s fault, but having 1:30 long songs all over this album is.
If you can make it passed Mother Beimleim I salute you. DNF.
Four stars to the music for sure!
-3 stars for the subject matter. Every time I went to check the translations I was reminded how gross it is. I might have let it slide if one track had been about a 15 year old girl, it was a different time, and he’s French. But the whole album? Too far.
I think I like this one more than The Queen is Dead, but not by much. I just don’t think I’ll ever be able to enjoy Morrissey’s voice.
This album is really fun 80’s pop, and definitely earns its place on this list as it is one of the best albums the decade had to offer.
I knew this would be a fun album and Missy didn’t disappoint.
I got really into the doors for about two weeks when I was 14 so I was alright with this one. My only complaint is that I wish it were sequenced better because the middle of the album really drags.
I’m a huge fan of the Police and Stewart Copeland in particular. I get the point behind the song Mother, and I like weird shit, but that song is just not good. One of my favorite live performances ever is the Police playing Wrapped Around Your Finger on their reunion tour. If you haven’t seen it you should definitely check it out.
This album exactly fine. The instrumentation was great and the vocals were good, but as a whole it was pretty forgettable.
Going into this album I was only aware of the singles, but I really love those songs so I knew it’d be an amazing album. It did not disappoint!
I only knew a couple of these songs before listening, but this whole album blew me away. If I’m being honest this album is probably a 4, but as someone who hates 98% of Skynyrd’s catalogue and general vibe, it’s a 5.
I love the grooves on this album, and the lyrics are still relevant today. Tom Morello is a fantastic and innovative guitar player, but sometimes his weird noises tend to irritate me.
The only review this album needs was written May 01 2021. I have nothing else to add!
AC/DC has always been a weird one for me. I’ve criticized them in the past, and I’ve also defended them from those same criticisms. Lyrically the songs aren’t great, and the music is pretty basic but the way they come together is undeniably badass. I’ll always prefer the Bon Scott era, but holy shit what a perfect album to release following that tremendous loss.
I’ll never go out of my way to put this one on, and when songs from this album come on the radio I change the station 90% of the time, but I still recognize what an achievement this album is, not only for the band but for stepdads all over the world. I was gonna give it 3 stars, but Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution as a closer earns it 4.
Should’ve been called Bore. In a way it’s inspiring because as a musician sometime I wonder if my songs are dumb. This gives me the confidence to just hit record on some random bullshit I come up with and someone out there will think it’s genius. I feel like the only reason it’s on this list is because of the circumstances leading up to its recording, and not because it’s worth listening to.
I’ve always enjoyed Beastie Boys in small doses, and I always tend to lose patience with this one as soon as I hit Brass Monkey. It’d probably get 5/5 for me if it ended there.
I had never even heard of this band before today and I wasn’t excited to see a folk rock album from the 60’s. This album blew me away more than once. The vocalist was incredible, and the band was great too. I was not expecting this album to groove in any way and I’m so happy to have been proven wrong.
I’m not the biggest fan of folk music but I enjoy a handful of Dylan songs that came after this album. I found the first half of this album to be kind of boring, but I enjoyed the second half much better.
This album was fine, I feel like I would’ve loved it when I was younger, but ultimately I found it pretty forgettable.
This album is one of my wife’s favorites so I hear it around the house from time to time, but this is the first time I’ve actually listened from start to finish. From start to finish this is an incredible album, from the music to the lyrics. It’s flawless in my opinion.
My first Beatles album on the list! It’s a 4/5 for me, not my favorite of theirs but still great nonetheless.
I wasn’t excited for this one after reading other reviews, and after the first track of thought to myself, “Hey, that wasn’t that bad at all! A little weird, but I kinda like weird songs.”
By the halfway mark I was checking Wikipedia to see if anything from this album was used at Guantanamo to torture prisoners.
Meh. I liked it better than Fifth Dimension at least.
It’s not a terrible album, but I wasn't really into it. I think Jagger is wrong on this one.
The music is undoubtedly amazing, but I’ve always grown tired of Gillan’s nearly constant wailing.
I was psyched to see the collaborations on this one, but i didn’t enjoy any of them nearly as much as the last three songs.
I didn’t mind this one at all, it’s got a cool vibe. I like this one much more than Idlewild.
I didn’t love or hate this, it’s a pretty forgettable 60’s cover album. I’m aware that Dusty has another album on the list, and I expect I’ll like that one better.
Lennon is my least favorite Beatle, and I was expecting something way more pretentious. The album was better than I had anticipated, and i can appreciate that he was being so honest and personal with this one.
I was a huge fan of Punk when I was as a teenager and I probably would have loved this album if I heard it at the time. These days I can appreciate the music, but Darby’s voice is a little annoying to me.
I liked the samples for the most part and LL has a good flow, but his lyrics either didn’t age well or weren’t good in the first place.
If this list has taught me anything it’s that I don’t like the 60’s nearly as much as I thought I did. The Beatles are an obvious outlier, but I’m kinda suprised by how much I’ve enjoyed the two Kinks albums I’ve gotten.
My first Kinks album was Arthur or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire, which I gave a 4/5, but I think I like this one more.
I knew these guys are incredibly talented before going into this, and I love bands who jam but this was almost too much jam for me.
My first Bowie album on the list, and it’s one of the few Bowie albums I haven’t listened to previously. This one was fine in my opinion, but far from my favorite of his.
I’ve never listened to a Leonard Cohen album before this, but I was aware of his general vibe beforehand. I probably won’t seek this one out for my own personal enjoyment, but I found it to be hauntingly beautiful and I’m looking forward to hearing his other albums on this list.
I wasn’t sure what to expect, and after having listened to it I’m not sure how I feel about it. It was cool to experience music wildly different from what I’m used to, but I kept getting lost in the repetition which isn’t uncommon, yet I can usually fall back on lyrics to keep me interested. That wasn’t the case for this particular album.
The songs were mostly fine, and luckily they’re all short so if you aren’t liking one just wait a minute and it’ll likely be over.
Call me crazy but I believe this guy wanted to fuck a porpoise. I wasn’t in love with this album, but it’s still better than anything I’ve heard from The Byrds so far.
I’ve successfully avoided becoming a Bob Dylan guy for nearly 34 years, and I think this album is changing me, so that’s pretty cool.
This was better than I expected to be, this was just a solid modern pop album.
I wish we could give half stars because this is a very strong 4.5 for me. I’m rounding up to 5 stars because I love a lot of these songs, but they could’ve trimmed the fat a little especially on disc two. I understand they probably wouldn’t have had enough material for a double album at that point, but I think the outcome would’ve been better.
I listen to most of these albums at work and this is the first one that noticeably increased my productivity. I’ll definitely listen to this again soon. 5/5.
