Despite being very familiar with the singles from this album, I had never listened to it before. Definitely an iconic album that catapulted Blondie's fame, and listening to the album really highlighted the influence that this record had on rock and pop music at that time. They are so genre-defying - elements of straight-up rock, punk, art rock, doo wop are all in there. And Debby Harry is just amazing - love her voice and the range of tones she can access. I found myself really enjoying the middle of the album - Fade Away and Radiate really made an impression on me and I love its weirdness, and I really enjoyed 11:59, Will Anything Happen, and Sunday Girl. I'm not sure there were any real hidden gems on the album, however - lots of enjoyable songs that definitely establish a clear sound and musical outlook, but nothing that made me sit up in my chair. I also thought the last two tracks were real throwaways. I wasn't crazy about the song order, either; I've seen reviews that feel quite the opposite, so I may be alone on that! But for example I found Heart of Glass strangely buried - it has such a strong, pulsing opening, I thought it would have made much more sense as the opening track of side 2. I give an overall 4 recognizing it as a truly iconic and influential album and the overall quality of the music. My personal rating is a 3. Enjoyable album that I'd listen to again, but not one I'd likely go to again on my own.

Obviously an iconic album - one I had as a kid, and haven't listened to beginning to end in a very long time. I really appreciate the degree of experimentation going on here and the musicianship and production are just incredible. It is so over the top and that's part of what I love about it - there is nothing subtle here, lol. It's a really cohesive album - I thought Beautiful Ones and Computer Blue were just ok and sounded particularly dated to my 2025 ears, but those low points for me aside the album has a great flow and a clear outlook.

I took the time to listen to this album twice, and that really paid off. Although I'm a huge fan of jazz, I had not heard Hugh Masekela's music before - so this album suggestion revealed a big gap in my knowledge and experience and introduced me to some amazing music. The music is just masterful. My first listen I liked it, but was unsure - and it is clear that was just me digesting something new. The second listen really captured me fully. There is something simultaneously calming and invigorating about this album, an aspect that became clearer to me when I listened on headphones and was able to pick up the extraordinary texture and detail in the music. This is music that is great for contemplation, great on a long walk or something where you can just be inside your own head. The final track, Ingoo Pow-Pow (Children's Song) is also worth mentioning. It is completely different from the rest of the album, more explicitly connecting traditional South African music with jazz. I loved this track on many levels, including the ways it uses jazz in a non-western musical form. Go ahead and try and figure out the time signature ;)

I love so much of Stevie Wonder's music and I know this is regarded as an iconic album - but this album just didn't do it for me. Higher Ground and Living for the City blow me away every time I hear them, and I really enjoyed Golden Lady which I didn't know before. But I found the rest of the album incredibly uneven, and some of it just isn't to my taste. I found the lyricism lacking in many of the songs, as well as the quality of his vocals. And many of the songs just felt corny to me - occasionally even showtune-y. Overall just not my cup of tea.

Generally speaking, I enjoyed the music on the album. It almost felt like I was listening to 2000s alternative radio - I got a Strokes song, The Killers, a David Bowie song thrown in, a little Fat Boy Slim, is that Talking Heads song? I'd enjoy hearing songs from this album on the radio or as part of a mix. A whole album of it, however, did end up feeling a bit much. The music within each song is quite repetitive, and so...many...sixteenth notes. By the end it sort of felt like I'd spent an hour in a club. I don't mean to be too critical - the songs were fun, it just wasn't the best album-listening experience.

Really cool album - great songwriting, incredibly ambient music, somehow felt old and new at the same time. This was a completely new album for me and so glad to listen to it. It is slower than what I more typically listen to, and after a while it did fade a bit into the background for me. That's just an element of personal taste. Beautiful music with an incredible vibe.

Had this been made a single album rather than a double album, this would likely be regarded as a perfect record. As it is, there’s unevenness to the production and a handful of songs that I could really do without (the 14 minute merman song is a remarkable time capsule and very much a parody of itself - although it’s also obvious they are completely and utters serious in their performances!) This keeps it from a 5 star rating from me. However the better parts of the album are truly sublime. Some of the best rock music ever is on the album for sure.

The music on this album is adjacent to a good bit of punk, hardcore, and metal that I really enjoy. For the record, though, I wouldn’t say I enjoy listening to this album. There are a handful of songs I enjoy - like She’s Hit, Kiss Me Black, 6” Gold Blade. But most of it I don’t enjoy listening to. I probably like it more as an art piece than as an album of music. The album made me think a lot - made me think about music and what commentary they were making, and where it fits in the spectrum of music before and after. I love the absolute rejection of standard expectations of popular music. It’s taking aspects of the punk ethos to its logical extreme. And it also clearly informs a lot of hard core and harder core metal (vs hair metal) that comes later. I am also drawn to the darkness of the lyrics. 6” Gold Blade felt like a modern, post punk Murder Ballad. Definitely more of an interesting thing to experience.

First half of the album was frankly boring for me. I appreciate the ambient quality of it, but overall I found it musically uninteresting. I like Notget and from that point of the album on I found it all much more interesting. But overall the album was a bit of a navel gaze for me.

Eh. This fades into the background for me almost immediately. I just can’t connect with music like this. Not for me.

I’m really surprised by the negativity in the reviews. This isn’t my cup of tea personally, but the top review says they can’t understand how anyone could have an emotional reaction to this music? Let’s be serious. This is outstanding pop music. Plenty of hooks, well produced, and Adele’s powerful voice has plenty of personality. Plus I’m always a sucker for an artist who made it from the bottom to the top - and Adele’s is the ultimate such story. I will almost certainly not listen to this album ever again. But I can enjoy the pop hooks, appreciate the vocals and the very personal songwriting, and admire the enormous impact this album had.

I’m not going to review this album. This collection features possibly the greatest American voice singing the collection of possibly the greatest American songwriter, produced by a legendary producer at the highest level of care and quality available at that time. That’s why this collection is here. If you appreciate music, you should be aware of this and listen to it. Is that not the point of this list? The whiny reviews are frankly embarrassing. Who cares that it is a compilation. This collection is a monstrous musical achievement, including as a way to ensure that Gershwin’s genius was fully captured. You don’t have to listen to all 3 hours (or 4 if you listen to the revamped versions). You can listen to 20 minutes and understand what’s there. Stop complaining.

I'm not that far into listening to the albums, but of all the albums I've been given this is the one I have the hardest time understanding why it is essential to listen to. It seems like good synth pop, but it is pretty unremarkable. I appreciate that they brought forward the sounds of the 80s into 2010 pop, and maybe that's the simple reason they are here - this album as an archetype of that particular moment in music. Completely listenable, but altogether pretty just...fine.

The monstrous hits from this album are fun, and culturally omnipresent. But the album is actually a drag. AC/DC has a very clear formula for their music...and boy do they stick with it. I don't think there's a different drum beat across the 42 minutes of music on this album, nor is there a double hit on the bass drum. This is just straightforward, uninventive rock music. And it is pretty much a double-entendre concept album, as a friend of mine put it. I recognize the cultural impact of this album, and respect the hooks and riffs that drove it to selling millions of copies. But this album is formulaic and conventional, and tiresome in its adolescent obsession with sexual innuendo - oftentimes in problematic ways.

I have never cared for Joni Mitchell's singing style - tone or phrasing - and her music typically is not a style I generally like. In that context, this album surprised me. I did like a lot of the music on this album - it's inventive and interesting, and diverse across the album. I enjoyed listening to it well beyond my expectations, and Jungle Line is actually a song I'd say I enjoyed! I still can't click with her vocals and lyrical style, and I won't listen to this album again. But certainly glad this project got me to listen to it this once.