It was fine, pretty generic 70s rock. I like 70s rock but probably wouldn't listen to this particular album again. I'd give it 2.5 stars, but I'll round up to 3 because of Don't Let Me Down. I particularly liked the sax and guitar solos in that song.
I enjoyed the album for the most part. There's a brightness to the guitar sound that I like and the songs had a lot of energy. It was interesting to hear a bluesy tone mixed with Beach Boy type harmonies but with a harder rock sound. Favorite song: The Ox. Worst song: I'm A Man
I really liked the folk-blues style and the instrumentation. I'm glad we got "Rainy Day Women" out of the way first because to me it was the worst track. It definitely improved after that. I don't listen to Dylan much because I find his vocal tone to be somewhat unpleasant, but I think he's excellent at telling a story and delivering his lyrics with emotion.
The standout songs to me were "I Want You" and "Stuck Inside of Mobile...". But I was surprised to find that my favorite was "Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowland", the longest track on this double album. "Sad-Eyed" was really beautiful and he sounded great on it.
Ok, I'm a huge Queen fan, so I pretty much loved this by default. Since Led Zeppelin came out a few years before Queen, you can definitely hear the influence they had on Queen. Led Zeppelin II was definitely in my wheelhouse and I enjoyed it.
Interesting. I've never intentionally listened to Celtic folk punk before but I liked it. I feel like I had trouble understanding some the lyrics because of the music seemed louder than the vocals at some points. Love the traditional instrumentation mixed with rock. Favorites: If I Should Fall From Grace, Fiesta, Thousands Are Sailing, Metropolis, Fairytail of New York
Pretty good. I appreciate good bass playing and Bruce Thomas of The Attractions was great. The bass playing is definitely a highlight of this record for me. Standout songs: No Action, Pump It Up, Lip Service.
I wish I could give half-stars, because I'd rate it 3.5 stars, but I'll round up to a 4 because of the bass.
It was okay. Pretty good 70s rock. The only song I knew was The Boys Are Back in Town. I was cleaning while listening, so I wasn't paying close attention to the songs, but seems like good music to exercise or clean to. I'd say 2.5 stars, but I'm going to go with a 2 because of how overdubbed it is (I know overdubbing is common on live albums but supposedly this one is mostly altered).
It was a little repetitive for me. I don't really listen to punk, but this was a good introduction. Standout Songs: Hate & War, What's My Name, London's Burning, Career Opportunities, Police & Thieves (loved the bass line).
Yea...not for me. At least it was only 15 minutes lol, although I did like "Beverly Hills". It would probably be fun to experience at a live show and have the energy of watching with a crowd.
Ok, so that was a journey for me lol. At first I was like "hmm, this is pretty bad". Then about 8 songs in I was like "I kind of love this?" and by the end I was rocking out to it. I was flummoxed for a bit because it's kind of bad (especially production wise), but it's also really great at the same time. I was worried at 68 minutes and 20 songs that it would be a bit too long but I really didn't notice because I was having fun. I enjoyed discovering something new to me and will definitely check out more Husker Du.
Favorite tracks: Standing in the Rain, Back from Somewhere, She Floated Away, Actual Condition, No Reservations
It was good. It was pleasant and a bit twee. I enjoyed all the different styles presented. Very British and Beatles-esque. I probably wouldn't listen to this album again but glad I got to check it out. Standout songs: Sitting By the Riverside, Last of the Steam-Powered Trains
Pretty good. The album title perfectly describes the energy of The Stooges. Standout songs: Raw Power, Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell. Love the bluesy sound of I Need Somebody. Down and dirty rock 'n' roll.
I love Stevie. I wasn't familiar with this specific album but did know You Haven't Done Nothin'. I liked it. I don't think this is one of his best albums, but it was enjoyable. Favorite tracks: Boogie On Reggae Woman, Too Shy to Say, and Please Don't Go.
Great album. Love the flow and the beats. Lauryn Hill is the real standout star on The Score. I really wanted to give this a 5, but I can't get past the skits. They did not age well. The singles released from this album are all great, and I also really liked "Zealots" and "Cowboys".
This is the first album I generated that I had already listened to. I liked it the first time and enjoyed it even more now. So much passion and energy. This album is still relevant 33 years later. Bombtrack is a great opener and really gets you pumped up. Favorites: Killing In The Name Of, Take The Power Back, Bullet In The Head, and Know Your Enemy
It was fine. I thought reading about the background of the album was more interesting than the album itself. Some of the songs had a great groove. Standout songs: Guilt and Why'd Ya Do It
Fun! I love the fusion of different kinds of rock, funk, and jazz. This is definitely a late 80s sounding album. I love Queen, and I can hear similar type rock styles on Vivid as the Queen late 80s album The Miracle.
I think Living Colour is a top notch rock band. Vernon Reid totally deserves his spot on Greatest Guitarists of all times lists, Muzz Skillings' funky bass lines propels the songs forward, Will Calhoun is a kick-ass drummer, and I enjoy Corey Glover's energy and delivery. Favorite Tracks: Which Way To America, Open Letter (To a Landlord), Desperate People, Cult of Personality
I'd give this a 4.5 but since there's no half stars it's a 4. I get tired of the late 80s rock sound fairly quickly. I like that sound for a bit then want to listen to other styles. But I'm definitely going to check out more Living Colour albums because I liked them.
It's cool. Not really a standout for me, but I enjoyed it. Q-Tip is so smooth. Favorite songs: WeFight/WeLove, Believe, Shaka, Official
I have a hard time believing that this album is a "must listen". Surely there are better Elvis albums to listen to. I like Elvis just fine and I don't mind the country/blues feel of this album. But I found this group of songs to fall fairly flat. Favorite tracks: I'm Movin' On, Power of My Love, and Suspicious Minds
Extremely 80s. Not really a fan of the "baby" voice. It all kind of blended one song into the other for me.
I enjoyed it. I listened to the original album instead of the extended version. Really liked the energy they brought to a live performance. Favorite song: Summertime Blues
I found it kind of hard to rate this album. It's so different from everything else I've listened to so far. The story behind this album is interesting. The piano is beautiful and it's amazing that the whole concert was improvised. The songs were really joyous although it did get a little repetitive.
Eh, it was fine. Nothing really stood out for me. I've definitely heard better versions of many of these songs.
So this is the first time since starting this project that I listened to the album twice. The first time I listened I thought it was kind of weird but not necessarily bad, 2 out of 5.
Later in the day I read the Wikipedia article about it and lead singer Sal Valentino said the album was partially inspired by a trip he took to the art museum California Palace of the Legion of Honor and the 17th century Flemish portraits and landscapes. He describes Triangles as a "mythological cartoon about love written from some weird spaces". So I go back and listen again and the whole thing now clicks in my brain. It no longer sounds weird but I can hear the influence and the interesting stories being told through this psychedelia county rock lens. So this album took me on a journey and it was fun. Favorite songs: The Wolf of Velvet Fortune, Magic Hollow, and The Keeper of Time
This is my first time listening to Iron Maiden and it was fun! Loved the energy, creativity, and Bruce Dickinson's voice. Some real great guitar solos and bass lines. Favorite songs: Hallowed Be Thy Name, Run to the Hills, and Children of the Damned. I definitely plan to listen to more.
Pretty good. I know a lot of people complained about the flute, but I think the flute is what makes it interesting. Favorite songs: Hymn 43, Locomotive Breathe, Wind-Up
Fun! I never heard of Hanoi Rocks before but I liked listening to it. I enjoyed the saxophone that was added in some songs. Favorite songs: Back to Mystery City, Until I Get You, Malibu Beach Nightmare
I feel like I'm listening to Cabaret lol. Dagmar Krause has a beautiful, expressive voice. It's not often that we get featured solo alto voices. Interesting songs: Chanson Allemande, The Perhaps Song, And I Shall Never See Again, The Trenches. Song of a German Mother was an extremely haunting and sad ballad. I was not expecting nor ready for the saxophone that showed up on The Homecoming, but it definitely added an interesting element to the song. I'd be curious to see what she sounds like in her groups Slapp Happy and Henry Cow.
Hmm..I'm not quite sure I understand it. I like the instrumentals but not really a fan of David Byrne's voice.
I agree with the user who mentioned in their review that drugs would have helped while listening to this album lol.
I like blues rocks/R&B but this wasn't for me. I found it to be pretty unpleasant to listen to most of the time. I liked the theremin. I just listened to the original 33 minute album, not the bonus tracks that would have made it longer than an hour. Guess I should brace myself for when I get Trout Mask Replica from what I've read so far.
Ok, I actually knew 2 songs off this album: Jackie Wilson Said and of course Come On Eileen. I like both of those songs. The rest was ok.
I enjoyed this one. Favorite Song: Stay
Fun! I don’t listen to music like this often but I definitely enjoy it. I have to add this album into my rotation.
I like Neil Young. This was a fun, energetic album. I liked the extended jam sessions. I enjoyed a major of the songs. My least favorite was Farmer John. Favorite songs: Days That Used To Be, Love to Burn, and Country Home
This album was intriguing. Anohni's voice wasn't my favorite because of the quivering tone quality, but I could feel the passion through the performance. I did find the harmonies to be lovely throughout. This album is very personal and haunting. The tone of the many of the songs is similar, but the piano and other instruments are beautiful. I feel like this album is a slow burn and would grow on you with repeated listens and get used to Anohni's voice. I may listen again at some point. Favorite songs: Fistful of Love, Bird Gehrl, You Are My Sister
Pretty good. Not something I would listen to all the time but it was pleasant and fun to dance to. Favorite Songs: Blue Lines, Unfinished Sympathy, Hymn of the Big Wheel
Solid debut album. I like Tom Petty in general. Pretty standard rock. Favorite Songs: Breakdown and American Girl
This was the perfect album for what I was feeling today. Favorite Songs: Credit in the Straight World, She Walks on Me
Wow ok, that was different than what I expected. It was strange. With the way my day went I'm not sure this album really worked for me, but it was kind of interesting. I'll probably never listen to it again, but I appreciate the experimental aspect of it. Favorite songs: Love Song for the Dead Che, Cloud Song
I really liked this album. A mix of soulfulness, sadness, spirituality, love, and much more. Loved the funkiness of the instrumentals and the vocal delivery by Curtis Mayfield. Favorite songs: So In Love, Blue Monday People, Love to the People
I have never listened to Pulp before but I loved this album. I really enjoyed all the songs. I’m definitely going to listen to more.
I love Tracy Chapman. The music is simple and the lyrics are poignant. She has a beautiful, strong voice with lots of warmth.
It was pretty cool. I liked many of the songs. I think the concept was interesting although I thought the first half of the album was stronger than the second half. The album felt like it went quickly for 80 minutes. I’m not sure if it’s something I would listen to straight through again, but I’m glad I got to experience it.
I never knew Janis Joplin was in a band before she went solo. This album was a bit of everything: groovy, bluesy, funky, energetic, fun. I go back and forth on Janis Joplin’s voice though. Some songs I enjoy her vocals (like Piece of My Heart) and others not so much (Summertime). But there’s no doubt that Janis Joplin and the other musicians in this band were talented.
I'm not too familiar with British rap, including grime. This album was very mid-2010s sounding. Despite that I thought it was decent. Pretty average.
I like it. Pretty chill. Would definitely listen to more Steely Dan.
This was a good one. Great grooves. Will definitely add to my playlist.
Ok, wow…I got through the first 2 tracks and thought “huh, this isn’t as bad as everything is making it out to be” and then God of Thunder came on and yes, it is. It just was all downhill from there.
Great Expectations…really, Beethoven? I have heard other artists use that specific sonata’s melody before but at least those artists used it well. Shout It Out Loud was pretty good. And what the fuck was Rock and Roll Party at the end?
At least this album is fairly short. And it was pretty bad, but it definitely wasn’t boring.
Pure and simple country. Not the crap they play on country radio now, but the good classic stuff. I really like Merle Haggard’s voice. Nice album.
I like big band, but I ended up listen to only the songs that were on the original LP (I didn't have 2 hours to spare today). As a music teacher and jazz musician myself I've listened to plenty of Duke Ellington, so I didn't feel like I needed to listen to the complete recording at this time.
It was good. It's a little weird about the originally LP being ony like 40% live, but the songs whether live in the studio were well performed. I enjoyed all 5 tracks and as a tenor saxophonist feel like you can't go wrong with a great tenor solo like in Diminuendo In Blue.
With it's cultural significance I do think this album should be included on this list. I don't think I'd listen to this specific album again, but I like Duke and his band.
This is what I enjoy about this project. I don’t speak Portuguese and probably would have never discovered this album on my own. I really enjoyed it.
What a band! Lots of great tracks on this albums. Phenomenal bass playing by John Taylor.
I found this album to be fairly generic. Not bad but not great.
I’ve heard Bob Marley songs here and there, but this was my first time listening to a full album. I thought it was fantastic. The grooves, the lyrics, the message, the background singers, Bob and Peter Tosh’s voices; I enjoyed it all. Adding this album to my playlist.
I’ve been a Mariah fan (Lamb) since I was 8 years old and I’m 37 now. Daydream was my first Mariah album I owned on cassette and I bought Butterfly on CD when it came out. Butterfly is my favorite Mariah album.
I’ve spent hundreds of hours listening to it over the past 28 years.
To many Lambs, Butterfly is Mariah’s magnum opus. It’s the first album where she’s writing from her own experience instead of generic adult contemporary pop. The lyrics and storytelling are beautiful. She sings about loss, falling in love, lust, and feeling like an outsider because of being racial mixed and the challenges it causes. My favorite tracks are Babydoll, Fourth of July, Honey, and Breakdown.
Mariah always incorporated some R&B into her previous albums but I love that she was able to go full out here once she departed from Tommy Mottola. I feel like R&B suits her vocal style better than adult contemporary. The tracks are so dreamy and at times do feel like they are floating like a butterfly. I’m so happy to have gotten this album today.
I didn’t mind this. It’s not the type of music I would normally listen to. I thought it was good.
To me this album is what anxiety feels like. Very chaotic, nervous energy and just a lot going on at once. This is my second Talking Heads album and I'm still not big fan of David Byrne's voice. There were some good grooves and bass playing on this album. I’d give this a 2.5 but in rounding down to 2.
I found this one hard to rate since Kanye is so problematic. I liked the first half of the album, but not the second half. There were a lot of great guest features.
I kind of loved this album lol. I wasn’t expecting to based off the reviews, but by about 1:30 seconds in I was interested. This album is a strange mix of psychedelic jazz which worked for me.
I love how pure and passionate Sade is. I feel like this album is one that bears repeat listening because it would definitely grow on me. Favorite songs: I Will Be Your Friend, Why Can’t We Live Together, Smooth Operator.
It was ok. It sounds like a debut album. I like Number of the Beast better. Favorite songs:: Transylvania, Strange World
This is the first album on this list that I didn’t finish. I listened to a bit of each track, but then it would become unbearable so I had to stop.
My thoughts as I listened to Dark Star: it sounds like a group of amateur musicians who never played in a band got together and one of them said: “ok, when I say go play a solo as long as you can…and…go!” And everyone played whatever they felt like despite being out of tune and not being rhythmically or melodically together. For 23 minutes.
It doesn’t get better after that track. The songs also happen to be boring. I gave each track a chance but it’s not for me. Admittedly, I’ve never done drugs (I like being in control of my senses), so I’d imagine this music would sound much better if you were high because you wouldn’t notice how much it sucks.
I enjoyed this album. Very cohesive and reflective.
It was kinda weird but I Iiked it for the most part. Favorite songs: Mrs. Robinson, Fakin’ It, Old Friends, and A Hazy Shade of Winter. I could do without Voices of Old People.
I love ABBA. To me they are one of the greatest pop groups of all time. Benny & Björn have a gift with melody/songwriting and Frida & Agnetha sing like angels. ABBA are top tier. Favorite songs: "That's Me", "Dancing Queen", "My Love, My Life", "Knowing Me, Knowing You"
This is an extremely 1969 sounding album. I didn't mind that this was mainly instrumental. I'm glad Captain Beefheart's role on this album was brief lol. I liked the first half of the album, but the second half got kind of weird and atonal.
Eh, it was ok. I liked some of the songs, the rest was kind of dull. Very angsty.
I love Kendrick. Great album. The lyricism, beats, message, flow…it’s the whole package.
Ugh, this sucked. Very bland and I wasn’t a fan of the lead singer’s voice.
I never really listened to Oasis in the 90s, but this album sounds very nostalgic to me. I think it's just the 90s in general, where to me mid-90s rock was very open and large sounding. It's hard to explain, maybe it's something with the chord sequences. There's just something about mid-90s rock that I just connect with.
Anyway, I like it. I feel like debut albums are usually just fine, but I think this is a pretty good debut.
Beautiful albums. Carole King is an amazing songwriter and I enjoyed the simpleness of many of the arrangements. By that I mean each song showcased pure talent by Carole King and the other musicians she worked with. A lot of classics on this album.
I’d say it’s 4.5, but I’m going with 4 because there are a few songs on here that I like other versions of better.
Sometimes I wish I could go back to 1997 and listen to music like this come out in the moment again. I never heard of The Charlatans back then, but like I said in my Oasis review, there's something so nostalgic about this album to me. I just find comfort in the mid to late 90s rock sound.
I liked it. Nothing really stood out to me, but it was a pleasant listen. I liked the harmonies.
Yea...I'm learning that psychedelic rock is really not for me. I did go into this with an open mind and like many others, I thought the first 4 songs were decent. Yes they were a little odd but definitely listenable and had good grooves. Then I got to Aumgn, which is 17 minutes and that was it for me. It got pretty annoying after that. If this whole album was good I'd give it 3 stars, but the second half of the album brings it down to a 2.
There’s a few classics on here (Jackson, Folsom Prison Blues, Cocaine Blues) but everything else was kind of bland. It was interesting that Greystone Chapel was written by an inmate. That was probably one of the better written songs on this album.
I thought this album was interesting. I liked it better than expected. Due to reading the reviews I decided to skip "The Kids" because I really can't handle the kids crying (too traumatic for me). I really liked the piano throughout the album, especially on "Berlin" and "Lady Day".
I like Missy. I thought it was a decent debut although I think Missy definitely has better songs on future albums.
Wow, that was a lot of music. I found it hard to rate this album since it's basically two solo albums.
I really enjoyed Speakerboxxx. All the songs were bangers. If the album was just Speakerboxxx I'd give it a 5. I didn't like The Love Below as much. It was ok, and I didn't mind the jazz-experimental aspect of it, but I thought it was a little self indulgent and drawn out. I'd give it a 3. Therefore I'll split the difference and give the whole double album a 4.
I liked this. I didn't understand the lyrics, but musically this album was very enjoyable. Interesting rhythms and melodies. Glad I got to check this one out.
This album is theatrical, which I do appreciate listening to sometimes. Jacques Brel sings with emotion and passion. I think it would be interesting to see him perform in person than listen to a recording of a performance.
It was a fun Christmas album. Lots of classics.
This was a beautiful album. I listened to it twice. Joni Mitchell has a lovely, expressive voice. Musically the songs were simple and complex at the same time.
Eh, this was fine but kind of boring. Very repetitive.
I liked it. Another decent debut album. Favorite songs: Friction, Marquee Moon, Prove It
Eh, I don’t know. I’ve never had an interest in Leonard Cohen and I still don’t after listening to this album. It probably wasn’t the best introduction to him either.
I’ll admit that I kind of liked the beginning of this album more than I expected to. I liked what was going on in the background behind his voice. I promptly zoned out after the first 2 or so songs and didn’t realize my queue moved on to a different album at some point. I guess he was just talking at me in my headphones and my ADHD brain registered it as background noise at one point because I have no recollection of the rest of the album. Oh well, I tried.
It was ok, but forgettable. I can’t really think of much to say about it. Favorite song: Mr. Harris
This was a lot of fun. So many different styles and moods. Every song kept my interest. Without You is a classic and I could have given it a 5 just based off that one song, but the rest of the songs were great too. My favorite was The Moonbeam Song, really beautiful.
There are definitely things about this album I like. I enjoy Maxwell's voice and there are some great grooves. It did get tedious though. Most of these songs are way too long. Favorite song: Whenever Wherever Whatever
Some great classics on this album. I like a majority of the songs, but a few didn't really age well.
Ok wow, more British rap. And this one is a "rap opera". I actually find the idea of a rap opera interesting, but this is pretty bad. It's very amateur-ish, like someone just made this in their bedroom. Which there is nothing wrong with making music in your bedroom, but is this really a "must hear" album? My other issue is that the rapping doesn't really have any emotion. It all just sounds the same the whole time.
A little boring. A lot of songs around the same tempo. There were a few good ones, like Pass Me By (If You're Only Passing Through) and The Weatherman.
I love Stevie. What can I say about Stevie Wonder that hasn’t already been said? He’s an amazing musician and made an amazing album. This didn’t feel like a double album because it kept me engaged the whole time.
I really enjoyed this album. There were many different styles and languages to experience. I was very engaged and definitely plan on listening again. Favorite songs: Clandestino, Bongo Bong, and Luna y Sol
I thought for the most part that this album was fine, pretty average. If you’re listening to it while doing anything else besides dancing then it just kind of blends into the background because it’s very repetitive. I liked the first half of songs but by the second half the beats/lyrics got really grating. Disco II Disco and About Funk were particularly annoying. I’d give this album a 2.5 but I can’t give half points so I’ll round down to 2.
I liked this more than I expected. When I read on Wikipedia that some people say the album concept is "the lives of young Northern England clubbers" my first impression was "eh, that sounds kind of boring". But it ended up being pretty decent.
I'm finding it hard to rate this album. On one hand, the beats are awesome and the flows are great. On the other hand many of the lyrics didn't age well, although I think some of the songs have important messages. I did enjoy listening to it though. Favorite Songs: Express Yourself, Straight Outta Compton, Quiet On Tha Set, Compton's N the House (remix).
This was interesting. I never heard of this group before and I probably never would have if it wasn’t for this list. It was weird but I liked it. I may give it another listen.
This album was pretty good. Ray Charles sounded great. I really liked his delivery of the songs.
There was a mix of upbeat songs with a big band and slower songs with string arrangements and a choir. I preferred the upbeat songs. The slow songs weren’t bad or anything but I’m not really into the choir sound for these songs. It’s extremely old timey sounding and kind of dull. It made me feel like I was listening to those old Christmas songs arrangements, which is fine sometimes but I wasn’t in the mood for. I only listened to Volume 1 which, is the original track listing for this list, but I may check out Volume 2.
Eh, I don’t know. The music wasn’t bad but this band is kind of…hokey? I liked that many of the songs felt like summer but overall this was kind of lame.
This was a great album. I enjoyed it from beginning to end.
Justin, stop trying to make MJ happen. It's not going to happen!
Ok, see this is interesting because this one of the few albums I've gotten so far that came out when I was in high school. So looking back at it now in 2026...ugh. It's so cringey. The little breakdown in Senorita ('fellas, sing this part, ladies this part")....I'm cringing so hard. Time has not been good to Justin Timberlake. Cry Me A River has a catchy beat but feels icky after reading about what went down between him and Britney.
It sounds very dated in a bad way. And what's with all the talking on this record? Like he's trying to sound sexy whispering over the music a lot and it's stupid. Plus, this album did NOT need to be 63 minutes long.
I was surprised because this is the first album slightly over 100 albums in that I was looking forward to but liked less than expected. I like Marvin Gaye and enjoy his voice. Let's Get It On (the song) is a classic. After that though, I feel like it all blended together. None of the other songs stood out to me.
Someone on a different review mentioned that these songs were probably intended to have on in the background while having sex, so I'd imagine these songs would hit different in that context. However, I was cleaning my house so it obviously didn't feel the same lol.
Hmm...this was another hard rating for me. I came into this knowing barely anything about Radiohead but hearing all the hype, so I'm not sure if this album was a good place to start. I did like it, I'd say it's probably a 4.5, so that means I have to decide whether to round up or down.
The first thing I noticed is that I usually couldn't understand the lyrics clearly because Thom Yorke seems to blend all the syllables together, but I liked his voice for the most part. As far as musicality I thought the album was really interesting. I was intrigued right away since the meter of the first song was in 5, which is fairly unusual for popular music. I noticed some other different meters through the album too, as well as interesting chord structures. I actually listened to the full album a second time to focus a little more on lyrics since I didn't really catch much the first time. I think I'm going to go with 4 stars for now and maybe reevaluate in the future if I listen again.
Boring. Not bad, but no reason for these songs to be as long as they are.
I'd say this album is average. The first 3 tracks are so strong but the rest is just okay. It kind of sounds like more of the same, but not quite as good. They definitely chose the right singles off this album.
I liked this. Serj Tankian has a really interesting voice and vocal delivery. I enjoyed the use of dynamics throughout the tracks. I found this music to be exciting because of the transitions, modes, use of different meters, and incorporation of various styles. Right now I’m at a 4.5, but I didn’t get listen too closely to lyrics this time, so I’ll do 4 stars. I’m going to listen again though and see if I bump up to 5.
Eh, not great. This album is mostly complaining about his divorce. I found it to be pretty bitter and self-victimizing. Marvin Gaye is a great singer, but this album was a bit of a slog. I had the “Let’s Get It On” album a few days ago and I liked that better.
I love this album! I got this album in high school and listen to it occasionally. I love how over the top, extravagant, and campy it is. Meatloaf's delivery is perfect and filled with so much emotion. Every song is a smash. And Meatloaf really knows how to do a piano ballad with so much passion. Getting this album today made me very happy.
Eh, musically it’s not bad and I like the harmonies. Knowing about John Phillips doesn’t help. The hits (Monday, Monday and California Dreamin’) were great but the rest of the songs were not that interesting.
This was ok. Not my favorite recent rock album, but not bad either.
Eh, it's fine. Fairly generic 70s blues rock. I'm not the biggest fan of Rod Stewart, but this album was pleasant enough.
Ah, my first Beatles album rating. I'll be honest, I've never been a fan of the Beatles. I've listened to a lot of their music and read a lot about them. I can appreciate their influence but think they are very overrated and not the be-all-end-all of music that many of their fans act like they are.
That being said, my first full Beatles album listen was okay. A little underwhelming actually. My understanding is that this was their final album as a band, and it definitely sounds like it. It's missing the magic that they had in some of their earlier works. Here Comes the Sun is great though. And of course the album cover is iconic.
This is a band I never heard of before. I did like how minimalist the arrangements were. I liked the songs Dragon and Broke. The rest was a little bland though. I found the song Eclipse to be particularly irritating.
Ok, this was a weird album. I liked Destiny's Child when I was a preteen and spent many hours listening to their second album "The Writing's on the Wall". I'm learning through this project that the music popular in the early 2000s is really not aging well.
This album gave me mental whiplash. We went from singing about being strong independent women and being empowered (tracks 1-3) to slut-shaming (track 4). The contrast between Bootylicious (which is a bop) to Nasty Girl made my head spin. Nasty Girl is pretty brutal. They continue with being nasty towards other women in Fancy (track 5) then go on to lust after a man (tracks 6-7). Um...what?
In the last half of the album there are cheesy love ballads, a story about a girl who was sexually/emotionally abused (The Story of Beauty)...and a gospel medley? The Gospel Medley is quite beautiful and I get them doing it because of their backgrounds, but compared to the rest of the album it didn't seem to fit. Then the Outro is the 3 members of the group thanking each other in song? What is going on with this album? It's so weird. There is no cohesion. How do you go from female empowerment to slut-shaming so quickly? It doesn't make sense to me. If I could describe this album in one phrase it would be "self-righteous".
One of the only saving graces for me was the cover of Emotion. I really like that one. And Bootylicious is fun. But the rest was pretty bad. It's a 1.5 (because of the 2 good tracks) but I'm gonna round down.
This was pretty good. Kept my interest the whole time.
This was great! I thoroughly enjoyed this album. Amazing musicianship.
Wow, this was a long album. More instrumental than I expected because sometimes it's 2-3 minutes before the vocals start.
I particularly liked Lovesong. It's a song I've heard a ton of times but never knew who sang it. Besides that, a lot of the songs on this album sounded very similar to one another.
This was a great album. Favorite songs: Coat of Many Colors, My Blue Tears, Early Morning Breeze
This one was okay. Some good guitar melodies. Lacking in dynamics though, everything sounded on the same level all the time. These songs are really long. I feel like they could have gotten the point across in about 40 minutes or so instead of over an hour.
Did I really need to hear this album before I die? Nope.
Honestly, I listened to this album but don’t remember enough about it to know what to say in this review. I feel like that says it all.
I’m not sure if this album was really the best representation for the only Billie Holliday entry on this list. I always find it strange when they choose albums late in an artist’s career, especially ones where the singer’s voice has deteriorated so much.
Despite that, I thought it was pretty decent. Holiday’s voice is pretty raspy but you could tell the technique was still there. The arrangements are really lush and beautiful.
Great album! I loved all the diverse styles and the amazing guitar riffs. The impact of the Jimi Hendrix Experience on rock music is undeniable. My favorite band (Queen) was highly influenced by seeing the Jimi Hendrix Experience and I can see why.
I did not previously know that the song In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida was 17 minutes long. The beginning and end of the song was fine but the middle from when the drum solo started to about 13:30 minutes was pretty weird. The drum solo was bad, there was a section of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” played on the organ, and a bunch of plagal cadences that made it sound like you were at church. If the song was originally supposed to be “In the Garden of Eden” then I guess the church-sounding music makes sense.
The 5 songs on the A-side were pretty forgettable.
This album was pretty decent. I liked the harmonies and that everyone in the band sang.
The only Deep Purple song I was previously aware of was Smoke on the Water, so I was not really prepared for this since that's more bluesy rock. But I like progressive and hard rock, so I found it to be enjoyable.
I liked this more than I expected. When I looked the album up on Wikipedia it was described as “art rock” and I was like “ugh”. But by the end of the first track I was into it. Each song was different and I found the album interesting.
This album was interesting. I have never heard of SAULT before but I liked it.
This was pretty good. The hits from this album are classic.
Once again I really enjoyed this Led Zeppelin album (I had LZII first and loved it). Real solid musicianship. I liked the variety of styles. Favorite: Since I’ve Been Loving You
I never really listened to Liz Phair in the 90s but I thought it was good. I found it interesting how chord-wise the songs were complex but as far as instrumental arrangements they were fairly simple. It was a nice contrast that made engaging songs.
I’m really not a fan of Paul McCartney but I thought this album was pretty decent. I was familiar with some of the songs already. I probably wouldn’t listen to this album again but it was pleasant enough.
This album was kind of strange and not at all what I was expecting. It was fun though. Love how funky a lot of it was. It’s Nasty with that Genius of Love sample is great. I also liked It’s A Shame. The Message of course is a classic.
I thought Dreamin’ was a little odd though. It was written for Stevie Wonder and it’s kind of…idk, intense? I’d be curious to know the context behind why they wrote that song. Were they friends with Stevie? Did Stevie help them in some way? Did Stevie know they wrote that song or are they just weirdly obsessed with him? Lol. I have no clue but it felt out of place. I did like how it was written in Stevie’s style though. The following song You Are also felt out of place because there was no beat/funk going on. The vocals were really pretty though.
Overall the album was an interesting journey.
I liked this. I wasn't sure at first with Peter Perrett's voice, but it grew on me. I liked the energy of the songs.
So okay, I actually really liked this. I wasn't sure what to expect because I have never listened to Björk before. But this record was really fascinating and unique. In music school I used to play in a contemporary music ensemble where composers would write experimental pieces, so I think I have a higher tolerance for this type of music than some others might have.
I'm also a fan of a cappella music, so I found the voices to be really beautiful and captivating. You need a high level of musicianship to be able to make complex music like this, so I think Björk and the other vocalists she worked with on this album are very talented. Beyoncé was supposed to be on this album originally, so it makes me wonder what she would have sounded like in a project like this. I'm definitely going to check out more Björk.
I'll be honest, I find this to be a bit boring. It's decent but boring. I do like Somebody to Love though.
This was fun. I knew a lot of these songs from when I was a kid. Love the blend of hip hop and metal. Some really fun beats here.
I like this album. When I was a kid my best friend and I saw a laser light show at our local planetarium set to this album lol. This is my 3rd Pink Floyd album so far, and I think I like Wish You Were Here a little better than this one.
I really liked this performance. I liked that it was a lot of deep cuts.
I did not realize that I knew so many Depeche Mode songs. I was familiar with many of the songs from when I was a kid, but never knew who sang them. I liked this more than I expected. Some interesting chord progressions. Favorites: Enjoy the Silence, Halo, Waiting for the Night.
I knew the Bee Gees made music that was different from their disco records, but I wasn't expecting this. It's very weird and pretty dreary. It's kind of a weird mix of styles and a loose "concept" album. I'm struggling a bit with Robin's voice. The combination of the piercing shrill tone quality with the intense vibrato is a little much for me (especially Black Diamond and Lamplight).
And what's up with these random "symphonies"? What's the purpose of them, especially since the Bee Gees didn't perform on any of them (with the exception of Maurice playing piano on Seven Seas Symphony)? I guess they were trying to make some sort of "opera" originally, but them not being involved in the making of those songs is strange to me.
I found many of these songs to be a little too languid for my taste. There's no doubt from listening to this album that the Bee Gees are talented musicians, but I prefer their disco hits.
This was pure fun! I would have loved to see this band live back in the 70s. I'm a fan of the mix of proto-punk and glam rock, so this hit all the right marks for me.
I don't know how I never listened to this album before. I loved it. Banger after banger on this album. I enjoyed hearing each rapper's individual flow. Wu-Tang Clan ain't nuthing ta f'wit!
I'm not a big Beatles fan, but I like this stuff better than their later work.
I didn't mind this, I actually found it relaxing. I liked the harmonies.
This album is a 3.5 for me, and I spent a lot of time going back and forth between whether to round up or down. I've decided to go with 3 stars because I sometimes I find Janis' voice fascinating and other times grating. I was at a 4 until Mercedes Benz when she changed keys like 4 times unintentionally. However, the band was tight throughout this album. Some amazing musicianship going on.
I had never heard of Booker T. & The M.G.s before, but definitely recognized the title track when it started. This album was fun, funky, and soulful.
Hmm...I liked this less than expected based off my past experience listening to Outkast. Too many interludes that added nothing to the album. The songs that were hits were the best ones.
Pretty good. Very 60s sounding.
This was ok. I didn't mind it too much as background noise, but I wasn't really listening to it too hard.
See, this is what I like about this project. I enjoy discovering music like this. I had never heard of The Youngbloods before, but they were fun.
So my first impression of getting this album was: "woah, this album is 45 minutes and the track listing is only 4 songs!". I think this is the short track listing I've experienced so far.
The lack of tracks does not mean there's a lack of content. This album reminded me a bit of Bat Out of Hell by Meatloaf. I know that sounds like a weird comparison and of course the two albums stylistically are completely different. But the songs on both albums take you on a journey, complete with twists and turns. Although the songs on Hot Buttered Soul were long, I was invested in the music the whole time. Great funky grooves.
No one has a voice like Ella. It's a rich, beautiful instrument. She could sing anything (the dictionary, the phone book, a menu) and I would happily listen to it. I discovered her when I was a teen and continue to love her music.
What a lovely set of songs. The band is impeccable and the songs/stories by the Gershwin Bros. are captivating. Time well spent to me.
This is a weird one to rate because it's a box set and not an album. It's kind of breaking the rules being here, but seriously, how could you choose just one Ella album?
The people complaining about the length...do they watch movies, listen to audio books, watch a whole TV series, read a novel? All these activities could take 3+ hours (over time) and I'm sure they don't complain as much about doing these things. Of course listening to this box set all at once is a bit much (took me two days) and it wasn't intended for that. And if you don't like jazz that's fine, it's not everyone's cup of tea. But to be like "it's an one because it's too lOoOoOnNg"...I feel kind of bad for those people because they are missing out on truly amazing music.
This is the first time 160 or so albums in where I agree that it was definitely worth listening to before I die. I'm going to start listening to the other "Songbook" collections Ella made.
I got Ella and Aretha back to back? Super lucky! What a great 2 days of music. Amazing album from the Queen of Soul.
This one was weird. I get what Randy Newman was trying to do with this concept but…idk. Not really for me.
This was a beautiful album. Simple but powerful.
Love this. This album is uplifting, funky, soulful, and fun.
This is my second Björk album. I liked it. Like the last time I found it really interesting to listen to.
You know, I knew who Common was, but I don't think I ever heard any of his songs until today. I like what he has to say and his flow. There's some great beats on this album.
Wow, Common, Kanye, and John Mayer on the same track is very 2005 lol. Although John Mayer literally just says "Go!" the entire track...it's so weird.
Overall I found this an enjoyable listen. I'm gonna listen to more of Common.
Pretty decent, I get why this is on the list. Some covers were good, others not so much. I prefer Elvis' dark tone later in his career, but he was only 18-20 when making this album, so it makes sense why his voice is so light.
I never imagined I would listen to 72 minutes of an Ice-T album, but here we are. It was ok, pretty typical gangsta rap.
I liked listening to this album.
I liked it, but not my favorite. I especially enjoy the song Bridge Over Troubled.
I enjoyed this album, but I like the originals of some of the songs better than his cover versions.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with this musically, but I'm just not super into it.
Honestly Bowie is the worst part of this album. The band and backing vocalists (Ava Cherry, Luther Vandross, and Robin Clark) are great and the highlight of this album. It's pretty bad otherwise.
Oh boy, this was weird. In a sea of British albums that this list is, this one is probably the most British so far lol. Interesting to hear a combination of punk, disco, and music hall. I thought it was pretty fun musically, too bad Ian Dury can’t sing very well.
Well, I listened to this whole album even though about 3 songs in I could tell it was not for me. I'm learning through this list that I'm not really into punk.
Well compared to my previous two albums that were also British (The Fall and Ian Dury), at least Mick Hucknell can actually sing. This is fine. Pretty standard sounding mid-80s sophisti-pop. I like Holding Back the Years. Wtf was No Direction though...some weird 80s shit going on in the middle there lol.
This was good and I enjoyed it.
This is a 2.5 for me. I liked some of the songs. It was interesting to me that there was such a wide variety of instruments (sitar, oboe, Hammond organ, clarinet, cello, etc).
However some of the songs were so boring. “Legend of a Girl Child Linda” is the most boring song I ever heard in my whole life. It’s almost 7 minutes long and was a slog to get through. There’s some medieval sounding songs/themes, and I’m not a huge fan of that (like “Legend of…” and “Guinevere”). I only really liked “Sunshine Superman”, “Bert’s Blues” and “Three King Fishers”. Everything else was bland.
I thought this album was pretty interesting.
This album was pretty good.
I’ve had a long string of bad to mediocre British albums lately, and I’m so relieved this one came along. It was really good. I had heard of PJ Harvey but never knew any of their songs. I liked how raw and gritty it was.
"Dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun etc. etc...." *Johnny Rotten yells*
There, that about sums it up.
Seriously though, I didn’t mind it too much. Actually liked some of the songs which surprised me since I’ve pretty much disliked all the punk I’ve gotten on this list so far.
I feel like this group just wants to be weird for weird's sake. Like...it's not bad but also not good? There's nothing wrong with using complex time signatures, or uncommon chord sequences and stuff like that. But I don't know...it's just bizarre in an irritating way.
At least it's much more interesting than another of the many 60/70s classic rock bands on this list.
Pretty solid hard rock album. I've been finding that most debut albums are pretty average, but this was a really great debut. Fun.
I liked this album, it was fun.
Albums like this are what makes this challenge worthwhile for me. I would have never discovered this otherwise. It was very beautiful and atmospheric. I felt like I was listening to a movie soundtrack.
This is my second U2 album in the past two weeks, and my third overall. As I've said in my other reviews, this is fine. Nothing wrong with this musically. I'm learning though that I don't mind if U2 comes on the radio or if I'm out and about, but I'm not going to go out of my way to put U2 on to listen.
This was fine, but not something I’m really interested in. I did like the bluesy feel of some of the songs.
So this is my second Tim Buckley album. My first impression of the first album was "I kind of love this album...", and Greetings From L.A. gave me the complete opposite reaction. I kind of hated this album, and I say kind of because musically I like this. The backing band is great. But I hated this lyrically and couldn't stand his voice most of the time.
I found this album to be enjoyable.
Not my favorite early Elton album but still good.
This album was bad…almost comically bad. I kept debating if I should just turn it because the singing was awful, but halfway through my computer started to get weird and the music stopped, so I guess the computer made my decision for me lol. Didn’t finished the rest of the album one I fixed the computer.
This was ok. It kind of just all blended together to me, but I didn’t mind having it on.
This was cool. Learning about this album was interesting and I really liked the songs. I’m a fan of jazz and I was into this the whole time. The use of repetition in the guitars almost felt like I was in a trance and it really pulled me in.
Wow, I really like Scott's voice. I don't think this is necessarily an album I would come back to a lot, but I found it pleasant to listen to.
This was a strange little album. The first word that popped into my head while listening to the first track was "gaudy". Neil Hannon is a pretty good since and it certainly was interesting. Probably wouldn't listen again though.
I haven’t really enjoyed the psychedelic rock on this list, but this one was decent.
Three Talking Heads albums in, I’ve come to accept that I will never understand the appeal of David Byrne, and that’s fine. To each his own. I do think the rest of the band sounds great.
I liked it. Nice beats and flow. Favorite songs: Kilo, The Champ, Be Easy, Underwater
Ah nice...like balm for my soul. Funky, laid back, smooth. Had me grooving and dancing the whole time. A lot of people complaining about this album, but does everything have to be so serious all the time? Can't we have something light to just vibe to every once in a while? I really liked it.
This was…fine. I feel like Stevie’s songs are doing a lot of heavy lifting here. I disliked Lindsay’s songs the most because they all sounded kind of garbled to me as far as the mix.
I'm sorry, but I just can't take Nick Cave seriously. I was impressed with the really low note he sang at the end of "The Kindness of Strangers" though.
Decent rock record. I liked the first half better than the second half.
I enjoy a good funk record.
This was fine. I never knew that first track was called E-pro, I remember hearing that a lot on the radio.
I remember "The Rockafeller Skank" being one of the really big songs in the summer of 1998. I also really like "Praise You" and hearing that a lot on the radio too. Pretty good electronica album. Definitely repetitive but interesting enough that it didn't get on my nerves.
Not bad , but it was kind of boring.
Pretty good. MGMT is a band I heard of before but this was my first time listening to them.
I need to get a copy of this book because I want to know why there are two Beta Band albums on this list. They’re certainly not bad, they are just not very interesting.
PJ Harvey is cool. She has a great voice. I really enjoyed this album.
