138
Albums Rated
3.29
Average Rating
13%
Complete
951 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1980
Favorite Decade
Metal
Favorite Genre
UK
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
17
5-Star Albums
4
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
Top Styles
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Kick Out The Jams (Live)
MC5
|
5 | 2.91 | +2.09 |
|
The Real Thing
Faith No More
|
5 | 3.21 | +1.79 |
|
Fun House
The Stooges
|
5 | 3.27 | +1.73 |
|
Shake Your Money Maker
The Black Crowes
|
5 | 3.28 | +1.72 |
|
Bitches Brew
Miles Davis
|
5 | 3.3 | +1.7 |
|
2112
Rush
|
5 | 3.37 | +1.63 |
|
Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
PJ Harvey
|
5 | 3.38 | +1.62 |
|
Debut
Björk
|
5 | 3.38 | +1.62 |
|
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
|
5 | 3.4 | +1.6 |
|
Synchronicity
The Police
|
5 | 3.41 | +1.59 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
You've Come a Long Way Baby
Fatboy Slim
|
1 | 3.34 | -2.34 |
|
Come Find Yourself
Fun Lovin' Criminals
|
1 | 2.92 | -1.92 |
|
Is This It
The Strokes
|
2 | 3.81 | -1.81 |
|
Orbital 2
Orbital
|
1 | 2.69 | -1.69 |
|
Darkdancer
Les Rythmes Digitales
|
1 | 2.59 | -1.59 |
|
Brothers
The Black Keys
|
2 | 3.56 | -1.56 |
|
Power In Numbers
Jurassic 5
|
2 | 3.48 | -1.48 |
|
Play
Moby
|
2 | 3.46 | -1.46 |
|
Green Onions
Booker T. & The MG's
|
2 | 3.4 | -1.4 |
|
Rock 'N Soul
Solomon Burke
|
2 | 3.37 | -1.37 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Beatles | 2 | 5 |
| Miles Davis | 2 | 5 |
5-Star Albums (17)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
XTC · 1 likes
4/5
Oh great!
I remember the song Dear God from back then and I remember liking it.
I never knew that it was a dilemma whether to include that song on the album or not.
I never got the chance to hear any albums from these guys so it’s great to finally listen to one and this one is pretty great!
So creative and progressive!
Great songs with great chord progressions!
I can see once again how an album like this back in the day would be more of a college radio staple rather than on mainstream radio.
Listening to this was so enjoyable that I definitely need to check out the rest of their catalogue!
John Lennon · 1 likes
3/5
Nice! A chance to hear a solo album from one of the greats.
I do love The Beatles, especially their last few albums, but have not been able to explore the vast catalogue of their solo albums.
This album starts with one of the greatest songs of all time so it’s going to be hard to follow that.
After that iconic song it does seem like the front half of the album is loaded with some so-so blues based numbers but it seems to even out in the back half with a series of good songs.
By the end I did feel like it was a good listen and will hopefully have more time to explore all the other solo albums by the great musicians of The Beatles.
Klaxons · 1 likes
4/5
This was a nice surprise!
I’m always wary of having to listen to music from this era because I find most of it to be dull and unexciting, never pushing artistry to great creative heights but this was the opposite.
This band is actually trying to do something exciting within the framework of rock music.
There’s great energy here and enough experimentation in the recording to keep things always interesting.
Looks like this band didn’t last very long which means they probably burned real bright and probably left at their peak.
More bands need to do that since there’s a lot of late period garbage on this list to sift through.
I definitely need to check out the rest of their discography to see how they progressed!
The Rolling Stones · 1 likes
3/5
Of course I know these guys but I sure don’t know their albums!
What a way to kick off their albums on this list with this one, a double!
One things for sure it’s rock ‘n roll and it sure highlights the importance of the blues to this genre.
At this point in time though it does sound a bit dated and I think there’s bands that came later who do this better but gotta give it up to this classic band.
Also I think Mick Jagger’s vocals might be a bit one dimensional to carry a double album but like I said, gotta give it up to this classic band.
As I get towards the end of the album it seems that the third side has the more interesting pieces on it.
I’m not exactly gonna be in a rush to put this on again but I’m glad I heard it and if I hear this again I’ll be sure to keep in mind how the beginning of the album fares against the third side.
1-Star Albums (4)
All Ratings
Les Rythmes Digitales
1/5
As my first album I feel like I’ve been pranked because this is kind of a terrible album.
And what a terrible album cover!
Most of the music here is not good.
The only tracks worth listening to are the one’s with guest vocalists, so tracks 3, 6, 11, 12.
This album does not belong on this list (might not even make the top 10,001) and should be removed.
Ok I guess I should look forward to tomorrow because it can’t get much worse than this can it?
5/5
Oh thank goodness, absolute redemption from yesterday!
Here we go straight into one of the great albums of all time!
Every song is great with a lot of diversity and the track order works very well.
Such great songs and vocal performances!
This album is definitely one of my faves from her great catalogue.
The Cure
4/5
Don’t know what happened to the notes I put in here when I listened to this album but I did enjoy it very much.
I have not had the chance to listen to the earlier albums by The Cure so I’m glad this came up as I enjoyed it very much.
I’m looking forward to hopefully one day sitting down and listening through their catalogue as I think they’re a great band with a distinct sound.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
Great album!
I haven’t heard this in ages and even then only heard a couple of times so great to listen to it again.
Such a great singer and songwriter!
…and holy crap, Cheech and Chong are on the last song!
The War On Drugs
3/5
One of those bands I’ve heard of but never got to hear until now.
A beautifully plodding, synth supported rock album on the soft and gentle side but with a lot of tasty electric guitar work.
Kinda sounds like a mid-80s Canadian folk-rock album or something like that.
Definitely want to spin this a few more times as well as listen to more of their catalogue.
For now though it doesn’t strike me as necessary listening but who knows after multiple spins?
The Cure
3/5
huh so a second album by The Cure this week…
I heard Pornography for the first time this week and loved it!
However this one seems a bit under cooked to me but it is interesting how they progressed from this to the aforementioned album.
This album still has a very uniquely melancholy sound to it though and the sparse and dry production reveals the starkness of the songs as well as the distinct voice of Robert Smith.
A good album and perhaps I’ll learn to love it more upon further spins but for now I would say that I only need one Cure album on this list and that would be Pornography.
Cyndi Lauper
4/5
Nice!
There’s so many great songs on this album!
And what a distinct and powerful voice!
As is usually the case with these 80s pop albums there’s a few songs that don’t have the same quality as the hits but that makes the hits sound that much more impressive.
It was nice to listen to this album again and even though her voice is just out of my range, it sure was fun to sing along and to try to reach some of those notes!
Talking Heads
3/5
A uniquely distinct band that I only know from the 80s and am unfamiliar with the earlier stuff from the 70s.
Nice to hear the beginning of where they evolved their sound from.
This album is well recorded and lays out all the quirky songs nicely in the mix.
Maybe sounds a bit dry but it sure helps to highlight the great bass lines by Tina Weymouth!
I’m enjoying my first spin through this but feels like it will take a few listens to really understand these interesting and creative songs.
Makes me wish I was in my early 20s in 1977 and hearing this on college radio and in the nightclubs at the time!
Isaac Hayes
3/5
Wow what a pleasant surprise!
As someone not well versed in soul music, it was mind blowing to come upon this album and see that it’s made up of only four mostly long tracks.
The Bar-Kays as the rhythm section!
Isaac Hayes singing, playing organ and conducting the band live!
String section overdubs!
Kind of a psychedelic vibe throughout this whole album and the tempos are all fairly slow and steady.
Great to learn about this album and looking forward to future replays.
New Order
3/5
Yet another band I know of but never got to hear much from.
I really only know the song True Faith, which I absolutely love with it’s ominous and dark feel and was likely exposed to it from music video shows on tv because of that amazing video, as I rarely heard them on the radio.
Some of these songs have an electronic feel to them and some have a live band feel.
The songs themselves sometimes feels happy and upbeat and sometimes dark and dramatic.
Although nothing really stood out upon first listen I did enjoy listening to this album and look forward to getting a few more spins in and also exploring more of their catalogue in the future.
3/5
Another band I’ve heard about but never got the opportunity to hear.
This is a well produced album of rock based songs.
The amount of variety keeps this album interesting to listen to.
By this point they’re a few albums along in their career so it would be interesting to listen to all the preceding albums to hear their evolution.
A better knowledge of this band and their music as well as more spins of this album will surely raise the rating in the future.
Duke Ellington
4/5
Getting the first jazz album of this generator makes me wonder how many jazz albums there are and also if there are any classical albums.
There must be tons of great jazz and classical albums out there and so many of them should probably be on this list but sadly are not.
This album is amazing to listen to for the fact that it’s a big band playing incredible arrangements live, being captured by minimal equipment.
You can totally feel the energy of the crowd build towards the end and it sounds absolutely wild out there!
We are blessed that this moment was captured and available for all to hear.
The Coral
2/5
I remember these kinds of bands a lot in the 90s.
I think the one that did it the best was Mano Negra.
As for The Coral, the mix of styles is interesting and it’s well played and recorded but for me it sounds a little stilted and a bit too clever for its own good as if trying to win over a conservative audience in a friendly way which they no doubt did.
This is good but for me is not essential listening.
Personally I’m not sure that I would ever need to listen to this again however I might play this to a group of the right people at a party if they were somewhat adventurous but conservative listeners.
Moby
2/5
Another artist I’ve heard of but never got to hear.
This is sample based dance music which can be ok but this album makes me wish that it had more adventurous content or that I was at least listening to some real musicians playing.
There are some moments here and there of harmonic movement which keep it interesting however presented over an unchanging electronic beat does make it sound a little flat.
I am curious though to listen to at least a couple more albums by Moby to see if anything grabs me.
In the meantime unless I can muster up any desire to listen to this one again to see if it clicks, I’m afraid that this will be filed under non-essential listening for now.
Fleet Foxes
3/5
A name I may have seen or heard around but had no idea what they’re about and what a pleasant surprise it was to listen to this!
Although I don’t normally gravitate to folk based music, the way this music is put together is very interesting.
Great arrangements and vocal harmonies!
I’ll definitely be checking out their other albums and I’m already thinking about asking around to some of my friends to see if they know of this band or not.
I’ve been a little dismayed by some of the albums I’ve had to listen to lately, a lot from around this era, but this one gives me hope that there actually are some great albums I don’t know of and to not give up on this project.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
Alright, here’s an artist that’s hard to not know yet I’ve never sat down to listen to any actual albums.
Once again another genre of music I’m not very well versed in but I definitely enjoyed listening to this very much.
This recording sounds really nice, very warm sounding, and the music is all performed well.
Love the background vocal arrangements!
Definitely want to hear more from the catalogue especially learning that this is his seventh album!
Richard Thompson
3/5
Ah, another nice and warm sounding recording.
Nothing like the ‘70s to envelope you in its analogue methods!
I’m only a little bit familiar with Richard Thompson and always heard about his albums with Linda so it was great to finally get a chance to hear one.
Having spent some time with the albums of Sandy Denny a few years back this album really put me back in that sort of vibe.
Once again I don’t usually gravitate to folk based music but I really enjoyed this one as well.
There’s a sort of nostalgic sentiment to these songs in the lyrics, vocals and chord progressions over a lot of slow and steady tempos.
I’m guessing that there’s some sort of a British folk sound here in the way the songs are written and performed.
Definitely going to check out their other albums and though I’ve heard of Fairport Convention I haven’t spent much time with that band either so here’s hoping there’s one coming in the pipeline but if not I do hope to get there one day as well.
Supergrass
3/5
Ah so nice to get back to some rock ‘n roll again and this one rocks!
Once again a band I’ve heard of but never really listened to.
There’s a lot of good energy on this one with some hyper drumming and loud guitars.
The songs are good with some interesting chord progressions and vocal melodies, all in a pop rock framework.
Not sure if this is essential listening right now but with repeated listens I can see this one being justified so.
Definitely want to hear their other albums to see where they went after this.
Lenny Kravitz
3/5
I remember when this album came out back in the day and being surprised by the sound of this album seemingly looking back to the aesthetics of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s and well, just the Beatle-ness of it all.
It definitely stood out amongst the pop and rock music of 1989 and 1990.
Lots of varied song ideas and soulful vocals and cool that he made most of this himself.
Unfortunately it’s a bit too long at just over 55 minutes and would have been served well by some edits and/or cutting some songs out.
It’s a good first album but personally I like his next album, Mama Said, much more and that would have been my album of choice for this list rather than this one.
Christine and the Queens
3/5
Wow what a nice surprise!
From France no less, which makes me wonder how many hundreds of international albums deserve to be on this list.
I like the sound of this pop record with its subtle arrangements and dry beats with a sparse mix.
The vocals are performed very well, often carrying the whole tune over a minimal soundscape with some nice harmonies here and there.
Looks like there’s french versions of some of these songs which I’ll be checking out as I bet they sound even better in their native tongue.
It sure was great to listen to a modern day artist exploring pop music in this way!
2Pac
2/5
Alright here we go with my first rap album from this list.
The flow and delivery of the words can really make the difference without a strong melodic component up front and it’s all delivered well here.
The backing tracks are fairly simple riffs and loops with some guest singers and samples to fill the sound out a bit.
For me, it’s hard to relate to much of what he’s trying to say but there are definitely moments where what he’s talking about is universal and I understand the sentiment.
This album seems to be lacking some dynamics though.
It all seems a wash of words on first listen however I do believe that rap music takes more than a few listens to really understand so for now I’m not into this much but I do want to hear more, if not this album then maybe some other albums in his catalogue and only when something clicks would I be able to give this a higher rating.
The Police
5/5
Well this one’s gonna be easy as its another absolute classic!
The album starts with a hypnotic (guitar?) synthesizer riff in 6 and off we go!
Every single song on this album is great, most of them written by Sting which shows you where the songwriting talent really was.
Even the twisted piece in 7 by Andy Summers and the sing along one by Stewart Copeland are fun to listen to and make a great contrast against Sting’s songs.
For a 3-piece band it’s harmonically rich, the vocal melodies and lyrics are great, and the drumming is subtly complex.
It’s no wonder they broke up after this album as they definitely hit their peak here in their career and they surely would not have been able to top this one.
I hadn’t heard this album in a while but managed to listen to it around this time last year so it was nice to pull it out again today for this project.
What fun it was to sing along from the beginning of the album to the end!
American Music Club
3/5
This project is really helping to check off the list of all the bands I’ve heard of but never got a chance to hear.
Although this album came out at a time when I was fully immersed in the act of listening to music, I can tell just by the sound of this that I would not have encountered this because I was in high school and I didn’t have any friends that listened to stuff like this at the time.
I bet I would have heard it though if I was in college and into listening to campus radio.
It’s a real nice mix of some sort of folk, country, and rock.
Yeah I’m digging this more and more as the album goes on.
It would have been cool to see them live back in the day.
Ok I’m sold on these guys and I’ve gotta check out some more of their albums!
ps I love the photo on this album cover!
I would like to know more about it but came up empty online however I did get to do a bit of a deep dive on the photographer Bobby Neel Adams and his stuff is great!
Now I want to find some of his photo books if they’re available anywhere.
Ah art! So tough on my wallet!
Ute Lemper
3/5
A very interesting collection of songs on an album by a very talented stage actress.
The songs are all interesting and they are all arranged, performed and recorded well.
The vocal performance is very dramatic as expected and there’s a lot to take in from the lyrics.
Once again, hearing an album like this makes me think of other albums in this vain, especially recordings of musicals as well as soundtracks.
So many albums to be considered for this project and so many that are not on the list!
Anyways it was good to listen to this album as it’s not something I would normally gravitate to.
I was quite mesmerized by the last piece and finding out that it was by the great Scott Walker and also learning that there’s another long Walker piece as a bonus track means that I’m gonna try and track it down so I can listen to it.
Talking Heads
3/5
Well alright here we go again with the quirky tunes of Talking Heads!
Their first album came up a couple of weeks ago and now on to their second album.
Yep it still sounds like them.
The production seems to be better this time around.
I find a lot of the time that the songs don’t necessarily stick in my head very much and I find some parts to be a bit monotonous however I’m sure that with a few spins they will stand out more as there are a lot of cool things to listen to here.
Ya I’m not sure if the first two albums by this band should be on this list as I have a feeling that their best albums are about to come after those two.
Belle & Sebastian
2/5
Well this was totally inoffensive.
Just a plain and pleasant listen.
There’s some basic arrangement ideas here but the recording keeps it fairly devoid of dynamics so by the end I just felt flat and emotionless.
I’m not sure what exactly would make this a must listen album but it’s not bad.
It’s just good.
That’s all.
Just good.
Metallica
4/5
Ah hell yes here we go!
Good to finally get to something heavy!
Although their best albums were before this one, this is a pretty important piece of the puzzle regarding this band’s history.
There’s no denying how fucking awesome this album sounds!
Huge props to Bob Rock and his team for recording and mixing some of the greatest tones in heavy music history.
The slower tempos really fit this new style and recording.
It basically shows you how important Black Sabbath is to heavy music!
It’s still a little disconcerting to hear how much they simplified thei riffs and songs but they knew what they were doing because this is the beginning of them becoming one of the greatest and most popular heavy metal bands ever.
Although a bit long, because of the age of cds at this point in time, they really do a good job with each and every song on this album.
They really learned from the last album how to throw in some good arrangement tricks in their songs and there’s definitely some good ones here to keep things interesting.
The only thing preventing this from a perfect score is the fact that their best albums were before this, in a different style, so I hope those albums come up at some point on this journey.
Otherwise, yes, this album is essential listening for anyone who considers themselves a music fan.
And those who don’t know this band should absolutely check out all of their previous albums!
XTC
4/5
Oh great!
I remember the song Dear God from back then and I remember liking it.
I never knew that it was a dilemma whether to include that song on the album or not.
I never got the chance to hear any albums from these guys so it’s great to finally listen to one and this one is pretty great!
So creative and progressive!
Great songs with great chord progressions!
I can see once again how an album like this back in the day would be more of a college radio staple rather than on mainstream radio.
Listening to this was so enjoyable that I definitely need to check out the rest of their catalogue!
Siouxsie And The Banshees
4/5
Another band that was around when I was a deep music listener but never got to hear when I was young.
I’ve had the chance to finally listen to so much great music from this era it really makes me realize that I was born just a few years too late as I’m sure I would have been able to hear all this great music if I was in college rather than elementary or high school.
I’ve been wanting to dig into their catalogue for a while now so it’s great to finally start with this album.
I’m definitely digging this!
Such a unique sound!
Her vocals are great and that flanged and chorusy guitar, although a bit thin sounding, is doing some very unique things on top of a great sounding rhythm section.
Even though I don’t know much about their music I did get to see them live once when they were direct support to Jane’s Addiction on the first Lollapalooza tour in 1991!
Damn that would have been great to experience with more knowledge of their music.
Definitely looking forward to digging into the rest of their catalogue.
Culture Club
3/5
Holy smokes! I remember this album was in our household way back when it came out.
I really love the song “Church Of The Poison Mind”!
I couldn’t remember much about the other tracks other than the hits and didn’t expect much but I was pleasantly surprised.
Upon listening to this again (about 40 years after the last time I heard this!) I’ve realized how somewhat rooted this band’s sound is in R&B and soul music and Boy George does a good job at getting some soulful vocal takes.
Funny how around this era there always seemed to be an obligatory reggae number as well as the dramatic, piano driven, album closing, epic.
Alright well this was an unexpectedly fun listen and it’ll make me want to check out their other albums around this time as well.
Incubus
2/5
This is another one of those “just ok” albums.
It might fit on a list of 10,001 albums but probably should not be on a list of 1,001 albums.
It sounds ok with a pleasant mix of alt rock styles but they’re clearly taking their sound from many great bands that came before within 10 years from when this was released and it doesn’t sound like they’ve taken that sound and elevated it much.
The vocals are good, the musicianship is good, and there’s some interesting things going on with the arrangements and the mix but I still can’t help but think that this sounds a bit second rate.
There’s some potential here though and with further listens and perhaps a deeper examination of the lyrics it might click with me but for now this goes in the ok pile and I’m unfortunately left with that feeling of hoping for a better album tomorrow.
Kendrick Lamar
3/5
This sounds interesting right off the bat.
I dig the unique flow and style of the rap and the backing track is good using a lot of interesting sounds.
I’ve heard the album after this and enjoyed it as well so I definitely need to check out his more recent albums.
As usual though with a lot of this kind of rap, the subject matter is personally unrelatable but it sure is fun and funny to listen to!
The Strokes
2/5
Hmmm well alright, at first I wasn’t too sure about this album but it’s growing on me a bit as it goes along.
It’s some sort of lo-fi rock music and I can’t help but think that there are many other bands that have come before who pull it off much better than this.
Although a bit too friendly sounding, it still sounds fun.
A lot of the guitar work is also lacking balls and is a bit one dimensional but they do play competently through some mildly interesting arrangements.
I think this album might click with further listens but for now I’m a bit ambivalent about its inclusion on this list but it’s ok enough to not be a complete write-off for now.
The Black Keys
2/5
I heard this many years ago and didn’t think too much of it back then.
Hearing it again now it’s still a bit underwhelming although the spirit is in the right place.
This recording sounds pretty good.
There’s a fuzzed out, warm, analog thing going on here with a nicely panned and spacious mix.
I think the weak link here is the vocals which are done well but doesn’t have the convincing soul needed to elevate this kind of music to the next level.
Yeah the music is good and quite catchy in spots but that’s about it.
For me it doesn’t belong on this list but it might fit on a list of 10,001 albums.
Femi Kuti
3/5
Wow, so cool to finally hear a different style again!
I’m no expert in Afrobeat but musically this sounds pretty solid to my ears.
Great, sexy grooves, a horn section, background vocals, and a whole lot of melody!
It’s a bit long but that just means you get to burn more calories from dancing!
The Isley Brothers
3/5
Oh yeah, cool 70s R&B soul!
Damn this album sounds so nice in its warm analog glow.
On first listen some of this sounds a bit standard but I’m finding most of this to be quite interesting.
Love that psychedelic electric guitar!
Yeah this is all well performed and the vocals are great.
I don’t know how anyone could not like this album.
I’m definitely looking forward to playing this a few more times and getting to know it better.
Rush
5/5
Wow, what a fucking classic!
Ya they sure don’t make albums like this today.
I’ve listened to most of their catalogue and it’s so amazing to me, the path they took to get here in their career, and where they went afterwards.
Such an important turning point!
One of, if not the greatest, progressive rock bands of all time!!
So much great music to absorb here, probably takes at least a dozen listens to begin to understand.
This band deserves multiple albums on this list.
Here’s hoping for another!
Pentangle
3/5
I’d heard about this band and their two guitarists many years ago so it’s nice to finally hear them.
It starts off with a bang as the groove for the first piece is played in an unusual time grouping therefore pointing to some sort of a progressive folk style.
Then the timing settles down after that however the addition of a sitar in the next piece keeps things sounding unique.
This album is definitely an interesting listen and the use of all acoustic instruments does give it a definite folk infused sound to whatever song they’re playing.
Definitely would like to hear more from this band!
Charles Mingus
4/5
Oh yeah! What a classic!
Such an amazing writer and arranger and playing a mean bass as well!
These pieces are so steeped in emotion and played so well by this band.
I haven’t heard this in a while and definitely getting a lot out of it this listen.
There’s a lot to absorb each listen but that just keeps one going back for more!
I hope there are other albums on this list by Mingus because this guy wrote and recorded a lot of great music!
Willie Nelson
3/5
I don’t know much about country music but it’s undeniable the distinct singing voice that this guy has.
This style of country from this era sounds nice and warm, a very friendly and inviting listen.
There’s really nothing offensive about this and it doesn’t sound like it’s pushing any boundaries but I suppose that would be the point.
I would have to listen to a whole lot more country albums, especially from this era, to really make any sort of judgement about whether this album is necessary listening or not.
For now it was just a pleasant listen.
I’m not sure if I would ever have any reason to return to this album however I’m pretty sure I’m going to check out some other albums by him.
p.s.
As I get further into this project I’m realizing how much an album’s context in one’s life would influence the feeling that one would have of a particular album being essential and a must listen.
Even if I don’t understand an album or a certain style of music I’m usually not that bothered by the music and wholly realize my failures to understand the music deeply is dependent on the way my life has been lived up to this point but I am quite sure that it’s possible to get to a good level of understanding somehow depending on situations of my life in the future.
The Who
3/5
Wow, this was a fun and surprising listen!
I really don’t know enough about The Who.
I know all their hits but I haven’t listened to any of their albums at all except for Who’s Next.
I always forget they go all the way back to the ‘60s!
This quality of the sound of this album is not great however keeping in mind the restrictions of the day they really do some creative things here with not just the recording but the mixing.
What a wild idea to make all those jingles as well!
Damn, I really gotta make some time to listen to their other albums.
I’m guessing that they must have a few albums on this list though so I’ll be looking forward to when I get those!
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
I heard this album a long time ago and didn’t really remember it so I wasn’t expecting much but it turned out to be a pleasant listen!
It’s a unique mix of styles and it seems that music like this could only have been popular in the ‘80s.
I’ve always loved the song Come On Eileen ever since I first heard it as a kid and it still stands out as a great song.
So interesting that they saved it as the last song on the album but it’s a nice journey getting there and makes for a great capper.
Once again another interesting take on music and one which seems like it would never be popular if released nowadays.
It’s projects like this that will help get unique albums like this to be heard again by newer generations of music lovers.
John Lennon
3/5
Nice! A chance to hear a solo album from one of the greats.
I do love The Beatles, especially their last few albums, but have not been able to explore the vast catalogue of their solo albums.
This album starts with one of the greatest songs of all time so it’s going to be hard to follow that.
After that iconic song it does seem like the front half of the album is loaded with some so-so blues based numbers but it seems to even out in the back half with a series of good songs.
By the end I did feel like it was a good listen and will hopefully have more time to explore all the other solo albums by the great musicians of The Beatles.
George Harrison
3/5
Wow, Imagine by John Lennon yesterday and All Things Must Pass by George Harrison today!
Sometimes I wonder how random this generator really is especially when I found out last week that a friend of mine ended up with the exact same record as me on the same day.
Because of the unusual changeover time for this generator I sometimes have barely enough time to squeeze in a complete listen of the album of the day so what a shock it was to learn that this release was a triple album!
Thankfully it’s the weekend so I think I’m gonna have just enough time to get this one in tonight.
I’m really enjoying listening to this album.
There’s a nice and warm sound to a lot of these songs with a bit of bombastic rock here and there.
Definitely enjoying the mix of different kinds of songs and finding the sequencing to be spot on.
He’s really proving here how under-used he was in The Beatles but if that weren’t the case then we wouldn’t have this fantastic album to listen to.
Even though the jams on the 3rd LP are not really a must listen (except for the one with the weird Moog stuff!), I definitely gotta check out his other albums.
Queen
5/5
This album is nostalgic to me as it was first introduced to me by a friend (who has since passed) about 25 years ago.
I had heard a lot of these songs before and was amazed to find out that they all came from this album.
The clincher though is The Prophet’s Song.
That epic vocal breakdown chorus of Freddy’s is out of this world!
What an incredibly heavy piece!
This whole album is great from front to back.
Unbelievable songs and arrangements, experimental recording and mixing and great performances captured on tape!
It’s one of those albums you should listen to at least once a year, which I try to do!
Beatles
5/5
What the hell?!
First John Lennon then George Harrison and now The Beatles?!
One after another (although I did have Queen’s A Night At The Opera last night as an epic break!) now that’s not very random…
What a classic!
Even though it wasn’t planned, there’s no way they could have ended their career any other way than with this, their last recording, ending on a high!
What an epic journey highlighting the strengths of each member of the band.
Some of the material here is still as fresh and original as it was back then.
Damn, this really does prove how some examples of music can be way ahead of its time and beyond!
Fatboy Slim
1/5
Oh no, another ‘90s DJ album that doesn’t need to be on this list.
It’s ok and good for dancing but it’s musically lacking.
There’s no way that this should be essential listening.
Genesis
2/5
Wow, this is a lot of music and a lot of words, none of which seems to stick with just one listen.
I think I’ve listened to this only once before in my life and am unsure if I’ll ever do so again.
Which might be too bad for me because there seems to be some good stuff to be found here if you can get past the imposing runtime and get several listens in to let it absorb.
Ya I’m definitely finding it hard to remember any of these riffs and melodies.
Maybe too clever for its own good?
I think a good way to experience this would be with visuals, say a full length feature film with this album as the soundtrack.
Can’t deny the talent here though and also cool to see where they came from on their way to pop songwriters extraordinaire!
And I do enjoy their later pop songs immensely so hopefully some of those albums are on the list.
The Who
4/5
I think this is a great album but it’s pretty much the only one I’ve listened to multiple times from this band!
I got to hear The Who Sell Out last week so it’s cool to get this album now and hear how far they’ve come in 4 years time.
Looks like I’ll have to listen to Tommy to get the full picture of their transition.
They sure ramped up the production as they sound much more well recorded and mixed than from 4 years ago.
Every single song has its own vibe and well worth listening to multiple times for their arrangements.
Also great to hear the contrast of the two lead vocalists.
One of the great rock bands of all time and unbelievably still going as of this writing at the end of 2025.
Booker T. & The MG's
2/5
There’s that iconic song… played twice!
This album sounds pretty chill and fun, maybe too chill and fun because it comes off pretty straight and harmless.
The music here is certainly well played but lacking any edge which I suppose is the point.
You can certainly play this album almost anywhere and pretty much never offend anybody.
I think there’s a sort of generic sound to this album though which makes it hard for me to recommend as necessary listening.
The Only Ones
3/5
I wasn’t too sure when the album started but as it went along it ended up being a fun and great listen!
A few different kinds of old rock music styles are here.
A lot of it reminds me of what Patti Smith had done up to this point so maybe not the most original take on rock but it’s well played and I can see why they would be included here by the British author since they are a British band.
I had barely heard of this band in passing so it was good to finally hear this and have it be a good listen which is what I look forward to the most with this project regarding albums I’ve not heard.
Big Star
3/5
This is a very interesting sounding rock based album straddling the lines of country and folk with some sparse avant-garde shades.
This album is all well played and recorded and the singing is unique.
I’ve listened to their #1 Record a few times and remember enjoying it but I can’t seem to remember it.
Same with this one.
I’m enjoying listening to this but the songs aren’t sticking the first time around.
The first time a song stood out I had to check and it turned out to be a Lou Reed song so I’m still looking for one of their own songs to click with me.
I’ll have to listen to this more to fully understand it but for now I’m into it and definitely intrigued so I’m looking forward to the next spin.
Arcade Fire
2/5
I’ve tried listening to them a few times over many years but I just don’t get what the big deal is.
I’m Canadian so I feel that I can say that this music kind of sits in a certain Canadian style that has an underwhelming vibe.
They’re a competent band playing songs that don’t seem to really go anywhere and the vocals aren’t doing too much either.
I get the feeling that this is way too hip for its own good.
I’m generally more open-minded than most when it comes to the enjoyment of music so it is a bit disconcerting to not be able to like this so I’m giving this a second spin…
…and although I was able to find a couple of things I liked it’s still mostly not doing much for me.
Damn I could have spent my time more wisely by listening to some other album I enjoy but oh well, win some, lose some.
Jungle Brothers
4/5
Wow! What a great album!!
I can’t believe I didn’t get to hear this when it came out in 1989.
I probably would have played this a lot back then.
Everything about this record is so great; the raps, the scratching, and the production of all those sounds on the backing tracks.
Their sense of humour also adds to the upbeatness of it all.
I live for days like this with this project when I can have a great listen and discovery of an album I had not heard yet.
The Stooges
5/5
Wow, what a great album!
The sound of this recording makes the performances sound unhinged!
Damn, this must have been one of the heaviest albums to have been released around that time.
Great musicianship all around, and especially love that sweet, heavy, sexy sax work!
Aw shit, and I totally forgot about how awesome that last track, L.A. Blues is!
It’s a fucking noise track by a rock band!
So fucking awesome!
This album definitely is a must listen!
Sleater-Kinney
3/5
Alright here we go with another band I’ve heard of but not heard much from.
I listened to a more recent release a while back and enjoyed it.
This one sounds pretty good to me!
I immediately noticed the inventive guitar work which intertwine very well with each other and sounds great hard-panned.
Great riffs and lines and a great sound.
Probably would be fun to play live although it must be a challenge to sing over it!
The drumming sounds great as well, real good energy in the beats and fills.
I also dig the urgent sounding vocals and the overlayed vocal lines.
This was a great listen and I now really want to hear their other albums!
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
These guys have so many hits I’ve barely ever played any of their albums and I definitely have never heard this one.
What a ride it was as I was slammed in the face with John Fogerty’s amazing voice!
So damn bluesy and soulful and what a mean delivery!
A couple of droning vamps to deal with on this album but it’s what they did back then and makes a nice contrast with the more succinct songs.
This was a good listen and it sure makes me want to hear the rest of their albums!
Talking Heads
3/5
So not even 60 albums in and I get the first three Talking Heads albums in chronological order over the last few weeks.
This is the one album that I’d heard from these guys many years ago, before the start of this listening project
I remember thinking back then, within the first few opening notes of the album, how it sounded like King Crimson, then finding out that Robert Fripp is on the first track!
I dug King Crimson back then so I was immediately sucked in but I remember the album petering out from that first track and I’m starting to get the same feeling on this listen.
The production is sounding better but the songs feel a bit half cooked.
David Byrne in particular doesn’t seem to click for me as much on this album.
The vocal production could be better so I don’t know if that’s affecting my judgement but he is a very wild and unique singer!
But the band does groove like hell throughout this whole album!
I have a feeling their best album is coming up in their career so I hope they show up on this list!
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
What the… a second album by CCR this week!
Again, not so random, maybe more luck…
I can’t believe this is their fifth album in 2 years!
It’s got a nice, warm sound capturing some great performances.
Along with the numerous covers, they really seem to be paying homage to their roots and influences on this album although maybe that’s their sound, and if it is, it does sound very refined at this point in their career.
Although the long ones here might be a tad long (but that’s how I felt when I heard the other album this week) it was a good listen.
Solomon Burke
2/5
The thing about this old time rock and soul music is that it was before my time so I have no sense of how impactful this was back then.
These songs sound all too familiar and not too adventurous nowadays but perhaps back then it sounded fresh.
If it did sound fresh back then it doesn’t seem to have stood the test of time and I have a feeling that there were others who came before and after who did it much better.
He does have a killer voice though and I wish he had some more interesting material to sing over but then again this is probably his thing and what he’s best at.
Goldie
4/5
So far this one sounds soft and majestic with great ambience.
I appreciate the harmonic movements and the great singing.
Some interesting electronic sounds here.
I’m digging the ominous vibes and experimental sounds.
I think I’m listening to the 2cd version and I’m starting to find it a bit long and exhausting to listen to in one sitting.
This is a great discovery nonetheless because of how creatively experimental it is.
Todd Rundgren
3/5
I’ve been meaning to check out his music for a while now but a complete double album is a bit of an overwhelming way to start!
It’s interesting for sure but a lot of this is just going in one ear and out the other on first listen.
Maybe too many ideas for me to absorb right now on first listen.
The rock sound being on the softer side isn’t helping with having these tunes stick out but I can hear the nuances in the writing and arrangements so I think this album will be worth listening to more in the future.
The next thing I want to hear from him though is a single album.
Various Artists
4/5
Happy Birthday Santa!
Definitely not random!
I wonder what happens next Xmas?
This sounds great!
Next!
Keith Jarrett
3/5
I’ve heard this once before and I get the same impression which is that it’s surprising how melodic it is for an improvised solo piano concert probably because any other improvised solo piano concerts I heard or experienced were by more ferocious types like Cecil Taylor.
It’s very melodic and there’s a strong sense of pop harmony which makes it very appealing to conservative listeners so I can understand why this album is so popular.
I just read the background to this recording and am fascinated that this beautiful music was made with so many obstacles to overcome that evening.
Perfect listening for the hangover day after Xmas!
Ella Fitzgerald
4/5
Oh no another recording with more than 2 albums worth.
It does make me wonder if multiple album proejcts should have their own category.
Likely not going to be able to listen to this whole thing in a day but in order to keep this project going I’ll listen to as much as I can and edit these notes once I get through it all in the next few days.
Should be fun though as Ella is a great vocalist.
Alright I’m getting through it now and wow these are some great songs!
I appreciate the work that went into all the arrangements.
There’s an epic, show-tune kinda vibe here which is possible so it would be good to know the context of some of these lyrics.
Would be fun to karaoke these but it would take a bit of work for sure to get it to Ella’s level!
The Flaming Lips
3/5
Alright another band I’ve heard of but never heard and wow, this album is taking me places!
It’s their ninth album so there’s something going on here by now and I appreciate how experimental this sounds!
Lots of diffetent moods beings explored here.
Epic in scope.
This is a great listen!
Santana
3/5
There’s some cool sounds here but after a while comes across fairly conservative.
I like the mix of rock and latin, they sometimes sound ferocious together!
Nice warm jams all around.
Would have been great to hear this at a dorm party in the 70s, on acid.
Mudhoney
3/5
I remember buying and listening to this when it came out in 1991.
Although I enjoyed it, I never totally got right into it.
I do like the lo-fi garage rock sound and Mark Arm’s distinctive voice but I think the album might be a bit too long as it seems to drag towards the end.
Now that I’m hearing it again many decades later I think the problem might be the vocal melodies which follows the riffs too much.
Otherwise it’s a fun album and best enjoyed in small chunks.
Van Morrison
3/5
Great to get to a true classic that I haven’t heard yet.
This really is a beautiful album.
I’m entranced by the way he sings these songs with a lot of room to just stretch and vocalise however way he feels.
Maybe after a while it starts sounding a bit same-y but there’s no denying his distinct voice and talent at emoting through these songs.
Definitely need to hear some more albums from him!
Faith No More
5/5
I grew up with this and have listened to it dozens if not hundreds of times and still listen to it to this day.
I think Angel Dust is probably better and I don’t think it’s on the list which is a shame.
Perhaps it’ll be on the post-project list?
So I don’t even have to listen to this to give it a five star rating but I gotta stay on course with the program and am looking forward to putting this on once again.
Probably gonna sing along to the whole record.
What a great way to ring in the new year!
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Wow, what an album!
Great pop songwriting experimentation.
These songs always go somewhere interesting and create such a vibe.
Definitely gotta check out more of his discography!
Gary Numan
3/5
I saw him live for the first time a few years ago and I was blown away by the show!
His music still stands the test of time and amongst all the synth sounds there’s a bit of a dark and ominous feeling to his songs.
Definitely need to hear his other albums.
Bob Dylan
4/5
I really don’t know much about Bob Dylan.
But I can tell right away from the opening notes of this album that I’m listening to a must-listen classic.
What a great discovery!
4/5
Well here’s another classic for sure!
I grew up with this as well and although I was starting to shift towards heavier music as I entered my teenage years, I still bought this and listened to it back then.
I remember also buying all the singles where each single had a photo of a different band member and there were sometimes more than one unreleased song on the b-side which was great value!
Although I did enjoy this back then I don’t think that I fully appreciated it until later in my adult years.
The songs are great and the production is pretty amazing.
It is strange that this is the only album I ever listened to from this band because their next album Achtung Baby was a pretty big deal back then.
I’m assuming that album will come up at some point and I’ll listen to it then but I’ll definitely have to try to find some time to check out the rest of their catalogue.
Jurassic 5
2/5
I enjoyed listening to this.
Totally not offended.
But I don’t think that this is essential listening yet.
I’m finding the backing tracks to be kinda boring and one dimensional.
The scratching is cool though!
Likely will need to listen to this many times to understand fully because of all the words.
Supergrass
3/5
Not bad!
There’s interesting things happening in these songs with some decent chord changes.
It’s a good pop rock album and it makes me want to listen to their other albums!
Lynyrd Skynyrd
5/5
Wow what a classic!
I’ve only heard this album once before but this listen definitely cements this as a must listen.
This music really has its own style.
I can’t believe this is only their first album as it sounds so fully formed.
Now I’m very curious to hear where they went afterwards.
Herbie Hancock
3/5
This is groovy as hell!
However the sound is a bit conservative.
There’s plenty of space here for everyone to stretch out and then there’s the bizarre synth overdubs!
There’s some cool heads here and some clever arrangements but some of the grooves could probably have been tightened up a bit within the arrangements.
But it is nice to hear the space when the band just groove for a while!
This was a cool enough listen that I wanna check out his other albums from this era.
The Undertones
3/5
This was a fun listen!
Great to learn more about these bands playing this style of music at a time that was just before I got into listening to music.
I suppose I would not have been able to hear this back then anyways as they probably weren’t on mainstream am/fm radio but hearing it now it still sounds good!
The Jam
3/5
Although this list is skewed sometimes too British because of the author I am thankful to be able to discover albums like this.
I think it has an interesting sound, a blend of some sort of pop and rock with shades of new wave and garage.
This description really doesn’t do it justice though owing to the unique style of this band.
It’s their fifth album so I’ll definitely have to put some work into listening to where they came from and where they went.
Another one of those bands I’ve heard of but never got to hear and this one did not disappoint!
Sufjan Stevens
3/5
Well this was a nice and harmless listen.
Maybe a little too clever for its own good in the arrangements but very well recorded nonetheless.
There’s a mellow, progressive folk thing going on here which doesn’t change too much for the course of its 74 minute run time which makes it seem a bit bland by the end but every song does have some interesting things happening in them.
This does fit very much in its time as I’ve heard many bands from this era try this kind of music.
They are all very interesting but there’s an overly intellectual vibe that makes me turn towards something a bit more emotionally intense.
Some may say its a bit pretentious but I do understand the intellectual approach to this kind of songwriting so I’m not offended.
I probably won’t ever listen to this again but if I heard it playing somewhere I would probably enjoy it.
The La's
3/5
I did enjoy listening to this but there’s no way that this is essential listening.
I have been finding the list skewing towards music from the UK because of the British author and it’s been somewhat tolerable so far but this is the first time I feel like it has over-stepped its boundaries.
Once again I will say that I enjoyed listening to this but I would put this album somewhere far beyond a list of 1001.
And in order to keep something that looks like this nice album cover let’s replace it with Disco Volante by Mr. Bungle!
Beatles
5/5
A classic for sure!
What a wild mix of songs here.
Some of the songs are much stronger than others though and I wonder if this would have made a more solid single album.
But there’s no denying they were all fired up with ideas at this time and wanting to express themselves by recording and releasing all these songs at once.
Unfortunately this burnt them out as we now know with how difficult it was around the writing and recording of the Let It Be album but they did manage to regroup and put out their best album, Abbey Road, in the end.
I haven’t heard this in a while and it’s turning out to be a nice middle of the week listen during a hard work week and as listening to good music often does, I’m feeling better now about getting through the rest of the work week.
Air
3/5
Musically this isn’t that interesting but the atmospheric textures surrounding these tunes are interesting and help with the overall sound.
I think this is kind of derivative of all the great experimental pop/instrumentals from the 50s/60s but it does update the sound in a way.
I did enjoy listening to this once but I’m not sure I have any desire to listen to this again therefore I would not consider this essential listening.
But I was not offended by this so once again I’m stuck giving this 3 stars since there’s no way to convey a 2.5 star rating.
Beck
3/5
This is not Beck’s best album however he is a very interesting musical artist and does deserve an album or two on this list.
It’s too bad though that this album is his most popular because there are far better albums in his catalogue and it seems to be included here more due to popularity rather than quality of material.
There’s really not much going on at the heart of these songs but there are a lot of great production elements surrounding these vamps.
It’s good for at least one listen though and some of these tunes will likely make the most sense on the dance floor where you won’t have to intellectualize about the music and just groove to it!
Björk
5/5
Wow, what an incredible voice and talent!
Very interesting production and arrangements here all helping to serve and support that incredible voice.
What a unique blend of sounds!
I would say pretty much all her albums are essential listening.
This is a good place to start though and if you dig it then make sure to keep going through her discography because there are a lot of amazing treasures to be found there!
Her art will enrich your life and make you a better listener of music!
4/5
This is great classic rock!
It has all the elements that make it sound like a classic.
Great songs and arrangements, all performed and recorded well.
What a fun listen this was and it has a feel of lifting one’s “spirit” up!
Dusty Springfield
3/5
Wow, what a great voice!
I can’t even tell that she’s British!
Great to hear these classic songs made with real musicians and sometimes quite a large ensemble of players.
Also really love the warm analogue sound of these old recordings.
It’s really too bad how cold and artificial most modern pop music sounds these days.
I’m looking forward to more albums from this era on this list as this listen was great for my soul!
Joni Mitchell
4/5
What a great singer and songwriter!
These songs have a unique sound that bridges folk and jazz styles merging her vivid stories with very interesting harmonic progressions.
Very cool to have the distinct and very imaginative bass playing of Jaco on a few tracks which fits perfectly with her style.
She’s got a few albums that deserve to be on this list so I hope they show up!
David Bowie
4/5
Here’s an artist with a deep discography that I’ve barely touched but I have heard this one many times and it’s a good one!
Surprisingly very funky but in a psychedelic way.
His vocals are sometimes a bit unhinged which gives it a sort of avant-garde edge but you can tell he’s really trying to channel some sort of soul here.
There’s a lot of great moments here.
It was great to listen to this again and I know that there will be some more spins in the future.
David Bowie
3/5
Back to back Bowie!
Young Americans yesterday and this one today, two completely different sounding albums two years apart.
This one is early ‘70s rock mode and surprisingly heavy at times along with the regular tropes of the day of groove and grandeur.
Great to finally hear this album and would definitely play this again.
Beastie Boys
5/5
Oh man this album was pretty big for me when it came out!
I just started my first year of high school and with an insanely traumatic home life it really helped me get through some dark times by being able to escape into some sort of fantasy land in a very musical way.
This and Raising Hell by Run-DMC really stood out at the time in the rapidly changing landscape of the popular music world.
Even though I would have never understood the meaning of most of the lyrics there’s great musicality in the rapping (at such a high pitch!) as well as in all the backing tracks (great mix of beats and samples) which is probably what completely drew me in.
It is too bad about the content of some of the lyrics now many years later but it probably does genuinely tell what a party their lives must have been at that time and with apologies made we must forgive them and be able to not take some of these lyrics too seriously.
I hope their next two albums are also on this list because they really progressed a lot over those years.
Marilyn Manson
2/5
I’ve never listened to an album by them and I really wanted to like this but it wasn’t that good of a first time listen for me.
I think this album may not have stood the test of time very well.
It probably sounded somewhat fresh back then but listening to it now it just sounds kind of annoying in its simplicity.
I’ve always found most industrial music to be somewhat lacking after Ministry and Nine Inch Nails.
It’s as if the parameters of that style of music was very limited and all the great ideas were dealt with in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.
If you were a teenager when this came out back then it probably would have meant a lot and probably would have helped get one through some hard times but hopefully you worked your way back to earlier examples of the genre and found the real great albums of this style.
Screaming Trees
3/5
This was a good listen.
It’s a pretty solid rock album and I gotta think that it might be one of the better rock albums to have come out around this time.
It’s also always great to hear the exquisite voice of Mark Lanegan!
I’m not very familiar with their output but seeing as this is their seventh album I definitely need to hear the others and there’s bound to be some other albums in their discography that probably should be on this list.
Iron Maiden
5/5
Very cool!
Although this is their first album their sound is pretty much fully formed here and they will go on to further refine and develop their style from here.
There are a few more albums that should be on this list other than just this one and Number Of The Beast.
I believe their best albums are actually after those two so it is too bad that they are not on here in place of some of the dubious choices.
It’s been a while since I’ve heard this and what a great listen this was!
Now I want to keep going through their discography, at least through the next 7 or 8 albums because they are all great!
I wonder why this album is on this list?
Kind of an underwhelming late career attempt at staying relevant.
It’s pretty weak and missing any sort of urgency required to be a good rock band.
But maybe that’s the point.
They’re pushing deep into some sort of overly nice and inoffensive pop territory and I think they succeeded at that.
More spins are likely needed to understand this album fully but this first listen doesn’t make me think it’s essential and I don’t want to put it on ever again.
It’s not the worst thing ever though but to me, for now, it’s just ok.
Well it looks like you can leave some things behind, ha!
UB40
3/5
This was a nice listen.
Hard to say how essential this is without a thorough knowledge of this style of music.
I have heard this style done in a more experimental way which I find much more engaging.
This album comes across a bit too nice and safe but there are just enough interesting sections to keep it interesting enough and the heavy subject matter does give it a bit of an edge.
Good to finally hear an album by this band and to finally not think of them as a one hit wonder for that one really popular song that came later.
Minutemen
4/5
Wow what a surprise to see this album here!
This is a great, underrated album!
This gives me some hope that there might still be some decent picks on this list since there’s way too many albums on this list based on popularity and not on actual musical integrity.
Such an amazing and diverse collection of pieces here.
These guys were firing on all cylinders at this point in time.
Listening to this makes me think about all the great independent rock bands of this era who made absolutely essential albums which are not on the list.
Oh well I guess this album just gives me another reason to just make my own list for myself.
Buena Vista Social Club
3/5
It’s hard to say if this is essential listening for someone like myself who didn’t grow up with this kind of music.
This does leave me with fresh ears to take this kind of music in.
I did hear this way back when it first came out but it didn’t stick with me and upon hearing this again it’s not doing too much for me.
I do recognize the great musicianship on display here, however it’s exclusively in service of some sort of dance music so the elements in these pieces are limited to a form that’s very nice and appealing to the general public.
I suppose these styles just don’t seem to somehow speak to me and that’s a personal feeling and I suppose some of the problem for me is that it does crossover to a bland jazz style which is fine for most of the regular listeners out there but not for me.
Once again I do acknowledge the great talent on display here so I would definitely have to rate this above 50% but I personally might not ever play this album ever again.
The Black Crowes
5/5
Oh no here we go again with the first album syndrome.
This is a great album but there’s a few albums later in their career that are better.
It seems like they include these first albums from artists in terms of if it was something unique at the time it came out, which this album was, rather than if it was the artist’s greatest statement which is too bad because there are a lot of great albums being left off of the list.
Anyways great to hear this again and if you enjoyed this I highly recommend you keep going through their discography because there are some gems down the line, especially their “lost” albums!
Klaxons
4/5
This was a nice surprise!
I’m always wary of having to listen to music from this era because I find most of it to be dull and unexciting, never pushing artistry to great creative heights but this was the opposite.
This band is actually trying to do something exciting within the framework of rock music.
There’s great energy here and enough experimentation in the recording to keep things always interesting.
Looks like this band didn’t last very long which means they probably burned real bright and probably left at their peak.
More bands need to do that since there’s a lot of late period garbage on this list to sift through.
I definitely need to check out the rest of their discography to see how they progressed!
Depeche Mode
4/5
I heard one of their latest albums and thought it was great so going back to hear this one for the first time was a good listen.
I dig the dark and melancholy vibe of this band.
The music is well written and the lead vocals are distinct and great.
Definitely want to get more into their catalogue as I’m sure that there’s a lot of great stuff waiting to be discovered in there!
Radiohead
4/5
I’ve only ever heard their first album back when it came out and I liked it enough that I saw them play in a small club.
For some strange reason I’ve managed to never hear any of their albums since even though I’ve heard all the praise over the years.
Sometimes it seems that exposure to music is all about the company that you keep and I guess I just never knew anyone who was really into their later albums and showed them to me.
It sure was great to finally get to one and this listen was great!
This is absolutely great, creative, pop music.
I’m assuming there’s a few more of their albums coming up but I’ll likely get to them soon now that I know what incredible recordings I’ve been missing!
Brian Eno
4/5
Wow what a cool sounding album!
Hearing his name associated so much with ambient music I didn’t expect this album to sound like this.
It essentially has a classic rock sound but done with a good helping of experimentation on top.
This makes it sound quite unique and makes for a very interesting listen.
I definitely need to hear more from his discography as I’m sure there will be a lot of interesting and different sounding albums to dig into.
Dire Straits
4/5
I remember this when it came out back in the day.
I had this on cassette tape and played it a lot in various walkmans.
I mainly bought it because I really loved the song Money For Nothing, probably because of the distorted guitar riff and that computer generated music video which was revolutionary at the time.
I do remember how subdued a lot of the other songs on the album were.
In hindsight a lot of it sounds like some sort of adult contemporary soft rock so I’m sure as a kid I didn’t totally get it but I do remember putting it on just to chill out.
Putting this on now it seems that some elements have not stood the test of time but I still enjoyed the listen.
I never listened to any other albums by them though and I really ought to.
I do enjoy Mark Knopfler’s voice and guitar playing so there’s gotta be some other gems in their catalogue.
Eagles
3/5
I know some of their hits and I’ve never listened to an actual album by them but this was a good listen.
Once again it’s great to listen to music from this era as the recordings sound so warm.
Even though I’ve heard that first track before I couldn’t believe there was a banjo on it!
Those vocal harmonies sound great as well!
In a way a lot of this sounds a bit like stock country rock but it is a solid album overall.
Definitely looking forward to listening to some more albums by them.
G. Love & Special Sauce
2/5
Average music played by average musicians for average people.
This panders to the average unevolved music listener.
Put this on at a party as inoffensive background music.
This one should be removed from the list.
Probably should sit somewhere around 6,000-10,000.
The Vines
2/5
Not bad but not great and not essential.
This is the problem with popular rock music from this era.
It’s only just serviceable and aimed at a fairly conservative audience.
There’s way more important rock albums that need to be included on this list than these kinds of albums.
It wasn’t a terrible listen though.
There are some wild parts but they sound a bit disingenuous and although they try some progressions with more than 3 chords they sound like stuff we’ve already heard before done by much better bands.
No matter what they try it doesn’t seem to elevate the pieces any further than a mildly good but forgettable listen.
p.s.
I might be a bit harsh though because it turns out they saved the best song for last!
Although it does still have a by-the-numbers feel to it, I’ll probably give this album one more listen.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
Just like listening to an album by Bob Dylan for the first time, this one gives me the same feeling of listening to something great and timeless.
And just like with Bob Dylan’s guitar playing, I’m super impressed by Leonard Cohen’s guitar playing.
The arrangements are also quite good and the instrumentation is suitably subtle.
When I listen to music I generally don’t latch onto words right away but for some reason I’m pretty entranced by Leonard Cohen’s words and singing style.
I’ve really been missing out and need to go back and listen to all his albums!
Brian Eno
3/5
This was another fun listen from Brian Eno but after Here Come The Warm Jets I’m not sure that this one would be an essential listen.
Definitely a more interesting listen than half the albums on this list though.
It was great to get more into his discography.
I wonder if there will be any of his ambient works coming up…
Harry Nilsson
3/5
Another nice and warm sounding album from the 70s.
This era is quickly becoming one of my favourites just for the sound of the recordings alone.
Interesting songs and arrangements here.
I don’t know much about Harry Nilsson but I definitely want to hear more from him so I’ll have to get into his discography.
Orbital
1/5
I do enjoy electronic music but why the hell is this on the list?
This is background music of the most boring kind.
I think Muzak might be more interesting.
What a waste of time listening to this was.
Ugh, so lame.
Muddy Waters
4/5
Holy smokes this album is dripping with so much feeling!
It’s the ‘70s so the recording sounds nice and warm which complements all these great one take jams.
Great to see that someone as capable and knowledgeable as Johnny Winter was involved with this.
I don’t know much about all the old blues guys but this makes me realize how much more work I want and need to put in with the blues to round out my musical knowledge.
Jean-Michel Jarre
3/5
One of those albums I always saw everywhere and always wondered what it sounded like.
It was a nice listen.
Another warm sounding album from the ‘70s even with all electronic instruments.
I wonder what it would sound like on psilocybin or LSD?
Now I’m curious to hear his other albums.
Dr. Octagon
3/5
Not bad, some good moments here and there.
I do appreciate the creativity and abstraction of these raps but in the end nothing really stuck with me.
Likely will take many listens to have any of these stories be interesting to me but I dig all the rap styles on here.
At least there’s some interesting sounds in the backing tracks although a lot of the beats can be quite bland.
The biggest stand out has got to be the amazing scratching of Q-bert!
This was a decent listen and makes me wonder how it all fits in Kool Keith’s career but I would say that this is not essential for me but I can see why it may be for some.
Paul McCartney and Wings
4/5
Ooh nice, a classic for sure!
Paul McCartney still in fine form only a few years after the end of The Beatles.
Great songs and arrangements and of course that great ‘70s analogue sound.
Definitely a must listen for any music fan but hopefully with some interest in learning the history of how this fits into Paul McCartney’s vast discography.
The Flaming Lips
3/5
Ok so here’s the second album I’ve heard by these guys on this list and once again it’s turning out to be a good listen.
Maybe it’s a bit more song oriented than the other album I heard and there are some great experimental touches to the production.
These guys seem more popular than the music suggests which is surprising because of how experimental it is sometimes but maybe that’s why I never got to hear anything by them until now.
After listening to this I definitely need to make some time to check out their back catalogue.
Sugar
3/5
I didn’t get into Bob Mould until quite late in his solo career and I really enjoy some of those later solo albums.
I did go back and listened to and enjoyed the Hüsker Dü albums but for some reason the Sugar albums never clicked with me.
Listening to this again it definitely has that trademark Bob Mould sound but the songs seem a little under-developed.
They just don’t seem to go to certain places that his late solo material gets to so I’m not sure why this is on this list.
I did still enjoy this listen, maybe a little more now that I understand his style a little better, but in the end I know there’s much better stuff coming up later in his career so I would say that this album is not essential but still a nice listen if you like jangly pop rock.
The Triffids
2/5
I’ve never heard of this band before.
I was a bit hopeful seeing that this was released in 1987, still an exciting time for music, but was pretty disappointed with how bland this album sounded not just in style but in production.
Another one of those albums that makes me wonder what kind of biases helped put this on the list.
It’s not entirely terrible though.
Maybe I’ll check out their albums before this one to see where they came from but I’m in no rush to do so and there’s a good chance I’ll never get around to doing that.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Of course I know these guys but I sure don’t know their albums!
What a way to kick off their albums on this list with this one, a double!
One things for sure it’s rock ‘n roll and it sure highlights the importance of the blues to this genre.
At this point in time though it does sound a bit dated and I think there’s bands that came later who do this better but gotta give it up to this classic band.
Also I think Mick Jagger’s vocals might be a bit one dimensional to carry a double album but like I said, gotta give it up to this classic band.
As I get towards the end of the album it seems that the third side has the more interesting pieces on it.
I’m not exactly gonna be in a rush to put this on again but I’m glad I heard it and if I hear this again I’ll be sure to keep in mind how the beginning of the album fares against the third side.
Erykah Badu
2/5
This started out promising but after a while it just meanders around.
It doesn’t help that the base of the sound is a softer take on soul.
A little more excitement and urgency in the performances would have helped.
I read that she had writer’s block before this and it sounds like she’s still stumbling around trying to find these songs.
At over 71 minutes this album is way too long and a few more passes at tightening up the arrangements and editing out some songs would have helped immensely.
Man I feel bad saying all this because I really love her voice and I appreciate the experimental sounds throughout this album.
All the backup vocals are great too.
But unfortunately without a little more attention to the way the songs and arrangements are presented here this is not going to be essential listening.
Tim Buckley
3/5
I grew up with Jeff and somehow never got around to exploring the lineage of his talent.
Tim was never talked about or around my environment when I was growing up.
It’s uncanny how similar they look in appearance and how similar they sound when Tim sings in a higher range.
I’m not convinced that these kinds of blues-rock, soul-vamp pieces should be considered essential listening though.
I see that this album is more mid-career so am curious to hear the albums in the beginning as well as at the end.
I wonder if any of those would be more interesting than this one.
The musicians are doing a fine job here but the stand out performance is definitely Tim’s vocalizations which Jeff clearly inherited and utilized so well.
I do get the feeling that I need to hear more from the elder in order to understand this album better so for now it’s been a good listen and we’ll see after I’ve dug into his catalogue if I’ll be able to understand this album any better.
Miles Davis
5/5
This album still sounds way ahead of its time, so much so that I still can’t imagine how amazing it must have been to hear this back when it came out at that time.
It’s unfortunate that only this and Bitches Brew are the late representations of Miles Davis on this list because all the albums after those are absolutely mind blowing.
I mean come on, how can you leave On The Corner off this list!
Also the two long pieces on Get Up With It are two of the greatest examples of not just experimental music but all music ever made in the whole history of music!!
The more I get through this list, the more I see how badly it was made but that just makes me realize that I just need to make my own list!
Miles Davis
5/5
Another example of how this does not seem to be randomly generated as I had “In A Silent Way”yesterday.
I’m kinda stoked to get these two back to back but also bummed tbat I won’t hear anything else like this ever again for the rest of the journey which will be for at least a couple more years.
It would have been great to get these two spread out so that I could get another amazing ‘70s Miles Davis album later, probably after another string of crappy albums.
What a big ask it would have been for the average listener to make them sit through those two albums back to back!
Fortunately for me I completely understand the genius of this period of Miles so these last two days were a highlight of this project.
Oh how I wish we could get some albums removed from the list so that we can add all the Miles Davis albums from 1970-1975.
But alas I’ll enjoy them later on my own time, maybe after I have to listen to another shitty album from the 2000s to clean my palette!
Roxy Music
3/5
I don’t know why I never got to hear Roxy Music but I’m sure glad this came up as it was a great listen.
It was more progressive and experimental than I thought it was going to be which made for a fun and engaging listen.
Now I’m hooked and need to hear the rest of their discography to figure out how this fits into Brian Eno’s works and who this Bryan Ferry guy is.
Also what a great album cover.
I love the expression on her face!
Elliott Smith
4/5
I only know of the tragedy and not any of the music so I thought I was going to be heading into some sort of pretentious lo-fi indie rock garbage but what a nice surprise this was!
This guy can actually write some really good, interesting songs.
Definitely need to check out the rest of his discography and to learn more of where he came from.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
I’ve heard a few albums by them but not this one and this was a great listen.
You can probably put all of their albums on this list since whenever I hear one it always has such a deep vibe.
It’s interesting how the first album rocks so heavy with such a creative and exciting sound then the second album tones things down but with a different take on heavy.
Nick Cave should definitely be remembered as one of the greats of lyric writing, right up there with Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen.
Sonic Youth
3/5
These guys have a great and interesting sound probably because of all the unique tunings they use.
It really makes the songs sound different and out of this world within the format of conventional riffs and song structures.
The problem I’ve always found though is that it takes a long time for any of these songs to stick in my head without any strong melodic or harmonic hooks but it’s definitely worth putting the work in as I really appreciate how these songs sound with all their experimental touches.
I haven’t really dug into their discography much (other than Dirty) due to the difficulties of getting inside the material but I’m definitely looking forward to getting around to the other albums on this list.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Ok not too bad.
This came up after I already heard Exile so now I can see where they were kind of coming from.
Some strong songs on here but also some weak ones.
A nice variety of tunes here though.
Kept things interesting but maybe a few too many mellow songs as they mostly just went in one ear and out the other.
Only repeated listens will help me distinguish the weaker tracks but at this point I don’t know if I have the time in my life to do so.
There’s still so many albums by them I need to get through.
Not to mention all the other albums by other artists.
I guess to me this does sound a bit dated and doesn’t seem to give me the urge to come back to it.
But there are some good songs on here so who knows?
Green Day
4/5
This is a good album.
I loved it when it came out.
I haven’t heard this in years and putting this on really took me back to those days of carefree youth.
This album still sounds good and the songs are written, arranged, and performed very well.
Maybe the album is 2 or 3 songs too long and the juvenile lyrics may not resonate as much in my later years but it’s still fun as hell to listen to!
It is odd though that there are no albums on this list by Bad Religion, NOFX, and Pennywise because those bands did put out some albums that are better than this one for this genre.
It seems that the way the choices in this list often works is to highlight albums that have sold a lot, which is a poor metric to go by when it comes to judging great art, but Dookie ain’t half bad so I’ll take it!
Silver Jews
2/5
Oh man another album that doesn’t belong on this list.
This kind of music has been done much better by bands from the ‘70s.
Not a great singing voice either.
Makes it harder to try to enjoy this.
It’s as if the appeal of this is that we’re supposed to empathize with him for being such a fuck-up.
I can certainly do that and am pretty sure I have with other musicians but this album doesn’t really get me there.
Listening to this doesn’t make me care about him or the music.
Kind of just seems overly pathetic and pretentious.
I’m a very open-minded music listener so I can’t believe how annoyed I am by this one.
Still not the worst on this list probably because there’s real instruments played by real people.
Maybe I’ll get it some other time when my life has gone completely to shit.
5/5
Holy hell this is incredible!
I’ve heard this before but it’s been a long while so it’s really hitting great now especially during this project to help cut through all the crap on this list.
You can really feel the energy of the show on this recording and you can hear everything well so props to the engineer who recorded this.
This recording does back up the theory you always hear about this and Blue Cheer being the beginning of heavy metal.
We are so lucky that this moment in time was captured.
Wish I was alive and at that show!
So damn powerful and heavy!
Pulp
3/5
Another band I’ve heard of but never heard.
Knowing that they were British and that this was from the ‘90s didn’t make me look forward to this but I am pleasantly surprised by this listen.
I like the variety of songs here and they are all well performed and recorded.
There’s a good amount of experimentation in the arrangements and in the mix.
This whole album kind of has a Bowie vibe but does seem to retain some originality.
Jarvis Cocker does seem to be a bit pompous in his delivery but I suppose that is what makes these songs work.
There’s one more album by them on this list so I’ll be looking forward to that one!
Led Zeppelin
5/5
What a great pick for a Friday!
One of the greatest rock bands of all time displaying how their quick evolution has matured into creating some more settled pieces of music.
With explorations of equal parts acoustic and electric sounds, this album clearly shows the bridge between the youthful bombast of their first two albums and the masterful pinnacle of the next two albums.
Definitely does not make any sense that Houses Of The Holy is not on this list but that just means I’ll just have to go listen to it on my own!
Elvis Presley
3/5
This started out great with that first track but then the rest just mostly went over my head.
So much of this music by this point in time sounds like a parody or a joke.
It’s interesting to think that at one time back in the day that maybe this was one of the great albums ever released.
Perhaps a few more listens will help get me closer to appreciating this more but for now I’m not sure that I would ever play this whole album ever again.
What an evolution the art of music has taken that these possible masterpieces from the past now sounds so unimpressive.
But what a voice though so I do want to hear more from him and I see that there’s a couple more albums coming up.
By the way what’s the deal with Elvis Costello getting 6 albums and Elvis Presley getting 3?!
Fun Lovin' Criminals
1/5
I’ve never heard of these guys before and I wish I never had.
This is not good.
Please remove from this list immediately!
Must make way for more deserving albums!
Marvin Gaye
3/5
Oh thank goodness we’re back to the ‘70s in the land of good music and recordings.
This album kind of just went over my head a bit with its steady vamps all album long but there’s a lot of great arrangement and production touches here and there.
The vocals are soulful as hell though maybe a bit too yearning at times but I can feel the genuine emotion so it’s all good.
Although this album kind of floated by without much to hold onto on the first listen, it’s still a pretty interesting take on soul music and I’m just so relieved to be back in this era after enduring another crappy album from the ‘90s yesterday.
Grateful Dead
4/5
I’m not too familiar with the Grateful Dead’s catalogue but I have heard and enjoyed a few things here and there.
I think their somewhat soft sound in the roots/folk/blues vain kind of made yhe somgs go over my head but upon listening to this, for maybe my second time ever, the songs on this album presented me with some very interesting choices in the way they wrote and arranged the songs.
They seem to be riding a certain feel on each song and letting the verses go for however long they need to depending on how they want to sing the lyrics.
It may not be so arbitrary though and may actually be the product of constantly refining by feel.
This makes me think that they are actually kind of a progressive roots rock band.
These songs do have such a nice sound to them and it did help to relax me after a stressful day.
I’m now looking forward to checking out the rest of their album discography.
Yes I know how their live shows go, which is a whole world on its own, and I’m guessing that diving into that world would be more rewarding with some knowledge of their album songs.
Looks like I’m finally on my way to becoming a Deadhead!