Rating: 6/10
Review: Never actually heard of Small Faces or this album before but it’s just some pretty solid brits late 60’s psych, and the songs still make for some good pop. The mono mix actually makes for a nice fuzzy sound. Interestingly the back half of the album introduces a narrator who starts to tell a strange story that I don’t really remember, across the tracks with some experimental and diverse sounds.
Rating: 6/10
An album that may be on this essential list for its cultural significance rather than being a ‘top 1000 albums ever’ kinda thing. These Afro-blues rock songs are definitely not bad but the genre isn’t really my thing and this probably isn’t something I’m going to return to ever
Rating: 6/10
We get our first rock classic in our project and it’s one I haven’t personally listened to in full. Of course we probably all know at least of the big ones, Walk on the Wild Side, Perfect Day, Satellite of Love, Vicious. But it’s also inconsistent to me outside of the highlight tracks, and I’m really not much of a glam rock person. Even all of my favorite Bowie albums are after his glam era. Adding this to my library tho
Rating: 9/10
Ahead of its time in just about every way, from the implementation of electric instrumentation in folk music, to it being pretty much the birth of the concept of the singer-songwriter and modern style album, and those aren’t the only reasons why it’s so good and endures through time. You can continue to listen to Dylan’s strange lyrics in his unique vocal style and come away with something new each time 60 years after it was revolutionary because it is pure poetry. Top quality
Rating: 7/10
Solid collection of tunes. Has a couple of skips but also some real highlights. Message in a Bottle and Walking on the Moon among others. The only really annoying song is the one where they tell you they’re about to play a corny one and they do not lie. Sting’s reggae voice is almost never too grating and the whole album has this hypnotic feel, the tracks mostly sound distinct but each as this melodic repetition that I enjoy.
Rating: 6/10
I really don’t care much for the Stones, and after Gimme Shelter, the album doesn’t do a lot for me until the second half comes along to pick it up more
Rating: 5/10
An early blueprint, but one that doesn’t fully hold up as a quality album experience. Express Yourself really is a good song, but even the first few major hits, while great tracks, don’t really age too well compared to the stacked collection of classic 90’s hip hop albums that will follow this and pop up on our list
Rating: 8/10
one of the best and influential modern r&b albums imo, the songs are emotional and longing as they cover everything about a young woman’s experience with relationships, SZA’s lyrics for someone who is at the top of the charts in her genre are SAD, veering towards insecurity and self-loathing rather than hedonism. It’s a nice touch that she has her mom’s calls recorded throughout to guide her through this period and these experiences
Rating: 9/10
Really cool shit throughout, every track is like its own crazy journey and it’s definitely one of those pieces of music that can’t just be digested understood and loved immediately, you really cannot brute force something so titanic. Favorite song was Spanish Key.
rating: 10/10
Ask me what the greatest album ever made is on a given day and it’s probably Abbey Road. It’s not my #1 favorite but definitely near the very top, and honestly could be one day, who knows. It’s just the Beatles at their consistent best after what was already the best generational run for a band ever, this is the synthesis of that. Their true artistic crowning achievement at their collective heights before dipping out after dropping Let It Be which is…an album. This had to break brains in 1969. I can’t imagine anything other than fans flipping the vinyl over and over all day long.
A side is pretty much perfection. I won’t even hear any shit talking about Maxwell’s Silver Hammer, which I concede might the thing keeping me from concluding that is actually perfect, but I still love the song regardless. It ends with the absolutely monstrous She’s So Heavy, which is my absolutely favorite Beatles song. I would have a tough time of ordering a favorite 20 Beatles songs but I know for sure that She’s So Heavy would be #1. I’m pretty sure the band literally invented like 5 different genres with this one.
Side B continues with some great early highlights (every song) and then flows into some great quirky little songs and ends triumphantly with the medley at the end. You literally feel uplifted by the mood of these tracks at the end of Abbey Road. The warmth of the Beatles is nearly unmatched, can’t wait for the 4 other albums that will eventually pop up here
Rating: 7/10
I was really into this Eurythmics album as an interesting take on fun and weird early 80’s synthpop. Its dark and mechanical tone combined with singer Annie Lennox’s great vocals worked for me. Love is a Stanger and Sweet Dreams are highlights but also the last track is awesome. Tracks 3 & 8 were the only lower points and are skippable.
Rating: 8/10
A nice little collection of eclectic folk pop songs, which is my shit. I don’t care as much for the straightforward stuff. Another one of these albums to keep in mind that this guy wrote these songs when he was basically a young kid 60 years ago. I’m just impressed when people make cool art, like I could never conceive of writing any songs this good even now
Rating: 10/10
The grandfathers of metal were so good that still almost nothing compares to the collective talents that this band had during this run. Ozzy isn’t the only legend here, because Tony Iommi is one of the best metal guitarists ever, Geezer played incredibly groovy bass lines and his political and dark lyrics hold relevance to this day, and Bill Ward is easily one of the most underrated drummers. Paranoid is absolutely sick all the way through with its classic metal tracks and deep cuts both. Impossibly heavy for its time
Rating: 7/10
A good attempt from the band still in its post-punk flavor, I usually like the sound with more edge to it. I enjoyed it but would have to go back to War to delve more into the lyrics here, and I probably should because it’s cool to have Irish music about politics and history. In the 6 7 range
Rating: 5/10
The only thing I knew about the Zutons before this is that Pressure Point is one of the banger songs on the soundtrack of the GOAT sports game, MVP Baseball 2005. Otherwise, the rest of the album just started to get pretty boring for me as it went on.
I think the album is another example of a clear recency bias the author of the book has for new albums released in Britain, as if he’s predicting these artists’ legacy rather than fitting in a deserving and proven essential album. Basically I’m asking this list to stop making me listen to 2000’s albums that no one has heard of or remembers just cause the author was completely wrong about them being fundamental or important
Rating: 4/10
Out of all the Tim Buckley records to choose….whyyy this one? It may be representative of his personality but not his sound, this album is a huge departure from his usual Avant folk sound where he is weird and inaccessible but much more adept
Rating: 9/10
Probably was the greatest album ever recorded when it came out 60 years ago right? From a Buick 6 is maybe the only lull for me but I still can’t say it’s anything less than a good song. So highly consistent over a satisfying runtime. I would say the best of his 60’s output and one of the best aging pieces of music made
Rating: 8/10
Turns out this has been in my to listen list for almost 3 years, and I see how it got there with just the kind influence I think it had the modern sphere of art pop artists I like now who have some of the most exciting songwriting and production around. Will be needing to dive into this more and the rest of her songs
Rating: 3/10
Songs are fine and well made enough I guess but I don’t care and don’t want to spend my time listening to this
Rating: 5/10
I like it less than Let It Bleed, which at least had some extra highlights for me outside of the main big songs. Maybe the next one will get me, hopefully it’s next year instead of next week
Rating: 5/10
some decent inessential house tunes
Rating: 7/10
Nice collection of interesting folk tunes from this era of pitchfork-core indie music, a really solid example of this iteration of the genre. Check out Grizzly Bear member Daniel Rossen’s album from 2022 “You Belong There” it’s cool stuff
Rating: 8/10
Good noisy grungy shit from the late 80’s when alternative rock really started to take root, and bands like Dinosaur were part of growing non-commericial scenes of punk, DIY, distortion and fuzz and raw sounds. I love the bookends of the big standout Freak Scene and the pure noise rock closer Don’t. Lead vocalist isn’t always the best but it’s part of the charm that makes this album
Rating: 6/10
Never heard Lee Zeppelin III before (I’m sure we will get every album they’ve ever made on this list). These are decent songs and the album length doesn’t overstay, but I think the band is just a touch overrated for how much they’re revered. Still much better though than all of the classic rock of the next 15 years that they influenced
