1001 Albums Summary

3/5 Bob goes electric. Like a Rolling Stone is an evergreen classic. Inspired and influential, iconoclastic yet familiar, warm and fuzzy. I'm not a huge Dylan fan, but this was the peak of his popularity and creativity.

Neil Young is the soul and conscience of American (and Canadian) music and culture. A troubadour of rock and folk, akin to Springsteen and Dylan, but even more gritty and raw. Unflinching stories and commentary of contemporary events and emotions. A national treasure, it'll be a sad day when we lose him. It's easy to compare this to 1989's Freedom which follows a similar format with several live or live-sounding tracks, but also features stronger, more impactful stories and arrangements. Both are epic efforts, but Freedom might be slightly better even if it does have more of a slicker, professional production.

Not sure if the whole album is worth being in the top 1001 records just for Under My Thumb, Paint it Black, and Mothers Little Helper. There are better Stones records than this one, but the Paint it Black is a classic for sure.

Fun big-band jazz from one of the greats. Very listenable.

Voice, band, and arrangements don't always hide a weak song, but they do their best. Son of a Preacher Man is a banger and a classic and most of the rest of the tracks are at least good, but there are a couple of weak ones. Mostly pretty good though.

Look, I know Thom Yorke is a miserable bastard, but he's got talent and skills and he's the closest thing we have to a protest-song maker these days. This album is a slight return to a more rock-oriented effort after the twin electronic-based releases Kid A and Amnesiac. Even though they create vibin' grooves, they still manage to keep an original edge with lots of experimentation, using the studio as an instrument. And Jonny Greenwood has mad guitar skills. Except for a couple songs that sound like a New Orleans jazz funeral, they mostly weave their typical claustrophobic sonic paranoia electronica-rock on this one like a spider wrapping up a late-night snack. There really aren't any bad Radiohead records, but that doesn't mean that any of them are easy listening by any stretch of the imagination. There's a lot going on in their later work, and Thom's delivery can be kind of whine-y, but it works in the context of the music. After all, our culture is pretty shitty these days. Standout tracks: Go To Sleep, Where I End and You Begin, 2+2=5, and Myxomatosis

Sometimes funky, sometimes folky, sometimes something else altogether, this is an eclectic collection that's pretty accessible. These guys have got legit chops and talent and are clearly influenced by more than just punk. The first two sides have some of the punk aesthetic (particularly the lyrics), but not as much of the chaotic, loose quality of stereotypical punk - almost all are impeccably performed and recorded. Many songs are often clearly homages to other styles, and in turn, I can hear bits of styles that were also used by bands like Sonic Youth, Fugazi, and Steve Albini's bands. The other half of the album is more frenetic and punky. Short songs never overstay their welcome, but some have grooves that could have benefit from more time. That said, because there are a lot of songs, you probably need a few listens to fully appreciate all of it. On the other hand, it's probably perfect for just zoning out to, too.

Your typical thrash metal jams paired with lyrics that are either criticizing of society's ills or proposing weird conspiracies. Not as compelling nor slickly-produced as the next release, Countdown to Extinction. You pretty much know what you're getting with Megadeth - crunchy rhythms, shredding solos and sneering vocals. Sometimes you feel like head-banging and Megadeth is a reliable go-to for that.

The followup to their breakout blockbuster success White Blood Cells, this one opens with the steamrolling instaclassic Seven Nation Army. Jack White is a dude who knows what he wants and has the wherewithal to make it happen. Everything is carefully engineered to have that iconic style, feel, and sound - garage rock and blues with rockabilly retro sensibilities presented with theatrical flair. Not much sounds like White Stripes and very few are even close to this good. I particularly liked the excellent blues excursion, Ball and Biscuit - wicked blues guitar.

The first two songs have kind of a revival flavor to them. Which makes sense given that their recording space used to be a church. Rousing and kind of inspirational, Neon Bible gets the blood pumping. You could definitely imagine a congregation swaying and clapping along in ecstatic religious fervor. Their live shows carry on that conceit - the band is a pretty animated tour-de-force on the stage and frontman Win Butler is a tall and imposing yet genial preacher analogue. I'm not a huge fan, but I can see why they got the cred. This record is definitely listenable, but just a bit too extra for my taste.

Slightly off-kilter jangle-rock. Debut full-length from the band that's basically the godfather of college indie rock. Quality stuff, but I actually like their following release Reckoning better - the songs that stand out on that one really stand out more, I think. You can hear Byrds and maybe some Talking Heads and Elvis Costello influences here in places. Good grooves and pleasant but unconventional song structures. The interesting thing is that except for a few albums later in their career, their sound never strays too far from this formula. Not to say they didn't grow and experiment, but they seemed to always return to their roots and strengths. In all, a solid set of songs. Favorites: Radio Free Europe, Sitting Still

I didn't know anything about the Waterboys prior to listening to this - the only thing I knew about them was that Karl Wallinger of World Party was a member at some point. I read some of the reviews and the Wikipedia article before I had a chance to listen and I'm not normally a huge fan of Irish traditional music or pub music so I was a little leery, especially since the Amazon playlist is long and includes some extra tracks for a remastered edition. Thankfully this was a mix of styles and not just strictly folk-style music with fiddles and pipes and such. The first track Fisherman's Blues is a typical Irish pub raveup, but the next few tracks are more typical rock. After the Van Morrison cover Sweet Thing, it's back to traditional-sounding songs. I feel like this might be one of those records that was new and remarkable at the time, but since more bands have been influenced by it since then, it sounds a little boring and tame. It's not bad and I enjoyed it, but I don't know that I would add it into my library.

The only problem with hearing records you're not familiar with 10, 20, or 30 years after they were smash hits is that they are either ground-breaking masterpieces that everyone and their brother ripped off in the following couple of years or they are one of the many other records that ripped off some other ground-breaking act. Either way it can be easy to dismiss it as trite, over-played and over-rated. I expect Gen Z and Gen Alpha feel that way about Nirvana and grunge. Or Metallica and metal. Or Tears for Fears and 80's new wave. I feel like this is overproduced club-lite stuff that influenced and is influenced by every other thing heard in pop music these days. I can see the Kate Bush comparisons sometimes. Arrangements have that epic, synth-full, multi-tracked, reverb-drenched wall of sound paired with melodramatic lyrics full of ennui and teen angst. At least it doesn't have that crappy cranked autotune. She seems to have a good voice. This record doesn't do much for me, but being an old GenX guy, I am very much not the target audience.

Bait and switch with the disco bass at the beginning of this record is wacky. The rest is fun salsa from actor/musician/activist Rubén Blades and arranger/musician/band leader Willie Colón and their band. In case you didn't read the wiki article, this is the best-selling salsa record ever. I haven't ever deliberately listened to any other salsa records because I'm slightly allergic to congas and bongos, but this one is pretty OK. I would recommend this album if it was the only salsa record you hear before you die.

Sounds like a 90's alt-rock band. Some Nirvana, Pixies, maybe a little Green Day and proto-emo sound thrown in. Fine musicianship. Nothing particularly earth-shattering, but a decent listen.

"...A load of trashy old noise..." But what a wild load it is. Iggy took what Jim Morrison did and turned it up to 11. The music is heavy, lo-fi, and raw. I was familiar with the typical Stooges songs that everyone knows, "No Fun", "I Wanna Be Your Dog", and "Search and Destroy" - the rest of this album shows off the same kind of jams. I haven't had a chance to listen to the earlier two stooges records yet, but this one is definitely an experience worth the 1001 records you must hear.

This was from still early in the band's career and even though it's pretty good, it's not their best. Fogerty is a peerless songwriter - there's so much soul in his work, even if they're not always top-ten tracks. Sure his vocal delivery can be a little affected and cringe sometimes, but the songs are clearly timeless. Proud Mary and Born on the Bayou are classics and banger grooves, but the Good Golly Miss Molly is a great interpretation too. The only track that feels like it phones it in is Graveyard Train. Proud Mary could have used another guitar solo instead. The guitar work on this one is stellar. The solos and fill licks are so sweet.

My initial reaction to this album is that it reminds me of contemporaries The Helio Sequence - it has overdriven distorted synth sounds and electronic grooves. It has a psychedelic, paisley underground undercurrent running through it. The vocals are lovely. I'm not super familiar with the rest of their work but I'm aware that they are ostensibly an electronic/dance group. This record is much more straightforward pop though. There are some high points - A&E, Little Bird, Caravan Girl, and Happiness are all good - but the rest is not as remarkable. Pleasant and dreamy, 3.5

It's Queen doing prog. Curious selection from their catalog to represent them in this list, given that it doesn't have any of their well-known hits. I do like Queen and I'm a fan, but because of their ubiquity on the radio I never had any of their records, so I had never heard this one straight through. The typical Queen musicianship and studio wizardry are in evidence and provide for a lively and fun listen and the fantasy-flavored lyrics are just bonkers. The March of the Black Queen reminded me a little of Elton John's Love Lies Bleeding in some spots. Epic, stately, straight-up full-force rock magnificence. I really enjoyed this one - it's got all you could ask for from a great rock record and Queen in general. Surprising that their sound was fully realized on only their second album.

Obviously big fan of Beatles, but also Wings and him solo and with Linda. The post-Beatles stuff is plentiful and pleasant and this is no exception. Jet and Band on the Run are both classic and dated in that a lot of McCartney's stuff in the early 70's is of similar quality - that is, kind of fluffy and loose, frivolous even, but also inspired at the same time. Saw one of the top reviews that addressed the critical disdain Paul's solo work had (has) over Lennon's. Lennon definitely was up his own ass most of the time, but McCartney was always more fun and accessible while also being adventurous and experimental. This record is a good example of that.

Mild nu-metal with some hip-hop scratching, some dub/reggae bass/beats and normal non-shouty vocals. A little more palatable than most nu-metal, but still mostly forgettable. The track "Drive", one of the singles released from this record, was fairly popular on the radio and is marginally memorable, "Pardon Me" has some System of a Down and Faith No More homage, and "Battlestar Scralatchtica" is a novelty funk-lounge ditty with turntables, but nothing else particularly stands out.

First time listening to this band. One of the top reviews here mentions Dean Wareham and that's the first thing I thought of when playing the first track. The next thing was Lawrence Welk, which is clearly intentional, tongue-in-cheek-like. The next track has a deliberate groove, but it still inspires comparisons of elevator music or 70's AM Gold. The rest is more of that hazy 70's style with ironic vocals and lyrics. Musically, they're solid. I dig it for sure, but I wonder if this hipster niche is appealing to most, which likely explains why they are on this list. Browsing the wiki articles for their other albums it looks like they migrate to other styles later in their catalog. I am admittedly curious to check out more. Overall a very chill vibe here, and mellow is a mood you wanna hit from time to time, so I'm down with it. And there are many crappier bands to sound like than Luna. File under "mildly-quirky retro indie-chamber-pop".

I've never heard a Leonard Cohen record front-to-back, but I have heard Everybody Knows from movies. Turns out there are a couple other songs from this one that are popular - First We Take Manhattan, Ain't No Cure for Love. Cohen growls and whispers his wry lyrics with his typical dry humor and bass/baritone voice, but the production and instrumentation on this are very 80's - lots of synthesizer, which makes it sound dated and more than a little hokey. I'm not sure if the cheesiness is intentional, it could be part of Cohen's sarcastic persona coming through or him being self-deprecating in a subtle way. Beat poets and Sinatra influence his work, and in turn you can see where Nick Cave gets his inspiration. Despite the dated production, the melody and construction of the songs comes through well - it would be interesting to hear them re-recorded without synths to see what other interpretations could improve on. I hope the other Cohen records on this list are better representations of his reputation, though.

Deliberate and confidently performed, a professional and engaging set of songs that make for a good listen. The first half is more rock/punk, while the second half is a bit more poppy. I have not heard much by Nick Cave, but I'm very familiar with the Red Right Hand song (which is not on this album) from movies and TV shows, so I was not expecting a more straightforward rock sound but more of a moody movie soundtrack. While the songs are still cinematic and story-rich, the grooves are real. Impeccably arranged songs with great lyrics.

A collection of funk/dance jams. There are some great Bootsy basslines and funky Bernie Worrell synth grooves. If you dig 70's funk music that sounds like a party goin on, P-funk is your jam. Good stuff, but nothing earth-shattering or ground-breaking. 2.5/5

Good blues. A fun live performance, King and his band show their stuff and he works the crowd. Now I know where Jimmy Page stole all his licks from.

Rock Steady reggae. Several good tracks from Bob and the band. The only complaint I have is that the version of Stir It Up on this one is not as good as the original, it has a wacky psychedelic wah-pedal guitar that contributes to the chill vibe, but sounds out of place. The bonus track High Tide Or Low Tide is a pretty lullaby. The original release of the record had additional overdubs by the producer Chris Blackwell - according to Wikipedia, they were applied to make the record more palatable for rock audiences in the US. A deluxe addition has one disc with the basic non-overdubbed versions and the original release with Blackwell's overdubs. The non-overdubbed version of Stir It Up and the other tracks are better than the original overdubbed version IMO.

Joni Mitchell was a manic pixie dream girl. This record is venerated as one of the best in pop music. The vocals are very impressive - her voice is nimble and beautiful. The lyrics and music are very earnest and challenging. It's true that she has written some truly great songs, but to me this is a little too challenging - there aren't any simple hooks or melodies to cling to, so all that's left is the vibe which is mostly somber and reflective. That's not a bad thing, but I don't think it quite reaches universal appeal even if it does tap into the shared human experience. That, and "River" leans on the Jingle Bells melody too much.

A dynamic record from a band that emerged during the early-/mid-2000s garage rock revival with Jet and The Strokes and share a similar sound and aesthetic. Catchy riffs and misleading arrangements such as that on Take Me Out add up to an interesting listen. Tracks often have a disco beat, some have retro echo vocals, mostly it's bouncy, dancey rock guitars and a frantic-sounding jam. They seem to have a fascination with Germany for some reason - Darts of Pleasure feature German-language lyrics and the video for Michael shows people dressed up like the old SNL Sprockets sketches: "und now ve dance!"

Prolific musical weirdo Eno kicks off his imaginative experimental solo career with an album of proggy, sometimes psychedelic but also poppy 70s frolics. This guy has worked with so many prominent artists of the last 50 years (including U2 and David Bowie), and influenced tons more - in this early outing he's concocting and collaborating with Robert Fripp (a frequent collaborator and an avant-garde artist himself) and a small army of other musicians recognizable from the prog rock environs of the time. The music is both compelling and fun. It subverts expectations of pop music by using typical pop structure and introducing a few unconventional elements like detuned piano, bizarre vocals, oddly miked and mixed instruments, and weird studio effects. By harnessing a familiar base and layering the weird and unexpected on top, it keeps the entertaining and makes it a vehicle for the fascinating. It's delightfully wacky, like if Mary Poppins, Pink Floyd, Alice in Wonderland, and the 1971 Willy Wonka movie had a baby. One other thought: this reminds me of Ween in a big way - Deaner and Gener must have listened to this record a lot. A lot of their stuff sounds very similar. I'm only 30 records in and I'm a little surprised that I'm giving my first 5-star rating to a record full of music I've never heard before, but I'm also a little excited.

Their first album is better, but the singles and the remixes of the singles from the first album are even better than that. Experience would be a better substitution for this record on this list even if it's less varied in tone - this seems like they were trying to show that they were more than just a rave/dance outfit. The tracks on this one seem like they are watered down compared to both Experience and the next record, Fat of the Land. More of an industrial influence, particularly on the track "Their Law" which features PWEI. The tempo finally picks up by the 4th track, Full Throttle, but until Voodoo People there aren't any good riffs. Poison busts out a downtempo big beat groove and is a standout track. 3 Kilos is another downtempo track this time with a mystical, funky vibe. Overall, not a bad record, it's just not quite as good as their other early ones.

There are depths in the lyrical content of this record, but without context, history, or research, you're not going to get all of the details. It seems like a kind of gestalt performance art and I can appreciate that. It's an album that needs more than a few listens to see the big picture. On the surface level most of the music is decent, but there are some strange things going on throughout that beg more attention. Weird and dramatic in a theatrical way.

I love Oedipus Schmoedipus (which is also on this list) and As Above So Below which are later releases by Barry Adamson. Those records are mostly conventional songs with one or two cinematic tracks mixed in. This one is kind of the opposite. Under Wraps is an actual song with a funky groove but about half of the other tracks are closer to ambient atmospheric creations. Not all of this lands well, but when it does, it's decent. It's a record to have on in the background while hosting a murder mystery book club or an escape room. Most of his solo stuff is basically song versions of a film noir or James Bond movie - dark, foreboding, sinister - but often with some subtle humor. Vibraphone, upright bass, drums played with brushes, strings and horn arrangements figure into a lot of his songs, contributing to the retro movie feel.

Full of songs with different styles. Closest comparison I can think of is Jesus and Mary Chain. Brit pop, chamber/psychedelic pop, folk, dub, noise rock, all are in there somewhere. Guitars do strange things, horns pop in every once in a while. There are some good ideas, but it really is all over the place, and even if it starts out with a nice groove, there is no guarantee it'll end that way and vice versa. It's like they had to prove they were not like every other band just by sabotaging the good stuff with random noise in every song instead of keeping the noisy stuff all in a few songs and saving the good stuff for other songs. For example Thinking of Ways starts out a very pretty quiet pop song, and then it devolves into an explosion of horn dissonance. Would probably be a 4 or 5 star record, but I have to take off 2 stars for the deliberately off-putting abrasive chunks.

Impeccable beats, production, and rhymes. Fun grooves on the backing tracks, some jazzy, some funky, but all good enough to nod your head with. Decent samples. Smart rhymes with tight delivery. If you like Tribe Called Quest, this is similar.

The single This Is Music is a wall of sound: blues rock progressions drenched in reverb and overdubbed backing vocals. Another single, On Your Own is a simpler production, more of a pop ballad without distortion. This record is a little reminiscent of the Stone Roses, only with a more lush production. Guitar riffs and sounds are alternately soothing and melodic or biting and dynamic. Ashcroft's vocals are somehow both languid and piercing at the same time. On the slower songs, the bass and drums shine, warm and immersive. Some tracks regress into a hypnotic drone, particularly in the second half of the album, vehicles for noisy, spacey, psychedelic rock jams. This jam feel would carry over to their next release, the blockbuster Urban Hymns. On the whole, it's a trippy, mysterious-sounding jammy rock record that maybe overstays it's welcome - it's over an hour long, and unless you're zoning out, there are only a few songs that stray from the pace and sound. The aural equivalent of a stoned-out afternoon on the porch watching the clouds go by, wondering how you ended up where you are and how long you're going to be where you're at.

A live performance of a Belgian singer singing in French backed by an orchestral ensemble. It was OK. Like watching a very old foreign film with a scene in a restaurant or club with a band.

Awwww yeeeah Influential gangsta rap record. This is front-loaded with 3 classic memorable tracks - Gangsta Gangsta, Straight Outta Compton, and Fuck Tha Police. These tracks and Express Yourself showcase the production and raps that dominated hip hop in the late 80s and early 90s. The rest of the album is mostly filler and not as good. Was it a trailblazer or a calculated cash-in created by savvy posers? Probably some of both. Ice Cube makes movies and TV now, just like Snoop and Ice-T. Would Eazy-E be doing the same if he was alive today? Would rap be as big as it is without NWA and Public Enemy?

People love to hate on the Eagles because of that stupid quote from The Big Lebowski and because of coked-out bad relationships between the band members. The truth is that they made a lot of good songs that appealed to radio listeners and radio station owners and radio advertisers, so those songs got played a lot. Some songs are better than others, some seem formulaic. Joe Walsh and Don Felder are great guitarists and the Hotel California guitar duet/solo is iconic. Vocal harmonies are lovely. It could be argued that one of their other albums is a better selection for this list, but most people have heard their big hits from the compilation discs. All of the hits are pretty well spread out between all the albums, so unless you're a big fan of the band or enjoy the more chill country-flavored sounds of the non-single album tracks, the greatest hits discs are better for anyone else. Because most of their songs have been over-exposed and over-cloned, now it just sounds dated, boring, and lame to some listeners. Title track = epic 5*, one or two more are 4, the rest of the songs are either 3, averages out to 3.5 I guess.

Very similar to Piper at the Gates of Dawn - if you like that record, this will scratch that same itch. It features contributions from fellow Pink Floyd members and they try their hardest to steer the songs into something engaging. Barrett gamely sings his typical stream-of-consciousness off-kilter lyrics over psychedelic rock and folk meanderings. The final few tracks are just Barrett and his guitar almost like a deranged Bob Dylan. It's a fun and fluffy listen, just be prepared for some wackiness.

I've listened to this album a lot - it's good. Lullabies or soundtrack songs, uplifting yet also melancholy pop music with unusual instrumentation - bowed handsaw, flutes, trumpets, clarinets, sax, harp, organ, and strings. Lush and meticulous production. The vocals can be an acquired taste - they are sometimes shrill or thin-sounding but reinforce the ephemeral feel of some of the songs. The band and the producer have ties to Flaming Lips, so there is some of that weird and grandiose influence heard here but not as much as on their previous work. Worth adding to your collection.

Folk and blues songs with just voice, acoustic guitar, and harmonica. Accessible and consistent, thought-provoking lyrics and pretty guitar playing.

Country-flavored indie songs with a lo-fi aesthetic and mopey, punny lyrics delivered in a semi-monotone, partially spoken, partially sung. Guy used to work and write with Malkmus from Pavement, so there's a little of that influence heard here too. Sounds a little like Luna only with way too much pathos and not nearly enough levity. Not bad, but also kinda meh. Let’s Not and Say We Did, Friday Night Fever, and Tennessee are the notable songs on this one.

When the Beautiful Day single was released, it felt like an attempt at a Joshua Tree reboot. It's a return to rock/pop songs after their electronic/dance self-parody/satire period. Epic songs like Beautiful Day, Walk On, and Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of all but guaranteed a Grammy. This sounds cynical, but fans of before Bono went all "Fly" were probably pretty puzzled and disappointed by Achtung Baby, Zooropa, and Pop. I actually like some of the stuff on those records despite the sarcastic star posturing that came with it, and I also enjoy their older stuff. Epic songs aside, this is no Joshua Tree - that one is no filler, but this one has more than a few songs that are forgettable. Elevation reverts back to that Achtung Baby flavor but is repetitive and kind of cringey and some of the non-singles end up sounding like more inferior, derivative copies of songs on earlier records.

I've never listened to Kanye before, so all I had going into this one was his reputation for edgelord egomaniac narcissistic bullshit. His lyrics follow that formula on this one and probably all of his other work. Most rappers boast about their bitches, bangin', and bling and this is no different, so in that respect there is really no reason for this to be on here except for some excellent electronic backing tracks which include compositions by an army of artists like Daft Punk, Travis Scott, Kid Cudi, Justin Vernon, and Frank Ocean. The music reminds me of Amon Tobin a bit, and sometimes minimalist leanings like Plastikman. I would love a version of this that's stripped of Kanye's revolting self-aggrandizing lyrics, but instead it's stained with the poetry and persona of a severely damaged dumbass.

WOOOOHOOOO Oasis can suck it. Like everyone else in the US, I bought this back in the day for "Song 2" which is now played at every sporting event everywhere. But the rest of the record is pretty good - Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon both have been pushing the envelope on pop music for a long time by now and this record is a good example of that. The music and lyrics have a great, sloppy, snotty, sarcastic feel to them. Beetlebum, Song 2, On Your Own are all banger tracks, the last song is kind of a mess though.

I like the non-single tracks better than a few of the hits on this one. The "commieshattahwammawakener" refrain on Sidewinder and "ollieollieollieollieollie... baby" on Drive bother me. Everybody Hurts was way overplayed on the radio and is overrated. The strings backing on some songs seems overused and trite. On the other hand, Ignoreland is a banger and Man in the Moon is a wonderful arrangement. Nightswimming sounds like a happier version of The Wrong Child from Green.

Bucky Done Gun sounds like an old-school rap song that should have a video with breakdancing. Other songs also have a retro electronic flavor, sounding sometimes like The Knife only happier. A mostly frenetic dance-y record with decent beats and chants.

Travelin' Band and Who'll Stop the Rain are pure classics. Lookin' Out My Back Door, Heard it Through the Grapevine, Long as I Can See the Light, and Run Through the Jungle and even the rest of the non-single tracks rock. Only Ooby Dooby is questionable, for cringy lyrics, but I'll give it a pass for it being a cover. A solid 5* from start to finish. The Dude may have been wrong about the Eagles, but he was spot on with Creedence.

I'm not a fan of the vocal style used here, so I'm not that familiar with this group or Beyoncé though I recognize some of the songs. The music's fine, and the singers have talent - it just seems like the usual R&B club stuff. And a BeeGees cover, lol.

A masterpiece of sound collage; a moody, atmospheric album created from well-chosen jazz, funk, hip-hop, and soul samples and beats. A favorite of mine for a long time. On the surface, if you're not paying attention, it can sound very simple and samey. But I argue that he knows just how to keep a groove as a canvas and switch up subtle bits as paint on that canvas to make every bar different from the next. Most of the feel on this is dark with foreboding bass and minor keys in the samples which almost makes it sound like the score to an old horror movie sometimes. Warm analog synths and ambient samples abound. His follow-up album, The Private Press, is not on this list but is equally enthralling. Every track on this is excellent, but my favorite is Changeling, which layers a 70s organ riff, muffled and distorted distressed guitar riffs, and what sounds like a Loudon Wainwright vocal sample over a looped soul drum track and two-note bass riff - it sounds exactly like what a slow midnight drive in the rain through a sketchy and deserted part of a big city would sound like if it were music. Just sublime...

The second LP from Lennon after the Beatles, this sounds like an extension of what they were doing at the end. Blues and Rock songs, but for some reason Lennon's vocals are often muffled and way down in the mix even in the 2010 remaster. The music is decent, there are some hooks and some excellent guitar work from George Harrison. The main attraction is of course the single Imagine, a plea for peace. I Don't Wanna Be A Soldier Mama is a blues jam that maybe meanders a bit too long - heavy on the reverb as if it were recorded in a huge empty hall. How Do You Sleep is a diss track in the ongoing animosity between Lennon and McCartney in the wake of the Beatles breakup - it's a good arrangement with great riffs and a sweet slide guitar solo from George. The hypocrisy he loves to rant about arrives when Lennon disparages McCartney's solo stuff as simple and fluffy when this record is pretty straightforward without anything particularly groundbreaking.

This was all anyone could talk about when it came out. Serious hype. I've never heard this album before today but I recognized the title right away. Buckle up, it's 77 minutes long and contains a skit/interlude between each song. Hill's lyrics are most if not all autobiographical, an emotional musical journal of what she was going through at the time. *** Lost Ones - hip-hop with sung chorus *** Ex-factor - pleasant down-tempo R&B with good vocal harmonies ** In Zion - more down-tempo R&B with Carlos Santana on guitar **** Doo Wop - hip-hop with a retro doo-wop/Motown flavor, the rap has a fun cadence and the sung vocals are more great harmonies. It makes sense that this was the first single released from the album. ** Superstar - I'm sensing a trend here, another down-tempo R&B song with some rapping. Consistency is good if you're looking for a whole album to plop down to fit your mood, which was a thing before streaming services existed to magically whip up an auto-playlist. *** Final Hour - hip-hop with some 70s soul flavor, harp, horns, and flute in the backing track ** When It Hurts So Bad - Surprise! Another down-tempo R&B track with vocal harmonies, this time with a reggae drum sample and some harp. ** I Used To Love Him - R&B track with vocal harmonies, duet with Mary J Blige. Moody freestyle vocal improvisations wear out their welcome on this one. *** Forgive Them Father - a reggae-tinged R&B song based on Bob Marley's Concrete Jungle melody. *** Every Ghetto, Every City - R&B track with some funk flavor just to change it up a little, a welcome fun track after the last few maudlin ones. ** Nothing Even Matters - guess what, it's a sad R&B song that should have been a 20 second segue song. Instead it's stretched out to almost 6 minutes of the words "nothing even matters" sung/improvised over and over. **** Everything is Everything - a R&B song with hip-hop. Has a good sample riff for the backing track though. The other single from the record. *** The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - Piano flourishes begin this song and it almost sounds like it's going to turn into a "I Will Survive" cover, but it's just her singing over a track with no drums. **** Can't Take My Eyes Off You - Frankie Valli cover over a hip-hop beat with a little reggae taste, it's not bad and the vocal arrangement is nice without being over the top. *** Tell Him - more vocal harmonies over a chill backing track, a nice performance Overall not a bad record. Doo Wop is the obvious standout. She has a great voice and usually a good instinct for what is going to sound good, but it's not without filler. Does it live up to the hype 25 years later? Eh, sort of.

I'd only heard their later electronic stuff so I was shocked this was pseudo-jazz pap. The production is very 80s adult contemporary fluff with drum machine and synths with sax and horns added sometimes. Would not recommend for anything but the elevator.

I wonder if he is partially influenced by Stephin Merrit/Magnetic Fields - he has a low singing voice and is singing about love, often in a sarcastic manner. It's a very theatrical sounding album, he is accompanied by a symphony orchestra. It's pretty adult contemporary though, so not particularly impressive.

Straight-up blues rock with one of the most distinctive guitar players and vocalists ever. Sultans of Swing is a classic, with not one but two iconic finger-picked guitar solos and multiple smart fill riffs; a showcase for and prime example of Knopfler's skill with the instrument. The rest of the tracks are more of the same and no filler.

Garage punk psych-rock with sneering vocals. To think this came out in 1969, real heavy distorted guitars. H̶a̶n̴d̶c̴l̴a̷p̸s̷ for everyone! The album opener 1969 is an infectious h̸̼̪̀̑͘â̷̟͈͋ǹ̸͍̫̯̓d̷̢͎̮̊͠c̵͎͂̔͜l̵͎͖̎ḁ̸̠̖͝p̶̲̩̔͑ś̴̩ stomper, followed by the droney hypnotic psych track I Wanna Be Your Dog. Rounding up side A is the 10-minute drug stupor jam We Will Fall. Side B starts out with a simple two-chord h̶̦͓͙̖̍͂͊̄ā̷̢͇͚̼̏n̷͍̹͈̓̌d̶͈̑̃͐c̷̖͎̟͑́́ļ̷̝̲̟͛̾ȁ̶̦͉̣̙̆̄͛p̴̧̀s̵͓͛̊͠ ditty No Fun that could have used the h̶͇͖͗̎à̸̙̙̳͒͝ṉ̸̨͕̰̰̎̈́d̴̞͛c̴̩͒̂̇͐͆l̷̹͍̗̓a̷͍̓͂̑p̶͉̻͇̦̼̓̆ŝ̷̢̝̯̘̅̄͜ distorted guitar higher in the mix - it sounds a little thin, and I've heard covers that improve on it while staying true to the jam. The rest of the tracks are either droney psych rock or jammy rock jams. Little Doll finishes the record with a droney jam over a groovy jungle drum riff. The songs here are noisy and lo-fi, sounding relatively restrained, but suggest that a live show would be wild and h̸̡̧̩̮̳̞̠̲̯͈͙̙̯̯̝̜̖͈͙͇̺̮̫́̈̈́̇̍̓̓͋̕͠ͅà̶̢̲͔̭̲͕̳̫̜͕̭̮͇̭̬͖̥͐̽͐̅̚ͅń̵̩̼̰͖̣͋̀̽͛̕͝d̵̢̧̞̳̠̦͚̱͍̩͈̪̗͚̩͎͖͆̒̒̐͆̀͂̀ͅç̷̡̛̫͇͙͔̠̯̖̻̫̰̞̫͍̗̭̽͒̈́̄́̽̍̃̎̀̌́̿̃̉̃̾̇̒́͌͋̈́̃́̚̕͠͝͠ͅl̴̢̢̨̨̯͚̜̰̥̳͇͔͕͍̱̟͎͖̻̳͇̦̜̫̯̳̘͙̟̫͙̓̏̀͑̀̂̚͘̚͝ͅͅą̸̧̘͚̫̩͍̝̜̓̉̇͆͐́̐͌̓͘ṕ̴̡̢̨̨̛̛̤̲̲̥̤͓̥̘͈̥̜̱̯̯̳̹͈̪̠̟̣̩͍͎̦̈͛͊͌̅̆̽͌̄̈́̾͌̓̀̈́̍̽̄͂̿͛̓̆͂̒̍̕͘̕̚̕̚͜͝͝š̶̛͚̦͓̪̮̱̻̦͕̠͖͉̓̈́̏́͋̊͐̊̂̄͂̃̒͗̅̑̈́͒̀̒ͅ off the chain.

Quirky pop-rock that sound like equal parts Joy Division, Elvis Costello, and early XTC. Prominent melodic bass lines and angular drum rhythms and arrangements.

I remember when this band came out - everyone was comparing them to Radiohead and I still don't know why. Could it be the vocals? It sure wasn't the instrumentation and arrangements. Coldplay is a straight-up pop-rock outfit and Radiohead morphed into an electronic band with OK Computer which was 3 whole years before Coldplay's debut. Coldplay has more in common with Keane or U2. This is their second album and it's basically the same as their first, decent hooks and melodies with a couple blockbuster singles. The singer is kind of an acquired taste with a weird nasal delivery and frequent forays into falsetto. Clocks was the big single from this one like Yellow was for the previous one. I liked them when they first started out - their songs have an epic-style production and are catchy. Over the years it's become easier to be dismissive of Coldplay as a calculated hit factory churning out generic top-40 hits and racking up Grammys, but before they were the ubiquitous sold-out-arena monster they were just a band. They're adept at making euphoric-sounding tunes, even if they verge into adult contemporary territory. This is a good record, but I couldn't tell you about anything they've done after this other than Chris Martin's relationship with the ridiculously pseudo-hippie-yet-bougie self-absorbed nepo-baby Gwyneth Paltrow.

This album is their first and has a slightly different band line-up than Hotel California which is also on this list - there's no Joe Walsh to add some edge to their guitar attack, but the songs are just fine anyway. The big thing that set them apart from other similar bands at the time are the multipart harmonies. Most people have heard their big hits from the compilation discs. All of the hits are pretty well spread out between all the albums, so unless you're a big fan of the band or enjoy the non-single album tracks, the greatest hits discs are probably all that you need. 2.5 stars, not as good as Hotel California.

An album of covers by a singer who sounds a lot like Tom Jones, only slightly more restrained. The arrangements and instrumentation of the backing music are slickly produced with a very full sound, but are also very 50s/60s easy listening. Scott Walker was previously part of the Walker Brothers, who did The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore) a couple years earlier, so that gives you an idea of how this record comes across. It's listenable, but only really belongs on this list as an example of the kind of music heard all over AM radio in the early/mid 60s. Musically and vocally, the performances are adept. But lyrically it's a weird record. He covers a few Jacque Brel songs - and performs a couple of his own songs written in a similar style - which are narratively scandalous and jarring, singing of brothels, war, soldiers, and STDs.

Soul/R&B/Jazz singer album, the lead track Sweet Love was a fairly big hit back in 1986. It's not bad, even with some slightly dated production. She's got a good voice, but there's nothing particularly ground-breaking going on and it's not a genre that I find myself craving.

A classic. Debbie Harry's vocals, alternatively snotty and slinky, tear it up with the punky backing music. The two covers, Hangin' on the Telephone and I'm Gonna Love You Too are fun and the originals Heart of Glass, One Way Or Another, and Sunday Girl are excellent singles. Most of the rest of the songs are catchy, hooky, crunchy 80s post-punk new wave ditties. A good record front to back.

Damn, this is tight. Odd and abruptly changing time signatures, super tight drum playing and recording, fun and hypnotic bass/guitar work, an almost synthetic electronic 8-bit impressionistic metal performance. You can tell these dudes are absolutely shredding it and enjoying every second. Sounds like it would be a bonkers live show. They're categorizing this as noise rock, but there is enough structure and hooks/melody to call this closer to math rock, prog, and/or post rock. I dig it, and I'm looking forward to checking their other records out.

A collection of late 60s jazz-influenced pop/soul tunes by a remarkable singer-songwriter with a confident, talented voice. Influential to many, an iconoclast that broke new ground in music. Compare to Carole King, a contemporary who was clearly influenced by her. This record has her version of Stoned Soul Picnic which was a hit for the 5th Dimension - the versions are very similar with this one a little less bombastic and Nyro's multi-tracked vocals doing the harmonies. The songs feel like a synesthetic expression of experiences, failures and triumphs.

######################################### L@@K: Like some other older albums, this one has a recent doppelganger called "Directors Cut" that is NOT the original record. I think a lot of the reviews here are basing it on this new version. If you can find it (it's on YouTube), the 1991 (UK) album release version instead is what is intended here and starts with What Time Is Love. And if you dig the original, there's also a version that includes the Justified & Ancient EP/single with some tight remixes and additional tracks including a couple with a simultaneously sublime and goofy Tammy Wynette vocal. ######################################### While this might seem like just another record, it was actually just a single part of an ongoing edgelord performance art stunt. The artists behind the KLF have a whole history that I'm not gonna go into, but it's kind of like if the Illuminati trilogy crossed with Andy Kaufman was brought to the music industry. It's a wacky story I recommend going down the rabbit hole for. The album itself is at once a polished parody and subversive homage. While the lyrics are weird and often silly - sometimes scatting and some exhortations of a fictional cult - the music is fun with recognizable samples and short raps. Beats, breaks, and hooks go hard even if it seems like disposable EDM on the surface. 3am Eternal, Last Train to Trancentral, and What Time Is Love are the standouts. For bonus fun, check out the video for Justified & Ancient on YouTube. Their previous record Chill Out is a continuous mix of ambient - very different from this one. 4.5/5

One of Moby's albatrosses is that he was one of the first big successes in EDM. His early stuff is repetitive and sounds dated in context, but at the time it was pretty new. He'd always had a knack for creating infectious hooks and riffs, but he usually looped them over and over until you were bored to madness. That tendency is diluted here mostly, partially because most of the songs are under 4 minutes, but also because the use of more traditional instrumentation and sounds make it more appealing to a bigger chunk of music lovers. This helped Play become his biggest success. Unfortunately, part of the result is that some of it turns into a slightly watered-down adult-contemporary-flavored Moby. After his previous albums, this record seems like more of an effort to be accessible to pop fans - it's a collection of electronic, dance, pop or blues-techno mashup tunes and it mostly works. It's a pretty good set, very listenable and consistent although the tempo and quality wane toward the end. The big singles are Porcelain and South Side, but there were six more tracks released out of 18 from this album, and many were used in multiple movies and ads, so it was pretty huge at the time.

It's 60s-flavored Bollywood movie music. It's OK, but I'm not going to be seeking out any more like this. 2.5

Average 70s rock/blues jams, and lots (too much) of it. Nothing really stood out to me. Listenable, but forgettable without any knockout hooks or riffs. Frankly, I think his was the most boring voice in CSN(Y).

Bombastic, with electronic flourishes. Starlight reminds of Keane, as does the lead singer. "Supermassive Black Hole" sounds like Garbage crossed with Prince with some ELO-like production, an electro-dancey number. Map of the Problematique is all about a frantic keyboard/guitar riff and tribal drums with a Bono-ish vocal delivery. Soldier's Poem is an understated lullaby compared to the assault of the first three tracks. Invincible starts as a simple melody but develops into a fist-in-the-air march. Assassin starts with an extended metal guitar riff before launching into a menacing yet plaintive verse-chorus cycle. The rest of the album is more of the same - ambitious and loud. The second half has a couple of songs with a Latin flavor and a few have Queen-style close-harmony vocal passages. Overall, I think there's a lot to like about this record - the lyrics are thought-provoking and critical of the political climate, the musicianship is riff-heavy and the song-craft is clever, inventive, and engaging.

These songs are so cool, they use all the notes in every song. Jokes aside, these are mostly vibe performances. There is a feeling of chaos because right away on the opening track each band member is improvising at the same time in different time signatures. Then the bass player Scott LaFaro gets his own improv solo while Bill chords out the background using 7ths, 9ths, 11ths, minor mixolydian 4ths, you name it. But the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, so if you can get past the dissonance and dig the feel it works - kind of like a magic eye poster.

Jimi Hendrix is one of the best, most soulful and innovative guitar players that ever lived. This record has two of his very best songs, If 6 was 9 and Bold As Love, as well as the fantastic Little Wing, Spanish Castle Magic, and Castles Made of Sand. And the rest of the tracks are magnificent in their own right. Not a bad track here. Jimi sings and wails on his guitar as if it was a direct reflection of his soul and Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding nail the rhythm section duties. Only a perfect set of R&B/rock tunes is all.

A couple songs have a country flavor, some are psychedelic-leaning. The main component are the multi-part harmonies and 12-string guitar work. The obligatory Bob Dylan cover, My Back Pages, features breathtakingly wistful harmonies on the chorus. So You Want to Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star is a good pop song with a great hook and wry lyrics. There's some playing around in the studio, a couple of tracks reverse or speed up the tape for some psychedelic effects. The Byrds and this record are an integral part of the hazy, summery, soundtrack of the late sixties. 3.5/5

A rousing live performance by a hard rock 70s band, featuring Phil Lynott's unique husky vocal delivery of story lyrics bolstered by the band's characteristic twin guitar backing. Great guitar solos, good music - includes their two big hits Jailbreak and The Boys Are Back in Town, and the rest of the songs are just as satisfying.

David Gilmour is my favorite guitarist next to Hendrix, and the solos on this one are sublime as usual. I just love his soulful melodic blues bends and cadences and they always fit the song perfectly. What more can be said about this album that hasn't already been said? A near perfect record and the first part of the one-two punch with Wish You Were Here, which just edges this one out for best Floyd record.

It features guitars with a very treble-toned distortion like a buzzsaw cutting through aluminum. The lyrics and vocals in each song begin understated, a low monotone spoken (except for Washer which is sung), building up to cathartic yelling/shouting - at times conversational, at others narrative. They use low guitar tones meeting each other on a dissonant level - Good Morning Captain is a good example: it is a study in quiet moody unsettling music capped with a loud, punk finish. Slint was an influence on PJ Harvey and Godspeed You Black Emperor - some of Mogwai also sounds a lot like this. By the time this record was released the band had already broken up, but it stands as an influential cult-classic ahead of its time.

One side electric, one side acoustic, contains Subterranean Homesick Blues, Maggie's Farm, and Mr. Tambourine Man. There are a lot of Dylan albums on this list, and this is I think the 3rd one I've been assigned so far, less than 100 total in. It's about a 3.5, so maybe better than most Dylan.

There's something about this band that grabs me despite myself - I tend to enjoy the more melodic and hooky, poppy music than anything else, and while Sonic Youth do have melody and hooks, they are genetically intertwined with noise and punk, and not in a Green Day way. Renaldo, Moore, and Gordon all have distinctive voices and the music sounds like no one else - dissonant and droning guitars, compelling rhythms and drums, hypnotic patterns within the melodies and noise. I love Goo and the rest of their 90s records, and this is right up there with those.

By 1989, this was already sounding kind of stale. The beats and samples don't change up enough to end up being any more than tired and boring club music. The first track sounds like if C&C Music Factory came from a disco in the very early 80s, but not as fun as that might sound. After that disco track, things settle into a different genre, Electro. My Telephone sounds a little more funky, but it's still recycling new wave grooves from 5 years earlier. Not Paid Enough brings enough funk to groove with, but most of the credit goes to the looped sample of a famous drum track. This is fine for the club (is it really?) but for casual listening, there's not much of substance to savor.

As fun as Come On Eileen is, it never occurred to me to find out if they had any other music. The lead singer has an overly-dramatic vocal style, and I gotta say I'm not a fan. The horns on this remind me a little of 80s ska like Madness. In many spots, the drummer sounded like he wished he was dead. If it weren't for Come On Eileen, I would rate this a 1-star or lower. In fact, now that I've heard the rest of the record, I think I like the song less.

A fun, laid-back hip-hop album with chill rhymes and samples and vibes. Jazz and funk were used for the backing tracks and production. Low End Theory and Midnight Marauders, their next two records, are more of the same and just as good or better. Can I Kick It starts with a sample of Lou Reed's Walk On The Wild Side and is conducive to grooving. The other two singles are I Left My Wallet in El Segundo and Bonita Applebum. A fine debut by an influential group.

A fun poppy album with lots of hooks and a slight ska flavor. It almost reminds me of some of Danny Elfman's stuff - it's got a theatrical bent with the occasional quirky darkness.

This was a huge success back in 2004 - the whole first side of the record was all singles. I'm not a huge fan of his voice or the lyrics, too whiney, but the music is very catchy. The music is all very earnest, but a little too calculated, lots of retro sounding keyboards - this was their debut and they were aiming for a huge impression. I'd like to give this a 3 or a 4 even, but I can't get past the singer's delivery.

Blackstar opens with a track that channels David Lynch via Radiohead, with odd autotuned harmony vocals and strange narratives and spooky music. The next song sounds frantic, with an urgent drum beat and wild soprano sax and more dissonant Radiohead-like sound. Lazarus, the next track is a smooth moody song with more sax and plaintive vocal work. At this point, the feeling sets in that, regardless of muse or influence, Bowie was good at taking whatever he wanted and making it his own. This record is described as jazz or even alternative - the sax and odd drum patterns contribute to the jazz feel, but the vocals and atmosphere seem more experimental. Even so, while there aren't any magic moments like Ziggy Stardust, Ashes to Ashes, or Suffragette City, it's still provocative.

Chamber pop crossed with shoegaze. It's got a fuzzy lo-fi aesthetic and it's chill - I dig it. Helicopter in particular really nails that euphoric blissed-out state. A couple of the songs remind me a little of Galaxie 500, some have a VU feel. Definitely will check out more.

The deep, prominent bass grooves, the horns, the staccato rhythm guitar, the syncopated snare clicks - never fail to conjure the laid-back steady hazy reggae groove. This collection is consistently good all the way through.

Some good soul singing by an artist with a powerful voice and wide range. Decent arrangements even if they're a little tame.

Smooth, jazzy rock with typical 70s flavor and close harmony vocals. If you can get past, or even get into, Don Fagen's unique sardonic singing style, the other thing you have to appreciate is the sophisticated song arrangements. Which isn't too hard given that the guitar work from Denny Dias and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter is intricate and melodic, and the solo on "Reelin'" by Elliott Randall is legendary. The singles Do It Again and Reelin' in the Years are 5-star but the rest is not quite as remarkable.

A 70s-era jazz-fusion record with some decent songs and arrangements. Features some Rhodes work, some upright bass, sax, and of course trumpet. The first couple songs I didn't care for the solos - they were kind of sloppy and loose, but the rest of the tracks' solos were better.

A solid chunk of blues rock. The thing about the Doors is that the great talent of the musicians was overshadowed by Morrison's excessive presence and ego. Excellent playing by Manzarek, Densmore, and Krieger, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, particularly since Morrison had devolved into a druggy burnout edgelord by this point. The first half is a bit more memorable than the rest, but it's all good stuff.

Sounds kinda like Metric crossed with Siouxsie and the Banshees. Dancy music with rock sensibilities and a little bit of punk flavor. Some of the tracks use analog synths, and there's a sprinkling of some krautrock sound as well. Very professional deliberate production.

I like Springsteen in theory - he writes about the human condition in everyman character-driven lyrical stories and plays straight-up rock. But he's pretty over-represented in music culture and radio during the time I grew up, so I figured I got enough with his singles on the radio. There are a few singles that rub me the wrong way though - "Born in the USA" for instance is repetitive in a way that makes me want to destroy my eardrums with an ice pick. This album triggered two main thoughts: he often sounds a lot like Tom Waits' singing voice, and this music reminds me of Meatloaf. The Boss has a raspy voice and sings mostly in a lower register on this record, so that explains the Waits comparison. Max Weinberg and Roy Bittan from Springsteen's E Street Band later played on Bat Out of Hell, so that strongly bolsters the Meatloaf connection. The music here is very full and theatrical, with sax and horns, strings, piano, and even glockenspiel. "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" has a 50s doo-wop feel. The record has boisterous and confident in-your-face performances and production. It's ingratiating in a way and mostly earnestly entertaining, particularly on the title track which is epic, but Backstreets erupts into a never-ending refrain of "hiding on the backstreets" repeated a few dozen times which brings back those "Born in the USA" flashbacks.

Opening with Statesboro Blues, a tight roadhouse burner with amazing slide guitar work, is a great beginning. I'm not too high on jam bands, but that performance is badass and it doesn't overstay its welcome. Unfortunately the next tracks revert to southern blues rock renditions and lose the momentum and charm sometimes with slightly corny and square arrangements and solos. Extended blues jams pad the songs out to 8, 13, 19 and 23 minutes so that even though there are only 7 songs, it had to be released as a double album. It's decent background music but slightly head-scratchingly soulless, almost like the Grateful Dead, but with less aimlessness.

If the Cure is the textbook goth band, this is maybe the gothiest album there is. I mean, Robert Smith's vocal delivery is always a throaty full-throttle tortured yowl across all of their records, the music more mopey than... well, I don't think anything gets mopier than a Cure album. All the things you expect to hear in a Cure record are here - Smith howling, tribal-sounding tom-heavy drums or drum machine, flanged, swirling guitars, flanged, trebly bass - but unfortunately nothing that sounds as inspired as Just Like Heaven, Fascination Street, Boys Don't Cry, The Forest. It's all pretty bleak and a little dull. Which is unfortunate, because there are other Cure albums that are also bleak but still dynamic - Disintegration is also on this list which I'll agree is the best choice, along with Seventeen Seconds, but it's puzzling that this gets preference over Kiss Me, Wish, or even Faith.

The first track here showcases just how much the band had evolved in the 3 short years between this and their first record. It's a complex medley that demonstrates a prog excursion with a few different riff ideas. Tomorrow's Dream gets back to the proto-sludge metal they pioneered and hits you across the face with another sweet riff or three. Then you're on to the uncharacteristically naive ballad Changes. Followed by a short, weird, noise interlude (FX) before the chugging banger Supernaut. Snowblind opens up side two with a paean to cocaine with typical Sabbath riffs. Cornucopia gets super heavy. The interesting thing about this album is that they make more use of major chords even though they still manage to maintain that dark mystical sinister sound on several tracks - maybe they ran out of ways to combine minor chords. Laguna Sunrise is a short instrumental guitar song, almost elegiac in a major key. St. Vitus Dance spends most of it's running time sounding like a 60s hippie dance song, only they interweave it with the inevitable metal riff. As drugged up as they were when they put this together, it doesn't seem to have affected their talent for putting together memorable mammoth-heavy riffs. They sound more comfortable composing and, more importantly, expanding their sound with trying different things. I think Sabbath developed a reputation for being just another silly metal band, particularly due to Ozzy's bizarre and unpredictable behavior, but they had serious talent and musicality and influenced countless bands in their wake. This record sounds pretty fresh even today - while not all of it works perfectly, there is still more to like than not, particularly with all of the amazing guitar riffs they came up with.

This is one of two 5-star Hendrix records on this list; it's only slightly edged out for GOAT by the other, second Experience album, Axis: Bold as Love. The only "dud" on this one is Love or Confusion, but only compared to the rest of the songs. The Wind Cries Mary and May This Be Love demonstrate Hendrix's amazing talent for beautiful melodies and arrangements, while Manic Depression, Foxy Lady, and Fire showcase tight, magnificent rock nuggets. Third Stone from the Sun somehow manages to sound meticulously constructed and gleefully loose and goofy at the same time - merging a loopy psychedelic chill groove with a lounge aesthetic and jazzy interludes and a solo section that shows off Hendrix's boundless innovation with the guitar. The final track Are You Experienced sounds suspiciously like Strawberry Fields Forever - both songs feature droning passages and reversed recordings of drums and guitar and are heavily psychedelic, and both were recorded in spring of '67. One other thing needs to be mentioned: in any other band, Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding would stand out as masters, and here with Hendrix their skill serves to further enhance his genius, not simply keeping up with him but making something great become even greater.

A double album of 70s mildly funk-flavored soul. Gaye's voice is great as usual, but the music doesn't really do it justice. His other two albums on this list are better and this one is not really very notable or necessary. Or maybe this one just suffers by comparison to Let's Get It On and What's Going On, I'm not sure. Time To Get It Together and Sparrow stand out as being a groove, but the preceding 6 tracks are kind of bland and don't really register. And I'm pretty sure two versions of When Did You Stop Loving Me... is at least one too many. Anna's Song has a terrible synth solo.

Slinky jazzy adult contemporary. Lots of Rhodes, fretless bass, sax, and bongos. Perfect for the elevator and retro boutique hotel lobbies. Nothing to complain about, but nothing particularly amazing either.

Really an excellent album in all respects. The production is first-rate, everything is crisp and clear, well-mixed. The guitar is wild and amazing, so much shredding. The bass lines are crazy catchy with great riffs. Drums sound huge and tribal. The vocal delivery is off the chain. Mosh-y metal-ish goodness except for Summertime Rolls and Jane Says which are mellow story songs. Hedonism in music form, everything sounds big, magnificent. Inspired song construction. Idiots Rule features a horn section with Flea from RHCP and Angelo Moore and Christopher Dowd from Fishbone.

A study in contradictions - submit for your approval, a very talented and ambitious yet conflicted and controversial young man. Skilled at concocting pop/rock riffs and music, yet relying on others to help bring his increasingly complex compositions to life while striving for his idea of perfection. For the first couple albums the Pumpkins made psychedelic-tinged arena rock, stuff that wouldn't be unheard of on AOR radio in the late 70s, updated for stoners and alternative kids in the 90s. The success of those albums emboldened young Corgan and he dreamed of a pseudo-concept album with two discs worth of songs. 28 songs! And just as many b-sides that were released on a whole other separate box set. A very prolific period for Mr. Corgan to be sure, but with quantity tends to come the possibility of loss of quality. A few of those lower quality tunes, highly polished or not, make it into this collection, like An Ode to No One, XYU, and Love - heavy, yes; angsty, you betcha; boring and cringy, oh yeah. But there are some pretty songs here if you can get past Corgan's deliberately punkish, nasally singing voice - Tonight Tonight, Thirty-Three, Cupid de Locke, 1979, Galapogos, and some of the second disc. Alongside the pretty songs are the belters - Here Is No Why, Bullet With Butterfly Wings, Jellybelly, Zero, Bodies. Musically, the drums, guitars, instrumentation, and performances are all dazzling. Chamberlin's drum skill and style is unique and is important to the Pumpkins sound along with Corgan's guitar work. An album with emo-ish rock songs balanced with prettier pop songs. An arrogant yet talented band-leader with a dubious singing voice, balanced with seasoned and skilled producers. An epic that mostly works with a few clunkers that don't.

Droning and dreamy, this album opens with chill beats and tempos on the first three tracks, contemplative and meditative. The first track samples that "Daydream" song that keeps popping up in movies and music. "Broke" breaks out a hip-hop drum corps beat and kicks up a fun groove. Many of these songs have irresistible quirky grooves - it's a vibe. Vocals are done in a throaty, chill way with lots of harmony tracking kind of like in the song Fearless by Pink Floyd. Like their song "Dry The Rain" that was used in High Fidelity, it seems like this band is all about quirky grooves and I'm here for it. Gonna try to remember to pick up a copy of this somewhere.

This one and Joshua Tree are the best U2 albums in my opinion. War has a bleak, sparse production that sounds like a very early 80s band with just a touch of New Wave influence, which is exactly what they were. Paired with lyrics addressing political themes and describing the effects of war and strife. It's a good record to listen to driving at night. The singles New Years Day, Two Hearts Beat As One, and Sunday Bloody Sunday are rousing and anthem-like and Bono's voice conveys desperation and yearning. Sunday Bloody Sunday's drums resemble a martial cadence while the violin and guitar solos pierce through. Seconds is a short almost hopeless song about the cold war and the possibility of insane world leaders causing world-wide nuclear destruction at the push of a button. New Years Day is a haunting lament about how war never hurts the people that start wars, only those who are forced to fight them and the innocent civilians who become statistics in casualty counts.

An OK classic hiphop album with decent rhymes and production

This is an album full of atmospheric, drone-y, chill songs by an Icelandic band. It's a blissed-out hour-plus of shoegazery guitars, strings, drums, and synth with a bit of post-rock influence. The vocals can sometimes be a little whiney, but the music is top-notch. You can even catch a cameo of Sigur Ros performing for King Joffrey at his wedding in that episode in Game of Thrones.

There are really three different things going on in this record: Gershwins, big-band jazz, and Ella Fitzgerald. The Gershwins are of course famous for writing a huge amount of the memorable "pop" music from the 20s and 30s. The big band on this record is stellar and the recording is amazing. And Ella is simply wonderful. Even though this is a lot of music in one place, you could start anywhere in any of the three non-outtake discs and be into it. Catchy and impeccably arranged songs and beautiful instrumental and vocal performances make it hard to dislike anything here really, as long as you like light jazz and show tunes and sometimes even if you don't. A time machine trip back to the early/mid 20th century.

Entirely made up of synthesizers and programmed drum machine under the vocals, this is a decent look at what alternative, new wave music was in 1981. Kraftwerk is a good comparison here. Except for the successful single "Don't You Want Me" it's pretty meh.

Bjork is an acquired taste. Beyond her experimental excursions, her vocal style is deliberately syncopated and you can hear her breathing in after most phrasing which kind of distracts from how good her voice really is. This album's experiment is acapella, including beat-boxing and an Inuk throat singer. She's so wacky, hijinks ensue. Even the mild songs sound vaguely intimidating and schizophrenic, not exactly easy listening. "Triumph of a Heart" and "Who Is It (Carry My Joy on the Left, Carry My Pain on the Right)" are the only catchy songs with a discernable melody and beat, the rest are further from accessible. While this is definitely an ambitious and technical record, I struggle to consider it an entertaining one.

With Bryan Ferry's accentuated and articulated theatrical vocal delivery style and the band's bombasticity, this album brings the glam and Bowie influences. Toward the middle of the album there's a bit of chamber/psychedelic flavor with "Tryptic" featuring harpsichord and oboe. Early 70s rock with a bit of weirdness - maybe it's less weird than previous ones, since this one is missing Brian Eno. Nothing particularly grabbed me on this one, but it was OK. I haven't heard any of their stuff except for the later singles, but there are two other earlier albums by them on this list so I'll be getting more exposure sooner or later.

Bernard Edwards' squirrelly groovy bass and Nile Rodgers' signature jangly guitar buoy this disco/funk/R&B collection. Le Freak is the classic centerpiece, I Want Your Love is another decent single, the rest is a solid groove.

The first impression I get when listening is her singing and songwriting confidence. Not a note out of place, every phrase soulful and heartfelt, but still loose and groovy. Most of the songs here have had considerable exposure, whether recorded by others or herself and featured in films or TV. A quality classic.

Great alternative touchstone album, featuring an all-woman power trio. The riffs and music are decent, but the singer is kind of grating after a while - she uses a rapid vibrato that typically ends up sounding goat-like in punk music and it's an affectation that doesn't appeal to me.

She's a vocal tour de force and her performance here is legendary as usual. Backed by capable studio session artists like Bobbie Womack, Joe South, Clapton, Tommy Cogbill and Spooner Oldham, she confidently belts out fantastic funk, soul, and gospel insta-classics. Its only downfall is that it goes by much too fast at a very short runtime of just 29 minutes. Her version of A Natural Woman here is about as close to a perfect song as it gets - a great arrangement with great strings, horns, and backing vocals, that highlight and bolster Franklin's already amazing voice. I don't think enough can be said about her voice - it always sounds naturally and almost effortlessly soulful, automatically elevating any song to sublime.

Lots of classic country twang, with a good vocal performance and some fun guitar work. Nothing particularly fancy here, just typical country songs.

It sounds like Bowie, but it's somehow not very gripping. It's OK, I guess, which is disappointing.

An unholy bastard child of hard rock and glam, KISS are a self-parody. The first two tracks and Shout It Out Loud have better-than average riffs and performance, but it's not really enough to sustain a whole record full of silly pseudo-tough posturing and make-up-wearing posers. Alice Cooper did it first and did it way better. These idiots somehow simultaneously took it way too seriously and also half-assed everything just to cash in on an image calculated to create a whole cottage industry of dumb. Bob Ezrin's contribution here was to add in a heaping helping of inexplicable Meat Loaf theatrical epicness that just makes it a hot mess. Broadway musical music for drooling 70s metal kids. Perfect for lampooning in a mockumentary like Spinal Tap. Plodding drums anchor average rock riffs and by-the-numbers sneering vocals and lyrics.

In theory, I'm a fan of prog. Really though, I'm more of a prog snob - I'm picky about the prog I like. All the things I like about prog are here: lengthy epic songs with unusual lyrics, instrumentation, and time signatures. But Yes seems to specialize in songs that change key almost every measure which makes it hard to latch onto a great riff or melody, anything you can groove to or sing along with. Starship Troopers from this release is the best example of this. It's the same problem I have with jam bands like The Grateful Dead - too much noodling and not enough melody. It seems like these kinds of bands intend to rely on more of a overall feeling better experienced as background music, or alternatively as art to be marveled at instead of enjoyed. I dig the guitar and bass work, and the close harmonies are great too, but aside from All Good People, I'd have preferred more to enjoy instead of just appreciate.

Wonderful acapella with soothing droning bass parts in a South African chanting style. Evocative and pretty.

The songs on this one sound a bit more subdued and less bombastic compared to their previous record, Neon Bible. It's a welcome change - Bible sounded like a balls-to-the-wall revival-circus experiment and made it kind of exhausting to listen to. The inventive sounds and arrangements are still here, and they still bring an intensity, but the earnestness and conceptivity is mostly dialed back to a more engaging level.

This album features a more aggressive and angular sound than their previous record Nevermind. Because it was produced/recorded by Steve Albini, who is famous for his own bands' very treble-heavy sound, it sounds natural even if the music is abrasive and tortured. It seemed like an obvious pairing. The writing and performances are all very similar to Nevermind though, mostly menacing and abrasive or alternatively dismissive and apathetic. Nirvana managed to merge angry bizarre punk and infectious pop in a way that no one had before. The singles are all 5-star, and unfortunately it makes the rest of the album tracks look less amazing by comparison, even though they're still great in their own way.

Soul songs with Stax flavor and just a bit of funk, features the classic title track and How Can You Mend A Broken Heart. A powerful voice and skillful, soulful singing over smooth arrangements provided by prominent Stax musicians.

Mashups of world music and rap, with interludes of recordings of (radio?) DJs. Also features the members of Art of Noise on some songs. Depending on how old you are, you might remember seeing the video for Double Dutch on MTV way back in the day. A few of the songs sound very similar to Paul Simon's Graceland album, only this was produced 3 years prior. Special mention of the square dance song Duck for the Oyster. Some of the grooves are pretty damn good, but the interludes are annoying. And the amount of whiplash genre-hopping makes it pretty wacky. It would probably be 3 stars for anyone else, but Malcolm McLaren is a sketchy douche and I can't condone that.

Electro disco beats. Very similar to Daft Punk with a smidge of Deadmau5. Serious electrofunk: "Newjack", "Phantom", "Waters of Nazareth"

Mrs. Robinson, America, and Hazy Shade of Winter are the standout tracks on this one, there are a couple others that seem ambitious in production and construction, but there is some strange filler that tries to concoct a concept album. Bridge Over Troubled Water, their next album, is better with no filler and even more epic and ambitious. Paul Simon has a remarkable talent for poignant turn of phrase and instinct for making stirring music - America here is the best example of it.

Reznor began his career as an electronic artist of dark self-loathing and anger. There is still plenty of that here, but he further refines it in places, distilling it from raw to concentrated and honed, reducing the early tendencies toward cringe. At the time, it seemed to be his magnum opus - over an hour of both fast, industrial-electronic-goth-dance sounds with metal-leanings and slower more contemplative laments. But he would continue to prolifically make long form records in similar fashion in future outings and then branch out into writing movie scores as well. Standout songs: Closer, Hurt, March of the Pigs, Piggy

The pedal steel on this is great. The recording is warm and soothing, as are the vocals. Standout (mostly because the others are mixed really low volume) tracks: "To Love Is to Bury", "Sweet Jane", "I Don't Get It"

While you can hear the Velvet Underground influence here, what's more readily apparent is the influence this band had on a lot of subsequent bands from the era like Stone Roses, Ned's Atomic Dustbin, and the Verve. Actually, now that I think of it, that guy from Soup Dragons sounds like Jim Reid - remember them? A few times, "Darklands" made me think they were doing a cover of Bowie's "Heroes". "Fall" sounds a little like Bauhaus. This is pretty straightforward rock - guitars and drums with a Ramones-like or Lou Reed kind of vocal delivery. Chill and shoegazery in some spots, a bit more noisy in others. Nothing here is particularly ground-breaking or even memorable, but it's OK.

A slew of fun 50s-era piano boogie R&B rippers from one of the greats. Lots of shouting howling vocals. Must have really been something to have seen live. Ready Teddy, Tutti Frutti, Baby, and Long Tall Sally boogie pretty hard.

I think this is what people mean when they say "sounds about white" All jokes aside, they pick some good songs and the arrangements are decent. John McVie's bass work is good, Mayall's harp playing is stellar. Clapton's guitar work is serviceable, but not necessarily at "god" level, and certainly not soulful. I'm not convinced Clapton *has* a soul for that matter. Probably best off listening to the original artists recordings of these covers instead. 2.5 stars.

Ur-emo with very loud guitars. Often pretty melodic, but blisteringly noisy on "Don't". As Mascis went on with Dinosaur Jr. after this album without Barlow, they got slightly less noisy and less lo-fi, but still loud. A good record, but I like Without A Sound and Where You Been better.

Sounding like a natural progression of sounds from singer/founder Damon Albarn's previous band Blur, the songs on this record made me think of one word: kooky. There is a some scat-like singing by Albarn, sometimes with vocal effects, and pretty random instrumentation, rhythms, and riffs. Not everything sounds completely fleshed out, but maybe that's a good thing. Lots of stream-of-consciousness noodling, going with the flow, or maybe just messing around with a DAW. "Clint Eastwood" is the big single from this, the debut album. Del the Funky Homosapien provides a thought-provoking unique-flow rap on the single and another song here "Rock the House". There are other hip hop beats here and there. Some dub sounds. A collab with Tina Weymouth and a couple more with Miho Hatori, produced by Dan the Automator. Decent grooves.