Really good mix of classic Beastie Boys sound and decent punk tunes that stand alone on their own.
Classic Zeppelin sound. A lot of track I hadn’t heard before, which is somewhat embarrassing. Solid album.
Album is not something I typically listen to, however I’m glad I did because I know it’s considered a classic.
Nice live album. Enjoyed the drums and funk lines.
Great backing music. Vocals at times are odd. Fame is the real saving grace. Solid 2.5.
Bare bones record. I enjoyed the takes on non traditional cover tunes as well as the closer “We’ll meet again”. The tone of this album is generally sad, then it ends rather hopeful.
Drums are solid. I found the lyrics and vocal delivery generally poor to my ears. Decent music with bad vocals in my opinion.
Album’s instrumental backbone is consistent and the hi-hats remind me of an album made with just extended “Legs” tracks. But that’s a good thing. I almost lost it listening to “I got your six” for the first time. Can’t believe I haven’t heard that before. What the hell! Solid 4 on the album.
The vocals are the best part. She has a very good range and the layering is fantastic. Bass lines are also great. While the record is well produced, the instrumentals are somewhat basic. I’ll give it a 3.5, reflected with a 3.
Drums are perfect. The horn section adds a surprising tightness to the mix. There’s a lot of layers and depth that I may need a couple listens to fully absorb. The vocals are super strange and uncomfortable at times, but keeps it interesting. Fuck it. It’s a 4.
Fantastic sounds of laid-back and carefree jazz. While listening, I read about Evans’ life around this time and was surprised to learn about his many struggles. Can’t judge a guy by an album cover! Also didn’t know he played with Miles Davis on “Kind of Blue”. Fascinating. Overall, the guy was very talented and somehow balanced his hardships with a productive music career. Solid 4.2
Objectively bad album. It’s the stuff of 80’s montages, synthetic slap bass, and vocals inspired by Milli Vanilli and Michael Jackson’s worst day. I have no idea why this is on the list; hopefully it’s a message to never repeat it, but I’m afraid there are more surprises.
0.3/5
It’s fast, noisy, and chaotic. Darby Crash’s vocal delivery and lyrics are unique and strange. Barely coherent at times. The guitar and bass lines complement each other well and keeps the thing engaging. I really like the aesthetics of the cover art. It’s simple but fits so well. Sorta hard to believe this came out in 1979. This is a very influential punk record and is the only studio album by the Germs (mainly due to Darby Crash’s death in 1980).
4.1/5
Facts: GI was produced by Joan Jett.
The guitarist Pat Smear would later join Nirvana and the Foo Fighters.
90s dance beats. Hasn’t aged well. But some of the samples and mixes could pass for modern electronic music if you heard 3-4 second snippets. Decent quality, but doesn’t have an extended shelf life. 2.2/5.0
Classic tones that are melded together in a smooth 70’s soup. Immediately recognizable singles and really nice other tracks. The stand out aspect are the layered vocals and harmonies. 3.7/5.0
Neat intros explaining the theory behind Indian music. Great sounding sitars and tabla drums. I’m hearing a lot of Scottish or Irish musical parallels that I haven’t noticed with this kind of genre before. I enjoyed it overall as kind of an ambient listen… although I found the lead sitar activity a bit distracting. 2.7/5.0
Enjoyed the samples, and scratches all over the album. However, some of the loops are redundant at times. A few tracks are strangely familiar and I’m having trouble placing them. Overall, decent album for background work in my opinion. 2.9/5.0
Classic funk and soul standards. High quality instrumentation and arrangement. Enjoyed all the tracks — “Do Your Thing” is smoothnesses incarnate. 4.3/5.0
Tracy Chapman is a fantastic and very talented singer/songwriter. She has a very unique voice and I would categorize the instrumentation as minimalist. There is a distinct sadness to this album and I had a difficult time enjoying it fully. 2.8/5.0
Very 90s acoustic pop songs. Every song flows into the next seamlessly. Sounds a bit dated but I enjoyed it. 3.0/5.0
Prior to this, I’ve only heard “I’ve Seen All Good People” before. The tones and harmonies of the other songs are familiar and it’s like another few levels were unlocked. The whole album flew by and I enjoyed it thoroughly. 4.1/5.0
I remember when this came out I was a little confused about the simplicity. After a fresh listen, I have a better appreciation but it’s still a bit mid. My favorite sections are the bass licks. 3.0/5.0
I heard a cover of the first track about 25 years ago. I didn’t know it was a cover until today. Great world music album with great drums and vocals. 3.8/5.0
Era specific sounds. Fantastic melodies that are recognizable in modern popular songs that I didn’t know weren’t completely original. Some of the tracks are a bit repetitive without seeing the movie’s use of the soundtrack. 2.8/5.0
Man. What a weird one; It’s a tad uncomfortable. Who knew Buddy Holly was so persistent. Calm down man. 0.6/5.0
Sonically, it’s generally a mixture of AC/DC and Van Halen. Tom drum tones are a bit odd. Vocals are a bit repetitive and “yeah yeah yeaaaah!” Seems like a pretty solid album for ‘87, but hasn’t aged well. 2.2/5.0
Good Xmas day listen. Classic but alt versions I haven’t heard. 2.6/5.0
Album is consistently theatrical. Good performances in general. Just not really my jam. 2.4/5.0
First time hearing this album. Wow. This is Very much a 90s time capsule. Every song is basically “Pump up the jam” with mostly motivational lyrics about togetherness and moving on. I can’t help but wonder what the record would sound like without the dated 90s drum loops. 2.1/5.0
Leads with the classics. Has a ton of tracks I haven’t heard and equally fantastic. Solid album. 4.4/5.0
Not great. A lot of tracks could have been left off in my opinion. 2.1/5.0
Sounds like the last record of the 50s in alot of ways. Original version of “Love Hurts” was a nice surprise. 1.9/5.0
I’ve listened to this album many times since it was released. Strangely, it gets more shocking the older I get. Maybe it’s the slowly changing social environment. Despite that, Eminem is in peak form on this album. 3.6/5.0
I hear a mixture of Kiss and the Beach Boys. Not great. 1.5/5.0
Solid rock n roll album. Widely known. Super consistent. Sonically great. The best one with Bon Scott, if not best overall release from AC/DC. 3.9/5.0
I’ve never heard of Pere Ubu prior to listening to this album. What sticks out the most for me is the experimental nature of some of the songs. For 1978, the loud synths and wacky solos seem a bit out there and I really enjoy it. There’s also a striking resemblance to the Melvins in much of the vocal delivery and experimental parts — and I can’t help but think that Pere Ubu lended some kind of inspiration to the Melvins material that came after. 3.9/5.0
Love this album by The Pogues. Shane MacGowan in his prime, writing vividly. This is perhaps their best album. So many classic tunes. 4.5/5.0
Solid album. Has many of their classic songs. Enjoyed the drumming and layering on the instruments. Vocals are an obvious stand out as well. 3.7/5.0
Very distinctive English voice. Songs are minimal with lyrics populist in nature. Despite agreeing with much of the message, I enjoyed the ones that weren’t so political much more. I’m not sure if the double disc release was the original or the deluxe but that one is a bit long with many repeated versions. Decent album overall. Just not completely my style. 2.4/5.0
Good voice overall but melodies seem repetitive, almost churchy, and the music feels a bit dated. Country isn’t my favorite genre so maybe I’m the problem. 1.0/5.0
Pleasantly surprised by this one. Great tones and performances all around. Fantastic prog-y sections that really showcase the talent of the members. Extremely tight, yet atmospheric. Enjoyed this one throughly. 4.2/5.0
Somewhat strange listen. It’s groovy but not as funky as I expected, bass-wise. I know this is considered a classic. To my ears, it’s not as tight as it could be but maybe that was on purpose. 2.9/5.0
The concept of the album is powerful and Curtis communicates it effectively. The music is a bit stripped down and serves to set the mood. For me, Curtis’ voice is decent but the falsetto tone is a tad redundant at times. 3.1/5.0
Great instrumentals that are instantly recognizable. Makes me wanna drive around the block. 3.5/5.0
Music is alright but the vocalist makes the whole thing weird! There are times I think he just wrote down what he was doing to get the line going. Not to mention the somewhat creepy verses and choruses but could just be my interpretation. 1.4/5.0
Good album to play in the background. Basic yet layered. The bass performance stood out for me. 2.7/5.0
Although, it’s somewhat lengthy, the quality is great and the lyrical content is funny at times. Not sure if he intended it to be. Dylan has such a unique cadence and style. Enjoyed this one as a casual listen. 3.2/5.0
Nice easy listen. ”Barbarism Begins at Home” is a standout track for me. It’s quite different from the others and I really dig the bass performance. 3.3/5.0
Well put together album. Classic REM sound, just not completely my style. 2.8/5.0
I don’t typically listen to country music, but I really enjoyed this one. Old school twang. 3.4/5.0
Not a great album. Sounds like the precursor to the pop punk wave that came after. Or maybe it was happening all at once. I don’t know. It captures that vibe but also has early 90s guitar and drum tones. 1.6/5.0
It’s sounds very similar to the Beatles in the same era. To the point that it might have been intentional. “Time of the Season” is a little bit of an exception and it acts as the prefect closer. 2.7/5.0
Again, somewhat sounds like a Beatles copy. Not great. 2.1/5.0
Sounds totally different from my understanding of Pink Floyd. Not really my jam and I had high hopes! 2.4/5.0
Kinda decent punk thing going on. Although, a lot sounds like it was written on the fly. Maybe that’s just the vibe they were going for. 3.0/5.0
Decent electro-pop record. Had me dancing a little bit in my socks. Not sure if this really needed to be added to the list but it’s aight for sure. 3.1/5.0
Super interesting and unique album. Creative production. It’s a tad too long. I prefer ATLiens and Aquemini, but this one is a close third. 3.6/5.0
Classic 80’s sync tunes. Echo’s melodies and tones from that era like “You Spin Me Round” or “Like a Virgin”, I even heard something that reminded me of the underwater levels in Donkey Kong Country. Overall, I’ll give it a 2.6/5.0
Every song (no exaggeration) is a hit that we’ve all heard countless times. What a crazy track list. What an accomplishment. I think it’s a solid 4.0/5.0.
Very unique album. Fantastic layered vocals throughout. The song writing is creative and structured super differently. The drum tones and playing are great, when they’re present — almost has Bonham-esque pauses and style. Very good album. Solid 4.2
At times, it sounds like a mix between Elton John and Bob Dylan. How’s that possible? The track Babylon is definitely the highlight and doesn’t fit that description somehow. 2.3/5.0
This is a fun, loose, and loud record. Favorite line is from Can’t Stop:
“Here’s the part of the record, where I’d like everyone to stand up, throw their hands in the air, and kiss my ass…”
I laughed so hard I almost choked. What a non-serious and funny thing to say. It’s a fun listen. 3.1/5.0
Kinda a strange and distinct album. It’s exactly how I imagine 1980 to sound. Retro-futuristic-bongo-disco. 3.6/5.0
Has to be the precursor to ska. Has a ton of drum licks that a suspiciously similar to Sublime. Some of the lyrics are a bit outrageous, in a good way. 2.4/5.0
Has a couple hits I’ve heard a bunch before. Has some deep cuts I’ve never heard but enjoyed them because they’re different. I feel like at this point in their career they probably just were playing what felt right. 3.1/5.0
A modern classic of hip-hop! It’s a great concept album and showcases Kendrick vivid writing style with smooth but dense production. 4.2/5.0
Super chaotic jazz. Most of the instruments are playing a similar melody, but the drums didn’t get the memo at times. This would be a good album to blast to prevent a group of people from sleeping; for hypothetical protest purposes. Keeping this in my back pocket. 1.8/5.0
