I Want You to Love Me - 4.5/5
Shameika - 3.5/5
Fetch the Bolt Cutters - 3/5
Under the Table - 4/5
Relay - 4/5
Rack of His - 3/5
Newspaper - 4/5
Ladies - 2.5/5
Heavy Balloon - 4.5/5
Cosmonauts - 3.5/5
For Her - 3/5
Drumset - 3.5/5
On I Go - 3/5
The whole album sounds like someone on the verge of and/or currently experiencing a mental breakdown. Totally makes sense when this came out. Apple creates a sense of confinement and every song veers towards trying to escape or escalates to a point of wanting to escape. Unfortunately has a stronger start than end.
Overall: 4/5
Favorite(s): I Want You to Love Me, Under the Table, Relay, Newspaper, Heavy Balloon
Ramble Tamble - 4.5/5
Before You Accuse Me - 4.5/5
Travelin' Band - 4/5
Ooby Dooby - 3/5
Lookin' Out My Back Door - 4/5
Run Through the Jungle - 4.5/5
Up Around the Bend - 4.5/5
My Baby Left Me - 3.5/5
Who'll Stop the Rain - 4/5
I Heard It Through the Grapevine - 4.5/5
Long as I Can See the Light - 4/5
Quintessential swamp rock. A great mixture of genres all around, from blues to rock n' roll to even a bit of prog rock. This sounds like a greatest hits album as there was not a single dud on the entire album.
Overall: 4/5
Favorite(s): Ramble Tamble, Before You Accuse Me, Travelin' Band, Up Around the Bend, I Heard It Through the Grapevine
I don't believe this album was meant to heard from front to back, so I chose to listen to the first few disks to get a summation of the whole album
Sam and Delilah - 3.5/5
But Not For Me - 3.5/5
My One And Only - 3/5
Let's Call the Whole Thing Off - 3/5
(I've Got) Beginner's Luck - 3/5
Oh, Lady Be Good - 2.5/5
Nice Work If You Can Get It - 3/5
Things are Looking Up - 3/5
Just Another Rumba - 3/5
How Long Has This Been Going On? - 3/5
'S Wonderful - 3/5
The Man I Love - 3/5
That Certain Feeling - 3/5
By Strauss - 3/5
Someone to Watch Over Me - 3/5
The Real American Folk Song - 3/5
Yeah I definitely would not be able to go through this whole thing in one sitting, as most of the songs sort of blend into one another and it all feels like a blur. That doesn't take away that Ella Fitzgerald is an amazing vocalist and the instrumentation behind her is also quite good. My only problem is that (understandably) the whole book is made up of show tunes which isn't exactly my style. Probably a very high 3 but a 3 regardless.
Favorites: Sam and Delilah, But Not For Me
Overall: 3/5
Burnout - 4/5
Having a Blast - 3.5/5
Chump - 3/5
Longview - 5/5
Welcome to Paradise - 4.5
Pulling Teeth - 3.5/5
Basket Case - 5/5
She - 4.5/5
Sassafras Roots - 3.5/5
When I Come Around - 5/5
Coming Clean - 3.5/5
Emenius Sleepus - 3.5/5
In the End - 3.5/5
F.O.D. - 3.5/5
(All by Myself) - 3
If nostalgia had its way then this would be a 5/5. However, actually listening through the whole thing made realize why I stuck with the singles from this album- everything else kind of just blends in together. The first half there's less of this, but to the untrained ear there really isn't anything distinct musically between songs like Sassafras Roots or Enemius Sleepus or Coming Clean. Granted I'm not that deep into the punk scene so take what I'm saying with a grain of salt. Despite that I still love the whole thing and would listen to it again back to front.
Overall - 4/5
Favorites: Longview, Welcome to Paradise, Basket Case, She, When I Come Around
Gimme Shelter - 5/5
Love In Vain - 3.5/5
Country Honk - 2.5/5
Live With Me - 3.5/5
Let It Bleed - 3/5
Midnight Rambler - 3.5/5
You Got the Silver - 3.5/5
Monkey Man - 3.5/5
You Can't Always Get What You Want - 4/5
This album is carried by its opening and closing tracks. Gimme Shelter is a phenomenal opener, which is kind of a let down as the rest of the album is kinda just meh. Sure, there is a decent variety of musical styles but none of them really stand out against one another. 2 stars for Gimme Shelter and You Can't... alone.
Overall: 3.5/5
Favorites: Gimme Shelter, You Can't Always Get What You Want
Let's Get it On - 5/5
Please Don't Stay (Once You Go Away) - 4.5/5
If I Should Die Tonight - 4/5
Keep Gettin' It On - 4/5
Come Get To This - 4.5/5
Distant Lover - 4/5
You Sure Love To Ball - 4/5
Just To Keep You Satisfied - 4/5
It's incredible how Gaye could transition from the social commentary in What's Going On to what is effectively Sex: The Album here. Everything is so silky smooth on here. The intro to "Let's Get It On" somehow gave me a flight-or-fight response based on how many times it's been used in pop culture, and for good reason. Incredible production and the whole album makes you want to lie down in a bed of roses next to your significant other (or others if you're into that).
Overall: 5/5
Favorites: Let's Get It On, Please Don't Stay, Come Get to This
Carry On - 4.5/5
Teach Your Children - 3/5
Almost Cut My Hair - 4.5/5
Helpless - 4/5
Woodstock - 4/5
Déjà Vu - 4/5
Our House - 4/5
4 + 20 - 3/5
Country Girl - 4/5
Everybody I Love You - 3.5
Quite the interesting album juxtaposed between the happy-happy-joy-joy from counterculture of the 60's and the cynicism brought on in the 70's, and the music reflects it well. There are a few times where the music feels a bit hokey (notably on Teach Your Children) but their harmonization on several of the songs stops me from knocking it down further.
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: Carry On, Almost Cut My Hair, Woodstock
War Pigs - 5/5
Paranoid - 5/5
Planet Caravan - 4.5/5
Iron Man - 5/5
Electric Funeral - 4/5
Hand of Doom - 4.5/5
Rat Salad - 4.5/5
Fairies Wear Boots - 4.5/5
So this is what the original first heavy metal album sounds like. I had already known about some of the more popular tracks (War Pigs and Paranoid specifically) but had never given the album a whole listen. Easiest 5 stars I'll probably ever give.
Overall: 5/5
Favorites: Literally the Entire Album
I'd normally do track rankings but I just could not get through the entire album. The song content is the epitome of cromulent. There wasn't really anything special that made this album stand out against its fellow peers in the jangle pop world. It seems more like a Eurovision entry that you know for certain will not qualify, fine enough on its own but there's no wow factor. My main question is why is this part of the 1001+ albums? Was it because it was a critical darling? It didn't do too hot in the charts in their home country of Australia and this is literally the first time I've ever heard of the Triffids, so whatever international appeal clearly didn't stay around. The only good thing I can say about what I listened to was that it seemed well produced, but besides that I don't think I'd ever return back for future listens.
Overall: 2/5
Favorite: A Trick of the Light
This sounds like the music that will make me go "wut n tarnation" when a rabble-rouser gets on my proper so I have to tell my horse to "go on an git". I'd rather not listen to over two hours of bluegrass but taken in bits and pieces it's pretty decent. I like the occasional banter in between songs for an all-star cast of blues, country, and bluegrass. I don't know much about this type of music but it's good enough and hopefully it doesn't ruin my Spotify recommendations.
Overall: 3/5
Favorites: Grand Ole Opry Song, Nashville Blues, Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Way Downtown
Liquid Swords - 5/5
Duel Of The Iron Mic - 5/5
Living In The World Today - 4.5/5
Gold - 5/5
Cold World - 4.5/5
Labels - 4/5
4th Chamber - 5/5
Shadowboxin' - 4.5/5
Hell's Wind Staff/Killah Hills 10304 - 4.5/5
Investigative Reports - 4.5/5
Swordsman - 4.5/5
I Gotcha Back - 4/5
B.I.B.L.E - 5/5
There was a time where I used to despite the rap genre. I had only been exposed to whatever was popular during the mid-2010's and mostly wrote it off as not for me. It turns out I just did not like modern rap and turned to the past, finding A Tribe Called Quest and Wu-Tang in the of running what I actually liked the sound of. The production and lyrical flow are top notch as every song transitions from one another almost seamlessly. I certainly found a style that I like, and it just so happens to be one of the best hip-hop albums ever created.
Overall: 5/5
Favorites: Liquid Swords, Duel Of The Iron Mic, Gold, 4th Chamber, B.I.B.L.E
Suite II Overture - 4/5
Dance or Die - 4/5
Faster - 4/5
Locked Inside - 5/5
Sir Greendown - 4/5
Cold War - 5/5
Tightrope - 5/5
Neon Gumbo - 3/5
Oh, Maker - 4/5
Come Alive - 5/5
Mushrooms & Roses - 4/5
Suite III Overture - 3.5/5
Neon Valley Street - 4.5/5
Make the Bus - 3.5/5
Wondaland - 4/5
57821 - 4.5/5
Say You'll Go - 5/5
BabopbyeYa - 4/5
A nearly effortless blend of genres for an incredible debut album. This would be a 5 except it kind of loses me towards the end but the ending two tracks pull me back into what I loved about it. The run-up to that middle stretch managed to blend together soul, funk, R&B, and more that loosely fits into her whole sci-fi concept the album is trying to portray, but I feel its a bit too loose of a concept that I may not have fully got.
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: Locked Inside, Cold War, Tightrope, Come Alive, Neon Valley Street, Say You'll Go
Candy Says - 4/5
What Goes On - 4.5/5
Some Kinda Love - 3.5/5
Pale Blue Eyes - 4.5/5
Jesus - 3.5/5
Beginning to See the Light - 4/5
I'm Set Free - 4/5
That's The Story Of My Life - 3.5/5
The Murder Mystery - 4/5
After Hours - 4/5
A surprisingly intimate album. I had never listened to anything by the Velvet Underground (closest I guess is Lou Reed's sample on ATCQ) so I was going into this completely blind. Good through-line from beginning to end. A very mellow and intimate album that sounds like the sober realization of the morning after.
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: Candy Says, What Goes On, Pale Blue Eyes
Mambo Sun - 3.5/5
Cosmic Dancer - 3.5/5
Jeepster - 3.5/5
Monolith - 3/5
Lean Woman Blues - 3.5/5
Bang a Gong (Get it On) - 4.5/5
Planet Queen - 3.5/5
Girl - 3.5/5
The Motivator - 3.5/5
Life's a Gas - 3/5
Rip Off - 3.5/5
A very tightly produced album that ushered in the wave of British glam rock. The main problem I have with this record is that most of the songs feel like they're building up to something and then the song abruptly ends without the sound resolving. Outside of Bang a Gong/Get it On I didn't really get any of the other songs of the album. They didn't so much as blend all together as mush, it's that there really wasn't anything that made them stand out compared to one another
Luv N' Haight - 4.5/5
Just Like A Baby - 4/5
Poet - 4.5/5
Family Affair - 4.5/5
Africa Talks to You ("The Asphalt Jungle") -
There's a Riot Goin' On - N/A
Brave & Strong - 4/5
(You Caught Me) Smilin' - 4/5
Time - 4/5
Spaced Cowboy - 4.5/5
Runnin' Away - 4/5
Thank You for Talkin to Me, Africa - 4/5
A very good selection of darker funk from this group. Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" definitely had an influence changed from the psychedelic era of the 60's to the more politically charged early 70's. That mixture of eras really makes this work as a whole.
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: Luv N' Haight, Poet, Family Affair, (You Caught Me) Smilin', Spaced Cowboy
It's an album full of Christmas songs. What do you expect. Also fuck you Phil Spector hope you rot in hell.
Honey - 4/5
Find My Baby - 4/5
Porcelain - 4.5/5
Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? - 4/5
South Side - 3.5/5
Rushing - 3/5
Bodyrock - 3.5/5
Natural Blues - 4.5/5
Machete - 3/5
7 - 3/5
Run On - 3.5/5
Down Slow - 3/5
If Things Were Perfect - 2.5/5
Everloving - 3/5
Inside - 3/5
Guitar Flute & String - 3/5
The Sky is Broken - 2/5
My Weakness - 3/5
The first few tracks of this album carries the rest of it. The blues samples in the front half could definitely made a better concept but after Machete it trails off to be a bit more of ambient. There really isn’t a genre through line so the genre flip didn’t catch me completely off guard. Great sampling and production but due to the overuse of some of these songs it feels a bit too corporate and too muzak-y.
Overall: 3.5/5
Favorites: Porcelain, Natural Blues
The Golden Age - 4/5
Paper Tiger - 4/5
Guess I'm Doing Fine - 4.5/5
Lonesome Tears - 4.5/5
Lost Cause - 4.5/5
End of the Day - 3.5/5
It's All in Your Mind - 3.5/5
Round the Bend - 3.5/5
Already Dead - 3.5/5
Sunday Sun - 4/5
Little One - 4/5
Side of the Road - 3.5/5
A very melancholic album fitting for a breakup. I doubt that I'll come back to this album given how somber the mood was, but it was still a good listen nonetheless.
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: Guess I'm Doing Fine, Lonesome Tears, Lost Cause
Darkness, Darkness - 4/5
Smug - 2.5/5
On Sir Francis Drake - 3/5
Sunlight - 3.5/5
Beautiful - 2/5
Rain Song - 2/5
Trillium - 2/5
Quicksand - 2.5/5
Sham - 2.5/5
Ride the Wind - 2/5
I can see how this bridged the gap between the psychedelia and folk rock between the 60's and 70's, but at this point it sounds more like background music than anything else.
Overall: 2/5
Favorites: Darkness Darkness, Sunlight
If I found someone who despises Sinatra then they'll have to go in the dumpster. Nice of him to make an easy listenable able but every song sounds the same.
Going Up - 4/5
Stars Are Stars - 4/5
Pride - 4/5
Monkeys - 4.5/5
Crocodiles - 4.5/5
Rescue - 4.5/5
Villiers Terrace - 4/5
Pictures on My Wall - 3.5/5
All That Jazz - 4/5
I had never heard of this band before, but it scratches that itch I needed from listen to Joy Division and the like. A perfect mix of punk and new wave that somehow isn't as nihilistic as other contemporary records.
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: Monkeys, Crocodiles, Rescue
Enter Sandman - 5/5
Sad But True - 5/5
Holier Than Thou - 3.5/5
The Unforgiven - 4/5
Wherever I May Roam - 4/5
Don't Tread on Me - 3/5
Through the Never - 4/5
Nothing Else Matters - 5/5
Of Wolf and Man - 4/5
The God That Failed - 3.5/5
My Friend of Misery - 4/5
The Struggle Within - 3.5/5
Normally I wouldn't think of an album that somehow sounds more mainstream while being a shift towards heavy metal would work out, but this album somehow does. A perfect gateway album into anything metal.
Overall - 4/5
Favorites: Enter Sandman, Sad But True, Nothing Else Matters
Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box - 4/5
Pyramid Song - 4/5
Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors - 2.5/5
You And Whose Army? - 4/5
I Might Be Wrong - 5/5
Knives Out - 4.5/5
Morning Bell/Amnesiac - 3.5/5
Dollars and Cents - 3.5/5
Hunting Bears - 3/5
Like Spinning Plates - 3.5/5
Life In a Glasshouse - 4/5
A very dark and melancholic album that feels like its the rejects leftover from Kid A, but in a good way. Thematically the album's more of a collage than having a cohesive throughline, but it still manages to make it work. Definitely not one of Radiohead's strongest albums but still a good album nonetheless
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: I Might Be Wrong, Knives Out
Rhythm Nation - 4.5/5
State of the World - 4/5
The Knowledge - 3.5/5
Miss You Much - 3.5/5
Love Will Never Do (Without You) - 4/5
Livin' in a World (They Didn't Make) - 3.5/5
Alright - 4/5
Escapade - 4/5
Black Cat - 4.5/5
Lonely - 3.5/5
Come Back to Me - 3/5
Someday is Tonight - 3/5
I went into this not really sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised with what I listened to. I guess new jack swing is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. It feels a bit overproduced at times and I feel like some songs could have been slightly trimmed down for time. I feel it could have been a 5 if the message wasn't dropped halfway through the album, but a really solid production saves it from any lower.
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: Rhythm Nation, Love Will Never Do, Alright, Escapade, Black Cat
Hazey Jane II - 4.5/5
At The Chime Of A City Clock - 4/5
One Of These Things First - 4/5
Hazey Jane I - 4/5
Bryter Layter - 3.5/5
Fly - 3.5/5
Poor Boy - 3.5/5
Northern Sky - 4/5
Sunday - 3.5/5
I had never heard of this guy before today, but I came out loving this album. The instrumentation is soft and smooth and the first side of the album captured me in.
Overall: 4.5/5
Favorites: Hazey Jane I & II, At The Chime Of A City Clock, One Of These Things First, Northern Sky
Slow Burn - 3/5
Lonely Weekend - 3/5
Butterflies - 3/5
Oh, What a World - 2.5/5
Mother - 2/5
Love is a Wild Thing - 2.5/5
Space Cowboy - 2.5/5
Happy & Sad - 2.5/5
Velvet Elvis - 2/5
Wonder Woman - 2.5/5
High Horse - 3.5/5
Golden Hour - 3.5/5
Rainbow - 2/5
This album isn't bad per se, it's just incredibly generic. Too pop-y of a pop country album. There were very few actual country tracks, and the ones that I liked steered clear of that genre. She's a good singer, but the lyrical composition and production just aren't there for me. Not my cup of tea
Overall: 2.5/5
Favorites: High Horse, Golden Hour
Cherry-Colored Funk - 5/5
Pitch the Baby - 5/5
Iceblink Luck - 5/5
Fifty-Fifty Clown - 4.5/5
Heaven or Las Vegas - 5/5
I Wear Your Ring - 4.5/5
Fotzepolitic - 5/5
Wolf in the Breast - 5/5
Road, River and Rail - 4.5/5
Frou-Frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires - 5/5
I don't think I've ever been entranced by an album. The ethereal vibe this whole thing gave off made me forget that I could not understand what the lyrics were. Didn't matter, still found out how to levitate because of this.
Overall: 5/5
Favorites: Cherry-Colored Funk, Pitch the Baby, Iceblink Luck, Heaven or Las Vegas, Frou-Frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires
The View from the Afternoon - 4/5
I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor - 5/5
Fake Tales of San Francisco - 4/5
Dancing Shoes - 4/5
You Probably Couldn't...- 4/5
Still Take You Home - 4/5
Riot Van - 3.5/5
Red Light..- 4/5
Mardy Bum - 3/5
Perhaps Vampires Is a Bit Strong But...- 4/5
When the Sun Goes Down - 4.5/5
From the Ritz to the Rubble - 4/5
A Certain Romance - 4.5/5
Yeah this definitely sounds like the adolescence of a British clubber. Sounds intentionally unpolished. Overall good debut album but everything does feel a bit same-y to its detriment and the slower songs don't really come up to snuff as the other indie-dance songs on the majority of the album.
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor, When the Sun Goes Down, A Certain Romance
21st Century Schizoid Man - 5/5
I Talk To the Wind - 4.5/5
Epitaph - 5/5
Moonchild - 4.5/5
The Court of the Crimson King - 5/5
What is must have been like in 1969 to turn this on and hear something completely radical to whatever was considered rock or pop at the time. Funnily enough I got into KC through their 80's trio of albums, so going back in time to see how they evolved is interesting. Easy 5/5.
Overall: 5/5
Favorites: Yes
Schizophrenia - 4.5/5
Catholic Block - 5/5
Beauty Lies in the Eye - 3/5
Stereo Sanity - 4/5
Pipeline/Kill Time - 3/5
Tuff Gnarl - 4/5
Pacific Coast Highway - 3/5
Hot Wire My Heart - 3.5/5
Cotton Crown - 4/5
White Cross - 4/5
An interesting blend of punk and post-punk and noise rock that comes together quite nicely. I wouldn't say I was a fan of noisy rock before this, the rawness of the whole thing made me appreciate it a bit more. It does sound a bit compressed at times but otherwise it is quite a fine album.
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: Schizophrenia, Catholic Block, Tuff Gnarl, Cotton Crown
All the Way from Memphis - 3.5/5
Whizz Kid - 3/5
Hymn for the Dudes - 2.5/5
Honaloochie Boogie - 3/5
Violence - 3/5
Drivin' Sister - 3/5
Ballad of Mott the Hoople - 2.5/5
I'm a Cadillac/El Camino Dolo Roso - 3.5/5
I Wish I Was Your Mother - 3/5
A fairly decent album that sounds a bit too much like a David Bowie knockoff. Granted I know he was responsible for their biggest hit in the album before but in retrospective it's kind of just "eh" overall. Nothing spectacular but nothing here to make it it awful.
Overall: 3/5
Favorites: All the Way from Memphis, I'm a Cadillac/El Camino Dolo Roso
Them Bones - 5/5
Dam That River - 5/5
Rain When I Die - 4/5
Sickman - 3.5/5
Rooster - 5/5
Junkhead - 4/5
Dirt - 4.5/5
God Smack - 4/5
Iron Gland [Untitled] - 3/5
Hate to Feel - 4/5
Angry Chair - 4.5/5
Down in a Hole - 5/5
Would? - 5/5
One of the defining albums from the grunge era, and one the grimiest at that (though not Alice in Chain's grimiest sounding album, that's their self-titled). A deep and dark look despair, depression, and addiction, which are tragically how Layne Staley died years later. Both the opener of Them Bones and the album ender of Would? both are in my regular rotation. A must listen for the grunge genre.
Overall: 5/5
Favorites: Them Bones, Dam That River, Rooster, Down in a Hole, Would?
Wouldn't It Be Nice - 5/5
You Still Believe in Me - 4/5
That's Not Me - 3.5/5
Don't Talk - 3.5/5
I'm Waiting for the Day - 4/5
Let's Go Away for Awhile - 4/5
Sloop John B - 4.5/5
God Only Knows - 5/5
I Know There's An Answer - 4.5/5
Here Today - 4/5
I Just Wasn't Made for These Times - 3.5/5
Pet Sounds - 4/5
Caroline, No - 3.5/5
A monumental album for pop music that still (mostly) holds up today. One of the first concept albums (though I didn't exactly get the concept until I looked it up), it blends the 50s pop sensabilities with more orchestral instrumentation to form something that people still look back upon all these years later. I would give it 5 stars, but some questionable production cues hold it back for me from being a masterpiece in my eyes.
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: Wouldn't It Be Nice, Sloop John B, God Only Knows, I Know There's An Answer
Facelift - 3/5
Slightly All the Time - 4/5
Moon in June - 2.5/5
Out-Bloody-Rageous - 4/5
It's decent enough jazz rock, but it's certainly a slog to get through. The ambient bit in the first track nearly turned me off, but I stuck around to the end and it was a decent listen. Not my preferred flavor of jazz fusion but good nonetheless.
Overall: 3.5/5
Favorites: Slightly All the Time
Rehab - 4.5/5
You Know I'm No Good - 4/5
Me & Mr. Jones - 4/5
Just Friends - 3/5
Back to Black - 4.5/5
Love is a Losing Game - 3/5
Tears Dry on Their Own - 4/5
Wake Up Alone - 3.5/5
Some Unholy War - 3/5
He Can Only Hold Her - 3.5/5
Addicted - 3.5/5
A tragic and melancholic piece hidden behind a devil-may-care and soulful attitude. Winehouse has a unique voice that sets this album apart from its contemporaries and will keep it being listenable in the future.
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: Rehab, Back to Black, Tears Dry on their Own
A Reflection - 3.5/5
Play for Today - 4.5/5
Secrets - 4/5
In Your House - 4/5
Three - 3/5
The Final Sound - 3/5
A Forest - 5/5
M - 4.5/5
At Night - 4/5
Seventeen Seconds - 4/5
Sets up a great gothic and moody atmosphere with the instrumentation and Robert Smith's excellent vocals. A fun and easy listen.
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: Play for Today, A Forest, M
Ace of Spades - 5/5
Stay Clean - 4/5
Metropolis - 3.5/5
The Hammer - 3.5/5
Iron Horse - 3.5/5
No Class - 4/5
Overkill - 3.5/5
(We Are) The Road Crew - 3.5/5
Capricorn - 3/5
Bomber - 3.5/5
Motorhead - 3.5/5
Motörhead is the definitive example of being really good at one thing and one thing only: making songs that sound like Ace of Spades.
Overall: 3.5/5
Favorites: Ace of Spades
Make Me Know It - 3.5/5
Fever - 2/5
The Girl of My Best Friend - 2/5
I Will Be Home Again - 2.5/5
Dirty, Dirty Feeling - 2.5/5
Thrill of Your Love - 2.5/5
Soldier Boy - 2.5/5
Such a Night - 3/5
It Feels So Right - 3/5
The Girl Next Door - 3/5
Like a Baby - 2.5/5
Reconsider Baby - 2.5/5
Elvis is back and they really should have reconsidered what came out on this album. He shifts away from the rock n' roll and has more blue-eyed soul type songs, but all of them unfortunately feel a lot like B sides more than anything.
Overall: 2/5
Favorites: Make Me Know It
In the Flesh? - 4.5/5
The Thin Ice - 4/5
Another Brick in the Wall Part 1 - 4.5/5
The Happiest Days of Our Lives - 4/5
Another Brick in the Wall Part 2 - 5/5
Mother - 4.5/5
Goodbye Blue Sky - 4.5/5
Empty Spaces - 4/5
Young Lust - 4.5/5
One of My Turns - 4/5
Don't Leave Me Now - 3.5/5
Another Brick in the Wall Part 3 - 4.5/5
Goodbye Cruel World - 3.5/5
Hey You - 5/5
Is There Anybody Out There? - 4.5/5
Nobody Home - 4.5/5
Vera - 4/5
Bring the Boys Back Home - 3/5
Comfortably Numb - 5/5
The Show Must Go On - 4/5
In the Flesh - 4.5/5
Run Like Hell - 5/5
Waiting for the Worms - 5/5
Stop - 3/5
The Trial - 4.5/5
Outside the Wall - 4/5
Probably one of, if not the, greatest rock opera concert albums there are. I really don't have many more words to describe it as it's just that good.
Overall: 5/5
Favorites: Too many to list
An incredibly dull and boring album that drones on for far too long. The songs feel like they would fit in better in a modern church environment but that might just be me. Unfortunately my first 1*
Summertime Blues - 3.5/5
Rock Me Baby - 2.5/5
Doctor Please - 2.5/5
Out of Focus - 2.5/5
Parchment Farm - 2.5/5
Second Time Around - 2/5
I guess by technicality this is one of the first "heavy metal" albums. It has some promise at the beginning but falls off quickly due to feeling like the remaining songs are finishers that just keep going. These guys were probably good live but put into a studio their sounds gets too muddied.
Overall: 2.5/5
Favorite(s): Summertime Blues
Thank You for Sending Me an Angel - 4/5
With Our Love - 3/5
The Good Thing - 3.5/5
Warning Sign - 4/5
The Girls Want to Be With the Girls - 4/5
Found a Job - 4.5/5
Artists Only - 4/5
I'm Not in Love - 4.5/5
Stay Hungry - 3.5/5
Take Me to the River - 4.5/5
The Big Country - 3.5/5
The first half nearly lost me but it rebounded once the sides turned over and it became a pretty good listen-through. Not my favorite bit of the Heads but that B-side is a killer.
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: Found a Job, I'm Not in Love, Take Me to the River
Cinnamon Girl - 4/5
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere - 4/5
Round & Round (It Won't Be Long) - 3/5
Down by the River - 5/5
The Losing End (When You’re On) - 3.5/5
Running Dry (Requiem for the Rockets) - 3/5
Cowgirl in the Sand - 4.5/5
As an introduction to Neil Young as a solo artist, this is a pretty good album for a first-time listener. It struggles a bit with the more slower songs but interestingly excels in the longer-form songs. Down by the River and Cowgirl in the Sand are the best examples of this and are probably the best two tracks to come off this album.
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: Cinnamon Girl, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, Down by the River
The Fear - 4/5
Dishes - 3/5
Party Hard - 3.5/5
Help the Aged - 3.5/5
This Is Hardcore - 4/5
TV Movie - 3/5
A Little Soul - 3/5
I'm a Man - 3.5/5
Seductive Barry - 3/5
Sylvia - 3/5
Glory Days - 3.5/5
The Day After the Revolution - 3/5
I knew this wouldn't get any higher than a three because of the singer saying he has the same initials as Jesus. My first foray into Britpop for this list was properly whelming.
Overall: 3/5
Favorites: The Fear, This is Hardcore
Sweet Baby James - 3.5/5
Lo and Behold - 2/5
Sunny Skies - 2/5
Steamroller - 1.5/5
Country Road - 3/5
Oh Susannah - 2.5/5
Fire and Rain - 3.5/5
Blossom - 3/5
Anywhere Like Heaven - 3/5
Oh Baby, Don't You Loose Your Lip on Me - 2.5/5
Suite for 20 G - 3/5
I can't rate an album highly if you compare boinking your significant other as if you were a steamroller. This could definitely placate anyone born before the 1960's. For me it's just perfectly cromulent.
Overall: 2.5/5
Favorites: Sweet Baby James, Fire and Rain
Young Man Blues - 3.5/5
Substitute - 3/5
Summertime Blues - 3/5
Shakin' All Over - 3/5
My Generation - 4/5
The Magic Bus - 4/5
I thankfully saved myself some time by just listening to the vinyl release tracks because these were a bunch of "eh" songs propped up by a great performance by the band themselves. Mid score because of that.
Overall: 3/5
Favorites: My Generation, The Magic Bus
Love Goes On - 4.5/5
Quiet Heart - 3.5/5
Love is a Sign - 2.5/5
You Can't Say No Forever - 2.5/5
The Devil's Eye - 2/5
Streets of Your Town - 3.5/5
Clouds - 3/5
Was There Anything I Could Do? - 4/5
I'm All Right - 3.5/5
Dive for Your Memory - 3/5
I was fearing another bad listen when I saw the combination of Australian jangle pop band, but I was pleasantly surprised that it was a fairly decent listen. Like listening to the Smiths without Morrissey but also somehow blander. It's not offensive or anything, just that I think that there could have been slightly more for me to bump it up another star but the slow songs after the opener nearly killed it for me.
Overall: 3/5
Favorites: Love Goes On, Was There Anything I Could Do?
Music - 3/5
Impresive Instant - 0/5
Runaway Lover - 2.5/5
I Deserve It - 1/5
Amazing - 2.5/5
Nobody's Perfect - 0/5
Don't Tell Me - 2.5/5
What It Feels Like for a Girl - 3.5/5
Paradise (Not for Me) - 1/5
Gone - 2/5
American Pie - 0/5
That was some bland and overproduced pop BS. I don't know how I listened to the whole thing, but there were some bright spots (Music is a guilty pleasure type of song, What It Feels... is an actually half-decent song). The autotuned and robotic voices really kill this thing. How was this critically acclaimed. All I'm realizing is that the early aughts were not a good time for music.
Overall: 1/5
Favorites: Music, What It Feels Like for a Girl
I Zimbra - 5/5
Mind - 4/5
Paper - 4/5
Cities - 4.5/5
Life During Wartime - 5/5
Memories Can't Wait - 4.5/5
Air - 4/5
Heaven - 4.5/5
Animals - 4/5
Electric Guitar - 3.5/5
Drugs - 4/5
I'd first like to thank the generator for somehow giving me a Talking Heads album in back-to-back weeks, with last week's being More Songs About Buildings and Food. I wasn't exactly sure what was missing from their second album, and then I started listening to this one and it hit me. Talking Heads works way better if they mixed influences from disco, funk, world music, and the like, and that shows on this album. The way they mixed these elements all comes together to form something experimental and "higher-brow" that just works, and will continue to evolve with the band. Two of my favorites (Life During Wartime and Heaven) I think were done way better in Stop Making Sense but that's more nitpicking than anything. I hope next week I get Remain in Light with this pace.
Overall: 5/5
Favorites: I Zimbra, Cities, Life During Wartime, Memories Can't Wait, Heaven
Call Me - 4/5
Green - 3.5/5
Hate My Way - 4/5
Vicky's Box - 4/5
Rabbits Dying - 4/5
America (She Can't Say No) - 3.5/5
Fear - 4/5
Stand Up - 4/5
Soul Soldier - 4/5
Delicate Cutters - 3.5/5
This might have been the hardest album to find so far, because 1) the album is not on any major streaming service except some scant YouTube playlists 2) the album cover on here is technically wrong (since it's from a compilation of their early albums that also includes this album in its entirety) and 3) they have another album also called "Throwing Muses" that's completely different. Luckily I found a YouTube video of the whole album (https://youtu.be/E1Xd2jY3zWQ?si=dxhSZ3oEdj5K2rFA) and it's a tight and easy listen. Maybe besides the constant bleating which may have turned some people off immediately I kept with it and thankfully I did. It's an interesting mix of eras between the 80's and 90's with a surprising additional of country to what at first appears to be an interesting post-punk/indie/whatever you want to call it album. Pretty decent listen despite the difficulty finding the whole album.
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: Call Me, Hate My Way, Vicky's Box, Rabbits Dying
Jackie - 3.5/5
Best of Both Worlds - 2.5/5
Black Sheep Day - 2.5/5
The Amorous Humphrey Plugg - 3/5
Next - 3/5
The Girls From the Streets - 2.5/5
Plastic Palace People - 3/5
Wait Until Dark - 2.5/5
The Girls and the Dogs - 2.5/5
Windows of the World - 2.5/5
The Bridge - 2.5/5
Come Next Spring - 2.5/5
An interesting crooner album that also blends theatrical elements that are the main reason that kept me listening. Crooners aren't really for me but there were several moments of the more vulgar lyrics that slapped me out of boredom and into reality.
Overall: 3/5
Favorites: Jackie
I've Got a Tiger By The Tail - 3/5
Trouble and Me - 2.5/5
Let the Sad Times Roll On - 2/5
Wham Bam - 2.5/5
If You Fall Out of Love With Me - 2.5/5
Fallin' For You - 3/5
We're Gonna Let the Good Times Roll - 2.5/5
The Band Keeps Playin' On - 2.5/5
Streets of Laredo - 3/5
Cryin' Time - 2/5
A Maiden's Prayer - 2.5/5
Memphis - 3/5
Pretty standard rockabilly country. Nothing really special but it's a decent album regardless. Production is very muddy at points where the vocals are drowned out by the music. Apparently this way a fairly influential album but I didn't really see it that way. Guess I'm not deep into the country scene or whatever.
Overall: 2/5
Favorites: I've Got a Tiger By The Tail, Streets of Laredo, Memphis
Solo Dancer - 4.5/5
Duete Solo Dancers - 5/5
Group Dancers - 4.5/5
Trio and Group Dancers/Single Solos and Group Dance/Group and Solo Dance - 5/5
Man that was some good jazz. Felt like things were hopping all over the place but somehow it also felt like everything was right where it was supposed to be. And that got me hooked. Well the flamenco guitar hooked me in but still.
Overall: 5/5
Favorites: Duete Solo Dancers, Trio and Group Dancers/Single Solos and Group Dance/Group and Solo Dance
Pretty Hurts - 3.5/5
Haunted - 3.5/5
Drunk in Love - 3/5
Blow - 3/5
No Angel - 3/5
Partition - 3.5/5
Jealous - 3/5
Rocket - 1.5/5
Mine - 2/5
XO - 4/5
***Flawless - 3/5
Superpower - 2.5/5
Heaven - 2.5/5
Blue - 3.5/5
Imagine having nearly 30 or more people work on an album and it comes out... only slightly above meh? R&B is not my specialty and I honestly prefer the singles than the albums for Beyonce. After listening I don't really understand the hype behind the music itself as I know she's a pretty good performer. Guess she's not for me then.
Overall: 3/5
Favorites: Pretty Hurts, Haunted, Partition, XO, Blue
TC and Honeybear - 4/5
Marz - 3/5
Where Dreams Go to Die - 3/5
Sigourney Weaver - 4/5
Chicken Bones - 2.5/5
Silver Platter Club - 2.5/5
It's Easier - 3/5
Outer Space - 3.5/5
Jesus Hates F****** - 3.5/5
Caramel - 3/5
Leopard & Lamb - 3/5
Queen of Denmark - 3/5
It's a pretty good listen until you gaze into the lyrics and realize they're more shallow than a dried up pool. I'm not degrading what he's writing but I think he needs to go back to English class and learn what metaphors are.
Overall: 3/5
Favorites: TC and Honeybear, Sigourney Weaver
Re-Hash - 4/5
5/4 - 4/5
Tomorrow Comes Today - 4/5
New Genius (Brother) - 3/5
Clint Eastwood - 5/5
Man Research (Clapper) - 3/5
Punk - 3/5
Sound Check (Gravity) - 3.5/5
Double Bass - 4/5
Rock the House - 4.5/5
19-2000 - 5/5
Latin Simone (¿Qué Pasa Contigo?) - 3.5/5
Starshine - 3/5
Slow Country - 3.5/5
M1 A1 - 3.5/5
There are parts in here where they absolutely smashed it out of the park. Clint Eastwood is iconic for a reason, and this album's inclusion on the list could be solely due to that. And there are also parts where I feel the creativity kind of peters out, especially towards the end. But ultimately it's a good first start for what was essentially a side project that ended up becoming Damon Albarn's main project.
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: Clint Eastwood, Rock the House, 19-2000
Sister Midnight - 4.5/5
Nightclubbing - 5/5
Funtime - 4.5/5
Baby - 3.5/5
China Girl - 5/5
Dum Dum Boys - 4.5/5
Tiny Girls - 3.5/5
Mass Production - 4/5
An dark, brooding, and raw post-punk album that has an immaculate sound design and engineering team? Thanks Bowie! You can hear his influence on the album, but Iggy Pop makes it his own with the more moody lyrics and more punk-forward energy.
Overall: 5/5
Favorites: Nightclubbing, China Girl
Devils Haircut - 4/5
Hotwax - 3/5
Lord Only Knows - 3.5/5
The New Pollution - 3.5/5
Derelict - 3/5
Novacane - 3/5
Jack-Ass - 3.5/5
Where It's At - 3.5/5
Minus - 3.5/5
Sissyneck - 3/5
Readymade - 2.5/5
High 5 (Rock the Catskills) - 2/5
Ramshackle - 4/5
There's a lot here to take in with how varied the production is, but I never feel like it hits in any of those areas. Feels a bit weird to have what feels like a polished-up demo reel as your fifth album but to each their own.
Overall: 3/5
Favorites: Devils Haircut, Ramshackle
To All the Girls - 3.5/5
Shake Your Rump - 4/5
Johnny Ryall - 4/5
Egg Man - 4/5
High Plains Drifter - 3.5/5
The Sounds of Science - 4/5
3-Minute Rule - 4/5
Hey Ladies - 4.5/5
5-Piece Chicken Dinner - 3.5/5
Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun - 4.5/5
Car Thief - 4/5
What Comes Around - 3.5/5
Shadrach - 4.5/5
Ask for Janice - 3.5/5
B-Boy Bouillabaisse - 5/5
It's a surprisingly fun time when a group of the whitest boys you know (no not the comedy group) casually drop rhymes that include NPB legend Sadaharu Oh. The sampling is also incredible, laying the groundwork for future albums to mix and match sounds like they have.
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: Hey Ladies, Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun, Shadrach, B-Boy Bouillabaisse
I Am Trying to Break Your Heart - 4/5
Kamera - 3.5/5
Radio Cure - 3.5/5
War on War - 3/5
Jesus, etc. - 3.5/5
Ashes of American Flags - 4/5
Heavy Metal Drummer - 4/5
I'm the Man Who Loves You - 3.5/5
Pot Kettle Black - 4.5/5
Poor Places - 3.5/5
Reservations - 3/5
It's a fairly simple sad guy album that has a a slight lack of polish that makes it more endearing. There were points like on Pot Kettle Black where I could feel like they were doing something great, and then there were times when it sunk back down into generic folk rock or Americana. This is more of a 3.5 but I'm willing to give it a 4 just because.
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, Ashes of American Flags, Pot Kettle Black
Big Iron - 4.5/5
Cool Water - 3.5/5
Billy the Kid - 3.5/5
A Hundred and Sixty Acres - 3.5/5
They're Hanging Me Tonight - 4/5
The Strawberry Roan - 4/5
El Paso - 4/5
In the Valley - 3/5
The Master's Call - 3/5
Running Gun - 3.5/5
Down in the Little Green Valley - 3.5/5
Utah Carol - 3.5/5
An excellent exhibit in how storytelling can elevate an album to be greater than it already is. I haven't particularly enjoyed the country albums so far, but this one is different in a good way.
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: Big Iron, They're Hanging Me Tonight, The Strawberry Roan
Gimme All Your Lovin - 4/5
Got Me Under Pressure - 4/5
Sharp Dressed Man - 4.5/5
I Need You Tonight - 3/5
I Got the Six - 3/5
Legs - 4/5
Thug - 3/5
TV Dinners - 3/5
Dirt Dog - 3/5
If I Could Only Flag Her Down - 3/5
Bad Girl - 3/5
This album is hard carried by the first 3 tracks and then the rest peter out to somehow all blend together into one blues rocky-poppy mush.
Favorites: Gimme All Your Lovin, Got Me Under Pressure, Sharp Dressed Man
Mysterons - 4.5/5
Sour Times - 5/5
Strangers - 4.5/5
It Could Be Sweet - 4/5
Wandering Star - 4.5/5
Numb - 4/5
Roads - 4/5
Pedestal - 4/5
Biscuit - 4/5
Glory Box - 4.5/5
I've never really been exposed to trip hop outside of that one Massive Attack song as the opener to House, but this is a complete package very ahead of its time. The whole structure loopy guitar riffs, mellow samples, and the singer's intimate voice make this the quintessential trip hop album (although Mezzanine should also be on this list as it is the other quintessential trip hop album).
Overall: 5/5
Favorites: Sour Times, Wandering Star, Glory Box
Introduction and Theme - 3.5/5
I'll Go Crazy - 4/5
Try Me - 3.5/5
Think - 4/5
I Don’t Mind - 4/5
Lost Someone - 4/5
Medley - 4/5
Night Train - 4/5
A funky, action-packed half hour that you can feel the sweat dripping off of James Brown's head. Him riling up the crowd definitely adds to the experience. He leans a bit more into the crooner side of his work, which I think is interesting since at this time he hadn't even come out with his most popular work yet. Great live performance.
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: Lost Someone, Medley
Motherless Children - 3/5
Give Me Strength - 2.5/5
Willie and the Hand Jive - 2.5/5
Get Ready - 2/5
I Shot the Sheriff - 3/5
I Can't Hold Out - 2.5/5
Please Be With Me - 2.5/5
Let it Grow - 2/5
Steady Rollin' Man - 3/5
Mainline Florida - 3/5
I'll echo what the top review of this album said in that this is probably a 3 but because Clapton is the way he is this is realistically a 2. He somehow managed to whitewash blues and make it boring. I knew he was a dick before listening to this, but now I just think he's overrated as a guitarist. IT was a easy listening but it's just music to have on in the background while you do other things, not worthy of one of the best albums of all time.
Overall: 2/5
Favorites: Motherless Children, I Shot the Sheriff, Steady Rollin' Man
No Action - 3.5/5
This Year's Girl - 3/5
The Beat - 4/5
Pump It Up - 4/5
Little Triggers - 3/5
You Belong to Me - 3.5/5
Hand in Hand - 3.5/5
(I Don't Want to Go To) Chelsea - 4/5
Lip Service - 3.5/5
Living in Paradise - 3/5
Lipstick Vogue - 3.5/5
Night Rally - 3.5/5
I understand the hate for Elvis Costello for having a whopping 6 (!) albums on the list. It seems this is one of his best, and I can understand why this one in particular made it. I can definitely hear the influences it made for other albums and was generally a good listen. The best song from this was "Radio, Radio" even though it wasn't included in the primary release. Realistically a 3.5* for me but I'll bump it up to a 4 just because this will probably be the last time I like EC.
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: The Beat, Pump It Up, (I Don't Want to Go To) Chelsea
She Has Funny Cars - 3/5
Somebody to Love - 4.5/5
My Best Friend - 2.5/5
Today - 3/5
Comin' Back to Me - 3/5
3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds - 3.5/5
D.C.B.A.-25 - 3/5
How Do You Feel - 3/5
Embryonic Journey - 3.5/5
White Rabbit - 4.5/5
Plastic Fantastic Lover - 3/5
It's a fairly middling album where the highs were way high above the rest. I understand its placement in the list as one of landmark psychedelic rock albums but it's just kind of meh to me outside of Somebody to Love and White Rabbit.
Overall: 3/5
Favorites: Somebody to Love, White Rabbit
I Might Have Been Queen (Soul Survivor) - 3.5/5
What's Love Got to Do With It - 4/5
Show Some Respect - 2.5/5
I Can't Stand the Rain - 2/5
Better Be Good to Me - 2/5
Let's Stay Together - 2.5/5
1984 - 2.5/5
Steel Claw - 2.5/5
Private Dancer - 2.5/5
Tina Turner has an incredible voice. Unfortunately, that's not the only instrument on this album, since the rest of the production feels stuck in the 80's and in a bad way. This probably could have been a bit more well-received when it came out, but 40 years later it's really dated.
Overall: 2/5
Favorites: What's Love Got to Do With It
Reuters - 4/5
Field Day for the Sundays - 3/5
Three Girl Rhumba - 3.5/5
Ex Lion Tamer - 4/5
Lowdown - 3.5/5
Start to Move - 3/5
Brazil - 3.5/5
It's So Obvious - 3/5
Surgeon's Girl - 3.5/5
Pink Flag - 4/5
The Commercial - 3.5/5
Straight Line - 3.5/5
106 Beats That - 3.5/5
Mr. Suit - 3.5/5
Strange - 4/5
Fragile - 3.5/5
Mannequin - 4/5
Different to Me - 3/5
Champs - 3.5/5
Feeling Called Love - 3/5
1 2 X U - 3/5
You can definitely hear the shift going on from punk to post-punk here. I can't understand anything the guy is saying but the instrumentals are driving. Definitely more of a 3.5/5 but I'm rounding down because punk really isn't my thing,
Overall: 3/5
Favorites: Reuters, Ex Lion Tamer, Mannequin, Strange
Never Let Me Down Again - 4.5/5
The Things You Said - 3.5/5
Strangelove - 4.5/5
Sacred - 3/5
Little 15 - 3/5
Behind the Wheel - 4/5
I Want You Now - 4/5
To Have and to Hold - 3.5/5
Nothing - 4.5/5
Pimpf - 3.5/5
The transitional period between the poppy synthpop of "I Just Can't Get Enough" to the more darker tones of what Violator would become. There were a couple of duds but was really solid throughout.
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: Never Let You Down Again, Strangelove, Nothing
Being Boring - 4.5/5
This Must Be the Place I Waited Years to Leave - 4/5
To Face the Truth - 3.5/5
How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously? - 3.5/5
Only the Wind - 3.5/5
My October Symphony - 3.5/5
So Hard - 4/5
Nervously - 3/5
The End of the World - 4/5
Jealousy - 3.5/5
A more chilled-out and mature version of the Pet Shop Boys that I really did not expect. I really only knew them through West End Girls, so hearing this version of them was pleasantly surprising.
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: Being Boring, This Must Be the Place I Waited Years to Leave, So Hard, The End of the World
The Changeling - 4/5
Love Her Madly - 4/5
Been Down So Long - 3.5/5
Cars Hiss by My Window - 3/5
L.A. Woman - 5/5
L'America - 3.5/5
Hyacinth House - 4/5
Crawling King Snake - 3.5/5
The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat) - 3.5/5
Riders on the Storm - 5/5
Some really good blues rock tunes mixed in within a couple of middling blues rock tunes. I would love to be there when this stuff came out but the middle tracks seem a bit derivative. The highs, however, are incredibly high and pretty much carry this album to its good score.
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: L.A. Woman, Riders on the Storm
Sittin' on Top of the World - 2.5/5
Let Love Rule - 3/5
Freedom Train - 2/5
My Precious Love - 2/5
I Built This Garden for Us - 2/5
Fear - 2.5/5
Does Anybody Out There Even Care - 2.5/5
Mr. Cab Driver - 2.5/5
Rosemary - 3/5
Be - 2.5/5
Lenny Kravitz in this version is just a diet version of Prince. I would like this album more if it wasn't so long. Does every song really need to be 5 minutes and be the same throughout? No. It doesn't. It's not an horrid listen, just a gating one where I wanted it to be over and then realized there's still 2 minutes left in the song.
Overall: 2/5
Favorites: Let Love Rule, Rosemary
Out in the Street - 3/5
I Don't Mind - 3/5
The Good's Gone - 3/5
La-La-La Lies - 3/5
Much Too Much - 3/5
My Generation - 4.5/5
The Kids Are Alright - 3/5
Please, Please, Please - 2.5/5
It's Not True - 3/5
I'm a Man - 2.5/5
A Legal Matter - 3/5
The Ox - 4/5
Is it right be just properly whelmed by "generational" album, so to say? Of course My Generation is a hit for a reason and The Ox is a killer instrumental track, but the rest of the songs are either filler or pretty meh covers of already known blues or soul songs.
Overall: 3/5
Favorites: My Generation, The Ox
Hotel California - 4/5
New Kid in Town - 2.5/5
Life in the Fast Lane - 3/5
Wasted Time - 2/5
Wasted Time (Reprise) - 2.5/5
Victim of Love - 2.5/5
Pretty Maids All in a Row - 2/5
Try and Love Again - 2.5/5
The Last Resort - 2/5
When I had watched The Big Lebowski for the first time, the joke where he tells the cab driver to turn off the Eagles and gets kicked out went right over my head because I had only known the Eagles from their song "Hotel California" and thought "surely they can't be that bad, right?"
Reader, they were in fact that bad. Hotel California raises this by a star alone but the rest of the songs were just so incredibly boring
Overall: 2/5
Favorite: Hotel California
Tears of Rage - 3.5/5
To Kingdom Come - 3.5/5
In a Station - 3.5/5
Caledonia Mission - 3.5/5
The Weight - 4.5/5
We Can Talk - 3.5/5
Long Black Veil - 3.5/5
Chest Fever - 4/5
Lonesome Suzie - 3/5
This Wheel's On Fire - 3.5/5
I Shall Be Released - 3/5
The backing band for Bob Dylan trying to break on their on made a fairly solid debut. For what was essentially recorded in the basement it certainly sounds a like they were in a studio. As for the music, it's all kind of the same-y folkish stuff that was popular around the time, but because The Weight was pretty good that bumps it up a star.
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: The Weight, Chest Fever
Sunday Bloody Sunday - 5/5
Seconds - 4/5
New Year's Day - 5/5
Like a Song… - 4/5
Drowning Man - 3.5/5
The Refugree - 3.5/5
Two Hearts Beat as One - 4/5
Red Light - 3.5/5
Surrender - 3.5/5
"40" - 3/5
Probably due to overexposure from my parents I thought of U2 as a kind of "eh" band that was maybe a tad bit overrated. I had no idea that they were actually a bit punk-ish with this album, which I guess is a given related to the subject matter. I guess I had written them off but this was actually a relatively solid album that was a bit more front-heavy than I would have liked.
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: Sunday Bloody Sunday, New Year's Eve, Like a Song...
Oh Shit - 4/5
4 Better or 4 Worse - 4/5
I'm That Type of * - 4.5/5
Soul Flower (Remix) - 4.5/5
On the DL - 4/5
Officer - 4/5
Ya Mama - 4/5
Passin' Me By - 4.5/5
Otha Fish - 3.5/5
Pack the Pipe - 4/5
Return of the B-Boy - 4.5/5
A real departure from what was commonplace at the time, The Pharcyde decides to turn up the fun dial and see how much banter they can get away with smooth jazzy beats on top of it. I think they overdo it a tad with the amount of innuendo, putting them just a tier down from the contemporaries in the jazz rap genre.
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: Soul Flower (Remix), Return of the B-Boy
You Are the Sunshine of My Life - 4.5/5
Maybe Your Baby - 3.5/5
You and I - 4/5
Tuesday Heartbreak - 4/5
You've Got It Bad Girl - 4/5
Superstition - 5/5
Big Brother - 4.5/5
Blame It on the Sun - 4.5/5
Lookin' for Another Pure Love - 4.5/5
I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever) - 4.5/5
I hadn't listened to Stevie Wonder outside of the occasional hits, but digging into this first album (which isn't even the best one he put out!) made me appreciate him all the more. Superstition is an all-timer for sure, but the whole B side essentially roped me in to giving this a 5. Looking forward to his other albums if this one is this good.
Overall: 5/5
Favorites: Superstition, Blame It on the Sun, Lookin' for Another Pure Love, I Believe
Southern Point - 4/5
Two Weeks - 4/5
All We Ask - 3.5/5
Fine for Now - 3.5/5
Cheerleader - 3/5
Dory - 3/5
Ready, Able - 4.5/5
About Face - 3/5
Hold Still - 3.5/5
While You Wait for the Others - 3/5
I Live With You - 3/5
Foreground - 3/5
Highs were really high but the rest of the album felt like it was trying to speak to the hipster part of myself that I want to leave behind. In other words, just kind of meh all-around besides a few points.
Overall: 3/5
Favorites: Southern Point, Two Weeks, Ready,Able
Sleep to Dream - 4.5/5
Sullen Girl - 3.5/5
Shadowboxer - 4/5
Criminal - 4.5/5
Slow Like Honey - 3/5
The First Taste - 4.5/5
Never Is a Promise - 3.5/5
The Child is Gone - 3/5
Pale September - 3/5
Carrion - 4/5
I came in expecting this to be another 3-ish star review after my first foray with Fiona Apple being Fetch the Bolt Cutters. I was surprised to hear that this was not at all like that album and in fact I think I like it better than her newest album on here. A wide range of emotions on display and feels a lot less neurotic. I can now see why people enjoy her as I was mostly on the fence with her.
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: Sleep to Dream, Criminal, The First Taste
Your New Cuckoo - 3.5/5
Been It - 3.5/5
Heartbreaker - 3/5
Happy Meal II - 3/5
Never Recover - 4/5
Step on Me - 3.5/5
Lovefool - 4.5/5
Losers - 3.5/5
Iron Man - 4/5
Great Divide - 3/5
Choke - 3.5/5
I'm probably too young since I think of these guys as just one-hit wonders with Lovefool. I was definitely surprised when the rest of the album was sort of the same vibe as Lovefool, including a really interesting cover of Black Sabbath's Iron Man (in a good way!). Probably more of a 3.5 to me but I'll round it up for the vibes.
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: Never Recover, Lovefool, Iron Man
Combination of the Two - 4/5
I Need a Man to Love - 4/5
Summertime - 3.5/5
Piece of My Heart - 4.5/5
Turtle Blues - 3.5/5
Oh, Sweet Mary - 3.5/5
Ball and Chain - 3.5/5
Man Janis Joplin has such a distinct voice. The faux-live production of the album helps bring the low fidelity and rawer aesthetic to life and really makes it stand out. Like with all blues rock to me it starts to sound the same after awhile but this doesn't overstay its welcome too long.
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: Piece of My Heart
Pure - 3/5
Jigsaw Feeling - 4/5
Overground - 3.5/5
Carcass - 3.5/5
Helter Skelter - 3.5/5
Mirage - 4/5
Metal Postcard (Mittageissen) - 3.5/5
Nicotine Stain - 4/5
Suburban Relapse - 4/5
Switch - 4/5
This is one of those albums where even though I don't vibe with it 100% of the time, I can totally see how this was an influence to the genre. Without this, post-punk wouldn't have been the way it was and likely not have gotten stuff like Joy Division/New Order, The Cure, or any of those bands influence by post-punk. It's normally a 3.5 for me but it gets rounded up due to its stature.
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: Jigsaw Feeling, Switch
My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue) - 5/5
Thrasher - 4.5/5
Ride My Llama - 4/5
Pocahontas - 4/5
Sail Away - 4/5
Powderfinger - 4.5/5
Welfare Mothers - 4/5
Sedan Delivery - 4/5
Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) - 5/5
Neil Young decided that he wanted his own version of the Electric Dylan and decided that he would influence grunge in the process. What that results in is a gradual build-up from the acoustic remembrance to the dingy want for all of that to burn away. After all, it is better to burn out than fade away.
Overall: 5/5
Favorites: My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue), Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)
Where Do the Children Play? - 3.5/5
Hard Headed Woman - 3.5/5
Wild World - 4.5/5
Sad Lisa - 3.5/5
Miles From Nowhere - 4/5
But I Might Die Tonight - 3.5/5
Longer Boats - 3.5/5
Into White - 3.5/5
On the Road to Find Out - 4/5
Father and Son - 5/5
Tea for the Tillerman - 3.5/5
Father and Son is the best way an artist can do a duet with themselves, they either have to play both parts or wait 40 years so they can do a duet with their younger self. An earnest and simplistic album where the artist manages to bring it all together to turn what some might see as corny into an earnest attempt of old charm.
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: Wild World, Father and Son
Get Ready for Love - 4/5
Cannibal's Hymn - 4/5
Hiding All Away - 3.5/5
Messiah Ward - 4/5
There She Goes, My Beautiful World - 4.5/5
Nature Boy - 4/5
Abattoir Blues - 4/5
Let the Bells Ring - 4/5
Fable of the Brown Ape - 3.5/5
The Lyre of Orpheus - 3.5/5
Breathless - 4/5
Babe, You Turn Me On - 4/5
Easy Money - 4/5
Supernaturally - 4/5
Spell - 3.5/5
Carry Me - 3.5/5
O Children - 4/5
I was loathing this because A) I had never listened to a Nick Cave album before so I had no idea what I was going into and B) this was a double album so I was worried it would be a slog. I was fortunate to find out that Nick Cave is actually pretty good and this wasn't that much of a slog, although some of the later tracks on the second side seemed to blend in more than others. Pretty good introduction to this artist then.
Overall: 4/5
Favorites: There She Goes, My Beautiful World
