118
Albums Rated
3.22
Average Rating
11%
Complete
971 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1990
Favorite Decade
Soul
Favorite Genre
US
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
9
5-Star Albums
6
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
Top Styles
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Low-Life
New Order
|
5 | 3.29 | +1.71 |
|
The Downward Spiral
Nine Inch Nails
|
5 | 3.34 | +1.66 |
|
xx
The xx
|
5 | 3.35 | +1.65 |
|
Superunknown
Soundgarden
|
5 | 3.65 | +1.35 |
|
Alien Lanes
Guided By Voices
|
4 | 2.75 | +1.25 |
|
Want Two
Rufus Wainwright
|
4 | 2.83 | +1.17 |
|
Kilimanjaro
The Teardrop Explodes
|
4 | 2.86 | +1.14 |
|
Brown Sugar
D'Angelo
|
4 | 2.94 | +1.06 |
|
A Night At The Opera
Queen
|
5 | 3.95 | +1.05 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Mott
Mott The Hoople
|
1 | 2.93 | -1.93 |
|
Happy Trails
Quicksilver Messenger Service
|
1 | 2.8 | -1.8 |
|
3 + 3
The Isley Brothers
|
2 | 3.59 | -1.59 |
|
Moon Safari
Air
|
2 | 3.57 | -1.57 |
|
Power In Numbers
Jurassic 5
|
2 | 3.47 | -1.47 |
|
Disraeli Gears
Cream
|
2 | 3.47 | -1.47 |
|
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
OutKast
|
2 | 3.46 | -1.46 |
|
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Bruce Springsteen
|
2 | 3.41 | -1.41 |
|
Pretzel Logic
Steely Dan
|
2 | 3.39 | -1.39 |
|
Rock Bottom
Robert Wyatt
|
1 | 2.39 | -1.39 |
5-Star Albums (9)
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Popular Reviews
Mercury Rev · 1 likes
3/5
I'm not familiar with Mercury Rev at all, so I don't have any idea of this album is typical of their music or not. I read that before Jonathan Donohue started writing the album, he was in a period where he was listening to some of his favorite childhood records, including one that was a collection spoken-word fairy tales set to classical music. You can definitely hear that influence on some of the songs - it's almost a whimsical feel with a little angst thrown in. I feel like this is an album I'd probably want to listen to a couple more times to get more familiar with it, but on first impression I enjoyed it.
Jurassic 5 · 1 likes
2/5
I've heard of Jurassic 5, but I'm not really familiar with any of their music. I didn't recognize any of the songs on this album as I listened to it. I'm probably not the best judge of a hip hop album as it's just not a genre I know very much about or listen to much. This album was fine, but there wasn't anything about any of the songs that stood out to me and made me think it was something special. It was fine to listen to, but I wouldn't listen again.
AC/DC · 1 likes
4/5
So good! Just an iconic album. Even if you aren't into heavy metal or AC/DC, everyone knows so many of the songs on this album, which makes it an instant classic in my book.
The Teardrop Explodes · 1 likes
4/5
Another new to me band and album. I actually think if the band had stayed together a few years longer (or I had been born a few years earlier), they would have been in my regular rotation, as their music is right in my wheelhouse. I love the post-punk English music. So many great albums and great bands. Loved this one and added several songs to my "favorites" on Spotify.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds · 1 likes
4/5
Definitely not an album to listen to if you are looking for something happy and a good pick me up. A whole album of songs about death and murder is for sure not for everyone. But it's a cohesive album for sure and a classic Nick Cave album.
1-Star Albums (6)
All Ratings
Radiohead
4/5
I'm actually surprised that I haven't listened to more Radiohead, as their music is right in my wheelhouse of stuff I tend to like. I guess I've sometimes felt that their music always seems the same to me. So, it was interesting listening to this album as a whole, as the songs were all very different. A bit mellow, but I enjoyed it!
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
An iconic album. So many classics on this album. And when you listen to it today, you realize how ahead of his time Jimi Hendrix really was. While I've heard all the songs many times previously, this may be the first time I've listened to the album from front to back in one sitting. Not as much of a fan of the two ballads. I think it's just that when I listen to Hendrix, I want to hear the driving rock with the big guitar solo Hendrix.
Nick Drake
3/5
This is a completely new to me album. I've never heard any of the songs and I'm really not familiar with Nick Drake. When reading about him and the album, he's referred to as a folk musician, and I would definitely not consider this music folk music. I found the songs to be beautiful. The strings and his voice add almost a haunting quality to a lot of the songs. Definitely something I would listen to as background music, but not as a primary listen.
Various Artists
3/5
Definitely some Christmas classics on this album that I love to hear every year. I've heard most of these songs many times, but didn't realize they were all on one album and the history of that album. Have to say that the "Silent Night" at the end with Spector doing the talk over about the album is a bit bizarre and self-serving.
The xx
5/5
I love this band and I'm honestly not sure why I don't listen to them more. Loved every single song on this album. So much influence - especially in the guitar - from Robert Smith and The Cure. Also influence from New Order/Joy Division. Love the vocals and the music. So glad this popped up and I listened to it from start to finish.
Steely Dan
2/5
Steely Dan is one of those bands that I appreciate for their talent, but it's just not my kind of music. I think the songs on this album are clearly very good from an instrumentation perspective, but they just don't seem to flow. Not an album I'd seek out to listen to again, and not one I'd put on my top album list.
Kraftwerk
4/5
The songs on this album definitely get across the sound the band was trying to create - robotic, machine-like, mechanical vibe. I think the album has good flow and it's clearly meant to be listened to as an album and not individual songs, which I like.
Elton John
3/5
Not one of his more popular albums. A little more "rock" than I'm used to with an Elton John album. I feel like other albums of his are much better.
Jethro Tull
4/5
Classic album. Almost feels like a rock opera rather than just an album. Jethro Tull isn't necessarily one of my favorite bands that I would regularly listen to, but this album is a classic and definitely deserves to be on the list.
The Offspring
3/5
This is definitely an iconic album for this genre and time period. I obviously knew all the songs that were hits, but the other songs were new to me. I enjoyed listening to it.
Air
2/5
Honestly, I just don't really get this one. It's good background music, but I wouldn't sit and intentionally listen to this album or feel like it's worth being on the list.
Guided By Voices
4/5
Super quirky, but I liked it. All of the songs are super short and the styles are all over the place. Some songs almost gave me a Beatles feel to them, while others had an early punk feel. I enjoyed this one!
The Incredible String Band
1/5
This is just not my thing. Just not my style of music at all. I didn't enjoy it.
Soundgarden
5/5
I listened to this album many times when it first came out, but it's been awhile. Of course, I hear the songs that were big hits still from time to time. But listening to the album front to back again today reminded me of how good it is. It really shows off the diversity of Soundgarden, and that they could do things outside of their "typical" sound and still be so good. Definitely one of my top albums from that time period and still stands up today.
Elliott Smith
2/5
Elliott Smith and this album are new to me. I love the fact that the music on this album is pretty diverse. It's not the standard "singer/songwriter" stuff. I found myself tapping my toes while I was listening to a lot of it. I liked the album. Did I hear a song on it that I thought was amazing? No. Is it a memorable album for me? No. But I enjoyed listening to it. Just sort of average for me.
Tom Waits
3/5
Interesting album in that it's a "studio" album that was recorded with a live audience over the course of two nights. It definitely makes you feel like you are just listening to a live band playing in a little jazz club. Definitely great as background music for me, but it was quite long and seemed a bit repetitive.
The Teardrop Explodes
4/5
Another new to me band and album. I actually think if the band had stayed together a few years longer (or I had been born a few years earlier), they would have been in my regular rotation, as their music is right in my wheelhouse. I love the post-punk English music. So many great albums and great bands. Loved this one and added several songs to my "favorites" on Spotify.
AC/DC
4/5
So good! Just an iconic album. Even if you aren't into heavy metal or AC/DC, everyone knows so many of the songs on this album, which makes it an instant classic in my book.
The Adverts
3/5
I love a good punk album and this is a great punk album. Just classic British punk from the 70s. It's punk, but all the songs don't sound the same like they can on some punk albums. Loved it!
Eric Clapton
2/5
Very bluesy, which I like. Interesting, because the album is mostly covers and not originals. Classic Clapton album.
Patti Smith
3/5
Patti Smith is just one of those artists I've never really "got" for some reason. I know how much of a legend and trailblazer she is, so definitely appreciate that. And I feel like as a fan of punk and a lot of that genre of music, I should have liked her. But I just could never get into her. It was good to listen to this album and give her another shot, but it just isn't my thing.
The Allman Brothers Band
3/5
I'm not normally a "jam band" fan. I think this is a great album to have on as background music, but it would be hard for me to just sit and listen to it with nothing else going on. Clearly a classic and this is definitely a great album for what it is, but just not my thing.
White Denim
3/5
I'd never heard of White Denim before or this album. Definitely a jam band feel with shorter songs. Their sound reminds me a bit of Widespread Panic or Goose. Definitely more musically driven than lyrically. I liked it and would listen again.
The Beach Boys
3/5
Interesting how they put the album together with side 1 being all more up-tempo songs and side 2 being all ballads. Definitely more mature both musically and lyrically than their earlier stuff. I enjoyed listening to it.
Beatles
4/5
I did a lot of research on the origination of the songs for this album and the recording. It basically happened at the beginning of the end for the Beatles. Yoko Ono was now fully on the scene, which caused issues between John Lennon and the rest of the band. Ringo Starr left the band completely for a few weeks. Most of the songs were written while the band was attending a Transcendental Meditation course in India. It's amazing to me that this album came out of all that chaos. Having said that, a good chunk of the album is made up of songs that clearly belong to one band member or the other. Rare on the album are songs where the band is one cohesive unit. Some of the songs are just bizarre and really not that good. But the number of absolute classics and iconic songs that were not only classics for the Beatles, but songs that have been covered over and over again, is a tribute to how talented they were not only as a band, but as individuals.
D'Angelo
4/5
Such a good album. I'm a huge fan of Prince and this has such a Prince vibe to it. Listened to it on a rainy and chilly Sunday morning and it was perfect.
The Isley Brothers
2/5
Kind of unsure, actually, why this one made the list. I think the Isley Brothers are great and definitely have their place in music history. But the album has almost as many covers as originals. And while I like that they always put their own spin on covers, it just doesn't seem like this is an album that should be considered on a greatest albums list. It was fine, but nothing spectacular for me.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
Definitely not an album to listen to if you are looking for something happy and a good pick me up. A whole album of songs about death and murder is for sure not for everyone. But it's a cohesive album for sure and a classic Nick Cave album.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
1/5
Just really not my thing. I'd never heard of this band, so wasn't familiar at all with their music until I looked up the info. I have to admit that I went in a bit biased, as any time I see an album where the whole first side is just one song, I know it's probably going to be tough for me to listen to. Sounds to me like so many other jam bands. I don't hear anything extraordinary with this album.
Steely Dan
4/5
This album to me is the ultimate yacht rock album. It has everything you want in yacht rock - smooth beats, polished sound, interesting composition, etc. I read that they used almost 40 session musicians on this album and you can definitely tell - the instrumentation is fantastic and the album sounds so polished and professional. Not an album that is going to necessarily take you anywhere emotionally, but extremely well put together.
Rush
4/5
Definitely a classic Rush album. You get side 1, which is basically a mini rock opera with a science fiction theme. And then side 2 is more "typical" Rush with a group of short songs that show off their ability to rock. If you love Rush, this is one of their classics for sure.
Raekwon
3/5
I am admittedly not a fan of rap music. I can appreciate it, but it's just not my thing. This is not an album I would ever seek out and listen to. Having said that, I can totally appreciate this album for what it is. It's truly more like listening to the audio of a movie than listening to an album. Truly genius in how it's put together. Definitely a classic and influential rap/hip hop album.
Talking Heads
4/5
Love Talking Heads! I think they have always been one of the most musically creative bands out there. I love that you can't really fit them in one genre, and this album is a perfect example of what they do. Some eclectic songs. Some fun songs that you just want to tap your toes to. Some slower songs. Just a great blend and album.
Nirvana
5/5
I've listened to this album many, many times, but it's been awhile and it was nice to listen to it again. It's one of those albums that you can play all the way through from front to back and not skip any songs. At the time it came out, it was so much different than anything else that was out at that time. It's truly an album that defined a musical genre.
Mercury Rev
3/5
I'm not familiar with Mercury Rev at all, so I don't have any idea of this album is typical of their music or not. I read that before Jonathan Donohue started writing the album, he was in a period where he was listening to some of his favorite childhood records, including one that was a collection spoken-word fairy tales set to classical music. You can definitely hear that influence on some of the songs - it's almost a whimsical feel with a little angst thrown in. I feel like this is an album I'd probably want to listen to a couple more times to get more familiar with it, but on first impression I enjoyed it.
Sugar
2/5
I've heard of Sugar, but I'm not super familiar with any of their songs, so listening to this album was all new to me. Interesting that I just had Nirvana's "Nevermind" album the other day and according to what I read, that album was a big inspiration for the album and the band in general. I liked the album. Nothing super memorable for me, so not sure it belongs on a list of greatest albums from my personal perspective, but a solid album.
Franz Ferdinand
4/5
Everybody knows "Take Me Out", which seemed to be played non-stop the year the single came out. I had heard a couple of the other songs on the album, but wasn't familiar with most of it. I think this is a really fun album and really well done. There wasn't really a song that I didn't like or that I didn't think fit the album. Franz Ferdinand is definitely in my wheelhouse of music I tend to like and I thought this was a very solid album as a whole.
The Police
4/5
This is the first album I've had on the list where I actually own the album in my vinyl collection. I bought the album when it first came out, so clearly I have a love of this album. I've been a huge fan of the Police for a long time and have listened to all of their stuff - including this album - extensively. This album was really a shift for the Police from their more reggae, fun style to a more serious and synthesizer heavy sound. It also catapulted them to being one of the biggest bands in the world at the time. Ironically, it was the beginning of the end, and Sting was already moving towards a solo career. You can definitely hear the musical direction shift from the early sound of the Police to the sound that Sting as a solo artist would have. One of my favorite albums and glad I got to listen to it again this morning!
Gorillaz
3/5
I've gotten lucky with the albums this week. A lot of bands/artists that I love, including Gorillaz. Their stuff is always so unique and "Clint Eastwood" is one of my favorite songs. The album is a bit long, but full of so many different styles of music. It was a good Saturday morning listen!
OutKast
2/5
So this is really two separate albums - one by Big Boi and one by Andre 3000 - that was released as one double album by the two together as Outkast. Two totally separate albums with different sounds. Speakerboxxx by Big Boi is more rap based, while The Love Below by Andre 3000 is more hip hop and lyrical. Everyone knows "Hey Ya!" which is really the only song I knew. The album was very, very long. I'm glad I got it on a Sunday morning and I had other things to do on my laptop so I could just play it in the background. I actually preferred the Speakerboxx album, which surprised me as I'm not typically a big fan of rap.
The Clash
4/5
This is definitely one of those albums that always comes up in conversation as being a classic and one of the greatest albums out there. The album was a shift from early punk Clash to music that had more of a reggae/ska vibe to it. Some iconic songs on this album that everyone knows. I do have to say that I've gotten a few of these double albums now and if you aren't a huge fan of the artist, they are just really long and the songs start to all blend together. But this is a classic for sure!
Donovan
2/5
I think everyone has heard the song "Sunshine Superman" (even if you didn't realize that's what it was). That song is what I think of when I think of Donovan's sound, and I was expecting the rest of the album to sound similar to that song. Actually, none of the other songs sounded at all like that song. They were all quite slow and I found the whole album to be a bit boring. Wasn't really my thing.
Erykah Badu
3/5
wasn't familiar at all with this album, so this was my first time listening. Badu has such a soulful voice and the album just has this chill vibe to it. I can definitely see having this play as background music when you just want to have a laid back vibe going. Badu is so talented and this is definitely a great album.
Meat Puppets
2/5
This album is definitely different. The songs to me were sort of all over the place. It had a jam band vibe, but the songs were all super short. The only song I recognized was "Lake of Fire", and that's only because Nirvana covered it during their Unplugged session on MTV. Very odd and eclectic. Not really my thing.
Pretenders
4/5
The Pretenders are one of those bands that I don't listen to a lot, but when I do hear one of their songs, it reminds me how much I enjoy them. So, it was nice to listen to this album this morning and revisit some songs I knew and hear some songs I wasn't familiar with for the first time. The thing I will say about this album, generally, is it seemed a bit inconsistent to me at times. There are some great songs on the album and then suddenly there is a dud of a song. But overall, it's a great album.
New Order
5/5
Caveat to this one is that New Order is one of my favorite bands and this is probably my favorite album by them. I've listened to in many, many times. It's the album where they transitioned from being a mostly post punk band to more of a dance rock band. The sound on this album is the sound that made me start to love New Order. I think all of the songs on it are amazing and it made me happy to spend an hour on my Saturday morning listening to it!
Orange Juice
2/5
I hadn't heard of Orange Juice, but when I looked up the info on the album, I thought I might like it because of the genre and when it was released. After listening to the title track, it did sound a bit familiar to me, so I've probably heard it at some point. I also had high hopes for the album after listening to the title track, but it went downhill from there. From what I read, the band was a one hit wonder, and even that hit wasn't very big and only really in the UK. Honestly, not surprising. There was some potential on a few of the songs, but the whole thing just fell flat for me. Not sure how this made the list, but I wouldn't have included it. Just not a memorable album.
Amy Winehouse
4/5
When you listen to this album, it makes you remember how much of a trailblazer Amy Winehouse was for female artists. She totally broke the mold about what a female pop artist should sound like and the type of music they should make. I always felt like Amy Winehouse was one of those people you would describe as an "old soul", and this album perfectly depicts that. She did her own thing and she did it beautifully!
Nine Inch Nails
5/5
've listened to this album many, many times. We have it on CD and up until we got rid of our last car that had a CD player in it a year or so ago, it was on regular rotation in the car. Trent Reznor is such a musical genius and this album is a great example of that. The songs are just raw and a look into everything he had going on in his life at the time. If I was picking a personal list of my top albums, this would definitely be on it, so totally worthy that it made this list in my opinion.
Jane's Addiction
4/5
This is another album that I've listened to many, many times. It's one of those albums that when I listen to the album, it immediately takes me back to a particular time in life. In this case, I was getting ready to enter my second year of college when this came out and I had this cassette tape playing in the tape deck of my car over and over again for months. While the first side of the album (tracks 1 through 5) are the ones people are probably more familiar with, I think the second side of the album (tracks 6 through 9) is actually the better side. It's much more melodic and the music is more complex. That side of the album is in memory of Perry Farrell's girlfriend, Xiola Blue, who died from a heroin overdose at the age of 18. And the song "Then She Did" is about Farrell's mother dying by suicide when he was just 4 years old. If the songs on the second side don't punch you in the gut, I don't know what will.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
So, this album is definitely way different than any of the others I've had so far. And it's a big difference from the albums I've had the last couple of days (Jane's Addiction, NIN, New Order, etc.). I knew "The Girl From Ipanema" and a couple of the other standards that they included on the album sounded familiar to me. Otherwise, if I've heard any of these songs before, I had long forgotten them. I remember my grandparents have one of those old-fashioned huge hi-fi units that was like a piece of furniture, and I remember them playing music by a lot of the old greats like Sinatra, so it's possible I've heard this album before, but was too young to realize it. Definitely not my normal thing (my Spotify algorithms are probably so confused now), but no one can argue with Sinatra's voice and the smoothness he brought to every song he touched.
Deep Purple
4/5
I think most everyone is familiar with "Smoke On The Water", as it's probably one of the iconic rock songs of all time. Outside of that, one other song was familiar to me, but the rest of the album was not. This album is exactly what you want in a rock album - classic guitar riffs, lots of guitar solos, and pounding drums throughout. The lyrics aren't deep and aren't going to blow you away, but the music itself is what makes this album a classic. Definitely worthy of the list!
X-Ray Spex
2/5
This is a new to me band and album. I love a good punk album, and this one is pretty solid. I like that they used some different sounds, including the saxophone. But, the lead singer's - Poly Styrene - voice could definitely be a little grinding at times. On a couple of the songs, it was just too much for me. Solid album, but not one I'd add to my regular listening rotation.
Tito Puente
3/5
Tito Puente is a legend in Latin dance music and this album is full of classic mambo songs. It definitely is a good representation of this style of music. Even though I'm not super familiar with the style, it always gets me tapping my toe and makes me feel like getting up and dancing!
Stevie Wonder
4/5
This is a classic Stevie Wonder album. Lots of classics on this one that I've heard before, but I've never listened to the whole album in its entirety. It's really a well put together and well rounded album with everything from ballads to funky songs that you want to dance to. Even more impressive is the fact that the album is pretty much a Stevie Wonder solo production - not only does he play most all of the instruments on the album, but he wrote all the songs and produced all the tracks.
Lenny Kravitz
2/5
I love Lenny Kravitz, but this is not one of my favorite albums by him. I can definitely hear in it the sound that he eventually would evolve into, but most of the songs feel a bit slow to me and not as hard hitting as some of the Lenny stuff I love. This album was not his most successful album commercially either, so interesting that it's on the list. I have to give him credit in that this is another of those "one man show" albums, where outside of the lyrics on two of the songs (which were written/co-written by his then wife, Lisa Bonet), Kravitz wrote all of the songs, played all of the instruments and produced the album. Pretty impressive for a debut album!
The Associates
1/5
I had high hopes for this album. While I'm not familiar with anything from the Associates, I definitely knew of them because of their associations with The Cure (which many of you know is my favorite band). Michael Dempsey was the original bassist for The Cure and joined the Associates after leaving the band. And, Robert Smith was friends with Billy Mackenzie, who was the lead singer of the Associates. In fact, The Cure's song "Cut Here" is about the regret Robert Smith always had when he blew off Mackenzie backstage at a Cure concert just a few weeks before Mackenzie died by suicide. Having said all that, I just didn't care for this album at all. A lot of the songs just sounded like noise to me. I'm not a fan of Mackenzie's voice. Honestly, just not sure how this one ended up on the list. In fact, there were some bonus tracks from the re-release of the album that were listed on the Spotify track list and I didn't listen to them. Normally I would, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.
Goldie
3/5
Electronic dance music is admittedly not my thing. This album is really, really long and it just sounds very repetitive to me. I had a lot of busy work at my desk today, so it was fine to just play it in the background while I was doing other things, but I wouldn't seek this one out to listen to again. Not bad in any way, but just not something I would listen to.
Big Star
4/5
When this one popped up this morning, I actually didn't have any idea what it was. After I started playing it, I realized that I knew a couple of the songs, just wouldn't have put the name of the band together with those songs. The descriptions I read about it described the music as power pop. I would call it a mix of yacht rock and southern rock. Really solid album and the sound was way before it's time in 1972. I surprisingly enjoyed this one!
Queen
5/5
I don't know that I've ever sat and listened to this album in its entirety before, but it has so many good songs on it that I absolutely love. I've seen the Adam Lambert version of Queen a couple of times, and Queen is one of those bands that I regret that I never saw live with Freddie. It's always interesting to read about the albums too, and it's amazing to me that despite their commercial success at that point in their career, the band was pretty much broke at the time they made this album due to a bad contract they had signed. The band was only making about 60 pounds a week from Trident Studios. Everything else was going to the label and their management. This was also the most expensive album ever recorded at the time of its release. Total classic that shows off the talent of everyone in the band and the diversity in their music!
Van Halen
4/5
Feel free to give me grief, but my personal preference is that I like the Sammy version of Van Halen better than the David Lee Roth version. I'm just not a huge fan of Dave's voice, although I do appreciate him for being a great front man. Having said that, this album is one of the best Van Halen albums in my opinion. And to think it's their debut album makes it even more impressive. Lots of absolute classic songs and iconic guitar work. Definitely belongs in any top album list!
Joe Ely
3/5
I think this is the first country music album that has come up from me since starting this. Country is one genre of music that I've never been a huge fan of (although I have started appreciating it a bit more lately) and I'm just not really familiar with most of it. I don't think I had heard anything by Joe Ely before and didn't know much about him. After listening, the older country music is still not my thing, but I can appreciate this for just a good, solid honky tonk album. Don't think I would listen again, but I didn't mind listening to it.
Kid Rock
2/5
Ugh! This is a tough one. Having grown up just south of the Detroit area, Kid Rock was huge around us. We listened to this album a lot. It was actually strange to listen to it again because all of the songs and a lot of the lyrics immediately came back. It's honestly hard to set aside what Kid Rock is today versus this album. And to reconcile what he claims to be about today versus what he was when this album came out (and the lyrics in this album). Having said all that, if I evaluate the album on its own, it was a good album for what it was and it definitely sort established a new style of rap.
Love
3/5
This was another new to me band and album. The music seems to be a mix of folk and psychedelic rock, with even a little mariachi thrown into a couple of the songs. When reading about it, I was surprised to find out that it's considered by many to be one of the greatest albums of not only the 1960s, but of all time. I wasn't surprised because it was bad. I was surprised because I had never heard of it or any of the songs on it. But, it's really not anything my parents would have listened to and it came out before I was born, so I guess I was never exposed to it. Personally, it's not my type of music. I thought the album was very polished and well put together, but it was actually a bit boring to me personally.
DJ Shadow
4/5
This album is a perfect example of why I'm doing this and making myself listen to albums I normally wouldn't listen to. When this came up, I had never heard of it and didn't think I'd ever heard of any of the songs. And with a description that said it was an "instrumental hip hop work composed almost entirely of samples from vinyl records", I went in thinking it was going to be good background music for me at work this afternoon, but I wasn't going to like it. Then the second song came on. I listened to "Building Steam With a Grain of Salt" hundreds of times. It was a constant staple on my iPod and my car stereo. I can't figure out how I came across it, but I love this song and probably haven't heard it in 30 years. Needless to say, this album will now be back in my regular playlist. It's an absolutely genius album!
Kraftwerk
4/5
This is the second Kraftwerk album I've gotten during this. I've always listened to Kraftwerk from time to time, but they aren't on my regular playlist. After listening to this album, I think it's probably some of my favorite music from them. It's definitely more melodic than some of their other albums and had kind of a soothing beat to it for background music. Utilizing the sound of a train in the title track was really cool. As always, just a solid album again from Kraftwerk.
Dire Straits
3/5
This album and the video for "Money For Nothing" came out at the peak of my MTV viewing years, so I heard the song non-stop on MTV when it came out. My husband is also a big Mark Knopfler fan and we've seen him live, so I've heard a lot of his stuff. The first three songs on this album are classics that everyone knows. After that, I felt that the album dropped off a bit. It slowed way down and got a little boring to me. Solid album and I'll listen to those first three songs every time, but not sure I would listen to the rest of the album again.
Jurassic 5
2/5
I've heard of Jurassic 5, but I'm not really familiar with any of their music. I didn't recognize any of the songs on this album as I listened to it. I'm probably not the best judge of a hip hop album as it's just not a genre I know very much about or listen to much. This album was fine, but there wasn't anything about any of the songs that stood out to me and made me think it was something special. It was fine to listen to, but I wouldn't listen again.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
By the time Cohen began recording this album, his mobility issues forced him to record his portions in his living room with the help from his son, Adam, and then send his recordings by e-mail to his musical collaborators. The album is really all about the lyrics, which is what Cohen was most famous for. The music itself is simple and really takes a back seat to the lyrics. It's definitely not a happy album - it's Cohen at the end of his life talking about death and religion, with a little bit of his dry humor tossed in. Definitely a classic coming from a legend.
Goldfrapp
3/5
Goldfrapp is new to me and so is this album. When I read they were an electronic music duo, I was expecting typical electronic music. But this album was very mellow and had more of an acoustic feel to it. Evidently, Goldfrapp had performed an acoustic radio session and got inspired to change things up on this album. I really enjoyed it and would definitely listen to it again.
Turbonegro
2/5
So, when this popped up this morning, it was definitely a band and album I'd never heard of. I have to say that when I looked it up and realized it was a Norwegian punk/hard rock band that had a questionable band name (the alternative name they considered was worse), a questionable album cover (which is why I'm posting the back of the album cover - you can look up the front on your own if you choose) and names of songs that might get me thrown in FB jail... I have to say I wasn't looking forward to my daily listen. I'll start by saying this music is just not for me. I felt like I should be listening to it in a mosh pit with a bunch of people that I don't want to be around. But, I always try and stay as objective as possible when listening to something new. It's musically solid and good for what it is and the listening audience it's intended for, just not for me.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Fugazi
3/5
Another new to me band and album. They are a post-punk band and this album came out leading into the grunge era, which I can definitely hear in some of the music, so I can see how the album probably influenced some of those early grunge bands. The album was a bit hit or miss for me. I liked it, but don't think I would seek it out to listen to it again.
The Damned
3/5
The Stone Roses
3/5
I know of The Stone Roses, although I'm not super familiar with their stuff. This one was a bit up and down for me. The first couple of songs I really liked, and then it started to sound a bit repetitive to me in the middle. It did pick back up at the end. The songs on this album are pretty diverse. I got everything from a very alternative rock sound, to a dance beat, to a 60s/70s psychedelic sound, to a jam band sound. For me, by far the stand out of all of the songs on this album is the guitar by lead guitarist, John Squire. I added a couple of songs to my playlist, but not sure I'd listen to the album as a whole again.
Elis Regina
2/5
I'm not familiar with Elis Regina at all and wasn't familiar with her music, but after reading about her, she was clearly an important musical figure in Brazil particularly. So, it totally makes sense that a compilation album of hers would be included on the list. I found the music to be a bit mellow. She has a beautiful voice and I found the music easy to listen to.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
This is my second Leonard Cohen album over the last few weeks. Cohen's songs are always all about the lyrics and not so much about the music in my mind. This one is pretty dark and depressing. The music is pretty morose. Kind of appropriate of a rainy Sunday morning.
AC/DC
3/5
I was happy to get an album that I was at least somewhat familiar with today. I've had quite a few the last week or so that I didn't know at all. As everyone, I'm very familiar with the title track on this album, but I didn't really know a lot of the other songs. Very much what I know to be the "AC/DC sound". Classic album from a classic band.
PJ Harvey
4/5
Definitely back on track for me with this album! Alt rock is one of my favorite genres of music and PJ Harvey and this particular album are one of the groundbreakers in alternative music. Harvey really didn't break out into the mainstream until a couple of years later when "Down By the Water" was on the radio and MTV non-stop, but I actually prefer this earlier album to that. It's much more raw and I think it shows off Harvey's voice more. I've listened to this album before, but it's been awhile. It was nice to revisit it and I added some of the songs to my regular playlist so I can hear them more often.
Milton Nascimento
2/5
This is the third or fourth album from Brazilian artists that I've had over the last couple of weeks. It's really hard for me to rate these or have any thoughts about how good they are. I'm not familiar with the music at all and because I don't understand the lyrics, it's hard to judge anything. I can say that the music on this album was not what I would consider to be typical Brazilian music. It definitely had a jazzy and pop feel to it.
Jorge Ben Jor
3/5
So, two days in a row with an album by a Brazilian artist from the 1970s. I did like this one more than the others I've listened to. The music was much more upbeat with a funkier beat. It also sounded more modern to me with Ben using an electric guitar and the use of horns throughout. Still ready to move on to a different time period and genre, so fingers crossed that the next album the generator gives me is something different.
The Clash
4/5
Glad to have an album of a different genre pop up today, although this is the second album I've had from The Clash since starting this. The Clash is definitely one of the classic punk bands and there are some classic songs on this album. I find this album a bit more repetitive than some of their other albums, but it was still fun to listen to it on a Friday morning!
Mott The Hoople
1/5
I've never heard of Mott the Hoople or any of the songs on this album. It's glam rock for sure. Honestly, this is one of those that has me scratching my head wondering how it ended up on this list. Doesn't seem like it had a ton of commercial or critical success. It doesn't mean it wasn't groundbreaking in some way just because I've never heard of it, but I didn't see anything that indicated it was groundbreaking when I read about the album. And I just didn't think it was very good.
Van Morrison
4/5
While I don't think I've ever sat and listened to this album straight through, I've heard several of the songs on this album many times. This album is definitely a classic. So many good songs on it. Songs that are classics and still get played to this day. Van Morrison is an amazing songwriter and vocalist. Definitely worthy of being on the list and an album that I really enjoyed listening to.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
I didn't become familiar with Dexys Midnight Runners until their music video for "Come On Eileen" started playing nonstop on MTV, which was off their second album. So, this album was completely new to me. Similar sound to what I expected. A little bit of ska mixed with a touch of punk and pop. I was a little surprised to see this one pop up, but I'm glad it did. It was a fun album to listen to.
The Mamas & The Papas
4/5
This is just one of those albums that is nice to listen to. Not a bad song on it and several songs that are absolute classics. It's all about the vocals for the Mamas and the Papas, and their vocals are amazing on this album - each song highlighting different members of the group. Nice and easy listen!
4/5
This album gave us the creation of Ziggy Stardust and is one of the most iconic albums in rock history. I've listened to it before, but it's good to sit and listen to it again. It's one of those albums that truly tells a story, so even though there are some great songs on there that were more popular and more people are familiar with, the album is best listened to from start to finish in my opinion. Definitely worthy of being on the list.
Herbie Hancock
4/5
It's actually amazing to me that in 1973, Hancock was already putting out his twelfth studio album. He's such a genius and amazing composer and musician. While this is definitely one of those albums that you would tend to play as background music rather than sit and listen to, it's still a truly great album. This is album where Hancock started adding more funk to his music than jazz. When you listen closely, it's amazing all the different sounds he incorporates into the songs. Another one definitely worthy of the list!
CHIC
4/5
I love Chic! While I haven't listened to this album before and didn't know all the songs, there are some great hits on here that it was fun to hear. Nile Rodgers is just a legend and has written so many good songs. He just has the ability to write hits with those hooks that get you every time. We saw him open for Duran Duran years ago, and it was just a total dance party and so much fun. One interesting thing that I noticed when actually sitting and listening to the album is that all the songs had a lot of repetition in them. Again, it's those hooks that he comes up with that are great, but they really get repeated in the songs more than I guess I realized. Great album to kick off a Saturday!
Rufus Wainwright
4/5
I don't listen to Wainwright much, but after listening to this album, I need to listen more often. I wasn't familiar with the album at all, but really enjoyed it. Not a bad song on the album in my opinion and I love his voice. Definitely one that I'm glad popped up to make me give it a listen.
Buena Vista Social Club
4/5
While I think most people (including me) are probably familiar with the term Buena Vista Social Club due to the Broadway musical or just having heard about it talked about in music, I didn't know the complete story behind the album and I'd never listened to the album before. I love the music. Even though it's an album from the 1990's it has such a traditional and classic sound to it. And while I don't understand the lyrics they are singing, you just get a joyful feeling from them and such a feeling of the culture of Cuba. I enjoyed listening to this one even if it was out of my normal comfort zone of music.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
If you are expecting a "typical" Nick Cave album, this is not it. He wrote the songs on the album after his 15 year old son died in a tragic accident, so as you would imagine it's pretty melancholy and morose. Cave often writes about religion and this album definitely has a lot of religious themes in it. The music is beautiful, but very slow and really nothing in the way of drums or any sort of beat. I always feel like Nick Cave is someone you either love or just don't get. His vocals are most talk/singing than what you may be used to. Beautiful album with a ton of meaning behind it.
Tori Amos
4/5
I was SO happy to see this one pop up today! I love Tori Amos. I've listened to this album many times when it first came out, but it's been awhile. And, I think because its her first album and preceded "Under the Pink", which had her more commercial hits on it, I think this album gets overlooked by a lot of people unless you are a big fan of hers. To me, this is Tori Amos at her best and most raw. Simple songs that are mostly just her and the piano. Emotional and the vocals that I absolutely love. Such a great album!
The Velvet Underground
3/5
Until this album popped up for me, I never realized that The Velvet Underground started out as The Velvet Underground and Nico. Evidently, Nico was forced out of the group shortly after this record was released, and I have to say that after listening to the album, the songs she sang lead on just didn't seem to fit. The rest of the album had a sound that was way ahead of its time and I would have never guessed it was recorded in the 60s, whereas the songs she sang lead on had a 60s psychedelic sound to them. I knew a few of the songs on the album, but not super familiar with it. Definitely different than what I expected. Clearly a groundbreaking album for the time and deserves to be on all of the "greatest album" lists, but definitely not for everyone.
Bill Evans Trio
3/5
I honestly don't feel qualified to give any sort of judgment on a jazz record. It's just not a style of music that I listen to much or know anything about. I enjoy it as background music, but my lack of knowledge about musical composition really makes me unqualified to know what's good or not good. My research on this album says that its considered the greatest live jazz recordings of all time, so I'll go with that!
Dagmar Krause
1/5
So, this album is a collection of songs written by German composer Hanns Eisler and sung by Krause. She recorded a version of the album in both English and German. The songs are meant to evoke the feeling of 1920s Germany, and they definitely do. It really feels like you're listening to a soundtrack from a movie or musical rather than an actual album. Kind of gives you a German military feel I guess. I'll listen to anything once, but I won't be listening to this again. Just too avant-garde for me. This was also the first time I couldn't just pull up an album on Spotify and listen to it. I had to go digging for it on YouTube.
Paul McCartney
4/5
I've never listened to this album as a whole, but I know several of the songs and have heard them many times. This album is really McCartney trying to separate himself from the Beatles. It's rough and raw and underproduced. While he took a lot of criticism for that when the album came out, I think it makes the album unique and special. Nice Sunday morning listen!
The White Stripes
4/5
I'm definitely a fan of the White Stripes, so was happy to get a chance to listen to this one. This is the first album where they switched from their more bluesy sound to a more traditional rock sound. Jack's guitar is on full display and on point for the entire album. Also love the shout out to Toledo, Ohio (the city I was born in and grew up in) during "Expecting". Great album!
Robert Wyatt
1/5
I'm going to put this album under the file of "albums I just don't get". The album is very unique and has a kind of psychedelic rock feel, but much more mellow and slow. It sounded to me like the instruments and the vocals were written and recorded completely separately and then just laid on top of each other. Sometimes they made sense. Sometimes it felt like if you took two different songs that didn't go together at all and tried to do a mash up of them. I went in with no expectations, as I wasn't familiar with the artist or the album. Just definitely not my thing.
Steve Winwood
3/5
The only song I was familiar with on this album was "While You See A Chance", which was Winwood's first solo hit song. Winwood wrote all the music, played all the instruments and produced and engineered the album himself. I will always give credit to artists who do that, as that alone shows their talent. Having said that, I think this is a good album. Some catchy songs. Do I think it's a great album and should be on a list of the greatest albums? In my opinion, it's not. I respect Winwood's talent, but I've always kind of considered him middle of the road and his music good, but not earth shattering.
Mudhoney
3/5
There are a couple of versions of this record. I listened to the EP that was the original recording. The album was re-released in 1990 as a full length album called "Superfuzz Bigmuff Plus Early Singles". There was also a deluxe edition released in 2008 that included a bunch of the demo recordings, as well as a second disc that had live recordings of all of the songs. Mudhoney and this album in particular really paved the way for what would become the 1990s grunge movement and bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam and others. It's pure rock with everything you'd want out of a garage rock band sounding album. Great listen!
Janis Joplin
4/5
My overall summary of this album is that I should be listening to Janis Joplin more! She died about a year before I was born, so although I'm familiar with her more popular songs, I've never really listened to her much or gotten into her music that much. On top of her voice being amazing, I'm super impressed with her band on this album too. She's typically the focus of each song, but one of the songs on the album is just the instrumental since Joplin died before she could record the vocal tracks, so the band really shines on that one. So funky and bluesy. Loved this one!
The Last Shadow Puppets
3/5
If you aren't familiar with the Last Shadow Puppets, they are a supergroup fronted by Artic Monkeys lead singer Alex Turner and Rascals lead singer Miles Kane. The group was going for a 60s pop with a soundtrack feel, and they definitely accomplished that. In fact, I think if you listened to any of the songs on the album you would guess that they were the theme song for a James Bond movie. I was already familiar with a couple of the songs and liked them. I'd say this album is good, not great, and a bit repetitive.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
3/5
I may get grief from a lot of people, but I'm just not a CSN (or CSN&Y) fan. I just find that whole style of music pretty boring, and I find this album boring as well. I definitely appreciate their songwriting and harmonies. Super talented. Just not my particular thing. A lot of the songs are familiar. Just nothing memorable for me.
Fleet Foxes
3/5
I was actually kind of surprised that I didn't recognize any of the songs on this album, because I've definitely heard of Fleet Foxes and it's a type of music I typically would listen to and be familiar with. I'd describe their sound as a mellower version of the Lumineers. Almost a Bon Iver kind of sound. I'm on the fence with this one. I enjoyed listening to it and wouldn't mind listening to it again. But, I found it to be a bit forgettable, which is maybe why none of the songs sounded familiar - maybe I've heard them in the past and they just didn't stick with me. It just sounds like a lot of other folksy, indie rock stuff that came out around the same time, so not sure I would distinguish it over anything else. Very polished and beautiful songs. The harmonies were fantastic. But nothing super unique.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
I'm a fan of Elvis Costello and I knew a lot of the songs on this album and have liked them for a long time. I know that there are some people who don't really like Costello's voice, which I get, but I look at him as an artist more from the perspective of his songwriting than his voice. I also know that there is some controversy around this particular album due to the fact that Costello uses a racial slur in "Oliver's Army", and that's very understandably a complete turn off and no go for some people on the whole album. Costello was also pretty much an a** on the whole tour supporting this album, so that also turned people off. And, in reading some of the reviews that other people wrote on the website, Costello evidently has a lot of albums on the list and people question whether his stuff is worthy of it. In judging this one strictly on the music, I'm a fan and enjoyed listening to it.
Arrested Development
4/5
I was super excited when this one popped up today! I've listened to this album many, many times. We also saw Arrested Development a few years ago live, and they played a lot of the songs on the album. The songs were just as good live as they are on the album. I struggle a lot of times with rap and hip hop because it's often kind of upsetting and depressing to listen to the lyrics. So Arrested Development for me is perfect because the music is so positive and focuses more on peace and love than violence. Honestly, I could listen to "Mr. Wendal" and "Tennessee" both on repeat and be happy. Very happy to have this as my album today! A definite favorite! And as a bonus, probably one of my favorite album titles ever.
Cream
2/5
I've never been much into Cream. "Sunshine Of Your Love" is a great and classic song that almost everyone knows. Outside of that, I wasn't familiar with anything on this album. I thought there were some decent songs, but there were also some songs that I thought were really bad. The singing on a couple of songs was seriously awful. I give full credit to these guys and their talent on their respective instruments, but overall this wouldn't end up on a list of great albums for me just because I thought a couple songs were just really not good.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
I always forget how much I love Led Zeppelin until I listen to one of their songs or albums. For me, this particular album has a couple of misses, but otherwise is phenomenal. It's the definition of a great rock album, and when you think about the other music that was popular in the late 60s and what Zeppelin was doing, it's even more amazing. There are so many absolute classic rock songs on this album that it's worth listening to just for those.
Circle Jerks
2/5
While I really like some of the punk stuff from the 70s and 80s, I'm not super into hardcore punk. It all sounds a little the same to me and it's just a bit too much for me to ever listen to an entire album of it. I guess the positive thing about this album is that it is only 15 minutes long in total, so if you want just a taste of hardcore punk, this is a good album to pick. Again, I think a lot of the songs just sort of sound similar and blend right into each other. Nothing bad and nothing good and it was a quick listen. I think it took me longer to read about the album and type up this post than it did for me to listen to it!
Elvis Presley
3/5
This was the first album Elvis recorded after being discharged from the Army. It marks a change in the style of his music - more ballads and a pop sound - and a change in his vocal range. My Dad is a big Elvis fan, so I probably listened to more Elvis growing up than a lot of other artists. Listening to Elvis always just makes me thing back to a certain time, and while I wouldn't normally seek out listening to him, it's always nostalgic for me to hear his songs. I knew a couple of songs on this album, but not all of them. I found the album, generally, to be a little slow with only a few real catchy toe tappers. Production on this album considering when it was made and how quickly it was made is really extraordinary. But generally I would rate this as a middle of the road Elvis album.
Isaac Hayes
3/5
The only things I'm really familiar with by Isaac Hayes are the soundtrack from Shaft and his work as the voice of Chef on South Park, so this album was all new to me. Hayes is just the definition of coolness - his music is so smooth and groovy - and I can see why people consider this to be an important album in soul music. The songs are all quite long, however, there is a definite build up in each one so they don't seem to be long just to be long. The songs are all "going somewhere". Quite a contrast in albums the last couple of days having a hardcore punk album that was 15 songs and lasted only 15 minutes, and this soul album that's 4 songs lasting about 40 minutes.
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
This album is the definition of funk. So many good songs on this album. For me personally, the only one that was a bit of a miss and just didn't seem to fit was "Somebody's Watching You". Otherwise, the album is packed with amazing music. After listening to it, you can hear how many other musicians - in so many different genres - this band influenced. On the 10th anniversary of Prince's death, I can hear the guitar sounds and funkiness in these songs that I'm sure had a huge influence on Prince. And "Everyday People" is just an absolute classic.
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
I'll start this out by saying I've never been much into Bruce Springsteen. I know a lot of people love him, but I've just never gotten into his stuff. So, I was not really familiar with any of the songs on this album, as this album wasn't as much of a commercial success for him as other albums. And, after listening to this album, I realized that I just really am not a fan of Bruce's voice. To the point that it was a struggle for me to get through the album. I like Bruce in small bits and don't mind listening to any of his songs. But a whole album of Bruce is just too much for me. While I liked that a few of the songs on this album were a little harder rock than some of his more commercial stuff, there were a lot of songs that I just found boring. It seems like most of Bruce songs are just a variation on one theme and the songs on this album were, frankly, kind of depressing to listen to. I appreciate Bruce and the guys in the E Street Band for their talent, but won't listen to this one again.
Gene Clark
3/5
I had never heard of Gene Clark, but it turns out that he was one of the founding members of the Byrds and was their main songwriter who write a lot of their more memorable songs. Clark didn't have much success as a solo artist, which is probably why I didn't recognize the name or any of the songs on this album. The album has a singer/songwriter folk sound to it, with a little bit of old school country on a few of the songs. While the songs are all pleasant, I didn't find anything extraordinary about them. Good album and fine to listen to, but not sure it belongs on the list.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
There isn't much else to say about this album other than it really is one of the greatest albums ever made. Is it long? Absolutely. And while I'd normally say a few of the songs are too long, after almost 2 hours worth of listening, this is one of those rare albums that you wish was longer. Just absolute classic Stevie with so many classic songs. And if you aren't a Stevie fan and think Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" is an original, you need to listen to this album!
The Mothers Of Invention
2/5
If you aren't familiar with the Mothers of Invention, they were Frank Zappa's band. They started out as a bar band called the Soul Giants who mostly covered R&B songs. But when Zappa joined the band, he convinced them to start playing his originals and changed the name of the band to the Mothers. If you know Frank Zappa, you know this album is going to be weird, and it definitely was. I know Zappa was super influential and this was a groundbreaking album at the time, but I just don't get Zappa or this album. Personally, it's not my thing. The songs that sounded like songs sounded very juvenile to me. The other stuff didn't even sound like songs. What's amazing to me is that Zappa evidently got Tom Wilson to sign the band under the impression that they were a white blues band, and when he heard the stuff that they were recording, he continued to just go with it. I understand why this album is on the list, but my personal preference is that it just isn't for me.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
There are two versions of this album - the UK version and the U.S. version - that have slightly different track lists. I listened to the U.S. version mainly because the first song on the album is "Paint It Black" and the song isn't on the UK version at all. "Paint It Black" is my favorite Rolling Stones song and one of my all-time favorite songs, period. As far as the whole album, I definitely enjoyed listening to it. I think the Stones did some things on this album that other bands weren't really doing at the time - experimenting with different instruments, etc. It's not always a popular opinion, but I've always been a bigger Stones fan than a Beatles fan (probably because my Dad is as well). Setting aside the fact that some of the lyrics on some of the songs are pretty cringey and the fact that the last song - "Goin' Home" - just goes on for way too long and never really goes anywhere, this is a solid album.