Overall: 2.5/5. Some catchy songs here but nothing really stuck out to me as particularly impressive or great, especially when comparing it to other indie-rock records from the same period. But it is very listenable, there was no point where I was actively irritated by it.
4/5. One of those albums where I’m just impressed that it released when it did. you can hear the blue-prints of a ton of punk and hard rock music that would rise with the late 70’s and 80’s here. perhaps it is a bit primitive, and with two separate mixes of the album on streaming it can be a bit confusing to get into, but definitely a good listen. (I listened to the Iggy Mix.)
4.5/5. Worth it for the title track alone which is one of the greatest songs of all time. When he starts screaming in the second half of the song, it just hits every time. The rest of the album is mostly great too. You get the rocking first half and the more ambient spacey back half similar to Low. The only thing really keeping this album from a 5/5 is that its just not my favorite Bowie record, I'm more partial to Low and Station to Station.
2/5. My take on this one is pretty simple. An amazing vocalist kneecapped by awful and cheesy 80’s pop production. Also none of the covers really stood out to me as particularly interesting or transformative.
4.5/5. This album just hits. Sees the beastie boys go in a much more live-band sounding direction musically where you get beats that vary between rock, jazz, punk and even some throat singing ear the end of the record. I may still prefer the insane burst of sampling creativity on Paul’s Boutique, but this is a fantastic album.
5/5. A 5/5 album on my first week, how lucky! Thousands upon thousands of pages have been written on this album about why it’s so great and a landmark achievement of 60’s pop, but to me the first thing that comes to mind is beauty. This is such a beautiful sounding album. Some of the finest production of its time mixed with heavenly harmonies, it is just so nice on the ears. plus the songs are also so damn good. A lot of fun small things too like the bicycle horns on “you still believe in me.”
An all time great and it’s a shame we lost Brian Wilson last year, one of the most interesting minds in pop history.
2.5/5.
It is a very listenable album, but there’s also so many albums from its time that do what it does better. admittedly doesn’t help that I’m a big Dylan fan so every time one of the Dylan covers came on I just wanted to listen to the original instead.
But yeah, it’s okay and pleasant, but nothing I’d return to.
3/5. Vocal performances and high intensity instrumentals are so fun that you almost forget Jerry Lee Lewis married and had children with his 13 year old cousin.
5/5. This is one of those albums that’s been with me essentially my entire life, it is part of my musical DNA. so I am definitely a bit biased. But still what a great album, it’s insane that it came out in 1983 because everything about this album sounds like the 90’s. from the rougher/unpolished vocals to the “horny in a depressing way” lyrics. Also some of the best bass playing you’ll hear on any rock album.
I got to see the Violent Femmes live in 2021 and getting to hear some of these songs live was great and made me appreciate Gordon as a vocalist even more.
1.5/5. The first album I’ve heard in this project where I question why it’s even really part of the list of “1,001 albums to hear before you die.” It doesn’t really do anything that tons of other albums from the 90’s already did significantly better. And it doesn’t really seem to have left much of a cultural impact, I never hear it talked about. An album for me that’s just in one ear and out the other.
4/5. One of the foundational pillars of heavy rock and eventually metal and it still hits hard to this day. As a child of the late 2000’s and 2010’s I grew up on the rockband and guitar hero games, and Highway Star was for a long time my go to song. Catchy riff, great solos and a fun vocal performance, so much to like on that song alone. It was one of the first songs I learned when I picked up a real guitar too. and of course there’s smoke on the water, an all time classic that’s also the nightmare of every guitar store employee. I also absolutely love the closer Space Truckin’, that song is a banger.
3/5. A pleasant surprise. Coldplay is one of those bands that has a stigma around their music, and I would agree that much of their catalogue is pretty bad. However this debut album is actually pretty alright. Some easygoing alt-rock that highlights Chris Martin’s strong vocals. Also some solid guitar parts. Quite enjoyed shiver especially.
The biggest flaw of this album is that it’s just a bit samey, which causes it to feel very front-loaded. nothing in the back half really gripped me as much.
2/5. I am admittedly not the most familiar with Big Beat as a genre. I basically only previously knew the Prodigy with the crab album (fat of the land.)
Fatboy Slim was another one of the large artists in that scene, and he was up there with the prodigy as one of the few big beat artists to make a splash in the U.S.. as for this album it’s some sample-heavy danceable electronic music. A lot of the songs I started off thinking “this is kinda catchy.” But then the biggest flaw of this album for me rears its head, and it’s that every song on here is just a minute or two too long which turns it into a slog to get through.
4/5. Not my personal favorite Sonic Youth album, but still a great burst of noisy rock/punk music. Not too much to say really, this album slaps.
4/5. First album I’ve gotten in this project that I hadn’t heard before. However I tend to love jazz-rap so this was mostly right up my alley. I unfortunately do not know any French though, so I plan on trying to find some half decent translations online for the lyrics. But musically I enjoyed my time with this one quite a bit!
2/5. I try my best to enter every album with a fully open mind. That being said Arcade Fire is just one of those bands that I’ve never been able to get into. Which is odd, I typically love indie rock, but something about their music has always just turned me away. That being said I will say I thought the opener “Black Mirror” and the closer “my body is a cage” is solid too, though I actually prefer the Peter Gabriel cover that’s featured in the season 2 finale of the show Dark.
Didn’t love it, but I can at least appreciate its place in 2000’s indie rock.
4/5. I have always loved Ride’s second album “Going Blank Again”, but for some reason never bothered to go back and listen to the debut. So this was a good chance to do just that and it was very worthwhile. Great slice of shoegaze mixed with a bit of brit-pop flair. The streaming version of this album also contains quite a few bonus tracks which are also all pretty solid. I still do prefer the follow-up, because how can you beat songs like “leave them all behind” but this was very good stuff.
3.5/5. The album where CCR gained their footing and cemented themselves as a foundational Swamp Rock/southern rock band despite being from Northern California. There’s a nice mixture or shorter, harder hitting songs and longer, jammier songs on here. That being said it is a case where everything done on this album will get done better by the band on future albums in my opinion.
3/5. A fun slice of danceable mambo music. Not bad but not particularly noteworthy and even with its short runtime it’s quite samey.
4.5/5. Easily the best post Simon and Garfunkel Paul Simon album. Lyrically he’s at the top of his game here and his collaborations with south-African musicians give the instrumentation a great sense of personality.
5/5. Obviously this was not intended to be Nirvanas farewell, but even so it feels very fitting as one. Front to Back this is just a fantastic live set and I love how Kurt used it as an opportunity to platform music and artists he loved with all the covers instead of just playing Nirvana’s hits. I especially love their renditions of The Man who sold the world and Where Did You Sleep Last Night. The latter specifically has probably my favorite vocal performance by Kurt.
2.5/5. I think this album actually starts out pretty strong. the opener “the faintest of the seasons” and “these days” are both great songs, and I also enjoyed the title track. But much of the rest of the album is just pretty forgettable. Also bogged down at points by some unnecessary orchestration. I love Nico’s contributions to the first velvet underground record but I was left underwhelmed by this solo album.
3.5/5. One where I didn’t recognize it at first but then the song “Le Freak” came on and I immediately realized this is one of those records I’ve absolutely heard songs from but just never knew who it was by. And this is quite a good record, some quality disco music here. Especially liked “I want your love” and the closer “(funny) bone.”
2.5/5. Didn’t do a lot for me especially when thinking of other Dinosaur Jr. albums such as “you’re living all over me.” Which is a shame because I typically quite like late 80’s/early 90’s indie rock.
3/5. A solid solo effort from John. That being said I am personally more partial to his rawer and more emotional solo album “Plastic Ono Band”. Favorite song is definitely “how do you sleep”, which is basically a diss track about Paul McCartney and he gets some solid jabs in.
4/5. Fear of Music is both extremely anxious and extremely groovy. post-punk that you can dance to but there’s also a sense of unease underneath the surface. you can also see the seeds that would lead to “Remain In Light” being planted here with songs such as “I Zimbra.” All that being said I tend to prefer the Stop Making Sense live versions of several songs on this album over their studio counterparts, especially “life during wartime” and “heaven.” Which is less a knock against this album and more a testament to how insanely good Stop Making Sense is
5/5. One of the best psych rock albums not just of the 60’s, but of all time IMO. you get hard hitting bangers like the opener “Break on Through (to the other side” or “take it as it comes” along with slower almost dream-like songs such as “the crystal ship.” And there is of course the albums center-piece and biggest song “light my fire” with a great extended solo section on the album version. I also love the surreal and unsettling “the end” which as the title implies, ends the album off. All around a fantastic record.
3/5. one of those albums that irreversibly changed the course of its genre. If it weren’t for Run DMC rap would likely be very different from what it is today. That being said to steal an Analogy that’s a bit overused, it’s like looking at the first ever car in a museum. You can respect how it was a revolution that changed things forever, but you can also acknowledge how things have become more refined and better since then. Run DMC set the blueprint but in terms of lyricism, flow, production, etc. they can’t really compete with what would come after them in rap/hip-hop.
3.5/5. A well produced modern R&B album which deals in themes such as self healing and black empowerment. Was maybe a bit longer than it needed to be IMO but when it hits there is some great songs to be found like “weary” or “FUBU.”
4/5. Being his final album, You Want it Darker sees Leonard Cohen grappling with faith and his own mortality. The instrumentals set a nice dark atmosphere but what really sells this album is Cohens voice. The deep, old and world-weary sounding voice that he had in his later years fits this album perfectly and elevates it a lot.
3/5. My personal least favorite Beastie Boys album on the list. This is when they were at their most “Frat-Rap” which is a style that tends to get annoying pretty fast for me and that slight annoyance definitely seeps into a few of the deep cuts on here. That being said the hits on here are as big as they are for a reason, and they make the album worth it. but I still prefer the sample-heavy madness of Paul’s Boutique of the punk energy of Ill Communication over this album.
3.5/5. Janis Joplin’s vocals on this album are great, it feels like she was made for this type of bluesy music. Was also an interesting choice to try and make this sound like a live album even though most of it isn’t, the crowd sounds are edited in which is kind of funny to me. Not an all time favorite for me but I enjoyed it and I’m glad to got to hear it.
3.5/5. I’ve always been aware of some of the more modern Celtic punk/folk bands like Flogging Molly, and listening to this album you can definitely tell it influenced many of those groups. Theres a Lot of little instrumental flourishes I like on this album, like the snare on “the gentleman soldier” being made to sound like a gunshot or the horns on the closer “the band played waltzing Matilda.” This one was a pleasant discovery for me.
4/5. Just some great soul music. Otis Redding is an artist who I always knew of primarily because of Sittin’ on the dock of the bay, so it was nice to actually listen to a full record of his. Good stuff.
3/5. This album has a few very high highs. The opener “Monday, Monday”, “I call your name” and the all-timer single “California Dreamin’” are some truly great 60’s cuts. But the rest of the album is just kinda okay easy-listening. Great harmonies and a few great songs, but the album overall is just alright.
4/5. I’m usually not the biggest fan of 80’s pop, but this album was pretty great. Especially that opening stretch where you get Smooth Operator, Your Love is King and Hang on to Your Love right in a row. only real knock I have against it is that it ends weaker than it starts, but so do many albums.
5/5. An easy 5 IMO and it’s not even the best Stevie Wonder album on this list. Just front to back bangers and jams on this thing that are injected with funk. One of those albums where when listening to it you can feel the fun that the artist had recording it. This thing is just bursting with personality, even with some of its darker lyrical themes.
2/5. I honestly wish I liked this more than I did. The more understated but super atmospheric electronic production is quite interesting in concept, but the album just never ended up fully grabbing me. My favorite song is probably the instrumental closer “Coconut” which uses that atmosphere the best. But most of the album kinda just faded into the background for me.
4/5. It’s a testament to how consistent Fugazi’s discography is that this album would be pretty low on my fugazi ranking despite being a great album (my top three are In on the kill taker, the argument and red medicine.) during this listen-through though I did take note of how smooth the flow of this album is, the songs move between each-other very seamlessly which helps the album fly by. Also such a groovy album for a punk/post-hardcore group, especially in the bass and guitar lines.
3/5. A pleasant listen but far from my favorite folk album from this period. A lot of it just didn’t stick out to me particularly much. “Father and Son” is one major exception though, that’s a great song.
3/5. My first brush with the Elvis Costello event horizon (or technically second since one of my previous albums was produced by him.) and it’s some decent enough rock music. Reminds me of some of the clashes stuff in how it occasionally flirts with 50’s rockabilly music. Overall though I wasn’t blown away or in love with this album, it’s just fine.
3.5/5. A fairly straightforward 70’s country album, however Dolly Parton is just a great vocalist and really sells any song she’s on. funnily enough though, I do not love the title track. it’s always been one of my least favorite big Dolly Parton hits. But the rest of the album is a good time.
2/5. My second Elvis Costello album within 3 days and outside of a few highlights I just didn’t jive with this one very much. I especially disliked the vocals on this record which is odd because I didn’t mind the vocals on the previous Costello album I got. I’ll also give it credit that there’s a decent amount of variety across the track-list. But it just doesn’t amount to an album I’d ever revisit.
5/5. This album is peak early indie rock. takes everything established on Surfer Rosa and just runs with it to make some great songs. Banger after banger.
4/5. Not my personal favorite Joni album but still a great time all around. also serves as a good example of the thing I love most about Joni Mitchell’s singing, which is her cadence. She sings in a way that feels just the slightest bit jazzy, moving just a little off-rhythm with the instrumentation which gives a very unique feel to her songs.
Decent amount of variety on this one too, you get “raised on robbery” which is a bit more of a rocker or “twisted” which is very bluesy all mixed in with the expected 70’s folk sound.
3/5. To start, I do think Dan Auerbach is a great vocalist, especially for this style of indie blues rock. However even if it isn’t a fair comparison, every time I hear a black keys song I just think “Man, id rather be listening to the white stripes right now.” I just feel they do the garagey blues rock thing in a more raw and interesting way.
Brothers does start on a strong foot however. Next Girl, Tighten Up and Howlin’ for You are all great songs, but it does lead to the album feeling front loaded as nothing in the back half really did it for me as much.
3.5/5 (leaning more in the 4 direction.) the word of the day is “tension”, as that is what I felt most when listening to Suicides 1977 self titled album. From the light yet constantly pounding synths to the uneasy speak-sang vocals this album feels like it could burst or collapse at any moment. Only major thing holding back is the same thing that holds groups like Kraftwerk back a bit, which is that the technology for electronic/synthesizer music has just grown so much over the past few decades, but suicide still manages to do a lot with the little that they have.
4/5. The best new discovery for me so far in this project. Love the production on this album and Michael Kiwanuka is a strong vocalists who is a perfect match for this sound.
4.5/5. An album I’ve heard before, but I didn’t actually know how stacked the lineup on here is. Robert Fripp does some guitar work, Phil Collin’s some drum work among other guests. And this albums got that freewheeling sense of fun experimentation/exploration that Berlin era Bowie has (which tracks since those albums were produced by Eno.) a great time and glad I got to revisit it here.
2/5. Adam Ant and his band Adam and the Ants were one of the early acts who blew up thanks to MTV. Listening to the first song “dog eat dog” I thought I was in for a very fun time with the new-wave mixed with some pulsing drums. but as the album went on I was just mostly left uninterested. There’s nothing truly awful or unlistenable, but I wasn’t left feeling much in the end.
4/5. Though I am more of a “it takes a nation of millions to hold us back” kinda guy, Fear of a Black Planet is still a great rap album that mixes blunt and hard-hitting political lyricism with densely layered and aggressive production from the Bomb Squad. Also on a side note it is hilarious to me that there’s a line in Fight the Power that shit talks “Don’t Worry be Happy” by Bobby Mcferrin.
2/5. To quote Jpegmafia “I cannot fucking wait until Morrissey dies.” Even divorced from him as a person I just get basically nothing from his solo career. I do like some of the Smiths albums, but solo Morrissey just puts me to sleep.
4/5. Great debut album, the bass playing on here is especially top notch. basically sets the blueprint that future Iron Maiden albums would run with and do better/crazier things with. favorite song is probably the multi-phased center piece of the album “phantom of the opera”.
2/5. The word of the day is “unremarkable.” Nothing on this album stands out to me whatsoever. Instrumentally it’s passable but uninteresting indietronica, and the lyrics/vocal performances are not good enough to cover for the boring instrumentation. I could imagine some of the songs from this playing in the background of a montage in some crappy straight-to-streaming film.
3/5. “The black album” is the moment where Metallica went from being big for a metal band to being one of the biggest acts on earth. If you’ve ever tuned into rock radio post 1990, you likely have this albums singles burned into your mind. And with the first leg of the album, it’s easy to see how it was such a huge success. But as the tracklist goes on there is a number of lesser tracks in my opinion such as “don’t tread on me.” And just being blunt I vastly prefer thrash Metallica and the radio overplay of this albums singles has worn them down for me (even if that’s not the fault of the songs.)
3/5. I don’t have a ton to say about this one honestly. Solid enough early punk album. Better than the Sex Pistols, not as good as the Ramones.
5/5. Simon and Garfunkel were my pandemic band. This will be another instance of my exposing myself as young, but I was a sophomore in high school when I really began to tap into S&G. My dad had always been a fan, so I heard a variety of their hits on car rides throughout my childhood, but this era is when I actually fully dove into their albums. And this one ended up being my favorite with its lush and beautiful arrangements and weary/dark storytelling. My high school band teacher had a wall of vinyl records in her classroom and she let students borrow them every now and then. She happened to have a copy of this Simon and Garfunkel album so I borrowed it and brought it home since I loved this record. Then the pandemic happened before I could return it so it technically went from borrowing to stealing.
All that’s to say, Simon and Garfunkel ended up being one of the groups that soundtracked the pandemic era for me whether it be this album, or bookends, or sounds of silence. But this one was my favorite of theirs back then and remains my favorite now. It’s kinda funny, Bridge over Troubled Water is probably their most famous and culturally significant album, but in my ranking of Simon and Garfunkels five main albums it would rank second to last (it’s still very good.)
3/5. Had Simon and Garfunkel yesterday and today I get solo Paul Simon. Anyway, as the story goes, after Bridge over Troubled Water Simon and Garfunkel followed in the footsteps of their greatest influence (the Everly Brothers) and started absolutely hating each other. So they went their separate ways and this self titled was one of Paul Simon’s early solo records. And it’s alright, you get the expected folk music but also some bluesier songs and some Latin American influence in the percussion. At its high points there’s some great songs on the level of some Simon and Garfunkel stuff such as “me and Julio down by the school yard” but there’s also a few songs that are just kinda okay.
2/5. There are a lot of moments across this album that are almost super interesting/brilliant but then it just never fully delivers. As an example I love the idea of the more chaotic, jazzier passages of the album but in my opinion it doesn’t go far enough with them. And that’s really the whole album, a scattershot of interesting ideas that never get fully realized.
1/5. There’s a review I read a long time ago (I forget for which album) which described the record it was reviewing as a “paper mache album.” In that it is pretty when you look at it from a distance but caves-in and dissolves with any closer analysis. That is this Eagles album to a T. It is competently played but has no soul. The vocals and lyrics feel like they’re delivering strong emotions, but it all rings completely hollow. It is an album that feels like it was churned out of the 70’s easy listening factory and it has nothing of worth, nothing of note to say.
A below average 60’s psych-rock album. It starts off quite promising with “I had too much to dream (last night)” which is easily the best song here, but then quickly spirals out into a series of songs that are either forgettable or somewhat annoying (the closing track especially is annoying.) this one just didn’t do a lot for me and there’s a lot of other, better 60’s psych rock I could listen to instead.
