1001 Albums Summary

4.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/paul-simon/graceland/

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/johnny-cash/at-folsom-prison/ Not my thing, but better than expected.

2.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/muddy-waters/muddy-waters-at-newport-1960/ Really not my thing. Truly believe it's very influential, but don't really care about this.

3/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/moby/play/ Some bangers, mostly boring. Product of its time I guess.

4.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/sam-cooke/live-at-the-harlem-square-club-1963/ Fantastic!!!!

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/gorillaz/gorillaz/ Listened to this plenty before. While the album has its undoubtable highs (19-2000, Clint Eastwood, 5/4, and some others), it is not nearly as strong as the two Gorillaz classics that would follow.

5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/nirvana/nevermind/ Obvious classic

3/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-cardigans/first-band-on-the-moon/ Fine, I guess? Don't really understand why this would be in the 1001 best albums ever made. Lovefool is perhaps one of the best pop songs ever, but the rest of the album is just okay.

4.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/justice/%E2%80%A0-cross/ Still as much of a banger as when it was released, almost 20 years ago. Loved it then, love it now. All killer no filler (unlike their follow-up albums).

2/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/neneh-cherry/raw-like-sushi/ Holy fucking shit this album sounds like a product of its time and aged like fine milk. Especially the rapping parts are absolute ass. First song is kind of a banger tho.

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/nick-drake/five-leaves-left/ It's good, but just that, I guess? Listened to it twice today and still nothing really sticks. Not sure I like the lush instrumentals too much. It's no Pink Moon, that's for sure.

3/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-byrds/sweetheart-of-the-rodeo/ Bit too yee-hah for me, even though some of the more folky songs are quite nice.

3/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/le-tigre/le-tigre/ I get how this is an influential album (they did the listing of famous people year before James Murphy would in Losing My Edge), but it doesn’t scratch the same itch for me that its influenced artist do. Also never really like Deceptacon.

4.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-velvet-underground-nico/the-velvet-underground-and-nico/ Bunch of absolute bangers with a few minor misses (can’t enjoy the freaking in European Son and Run Run Run is an earworm, but not a very good one). Bonafide classic and inspiration for probably 90% of artist I listen to.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/dinosaur-jr/bug/ Banger solos, kinda awful singing, yet it works!

4.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/joy-division/closer/ Influential for so much I listen to and just amazing throughout. Overshadowed by Unknown Pleasures a bit, but should listen to this more as it might be the better album.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/mgmt/oracular-spectacular/ Anyone saying this has no place in the list has never been in a room filled with 20-40 year olds when Time to Pretend or Kids started playing.

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/aretha-franklin/i-never-loved-a-man-the-way-i-love-you/ Sure, Respect is a bonafide classic, but other that that it's not for me. Bit too much of the same.

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/faith-no-more/the-real-thing/ Don’t know about this one. It’s really a product of its time (the bass playing, the rap-rock!!!), but I can imagine it was quite groundbreaking then. Might appreciate this more upon relistening.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/dangelo/brown-sugar/ Never got into D’Angelo much, but not sure why. Banger album.

3/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/tina-turner/private-dancer/ All completely fine songs, but nothing more than that. None of the covers are even remotely better than the originals (as far as I know them). Private Dancer and What's Love Got to Do with It, however, are obviously great. Also, the album cover has a black cat on it to truly it's 5/5.

3/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/eagles/eagles/ So inoffensive that it completely lost my attention quite soon after the banjo stopped. Nothing bad, nothing great. At the time it was probably quite cool? Now, not so much anymore.

3/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-temptations/all-directions/ Even though I don't usually care much for funk, the funky songs on this definitely outshine the more boring soul songs in the second half. So partially better than I thought, partially more boring.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/beck/sea-change/ Don't listen to this side of Beck enough. I should, it's nice.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/supertramp/crime-of-the-century/ I likey! For now a 4, but will definitely listen to this more often!

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/pj-harvey/rid-of-me/ More familiar with and fan of PJ’s more recent sound (Let England Shake). This slaps too, but having never really listened to it much before, it’s quite a lot. Some absolute bangers tho, so will add it to the rotation.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-jesus-and-mary-chain/darklands/ It's fine, but nothing mindblowing. Without the vacuum cleaner sound of Psychocandy, it's a bit more standard post-punk from the 80s.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/peter-gabriel/so/ Good 80s pop. Hoping to also see the experimental Peter Gabriel stuff show up in this list.

3/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/fats-domino/this-is-fats-domino/ Yea not bad, probably very influential way back when. Now, though, it’s just okay. Also, annoyingly not on streaming, so had to gather the songs from the abundance of compilation albums that are.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/missy-misdemeanor-elliott/supa-dupa-fly/ Far from the absolute canon of hiphop and definitely too long, but sure has some great beats and features, and Missy’s laid-back rapping can be quite hypnotizing.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/x/wild-gift-3/ I like this! Never listened to this before, even though it’s apparently quite influential US punk. Will check out more!

5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/arcade-fire/neon-bible/ Hadn't listened to this fully for quite some time, because Win Butler sucks and new Arcade Fire albums did too. Revising it now does prove that it's still a fantastic album from what I once called one of my favorite bands. Men suck.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/lambchop/nixon/ Lambchop is one of those band I’ve never really listened to, even though they should be right up my alley. And indeed, this is nice!

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/a-ha/hunting-high-and-low-6/ Always thought a-ha was a one hit wonder, but this album definitely contains some other bangers. The Sun Always Shines on TV should be an equally big hit as Take on Me, at least. The rest of the album is not on their level, but still very pleasant 80s synthpop.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/rolling-stones/let-it-bleed-1/ Undeniably a good album, but it also just verifies I don't really care much for Rolling Stones. It might be a matter of listening to them more, but first album listens have not convinced me yet. This is one of the better ones I've heard by them, gotta admit that.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/nick-drake/bryter-layter/ Contrary to popular opinion, I think I like this more than Nick Drake's debut album, which I found a bit too much orchestra. Here, the strings are also very present, but bother me less.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-who/whos-next/ Long line of 4/5 star albums and this one is no different. Never really listened to The Who aside their hits (of which this album has at least two), but I like this album quite a lot! Looking forward to the next Who albums.

3/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/solomon-burke/rock-n-soul/ Some songs I really liked, but all in all it's held back by too many mwuah songs, especially in the second half. Also, since my first real introduction to soul/rock 'n roll through this list was Sam Cooke's live album, everything after just sorta falls flat.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/red-hot-chili-peppers/blood-sugar-sex-magik/ Got into RHCP through Californication and By The Way, so mainly knew some BSSM songs from their Greatest Hits album. Listened to it a few times over the years, but never really caught me in the way Californication and BTW did. This time, however, it hit me differently. It's still overly long (as many of their albums are), but it's just nice and funky and lays some foundations they get back to at later albums. Have underestimated this before.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-chemical-brothers/exit-planet-dust/ Misses some of their charting monster hits that follow, which might actually make it work better as an album. I’ll always have a soft spot for Chemical Brothers, but mainly focused on those big hits.

2.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/nanci-griffith/the-last-of-the-true-believers/reviews/2/ I guess I can recognize this as good in what it does. It’s just that what it does is not my thing. Some songs are quite nice (a la Waxahatchee), but too much filler and samey sounding stuff.

4.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/a-tribe-called-quest/the-low-end-theory/ Hiphop classic for a good reason. So many bangers, perfect rap flow, smooth beats.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/liz-phair/exile-in-guyville/ Oh but this is nice! I was kinda expecting the overproduced Alanis Morissette 90s rock, but this is a lot more alternative than that. A bit too long, but I can see myself listening to this more and liking it more too.

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-beta-band/heroes-to-zeros/ It's nice and it's kinda up my alley, but it's also nothing really special. As for some other albums post-2000, I don't get the inclusion in this list (especially given some pretty prominent snubs).

4.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/t-rex/electric-warrior-9/ I quite like a lot of Ty Segall’s work, so it’s odd that I’ve never dove into T. Rex, especially because so much of this album sounds like what Segall would do again 40 years later. Awesome stuff.

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/queens-of-the-stone-age/queens-of-the-stone-age/ Maybe a bit unfairly harsh in comparison to other albums I have given 4 stars so far, but this album is just far from QOTSA’s best. I like it, but too long (at least the Tidal streaming tracklist) with too many fillers. Extremely promising as far as debuts go, tho.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/hawkwind/space-ritual/ The single thing I knew about Hawkwind before listening to this album, is that I always confuse them with Alestorm, for no reason but the weather-related word that takes up half the band name. Imagine my surprise, therefore, when this album was a live space opus of more than 100 minutes. One, moreover, that I quite liked! Yes, it’s very long—I listened to the extended album available on Tidal—and not everything is as exciting, but overall the atmosphere created by the band is very cool. Not sure how often I’d listen to it again, but this first listen was very pleasant.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/r_e_m/automatic-for-the-people-11/ Not the best R.E.M. album, but still very enjoyable. Of course the hits are great, but other album tracks too. Contrary to popular opinion, I just don’t really like the chorus of The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite.

3/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/johnny-cash/american-iv-the-man-comes-around/ Honestly, more nice songs than I imagined when I saw I had to listen to another Cash record. But also, didn’t care for many other songs. None of the covers are better than the originals—at least as far as I know the originals—but I do like the heavy-handedness of the whole album.

3/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/youssou-ndour-et-le-super-etoile-de-dakar/immigres-2/ As probably a lot of others, I know Youssou N'Dour primarily (only?) because of Seven Seconds, so I had no idea what to expect of this. While it's not something I'd play too often, I did appreciate it for what it does. The guitar playing in Pitche Mi is really great and the jazzy stuff doesn't even bother me too much. Not the biggest fan of the vocal style, however. Also it gets same-y quickly.

4.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/my-bloody-valentine/loveless/ Obvious shoegaze classic, inspiration for a ton of bands, and contains some of the genre’s best songs. Also, however, sometimes a little bit boring (as most shoegaze albums can get).

3/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-who/my-generation/ Completely understand why The Who is in this list, just not with this album. It’s okay, but there’s little setting it apart from the other r&b covering 60s bands. Singing on I’m A Man is just stupid.

3/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/willie-nelson/red-headed-stranger/ It's pretty fun! I can't say I'm a country guy, so generally Willie Nelson's stuff annoys me a bit, but this I can handle. Also makes me want to play Red Dead Redemption.

2.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-cult/electric/ Entertaining in its simple, straightforward hard rock, but nothing more than that. Really not my thing. Born to be Wild cover is completely unnecessary.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/drive-like-jehu/yank-crime/ Difficult to judge on first listen, but I can see myself getting back to this and digging it even more. It’s loud, abrasive, fast, intelligent. Takes a lot of beats from (later/louder) Nirvana, which obviously is never a bad thing.

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/jurassic-5/power-in-numbers/ Cannot deny the quality of this. Beats are cool, rapping is very solid, but at some point it becomes a bit too much of the same. Another victim of rap albums being too long, I guess.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-undertones/the-undertones/ YESSSS MELODIESSSS!!! Quite similar to things like Buzzcocks and Ramones, but guess what, I like those too! This album has only bangers and doesn’t overstay it’s welcome.

5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/arcade-fire/the-suburbs/ Was my favorite album by my favorite band for a good while, until they fell off both musically and personally. Upon relistening in full for the first time in quite a while, it still fucking slaps. Some of their best songs and lyrics on this thing. Can’t believe this is the same guy writing the shit on Everything Now and Pink Elephant. What a let down, fuck you, Win.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/teenage-fanclub/bandwagonesque/ Jangly guitars and vocal harmonies. What more can a man ask for? Some of the instrumental intros/outros take a bit too long, making my lose my focus, but other than that, I can really dig this.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-doors/l_a-woman/ Not my favorite album by The Doors (tad too bluesy for my taste), but still cannot point out a single bad song. L.A. Woman and Riders on the Storm obviously tower above the rest, but if 'the rest' is this of this level of quality, that says more about those two songs than about the rest.

?/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-darkness/permission-to-land/ Annoyingly, this is more entertaining than I could ever expect. Sure, it gets old quite quickly because literally everything is a gimmick, but it’s also just stupid fun.

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/tim-buckley/greetings-from-l_a/ The most overtly sexual album of the list so far, which is weird given my previous album was The Darkness. Good white boy funk with some psychedelic influences.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/jethro-tull/aqualung/ Listened to this before, when I wanted to hear the full top 200 of RYM. Was surprised then by how much I liked this, and upon second listen, this feeling remains. I'm not usually a prog fan much, but then again, maybe I just base that on not caring too much for Pink Floyd. This is just nice, and I dig the flute.

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/mercury-rev/deserters-songs/ While I quite liked some songs, as they reminded me of things like Flaming Lips or Destroyer a bit, there were too many instrumental intermezzos that couldn’t keep my attention. Might increase appreciation upon relistening tho.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/neil-young/harvest/ Nice lil Neil Young album. Not super familiar with the man, aside from some albums and some hits, but I've been trying more recently. I know he has albums I like more than this one, even tho this one of course has great songs like Heart of Gold and especially Old Man.

4.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/beastie-boys/ill-communication/ So good, even the fillers are killer. Okay, suffers a bit from being too long and wanting to do too much (punk songs are mwuah), but overall really great. Those boys sure were beastie.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/iggy-and-the-stooges/raw-power/ Cool stuff. I can usually only take so much of the proto-punk screaming the same line over and over again over increasing noise thing, so it’s good this album 1) has plenty variety still and 2) is not too long.

I really like Tubeway Army’s Are Friends Electric. I like Gary Numan’s Cars. So yeah, this is nice. None of the songs hits those levels, though, so 4/5 is the most I can do.

4.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-flying-burrito-bros/the-gilded-palace-of-sin/ Each time one of these ol’ country rock albums pops up, I let out a little groan. See, I long believed I hated all these things. Country, americana, you name it. And sure, the real hardcore country is still a bit crap, but shit like this is amazing. It helps that it reminds me a lot of Cut Worms’ first album, which I liked a lot. Just wasn’t aware it really leans heavily on these brothers!

4.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/fleetwood-mac/rumours/ Only bangers, including some of the finest pop rock songs ever written.

3/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/cat-stevens/tea-for-the-tillerman/ Decent, but not much my thing. Starts to drag a bit even with it’s relatively short length.

2/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/gotan-project/la-revancha-del-tango/ Absolutely not for me. I can appreciate some of the ideas Gotan Project tries on this, but at the same time I can’t really stand it. Granted, I really don’t care for tango, so that doesn’t help. The good thing it had going for it is that I listened to it in the background on a sunny day. O, yea, also too long, yet again. Why are so many albums so long?

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/coldplay/a-rush-of-blood-to-the-head/ I will always defend early Coldplay, because this album is good! Some of their best on this. Also some less interesting stuff, but even that is miles better than their recent albums.

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/stevie-wonder/fulfillingness-first-finale/ Not as good as the album that would follow. Has some good tunes, but also, for my taste, a bit too much geneuzel. I did like the random Portuguese at Bird of Beauty.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/bonnie-prince-billy/i-see-a-darkness/ Ooh this is gooood. 4/5 because I think this is an album that will benefit a lot from repeated listening.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/scott-engel/scott-4/ Pretty great, will listen to this more and probably rate higher. Also, hello Alex Turner? Last Shadow Puppets and TBHC/The Car influence is pretty clear.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/king-crimson/in-the-court-of-the-crimson-king/ Always have my issues with this album. When it’s good, it’s amazing. However, when it goes into its proggy jazzy tangents, I really can’t stand it. Luckily it doesn’t happen too often, but when it happens it really takes out all my enjoyment of this album. Looking at you, Moonchild.

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/genesis/selling-england-by-the-pound/ Whimsical. That would be my one word review. Sometimes too whimsical for its own good but at other times the perfect amount of whimsy. That would be my sixteen word review.

3/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/jeff-beck/truth/ Not bad at all, but also I can’t really care about it much. Must say that I was surprised by the strong vocals and finding out it’s Rod Stewart of all people. They were probably the highlight of the album for me, which is not a good thing if the album artist is someone else completely.

2/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-grateful-dead/live-dead-17/ Too. Much. Jamming.

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/marvin-gaye/lets-get-it-on/ Never my favorite genre, but I do like What’s Going On quite a bit. This one never really reaches those heights for me, although it is a quite entertaining album.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/n_w_a/straight-outta-compton/ Look, of course it’s a hiphop classic. But after the two opening songs, it loses steam quite quickly. Add to that the somewhat problematic lyrics and you gotta conclude it just didn’t age too well. Still, however, it’s quite a fun listen with a few highlights.

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/pink-floyd/the-dark-side-of-the-moon/ I just really don’t care. Shoot me, I guess, but it’s just so boring. I would really like to experience this in the way almost everyone else seems to, but I just can’t understand it. Guess it’s a me problem.

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/paul-mccartney-and-wings/band-on-the-run/ It’s no Beatles, but it’s also no no Beatles, yagetme? Has some highlights, has some Paul McCartney let’s repeat this one line over and over again in different increasingly crazy ways bullshit (fuck Picasso’s Last Words, and fuck Why Don’t We Do it in the Road forever and ever).

1.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/bob-marley-and-the-wailers/natty-dread/ Okay this might not be a truly fair rating, but whatever; I fucking hate reggae. And still, STILL, even I must admit that sometimes, when I’m paying the least attention and when I am at my weakest, I’m grooving to the stupid ass reggae beat too.

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/frank-ocean/channel-orange/ Okaaaaayyy I admit, it’s good. Really don’t think it’s the masterpiece some make it out to be, but I’ve been too harsh about it. The beat drop in Pyramids is still one of the stupidest things in music history tho.

3/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/songhoy-blues/music-in-exile/ Some nice grooves, but didn’t grab my attention too much. Hurray for diversity in the list, though!

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/black-sabbath/black-sabbath-vol-4/ Not (yet) on the level of Paranoid for me, but man these guys knew how to write songs.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/pink-floyd/wish-you-were-here/ This guy Pink and I, we just don’t really click. Personally like this more than DSOTM because of the consistency, but the consistency also gets a bit boring sometimes.

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/daft-punk/homework/ Some solid house tracks, some great pop tracks, but overall too long and repetitive. Yea sure that’s the point of house music, but still.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-chemical-brothers/dig-your-own-hole/ Not every song is a hit, but so many are. Starts and finishes with two absolute club bangers, has great vocal tracks with Noel Gallagher and Beth Orton, and all other songs are also good fun.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/elvis-costello/my-aim-is-true/ Never really listened to this guy, but I should have! Some very nice songs on this! Not all equally exciting, but some really stand out.

1.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/fun-lovin-criminals/come-find-yourself/ Scooby Snacks is the only redeeming factor of the album that is otherwise the perfect counterargument for someone saying the 90s is the best era in music.

3/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/comp/the-hives/your-new-favourite-band/ Don’t think this really has a place in this list, and I say that as someone who actually used to listen to The Hives a bit. Sure it’s all energetic fun, but hardly anything groundbreaking. Definitely not among the best of this generation either.

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/willie-colon-and-ruben-blades/siembra/ Definitely not my music, but for something that is definitely not my music, it kinda slaps! Was really expecting to like it less. Awful cover tho, why the babies?!

3/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-verve/a-northern-soul-3/ I get The Verve being in here (I guess), but why this album? It’s not bad, but also just okay britpop? Some Radiohead some Oasis some Blur.

2.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/billie-holiday-and-ray-ellis-and-his-orchestra/lady-in-satin/ Holiday is obviously a voice to be reckoned with, even on this album where many claim her voice has deteriorated too much to properly enjoy. The album itself is just not very interesting, with every song sounding pretty similar due to mainly the instrumentation. Suppose there are more of het albums on this list, so interested to hear those from earlier in her career.

3/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/bobby-womack/the-poet-2/ Another ‘not for me’ album. Can enjoy it to a certain extent, but at some point I get bored. Some songs do really stand out from the rest tho, so for the short runtime it’s enjoyable enough

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/frank-zappa/hot-rats/ You know what, fuck yeah! Was scared of having to listen to a Zappa record, because earlier experiences were not always very positive, but this one is kinda cool! I'm never the biggest fan of these experimental and mainly instrumental jazzy rock records, but this managed to mostly convince me!

4.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/duran-duran/rio/ Maybe loses its pacing a bit in the middle section, but starting with Rio, having Hungry Like the Wolf a few songs later, and ending with Save A Prayer and The Chauffeur; 😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨.

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/electric-light-orchestra/out-of-the-blue/ Starts of strong (and comes back strong later with amongst others, of course, Mr. Blue Sky), but overly long and loses focus.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/beastie-boys/licensed-to-ill/ Not their best by a long shot, but the stretch from Girls (yes, sue me) to Paul Revere is great. The rest is never bad, but just not yet shows their bright future ahead.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/fred-neil/fred-neil/ Had never ever heard of this man, but it’s actually quite nice! Strong voice, good instrumentation. Alll you want from a folk record.

2/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/bonnie-raitt/nick-of-time/ Booooooooring.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-avalanches/since-i-left-you/ Not everything hits, but when it does, it really does. Opening track, Frontier Psychiatrist, absolute bangers. Crazy how this is just/mostly(?) samples.

4.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-flaming-lips/yoshimi-battles-the-pink-robots/ Yessssss I love this album! Do You Realize?? is one of the most beautiful songs ever written in its simple romanticism. Oof.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-jimi-hendrix-experience/axis-bold-as-love/ The guitar playing is obviously amazing, but most of the songs themselves are not super interesting to me. Not bad at all, just not as cool as I expected.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/new-york-dolls/new-york-dolls/ This is very fun! Very vey fun! Also so influential for many current bands. Loses steam a bit because songs sound somewhat similar, but hey, no biggy if they're all this fun!

1.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/bob-marley-and-the-wailers/exodus/ Maybe slightly more enjoyable than Natty Dread, but I just still fucking hate that cliché reggae guitar rhythm. Also, -0.5 for that Ajax song.

2.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/taylor-swift/1989/ Can’t even say I really hate this, as it has its moments (always had a soft spot for Blank Space). But every song just goes on for about one chorus too long, and many of the lyrics are just poor (or, more nicely put, not for me). Also crazy how some songs are just outright copying Robyn, Lana or Haim.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/manic-street-preachers/the-holy-bible/ Only knew these guys because of their poppy single with Nina Persson (Your Love Alone is not Enough), and even though I like that particular song, I wasn't excited about the prospect of a whole album of songs like that. So, imagine my pleasant surprise when it turned out to be a hooky, alternative rock album with dark lyrics about important societal issues (racism, sexism, etc.). Then, the backstory of the missing band member kicks in and you have me. Loses it's high level a bit along the way, but for the most part, this was a pleasant surprise.

4.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/slint/spiderland/ Always a difficult album to truly engage with, but when it hits you, it hits you good. Blueprint for lot of stuff I like (e.g., 'worlds second best Slint tribute band' BCNR in their early days), so yea, I fuck with it.

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/janelle-monae/the-archandroid/ Quite cool, but also absolutely too long. Ballzy to do that for your first album, I do have to admit. I really like a lot of the songs quite a bit, but then there are also too many songs that do nothing for me (as is often the case with 60+ min albums).

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/van-morrison/its-too-late-to-stop-now/ The music is fine, but it just adds very little as a live album. Little to no crowd interaction, and most of the songs sound like studio versions (even though I don't actually know the studio versions). Maybe nice for true Van Morrison fans, but not for me per se.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/elvis-costello-and-the-attractions/imperial-bedroom/ Nice! Very Pulp-coded, before Pulp was a thing. Would be surprised if Jarvis Cocker was not inspired by Costello's way of singing. Would have benefited from cutting a few songs, but generally, I dig!

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/dusty-springfield/dusty-in-memphis/ Went in expecting nothing. If anything, I had my doubts, thinking this would be a country record (pretty unfamiliar with Dusty Springfield and the name just always connects to country for me). But this is actually really good! Will definitely listen to this more to grow my appreciation.

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/otis-redding/otis-blue-otis-redding-sings-soul/ Had a weird incomplete and shuffled version of the album on Tidal for some reason. Anyway, not really my thing, but I can recognize its value. Also My Girl is just a great song.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/iggy-pop/lust-for-life/ Yea fun stuff. Of course this album is mainly Lust for Life and The Passenger, but each of the other seven songs are also just pure fun.

5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/arctic-monkeys/whatever-people-say-i-am-thats-what-im-not/ Absolutely no notes, allround great. Extremely formative for my musical taste back in the days. A Certain Romance is still an all-time song.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/fleet-foxes/fleet-foxes/ I really like large parts of this album, but I also always forget that some parts (middle section mainly) are just a bit dull. 10/10 album cover, however.

3/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/faces/a-nod-is-as-good-as-a-wink-to-a-blind-horse/ Fine, but nothing really stuck. The two voices alternating between the songs is nice, but also makes the album feel less coherent.

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/associates/sulk/ I guess I might like this more upon relistening, but it didn't grab me as much as other 80s synthpop does. I think this will benefit from repeat listens however, because it does seem a bit less 'surface level' than other music from the time.

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/metallica/metallica/ The album with which Metallica 'sold out'. Of course it's not a necessarily bad album; they are (were?) too good a band for that (although later albums were actually bad...), but it's just a bit boring. It's long and very few songs really do anything interesting.

2/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/bad-company/bad-company/ Some okay songs (Bad Company with the song Bad Company on the album Bad Company; always love that), but mostly very very boring! No I gotta say that hard rock is hardly my genre, but even so this has so many slow boring fluff.

2/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/maxwell/maxwells-urban-hang-suite/ This gets a big ol’ NOT FOR ME stamp from me. Can recognize the singing quality, but it’s so hella boring. The entire album is made to fuck, but I’d just get bored.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/tom-waits/rain-dogs/ Extremely weird album. Part sounds like you're in some twisted old Disney movie, part are gorgeous soulful bluesy songs. I think it's unfair to rate this after 1,5 listen (even if I will do it), because this needs more spins to truly grasp it.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-mamas-and-the-papas/if-you-can-believe-your-eyes-and-ears/ This is super fun!!! Of course I knew California Dreamin', but the rest of the album is as least as fun as that one. Gonna be one I might return to!

2.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/hugh-masekela/home-is-where-the-music-is/ I really don't care for jazz. Never have, probably never will. That said, this is not bad! Especially as long as the trumpet is not taking the foreground too much (with is of course ironic, seeing as Masekela is the trumpetist).

2/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/john-lee-hooker/the-healer/ Just so dull. Even with all the guest artists, every song sounds similar. I guess that might be a blues thing, but I really can't care for it.

2/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-incredible-jimmy-smith/back-at-the-chicken-shack/ Nope nope nope nope nope. I DO NOT LIKE JAZZ.

4.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-cars/the-cars/ Thank god, I thought the challenge was starting to throw me in a hellhole of jazz and blues records, but then it lifts me out with this fantastic new wave album! I guess I knew Just What I Needed from before (not sure from what) and I quite like that song. The rest of the album is also amazing. Don't know how I never got to this before, as this is right up my alley with the synthy sound.

4.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-modern-lovers/the-modern-lovers/ This is amazing! Coincidentally got this one just after The Cars (which this precedes with its drummer; hoping I continue with Talking Heads via Jerry Harrison). So influential for many of the bands I have ended up listening to years later. This needs to go into my heavy rotation.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/crosby-stills-nash-and-young/deja-vu/ Nice! Not every song as catchy as the other, but the variety in singing voices is very enjoyable and there are some absolute bangers on this.

4.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/lou-reed/transformer/ Little dip towards the end of the album, but my god what a level for the rest. Perfect Day, Walk on the Wild Side, Satellite of Love, Vicious; maannnnnnn so good. RIP legend.

5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-national/high-violet/ Casually dropping one of my all-time favorite albums right at my post-festival blue Monday is just diabolical. I fucking love The National. This album is what got me into them. Fantastic from start to end. No notes. Love it, always.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/grizzly-bear/veckatimest/ Not equally great, but some songs are among the indie pantheon. Guess I like other albums of them better, but I do understand why this one specifically is in the list.

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-verve/urban-hymns/ Carried by its two main tracks (the obvious two) and held back by its length. Overall enjoyable, but not much more than that.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/faust/faust-iv/ Krautrock highlight! That's not saying much, since my knowledge of the genre is minimal, but I really dig this! Also hearing some slowcore influences in this (in that this influenced slowcore), which is cool.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/peter-gabriel/peter-gabriel/ Starts with two amazingly brooding tracks and turns into a more new wavy album after that, but not less cool. Should listen to little old Peter more, because the two albums so far I dig!

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-blue-nile/a-walk-across-the-rooftops/ This is amazing! Why did I not know of them before? Feel like this influenced so many things I listen to (hello, Destroyer???). Will absolutely get back to this one.

5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/pulp/different-class/ Absolute banger from start to end. Disco 2000 and Common People on a single album? Should be a crime! Jarvis Cocker's lyrics are so witty, it's insane. Love this album to death.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/green-day/dookie/ Due to being 2 years old when this was released, my introduction to Green Day was with American Idiot (which I also expect will pass by in the list?). I've listened to Dookie ever since, but not very often, aside from the main hits (that slap!). I should've; this is nice! Doesn't reach American Idiot levels for me (yet), but that's mainly due to nostalgia.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/carole-king/tapestry/ Maybe not an entirely fair rating, because I did very much enjoy this album. But it's just not my thing, really. I can listen to it, and see it's worth, but wouldn't often listen to it by my own volition. Or maybe I will, when I give it a more proper chance. You know what, 4 instead of 3.5!

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/tears-for-fears/songs-from-the-big-chair/ Does it have the hits? Heck yea it does. Does it have other good songs? Yea, but nothing hits the heights of the hits.

4.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/pixies/doolittle/ Amazing album, certainly Pixies' best. Not one I can listen at any given time, but it's variety influenced such a wide range of rock genres.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/yes/close-to-the-edge/ Prog I can appreciate!

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/blur/blur/ For some reason, even though I love all of Damon Albarn's other projects, I've never reaally got into his main thing (if that's what you can still call it). I always like it when I listen to it, but it never captures me in ways that Gorillaz and The Good, the Bad and the Queen have. So yea, of course I like this album (although not their best), but at the same time it's also overlong and not always as exciting.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/bruce-springsteen/darkness-on-the-edge-of-town/ Don't think I will ever be the biggest Bruce fan, even though I'm not sure why not. It sounds like stuff I should like quite a lot, but something's holding me back. Anyway, still a good album. Nice emotional Bruce.

3.5/5 Still not much my thing, but still better than I would've though it to be before starting this challenge. Not sad to be done with the Cash albums now, though.

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/suede/dog-man-star/ I think I'd be able to like Suede a lot more if I give it more of a chance. Their stuff sounds like the stuff I would like (Bowie??), but it just takes a bit more effort to really get into, and I just never seem to feel like giving them that effort.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/steely-dan/cant-buy-a-thrill/ Well that's more fun than I expected! Pure boomer rock but hey, sometimes you just gotta embrace the inner boomer.

3.5/5 http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/donovan/sunshine-superman/ Upon first listen, it started out quite interesting, but lost my attention quite fast. Maybe it would benefit from repeated listenings, but I don't know if it adds much to the other stuff from that era I already like.

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-birthday-party/prayers-on-fire/ Pure fucking chaos, but for some reason it's controlled enough chaos. Not really per se a pleasant listen, but nice to hear the already basics for what would end up being Nick Cave's early work.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/talk-talk/the-colour-of-spring/ A bit of a transition album between the more poppy side of the band and the post-rock shift from the last two albums. In that, I like it a bit less than what came later, but it's still great. The few more poppy songs (e.g. Life's What You Make It) are lovely too.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/dr-dre/the-chronic/ Hip-hop classic for a reason, and that reason is mainly the beats and the general vibe of the album. Lyrically, for as much as I really paid attention to it, it's not very strong. But it's so hella groooooovyyyyy.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/simon-and-garfunkel/parsley-sage-rosemary-and-thyme/ Not my favorite by these two, but still very lovely. Coincidentally also not my favorite herbs.

3/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/chic/cest-chic/ Look, I know this is hella influential and Le Freak is rightfully a bonafide disco classic, or just a general music classic, but I just don't care for it much. Guess I just don't like fun.

5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-strokes/is-this-it-9/ Every song great, cover great, band great. Took young me some time to get used to this after getting to know The Strokes via the much more 'overproduced' First Impressions of Earth (I will always be a defender of that album too, by the way). Weird effect over the vocals, much more back to basics sound. But mannnnnn I love it now. Not always sure if I prefer this over its follow-up, but that's just to say they're both near perfect records.

2.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/nitin-sawhney/beyond-skin/ No idea what this is doing on the list. Some songs were nice (the ones that sounded like they could be Portishead or Massive Attack hand-me-downs) but others just were boring, overlong, cringy or annoying.

1.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/duke-ellington/ellington-at-newport/ When it comes to jazz, it could be worse than this. When it comes to genres, it could not be worse than jazz. I hate jazz. I hated this.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/neil-young-crazy-horse/ragged-glory/ Each time I listen to a Neil Young album in this list, I wonder why I didn't do it much earlier. This is cool! I really like heavier Neil.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/led-zeppelin/led-zeppelin-ii/ Another band I just always sort of took for granted. Not always 100% my thing (bit too bluesy here ant there), but overall understandable why they're considered to be part of the rock pantheon.

8/10 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/pearl-jam/ten/ Not a ten. It could be, based on roughly the first half. But then it gets a bit more dull and it loses its ten-ness.

4.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/black-sabbath/paranoid/ I'm still a bit hesitant to give this the full 5 stars, because there's 1) Planet Caravan and Rat Salad that I consider a lot less than the rest of the album and 2) a shit in quality in the second half (which, in all honesty, says more about the first half than the second half).

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-rolling-stones/exile-on-main-st/ I think I can now quite safely say that the Stones are not for me. I really enjoy some songs, but overall I just cannot get invested. Especially with the length of this album, that becomes a problem.

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/lloyd-cole-and-the-commotions/rattlesnakes/ Not bad, but also doesn't seem to stick very well. Don't think I'd soon get back to it, but I also wouldn't mind listening to it again. Nice and jangly.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/royksopp/melody-a_m/ Chill downtempo album with every now and then a song that picks up the pace. Nice Erlend Oye features that made me go back to Whitest Boy Alive albums right after.

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/sly-and-the-family-stone/theres-a-riot-goin-on/ I'm not a funky guy, so this rating should be taken with a grain of salt. I expected to dislike it a lot more than I did. There's a good groove (obviously) and quite some songs are actually truly cool. I might even enjoy this even more if I give it some more chances.

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-who/tommy/ Deserves credit (or blame?) for being the first rock opera and has some nice tunes, but is also overlong with either uninteresting songs, or annoying ones (Fiddle About, Tommy's Holiday Camp). Not the legendary album people make it out to be, but enjoyable enough.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/gillian-welch/time-the-revelator/ Some beautiful songs! Very relaxing, yet engaging enough to not get boring. Welch has a lovely voice.

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/tortoise/millions-now-living-will-never-die/ This will get the benefit of the doubt with a rounding up, because I did find it an interesting, if somewhat uneven album. I tend to like post-rock, but this is a bit more experimental than the post-rock albums I usually listen to. It doesn't have the big outbreaks like a Mogwai or Explosions in the Sky, or the beautiful vocals of Sigur Ros, or the more cinematic feel of Swans or GY!BE, so there is slightly less that makes it stand out for me. Still, I like it, and I'll try to give it another go in the future.

3.5/5 God Save the Queen and Anarchy in the UK are absolute classics and with good reason. The rest of the album? Okay, I guess. It's also difficult to see it as a punk masterpiece, knowing how it was created, and knowing how much of an absolute ass Johnny Rotten is now.

2/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/ac_dc/back-in-black/ I can't stand AC/DC. Angus Young with his stupid outfits and antics, Brian Johnsons awful screechy voice. I have never listened to an entire album by them, and if it wasn't for this list, it would never happen again. Unfortunately, Highway to Hell is still coming up. At least that one's without Johnson, so maybe the vocals are nicer? Honestly, it's mainly the singing that icks me, because the instrumentals are pretty unassuming.

2.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/slade/slayed/ Meh, boring. Standard glam that is not my thing.

3/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/tim-buckley/happy-sad/ Didn't care for this too much. Was never bad, but just a bit boring.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/elton-john/goodbye-yellow-brick-road/ Now I just cannot hate on this, can I? Sure, it has some weak songs (Jamaica Jerk-Off looking at you), but all the rest is just so fun.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/belle-and-sebastian/tigermilk/ Kinda surprised by this album in the list, but not unpleasantly so. Never listened much to this album by them until very recently, as they're playing my city with this album tour. I really like it! It has the typical B&S sound, fun lyrics. Sometimes a bit too soft and inoffensive for its own good, but overall very nice.

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/steely-dan/countdown-to-ecstasy/ Like this one less than their debut, as this one leans a bit too much into the jazzy tangents here and there. Still, however, solid boomer rock.

3/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-temptations/cloud-nine/ It's okay. Kinda standard soul (to the extend I know how to be able to judge soul).

2/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/cee-lo-green/cee-lo-green-is-the-soul-machine/ Gnarls Barkley's St. Elsewhere is still a banger of an album, but Cee Lo solo doesn't do much for me. I like his vocals when he's more singsongy (see Gnarls Barkley), but as a rapper he's hardly convincing and his muppet voice just doesn't work. And mannnn this is half an hour too long. Quite a bummer, because the production is quite nice at times. Oh yea and also of course he's a fucking asshole. Fuck this guy (but St. Elsewhere still slaps).

3/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/queen/sheer-heart-attack/ There is it, the dreaded first Queen album in my 1001 albums challenge. Okay so, I don't like Queen much. Overrated band that wrote some good songs and a lot of mediocre ones. Bohemian Rhapsody is just overplayed and annoying and some of their other hits too. Sheer Heart Attack, then, has at least one of their hits I do not dread in Killer Queen. Much of the rest is just pretty 'normal' for Queen standards, which is why I can still somewhat stand this album. Mercury doesn't do much of his stupid vocal tricks, which is what I can't stand most about many Queen songs. Still some annoying songs, tho, like Bring Back That Leroy Brown.

1.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/g-love-and-special-sauce I feel like some albums are just included in these books because the one choosing the album has a stake in its inclusion somehow. This album is a good example of that. Who the fuck are G. Love and Special Sauce? Why do I need to hear this before I die? I would rather have not heard this. There's a good riff here and there but the vocals are complete poopoo and each song lasts a minute too long. Also, not that RYM is the golden standard of music knowledge, but the fact that none if this act's albums have more than about 150 ratings (aside from this one due to its inclusion here) says that this is NOT anything to hear before you die.

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/zz-top/eliminator-1/ Quite like this, especially because I didn't think I'd really enjoy ZZ Top much. Reminds me a lot of Sturgill Simpson's Sound & Fury, which I feel must be heavily inspired by this album. Nice and groovy, cool electronic influences, peak driving music (as the album cover implies). However, the second half is a bit of a drag.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/m_i_a/kala/ Liked this so much more than I anticipated (and hoped). M.I.A. nowadays is a right-wing nutjob, so I don't necessarily have a good opinion of her, but this album (from when she was not yet problematic) is just full of bangers. Of course there's Paper Planes, but while that one stands out, it's far from the only great song. Sure, her rapping and singing is not fantastic, but the beats and swagger and vibe are sick throughout.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/circle-jerks/group-sex/ As hardcore punk as hardcore punk gets. Will keep it short in honor of the album. GREAT ALBUM GREAT ALBUM GREAT ALBUM!!!!!!

3/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/rush/moving-pictures/ Not really my thing. Very boomer rock. Some progginess here and there, some hard rocky stuff here and there. Overall however just quite middle of the road. Never bad, never more than just enjoyable.

3/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/michael-jackson/thriller/ I've gone on the record saying I don't care much for Michael Jackson. In fact, I kinda dislike many of his songs. With Thriller, too, I would never deliberately choose to listen to it. Did I dislike it, though? No, not entirely. The song with Paul McCartney is just stupid, and the closer is also not great, but the rest are all among his top songs, so it's hard to be entirely against it. Who knows, maybe this list will get me more into MJ.

4.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/nirvana/in-utero/ I have the normie take that Nevermind is better than In Utero, but this is mainly due to me having listened to Nevermind a lot more. In Utero is clearly the anti-Nevermind in being a lot less approachable due to songs like Scentless Apprentice, Radio Friendly Unit Shifter and Tourette's, yet also has some of Nirvana's finest songs in Heart-Shaped Box, Serve the Servants, All Apologies and Rape Me. So yea, Nevermind is a 5/5 for me, and this might also become that, but for now I'll stick to it being slightly (0.5) less.