I’ve always preferred Springsteen’s slower stuff: tracks like The River, The Streets of Philadelphia, I’m On Fire, all of Nebraska. Outside of the hits I find some of the rockier stuff starts to sound a bit samey. But there’s no denying this album is packed with energy and charisma. It makes me feel like a working class man in the 70s driving around New Jersey in a beaten up old truck. I knew I liked Thunder Road and the title track before listening - Backstreet and Meeting Across the River stand out as other favourites.
Dylan is brilliant. Beautifully crafted songs with lyrics you could pore over for weeks. Maybe the vocal delivery isn’t always the most conventional, but for me it just works. Some of my favourites: Visions of Johanna, I Want You, Stuck Inside of Mobile, Just Like a Woman, Fourth Time Around, Sad-Eyed Lady
This is fun and easy to listen to with great production. I like the touches with all the different audio samples. I think I’ll definitely revisit this.
I liked this album. Well-crafted songs with great harmonies. Favourite tracks: Title track, Do You Remember Walter, Last of the Steam-Powered Trains, Animal Farm, Wicked Annabella, People Take Pictures of Each Other.
I really wanted to love this but I just don’t think it’s for me. Most of the album feels more like psych rock than funk, which is a genre that’s never really appealed to me. I’ve never really understood the love for Maggot Brain either, and the end of the last song is just kinda gross. There are definitely some cool moments here though, I might need to check out some later P-Funk albums to see if that’s more my vibe. Favourite tracks: Can You Get To That, Super Stupid
I love this album. So smooth, so much soul. Favourite tracks: all of them.
Not a huge fan of this. It all ends up sounding kind of the same and drags on too long, not surprising that my favourite tracks ended up being some of the higher energy ones. Might have given three stars if it was about 20 minutes shorter. Favourite tracks: Be-in, Cool as Kim Deal
Energetic, dark, very danceable, cool synth sounds, questionable drum sounds, cool overlapping vocals, great pop hooks. I liked this more than I expected. Favourite tracks: Never Let Me Down Again, Strangelove, Behind The Wheel, Nothing
I didn’t really get this on the first listen. Listening while I was half asleep on a busy bus probably didn’t help. Some interesting moments but nothing really grabbed me, this one will need another listen at some point.
Not for me. I can’t get behind the 80s production choices and none of the songs really stood out to me.
I really like this. Hole deserve to be talked about more when it comes to 90s alternative bands. Really good pop songwriting, and some of the references to Kurt hit me pretty hard. Favourite tracks: Celebrity Skin, Hits So Hard, Malibu, Reasons To Be Beautiful, Northern Star, Petals
Soooo good. A mix of absolute bops and stunningly beautiful slower tracks. Amazing political songwriting backed by a band that’s completely locked in. Favourite tracks: all of them.
Dreamy, beautifully-crafted songs. This is an outstanding album. Favourite tracks: Yoshimi Pt. 1, In the Morning of the Magicians, Do You Realize, All We Have Is Now
You probably had to be there at the time to get this, and I wasn’t. I get that maybe this was groundbreaking and influential at the time, but it feels really dated. Cheesy pop samples with cringe lyrics, this doesn’t do anything for me. Maybe it would have done if I was high off my face at a rave in the early 90s. Favourite track: The White Room
A short and sweet album with fun songs. The harmonies are absolutely beautiful. While some of these songs feel a bit juvenile, there are moments throughout where Brian Wilson shows what a brilliant songwriter he was. Favourite tracks: Do You Wanna Dance, Good To My Baby, Help Me Rhonda, Dance Dance Dance, Please Let Me Wonder
I really liked this album. If I’d discovered it as a 17 year old I probably would’ve been obsessed with it. A really creative take on the 2010s indie sound.
The flows on this album are just so smooth. That and the quality of the production is just about enough for me to overlook how blatantly misogynistic just about every track is. Favourite tracks: G Funk Intro, Gin and Juice, The Shiznit, Murder Was The Case, Who Am I, Ain’t No Fun, Gz and Hustlas
This one just didn’t click for me. Clearly lots of talent this album - great bars, the production is the kind of thing I normally love - but it just didn’t connect. I don’t think I’ve ever listened to a skit on a hip hop album that’s improved the experience. Maybe I need to go and listen to more Wu Tang first and then see if I enjoy this one more.
Two Hole albums in a week is a treat for me. I like this even more than Celebrity Skin. It’s so raw and full of energy and emotion. There are some genuinely great songwriting moments on here, particularly the first half. I will forever argue that Hole deserves a lot more attention in the context of 90s alt rock bands. Favourite tracks: Violet, Miss World, Asking For It, Jennifer’s Body, Doll Parts, Softer, Softest, I Think That I Would Die, Gutless
A solid album with some amazing moments, but one that didn’t really grab me overall. Favourite tracks: Tell Me Why, Only Love Can Break Your Heart, Don’t Let It Bring You Down, Birds, Cripple Creek Ferry
To me this sounds really dated. The vocal delivery is annoying and kinda grating. Listening to the singles is a bit of a nostalgic experience since I grew up listening to them on the radio, but listening to them today I don’t think they’re really that great. And I blame this album for 95% of the population not understanding what “ironic” means.
I found this really boring. Nothing really stands out and I don’t really understand why this is so acclaimed. Even Sympathy For The Devil has always kind of annoyed me. Compared to some of the other rock music being released around this time this album is very average in my opinion.
This was a really nice listen. Cool instrumental tunes with the right mix between being chill and energetic. Just the right by amount of weirdness for me as well.
I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would. There are some really great hooks but the band also know the exact right moments to hold off. And Andy Summers is amazing.
This was interesting listen. The covers are interesting, but it’s hard for me to give this a higher rating when it’s so dependent on them. Favourite track: Sagar (The Ocean)
This is quite nice to listen to. Nothing really stands out to me, but there’s nothing I particularly dislike either.
This is so good. Absolutely brilliant musicians working in sync with each other. The bass playing on this album is incredible. And the touches with the soft background noise and applause make it feel like you’re actually in the room. Listening to this while I’m warm inside on a cold, rainy, foggy day was a treat.
Not for me. Just sounds like angry yelling over some 13 year olds jamming in their garage for the first time.
Very good. Some of these songs feel like they would bore me if they were by anyone else, but Lennon had so much charisma that I can’t help being pulled in. At times this verges on “annoying millionaire telling everyone else how to live”, but there’s so much raw emotion on other tracks that I can overlook it. Favourite tracks: Mother, Hold On, Working Class Hero, Love, Look At Me, God, My Mummy’s Dead
This album sounds absolutely incredible. Some of the most beautiful production I’ve ever heard. The vocals are so delicate and the way they’re recorded right up to the mic gives this a very intimate feeling. Despite sounding so gorgeous and lush there’s a raw openess that gives the album an edge too. Brilliant.
I don’t really connect with this album emotionally at all. Maybe I need to listen to more Bowie, but I feel like I’m missing something that’s obvious to everyone else. Favourite tracks: Life On Mars, Quicksand, The Bewlay Brothers
This is a wonderful album. The vocals, the storytelling, the laid back instrumentation, everything on this fits together perfectly. I didn’t expect to enjoy this album so much.
Great instrumentation and Shane McGowan’s voice matches it perfectly. The songs are brilliant. Just a really enjoyable listen.
A solid four stars. Some really good songs and I like the production. Hugely influential for a reason.
This is so bloated and absolutely doesn’t need to be a double album. This style of vocal acrobatics has never appealed to me, it just feels like showing off instead of actually making good music and serving the song. And the song thank you is just ego driven weirdness. Gets two stars because some of the beats of side one are actually kinda decent.
I enjoyed listening to this but it felt a bit like background music. Doesn’t do anything very exciting or innovative, but at no point did I feel like turning it off.
Somehow listening to this made me dislike hair metal / glam rock even more than I already did. Shallow, vapid lyrics, cheap sounding 80s production, boring songwriting. I guess there are some moments that are kinda fun but this isn’t something I’ll be returning to.
Easiest five stars I’ve given yet. A group of maestros absolutely in sync with each other. This feels like melody, harmony, musical connection, expressing soul through music taken to its peak.
An interesting listen. Some of these tracks are quite fun, especially on the first half. And Bjork’s vocals on this are amazing at times. Let down by a few tracks that don’t hold up as well, but I enjoyed this.
There’s some really clever somgwriting on this album, but at times it’s a bit inconsistent. Still an enjoyable listen. Favourite tracks: Victoria, Brainwashed, Australia.
A selection of really lovely songs. First time listening to a whole Dolly Parton album and I really enjoyed this. Favourite tracks: Coat of Many Colors, Travelling Man, The Mystery of the Mystery, Early Morning Breeze
Some of the guitar sounds on this are great. Heaps of energy and some interesting songs. This definitely isn’t just mindless punk screaming.
This could have been a much stronger album if 20 minutes was cut off. There are some songs here that I really like. But the whole thing is just too long, and with the album being pretty inconsistent it ends up being a drag to listen to. The highlights on this one made me look at Christina in a new light though.
Not really my vibe. There are some fun songs but nothing I feel like I need to listen to again.
Maybe this is just me being ignorant of the history of the genre, but this doesn’t sound anywhere near as edgy as I expected it to. It feels weird having lyrics about Nazism and violence and other controversial topics paired with “let’s gos!” and “ooh yeahs” over Ionian power chord progressions. I was expecting it to be more musically dissonant and intense, instead it ends up being kinda camp? Maybe it’s meant to and I’m missing the point - this was still an enjoyable listen and there’s some good songwriting on here.
Pleasant enough to listen to but nothing really draws me in. For me this really illustrates how important Johnny Marr was to The Smiths’ sound.
This a fun album. Lots of cool samples and it sounds great. Very innovative and I enjoyed listening to it.
I love this album. So influential - the use of dynamics, the tone, the performances are all outstanding. And excellent songwriting as well.
This kinda sucks? Compared to an album like Doggystyle I think the beats are much less interesting and the raps are quite boring. The skits get boring really fast too. I get that this is a really influential album but I didn’t enjoy listening to it. It drags on too long as well.
A pleasant listen and obviously a very influential album but it doesn’t really do it for me. Interesting to get a snapshot of the state of American politics in the 70s.
Energetic and quite fresh sounding, but nothing really grabs me. I’ve always found the vocals a bit annoying as well. Not an unpleasant listen though.
First time I’ve listened to a Beck album in full. For me there are no major highs and no major lows. There’s some nice production but nothing really grabs me. Not something I feel like I need to listen to again.
This kind of bluesy rock has never really done it for me. There are some strong tracks on here and I love the guitar tones, but I never really got drawn in.
This album is amazing. It’s really well put together and never gets boring. It sounds great and it’s such a chill, relaxing experience.
I liked this more than I expected. The songs are fun and well-written. I’ll definitely return to this album.
Super soulful, Solomon Burke has an amazing voice. I never would have listened to this album without doing this project, but I’m really glad I did.
I went into this one having never listened to a Nick Cave album, and being very sceptical for a number of reasons. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. There are a few moments on here that reach the highest tier of songwriting for me. Unfortunately not all of the tracks are consistently as good, but still really glad to have heard this. Looking forward to listening to more Nick Cave albums.
Nothing on this album really captured me. The vocal delivery kept runining the experience every time I got close to being engaged. There’s clearly some skilled musicianship here but to me it’s just not very interesting.
A strange album. There are some very cool moments on here, especially Roundabout, but then most of the album sounds like a recorded jam session - and while technically the playing is very good, I didn’t find most of it very interesting.
Groovy, powerful, rock and roll. John Fogerty’s voice is full of soul. An album you can dance to, head bang, or sit down in a quiet room and ponder the lyrics. Excellent.
This is a really interesting album. It feels very city-pop adjacent. I think I prefer the more traditional bossa nova tracks, some of the more heavily produced tracks feel a little bit dated to me. Still a really fun album, she has a great voice.
Really impressive that this came out in the 70s. Clearly very influential and parts sound like the soundtrack to an 80s sci-fi movie. A few tracks are a bit weaker than others, particularly some of the ones with vocals, but overall I enjoyed listening to this and I’m glad to have come across it.
I love Steely Dan. A very well-constructed album with some amazing musicianship and songwriting. Favourite tracks: Deacon Blues, Peg, Josie
A very good album that deserves much more recognition. I get it, you don’t like Bono because he’s sanctimonious, you’re still upset because an album you didn’t like showed up on your iPod in 2014, you don’t like the Edge because he doesn’t play three minute long classic rock guitar solos - but I really don’t understand how anyone can listen to this album from front to back and give it one star. This is a really solid album with some strong songwriting, and I like the ambient atmospheres the band creates using different instruments. For me this isn’t quite as good as Joshua Tree, especially on the second half, but still a great album that deserves to be on this list.
Very cool. I like the energy and syncopation throughout this album. There’s a real sense of urgency which I love.
A very pretty album. I was surprised by the sampled audio, and without knowing all the history I suppose this is quite innovative in that way.
A pleasant listen without ever really drawing me all the way in. The album sounds really nice though.
I actually really like the first track. A crazy, wandering prog exploration with lots of energy. After that the album is listenable, but lacks the experimental intrigue of the first song.
I know this a very unpopular take but I’m really struggling with the Bowie albums on this list I’ve had so far. I don’t ever really feel drawn in and the wobbly vocal thing doesn’t work for me. I do appreciate the instrumentation on some of these tracks though.
I’d never heard of this band before today but I really like this. The album feels like a mix of Wilco, Counting Crows and Tommy Guerrero. Some clever, groovy songs with lovely melodies. I definitely want to check out more of Eels’ stuff.
This is quite bland. Nothing is necessarily bad on here but there’s also nothing that drags me in at all.
I love the sound of this album, it’s heavy and brutal and the guitar tones are great. Unfortunately the songs don’t quite reach the same level as the sound but I still enjoyed listening to this.
Joan Armatrading has a great voice and there are some nice moments here. But like lots of the albums on this list there’s a lack of hooks that fully draw you in. A pleasant listen but not something I feel the need to rush back to.
This is a cool album. Reggae is such a fun genre.
This sounds like someone bellowing at a piano in a noisy pub. The songs don’t do anything for me and I really don’t get the huge appeal this album seems to have. I think the style of music just isn’t for me.
It’s always so interesting listening to early DnB/Jungle/whatever you want to call it. Incredibly influential and a genuinely fun listen. There’s lots of variety, from quite challenging breakbeats to some melodic, jazz-influenced stuff. The effort that went into sourcing all these samples in a time before splice or YouTube to mp3 converters is actually quite amazing.
This album is a masterpiece. It hits such enormous highs in so many different ways - songwriting of the highest tier, wonderful musicianship, and Buckley’s voice which soars and wails and quivers in a way that sounds almost unworldly. The breadth of style on this album is incredible too. The beautiful fragility of tracks like Hallelujah and Corpus Christi Carol are a stark contrast with the rolling energy of Eternal Life, but the album is put together in a way that works perfectly. A truly brilliant album from a brilliant talent.
Somehow this was my first time actually listening to this album. Lauryn Hill is super talented, she sings and raps with so much charisma. Despite being quite long the album kept me engaged the whole way through. There’s some really cool production on here too.
I really enjoyed this. A fun mix of punk and rock n roll with some very catchy songs. The double vocals are really cool too.
This album sounds incredible. There’s aome brilliant musicianship and songwriting here. The way the motif from Another Brick in the Wall recurs throughout the album in slightly different ways is really cool.
This was a strange album. There were some moments I really liked - The Bogus Man almost sounds like proto-Khruangbin. There are other moments that get a bit boring though, and the album didn’t feel very consistent. Still and enjoyable listen, and an album that feels quite innovative for the time.
I like the serious lyrical themes, the energy, some of the sampling. The production really dates this album at times - not that that’s a bad thing, but it does affect how much I’m able to enjoy it. Still really glad I finally checked this out.
