This was the first album that came up for me in the album generator, and I almost skipped it, thinking “Oh, I’ve heard that one before.” My 14/15 year old self had nearly worn out the double CD disks, playing them both over and over when it first came out. Listening to it again in my mid 40’s, after not listening for 20+ years (other than the hits!), I was pleasantly surprised at how much of it came back to me. And how heavy much of it is! Since the “hits” are mostly ballads, I had forgotten how many loud, angry songs peppered the album. And how well they blended and contrasted with the soft, quiet moments. It was an amazing experience revisiting this old favorite. An absolute masterpiece, start to finish. A true classic.
Great album. Feels like something from the 70’s, but still modern. Great guitar parts, and Red Eyes especially is a great song.
Good listen, great background noise for the work commute.
The only thing I had previously heard from War was “Low Rider.” This album was excellent-great mix of funk/soul/jazz/rock/R&B. Very cool and unique.
One of the greatest rap albums of all time. Captures the end of the Obama era, where hope was fading into malaise, and Kendrick seems to almost predict what was coming next by reminding us of our history. Brilliant.
As much music as I’ve consumed in my life, I have never listened to a Bowie album. Life on Mars? is the obvious standout, but each song is great. I was most surprised by the sense of humor he showed in several songs. Great album.
There are some very good songs here, including some tracks like “And I Love Her” and “Things We Said Today” that are early signs of the brave musical experimentation we would later hear on Rubber Soul and Revolver. I can’t help but think that in an alternate universe where the Beatles never changed their sound and just continued writing pop hits, we would probably look back at this album as a nice collection of catchy songs instead of an “important album by the greatest band in the world.” Take away the Beatles name, and this is a solid album with some solid tunes.
Easy 5 star review for me. I’m a big Dylan fan, and this is my favorite Dylan album.
The 9th album generated for me, and the first where I was genuinely puzzled as to why it’s even on this list. I was 14 when this came out, and remember “Scooby Snacks” being played incessantly on alternative radio for a few weeks. Otherwise I have no recollection of anyone calling this a “must listen” at the time, and had forgotten about it until now. I went in thinking “there must be some reason, I’ll give it a shot.” And the first few songs weren’t terrible-the rapping definitely was, but the music had a few different styles and seemed like a decent vibe. Then the album just kept repeating variations of that “vibe” over and over, with god awful rapping/lyrics. Not good.
I had never heard of Jane Weaver prior to this. Very solid album, made me interested in the rest of her discography. I especially liked the songs “Slow Motion” and “The Architect.”
Not the biggest Stones fan, but always appreciated that they bought a little grime to their lyrics vs. the relatively safe lyrics of the Beatles. And this is a great album. “Wild Horses” is one of my favorite songs of all time (The Sundays version is arguably better, but I like Mick’s heartfelt vocal performance here). Good mix of harder rock songs and solid ballads, a couple of which have a country feel.
I didn’t think I liked jazz, but maybe I’ve only heard bad jazz music. I’ve heard of Miles Davis obviously, but never listened assuming it wasn’t my thing. But I really liked this, cool indeed.
I really enjoyed this, it was so much fun to hear early Björk. At times I could have done without the male singer; his parts were either humorous or incredibly annoying with no in between. The music was very fun and unique.
The album is roughly half filled with nice enough ballads, with “The Scientist” being the best of those. The other half consists of the band desperately trying to be Radiohead and failing miserably, with “God Put a Smile Upon Your Face” being the worst of those. Individually the songs are pleasant enough. Like if the songs were playing in the background of a dinner party, I wouldn’t be heading for the exit. But I’m also not clamoring to go listen again either. It just kind of exists; fine but not terribly interesting or exciting.
A good headphones listen, interesting electronic music. The vocals keep this from being higher rated for me. While they were okay on some songs, for the most part the vocals were kind of grating.
The music is good, but the lyrics are cringeworthy.
This was such a fun listen. Got me all funked up for sure.
I was really looking forward to this one, since I’ve seen it on so many favorite albums lists that people/critics make, and I’ve never heard any of it. The first song (21st Century Schizoid Man) is incredible. I wasn’t so sure about the rest of the album on the first listen, but on the second listen I feel like I “got it.” The only thing keeping it from a 5 star album for me is that some of the tracks go on too long, seemingly so the band can show how awesome they are instead of serving the song (“Moonchild” especially). But otherwise an awesome listen.
Pros: She has a beautiful voice and performs these songs well.
Cons: As a full album experience, it is incredibly dull. Nearly every song has basically the same tempo and energy, making it feel like you’re listening to the same song on repeat.
#20. My first KISS experience, and my first one star review. I only know the band by reputation and the few songs I’ve previously heard on the radio. I thought this would at least be a fun listen, and I was genuinely shocked at how terrible it was. “God of Thunder” and “Great Expectations” were especially bad, almost bordering on parody. Good for KISS for being trailblazers in the rock showmanship department, and making a ton of money doing so, because if it was based solely on their music they would have been long forgotten.
First time listening. Fantastic, start to finish. I can see why this is often ranked as one of the top albums of all time, well deserved. I will be for sure revisiting this one regularly.
Enjoyed it. Solid country songs (and one Beatles song) sung beautifully and performed well. Made me interested in listening to more Emmylou Harris, even if I likely won’t revisit this particular album again.
I liked it, solid album. I enjoyed the ballads more than the jazz/blues/rock songs. Jersey Girl is a fantastic song.
I enjoyed it, very solid album. I have a feeling in 1996 this would have felt more like a 4 or 5 star album, but there have been so many similar indie pop bands (influenced by this band of course) that have come along since then that have surpassed this sound that it feels a bit passe. Enjoyable nonetheless, and sounded better/fuller in headphones than in my car on the work commute.
Great album. Common’s flow and Kanye’s production are a great combo.
The lyrics and singing is definitely divisive. Okay on some tracks, terrible on others. But the music was excellent. Probably would have been more enjoyable as an instrumental record.
The skits get a 1 star because they are gross and cringeworthy. That and the juvenile lyrics about poop rockets and gynecology keep this from being higher rated, because the music/rapping were otherwise excellent.
Wow, I really enjoyed this. It will definitely be added to my regular rotation.
I am really glad albums like this are on the list, given that they are exactly the sort of thing that wouldn’t be on my radar to listen to otherwise. And the songs are beautifully sung and performed. That being said, every song started sounding very similar as the tracks went on, and by the end it just got kind of boring to listen to.
It feels like there is a 4 or 5 star album there, but the singer seems completely unable to match the energy of the songs. It’s a strange listen because of this, like some guy is singing karaoke along to a good album.
Great album, every song is strong.
My favorite album by my favorite band, easy 5 star. I understand why people prefer Nevermind, it’s way more approachable and radio friendly. But I connect more with the dissonance/heaviness of this album. I always wonder what avenue Kurt would have taken next had he lived; sad we’ll never know.
My second Stones album so far, Sticky Fingers being the other. Great album, lots of great songs. It feels needlessly long, which leads to all the blues riffs feeling a bit repetitive. I know this is usually considered the Stones best album, but I liked Sticky Fingers a bit more.
Great album overall. There are a couple forgettable songs here, but the “highs” are so high that it more than makes up for those.
I hadn’t listened to this album in awhile, and had forgotten how incredible it is. It has been overshadowed over the years by the OK Computer, Kid A, In Rainbows triumvirate, but it great in its own right. I’ve been adding a song or two from (nearly) every album that I’ve heard in this project to a playlist, and I had a hard time picking which songs are my favorites from this one since each song is great. Classic.
Solid, I generally enjoyed it but didn’t love it. The only track that kind of stood out was “Australia.”
Pleasant surprise. I’ve found most of the British indie/Britpop pretty underwhelming so far, but I really liked this.
Pros: Beautiful and distinctive voice. Fast Car is a classic, an absolute masterclass in storytelling in music.
Cons: Her political lyrics are a little on the nose, spouting off cliches pretending to be profound thoughts.
Such a great songwriter. Melodies/guitar riffs are very reminiscent of the Beatles, if they were in a depressive episode.
A pretty good pop album with a little bit of an indie feel. The interesting thing to me is that of the two indie-adjacent albums that she released in 2020, I think Folklore is much better than this. Oh well, not my list I guess.
I was really disappointed by this album. I listened to “Songs in the Key of Life” a couple of weeks ago and it quickly became one of my favorite albums. This album has a couple of good songs, but most of it is easy listening music that you hear playing at the grocery store. Not for me.
Wow what a ride, especially when listening through headphones. This is my second Miles Davis experience. The first was “Birth of That Cool,” which was good and felt like something you could hear in the background of a dinner party. But this album was not that kind of music, unless people tend to drop acid at your dinner parties. Psychedelic, strange, intense, blending different music styles like jazz, rock, funk. I will definitely revise this one.
Another pleasant surprise, a pick that initially drew a groan from me that I ended up enjoying. I remember what a big deal everyone made about Madonna changing her sound when this album came out, and the techno/EDM really works for her on this album.
A lot of 80’s rap music has aged poorly, but this wasn’t too bad on that front. Definitely too long. It was pretty good, but not something I’m likely to return to.
I’ll start with the positive: the music itself was an interesting, a combination of reggae, funk, pop, and rock that had some potential. But the lyrics were often incredibly stupid; my “favorite” line was “I’m a hero like Robert DeNiro.” And vocally it sounds like he’s doing a bad Bob Marley impression through the whole album. I looked it up-the dude is Scottish and has no Jamaican heritage. So the vocals come off weird and borderline offensive.
Such a cool performance. The back and forth with the inmates, filled with humor and empathy, adds to the greatness of the songs.
Fantastic rap album. The beats/music are great, Missy’s a solid rapper who serves her music well, and there are great guest spots. The only thing keeping it from being a 5 star album is the lack of variance in the lyrical content; 90 % of the lyrics are about how awesome she is, how awesome her music is, or how horny she is. The only real exception is the Aaliyah tribute song, and while it was heartfelt, that is probably the weakest track on the album. Otherwise throughly enjoyed it.
Great mix of rock with dance/disco grooves. Fun album.
Well that was a vibe. Basically classical music with rock instrumentation. Very cool.
Don’t understand the hate for this one. Solid techno/dance music. My only criticism is that it goes on too long; if this was a 45 minute album instead of 76 minute album
First time listening to a full Michael Jackson album. Growing up in the 80’s his hits were pretty unavoidable; it’s hard to describe to anyone 30 and under just how famous MJ was. However as a “rock guy” I never really gave his music a chance. But this is a great dance/disco album. The first half is five stars, but it fades a bit in the second half.
You can tell they’re a good band here, as you hear their influences through via covers and hear them working out their sound. Not yet great though.
Fantastic album. I liked it much more than I thought I would.
I’m a sucker for the alt/folk/country sound, and I really enjoyed this. The music was really good. The vocals are probably the divisive part here, but it was fine for me. Would listen again.
I liked the alternating of the growling/screaming vocals with the more melodic vocals. Great rhythm section. Another album I liked a lot more than I expected.
Wow, another album I enjoyed a lot more than I thought I would. I’ve obviously heard of the band, but never really looked much into their music other than what you hear on the radio. Really fantastic, loved every song, and will revisit.
It wasn’t terrible, but for most of the album they just sounded like an Elton John cover band. I’d rather throw on “Honky Chateau” and listen to the real thing than this. And the cover of “Comfortably Numb” was really awful.
Tom Petty is an artist that, on paper, I should love. And I do almost always like his stuff, I just never feel any desire to go back. This album is no exception. I liked all the songs, but nothing really stood out that made me want to listen again. The one exception is American Girl; that is an absolute classic with one of the best opening lines of all time.
Like many white males who were teenagers in the ‘90’s I had a nu metal phase. For whatever reason I never listened to Sepultura. This was pretty good-some unique sounds/instrumentation on some tracks (especially for nu metal). Nothing really jumped out at me, but overall I liked it.
Great Prince album. The only thing keeping it from being 5 stars is the length of the songs. It really interrupted the flow. It would feel like the song was winding down, and I’d be thinking “Awesome song. Can’t wait for the next one.” Then I’d look and there were still 4 minute left of the song. The extended music wasn’t bad necessarily, you can hear the band rocking out while Prince says strange things over the music. It just seemed unnecessary. But awesome album nonetheless.
A good blend of rock, blues, country and even a little gospel. Stills obviously has an ear for harmony. It was an enjoyable listen, even if I generally prefer music with a little more “bite.”
Cool, didn’t wow me but sounded good.
Finding something like this is why this project is so cool. I was semi-aware of the name Fela Kuti, but had no knowledge of his music at all. This was pretty awesome. Even the 16 minute drum solo bonus track was pretty cool, and that is something that I would have assumed I would hate/never listen to. Fun listen.
I mostly enjoyed this. Guitars and vocals reminded me of Deftones, but with a punchier rhythm section. The only negative is the vocals; basically doing the Chino Moreno fuzzy talk/whisper singing thing, but without any ability to go beyond that at all. Some songs seemed to have a crescendo or a chorus section that demanded someone to start belting it out, but the singer here couldn’t do that (or at least wouldn’t). But some good music here, with the bass playing/lines being the star of the show.
Chill EDM music. Lots of ‘80’s samples, and a ‘70’s/‘80’s feel on most tracks. Enjoyable listen.
I’m surprised this is rated as low as it is. This is fun, catchy, well-done pop-punk music that doesn’t take itself too seriously. I enjoyed it.
Beautiful album. Great mix of rock/folk with some jazz elements.
Classic rap album. Aged pretty well compared to a lot of rap albums from that era.
Beautiful, brilliant, and strange (in all the right ways). I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything quite like it. Then I check the credits, and she wrote and produced every track with no co-writers/producers. I went into this knowing only the “Stranger Things” song, and came away with an album I will absolutely be coming back to regularly.
Pretty incredible that she wrote this album as a teenager. The complexity of the music and lyrics are insane for someone at an age where I was mostly making fart jokes and trying to avoid doing homework. That being said, the teen “angst” might be the only (slight) negative. It feels like she’s wallowing a bit here, where on her later albums strength and resilience are more present. But really good stuff.
Pretty much the quintessential Bruce album. It’s got all the Boss’ go to moves: big crescendos near the chorus, lyrics about working class people trying to keep hope when things suck, referring to women as little girls, and several references to cars and car parts. And it’s pretty great, despite his marble mouth singing being more unintelligible than usual. All solid songs.
James Brown doing his thing. Fitting to hear him belt it out to an audience, since he was such a showman. The backing music was great too.
There are a lot of great songs here. As an album experience, though, Nico’s lack of vocal range makes the songs start to feel boring/monotonous by the end.
Amazing live album. Song choices were perfect, amazingly performed with humor and with respect to his unique audience. Classic.
Considering the band was created as a Beatles parody for a slapstick sitcom, this isn’t too bad. Some catchy songs, obviously ripping off the McCartney penned songs from the Rubber Soul era. But I’ve heard worse.
Where Ray of Light was a bit dark/brooding, Music turns up the fun, getting Madonna back to her dance roots (albeit with an updated sound). Very solid album, great musical production. And because I am in the US, the awful “American Pie” cover was not included; that alone would have knocked this down a peg.
I liked their self titled album a bit more, the sound was a little more polished. There are some great songs here as well, but it’s a bit more hit and miss. Still pretty great.
Some amazing riffs on this album. Has a lot of the things that I don’t like about prog rock in general, mostly that it takes itself too seriously, and sometimes makes me think that I’m at King Richard’s Faire instead of listening to rock music. However, when the riffs on Hymn 43 or Locomotive Breath kick in that all goes out the window, and I’m along for the ride.
I had no idea the Sex Pistols’ hype man made music, and this is not what you’d expect from someone with that history. The music is okay to good, but lyrically/vocally there’s not much going on. And sometimes the vocals are downright irritating. Meh
Like most Americans, I only know this band from “Come on Eileen.” There’s some music here that has potential. But it is a pop album with multiple tracks longer than 6 minutes, which might be fine if there were any transitions in the songs. But nope, just the same few chords played over and over with little variation for 6-12 minutes. And lots of talking over the music, instead of singing, which was like watching a terrible movie relying on voice over to tell the story. Didn’t like it.
I like Elton but never listened to this album before. Fantastic album, I loved every song.
My third Rolling Stones album (Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main Street being the others), and by far my favorite. Loved it.
First Hüsker Dü experience. Great album, they are like a heavier REM.
Might be my favorite album I’ve heard so far (at least among those I had never listened to before). Punk at the core, but branches out to reggae, blues, ska, and just plain rock n’ roll. Fantastic album that I will be revisiting often.
I think I was just on hold for an hour with my internet service provider. In all seriousness, it was not awful by any means, and is fine as background music. But does anyone sit and listen and engage with music like this? You can’t even really dance to it. Basically, I don’t think this was necessary to listen to before I die.
Great guitar parts and “Psychadelic Sounds.” Enjoyable listen
10 good country songs. Nothing mind blowing, but all solid.
Mind blowingly brilliant.
One of the first indie rock albums I got into. Bloodbuzz Ohio is one of my favorite songs.
There are some hints of awesome music here, which you will eventually hear on Cookie Mountain and Dear Science. But the band is clearly figuring things out on their first album and doesn’t quite have it down yet, and the poor production doesn’t help. Still some cool songs on the first half though.
First time listening in 20 years. Definitely still rocks hard. I know the metal purists hate that they slowed down their riffs and streamlined the songwriting for this album, and they’re right to a point (it hits a lot less than hard than Master of Puppets for instance). And it definitely was the start of a downward trend for the band that led to some real garbage down the line. However, on its own, it has some undeniably great riffs and killer melodies, and was a huge success for a reason.
Great guitar work for a folk album. Otherwise solid but nothing particular that stands out.
Good album overall, with a few genuinely very good to great songs sprinkled in. Not particularly memorable though, so I’m not sure why this is a “must listen,” but it was enjoyable.
Man, the Kinks are so underrated. They are rarely talked about when people list the greatest bands of all time, but they absolutely should be. I looked at the track list here and wasn’t too excited, I didn’t recognize any of the songs. I went in open minded but not particularly excited, but I was immediately blown away. Excellent, creative song writing, musically and lyrically. I loved it.
Classic album of the grunge era. The first half is five stars for sure, but fades a bit in the second half (other than the final track, which is also fantastic). Great stuff.
Never heard of this artist, so this was a pleasant surprise. Really liked it; good arrangements with biting and darkly funny lyrics.
The music feels maybe a little ahead of its time, but not particularly interesting or exciting. And vocally and lyrically it’s a lot of shouting and nonsense trying to make political points but a little too on the nose. Feels quaint given everything going on now to hear Reagan being referred to as a fascist. Maybe learn some subtlety.
Great album, funky and fun but with some serious lyrics mixed in.
I appreciate this album’s place in the history of bringing rap/hip hop to the masses. As an album experience, however, it’s a bit of a mess. “The Message” is a clear cut 5 star song, and there are a couple of other solid tracks. On the other hand, the two R & B songs in the middle were unexpected, and pretty terrible. The Stevie Wonder tribute “Dreamin’” is especially odd, and given that Stevie was (and is) very much alive it’s almost creepy. Didn’t enjoy it.
Pleasant surprise, never heard of this band. Really interesting blend of straight up rock, psychedelia, and experimental. Cool, would listen again.
Maybe it’s just nice to hear some music from my fellow Rhode Islanders (a rare thing), but I thought this rocked.
