Iconic, monumental. Hard driving blues songs (mostly) but tend to blend together.
Wouldn't be my pick for when I want to listen to Willie, but wonderful arrangements, and his unique voice adds great color to these pop standards.
Still can't quite get on board with calling this my favorite Beatles record, but damn, it's good. and Tomorrow Never Knows still rips.
Some pretty talented people making some lizard brain music. The hits are good but the rest are forgettable. Will always have fond memories chugging beers to this in college but that's about it.
The album that basically started roots rock as a commercial genre. Deeply influential, great record to listen to on the porch, the highs are incredibly high, but they're not all winners.
Maybe Bowie's strongest album back to front, but also maybe not my favorite Bowie, if that makes sense? An irresistible marriage of iconography and music that really cemented glam rock as a genre.
Joy Division was never my favorite early post punk band, some good tunes but never could hold up in a full album. This record is a vibe... but it's only a vibe and only one vibe. Any particular moment is great, but it's the same moment the whole time, and other bands would take this sound to further and greater heights.
She had talent, that's for certain, and I would have loved to see her songwriting mature. But the production is so airless. You have the players... let them breathe!
I just love his growl here. What a note to go out on. Spare, beautiful, haunting, and those words. Words that only he could write. A perfect note to check out on.
Never been a huge reggae guy. This is fine but tends to all blend together at a point, like reggae tends to do for me. Nice vibes though and I like the politically charged tunes.
I grew up with this record and the songs are embedded into my bones, so I can't pretend to be subjective about it. But fuck, it's fantastic. Still my favorite Radiohead, no skips, perfect album, etc. etc.
I always felt like you had to grow up with Springsteen to really embrace him and buy into the myth. And, well, that just wasn't me. It's funny, I love a lot of bands and songwriters who are deeply influenced by Bruce (and this record in particular), and I can see how, if I had encountered these songs at just the right time, I probably would have been bowled over. But not having first listened this until well past the age of being a wavering youth looking for truth in the American Myth, I just find this to be a maybe slightly above average singer-songwriter record. And I see how this was striking coming from Springsteen at this point in his career, but others have done this type of thing much better, both before and after. I guess I just had to be there.
Impossible to rate, and borderline unethical to reduce to such a thing as a "star rating". As a historical record and document of music history, the "American Songbook" records by Ella are indelible, iconic, monumental. Listening to this all at once though is overwhelming and near impossible to digest. Some of the songs, obviously, are better than others, but I wouldn't lose a thing. As for Ella herself, I love her, of course, but I do prefer my jazz singers to have a bit more grit in their voices. She's almost TOO perfect. This (and the rest of her American Songbook records) are all but required listening for anyone interested in the history of American song. Fuck it, five stars, not because it's a perfect "album" per se but because is, without reservation, an album you need to listen to before you die.
The first five Zep records are canonical, but this has to be my least favorite of the bunch. But that also means this is purely very good instead of excellent. I just don't tend to want to pull this one when I want to listen to them. Maybe a bit too acoustic for my tastes, at least for what I'm looking for out of this band.
The edgelord tendencies haven't aged particularly well, but Keith's flow is exceptional, the scratching is sublime, and the production is a treat across the board. Always good to be reminded what hip hop can do when not tied to trap beats. And while the stream-of-consciousness lyrics combined with the pulp/sci-fi/kitsch backstory would go on to influence some of my favorite rappers of all time, I just wish Keith's consciousness wasn't so juvenile and, well, gross (tongue in cheek though it may be). A keystone of underground rap and a refreshing counterpoint to the gangster rap that was dominating the scene at the time, but others would take this concept to more satisfying places.
Uneven, probably because they were pumping out jams literally 6 months after their last release, but man, Jimi's playing is inimitable and still sounds so fresh. Probably their weakest release, but still a nice, groovy listen.
Not my space, not my area, but didn't hate it as much as maybe I thought I would. Dig the percussion, although it kinda wears out its welcome well before the album is over. It's a pretty silly/shallow record, and I don't know if the music provides enough depth to cover for it. Noisy enough for me to dig on some level, though.
80s pop is decidedly not for me, but as far as those things go, you can do a lot worse than this. Money Changes Everything and Time After Time are fantastic tunes. Girls and She Bop are decent bubblegum pop songs that I probably don't ever need to hear again. When You Were Mine does itself no favors by being an inferior cover that goes on forever. And the rest? Well, they needed to fill out the album somehow. Lauper has a powerful and idiosyncratic voice (and she was 30 when this came out!), and I do miss how those were allowed to be pop singers too. 2 stars but probably more of a 2.5
She has such a great voice, and the arrangements are smartly (and beautifully) spare to let it shine. Unfairly gets a bad rap as Starbucks music, but this is a very nice easy listening record. It's one-note, sure, but that one note is cozy and warm.
Much respect to Tina and that powerhouse of a voice, but the 80s production and sound is not my cup of tea to say the least. An incredible singer singing along to what sounds like midi backing tracks.
Nice vibes (haha, get it). Fantastic musicianship, lovely music, don't know how much I'll return to this, but this was a good listen out of my usual wheelhouse.
As stadium rock goes, it's hard to beat this. It's big, it's loud, it's catchy, it's got a ballad or two, it's got just enough grit to keep it "authentic". Is it better than Definitely, Maybe? Definitely not, but Oasis always wanted to go mainstream and this is one of the better mainstream rock records you'll ever get. Anyway, here's Wonderwall.
I mean, it's prime Stevie. What do you need, a roadmap? Maybe not as strong as some other records of this period in his career, but still funky and soulful. I maybe wish it was a little more fun. Also lol at this being his 17th album at the age of 24.
Considering he was just dumping all the songs he had kicking around that The Beatles rejected, it's not the most succinct statement, or particularly structured/paced all that well. But the highs are so high, and even the other songs are really good listens, really demonstrating the songwriting range he had that he never got to with the band.
Historical importance very high here, and good to have a less mainstream entry from the American folk music revival era. Which, of course, needs plenty of representation on a list like this, but not much to differentiate from Woody or Bob or Pete, etc., etc. Nice listen, makes me want to watch Inside Llewyn Davis again
Definitely not in the realm of my normal listens, but this was very nice. It's good music, what can I say. Not sure how much I'll return to this, but felt good to step into this world for a moment.
Been a while since I listened to this album (or Calexico at all) and damn, this was awash with nostalgia for me. Saw them open for Yo La Tengo once upon a time and was blown away. This record is very good and I'm pleasantly surprised to see it on this list. Love the range of sounds and influences, so happy to be reminded to listen to this again.
I'm sorry, Marty, I don't know if I ever need to hear Gimme Shelter again, as good as it is. Maybe it'll sound fresh if I take like a ten year break. Not my favorite Stones record of this hot run of theirs in the late 60s/early 70s. Just not as deep, but very enjoyable all the same.
Is this a bad time to reveal that I was VERY into Coldplay for the first half and change of high school. This CD was in heavy rotation when I first started driving, so it brings back a lot of memories. Of all kinds. But these seasoned ears don't find much besides nostalgia in this record, which mostly asks, "What if Radiohead, but boring?" I dislike the moments where they try to take themselves seriously but the moments when they lean into big, broad, sentimental feelings are hard to deny. The Scientist is a good song! Clocks, less so. I'm glad I had Coldplay at that time in my life but like most things from early teenhood, I have moved on.
Finally get a metal record on this thing. Shout out to my middle school friend Stuart who was a big Sepultura fan and held fast in calling most other non-metal music shit. Hope you're doing alright, man.
The theme doesn't really do anything for me, but I love the sound of this record. Love the samples, love the flow. Of course Ghostface gets great guests, of course he gets some of the best producers. You got DOOM, you got J Dilla, you got early Kanye, you got Pete Rock... it's almost unfair. Easily one of the best rap records of the '00s.
Never really got into Mudhoney for whatever reason. This EP is probably the longest sustained time I've given to them. I understand that this was key to the development of grunge and the establishment of Sub Pop but kinda just sounds like a standard punk record. I think their second album is on this list, so I'm looking forward to giving them another look.
Starts off strong with the first two tracks, but then City, Country, City is way too long and repetitive, a jam that doesn't really go anywhere. And then it follows up with Four Cornered Room which is just kind of a drudge. Then it ends strong with the final two tracks. I mean, these cats can obviously play, but what is the word for this record.... uneven.
Grunge was never really my thing, though one would think it would be. Cornell has a fantastic voice and this is a very solid hard rock record, I don't ever really have a bad time listening to it, but none of it particularly grabs me. My bad.
Iconic Big Beat record. Just an absolute slab. Love the blown out basslines and pummeling breakbeats. None of it is subtle, but sometimes music is meant to just rattle your bones. If you don't like this one at first, try playing it painfully loud.
Somehow, this never was on my radar, and I'm not sure how. A lovely little indie pop record that falls right into place among a bunch of other bands that I love. Nothing revolutionary here, just some good tunes that are nice to listen to. Glad I was turned on to this.
I've said this before and I'll say it again. The OG Allman Bros. lineup is one of the few bands that can lay serious claim to being the best band of all time. Never could get into jam band stuff but the Allmans are the exception. RIP Duane, your fingers could bring the voice of God out of the guitar.
Hard to mess up blues rock, and the The Black Keys don't exactly do that, but they do make it boring. It's music made for boomers who think it's rare for bands that make "real music" to still exist. I just need something more from these guys, something they have been unwilling to provide now 14 albums into their career. And so, for now, I must write them off as not for me.
Ohhhhhh man, to say how many times I listened to this in high school would be embarrassing. I know this thing in and out, front to back to front again. It's the pinnacle of overblown, overwrought, 70s rock bloat and it works despite itself. Not even close to my favorite Floyd record but, to me, it's just so undeniable. I know why someone might hate it, but I love it. Movie's cool, too.
My only knowledge of this record is from Yo La Tengo's fantastic covers of Hanky Panky Nohow and Andalucia. And, well, they have good taste. This was a lovely record with some gorgeous songwriting. Wasn't really expecting something this straightforward from Cale, but why should I be surprised that he can cut a pop tune with the best of them. Good stuff.
This being on the list over S/T or This Is Happening is a joke. A joke! At least Sound of Silver is on here. I had my time with LCD Soundsystem, I went to a show on their farewell tour, I made my peace with their brief run and their three very solid albums. I don't know that they needed to come back and this record didn't really dispel that notion. It's ok, I guess, but just not as many peaks as the other records (or as high), and it's just way too bloated. It all sounds a bit tired. This band could have gone down as legends if they stayed gone, but money talks I guess.
Call me basic, but this is a perfect album. Sometimes the boomers are right! Shoutout to my college friend who wrote a paper on "Time" for his freshman writing seminar. Floyd is forever, baby.
Never spent much time with Dusty outside of the big hits. What a talent! Love the voice, great arrangements. I'm sure the moms go crazy over this one.
Seems like Alice in Chains has been getting a lot of reappraisal lately, so I was looking forward to giving them a full look. Again, the hard rock side of grunge is just not for me. Layne has good voice for the genre but this doesn't do much for me. Instrumentation kind of just flattens out into a sludge and the tone is a little too aggressively dour to me. A very fitting album cover for what you're hearing, just kind of flat brown-ness.
Nice to listen to but gets kinda same-y. Made me sleepy but I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing.
Really don't like how this album is mixed, especially the drums, but Eddie Vedder's, let's say, unique timbre and cadence, combined with some pretty gnarly guitar solos and strong, tuneful songwriting make for one of the stronger hit records of this era when grunge took over the charts. Is it something I return to often? No, but I'll jam out to it when I come across it.
The Dandy Warhols are fine, and this album is solid, but would I include it on a list like this? Probably not. Victim to the CD bloat of the era, and I would probably pick quite a few other records from the 90s psych rock revival scene over this. (Please note no Elephant Six bands are represented on this list....) DIG! is great though, go watch that. I wonder if Anton is mad that the Dandys are on here and not BJM.
Hello, Bruce, we meet again. Again, this is the wrong type of record to encounter for the first time in a manner such as this. Bruce is one of those guys who make music you have to inhabit to really appreciate. I don't know if I will ever get there. For now, I must respect The Boss from a distance and wait for the day he grabs me.
Don't think I've ever listened to this all the way through, so wanted to see if there were any hidden gems in here. Not really. Bad is corny, Smooth Criminal is great, I kinda like The Way You Make Me Feel, and despite everything in my body rejecting what I'm hearing, The Man in the Mirror is over-the-top 80's pablum at its best. The deeper cuts are blah.
Hard to approach this without any consideration to its complicated history, but I've never been a huge Beach Boys guy so the circuitous path and alternate versions and original recordings and Brian Wilson losing his mind and slowly getting to a place where he could make this doesn't mean a whole lot to me. The music itself is nice. It definitely feels like Brian Wilson and a bunch of people standing in as the Beach Boys. There's some sparks of the old magic, and the compositions are nicely baroque and ever-changing. Words are mostly nonsense. It's a neat glimpse into Wilson's skewed vision of American pop music and where it might've gone, but a glimpse is all I need.
The reggae/post-punk intersection doesn't always work for me, outside of the Clash, but this is so raw, real, AND accomplished. Sounds like anyone could have made it this, but they didn't. The Slits did. Which, to me, is punk in a nutshell.
Not my favorite REM record, but this would also be 99% of bands' magnum opus so.... I must remember to not grade on a curve. REM is just so cool, man. They became one of the biggest bands on the planet but never lost what made them who they were. One of the rare acts that even the mainstream couldn't deny because they were so singular. This is a near perfect record (Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite is a goof that doesn't belong though sure is catchy). It's crazy that they were even better than this.
Kinda wish they took the best tracks from each record and intermixed them to make a proper Outkast record, but damn, this thing is so absolutely bursting with ideas, sounds, hooks, rhymes, and beats that there is always something new to discover. I really miss hip hop production like this. It just sounds incredible. There are better Outkast records, both because they are more concise and nothing quite beats Andre and Big Boi bouncing off each other, but if you are going to put out a 2+ hour rap record, this is how you do it.
Maybe the best double album ever made? Doesn't have one below average (or even average song), and even The Beatles couldn't do that. This just straight up rules, so many places for Joe Strummer and the boys to stretch out on, and they kill em all. Also maybe the best album cover of all time.
Somehow never listened to this despite being a big fan of noise music and the more abstract corners of industrial music. This rules so much. Can't imagine how it felt throwing this on in 1981. Still feels raw and transgressive. So much of this was shaved down and shaped to build a ton of more successful mainstream acts, but give me the uncut stuff baby. Do I want to listen to this all the time? No. But when I'm feeling a certain way, only stuff like this can scratch the itch.
Never gave The Strangers much of a listen outside of the "hits" (of which Peaches is one, shout out SEXY BEAST)... this is definitely more new wave than punk. Maybe even just regular ol' classic rock. Good bass lines, keyboards reminded me of The Doors. Goofy, more than a little kitschy, and fun. Good bar music, decent record.
I'm old enough to remember being disappointed when this came out because I was sad Beach House was abandoning their lo-fi bedroom pop sound for something more polished. I'm pretty stupid sometimes. This IS a bit of a transitional record, with the band working their way to the more cinematic, widescreen dream pop they would perfect in Bloom. Still great, though. Look, are there bands and records not on this list that I would put before Beach House? Yes. But are there other bands I would take off this list before I took off Beach House? Also yes. This is a lot of words to say, I love this band, I love this record, five stars.
Never been a CSN, CSNY, or even just a Y guy. Idk, just never came up in my classic rock education for some reason. Blame my dad. Maybe a little bit too much in the hippie scene for me to fully embrace. Helpless is great (though how much of that is because of my love of its performance in THE LAST WALTZ and Neil Young's coke booger)! The rest is pretty good! Maybe one day I'll really dive in to these guys and all their separate oeuvres.
I usually find "boring" to be a very lazy criticism of art, but........... this does next to nothing for me. She's got a good voice, but in the same way that someone in a karaoke bar on Broadway wanting to be discovered has a good voice. I wish she had more control over her instrument, though, it's essentially always the same timbre and volume which is tiresome. The music.... blech. It's just not for me. Music for moms, I'm afraid to say.
Best enjoyed while bumming cigs and drinking a case of beer in a parking lot somewhere. A key text in garage rock, indie rock, college rock, etc. Where would we be without the 'Mats? Maybe some other kids in a garage in Minnesota would have sprung up in their place. But that's not the world we're in. I'm alright with that.
Inspired one of my favorite songs ever, so how bad could it be. Perfectly pleasant, highly literate jangle pop. I can imagine Stuart Murdoch listened to this nonstop as a wee lad. I would have probably fallen head over heels for this if I had encountered it at a certain point in my life, but I came to the bands it influenced first so I can't see much further than my own nose at this moment. But it was really nice to go back to where it started.
Damn, this just sounds so good. Hasn't aged a day really. So many artists trying to recapture these sounds. The tunes are funky and soulful, arranged perfectly, and played so well. And of course the vocals are a stand out. I really can't find any nits to pick, honestly.
Never was on board the Eagles hate train even though Henley and Frey have done themselves no favors, but I've never thought of them as an album band. And my dad, a huge Eagles fan, even thought Hotel California (the song) was overplayed. I agree! But it's still easy to see why it was such a huge hit. Anyway, the Eagles are fine even though they have no edge and the boomer radio rock culture they embody has curdled into something that, maybe, the Eagles get unfairly/overly blamed for.
Maybe one of the strongest Side Ones of all time. I remember the first time hearing the title track and feeling something unlock in my brain. All of the other songs on this side rule in their own, specific way. It's incredible shit. And then you flip the record and "Super Stupid" kicks it off with a strong, but basic rocker, maybe a little too much cribbing from Hendrix, still super fun though and that guitar solo is superb. Then it's "Back in Our Minds", and it seems like a silly goof before the record gets back on track, but then "Wars of Armageddon" comes, which is a repetitive funk riff and some (literal) farting around. I'm not one to be completely down on experimental uses of fart noises in music, but there is a promise this record establishes that it doesn't quite execute on in the back half. Alas. But that Side One though....
The first album so far that I was truly baffled by it being on this list. It's fine... but entirely inessential. Everyone involved has done better work. And while it's never bad, it also never does anything to stand out. Only "Three Changes" really delivers on the promise of putting these players together. The most middle of the road 3 stars you can imagine.
Not the biggest fan of live albums, but I have to admit Thin Lizzy works best in this format. This is pretty much the perfect encapsulation of what made them special (although I would have included Whiskey in a Jar in the setlist, but I ain't Phil). Anyway, Thin Lizzy rules, love the dueling lead guitars and Phil Lynott's singular vocal delivery, and to this day, no one has written a better song about the boys and their being back in town.
It's too bad M.I.A. met a Bronfman and then went insane. Those first two records were really special. And I see Arular is on this list too so excited to get there. Ignoring the unfortunate baggage (which, to be fair, is nothing new when listening to a lot of artists on this list), this still sounds as exciting as it did when it first came out. I can not emphasize the impact that first Pineapple Express trailer that used "Paper Planes" had on my college dorm. Not all the tracks are winners, but damn, the ideas are bursting at the seams. I miss when music like this wasn't chasing streams and feeding the algorithm.
It's funny he calls this a "a short film" because he does really remind me of Scorsese here. A nerdy, overachieving kid watching the gangsters from his doorstep, at once horrified and enticed by everything happening around him. And then making art that some people see as glorifying that lifestyle, but really are just ways to process their complicated feelings on the milieu of their upbringings. Anyway this is fantastic, and will probably always be my favorite of his. It just feels rawer than his other work in a way that I prefer, as good as TPaB is.
Never been a Doors guy (I can not sanction Jim Morrison's buffoonery), but I do love Ray Manzarek's work on the keys. Iconic. Highs are high on this record but the lows are pretty bad/forgettable. Just not for me. Maybe not enough drugs on my part.
I respect Anohni far more than I particularly love her music (the voice can grate sometimes, I'm afraid), but when she hits, she hits hard. This is probably her and her band's most cohesive work. Some truly lovely tracks here, but would love to see them change up the tempo a little more (more tracks like Fistful of Love, please). Anywho, go look up her cover of Candy Says, it's great!
I mean, come on. You could put this out today and it would blow people away. Absolutely pristine sounds, incredibly songwriting, bewitching vocals. I'm always blown away by how fully formed they were from the jump. I'd put all 5 of their I.R.S. records on this list if I could. Murmur is perfect but somehow not the only perfect record they made.
Better albums that showcase Shankar's virtuosity, but this is a cool little artifact. Maybe less essential now that all the world's music is at our fingertips on demand but picking this up in 1957 definitely opened up some music-loving minds, especially some goofy lads out of Liverpool.
"Yeah, I hated him. I thought he betrayed us. I was a fucking idiot." - my screenwriting professor who was at Newport Folk in 1965
Can not join the increasingly loud group of the oh so edgy music nerds that call this better than Nevermind or Bleach, but at least they did not try to do more of the same. They were a good band with real artistry! Who knew. I do think "written as a reaction to" records have a ceiling but I'm not feisty enough to really test out that hypothesis.
Another favorite of my middle school metalhead friend! Although his favorite band at the time, Nevermore, is notably unrepresented on this list. Sad. Never been the biggest Pantera guy myself, I feel like their take on Groove Metal is the middle road between Thrash and Doom/Stoner that doesn't do much for me. Thrash is fast and exhilarating, feeling like it's about to go off the rails if not for the control of the players, Doom/Stoner slows the riffs down enough to be pummeling and atmospheric, placing the emphasis on the "heavy" in heavy metal. Groove kinda does neither, so it leaves me wanting. Either speed it up or slow it down, guys! Of course this record had a huge hand in influencing other acts that would take the idea of slowing down Thrash to its most extreme ends so.... I don't disagree with this record being on here. Influence/importance to the genre is high, my want to come back to it is low. That 1-2 punch of Walk and Fucking Hostile is pretty sick though. And credit to Phil Anselmo, his lyrics are surprisingly progressive and are a nice counterbalance to the meathead metal music that frames them.
Kings of Leon have become a joke, so hard to remember how exciting they were as a kind of Southern rock rejoinder to the NYC scene that was dominating indie rock at the time. "Hey, look, The Black Crowes are back!" essentially. Solid record, was a promise that they could not/would not deliver on, don't know how crucial it is for anyone to listen to this, but boy did my college roommate LOVE this record.
Queen might be the best band to not make a great album. While this has some interesting moments, it's just too much. Too much production shenanigans, too much overwrought instrumentation, too much aping of Led Zeppelin, too much cheese. Well, Queen is a band for theater kids, and I was never one of those. They work best in small doses for me, a full album of their overly ornate grandiosity gets wearisome.
Did we need a rock opera from a band that made their trade on hooky pop-punk tunes that would rarely even touch the 3 minute mark? I would say no, but the world disagreed. This just doesn't work for me, the whole idea of it turns me off, I guess. I'll always appreciate Green Day for their run from Kerplunk to Nimrod, and I still return to those records for a nice hit of nostalgia and songs that get in and out without wearing out their welcome. These songs do not do that for me. 16 year old me had already moved on from Green Day, imagine how 38 year old me feels.
Yeah makes sense this guy became a film score guy and Soderbergh's go to guy. This sounds like a soundtrack in search of a movie. It's fine but hardly memorable, and I got the idea about 3 tracks in.
Never been a huge goth guy, but will always appreciate the scene and always appreciate Bauhaus. Massive influences, flawless aesthetic, and a singular sound. It may not always be what I turn to, but I'm very glad it's out there.
Nah, not for me. Her voice is super grating on this record, so bad that I was kinda shocked. Not surprised she essentially disowned it.
