It's embarrassing to admit, but I've never listened to this album in its entirety. After just coming off the ending of Stranger Things, this album scratched the nostalgic itch I have been craving throughout my newfound existential crisis of middle-age-hood. God damn if this story isn't the most perfect representation of suburb life, and had it been made in between 1991-1995, it would have been my teen anthem. I can't believe I slept on this before, perhaps it wasn't the right time for me, but I'm obsessed. The only thing I can see being a problem, because it is my first album, it sets the bar really high.
Fantastic! I listened to this one in my high school classroom today, and while there's usually arguments over who picks the songs for the day, this one played in its entirety without any skips or complaints. It transcends generations. If I had to choose a favorite song, I'd go with "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing", but "Living For The City" had the whole class dancing.
Not for me, but I can see how people would connect to this album. The lyrics are nice to read. I prefer his music from the 2000's.
Separate art from artist and this album is great.
One of my absolute favorites of all time. Favorite songs are "Pump it Up" and "This Year's Girl".
I rated it a 3 for nostalgic purposes, Biggie's flow, and I understand it's cultural significance, but it hasn't aged well and the skits are too much now that I'm a lot older and shock value is less appreciated in my music. Favorite song is "Gimme the Loot".
Favorite songs are "Veinte Años", "Amor de Loca Juventud", and "La Bayamesa". As a New Orleanian, I'm tickled to hear how Cuban music has inspired some of the great jazz I grew up on; the song "Orgullecida" could be something I'd hear in a club by my house. I'm so glad I got this album on a Saturday so I can give it multiple listens in a day!
Favorite songs are "Ain't the Devil Happy" and "Come Clean". In the 90's, my high school friends were obsessed with Wu Tang and Nas, and we would drive around the southern suburbs on our way to the country club bumping east coast rap in the new cars our parents bought us. There was something alluring and provocative in this transgression; it was defiant, it was cool, and it was culturally necessary. I'm so surprised I've never heard of Jeru the Damaja before, or maybe I did at a catered pool party and just don't remember, but this is so freaking good I already know I'm bumping this in the school pick up line or on my way to hot yoga and day drinking margaritas tomorrow. Also, the album is short, not weighed down with unnecessary skits and collaborator shout outs, so it gets right to the point and I appreciate that.
I have to be in the right mood to listen to this all the way through, but it's a great album.
This album was easy to listen to, but it was also a bit boring in some parts. I can't think of a stand out song, but it wasn't bad overall, so that's why I give it a 3.
Wow. I skipped this one last week because I've always chalked up Hendrix to Boomer nostalgia...like, how great is this guy, really? So, today, Sunday, I caught up on the albums I skipped because it's a spring cleaning day. Got MJ and Yeezus, both 3s, ugh, need something great... move on to Hendrix...holy freaking shit! Mind blown. 5/5
Favorite songs "Little Wing" and "If 6 was 9", but really the whole album is added to my catalog now. What a freaking delight! I love this project!
Nice to revisit a classic album from my teenage years. Hearing it open with "Freak Scene" still gives me goosebumps. 5 stars in 1990, and 5 stars today.
I don't remember ever listening to this album before, but it reminds me of childhood. Summer BBQ, my dad and uncles playing basketball, my mom and aunts tanning, all us kids riding our big wheels in the street and this album playing out a car in the neighbor's driveway. Even though this album is not usually what I listen to, it captures a moment in time for me and Im glad I can hear it and appreciate it now. It's really good music and I will be adding this to my collection.
Nice background music. Very chill. I can understand why some people would rate this a 5, because it evokes a period in the 90s when this kind of music was peeking into mainstream territory. I think there are better Massive Attack albums, though, so I'll give it a 3.
I feel fortunate to get this album on a lazy Sunday morning. What a great start to my day, and one of those unexpected surprises from something Ive never heard before. Lots of great songs, but "Courting Blues" is my favorite.
Relistening to this since the 90's was a treat. Kicked off that whole pop punk thing. Clean harmonies, angsty lyrics, fun time all around, what's not to love?
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
DUN
DUN
DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN CHA!
It was exciting until I remembered I can't stand Axel Rose's voice and I don't want this in any of my personal playlists. Still, it's got some great songs and it made quite the impression on 10-year-old me back in the day so I'll give it a 4.
Mr. Brownstone is my favorite song on this album.
This dance music can be fun, but I'm more into interesting lyrics in my music and this is just repetitive. It's not bad at all, but not my cup of tea.
Not his best. Crafty, for sure, but College Dropout remains his best. Yeezus is mixed beautifully, but it's lacking anything mind blowing, which is what I expect. "Blood on the Leaves" is exquisite.
There's no doubt this album was a banger in 1987, but the bar was set soooo high with Thriller, in today's world, it's mid to me. Tons of MJ music better than Bad, like pre-Thriller jams, and I think this is the moment he started to lose relevance.
Favorite songs are "Dirty Diana" and "Smooth Criminal", but they're not great enough to pull my rate from a 3 to a 4.
I don't understand jazz. There's just too much going on at once, it really amps up my ADHD and I shutdown. I tried but I just can't. Also, Miles Davis abused women. I'll give it a 2 because it's not the worst thing I've ever heard, but I know I don't ever want to listen to this again. Perhaps if it wasn't 90 minutes long, it would be more accommodating.
Grateful Dead always makes me smile. I do prefer the studio albums to the live ones, though.
Wow, that's a lot of WAHHHHHHHHHH screaming. It's perfect if that's your jam. I was gifted my mom's old record collection years ago, and this was in the pile. I don't remember ever hearing it, but as a child I drew crayon mustaches and eyeglasses on the faces and my mom got mad. So, I guess that was my first experience with Deep Purple. There's no doubt it rocks and it was very influential for the musicians I would end up loving in the 90's. Also, it is unrelenting, like seriously, it just starts off like a cannon and keeps going to the end. Solos and fast drums and WAHHHHHH! It's not my cup of tea, but I appreciate the talent.
I bet if I was a teen in 1976, I would've loved to see this show with a boyfriend. It's not a bad live performance at all; Frampton is consistent for the hour and 17 minutes and the sound is awesome. It is hovering between a 3 and 4 for me, technically, but I will choose 3 because I'd only ever listen to these songs in bars, and I don't go to bars anymore.
I've never listened to Led Zepplin before aside from background jukebox music in bars. Everyone told me this would be the album I would like best because I like a lot of indie rock. I dunno. I just can't get into it. It gets a 3 from me because it's still great background jukebox bar music.
Oh boy something incredibly awesome to break up all the classic rock I've been given lately! I wasn't allowed to listen to this back in the 80's, not because of the language or subject matter, but because the "N" stood for the "N" word, and my parents hated that word. So you best believe I bumped this album in my car all day today and enjoyed every second of it. Sorry Mom and Dad, but not sorry and I promise I didn't say the "N" word when singing along but substituted "brother" and "neighbor" instead. Some of the tracks sound like that great house party music we loved to dance to back then and "Fuck Tha Police" just goes as hard now as it did then. I can't love this enough.
Couldn't give this one a 5 because it felt a little too preachy about God at times, but it's a whole-ass vibe. I loved this era of hip hop in the 90's.
Absolutely lovely voice! I am surprised I enjoyed this as much as I did.
I think these ratings boil down to generational gaps. I hear "Scorpio" and immediately want to put on my roller skates or imagine Ozone breaking it down. Does it sound dated? Absolutely. And I am here for it.
I wish I was there to see this live at the Apollo. The screams! The big band! The energy! How amazing would that be?
I love how campy the lyrics are! Fun stuff! I wish I could hear this in 1973 and watch the old folks' heads explode.
It's not bad at all, but not anything I would purposely feel like listening to. I appreciate Mr. John's talent, but maybe this album dragged on a little too long, or maybe I just liked Madman better, I dunno, but I gotta give it a 3. That rating feels wrong. My heart says 3. But I think I've been conditioned for years and years to believe this is album is a masterpiece, so I feel guilty I don't love it more. I guess it's just like that sometimes.
Africano is a whole ass vibe and I am here for it.
Sarah Vaughan's voice is amazing, the live recording is perfect, and the vibe is great. There is nothing wrong with this album, but I'm only giving this a 3 because I just really gotta be in the mood to listen to jazz standards. Surely if I were around back then, in a smokey bar with a drink in my hand, sitting at a table next to a dapper fellow, it would be a phenomenal experience to see this live.
Amazing album. It's just me and Willie sitting by a campfire, sharing a whiskey bottle as he sings me a story. It's so comfortable.
I've never heard this before and I think this is the best Springsteen I've heard so far. Sooooo dark and bare. Other Springsteen albums are so-so, but this is really great. So glad to experience this side of Bruce.
Fast and bulbous. I didn't really get it. It gets a 2 just for the album cover art.
This album is strange and sexy rock and roll. I'm instantly transported to the 60s while listening, but I wasn't born until the late 70s, so I have nostalgia for a time I never experienced. It's wild.
Wow, this album really surprised me.
Ugh. I enjoy some Lou Reed/Velvet Underground hits and other albums in small doses. This one is grating and insufferable, and I'm just not in the mood today.
I remember seeing Public Enemy on Yo! MTV Raps when I was a kid, but I was much too young to really understand any of the lyrics, except I knew Chuck D was a little mad about something. I love that I can listen to this now with fresh ears and more empathy towards black American struggles in the 80s, because now it makes more sense. Also, the beats and samples are just fun stuff.
I don't know much about The Band except for Fanny and her loads, so I had this idea the album would be some quasi hippy dippy southern rock knockoff bullshit. I mean, they're Canadian and Canadians are usually a couple years behind. Imagine my surprise when I realized this isn't the knockoff, this is the real deal that influenced my guilty pleasure crows from the 90's, like Counting Crows and Black Crowes...as well as all those classic rock gods my parents listened to on the radio. It's a solid album and it's why I adore this 1001 project.
#49 on the randomizer for me, but #1 in my heart.
I've not listened to much Rolling Stones in my life because my introduction to them was their 80s and 90s music, which I did not really care for as a young person. I sort of dismissed them as old people rock n roll. This album is definitely something I could get into, though. It's really bluesy, which is what I was in the mood for today, so I thoroughly enjoyed the Stones. I can't wait to tell my mom, she'll be so proud.
"Dear Doctor" and "Factory Girl" are my favs.
Make out music from senior year. Good times.
While I'm not the biggest R.E.M. fan, my favorite song of theirs, "Radio Free Europe", opens up this album and it made me excited to listen. I do recognize their impact on all of the college rock I would come to love.
This is wonderful from start to finish. People who give this 1 star must be fully dead on the inside.
I had a boyfriend when I was 15 who loved Sepultura while I loved the Lemonheads. I remember trying really hard to like this so I could fit into his world. It's really not bad and I can see myself listening to this if I need to hear something intense, but I don't think I'll be adding any songs to my personal playlists so it's a 3.
I've been to many a Texas BBQ and Bike Night to understand the cultural significance of ZZ Top. It's reliable, consistent, and inoffensive background music for gatherings. It was an easy listen on my work commute and kept me entertained.
Back in the 90's, all the cool college kids I looked up to listened to Velvet Underground. I thought there must be something wrong with me because I didn't think it was as great as they said it was. Now 30 years later, I still stand by my original opinions of the music. It's just ok. I'll give it a 3 because some of the songs spark nostalgia.
Shankar's album is one reason I do this project. The only thing I knew about the sitar before hearing this is the Beatles songs that incorporated the instrument or international movies with sitar songs. This album was something new and unexpected, and a true delight. I'll revisit "Dance Indra" and the Stones cover "Jumpin Jack Flash" again, for sure. "Raghupati" is my favorite.
Probably my favorite R.E.M. album of them all. I'm not the biggest fan of the band, at least not as big a fan as most people I grew up with, but this album is a solid 4. So much better than Automatic for the People, which was HUGE during my high school years and one I didn't really care for.
I mean, it's Ray Charles. It's not any of his best songs, but it kept me entertained.
This is good background music. I give it a 3 because it sounds like the perfect music for a 90's movie montage. And I do love the 90s.
Any Olive Garden veteran circa 1996-2005 knows most of these songs by heart. From the first verse, I had a brief moment of PTSD as I was transported to being in the weeds on a Friday afternoon juggling neverending pasta bowls, all you can eat soup and salad, and waters with lemon. After some internal reassurance and deep breathing, I remembered I am no longer working the OG FOH, and I relaxed enough to enjoy some Frank. And to all those old pearl clutchers who were determined to censor our music in the 80s and 90s, shame on you. "Makin Whoopee" is just scandalous you old biddies.
First time T. Rex listener, and this was the cool factor missing from my entire life. I feel so much sluttier listening to this, or happier, or slinkier, whatever I know there's a word for it and I now have to pause my list and go listen to everything T. Rex has. Like right now.
This is my project so I will base my ratings on straight nostalgia if I wanna. Listening to this album 40 years after it was made there is a glaring revelation: yes, it is cheesy.
But that does not negate the fact I remembered every word of every song and I felt something in my soul, albeit a bit of embarrassment mixed with the sort of wisdom that only comes with being able to laugh at yourself.
Ah, this album on any other occasion would be a 2 now, but there are 3 redeeming factors tied to personal nostalgia that bump it up to a 3.
1. My dad took me to a Bon Jovi/Skid Row concert when I was 11 years old. They played a lot of these songs and it was the coolest thing I ever experienced up to that point in my life. He bought me a concert t shirt, which I still have, and I wore it to school the next day and the other 6th graders were in awe.
2. "Never Say Goodbye" was often used as a couples skate when I was that same age. I remember wanting to be a teenager so badly just so I could experience the good times I would someday reminisce. I would see the teenagers hold hands and skate to this song while I was waiting on the wall for the dumb 6th grade boys to skate around and ask me to skate. It broke my heart in a good way.
3. "Wanted Dead or Alive" is just a great song among the cheese. In fact, Jon Bon Jovi is much better as a cowboy than this spandex mess. I prefer that Young Guns 2 soundtrack to any of his other music.
Anyway, this album IS 1986. It is cheesy now, but back then it was really something great.
Let it be known I don't care anymore if I'm not cool enough to get Sonic Youth.
I am not angry and 15 years old trying to get the attention of the skaters in the parking lot by blasting "Kissability" or "The Sprawl" from my dad's car. I'm not a freshman art student trying to fit in to the art crowd. I am not that indie darling or that hipster or too cool for school.
I am almost 49 years old and I have a shit ton of fucking anxiety and I take Pepcid for my bad stomach and drink Metamucil for regular poops. I have a teenage daughter who sometimes hates me and I work in a public 6-12 school and I live in a world of screaming and complaining and crying and brain rot and constant bullshit so my cortisol levels are always raised, my jaw is permanently clenched, I don't sleep well, I have daily panic attacks, and my heart has palpitations on top of palpitations. Daydream Nation is just too dense, inaccessible, and demanding; like a 7th grade classroom, I just can't deal with this loud shit right now.
I don't enjoy being hit with a wall of noise when I turn on a song. No real melody, no singing, just straight noise that makes me feel panicky and old. And while I do enjoy some Sonic Youth hits, like "Dirty Boots", "100%", and the Cypress Hill colab "I Love You Maryjane", I know now most of it is garbage. In fact, a lot of it sounds like the sound that the garbage truck makes outside my house at 6am. Screeching and squeaking and motorized and the monotonous hum of the back of the truck compressing this week's neighborhood trash. And that's ok. Let it be known I don't like Sonic Youth and I turned off Daydream Nation during the second song when this enjoyable project turned into something offensive and meaningless to my ears. I then pressed play on the remaining tracks until the wall of noise happened on each one so I could feel like I didn't give up completely. Just fucking noise. And it's not that I dont appreciate loud music or chaotic music; Sepultura was loud and fast but it was pretty. It's just that damn ZHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUZZZZZZZZZZZZHHHHHHHHHH...
I think it was mostly hive mind mentality that convinced a lot of us that this band was the shit back in the 80s and 90s; there's no way I REALLY enjoyed any of this, is there? Maybe it's the fact they're just so New York so they must be cool. Ugh. I'm over it and I'm being honest with myself for the sake of this list of 1001 albums I must hear before I die. Nah. I can die without this one. Now, they get a 2 from me because it's not ALL noise and I understand their significance in shaping the music of my youth. I want to save my 1 star for the worst thing I have ever heard, and this is not it. I just don't particularly like it.
It's not a bad album at all, but not better than Innervisions or Key of Life. It's more lovey/"easy listening" than the others, and I prefer something a little more funky.
I like this in small doses. Maybe one or two songs. But an entire album is overwhelming and intense. It felt very long. Nevertheless, I'll return to listen to select songs again.
Edit to add: I just went back and watched a video of Ride's, "Unfamiliar", and holy hell these guys are so freaking cute. 15 year old me in the 90s would have definitely been more into this music had I known they were so incredibly good looking. I am a sucker for that side part, undercut, hair-hanging-in-the-face, skater look. We should definitely bring that back. And the longish, shaggy short hair... like so many guys back then in 1990 were growing their hair super long because of metal and grunge, but I was always more fond of the boys who just kept it messy on top. I will bump my rating up from a 3 to a 4 for aesthetic purposes.
Edit again: Annnnnd I just watched another video of them circa 2024, and they are still very hot and more age appropriate for me to think so.
I didn't think I'd enjoy this at first, but after a few songs, it kinda grew on me and I noticed I was dancing along in my car on the way to work. Not bad at all. It was fun to really put on my listening ears and take notice of all the different samples used in each song, which is mindblowing when I think of the talent involved in orchestrating this kind of music. I probably won't go out of my way to listen to it again, but I won't skip it if it happens to pop up on a shuffle.
This album did not make it into my huge collection of cds and cassettes back in 91 because I thought it was annoying as fuck. Flash forward to 2026 and I start listening to this album for this project, and I already know every single song on it. Somewhere in 91, I must have heard this in its entirety. Maybe a party. Maybe a bar. Whatever, I knew every single song and I realize this album must have been EVERYWHERE at the time. This skewed my rating up to a 3 because I know it was really popular, so there must be some good in it that I'm missing, right? So I continued my listen and it's kinda fun. In my opinion, I've heard enough about Anthony Keidis' hard weiner to last a lifetime, but musically, it is kinda funky and I like that part of it. So, I guess what I'm saying is, Kiedis is annoying with his wang talk and chicka chicka dee bow wow wow, but I like the funky fun part of it.
This doesn't sound like 1979, it sounds like some indie rock today. Not bad at all.
Somedays you just really need The Temptations! Reading up on this album, it seems this Grammy winner pissed off a lot of their original fan base by funkin it up a little. I say good for them. One of the most annoying things, to me, in music is when "expert" listeners get angry when their artists take their art in another direction. Like, they're personally attacked or something. Switching things up to remain relevant or reach more people is a wonderful thing if done correctly (of course it can backfire). But in this case, it did not backfire, and it was very enjoyable.
Boy do I love me some Bob Marley. Such an easy listen. All the songs are great and they're already featured on my personal playlists.
Leonard Cohen is a storyteller and a poet, but he'd not a great singer and he's not a great musician. This album is something you should read, not something you should listen to. Ive got two of his albums this week and I figured out I don't have to take Ambien, I can just let Leonard put me to sleep with bedtime stories. Im rating this one a 3 and the other one a 2, because this one seems better even though they're pretty much identical. The 3 is for the lyrics alone, but musically it is dull.
Born to Run sounds like longing feels, gas engines smell, and Marlboro Reds taste.
This album sounds like shopping at Contempo Casuals circa 1992. It has a very specific sound that existed for a wonderful, brief moment in time, and while it's not bad to me, I can see how it might sound dated. It's like one of those "you had to be there" vibes.
2nd album this week by Cohen and I want to die. These songs work much better as covers because Leonard Cohen's lyrics are ok but he is just bland. Perhaps if I just heard 1 or 2 songs, I'd be ok, but 2 albums is too much for me. Now, on to the other 2 albums I put off this week: Jimi Hendrix and Zepplin. What a diverse Sunday!
I know an album is iconic when I recognize every single track even though I've never purposely listened to the album before. I knew every single song, even sang along Beavis and Butthead-style to the guitar riffs, yet I can't remember an exact time in life I've said, "Hey let's listen to Led Zepplin II". It's way before my time and my parents did NOT like Zepplin. Perhaps I've heard it in the bars I've worked in; when in jukebox doubt, play Zepplin, am I right? Anywho, not my thing, but I appreciate how iconic it is and a few of the songs are low key bangers.
Three Zepplin albums in so far, and I like this one the least. It's kinda boring compared to Zepplin II and III, and nothing remarkable.
I'd never listened to The Byrds before. It wasn't bad. I definitely love the music inspired by this, like Grateful Dead, Uncle Tupelo and Wilco, so it was nice to hear where it came from.
This morning was my first time hearing FKA twigs. I know I have to give it a 5 when I think about an album all day long, in a good way. It really stuck with me. Not any particular song or moment, but the whole mood. Amazing.
Apparently I'm the outlier who prefers Lou Reed's solo albums to Velvet Underground. Punk card revoked? Whatever, but the solo stuff is just BETTER.
As a late Gen Xer, sometimes I feel like if I had been born just a tad earlier in line with my babysitters and cool uncles I'd have a more refined appreciation for early post punk. After all, I do LOVE the genre and all it has to offer. But that being said, because I was only exposed to the latter part of Echo and the Bunnymen's music, I know I appreciate the stuff that came out in the mid to late 80s a little more than this debut. So, because I have a sneaky suspicion there will be later, 5-star albums by this group in this project, I will give this one a 4 because I was just born to late. Still a great album, just not their BEST.
My 74 year old mother loves the Stones, and as I approach my 50s, the thought of turning into my mother is a very real fear. I look in the mirror and see it every day. But as I stand here in my kitchen on this early Memorial Day holiday morning, scrubbing dishes and rocking out to Let It Bleed, I realize I, too, love the Stones. I love this album. Just one more step closer to becoming my mother.
Like others have mentioned, quite possibly the best opener and closer in all the history of rock and roll albums. But for me, it's the meat in the middle, y'all. Good stuff indeed.
