Some memorable songs. About half the album was too slow for my taste, and some of the songs were a bit long. The last song was slow but a cool and unique sound.
Enjoyable listening. Good background music for just about anything, and definite enjoyable moments. Catchy rhythm to the music.
Lots of really enjoyable songs. Won't ever be unhappy listening to this.
Rockin out, good for a lot of different situations and activities. Not totally my style, but classic, good, and fun.
Enjoyed parts, but got a little bit too much "Jam session" for me
I really enjoy a lot of the beats, but some of the songs get repetitive and meh. Others are very good. This group seems dependent on the guest vocalist they have on each song
The beats are fun, the lyrics amusing. I got a bit tired of the style by the end
This style of music isn't really my thing, and the lyrics got a bit depressing
I found this fun, and would enjoy listening to it again. There was one song towards the end that was long and boring and almost ruined it for me, but it held out.
I think I actually would have enjoyed this more without the lyrics
I was almost ready to 4* this. much of the album, I could imagine listening during a variety of activities and having fun. some of the tracks got annoying sounding and a bit far out there
good background music. The audio level fluctuations got obnoxious at times
I don't know enough about jazz to distinguish too much between groups and styles, but this was enjoyable
I'm a sucker for the upbeat and dynamic acoustic guitar sound, and found this enjoyable, if a bit inconsistent
I expected to like this more than I did. I kept feeling like I was right on the verge of a payoff and really enjoying it, but never got there. It was fine.
Not really having a chance at understanding the lyrics, I enjoyed the beat and flow and mood of the music.
This fluctuated between "not my thing" and "actively obnoxious". This guy is so sad! And he's sharing his sadness with the world. Repeatedly. I don't find the lyrics that deep or meaningful, but he does sing it well, and the instrumentals aren't half bad.
This reminded me of marilyn manson. Which is interesting and maybe backwards to say, because this came first. I don't mind the style, but I'm also not excited by it.
I never felt super groovy with this or excited, but when it ended, I was totally happy to just keep listening to the random REM music that amazon autoplayed. Going to consider that a good sign.
I'm not entirely sure what I just listened to, but I think it was enjoyable! I enjoyed the techno song.
Party jazz with some fun lyrical stuff mixed in. Could listen to this again.
If there's a blues/jazz equivalent to a jam band, this is it :). Once again good background music, but to my musically illiterate mind, this seemed like just another jazz album. Without including any vocals, there's nothing to add that much unique flavor to it.
This felt like the most diverse set of sounds and styles that I can remember on a non-Weird Al album. I can't say I knew what was happening, but I think I enjoyed it ok?
Good groove, and lyrics. I quite liked Liability. But overall it didn't blow me away. I'd listen again, because of the groove, and the style. But it's not the best example of this style, to me.
This was a long one, and I continued to enjoy it the whole way, which I take as a good sign. I can tell this was a foundational or early version of a lot of hip hop, and might have been instrumental in a new style that other artists jumped off of. The beats were excellent, and I always enjoy the style of the music dropping out on a particularly powerful lyric.
When the first song was already repetitive 3 minutes in, I checked, and there were 5 minutes left, I knew this would be a rough one. This was...weird. I don't think I enjoyed the style, and I was ready for it to be done.
I don't mind the slow paced and acoustic guitar songs if I can identify with the lyrics, but I didn't get there with this album.
Such unique and often epic sounds coming out of the 80s hair metal era. I'm very surprised that it often seems restricted to that genre, and we don't hear it more in other types of music. I enjoyed the different guitar work on here, and the style in general.
I expected to like this more. There were some highlights. I liked You Haven't done Nothin. Mostly it just didn't grab me.
I didn't enjoy this quite as much as the last one. None of the songs but one really stood out to me. It was good grooving music though.
I can't actually really explain why I enjoyed this, but it was I did. I could listen to this and never be unhappy. Probably not while working out, but in most other situations. The music and the vocals were different pacing and timing from from one another, but still somehow fit.
I wish I could have understood the lyrics; I think I would have liked this better.
I quite enjoy the vocal style, and the lyrics are decent, but the instrumentals just feel very interesting to me, and I enjoy those even more.
I couldn't understand any of the lyrics. I actually noticed the album ended when I heard English. But I enjoyed this well enough, despite it being slow. It was tranquil and the vocal sounds fit it well.
This had some classic/memorable songs, and I like it. But an hour straight of it is a bit much :). Not quite as enjoyable as Marvin Gaye.
Despite the vocal mumbling, I enjoyed this. The instrumentals were fun to listen to, and stayed dynamic for different and enjoyable sounds the whole way through.
On its own, fine, whatever. But there's this musical trend of, what if we make our audio sound like it's poor quality, mumble, and say the same thing repeatedly for 5 minutes straight. I don't know if I can become convinced that it's just a new, cool, quality style.
I would not have thought this was my thing, but I enjoyed it. Even the somewhat longer songs, which I typically don't jive with, didn't bother me, and once or twice was even sad a song was ending.
Except for the nonsensical lyrics, the sound of his voice, and the musical style, I'm indifferent to this.
This gives me radiohead vibes, but way way way better. And it included a rendition of Hallelujah, which when done well will always get bonus points. This type of music is not my general style, but I enjoyed this anyways, which is a really positive sign. My one complaint is that his vocals blended with the music a bit too well, which made it hard to passively take in the lyrics.
Never a good sign when I think an album sounds like a Weird Al parody. I guess Al didn't feel the need; Billy did it for himself.
I can totally see this as being inspiration for bands that I'm more familiar with, and that are more recent. I don't love it, don't hate it, but do enjoy the smooth jazzy rock feel.
Is this album on here as a joke? Why is the AOL dialup noise considered a "song"? This is different enough that I can see why people would like it, just because it's contrary and different. I don't tend to enjoy things that are different just for the sake of being different, but with no real new or interesting or enjoyable about them. There were a couple of songs I almost enjoyed, until they kept going and ruined it.
The samba added a lot to the jazz! I enjoyed this over most of the jazz albums, and I think the combination/fusion was right up my alley.
Well, starting out with Baba O'Riley already makes this a 6/5. The rest of the album did not disappoint. Could listen to this all day!
I dislike it for the same reason I dislike family guy. "Hey what if we do an annoying thing?" Then it's annoying "But what if we do the annoying thing like 50x in a row". People who like family guy say "THEN IT BECOMES AWESOME AND FUNNY". People who like this album say "THEN WE TRANSCEND CRAPPY NORMAL MUSIC AND ACHIEVE AMAZING TRANSCENDANCE". For me, in both scenarios, I think, this just sucks.
Unfortunately, there were a couple of songs towards the end that were actually enjoyable, so I have to give it a 2*.
My main complaint in this album is that I don't know why it has to be all one big long song. If there were certain jams, sounds, or pieces I wanted to listen to at a particular time, no easy way to find them. But to just turn it on and let it groove in the background, it was great! The last song, I didn't enjoy. Almost ruined it for me.
I kinda wish this was more party music. That's what I had in my head at least. I was happy for this to be on the list and to get to check it out, but it didn't wow me.
I wondered if this was electronica. I looked it up, and it's apparently called indietronica? I started out thinking this was not my favorite example of this style, but the longer the album went on, the more I got into it. It's not changing my life, or the world, but I enjoyed!
Mrs. Vanderbilt and Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five were cool, but the rest felt just fine. I didn't dislike it, but didn't get overly excited either.
I gave this a 2* last time I had it come up, and that still holds. Slow stoner music, and the extra effects also made the lyrics difficult to pick out to find a redeeming quality.
Standing in the doorway might be the first Bob Dylan song I've heard that I'd actually say I enjoyed ok. Not great, but ok. This album is more enjoyable than the others of his that I've heard, but I still find his voice grating, style annoying, and lyrics nonsensical. This was just slightly less extreme. After the album finished, amazon autoplayed a song from an earlier album, and it was striking the difference. I think Bob needed to calm down some.
It takes a specific kind of artist for me to really get into this genre (Frank Turner), and this band didn't hit that. But the songs were short and varied enough that I still enjoyed.
I can almost almost ALMOST see myself getting into this. The funk isn't really my thing, but I could see getting
I can totally picture hearing these guys playing in some dingy, all wooden furniture watering hole in the 60s. And maybe if that was my scene, this would be my sound. But it doesn't feel like it works for me in 2026.
My metal taste isn't refined enough to be able to tell the differences between the songs, but it was a good (but intense) background jam music. Probably got my heart rate and adrenaline moving fast enough to make me fairly productive. Could also see it being good for running, until I collapse.
Funnily, the first song on here that I really enjoyed and caught my ear was Ol' Man River. He did it well, a good rendition. Then Greensleeves was good, and I enjoyed the rest of the album. I think this is a rare case where I had settled on a 2, but it got better in the last few songs and bumped up to a 3.
Nothing about this album is things that I should like, if I think about it. But it FEELS good. I can't explain it. Maybe it's just the best done version of all of these things I don't typically like (sad slow songs, difficult to understand country twang, sometimes repetitive lyrics). But I was digging this.
Love Eminem. He's right there with DMX for my favorite rapper of all time. His lyrics, beats, flow, lyrical speed and clarity, and catchiness of the songs are all on top notch. That said, it loses a bit for the over the top violence in spots, but that just makes it not my favorite Eminem album; it doesn't make it bad. Part of what makes music special is to feel like you're hearing something real, that speaks to you. And the ultra violent lyrics, even if they're facetious and not intended to be serious, don't accomplish that
This is just what I think of when I think of oldie rock. Nothing more or less, nothing better or worse.
I frequently found myself tapping my foot to the groove here, but I think that's all the further I got with enjoying it. Nothing grabbed me too closely, and there were more internet dialup noises for no reason during the album. I don't understand why bands feel the need to do that. Ultimately, this feels like the type of music you put as background to a travel montage in a movie. Perfect 3.
If I wanted to put on a lava lamp and get stoned, I think this would be good music to do it to. I can't think of many other situations I want this vibe. I should like this style as chill background music, but it was too inconsistent. I wouldn't call it bad, but I would never have been unhappy for it to end.
I'm wondering whether to bump this from 3->4 just because of American Girl, but that song only really holds a place in my heart because of tv shows it's been used in. This album was fine, but nothing exciting. The expression on his face from the cover can be the tiebreaker and keep it at a 3.
Man, this album is long. And I don't think I love it. But it's fine. I can see why people like it; I do actually enjoy the piano and other instrumentals. But nothing about it stands out or gets me excited.
I was basically bored through this whole album. I didn't hate it, but nothing in it was interesting.
This might be a rare case where I lean upwards on an album because of how early on it was. This feels like it could be the precursor and inspiration for every punk album that followed. And like so many of them, I have no idea what he's saying. But I enjoyed. I particularly liked the punk yell "Un deax trois go!"
I really enjoyed this. Diverse, fun, fast paced, but not overwhelming background music. And some Ferris Bueller quotes. Done!
I enjoyed the jazz/techno/hip hop beat combination. Would listen again
First off, meat is not murder. Unless we're talking human meat. Silly hippies.
I feel like this guy's voice should annoy me more than it does. And the music should annoy me, but doesn't really. That's kinda weird. But I guess this album was fine? It actually feels like Tears for Fears, but manages to not suck at it.
Better version of the road trip music. But man, there are so many songs on here I recognize, and think of fondly. Found some others that were fun and caught me. "I Like Dirt" being high on that list.
I really really enjoyed this. I want to go 5*, but I don't think I can quite get there. Maybe the length is what's in the way? Or maybe I'd just need another listen or two to get there.
Such a unique and awesome sound! I'm sure it happens more than I realize, but as an uneducated music noob, this stands out. When a band can do something that is so different than every other band, with the same tools. I half expected to not really enjoy this, since it doesn't have the classic Ozzy songs that I've always thought about. But it definitely brought some amazing songs that I hadn't heard before.
I feel like I'm listening to 93.3 with a generic alternative band playing. I'm not unhappy, but I'm also not not cranking the volume. I'd go watch them at Kegs and Eggs, but only for the general bar concert vibe; not because I was stoked to see them. I'm actually really surprised they felt like they needed more than an hour of these songs to make their point here. Traveling Circus was SO fun and unique and stood out. But the album is just too long for that one song to raise it up.
This is just slightly better than jam band. It's right on the hairy edge of being too slow to be enjoyable, but stays above that threshold. I found it hard to pick out any notable lyrics while backgrounding it, but the times I honed in on them they seemed fine, but nothing that stood out.
Fingernails are pretty, fingernails are good...a strong start to competing with ole Bob for the most nonsensical lyrics. At least the instrumentals and voice is far superior. Overall, I was excited to see this band/album pop up, but I was a bit disappointed. Maybe their later stuff was better and more distinct. There were some cool musical intros to songs or sections that I thought was going to really hit it, but I never really felt or got the payoff. Would not be unhappy to hear again, but wouldn't be excited.
This is different than anything I've ever listened to. Enjoyed it so much more than I would have thought! Maybe because it's unique, but it was easy to listen and follow along and enjoy the stories. I wouldn't have thought I would enjoy country western stories, but this album made it very enjoyable.
Didn't stop bouncing my feet/legs the entire album. Hit the right balance to me of beat, variance, lyrical work, catchiness. Felt like this album captured a lot of the things I really like about hip hop, along with the funk/electronica themes.
I don't really enjoy concerts or their recordings unless I know the music well. I guess I just have a hard time picking out lyrics when it's not the studio recording. I don't know the Who, so the flare of hearing this stuff in a concert setting is actually a detractor to me.
I feel like this album brings up all the nostalgic triggers for me, sailing down the highway in the backseat of my dad's Bronco with the windows rolled down and cigarette smoke steadily wafting back to me. Somehow that's a positive, because I think of the music fondly. The sound feels unique to me, even if it didn't stand out song to song, and I'd enjoy listening again.
Maybe it was a mistake, but I looked up the meaning behind the album before starting. It made me enjoy it more than I probably would have otherwise. Despite the songs all being 10-15 minutes, I felt like they were each dynamic enough within the song that it didn't bother me too much. But it did still feel a bit much. I really do appreciate the jazzy protest, and it was catchy. As protest music should be. Take a note, Bob.
In my context of it being 60 years later, I just don't get this album. Maybe this is on the list because of some fundamental new thing it was doing, but it doesn't strike me as unique or cool. The voices bugged me, and the instrumentals felt relatively generic.
This was reasonably fun and enjoyable. I feel like this is a good example of an album on the list that I think "ya, I get why this is on the list"
Some definite bangers/all time greats on here. That being said, this music is hard enough that I think I couldn't listen to it for too long without being physically tired. What I think they do really well is have these punch lines that makes the crowd/listener want to sing out loud with them. The right kind of catchiness for me.
I'm stiiiiiiiiiiiill waiting for the song to get interesting. I could sorta almost get into some of these songs. But then they'd get obnoxious and undo their hard work for me. They're also too long. I feel like this is where Tool got their inspiration from. What if we do a song that's ok, or even enjoyable. Then just play is 2-3 times in a row without changing anything. That'll really sell.
I probably couldn't distinguish well between this and other electronica albums, but it was a really good mix between the amount of time spent just grooving to beats and the amount of lyrics mixed in. The songs were unique from one another, they kept it short and sweet. I like!
This was one of the first 5-10 albums I ever owned. One of my favorite things about the best rap albums is the sheer variance and variety in beats and songs, but they just all hit. I don't even remember 80% of the songs, but they work just as well today (for me) as they did 25 years ago, and I think even a bit better.
Her voice is fine, but this strikes me as just more generic guitar strumming rock. I think this is meant to be carried by the lyrical work, but nothing felt that groundbreaking or unique to me.
Fine listening. Didn't hate it or love it. Good diversity in sound and mixing in of lyrical parts with the pure instrumentals. The fact that I listened to this a few months ago and couldn't remember my opinion on it reinforces that it's nothing particularly memorable.
Is that cowbell? I appreciate the work here, even if the style isn't my thing. There are a lot of things I would have expected to annoy me about this, but I never felt that, except for the flatulence sounds towards the end of the wars of armegeddon. I also never grooved to it like I'm sure they and their audience do. I do feel impressed by the sheer number of different instruments involved in the sound.
Crazy that I think the vocals actually take away from the iconic guitar work? Nope, not crazy. I wish it had just been the instrumentals.
This feels like some slow paced country bumpkin music, vocals by non-native English speakers mumbling and trying to produce weird al type music, but not ending up funny. I didn't hate it, but even actively trying, couldn't find my enjoyment of it.
Half stars would be nice. This is right on the edge of where I'd almost be excited to hear it again in 6 months, but not quite there. I was pleasantly surprised that there was a whole album in the style of "Epic". It didn't disappoint, but it also didn't light me on fire like I'd hope.
This album feels like nonsense, but in an ok way. Feels totally forgettable.
Bad news good news. Bad news is that I still don't like indie psychedelic rock. The good news is this isn't a function of my age. I never have. I'm happier sitting in silence than listening to this.
I don't think I'd ever heard Van Morrison before, but I felt like I had. I had to look it up, and that's because I've heard counting crows. The slow jazzy piano playing ballads don't really feel like my thing, but I enjoyed it well enough.
I don't dislike this as much as Bob, but it's close.
This feels like background music to the slowest part of a movie or a video game. Felt like I was gonna fall asleep
There is a bit too much repetitiveness to this to my liking, and I'm not going to go play this on repeat or anything, but I do think that the melodies take me on a journey, independent of the vocals. I feel like I'm riding this wave and the drops happen right when I want.
There were some high points and the general style of the music is enjoyable. Then there were some super repetitive parts.
First of all, what a great band name. I wish they lived up to it. The vocalists' vocal range is great, and distinct. But the rest just feels so generic. And the songs are the same sound with slight timing differences. For over an hour. The singles that I recognized did add some nostalgia.
"Weighted down" is the perfect description for how I feel about this album. I actually can't even bring myself to care about it enough to hate it.
This put me to sleep a bit. I didn't find it the that interesting, and the lack of vocals kinda just gave it a feel of unrelated sounds being combined. I hate to keep using the term, but it felt like a jazz version of a jam band.
Smooth vocals, fun rhythm and flow. It actually surprises me that after 100 albums, this album still strikes me as unlike anything else on the list thus far. I had never sat down to just listen to Elvis before, and it didn't disappoint.
This feels like transition montage music in a movie or video game. I think had it been about 1/2 of the length, I would have been very impressed. I found myself a bit more blasé on it by the end. Which is a shame, because there's really good work on all the instruments here. But it kinda turned into background music rather than the star of the show.
Dire Straits is another band with a totally unique sound, and definitely belong on this list. Sultans of Swing almost puts this up there with the GOATs all by itself.
I don't know what to think of this one. I enjoyed the instrumentals. The lyrics had some weird themes to them, and I think if I listened to it in a dedicated way I'd be sad, but in an ok way.
I have to go high here just because of the quality of her voice. I enjoy the folky storytelling style, but the vocals are just so smooth and clear on a high range. Well produced and easy to consume and hear the stories.
It surprises me that this album is so late, because most of the artists with this style seemed to have disappeared since the late 1990s/early 2000s. Great voice, great beats and background vibe. There was no single stand out song, and I never got into it in a catchy kind of way except for Better.
