Phenomenally weird album cover. Not something I would typically listen to but great vibes overall. Super chill with fun guitar playing.
Another phenomenal album cover. I have never associated Boston with sci-fi but it seems to be a major theme for their album covers. The first three tracks are obviously some of the greatest rock songs of the century and it's quite unbelievable considering they were debuts and recorded in a DIY basement studio.
Probably shocking to many, but I have never listened to Miles Davis before. I listened while working and it was very enjoyable. I could definitely throw this on and just sit and read with a nice cup of coffee. This will definitely be added to the consistent rotation.
This is a group I have never heard of, nor heard any of their songs before. I can definitely see the impact they have had on subsequent artists whether directly or indirectly. This was definitely enjoyable but not something I see myself returning to.
Not sure why this one was called Green. Definitely some "Stand"out moments but overall wasn't something I would listen to again. The guitar tones were a bit annoying at times.
Definitely not my style of music but it's easy to see why Dolly has had such a profound impact on the generations that followed in the country music world.
This was a fun one. Obviously I knew Blister In The Sun before going into this listen but I was unaware what the rest of the material would be like. The fun lyrics and the bass really carry this album to a higher place. It also doesn't seem to be lacking any raw energy despite being all acoustic. It stands with any other punk album and I can see how this has definitely influenced bands like The Front Bottoms.
Although not one of the more famous albums in Bowie's catalogue, this is definitely a solid listen front to back. The first half is stronger, in my opinion, but worth finishing. You can definitely hear the disco influence throughout this album and Golden Years is an absolute banger. Bowie will always be one of the greatest musicians of all time because he can make anything and make it well.
I've never been a Radiohead fan but I recognize their impact in the alternative music scene. Bodysnatchers being in the bottom three of Spotify listens is criminal. It's by far the coolest song on the album. Other standouts are All I Need and Jigsaw Falling Into Place but for the most part it's a lot of the same thing feat. Bodysnatchers.
Firstly, never heard of 'em. Secondly, they definitely broke the blues with this one. The musicianship is good (aside from the singing) but it sounds like white guys covering blues songs for a local pub. No soul whatsoever. Even Eric Clapton would rather read a magazine than be involved with the rest of them. I wanted to listen to it all because that's the point of this experiment but five and a half songs was enough. Why this is on this list is beyond me.
A fantastic mix of psych-rock and blues. Cream is one of those bands that almost seems like a one-hit-wonder because of Sunshine Of Your Love but they are a large part of Eric Clapton's legendary career and have probably had more influence than any of the rest of his catalogue. This was a fun listen and Mother's Lament is an incredible closer to the album.
I had no idea who this was but the voice was instantly recognizable as King Louie in The Jungle Book. Great vocals and his trumpet playing is fantastic. Although not something I ever would have sought out, this was a very fun listen for my morning at work and I can see myself adding this to the rotation every once in a while. My only wish would be to have more Keely featured on the album, like on the song The Lip.
This is a metal classic album and any good metalhead, such as myself, will have listened to this already. I was lucky enough to have been given an old vinyl copy in good condition by my uncle. I think if they cut Invaders and Gangland (although the guitar solo section is great) it would be the perfect album, especially since it was the first with Dickinson and they would not have achieved legendary status without this all coming together.
I'm definitely more a fan of Celebrity Skin but this is still a great album. It's unfortunate how much tragedy surrounded it's release but it just goes to show the strength people can have to push through hard times and come out the other side.
Upon looking this up to listen to I saw the picture of Goldie and almost thought this was a side project of the singer from Letlive. until I saw the date, lol. This was not for me. I skimmed through some of the songs but didn't want to listen to anything in full.
This is not something I would probably revisit but there were a few tracks I did enjoy. Personal stand outs include Guinnevere, You Don't Have To Cry and Helplessly Hoping.
I have never listened to Norah Jones before but knew of her. This was a lovely listen for a morning. The musicianship of everyone who worked on this is fantastic. Jenny Scheinman and Adam Levy stood out to me specifically. I will definitely add this to the chill morning rotation.
This immediately reminded me of Hootie & The Blowfish and then the rest of the album did not. I also did not know that Fast Car was a Tracy Chapman song. It's clear she wants to spread a powerful message with everything she writes. Not an album I would revisit but definitely an album everyone should listen to so it's clear why it is included on this list.
I have never heard of this or Kool Keith before. The flows and cadences are quite good and the production by Nakamura is great. I'm not squeamish or easily offended but lyrically a lot of this album is too gross to actually enjoy listening to. Blue Flowers is the only real stand out for me.
I'm quite familiar with Simz more recent (post-covid) work so this is an exciting one to come up for me. She's definitely in the S-tier of rappers. The female Kendrick Lamar. The production is always incredible too. The use of orchestral elements, especially the double bass in place of traditional hip-hop bass, sets the music apart in the most unique way. Standouts on this album for me were Boss, Wounds, and Venom, but the whole album is phenomenal.
This is a now classic album in the alt rock thanks to the success of hit single Take Me Out and it's inclusion in mainstream video games like NHL '05. It's literally still being played in hockey arenas everywhere and that is why it has also become one of the most annoying songs of all time, right up there with Happy by Pharrell and Somebody That I Used To Know by not even the actual artist. This is something I enjoyed back in 04/05 but not now and I could not sit through the whole album.
Two of the biggest hits bookending the album with some fun material in between makes for a nice listen but I can't say the album as a whole is fantastic.
Loved it! Especially parts 3 and 4. Officially added to my newly growing rotation of jazz albums along with Miles Davis and Charles Mingus.
This is a very misleading album cover. I was expecting punk/metal. Darkness, Darkness is a song I have heard before but I don't think it was this original version. Good song though. The whole album is all over the place. Jazz, blues, country, The Beatles. The musicianship is great but it's not something I would revisit.
Enjoy The Silence (although the Anberlin cover is far more enjoyable for me) and Policy of Truth are the only real reasons to listen to this album. Personal Jesus is another good one but covers by Marilyn Manson and Johnny Cash are much more enjoyable as well. I do appreciate the sonic landscapes of a lot of their work and the influence it has had on many artists following but I can't say that it's something I will revisit.
It's no Americana but it's easy to see the band were on the climb. The big three; Gotta Get Away, Come Out and Play, and Self Esteem show the band's progression into making huge hits. Smash is a great closer and there's a little bit at the very end, following a long silence, that ties in to Americana.
I had no idea Otis Redding was the original writer of Respect. I also did not know he did a rendition of Change Gonna Come by Sam Cooke, My Girl by The Temptations or Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones. Unfortunately, in the case of this album, I enjoy all of those other versions more than these Otis Redding ones.
Although the musicianship in The Who is elite, I think the songwriting was just too weird to hit the upper echelons of popular music. If this had come out after Who's Next it would push it to the next level, but those extended jams are are just *chef's kiss*. Incredible that The Who (like Bob Dylan and Led Zeppelin) have never had a number 1 single.
I have never heard of this group but right away I'm loving the sound and that bass is fantastic. Overall this was really enjoyable listen. Short but sweet. Just a really nice, chill vibe to get enveloped in. Will definitely be adding this to the library and exploring more from this group.
I have never actually listened to Roxy Music before but I am familiar with Bryan Ferry thanks to my mother having a copy of his Bob Dylan tribute album, Dylanesque. The first track, The Thrill Of It All, is a great opener that really showcases the musicianship of the group. I did not expect such awesome, distorted guitar work to be honest. The rest of the album is all over the place musically. The group can do it all and do it well. Bitter Sweet is another stand out for me. It sounds like a song from a weird, animated German musical or something of the like. Triptych into Casanova are also great. They sound like rock music for a medieval party. Overall this was a really cool album with a lot of different musical influences throughout.
Clint Eastwood was one of my favourite songs as a kid and one of the first songs I could rap along to. I never really got into Gorillaz beyond that though so this is really fun to revisit and expand on. I think as a kid I assumed Del The Funky Homosapien was a main member of the group and now listening to the rest of the material I wish this was true. Clint Eastwood and Rock the House are by far the most enjoyable songs on this album for me.
That's the blues. That's rock and roll. It's easy to see the impact Muddy Waters and his fellow blues musicians have had on music as whole. As they say, you can't have one without the other, and this is especially true for music. I can't even imagine what music would be like today without pioneers like this.
A lot of this reminds me of Enter Shikari at times. I think it's a similar vocal style, this just has less (no) screams.
Thorn of Crowns was...something.
The Killing Moon is fantastic.
Overall, not something I will revisit or dig into deeper.
Not my first time listening through this album. Half is great, half is okay.
I'm not super familiar with Aretha's work past RESPECT and Chain of Fools, but I always knew she was a phenomenal singer. I can't say I resonate with the Gospel stuff in any way but she is an undeniable talent and all of the songs on this are just so fun to listen to or really showcase exactly what the genre was about, soul (Good to Me as I am to You is a prime example of this). I will definitely be listening to Aretha from now on.
I've never listened to Fionna Apple before but knew her by name. I really enjoyed this album. She's incredibly talented and the music was very diverse and interesting.
This one's not for me.
I have never heard of this group but it was an interesting listen. Simple reggae with the raw emotion of punk music. This would have been a fun band to see back in the day.
This was a really interesting listen. I have (shockingly) never listened to The Replacements before. From the first few tracks I expected the whole album to be very punk, heavily influenced by Ramones and Sex Pistols, but I was surprised at the diversity of styles and musicianship of a lot of songs throughout the record. Androgynous evoked The Smiths, Black Diamond could be a Kiss song, and Unsatisfied was reminiscent of The Tragically Hip.
This band was far more than just a punk band and it really shows on this album. Definitely an album I will revisit.
Just Good Friends is (smooth) criminally under listened to compared to the rest of the album.
This album is a riot. Just a group of friends having a blast making music together.
This is a nice relaxing listen. I'm sure you need to listen to the lyrics to really appreciate the album though and I did not do that, haha.
I have never listened to Faces before but instantly I can hear the similarities to the Ron Wood era Stones material (e.g. Miss Judy's Farm and Doom and Gloom). I definitely enjoyed listening to this but it's not the type of rock music I typically seek out. Would definitely check out more of their work or revisit this album though!
I didn't know much about Nas before going into this listen. I have heard some of his work through the years (mostly on features) but haven't actually dove into his own work to this extent. It's amazing that an eighth grade dropout can rap with such impressive literacy. This is someone truly dedicated to their craft and it shows. On first listen, none of the tracks individually stuck out to me but the album as a whole was one great listen.
This is definitely not my kind of music but I enjoyed listening to it. It reminded me a lot of my grandma and my dad which was nice. This was kind of like a more theatrical Johnny Cash type of thing and I can see how this would inspire modern artists like Orville Peck.
There were some fun parts on this album but overall this one didn't really grab my attention.
This was a fun listen. I've actually never listened to The Flaming Lips before now which is pretty shocking considering I grew up listening to alternative rock. This was like a more psychedelic, adventurous version of Radiohead. I'm definitely not going to get into them now but this was an enjoyable listen for sure!
