It's understandable as to why many people include this in their Top 100. The production is top-notch and way ahead of its time. The songs are captivating and draw you in from start to finish. The features are perfectly chosen and delivered. Instrumentals add to the already lively lyrical performances.
Favorite Song: N.Y. State of Mind
Score: 91/100
Funeral is a fundamental piece of modern music and paved the way for many with art and folk rock to come. What sets it apart for me is the Canadian influence with the accordion and violin usage, both staple instruments in Quebec culture. The Neighborhood suite also nods to a historic weather event in Canadian history months before my birth. Great art rock record with awesome baroque elements, a definite classic.
Favorite Song: Neighborhood #2 (Laika)
Score 89/100
This was a fresh listen, and I can see why it is considered one of the greats, especially in the jazz-rock fusion space. The production is extremely well put together, and Zappa's guitar playing has so much flair and technical style, and has certainly opened my eyes to jazz-rock fusion and blues rock.
Favorite Song: Son of Mr. Green Genes
Score: 86/100
Definitely a weaker point in my typical listening rotation, but it was an enjoyable listen despite this. Modern streaming platforms also don't see to have this album in their discography, just variations of it or similarly named ones, luckily their was a playlist on Spotify that worked.
Fats is often considered to be one of the pioneers of rock and roll, and I can see why that is the case. Beautiful instrumentals, with typical lyricism and messaging for the time.
Favorite Song: Blueberry Hill
Score: 82/100
Another genre less explored, but boy does Isaac Hayes make it fun! Hot Buttered Soul fuses soul with funk and psychedelic sound that can appeal to the masses. While the track listing is small, the instrumentals and soul-filled lyricism work together to forge a solid soul record. Not my favorite, but certainly worth the listen, if not for simply expanding music horizons.
Favorite Song: Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic
Score: 79/100
A big thank you is needed to Kraftwerk, as they were one of the pioneering forces of the over-arching genre of electronic music. Depeche Mode, Joy Division, David Bowie, and Daft Punk all have admitted to taking inspiration from their work. Hypnotic drumbeats and synths make this an extremely easy album to listen to and appreciate. The only thing that could possibly be said to go against this record, is simply that their previous one (Trans-Europe Express) is often considered to be better.
Favorite Song: Neon Lights
Score: 88/100
Arguably the single-most recognizable album of all-time. While it's not Pink Floyd's greatest work, it is still one of their better works, and has some phenomenal stand-out tracks such as Time, The Great Gig in the Sky, and Money. TDSOTM has been a classic prog and psychedelic rock since its release, and holds up to this day.
Favorite Song: Money
Score: 88/100
There's groove. There's thrash. There's emotion. There's rock(s). It's a great hard rock album from one of the most recognizable rock bands of all time. They're not my favorite sound, but this album is an exception.
Favorite Song: Last Child
Score: 76/100
A great debut album by beloved hip-hop group, A Tribe Called Quest. While it doesn't stand the test of time against some other ATCQ albums such as Midnight Marauders and The Low End Theory in my eyes, is it still a great album with notable hits, and set the stage for jazz influenced, east-coast hip-hop.
Favorite Song: Can I Kick It?
Score: 80/100
A fresh listen, one that I quite enjoyed. It's an entire listening experience, as each song mashes various genres and instrumentations together with powerful vocals. It's also hard to pick a favorite, because they all could be depending on your mood and listening intent.
Favorite Song: The Bones of You
Score: 84
A transcendental listen front to back. It's hard to believe I went this long in my life without listening to Illinois. Time wasted. Zero skips.
Favorite Song: The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts
Score: 92/100
Groovy. Soothing. Beautiful instrumentals. Introduction to downtempo, and a great debut album by wonder Frenchmen duo, Air. Good stuff to listen to on a beautiful windy day.
Favorite Song: Ce matin-là
Score: 81/100
Truthfully, it is isn't my style in the slightest, thought it isn't an unpleasant listen. Sonically it does fine for background music. Apparently this album was important for the "Outlaw" subgenre of country music, and I can see it in some of the songs, namely my favorite track.
Favorite Song: Ain't No God In Mexico
Score: 74/100
I know many people love this album already, but I STILL don't believe it gets the roses it deserves. This album is a BOP front to back. There is no reason to look at your device while listening to this record, you put it on and let it play until it stops and you get sad. It has provided so much influence in later sound profiles. VERY hard to pick a favorite song.
Favorite Song: Waters of Nazareth (Phantom Pt I is so close though)
Score: 94/100
Definitely a cultural/language barrier here that restricts me from appreciating it as much as I likely should. Still, this album by Jorge Ben has entertaining instrumentals, rock influence, and vocal performances. Samba Funk and Samba Rock are definitely interesting genres to listen for in the future.
Favorite Song: Meus Filhos, Meu Tesouro
Score: 83/100
The third album by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire. Personally it doesn't hit the same way that Funeral does, and I think a lot of that has to do with the loss of some of the Canadian influence for a more mainstream sound. However, little artistry is lost in translation, and Arcade Fire still showcases their prowess in the indie rock space. Well-deserving of the awards and accolades it has achieved.
Favorite Song: Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
Score: 86/100
"Ya like jazz?" Unfortunately Barry, not overly.
While I can undoubtably hear the musicianship and prowess of John Coltrane in this album, which is pretty ubiquitous when it comes to saxophone and jazz music, it is not something I would often come back to, simply because of preference of genres. Still, I try to score relative to my understanding of his influence, his musicianship, and his profound ability to tell a story with very few words.
Favorite Song: A Love Supreme, Pt. III - Pursuance
Score: 93/100
Great diversity of instrumentation, an amazing fusion of soul and jazz, with touches of psychedelia, funk, and blues. All in all a great listen, and easily one of the best album covers of all time.
Favorite Song: City, Country, City
Score: 87/100
A really great debut effort by Chicago, back when this was a self-titled album. There is a good level of consistency throughout the album, ties of the original rock and roll sound mixed in with jazz and progressive elements. All-together it makes for a great listen, though some songs don't appeal as much as others. The highs are pretty high, but the lows are also pretty low.
Favorite Song: Questions 67 and 68
Score: 79/100
Who would have thought that the "Quiet Beatle" had something to say? Literally all of us. Two things were clear on the release of All Things Must Pass: 1) George was being hindered creatively, significantly. And 2) He found his sound in the folk-ier side of rock. Not only did he release a certifiable classic only months after it became more public knowledge of their disbanding, but he also went on to have the single-greatest solo album released by a Beatle.
Favorite Song: What Is Life
Score: 91/100
A phenomenal singer-songwriter who was lost too soon. Not as depressing as his self-titled, but still a raw performance. The sound of lo-fi and Americana is ever-present, and it makes this 36 minute record pass in the blink of an eye.
Favorite Song: Between the Bars
Score: 89/100
The first entry where I can say "I've seen them live", and boy it's a great kick-off. Listening to this album's classics like War Pigs, Paranoid, and Iron Man live was a very surreal experience, despite our awful seating. As an album listening experience, Paranoid truly is a great project, having one of the best album openers of all time and some underrated hits like Hand of Doom and Rat Salad.
Favorite Song: War Pigs
Score: 90/100
I found this album hard to get into. Not because it is bad, far from it in fact, but because it has dreamy vibes that just melt in the back of your brain. If you dive deeper into the lyrics, you get some raw emotional storytelling, that quite frankly will leave you depressed. Not my favorite, but not bad at all.
Favorite Song: Red Eyes
Score: 82/100
This was the first live album to review, and also the first foray into the subgenre of space rock (DSOTM is more psychedelic). It's a good listen, though I don't find that I am as a captivated to it as an actual live performance. Track by track, many of them sound the same. However, as a blended "audio experience", it is fantastic music making.
Favorite Song: Born to Go
Score: 83/100
Interesting history to note that this album was initially a flop due to the "unfamiliarity" with Derek & The Dominos. It's a shame I wasn't around to see people do a 180 when they determined that "Derek is Eric". A solid album mixed with originals and covers, including the undisputed masterpiece that is Layla.
Favorite Song: Layla (surprise, surprise)
Score: 90/100
Another artist who left too soon, Janis had a lasting impact in modern music. Pearl mixes various elements of soul, R&B, and blues across ten tracks. It's not my favorite, but it's impossible to ignore the impact her music has had.
Favorite Song: Cry Baby
Score: 84/100
This is that album that every music snob on the internet says they love. I am one of those music snobs. It's fun, it's art-deco in music form. It's also one of the few albums that tends to avoid getting stale. Every listen seems fresh, and every one you notice small details you didn't the previous time around.
Favorite Song: Heavy Metal Drummer
Score: 89/100
Maybe I struggle with enjoying live albums (as opposed to experiencing them live), maybe it's the length, but this wasn't my favorite to come through the queue. James Brown puts on quite an eclectic performance that doesn't quite hit home for me, as the audience reactions draw away from the performance.
Favorite Song: I'll Go Crazy
Score: 77/100
One of the critically important albums in music history. It put gangsta rap and the West coast on the map, as most of hip-hop's significant culture was coming out of the east coast lyricism at the time. Does it hold up over time? Not so much. However, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, and Eazy-E set the stage for west coast rap and hip-hop to come, and for that they get the utmost respect.
Favorite Song: I Ain't That 1
Score: 75/100
From the fallout of a financial dispute came Dr. Dre's first solo-album stepping away from N.W.A. That classic gangsta funk sound is prevalent throughout, and is a great debut effort from Dre, though I prefer his sophomore project in the Chronic 2001.
Favorite Song: Deeez Nuuuts
Score: 79/100
Personally I think Dreamer is a bit overrated compared to some of the other songs on this record. Both the intro and outro to CotC do a better job of drawing me in personally. All-together, its a relatively cohesive album that I could listen to again, but probably won't intentionally.
Favorite Song: Crime of the Century
Score: 80/100
Is it as good as OK Computer? No.
Is it as good as Kid A? No.
Is it as good as In Rainbows? No.
Is it as good as A Moon Shaped Pool? Probably not.
But is it good? Yeah, yeah it is.
Favorite song: The Bends
Score: 79/100
I mean what can I said it's good, smooth, cool jazz.
Favorite Song: Godchild
Score: 86/100
