Album Reviews

It's just one of those that I didn't really enjoy.

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ich kann mich an nichts erinnern

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I've been listening to this album for 100 years

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5/10, los primeros 2 temas me traumaron, pensé que iba a ser un álbum de mierda. Después mejoró, aunque tuvo temas muy fru. Lo podría escuchar pero no es algo que yo pondria

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This is the kind of music that throws my stats off and makes it look like the 50's was my favorite era. I can't help that mambo and jazz were both really good back then. I particularly loved Cuando Te Vea and Hong Kong Mambo. While I can understand complaints that everything sounded the same, I thoroughly enjoyed each track and would gladly listen to them again.

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Very good boundary-pushing hip hop album. Despite the innovation I feel it's a little too stylistically sporadic (unsurprising from Kanye), but there is a lot to appreciate and enjoy here. Overall solid. Top tracks: Black Skinhead, New Slaves, Blood on the Leaves

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perfection

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This has a distinct late-2000s aesthetic but still holds up pretty well almost 2 decades later. The writing is absolute nonsense but I really enjoyed turning my brain off and just vibing to the instrumentals.

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Not sure what to expect but not bad so far Sounds like it should be a Halloween soundtrack Not bad but weird/not something I’d listen to on the daily

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So fun

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que bueno

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Pretentious. Good.

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It started off okay and the more I listened to it the more annoying it got. Like a gnat buzzing around my head or something.

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This was fine. It has Sunday Bloody Sunday on it, so thats a great song, so are many of the others. For a minute I wasnt sure if I was listening to that greatest hits of 80s album.

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I don't believe in guilty pleasures, but I'm not exactly proud of how much I love Oasis, particularly this and Morning Glory. The hits are overplayed for a reason, they hit consistently. The production is flawless, the swagger incandescent. I have thought about "Supersonic" at least three times a week since this album came out.

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great garage rock album. lots of energy. quite the weird release to show on here since it seems to be a compilation? Amazing band but kind of a weird record to put on here. Veni Verdi Vicious or Tyrannosaurus Hives are the ways to go

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muse hate is warranted Would I listen again: nah Deserves to be on this list: not really 2.4

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Interesting 90s east coast rap, still prefer west coast

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Can I give less than one star? This sucks so much. He should not be allowed to leave his garage.

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Not necessarily iconic, but this enjoyable listen has some standouts

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This sounded promising to start but then I got kind of bored with their sound. Soft neutral.

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Obviously have heard of Springsteen, never this album though. He’s got an odd voice. Almost like Dylan. Badlands is really well written. Awesome sax solo and catchy chorus. Adam raised a Cain is a banger. Awesome guitar and piano. Another awesome piano on something in the night. This one is very emotional. Very well written again. Didn’t love the outro. Candy’s room is forgettable. Kind bullshit lyrics. Back in track with racing in the street. So well written and emotional again. The songs with a piano are awesome. And it just keeps going. What a song. Really nice change of pace with promised land. This is the Springsteen that I was introduced to at a young age. Great production on this one. Factory was ok but again not really anything special. Pretty generic 80s rock. Streets of fire is better. Love the organ in the background. Better vocals on this one. Prove it all might is another banger. Think I’ve heard this one before. Great guitar and piano combo again. Springsteen is a great writer. Sax solo is so cool too. Def it key have heard darkness too. These songs are just so damn catchy. Not the most complicated background track but it works really well. I like the outro on this one a lot. Great way to wrap up this album. Extremly enjoyable listen. 3.9/5 stars.

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I enjoyed quite a lot of the music but the “singing” is just silly. A bit of shouting at times can be fine but it was just annoying and ruined a lot of the songs.

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An interesting mix between something like edm and rock, not something I would listen to regularly but happy to have heard it.

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"OK" is right a lot of pretty lightweight atmospheric dnb that goes right in one ear and out the other on this, but the highlights are strong. this album is at its most interesting when it's leaning hard into the use of traditional instruments, which is why i think Butterfly is THE song to listen to off this one. listen to those tablas! ryuichi sakamoto (my goat) is also featured on this, contributing some flute parts, and apparently sent them to the studio via email from new york — waow so futuristic! talvin singh himself seems way more interesting than this album so i might have to look more into his work. when i was reading about this i unearthed lots of fun stuff: he toured with siouxsie and the banshees, was part of massive attack's live band, he arranged the strings on bjork's debut... he's had quite a career.

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Initial thoughts: wow this sounds a lot like the gilmore girls theme *gilmore girls theme plays”

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the wikipedia description has me horrified. first minute? fuck you Would I listen again: this is hell Deserves to be on this list: the editor is a sadist 0

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This hurts my ears maybe heavy metal/punk rock/whatever genre this is isn't for me. Then again the target demographic is like mid 40s white guys and lesbian teenagers so... Solid 2 not for me

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Should be cheesy and goofy but it hits so hard god damn

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Alright, however would believe you if you told me it was just one track. Seemed like it dragged on for a bit too long but the music itself is alright.

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not for me

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Can’t say there’s anything special except Sympathy for the Devil, otherwise good, wild vibes but nothing special.

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Best Track - "Our House"

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The singles are great but the rest of this album suffers from really thin sampling: "Here. Have the same hook 150 times in 3 minutes."

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This is a great album. I really enjoyed this.

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It's fine, but doesn't hold a candle to their later stuff

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instrumental, algunas muy lentas

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Los primeros temas me re gustaron, despues la perdi un poco, y con los ultimos dos para arriba creo. me guarde unos cuantos temas

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Conor Clapton Committed Suicide Because His Father Sucks Eric Clapton sucks Eric Clapton sucks Eric Clapton's gay And he's fucking gay Your father is the 4th worst singer After Springsteen, Seger and Petty You were sick of his gay fucking songs So you jumped out a really high up window Eric Clapton sucks Eric Clapton sucks Eric Clapton's gay And he's fucking gay Your father sucks so fucking bad You knew you'd get beaten up at school You were sick of hearing "You Look Wonderful Tonight" So you jumped out a really high up window Sometimes I wish you didn't die Because I hate the song "Tears in Heaven" I was glad you died, until I heard that song

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Wife: what are you listening to? Me: it's my album of the day. Wife: why are you still listening? I would've turned this off after 7 seconds. Me: I'm listening to every album. You know, in for a penny, in for a pound. Wife: why are you doing this to yourself? I wouldn't want to start my day listening to this. Me: ok I'll turn it off. Thank you, thank you, this is the next single from my new album, 20 Years of Marriage Don't Come For Free. This album is completely unique to the entire list. Dude's rap game is way out in left field. It took a few listens to grasp but this is pure genius. The end of the something I did not want to end Beginning of hard times to come But something that was not meant to be is done And this is the start of what was

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Her voice is the instrument on display here, and it shines, but there's some incredible songwriting on display as well. Lots of politically charged lyrics. But of course -- this list disappoints me, again.. this is the **only** Nina Simone album on this list. She's a woman of color, so her discography and 20+ year career barely gets a mention.. I should probably be surprised she's even on the list. Sure, this might be her most popular (arguably) album, but there is SO much left off the table. Her album "Pastel Blues" has her iconic and haunting cover of "Strange Fruit" and famous protest song, "Sinnerman", for instance. I recall enjoying her first album, "Little Girl Blue", long ago. To be crystal clear, I'm not complaining on this album, however, as "Four Women" (wow, this one is charged up!!), "Wild is the Wind", "Black is the Color..",."Either Way I Lose", & "If I Should Lose You" (that crescendo at the end is so good off of her sustained and pained voice...) are legends. But, why JUST this one record?? Normally, this would be a high '4' from me (a very high 4), as it's not everyday listening, but in protest of the lack of breadth of this list (how much electronica/dance do we **really** need to hear before we die?) this gets a (5/5) in the hopes that future lists will include more of this (and the god-damned SUPREMES!!), rather than some more lanky, disshelved English dudes who want to bang on a guitar or a synth for an afternoon...

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Manure

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Putrid and rancid turds.

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(1/5) So, would you like some warm ketchup on your lemon sorbet? It was pan seared by our best soux chef who is well known for his waygu beef entree, and it's served on a bed of pea gravel dipped in motor oil. What in the actual fuck is wrong with this list. Anglo-centrism (autocorrect has my number, now that I've thrown it around too much. That word pops up as soon as "Anglo.." is typed in...) strikes again. This assault of mediocrity in the form of lanky, disshelved English wankers and their "interpretations" of other music is borderline offensive. This is garbage music, and doesn't deserve a listen let alone a nod in a list that is supposedly music you **must hear before you die**. The first half was just bleh. A slightly confused effort at some reggae and ska inspired rock. It would have received a '2' if they had stayed the course. Just mediocre. The second half tipped the rest of the album directly into the rubbish bin (take that you bloody queue loving sods! Bite. My. Chips.) as of "Waiting for the Heartaches". Each song got progressively worse after that one. It sounds like they had some ideas, but absolutely no direction and little talent to pull it off. They blended various styles poorly and served it up as if it was worth listening to. Just throw it all on the plate! Someone will eat it. A few thousand English fans might. Not me.. This Britpop bullshit is a hard swallow and I'm dreading more of it, as I know the list is lousy with it. Eyeballing my "skipped this album" pass for the next one. I'm a long distance runner and I'm no stranger to discomfort and pushing myself in spite of it, but this aural assault is trying my patience.

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Younger work colleagues have (teasingly) asked me what my favourite Taylor Era is, expecting the middle-aged male to fumble for a relevant answer. But I do have a favourite Taylor Era which is her Pop Era. I was aware of but did not relate to her country ingenue records -- they just didn't speak to me, not that they needed to, nothing wrong with that -- but 'We Are Never Getting Together' and 'I Knew You Were Trouble' really caught my ear. I love pop music, and this was really great pop music. Cleverly crafted, upbeat and catchy as hell. I was really pleased when her next record, 1989, leaned fully and explicitly into pop. Ironically, the pop genre allows Swift to be more authentic. She can be a young woman (as opposed to her previous slightly naive ingenue persona, which was starting to wear thin); sexier (without going full Britney or Christina) and more urbane (welcome to New York indeed) and also more ambitious and no longer willing to be underestimated: “I never miss a beat/ I’m lightning on my feet/ and that’s what they don’t see.” Pop music is by nature artificial, but to be really great, it needs to _feel_ real. You have to _believe_ the singer. I would argue that this is the genius paradox of Madonna; I believe every word she sings (her credibility makes her a surprisingly great ballad singer), but almost nothing she says in interviews. Similarly, I believe Taylor Swift on this record. Not necessarily the literal autobiographical truth of every word -- this is a (melo)dramatic narrative containing fragments harvested from her life, but hardly a roman a clef -- but the sentiment is real. She presents here as an ambitious young woman hitting the town, and it rings true. And sounds like enormous fun. She has moved on to explore other directions since this album, which is her artistic right. I'm just glad she made this one complete, genuine, unapologetic, outstanding pop album that I could listen to any day of the week.

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Utterly unique and completely brilliant. There's never been an album like this, before or since. Billy McKenzie is much missed in these parts. Love, love, love! 😍 Incidentally, for those in the reviews complaining about this album being one hour and 40 minutes long, you've been listening to demos and B-sides for the final hour. Check Discogs or Wikipedia for the original tracklisting!

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Another smart, articulate and catchy pop album. I loved 'Royals' when it appeared; it was clearly an instant classic and was one of the best songs of the decade. And I really dug 'Green Light' when it was released, but I mostly listened to pop on the radio and so never delved into the whole album. And it has been a real pleasure to acquaint myself with this record. Lorde works in the intimate public sphere (to use a concept from Lauren Berlant) that assumes women share a bond of communal longing and a "sense of lateral identification". This is a similar operation to Taylor Swift's 1989, a comparable and contemporaneous pop album (with a shared producer in Jack Antonoff). Interesting to compare; Swift feels a little bit more crafted and deliberate in her revelations, Lorde feels a little more unfiltered -- although interviews about her writing process suggest that Lorde is equally careful about what she is putting out there. Lorde and Swift are both smart and effective songwriters and performers, and unafraid of working in the pop genre. There is no shortage of big choruses, infectious beats, or hooks on this record. That's a good thing. The album stood up to multiple listening, and 'Liability' and 'Homemade Dynamite' stand out as particular highlights (alongside 'Green Light' which is an unapologetic banger). Lorde is great, but I am currently a little weary of the Jack Antonoff sound, which became ubiquitous in the past 15 years. I suspect that if I come back to this in ten years' time with fresh ears, it will have stood the test of time.

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The reviews on this album say more about the average user on the site's database rather than the album itself. I wasn't prepared to enjoy this. I don't really listen to German cabaret music, nor do I enjoy showtunes or (overly) pretentious experimental music. I already was a fan of Krause's work with Slapp Happy and Henry Cow. The fact that no album from either band is on here is pretty criminal (and I don't often listen to either band anyways). As with any "difficult" work, it's important to perhaps read and engage a bit more with it to understand why it's here. In a list that's full of albums only because they were commercially successful or popular for their time, this album pretty much breaks the flow in every way possible. Or does it? Hanns Eisler is a composer that perhaps needs revisiting in the times we live in today. Woes regarding war, propaganda, and social issues in constant fight for recognition were themes that he wrote about, and paid the price for (escaping Germany during the rise of the Nazis). He wrote revolutionary songs (and even composed the national anthem for East Germany upon return), songs of the struggle of the common people, and even a song that advocated for the legalization of abortion and autonomy and protection for women (in the 1930s, no less). The music is, of course, not easy listening. But, the lyrics and music is played by Krause exactly as Eisler intended. She really understands his music. Seething, menacing, often threatening but filled with empathy and lamentation. The music is simply stunning that it was written in post-war Berlin before Hitler's rise. How much creative work was lost from that time period? What can we learn from the themes of the piece today, in the permacrisis that we currently live in? The fact that this is in a book on generally popular music and has been kept in since, with female pop artists such as Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera being cut out of new editions, speaks volumes about what this album can bring to the table of what we deem as "timeless" female artists. No pressings made in the USA whatsoever, no commercial interest, and still wildly ahead of its time given the negative reactions on the website and on YouTube despite being music written nearly over 100 years ago - and on top of that, appealing to myself who's not a fan of this type of music to begin with. This is protest music from another time, yet still representing the fight of our time. More showtune music should be this dark and idiosyncratic. As such, in the spirit of protest, it gets a 5. Post-script: also, not sure how "not being on Spotify" translates as to being album of "no merit whatsoever". Spotify should not be the only way that you have access to albums as a music fan, nor is it a measurement of quality in an album. For those who wrote this, please go to your local record store or library from time to time, or purchase music directly from labels or artists' webpages. You'll be amazed at the great stuff that isn't available on streaming services, waiting to be discovered.

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Oh, boy.. more electronic euro-pop.. 🙄🙄 This sounds *VERY* dated and they turned the treble all the way up. So much that I can barely understand the singer. I hope she wasn't key to the music, because if so, big miss by the production team on that one. Otherwise, a bunch of dreamy, ethereal-light stuff that I would never purposely put on. (2/5). This isn't offensive, it's just definitely not my style. At all. I feel like I've hit a lot of '2's recently. This continues that trend.

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Heard of them but never been exposed to anything they'd done. This one has a dreamy, atmospheric sound that I could really get into, but the vocals initially distracted from the experience. I get using the voice as a musical instrument, and I've listened to and enjoyed non-English speaking music in the past, so it really helped to stop trying to understand it and assume she's speaking Gaelic, instead. The layers of synth and overall relaxing vibe of the album were refreshing, and there was just enough tonal variety to keep things interesting while pretty seamlessly flowing together. An overall ethereal album that I'm still not sure that I'd revisit, so it bumps its head on a 3/5 ceiling.

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Boring. So, so boring. Far too melancholy for me. I've been consistent in that my '3' ratings are something I'd try and come back to, or had a few tracks I like. '2' isn't offensive or irritating, but rather it's a single listen and for a variety of reasons I won't come back to any of it. Smith is a perfectly fine musician, but boy is he lacking any energy. (2/5)

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"The imitation picks you up like a habit." This is a new listen for me. I’ve never heard of this guy even though the 2000 release date puts it right in my college years when I was the most connected to popular and new music in my life. I can "hear" in this an album a younger version of myself would've enjoyed a lot. Its full of angst and guitar strumming, even if it falls on the emo side of what I usually prefer. Which is why I'm surprised I'd never encountered it back in the day. On the other hand, bleak and/or gloomy music for disaffected youth is a crowded space. The Cure, Nirvana, and Wilco are all acts I've already encountered in just the first 80 albums of this project. Looking through the reviews of this album, though, shows that it landed with many people, but it is understandable if for some it landed outside of their radar. That is where it landed for me. And I'm finding its not an easy album to latch onto in my forties. With Wilco I found I wanted to fabricate long years of nostalgia upon hearing it for the first time. Mr. Smith is not working the same kind of magic. Very little of it is sticking. Another album in the collection of those that found me at the wrong time in my life. Highlight tracks Junk Bond Trader.

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Long before CSI had a series in every major city in America, the Who were revolutionizing and framing what future generations would define as rock & roll. This is them at their absolute peak, and even if the album does lose a little steam in the middle, that mediocrity is sandwiched between five of their greatest tracks ever. Baba O'Riley, Behind Blue Eyes, and Won't Get Fooled Again are nearly enough on their own to elicit a 5/5, but the added bonus of Bargain and Going Mobile really seal the deal.

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People remember how you start and how you finish. This album starts with a Best “Side 1, Track 1” of All Time Contender and finishes with an even better track. And beyond that the songs themselves start and end so memorably. The little coda parts on each of these tracks are mini-victory laps. The album was a gem to listen to. It sags ever so slightly in the middle (the tracks “My Wife” and “The Song is Over” are the two weakest IMO) but never enough to drag. Man, the landscape of 1970s rock is quite something to behold. 1971 is up there with 1991 as such an outstanding year for music releases. What The Who achieved here is stunning, one of those landmarks of rock that will forever be referenced. Seriously, some bands are lucky if within their entire career they add one phrase or idea to the long lexicon of music and culture. The Who gave us three or four on this one album. And to think it is the by product of a failed rock opera idea. On this listen I really got into “Bargain”. “Behind Blue Eyes” remains my favorite track. I still find it haunting in a way. And “We Won’t Get Fooled Again” will still be played in 100 years. Meet the new 5-star. Same as the old 5-star.

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Nina Simone is one of those names that looms large. She is a name I have often heard but have never spent much time with listening to her music. Once again I’m in need of some schoolin’. Her’s is one of those legacy voices that truthfully you need to experience yourself. Well her command and presence came through my ear buds as masterful as anything this list has offered so far this morning. I've been thinking about this album all day. There is such life in these vocals. She refuses to sand down the rough textures that appear. This woman has capital “P” - Power in her voice. The opening track “I Love Your Lovin’ Ways” is a bluesy rocking start to the album. The good times are early and short though because after that there much heartbreak to ponder on this album. “Four Women” knocked me on my ass. “Lilac Wine”, “Breakdown and Let it All Out”, “Wild is the Wind”. She’s singing about harder shit than any metal band out there and complaining less. There is an abundance of heartbreak to ponder on this one but it refuses to fall into mopey-ness. It’s vulnerable and defiant. What a shame this is the only entry we get from Nina Simone.

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I can’t believe the top review for this record (as of Dec 2023) is from someone trying to use their PhD in Mathematics as justification for not liking hip-hop. Weak.

Oh fuck yeah, now we're talking. Wait no, I swear I'm not being pretentious. This is the lowest rated album on this site because I guess mostly people aren't very fond of German people smashing metal plates together - who would have guessed. But halle-fucking-lujah, this is something this list needs more of. Albums that make you go "well, that was an experience and now I'm a changed man". Nobody is lying on their deathbed wishing they heard more crappy 80s post-punk or late 60s psychedelic rock. THIS is what we all deserve to be listening to as we embrace eternal oblivion. I'm giving this a high rating not only because I genuinely really love it, but also to help Kid Rock move to his rightful place as the actual worst album on this list. Together we can make a difference. Save the turtles.

Brings back vivid memories of when me and my mate Ray went on a trip to Dresden. We met this rotund goth in a bar, head to toe with tattoos and piercings, real filth and after a while took her into the disabled bogs for a spit roast. We were both pumping away in her with Napalm Death on in the background and her wailing "MEIN GOTT" at the top of her lungs. I remember spaffing all over her back just as Siege of Power kicked in. As i shoot over her, she takes Ray's cock out of her gob and says "do you want fries with that?" in a faux American accent. Anyway, we go outside and there's this gammy little geezer in a wheelchair sitting there furious, giving me daggers, because he's had to wait so long, so I lean into him and I go "I hope you have as much fun in there as we just did you little cunt".

Back when I was in college, there was this dude who would come into the bar I worked at on a Friday night and play fucking 10 Neil Young songs in a row. He would also hit on girls by doing magic tricks. I remember how angry I got every time he made me listen to an hour of Neil Young because I was just trying to have a good time, and he fucking made me listen to this sad, soppy fuck who writes nothing but songs that sound indistinguishable from each other and never seemed to enjoy a happy moment in his entire like. Fuck that guy, and fuck Neil Young. 2/5

Back when I was in college I used to go to a bar and listen to Neil tunes and do magic tricks for women. There was a bartender there, he was the best. I loved that guy. Some of the best years of my life.

Shit like this on the list is both refreshing and infuriating. Refreshing because it is good, fun, interesting, and also not something I would regularly be exposed to! It's why I started this project and keeps me coming back. It's infuriating because the fact that it is included here means that Robert Dimery, the original author of the 1001 albums list is aware that music like this exists. He's clearly aware that there is an entire world of music out there. SO WHY HAVE I LISTENED TO 200 80s BRITISH NEW WAVE ALBUMS AND 200 SCOTTISH ROCK ALBUMS FROM THE 90S??!!?

Rap isn't my preferred genre of music. But I'm a shitty mathematician so I enjoyed this.

I really don't get rap, and I am completely aware of why. I'm a STEM guy, specifically a Ph.D. student in mathematics. Although my verbal intelligence is quite high, it's still about a standard deviation below my quantitative intelligence. Therefore, it should not be too surprising that I prefer melodies to lyricism, and that a genre based on the latter doesn't wow me. I know I'm pretty far out of step with public opinion on this one, but that can easily be attributed to the fact that hipsters with humanities degrees (i.e. extremely verbal-dominant people) are considered the ultimate arbiters of taste for some reason. (Side note: this also explains why prog rock is seen as being for losers.) Best song: Be (Intro), which had a decent instrumental part at the beginning. Everything else just sort of ran together.

Rage In Favor Of The Machine.

Music for incels to wank furiously by

Sorry Boomers/Gen X, I was like 20 when this came out so it's one of the best things to ever happen to me. Sorry it's not King Crimson or whatever.

i ain’t listening to all that i’m happy for u tho or sorry that happened

The only enjoyment I got from this was reading the review about the brothers in Dresden and their lovely and talented tattooed friend.

The beauty of music is that it is subjective. It’s typically great for a certain group of people, though it’s never right for everyone. Some for the masses, some more niche, but it all has its place. Meanwhile, with lists like this, there’s always artists or records that anyone would have put on in place of what actually made it. Personally, I would have included Queensryche’s Operation Mindcrime, Live’s Throwing Copper, Joe Satriani’s The Extremist, Sara Bareilles’ Little Voice, or John Mellencamp’s Scarecrow album on a list of must hear records. Others would put totally different albums on and that's awesome. What someone likes vs. dislikes is truly subjective. Again, that's the beauty. With that said, this album objectively sucks. I mean truly horrible. Something had to be the lowest rated album on the list, and this was a place well earned. There is nothing redeemable about this record. To quote my wife, “they should have stopped at 1,000.”

I am definitely not the target demographic for this album, but I still thought it was very good. There's a lot of skill and artistry put into these tracks, so much so that it is almost invisible. 4 stars for me, plus an extra star just to spite the mathematics PHD guy.