Album Reviews

Longest 43 minutes of my life

View Author

Here’s what I’ll say about this: it ain’t good.

View Author

Whipping Post could have used another 10 minutes.

View Author

This was pretty good, but ultimately felt like it was missing something. Came off a bit generic. 3/5

View Author

Realized i don’t like rock however the best song was maybe im amazed

View Author

Baroque pop and psychedelic chamber pop built from intricate orchestration, shifting vocal harmonies, modular song structures, and whimsical arrangements feels like walking through an enormous handmade toy city where every street reveals another ingenious detail—fascinating, imaginative, and occasionally more admirable than emotionally engaging. The album overflows with musical ideas, textures, and ambition. Its creativity is extraordinary, even if its fragmented nature constantly keeps me at arm's length.

View Author

It was good. Nothing special and writing this review a few days later, I don’t remember what I listened to, but the beat and music was fun

View Author

So, we needed two Fairport Convention records in this project? Really? What am I missing? It’s a folk band, and a middling one at that. Lol, hahahaha, it’s not available on Spotify! I’m off the hook! Didn’t rate, gets the benefit of the doubt with the rating. 6/10

View Author

This was interesting. Lemper has a big theatrical voice that made me think she would be great for singing a theme song for a James Bond movie. She didn’t quite win me over. I added the title tune to my playlist.

View Author

This is the kind of caterwauling I can get behind. Wish I'd gotten into this when it came out and I was 14; I feel like it would've made me a much cooler person lol. 3.5

View Author

"You Are the Quarry" resembles the Smith's music if they added more instruments than the guitar and lost the reverb. It's just like Morrissey to make 2000s guitar rock sound theatrical, which doesn't really pair well for me. This is probably one of the first times I paid a little more attention to his lyrics because they come off as whiny and embittered. This resulted in a bit of disconnect for me where simple rock hooks clash with the "woe-is-me" mood.

View Author

RATING: 7.5/10 HIGHLIGHT: A Broken Heart LOWLIGHT: Diana

View Author

Absolutely stunning album. I have never heard of Nick Drake before this and I did a little research on him and it’s sad that he lived such a short life. Glad that I was able to listen to this and will definitely check his other albums out.

View Author

Does an album need to be perfect to get a 5? Because while this album is pretty dragged out in my opinion, it's still an amazing indie rock/indie pop record. Like I'm not sure what else to say, I think this is going to be a relisten for me in the near future

View Author

Better as it went along

View Author

| |3

View Author

I'm excited for when I finish this challenge and never have to listen to gangster rap again

View Author

Yeah he’s a pedo and that’s absolutely hideous but I don’t do automatic negative reviews based off the person alone. I try to find something redeemable to the material, even when he isn’t. But this was just some boring easy listening adjacent dross. Pretty easy to bin it.

View Author

Beautiful. Her voice works with these songs so perfectly, soulful with a tinge of sadness. Loved it.

View Author

Surprisingly fun and varied. I was caught off guard by the deep soulful synths and kind of progressive moodiness of this record. Kind of felt like George Michael and U2 at the same time.

View Author

Solid album, but it's no Starsailor

View Author

6/10 Very catchy and fun time.

View Author

Hip Hop, 61 eme album =>1/5

View Author

Gast echt meer dan 2 uur… 💀 Hopelijk is het het waard. Ghettomusick voelt al verschillende nummers in 1 track. Sowieso vind ik dit album bij-elkaar-geraapt. Er zitten zeker lekkere nummers bij, maar ik mis een rode draad die de nummers samenbrengt? Het voelt als joh ik heb wat nummers over, laten we dat allemaal op 1 plaat gooien. Maar is het werkelijk garbage, dat ook weer niet. Ah het zijn dus eigenlijk 2 albums op 1 plaat… dan snap ik de keuze om deze genres te mixen niet… Wel interessant om te merken dan ik Speakerboxxx meer kan waarderen dan The Love Below.

View Author

1woohoo 2rly cool album 3idk the middle ish area sounded like a BLUR 4soooo idk I liked the harder songs 5I really like essex dogs for the beat and weird sounds 6albumcover looks rly cool like oh no hospital scary rush moment. 7asur dying everything becomes a blur 8blur 9blur 10blur like everything is slowly disappearing.

View Author

Ambient spacey tracks. I love this kind of thing.

View Author

Sly Stone is the greatest.

View Author

Pretty solid country, but meta-textually frustrating. I'm sure there's at least a little nuance to her beliefs, but singing songs like Don't Come Home A Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind) then saying that you're "not a big fan of women's liberation" sits weirdly with me. More recently, Loretta Lynn also also staged a "joke wedding" with close personal friend Kid Rock, a man I do not respect, which sits weirdly with me for similar reasons. And it sucks because she had some really powerful songs in the 60's that it really seems like she grew out of touch with. I'll say I don't think she was a horrible person or anything, she was just consistently frustrating as of late. But regardless of this, I'm sure I listen to musicians with greater sins, and this is a pretty strong collection of songs. Though, looking back at it, it doesn't feel like there's anything separating this from the pack as far as country albums of the time go. But I am willing to chalk that up to the flaws of hindsight. She is plenty charismatic and has some really talent for performance as well. I don't have a ton to say, but this was broadly enjoyable.

View Author

you might as well kill me instead. please. kill me instead. see cock rock tolerance comment circa led zeppelin review. at least the zep™️ have the "not AOR" thing going for them. nothing against AOR (apart from the obvious) but you guys did "homophobia racism night" at comiskey park for *checks notes* m-m-m my sharona???? 2.7-3.1. lots of lowk nonce libertarian high school music teacher jumpscares. addendum: this nu metal ass intro to "something about you". maybe it'll all make sense once i smoke some 70s reggie.

View Author

Now on my list to find on vinyl... I think most people know the title track, but Who Says a Funk Band Can't Play Rock is an absolute banger.

View Author

505/1089 - This is pretty good. I can't decide between a 5 or a 4 as the singing and orchestral parts are pretty sloppy and the energy is lacking but the actual songs themselves are really unique and interesting. The Damned has a really cool Goth Rock version of Alone Again Or that I recommend.

View Author

pretty cool! maybe a little overlong but i was able to get into it.

View Author

Gets five stars for Relax and Two Tribes alone. The rest is just an extra treat.

View Author

Not very good. Two stars. Thrash/speed metal. Head banging. Singer is not good. Loud guitar with a lot of hooks. Repetitious. Get your hands off my woman. That just about sums up their attitudes to women.

View Author

105. White Light / White Heat - The Velvet Underground (1968) 6.7.26 Variety: 5 Adequacy: 5 Listenability: 5 Uniqueness: 5 Emotionality: 2 = 4.4 rounded down to a 4 “I guess you guys aren't ready for that yet. But your kids are gonna love it." - Calvin Klein Not my favorite by the group, and been a while since I've heard it. The Velvet Underground continue to get their flowers well into the 21st century, and it's all well deserved. I've got no counter point to make or anything, except to say that as influential as they were, that's all I really hear anyone say about them, which can be pretty boring. And as far as influence goes, let's save that for their first one, which is guaranteed to be on the list. I might instead dip into why they were NOT very successful in their time, despite being obviously great in retrospect though. Very little to say here other than I'm ready to sit back for some guaranteed quality. THE TRACKS Side one "White Light/White Heat" - Great piano led little boogie number that descends into chaotic feedback by the end, this songs seems to encapsulate the band's ethos pretty well of very listenable backwards looking stripped down rock aesthetics mixed with an avante garde sensibility. I'm not claiming that this isn't great stuff, but very easy in retrospect to see how these guys were setting themselves up for, if not failure, then certainly obscurity. For the time period. Reed in his later years complaining about how no one got it, surely understood at the time that that was kind of the point. The band most definitely courted the art scene, no matter how much Reed claims they just wanted to be a successful rock band with giant hits. Sure, but totally on their, at the time, unreasonable terms. And it's been proven again and again on these albums they could pump out short, radio friendly, divine pop rock. I would maintain the lyrical content is what kept them down. This is no exception, and that bit of business at the end is just the nail in the coffin. "The Gift" - God bless these weirdoes for doing this, which they knew would not be getting them a spot on the Ed Sullivan show. A killer fuzzed out jam serves as the table setting for Cale, with his hilariously button down voice reading this very EC Comics bit of horror comedy. This should not work as music. It should be performance art at best. But it somehow works as a musical experience. And I am someone who is vehemently anti-spoken word when it comes to music. This gets a complete pass form me. Genuinely funny, with a sting of horror. The Cryptkeeper himself would be jealous. "Lady Godiva's Operation" - More lovely, fuzzed out prettiness. Cale providing lead vocals with Reed popping in occasionally to roughen up the edges in real time. Interesting stuff near the end, but this is a prime example of the sort of self-sabotaging impulses Reed just can't tamp down. I would have been perfectly fine without all that, and while I like this one,, it would have sat a bit closer to the next track on the bench. "Here She Comes Now" - S-tier stuff. Reed displaying all the god-level melodic abilities that he seems to want to hoard for special occasions. "Sunday Morning", "Perfect Day" are maybe the best example of him in this mode, and proof that he could indeed sing well. But I think he maybe was the type of guy who would rag on you for liking "that pussy shit" even though he wrote it himself. And here we barely get a taste of it. Side two "I Heard Her Call My Name" - Reed tries his best to gunk this one up with his atonal guitar solos, but it still remains pretty listenable otherwise, with Tucker's metronomic trance beat functioning as the rivets barely holding the boiler together and preventing an explosion. "Sister Ray" - The centerpiece of the album for me, though we are forced to gorge ourselves at the end of the meal instead. Sprawling but never meandering. This one spreads out before you with intent and a drive that allows no glances backwards. And how do they manage to make this effort last the whole run time without petering out into either exhaustion or boredom? Keep it simple, stupid. There is absolutely nothing flashy going on here. These are all basic as fuck elements that are just compounded upon and remixed and used to propel you ever forward, with even the provocative lyrics barely registering as they pass by in the rearview. Worth the price of admission. HIGHLIGHTS - "White Light/White Heat" - "The Gift" - "Here She Comes Now" - "Sister Ray" MIDLIGHTS - "Lady Godiva's Operation" - "I Heard Her Call My Name" LOWLIGHTS - FINAL THOUGHTS When listening to this again, I was struck by just how unpalatable the content would have been to the mainstream of the era compared to how listenable and easily digestible it became over the course of twenty or more years. All the cool kids were ready at the time, or maybe shortly there after anyways though, and like the John the Baptist of highly influential alternative rock, the Velvet Underground's message was picked up, expanded upon and made gospel by the more successful weirdos that followed in their wake. Bowie was a big proselytizer, for example. By the mid to late 80s they were already giants in the minds of all the budding alternative and indie rock bands that would soon blow up your radios. And by the mid 90s ( in my memory) the band had finally earned it's place as one of the bedrocks. This album in particular, as great a listen as it is, is not Reed and company in my favorite mode. It's purposefully abrasive in ways that I appreciate, but could never emotionally connect with. I much prefer the delicate, beautiful pieces over the feedback and the noise and the more avante garde material. And there's just not enough of that on here. Maybe that's because that more prickly sort of stuff seemed old hat for someone who grew up surrounded by all the stuff that owed debts to it. I said that the talk of influence bores me, but it's unavoidable when talking about context. This is still is and will remain a classic though. It's just a 4-star classic for me, because I have to compare it to other stuff by the band and even Reed's solo material that I like much more. PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - Wouldn't dream of it FURTHER LISTENING - We're Only in It for the Money by The Mothers of Invention - The Modern Lovers by The Modern Lovers - Fun House by The Stooges - Tago Mago by Can - Transformer by Lou Reed - Marquee Moon by Television - Suicide by Suicide

View Author

I have listened as attentively as I could to this album (ie while getting bored to frustration with most of the songs). Looking at reviews here, I can see it has keen fans, as well as emphatic detractors, and lots of people giving it three stars - I wanted to see if I could get what others were appreciating. I give the album some credit for having a theme and wanting to do some story-telling, or at least scene-setting. I'm kinda signed up for critique of shallow consumerism. But I think the criticisms here are shallow, the characters one-dimensional, the lyrics ineptly expressed and overly repetitive. (On Genius, some of these songs with opaque lyrics have no significant commentary, suggesting there are no "hidden depths" to the 'quirky' phrases - eg Miss America "plucking hours from the sky" means what? no-one knows.) I'm not English, so I won't comment on the accusations of fake Cockney, but I will say the singing style doesn't appeal to me. I'm guessing these songs would like to be early David Bowie (eg Life On Mars), or The Kinks (eg Arthur or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire), but I'd far rather listen to actual Bowie or Kinks than this. The music is also frustrating. There are mildly noisy guitars, but like an advertising firm's idea of noisy guitars (that don't really intrude). Songs with one potentially appealing riff but no counterplay, no satisfying chorus. Very limited vocabulary of chord structures. Some studio effects and noises not integrated with songs. I searched in vain for a song I could consider my favourite: I was hoping to like Chemical World on a second listen, on the basis of the first half (decent riff, though goes nowhere much) but the piano-led second half really is rubbish - it's a twee piano line, the speeding up to crash is appallingly mishandled, no emotional impact and all too long. Why didn't someone tell them that it was maybe worth trying, but it didn't work out, so they should cut it from the song?? Overall, as there's no song I can comfortably sit through, I'll say for me it's Bad, 1/10.

View Author

I Only Said may have the catchiest single melody of I’ve ever heard in my life

View Author

I thought for sure this would be a five during Stolen Car and then everything slowed down, turned into a coffee shop album. A good one, sure, but every time I get an album that starts out strong and then drops right away it's hard to recover that momentum.

View Author

2.5

View Author

This was always one of my favorites of theirs. The artwork is gorgeous and matches the music perfectly. This is definitely their darkest album but they do a decent job of spreading out the upbeat songs to keep the album moving. The Cutter is an all-time classic for me. The entire band is so talented but Ian’s voice is so special. Anytime someone covers them, the singer can never get near his voice. It’s not Ocean Rain but still a post punk classic. Rating: 4.4

View Author

Todo iba bien, encaminado a ponerle cinco estrellas, hasta que empezaron a joder en las últimas canciones con el rock psicodélico. No todo puede ser tan bueno como parece, lamentablemente. ↑: I Hang Suspended; Leaves and Sand; Rodney King (Song for Lenny Bruce); If You Want It, Take It; Lazarus; I've Lost the Reason ↓: Butterfly McQueen; Spun Around; One Is For; Run My Way Runway

View Author

Man this is so great. I found Phantom of the Opera when I was a kid by mistake while looking for stuff from the musical. It didn't have any information except for the song title and I literally saved it until the technology existed to search by ear (Shazam) and I could find out what it was. I've never explored Iron Maiden but kind of feel like I'm going to after listening to this.

View Author

I find it hilarious that some of the reviews for this album are like angry at it. Like it’s a middle of the road 60s blues/psychedelic rock record. It’s fine but nothing here to elicit such a strong response

View Author

I remember when I was maybe in high school, and your Granddad bought a Willie Nelson album (so around late 70s, I think), and I was mystified (country music? yuck!). I've long since come to appreciate Willie Nelson, though, and country music, in general. I wasn't familiar with this particular album (although I am familiar with all 10 songs), and I'll admit to being a little surprised by how much I enjoyed it (although I did expect to like it). I was also a little surprised to see Booker T. Jones playing a major role (organ, piano, production, and arrangements). Which makes me feel a little less surprised that I liked this album so much. Booker T. is best known, I think, for Booker T & the MGs (and especially the classic instrumental hit, "Green Onions"). You know who else liked Willie Nelson? Your great-grandmother (G.G.). And who else? Me, that's who. So this one is for sure between a 4 and a 5, and I think I do have to give it 5 stars, even though it's only 10 songs, and none of them new. But Willie and these musicians did with these 10 songs is pretty much just about perfect, to me. So, yeah, 5 stars.

View Author

What a strange pull from Dimmery. No idea. Not many thoughts, just sort of floated past me.

View Author

I'm honestly surprised to the response this record gets on here, I thought it was a delight! Barrett is a great songwriter and most of the songs here kept me engaged. Highlights-Terrapin, No Good Trying, Dark Globe, Here I Go, Octopus, and Golden Hair

View Author

I found "Haunted Dancehall" on Youtube, pressed "Play" and started cleaning the bathroom. The album was good background music, but I don't hear anything that would distinguish this from many other (in my opinion better) electronic music albums. I'm probably missing the cultural importance of The Sabres of Paradise and I guess I should have been "there", but unfortunately my mother didn't let a 9 year old travel from Finland to England to listen some techno.

View Author

Weinerlich, langweilig, trostlos! Das nächste Machwerk von Leuten, die einfach den ganzen Tag heulen. So klingt das für mich.

View Author

2/5. This album is the musical equivalent of eating unseasoned boiled chicken and rice. Like sure it will sustain you, it functions as music, but it’s still pretty god damn bland. For an album that’s supposed to be about “insanity and deception” I really didn’t feel that at any point. I don’t really have anything interesting to say for this one because the album is so uninteresting.

View Author

easy listening

View Author

Mä tykkään tästä! Ja on entuudestaan tuttu. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

View Author

my favourite beatles album when i was a kid :) kinda funny how this is the second album i've gotten this week featuring a song that frank ocean has sampled on blonde

View Author

Interesting step into the eventual sound of punk. Solid 4 Stars.

View Author

Most people note the strong influence of Big Star on this record, which is pretty inescapable. It's pretty much a Big Star record updated for the 1990's, which means you lose the lingering psychedelic elements and get a louder, more buzzy distorted sound to the guitars, although you can still hear the influence on the riffs if you listen closely enough. That might sound a bit dismissive, but honestly its pretty fantastic. The songs are all really catchy and the shifts in sound from a more high energy sound to something a bit closer to something Big Star could have potentially released themselves really holds up. There's even a song with some horns that works well. The last couple of sounds have a more traditional indie sound, and are still pretty good. I liked this record when it came out, and its still great.

View Author

Such a lovely and promising looking cover and then you realise it's country. Bummer. Luckily, it's not too bad. This kind of "alt-country", as they call it, I can somewhat tolerate. Couple of rather good songs here, even. Most of it doesn't really do much for me though. Shame.

View Author

Really interesting. I'll listen again!

View Author

Hazy heavy drone metal. Great riffs, I had fun. Regular John is a banger to open. The speed up at the end of I Can't Quit You Baby is awesome. If it's a reissue or bonus track, I ain't listening #purist

View Author

YEEEHAW! I've listened to this album a few times before, and I feel like I need to preface this with a few mandatory references. First, yes, Fallout New Vegas! But also, El Paso is used to great effect in Breaking Bad and there's some wildly interesting theories comparing the song and the show. So obviously those two songs are the highlights here and if you like El Paso you should give a listen to the entire trilogy! Marty Robbins voice here is great, the layered vocals at times add so much and it really all gives the feel of being sung to around a campfire. I get this type of very story-focused singing isn't for everyone, but it feels like a very nice change in song structure from other albums on this list.

View Author

I am usually really indifferent to singer-songwriter music, but there is something about Elliot Smith that I really love. He just writes such pretty and bittersweet music. Low 5!

View Author

This is good but not quite as mind-blowing as his other records on here.

View Author

Man, I can't believe nepo babies are a thing in afrobeat too. Nah, I'm just kidding. Femi Kuti may perhaps have his fame mostly due to being the son of the greatest afrobeat artist to ever live, Fela Kuti, but he manages to succeed his father pretty well on this album of his. Granted, this album isn't better than Fela's album that I've heard, Zombie, but it's still a good time. I like afrobeat as a genre, okay? It appeals to me in all the right ways. The bouncy fun energy combined with the uplifting political lyrics work perfectly together and are the exact kind of thing that I like about music as a whole. Although, I will say that this album actually has a problem that is the exact opposite of Zombie. My one and only complaint that I had with Zombie was that there wasn't more of it. That album was like, what, 25 minutes or something? I was just getting into it when the album ended! Femi Kuti's album, however, has the exact opposite issue of being really long. 25 minutes may have been too little for me, but 74 minutes is a bit too long for my liking. Granted, I still really enjoyed the music, but the complaint is there. Other than that, I had a fun time. The writing is thoughtful and the songs are good. This might not be a masterpiece, but I liked it nonetheless. Femi Kuti may not have surpassed his father in terms of album quality, but I think Fela would be pretty proud of this. Low 4/5.

View Author

I had no idea this album was so good. I love Dookie and had stupidly assumed that nothing they had done since could touch that. This is amazing from the first to last track. I knew the obvious hits but there are so many more great tracks here that I didn’t know. Jesus of Suburbia might be their best song and I had never heard it. Shame on me.

View Author

Was this supposed to be a rock or pop album? If so, it’s very good. 5 stars for Lenny Kravitz

View Author

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

View Author

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

View Author

Forgive me, generator, for I have sinned. It's been 720 albums since my last Radiohead record. In that time I have lusted after all styles of music, Kraut, Psychedelic, Reggae, Blues, Funk, and have worshipped at the altar of Saint Osbourne. I have strayed from the righteous path of Radiohead and I repent. I will go and say 9 Hail David Bowie and 6 Hail Elvis Costello and try to do better. This would be just about perfect if they dropped Sulk, Yorke gets to fucking whine singing that is so unappealing on their subsequent albums. Call me a heretic but this and Pablo Honey are their only albums that should be on the list.

View Author

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.

View Author

Don't believe these liars.

View Author

Standard, late 60s English pop. Sounds like a Sgt. Peppers imitation, honestly. "Private Salts' Empty Kidney Association Troupe", I guess? A poor man's Sgt Pepper... Through the listen I couldn't take my mind off of this comparison and how this record arranged itself in a similar way, with each song feeding from the tracks before and informing the later tracks. An obvious concept album, so I see where the critics and write-ups make that comparison. The music is just standard stuff for the era though, with only a few really catching my ear but not for long. I hate to do this to The Kinks, because I like a bunch of their earlier work, but this one didn't take off for me (3/5). Reading the other reviews here, there's an angle I didn't consider -- how very English this **IS**. Numerous other reviewers talked about how it takes them to small, country villages, and (this is hyperbolic) tea times with aunties and crumpets and shit... ALL of that is lost on me. I've got no personal context for that. The music is middle of the road, unlike Sgt. Peppers, so nothing elevated it out of mediocrity and pulled me into that world The Kinks seemed to be trying to create. Here's my attempt to bend future lists out of the event horizon of all the British invasions and frankly insular English music world, with some keywords I keep using.. THE SUPREMES should have been included.. Anglo-centrism is bad.. Hope that helps.

View Author

(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.

View Author

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.

View Author

Pioneers of the alternative rock sound that would define the following decade, the 1990s. R.E.M. was making the jangling guitar rock that would bear the labels of indie and college rock. When I came of age in the nineties this sound would find its commercial success. This entire album sounded about 5 years later than its 1988 release date suggests. Lower sounds abound and I mean listen to the distortion on “I Remember California” And yet, this sound is still a work in progress. The album is all over the place. In spots we have bouncy pop with “Stand” whereas others slow down for more intimate work, “The Wrong Child” or “Hairshirt.” We’re transitioning into new eras on this album. R.E.M. has a new label and creative freedom and they’ll use it. For me it all works. I appreciated R.E.M. as a radio and MTV friendly act during their time, even if I never owned an album. Still, terrific form from a band that was a staple of my younger years.

View Author

One of the easiest 5s ever. such an ambitious project, stuffed with a kaleidoscope of references to a state I may never visit, and with such a variety of great songs with fantastic songwriting. He played like 20 different instruments on this which is just mad Casimir Pulaski Day might be my favourite “sad song”, and very funny to think he didn’t come out until like 2023 when you read the lyrics to “Primordial Beast Of The Palisades” Very bold to have a song relating yourself to a pedophilic serial killer and have it not come off in the absolute worst way possible I always run out of steam a bit towards the end, first half is definitely stronger, but it’s all great still

View Author

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.

View Author

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.

View Author

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.

View Author

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)

View Author

"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.

View Author

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 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.”

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

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.