1001 Albums Summary

Kicking off my journey with one I already own. I picked this one up back in... oh idk 2003-2007 sometime. I got it because I had liked Elephant. Impressive what you can do with just 3 (4 if you include vocals) instruments. The White Stripes manage to carry maximalist intensity minimalistically. This one's a slightly different beast compared to Elephant (pun not intended but I'm also not sorry). It takes a little time to warm up to. It's (intentionally) jagged. It goes out of it's way to be the antithesis of what was popular at the time (super polished, hyper manufactured). I appreciate that about it but I understand why some people wouldn't like it. It's not something I would recommend to just anyone.

I listened to this this album a decent amount in middle school - being at the mercy of whatever cassettes my parents had lying around. Thing is, I'm no longer prepubescent. I have my own money to buy music and ... well, I ain't reaching for this, thx. Not to say it isn't a competently composed and well performed body of work. It's fine. Fun to sing along with but not much else. Other reviewers have called this album boring...and I can't refute that. If you have a mature pallet, "soft-rock" is bland as hell. It's not this album, it's the entire genre. Not really sure why this one is on this list except that it's popular. It gets a solid "meh" from me.

So this is the album that kicked off glam rock, huh? Don't know much about glam rock, tbh. It's fine. Points for historical value - influenced such varied acts as Queen to X-Japan so I get why it's here. The lyrics aren't anything to write home about. Just standard British pop-rock circa 1960-1970 ("ooo girl, I love you girl, ooo ooo"... zzz). Enjoyable instrumental work throughout (surprise appearance from Ian McDonald of K.C.). I can see a much younger me digging it. Standout tracks: Monolith, Girl, Rip Off

Gangsta' rap is not a genre I have any interest in. Not a fan of the non-stop cursing (it should be seasoning, not the main dish), slurs, misogyny, glorifying of violence, braggadocious machismo ('affectation' is a word that comes to mind). I appreciate a few of these tracks,"Everyday Struggle" and "Things Done Changed" for example, but not enough to listen to them for enjoyment. This just isn't for me and that's ok.

I have never heard a Steely Dan song that I enjoy. In that regard, this album did not disappoint. I do not understand working that hard to sound so bland.

Instantly recognizable. If you've never heard Green Onions, yes you have. Fun music. The guitar work is delightful (especially notable on Twist and Shout). Loving the percussion on I Got a Woman. So far, the most enjoyable album I've heard from this list that I didn't already own. The fact that it's all instrumental is really working in its favor.

Damn good coffee. Loving the intensity on The Whores Hustle and the Hustlers Whore, Kamikaze (who is that ripping up the drum set? Kudos.) and This is Love. I wasn't feeling totally inspired to go after the whole discography but looking at the album list it seems like I won't have a choice. Won't be mad when I roll the next album in the set.

Is this supposed to be "inspired" by 80s synth-pop? In what way? I don't hear the style, the risk or the attitude here. Let's be real - most 80s pop was neon nonsense. But it was unashamed of that. I'm not getting "unapologetically garish" from this album. I'm not getting art pop. I'm not getting glam. You can't just slap some synth on it and call yourself "New Romantic". Sorry, you're still giving 2010s pop. And I'm not into it. Nicest thing I can say about Swift is that I appreciate her dedication to self-determination. She steers her own ship. Good for her. This is still a pass.

"There was a band playing in my head and I felt like getting high" - literally me. I keep wanting to give this a 3 because I don't care for his voice, but that guitar playing on Southern Man is too enjoyable. I did not expect Neil Young to go so hard. Put this one in the Dylan pile. Good stuff, but it needs a stronger vocalist. He's fine in harmony but kinda' weak solo. Seems like a running theme with singer songwriters. A lot of them are way better at the songwriting part. Hmm, I might like Neil Young. Who'da guessed.

If it had just been the MC this would have been meh, but DJ Premier is delightful. I love the turntable work. It's a bit preachy in places but at least it manages to not curse every other word. It's full of the exact same tropes ("I'm better than you", "all the women want me", etc) as "Ready to Die" but from a "good boy" angle. That's just the scaffolding of the genre, I guess. All that said, it is pretty enjoyable. Another high 3.

Day 11 and I'm about to give my first 5 (to David Bowie of all people - did not see that coming). I like Tangerine Dream - so the B side is right up my alley. It is worth it to go read up on the history of Bowie at this point in his life and the events that inspired some of these songs (like "Always Crashing in the Same Car"). This album is the sound of a man hitting rock bottom (thus the title) - disillusioned with his career, on the verge of losing his marriage, low in inspiration and strung out on too many drugs. And this is how he processed that. This is gorgeous. I mean I liked it the first time through but each time after I appreciate something new about it.

Very cool album. Neat to hear funk/soul experimentation with the emerging electronic/synth instruments of the day. The list of instruments Wonder plays on this album is really interesting: Hohner Clavinet (synthesizer that uses rubber band sounds), drums, Moog bass (foot-operated analog synthesizer ), harmonica, piano, harpsichord, T.O.N.T.O. synthesizer (quote Wikipedia: the largest, multitimbral polyphonic analog synthesizer in the world), Fender Rhodes (electric piano). The percussion and backing vocal work on 'You Are the Sunshine Of My Life' saves it from being just another an overly saccharine love song. Fun texture. The clavinet on 'Maybe Your Baby' is very cool. Not sure that song justifies a 7 minute run time though. The last few minutes get repetitive - or maybe the vocals just need to be toned down a bit so the instrumentals can shine. I thought I was hearing a theremin on 'You and I' but that's the TONTO synthesizer. 'Superstition' is an absolute jam as everyone knows. 'Big Brother' kinda' goes hard for something that chill. The more I listen to this the more it's clearly about experimenting with the instruments and vocal techniques. I'm down. Very cool. Not a big fan of love songs and this album has way too many but if that's Wonder's thing (or maybe it's just the genre) ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Oh I'm going to have an attitude about this. I didn't sleep, I'm cranky and I've never liked 'Maggie May' - it's just so blechhhhh. Never liked '(Find A) Reason to Believe' either. Normally I give albums multiple plays before I settle on a rating, and maybe it's just the massive attitude I woke up with today, but I don't wanna'. I don't like Rod Stewart and 1.5 plays of this album have not changed my mind. It's an interesting album and maybe I'd like it if I hadn't heard other artists do everything Stewart is doing but better. Also the casual racism and misogyny are ... not helping. I'd like to give him a fair shot but ... see: attitude.

Ah yes, weirdo music. Thank you. Creative, fun, kinda' bonkers - I had a compilation CD with a lot of her stuff on it back in the day. Nothing about this is changing my life but I kinda' like it.

I did not realize that pop punk has been around this long. Shows what I know. Very fun. Don't think I didn't notice being assigned an Irish band on St. Patrick's Day.

Sounds like Mike Patton cut his teeth on this on this record. I can most definitely see this being an acquired taste. I particularly enjoyed "16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought-Six", "Town With No Cheer", "Frank's Wild Years" (made me "lolwut?"), "Down, Down, Down", "Soldier's Things", "Trouble's Braids" and the instrumentals. Interesting album.

Brit-Rock Circa the 60s: 12 million variations of "ooo girl, I love you girl, ooo ooo ooo". I appreciate that this era had to happen for what follows but it's not my favorite flavor. There's something clearly a little different happening on this one. The instrumental work is fantastic. Surprise harpsichord? Incoming mellotron! The bassist is very fun. The guitar on "David Watts" is borderline crunchy (that's a good thing). I'd like to dig it but I feel like I'm missing some important context that would take this from 'quirky' to 'brilliant'.

Bowling alley music! Just your basic raunchy, power rock (sex, drugs, rock'n'roll), but they do it so well. They're just here to have a good time; don't take it too seriously. For anyone complaining that all AC/DC sounds the same: true, but nobody *else* sounds like AC/DC. They are instantly recognizable. This was the perfect brain-dead rock album for a brain-dead Friday. I enjoyed it.

Lynchian af. What are we calling this style (aside from Lynchian)? Seedy surrealism? Post-modern, psycho-sexual, campy, horror noir? Whatever you call it, it tends to be hit and miss for me. It hits when it just grazes the canyon walls of the Uncanny Valley. It misses when it tries too hard to impress upon you how ~weird~ it is. This album has a bit of both. I enjoyed the instrumental work. The vocal not so much. I can see why some of you love it. I can see why some of you hate it. It's ok. It's creative at least.

I got nothing smart to say about this. The lyrics and songcraft are meh but the musicianship is so damn good I kinda' don't care. I've never given Megadeth a listen before; I'm actually really impressed. I did not know they had this kind of technical skill. I like it. -Edit: In the weeks that have passed this has become my go to "office too loud for ambient" focus music. Drowns out the lawyers in the next row who don't understand how to modulate their voice volume without requiring too much of my attention. +1

TOO MUCH FACE. BACK. UP. I haven't even hit play and I'm already intensely uncomfortable. Top notch vocal performance but she really did herself a disservice with the title/theme on this one. It taints the interpretation of the whole thing: "Songs about how hard it is to be the ripe old age of 25. My life is practically over, boo hoo, what will I do? I'm all shriveled up and will never find true love. Remember being young? I miss it so." -_- uhh, ok I would have liked a few of these songs ('River Lea' is actually pretty amazing) had I not been listening to them through the lens of some barely grown woman pining over 'lost youth'. Gurl, I'm 42 and my midlife crisis isn't this dramatic. Pass. Thanks.

Drag my naked loneliness across a floor littered with broken glass why don'tcha. Mournful, hopeful, awed, frustrated. Damn dude, WTF did I just listen to? Extra points for the little explosion sound at the end of "Babe, You Turn Me On".

Overall, not my tempo. It's somehow dull and overstimulating at the same time. Most confusing thing I've heard so far. I definitely feel certain ways about it but lord help me if I know what those are. I'd rank it pretty high for creativity and the interesting juxtaposition between the lyrics and the music, but I enjoyed the relief of the silence that followed the last track a bit too much. I didn't even realize I was in pain. Ope.

Tangerine Dream with a sense of humor. Nice.

Started off really interesting, then turned into a bunch of love songs. -_- At least some other albums on this list have done interesting things with instrumentation or vocal technique. Not this though. Nope. Just 35 minutes of "ooo baby, I love you but you don't love me, sob" (with the exception of "Cloud Nine" and "Runaway Child, Running Wild"). Of the three versions of "Heard it Through the Grapevine" I've heard - this is the weakest. What a bummer. I hoped for better. PS: I think I've realized the difference between the love songs I'm ok with and those that irritate me: authenticity. The love songs on Nick Cave's album are real: that dude is IN LOVE with his wife. The love songs on this album are marketing kitsch. They're put on to sell records. In a word: phony.

Remember when country wasn't just pop with a twang sung by some affectatious jerk in a cowboy hat? Pepperidge Farm remembers. Not bad for country, which isn't a genre I care too much for. Got a few bangers on here, a few crooners, one instance of surprise yodeling, some stuff I think is supposed to make me sad but I can't quite understand the story so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. The audience on the live track are *rowdy* XD. Not mad at it. I'd like to highlight that it isn't all love songs - props. \m/

The lyrics are bad. The vocals are meh. Of 12 tracks (I'm including the 'hidden track'), 4 are just him bitching about people in his life - 3 of em' celebrities or something? I've never heard of this guy or the boy band he was in, but is he ever big mad about some stuff. Put this one in the "too English for me" pile. I don't get it. The one cultural reference I did understand was Ab Fab. I highly recommend it: it's hilarious and does a way better job of satirizing the English 'celebrity/fashion class' than he's doing. Jennifer Saunders is peak. This guy is mid. 2: might'a been a 3 but I had to listen to him sing about some "golden showers" and use the word "inbreedy".

Not sure what this album cover is supposed to be. I was expecting prog but got folk. Seriously, it looks like a King Crimson album. Anyway, it's nice. Very pretty. Very melancholy. Great music to sit out side and feel the wind to.

If it isn't Scottish, it's crap. Or so I've been told. Logically speaking, the statement is not bijective. Thus, being Scottish does not prevent it from being crap. Why have an entire band, if the musicians aren't doing anything except creating a gentle curtain of sound to hide how weak the vocals are? I get that that was the style but still, *pokes bassist with a stick* do something! I mean, I love a good harmonica but this album does not have a good harmonica. Sounds like just another in a long list of bland, dime-a-dozen, radio rock albums. Sorry, it's just not my tempo. Cheers to another completely mid Britpop album.

Do I need to write anything? Hendrix is a guitar god. This is well known. Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding are fantastic on this one too. I'm pleased with all of the performances. What a treat. Easiest ranking so far.

So if Static-X is evil disco, what is this? Mischievous disco? Whatever it is, I like it. I was not expecting to enjoy an album that topped (tee hee) the UK charts in the early 00s, given that I've hated the Britpop/post-Britpop that this list has handed to me so far (drab, formulaic, clichéd, why?). This has been a pleasant surprise. Wasn't really ready for a disco cover of Comfortably Numb. I don't love it. I don't hate it either. As a disco song, it's fun. As a Floyd cover, it's not great. It misses the point and narrative of the song in favor of pizazz. But it *does* have pizazz. In spades. Vocals are neat; Brothers Gibb one second, Elton John the next. Instrumentals are fun, energetic, some nice bass work in there. It's a bit cheeky, a bit irreverent, occasionally tender. Thumbs up. Not perfect, but pretty darn good. If you're going to embrace postmodern kitsch, this is how you do it.

Too much face. My general opinion: the music is nice, his voice is a bit grating, the lyrics don't do much for me. It's fine for what it is. I've never been super into Van Morrison. I've always liked "Moondance", it's very pretty. Otherwise, nothing on this album is really grabbing me.

It's very 70s. It just drippppppppss 70s (I see you Bee Gees song). I don't hate it. It's kinda' in the same class as Van Morrison: pretty, but not really doing much for me.

This album cover is promising a lot. XD And, you know what? It kinda' delivers. It's so 80s it's nearly painful and I love it for that. Synth heavy, beat heavy, fun focused, a bit cheesy. Yep, them's the 80s. I don't know much about the evolution of hip hop, but apparently this stuff is very important. I'm glad I had the chance to hear it. I've also never listened to 'electro' but if this is what it sounds like, I dig it. Points for historical significance & creativity. I do agree with some of the other reviewers in that these songs are not strong enough for a 6-7 minute run times. From my understanding, all of these songs were made as singles so I get it. I think if they had sat down to create a full cohesive album they could do better but this is a pretty good start.

I have no idea what I'm listening to but I really like it. Is it new wave? What even is new wave? Is it punk? Is it post punk? What is post punk? Is it funk? What the funk is going on here? Why are the musicians so good? What the hell is this guy even singing about? Do I need to care? Second most confusing thing I've heard so far but this time I am down. Looking forward to the next time they come up.

In theory I like The Smashing Pumpkins. In practice they're very hit and miss. Something about Corgan rubs me the wrong way. I'm not usually overly picky about vocals but sometimes I wish he would just shut up and let me listen to the music. I've had this album in my mp3 collection for 20+ years (thanks Jenny) and this is the first time I'm listening to it in its entirety (sorry Jenny). It's fine. The hard rock bangers are good. The drummer is sick with it. The ballads are completely forgettable. The stuff in-between is somewhat in-between. The lyrics kinda' suck. This won't be getting any full replays after today.

This album coming on the heels of 'Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness' really highlights the contrast between childish angst and true pain. I think that's what rubs me the wrong way about Corgan; he parades his juvenile tantrums as somehow profound when they're anything but. Grief is profound. If you don't already know that, you will. Grief is *the* ubiquitous experience. It gets us all. I can't imagine how excruciating it must be to lose a child. The fact that Cave can create beauty from that agony makes this album worth a 5 even if I did not enjoy a second of it. Art doesn't have to be enjoyable. It just has to speak to some truth of the human experience. If you've not experienced deep grief, I can't imagine you'd get much out of this album. It's got not a single banger. The songs are unsingable. Some are dirge-like and plodding. Much of it is ambient. There's nothing to sink your teeth into or ground you. It just hangs in the air. But, if you know it, the feeling of this album is completely recognizable. It's the sound of a grief that you've sat with for a few years. One that's taken up residence in your home and seeped into your memories. A grief still there long after the rage and guilt have passed. It doesn't stop hurting. You just learn to live with the pain. It means you loved someone dearly and that love is worth accepting the pain. That's the price of it. "I am here, and you are where you are" - yup, I understand that feeling.

ooo, techno: Dum-dum-dum-dum-digadigadigadigadigadigadigadiga ...no...wait, ambient techno: ~~**~-|~~*._~~~~**...''~~~~**~-|~~*._~~~~**...''~~**~

Not bad. Not really my jam either. A few standouts: We Can Talk (pretty groovy), The Weight (I mean, yeah), Long Black Veil (well that's a hell of a story), Chest Fever (the keyboarding on that opener - did ELP notice?).

Best of the genre so far. Ol' Dirty Bastard is hilarious and I can't tell if that's intentional or not, so +1 to you, sir. I would actually listen to this album for enjoyment ... except for all the racial slurs. I don't want that kind of language just casually taking up residence in my vocabulary. Over exposure tends to normalize things and slurs should not be normalized. So, sadly, this can't stay on my iPod. Made for an enjoyable listen for a few days though.

Sounds exactly how the album cover suggests it should. "You Got It (Keep It Outta My Face)": How I feel about Google and Microsoft's forced AI features.

Legendary. And probably only could have worked in the 60s. Great instrumentals, excellent vocalist, don't expect too much from the lyrics. The album falls short for me a few times and they're all due to Morrison trying too hard to be edgy. So...the usual for this band.

I am not going to rehash the whole paralysis thing here. If you want that story go read any other positive review of this album. This stuff is experimental (dirty word, I know), a little humorous (but like, in the English way, so it's hard to tell) and very personal (but like, in the abstract way, so it's hard to tell). The lyrics tend to be wacky and frequently nonsensical ("No nit not/Nit no not/Nit nit folly bololey" ... uhhhh, ok -_-). Vocal shenanigans abound. For a guy who said jazz fusion had too much 'noodling', there seems to be a fair amount of it on this album (just sayin'). I can see most people not liking it. That makes sense. You are welcome to >:[ and move on. I won't judge. For me, the more I listen to it, the more I'm down. I like the noodling and vocal shenanigans. The phonetic reversal on "Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road" is cool. That his wife gets a reply on "Alife", also cool. This feels like the sort of album I *could* spend 20 years chewing on (I probably won't though). Here, take your 4 and go stand in the corner with the rest of the almost-5s ... oh wait ... *shit*, my bad.

Hello bassist, I hear you (take note, Travis). Guitar is crunchy. Vocals are very 80s. Lyrics are interesting. I dig it. I think it's becoming clear: whatever "post-punk" is, I like it

This album and artist have a hell of a story. You know you're doing something right if your own corrupt government sends the military to kill you. Speaking out against colonialism and a brutal regime is very punk. Kudos. Also, good music. Great texture, great energy. Most fun protest music I've ever heard. I, for one, love cultural exchange: here's this guy picking up jazz and funk and soul and going "you know what? Also West African traditional folk!" And boom, new genre! Very cool. I have it on "good authority" (some guy at work XD) that Fela Kuti's music is very influential across several genres. Looks like he's being inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame for "musical influence", so I believe it.

Here's how my uneducated brain sees genre. Punk: Short form, high energy, anti-establishment, jagged, raw. Prog: long suite compositions, connected concept albums, high technical skill, cerebral or fantastical themes Then there's these guys here. Decades after punk establishes itself firmly as the anti-prog they're like "hey let's make a concept album with a bunch of long connected suites". I think that's hilarious. That it pisses off the punk "purists" just makes it even better. Kill your idols, y'all. Just say yes to disco covers of "Comfortably Numb" and pop-punk rock operas. Why? Because it's challenges what you hold sacred and that's how you grow. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I've had this album since just after it dropped and it's incredible. You want the boots-on-the-ground zeitgeist of 2004/2005? Here you go. Take this and take Mezmerize/Hypnotize and get out of my face. You don't get "educated, nuanced" feelings about the political issues of the day. Average people don't have nuanced political understanding. They have visceral, nightly-news, sound-clip understanding. They have "got to get up and go to school/work with all this dread inside me" understanding. They have '"why the f*** are we starting a war with Iraq? what the hell does Iraq have to do with anything?" while they have to choose between paying rent and their kid's medicine' understanding. They have 90s level homophobia (the 90s sucked y'all, and Friends is a shit show) as their cultural backdrop. They have newly emboldened hyper-nationalism and people attacking other people on the subway for *looking* Muslim as their daily climate. Columbine is a fresh memory and a bright new scar. 9/11 is a fresher memory and isn't even scarred over yet. Certain news outlets would run segments mocking Americans for not being able to find Iraq on a map. This was supposed to be proof that we were a bunch of uneducated, politically unaware boobs who should be ashamed of ourselves. Actually, it just proved how much we had no business starting yet another war with a country the average American didn't know or care about. Can we have healthcare? Nope, gotta' kill more brown people so Halliburton can cash in. "Another protester has crossed the line to find the money's on the other side." Hi, that's me. I was that protester. When you realize you're not appealing to any kind of humanity and your government doesn't represent *you*; that you're up against Corporate special interest with infinite resources and you don't have the means to even move the needle? Yeah. This album is the soundtrack to my disillusionment. The media literally televised us blowing up cities full of people. Live. As if it was entertainment. They called it 'Operation Shock and Awe' like some kind of WWE show. It was disgusting. It was everywhere on an endless loop. It was traumatizing and I didn't even realize that until just now. Writing it down. Being force-fed mass murder as entertainment was traumatizing. I was 20 in 2004. 20+ years later and things have not improved. But this album still slaps. So there's that. Good luck out there kids.

Who needs coffee when you can have 'sudden loud blast in the middle of an otherwise too quiet track'? Ouch. Was that supposed to be artsy? Because it was just painful. Not a good start. Kinda' pissed me off. I've learned something about myself through this project (good, that was the point): Whatever the hell the UK had goin' down in 2000-2010, I don't much like it. What was happening during this decade that made you all so pasty, limp and sad? Are you ok over there? Can I offer you some thrash or something? I assure you, it's very cathartic. After the first time through, I didn't remember anything except my eardrums being smashed by the first track (-1 for that). Third time through and I'm done. I normally do at least 4 but no. I've had enough. I liked "The Fix" and "Grounds for Divorce" and about nothing else. This is another band that the rest of you are saying sound like a knock off Radiohead...so I'm not going to like Radiohead am I? Or Coldplay, for that matter.

First Impression: Sad Blümchen doing an Imagine Dragons album. It's fine. Musically, I like it a lot. Lyrically, not really into it. I don't need a bunch of break-up/make-up songs that blend together in a haze of neon-colored LEDs. Thanks though. Sounds like what Taylor Swift *thinks* '1989' sounds like. I do like "Science/Visions" and was hoping for more of that. I didn't get it. :\ Now I'm just sad. If they had leaned into that dark synth sound and dropped the teeny bopper crap I'd have loved this album.

Beck? I though this guy was a one hit wonder who peaked in '97. Shows what I know. Actually this isn't bad. "Beck not bad" wasn't on my bingo card but here we are. The 13 year old version of me did not appreciate the same things the current version of me appreciates. Funny how things change. This album has great texture. Good stuff.

This album is a testament to the fact that "Queen Bey" can do whatever she wants. And you know what? Despite not being hot, or rich, or talented I can also do whatever *I* want. And *I* want to never listen to Beyoncé sing about her clitoris again. Thank you for the opportunity to confirm that I didn't miss anything by never listening to this stuff.

I walked into this one with a residual attitude thanks to Beyoncé telling me about all the dick she rides (lady, I don't know you like that and I don't want to know you like that). It's evaporated. This album goes surprisingly hard for pop. I'm impressed. Some very interesting imagery choices and personal backstories wedged between some pretty standard pop stuff. Let's take an inventory: sex as a spiritual experience (sure, why not when the song is this much of a powerhouse and you're not describing your genitals as "skittles"), girl power anthem (ok), experimental duet with Prince (neat), domestic abuse, grief and loss and childhood trauma, heartbreaking ballad putting the AIDS epidemic on full blast at a time when every government was sweeping it under the carpet. Hell of a statement.

The original Made For TV boy band picks up their own instruments and proves to the world that they *can* write their own mediocre 60s pop. Does anyone born after 1990 even know who these fellas are? 'The Monkees' is a sitcom that was little more than absurd skit comedy loosely based on the idea that these four weirdos were a band. No disrespect, I liked 'The Monkees' ... when I was 12 and was watching reruns on Nick At Nite. A few of these guys are decent musicians but that was not what they were hired to do. The imposter syndrome they lived with must have been just unbearable but bros ... y'all are a manufactured teeny-bopper Beatles rip-off "band". You were created to sell magazines and lunch boxes. Just cash your checks and be happy you're selling records in the first place. "Zilch" was interesting. "Shades of Grey", "Randy Scouse Git", and "No Time" are ok, but they don't make this album worth the disk space on my iPod. Sorry, lads. +1 for genuinely trying.

Ope, more bowling alley music. Enjoyable.

Ok, but go read the Wiki on this duo. Bonkers. Respect. +1

Gonna' have to agree with a few of you here: shame on the editors of this book for not bothering to find a studio album to include if they wanted to highlight this artist. The entry in the book doesn't even seem to be aware of this blunder. Things that make you go "hmmm". Couple'a real jams on here. "Calcanhar De Aquiles " and "Aprendendo Jogar" particularly stood out. She goes hard sometimes. Very neat. Not really something I can see myself reaching for but glad I got to hear it.

Oh boy, my first Beatles album ever and it's just the one Beatle actually. Being the only person in the world who has never listened to a Beatles album means I have no idea how this stacks up by comparison. And I'm kinda glad for it (yay, no baggage). This is pretty damn good. A few misses here and there but all 'n' all - pretty good. "Out of the Blue" onward is fantastic (I guess that would be the "Apple Jam" portion). Get a bunch of quality musicians in a room and let 'em just rip. Chef's kiss. The fact that the critic in charge of writing this one up ("AG") refers to the jam disc as "forgettable" cements in my mind that the writers of this book and I are not even close to being on the same wavelength. Ok then, just put more bland ass britpop on the list to make up for it - oh right, too late.

Handful of hits, handful of misses. It's ok but I dunno'. It's just not grabbing me. Dancing Choose, Red Dress and DLZ stand out.

I have no idea what I'm listening to but it is extremely pretty. I feel like this is another of those albums I could spend a decade digesting. I can't see getting everything that's going one here in one (or even four) listens. The lyrics I've had the time to look through are incredibly dense (as in packed full of references and symbolism). Ok now I want to hear "Michigan".

"A Hazy Shade of Winter" is an S-tier song. The Bangles cover is better than the original (I said what I said) but the original is still S-tier. This one song is better than the rest of the album. On first listen: the B side is better than the "concept" portion (Paulie, what where you doing?). Furthermore, I did not need a track of old people talking with New York accents. It was off putting. Thanks Art, I hate it.

Mellow. Not what I was expecting but then again, what was I expecting?

Excuse me? This is another compilation. I thought the editors had a 'no compilation' rule? It's starting to look like "oh we have to include some non-Anglosphere acts or people will think we're chauvinistic. Oh here's a Brazilian and some Swedes. Just pick whatever album is the easiest to find, no one will know the difference. See, we're multicultural." *head desk* Anyway, I don't hate it. It's kinda' fun. Not really 'new favorite' (err 'favourite'- because European) but it's ok. Probably stays on the iPod for a while. Makes me want to listen to Agabas (Norwegian death jazz).

The album cover was made in Paintbrush on Windows 3.0. Kudos however for making Gene Simmons out himself as a raging asshole. Not that anyone should be surprised by that. Completely inoffensive radio rock. Pretty. Metal Baby: distinctly not metal. False advertising, very disappointed. :/ Sidewinder: what brilliant songwriting. "when you're ticking, I'm your tock"... *snort* ok

Somehow I've never actually listened to an entire Rush album. Good stuff. Put XYZ in the list of 'Best Rock Instrumental Tracks (not composed by Alan Parsons)' along with Haken's "Nil By Mouth" and Porcupine Tree's "Wedding Nails".

Bro? Are you... mewing? Pretty good. Not really my style. But pretty good for what it is.

This is more my speed. Hot bass. Nice vocals. Good time.

Dreamy and wispy with zero intensity. Just what I've come to expect from this list. First impression: this is nothing to write home about. On subsequent plays I'm hearing little texture elements here and there that I missed the first time around. I think I get it. Another one that a younger me might have liked.

Have you heard "Epitaph Für Aikichi Kuboyama"? Nothing about it. Completely unrelated. I was expecting this to bore me to tears. And to be fair, the vocals here do bore me. The instrumentals, however, do not (mostly). There are enough little touches of interest through the long stretches of Thom Yorke's lethargic whining to make me think that maybe they were on to something. Apparently this is the stuff that didn't make the cut for "Kid A". Maybe I'll like "Kid A", then? We'll find out, I guess. Anyway, somewhat better than I was expecting.

Guitars are fun. Vocals are...something. "Sixteen" is wild. Neat album.

Hell of a personal statement. Not my style musically but I can appreciate how much 'self' is in this. It's heartbreaking and hopeful in equal measure. It's incredibly beautiful.

A couple of tracks are pretty interesting. Nothing I would pick up on my own though.

Groovy tunes. Not really up my alley but not unenjoyable.

So, this guy's a surprise find from this project. My tastes in music tend to be much more maximalist. I like intensity and texture. Give me rock, give me metal, give me synth and electronica. This isn't to say that I don't appreciate folk now and then but I didn't figure I'd like something this delicate so much. Drake's voice is lovely, his compositions gentle and melancholy (and somehow not boring ... texture I guess?). Just beautiful. Great music to watch a rain storm while sitting in a rocking chair on your porch to. "Fruit Tree" is tragically prescient isn't it?

Boo to the Queen knock-off (I mean "allusion") album cover. You boys are not even close to Queen. The vocalist looks like he wants to murder me and the rest of them look like the cast of a Supernatural high school AU. Anyway, I've completely forgotten what I just listened to. It wasn't terrible but it also wasn't all that interesting.

I saw 'britpop' and got real depressed. Happy to report that the melancholy has passed. This is way better than any of the 'britpop' I've been handed so far. This sounds more in line with the 'post-punk' I've been hearing, actually. The vocalist is giving extreme 'spiritual successor to Bowie' vibes. There's texture, both crunchy and smooth, high and low intensity. The instrumentals aren't just a gossamer curtain of sound and the vocals aren't weak. Nice. I can only assume that, this being very early 'britpop', the coattailer acts that followed didn't really have the same je ne sais quoi as the trailblazers (as is usually the case). By the time 'second wave' rolls around the genre has become a pale imitation of it's original form. Sometimes that can be a good thing but I somehow think not in this case. Anyway, nice album. Cheers. Album cover: nice ass, man. Reminds me of the time I was walking through the rec center at my university and caught an eye full of some fella' that was just buck ass nekkid standing in front of the entry to the men's locker room (he was inside the locker room...just standing in front of the door though). He also had a nice ass. Not sure he meant to display it to anyone who happened to be strolling by butt that's what happened. Life Lesson: be aware of where you're standing when you aren't wearing clothes.

Lovely voice, great tunes. I am, however, finding it difficult to overlook that the editors of the book felt the need to include a white, English vocalist singing songs first recorded by black, American musicians without bothering to include the original artists anywhere on the list. I understand why this record exists and needed to exist in the context of history but it's an injustice that white artists got famous re-recording music that wouldn't sell as well or catch as much play on the radio because the original artists were black. We can acknowledge the truth of the era without needing to repeat its sins. The editors are not bound by the attitudes of Jim Crow America and could have easily done something to level the injustice that occurred (include one Supremes record, at least) but they chose not to. Nothing against Dusty for existing within her era of history. She's a fantastic vocalist. I just don't think this album is required reading when it's a Cliff's Notes of American soul music repackaged to appeal to British sensibilities.

Too much face. So I don't really know anything about country except that I do not like modern country. Country hour on the office overhead lasts from 10a-12p and oh boy does it suck. This is not modern country so ok. This is about what I expect from classic country. My grandfather would like this. Nice Fallout New Vegas reference. /jk

Wait...I know you. I've heard of this band but I can't remember what from. I was alive in 1990 but was just a tater tot so the memory's a little hazy. This guitar playing sounds familiar. Yeah...I know this song. Memory unlocked! I do remember "Twice As Hard", "Hard to Handle" (I can sing this one despite not understanding a word this man is saying) and "She Talks to Angels". I think this stuff caught play on MTV around the same time as Collective Soul, Soundgarden, Soul Asylum, Pearl Jam, etc so my brain just lumped it in with that 90s grunge alternative stuff. "Southern rock" you say? Sure, makes sense now that I'm hearing it as an adult. Is this important to the development of music? Probably not. But it's still enjoyable.

I've never been a huge Black Sabbath fan but they have my utmost respect for practically creating heavy metal as we know it. I can't imagine what it must have been like to hear this in 1970. That title track is bonkers especially when you consider when it was recorded. What at the time was even close? The Who? Deep Purple? Was the world ready for this in 1970? The album has a few low points for me, the lyrics are particularly meh in places (so it's a pretty good thing that I don't hold lyrics to a high standard in rock). Despite those moments it's got great instrumental work and is undeniably original. Big props for the harmonica on "The Wizard" (who knew Ozzy played harmonica?) and mouth harp on "Sleeping Village". Gotta' love a good mouth harp in a metal song (so basically this one and "Cockroach King" by Haken). I heard the Static-X cover of "Behind the Wall of Sleep" ages ago and had no idea it was originally Black Sabbath. It sounded like Static-X. That's a testament to both a good cover (they made it their own) and the fact that Sabbath is so fundamental to metal that decades of development later and their sound still works. Good stuff.

Wowie, I really like this. It sounds like Jack White without sounding like The White Stripes. Well done.

oooooo this bassist! Yummy. I get a real heart on for any band that places the rhythm section front and center. The bass and drums are indeed front and center here. I like it.

This title track is one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard. But what a horrifying story. 'Myth has it that Clinton discovered his brother's rotting body and cracked skull, sprawled in a Chicago apartment -- hence the "maggot brain".' If there is even a grain of truth to that ... DAYUM. Furthermore "According to legend, the opening title track was recorded in one take when Clinton, under the influence of LSD, told lead guitarist Eddie Hazel to play as if he had just learned his mother was dead; Clinton instructed him "to picture that day, what he would feel, how he would make sense of his life, how he would take a measure of everything that was inside him and let it out through his guitar". And wowie! "Maggot Brain" is right up there with "Shine On You Crazy Diamond"- just incredibly beautiful. The rest of the album is also great. Easy goddamn 5.

The compositions are fantastic. Having only ever heard any of these songs on the radio, they are not done justice. Get some headphones. Never figured Elton John for headphone music but there are elements that you'd miss coming out of speakers (especially car speakers). I think my respect for John has just increased several levels. Which isn't to say I didn't know he was good to begin with, it's just not the style of music I've ever given much attention to. One play through and I'm giving this a 4. It might be a 5 but I'm not giving it more than one play today. I poked my eardrum with a q-tip yesterday and need to let it rest (this is why they say not to put those things in your ear canal. What can I say, I'm a rebel).

Let's see here ... "post-punk", oh. Hmm, yep. To quote King Crimson's Indiscipline, "I do think it's good [...8 minutes of funky, angular noodling ...] I like it!"

How many mics do *I* rip on the daily? None. But I'm happy to listen to the Fugees rip many many many. The only real downside here is that the album suffers the same issues as most of the genre that I've heard. Too many slurs and too much blaa blaa blaa between tracks. I get that it was the style but fanny packs were popular once too. That doesn't mean they're actually cool. It's second hand embarrassing. It's fortunate that they're really really good. Mostly very enjoyable.