| 12 Step Rebels Go Go Graveyard Rockin | 4.0 |
| AC/DC Highway To Hell | 4.0 |
| AFI Burials | 4.0 |
| As much as I'd like to dismiss AFI as a bunch of teen emo crap, this is actually a pretty dope record. "A Deep Slow Panic," "17 Crimes," "The Conductor," "The Embrace," and "Greater Than 84" have gotten a healthy amount of plays out of me. |
| Al Di Meola Elegant Gypsy | 4.0 |
| Al Green Greatest Hits | 3.5 |
| Allan Holdsworth Secrets | 3.0 |
| Holdsworth is one of the greatest guitar players of all time. But his tracks with vocals were always way too cheesy, and the use of the guitar synth is dated. I'll take "City Nights" and leave most of the rest. |
| Anathema Distant Satellites | 2.5 |
| Anathema Judgement | 3.0 |
| I like some of Anathema's other albums. This one is melodically bland and overrated, even if One Last Goodbye is a moving track. It took the band years to recover from Duncan Patterson's departure. |
| Anathema The Silent Enigma | 3.0 |
| Anathema A Natural Disaster | 3.5 |
| Anathema Eternity | 4.0 |
| Anathema Alternative 4 | 4.0 |
| Anathema We're Here Because We're Here | 4.0 |
| Andy McKee Art of Motion | 4.5 |
| Andy Stott Faith in Strangers | 3.0 |
| Andy Timmons That Was Then, This Is Now | 4.0 |
| Animal Collective Strawberry Jam | 2.0 |
| Arcade Fire Funeral | 3.0 |
| Beck Odelay | 2.0 |
| Bill Evans Portrait in Jazz | 4.5 |
| Bill Wyman Back To Basics | 2.5 |
| Bill's most recent solo album, which is unfortunately just about ruined by his rangeless, smoked-out voice. At least two of the songs on here, "Stuff (Can't Get Enough), and "I'll Pull You Through" are recordings of older songs, and to add insult to injury, "Love, Love, Love" rips off the riff from Al Green's "Love And Happiness." Still, I very much like the first track on here, "What and How and If and When and Why." |
| Bill Wyman Monkey Grip | 3.5 |
| Bill Wyman, always the unsung, underutilized member of The Rolling Stones, proves himself to be something of a joker on this album. "Pussy" and "White Lightning" are not very subtle, but at other times, like "I Wanna Get Me a Gun" and "Monkey Grip Glue," it's hard to tell if Wyman is sarcastic or serious. Either way, it's a work of Spinal Tap-esque schlock art. |
| Bill Wyman Bill Wyman | 3.5 |
Bill fully immerses himself in 80s electronica with mixed results, but "A New Fashion," "Come Back Suzanne," and "(Si Si) Je
suis un Rock Star" are awesome. |
| Bjork Post | 3.5 |
| Black Sabbath The Eternal Idol | 3.0 |
| Black Sabbath Master of Reality | 4.5 |
| Black Sabbath Black Sabbath | 4.5 |
| Black Sabbath Vol. 4 | 5.0 |
| Black Sabbath Sabbath Bloody Sabbath | 5.0 |
| Black Sabbath Sabotage | 5.0 |
| blink-182 Dude Ranch | 3.5 |
| Blondie Parallel Lines | 4.0 |
| Bob Dylan Blood on the Tracks | 3.0 |
| Bon Iver Bon Iver, Bon Iver | 4.0 |
| Boy Pablo Roy Pablo | 2.0 |
| Brian Eno Here Come the Warm Jets | 4.0 |
| Brian Eno Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks | 4.0 |
| Brian Eno Another Green World | 4.5 |
| Bruce Springsteen The River | 2.5 |
| Bruno Mars Doo-Wops & Hooligans | 1.0 |
| Can Tago Mago | 3.5 |
| Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band Unconditionally Guaranteed | 2.0 |
| Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band Bluejeans and Moonbeams | 2.5 |
| This album manages to be marginally better than Unconditionally Guaranteed, due mainly to "Observatory Crest." But this was still a rancid period for Captain Beefheart, dubbed "The Tragic Band" era by fans. Fortunately, Beefheart would start performing avant-garde music again with his next album. |
| Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band The Spotlight Kid | 3.5 |
| Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band Clear Spot | 3.5 |
| Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band Strictly Personal | 3.5 |
Ruined by the producer, who added distracting phasing effects throughout most of the album. The version of "Kandy Korn"
here also sounds like garbage compared to what you get on "The Mirror Man Sessions." Still, it's Captain Beefheart, and
you've got to love it for his singing voice and uncompromising weirdness. |
| Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band Ice Cream for Crow | 4.0 |
A fitting tombstone to Captain Beefheart's career, but it's main fault is the lack of actual singing from The Captain, who
was in the early stages of MS. Some of the songs on here are cobbled together from old riffs or poems dating back to even
the Trout Mask Replica album: Ice Cream for Crow, Semi-Multicoloured Caucasian, Hey Garland, I Dig Your Tweed Coat,
The Witch Doctor Life, The Thousandth and Tenth Day of the Human Totem Pole |
| Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band Mirror Man | 4.0 |
| Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) | 4.0 |
| Don't like this one quite as much as I used to, but it's still a return to form after the awful Unconditionally Guaranteed and Bluejeans & Moonbeams albums. John French aka Drumbo (Beefheart's on again/off again drummer) has correctly identified that a) "Tropical Hot Dog Night" is the standout and b) the mixing is anemic at times. A handful of songs on this album are re-recorded from the earlier 1975 Bat Chain Puller album, which was shelved due to a legal dispute with Frank Zappa's manager, Herb Cohen. I like the 1975 version of "Bat Chain Puller" better. |
| Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band Lick My Decals Off, Baby | 4.5 |
| Similar in style to Trout Mask Replica, but falls just short of that album because of fewer songs and worse production. Also, Jeff Cotton quit the group after having his ribs broken by roadie Jeff Bruschell, so it's just Zoot Horn Rollo on guitar. "One Red Rose That I Mean" is Rollo's signature piece. "Flash Gordon's Ape" is unfortunately ruined by a cacophony of overly loud saxophones. |
| Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band Doc at the Radar Station | 4.5 |
| This album is, to a large extent, Captain Beefheart's reaction to punk and New Wave, who he (debatably) felt ripped him off. The Captain is more full of piss and vinegar than usual, particularly on "Ashtray Heart," "Brickbats," and "Sheriff Of Hong Kong." "Making Love To A Vampire With A Monkey On My Knee" brings it home with something as weird as anything he ever did. Probably the most inspired album of Beefheart's later career. |
| Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band Trout Mask Replica | 5.0 |
| Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band Safe As Milk | 5.0 |
| Cat Stevens Back To Earth | 3.0 |
| The last album he recorded as "Cat Stevens" before his Islamic alter ego took over. It's a slight return to form, with "Daytime" being one of the most haunting songs ever recorded. |
| Cat Stevens Tea for the Tillerman | 3.5 |
| Cat Stevens Catch Bull at Four | 3.5 |
| Charles Mingus The Clown | 4.0 |
| Circle Jerks Wild in the Streets | 3.5 |
| Converge Jane Doe | 2.0 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival Mardi Gras | 1.5 |
| Crystal Castles Crystal Castles II | 2.5 |
| Cynic Traced in Air | 2.5 |
| Danzig Danzig | 4.0 |
| David Bowie Tonight | 2.5 |
| David Bowie Black Tie White Noise | 3.0 |
| David Bowie The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars | 4.5 |
| David Bowie Station to Station | 4.5 |
| David Gilmour About Face | 3.0 |
| Dead Can Dance Aion | 3.5 |
| Dead Kennedys Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables | 3.5 |
| Death The Sound of Perseverance | 3.5 |
| Deep Purple Machine Head | 4.0 |
| Dennis Wilson Pacific Ocean Blue | 3.5 |
| Devo Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! | 3.5 |
| Let's not kid ourselves. This record has some of the worst guitar tones ever committed to tape. One of Brian Eno's worse production efforts. |
| Dio The Last in Line | 3.5 |
| Dio Holy Diver | 4.0 |
| Dire Straits Communiqué | 3.5 |
| Dire Straits Brothers in Arms | 4.0 |
| Dire Straits Dire Straits | 4.0 |
| Dire Straits Making Movies | 4.5 |
| This is a fantastic little album - my favorite from The Straits in fact. "Romeo and Juliet" and "Solid Rock" are just incredible. The closer "Les Boys" is controversial. Listen and formulate your own opinion. |
| Dire Straits On Every Street | 4.5 |
| Underrated. There are some dull tracks on here, but "Calling Elvis," "Heavy Fuel," "My Parties" (Steely Dan-esque), "Planet Of New Orleans," and "How Long" are amazing. |
| Donald Fagen Kamakiriad | 3.0 |
| Fagen got into a major rut with his songwriting starting with this album. The new style tended to favor long songs with monotonous, sterile drum beats - a format which unfortunately spilled over into the two more recent Steely Dan albums as well. The most enjoyable moments on the album for me are Tomorrow's Girls and Teahouse On The Tracks. |
| Donald Fagen Morph the Cat | 3.5 |
| Best songs: What I Do, Brite Nitegown, The Night Belongs To Mona, Mary Shut the Garden Door. Similar format to Kamakiriad but less boring. |
| Donald Fagen Sunken Condos | 4.0 |
| Against all odds, Fagen in old age managed to produce his best solo album since The Nightfly. Hard to choose the standout tracks, but I'm Not The Same Without You, Memorabilia, Miss Marlene, and Planet D'Rhonda (with monster jazz player Kurt Rosenwinkel) have popped into my head more than the others. Production needs more reverb though. |
| Donald Fagen The Nightfly | 4.5 |
| Earth, Wind and Fire I Am | 3.5 |
| Edgar Winter They Only Come Out At Night | 3.5 |
| Egberto Gismonti Dança Das Cabeças | 3.0 |
| Eric Johnson Ah Via Musicom | 4.0 |
| Despite the cheesy, at times, vocals, this album is a milestone in instrumental rock, and it's hard to dispute Eric's guitar talents. |
| Faith No More Sol Invictus | 3.0 |
| Fleetwood Mac Bare Trees | 3.0 |
| Fleetwood Mac Mystery to Me | 3.0 |
| Fleetwood Mac Mirage | 3.5 |
| Fleetwood Mac Rumours | 4.5 |
| Fleetwood Mac Tango in the Night | 4.5 |
| Frank Black Teenager of the Year | 3.5 |
| Frank Zappa Thing-Fish | 2.0 |
| I agree with pulseczar. This album is torture (which never stops), as it's mostly just obnoxious spoken word monologues over plodding backing tracks. If it was meant to be a concept album, I don't understand what the plot was. It does have "He's So Gay" on it though. |
| Frank Zappa Jazz From Hell | 3.5 |
| Frank Zappa Hot Rats | 4.0 |
| Frank Zappa Zoot Allures | 4.0 |
| Frank Zappa Chunga's Revenge | 4.0 |
| Frank Zappa Bongo Fury | 4.0 |
| Uneven, but "Debra Kadabra," "Carolina Hardcore Ecstasy," "200 Years Old," and "Muffin Man" make it worth checking out. |
| GG Allin Carnival of Excess | 4.5 |
| My favorite thing GG Allin ever did though it's too short - just like his dick. |
| Green Day ¡UNO! | 2.5 |
| Greg Howe Greg Howe | 4.0 |
| Greta Van Fleet Anthem of the Peaceful Army | 2.0 |
| It's Kingdom Come and Wolfmother all over again. Feel bad for them though because they're basically just kids. |
| Guns N' Roses Chinese Democracy | 1.5 |
| Guns N' Roses Appetite for Destruction | 3.0 |
| Howlin Wolf His Best | 5.0 |
| Iggy Pop The Idiot | 3.5 |
| Iron Maiden The Final Frontier | 2.0 |
| This is the point at which I lost interest in Iron Maiden. Bruce sounds really ragged and tired on most tracks. |
| Iron Maiden Somewhere in Time | 3.5 |
| Iron Maiden Iron Maiden | 4.0 |
| Iwrestledabearonce It's All Happening | 1.5 |
| The album title should be "It's Not Happening." |
| J.J. Cale Troubadour | 3.0 |
| The version of "Cocaine" on here is better than Clapton's cover. Rest of the album is average unfortunately. |
| Jaco Pastorius Jaco Pastorius | 4.0 |
| Jeff Beck Blow by Blow | 2.5 |
| Jimi Hendrix People, Hell, and Angels | 4.0 |
| Although I can't forgive Jimi's estate for dragging out his archived material way too long and milking him for every penny he's worth, I think this is one of the better posthumous Jimi albums. To finally have a proper studio version of "Earth Blues" is wonderful. |
| John Coltrane Blue Train | 4.0 |
| John Coltrane My Favorite Things | 4.0 |
| John Coltrane Giant Steps | 5.0 |
| Johnny Winter Still Alive And Well | 3.5 |
| On top of being a killer guitar player, Johnny had one of the most powerful singing voices ever. RIP |
| Joni Mitchell Mingus | 2.0 |
A collaboration between Joni and legendary Charles Mingus as he was near-death; Mingus admired Joni's gaul for dressing
like a black man on the cover of Don Juan's Reckless Daughter. Unfortunately, the record is rather half-baked outside of
the stunning rendition of Goodbye Pork Pie Hat. Only five new songs, and many "raps" from Mingus which fly by in the
blink of an eye. Proof even geniuses have their off moments. |
| Joni Mitchell Don Juan's Reckless Daughter | 3.0 |
Sounds like a collection of leftovers from Joni's spectacular Hejira album, which it might very well be. The only new things
it brings to the table are "Paprika Plains," an excursion into writing a long song, and "The Tenth World" and "Dreamland,"
containing Latin percussion. The best song on here could just be "Off Night Backstreet." |
| Joni Mitchell Night Ride Home | 3.5 |
| I'm torn, because while "Cherokee Louise" and "Two Grey Rooms" tug on the heart strings, this album rehashes elements of Hejira, including, several times, the fingerpicking pattern from Hejira's title track. A comeback coming from Joni's poor 80s material, but not quite a classic either. |
| Joni Mitchell Blue | 4.5 |
| Joni Mitchell Ladies of the Canyon | 4.5 |
| Suffers from a string of similar sounding songs in the middle, however, contains several of Joni's best tracks: "Ladies Of The Canyon," "Big Yellow Taxi," "Woodstock," "The Circle Game." |
| Joni Mitchell Court and Spark | 5.0 |
| Joni Mitchell Clouds | 5.0 |
| This is my favorite of Joni's early albums. I like it even better than Blue, which is otherwise excellent. Paul Rothchild of Doors fame produces, and the sound quality is a quantum leap forward from David Crosby's on Joni's debut. Several songs on the album including "The Gallery" and "Songs To Aging Children Come" have impressive vocal harmonies reaching into the stratosphere. "Chelsea Morning" and "Both Sides Now" are Joni classics, while "Roses Blue" is a Gypsy-flavored song unlike anything else in Joni's catalog. |
| Joni Mitchell Hejira | 5.0 |
| Journey Frontiers | 3.5 |
| Journey Escape | 4.0 |
| Too cheesy, but both Steve Perry and Neal Schon are a delight to listen to. |
| Journey Evolution | 4.0 |
| Haters gonna hate. I think Journey's absolute best song is "Just The Same Way," which has Gregg Rolie and Steve Perry trading off lead vocals. Other standouts would be "Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin," "City Of The Angels," and "Sweet And Simple," where Perry is an absolute animal on vocals. It always bothered me, though, how "Do You Recall" obviously rips off the chord progression of "Baba O'Riley." |
| Judas Priest Sad Wings of Destiny | 4.5 |
| Justin Bieber My World 2.0 | 1.0 |
| Karnivool Themata | 2.5 |
| Katy Perry One of the Boys | 1.5 |
| Keith Richards Talk Is Cheap | 3.0 |
| I always loved Rolling Stones songs with Keith singing lead, such as "I Got The Silver," "Happy," and "Before They Make Me Run." Unfortunately, none of the songs here are as good as those, with Keith sounding like an ashtray after decades of chain smoking, and somewhat lethargic without Jagger. Still listenable. |
| King Crimson Red | 4.0 |
| King Crimson In the Court of the Crimson King | 4.5 |
| King Krule 6 Feet Beneath the Moon | 2.0 |
| KISS Destroyer | 1.5 |
| Klaus Schulze Moondawn | 3.0 |
| Klaus Schulze Mirage | 3.0 |
| Klaus Schulze X | 3.5 |
| Cool, ominous sounding electronic music, blended with a symphony orchestra at times. Unfortunately, pretty much all of the tracks besides the shortest, "Frank Herbert," overstay their welcome. "Friedrich Nietzsche" and "Friedemann Bach" are brilliant despite the length problem. |
| Koji Kondo The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony | 4.5 |
| Kraftwerk Trans-Europe Express | 2.5 |
| Lacuna Coil Karmacode | 2.0 |
| Lady Gaga Artpop | 1.0 |
| Lead Belly The Best of Leadbelly | 5.0 |
| Led Zeppelin Coda | 4.0 |
| Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin III | 4.0 |
| Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti | 4.5 |
| Lou Reed Metal Machine Music | 2.0 |
| Lou Reed Transformer | 3.5 |
| Lou Reed Rock 'n' Roll Animal | 3.5 |
| Lou Reed and Metallica Lulu | 2.0 |
| Lou Reed... what were you thinking with this one? The one saving grace is that it manages to be hilarious at times. |
| Madvillain Madvillainy | 3.0 |
| Mahavishnu Orchestra The Inner Mounting Flame | 4.5 |
| Mahavishnu Orchestra Birds of Fire | 5.0 |
| Open Country Joy is one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded. |
| Maroon 5 V | 1.0 |
| Marty Friedman Wall of Sound | 3.0 |
| maudlin of the Well Bath | 2.5 |
| Metallica St. Anger | 1.0 |
| Metallica Hardwired...To Self-Destruct | 1.5 |
| Metallica needed to fire Lars Ulrich decades ago, as he has clearly been the one dragging them down. The overly loud drums with the clicky kick drum almost singlehandedly ruin this record for me. |
| Michael Hedges Aerial Boundaries | 4.0 |
| Mike Patton Adult Themes for Voice | 1.5 |
I admire Mike Patton, but this is just self-indulgent and obnoxious. No one doubted the guys vocal talents. Why not put
them to use making something tuneful rather than this dissonant crap? |
| Miles Davis Milestones | 3.5 |
| Miles Davis Get Up with It | 4.0 |
| Miles Davis Bitches Brew | 4.5 |
| Motorhead Ace of Spades | 4.0 |
| Mr. Bungle Mr. Bungle | 4.0 |
| My Bloody Valentine Loveless | 4.5 |
| Naked City Naked City | 3.0 |
| Naked City Leng Tch'e | 3.0 |
| More than anything, it showcases Bill Frisell's versatility as a guitarist. He can do jazz, country, and metal too. Imagine that. |
| Neil Young Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere | 3.5 |
| Neu! Neu! | 2.5 |
| Neutral Milk Hotel In the Aeroplane Over the Sea | 4.5 |
| New York Dolls New York Dolls | 4.0 |
| Nile Those Whom the Gods Detest | 3.0 |
| Northwinds Great God Pan | 2.5 |
| Nurse With Wound Chance Meeting On A Dissecting Table Of A Sewing Machine And An Umbrella | 3.0 |
| Nurse With Wound Salt Marie Celeste | 3.0 |
| An extremely repetitive but haunting piece. I think it's supposed to give off a "ghost ship" vibe. |
| Obituary Cause of Death | 3.0 |
| of Montreal The Gay Parade | 1.0 |
| Pantera Far Beyond Driven | 3.5 |
| Pantera The Great Southern Trendkill | 3.5 |
| Pat Metheny Zero Tolerance For Silence | 1.5 |
| Pat Metheny New Chautauqua | 3.5 |
A unique album that stands at a crossroads between instrumental folk and New Age. "Sueño con Mexico" is a
recommended track. |
| Patti Smith Easter | 4.0 |
| Paul McCartney Egypt Station | 2.0 |
| A fetid attempt at millennial pop being passed off as a masterpiece by the ignorant press. Time to call it a day, Paul. |
| Pharmakon Abandon | 3.0 |
| Pharoah Sanders Karma | 4.0 |
| Phil Keaggy Music To Paint By: Splash | 4.0 |
| Philip Glass Metamorphosis I-V, for piano | 3.5 |
| Pink Floyd Animals | 4.5 |
| Pink Floyd Meddle | 4.5 |
| Pixies Head Carrier | 2.5 |
| Pixies Surfer Rosa | 4.0 |
| Pixies Doolittle | 4.5 |
| Poison Idea Feel the Darkness | 3.5 |
| Popol Vuh Bruder Des Schattens Sohne Des Lichts | 3.5 |
| Porcupine Tree In Absentia | 4.0 |
| Porcupine Tree Stupid Dream | 4.0 |
| Prince Purple Rain | 4.0 |
| Queen Hot Space | 2.5 |
| A reviled album, though not truly terrible either. The good song that gets overlooked amidst all of the hoopla about Under Pressure is Back Chat. |
| Queen Made in Heaven | 3.5 |
| Queen Jazz | 3.5 |
| Queen Innuendo | 4.0 |
| Queen The Works | 4.0 |
| I changed this album from a 3.2 to a 3.3. Feels good. |
| Queen A Night at the Opera | 4.5 |
| Queensryche Operation: Mindcrime | 4.0 |
| Radiohead Amnesiac | 4.0 |
| Radiohead In Rainbows | 4.0 |
| Radiohead The King of Limbs | 4.0 |
| Radiohead The Daily Mail/Staircase | 4.0 |
| Rainbow Long Live Rock 'n' Roll | 4.5 |
| Ramones Subterranean Jungle | 2.0 |
| Ramones Too Tough to Die | 4.0 |
| Ramones End of the Century | 4.0 |
| Ramones Rocket to Russia | 5.0 |
| Ramones Ramones | 5.0 |
| Robert Johnson The Complete Recordings | 5.0 |
| Rush Clockwork Angels | 3.5 |
| Rush Hold Your Fire | 4.0 |
| I quite like this period of Rush. More concise songwriting, and Geddy is just killing it on the bass on tracks like "Force Ten," and "Turn The Page." "Time Stand Still" is probably Rush's best pop moment, unless "Limelight" is to be considered a pop song. |
| Saxon Strong Arm of the Law | 4.5 |
| Shakti Shakti | 4.0 |
| "Joy" - what a trip that is. The other two songs aren't quite as good. Some of the later live versions of "Lotus Feet" are a lot better, but this album is the birth of something new and extraordinary. |
| Shawn Mendes Handwritten | 1.5 |
| Siouxsie and the Banshees Juju | 4.0 |
| Slayer Repentless | 2.5 |
| Slayer Seasons in the Abyss | 4.0 |
| Slipknot Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses | 1.0 |
| Smokey Robinson and the Miracles The Ultimate Collection | 5.0 |
| St. Vincent Strange Mercy | 2.5 |
| Steely Dan Everything Must Go | 3.0 |
| Poor, but only by Donald Fagen's exceedingly high standards. "The Last Mall," "The Things I Miss The Most," "Slang Of Ages," and "Pixeleen" are all Prime Dan, whether you want to admit it or not. |
| Steely Dan Gaucho | 4.0 |
| An underrated, worthy successor to Aja. Love the first three tracks, but especially the byzantine "Glamour Profession," which stands as one of Steely Dan's best songs. Side two is a little spottier, with "My Rival" being one of the weakest things Steely Dan ever released, but still very listenable. |
| Steely Dan Aja | 5.0 |
| Steely Dan Can't Buy a Thrill | 5.0 |
| Steely Dan Countdown to Ecstasy | 5.0 |
| Steve Perry Traces | 3.0 |
| Kind of underwhelming other than "No Erasin" and "Sun Shines Grey," but Steve still sounds great for his age. Better for him to make this record than not. |
| Steve Reich Octet/Music For a Large Ensemble/Violin Phase | 3.5 |
| Steve Tibbetts Yr | 5.0 |
| Steven Wilson Grace for Drowning | 4.0 |
| Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life | 4.0 |
| System of a Down Mezmerize | 3.0 |
| Talking Heads Talking Heads: 77 | 3.5 |
| Talking Heads More Songs About Buildings and Food | 4.0 |
| Talking Heads Remain in Light | 4.5 |
| Talking Heads Speaking in Tongues | 5.0 |
| Talking Heads Fear of Music | 5.0 |
| Television Marquee Moon | 3.0 |
| The B-52s Bouncing off the Satellites | 3.5 |
No sound offs yet. This album is more "serious" than what The B-52's are known for and downright melancholy at times.
Ricky Wilson died of AIDS midway through the recording, which threw the band into limbo for years to come. It's also a very
mechanical sounding record owing to use of the Fairlight CMI, an early 8-bit synthesizer with sampling capabilities. One of
The B-52's weaker albums, but still enjoyable to me, with "Girl From Ipanema Goes To Greenland," "Ain't It A Shame" and
"Juicy Jungle" being the highlights. |
| The B-52s Wild Planet | 4.0 |
| The B-52s Mesopotamia | 4.0 |
A collaboration between The B-52's and David Byrne of Talking Heads. Was supposed to be a full album (and outtaked
material exists), but the record company deadline resulted in it being an EP. The B's also found Byrne hard to work with. It's
well produced, and I would rank "Mesopotamia" and "Cake" among The B-52's best songs. "Throw That Beat In The
Garbage Can" and "Nip It In The Bud" are fun too. It just leaves you wanting more. Had the album been finished to
completion, it could have been the band's best. |
| The B-52s Funplex | 4.0 |
It's the perfectly executed album for them to have made at this stage in their career. Production is excellent. Still, you kind
of want to put a muzzle on Fred Schneider some times and have the two ladies sing more. |
| The B-52s The B-52's | 4.5 |
| The B-52s Whammy! | 4.5 |
| The B-52s Good Stuff | 4.5 |
This album gets too much of a bad rap. Hot Pants Explosion is hilarious, the title track is definitely better than Love Shack,
and Revolution Earth is a tour-de-force of Kate's vocal talents. And the production is very, very good. |
| The B-52s Cosmic Thing | 5.0 |
| The Beach Boys Pet Sounds | 4.0 |
| The Beatles Let It Be | 4.0 |
| The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour | 4.0 |
| The Beatles Rubber Soul | 4.5 |
| The Beatles The Beatles | 4.5 |
| The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band | 4.5 |
| The Brothers Johnson Light Up the Night | 3.5 |
| The Clash London Calling | 4.0 |
| The Creepshow Sell Your Soul | 2.0 |
| An example of an album ruined by the loudness wars. So compressed. |
| The Cure The Cure | 3.0 |
| The Cure's take on heavy metal. I didn't like this album much at first, but it grew on me. I appreciate the intensity in Smith's voice on tracks like "Lost," "Us Or Them," and "The Promise." |
| The Cure Bloodflowers | 4.0 |
This album of The Cure's is very pretty and emotional. Robert Smith considers it one of The Cure's best albums, and part
of a trilogy along with Pornography and Disintegration. Fans also regard it as the best "late" Cure album, and I can respect
that. But where's the fun? Have you really been depressed your whole life, Robert? This album mostly seems to be
lamenting his slide into middle age with numbers like "Watching Me Fall," "The Loudest Sound" and "39." |
| The Cure Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me | 4.0 |
| The Cure Wish | 4.0 |
| The Cure Pornography | 4.5 |
| The Cure Disintegration | 4.5 |
| The Dave Brubeck Quartet Time Out | 4.0 |
| The Doors An American Prayer | 3.0 |
| Wow, no soundoffs yet. This is basically Jim Morrison reciting poetry, with weird, often funk or jazz fusion inspired backing music from the surviving Doors. Although I do love Jim's vivid prose, the album doesn't lend itself to many repeat listens. The most fruitful moments are probably "Awake" and "Bird Of Prey." |
| The Doors The Soft Parade | 4.5 |
| The Doors Morrison Hotel | 4.5 |
| The Doors Waiting for the Sun | 4.5 |
| Were it not for the incredible "Not To Touch The Earth," and the underrated "Yes, The River Knows," I would probably rate this a four. It feels rushed for a Doors record, and in fact, it WAS rushed by Rothschild, simply trying to capitalize on the success of the self-titled and Strange Days. Some songs on here, like "Wintertime Blues" and "We Could Be So Good Together" haven't gotten a lot of attention for good reason. |
| The Doors Strange Days | 5.0 |
| The Doors The Doors | 5.0 |
| The Doors L.A. Woman | 5.0 |
| The Eleventh House Introducing The Eleventh House... | 4.0 |
| I like Eleventh House less than Mahavishnu Orchestra and Miles Davis' seminal fusion albums, but more than Return To Forever and Weather Report. So I say this album is overshadowed/underrated. |
| The Gun Club Fire of Love | 3.5 |
| The Jimi Hendrix Experience Electric Ladyland | 4.5 |
| The Jimi Hendrix Experience Are You Experienced | 5.0 |
| The Mars Volta De-Loused in the Comatorium | 2.5 |
| What do people hear in this histrionic, meaningless piece of crap? I've tried so many times to get into it, and it just irritates me. |
| The Mothers of Invention Weasels Ripped My Flesh | 3.5 |
| The Mothers of Invention Burnt Weeny Sandwich | 4.0 |
| The Mothers of Invention One Size Fits All | 4.0 |
| The Mothers of Invention We're Only in It for the Money | 4.5 |
| The Mothers of Invention Over-Nite Sensation | 5.0 |
| The Mothers of Invention Absolutely Free | 5.0 |
| The Pretenders Learning To Crawl | 3.5 |
| The Residents Duck Stab | 4.0 |
| The Residents Meet the Residents | 4.5 |
| The Residents Not Available | 4.5 |
| The Rolling Stones Black and Blue | 2.5 |
The worst Stones album from the 70s. The best moments are "Hand Of Fate" and "Hey Negrita," arguably "Fool To Cry,"
and the other songs are uninspired and generic (by their standards). "Hot Stuff" also opens with one of the worst guitar
tones of all time. Yes, they struggled to get back on their feet again without Mick Taylor! |
| The Rolling Stones A Bigger Bang | 2.5 |
| The Rolling Stones Bridges to Babylon | 2.5 |
| The Rolling Stones Blue and Lonesome | 2.5 |
| This is the first Stones record on which I definitely hear auto-tune on Mick Jagger's voice. Ergo, they're probably too old to do this anymore. The last hurrah of The Stones was basically "Doom And Gloom" in 2012, which must be "the end of the world" The Mayans were prophesying. |
| The Rolling Stones Their Satanic Majesties Request | 3.0 |
| The Rolling Stones Dirty Work | 3.0 |
| The Rolling Stones Some Girls | 3.5 |
| The Rolling Stones It's Only Rock 'n' Roll | 3.5 |
| The Rolling Stones Undercover | 3.5 |
| The Rolling Stones Flashpoint | 3.5 |
| Could actually be The Stones best live album. In contrast to Still Life, the band's performances are on-point, and devoid of tuning problems. Would sadly be the last release with Bill Wyman. The new song "High Wire" is pretty good. |
| The Rolling Stones Tattoo You | 4.0 |
| The Rolling Stones Goats Head Soup | 4.0 |
| The Rolling Stones Steel Wheels | 4.0 |
| The beginning of a ~5 year Renaissance for The Stones. Many tasty tracks to be found here: Sad Sad Sad, Mixed Emotions, rHold Onto Your Hat, Rock And A Hard Place, Can't Be Seen, Almost Hear You Sigh, Continental Drift (though it does steal a rmelody from Coltrane's A Love Supreme). |
| The Rolling Stones Beggars Banquet | 4.5 |
| The Rolling Stones Voodoo Lounge | 4.5 |
| Continues The Stones' newfound momentum which began on Steel Wheels. Having dabbled in trends throughout most of rthe 80s, it's refreshing to hear a litany of songs like "You Got Me Rocking," "Sparks Will Fly," "I Go Wild," "Baby Break It rDown" and "Mean Disposition" which are both energetic and completely true to the band's roots. "Blinded By Rainbows" rand "Thru And Thru" are also among the band's best ballads. |
| The Rolling Stones Exile on Main St. | 5.0 |
| The Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers | 5.0 |
| The Rolling Stones Let It Bleed | 5.0 |
| The Rolling Stones GRRR! | 5.0 |
| Money well-spent if you're looking for a "greatest hits" or "best of" type collection for The Stones. Comes with two new songs, "Doom and Gloom," and "One More Shot" which are as good as anything they've ever done. |
| The Smiths The Queen Is Dead | 4.5 |
| The Stooges Raw Power | 4.5 |
| The Units Digital Stimulation | 3.5 |
| The Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground & Nico | 4.5 |
| The Who Who's Next | 4.5 |
| Thin Lizzy Jailbreak | 3.5 |
| Thin Lizzy Black Rose: A Rock Legend | 4.0 |
| Thrice Identity Crisis | 2.5 |
| Tiger Army V•••- | 2.0 |
| I like Tiger Army's first three albums. This is crap. Did someone castrate Nick 13? Where did his balls go? |
| Tin Machine Tin Machine | 2.0 |
| Tom Petty Wildflowers | 2.5 |
| Tom Tom Club Tom Tom Club | 3.5 |
| Tom Tom Club The Good, the Bad, and the Funky | 3.5 |
| Tom Waits Rain Dogs | 3.5 |
| Tony Macalpine Maximum Security | 3.5 |
| Tycho Dive | 3.0 |
| Type O Negative Bloody Kisses | 4.0 |
| Type O Negative October Rust | 4.5 |
| U2 The Joshua Tree | 3.5 |
| Ulver Shadows of the Sun | 3.0 |
| Van Halen A Different Kind of Truth | 2.5 |
| Van Halen Van Halen | 3.5 |
| Van Halen Van Halen II | 3.5 |
| Van Halen Women and Children First | 3.5 |
| Van Morrison Astral Weeks | 4.0 |
| Vashti Bunyan Some Things Just Stick in Your Mind | 3.0 |
| Vessel Punish, Honey | 3.5 |
| Vijay Iyer Accelerando | 3.5 |
| Too academic for my liking, but still, as far as academic albums go, this is one that's kept me coming back. |
| Vinnie Moore Mind's Eye | 3.5 |
| Vinnie Moore Time Odyssey | 3.5 |
| Walter Becker 11 Tracks of Whack | 3.0 |
| They say not to speak ill of the dead, but I never enjoyed this solo album from Walter too much. He's just not a very good singer, and the snare drum sounds "fake." That being said, Book Of Liars, Hard Up Case, Hat Too Flat, and most of all, Down In The Bottom are enjoyable. |
| Warren Zevon My Ride's Here | 2.0 |
| Warren Zevon Wanted Dead or Alive | 2.5 |
| A poor debut from Warren which would be nowhere near as good as the next album. Has basically been described as Warren and a few friends fooling around in a recording studio. Best song imo is "Gorilla." |
| Warren Zevon The Envoy | 4.0 |
It's a step down from the three records that preceded it, but has just enough great material on it ("The Overdraft" with
Lindsey Buckingham on backing vocals, "Jesus Mentioned," "Ain't That Pretty At All," "Looking For The Next Best Thing") to
make it Warren's last classic album. The main areas in which the album goes astray are "The Hula Hula Boys" (what was
Warren thinking?), "Never Too Late For Love" (a generic rehash of past Zevon ballads), and the overly reverberated 80s
production, which doesn't quite fit Warren's style. |
| Warren Zevon Excitable Boy | 4.5 |
| Warren Zevon Warren Zevon | 5.0 |
| Warren Zevon Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School | 5.0 |
| Wings Venus and Mars | 3.0 |
| Wings Band on the Run | 4.5 |
| Wire Pink Flag | 3.5 |
| Yakuza Of Seismic Consequence | 2.5 |
| Yes The Yes Album | 3.0 |
| Yes Fragile | 3.5 |
