Reviews by guggmo

I’m at a 4.

I liked this one. I think the atmospheres it creates are larger than they have any right to be, given the simplicity of each soundscape. There’s an intentionality to it that overcomes the lack of stronger progression in each minute to minute part of each track. I don’t want to say they made no effort in keeping things fresh, but they clearly felt confident enough with the base of each track that they just didn’t need to. Generally, I think it works. The progressions are microscopic, but do just enough to perk up the ears, especially during the first half of the album.

I think it falls down to a 4 with the back half of the album, as the shift to a more energetic soundscape exposes that microscopic sense of progression. If the first half of this album is a solemn trip to mourn a lover, the back half feels like an anxiety-driven layover. There’s a natural snotty energy in each track that feels like a good precursor to the punkier back half of the 1970s, but they all go just a bit long for what they are. I don’t think any of them are bad, although I had little issues with each of them. “Hero” is cool, and I can understand how David Bowie was inspired by it, but it just lingers a little. Same with “E. Musik”, which could’ve had several parts of it shaved down to move from moment to moment a little sooner. “After Eight” felt a bit weak as a closer, given the production melting any nuanced progression into the wall of sound; I think the back half feels too similar to the first half, and it just didn’t click for me as a result.

That said, I admire the swings on both sides of the album, and while it’s hard to call it truly ‘cohesive’, it’s hard not to call it entertaining. I think it’s more than compelling enough to warrant a 4, especially given the serenity in the first half of the album contrasting with the whiny nature of the back half. I think that’s its ceiling, at least for me. I do think it’s worth listening to, and I’d definitely recommend it. I don’t think it’s for everyone, but if you like Kraftwerk & you want a little more bite, this could probably feed the appetite. It’s not up to a 5 for me, just because of that back half feeling too long, but it’s absolutely a 4. I’m glad it’s on the list.

I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll bump up to a 5.

You know, sometimes, you can just hear when an album has ‘it’. This feels like an effortlessly good album. Some of these songs were apparently lyrically thrown together in 20 minutes, and you can tell. It’s not groundbreaking stuff here. It’s just a really good example of how less is occasionally more; I think back to the Auteurs’ album from the other day & how loaded it was with flowery language that created an abnormal sense of false confidence that soured the whole album. I look at the laidback style here & I can simply connect to it far more. Occasionally, these guys could’ve broken up some of their looping lyrics & not as relied as much on some extended guitar solos, but I don’t hear any of that as a boon to the music. At its very core, it’s just music that gives both itself & its listener the chance to breathe. If an album can make everything between the verses feel just as good as the verses themselves, it’s doing something right. This album is doing a lot of things right. It’s not necessarily doing it at a high level, but it’s just doing it right.

Is it the best album of 1991? No, at least not at a critical or professional level. It is, however, the type of album you can point to, call it your favorite album of 1991, and generally have someone understand why from listening to it, even if it’s not as timeless as others. That was Spin’s mistake; they picked their favorite album as the ‘best’ album. It’s not my favorite album of 1991, but I can totally see it being someone else’s. It’s extremely relaxed power pop, and despite the layered guitar tones that add a wall of sound to the whole thing, nothing ever feels too obnoxious in the mix. Everybody’s vocals sound really nice too. Lyrically, I wouldn’t even call it as ‘thrown together’ as I made it seem earlier; there’s some genuinely good lines here, a couple of lived-in scenarios, and if nothing else, they can boil down a doubt or an insecurity into a few lines that suddenly make them feel universal. It’s a very generalized album, but it still has weight to it.

Hence, a 4.5 bumped up to a 5. If it continues to click like that, it might go slightly above a 5 someday. It’s one of those albums that just has ‘it’, at least to my ears. I think it earns its place on the list.

It’s a fucking 10.

I’ve always loved Stevie Wonder’s attempts to appeal to the kindness of humanity; a firm belief in an indomitable spirit that simply must be good at heart. If you can reach out to those people & extend a hand that radiates warmth & a vivacity for life itself, we can all come together as one people on one planet, finding peace for all & a reinforced mission to a brighter, idealized future. I think Stevie Wonder does a fantastic job of doing so, and I will continue to love his approach, since I’m just a big softie for it.

RATM asks the following: What if you finally fucking woke up, though? What if you finally realized those motherfuckers do not give a single solitary shit about you? They want you dead. They don’t give a fuck. There is no such thing as a universal ‘goodness at heart’. You can’t change everyone. Your hand might be radiating warmth; it’s the warmth of your goddamn blood on your hands after they’ve shot you dead in the street for trying to bring up class consciousness. The media will shut you down, the feds will shut you down, and if all else fails, they’ll find a way to get you. It was true in the ‘60s, at least. We can’t all come together as one people on one planet, at least through forcefully dominating kindness. It has to be through a forcefully dominating fight against the systems that allowed such atrocities to fester for hundreds of years of Eurocentric domination of the planet, including the British Royal Empire & the current American systems of democracy. Rage Against The Machine’s goal is to scream that loudly & forcefully, and while it may not be the message people want to hear, it’s a message people need to hear.

Is it a message I necessarily agree with? I mean, mostly, to a point. I think there is still a general goodness in people that won’t fight the fight the way that RATM wants it to be fought. I don’t think I can really change that much about the systems that have been in place for nearly a millennium across continents. American democracy may be crumbling, but there’s still something appealing about it to my naive brain. I can use my voice more, at least. If nothing else, I admire the hell out of these guys for screaming their beliefs loudly & clearly, even if some of the biggest right-wing morons in the room managed to get an entirely incorrect read on their world view. It’s an album that still feels especially relevant 34 years later, and in the midst of what’s been a total fucking nightmare, perhaps the class consciousness of the entire system working against the people may be closer than ever. It only took the exact fucking guy these guys were warning about to get to that point. Nobody took action then. They settled for the human equivalent of ‘nothing’ later.

I’ve barely talked about the music; it’s a fucking ball of energy. Yeah, it’s lyrically sparse & a bit demanding in ways that don’t necessarily seek to address problems; they’re just addressing the idea that there IS a problem, fundamentally. They’re right. Their anger comes out entirely in Zack de la Rocha’s absurdly potent vocals, Tom Morello’s guitar, Timmy C’s bass & Brad Wilk’s occasionally manic drums. They are a well-oiled machine that happens to be raging against the machine, and if you somehow leave this album without feeling their intensity at any point, you need to go see a doctor. I understand that it does get tiring by the end. Believe me, I can feel it. I don’t think it affects the quality of the music or the album at all.

Hence, a fucking 10. It is just that damn good. Go listen to it. It’s an essential album for this list, and for my group in particular, one hell of a pull for the 1,001st album to have listened to before we’ve died.

I’m at a 5.

It just felt fun, really. These guys are obviously pretty technically proficient, especially in their guitar work. The recordings really emphasize the drums to add a lot of kick that cuts through the upper tones, and while I wish the bass had a little more oomph to it, I don’t think it really matters that much, given the nice blues-y rasp that’s often present in Cyril Jordan & Roy Loney’s vocals. I’m focusing on the technical stuff because these guys make it sound so simple, just like the ‘50s artists they’re clearly doing a lighthearted riff on. This feels like a tribute album in a way that still manages to carve out their own niche. I don’t know if Mick Jagger was necessarily right when he said these guys did their modus operandi with “Sticky Fingers” better, but that feels like a hell of a compliment regardless.

It’s very hard to describe why this album works so well because it’s just something you’re meant to feel; there’s an infectious energy to everything. They set up the point of each track lyrically, and then just let the instrumentals & their vocals ride the rest of the way, knowing when to turn up everything in a way that lets each song fly by. The only track that could turn up the tempo a bit more is “City Lights”, but I don’t mind given the yearning in that one. At a certain point, this album kinda coasts lyrically, but at that point, the tracks with a milkman stealing his girl, one threatening to shoot a cheater & a blatant Elvis pastiche have lightened up the mood enough that something as silly as “mow your lawn” or “walk your dog” as nonsensical sexual metaphors is easy to smile at.

“Whiskey Woman” is an especially good closer; there’s a nice CSNY energy to it that clicked for me, and I honestly think the tempo they kick into before the song closes could’ve gone for another few minutes. There’s moments like that throughout the album where their proficiency really kicks up & reveals a punk-ish side that they could’ve tapped into way more often. It’s a mark of a band that knows what they’re doing, & knowing that they’re using it to make tracks that just kinda feel silly, goofy & very human just feels nice.

Hence, a 5. I just found myself really drawn to this one, and it carries a really nice flow throughout. I can think of plenty of worse albums we could’ve gotten for our 1,000th, and getting a welcome surprise like this is exactly what going through the list is all about. I recommend it a lot & I’m very glad it’s on the list.

I’m at a 2.

Sometimes, you can just hear when an album doesn’t have ‘it’. It’s not exactly intangible, as there’s usually consistent reasons to it; middling instrumentals, lyrics, or vocals are among them. That said, the biggest thing an album should successfully do regardless of innate quality is find a way to connect to its listener. I’ve heard cacophonies that I’ve given higher ratings than this, just because they found ways to make connections. When an album can’t do that, it just doesn’t have ‘it’. This album really does not have ‘it’, at least for me.

It’s not in the instrumentals; those are generally alright & even good. It is, however, in the lyrics & vocals. It might be Joni Mitchell’s vivid vulnerability & dulcet vocal tones lingering in my mind from yesterday, but the difference is just so striking. Her lyrical style, however conversational & rambly it may feel at times, maintains a cohesion that emphasizes her storytelling. The Auteurs, despite their translated names, do not strike me as very good authors. They can use words, sure, but their ramblings feel like flexing a dictionary for the sake of it. They are practically saying nothing. There’s a pretentious air to the whole thing that isn’t helped by Luke Haines’ vocal stylings giving me absolutely nothing to work with. He sounds like a man who’s convinced he’s right without contemplation & reflection, including a rather snobby take on ‘junk shop clothes’ that left me with a general disdain for the guy that I couldn’t really shake off. Hell, there’s a song here titled “How Could I Be Wrong”.

My frustration is that a lot of these tracks are close to being something. There’s just an intense mismatch in intent vs delivery here; you can be the know-it-all auteur giving insights on the world if you sell everything with conviction & provide a lyrical purpose for everything. It’s just not there – take a track like “Idiot Brother”, escalating quickly from two morons being like a pair of dumb dogs to “I want to kill your sister” a few verses later. “Valet Parking” seems to be about wanting to get revenge on this rich guy for making a valet’s life hell, but we’re given no reason to actually hate that rich guy or see the reasons why the valet’s life is hell. The lack of songwriting talent just kills a lot of these tracks despite decent instrumentals & decent vocal performances throughout. I have no conviction to care about almost all of the tracks on this album, and since it’s just not making me feel anything, I’m not sure I can go any higher than a 2.

I don’t know how this made the list, other than documenting a very loose proto-Britpop style that Suede did significantly better. The only reason I’m not at a 1, despite myself, is because a good number of tracks kept me hooked in for part of the time, even if they flamed out later or just stayed utterly mediocre. If it were a truly bad album with no redeeming tracks on it & absolutely nothing to grab onto, I’d be at a 1. It’s not there. This does just enough to competently linger. It is, however, a 2. It’s not an album I needed to hear before I die.

Thank goodness this wasn’t our 1,000th album.

I’m at a 10.

Joni Mitchell needs happiness like a human needs oxygen or how a fish needs water. That’s the modus operandi of this album. She’s trying desperately to find it, or to return to the things that give her that happiness. To truly feel this album, you have to find sympathy for that search. Joni Mitchell makes it very easy to find, even if it takes a few listens. These are some of the most well-written tracks I’ve ever heard, and Joni’s masterful vocal delivery makes them work as always. It feels like eavesdropping on someone’s soul, through all the ups & downs of that search for happiness, including the peaks of global travel that can at least make her smile, and the lows, such as putting up her child for adoption or flying away from the people willing to give her the stars. It’s beautiful.

I wish I had the words in me to describe how I felt while listening to this, but to find them would probably require an introspection & an intimacy reflective of Joni’s own, and I just don’t think I can do that. At least not as beautifully as she can. I have the words to describe how I felt AFTER listening to this, though. I’d equate it to feeling the most melancholy poem in the world welling up in your throat, one you didn’t even know you had in you, and yet one that’s still difficult to truly express. Her honesty feels inspiring, and it makes me want to document more of the world as I know it. There is a beauty to being able to feel, and I think this album has shown me that I just don’t feel enough. I want to be able to feel in a way that lets me write things like this. She’s so vivid that it’s impossible to not imagine these, and yet she does it with a tact that feels reflective of a side of humanity & a connection to the world that I’m not sure I’ve ever truly felt. I don’t think I’ve ever had an album leave me like this.

Oh, she’s got me crying now, fuck. I think everyone should feel that sense of revelation after listening to this. Just go listen to it. It’s fantastic poetry for the soul. It’s a 10. Thanks, Joni.

I’m at a 10.

885 days ago, when we got Tidal, released in 1996, I said it felt like a modern day album for 2024. 24 years later, Fiona Apple has somehow created an album that feels like it might still be fresh going into 2044. I don’t know how her brain works, but I feel like I just heard the D.I.Y. of the future. That felt like industrial music made with whatever she had lying around, combined with just a bit of traditional production standards taken from some of her younger pop contemporaries (i.e., Lorde, Billie Eilish, etc) & some of the conscious female hip-hop of the late 2010s (i.e., H.E.R., Rapsody, etc). It’s a fascinating mix of styles that she somehow manages to anchor brilliantly.

There’s a metallic pulse to this album that seems to be in search of a purpose, with Fiona having been locked in her feelings for so long that she needs to finally break free of her self-imposed chains. She is desperate to establish that purpose in all aspects of her life, whether it’s in a need for romance, letting go of petty squabbles, maintaining her voice, rediscovering her potential, fighting off abusers, carrying the weight of the past, or finally moving at her own pace. It’s not always done with the greatest lyrical tact, as she occasionally gets a bit cutesy with her metaphors in ways that get a bit confusing, but the drive in her vocals & the instrumental push to everything keeps the mood of each track anchored & grounded. She inserts a lot of humor & positivity here, which does help to keep the album digestible & light despite the pace of it all. It’s a really tough balancing act, and an album that should be messier given all the ways she tries to paint her pictures. Somehow, it feels clean to the ears. Jarring at first, sure, but once it settled into itself, it just demanded my attention the same way a Kate Bush album does.

I think going track by track would be futile, since Fiona’s delivery & the instrumentals make the album *feel* far more potent than any words I could type about it. The emphasis is on feel; this album somehow carries the same flow state as a heavy metal album, and if you can find that sync with her rhythm, it will continue to roll into an avalanche that the brain is willing to accept. I think the only loose missteps here are in the last two tracks, but it’s from me being a little picky; I selfishly wanted the end of “Drumset” to keep going another few minutes, and I think “On I Go” could’ve been just a little cleaner in execution. They’re both good tracks though, and my own desires shouldn’t override Fiona’s search to establish hers.

I think it’s a 10. I understand all the acclaim it got on a first pass, and yet I still feel like I need more time with it to truly digest all of it. It does things I don’t think I’ve heard before, or at least refreshes them in ways that should help to drive creativity in the genre further. I think it already is an album one should listen to before they die, if only because a lot of what’s being talked about here still meets the desires of the moment 6 years later, especially as more & more attacks on women, their dignity & their right to personhood come into being. They cannot afford to let other people define their purpose, and an album like this that makes that search feel so vulnerable, so communal & so naturally found feels like one that’s needed right now. It is a 10.

I’m at a 4.5 that I think I’ll bump up to a 5.

The man who… what, exactly? I think I know the rest of the answer. If you really listen to these tracks, they’re all loosely centered around the fear of things coming to an end. “Writing to Reach You” is him clinging to a one-sided love that’s in the void otherwise. “The Fear” is abstractly about being scared to face the future. “As You Are” is about the fears from his past relationship gripping his ability to move forward. “Driftwood” is about self-imposed complacency inevitably breaking one’s ambitions. “The Last Laugh of the Laughter” is about wanting to stay in the joy of a seemingly final moment. “Turn” is loosely about the fear of the world as he knew it in 1999 going down the wrong path, unable to turn, going towards an ending that we still feel pretty potently in 2026.

“Why Does It Always Rain On Me?” is just a man stuck in a never-ending rut, one that he fears may never end. “Luv” is just about the fear of a relationship ending, one that’s not as one-sided as before, only killed by fear of distance & circumstance. “She’s So Strange” is about the fear of a quick 15 minutes of fame ending, with a robber left directionless after their notoriety has faded. “Slide Show” feels like someone who’s finally allowed themselves to stop & smell the roses, for just one moment, not wanting to lose the memory of what may be their only perfect day. It’s probably why “Blue Flashing Light” is a hidden track, since it doesn’t really thematically fit with that fear. If anything, it’s the opposite; there’s probably happiness that such an abusive relationship might finally be over. It’s someone desperate for an end.

The rest of the answer is “The Man Who Feared The End”, at least to my mind, but leaving it empty feels more fitting as a title. I know it’s actually taken from Oliver Sacks, but still. I happened to like the album a lot; I wouldn’t have paid as much attention as I did otherwise. Yes, there’s a bit of an ‘insecure Coldplay’ energy underlining the whole thing. Yes, there’s some weaker tracks (namely “Luv” & “She’s So Strange”, neither of which particularly hooked me in). Yes, a lot of it is platitudinal & a bit woe-is-me for what seemed to be a pretty healthy & happy culture back in 1999. I understand the critiques, and if someone’s at a 3 because of them, I wouldn’t blame them at all. It’s why I’m at a 4.5.

For me, though, a lot of them just clicked, especially “Driftwood” & “Turn”. This album just carried a momentum to my ears, from the opening riffs & loose shots at Oasis, almost all the way to the slammed trunk of a finish line. I think it’s a really cohesive flow for 40 minutes (43-ish if you count the bonus track), and I just happened to enjoy it. I don’t know if it’s necessary to hear before you die, but I’m glad I did. Hence, a 4.5 bumped up to a 5.

It’s a 5.

I mean, yeah, the guitar is compressed to hell & it leaves a wall of sound over the entire recording that takes away some of the live synergy of the band. That’s a very fair complaint, and if you’re the type of audiophile who wants a live performance to feel a bit more clean, it’s a justified reason to lower the rating.

At the same time, go fuck yourself. This shit fucking ruled. Yeah, the audio bit at me, but I got over it quickly. Lemmy’s vocals are great, translating pretty much 1:1 from the studio, and that goes for the guitar & the drums too. They are 100% in sync for tracks that demand a lot of focus & some really tight timing, and they kill it. Hell, they overkill it. There’s not a moment in this album that’s devoid of energy save for the transitions between tracks, and even then, the crowd’s energy just feels present throughout. I understand the criticism of this being the same general soundscape for 40 minutes. It’s valid. It also doesn’t matter if you can just feel these tracks. I felt every single thing about them, I think. There’s not much more to say; I think it’s a 5. I’m very glad it’s on the list, even if it’s a blatant ploy to get some non-”Ace of Spades” tracks into the list as opposed to putting another studio album. Motorhead was probably best experienced live anyway, so I don’t mind at all.

I’m at a super easy 5. A little higher, honestly.

I mean, is it really an essential listen in the grand scheme of music? No, probably not. Is it a good time? You’re damn right it is. This is 40 minutes of quick-paced blues rock with a loose ska/country lean & a wide variety of subjects. There’s a lot of influences at hand here, taking from the garage rock revival that was ongoing, a bit of a Rolling Stones flair, and a lot of R.E.M. in the general pacing / structure of these tracks. The lyricism gets a bit eerie (yet still lighthearted) at times, but I think it works. It’s not shocking stuff; it’s just framing these scenarios with a bit more fear to make their points feel a bit weightier. It works really well.

Of course, that weight is buoyed by the instrumentation, which is kinda just fantastic throughout. There’s a nice variety to everything, but the thing I like most about this album is just how tactile the recording feels. There’s an authenticity to it all that feels like you’re rocking out with them; you can hear the bass strings, every drum crash, every breath in Dave McCabe’s vocals, and something about it lifts up the album even more. It’s got just enough of a rawness that makes listening to it even more fun.

I think my favorite track here is probably “Pressure Point”, but you can’t really go wrong with any track here. I do have little nitpicks, like “Railroad” being a little slow & “Long Time Coming” needing a bit more clarity for my tastes, but those barely matter. Every track has something cool going for it, whether it’s in a great solo, a cool vocal structure (there’s plenty here), or a super interesting concept (“Havana Gang Brawl” & “Dirty Dancehall” really won me over). When it’s not going too out there, it just knows how to strip back & be more relatable; “Not a Lot to Do” & “Remember Me” are a nice 1-2 punch of local, slice-of-life stuff, with the former being a glum Sunday & the latter being about trying to get a friend some time with the guys.

I don’t know who killed the Zutons, but I know the Zutons killed it here. This is right down my alley, and for 2004, it feels like a really nice balance of the late 2000s to come, the indie rock scene at the time, and all the inspirations they clearly wear on their sleeve, all of whom are bands I like a lot. You could call it safe, and that’s fine. The floor is very much a 3 if it doesn’t click like that, or if you can’t get anything more out of it. For me though, it was just a lot of fun. I think there has to be a careful balance to not confuse safe with boring, as this is anything but boring to my ears. It felt like a serotonin hit to me, and I’m glad I heard it before I died. I think it’s a 5, if not a little higher, at least to my brain.

I’m at a 4.

It’s a good album. It just feels a little safe. Somehow, Supergrass have managed to make a post-Britpop album right at the inflection point of Britpop losing some of its major relevance as a cultural moment. For 1997, this feels more like 2000 or 2001. This is like jumping off of the Titanic a day before it hit the iceberg. I don’t know if they knew it was coming, but it’s something that makes the album a bit more cookie-cutter compared to “I Should Coco”. There’s just something in this album that lacks the same overall bite. Part of it is the lyrics; I just needed more here. A lot of these are very reliant on broader pictures & reiterating things that are already established early, making a framework for tracks that say things, but don’t specifically have something to say. There’s not much depth in it. Instrumentally, I think I prefer the wider variety of styles on their first album, as it gives everything a breakneck pace that’s unpredictable & just generally cooler. Vocally, I think they do a generally good job, but with the instrumentals feeling rather similar throughout (yes, there’s some variety, but the peaks of each track don’t differ too much), something just kinda dilutes their energy.

Realistically, it’s the pacing of this album that really pulls it down to a 4 for me. I think that reiteration leads to a feeling of repetition, one that’s not helped by the instrumental progressions only happening during a solo. A lot of these have a “first minute is the whole song” air to them save for those solos, and when it’s structured like that for the full 42 minutes, there’s just something in the pacing that feels unnatural. A lot of these could trim some fat, tighten up their verses, fade out a bit sooner, and keep the flow going. There’s too much time left to sit & simmer in its shortcomings, and they feel very noticeable once they simmer for long enough.

All of that said, the vibes are good throughout. I don’t think there’s any bad tracks here, but there’s a handful that just didn’t grab me in more compelling ways. I think the ceiling here is a 4, but the floor is probably a 3. It’s a very technically sound album, and it is an enjoyable one. I’m not entirely sure it needed to be on the list, but it got pretty good acclaim at the time of its release, so I get it. I think it’s very digestible at the expense of being less interesting, and while I still think it’s a 4, I can’t help but feel just a little disappointed at how safe it is.

I’m just at a 3.

I dunno, at some point after “Give Me”, this album just lost my attention. I don’t think it really made much of an effort to retain it, at least for my tastes. Reggae has, at times, eluded me. I think it can be especially good when there’s a bit more progression in the instrumentals & a bit more bite in the lyrics. I usually don’t have to talk about the vocals since every reggae artist generally follows a typified style. I think this album had that bite for 4 of its first 5 tracks, and then just lost it entirely for the final 5. The instrumentals just didn’t really do much for me either, even if they’re technically sound & objectively nice to listen to. It’s an album that just sort of settles at a lower bar than I was expecting, and that’s fine. It just didn’t really feel that compelling, nor did it give me much of a reason to stay invested.

Ultimately, I just don’t know enough about Marcus Garvey himself (seems a bit controversial) or Jamaican culture to truly get a sense of this album’s loose crusade towards ‘restoring the African diaspora’ (or something like that). It seems like a tenant of Rastafarianism though. There’s something to that concept that could make for a compelling album, but I just don’t think Burning Spear finds it, at least in a way that’s interesting to me. It’s really not a bad album. I understand a 4 or a 5 if it meshes better for anyone else. It just didn’t do it for me. Hence, a 3.

It’s practically a 10.

I mean, look, the lyric enjoyer in me can’t help but look at “Givin the Dog a Bone” & “Let Me Put My Love Into You” without critiquing the part where the double entendres are so paper-thin that you could poke through them with a bubble. Between that, some repetition, & “Shake a Leg” possibly acting as a better closer (the guitar solo at the end of that track is incredible, how have I never heard it before?), there’s a part of me that’s saying “it can’t really be a 10”, but like… that lyric enjoying & analytical side of me can go fuck himself. Rock and roll ain’t no riddle, man. It’s something you just feel, and it would make absolutely no goddamn sense for me to give this anything but a 10.

Brian Johnson was given an impossible task on this album. AC/DC struck gold in finding possibly the only man in the world able to fulfill that task. Bon Scott’s death is the driving pulse behind this album, with tracks born out of loving tribute to the man’s never say die attitude, and that’s the best way to celebrate a fireball like that. The highway to hell that AC/DC were riding has found its destination in anthemic stadium rock, and the direction they take here is one of unstoppable force. It took a bit for me to find the same natural flow state as I did on “Highway to Hell”, but once the bigger hits really kicked in, it just felt like riding a bike. “Back in Black” is one of the greatest songs ever. “You Shook Me All Night Long” probably has AC/DC’s catchiest chorus ever. Everything else surrounding those tracks, including “Hells Bells” & “Shake a Leg”, all maintain a near-perfect flow throughout. Again, the two I mentioned have paper-thin entendres & may as well have just given up on metaphor, but they still have a great instrumental energy.

Of course, that’s the point of the album. It’s to feel that energy at an ethereal level, and while it takes time to get there, they definitely fucking get there. Brian Johnson’s screechy, constipated vocals are the perfect fit for a band subtly pushing themselves in a new direction, and he blew me away with some of his longer held notes. There are times where I wish he had a bit more restraint & stayed a bit deeper, but I also can’t imagine these tracks playing out any other way. Instrumentally, it’s… I mean, you just gotta hear it. There’s not a single misplaced note or beat. You can’t do it any better.

That’s the story of the album, really. This is just that goddamn good, and while the analytic side of things will question how the masses can eat up 42 minutes of the same damn song at an even thinner level than “Highway to Hell”, those people have clearly never had the life experience of singing the chorus to “You Shook Me All Night Long” at a party at 2 in the morning. It ain’t no riddle, man. It’s AC/DC, and they fucking killed it. It’s a dopamine hit of an album, and it’s just got to be a 10.

I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll bump up to a 5.

At some point, this album just swept me into its more drawn-back style, sort of like pulling a blanket over yourself while you’re already asleep. The comfort isn’t sudden, you just sort of succumb to it & it enhances what’s already there. This album’s strength is in its restraint, trusting itself to get to the destination it wants at its own pace, and while it might take a bit for a listener to adjust (especially with some longer tracks in the first half & a noticeable lack of luster in the vocals / soundscapes), I think its patience pays off in a pretty fulfilling way, as it does start to pick up more & more in the back half, until “The Murder Mystery” overwhelms the senses as a climax & “After Hours” ends on a light, lo-fi note. It’s well structured. It also just helps that it’s a nice set of tracks. Nothing is reinventing the wheel here (save for “The Murder Mystery”), at least compared to the push on their first two albums to shift the genre & artform entirely.

Lyrically, I do think it’s interesting; there’s a healthy mix of cynicism & hope, but one never really overrides the other. It just feels like a lived-in experience throughout, with bubbling doubts, regrets & misgivings sharing as much space as pleas to Jesus, moments of enlightenment & desires to stay in endless nights. Instrumentally, it can feel a bit plain, especially since it rarely layers things on top of each other & often loops. I found myself gravitating towards annoyance for a bit due to a lack of variability, but like I said, I kinda just grew into it. I still think they could’ve done much more in the first half for the listener’s sake, especially on a track like “Some Kinda Love”, which is the only one I found to be utterly mediocre. It’s most of the reason I’m at a 4.5. Everything else worked for me at varying levels. You do have to immerse yourself a bit into “The Murder Mystery” to get the extent of that track; I found myself walking into a room, turning off the lights, and holding the doorknob for added tension & to let the dueling vocals overload the senses in a very cool way, and it did wonders for me.

Overall, it just works as an album, for reasons I can’t really explain but ones that are easy to hear. It’s unassumingly strong. The lack of a more traditional ‘confidence’ in the delivery & execution one would expect in a post-Sgt. Pepper’s world, along with a subversion of the expectations already previously set by the Velvet Underground, make for an album that simply works on its own merits. You gotta listen to it before you die to get it, and I think it’s worth getting. It’s a 4.5 that I’ll bump up to a 5, and I liked it a lot.

The person is a 1. The album is, to my ears, a 4.

I did not listen to this album before typing this review. I'm going entirely off of my memory.

Unlike "The College Dropout" & "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy", I do not have an annoyingly deep connection to this album, nor do I find it to be a timeless classic. It's definitely influential, don't get me wrong, and I'd say it's a good album. Hell, great even. A lot of modern rap's more aggressive soundscapes in the late 2010s & even into the the mid-2020s owe their grimier, electronic, bass-heavy pulses to Kanye West bringing these styles into the mainstream. Is it just Kanye doing his best Death Grips impression? Yeah, to a point. For the casual crowd coming off of MBDTF though, this must've felt like an insane departure, and for 2013 especially, ushering in more of a jazzier conscience renaissance from Kendrick Lamar & others, the digital pollution this album brings to the table had to have been fascinating.

Kanye's ego has swelled here even further than on MBDTF (hell, "I Am A God" exists). As with that album, he was driven by that stupidity and that ego to try and push the genre forward instead of spreading hate. In that sense, I miss this asshole for trying to be a revolutionary & frankly succeeding, and not being a Nazi sympathizer for the fun of it. I just think that, despite its highest highs (Black Skinhead, New Slaves, Blood on the Leaves & Bound 2 are all still kind of incredible) & a general lack of lows (though there are total some stinker lines on this, to my memory), the overall quality of the album occasionally suffers from a bit too much experimentation at the expense of the flow of the album. Combine all of that with my lack of deeper experience with this album, and I'm just stuck at a 4.

To repeat: as always with Kanye's stuff, I did not listen to this album again before giving it this 4. I'm going off of my memory with this, and perhaps I'm robbing this of a star for not doing so. I don't really care. It would be incredibly easy for me to rate this a 1 based on who he is now, in the year 2026, and move on, and give myself the moral brownie points. Hell, I did that for Kid Rock. I can't bring myself to do it here, if only because Kanye's place in the musical landscape is too firmly established, & the version of him that existed when this album was put on the list did not carry the same baggage as the neo-Nazi who exists now. Fuck Kanye West. He does not deserve another dime, and I've fully removed his music from my rotation. It does deserves to be rated fairly, though. And for me, with this album, it's a 4.

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So, what DID I listen to today instead of Kanye? Well, the last time we got Kanye, I listened to Sean Kingston. This time, I listened to Rick Astley's debut album, "Whenever You Need Somebody", just for the hell of it.

I mean, if it were on the list, I’d be at a 4.5 that I’d bump down to a 4. I’m surprised at how good it was.

Rick Astley’s voice is genuinely really good. “Never Gonna Give You Up” has a billion plays for a reason; if it were actually bad, nobody would’ve kept Rickrolling each other 20 years ago. It would’ve died a very quick death as a quick internet fad, and Rick Astley’s career wouldn’t be as noted as it is now. The man is the internet’s darling, partially because he ran with the joke & has taken full advantage of it. It’s a miracle that the album, in totality, runs off of that track’s success as a tone-setter and doesn’t really fumble the ball until near the end.

Yes, the title track is basically just the first track again, but the album is defined by the energy of its soundscapes as much as it is Rick’s vocals. The rest of the tracks, save for the finale, are structured in a “Wham!-era George Michael with Pet Shop Boys-esque production” way, with occasional dips into the style Max Martin would later use on Britney Spears’ bubblegum pop hits. Rick’s vocal inflections really do invoke George Michael, and while his register is deeper & bassier, if you just focus in on them, you can kind of implant George in. It’s surprising. Instrumentally, it’s ‘80s as hell, but it feels like synthpop disco, with dips into Sonic CD-esque soundscapes. Again, the Pet Shop Boys, but with a bit less house in the mix.

The album does falter a little bit with both “No More Looking for Love” & “You Move Me”, mostly because of the flat energy in the former & the misordered/weak lyrics in the latter, but it really nails the landing on the last track with the cover of “When I Fall in Love”. Rick Astley can totally pull off Sinatra-esque traditionals with his voice, and I’d say he channels Nat King Cole remarkably well there. It’s a great closer to a genuinely good album.

If it were on the list, I’d be at a 4.5 bumped down to a 4. I think it legitimately would earn a spot, and I may consider it as part of the user albums list when this is all said & done. Even if I only fully enjoyed 8 out of 10, the other 2 tracks are still totally fine. If they weren’t there, I would probably be at a 5, even despite the longer outros messing with the pace a bit. It’s pretty good. It sold 15 million fucking copies, dude. That's gotta be worth something.

I’m at a 10.

I mean, it just fucking rocked, what do you want me to say? Queen II proved to me that these guys were far more than the strength of their most well-known singles, and I expected a great album going into this. I wasn’t expecting them to shift from the prog side of things to what’s effectively a pop / hard rock / metal album though, and I’m left about as stunned as I was after Queen II, for entirely different reasons. When you think of Queen’s biggest hits, two of them that turn up the speed are “Don’t Stop Me Now” & “Bicycle Race”. Otherwise, it’s a bit slower, more deliberate & more anthemic. There’s slower songs here, and they make for great pacebreakers, but the only tracks that really hit the ‘anthemic’ tone are “Killer Queen” (obviously) & the final track, “In the Lap of the Gods...Revisited”. Everything else is going fast as hell; at the very least, it’s the fastest I’ve ever heard Freddie Mercury go. I didn’t know the dude had it in him. He’s obviously fantastic, as one would expect, but the individual showmanship he’d display in Queen’s later albums isn’t quite here yet. He is a cog in the machine of the entire band’s contributions, and while he might be the biggest cog, their total harmony is undeniable.

I also have clearly severely underestimated Brian May’s guitar wizardry; I knew he was great, but to rip off all-time solo after all-time solo after recovering in a hospital for practically 90% of this album’s creation is maniacal. He almost steals this album away from Freddie, and that’s a testament to how incredibly he does here. Roger Taylor’s drumming is the pulse that drives the album, and all of his fills work perfectly with both Freddie & Brian; he’s anything but invisible, and the way he practically crashes in to reset the tone on each verse just gives this album a runaway energy. John Deacon’s got some great basswork throughout too.

The biggest benefit this album has is in its pacing; I love the way tracks transition into each other, and I especially love it when there’s practically no buildup. They weren’t lying in calling this a “sheer heart attack”, even if the title track would be on another album down the line. It’s damn near perfectly structured; “Now I’m Here” earns its 2000s-ish intro after the 3-track medley preceding it, and if you let the album roll on modern streaming services, the instantly pulsating vocals of “In The Lap of the Gods” give a quick burst back into the ears that immediately sets the tone for the back half of the album. The only spot that doesn’t feel quite as perfect is in the final two tracks; neither are bad, but the pacing slows down pretty heavily after the banger that is “Bring Back That Leroy Brown”. I especially think the explosion that ends the album is just a little bit of a cheap cop-out after backing themselves into a corner. It would've been easier to just fade out, I think.

Regardless, it’s just a great fucking album. You need headphones for it, to soak every note of the basslines, every guitar riff, every drum hit, and every single bit of modulation in Freddie’s voice. Lyrically, I’d say it’s pretty damn good too, but you barely need them to enjoy this. Just go listen to “Stone Cold Crazy”. He’s yapping about shooting people with water guns to get the thrill of feeling like Al Capone. That’s not the part you’ll care about after hearing it, though. You’ll be taken away by the absolute breakneck pace of it. That’s the album’s modus operandi at large, and it does make for a sheer heart attack. It’s a 10. I cannot fucking wait to get “A Night at the Opera”, man.

It’s a 10.

When we got “Rubber Soul” back in May, I said the jury was out, at least for me, on if this album had the energy that would be especially prevalent by “Sgt. Pepper’s”. It’s here, alright. This is our last go-around with the Beatles, and it’s a good one to go out on. It’s not my favorite one, but I can hear how it would be anyone else’s, and it more than plants the seed for the rest of the Beatles’ eclectic discography to come down the line. Hell, it feels like it’s planting the seed for the rest of music itself to sprout every modern innovation of the artform you hear today. This might be their most influential album on the list.

Just like Rubber Soul, I think it would be futile to go track by track, especially 60 years out. That said, a lot of the deeper cuts here really got me good. Everyone knows stuff like “Taxman”, “Eleanor Rigby”, & “Yellow Submarine”, but all 14 tracks here, packed into 35 of the tightest minutes ever put to tape, just flow as naturally as possible. There’s practically no downtime between tracks, so the barrage of musical styles & innovations is left to simmer throughout. For every great vocal harmony, there’s a quick guitar solo to pull your focus back in. For every biting line, there’s a violin chord to draw your attention that way. Sometimes, they’ll just play the guitar backwards because it sounded cool on accident, & they just wanted to fucking do that. They are throwing ideas at the wall here; not in the same way that they would on “The White Album”, but something that feels…

“Revolver”, to me, is kind of indescribable. It’s what happens when 4 people get bored with the boundaries imposed on them. Nobody told them they COULDN’T make these tracks, so they just did it. It’s indescribable because the Beatles practically created the boundaries of modern music on a whim. They are pushing the entire artform forward here, and doing it almost perfectly on a first try on every single track here. How can you possibly describe that? Sure, you can point to their contemporaries like the Beach Boys & the Rolling Stones & acknowledge iron sharpening iron, but “Revolver” feels like being the first to win the Space Race. They’ve hit escape velocity. This is the blueprint for how to do it. Everyone's been following it for the last 60 years. It’s probably the most influential Beatles album here. Hell, it may be the most influential one on the entire list, period. As far as “Revolver” goes, it’s a 10.

As I said, it’s not my favorite Beatles album; that’s probably a tie between the White Album (sheer quantity of styles) & Abbey Road (endless barrage of hits) for me. This surpasses Rubber Soul for me, almost entirely on the peppier energy & how much stronger of a closer “Tomorrow Never Knows” is, and it’s probably right behind Sgt. Pepper’s, just for the quantity of bigger hits on that album. That said, they’re all 10’s. It’s like comparing brush strokes on the Mona Lisa. The Beatles, as a band, are meant to be treated in their totality. There’s more impactful parts of the painting, sure, but each song is a stroke that helps to tell the story of the most influential band of all time. Yes, they were easily disillusioned by their success & by each other by the time they broke up just 4 years after this album’s release, but that doesn’t change their place in history. Going into this whole 1001 Albums thing, I had never heard a Beatles album in full. I can only wish I had told my younger self to do so, but better late than never. They are that damn good, and if you only know the songs everyone knows, you’re somehow doing them a disservice.

I’m above a 5.

John Lennon’s right when he says “God is a concept by which we measure our pain”. Whether you believe in the good lord above or not, we tie suffering & pleasure to his name. When we’re sick & hurting, it’s used in vain. When we’re counting our blessings, it’s used in praise. It’s a bold statement that can shatter one’s concept of devotion. It can only be made by a man who knows what it’s like to feel bigger than Jesus. John Lennon is not God. He is not your concept by which to measure your pain.

John Lennon uses this album to redefine himself. He is a man. His mother is dead. His father has abandoned him. He is alone, save for one woman who he desperately needs in order to fill the gap of love that wouldn’t be in his life without her. This is an album about coping with that reality & pushing forward. It is a “primal therapy” album, and he doesn’t leave very many stones unturned. Musically, it’s much sparser than one would think, but it leaves a lot more room for John’s vocal conviction to take center stage. He wants to be heard, not just listened to, and everything surrounding the production emphasizes that. John’s convictions have never felt more potently said, & the relatively blunt approach to this album feels like a necessary divorce from The Beatles.

In a weird way, it almost feels like a suicide note. It’s not that John wanted to actually kill himself or anything, but the need to redefine himself from the same man wanting to hold your hand & preaching that all you need is love requires a departure. John’s letting go. He still needs love, but his tact has changed to one of carnal desire as opposed to an anthemic mantra. He still wants to change the world, but through his own voice, one unrestrained by the mythos of something as sacred to people’s minds as the Beatles. The Beatles, despite everything, are not the holy trinity, at least to John Lennon. John Lennon is still not God. The past version of him is dead. Meet the new one, who’s exactly the same man, just finally allowed to be proven fallible.

I think it’s a remarkably strong 40 minutes of fallibility. John Lennon is dead. Long live John Lennon. This is him now. Take it or leave it. A lot of people probably left as the 70s went along & John’s musical audacity got bolder, but I’m not sure John really cared. Look at him in that album cover. He’s in the most intimate place you can be in the world; outside in nature, with just his thoughts and the woman he loves. I don’t think he really cares how he’s perceived. John Lennon is not God. However, he seems to have reached his personal heaven. It’s ironic for an album that expresses anything but. It’s a hell of an album though. It’s not quite a 10 to my ears, but maybe it’ll get there someday. For now, it’s above a 5.

I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll bump up to a 5 just because of that closer.

“I Ain’t Superstitious”, which we’ve heard before on Megadeth’s “Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying?” returns here in a far more traditional, yet familiar sense. When I got to that track on Megadeth’s album, I was kinda hoping for an album that would consist of heavy metal takes on blues tracks, and while this is more of rock-blues with a slightly heavier guitar that feels close to metal, it’s close enough. Rod Stewart’s vocals carry a pretty good energy throughout, and it rides these tracks well. Frankly, I’m surprised he’s not listed on the cover, but maybe Jeff Beck didn’t want a Yardbirds situation. Jeff’s guitars are the co-star, and they fucking rock on this one. There’s always a moment where he goes off on a track, and he does so without distracting from the flow of the drums & bass. Micky Waller is an unsung part of this album, as most drummers are, but when he needs to fill something out, he really nails it.

It’s just a good harmony between everyone involved, and one that feels really nice to listen to for most of the 40 minutes here. Realistically, all of my nitpicks boil down to things out of their control for 1968, including some awkward panning that separates the instruments too broadly & a lack of some vocal harmonization. My bigger “issue” with the album was mostly that it just felt a bit safe for 1968, even with the push of a slightly heavier blues soundscape. There were no bad tracks, but I never felt like there was anything really pushing the envelope for a bit, no matter how technically sharp it was. “I Ain’t Superstitious” is what’s pushing this album to a 5 for me; just a lot of super fun guitar runs & drum fills to accentuate Rod’s vocal push & grit, and the depth in the instruments finally feels as close to ‘metal’ as it does at any other point in the album. It’s just a good 5 minutes & a good closer. It sticks the landing in a way that’s satisfying, and it just pulls the whole album up as a result.

Hence, a 4.5 bumped up to a 5. I think the floor is pretty understandably a 3, especially if you just can’t hear it as anything but plain blues-rock. I think it’s a little more than that, but only from the push to go a little heavier & the multitude of important guest performers here, especially on “Beck’s Bolero”. This feels like a pretty influential document for the musical stylings of the ‘70s to come, and for 1968, Jeff & friends set a pretty good base. For that, I’m glad this is on the list.

I’m at a 4, but I really liked this one.

It’s just a good straightforward country album. A little more ‘heartland’ than pure country, but still. Steve Earle’s got a good voice, however plain & distinctly “this guy sure sings country music”-y it might feel. Instrumentally, it feels like a softer & pulled back take on Springsteen’s brand of Americana, blended with the ‘80s trends of a George Strait album. It’s a good inbetween phase, and lyrically, I just like what Steve Earle’s got to say. There’s nothing too complex or contrived, nor does he really paint himself as a main character worth emulating. He’s just a guy on the road, living with his touring band (his “Guitar Town”), reflecting on what got him to this point & what he wants to do with himself. A lot of it is rooted in small-town, slice of life stuff, and as someone practically stuck in the environments he’s singing about, I just found myself easily picturing this whole album.

It really is just that simple for me. I understand the critiques on the site & the rating; objectively, this is not doing anything to re-invent the wheel. Steve Earle is not the first person to suffer heartbreak & leave his dusty hometown behind for a larger life, and certainly not in this genre. He’s not the first to miss his kid growing up, or failing to live up to the expectations of his family line. If you have no love for the genre to begin with, these will feel like cookie-cutter tracks that anyone could write & sing, and that criticism is fair through certain lenses. However, it’s not one that’s fair to mine. I’ve heard a lot of bad country music. If you don’t have the talent, it’s easy to fuck up a country song. It takes talent to make music that feels this easily digestible & still carries a pretty solid sense of emotional weight. It’s hard to make this album, however simple it might seem.

Ultimately, that lack of re-inventing the wheel mixed with just a bit of overlap in the tracks is what has me at a 4, but I’d still very much recommend it. This isn’t a concept album, but I’d say there’s enough of a throughline to paint a weaving narrative throughout. If it were me, I would’ve flipped the last two tracks, just because “Little Rock ‘n’ Roller” felt like a better emotional climax to end on, but that’s my only nitpick here. I think it’s a good one, and while I can’t really go up to a 5 (as much as I want to out of spite), I just find myself charmed. Is it an album you NEED to hear before you die? Honestly, I can't even say. However, for my tastes, I’m very glad this is on the list.