Rated 10/10
There's a pretty good argument that this might be the greatest album ever made. It's a perfect execution of a concept album, from the story to the superb production to the highly emotional music. It holds relisten value like few other albums.
5.0/5.0: Iconic
Rated 4/10
Twice the length it should be, otherwise it would be fine.
2.0/5.0: Disappointing
Rated 8/10
This is the type of album I signed up for when I started this list. Something I'd never heard of that is entertaining and eclectic. Yes, it's too long, and yes, the imagine cover should have never happened, but the rhythms, genre-bending, melodies, and vocal performance all make it worth it.
3.5/5.0: Very Good
Rated 8/10
I remember an old episode of top gear where James May is racing a yacht off the coast of New Zealand against Jeremy Clarkson in a Honda Civic along the coast and Clarkson makes a comment that the only thing on the radio is Crowded House. Understandable. This is a good album.
4.0/5.0: Great
Rated 10/10
Another really good Bowie album.
4.5/5.0: Excellent
Rated 4/10
Very creative, but ultimately boring and/or annoying.
1.5/5.0: Bad
Rated 8/10
Apparently this is post-hardcore, a subgenre I don't think I've ever really explored. This was good. It was nice to have something different on the list, and that bass tone is great.
3.5/5.0: Very Good
Rated 6/10
There's a couple of really great songs on here, but also a lot of filler.
3.0/5.0: Good
Rated 6/10
This was good in places. I really didn't care for the guy's voice or rapping, but the music itself is enjoyable.
2.5/5.0: Mixed
Rated 10/10
Another great, melodic album with a ton of variety from The Byrds.
4.5/5.0: Excellent
Rated 6/10
A lot of this is annoying, but it's well put together and very atmospheric.
2.5/5.0: Mixed
Rated 8/10
The music is great here, and Prince is clearly at his creative peak, but double albums are almost always a mistake just because it's hard to maintain quality over such a long time span, and this record is no different. Cut the weakest 20 minutes and you have a 5 star album.
3.5/5.0: Very Good
Rated 8/10
This isn't anything special and sounds like a lot of rock made at the same time, but it is enjoyable and has variety.
3.5/5.0: Very Good
Rated 4/10
Difficult to see why "Drop the Pressure" was such a big hit. It's annoying and by far the worst song on an album that is mostly yawn-inducing.
1.5/5.0: Bad
Rated 8/10
Weird, interesting, and short enough to not outstay its welcome.
3.5/5.0: Very Good
Rated 6/10
This album is a little too obvious in its efforts to capture the zeitgeist of the late nineties, but mostly this is a highly diverse and well-performed album, spanning everything from trip-hop, to pop, to even some hard-rock riffing. Also, Madonna's voice sounds fantastic here. Unfortunately, there are a string of very poor, slow-moving, hackneyed, melodramatic songs tacked on at the end (the final five tracks starting with Frozen). Not coincidently, the album is just about the combined length of these songs too long. Without them you have a snappy, 8 song, 40 minute album that easily gets five stars. Still, the overall experience was enjoyable.
3.0/5.0: Good
Rated 6/10
This was fine. It has interesting parts but is mostly kind of boring Britpop.
2.5/5.0: Mixed
Rated 6/10
The first track was so bad I really thought this was going to be a slog, but there were actually a few interesting songs/melodies on here. There were also a few stinkers so this fits squarely in the "mixed" category.
2.5/5.0: Mixed
Rated 8/10
Major points for referencing Winn-Dixie cold cuts on the final track.
3.5/5.0: Very good
Rated 8/10
Fun album.
4.0/5.0: Great
