vonFiedler's Big Album Tier List - Girls, Girls, Girls

if you want to listen to folk rock, Neil Young is a solid start imo. Harvest (1972) and Everybody Knows this is Nowhere (1969) are my personal favourites, but I'd also say that After the Gold Rush (1970) is very much worth a listen.
as for general recommendations, i'm going to suggest "Loaded" from the Velvet Underground. it's more accessible than their other albums and generally seems to somewhat line up with your tastes - although i admit i may be biased.
 
Bughouse said:
hm if you are looking for more things to try in the general amorphous area that is folk rock, I'd try these

Indigo Girls - Indigo Girls
By the Way, I Forgive You - Brandi Carlisle
Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman
Luck of the Draw - Bonnie Raitt
Noble Beast - Andrew Bird
Soundtrack from Once - Glen Hansard, et al
Heart Like a Wheel - Linda Ronstadt
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Tracye Chapman and Bonnie Raitt are already on my list, but I'll check out the others. I'll start with Indigo Girls and work my way through the others slowly.

Knight who says "Ni" said:
if you want to listen to folk rock, Neil Young is a solid start imo. Harvest (1972) and Everybody Knows this is Nowhere (1969) are my personal favourites, but I'd also say that After the Gold Rush (1970) is very much worth a listen.
as for general recommendations, i'm going to suggest "Loaded" from the Velvet Underground. it's more accessible than their other albums and generally seems to somewhat line up with your tastes - although i admit i may be biased.
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Neil Young was one of my favorite artists in high school and Harvest is not very far away on my list of albums to listen to.
Confession, I really can't stand Velvet Underground. Lou Reed is okay post-Bowiefication, but even then I think Iggy Pop and Pulp do what he's doing much better. However... I can try Loaded if you think accessibility is the issue, but I make no promises about liking it.
 
No Jacket Required down to B-
Eagles down to B-

Reckless up to C-
21 up to B-
The Lady Killer up to B-
Eliminator up to B
Sports up to B
Crime of the Century up to B+
Savage Garden up to S

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The Beatles, Revolver (1966) C+
Ah, this is The Beatles I'm more familiar with. Sandwiched between their boy band days and their weird experimental period, this is a bit of a confused and not always interesting listen.
The Hits: Eleanor Rigby, Got to Get You Into My Life, Yellow Submarine, The Taxman
Hidden Gem: I'm Only Sleeping
Worst Song: She Said She Said

No Doubt, Rock Steady (2001) A+
I look at Gwen Stefani as kind of a spiritual successor to Cyndi Lauper, which is high praise coming from me. Rock Steady is a bit 2000s extra and as such some of the songs are a bit bad, but all in a guilty pleasure kind of way.
The Hits: Hella Good, Underneath It All, Hey Baby
Hidden Gems: Running, Waiting Room, Start the Fire
Guiltiest Pleasure: Detective

Indigo Girls, Indigo Girls (1989) C-
Bughouse I figured this would have more rock in it, but that's really only relegated to two songs, and there's even a bit of country here. Very Joan Baezy sounding music. Overall it's all fine. The worst songs are better than the worst of Into the Music's, but the best songs don't hit me as hard either.
Hidden Gems: Kid Fears, History of Us
Worst Song: Center Stage

Stevie Wonder, Innervisions (1973) C+
Far less ambitious than Songs in the Key of Life, this easy listen falters far less but also never blew away.
The Hits: Higher Ground, Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing
Hidden Gem: All in Love Is Fair
Worst Song: Jesus Children of America

Foreigner, Head Games (1979) B+
Another solid album from Foreigner. While this ditches the funk sound of Double Vision, it leans more into the bombastic glam that I associate with the band's greatest hits. Really it's not weird that I would like these last two albums, but it's feeling increasingly odd that I slept on 4. I might have to revisit it someday.
The Hits: Head Games, Dirty White Boy
Hidden Gem: Blinded by Science
Worst Song: Seventeen

The Velvet Underground, Loaded (1970) C-
Knight who says "Ni" A Beatles knock-off album, for better and worse. It's not hard to see why this didn't catch on in 1970. It works pretty well early on but messes about in the latter half. What this album really lacks is one or two great songs.
Hidden Gem: Cool It Down
Worst Song: Train Round the Bend

Eric Clapton, August (1986) A-
Legendary guitarist has a huge range from folksy to bluesy, and for some reason this album is like a (strictly) better Phil Collins, but it works. Gets a bit self-indulgent at times but overall it's a jam.
The Hits: Behind the Mask, Tearing Us Apart, It's in the Way That You Use It
Hidden Gems: Grand Illusion, Bad Influence
Worst Song: Miss You

Bruno Mars, Unorthodox Jukebox (2012) B-
Even after everything in 2020, if I could go back 10 years and tell myself something completely unbelievable, it would be that Bruno Mars, the douchebag behind Grenade and Lazy Song, was one of the best artists. That started with this album where he was applauded for musical throwbacks, though I think he leaned into that much more in 24K Magic due to the praise this album got. Here the throwbacks aren't a major focus and the album is pretty haphazard in what's it's going for, unorthodox if you will. He's also still the worst part of his own music, but there's a mountain of improvement between this and his first album.
The Hits: Locked Out of Heaven, When I Was Your Man, Treasure
Hidden Gems: Moonshine
Worst Song: Money Make Her Smile

Iron Maiden, Powerslave (1984) C-
AKA that album with Rime of the Ancient Mariner, but for the most part this forgoes much of the band's storytelling seemingly to focus more on solos and shredding. But then it throws a 13 minute story-oriented song on the end. Some peculiar choices all around.
Hidden Gems: Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Aces High
Worst Song: Back in the Village

Iggy Pop, Lust for Life (1977) B
The Bowie-Punk album that put Iggy Pop on the map. Bowie-Punk isn't as good as most Bowie but it's better than most punk, so this sits at a pretty fair score.
The Hit: Lust for Life
Hidden Gem: Some Weird Sin
Worst Song: Sixteen
 
vonFiedler said:
Indigo Girls, Indigo Girls (1989) C-
Bughouse I figured this would have more rock in it, but that's really only relegated to two songs, and there's even a bit of country here. Very Joan Baezy sounding music. Overall it's all fine. The worst songs are better than the worst of Into the Music's, but the best songs don't hit me as hard either.
Hidden Gems: Kid Fears, History of Us
Worst Song: Center Stage
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Fully agree on the Joan Baez comparison. Sorry that's not appealing to you tho. They've got a large discography but I can't say there's any album that fully leans on the more rock-ish side. There's plenty of the more mellow or even country-influenced stuff on just about all of their albums.
Also agree on Kid Fears being one of the better tracks (and certainly a hidden gem, since it's not one I've heard too many others pick out as the best). If you couldn't place it or didn't look it up, the featured male vocalist on the track is Michael Stipe.
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If anyone's paying attention to this, the rest of the mods and I are gonna start clubs soon, I think a video game, anime, and album club specifically, and you can probably guess which one I seamlessly slot into. There'll be a separate thread for it, but if you're interested, start thinking of albums for a group to listen to.

True Blue down to B
Songs in the Key of Life down to B
Duran Duran down to C+
Night Moves down to C-

Toulouse Street up to D+

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Paul McCartney, McCartney II (1980) B-
This really shows off McCartney's skills as a producer and the fact that he plays every instrument is pretty neat. McCartney has the kind of unrestrained creativity that you usually find with artists who are less popular but more critically acclaimed. McCartney is obviously a huge name but often feels underrated in snobbish circles. I'd much rather listen to this than Lennon's hippie music. Even the worst songs are interesting.
Hidden Gems: Temporary Secretary, Front Parlour, Frozen Japanese
Worst Song: Bogey Music
lol: Waterfalls

Electric Light Orchestra, Discovery (1979) A-
Nothing really special to say here. This album doesn't shine any new light on ELO but it doesn't have to. Just another strong album from one of the world's best bands.
The Hits: Shine a Little Love, Don't Bring Me Down
Hidden Gem: On the Run

Sting, Ten Summoner's Tales (1993) D+
When I think of Sting as a solo artist, I think about all these different experimental attempts at world music. However, the closest thing this album has to that is a wonky country song (English people, STOP DOING THIS ALREADY). The rest is a pop-rock album that makes Phil Collins look like Eric Clapton. But given how The Police have shaped up to be the kings of album disappointment, I don't know why I expected better.
The Hits: If I Ever Lose My Faith in You, Fields of Gold
Worst Song: Love Is Stronger than Justice

Bjork, Debut (1993) B+
Bjork's solo debut starts swinging with Human Behavior, but eventually settles into relatively uncomplex songs that don't feel out of place for the 90s dance scene. On top of that, some of the stranger songs don't land, and that's coming from someone whose favorite Bjork album so far is Volta. Still a great start of things to come.
Hidden Gems: Venus as a Boy, Human Behavior, Come to Me, Crying
Worst Song: Violently Happy

Seventh Wonder, The Great Escape (2010) B+
This one is real wacky to rate. My most metal album I've tiered yet, this one really centers around the eponymous 30-minute epic, a hell of a song I listen to every so often. If that song was the whole album, it would be at least an A for sure, even if it was a little short. But there's a decent chunk more music as well, and at least I can say some of it is decent. But it also bored me a bit waiting for The Great Escape to come on, and usually I think I'd rather just listen to that.
Hidden Gems: The Great Escape, Long Way Home
Worst Song: The Angelmaker

Paramore, After Laughter (2017) A+
Paramore's 2013 self-titled album reinvented themselves away from being an emo band and thank god. While that album is a variety of things, it's this follow-up that leans super hard into the new wave genre. And they absolutely nail it with one of the best new wave albums ever. The colorful sounds perfectly contrast with surprisingly poignant lyrics about the hardships of adulting. Quite an accomplishment for a band in the late 2010s.
Hidden Gems: Rose-Colored Boy, Forgiveness, Hard Times, Fake Happy
Worst Song: No Friend

Peter Gabriel, So (1986) B+
There's some debate over who was the better frontman to Genesis. Personally I don't care for any of their music when Peter Gabriel was with them. However, at least as far as their late 80s pop-rock solo albums go, Gabriel is the easy winner. So much more interesting and well put together, though not super ambitious as a whole.
The Hits: Sledgehammer, In Your Eyes, Big Time
Hidden Gems: Don't Give Up, Mercy Street

Cake, Prolonging the Magic (1998) C
Even as I get more and more open-minded about 90s music, I'm coming to notice a subgenre of alt rock. The really poppy, clear-sounding, not nearly as clever as it thinks it is genre, populated by people like Ben Folds and The Barenaked Ladies. Individually I can see most songs on this album as being interesting, but strung together it's just a lot of talking at me and it gets dull.
Hidden Gems: Never There, Where Would I Be?
Worst Song: Satan Is My Motor

Harry Chapin, Sniper & Other Love Songs (1972) B-
Possibly the best album title of all time. However, even though the juxtaposition is right there in the title, it's still a bit odd going from super-saccharine Sunday Morning Sunshine straight into Sniper. The other love songs bit ain't kidding either, a fair few of these are sappy and a bit empty. Harry Chapin is a storyteller before he is a musician, so the quality of this album comes down to the individual stories. While Sniper is great and A Better Place to Be is fantastic, the hits only outnumber the misses in that they are particularly long tracks. It's all at least musically palatable which makes the album scrape by.
Hidden Gems: A Better Place to Be, Sniper
Worst Song: Barefoot Boy

Howard Jones, Human's Lib (1984) A
Howard Jones is a synthesizer wizard and hugely underrated artist anymore. I was looking forward to listening to this album and it's everything I wanted it to be, although not more than that. Just a bunch of synth bangers.
Hidden Gems: What Is Love, Hide and Seek, New Song
 
Would be interested to hear what you think of Kesha's Rainbow (2017) album considering you have gaga and adele in your list already
 
Sorry to disappoint, but I've never hated an artist like I hated Kesha circa late 2000s. And I know there's a difference between that and Rainbow, but I doubt I'm going to come around to it as I've heard Hymn I think and thought it was only almost okay. Gaga is a way more old-fashioned star in terms of her showmanship and that's what got me into her. Adele is good... but I also really don't like some acts similar to Adele (I loathe Lorde) so I don't think it's a big indicator of anything.

Never been too impressed with Jepson. Call Me Maybe is also okay but it seems like the worst version of that kind of guilty pleasure song. I'll give Emotion a shot but if y'all want to recommend modern pop, I'd probably be most susceptible to the recent electronic dance pop trend that's been bubbling under the mainstream (After Laughter is a good indicator for this).
 
If your only real exposure to Carly Rae Jepsen is Call Me Maybe then I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with E•MO•TION!
 
vonFiedler said:
Sorry to disappoint, but I've never hated an artist like I hated Kesha circa late 2000s. And I know there's a difference between that and Rainbow, but I doubt I'm going to come around to it as I've heard Hymn I think and thought it was only almost okay. Gaga is a way more old-fashioned star in terms of her showmanship and that's what got me into her. Adele is good... but I also really don't like some acts similar to Adele (I loathe Lorde) so I don't think it's a big indicator of anything.

Never been too impressed with Jepson. Call Me Maybe is also okay but it seems like the worst version of that kind of guilty pleasure song. I'll give Emotion a shot but if y'all want to recommend modern pop, I'd probably be most susceptible to the recent electronic dance pop trend that's been bubbling under the mainstream (After Laughter is a good indicator for this).
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There is a very big difference between Animal or Warrior and Rainbow tbf; Rainbow is a self empowerment anthem whereas the former were club dance mixes. Would definitely give it a further shot than Hymn if you geniunely enjoy Gaga's music rather than just performances or have heard any of Gaga's Joanne album (which is what I would closest akin it to).
 
I'm glad that they're other Volta lovers out there, but better than Vespertine? That's worth at least ten and a half unpopular opinions. I respect it, though.
 
Forever Young down to B+
Countdown to Ecstacy down to B-
Toulouse Street down to D
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty down to D

Sing Street up to C

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George Harrison, All Things Must Pass (1970) B-
I respect the hell out of George Harrison, but mostly as a producer, not a soloist. This album exceeded my expectations in that regard. As a super album it never reaches the heights of White Album but is much more consistent. Oddly obsessed with apples... which is super weird given that it's the first solo album of a Beatle not named Ringo.

The weird thing about the album is that, on top of being a long double album already, it comes with a third vinyl of improvised jams. This is the normally the kind of thing that comes with a special edition later and I never give a shit about that, but this came with the original album. So how should I rate it? Since it came with the original album, but is still referred to as a separate thing, I think you could score it with or without the album depending on which would score better. I didn't score it with the album as I don't think it helps. The jams are good at what they are, but feel odd tacked onto the back end of the double LP.
The Hit: My Sweet Lord
Hidden Gems: If Not for You, Art of Dying
Worst Song: Wah-Wah

Kesha, Rainbow (2017) F
I gave a warning.

To be fair, an F is theoretically the bottom 60% of albums and I didn't hate this album. I even have to admit that I liked a non-zero number of songs on it. Even outside of the songs I liked, a number of them were okay. But there's also a slapdash amount of faux-country and AAE accents going on with Kesha in this and frankly it's pretty bad. It feels like she spends a lot of time on this album not being herself, but herself sucks so it's kind of a toss-up. It's really telling that her guests way outperform her.

Also, the song that I had heard before was Praying, which is certainly better than her old trash but ultimately just a low-tier white girl piano ballad. It might get points for sincerity, but it's not exactly I Took a Pill in Ibiza. That kinda sums up the whole album. Yes, there's an effort and plenty of sincerity, but it doesn't squeak into D- territory.
Songs I Liked: Let 'Em Talk, Godzilla, Bastards
Songs That Would Be Good Without Kesha: Boogie Feet, Boots, Old Flames (Can't Hold a Candle to You)
Worst Songs: Learn to Let Go, Hymn, Hunt You Down

Joan Jet & the Blackhearts, I Love Rock 'n' Roll (1981) C-
I never said I was a guy who liked any and everything between the years 1965 and 1989. And I just don't like punk rock. Post-punk, absolutely. Anyway, Joan Jett has always been relatively palatable to me and this album has some of her best songs. But it's also a quaint little mess of basic beats and covers, including the baffling (but surprisingly okay) Little Drummer Boy.
The Hits: Crimson and Clover, I Love Rock 'n' Roll, Victim of Circumstance
Worst Song: NAG

No Doubt, Tragic Kingdom (1995) A
The more classic ska of No Doubt's hit albums. What I like about No Doubt is that they really have a flair for punching up each track. Sure, ska is known for being over the top bombastic, but No Doubt accomplishes this without throwing annoying trumpets over every track. There are cool samples and interesting soundspaces here. It doesn't go as far as Rock Steady for sure, but I wouldn't feel guilty for liking any of the music on this album. On the other hand, I didn't like all of the music either.
The Hits: Spiderwebs, Don't Speak, Just a Girl
Hidden Gems: End It on This, The Climb
Worst Song: World Go 'Round

Aerosmith, Permanent Vacation (1987) C+
This band is really up there in terms of "I liked them in high school but the feelings have really died down". And this album is probably the silliest piece shit I've covered yet... and god help me I could fuck with it.
The Hits: Rag Doll, Dude (Looks Like a Lady), Angel
Hidden Gem: St. John
Worst Song: Magic Touch

Carly Rae Jepsen, E•MO•TION (2015) B-
How did we get from Lady Gaga to Kesha to here? You should have said that if I like Savage Garden or Ellie Goulding I might like this. Cause it's definitely in large part a pop-throwback album, and if you think this is the premier pop album, maybe listen to more 80s pop-funk or late 90s disco throwback. Emotion is enjoyable but no song really excels, I guess that's what having 60 producers over 12 songs does. It's not amelodic but it definitely feels like an album released on the cusp of the amelodic trend, especially by its rather weak end. The album has a weird parabola where it gets progressively more modern over its runtime, but also seems to have the most creativity in the middle.
The Hit: I Really Like You
Hidden Gems: Run Away with Me, Let's Get Lost
Worst Song: Warm Blood

Bee Gees & Others, Saturday Night Fever (1977) B+
It's hard to imagine a film soundtrack ever capturing the zeitgeist of a genre as well as this one did. Saturday Night Fever IS Disco. Now your mileage may vary on how excited that makes you. Disco is super important to a lot of music I love, but it's not one of my favorite genres in and of itself, and even if it was, the Bee Gees weren't exactly Earth, Wind, and Fire.
The Hits: Stayin' Alive, Night Fever, If I Can't Have You
Hidden Gem: Night on Disco Mountain
Philippines National Anthem: How Deep Is Your Love?
Worst Song: Calypso Breakdown

Gazebo, Telephone Mama (1984) B-
Accidental disco streak going here. Gazebo are a major guilty pleasure band for me. They've got almost a wild outsider approach which leads to some crazy earworms, but also to a fair number of misfires. Biggest failure of this album is that the song First! isn't the first track. Wtf.
Hidden Gems: First!, For Anita, Solitaire
Worst Song: Alphabet

Gorillaz, Demon Days (2005) A+
Not a fan of rap rock, but rap-inspired rock can be great, like The Gold Experience, and overall this album really shakes out like a darker Gold Experience. Of course there's also tons to be said about the lore of the band, the music videos, the appeal of the fictional band, and the guest power on display. I'm a harsh rap critic and everything on this album is at least decent.
The Hits: Feel Good Inc., DARE
Hidden Gems: Kids with Guns, November Has Come
Worst Song: White Light

Paramore, Paramore (2013) B+
I've already talked about the beautiful end result of Paramore's transition into new wave. This is the transition where they were still trying to figure out their new direction, and it's a lot more pop-punk than After Laughter. To it's credit, it does get me to enjoy some of those songs, but the reals stars are the signs of what's to come.
The Hit: Ain't It Fun?
Hidden Gems: Daydreaming, Grow Up
Worst Song: Be Alone

200 albums and counting!!!
 
just popping in to say today I learned that the Bee Gees were white and it was all thanks to this thread title

also I don't think I said it before but I like how you reworked your scoring system so that there's only a few in S and no longer stuff like SSS, SS, etc.
 
phoopes said:
also I don't think I said it before but I like how you reworked your scoring system so that there's only a few in S and no longer stuff like SSS, SS, etc.
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SS and SSS were more a reflection on the shear upper bounds that an S album could go, like Out of the Blue is WAY above A+ but Savage Garden is much closer to it. There are a handful of albums that fall into low S range right now but I think most of them won't be S tier after the 3 month reevaluation period is over.
 
Do you only review English music? Most of the albums I like are Portuguese or Japanese. If not, all I can really recommend is Cosmo Sheldrake's The Much Much How How and I. One of my favorite albums to be honest.
 
Lemingue said:
Do you only review English music? Most of the albums I like are Portuguese or Japanese. If not, all I can really recommend is Cosmo Sheldrake's The Much Much How How and I. One of my favorite albums to be honest.
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I've got a few non-English albums on my list like Nena or Falco 3, but they're not remotely close to the top. So I guess I'm open?

I like a fair bit of Japanese music... but that's a floodgate I've been nervous to open my playlist to, just filling it with weeb shit (cause I would). So far I only have people like Yellow Magic Orchestra (who had mainstream success in America) and Ryuichi Sakamoto (who did work with David Sylvian). I suspect that, like with rap music, I'd want to make that it's own playlist.

So everything is on the table. BUT... I'll tag you with something related to these things over the weekend.
 
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I started giving a progressive penalty to albums for going over 45 minutes. I don't necessarily mind albums being up to an hour, but this balances out albums that are ranked highly largely because they are long.

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Lou Reed, Transformer (1972) C
So Lou Reed... yes, he's a very good writer. But I don't think he makes compelling music and his deadpan singing does nothing for me. He brings little to the table that Iggy Pop doesn't do better. Even this, the album that David Bowie made for him to jumpstart his career, doesn't amount to much more than his few good hit songs.
The Hits: Walk on the Wild Side, Perfect Day, Satellite of Love
Worst Song: Make Up

Thomas Dolby, The Flat Earth (1984) B
Dolby was a prominent keyboard mercenary who worked sessions for bands like Foreigner and Def Leppard. I have a lot of respect for session artists and Dolby is one of the more prominent. This solo album is a quaint seven songs but none of them are wasted. There's a lot of interesting tone and sampling going on here, not a whole lot unlike Broadcast but maybe even a bit punchier per song.
Hidden Gems: Hyperactive!, Mulu the Rain Forest

Yes, Fragile (1971) B-
Notoriously inconsistent band, but you'd at least hope one or two of their albums would be great. Not this one though. It's a chaotic mess of long and short songs, instrumentals and quasi-instrumentals. Very stereotypical prog trash but at least most of it sounds good. Biggest failing is the last long track.
The Hit: Roundabout
Hidden Gems: South Side of the Sky, Mood for a Day
Worst Song: We Have Heaven

Dead or Alive, Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know (1986) A-
Immediately gotta say that this album has some of the sickest hidden gems I've heard yet. Dead or Alive combines the best qualities of post-punk and proto-techno to make maybe some of the most underrated songs in history. I'd instantly recommend the whole album. Now, perhaps the weakest aspect of this album are its lyrics (but even then it opens on an iambic pentameter subversion), however while a lot of my album rankings are overly optimistic, I have no doubt this one will only climb in rank as I relisten to its music.
The Hit: Brand New Lover
Hidden Gems: Then There Was You, Come Inside, Hooked on Love, Something in My House

Meat Loaf, Bat out of Hell II: Back into Hell (1993) C+
Typical sequel. Bigger but not necessarily better. Bat out of Hell was Meat Loaf's most serious ballad storytelling album and it ended up being his most successful and possibly his best album. So he just decided to that again, but kicked way into overdrive. The result is an album where songs consistently could stand to lose about three minutes.
The Hit: I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)
Hidden Gems: Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through, Back into Hell (this isn't really a good song per say, but it's a wicked cool album bridger if you hear it in context)
Worst Song: Everything Louder than Everything

Wham!, Make It Big (1984) C+
Soul-pop with a really soft edge. Good in theory but in practice most of it is really mid. Better than Lionel Richie but at least he's black, this is like the whitest bubblegum soul out there.
The Hits: Careless Whisper, Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, Everything She Wants
Worst Song: Credit Card Baby

Jessie Ware, What's Your Pleasure? (2020) B+
dice Very much modern disco pop. I liked a lot of this, but I do have some reservations. The songs are consistently stripped down, which is more the style now. And almost all of them overuse a thump track to the point where I had to switch headphones to make it less annoying. These two things combined lead to an album where a lot of songs bleed together. Though I did generally enjoy the overall sound, it gets a bit tiresome near the end before picking back up again. The first and last songs are definitely the best. This is the best album I've been recommended so far, so kudos!
Hidden Gems: Spotlight, Remember Where You Are
Worst Song: Read My Lips

Howard Jones, Dream into Action (1985) A-
I had huge hopes with this album after Human's Lib, but it's more mellow and often smacks closer to the pop-rock of the time than to new wave. However, it starts strong and gets creative by the end and there's a lot of music to like here.
The Hit: Things Can Only Get Better
Hidden Gems: Life in One Day, No One Is to Blame
Worst Song: Dream into Action

Cher, Heart of Stone (1989) C+
Kind of a meme pick to listen to an album for, but Cher's legit. Grandparents listening to early Cher turned me off from her as a kid, but in her power pop era there's nothing wrong with her compared to say Celine Dion, Kim Carnes, or Bonnie Tyler. This album is a super guilty pleasure at the start, but it hits so strong so long that it gets tiring long before Peter Cetera shows up. And Peter Cetera... is a topic for another time.
The Hits: If I Could Turn Back Time, Just Like Jesse James
Worst Song: After All

The Bangles, Different Light (1986) C-
Weird stuff, like if Bananarama did early alt-rock but was also just very mid in most places. Doesn't feel like they knew what they were doing with this album but it's k. There are ideas, just not really fleshed out ones for the most part.
The Hits: Walk Like an Egyptian, Manic Monday
Hidden Gem: If She Knew What She Wants
Worst Song: Let It Go

Lemingue I got your rec, I just waited a bit to listen cause you put it in the albums noms. Seeing as it's not going to win, I'll listen to it soon.
 
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Discovery (Daft Punk) up to C+

Flashdance down to A-
Double Vision down to B
Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy) down to C
Let It Bleed down to C-

Jeff Lynne, Armchair Theatre (1990) A
I underestimated this one going in. Solo albums can be hard for even the best artists, as evidenced by Don Henley, Sting, and Stevie Nicks on this list. And this album was a shot in the dark, one which did okay critically and financially, but has been totally forgotten. If anything though, Armchair Theatre shows that maybe the band was holding Lynne back. He brings pretty much the same experience as ELO here, but with a sort of effortless feel to it, and it might even be telling a little overarching story about love lost and found again if I'm not reading too much into it. If you love ELO (and that seems common these days) but haven't tried this album, give it a shot.
Hidden Gems: Now You're Gone, What Would It Take

Rina Sawayama, SAWAYAMA (2020) A
Full review here.
Hidden Gems: Paradisin', Dynasty
Worst Song: Fuck This World (Interlude)

Golden Earring, The Hole (1986) B-
Swedish band most known for Radar Love and Twilight Zone, but my favorite song is Why Do I, featured on this album. Just going by their singles its easy to not get a read on this band, but at least for this album, I'd describe it as "Meat Loaf at home".
Hidden Gems: Why Do I
Worst Song: Love in Motion

Bjork, Homogenic (1997) B+
Full review here.
Hidden Gems: Hunter, Joja, Bachelorette
Worst Song: Pluto

Coldplay, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008) B-
I've got two good stories about Coldplay. There's the one about the song Yellow and the movie Crazy Rich Asians. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/n...ans-director-s-letter-coldplay-yellow-1135826
There's also the one where they wrote a song to collaborate with David Bowie on, as he was doing that a fair bit at the time, and he wrote them back "well it's not very good is it?". I like to think their response was, "That's fair, we ARE Coldplay."
Anyway, as mediocre as the band can be I do really like the title track here. The rest of the album is surprisingly well put together and kudos for making a pop album that deals so much with the concept of death. On the negative side, some of the longer songs just feel like two undeveloped songs mashed together.
The Hit: Viva la Vida
Hidden Gems: Lovers in Japan
Worst Song: Yes

Danny Wilson, Meet Danny Wilson (1987) A+
It seems that people should have taken me up on this one. This band is the effort of Gary Clark, a man who would become a massively prolofic songwriter for such singers as Natalie Imbruglia, Liz Phair, k.d. lang, and the Spice Girls, while also being the musical force behind the excellent movie Sing Street. While the movie Sing Street is obsessed with futurism it understandably had to deliver a recognizably 80s sound that slides somewhere between The Cure and The Cars. Danny Wilson however is almost indescribable in its sound. If Howard Jones is grease slick, then Danny Wilson is slick but with no excess at all. At times they come close to a Spandau Ballet or Steely Dan, which is a weird statement because these are two very different bands, but Danny Wilson always manages to sound like themselves, which is almost a light and heavenly sound but not too soft somehow. This gets a big recommend from me.
The Hit: Mary's Prayer
Hidden Gems: A Girl I Used to Know, Broken China
Worst Song: I Won't Be Here When You Get Home

Cosmo Sheldrake, The Much Much How How and I (2018) C+
Lemingue Moist album. Much like Taking Tiger Mountain, I had to listen to this more than once to really grapple with it. It's a bit outside what I generally listen to, maybe a bit close to Days of Future Passed or Kate Bush (without the excellent singing). No idea why modern folk singers insist on singing like this, but at least this album isn't boring. Like Tiger Mountain it's always interesting, but it remains to be seen if it's ever compelling.
Hidden Gems: Solar Waltz
Worst Song: Egg and Soldier

The Doobie Brothers, Stampede (1975) A
The last time I listened to a Doobie Brothers album I slammed it. So I'm pleasantly surprised that they seemed to improved a hell of a lot in three years, and I'd even go as far as to say that this is everything I've been looking for in a country rock album. The sounds are diverse but pulled together in a coherent way and every song jams. No snoozers here, while the hits still pull their weight. And while Michael McDonald still isn't in the band yet, Tom Johnston sings the hell out of this album.
The Hits: Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me), I Cheat the Hangman
Hidden Gems: Texas Lullaby

Dead or Alive, Nude (1989) A+
This band is rapidly shaping up to be my favorite new wave band. Mind you, the current score is a bit misleading. Nude gains much of its points on the back of one absolutely amazing song and then carries the high energy through to the end. I do think in the long run I will end up enjoying Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know more, but at any rate both albums are quite excellent.
Hidden Gem: Turn and Count 2 Ten

R.E.M., Green (1988) C+
For a long time I thought this was more of a 90s band and I didn't really like them as a kid. It wasn't until DONKEY KONGA that I came around. At their most basic sound I'm not really interested in them, but if you know their hits then you know that sometimes they are anything but basic, and even some of the non-hit songs on this album are quite interesting.
The Hits: Stand, Orange Crush
Hidden Gem: The Wrong Child
Worst Song: Pop Song '89
 
Broadcast down to A-
The Joshua Tree down to B-
Frampton Comes Alive! down to C

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Oingo Boingo, Dead Man's Party (1985) B-
Danny Elfman, primarily known for being Tim Burton's composer (and quite a good one at that), first had a new wave band called Oingo Boingo that made some weird music. At least that's what I know them for, but this album feels very mainstream, and I mean like pop-rock mainstream, not even new wave mainstream.
The Hit: Weird Science
Hidden Gem: Dead Man's Party
Worst Song: Fool's Paradise

Paul Simon, Graceland (1986) C-
Strange parallel to the last album. Where I expected that to be wacky and it ended up being mainstream, this managed to feel both mainstream and wacky. And too soft. The weird mixture of African and Cajun music plus Simon's good singing doesn't make up enough for a very weak backbone here.
The Hit: You Can Call Me Al
Hidden Gem: Gumboots
Worst Song: Graceland

Dido, No Angel (1999) B
I thought this was supposed to be adult alternative, but I guess it's actually trip hop. Given how annoying trap is, it's odd that trip hop is so chill. Dido is probably most known for Thank You, which is most known for that sample from Stan. The song slaps like crazy on its own. While the rest of the album isn't quite as good and I'd rather she hadn't recycled some of her earlier demos for it, it is still a generally nice listen.
The Hit: Thank You
Hidden Gem: Here with Me
Worst Song: All You Want

Kim Carnes, Mistaken Identity (1981) C+
Sometimes pop, sometimes country singer Kim Carnes is a bit of a novel taste. She sings like she eats 10 packs of cigarettes a day, but on the other hand she makes the tackiest pop songs. I'm not here to make apologies though. Unfortunately, this album is a bit more country than I'd have liked.
The Hit: Bette Davis Eyes
Hidden Gem: Draw of the Cards
Worst Song: Still Hold On

Alanis Morissette, Jagged Little Pill (1995) C-
Your mileage may vary here, but I think her singing is often obnoxious. What's less debatable is that the lyrics are never nearly as clever as she probably thinks they are. The album is only held up as much as it is by a bevy of hits that are all fine if I'm being charitable... except for Ironic, which is a shit song.
The Hits: You Oughta Know, You Learn, Head Over Feet, One Hand in My Pocket
Worst Song: All I Really Want

Depeche Mode, Construction Time Again (1983) C
Depeche Mode was by their own admission a pretty vapid band to start out and even though this was their first album with Alan Wilder, it feels like more of a transition than an abrupt change. The lyrics are better and more serious, but a lot of the songs are lacking in structure and tonality.
The Hit: Everything Counts
Hidden Gem: Love, in Itself
Worst Song: Shame

Spice Girls, Spice (1996) A
It really seems like by the numbers disco is one of the most consistently successful genres of music ever. Every time someone does a soft-revival of it it sells albums, this list documenting more than a few examples since the 70s. Spice Girls were probably the second most hyped act in my lifetime behind Britney Spears, and while it's easy to write them off as an artificial Biffco brand product... I actually like a lot of Biffco songs in isolation so of course a whole album was going to go over well.
The Hits: Wannabe, 2 Become 1, Say You'll Be There
Hidden Gem: Mama
Worst Song: If You Can't Dance

PJ Harvey, To Bring You My Love (1995) C-
Full album review here.
Hidden Gem: The Dancer
Worst Song: Teclo

Sade, Diamond Life (1984) B-
I guess this is parlor jazz but to be honest it sounds like a precursor to trip hop. It's surprising that this isn't a 90s album. Ahead of its time. Definitely a good album, though understandably downtempo. When I say that like it's a bad thing, I know that being mellow is the whole point of the genre, but I have to be in a mood to enjoy a bunch of it together.
The Hit: Smooth Operator
Hidden Gem: Your Love Is King
Worst Song: Sally

Brandi Carlile, By the Way, I Forgive You (2018) D+
It's a week of subgenres and female singers it seems. This is "alternative country", which I take it to mean that country sucks ass and this is a bit of an alternative to that. However, avoiding the most incestuous modern tropes of the genre doesn't mean that this album is doing anything original. Each song sounds like it could be filler on older and better albums. To be fair, maybe this is what Jessie Ware sounds like if you don't care for disco.
Hidden Gem: Sugartooth
 
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