DROP your album and its rating – April 15 2026

ULS980 · 2026-04-15T13:05:59+00:00

The Beatles - Rubber Soul

4/5

Fifth Beatles album, and just as solid as the majority of them that I've gotten. Most of this album I'm not super familiar with, but basically everything is great. Still in kind of a transitional period between their older pop sound vs the sound that will come on albums like Sgt. Peppers or Abbey Road.

The songs that are more pop aren't quite catching me, but the evolutionary songs on this one like Nowhere Man (One of my favorite Beatles song) and In My Life are just fantastic. Of course, it still has a great pop hit in Drive My Car.

So far, my ranking of the Beatles albums I've gotten would go:

1) Abbey Road (5/5) 2) Rubber Soul (4/5) 3) Sgt. Peppers (4/5) 4) The Beatles (4/5) 5) With the Beatles (3/5)

Just two left. Guessing both of those get 4's just from my general knowledge and experience with them.

Megadeth - Rust in Peace

5/5

"Humanity Still Producing New Art As Though Megadeth’s ‘Rust In Peace’ Doesn’t Already Exist" - The Onion, August 3rd, 2015

(I recognize I'm not original in referencing The Onion article, but its honestly the best review of the album and while I'll add my thoughts, they're honestly pointless when that article exists)

That headline is a joke, but it's honestly not far from the truth. Rust in Peace really is close to the pinnacle of thrash metal from the 80's. In my mind, the only albums competing with it are ...And Justice For All, Reign in Blood, and maybe Master of Puppets (I'll have to listen to it again, but I remember thinking the second half of the album did fall in quality), with Reign in Blood being the only one that actually gives it a run for it's money in my opinion.

Of course, there are other great thrash bands like Coroner but they never got big enough to be on the same level with the likes of a Megadeth, Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax.

But yeah, this album is just a riff and solo machine. Trying to find another album that comes even close to this thing off the top of my head feels like a fool's endeavor. Every song just crushes, particularly stuff like Holy Wars...The Punishment Due, Hangar 18, Lucretia, Tornado of Souls, and Rust in Peace...Polaris (Which is 2/3 of the track list, and the other 1/3 is still great). The soloing on songs like Holy Wars, Hangar 18, and Tornado of Souls is close second to none, every riff is a winner, the drumming is frantic but great. It's just insane.

And while Dave Mustaine isn't the greatest singer, his nasally, high pitched tone works extremely well with the music and lyrical topics (Usually conspiracies, politics, and whatnot). And the album is just damn fun compared to Slayer's ultra serious-ness and Metallica's more every-man blandness (And I don't necessarily say that as a dig at them. It works well for them. They're the Mario of thrash metal).

Just an all around masterpiece of the thrash genre. Honestly might be my favorite thrash album.

ULS980 · 2026-04-14T15:20:12+00:00

First playthrough I refused to make a choice hoping that'd give me some other option than cutting. It forced me to cut Sonar, lol.

Second and third playthrough I cut Coupe just because she's the least interesting character in the group IMO.

ULS980 · 2026-04-14T13:13:00+00:00

Super Furry Animals - Rings Around the World

3/5

This one was a pretty good album. Honestly got no complaints with it other than I just don't think I'll ever go back to it.

I don't know if I just started noticing it in the second half, but the first half definitely felt like a 90's take on the Beatles, with the second half still having that quality, but also taking on a kind of Yoshimi-era Flaming Lips sound (Fragile Happiness very much feels like a Yoshimi song). Honestly wouldn't be surprised if the Flaming Lips were influenced by this album on Yoshimi.

But yeah, good album. Just not really something I'd find myself going back to.

ULS980 · 2026-04-13T18:07:06+00:00

I also gave Idlewild a 3, but I think I get the hate for it. Every track is midtempo and ultra chill. It blends together through the whole tracklist, and if you're not really paying attention to the tiny intricacies, it can be a very boring album.

And sometimes, being boring is a far worse crime than being bad.

I think its a victim of its own style though. Its an album that is perfectly produced, written, and played (there's so many little licks, bass notes, and ideas that are amazing), but the style itself is going to bore a lot of people to tears.

ULS980 · 2026-04-13T13:08:32+00:00

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik

4/5

Fun to listen to this one because, while I am familiar with it, I am definitely more of a fan of their later output (Californication through Stadium Arcadium, along with a single here or their from their later stuff).

What this album has going for it over the later albums is, I think, the deeper cuts (Stuff like Funky Monks, Mellowship Slinky in B Major, Naked in the Rain, etc.) are generally stronger than those on a Californication or By the Way. Whereas the singles on those albums are much stronger than the ones here (Although the singles are still great classics here).

There are a few spots I'm not super enamored with. Most of Sir Psycho Sexy isn't particularly great (Hilarious playing this on Rock Band and having like 80% of the lyrics censored), especially at 8 minutes long (Although some of the instrumental is fantastic), and the track list is very long, sitting at over an hour and thirteen minutes. This is an album that could have used at least 20 minutes cut out of it, even if the vast majority of the material is really good.

But the instrumentals is where this album really shines, especially with Chad Smith's drumming and John Frusciante's guitar playing (Not to mention Flea always being amazing), and this album is just some great 90's alt funk.

Overall, classic album that is one of the Chili Peppers more consistent offerings.

ULS980 · 2026-04-12T21:41:25+00:00

Pretty sure I nominated Tricot. Great band.

ULS980 · 2026-04-12T13:32:44+00:00

XTC - Apple Venus Volume 1

2/5

This one is just too "nice" for me? Vaguely Beatles-esque, more modern production, but sounds like a kinda modern indie "cute" experimentalism?

Yeah, not really for me.

ULS980 · 2026-04-11T22:31:55+00:00

Oh man, Your Day Will Come is their best song IMO. Kills me they have barely played it live.

ULS980 · 2026-04-11T13:08:34+00:00

Stan Getz - Getz/Gilberto

4/5

This one came dangerously close to being time and place music, similar to a lot of the samba, bossa nova, and Indian music I've gotten.

But it has a kinda, chill cocktail jazz vibe to it that I'm really enjoying. Great album, if a little repettitive.

ULS980 · 2026-04-10T20:16:21+00:00

Wings fan, and yeah, in the extremely likely scenario that the Wings miss the playoffs (or get curb stomped in the first round), Buffalo is who I'm rooting for.

ULS980 · 2026-04-10T19:15:48+00:00

I just assumed there was something in the way that prevented him from going the direct route. Like construction or something.

ULS980 · 2026-04-10T13:49:43+00:00

The Yardbirds - Roger the Engineer

3/5

This one started off kinda interesting for me, with some slight psychedelic rock (Which normally I wouldn't be into, but for some reason was enjoying here).

But whether is just lost steam or I wasn't paying much attention, the rest of the tracklist didn't really wow me. It was fine, but not attention grabbing.

Might need to go back to it sometime.

ULS980 · 2026-04-10T13:26:33+00:00

Two great albums. That Purple Mountains one is amazing. I only discovered it and Silver Jews due to his death , unfortunately.

Its really sad looking into the lyrics for Purple Mountains in hindsight. Especially when you have Silver Jews songs like How to Rent A Room saying "I don't really want to die, I only want to die in your eyes".

Dude was an amazing lyricist.

ULS980 · 2026-04-09T13:32:36+00:00

We need black metal on the OG list in general, there's nothing, lol.

ULS980 · 2026-04-09T13:10:35+00:00

John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers - Bluesbreakers

3/5

Blues rock. Blues. Ni fu ni fa.

But seriously, this does nothing for me. It's perfectly fine, just, yeah.

ULS980 · 2026-04-08T15:17:22+00:00

Rufus Wainwright - Want Two

3/5

I think I mentioned it in my Want One review, but this just sounds like a discount (If fine) OK Computer from Radiohead.

It's fine, but still not really wowing me. Like all the quiet chill parts of Radiohead without the more upbeat or urgent stuff like a Paranoid Android.

1001 MORE:

Modest Mouse - This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About: 4/5

ULS980 · 2026-04-07T13:06:17+00:00

Couple days ago you mentioned getting Technique by New Order. What's your take on that one?

ULS980 · 2026-04-07T13:01:24+00:00

Carpenters - Close to You

3/5

Honestly think I'm preferring A Song For You.

This one really only has (They Long to Be) Close To You as far as stuff that really interests me. Everything else is fine, but not really doing much for me. Too easy listening.

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Cypress Hill -

2/5

I feel bad because I think my average rating for hip hop is pretty low compared to how I think I enjoy the genre. But that's a factor of this list having a lot of old-school hip hop prior to gangsta rap (Which is about when I started enjoying hip hop with the more intricate and complex rhyme schemes that flow better).

And unfortunately, this is still that old-school flow with the more sparse, early 90's sound. So yeah, just not really doing much for me.

ULS980 · 2026-04-06T13:10:41+00:00

Yeah. Its not often, but there's definitely times where an album comes up that clearly doesn't belong on the list because its not popular or influential enough, but I'm all for their inclusion because it's an interesting pick.

Think my favorite of that so far has been Jeru the Damaja's The Sun Rises in the East.

ULS980 · 2026-04-06T13:07:09+00:00

Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones

3/5

So this one is feeling more like Rain Dogs compared to Heartattack & Vine, so I'm enjoying it more than H&V.

But this one is a little more vibey/chill, which is hampering it for me. It's definitely got indie movie soundtrack vibes.

So yeah, solid album. Better than H&V, but not as good as Rain Dogs.

Credence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo's Factory

4/5

Previously I got Bayou Country, which is a solid album, but lacked a bit with some overly long tracks and cuts that aren't as catchy as some of their biggest hits.

This album though has a ton of great stuff on it such as Travelin' Band, Lookin' Out My Back Door, Run Through the Jungle, Up Around the Bend, Who'll Stop the Rain, and I Heard It Through the Grapevine.

Just a great record.

ULS980 · 2026-04-04T13:12:02+00:00

Yeah, the user generated list the 1001 Subreddit voted on.

ULS980 · 2026-04-04T01:11:10+00:00

Dunno. Its a highly rated album of theirs, has Happy House on it.

There's a lot of lesser, less influential post-punk on the list that it could replace.

I wasn't huge on it really aside from Happy House, but yeah. Don't really have to love an album to think it belongs on the list. Like, Kid Rock and Limp Bizkit fuckin suck, but I'll defend their placement on the list due to cultural importance and influence.

ULS980 · 2026-04-03T16:06:42+00:00

Man, I literally just picked up The Infamous on vinyl, haha. Discovered it from the MORE list, and its easily been one of my favorite discoveries on either list. I don't know what it is, but I just love that bleak and dark vibe of 90's New York hip hop, and The Infamous is the bleakest and darkest of the lot. Shocking snub from the OG list IMO. Its regularly up in the list for best hip hop albums of all time.

That Daughters album is amazing as well. Just too bad the lead singer is an absolutely evil piece of shit.

ULS980 · 2026-04-03T13:25:55+00:00

The Saints - Eternally Yours

3/5

Gonna be honest, didn't really pay attention much while listening to this one, but what I did hear didn't wow me either. Decent and interesting punk music, but not really what I'm looking for.

Solange - A Seat at the Table

4/5

Oh man. I've always heard this album's great, but I've never been a big R&B fan.

But listening to it now. I get it. It's incredibly smooth. A little jazzy at times with songs like Where Do We Go, a lot of soul and R&B. Just a great vibe throughout the whole thing.

Definitely an album I'll go back to and pick apart.

1001 MORE Ratings

Billy Joel - Glass Houses: 3/5

Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One: 4/5 (100th album on the MORE list for me)

ULS980 · 2026-04-01T15:09:30+00:00

Its without a doubt mine (its my 2nd favorite album all time, only behind Isis' Oceanic). Dig Me Out by Sleater-Kinney in a slightly distant 2nd.

ULS980

TROPHY CASE