KISS - Destroyer (1976)

I'm not expecting this to be actually good, but it's still going to be a welcome listen. It's been too long since I've heard legitimate cheesy 70s rock. In my opinion KISS is a band that has a reputation that far exceeds its worth. Well, that's a mean thing to say, as any band has some worth if people like their music. It's just that KISS appears to have a huge following and image in pop culture without really making as huge of an impact with their music.

The Auteurs - New Wave (1993)

Thanks to Roni Size I am not at all looking forward to this album. I'm being totally unfair to The Auteurs here, but holy shit, New Forms was a horrible waste of time, and I'm afraid New Wave might just be more of the same crap just based on the name. It's completely unreasonable but I can't ignore my feelings.

U2 - The Joshua Tree (1987)

I got a comment from my sister on my recent review of Californication saying The Red Hot Chili Peppers were her least favorite band. In her own words, "I'd rather listen to U2 (and that's saying a lot)." Now I don't really know a lot about U2, other than I generally don't like them or their music. But I don't really have a good reason why. I know I didn't really like the one album of their's I've heard so far. I also know they have a massive air of pretentiousness surrounding them, whether it's an applied attribute given them by a presupposing media, or their own fault by taking themselves uber-serious and using album names such as How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb.

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication (1999)

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are mostly known for jumping around on stage in their underwear on The Simpsons and for brazenly performing the 2014 Superbowl show with unplugged instruments. To me they're a band that rich executives hire when they want to seem edgy but not be too offensive, which explains why they were randomly at the Superbowl in 2014. It's not that Red Hot Chili Peppers aren't a bit edgy, it's that their heyday is well since passed and most people are bored with their shtick.

The Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole (1997)

I know I've heard "Block Rockin' Beats" before, or at least a lick from it, in a commercial or a radio spot or something. But until now I've never associated it with The Chemical Brothers, probably because I've never heard of them. It's a cool lick. Granted I've only heard 30 seconds of the "song". My snap judgement? Holy shit, I'm about to really hate The Chemical Brothers.

Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) (1983)

Argh! Parentheses! This time in the album title! And more 80s music!

Fela Kuti (Fela and Afrika 70) - Zombie (1976)

Next on my list is a Eurythmics album, and I don't want to do any 80s music after Dinosaur Jr. In yet another moment of self-indulgence, I've decided to skip ahead a little and pick out an album just because I feel like listening to it. To honor my younger brother's relatively new band, not to mention his adorable kitten, I'm picking the other Fela Kuti album that appears on The Big List, the politically charged Zombie.

Dinosaur Jr. - Bug (1988)

We all know how much I hate 80s music so let us pray together that Dinosaur Jr. is not a stereotypical 80s band.

Elvis Costello - Brutal Youth (1994)

Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique (1989)

Ah, (the) Beastie Boys. It doesn't take long for them to  piss me off. Nothing like name-checking yourself, Mike Dee, to inform us you're busting rhymes and whatever. The first song sounds like every bit of melody, if you can call it that, is a sample of a potentially better song. In 1989, Paul's Boutique was considered revolutionary and a major turning point in music for it's heavy use of sampling. And I have to admit, as much as I hate sampling as a basis for producing music, the sound on this record is pretty impressive.

Metallica - ...And Justice for All (1988)

I've decided to go back to Metallica so I can review their other qualifying albums before I forget how I really felt upon listening. I previously listened to their third album Master Of Puppets and had conflicting thoughts. On the one hand it was musically complex and somewhat more diverse than I expected from a thrash band. On the other hand it was very long, which was exacerbated by it's break-neck pace. I don't want to do a deep dive on all things Metallica, but I do want to do more than scratch the surface. So I'm moving on to the next Metallica album on my list, their fourth album ...And Justice for All.