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For 17,220 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 64% higher than the average critic
  • 5% same as the average critic
  • 31% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 1.4 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Music review score: 74
Highest review score: 100 The Marshall Mathers LP
Lowest review score: 20 Graffiti
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14,345 out of 17220
  2. Mixed: 2,853 out of 17220
  3. Negative: 22 out of 17220
17220 music reviews
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    • 100 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    The Beatles [White Album] [50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition]
    As good as Martin's remix is--it may not be as revelatory as his stereo remix of Sgt. Pepper in 2017, but it does manage the trick of sounding rich and bold without betraying the feel of the original--the real appeal of this deluxe reissue is the unreleased material, all presented in sparkling fidelity. This high fidelity is especially welcome on the Esher demos. ... Taken on their own, the session tapes are absorbing listening, but they also have the side effect of making the finished The Beatles not seem like a mess, but rather a deft, cleverly constructed album that accurately reflects the abundant creativity of these sessions.
    • 100 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Led Zeppelin IV [Remastered]
    Expanding on the breakthroughs of III, Zeppelin fuse their majestic hard rock with a mystical, rural English folk that gives the record an epic scope.... A song or two feels slightly different--"Misty Mountain Hop" jumps a bit as it seems to groove a little bit stronger--but by and large this [supplemental] disc shows that as a producer, Page not only knew where he wanted to go but he knew how to get it right the first time.
    • 100 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Vols. 1 & 2 [Reissue]
    The main difference between the two albums is that the first volume retains a sense of discovery, whereas the second is made with the confidence that this particular formula works. In either case, the two albums -- whether heard individually or as a pair, as they so often are -- aren't so much complements but of a piece, music that changed the course of popular music and remains a testament to the genius of Ray Charles.
    • 100 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    London Calling [25th Anniversary Legacy Edition]
    It's fitting that an album that truly deserves an expanded edition not only gets the deluxe edition it deserves, but one that makes a convincing argument that the sometimes ridiculous practice of expanded, multi-disc editions has a purpose after all.
    • 100 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    What's Going On [40th Anniversary Edition]
    What's Going On was Marvin Gaye's masterwork, the most perfect expression of an artist's hope, anger, and concern ever recorded.
    • 100 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Sticky Fingers [Deluxe Edition]
    The real selling point to both the Deluxe Edition and especially the Super Deluxe Editions are the live material. The second disc is rounded out with five selections from the Roundhouse in 1971, killers every one, but they're eclipsed by the first official release of Get Yer Leeds Lungs Out on the third disc of the Super Deluxe Editions.
    • 99 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Tago Mago [40th Anniversary Edition]
    Can released not merely one of the best Krautrock albums of all time, but one of the best albums ever, period.
    • 99 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The Complete Columbia Album Collection
    Just by its sheer size, a box this mammoth isn't for everybody but The Complete Columbia Album Collection restores warmth, heart, and mess to an artist whose legacy was turning into a monochromatic myth.
    • 99 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    The Basement Tapes Complete: The Bootleg Series Vol. 11
    These sly revisions gave the 1975 album a slight veneer that's been stripped away by this unfussy, startlingly clear remastering, but the big difference is that the chronological sequence on The Basement Tapes Complete gives the set a narrative.
    • 99 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Live in Europe 1967: Best of the Bootleg, Vol. 1
    The Bootleg Series, Vol. 1: Live in Europe 1967 box is an essential addition to the catalog.
    • 99 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Ten Freedom Summers
    Ten Freedom Summers is his magnum opus; it belongs in jazz's canonical lexicon with Duke Ellington's Black Brown & Beige and Max Roach's Freedom Now Suite.
    • 99 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Girly-Sound to Guyville [Box Set]
    Much of the spooky sparseness of Girly-Sound was stripped away on Exile in Guyville, which in this context feels big, bold, and colorful--not the beginning of something, but rather the culmination of fearless bedroom exploration. When paired, it's impossible to deny that both Exile and Girly-Sound retain their artful power: What's amazing about this reissue is, it points out how distinct those two projects are.
    • 99 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    The Bootleg Series, Vol. 12: The Cutting Edge 1965-1966
    By breaking down the barriers that separated these three albums, The Cutting Edge shows how for Dylan during this blinding, brilliant peak his music was a living thing, evolving from song to song, take to take, where the quest itself was as transcendent as the final destination.
    • 98 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Blue Lines: 2012 Mix/Master
    Flaunting both their range and their tremendously evocative productions, Massive Attack recorded one of the best dance albums of all time.
    • 98 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Fetch the Bolt Cutters
    Rage sits alongside heartache and humor, the shifts in mood occurring with a dramatic flair and a disarming playfulness. The unpredictable nature feels complex and profoundly human, resulting in an album that's nourishing and joyfully cathartic.
    • 98 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Led Zeppelin III [Remastered]
    While there is still a handful of metallic rockers, III is built on a folky, acoustic foundation that gives the music extra depth.... Of the first three reissues, Led Zeppelin III contains the highest quotient of unheard tunes: precisely two, although one of these doesn't quite feel new.
    • 98 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Houses of the Holy [Remastered]
    Throughout the record, the band's playing is excellent, making the eclecticism of Page and Robert Plant's songwriting sound coherent and natural.... This Houses Of The Holy supplement ultimately confirms that Page and Zeppelin made the right choices the first time around.
    • 97 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Sound System [Box Set]
    This is as complete as we'll get and if it doesn't present any fresh revelations, it brings the Clash's era back to life, both sonically and visually.
    • 97 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Coltrane '58: The Prestige Recordings [Box Set]
    While it's true that all this music is easy to find elsewhere, it's also true that Coltrane '58: The Prestige Recordings sounds sterling and is presented with thought and care, so anybody looking to dive into these classic recordings will find this a fine intro.
    • 97 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Physical Graffiti [Remastered]
    Like most of the Zeppelin reissues, the alternate versions reaffirm that Page made the right decisions the first time around, but these seven versions all make for worthy listening in their own right.
    • 97 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Picture of Bunny Rabbit
    So much of Russell's work contained a playful curiosity, but that sweet character never felt so apparent as it did with the delicate intensity of World of Echo. Picture of Bunny Rabbit's continuance of that pure spirit is a gift to anyone with a special place in their heart for Russell, and even more evidence of just how peerless he was an artist.
    • 97 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    SMiLE
    Infectious and hummable, to be sure, and a remarkably unified, irresistible piece of pop music, but no musical watershed on par with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band or Wilson's masterpiece, Pet Sounds.
    • 97 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Van Lear Rose
    The brilliance of Van Lear Rose is not just how the two approaches complement each other, but how the record captures the essence of Loretta Lynn's music even as it has flourishes that are distinctly Jack.
    • 97 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Greatest Generation
    If you're a fan of autumnal pop that wears its heart on its sleeve as it shouts its feelings out to anyone who will listen and you're not a fan of these guys, The Greatest Generation is here to realign your priorities for you.
    • 97 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    The Early Years 1967-1972 [Box Set]
    Because so much of this music is raw--it's alternately live, unfinished, and improvisatory--the box underscores how Pink Floyd were an underground band right up until Dark Side. Decades later, these recordings still feel boundless: this was music made without a destination in mind and the journey remains thrilling.
    • 97 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Kid A Mnesia
    As a snapshot of this crucial turning point in the Radiohead discography, Kid A Mnesia presents a band taking its first steps into a thrilling new phase, one that would alter their trajectory and push them further into the unknown.
    • 97 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Led Zeppelin I [Remastered]
    Although the album isn't as varied as some of their later efforts, it nevertheless marked a significant turning point in the evolution of hard rock and heavy metal.... Zeppelin never felt this nervy again: they harnessed their majesty and knew how to deploy it, but here it still seems like they weren't quite sure of their limits, which is why it's a particularly exciting bonus disc [a concert given at the Olympia in Paris in 1969].
    • 97 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    How The West Was Won
    Songs that have grown overly familiar through years of play seem fresh and new because of these vigorous, muscular performances.
    • 96 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    To Pimp A Butterfly
    To Pimp a Butterfly is as dark, intense, complicated, and violent as Picasso's Guernica, and should hold the same importance for its genre and the same beauty for its intended audience.
    • 96 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Ghosteen
    Cave hasn't played much honest-to-goodness rock & roll in the decade prior to this release, and in its place he's created something that's rich and emotionally potent, and he's truly mastered his own creation.
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