View Album
In Utero
Nirvana
More shouty than I recall but less tuneful as well. Like the production/sound.
3
View Album
Kala
M.I.A.
Excellent. Sweet and funky on top, dark and clever underneath.
4
View Album
MTV Unplugged In New York
Nirvana
Lovely - good songs, good covers, great sound.
3
View Album
Teen Dream
Beach House
Too backgroundy at times but a couple of lovely tracks.
2
View Album
Thriller
Michael Jackson
Obviously brilliant but some tracks lack bunch now. And it isn’t Off The Wall.
4
View Album
Born In The U.S.A.
Bruce Springsteen
Perfection.
5
View Album
Tres Hombres
ZZ Top
At first it seems like just a blues album but quite a lot more going on.
3
View Album
Yank Crime
Drive Like Jehu
Never heard of it but a great surprise - will listen again!
4
View Album
Odessa
Bee Gees
Best of the early albums. Lovely at times, 1960s weirdness but hints of the future.
3
View Album
Autobahn
Kraftwerk
Brilliant - SideA is a masterpiece Side B is great. Imagine hearing this album back then!
5
View Album
Live At The Regal
B.B. King
Can’t really criticise can you?
3
View Album
Rejoicing In The Hands
Devendra Banhart
Awful - managed 3 tracks.
1
View Album
Cafe Bleu
The Style Council
Great variety, variable quality
3
View Album
Fragile
Yes
Better than expected but it’s not really rock and roll is it?
3
View Album
Enter The Wu-Tang Clan - 36 Chambers
Wu-Tang Clan
4
View Album
Eliminator
ZZ Top
Very good - surprised I don’t have this.
4
View Album
Off The Wall
Michael Jackson
Perfection
5
View Album
Kings Of The Wild Frontier
Adam & The Ants
Great singles but after that...
3
View Album
Bad Company
Bad Company
Dull, pointless
1
View Album
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme
Simon & Garfunkel
Lovely
4
View Album
All The Young Dudes
Mott The Hoople
Good stuff!
3
View Album
Central Reservation
Beth Orton
Awful.
1
View Album
The Hour Of Bewilderbeast
Badly Drawn Boy
Pretty good.
3
View Album
Led Zeppelin III
Led Zeppelin
Starts off brilliantly - then some good bits, other bits a bit dull - the folky bits.
3
View Album
Eli And The Thirteenth Confession
Laura Nyro
Liked the style but a bit too much at times.
3
View Album
Halcyon Digest
Deerhunter
Very good indie dream noise pop - last track is great.
4
View Album
Rings Around The World
Super Furry Animals
Great songs, production could make more of the lovely voices.
4
View Album
Debut
Björk
Incredible start to a great career
4
View Album
Kid A
Radiohead
Amazing how far they travelled in 4 albums.
4
View Album
We Are Family
Sister Sledge
Is there anything more perfect than the opening of Thinking of You?
5
View Album
At Newport 1960
Muddy Waters
Really liked the faster songs
3
View Album
Hms Fable
Shack
Better than I remember...
4
View Album
Tubular Bells
Mike Oldfield
Impressive he was 19 and played everything but still a bit...dull
2
View Album
Songs In The Key Of Life
Stevie Wonder
Stevie’s masterpiece
5
View Album
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Signs of greatness
3
View Album
1984
Van Halen
Better than I expected but not really my ‘world’.
3
View Album
Physical Graffiti
Led Zeppelin
Liked this one more than the early LZ - pleasantly surprised.
4
View Album
Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Signs of greatness to come
3
View Album
That's The Way Of The World
Earth, Wind & Fire
Some fantastic tracks but not all consistent.
3
View Album
Home Is Where The Music Is
Hugh Masekela
Disappointing
1
View Album
Entertainment
Gang Of Four
Tremendous - must buy!
4
View Album
Garbage
Garbage
Dull, tuneless, fake.
1
View Album
Power In Numbers
Jurassic 5
Enjoyed this a lot!
4
View Album
Juju
Siouxsie And The Banshees
Enjoyed this...
3
View Album
Fisherman's Blues
The Waterboys
Wonderful
5
View Album
A Rush Of Blood To The Head
Coldplay
Starts off great but fades away...
3
View Album
All Directions
The Temptations
Fantastic songs but not a cohesive album...
3
View Album
The Man Who
Travis
Some good songs but a bit dull - some weird mixing/production as well
2
View Album
Miriam Makeba
Miriam Makeba
Brilliant voice but not great material
2
View Album
Time Out Of Mind
Bob Dylan
Great stuff
4
View Album
Brothers
The Black Keys
Ok, but very samey
2
View Album
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Signs of greatness to come and American Girl is awesome!
3
View Album
Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
PJ Harvey
Great - had not really listened to this before, but really enjoyed it.
4
View Album
Behaviour
Pet Shop Boys
Peak PSB. Begins with ‘Being Boring’, finishes with ‘jealousy’. Wonderful
5
View Album
Mask
Bauhaus
Not tuneful enough for me but I liked the spikiness and mood.
3
View Album
Music Has The Right To Children
Boards of Canada
Wonderful - beautiful and creepy at the same time.
4
View Album
Manassas
Stephen Stills
OK, but nothing great and quite dated.
2
View Album
Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim
Frank Sinatra
One of my favourite Sinatra albums.
4
View Album
Dog Man Star
Suede
Good album at the time, still sounds good. Drama queen tastic.
4
View Album
You Want It Darker
Leonard Cohen
Late classic Cohen.
4
View Album
Van Halen
Van Halen
More fun than I expected
3
View Album
Abbey Road
Beatles
Er....it’s Abbey Road...
5
View Album
Fishscale
Ghostface Killah
Ok but he did better earlier and later.
2
View Album
Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand
Tight and enjoyable
3
View Album
Rust In Peace
Megadeth
Better than I expected - I can see why it is popular with the metal crowd. Thumbs up!
3
View Album
Rattus Norvegicus
The Stranglers
More of a singles band...
2
View Album
All Mod Cons
The Jam
Getting close to peak Weller...
4
View Album
Will The Circle Be Unbroken
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Ok but a bit too much of it
3
View Album
Ragged Glory
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
One of many great NY albums
5
View Album
Synchronicity
The Police
Mostly great
4
View Album
Songs Of Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
Couple of classics already
3
View Album
Mott
Mott The Hoople
Really good - I can see why Mott fans love Mott!
4
View Album
Melodrama
Lorde
Some interesting bits but ....
2
View Album
Playing With Fire
Spacemen 3
Sowing the seeds of greatness to come..
3
View Album
Sound Affects
The Jam
Close to peak Jam.
4
View Album
Funeral
Arcade Fire
Great to listen to this again.
5
View Album
The Beach Boys Today!
The Beach Boys
It’s not Pet Sounds but still awesome.
4
View Album
Queen Of Denmark
John Grant
Great voice, great songs, great production
4
View Album
Le Tigre
Le Tigre
Never heard of this but really interesting.
4
View Album
For Your Pleasure
Roxy Music
Roxy did great singles and great weirdness
4
View Album
Vulgar Display Of Power
Pantera
Awful. And the cynical ballad track at the end made it even worse.
1
View Album
Ten
Pearl Jam
Better than expected - not really my thing but great in places.
4
View Album
Electric Ladyland
Jimi Hendrix
Some bits sound a bit dated but overall, still astonishing.
4
View Album
Faith
George Michael
Great songs, great vocals
5
View Album
Strangeways, Here We Come
The Smiths
Still wonderful...
5
View Album
The Scream
Siouxsie And The Banshees
Spiky
2
View Album
Dirt
Alice In Chains
Not as bad as expected but still awful.
1
View Album
Elephant
The White Stripes
Still sounds good.
4
View Album
Cee-Lo Green... Is The Soul Machine
Cee Lo Green
2
View Album
In It For The Money
Supergrass
As always, the singles are terrific.
3
View Album
Technique
New Order
Fantastic - better than I remembered.
5
View Album
Searching For The Young Soul Rebels
Dexys Midnight Runners
Wonderful
5
View Album
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Baby Baby Baby Baby Baby etc...
3
View Album
Gasoline Alley
Rod Stewart
Good fun, great voice.
3
View Album
La Revancha Del Tango
Gotan Project
Dull
1
View Album
Dry
PJ Harvey
Much better than I remembered
4
View Album
With The Beatles
Beatles
Not peak Fab Four but still plenty of classics.
4
View Album
Low
David Bowie
Not my favourite Bowie but still amazing.
5
View Album
Green Onions
Booker T. & The MG's
Groovy
4
View Album
Face to Face
The Kinks
Never heard the album but top quality.
4
View Album
1999
Prince
The first of an incredible run of albums..
4
View Album
2112
Rush
Almost unlistenable. Terrible.
1
View Album
Scott 4
Scott Walker
Great stuff that bears repeated listens.
4
View Album
Dummy
Portishead
Not as good as the later album but still impressive.
3
View Album
The Yes Album
Yes
Better than expected
3
View Album
New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84)
Simple Minds
What’s not to like?
5
View Album
Orbital 2
Orbital
Sounded astonishing at the time and holds up well.
5
View Album
Stankonia
OutKast
One of my favourite albums. Not keen on the skits and a lot of it is incomprehensible to me but ...
5
View Album
The Slim Shady LP
Eminem
It’s ok but better was to come
3
View Album
Pump
Aerosmith
Better than expected - good record.
4
View Album
...And Justice For All
Metallica
Not great
2
View Album
Ray Of Light
Madonna
Not aged well - Madonna is really for singles not albums.
2
View Album
Our Aim Is To Satisfy
Red Snapper
Dull, dull, dull
1
View Album
Superfly
Curtis Mayfield
Some great tracks, but all good
3
View Album
White Light / White Heat
The Velvet Underground
Not sure why I never heard this before. It sounds awful but at the same time sounds amazing. Weird.
3
View Album
Rid Of Me
PJ Harvey
Less tuneful than I normally go for but great sound, great performances.
4
View Album
Destroy Rock & Roll
Mylo
Ok but nothing astonishing
2
View Album
Bat Out Of Hell
Meat Loaf
It’s obviously a masterpiece.
5
View Album
Seventeen Seconds
The Cure
Better and less GOTH than expected.
3
View Album
Cosmo's Factory
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Excellent - added to the must buy list.
4
View Album
The Stooges
The Stooges
Liked the fast punky tracks but less so the hippy stuff
3
View Album
1989
Taylor Swift
Some perfect pop. Great album.
4
View Album
If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears
The Mamas & The Papas
3
View Album
Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Not all great but great enough. One of his best.
4
View Album
Kimono My House
Sparks
Not heard all of this before but v good.
4
View Album
Wild Gift
X
I like the energy but the tunes are a bit dull
2
View Album
Better Living Through Chemistry
Fatboy Slim
Just beats and loops...
2
View Album
NEU! 75
Neu!
Never heard this before - excellent!
4
View Album
The Lexicon Of Love
ABC
Perfection. One of the greatest albums ever made.
5
View Album
Public Image: First Issue
Public Image Ltd.
2
View Album
Something Else By The Kinks
The Kinks
A couple of classics and the rest is ok.
3
View Album
Parklife
Blur
The lead tracks are brilliant but a couple of fillers so one star off.
4
View Album
Connected
Stereo MC's
Much better than I had expected
2
View Album
Nevermind
Nirvana
Sounds great, the singles are excellent, but very shouty.
4
View Album
Let Love Rule
Lenny Kravitz
A good start but he got better...
2
View Album
Mama Said Knock You Out
LL Cool J
Good old skool hip-hop.
3
View Album
Rock 'N Soul
Solomon Burke
Great stuff
3
View Album
Different Class
Pulp
Good work Jarvis!
4
View Album
A Date With The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers
Flawless
5
View Album
At Fillmore East
The Allman Brothers Band
Technically good but pointless
1
View Album
The Pleasure Principle
Gary Numan
Sounds good today - imagine it in context.
3
View Album
Bitches Brew
Miles Davis
Baffling at first but makes you rethink how to listen and what music can be/do.
5
View Album
Time (The Revelator)
Gillian Welch
Very nice, with some tremendous guitar playing.
3
View Album
American Pie
Don McLean
2 good songs but the rest is dull.
2
View Album
New Forms
Roni Size
Overlong and a bit samey but still sounds better than expected.
3
View Album
Screamadelica
Primal Scream
Great at the time, still great now.
5
View Album
Violator
Depeche Mode
Great DM album with more weird electronics than you think.
4
View Album
Court And Spark
Joni Mitchell
Prime Joni is beyond criticism.
5
View Album
Honky Tonk Heroes
Waylon Jennings
Less exciting than I expected.
2
View Album
The Genius Of Ray Charles
Ray Charles
What an amazing sound! A well titled album.
5
View Album
Blood And Chocolate
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Another incredible EC record.
5
View Album
Like A Prayer
Madonna
One masterpiece, some good singles, but better than I remembered.
4
View Album
The Sensual World
Kate Bush
A bit too much going on at times but it is still a KB record.
4
View Album
American Idiot
Green Day
It is amazing what they do with 3 or 4 chords. Good record.
4
View Album
Beach Samba
Astrud Gilberto
Ok but nothing spectacular.
2
View Album
The Hissing Of Summer Lawns
Joni Mitchell
Complicated!
3
View Album
Endtroducing.....
DJ Shadow
Still sounds good but less innovative than I recall.
4
View Album
The Köln Concert
Keith Jarrett
It is miraculous when you realise he is making it up as he goes along.
5
View Album
A Love Supreme
John Coltrane
I don’t always understand it but it still amazes me.
4
View Album
Talking Heads 77
Talking Heads
A good start but they got a lot better...
2
View Album
Bitte Orca
Dirty Projectors
Bought this at the time but not impressed. Forgot to add tunes!
1
View Album
The Queen Is Dead
The Smiths
Masterpiece.
5
View Album
Vol. 4
Black Sabbath
Not my thing but it was pretty good
4
View Album
Morrison Hotel
The Doors
Not aging well …
3
View Album
John Barleycorn Must Die
Traffic
Much better than I expected but a bit flute indulgent at times. Didn’t realise Steve Winwood was such a good bass player.
3
View Album
Want Two
Rufus Wainwright
A good Rufus Album but I preferred Want One.
3
View Album
Da Capo
Love
Some indulgent bits but I liked the bits that inspired those jingle jangle Glasgow bands many years later.
3
View Album
Murder Ballads
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2
View Album
A Wizard/A True Star
Todd Rundgren
Daft most of the time with a few good tunes.
2
View Album
I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight
Richard and Linda Thompson
Not heard it for a while but some great songs.
4
View Album
Countdown To Ecstasy
Steely Dan
Not the very best Steely Dan album but it’s still Steely Dan.
4
View Album
Sail Away
Randy Newman
Randy Newman is a genius.
5
View Album
The Number Of The Beast
Iron Maiden
Not usually my thing but lots of respect for Maiden.
4
View Album
Smash
The Offspring
Ok but not for me ….
2
View Album
Cloud Nine
The Temptations
Couldn’t find this actual album but great tracks and live this period of the Temps.
4
View Album
Licensed To Ill
Beastie Boys
Still good fun!
3
View Album
Call of the Valley
Shivkumar Sharma
Never heard this before - good listen. Can’t believe it is 1967.
3
View Album
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
Public Enemy
At the time it took a few plays to make sense but once it hit me it hit hard. Still wonderful.
5
View Album
In Rainbows
Radiohead
Good album with a couple of absolute crackers.
4
View Album
Pornography
The Cure
Better than I expected but lacking The later pop nous.
3
View Album
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
The Smashing Pumpkins
It goes on a bit…
2
View Album
Slippery When Wet
Bon Jovi
Great pop album in rock disguise.
4
View Album
Five Leaves Left
Nick Drake
Pleasant but a bit dull.
3
View Album
Like Water For Chocolate
Common
Good grooves.
3
View Album
Selling England By The Pound
Genesis
Generally terrible.
2
View Album
Tea for the Tillerman
Cat Stevens
Ok - not really for me but harmless.
3
View Album
The Clash
The Clash
I was a bit young for The Clash but it is a great album if a bit lacking in production punch and consonants.
4
View Album
Ritual De Lo Habitual
Jane's Addiction
I didn’t like all of it but Been Caught Stealing is good and Three Days was a pleasant surprise.
3
View Album
Electric Warrior
T. Rex
Not all great but Get It On is up there with very best.
3
View Album
Moon Safari
Air
Not really aged that well…
2
View Album
This Is Fats Domino
Fats Domino
Classic stuff that still sounds great.
4
View Album
Californication
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Don’t like the bass, or the vocals, or the songs. Drummer is ok.
2
View Album
Calenture
The Triffids
Very good album with a couple of outstanding tracks.
3
View Album
Clube Da Esquina
Milton Nascimento
Never heard of this but interesting. The pop songs in particular.
3
View Album
Pink Moon
Nick Drake
Pleasant and I like the sparcity.
3
View Album
Mr. Tambourine Man
The Byrds
Love the jingle jangle but the sound is a bit thin and not all the songs are top drawer.
3
View Album
Zombie
Fela Kuti
Always had a soft spot for Fêla.
4
View Album
Dig Your Own Hole
The Chemical Brothers
Great band - lots of quality here.
4
View Album
The Nightfly
Donald Fagen
Always loved this album.
4
View Album
Ctrl
SZA
I don’t think I am SZAs target market but this was pretty good with lots of weird sounds and odd twists and turns.
3
View Album
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill
Not listened to this for years but it is excellent.
4
View Album
Tago Mago
Can
Good record - still fresh and interesting
4
View Album
Beyond Skin
Nitin Sawhney
Sounds great and I should like this but none of the songs grabbed me.
2
View Album
Heavy Weather
Weather Report
Nice, but feels too middle of the road.
3
View Album
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
OutKast
Too much of it but still great.
4
View Album
Punishing Kiss
Ute Lemper
Took a couple of listens - obviously clever stuff but washed over me really
2
View Album
Let England Shake
PJ Harvey
One of her best.
5
View Album
Be
Common
Great samples, warm sounding album.
4
View Album
The Message
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
Love old school hip-hop and this has a game changing lead track. But too many fillers and needs more GM Flash.
3
View Album
Every Picture Tells A Story
Rod Stewart
Rod sounds great, sounds like it was a lot of fun in that studio.
4
View Album
Ladies & Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
Spiritualized
Incredible.
5
View Album
The Renaissance
Q-Tip
Never heard this - very unusual hip-hop album. Liked it!
3
View Album
Untitled (Black Is)
SAULT
I like all of their stuff but slightly preferred the other one released in this year.
4
View Album
My Aim Is True
Elvis Costello
Magnificent
5
View Album
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Wilco
A couple of really great songs but the whole album has a lovely ‘texture’.
4
View Album
The Boatman's Call
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Never bought into the Nick Cave fanboy thing but this is a great record.
4
View Album
Ill Communication
Beastie Boys
Love the BB hip hop but less keen on the other stuff
3
View Album
Pretzel Logic
Steely Dan
Steely Dan - always good - but still working towards their best.
3
View Album
Drunk
Thundercat
Interesting and some great playing but a bit of a show-off.
2
View Album
James Brown Live At The Apollo
James Brown
A different side of JB. - before the funk but clearly a star.
4
View Album
Sunshine Superman
Donovan
Hippy dullness, but with some kooky quirks.
2
View Album
Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Simple but effective.
2