Weird, disorientating, talking heads on acid, on acid. Thriller! made me feel ill but somehow put a smile on my face. Actually the whole thing gave me a headache, does anyone have a Panadol? I imagine seeing them live would have been an absolute trip. Edit - just realised I accidentally listened to it on shuffle the first time. 2nd listen in sequence made a lot more sense but did not help the headache. Happy to discuss my five star rating with anyone who'll listen.

Full on. Loved it, hated it. The shock factor it holds is one of a kind.The opening skit was ridiculous, Kim was proper unsettling, Stan is an eternal classic, the hooks on Bitch Please II and Drug Ballad are sick. But the blatant and repeated homophobia and misogyny is pretty hard to get passed, even the product-of-its-time defense doesn't cut it on this one. Even so it still hits high on Albums of All Time lists (eg. 145 on Rolling Stone's 2020 top 500 of all time list). I'll stand by my rating system though, I can't deny that this album was a (at times hellish) thought provoking rollercoaster.

A big bright spring time party where all my mates are having a beautiful time. Complex and intricately layered without being hard to listen to. They somehow manage to capture a thousand textures and feelings in every song (eg Etoh). Love the foreshadowing of the horse neigh early on before it comes back on Frontier Psychiatrist (and all the reoccuring samples for that matter). Also love the vinyl crackle that permeates through the whole thing. And the intros and outros all seem to be incredibly well thought out and compliment the incoming tracks so well. They're all 5/5 songs but highlights have to be Radio, Two Hearts in 3/4 Time and Electricity (huge tune). Pablo's Cruise gets an honourable mention too, what a freaky track. Also.. 𝖆𝖚𝖘𝖘𝖎𝖊 𝖕𝖗𝖎𝖉𝖊 𝖇𝖗𝖆

Socially relevant for 2021 and pretty funny at times but of all the releases in the past 12 months not sure why this one would make the cut.

Anyone who thinks Coldplay are a shit band is a fucking idiot. I would suggest they should go have a long hard look in the mirror. Yes their later more recent releases have been sub par but there are a thousand other bands who've milked it just the same (U2) without copping the hate that Coldplay have. This album is perfect. Shiver, Yellow, High Speed all obvious highlights. Everything's Not Lost is a killer closing track as well.

Liked it

Intro to N.I.B is nuts

What a voice

Jimmy Jazz isn't very punk Definitely doesn't fit my definition of punk Way more reggae than expected

Gimme the loot is an absolute track. From the BERETTA puttin' all the holes in ya sweater

Not my favourite Beatles album but Taxman is a track

Not my everyday cup of tea but gotta respect the skill required to pull that off

Spanish Pipedream and Sam Stone are highlights

Full of big tunes and big horns Plan B, Liars A to E and Dubious are highlights

Not what I expected, Blue Turk was nice.

The album that our Amsterdam Air BnB host left in his record player

Some kind of 80s new wave jungle jazz funk sax fusion abomination that I couldn't stop bopping to. I don't think it drops below 180bpm the entire album.

Pretty uninspired from the Dyl man

Loved every minute, what a journey. So close to a five it's not funny

Voice reminds me of Matt Costa a bit Fox in the snow was nice and there's some big sax in Mayfly

Claustrophobic and very goth, poor Robert Smith should've tried some mindfulness instead of subjecting me to that. Closing track is weird and disorientating. Didn't hate it

Dreamy magical fantasy PS Meant to rate Joy Division 3/5

Hell yeah. Certified back to back bangers from What's that Sound onward. What a synth lord. Big Sneaky Sound System and Early Calvin Harris styles. From:Disco To:Disco and Take a Little Time are highlights. Five stars if it started and finished stronger

Beautiful, high energy without ever getting manic. Big sax in First Week/Last Week is so good. The mix on the acoustic version is sick too, his voice sounds unreal.

Can hear heaps of Thunderfox in there, especially Unfunky UFO. Didn't like the fart synth in Night of the Thumpasorus, overpowered an otherwise sick closing track

So much range, he's got it all. Plenty of obvious hits but Looks is my highlight

Silky smooth voice. Bit tacky at times, especially E'Dir E'Sseba.

Is this the best acoustic set ever played?

Could've done with another 20 minutes of Heard it through the grapevine, what a jam

What a time to be alive, I imagine this was something like the rave generation's Revolver, except instead of the sitar it was ecstacy. Space Shanty is an absolute banger despite the tacky title track

Can hear so much Robyn, Rosin Murphy, Kimbra etc. Loved Crying and Play Dead is absolute perfect closing track - what a voice

Anyone who thinks Coldplay are a shit band is a fucking idiot. I would suggest they should go have a long hard look in the mirror. Yes their later more recent releases have been sub par but there are a thousand other bands who've milked it just the same (U2) without copping the hate that Coldplay have. This album is perfect. Shiver, Yellow, High Speed all obvious highlights. Everything's Not Lost is a killer closing track as well.

The wobble board sound in Hot House or Omagararshid is hilarious if you think about the dude playing it through the entire track. Jeff's Boogie is great, the stereo version of Turn Into Earth is psychedelic and very trippy with headphones on.

Preeetttyy cheesy in parts, hopefully on purpose. "I'm turkey hungry, I'm chicken free." - wtf. "I'll be free as old confetti." - yowza. Hallelujah is super nice. Big harmonies in Desire As. Lots of Sex on Toast and Vaudeville Smash vibes.

Good solid UK alt rock. Resigned is beautiful, can hear the gorillaz in there heaps.

The Edge works hard to prop up Bono's totally uninspired writing. In A Little While is nice and Elevate is a classic but Peace on Earth is a sickening piece of music, shut up Bono.

My favourite unheard album so far, it's very cool. Big baritone voice, flamenco guitar, strings, Gregorian chanting AND some scatting. The Old Man's Back Again is my highlight - the bass line is wild

No disrespect to Redcliffe but this was average at best. Their harmonies sometimes sounds like Free Willy calling out for his mum when he was stuck in the fish tank. Suddenly and Whisper Whisper were good though.

The outro to Satan is sick and I liked Sidewinder as well. Is This Music? is a great closing track too

Tiny hint of Ska-ness that i didn't like but overall nice nice. Kind of psych in parts especially in Goodbye, Bad Man and Skeleton Key and he's got a bit of a Jim Morrison voice sometimes. Can here some Zutons in there as well.

My disdain for the fiddle and banjo wasnt cured but I did enjoy the story's in all the songs. The Band Played Waltzing Matilda was especially good. Also their Wikipedia page describes them as 'Folk Punk' which made me feel physically ill.

Super intense for a Wednesday morning, would probably enjoy it more in a different setting

Favourite band name so far. This was a big fat Jam loved it all, especially Doctor Boogie and Shakin All Over. Whiskey Woman was my highlight though - surprisingly beautiful. Also a great rendition of Louie Louie.

Love hearing him tell his band to let it rip on their solos - SING UP. The call and response songs are great too, especially the Lip. Some of them are funny as well - Glad When You're Dead and the twist at the end of Banana Split is hilarious.

No Fun is my highlight

Need to have another listen I think. All the jealousy and insecurity got a bit much at points - you blokes were the biggest band in the universe for goodness sakes

Rainy day in June and Sunny Afternoon are my two faves

Fkn love this album, trippy and disorientating in all the right ways. Waking the Witch is straight up psychedelic

Sort of felt like I was waiting for my Burrito at Guzman to start with but it all came together at Pueblo Nuevo - I imagine Cat Empire would've listened to a lot of this kind of stuff.

Have been meaning to fill my Arcade Fire gap for a while but wasn't very impressed. Mediocre but will give it another crack to make sure

Had lots of REM going on in the car with dad. Everybody Hurts and Man on the Moon are eternal classics but had never heard Ignoreland or Find the River which were also sick

Didn't get much out of this kind of middle of the road alt rock. Connection would be my highlight though.

Ah ze Germans ya very fond of ze autobahn.

Kind of beautiful and kind of boring. Made me feel like a ciggie

Sick band sick album, bodysnatchers easy favourite. Weird Fishies and Faust Arp also great

Bit of a Niel Young style to his voice. The Spiderbite song was weird but also seemed genuinely caring. The Gas was my highlight.

Weird, disorientating, talking heads on acid, on acid. Thriller! made me feel ill but somehow put a smile on my face. Actually the whole thing gave me a headache, does anyone have a Panadol? I imagine seeing them live would have been an absolute trip. Edit - just realised I accidentally listened to it on shuffle the first time. 2nd listen in sequence made a lot more sense but did not help the headache. Happy to discuss my five star rating with anyone who'll listen.

Deeper understanding is a disturbingly accurate depiction of today. Rocket Tail is my highlight.

Loved Dusty ever since that scene in Pulp Fiction - Go make yourself a drink and I'll be down in two shakes of a lambs tail. Summer Is Over makes me feel like I'm riding off into a desert sunset after victory at a high noon duel.

Nu Dad Rock

Didn't give this as much time as it probably deserved

Long live pub rock

No songs sound the same but all equally beautiful

Fuck yeah. O Medo De Amar O Medo De Ser Livre is an absolute tune and a half. Whole album 10/10 tight, funky, big lead breaks, huge voice and perfectly paced. Aprehendo a Jogar and Sai Dessa also biggies. I wish I spoke Portuguese

Perfect album to celebrate Fat Riff Friday

More acoustic than I expected

Nice harmonies but pretty insipid overall - A Song With No Words is a primo example. Too perfect, not very interesting. I liked Marrakesh Express and Pre-Road Downs though. Guinevere is pretty spooky too

Short, sharp, tight funky. Take me to the river is an all time cover. Brian Eno is a genius

I imagine Four Women would've hit pretty hard back then, sad that it is equally relevant today. Black is the colour of my true love's hair was great.

[WHO IS THIS MAN? A perfect album. Not Crosby Stills and Nash perfect though. Perfect with an edge. So listenable] - This was my original review notes after first listen this morning. Listened again on the way home and still think it's great but not as great as that. Interesting how my first impression suffers from second listen scrutiny.

Outrageously beautiful and beautifully outrageous (If... you were a horse I'd clean the crap out of your stable and never once complain). Orchestral and theatrical, first impression was Bowie but I think it's more Scott Walker. I assume Father John and Kirin J take a lot out of this kind of thing. Pretty impressive it was all recorded live as well.

Got a bit of a backlog to get through here since the weekend. Liked this, expected typical 80s synth pop but got rubber soul/revolver era Beatles instead

Very uninteresting and totally bland, feels very tacky. Whole album sounds like the theme song to I Dream Of Genie.

Lounge at its peak. Whole thing drips with sex and innuendo in a hilarious way. Would never get away with this on a first date.

Goddamn Val Kilmer can sing (kidding). His voice sounds pretty different to later albums, loved how bluesy it is and how Riders on the Storm reminds me of Need For Speed Underground 2.

Rock solid breakdown at the end of Enola/Alone. Same as No Surface All Feeling. Nothing I haven't heard before but can't knock it.

Dreams by the Sea feels like I'm in the start of Dirty Harry. Dripping with 70s cop movie. Liked it way more on the second listen.

SHAAARRONNNN. Three obvious big fat classic riffs in War Pigs, Paranoid and Iron Man but pretty sick how they can also pull off Planet Caravan in the middle of it all. I think Electric Funeral is my highlight though, can hear heaps of gizz and ORB.

Big RHCP vibes to start with. Absolute shredders especially on Obvious. Can hear where Slint got some style too I think. Been Caught Stealing is sick

Kanye and Coldplay I'll defend them both to death - possibly the most caucasian statement ever made but I stand by it. Yeezy is a genius. So many great moments - All of the Lights, Rick Ross' verse on Devil in a New Dress, every Pusha T verse, Chris Rock's skit at the end of Blame Game, Bon Ivor all over Lost in the World. Hell of a Life is my highlight though. YEEZY TAUGHT ME.

Yeeeessssss liked it. Airport music in the best sense of the term. Still prefer Groove Armada but the hip hop all over this is better than GA pull off. Excellent cover of Be Thankful too - TUNE

I'm sure this would've been sick to see live but doesn't come across great in album format for me

Used to absolutely tear up Even Flow on Guitar Hero lll

Better than Maxwell's Hang Suite, would get away with it on a first date.

Eric Clapton with a banjo. Loved the big bass lines throughout, especially on No Other and Silver Phial.

Have loved this album for a fair while, highly recommend watching their Documentary. Would love to have experienced that Manchester scene

Radiohead with all of the pretension but none of the talent. Shitty lyrics, tacky song names, Dad Rock at its most uninteresting.

It was okay, I'm a fan of the brass under otherwise pretty heavy rock but didnt grab me

Full on. Loved it, hated it. The shock factor it holds is one of a kind.The opening skit was ridiculous, Kim was proper unsettling, Stan is an eternal classic, the hooks on Bitch Please II and Drug Ballad are sick. But the blatant and repeated homophobia and misogyny is pretty hard to get passed, even the product-of-its-time defense doesn't cut it on this one. Even so it still hits high on Albums of All Time lists (eg. 145 on Rolling Stone's 2020 top 500 of all time list). I'll stand by my rating system though, I can't deny that this album was a (at times hellish) thought provoking rollercoaster.

Had never dived this deep into LZ Addie from Kashmir. Watched an interview with Kevin Parker the other day talking about John Bonham's drumming so was focused mostly on that. Good cooking music.

Sha la la shut up again Bono your songwriting is seriously cooked. A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle. To be fair this was way better than All That You Can't Leave Behind. Still not great though.

Wanted to hate it but didn't. Satan Lied To Me is my highlight, I'm a sucker for those spoken word bridges. Still fkn hate the banjo though.

Definite headphone album, love how forward the vocals and bass are. Wish I spoke french. Girl on the cover reminds me of Lor. Melody - Prise Complete is my highlight.

Great storytelling sick guitar. Loved the little piano/organ situation on a track I can't remember the name of and can always get around a Thom Yorke feature. Kamikaze is my highlight.

Starting to notice that anything with the Pharrell touch is a good sign. Old school southern styles big Outkast vibes. Can also hear a bit of Anderson Paak as well. The One was my highlight, sick TI verse

Interested in the history of all these prison shows. Boy Named Sue is an all time classic

Nothing ground breaking but nice enough. Couldn't cause me harm is my highlight

Preface I love the Eagles a lot BUT.. Such a strong 3 track intro gets diluted into church cordial by the tepid harmony ballads that occupy the rest of the album. The banjo is only just acceptable on the end of Take It Easy but then they take the it way too far on the rest of the tracks. This would be a five star record if they maintainted the momentum of the first three, especially Witchy Woman.

This is the easily the easiest 5 star album I've heard so far. 1hr 40 of absolute perfection. The 60s was the birth of ROCK but the 70s was where it all really came together for everything else. Too think this was released in the same era of so much 70s perfection and stand up and deliver a faultless record is unbelievable. I've got so much more to say and so many more listens of this to get through. Genuinely the first time in 99 days I've been legitimately blown away.

Beautiful. Wasn't a huge fan of the jazzier parts but very nice overall

Fat fkn riffs. The way they manipulate the tempo is sick. Walk, This Love and Live in a Hole are my highlights.

Not for me thanks

Tom Petty but not as good

Wasn't looking forward to it but again pleasantly surprised. Hasn't cured my aversion to fiddles or banjos but didn't hate it. Loved the Dubliners bits

Easy five. Possibly my favourite album so far. For some reason I was expecting hardcore gangster rap but what I got instead was way better. Biiig late MGMT vibes (almost questionably similar to Little Dark Age in places) and can hear where Client Liaison get some of their styles from too. This is a great album. No real highlights because there isn't a bad track on it but October Symphony was a stand out

I remember not liking this for some reason the first time I heard it but I was all about it this time around. Loved the big wailing guitar, especially all over Super Stupid and the title track. Also the weird little triangle-on-acid thing on Back in Our Mind is sick. Definitely better than what I've heard from Parliament so far but still a 4.

Started off way stronger than Odessa but they went back to they kind of lost me again about halfway through. Was hoping for some kind of big concept album about the battle of Trafalgar or something

Fuck yeah what a freaky little album beautiful sax flutters throughout (especially Where It's At) excellent outros on Hotwax and Novacane (and a Daft Punk sample?), all the weird little dial tones, big cuica time in the bridge of High 5 (sick track overall).. heaps of cool little moments that culminate in an overall excellent listening experience.

A few undeniable fat riffs but nothing special overall. Steven Tyler gives me the creeps and I've also never been able to look at glam rock the same since watching the Decline of Western Civilization

Perfect kitchen music

Nothing special

This is where the Kinks start making all types of sense to me. A perfect definition of weird and wonderful. Loved all of it. Mr Churchill Says (absolutely cracking bridge), Nothing to Say and Plastic Man are the big highlights. His voice on Mindless Child of Motherhood is amazing.. Actually just his voice in general is crazy-weird-good-can't-explain-it at times. The Kazoo attack at the end of Hat Like is hilarious. Shangri-La, Yes Sir No Sir and Some Mother's Son are pretty sad. Some of the Stereo versions really bring them to life with headphones on, especially Plastic Man.

How can the album that bore Bohemian and Rhapsody not to be a five. Love the 70s shredding.

Another perfect album for Fat Riff Friday. The blues bridge on Teachers Pet was sick but Sacrifice is my highlight. Also Heavens on Fire sounds suspiciously similar to Ace of Spades

That bell sound is back on Say Your Prayer, fucking love that little bell. This was a 3 until I read that all this is produced with two turntables. The production was getting a bit repetitive but if all they're working with is samples on a turntables then fair enough. His rhymes are a bit cheesy at times but all up pretty sick.

Not a huge fan. Lots of the tracks were way too abstract to pull of the 6min+ run time.

Hard not to like all that sax but it did get a bit same same after a while.

Good try Welsh Blur, good try. (Furry = Blur-y?)

Eddie Vedder / Pearl Jam vibes all over it, especially on Sixteen Blue (also my highlight). Answering Machine and 20th Century Boy were also cool. I think I preferred all the outakes/demos over the final tracks, especially Answer Machine and Sixteen Blue.

Beautiful stuff

Real nice low fi dad rock, hits nice and hard at points. Verging on fat riffs if it wasn't for all the fuzz (not a bad thing). The Post is an absolute track but Don't can probably calm down a bit

Aside from the fact it sounds like the soundtrack to every 90s teen drama ever made I absolutely loved it

My man Marvin needs to sort out his love life, the first half of the album felt like he was just whinging about marriage. Second half was more fun and sax filled, loved the Funky Space Reincarnation. Album cover is pretty suspect too

Way more psychedelic Vietnam war apocalypse now vibes compared to LA Woman. The End and Light My Fire are obvious classics but Alabama Song is straight up creepy

Surprisingly relaxing and surprisingly doof at points. Sutrix was my highlight

All time. How good are his rolling Rs. Anarchy in the UK obvious highlight (Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 anyone?)

5 out of 5 production - it is funky as fuck. The writing was pretty full on at times even by Biggie/Eminem standards but it didn't stop me nodding my head. Tres Equis and Latin Lingo are easy highlights (maybe because they're not in English - just kidding)

Mediocre

Can hear Kanye all over the production but my favourite was Timberland on Hola Hovita. Girls is a classic and Eminem's verse on renegade is unsettlingly good.

God dammnit this an incredible album. I really struggle to think of any other record that is this interesting AND funky. Out of control momentum that is impossible to stop moving to, I reckon you could power a small Dutch village with the energy this thing emits. Every single track is out of this world but my big highlights are Too Young to Die,and Revolution 1993 (Any track (in the demo) that includes "TAKE IT TO THE BRIDGE" is an obvious 5/5). Fricken sick lead break on Whatever It Is. There's even some bonus cuica in Music Of The Mind. Also my best friend the funky bell sound is back all over it but especially on the opening track and Too Young.

Bowie cover album, including the title

Not super impressed, pretty cheesy and empty production

What a time to be alive

Kind of middle of the road indie alt rock. I really liked the big Kinks vibe on the Dark Of the Matinee and also appreciated the self awareness but no other real standouts

I know this is a hot take but I've always thought Fleetwood Mac are overrated. I particularly disliked every single one of the Buckingham tracks - What Makes You Think You're the One is especially off putting. Did he have a four year old drumming for him? The fact that the $1million production cost makes it the most expensive album ever made makes it even worse and his attempt to channel David Byrne have fallen very very short. I get the valiant attempt of trying not to make a Rumores 2.0 but fkn hell go easy. McVie's weren't that much better. On the flip side, all the Stevie Nicks tracks are excellent. Sara and Storm were really really good and saved this album from the dreaded Vokes 2/5 rating.

Took a while to settle in but once I got in the groove it was good. There's funny and serious themes all overlayed on a weird funky bass line formula. Drink Dat is an excellent anti party lifestyle tune, Kendricks verse on Walk on By is obviously excellent and Tokyo is weird but good.

Need to listen again for the concept of it, nothing special from a surface listen

Moody, noisey and cool. Can hear where lots of bands have drawn influence like Slint, Pavement Car Seat Headrest etc. Seems like the very early days of dad rock without actually being dad rock. Highlights are The Sprawl (love the spoken word) and Eric's Trip.

A big bright spring time party where all my mates are having a beautiful time. Complex and intricately layered without being hard to listen to. They somehow manage to capture a thousand textures and feelings in every song (eg Etoh). Love the foreshadowing of the horse neigh early on before it comes back on Frontier Psychiatrist (and all the reoccuring samples for that matter). Also love the vinyl crackle that permeates through the whole thing. And the intros and outros all seem to be incredibly well thought out and compliment the incoming tracks so well. They're all 5/5 songs but highlights have to be Radio, Two Hearts in 3/4 Time and Electricity (huge tune). Pablo's Cruise gets an honourable mention too, what a freaky track. Also.. 𝖆𝖚𝖘𝖘𝖎𝖊 𝖕𝖗𝖎𝖉𝖊 𝖇𝖗𝖆

Hard hitting production and Chuck D's socially relevant writing is kind of compromised by FLAVA FLAVS direct references to his own personal wife beating and (almost extreme) homophobic undertakings outlined in A Letter to The New York Post. Seems like this is FLAVA FLAV'S only real contribution to the record which totally decimates any sincere attempts at addressing broader social issues. I thought Chuck D's delivery was 5/5 though, there are a couple of songs where you can really prominently here is breathing techniques which was interesting. I'm conflicted on my rating, FLAVA FLAV deserves a 1/5 but Chuck deserves a 5 so I'm landing on 3.

Bowie in a good way

Pretty ahead of its time for 2003. Maps is obviously a big tune.

Perfect in its simplicity

Very average

Bit dramatic

Short fast loud and so good. Can hear this having so much influence on everything from Talking Heads to the Chats. Loved how the drums were mixed - the triplet cymbals in Lowdown got me good. Three Girl Rhumba and the title track were also great. Lowdown and Surgeon is my highlight.

Great album, edgy Kate Bush that sounds like it's had a lot of influence on heaps of alt rock punk stuff around today especially in Aus. Dance of the Seven Veils, Mesmerising, Girls!.., Divorce Song all massive tunes.

I'm conscious of a certain pressure to "get" the Dyl man sometimes and at the start of this I just wasn't there. But after it settled in a really enjoyed it. Also been finding a new appreciation for the blues lately so this album was very relevant. Loved his response to Norwegian Wood as Fourth Time Round. Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands was my easy highlight.

The dreaded folk rock banjo returns. Was prepared to hate this but was pleasantly surprised by a couple of songs. The Lark in the Morning was way too much though.

Weird and wonderful quirk factory. The Cuica is fast becoming one of my favourite instruments.

Bit over the top but I really liked Travelling Light.

Not a great example of a good Metal album

If Sisyphus had this in his headphones there would be no fable to tell. Unrelenting and irreversible forward motion. The Great Curve's hypnotic cyclical rythhm draws you into a state of fevered delerium, with the only hints of sanity appearing in the form of the sporadic lead breaks. Seen and Not Seen follows a narrative that's beautifully relatable yet totally abstract. Listening Wind is deceptively heavy in its story and Overload feels very ominous and Floyd.

First thoughts went to Radiohead but then all I could hear was Ball Park Music. Nothing bad but not great

Genre bending prog that's full of surprises. His voice reminds me of Damon Albarn at points but really doesn't sound like anything I've heard before. Some of the songs are hilarious in both their writing and progression, like the industrial noise outro of No Sympathy that transitions into the lounge strings of Juxtaposed with U. Also loved the places that Receptacle for the Respectable took me. Presidential Suite also gets an honourable mention. Loved it all.

Big Billy Joel styles. Really liked it - wasn't expecting to but not sure why.

Too long, didn't get it.

Bit tepid at points but it's a nice piece of late 60s American innocence

Not as good as Al Green Explores Your Mind but still nice.

Paul Weller is definitely my favourite discovery from this undertaking

Beautiful voice but it all started to sound very same same after a while. Just made it to a four.

Enjoyed this way more than I expected. Lots of weird and wonderful moments

Perfect croissant making music

Loved every minute. Neil is the absolute man.

Mediocre dad rock. Only just made the three star mark.

High energy and catchier then expected protopunk that doesn't take it's self too seriously. Hilarious cover of I Got You Babe. Also liked Cars and Girls. Lots of shredding scattered throughout as well. "I think Lou Reed is a creep." Also protopunk is fun to say. PROTOPUNK. I would buy this if I came across a hard copy so I'm giving it the big five.

This was pretty good despite his annoying Bowie voice imitations which was too much at points. The Drowners was an excellent tune. Sleeping Pills is comically dramatic. YOU'RE A WATERR SIGHN, AND I'M AN AYRE SIGHN/Too Siamese to catch the leaves from those trees/Sweet FA to do today. Lay off the valium matey. The horns in Breakdown were sick.

Required a couple of listens but this was an excellent record that seems heaps far ahead of its time. Orange Skies is such a beautiful tune and easily my highlight, sounds like it could've been released yesterday. Revelation is a big old journey which I especially loved the last 8 minutes of, closing out a track with a drum solo is prime time.

While I don't absolutely love every single song on here I find myself going back and listening to it over and over again. It's hard not to imagine how mind blowing this must have sounded to a Beatles fan (and the rest of the world) post Beatlemania . Although they weren't the first to do it, the commercial implications it had for psych rock's emergence into the mainstream is worth five stars in itself. She's Leaving Home is probably my highlight, followed closely by With a Little Help and When I'm Sixty Four.

He really is one of the best. Something so mysterious and unconventional about his voice - seems like it should be grating and annoying but it never is. Vampire Blues is such an excellent song.

I love his writing and storytelling but not a huge fan of some of the music - That Was Your Mother was particularly not good; I think the accordion is going in the shit instrument pile along with the banjo and fiddle. I did like the way he folded in some of the Africa influences though, especially at the start of Diamonds on Soles of Her Shoes. Obviously You Can Call Me Al is one of the all time great Ric's tunes, the bass breakdown deserves five stars alone. Four stars all things considered.

Middle of the road lounge tunes

I was about to berate them for sounding exactly do like The Stone Roses until I realised SR was five years behind this release. Regardless I'm not a huge fan, pretty uninspired writing and it was all a bit claustrophobic.

Unexpectedly easy listening, super accessible and engaging. The live format works well, love the chatter and glass clinking. Even though the band's namesake is on Piano I thought the bass was way more impressive. Has got to be the world's most undercover drummer; he's somehow always there but never there. Would definitely benefit from several more listens. All Of You is the highlight. Although lots of the stuff from this era is difficult to relate to and tempting to dismiss, this exercise has made interesting to imagine what it would've sounded like to me in the context of that time in space. Also have been dishing out lots of five stars lately.

One of my favourite unheard hip hop albums so far. Doesn't sound like he takes himself too seriously but hits hard all the same. Lots of solid features but surprisingly the Ne Yo hook was my favourite - especially loved Kanye's verse on the remix. Can definitely hear where Action Bronson gets his style from. The Bad Mouth Kid skit was hilarious.

Thought this was pretty average even with my time and space context lens on. It's like a really shit version of everything that the Beatles and Kinks were already doing. Strychnine was kind of punk though. Also the cover photo makes them look like a bunch of college boy twats

Real spooky, perfect for an overcast and moody Friday. Very mysterious. Deep down dark almost on the 90s rave spectrum somewhere but not really. Would need several listens to get the full experience, headphones are a must.

Two '94 trip hop albums in a row. Much preferred portishead out of the two and it was no where near as good as Blue Lines. I do like how the album artwork is a burnt out version of the flammable sign on the first album cover.

Not a huge fan of this but want to dive into the Joy Division/New Order universe further as I know they've got a bit of a cult going on. Also love 24 Hour Party People which got pretty deep into the Manchester scene at the time, especially The Hacienda's influence on club life and partying. This one's not for me but am keen to here earlier stuff.

My favourite Dylan album as far as I've listened. Still got no idea what he's talking about but the cryptic style kind of lures you in after a while, almost to the point it makes you think you know what he's trying to say/tell you but then you think about it more and lose it again. I like the youthful/ earnest sound in his voice too. Desolation Row is such a great track and a perfect album closer.

Very keen to dive deeper into these guys. Bowie like in its melodrama but hilarious and meta and not taking its self seriously at all.

The band was probably a 4/5 and 50% of JB's singing was 3/5 but the other 50% was incoherent screaming that really didn't sit well with me. That coupled with the way too forward high pitched wailing of the girls was just all a total turn off. Close to a one for me but the band saved it.

This blew me away in a weirdly subtle and understated way. Wasn't really paying much attention to it until I noticed the steady increase in intensity that seems permeate the entire record but which sharply climbs from The Ballad of Lucy Jordan onward. Wide ranging social commentary on a number of issues and themes contribute to a very provocative and captivating listening experience. I love how strained her voice is especially when it breaks. Brain drain is a highlight and the synth/sax outro to Guilt is amazing. Also her dad was an M15 spy - how cool. Have already listened to her other stuff which is totally different but equally as good. Feeling some big Neil Young energy from her catalogue.

Not for me thanks

Beautiful in its simplicity is something I've said on previous albums but this is another perfect example. Folk that I can get behind. Nothing more beautiful than a person and their guitar. Great cover of House of the Rising Sun.

Totally down for the cause but pretty difficult to listen to

Way way better than Born to Run but still struggle to see the mass appeal. Again it's probably because I'm not a blue jeans wearing factory worker from 1979 mid west America.

Excellent example of an effective motion picture soundtrack. Cafe Regio makes me feel like I'm at a late 60s Californian pool party.

Should give this more of a chance but gets a bit repetitive

Was expecting 45 minutes of jail house rock but was pleasantly to surprised to listen to a wonderfully varied mix of tunes that showcases the man's range perfectly

Not a massive fan of the 90s nu metal situation but there's some undeniably fat riffs

Full bodied rock and roll. Much better than most of the studio records I've previously dived into to

Another one that has gotten me one or two steps closer to understanding the enigma that is the Dyl man. I think I said this about the last one but this one is my new fav. This is where he starts making sense. Highly emotive, not too abstract and very engaging storytelling.

Wipe your feet really good on the rhythm rug. One of the greatest hip hop records of all time. Genius writing. Flawless delivery. Impeccable production value. Every song runs like honey and each interlude provides a perfectly paced breath to introduce the next chapter of the story. Packed with some of the greatest 90's hip hop tracks of all time, Can I Kick It being the obvious example. Description of a Fool is the progressive antithesis of the toxic behaviour glorified by so many of their peers at the time. Left My Wallet in El Segundo is a comedically leaning work of story telling perfection. Both Devoted to the Art of Moving Butts and Mr Muhammad even have elements of early 90's rave styles (it's a stooone groove, baby). Dropping a track purporting the benefits of a healthy diet in the middle of it all is a master stroke, not to mention hilarious. The near incoherent French over Lucien also falls into this category. One for the collection.

Country I can get around. Old Five and and Dimers, Black Rose and Slow Rollin' Low are my highlights. Dudes lived an interesting life, shared a house with Johnny Cash and gave up his seat on the flight that killed Buddy Holly.

I get around this energy. Pretty wild for pre 90s

Had it on as background music but there was some freaky shit going on. It's AHRT ROCK man. Pretty amazing in the context of him becoming a paraplegic before writing/ recording.

Another background music, didn't hear anything to write home about.

Much better from what I remember seeing them at 2014 Falls but still so so. Kind of funny kind of creepy double entendre filled lyrics is weird

Holy fucken shit

Look, it's fine but you all knowy feelings on the fiddle, banjo and folk music in general by now

The album is fine but considering all the contemporary albums that didn't make the revised list I think I could've gone without listening to it before I depart. Two Weeks brings me back to the Childish Gambino remix he did

An edgier side of Queen that I didn't really know existed. Can hear a lot of Zep and Who. All feels a bit disjointed almost like it started as a concept album then decided against it half way through. March of the Black Queen is a huge tune. Some parts verge on glam metal which informs their future direction I guess.

Weird, unsettling, fills me with an impending sense of pending doom. Much like the sting of an Irukandji. Some of it seems to fall into the realm of what Talking Heads were doing around the same time with the world music integration. I imagine I would've absolutely frothed how weird and abstract it was given the benefit of time, space and place but here and now it doesn't sit right at all. *shudders*

Gave this a good couple of listens as I've been looking forward to landing on a pixies album in this little adventure. Have always wanted to do a deep dive on them but never got around to it. This is a solid album with a few 5 star songs. Overall 4 but keen to hear more from them.

Pusherman and Superfly are both obvious all time classics. Love the growling sax that makes itself known throughout. The percussion is also particularly good and stands out pretty strongly on all the tracks, who's in charge of those bongos? Some incredible instrumentals on here as well, especially Think. I now wish I had given Shaft five stars so I could justify five staring this too, but I rate them equally as good so they both get a very very strong 4

In line and time with what the Pixies were up to by the sound of it. Lots more fuzz and noise though. Feed Me With Your Kiss is sick tune. Nothing Much To Lose also a good one. 50 points for the all lowercase band name.

Souvenir is big Pet Shop Boys and hence MGMT vibes. The percussive foundation of Sealife provides a rich textrual back drop... ahh nevermind. Early electronic can go one of two ways and this fell on the good side.

A beautiful slow burn. Everything I love about the Eagles but with way more substance. Gram Parsons was an interesting character by all accounts.

No Post Punk without Proto Punk. Can hear how much influence this has had.

😲

Never fully understood how much Frogstomp took from this. Not necessarily a bad thing (especially considering they were able to do it at 15) but it's very same same. Still prefer Frogstomp but important to recognise influence.

There is no question that Time to Pretend, Electric Feel and Kids are incredibly well written and perfectly executed pop masterpieces that embody the neon soaked electro stylings of the pre '10s Myspace era, but I couldn't help feeling a twinge of cringe when I heard Kids as a direct result of hearing it over and over and over for the past 15 years. When consideration is given to the entire album you realise that MGMT are a highly complex organism that are able to shift from bright accessible electronica into the realm of deep, dark psychedelia with very little warning. Everything from Fourth Dimensional Transition onwards (literal nod to the album's change of pace?) makes it seem as if as if Side 1 and Side 2 were written for completely different audiences. The Handshake is easily my highlight, would love to listen to it in a float tank. This album is clear proof that a band can be far more than their often flogged singles. Maybe the cringe was a result of my own ventures into hair straighteners and side fringes. In any case that time, space and place will live on forever in this album.

Bit tepid at times. WHERE'S THE SHRED ERIC?

Where on Earth (Moon?) do I start with this record. Listening to it with a more (or less?) conscious mind makes the pure unadulterated musical genius way more apparent. The beautiful sax lines layered throughout, the spoken word, the soulful/choral backing vocals, the ability to start a track deep in the psychedelic underworld and bring it out bursting forth into the clear light of a mid June afternoon in the middle of a botanical garden. Hair stands on end and my heart rate noticeably increases at the thought. Beautiful and intensely layered arrangements that never suffocate, always give you space to explore. A perfect soundtrack to the immense theatrics that only a cloudscape against a crisp winter sky can provide (The Great Gig In the Sky?). Enough allusions to experiences on the astral plain thinly veiled as questionable poetry, what a fkn incredible album.

Holy shit this hit me like a tonne of bricks. What a beautiful record. It's what post X&Y Coldplay could've been but never were. Emotive, evocative, poetic observations of the examined life. "Straight to my head like the first cigarette of the day." " We kissed like we invited it" "Yes I'm asking you to invest in a horse that's only good for glue." Never tepid, every song has an edge layered somewhere within it that captivates eg the Alt J style dirty baseline in The Bones of You or the straight up foals style shred monster that is Grounds for Divorce - it's fucking orchestral. THIS is a contemporary record that deserves to be here.

Not an ideal Tuesday soundtrack but beautiful nonetheless

Slow to start but all comes together nicely post 1000 umbrellas. Ballet for a Rainy Day and The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul were my highlights. Also loved the string arrangement in 1000 umbrellas. Get around that Todd Rungren production.

Second time being disappointed by Tim Buckley. Absolutely no edge to it. Also lay off the vibraphone.

Probably a bit too experimental for me to listen to again but appreciated how complex it is. So many sounds packed into one record and her voice is incredible. There were a couple of specific songs that stood out, namely Small and The Rip.

Noisy and low fi. Can hear it influencing plenty of other genres and bands

Beautiful sunset album. Excellent harmonies

Into my arms is obviously a beautiful tune but this didn't catch me like I thought it would.

Love a concept album but was hoping for more

Weird 90s abstract trippy electronica that seems to appear a lot in this list fused with some classic Brit Pop (Medication) makes this an all up a nice time

What an absolute fucking ripper. Have heard Drop the Pressure 1,000,000 times before on dance floors but so good to hear it in the context of its album. Has all the best elements of Sneaky Sound System, Pnau and Groove Armada. Improved my mood a lot after listening.

The subtle imperfections of his perfect guitar playing gives the record soul and structure that makes the addition of any other instruments superfluous. His ability to create a soundscape with one instrument is raw talent.

So glad this wasn't a reggae album as I expected. Perfect example of airport music.

I so wish that this kind of stuff was breaking when I turned 18. Trap and Dubstep will always have a special place but this is so much more interesting and mind blowing. Totally out of control soundscape that transports you to a different universe via an aural blackhole. This record is the 50m high solid gold gate that leads to the other astral dimensions we've been seeking since the beginning of time.

Angst ridden fat riffs perfect album for a Friday buzz. Milk it would be my highlight

Real solid and jazzy. Lots of smooth funky guitar and piano and her voice is mesmerising at times.

Ridiculous amount of attitude. Joe Strummer is a cool character.

Love the harmonies in End of the World and One I Love - listened to the those songs in particular a lot on road trips with dad. Also love how tink tink tink ride gets incorporated into a few of the songs. The drumming is actually sick across the whole record. Big Billy Joel sax on Fireplace. Oddfellows Local 151 is a amazingly spooky unsettling tune to close it all out. Always thought of them as early 90s dad rock, didn't realise they were so prolific from early 80s onward. Close to a five star but not quite

Pretty guitar, pretty voice, pretty boring.

I assume this would have been something never heard before which is pretty cool to think about.

Wouldn't be the cure without being too long and too self-indulgent. That said this is my favourite Cure album so far

He's lost me again. Pacing was off, lots of songs started sounding like the last

Cool band, wanted it to go longer than it did.

Big Tom Petty vibes but not sure who came first.

Flow's out of control, writing's weird as fuck but funny and pretty smart at times - did someone say non sequitur? Production is big trip hop/avalanches sound. Compellingly off putting, upsetting and unsettling. Can't stop listening. Have I been possessed? What a disturbingly intriguing experience. Don't mind me I'm diving in for a second listen, if I'm not back in 1hr 5min send a search party

Could've gone without hearing this before meeting my maker

Not a fan of this one either. The literals lyricism is way too literal.

In isolation the album is a solid 4 but she consideration is given to the influence this has had on a lot of the music I love today it's easy to justify the big 5. Imagine the stares going on between the drums and bass during the intro of No More. Accidentally fucking listened to it in shuffle, only the second time I've done that in 243 albums which is a pretty good run. Hate doing that though.

There are so many five star songs on here but with the exception of Colorado, he really lost me in the mid section between Fallen Eagle and Johnny's Garden. Too much fiddle and slide guitar in this section detracted from an otherwise beautiful album. It finds its edge again real nice from Bound to Fall, his vocal range is incredible. Move Around is a sick tune, his voice in this reminds me of someone that I can't put my finger on (maybe Neil Young which would make sense). The drumming across the whole record is out of control good.

Not for me at all but I will say that I Could Be Dreaming is a pretty perfect indie pop/rock sound that has stuck around even today

Had potential to be a five star find a la Elbow but never quite got there

Expected the usual 80s synth that seems to dominate anything from the 80s in this list but was pleasantly surprised. Almost verging in talking heads early Post Punk. Lots of kind of fat riffs in there too. Doesn't sound like anyone's taking them too seriously either which I love.

Scraped in at a 3 because of There She Goes

Sick album, didn't quite hit the 5 mark but very very close. Would've got there if they tightened up the run time a bit, loses its focus a bit in parts. Hollow Little Reign is the highlight, love the meandering psychadeliea.

Slow burn, verging on psychadelic. Love the (what I assume to be) wah wah voice throughout. In fact it does not psychadelic a lot at points - Exhibit A being 13 minutes of Sex Machine (the sax that breaks in at 11 minutes is straight up sexual)

Mid to low range beer drinking stadium metal. Steeler was a tune but

Hard not to give it a five based on Respect alone. Visionary, trail blazer, infinitely talented.

No idea what NME were smoking when they voted this AOTY 1992 but it was probably meth.

Was not expecting this to be anywhere near as good as it was. Never really enjoyed the late 50s stuff which I find pretty corny, but this is on entirely different level which I think has a lot to do with the band behind him. Someone give that man on bass a medal. This is ultimate cool. Soul infused almost funk composition overlaid with perfectly delivered lyrics. The man's got a voice no doubt about it.

This is very lounge, perfect dinner party music but still has enough of an edge to maintain my attention throughout. Beautiful understated guitar playing. BIG sax on Poor Boy, don't even realise it's there until the last 30 seconds. Love the weird abstract writing, get lots of Aldous Harding vibes over it all. Pretty sure I've come across another album of his so far and think I might've ripped into him a bit - if so he's redeemed himself here.

Solid but middle of the road, probably unnecessary for me to listen to prior to my ultimate demise.

What I imagine Rubber Soul era Beatles to have sounded like if they had formed a lowfi garage band in the mid 90s

Fuck yeah BRISBANE. Very tempted to give it a 5 based on that alone but I shall remain impartial. I initially thought it started a bit slow but it actually paces nicely up to a big crescendo from Streets of Your Town onward. Clouds and Was There Anything I Could Do are both very very strong songs. Can hear heeaaapps of Rolling Blackouts coming out of this. I've always loved listening to Streets and imagining it was written only with Brisbane in mind (which I doubt it was, but still nice to think about). Anyway FIVE STARS.

Not even sure if Faith is a good song

Imagine it would've been huge in time and space

Tried starting and finishing this on 3 different occasions and was never in the right mood. Sounds like it's got some potential but not suitable for the times I listened

Way more complex than the straight up shred fest I was expecting. Still plenty of shred obviously but also some deeper cuts like little dreamer, what a voice (and love the bell smash). The doo wop harmonies into shred in I'm the one is hilariously good as well.

Definitely no Aja

Man have been having a rough time of it the last few albums

Not a bad song on there. Not my favourite Bowie but still incredible

Wasn't expecting it to be as good as Badmotorfinger but it definitely is

Easily in my Top 10 bands of all time and has a shit load of huge classics at the top but does lose a bit of its momentum at the back end. Five stars anyway for THE greatest intro of all time on Money For Nothing. Who comes up with that shit. Also never knew that it was Sting singing it.

Short, sharp, fun and straight to the point

Title track is a huge classic but also love Bluebird and Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five. Like how there's call backs to previous tracks scattered throughout, at some points it verges on psychadelic

Socially relevant for 2021 and pretty funny at times but of all the releases in the past 12 months not sure why this one would make the cut.

Boredom in a glass ready to be sipped like church cordial

Good old fashioned Americana

Iconic 80s guitar tone and a few anthemic masterpieces slightly spoiled by the indulgent run time

Heart of Glass is an amazing tune but was hoping for more from the rest of the record

Not bad not great, liked the early psychedelic aspects

Doesn't hold up as well compared to some of its contemporaries but from a time and space perspective it would've been absolutely mind blowing

Big energy and all about the top gun reference

I think this list is oversaturated with Brit Pop but this was pretty good. Especially liked the Area 51 instrumental

I think this list is also oversaturated with Trip Hop but this was also pretty good, it not a bit unsettling

Sonic masterpiece

Didn't appreciate the preset drums and horns

Reggae still not for me

Not my favourite Neil but it definitely demonstrates what a freaky guitar player he is. Loved the transition to electric in Powderfinger, absolute best song on the album as well.

Amazing airport music, sexy boy is a biiiig tune

Not as good as Arthur but Big Sky is easily my favourite Kinks song

The drums on this are out of this fucking world holey moley. I don't know what's happening on Hot For Teacher but it is some wild shit man. Not as good as their self titled and Jump is a radio friendly mess

Very easy listening and made a day in and out of the car super enjoyable. Man knows how to make a sax sing.

Humpty Dance is a strangely funky one, probably didn't give the rest of it enough of a chance

Kind of beautiful

The genesis of jangle guitars that has influenced, directly or otherwise, basically every single indie band I love.

Powerful. Absolutely humongous sax on Live With Me. Everyone's playing like absolute demons for the entire 42 minutes. Love Mick's freaky shouts and screams especially in Monkey Man, can understand why some might have associated them with the satanic. Recently been lots of talk about how much of a monster Charlie Watts was and it all makes absolute sense when you listen out for him. What a genius, especially the total control he exercises over Midnight Rambler (also my album highlight).

So many big hits with a couple of tepid ballads interspersed throughout. PYT is an absolute tune and the McCartney duet is a masterpiece

If their intention was to make me feel physically ill for 1hr 59min then it's an easy five stars. Totally uninspired writing, taking themselves way too seriously and the fucking music itself is straight up headache inducing. Terrible album.

Never diverges from total high energy which becomes monotonous after a while. Couple of big hits in there though

Nothing on Biggie

I love zeez goddamn krazy Germans and zere krafty trailblazing of genrez various. Amazingly accessible avant garde krauty goodness, totally futuristic, forward thinking, look into the krystal ball, pioneering goodness. YA

This is the exact definition of the style of hip hop that I love. Laid back, sonically interesting, writing that's both intelligent and funny, expertly crafted.

The Wolfmother paradox - the ability to imitate your influences with such perfection that the final product is devoid of any personality or imagination. What should be an oil painting becomes a blueprint. His mumbling and at times incoherent singing is actually kind of endearing to the point of hilarity, especially on Hard to Handle - so fun to sing along with. (also my album highlight, verging on perfect rock song). Five stars for making me think about it so much

The birth of FUSION. Wasn't a huge fan but loved this from the Wikipedia page "Rock critics thought In a Silent Way sounded like rock, or at least thought Miles was nodding in their direction, and practically wet themselves with joy. Jazz critics, especially ones who didn't listen to much rock, thought it sounded like rock too, and they reacted less favorably"

Loved the live recording, beautiful voice.

Still not totally a huge fan of The Who, but, some undeniable classics. Also, one of the best album closures of all time.

Very Beatles

Couple of good ones

Alt J, The xx and London Grammar all very important in my formative years

Wow. The first time I've ever really connected with him. Tastefully loud, full of energy perfectly arranged, beautiful harmonies, very weird but very cool lyrics. It's all beginning to make sense.

Super weird

One of the best blues albums I've come across. Not a bad song on there but special mention to Peace Frog and Queen of the Highway (obviously).

Absolute monster shred fest. Super tight and tuned in. Love all the call and response solos. I think it might be too long for five stars but I'm giving it anyway cause of Smoke on the Water.

Not a huge fan

Good soundtrack to a Lime scooter into the valley on a Thursday

Not my cup of Yerba mate but understand the time and place (and now) appeal. Pop queen.

Don't think it's aged very well, verging on tacky. Fast Car has always made me cringe a bit. Huge Mark Knopfler guitar sounds on She's Got Her Ticket.

Would've been a big old shock to the system during its time in 1973's space. The Monster's demonic dialogue appearing 15 minutes into Pt II was hilarious, very Tenacious D styles.

A defining sound of the late 00s, much like Vampire Weekend, Acade Fire etc

Easy five. Never realised how much influence Childish Gambino takes from this, especially on Awaken My Love. Cee Lo has popped up as a feature on heaaapps of the hip hop albums on here, man was prolific. Killer Mike on Strappin & Trappin takes the feature crown on this one though. Humble Mumble is a huge track as well. Impossible not to mention Ms Jackson, up there with the greatest songs of all time.

The horn accompaniment (and every other accompanying instrument) couldn't be a more perfect addition to his beautiful guitar playing and story telling. A perfect album to watch the world go by out the train window, especially after a big (one of the biggest) day at work. His voice is simultaneously velvet and gravel all the way through. Crazy that he's Northern Irish, would never have picked it. Aside from the two perfect tracks mentioned below, Caravan would have to be my highlight, amazing how well it controls the timing and pace of the entire record. Moondance is a 10/10 track but it invariably gives off Buble vibes (through no fault of the van man). Still a very rare perfect song. The Flute accompaniment on it is totally underrated, not to mention the piano solo. Crazy Love is even better though, what an incredibly moving and in no way tacky (ver rare) love song, the range he demonstrates on it is straight up tear inducing. Lots of my five out of fives aren't perfect, but this one most definitely is.

This list definitely has an obsession with oft mediocre Brit Pop

Fair

Bit much/not enough

Super trippy. Sounds like the soundtrack to Dr Who if he existed in the Matrix universe. Flying sounds exactly like the Mighty Boosh theme song. Big journey album, constantly throws something different at you to think about. Highlight is definitely Aisha, big sucker for the spoken word styles. AISHA, I'M VIBRATING. Aladdin's Story is a close second, very cruisey sax and vocals.

A pretty perfect rock album, not a bad song on there. Verges on operatic in composition. St Jimmy, Give Me Novocaine, Homecoming, Whatsername all great but Jesus of Suburbia is the obvious classic - punk Bohemian Rhapsody

Couple of solid tracks in isolation but as a whole it lacks direction

Atrocious. That tinnie 80s cymbal sound is worse than the banjo

A very very solid album, it's the sort of edge that I expected from Blondie but never got

An obvious five plus for me considering its my all time favourite album ever of all time. No bad songs. Could do a six paragraph op ed on the birth of the new frontier of indie guitar bands but will save it for another time

A lot for a Monday morning. Totally manic, 13 minutes of Sister Ray sounds like two trains on the same track steaming toward a head on collision but never actually making contact. I feel bit ill.

Five star start that tapers out to a solid four by the end. Big fat fricken riffs at the start, wish they were maintained the whole way through. Pretty weak finish could've been 20 minutes shorter

Big fat Blues jam. Loved it all, especially Key to the Highway. Great omen to get this album right before baby Layla is due to enter the world.

Mind blowingly beautiful voice let down by the incessant tacky love songs and faux noir laid out on a piano sultry sax numbers. Got super confusing jumping between full on noir piano, to honky tonk country then back again. ( I was trying to be funny saying honky tonk without realising that there's a whole closing track called Honky Tonk Medley. Good lord 🤦🤦🤦🤦. Sorry KD, I do not in fact love that two fiddle sound. The banjo can get fucked too.

Sad white male

Love the Kinks more and more everytime I listen to them. Not a bad song on here.

Ridiculous Steely Dan sounds on track one (not sure who predates who). Amazing guitar on The Clap and hilarious song name

Didn't look at this until boxing day so not in a great place to give it my full attention. Also Phil Spector was an absolute nut case

All a bit same same but love the Caroline Polacheck sounds

Didn't get around it like I thought I would.

Too good to talk about

Way cooler than I expected, gets pretty far out in places but all very interesting.

No surprises that Bowie produced this mater piece. Incredible album, perfectly weird without being totally inaccessible. Nightclubing and Dum Sum Boys arey highlights.

A lot of Jazz

Five stars right up until the fucking fiddle started on Running Dry goddamn it Neil why you gotta do me like that. Loved the guitar playing on Down by the River. Nah giving it five stars anyway

Nothing special but only had it on as background music

Spotify cut the first half of the album so not sure if I got the full experience, what I heard was more than enough though.

Verging on a five but never quiet got there, lots of Radiohead and Bowie influence

Good solid punk, have been exposed to a bit of the Mark E Smith lore via Adam Buxton so was kind of familiar with the context.

Very smooth

No punk without the Dolls. Not surprised to see Todd Rungrens name over this either, hes been a common denominator in a few 4 and 5 star albums lately

What an incredible achievement. It's ridiculous that I Like the Way You Move isn't sampled from some soul hit of the 60s/70s, how the hell did they come up with that. Top 5 hooks of all time. Not to mention the bass line, goddamn that would destroy a circa 2009 subwoofer. How can you not love a Ludacris feature - "I'm with some nasty hoes, eating pistachios". Matter of fact the calibre of feature artists across the record demonstrates the status they held and continue to hold on the genre. Jay Z/ Killer Mike, Cee Lo (who is likely the most often featured artist in this whole list, the man was everywhere doing everything), even Lil Jon gets his 15 seconds of OH YAYAS. And all that before we even reach Andre's half of the album. Genius move with the swing jazz intro, signals the shift to his side perfectly. His call and response conversation with lady God interlude is hilarious - "Head don't count right? Aw thanks God." Big Boi might be technically better but Andre 3000 tells a waaayy better story. Where's my panties intro into Prototype is out of this world (Tame Impala's cover of Prototype has to be mentioned here also). He's actually a very sensitive individual talking on some pretty personal topics, but still maintaining an outrageous sense of humour about it all. I love that it wasnt ended with some bring back double track but instead closes on a real unsettling reflection on the mysteries of Erykah Badu.

Technical ability 10/10 but wasn't for me. One is an obvious massive tune though.

This is really bad. Tacky faux blues, totally uninspired writing, fucking horrid mix. No thanks.

Had me tapping my foot for the entire 1hr 48min. Perfectly executed blues with just the right amount of horns scattered throughout, fair bit of Big Sax even. Plenty of shred from the master himself as well. A great album.

Huge Rolling Blackouts vibes from track one and then scattered throughout.

Really puts an end to the Oasis/Blur schism, Blur are without doubt the superior group. This record is a conceptually vibrant masterpiece full of well thought out narratives and perfectly executed rhythm. Parklife is easily my favourite ever Blur song.

Beautifully cinematic, what a story teller. The man absolutely cains the ivory.

This is what I'm fricken talking about.

My great expectations were shot down in a flaming ball of dog shit. What a terrible collection of sounds. Who mixed this? Listened to the entire thing in the hope it would redeem itself at some point without result. Verging on one star which is a rarity for me but 2 stars for their assumed impact on the forthcoming glam metal scene - the makeup was pretty good. Has absolutely nothing on The Dictators debut the year before.

The five stars I wanted to give ...And Justice for All but couldn't. Might have something to say for listening to albums in order of release in cases where bands have more than entry in the book. This is the Metallica I expected and loved but I think I'm now far better equipped to dive back into Justice with this context behind me. What a massive fucking album though flipping heck.

The undisputed Big Beat king and the epitome of bedroom production. Impossible to not dance to it. Too many classics to name.

Was hoping for so much more. Loved the intro tracks though can imagine that would've been a massive gee up to hear on first play in the stereo after purchase from Sanity.

The perfect definition of a solid four star album.

This one required a lot of focus on time and space. Without the context of what the hip hop scene looked like in 1984 it is very very hard to listen to. The finishing each others sentence bit was cute the first five times but fuck it got old very quickly. How was a song about a 30 day return policy considered hard core hip hop?

Not as good as exile but loved the horn arrangements

Simple yet effective

What a freaky state of affairs - *whispers* my mind is glowing. Who needs K when you've got this album. Unbelievable how many genres they can subtly explore under the guise of industrial tech.

365 DAYS!!!!! And couldn't have landed on a better album for it. SAMBA FUNK. So much fun. You could play O Plebeu on repeat and just strut around town for probably 12 hours straight with out even a drink of water or muslie bar. Plus the drum fills in that song are absolute perfection. Also so happy that my 365th featured the Cuica so heavily, it's fast becoming my new favourite instrument, look out ride cymbal. Anyway just so stoked with this whole process at the one year mark, have discovered so so many five star albums. Looking forward to the next two and a bit years.

Very sparse, very pretty.

She hangs out has got some serioooouuss 60s creep vibes about it, no good.

Wtf were Run DMC doing in 84 if the Beastie Boys could release something of this incredible calibre only 2 years later. What an album.

Not really sure what to say about this one

The Manson Family were definitely listening to this. Giving it an extra star for its presumed influence on psych and also the theatrical rock stylings of Led Zep et al

Big Sparkes energy - expect to hear their influence all over the 80s now that I've watched the Edgar Wright doc.

Tight ass bunch of studio musicians

Listened twice through on a flight to Sydney - perfectly suited to the occasion.

Full on psychedelia, man.

Perfectly composed if not a bit sickly sweet

Short sharp high energy punchy insolence.

Yet to come across anyone with such an innate ability to sing perfectly while also laying down? spitting? unleashing? tight af rhymes? lines? bars?

The linear progression of punk to grunge and everything outside and in between is demonstrated well by this list

Not my favourite Sabbath

No where near as good as Moondance, the symphonic additions were way too much. Incredible stereo mix though

Good grief this here is one heck of a beautiful album. The piano interlude on Just As I Am and Can I Sleep in Your Arms near blew me out of the dang water. Such a strutty little bass line on Remember Me. Outlaw country with a tender gentle heart.

Very solid

Hjartað hamast is a five star song.

The boss man has let me down again, sad face.

Summer Breeze - Another example of a five star song on a three star album. Rolling through the jasmine in my mind is one of the most evocativley beautiful lyrics I've come across in this list to date. Fricken excellent lead break too. Shame the rest of the album doesn't hold up.

2019 will go down as the best year of the decade without a doubt, wish I was across this in real time but listening to it in 2022 will have to do. There are some absolutely massive tracks on this.

Ever since being indoctrinated into the lore of Sparkes I've never been able to hear 80s synth the same.

Solid

This is seriously out there and I love it. Took me a while to get past the immediate 'heard this a thousand times' reaction but Girls Just Wanna Have Fun would have meant a lot of things to a lot of people in '83. Fell down a Cindy YouTube rabbit hole and it seems like she was pretty radical even by early 80s standards; love the look, love the voice, love the attitude. Some of this stuff verges on Talking Heads/B52s styles - Yeah Yeah is an especially outrageous tune.

Didn't quite make the five stars but A Pleasing Smile is a great track.

Way more pop style production then I expected.

Have this a very solid two and a half listens through and can now safely say this is my new favourite alt country rock concept album about the rise and fall of Lynyrd Skynyrd. A very very solid album.

😇😇 Loved Bottle Let Me Down and Coat of Many Colours

Love imaging him and Bowie have a grand old time together. Didn't quite hit five stars but The Passenger and Tonight are excellent tunes.

I wrote a very in depth review of this and forgot to save it. Psychedelic rock opera with a wild stereo mix

Cigarette soaked voice over some Bosa Nova I'm all about it.

Howard: Never do that to a man in a jazz trance. I was deep in the juju then. Vince: Science teachers and the mentally ill, that's all jazz is for. Howard: Take that back you electro ponce. Vince: I hate jazz Howard: You fear jazz

I could've sworn I've had this one already

The hint of ska at in the first 30 seconds made me want to immediately hate the entire thing but I couldn't bring myself to keep it up. Very sonically pleasing.

I don't really like the mix on this, there's nothing natural about it. No doubt some of the effects they were using would've been revolutionary. Fond memories of Castles Made of Sand being played on road trips.

Loved the War Pigs cover. Can't take or leave the rest

Subtly complex and verging very close to five star territory.

4 stars when the time and space lens is applied. Looking for Someone to Love had my toe tapping. A bit sickly sweet which is to be said of almost everything I've heard from white late 50s rock and roll. Some nice lead breaks scattered throughout out though. Get sick of the backing vocals pretty quickly.

More Neil please

Fuzzy but with unmistakable purpose

Flows so well for a live album, impeccable guitar playing. Every second song sounds like they're about to break into Boys Are Back in Town at any moment but that doesn't bother me.

Second Rod album that's let me down. I blamed his writing the last time only to realise that 75% of that album was covers - this time I'll play it safe and blame it squarely on the fiddle that rears its mong head in Tomorrow is a Long Time. Ronnie Wood is walking all over that bass though I love it.

Verging on hints of The Avalanches, what would be perfectly acceptable background music to a moody train ride is elevated to a straight up five star rating purely due to the involvement of Dave Graney in writing the accompanying short story in the liner notes of the album. Hell yeah Dave so happy to see your new pop up in this list.

Starts of pretty in the weeds but really opens up from Broken Hands onward. Fuzz Gun '91 is a no brainer addition to Fat Riff Friday.

Beautiful kitchen music. No better way to incorporate some love into your Bolognese than to do a little salsa dance while stirring.

Another great discovery from this endeavour is that 1969 is most likely the greatest year in music to date. Perhaps common knowledge to some already. Fuck there was a lot of good music pumped out to see off the decade.

Hard to fault and even harder to find a reason not to give it five stars but couldn't quite get there. Heard a lot of Kirin J Callinan guitar licks throughout

Solid blues

What every 80s synth driven band with should've sounded like. Verging on a masterpiece.

Such beautiful textures out of both her voice and the piano make this an easy five stars. Maybe with another listen I could make this more to be a four star but if I leave it to the first and only listen it is a five star. a la janis it's rawness and intensity.

Big Kinks energy all over this but especially Blue Condition.

No where near as good as Exile on Main St. Also left my phone in an uber while listening to this album which may have contributed to my ill feelings.

My man, love this

Not for me

Easy five stars

One of the most consistently excellent discoveries this list has offered. Amazing guitar playing with a tasteful amount of string accompaniment to round things out.

I'll be honest, I prematurely turned my nose up when I saw this was today's album but there are some fricken excellent tunes on here. The production is an easy five stars and her voice is near on perfect too. Obviously the subject matter doesn't resonate but that's on me. He Won't Go is a perfect song, all I could think about was watching a conductor lead a studio band through the arrangement, sounds so so tight. No surprises that Rick Rubin had a hand in this.

Not as bad as I expected it to be.

Heavy hitting but flavour flav remains extraneous

Beautiful voice and a couple of big tunes but ultimately nothing special

Not sure if it's the YouTube quality but this sounds way more industrial than punk (to be fair I'm not schooled on the cross over there)

Pretty tempted to give this five stars as it seems like the epitome of wild west ballads. I'm sure there'll be a time and place where it's necessary to put this on as a soundtrack, not exactly sure when but when the time comes I'll know.

Nothing special, had to listen via YouTube which is never a good experience

The genesis of short fast loud

There's a couple of obvious big ones which saves it from my initial 2 star rating, but on the whole the boss continues to disappoint me.

Started strong but ultimately a three star record

Someone should try having sex to this album - it's that good.

Willie continues to blow me away - an incredible voice with so much depth. Guitar playing doesn't even need to be talked about its that good.

Nope

If you haven't already seen the Edgar Wright documentary on Sparks make that your immediate priority. Impossible to overstate their immense diversity influence on tonnes of genres

"...dropped out of school quick. I always had a Ph.D: a pretty huge dick" Have been a bit lazy with my five star ratings lately. So many big tracks and even bigger features for a debut album.

Foot on step, elbow on leg, clicking

Never quite got to five star territory despite the classics on here

Theatrical, orchestral, campy and nothing like what I expected from the album cover

Ridiculously tight guitar work

More of a dramatic cinematic soundtrack than album but not in a bad way. Again not my favourite Bowie but still incredible enough to justify his placement on the wall with the other gods of good tunes

Way darker production than I expected that would've been helped with se diversified subject matter. interesting to hear waterfalls in the broader context of the album though

Really good but he absolutely blue balled me with those first two songs, my expectations were set at Groove Armada style bang fest but it was more of a freaky experimental electronic exploration - not saying I didn't enjoy the journey but I think the first couple of songs would've been better placed dispersed throughout rather than as false expectation setters at the start. GIVE ME MORE BANGERS, WILLIAM

Wasn't in the right mood for this one

Perfectly average

Interesting enough to keep me engaged the whole way through. Annalisa isy highlight.

So good, could've been released yesterday and I wouldn't have known the difference (except for the wild stereo mix which I love to hear in albums of this time). Heaps of comedic writing, doesn't take it's self too seriously and the loose concept is engaging.

As soon as I start taking the Dan too seriously my rating goes down. The secret is to listen from the perspective of a good time which makes it all so much better. Tight as fuck bunch of studio musicians having fun with the idea of perfection.

Some of the experimental songs are too experimental and some of the earnest songs are too earnest but on the whole an engaging listen

Way way way better than Moss Side Story, despite this one having now Dave Graney input. Can see a lot of these being perfect soundtrack tunes

Pretty lackluster and uninteresting except the songs that sounded like REM, then they just sounded like REM (not a bad thing). Terrible mix too

Lots of 10/10 tunes and a few duds makes this a perfect 4 star. Also one of the greatest intro tracks I've ever heard

Now you're pushing it

Nothing grabbed me

Pretty weak

Very pretty, can hear lots of Alpine

Nothing too groundbreaking

Lacks substance

GOTH SYNTH

Beautifully composed album that I wish I knew of before today. Even the banjo doesn't turn me off, there's definitely something to be said for tasteful banjoplucking as opposed to the usual disgusting twang *spits*. Love the Cure call backs and all of the beautifully arranged horn accompaniments. Fillled me with positivitand optimism.

Pretty well put together but that sax got a bit droning at times, hit the high note every once in a while son!

Liked the hea ier stuff like Automatic

Always love when I come across an album that has so obviously influenced a heap of my own favourite bands.

This was way better than the one or two other Cure albums I've had so far - less depresso more espresso in terms of lyrical content and style. Also generally more aligned with my music taste

This is my definition of perfect hip hop production. Punchy, funky to the point and very quick. Obligatory problematic content disclaimer that is common of (almost) all 90s releases.

Huge for its time but hasn't aged well, especially the last few tracks with vocals. Couple of undeniably big singles though.

Kept getting distracted by the orchestra

Beautifully subtle, subtlety brilliant. Incredible indie guitar album with the perfect amount of edge. Can hear how this has influenced so many to go after him eg Andy Shauf, Matt Costa and Tiny Little Houses. Can even hear a bit of Paper Mache era Gizz in the first couple of tracks. Strong start but even stronger finish in Rose Parade and Angeles. No Name No. 5 is a perfectly composed track. He also sounds exactly like another more contemporary artist (especially in Angeles) that I can't put my finger on if my life depended on it. Hopefully it will come to me one day in a future relisten. Also 50 points for punching a dart on the album cover.

Just nice

The post-rock pigeon hole makes it sound more pretentious than it is is. Experimental and much lighter than other post rock offerings like Slint (still love Slint though)

Lost me at the first MJ hee-hee

Interesting to hear the genesis of Bjork, couple hints of B52s all up nothing special

What a fricken tone

Fkn hell yeah this is what I'm talking about. A 2hr space prog odyssey with fat riffs and spoken word always has the potential to go very bad but this is perfect. Love the whovian drama in Sonic Attack that flows into the big foot-on-fold-back Time We Left This World Today. Excellent live recording too. Will need to spenore time with this, might put it on my ski trip playlist.

Wasn't looking forward to this after my last Tom Waits experience but he is definitely suited to the live album and corresponding crowd work. Still don't like his voice but his banter is good and there are a couple of hear string pullers/laugh makers in there.

Never quite hits the five star despite a few stone cold classics

The intros to the first three tracks tease talking heads level post punk then descend into something very weird. It then kind of blooms in the last third

Was sceptical about late model ABBA but this was an easy five stars. Would love to see a theatrical adaptation of this, seems very well suited to the stage. Moody and eccentric with some interesting song concepts

Didn't do much for me

Some obviously massive tunes in Cemetery Gates, Bigmouth Strikes Again and There is a Light which are kind of let down by some of the weaker tracks

There was some wild shit going around in 69 man

Couple of big ones but overall this was not the pub rock Mecca I was expecting/hoping for

There's more than meets the eye in every aspect of this album - the cover art, the drumming, the writing, the pedal stomping riffs. It's all deceptively complex, thought provoking and face melting

Afrobeat perfection

So glad my granddad didn't listen to this bloke.

Solid punk but prefer Pink Flag (probs no Pink Flag without Buzzcocks but whatever)

Fast, loose and tight as fk. Can understand why Clapton was worried. Couple of road trip memories in here from Dad listneing the best of album

Some all time classic fat riffs. Tom Morello is a god

Eclectic but ultimately not for me

The first album I've come across that I would like to give more than five stars to. This is a perfect album for so many reasons, not least of which is the fact the Fall at Your Feet is one of the most beautiful songs ever written.

Bit too 80s for what was coming out at the same time, seems like it wasn't keeping up with the impending rave styles

Wasn't in the right mood for all that social consciousness

Wasn't expecting contemporary Bowie to be this good, not sure why I'm surprised that it's on the verge of masterpiece territory

Not sure when the right mood for this one is but it wasn't when I was listening

Vocal powerhouse

Yes please - post punk has such a rich history. Could easily have been released today and be very well received.

Four star classic. Can hear lots of Zep in here.

Soundtrack to the counterculture but a bit too incohesive for me to fully immerse myself in

Kind of avalanches and hop hop sample vibes but not really for me

Annoyingly but probably unsurprisingly I let my momentum slip over the past couple of weeks which has resulted in me missing the opportunity to give my 500th Album the fanfare it truly deserves. This journey has been truly joyous to date, and I've discovered some incredible music, genres and artists that I would never have paid attention to if it weren't for Mr Dimery and his list (not to mention the absolute genius who created and maintains this amazing website - for this I thank you dearly). Listened to this on the plane back from Melbourne, and while not wholly overwhelmed I am happy that my halfway point was at least a band with some hefty 60/70s street cred. Five stars for five hundred (obviously).

Short, sharp and punchy as fuck. Listened to it twice through and loved every second.

Not great

Loved how the cripplingly depressing lyrical content was offset by the beautiful and mostly upbeat arrangements.

This was way better than I expected, despite the shitty prod and mix.

Thought this was a bit misguided and lacked direction. The blues can't save everything.

Good ole boy country I can properly get behind. Sincerely written, masterfully played, limited references to his beer cans and maximum references to his highway chewing 8 cylinder and gheetar.

Despite the banjo assault in the opening song I liked this more than I thought I would. The title track is a perfectly composed piece of music, love the bellowing brass mixed into the background. Very impressed.

😳

Not a huge fan of 80s Top, mostly cause of the tacky slap bass that ruins Thug. Sharp Dressed Man is a killer tune though - highly recommend watching The Beards like a version.

Sounds like he laid the foundations for the 90s Brit Pop scene, loved it.

Not quite five stars on this but pretty close. Becoming a big fan of Paul Weller as a result of this list.

A very lovely, beautifully intricate and well produced piece of contemporary indie/psych pop. Excellent cover art as well. Added to my snow playlist. Helicopter is an incredible tune.

I've said it once already but god damn these guys are tight. A perfect album start to finish. Exceptional musicianship.

I wasn't totally convinced to start with but shit gets pretty psychedelic toward the back end of this thing.

Getting pretty sick of all the Randy Newman at this point.

One of the most derivative albums I've ever heard. Very little thinking for self going on here

All the stars aligned to make this a perfect Monday morning album. Sounds counter intuitive but for some reason it all fell into place perfectly and set me up for a solid week.

Irish folk post punk?,

Tried to listen to this with Beatles bias removed and was still supremely impressed. Crazy to think this was released the year my dad was born (not sure why that seems so unbelievable, maybe because elements of the songs sound so contemporary even today). Another example of how it's easy to see why they were such a big deal and how they've had such a lasting impact on the culture. Solidified my strong preference for Paul's writing over John's although I assume a lot of it was collaborative - Paul's voice is way nicer. Till there was you absolutely blew me away - I haven't been that affected by a song in a long time and have listened to it at least 6 times since yesterday. What an incredibly beautiful tune. In other parts of the album there is a certain lyrical sop factor (and at times creep factor *cough* John *cough* Little Child) common to the time/genre that is unfortunate but they at least have an edge over their contemporaries in the ad lib screaming and hooting in some of the songs - it does well to set them out from the pack. These boys were always destined for greatness.

Promising start but slowed down a bit too much toward the end. Also no cuica 1/10.

Nothing hit home on this one

Excellent road trip music when you don't know what you feel like listening too.

Can't not love Johnny geeing up a room full of convicted felons but got a bit same same after a while.

Sounds like the top gun soundtrack but in a bad way.

On the surface it seems saturated with cheese but it was actually a very enjoyable listen if you apply the trusty time, space and place lens Obviously ground breaking stuff in terms of production methods. Pleasantly surprised by the more soulful numbers, especially Dreamin'.

Hell yeah what a powerhouse. Loved the DIY sound.

Side B far exceeds side A in terms of shred but all up an excellent listen

Yes please. Love the Barry Adamson/Nick Cave/Dave Graney/Siouxsie and the Banshees thread that this has formed for me. Post punk has become one of my favourite genres and this all makes a lot of sense as part of the genesis of that whole scene. Post punk is the most intriguing genre in terms of its timelessness. This could have easily been released in 2022 and been very successful (with maybe some slightly less Buzzcocks vocal stylings). Very subtle and very not tacky pre 80s synthesisers which for me is a rarity. Solid amount of shred too.

They're definitely doing something. Not really sure what it is but it's not nothing. Something like the thing that Radiohead does but way less like that thing. It's definitely not nothing. Certainly made me think about what the thing is a lot. Still not sure. For the amount it's made me think I'm technically bound to give it a five star by my universal rating rationale but it doesn't feel like the right thing to do in this instance. Getting toward the end now, Cicatriz Esp starting to bring it together. Holy fuck what a bring back! Nah five stars.

Fitting that this has popped up so soon after the release of Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. The most interesting thing is his various voices/personas that he employees throughout every song - at points sounds like you're listening to a totally different person.

Big Willy Styles.. Just shy of A Tribe Called Quest level perfection

Loved the tone of the lead guitar and how it often seemed to come out of no where and serve you with a fat riff

Didn't give this as much attention as it probably deserved but wasn't that nice to listen to

Very smooth

Easy five. The king's of making me strut around the house. Suck My Kiss has been a favourite song of all time since I was a young bloke.

Probably the TH record I'm least familiar with although have always loved cities. Heaven is an obvious five star tune too. Overall somewhat darker offering.

English accents, string ballads, dj cuts, man children, questionable social commentary, raw sushi, talking spanish, prepubescent sexual tension, slutty locomotives, mixed metaphors, incoherent writing structure, what does getting shirty mean? The nonsensical nature of the writing kind of makes sense considering she's Swedish. Can't deny it's an interesting thing to listen to.

Peak 80s, incredible energy. Prince is a glaring black spot in my musical awareness

Fricken huge sax but ultimately not my favourite of their back catalogue

Sparkes did it first and better

Certified friggen rock dog. What an absolute demon guitar player. I love 90s Neil, he is the embodiment of looking good doing it. Crazy Horse can harmonize too. Also gotta mention the drummer absolutely riding that bell - can't help but air drum the fuck out of it.

Clean enough to eat my dinner off.

Five stars for how much I used to slay Knights of Cydonia on Guitar Hero

Mediocre at best. Bring back the Dan, man

Premium Johnny and an excellent late career move. Rock Rubin strikes again.

First Rod I've enjoyed since the start of the list. Some talented musicians all over this thing.

Absolute masterpiece in every sense of the word.

Honestly think the Person L cover of Seed 2.0 on Punk Goes Crunk is better. Also saw them at Falls 2014 but don't remember much (not their fault)

Another perfect distillation of the defining sound of the mid 20s - it made us feel it all, in earnest. It's hard to know what a decade will sound like until you're well and truly planted in the next. I can tell you what the 80s sounded like, I can tell you what the 90s sounded like, and maybe this is what I'll tell you the 20s sounded like.

No where near Behaviour level

Didn't give it as much attention as I probably should have. Sounded pretty noisy though

Never really understood the hype

These cunts are going absolutely bananas for some mediocre (at best) guitar playing.

Gave me some serious existential Tuesday think and loved every minute of it.

Some pretty abysmal singing and writing, one extra star for the instrumental track which was actually pretty good.

Howard: I'll tell you how it works, right? I took a note, sawtooth wave, right off this pantomime four, ran it back here, re-jammed it through itself, looped it back, mixed it with the sound of this crab committing suicide, and let it stew in its own reverb for about three hours, right? And then I pump it all out through this shoe, to give it that oaky timbre.

Not as good as Sign O The Times but no doubt he was a master of pop

Not bad background music except for it feeling like I was being shouted at by Hitler the entire time

Super laid back but still not a reggae fan

I'm beginning to think that there isn't a place for live albums on this list (bar a couple of exceptional exceptions to the rule).

Nothing special but never a great experience listening through YouTube

I'll stick with Willie N thanks

He's got some pretty out their ideas

Would never have a reason to come across this if not for the list. Loved it.

Honestly this was really really bad. Lay of the keyboard pls.

Such a recognisable voice on him, liked the Public Image Limited stuff

Fricken badass

So eclectic, at some points made me feel like I was in one of those dreams where you can't tell if it's a nightmare or not. Like any minute something will go wrong but it never quite does.

Not as goods Key of Life but still funky and thought provoking

As always seems the case with Sonic Youth, I'm scared and enthralled all at once

Get me a beer and a swamp boat with one of them big fuck off propellers on the back STAT

The main knows how to change a key

The fiddle in one of the closing tracks was the nail in the coffin for me

Massive trip, a strong contender for the definition of cool conversation/argument

Fond memories of mother dearest

Better than expected

Heaps of familiar tunes and had to double check if Satisfaction was actually a Stone's original. Who wrote/who covered what gets confusing around this period.

Varied enough to not sound same same like some of its contemporaries and retain my interest.

My knowledge of Kid Rock extends to that episode of the Simpsons and his appearance at Woodstock'99 so this was a highly anticipated listen. "Set up an escort service (for all the right reasons)" has to be one of the best clarifying statements in music history. There is so so much wrong with this yet I can't help but wiggle my finger over the five for reasons I can't explain. I think there are a few albums that fall into this category and at this point it's actually far rarer to get a one from me than it is to get a five.

Incredible record

Despite my initial fears of this having too much bongo to handle, I actually found myself wanting/needing more bongo from the Incredible Bongo Band. This is a 5/5 instrumental covers record on its own but the bongos really bring this into a whole new world. Most of this could easily be used as the soundtrack to a paradoy Tarantino film. I would also like to hear it substituted for the original Dirty Harry soundtrack - I reckon that would fit very well.

I'm sure I'd enjoy this in a live setting with a whiskey sour in hand but right now I'm mowing the yard and this is not getting me in the mower zone

Beautiful stuff, would love to hear Groove Armada get there hands on this a la At the River.

Seems like they're stuck in limbo between an early and late 60s sound. Not all together bad but a bit confusing.

Yeah MAMMA. This had the makings of a five star-er 30 seconds into the opening track. Immediate toe tapper. It's all happening; ride cymbal over piano solo, key changes, big sax, punchy horns. I expected way more vocals after the first track but that sax absolutely sings in its own right. 8 Counts for Rita is a certified screamer - would love to be standing in the front row aggressively pointing for more shred.

The song I loved most on this album was actually the Wilco song that auto played after the closing track.

Fricken Jeff Beck all over that solo in Lookin for Another Pure Love, gotdamn. Do it Jeff. Never has an instrument been played with more feel than that clav on superstition. He does love what ever it is that makes you sound like your in the opening sequence of an 80s family sitcom. Whatever he's doing with the timing on Blame it On the Sun makes me feel all types of things. Just realised I've been listening to it on shuffle, only the second time I've done it in almost 600 albums, not an ideal one to do it on though. This man IS music.

Something weirdly moving about this. His voice is hypnotic. I loved his vocal accompaniment to the trumpet in Maybe the People. The little spurts/shreds/shouts/injections of electric guitar over the primarily acoustic is such an effective attention keeper. This feels like an album that's had some heavy influence on contemporary indie. Interesting point that they were one of the first racially diverse bands of the 60s. You can definitely see/hear it when you compare this release to their later work on Real to Real - Be Thankful for What You've Got has been a long time favourite song of mine and I had no idea that their earlier releases were so folk aligned.

Hard to get the flight of the Conchords episode out of my head when listening to this. Never has a glockenspiel been played more earnestly. I really like it but it seems to be the epitome of what post irony was challenging. I think post irony feeds into the definition of cool conversation. Let's talk more. Ultimately five stars for being one of my favourite album titles of all time.

Too much 80s for me thanks, terrible mix didn't help

Youve really gotta be in the right mood for it

Not gunna lie the Leonard Cohen/Nick Cave double up got pretty tough. Important for both to focus attention more on the story being told than the music being played.

The Woodstock 99 documentary has scarred me

Still have trouble connecting with the boss man. He lost me when he started going world in World's Apart. Not for me. All starts sounding the same.

https://youtu.be/_b8O_zfN_eE

Very tidy but nothing mind blowing

Krautrock ya. Bloody all over the place in a good way. Giggy Smile was especially great, especially the way it stops dead into the next track - the talking actually scared the shit out of me. Some pretty out there sounds all over it.

Sounds like a precursor to a lot of my favourite bands/genres. Strong lead guitar, campy vocals, absolute demon on the bass, solid spurts of organ. Verging on post punk I guess. A few allusion to what was to come from the 80s. Actually yeah very post punk. I'm super familiar with Peaches but I have no idea why - sounds so much like it could be a song by Shame. Bit of a powerhouse album as you get into the second half. Love the heavy guitar/bass being offset by the organ and sax - eg Down in the Sewer. Bit of a grower but it really winds out nicely. Fk me it just keeps getting stronger at Go Buddy Go.

Got a bit lost in this one TBH, couldn't get a feel for where they were trying to takee

Can't get past the sickly sweetness of pre 60s white person rock

Potentially interesting but not enough to pay more attention to it

Everyone now and then I come across an album that has it, and this has got it. Not much more to be said aside from the fact that I loved the cover of Heaven especially the big sax. Jericho has got some serious attitude to it. A very good obviously 80s album that never gets "too" 80s (thanks to a very heavy soul or something influence). I also love that in this case I am absolutely zero influenced by prevailing opinion cause I've never even heard of him. I actively avoid preconceptions as a hard rule for all these albums but in reality they sneak in every now and then - here is a pure unadulterated love of a record.

Have always tried to get this album but have never been able to fully arrive at the place everyone else talks about. I just can't seem to connect with it like I feel like a should (which is most likely the issue in the first place)

Big jazz for a Sunday morning

Not for me thanks

This needed a bit of time to settle in but holy moly it's worth preserving. Big Presidents of the US, Beck, kinda chaotic QOTSA, Dave Graney energy.

Boring, too long and just a bit shit

Less this more Odelay

Does what it says on the label

Excellent timing for this considering I just bought a Best of Temptations album from a $2 record fair at a local classical radio station in Coorparoo.

Immediate five stars for Paradise City alone as it's one of the great air steering wheel drum/air guitar/highway vocal tracks of all time. There is a looottt of dodgy filler in here though that would've hurt it otherwise.

Strong Saturday arvo situation

Started off interesting but was wishing for a swift end about halfway through.

Bit too much for me

Pretty solid live album which is a rarity for this list. Still not a massive fan of his voive but the band carry him well here

Five stars for the outro on My Friend If Misery, what a fricken heater.

They claim to be the unrecognised forefathers of dark 80s synth pop but all I hear is Iggy. Still relatively interesting to listen to.

Never disappoints

A perfectly constructed dream

Big beautiful groove

Pretty serious jazz over here mumma mia

Had the makings of a five star somewhere in there but never found jt

Such a fierce voice

Not so my thing but nice enough to listen to

Needs a very specific time and place but once you find the right mood it completely takes you over.

Ultimate party album to keep things moving in the right direction. Don't even mind some of the long track run times

Kind of interesting but absolutely no need for it to be on this list. Father John Misty vibe to it.

Supreme cooking music

One of the great album titles. Music was a bit of a let down though I did love a few of the demo tracks.

Beautiful voice but nothing musically mind blowing

Watch her documentary

Love this big sprawling guitar rock - one of my favourite genres/styles of all time. Something distinctly late 70s Australian sounding about them too, assume that The Saints et al were influenced by these blokes/this sound.

Wow. Can't believe I've never thought to listen to this album considering how much of a staple Smooth Operator is in Ric's. What a masterpiece. So much big sax.

Another one of dads best of albums that got a lot of air time on road trips. Their debut didn't have any recognisable tracks but it was way more post punk than I've heard from the before.

Another one whose rating I'm sure won't have faired well off first-track impressions. Also another one that has a lot to give if you let it settle in for a couple of tracks. Need to think of a term for these albums, have something about a troll at the bridge where riches abound if you get past him and to the other side. I'll get back to you.

Flipping heck this is like getting punched in the face by pop. The vocal ticks and staccato verge on the disturbing at some points. Whole thing was unnerving

Can't go wrong with a few power chords and a Ramonian twang. Can't do anything very interesting either though unfortunately.

Ginger Baker an absolute and literal (if the documentaries are to be believed) mad man. What a performance by both of them. Incredible live album and definitely one to listen to again.

Saharan shredders unite.

I believe we've come across the only artist on this list that I can say this for - I have been on stage and played a song from this album to an audience (in my grade nine Big Band). The song was Splanky and I even busted out a sax solo.

An absurd proudness washes over me knowing that this was coming out of my river city homeland at such a pivotal moment in heavy guitar rock/punk history. Same when I think about what the Cosmic Psychos were doing. What an outrageously excellent album. No, Your Product sounds exactly like The Strokes could've released it on Room on Fire. I can see how the horns would not have been well received at the time but they hold up beautifully in the world of today's post punk

I was hoping for more tbh, the overall feel is there but doesn't hit the mark I wanted. Loved Ambition though

Feel like it gets a bit lost by the end but such a strong start with a LOT of big tunes.

Is it just me or does it sound like the drumming is missing something?

Can't say I didn't try.

Like a carnival ride that just keeps on spinning around and around and around and around and around and all you want to do is get off and so you try and make eye contact with the carnie but he's not looking and it just keeps going around and around and all the people around you look like they're having fun and you can't understand why and it keeps on going arou-

Listened three times over and still have no idea what to say or where to start.

Sort of dissonant/dark britpop that I kind of like. A couple of big classics that bump it up to a 4/5.

Straight forward rock tunes that are elevated by some serious attitude and incredible voice.

Loved the twist in Travelling Man. Super entertaining and her voice is absolutely one of a kind. Also liked that it was short and sharp.

Although possibly one of the worst openers in musical history, this wound out incredibly well. The mans love a walk up (and down) the fret board - outrageous guitar playing.

Anthony Bourdain music

Bel Air was very very Radiohead.

Fuck yes - big fat riffs, pedal boards the size of football fields and that weird mic distortion filter - the yard stick for the frenetic early 2000s indie rock golden years. Possibly the first recorded example of someone using the term "send it" in Die, All Right!. Also think this is the first compilation album I've come across - interesting distribution method to break into the market.

Sounds counter intuitive but it lacks a lot of the soul I was expecting. Kind of verging on soundtrack levels. Not necessarily a bad thing, but not what I was looking for.

Pop masterpiece. Love that it never floats into any of the tacky aspects of the 80s. His shredding gives it such a perfect edge (not mention some of the raunchy subject matter).

Full of 70s era psychedelia without any of the elements of dissonance common for that time. It drives on and on but never ceases to be beautiful and uplifting. One criticism would be that there are quite a few parts that sound verrryy Stone Roses. Not necessarily a bad thing but I did have to check who came first (SR by a few years). They're a bloody consistent bunch too, have been steadily releasing for a solid 30 years now.

How about it for Sam Cook, ladies and gentlemen. A perfectly executed live album. although not the tightest musical performance in places, the control he exercises over the crowd and his bandmates is an absolute masterclass.

😳 Throwing in an extra star on the assumption that they pioneered something.

A good one to apply me newly developed ambient/psy/experimental electronica rating check which I formally dubbed the Doof Decision; that is, would I stop if I were to walk past this going off in the psy trance tent. Answer - yes. Result - 5 stars.

Most likely the strongest start to any album in history yet somehow it's not even close to the strongest track on the album, unbelievable. He wasn't necessarily doing anything new but holy molet he was doing everything right. Like a pure synthesis of every single genre that ever existed to that point reflected right back at us through some kind of beautiful perfection filter. Beautifully arranged, expertly mixed and mastered. Every song could have gone on for an extra 2 or 3mins on top of their already longer than usual run time and I wouldn't have cared. Too much more to be said. Five stars is the universe's most outrageous understatement.

Simultaneously dark, brooding and incredibly energetic. Another one that our Amsterdam Air BnB host had in the collection which was my first foray into the weirdly attractive complexity that is The Smiths. Fucken downer closing track but that's Morrissey for ya.

A terriblely good example of how bad the 80s could get when it really tried. Less this and more Sparks please and thank you. Have come to the unfortunate realisation that Don't You Want Me Baby was a fluke, and on reflection (or at least in the context of it's album) not a very good song in the first place.

Definitely way more purposeful and sharp than I expected.

The ultimate Saturday morning album

Haha this was unexpectedly awesome. Very familiar with Lovefool as a go to party starter/catalyst but it was so good listening to it in the context of the album (also a bit of a depresso tune when you really listen). Super nice song structure, beautiful little guitar licks and the Black Sabbath cover was perfect little treat toward the end to keep things interesting. The transition from tune to tune was masterclass too. Based on the album radio would love to explore this little pocket of the late 90s way more.

I fear I may have been a little too harsh on Bono in my previous U2 reviews for 2 reasons 1) after listening to him on Smartless I realised that I have misjudged his character and 2) this album was very good. Bullet The Blue Sky was a massive tune.

Every time I get an Elvis album my expectations are always so much lower than they should be, to the point I almost dread listening. But then as soon as it comes on I'm absolutely blown away. The man was so incredibly talented. Only just recently watch the Baz Lurhman flick too which helps, I really hope his life wasn't as sad as it's made out to be and if it's to be believed I really wish we could've seen what Elvis was capable of creatively without the constraints of Vegas and his C word manager. Also Blue Moon is straight up psychedelic.

Incredible sunday arvo nu dad rock. Loved the Dave Brubeck nod.

He's no Willie. Fricken excellent country music name though.. GOTDANG MURL I TOLD YE TO SHUT THE GOTDANG DOOR

Diese verrückten Deutschen sind wieder dabei, ja. Sie lieben die Synthesizer-Musik und sie lieben das gesprochene Wort über Euro Rail und Mirrors so sehr. Bringt mich dazu, mit meinen Händen vor meinem Gesicht abstrakt zu tanzen.

No doubt he's got incredible skills but fuck it's so dark. Way too dark for a Monday anyway.

I think I sometimes have trouble getting past things that are too earnest. No denying the incredible guitar playing and equally perfect voice. Does earnest = bland?

For such a strong and promising start to ultimately descend into the sonic hell scape that is honky tonk country is just such a travesty. God I fucking loathe the fiddle. All albums should start with a spoken introduction though.

Second wu tang/affiliate experience in as many weeks. Has the same dark energy issue I can't get around

Nah

It's like the first few tracks are purposely there to challenge you - participants willing to navigate their way through the dense thicket of dissonance and buried-im-the-mix vocal tracks are supremely rewarded for their efforts from Drive In Saturday onward, as the undergrowth makes way for a beautifully complex, expansive, uplifting, funny, shred (and sax) filled savannah of joyousness. The energy he brings to some of these tracks is unbelievable, particularly Time and Let's spend the night together.

Fucking hell I love Brian May for this, absolute 100% glam shred perfection. Honourable mention to the one shot cowbell in Misfire. I've been pretty generous with the five stars lately but this is a no brainer

Hillbilly Talking Heads

Scrappy but tight. Very little ego or need to prove anything to anyone, seems like they're all being pretty authentically themselves. Otha Fish is max relax, Quinton's on his way is the most feel good hip hop album skit of all time. Passing Me By is one of the all time great hip hop tracks. Pack the pipe got a bit dark but came straight back with Return of the B-Boy. Ya mamma's got a hairy tongue.

Goodness me another obvious and unavoidable five star. A thing of undisputed beauty.

Fairly underwhelming but was likely ahead of its time genre-wise.

Beautifully sprawling

Can someone check on Trent please.

I'm sure there's something to be said about the foundations of glam but who really needed it anyway

If GZA and Raekwon were too abrasive, LL Cool J is the polar opposite. This is boring as bat shit. Literally nothing of interest happened in the entire 1hr 6min (way too long also).

I'm too under qualified to explain why this album is so good but one thing I do know is that Blackbird could be the best song ever written.

Roundabout is obviously a powerhouse of a tune. Rest of the album is a bit too much. Strong closing track though.

Bit sickly sweet but not as bad as LL Cool J. Fkn great example of my favourite bell sound in Smile On. WOAH alright came out of nowhere with the verging on 90s trance break, me likey. Ooft coming in real nice with Groove is in the Heart - one of the ultimate Rics tunes. Hard not to give it a five just because of that. Never fully appreciated Q Tip in it either, possibly a perfectly constructed song. Alright this went from what I thought was going to be all sickly sweet to deep, dark, dirty and weird ver quickly and I loved it. Build the Bridge is some real out there shit.

Enter through the gift shop styles, despite its flaws a scene and time I would love to have experienced. I'll have to be content in the fact that I at least got to edit the html of my 2007 MySpace page from a little Brisbane bedroom.

Didn't realise the extent of Kanye's involvement in this. Also very obviously where 360, Pez, Seth etc jacked a lot of their style.

Hate his voice

Kinda cool, weird, camp etc. If INXS are the my yardstick for the epitome of good 80s music then these guys get relatively close. Can hear some NIN and QOTSA too.

Shit, meant to use my INXS yardstick quip here instead of L'Eau Rouge. What ever I'll say it again: If INXS are the my yardstick for the epitome of good 80s music then these guys get relatively close. Everybody Wants to Rule the World is a cracking tune. Also not on this album but the video of Curt Smith doing Mad World with his daughter is one of the best things on the internet.

I was looking forward to this due to loving Koze, Avalanches etc but didn't really hit the spot.

Get me a beer and a ciggie immediately. Such a perfectly simple but supremely cool album title to go with such simple and supremely cool set of songs. Love how loose the live version of La Grange is.

Dre's funky verging on playful production juxtaposed with the abhorrently violent, at points hilarious, tighter than two coats of paint lyricism makes for one outrageously entertaining listen. I feel the fact that the National Library of Congress have deemed it culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant gives me brief licence to eschew (bless you) any misgivings regarding the violent sexism common of (almost) all hip hop of the day and fully appreciate it as probably one of the most entertaining hip hop albums of all time.

An abomination of 80s pop/glam/metal not for me-ness

Honestly didn't get through all of this one due to the spitting the dummy with the YouTube ads. Bit too arty and shit for my liking though.

Although it didn't hit the full on fat riff Friday energy I expected/hoped for today this is still some seriously good straight up rock music. That guitar tone is soo so clean. Loses a star for getting a bit repetitive on side B. Needed way more All the Cows to keep things interesting. Watershed is a pretty powerhouse track, very derivative (in a good way), just in case you weren't sure if they tick the required rock boxes. Exhausted is an excellent closer and great example of the clean guitar tone, Good Grief was the other. On reflection it might now be repetitive as such, just includes a couple of filler tracks that ultimately disrupt the energy of it all.

Probably the best opening track of all time, imagine coming home with that record under your arm in 1968 and spinning it for the first time, yowza. Pretty much just a solid blues album at the end of the day though, certainly weren't doing anything new by that point. Loses a star for the fkn fiddle in Factory Girl and the tacky closing track

Definitely didn't hit me like the first album of his I heard from this list.

Nah not for me

A surprisingly heart felt album when listened to in the right context

Pretty solid, didn't give star blow me away though.