The sparse arrangements really let his melodic genius shine through. Truly the master of melancholic understatement.

Sonic Youth are, and always will be, better than your band.

Not my favourite Dylan album, but holds a lot of magic. So self-assured and pure. Hard Rain has been a huge influence. Don't Think Twice is one of my favourite love songs ever.

Some of the all-time best pop songwriting of all-time. Lovely and gentle lovely Paul. I love it, so sue me.

When this first appeared it must have sounded like the most mental thing ever. The meticulous technical effort seems normal now, but still feels exciting.

Has some nostalgic impact, but just TOO polished to mean anything.

Pure distilled passion and energy. Colourful arrangements, meandering and beautiful. (Although I would love to hear the original Jamaican pressing)

An album that I have loved since I first heard it. The kind of music that either has a personal connection with people or doesn't. Not groundbreaking or earth-shattering, but has an ability to mainline emotion (even if through artifice), which is impressive. Also, will possibly be one of the last complete "albums" in the age of the album.

Tight, chunky, sanitised, aggression. The songs are perhaps a little too meandering, too long, and too self-indulgent, but some great moments.

The more blues-rocky numbers are a bit boring to me, but still cool as fuck.

The kind of party we all want to go to. Love Fogarty's voice, and the choogle is king.

Just New York being cool as fuck again. Young, dumb and full of... you know... ;). Simultaneously deliberate and ramshackle, which makes it intoxicating.

A bit daft, overly naïve, and overly "English". Most of the songs do very little for me, partly because they are so much of their time. "Two Sisters" is nice, but the message of it is reductive and a little misogynistic. "Situation Vacant" sounds pretty cool.

Very pleasant, but I am not very literate in Bossa Nova. Stan Getz's sax sound is so soft and warm like a hug. It was difficulty for me to not let this become background music (I blame Muzak).

Uplifting and joyful

Not my favourite Dylan album, but holds a lot of magic. So self-assured and pure. Hard Rain has been a huge influence. Don't Think Twice is one of my favourite love songs ever.

Oh Kurt. Reminds me of listening to this a lot as a teenager. Some of the songs are not as enjoyable in this setting, but there are some moments of brilliance.

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3 the best

This is the kind of Cure that I like, not so much the more new-wavey stuff. This albums feels like it came from resentment and pain. Gleefully miserable. Also more experimental than I was expecting, which was pleasing.

Lovely textures. Was very much the kind of thing I wanted to hear in 2008! Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver still stands out as a powerful song.

Weirdly, I never knew of the existence of this before (despite knowing Adamson's work). Some interesting ambience. Disturbing and creepy, but sometimes becomes a bit hackneyed. Some amazing production work. A bit like a classic noir / Hitchcock soundtrack as presented in the mind of someone genuinely disturbed.

Not as good as Remain in Light, but still absolutely banging. A lot of fun, but I prefer the later stuff when they had found their stride more. Enjoyably wonky, has no doubt influenced the way I look at music.

Bluesy rock and roll. Not really my cup of tea, a little boring. They manage to turn Louie Louie into a yawnfest, which is an achievement in itself.

Is it good? Who knows? It's sort of like discussing whether Homer's Odyssey is good. Feels a little overproduced, but buried underneath is a pure soul in torment. I've never been a huge fan of throwback music.

Joyful and colourful. Has some proto-ambient vibes in it's "sounds-of-the-rainforest" textures. Shades of some of my favourite sixties pop.

Julian Cope is a rad dude. Some great riffwork in this, and nice guitar tones. The whole album just feels very... tense. Paranoiac pop grooves. I don't know how much acid was floating around when they recorded (I think a lot), but there is something very bad-trippy about the songwriting. Love "strange house in the snow".

I always forget that I like Elvis Costello. Peppy and fun, nerdy yet also dumb. Pump It Up is one of my fave pop songs I think?

A charisma explosion, Memphis style. Some great production and songwriting, but ultimately, it is THAT VOICE that stands out. Power of My Love is sexy as all hell.

Incredible musicianship, but also pretty fun. They seem to be really luxuriating in playing together. Makes me miss playing music in a band with other people. Nice brass. Free Form Guitar is badass.

A reminder that Marley is as important as a religious figure as he is a musical figure. Love the production and bass playing.

Not really my type of thing, but Honey has a cool squelchy bass line. I actually enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would.

Let's fucking party! Lo-fi and wild, and Janis sounds amazing. Great fun all round.

Tttrriiiipppppyyyyy. "Decline of the hippy era" is becoming one of my favourite genres. Famous friends actually lift the album, when sometimes the opposite can happen. Lovely acoustic open string tone.

The song Hotel California always felt a bit too earnest and pompous for me. Pretty boring.

Has some lovely moments, but the production isn't doing much for me. I'm struggling to grasp onto the emotional core of the songs. Some great choruses though, especially in the big hits. Also "Where you lead" makes me think of Gilmore Girls which is always nice.

Glacial and sparse, which is nice. The production feels a little forced though. I struggled at first but grew into the album and quite enjoyed it.

Lovely to hear James sing.

Relentless power. Feels so frenetic and dangerous. Makes me happy that music like this exists. The solo at the end of Jesus Saves is a thing of beauty.

So colourful and fun. Very enjoyable pop music. Love the hits, but drags a bit during the "filler". Bingo Bango <3. Stop 4 Love is also a really nice tune.

Production feels a little too soft and the album sort of bumbles along without leaping out in the way it probably wants to. Lyrics are pretty trite. Buried in the album are some more interesting moments (like the end of Freedom Train). Most tracks feel like watered down rip-offs of much better songs - a classic Christian rock mood.

Good time seventies rock fun! The right side of prog. Feels electric, and makes me miss playing live music. I love how wild and untamed it is.

Pretty formative for me, this one. It was when I first realised that rock music can tell stories (and as a nerdy kid that loved books but wanted to be cool this was transformative). Yes it's pretentious and pompous at points, but so am I.

At the height of their powers. Such an enjoyable album! Freaky and wavy and odd, but also just lovely pop rock songs. I have overlooked the lyrics before, but there is some great stuff in there.

Some of the all-time best pop songwriting of all-time. Lovely and gentle lovely Paul. I love it, so sue me.

So far ahead of its time. The first musical masterpiece of the digital age? Everything seems to come so naturally to him. Just IMAGINE having this much talent. Scary.

Wire don't muck about. It's crazy that this came out in 1977. Way way ahead of its time. I wish I could be this economical.

Sounds pretty cool, but then I am not very jazz literate so don't really know what to say about this.

So much passion in the vocals. Some nice grooves, but the production sometimes feels a little forced, and makes the whole thing sound a little sappy.

Despite how much of a behemoth the title track is, this album has a number of pretty great songs on it. Pretentious high concept nonsense before it was cool. Phil Spector sort of ruins it a bit though. I quite like that it is pretty angry and political but really just sounds like a pleasant pop album. I really love Oh Yoko.

Reminds me of youth. When Jack White was at the height of his powers - excellent choruses and hooks.

Some amazingly heavy moments, and gets pretty trippy at points as well. Disorienting and emotive, but it feels pretty organic. I'm generally not a fan of Chris Cornell's singing, which puts me off a bit. This album features possible the best example of spoons-playing in rock, which has to give it bonus points.

Strange and uplifting. Sometimes becomes a bit meandering and I lose focus. Nonetheless, presses a lot of my buttons. Love the chaotic drum energy.

Take me back to Nashvillle right now. Lush with the kind of pathos and grit that all of favourite country music shows. Real characters in profound circumstances. Pure songwriting magic.

Blur really are a pretty unique band. Great big gold nuggets of pop, it feels incredibly full of poise for a second album.

I had never listened to Rush before this. I now know that I don't like Rush.

Nico <3 Lou Reed <3 John Cale <3 Moe Tucker <3 Sterling Morrison <3. Perfect in its naivete, purity, experimentalism, tonal painting. Just perfect. The world of sound would be a lesser place without the existence of this album.

Do you want a hug, Gene? Really gorgeous and open country-rock. Winter In is superb.

Some nice bouncy pop-punk but mostly doesn't really grab me.

An album I've been very fond of for a while now. Prine for me is a songwriter that transcends his genre, and connects with something primal and human. Lovely stuff. If country music is the music of the people, then there's none more country than this.

The sparse arrangements really let his melodic genius shine through. Truly the master of melancholic understatement.

Immaculate. Fun and profound. Silly and epic. Love

Judas!

Classic weepy country. Loretta Lynn was such a badass. I can't help it, I love it.

Fun folky psychedelic pop, but ultimately feels like a sanitised and glossy version of Incredible String Band. Give me ISB any day. Some of the song are great - painter of women has some great vibes, and the cover of Nine Pound Hammer has something to it.

Don't even need to stick this on to know it's a five. More if it was allowed. Not even his best album, but still holds many moments of transcendent beauty.

Wonky and angular are not words I normally associate with Brian Eno, but here we are. Showing his abilities as a master of soundscape even at this early stage. It's always nice to hear music with a sense of humour.

I love Emmylou, but this early noughties "country goes modern" shtick is particularly cloying. The whole thing feels just a bit too floaty and forgettable.

R&B, but sort of transcends genre convention. Inventive arrangements and feels very personal. Profound and groovy, which is a hard balance to strike!

No, it's all true.

Power thrash from my childhood. I suppose this music is part of my DNA, so it's hard for me to not enjoy it.

Transcendent music from an alien mind.

Epic soul adventures, explorations of song. Disgustingly self-assured, and sexy as fuck.

Pop that comes from jazz. Some very enjoyable melodic turns. Sir Duke is one of the most joyful pop songs out there. For every brilliant song, there is an equally boring song.

Weird songwriting, yet impossibly cool. The lyrics are a masterpiece of tonality. Some of the hooks and melodies are to die for. I have to realise that one of the ways I judge an album is if I want to party with the band. I definitely want to party with Television.

Powerful primal proto punk. Feels like the band is literally on fire, screaming in the bowels of hell. All live albums should be like this.

A modern folk touchstone. Those pipes!

When Paul Simon lost his mind, in the most glorious possible way. Conceptually rich, but not trite or pompous in the way that some concept albums can be. I'm not sure anyone has a command of melody quite like Paul Simon.

Bangin and iconic.

Brutal but surprisingly groovy. Progenitor of so much I love.

When this first appeared it must have sounded like the most mental thing ever. The meticulous technical effort seems normal now, but still feels exciting.

Upbeat pop with enough of a wink and a nod to stop it becoming grating. The decision to consciously make muzak for the pop charts is quite a mad one, and you've gotta respect that. Still, not really my kind of thing.

Wonky, tremulous, unnerving. I love how Siouxsie's voice sounds like it is trapped halfway between demented and distraught. Perfectly anxious and paranoid post-punk.

Lovely John and lovely Midlake. Lovely electro-pop at the end.

So much aggression and passion. The voice of disenfranchised youth, a time capsule for a specific cultural moment.

So much groove and energy. I feel like I need to spend a lot more time with this to really unlock it. It's certainly pretty weird.

Is this proto-proto-punk? Chaotic, passionate, joyful, the dream of the post-war world. Another fantastic live album that captures what is best about live music.

An enjoyable blast from the past!

Cinematic and dense. I need to listen to this again, I feel like I missed so much. The beats just felt so groovy and vital as well.

Has some moments that I enjoyed, but after a while it just becomes MOR white noise. Some cool production moments. However, it sometimes feels like a cynical attempt to cash in on Bowie's Berlin era majesty, just with none of the white-hot creativity.

Not as good as Loveless, but still has some very cool sounds and weirdness. Like walking through an icy wood at dusk.

The kind of music that makes you feel 1,000 feet tall. Wise, funny, self-referential and heavy.

It's nice to see kids music making the cut, but this doesn't really do much for me as an adult.

Neil is the absolute best at making songs that are beautiful heart-rending pop songs, and then playing them with a punk rock spirit. It sounds like they are having great fun.

Has not really aged well, and generally just feels a bit daft. Still, Jump is kind of fun in a kitsch way. Okay but actually I'm enjoying it :(.

Post-colonial coffee shop world music at its best. A lovely peaceful way to start the day, but feels a bit cringey at points.

Some good queer fun, but sounds very dated. I can't stand Karma Chameleon. Most of the other tracks are pretty forgettable.

Pathos and joy in equal measures, this voice could lift a mountain. Moments of transcendence, especially Holilili.

5 out of 5, every time. David is God.

I love Rod's singing voice, but the songs don't do much for me. The acousticy sound just doesn't really work with his rock and roll style IMO. Gets better when he lets the guitar do a folky-thing and leans into the direction.

Treads the line between profound and trite, mostly on the right side. Some very passionate and beautiful moments, not least of which being Nothing Compares.

Sweet and gentle, deeply charming songs with hidden depths.

Dumb glam that doesn't really go anywhere or do much interesting. A couple of fun hooks

A masterclass in collage sampling, but sometimes doesn't get further than being the sum of its parts. 3

A glorious epitaph.

That organ sound! Thin, fruity, and flows so well over the grooves. Very enoyable, and lyrically interesting. The bluesier numbers feel cool as fuck. L'America is a JAM. The rhodes piano on Riders on the Storm is a great example of Manzarek's lightness of touch and melodic ear.

The Witch is one of the creepiest songs of all time and I GOSHDARN LOVE IT. The Sonics have to be one of the coolest bands of the sixties. Love Gerry Roslie's maniacal rasp as well. I start to lose interest a bit when they cover the Rock n' Roll standards.

Sonic Youth are, and always will be, better than your band.

Some interesting production lifts this album beyond just another Smiths album.

I love you Grandpa Tom. Not my favourite of his albums, but still contains enough mercurial magic to keep me delighted from start to finish. Lovely jazz-stand-up meanderings that show off his sharp mind. Still, wish it had a few more actual songs.

Oh boy oh boy what a set of pipes. The old romantic in me can't resist some of the tunes.

Evocative, and very pretty. Some great subtle textures. She's So is gorgeous and warm and is a nice cuddle.

This vintage hip-hop thing is not really my type of thing.

Mysterious secrets of the rave. Minimalism, experimentalism, and classic techno collide. Conceptually rich, diverse and epic.

So many classic tunes, and such weird songwriting. Jerry is a truly unique mind. Sounds like one of the funnest bands to be in. The guitar solo on candyman is one of the most beautiful things ever.

Mannish boy is so powerful - an absolutely timeless song (albeit slighty problematic - but is it ironic? This version seems to imply so). Some blistering recordings here!

Enjoyable jangly pop, and I kind of get what Ray was doing with all the social observation stuff. When the album takes a step back and becomes more subtle it is more enjoyable to me - e.g. Rainy Day in June.

Has some interesting and peculiar moments, but doesn't really grab me. I feel I would need to listen a few more times before I really get it. Feels like it owes a lot to Ray Davies.

Not terrible, but not really my jam.

Fluid and delightfully arranged. Some very pleasant melodic phrasing. Joe Zawinul's solos are ethereal and vibrant - classy stuff.

Very fun ambient exotica, immaculately produced and with great tunes. A warm bath of an album.

Very cool. A party I definitely want to be part of.

It's pretty wild how stuff like this was able to come together and sound so fun. Some interesting new-wavey bits. A real hybrid record bringing together lots of disparate things. Some of the soul songs feel a bit like filler, but this album marked a cultural transition, so it can be forgiven.

Pure songwriting and arranging magic. Love letting this album swarm all around me.

Masterful pop melodies, and delightful slice of life songwriting. Sometimes gets a bit cloying. Also basically a Ray Davies / Paul McCartney rip-off.

Wiggly jazzy fun.

Solid gold pop bangers. The kind of "don't give a fuck" pop music that feels very 2020s.

Perfect heartbreaking pop melodies.

I'm a real sucker for blue rainy crooning like this.

Isn't it too dreamy?

For better or worse, this album is tattooed on my brain.

I like the Albini production, and the bits where it goes a bit more weird e.g. Milk It and Scentless Apprentice.

Squally! Not my favourite Pixies album, but has enough fun and weird moments to hold my interest.

Groovy and a little bit gnarly. Yes I am IN TO this. Party funk rock! (I am also a sucker for a nice cuica)