Shiiiiiiit. If this gonna be that kinda party, I’m gonna stick my dick in the mashed potatoes.

Important? Sure. Historical? Yes. Fun to listen to? No.

When I listen to Nick Drake, I can feel my brain expanding. I’d give it seven stars out of five if I could.

Yup. I unapologetically love it. I didn’t realise it was a love letter to the new romantic movement of the 80s. I love it even more.

I am 1/3 of the way through this list. There has been no Pearl Jam, no Snoop Dogg, no Alice in Chains, no Soundgarden, no Stone Temple Pilots, no Tool and yet I have to stomach third-tier BritPop garbage that sounds like Blur on clonazepam? No, man, no.

Wow. I didn’t realise how Rush-like Genesis really was. Very Jethro Tull influenced. I dug it.

Awesome. It does sound like all of 80s smooth jazz ripped this sound off, though.

It’s not my favourite Beatles album, but it’s fine. It prompted me to ask the question, though “Who Recorded it First?” for a few of the tracks.

Excellent. A bit repetitive to some tracks.

Amazing. I can hear all of New Wave and Techno in their trailblazing synthesisers.

How is this album 25yrs old? How is it so good and I’ve only heard 2 songs on it? HOW????

Love love love love.

Eh. Not my cup of hallucinogenic tea, but an interesting listen.

I had never heard of them. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I had to walk through a rain storm while I was listening to this album. The rhythm helped me keep my pace in turbo

Where is 6 stars? Duran Duran took notes from this album.

That was fun. Again? Nah.

So many gems in that album. Loved the re-listen. Definitely from my youth.

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. Love the re-listen.

Lovely. Love steady rock steady be steady.

I had no clue this album existed. So jangly and grungy. Love Elvis Costello.

I was completely oblivious to this album but damn does that Alison Goldfrapp song some moodymusic.

So good. I’ve never listened to the whole album. And now I have, and feel richer for it.

I prefer London Calling but I can see how this zinged everyone in 1977.

I love Freedom ‘90 but I didn’t enjoy the rest of the album. I thought that it painted an HIV-affected picture, though.

Shiiiiiiit. If this gonna be that kinda party, I’m gonna stick my dick in the mashed potatoes.

All day Phife and Tip. 5 foot Cypher and the Abstract. Love love love the Young Zulu Nation.

It definitely brought me back to a place and a time in my life but I’m not sure I wanted to be there.

He seemed like a shit person but I really liked the funky-ass album. Don’t emulate your heroes, kids.

What the f——-? Mind blowing guitar solos. Like Roy Rogers on acid. Loads of fun but I don’t think I’ll be listening to it again except as mood music for my apocalyptic western RPG.

That was fun. Love Dusty Springfield.

Own it. Love it. Saw him live perform it. Damn it. On it. Fuck it. Makes it.

Kinda slow. Liked the next Wilco album more.

That was really quite excellent. Americana that I had missed.

It was good but not mind blowing.

Yeah, pretty good. Got a lot of mileage out of grungy guitars for a non-grunge band.

Classic rock is classic for a reason

When I listen to Nick Drake, I can feel my brain expanding. I’d give it seven stars out of five if I could.

Working thru it. Feels like a Metallica based James Bond soundtrack.

Singing along with every word. I had this album from its release day. Fabulous in its entirety.

It’s a testament to how transformative this album was that every time I hear The Doors, I think “1960s”.

I forgot how great this album is.

You gotta be in the right mood, but when you are, it’s magical.

I want the funk.

Eh. Apart from the 1st two songs, I wasn’t blown away.

Fun! Love the Coconut song.

That was fun. Missed Intl Women’s Day by a few but definitely in the spirit.

Meh. Not impressed. Lyrics were still witty af.

Yeah it was good. I was impressed at the straight-up blues.

So much love for this record. Just awesome.

Eh. Cover art to the album was the best part of it.

Eh. I’m bored.

Rhythm is gonna get you.

I was lucky enough to see him live in 2016, only a few weeks before he died. One of the best concerts of my life.

I was very surprised at how much I liked this.

Intriguing and innovative. Occasionally too loud to hear the singer.

Classic rock is classic. My wife would give this 10 stars.

I very much enjoyed it. Didn’t know House of the Rising Sun was a Baez jam.

I don’t care for Crosby, Stills, and Nash. I most definitely don’t care for just one of them.

Love it but I liked OK Computer more.

I am surprised that I didn’t favourite every single track on the album.

Classic rock is classic. This one felt a bit hollow by the end, though I can see the “live” appeal.

Classic rock is classic but DAMN some albums SLAP.

Had never heard of it. Really liked it.

Classic rock is classic. A bit odd.

I like it. Cant lie. I’ll listen to it again.

Didn’t really think I’d like it all that much. I was wrong.

Yes. Please. More. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Wow. And I only knew 10cc for “I’m Not in Love”. That was great!

Janis Joplin screaming out from under the rest of the band was fun, but I don’t think I’ll listen to much here again.

I was waiting the Kate Bush album. This one was not for me.

Yeah. Ok. Yeah.

Much more amazing than I have it credit for.

Liked it a lot, but I rarely feel in the mood for the blues.

I’m going to listen to this one over again.

Enjoying it a lot.

Abso loot LUV.

That was really really good. I’m surprised. I mean, Layla is a banger but there was so much good stuff on this album!

Classic rock is classic

Aw New Wave. You make my heart go Oingo Boingo.

Wow.

Coolness. But a measured taste.

It feels like the building blocks for something, but not super exciting on its own.

YES!!!!

Intriguing. Art rock ain’t my thing, but this guy’s story is amazing.

Impressed. Such excellent live sound. Better than that Frampton album.

I had no expectations. It blew me out of the water. Who are these people?

So iconic that it feels like a cliche.

I knew it was going to be good, and bad on me for not listening to it for this long, but HOT DAMN.

I’m having trouble seeing the gushing love for everything Elvis Costello. Good, yes. Mind blowing? Eh?

Enjoyable, but I don’t rate it as iconic.

Not my cup of tea, but appreciated.

I very much enjoyed the instrumental tracks. Amazing artistry.

Genius. Most of them.

Nope.

Oh my god how do I not know this album??? Fuck YEAH.

OM NOM NOM. More New Wave albums, please. OM NOM NOM.

It was good. I didn’t know The The apart from This is the Day. Fun, but very specific to the mid 80s.

Heartbreaking.

I like the Monkees. Don’t love them.

I was thinking to myself “I’ll bet there won’t be a soundtrack album on this list” but I had forgotten about this album. So bleeding good.

Fuck. No. So continues my hate affair with anything Crosby, Stills, or Nash-ish.

I’ve lived in New Zealand for 8yrs and now listened to one of the best New Zealand albums ever. Not an Aussie album.

Yes! Who? Where?

I always appreciate James Murphy. Maybe this’ll be better on a second listen-thru. I still liked it.

My favourite Beatles album. It doesn’t get much better.

Damn. I forgot how great this album is. The first album I ever purchased, as well.

Loved it. I don’t understand why they weren’t so widely regarded in the US from this album. Excellent.

So cool to hear the prototypes of my beloved grunge and garage rock. Love love alternative 80s.

Papa Was a Rollin Stone is a Magnum Opus. The rest of the album is funky good.

Hmmm. Not really impressed.

This is the kind of gem that I somehow missed along the way.

DAMN. So that’s what rock and roll is all about. Ridiculous in all the good ways.

Alt country like Devo is alt folk. Really good concept album.

Now I know where all the Beastie Boys got all those samples from.

Eh. Good. Fine. Average. Not my generation.

Ick. No.

Classic rock is classic.

Blown away by the album. That John Wayne Gacy song will haunt me.

Don’t know why elevator music from 2001 made this list.

I know exactly where was when I listened to this. Loved it.

Now I know what heroin is like. I didn’t like it.

I’m a bit mixed. I like some Elvis. I love his voice. I didn’t dig this album.

Building blocks I can see period that doesn’t mean I like the album period

Classic rock is classic but shit, yeah.

So odd. I can hear the mental illness. Wrenching and interesting.

Yeah. Ok. I’m surprised at everything Britpop but rare grunge albums.

Disturbing. Catchy! Iconic??

I’m giving it two stars for the ‘Lovefool’ song, but a one-hit wonder doesn’t make an album iconic. Feels like scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Hmm. Not my thang.

Give me melancholy Sinatra over peppy Sinatra 9 times out of 10, please.

Fun! A psychedelic circus.

Yeah, La Grange is FIRE. The rest? Somewhat smouldering….

I went through a Belle and Sebastian stage in med school. I’ll let you know when I finish it.

I always miss my Dad when I hear this album. The transformative power of music.

Meh.

Ehhh. Pass.

Golden oldies. Buddy Holly’s voice!! Wow. Liked it and forgot how much.

Eh. I don’t like psychedelia. I tried.

A living saint and a great album.

I wasn’t expecting that!

There must be some mistake here in including this album. I’d subtract a star if I could knowing that Simon’s next album was Graceland.

Classic rock is classic.

100 stars. As iconic an album as exists.

NSFW awesome

Classic rock is classic. But Eddie is fucking in heaven!

So delicate and ephemeral. It’s magic.

Eh. Drawn out proto-grunge that seemed very dated. Not bad; just not memorable. No clue how this was Pazz and Jop’s #1 album for 1990.

Classic rock is classic, but Free Bird alone is worth 10 stars.

Eh. I know why this is here but I just didn’t find it memorable.

Yeah, I don’t know. Bowie loved it, eh? Yeah, I don’t know.

So good. Owned this. So good so good so good.

Like Nick Drake before him, this was a bard unsung in his time. Truly ephemeral.

I tore thru this. I prefer Man-Machine but this album deserves 5 stars.

The album of my adolescence. 30 stars.

It’s like your misogynistic skeevy uncle in a chat room. Ick.

Very cool stuff. An audiophile’s dream.

Eh. It’s alright. Not enough for me to go out and buy it.

Reminds me of tripping on Good Old London E near the fin de siècle. Good times.

Yeah it’s ok.

That was fantastic and intimate in all the ways that the best jazz joints are.

Fuck. No.

There were bits that I liked. Iconic? No.

3 albums now 50yrs old. Each one mind blowing. An ephemeral talent never seen before or since.

Naw. Seemed disjointed. Give me neo-soul, not psychedelia-soul.

Weird! I liked. I didn’t fall over.

Better than other Dylan - I’m just not a big fan of his.

Classic rock is classic.

How did this beat out OK Computer for album of the year? How is this amazing?

Yass. Not my favourite New Order album but a goodie, to be sure.

Drummer for the Cars; bassist for Talking Heads. That’s a pretty fantastic evolution. How do I not know this band?

I was in the right mood, but I still didn’t like it a lot.

Classic rock is classic. Even this one.

I really liked that. Worth a re listen.

There are albums that suck. This is the polar opposite of that.

It’s good; don’t get me wrong.

Such earwigs. Good earwigs.

This is coming home from college and raiding my sister’s new CDs. Good vibes. Good music, too.

I played this CD until it no longer functioned. Can’t believe I forgot about all the gems on this album. 100 stars.

I’ve got a soft spot for Brazilian music. Doesn’t get much funkier, for sure.

Yeah, it’s peppy.

Classics. Building blocks of rock.

What superlative can I add that hasn’t already been said?

Yeah. That’s an album. Not my thing, but I knew girls in college who were all about it.

Interesting. Funky. Life changing? Nah.

Yeah, hunh? Easy listening is an album I must listen to before I die?

I feel bad for pissing on something from the 80s, but I just don’t get how this is iconic.

God I love Juliana Hatfield.

I was waiting and hoping for my crazy Rocksteady crew. Not disappointed.

Peppy, but not Pixies.

I’m a bigger fan of the Thin White Duke than other Bowies, but Luther Vandross was a backup singer on this album. I mean, damn.

Reminded me of my Indian friends in college.

Eh. Never understood the Dead or the love for them. Not wired to, I guess.

wow.

Aw, yeah? Hunh.

Eh. Buffalo Stance is good, but one song doesn’t make an album.

Pleasant. I don’t think I can say anything else.

That was funkin’ WILD. Gimme more dat Brasil Bop.

Classic rock is classic.

Funky, yes. I liked their 1997 album better.

Cool, Daddy-O.

Damn. Am I a Lana Del Rey fan now?

Classic rock is classic.

Damnit. Is this classic rock?? It’s still a slam-dunk 5 stars but does it have to be that long ago? Damnit.

Cool. Liked it then; like it now. Ground breaking? Nah.

Not my cup of gruel.

There’s the grunge!

This was lovely. I’m looking forward to more by her in this list.

I’ve no clue why it took me that long to listen to that. I really liked the humour in it.

Wow. I can hear most of the sample driven world of pop and hip-hop of the past few decades in this. Some of these tracks sound like they could have been made yesterday.

Very good. I’ve never delved into Leonard Cohen before but I think I’ll rectify that error.

Yasss. I owned and played this tape until it died. Loved it and never understood why they never achieved this high again.

Yeah, s’alright.

Classic rock is classic.

That was so under the radar. I listened to it twice in a row. Gotta be 5 stars

Owned this album when it came out. I remember 2002 as a blur but this was and still is a banger.

Yeah, some of it is not too cringey.

Classic rock is classic. Some of it more classic than others.

Responses to music are so subjective. This reminds me of my father, so it’s an automatic 5 stars.

Hmm. It simmered, but it never seemed to pop for me. I love my 80s so it gets some credit there. Still - it didn’t live up to the hype.

It has to be 5 stars, if it’s not 5 million. Such an album.

Me and Julio drags this one up from the mere average.

Some fun to be had here. I wouldn’t gush over it.

I can see why all the hype. Excellent.

I didn’t really enjoy it.

Classic rock is classic. That Jawbone song is a banger.

Important? Sure. Historical? Yes. Fun to listen to? No.

Never experienced this chapter of Van Morrison. I was impressed. Can’t call it classic rock cuz I’d never heard it.

It’s the Irish Flogging Mollys! Seriously, who woulda thought that McGowan would still be alive in 2021?

Questlove had it right. This thing transcended music. It’s like Brian Wilson had a secret time machine.

I wasn’t expecting that much funk. A bit too many extended guitar jams, but a good listen.

Cool! Kicky and catchy. That is all.

Funky. Tightrope is a good song helped a lot by the Outkast love. A bonus star for the crazy range of music on display.

A good listen full of pathos and swagger. Something felt missing for me.

I owned this album when it came out and felt like a bad ass for being in the know, but the album didn’t get me laid in 1996 so I’ll subtract a star.

Iconic. Nuff said.

Lovely and jangly in all the best ways. And witty! I didn’t realise the lyrics were so cunning.

Ok, I consider myself a bit of a New Wave/Punk aficionado and I knew NOTHING about this group. Never heard of them. BLOWN. AWAY. This is what I love about this list. This. So obsessed.

Classic proto-New Wave rock is classic. This is what I expected to see of Elvis Costello on this list, not the 85 other albums that I’ve seen.

911’s a Joke and Fight the Power are anthemic and I found myself bopping to a lot of this album.

I wasn’t expecting that. I really liked it. Guess I have a thing for Brazilian music.

Fcuk YEAH!!!!

I had no clue that this singer existed. This album made me silly-happy. Guess I found a new thing.

I knew nothing about this album but damn that’s some sense stuff. Very Johnny Cash-esque, and funny to hear that Cash covered some of this album. Worth a listen, but I won’t be re-listening too soon.

Sounds like Oasis on an off-day.

I owned this album. It was an ok album. Life changing? Nah.

Better than other Crazy Horse albums on this list I’ve heard. Still…

A lovely Xmas present.

Owned this album. Loved it. Don’t know why I don’t still have it but it was a totally awesome re-listen for me.

This is AMAZING music with which to get high. Like, better than anything.

Pretty cool stuff. I wish there was a 1/2 star that I could give. 3 doesn’t seem like enough; 4 seems too much. Oh well.

Hummmm. Uh. If “most accessible of their umpteen albums” is the reason to put it on the list, then does it need to be on the list?

Really good songs and some clunkers. Still, a solid album that I would give 4.5 to if it were an option.

Fun and funky. Love me some soul.

Yeah, interesting but I’m more confused by it. What did I just listen to? 2.5 stars but I’ll subtract a 1/2 star for how it left me feeling.

I’ve not taken nearly enough ecstasy to make this album more than just passable.

So grimy and gritty. And sounds so much unlike 1970.

I remember a buddy in high school putting on this album and realising that The Exorcist song actually wound up having a pleasant ending. And then hearing that Hornpipe ditty at the end. What a weird album. I’ll boost it a star for the memories.

Yeah, there’s chill and then there’s Badu chill. I found myself lulled to sleep with this one. Can’t deny the music or the soul.

Classic rock is classic. Mr Blue Sky is such a lovely song.

Yup. I unapologetically love it. I didn’t realise it was a love letter to the new romantic movement of the 80s. I love it even more.

That was entertaining! Not an everyday listen, but totally anachronistic.

Cool. Not as catchy as other Kraftwerk stuff but a bonus star for its innovation at the time.

Classic rock is classic. Also, Hot for Teacher makes me want to run through a goddamned stone wall.

There’s a Kids in the Hall sketch where a deranged record store owner tells Kevin McDonald’s character that he won’t know the Doors until he goes on a three week bender, listening to nothing but Morrison Hotel until he finds himself behind the wheel of a stolen car driving into the middle of the desert. I don’t know the Doors THAT well, but I have enjoyed listening to Morrison Hotel.

I discovered Moonlight in Vermont a month ago and thought it was a recent Willie Nelson song. Here now I find this album and realise what a jackass I am.

Wow. Raw and painful and awful and so important. I didn’t enjoy the first half; I HATED the second half and that’s why it’s so good. I need a warm bath.

I see you, 1001 albums, giving me Ice Cube on the 30th anniversary of his ‘Good Day’. Well played, well played indeed.

My heart has been broken by two girls who loved Paul Westerberg. I cannot argue with what my heart wants.

Listening to Sonic Youth sounds to me like listening to music while mowing a lawn - good music, but surrounded by an incessant droning.

Interesting. I like where it’s going but don’t know if it got where it wants to be.

Don’t do drugs, kids.

I know I’m rating it in a biased fashion, but this album is so damned beautiful, start to finish. It was my lone companion on a nighttime bus ride from Pittsburgh to Detroit circa January 2001.

It’s very obvious to me when I peaked based on the current music I owned at the time.

This was my lawn mowing cassette as a kid earning that neighbourhood coin. When I saw it on the list, I thought ‘Good, but not amazing’. Wasn’t even gonna listen - I know them all by heart - but then I listened to it. 5 stars. Bravo.

Yeah. Hmm. I want to like it. I just find it needlessly nihilistic. Crocodiles is fun. Yeah.

Hipsters of the world, unite!

Classic rock is classic. Bohemian Rhapsody is god-level.

Funky as but a bit too trippy at times.

The hype is real, yo.

This is one of those instances where the sunmative album is greater than any one individual song.

Classic rock is classic.

Knew nothing about him. Now I want know more. What a cool album.

Classic rock is classic. And face-numbing.

I never felt like a tired middle-aged man while listening to an album before. Not a pleasant experience.

I saw Goldie live in 1997. I didn’t realise that this album was so legendary, but I guess someone had to kickstart drum and bass. It’s a good listen, yeah, and so layered, but it does feel well dated.

Urrgh. Yes, Babylon is a good song but the whole album?? How is this Ireland’s best selling album of all time? Is this guy responsible for James Blunt? The horror.

Why?

Heavy on the slide whistle, but definitely the spiritual successor to Pet Sounds. I said it about that album: “Brian Wilson has a time machine.” Enjoyable.

Ahhh. Like a warm bath.

This goddamn album saw me at my smartest. It was all downhill from here.

Yeah, look, Chef, if it takes you 16min to butter your soul, isn’t it cold by that point? This album makes me wonder if all Pentecostal preachers are doing Issac Hayes impersonations in the pulpit. A star for that fun thought.

Funky and so fresh in 1992. Does it hold up? Yeah, somewhat. I’ll give it an extra star for helping to get the Dirty South on the map.

I don’t know why I wasn’t pumped when I saw this album show up. Listening to it and thinking about the BASIC pop rap out at the time makes my head spin. Such a great group.

Right. There are a few duds on this album but god damn if Johnny Marr isn’t one of the best guitarists from the 1980s. Cannot rate it lower.

It’s a gorgeous album with a powerful and eternal message. I’d like to come back to it to see how it hits me a second time.

Those cover songs we’re a bit cringey, but Relax was one of the first songs that I was aware of in the zeitgeist Of the MTV heydays. Love that.

The mythos of this album is something otherworldly; the music is, too, but like much that is alien, it’s at times challenging to fully comprehend.

Classic rock is classic, but glory be some albums are nitro fuel to the global music engine. Case in point.

Naw. Proto heavy metal. I can see why it’s here, but I can’t dig it too much.

I am 1/3 of the way through this list. There has been no Pearl Jam, no Snoop Dogg, no Alice in Chains, no Soundgarden, no Stone Temple Pilots, no Tool and yet I have to stomach third-tier BritPop garbage that sounds like Blur on clonazepam? No, man, no.

I was whining about not enough 90s alterna-rock grunge and this album turns up. 5 stars for perfect timing. Also, for Stop!

Eh. Listened to it. Feel like I completed a task.

I can feel the pathos so deeply here. Funky album, too. I never knew this existed.

Karen O Yeah Yeah Yeah.

Zappa, like his rats, are a dish best served hot.

Enjoyable but I agree that Jello Biafra’s vocal delivery leaves something to be desired. Still, highly amusing.

Classic rock is classic. Cyndi Lauper is one of those treasures that we don’t celebrate nearly as much as we should.

Very chill. Super iconic. Yup, fits the bill.

Wow. I have a new favourite thing. I’d heard of this dude but never listened. Not too late to the party, but late.

Ick. I’d say forgettable but I remembered feeling pleased when the album ended.

Can’t listen to Randy Newman without thinking about Buzz Lightyear, but this album was lovely.

Good god I loved this album. I don’t think the Dap-Kings get enough credit for the pristine sound-gasm. This would be one of my 10 desert island albums.

So inconsistent. I’d compare it to Cerberus, but it’s more like Scrappy-Doo. Subtracting a star for the great expectations that Rumours generated.

I love the dystopian themes of this album, along with the cinematic touches to multiple tracks. Teleported me back to a decade ago for sure.

Not usually my cup of tea but jangly enough to keep me entertained. Had to go and listen to Copperhead Road as well for good measure after realising it wasn’t on this album.

Kinda unmemorable.

Classic rock is classic.

I really liked this album! It’s like Radiohead’s spacier cousin. Wasn’t aware that “Do You Realize?” was a Flaming Lips jam. I enjoyed that epiphany.

Classic rock is classic, but I enjoyed this more as a Simpsons gag than an album.

Seems like it’s desperate for a rap track. Some solid grooves. Still, I’m waiting for more impressive electronic albums.

Do you recall seeing the sun rise for the first time?

Classic rock is *gulp* classic. Damn, I feel some grey hairs coming on.

I remember really enjoying this at the start of high school and wondering what was wrong with me because none of my friends liked it. Turns out, I’m not in Tool.

Quintessential gangsta-stoner rap. Goes down like Mother’s Milk.

The thing I love about most Prince songs is that you get the initial groove and you get lulled into an idea of “oh yeah; I see where this is going” and then BLAM! he drops a keyboard or guitar solo on you and introduces the secondary melody and the next part of the song. And you’d think you would learn after 5-6 songs but no you don’t. It’s MF Prince and he is the (insert superlative here).

Swanky. Worth a listen but not gonna live in my long term memory for long.

I’ll admit; I was going to leave a snarky, one-star review indicating that I didn’t know where my migraine ended and this album began after initial listen, but I read some other reviews and decided to give it a second listen. There are still some tracks that evoke pain, but I’m feeling new things and the second listen-thru. Perhaps a third listen will give me something to chew on. Three stars in optimism for that. Oh, and for Flea.

Classic alternative rock is classic. This was the first alternative album. Much props. Also, how many covers did this album spawn?

The first ever glam rock record definitely deserves a nod of acknowledgment. Strangely enough, I’ve heard so many of these songs already and didn’t know it. Love that.

Pop mastery. I love the production, but I’m not over-awed by the release story of this album, nor am I going to rate the music differently because of it.

I might be feeling a bit Swifty.

Classic rock is classic, but this seemed a bit less evolved than most. Downrating it by one star because the UK version inexplicably left off Paint It Black.

James Murphy is my spirit animal.

Lyrically cannot be beat. Still, I’ve had other Nas songs and lyrics stick with me more. It’s still iconic.

Yeah, props for using Moog stuff innovatively, but I’ve never been into ambient music, much less proto-ambient music.

I’m sure it’s a seminal album to those who grew up idolising Morrissey and hoping for a return of The Smiths sound, but it sounds like whinging to my ears these days. It’s also not at all helped by age.

It’s nice to hear that most of the female and some of the male voices of the New Wave and post-punk movement took their vocal inflections from Patti Smith. Iconic.

Revolutionary sound when it came out. Still refreshingly sweet to this day.

No, thanks. I had a big lunch.

I smell eight track cassettes owned by my Dad.

One of the formative albums of my youth. Forgive me for my biased opinion.

When I first encountered this list, I immediately started guessing what albums would be on it. This was one of my first 10 guesses.

Interesting but didn’t blow my socks off, or even halfway down. I’m not sure if I have some sort of aural disability with PJ Harvey, but I don’t seem to dig her sound.

My first cassette. Who knew I would select such a timeless opus magnum? 1000 stars.

What a fun concept album. Not the biggest fan of the music, but there are some gems here. Nevertheless, this is another example of the sum being greater than the parts.

The pinnacle of stupid fun. I have so much love for this album at multiple stages in my life. I want an “infinity stars” button.

The first two tracks established a lovely, trippy, lounge feel, but the remainder faded into obscurity for me. I’ll give it an upvote of a star as they did ‘Alpha Male’ a few years ago, and that track KICKS.

I noticed that both this album and Licensed to Ill dropped within 6 months of each other. Same label, same producer, both equally classic. And yet, I never heard the tracks on this album on top 40 radio unless they were samples. Institutionalized racism sucks. This album rules.

Doo-Wop is one of the prettiest damned songs of the past 50yrs. TIL that this was Lauryn Hill’s only studio album.

I really liked this and can see why Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, and Keith Richards did, too.

Such raw storytelling with a funny, nasally voice. It’s like Dylan singing songs written by Bukowski. Fascinating.

It was not the Radiohead album I expected (celebrating its 25th anniversary), but it was appreciated nonetheless.

That’s the Bunnymen that I like!

As a disaffected youth, I got interested in my Irish background and asked for an album of Celtic music for Xmas one year. I got a James Galway album. Now, no disrespect to Mr Galway or the person who gave me that gift, but they can póg mo thóin, especially after I realised that this album could’ve been my Xmas present that year.

I didn’t know this album at all, even though I had heard “Life’s What You Make It” a few times before. It never struck me that it was Talk Talk. This is one of the joys of this list - the lost treasures.

Um, wow. I wasn’t expecting any Slovenian albums on this list so of course it gets a ‘rule of cool’ star for that. Some VERY dark, vodka-infused humour here. I really want to give this 2.5 stars.

And that’s where “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” was misappropriated from, sweetheart! Snarkiness aside, I liked most of this and loved some of it.

I prefer the white-hot angry Adele of 21 over the blue regret-filled Adele of 25, but it’s still a nice listen.

It’s like a tamer Tame Impala.

So layered. And much like Prince, once you get used to the melody, they offer you a second melody in the same song.

Created and then broke the model by which all classic rock is measured. An essential album.

Wow. Two separate 5 minute drum solos in one concert. Yup. This album might have inspired a good deal of This is Spinal Tap.

I’d like to thank Gn’R - and this album specifically - for showing pre-adolescent me how to fluently drop F-bombs into your everyday vernacular.

Much like a lot of the mid-80s goth rock NOT made by The Cure, I want to like this more than I do.

This made me laugh out loud and cringe all within 40min. I can’t help but reel at the 1987 cohort albums (Appetite for Destruction, Darklands, Sign O’ the Times) close by this album in my chronological listen-thru. Truly alien.

Essential 90s culture and a seminal BritPop album. Do I think the lyrics make sense? Nah. Are they catchy? Yeah.

Iconic. Can’t hear the title track without singing along, and there are many other singalong tracks on this disc. It staves off the advancement of time well.

Soul heaven! I bopped my head throughout, and I’ve got two of those songs on steady replay.

From Trent Reznor’s Wikipedia page: the artist describes himself nowadays as “a pretty happy person.” You got to stare the Devil in the face to wrest your soul away from Him. This album, to me, is that. Transcendent.

I had never heard of this album. My wife loves this album. I think I must have been under a rock for the early 2000s, music-wise.

I had a crush on Shirley Manson in the 90s, but in hindsight, I think I probably had a raging erection for Butch Vig and his music production. Might still do.

I very much enjoyed some of the instrumental pieces on this album, but Strangelove is an awesome song to soundtrack a purposeful strut. RIP Fletch.

I am now - finally - seeing the Dylan-tinged light. This is an amazing album. I was always impressed with Dylan’s storytelling but I was never into his musicality until now. Interestingly enough, nothing I’ve heard before or after this from Dylan seems to scratch this itch, so perhaps this is the high-water mark. If so, then what a flood.

Yeah, I get it. It’s a socio-political album about a raft of 90s-themed UK and global topics. I just don’t find the music catchy.

I had forgotten how smooth the flow of this album was. New Jersey’s finest hip hop.

There are some albums that transcend even the music recorded on them based on their historic impact. This is one of them. It’s just too bad that there are some awful clunkers in the middle of it.

So surprisingly bouncy. Bass-driven tracks on top of punk rock. Yes, please, I’d like more.

A haunting portrait of mental illness for the new century. I adore the additional tracks on the deluxe version of this album.

B&S treats me like peanut butter. I don’t want it at first, then I have some, remember how good it is, and before I know it, I’ve downed 3-4 teaspoonfuls of it. And then I’m sick of it and don’t want it. Until the next time.

I had no clue that ‘Hazy Shade of Winter’ was written and originally performed by S&G. Mind blown.

Essential.

I love Ella’s voice - this should go without saying - but I particularly like the way she pronounces (or sings) her ‘r’s. There’s something lov-er-ly about it. That being said - I just don’t think I’m a Gershwin fan.

Your Honor, in the case of The People vs Prog Rock, allow me to present Exhibit A.

It’s painfully obvious in listening to this that Johnny Marr was the heart of The Smiths.

Any single one of these songs would get a new artist signed to a multi-record deal. How timeless and flawless.

I liked it a lot more than I thought I was going to like it. Funky at times.

I’m going to have to call them “Steely Dan chord changes” - these interesting chord progressions that then morph into some smooth jazz-y and wholly unsatisfying. Audio quality can’t be beat, though, save by other Steely Dan records.

I recall seeing RHCP perform at an MTV Awards the year that this was up for awards. They set up to play Under the Bridge in formal wear and got through the first chords before ripping off their clothes and busting out Give It Away near-naked as 50 fans joined them on stage for an orgy for the eyes. This album is joyous.

I am downgrading this album’s generous two-star rating by a star because the knuckleheads at Spin magazine decided that this album was the better 1991 album of the year than Nevermind.

Classic rock is classic. 10 Inch Record needs more recognition for its subversive awesome-ness.

California Dreamin’ is such a perfect pop encapsulation of the 60s. Some of the rest of this album was alright, too.

Classic rock is classic, and though Killer Queen is a great song, the rest of the album seems to not yet be as regal as this band would become. Musicality is amazing, however.

Family Guy does the bit where they play a joke to death, and as they continue to beat it to death, it becomes funny again. Chicago plays enjoyable riffs to death, but they don’t become enjoyable again.

Good album. Never noted the obvious Prince comparisons. I wanted something a little more dance-able on the album, though.

Ick. I can barely tolerate 70s era Bee Gees. I don’t need a double album of their 60s stuff. I could barely finish it.

Not the magnum opus that To Pimp A Butterfly is, but good god what a major label debut. Kendrick’s got such unique flow - the album needs a cinematographer.

That was wholly unexpected and so BROAD. Country fried to psychedelic to jazzy to proto-R&B. And produced by Charlie Daniels! Weird….

Jazzy peppy joy. The pinnacle of what a jazz album could be.

Happy fluffy lovey gooey joyful stuff. Upvoting a star because I went and listened to Girl From Ipanema again.

Socially-conscious music, eh? Is it crap of me to not want to listen to music as part of my political beliefs? Oh well, I’m crap, then.

I enjoyed these songs when they were on the radio in the late 90s. Did I think this album was mind-blowing or historically important? Nah. Fun? Sure.

It’s good to be reminded now and again that shimmering beautiful things are good for your mental health - case in point.

It’s like I woke up in a hip-hop themed spa. Pleasant enough but far too heavy on the trip (and light on the hop).

While the rest of the album is OK as far as disco goes (not exceedingly far), the impact of Good Times cannot be overstated. Also, Nile Rodgers is a verifiable music production deity.

I don’t get the love for The Sun Always Shines on TV. In contrast, I would like to have Take On Me played to me as I shuffle off this mortal coil, so this album’s got that going for it, which is nice.

One of the Mount Rushmores of grunge. Especially chilling final track given Chris Cornell’s passing a few years ago. RIP.

Beautiful album worth another listen-thru, I think. I can totally here the 80s themes. Like, totally.

If T Rex and Hendrix had ever collaborated, it would have produced this album. This album got me through a really dark place. Pardon my biased love.

Classic rock is classic. Fun to think of this hard rock banger coming out in the midst of New Wave revolution.

Finnish proto-hair band with trademarked 80s harmonica and sax riffs? I’m here for that!

That scratched an itch that I didn’t know I needed scratched.

Naw, man. Just not my thing. There was a bit of funk in there, but straight-up 80s R&B (without any hip-hop) has never intrigued me. Also, Womack seemed a little too-R Kelly in his lifestyle to be anything worth praising.

It’s as if the YYYs got sucked into a synthesiser - in all the right ways. That being said, the acoustic extras highlight Karen O’s luxurious sound delightfully.

I’d heard of Dirty Projectors but never heard their music. Now I have, and I don’t know if I could describe what I heard. Is that good? Regardless, I enjoyed most of it, especially when it came to the syncopated chorale runs.

Ok, two things: 1) Classic rock is classic (Solsbury Hill) but goddamn, Mr Gabriel, your range of musical styles here is all over the place. If I closed my eyes on Waiting for the Big One, I would swear that you were Randy Newman. In addition to blues, there’s honky-tonk, hard rock, chamber music, barbershop chorale, and funk. Holy schnikeys. 2) The album cover is so jarring. It looks like the artist is committing suicide via carbon monoxide poisoning in their car. Way to grab attention. Yeesh.

My favourite album by my favourite group. Do not expect objectivity from me.

It’s not just the crazy lyrics, the anarchic themes, the roots of grunge, or the wonder that is Kim Deal that we have to thank the Pixies (and Black Francis) for, but it’s also that. What a lovely debut.

Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, and Nick Cave are the gravelly-voiced Cereberus of doom-laced music. I love them all - this might be Waits’ finest album. Also, 16yo me had no clue that Rod Stewart sanitised and covered Downtown Train in the early 90s. It’s like Pat Boone covering Ozzy Osbourne. Ick.

I like my speed metal speedy. This is a little less speedy than I’d like it. That said, I acknowledge the musical importance and the death metal groundbreaking. Death-breaking. Yeah, that’s it.

I unabashedly love this album. I read that it was reviewed as “an Americana Kid A” and I can only sagely nod in tacit agreement. Nothing further needs be said.

It’s like if Queen played a whole bunch of Led Zeppelin covers, and you’d never heard of those Led Zeppelin songs. Interesting but definitely not amazing.

Some albums are greater than the sum of their parts, but what happens when all of the parts individually are masterpieces? This album was one of the first albums that I had hoped to be on this list. It is righteous and joyous and emotionally deep. I cannot help but to dance when I hear it. Do I like it? Nope. I adore it.

Classic rock is classic but goddamn Perfect Day and Walk on the Wild Side are such exquisitely-presented moods. I really enjoyed some of the other lesser-known songs on the album as well, but the real reason that this is a 5 star album for me is the gutsy and healthy gender diversity portrayal (even if grimy).

The video game Rock Band allowed online players the options of purchasing various albums that were available to play in the game - this album was one of them. I have lovely memories of screaming at my living room TV during Monkey Goes to Heaven as I did my best Frank Black impersonation and mashed buttons on a toy guitar. Also, Here Comes Your Man is a perfect pop ditty (that must really rankle Black Francis) and the best song ever recorded about train-hopping hobos.

How has it taken me almost 40yrs to discover this album? I feel like I’ve rolled around in smashed malt liquor bottles. I love it and hate it but mainly love it.

Sounds like a funk explosion. I liked it but I doubt I’ll go back for more. That being said, THIS is how you do live drum solos.

The partnering of matter-of-fact singing with vocal chorales is something that Lou Reed does as well as Leonard Cohen. It just seems that the former does it better. This album didn’t really hit it for me.

It’s not Nevermind but what the f@$@?!?! You expect consistent and unrelenting genius? It’s still damned good.

I knew this album was going to be good but I did NOT know that Bowie was going to be singing backup vocals. It’s a damned shame that Iggy released this album the same week that Elvis died - this would’ve been so much more financially impactful for the Godfather of Stage Dives. I guess it’s better for the soul to be renowned for your impact on others’ music careers. I wonder what Iggy would say.

TIL that the Beach Boys were considered counter-culture to the 1960s counter-culture movement and tried to fix that with this album. This album sounds like them trying too hard. Downvoting one star due to Brian Wilson not being involved.

Yeah it’s good. It’s Radiohead, right? It’s just a bit too meditative and less gripping. Perhaps I should be kinder. Ok, three stars feels kind.

It’s just a mesmerising collection of rhythms and auditory patterns. Like Jackson Pollock on a 45.

Queens tend to be a sensitive subject these days. Aretha was more of a force of nature than a regal entity. Respect is such a perfect song.

I don’t think that there’s another album that I was so sure that was going to be on this list that I had never heard before. “Like Lou Reed’s Berlin and David Bowie’s Low, it’s an album that requires a few years of music history to pass in order to be appreciated.” That’s mighty high praise. Seems accurate.

It’s fun, yeah. I think I’ll leave it at that. Interesting that it was composed as a ballet. Next?

This one is full of earwigs, most often (at least for me) triggered by that entrancing and insistent percussion. I could do with less tight Bryan Ferry vibrato, though.

It’s the swinging sixties in London when this album comes out, yeah? So why does it make me want to buy a tea cosy and call my Nan? It just feels anachronistic. Sweet, with some razor Ray Davies wit, but….OLD.

Alright! A PJ Harvey album that I didn’t find obtuse. There’s some catchy rhythm packages on this one. I felt like this was more a band and less a solo artist.

This album is Uber-cool for many reasons, not the least of which is that its best-known track is funny AF and I didn’t know that it was part of this rap opera opus. This album, like The Village Green by The Kinks or Different Class by Pulp, reflected British youth so dead-on in 2004. I want to give it 5 stars. It deserves 4.5 because not everything is a banger but it’s all so accurate. Aw, fuck it.

Classic rock is classic. CCR must’ve seemed a juggernaut in 1969. What would’ve come of a decade of them?

I’d call it easy listening funk. Funky listening. Yup. Book it. It was looking like a solid 2 stars until I heard the unexpected and familiar bells of Strawberry Letter 23. What a lovely little ditty.

Enjoyably fresh and vulnerable. And I see she’s guest judging on RuPaul DR UK next week. Good timing!

A triple album? How am I supposed to keep up with this pace with 2hrs of music to get through?! Just kidding, though I am subtracting a star for the inclusion of the long jam-my tracks at the end. And I’m adding a star for being directly responsible for the formation of Derek and the Dominoes. That’s a rule of cool. Summary? 4 stars. Some really dense musical bits in this and you can see how Harrison simply wanted to show that he wasn’t “the 3rd Beatle”. Also, I love the dig at the Beatles with the album cover photograph.

It’s funny cuz at the rate I’m going when I’m thirty…this whole bag of Viagra isn’t working… It was funny when I was 20; it’s more dead-on now that I’m 40. Such a high-water low-brow album. Also, probably the best horrorcore album of all time. I love it all.

This was my gateway drug to the wonders of the New Wave movement. Upon further reflection, this thing is about as New Wave as Lil Nas X is country. The sheer disco-funk of this album is shining though. So much on this album to love and I think Rio is the most balanced musical composition for quintet that I’ve ever heard, bar none. Come fight me about it. Lastly, The Chauffeur is a criminally-underrated track that almost bridges the gap between pop New Wave and alternative goth artists of the era. I adore this album. It’s in my desert island collection, and if I’m allowed one album, then it is my desert island music selection.

I’ve never listened to Portishead before but I consider it to be a glaring omission from my aural collection. That said, I feel a bit disappointed that the ‘anti-Portishead’ album would be the first Portishead selection of which I discovered. I enjoyed the musical mood painting that this sound canvas had on me, but still I can’t help but hunger for what made Portishead Portishead.

I liken Yes to cooking with seitan - it could be done with genius-level artistic mastery but I’m not fucking eating it.

I had never heard of this band or this album or even any of the tracks on it before this list. It was enjoyable and I can see why it was here. I would not think it worth more than a casual acknowledgement as it was neither the first downtempo or low-fi album, nor was it one of the best. It’s a meh.

What lovely Burundi Beat glory we have here! I thought of Bow Wow Wow as I heard this (insofar as similarity) and was surprised to read that Malcolm McClaren had pinched Ant’s original backing band for BWW prior to this record. Amazing stuff then, this record. I wanted to give it a 3.5 but I cannot, but then I listened to the additions to the US version of this and realised that it needed the full 4 star rating. I love me some New Wave!

Hysteria was my first introduction to DL as a teenager, but this album had the hits that I kept coming back to as an adult. The rest of the album is a bit of a hard rock/pop metal hodge-podge, and it’s still a wonder to me that the percussion sounds here (done by a drummer with two arms) sound very much the same as Hysteria (done by a drummer with one arm).

By George, those drums! I’d give this album another listen just for the percussion. My musical ignorance astounds me - I’d never heard of this band or this album ever before. What a joy to find. Also, Thom Yorke - I see what you did.

It’s not Thriller, but good god what an album. Leave Me Alone is criminally underrated. Smooth Criminal, too. I’m not a big fan of the soft rock schlock, but I cannot fault the music production value. And, this album gave us Fat by Weird Al, so for that, it gets bumped to 5 stars. (Not really for that.)

It’s a solid album with fabulous instrumental performance (nods to Booker T and Steve Cropper), but it’s Green Onions that lands this thing on the list, and rightly so. You can’t hear a blockbuster comedy movie preview without that song somewhere in the background. Such an amazing tune.

Yeah ok. Some grimy Waits love here. Not as oddly sentimental as I’d like but it scratches the itch. I really liked Jersey Girl.

I don’t get why this album. There could’ve been a DangerMouse album, or the next Cee Lo album which features F@*&$ You (which is an all-decade jam)….but this one seems muddled. Dunno. I like Cee Lo but….meh.

Essential if not a bit superfluous BritPop.

I was wondering where the DP was. Glad to get this one first. I expect more. Some of this is a bit repetitive but the enjoyable earwigs on here more than make up for it.

Rough and gritty, but I heard a lot of the Beastie Boys beats in some of those bars. Nevertheless, it’s a classic.

Classic rock is classic, but I keep dipping my cup in this well and coming up with new stuff. How is this so fresh sounding and 55yrs old?

Funky and awesome. The screams of the ladies in the audience reacting to James Brown are equally entertaining to the performance of the Father of the Get Down.

Now that’s the Zappa I love, except it isn’t solo Zappa, it’s his band. So dense and odd and fun and wacky. I wasn’t prepared for it.

That was glorious. I had never heard of the artist or the album and I’ve listened through it five times already in two days. Clearly I’ve got a Jones for recent Brit soul. More specifically, the pathos evoked from Kiwanuka’s guitar evokes an emo-tinged Hendrix. I loved it.

I don’t understand the unbridled love for this album. Interesting for 1991; I don’t feel it holds up. It definitely sounds like I’ve not dropped enough E to fully appreciate the atmospheric soundscapes.

I want to give this 5 stars because Clint Eastwood is so good, but in all honesty, 50% of this album feels like filler. Still, the highs are super high on this and Del tha Funky Homosapien deserves major props for his work here.

This album was one of those that I thought I was going to be on this list. Happy to see that I’m not disappointed. Interesting to hear that Johnny Marr considered this to be key to his playing style. And Tattooed Love Boys is one of my favourite Rock Band jams.

“Life passes by at a low interest rate.” Damn, Nick Cave can turn a phrase. Still, I didn’t find the music as engaging as some other Bad Seeds albums.

My favourite punk album and in my top 5 favourite New Wave albums. Not a mediocre song to be found here.

Very chill; very cool. Does not resonate to me as soul-changing or life-affirming so I’m a bit confused. Still, it was nice enough.

k.d. lang has the kindest-sounding voice. I recall this album and I enjoyed some of the country-western cabaret feel to it. That’s all I’ve got.

I tried, but despite the polyglot offerings, I didn’t really enjoy it.

I can see how this album fits here, both as an historical footnote as well as a ‘lost legend’. The entire album is a fun endeavour, especially if you consider, as said by Julian Cope, that it was done by an American rock band in a foreign country not constrained by censorial forces of the day.

Funky and suave, the epitome of 70s sexual swagger - perhaps more a caricature nowadays. I can see how this album revolutionised the soundtrack genre. And let’s not forget that it’s about a bad mother clucker.

Classic rock is classic, but the story behind this album and the poorly thought-out recording junket in Nigeria was more interesting than half of what was on the album. I should give credit to McCartney for recording most of the musical parts on the album himself, but he was the one who pissed off the rest of Wings and made them quit, so…

If I’m giving Pornography and The Downward Spiral 5 stars, then you bet your ass I’m giving this one 5 stars, too. It has all of the exhausted nihilistic rage you’d expect a goth masterpiece to have, but it’s also catchy dance music. What a cool magic trick. Bonus: Love Will Tear Us Apart wasn’t even good enough for the original album.

Foundational soul. Catchy in small bits. Just not sustained for an entire album’s worth.

It’s the soundtrack to your Renaissance Faire weekend outing with that friend who scored some awfully-mediocre stank weed. Embarrassing to say you enjoyed some of it.

I mean, it is the blue print. There’s a reason why every jazz album since sounds like it’s copying the formula. It doesn’t disappoint.

It’s hard to fathom that this album and Nevermind came out the same year. We got Enter Sandman and Smells Like Teen Spirit in the same go-around the sun. If you listen to them both, the hard rock elements are front and centre but the subtle differences signal the monumental shift from the excess of the 80s to the angst of the 90s. I can’t imagine my youth without either.

Wow. Proto-industrial and I liked it a lot more than I thought that I would. That said, the bar was pretty low.

I had no clue that I would be nodding along to 14 minute Krautrock tracks, thinking “Yeah, this would totally work for my morning run.”

That was a clinic on neo-percussion. I loved the raw joy and pathos exemplified in most every track, flecked by subtle humour. There’s so much to listen to - I need to listen again and I’ve already listened 3x.

I liked this more than many of Neil Young’s classic rock warbles and a whole lot more than any of his Crazy Horse work. A touch of youth angst looks good on him.

Wow. It’s like it’s a completely different artist named PJ Harvey writing a WWI-themed album. This thing could be the soundtrack to a horrors-of-war documentary and I would not mind at all. Also, that high soprano *swoon*

How in the Sam Hill do I not know this group, this album? I love Husker Du and Bob Mould. My world is shaken in such a good way. It sounds as if many of the 1990s alterna-rock warriors copied a lot of this album. I hear Gin Blossoms. I hear Third Eye Blind. I hear Collective Soul. I hear Sum 41. Bob Mould is a gift.

Hey look! It’s the Beach Boys between their well-loved California fun heyday and their anachronistic Pet Sounds era! There’s a reason why adolescence is regarded as an awkward age.

Too many times albums are labelled ‘classic’. This one fits the bill. It also has CRAZY prophylactics.

The last of Cash was some of the best. So weary, so sad, so desperately hopeful.

This feels like alt-classic rock. Some of those guitar riffs don’t sound like Springsteen at all. It’s an odd bit of magic - you’re not sure about the music and then something like Racing in the Streets tugs on your chest and you’ve got a lump in your throat. That’s Springsteen’s power.

It sounds like AM radio. Good god double and triple albums are a slog to get through.

This is what I would imagine that satellites would play to each other as music. Sadly, I’m not very extra-terrestrial.

If the Dust Brothers composed a Tarantino score with vocals by Leonard Cohen, you’d get this. Interesting.

That Rickenbacker jangle is a one-way ticket to the 1960s. Cool to know that this was considered the first folk-rock album. Classic rock is classic. Not my favourite genre, but history outweighs my stupid opinion.

Shining Star is uber funk and I like the review suggesting that the entire album is “make-out music of the gods”. I can get down with that.

Two thoughts: 75 minutes is an excellent effort for a debut album. 50 Cent has an obsession with imagery of gunshot wounds to the head.

All I could think of as I listened to this was the speed and skill of those dying fingers. A triumphant exit.

Melan - collie. Didn’t know this album, this singer, anything. Loads of influential musos love this - hell, Cash covered the title track. Must mean something. Here’s what I got: the lead singer’s oboe-like voice makes me listen real hard. The subject matter is dark. I’d call this blackgrass if I was going to name this genre of gothic folk. Or maybe fothic. Something like that.

In the case of the People vs Prog Rock, the defense would like to call a surprise witness to the stand. Indefatigable.

I’m perplexed. I know it’s supposed to be a “super-group”, but it just sounds like the Arctic Monkeys with an orchestral accompaniment, which also sounds like Muse.

I just thought that Public Enemy did it better.

Apart from the first names of 90s-era kids’ cartoons, I don’t see the comparison of this album to Tommy. Maybe Ray Davies doesn’t translate well across the Atlantic?

It’s the Rude Boys ‘Abbey Road’, innit? I can see why.

“Got more rhymes than 7-11’s got Slurpees. If Magic got AIDS, then yo I got the herpes.” (Awkward pause) This album is WACKY in such a good way.

Everybody from Doves to The Flaming Lips to Kanye has lifted stuff from this album. And I can see why sampling these somewhat lengthy tracks is the right move. Credit must be given for the hooks, though.

It’s New Wave nirvana! Not the band, the metaphysical concept. I was impressed with the surgical drumming on this record and found a few new tracks to augment my love for Gary, but I’ve got to subtract a star for his vocal delivery. It’s like someone asked him to sing like a nerd.

This was the album in high school that the cool nerdy kids were all into. I was never a cool nerdy kid. It’s got merit, for sure, but man, fuck those cool nerds. Ha.

This is like an angrier Millennial version of Licensed to Ill but it’s still just as fresh and joyously breakneck as that disc. TIL that Eminem recorded My Name Is within an hour of meeting and starting to work with Dr Dre. That’s focus. I’d give it a 4.5 if possible to highlight the step up The Marshall Mathers EP was, but its impact on its day cannot be overstated.

This is the house….it’s a little thin. That seems the more apropos lyric. I adore Sweet Dreams but these three stars are for that and that alone. The rest of this is also-ran synth-pop blather.

Obviously, regarding this album by the present issues with this artist is difficult, like viewing MJ without considering the spectre of pedophilia. That said, POWER is one of the snatchiest hooks of the last decade. Most of the rest of this album is a similarly amazing production level. I see some similarities between this album and Dark Side of the Moon. That seems to be the proper iconic parallel for this album for its day. Hard to swallow the fascism, this one is.

Snarly and alternative without landing any amazing hooks. I enjoyed listening to the album and deciding which of the two alpha wolves wrote each song, but it did feel like the burnout of a relationship. Hmm. Leaving me feeling a little empty.

Not as iconic as other Pixies albums. Not as weird, honestly. Still, it’s the original band and Kim Deal is still there so that warrants 3 stars.

I can’t call this disc a regular jam. Bonus star for the MTV Unplugged sessions stemming from this album. Damn.

“I don’t need a Top 40 Hit to hit you up, girl.” Yup, but she might not stick around without one.

Ponderous. As in, I ponder how this tire fire of an album of improv folk-jazz is on this list.

*wordless noisy moans of frustration and contempt*

It invokes a lot of the classic Dunedin (NZ) sound of the early 80s - minimalist synth chords on the backdrop of heartfelt lyrics designed to make you feel slightly uncomfortable. I liked it; I would’ve been more impressed if they’d noted the Antipodean version of this (i.e. The Chills, The Verlaines).

It’s the Tree of Life of funk. It’s also difficult to follow, impossible to understand, and makes me think I need to take mushrooms to be on the same planet. I liked it!

I have not anticipated an album appearing on this list more than this one and I wasn’t disappointed in the least. I want to take a bath in Beth Gibbons’ voice. This is the soundtrack to the Twin Peaks cocktail party I never knew I wanted to have.

Weller has such bluesy sensibilities! The Modfather, Part II. Still, like many sequels, there is something left wanting - both lyrically and musically. Solid but not life-altering.

Bodhisattva was - by far - the weirdest inclusion in the Rock Band video game series. It was the first Steely Dan song that I liked. I feel the same way about the rest of this album. Weird jazz-rock mashup. Technically flawless but weird.

It’s Arcade Fire with more theremin, less tympani, and a whole lotta weed.

I can see why Amy didn’t like this album. The editing, the mixing, hell, even the promotion to this disc all sounds wack. That said, it’s Amy. I’d happily listen to her cover Yoko Ono’s greatest hits.

I would rate this as 3 stars as an Iggy Pop album but 4 stars as a David Bowie album.

This album sounds and feels timeless - for the first time I see the Steely Dan draw. It’s a fun game to expect the Steely Dan chord change and hear it, but not be able to predict which direction it goes. Like a bouncy rubber ball.

I was looking at my rankings (over 500 now!) and saw that my average ranking was 3.6. I thought ‘maybe I should be more critical and rank things lower’ and then this album came up and I was like ‘nope’. Just the best jazz-funk, ever. I’ve loved this album since I was 13yo.

I found myself nodding my head a lot while listening to this. Later, when I thought about what I had listened to, I couldn’t recall any of it. That’s some kind of magic trick. Does this make it life-altering?

It’s the Sgt Pepper’s of Sgt Pepper’s, innit? All cheekiness aside, the album is a significant cultural touchstone, much like Nirvana’s Nevermind. It encapsulated a generational mindset. It was/is IMPORTANT. And Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds is about LSD and you cannot deny it, Paul. Nope.

Never knew it was THAT popular in the UK and New Zealand. A good album with a narrative feel and of course, Meatloaf. For whatever reason I associate a lot of these songs with wedding receptions. Probably reflects the kinds of wedding bashes that I get invited to.

I got strong Black Keys vibes from the music and then French/Arabic/African language-lyrics. Trippy!

I want to say something pithy about my love for this album but I keep returning to my pre-teen cousin and me sharing a Walkman headset during summer vacation and giggling at Darling Nikki over and over. And that’s what got Tipper Gore’s stickers all over everything! For that, and for the staccato bass-less groove of When Doves Cry, and the Arsenio Hall performance of Let’s Go Crazy that I saw once and been Jonesing for ever since and Wendy and Lisa and Apollonia and Dr Fink, I have one thing to say: Thank U

There was a middle-aged white lady in a lab where I once worked who told me her favourite all-time album was Mothership Connection. I confess I never listened to the whole album until now - only Tear the Roof Off. Shame on my funk.

I love Dr John’s gravelly Cajun drawl. Twas a fun album to peruse. I shan’t be listening again, though unless I need to wash off some bad mojo.

“I Need My Girl” is the song my wife picked for our wedding, so I’ve got a soft spot for The National. Nuff said.

I like the synth evolution of The Smiths’ sound on this album and mourn for what could’ve been had the band stayed together. There’s some misogyny about this album. Or maybe it’s misanthropy. Either way, it somehow adds to the mystique of the sound.

I hear Gary Numan. I hear OMD. I hear Depeche Mode and Joy Division. I hear NIN; I hear Radiohead. Hell, I even hear Taylor Swift. There are some albums that trigger a seismic wave. Plus, it’s my wife’s favourite Bowie album. I love my wife.

Meh. Maybe I had a headache. It was ok but I’m definitely not a KISS Army recruit.

It’s intriguingly dense and laudable insofar as it was completely created from samples, but it’s not giving me the earworms I was hoping it would. Perhaps two or three more listens will bring this up to a 3.5, but for now…

Novocaine was that enjoyable ubiquitous song on the radio that one 90s summer. The rest of that album does not score as high as that one song.

This paints a sepia mood. The constant barrage of words blends pleasantly into nostalgic reverie. It’s nice.

Here I am, thinking that IV was the definitive LZ statement but I didn’t know the nuggets of joy present on this disc. Suddenly I don’t know how to get the Led out FIRST. I’m pretty sure this album birthed the ‘hard rock’ genre. You can’t hate on that.

I liked this a lot more than I thought I was going to do, even after I read the stories of how this album was recorded. I think I’m a sucker for unconventional percussion. That probably makes me a sucker for Tom Waits.

I find that the singer does it best with funk or doo-wop, but the slick 80s easy listening romance isn’t winning me over. Such a voice though.

‘Lost’ albums become that way for some appropriate and deserved reason, usually. This one doesn’t seem to have deserved it apart from anything save for its not-of-this-era qualities. It was jammy with notes of funk. It sounds like some of it could have been easy listening-Parliament Funkadelic. Perhaps it’s a cautionary tale - all too common - against losing your soul to addictive good times and being a prick.

Tony Danza is an OK song, but I’m not too sure why this bland EJ offer is on the list.

I am simply not British enough to deal with the Churchill quotes, Royal anthem references, or Blitz imagery. And furthermore, I cannot stomach Scott Walker so when I heard that he was a major influence on the creation of this album, well that’s what one star ratings are for, I guess. Barf.

Just like a shoegaze group to sneak up on you with an explosion of clashing guitar colour, plaintive lyrics, and anonymity. Never heard of them, but I’m pleased to finally meet them.

Elliot Smith was the poet laureate of the quiet, pained, regret-filled epiphanies of a morning’s hangover. Even two decades after his death, he still is. This album revels - in wicked self-awareness - in its own self-destructiveness.

This was a jazz album like Black Sabbath was a rock band. The times just didn’t have a definition for what those acts were doing. Norah did what Adele and Amy would do later on. I bought into the seduction; I didn’t realise that 27 million others did as well. That’s the definition of pop music, right?

Drongos rejoice! That said, it’s the high water mark for lowbrow music. And it’s pretty damned high.

Music for a hip dentist’s office.

I definitely hear The Smiths and glam rock - more T Rex than Bowie. It takes more than one listen to truly appreciate Gervais’ favourite BritPop band but once you get the musical texture between your fingers, it feels like, well….you know.

Daft Punk, Air, Justice - damn, the French really like their EDM. I remember that Waters of Nazareth song. I used it on the treadmill to get my RPMs up. It’s nice to hear that the rest of the album has the same stucco-like syncopated feel. Not sure that MJ tribute song aged super well, but oh well.

Spellbinding. Not a piano fan. Not a free-form jazz fan. Never heard of Jarrett before. Now I’m a fan. There’s enough here for me to use this as adjunct to anaesthesia for major surgery. Make no mistake - I want my heavy drugs as well.

I’ve always enjoyed the devil imagery associated with heavy metal - it appears that this is where it was written in blood. Run to the Hills is an obvious stand-out, but it’s interesting in that it has nothing to do with devils in its sympathy for the plight of Native Americans. And there’s the song about the whorehouse, too. A real scattered mix of themes. A foundational heavy metal mish-mosh, pun intended.

My wife loves this album. I’m less enamoured of the folksy musing though I recognise the musicianship on display.

Sad, like a broken-down children’s toy. Alex Chilton and his plaintive guitar does not disappoint. It’s even sadder that this is the first of his to which I’ve listened.

As per Paul Weller’s biography, “[Cafe Bleu] left some fans confused and critics divided”. I’m not really a fan and I’m confused.

Zesty! I enjoyed this amuse-bouche but forgive me, I found it just that - something to whet my appetite for something more full-spectrum.

It’s the diamond of the hardcore movement. I especially like the “singing”. That snarkiness aside, the trio of guitar, bass, and drums is remarkably kicky. Very enjoyable.

No, man. I’m sure that they’re excellent live, but I felt bored. I wanted to like it.

Wow, first Two Nickels on the Dime and now Out of Step - it’s Hardcore Week. I’m here for it. This album is such a beautiful bridge between punk and grunge. Love both of those genres - I really like this album.

I adore the Humpty Dance but the rest of this? A bit too horny Prince without the funk.

My favourite Bowie has a sepia smile, sick piano melodies, and the drama of a thwarted teenage girl. This album is such a good drug.

Grunge in the time of bell bottoms. I Wanna Be Your Dog is such a banger, it almost makes up for the weird 15min chant thing in the middle of this album. Almost.

Good god that slaps. “Where the blues ends and the sound got heavy.” Agreed. That last throwaway song about the death of a child feels f@$@ing eerie with Clapton playing there.

Yup, there it is. The most Americana album ever. Done by an Irish group. Bono gets so much crap for how braggadocio his singing is on this disc but damn, yo - he’s allowed the massive ego for this disc.

Not as transformative as Kind of Blue even though it was - quite literally - the birth of cool jazz. I appreciated the effortless hand-offs within the nonet. And that’s the first time that phrase has been uttered in the English language.

So many similarities between the debuts of Kanye and Eminem - both angry with “things to prove” and machine gun sprays of words. The chipmunk soul of Kanye makes this album inimitable (well, at least until it was imitated to death in the late 2000s), but it’s damned weird to see the sociopolitical trajectories of them both two decades later.

The Brian Eno second half got me, like, bleah, but the rest of those songs….*chef’s kiss* This meme-filled review has been brought to you by the letter $ and the number ¥.

Shit - how badly did PJ Harvey fuck up Nick Cave?

One star for Curtis Mayfield’s amazing falsetto, but that’s all I can manage to give. It’s like warmed-over mid-morning funk leftovers.

I hear Tenacious D. I hear Faith No More. I hear 90s Metallica. And yet, not a metal band. A fun magic trick.

I was born and raised in the greater Philly region. I believe that they piped this album into the water supply during my middle school years. My fist-pumping responses to these tracks are born of genetic indoctrination. That said, it’s not a bad album, even if the lyrics are a bit puerile.

It’s a much more compact sound than I’d expect from Arcade Fire, but still so deceptively intricate. Thematically permeated by “the suburbs”, the existential dread of the metaphor saturates the music. Most of the time (as in the title track), it’s highly enjoyable. I don’t get Win Butler’s explanation of the music as Depeche Mode meets Neil Young, but I appreciate the attempt.

This album is doubly amazing insofar that I find all the rest of Cale’s solo repertoire (and a lot of his Velvet Underground stuff) utterly and unpleasantly impenetrable. Still, I like many of his production projects, so I know he can make an album that I like. And I did, this. I can see the impact of this on many artists. I hear late Beatles, I hear Level 42, I hear Sweet, I hear the Decemberists. I liked it all.

I’m with Lester Bangs on this one. Over-produced (for the time) and under-cooked. I can see how LSD was the fulcrum on which this album was balanced.

If Axl Rose wasn’t listening to this, then I think my ears aren’t working. Also, Dave Hill is what Nicholas Hoult would look like if he played for a glam rock band in the 1970s. All of the fritterances aside, this album was completely unknown to me, as was this album. It was thoroughly enjoyable.

My disdain of most things prog rock continues, and given that I love Moving Pictures, I would’ve thought that it’d be different here. I found it too unfocused - cluttered with too much space and not enough hook to attract more than a casual interest. Forgive me, Neil Peart.

I really didn’t enjoy John Mayall’s voice - I noted immediately when Clapton took over the vocals and warmed to it. I cannot fault the guitar-ing. Historically important - still, you’d like the innumerable black artists on which this album was built to get more credit.

I had a root canal once.

Though the album didn’t resonate with me, I found some of the rhythms alien and infectious. Joyful, no doubt.

Soul doesn’t get much better. Though not all of these tracks are classics, the vocal presence on each is simply undeniable.

Such a wonderful slice of Americana.

This album makes me feel like I’ve been smoking the kushiest herb. All CBD; no THC. That, and Goldfrapp doing her best Bjork (or is it Bjork who’s been doing Goldfrapp all along?) on Pumpkin makes me realise what the noise about this disc is all about.

I love the up-front misdirection of Beautiful Day. Most of the remainder of the album sounds much like it’s trying to re-capture former glory and while that’s not necessarily bad, it is derivative.

The 2000 U2 album All That You Can’t Leave Behind feels like it is desperately trying to re-capture former pop-star glory with mixed results. This 2000 disc by Madonna succeeds at that same task (apart from the clunker of an American Pie cover) without the desperation. It also innovates by combining techno and country in a way that hadn’t been done before (and not super-well since).

The first psychobilly album? Perhaps. There are streaks of lovely jangly melody in this, along with some amusing lyrics. I largely found the instrumental tracks more arresting. Perhaps a second re-listen will garner more than my tentative initial two stars.

I love the grimy and snarly nature of this music, but there weren’t many hooks that made me want to listen past that.

Classic rock is classic but Baba O’Riley is something else.

Proto-grunge party time. I hear heroin.

There were some fun rhythms, but a noise rock band is - after all - just that. Fun to experience, but not the first nor the best of its kind.

That was the most soothing protest record I’ve ever heard. I recognised none of the songs (even the covers had an alien feel to them) but they were all very pleasantly bip-boppy.

That was harder than I expected. Much less country jangly and engaging; much more gnarly and abrasive - in a good way, that is.

I’m not a fan of psychedelia, but that rocked. It’s a shame Moby Grape gets overshadowed by other Haight-Ashbury groups. Hey Grandma and Omaha blasted me out of my chair.

Peerless and answers the question for me of comparisons to The Beatles - how can you compare apples to oranges?

Radiohead said that this album wasn’t leftovers from Kid A but I sure as hell sounds like leftovers from Kid A. It’s still Radiohead though, right?

The pinnacle of 70s soul? If not, then at least one of the peaks. Despite the meandering religiosity of the middle of the album, this thing sings true.

I had heard of Pavement and this album but I knew NOTHING on it and I was a freshman in college in the US in 1994. NO EXCUSE. It’s like Beck mixed with Husker Du, but you know that they also cover Minor Threat songs, but not tonight because they’ve got a hangover. I really liked it even if I can’t hum along to any of the songs now. Weird, that undefinable nature of enjoyable music. Other people probably hate it. Good thing I’m not them.

I’ve been impatiently awaiting this sweet, sweet album that defined the soundtrack of my high school experience. Don’t wanna hear the PJ vs Nirvana dreck. Both bands and their high-water albums are era-defining.

I had never heard of this group or this album and was going to say something snide about obscurity begetting obscurity, but then I heard Good Morning, Captain and had an epiphany. This is the American shoegaze masterpiece. And no, I’ve no clue what ‘math rock’ is but I don’t mind it.

It’s Tom Waits singing Nine Inch Nails songs in French. Seriously though, Bowie liked this album and this group. That gets it a bonus star.

It felt tedious at times, this album. Like musing on a series of chords was the aim of the record. I caught some B-52s-esque sound in a few of the tracks and that made me sad that I hadn’t heard any B-52s on this last so far. And that made me think that I hadn’t heard any REM on this list so far. And then I thought that there were much better albums from 1985 to have been included on this list.

Very curious to release a misogynistic album at the height of the #metoo movement. It’s a good thing that Sixteen Saltines slaps like it do.

The soundtrack to the most expensive Bollywood film ever (relative to when it was released)? Well, OK. I really liked the 70s-funk laden sounds of the intro track. I desperately wished that continued throughout the album but it didn’t. Winds up being kitschy fun for me, but not much else.

I listened to this hard as nails album, stopped, and listened to it again. Rolex watch, can’t fit no more diamonds on it. Pinky ring, worth a house if I decide to pawn it. Damn, Detective Tutuola.

The Hives, The Vines, The Strokes, The White Stripes….the teeming bounty of turn of the century garage rock had so many high points. Veni, Vidi, Vicious was one for me but not this album. I know it’s a compilation record of some of the VVV stuff, but especially because of that, I’m substracting a star for the inclusion of this over the original album. That said, Howling Pelle can come and scream in my face ANY TIME.

One of the more visually-striking albums of the 1st New Wave wave, you get notes of The Kinks, CCR, Springsteen, and The Specials. It sneers at everyone and everything, so I can’t call it misogynistic as much as misanthropic. I love it.

Wounded and beautiful - I don’t know when I’d like a re-listen of this again, but I’m happy to know that it’s here for me when I do.

Give me this over Jefferson Airplane or the Grateful Dead any day. It feels like Fairport Convention acid rock covers. I was pleased.

Driving, insistent, sweaty house goodness. Forgot this album existed. Thanks for the memories.

As much as I love Ace of Spades, many of Motörhead’s songs have a similar tonic and rhythmic structure. Even the “slow songs” here sounded like subdued versions of AoS. Still fist-bumping to its core, but not as many melodic hooks as I would’ve liked.

An essential grunge album and the most important album of my freshman year of college. The skein of rich and unique sound on this! That wall of guitar sound so easily identifies the band.

I once owned a CD set called Living in Oblivion that featured “the 80s Greatest Hits” and while there were some bangers, there were just as many bargain bin acts like Belouis Some and Strawberry Switchblade. The single greatest sin though? My introduction to The Stranglers via Get a Grip on Yourself on volume 2 of this CD set. Hard to reconcile a single from 1977 as a “greatest hit from the 80s”. I felt that same disconnect from this album. I LIKED some of the songs, and some of the songs rubbed me the wrong way, akin to hearing a stupid joke about domestic violence. It’ll get a spare star for its sins.

“You’re not a middle aged white lady who wants to sleep with him,” my wife replied to my derision at this album. Formulaic and tired, this thing has all of the hackneyed 90s music production tropes on garish display.

Skin seems to be the spiritual successor to Grace Jones - a gritted-teeth vocalist more than willing and armed to f&@$ you up. I enjoyed my introduction to cunt rock (Skin’s words; not mine).

I was expecting nothing from this jazz-funk offering and was BLOWN AWAY. Good good, the badass bass lines. I’ve got Friend Zone on repeat and I am living for the goofy-ass humour on full display. The only way that this would be better is if there were less self-indulgent guest artists. Even Kendrick didn’t add anything to this that Thundercat didn’t one-up.

This album sounds like what you’d get if you asked AI for house music nowadays. I was expecting much more.

Country ain’t normally my jam. This was chill proto-psychobilly, which gives it more than the one star it normally would.

Kinda bland and forgettable though I love their voices. Forgive me.

Where’s Waldo (or Wally) presents a unique sensory pastiche, one that demands a close examination to seek out hidden delights - much like this album. However, like this album, once you’ve found Waldo, there’s not a lot to keep you pulling it off the shelf. That said, I got sedate Wilco vibes. I can get down with that.

There wasn’t much like him beforehand in popular culture, but it’s obvious how much he leaned on black musicians who came before him. Still, the start to Blue Suede Shoes is iconic, oft-imitated, and lives rent-free in my head.

Ethereal and light. A sweet soundtrack to a breezy holiday. And of course the inimitable vocal flavour of Goldfrapp. Not as mind-blowing as Felt Mountain, but I’m sold.

Hunh. What was that? I’m confused at this album’s inclusion. It’s not bad. It’s just not distinctive or amazing.

Psychedelic bossanova? I am not the target audience for this.

The wife loves Rod. I find him tolerable. This album was a bit of that. The bonus star is for my wife.

I appreciate that the Dead created the jam band mythos. I appreciate the musicality to their improvisation and their bluesy sensibilities. I acknowledge their centrality to the counter-culture movement of the 60s and their exclusive membership to the Haight-Asbury club. I just don’t like their music. I don’t.

I like this album best when I hear Joni do her Steely Dan impersonation (like the title track). But goddamn this music composition is so DENSE - it definitely warrants a slow burn before I ultimately judge it. For now…

Is it easy listening? Smooth jazz? New wave? Blue-eyed soul? I dunno. Mick Hucknall sure can sing but those staid 80s synth chords need to be left behind with the Betamax tapes and the Trapper Keepers.

The Berlin Wall crumbles. The USSR folds. It’s the height of Madchester and yet these two release the most melancholy club kid record ever. I loved most of it. Bonus points for having Axel F impresario as the producer. I don’t understand the criticism of these guys as “wimpy”. I just think others don’t get them. Sad for those others.

No. Just no. Why the random insertion of background noise mimicking an audience? Why the ruin of a perfectly-good Alfred Hitchcock theme with off-rhythm feedback noise? Why ANOTHER concept album for a fake crime movie from this guy? But more importantly, why is this considered influential, good, or noteworthy? I exercised every bit of my self-restraint to not fast-forward through the entire album. I want to give zero stars.

Seriously blown away by this alt-country, alt-rock offering. Easy and breezy like a Sunday morning in one corner; evocative and sinister like a 2am Saturday alleyway in another. I listened to the first 3 tracks on repeat after listening to the whole thing. Knew nothing about this group but was NOT surprised to find their Nashville roots given the rambling guitar sound. Solid underground offering. More, please.

Yeah it’s a mood, right? Masterful guitar picking, just nothing I’m going to crave at a later date. I was distracted away from the album multiple times by other songs that I wanted to hear more.

That was entrancing. I listened to it three times over and still felt this weird calming spell. Magical, really. I guess that’s what smoking all that weed can do for country music.

I’m not a fan of wimp-rock.

I always get the group War mixed up with Edwin Starr’s song of the same name. Then I hear the funk and I’m still a bit confused. That’s ok. I want the funk.

Classic rock is classic. Hurts my heart to say as I recall the MTV VMA show where the Sledgehammer video cleaned the house. Best song about a penis, ever. Mainly because no one clocked it as such for so long.

Well there’s another huge banger of an album that I had never even heard of (nor the artist) with which I found myself bopping along. Sure as shit don’t sound like 1993.

This would be the 2nd of this band’s albums on this list, and much like the last one, I was pleasantly surprised. Psychedelia and folk music are not for me, so when it sounds like honky-tonk and the blues, I’m appreciative.

If you like all of the screaming of Nirvana but none of the catchy tunes, then this one’s for you!

Yeah, it’s BritPop but it’s not. There’s some nice stuff on here but I’m not going to be hankering for this album on my death bed. Meh. It’s alright.

I entered into this album somewhat aware of some of the songs but dismissive of the teenybopper echoes. I should’ve checked myself better. I was impressed by the full-throated range of feminist vibes from this millennial offering, especially from someone so Disney. The grooves are somewhat undercooked but the vocal virtuosity cannot be denied. A surprisingly satisfying listen.

Classic rock is classic. I love Billion Dollar Babies (maybe that’s the effects of Guitar Hero) and I wasn’t aware that No More Mr Nice Guy was on this album. Good listen. No downside.

That was intense and so fun. I loved the Sud American beats and the intensity. Felt that all the way through.

Good god. I did not remember how jam-packed this thing was with hits. And to think that this DC3 unit only had been forged a mere month before recording - ridiculous talents. Of course Beyoncé is the star here but the production was top-notch for its age (maybe a bit dated right now) and the songs hold up (despite the passé Charlie’s Angels movie references). Still, can’t fault this turn of the century gem.

Classic rock is classic. If you don’t like this, you don’t like blue-eyed soul and you’re not my friend.

Such a great album - my favourite U2 album by far. Sunday Bloody Sunday makes me want to run through a wall. Adam and The Edge sound sp amazing on this disc. Can’t give it anything but the full appreciation.

It’s one of the most important albums of BOTH the 20th and the 21st centuries, ok? Enough said.

Who woulda thought that I’d be such a fan of proto-punk? Well, me, I guess because I like punk. I confess to knowing NOTHING about this album, this band, zero. I liked it a lot. I also hear Black Flag, the Beastie Boys, and Sonic Youth. Trailblazers and then blazed out. So curious.

Funky and fun. I love seeing my Jurassic 5 connection. Was it life changing? Nah. Fun though.

Dear God is the best song of 1986, quite possibly of the 1980s. It’s the atheist’s swan song; it has such a high place in my heart. Interesting that Todd Rundgren produced this. Even more interesting that XTC thought this was a subpar album. It’s a great album with a singularly lovely tune.

I understand the historic inclusion of this album as a bridge between early 20th century country roots and late 20th century hippie “country fried” music, but I wasn’t feeling the album until the sheer number of rags and fiddle fiestas hit me. That’s what I’m here for - I’ll jam to that!

I recognise the lost artistry here but I got some Scott Walker vibes and that revolts me. That said - I appreciated the musicianship and the arrangements. Bonus point for impressing Elvis Costello so much.

Hey - Le Freak is an amazing song. The rest of this album? Well, it’s high-end disco, right?

The second half was much swifter and catchier than the first. I didn’t think I was gonna like the grime - I really liked the heartfelt outro.

The litany of groups that have not yet graced this list are long, and yet I’m listening to the 199th best album of the 1960s. Uggggggghhh. Eff off with the tales of Guinevere and the harpsichord already.

I expected nothing. I got a sun-drenched palette of lazy days lounging by a pool with a margarita and a good book. Refreshing. Possibly not life-changing but the best vacations usually aren’t.

Biggie’s flow was that of a black belt martial artist. Smooth and beautiful but percussive, crisp, and potentially damaging. There haven’t been many like him since him. This album is on the Mt Rushmore of gangsta rap.

That rocked. I love how punky it was. I love the tragic tale of the often-trespassed band. I love that Belinda Carlisle of the Go-Gos was supposed to be their original drummer! I love Lorna Doom. I love Darby Crash. This felt so nihilistic; I can’t help but love it.

I forgot how much Missy sang on this and how mindbending Timbaland’s techniques were back in the day. It’s not her high water mark, but it’s damned good.

This is the album where Gahan goes full BDSM and Depeche Mode took their rightful place alongside the pantheon of 80s Brit alternative superstars - and in 1990, too! So much to love here and such lurking threats hanging over every track. Well well done.

Gets a star for My Generation Gets a star for being anachronistic and inspiring grunge and hard rock. It sure as hell doesn’t sound like 1965. I’m sorry though; I can’t manage more than that. It just never stuck with me.

Important and poignant but goddamn painful.

Thank god it’s about time I got some REM on this list and it’s my favourite album of theirs!!! It’s the End of the World As We Know It always makes me jump around like I’ve got a live weasel in my pants. I also try to sing along and only succeed at shouting “Leonard Bernstein” at the appropriate moment. That’s joy, kids. This album sparks joy.

Interesting and cerebral. Some cool riffs in here (I’d expect that from The Jam). Enjoyable throughout.

I know it’s considered amazing and classic and groundbreaking but it’s just dull to my ears. Ambient techno does NOTHING for me or too me. Maybe if I was a robot in 1993 I’d find this amazing, but even the robots now would likely find this too simplistic. Sorry not sorry.

This supernova of an album - Jesus, it’s like a greatest hits album, it’s so good. If you’ve got zero interest in 70s easy listening, then this album is STILL likely a good album for you because Carole King wrote hits that got re-recorded by so many different people. This album is a true gem.

I had a cassette tape of the Blues Brothers growing up and one song done by John Belushi was Guilty. I always thought it was the perfect song for him but had no clue where it came from until now. This was phenomenal. I almost did a spit take at Rednecks. This is powerful song writing. I had no clue Randy Newman had done this.

Two thoughts of this album: when I was in high school, my best friend’s older brother would play this album for us incessantly when picking us up from school - a spectacularly sketchy choice of soundtracks for our commute. Also, I cannot see this album cover without seeing Howard and Vince from The Mighty Boosh. Musically, obviously Tainted Love makes me swoon still, but the rest of the album relies a bit too much on Marc Almond’s head voice. Still, it’s New Wave Nirvana - cannot deny its cultural importance.

Tracey Thorne over drum-and-bass was just what I wanted. It sounded a lot like Dido (but obviously predated it). I liked it a lot.

Sublimely simple and complicated at the same time. I sought out this album when I was in college when I had a limited budget for CDs. I never regretted it.

Classic rock is classic, and it doesn’t get much more classic rock than this. It’s almost a one-hit wonder album, as there wasn’t much left in the tank of Boston through the late 70s and 80s. Still, what an album. If you like power pop, then this is on your Mt Rushmore.

Yeah. Inoffensive. That’s the best I can manage.

I didn’t think that I’d be rating a Heaven 17 album before any Human League albums on this list. TIL that Heaven 17 was named after a band in A Clockwork Orange. That’s cool. This album? Yeah, it’s alright.

I love Joplin’s fuzzy vocal virtuosity. I also loved learning that Mercedes-Benz was the last thing she recorded before she died. This album is part of the sad mystique of rock and roll excess.

It just sounds like watered down Cypress Hill or recycled Sublime. Half-baked, and not in a fun lovin’ way.

Funky and so important to the hip hop world. Visionary in 1974, for sure.

I only knew Rip It Up on this awesome 80s album, and only that very peripherally. I really liked the funky Nile Rodgers- influenced energy on this thing. Just amazing. I could bop to this all day.

Hey - I can swim in the trance of Connected for a dog’s age, but the rest of this album doesn’t rightly click with me. That said, I cannot overstate how much this album did for the all-denim wardrobe.

I wasn’t expecting 69 songs….surprise! As witty as it was full of heart and synth, I found myself marking track after track as favourite. It got a little repetitive, but wow what an album from a band I knew little about.

This album was fire during my University years. People lost their damned minds when D’Angelo came to town to perform. A re-listen rekindles. This was the start of neo-soul.

Beautiful. Heartfelt. I’m probably not going to remember much about it.

It was one of my sister’s favourite albums before his sexual harrassment lawsuits and the Mandy Moore divorce became public. It’s so hard to divorce the artist from the art. It’s funny that he was having an argument about Morrissey in the first track. Another narcissistic asshat. This was the real start of alt-country, I believe. I enjoyed despite the issues raised.

Yeah, revered worldwide, I am sure but I just couldn’t get with the Congolese conga.

I think in Tortoise I hear the evolution of all pre-packaged cell phone ringtones. Shout out to the surgically-precise percussion. I liked this, a bit. I think it’s worth two stars.

This album made all the Gleeks and choral-nerds jump out of their skins in joy at the end of the Aughts - the actualisation of dense vocal harmonies into something more than a pretentious art-pop dalliance. It still sounds as fresh as new fallen snow 15yrs on. That’s some pretty songwriting.

I can see its influence on country/western music, soundtracks, and even folk music. I just wanted a minor chord or two and something other than ‘notches on .44s’ as imagery.

The decade of the 1970s was a wonderland of concept albums. The problem with the concept album is singular: if you don’t enjoy the concept, then you’re not going to enjoy the album. It’s hard to fault the musicianship here, but reading about this album, it seems that this album was purely Peter Gabriel’s vision and not the rest of Genesis. And then Peter Gabriel was out. That says something, I think. I found this tripping too close to the annoying prog rock territory of Yes. And I loathe prog rock Yes.

I just don’t understand the inclusion of this one. It’s a good representation of generic grunge but…it just doesn’t scratch any itch. I wanted it to be something that it wasn’t.

That was a goddamned brilliant study of vocal technique and virtuosity. Blown away, I am. I love Björk even more.

There were some songs that annoyed me and some songs with which I tapped my toes. I enjoyed the songs with progressive overlapping electronic layers the most. I can hear the roots of techno here; I wish I got more, though.

It is 2023. Bob Dylan is referred to as this guy’s musical “son”. Dude knew Woody Guthrie and taught Woody Guthrie’s songs to his son Arlo. Johnny Carson thought that this guy knew everyone and had a song for everything. And he’s still alive! It’s 2023. This dude is a living musical history treasure trove.

It’s a career-defining sound, for sure, and with Paul Simon producing it on the back of Graceland, it cements the group’s historical musical relevance. Does it hold up after 35yrs? Sorta?

Damn I wasn’t expecting that chord progression on that title track. If this was what honky-tonk was, then I’d like to bring it back. And god, what a voice!

Damnit. I can see that this group was influential and groundbreaking but sweet Jesus - Monday is already hard enough without having to listen to 10min tracks of distorted guitar and mumbled lyrics.

Yeah, it sounds like Bowie would try to promote this band but I’m not getting much more than glam rock leftovers.

My teenage self adored Groove is in the Heart. I confess I hadn’t listened to the rest of the album. It was funky as - maybe a bit too ambient for my tastes, but I cannot underestimate the number of rump shakes Deee-Lite has given me. I appreciate the love.

How is it possible that you can hear a smile? That’s the magic of Bjork’s voice. This album sounds like it was made by someone in love. That’s worth a bonus star.

If The Ramones were an English as a second language band that played hair metal, you’d get this album.

The Boxer is the pinnacle of 1960s folk-pop. Cecilia and Bridge are also classic rock. Even The Only Living Boy in New York has iconic status. I’m not a folk aficionado, but this album slaps.

I’ve heard parts of 4-5 songs on this album as jingles, ad breaks, and video game inserts. It’s nice to hear the native album - an electronic pastiche of bemusement.

Too slick to be grunge; too grimy to be pop. Probably the pinnacle of Hole’s artistic prominence and a damned fine hard-rock offering. Courtney Love’s vocal bombast deserves some credit for why this stands the test of time.

This is the pinnacle of the Drrty South sound and goddamn does it feature everyone - Killer Mike, Cee-Lo Green, Lil Jon, Ludacris. Hell, even JAY-Z had to get in on the action. It’s an opus magnum dei. I loved this album when it came out and bought it the first week. I am down with the crunk.

I’d rather be listening to Public Image, Ltd. or the Sex Pistols. It’s not impassably bizarre like other The Fall albums, but that ain’t high praise.

Classic rock is classic but this is something else. It’s not peak Talking Heads but goddamn is it first wave New Wave heaven. Pour it all over me.

There’s some trend on this list to put perfectly-average examples of musical movements (i.e. psychedelia, grunge, drum & bass) on this list and call them “essential listening”. This is the BritPop example of that phenomenon.

Damon Albarn seems to have his finger in many pies. This one is cold and not too tasty, but his finger is still in it.

Dirge is fun. The rest sounds like the ambient music played to open a NIN concert.

I’ve never heard of him before. On the first listen-thru, I immediately liked 2/3 of the songs on the album. On the subsequent re-listen, I liked the other 1/3. Poignant, witty, subversive, catchy, wounded. I needed this album many times in my life. Funny to find that it was recorded the year in my life that I needed it the most, but now I’ve found it, 13yrs later.

Satirical genius with some laugh out loud moments but maybe not that many catchy song hooks. In reading about this album, I found it interesting to learn of Zappa’s social circles (i.e. Lenny Bruce, Hendrix) and the contemporaries he despised (i.e. The Beatles, Velvet Underground) around the time this album was recorded/released. That album cover parody deserves a bonus star.

I was struck by a few things about this album: William Orbit’s production was contemporarily criticised but retrospectively celebrated for helping to bring EDM into the mainstream. Madonna was contemporarily criticised but retrospectively celebrated for her Eastern cultural influences in this album. It’s almost as if critics decide that what they say in the present is outdated when asked to retrospectively view it 2 decades later. The disc is good.

Eh. Nah. Nah

I enjoyed this strange tapestry of alt rock and musical mimicry. I found it intriguingly-haunting for further listens. I cannot identify one track on the album, but I can tell you how I felt throughout it.

The unceasing melancholia wreathed in BritPop mastery could irritate in larger volume, but this album definitely shows restraint. Of course Bittersweet Symphony is a jewel of 90s pathos; the rest of the album is surprisingly similarly and sweetly sour.

Unapologetic love for this album and Under the Pink. Tori Amos is my favourite singer/songwriter/piano warrior.

There’s some fun New Wave influence about this album. There’s some important sociopolitical message to this album. I was sad that “Shock the Monkey” was not on this album.

I was just thinking about Brian Eno the other day as I was listening to some New Wave stuff that he influenced. You’d think that the combination of Eno and Ferry would make this album untouchable and yet - it’s alright, yeah.

I can think of a handful of things more painful than a two hour live space-rock jam album, but they all involve the desecration of my genitalia. 0 stars?

I had no clue that subliminal music was my jam. It definitely passed under the radar for me, but then again, isn’t that what it’s supposed to do?

Yeah, better than most of the international offerings on this list but that doesn’t mean I’m going to listen to it again. Maybe the shortest album on the list - that’ll get it a bonus star.

Most of The xx sounds like two estranged lovers singing over the phone, their faces tear-stained, their choked sobs off-mike. This was a nice collection of that evocative sound.

Classic rock is classic. The fact that Huey Lewis played harmonica on this album blew me away. A fun listen.

Anachronistically evocative, this sure as sugar doesn’t sound like 1988. Slow/sadcore pioneers, eh? Maybe that’s why this sounds like the logical stepping stone between Husker Dū and Elliott Smith. Some of these tracks gave me goosebumps. That’s good, right? How have I never heard of them??

This was fun and Eno-ish. I dunno if I’d call anything in this album life-changing but I think it’s cool that the track King’s Lead Hat is a purposeful anagram of Talking Heads, who Eno was working closely with at the time.

Sloppy jazz. Stoner white boy hip hop. Random college rock. Whatever it is, it’s unique. That doesn’t always mean that it’s good. This? Eh. They’re from Philly. I’ll give them a bonus star.

Just the best concept album I’ve ever heard. So many poignant songs - like a love-letter to a punk rock kid written by the jaded, older version of the same. It was the album that made me realise my adulthood.

It’s interesting that I get this album - RHCP’s rebound album - the day after I got American Idiot - Green Day’s rebound album. They’re both interesting and fun, but this one is more microcosmic than Idiot. Cannot overstate the contributions of Frusciante to this album - Kiedis’ vocals are notably better than Blood Sugar Sex Magik too. Solid end of the 90s rock.

There wasn’t anything that sounded anything like that before them, I reckon. I think it’s funny that this album was Lester Bangs’ first critic column and he was savage (and later retracted it all). There’s some stuff on this live disc that feels like filler, but I’d listen to it again for sure.

I was stunned by the breadth of hip-hop styles on this one disc. It was also lovely to hear the Daisy Collective - De La Soul, Jungle Brothers, Monie Love. I found it poignant that this would be my album a mere week after the passing of The 45 King who played such a pivotal role here. It’s a damn good album, yo.

Yeah, classic rock is classic but this one feels a bit thin apart from the title track. I prefer Billion Dollar Babies.

The social implications of this album seem to eclipse the fatigue in Cash’s voice - they almost seem to buoy his spirit to fight the demons he was likely tortured by at this point in his life. Truly a heroic artist. His art was never more starkly evocative.

I hear the inspiration for most of the Sesame Street/Electric Company theme music in this album. Funky and cheerfully positive. The chronology clearly works out.

I think I love how kd lang ends all of her songs - judged based purely on her winsome outros, I would give this 6 stars out of 5.

Classic rock is classic (ack!). This is likely my 3rd favourite U2, behind War and The Joshua Tree. It’s good and the bangers really bang. The fillers detract. While most described this as a new direction for the band, it just seems like U2 in retrospect, like they were inventing their own genre or something. Still, it’s worth inclusion in this list and likely the top 100 albums of this list at that.

There were more mind-blowing elements in the other Can offering on this list. I found this album to be a poor man’s Gorillaz, unadorned by rap or the electronic treasures of the 21st century. Interesting but unrealised. A rap outro could’ve saved this, I think, but of course, it wasn’t really on offer in 1973.

Seems like a peaceful muse on music by someone jaded by the industry. Apart from Maybe I’m Amazed, it does seem disappointing coming from a recent-Beatle. I understand its importance in the growth of the lo-fi movement, but it ain’t too pretty on it own.

3hrs of drum and bass, eh? Wow…..uh. Thanks?!

It’s interesting and a left field inclusion. Kinda takes into account a 5yr period of my life where I was aware of ZERO up and coming artists. Felt a little whiny at times. Dunno. I’ll listen again.

Smooth and crisp - the mould by which most streetwise 90s hip-hop would and should be measured. Lyrically ahead of its time but I find the earwigs a bit sparse on this one. I want to give it 3.5 stars. I can’t, so I’ll play hardball.

Optimistic Americana that in retrospect feels like tarnished glory both nationally (9/11) and personally (#MeToo). Cannot deny the beauty to Ryan Adams’ voice when he loses the Johnny Cash-affected growl and sings purely. It’s strange to me to consider Ryan Adams alongside Elliott Smith - both had similar tortured misogynistic womanising facades. Interesting that one would die the year this album was released.

Overlooking Knopfler’s transcendent guitar and the sterling 80s production value (in my mind, 2nd only to Donald Fagen’s The Nightfly for acoustic quality), the jaded, fatigued ascerbia of this album makes it an essential classic. Money for Nothing gets (as it should) a bumper crop of love for accurately skewering 80s excess, but the rest of this pristine disc isn’t too far behind. It’s a desert island album for me.

This is hip-hop virtuosity right here with little filler or misstep. I might give it 4 stars but I gots to love my 215 brethren. What can I say? I’m a Philly homeboy.

It’s the album that killed Lester Bangs! I’m all seriousness, it’s a genre-defining album, and it’s my favourite musical genre. A full five star-rating was never so easily given.