Just find this boring, don't like Liam's nasal voice, don't like the stones meets beatles schlep. Can't even give it a nostalgia score bump cos this album doesn't have the hits.

Title song 'Like a Prayer' is a masterpiece. 'Cherish' is also the epitome of 80s pop, I remember dancing as a small girl to this in my friend's house, her older sister would invent dance routines and make us be her back-up dancers. Prince on `Love Song` - anything with prince is gold. `Til Death do us part` - doesn't shy away from heavy themes - domestic violence. Pop is not really my thing, but this album is iconic and representative of a genre and an era.

This was one of my favourite albums as an angsty teenage girl. So there's a big slice of nostalgia going on for me. It's great though- angry, visceral, the themes and lyrics are sharp and raw and dark, melancholic. I loved listening to female hard rock growing up, mostly riot grrl and later 90s/00s punk, and I guess Hole were part of a pioneering movement of women bands, part of 3rd wave feminism that normalised rage and writing about female experiences. Thanks for that Hole. And of course lots of really catchy loud-quite-loud grunge Nirvana-formula songs, melodic but raw. Courtney's voice sounds a lot like Brody Dahl (or rather, the other way around). Favourites: She walks on me - verses especially are driving, noisy, punk Rock Star/Olympia - I WENT TO SCHOOOOOL Violet

Don't have eloquent enough words to describe how great this album is. Entwined with crystal clear memories of the euphoria of dancing with friends at their gigs and hazier memories of dancing in fields at sunrise.

I was aware of Garbage growing up, knew the singles, but never had their albums or followed them. I'd assumed they were all scottish and part of the brit pop scene. Definitely higher quality tunes here than the glut of 90s alternative rock bands. Bit of trip-hop vibes in some tunes like 'as heaven is wide'. 'Stupid girl' is still great.

Kids is such an iconic song. Very nostalgic.

actually more psychedelic and bluesey than i would have thought

not my jam, very beatles.

I’d say they were all horsing the drugs on this one

snoozefest

Some really fun acid house tracks mixed in with 80s new wave pop songs (almost sound like the cure). generally a little flat, missing their usual intensity.

Prefer his later electro-y stuff but some fun tracks on this too.

i'd probably listen to it over cat stevens? at least it was short.

bland 90s radio music

can't stand his whiney voice. I do like "don't panic" though, maybe cos it was on the radio less. Would still listen to this over cat stevens, he sets the low bar.

inoffensive, background music.

I like the dour downbeat vibe, but sparse folk songs still not my cup of tea

Call me a goth, love this, especially A Forest

Like the lofi sound. Sounded nostalgic, even though I've never heard of it. Nothing remarkable about the album though.

I thought these songs were the flaming lips. Like the instrumentation.

great tunes, funky basslines, much 80s

I expected to hate this but I didn't

Feels like the soundtrack to a 60s movie montage

I gave them a charity 2 stars last time, but 2 coldplay albums in quick succession is leaving me less charitable with this one

pretty varied album. kashmir is great

nah

punk rockabilly love songs

torn between a 2 and 3 for this. wouldn't listen to it again, but didn't annoy me.

american pie is fun but the rest are just country folk songs which is not my jam

had never listened to this one before despite loving talking heads

good lord, what was that. he can't sing.

beatles harmonies meets cheesey lounge crooner

disco gold

more folky than I thought they were

country crooner sings sinatra style songs

fun early thrash, can hear their influence. got a bit repetitive

one of those 90s bands that sounded like each other

Dancing in the Dark brings this up to a 3. Otherwise its just not really my cuppa tea

weeeeeird

actually more punk than their famous songs. high 3 / low 4

rolling stones meets punk

bowie-esque

a few iconic songs. high 3 / low 4

cosmic dancer is a great tune, thought it was bowie

forgettable chilled spacey tunes

I get that the beatles are iconic and all but I just don't like them

high 3 / low 4

lion king meets choir

California Dreaming is great. So weird that this music was countercultural and edgy in the 60s, sounds today like cute songs children would sing.

I always thought 10cc was a reggae band because all I knew was Dreadlock Holiday. This album is all over the place, wild variety of songs and genres (eg folk, musicals, comedy songs, glam rock ?? ). I knew the hook from "The worst band in the world", it must have been sampled on something decent (found it - J Dilla Workinonit) , but the rest of the song is muck. Wtf is this, it's mad, the lyrics especially. How does this shit make it onto a list of definitive albums, and yet theres so few iconic releases from the last 10 years or from genres outside dad rock, eg dance music. I got to the second last song and just couldn't take anymore.

Elton John vibes. Some nice classics

Its a pretty amazing and subversive recording, I spent the whole time wondering what it would have been like to be there, either as a prisoner or as a performer. Amazing recording. Can't say its something I'd put on and listen to, but the tunes are fun and the atmosphere is special.

Nostalgic, listened to a lot of SY as a teenager, though not this album. Shoegaze-y and gothic at times (Marilyn Moore), melodic, driving and uplifting others (Madonna...). Love the interesting noises, distortions and discords.

Beach boys vibes, without the fun. 60s vaguely psychedelic pop/rock. Not my jam.

Great driving hardcore-punk infused, proto-grunge, garage/noise rock. Can obviously hear the influence on nirvana, soundgarden and grunge. Had some of these songs on mixtapes as a teenager, love the riff in "In n Out of Grace". To be picky, they are missing the catchy choruses of the more successful grunge bands, and I don't love the singer's nasal tone. Generally feels really visceral and angry, and would have been great live.

I wanna give it a 5 just for Six Pack and TV Party. The tension, the fury, the random changes in tempo, the call and response. I had this downloaded (probably over many days) on dial up from audiogalaxy, i think it had random glitches from where the torrent didn't completed... just added to the DIY sound. Anyway back to the album ... nostalgia for my teenage punk years probably biases my rating here, yeah its super influential, but would I personally listen to it much anymore? not so sure

Only started listening to FM in the last few years, but I love this album, surprisingly, considering my distaste for folk, this is almost like a guilty pleasure. Almost, but not quite, cos its actually good. Just some great pop songs here, especially Go your own way and The chain.

Really enjoyed this, despite not generally listening to hip-hop/rap. Felt like a chill summer day in the 90s/00s. Words like smooth, chill, groove, soulful etc come to mind. Favourite song is The Corner. Makes me wanna go discover more hip hop.

classic rnb /soul ; extra points for nostalgia

Just find this boring, don't like Liam's nasal voice, don't like the stones meets beatles schlep. Can't even give it a nostalgia score bump cos this album doesn't have the hits.

wild horses is wonderful. All others are standard stones, which is grand but not my cuppa tea.

I was aware of Garbage growing up, knew the singles, but never had their albums or followed them. I'd assumed they were all scottish and part of the brit pop scene. Definitely higher quality tunes here than the glut of 90s alternative rock bands. Bit of trip-hop vibes in some tunes like 'as heaven is wide'. 'Stupid girl' is still great.

forgettable dreamy 2010s electro pop. somehow i know walk in the park despite it not being a single. its of that swath of dreamy music from that era that all sounds the same. bit of a snoozefest.

Her voice is stunning. Moments on this album are great, lovely harmonies, funky beats, sunny vibes, provocative lyrics, and I get that it speaks loudly politically. But generally theres not a lot of catchy melodies, and I think this flavour of funk/soul/rnb is not really my cup of tea. I want to like it more than I do, cos Solange is an icon.

I like SY and their flavour of noise grunge, but this album just went on a bit too long. Great distorted noise and kim gordon wailing, but also lots of filler and I was kind of waiting for the album to be over.

Stunning voice, a pleasure to listen to. Especially loved 'Wild is the Wind'. I do wonder why this record is on the list but not one with more of her hits like 'I put a spell on you'.

I think I have learned from this challenge that I like hip hop! I guess I also associated rap with like Snoop Dog and 50 Cent and PDiddy and whatever was in the 90s/00s charts which was really shite. This though- there's great beats in this, love the 90s sound, dunno the right terms but like the sampling and scratching. The rapping is pretty chill and smoothly rhythmic, lulling and poetic.

This was my favourite album in college. It is like a time travel machine, immediately bringing me back to that time, the people and memories. Some bands and albums have lasted the test of time and I have listened to my whole life, and some serve a purpose for a time, and this was the latter. Listening back again though, its a great album, great melodies and 00s synthy beats, maybe even a hint of norwegian disco. I think it got overplayed and used too much in ads, but after a break, it still holds up.

sympathy for the devil is a gem. lots of country sounding stuff, otherwise forgettable.

Had this as a teenager, totally fancied the singer. "Girl from mars" was a huge hit, didn't realise they were widely recognised outside Ireland, quite surprised to see this album on this list, considering all the better and more influential albums I can think of. It's fun and nostalgic, pop/pop-punk/rock. Vocals are weak at best, often out of tune, certainly sounds like a 17 yo recording in their garage. Not much cohesiveness in style from song to song - "Girl from mars" is this cutesy low-fi pop song, followed by "I'd give you anything" that has kinda classic-rock/metal-ish guitar chords/solo with some out of tune "singing" on top, was a bit painful to listen through that song. 3 is being generous, extra points for nostalgia.

jazz. don't know much about it. but enjoyed it.

Look ok I get that somehow Pink Floyd are legendary, and Another Brick in the Wall is a great tune. They've been the soundtrack to my stoner parties too just as much as the next student, but this really is not my cup of tea. Wandering unfocused guitar wank, nobody cares. 26 bloody tracks too. and then some musical / rock opera nonsense near the end.

This actually is better than I expected. Some bluesy / jazzy bits, good melodies, interesting effects and distortion. His voice has an Ian curtis / john maus / new wave sound.

Folk just really isn't my vibe. Extra star due to hits that I could sing along to.

dont know much about jazz but enjoyed this especially as background music while working

Had this in college, but not listened to it in god knows how long. Still love it, dance in your seat stuff. Great beats, disco sound, remembered most of the tunes. Deffo has a 90s/00s kinda sound, a little bit of big-beat. Sampled widely in other stuff too (2manyDjs). Hadn't realised it was a British bloke riding the coattails of french house. Need more dance music in this list, but I guess the album is not as common a format in electronic music.

proto punk, a bit like the stooges, bit of rolling stones

Never heard of this. Like the 90s alt rock sound, nick drak vibes, americana, like his vocals. There were even some Black Francis vibes, like on "Grace". Mildly forgettable, like a lot of music from the 90s alternative rock era.

I had to check my spotify history to see if I actually listened to this yesterday. So, pretty forgettable.

sounds very 90s, trippy dub mixed with tango, bit portishead. But also a bit elevator music/lounge music-y. Personally not a fan of the accordion or the vocals.

Rich orchestral live sound. Really beautiful instrument, is that autoharp? Also really weird, would expect no less from PJ. Lots of folk influence, lyrically, conceptually, musically. I think I would give it a 5 if this was less obvious. I do prefer her more growling vocal sound from older albums. The thinner vocals here have a slightly annoying faux childish sound. I still think of this as her "new album" even though its now 10 years old.

Ah sure Jump isn't on this album :( Pretty quintessential example of 80s hard rock. Not exactly my style, the guitar solos are really long and boring. But still it's a fun album. Downrated for the dodgy rapey lyrics: "We're gettin' funny in the back of my car I'm sorry honey, if I took it just you little too far, yes"

Beautiful, concise, coherent. Classic Radiohead. I don't know this as well as albums 2-6, but it still sounded like coming home to an old friend, like the musical concepts from all the previous albums came together in this one.

I had this when I was a teenager... Its a funny one because on first listen, I'd say its not really my cup of tea. 60s pop can sounds pretty dated, and its hard to distinguish the good from the bad, because it all just sounds 60s. I do recognise that this was progressive, for the beach boys themselves and music in general. Listening more carefully, I really love the orchestral sections, the fast-slow & quiet-loud transitions, almost choral or barber shop harmonies. Really enjoyed some of the lesser-known side 2 songs like "Here Today" - big, epic, cinematic sounds.

Dark, minor key, lazy beats. Lots of scratching and sampling. Fast rolling rapping, almost like a percussion instrument itself. Reminds me of The Ziggurat/ The Constructus Corporation, in that its a sci-fi themed concept hip-hop album. Some of the teenage humour is annoying.

birth of hXc. can't beat it, feel 16 again listening to it. I did NOT know this was recorded in 1980!! So early

Enjoyed this waaay more than expected. Really fun, catchy, 80s hard rock, loud, thrashy, not too much guitar wanking. Great drums and bass lines. Can hear the influence on hardcore punk and thrash I listened to a lot as a teenager. But 80s hard rock vocals will always sound cheesy to me. Run to the hills is 5* 🤘🤘🤘

1/2 really not my jam. the music itself is pleasant enough, the singing is a lot of moany noises.

Never actually listened to Tom Waits before. It started off ok - didn't hate it as much as I expected. I like the percussion, the dark tone and minor keys in Clap Hands. I don't usually listen to lyrics but found myself doing so here. But then it all started to go downhill with Cemetery Polka, Rain Dogs. Is this a joke? It's like circus music. It's one I'm struggling to finish.

Dub, reggae, electronic, even kinda r&b vibes. Not previously familiar with this album, and I don't like it as much as Mezzanine or Blue Lines. Not a huge fan of the Everything but the Girl singer's voice. Do like the reggae/dub tracks. Sound great with good headphones, feel stoned just listening.

cuban jazz. Enjoyed some of the more tuneful parts, but also a lot of rambling rhythmic chanty bits that were repetitive and boring. Not sure this is my kinda thing, don't think i'd listen again.

Really accomplished debut. Although I'm not a die-hard AF fan like most of my peers, I really enjoy them, their fun, great live, as is this album. I know most of this album despite never owning it, they are simply so pervasive. Love the rich instrumentation, driving rhythms, big dynamic variations. The most folky/americana style songs are less my style (Kettles). It's hard to judge this album without the hindsight of knowing the phenomenon they would become. It certainly is a stand-out amongst the proliferation of long forgotten 00s indie bands. Favourites: Neighbourhood # 3 (Power out) - ominous minor bass strings Neighbourhood # 1 (Tunnels) - tension Rebellion (Lies) - anthem

Very excited when this came up, this is the MJ era of my childhood, remember the videos on MTV. The singles alone are 5* - man in the mirror; smooth criminal, bad, the way you make me feel, leave me alone; but actually theres a fair bit of filler tunes on here too.

Bit of a snoozefest. Sounds very 70s. Preferred the middle/second half. I don't really get live albums either - doesn't really capture the excitement of being there, and the production and sound is just bad. Extra cred cos I love Baby I Love Your Way.

Don't have eloquent enough words to describe how great this album is. Entwined with crystal clear memories of the euphoria of dancing with friends at their gigs and hazier memories of dancing in fields at sunrise.

Oh god i barely got through the first 30 seconds of this. His nasal voice, just appalling.

Short, fun, soul & blues. Lots of screaming women.

classic 80s new wave. some classic 80s cheesy sax in there too.

Our house is a great song. I really like 80s two tone ska but Madness was never my favourite, maybe its a bit too slow, a bit twee, not as energetic as Specials. Didn't love this. Didn't hate it either. High 2 / Low 3

Title song 'Like a Prayer' is a masterpiece. 'Cherish' is also the epitome of 80s pop, I remember dancing as a small girl to this in my friend's house, her older sister would invent dance routines and make us be her back-up dancers. Prince on `Love Song` - anything with prince is gold. `Til Death do us part` - doesn't shy away from heavy themes - domestic violence. Pop is not really my thing, but this album is iconic and representative of a genre and an era.

I knew "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" without knowing this band or album. Sounds of its era - dub, triphop influences. Repetitive bass lines and organ. Can hear lots of variety of influences. Wanted to like it more than I actually did.

I like 'Come on Eileen' as much as the next person, in fact probably more, I think it's a class song. But really not sure why this album is one you should hear before you die? I didn't dislike it, his voice is very distinct, the horns are fun, the fiddles remind me of an 80s Arcade Fire, but a lot of the songs either sound exactly the same or are forgettable filler. There are phrases in some songs that are repeated in `Come on Eileen`. It's also too long.

love the album cover. Never listened to this before, but knew some of the singles, "this is the day" is an amazing song, bittersweet and nostalgic (although I have no history with it) also love "giant"

Absolutely love this. One of my favourites as a teenager, I loved this flavour of ska-punk, reminds me of skanking wildly to the local ska punk bands at gigs in dingy basements. Disillusion and hopelessness mixed with funky bass lines and upbeat horns. Deluxe version also has a live disc which is fun, wouldn't normally like live albums but you can feel their live energy. Favourites: A message to you rudy too much too young Monkey Man

Enjoyed this, turns out I like 80s metal more than I thought. Would love to see them live.

SLICING UP EYEBALLS AH HA HA HA Favourite band of all time. Dark, Furious, Surreal, Funny, Melodic, Noisy And probably their most well known album (though I prefer Surfer Rosa as an album) Debaser is possibly my favourite pixies song, single at least. Wave of Mutilation also amazing. and Gouge Away. Ugh all of it! But some other less known absolute favourites are also here - La La Love You, Hey, Tame

Expectations: the year, the name, the cover: I will not like this. Fucking 60s psychedelic rock. * eye roll* Hmm turns out its Frank Zappa and satire. Hard to tell the difference between satirical psychedelic hippies and real psychedelic hippies. I will never listen to this again, its not my cup of tea. But it also just fades into the background and isn't actively offensive. "You know it doesn't bother me at all That you're only 18 years old 'Cause I got a little Motherly love for you baby" fucking creeps

God this is a relief after all the psychedelic dad rock, even though this is pretty psychedelic funk. Great start, bopping in my office seat to 'That Lady". "Summer Breeze" put me in a great mood. They really remind me of someone I can't put my finger on, maybe that my mom listened to when I was a child - stevie wonder? ... yep, reminds me of Superstition.

More classic rock aka dad rock. Psychedelic Rock & Blues. Sunshine of your Love is classic and actually I quite like it, like the blues influence. Many a teenager with their first electric guitar learned this riff. Always thought it was Hendrix. Has a Beatles sound (World of Pain, Blue Condition), and lots of psychedelic rock (dance the night away, Ulysses) Don't like the raw/dry 60s drum production sound. This challenge has had me listen more actively to all the classic rock I would instantly dismiss and not be able to distinguish. So yeah maybe now I can hear the difference between Clapton and Hendrix, but I still don't like it. Gave it a bump to 3 just cos of Sunshine of your Love, but otherwise would firmly be a 2.

Ah yeah can't say this was offensive in any way. Good buzz, nothing remarkable. Never heard of the band, until of course I came to "I want you to want me". But even that sounded a bit lacklustre and lacking enthusiasm (at least compared to 10 things I hate about you). Also really enjoyed "Big Eyes". I do wonder what the criteria are for things making it onto a list of the most unmissable 1001 albums ever made. Never heard of this band, one massive hit, live album, kinda forgettable heavy rock/protopunk/protogrunge - was it influential? was it especially commercially successful? or a cult hit? Who knows, but they never made it onto my radar.

I don't like prog rock. Have never actually actively listened to this album before. I still don't like prog rock, but surprisingly I didn't hate this. I can appreciate that it is a masterpiece, hence the 4 stars. Not what I'd listen to for fun though.

Love it, seminal new wave, can hear the influence on so many later electro-pop bands. Sparse, melodic hooks, great beats. So many hits here, favourite is probably Love Action.

Live jazz from the 50s. I was pretty put off by her forgetting the lyrics all the time - the MC's intro says its being recorded and she'll use a lyric sheet, and yet... numerous times she forgot. Bit weird and unprofessional at any gig, let alone one being recorded that the singer would not know the songs?? Anyway the actual music was fine, she has a nice voice, though not as nice as Ella or Nina. Not a big jazz listener and wouldn't pick this up again.

My mum loves Elvis so always have a soft spot. Starts with some upbeat blues numbers, then a very-elvis soul crooney slow tune 'I'll hold you in my heart'. Blues, gospel, soul & rock n roll, country. Suspicious Minds is on this - what a tune (this is on the spotify album but just read it wasn't on the original). Not an album chocoblock full of hits, but still not loads of filler. Much prefer the upbeat tracks. If Suspicious Minds was actually part of the original release I'd give this a 4.

Never heard this before, though the band name sounded familiar. Yeah its grand, like I don't completely hate it, some elements I like, when it sounds a bit more new wave/proto punk, but the more psychadelic elements, the echoey vocals, the hammed up english accents, are not my jam. Would not listen again.

I don't know this band. I really like the 90s alt-rock sound, love the use of the minor keys, some of the strong bass riffs remind me of the post punk and hardcore and math rock I listened to growing up (eg Estel, Fugazi) and the guitar sounds a bit like Interpol mixed with Mudhoney mixed with Placebo. Expansive. I really dislike the vocals, the singer's voice, its just so American, like if Chris Cornell or Layne Staley couldn't sing. Prefer it when heavily distorted, but the verses are kinda whiney. Reading the wiki blurb, I must say the idea of the album exploring "the dark psyche of the '90s male" is massive eye-roll, sounds very emo, self indulgent, those poor 90s males. Chorus melody of "Be Sweet" is really beautiful. Intro riff to "Debonair" reminds me of the Clash. And the guitar riffs of Warpaint. The singing in "When we two parted" is dire, so out of tune. Ditto for "I keep coming back". Like fully out of tune. I actually found phrases in almost all the songs that I loved, but equally did not find a song where I loved all of it. Its a shame, as I think if this was instrumental or a different singer it could be a 4/5 for me. But the singer drags it down a 3, and that feels generous. Second half of the album got quite same-y, much lower quality than the tracks at the top.

I don't really like The Who. And this recording doesn't sound great either. Maybe they were one of the best live bands ever, but that's not captured here. Live albums were such a weird fad, and seem very 70s. What's the point? Shitter sound than the studio and really doesn't capture the vibe of a gig. The "funny" story about the girl guide and the pedo train driver has not aged well

- remind me of django django - really like boxing day

classic glam rock

nope. this is not my cup of tea. sounds so dated.

This was one of my favourite albums as an angsty teenage girl. So there's a big slice of nostalgia going on for me. It's great though- angry, visceral, the themes and lyrics are sharp and raw and dark, melancholic. I loved listening to female hard rock growing up, mostly riot grrl and later 90s/00s punk, and I guess Hole were part of a pioneering movement of women bands, part of 3rd wave feminism that normalised rage and writing about female experiences. Thanks for that Hole. And of course lots of really catchy loud-quite-loud grunge Nirvana-formula songs, melodic but raw. Courtney's voice sounds a lot like Brody Dahl (or rather, the other way around). Favourites: She walks on me - verses especially are driving, noisy, punk Rock Star/Olympia - I WENT TO SCHOOOOOL Violet

Not my cup of tea, but didn't hate it. Found it pretty amusing to read the background re his divorce, and the blatant lyrics about alimony and judges. Stay classy Marvin.

Funny that music that seemed heavy and subversive in the 70s does not today. Except that whole bat thing... seems like a misguided idea in the wake of covid. A bit slow for me, but still like it a lot. High 3/low 4 Iron Man is overplayed War Pigs is great

Love this. Music like this makes me listen attentively, and really think about how the hell they made it. I associate this album with big phase of musical discovery and expansion of my taste, constant gig-going in London, saw them in Brixton just after this was released. frantic, visceral, live, immediate, expansive. Listening to this again makes me feel really happy. It's been a while. Brother Sport is genius, its like a chaotic psychedelic club tune, the tension builds in the noise and instead of the beat dropping, the cheerful melody does !

I love "only shallow". I think it sounds more contemporary than it is? Though does have some like cranberries vibes maybe? and maybe a bit of sonic youth lite in the guitar distortion + female vocals read the wiki article on its recording saga, kevin shields sounds like a twat.

Wow this is long. Its a mixture of funk and kinda like psychadelic rock? Lots of long guitar solos which is not my favourite. But the funkier and more melodic moments are really fun - I really like "Into you" and "One nation under a groove" .

Not sure how much I like Funk, or at least this kind of funk. Its kinda slow and cheesy. And not really singing a melody, but rather reading out a long essay in the form of song ? I can appreciate the politics and social commentary in these songs, but I just don't enjoy the music. Oh god I'm only 2 tracks in, I thought I was halfway through...

Rock Opera ?? Very kitsch, but fun. Funny that Meatloaf often gets classified as rock or hard rock or something, but really its big musical ballads, almost like musical theatre. Lots of songs in there that you'd dance at a wedding to with your auntie !!! Gotta say, "You took the words right out of my mouth" is super catchy. High 3 - not really my cup of tea, don't think I'd listen again, but it was fun, and unique and memorable.

Not New Wave. Never heard of this band, pretty forgettable though not unpleasant, why is this in this list?

Bangerz!! Only really knew the hits, but man are they absolute choons. Enjoyed the rest of the album too. Makes me really miss festivals and gigs!

Can't place who they remind me of. Family Tree reminds me of Coldplay, but also some other pop/rock bands (Fun? Passion pit?) A Little bit slow, downbeat at times for my tastes. I like the instrumentation though, quite rich and musical, strings, horns etc. But then Red dress is funky, do I know this already?? Very danceable. Album is a grower. Prefer the second half.

Though I don't know this band, I have high expectation as its ex-husker-du. "A Good Idea" could be a Pixies song with different vocals The rest is quite forgettable. "If I can't change your mind" is so saccharine, sounds like a jingle or a 90s sitcom theme tune. Disappointing. I mean again, its not unpleasant, actually quite enjoyed some songs, but really wondering what it special here to make it into this list - I listened to loads of alt rock bands like this that don't make this list.

I've had a long string now of 60s psychedelic/pop/folk so my patience is wearing thin. Still the opener surprised me, pleasant orchestration, nice minor key, spanish guitar. But by halfway through I'm bored shitless.

I find Bruce so boring, didn;t even know any hits from this one. Redeemed to 2 stars as its not actually offensive to my ears and somehow I managed to listen to is 1.5 times without noticing it was on loop.

Nice fun energetic jazz, classic, easy to listen to while working.

Not was what I was expecting from the name/cover. Bit of a mixed bag of all kinds of genres. Who is this band and what was their influence?? Opening song sounded a little like Motown. Pop/Soul. Second song was more what I was expecting - vaguely psychedelic influenced 60s rambling pop/rock with too much tambourine/shaker. Next song is like a sweet beatles/monkees pop song. Anyway it continued with a roulette-like random sprinkling of genres and influences, and I didn't even know their "hit"

distinctive sound of the era. reminds me of dinosaur jr or the eels. I kinda like his bad voice. Lyrics name-checking/slagging loads of bands they toured with is a bit pretentious. Songs kinda blur into one another. Still, I like it, but probably not enough to listen to again.

RIP Chris Cornell - in his softer moments sounds a lot like Josh Homme, whose voice I adore. "Mailman" could be QOTSA song. Soundgarden have such a distinctive sound, different from what was going on in the 90s, it's not metal it's not grunge, it's not stoner rock. Really enjoy "Head Down" - sweet singing Obvs "Black Hold Sun" is an absolute classic. "Spoonman" driving rhythm is so great High 4 / 5

Fun, lots of classics. Can't say I really actively listened, but still enjoyed it while I worked.

I LOVE the Damned. That punk rumbling bass opener of "Love Song" crashing into the lo-fi hi-hat heavy drums! Even back in 1979 they have a synth/prgan and proto goth sound on "I just can't be happy today" "These Hands" - no one likes circus music Dave Vanian's voice is magic on "Plan 9 Channel 7" I prefer Damned Damned Damned - I just noticed that its not on this list... wonder why.

riotous, intense, visceral. More familiar with PJH's 00s albums, but this one is superb

zzz snoozefest. original warbling acoustic guitar girl.

Classic rock is not my thing, but this has some classics and some nice bluesy sections.

thought I'd like this more than I did. Bit weird and all over the place.

some classics, some cheese

I remember the hype about this, but it really wasn't my type of music, so never really paid heed. Listening closely now, it's actually really quite lovely. Beautiful melodies, his voice is stunning, evocative, emotional, arrangements vary between sparse, spine-shivering, and orchestral and rich. Of course there are still plenty of folky and americana bits that just isn't my taste in music, but really they don't bother me. I'm actually quite baffled and amazed about what is it about this album that I like so much, given my strong aversion to folk music. I can't believe it, but am I about to give a 5 to a folk album?? Favourites: White Winter Hymnal of course (sang it in my choral group) Meadowlarks - beautiful sparse arrangement, maybe a bit too much reverb

motown tunes - heard it through the grapevine; no others i really knew. Really nice though