Journey Complete!
Finisher #110 to complete the list
1089
Albums Rated
3.1
Avg Rating
60
5-Star Albums
100%
Complete
Rating Speed
6.8
Per Week
1113
Days Active
Reviews
1080
Written
99%
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vs Global
-0.08
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3.1
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How you rate albums
Rating Timeline
Average rating over time
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Which era do you prefer?
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When do you listen?
Taste Profile
1950s
Favorite Decade
Funk
Favorite Genre
UK
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Balanced
Rater Style
24
1-Star Albums
Taste Analysis
Genre Preferences
Ratings by genre
Origin Preferences
Ratings by country
Rating Style
You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | 5 | 2.84 | +2.16 |
| Infected | 5 | 2.92 | +2.08 |
| Electric | 5 | 3.02 | +1.98 |
| It's A Shame About Ray | 5 | 3.12 | +1.88 |
| Hunting High And Low | 5 | 3.12 | +1.88 |
| Soul Mining | 5 | 3.17 | +1.83 |
| Technique | 5 | 3.17 | +1.83 |
| Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) | 5 | 3.24 | +1.76 |
| Kenya | 5 | 3.27 | +1.73 |
| A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector | 5 | 3.28 | +1.72 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent Femmes | 1 | 3.5 | -2.5 |
| System Of A Down | 1 | 3.26 | -2.26 |
| Os Mutantes | 1 | 2.98 | -1.98 |
| AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted | 1 | 2.93 | -1.93 |
| E.V.O.L. | 1 | 2.89 | -1.89 |
| Damaged | 1 | 2.87 | -1.87 |
| Tarkus | 1 | 2.78 | -1.78 |
| Let's Get It On | 2 | 3.78 | -1.78 |
| Happy Sad | 1 | 2.78 | -1.78 |
| Roots | 1 | 2.78 | -1.78 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums and high weighted score
| Artist | Albums | Avg | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stevie Wonder | 4 | 4.75 | 4 |
| Beatles | 7 | 4.29 | 3.9 |
| Prince | 3 | 4.67 | 3.83 |
| Michael Jackson | 3 | 4.67 | 3.83 |
| Aretha Franklin | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| New Order | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| The The | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Led Zeppelin | 5 | 4.2 | 3.75 |
| Steely Dan | 4 | 4.25 | 3.71 |
Least Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums and low weighted score
| Artist | Albums | Avg | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pere Ubu | 2 | 1.5 | 2.4 |
| Emerson, Lake & Palmer | 2 | 1.5 | 2.4 |
| Slipknot | 2 | 1.5 | 2.4 |
| Sepultura | 2 | 1.5 | 2.4 |
| Sonic Youth | 5 | 2.2 | 2.5 |
| Brian Eno | 5 | 2.2 | 2.5 |
| Tim Buckley | 3 | 2 | 2.5 |
| Björk | 4 | 2.25 | 2.57 |
5-Star Albums (60)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Steely Dan
5/5
Difficult to look at this impartially, being one of my favourite and frequently played albums, so I’ll just gush.
I kind of understand some people’s “bland/Muzak” perception. I don’t often “get” much punk, early Country or a lot of hip-hop, but...
... This album has amazing musicianship - albeit very calculated and brilliantly produced. The antithesis of punk.
Love the funky pop of Black Cow, I got the news, Peg, the mature jazz crossover of Aja, the sophistication of Deacon Blues and the rock of Home at last and Josie. A perfect timeless album.
19 likes
The Cult
5/5
“Y-air, yeah, yeah, yay-air, ye-hay-air!”Thought I’d already reviewed this because I listen to it so often, must have mixed it up with AC-DC or Zeppelin! Riffs everywhere. All the different ways to say “yeah”!
Influences stolen from all over, love The Beatles in Aphrodisiac Jacket. Simply outstanding balls out rock and roll. Amazed few other reviewers agree with me - hey-ho, never mind.
10 likes
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
No, it is not a “neglected masterpiece” or “lost treasure” or “towering achievement”. This was unsuccessful because it just isn’t good enough. Too much talking and not enough singing. The music and songs are there, but overlong and disjointed with the talky bits.
Given the brilliance of the previous two Dexy’s Midnight Runners albums, I’m very disappointed with this even if I’m left with one or two ear-worm melodies (just adds to my overall disappointment).
9 likes
The Stone Roses
5/5
Byrds style jangly guitars, infectious melodies and grooves, mumbled mysterious lyrics. It worked in 89 and still sounds great now. One of The great British albums.
6 likes
4-Star Albums (269)
1-Star Albums (24)
All Ratings
John Lennon
2/5
Some gold plated hits, a few pleasant country rock foot tappers and some introspective songs which are more a vehicle for Lennon's lyrics. A little disappointing overall.
4/5
David Bowie
3/5
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
Noisy but very teenage indie
Jorge Ben Jor
4/5
Loved the breezy 70s laid-back jazz funk and beautiful Brazilian melodies and female backing singers. 1st track is very cool, pity there wasn't anything else solar in a slightly more edgy rock style.
Joan Armatrading
4/5
So lovely and warm. A gem
Crowded House
4/5
Catchy pop. Good fun. Great in concert too.
CHIC
4/5
Funky disco and it has Le Freak!
Oasis
4/5
Enthused about this in 1994 and still enjoy the songs today. Energy, humour, melodies and hooks. good songwriting.
Pulp
4/5
Great pop, not just for students. Surprisingly time-less
Pere Ubu
1/5
I don't understand this at all. I don't like Beefheart's Trout face lp and I don't like this. To me it makes no musical sense. Why is it highly rated?
The Birthday Party
2/5
Punk energy, swamp blues, joy Division production in places, but not my taste
David Bowie
5/5
A classic, with interesting and well crafted songs
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
3/5
Lightning fast picking. Rollicking good fun, but overlong. Great musicianship.
Dizzee Rascal
1/5
Not my taste of music or genre. Found the vocal delivery and most of the music abrasive
The Doors
4/5
Cool, groovy, bluesy and interesting
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Dark, bluesy on places, great feel voice. Good.
Beatles
5/5
It's the Beatles, albeit separately. Brilliant
Frank Sinatra
2/5
Crooning, but no upbeat swing
Arrested Development
4/5
Cool, thoughtful hip hop. Not aggressive or abrasive.
Living Colour
3/5
Steely Dan
4/5
Super Furry Animals
4/5
Brilliantly Beatlesque in places, electronically wacky in others. Eclectic!
Bob Dylan
3/5
The La's
3/5
Joni Mitchell
3/5
Beautiful Joni vocals and grown up music. Not as catchy as earlier albums, but much more accessible than later ones.
Johnny Cash
3/5
Rock n roll country.
The Jam
3/5
AC/DC
4/5
The Black Crowes
3/5
ABBA
3/5
Unmistakably ABBA, but with added melancholy and more Chess-style orchestration.
Fugees
3/5
Listenable catchy, clever
Blur
4/5
Exciting, rock and still very blur
Incubus
3/5
Accessible hard rock with record scratching. Nothing too abrasive.
Portishead
2/5
Not an easy listen at all. Too experimental and harsh and grating. Didn't enjoy. I'm clearly too middle of the road preferring their first two albums. Beth's voice is still poignant and emotional.
Pavement
2/5
Very indie lo-fi - still slightly disappointing
Moby
4/5
Relaxing and groovy. Some good dance tracks and some more mellow. All well known.
Judas Priest
3/5
Ok, fairly energetic, but not as good as AC/DC or Iron Maiden
Minutemen
4/5
Mostly enjoyed. Funky punk, a little bit Talking Heads - a little bit punky - better than early Red Hot Chili Peppers. Overlong album, but 35 mins at least is excellent.
Tina Turner
4/5
Very 80s, excellent pop and rock. Tina Turner was on fire!
Ravi Shankar
3/5
Educational, interesting, hypnotic. Probably wouldn't listen to much, but understand it's importance.
Pixies
3/5
Not quite as exciting as their other albums, although Dig for Fire is great
Suede
2/5
Never really liked Suede apart from a few early singles, notably Stay together.
Overblown and not enjoyable.
The Who
4/5
Great fun, US soul covers and My Generation!
Os Mutantes
1/5
Psychedelic and disjointed. Very disappointing
Garbage
4/5
Has not aged! Good hit singles, indie rock, super moody vocals and electronic programming too.
Venom
1/5
Most start with good riff, but then it's lost in muddy production and thrashing. Not my taste.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
Good, soulful pop. Eileen is quite different to others.
Aretha Franklin
5/5
The voice of soul, the music of soul, brilliant!
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Actually quite good fun, notwithstanding the subject matter. Fairly eclectic covering much of Cave/Bad Seeds styles.
Bon Jovi
5/5
Awesome - a stone cold singalong classic
Prince
5/5
Well this easy! My all time favourite album. The best Prince lp, probably the best lp by anyone ever. Eclectic and covers everything good about Prince: pop, disco, rap, rock, blues, ballads, sex, politics, social awareness, live concert, quirkiness. An absolute masterpiece.
Coldplay
4/5
This has indie disco rock moments as well as poignant emotional gentler songs. The start of a stratospheric and sustained rise to the top of global stadium and festival headlining glory.
The Pogues
3/5
Good fun, excellent poetry, poignant ballads. Very listenable.
Louis Prima
3/5
Jolly, upbeat New Orleans jazz standards reminiscent of Louis Armstrong but not so gravelly
The Divine Comedy
3/5
Reminds me of Burt Bacharach/John Barry/Neil Diamond/Jarvis Cocker. Glorious and heart-breaking pop, arrangements and lyrics.
Great fun in concert too.
The Stone Roses
5/5
Byrds style jangly guitars, infectious melodies and grooves, mumbled mysterious lyrics. It worked in 89 and still sounds great now. One of The great British albums.
Radiohead
4/5
More accessible and perhaps conventionally rock than OK Computer.
Ice Cube
3/5
Not a bad listen, actually! Educational, albeit angry, music is good. I now see the irony in the misogynistic lyrics, but still don't like that content.
Fatboy Slim
4/5
Massive break beats, very accessible electronic music fused with soul and funk, mostly. Great running soundtracks.
Rush
3/5
More prog than I was expecting. Relatively accessible although Geddy Lee's singing at the start is higher and more affected than in later years.
Cypress Hill
2/5
Childish themes (guns and marijuana). Cool beats and samples (got some Dusty Springfield too)
Queen
3/5
A bit over blown. Disappointing, but not awful.
Minor Threat
2/5
Not my taste, too noisy and aggressive. Good bass work all the same.
Pentangle
3/5
Liked the bluesy songs more than the baroque. Pleasant listening.
Taylor Swift
4/5
Great, catchy and polished radio pop.
The Notorious B.I.G.
2/5
Music and beats are good. Voice doesn't grate. Don't care much for content.
The Stranglers
3/5
Accessible, Doors style organ.
Animal Collective
2/5
Ethereal and boring. Occasional 60s style, but mostly weird background noises.
Ride
3/5
Not as noisy and unfocused as MBV. I can see the progression towards Leave Them All Behind and Twisterella. OK, probably prefer early Verve for this type of textured music.
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
Actually more coherent than Loveless, but not as infectious. Still noisy!
Frank Sinatra
4/5
Enjoyed far more than "wee small hours" - I prefer more upbeat.
TV On The Radio
3/5
Interesting like Radiohead can be interesting. A few funky Talking Heads meets Beck, with some good akt rick textured music.
Charles Mingus
2/5
Didn't like abstract side 1, but side 2 with flamenco guitar and repeated melodies was good. Reminded me of 1950s cinema and the Taxi Driver soundtrack.
The B-52's
3/5
Great fun and a bit punky
Laura Nyro
4/5
Sounds like the link between Carole King and Joni Mitchell. Lovely voice, soul meets jazz and pop. His did I miss this all these years?
Grizzly Bear
3/5
It has Two Weeks, but the rest is emotive, interesting, but just a little dull.
Dusty Springfield
3/5
Smooth, soulful, enjoyable. beautiful voice
The Smiths
4/5
I always liked this Smiths album the best despite their relationship problems.
Big Star
2/5
Mediocre 70s Garage rock and balladeering. Not special.
Burning Spear
3/5
Listenable reggae with a message even if tampered with by Island Records for international ears.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
Good reggae with soul/R&B vibes. Tackles similar political issues, but not seemingly as poignantly (albeit earlier) compared to the preceding listing of Burning Spear's Marcus Garvey.
Patti Smith
4/5
Put off by "punk" links in many write-ups, but in fact far closer to Jim Morrison and the Doors. Not something I'd listen to frequently, but enjoyable all the same. Very accomplished debut.
Carpenters
4/5
Warm, elegant, jaunty and sophisticated pop. Beautiful.
Jerry Lee Lewis
4/5
The essence of rock n roll. Electrifying and fun.
Scott Walker
2/5
Great voice - very Jacques Brel. Quite pretentious!
Kate Bush
3/5
Some amazing songs (Sensual World, This Woman's Work) and other interesting Bush songs.
2/5
Undoubtedly energetic and angry in a yoof/punk style, probably fun to watch their gigs, but not pleasurable to listen at home. More in tune guitar soloing please!
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Rock, soul, country rock and slow tunes. Pretty good!
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Cool Blues and rock, but ramshackle and rough. I realise this is controversial, but I was disappointed after Let It Bleed and Sticky Fingers.
Def Leppard
4/5
Lived it in late 80s as a child, still do now although I haven't listened to this in about 25 years!
Earth, Wind & Fire
3/5
Half are Super funky, jazzy grooves and half are typically lush mid 70s ballads. Pretty cool.
Tracks opening each side are straight up funk. Africano is a wah wah funk jazz tour de force.
LL Cool J
2/5
Not my favourite kind of music or even style of hip hop. Ok, beats and delivery are ok. Cool James is cool.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Sombre, down tempo, quite beautiful.
Nightmares On Wax
3/5
Laid-back Summer-time trip-hop style instrumentals.
Funkadelic
4/5
Good funk rock. Pity about the dross that is "Promental..."
Parliament
4/5
Very accessible and groovy. Clean disco funk basslines.
The chanty slogans are catchy enough, but the vocals are the weakest point (although they typify George Clinton P-Funk).
Dire Straits
4/5
Not sure if this is a perfect album but it is quite superb with a mixture of light rock, pop, country rock, rock n roll, powerful slow tunes. Very listenable.
Suicide
2/5
Accessible, but repetitive 80s style synth with bleak vocals. Punk both synth pop?
Janelle Monáe
4/5
Eclectic! Very interesting and enjoyable. Haven't even had a chance to take in the lyrics and themes to see the project as a concept album. So many influences and I think I even heard some Smiths on Oh, Maker! Unfair to just say she is "like Prince". Her ambition is quite different. Impressive.
XTC
3/5
Very English in a Kinks/Beatles style. Listenable. Interesting to read about writing, production and release issues.
Dexys Midnight Runners
4/5
All 3 Dexy's LPs are justifiably highly rated and on the 1001 list. Great driving soul, youthful modern lyricism and attitude. Great bass and brass. Those unmoved by Geno and There there my Dear must have ice in their veins!
John Lee Hooker
2/5
Must of these collaborations are good and more of a showcase for the relatively younger guitarists. Sacred cow or not, I don't enjoy most of John Lee Hooker's mumbling and guitar picking. 2.5/5
Prince
5/5
Brilliant funky pop. Possibly Prince's best and cohesive standard length LP (Sign 'O' the times being a double!). Not too long, superb "backing" band in The Revolution.
Slint
2/5
Started off like Arab Strap, but boring. Then some shouty bits, but still boring. Will give 2/5 because it isn't as appalling as the albums I've given 1.
Spiritualized
2/5
Shoegazing, textured and trippy. I'm not in the same place as the critics who felt this was a masterpiece.
Wire
3/5
Short sharp punk attitude. Thank you Elastica for the 90s tribute.
Talking Heads
3/5
Somehow missed this having picked up 77 and Fear of Music on cassettes years ago. Not sure it's as good as either, although Angel, Job, Girls, Love are excellent. I hear the progression towards funky dance. Cool. Still haven't got my ears around DB's lyrics, though.
The Charlatans
3/5
Always enjoyed listening to and watching The Charlatans. Fairly consistent Stones-style rock n roll (appropriate for Beggars Banquet label!). Maybe not as good as The Charlatans eponymous album or New Order-sounding You Cross My Path.
Devendra Banhart
2/5
Lovely guitar picking. Some good indie/folk tunes. Not keen on his voice.
Electric Light Orchestra
4/5
Some great Beatlesque pop. Well known hit singles and THAT side 3 weather sequence concluding with the gilt edged Mr Blue Sky. Pretty good, but a little long.
Richard Hawley
4/5
Gorgeous, gentle, quite beautiful romantic music. Very impressed. Retro, but does that matter?
Cream
4/5
Great example of 60s British blues explosion meets late 60s psychedelia. Great musicians. Half the album is Must Hear. A few fillers!
Spacemen 3
2/5
I knew Revolution already so wasn't expecting such a spaced out quiet bore-fest! I did like So Hot, but it's a very short pretty song. Not a revolutionary listen, but not 1 star either.
Yes
3/5
Surprisingly conventional rock. Pleasant singing. Some good bits - Wurm sounds like 90s grunge riffing. Was expecting more exquisite Chris Squire Rickenbacker picking like Roundabout.
Jurassic 5
4/5
Phat beats, cool, rhythmic delivery. I liked most of it. Not too aggressive, clever wordplay. Better than most hip-hop. 3.75 out 5
Sade
4/5
Smooth, sophisticated, but not over crowded jazzy pop music with THAT voice. Very cool, good for sunny days and relaxed evenings.
D'Angelo
4/5
Smooth, groovy, very sexy. Love the jazz undercurrents.
Beach House
3/5
Ethereal, pretty, but a bit boring for me hence the middling score just reaching 3.
N.W.A.
3/5
Starts off very angry and aggressive, but with cool beats. The music is fun (notably express yourself) but the subjects become irritating. I see why it is influencial and "classic", but not really my thing. 2.8 out of 5. Just not for me.
Pet Shop Boys
4/5
Very 80s synth similar to New Order of the same era. Great pop. Always liked Kings Cross, shopping and the singles.
The Human League
4/5
I've always enjoyed this. Has some slower and darker album songs, but six of the 10 are outstanding.
Kanye West
3/5
I quite enjoyed this but lost interest during the profane sex and "gangster" sections. Not what I was expecting - musically diverse. 3.5 out of 4
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
Some great blues rock but definitely overlong jams. Their version of Good golly miss Molly is dynamite.
Thelonious Monk
4/5
Really enjoyed this - groovy melodies with pleasant sounding solos. Not too difficult, something I will listen to again.
Van Halen
3/5
1978 sounds like 1984 in terms of "hair rock". A better album than I remembered with much of the first half being bonafide classics. 3.5 out of 5
Bee Gees
3/5
Sombre, but reasonable folk/pop. Wouldn't listen to again as a whole album so 2.8 out 5 rounded up.
Iron Butterfly
2/5
Fairly average heavier 60s rock - similar to Doors, but far inferior.
Rush
4/5
Pretty good prog. Listenable with some well known hits. 3.75 out 5 rounded up to 4*
Miriam Makeba
2/5
Sweet voice, but not my cup of tea
The Who
2/5
Interesting concept, but a poor Who album in relation to their singles or later great rock albums.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
2/5
The country style is not my taste, although I admire the classic soul covers.hot burrito #2 and dark end of the street are the only sings I liked.
The Who
5/5
Brilliant. Love the synths and the rock elements. This is The Who that I know best.
Tom Waits
2/5
Mostly not my taste, although I do get the bluesy style.
Jeru The Damaja
3/5
Another hip hop album that I quite enjoyed. Good music, rhythmic vocals. Usual questionable lyrics - Da Bitchez!
Sonic Youth
1/5
Pretty tuneless, surprised at the weakness. Started ok, then became noise. Not as bad as pere ubu!
The Icarus Line
2/5
"one of 2004's most critically acclaimed releases"
Oh dear! Noisy, scuzzy rock. Has its place somewhere, but not with me. Still not as bad as Pere Ubu, so 2 out of 5.
Aerosmith
4/5
Classic 70s rock with good riffing particularly on Walk This Way, but throughout. Enjoyable.
David Bowie
4/5
Station to station and Stay are my faves. Pretty good.
Lorde
3/5
Some qualities of Robyn and Taylor Swift, just not a comprehensive thumbs up, although kudos for being so young, yet so mature.
The Fall
3/5
Well well well... I thoroughly enjoyed the music and the vocals. Pity Smith didn't do more accessible Fall albums. I will listen to this again. Not quite 4 out of 5.
Tears For Fears
5/5
Astonishingly good, apart from somewhat meandering limp ending to "Listen", the final track.
Frank Black
3/5
Far more mainstream than Pixies. Listenable, but not as edgy or dark as Pixies.
Arctic Monkeys
5/5
Energetic like only young new bands can record. Witty like the best writers and sung in Sheffield vernacular too. Great fun.
The Pogues
3/5
Ok, fairly traditional, clearer vocals than later albums, but not as good as the 1987 album. Second half better than first half.
The United States Of America
2/5
Very 60s psychedelic space rock. Of its time. Bit boring.
The Specials
3/5
Good ska, but a little varied in terms of quality. Best to cherry pick Specials and Terry's music.
ZZ Top
3/5
Very 80s rock production, sadly not enough ZZ Top blues for a higher score, but a solid album.
Frank Zappa
4/5
I've always enjoyed this album. An early entry point to the eclectic world of Zappa. The blues of Captain Beefheart is excellent as is the electric violin (and guitar of course!).
LCD Soundsystem
3/5
Uplifting electro-indie. Good, closer to 4 than 3, but not quite essential.
Herbie Hancock
5/5
The funkiest jazz, most 70s sounding jazz fusion album ever
The Beach Boys
3/5
There is a sophisticated beauty in songs like Surf's Up and Feel Flows. Disney Girls (1957) and 'Til I Die have gorgeous melodies. A grower of a 'listening' album. Not quite 4, but I think it will get there after a few more listens.
PJ Harvey
2/5
Like the sound of the guitar, but not the wailing cacophony. In this album there are only really 2 songs for me: 50ft Queenie and Dry.
Pulp
3/5
An interesting album, very different to the excellent Different Class. More Bowie-esque. Worth listening to a few times. A bit long. Currently I'm giving it 3.5, but this might increase with familiarity.
The Velvet Underground
3/5
Actually not as bad as I was expecting! Good 60s pop and garage rock. I can understand why it is so influential. Terrible noisiness in European Son, which is quite a good song for the first 2 minutes.
Pixies
5/5
Exciting, rock, indie, fun. I still love this more than 30 years later.
Tremendous 60s/70s bluesy rock n roll. I understand why Black Crowes and Reef ripped this off.
The Stooges
3/5
Scuzzy, glam rock n roll. Not bad, I can hear Bowie and I can hear Joy Division, so quite influential.
Paul Simon
3/5
Good pop album. More listening will help familiarity and I'm sure this would earn a higher rating from me at a later date.
Serge Gainsbourg
3/5
Very 70s/80s Gainsbarre. Pretty cool and funky, albeit lecherous old man sleaze, but what do you expect from Gainsbourg?
Enjoyable. I recognise the future Portishead/Massive Attack samples.
3.5
Bob Dylan
2/5
Good transition between his early folk and electro r&b/rock n roll. I prefer "Highway...", "Blonde..." and "Nashville..."
2.75 because although it can see it's good, I hardly ever listen to it.
Brian Eno
2/5
Funk rhythms reminiscent of Remain in Light side 1, but not be as fun. Undeniably clever and technically forward thinking, but not that enjoyable.
Michael Jackson
5/5
Brilliant dance pop.
Fela Kuti
4/5
Good funk afrobeat, but ignore the additional long drum solo tracks from track 5 (original album is 4 tracks)
Iron Maiden
3/5
Punk, metal and prog all combined - awesome. It includes Phantom of the opera, running free, iron maiden and prowler. Great debut, but not perfect - 3.75
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
So so pop. A bit fey. Enjoyed hearing the song based on New Order's Procession and other influences.
Like The Divine Comedy this will need more listens to appreciate the clever lyrics.
Lovely album cover!
The Band
3/5
Good mixture of rock n roll, folk with a bit of soul. Not too country. Listenable.
Not quite a 4
Kelela
2/5
Her tone remains the same all the way through. Mellow enough, but so boring with no tonal shift. Disappointing after all the plaudits.
Erykah Badu
4/5
By contrast to yesterday's Kelela, Erykah Badu's voice is versatile and interesting. Perhaps I just prefer "organic" music like this. Excellent.
Bill Evans Trio
3/5
I read that this is a commemoration of the bass player's virtuosity, but I sadly didn't enjoy the bass solos. Piano is great, however.
Genesis
3/5
Recognised one song and like it, but not won over by the rest of the prog-ness. Not awful, might try again.
Difficult to get past Flight of the Conchords send-up (Lord of the rings song).
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
Spikey - some good indie rock guitar. Mega phone vocals irritate after a while. I liked Pin and Maps. Just scraping a 3 out of 5.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
Usual good and distinctive vocals, but not such a super duper sound. Ok I suppose.
Marvin Gaye
3/5
Like a companion piece to What's going on - perhaps a bit dated for 1978? Pleasant musically, painful lyrically. A small number of "essential" tracks. A low 3 out of 5
The Cure
3/5
I do like The Cure and this early album isn't too gloomy, but it isn't a classic Cure LP. However, it has one of their finest songs in A Forest so 3 out of 5.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
Good rock album. I liked the guitar sound. Songs are all a bit too long. One or two are dreadful (farmer song).3.5 out of 5
Carole King
4/5
Well known soulful piano and melody driven album - sometimes difficult to recall originals from all the first class covers! Not greatest voice but such good musicianship and writing.
Great, but not quite a 5 star lp, sorry!
k.d. lang
2/5
Lovely voice, very controlled. Not won over by the country, calypso, old fashioned style although the bluesy jazzy songs are good.
Not my thing hence the lowish score, but a worthy album to include as a variation on popular country music.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Really enjoyable. A classic which I had never listened to from start to finish. Even the strummy acoustic songs rock.
Incredible Bongo Band
3/5
Fun, fun fun! Pretty kitsch. Super rhythms. Probably wouldn't listen to again, but enjoyed listening.
Sisters Of Mercy
3/5
Haven't listened to this for years, slightly disappointed it wasn't better! Listenable, dark and smouldering, big 3 singles are still fun (Lucretia, corrosion and dominion). Undoubtedly influential.
Raekwon
2/5
About halfway through. Not my cup of tea. Beats are ok, but I'm not getting the subject matter. Worthy of 2 stars.
Soundgarden
3/5
Reasonable 90s Seattle rock. Chris Cornell's voice is superb. RIP
Massive Attack
4/5
Superbly created music. Great for any occasion
Booker T. & The MG's
3/5
Jaunty, but a bit cloying after a while.samey.
Bee Gees
3/5
Mature, mostly orchestral backed down beat folk/pop. Some 60s/70s dated styles. Good, but not my cup of tea.
Ella Fitzgerald
5/5
Ella's voice soothes me in the same way as Karen Carpenter's, and with superb joyful jazz standards "who could ask for anything more"!
There is also a shorter "very best of the Gershwin songbook" available too.
The Beach Boys
4/5
Ace, early doo-wop rock n roll.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
5/5
Brilliant, not as refined or mature as the classic late 90s/2000s albums, but a good fun mix of early Chilis progressing to the Californication sound. I still love this, even if it a bit too long.
5 star album.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
2/5
Avant Garde. Unusual mix of classical and modern instruments. Some pleasant gentle music and some discordant.
Very interesting artwork.
John Grant
3/5
Quite beautiful for the most part, but heart breaking in terms of pain and angst. Very harsh upbringing by the sounds of things.
Musically tasteful, but probably won't rush back to it as it is anguished.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Pretty, but very similar to other classic Cohen LP's. Includes Story of Isaac
Manu Chao
3/5
Good as a solo record, but why not include the great Mano Negra rather than Many Chao's solo efforts?
Jethro Tull
4/5
Classic prog, but not too Genesis or Yes! Good riffs, voice and flute. I'm going to give it 4 because it is easily listenable.
The Everly Brothers
3/5
Pretty early rock n roll. Lovely harmonies. Bit dated now, though. Pleasant enough - 3 stars.
The Young Rascals
4/5
Love it. Late 60s pop with a bit of soul. Good voice, resembles Blood Sweat and Tears singer. Thoroughly enjoyable - 4 stars.
David Gray
3/5
Some (let's say 4) very good and celebrated songs. A famed Soft Cell cover version. I think the somewhat effected vocal style grates in the second half. The downbeat gentleness needs a boost.
Not as good as people made out at the time.3 out of 5
Björk
3/5
Enjoyed this when released, but realise now that I was just skipping through to the singles. Overall musically more accessible than her other material, but still only good for the singles.3 out of 5
Violent Femmes
1/5
Apart from "Blister", this is weak poor music. Not actually bad music, just completely mediocre and weak post-punk. Not sure why it's on the list. Disappointing.
Kanye West
3/5
Don't normally like this kind of music. Pleasantly surprised - good, clear delivery. Entertaining and musically diverse. Some of the commentary and skits could be dropped. I actually might choose to listen again!
The Strokes
4/5
Taken in by the razzamatazz back in 2001, and thoroughly enjoyed the music and the style. Still quite like it 20 years on, but Julian's vocal delivery can irritate.
The Byrds
3/5
Jangly and psychodelic. Some is very pretty, not as much country as I was expecting.
Kraftwerk
3/5
As expected, quite spare. Accessible, but it's no a Autobahn, sadly. 3.5 out of 5
Billy Bragg
3/5
Usual political balladry - voice and electric guitar - but with addition of full band in a few other songs. A good representation of Billy Bragg.
Love
2/5
I already knew and quite liked Alone again or. Not sure why the full album is so highly recommended, pretty ordinary - nothing bad, just nothing special or memorable.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
2/5
Undeniably influential for the single of The Message, and probably essential for break dancing and popping. However, overlong and samey. Nice to see them give tribute back to Tom Tom Club and Stylistics cover.
Single 5*, album 2*
Björk
2/5
Quietly pretty. Bit boring, better for background. Cocoon is quite sexy and intimate, Heirloom and Unison are most fully realised song in the traditional sense.
The Temptations
2/5
Apart from Papa was a rolling stone, I found this run of the mill - even First time ever I saw your face. Disappointing.
Franz Ferdinand
4/5
Fun, guitar indie. Taking a lot of queued from late 70s/early 80s. Quite knowingly arty - like a punkier Pulp.
Beck
3/5
Big beats, funky fun. Quirky and scuzzy.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
The synths surprised me although I was already familiar with First We Take Manhattan. Interesting and intimate - as with other Cohen LP's. Good.
Machito
5/5
Love it - short big band late 50s jazz. Afro rhythms. Cuban Latin jazz. Cannonball Adderley. Superb.
Nas
3/5
Been waiting a long time to listen to this legendary album. Beats are good. Taps "flow". It's kind of old school. I like. High 3.
Elvis Presley
3/5
It's superb Elvis in his later period. Not essential, but a great reason why he remains so popular. Some good soul pop crooning songs. Excellent band.
Buffalo Springfield
3/5
Pretty enough, like most CS&N (&Y).
David Bowie
3/5
Glam-era Bowie - succinct and "fun", albeit dark lyrically - very listenable, but a little short of 4 stars. Iconic cover photo. Amongst the songs I wasn't already so familiar with, Panic in Detroit, Cracked Actor and Lady Grinning Soul are highlights. Mike Garson's famous dissonant avant garde piano solo in Aladdin Sane doesn't work for me.
Jean Genie and Saturday Night Drive-in are rightly Bowie classics.
Khaled
3/5
Straight forward pop. Ok, but not special.
Hanoi Rocks
3/5
It is catchy rock n roll, and maybe a few more listens might endear it to me, but for the moment so-so 3stars
Harry Nilsson
5/5
Absolutely smashing pop. Heard about the LP, knew a few songs, but never listened to it as a whole. Brilliant, shiny, fun pop. Why wasn't Lennon's material as collectively good on a single album?
Eurythmics
5/5
Ace, early 80s synth-pop and dance. Always enjoyed this LP. Jennifer is haunting and great. The singles are rightly smash hits. Awesome album.
Beck
3/5
Pleasant and gentle folk pop. A million miles from Oderlay and Midnite Vultures. What a talented and versatile musician!
Sly & The Family Stone
5/5
So many well known songs it almost felt like a greatest hits album. I also really enjoyed the long jam on "side 2". A triumph of an album.
Barry Adamson
1/5
No. I get it's a fake soundtrack and it's moody, but really!?
Merle Haggard
2/5
Lyrically/narratively interesting, foot tapping, but not my favourite vocal sound or music style. Some good twangy guitar tones. Good old fashioned concise songs under 3 minutes.
Teenage Fanclub
3/5
Very sweet sentiments and harmonies. Feels like California, but by Scots! I do like the guitar sound, but it is a pity there is very little change across the album.
Beatles
5/5
Early proof of genius pop songwriting. 60s pop rock'n'roll at its finest without studio experiments. Arguably the purest of the great Beatles albums.
Sex Pistols
3/5
Even with familiarity it sounds full of energy. Slightly tame nowdays, but still furious, clever, rebellious and electrifying take on youth rock'n'roll. Rightly one of the better punk records of all time. Not quite a 4 because it's not quite got enough hooks.
Tori Amos
2/5
I liked this when it came out, but it sounds quite samey and a little boring now, even if the piano playing and Kate Bush vocals are clever. Disappointing.
Bob Dylan
4/5
Might be my favourite Dylan album and possibly emotionally the polar opposite of another favourite, Blonde on Blonde. Accessible and really good songs. Yes, it's about heartbreak, but good music just gets you.
Michael Jackson
5/5
Nine tracks and seven were hit singles. 80s pop distilled into one amazing album.
Talking Heads
3/5
Some stand out tracks, but I still think talking heads 77, remain in light and speaking in tongues are more cohesive and listenable.
Emmylou Harris
4/5
Beautiful voice, modern-ish country, amazing and emotional ballads (Boulder obviously, but also others), excellent Beatles cover. Very good album.
Foo Fighters
3/5
About half is excellent and the rest ok, so 3 out 5 overall. Great band in concert and a first class front man and all round top bloke.
Deep Purple
3/5
The blueprint of 70s and 80s British heavy metal. Amazing how iron maiden wound so similar 10 years later!
Great riffs!
Ghostface Killah
3/5
Rap is growing on me. The gangster violence and threats, misogyny, drugs, potty-mouths and tales of impoverished "life is harsh" must be becoming normalised for me as I didn't mind this LP of drug lord iron man peddling "fishscale".
It helped that the samples and bscking music was familiar, soulful in and funky and not too abrasive. The rapping was rhythmic and clear.
I might even look forward to more Wu Tang related material...
The Lemonheads
5/5
Great laid-back indie pop. I think it might be worthy of the golden 5 out of 5! Hook laden singalongs. Continually came back to this album through the 90s. Pity that Evan Dando started taking himself so seriously...
Joan Baez
2/5
Sweet voice, not my style of folk.
Marilyn Manson
1/5
I'm not bothered that this artist or album are controversial. This is just rubbish. Awful screaming, I can occasionally pick up the lyrics which are deliberately trying to be controversial to the point of being worthless and boring. The music, when musical, is occasionally industrial hard rock, but nothing special.
Up there with Venom and Pere Ubu for most unbelievable album on this list.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
Good - side 1 acoustic Neil like his classic early 70s LP's, then ROCK 9n side 2. Not as immediately loveable like Gold Rush and Harvest, but pretty good. A high 3 out of 5.
Deep Purple
3/5
Similar to "...In Rock", which I reviewed last week. Soloing good, but lengthy. Slightly proggy. Good live recording. All the hits!
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
Musically good heavy indie rock - heavier and more raw guitar sound than Everything Must Go, which I know well and rate highly. Sadly I can't make out the lyrics, so don't get the well documented angst that the critics go on and on about.
Will listen to again, but for now it's just a 3, albeit a high 3.
Everything But The Girl
3/5
Good singing, although Tracy Thorn always seems a little icy and emotionless even though she sings about emotions. The bleeps, break beats and electronics is good and of its time. For 90s/2000s dinner parties alongside Beth Orton's Trailer Park and Zero 7.
Aerosmith
3/5
Fairly timeless boogie rock with a hard edge, but not heavy like Deep Purple, Sabbath, etc.
Queen Latifah
3/5
Refreshingly gangster-free, although still posturing about ability. Good use of "daisy-age" jazz-funk samples alongside big beats. Dig the Sly and Scot-Heron samples and what about the additional remix sampling The The!?!
Pretty dated, but pleasant to hear.
Madonna
4/5
A gold plated classic. Probably better songwriting than True Blue, but not as familiar to me despite the run of hit singles in the middle.
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
3/5
Pleasant enough, but not knock out for me
Dolly Parton
3/5
Stand out bass playing on Travelling man and Early morning breeze. Very pleasant country album, albeit mainstream.
Fleet Foxes
4/5
Lovely - lush, warm Beach Boys style harmonies, charming folk. I'd heard good things, but never got around to listening. Quite wonderful!
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
1/5
No, these musings, mutterings and noodlings are not for me.
Fats Domino
2/5
Straight ahead blues rock n roll piano. Might have been ground breaking once, but now it's just well executed and sung big band 50s rock n roll.
Madonna
3/5
Mature dance music. Very listenable, albeit a little bit background/dinner party style. Coincidentally to the song "Frozen" the album feels quite glacial: sophisticated, but lacking in singing emotion which fits the music, but not the emotional lyrics. No True Blue, or Like a Prayer, but one of Madonna's best. A high 3 out of 5.
Motörhead
2/5
Speed, heavy rock n roll. Sorry to say it is a bit samey. Still legendary band.
ABBA
4/5
Brilliant shiny pop and songwriting at its finest. Becomes heaven-sent with the inclusion of Fernando on later versions. No surprise it's their bestselling LP not called Gold. Instrumental title track that closes original LP is a bit boring, so a high 4 out of 5 for one of my favourite "pop" bands.
Queens of the Stone Age
2/5
Grooves along well, then gets a bit repetitive and tuneless.
A pick n mix band. Very cool man, that Josh.
Beyoncé
3/5
Had to listen several times through. Not usual immediate "hits". Personal lyrics. A celebration of grown up womanhood. Very sexy. A good piece of art in the sense of personal expression. Probably won't listen to much in the future, but it is good quality.
Guided By Voices
2/5
Lo-fi, short pieces, but not very interesting. Not awful, just dull.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
The extended album with the first two singles and b-sides is superior.
What's so special about Jimi is that his guitar playing still sounds extraordinary even now after guitar music has absorbed, copied and taken inspiration from what he did in the 60s.
Another exceptional aspect to Jimi is his singing phrasing and vocal timing. I think he has a natural ability much like Sinatra's phrasing. It's very difficult to do a good mimic.
What a talent.
Great album - and it's a debut! Even the less well known songs are pretty good, albeit not legendary and so familiar.
Steely Dan
4/5
Classic era Steely Dan, polished jazzy rock before they became ultra ultra polished and jazzy. Very good indeed. A very high 4 because it's not Aja!
Astrud Gilberto
2/5
Poor singing and very light weight music. Sounds like what might play in a '70s porn film. Not impressed.
Green Day
3/5
Don't like Armstrong's voice. A few quite good singles. A 90s take on 1977 punk. I suppose it's influential, but just not my cuppa.
Tito Puente
4/5
Another great upbeat Latin album. Super fun.
Pink Floyd
3/5
Freaked me out bit as a 13 year old. Sorry Mr Waters, but I find the pieces around the big 6 or 7 songs just prog padding. I'm not won over by the story either.
5 out of 5 for Brick, Numb, Run. Positive mentions to Young Lust, Hey You, perhaps Mother. Low scores for much of the rest.
Billie Holiday
2/5
Yes, Billie's voice is croaky, but she has good use of it even if it is past its best. The music is lush, but slow. Too gentle and slow. So I didn't it enjoy it.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
Pretty good swampy blues. Just as you'd expect from Fogerty and Creedance. Has the big hits. Probably not a classic classic album, so a high 3 out of 5
Aerosmith
3/5
Quote good, intros are interesting at first but then distract from the real songs. It rocks well enough, just or all that special .
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
Gold plated classic. Charming, singalong, fantastic pop with great vocals and harmonies, superb musicianship and guitar work. It's one of the most popular albums of all time for a good reason.
Screaming Trees
3/5
Indie rock - slightly harder Cure or softer Pearl Jam. Strong voice from Lanegan.
Missy Elliott
4/5
Enjoyable.lots of singing as well rapping. Very accessible and good intentions from Missy. Obviously as sex obsessed as Prince!
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
1/5
Too prog and obtuse, frenetic keyboard noodling.
George Michael
4/5
Excellent funky pop, great singing. An 80s pop gem, catchy songs. Mostly upbeat.
ZZ Top
4/5
Driving, polished rock blues boogie. Includes Move me on down the line and La Grange. Thoroughly enjoyable. Four out of five.
Maxwell
3/5
Very smooth, very slow, very sexy, very Marvin. Not very outstanding. Great musicianship, particularly sinuous bass lines that get under the skin.
I like, but not extraordinary.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
3/5
Good, but some unneeded psychadelic noodling. Great ballsy blues voice. A few now classic songs (and covers).
Mekons
2/5
Obviously English style singing which is good, just a little too punky with the out of tune singing. I only really liked the first song. Nice idea to do a punk/country crossover (early alt-country?).
James Taylor
3/5
Lovely voice and guitar picking. Nice mix of folk and rhythm & blues. Contains several JT hits, so a good album overall.
Don McLean
3/5
Two first class singles making up a third of the duration, then nicely sung folk pop. Vocal is mix of Paul Simon and Jacques Brel.
DJ Shadow
2/5
At the time friends were all over this. Me, not really. Quite good breakbeats. I can see it's technically clever cut and paste sampling, but not my thing.
4/5
Very good polished pop, occasionally a few of the songs seem a bit similar. Still one of the better 1980s pop albums.
Steely Dan
5/5
Difficult to look at this impartially, being one of my favourite and frequently played albums, so I’ll just gush.
I kind of understand some people’s “bland/Muzak” perception. I don’t often “get” much punk, early Country or a lot of hip-hop, but...
... This album has amazing musicianship - albeit very calculated and brilliantly produced. The antithesis of punk.
Love the funky pop of Black Cow, I got the news, Peg, the mature jazz crossover of Aja, the sophistication of Deacon Blues and the rock of Home at last and Josie. A perfect timeless album.
The Cars
3/5
This is good fun, but not necessarily essential. It is fun new wave catchy singalong pop. Good driving (no pun intended) rhythms with occasional proper long guitar solos! The vocal hooks are bubblegum! A very high 3, maybe a 4 with more familiarity.
The National
3/5
Quite earnest singing. Some refreshing alt-rock. Mostly listenable and not too much is dull. Impressive drumming and some interesting bass lines.
Little Richard
4/5
Very familiar, but the energy is still palpable. Classics and very influential.
Various Artists
5/5
Classics. Awful man, great pop music. Original "Christmas" song is one of the next on the album.
Beatles
2/5
All my loving, Postman, Beethoven and Money are great, but I'm not particularly impressed with the other songs - very so-so. I don't think the Beatles hit their stride until their third LP, the awesome Hard Days Night.
The Doors
4/5
Bluesy and enjoyable apart from L'America. Preferred side 1. Changeling and LA Woman are excellent. Already knew and liked Riders and Love her Madly.
The Roots
3/5
Good mix of modern r&B singing alongside hip hop with pretty good music. Obviously the seed 2.0 is the big famous song, but it's not on its own. Good music. A high 3 due to the quality of the singing, samples and original music. Pretty good .
Donovan
3/5
Interesting mix of mid 60s Beatlesey pop and Dylanesque folk. Very evocative of the times, pleasant enough Sunshine Superman the song is an enduring classic.
Paul Simon
3/5
Nice pop album.
B.B. King
4/5
Superb clear recording. Very listenable and accessible album. Powerful and charming vocal delivery and band leadership. BB never really seemed to vocally or musically change between 60s and 90s!
Great guitar playing as always and a terrific sounding band notable piano and brass.
Kate Bush
5/5
5 star album.
Absolutely love the hits on side 1. The drowning nightmare Ninth Wave suite on side 2 is much more \"difficult\", thought-provoking and arguably impenetrable in a delightful Kate Bush manner. Glad of its inclusion in the legendary Before The Dawn concerts.
Black Flag
1/5
Sorry Henry, too noisy.
Blur
4/5
Such a soundtrack to my Uni days and the whole 1990s. Spikey, quirky, Brit pop, indie, truly English. Literally just two or three obvious fillers. A really good album alongside Different Class from that Brit pop 90s era.
Soft Cell
2/5
Love the singles, but the rest of the LP is patchy. Disappointing. Made me want to listen to Yazoo and New Order instead.
Ray Charles
3/5
Love the big band jazz upbeat songs. The slower crooners are pedestrian, but quite lovely (eg. Don't let the sun catch you cryin'). A high 3 because the slots are too slow.
System Of A Down
1/5
Comical vocals like the singer has multiple personalities/voices. The fun is a little spoilt by the aggressive lyrics. Disjointed music. Occasionally good hard rock, but a bit too out there for me.
Q-Tip
4/5
Refreshingly non aggressive with little of Rap's ugly braggadocio. Good pop music, samples and mix of singing and rapping. Enjoyable.
Buzzcocks
3/5
Quite good fun, much more enjoyable than Sex Pistols. Some recognisable singles. Elements of good musicianship. Quite good.
2/5
Dylan's voice is atrocious. Lyrics and poetry are to be applauded, but acoustic side is a bit boring. Electric Hawks/The Band stuff is much more fun.
Beastie Boys
5/5
Love it, great to hear real instruments playing real funk. Another album from my prime youth of the early 90s that stands up well today.
David Holmes
3/5
Very 1990s big beat sound, but very good fun albeit with some sweary NYC interviewees! Fun.
Tricky
3/5
Not always an easy listen with the organic sampled rhythms (cocked guns etc), but the music is interesting and really well sung by the ladies. Obviously Tricky cannot sing and his mumbles mostly work quite well too.
I listened to this a lot when it was released and it still stands up. Not necessarily a 4, but certainly a very high 3 (better than Bjork's Debut from the same period).
Yes
3/5
Bookended by good rocking pieces. Questionable mid section. Not the classic I was expecting. A low 3/5
The Avalanches
2/5
Cleanly spliced together, but oh-so lightweight and boring. What was all the fuss about in 2001?
The Temptations
3/5
Slowly moving towards proper "psychadelic soul", but not there yet.
Pavement
2/5
I just don’t get the hype. A couple of good songs here and there, occasionally charming vocals, but the off key guitars and singing irritates. Not enough quality.
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
Lovely harmonies. Some good pop/folk. Nice and familiar. However, it's not Bridge Over Troubled Water!
SZA
2/5
Pleasant r&B voice, usual sex content, but not very amusing or opaque. I liked the minimalist backing music. Nothing too complicated or over produced. Occasionally vocal would better left alone without any effects. Quite ordinary in general.
Peter Tosh
3/5
Pretty cool and accessible reggae. Great guitar and bass and smooth singing. I don’t agree with the sentiment, but do enjoy the music! Solid high 3.
The White Stripes
4/5
Really enjoyed this stripped back blues and rock album. Often the weak drums are just left off altogether and are not missed. Great singing, better than later years when they appear a bit more affected/pretentious. Not so many recognisable hits, but all strong songs.
Michael Kiwanuka
3/5
A strong cohesive album with a 70s feel. Accomplished and sounds good. I'm not sure if I'd award it 4, but certainly a high 3.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Could be a perfect album! Funk, soul, pop. Politics, love and humour. From Stevie’s golden period of colossal 70s LPs.
Gillian Welch
4/5
Short and very sweet stripped back bluegrass roots folk. Gillian and Dave are magnetic on stage. This is a fine example of their work. Title track is the best.
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
Cool jazzy rap with the standard and likeable 80s drum beats (even though it was 1991). Enjoyable and not nasty aggressive hip hop.
Robbie Williams
3/5
Much more guitar based than I remembered. Quite good actually!
Beatles
4/5
Brilliant trippy LP cover for the transitional album bridging the early beat pop years and the later groundbreaking studio experimental albums. Love the funky chops, the pretty ballads and tight pop.
Bonnie Raitt
3/5
Beautiful voice: clear and open then with that sexy, bluesy rasp that could be described as smoky. Love it.
The songs are either set up to showcase her voice as pop power ballads or blues rock n rollers (my preference).
I knew Bonnie in the late 80s as a blues guitarist guesting with Clapton, BB King, John Lee Hooker and Buddy Guy. Surprised to hear her straight pop voice.
Eagles
4/5
Thoroughly enjoyable - mix of rock n roll and country rock. Love those "high flyin' harmonies", sweeter than Beach Boys and Everly Brothers. Looking forward to reviewing Hotel California!
2Pac
2/5
I'm one minute into this and it's immediately aggressive, mysogynistic, gun toting woes of the poor black man's so-called American life. Depressing, unoriginal, unattractive and boring. Absolutely nothing that I, as a black man, can relate to in any shape or form or even believe in or find entertaining. It is so crass and ugly, not eloquent, interesting and far from clever.
I will listen to the whole album since it's on the list and I've only ever heard a few 2Pac songs. I look forward to my opinion changing.
A few songs in the middle (dear mama) were actually ok where 2pac almost sang.
However, it's clear that I really do not have the taste for hard hip hop, just the easy listening gentler styles that are not gangster shooting thug mysogynistic.
2 out of 5 because he rhymes well and the backing tracks are well sampled and put together.
Johnny Cash
3/5
Good deep voice as always. Interesting to hear the modern covers, but a bit weird like your grandad singing Radio 1 or 6 Music!
Some work brilliantly (Man comes around, hung my head, hurt, Sam).
Powerful, but not essential.
Gene Clark
2/5
A bit too country folk although Silver Raven was good.
Happy Mondays
2/5
We Brits have a strange affection for the Mondays dispute out of tune singing! Subsequent albums are much stronger, although I've always really enjoyed the remix of WFL and Hallelujah from the Bummed era. However, I really don't like the messy, over-crowded, distant sounding production.
Bring on Step On, Kinky Afro, Loose Fit, Judge Fudge etc.
John Cale
3/5
Very pretty chamber pop with erudite lyrics. A good surprise given Cale's Velvet Underground and avant-garde reputation. I'd guess that Divine Comedy knows this album well. Child's Christmas, Paris 1919 and Graham Greene were my favourites.
Sarah Vaughan
4/5
Exquisite voice and accomplished confident performer. I usually choose to listen to Ella for this type of jazz, but Sarah Vaughan's voice is so smooth. Great piano playing (drums and bass are so good you don't notice them).
Lovely recording.
James Brown
3/5
Very exciting, energetic, fun performance. Good doo-wop. Amazing to think James Brown was a leading early 60s soul man as well as the godfather of funk in 70s.
The Style Council
2/5
A little disappointing, not the fun, pop version of Ever changing moods. Very low key jazz first half with lots of instrumentals. Second half is much more upbeat, although the songs are more diverse. Please don't rap Paul!
Talking Heads
4/5
A great crossover album of funky Afro-beat dance, post punk pop and Joy Division-style alternative rock. Very accomplished and enjoyable.
Otis Redding
4/5
It lives up to the praise - a fine selection of classic Otis Redding and Stax House band soul pop. A great listen. Fills you with sadness that we lost another star so early and not through self destruction this time.
Ray Charles
3/5
Not as pleasant as a previous more jazzy Ray Charles album so slightly disappointing on that measure. A bit hum-drum, lacking pizazz. Had to wait until well into the album to hear any nice piano soloing. Low 3 because it is still pleasant.
Germs
2/5
Pretty awful and lacking melody. First time I stopped two thirds through. Not the worst so I’ll give them 2 stars because they don’t sound dissimilar to an old noisy band I used to mess around in, but I knew our limitations!!
Bobby Womack
3/5
Good raspy vocals and pleasant 70s style disco and soul. Nothing very special, but certainly not bad. Low 3.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Another essential funky soul/pop LP from Stevie's classic period. Probably my 3rd favourite after Songs in the key of life (5*) and Innervisions (5*).
The Smiths
4/5
A good coverage of Johnny Marr's different musical styles for the Smiths. Some of their greatest songs are on this LP.
Lambchop
3/5
Very pretty. Lush orchestral backing. However, some mumbled vocals and a few falsetto curiosities! Reminds me of Sufjan Stevens. Was expecting alt-country not sweet melodic chamber pop/blue eyed soul!
A high 3 for its accessibility.
CHIC
4/5
Superb smooth and funky disco. I think it is better than it’s predecessor, C’est Chic due to the comprehensive and mature quality of all tracks - no filler here although there is still the repetition of refrains that keep Chic songs in clubs.
Excellent.
Fiona Apple
3/5
Fits in well with Alanis and Tori, definitely with the emphasis on the piano. Less quirky voice than either - quite jazzy and likeable. Good album. Would listen to more of her music. High 3.
2/5
Ok foot tapping country. Doesn’t seem essential.
Adam & The Ants
3/5
Distinctive sound with the drumming and chanting, but only 3 good hit singles and a two new wave songs with sinuous groovy bass lines isn't quite enough for anything more than 3 stars, although the style was certainly influential.
The Waterboys
3/5
A bit disappointing for such a well regarded album. I prefer the first half, I'm not so keen on the Celtic folk of the second half. It is well created even if I don't like it much.
Low 3 out of 5
Sugar
3/5
It has some noisy pop songs reminiscent of Pixies to and a few lighter jangly pop songs. Noisy, but quite good 90s indie rock.
k.d. lang
4/5
Very pretty music. Beautiful voice without annoying affectations or histrionics. No country this time, which makes this all-round appealing. A lovely album.
Muddy Waters
3/5
Good blues, great voice full of mischief and fun! Quite busy production - prefer slightly fewer instruments or a cleaner mix between lead and rhythm, so I’m only giving 3* to the blues legend that is Muddy Waters.
Willie Nelson
2/5
Not my thing - I can admire the finger picking guitar playing and melodies emphasised by the sparse instrumentation, but I just don’t think I’m won over by Willie Nelson’s country voice.
Tom Waits
3/5
Funny, good low key jazz and THAT voice! Feels more like a comedy record, but good all the same. I like the poetry and entertaining. wouldn’t choose to listen to much again, but I get the quality.
The Doors
3/5
I like side 1 far more than 2. I enjoy the blues rock songs and particularly funky Peace Frog. Not as overall enjoyable as LA Woman, but not awful.
The Kinks
2/5
Apart from Waterloo Sunset and David Watts (thanks to the Jam's cover) I found this very mid 60s and a bit lame without the rock edge of earlier Links.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Adored this 25 years ago (when the album itself was already over 25 years old) so will be interesting to revisit it today after not listening to it much in recent decades.
Yes, it's full of riffs, blues rock, blueprints of heavy rock and folk rock. Still inspirational bass grooves. Brilliant and essential.
Jefferson Airplane
3/5
Really enjoyed Grace Slick’s vocals. Was expecting more space psychedelic rock, so pleased to hear straight forward late 60s garage guitar rock. Superb Paul Simon/Bert Jansch-style guitar instrumental piece.
Good album - perhaps not quite essential to be a 4.
Queen
3/5
Great fun! Not full of smash hits, but plenty to enjoy.
Metallica
2/5
Too thrashy for my taste. I am familiar with One. Quite liked a few folky intros and melodic guitar solos, but prefer more melody, stronger riffs and less angry vocals. However, I do like James Hetfields deep gruff voice!
Orbital
4/5
Enjoyed this in 94 and still liked it all very much today. Quite Krafwerkian with the layered sounds and (mostly) absence of big beats a la Fat Boy Slim and Chemical Brothers.
Still absolutely love Kein Trink Wasser.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
3/5
A good 80s Brit indie love album. Like Orange Juice meets Prefab Sprout with a hint of Smiths. Listenable without much filler, but only Perfect Skin seems essential.
R.E.M.
3/5
Another enjoyable 80s "indie rock" album. I like the strong intro bass lines and bass chords. Good to hear Stipe's less affected and nasally singing on these early REM songs. Good and catchy too. Not quite a 4, but close.
Blue Cheer
2/5
Disappointingly unfocused blues rock. It has the power and riffage, but not enough melody or song structure. I can see how it influenced the heavy rock to come.
Lucinda Williams
3/5
I really enjoyed this. Americana with a good voice, Sheryl Crowe meets Ryan Adams. High 3.
David Bowie
3/5
Bowie is great, but I don’t enjoy or get it all. I quite like side 1, but Blackout is a bit messy. I like Arabian (very Chic), but none of the instrumentals on side 2.
Killing Joke
2/5
Very industrial post punk. Could have been 1990 rather than 1980. Impressive on that basis, but too harsh for me.
Eminem
3/5
Surprisingly acceptable since I don’t really like rap/hip-hop. I did accidentally download the censored version which sucked a lot of joy out with the whole flow being destroyed by constant missing words - but that also means it’s full of swearing which is an odd lack of variety and articulation against the clever wordplay throughout including a joke about being a bad influence on 4&5 year olds!
Eminem has a far less harsh and annoying voice than I recall.
Mostly clever and listenable.
Sonic Youth
3/5
I actually knew this album from when it was released and had forgotten it. Yes, it does work better than the very experimental noisy earlier albums. A comfortable 3.
Bob Dylan
4/5
Great poetry storytelling. Very bare and stripped back guitar playing. It's all about the storytelling. Brilliant.
The Replacements
2/5
Nicely heartfelt singing. Melodic punky. Pretty rough and ready.
The Stooges
2/5
Disappointingly disjointed and wasn’t expecting the long drone psychedelic track after the knockout Wanna be your dog.
Bob Dylan
4/5
Electric blues, but Dylanesque. Some great songs here. Once heard, never forgotten - good and bad. An important album in Dylan's 60s transition.
Billy Bragg
3/5
I liked it. Wilco seem like a good pop band and I like their singing. Billy Bragg is a very likeable chap, but his singing sometimes gets a bit morbid.
Bert Jansch
3/5
Super guitar picking. I prefer the blues pieces to folk. Jansch's version of "Angie" has long been a favourite, so although the album really doesn't pull me in, I am inclined to give it another listen a medium mark for Angie and for the amazing guitar picking.
Cheap Trick
2/5
Not a particularly good recording. Wasn’t enthralled by the generic rock but it’s clear they are enjoying themselves with good positive vibes. Songs got a bit better towards the end.
Alice In Chains
3/5
This rocks hard, but not thrashy. Solid and sensible. Epic feel to the songs. Good. A high 3.
Madness
3/5
Good fun, but very samey. Nicely north London-centric. Madness always have one or two knockout pop gems amongst their Madness generic album tracks - here it's Our House with brilliant Suggs wordplay (\"the kids were playing up downstairs\").
M.I.A.
4/5
Great fun. Good beats and sound collages. Inspired samples. Paper Planes is the standout, but 20 Dollar is good with the New Order/Pixies bits.
I will check out Arular next.
Marvin Gaye
2/5
Very smooth and sexy, but lacks bite and funk. It’s no What’s Going On. I’m only giving it 2* because Marvin can do way better.
Massive Attack
5/5
Good in ‘91 and still grooves. Excellent cool as ice jazz and soul samples and covers. Rapping and wordplay are clever. Production and music is excellent. Mix of singing, reggae and rap is a good variety. Top notch, but do I prefer this to Protection? Are they both good enough for 5*? Probably!
Primal Scream
4/5
Still sounds cool, laid-back and clubby sometimes all at the same time. Love the 3 proper Primal Scream songs. Damaged and Movin on up are particularly good.
Simon & Garfunkel
3/5
4 well known classics in America, Old Friends, Mrs Robinson and Hazy shade. A few ok songs and some decidedly iffy filler. What were they thinking opening the album to such cacophony after the mutual gentle intro?!
A low 3 - it’s clearly no Bridge or Sounds
Keith Jarrett
3/5
Cool jazz and pop piano grooves and melodies. Pleasant to listen. I think I liked the first 25 minutes best and then some later bits of the album which reminded me of Rachmaninov's piano concertos.
A high 3.
Emmylou Harris
3/5
Opener Pearl sounds a lot like Boulder to Birmingham. Interesting to hear almost trip-hop elements to Emmylou's music.
I like her voice, but very little in this collection is particularly noteworthy. Very low key. I probably prefer her more stripped back guitar picking albums/songs.
A low 3.
Baaba Maal
2/5
Interesting stripped back bluesy afro rootsy style. Not unpleasant, but not strong enough to want to listen to again.
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
Over-ambitious scope. 2 hours and nearly 30 songs is huge. I'd prefer half the songs and more than half the running time please!
Good variety of rock and pretty songs. The singles cover the variety. Would have been as good as Siamese Dream if paired down to 12 song.
The Cure
4/5
As a whole album it captures every facet of the cure. A sweeping and lush often morose sound, but gorgeous with it. A gem.
The Jam
3/5
This emphasises my view of The Jam being a superb singles band rather than a good album band. There are a few knockout tracks to compliment That's entertainment and Start (Pretty Green, house ablaze, scrape away), but I'm not won over with the full album collection. Perhaps I need to listen to it more? A low 3.
Muddy Waters
3/5
A few well-known and now classic tracks covered by many others. However, it doesn't have the excitement of the BB King live concert that was also showcased here a few weeks ago.
Low 3.
Supertramp
3/5
Disappointing (apart from Bloody Well and Dreamer). I know the hit singles, so was expecting a kind of 10cc/Steely Dan hybrid, but this was more proggy. Not bad, but I'll probably prefer Breakfast in America with all the pop hits.
The Monks
4/5
This grooves and has an edge, seemingly upbeat, but quite nihilist. Made in Germany it doesn't have the psychedelic noodling of Jefferson Airplane, Doors, Iron Butterfly etc. Just mid 60s tight rhythmic beat groove and lots of fun.
The Gun Club
2/5
Very incongruous cover for the music style! Sex Beat is probably the easiest song to like. The electric US roots/blues/punk style is quite good, but needs more hooks and melodies.
Black Sabbath
4/5
Absolutely ace! A heavier, more fun version of Led Zep with a slightly less screechy vocal, but far more political lyrics. Rightly a classic with surprising laid back jazzy song as well. Great!
Dead Kennedys
2/5
Political energetic punk, reminiscent of Sex Pistols, but not quite as tuneful. Not my taste.
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
Downbeat, raw, Solomon subject matter. Not the Springsteen I like, although songwriting, musicianship and delivery are still excellent.
Sonic Youth
2/5
Not for me - too noisy and scuzzy.
Michael Jackson
4/5
Brilliant 80s dance pop, every sing could have been a hit single - however, it’s not as good as Thriller.
Ananda Shankar
2/5
Vaguely interesting, but not that special. Reasonable crossover.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Great deep voice. Smart poetry. Spare to invisible music. Not Cohen's best collection. However, it does include Famous Blue Raincoat, Avalanche and Joan of Arc.
Jeff Buckley
3/5
Classic mid 90s album. Angelic voice. Good variety. Some 90s light grunge. Definitive version of Hallelujah. Very sad that he died so young like his Dad.
Pet Shop Boys
3/5
Sophisticated pop. The occasional talking vocals really show the contrasts when Tennant sings. I always really liked Jealousy and some of the others are also polished pop with good hooks. Not as catchy as Actually, but more sophisticated.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Aware of the singles and the grooving Grapevine, my first impression is utter amazement at the brilliance of the opening song until it lingers just a little too long on one musical phrase before returning to the rocking first part again. Just awesome.
I think Cosmo's shows distills the essence of CCR better than any of their preceding bluesy albums with elements of all their styles (rock n roll, blues, soul, country, "swamp" and psychedelic).
I'll have to listen to their earlier albums again now, but I think this is my favourite CCR. Essential.
Elvis Costello
3/5
Lively and fun, ascerbic lyrics don't match the tunes. Prefer the Attractions as a band, so the next LP, This Year's Model, gets a lot more listens than this. A good start to Elvis Costello's long recording career.
Radiohead
5/5
Epic, important and progressive rock music. They rejected Britpop and created a masterpiece of textured, sometimes hook-laden rock that definitely was not easy or formulaic. Great.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Phenomenally groovy. Just the kind of laid-back intelligent reggae designed for today's warm Easter Monday holiday afternoon. Easy to forget this is authentic Jamaican reggae and simply damn fine groove-orientated pop music. Excellent.
Sister Sledge
4/5
Slick and similar to C'est Chic, but with more hits (4 out of 8 album tracks).
Led Zeppelin
5/5
The big, celebrated LP, but I can't decide if it is better than Led Zeppelin II. Certainly such familiarity with all eight songs pushes IV up in the ratings. It is accomplished in the styles it sets out to cover. Equally good, I think.
David Bowie
3/5
I first heard this over 15 years after it was released. Didn’t much enjoy the lauded second side. Still love Be My Wife.
Every time I revisit it grows on me more. This time it’s clear that my problem is that all the new music since 1977 has probably been informed by this LP, so it doesn’t sound new or innovative to me. However, we do now know that it was thoroughly new music at the time of recording. The synths, the drum effect, mixing more conventionally crafted songs on one side and instrumental textures on the other.
Yes, it’s really influential and boundary-pushing and side one keeps up with the better mid 70s Bowie material. Not quite good enough for 4*
U2
4/5
The upbeat songs with the industrial feel and loud guitar stand out. Despite wanting to not sound like 80s U2 other songs definitely do sound like U2, which isn't so bad for songs like One or Acrobat (a particularly strong song towards the end). Zoo Station, Even Better..., The Fly, Mysterious Ways are fun, but they're fairly throwaway as intended by Bono and The Edge.
It's a thoroughly important LP for U2's transition into the 90s supergroup, but fortunately also an enjoyable album even if it contrasts with the American influenced Unforgettable Fire, Joshua Tree and Rattle & Hum.
Roxy Music
4/5
Eager anticipation for my first listen of a full Roxy Music studio LP having only previously heard a compilation album and focused on later songs like Oh Yeah.
I only knew Strand here and enjoyed Editions equally. The slightly proggy other songs from Heartache onwards are great!
A good listen.
Jazmine Sullivan
2/5
She sings with a pleasant voice and somehow doesn't trip up with her full speed lyrics. ultra feminist content, but sensible with it.
Very polished modern r&b. Probably prefer this to Beyonce although it is missing Bey's hooks.
Having spent the day listening to Roxy Music's 1973 \"For Your Pleasure\" I have to say this very recent 2021 entry (surely new inclusions have to be absolutely knockout?) was not a particularly welcome return to the modern world, but could have been worse with horrible hip hop!
The Black Keys
4/5
Enjoyable modern blues with soul. Can’t help comparing to White Stripes because if similar set up and I think Black Keys are far superior - more melodic, less harsh with the vocals and more groove.
Good music.
Nico
2/5
Very 60s sounding whimsical folk. Not a fan of Nico’s voice - I find it a little cold and soulless. Musically I hear elements of Ruby Tuesday, but without the charm. Humdrum.
Jungle Brothers
4/5
I really enjoyed this. Mostly hyping the African links to Afro-Americans. Big beats. Funky and jazzy. Not aggressive or too braggadocio. Really good fun.
3/5
Cutting through the hype at the time of release (including my own comical hero worshipping) its not all good. Roll with it and some might say are not good singles (the b-sides are strong). Perhaps a third of the album is quite good.
Overhyped and not as fun as Definitely Maybe, even if Wonderwall and Don't look back in anger are classics.
Justice
2/5
Ok, a bit reliant on noisy synths. There are better albums of this style (daftpunk obviously)
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
2/5
Only bluesy on a couple of tracks, otherwise quite punky and screechily sung. Not especially enjoyable, thankfully short songs, but certainly not the worst on this list.
The Yardbirds
3/5
A couple of good blues songs. Can't help but really feel the art of the English 60s band selling US blues back to the Americans - more so than even The Stones, Animals or Cream. Bit cynical, but for some reason this album made me very conscious of the copy and paste and re-sell that went on in the UK in 1960s.
Not bad, but I prefer other bands doing this, however it is great to think of the three exceptional guitarists from The Yardbirds.
Kacey Musgraves
3/5
So pure and easy on the ear after some harsher recent albums on this selecter. Slowed down tempo, but not down-tempo, and better for it.
Very enjoyable and reminded me how much I like good quality pop songs / Americana without too much country-fication. Not essential, but very pleasant.
Method Man
2/5
A few good beats, but not my thing. I only really liked the Temptations/Diana Ross re-hash.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
Lovely pop from Joni's early period. Beautiful voice, catchy tunes albeit very "wordy" in places (verbose?). 'Help me" is a treat.
The Fall
2/5
A few catchy riffs, notably Barmy, and slightly more coherent vocals than other Fall efforts but a long way to go before the accessibility of The Infotainment. Not awful.
The Clash
3/5
More melodic and interesting than most punk of its era, but the vocals are still gruff and rough unfortunately. Not quite packed with as many great songs as I recall. Good subject matter. Ironic that the superb Police and Thieves is not theirs.
Caetano Veloso
2/5
Ok - a bit 60s psychedelic. Pleasant singing. I'm not won over.
Le Tigre
3/5
The music is "indie" and experimental - fun alternative indie-rock. The vocals switch between youthful arthouse to irritating shouty and whiney punk/art-school pretentious.
It is a knowingly art-school album. Definitely not born of "kids making music for fun", but students making music as a vehicle for their arthouse/activist pretext.
Still, it's a good listen with the guitars and synths and drum machines mixed up together. I even began to find the vocals acceptable by the end
Air
4/5
Coffee table classic. Nearly all the tracks are radio hits or well known from bars, restaurants, clothes shops, TV programs, dinner parties. Very good melodies and fairly stripped back, but clever music that could have been set in 70s, 80s or 90s and now pretty much timeless. Almost prog (Floyd, Kraftwerk). Excellent.
Beatles
4/5
I always eagerly look forward to this album and finish it disappointed. Some songs are among my favourites (including Blackbird, Martha, Glass Onion, Dear Prudence, while my guitar), others are quite poor.
George Martin was right: should have been an amazing 2-sided LP, but we know selecting songs would have broken up The Beatles way before Let it be and Abbey Road.
Pick and choose your favourites into a playlist and avoid the mishmash of great, awful, good, weak.
Thundercat
3/5
Lovely mellow jazzy soul. Crisp beats, 70s style falsetto voice and Steely Dan/Doobies feel (and look, Ladies and Gentleman here’s Michael McDonald…).
Bit of rap to show its 2017, although as a dark skinned Brit I still feel uncomfortable hearing the N word particularly in such pleasant context.
Overall a breezy, well made, light-weight album.
Lou Reed
3/5
Good musicianship from the stellar band. Bit overly sad and depressing towards the end. Better than expected, but not going to be playing in the future. 3 for music, but 2 for overall enjoyability.
The Pharcyde
3/5
Fun, classic jazzy early 90s music with light-weight content. Some swearing and fixation on sex, but at least not gangster aggression. Similar in style to Jungle Brothers, Tribe called Quest and De La Soul.
Fred Neil
2/5
Folk, country, blues. I prefer the covers by Nillson and The The of Everybody's Talkin' and Dolphins.
The Hives
3/5
Loved their stage presence and punk/pop singles when they exploded onto the rock scene in UK. Compared to similar contemporaries The Strokes, these Swedish guys were so much more fun and didn't take themselves as seriously, but probably didn't write quite as many great catchy pop rock songs, focussing more on energetic fast-riffing punk-pop.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
Abattoir Blues has a raucous noisy start then good bluesy old fashioned rock n roll. Enjoyable.
Lyre of Orpheus is more eclectic and perhaps richer for it. A second listen beckons.
Overall a good impression.
Mike Ladd
3/5
Interesting poetry, music sounds like UNKLE/Mo-Wax. A rapper/poet who is also interested in the music, so lots of rap-free periods.
A revelation and pleasant surprise. Good music. Will listen again, could be a high 3.
X-Ray Spex
2/5
A few appealing songs: Germfree adolescents, identity. Some strong guitar riffing, ok girly vocals, but too often copycat Johnny Rotten snarls, which could be dropped.
Ice T
3/5
Very neat rhyming, excellent beats for jogging. Obviously very violent, but the intelligence, wit and irony are clear. Great voice. Not as awful as I would have expected for gangsta rap.
Pixies
4/5
Quiet loud quiet loud - awesome alternative rock. Weird as hell lyrics, but this was surely the future of rock, Americana, and new wave post punk back in the late 80s?
Loved seeing them back together at Brixton Academy in the early 2000s before Kim left. No disappointment even if Kim and Charles weren't talking to each other!
Doolittle is still a great listen.
Marty Robbins
2/5
Very much of its time. Quite tame fireside croonsome Americana. Not exactly Murder Ballads by Nick Cave!
Doves
3/5
Nice guitar textures. A couple of good melody singles (fear, pounding) and occasional other songs (words). Overall a bit hum-drum. Not exactly necessary for 1001 albums list.
JAY Z
3/5
Really good use of music/samples for a very accessible and pop feel. Pretty good listen for a non hip-hopper! A high 3.
The Cardigans
2/5
Bit fey. Light pop. Reminds me of St Etienne mixed with Stereolab.
Wasn’t keen to hear Black Sabbath weakened. Just like soundtracks for John Lewis Xmas tv adverts!
Amy Winehouse
3/5
Very Billie Holiday in vocal style. Very laid back jazz. Not quite the poptastic songs of the next album, but gently groovy. Back when Amy had no obvious tattoos, looked healthy, attractive and probably wasn’t aware of her influential status. Refreshing.
The Pretty Things
2/5
Some nifty late 60s Beatlesqye/Who-et tracks, but not my favourite kind of psychedelia. Good to learn about another 60s Brit band that is not so well known.
Meat Loaf
3/5
Love the title track, diminishing returns on other power ballads, but generally good.
Tom Waits
2/5
Gruffly sung blues, industrial rhythms, but the highlights to me are a handful of tender beautiful ballads. Almost worth the rest of the rough-edged noise.
Black Sabbath
3/5
Good riffs, albeit pretty dark (the devil's triad in title track!). Undeniably influential, but not as good as Paranoid album.
Dire Straits
3/5
Enjoyable, excellent guitar playing, Dylanesque singing, some laid-back music. I'd have never guessed this was a debut album.
Leftfield
3/5
Reasonable mid 90s dubby electronic dance/trance music. I recognised a few of the singles and more famous tracks, but found it less interesting than Orbital or Chemical Brothers.
Tim Buckley
1/5
I liked the gentle breezy Miles Davis influenced early track, but the rest is boring. My first listen to any Tim Buckley and I’m very disappointed.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
4/5
What a joy to listen to well known artists and their famous album, but for the first time without knowing much about the LP. A huge surprise to finally discover that the very famous Our House is a Graham Nash CSN+Y song.
Great harmonies, good catchy pop songs (thank you again Mr Hollies), country rock and straight up rock (thank you Neil). Superb collection and justifies its reputation. I’m already looking forward to listening again.
The Youngbloods
3/5
Breezy with a couple of cool grooves (Trillium and Beautiful). Pleasant enough, but not special.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
Beautiful voice - definitely the lead instrument. Beautiful and interesting vignettes of life, love and emotions. The folky side of Joni before the pop of Canyons and avant garde folk jazz of Hissing and beyond.
The Prodigy
4/5
Still ridiculously exciting, energetic and fun.
Nobody is condoning beating up women - it’s a song title.
Great mid 90s electronic music and mixed with rock instruments for the indie/alternative rock crowd - real electro-punk. They were a truly awesome live act. A brilliant experience and memory of seeing them at Park Des Princes in Paris in 1997.
Kid Rock
3/5
Whilst I like the guitar based music with a rap vocal (works the rhythm for me), I don't like the pimp persona and dumb party bragging content.
Sleater-Kinney
3/5
So so riotgrrl punky rock. Interestingly the vocals sometimes sounded like Patti Smith. Not enough to keep my interest, sadly, but not terrible. A low 3.
The Kinks
3/5
It's a pretty good album. Quirky, revelling in Englishness. If it wasn't for Ray's voice then The Kinks might have been up there with the Stones, Beatles and Who in Worldwide fame...
A high 3.
The Smiths
2/5
Disappointing, but not awful. Sounds like typical The Smith's, but only a few memorable songs. Not as enjoyable or memorable as the first album or Queen is dead or Strangeways or Hatful or Louder or Risk... (Not very fair to give lower than three, but it just doesn't seem as good as their other LPs).
Mj Cole
3/5
Important: seek out the album proper and ignore the additional mixes tacked on the end of the collection after about track 16 (free my mind).
Inoffensive and very well produced UK Garage. Quite mellow. Excellent singing by Elisabeth Troy. I am surprised to say i like this. Sincere (the song) is well known and a club classic.
Definitely a 3, but although early UK Garage and influential, probably not a 4. Enjoyable enough.
Manic Street Preachers
4/5
Much more accessible than Holy Bible. Incredible what they achieved during such horrendous heartbreak and turmoil. Great music and stands up well more than 25 years later.
Kendrick Lamar
3/5
Good jazzy r&b funk music. Very nimble wordplay and sometimes fast flow. More socially conscious than the ugly bragging gangster rap of so many. As a mixed race Englishman I still don’t get the chip-on-shoulder anti-White anti establishment downtrodden paranoia obsession of black US rappers. Isn’t there something else to write about?
Adele
4/5
Sounds like a superstar in the best tradition of soulful bluesy pop singers. Smooth, bluesy with a slight edge. Excellent songs and great interpretations (Cure and Dylan).
Beth Orton
3/5
Mellow folk-tinged pop with added gentle electronica. Nicely done. Very similar to Trailer Park.
Miles Davis
3/5
Iconic LP cover and great title. My jazz knowledge is not enough to understand the impact or influence of this album over others of its era. It’s pleasant enough, but not special enough. Late 1950s Miles onwards for me.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
4/5
A thoroughly enjoyable and accessible classic jazz album from the incredible late 1950s era. Particularly notable for its technical experimentation whilst maintaining a melodious and “popular” feel.
Brilliant!
KISS
2/5
No, I still don’t see the Kiss appeal. Just a couple or four songs made it big here in the UK. Not very well produced LP, noises and production games just don’t work early on side 1.
Traffic
4/5
I was expecting folk but I got funky 60s/70s real r&b with a hint of prog. Excellent piano/keys from Stevie Winwood. Very good grooving rhythms. A great surprise.
Nina Simone
5/5
Haunting, beguiling, soulful, intelligent and extraordinarily beautiful. Once Nina Simone has drawn your attention, be it from a tv documentary, video clip or radio program, that’s it - there really is no escape - ever.
She was utterly magnetic in concert by the look of videos.
fIREHOSE
3/5
I thoroughly enjoyed Minutemen, so was looking forward to this post D Boon incarnation. Nice short songs, nimble bass playing and some funky guitar work in places. This is much more Americana than Minutemen's funky jazzy punk.
Jean-Michel Jarre
2/5
Disappointing, a boring listen except for the well known IV. It's like Jarre has no concept of time and left the same sounds playing for way too long. Kraftwerk didn't do such boring lazy recordings and neither did Oldfield or even Orbital. Even Side 2 of Low, which has vague similarities, is more interesting. Did I say I was disappointed?
The Sonics
4/5
Brilliant proto-punk adding even more electricity to classic 50s rock’n’roll, but less noisy than Stooges. A bit like The Monks with added joy.
Underworld
2/5
Bit boring in places as the pieces are left for too long. Some sounds too much like the Born Slippy hit, others sound like bjork should bee singing them. I think there were better electronic dance albums during the 1990s.
Beastie Boys
3/5
Great funky samples. Still a bit too shouty and unrefined. A touch disjointed, but at least it’s not gangsta rap!
The Allman Brothers Band
4/5
Starts with some excellent pacey electric blues, then later the extended guitar soloing is melodic and bluesy and less psychedelic than the era would suggest. Very good.
Iggy Pop
3/5
Not as celebrated as Bowie’s Low, given it was made more or less at the same time by the same artists. Acceptable, but not as good as Lust For Life or Station To Station.
Travis
3/5
Four huge, brilliant and emotive singles underpin this album. There are well written Beatlesque songs amongst the slow burning emotional album tracks, but overall I'm left feeling downbeat and slightly bored. This was genuinely everywhere in the UK at the end of the 90s and was an antidote to Oasis, with whom they toured, for sure, but I'm not going to voluntarily choose to listen to Travis.
Billy Joel
4/5
Very enjoyable and not hugely removed from Steely Dan or Elton John. Several recognisable hit songs.
Roxy Music
3/5
Pretty good arty glam rock. I think I prefer For Your Pleasure that I reviewed a few months ago. Listenable nonetheless.
Anita Baker
3/5
Very smooth soul. Some jazzy scatting. Good voice, and very accomplished performance, but nothing apart from Sweet Love is really gripping me. Pity, because this was in all the shop windows for a year or so when it came out and won lots of awards. I'm giving a 3 because it is well sung and smoothly made, but not a soul record I'm going to reach for again.
Metallica
2/5
Not really my thing - not enough melody, not even Orion.
Al Green
3/5
Pleasant enough with the classic soul sound. One absolute solid gold hit, but others are good, just not stand out.
Green Day
3/5
Much better when they ditch the 1977 punk styles, although I understand that that’s a lot of fun to play. The “proper” melodic songs are pretty good, which makes for a superior listen than Dookie for me.
Arcade Fire
3/5
Initially disappointed with Neon Bible after the enjoying Funeral and the first EP. This recent re-listen shows an accomplished slow burner with Springsteen Americana, New Order-style crescendo climaxes. And it has a slightly re-worked No Cars Go from the first EP.
A good powerful brooding accessible Arcade Fire album, but not as many "hits" as Funeral.
4/5
Haven't listened to this for a long time. What an accomplished and accessible album! Classic peej wrapped up in blues pop indie crossover. One to listen to rather than have as background music. Deservedly won awards.
John Coltrane
3/5
Groovy title riff. Good piano and drums. Movements 1 & 3 seem most accessible. Some of Coltrane’s sax playing feels unfocused. I really only want to hear the Will Downing pop/soul inspired single!
Shivkumar Sharma
2/5
Pretty, but resolutely background. I appreciate that my ears are uneducated for this Indian classical music.
Sam Cooke
4/5
Very upbeat and bounces along with vibrancy - even when singing ballads. Reminds me how much inspiration Otis Redding must have taken from Sam Cooke’s stage-craft and singing techniques.
A proper crowd-pleasing set incorporating crowd noise and extremely tight, virtually gap-free transitions between songs. Excellent sweet soul music.
The Cramps
2/5
Rockabilly with theatrical punk energy and vocal. Not as good as Ramones
3/5
Initially I didn't enjoy or pay attention to the Side 1, but did more or less immediately enjoy Side 2. Several repeat listens and I do quite like the majority of the album. Obviously prog organ and guitar noodling, but more accessible than I would have imagined.
Van Halen
3/5
Chose to listen to this as a tribute the weekend that Eddie died in Oct 2020 and enjoyed it.
This time I'm being critical. The hits are very good (Jump, Panama, Hot for teacher) the others are not particularly memorable. So just a medium album. I think their first album is probably stronger.
Primal Scream
3/5
Usual eclectic collection of Rolling Stones-ish rock n roll alongside dancey trancey electronica. Kowalski shows signs of the aggressive electro indie to come in the next two albums.
Ok, but still living in the shadow of Andy Weatherall's Screamadelica.
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
Designed and sequenced for the dance floor. The "banging" block rocking beats too often fall into experimental blippyness, but generally it's a vibrant and energetic listen, if a little repetitive. I enjoyed the crossover work they did with The Charlatans and actually bought the Life is Sweet 12" single at the time.
Lou Reed
4/5
A fun and pretty good little album. Lots of recognisable songs alongside a few lesser known, but listenable pieces.
My first real Lou Reed exposure was a Nelson Mandela celebration concert and I did not "get" the gruff atonal man or know about his Velvet Underground past. Now I still find his voice languid and a bit annoying, but I quite enjoy it's unique sound and it fits well with the excellent songs. I agree with others that some rhyming is childish, but so it was with the Beatles and Beach Boys.
Great album.
Hookworms
3/5
Completely unknown to me. Sounds a bit like Friendly Fires and MGMT with a soaring and uplifting pop rock feel of The Killers.
I like the electro rhythm and driving uplifting rock. Being critical, perhaps a little too many passages of ambient atmospheric electro textures and not enough actual ear worm catchy hooks and choruses on initial listen.
Definitely going to listen again. The ear worms might grab me! High three with potential for four stars.
Megadeth
2/5
Not my taste. Conscience of the early connection with Metallica. Easier to hear lyrics, but more irritating voice than Hetfield. Less “noise” so guitar soloing is a little clearer, but not that enjoyable.
George Michael
3/5
A very knowing move away from fun enjoyable pop of Wham! and Faith to “mature” serious music. Always good vocals, but fewer enjoyable songs. 3 stars for serious effort and accomplished signing.
T. Rex
3/5
As expected from Bolan. Quite good 70s rock n roll. Nothing psychedelic or hippie. Some good riffs and guitar solos. Not bad, Marc.
Roni Size
2/5
Too long! I’ve lost patience and given up before Ben the first hour is up.
The drum and bass is good enough, but too much airy-fairy ambience and electro blips. What’s wrong with distilling it down to under 60 minutes of proper songs - even Brown paper bag and Heroes out stay their (admittedly enjoyable) welcome.
Another reason to see the Mercury Music Prize as pretentious, overblown and a bit snooty really. I do appreciate that they are trying to be cool, edgy and relevant by praising black music, but really?!
I would have given 3 if it was under 60 minutes!
Talking Heads
4/5
Early, quirky Talking Heads before the celebrated Afro disco and Eno albums. Interesting and unusual, but still good indie guitar pop without any shouty, punk.
Tim Buckley
2/5
Versatile voice, but I’m indifferent to the folky pop music. Not for me.
Drive Like Jehu
1/5
I’m the wrong audience. I think this is rubbish.
The Young Gods
1/5
Hardcore underground punk from Drive Like Jeru yesterday and this Swiss industrial noise today. Oh dear. The only thing I can say is that it was vaguely a novelty to hear classical strings used up against industrial production and heavy drums and guitars.
Another album that is not to my taste.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
Much more pleasant than I was expecting from the reviews of ear splitting squalling feedback at Jesus & Mary Chain gigs in their early days.
I remember the April Skies single quite fondly against the usual pop trash of Top of the Pops and the UK top 40 charts. Interesting to see where Bobbie Gillespie has been influenced with his more laid back guitar-led songs.
I’m not a converted fan, but the album is ok indie jangly guitar music that’s not so heavyweight.
Steve Earle
3/5
A slightly more guitar ‘rock’ side of country or Americana resembling Ryan Adams at times. Ok.
Julian Cope
3/5
Although I new Reward, Treason and World Shut Your Mouth, I Was expecting something folky and somewhat downbeat and political, but this is late 80s/early 90s British indie guitar pop with a sense of fun and light experimentation and similar to his previous hits. A bit like early James but less folky and fewer lyrics.
Enjoyable and upbeat, if overlong.
AC/DC
5/5
Great hard rocking, hard riffing, fun loving’, tongue in cheek misogyny. A classic.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
4/5
Huey's languid rap-singing is quite seductive. The hip hop drums and rock, funk, soul guitar hits my eclectic taste buds. About 5 very enjoyable tracks and the rest are fine and listenable. Good grooves. I've a lot of time for Huey after his excellent Saturday BBC 6music program.
Supergrass
4/5
I liked this band when they first appeared, bought their initial singles and 2nd album. Great fun, energy and sense of joy with their recycled nostalgia. Good talents, enjoyable and accomplished debut.
Jacques Brel
2/5
I prefer his late 60s/70s folky stuff. Still refreshing to hear French music on this list.
Daft Punk
2/5
Boring, sparse. Not at all like the Laurent Garnier French techno I listened to in Parisian clubs in ‘96/‘97. Disappointing.
5/5
It's all been said before. A stone cold classic. Even George's Indian song has grown on me. Difficult to analyse when you know it so well all your life!
Marianne Faithfull
2/5
So-so - vaguely reminiscent of a very poor man’s Stevie Nicks. Last track is biting and also appealed to me the most n terms of rock music (Talking Heads mixed with Sex Pistols vitriol). Very telling that the LP was not a hit record in the UK…
Van Morrison
4/5
Very easy going pleasant Van Morrison soul. Good, warm stuff.
Kate Bush
3/5
Absolutely mad crazy music. Some that I knew pretty well already. Definitely need to listen again and on headphones. It’s Kate Bush, so automatically gets 3* fir her voice and general individual auteurship. Might upgrade to 4, but I don’t think it’s better than Hounds of Love, which I think was her next LP.
The Magnetic Fields
3/5
I think I managed to listen to over two thirds and I've enjoyed it. Funny, clever, catchy, thoughtful, experimental, poetic literate. So much material and ground is covered all around a theme. Good chamber pop too.huge long album. Could be better as 15 songs.
Elvis Presley
3/5
I know around half the songs. More guitars than later crooning material, but I don’t like the change in register of Ellis’ voice in a few of these. Not as iconic as I was expecting. 1968-1973 might be a better period, so a low three.
The Killers
4/5
Yes, a modern classic (nearly 20 years old!). The best styles of 1980s Duran Duran, Simple Minds, U2, New Order…
Rousing and anthemic. Not sure they ever did better than this album.
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
This gentler, funky jazzy hip hop is always a pleasure to hear (as opposed to testing aggressive gangster rap). Well done Tribe, Jungle Brothers, De La Soul. This one has Can I Kick It and Left My Wallet In El Segundo. It samples Stevie and Curtis and other cool cuts.
3.5 out of 5
David Bowie
4/5
Enjoyable, albeit sad due to Bowie's calculated and poignant release date. Good mix of modern rock, dance and Bowie sax.
The Prodigy
3/5
Exciting and in your face, but suffers from too many similar or identical sounds.
Kanye West
3/5
Surprisingly attention grabbing electronic sounds alongside the usual hip-hop. Samples "Strange Fruit".
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
4/5
Good American rock that doesn't outstay it's welcome. However a lot of songs seem to fade out just as they get going. Break out, Luna, American Girl are obvious highlights, but it's all good. Damn the Torpedoes is another terrific album. Then theirs Traveling Wilburys and Full Moon Fever be and and and. What a great artist. Gone too soon. 3.5 out of 5
Supergrass
3/5
Not as catchy or joyful as the first LP, but a strong second outing. Good indie pop.
Nick Drake
3/5
Mellow, but with more instruments than solo guitar. Good.
Mercury Rev
3/5
Quite pretty. I like the lyrics, but not so keen on the Flaming Lips style vocals. Very mellow.
Ryan Adams
5/5
Love, love, love this album. More rocking than his first solo LP, Heartbreaker, but perhaps not as pretty. Great Americana.
Pearl Jam
3/5
Not as amazing as I remembered. Some good singing. Some 80s rock guitar and some 90s "grunge" guitar. Quite a serious album with grounded stories - no elves, devils or mysticism!
Saint Etienne
2/5
Not all that interesting. Yes, the Neil Young cover is good, but no better than Neil's version. Nothing can stop us now is still very cool, but everything else is mediocre. Given Bob Stanley's musical knowledge I'm disappointed. Very 80s sounding. Perhaps this was quite good for its time, but I just remember that they were the height of cool and Cracknell was a blonde bombshell.
Elton John
5/5
Excellent! Good songs, variety. Rock, piano-led rock, boogie and bits of country-rock. Ballads and thoughtful songs are well done. A well deserved critically popular album. And it does not outstay it’s double length either. Very enjoyable. Could be a 5* album, but I’m not yet familiar with it apart from the hit singles. Oh ok, it does have Bennie & the Jets and Saturday Night’s Alright. Worth a 5😉
Stereolab
3/5
Enjoyed a previous album - the one with the magnificent Ping Pong - so was pleased to hear a similar sound, but more attention to more succinct conventional indie songs. An interesting mid 90s sound against the prevalent Brit pop, trip hop, grunge and angsty rock of the era. Not quite a 4, but good.
Frank Ocean
4/5
Very smooth and even in Super Rich Kids has a nod to Bennie and The Jets that I praised a few reviews ago.
I'm 10 years behind, but this Ocean guy has a glowing future!!
The Modern Lovers
2/5
Refreshingly ahead of it's time, but not really a great listen. I knew Roadrunner. Interesting to read the strong friendship with Gram Parsons and that Jerry Talking Heads is the keyboard player.
Malcolm McLaren
2/5
Another "refreshingly ahead of it's time" LP. Good to hear the influential mix of hip hop, sampling, afro beats, but I'm not going to listen again.
Lana Del Rey
3/5
Downbeat as expected from Lana's music, but quite enjoyable. Surprised to find two very recent albums on consecutive days.
Taylor Swift
3/5
I like this and am going to list to it again. I like that Swift continues her pop style, but stripped back instrumentally making this feel more folky and subdued, but actually it's just as pop as everything else Swift does. Very warm and likeable, although I can't really buy into her heartbroken lyrics, which is fine since it's just pop and not "lived through soul". Particularly enjoyed the song with Haim about the murdered cheating ex-lover - very Nick Cave!
3.5 because this is quite good, but way too new to be deemed worthy of the 1001.
MGMT
3/5
I’ve always liked the 3 big singles (Time, Electric, Kids), with their funky indie disco style, but am not attracted to the psychedelic rest. Prefer to listen to Flaming Lips or Super Furry Animals.
Ice Cube
1/5
Ugh, I really don't like gangster rap - the aggression, the misogyny (although there is a "balanced" piece towards the end), the unimaginative swearing and being a mixed race man I squirm every single time I ever hear the N word. I like cuddly actor Cube, but to have this straight after yesterday's Taylor Swift very recent folk-pop Evermore album is such a contrast as to practically knock me down.
The beats and funky background samples are ok (well done Public Enemy). That's it.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
4/5
Enjoyable jazz. Good soloing, jolly melodies. Accessible big band jazz with hints of the experimental soloing of Miles and friends in the coming few years, but less “difficult”.
Lauryn Hill
5/5
I know this album well and it is correctly highly regarded. Another listen does not disappoint. Lovely old style soul with a gorgeous “smoky” voice and lively flowing hip-hop rapping. Great tunes. No need to bother with a follow-up album after this superb effort.
Björk
2/5
Left this for a few weeks as I wasn’t really in the mood for Björk’s voice only experiment. Turns out it wasn’t so testing. Not great, but interesting effort. Only the last song with obvious beat boxing stood out to me. A little too much choral-styles.
Worth going on this list for the interesting experiment nonetheless.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
4/5
I was a fan since Blood Sugar Sex Magic and this was a string development of their funk and straight rock sound alongside excellent songwriting. They haven’t released another album that so satisfyingly hits all the right buttons as strongly throughout (By The Way possibly, but that seems a deliberate embrace of their new found commercial market). It’s always worth waiting for Frusciante to rejoin the band.
Ali Farka Touré
2/5
Repetitive, recalls John Lee Hooker a tiny bit. I like lots too of blues and I like lots of afrobeat, but did not enjoy this.
Little Simz
3/5
Albums from within the last 3 years should have to be stonkingly good to make this list - I think each book should close 5 years before that edition’s release date.
Anyway…. Little Simz’s award winning Grey Area: nice and short at 35 minutes. Impressive flow and clear vocal with some good varied music, but not my taste. Too much with exactly the same vocal rhythm. It is quite good, but it must have been a bad album year for this to have won all the awards!
Ministry
1/5
I knew NWA and Jesus hotrod, but the rest is a hard listen - not many songs in a conventional sense. A lot of industrial noise interspersed with some thrash guitar. I suppose it has its place in something to hear once before I die… Not my thing.
Depeche Mode
4/5
I like this dark 80s synth-pop. Black Celebration felt like a slight departure and this develops the sound. Violator fully embraced the goth-synth Depeche Mode that took them through 90s stardom. Just the correct side of “industrial” noise.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
2/5
It has its legendary influential place in rock roll music and the hit singles are still singalongs and easy to cover in skiffle and rock bands, but sounds dated and a little boring to my relatively modern ears. Probably deserves 4 out 5 for influence, but I'm giving it 2 from my own taste. Sorry Dad!
Stan Getz
3/5
Very smooth and melodic, easy listening, no particularly testing jazz. Very pleasant, but perhaps a little too tame.
Jeff Beck
4/5
Really enjoyable late ‘60s Brit Blues rock. Very Cream-y and some splendid vocals by Rod Stewart. Even Greensleeves is listenable, just!
Nine Inch Nails
2/5
Mostly industrial, noisy and abrasive, but there are several synth pop and more conventional songs that aren’t too bad (notably Closer and the original of Hurt that Johnny Cash later made his own). Far far better than Ministry or Marylyn Manson. Still not sure about all the praise - one of the important albums of the 1990s? No!
Deerhunter
2/5
Hum drum indie guitar music. Nothing special at all. A bit low key.
Rahul Dev Burman
2/5
Kind of interesting and amusing to hear such a varied mixture of styles and international music. I’d never listen again so I’m only giving 2 stars, but it’s really not bad, just quirky.
Joy Division
3/5
I'm a huge fan of New Order, so should love JD too. However, everything I listen to Unknown Pleasures I feel slightly disappointed. It's powerful and dark and heavy, but I'd rather listen to the JD singles collection, Substance 1977-1980.
Awesome LP cover.
Moby Grape
3/5
Very US late 60s sound. Some 3xcellent blues rock guitar work. Good mixture 9f styles that must have shown the seeds for what developed later by The Band, Eagles, CSN+Y.
Jane's Addiction
3/5
Interesting bridge between 80s hair metal, punk funk and grunge. Needed a second listen to get into it.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
Side One is brilliant! Rest is not so good. I can see Robert Smith's influence (or even what inspired him?). Great sound for half the LP! As such drops down from 4 stars.
Blondie
4/5
Always seems like a “Best Of” album. Superb pop music.
Drive-By Truckers
3/5
Very Lynyrd Skynyd and unashamedly so - no bad thing. Good to hear their opinion on southern things and the obvious race-related perception that people like me can't help but feel.
Politics aside, this rocks along in a good ol' boys southern country bluesy boogie.
Derek & The Dominos
3/5
Good blues, not enough "hits". Too long!
Neu!
3/5
Pretty ambient music for side one then fairly unfocused “punky” rock music, although E-Music was quite good. I think I can hear influence on Stereolab.
Prince
4/5
It’s Prince, it’s disco funk excellence, but not as good as Purple Rain or Sign o the times…
The Go-Go's
3/5
Excellent bubblegum pop with fast tight drumming and locked-in bass in every song, but very little else to attract me back again. Very radio lite pop, but driving rhythms. No heaven here, Belinda and nothing stopping me in any rush hour, Jane!
Fela Kuti
5/5
Awesome funky afrobeat jazz. Loads of groove and very very tight rhythms. Brilliant title track. Slower second. Extended album featured the excellent live “Mistake”. Nonetheless, Zombie on its own is so good.
Circle Jerks
2/5
Who doesn’t love a punk album that’s finished in quarter of an hour so you can get back to listening to Fela, Prince, Creedence or Steely Dan?! Well, not me when it feels like 15 minutes too much shouty noise. Gains a star for brevity and I think I heard one actual guitar solo!
Mike Oldfield
4/5
“…plus tew bew lah bells”. Wonderful.
However, disassociating myself from something so familiar I can hear how it is disparate and and disjointed. Musically accomplished without doubt, but actually no linking musical themes. Would have been good to have the Exorcist intro brought back a few times (I think it is almost referenced in Pt2 with the acoustic/ electro guitar section?) or the Viv Stanshall master of ceremonies backing theme. My memory has those bits plus the proggy rock guitar section (“jazz”) as the highlights, but frankly it’s all fun, beautiful and exciting with pleasant melodies.
And Mike Oldfield was only 19 - makes you sick!
Mylo
3/5
Pleasant easy listening electro dance. Samples Betty Davis Eyes and Gloria Estefan, so bonus point!
The Undertones
4/5
I've thoroughly enjoyed this. It may have been somewhat influenced by punk, but is really an excellent power pop / rock n roll by, and about, teenage boys and their preoccupation with girls.
The singing by Feargal Sharkey mostly sets it apart from shouty punk and the musical ability and sheer catchiness of the melodies and riffs is very much like 60s and early 70s power pop.
I've been looking forward to The Undertones and am not disappointed! Excellent.
Dr. Octagon
3/5
Excellent hip-hop and record scratching production in an Unkle/Mo-Wax style. The rapping is tongue-twistingly clever, but mind-twistingly bizarre about an alien gynecologist! Mad as a box of frogs.
The Sugarcubes
4/5
Fun, Bjork before the extreme arty experimentation. Includes the wonderful Birthday and I really like the music and groove of Blue eyed pop even if it a complete ironic send-up.
The Chemical Brothers
2/5
love the rock drums, but far too much industrial blips and noise in place of solid hooks and melodic samples. Harsh score, but needs more melody.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
3/5
I tecalkef this being an ace 80s album, but beside the platinum 4 gigantic singles there are 4 fairly straight forward covers and some other low level 80s mild funky pop. Even Krisco Kisses for lots weaker than I remember.
A little disappointing, but certainly made up for by the colossal hit singles, Born To Run, which is always welcome and a good stab at War, Jose and Ferry across the Mersey.
A high three then.
Mott The Hoople
3/5
Musically fun and accomplished, very early 70s glam rock. I liked the first song.
Bad Company
3/5
Nice continuity with yesterday’s Mott The Hoople with the Mick Ralphs connection.
A good 70s blues rock album very much Free part 2, but with a strong Led Zeppelin feel. High 3.
King Crimson
2/5
Mature serious Moody Blues style singing if then utter primary school music lesson nonsense. Not clever. Emperor’s New Clothes to the musos.
Shuggie Otis
4/5
Like a fusion of Marvin Gaye and Sly Stone this guitar-based soul grooves along beautifully. Excellent.
Dinosaur Jr.
3/5
I like the guitar sound, not over produced hair metal style, much more Sonic Youth/Pavement but still a lot of guitar. Fortunately far more melody and hooks than Sonic Youth.
Not unpleasant, but not that special either.
PJ Harvey
2/5
Sometimes she sounds like Peej of old, sometimes like Kate Bush and other times like a gentle folk singer. Lyrically I’m sure it’s clever and poetic, but musically I found nothing arresting.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
I think I've reviewed 4 Nick Cave albums and each has been better than the last (not hard to improve on The Birthday Party!).
Abattoir Blues is very strong and rockier, but Ghosteen is beautiful, poetic and the subdued almost Bowie/Eno Low-style synths really emphasise the lyrics.
So hard to comprehend the pain and sadness of losing a child, but also a strange coincidence that most was written before Nick Cave's son died.
A true auteur.
Gotan Project
3/5
Maria is the famous track. Interesting project, but each track overstays it's welcome - perhaps so that the full Tango dance can be completed?
Pleasant enough, but a little boring for a full album.
Sheryl Crow
3/5
Much more laid back and mellow than I was expecting having heard the singles. Pleasant enough.
Wilco
2/5
I will listen again, but slightly humdrum and not as special as I was expecting
The Last Shadow Puppets
3/5
Very 60s cinematic sound. I like both artists, but in their usual realms. Doesn't quite pull me in enough. Not bad, but a little boring.
Dolly Parton
2/5
Good singers, but too country for me.
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
Begins like a Greatest Hits. Very spare vocal and drums. Little bit too shouty. Very old school. Not aggressive. "Hits" are good.
4/5
I can hear the disco influence alongside the usual Queen, classical and synth styles. A good listen. Unmistakably Muse.
Willie Nelson
3/5
Very pleasant, gently sung and played. Not exactly ground breaking and i'd always choose other more classic versions of these standards, but completely inoffensive.
Talvin Singh
3/5
Indian sounding, drum and bass, trip-hop. It won the 1999 Mercury Music Prize. Woke up from a post-Sunday-long-jog-snooze right at the end. So it clearly didn't do much for me.
De La Soul
3/5
Gentle hip hop, nostalgic fun, correctly famous, but not quite as amazing as I remembered.
Rocket From The Crypt
3/5
90s punk rock n roll, but with the bonus of horns. Ok, probably as good if not better than over-rated Green Day.
New Order
5/5
Arguably the best New Order album with start to finish mix of guitars, drums, synths and that bass. Oh how I CAN bear the thought of you!
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Ditching 2000 light years from home psychedelia for rootsy blues and groovy rock n roll makes Beggars Banquet one of the classic Rolling Stones albums alongside Sticky Fingers and Let It Bleed.
Extra star for Sympathy and Street Fighting, but loses a star or two for too much acoustic light rock.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
Spiky and very danceable with lots of synth and programming. Not quite as rock as previously. Good 3.5
Duran Duran
4/5
The 1980s Duran Duran funk-synth sound we all recall so fondly. Excellent album with three of their best songs as well as some excellent bass and synth work. Absolutely iconic LP cover.
I can now even hear elements of The Cure. Great!
The Mars Volta
2/5
Some machine gun riffs a la at the drive-in, but an awful lot of incomprehensible rock singing and unnecessary "atmospheric" noises. Starts well, especially the first ESP, but could be more succinct and tighter.
Public Enemy
3/5
I actually enjoyed this (not being a great fan of hip-hop)! Harder and more varied than Gangstarr from the same era. Chuck D’s voice is deep and authoritative, the Bomb Squad are good on the production and turntables. The message is socially conscious and free from gun toting and too much unnecessary swearing.
Nick Drake
2/5
Quiet, a bit muffled vocally, pretty in a very low key and laid back style, but bordering on boring. I prefer the fuller jazzier sound of the 2nd LP, Bryter Layter.
Santana
5/5
A-MAZ-ING! One of the LPs that my Dad would often play through my childhood. Warm nostalgia as well as sheer joy from hearing one of the great rock jazz fusion albums. Great vocals from Journey founder Gregg Rolie. A solid gold favourite album.
Gang Starr
3/5
Pleasant enough musically and rapping. Not abrasive. Good samples. Good wordplay without the swearing and guns. Good.
Curtis Mayfield
2/5
Very Curtis : falsetto singing, pretty guitar chops with wah, socially conscious urban themes and “big picture” love songs about getting on with one another. Nice and sensible. (Apart from the first track) Just not as funky or pop as his better material. 2.5 because I know he’s done better.
Throbbing Gristle
1/5
Not art, not music, not clever. No stars.
Steely Dan
4/5
Uh oh, favourite band alert, might be difficult to be impartial!
A good 2nd album, perhaps not as great as the debut, but it does come with the magnificent My Old School. Skunk Baxter plays guitar on it and I’m sure he had more fun with Steely Dan than he does now working at NASA or US Defence - no, really.
Alice Cooper
3/5
I was prepared for Alice Cooper to be theatrical horror, but I wasn’t expecting full on Leonard Bernstein West Side Story and jazz on side one! Delightful, albeit kooky.
Fishbone
4/5
Refreshingly eclectic: straight rock, ska, funk, pop, acoustic ballads. Really good. Immediately listened to it all again to make sure.
I vaguely remember this band at the first Reading Festival I went to in 1993 and they put on a good show.
Wild Beasts
3/5
Serious and well crafted like Radiohead and Elbow, but slightly more immediately palatable. Falsetto can grate after a while, but not at all like Justin The Darkness Hawkins!
I can see why Wild Beasts were critically acclaimed but didn't gain wider public acceptance. Useful to be introduced to this now defunct band.
Nirvana
4/5
If the songs are good and the soul and feel are there it will work acoustically. It does and very well indeed.
Sad, but as with Ian Curtis’s death, a phoenix rises from the flames.
The Divine Comedy
4/5
Really enjoyable pop album. Feels erudite and clever and I’m sure it is, but overall it sounds well crafted, fun and pleasing to the ear.
Saw Neil and the band in Cambridge about five years ago and they are very enjoyable.
Pretenders
4/5
Very enjoyable - starts with a punk 1-2 full of comedy vitriol then third song moves to classic Hynde vocals and some great pop/rock. Amusing to note how her “too many lyrics” vocal style reminds me of the great Joni (not the beauty of Joni’s voice, although Christ’s voice can be lovely).
Good LP worthy of its high chart position in 1980.
Belle & Sebastian
3/5
Bops along sweetly, but is ultimately forgettable. Only a few days ago there was a Divine Comedy LP from the same era and similar stock, which I preferred.
50 Cent
3/5
Enjoyed the music, but not the gangster rapping - almost switched off after hearing the early lyric about looking for "a slut with a nice butt for me to do my nut". Why are these people not lambasted and ostracised by Society? Unacceptable.
But good music and production by Dre. So a reluctant 3 stars for the music.
Robert Wyatt
2/5
I love Shipbuilding, so was enthusiastic about listening to this album, but left bitterly disappointed. I only liked Seasong, the rest was cacophony.
The Afghan Whigs
2/5
Very emotional lyrics with a hard rock and grunge sound. Couldn’t hear the talked about influence of classic soul music, but agree that Gregg sings from the soul. Just a bit too noisy, although it did remind me of Bob Mould’s, Husker Du front man’s, Sugar.
SAULT
4/5
Soulful and groovy with a kind of What’s Going On meets afrobeat vibe filtered through a London 2020 streetwise production.
Thematically it’s all about George Floyd and Black Lives Matter movement, but not aggressively or unpleasantly like Gangster Rap, but poetically and obviously and often positively.
Maestro producer Inflow uses Michael Kiwunaka in a few songs and it definitely sounds very much like a Kiwunaka record.
I love Bow which reminds me of Fela Kuti.
Soulful, political, afrobeat and groovy. Worth the critical acclaim.
Britney Spears
1/5
Gazillion selling single, so it must be an amazing pop album full of gems, right? Wrong, horribly so. Nothing extraordinary or notable. Another huge disappointment, although I do know diamonds like Toxic are still to come from a host of brilliant songwriters using the pop star Britney vessel.
Elliott Smith
2/5
Low key musically, but dense and often personal lyrically. Not enough pizazz for me.
The Crusaders
4/5
My kind of smooth, grooving jazz soul with the scorching extended title track with the wonderful Randy Crawford. Admittedly easy listening, but with technically accomplished Steely Dan style keyboard and guitar soloing. Great rhythm. Excellent smooth jazz/soul.
Songhoy Blues
3/5
Indebted to John Lee Hooker, but paying dues to classic rock and punk with an African vibe. Pleasant, quite light. Good electric guitar picking.
Destiny's Child
3/5
Great pop, catchy and straight into the three mega hit singles. Drifts off into weak slushiness towards the end, but the majority is good upbeat pop. 3.5
Mudhoney
3/5
Grunge punk with a kind of slightly lo-fi Dinosaur Jr feel. Not really enough hooks to grab me. A low three
Peter Gabriel
3/5
Phenomenally eclectic, but rumbles along without any particularly weak moments. Good singing. Good composing (folk, orchestral, rock, blues, funk, pop, vaudeville)! Less prog than Genesis, but still wacky. I can see how Fish-era Marillion were influenced.
3.5 Good.
The Slits
2/5
Good to hear it wasn’t typical punk, but a kind of minimal scratchy post punk vaguely ska sound. Clearly they are having fun especially on Shoplifting: “do a runner”! However, Viv’s autobiography is more enjoyable, recommended even.
Paul Simon
4/5
All of side 1 and side 2 opener "You can call me Al" are superb. Bubbling along at a good tempo, catchy and fun. After "Al" things slow down and it's good, but not as immediate. Overall a very good listen and worthy of the critical standing.
Breaking the cultural boycott of apartheid South Africa now seems unimportant and distant, but I remember in the 1980s it really was massively controversial - even whilst working with non-white musicians. I have no belief that Gracelands or the gigs/tours made the slightest political difference, but it would have been annoying to set up a boycott only for a superstar of Paul Simon's stature to largely ignore it, even having consulted various worthy people.
R.E.M.
4/5
Really enjoyed this 80s rock album. I imagined early REM being mumbling and airy fairy music, but it’s as good as Out of Time and more fun, but not as high-brow as Autimatic for the People.
Very good!
Sufjan Stevens
4/5
Joy! Loved this when it came out and although very long, it had some excellent song writing.
Bebel Gilberto
3/5
Very mellow, seductive and sexy. Like a more playful bossa nova Sade. Bebel has a sweet, soulful voice. Bananeira (live) was most upbeat.
Note: Amazon wouldn't let me play the album so I made a playlist from live versions and songs found on compilations.
Can
2/5
Starts with rhythms not far from previous selection's bossanova (Bebel Gilberto). Overall too much ethereal ambience, but sounds modern and has genuine dancey rhythms (amongst the ambience).
Thin Lizzy
4/5
Overdubbed or not, it still makes for an exhilarating and positive compilation. Excellent proper rock n roll to wipe away the joke of punk!!!!
Roxy Music
2/5
Mixing up genres and experimental, this is clearly different for it's time, but I prefer their second album, For Your Pleasure. This starts well, but gets weaker. I didn’t warm to the last two songs at all.
Elliott Smith
3/5
Found the previous Elliot Smith album a week ago a bit humdrum, so not really looking forward to this, but if it’s meant to be his best work then I’ll go in open minded.
Much better! Still low key quiet singing, but the songs are much more in the vein of Brendon Benson, but not as catchy.
The Velvet Underground
3/5
Much more accessible than “…and Nico” LP. Having said that I found The Murder Mystery experimental track pretty interesting and arresting! Altogether an OK listenable 1960s LP, nothing special, but I’m no big fan. Gets a three because it’s not awful!
Alanis Morissette
3/5
A classic 90s album, but it turns out I only really know the singles, which are rightly renowned. Angst and angry, but also tender. Good guitar pop.
Orange Juice
3/5
Good UK 80s funk. Like Spandau Ballet crossed with Talking Heads and Aztec Camera.
Prefab Sprout
4/5
Majestic pop. Clever, erudite, smooth and catchy. Like Steely Dan through a UK 80s wine bar with a disco floor.
Public Enemy
3/5
Ok beats and noises. Excellent deep voiced authoritative rapping from Chuck D. Some iconic raps. Political, racial and angry, but none of the ugly sweary aggressive nonsense that proliferates gangster rap.
Brian Eno
2/5
Eclectic, some very ambient pieces. Enjoyed the mellow BBC indent bit.
Eels
3/5
Quite interesting rock. Wouldn’t switch off if it came on the radio, but not going to go headlong looking out for the music.
2/5
Extremely laidback. Some pleasant Latin bits mixed in with the modern production, but quite muddy and messy electro-trance which becomes more and more aimless through the album. Not very good.
Neil Young
3/5
Fits well amongst Goldrush and Harvest. Good to hear Neil's sweet early 70s voice.
David Crosby
3/5
Quite good - some Grateful Dead style 60s/70s rock noodling and some beautiful CSNY folk rock melodies. Not bad.
Aretha Franklin
5/5
More than half the album are considered standards, which in my regard makes this an outstanding classic. The soul and incredible blues rock vocals are better than most out and out rockers.
Along side Lady Soul this is a standout LP from Aretha’s body of work.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
4/5
Awesome southern blues rock. The eight songs fly by and even the honkytonk country rock n roll of Things Goin On and Mississippi Kid are good rollicking fun.
Obviously the big hits are Platinum-plated.
Sinead O'Connor
2/5
Disappointing- I like her voice and the Prince interpretation is amazing, but I only really liked Emperor’s New Clothes of the rest (and the funky drummer sample).
Dr. John
2/5
I liked his bluesy growl - reminded me of Captain Beefheart, I also liked the New Orleans Cajun blues, but mostly found it all too psychedelic.
Fever Ray
2/5
But boring. Little bit gothic with electronics, but thankfully not nine inch nails!
Isaac Hayes
3/5
Epic symphonic funk soul that lays the template for the great funk of the 1970s. Slow burning, but Walk On By is magnificent.
Radiohead
4/5
Pretty (in Radiohead terms) and less rock than might have been assumed from hearing Bodysnatchers. A really good all round Radiohead album.
UB40
3/5
A bit samey. Thundering bass. Food for thought is very good.
Eric Clapton
3/5
Concise album and easy to listen. Good pop, blues and gentle rock. An enjoyable collection, but how did Eric get away with the Led Zep rip on Let It Grow? 3.5
Country Joe & The Fish
2/5
Starts off sounding typically late 60s guitar rock, then becomes psychedelic and, to my ears, less precise and focused and more messy. Slightly lower than 3 (average)
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
One of my favourites from the early 90s. Thick layered guitar riffs, catchy melodies. My younger self perversely enjoyed the alternative-style awful nasal singing. Also has some tender sweet songs. “Mayonaise” still gives me goosebumps.
Not sure what happened to the brighter clearer album cover - don’t much like the washed out monochrome version displayed now.
Other than that, it’s a triumph.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
Surprisingly R&B soulful with lots of brass. Also incredibly similar to Bat Out Of Hell album. In any case, it's very good and accessible.
The Isley Brothers
3/5
Not as out and out funky as Sly and the Family Stone, but similar to Stevie Wonder's funk and soul of the same era (makes sense now that I read they recorded at the same time and studio as "Innervisions" and shared synth gurus). Enjoyable guitar soloing in the two enormous singles.
3.5
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Less R&B than Born To Run and much more "typical" Bruce. Some proper rock songs and lots of piano-led ernest story songs. Ok, but I prefer the two "Born" albums.
Depeche Mode
4/5
Loved it then and it still sounds minimal, electronic, serious, but cheeky and very danceable. Plugged the gap between New Order albums. Awesome.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
Very laid back, very groovy. Lovely pop songs. Exodus is one long groove and I haven't even looked at the lyrics! Another all time great album.
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
Pretty stripped back and minimal apart from the obvious rock tracks. Political, but not nasty. Worth another listen to really hear the lyrics.
John Martyn
3/5
Gentle, with some blues. Not loving all the singing as John Martyn "eats" the vocals sometimes. The big hit song (may you never) is really very beautiful.
John Martyn
3/5
Second John Martyn album in consecutive days. I think this is more accessible than Solid Air and has a more pop feel about it than the blues/jazz/folk of Solid Air.
Not bad. John's gruff rock voice is growing on me, but I still prefer his more natural pretty vocals.
Air
2/5
A film soundtrack with a pretty leitmotif, but needs to be heard with the film playing. Not sure why it's considered outstanding.
Brian Wilson
3/5
I was really into this at the time of its eventual release in 2004. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Slightly heavy-handed construction, but lovely melodies. Bit too long and "twee" in places, but Beach Boys melodies from the late 60s. High 3.
Waylon Jennings
2/5
Some bits were close to straight forward rock n roll which I liked. The collaborator sounds a bit like Cash. Ok for country. High two.
Neil Young
4/5
Still full of good songs and only a few are rock. Heavy on the piano, harmonica and acoustic guitar. Unite good singing - for Neil.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
Brings to mind Simple Minds and Joy Division. Ok, but nothing special - prominent baselines, but nothing particularly athletic. Low 3.
Death In Vegas
3/5
Big beat electronica with a dark, gothic rock feel (like Screamadelica with a dark heart).
2/5
Tight and repetitive. Jerky punk without the silly aggression and pointless noise. However, the musical repetition is not a huge step away. Very famous, but not that great - disappointing. The chapter in Simon Reynolds's "Rip It Up and Start Again" is illuminating and far more interesting than the music (see also Throbbing Gristle, which expresses loads of substance over actually anything resembling music!!!!!!)
Miles Davis
2/5
I do like bits and pieces and some albums throughout Miles Davis' career, particularly Kind of Blue, In a Silent Way and big favourite Tribute to Jack Johnson. I really enjoyed the fusion of blues rock guitar and funky bass.
I've wanted to like Bitches Brew, but it never works for me like Jack Johnson and is far too messy to be similar to A Silent Way.
Genius and forward thinking with the editing, loops and cut and paste, but this one's not for me.
Cover art is afro magnificent.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
3/5
Better than Jefferson Airplane - not as noodly, but still over indulgent in places. Low 3
Neneh Cherry
3/5
Very 80s, a little bit Janet Jackson/Paula Abdul, but not quite enough Salt n Pepa! Always liked Neneh’s voice. Hit singles are still great, but dated.
Rod Stewart
3/5
Some pleasant tunes and good covers. Maggie May is gorgeous. Title track rolls along well. Elvis cover rocks. Not as bluesy or rocking as with The Faces or Jeff Beck, but Rod’s vocals in the 60s and early 70s were great for the style.
Astor Piazzolla
2/5
Didn’t interest me. It’s not a patch on Stephane Grapelli and the Hot Club.
Youssou N'Dour
3/5
I particularly liked the groove of Taaw, but the second track was too sombre for my Afrobeat party!
Afrika Bambaataa
2/5
Very old skool hip hop. Not much of an advance from Rappers Delight or Grandmaster Flash’s hits. Good to hear Kraftwerk, but generally disappointing given all plaudits for being so influential.
Adele
3/5
Lovely, rich voice full of soul and emotion. No real hits on this collection, so not special and really only a trillion seller based on her star power alone. I won't be listening to 25 again since 19 and 21 are so much better.
Fugazi
2/5
Punk hardcore “alternative rock”, neither metal nor grunge. Bass and drums work well together, but I don’t really like the noise.
Nirvana
3/5
Not really overrated because there are some gems of melodic catchy ‘pop’ songs amongst the hardcore punk screaming. Nirvana and Cobain were genuinely talented and stratospheric sales warrant this album in the list even if it’s not ultimately my taste.
John Prine
2/5
Not my taste. Like Dylan and Don MacLean,
albeit jollier, with a strong country vibe. Just not for me.
The Dictators
2/5
Pre-punk, garage rock obsessed with teenage dreams of cars, girls and wrestling. Not heavy, not glam, not punk, not Aerosmith, Kiss or Tom Petty. Definitely not as accomplished or enjoyable as Undertones with similar, albeit Northern Irish, subject matter.
Interesting that people believe they influenced Ramones and other punk forerunners.
I don’t feel this is essential.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
2/5
Certainly an album worth listening to once before I die. Pleasant, but not my thing, thank you.
New York Dolls
2/5
Obvious influence on punk. Sounds like punks emulating Rolling Stones with added aggression and poor vocals. Not awful, but not my taste.
The Damned
2/5
Punk rock, but musical. Not very good vocals, but medium enjoyable rock. Nothing as good as New Rose or Eloise.
Leonard Cohen
3/5
Very lovely and compelling poetry, guitar picking and deep morbid vocals. Good and the 10 songs don't overstay their welcome, even if a few begin to sound samey. High 3.
Gene Clark
2/5
Pleasant enough, but nothing grips me at all. I'd have preferred to listen to another ex-Byrd: David Crosby who just died in the week.
PJ Harvey
4/5
Still my favourite Peej album even after all these years (must be a teenage galvanising thing). So much more accessible and fun than Rid Of Me. Muddle of album is particularly impressive (Victory, Hair, Sheela, Dress, etc).
Iron Maiden
4/5
I thought I’d already reviewed this such is it’s fame and fortune. Great rock and not as scary or hard to listen to as non-metallers might think. Terrific anthemic heavy metal songs and a catchy singalong "pop" song in Run To The Hills, albeit about marauders laying waste to a village settlement! And what an ending - The Guardian voted five of the eight songs on this LP into their list of Top 30 Greatest Maiden songs with Hallowed Be Thy Name at No.1. Possibly true, if it wasn't for the earlier Phantom Of The Opera🤟🏽
Sonic Youth
2/5
I don't really like much of Sonic Youth's music. I have liked about a third of Goo, but almost nothing on Sister or Daydream Nation (just teenage riot and candle really).
Whilst it's good to hear a lot of guitar, I find the general lack of structure and cohesion difficult. Accomplished as they are, it just doesn't appeal. I'm tempted to call Emperor's New Clothes on all the muso critics, but I do think Thurston, Lee and Kim (and drummer... sorry...) are capable musicians and trying to be unconventional in a post punk hardcore manner.
Sparks
3/5
Uplifting pop on the verge of disco. Slightly unhinged. I'm not getting the glam rock, but it does feel ahead of it's 1974 year. Slightly resembles Roxy Music or Supertramp. Ok-ish.
Radiohead
3/5
Good mix of programmed sounds and rock guitars etc. Fine as a Radiohead album, but still too often a bit inaccessible and difficult. However the good bits are really very good.
Elvis Costello
4/5
Back to his ‘70s best. Sharp, cynical lyrics and catchy music. Very good.
Slipknot
2/5
I'm not the audience for this. Better than Marilyn Manson. I skipped through in a few minutes to hear the variety of vocal forms and buzzsaw guitars. I’ll only give 1 star if I think it’s atrocious with no musical value, but I can understand the appeal here for the modern thrash metaller.
Eagles
5/5
It rocks, it has soul, blues, tenderness, good guitar soling, vocals other than Don Henley’s. Every song is either immediately likeable or grows immeasurable on 2nd or 3rd listen. Gentle songs often have moments of melodic or bluesy guitar brilliance.
Great singalong. A bona fide classic.
The Shamen
2/5
Apart from the two successful singles, Make It Mine and ProGen-Move Any Mountain, this is a boring album from the rave-era. Adamski, Orb, Orbital and Prodigy did this far better around the same period and would be worthy of listening to before you die.
I could only listen to the US version, but I’m sure the first 10 or 11 tracks are similar enough to the original UK release.
Disappointing.
The War On Drugs
4/5
Bringing to mind Waterboys Mike Scott's vocals and Springsteen's style with textured guitar and other sounds. I also keep hearing Sam Fender's "17 going under". Not sure about the extended outro of the first song. Second half is a bit better, but it's really very good.
Tim Buckley
3/5
Quite different to a previous Time Buckley LP on The List. This is psychedelic funk of the Van Morrison feel rather than the superior Sly Stone. Ok, nothing to write home about.
Public Enemy
3/5
Hugely influential and featuring Chuck D’s baritone: “the voice of God in a storm” according to The Bomb Squad.
Still not really my thing, but I’d take PE over most other narcissistic, violent and mysogynistic rap music. A million miles away from De La Soul’s light and funny 3 feet high.
Hüsker Dü
3/5
Power rock with slight punk tendencies, but loads more melody and talent - clearly inspired Green Day especially with the vocal style. A bit disappointing having heard the catchy power pop of Sugar. Low 3 as there a no real stand out songs.
Much more soulful than the other U2 albums from the 1990s. Mature, less experimental. Strong, sensible songwriting. A very good U2 album.
Grateful Dead
3/5
First time listening to the Dead. Was expecting Jefferson Airplane psychedelia, but this was like The Band or a less accomplished Allman Brothers. Ok,nothing particularly pressure, singing was pleasant, ambience was convivial. Low 3.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
3/5
Great bluesy growl. Reasonable blues rock that fits with the mid ‘60s era. Glad it wasn’t the extremely difficult Trout Mask today🙉!
Bob Dylan
4/5
One of the top Dylan albums showcasing his move into mainstream rock n roll blues. Catchy songs and lots of fun. An easy listen and definitely one of the important albums of the mid ‘60s.
Dion
2/5
Big Spector production as expected. Slow enough for easy singalong except the songs aren’t memorable or particularly strong. Pleasant enough voice and delivery, just nothing special.
The The
5/5
One of my favourites. Love the introspective lyrics, love the synth. Soul Mining, This is the day, Uncertain Smile with Jools Holland’s piano solo, it goes on.
Then there’s Giant where it all comes together with the cool synths, the lyrics, those drums and chanting. Unimpeachable and magnificent. ImThat one song on its own makes this legendary.
Basement Jaxx
4/5
Good fun, upbeat mostly interesting dance (funky house?). Just a couple of slower, repetitive or irritating songs.
Tortoise
2/5
I'm a bit "square" for "Post rock". Too disjointed and unfocussed.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
4/5
Good mix of jazz and proper 60s r&B. Heavy on the horn section.
Tom Waits
3/5
Possibly the most enjoyable Waits album so far with groovy blues and trademark ballads. Still ridiculously quirky, but without the weird instrumentation and noises that appear later in the 1980s.
The Stooges
2/5
First two songs are ok with grooves and form, then it becomes scuzzy, messy and noisy. I've now listened to the first three Stooges LPs and I only like one or two songs from each album. Disappointing, given the excellent Bowie produced Iggy albums, but I can see how they and The MC5 are seen as influential proto-punk.
Badly Drawn Boy
3/5
Good variety of intelligent pop and camp fire strumming. Disillusion and Once Around The Block are strong.
"Have You Fed The Fish" album is slightly more concise and better still.
Elbow
4/5
Guy Garvey doesn't initially sound like a singer, but his range is really good and he sings in tune with lovely melodies. Add in some quality poetry, wordplay, wit and emotive description to the hook laden music and elbow become the accessible and relatable version of Radiohead.
Well deserved Mercury winner and an album that gets better with each listen.
Simple Minds
4/5
Great 80s bass sound and synths. Catchy hit singles and atmospheric songs. Mature sounding, but with groove. Not yet the stadium rockers of the late 80s. Caught between Bunnymen, Duran, U2 - in a very good way.
William Orbit
3/5
Pleasant mature dance music, but a touch boring. I can hear what he did for Madonna. Low 3
Miles Davis
5/5
A very catchy hook-laden jazz album. Very engaging and accessible. Every musician shines.
Even after all these years I still don't really know what \"modal\" means in this context, but the album is a winner for any mood, time of day, or social function. Definitely a 5.
I can only imagine how ultra cool it would be to drop the stylus on the vinyl version!
The Flaming Lips
3/5
Lush and intricately orchestrated. However, nothing grabs me firmly like some of the catchy hookier songs on the Yoshimi album. It all just washed over me. Wayne Coyne’s voice is a bit irritating after a while.
Funkadelic
3/5
Very Hendrix. Straight ahead funk rock. Unnecessary sound effect noodling son Armageddon and Back In Our Minds is the weakest song. High 3 - good.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Released between two absolute 5 star crackers (Innervisions and Songs in the key of life). First few songs seem light weight sentimental ditties, and it takes a few songs before the funky grooviness starts. Then you realise that they’ve all got under your skin and you’re humming away to some lovely love songs. Subsequent listens double down on all this and before you know it your listening to a classic Stevie album. Just a pity it falls between such giant corkers!
Wu-Tang Clan
2/5
I’m a few songs in and I can tell this aggressive hip hop is not my thing. Always strange that rappers who trade is words should fall to the lowest denominator and fill their diatribe with unimaginative basic swearing. Sweating can convey emotion, but more often, as here, it shows no lyrical, descriptive or witty art and hardly any feel or emotion.
2 stars because there are some rhymes and the samples beats are reasonable.
Janis Joplin
4/5
Wonderfully powerful blues voice. Good blues record. Rightly her most celebrated album.
Ozomatli
3/5
Starts off with a middle eastern vibe then the Latin hip-hop rock kicks in and it's party time. Surprisingly eclectic with traditional Latin as well as the modern fusion.
The Police
3/5
The extreme awfulness of Mother is so atrocious that even the 7 good songs pale under the putrid weight of its detritus. Even the song about the blow up doll in an earlier Police LP seems good in comparison.
Only a few old style Police. The ballads and jazzy songs are brilliant, but it's hardly the fun and spikiness of Regatta or Zenyana. A good send off, but surely album filler like Mother is unnecessary? A mostly excellent lp, but the new wave spike is replaced with slick Sting craft including that song about a creepy stalker, you know the one! 3 stats because I can't get over Mother.
Lightning Bolt
1/5
Very clever to make it sound like a CD skipping, but an absolute noisy racket. A few times I thought it was going to break into Van Halen-style guitar tapping, but it remained awful. Totally rubbish sounds.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
4/5
I immediately recognised Peter Saville’s style on the cover, but the music is not as cold and industrial as the Joy Division art connection implies. It’s really very lovely.
Lush orchestral flourishes and beautiful melodies. I’ve always quite liked Andy McCluskey’s strained voice over the synths.
Yes, a good one.
The xx
4/5
Quietly beautiful. I love the stripped back spareness of sound. And I really like Romy’s voice - like Tracy Thorn but with more emotion and colour.
There’s a bit of mumbling, but it’s a million miles from the silly mumble whisper style of Billie Eilish.
Highly influential, something for everyone here if you have the patience to listen - and it’s only a little over 30 minutes.
Elton John
3/5
The one with Tiny Dancer! Quite dark compared to his and Taupin’s other early records. Pleasant to listen to, but doesn't shine as much as Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
4/5
Beautiful harmonies, sweet melodies. Very accessible.
Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, Guinevere, Wooden Ships, Long Time Gone - great.
However, it is very of it’s time, particularly Marrakesh Express.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
3/5
Will OIdham is the darling of the music critics. I like his Americana take on a quite English sounding folk style. Pleasant.
R.E.M.
4/5
Good, accessible and radio friendly. Five hugely popular and quality songs - notably Night Swimming and Everybody Hurts. Crossover between indie, rock, Americana and chart pop. Very accomplished.
Barry Adamson
3/5
Pretty cool! Liked it much more than the dark gangstery Moss Side Story. This is funky, jazzy and has some good guest vocalists. Lots of vibraphone, but not too kitsch.
Nothing links this to Adamson’s Magazine days!
Shack
3/5
Unmistakable sound of Liverpudlian jangly guitar Brit pop (La’s, Cast, Lightning Seeds, etc). A delight, but not necessarily essential!
Dusty Springfield
3/5
6 or 7 hits and gold standards (including the imperious Anyone Who Had A Heart). Wonderful 1960s pop gem. Dusty improved, so only a high 3 stars.
Van Morrison
3/5
Pleasant, light, but very samey (just as What's Going On is samey, but still excellent).
Bauhaus
3/5
eclectic early ‘80s resembling elements of PiL/Joy Division/Cure/Talking Heads. At times really enjoyable funky dance bass locked in with tight drums.
Generally too diverse covering lots of styles. Not bad, just too varied. A very low 3 stars
Pantera
3/5
Wasn’t expecting to like this, but the riffing is excellent, catchy and pretty damn heavy. The singing isn’t my taste, but isn’t as awful as growling howling metallers are known for. Similar to Metallica from the same period without such clean melody lines and memorable tunes, nonetheless it’s actually ok to listen to.
Black Sabbath
3/5
Not as dark and heavy as earlier Sabbath. Better song development and singing, but lack of knockout riffs. Easy enough to listen to, but relatively forgettable.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
2/5
Oh no, my bete noir, extremely challenging avant-garde “piece”. There is a valuable place for experimental music, but did this have to be so long?
However, it’s easier to listen to and more amusing than Marylyn Manson and other awful 1 star garbage. They rehearsed for 8 months!
George Harrison
4/5
Excellent quality across the very long album. Potentially the best post Beatles album, if it wasn't for being far from bitesize. I love Band On The Run, but even that is not as consistent as this. Excellent.
Soul II Soul
3/5
It is good dance music with particularly excellent production. Very good songs with the female vocals, but I don't really like Jazzy B's talking. His commentary/poetry might work if sung or rapped with rhythm. Talking doesn't do it for me.
Elvis Presley
3/5
Fun and exactly as expected from The King. Great voice, good mix of rock n roll, pop and crooning. No enduring classics, but good short listen.
Portishead
4/5
Dark, haunting, groovy and incredibly cool and classy. I don't feel it's aged, although many others disagree with me! Just enough time for Beth's vocal style to stay the good sign of irritating. Excellent guitar sound.
Ramones
3/5
Short, lively stabs of garage rock without silly noisy feedback or ugly vocals. Sometimes very catchy. Good, but I was expecting even better from the reputation.
Television
3/5
Such an awesome title track that I hardly ever listen to the rest of the album. Foolish, because it’s really good in that Talking Heads way, but with more love for traditional rock rather than anti-rock for the sake of it.
Cool, not punky. A high 3 (would be a 4 for the title song on its own).
Django Django
4/5
Begins like a John Carpenter soundtrack - very exciting. Then some catchy indie-dance reminding me of Hot Chip collaborating with Beta Band. Good music.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
Some well known and good songs (albeit awfully misogynistic!): Mother's little helper, lady Jane, Under my thumb, out of time. A few blues influenced songs, but not quite dated. Some time to go before Let It Bleed etc.
Buck Owens
2/5
Too Country for my liking, but it does end with the evergreen Memphis Tennessee.
Tracy Chapman
4/5
Classic alert! Very protest, but listenable. Good mix of stripped back and full pop band. Excellent.
Gang Of Four
4/5
Yes, yes, yes! Funky guitar work, highly interesting lyrics and subjects. Has that punky vibe, but without the unpleasant screaming. Really enjoyable.
Jane Weaver
2/5
Pleasant enough, but a little boring.
David Bowie
4/5
Knowing the gentle nature of lead single Where Are We Now, I was surprised to find this very much a rock album sounding similar to the funk rock songs from the famed Berlin period.
This will delight fans of Bowie’s late ‘70s period. Good.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
One of my favourites up there with Sign O the Times and Hard Days Night.
Perfect culmination of Stevie’s golden album era. Excellent pop, rock, funk, soul, ballads, jazz - and he often plays all the instruments! Magnificent.
Only small criticism would be that a few songs are a bit too long, but not “As”, which is perfect!
Megadeth
3/5
A bit like Iron Maiden, so not awful, but not as good! A low three.
Throwing Muses
3/5
Ok, reasonably catchy and edgy. Quite 4AD. Low three
Metallica
4/5
Memorable riffs and some genuine classic rock songs (all five excellent singles) - all well played and bellowed (I like Hetfield’s range). More accessible than earlier Metallica, but still a bit too thrashy overall for my taste across the entire album.
A four because the singles are excellent.
Anthrax
2/5
Too thrashy for my liking.
Hot Chip
4/5
Good, upbeat synth pop music with "novelty" guitar song! Gets under your skin and is pretty infectious.
Led Zeppelin
3/5
Excellent blues rock and musicianship, but some cringey vocal antics. Quite disjointed in places. Led Zeppelin II is better all round.
David Ackles
3/5
Sounds like show tunes done by an admirer of Jacques Brel and Scott Walker. Not as interesting as Taupin’s work with Elton John. Not awful.
a-ha
5/5
My older sister was obsessed with Morten and by association I also loved and played this album a lot in 1985/86. The perfect package of cool, handsome guys that girls fancied and boys wanted to be, coupled with cool synth pop that you can dance to or do your homework to. The epitome of cool. And I just discovered that Take On Me gas the perfect beat and drum pattern for my morning running!
It’s been over 35 years since I last listened to the full album and I can’t fathom why. This is utterly brilliant synth pop easily as accomplished as Lexicon Of Love, Dare, Low Life, New Gold Dream, Sweet Dreams, Music For The Masses, The Innocents… you get the theme.
Five stars without doubt.
FKA twigs
3/5
At first I didn’t like the high pitched wailing and bleeps, but it got under my skin and could feel the sexiness. There are hints of The XX but far raunchier and more experimental.
Not really my thing, but I can understand the critical acclaim.
3/5
Very UK mod-ish in that late 80s/90s style giving respect to Kinks and the Who and also The Jam.
I always liked this Blur album and although it doesn't get heard as much as the following celebrated albums it certainly stands up well in their discography.
Ash
4/5
Youthful garage rock energy combined with very catchy pop melodies and choruses. Like the The Undertones for my generation. Great singles (checkout "Intergalactic 7s"), but I feel "Free All Angels" and the heavier "Meltdown" might be even better.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Superb! Musically catchy as hell, lyrically nasty as hell. My favourite Elvis Costello and Attractions LP. Fast paced anti-love songs - only slightly slows for Little Triggers. Love, love love.
T. Rex
2/5
Surprisingly bland, even boring. Never really seen the fuss about Get It On or Jeepster. Disappointing.
Gram Parsons
2/5
A bit too twangy country for me. I do like Emmylou, but have never been able to enjoy country Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers or solo Gram Parsons.
Nothing wrong with this, I just don’t care for the style.
Mariah Carey
2/5
I’m open minded and willing to try something different and outside my comfort zone, but this certainly meets expectations. Mostly slow and boring and way (“wayayayayeahairohwohoh…”) too much wailing - literally no space without her singing, ever. Not enough faster hip hop beats.
Maybe four ok songs: Honey, Bones Thugs collaboration, Butterfly remix dominated by other more powerful singers and the Prince cover thankfully not killing the original.
The Go-Betweens
4/5
Like an amazing blend of Aztec Camera, House of Love and Prefab Sprout. It really is that lovely. Not about the riffs, but pretty pop songs. Streets Of Your Town is an immediately wonderful favourite. Can't wait to hear another of their albums.
Cocteau Twins
3/5
Dream pop indeed. Vocally similar to Kate Bush (particularly The Dreaming album). Smooth indie, covering chorused guitars, synthpop and other smooth styles.
Good unique sound, certainly worth hearing before I die, but I'm still not won over as a proper fan.
Everything But The Girl
3/5
Good, sophisticated 198ps wine bar pop music. I like Tracy Thorns voice - sounds like she's bored but it works well. A high 3.
Buena Vista Social Club
3/5
I can sense the relaxed enjoyment from the players, some wonderful jazz/classical piano, but overall just a sense of over-rated, over-hyped celebratory. Competent, but not the best Latin album on this list by a long shot.
The Flaming Lips
3/5
Fun, sweet, a bit too ethereal , so pleasant background music. Would be good in a Sunday afternoon. I like the effects laden bass and guitar.
Bill Callahan
3/5
Voice sounds a little bit like Lou Reed, better maybe. Songs are sweet about relationships and animals. Pleasant, but I’ll not be returning. Low three.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
It’s got the big rock, funk, blues and pretty songs PLUS Kashmir. Many pieces overstay their welcome - 4 minute ditties please!
The arrangements are a bit busy too. For example I’d have preferred a slightly stripped back Trampled.
Led Zeppelin II remains the benchmark. A low 4?
Duke Ellington
4/5
I listened to the original 5 track album. Very good fun jazz. Superb soloing. Beautiful smooth bass sax and trumpet soloing. Mostly fast danceable rhythm.
Really very good.
Sonic Youth
3/5
Starts off well. Some proper tunes, but still lots of squall. Marginally more accessible, but still not worth the critical acclaim. Like the follow up, Dirty, I'll give this 3.
The Kinks
3/5
Fun English 60s pop record. Actual lp didn't contain the excellent Dead End Street, nonetheless this is a fine collection of mid 60s typical Kinks social observation songs.
OutKast
3/5
Very much two separate albums. I preferred Andre 3000‘s “The Love Below” with its Parliament/Funkadelic/n*e*r*d/Prince vibe. Humourous and fun.
Big Boi’s Speakerboxxx is a well produced hip hop album, not aggressive, but still proliferated with the n-word and bragging. Music is good and relatively varied.
Joy Division
3/5
Very timely - saw Peter Hook & The Light playing Unknown Pleasures and Closer just last week!
Musically more sophisticated, intricate and occasionally heavier than Unknown Pleasures. More synths, which I like, but I don’t think quite as entertaining as the debut.
3 out of 5.
Morrissey
3/5
A few cracking songs which have become classics. Overall not as strong as Smiths, but good.
Lenny Kravitz
4/5
Slightly irritatingly "right on" lyrics, but nothing Stevie Wonder wouldn't have sung. Obviously influenced by The Beatles and Wonder and a little Hendrix - no bad thing when done well.
Very enjoyable from my nostalgic standpoint and what appeals to me. But I already knew this!
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
2/5
Along with Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, this is an obvious jump point, if not actual influence to Dylan, Byrd's et al. Very rootsy blues/folk.
Not a fan of the yodel/howl!
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
Good rollicking rock n roll - hardly slows. Surprisingly not as many hooks and catchy choruses as would be expected from such a top selling album. Classic Springsteen storytelling. Terrifically misunderstood title song!
The Byrds
3/5
Jangly, beatlesque, sweet harmonies. Pleasant and short (half an hour), but can't help thinking that music had changed with Rubber Soul and Revolver. Thankfully not as "country" as later albums.
Snoop Dogg
2/5
Here we go again with silly gangster / sex bragging and swearing.
The Who
3/5
Never really understood the acclaim. Didn’t “get” the film either. A few excellent songs should not necessarily make a phenomenon. Low three for good intentions.
Underwhelmed. Bring on Who’s Next, please.
Christine and the Queens
4/5
Awesome synth pop dance. Love the sound of 80s brought bang up to date. Great.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
A grown up, warm rock album. Nothing too testing, some interesting lyrics, melodies and tunes. Obviously Killing Moon is the highlight and overall an enjoyable listen, worth another play to get under my skin.
A strong, even high three.
The 13th Floor Elevators
2/5
Enjoyed "Missed", but rest is poor garage rock. Sonics and Black Monks are far better.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
3/5
I like the three rock tracks, although the long songs are over-jammed. Surprised this is 1969 and so early in Neil's oevre.
Sepultura
2/5
I don't enjoy this kind of thrash metal, so I'm only going to give 2 stars. It's not as awful or worthless as my 1 star ratings.
Isaac Hayes
3/5
Proper soundtrack mixing 60s and 70s soul with lush orchestration. Theme From Shaft and Do Your Thing are funk highlights. The rest are smooth soul. Very good, but I prefer Curtis Mayfield's song based soundtrack for Superfly in the blaxploitation genre.
Stan Getz
3/5
Very smooth, mellow and calm. Quiet and minimalist.
Slayer
2/5
Haha! Yesterday’s choice was Getz/Gilberto very mellow, quiet samba jazz album and today it’s noisy thrash metal from Slayer - literally sublime to ridiculous.
Too noisy and thrashy for my taste (same as for recent Sepultura, Megadeath, Anthrax, some Metallica, etc).
Thankfully over within 30 minutes.
3/5
Good early 70s fusion of funk, jazz and rock and a hint of country too. Mellow moments as well as straight up funk. Good horns.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
Melodic guitar pop songs under a squall of feedback. A different approach! Very english mid 1980s indie/alternative rock. Influential. Worth hearing once.
Laibach
2/5
As admirable and fun as it is to mix military classical, popular middle ground rock and industrial noise along with a dose of local politiking, I'm sadly outside the joke and the culture and don't really "get" this. I'd rather actually listen to Queen or Opus, but kudos for putting it together AND getting picked for the 1001 albums book.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
3/5
Really enjoying this. A bit of dub, a bit of Arabic world music, a snippet of 80s indie - all with a positive feel. Only negative is Wobble’s voice which I’m sure he’d agree is not very good! A high three stars.
The Auteurs
3/5
It’s quite good, like a cynical and more guitar heavy Divine Comedy. I can see how it snuck in at the start of “Brit-Pop” and has aged better.
Norah Jones
3/5
Gorgeous singing, lovely piano playing. Really relaxing and slow tempo. Was everywhere for a year or two when it came out. Sadly also very boring! But it is well crafted sweet Nashville jazz.
Brian Eno
2/5
I found it a bit of a trial. It’s Eno, so I wanted to enjoy it, but it was mostly too experimental and psychedelic.
808 State
3/5
Turn of the decade listenable rave techno a bit like Orbital. So much better than The Shamen of the same period (still no idea why Boss Drum is included in this list).
The Vines
3/5
Entertaining rock. Mixture of slow moody songs with the faster raucous. I can hear occasionally the Nirvana influence, but a good tight set of straight forward rockers.
Scott Walker
3/5
Strong voice, good storytelling. Still sounds like anglicised Brel.
The White Stripes
4/5
Great fun, good riffs. Nicely paying homage to 50s/60s rock and blues. Good link to Raconteurs and Brendan Benson's power pop work.
Radiohead
2/5
Just a few songs amongst the textures and moodscapes (everything, national anthem, idioteque, optimistic). Amazingly it actually translates well to a concert setting, but I’m not all that impressed by the album as a whole.
Elis Regina
4/5
Beautifully clear and controlled voice. Good mix of laidback and upbeat jazzy pop. Vaguely similar to Randy Crawford and The Crusaders, but more Bossanova.
3/5
Quite melodic rock. Less guitar noodling than Led Zep and more middle of the road singing (a favourable comparison to Robert Plant). Ok.
Pet Shop Boys
4/5
Mostly upbeat pop. Very listenable PSB album. I'm very fond of Actually, so am not sure if this is better, but it is very good with no filler.
The The
5/5
Now you're onto my taste! Still with the synths hanging over from previous Soul Mining album, but with addition of real full band instrumentation and excellent backing vocals from guests like Neneh Cherry and Tessa Niles.
Matt Johnson’s musings are still overly bleak and introspective, but now include wider world view subject matter.
Magnificent.
The Adverts
2/5
All the punk attributes, not awful but very little of interest. Lack of riffs albeit catchy choruses. High two.
LCD Soundsystem
3/5
Heavily indebted to Bowie and New Order. Mostly good fun indie electro-clash dance music.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
I needed a 2nd proper listen to really hear the post punk Joy Division-inspiring sound. It really has punk energy with progressive rock sound from the cymbal-less tribal drums and screechy (in a good way) guitars.
I gather it was genuinely a first of its kind among the straight forward punk records of ‘76-‘78, however I prefer the early ‘80s sound of JuJu with the other rhythm section.
Grateful Dead
3/5
Long mostly bluesy jams, some a little psychedelic (and 7 minutes of feedback to ignore - helpfully labelled “feedback”). Not bad.
CHVRCHES
4/5
It’s like Katy Perry singing for Depeche Mode or New Order. I love this dark, mature icy electro-pop. I can hear the indie/alt rock influence on the song writing. A great new discovery for me.
Joe Ely
2/5
But too country, although I liked Boxcars
Slade
3/5
Neither heavy metal nor Zeppelin-style blues noodling. Better than Status Quo and T-Rex. Fun like AC-DC but with less memorable riffs. Great raw guitar tone. High 3
Paul McCartney and Wings
4/5
One of my favourites - certainly favourite album by an ex-Beatle. Always been a fan of Paul’s excellent pop and knack for melody. I don’t mind that his music is less “worthy” or serious as John’s. Great tunes. Another superb album cover.
Those tracks which aren't fully formed excellent songs are still very good ideas albeit underdeveloped.
Milton Nascimento
3/5
I really enjoyed the guitar riff on the first track, but the rest is not bossa nova enough for me - bit too folky. Sweet gentle guitar work, but little that makes me return.
Dinosaur Jr.
2/5
Scuzzy, lo-fi, but ok apart from the noisy and unmusical last track. 2 and half.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Great - 5 out of 9 are more or less essential. The slide guitar country tracks grow on you, but are not classic.
Einstürzende Neubauten
1/5
In the same “art” mould as Throbbing Gristle. Industrial noises. I don’t appreciate the art or hear any music. Glad I only took 30 second samples across each track so I got through it in 15 minutes.
Todd Rundgren
3/5
Slightly disappointed after such glowing reviews by many critics. Clearly an accomplished musician and producer, but only a few songs are particularly strong (the later medley certainly). More creative control and filtering please!
Dr. Dre
2/5
Usual thing - I don’t like aggressive sweary gangsta rap. Music is quite good, well sampled and produced.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
Over-rated, a few good funk tracks, but too much of the album sounds similar, like one very long song. Excellent bass playing and beautiful noble, if naive message. Lovely sound, but just not The Best Album In The World as so many critics claim. Very good all the same.
Randy Newman
3/5
I want to like Randy Newman as a cooler Billy Joel. His songs are clever and he gets right inside the characters. Some is great, but perhaps like Dylan, others cover him better?
Cocteau Twins
3/5
Indie alternative and dream pop. Different. Influential. Still not going to be listening to this much again. What can beat Massive Attack’s Teardrop?
Dirty Projectors
3/5
Interesting vocal play. I hear the Bjork influence. Different. Don’t really like it though.
The Byrds
2/5
Good quality country covering bluegrass with banjo and violins and also country ballads and storytelling. Just too country and twangy for my taste.
Hugh Masekela
4/5
Yes, enjoyable fusion jazz apart from overlong drum soloing and final vocal song. Good fusion, I like the electric keyboards.
Peter Frampton
3/5
Ok, not really sure what the fuss is about. I did enjoy the ambience of the concert and audience to take me to the gig. But is it really that special?
Common
3/5
Superior hip hop. Don't mind the swearing, glad it's not gangster rubbish. Enjoy the jazzy samples.
Small Faces
3/5
Good 60s rock with excellent organ. Crazy as a box of frogs narration by Stanley Unwin of side 2s psychedelic quest story.
The Blue Nile
4/5
Polished, intelligent and mature carefully crafted beautiful pop. Like a less avant-garde Talk Talk. Very slick and I can hear why these guys are adored by critics. Not sure I’m going to listen often enough for 4 stars, but it is very well executed. Ok then, 4.
Wilco
3/5
A bit too long, but good 8ndie rock with some pretty alt-country added for old times sake. Quite Rolling Stones on places.
Radiohead
2/5
I wanted to like this when it came out, but I don’t really enjoy the art noise of Radiohead. Kid A was probably a bit better.
Slipknot
1/5
Not for me, although I did hear Corey’s versatile voice change in one sentence from growl/scream to relatively pleasant US rock singing. Kudos Corey!
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
2/5
Some of the organ and drumming got pretty funk-jazzy in one or two bits, but most was 70s space-age synth noodling and then Greg Lake’s boring folk. I read that ELP concerts were spectacular, but based on this I would stay at home and read.
Scritti Politti
3/5
Incredibly polished mid 80s studio produced commercial pop. Could only have been made in studios of the mid 1980s. Slick, upbeat, vocals a little under mixed. Not as lovely as Prefab Sprout or x-factor as Culture Club. I couldn’t make out the lyrics, so will listen again - as I gather they’re clever. Sound is so 80’s!!
4/5
BIG important 80s album when I was 13. Absolutely loved this LP. Still sounds good. Hard to find a better first three sonhsshit singles on an LP that isn’t a Greatest Hits compilation!
Van Morrison
4/5
Superb rhythm and blues soul. Wonderfully performed. Better than the two Van Morrison Greatest Hits collections? Perhaps.
Madonna
3/5
Good follow up to Ray of Light with some harder house and some indie songs. Awful version of American Pie with unnecessary nursery music.
The Residents
2/5
Comedy vocals with a blues tinge. Experimental music. Reminds me of Beefheart. And Throbbing Gristle (but far more musical, albeit stripped back). Great arty gimmicky eyeball anonymous image.
Calexico
3/5
Good and interesting mix of Latin and modern and folk.
The Mothers Of Invention
2/5
It’s Zappa, so I expected puerile silliness. Wasn’t expecting Zappa sounds and phrases that continue to appear throughout his other works this early in his oeuvre. Clever to hear his mimic/pastiches of contemporary styles.
Not a keeper for me. I’ll stick to Hot Rats, Grand Wazoo and live at the Roxy, but if it was shorter it might pass as entry level Zappa.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
2/5
Good to hear Stepping Stone, but nothing else elevates over other 60s garage rock/pop.
Jack White
3/5
Less quirky than White Stripes, more focussed and "mature" songs with good singing, guitar riffs and piano. High 3, might be as good as a 4 after multiple listens.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
I’ve always enjoyed this album. An expansive sound and feel with some great bass playing from Jaco Pastorius. It’s not particularly easy to dip in and out. I think it’s much more of a textured whole album listening experience and surprisingly works well as background music too. A high 3, but not immediate enough for the big 4.
The Verve
3/5
Some brilliance (History), some excellent indie rock (This is music), some cool funky indie (Life's an ocean), some charming acoustic/strings on a par with Drugs don't work (On my own), some vaguely interesting indie shoegaze noodling (A northern star). The rest is weak.
New Order
5/5
An essential New Order album, completely showcasing the rock-meets-dance nature of their music. Superb.
Boards of Canada
2/5
Bleep bleep. Laid back electronica, but it's not Kraftwerk!
Beck
4/5
Very cool! Funky, hip hop beats and slacker coolness. Everything you expect from Beck. Comparable to Oderlay and Midnight Vultures.
Def Leppard
3/5
Very unbritish rock. Joe's voice is better in later LPS. About 5 superior songs including standout "Photograph". High 3.
Fairport Convention
3/5
Was expecting fey folk, but got some beautifully sung songs, pop, blues, rock and roll. Autopsy and Sailor are my standouts. Really surprised I like this! High three.
The Police
4/5
Much more reggae-lite than I recalled, but still very catchy. The controlled pacing of Walking On The Moon never fails to impress - such a good groove. All the singles are so impressive - Message in a Bottle is fabulous. Great bite, pop hooks and tight playing.
The Police hardly put a foot wrong with their five albums.
Goldie
3/5
Good, but too long. Mellow almost ambient d&b. Ok.
The Cult
5/5
“Y-air, yeah, yeah, yay-air, ye-hay-air!”Thought I’d already reviewed this because I listen to it so often, must have mixed it up with AC-DC or Zeppelin! Riffs everywhere. All the different ways to say “yeah”!
Influences stolen from all over, love The Beatles in Aphrodisiac Jacket. Simply outstanding balls out rock and roll. Amazed few other reviewers agree with me - hey-ho, never mind.
The Streets
4/5
Cracking wordplay and hilarious narrative. Tawdry British young people’s social low life (drugs, gambling, pulling, late night chippies, stealing lovers), but so cleverly described. Humourous and worth hearing the whole album for the final conclusion.
Bad Brains
2/5
Noisy and messy in an unfocused way. I can’t hear the riffs. I did prefer the second half of the album, but still a bit mid ‘80s unfocused heavy rock, but thankfully not thrash or just industrial.
Brian Eno
2/5
I guess it does what Eno intended. Bloody boring.
Kraftwerk
4/5
Superbly infectious hook. The main 20 minute piece is essential, the others considerably less so.
Faith No More
3/5
Fairly eclectic - straight rock, thrash, RHCP style rap/funk rock, Queen style theatrical rock, jazz rock - everything!
Femi Kuti
4/5
Afrobeat funk jazz. Love it. Think of Remain In Light side A along with Fela Kuti 1970 funk jazz. Lots of sax and trumpet.
Big Star
3/5
Very Beatles sounding after the initial Robert Plant/glam rock wailing. I enjoyed this much more than the third album. Thirteen was a standout song.
Gorillaz
4/5
Very eclectic. Blur frontman’s anything goes multimedia project - unleashing the shackles of anyone telling Damon what he can and can’t do.
Mostly hip-hop beats, but a bit of almost anything added to electronica and alt-rock and even some Latin. Comparable to Beck with clearer singing. Half is good. The singles definitely work well.
History shows the project was a success. So I’ll round up to Four for genuine fashion and cultural influence and chart busting hits.
Kendrick Lamar
3/5
Ok, quite good music, varied rap vocal styles. Very few aggressive, abrasive raps. I see the attraction and intelligence. Just not my style.
Brian Eno
3/5
Starts off sounding like Eno took the Station To Station tapes and added his vocal! I really thought I’d accidentally put on Stay! No problems copying his Bowie work, pity his vocals are not as exciting.
Second half is into Eno’s ambient project - a but dull for my taste.
A low three since two would be extremely harsh given the musicality.
Missy Elliott
3/5
More singing than rapping and this is a good thing to showcase the album as modern R&B closer to Aaliyah than Jay-z.
I like it. Laid back, smooth, good singing.
Orbital
3/5
I remember this at the time. Good, sensible techno. As always, overlong and repetitive, but really interesting catchy melodies/hooks. Lucky to see some of their set at Glastonbury 1995.
Scissor Sisters
4/5
Nicely pitched between electro-funk disco and Elton John/Steely Dan. Very well sung by Jake Shears and music is good fun and accessible. Very enjoyable. Might become a 5 star favourite in a few more listens.
3/5
Starts off with some rocking riffs and female vocals, then a gentler song - refreshingly beyond punk, then reverts to more punky territory via classic rock n roll and rockabilly. Good energy, good guitar playing, just not quite up there for me.
Les Rythmes Digitales
3/5
Funky house music, better than Daft Punk, fewer big beats than Fatboy Slim and not as techno as Chemical Brothers.
Good.
GZA
4/5
What’s happening to me? I actually liked the sound of this hard hip hop. Maybe it’s the kung fu film clips or the fast rhythmic rapping, but this actually did not grate. I might even listen again!
Korn
2/5
Was expecting similar to Slipknot. Not as heavy or industrial. Nothing awful, but nothing special to my ears, so 2.5.
Heaven 17
4/5
Far more funky than Human League (sounds like real 1980s slap bass, not a bass-synth, but I might be wrong). "Right on" anti-establishment political lyrics are vaguely interesting, but a bit embarrassing.
Vocal is deep and a good cross between Japan's David Sylvian and Human League.
A good "sister" album to Dare.
Terence Trent D'Arby
4/5
A great Prince mimic, even the dance moves. Arrogance weakened his later works although his third LP is underated and fantastic.
Neil Young
3/5
More bluesy than the folk / rock of Goldrush and Harvest. I liked Lookout Joe.
Cee Lo Green
3/5
Enjoyable hip-hop soul with some rapping. High 3
Antony and the Johnsons
3/5
Sweet choir boy voice reminiscent of Buckley.
Beautiful, but a teeny bit boring after a while, but did I just hear Rufus Wainwright on one of the songs?
Hole
3/5
Starts brilliantly with the awesome Celebrity Skin title track/single. The rest is good rock with a hint of grunge (four years or more had passed since Live Through This and grunge rock's finest period).
Love's singing ranges from ballsy rock to clean singing to ugly grunge/punk, sometimes in the same phrase!
Fleetwood Mac
3/5
Not as good or catchy as Rumours, but similar.
Suzanne Vega
3/5
Slightly disappointed as only half the songs are great. Big fan of Suzanne Vega, but I mis-remembered more "under the skin" songs on her 1st LP.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
Very gentle, well sung. Quiet and pretty bossa nova. Sweet for a relaxing sunny day.
Todd Rundgren
4/5
Long album, but packed with good music. Sometimes sounding like Steely Dan, sometimes like Beach Boys and sometimes like early 70s guitar rock. Enjoyed far more than the other Rundgren long album.
Ali Farka Touré
2/5
Roots blues, very very repetitive. Not enough variety to really enjoy, but well played nonetheless. Two and half stars.
Suede
3/5
Not as boring as I expected or remembered - and not as good as it is purported to be. Some good rock songs and some pretty quieter songs. Ok.
The Boo Radleys
4/5
Lovely - similar to Teenage Fan Club. Sweet vocals and 60s sun kissed melodies with occasional squalling guitar and feedback. A bit like Pavement crossed with Pixies crossed with Beach Boys.
Obviously Lazarus is the huge hit and key song, but it’s all sweet and pretty guitar power pop.
Their next LP, Wake Up, is wonderful.
Stephen Stills
3/5
More solo albums from the CSN+Y gents. Stephen Stills has a soulful, raspy bluesy voice. I like it. His songs cover the range of folk, pop and rock.
Solid, but not amazing.
The Sabres Of Paradise
2/5
Not enough going on. Over reliant on the same reverb/slap back effect. Best piece, "Theme" (NME single of the week in its day), doesn't come along until after 40 mins.
Neil Young
4/5
A fantastic folk rock album and as equally good an entry point to Young's fine music as Harvest.
The Verve
4/5
Amidst breakups and reunions they still managed to improve on their second album and produce excellent pop songs and groove jams. Timeless soulful and groove based rock.
Sabu
2/5
Latin bongo music. That’s it really. Thanks.
Fairport Convention
4/5
Great - I still really like Fairport Convention's folk rock having only listened to this and the following LP as recommended by this 1001 list.
Love
2/5
Quite varied. Still not won over by Arthur Lee and Love.
Kings of Leon
3/5
It has the important big hits, but is a bit too waily in a U2 style. Nonetheless not bad.
Dennis Wilson
2/5
So-so. Surprisingly gruff voice for a Beach Boy. Songs were varied mix of 70s rock and pop - nothing cheesy, but nothing amazing either.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
I enjoyed this album. The Attractions, particularly piano and bass, are excellent with the varied styles of pop and light rock. Costello sings strongly and with more word play and feel than spite.
Although This Years Model is my favourite, Imperial Bedroom has good pop songs and rolls along well.
Nanci Griffith
2/5
Not too country for me. Singing is clear, but just not my taste.
Peter Gabriel
3/5
Less eclectic and more settled on his 1980s style. Interesting and at times arresting for it’s lyrical content. I didn’t know Kate Bush sang the “Jeux Sans Frontieres” line.
Johnny Cash
4/5
Very entertaining and feels like I’m really at this performance. Good roots rock'n'roll - miles from yeehaw country. What a deep, velvety voice.
Stephen Stills
3/5
Good collection. Not so keen on the Byrds twangy country section, but the rest is high class CSN&Y.
3.5
Rod Stewart
4/5
I really enjoy Rod Stewart’s ‘60s and ‘70s music and singing. His work with the Faces and particularly Ron Wood and Ian McLagan is excellent: bluesy, soulful, melodic.
Rod’s a superstar for a reason. It’s a pity my generation and younger don’t like him as much for his excellent blues/soul first 10 years work.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
3/5
When originally released I enjoyed the clever novelty of "TV" and punk musical references in "California".
Beats are ok, music is a little industrial, voice is strong (not quite Chuck D, but similar) but socially conscious lecturing irritates after 30 minutes! Pity that Franti doesn't sing more as he has a slight Gil Scot Heron style on "Music and Politics", the one song where he breaks away from rapping.
Kudos for trying to educate America.
The Byrds
3/5
Quite good fun 60s jangly and occasionally psychedelic music, before the Byrd's got too country.
Peter Gabriel
4/5
Very 1980s production, which is a good thing with this kind of material. Not sure if Genesis copied this LP or vice versa, but In Your Eyes could be lifted from albums like Invisible Touch or later.
Big Time is essentially a remake of Sledgehammer, which is fine in my books.
The only criticism I have for the arresting and brilliant Don't Give Up is that Tony Levin's superb bass groove in the last minute is not extended - gets right under the skin. And how does Gabriel bring out such quality from all those good collaborations (Kate Bush, Lori Anderson, Youssou N'Dour, Jim Kerr, Stewart Copeland, PP Arnold, Tony Levin...) Fantastic and very atmospheric and evocative of the serious nature political popstars found themselves in during the mid 1980s. Gets better on subsequent listens.
It's not all just doesn't get going even if it's all about the lyrics; We Do What We're Told is an indulgent unfinished experiment that doesn't catch fire.
Overall very impressive
Jimi Hendrix
3/5
Not as strong as Are You Experienced or Electric Ladyland. Less than half is great (Little Wing, Castles…, Bold as Love, Floating, Little Miss Lover), but too much backwards guitar experimental treatment and weird psychedelic noodling.
M.I.A.
4/5
I enjoyed Kala when it was recommended and I equally enjoyed this. Great fun, good beats, innovative noises. Quite different to conventional hip hop.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
My memory says 5 star and after listening again … it’s a five star classic! We all know the tunes, great singalong. Catchy as hell and some beautiful singing, melodies and light orchestration. Beautiful, thoughtful, then upbeat, world beat, rock’n’roll.
There are few albums deserving all the accolades and this is one.
Should be in everyone’s collection.
Butthole Surfers
2/5
Weird noisy stuff. I can see how Kurt Cobain could be influenced by some of this and I did hear a melodic guitar riff in the last “song”. It might be slightly disingenuous to give it one star, but it really was not an enjoyable listen.
The Psychedelic Furs
3/5
Pretty in Pink is good. Bass and drums are excellent. Vocal always irritated me, but the sound for 1981 is good post punk and pre stadium rock. Not brilliant, but they did have a huge cult following.
Mudhoney
2/5
Somewhere between punk, hardcore, '80s "hair" metal and lo-fi noise experimental styles of Sonic Youth. Easy to hear the connection and influence on grunge and Nirvana.
Nonetheless, I don't like it much and thankful I only listened to the original 6 track LP plus The Rose to see how differently they interpreted it to Bette Midler's classic version (actually not too badly in their scuzzy rock style).
Holger Czukay
3/5
Was expecting a “noodling” CAN/ELP/YES-style escapade and it was better than expected, but still a bit weird. First song was fairly funky, but I’m not going to be listening again. 2.5 stars.
Public Image Ltd.
3/5
I've always liked the singles particularly Careering and Memories. It's really the bass and drums that I enjoy mixed in with icy synths and with guitar reminiscent of Martin Hamnett producing Joy Division.
Way too long songs and Levine's guitar work is hit and miss. All the drummers seem to get it right along with Jah Wobble's delicious groovy basslines.
John Lydon's singing is mostly dreadful, of course. I realise he's trying to irritate and push our buttons and show just how non-rock and "clever" he is. He hits it right with the astonishingly awful Chant. A nadir.
However, unlike most reviews, I kind of enjoyed much of the album, although it was so very long.
I'll give it a 3 because there are at least four songs I'll choose again.
OutKast
3/5
Good mixture of harder rapping and Prince-style sexy pop with a preoccupation with sex. Varied music. Fairly good. I already knew and enjoy two singles, Ms Jackson and So Fresh, So Clean.
Deee-Lite
3/5
Pleasant funky house/dance music with the world conquering essential Groove Is In The Heart. Nothing offensive, very accessible dance music. Good grooves and singing.
Linkin Park
3/5
Very “emo” quite depressing lyrics which are harsh to listen to in retrospect of Chester's suicide.
A successful blend of heavy rock, rap, electronica and acceleration rock. Two singers range from rap to rock screaming with accessible singing in between. Guitar riffs are thick and beefy. Neither too hardcore, ugly or industrial. Like Faith No More, but higher ratio of good songs.
Pretty good - a 3.5 stars. I also throughly enjoyed the Jay-Z collaboration mini album.
The Mothers Of Invention
2/5
I like Zappa's rock blues guitar playing and funky jazz, but this early pastiche or send up of doo-wap and psychedelic late 60s pop and rock is just silly and lacks artistry.
G. Love & Special Sauce
3/5
Album is too long and overstays its welcome. 40 minutes is a good album length. In direct contrast to yesterday's Linkin Park "Hybrid Theory" this is light guitar, roots blues, skiffle, rockabilly drumming and lethargic rapping about generally positive, albeit bland subjects. A rootsy bluesy version of Fun Lovin Criminals? Surprisingly infectious, but still way too long!
Kings of Leon
3/5
I like this. Less refined and catchy as the later album with Sex On Fire etc, but a good guitar sound reminiscent of The Strokes. Accomplished drumming and bass too. Singing is pretty rapid fire, but not unpleasant. High 3 stars.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
3/5
Very influential on UK 1960s blues rock. Good riffs. Mayall’s singing is a bit variable, doesn’t always hit the mark. Naturally Clapton’s playing is excellent. The band are tight.
Could do without the extended drum solo in What’d I Say, but this is redeemed with Clapton’s Daytripper riff!
The Saints
3/5
For 1978 punk music this is quite good musically, good urgency and not so dumb. Vocals are snarly and reminiscent of Psychedelic Furs and musically a bit like Stiff Little Fingers. I’m not totally won over by the vocal style, but I prefer this Australian punk to much of the English punk of the same period.
The Velvet Underground
2/5
Usual squalling guitars. The Gift was ok, very obvious but gruesomely fun plot twist! Beginning of Sister Ray is good then it becomes the same noisy mess as European Sons's on ...And Nico.
Solomon Burke
3/5
Pleasant and soulful with some country and bluesy gospel touches. A bit too tame for me, I prefer more funk: grit, grime, groove and sex (eg. James Brown, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye).
2/5
Having recently blustered to Linkin Park, this “rap”/metal/electronica was a good comparison. Musically I think it might be slightly better produced than Linkin Park. Lyrically it is not as intense “emo” although covering similar themes, but with an incredible puerile tongue-in-cheek tone. The swearing is world record level!
With a little more seriousness this could have been improved, but nothing here helps me think that Fred Durst is not a pollock.
Digital Underground
3/5
Nicely funky sampling lots of Funkadelic, and moments of Donna Summer and Chic. Laidback rapping about sex and silliness. Sex Packets is very Prince-like. Enjoyable, but a little silly.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
3/5
Pretty good theatrical rock. And that Jacque Brel song
Napalm Death
2/5
Not enjoyable listening, but I knew that already.
Trying to find likeable things to note: the album cover has a clever, albeit ham fisted, socio-political comment about big corporations and the selfish uncaring attitude of wholly capitalistic ventures.
The drumming is almost incredible, hIghlighted in a few songs before the bass and guitars kick in.
As a student of music I appreciate the occasional metal riffs that may have influenced other hardcore speed metal and industrial bands.
Weather Report
4/5
Yes, it's time for sophisticated jazz fusion with legends Jaco, Shorter and Zawinul and marvellous Latin rhythm and percussion from the other two before Peter Erskine joined. This LP and the previous, Black Market, are wonderful examples of mid 70s jazz fusion from people who have been through the Miles Davis school of improv, but decided to rehearse the tunes a little longer ready to rock out on stage to the screaming college sophisti-cats.
Jaco’s bass is great, Wayne’s sax is lyrical and Zawinul’s melodies and arrangements are hits even when his choice of synth sounds are poor. Great drumming and percussion as well. Mostly superb (who doesn't love Birdland?), but you really need to listen to the extended funk rock live version of Teen Town found on concert album "8.30" because it shows exactly why Weather Report were THE rockstars of jazz fusion.
Super Furry Animals
3/5
Quite good. Very Beatles-esque. Clearly taken inspiration from earlier BritPop indie bands like Blur, Boo Radleys and Dodgy.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
Thoroughly enjoyable Springsteen album. It's got rock, ballads, soul, gospel, lots of the great E Street sax. Not really any dull songs. A long album that whistles through. Poignant subject matter. Top picks, depending on your mood, could be My city of ruins, The Rising, Mary's Place, Lonesome Days, Empty Skies.
The Beach Boys
3/5
Sweet harmonies, layered arrangements, lovelorn and heartfelt lyrics. A couple of all-time classic singles.
As much as I love the Beach Boys sound, I just don't think it's one of the best albums ever - as the critics seem to think. I don't reach for Pet Sounds when I want to hear summery Beach Boys (that would be "20 Golden Greats")
Nevertheless, Pet Sounds was a significant songwriting and production change and done well. 3.5 out 5
Hawkwind
3/5
Space rock. Taking Hendrix far out psychedelia and running with it for hours on end. Obviously way too long. Some isn't bad, but this kind of psychedelic space rock isn't my thing. All right as background sound. There is a place for this, I'm sure. It is musical, so I'll give it a three, just.
Meat Puppets
2/5
Messy, occasionally fun instrumentals and twangy country rock, but mostly messy tuneless kids play. Nothing like Minutemen.
The Soft Boys
4/5
Jangly guitar rock, recalling a rockier Kinks. Some is quite quirky. The title song is particularly enjoyable. I like it (the original 10 tracks) and what’s more is that they come from, and even recorded some of the album, here in Cambridge.
Flamin' Groovies
4/5
Hadn’t heard of this band and was going to say they sound just like a more focused garage rock band the Stones, then read Mick Jagger's comments!
Good rock n roll blues. File with Creedence, Stones, Sonics and Black Monks.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
I’ve always enjoyed The Cutter and the next two songs were also quite good indie pop, but it all gradually fades into similar textures and Ian Mcculloch’s wailing. Overall disappointing having expected a corker from the opening few songs. Very low three.
Aphex Twin
3/5
Trance that is listenable and occasionally entertaining. You have to critique based on when this was created to fully appreciate Aphex Twin's groundbreaking role in techno.
The Associates
4/5
I knew one song, Country Club. Extraordinary vocals.
This is a distillation of ‘80s New Romantics/gothic indie/shiny synth-pop (Sparks/Bowie/Cure/Depeche Mode/Spandau Ballet). Takes a few listens, but glad I did because it’s infectious. The pop melodies and the swirling cure-style guitars get right under your skin.
Nirvana
5/5
Reassuringly as good, catchy, rock, emotional and fun as I remembered. Dave Grohl's drumming is tremendous. There just aren't many heavy rock/pop albums that are as listenable and as accessible. Worth the plaudits.
MC Solaar
4/5
Listened to this and Prose Combat a lot when I first lived alone near Toulouse early in 1994. Brilliantly sampling 70s funk with beautifully sounding voice and wordplay - quite exquisite to my English ears. Lots of fun and amusing songs, not aggressive, with occasional socio-political commentary if you can understand it.
Excellent and recommended.
Justin Timberlake
3/5
Weird to think this is 20 years old!
He's a likeable chap who sings well enough and has good producers in Timberland and The Neptunes. Some good pop hits. Pleasant, easy listening modern inoffensive r&b. Such a huge mistake by Jacko to pass on these songs! Im sure it outs have revitalised his career.
Pretty good pop, but just not special enough for 3.5 stars.
Baaba Maal
2/5
Nice voice, occasionally good rhythms, but not the rootsy African stuff is not my thing.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
“British Blues invasion” rock n roll blues covered early on by The Stones. None of the classic Jagger/Richards songs, but solid blues rock n roll and it has Brian Jones on form on it.
LTJ Bukem
3/5
I can’t find this on Amazon Music, but I listened to it quite a lot in 1996/97. I recall particularly enjoying Western. I’ll give it a medium 3 stars.
Ian Dury
3/5
Engaging mix of funk and rock'n'roll with Dury's amusing lyrics and delivery. If you don't just collect the hit singles, then this is a good enough collection as taster.
Tom Tom Club
4/5
Great fun, it does have elements of Remain In Light like the dance-funk of L’Elephant, On x4 and the slightly dark new wave of As Above, So Below.
Genius of Love is undeniably influential on hip hop and music right up to the present, although recent samples are probably samples of samples with the new/young artists not actually being familiar with the original source!
Overall good fun.
Miles Davis
4/5
A quiet jazz album. Not much Miles trumpet on side one, but a reasonable amount on the superior title track. All the musicians are now legendary and well-known.
Not actually ambient as many critics claim, but just laid back and very loosely funky, albeit repetitive.
I know it well, so have difficulty listening to it with fresh ears and can't say if it is actually boring because recognition makes it pleasant.
Certainly an easier listen than Bitches Brew and perhaps the opposite in terms of noise and jazz rock to my personal favourite A Tribute To Jack Johnson. Still a good and importantly progressive electric Miles Davis jazz record.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
Grew up listening this, thanks to my Dad. A few tracks are overlong (1983 a merman...) and too psychedelic, but generally memorable and phenomenal.
U2
4/5
Forget whatever you think of U2 now in the 2020s and recall them here with youthful fire and fury and cracking early 1980s indie-rock. Side 2 is surprisingly pop and lighter with a soulful and affectionate vibe.
I love that it replaced Thriller at No.1 in the UK! Not as universal as Jacko, but still a gem of an album.
White Denim
4/5
Really good blues/funk boogie rock similar to BlackCrowes recalling early 1970s bands like Free, Zeppelin and even earlier styles from Jimi Hendrix Experience.
A new find. Short and very enjoyable.
Eminem
3/5
Actually quite good booming beats and music. Outrageous violent black humour, but humourous nonetheless.
Faust
2/5
I hear how bands like Stereolab and Spacemen3 have used similar drone sounds. It’s good that Faust actually played songs and convention music amongst the noise art.
Still not a very enjoyable album though, but not absolutely terrible.
Skunk Anansie
3/5
I saw this band way back in the mid 90s at the Sheffield Leadmill on the NME tour.
I've always liked Skin's versatile voice. The music is suitably hard rocking, but it's all a bit inconsistent with never enough hooks.
A low 3 stars.
Simply Red
4/5
Wonderful voice particularly in the never-bettered Holding Back The Years. Good mixture of 80s polished jazz-pop as well as some real jazz in Old Red. Enjoyable.
Culture Club
4/5
Brilliant early 80s pop, great vocals. Slightly boring tail-end, but magnificent dance pop in the first half. More pop than New Romantic, ska or wine bar.
The Who
3/5
I edited the mire recent longer release down to the shorter original version due to lack of time.
Muscular and heavier than studio recordings. Good atmosphere, but a few too many noodly bits. A 3.5 rather than a 4.
Cowboy Junkies
3/5
Pretty and gentle with more blues than country. Very quiet and mature. Excellently measured singing voice.
Goldfrapp
3/5
Pleasant singing and warm, laid back music. Was expecting upbeat electro like Moloko, so received this more thoughtful and mature sound well.
Robert Wyatt
3/5
Shipbuilding aside, I haven’t particularly enjoyed Robert Wyatt’s music, but there is always something warm and peculiarly pleasant. A visionary artist who works hard and is very accepting of most music, he’s a likeable chap. I enjoyed reading what both he and his wife said about “wyatting” (people playing “Dondestan” on pub jukeboxes to deliberately annoy others).
A low three because some is fine and I like the man both as a true artist and a genial chap.
Gary Numan
3/5
I adore the early synth sounds and particularly because here they are put in a relatively conventional rock form. Not fond of Gary's voice, but it is his own. Definitely a trailblazer for the likes of OMD, early Human League, Depeche Mode. It's got Cars and M.E.
High 3 stars.
John Lennon
3/5
stripped back, personal, extremely angry with chips on his shoulders. Ok songs, but galvanises my opinion that Lennon is the least likeable Beatle and does little to make me think he was more talented than Paul or George.
Boston
4/5
Classic rock, like AC-DC but with meticulous production values and clear vocals. Obvious why this album is one 9f the all-time bestsellers. Even if I genuinely hadn't consciously heard the other seven tracks before (and chances are I have) , they are so much the blueprint of accessible rock music that they sound familiar, even cliché.
Great stuff, 4 stars.
Björk
2/5
Amazing voice as we already know. Songs have not grabbed me, general lack of conventional hooks.
The xx
3/5
Still lovely, with bigger, deeper beats and stronger vocals from Oliver (Romy's remain delicate, charming and beautiful).
Very good progression, but I'm going to give three stars since it doesn't have the wow and newness that stunned me with their debut.
TV On The Radio
2/5
Quite Radiohead in its experimentalism. Textures and some surprising doo-wap. Bit boring overall.
Gil Scott-Heron
3/5
Good jazz piano, quite stripped back and low key. Wonderfully soulful vocals and spoken word political commentary. Besides the evergreen The Bottle, only the opener is a faster track.
4/5
It’s very similar in feel and some content to Tommy, but better and more concise. Bowie uses a wide range of voices, so it’s a good showcase if his vocal sounds. Bowie’s rhythm and Mick Ronson’s lead guitar work is good rock’n’roll.
I struggle to follow the story on all the songs, but it’s well documented and sounds great.
Yes, it is deservedly one if the greatest rock albums from the golden era of early 70s.
Elastica
3/5
This was part of the cool art-alternative rock movement of Brit-Pop. I have no issues with it sounding like Wire or other late 70s/early 80s new wave bands.
Fun, but not all of it works as well I believed in the mid 90s!
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
2/5
Dull and underwhelming - especially given the calibre of the players. Gorillaz/Blur/Clash/afrobeat this most certainly is not.
Relatively interesting lyrics, but boring music.
Sepultura
1/5
Not my taste. Has vaguely interesting Brazilian percussion at the start of some songs before the noisy metal begins and I press the next song button.
Donald Fagen
4/5
Very smooth. There is a slight difference between this and Gaucho in its feel, but, and with huge respect to the late great Walter Becker, it does sound like a classic 70s era Steely Dan record. Later Fagen and Dan albums sound less organic and much more synthesized and processed. Still absolutely amazing. Lush, jazzy with light funk. Fun.
Steve Winwood
3/5
Very smooth and soulful vocals, catchy choruses, extremely well played. Interesting to compare with The Night Fly reviewed a few days ago, which is more interesting, but poorer vocals. Bridging a gap between soul/pop and prog. I’m sure Pink Floyd lifted Night Train for Run Like Hell!
Beastie Boys
4/5
A fun re-visit after decades. Besides the hit singles this album and the Beastie Boys repelled me at the time in my adolescence (11-15). I was wowed by the time Ill Communication came out and held them in high esteem for playing their own instruments making funk.
This debut is dreadfully puerile talking about parties, girls, sex and comedy gangsters, but the humour is fun and the mix of classic rock, punk and hip hop is excellent. Still don’t like their shouty style, but this is quite a delight.
Happy Mondays
4/5
Grooves very well and is good indie pop. Immense fun and genuinely no filler. Has aged surprisingly well and is as infectious as when I first lapped it up.
Who really knows what or cares what Shaun is really singing about. But seriously, drugs are bad, kids. These scallywags are not a good influence.
Richard Thompson
3/5
Very attractive folk rock. I think I probably prefer Fairport Convention, but this is attractive and accessible.
1/5
Better than Throbbing Gristle.
Giant Sand
3/5
Quite lo-fi. Not enthralled by the whispering vocals. Some interesting ideas, but mostly boring. Not awful, so it can scrape a 3 stars.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
No, it is not a “neglected masterpiece” or “lost treasure” or “towering achievement”. This was unsuccessful because it just isn’t good enough. Too much talking and not enough singing. The music and songs are there, but overlong and disjointed with the talky bits.
Given the brilliance of the previous two Dexy’s Midnight Runners albums, I’m very disappointed with this even if I’m left with one or two ear-worm melodies (just adds to my overall disappointment).
Fatboy Slim
3/5
Excellent big drum beats and occasionally actual song progression just without singing. Drawbacks are over use of the squelchy acid sound from I think the 808. A pity as it gets quite irritating. Overall pretty upbeat. A high three stars
Coldplay
4/5
Still very enjoyable. The singles are strong, the middle section is excellent. Tails off a little towards the end, but finished well with Amsterdam.
The Undertones
4/5
Brilliant concise pop music - I love the LP's that come in under 40 minutes! As good and exciting as their first album - a neat and clever follow up. Easy four stars.
TLC
4/5
Very sexy (explicit in some songs!), funky and cool. Lots of singing and a little bit of rapping, so very much like a forerunner to Lauryn Hills amazing album. Really enjoyable sexy fun with a straight cover of Prince’s If I Was Your Girlfriend.
Japan
3/5
Mixture of Roxy Music, Bowie and Duran Duran. Pretty good, almost excellent, but nothing surpasses the title track and sings are too long. High three.
The Darkness
4/5
Yes! Unashamed enjoyable, clichéd fun-loving rock, which also happens to be played very well. Not a comedy band, but good rock musicians paying homage to their heroes. They also happen to have a great sense of humour. I appreciate Justin’s falsetto is not fir everyone and there are songs where he doesn’t mess with the higher registers. Lots of Thin Lizzy duel guitars. A power ballad of immense pleasure in Love Is Only A Feeling. A pop song with an amazing hook in Friday Night. Brilliant.
Iggy Pop
4/5
All good except for maybe a slow song near the end - a Berlin Bowie album in all but name and pretty upbeat (even Tonight - about a dying girl - is relatively upbeat). There are more conventional song structures here than on some of Bowie’s equivalent LPs of the period and no long Eno textured sound-scapes.
Tom Waits
2/5
I’m not enthralled with the clank toot of Wait’s 80s music, but this does keep to his “gutter” blues style on the whole.
N.E.R.D
4/5
I liked the rock hip-hop hybrid at the time, but hadn't listened to n*e*r*d since about 2010. Still appeals. I think the rudimentary funk rock guitar without too many clever noodling combined with good drumming is what attracts me. I'll give it a low 4 as it's not very special, but I do quite like it.
Talk Talk
3/5
Atmospheric with some dense rockier songs. More dense than Blue Nile, but a similar grown-up serious feel with distinct Bryan Ferry-sounding vocals. Good.
The Specials
3/5
Very pop and pretty kitsch. Not as enjoyable as their first album, but not awful (the singles are still pretty good) just not very Special!
Ryan Adams
4/5
This turned me onto Ryan Adams around 2002. Obviously had to reconsider my views on the reprehensible man since, but the music is great and I did like this before he was a baddie (I think 🤔).
Gold is probably more accessible and better as a crossover of musical styles, but this collection is tender and draws you in, showing exactly how modern country and folk can make even hardened British indie kids take note.
Quite lovely. 4 stars. Awful human.
10cc
3/5
Eclectic and so many ideas, some silly, most intriguing. Mini pop operas that show the start of the evolution towards the great I'm Mandy Fly Me in the next LP.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2/5
Punky blues, but thankfully nothing as awful as The Birthday Party. Not that poor, just not the beautiful, haunting Nick Cave of later albums veted on this list.
Nick Drake
3/5
Very pretty and spare and not nearly as difficult as I expected. Lacks substance, so is quickly forgotten, but a pretty listen and clocking in under half an hour.
Jimmy Smith
3/5
Smooth, bluesy and easy listening jazz. Similar easy accessibility as Booker T, but more smooth jazz than r&b.
Curtis Mayfield
5/5
Super funky. I prefer this blaxploitation soundtrack to Shaft - much more of a complete album rather than film score. Big, proper songs like Superfly, Pusherman, Freddie's Dead, Give Me Your Love and the unexpected earworm that is No Thing On Me. Concisely completed within 40 minutes. Excellent.
The White Stripes
2/5
Just a few note worthy songs on this album. Generally more rock-blues piano-based than their previous guitar-led albums. Starts well, but gets less interesting as it goes along. Overall a bit disappointing really.
The Triffids
4/5
Vocals reminiscent of another good Aussie band The Go-Betweens and occasionally Tim Booth of James, fairly accessible indie pop. Very listenable and enjoyable. Another 80s Australian delight redeeming this list’s overindulgence of Nick Cave.
Sebadoh
3/5
It’s more accessible than Sonic Youth and mostly less raucous than Dinosaur Jr. Fair to middling lo-fi US alternative “indie” rock.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Another good album from early Elvis Costello and the attractions (the backing band are VERY IMPORTANT here). This time more pop than the excellent somewhat aggressive This Year's Model.
One artist who genuinely deserves multiple album inclusions, despite the American complaints about too many post punk new wave UK albums.
The Cure
3/5
Gloomy but has favourites in Hundred Years and Hanging Gardens. Good.
American Music Club
3/5
It’s low key and gentle, mostly. Not much accent in his singing, which is pleasant to hear against the usual Americana twang or gruff rock vocal. A few pretty songs (notably Western Sky).
Jamiroquai
4/5
Obviously highly influenced by Stevie Wonder, and why not? Excellent grooves and danceable songs, even if the environmental message is heavy-handed. Magnificent bass and keyboard playing.
Nitin Sawhney
2/5
Nicely late 1990s electronic dance, but the Asian fusion twist doesn't appeal to me. I didn't really take in the talky bits about immigration, but did get the nuclear references. Smacks of trying too hard and being too obviously Asian British and defiantly not just British.
Beatles
5/5
Ace! I'd forgotten that this Beatles gem hadn't appeared on the list yet - and with only 15 albums left I'll take all the good surprises the 1001 list can throw my way (...roll on Appetite For Destruction and Kick!).
So, Revolver: classic mid-period Beatles with great songs and lots of fun and interesting studio experimenting. Even the Indian-themed songs are not too grating. Obviously Tomorrow Never Knows is outstanding, thank you Ringo. Got To Get You Into My Life is another highlight. I was thinking that Yellow Submarine was going to be childishly tedious, but I couldn't help but sing along with the infectious chorus. I could wax lyrical about so many songs.
There is a chance that because Sergeant Pepper is overplayed and over-celebrated Revolver is a tiny bit less familiar (as if any Beatles album really can be!). I prefer it.
I'll pull Hard Day's Night, Revolver and Abbey Road as my three era-covering quintessential Beatles LP's amongst an 8 year incredible period.
3/5
Very good pop indebted to Beatles and Beach Boys. Very well constructed and reasonably eclectic in the clever XTC pop-artist style. A high 3.
Turbonegro
3/5
Good hard rock music (not thrash or noise metal) with proper guitar solos and also some punk rock which sounds like The Stooges. Well produced. Some vocals are fine, but others are a bit punk and gruff. Content is generally puerile, obsessed with sex and swearing. However, I enjoyed the Guns 'n' Roses-esque rock 'n' roll.
R.E.M.
4/5
Lighter more "pop" and catchy than earlier albums. Pretty good and not too long. Grows on you positively as a transition from low-key US indie band towards their commercial wonder years.
Aimee Mann
4/5
The film Magnolia turned me onto this album in the late '90s. Great accessible guitar pop. Absolutely NOT sounding anything like Alanis Morisette, but I can hear why some critics compare Aimee Mann to Elvis Costello (easier to hear lyrics and less spiky).
Pink Floyd
5/5
Magnificent. It has the towering Gilmour blues guitar, some synth noodling and a quite lovely song in the title track. The funky section in the later stages if Shine On are right up there with Echoes.
I always enjoyed this Floyd album as it’s less freaky than others, but I’m looking forward to revisiting Dark Side again as I’m down to my last 10 albums and it is a glaring omission!
Stereo MC's
4/5
There’s no doubt that yesterday’s Pink Floyd “Wish You Were Here” is a grown up, technically dense, varied and much more interesting album than Connected, however this is so much more fun. It bounces along with cool grooves and worthy, albeit extremely naive, lyrics.
Vaguely superficial, light but very entertaining - in the same league as Dee-Lite, but more to my taste.
My Bloody Valentine
2/5
Not much of a progression from Loveless and nothing on the album quite as interesting.
The Thrills
4/5
Very sunny, obviously Californian themed. Reminds me 9f The Magic Numbers. I like it and had forgotten just how catchy are the two big singles. Not included in my 2018 edition, but time has allowed the compilers a review.
Queen
3/5
A few great songs (Best Friend, Love of my life) and one arguably G.O.A.T. However the vaudeville songs grate. It works for Old Fashioned Lover Boy, but once is enough.
Let's face it, Queen are almost universally adored, but we all may as well just own Greatest Hits I and II.
Morrissey
3/5
It’s Morrissey being loquacious and a crooner. Some guitar work is interesting. I like the single Irish Blood English Heart, but it’s very short at two and half minutes! An alright album.
Forever lacking Johnny Marr.
Genesis
3/5
I didn't really have patience for 90 minutes of prog, so I half listened whilst I made mince pies. It was ok, the pies weren't much better. Less noodling than I was expecting. I grew up loving Fish-era Marillion who shaped themselves on Gabriel-era Genesis, but I'm not really feeling this one. I blame The Who’s Tommy for all this impenetrable weirdness. Even The Small Faces went in for it on Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake!
Janet Jackson
4/5
Starts well sounding a little bit like Prince from the same era. Last few slower songs are a bit schmaltzy. I love the "got the message, let's dance" bit!
Pink Floyd
3/5
Quirky and fun in places, with some good dark descending rock riffs in other places and a slew of psychedelic noodlings. Not as awful as I was expecting.
Arcade Fire
3/5
Much more accessible throughout than the previous albums including Funeral. Doesn't seem to be any weak filler. Although the handful of hit songs are good, there aren't as many completely gold cup tunes as Funeral. Just generally listenable.
Very good. I'm going to give it 3 rather than 4, but it is good
Koffi Olomide
3/5
Pretty disappointed not to receive the anticipated Dark Side Of The Moon or Appetite For Destruction as albums 1000 and 1001; received a message saying they've included LPs from all editions of the book, so another 100 albums (3 months) to go.
Never heard of this, but it reminded me nicely of my In-Laws' Ghanaian Highlife music. Sunny and happy, but samey.
Tangerine Dream
3/5
Ambient, atmospheric and whilst resolutely in the background, it is not unpleasant and I think more interesting than the overrated Oxygene from a year or two later, however my 6 year old Jack was not so complimentary!
Big Black
2/5
Industrial noise rock, nihilistic, but far more listenable than other industrial noisy albums. Liked the bass in Strange Things, reminded me slightly of Muse.
Sly & The Family Stone
4/5
I prefer the joyous groove of Stand! But the groove on Riot is incredibly gritty and raw. Always loved Running Away as well as the muddy Family Affair. That muddy production irritates me, but nonetheless an important record, even if it documents Sly's mental breakdown.
The Fall
2/5
Harsh and discordant and not for me. It started with an engaging tune and drumming, but went off into usual Mark E Smith world and just is not my taste.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Maybe not The GOAT, but right up there with the best available. Tremendously good and enjoyable and now I think it is better overall than Wish You Were Here (song for song). Generally bitesize Floyd pieces, covering a wide range of accessible and interesting topics and styles with the now famous time signature changes.
A blast and a delightful present this Christmas Day from the 1001+ generator.
Rage Against The Machine
4/5
Full of great guitar and bass riffs, but somewhat disjointed with the slew of rhythm and melody changes in too many songs as well as Tommy Morello's blips and bleeps (innovative as they were). Zack's angry polemic and shouting gets a bit too much, but that was the point of course!
Does what exactly what they set out to do, educate, enrage and liven up we 80s/90s kids.
It's really a 3.5, but I'll round up here because it's an important and popular album.
Christina Aguilera
3/5
Starts so well with a diva/hip hop/bluesy style that recalls the power and skill of Mariah Carey, but with good songs and seemingly fewer annoying vocal theatrics than Mariah even though it is actually full of the same vocal tricks I disliked with Mariah!
All good for the first disc until the awful and ugly ego trip of "Thank You" - not actually a dedication to her fans, but all about how "wonderful" Christina is to all the people that left her messages - so ugly and disappointing given the decent quality up to then.
Second disc is interesting in its links with roots and older styles, but I mostly prefer the hip hop/ blues/soul songs in the first half.
Ultimately it suffers from being too long. 3.5
The Clash
4/5
Very good. Not at all punk, just good catchy guitar pop, rock, ska and soul. I think there's around 6 excellent songs, 5 or 6 good songs and the others are superior fillers.
The Byrds
3/5
It's ok, better than their later country music albums. No Dylan covers this time, however there is Hey Joe pre-dating Hendrix I think. And it includes 8 Miles High which is one of the better 60s psychedelic rock offerings.
It's ok.
King Crimson
2/5
Not for me. Too noodly and weird. Perhaps I don't have the patience today. Only a few moments of heavy guitar rock. I did hear virtuosity from all main instruments (flute, violin, drums, bass and guitar), but as a whole I didn't like it.
The Monkees
2/5
Taking elements from The Beatles. Fair to middling.
The Beau Brummels
3/5
Pleasant Dylan-esque folk pop. It does sound like Gene Clark and I prefer this.
The Libertines
3/5
Good youthful energy, but very loose, even sloppy, musicianship. Can't stand me now is the best song. Has a Clash feel and I just found out that Mick Jones produced it, so there you go. Similar energy, but nowhere near the same instrumentation or songwriting level as The Clash.
Deep Purple
4/5
Magnificent, good strong riffs. Pleasant singing. A bit of funk and jazz along with the heavy blues rock. More enjoyable than Black Sabbath (certainly less dark) and less disjointed than Led Zeppelin. Excellent.
Ms. Dynamite
3/5
Enjoyable modern hip hop soul and pop (reminiscent of Lauryn Hill and Missy Elliot, but nowhere near as strong or sweet a voice) with more singing than rapping, however I'm not actually sure her voice is all that good. It seems a bit monotone and slightly nasally to my ears by the time the hour of music was up. I'll listen a second time to see if it grates on me as per the first listen.
Motörhead
2/5
Note: the original LP is 45 minutes. The links here seem to give you the extended versions which are really for the diehards.
It’s quite a good record of the speed and noise of Motörhead at their peak. I prefer it to other metallers as it’s slightly more rock’n’roll, but it’s still pretty noisy! My taste is more AC/DC towards Iron Maiden in this area of hard rock.
Arcade Fire
4/5
Still their best, although slightly weaker in the middle, but finishes very strongly.
Can
3/5
First half (tracks 1-4) is good experimental rock jamming in line with the late 60s and early 70s era - noteworthy are Oh Yeah and Halleluwah; then It's all poor unfocused prog psychedelic noodling. Very much a double album where the second disk can be left untouched in it's sleeve. Only redeeming thing I can add is that I heard Matt Johnson’s the The “Giant” drums in the last three minutes of “Aumgn”.
Happy Mondays were clearly influenced by Halleluwah!
Joanna Newsom
3/5
Pretty folk music with good string arrangements. However, Bjork-style singing slowly gets irritating. Songs are way too long. Whatever happened to 3-6 minute pieces? It wouldn’t be fair to give it less than 3 since there is talent involved (friends in high places judging by the producer, engineer, collaborators and arrangers!) and it sounds acceptable.
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
Rufus’s voice always reminds me of a slightly more melodic Thom Yorke. Ok chamber pop.
Red Snapper
3/5
Good funky club music in the same world as Groove Armada, Basement Jaxx and Fatboy Slim.
Abdullah Ibrahim
3/5
Really 'nice' jazz from the mid 80s, but often sounding like 1940s/50s. Glad I got to hear this, particularly Mannenberg Revisited. Some quieter pieces, but overall a pleasant listen.
Solange
3/5
Cool and smooth, well sung, well produced R&B with a strong positive racial commentary, although too many interludes that get on the way on subsequent listens. Kind of more accessible than Beyonce's more recent albums. Particularly enjoyed the rhythm in Cranes and the electro in Don't Wish Me Well.
The Offspring
3/5
Energetic, fast and riff heavy 1990s US punk rock with tongue often in cheek. Nicely doesn't take itself too seriously. Just like Green Day the vocal is forced, raspy and very punk rather than singing. That aside, the drive is awesome. The hits are here: Self Esteem, Come Out And Play. A good link between hard rock and melodic punk. Pretty good actually - superior punk!
Common
3/5
A gorgeous listen due to the wonderful melodic jazz funk samples. Common raps with a mostly positive and kind-spirited socio-political awareness (however I do not agree on his negativity towards interracial relationships👎🏾).
Another good jazz-rap listen.
The Mamas & The Papas
2/5
I had high expectations and the harmonies are gorgeous, the two huge hits are evergreen, but overall it has dated and is just another 60s pop album, albeit by talented arrangers and singers.
Silver Jews
3/5
US indie vaguely related to Pavement, but more lyrical and less noisy. Didn’t really have time to dig into the poetry, so felt this was unremarkable, but not unappealing.
The Beta Band
3/5
Experimental indie pop/rock that grows on you. I recognised two singles. Not bad, quite quirky and interesting.
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
It’s a really pleasant, smart pop record which Rufus sings maturely and well. Better than Want Two that was listed a week ago.
Goldfrapp
3/5
Apparently the vocal was manipulated to sound like a theremin - instead of actually using a theremin!
Lots of crossover with Portishead with Will Gregory and Adrian Utley. Alison and her buddy Will Gregory are definitely artistes. Bit too knowingly arty, but Lovely Head and Utopia are good.
Skepta
2/5
Not my taste. A bit aggressive and lacking in tunes. Shut Down has limited novelty value, but that's it for me.
Grant Lee Buffalo
3/5
Good indie rock from early 90s.
The Band
4/5
These men sound like they’re having fun. I was expecting country rock like the Byrds, but this is good late 60s rock n roll.
…And who doesn’t adore The Weight?
Ute Lemper
3/5
Good voice, was expecting a Marlene Dietrich strong German accent, but the vocal is strong and clear.
Divine Comedy is as good as usual and I can kind of hear Elvis Costello’s phrasing. Overall it’s OK, but not something I’ll choose again (but please note that the last song, Scope J, is particularly poor).
Jane's Addiction
3/5
Hard funky rock with an emphasis on art-iness and psychedelia and a very different sounding vocalist/leader.
Some very good progressive hard funk rock, but doesn’t sound like these guys are enjoying themselves as much as Chili Peppers or Guns n Roses from the same era and city.
George Jones
2/5
Couldn’t find the album on my streaming subscription and was directed to a Greatest Hits package. This is the kind of twangy country music for which I really don’t have any interest. Sorry George.
Morrissey
3/5
I always surprise myself by enjoying Morrissey’s solo material more than I feel I ought to for him being such stubborn, egotistical and strange contradictory man.
This is has strong guitar and bass playing often much heavier than previously and whilst never as charming or innovative as with Johnny Marr, this collection does rock well. I note the collaborations with Mick Ronson and that talented fellow from Fairground Attraction.
Pretty good actually! 3.5
Pere Ubu
2/5
Quite a lot of shouty punk, but also some more progressive music. Although marginally more listenable than Dub Housing, it is still a long way from my taste.
The KLF
2/5
Could only stream The Director’s Cut which was extremely mellow compared to the incendiary hit singles. Not sure if the original album release is like those singles, but this was disappointing. Some songs were like poor man’s West End Girls and weak Cafe Del Mar tunes.
The Dandy Warhols
3/5
It’s indie guitar rock, nothing too heavy, some weird stuff, but mostly straight forward alternative rock. No Bohemian Like You, but it does include “heroin is so passé”. Ok.
Dwight Yoakam
2/5
Country with occasional rock’n’roll. Good use of violin and guitar, although I’m not fond of the country slide guitar sound (or “yee-hah” country in general).
Dagmar Krause
2/5
I found these on YouTube: https://youtu.be/PkPvS85L998?feature=shared
I didn’t enjoy these 1920s interpretations. I much preferred Ute Lemper’s Teutonic singing style from the listings last week. These songs are dramatic, heavy and dark. Certainly there is artistic integrity, it’s just theatrical and antiquated.
The Beta Band
3/5
Crossover alternative indie pop, rock, electronica. A bit similar to Super Furry Animals, but maybe not as catchy. Some is quite good.
Coldcut
3/5
Found on YouTube. Good house music from 1989, but the end of the album gets bogged down in long record scratching and sampling experiments. Overall a fine first 40 minutes or so, more appealing to me than most techno/dance music albums.
Amy Winehouse
4/5
An excellent homage to the jazz and soul legends of the 40s, 50s and 60s with a little Caribbean twist from time to time. Amy's reverence and knowledge of the music of the past is all over the lyrics and music. A great album, but painful to think what else she could have given us.
Guns N' Roses
5/5
Brilliant, energetic, crass and essence of youthful LA rock and roll. This is what the fuss was all about. They had the punk energy of Pistols, Clash et al, the rock'n'roll to match AC/DC, the sex drive of Prince, as well as first rate instrumental skill. Annoying as hell with overblown giant egos, but still an amazing 5 star classic album.
The Zutons
4/5
Fun, cool, swampy retro rock and pop. Sometimes a bit New Orleans-y Dr John, other times a bit Beefheart/Zappa and lots of Merseyside style. Love it. It’s pretty short, but that conciseness adds to the attraction.
Syd Barrett
2/5
I’m not won over by the Pink Floyd legacy because I don’t really like the 60s psychedelic rock, so I’m not giving any allowance to Syd Barrett’s drivel just in the same way John Lennon’s rubbish albums get my low votes.
This is a very weak album. It is musical, but just rubbish, so it doesn’t get the utter low of a one star vote.
Paul Weller
4/5
Really enjoyable. Weller’s voice at this point had matured beautifully to give a soulful but gritty edge to the soul and the rockier songs. I really like Stanley Road, but I think this is his best. Better than Jam and Style Council, although Snap! and Singular Adventures collections will always win!
Kings of Leon
3/5
Thank goodness this band developed into the Sex On Fire / Need Somebody group that we all love! I’m not a fan of the seemingly lazy drawl vocal.
Besides Molly’s Chambers this is all quite retro garage rock and mediocre even if does have a bit of 1977-style punk drive. I’ll give it three stars, because one and two are reserved for drivel.
Lupe Fiasco
3/5
A bit like the good bits from OutKast and Kanye: nothing overly gangster and good eclectic music. Great to hear Jill Scott on the I Monster sampling Daydreaming. Why isn’t “Who Is Jill Scott” on the 1001 list?
A high 3. Not quite infectious enough for a four, but good.
Randy Newman
3/5
Quite enjoyable, very obvious sarcasm. Even when it's from an ironic viewpoint as a protest I can't stand the N-word. The New Orleans style playing is enjoyable and is a refreshing twist on this piano-led music than straight Elton John/Billy Joel troubadour stuff (as excellent as that is). A high three stars.
Metallica
3/5
I think the orchestra must have tempered James Hetfield's singing as it's not as "rawk" as usual. Occasionally the strings add a lushness, but I think the brass is a bit too much. All on all I'd rather listen to the original LP recordings. Good exercise all the same and a document of the concert.
Christina Aguilera
3/5
Versatile and wide ranging voice that sounds wonderfully bluesy when needed. Some songs are strong ballads, others catchy rock funk. Generally better than her peers. Good, albeit too long (a criticism I levelled at her other album showcased on this list, Back To Basics).
Doves
3/5
I enjoyed this when originally released, British “indie” guitar music driven by instrumentals and groove. A bit mellow and vaguely “shoe-gazing”. A few songs are still good, well crafted and at times beautiful, but ultimately not that special.
Spiritualized
2/5
Mellow spaced-out indie guitar like a less noisy version of My Bloody Valentine.
Magazine
3/5
Interesting new wave music. Joy Division style music alongside straight punk albeit musical. Clash-style unattractive singing. A good stepping stone from Buzzcocks forward.
Finley Quaye
3/5
This was everywhere in the UK in the late 90s and in isolation the singles are great, but an album of this makes me consider the affected Caribbean accent from a Scot! It's got an interesting mixture of some trip-hop, acid jazz and ska. Ok, but too much altogether for a dozen or so songs.
Klaxons
4/5
Not at all "new rave", quite punky on some songs and very much an alternative British rock ("indie") album with strong dance rhythms. Good. Thoroughly enjoy Golden Skans and Not Alone.
The Electric Prunes
2/5
Standard mid 60s rock with some psychedelic moments and the now ubiquitous inclusion of baroque following the Beatles and Stones. Not really special enough to me.
Ray Price
2/5
Regardless of Willie Nelson's involvement this is twangy old fashioned country and western and not my taste.
The first blues track is ok, then it's back to country again.
Cornershop
3/5
Eclectic! Covering so many styles including Indian country and western! All quite engaging although some of the hip-hop record scratching instrumentals are a little too long.
The Zombies
4/5
Highly anticipated especially since I enjoy She’s Not There and Time Of The Season.
Good 60s pop with nice California-style vocal and content and sounds connected to post 1966 Beatles, Kinks, Beach Boys, Procul Harem, Small Faces, CS&N. Pleasant, but not up to the gushing reputation on first listen.
Second listen and familiarity is making me thoroughly enjoy this! 3 stars just become 4. Excellent vocals.
Cat Stevens
3/5
Enjoyable folk-pop with two huge hits amongst other pleasant and well written songs.
The Bees
3/5
It started so well with two jazzy pop grooves then became a bit boring really. Disappointing, but not terrible. A very low three.
Fiona Apple
2/5
I enjoyed her earlier album, Tidal, but this was less music driven and all about her artistic voice. She has an American bluesy vocal, but mostly just plays at being an Artist reminding for some reason of Tom Waits. Way too arty for me.
Haircut 100
4/5
Upbeat 80s funk pop. Nothing heavyweight, just fun enjoyable pop. I’m giving four stars not because this is amazing, but it appeals to me.
Kraftwerk
3/5
The Kraftwerk sound associated with Africa Bambaata’s “Planet Rock”. Some German sing/talking early on then several tracks forming the Trans Europe Express title track.
It’s ok.
Röyksopp
3/5
Firmly in the Groove Armada mellow dance world. Pleasant.
The Incredible String Band
2/5
Very traditional folk, not with any rock leanings like Fairport Convention. A bit too traditional and old fashioned for me.
Traffic
3/5
Good funky blues. Strong grooves. Enjoyable.
The Only Ones
3/5
Far too musical to be punk. Precursor to Psychedelic Furs? It does get more snarly and raucous, but the initial musicality (saxophone!) lifts this above usual 1978 "punk" - perhaps closer to glam rock? Not everything with a guitar and urgency from 1978 is punk.
Paul McCartney
3/5
Very talented to play pretty much all instruments. Lots of catchy pop, but only a few full songs, which are good and one incredibly excellent and timeless hit song. Band on the run is the McCartney album to choose, but this isn’t all awful.
Girls Against Boys
2/5
Dark and down beat. Very alt-rock indie. Not my favourite style of vocal.
Hole
3/5
Starts off sounding very Nirvana ("go take everything" in that over-pushed vocal sounds just a bit too similar, Courtney).
Miss World, I'm sure, is Hole's own super hit.
It's ok as grungey riot grrl early 90s US rock, four years later they made another, hit album, Celebrity Skin, arguably more accessible and satisfying, but that would be a big argument nonetheless!
The Teardrop Explodes
4/5
I like this, I already knew Reward (not officially in the album, but included on the re-issues) and Treason. Like a poppier Echo and the Bunnymen. I enjoyed the music, bouncy bass lines and Julian Cope’s voice is quite pleasant, no snarling punk timelessness.
Cyndi Lauper
3/5
Two awesome pop hits and one muddling cover of a great Prince song; lots of shiny 80s pop. Quite middle of the road, fair but not as stunning as I was expecting - perhaps it’s status has been elevated by the couple of hits?
The Coral
2/5
Not any where as good as fellow scousers, The Zutons. I really enjoy Dreaming of you, but the rest isn't even very good sea-shanty indie rock. Poor and disappointing given the fame at the time of release. Makes sense why I didn't listen to the album in the early 2000s!
Alice Cooper
3/5
More glam than the earlier theatrical Schools Out. Evidence of macabre horror traits, but also classic rock notably on No more mister nice guys and Elected.
Liz Phair
3/5
Seems overrated. Alt-rock with a hint of early 70s rock n roll (the Exile on Main Street influence). Slightly juvenile sex talk and swearing like 1987 Beastie Boys having a go at Alanis Morrisette.
A low 3.
Sigur Rós
3/5
There has been a lot of exposure to Sigur Ros on TV and radio indents and soundtracks (including the very listenable and uplifting Hoppibola), so there were no surprises here.
It's mostly gentle, almost ambient, but not in a Brian Eno sense because you are consciously listening to it. Not understanding the language puts emphasis on the feel and tone which change. It is not boring, just different to most rock music.
Morrissey
3/5
Typical Morrissey, quite light guitars, nothing awful or especially noteworthy. Very much like the weaker Smiths songs except a few of the earlier songs such as Billy Budd, which is quite good.
On a 2nd listen and the gentle songs grow on me more. I still prefer The Smiths.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
3/5
Interesting to finally get some different cultural music that is not British or American or Brazilian. Not my thing, but interesting.
Soft Machine
3/5
After a distinctly prog first track I was very pleasantly surprised to hear the jazz fusion of tracks 2 and 4. Could easily have passed somewhere between Miles Davis/Herbie Hancock/jazzy Frank Zappa from the same year. Excellent (or at least half the album).
Public Image Ltd.
2/5
I’ve always like the song Public Image, but the rest is not great.
The Louvin Brothers
2/5
I’m not a fan of twangy country, but I can see that this is well done for what it is and it’s era.
2/5
Noisy and thunderous drumming. Eventually the saxophones begin to play more obvious melodies. Feet Music even sounds like a proper jazz piece!
Seriously though, this is not mess, but it just takes concentration and a love of hard jazz to get the feel.
Chicago
4/5
It's like three bands in one: soul/r&B with horns (very much like Blood, Sweat & Tears), late 60s pop/rock (Spencer Davis, etc) and late 60s heavy guitar rock (Fleetwood Mac, Cream, Zeppelin, etc).
Ignoring the Hendrix-influencing (yes, an influence on Jimi) guitar solo and the noisy section of Liberation, this is an accomplished collection, political and musical statement.